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
ummm
May 7th, 2010
3:42 pm
first
Marvin Williams
May 7th, 2010
3:55 pm
Hey Guys remember me?
Astro Joe
May 7th, 2010
4:00 pm
Man, Woody and Josh… I just don’t know what to say.
Go Hawks! I guess that’s all that matters.
Clyde
May 7th, 2010
4:00 pm
FIRE WOODY
Clyde
May 7th, 2010
4:01 pm
1/3 OF HUBIE BROWN > WOODY
FIRE WOODY
VenomSpitter
May 7th, 2010
4:05 pm
Man Bulls.hit. Woody just proved he ain’t no coach.
He doesn’t teach anything.
Fire Woody.
glw
May 7th, 2010
4:06 pm
Guess sticking up for Smith is Woodson’s way of motivating Smoove.
steve (Gvegas)
May 7th, 2010
4:08 pm
We have no point guard.
heartofdarkness
May 7th, 2010
4:09 pm
Woody, would you point out to Josh it isn’t how hard you are scowling, or where your shoulders are, it’s when nine players have crossed the half court line and are either trying to get a layup or find their man and stop ball penetration and you are making faces or body gestures at a referee standing in the backcourt, that people begin to question your intensity or mental priorities.
ltdbrave
May 7th, 2010
4:10 pm
Hawks need to get rid of Williams, Bibby, ZaZa and Johnson. Oh, forgot, Woodson also. There is no heart on that team to win. Also, when someone signs a $70 million contract, I expect them to step up in the pressure situations, like the post season, and contribute to the team winning. Shooting 33% doesn’t hack it in my book Joe J.
ya right JS
May 7th, 2010
4:11 pm
Please, save us the lecture on your state of mind, a fact is a fact, and the fact is on at least 2 plays you lethargically strolled back on defense, and points were scored on all of these possessions. By the way, no matter how Josh sees it, he was jumping up and down like my 13 year old sister begging for a call on National T.V. Am not saying it cost the Hawks the game,but it sure did confirm what we thought about J Smooth(picture him in a pink skirt), and its not something an NBA pro just shrugs off.
Woody, a timeout and lashing would have helped, but am sure you know better, the criticsm is about your inability to make in-game changes, I guess thats why you didn not call Time Out as the game was only an 8 point deficit.
I say Woody, you are so gone.
VenomSpitter
May 7th, 2010
4:11 pm
If that was Teague, Woody’s punk self woulda been screaming in his face and embarrassing him.
FIRE WOODY
JMar
May 7th, 2010
4:19 pm
These quotes disgust me. “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.” Really? It takes a trained eye to see a player pouting instead of playing defense? Or taking jumpers he has no business taking? Or handing the ball over repeatedly in the third quarter? How can such an incompetent coach have such an ego?
VenomSpitter
May 7th, 2010
4:21 pm
Woody is a fool.
Where are all the Woody supporters like that punk Samuel???????????????
Matt Freije
May 7th, 2010
4:22 pm
NOW YOU SEE EM, NOW THEY BURNT OFF!!!
Potato Head the clown!
We need you to shave off your eyebrows again for game 3
PMC
May 7th, 2010
4:23 pm
How about you listen to the mans valid criticisms and DON’T DO IT AGAIN!
Sometimes you get called out… because you deserve it.
Smoove plays hard, but he needs to understand that he is not a guard, he should NEVER be bringing the ball up the floor because he’s so easy to steal it from.
Shrugging off criticism is the problem with these guys. They don’t listen, they don’t play as a team…they aren’t focused… and they don’t care enough to play 4 quarters.
Hawks
May 7th, 2010
4:25 pm
ltdbrave: If we got rid of those players, in which case-that’s three starters, how do you suppose we have a team? Johnson is the star on the team. He leads them. He keeps the Hawks in the Game.
Brad
May 7th, 2010
4:35 pm
Man this is frustrating to hear. The Hawks are quickly becoming what so many people hate about the NBA: lack of effort and big ego individuals.
A couple of years ago I thought that the Hawks were on the path to becoming more like the OKC Thunder are now. A young, athletic team that plays together and with energy. Things are quickly going the other way.
JohnnyWalking
May 7th, 2010
4:36 pm
Joe Johnson is worn out. Injured hand, calf and alot of other stuff. Miami New York Chicago and Cleveland would LOVE to have him. One of them will too if the Hawks start BS..ing. I aint mad at him all, he is one the main reasons this team has 53 wins. The thing about Josh is that this is NOT the 1st time. Thats why people on TV are calling you and Woody out. Tired of seeing it. PLAY the game!
robdawg08
May 7th, 2010
4:38 pm
The Hawks played hard for 3 quarters and did nothing in the 4th quarter.
Josh Smith should have been benched for not running back to play defense. He had 3 very bad turnovers and all this happened in the 4th quarter to put the game out of reach. Anybody with eyes and that played backyard basketball knows a player should get back on defense preventing a 5 on 4 advantage for the other team. V.Carter and J.Nelson are who beat the Hawks in the 4th quarter.
Woody is an idiot for saying what he did. So the time to get on a slacking player is AFTER the game ? Pathetic coaching.
VenomSpitter
May 7th, 2010
4:39 pm
How are ya’ll trying to give Joe BALLHOGGIN Johnson a pass? Get him outta here and bring in Rudy Gay or Chris Bosh.
boots
May 7th, 2010
4:41 pm
It isn’t Hubie Brown being down on Smith – it was the fact that both teams were down on the other end playing basketball while Smith WALKED up the court, looking like he was half asleep. Then, on offense, the dude is not aware of his surroundings and is playing like this is the middle of the season and they are up against the Mexican national team or something. SMITH: IT IS THE PLAYOFFS. PLAY BASKETBALL.
rfx
May 7th, 2010
4:42 pm
Man this team just will not play a complete game. A very good team that needs a new coach. One that can get the most out of the guys on the floor and one who doesn’t mind getting in someones a** when they are clearly dogging it.. Woody has taken this group as far as he can. Someone call the wizard because this team needs a heart.
Rock Preston
May 7th, 2010
4:47 pm
Woody is a joke.
Art Vandelay
May 7th, 2010
4:51 pm
Josh: Grow up. Shut up. Play the game at 100 percent effort. You can be one of the top players in the league when you want to be, but you don’t seem to have the focus or mental strength to persevere when a few things don’t go your way. This team is completely hopeless if you’re not on your game, and almost unstoppable if you are.
JeJe
May 7th, 2010
4:52 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
Gilley
May 7th, 2010
4:54 pm
Josh Smith played a decent game….He had moments where we wondered if his head was in the game but of course Hubie Brown comments and any negative comments towards Smith will be sensationalized. The real question everyone should be asking is, Where is Joe Johnson when we need him the most? Everyone is saying Johnson is out of here, but he is not playing well and shouldn’t expect a max contract playing mediocre. I hate when the best players never get the blame when things are bad but get all the glory for the success of the team. Cavs lose, Mo Williams and others need to step up, omg LeBron has no help but Cavs win, oh LeBron is the best player on the planet, he makes everyone around him better, *insert compliment* While LeBron is a great player and deserves his just due, just like Johnson and any other “STAR PLAYER” they should get the same blame when they dont play well or get the best out of their teammates.
cp
May 7th, 2010
4:54 pm
The sad part about the comments are that Woodrow is being serious…. If he was being coached he wouldn’t be doing those things… Woodrow always seems to do things after a game is over never during them.. He talks about what adjustments we should have made after the game is over, he talks about the things he saw in the game he should have done after the game is over, now he gets on a player who was being lazy after the game is over. He does none of this during a game… I truly hope they don’t give this clown a new contract. I can clearly see why guys don’t pay attention to him during timeouts.
SouthFultonMusic.com
May 7th, 2010
4:55 pm
I can’t believe Woody would come out and defend Josh in the media, after the antics Josh pulled last night. I’ve noticed such things about Josh for a while… he is such a selfishly arrogant player, the way he jack’s jumpers with no thought of passing the ball to the TRUE SHOOTERS on the team. His name should be “Big Baby Jr.” because all he does is cry like a little whuss as soon as someone touches him
Steve
May 7th, 2010
4:55 pm
No Point Guard to keep up with Jameer
Horford is good – but can’t match up with Howard
Really, that’s the end of the story – Marvin – 9 pts. 11 boards – 23 yrs, old – I’ll take that every time – not his fault
And something is wrong with JJ – nowhere near himself
Ramon
May 7th, 2010
4:56 pm
You guys can say what you want, but Smoove and Horford have been the best players on the team (once again) during the playoffs. You guys say Smoove had 3 bad turnover. But I would like for one of you to describe to me what a good turnover is. Yea Smoove made some bad plays. But it wasn’t Smoove who was letting Nelson drive into the lane. It wasn’t Smoove who was needing help covering the 3pt line. It wasn’t Smoove who was allowing Vince Carter to go back to his Toronto days in the 4th quarter. I would love to see some of you guys get hit by an elbow from Dwight Howard and see how fast you sprint back down court. If anyone says the Hawks lost either one of these game because of Smoove, than they just proved that they know nothing about basketball. The Hawks lost this game because positions 1-3 are inconsistent on offense and defense against Orlando. Last night, Smoove did a great job boxing out on the boards, just so Joe or Marvin could be free to get the rebound. On the switches, it was Horford who couldn’t stay with the guards not Smoove (even though Al had a great game).
Simply put right now, the Hawks are losing to the Magic’s COACH, not to the team. The Hawks are going against a coach who knows how to put his offensive players in the best position to produce the most productivity. Right now, Van Gundy is beating Mike Woodson. And their backcourt is beating ours in overall production. And this is leaving the front court in a terrible position because they don’t know if they should let the guards go by and save their fouls for Howard, or if they should risk a foul by attempting to challenge the guards who are penetrating.
Art Vandelay
May 7th, 2010
4:56 pm
Woody: Stop begging the team to play defense. Stop begging the team to focus. Start demanding that they play defense and focus. You clearly don’t command respect from them at critical times during the game. Do you think Greg Popovich or Phil Jackson would let Josh Smith stay in the game after one of his numerous tantrums resulted in a 5-on-4 for the opponent, or do you think they’d sit his butt on the bench until he learned how to behave like an adult?
True Fan
May 7th, 2010
4:56 pm
What a load of cr*p! These are not professionals, but over-paid, under-achieving, lazy, self-promoting, complaining prima-donnas. Daddy, how much longer ’til football season?
SouthFultonMusic.com
May 7th, 2010
4:58 pm
Woodson is scared of Josh Smith…any other coach would have pulled his butt off the court… If Hubie brown noticed it, common sense tells me that Woody noticed it too… I even saw Bibby tellin Josh during a time out “dog, you walking up the court”
True Fan
May 7th, 2010
4:59 pm
Ramon…you are right on, sir. I agree with your assessment, and who would you select as our next head coach?
VenomSpitter
May 7th, 2010
5:00 pm
And for the millionth time I told u guys:
Josh is just too dumb. He doesn’t get it. He just doesn’t get it. U would think something would click but no. I think if we saw inside Josh’s mind we would see an empty room with a chair and a light bulb in it.
Art Vandelay
May 7th, 2010
5:01 pm
Bring in Patrick Ewing to replace Woody!
Ace111
May 7th, 2010
5:01 pm
“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.”
This is proof he needs a wake-up call or he’ll never reach his full potential.
Ramon
May 7th, 2010
5:04 pm
@ True, the perfect coach for the Hawks is the one coach they can’t have, and that’s Hubie Brown. He has the fast pace system that they excel in, and he believes in developing the bench. He actually teaches. But if not him, I will say I think Woody is a better coach than Byron Scott, Avery Johnson, Doug Collins, and the AVAILABLE coaches this year.
Ramon
May 7th, 2010
5:05 pm
Doug Collins couldn’t win with Michael Jordan! Byron Scott couldn’t win with Paul and West. Avery couldn’t win with an all-star team in Dallas. And each of these team had higher payrolls than the Hawks (except Collins, and he couldn’t win with Grant Hill either).
SouthFultonMusic.com
May 7th, 2010
5:07 pm
Ace11, you’re 100% right. That quote is proof…. the guy can’t even dribble or make a lay up with each hand.
Ramon
May 7th, 2010
5:10 pm
Venom, the young man is 24 years old, making over $13 million a year, and is doing it less than 15 miles from where he grew up, and you think he’s dumb? He has YOU taking time out of your busy day to type with strangers you’ve never met, to talk about him. And he’s the dumb one? He graduated with the highest GPA at his school. He’s one of the best defensive players in the league (and it takes a lot of thinking power to be able to play defense at a high level). You never hear anything about off the court issues with him in the media, even with how many ‘traps’ Atlanta has to fall in. I’ve never heard one reporter who conversed with Smoove regularly say that he was dumb.
Sherman
May 7th, 2010
5:10 pm
Josh played like a spoiled brat and embarrassed himself, the team and The City. What a brat! Coach Woodson, grow a pair and you should have benched him. There’s no excuse for what Josh did.
Ben
May 7th, 2010
5:14 pm
Smooove is simply a dumb moronic individual. no other way to explain it. Woodson is a complete idiot too after these comments. Hubie Brown is a way better coach then Woody could ever dream of. Give me a break.
True Fan
May 7th, 2010
5:16 pm
For me, the most difficult thing about watching the Hawks is the terrible waste of talent and the lack of discipline, particularly in the fourth quarter. Teams like Orlando, LA, Phoenix, SA, etc. rise to the challenge, while our Hawks simply wilt, turn the ball over, or make stupid decisions. In my opinion, this is a coaching problem, nut we don’t need to recycle the NBA HC trash. Maybe Bob Knight could get these nuckleheads in line, maybe not. Any ideas?
VenomSpitter
May 7th, 2010
5:18 pm
Why would a reporter call a player dumb Ramon? Thats not their job. Apparent u are pretty dumb as well.
LOWNDES COUNTY DAWG
May 7th, 2010
5:18 pm
THIS WHOLE TIME I THOUGHT TONE LOC WAS OUR COACH
Ramon
May 7th, 2010
5:20 pm
Venom, many reporters have said a player was dumb or wouldn’t interview them as often as he gets interviewed.
SouthFultonMusic.com
May 7th, 2010
5:20 pm
“He’s one of the best defensive players in the league (and it takes a lot of thinking power to be able to play defense at a high level).”
……………………..
Not true. Josh is not a defender…he’s a shot blocker, from the weak-side (BIG DIFFERENCE).
Vladimir
May 7th, 2010
5:23 pm
No disrespect meant here, but what do all of you get out of bashing the Hawks each and every time they lose? It doesn’t solve any problems or make anyone feel better. You obviously care about the team (or you are incredibly bored) if you read these articles and post on this blog, so how does insulting the players or team benefit you or anyone else in any way? I can understand a bit of constructive criticism, but what do downright insults achieve here? Nothing. You can’t change or improve the team by putting them down, and honestly I doubt the players or coaches have the time to bother reading comments, when they are busing working on solutions to problems and not just complaining about the problems. Also, I doubt that even if they had time they would really take anything that is said here seriously, since no one appears to have the credibility here to warrant notice of their criticism.
SouthFultonMusic.com
May 7th, 2010
5:41 pm
Josh Smith….trade him
JJ…. let him walk
BrittishAnger
May 7th, 2010
5:43 pm
Get a coach who can run effective transition sets in both full-court and half-court sets. Transition ball in the half is about picks, screens, and ball movement; things which us lowly couch-potato coaches have harped on during our losses and negative spells all year. Woody can either accept this fault and agree to bring in more assistants and perhaps go get some coaching on being a coach during the summer, but that is unlikely and doesn’t mean our negatives will become positives anytime soon. Still too early to start bickering about what moves we’ll be making once our playoff run ends, but the offense has to improve, and the improvements must start with a willingness to expand the offense.
northcyde
May 7th, 2010
5:55 pm
LOL @ Vladimir . . that’s what they do man.
It’s one thing to say that Josh Smith shouldn’t do such and such. It’s another thing to fling around all of the bad name calling, knowing that no one here would say that crap to his face.
Constructive criticism is fine. Saying that he needs to mature is accurate. Josh has to realize that the refs can and WILL TURN A BILD EYE to a lot of incidental stuff in the playoffs. You can’t afford to quit on a play during the playoffs. When you do, bad things happen.
As for Woody . . . SMH @ him. Woody, you can’t make those comments man. Everybody saw what went on. So don’t act like a mama bird and coddle Smoove under your wing. Let him take some heat, so that maybe he won’t do it the next time he’s in that situation.
Rod from College Park
May 7th, 2010
5:57 pm
SouthFultonMusic.com,
“Not true. Josh is not a defender…he’s a shot blocker, from the weak-side (BIG DIFFERENCE).”
I guess that’s why he finished second behind Dwight Howard in the DEFENSIVE player of the year voting, and is second team ALL DEFENSE.
MIKEM
May 7th, 2010
5:57 pm
Josh Smith is a female. I’ve never seen anyone play so soft and moan and complain like he does.
Be careful Woody, last time I saw a coach stick up for a player like that, the coach was out of job shortly thereafter (i.e. Jim Mora & Mike Vick)
Greg
May 7th, 2010
5:58 pm
Hubie also critcized Joe Johnson for repeated dribbling the ball until there was no time left on the clock to do anything other than shoot a fall away 20-25 footer.
He’s a color commentator and he’s only pointing out the obvious about both Smith and Johnson. No different than what any of us have been saying all year long. That said, the players would all look a lot better if they had a decent coach.
Grandad
May 7th, 2010
5:59 pm
Ramon:
You just told a fib!
If you are talking about a certain Hawk?
One who grew up 15 miles from where he plays?
Grad. with the highest GPA in school?
You may not be telling the truth?
I don’t think the young man you’re speaking of was an honor grad.
I’m being nice.
Come clean.
JeJe
May 7th, 2010
5:59 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.
northcyde
May 7th, 2010
5:59 pm
Trade Smoove + let JJ walk = 34 wins
I know people are emotional and upset these days, but do some of you REALLY want to go back to those days?
Ken Strickland
May 7th, 2010
6:00 pm
IF SStaudemire, ALaw or JTeague had done what Smoove did, is there anyone out there who thinks Woodson would have done nothing during the gm, or defended them after the gm? If the reporters were making the same observations and saying the same things about Smoove that former HC Hubie Brown was saying, why in hell would you have an issue with one source and not the other? Sounds to me like Woody’s trying to defend himself, which explains why he chose to make an issue of who was making the observation and the comments, rather than addressing what was being said, which has been an ongoing problem with Smoove.
Woodson is still using the same old worn out excuses of youth and immaturity, even after 6yrs under his tutelage. It’s basically the same excuse he uses to explain away the teams consistent 4th quarter collapses, or when it doesn’t play up to expectations.
Rod from College Park
May 7th, 2010
6:04 pm
All you guys talking crazy about Josh, please inform me of another player on this team who plays with as much energy and effort as Josh does. It surely isn’t Joe, Bibby or Marvin. Get real, the guy got elbowed in the mouth and popped in the face, and did not get back on Defense 2 or 3 times. How about the many times he has had to help Bibby, Marvin or Jamal when they play matador defense.I would much rather a guy argue and bark at the refs, than have a guy (Joe) show no emotion and never argue for a call. Closed mouths don’t get feed.
Rod from College Park
May 7th, 2010
6:06 pm
“fed”
cp
May 7th, 2010
6:06 pm
If Josh was out there busting his tail and playing hard then yea I can see taking up for him. The problem is he wasn’t the total opposite of all that.. He was playing lethargic, arguing with the refs after every call, not getting back on defense, his head wasn’t in the game at all. He should have been pulled from the game but ol Woodrow left him out there and he had crucial turnovers which hurt the team… Its Hubie’s job to call it like he sees it. Hell Woodrow saw the same thing so I don’t know why he is even trying to defend the crap Josh pulled last night.
geno
May 7th, 2010
6:15 pm
Excuses!!! Excuses!!! No one player is at fault. The Team dcn’t seem to play as a team for the full 48 mins. Is it me guys, is it coaching, I don’t give a crap!!! That’s why an inferior team like the Bucks took them to 7 games. It’s not rocket science, learn to play, or go home!!!
JEWELL ROLLEN
May 7th, 2010
6:16 pm
HUBIE….NBA HALL OF FAMER…NUFF SAID!
darrell starks
May 7th, 2010
6:20 pm
Woody still show favoritism toward certain player, that is sad for a coach, he never argue at JOE, JOSH, BIBBY, MARVIN, thats crazy for a coach, every player should get the same treatment as other players.
GO HAWKS!!!!!!!!!
Ken Strickland
May 7th, 2010
6:21 pm
JEJE-we don’t have to shake up our roster to become competitive with Orlando or Cleveland. First, we have to bring in a HC that’s OFF minded and isn’t afraid to address players on court behavior, no matter who it is. JJ is an excellent player, but he’s not a player that can motivate and carry a team like DWade, LJames or KBryant.
He needs to be given direction and held accountable, just like Smoove, and allowed to function within a viable and effective OFF system. He definitely needs a running mate(PG)that can carry his own weight on OFF and DEF, not one that he has to carry(Bibby). We need a HC that understands it’s much easier, and we’re much better equipped, to attack the oppositions transition DEF than their half court DEF.
With a HC and PG upgrade, consistent ball movement, bench utilization and better OFF/DEF schemes, we could consistently kick Orlando and Cleveland’s butt.
darrell starks
May 7th, 2010
6:21 pm
The hawks still have a chance but josh must step up and stop complaining.
GO HAWKS!!!!!!!!
Najeh Davenpoop
May 7th, 2010
6:26 pm
Y’all are real confused as to the difference between being emotionally unstable and being unintelligent. It is fair to say that Josh is an emotionally unstable player, although I don’t conclude from this that he is selfish or unable to fix this like many of you do. But to say that his basketball IQ is low is just plain false. You cannot make the passes that he does and impact the game defensively the way he does without knowing and understanding what’s going on on the floor, plain and simple.
darrell starks
May 7th, 2010
6:27 pm
My biggest Q why woody didn’t play collins and morris in the second half, when they came in 2 bang with dwight the hole complex of the game change, collin and morris must play in order for the hawks 2 even have a chance, no way horford can guard dwight he is getting kill in the post.
GO HAWKS!!!!!!
Grandad
May 7th, 2010
6:28 pm
Michael Cunningham:
“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.
what?
Because you guys never coached, you don’t have eyes?
Besides, how does he know that some or all of you do not have a coaching background?
Also, aren’t you guys doing your job when asking about/referring to
those types of things?
In other words, by his definition, a journalist must or should have “coached” in order to acrue enough knowledge and or wisdom to accurately disseminate information involving sporting events,
e.g. basketball, with an effective and unbiased manner in order
to serve your readers.
Najeh Davenpoop
May 7th, 2010
6:28 pm
“How about the many times he has had to help Bibby, Marvin or Jamal when they play matador defense.”
Co-sign to the fullest. Josh and Horford have to take on so much extra responsibility because Bibby is worthless on defense, Crawford is not much better, and Marvin has at least twice as many mental lapses as Josh every game.
Chris G.
May 7th, 2010
6:32 pm
I agree with other people. Get rid Of Marvin Williams. He is never going to get better. Get rid of Pachulia. He is a nice guy but he has turned into nothing more than a hacker. I believe we should get rid of Joe only if we could get someone like a Dwayne Wade. For God sake!!! Can we get a true center. I feel sorry for Horford having to play center. He would be a top five power forward in the league if he was able to play the position. I love Mike Bibby but he is no more than a bench player at this point in his career. We got to get Teague into more games because I think he will be solid in the near future and he plays defense. The Hawks need work to win a championship and the final transition would be to of course get rid of Woodson. We need a coach that actually knows more on the offensive side of the ball besides iso Joe. It kills me to watch our half court offense or lack of. No professional team should ever get beat as bad as the Hawks get beat on a regular bases on the road in the playoffs. It is a game you get paid millions of dollars to play. Grow some nuts and suck it up because there is no excuses period!!!!! I have been a Hawks fan all my life and I want nothing more than for the Hawks to be championship contenders but the pieces have got to be there and it’s not yet. Just fight as hard as you can and win or lose we will respect you more.
Clyde
May 7th, 2010
6:44 pm
We should have got rid of Marvin and Bibby when they were free agents. Now they are under contract and have no trade value.
FIRE WOODY
Grandad
May 7th, 2010
6:45 pm
Ken Strickland – Right on (just dated myself)
KS, Tweaking the roster…as I said last eve, Josh’s value will never be higher. @ least that’s what my crystal ball is sayin’.
Especially if we lose Joe / S.Curry – would Josh in a pkg get him.
Future Star, once again, my what my cb is saying.
Najeh – I’ve been saying the same thing for days.
It’s not his B-ball IQ.
He’s got B-ball A D D.
VenomSpitter
May 7th, 2010
6:52 pm
Al Horford is the Cornerstone of this team. The foundation of this team if u will. In other words we need to build around him. Not Joe and not Josh.
AL IS THE FUTURE
Willy
May 7th, 2010
7:01 pm
When a TV announcer is tearing up Josh Smith about his attitude you know Woodson’s got a lot more coaching to do.
cp
May 7th, 2010
7:01 pm
No more Marvin. Has there been a guy with his size who attacks the rim any weaker? He either gets his shot blocked, runs into a guy all out of control, or loses the ball when attacking the rim. Can we get a sf in here who can handle the rock and attack the rim with some authority.. Ive been calling for Travis Outlaw for 2 years now. He does everything we wish Marvin would do. Vince Carter looked like the Toronto version last night with Marvin guarding him. Add in the fact that Marvin was missing wide open shots and looked scared to take others and you have a big weakness at the sf position. I just doubt he has any trade value. I don’t care if he is what 23. Dude has been in the league 5 years and starting for 4 straight. Ive seen enough to know he is what he is.
freshd
May 7th, 2010
7:04 pm
STEVE BELKIN was right about JOE JOHNSON, let him go and send WOODROW with him. WOODROW should look at the ESPN broadcast and take some notes from HUBIE on how to coach and not make excuses for his players, but then again as JOE JOHNSON said, the HAWKS dont play for the fans, they play for each other. Yeah right, and another playoff choke job from JOE.
Grandad
May 7th, 2010
7:10 pm
geno – You said all that needs to be said:
“No one player is at fault. The Team don’t seem to play as a team for the full 48 mins.”
geno gets it. TEAM
48 min. = TEAM
4th qtr. collapse… we call it Iso-Joe / geno gets it, they quit playing together. geno said: “learn to play, or go home”
No one player @ fault – geno gets it. [hear that Marv]
I’m as guilty as anyone.
KS & Najeh have been calling for patience to see what a new coach
can do with this bunch.
geno – my hats off to you.
Most eloquently stated post I’ve read lately.
ballhawker
May 7th, 2010
7:12 pm
WOODEY,
YOU NEED TO GROW A PAIR!
Clyde
May 7th, 2010
7:13 pm
“WOODROW should look at the ESPN broadcast and take some notes from HUBIE on how to coach and not make excuses for his players, but then again as JOE JOHNSON said, the HAWKS dont play for the fans, they play for each other. Yeah right, and another playoff choke job from JOE.” – freshd
FIRE WOODY
freshd
May 7th, 2010
7:16 pm
Marvin Williams is a bust and he should go join Jamarcus Russell. The HAWKS should go and try to resign J-CHILLS from overseas. He brings energy and gets garbage points, where MARVIN plays scared.
doc
May 7th, 2010
7:19 pm
woody is talking down to folks now the way the master of it mr BK did. remember how many times we heard we dont need a point guard. well we still do to keep us from those long pauses in the action in the fourth quarters.
as far as josh i have been a huge fan and supporter of him. he is got to realize that part of his game went out when he left high school. they need to play back him jumping up and down in th middle of the court like a two year old over and over again until he gets how childish he looks or let me say unprofessional. it is comical. grow up josh and get tough.
Grandad
May 7th, 2010
7:19 pm
Grandad
7:10 pm
* “KS & Najeh have been calling for patience to see what a new coach
can do with this bunch.”
[**(We should listen.)]
***next time I’ll complete my thought. Maybe?
ballhawker
May 7th, 2010
7:28 pm
The two youngest Hawks (Holford and Teague) acts more mature and poised than the Hawks veterans.What’ s wrong with that picture?
northcyde
May 7th, 2010
7:29 pm
I’m glad everyone is loving Horford now, considering that 2 weeks ago, people were ripping him left and right for only getting 3 rebounds and looking weak against Kurt Thomas in Milwaukee.
Meanwhile, people were also saying that JJ was the only player playing with any heart, and after those 2 home games, Smoove was Lebron-Lite.
Fast forward 2 weeks later, JJ is now a bum, people want to trade Smoove, and Horford is “Mr. Untouchable” and the leader of the Hawks.
LOL . . gotta love this fan base.
ballhawker
May 7th, 2010
7:30 pm
Move the Hawks back to St. Louis, now!
Sautee
May 7th, 2010
7:32 pm
Chris G.,
About this: “Can we get a true center. I feel sorry for Horford having to play center. He would be a top five power forward in the league if he was able to play the position.”
Chris, I LOVE Horford, but I’m not sure he would be a top 5 PF.
But can you name 5 centers BETTER than he is now?
BTW, here are his playoff rankings among centers:
Scoring: 1st
Rebounds: 4th
Blocks: 3rd
FG%: 3rd
FT%: 3rd
Assists: 3rd
Steals: 6th
Double-doubles: 1st
(All stats found at: http://www.nba.com/statistics/player/DoubleD.jsp?league=00&season=42009&conf=OVERALL&position=1&splitType=9&splitScope=GAME&qualified=Y&yearsExp=-1&splitDD=)
Not bad for a power forward playing center.
And don’t give me that “well he was playing against a second-stringer in Milwaukee” stuff. He outplayed Bogut in both regular season games where they played head to head.
So, seriously Chris, can you name 5 centers you’d rather have? And tell us why?
Sautee
May 7th, 2010
7:36 pm
northcyde,
The way Al played in Games 3 and 4 was pathetic. He SHOULD have gotten ripped. That was, in my opinion, the worst two games I’ve seen him play in his career. Fortunately, he turned it around.
But some of us have had him as “untouchable” since the middle of last season.
tom
May 7th, 2010
7:37 pm
Woody needs to start cleaning out his office. So, when he gets the word, he can leave quickly. just take a little every day. No one will notice.
Van the Man
May 7th, 2010
7:44 pm
Where was the coaching when Al Hortford(sp?) let Dwight Howard and others drive the baseline at will all night long! Or do the Hawks teach pee wee league fundamentals? Fire Woodson and let Johnson and Bibby go with him! There is no leadership on this team!
VenomSpitter
May 7th, 2010
7:46 pm
Could ya’ll imagine Woody being a color comentator? All he would say is Bob I think they need some more Iso’s and switching defense.
Bernie Matt
May 7th, 2010
7:48 pm
HUBIE WHO!! How many mfing championships did he win, as a coach or player. Man please! Josh’s numbers speak for themselve. He should have been an allstar, but the league chose Horford for marketing reasons (Horford was the only dominican player to be an allstar). Wake Up simpletons!
terrell
May 7th, 2010
7:49 pm
Jeff Van Gundy just said that Rajon Rondo worked with Mark Price on his jumpshot a lot last summer. Wtf? Isn’t he OUR shooting coach? Why wasn’t he working with Teague? Why help the competion? That’s crazy.
Grandad
May 7th, 2010
7:51 pm
Sautee:
With all due respect.
1st of all I don’t even want to get into naming [5] better Centers.
He is my favorite Hawk and gives more than a workmanlike effort.
I think he would be a top [3] Power Forward with K.Malone potential
providing he had his “Stockton” & “Sloan”.
Once again speculation. He is a transcendent talent.
I, would also, very much like to see a BIGGER sidekick/wingman
for him and for our team to be more balanced.
Sautee – I’m neither argueing nor disagreeing with you,
I just have a somewhat different perspective on this item.
VenomSpitter
May 7th, 2010
7:53 pm
Hubie Brown>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>Woody
northcyde
May 7th, 2010
7:54 pm
I hear ya Sautee. It’s the schizophrenic nature of the ripping that makes me LOL though. It changes like the direction of the wind.
And people need to keep in mind, this IS the hottest team in basketball that we’re playing. They’re arguably the best team in the league. Orlando was supposed to win those 2 games. Too bad we didn’t steal that game away last night, but that’s why HC advantage is so important in the NBA.
They held serve. Now it’s time for us to hold serve.
I knew that we were going to look a hell of a lot better in Game 2, than we did in Game 1. For Game 3 . . I’ll go ahead amd make the first prediction.
Atlanta 101
Orlando 92
terrell
May 7th, 2010
7:56 pm
LMAO at Northcyde. Put your $ where your mouth is.
Grandad
May 7th, 2010
8:03 pm
Northcyde:
I never stopped admiring Al.
I ‘was’ dissappointed in some of his performances.
I would have said Al was untouchable then & now.
I have never called Josh a bum.
Your point is well taken.
I’ve never called Joe a bum, either.
Iso-Joe is ill-founded, regardless.
As is Iso:
*Al
*Josh
*Jamal
*Bibby
*Marv
*Zaza
*Mo
(or)
*especially Iso-Cheeseburger
niremetal
May 7th, 2010
8:05 pm
MC,
I wasn’t there, obviously, so I couldn’t hear the tone in Woody’s voice. But that doesn’t exactly sound like a full-throated defense to me. Methinks he would have been somewhat bolder in his defense had it been JJ on the receiving end of the criticism.
niremetal
May 7th, 2010
8:07 pm
Ken Strickland,
JJ is an excellent player, but he’s not a player that can motivate and carry a team like DWade, LJames or KBryant.
Agree with the sentiment there, but I wouldn’t put Wade in the same breath as the others
Ramon
May 7th, 2010
8:09 pm
Granddad, Smoove had the highest GPA of his class at Oak Hill, so how did I tell a fib?
DHD
May 7th, 2010
8:11 pm
For the money he gets paid…he could at least hustle back down court. There is NO excuse for it.
Ace111
May 7th, 2010
8:20 pm
Ramon,
Josh was at Oak Hill for 1 year. He did not have the highest GPA in his class; he received an award for the highest GPA on the b-ball team during the season. Oak Hill is a b-ball factory, so I doubt he had much competition for that award. C’mon man!
MissSection120
May 7th, 2010
8:33 pm
You guys are funny. Granted Josh has his moments but if you seriously think this guy is not into the game, and is truly selfish you are blind. Is there room for growth with Josh sure, but if you think without him we would be so much better your stupid.
I’ve been a season ticket holder for 6 years and this kid gives his all, honestly our coach and whatever dummy convinced Sund to throw that money and time to Bibby and marvin is the issue. He truly makes everyone’s job easier. The person who has to take the hit for this team is Woody. This team does not show up game in and game out. He does not keep their energy where it should be, and keep a focused mindset. I have a good view of their huddles, this guy has not earned their focus undivided attention. Jamal and Bibby get more focus than Woody. What team does not get production from the 3 spot, we need a center, and a point guard with some aggression. Hell Celtics down 22 and Rivers and Rondo look more energized than Woody and the hawks with an 8 point lead. Team takes on personality of coach. He cherishes time outs and technicals, and is so in love with his plan he won’t deviate.
GO HAWKS! FIRE WOODY
Horford and Smith are the foundation of this team,
Jody
May 7th, 2010
8:34 pm
It’s funny and annoying how folks rip on Josh Smith after a bad game and seem to forget how well he’s played for the team. This kid has over achieved for a guy who was the 17th pick in the draft straight out of high school. Yet, folks take every chance they get to rip him or fault him for the teams failures. At the same time, the same people continue to lower expectations for players who were picked higher, but contribute little to nothing helping this team win. LOL, when will the bias stop.
MissSection120
May 7th, 2010
8:41 pm
By the way Woody kills his players, watched the 4th quarter again and the defensive movement was gone. Jamal had no lift on his shot. His comments are more embarrassing the Smoove acting like a little brat. But he makes excuses for Marvin, and still starts him, and he has given him 5 games this season.
2nd tme this series I shake my head at Woody. First was his statement after game 1 “I can’t believe SVG left Dwight in the game until 2 minutes and 39 seconds into 2nd quarter”. Now you mean you are suprised a coach didn’t cut cookies and coach the game and not the plan. Woody he was hot he rode him, just like when someone’s cold for months you don’t start him
FIRE WOODY
northcyde
May 7th, 2010
9:02 pm
Terrell . . . how about this?
If the Hawks lose, I won’t post on the AJC blog until after the series is over . . win or lose.
If the Hawks win . . . you can’t post on here until after the series is over . . win or lose.
And I only post under one username on this blog, so AS A MAN, If you take this bet, I’m going to put you AT YOUR WORD that you won’t post here.
So how bout it? Is it a bet?
Simpdawg
May 7th, 2010
9:08 pm
ltdbrave
Hawks need to get rid of Williams, Bibby, ZaZa and Johnson. Oh, forgot, Woodson also. There is no heart on that team to win. Also, when someone signs a $70 million contract, I expect them to step up in the pressure situations, like the post season, and contribute to the team winning. Shooting 33% doesn’t hack it in my book Joe J.
1tdbrave, I agree with you 100%. I was telling my wife the same thing about the Hawks not having the heart to win.
pricedawg
May 7th, 2010
9:11 pm
Tired of seeing JJ dribble for 20 seconds and shoot a fade away jumper. Anyone else ever notice the offense stop when Joe gets the ball? I say sign and trade him. Bring in Salmons and maybe Childress back. Start Crawford at SG. Salmons from the bench to play D.
Also, JJ turns the ball over too much. Damn, when he does pass it the defense is waiting. Just tired of JJ>
pricedawg
May 7th, 2010
9:12 pm
Also, please get rid of Marvin. Guy shows up about once every 10 games. Otherwise, do you even know he’s there?
Sautee
May 7th, 2010
9:31 pm
northcyde,
about this: “Too bad we didn’t steal that game away last night, but that’s why HC advantage is so important in the NBA. ”
Yeah, I agree. The Head Coach of the Magic DOES have an advantage!
TheAntiMe
May 7th, 2010
9:31 pm
If it didn’t affect you Josh then what was it that took you 2 minutes to get back on defense when you were P.O.’d at the refs?
Freddy
May 7th, 2010
9:35 pm
Smith is a punk and is as lazy as they get. Hubie Brown was 100% CORRECT on what he said last night. This team has ZERO heart and no leadership whatsoever. Woodson has no control and need to go. Get someone in here to teach these guy on how to play. Selfish play will get this team no where. Joe Johnson will be gone, He has his head in other plans.
Sautee
May 7th, 2010
9:40 pm
Grandad,
I think we are closer in opinion than you must think.
Like you (and Najeh, and Ray), I’d like to see us get a veteran “enforcer” off the bench for 20-25 minutes to spell Al AND to let him play PF more minutes.
I can appreciate Zaza’s heart, but he’s more suited as the 4th big (or 5th) in a rotation. I’d rather have a Joel Anthony type for a backup center. Maybe the Varnado kid, or like you said, Zoubek.
But I still believe that Al has a greater advantage on most centers than he would PFs. And THAT has to do with the paucity of good centers in the league, whereas there are lots of good PFs.
sleepy
May 7th, 2010
9:41 pm
I was not mad at Josh because he made mistakes .
Basketball is a game of positive and negative plays .
I was pissed at Josh because his behavior in that 3rd quarter is not the behavior I want to see from a supposedly cornerstone of the team in his 3rd year in the playoffs on the road .
Anyone who thinks its ok to not hustle back on defense in the second rd of the playoffs on the road needs to be slapped and sent packing right along with Woody and Josh .
Josh has already gotten his money
Josh didnt make the all star team and didnt make the first team all defensive team either they gave it to Lebron because he had a few highlight reel blocks
So again Im asking anyone who disagrees that if Josh is not motivated now to go all out every second hes on the floor when will he be motivated ?
Sautee
May 7th, 2010
9:45 pm
ACE111,
Well we KNOW that Rondo was on that team. So is Rondo a moron because his GPA was lower than Josh?
Grandad
May 7th, 2010
9:50 pm
Ace111 – Thank you.
Ramon – Oak Hill is not a real school.
They travel around the country [basketball team].
It’s kind of like saying, JimmyJoe;
had the highest GPA on his AAU team.
Oak Hill primarily trains the players to take the *test.
*[qualifying test] SAT or ACT.
They take core subject [exams] proctored by tutors.
Kinda like summer school on ‘roids with tutors.
I still challenge your assertion that this young fella
which you speak of, had the highest GPA. Even @ O.H.
Notice you mentioned his name, not I.
O'Brien
May 7th, 2010
9:55 pm
doc,
I was thinking the same thing, like Woody was talking down to us. How dare us fans and media criticize Josh. Its like BK used to say, how he would laugh when others say we need a PG. And how he doesn’t come to our job and tell us how to do it (I might be paraphrasing).
But at what point do we stop talking about these guys as being young? This is Josh’s 6th season, and his 3rd straight in the playoffs. Young and Learning should not be thrown around as often as it is when it comes to this team.
northcyde,
The fact that the Magic held serve is not the issue. The issue is that we got blown out by 43 in game 1, and although we played well for 3 quarters in game 2, we still lost by 14. And we lost because we went back to the same bad habits.
As for game 3, I agree with you. I think the Hawks win. But I dont see them scoring 101 points. I’m thinking Hawks win, 95 – 87.
Sautee
May 7th, 2010
10:00 pm
If we are trying to “hold serve” in the series, don’t WE have to win by 43 tomorrow?
Is anything less backsliding?
Grandad
May 7th, 2010
10:02 pm
Sautee:
I’m glad you noticed my ‘Zoubek’ remark.
I was beginning to think no one paid attn.
I figured I’d catch heck for that one.
I also think he would be an upgrade over Zaza
and could battle [DH].
Whomever is brought in, my hope is that he will,
be a breath of fresh air & maximize each of our
players individual abilities.
Grandad
May 7th, 2010
10:04 pm
* [Whomever is brought in] *new ‘Coach’
Clyde
May 7th, 2010
10:10 pm
Everybody Welcome MissSection120 To The Club
FIRE WOODY
Sautee
May 7th, 2010
10:12 pm
Grandad,
You still might catch it on Zoubek, once we are eliminated and folks start thinking more seriously about needs. He’s not ranked very high, but he wasn’t healthy until Feb., so that probably hurt his ranking. He certainly played well in the tourney, and was a factor in their NC.
Grandad
May 7th, 2010
10:16 pm
Avg. scoring margin of victory = 28.5 [O over A]
Home ct. advantage / people say = 10 pts.
We should only lose by = 18.5 tomorow.
lets throw away the .5 & go with the 14 pt. last/loss:
we should only lose by = 4 tomorrow.
Now is the glass half ____ or ______?
Grandad
May 7th, 2010
10:20 pm
Sautee:
I’m ready! He’s my guy.
By the way,I’m on the Mike Budenholzer bandwagon as well.
Dara
May 7th, 2010
10:26 pm
Dammit, is that jerkoff Woodson still here? Run the azzhole out of town on a rail.
MissSection120
May 7th, 2010
10:29 pm
Thanks Clyde,
Think what you want but any deficiencies on this team still fall back on the coach. I am okay with losing to Orlando and saying they are a better team, but not 43 points better. Game 2 reminded me of Thanksgiving, this coach is confused, he has reached his ceiling. Get a coach that gets the most from these guys, and can have his players willing to give him there all.
O by the way,
FIRE WOODY
Grandad
May 7th, 2010
10:29 pm
MissSection120:
Might I give you a most gracious welcome.
Does this mean you are in the ‘Bubba Crew’ as well?
Clyde, you would best explain that one.
“GO HAWKS!FIRE WOODY” I think perhaps that makes one a charter member!
Dara
May 7th, 2010
10:32 pm
For the record, Josh Smith earns about 1% of the millions he’s paid. In other businesses, that’s called thievery.
Ken Strickland
May 7th, 2010
10:40 pm
NIREMETAL-mentioning DWade, LJames and KBryant together wasn’t an attempted comparison of the 3. To be honest, since DWade has far less help and talent around him than LJames or KBryant, he actually does more toward carrying his team than they do. The Cavs and Heat have players coming off their bench that are as talented as the Heat starters, other than DWade of course.
Just about any qualified HC we hire can win 47 & 53gms with this team, and struggle to win 2 7gm playoff series against inferior, shorthanded teams, then get embarrassed in the 2nd rd. I hear Doc Rivers’ contract expires after this season, and he knows the young Hawks and the aging Celtics are headed in opposite directions. Imagine how much he could improve the Hawks.
(1) We know he can develop young PG’s(see what he accomplished with the development of young PG RRhondo).
(2) We know he can develop, and isn’t afraid to use his bench.
(3) We know he can coach his team through injuries and adversity.
(4) We know he isn’t afraid to make adjustments or changes, and hold players accountable.
(5) We know he has effective OFF and DEF systems.
(6) We know he’s not big on making excuses.
These attributes would make him the complete opposite of Woodson, which is what the Hawks need most. Hiring a HC like Doc Rivers might help us in our quest to resign JJ, JoSmith and RMorris. I’d love to see this team in the hands of someone with a clue about being a HC.
Clyde
May 7th, 2010
10:44 pm
I’m ready for the Cavs – Magic series to start.
fire woody
BTW CLASS OF 90
May 7th, 2010
10:44 pm
I am a Hawks fan and I have watched this team grow. And Coach Woody been the Coach the whole time. YEAH WE KNOW WE GOT. Let’s not forget we third place in da East this year. Y’all jump ship if you want to. YEAH WE GLAD TO BE HOME. Listen to that Goodie Mob Still Standing Number Fo. FILA We straight.
Clyde
May 7th, 2010
10:49 pm
When you go 30-31 on free-throws and still get blown out by 14 you need to pack your bags and get ready for next season. #imjustsaying
fire woody
Beone
May 7th, 2010
11:00 pm
Woody is a fool and an idiot. When Smoove doesn’t get across the mid court line in transition defense before the ball is going through the hoop, anyone (not just someone who has coached) can accurately state that it is unacceptable. When Smoove shoots long jumpers, it is unacceptable. The real problem is Woody because apparently Woody has no control over Smoove. The conclusion, Fire Woody and bring in someone with some guts to manage (coach) this team. Then if they continue to underachieve, move the players.
rusty
May 7th, 2010
11:06 pm
northcyde i am only 14 years old as you know. i always hear pure nonsense coming out of your mouth. you make no sense. i dont know who is more stupid, you or woody
rusty
May 7th, 2010
11:08 pm
you make no sense at all,northcyde
Clyde
May 7th, 2010
11:10 pm
lol @rusty
fire woody
o.O-Mac-Town -Macon, Georgia- Westsider-O.o
May 7th, 2010
11:11 pm
freshd…Joe Johnson said that?????????????
Daniel
May 7th, 2010
11:12 pm
Woodson.. your a joke. Any real coach would put him on the bench when he is walking around the court sulking when we have a LEAD in the 2nd half. Once the attitude started, the lead was gone. It certainly didnt help keeping the virus on the floor. Grow a pair Mike! And grow them on someone elses watch
BTW CLASS OF 90
May 7th, 2010
11:13 pm
I am a Hawks fan and I have watched this team grow. And Coach Woody been the Coach the whole time. YEAH WE KNOW WE GOT. Let’s not forget we third place in da East this year. Y’all jump ship if you want to. YEAH WE GLAD TO BE HOME. Listen to that Goodie Mob Still Standing Number Fo. FILA We straight.
Carolyn
May 7th, 2010
11:14 pm
An earlier poster had it right. Smith has his money, now he doesn’t care. That’s real simple to understand.
Another word for it is theft.
Rebound Reba
May 7th, 2010
11:18 pm
“Smith is a punk and is as lazy as they get.”
Entirely correct. That sums it up nicely.
doc
May 7th, 2010
11:28 pm
at sautee lol, i thought the same thing when i saw HC
Najeh Davenpoop
May 7th, 2010
11:32 pm
I really wonder what this legion of Josh Smith haters, who find a way to get computer time at their insane asylum every time Josh screws up, is doing when Marvin is standing around letting a guy cut to the hoop uncontested, or when Bibby stands around the entire playoffs waving his arms at opposing players like a cheerleader, or when Crawford shoots a pull up jumper with 20 seconds left on the shot clock and nobody under the hoop to rebound. As if those lazy, half-azz plays — which all occur with MUCH greater frequency than Josh’s mental lapses — don’t hurt the Hawks just as bad. This team would be nowhere near 53 wins without Smoove, but somehow the hate for him seems that much more personal than the criticism other players seem to receive.
cacambo
May 7th, 2010
11:41 pm
This team would be nowhere near 53 wins without Smoove, but somehow the hate for him seems that much more personal than the criticism other players seem to receive.
Clearly a Smoove groupie. Marvin and Josh arent subject to personal attacks? Get the %#&$ out of here.
cacambo
May 7th, 2010
11:42 pm
“This team would be nowhere near 53 wins without Smoove, but somehow the hate for him seems that much more personal than the criticism other players seem to receive.”
Clearly a Smoove groupie. Marvin and Joe arent subject to personal attacks? Get the %#&$ out of here.
o.O-Mac-Town -Macon, Georgia- Westsider-O.o
May 7th, 2010
11:48 pm
Sad facts anyone????
Suns’ BACKUP point guard “Goran Dragic” is better than our starting PG.
bigdave
May 7th, 2010
11:53 pm
coach Gentry to his 2nd year point guard Dragic:
“be aggressive.. you make a couple mistakes thats fine… “
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.
Samuel
May 8th, 2010
2:54 pm
Hubbie Brown NBA winning percentage- Regular Season .461 Playoffs- .368
What’s so great about that
VenomSpitter
May 8th, 2010
2:57 pm
LMAO @ samuel still trying to convince people that Woody is a better coach than Hubie.
What a clown lol
niremetal
May 8th, 2010
3:07 pm
The Truth,
Do the same thing with Marvin and Larry Hughes, Bobby Simmons, Peja, Tayshaun, Josh Howard, Kirilenko, Jefferson, etc. It’s disingenuous to talk about players who do about the same for less without also looking at the people who do about the same for more.
And of course, box score stats are hardly a reliable measure of a player’s impact anyway.
Josh
May 8th, 2010
3:36 pm
WE DON’T HAVE THE MONEY TO SIGN A MAX PLAYER, other than JJ b/c we have his bird rights. Acquiring Jamal during the off-season took us out of the free agency bonanza. Learn the business side and stop calling for a superstar b/c it isn’t going to happen. What you see is what you get. Remember Horford is going to get paid soon…….i.e. our ownership is the worst in sports so they are going to penny snatch to keep Horford.
Sell the team, fire Woody and let JJ walk. <<<<<——This is the only way they will compete with the Big 2 in the east.
Josh
May 8th, 2010
3:38 pm
The Truth,
please don’t compare Marvin with Matt Barnes. Don’t give Marvin so much credit….we all know Barnes is a better player overall.
Derek
May 8th, 2010
3:39 pm
If Woody has pointed out Josh’s lack of hustle, why is he still doing it? Just more proof that this teams needs another coach. Woody has done all that he can do with this team. The two best things that can happen for the Hawks this offseason is: 1) Replace Mike Woodson and 2) Get a true center to plug the middle.
The Truth
May 8th, 2010
3:40 pm
niremetal
You make an interesting point that Orlando just might have gotten a “unique” deal in Barnes therefore it is unfair to compare him with Marvin. But I disagree that my comments are disingenuous. I use Barnes on this occasion because Orlando is about to play the Hawks and Barnes and Marvin are both SF on their respective teams. There is no hidden agenda here. You must know from my past comments regarding Marvin, that I am no hater, so please don’t frame it that way. I eventually asked the question; “you be the judge?” So, I take it, you would buy his stock? Of course, there is no shame in saying that you would.
Time
May 8th, 2010
3:42 pm
Another day, another column full of ignorant responses. I love my Atlanta teams, but most of the time, I hate my Atlanta fans. 3/4 of the negative responses here towards Josh show no basketball intelligence, and just about as many show a grade school insult mentality.
I understand people get emotional, but get real people. The Hawks are not in the playoffs, or at the least not in the 3 seed, without Josh. And for the plays he was slow getting up the court. You try getting elbows (uncalled) by Dwight Howard upside your heads. Fact is, he shouldn’t have had to be running up the court in those instances. Simply because there should have been fouls called as he stands there trying to shake the cobwebs out from getting drilled.
Joe Johnson is the problem. Has been all year. The team is 5-10 wins better with a starting backcourt of Crawford and Teague.
Grandad
May 8th, 2010
3:45 pm
‘Mad Hatter’ (AKA – TS or Sybil)
Did I really hear/read you say:
“Might need to change coaching staff or coaching philophsy.” ?
Welcome to the club!
Clyde—->look @ this…………………..^
Truth Serum has jumped on the bandwagon! Oh Happy Days!
*[don't be mad about the Sybil ref., I don't use it anymore]
Grandad
May 8th, 2010
3:50 pm
‘Mad Hatter’: under the guise [Bubba Crew Hate Committee].(AKA/TS)
JeJe
May 8th, 2010
3:53 pm
THE HAWKS HAVE NO CONFIDENCE THAT THEY CAN WIN A ROAD PLAYOFF GAME UNLESS IT’S A MUST WIN.
HOW ARE WE SUPPOSED TO WIN THESE NEXT 2 AT HOME IF WE LOST 2 GAMES TO A [WORSE] CLEVELAND TEAM LAST YEAR?
WOODSON IS A SH!TTY COACH AND HOPEFULLY IF WE LOSE GAME 4 AND THE SERIES IS OVER, WE LOSE BY 4. WE NEED TO LOSE THE ELIMINATION GAME BY 40 SO THAT WOODY IS DEFINITELY GONE
Typical Moronic Hawks fan
May 8th, 2010
3:55 pm
Let JJ walk and sign LeBron and Wade! Sign Jermaine to come off the bench and then offer Bosh a max contract too!
Bibby/Teague
Wade/Jamal
LeBron/Marvin
Bosh/Josh
Horford/Jermaine/ZaZa
Time
May 8th, 2010
4:16 pm
LOL, while we’re add it. We should trade Mo Evans for Kobe and Zaza for Dwight Howard…as long as we’re living in dream world might as well go all out.
Najeh Davenpoop
May 8th, 2010
4:40 pm
No new blog for this game?
bigdave
May 8th, 2010
4:41 pm
i keep refreshing for one as well.. eager to see what the approach is this evening..
o.O-Mac-Town -Macon, Georgia- Westsider-O.o
May 8th, 2010
4:45 pm
Hopefully John Salmons will have a good game today
Simpdawg
May 8th, 2010
4:57 pm
The first thing the Hawks need to do this summer is to decide whether Mike Woodson fits into their future plans or not. Second they need to establish an identity as a team. Third they need to find the players to make their identity applicable, and if they replace Mike Woodson they’re probably going to lose Joe Johnson as well. If that happens, the Hawks will need to resign Josh Childress and try to sign John Salmons or make a trade for Devin Harris if the Nets win the draft lottery. The Hawks will have to improve their bench as well. To sum it up the Hawks need players with a high basketball IQ and heart.
jean
May 8th, 2010
6:09 pm
mike bibby is the worst player i ever seen…joe is a mental midget and josh smith is borderline retarted
Nasser W. Smith
May 8th, 2010
7:23 pm
If Hubie were being completely honest, he would tell us the truth which is that the Orlando Magic is the superior team in this series and even he couldn’t coach this Hawks team to a win.