Atlanta Hawks: Pape Sy in the fold (Update: Sy and Sund comments)

MC, can you speak French? Or can Pape speak English?

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A “significant” amount of money?

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I have heard the name but I don’t know ANYTHING about him. Any loyal Hawks fans that could fill me in? Size, heart and skill set?

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what dimension will Pape Sy add? who’s minutes will he be taking? what was his scoring ave? can he play defense?

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Why would ASG commit “significant money” to a bench scrub or D-leaguer instead of someone that can help us immediately???????

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Go away MC. “It should be noted that for all the flak ASG takes for clutching their wallets, the Hawks contributed significant money to the buyout of a player who could be headed for the D-League this season…” What a suck up. Free SS.

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I think Pape will make the squad.

MC, my question is, if JC2 and Pape comes in and plays consistently during camp, do you see any chance of the Hawks cutting Mo Evans?

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MC! Any word on the Hawks picking up Eric Dampier? I have read that Miami wants him.

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“It should be noted that for all the heat ASG takes for the perception that they clutch their wallets too tightly, the Hawks contributed significant money to the buyout of a player who could be headed for the D-League this season (and will carry 14 players on their roster)”.

I have one word for that quote…COMMICAL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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Pape Sy: 6 foot 1 inch. Ave. 1.3 points a game in 40 minutes of play.

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Id would love nothing more than for the Hawks to redeem themselves…Im just not of the faith that they can. Lets hope Pape Sy brings something big. Its usually some money on the next Preist Lauderdale.

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I am rooting for Sy as well.

If he can contribute anything significant in the next two years, he will be the greatest scouting triumph in Hawk history and possibly the history of sport. If by next year he is averaging ten minutes a game, whoever found him should immediately be given sunds job as gm. No questions asked.

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truthspitter: Pape Sy is the answer to Lebron.

HAHAHAHAHA i love it thats too funny. I do like Pape though, he seems like a total coaches pick, like a guy with all the physical skills to be productive and a Tebow-like “do whatever they tell me” mentality, I think Drew thinks he can coach him into an NBA player and I hope he’s right, good luck Pape and LD.Go Hawks

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Hey any chance we snag eric dampier who just got waived today. we need another BIG in our lineup/bench.

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Wow a group of multi-millionaires paying a guy $400,000 this year!

All we need now is to sign Shaq for $8 Million a year or trade our #3 and #11 picks for A’mare!

Oh wait – ASG choked on those tasks

Idiots

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copied from the last blog:

Sorry, I forgot the postee’s I’d, but:

I’ve been saying it loud the past week that:
We Need a Bow-Draw Super-Star on this team.
The fans may be reluctant to believe we have that hidden
somewhere on this roster’s core. But, this would be the time
for someone to step up to the plate and swing!

vava74

Let that ole’ story die. Why give it new life by keep talking
about it! The fans need to grow a pair and move on.
I believe the Mr. Johnson’s comments are a non-story at this point.

Rev in Tampa

I love your contributions to the basketball topics.
Don’t forget to ask Mr. Jim Price about his take on the:

1. Super-Friends in So. Beach
2. The State of The Union basketball wise, re: player movement
Versus work ethic for the salaries paid comparable to the 70’s
and 80’s.

Terrific comments bloggers,thanks!
Gotta’ go pay some bills now – later.

Link

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The topic is Pape Sy.
Eric Dampier is not coming here.
Nor, do we need him.
Pape Sy will make the rotation and become our most versatile player.
Also, I suspect he doesn’t play very much D-league.
[6 games min - 12 games max]*(if any)
This is LD’s 1st win.

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I know that the Hawks have to carry a minimum roster of 13 players, but if they send Pape Sy and another player to the D League, can they get away with having only 12 players in ATL on game night?

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Love that parenthetical comedy MC; don’t think most got the tongue in check nature of it. It was tongue firmly planted in check wasn’t it?

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I am surprised to see the ASG spend the money needed for a buyout. But its a player LD likes, so I am glad they brought sy over. I hope sy works his way to being a contributor.

They did get $3 mil for the draft pick they sold, so they are still in the green.

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Grand-Daddy

I disagree with you re: eric.

He could really help this team moreso than Collins.

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As someone said earlier, Sy is the answer for Lebron, Kobe, and all the other big guard/small forward combo players that we can’t seem to find or shut down late in the games! Very tall, very athletic, very long arms can develop into a Josh Childress type player with better ball handling and passing skills. than Josh. Shooting is the big question mark. Shot well in some games in Las Vegas and not in others, but the Hawks have plenty of shooters!

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So basically we turned Josh Childress, Joe Smith, Mario West and Randolph Morris into Josh Powell, Jordan Crawford, Pape Sy, Etan Thomas and a second-round pick.

Sounds like a great off-season to me…

*sarcasm*

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Oh yeah.

Forgot about Josh Powell.

Josh Powell > Bosh

There.

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“or all the heat ASG takes for the perception that they clutch their wallets too tightly, the Hawks contributed significant money to the buyout of a player who could be headed for the D-League this season”

Again, it’s not just that they spend money; it’s also that when they do, they spend it unwisely. I liked what I saw from Pape Sy in summer league, but if he’s not going to contribute significant minutes, I don’t see why they wouldn’t just wait for his contract to expire next year and bring him over for free.

Assuming the buyout was around the $500,000 figure that was floating around, that means the Hawks have now spent nearly $4 million on Jason Collins, Josh Powell, and Pape Sy, three players who are going to contribute little to nothing for the Hawks this year. And to get that money, they sold the first pick of the second round, who would have cost the same in salary that Sy is getting.

But supposedly it is on us, the fans, to support this ownership group regardless of how rudderless they appear to be…

(Aside: in the unlikely event that he DOES contribute significant minutes, or even somehow ends up taking some of Marvin’s minutes, I take back any criticism of this move. Right now that doesn’t appear to be likely.)

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Astro, I understand what you’re saying. But at this point of the off season he’s not worth 3 mil + that he is demanding. If they weren’t willing to offer that to Shaq, why would the offer it to Dampier?

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Good to hear JeJe back with his optimism. In his rants I agree, WOW, we spent some money, but not really. Getting Sy over now is something I wanted and I’m very pleased. D-League or here I’d like to see if he can develop. LD likes the kid, let him work with him.

Right now the question for MC is how does LD feel about his roster? Does he like it or does he want to see some moves to tweak his tool/skill set? Is all our banter on deaf ears cause he’s happy? What do Al and Josh think of their front court now? Photo of Cheeseburger and footage of him sprinting to lift our spirits?

What are each of our players doing now that camp draws near to arrive prepared and ready to impress our new coaching staff?

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[...] Atlanta Journal Constitution (blog) [...]

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Take that Miami!!!!

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Astro Joe, my funniest memory of Dampier was against Amare Stoudemire in the playoff….Dampier was trying to be physical with Amare…Amare fully extended and posterized Dampier face throughout the universe with a vicious sick dunk.

I think he would get the same treatment from DHoward. Heck, with Dampier bad knees, and limited mobility…I don’t see how signing Dampier would have been any difference than signing u no who. I want go there.

I agree…we need another 7 foot Big that can block shots…however, I think you are probably going get about the same from Dampier as you get from a slim down Big Burger Collins at this point in his career. Maybe a little more… Dampier is definitely the superior defender. I think if we added Dampier…it would be nice…however, I can go with what we have for now…and see how JC1 situation plays out.

After the wad of cash shelled out for Sy…I’m sure the thought of adding another player…would have the ASG reeling. lol

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The worst move of the summer will be selling Tibor Pleiss.
*notice – [OKC was the buyer]
OKC has been a hot topic on the board lately.
*note – [Sam Presti]

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ERIC DAMPIER IS A MALCONTENT, DON’T WANT HIM

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Does Sy got game?

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Rod from CP!

Enthusiastic Co-Sign re: your 119 PM Comments!

Nuff Said!

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Mary Ellen

I have officially reversed my opinion.
Erick Dampier would -&- could help.
Been studyin’ up on ‘im.
However, I must agree with MC,
I do not think the Hawks will sign him.
Still hopin’ for a trade – though!

*On a side note:
Veteran “Tim Thomas won’t play for Mavericks”
due to wife’s illness. per espn
One must respect a man that will stay home
and take care of his wife.-[G-dad]

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I once told my asst coach;
“don’t put a ceiling on players”
My hope is that Paps works his butt off & forces
his way onto the court. He has already shown he is
willing to go to any length to make it. He’s kinda
like Mario West with offensive skills. Bless ‘im, I say!

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I smell a trade involving Mo Evans and perhaps Jamal. Too many damn sg’s on the roster.

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Trade Rumors in the Air (Early) = Distractions During Regular Season

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HEY drmaryb:

Is the dr. in the house? After watching the WASHINGTON CARPENTERS aka NATIONALS putting the finishing touches on that BRAVES coffin that was their hopes for the NL EAST pennant, I thought I’d ooze over and see whad’ dup’ with my favorite NBA squad and my fav HAWKS companion. No offense doc.

MARY:

My grandson’s finally been to a ‘PERFECT GAME’ exhibition, and he may appear on some rating lists now. His name is TYLER ALLEN. Man, the pushing and shoving for his attention is really ramped up. I’m thinking of consulting SCOTT BORAS – for real. Some of the b-s flying around this year over his head is just out of control.

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Heck, if Woody was the coach, he’d be bring over Vlade Divac. At least LD’s giving the YOUNGuns a chance. Teague, JC2, and Sy, might suprise some people. Never know. After all, you need fresh legs to run this offense, not guys who are a couple of years away from social security.(Bibby, Evans ,etc.) No more of that hanging out at the free throw line crap.

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It says that Sy won’t likely get any minutes. Who is going to give up minutes? Randolph couldn’t find minutes last year for a team that has a dire need at the 5. Collins – don’t get me started that he decides to be in shape this year.
Now, do we have an affiilation with a D-League team like others? Why don’t we invest in bringing in more talent and develop them to possibly help us? I mean, we aren’t exceeding the cap, and the $$ you pay these guys in the D-League aren’t turning heads.
My real issue is if Sy doesn’t practice with the team for at least a part of the season, why would you guarantee a full season’s salary? You also buy him out just to say you didn’t whiff on your 2nd round pick.
It’s not enough for me to say Sy is a talent and we need to start developing him…at $500K for this season alone.
MC, is there any comparison other than language comparisions to our fav Frenchman, Diaw? Didn’t he appear in the same league as Boris? Sounds like Coach Van Exel has a project on his hands.

So now, we have a full roster, and I think you must pay 13 players, dressed out or not.

I’m indifferent about Dampier. I think we give him 3M and see him as a stiff for the most part. If we are going to be run and gun(at least thru the regular season, because you aren’t doing that in the playoffs), then Damp doesn’t fit here.

And you don’t threaten the lineup that is ‘the core’.

My favorite Pape Sy interview: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e-sOXwccEn8&feature=related

“I come, I show what I do, and I think I do a good job!”

Good luck to our latest acquisition.

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Trade Mo Evans Quick! He’s a team Cancer, take a look at the tape from game 6 vs Bucks playoff series. He refused to pass the ball to Open team mates, he took shots out of the Flow of the game. Bottom line he’s a Walking A-Hole! If he’s not hitting the 3-ball (Which wasn’t often) what else is he good for???????

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And Kevin M, Randolph couldn’t get min at the YMCA. Much less in the NBA.

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Which Crawford was at Phillips today?

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I know they say developmental. But if Sy comes in camp and locks down people, while performing on the offensive end, there’s no way he won’t be on the roster playing this season.

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I just watched the highlight reel. Pape Sy will end up being a really good player in this league. Kobe was a developmental player when he was drafted, as are most players who come out of high school. Pape is going to be good!

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Rev from Tampa,
Thanks, I will look it up…she is not my daughter…just one of young ladies I had the pleasure of working with on the team…we are a tight knit crew.

I’m a demon deacon…my sweet pea goes to Wake. Gotta go…follow-up with ya this evening. Thx!

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$125,000 is enough to make up for the ASG’s frugality?

Give me a break. Mark Cuban pays more money to personalize the Maverick lockers than the Hawks do for their roster.

99 % of the owners in sports would laugh at $125,000 – chump change.

WE HAVE 6 OR 7 OWNERS. 125,000 BETWEEN THAT NUMBER OF PEOPLE. LOL!!!!!!!

WELL AT LEAST ONE PERSON IN ATLANTA IS CONVINCED OF THE AWESOMENESS OF ASG (CUNNINGHAM).

PLEASE…..

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Glad to see “Home Team” we miss you man!!

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Congrts to Pape! I dion’t think he’s a PG from what i’ve seen of him though. Didn’t strike me as much of a creator for other ppls baskets. Just a really solid slasher. But we shall see.

SMH @ ASG not attemting to get in on the Dampier bid. I mean he sucks but he’s big and can do some things. We weren’t on his short list anyway sigh….why Miami?

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Stackhouse also at Phillips?
JC2 said on twitter he’s got game so i’m assuming he’s there with them?

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“Najeh, if Collins and Powell both signed for the veteran’s minimum how was it that totals up to $4 million?”

I said that under the assumption that Sy’s buyout was $500,000. MC says it’s more like $125K, so that changes the numbers somewhat. Collins gets $1.4 million and Powell $1.1 million; Sy’s salary plus buyout is about $600,000. The three of them end up totaling just over $3 million.

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“is there any comparison other than language comparisions to our fav Frenchman, Diaw?”

From what I saw in summer league, he’s a lot more like Pietrus than Diaw.

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O’Brien,

You should know by now that the motto here in ASG land:

“Do not threaten the well being of the core!”

Marvin, and probably Bibby are going to have to lose their job via injury. It won’t happen any other way.

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Welcome back SteveW. Missed you.

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Tyler Allen!

You heard it here – First.
I really hope the best for your grandson.
Tell him I said to crack those books.

Los Bravos may have peaked too soon?

You will forever be my 1st Blog Love!
I even pulled out that ole’ “Cheetah Thong!” razor sharp one
2 days agoÞo paint the picture of “Agony”.

Haven’t done that in over a year.
Don’t be a stranger!

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Rev – Thanks – really have had nothing to say. The blog has heated up, and all the points I would have made have been being made. Really liked Grandad’s trade for Hawes and Lou however – would throw in a first pick to make that one happen!

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On hoopshype.com I heard that a godd place to send jamal is to phillie for jason kapono and lou williams.

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Sorry hoopsworld.com ^

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Here’s hoping Jamal backs off his pay me or trade me rhetoric…Would like to see him stay. If we pay him, I’ll be shocked. He will be 31 at the end of the season. i don’t think we would even offer him MLE money (5.8m, per), but I could be wrong.

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Michael: You can’t even count.
eight guys were at Philips today: Al, Marvin, Smoove, J.J., Teague, Crawford, Powell, Zaza and Pape. Mo was there earlier in the week. media access is limited, though.

That equals nine and which Crawford? Please refer to him as rookie Crawford or JC2. So, whats up with Bibby and why is he not around? He is still one of the vets and the starting PG?

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@MC

I was wondering which Crawford as at Phillips Arena today?

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Macaroni tony i would want to see LD change a guy who hasnt lived up to his expectations in one offseason

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But he’s not the worse player on this team nor in the world….

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[...] Swingman Pape SyFanHouseHAWKS SIGN PAPE SY TO A CONTRACTHawks.comHawks sign Pape SyMiamiHerald.comAtlanta Journal Constitution (blog) -ProBasketballTalk (blog)all 30 news [...]

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Are the Hawks interested in Jerry Stackhouse that would be huge .

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What about if they replaced TJ Ford and his horrible contract, with James Posey, if he were backing up Marvin instead of Mo. I would feel much better about this teams second team defense along with D. Jones they are defensive specialists and would make our second unit so much stronger to hold out for the starters. I would be excited about that trade happening.

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I like the 76′ers proposal as well – Lou could be a younger, cheaper Jamal.

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Pape – Welcome to the Hawks!

Steve W – I agree on the Lou Williams being a cheaper Jamal. He could play the role JC1 did last year, sixth man combo guard.

Kevin M – IMO Jamal is not part of the core.

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Project Pape huh ? Heat add LeBron and we add Pape who might play 3 years from now ? You can tell the teams that are smart and those that are stupid… The Hawks are the latter brokeasses.

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And props to the Dream. They played Seattle tough on the road both games, something the Hawks know nothing about.

It’s hard to imagine how the dream went from 4-30 in their first year, to the WNBA finals in their third year.

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“And props to the Dream. They played Seattle tough on the road both games, something the Hawks know nothing about.”

Something that nobody else in Atlanta knows anything about either.

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Bertie, say what you want, JC1 is IMO a part of the core. He is the 1st player off the bench and one who regularly sees the 4th quarter.
I don’t think anyone has commented on whether JC1 will get an extension. Personally, I think it boils down to whether Sund can move other pieces to keep JC1 as our 6th man at a cheaper price.
JC1 is as big as part of this core as much as Bibby IMO. I would be surprised to see Sund weaken this roster even more by moving JC1. He is a proven commodity, unlike the bulk of the bench that has been assembled.

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Clearly, a championship move. You are right, MC, these guys (ASG) aren’t cheap, just, uh, shrewd. They were waiting to get a real impact player and when they found one who averaged 14 minutes in that brutal French league, they pounced.
I am tasting the champagne already. Sorry, Kobe.

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niremetal,

The reason there are multiple owners is because none is wealthy enough to own the team. So cumulatively their net worth should equal that of a solo owner. This isn’t rocket science.

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“What if the Hawks start out 14 – 4 ( including a win vs Orlando ) to begin the season? Does that change the perception of anything around here?”

Didn’t they get off to a great start last year? If I’m not mistaken, they were #1 in ESPN’s power rankings three or four weeks into the season.

Beating Miami and Orlando will go a long way towards getting people’s attention.

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“Also, this could come back to bite us in the butt if:
1) February rolls around, and we are short a couple people at a position of need; and/or
2) February rolls around, and a good player hits the waiver wire…

…and can’t make a move we otherwise would have because signing Sy took us too close to the tax line or took up a needed roster spot.”

Since you know more about the cap than most of us here, could you elaborate on exactly how a D-League player affects a) cap space and b) roster space? If Sy is in the D-League, does he count against the 15 player limit and does his salary count against the cap? Who is even responsible for paying his salary (as a second round pick) — the big league club or the D-League team?

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FIRE MIKE BIBBY

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I LOVE Pape SY!! I cant give u a basketball reason why just yet cause he hasnt played a single NBA game but I do love his swagg. He definely has a swagg about him and I am so looking forward to him playing & being productive for us. I know MC said that he is here to be a developmental piece for the team right now, but I truely HOPE he comes out the gate in pre-season doing any and all things possible to be highly recognized to get in the regular rotation THIS SEASON. And I know Larry Drew will not be like Woody and just send him to the D-league just because he is a rookie if he has proven he should be with the team on game nights. I will be the 1st fan to go out and buy his jersey..on the back says “SY”..I love it!!

I know this is wishful thinking but this IS a blog, this is what us fans have been doing for years now!!

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Good post The Ayatollah… I was just about to ask when was the last time the Hawks even picked up a guy from the waiver wire because I cant think of one off the to of my head….Yea I hated waiving Hunter only to sign Mario when he brought nothing to the table yet Stack who was available wanted to play here…..They raved about Hunter all summer and he did look like he had improved only to drop him for Mario who hasn’t improved in any facet of the game since his Ga Tech days. Hunter might get plenty of minutes this year seeing how most of the Nuggets bigs are hurt. I hope he performs well. I always liked the kid. I still cant believe we chose Mario over Stack smh.

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Stack-House!

Get Jerry in here!
A high energy player who could definitely play in a motion offense.
And, provide scoring off the bench, a great attitude guy.
Why choose Mario over him and Hunter?

Go Figure

Great comments by cp. Nuff’ said.

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Insomnia

Ms. Dee
I got a call from a elderly patient @ 1AM to pick her up
from the ER 55 miles up GA 400 … Can’t sleep now.
aaawwwhh man.

It will be interesting enough to see how Drew uses Sy
and the new guys on the daunted bench now.
I think he will use them to their strengths and keep the
starters fresh for the 4th quarters.

Lots of motion reminds me of players like:

Reggie Miller
Rod Strickland
Jeff Hornacek
Rip Hamilton
Ray Allen
Josh Childress

Type players. From the Hawks core? No one jumps out at me.
Maybe it will prove to be:

Sy
Jordan Crawford

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Star Struck!

Northcyde

And, oh yeah … LeBron nor Kobe is walking through that door,
except to fill our stands and attempt to do damage in our Arena.

So, team? Pack your lunch and come & get it.

Say WIN on 3! 1 2 3 – WIN!

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And also, as O’Brien points out regularly, the Hawks are about as poorly marketed as any professional sports franchise in America. Smoove and Horford should be plastered all over the city the way Mike Vick was when he was here. Just getting more creative with marketing alone will do big things for attendance, especially against crappy teams.

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Really, the similarities between the Chargers and the Hawks are striking.

Consistently good regular season record? Check

Flat playoff performances, especially against teams with inferior talent? Check

Key players unhappy with their contracts who are not getting contract extensions? Check

Popular perception that the ownership is cheap? Check

A history of prominent misfires on first-round picks? Check

Seeing a player they could have kept in 2005 ending up somewhere else and becoming a superstar? Check

Lack of fan confidence in the coaching staff? Check

And not surprisingly, they are suffering from the same attendance issues that the Hawks are.

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@MC:
“Sy, whose name is pronounced “Pop See,”

No, it’s “Pap See” with a “A” like in “black”, and not “Pop” like Popovitch

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MC: Thanks for the update. One question, do you ever hear anyone associated with the Hawks speaking of a plan to get the Hawks to a “championship” level? Is there a master plan?

The only plan that I see is to keep putting the minimum into the team and hope lightning strikes and something magical happens so that we win a championship.

That does not sound like a great plan to me.

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i would love the trade for kapono and williams. Williams brings quickness and agressivness to this team. Kapono brings that 3 point shooting which he is deadky from. the only lace that would make sense is phillly

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For jason & others:
Any trade involving Jamal we must get value for value.
When you see a trade from (the outside) lots of times
they devalue our guys or don’t recognize our true needs.
Jamal to Philly only makes sense if Spencer Hawes is part
of the deal.

We should not let Jamal go unless we get value in return.
Lou Williams is a nice piece but he’s not Jamal.
Kapono is filler.
We cannot let JC1 get out of town for a bunch of pieces.
A talented Big would need to be included!

Guys – value what we have!

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Just realized that someone beat me to that haha. OOPs. But it does work on trade checker.

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Awright!
We can all be negative or positive, half full, half empty,
seein’ through rose colored glasses, or completely pessimistic.
It don’t matter.

I stepped outside early this morn & felt it in the air.
Yessir, I even smelt it. It’ll burn off quickly enough
but it was there for a minute.
Basketball was in the Air – I told you I could feel it!

What is it? Two weeks away? ’til camp?
#3 son is already runnin’ the floor with his college team.
*[no coaches]

All the disectin’, bitchin’, carpin’, + trade speculation
by yours truly will be replaced by the actual sound of the
ball bouncing on the hardwood.

And guess what? Despite our shortcomings [cliche alert]
“hope springs eternal” because:
Defense can fuse the talent gap when there is one.
Teaguer, JJ, Paps, Josh -&- Al can and will defend.
Are there holes? – heck yeah!
In my opinion, A Big that can:
pass, defend the middle, shoot from the perimeter,
with a high B-ball IQ.
In the words of ‘Shooter’ from “Hoosiers”
“That oughta do it”

I love practice better than anything.
Wish I could watch.

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Sy paid his own trip to ATL to workout for us.

He worked his butt off during the workouts since he did not come with any sense on “entitlement” which most college players have and knew that he had very little resume and background info (games, tapes, etc) to show for.

He came to the summer league and again worked well until he got injured.

He is hungry, determined and ecstatic to be here.

Apparently has all the physical tools to be an effective NBA player and already some of the technical tools.

His footage shows a guy with good fluidity for his size, reasonable ball handling and good shot mechanics.

I am very confident that he will be a rotational player in the NBA. When? Difficult to tell, but the above combination of mental determination and toughness with his physical and technical tools is an excellent head start.

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And the small forward position remains unaddressed. Thanks for playing.

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Baby Mamma Drama!

Report: Dwight Howard seeking 500M in damages from Baby Mamma

“By Larry Hartstein

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

NBA star Dwight Howard says in court papers the mother of his son has violated their court agreement so many times, she now should pay him $500 million in damages, TMZ.com is reporting.

The celebrity website says Howard is accusing Royce Reed of leaking stories to the media about him at least 11 times, in violation of a gag order. A representative for Reed, who stars on VH1’s “Basketball Wives,” countered that the information originated from  legal documents and thus does not violate the order, according to TMZ.com.

Howard, the Atlanta native and Orlando Magic center, and Reed, a former dancer for the Magic and Miami Heat, had a son, Braylon, in November 2007. They have battled over custody arrangements, her participation on the reality show and other issues. Howard’s contract with the Magic pays him $16.5 million a year.”

Now, isn’t there a Rookie Symposium held each year to warn
the players of such pitfalls?

Better yet, aren’t there NBA rules set by precedent that makes
it a violation to fraternize with the teams Dancers?
“Now, I ain’t saying she’s a Gold-Digger – cause’ she got needs.”
-kayne west-

But, has anyone every hear of condoms or the timing method of
“pulling – out” of your parking space?

I guess, you can lead a horse to water, but you can’t make it drink.

At lest, Mr. Johnson avoided the employees of the Hawks Dance Team
in lieu of the Magic City – lawful variety. One, would have to
question Dwight’s decision making skills off the courts and
in the courts as well.

He can lead himself to a court battle, yes?
But can he lead a team on the basketball court to a Championship?

Having said that, I would welcome him to play for Atlanta and see!

I’m just wondering?
Does Dwight have what it takes to lead a team to The O’Brien
Trophy case?

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* has anyone ever heard if condoms …”

-drmaryb Entertainment Reporter-

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Oh Yeah!

And besides Dwight, where in the realm of possibility does
He figure Royce Reed will get 500M dollars from?

After all, isn’t she a dancer?
She does not play Basketball Dwight, She plays Basketball Players!
You Big Dummie!

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Swagg!

Ms.Dee

Nah girl! I like Swagg! I just spelled it out for those outside of the
current vernacular trends. lol!

So, you troll the city streets at night as well?
Well, just be careful and make sure all your doors are locked
when pulling into intersections. Are you an IT Engineer?
Sounds like it.

We should meet someday, If, you live in the “A” and talk over
a cup of Starbucks! I would love to meet my Sista!
I need to figure out how to get my contact info to you.
I’ll ask Blu-Ray.

Look at us being as giddy as Coach Drew over the 2nd round pick!
That speaks volumes about what it takes to excite the fan base.
Hugh?

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Najeh Davenpoop,

100% cosign your 4:34 post.

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Please stop it with the Jamal thrives in the iso offense crap. Jamal will thrive in any offense because he is a complete offensive player. He can create his own shot, he can pass, he can stop and pop, he can drive and finish, he can handle the rock, he can knock down the open jumpshot, and he can take advantage of mismatches. He was easily our 2nd best offensive option last year, and if he played the same amount of minutes as Joe did, he probably would have had better offensive numbers. His struggles are on the defensive end, just like Bibby and Marvin. If you are a good basketball player, you will thrive in any situation, unless you get put on the bench, like he was in Golden State. That’s whats so amazing to me about the people who think that Marvin will become a much better because of a motion offense. If he was going to be a good player, you would have seen it by now. Those who continue to talk about the one year that you think he showed so much potential, guess what, that was the iso offense also.

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Rusty, i thought they had learned their lessons from their playoff loss to Cleveland last year as well. But what I saw was a team that digressed against Orlando for whatever reason, Woody must have been the reason….hard for me to believe that all of a sudden, the team shut down listening to Woody not knowing who might show up in his place…how pampered they are getting LD in there now.
I say what others have said……..these guys have been together for quite awhile now and we all know what they are capable of.
Perhaps they can improve, but they can just as easily digress.

This year’s marketing campaign for the Hawks? Anyone? All I could think of was……

“Patience” and a picture of LD holding a clipboard.

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i was surprised last year that they won so many games while not playing team offense. their offense was very inconsistant last year,it showed up making them get blown out of games very early, losing to lousy teams & losing games after having big leads. last year seemed like a big struggle for the fans & the players. it ended in a great embarrassment for the city & the team.just playing team ball this year will be a great improvement

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[...] ConstitutionHawks Sign French Swingman Pape SyFanHouseHAWKS SIGN PAPE SY TO A CONTRACTHawks.comAtlanta Journal Constitution (blog) -ProBasketballTalk (blog)all 33 news [...]

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“Anyway, I know that story was off the Basketball Topic that
Najeh wants us to shy away from,”

The only topic I was tired of seeing was discussions related to which blogger is annoying, which blogger needs to STFU, etc. I don’t want to come on a blog to see bloggers blogging about other bloggers. I have no problem with the Dwight Howard story.

In related news, I wonder which Bible verse told Dwight Howard to f-ck a team dancer and have a kid out of wedlock?

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“Joe gets a girl from Magic City pregnant now Shaq is engaged to reality star Hoopz from I Love Flavor Flav. SHAKING MY GOT DAM HEAD”

LMAO… couldn’t agree more.

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Damp would probably be equal to ZaZa on this team, with a little different skill set. Damp probably has 2 more decent effective years left in the NBA coming off the bench. Signing him would allow Al to play more 4 and Smoove to play more 3, like some of ya’ll have wanted. I wouldn’t mind if we signed him. 1 more advantage over the Heat, 1 more good body to throw at Dwight, and 1 more option to combat the O’Neal’s and Perkins in C town. Signing him would probably be throwing Collins and Etan under the bus, but business is business…

But signing him to much of a contract and we’re in Luxury tax, which means a 3m per year becomes 5m this year(because we are a little under the tax now). But hey, it’s not my money and if ASG wants to spend it, cool with me.

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Najeh

I was likewise wondering which Bible verse he was reading from as
well, considering his religious roots. I guess he fell victim
to the power of the “P”!

smdh too.

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[...] ConstitutionHawks Sign French Swingman Pape SyFanHouseHAWKS SIGN PAPE SY TO A CONTRACTHawks.comAtlanta Journal Constitution (blog) -ProBasketballTalk (blog)all 33 news [...]

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Can someone please post that link which
Shows Pape Sy and his new teammates.

Ms. Dee said she liked Sy’s Swagg.
I would like to see this swagg. I have searched hi and low for
the latest signing video or some American highlight clips.

In advance, Thank You.

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LOL . . . and I see the blog monster gobbled up my responses to drmaryb and Najeh. Oh well.

In other news . . . Reischea Canidate on ESPN First Take is so fine. Maybe she’ll interview Pape Sy when he posts his first triple-double.

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Eni … Meni … Miny … Moe!

I prefer Dampieer over Twin.
It would require a salary dump to get him now,
since Dampieer is now an UFA.

I’m not surprised the ASKG doesn’t even pretend to
be interested in Melo! That would really excite the
Fan base around here.

Say what you will about Billy Knight, but you always knew
he would make some moves. He mastered salary dumps
and trade activity. If, he could get Joe Johnson to come
here? I’m sure he could find a way to pry Melo away
from Denver too.

We got Joe for Diaw and a 1st round pick, and oh yeah!
And, throw a law suit in there too.

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Ken S.

I like our core … Doesn’t spread to the end of the bench for me.
IDK enough about Powell or Thomas to exude maximum comfort.

IDK a little about Collins and that he showed up Fat and Slow to
a new team that has a chance to compete far into the play offs.
So, I would not completely close the door on other opportunities
to improve that center rotation.

Al saying he will go to war with what he’s got?
Doesn’t exactly sound like a ringing endorsement of what
He’s got.

Meanwhile, Houston who has arguably:

Yao?
Brad Miller
Louis Scola

Or, Boston – who went and got:

Shaq
J. Oneal

to add depth to: Perkins (injured) and Shrek – doesn’t seem to be and
didn’t seem to be enough for their benches either while in search
of the elusive O’Brien Trophy.

The Hawks of all the teams in the NBA should NEVER rest when
it comes to talent acquisitions. I for one, will not be seeking
a publisher to write a book about our center rotations.

Sorry, I gotta’ disagree with you on this one.

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@ drmaryb . . I was just supporting your stance on condom use by these athletes, and how I selfishly hope that all of this off the court drama affects the play of Howard and the Magic this season. If Dwight could have a Tiger Woods-esque year, I’d gladly appreciate it.

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Ken, finally we are back in agreement…are right..the guys we have now are not world beaters…but they are better than what we had…Dang…how many time have I said that. lol

There is a lot of intrigue with this current roster… If we can get 12 to 15 serviceable minutes a game from Pachulia and Big Burger…it could work…..Daaaaaaaaaang…how many time have I said that. heh heh

Anyway, I agree with ya…I don’t see Sund adding another FA Big.

GO HAWKS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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I agree drmaryb, that the Hawks shouldn’t rest when trying to upgrade talent, especially the talent outside of our REAL core ( JJ, Smoove, and Horford ).

The problem with the big man “upgrades”, is that these guys weren’t really regarded as good defensive players in the first place. I don’t know if any of those guys are even better than Solomon Jones. And if Etan was such a solid post defender, why does a team like OKC ( who has a need for big men ), not keep him around?

We’ll see how it all plays out. I’ll say about Drew exactly what I said about Woody concerning Jamal Crawford. If Drew can turn Etan, Collins, and Josh Powell into productive role players, and see this team not miss a beat ( i.e. – win 50+ games ) he should get all the credit for that . . . and deserves a new contract after one year.

If Drew proves to be that good of a coach, he’s vastly underpaid.

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Mike is Back! and he said:

“Ken, finally we are back in agreement…are right..the guys we have now are not world beaters…but they are better than what we had…Dang…how many time have I said that. lol”

That is not saying very much.

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Row Row Row Your Boat!

Here’s my point: IDK if we have enough to upset an improved
but older Celtics team and more hesitant to say we are a lock
to battle the Lakers down to the wire. That front court of the
Lakers are very very tall and athletic – which we are not!

No where close to beating:

Pau
Bynum
Odom

Much less Kobe and the Gang!

Anyone who rants differently is doing just that – ranting.

I am extremely optimistic that we will be a good team and
entertaining to watch nonetheless.

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Grand-Daddy

We know! Were just having fun because Dwight’s father I believe is a minister and
Dwight attended a local Christian Academy here in Atlanta.

I believe his school was a small one with Pre-K through 12th Grade. There may have been a dozen kids in Dwight’s graduation class.

Anyway, I like Dwight a lot – except when he plays the Hawks!

What’s Up G-Daddy?
Any new TFD today?

Do you see any blockbusters out there that will land us a
Box Draw Super Star? We sure need one of those to set this
City off!

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Drmaryb, you are on fire…OCHA!!!!!

Take a bow maryb…CUZ…u calling it right.

However, these young athlete are easy prey…for these days and times…it is encumber on them…to be proactive…with their health. With out good health…you want be an goog athlete long. Then you will see who your real friends are.

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That should be good athlete…Daaaaaaaang.

Anyway, GO HAWKS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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“We know! Were just having fun because Dwight’s father I believe is a minister and
Dwight attended a local Christian Academy here in Atlanta.”

I know!

The verse was more for me.
I was having the same thoughts.

SouthWest Atl. Christian (if I’m not mistaken)
He does boast.
Passion understanable.
Lawsuit [predetermined] WWJD ?

*The 1st time I left out the last two words! *(read again)
When they kept on questioning him, he straightened up
and said to them, “If any one of you is without sin,
let him be the first to throw a stone *[at her]” John 8:7

By the way – did you read my early morning uplifting message ?

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Grand-Daddy

Of course I read it. I hang on your every word!
You know that.

Mmmmwah!

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He should fit right in with the rest of the roster, a guy is bought out of a contract and only averages 14 minutes a game move over Kobe and Lebron here comes Pape Sy!!! Hey Atlanta Spirit I know a guy that is 6 foot 8 and works on cars I’ll get you a good deal on his buyout contract..How about putting a sign in the window asking for players that got game!!!

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It looks like the Hawks plan is to build their roster through the draft, and not go after the quick fix via a free agent. The fans will need to be patient, but after selling the bill of goods that they have the past 2 seasons, it’s kinda tough to raise the expectation of this team when the roster is almost identical to last season.

Should we expect LD to make that big of a difference? If he can kame that big of a difference, I high believe that some iof his though process would have rubbed off on last season’s team.

The Hawks should be in the playoffs this season, but don’t expect much beyond that.

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Wordsmithon

Aaah! OK!

When you guys stop wearing Jock-Straps?
We will stop wearing Thongs!

Besides, you can’t see women’s underlings unless you have an
inside track. Unlike, some guys who wear their Pants on the Ground!

We don’t want to see yall nasty butt cracks and draws either.

- I will await your response -

rof-lol!

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Dr. Mary, if you didn’t need your plumbing fixed so often, you wouldn’t see so many cracks.

Samson does the best he can, till Delila comes alone and POOF, there goes the hair.

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You put Melo in Jersey, along with Brook Lopez, Devin Harris, and Derrick Favors . . and our draft pick that we traded for Jordan Crawford ( in Damion James ), and you have a nice little squad in Jersey.

Plus Avery Johnson is the coach.

Jersey could fight for that 8th seed, if James can play the 2, and Favors turns out to be an above average young PF . . or at least a PF who can defend and rebound at a good ratem

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Ken S,

We hired Nick van exel, not Sam cassell. However, I like the hire too.

Steve w,

Most of us don’t want smoove playing SF. I understand him playing spot minutes there, but that should be the exception.

Northcyde,

If the nets want melo, they have to give some pieces up. And I don’t think they have what it takes to match up trade wise.

They would have to give up outlaw, who they just signed, in addition to a player or 2 and pick or 2.

I can see the Knicks trying to do whatever they can to make a deal.

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STEVEW-I didn’t single anyone out, but I was referencing those who criticize every player acquisition LDrew makes, or doesn’t make, if it’s not the player or move they want. LDrew knows better than anyone else, believe it or not, what he envisions for the Hawks and what players he feels will help him reach that goal.

He’s told everyone, with enough sense to listen, he intends to play an uptempo style of OFF, and a half court motion OFF that includes constant ball and player movement. As a result, he’s accumulating players that will suit his needs, not players that make insecure, one dimensional fans, or fans without a clue, feel better.

It should appear rather obvious by now LDrew doesn’t feel the need to sign a limited center just to satisfy fans, who’s basketball knowledge won’t allow them to realize there’s more than one way to successfully defend a center like DHoward. The idea under LDrew’s watch isn’t to focus on trying to stop or match up with dominant players like DHoward, but to force them to match up with our players and style of play. The concept is called NEUTRALIZATION.

As I’ve said before, I see the Hawks under LDrew as a bigger, taller, more physical and athletic version of the Suns, except our OFF will be driven primarily by our structured motion OFF system, rather than the talents of a future HOF PG.

DRMARYB-I have a lot of faith in LDrew. I also trust his judgement about the players he’s chosen to impliment what he wants to accomplish. I will remind everyone once again that at one time fans had the same negative and/or questionable thoughts and feelings about PG CBillups and C BWallace, the some of you currently have about JTeague and JPowell. It just took them being placed in a situation where they could take advantage of what they did best, rather than being in situations where the powers that be focused on what they couldn’t do, or didn’t do well.

We have the same situation with some of our fans. They have doubts about JTeague’s ability to run the team, because they’re focused on what the don’t know, as well as what they perceive as negatives. They refuse to focus on his speed, quickness, athleticism, penetrating ability, and ability to play DEF, all of which are attributes MBibby does not possess.

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Damian James
Derrick Favors
Devin Harris
Draft Pick

Were mentioned a trade scenario I read today, also the mention
of a possible third team involved.
The report stated that Melo’s Agent said The Nets were the
most aggressive of all the teams in pusuit.

Also it was mentioned The Nets are moving to NY into a
new arena as well, and that Melo is a NY native.

No delusion that The Hawks are interested in signing a
Box-Draw Super Star to this current team.

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Merrily … Merrrily … Merilly …. Life is but a Dream.

Ken S.

Said:

“DRMARYB-I have a lot of faith in LDrew. I also trust his judgement about the players he’s chosen to impliment what he wants to accomplish. I will remind everyone once again that at one time fans had the same negative and/or questionable thoughts and feelings about PG CBillups and C BWallace, the some of you currently have about JTeague and JPowell. It just took them being placed in a situation where they could take advantage of what they did best, rather than being in situations where the powers that be focused on what they couldn’t do, or didn’t do well.”

I only disagreed that Dampieer could not help this team as
another weapon off the bench. Either in front of or behind
ZsaZsa. (was my internal thoughts)

It would require a nibble at the Luxury Tax unless we can move
Collins. IDK who would take him off our hands after the poor shape
he showed up here in. IDK why we re-signed him so early either.
We’ve been so patient all along, why not continue that patience
W
When Collins was signed so early.

Najeh said a while back, The ASKG don’t necessarily spend Wisely!

I would welcome a lineup at center with:

Al Horford
Eric Dampieer
Zsa Zsa
Josh Powell (defensive PF)

We must do better at the 5 position defensively than last season – Period!

I am fine with Teague and the guards. SF does concern me.
I have been saying all week that Marvin. May excel in a
different situation much like Billups did.

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“In other news . . . Reischea Canidate on ESPN First Take is so fine.”

Here is one thing on which we can completely agree.

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“I prefer Dampieer over Twin.”

I prefer Grandad over Twin.

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Atlanta dream up 1 at halftime in game 3 of the wnba finals. And phillips arena looks packed and lively.

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I prefer Grand-Daddy over Twin, too.

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Anyway, GO DREAM!

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Instead of posting my own one-and-a-half cents worth…..

I think I’ll just co-sign every post Najeh Davenpoop put up since early this morning. Fuh REAL!

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Man, Dampier was never in the running for a job here with the Hawks.

He made too much before he got cut. He was going to want more than the minimum salary that the Hawks would have offered anyway.

And guess what else? If Shaq can be “convinced” to play for proverbial pennies on the dollar in Boston, then you better believe Dampier could be convinced to do the same in Miami.

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drmary:

WIZZIES will be whizzing on themselves all season I’m afraid. McGEE, BLATCHE, THORNTON, ARENAS and WALL. Your starting line-up for 2010. I think LEONSIS wants another bite of the big three lottery apple.

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“Cynical,” did somebody call me?

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Jason, man, how sad is that trade offer? Marvin isn’t garnishing much of a value is he? I would say he and Mo have the same issue.

Ken S – “The concept is called NEUTRALIZATION.”
The guys that ‘LD’ is bringing in here are going to NEUTRALIZE dominant players? I go to Vegas and bet against that every time.
Collins / Sy / Powell / Thomas – yes, LD deserves the credit for bringing them in….and blame Sund for bringing in these guys who there was no competition for….all minimum deals. Man, I would have loved to have been at the negotiating table for any of these deals.

Sund – “I think we have an practice jersey for you; our core needs some competition in practice”

Player – “Let me get this right: practice jersey or out of the league? Where do I sign?”

Time to quit blaming the bloggers here…..they aren’t making the transactions. There are many knowledgeable people here who appear to be able to do the GM job as well as Sund. All you have to do is inherit the job, keep the previous GM’s ‘commitment statement: 5 players that can interchange and play multiple positions’. No player has a position. Yep, still looks the same to me.

Seriously, I would like to see if Powell has any game and can be the PF backup. I don’t think he’s going to get much of a chance with Al moving to the 4 at times. That lineup with Horford and Zaza/Collins/Thomas just doesn’t overwhelm you though.

LD has inherited the same lineup as last year, the same starting lineup.
The same SF, the same PG, the same PF combo and the same bench. You got 9-10 guys and the remaining are the new practice players.

You know who’s going to earn their $$ this year? The assistants who have to keep these guys competitive with the rest of the league. 2 late round rookies and 3 min vets. Sounds like LD/Sund had a plan all along and I was just too ignorant to see the genius side of things.

How much can you pump the same core up to the fans of Atlanta? Haven’t we seen this script already?
I know Dwight can’t wait to compete against us. He said likes our lineup. I would too, if I had to go up against our back line.

I still say no better than 3rd in our own division and a 4th seed will be an accomplishment. Charlotte probably doesn’t have enough to overtake us.

No transition year for LD; he gets the heat right out of the gate. I’m just ready to see some accountability instead of raises being handed out for above average results. No hard times for the players on this roster who got contracts the past 2 offseasons.

Look out Eastern Conference! You’ve got to match up with us now!

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Big Ray, the Hawks have said they are interested in Damp, but like you said, not serious IMO either. Sund isn’t going to compete period.

And LD can have all season in my book. Its the playoffs I’m being told where the difference between he and Woody will be seen. Motion offense, Phoenix East, tactical mismatches that will befuddle our opponent. Now why did it take so long for LD to get his very first gig?

The script is being sold as we speak….Sund has exclusive rights to the ‘There’s more to the core!’

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@ Najeh…
College basketball is unwatchable 90% of the time. The game has no rhythm and is way over coached. WNBA has a true catch 22, too many people like Jeff Schultz poisoning the well in markets where it should be viable….

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This article about the Hawks just makes too much sense…….

http://www.hoopinionblog.com/2010/09/stop-switching.html

Its gonna be all about the defense according to this review…..
My favorite comment: The depth acquired by this team has impressed no one outside this organization.

Exactly.

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Damn!!! Those are some fighters! Don’t be like other Atlanta and sit on your laurels, get ready for next Summer, SO PROUD of you DREAM!

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I fear for the HAWKS this season with the store bought MIAMI team in this division. I never had any hopes for the WIZARDS, but I certainly had high regard for drmary’s fab five (now minus CHILLS).

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Sorry for the omissions, too busy watching that frantic last 30 seconds!

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Grand-Daddy

You can’t hold out for money – You will ruin team chemistry!
Now, tell your Agent to work this out.

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Grandad

September 16th, 2010
10:39 pm
richbrave

How well does Washington like Yi?
Any chance they would consider trading him?

Really, I don’t really know how the org. fewels. They did pick him up, but I think the fans will think less of JIANLIAN as time goes on. Off what he’s done in a N. J. uni against les boules, you can have him for a – bag of chips, or b – KWAME BROWN. Just filling out the roster IMHO of course.

I’m convinced the new owner doesn’t want to improve this season so the WIZ can go back into the draft next June for another top three pick. We seem to be building from the back-court in rather than the ASG’s method of construction from the front-court out.

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Mary Ellen

I forgot to mention one thing.
When I said – “I’d call out ET on day one”
I meant, call him out -&- challenge him to a spelling bee!

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grandad:

Trade? We could seriously us some solid front-court help especially as BLATCHE is already hurt. I fould YI to be soft ala AJ. Again just my opinion. McGEE is still learning the dimensions of a b-ball court. Man, he’s gonna’ get his education this year. Wait ’till BIG AL takes it to the rack on him.

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@ Richbrave…
Has anyone walked up to Randolph Morris sucka line yet?

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Props to the Dream for a great season, even if they didn’t win it all. The Seattle Storm were by far the best team in the WNBA all year long and a team that many thought couldn’t be beaten. Although the Dream got swept, they lost all three games by a total of 7 or 8 points. I’m proud of them. Let’s see what happens next year.

Najeh, you’re right about the level of play being much better than people realize. I was there when the Dream closed out the Liberty and I was amazed at the battle between Angel McCoughtry and Cappy Poindexter. It reminded me of Dominique going against Jordan in the old Omni.

BTW, it seemed like half the Hawks team was there: Al, Marvin, Teague, JC2. Even Billy Knight was there. Also Dan Reeves and John Abraham. And, the Storm had a nice group of fans that traveled to be at the game, just like the Liberty did.

Only posting this here because there’s no dream blog, which is a real shame. Even GA State has a blog, and they’ve played 2 games in their history.

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BIG UMP-thanks for asking. I got another hormone injection, but this time I’m having the side effects they warned me about. Man, those hot flashes won’t let me get a good nights sleep. I’m constantly kicking the covers off and then pulling them back on. I’ll probably have to decide what final treatment I’ll use when I go back on DEC 1.

While I’ve maintained a positive attitude as a way of life, this latest battle has caused me to take it to another level. I have no doubt it’s had an influence on the way I view LDrew and the Hawks. My excitement about this yrs Hawk team is due to the fact we are going to:
1-play the way this team was originally designed to play,
2-have a structured OFF/DEF, and approach,
3-give mins and opportunities to our best players, not the HC’s favorites,
4-consider changes and/or adjustments when called for,
5-adopt the philosophy of making other teams adjust to us, instead of the other way around,
6-utilize more than a 6-7 man rotation,
7-play 1st and 2nd yr players, rather than make excuses for not doing so,
8-make players accountable, rather than making excuses,
9-finish the season playing the same uptempo style of OFF/DEF we played when we started the season.

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“convince” should be convinced in the above post

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KenS – Man, really can’t find anything I disagree with on the 12:44am post. I think my enthusiasm is tempered more with how the East has improved rather than the Hawks going backwards. I actually think the Hawks will have a better team this year, but may have a worse record because the East has improved overall. Of course the Cavs have crashed and burned it looks like…

The playoffs are all about matchups. Read the Celtic blogs – they are deathly afraid of playing the Hawks in the playoffs, because they don’t match up well. Weaknesses and tendencies are exploited, utilized and magnified in the post season. Hope:
1) Teague develops enough
2) Marvin shocks us
3) Limited injuries
4) And we play tough enough inside
To make a run at this thing. Why not a championship ATL? Why do we want to play for good and not great?

As a side note – Joe Smith played better stat wise than Josh Powell last year. Hope JP develops. Drew said he liked his shot, meaning he might be well suited for the Motion O.

Acie Laws per last year was 16.1 if I’m reading that right. Wow, that’s really good. I wouldn’t mind having Acie back as Teague’s reserve or Shelden back as a 4th or 5th big for that matter.

Elson’s off the board, the Jazz signed him. I’m joking people…

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I have to give it to Sund for having a great offseason. With little or no effort he has been able to fill out a roster. It takes a lot of skill to do the minimum. Also, congrats on the JJ negiotations. How did you ever convince JJ to sign for only $20 million more than the next highest bid?

Ken, your points are exactly what we need but how do we know that LD will actually try all of those obvious points that you speak about?

I love the Hawks but I feel like I am grasping at straws when trying to find something to be excited about coming in to this season. We have ownership and management that does the minimum. There is NO talk of becoming champions.

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STEVEW-LDrew and JTeague were together throughout last season, and he saw him from an entirely different perspective than MWoodson. Woodson saw him based strictly on his bias against rookie PG, and didn’t want him running his team and/or replacing MBibby, no matter what. Woodson looked at what he felt Teague didn’t do well, and used that as his excuse for keeping him in his place, so to speak.

LDrew obviously saw what he could do, and made that his focus, which is why he announced shortly after being hired he was giving Teague a primary role, as well as every opportunity to win the starting PG slot. To me, LDrew made it clear he feels Teague has all of the tools to successfully run his uptempo motion OFF. Also, the fact he hasn’t acquired another vet PG to back him up further proves to me he’s supremely confident in his ability to get it done.

As far as Marvin is concerned, only those with a personal bias against him refuse to believe he’s capable of getting it done. They focus on last yrs low production, and conviently forget he’s posted averages of 14.8PPG, 6.3RPG, 1.9APG, .6BPG & 1SPG. LDrew isn’t going to do the Woody and ignore him as an OFF weapon, or insist on playing him major mins if he’s not producing. Marvin was a victim of EXCLUSION, from an OFF perspective.

As we all know, there’s nothing anyone can do about injuries. As far as us playing tough enough inside DEF, we first have to play tougher DEF on the perimeter. Even with our interior and exterior DEF problems last yr, we managed to match the World Champion Lakers in PPG allowed. I feel we’ll be much improved defensively because of the following:

1-The added quickness, speed, athleticism gained by the additions of PF JPowell, SG JoCrawford, and the committment to playing JTeague,
2-The abandonment of the switching DEF, and holding every player accountable for holding his own defensively against his opponent,
3-having each player stay with his assignment, rather than switching off, will allow our frontline players to remain near the basket and maintain good rebounding and DEF position,
4-Not starting and/or giving major mins to players that are DEF liabilities, especially perimeter players,
5-Expanding our rotation to more than 6-7 players will reduce overall fatigue and allow us to play more aggressive DEF when closing out gms,
6-having a HC who’s willing to hire DEF help, rather than trying to run a dictatorship and be the jack of all trades and master of none,
7-having the willingness and ability to employ multiple approaches and concepts to playing DEF, will definitely help us play better interior and exterior DEF.

As far as Eastern Conference teams over taking the Hawks due to their projected improvements is concerned, haven’t we had these same concerns and heard the same story for the last 3 yrs? And despite all of these concerns about the vast improvement of these teams, on paper, haven’t the Hawks managed improve each of those yrs, and stay, or pull ahead of, all Eastern Conference teams but Cleveland and Orlando?

DAP01-The answer to your question is WHY WOULDN’T HE! Over a 6yr period, especially the last 2-3yrs, he’s certainly witnessed first hand the results of not doing it. After all, didn’t Sund and the ASG hire him to do the things Woodson couldn’t or wouldn’t do? LDrew knows how lucky he is compared to Woodson, in that he gets to take over a very talented and versatile playoff caliber team, rather than a rebuilding project. He knows the individual problems and strengths of the players and team first hand, and has the respect and support of the players.

ALL OF THIS SPELLS SUCCESS TO ME, WE JUST DON’T KNOW HOW MUCH SUCCESS IT SPELLS, BUT WE’LL CERTAINLY FIND OUT SHORTLY.

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wordsmithtom

Well said!

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Ken Strickland

Said it best! When he said:

“3-having each player stay with his assignment, rather than switching off, will allow our frontline players to remain near the basket and maintain good rebounding and DEF position,”

That will be the most significant improvement on defense,
along with Coach Conner designing a man to man scheme.

But like Ken said, we shall all see soon enough.

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“As far as Marvin is concerned, only those with a personal bias against him refuse to believe he’s capable of getting it done. They focus on last yrs low production, and conviently forget he’s posted averages of 14.8PPG, 6.3RPG, 1.9APG, .6BPG & 1SPG. LDrew isn’t going to do the Woody and ignore him as an OFF weapon, or insist on playing him major mins if he’s not producing. Marvin was a victim of EXCLUSION, from an OFF perspective.”

Some of us who don’t like his game also look at his career playoff averages of 26.7mpg, 39%FG, 25%3P, 4.2rpg, 0.8APG, and 8.4ppg. We realize that a guy who was drafted to be one of the best players on the team, is not even close. We also realize that if you were to plug any NBA or D-league small forward in Marvin’s spot, you would easily get similar or better production. We also are not stupid enough to believe that Mike Woodson was the reason that Marvin has not become an above average NBA player. Mike Woodson actually gave Marvin more opportunity than any other NBA coach would have, and Marvin is part of the reason that Mike Woodson is sitting at home without an NBA job right now. My opinion is that it is very hard to exclude somebody who plays over 30 minutes a game. Have you ever thought that maybe his teammates excluded him, while he was on the floor, because he gave them no reason to believe that he could make a play?

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I will agree that this season is about no more excuses with this core.
More of the same questions still than answers.

Its almost time for accountability.

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KevinM we have been saying that for 3 years.

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Some of you will be thoroughly disappointed when you find out that Drew will not be able to get any production from the scrub bigs we signed. These guys haven’t been productive in at least 4 years but somehow they will be productive here? I like Drew and I think he will be successful but he is going to have the same issues Woody had with these scrubs on the bench. He will play them and find out soon they just don’t bring much to the table to warrant any significant pt……Sund was talking about improving the bench and all he did was add 3 scrub bigs. One who cant stay in shape and averages more fouls than rebounds and one who cant stay healthy and even when he was the past few years he still didn’t do much….I wonder if Drew will get blamed when folks find out these guys just aren’t any good.

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In other words, I at least am much more disappointed in Marvin’s inability to do the dirty work consistently than I am in his inability to score consistently. Doing the dirty work doesn’t have anything to do with coaching.

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Yea its time for some to just accept that Marvin is just an average player. He doesn’t have the fire in him to want to be better. He is comfortable with being what he is. I tried to support Marvin but it became painfully clear that he wont ever get much better than what he is. I remember when Ando used to say how his ceiling would be Al Harrington. Well he hasn’t even reached that….. The last game of this past regular season showed me all I needed to see from Marvin…..Dude looked like he was an end of the bench player that game. He didn’t stand out at all despite the fact that he was playing with all guys off the bench who either didn’t play a lot or didn’t play at all. He looked like a guy you could scoop up from the NBDL. It was sad and flat out pathetic. The offense is not the problem, Marvin is the problem. He is one of the reasons I hate those solo work outs during the draft. If he would have had to go against somebody I think his lack of ball handling and inability to create his own shot would have been seen. Its crazy how a guy gets drafted that high with as little tools as he does have. He also has terrible balance. Its time to move on from the Marvin experiment and just admit he was a reach or bust however you want to label it.

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cp,

That’s my thinking too. Marvin has talent and potential, but I dont know if he has the mental makeup to be a dominant player.

When he went to UNC, he was perfectly fine coming off the bench. With the Hawks, he seems perfectly fine passing up open shots, perfectly fine being #4 or 5 on offense, perfectly fine being on the bench at the end of games while Woody went with Chills, Flip, or Jamal.

He would have an open shot, and what does he do? Pass to Josh who was 18 feet away from the basket. And when Marvin gets a rebound, its like a hot potato.

But as a Hawks fan, I will root for him, and I hope he will turn it around this year.

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* Actually, scratch the dominant part. I dont know if Marvin has the mental fortitude to be an all star caliber player, or all defense player.

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Here is an interesting article from Yahoo Sports

Thu Sep 16 12:00pm PDT

The NBA, A-through-Z: Chris Paul

By Kelly Dwyer

For the next few weeks, I’m going to pick an NBA-related subject, A-through-Z, and tell you why it’s worth your time, and why it’s one of the reasons I love covering this league. Because that’s why I wanted to become a scribe who’s paid to cover this league. Sharing the things I know and love with those of my kind. All that stuff.

Because I’m lucky enough to have your ear for however long, I don’t care that this might come off as a bit twee. A little embarrassing. A little too forthright. I’m OK with that. Hopefully you are, as well.

“C” is for “Chris Paul.”

There are so many reasons to be interested in Chris Paul. Mainly because he creates more questions than he does answers.

Is he the best point guard in the NBA?

This seems pretty cut and dry. It seems like the difference between him and Deron Williams is the difference between Kobe Bryant and Brandon Roy, but if so many people still call it a tie, or see Williams as the better player, than what are we missing? Seems like we can’t help but use the word “seems” a lot, and doubt ourselves a smidge.

Is he injury-prone?

It was a pretty silly tag, early on, just because the guy missed four games in his first year and 18 games since. And people would still bring up Paul being injury-prone and frail in the two years that followed, even if he missed only a total of six games between 2007-09. And then, right when the noise quiets down, the guy turns his ankle against Portland a year ago. Played only 45 games in 2009-10, half of them gimped-out.

Is he not only the best point guard of his generation, but well on his way toward being one of the best point guards of all time?

If you look at PER, Paul’s career mark of 25.6 is pretty astounding. Amazing, actually, considering how PER usually tends to hate point guards because it rates rebounding so highly. But can this be possible? The guy that we’re watching down in New Orleans every other night is working on a level unseen since Magic Johnson? Pace isn’t a factor — the Hornets don’t run much, and PER adjusts for pace — but is the set-up? Does Paul run an offense that basically allows him a point or assist just about every time down court?

His defense, is it great? The greatest? Just OK? He gets a ton of steals, he’s led the league twice, but we’ve also seen him lose guys. Then again, everyone loses guys these days. There isn’t a point guard in this league who isn’t made to look silly on defense a couple of times a game. Something about not being able to touch guys while you guard them.

Is he kind of a jerk? He didn’t ask for a trade this summer, but he let all sorts of people unofficially representing him toss out the idea that he’d prefer to be gonzo, nowzo. Save for the steady David West, the we-still-don’t-know Emeka Okafor and the underrated (by me, unfortunately) Marcus Thornton, the Hornets don’t have a lot of help around CP3. But then again, he signed that contract.

(notes)

(notes)

So what do we have? The man who could be the best point guard ever, playing for a team that doesn’t win much (which allows for unfair comparisons to point guards who get to play with Kareem Abdul-Jabbar), a team that he might not want to play for, but a team that we love to watch. Do we love to watch the team because of what Chris Paul is able to do with it? Sure, but we also loved it when Chris missed 37 games last season.

Is he a system guy, in spite of two, and soon-to-be three, career coaches? Or does he create that good fortune? Our eyes tell us he’s dominant, up there with LeBron and D-Wade. The stats say the same thing. So why the disconnect? Why are we left — after years of telling people how sure we were — unsure?

Because that’s what Chris Paul does, and it’s fantastic. Keeps you thinking on your feet, as a fan. Keeps you questioning yourself, your take on the game and your approach to the way you analyze things. We could be watching the greatest point guard ever, or we could be watching a mirage that has duped us all. Clearly, we’re leaning toward the former, but we’re also loving every minute of it.

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NORTHCYDE-Since you’ve made it an issue, exactly what do you want to see from your boy Bibby? How about more scoring, assists and penetrating, creating easy scoring opportunities for others, AND ANYTHING THAT REMOTELY RESEMBLES DEF?

If Bibby actually has received more criticism than Marvin, it’s because he’s deserved it. After all, as the starting PG, isn’t he responsible for controlling the ball and the OFF, breaking down the DEF, playing strong on the ball DEF, and making certain players get the best opportunity to make their shot attempts?

QUESTION: Can you honestly say that MBibby successfully did any of these things, on either side of the ball?

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