Atlanta Hawks: Next Day J.J.
Joe Johnson didn’t exactly take it back today. He was mad that fans booed the Hawks throughout their Game 3 loss to Orlando and afterward told reporters he “could care less if they showed up or not.”
Asked if he had any more thoughts on the topic after sleeping on it, J.J. said:
“It was tough. I don’t think we’ve heard the boos like that in the five years since I’ve been here. When I first got here, man, there were probably like 100 people out there in those seats. I won’t say everybody is a diehard, but they’ve shown us a lot of support over the years. In the heat of the battle you tend to say a lot of things. But it was tough, man. I was a little [ticked] off but I am over now.”
His comments have led to speculation that he sounds like a guy who doesn’t like it in Atlanta anymore and can’t wait to leave via free agency this summer. But Johnson said that’s taking it too far.
“Don’t read in between all of that,” he said. “I’ve enjoyed my years here. They’ve been great. We’ll see what happens Monday.”
That’s not a farewell speech, is it?
“No, not at all,” he said.
Some context on J.J.’s postgame comments. Normally he takes a while to get dressed before he faces reporters. But after Game 3 he was just out of the shower and immediately beckoned media when he made it to his stall. The question that led to the inflammatory quote was whether fans booing affected him or the team.
So does he care if fans show up for Game 4 tomorrow?
“If they come out and show us support, it would be great,” he said.
During a separate interview, Woody also touched on the fans and their expectations. The question was regarding Al Horford’s contention that the Hawks are a loose, fun-loving group that sometimes doesn’t know when it’s time to get serious (an observation I’ve made as well).
Woody agreed with that and then talked about how in the past he’s been viewed as a coach who is too demanding, how Hawks players don’t make negative headlines off the court, and then about the team’s chemistry:
“We do have a young group of good guys who do like each other. But when you face adversity, sometimes guys stray off and you start to point fingers. That ain’t always good in terms of your team. Sometimes you find out a lot about people when you do lose. We haven’t lost very many games this year, especially in this building. And people expect you to win. That’s a good thing. I think coming into the season, I made that very clear that expectations are going to be higher this year, and they should be. You should want it that way. People are going to expect much more than they’ve ever expected even though we’v4e never been an elite team, we are trying to get to that level. People sometimes expect too much, especially here in this arena where we’ve been pretty successful the last couple years. We’ve kind of spoiled our fans a little bit. Maybe that’s why they turned last night in terms of the boos and things of that nature because it was a lackluster game on our part.”
MC
Tell us what you think about the site
Customer Care »
Vacation stops, manage subscriptions and more
AJC Services
Sections
Other Editions
Visitor Agreement | Privacy Statement
© 2013 The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
269 comments Add your comment
Najeh Davenpoop
May 10th, 2010
3:35 am
“I dont understand where you guys get this emotion that bosh can’t play defense if you have a bunch of scrubbs in front of you of course you will look bad on defense”
Yeah, that is a problem we Hawks fans are all too familiar with, having to see Josh and Al cover up for the defensive deficiencies of the back court.
“this the same thing every one said last year when i said lets get stoudemire and every one said no no he can’t play defense but look at him now taking his team 2 the finalls.”
First of all, Phoenix is not in the finals. Secondly, I was under the impression scenarios to acquire big men were being discussed because of the Hawks’ inability to guard so-called “true centers” like Dwight Howard, Andrew Bogut, Shaq, etc. If you bring Bosh or Stoudemire here, Horford will still be guarding those “true centers”. Yes, both those players can score better than Smoove. Yes, Stoudemire has improved on defense. No, neither one of them will ever make an All-Defense team.
Trade Josh for either one of them, and you sacrifice defense for offense without addressing the big man problem. Straight up.
Najeh Davenpoop
May 10th, 2010
3:38 am
“Ramon its all about depth. Our frontline would be really strong having David Lee, Smoove, Horford, Zaza, and maybe Joe Smith. JJ is just one player.”
Didn’t you once maintain that Sean Williams is a better defender than Horford at center because he blocks more shots?
You realize David Lee, your projected starting center, has a career blocked shot average of 0.4, right?
He’s a solid player, don’t get me wrong, but I’d rather have Smoove at center over him, let alone Horford.
Najeh Davenpoop
May 10th, 2010
3:43 am
And for the record, I’m all for moving Smoove if you get a guy with Smoove’s level of talent who can guard true centers in return. I still haven’t seen one realistic trade proposal that involves this happening though.
Grandad
May 10th, 2010
3:55 am
To get someone other than Al: [@ the 5]
He needs to be Big enough to cope with [DH].
(Brendan Haywood)
or a stretch [5] that can open up floor
spacing for cuts & drives.
Al + another Big preferably a ‘3′ pt. maker
such as Troy Murphy (T.M. example only) which
would make [DH] have to come out of the lane.
Not only that, he would have to have enough
lead in his butt to guard [DH] when it was his turn.
Once again T.Murphy/rebounds & is not skinny
as is Bosh, Bargnani, or any of the rail thin guys.
Not sayin’ get Murphy…hypothetical?
Grandad
May 10th, 2010
3:59 am
Najeh, I liked your idea with Josh to N.O.
for Collison & other pieces & parts.
Josh as a piece for “needed VALUE”.
Would not have to be a [5].
Derek
May 10th, 2010
4:15 am
Just out of curiosity, does anyone else think that Andre Iguodala would be nice fit for this team?
He’s got good size, he’s versatile enough to play SG or SF. He’s got the quickness and athleticism to mesh well with our transition game. He’s a solid play-maker (if necessary), scorer, and defender. He brings a nice balance of offense and defense.
Just wanted to throw that out there. I’ve always liked Iguodala.
vava74
May 10th, 2010
5:52 am
From Bill Simmons’ column on ESPN’s Page 2 (about the luck which Kerr has had with his past year’s decisions as a GM):
“But he also knew Steve Nash isn’t wired that way. He’s loyal. He’s Canadian. He’s old-school. He believes in things like, “I am the leader of this team, so as soon as I say that I might want to leave, I can’t lead anymore.”
Speculation:
What is relevant here is that JJ did not commit to the Hawks and probably that created a greater distance between him – a quiet fellow which almost certainly did not even tried to quash inside his own locker room any rumors or speculation – and the younger players.
He stopped being considered a leader.
This coupled with the fact that clearly Josh and Al have been complaining internally (and sometimes publicly) about lack of ball movement (which is a direct consequence of Woody’s “system”) killed this team.
If we look back, now that the season is over, we forgave JJ many many times – out of gratitude – for many many bonehead-I-wanna-be-the-hero plays (stupid three point attempts, ISOs which ended in highly contested and impossible to go in shots) and even a few dead periods on defense.
His play – for which I only blame him about 33,3% – was detrimental of the team success and one of the direct causes for many of our 4th quarter choking jobs.
Now, here is the thing: EVEN SO, SOMETHING very serious happened during the Milwaukee series.
JJ was playing really well during the first 4 games. His best playoff basketball since his days in Phoenix and then… you know what you have been seeing since then.
He probably went vocal either before game 3 or after game 3 or 4 and the rest of the guys turned their backs. Then, we saw the disaster which happened in game 5 in ATL.
I think that from game 4 onwards JJ had completely lost both his trust in the rest of the team and their respect.
This is clear to me and the main reason why JJ feels that he is not worried about his play affecting his stock – he will tell everyone that his play is the one during the 4 games of the Milwaukee series and that after that he had been boycotted by the younger players.
He stopped really caring or lost his fire for the Hawks after game 4 of the Milwaukee series.
He did show up on the defensive end during games 6 and 7, however, he probably did it hoping that the rest of the guys crashed and burned and no one could point their fingers at him whilst he could still protect his status as a good defensive player (a commodity which is essential to his max contract aspirations).
The problem is that the plan backfired, we won both games in which he played only a supporting role.
More problems certainly happened during or immediately after those games, inside the locker room.
Probably some back and forth talk amongst the two factions where the young guys probably said that they could get it done without his ISO play and JJ probably sulked.
During this whole procedure Woody was probably also either under fire – and protecting JJ – or -completely AWOL thinking about how to use Collins’ big bench-shaped butt against Howard.
By the time the ORL series started, no one was on the same page.
One thing which may have happened in the Milwaukee series:
Maybe, just maybe, JJ was accused of not playing enough D after the losses in games 3 and 4 and to be looking only for his numbers and for his up and coming free agency.
Salmons shot 15-20 during those 2 games and went to the line for 13 FTs and Jennings 15 for 27 (in spite of the switching D, both were usual defensive assignments for JJ).
jeff
May 10th, 2010
6:12 am
JJ is gone and so is Woody.
cheese
May 10th, 2010
8:18 am
when your team gets spanked by more than 30 points at home in the playoffs. you deserve to get boos. and when there is a 50-50 chance that you are going to lose by 20 points or more in the playoffs alone. your team deserves to get boos.
jean
May 10th, 2010
8:41 am
northclyde crawford has been horrible in 3 games….one of wich they won vs bucks and the other a 43 point loss were he was 1 for 11 if he goes 11 for 11 they still lose by 30……how about JJ? when is the last time he shot 40% in a game?
jean
May 10th, 2010
8:42 am
not to mention crawford is the only player on the hawks whos numbers are the same on the road and at home
BigTimeTECHFan
May 10th, 2010
8:49 am
After the way JJ played, he complaining about boo’s. that is something else. Fact is Orlando had 8 players play better them him Sat and he’s supposed to be 3rd team NBA. He need to shut up and while he’s at it stop walking the ball up the court and standing at top of the key wasting dribble, he waste 18 seconds of a 24 second shot clock, also makes it real easy for defense know he looking to go 1 on 1.
I say let him go. trade Bibby and Williams for Roy Hibbert and J Jack
Rob B.
May 10th, 2010
8:50 am
JOHNSON IS TICKED OFF?? What about the fans man? You know, the ones who pay to watch you play. The ones who fund that paycheck you don’t earn. You don’t think they’re ticked off??
New Lineup
May 10th, 2010
9:35 am
Let Joe sign with NY or do a sign and trade w/ NY for a good perimeter defender or cash. Hopefully, have enough $ to make a strong push at Bosh and sign him. Trade Josh Smith for Collison. New starting five: Collison, Crawford, Horford, Williams, and Bosh. Bibby can come off the bench–no one wants him. Somewhere out there, find that hard-nosed, veteran big man that can come off the bench and guide some of these young players. Look at the San Antonio and Detriot blueprint that they have used in the past.
O'Brien
May 10th, 2010
9:41 am
Some of these trade proposals on here are unbelievable.
1) What has Bosh done for Toronto?
2) Hornets are trying to shed salary, so why trade Josh Smith for Collison?
3) Who would be their backup for CP3 who always gets hurt?
4) Keep in mind that when trades are made, salaries have to come close to matching.
And most importantly, for a trade to work, it takes 2 willing partners.
Gamer
May 10th, 2010
9:48 am
Everyone need to face reality about this series. The Magic are running the floor like generals because they have a true point man in J. Nelson and the Hawks don’t…I expected Bibby to find his way by now being a season vet.
It’s not always about speed but savvy decisions. Bibby haven’t shown his craftsmanship as a playoff veteran.
Joe and Jamal have been attacking the basket the last two games but the shooters touch is missing. Partly its because of D. Howard clogging the middle.
If Joe and Jamal can find their shooter’s touch at a rate of 45% then the series will go the distance. Also the Hawks need to turn up the heat, defensively.
Woody must find a way to groom J. Teague during the playoffs because the young man got game…
Regardless of the Hawks playoffs run this year, I think change is inevitable, coach and players.
CoryBoulder
May 10th, 2010
9:51 am
The Hawks are a lot of “HYPE” and “TALK” without any backbone or desire to back that talk up. In reality the Hawks can be the FIRST TEAM to come back from a 3-0 deficit. The Hawks can beat the Magic like a drum four games straight if they put their hearts and minds into it. But most of the times the Hawks take the path of least resistence and take the LAZY WAY OUT OF THINGS. For all of Joe Johnson’s tough guy talk I saw him drive in on a breakaway and miss a layup at point blank range. If he had any sense at all he would have stuffed it home making sure he made the basket in such an important playoff game. The fact is that he didnt care and he knew the fans wasted their money coming to watch him so he nonchalantly just scooped it up off the backboard carelessly and he missed badly which I think is why the fans started booing the Hawks. It wasnt until that play until I heard the boos. THE HAWKS HAVE EMBARRASSED THE NBA BY THE WAY THEY HAVE PLAYED AGAINST THE MAGIC. LIKE CHARLES BARKLEY SAID, NO NBA TEAM SHOULD LOSE BY 20 POINTS UNLESS THEY ARE NOT GIVING ANY EFFORT AT ALL.
PMC
May 10th, 2010
9:57 am
I don’t think people are booing the losing. No one really expected this team to win this series against a vastly superiour team.
People are booing the effort, not the losing. People expect you to fight to the death not quit after the 1st quarter.
big shocker
May 10th, 2010
10:05 am
WOW!!! Joe, you aren’t a vocal leader, you want your skills to speak. You have been a good player here,joe. the problem is, now, you suddenly become vocal. yeah, vocal in abusing the fans who pay your overblown salary. You said it yourself;you have failed with no explanation. You are a good second guy, but your game is not to the level of the other number ones in the league. your stand and dribble for twenty seconds and launch a prayer has been done, and the league knows how to defend it. Nice watching you joe, but your time has come. Enjoy New York, and the fans there. They will blister you. WE have supported you for the last few years. Belkin was right, and that hurts to say. You are not the man, and unfortunately, he was right on. This team needs a leader. Sorry joe, you have proven in the last two playoff series that it is not you. Who to bring in, That’s what they pay the executives to do, find a retool to bring the hawks to the next level. It’s obvious they are not in the elite group of teams. Go Hawks Fans.
JackTatum
May 10th, 2010
10:06 am
As the Hawks get eliminated from the playoffs tonight against the Magic, Im predicting the margin of the loss will be by at least 50 points. Im expecting the Hawks to lose the game by a final score of 110-60, somewhere around there. The Hawks will set the record for worst margin of defeat in a playoff series. The Lakers hold the record now at 31 points for beating an opponent in a playoff series. After tonight the Hawks will have the record of being crushed by at least 35 points per game. GREAT JOB HAWKS! GET CRUSHED TONIGHT!
RORO
May 10th, 2010
10:19 am
The hawks have a good team but a very bad offensive system..lets get ball movement and cut out all the iso’s and one on one.when the ball is moving they’re hard to beat! do they have film sessions to see this like everyone else does?
terrell
May 10th, 2010
10:22 am
LMAO at Clyde for starting David Lee and bringing Horford off the bench.
terrell
May 10th, 2010
10:28 am
Lmao at Ramon for blaming Espn for Josh’s lethargicness, but using CNNSI as a source for Bosh supposedly quitting on the Raptors.
Jesse
May 10th, 2010
10:30 am
Is Woodson saying the fans are “spoiled” because they have this crazy idea that a 53-win team should at least be able to stay within 30 points at home (or within 40 points on the road)?
bigcalidawg
May 10th, 2010
10:39 am
2 things jump out right now.
1) Last year our off-season objective should have been to get Za Za some help down below. Remember seein’ him get abused by Z. Well, of course Dwight is gonna do that to us. Signing Joe Smith was like peein’ on a forest fire. We need a banger. He doesn’t even really need to score, just be big, bang, and rebound.
2) Joe Johnson took it upon himself to state that he was one of the better players in the league. He went on to state that he would prove it in the playoffs, where the best players play their best. Homeboy is not one of the better players in the league. He took on the boo birds and lost, so he needs to take his medicine. Sellin’ woof tickets and such…..
GeeMack
May 10th, 2010
10:51 am
People sometimes expect too much, especially here in this arena where we’ve been pretty successful the last couple years.
Hey Woody is it to much to ask the team to compete, and win at home for the 3rd seed in the East.
We’ve kind of spoiled our fans a little bit.
SPOILED? Are you serious? SPOILED? Oh I get it, we were spoiled by the fact that you allowed an average Miami team on your floor last year, or the Bucks beat you this year and they were undermanned. Maybe we are spoiled by the fact that Clevland destroyed you in your building in the playoffs, or that Orlando is killing you and you are perfectly healthy.
Maybe that’s why they turned last night in terms of the boos and things of that nature because it was a lackluster game on our part.”
We turned on you because you didn’t compete. You competed in game 2 the first 3 quarters and led most of the game. Then you stopped competeing.
Fan of the game
May 10th, 2010
10:54 am
Hawks players for inspiration please look at Steve Nash’s game on Mother’s Day night 2010. The guy played with so much heart and determination that is amazed me! After receiving stitches and with his eye closed he still came back in the game and played hard!! He gives the fans what they paid to see..a good game!! That is all we ask of you. We know you can’t win every game but please stop looking defeated like you have gave up. As long as you play with intensity and as if you want to win we support you.
big shocker
May 10th, 2010
10:59 am
joe is not the whole problem, but his iso play is one of the big ones. Yes, move the ball. secondly, use the players on the bench. Teague, yeah, only a rookie, but how much worse can it get.he is a ball player. use his speed to change the pace of the game. And as been mentioned before, put a few of the seven footers in the game to at least put a big body on smart ass howard. let one of them foul out hacking at him. overall, this team is missing the hustle, the speed, and the size to handle orlando. This team looks unbeatable,but only because the hawks have made them look that way. nice effort hawks…whatever. oh and josh smith, your winey face looks like your crapping your pants continuously. grow up, your childhood buddy is crushing you.
ShortBravesFan
May 10th, 2010
11:06 am
I’m going to the game tonight. GULP!
Max in Missouri
May 10th, 2010
11:16 am
Why won’t the Hawks drive and attack Howard? You just KNOW the guy wants to commit a foul!
I MUS WRITE
May 10th, 2010
11:19 am
Gilbert Arenas and Bosh ??? WTH Why would we want an oft injured 30 year old PG. Bosh is 6′10 225 -HE IS NOT A CENTER – if we did get Bosh Horford would be stuck playing Center for ever.
The Joe johnson Experience is getting old- The dribble king plays like crap and then gets heated when the fans boo….. Well people pay alot of money to see these guys and they show up looking like a D League team. All we ask is that they leave everything on the floor and go all out, besides the first 2 bucks games I havent seen that so the boo’s are deserved IMO.
I give the Thunder and Jazz credit for going toe to toe with the defending champs. Utah is missing 2/5 of their starting lineup and they play really hard every night. If the hawks played this way there would be no Boo’s .Maybe the fans displeasure for the type basketball we play will get sumones attention…… Woody sux -not gonna waste time on him -Trade him for Scot brooks and be done with it.
A 53 win team doesnt lose multiple games by 20+ points -JJ should be mad at himself for not playing up to his abilities.
Naje thanx for that lol…..Rondo was picked 21 and we got Sheldon at 5-thats still a mystery to me -what did they see that we didnt-I wanted ROY so bad.
cj
May 10th, 2010
11:21 am
Calling Dwayne Wade and Josh Childress!! Save us, PLEEAAZZEE!!
Joe is looking for a personality transplant and Josh Smith can’t decide if he’s a pouting baby or not. And poor Marvin Williams is just missing altogether. Perhaps we could beg Dominic Wilkins to return to action! He’s better than all three of the above.
cj
May 10th, 2010
11:26 am
My Great-Grandma plays with more intensity. I’ll ask her to suit up for the Hawks.
I MUS WRITE
May 10th, 2010
11:35 am
I would do whatever it takes to keep Horford and Smoove while adding Devin Harris and Kris Kaman. We need a legit PG -Bibby is still servicable but not a starter IMO, and its obvious we need a C with size and post scoring.
Also hire Bill Laimbeer -a hard nosed no nonsense type of coach
Resign Chills
PG-Harris
SG-Crawford/Chills
SF-Smoove
PF-Horford
C-Kaman
Dap01
May 10th, 2010
11:41 am
Do we dare watch the train wreck that is coming on TV tonight?
TROTTINGHOME
May 10th, 2010
11:49 am
Say what you want JJ… the damage is done and the hawks are done also.
If JJ does stay wonder if he will fit into the new strategy of moving without the ball.
Oh in case your wondering…there will be a new coach in Atlanta sooner than August 2010.
TROTTINGHOME
May 10th, 2010
11:52 am
Dap has a good question.
For me… I will be at the Braves game in Milwaukee.
That might not be much better but at least I can watch the people and all the other stuff not committing errors and choking with men in scoring position.
vava74
May 10th, 2010
11:54 am
cj,
We don’t have cap space to sign ANYONE above 5,6/6 million per.
We can re-sign own players beyond the cap but not sign new ones.
So, forget about Wade (who will stay in MIA if they snatch Bosh). Remeber that MIA only have 3 PLAYERS under contract so they have all the cap in the world to sign a big free agent like Bosh and re-sign whatever pieces they have for a load of cash (Wade) and their remaing FA, like Chalmers and Haslem.
Joey
May 10th, 2010
11:54 am
Any of you basketball-IQ-challenged nuts on here ever consider the possibility that Orlando Magic is a much better,a much deeper, and a much, much better coached team than the Atlanta Hawks? Why dnot see how far the Magic go before berating our team about losing to them. The Magic made the FINALS last year and are better this season. The Hawks (as well as most of the NBA) has had trouble matching up with the Magic for a couple of seasons.
If losing to a superior team makes the Hawks losers, then the NBA is full of losers, right?
PaulTolliver
May 10th, 2010
11:57 am
Its really amusing the name of the article “Hawks plan to fight until the end.” Who do they think they are fooling? I hope the Hawks lose tonights game by 100 points, say 145-40. There is dissention with the Hawks and they are not playing together and with any motivation at all. In fact, this is only the second time Ive ever seen a team continually give lackluster performances throughout their playoff series, not caring at all whether they score at all. The first team I saw do that was the Los Angeles Lakers when they lost to Detroit in four games in the finals. The Lakers were rich with talent but for some reason they appeared to be playing in slow motion and got the crap beat out of them. It looked like the Lakers werent even competing and not trying at all. This is what the Hawks look like now. The Hawks are the second team Ive seen play like this in the post season. I can guarantee you this, the Hawks wouldnt care if they lost tonights game with the Magic 200-1. The Hawks could care less. I hope the owners of the Hawks make some dramatic changes and get a head coach in here who is a head coach and not a head case like Woodsen. Its sad to see but better to fix it now than give woody an extension and watch the Hawks regress backwards over the next few years.
vava74
May 10th, 2010
11:57 am
Another important fact:
We need to get the new coach signed ASAP so we can tell to whichever FA we pursue (if any) what will our team look like.
My guess is that if we do not sign a big name (like Byron Scott) we will not be able to pry away any quality free agents given our poor showing this year.
After yet another 4-0 sweep in the second round, ATL is NOT THE PLACE to go to if you are a FA which still has some prestige and game (like for instance Haslem which I would love to have as our third big).
RORO part2
May 10th, 2010
12:13 pm
Woodson deserves a chance to keep coaching the Hawks since he made them a playoff team(2nd round) But as i stated earlier lets get a ball moving offense installed asap.this is the same personel that took boston to 7 games.
builder dawg
May 10th, 2010
12:17 pm
who cares
vava74
May 10th, 2010
12:20 pm
Roro part 2,
Asking Woody to install and offense is like asking a blind and deaf man to guide traffic on a crossing in mid Manhattan during rush hour.
JimDavis
May 10th, 2010
12:24 pm
Josh Smith is a BEAST who negates his good play by continually #1) hoisting up ill-advised jump shots, many of which are from the 3pt range, which are out of his range; #2) continuing to drive the ball up the court (pretending he is a guard) constantly turning the ball over; #3) making poor passes when he is indecisive which result in turnovers. JOSH SMITH IS A WALKING TURNOVER MACHINE that is hurting the Hawks and preventing them from getting to the next level. Someone needs to sit Josh down and talk to him about this. He is unaware just how stupid he looks out there on the court.
vava74
May 10th, 2010
12:36 pm
JimDavis and all other Josh Smith detractors:
He has made great progress, in particular this year. Shot almost nothing from 3 point land and the number of stupid jumpers from long range was not critical.
His turnovers were also down and his passing improved.
The main problem with Josh is his whining with the refs.
ALL PROBLEMS LIE WITH WOODY’s performance as a coach.
Josh pushes the ball up court because Woody’s “offense” is too reliant on ISO plays and in particular in JJ and Jamal’s heroics. Due to this he seeks to take the rock himself across so he can guarantee another possession for himself.
Wrong move, but justifiable.
The jumpers? More or less the same reason. Wrong move but justifiable and a clear cut sign that Woody does not control his players.
His whining? Again: Woody should control his players better and get Smoove to react better.
His improvement was excellent in all fields this year. It only looked worse now because the team imploded and bad habits re-emerged.
With a good, solid coach, Josh will be a great player for the Hawks and will continue to be – as he is already – one of the few game changing players in the league.
The above is not a forgiving note to Josh and it does not mean that I am not mad at him, simply that I can see the reasons why all this has happened.
It seems clear that there was a rift in the team that opened up and became unsurmountable in the playoffs and guess what…
IT ALL BOILS DOWN TO THE LACK OF AN OFFENSIVE SYSTEM AND GOOD COACHING
jimh
May 10th, 2010
12:39 pm
Gilbert Arenas??? Why not Artest and Tinsley too. These are just the stabilizing figures we need! If Josh goes off the deep end because of JJ just imagine how Arenas may effect him.
Section 303
May 10th, 2010
12:44 pm
vava74, I could not disagree with your Josh Smith take more. These days, he looks like the Josh Smith from years past, not this season’s version. His bad shot selection is back and he is playing lazy.
I think the time is perfect to trade him. For one, his stock is high. Could probably get something decent in return. Mainly, though, I just do not think many coaches will put up with Josh Smith. People can say what they will about Coach Woodson, but he has done well with Smith. I have strong doubts that a new coach would be productive with Josh.
Josh is a spoiled brat and needs to go.
tyger
May 10th, 2010
12:52 pm
WHY isn’t Rick Sund on the hook?
Fire Woody? Screw JJ! To Hell w/ Smoove! Blah, blah, blah…but why is Rick Sund teflon?
Wasn’t he duped into re-signing a washed up Mike Bibby, to an absurd contract?
Didn’t he trade for regular season 6th man, but playoff no-show, Jamal Crawford?
Didn’t he sign Mo “WTF” Evans?
And stop the BS, why did he draft Jeff Teague? Is that the best he could do?
I won’t mention Mario West, but dude, please…
We are moon walking under his leadership – where’s the improvement? Tonight we get heckled nationally by Kenny and Chuck and everyone will get panned except Sund. WHY?
What has he done right? Oh, he doesn’t talk to the press. Hip, hip, hurray….Other than that he’s a collossal turd. He played hardball and lost with Childress, he gave 7′0 Euroleague MVP David Anderson away for absolutely nothing.
WHAT HAS THE GUY DONE????
vava74
May 10th, 2010
12:59 pm
Section 303,
Like I said, he is not exempt of criticism, however, if you could give a stake of the 53 wins to each of the players of the roster, in terms of decisiveness of their contribution, Josh would be no. 1, ahead of JJ, Al and Jamal (all very close).
Josh was always the driving force behind those periods in which our defense created offense and easy baskets and produced the runs that secured wins.
It is precisely because we have a “Mutiny in the Bounty” in our hands that we are not seeing Josh perform well and our whole game as a team just disappears in a cloud of smoke.
Josh and Al form a very productive combo which is good 95% of the time and will only get better.
What we need is a real bruiser to relieve them and produce quality minutes at the 5 spot against the most physical Cs in the league.
I like Zaza, but he is neither athletic nor strong enough to make a physical impact, but he could easily stay as our fourth big.
That, coupled with a man to man D + occasional zone defense + occasional switching D would get us into the top 3 defensive and rebounding teams in the league.