Atlanta Hawks: With start of new season near, end to ‘10 still burns
Hawks say they remember what this felt like.
For the first part of this summer, everywhere Marvin went he got different variations of the same question.
What the heck happened to the Hawks in that series against the Magic?
“Early in the summer [he heard it] but, after a while, people started to get ready for football season, thankfully,” Marvin said today after informal workouts at Philips. “But, God, the first month, month-and-a-half, it was: ‘Yo, what happened?’ Dude, you were watching the games. You tell me what happened?”
The Magic beat down the Hawks in historical fashion, everybody saw it, and Hawks players know their reps took a major hit. After finishing third in the East and openly talking about a championship run, the Hawks folded in the face of adversity and eventually earned the wrath of their own fans.
True competitors with any sense of pride are not going to go out like that. Each time I’ve talked to L.D. he’s made it a point to say he believes the way last season ended will have a bearing on how players approach this season.
“We pretty much got embarrassed in the second round,” J.J. said the other day. “I am sure it won’t happen again.”
There are Hawks with lots to prove individually this season. Can Marvin be consistent? Can J.J. share the ball, deliver a strong postseason and live up to his contract? Will Smoove continue to mature? Can Teague take over the point? Can L.D. bring it all together?
But after what happened against the Magic, the Hawks have a lot to prove as a group, too. Critics, some of them internal, accused the Hawks of quitting. The lasting memory for the Hawks in 2009-10 wasn’t 53 Ws, 34-7 at home or No. 3 in the East, but how those significant accomplishments nearly faded into irrelevance after they meekly succumbed to the Magic.
“Honestly, me personally, it definitely doesn’t sit well with me,” J.J. said. “Coming into the season, I still think about that. I’m going to do whatever it takes to get over that hump. It did leave a bad taste in my mouth. I think it’s something we can bounce back from. We just have to be confident.”
With no major personnel additions this summer the Hawks are largely counting on improvement from the same group. There is plenty of external skepticism about whether that will be enough to put them over the top, and surely a lot of that is due to how last season ended.
“To lose the way you lose, it kind of sits in my stomach,” Marvin said. “To come out and play the way we played against Orlando—we lost by 20, 25 a night! We are better than that, man. I think the world knows we are better than that.
“Take nothing from Orlando, they are a great team. But the Atlanta Hawks are better than [losing by] 20 or 25 a night. That just kind of sits in your stomach all summer. I think guys look back at those last two [losing] playoff series, and we want to get better. So we’ve got to try to build. ”
Quick hits
– I don’t think the Hawks are hot to add a fifth center (and a 15th guaranteed contract) after re-signing Twin and getting Etan Thomas. So while the Hawks have talked to Erick Dampier’s rep it doesn’t look like he’s going to end up in Atlanta.
– Word is Jamal Crawford opted not to come to town early for his pre-camp physicals. All indications are that Crawford will report Monday as required. It will be interesting to see what he has to say about his contract situation on media day.
– I’m told Jordan Crawford has stood out during the informal runs at Philips. I caught the tail end of today’s session, where JC2 showed why he’s considered a natural scorer. Guys like that flourish in games like that. He’s not shy about pulling up for long jumpers, though I’m sure that instinct will be tempered once things get serious.
– In addition to Marvin and JC2, Bibby, Teague and Josh Powell also were at today’s run. So were free agent vets Stackhouse and Anthony Johnson.
Follow me on Twitter @ajchawks.
MC
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509 comments Add your comment
Grandad
September 23rd, 2010
12:46 pm
2 FOR JOHN DREW
A pleasure to entertain.
JD could really score (I also heard he once had an assist)!
I feel bad for him, the way things turned out.
drmaryb (*_*)
September 23rd, 2010
12:56 pm
Square Pegs in Round Holes!
Ken Strickland
Your last post raises some serious questions in So. Beach.
How will the roles be defined for the big three?
Who will do what and when?
Will they start out tentative and with checked egos?
Will they Hustle and Flow?
A lot of intangible questions to ponder.
How long before Pat Riley swoops in?
Or, has he already swooped in by controlling Spolestra?
Grandad
September 23rd, 2010
1:00 pm
Mary Ellen
About D.Howard -&- concerning your thought:
“Go at him hard and make him foul you”
in addition;
with motion offense he cannot camp out in the middle
and be a goal-tender. He will be chasin’ folks around.
No matter who he’s gaurding, LD will have them moving
on the perimeter. Even if it’s Al or Josh
(setting -&- slipping screens and what-not). He will be
constantly moving, therefore unable to guard the lane as
he did a year ago.
drmaryb (*_*)
September 23rd, 2010
1:15 pm
Grand-Daddy
What happened to John Drew? I had some comments re:
his game, but the blog monster ate 4 long posts?
drmaryb (*_*)
September 23rd, 2010
1:21 pm
2 Live Stews!
Word on the Street!
Philly looking to trade Kevin Kolb!
Vick named Starter or rest of the year!
Happy for Michael. Instead of killing dogs – he’s killing defenses!
Great Turn Around! Now, if he can just stay away from clubs
and knuckle-heads. That includes Marcus Vick!
Macaroni Tony
September 23rd, 2010
1:23 pm
the Hawks has three plays in the top ten plays of the year
http://hangtime.blogs.nba.com/2010/09/23/doesnt-get-any-better/?ls=iref:nbahpt1
drmaryb (*_*)
September 23rd, 2010
1:25 pm
Grand-Daddy
I like the sound of movement a lot!
Never saw that here in Atlanta, I did see exceptional ball
movement in the first 13 games last season!
What happened to that?
2 FOR JOHN DREW
September 23rd, 2010
1:25 pm
drmaryb
He ( John Drew ) drives a cab in Houston, Tx.
drmaryb (*_*)
September 23rd, 2010
1:31 pm
I Give up!
All my posts are eaten alive .. I was just sayin,
2 Live Stews sayin’ – Word on the Street is The Eagles paid Kevin Kolb was paid
12M and now he is on the trading block? Vick named starter for rest of year.
Great turn around for Vick … Instead of killing dogs, he’s killing defenses.
TNow, if he can stay out of Night Clubs and Knuckle Heads (Marcus Vick) included.
vava74
September 23rd, 2010
1:35 pm
Sautee,
Add up one FACT: Brook Lopez’s numbers were significantly padded in garbage time with Al resting after big leads.
Brook is remarkable talent but TODAY he is nowhere nearly as effective as Al is due to his almost complete lack of D.
The Truth
September 23rd, 2010
1:36 pm
Ken regarding this:
“TRUTH-in your lineup scenario, if Lebron plays SG, who plays SF in that lineup? With 3 high average scorers and high volume shooters in Miami’s starting lineup, they will certainly need a pass first high assist PG to distribute the ball and run the OFF. Who is that PG?”
I would speculate that their normal lineup would be:
Chalmers – PG
Wade – SG
James – SF
Bosh – PF
Dampier – C
Then for substitutions:
Miller spells Wade
Haslem spells Bosh
Jones spells James
Big Z (or other backup centers) spells Dampier
If Lebron plays SG while Wade is at PG then James Jones plays SF
drmaryb (*_*)
September 23rd, 2010
1:39 pm
G-Daddy!
Wow! Shouldn’t the NBA have a retirement or endowment
Fund to take care of the former greats?
Like an SSI fund, to address poverty and brotherhood?
These young guys are making way too much money for this
to happen. What about giving the Fine Monies to a Players
Charity Fund? Something should be addressed by the
Players Union!
SteveW
September 23rd, 2010
1:46 pm
Fundamentals – I have never under any circumstances suggested trading Al or Smoove straight up for ‘Melo. Wouldn’t do it. And definitely wouldn’t include them as part of a package, if I’m not willing to go straight up on a deal. Just wanted to clarify. If Jamal wants out, I don’t mind he and Marvin getting traded for ‘Melo, but not Al or Smoove, no way.
Grandad – attacking Howard is the perfect way to approach him. He fouls, and you get him off the court. I agree wholeheartedly. Remember how Hugh Durham used to beat Shaq at LSU? He made his players kamikaze Shaq on Offense, till Shaq got in foul trouble. Then the Dawgs would beat LSU in an upset – really just great coaching.
KenS – The Heat are talking about running DWade at PG in some circumstances and I think Juwan Howard would be the SF on that circumstance. Or James Jones. Look back at some of my other blogposts on the horrible bench I think the Heat have. But Damp will help them, and may even be what gets them past the Celts and Lakers. i think the Heat may win 75 games, but like Cleveland at 66 wins, I don’t think they’re built for teams with strong PG/Inside play. Bynum, Gasol, and Odom will eat Bosh and Co. alive inside. And Artest and Barnes guarding LeBron will punish him – the best combination you can throw at LeBron in my opinion. Artest, big and physical followed up by quick and tough Matt Barnes. And Kobe can still handle DWade as well as most anyone in the League. Lakers in 7 if Bynum’s healthy – and that’s if the Heat get by the Celts, which I doubt.
vava74
September 23rd, 2010
1:54 pm
The Truth,
I actually think that Riley will go for the grand slam and use Lebron as a Magic redux…
None of his PGs is good enough to drive that car and if goes with Lebron, Wade, Miller, Bosh and Dampier he will have a heck of a line up offensively.
Then he could round up the rotation with Z (C) and Haslem (PF), Jones (SF) and Chalmers (PG) and Arroyo (undersized SG).
Since a rotation of 9 players is more than enough, I think that this big line up approach could be very successful for them, in particular in the playoffs.
SteveW
September 23rd, 2010
1:57 pm
I think Dwight kills the Hawks worse on Offense, rather than on Defense. Why? We don’t have a starter that can handle Dwight 1 on 1 – he’s too big, strong, physical and athletic. So we have to send someone down to help Al in the paint to double Dwight. Then he looks for the open man – and that’s why ORL has surrounded Dwight with shooters. They then have open looks all day. And with Jameer able to blow past Bibby at will, just another weapon they use to kill us. We don’t match up well with them at all. And the playoffs are all about match-ups. That’s why it is said that bigger C’s tend to bother Dwight. He can be played one on one, and it really crimps ORL’s style.
And don’t think the Bucks aren’t taking a cue from ORL. Bogut on the inside – and he was a beast last year, say what you want – kicking it out to Salmone, Redd, and Maggette will be a fierce combination. And with Jennings blowing past people, well, they got a good squad regardless of what we Hawk fans want to believe. If Bogut comes back healthy that is. Hadn’t the Bucks won like 12 in a row or something before Bogut was hurt? Their a good team, and better this year. And I know, they need to play defense, but Bogut can make up for alot of mistakes. Over 2.5 blocks per game last year.
SteveW
September 23rd, 2010
2:02 pm
I do hate to see the Heat get Damp, unless we get Butler. The Heat has enough talent. That Riley is driven to win however. I would much rather see the Knicks or Nets offer Damp 5m per and let him go there. ATL is going to have a difficult enough time with the Heat without Damp.
Hmmm
September 23rd, 2010
2:03 pm
J-Smoove just did an NBA 2K Commercial. I thik his acting skills have improved.
Hmmm
September 23rd, 2010
2:04 pm
http://hawksbasketblog.com/2010/09/17/smoove-lines/
^ Here it is
vava74
September 23rd, 2010
2:04 pm
SteveW,
The Celts got one year older;
Lost their defensive strategist Thibodeau;
Lost Tony Allen (underrated defensive dynamo off the bench);
Lost ‘Sheed’s last remnants of interior D;
And will have Perkins probably only at about 70% of his ability come playoff time.
Added Shaq, a notorious coaster and in constant bad shape, poor screen and roll defender, poor interior defender;
Added Delonte West, an accident waiting to happen involving either guns or moms or both;
Added Jermaine O’Neill a guy who not only is on his last wheels but also is not known to be humble enough to play a diminished role with an happy face.
I say: 45/50 wins, second round exit.
The Truth
September 23rd, 2010
2:05 pm
vava74
Good point, with Lebron on that team in a “point” Lebron lineup. That could be extremely effective with Wade as the SG. Better yet, they could toggle PG duties between both of them from set-to-set.
Mz. Hawkdafied
September 23rd, 2010
2:12 pm
2009-2010 already happened. It’s all about what’s happening in 2010-2011. Can’t change what happened then. Lets move on into the new season.
Go Hawks!
SteveW
September 23rd, 2010
2:19 pm
Vava74 – I see 45 or so wins, and they become beasts at playoff time, just like last year. KG is another year removed from knee surgery. PP plays LeBron as well as anybody I’ve seen. Ray Allen keeps himself in great shape. Rondo has improved every year. ‘Sheed for Shaq and Jermaine? I like Sheed, but I’ll take the 2 for 1 deal in this case. And dont be surprised if Sheed doesn’t unretire before the trade deadline. I see it just like last year – underwhelming regular season for the Celts, beasts in the playoffs.
I understand you points, but we’ll see. I think this is probably the Celts last run however. And I think the Lakers have 2 more in the tank.
JSS
September 23rd, 2010
2:21 pm
@ DrMaryb…
The NBA retirement fund has been a point of contention since its (NBAPA) formation. Go back and see Lenny Wilkins and Oscar Robertson’s comments from the mid 90’s on the matter. Bob Lanier certainly tried to address it. Look, it is not just the NBA, the NLRB has been on the professional sports leagues and their unions for years for underfunding not just the pension but the long term care instruments. It will be one of the things that will drive the next league contract.
Hmmm
September 23rd, 2010
2:25 pm
Who’s ready for a 57 win season? It’s only logical with the upward trend over the past six season, not to mention that this is the best roser we’ve ever had (even though that may not be saying much). We also have a compotent coach now. Things are looking up.
JC1 should be ashamed, not coming to informal workouts n’ stuff….whatever. I hope he doesn’t come back with an attitude. That would be really ungrateful. We practicaly resurrected the mans career and took away the negative LOSER stigma that was attached to his name. I’m just stating the facts…
SteveW
September 23rd, 2010
2:25 pm
Man the consensus around the sports universe is that this Dampier signing makes the Heat much stronger, but may create chemistry issues in the locker room. Where does Z play? When? How about Anthony? Penciled in as starter, now off the bench competing with playing time with Z. You know Bosh and Haslem will be getting all the minutes at PF, so C – 48 minutes per night, and you have 3 guys used to starting to split the minutes up. Interesting. Sure hope we get Butler out of this.
SteveW
September 23rd, 2010
2:26 pm
Also, Bosh and Haslem may play some 5 reducing the minutes even more.
Hmmm
September 23rd, 2010
2:27 pm
“In honor of his shooting percentage, she should get 36% of his money.”
Hahahaha!
JSS
September 23rd, 2010
2:29 pm
By the way, if you were a player prior to the 1965 contract. You are not in the NBA for 10 years, you were pretty much screwed…
http://www.apbr.org/labor.html
This might give you some background… And no one ever anticipated the hyper inflation of the 1970’s. So the pension was pretty much swallowed up…
Hmmm
September 23rd, 2010
2:34 pm
Let’s be realistic here, were the Hawks looking at DeSean Butler in the first place? I didn’t hear anything. Just don’t get your hopes up, Ricky Rick has already said he’s finished adding to the roster and will stand pat at 14….and I don’t see rick trading Jamal unless it’s for someone who will make us significantly better. Weather it’s now or next summer, I think Jamal will still sign with us. Joe needed a scoring sideckick, Sund knows this.
That’s just the realist in me. Personally, i’d love to add Butler to our roster. If Rick does add Butler then it probably means either Mo or Bibbly will get shipped (we all know how I Feel about that ^_^)
dukester
September 23rd, 2010
2:49 pm
What I dont understand is why some on this blog are trying to speak on “how they think Marvin will be under this new offense”. Man for get Marvin!! Carmelo Anthony is available!!! All 270 post should be putting pressure on ASG Rick Sund and Larry Drew to push for Carmelo man!! If we all stand together for whats best we might be heard. And Cunningham whether you know it or not you should be writing an article about how smart that would be if we package Marvin, Jamal, and some picks to try and land this guy. Atlanta would be the most feared and exciting team in the league man!! And yall wonder why Atlanta teams fall short all the time. My last point ASG go and ask Arther Blank how it feels to have a sold out stadium just by adding one player to your roster. And we all know he that player was!!
dukester
September 23rd, 2010
2:54 pm
YES I AM MAD!!! Were sitting up here blogging about the 10-14th player on this team when one of the top 5 players in this league could be had and no one from ASG has made it known they want to at least throw their hat in the ring!! Man Dampier will not get us a ring. Nor will this team as it is contstructed. If the Hawks dont make a move on Carmelo they dont deserve to have fans in the seats this year. They wont get a dime from me if they dont i will watch the games at home. My son is 14 years old he has no pride in hardly of the atlanta teams except maybe the Braves but he was too little to know when they went to the world series. Come on man step up!!
drmaryb (*_*)
September 23rd, 2010
2:55 pm
JSS
I sure hope so! IDK much about it or the “State of the Union”
But, when you have an ELITE ORGANIZATION that only
has 400 Jobs. That is special! A Country Club Atmosphere.
Membership MUST have privileges. How can these kids not
be a student of the Game and respect the men, that paved the
way and laid the foundation for their current salaries?
How can you not give back? It should be a requirement based
on a percentage of salaries that every player pays into. It will
also be there for them, should they need assistance.
It is the right thing to do! How many Boys & Girls Clubs can you
Fund? Those kids need time anyway, moreso than money!
I’m appalled that this is going on in 2010!
smh!
SteveW
September 23rd, 2010
2:55 pm
Nah, no talk about us getting De’Sean except here. Just hoping, that’s all. As a Hawks fan, you learn to hope alot. And I won’t hold my breath on 57 wins. The East is much better than last year. I do see a fast start, maybe 19-1. Others have suggested 14-4. But then the schedule gets tougher. I went game by game with games I felt we should win, and came up with 58. My gut tells me 46 wins, 36 losses, but tougher in the playoffs.
Melvin
September 23rd, 2010
3:00 pm
dukester, I feel your pain as well…
I think the Honrnets are going to regret trading Brackins. Especially if he can shoot the ball when the big lights come on like he did in this past summer league…
GeeMack
September 23rd, 2010
3:01 pm
SteveW & Ken
You guys are really reaching to identify the problems with the Heat.
If the Heat start Big-Z and Marion Chalmers both player are capable of being solid starter.
Big Z can still give 10 to 11ppg & 7 to 8 reb a night. When you have LBJ, D-Wade, & CB that’s all you need out of the center position.
Remember Chalmers was top 5 in the league in steal in 08-09. I I’m not mistaken, I think he had a game where he 8 to 10 steal in 1 game that season.
The bench for the Heat will be just as good has any with Carlos Arroyo, James Jones, Mike Miller, Haslem, and/or (Anthony, Magloire, or Howard). That’s a solid bench.
Will the Hawks bench be better? Sure. However it’s as big a difference as we think.
Wade and James are 2 of the most intelligent and unselfish players in the league they will make sure this team jells quickly, and avoid any ego traps.
Hmmm
September 23rd, 2010
3:06 pm
SteveW , I with you on that one. It’d be tough to see us fall back into the 40’s as far as win totals are concernd but if that means a deeper more succesful playoff run then i’m all for it. Personally, with teams like LAC, MEM, and maybe even WAS or DET getting healthy, we may see less wins for all teams accross thoe board, but better competition. That’d be nice.
JSS
September 23rd, 2010
3:14 pm
@ DMB…
I thought I remembered but I wanted to double check…
http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=2769817
Astro Joe
September 23rd, 2010
3:23 pm
Dr. Mary, one thing about the way the Bobcats played Howard… they have a collection of “expendable” bigs to batter and eventually foul out against Howard. Horford is clearly NOT expendable, we can’t afford to have him on the bench in foul trouble. But Zaza, Collins and now Etan do fall in the same category as Diop, Nazr & Theo (from last year). Now, all of that is not to say that I am of the opinion that beating the Magic revolves around defending Howard, because I am NOT. Beating the Magic is all about putting up points against the Magic. And I can see how a motion offense would keep the reigning DPOY off balance and limit his effectiveness.
2 FOR JOHN DREW
September 23rd, 2010
3:27 pm
DMB/GD
You guys are great … Keep bloggin’ & I’ll keep reading !!!!!!
KevinM
September 23rd, 2010
4:42 pm
Grandad, why did you leave Bosh off the Heat frontline? That doesn’t do anything for your argument that the Heat is old and older should Dampier sign. If he signs, it will only help them as opposed to hinder them. The C position gets more ammunition and less wear and tear. It works well for them and makes their frontline even better than the one Sund has put together.
Vava, “I say: 45/50 wins, second round exit”…..you forgot to tell us who is going to beat them in the 2nd round. Are you saying that LD gets 4 2nd round wins out of this lineup? Is it Miami, who is supposed to be everyone while not impressing anyone (especially here). How about Orlando, who is supposed to get to the EC finals this year minimum?
I see Boston as only improving this offseason, despite how little it appears to others. Look at the 2nd line:
-Jermaine Jackson of the O’Neals on this roster….Shaq being the headliner.
-Big Baby
-Nate Williams
-Delonte West
-Kendrick Perkins, because he will be back by the time the playoffs come around.
-Avery Bradley and Luke Harongody.
That’s not a bad balance of talent and one I would say is better than our 2nd line. (Teague/JC1/Zaza/Mo/Powell? and JC2 and Sy as rookies) Wow….
For someone who wanted DeSean Butler as a threat to Marvin……what does that tell most of us here who are not fooled by a hope of a renewed Marvin. Fans here are asking for anything based on what we currently have at SF. Smoove may get more minutes than we imagined.
Should Teague step up and claim the starting role, that just about kills any effectiveness of Bibby coming off the bench. Exactly what does he bring to the bench that lifts us? Is he going to be the mentor to the 2nd unit? Bibby’s value dies as well.
On the Anthony trials……sounds like Avery wants to keep Favors and will not be considered in any trade proposal. There go the Nets being favorites, althought we def have nothing to offer the Nuggets with what they are looking for: young talent and good draft picks. We don’t have enough of either.
I see the Birds rights could be on their way out come the next CBA agreement. Then Joe becomes the the last player to take the max offer should Anthony not get that deal? It will cost us quite a bit going forward with any flexibility.
wordsmithtom
September 23rd, 2010
4:51 pm
Astro Joe,
Horf wants some 4 action. Against Orlando, why not throw Zaza, Collins and Etan at Howard, a la “Hack a Shaq” and let Horf shoot his midrange from the 4 spot. Foul out 3 guys….who cares, we still have Powell to fill in at 4 and let Horf finish the game at 5. Marvin could even throw in some time at the 5 against Orlando. What we did last year obviously didn’t work….time for something new. Hack a Howard…..we have the guys who can do it…use em.
MsDee
September 23rd, 2010
4:51 pm
Dukester,
Who says that Sund isn’t or haven’t been trying to make offers to these top players wanting out of their current teams?? Only Joe Johnson has been a (some what supa-star) who decided to join us. We have to 1st prove to ourselves that we are worthy of some top players to come our way. YES, we won 53 games last season & YES we finished 3rd in the REGULAR SEASON, but we stunk it up in the playoffs. No one will respect us having games like that, and I will forever blame Woodson cause he NEVER and I mean NEVER MADE ANY ADJUSTMENTS!! Everyone and their grandma knew the Hawks switched at every position on DEF and only had ONE go-to OFFense and that was ISO JOE, but he never changed or at least tried to fool the opponent, why oh why??
Let’s not be too quick to blame Sund for not being able to land top players such as Carmelo here after last season performance. Maybe his name isnt being mention like other GM’s are because maybe the agents of the players IMMEDIATELY returns Sund’s message with a, “WE ARE NOT INTERESTED, BUT THANKS THO”!
drmaryb (*_*)
September 23rd, 2010
4:59 pm
JSS
Thanks for the old-timers link, that was a good read.
2 for John Drew
You are hilarious my friend. Well, I gotta’ go now. Later Yall!
Astro Joe
September 23rd, 2010
5:23 pm
wstom… I’m fairly sure that when Horford asked for center help during the off-season, he meant when facing guys like Howard (as opposed to someone like Bargnani). I suspect that Drew will try the path that you suggested, although having Horford chase around Rashard Lewis is not exactly an ideal scenario either. They are, no doubt, a tough match-up.
SteveW
September 23rd, 2010
5:24 pm
GeeMack – I have a difficult time seeing how predicting the Heat may win 75 games is looking for fault with them. All I know is if the Hawks were trotting out Arroyo and Chalmers as our PG’s, we would be howling for blood. Most of these fans already think Teague and Bibby stink basically, but we’ll see how they stack with Arroyo, Chalmers, and House.
Let’s day the Heat sign Damp. He will be their starter and best C. Is Al better than Damp? Yes. By a lot. Some other examples: James Jones versus Mo’ – Mo’ wins. Miller versus Jamal – Jamal wins. The Heat barring injury will be a great team, but not unbeatable in the playoffs by a long shot.
And 1 more team that may give them fits – Dallas. Haywood and Chandler will dominate inside, and they have no answer for Jason Kidd.
I can see the Magic with Howard and Jameer playing the Heat tough also.
SteveW
September 23rd, 2010
5:31 pm
Don’t get me wrong. The Heat barring injury or something will be a great team, even better by signing Dampier. I’m just saying don’t mail them the crown yet, that’s why they play season. And Riley must be concerned also, or else he wouldn’t be signing Dampier. Anybody can look at their roster and see PG is atrocious, C is ok now that they appear to be signing Damp, and bench play after Miller and Haslem is suspect at best.
SteveW
September 23rd, 2010
5:32 pm
Enter your comments here
jason
September 23rd, 2010
5:51 pm
i say we trade mo evans for cash and sign jerry stackhouse
KevinM
September 23rd, 2010
5:57 pm
“MsDee
September 23rd, 2010
4:51 pm
Dukester,
Who says that Sund isn’t or haven’t been trying to make offers to these top players wanting out of their current teams?? ”
MsDee, Sund himself told everyone he is not in the running for any elite FA. That could mean a couple of things:
1) He isn’t going to try and outbid or win over anyone
2) He is completely satisfied with the roster.
It could mean he isnt’ opposed to bringing in other players, but the track record speaks for itself when he has been the GM. Being at this job for what, 30 years, you tend to develop and pattern.
I never expect anything substantial to impact the current core, but it would be nice if a Dominique type transaction could happen to bring in more help.
Rev in Tampa
September 23rd, 2010
5:59 pm
Macaroni Tony, thanks for the top 10 plays link. I really enjoyed it. I’m ready for the season to begin!