Atlanta Hawks: Why They Need ‘Zo

Addition by subtraction — just get rid of Josh Smith. He’ll never win in the league with his attitude.

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MC I too ask who is Zo and where do we get him

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The huge problem is that Josh Smith is the anti-Zo…Hawks should have let Memphis take him a couple of years go…the guy is just a little kid with no heart…he plays great when things are going well, but as soon as the going gets tough, he is out the door…it was a fun run while it lasted, but it’s over now…

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Guys have some damn confidence!!!! Every damn one of you are acting like it’s already over!! I certainly can understand the pessimists but how many if you played sports?! If there is one thing I can tell you about sports is that it’s not over till it’s over!! Never give up!!! I have his feeling that we are going to win tomorrow!! I know it sounds crazy seeing as how we played so terrible the last three games but I truly feel that we are coming back strong with our backs against the wall!!! I had a bad feeling after game 2 because of the long layoff and the draft so everybody basicly forgot about us playing!! Including the hawks!!! Now they know it’s win or go home and if you seriously think for one second that the bucks are better than us then you need to be in mental hospital!! There is no way!!! And I mean NO way we lose!!!!! Have some fu***** heart and realize that our talent will prevail tomorrow!! Mark my words!!! Go get your tickets for game 7!!!! P.s. I don’t need any responses about how we have no offense and we have no coach or bibby sucks or joe johnsons not a leader or any other bandwagon nonsense! And it is bandwagon if when were good your all happy and when we lose it’s we suck. Now I’m tired of all this negative attitude!!!! Are you with me!!!

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“Addition by subtraction — just get rid of Josh Smith. He’ll never win in the league with his attitude.”

Would you consider Rasheed Wallace, Dennis Rodman, and Stephen Jackson to be players with “good attitudes”?

FIRE WOODY

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veterans on our team with playoff experience:
Mo Evans
Bibby
Joe Smith

Sadly, Woodson has hardly ever played those guys in crunch time minutes in the playoffs.
Go figure.

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And even though the team has given us every reason to think otherwise, I still believe we can and should win tomorrow night.

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FEAR THE FEATHERS! THE HAWKS WILL WIN THIS SERIES!

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If you think about it, the Hawks haven’t progressed at all. Just the expectations have.
2 years ago against the Celtics in the playoffs round 1-7 games 3 wins at home 4 blowouts on the road.
1 year ago Heat-7 games 3 wins at home 2 blowouts outs on the road
same this year.
Woodson can not take this team any further. Before, whatever we did in the playoffs was a bonus, this year we expected to play like an elite team and we are obviously far from that, even if we manage to beat the Bucks. With heightened expectations this team is showing its true colors.

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Delbert D.

I think zo is working in Miami’s front office

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I really don’t even know what to say about this, Michael. I guess, maybe, the ownership was trying to get a “Zo” by signing Jason Collins? Who knows?

What strikes me most about your piece, Michael, is that you wrote this two weeks into the gig. It didn’t take you long to see that the Hawks would have trouble down the road because the carefree attitude. Good call.

I wish tomorrow night’s game was tonight. I just want to get it over with. Any of you watching Dallas/San Antonio? I think the Hawks will be playing the role of Dallas tomorrow. I see a complete meltdown coming.

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Got it! After looking at the upcoming free agent list, I want Chuck Hayes and Joel Prizbilla. Sign ‘em up! Two physical and tough players.

Hayes would be a great add. I’m a Michigan State grad and huge fan. Tom Izzo loves Chuck Hayes. I think that is endorsement enough.

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The Hawks are not as talented as made out to be.

Joe is closer to being John Salmons than he is Kobe, Durant, Carmelo, etc.

Josh Smith is VASTLY overrated.

Josh Smith is also dumb as rocks. Why is a player that cant shoot or dribble ONE LICK, always trying to cross people up and taking jumpers???

Well maybe that’s what happens when your coach has no offensive set plays.

The whole team is in shambles.

Woodson isnt smart enough to actually coach, and the players dont have enough leadership or smarts to realize that since their coach just throws them the ball and says “play” maybe they need to work out some plays amungst themselves.

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JD, it would be nice if we could get the refs that Miami had during that title run, too. The least deserving championship team of all time, the ‘06 Heat.

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@MC, your article holds up tremendously.. I wrote a blog last year about making a play for Paul Milsap well before the Boozer blow up (to see if we could trade for him or sign him in the offseason). Having someone from the Jerry Sloan way of doing things as well as a lunch pail player to pair up with Al Horford was the implication. But your point is valid now as it was then…the Hawks lack true hardened leadership from the ranks of the players. I’ve sat behind the bench twice and I’ve yet to see someone say what needs to be said in a way that’s respected. I saw bickering and yelling, but not – ok, I get it…here’s what we need to do to get things on track. Certainly haven’t seen that in any press conference and doubt it’s being said at practice. Everything you’ve observed doesn’t surprise me in the least.

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After looking thru list of free agents, aside from Kurt Thomas and maybe Kenyon Martin or Matt Barnes there aren’t too many of those vested respected hard nosed players left. It is a different NBA now from when we grew up. With changes in officiating players are a lot softer than a decade ago becaused they are policed so heavily. Plus the overall skill level has diminished as a result of so many players defecting to the league early during late 90’s to now. That is why there are such a small handful of true stars because “potential” players never got to fully develop. I think Al Horford has it in him to be that tough guy everyone respects, but how lond will it take him to get to that point, who knows?

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Interesting Observation

Which of these names look better on paper???..but which ones would you rather have in this series right now???

Delfino and Ilyasova or Josh Smith and Marvin Williams

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If Jeff Teague is going to be our point of the future, now would not be a bad time to see what he can do. Jennings is just torching us, who is the rookie again? Going forward we have to figure out how to use Josh Smith. Defensively he fills it up across the board, but offensively he can’t dribble, can’t shoot, and has no post moves so…. Anyway, we’ll see what happens?

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I think Joe Smith, Jason Collins and to a lesser extent Bibby were supposed to fill that role. Hasn’t worked yet. I wouldn’t mind putting Collins and Smith rotating at Center, and see if we can get stability. Put Teague and Mario on Jennings, and see if he can take the heat also

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Hawksfanatic, I tend to agree with you. I hate the Heat. And, I really hate that title team of ‘06.

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i agree with mike, give some suggestions, your article is dead, almost like mike woodson coaching style. fire woody.

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The hawks have that player in joe smith but woody who is stubborn never for some odd reason never play him or his bench.

Some ask this Q if jenning was on the hawks would woody play him ? not only jenning wouldn’t be playing he would have never develop into the player he is today.
GO HAWKS!!!!!!!!!

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“He’s a much better passer than he is a scorer (especially when involving shooting jumpers and trying to take guys off the dribble), but he plays the opposite way”

I think more accurately, he’s a terrible scorer from more than 5 feet away from the hoop, which is where too much of his offense originates. Closer to the hoop, he is actually pretty decent; as long as he uses his left hand in the post, he is not bad at all. But I agree, he’s a much better passer. Unfortunately, when you play in an offense that involves no ball movement or off-the-ball movement, it’s hard to really exploit a guy’s passing ability. I’ve seen many occasions, even in this series, when Josh hits a guy with a pretty good pass who then proceeds to dribble around and take a contested jumper.

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Blast

Wow! Atlanta Hawks cannot top this. Lose to the Bucks at home in a crucial game 5. I kind of saw it coming halfway to the 4th, when Bucks were gunning and Hawks were choking. It did not come as a surprise to me. Hawks have been blowing 4th qrt leads and losing games to inferior teams all year long. Last night came to bite them in the butt. They deserved to lose.

1st blame goes to Woodson. He did what he’s done all year. Make no adjustments and continue switching, which works with some teams but does not work with the Bucks.

Then he kept Marvin out too long.

Joe screwed up. So did Jamal. It was a shame only two bench players were there when Jamal got his award, but Jamal has sucked in the playoffs, man, except for game 4, where he had a little impact, but Hawks still lost. Is Jamal sucking b/c it’s his first playoff games or b/c he’s not feeling any love from his teammates?

I used to give Woodson the benefit of the doubt, but I think game 5 kind of exposed him for what he is. A coach with limited, unimaginative offensive philosophy. If Hawks can keep Joe without maxing out, fine, but that has to happen only if Joe adopts a more better offensive scheme than what he has now. I see Joe open early in the clock, but he won’t take that shot, preferring to pound and pound the ball until he loses it, or take a bad shot. Meanwhile, Bucks are pulling up, sharing the ball, and taking the first shot they get!

Joe might have been the man years ago, but if he is playing selfish, freezing out Jamal, playing like he does not want the franchise to succeed, then get rid of his ass.

I don’t see the Hawks winning tomorrow. Their habit is too ingrained to salvage in 48 hours. Hope they can pull it off, but I doubt it really seriously.

Sigh. Waiting for next year with no Joe or Woody.

I think Hawks can actually be a better team without those two cats.

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MC, I see your point, and it’s true that playoff teams need to have a nastiness to them (not dirty) that will make teams think twice before going in the paint.

However, one person alone won’t change that. First and foremost it takes a coach who can instill confidence in his team. It takes a coach who is not afraid to hurt his players feelings and make any adjustments necessary to have favorable matchups against weaker competition.

Say what you will, but the Smith-Williams forward combo is as soft as it gets. They don’t play smart basketball, and after so many years of relying on athleticism you need players who possess a basketball IQ to make the little plays in games such as last night.

This why I hope Atlanta loses tomorrow night and gets eliminated. It’s the only way for management to wake up and realize that:

1) Mike Woodson is not the coach to take this team to a championship. His preference on isolation offenses plays right into his opponents’ gameplan. His refusal to make adjustments keeps Atlanta’s offense stagnant in crunch time. After 5 years the Hawks are still unable to play team basketball, and that is a direct reflection of coaching. Dwayne Casey or Jeff Van Gundy will be great replacements.

2) Joe Johnson and Josh Smith are great second-and-third bananas, but will not win you a championship as your leaders. If they cannot bring in a superstar frontline player, resign Johnson in free agency and trade Josh Smith and the rights to Josh Childress along with the No. 1 pick to Phoenix for Amare Stoudamire, who would dominate in the East.

3) Whatever happens tomorrow night, you must rid yourself of Josh Smith. Sure he may be great for a highlight reel, but you don’t win titles making Sportcenter Top 10 plays, you win it with making clutch plays in crunch time. Getting rid of him will enable GM Rick Sund to build this team into a more typical NBA lineup.

4) I think they already have their Zo in Al Horford, but he is playing undersized at the 5. Sign Brendan Haywood as a free agent and have Horford play the PF and keep JJ. It will give Atlanta and inside-outside offense that will help take the pressure of JJ.

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WE GOT ALL THE PLAYERS WE NEED TO BEAT THE BUCKS. WOODY JUST WON’T PLAY ALL OF THEM.

FIRE WOODY

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[repost from last blog] (All that typin’/didn’t realize new blog was up)

Grandad

April 29th, 2010
8:43 pm
Alot to get to, so here goes:

drmaryb – It will pass my dear. Unfortunately it is going to pass after we lose our next game & the Wdsn era ends. (I’ll return to you in a moment, as I have to address a few things)

Bubba Wheeler – Even if the Hawks win the next two games, ALL WILL NOT
BE FORGOTTEN ! I apologize for raising my voice.

darrell starks – I hate to disagree with you, as you and I see
eye to eye on many issues, but we must keep Joe.
*I’ll explain in a moment.

Sautee – You addressed Najeh’s statement:

“You can place blame on the coach . . . fine. That’s cool. But the coach does NOT have an X-Box controller, making the players execute the play or play hard, or do simple things like box out for a rebound. Paying attention to detail.”

And I agree with everything you said, but Najeh also said:

“If the coach doesn’t pay attention to detail, the players won’t pay attention to detail.”

It was Najeh’s last statement that I would like to enhance:

Having coached for over [30] yrs. & contrary to ‘TS’ assertion
that my career was spent in *Sat. morning youth leagues.
If you don’t stress the little things [detail/Najeh] the players will develop bad habits.
I’ve watched numerous video of a Wdsn practice & it absolutely drives me crazy as there is no [none,nada,zilch] correction for sloppy play.
I’ll cite a few examples: laziness running drills, allowed to travel when handling ball, non-fundamental footwork, “LACK OF CONCENTRATION”,
improper shooting techniques, and I could go on.
Have you ever heard the axiom:
“You play like you practice”
If you noticed above, quotes + all caps; “L O C”.
How many times have we heard that one after a game?
Najeh & Sautee / both respected & both dead on target!

About Joe:
I was very disappointed to hear what Sekou had to say this AM.
[concerning Joe & Bibby] / It’s no wonder he can’t lead.

It’s also enlightening to think about Marv.
We all have wondered about Marv regressing, now perhaps we know why.
Joe and Bibby may have unintentionally pulled a “Kucoc” on Marv.
Remember how Jordan & Pippin beat down Tony Kukoc both
mentally & emotionally. I don’t think they did it on purpose as did
Jordan & Pip but something has happened to Marv and after Sekou’s statement it makes me think. [Marv & Childress were very close]

We can’t lose Joe:
He is a complete player.
A ‘real’ profesional basketball coach with a real philosophy & system might just set him over the top. Not to mention one who understands the psychology of dealing with players and developing a real team concept.

drmaryb – I said I would get back to you…I hope as you read through
“War & Peace” (above) [if you didn't get bored and quit reading]
you found a few tidbits to make you feel better and I sure hope
my dissertation didn’t make you feel worse.

The convention of circumstances and events leading toward new leadership for our Hawks, may just be better news than advancing one series only to lose to a superior team. Everyone keeps saying we are superior to the Bucks, well I’m not so certain. Being an advocate of Team play above all else; it appears to me, they actually are the superior ‘TEAM’.

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Defense box out rebound and push the ball up court, mario will play a significant role in guarding jenning on the perimeter and making this happen.
GO HAWKS!!!!!!!!

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It’s like I was telling some of ya’ll in the last blog. A lot of you keep screaming “Woody . . Woody . . Woody”, when you MIGHT want to be looking at some of these players, and the mindset that they bring to the game. It’s a combination of problems with this team . . not just one coach or one player.

I’d LOVE to know who was the player that MC was talking about in practice. But I’m sure he’ll never tell that, seeing that it may compromise his position as a beat writer for the team. But if Woody is trying to teach the team something, and the players aren’t listening . . ( shrugging shoulders ).

As for the Zo-type of player . . I think that’s why Sekou mentioned how the Hawks miss a guy like Anthony Johnson. Now granted, AJ was a worse player than Bibby by the time he left here, but he was the type of personality that would challenge the young Hawks when they got out of line.

You guys remember the time in which AJ yelled at Smoove . . while on the court during game play . . trying to get him in the right position, because Smoove wanted the ball but AJ wouldn’t pass it to him?

That’s what Sekou and MC are talking about. That “leader type” of dude that will keep the team in line.

You know who a “Zo-type” of player was/is? Too bad he melted down last year.

But ALLEN IVERSON . . with all of his flaws and personal demons . . would’ve been the type of leader that this team could’ve desperately used, even if his talent wasn’t there anymore. Say what you want about AI, but the dude was a leader and he hated to lose.

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Fire Woody………….

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The players have to shoulder some of the blame for this teams’ issues, but truth be told, most of the problems could be rectified by getting rid of Woodson. Attitude is a reflection of leadership. You don’t often see bad attitudes from a successful team with a coach that has it all figured out. Woodson apparently has nothing figured out because these guys are still making the same mistakes over and over again. Why would a player listen to a coach who is just going to tell them the same crap that didn’t work previously followed by “play harder”. The offense looks like something you would see at pickup game at Burdett gym and the switching defense gets blistered. Woodson is lucky the Hawks have all these athletic players because that’s the only thing keeping this defense from giving up 130 points a night. Any wonder no one else in the league has copied it? That’s because everyone else is smart enough to realize that power forward and centers can’t defend point guards and shooting guards on the perimeter. Not Woody.

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Looking for a silver lining, if every coach in the league adopted Woody’s philosophies on playing and developing rookies, there would be less one and done players making the college game much more exciting. Maybe he’s trying to start a movement. Yet and still..

FIRE WOODY

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Why they censor my last post? Woody must have called the AJC and told on us.

FIRE WOODY

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I think a new coach is a given at this point, but I also am of the belief that j.j. Is outta here after the season. We need dwade or bosh, but it doesn’t look if our cap space will allow it. Guess that leaves us with another rebuilding project. Frustrated with the status quo, but I still love my hawks.

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Two FA’s who have made news this year for not putting up w/ BS on the floor are Matt Barnes and Quentin Richardson. I’d pass on Fisher, Stackhouse and especially Ben Wallace. He has completely lost his swagger, skills and desire.

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Its too late to be talking about who to add because youve already paid them . Josh is not gonna listen to anyone and Marvins already gotten paid too.

Zo is the guy you bring in before they get paid the best we could do is start jettisoning folks and trying to salvage AL.

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Anybody watch Dallas vs. SA? I am not a big Dirk fan, buy he poured his heart out. Then, so little used point guard named Beaubois rallied the team with his quickness and taking TP to the hole. He looked a lot like Jennings because of his speed. Did not have much of a jump shot though. Only averaged about 12 min a game, but he looked damn good!!! He reminded me of our rookie point guard the last game of the year………….

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Coach is riding on thin ice, Top 2 players headed to FA and a Ownership group that has lost their fuggin mind. “We will want to see how much we improve before we resign our coach or top 2 FA”. Team has 13 players, the 26th rated payroll in the league, Finished 3rd in the conf and just won 50 plus games. Talk about blood from a Turnip. This is going to turn out worse than Lenny trading Nique.

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LOL @ Blast.

As big of a JJ fan as I am, that EXACT SAME THOUGHT crossed my mind. I’ve NEVER seen JJ play like that. NEVER.

- 3 fouls in the 4th quarter
- 3 turnovers
- took 2 shots in the 4th . . and didn’t take a shot after he made that lay-up, until he fouled out

So what if he DID throw that game? Or here’s a conspiracy theory . . what if JJ has orders from OWNERSHIP to throw that game?

So let’s pick a conspiracy theory:

a) – After being taking out of a game for missing that early 4th quarter jumper, and his teammates moaning that he’s not passing . . JJ decides that he’s going to “see if his team can win without him scoring” . . ala Kobe. But as Milwaukee tossed up brick after brick, JJ says to himself . . “I guess I need to foul out and see if they can survive without me”.

********

b) – After Tuesday’s shootaround, ownership calls JJ into their office. They explain to JJ how he’s playing great basketball, and that he’ll get a MAX contract next season . . under ONE CONDITION . . that he must throw Game 5. A perplexed JJ asks why, seeing that they still have the home court.

ASG: “We need to get Woody out of here . . NOW!”

JJ: “But we can win this . . and we can take Orlando in the next round.”

ASG: “That’s the point. If we beat Orlando, that puts us in the EC Finals. And Woody would become the first coach in Atlanta Hawk history to achieve that. AND WE DON’T WANT THAT!! JJ . . we have a 6yr – 105 mill deal on the table for you RIGHT NOW. All we ask, is that you tank this game and lose Game 6. We finally have te entire fan base on the FIRE WOODY bandwagon. This is the perfect time to see thr Woody era end.”

*********

c) – After getting treatment for his toe 3 weeks ago, Jamal Crawford is called into the ASG offices.

ASG: “Jamal, you’ve been great for us. Thanks for a great season. But we need you to do something for us.”

JAMAL: “Anything you want boss”

ASG: “We need you to play really, really, really bad in the playoffs.”

JAMAL: “What? . . . Hell no! I’ve waited my whole life to play in the playoffs. No way am I blowing this opportunity to become a playoff legend.”

ASG: “Jamal . . If you and JJ play well, we’ll be forced to re-sign him for big money. And we need Woody gone too. You make this sacrifice for us, and not only do you become THE MAN . . we’ll also offer you a 3yr – 36 mill extension. But we need you to look like a scrub . . Shoot like 30%”

JAMAL: “But . . ”

ASG: “But nothing Jamal. We saved you from that hellhole in Oakland. We helped you win that 6th man of the year award. YOU OWE US!!”

******

Pick your conspiracy theory.

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northcyde,

I dont think JJ threw that game, it just showed us that JJ cant lead his team to victory when it counts. Jamal too didnt throw that game cause like u said in an example theory, this is his 1ST PLAYOFF EXPERIENCE, why in the world would u look that bad after getting 6th man award?? For me to believe that would have Jamal not take a single shot in the playoffs..but since that wasnt the case, its hard for me to believe that..all in all, the Bucks played harder and out-coached us in everyway. We need a change and if that means moving backwards to make it happen, than so be it!

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lol @Northclyde…I meant Northcyde

FIRE WOODY

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Let me also be clear on one thing.

The decisions, growth, self-discipline, development, and so forth of each player is ultimately on the player themselves. Players cannot be truly made to be this or that, and they have to be held accountable for themselves.

What I’m talking about in point # 5 is the influence that external factors have. Coaching is an influence. Playing and practicing with more experienced teammates is an influence. Trainers and specialists (shooting coaches, etc) are an influence. All of these external influences are quite important, and we know this. I am not making excuses for players who don’t work on their games, or don’t give enough effort. I’m just not going to ignore the importance and impact of coaching and veteran leadership/influence.

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dont take it out on Mike because he was right newbie !
give us a possible list of players…..AND, if you are gonna blog in a Major Sports Page MC, then YOU gotta get hardened. Even soft-headed LibTard Schultzie can take the heat much better than that.

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Good Post Ray. You play how you practice, especially when you’ve been playing in the same system for so long (Josh – 6 years, Marvin, JJ and ZaZa – 5 years, Bibby and Al – 3years).

For those thinking JJ is not clutch, lets not forget about his game 4 performance against Boston in the playoffs (especially in the fourth quarter). Lets not forget that at the end of the season, he carried us to a victory in Milwaukee (ironically enough, if we lose that game, we would be playing Miami).

And there are numerous other games and quarters where he carried us home. So I dont know how to explain his horrible performance in game 5. However, if he plays badly in game 6, the question becomes do you offer him a max contract, which if I remember correctly, would be about 6 years, $108 million?

Another example of coaching gone bad.

Kidd has played horrible against the Spurs. Although he averaged 8 pts, 7 assists, 6 rebounds, he also shot 9-28 from 3 (14-46 overall), and played 41 mpg.

Last night, the Mavs were down big. They bring in Beaubois (their rookie G, drafted #26), and he gave them a spark (16 pts in 21 minutes, and he had the second highest +/- on the team), and helped the Mavs make a run to get back close.

But in the fourth, Carlisle does not play Beaubois until the 2:44 mark in the fourth quarter. Geez. Whats wrong with these coaches? The rookie helps your team make a run, and you hardly give him any PT in the fourth…

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Michael the hawks should forget about Joe Johnson. I got two words for you: DAVID LEE!

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Why does people call Woody defensive coach when he has centers trying to defend guards and his defense if be exploited each game?

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Whoever wrote this article is a complete moron.

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Sorry to say it, but its over. No way we get it done tonight. Not on the road and not after the last three games. Sorry to sound negative, but I’m just being real. I kill for our Hawks, but know them too well to think we have it in us to get the W tonight. Go Hawks!! (Please)

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The two smartest people in recent Atlanta basketball history:

Josh Childress for leaving Woody’s mess for Greece. Believe me – it wasn’t all about money.

Billy Knight for realizing that Woody had taken the team as far as his coaching talents could. Unfortunately, his removing Woody was overruled by the ASG. .

Please note that NBA players like grocery items have a shelf life. so before you start naming veterans to join the Hawks please consider how much they time they have left.

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I am very down this morning. First my favorite team Hawks are almost out of playoffs. Then my head is not into playing golf right now and have a bad round. And as you all know i have side issues personally. But what is really causing me concerns, I am questioning everything.

Is my brother Wooden really a rotten coach? Why did he let Jamal throw brick after brick out there? Why did he not take him out. Is JJ really worth a dime over 15M? I say no way. Get a true center, and a point guard for this team. Why can Hawks not rebound? And what is with the refs and ATL?

MC, Hawks need Kuth Thomas or Haslem or another tough guy like that.

But i have to now question myself and wonder about brother Wooden. Yes Grand Daddy and Wabe and JJ will be happy and have a field day.

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Get Wade/Hasleem/Prince in free agency for JJ/ Bibby/Marvin pick a SFor SG in the draft.By bring in Wade/Hasleem/Prince it’s experience that’s still hungry for a title by mixing with the core of Al, JJ, Teague, Crawford, Zaza and of cause sign a new coach The Little General and watch the Hawks battle it out in the confrence finals

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Seems folks are missing the point he’s trying to make. Our team needs heart, it needs leadership, it needs to play like every second on the court matters. Maybe Zo was a too recent reference. How about we need Michael Jordan. Hold on, don’t start, listen.

We need an emotional leader who controls the locker room. Someone who intimidates our players, someone who gets the most out of them. It’s obvious we have the talent, we have the ability, we have the health, all of that. We’re just missing the piece that makes kids listen to the system, to play together, to play as a unit for the TEAM.

Michael took a long time to win championships. As is Lebron. It takes time to learn how to win and how to be that leader. Right now we’ve got alot of young talent that just hasn’t learned that lesson.

This series hurts. It’ll probably cost us our coach and shake up our team. Hopefully in the aftermath someone will emerge as a real leader. Talent can win in the regular season. It take committment, heart and playing together under one leader to win in the post season.

Something we haven’t been able to do since Bibby led us to victory against the Celtics. Yes, he had it then…till game 7, and it’s been gone ever since.

We’re satisfied with 53 wins and the 3rd seed. We thought we could easily make it to the 2nd round.

It’s not about expectations, it’s about a hunger! Seems our kids are on a diet.

RISE UP HAWKS! I’ll be here, regardless of the outcome, praying for the day it really happens.

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If you thought the other night was bad…..wait until tonight…….Remember the horrible last loss in Boston a few years ago……By the mid second quarter, these guys will be getting blown out.

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That was a great article. I never heard that Shaq and Riley got into it. That is what I want from a sports reporter, some insight that we the regular fan don’t get. You should have posted this back in Jan. it takes and outsider’s eyes to see the true picture sometimes. You are right we need a “Zo”. Someone who will not accept losing to an inferior team and will not let his teammates accept it either.

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LOL.

Woody blaming Horford for not passing into the post. Horford had a GREAT game 5 — wow

If Marvin was on fire on Wednesday, why did he not get the ball more after he scored all the points? This is so dumb – REWARD THOSE WHO PLAY WELL.

Woodson is an offensive moron. He even said so himself – “I don’t give a !@#$ about the offense”

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MC, I agree completely that a person with Zo’s qualities would be a huge benefit for our team, but as you said, only if he can contribute something to the game as well.

You probably haven’t heard of this guy, but I’m reminded of the Georgia Tech team that went to the NCAA Tournament final and had Clarence Moore as their “heart” guy. He was a contributor on the court while keeping the others in line and pumped up. Of course, that team had more leadership and heart even without Moore than the Hawks have, but he took them to another level.

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Just finished listening to Sekou’s interview on 790 the zone. It seemed like he got a lot off his chest now that he’s not with the AJC anymore.

FIRE WOODY

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WELL FELLAS THIS MIGHT BE THE GAME WOODY COACHES FOR THE HAWKS. LET’S ENJOY IT WHILE WE CAN.

FIRE WOODY

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Interesting point of view on Joe (not) going to the Bulls from yahoo sports…

“the two most-discussed targets are Atlanta’s do-it-all wing Joe Johnson and Toronto big Chris Bosh.

Chicago radio guys ceaselessly talk up Joe Johnson, I don’t know how Nick Friedell suffers these loons, and you get a lot of Johnson talk on the chat boards and ICQ logs. And as nice as Joe’s stats are this season, you also have to understand the sheer amount of minutes he plays and how much he has the ball in his hands. I’m not calling him selfish, but I should point out he has more chances to put together nice box-score stats than just about any other player in this league outside of Cleveland.

And when you factor in all those possessions that are used up, pace, minutes and play relative to the rest of the league, he finishes out at a 19.3 PER. Which is good, but hardly the work of a franchise player. And some Bulls fans have pointed out — including one Real GM message board poster that I cannot locate right now but will surely be credited when I find his posts — Johnson’s stats at age 28 scarily resemble Jalen Rose’s stats at the same age, the year before Chicago traded for him.”

http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/blog/ball_dont_lie/post/The-Chicago-Bulls-Gone-Til-November;_ylt=AkzlgvDoTznzXPLFYbqSqse8vLYF?urn=nba,237694

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1. Hawks close in 4th but lose in last 2 min.
2. Woodson gone.
3. Joe Johnson gone.
4. Maybe Ted Turner can loan the ASG some cash to get DWade.
5. Bye Bye Mike Bibby, See # 4.

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Nice blog write up MC. Don’t be holding back on us now, your blog is one of the many places we visit for insight and information. The team is definitely missing a Zo type presence.

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After listening to Sekou; it’s more clear to me now than ever.
If Wdsn is to leave, then so must Bibby!
After Bibby arrived:
Joe stopped being a team player and mentor for the young guys.
Somehow he & Bibby formed a clique. [Bibby's influence]
(remember Bibby has never won anything)
‘Cliche alert’: [Bibby]
“Always a bridesmaid, never a bride”
*Marv has regressed, since Bibby arrived.
*Childress – left, in part, due to Bibby. *[Sekou]
*Acie Law – could not get on the ct. [Bibby/Wdsn - joined @ the hip]
*Jeff Teague – same as Acie [Bibby/Wdsn]
*Bibby/Wdsn reminds me somewhat of Tebow/Urban?
*M.Cunningham says:”Bibby never has much to say”
[Bibby's Leadership / makes you wonder]

His [Bibby's] playing time increased during the play-offs [this yr.]
even though his skills have eroded to the point where he is a liability.

It doesn’t make sense.

If wdsn goes to the Sixers, lets make sure we ship Mr. Bibby right along with him & make ‘em both happy.

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Gumby been smoking that Reggie Bush this morning.

FIRE WOODY

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Forget a Z0!!! Let’s start off first by getting a real headcoach!!! Hire Steve Smith Fire Woody!

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Brilliant, northcyde! The ASG WANTS to lose this series so they don’t have to resign Woody!

We all know there’s a rule you MUST resign your coach!

GENIUS!

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After seeing the glaringly obvious problems with Mike Woodson’s coaching the last few years the Hawks need to let him go no matter what. Even if he managed to win a championship I would still want him gone. I just hope the Hawk’s ownership sees this so the fans don’t have to root for the Hawks to lose to guarantee Woodson’s departure.

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BIG RAY-I watched all of the televised practices last yr, and Bibby and JJ were the main 2 players who’s clowning around, laughing and lack of attentiveness couldn’t be ignored. The player who’s hard work and seriousness stood out the most was RMorris. During all of the practices it appeared as though Bibby and JJ we the like Batman and Robin, since they were virtually inseperatable.

I coudn’t help but think how relaxed and rather high school the practices were, compared to the serious very instructive practices I regularly attended when Hubie Brown was our HC and we practiced in Marietta.

I’ll tell you something, losing JJ will be a monumental blow to this franchise only if Woodson is retained as HC. When JJ leaves, and he’s gone for sure, there’s no way we can come anywhere close to finding a player anywhere close to his talent level. How many good SG’s would want to come here and be forced to play next to the NBA’s slowest, least athletic, least productive, and most DEF challenged, one dimensional nonpentrating starting PG?

What quality SG would want to be burdened with having to cover for Bibby by routinely having to guard PG’s, C’s and PF’s? How many vet SG’s will be available as FA’s that can shoot with range and have excellent one on one skills too boot? We certainly can’t trade for one, unless we give up one of our core players, since RMorris, MWest, JCollins, JoSmith and MEvans are either UFA’s or can opt out of their contracts.

We certainly aren’t going to trade JCrawford, and if we trade Zaza for a SG, who will be our backup C? We can totally forget about drafting a SG to replace him. Now, if we replace Woodson, we can make it work. We need to replace his with a HC that is:

(1) committed to running and playing uptempo,

(2) who doesn’t have a bias against rookies,

(3) who understands having and using OFF options, when the primary play or option is eliminated,

(4) who understands the value of having and utilizing the overall talent on the bench,

(5) who’s capable and not afraid to make immediate adjustments or changes, especially during gms,

(6) who gives a damn about OFF,

(7) who’s committed to developing and using young players, especially rookie PG’s.

(8) who will hold all players accountable, not just rookie and younger players,

(9) who isn’t too immature, insecure, stubborn and stupid to think he know’s everything and can’t be questioned, and is willing to listen to and accept suggestions from his staff.

(10) and who understands how detrimental it is to the overall team to maintain a hardcore double standard when it comes to treating all players.

In other words, we need the complete opposite of MWoodson. The NBA is full of talented SG’s sitting on benches and getting the Woody treatment, for various reasons, or that are playing 2nd or 3rd fiddle as starters, much like JJ was before coming here. Find one of those players, bench Bibby and start Teague, include Marvin in the OFF and add more structure to the OFF, and the overall team.

A new HC might end up with less talent with the loss of JJ, but he would most likely end up with a better, more consistent and productive team overall. In order for us to win the next 2gms, the players will have to rise up and totally overcome Woodson’s STUBBORN STUPIDITY AND INCOMPETENCE, and the Bucks. GO HAWKS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!11

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The Hawks have made a DRAMATIC improvement over last year:

Josh Smith: most improved player on hawks and great humanitarian
Jamal Crawford: sixth man of the year and instant offense when called on
Joe Johnson: hall of fame credentials keep mounting
Al Horford: dramatically improved low post game and perimeter shooting
Mike Bibby: tons of playoff experience AND deadly 3pt shooter when hot
Marvin Williams: snake oil salesman to convince coach to continue starting him when he should have been kicked off the team for lack of production

Oh well everything cant be pefect!

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Stupid article. Gad to read half of it to find out who “Zo” was then learned he didn’t really mean Zo.

How do these guys become journalists?

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JJ is a good player, and a 4 time All-Star, but the facts are there. If he wouldn’t ISO in the 4th QTR so much (especially in this series) and pass the ball after drawing double, triple teams we would have swept the bucks. Well maybe not swept, but at least wouldn’t have lost the 9 point lead with 4 minutes to go.
Agreed- He has been clutch at times, so has Crawford. He needs to stop hogging the ball a be a team player. Share the ball JJ and we win tonight.

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I see where the AJC has an article stating that Woodson wants more ball movement. The thought occurred to me, “What Woodson has to say seems very irrelevant right now.” I believe that Woodson is history.

If the Hawks are ever going to be anything more, Woodson is coaching his last few games with the Hawks.

He is mentally bankrupt on what to do next.

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Why do people call Woody a defensive coach when the Hawks have a middle of the pack defense (13th) and the 2nd best offense? That’s right, 2nd best. You can look it up. It just so happens that if one of the pieces is take out, that offense completely falls apart which the numbers don’t pick up. But as I’ve been saying, defense is the reason they’ve lost many of the games this year, especially the late game collapses.

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IF JOE LEAVES JAMAL WILL START N PUT UP SAME NUMBERS AS HIM WITH LESS REBOUNDS AND NOT HAVE TO HOLD THE BALL FOR 20 SECONDS EVERY TIME….JUST UPGRADE THE FRONT COURT BOSH OR STOUDAMIRE…AND SIGN A SHOOTER ALA KYLE KORVER AND HAWKS ARE BETTER….

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Ken Strickland

Hubie Brown? Man I forgot all about Hubie as the Hawks coach.

You know I’ve always been a supporter of the current coaching staff.

However even if the Hawks pull out of this mess, and go on to push Orlando to 7 games certain changes are inevitable.

This series has shown defensive weaknesses, we’ve failed to adjust, and ineffective offensive sets that stagnats our offense in the 4th quarter.

I may not agree with all of them, but you made some very good points.

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Personally, I thought this was a good article. Of course, both ‘Zo and Shaq stayed in college for a while and learned to play down low. Maybe that complicates the problem the Hawks face today. Certainly, this team needs to learn to play under pressure and that is best learned by playing against teams of equal ability when you are young. Many of today’s kids are put on all star type teams when they play at the middle school and high school level that allows them to win on physical skills alone.
And maybe the fans need their own ‘Zo.

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we here the same things from our guys after losses because Hawks players have been taught that basketball subtleties like energy, effort, etc win at the pro level. in the playoffs where you actually have to execute this presents a problem. you never hear hardcore execution or x’s and o’s, and anything skill based discussed. why, b/c they have been looking the other way on that. taught things like play hard.. and elementary stuff like that. you can tell by the skill level of our players. our bigs are just taught to give effort, and energy. while there skill suffers. Al cant score.. Josh cant score.. Marvin cant score.. and these guys have the natural ability to be polished but they arent.. they’ve given all they got under this guy. this man has had some talent come through here. guys that thrived at the college level. good guys, who work hard. get here and there careers are done. why.. cause the man cant teach them anything.. he likes vets cause they are already developed players, and as you’ve witnessed relies on them heavily.

you can blame player mentality or heart all you want. however, if the coach has lost the locker room, he is a lost cause. last year i wondered how could our guys not be frustrated or publicly speak out due to the fact that they are so predictable and their scheme so selfish (some call it low risk). it seems as if the frustration has started to manifest itself. i thought Sekou’s interview was brilliance and he actually bottled up a lot of what we say and expressed it to the masses. such as where guys are on the floor. what stood out is when he said something like you think Scott Skiles or was it Pop would let Josh shoot 3’s? how many times have we said things like this? wow.. spoke volumes. this dude has been out of his league.

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Clyde

While you are at it, thank BK for passing on the emotional leader we needed to be a serious champioship contender CP3.

Fundamentals

I like your assesment, but one of the things that MJ, LBJ, & Kobe learned in those early loses is they didn’t like it.

All the lopsided loses the Hawks have experienced to the Celtics, Cavs, & Magic it hasn’t made them hungrier.

I went back and looked at games from 06, 07, 08 & 09, and eventhough the records have gotten better the Hawks still play the same.

I really hope they get it together.

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Do ya’ll remember a couple of years ago when Woody started royal ivey for a long time. LMAO

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The NBA arrival of a 10-year veteran
It took Jamal Crawford a decade, but he’s finally critical to his team’s success.
Scoop Jackson:

http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/commentary/news/story?page=jackson/100430

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I feel like I’m watching the movie Armageddon . . . . with the asteroid speeding toward Earth, and Bruce Willis and the boys doing all they can to drill that hole to set the nuke, so that they can blow up the rock.

But this is the day people wanted. It’s finally here. Some of you may get your wish after tonight.

As for the game itself, it’ll be interesting to see if this team does all of that jumping around in the hallway before they take the court tonight. Personally, I want this team to be DEADLY SERIOUS for one. Not uptight . . . but just focused.

The key to this game is surviving the initial run. San Antonio jumped all over Dallas last night, partially because Dallas was so tight, that they couldn’t make a shot. Once that happened, the game was over.

A lot of you are talking about sharing the ball and whatnot. But if guys aren’t making shots, our 2 most talented offensive players MUST TAKE OVER THIS GAME.

Part of the reason for the collapse on Wednesday night was NOT that JJ was being a ballhog. It was JJ not being able to get his shots up. With him being the main 4th quarter scorer, he HAS to shoot the ball. But what was happening, is that he kept turning the ball over when we needed points. That’s what killed us.

If he shoots the ball, you’re giving yourself a chance to score, even if he misses. A missed JJ jumper can still be rebounded, and we can either get another possession or have the rebounder try to put the ball back in the hole. This is EXACTLY what Milwaukee was doing.

But you can’t turn the ball over. Turnovers will KILL YOU. Hawks had 4 turnovers in the 4th quarter. Bucks had zero.

If nothing changes scheme wise with this team, I don’t want to see JJ trying to force being a “team guy” in the 4th quarter, if his teammates aren’t making shots. I do not want to see a Mo Evans type situation, in which because he’s the open guy, he’s taking the shot.

Bump that. I want the Hawks winning or losing with their most talented offensive players taking the big shots. That means JJ . . Crawford . . Horford . . Smith ( if he’s at the rim ) . . and Marvin and Bibby ( only if wide open and have shot a good percentage all game ).

Defensively, I just want to see some desire and hustle. Don’t get out-scrapped this game. Not when your season is on the line.

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though i contribute the fate of this series on our head coach, i wonder how things would be if we had a “6th man of the year” Jamal this series?

point is we didnt, and you have to be able to overcome poor shooting/performances from your players against inferior teams.

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Northcyde, This isn’t the day WE WANTED. It’s the day we all saw coming. Woody is horrible man. It’s just coming to fruition. I think they should make a change regardless if we win or lose tonight. Woody’s maxed out.

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Excellent post MC. You have gotten to the root of the issue with this team. I think some here are a little too hard on Woody, but something has to change in his approach as well.

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Terrell . . people have been talking about this day for 3 – 4 years.

Even as this team improved to a playoff level squad, people talked about this day. The series isn’t over yet. I’d be shocked if this team just laid down tonight.

But what this series has proven, is that not only may we have coaching issues, we may have personnel issues ( outside of Bibby and Marvin ) that need to be immediately addressed in the offseason.

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The Hawks should just throw up the white flag (or throw in the towel) and just give up. Even if the Hawks were to win tonight they would get blitzed in game 7. three years ago the Hawks thought they were studs as they forced Boston to a game 7. In game 7 in Boston, the Hawks were part of the biggest Boston Masacre in nba history as the Hawks were embarrased by 40 points by the eventual nba champion boston celtics. Whats the use of the hawks forcing a seventh game when you know they will get blown out in it. Just quit and give up now, youve been doing it all year in the fourth quarters of the blown games that you’ve forfeited. THE HAWKS JUST STINK TO HIGH HEAVEN PURE AND SIMPLE. The only way to fix it is to fire the head coach.

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Its a shame that Mike Woodsen is clueless about developing and bringing along point guards. Woody did a good job with josh smith, who is a forward, but point guards dont get enough playing time to develop since woody seems to be sold on bibby as being the savior of the hawks. Case in point: had woody given the rookie Teague a ton of playing time this season, Teague would be ready now as the playoffs unfold to perform at point just as good as Chris Paul of the Hornets. Its just an unfortunate situation that we have a bonehead coach who is BLOCKING or PREVENTING the success of our young talents. So now you know the person who is responsible for BLOCKING the success of the Hawks. Its Mike Woodsen. Dont extend him, fire him instead.

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I don’t have to worry about access to the hawks locker room so I will join the other logical thinking people in Atlanta…. Woody has to go or we will never be a championship team! There you go!!!!

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So I hear on the radio some Hawks get two limos and go to Chicago last night?

I HOPE THEY LOSE TONIGHT AND CLEAN HOUSE OF ALL THESE PUNKS MORE INTERESTED IN GETTING THEIR TIGER WOODS ON THAN WINNING!!!!!

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northcyde,

“The key to this game is surviving the initial run. San Antonio jumped all over Dallas last night, partially because Dallas was so tight, that they couldn’t make a shot. Once that happened, the game was over”.

Dallas eventually came back and led 57-56 with about 5 minutes left in the 3rd quarter. So they also survived the initial run, and had a chance in the fourth.

From sekou on nba.com;

“Like Woodson, Hawks’ captain and four-time All-Star Joe Johnson will be a free agent this summer, too. While there is no indication that his fate is tied to Woodson’s, there is little chance one will return without the other.

Woodson’s first contract was up three years ago, after he guided the Hawks to their first playoff appearance in 11 years. Johnson was the one player that spoke out in support of his coach before Woodson was rewarded with a two-year extension”.

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Northcyde

The group of guys u listed, r the same group of guys who’s been on the court for every fourth quarter meltdown. Its that memememe attitude that’s killing them along with that Guy they call coach

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Teague matches Jennings in speed, hieght and weight, while Jennings is a better scorer, I think Teague might defend him better than what we’ve seen so far. What would it hurt to have Teague defend him for a minute or two, put the kid in and give him a chance to stink some then clear the air.

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LMAOOOOOOOOOOO u think the Mavs would trade Dirk for Duck

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I dont know Sasha did you see this years playoffs ? They would have to at least offer Dirk + a #1 + 3 million in cash. That would at least get us to the table .

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I wonder how the Hawk fan base will react when the Hawks go up on the Magic in the series 3-0. If it happens, and I expect that it will, the Hawks will get FOUR CHANCES TO CLOSE OUT THE SERIES.

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