Atlanta Hawks: Joe Johnson speaks

ATLANTA SPIRIT/ RICK SUND,

THE FANS ARE WATCHING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! MAKE YOUR MOVE…NOW!!!!!!!!!!!

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First??….this is new for me….So since Lebron didnt take the money does that make “Joe Johnson” the highest paid player in the NBA??

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Sign Chills, Sign Shaq and Tride Mike Bibby and Mo Evans

1st!!!!

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Excuse me……..

I just threw up in my mouth……..

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umm now we have to do better than pathetic shaq to be a contender. i mean CHRIS PAUL BETTER!
if not say adios to me as a hawk fan and say hello to 5 championships with the heat.

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ok thanks…and i had a feeling he was just talking when he said he would recruit some free agents..thats BS when he said he thinks they win with the team they have now….ughh just straight Bull krap!!

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I guess that was an apology for the fans that are still mad? Joe is not much of an interview.

I’m glad he is back. I guess I’m past the comments, but I still say he should get a swift kick in the balls for what he said. Anyways….let’s get on with the offseason and get some other players in here.

Already looking forward to beating the Heat when they first step foot in The Highlight Factory this season. Marki it down: Hawks beat Miami, whenever they first play at Philips.

Heat have replaced the Celtics as my least favorite team. Three headed douchebags….don’t know how anyone could be a fan of that team.

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“He wants me doing a lot more catching and shooting. Not creating so much until late in the game so I am not so worn down.”

This is the thing of substance to take from Joe’s responses. Good to know that the offensive responsibility is going to be shared more under Drew.

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sad to see Joke Johnson here……………he will earn $21M at age 35, can’t help but laugh at that….I guess.

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What else did you want him to say?

What else was there to say?

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Chris Paul wants to play with James, Bosh and Wade. They discussed this (according to reports) during the most recent Olympic run.

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Now that you are back in Atlanta, will you be more involved with interviews after games? I just want to see more comments from you regarding the wins or losses from the team. Since you have resigned with the Hawks, being in the range with Kobe Bryant (the black momma), will you step your game up to average what he’s averaging per game? I think if you do this the fans will forgive you for the comment you made during the play-offs. Now that you know LeBron James signed with the Miami Heat, how do you feel about that and your chances of making the play-offs again?

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Joe is understated.
Joe is an introvert.
Neither of those two things are bad.
-AND-
Quit worrying about 6 years from now.
Let’s concern ourselves with Right Now!

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MC… I wish you would have asked him the following, “By taking the max deal, do you feel that negatively affects the teams with the financial ability to improve the team any further? In other words, is it just about the extra $30 million the team could offer without looking at the affect it has on fielding a better team going forward?”

Now if you would have asked that I would have given you the crown.

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You’d think that a $120 million contract would buy an apology to the fans. Now he really doesn’t care whether or not we show up.

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Please get shaq in here because we can win a championship this year. He knows how to win and lead a team to the title. Now that means Josh Smith may have to come off the beach but to win a championship; he should not mine. I know that Shaq is not the same Shaq but he can bring leadership to this team that needs someone who can keep their focus on the pizes. Now that also, means that Mavin will have to give us more this year. But Josh will do what ever is best for this team to win and I know AL will to. Now if we have Shaq to lead them by just taking up space; this will give the Joe, Bib, AL, and even Smith more room to work.

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dstdeelite, I don’t agree with you. I think Joe does care about what people say. I watched him pivot and make a dash for the bench when he was taken out of game 4 against Orlando. He couldn’t get off the floor fast enough.

Kind of like Josh Smith claiming he doesn’t hear the fans groan when he shoots jumpers. Allow me to be the first to call bullsh#t. No way he does not hear that stuff. And, no way Joe is just totally uncaring about what people say. Don’t buy that for a second.

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THIS WHOLE FRONT OFFICE IS DELUSIONAL. U DONT WIN RINGS BY KEEPING THE SAME STARTING LINEUP 4 YEARS IN A ROW

TRADE MARVIN AND BIBBY FOR A PG, SIGN BARNES AND SHAQ.

RING IN 2011

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MC

I was fine with what he said.
He explained.
Succinct.
What more do we need.
We don’t want him to cry do we?
I get it…let’s have an *intervention.
*Tongue in cheek*
For pity sake.
Let’s move on.
He’s here, he’s a Hawk, now let’s go.

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It’s true that he gave us some of that, but the easiest way to defuse the situation is to give the fans props for not settling for crappy play. It makes fans feel like they saw what they saw.

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The heat are going to be a great team and fun to watch. Call me crazy but out of all of the teams in the nba, I think there is only one that matches up good with their big three. H.A.W.K.S. I just wish they would upgrade the point guard position.

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In defense of Joe. I’m a Hawks fan and he owes me no apology. When asked about booing fans, he said he didn’t care and he hoped his team didn’t care, he could care less about whether they came or not. Those statements in their proper context evidence precisely the attitude he should have.

His duty is to play as hard and as well as he can for every minute he’s on the floor and to help put his team in position to win. Whether the fans come or don’t come; whether they boo or cheer; whether the fans love him or hate him. His duty remains the same. If a professional athlete needs/wants the fan adoration to motivate him to do his job, as a fan, I’ve got no use for him.

He was humiliated at his and his team’s performance and he wanted to perform better and win. Not because the fans booed him, but because of the duty he owed himself and his team. Or as stated more concisely by a noted philosopher, “YOU PLAY TO WIN THE GAME, HELLO!

Fans or no fans.

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Joe Johnson is a tool. A public apology should have been part of his contract. That is the least he could have done for $125 MILLION . . .

He also laughed at the notion of him recruiting some free agents. That definitely proves that it was just “agent speak” . . .

The Spirit Group definitely shouldn’t be considered cheap anymore. But they have definitely earned the knock of being stupid; especially after they just got taken for $125 MILLION by a player who hasn’t earned it . . .

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hey MC did you ask specifically who JOE BLOW was trying to recruit? if its matt barnes we have no shot at winning 45 games next year

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That Gilbert letter (if not a hack) is definitely awesome . . .

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Joe Johnson doesn’t care about winning. Look at what LeBron, D-Wade and Chris Bosh are doing in Miami. There’re all making monetary sacrifices to win a championship. The dumb ass Hawks front office has overpaid for a second tier player and that decision along will strap this team of making any improvements via a sign and trade. It’s really hard to support this franchise.

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I’ll be dawg-gone folks.
Here’s a guy that has represented our franchise well
since his arrival. He came here when no-one else would.
We’ve gotten better every year he’s been here. He got
frustrated. For pete’s sake – so have you & I.
He’s not going to kiss anyone’s ass and I wouldn’t want
him to do that. He stays out of trouble, he prepares,
he stays in shape, c’mon. Once again, Joe is understated
& softspoken. He leaves & we hate ‘im, he stays, we hate
‘im, pick one.
Look the Hawks are in position to be a very good team.
I would rather be us than Miami. [Home Grown]
Why harbor all that acrimony?
Me, and I know you could care less, I’m movin’ on!

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WE NEED TRADES

MARVIN AND BIBBY ARE NOT GETTING IT DONE.

TALKING TO MYSELF

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Grandad, yeah he’s come here both times because we were willing to pay him more than anyone else . . .

It isn’t like he took less money to come here (or stay here). He got about the max of what he could get both times.

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I could care less what Joe said during the playoffs.

Joe could care less what he said in the playoffs. He has about 120 million reasons to care less, all of which are guaranteed.

Get over it, suck it up, do whatever you have to do. Or piss and moan for a while and guess what? It still ain’t changed.

Now here’s what I want Joe to do:

1. Get on board with Larry Drew’s offense.

2. Get on your teammates sometimes when they start messing stuff up.

3. Shoot the lights out of the gym.

4. Earn another starting spot in the all-star game.

5. Defend like your life depends on it.

6. Step up in the playoffs. If there was ANYTHING worth apologizing for, that miserable playoff performance was it. But screw the apology. Just play better.

I think he will do all of the above.

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If the Cavs’ owner wrote that letter, I can see why Labron left town. Does he feel like Lebron owed him something?

You just fired the coach, and forced the GM to resign, and have little cap room to upgrade your roster. The Cavs were not going to compete the upcoming season. Too many changes!!

Good for you Lebron to get out of there!

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Let’s go ahead and get this out there.

Even if JJ had taken less money and recruited his arse off trying to get another top-level guy into ATL, tell me why any of these top-level guys would choose ATL as opposed to the glamous and glit they get from some of these bigger markets?

Some of you expect JJ to do what Wade, Bosh, and LBJ are doing (taking less money to win), but are failing to mention any of the top-level talents that had their eyes set on ATLANTA as a possible FA destination.

You can say we overpaid, you can say he doesn’t deserve it, but we’re in a much better spot than Cleveland finds itself in at the moment – or even the Knicks, or the Nets. All those teams had far more cap space than the Hawks had to work with, yet they came out of this as bigtime losers.

You can try to justify the Knicks improvement with Amare, but they’re not winnning any titles with Amare alone.

The Nets spent all of their time courting LeBron, and ended up signing Travis Outlaw as a conselation prize?

And Cleveland, one can only laugh…or show sympathy. I’m laughing. All those years “adoring the King” – and the second he puts on another uniform, you know your era just ended.

Consider the Hawks lucky to come out of this process in decent shape. It’s obvious we need additional peices to remain competitive in a revamped East. But, minus JJ, in this revamped East, you do the math. We may have overpaid, but overpaying for a player of JJ’s caliber is better than overpaying players like Marvin and Mike Bibby who have nothing to show for their paychecks. Fill the roster out with formidable guys, and lets see what these Hawks can do.

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Najeh Davenpoop

July 8th, 2010
11:12 pm
“He wants me doing a lot more catching and shooting. Not creating so much until late in the game so I am not so worn down.”

This is the thing of substance to take from Joe’s responses. Good to know that the offensive responsibility is going to be shared more under Drew.

Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, and yes. This shows that Drew knows what to do offensively. That’s how you use Joe, and that’s what the Hawks fell in love with when they got him away from Phoenix. That’s the Joe you want. The same guy who shot 46% from the field and 48% from the arc in 2004-2005.

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Everybody keeps talking about them overpaying jj but they didn’t have a choice.

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Amare is going to look like bull poop unless they get a pg who can feed him properly on the regular. I’m betting Carlos Boozer has a better season in Chicago than Amare does in New York. And I can only laugh….

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Gainesville#1, they did have a choice . . .

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Harry Hawk
I tell you why it would be hard. Because it’s a bunch of BS. You’re not happy with how they play, fine go ahead and boo them, but don’t forget how empty the stands were a lot of the season. Don’t forget that except for the playoffs the only time the ganes sold out was when LeBron, Dwayane or Kobe came to town. If he owes us an apology then the same should be said about us and our lack of overall support.

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HOLY CRAP!

I LOVE men!

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Section 303

I sincerely apologize for my course language.

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ignition

Mr. ignition;
My question is, can they [Miami] compete with us?

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JEJE, NOW YOU SEE WHO IS THE PROBLEM WITH THE HAWKS? HE IS RICK SUND.YOU HAVE SOME GREAT COMMENTS.WHY CAN’T SUND SEE THINGS IN A COMMON SENSE WAY? WE NEED TO GET BETTER BUT WITH SUND HE DOESN’T CARE

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Well, Joe Johnson still won’t apologize for his comments. He won’t acknowledge his poor performance in the playoffs.

And, yet, we’re supposed to believe that he’s going to take his game “to the next level” because he got a max contract?

ASG is going to realize quickly what many fans already know – this was a mistake.

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MC What’s the chances we keep Chillz ??
I want him here to be a starter & we can move Marvin to the Bench..

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This will not be a mistake as long as Sund follows through with what he keeps saying about fielding a winning team. Owners claim they will spend the money. Sund has to prove that ATL will compete!

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If we have to trade Josh for CP3 – we would still have our big 3. We can win with these guys as our core.
Horford
Joe
CP3

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This is my first time posting, but I read this blog everday.

Let me say this….if you are threatening to not be a fan for: JJ’s contract, a response to miami, etc….THEN GO!!!!!!!

I’ve been a season ticket holder for 4 years (YES even when they sucked) and I will always be a Hawks fan.

I think we overpaid for JJ, but we had to. With a few creative signings and a smart trade or 2 the Hawks will compete for the Championship.

Here is my problem with Shaq….I LOVE him and it would be fun watching him with the Hawks, but how does he fit in? He doesn’t want to come off the bench and would be a distraction if he did. So move AL to the bench? THat would doom us to not resign him. Move Smoove to the bench? Oh my gosh I Love watching him play WHEN he plays hard…can you imagine the sulking from the bench.

Next, for all you dreamers of Paul and Carmello forget it. I WISH just like you do, but there is no way. Childress, Smoove, and Horford are the Hawks only true trade chips until Bibby, ZaZa, Joe, and Marvin get to the final year of their contract. Are any of those guys or combo going to get us Paul or Carmello? NO! I wish, but no. Someone like Matt Barnes, or another Jamal type move is the best we can do.

In any case, sit back and relax. Love the Hawks….its a long time until the season starts!

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Chillz is gone. Thank goodness. Let him take his from the hip jumper and be ineffective elsewhere. We have no minutes for a guy who the defense will collapse away from. No more 4 against 5 on offense.

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MC So who can we get if we cant resign our current players who can add to our team like Chillz?
None of those guys you mentioned in the article are gonna take that much less than Chillz would would they, and if Chillz is a more sought after player why not keep him?

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MC,
Since Ny traded David Lee to Golden State that has to mean Brandon Wright is available in a trade. I hope we go after him he can replace Marvin at Sf and he can play PF too. Throw biedrens in to and we have a solid backup center for Al. I would try and trade Marvin and bibby and a future 1st round pick. MC what do you think about this move?

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I really think Jordan Crawford is going to be great!
Jordan was great in HS and in college. He went to Indiana the same year as Eric Gordon, and when interviewed Eric Gordon talked about the competitor and athlete Crawford was, and how hard Crawford made Gordon work in practice. Jordan then transferred to Xavier when all that mess went down in Indiana. He was a beast in the NCAA tournament. He can score all day, but can he play D??

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Blu-Ray
(50″ Sony Flat Screen)

Get ‘Em!

1206 AM: Yes…Yes…Yes! I like Joe NEED fan support! But, don’t HATE me – Cauz’ I’m beautiful!

IF YOU booed me then? Then boo me NOW! You were NOT on board to begin with!
So, yeah! Stay your AZZ home!

I wouldn’t apologize to an Anal-Spinchter either! Why should JOE take less money to help the ASG?
Help those who HELP themselves! Maybe, the ASG should take LESS personal trips and fly commercial!
IF the ASG can’t afford to field a better team and make BETTER draft picks? How is that JOE’s fault?

Maybe YOU’RE the TEA PARTY and everything’s OBAMA’s fault – Even when BUSH did it!
IF so, then go to – WELL …. That’s your problem! Joe should only help those that help’s themselves!

This ASG was in-fighting BEFORE he got here and IF he left? They would have been in-fighting when he left!
IF I were him? I wouldn’t apologize to anybody either! IF yall don’t like it? Then thurn your station and “Get Your Scroll – On!

Nobody made you buy a ticket – Don’t buy it! Find yourself another TEAM!
Change your diapers! Warm your bottle! Just leave us alone!

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i hope shaq is packing his bags for the atl. no need for him too hang around cle now that lbj is gone. bring a championship wit ya shaq.

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drmaryb, amen to that.you told them right whoever that was.they truly must love themselves before they can love and respect others.

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Shaq is going to the Heat now… you watch. And the Heat have apparently signed Mike Miller already as well.

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I don’t think can afford to sign mike miller.

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Profit – Sharing!

So, you’re telling me – IF you worked for BP OIL Co.? And, they’re making 240 BILLION per Quarter – because you’re drilling the wells day in and day out … YOU would offer to take less money, so, they can hire more labor and make MORE money?

Then – You’re dumb azz is HIRED! And, all I wanna’ know is – Can you recruit me some more of your dumb azz friends and family to work here too!

I have just been sitting back and Scrollin’ Past all you idiots and reading the ICONIC bloggers ONLY – for the past Five Days. And, just picking my spots … But, most of these bloggers are the SAME person holding
Irrelevant conversations with themselves – because, anyone with an ounce of sense – is just laughing at YOU!

And, only blogging with the REAL brains:

Najeh
Sautee
Grand-Daddy
OBRIEN
Manny T
Astro Joe
Northcyde
MC
BluI-Ray
BigDave
Terrell
Ken Strickland
Vava
Im_A-SoulStar
IMUS WRITE
MsDeeLite
Doc
Decatur
Dap01
GaTechFan
Hawk4Life
N-TRIGUE

That’s the relevant Bog Roll Call – Period.

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And:

Gainsville#1

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And:

Cdog – fo sho!

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Ok, I’m sorry but the more comments I hear about Dan Gilbert just shows why Lebron did not contact him before his decision, he would probably sent the mob to him and threaten for him to stay, Dan sounds unprofessional especially as an owner and shows he was just another Lebron fan not a Cavs owner this whole time, sigh, the media hyped this too much so lebron made it into a soap opera with his hour long special, at least kobe challenged his front office to bring in more talent not just leave when the going gets tough but then again it is cleaveland (no championships) and not la, can’t wait to see kobe interviewed about the super miami trio and kobe say “ooohh, I’m so scared I should just quit now” haha, funny how everyone thought joe johnson would leave his team (even though he’s getting more money) and lebron stay with the cavs, now the cavs have a new head coach with rebuilding process now a reality, for their fans “for every high there is a low” and they were all on that lebron stuff and now know all his dust, dancing, and jokes were just that and nothing more

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Miami didn’t waste any time trading micheal beasley. The cavaliers owner is bashing labron.

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Tckr83

That’s why YOU are NOT on the ICONIC blogger’s list:

What has LeBron – WON?

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Drmaryb you left my name out too. Oh well.

Back to the Hawks. Do any of yall think we can compete for a championship this year? If you do you been hanging aroung Montell Williams too much.

The Hawks are pawns. The Hawks are punching bags. The Hawks are sparring partners. The Hawks just sit back and watch other teams improve ignoring their weaknesses year after year. So why should the city of Atlanta support a team that does not strive for excellence?

F the Hawks

Roll Tide

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drmaryb-

The people that are on your list, could care less about the fact that they ARE on your little list.

I’m not talking about Lebron. The 2 time league MVP and an NBA finals appearance. Lets stay on topic. I’m talking about Joe Johnson and what he needs to do to take the Hawks to the next level. Agree?

It’s funny that you say people laugh at others on here… yet you compare Joe Johnson to Lebron… something you just shouldn’t do.

Mike Miller to Heat, 5yrs 27-30M. All over twitter, msnbc, various other sites.

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Why are you posting here if it’s an irrelevant board? I’m posting because I love my Hawks and want to see them improve… yes, more is expected out of Joe Johnson with this new deal. Ask anyone associated with the NBA if this is a fact or not.

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It’s a known fact that Miami fans are in fact worse than Atlanta fans… and this is published by their own sports writers in Miami. Bandwagon.

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Volman

You are definitely ONTHAT LIST!

Sorry for the SNUB!
Its like Grammy NIGHT. … YOU always forget the MOST deserved.

VOLMAN. Is an ICONIC blogger!!!!!!!!!!!

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CLYDE

OMG! You are the ORIGINAL! Without YOU? WE would be STUCK with WOODY!

CLYDE is an ICONIC blogger! I NEVER Scroll Past:

CLYDE! Mmmmmmwah! (A Big ole’ Fat WET – deep throat – KISS!)

CLYDE is truly an ICONIC blogger – he Keeps IT real!!!!!!

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I thought the comments by Dan Gilbert was a hoax. Unbelievable to think an owner would make comments like that. I would suspect a fine by D. Stern is in order. Lebron did look really nervous before he announced his decision.

What are the chances of us getting Rafer Alston or Anderson Varejao?

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Harry Hawk: YOU SUCK!

You Sir, ARE NOT:

Harry – THE – Hawk!
You ARE an IMPOSTER!

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I wonder how Mo Williams and others on the CAVS team are feeling right about now/after he made his decision?? All the ‘taking pictures/blowing out b-day candles’ b4 games are looking really silly right now for those players..I want to feel bad for them, but I dont. They should have known that was foolish to behave like that without winning a title 1st..now LeBron is off making plans to get that ring next season…w/o them!

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Wow according to ESPN’s scroll bar Childress is the 5th best free agent out there right now…Interesting.

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drmaryb is the lamest person on here. ROFL@actually remembering that many names of people off an internet blog, and acting like being a long time poster or something means anything. It’s an internet blog!!!!!

drmaryb wants an AJC Hawks Blog Hall of Fame induction banquet celebration and I bet she’d actually attend.

How Lame.

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Shaq will go to Miami and get paid in peanuts if he has to, to tie Kobe’s ring count… if I had to bet.

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bigstack-

I think you just removed yourself from consideration of the “Iconic” message board message poster list… I feel your pain and disappointment…

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tckr83
It really is lame, it’s the internet man!!! rofl.

drmaryb
I bet you’re one of those people who list how many page views or myspace friends you have in your display name.

“BuSt IT BaBy #1 Dr. MaRy B {80K}”

Get a life.

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PRODIGY!

IF I could become a DR. In 15 years? Then, I truly am a PRODIGY!

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The funny thing about people giving guys like Wade and Lebron props for taking “less money”, is that they KNOW that Wade and Lebron make tons of money off of endorsements.

Lebron makes almost 30 MILLION DOLLARS A YEAR off of endorsements.

D-Wade makes close to 20 MILLION DOLLARS A YEAR off of endorsements.

People act like when they say that they’re going to take “less money”, that they’re all going to play for 10 million a year or something. So instead of making 17 mill a year next year, they’re going to make what? 15.5 mill? 16 mill?

You wanna hear a secret Atlatna?

Joe Johnson will NOT make 80 million dollars in his first 4 years of his contract.

The only thing JJ did,was secure a longer contract than what the others did. And he was able to do that because he was the only one that STAYED WITH HIS CURRENT TEAM.

That’s what not being said in all of this. Every one of those guys could’ve stayed with their current team, and made the same type of money that JJ did. But they left their team, with the exception of Wade and Dirk.

And even in the Dirk situation . . his 4 year – 80 million contract is under the assumption that Dallas will continue to stay above the Luxury Tax, and trade for high salary players to help Dirk. It’s NOT a situation in which Dirk took “less money” so that Dallas can get under the cap. LOL . . that team will NEVER be under the cap, or even under the Luxury Tax line.

Dirk, by signing a 4 year deal, essentially reduces the Luxury Tax payment that Cuban would pay. Cuban is simply going to swap out high salary contracts like chess pieces.

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Here’s the over-36 rule explained. I’m not smart enough to summarize it so just read what he has to say. Bottom line is a team is not going to pay a long term contract to a guy beyond his 36th birthday.

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SCRUBS!

“I don’t play with SCRUBS.”
- Tim Hardaway -

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….and I know some of your “Iconic Bloggers” that you’re coattail riding have to agree with me, because I’m just keeping it 100.

People just come on here because they are interested in Hawks basketball for whatever reasons. They type in a username..and they post. That’s it.

Aint nobody around here gonna be getting any trophies for “most blog replies posted” to put on the shelf next to their awards that actually matter.

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See Najeh. I had no idea that rule even existed. I need to take time and read the entire CBA one day. So according to the Over-36 rule, Dirk or Pierce’s 5th year in that contract would’ve been counted against that team in the first 4 years of the deal.

They’re giving those guys props for taking “less money” and reducing their share of the payroll of their respective team this year. But all they were really doing, is getting as much money as they could before their 36th birthday, so that last year wouldn’t be counted against the team at the beginning of the contract.

*********************

LOL @ drmaryb. I just try to use logic, instead of emotion. Women appreciate that . . lol.

It’s too easy to get too emotional about players making millions of dollars. But I know double talk when I see it. The Raptors would’ve gladly given Chris Bosh a 6 yr – 124 million deal, had he’d been willing to stay in Toronto. That federal tax in Canada KILLS a contract like that though ( 45%+ ). Let’s see how much less per year Bosh signs for.

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I’m from White Plains, NY and the Hawks and their fans are a joke. This is not a real sports town. Atlanta is not a real city, the Hawks are not a real team, and Johnson is not a real superstar. They all deserve each other.

You cant really discuss anything sensible with Atlantans though, as they think their teams and cities are on par with the San Frans, Bostons and Chicagos of the world when they havent even caught up to other sunbelt cities such as Dallas and Houston.

I cant wait until I leave this over sized suburb with no urban character or infrastructure .

What in the hell is a Marta?

I bet you Bible Belt Thumpers are waiting on Jesus to bring the Hawks a title lol.

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Atlanta Transplant from NY,

Have fun watching your Knicks get crushed by the rest of the league again next season.

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To all the haters threatening to quit being Hawks fans..

This is the team that drafted Shelden Williams 5th overall. How in the world are you threatening to jump ship from the Hawks NOW.. after this same lineup won 53 games last season. What were you waiting for?
All they’re doing these days is spending their money on the best talent we can keep around. There are no other JJ’s out there we could sign, you know?
You’re lucky when your team finds talent like Joe Johnson. Let’s hope any one of our young starters can emerge this season to play at the level Joe has played at all by himself all these years.

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He is barely gonna see a difference from that extra year he could have gotten from the Cavs.

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You’re from White Plains and we’re the oversized suburb? GTFOH. Don’t claim NYC coming from your pansy azz glorified country club.

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:confused:
The folks complaining about JJ’s contract and taking less money don’t seem to understand. MIA can do that because they have the cap room to maneuver 30+ million to split between 2 players, plus their own (”Bird’s rights”?) FA. For us, I think all we could do is offer the max. to JJ and then work with the 7 mill (perhaps) under the salary cap. JJ taking less money does nothing for us because all it means is less money for him, he can’t “contribute” the difference in the potential max. and whatever less he signed for as salary cap relief. Doesn’t work that way ….. I think

Now that the apparent star power has shifted to South Beach, we better get something resembling a counter move to keep from getting left in the dust.

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@MC,

You hear anything about that deal with Washington? Trying to move Chillz for Javale McGee and change; know if that is still in the works?

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Wow, this is a lot of reading for very little information.

What next for the Hawks?

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Is there a way for the Hawks to trade for Al Jefferson of the Minn. Temb., without hurting the Hawks nucleus of players? This would give us another much needed center.

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WE NEED TRADES.

THE SAME CORE CANNOT STAY TOGETHER FOR 4 YEARS. WE NEED NEW STARTERS

JESUS

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Have you ever seen a CHAMPIONSHIP won on paper?

1. MUST have a bench
2. The strongest starting five in NBA history has NEVER won a championship!
3. How many ways can you split a basketball when the game is on the line?
4. How many ways can you split a basketball when the game is not on the line?
5. Injuries happen everyday in this league…..bummer!!

THERE SHOULD BE SOME BANGIN’ PARTIES AROUND THE SOUTH BEACH AREA THOUGH.

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Joe has nothing to apologize for. The Bubba-Crew should apologize for their negativity. Haters.

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The Heat just got KG PP & Ray in their prime.

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10-4 on that! mr. obvious, TROTTINGHOME,bigstack19 , Its Jerry Springer re-run hour!

Buy the way, I disagree with the Heat not having enough bench players to supplement the trifocals of Wade/lebron/Bosh. Individually they are capable of breaking a team down so they will allow their partners in crime plenty of time to be rested.

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GeeMack

July 9th, 2010
8:47 am

The Heat just got KG PP & Ray in their prime

??????

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lets get monta ellis and melo and have our own big three!!!

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If someone told you that after the announcements so far that Joe Johnson would have the highest contract of them all.
OMG! And that’s all he can say. Was the word championship mentioned by him?

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drmaryb ,

Haters come in all flavors. And so do some bloggers….it’s all good, homegirl.

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Najeh ,

I see you’re still hanging onto the idea of getting CP3. I hear you, but I don’t know if Sund does.

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Jeje,with the team that miami have now i wouldn’t think it will be a championship in atlanta for some time.Johnson is all about the money,he could have took less money to sign a good player from a trade or free angency but he didn’t and that tells me he does not care if the hawks win or not.

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They aren’t going to out do Dwight inside either with anyone they get so somekind of center who can move and play a little D one on one off the bench would be a decent move, but they have to play better defense on the perimeter and solid one on one in general and they have to as mentioned in MC’s blog get Joe some rest during the game and over the course of the year.

We have a good solid team in Atlanta. One to be proud of.

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The Heat are uber-talented, but absolutely crazy if they think they’re going to win it all without being above average at the most important positions on the court; the point guard and the center.

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My dear fellow blogger, & M.C.; Atlanta is still in my opinion the most athletic team in the east. Meaning they hypothetically can overcome any team with quickness, & agility. I applaud Joe for sticking to his guns. Can’t do anything but respect that. I just hope the Hawks get rid of all the excess baggage they’re holding. No need to mention, everyone knows who they are.The hype over Me-ami is just that. The name certainly fits this team now, since that’s what it means( my – friend). When Wade vowed at the end of last season that ” it would be the last time he got beat in the 1st rd ‘ this menage’ au trois was already in motion. It was kinda’ like he said, I’m going home and get my big brother. We all know he’s a whiner, and a cry baby. ,while Bosh is a You Tube Boob, and he did’nt even consider the Atl., so he knew he was going to Me-ami. And lastly, it was almost like James was trying to make the fans in Cleveland angry, to get some ammuntion for leaving, cause he flat out quit on them. He also knew he was headed to Me-ami. That being said, If, and it may be a big if, but ifthe hawks can make the right moves now, they can still compete. I don’t worry so much about Miami as I do Orlando (D. Howard), they can cause some problems, but 3 AM-EGOS = 3 disappointments. – I am very proud to say that I’m not a fan of either of these guys, never have been, and never will be. Hawks til the end. Now JJ, go help Drew get some guys you can play with.

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From what i hearing Atlanta heavily pushing for Shaq NBA tv was reporting that the Hawks have offered a 2 year 5.5 mill deal.

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i_am_soulstar ,

I’m with ya, bruh. What bugs the devil out of me is that if we don’t do something with Childress in a S&T, he signs a contract, we don’t match, and then he’s gone.

This is a guy that we picked at #6 in the draft. He’s not a bust, either. That’s damn awful asset managment. If you ask me, we need to actively try and push other teams into a deal for him. He has interest around the league. Get with the guy and pretend to be his friend, finding a new team to usher him back into the NBA with. Bottom line: get something out of this. Something decent. If he wants to go to Washington, aim at somebody on their roster who can help us, either on the court, or in another trade deal.

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Offering Shaq 5.5 mill for 2 years is NOT pushing heavily. LOL . . no way Shaq is playing here for that amount of money. That’s not even a serious offer for a guy who would instantly become the 2nd best center on our team behind Horford.

That dude made 20 million last year. So he’s going to play in ATL this year for 2.25 million? Come on now.

It’ll take the full MLE at the minimum to get Shaq here.

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Mista Gamer,

You’re spot on. This is sad.

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I don’t think that The Dreamgirls will want Shaq… his personality is too big. They will recruit guys who will quietly play their role while they attempt to share the spotlight. I could see a return of guys like Magloire, Haslem and Joel Anthony to the Heat to provide the dirty work. Maybe even a Kurt Thomas type enforcer.

While Gilbert spoke from the heart of a true fan, it is hard to believe that was the right move from an owner. I don’t think that players are likely to find the idea of an owner throwing a franchise’s single best player under the bus like that. “If he would do that to LeBron, imagine what he may say about me”, could well be the thought of prospective players. Gilbert would have been better served expressing disappointment and allowing the local (and in some cases national) media to rep the Cleveland fans. The most absurd thing of all is that Gilbert offered this so-called quitter a max deal for 6 years. WTF?

Lastly, Joe is Joe. He doesn’t feel the need to answer media criticism of his new contract and he didn’t feel the need to address criticism of the fans during the Orlando series. Ultimately, he believes that the team’s performance is shaped by internal influences and not external factors. He seems to espouse a theory that they control their own destiny. He’s offering no excuses, not asking for better players, higher spending from the ASG or a more experienced coach. He emphatically stated that he believes in his teammates (current) and his new head coach’s offensive plan. Is any of that so awful to hear on the heels of last night’s egomaniac television special?

And one last point, aren’t LeBron, Wade and Bosh likely taking around $1M per season less to form The Dreamgirls? Between ‘08-’15, they will likely earn upwards of $130M (not including endorsements). They left like $5M on the table… I think they can survive.

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Astro Joe ,

Couldn’t have said it any better than that…on all points….

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Joey,

Miami has 4 or 5 total players on their roster, they must get to the minimum of 13! there is NO WAY they can add Chris Paul in Miami.

the Hawks’ answer is BIBBY and MARVIN (and maybe a pick next year) for TONY PARKER and then Sign SHAQ

That is a roster of

JOE JOHNSON
TONY PARKER
JOSH SMITH
AL HORFORD
SHAQ O’NEAL
JAMAL CRAWFORD
JORDAN CRAWFORD
MO EVANS
ZAZA
JORDAN CRAWFORD
JEFF TEAGUE

That is a roster that can compete!

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The actual offer for Shaq was 2 years at 5.5 mil.per year which is
11 mil. total.

And we don’t need chills. We need another player.

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So the “anti-Woody” chose 3 of 4 staff members previously hired by Woody? And the “rejection of Woody’s program” (to paraphrase MC) was manifested by 4 of 5 members of the coaching staff being former Woody hires?

And we’re worried about Joe?

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What about Avery Johnson he has egg on his face doesn’t he turning the Hawks for the Nets and now he is biggest looser in this no LeBron no Boozer no Amare no Joe.

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For all of the apoplectic comments surrounding the resigning of Joe, there is an issue that is being overlooked,especially with all of the hype about LaGone James: teams pay players based upon what they believe they can earnfrom them.

In simple terms, the business model is to market the talent/skills/ personality of the players in a manner as to generate a revenue stream that produces a profit.

And that is where the challenge continues to be for the ASG. They have not educated the public or their fan base as to the talent/skills/personality of their players in a manner that induces them to want to invest their entertainment dollars in them on a regular and continuous manner.

Miami Thrice is a prima facia case. Ticket and merchandise sales are going to cover a significant portion of the intial capital outlays. add in increased media rates for advertisment and you begin to see a reevenue stream for the owners that provides a healthy return on investment.and the the 3 a-me-egos are going to profit as well from the marketing campaign.

The lesson to be learned here is that the ASG needs to step up their marketing efforts in order to break into the black. And they need to do it sooner than later.

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Astro Joe ,

Let’s say you work with three guys, all for the same boss. Then one day, the boss is fired and you now have that boss’s job. If you respected the job done by the three guys you were previously working with, and thought they did a good job, would you fire them and go get three guys you don’t know, and haven’t worked with just for the sake of changing the atmosphere?

Or would you give those guys a chance to keep doing the job they’ve BEEN doing, if you felt they were doing a good job already?

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JJ gave all of the correct answers to those questions, as well as giving correct responses to questions that weren’t asked.

1-the fact he chose to resign and stay with the Hawks, when he could have gotten the same contract and gone to another team in a sign and trade, reveals the confidence he has in LDrew and the talent on this team.

2-he also demonstrated his willingness to put bury his obvious heat of the moment verbal jab at the fans, which some of our more sensitive and less emotionally evolved fans seem incapable of doing.

JJ made several statements that really gave me insight into certain problems with Woodson that obviously eroded team spirit and respect, and factored into his decision whether to resign. He said, “I RESPECT HIS OPINION ON ANYTHING. HE’S OUR HEAD COACH NOW. HE IS DEFINITELY GOING TO MAKE THE RIGHT DECISIONS.” TRANSLATION: That wasn’t the case with Woodson.

He also said, “HE WANTS ME DOING A LOT MORE CATCHING AND SHOOTING. NOT CREATING SO MUCH UNTIL LATE IN THE GM, SO I’M NOT SO WORN DOWN.” TRANSLATION: We, I, had issues with Woodson’s reliance on ISO’s as the primary half court OFF throughout the gm. And our poor 4th quarter production was due primarily to him overplaying the starters and not making an effort to keep us fresh for those 4th quarters runs.

Finally, he said: “HONESTLY, I THINK WE HAVE THE TEAM NOW WE CAN WIN WITH. THAT’S NO QUESTION.” “I THINK WITH THE TEAM WE HAVE RIGHT NOW WE CAN DO IT.” TRANSLATION: We can take it to the next level with the same 8 core players we have under contract, now that we have a HC that has the ability to make the right decisions, that we respect, and who actually has an actual OFF/DEF system and philosophy.

In JJ’s eyes, new head coach LDrew is the biggest improvement the Hawks could have possibly made. Anything else will just be icing on the cake, AND I AGREE WHOLE HEARTEDLY!!!!!

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People just don’t understand the deal with Miami. You have 3 legit #1 scoring options on that squad. Honestly, all they’d have to do is sign one shooter ( Miller ), and stock the rest of the team with defensive specialist types ( Chalmers, Varnado, maybe a free agent PF or C who can defend ), and Miami will be more than OK.

When Minnesota went to the Western Conference Finals back in 2004, their Big 3 were KG, Cassell, and Spreewell. The supporting cast were role players.

- Trenton Hassell ( defensive perimeter specialist )
- Ervin “not Magic” Johnson ( defensive center )
- Mark Madsen ( scrappy PF )
- Fred Hoiberg ( shooter )
- Darrick Martin ( spot minute PG )
- Michael Olowokandi ( scrub C )

They also had Wally Sczcerbiak and Troy Hudson, two of their better offensive players . . . but those 2 were hurt for the vast majority of the year, and while Wally was available for the playoffs, Troy didn’t even play.

And while some of those fringe players had fairly large contracts, they were, for the most part, scrub type talent.

But the T-Wolves that year won 58 games and was really a Sam Cassell injury from beating the Lakers in the Western Conference Finals.

Chris Broussard of ESPN is bringing up some names that may play for the minimum, in order to team with the Triplets

- Kwame Brown
- Brian Skinner
- Brad Miller
- Jannero Pargo
- my suggestion ( Flip Murray )

I mean, there are a number of decent NBA journeymen who will be more than willing to join this team. And if 2 of their 3 second round draft pics turn out to be anything

- Dexter Pittman ( C )
- Jarvais Varnado ( PF )
- De’Sean Butler ( SF . . who tore his ACL in the Final 4 )

that Heat team is going to be a very tough team to beat.

Here is the List of Free Agents available.

Look at the names on that list that were making the minimum last year. Some of those same players could end up in South Beach.

All minimum salary team from last year:

PG – Allen Iverson
G – Jerry Stackhouse
F – Tim Thomas
PF – Joe Smith
C – Ben Wallace

Keep believe that the Heat can’t add vets or field a team.

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believing

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Big Ray

July 9th, 2010
9:50 am
i_am_soulstar ,

I’m with ya, bruh. What bugs the devil out of me is that if we don’t do something with Childress in a S&T, he signs a contract, we don’t match, and then he’s gone.

This is a guy that we picked at #6 in the draft. He’s not a bust, either. That’s damn awful asset managment. If you ask me, we need to actively try and push other teams into a deal for him. He has interest around the league. Get with the guy and pretend to be his friend, finding a new team to usher him back into the NBA with. Bottom line: get something out of this. Something decent. If he wants to go to Washington, aim at somebody on their roster who can help us, either on the court, or in another trade deal.

Yeah man, free agency is not the time for a slow and steady pace, ’cause while they’re taking their sweet time, all the quality guys are getting snatched up. Or maybe they’re working something behind the scenes that we don’t know about. But either way, it wouldn’t hurt to leak something to the public.

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I have one name for all the Cavs fans. Harrison Barnes… Remember the name….

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Iceman, you are correct! There are items that are necessary to win a championship:
Players, Chemistry, Coaching, Heatlh, and lots of LUCK. There’s no quarantee that all will fall in place for Miami. Orlando has hit its plateu and its window is closing. Boston got older and slower.
Next, JJ is signed for next 6 years and HE is not the Hawks achilles’ heel, so get over it! Again, the Hawks have numerous peices available to trade:
Marvin (7.5M per year very marketable), Bibby(veteran PG who can shoot), Mo Evans(expiring contract 2.5m), J Crawford(Sixth of the Year + expiring contract), and the rights JChill. The Hawks should be able to acquire a decent Center and a solid PG. The Hawks will make some moves have patient and be a true fan.

Go Hawks!

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You apologize when you acknowledge that you have done something wrong. Essentially saying that the presence of the fans will have no impact on the team’s play doesn’t seem that far-fetched to me. The Hawks have to play 41 games away from their fan base. They likely play another 20 games at home with a less-than-rabid in-house crowd (Tuesday evening games against the Pacers aren’t exactly a party atmosphere). Of all the players who have a workmanlike approach to the game, Joe clearly is the guy who doesn’t thrive on the fuel of the fans. His stats are better on the road than at home… he comes to do a job not to be cheered. I’d much rather have self-motivated players than guys who need to be lifted by the roar of the crowd. If a player doesn’t need me to do their job, that is fine with me. Just do the f’ing job.

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O’Brien, maybe not every little thing, but, if I know I said something I shouldn’t have and it’s impacting our relationship, yeah, I do. When you’re close with someone, you sometimes get automatic forgiveness for a lot of things, and, when you both acted in the heat of the moment, you can both let each other slide. But Joe and most ATL fans aren’t that close. Yes, he’s done a lot for the team, but he’s also been well paid for it, and it’s not like he’s really done much of anything to reach out to the fan base that I know of, so I don’t think we owe him anything.

He may not feel he owes us anything, but, indirectly, we pay his salary, so, actually, he kinda does. I feel the same way about him that I do about the people at Comcast who are making getting cable set up at my new house a far more painful process than it should be. I may not be signing the checks, but if I and other customers like me weren’t paying for our service, they wouldn’t have a job, so I expect them to do what they can to make sure I’m a satisfied customer.

That’s actually another point. This is not an interpersonal exchange. He was acting as a representative of the Atlanta Hawks when he made those statements. If I lost my temper with a customer, or even a co-worker, and made those kind of comments while representing my company, there’s a good chance I wouldn’t even have a job, and, if I did, you damn well better believe I would feel obligated to apologize, and I’m sure I would be expected to do so.

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Check out this prediction article about the Eastern Conference and the Hawks next year — http://bleacherreport.com/articles/417854-look-into-the-crystal-ballthe-2010-2011-eastern-conference-standings

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How about trading Josh Smith and Jamal Crawford for Okafor, West, and Collison? The salaries match!

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Well, Hunter, I would first say it’s a little early to be making predictions. The free agency period just started. Even though all the big FAs have landed, someone might make a major trade that would completely change things, and there’s some teams, like the Hawks, for whom the right role players might make a huge difference.

However, based on how the teams are built now, I can’t really disagree with those, other than the analysis of Milwaukee – not so much the positioning, but the statement that they’re a huge drop below the top5. Atlanta fans probably give the Deer more credit than anyone outside of Wisconsin right now, but, if they can bring the kind of intensity they did in the playoffs on a regular basis and if they get Bogut and Redd healthy, they could play with just about any of the top 5 teams he listed.

He also makes several qualifications that these are regular season estimates, not a ranking of who has the best chance to represent the conference in the Finals. And I think he’s exactly right that the Hawks are built for the regular season and the Celtics are built for the playoffs. There’s also so many variables right now that I could see the Hawks land anywhere between 2 and 6. It depends on how the roster rounds out, how LD’s strategies work and if the team buys into them, how the PG situation works out, if Marvin can show signs of life, if Josh can continue to mature, how Horford develops, how Johnson plays with that contract and a lot of fan scrutiny.

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Hawks current under contract players are?
Under Contract: G Joe Johnson (re-signed), F Josh Smith, C Al Horford, F Marvin Williams, C Zaza Pachulia, G Jamal Crawford, G Mike Bibby, G Maurice Evans G Jeff Teague

Free Agents: F Joe Smith, (unrestricted) C Jason Collins, (unrestricted) F Randolph Morris, (unrestricted)

Players Added
NBA Draft: Jordan Crawford, Pape Sy
Free Agents: G Joe Johnson

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GT Alum, I don’t think he was. I think he was bothered by the losing. He dismissed both the fans and the booing as relevant factors in the team’s success, much like he just dismissed any notion that the roster needs to improve (which most of us don’t believe). He expressed apathy, not anger or disgust. At least, that’s how I saw it.

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GT FAN-get over it and stop trying to make JJ out to be something he’s not. Certainly not because he hasn’t done what you expect, and in the exact way you expect it to be done. Right after he made his ill advised comment, he immediately came out and said it was a mistake made in the heat of the moment, and that he was sorry he said it.

He’s resigned, and we’re rapidly approaching the start of another training camp and season, while you and certain others are still pouting over an overly emotional utterance. It makes one wonder who’s actually being childish in this situation.

I will guarantee you there will be some internal friction going on within the Heat organization. Pat Riley’s ego will drive him to want to coach this team and try and win at least one more title. That means HC ESpoelstra will be under the gun to get off to a very strong start, or Riley will use it as an excuse to send him packing and take over. He’s certainly done it before.

It’s funny how certain fans can make an issue of JJ possibly being unable to adjust to playing within the confines of an actual OFF, rather than dominating the ball. Yet with Miami, all we hear are guarantees of 50+ wins, and no comments about the difficulties CBosh, along with ball hogging DWade and Lebron, will have coexisting with each other, and adjusting to playing within an OFF that isn’t completely dominated by them individually.

In Boston they teamed up PPierce, KGarnett and RAllen after they were all past their peak. But can we really expect 3 players in their prime and as ego driven as these 3, especially Wade and Lebron, to take big enough steps back to make it work? And, does HC ESpoelstra have a strong enough personality to keep all 3 egos in check, satisfied and track?

What happens if they struggle to adjust starting out. Who assumes the responsibility of taking over and trying to get the team on track? IT TAKES A WHOLE LOT MORE THAN JUST INDIVIDUAL TALENT TO MAKE A GOOD TEAM, ESPECIALLY A CHAMPIONSHIP CALIBER TEAM.

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northcyde the Heat are about sign Mike Miller and Jason Williams so there not going get any those guys you mention Ben Wallace the may get to against D. Howard .

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Has Lebron chose a team yet?

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ray i give riles some credit here. he held a competitive team together thn got the three guys he wanted. his vision and he worked the system perfect even with a rookie coach. he had to be a huge part of the sell whether he gets credit or not.

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I realize as an Atlanta reporter you can’t be too big of a douche to Joe, but how about this question:

So Joe, do you believe you are paid more than LBJ, Bosh, Wade, Dirk, and Carmello because you are a better player, or just less of a team player and less willing to sacrifice for the benefit of signing other pieces?

Loaded question haha. But I would have grilled him if I weren’t reporting for the Hawks.

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Q. There are lots of people saying it’s a bad deal for the Hawks. Does that bother you?

A. “There is nothing I can do. You have got to deal with it. You deal with the bad. It doesn’t bother me at all. I am going to still come out and do my job and be effective and do whatever it takes to win. You can’t worry about what people say about you. You have got to move on.”
=======================================================================
Dude has over $120,000,000 coming his way, I don’t think he’s going to worry too much about what anyone thinks about it. I wouldn’t.

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northcyde, I worked customer service in a retail store and I waited tables at a restaurant. However customers treated me, I didn’t necessarily have to just take it, but I did have to be the bigger person and not respond at their level. That’s part of what you’re getting paid for when you work a job where you interact with customers. I honestly don’t hold athletes to a higher standard than I hold myself or anyone else. But, since they are making so much money, you’re damn right I’m not going to hold them less accountable.

Oh, and please don’t lump me in with a lot of those vicious fans. I usually don’t even like to boo. About the only time I would boo is when a player or team doesn’t show effort, like many of the Hawks did in that series.

And if he thinks Atlanta fans are harsh, he was very smart not to go to the Knicks or the Nets, because if he didn’t live up to their fans’ expectations, they would’ve either had him in tears or ready to fight somebody.

And you’re right that Marvin doesn’t deserve a lot of the criticism that’s heaped upon him. But, if you’re looking for a reason they and other famous people like actors get paid all this money, it’s hazard pay for having to deal with all that crap. It’s the drawback to being famous. Look at all the crap any famous figure has to put up with. Yet most of them don’t retreat to a less public lifestyle, because they enjoy the benefits more than they’re hurt by the negatives.

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I just read that the Hawks want to sign Udonis Haslem. I think he would be a great pickup.

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Perhaps you should get someone to read the postings of the
real contributers as they have, for the most part, been
positive toward Joe.
“Obviously” you have trouble discerning content so after
[whomever] reads it to you, then have them interpret.

“Joe has nothing to apologize for. The Bubba-Crew should apologize for their negativity. Haters.” [TS]

“I have dined with Kings & Queens but last night I had pork ‘n beans”
[the Amewican dweam - Dusty Rhodes]

sincerely,
Phillip Masters

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I just keep remembering during the playoffs how analysts would talk about our softness and lack of basketball IQ…I think the IQ was a product of the system, not necessarily our players…The softness tag cuts deep though.

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The Xtra w in Hawwks is for win/win.
That sounds better than admitting to a typo.

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Grandad…doesn’t Toronto already have Derozen & Bellineli as young SG’s…I like that trade from the Hawks’ side, but I saw a Toronto article a week or so back suggesting Toronto should take a flier on Marvin by offering expiring deals such as Reggie Evans & Marcus Banks…Also, didn’t they just tender an offer to SF Klieza (spelling???) from Denver?

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My deal is simply this. I could care less whether I got an apology or not from Joe. I don’t think I’m owed one and nor do I feel like it would make a hill of beans. I think it’s really a none issue.

Simply, my problem is, getting more of the same from Joe Johnson – in his own words just simply, “keep playing my game.” Is not worth $124M. If the guy had some fire in his belly, if I truly thought he would rather be the number 1 man in Atlanta versus the number 3 or 4 guy on another team I’d have a better stomach from this deal. If only this didn’t smell of a guy simply deciding to take the money (of which he is well within his right to do).

As it stands, nothing about Joe’s game, attitude, desire or personality combined with this interview suggests anything but more of the same Joe. And at $124M that is simply a hard deal to swallow. I’ve seen what we get from Joe, and in the biggest moments he has left alot of money on the table (pun intended).

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cp

Are you serious? Udonis Haslem?

Lets see the Heat get Wade, LBJ, & Bosh

The Hawks sign JJ. Maybe Haslem?

We have tradeable assets we need to get JJ some help. We have enough role players we need stars to compete with Miami, Chicago, Orlando, & Boston.

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Oh, and I don’t need those comments as a reason to criticize JJ. Iso-Joe leading to forced shot attempts and the fact that come playoff time he shoots about as well as Josh Smith does from the perimeter would work fine.

Oh, and it’s not like anyone’s picking on poor old JJ. David Justice made comments about Atlanta fans that weren’t any worse over a decade ago and took just as much if not more heat for it. (Let’s face it, a lot more people care a lot more about the Braves then than they do about the Hawks now.) He then turned around and played a key role in bringing the city of Atlanta a World Series victory.

Honestly, I think the biggest problem for JJ is he hasn’t helped the Hawks win any games since then. As Bradley said with regard to Hewitt, when it comes to sports, winning solves almost anything. If he had made the comments and the Hawks had found some way to win that series, all would’ve probably been forgiven. A lot of it is no one is happy with how last season ended, the fans or JJ, which may be part of the reason he doesn’t want to say any more about it than he has. If Iso-Joe takes a back seat next year, and especially if the Hawks (and specifically JJ) look strong in the postseason, a lot of the hostility will go away. He may never hold the same place in some people’s hearts as players like ‘Nique, Spud, Smitty, Mookie, or Deek, but he’ll be liked.

The simple fact of the matter is, though, whether you or he agrees with it, I’m not the only fan out there who still isn’t happy about it, and he and the Hawks need us a lot more than we need them. He’d be smart to try to mend those fences, because it’s only going to make his life and putting together a winning team easier.

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Heat gave up Beasley for a late 2nd rdr. lol!

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Northcyde, u bringing the pain bro. U calling it right though. Anybody been on the blog any length of time knows JJ ain’t with that FLASH N BASH…he not about to change.
Unless you need to be hit up side the head with a bolder…that silence means…I’m going make it up on the court.

MC, the more you look at the after math of Lebron’s decision…the more it seems the ASG will have to open up the Wallet again…to remain within striking of the ELITE 3 in the EC. If they have any interest in Shaq…they need to lock him down…and get it over with…I know that’s a scary thought after the size of JJ’s contract…again they may not have a choice. It is…what it is.

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Northcyde, I for one never blamed Marvin for being selected #2. I’ve ALWAYS said it wasn’t his fault. I blame Woody(wanted a vet pg) for the Marvin selection, and I blame Woody for that 5 year extension. And what does Marvin being a great guy have to do with his play, or lacktherof, on the basketball court? You’re trippin man.

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From Sekou Twitter:

@SekouSmithNBA _is Shaq to ATL still likely? I just feel like this summer could really throw us (Hawks) into contention among the elite

@ATL_Kenta I don’t know if “likely” is the right word. I know they will pursue him until “the very end,” per a source

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What teams did the Hawks have problems with?
1. Magic, Bucks, and Thunder
-This means that they have problems with quick point guards, which means Mike Bibby is a problem.

-They also have great big men which means Al Horford is playing out of position. Atlanta fans “PLEASE LISTEN TO ME AND UNDERSTAND THAT IT IS NOT ABOUT HOW MANY GAMES YOU WIN IN THE REGULAR SEASON, IT IS ABOUT HOW CAN YOUR TEAM MATCH UP WITH EVERYBODY”. Al Horford needs to be at Power Foward. I wish they could get Tyson Chandler but he committed to Charlotte.

Trade: Marvin Williams, Josh Smith, and Mike Bibby—–for Chris Paul
and then bring Josh Childress back and if we can’t get Shaq then just plug a big body in like Kwame Brown (who is 6′11, 270 lbs and guard Dwight Howard in a descent fashion).

C – Kwame Brown / Zaza
PF- Horford / Joe Smith
SF- J. Childress / P. Sy
SG- Joe Johnson / J. Crawford / Crawford (rookie)
PG- Chris Paul / J. Teague

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dr mb, glad you agree and acknowledge what he has put into motion.

northcyde yes it is time to move on from the hurt feelings. i hope jj backs it up on the court and has a running mate that allows him to post up. that is the big question as to who can pull it off. the best we can do is sign and trade chills for something get shaq and sign jordan farmar. i would go to battle with that.

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Who are the big 3 in the East. Cleveland has dominated the East during the regular season the last 2yrs with 66 and 61 wins, but without LeBron, they’re toast. Boston had an outstanding season, but they’re a yr older, KPerkins is injured, RWallace will likely retire and RAllen might go elsewhere. We also dominated them last yr.

With us returning the same 8 core of players, getting more consistency and OFF/DEF production out of our SF and PG positions, adding actual OFF and DEF systems, committing to playing uptempo, utilizing the talent on our bench, and making adjustments and changes when needed, will definitely solidify our position as one of the big 3 in the East.

Miami looks good on paper, as far as their top 3 players are concerned, but they’ll have to prove on the court they can come together and get the job done. At this point, the only team standing in our way in the East is Orlando. And attacking them with an actual OFF/DEF system and philosophy, and having a HC that’s not afraid to use strategy and make adjustments or changes will make us a much more formidable opponent, if not propel us past them.

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One far-fetched alternative to Shaq:

Sign-and trade Josh Childress to the Spurs for the rights to Tiago Splitter

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Ken Strickland,

But excellent analysis, I agree. I think we had the pieces, we just weren’t utilizing them efficiently. But our bench still needs a makeover (with the exception of Jamal Crawford).

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don’t know much if you want chills over J Smith or Williams for that matter.

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J Smooth can’t shoot and he would have to play Small Foward. You are dog-on right I like J. Childress over Josh Smith. If it gives us Chris Paul then why not make that move. Chris Paul is a player who will make that whole team better. Then check this out we play Miami Heat at least 5 times so who would not want to see the Hawks vs. Heat game. I am sure ESPN will put that on their top games to see list.

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JoJo the Godfather

On Bargnani:
Perhaps wishful thinking;
just tryin’ to figure out how we could get him in here.
Seems a nice fit.
Maybe add Childress, draft pick, take on bad contract???

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You may know a little about sports, but you know very little about knees, IF you would trade Josh Smith for CP3.

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Josh can’t shoot jumpers and we don’t NEED him to. Only the Lakers scored slightly better than the Hawks. But CP3 can’t run either, until I see different.

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Mr.Knowsportsbetterthanall, Kwame Brown as the new starting center? Wow! And if Paul goes down (which is a helluva possibility, to put it nicely), it means we just gave up Josh Smith and a couple of throw-ins for Kwame”I tricked MJ at the pre-draft workout” Brown.

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Ken, I think Ray Allen signed a 2 year deal.

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And that’s 2 more games than CP3 played after having one of his meniscus compleþely removed.
Greg Oden should be brand new once he returns from Micro-Fracture Surgery rehabitlàtiion.
I sure hope so, (see Amare)

I think CP3 may benefit tremendously from Micro-Fracture Surgery, based on what Doc told me.
IDK why CP3 didn’t have that done already, because he will need an entire season to recover, maybe longer.
I would definitely take CP3, bad knee and all – but, I wouldn’t trade Josh or the farm for him currently.

I’m tired of the Hawks always buying cracked eggs!

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Shaq could help promote JJ, and it might actually lead to JJ getting more calls from refs.

As for kwame brown, he is a decent backup center, but he should not be a top 3 choice of rick sund.

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After Lebron’s “Decision” How do ATL fans feel about Joe Johnson now? We are happy he is back!!!

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Mr.knowsportsbetter, so you’re basically saying, you’d give up Josh Smith for Kwame freakin Brown, so Horford could move to pf. Good move. lol!

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I think Gilbert Arenas can be had for Crawford and Bibby.

The Hawks needs another bonified scorer in the starting line up.

Also if we could bring in Joel Pryzbilla as a back up big man, this will help solidify our bench. Josh and Al need to have break out seasons this year.

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jojo agree there on that combo. my bad. how about henrich in a s&t for chills and shaq? farmar and s&t for yi? need four quality bigs that can coexist the three and the end of the bench dont get it. bargnani s&t for chills and farmar but dont think they need him whereas wiz might need to unload guard and salary for that position. anyway like farmar, heady, experience and plays pretty good defense.

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Mediocre teams deserve mediocre players. Hawks meet Joe Johnson. I remember people talking about ATL like it was the “it” place to be. You get here and it’s just one big sprawled out suburb. I’m from White Plains, NY about 15 miles from the Bronx and even White Plains is more dense than downtown Atlanta.

Atlanta is a joke and will never be a REAL world class city, just like the Hawks will never reach the finals let alone win a title.

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Sunbelt cities think urban means an endless stretch of cookie cutter communities and strip malls . Disgusting. What a joke.

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I have no problem with bringing in Shaq for the full MLE. He would be my 1st choice at this point. Hopefully we can S&T Chills in a package (Bibby preferably) with the Wiz for anyone of their young bigs and Hinrich. Then I would sign Barnes using the BAE.

or

If we can’t sign Shaq. I would do the GS trade (rumor) Marvin + Mo for Biedrins. Resign Chills. Sign Haslem and Barnes with the MLE and Kwame with the BAE.

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MANN,,If the HEAT could sign Nate Robinson, that team would be GOLDEN!!

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Transplant: Being “Dense” makes a city world class? Crowded and old does not equal world class.

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I see the Hawks as being a very good team for years to come, but I am finding it very difficult to see how the Hawks will get “over the hump”, with the Hawks “hump” being making it to the Eastern Conference finals with a legit shot of making it to the finals and competing for a championship.

This core is good. I really like them. I am glad to see JJ back. I wouldn’t trade Smith or Horford for anything short of a certified super star. I think Bibby still has a lot to offer, especially if Teague takes off and Bibby fits into his role as a quality veteran back-up who can give the Hawks quality minutes off the bench while being somewhat of a mentor to the younger Teague. I think a lot of us sell Marvin short just because he has fallen short of our expectations. Yes, he hasn’t lived up to being a #2 draft pick, but he is still a solid player. I really like Crawford, too. And like most Hawk fans, I love ZaZa. We all know ZaZa isn’t great, but he always brings energy off the bench and always gives you a fight. I think the fans and players respect that.

However, as good as this core is, it is clear that they are not quite good enough. With the salary cap restrictions (and the financial difficulties of “going into the luxury cap”), it’s hard to see how this Hawks team improves enough. Sure, if the Hawks can use the MLE to pick up a quality center and then use the bi-annual to pick up a great perimiter defender (another pg? or another sf?), the Hawks have made the improvements where necessary, but will these improvements be enough?

In order for this Hawks team to have a chance of “getting over the hump,” ALL of our current players must have career years (or the best kinda year we can expect them to have given where they are at in their career) and we must make two quality FA signings. This means Horford and Smith need to continue to noticeably improve. Marvin needs to have a stand out year. Teague needs to be able to show that he is one of the top young point guards in the league. Joe must have the best season of his career. And everyone else needs to be able to maximize their roles to the fullest. This would take a true alignment of the stars.

Or, the Hawks could break up part of their “core” and hope to steal a diamond in the rough or two. I guess, if the Hawks were to trade anybody, Bibby, Williams, and Evans would make the most sense. (Again, this is assuming that Horford and Smith are off limits for any deal that would be short of bringing a certified super star to Phillips.) But to where and for whom? I know there has a been a lot of crazy (and a few not-so-crazy) trade scenarios thrown around, but who can the Hawks realistically target that would (1) instantly make the team better and (2) we could get for a steal. (Think of someone like Crawford who is obviously good, but who is also discontent where they are at, and their team is equally discontent with them.) Again, pulling off two spectacular steals (ahem, I mean “trades”) would take a true alignment of the stars. It seems like it’s only once every so many years that a team can pull off a deal like we did with Crawford last year. Now we are in a position where we need to pull of two such deals to really get us to a championship caliber team.

The Hawks are almost there … but will they ever actually be “there”?

Oh, and what about this Childress guy? Any chances he will be playing as a Hawk next year? Any chances the Hawks can get something for him in a S&T or something along those lines? I am kind of thinking that neither of these are that likely, but maybe …

Hopefully, the stars will align and the Hawks will make a serious championship run this year. Either way, though, I look forward to another great year.

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I’m laughing at people who say “what kind of owner is Dan Gilbert to be saying all that? No wonder Lebron left.”

Some folks need to get a clue. Gilbert said this AFTER Lebron left them hanging and couldn’t win a championship with Shaq, the Coach of the Year, Jamison, Parker, Moon, Varejao, Mo Williams, etc.

Gilbert was kissing his feet and giving him everything in the world before that. Don’t get it twisted.

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Tyger how can a no.3 seed barely make the playoffs

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People think Lebron,Wade,and Bosh are taking pay-cuts and making big sacrifices.But guess what in Florida no state tax and they will see almost all the money they will get.Smart move Riley.

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For the Joe haters, you might want to get over it or change teams.

Meanwhile, we need to grab Shaq before Mark Cuban talks him into downtown Dallas…

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“But the T-Wolves that year won 58 games and was really a Sam Cassell injury from beating the Lakers in the Western Conference Finals.”

Exactly — one injury derailed their quest for a title because they had no depth. With the Unholy Trinity set to average 40 minutes a game, you think they will all hold up through the whole season and the playoffs? I wouldn’t bet on it.

Down the line, I think they will put enough pieces around them to win (or at least contend for) a title, but I don’t see it happening this year.

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Blu-Ray
(Sharper Image)

That shenanigan of a show last night was – Rich. Certainly NOT an hour special worthy.
I was actually out shopping and didn’t even bother top be entertained by it at all.
I guess Bron going to Miami was a no brainer and if I were him?
I would have done the same.

Here’s my point: there is a right way and a wrong to do things. And, burning
an unnecessary bridge is foolish – you never know if you ever need to cross that bridge in the future.
But hey, if you can swing like Tarzan? I guess you don’t need bridges.

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The Miami Heat and the 3 amigos will be batteling the Hawks for the no.3 spot for the playoffs.

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tyger

Opine Only.

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Najeh,

Agreed. Sometimes you just gotta know when to cut your losses.

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5 years $40 mil for tyrus thomas? Wow

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drmaryb Blu-Ray

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Lebron will live to regret this move because he really just went to a team with truly one other great player.His championships won’t come until 3 or 4 years down the road in reality.Bosh isn’t really a superstar a good side-piece but no star.Lebron really has painted his self in the same corner but only this time it is going to be more frustrating.You should have went to New York and waited on Melo next year or went to Chicago and have been an instant Beast in the East.I still like the Celtics,Lakers,Bulls,and Hawks roster over the Heat even if they can land a cp3 or Mike Miller.They still wouldn’t have no depth or role players. Just look whats left in free agency…hardly nothing.Lebron you have just been trapped you are a sucker son.You just like a man that has been trapped by a woman that is beautiful with a lot of baggage.You just made a commitment son that you can’t jump out of YOU BIG DUMMY!Now you guys have high expectations and have a championship check that can’t be cashed no time soon.You going to hate this union LBJ because its payoff is still a few years up the road.

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Im really not expecting any more FA moves until mid August. Its just the way we do bussiness,wait until the good FA’s are signed and then pick from the scraps.

I would like to see management bring in these players using Chillz rights and any of our players not named Smoove,Joe,Jamal,Al,Jeff

Shaq/Ryan Hollins/ Matt Barnes/ PG -Farmar/Livingston- These are all moves we could easily make if the ASG dont sit on their hands until August.

Good Bye- JCollins,Joe Smith,Possibly Bibby,Evans,Marvin via trade

What exactly did joe smith and chesseburger do to help last year. These were our coveted bigs last summer -what a waste of time and press.

Teague/Livingston,Bibby
JJ/Jamal/JC 2.0
Marvin/Barnes
Josh/Hollins
Horford/Shaq/RMorris

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Najeh Davenpoop,

“Miami cuts their losses with their bust #2 overall pick small forward after two years, unloading him for cap space, while the Hawks keep their bust #2 overall pick small forward around and pay him $7.5 million a year.”

Couldn’t agree more. Even with all of Beasley’s problems, I think he has much more of an upside that Marvin does.

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The hawks have 2 bring in another star player 2 even have a chance next season.
GO HAWKS!!!!!!!!!

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HORFORD, MARVIN, TEAGUE FOR PAUL.
GO HAWKS!!!!!!!!!

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Cleveland could’ve just traded Hickson for Amare. They messed this up. LBJ is gonna destroy his brand and be looked at as the guy who couldn’t win it with his own team, but Cleveland is so damn protective of Hickson who no one would know anything about if he didn’t have LBJ wiping his @$$

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Najeh great point about Marvin. Beasley in his second season put up better numbers than Marvins best year. Beasley is considered a bust while Marvin got a new contract. It is what it is.

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MAKE A DAMN TRADE.

GET CHRIS PAUL IN A UNIFORM.

OFFER SMOOVE AND MARVIN FOR MELO

DO SOMETHING. THE GUY HASNT EVEN SIGNED AN EXTENSION YET. OBVIOUSLY HE IS WAITING IT OUT

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May be one day someone can ask him about how he feels about Lebron joining forces with a division rival in the Miami Heat, I would love to hear his answer on that!

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Bulls make another strong move, signing Kyle Korver to a 3 year $15 mil deal. I really like what Chicago has done so far.

PG – Rose
SG- Korver
SF – Deng
PF – Boozer
Center – Noah

Bench – Gibson, and whoever else they can sign for the bench. Solid starting 5. Their give will the Hawks starting 5 a run for the money I think.

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Obrien, that Bulls lineup doesn’t scare me at all. Seriously.

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And JeJe, dont forget, scoring wasnt the problem last year. It was stopping the other team from scoring. Well, until the 4th qtr anyway. But we’ll save that for another day.

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Spurs have resigned Matt Bonner, and have reached a deal with Tiago Splitter. So you can cross them off Shaq’s list.

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The Heat will win 45-50 games next yr. – then D Wade breaks down very quickly after that. His game is not conducive to longevity in the NBA. Hall of Fame type though – spectacular. I don’t think the trio ever brings a title to Miami. Will be fun to watch, and will help the NBA.

LeBron went with no state income tax – end of story. Will still bring home more than NY possibly.

East way improved – Chicago a 50 win team now. Bucks a 48-50 win team. Cavs crash of course – but see the Hawks at 46-36 next yr. – 6th seed, but if they can get a big and stay healthy, maybe much better in the playoffs.

If Marvin can stay healthy, he continues to become a solid NBA player. If not, would guess he’s gone.

Hawks continue to improve – Josh, Horford and hopefully Marvin. JJ about the same, Crawford slightly down, Teague way up – wish ZaZa would improve, but I doubt it. Maybe RandMo develops if we re-sign him.

We lose Jamal and Mo Evans next yr.to Free Agency, to afford Horford’s big, new contract

Conclusion – if we stay healthy, get a good big, maybe sign and keep a Livingston or a Alston – Hawks defintely win some 2nd round games – another step in the right direction.

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Whooo! Mo Williams Better be ready to bend over next season hah! All that swag is no more! No more stupid dancing either! I’m gonna enjoy every beatdown at the hands of my Hawks hehehe!!!!

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Keep marvin, but MO AND BIBBY MUST GO!!!! DID YOU HER ME RICK SUND???? MO AND BIBBY MUST GO!!!!!

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RAINMAKER-it only appears that way to those who know so little about sports, like you.

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Felton to NY

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