Atlanta Hawks: Woody sticks up for Smoove
Smoove says he wasn't sulking during Game 2. (AP)
Woody said he typically doesn’t listen to broadcasters when reviewing video of games. But he said he heard about Hubie Brown’s critical comments of Josh Smith during Game 2 vs. Orlando on Thursday. Brown, the ex-Hawks coach and member of the Basketball Hall of Fame, criticized Smith for failing to hustle back downcourt when he got frustrated by officials’ calls and bad plays.
It’s happened at times this season with Smith, whom Woody said is “still growing as player.” But Woody defended Smith from the outside criticism.
“We see that on tape and we point that out,” he said. “I don’t need Hubie or them guys like that [to do it]. I heard comments today that Hubie was blistering Josh Smith. Well, he can get away with it because he’s coached. But I don’t know if I can let you guys get away with it.
“That is my job as coach to point that out to Smoove and guys like that when they are doing that. And trust me, it don’t go unnoticed. He knows about it at the end of the day. Our tapes are thoroughly broken down and mistakes are pointed out.”
As it turns out, Smoove also watched a replay of the ESPN broadcast. He said he couldn’t sleep when the Hawks returned from Orlando early this morning so he caught the repeat broadcast of the game.
He said he heard some of Brown’s criticisms but shrugged them off.
“I was definitely into it mentally,” he said. “I always speak my peace with the referees. That doesn’t get me out of my game at all. That just makes me play harder to make them call calls.”
Was he sulking when things didn’t go his way?
“Maybe my body language looked different than my [mentality],” he said. “My [mentality] was strong. It was there. I don’t know, maybe I’ve got to lift my shoulders or something?”
Did he allow his frustrations to affect his effort level?
“I don’t think so,” he said. “I am too ahead of the game in my career now where I [would] let little minor things affect me. I think I played a good game yesterday.”
Smith finished with 18 points, nine rebounds and three assists. But he also had five turnovers and took six jump shots from beyond 10 feet with two makes.
Smith’s failure to get back on defense also contributed to Orlando’s success in transition.
“You just teach from the tapes and you hope like hell that they learn from it and when they get in that situation again they get their [butts] back on defense,” Woody said. “Because we were terrible in transition defense. We gave up at least 12, 14 points because we didn’t get back and get matched.”
MC
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219 comments Add your comment
bigdave
May 7th, 2010
11:53 pm
and he killin…
bigdave
May 7th, 2010
11:55 pm
dirty dog Dragic…!
Goldtimer
May 8th, 2010
12:14 am
Hey Woody… It doesn’t take a coach to realize that he wasn’t hustling down the court. How about saving your job by winning a road game?
Najeh Davenpoop
May 8th, 2010
12:19 am
It is infuriating to watch Goran Dragic play. When he first came into the league, he was AWFUL, and his coach let him play through his struggles and improve, instead of yanking him as soon as he made a mistake. Now he is getting big time buckets in a playoff series.
What y’all are seeing Dragic do could easily be Jeff Teague.
niremetal
May 8th, 2010
12:38 am
Najeh,
I agree to an extent, but the only advantage Teague has over Dragic is quickness – and even then, not by as much as you’d think. Dragic’s outside shot, floor vision, and passing ability are light years ahead of Teague’s, and he’s taller and stronger to boot. The biggest thing is that if you leave Dragic open on the perimeter, he rarely misses, which by itself gives his game a dimension that Teague’s simply doesn’t. That gap certainly would have closed somewhat with PT, but as I’m sure you know, you don’t develop a jump shot simply by playing more minutes in games.
That being said, the way Gentry USED Dragic – leaving him out on the floor while he was hot even in a critical playoff game and even though it meant leaving his superstar on the bench – is something that would never happen with a rook under Woody. Woody would have pulled Dragic for Nash in the middle of his hot run. We’ve seen that happen so many times before. Woody knows when he wants to make substitutions, and he nearly always makes the substitution regardless of whether the player is hot – ESPECIALLY with bench players.
niremetal
May 8th, 2010
12:39 am
I guess I should say “young bench player” rather than “rook.”
northcyde
May 8th, 2010
1:04 am
Rusty . . that’s cool if you think I’m an idiot. In the long run, the only thing that matters is that you do well on your exams coming up. Because we need you to get your education so that you can be a future Hawks ticket buyer.
In 4 yrs, you’ll be 18, and you can buy your very own Hawk ticket, and watch Woody coach from the sidelines. Heck, if you make all A’s, maybe some of us will chip in and buy you some tix to the Eastern Conference finals when we’ll play Cleveland.
rusty
May 8th, 2010
1:20 am
woody in 4 years will be teaching grammar school basketball, if you behave he might let you be his assistant & pr boy
Najeh Davenpoop
May 8th, 2010
1:38 am
“Dragic’s outside shot, floor vision, and passing ability are light years ahead of Teague’s, and he’s taller and stronger to boot. The biggest thing is that if you leave Dragic open on the perimeter, he rarely misses, which by itself gives his game a dimension that Teague’s simply doesn’t”
The thing is, though, none of this was true last year when Dragic was a rookie. Last year, at least at the start, he was flat-out terrible. Unlike Teague, though, he has got steadily more playing time as his career has gone forward, and his confidence has correspondingly increased. If Woody is here next year, will Teague get that chance? I doubt it.
Harpie
May 8th, 2010
1:46 am
Woodson is a complete idiot. If the Hawks had a decent coach, Josh would be doing a lot less of the negative stuff he does, because a good coach would have impressed upom him the right way to play. There is still hope for Josh to live up to his potential – IF they get a decent coach.
northcyde
May 8th, 2010
1:47 am
I wonder if Spurs fans are lighting Pop up about “not adjusting”? Because I know every time some scrub goes off on the Hawks, it’s all Woody’s fault, and not the defense of the players. Dragic made some incredible shots in that quarter.
LOL . . and look at Pop in the press conference. Blaming the players. How dare he!!
Orlando Magic News & Notes: Series Shifts To Atlanta | Howard the Dunk | An Orlando Magic Blog
May 8th, 2010
2:10 am
[...] Cunningham has that story here. [...]
freshd
May 8th, 2010
2:26 am
`Teague is getting the same treatment AC LAW got from WOODY,” oh JEFF is gonna have to play summer league ball and work on his shot”. PLEAZZE. WOODY was not gonna play TEAGUE, the only way he can improve is to throw him into the fire, because he cant be any worse than BIBBY.
Grandad
May 8th, 2010
2:37 am
Rusty if you are truly 14 yrs. old then I must take you to task.
I don’t know how old nortcyde is nor do I care, but @ your age
you have no business speaking in such a rude fasion.
I understand that on this board you will see/hear language that is
distasteful. You may even think it is cool.
nc is entitled to his assessment of any Hawk topic on this board.
I would say, he has that right w/o a 14 yr. old calling him names.
If you disagree, then learn to use our language to express yourself.
Make your own points & counterpoints. But I for one, have no interest in a 14 yr. old’s notion about the relative intelligence of another blogger. I don’t agree with nc on many issues, including the one in
which he told you Mr. Wdsn would still be coaching our Hawks in four yrs. I don’t think he will be coaching them in four wks. much less four yrs. but that is beside the point.
For the other adults on this board you have heard me speak on this matter before. I’ve complained of Wdsn’s rude language on public
airwaves, e.g. TV, sports talk radio. Now on this board a young person thinks its okay to be bad-mannered using public discourse.
I am not chastising anyone, aside from Rusty.
Rusty, please continue to enjoy the blog & the Hawks as much as myself.
Mind your manners & let language be your friend.
I look forward to exchanging viewpoints with you and all Hawk fans.
Please don’t take this as a prsonal affront.
G’day mate.
northcyde
May 8th, 2010
2:54 am
Grandad . . I kind of peeped about 3 weeks ago that he was young. I guessed that he was 15, not 14. That’s why I let him talk his stuff. LOL . . . he even followed me to Hawksquawk, talking junk. It’s cool though. Just as long as he hit those books and don’t fail any tests, he’s OK.
Najeh Davenpoop
May 8th, 2010
4:26 am
Interesting breakdown here of the Hawks’ problems guarding the Magic pick-and-roll.
Samuel
May 8th, 2010
7:50 am
Say what you want about Josh Smith, He plays with more passion than Joe Johnson. I say let Johnson go and Mike Bibby. He’s simply too slow and past his prime. All though Johnson is an allstar there are plenty of players in the league that are just as good. We simply need a speedy point gaurd that can penetrate and break down a defense. Also the teams that win championships have at least one Superstar. WE simply have none.
S.U.P from East Atlanta
May 8th, 2010
8:01 am
Here’s my thoughts: I’ve grown up my entire life watching the Hawks so please believe you’re reading from a die hard Atlanta, GA sports fans. Hence, “GA sports fans” because I love all of my GA teams. Moving along, I’m really starting to feel like Joe Johnson is not the answer. If I’m Sund, I don’t try to re-sign JJ. I save the money and try to lure Chris Bosh back to the city where his college career took off along with getting rid of some excess baggage like Bibby. He’s a disgrace on defense, which we all know wins championships. We sign Bosh now he’s our 5, Big Al at 4, Smoove moves down to play the 3 putting Marvin on the bench (He was never a starter at UNC), insert Jamal Crawford at 2, and find us a solid point guard via sign and trade or for cheap in free agency. In the meantime, we allow Teague to continue to grow into his role. Although I do question drafting Teague when I think we should have went after Ty Lawson, IMO. Looking at that starting lineup, you could possibly have 3 all-stars including Smoove making it next year. Along with a solid bench, especially if we can get Chills back. Just the thoughts from a tru Hawks fan.
MissSection120
May 8th, 2010
8:47 am
Honestly it is on the players to play the game, but they pull from a culture and expectation that the coach establishes and it is pretty clear he has not done a good job in doing that. Best believe Pop’s guys knows there are consequences for not performing up to par. Does that mean we beat Orlando know, but it does mean you see good basketball for four quarters.
Being 3rd in the east, don’t mean anything if you play like a 7th seed. That’s the problem with Atlanta sports culture we are satisfied with mediocrity. I have supported Woody for must of his time here, but I think it has run its course.
Sund, get us some players 6 guys are going to get outplayed eventually.
If you can explain to me how you come out of timeouts running the same ISO, for a jump shot its time for a change.
DON’T RESIGN WOODY! GO HAWKS!
WHITE OUT AT PHILLIPS
Mike Jay
May 8th, 2010
9:11 am
I recall a certain superstar who played in Chicago who used to jaw and whine at the refs all the time. Now he always hustled back on defense but his whining was epic. Twice JS failed to get back over the halfcourt line. Once was when he got hammered in the face so i give him a pass on that one. The other time there was a magic player there with him so it was not a 5 on 4 situation. Not give him a total pass but it’s not nearly as bad as you all are making it out to be. 9 times out of 10 JS is playing with more heart and energy than the entire team. He plays with passion and can elevate his game with it. However, sometimes that passion can be detrimental and he needs to work on that to avoid the ups and downs. He is the heart of this team which is why I think everyone got on him so bad. If JJ played with his passion he would get his max deal. Look for J smith to take over game 3 and carry the hawks to a W. When he is pissed he usually plays his best…he will be pissed.
Hawks get flushed
May 8th, 2010
9:11 am
well at 5pm is tip off before crowd of ushers n ball boys n police staff. Orlando comes in before 12,450 fans beat hawks 113-99 today Woodson say in ajc We played well just at start we not there yet but its still young now.after game Josh smith crys foul as he again blame’s refs for his bad playin.then game 4 Monday before crowd of fleas n ticks n 12,844 people rest stayed at home they know better.they again show woodson why he be coachin the okla city shockers WNBA next year. as Orlando makes hawks turn into a KFC meal in a 108-67 rout as fans sing goodbye woody goodbye woody we glad to see u go now take josh n U GM with you to
Mike Jay
May 8th, 2010
9:15 am
To add:
Orlando is the absolute worse match up for the Hawks of all the teams in the playoffs. We would have easily dispatched Boston in the 2nd round and would have given Cleveland fits. Orlando is imo the best team this year. Great mix of inside/out play, stellar team defense and about 9 guys who can hit 3’s. Their deep and well coached and I see them winning it all.
For the Record
May 8th, 2010
9:18 am
If you watch a replay, you can clearly see that J Smoove failed to make it back on D a few times because he’d been TASERED by security for threatening gestures made toward game officials…..Well, that plus the fact that he’d rather put on his one-man show, “Gripe, Grumble and Complain…Them Refs Just Ain’t Fair, Man!”, instead of keeping his head in the game and playing like a champion on both ends of the court.
The Magic play like winners on both ends of the court while the Hawks are already making plans for the off-season. JUST LIKE IT HAPPENED LAST YEAR, only it isn’t LeBron & Co. this time. Maybe that’s why there’s still more than 800 tix available on Stub Hub less than 8 hours before tip-off. Everyone’s seen this movie before and it doesn’t end well for the Hawks.
So where are all of the “true” Hawks fans who were posting and posting after last year’s collapse against the Cavs that this team had a solid core of players and they just needed to make a few adjustments to be able to win it all this year? You’re all still as CLUELESS as Woody. This team has NO HEART and they’ll be an under .500 team again next year…..The players that are still here, that is.
An Adult
May 8th, 2010
9:20 am
Dear ummm
First.. wow, I guess you finished your milk and cookies right away when you got home from middle school and had some time to kill hanging out on-line. Enjoy your life now because when you are an adult, you will have to work for a living and have a real life.
Navigator
May 8th, 2010
9:41 am
“Woody sticks up for Smooth”, are you a writer or a talking head on ESPN, try being a writer and not one of the guys that hang around sports teams. Why is the coach commenting on anything said by sportscasters, especially when they are right. I watched the play, and I say a player who didn’t do the correct thing during the game, and Brown was just commenting on the fact. It’s obvious that there is no leadership or maturity on this team, and another second round surrender. They need some tough minded defensive players that will hound the best players on the other team, make them complain to the refs about the close play and contact, take them out of their rhythm and get into their heads. This team has none of that, so maybe nicknames are appropriate.
O'Brien
May 8th, 2010
10:16 am
Najeh, nire
In game 2 in Phoenix (which was close), Dragic was 0-5, 3 rebs and maybe 3 assists. So clearly, that was not his best game. But gentry still gave him 13 mins. PT so that he could rest nash.
Despite being the backup to a top 5 PG, he played twice as many minutes (total) as teague.
Thats one reason why in the fourth when we don’t have a PG in the game, we expect 2 SGs to run our offense, so we should not be surprise when our spacing is bad, or we run too many ISOs.
@Samuel, is that you? You sound different without the “Woody is COY” signature.
Ted M
May 8th, 2010
10:46 am
What a freakin wuss!
Josh Smith was the biggest wuss in the world when he didn’t get down court to defend after Carter accidentally slapped him in the face. What a freakin wuss, he was barely hit. The Magic drained an uncontested 3 and it was all down hill from there. That’s where the game was lost.
What a freakin wuss!
Cali girl
May 8th, 2010
10:51 am
Well… its not all Josh’s fault when Joe gets the ball he just dribble it, and dribble it and dribble it until its like 3 seconds like example one of our plays Joe dribbled until their was 4secs left until he realized that he wasn’t going to get the right shot he wanted why would u do that then hand the ball to josh with 4secs left and josh isn’t good at jumpers so he hand it back to joe and what do u know we have a turnover joe needs to stop dribbling pass the ball i promise u if we pass that ball we can get good shots seriously… game 3 at home lets do some look at it like an elimination game!!
Jfreak13713
May 8th, 2010
11:10 am
The Hawks were never going to win this series regardless of Smoove, Woody, or Joe! The other team is better and talent wins out in the playoffs. Smoove has made great strides the past couple of years and with the right kind of coaching “Van Gundy” or “Byron Scott” he will continue to get better and stop doing really silly and unprofessional things. Woody will be fired and should be. A team that can’t win on the road is poorly coached. Sorry Woody but facts are facts you just a an eilte coach. Joe Johnson will sign with a big market team for the money and who can blame him. He is a great player but needs to be on a team with another star “leader”.
Overall this is about where I thought the Hawks would end up. Good season but got a few things to work on to become a great team. Build around Horford and Smith!
sleepy
May 8th, 2010
11:19 am
Its amazing the the number of Josh apologists . they cry about wanting a legit team but still will put up with stuff that no team can overcome to win . Its okay if Josh doesnt run back after making a bonehead turnover because hey he helped us get to this point ?
What type of stupid logic is that ?
If this is as far as josh can take us then he needs to go the same with anyone else because I couldve sworn the goal is to get further than this. Is this why we have a hard time filling the arena ? Is it because Hawk fans are okay with being second rd fodder for the real contenders ?
I want to win titles and this is a true to life real time evaluation of our CORE and for the most part they are failing . Here is a fact boys and girls THE MAGIC ARE IN OUR DIVISION AND ARE NOT GOING ANYWHERE so if this current core cant get past this team we need to start thinking about how to reconstruct this team so that it can.
And its amazing how people are trying to compare Dragic to Teague the situations are in nowhere neat the same its amazing what people focus on .
OMG We dont have a pg is silliest argument Ive ever head because it doesnt matter if you have a pg if you have mentally weak players like Smoove on your team. You cant execute a play on the road when the pressure is on because he cant handle it so the pg talk is a stretch at best basically a excuse because people refuse to want to deal the the flaws of the flaws of the core .
cloudy
May 8th, 2010
11:30 am
Why would anyone- ANYONE- want to watch this bunch of overpaid-selfish-poor little misunderstood wannabes. They can’t win on the road- can’t come back from adversity and are a bunch of crybabies when things don’t go their way. I don’t care what honors these individuals have won- NOBODY plays defense on this team. If you can drive or post up; you can eat these guys lunch everyday. Can anybody on this team drive to the basket? Can anybody play defense? Can anybody play 4 quarters? What an absolute joke they are. The Magic are obviously a better team- but could you play 4 quarters just one time? Regardless of the score. They QUIT in game 1 and had no legs in game 2 in the 4th quarter. Hey Woody get the tape of the 4th quarter of the Suns and SA IN SA from last night. See how a team ON THE ROAD with a couple of starters on the bench(including Nash) can run the home team out of the building. Magic in either 4 or maybe 5- probably 4!
northcyde
May 8th, 2010
11:30 am
Leaving the house right now to make the 4 hr drive to ATL to go to the game. Not expecting a sell out, but the crowd should be into the game from the start. I’m expecting this team to really put on a show today.
JJ, Bibby and Smoove will bounce back and at least temporarily regain the love of the fan base.
Atlanta – 101
Orlando – 92
cloudy
May 8th, 2010
11:32 am
If you gave me front row tickets to see this bunch of clowns I would not waste my time.
Wabe
May 8th, 2010
11:54 am
sleepy,
How is this as far as Josh can take us?
How is it all on Josh?
I was just as heated as anybody when I saw him making some of the lazy and boneheaded mistakes he made in that last game, but if you’ve watched the Hawks all season, you’d know his NET + has a much greater impact than his NET -. Meaning, the good things he does for us outweigh the bad.
You said it’s amazing how people want to keep Josh but whine about wanting a legit team.
There are also those on this board that think every Hawks player is selfish. So, with that said, why would you want to part ways with one of the best passing PF’s in the game? This guy was 2nd on this team in assists. He’s a willing passer, and that’s huge for a team that suffers greatly due to the lack of ball movement. And it’s usually him making incredible passes that usually trigger open looks for our gaurds. This is actually when the Hawks are at their best.
He’s also our best defender, 100 blocks/100 steals.
Common now. 2nd on the team in assists, 100 blocks/100 steals, 2nd team All-Defense.
He makes mistakes, but you want to get rid of a 24-year old All-Star caliber forward because…? He whines?
And by the way, you’re right. The Suns situation at PG is nowhere near the same as the Hawks. The Suns have arguably one of the NBA’s top 5 PG’s, yet they still managed to find time to develop their youngster – something we haven’t done despite NOT EVEN HAVING A TRUE PG ON THE ROSTER. You’d think we would’ve been the team to take initiative and polish our rookie, because Mike Bibby’s days running the show are limitted. We usually throw out both of our 2-gaurds out there, and then we wonder why we see ISO-ISO-ISO. There’s no floor general on the court to dictate tempo, to make sure players are in the right spots, to penetrate-dish, to RUN A *PLAY*! Everybody’s creating for themselves…
The lack of a PG is this teams problem, not Josh Smith. Do you notice “our best player” JJ checking their PG? Do you ever think that maybe that might take a lot of energy out of him? Do you ever wonder if that might be taking away from his game on the other end of the floor? Do you ever wonder what we might be like with a TRUE PG that ran an OFFENSIVE SYSTEM?
We don’t stagnate in the 4th quarter because J.Smith starts whining.
We stagnate because of all the one on one ball.
So, point to whomever is responsible for that, and run them out of town. Because they are the real culprit(s).
cloudy
May 8th, 2010
12:02 pm
If they aver give a trophy for most jump shots the Hawks will be in like a porch climber.
jay dubu
May 8th, 2010
12:02 pm
The Hawks need a center (big bruiser) and a true point guard to run the team. They should lokk to add one of these in the offseason, if not both. They can not allow JJ to leave without replacing him with equal or greater (Wade, etc) talent.
Might need to change coaching staff or coaching philophsy.
Ken Strickland
May 8th, 2010
12:05 pm
NIREMETAL-you’re being unfair in your comparison of Teague and Dragic. AGentry has given Dragic ample opportunities to blossom and demonstrate what he’s capable of doing. He’s also had the advantage of observing and learning from one of the NBA’s best PG’s. Training camp, exibition season, and the last gm of the season against Cleveland are the only times Woodson has given Teague a chance to show what he can do, without him having to worry about being snatched as soon as he makes a mistake.
In all 3 instances, JTeague excelled in every phase of the gm, hands down.
After replacing Bibby, Teague led a 2nd half comeback against the Lakers, in LA, that forced PJackson to reinsert his starters, Woodson refused to give Teague a followup chance to build upon that inspired performance. He gave him a DNP CD the very next gm and only 5:25mins the gm after that. Trust me, Gentry never pulled that kind of stupidity on Dragic.
Personally, I hope Orlando blows us off the court again. I don’t want Woodson to have any playoff excuses he can use to convince RSund to offer him another contract.
jay dubu
May 8th, 2010
12:09 pm
@Wabe…post is dead on.
If you look back to the Bucks series game 6 & 7 , it was Bibby being on the floor that made the difference for the Hawks.
Coach
May 8th, 2010
12:56 pm
I don’t know who trying to convince whom in this situation, Coach Woodson or Josh Smith. I agree with Coach Brown’s comments and I have seen on several occasions that Josh helps the team beterwhen he is on the bench. e can speak about being strong mentally but actons speak much luder than word. Josh stands around a lot and loafs up and down the floor when things don’t go right. You owe it to your teammates to give it your all. This is a team game and always will be. It may be played otherwise by some of these players but it is still a team game. The biggest problem on this team is that there is no leadership on the floor – strong leadership. No one is in charge out there and the team doesn’t recognize such as well. Play 48 minutes as team and then you can talk; play hard and with the team as a player Josh and then maybe someone will believe you. Let your actons speak. If I was coaching you you would sit. You are not helping. And Coach Woodson, I speak from experience accept it or not.
Wabe
May 8th, 2010
1:03 pm
Jay Dabu,
Just wanted to clarify, I think Bibby’s the problem.
Bibby’s rarely plays with the energy he played with in games 6 and 7 in that last series. At one point, I even saw Bibby taking his defender off the dribble to the hole. How many times do you see Bibby drive the ball?
The point I was trying to make was that at this point, Mike Bibby is a liability. If you noticed in that last game, we made most of our runs with Mike Bibby sitting on the bench. So, although I agree that we absolutely need a PG to run the show, I don’t think Mike Bibby can do that for us anymore.
JT0 should’ve gotten the minutes necessary through the season to be ready to step into a role in the playoffs, but he didn’t. This convo has been going on all season, and the reason you’re hearing so much talk about a guy that never sees the floor now is because of our lack of PG-play. It’s basically a direct reflection of Bibby’s poor play. Bibby’s play alone justifies the arguments of many on here who’ve been crying for Woody to develop the rookie all season.
However, according to Woodrow, we have the “luxury of bringing JT0 along slowly.”
Only if Woody had known that Bibby is aging quickly.
2 FOR JOHN DREW
May 8th, 2010
1:11 pm
What pisses me off, when we get back to atl ,the hawks will play & look like a different team (@ home)then go right back to orlando & suck again.We lack consistency or should I say we are consistently inconsistent. Woody dogs Teague,Crawford, but when JJ, or Bibby makes mistakes he doesn’t say much.Poor JJ, all those 40+ min. games again have seemed to have fatigued him @ the most critical part of the season, Plus, emotionally he ’s as dry as they come.Marvin,my sister could take the ball from you.I love Horford, Crawford, & JSmith’s play, but Smoove always revert back to those little selfish tendecies really keep him from becoming an all-star. And Bibby, it must be frustrating to only do one thing well, which doesn’t keep you on the floor enough.OOOOOOOOOOOHH rightie ….. I’ve vented … feel better now ready for GAME 3 !!!!
bruce mac
May 8th, 2010
1:15 pm
Lazy, Clueless Hawks lose in five. Who cares?
bjb
May 8th, 2010
1:34 pm
AL & JOSH ARE PICKING UP FOULS BECAUSE BIBBY TO SLOW TO COVER ANYBODY & MARVIN IS LOST IN SPACE
sleepy
May 8th, 2010
1:53 pm
@ Wabe
I didnt say josh was the only problem but I dont see how anyone ANYONE who is interested in actually trying to win a title whether now or in the future can defend him at this point .
A true point guard is meaningless to this team when you have idiots who in a game where possessions mean everything will take the ball himself dribble into traffic and turn it over .
What bigman do you see still in the playoffs do you see doing this regardless of who is on the floor ?
Everyone was so adamant about Josh NOT being a small forward but hes not responsible for his own actions when he grabs a rebound doesnt give it to the guard dribbles the length of floor into traffic turns its over and then doesnt hustle back on defense ? Woody is that you ?
The goal is to compete for and possibly win a title I dont see how anyone can say that Joshs actions bode well on this current group ever doing that .I dont care if you brought in Paul,Kidd,or Dwill that wont stop Josh from melting down it would only serve to magnify what is wrong with this team .
Ive said it before that when Josh decides he wasnt to be Dennis Rodman for this team instead of Scottie Pippen the sky is the limit but as long as he has delusions of Pippeneze in his mind this current group is doomed .
The goal is to win nothing else matters .
northcyde
May 8th, 2010
2:00 pm
Orlando did what they were supposed to do. Now it’s time for us to do the same. Smoove plays much better at home than on the road. So I’m not worried about him at all tonight. 2 hrs from ATL on a crystal clear day. Lets do this!!
bigdave
May 8th, 2010
2:05 pm
safe trip northcyde..
northcyde
May 8th, 2010
2:25 pm
Got me texting while driving now. Because people are still giving Crawford a pass for some reason, but want to hammer JJ, Bibby, and Smoove.
Crawford just plays fast, which is what poeple like. But that doesn’t make him efficient at all. Dude is shooting around 35%, but people love his play? LOL.
If people are going to call out Smoove or JJ or Bibby, you BETTER call out Crawford as well. Even in Game 2, he was the one to go 1 – 7 FG in that 4th qtr during the Magic’s 21 – 3 run, missing 5 shots in a row at one point. So while the focus is on Smoove, it was Crawford’s misses that initially started the Magic run.
And I see Mr Strickland is ready to attend Woody’s funeral. He got on all black today. Sorry Strickland. Not gonna happen today bruh.
JeJe
May 8th, 2010
2:34 pm
RESIGNING JOE JOHNSON DOES NOT MAKE THE HAWKS ANY CLOSER TO COMPETING WITH ORLANDO OR CLEVELAND FOR A CHAMPIONSHIP. EITHER SHAKE UP THE CORE O S&T JOE FOR DWYANE WADE AND OVERPAY IF U MUST
LEBRON AND DWIGHT AREN’T GOING ANYWHERE..
JeJe
May 8th, 2010
2:36 pm
LOL @ northcyde. Dude won’t even mention JJ has done jack!@#$ the last 3 years in the playoffs apart from like 3-5 games.
Um Jamal had 24, 4, and 4 the other night
The Truth
May 8th, 2010
2:43 pm
JJ, Josh, Bibby and AL are not the only Hawk starters under the radar when compared to Orlando. What about Marvin? I have not been too critical of Marvin giving him time to develop. But if you compare his emerging role on the Hawks team which is very similar to Matt Barnes for Orlando, it would appear that Marvin Williams 2009-10 basketball performance with the Hawks might be equivalent to committing white-collar investment fraud if the Hawks plans for him fail.
Marvin Williams 2009-10: Age = 23 PPG = 10.1 MP = 30.5 FG% =.455 3P% = .303 Salary = 7.5M
Matt Barnes 2009-10: Age = 29 PPG = 8.8 MP = 25.9 FG% =.444 3P% = .319 Salary = 1.6M
Comparing the two; True Marvin is 6 yrs younger than Barnes with potentially more up side, but Marvin made 6M more dollars then Matt Barnes yet their stats numbers are similar. Dam, that’s a lot of money! Exactly, Matt Barnes stat numbers might have been better then Marvin had he played 4 more comparable minutes than Marvin. The question is what could 6M more roster dollars have brought the Hawks this season if a Barnes type was on the team? It is a fair argument that Barnes might not have wanted to play for the Hawks when he was a FA considering a team. However, since Barnes has a player’s option next year, he might want to finally get paid and reconsider playing for the Hawks for a 3-year deal.
From these stat numbers, it appears that Marvin is making his money (6M difference) on potential growth as compared to real production output. If you project this difference out to 5-years; that is a net 30M dollar-bet that Marvin stock will rise to the occasion. What if it doesn’t? To Marvin credit, however, most NBA players experience occasional off-years, this year just might be an anomaly for Marvin. But how long should the Hawks hold his stock waiting for the expected big return value. You might ask, what is good return value for a 7.5M player like Marvin? Woody’s goal for Marvin this year was to avg. 18 PPG. Not only did Marvin missed that goal (big time) by 8 points, but trended downward from the previous year by 4 PPG. If you are looking at a stock performing in this manner with an opportunity to buy the shares, would you buy or would you pass? You be the judge.