Atlanta Hawks: How Rick Sund sees them

clueless.

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Key word we operate under the tax. The ASG just wants a team that is entertaining but they are so stupid that they have even messed that up by hiring that career backup in Larry Drew. This whole franchise is a fraud if you want championships like I do. Hopefully, I get rich soon and by this team

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Look, I don’t care how may scrubs and draft picks we have to give up to get ‘Melo, BUT WE SHOULD DO IT! Mo, Bibby, Marvin, ZAZA, & a 1st and two 2nds should seal the deal. How do u pass that up? It’s Carmelo. Maybe we replace Jamal with Mo but either way i’d do this deal. We wouldn’t have trouble with Orlando or anyone else for that matter anymore.

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We need to shake something up. FAST. That Orlando beatdown is going to look the same throuoghout the season.

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Hey, and now we’ve got the Heat with LeBron, Bosh, and Wade to deal with. We went 1-3 against Miami last year, so I guess we can’t do much worse, right?

45 wins. That’s where this Hawks team should be. A firm non-contender in the East. It’s like Smitty, Deke, and Mookie walked back through that door.

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From the last blog:

Ramon,

Nice try. Really.

About this: “When a person states that someone said anything without quotation, they’re giving a general translation of what the individual said.”

Try to find one of your definitions of “states” that covers “general translation”.

You won’t find it.

If you admit that what you said was a “general translation” of Horford’s words then I’ll let this go.

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Any of you seen ESPN The Magazine, yet? Their NBA Preview issue, teaming with Marvel Comics. Each team is portrayed by a Marvel super hero. The Hawks are shown with the Marvel hero Hawkeye (I know jack sh#t about Hawkeye).

Hawkeye is standing behind Joe Johnson. In front of Joe is a a target with the NBA Championship trophy in the center. There are about 6 arrows in the target, but all have missed the trophy. The headline says “Arrow Don’t Lie”. Joe tells Hawkeye that he could care less that Hawkeye is there (not really, but would have been a nice touch by The Magazine).

They pick the Hawks 6th in the East. Bucks and Bulls are 4th and 5th. You can guess who was 1, 2, 3.

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SCRUBS FOR STUDS!

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The Hawks will be better…

The Hawks will be better with one simple move that LD has already stated will happen….Teague will get the bulk of the minutes a PG or Better stated, Bibby’s minutes will be reduced.

NO team in the NBA that won 50 games last year made BIG changes… A negative outlooks causes so many of you to forget that obvious fact.

Talent wins in the regular season and coaching wins in the playoffs, that is why Woodson was fired. We had and still have the TALENT that won 53 games. Also, their is only one Orlando Magic team in the NBA, SO PLEASE STOP GIVING THE MAGIC’S CREDIT TO EVERY OTHER TEAM IN THE LEAGUE.

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Rufus1, Good Point

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Sund just needs to cut all of the cute talk and trade for CARMELO.

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True,but ownership had to be willing to do what it takes if you have the goal of being elite,Dampier only wants 2 mill a year….use some of that money u got for selling that second round pick or giving Josh Chilldress away and SIGN HIM!

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,” Sund said. “Now what I do is I take the record of all the final four in one conference and the others and see how you do against each other. It’s a great barometer because you play 20 games against [common] opponents.”

A great barometer to determine what? According to Sund, the world champion Lakers would be the weakest elite team at 10-10. The Hawks were 11-9. So the Hawks > the Lakers? No figure

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^2010-11 Champs right there ^_^

Please dont ruin my happiness with a reality check, Thanks.

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Sund is right: The Hawks are an elite team. One of the 8 best in the entire NBA. The problem is that we didn’t make the necessary moves in order to move from THE VERY BOTTOM OF THE ELITE to a CHAMPIONSHIP CONTENDER.

And I said it on the last blog, I don’t think we necessarily need to mess with our core to become a CHAMPIONSHIP CONTENDER. Assuming Teague comes into his own this year, our starting 5 will be one of the best starting 5 in the league. Our problem is our depth. Once you get past Jamal, we don’t have championship-caliber role-players coming off the bench.

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Rick is kidding himself, and he knows it.

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J from the A,

I agree our bench is weak, but….

Are Jordan Farmar, Luke Walton and Sasha Vujacic “championship-caliber” role players, or were they lucky enough to be on Kobe’s team?

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Why do so many people spend their lives on this blog complaining? Yes Rick Sund is ostly concerned with the bottom line.

But here is a catch 22 for you: no one goes to the game if it’s not a good team, but if no one comes to the games, there is no return on investment for going into the tax.

HAWKS RANKED 18th IN THE NBA IN ATTENDANCE LAST YEAR! If you spend the dough on seasontickets and want to bitch about the team fine. But if you don’t go to games and you still sit on here complaining, you have no life.

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I think I hear a bucket of WHINE!

Sund is correct, this is an elite team….once Teague takes over point, you’ll see. We got pantzed by Orlando in playoffs leaving a bad feeling in everybody’s mouth. So, fast forward, new season and we’re having injuries slow development of new coach’s system. These things always take time to develop. It’s going to be ok, folks. And that’s NOT cool aide. Too much whine…….

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That should have been no you dont break your core up to soon.

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@Sautee: The Lakers are one of the few teams that have/had a better starting 5 than us. And, arguably, Farmar, Walton, and Vujacic were a better 7, 8, and 9, then were are 7, 8, 9 …

I also pointed out on the last blog that I am not saying that every team that is better than us has a deeper bench nor am I saying the only way to build a championship caliber team is by having a deep bench. What I am saying is that for THIS HAWKS team, the most realistic way for them to become a CONTENDER is by making meaningful improvement at the middle of the line up. (I mean we are not going to be able to trade a bunch of scrubs for Melo or CP3 or even some quality semi-star. However, we do have (did have) the resources to improve the middle of the line up. That’s where real change COULD HAVE ACTUALLY HAPPENED, and I think this change would have made a noticeable difference.)

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@Sautee: Glad to know we (mostly) agree

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So all Sund looks at is W-L record against the other 7 teams? So he doesnt even look at whether a team has injured players or not?

Or if its the second game of a back to back? or if its the last game of the season when not everybody plays?

And for the record, Rick, I know its a business, but fans would prefer to be over the luxury tax, with better talent, and/or better depth.

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Rick Sund and the ASG are garbage they are worried about luxury tax instead of the quality of product on floor. The Hawks will not have 10,000 fans opening night at the Lowlight Factory.

The Hawks are officially LOTTOSTUDS

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There are always tickets for poor products. I will watch and laugh as 5,000 people show up 2morrow night in the preseason game

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Does sund factor in the intangibles to those wins and loses?

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Yeah we beat elite teams in the regular season. We swept boston but look how they fared last year.

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Even if the Hawks are in lottery they screw that as well there has got to be something were we can throw ASG out .

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* correction: Billy said, Belkin was trying to operate on the Cheap, by suing to block that Joe for Boris + 1st Round trade … Sorry, don’t want Sautee to get me!

I’ll never win that fight! He He He … (see Ramon)

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Ryan

We have too much talent to see the lottery.
Forget about it! Who wants to go back to winning 13 games!

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EVERY THING IS OK, THE HAWKS NUMBER 1 DRAFT PICK NEXT YEAR IS MJ, o my bad that’s 1984.
GO HAWKS!!!!!!!

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My hawks prediction 37 wins 45 loss.
GO HAWKS!!!!!!!!!!

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Look like the Hawks got rid of the three stiffs at the end of bench…

http://www.nba.com/hawks/news/Transactions_102010.html

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Dallas is playing Orlando fine, tied at 45 at the half. Tyson Chandler hasn’t had any probs with Dwight and he can finish on him

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It sucks that other teams got better and we just stood pat, but reaistically there wasn’t much we could do. There are only so many “great” players in the NBA and we don’t have one. But Joe Johnson is in the next tier (even though being paid like top 5) and Josh Smith has the talent to be in that second tier. A good coach with a solid game plan and a leader at the point guard spot could do wonders for this team. We’ll see what happens…

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A White Christmas!

Like Cedric the Entertainer said:
“Well folks, looks like it’s gonna’ be another White Christmas.”

That’s where the poor kids dream of ginger bread and sugar plums, only to receive last years toys re-wrapped & cookies and milk. Mamma and Daddy, both got laid off again for the 10th time this year.

Oh well … It sux being me. (LOL!)

Who does Slick-Rick think he’s dealing with?
We are not the gullible fans, who can’t read or write.

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listening to the orlando commentators once again on NBA tv makes me wanna die

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Rick Sund has left a trail of bad judgment and flaws strategies in his previous tenures as GM and has never won a championship. Google worst NBA GMs of all time and his name is a main stay.

The demise of this team which was headed in the right direction is directly attributed to SUND!

Fire Sund now!

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I’m watching Orlando play Dallas since I get all the Orlando games in my market. They are making Dallas look worse than the score would indicate (Orlando is up by 11). But what is remarkable is that the Magic have so far sold out all of their PRESEASON games!!!

Orlando plays Miami in Tampa next week. I’m hoping they are already sold out in Tampa as well because I don’t have the money to go, but am very tempted.

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Man I’m sick of all this talk. Everything NBA related is starting to sound like Charlie Brown’s teacher.

Whatever to all this chatter. Let the actual season speak for itself. May the best team win.

Go Hawks!

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someone give me a Hawks ticket so I can whip my arse with it

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To his credit, Horford has the frame to put on shoulder muscles
like Dwight. He should be in the lab.

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I’m convinced that the Hawks are a lottery team and I will say it now Perry Jones is our guy, he is a 6″10.5 SF he is a mixture of TMac, Anthony Randolph, and Durant. Still leaves us with no C, but I would rather have a Durant/TMac in his prime than Oden.

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” I would rather have a Durant/TMac in his prime than Oden.”

So would Portland.

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If Portland had hired the Tea Party to check Oden’s Birth Certificate?

They woulda known he was from Kenya, is Muslim and was born in 1941.
Their obvious pick woulda been Durant.
“The Curse of the Lottery”, strikes yet again.

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…. And, he “Pals with Terrorists.”

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“Section 303, LOL true, but by giving up carmelo the Nugetts are essentally waiving the white “we’re going to rebuild now” flag. They also get Jamal, Mo, JR Smith, and Kenyon Martin off the books the following season so they will be under the cap. We can throw in some draft picks as well so their fans won’t cry too loudly.”

Yeah, but they don’t get Marvin off the books. They are stuck with his underachieving azz for 4 years. That is the real deal breaker in that deal. It would be fantastic for the Hawks, but no way the Nuggets go for it.

Even with the much more plausible trade posted on the previous blog, where Horford + trash went to the Nuggets for Melo and Nene, the inclusion of Marvin would probably break the deal from Denver’s point of view. I honestly don’t think any team would be willing to take on Marvin unless they were going to give up an equally overpaid underachiever or a locker room cancer.

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That’s fine for the casual fine, but for the die-hard, I didn’t re-up my season tickets. Why? Why should I? You didn’t do anything different, therefore, why would the outcomes be any different? You’re still not a contender, didn’t add significant BIGS, Boston did, and you still can’t compete with Orlando. Miami added Lebron, Wizards are back, Bobcats deeper – Hawks still the same… boring.

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ONLY trade for melo if he signs an extension. Give up AL Horford, Jamal crawford, and a #1 for
Melo and Nene. That’s the only way the Nuggets would possibly deal with the Hawks.
Nene can guard any “5″ in the Eastern conference.

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Question Person or Questionself

northcyde

Who is the consistent factor in all of this? Not Billy, Woody, Sund, or Larry. The consistent factor in all of this is The ASG

Fire Sund?

Fire the ASG, but please keep the team in Atlanta!

Let us not fight the symptoms, but the causes.

Najeh Davenpoop

Get ready to jump on that Marvin bandwagon around All star time

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“Najeh Davenpoop

Get ready to jump on that Marvin bandwagon around All star time”

I’ve been waiting to jump on it for five years. Let’s see if Marvin finally gives me a good reason.

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““Fans may not understand and media certainly wouldn’t understand because they like the hype of all the moves in the summer,” he said. “But when you look at our club, we’ve got a pretty damn good club and a good nucleus given that we [operate] under the luxury tax.””

This sums up the Hawks fan experience in a nutshell. The owners refuse to spend the kind of money to make the team a contender, and the GM glosses over his numerous personnel miscalculations — like the trifecta of bad contracts from the summer of 2009 — by blaming the owners’ unwillingness to spend.

Fire Sund and fire the DASG.

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Najeh, northcyde,

Rick Sund is just a puppet for the ASG.

The irony is the Hawks will probably be 10th in the league in payroll, but with no major personnel moves or upgrades, why should fans get excited?

Plus, we are also dealing with a grumpy Jamal. I will not be surprised if Jamal gets banged up this year.

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more encouraging bits from coach:

“im a firm believer in making the corrections and moving on”

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smh, what hppend to my request that no one gives me a reality check? lol

MC should take this blog post down. Sund just basically confessed to a crime. Reaping the benefits of the fans $$$ while not working to put the best product on the floor (staying under the luxury tax). It’s just sickening. Gearon Jr. is a liar. He said he would go over the tax if it was for the right player…well what is Carmelo?

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http://games.espn.go.com/nba/tradeMachine

NOW THAT A TRADE !!

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TRUTHSPITTER-wasn’t your beloved Woody a career assistant before the Hawks hired him as well? There are only so many ways to make the same lame point, and after a certain period of time you become contradictory and stop making sense. YOU’VE DEFINITELY REACHED THAT POINT!

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Anyone that knows NBA basketball knows coaching becomes a much bigger issue in the playoffs. Under Woodson, the Hawks improved in wins each of the last 5yrs. Yet, over the last 2yrs, as the team improved its regular season win totals, the team’s ability to even be competitive against Cleveland and Orlando, the 2 teams that stood in their way of getting out of the 2nd rd, they regressed badly.

You WOODY LOVERS keep talking about wanting the team to become a championship calibur team, and that Sund made a mistake by not keeping Woodson. But with the teams embarrassing and record setting1st and 2nd rd playoff futility over the last 2yrs, HOW IN THE HELL COULD THE TEAM HAVE IMPROVED ITS PREVIOUS PERFORMANCES WITH HIM DOING WHAT HE’S DONE BEST DURING THE PLAYOFFS, WHICH IS ABSOLUTELY NOTHING?

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Home wins of the East playoff teams

CLE – 35
ATL – 34
ORL – 34
CHA – 31

MIL – 28
MIA – 24
CHI – 24
BOS – 24

Road wins of the East playoff teams

BOS – 26
CLE – 26
ORL – 25
MIA – 23

ATL – 19
MIL – 18
CHI – 17
CHA – 13

Does anyone see the difference?

Not that winning at home doesn’t matter, but in the playoffs, your most dangerous teams are going to be those that know how to win on the road. And they’re able to win on the road, because they play D-E-F-E-N-S-E.

This is what your dumb a** apparantely doesn’t understand. If you construct a team that can defend, they’ll win more on the road. And if they win more on the road, the better chance they’ll have to advance in the playoffs.

We were a good team last year, not an elite one.

Boston struggled at home ( because of injuries ) during January and February, which is why they only won 24 home games. But because they defend well, and don’t panic, they posted the 2nd best road record in the NBA ( Dallas was tops at 27 wins ).

Unlike Dallas, who isn’t a mentally tough team, Boston was able to win both at home and on the road during the playoffs. Even when they dropped early home games, that team knew it could get it back on the road.

By Sund’s definition, the Denver Nuggets should’ve been an elite team. But Denver was the ONLY West team to not win 21 or more games on the road. In fact, Denver was Atlanta East.

* 53 – 29 record
* 34 home wins
* 19 road wins
* 14 – 10 record vs Sund’s top 8

Yet, they get bounced in the 1st round because Utah was a far more mentally tough team than they were. Once they lost a game at home, they didn’t have the mental toughness to get it back on track.

The Hawks were very lucky that we drew Milwaukee, and not Miami in Round 1. Miami had the mental toughness and the defense to take us out.

We are 2 – 11 on the road in the playoffs, with 9 of the 11 games being blowouts. And I bet our great GM doesn’t have the slightest idea of why that is, despite his Chante Moore “It’s Alright” stance on things.

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Still smdh@Sund. I didn’t know making the playoffs meant you’re an elite team. Didn’t we make the playoffs a few years ago and didn’t even win 40 games? Does that mean the Hawks were elite even if they couldn’t break .500 for the season?. Is it too much to ask that Hawks fans had owners who spent money and a competent GM?. Being a Hawks fan is hard as hell.

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The Palm Beach Post
jmusgrave@pbpost.com

Posted:  10/19/2010 2:04 PM   

Five members of a Wellington family who were arrested at the Mall at Wellington Green in December 2007 over what started as a case of droopy drawers have sued the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office.

Accusing Sheriff Ric Bradshaw and three deputies of false arrest, malicious prosecution and civil rights violations, Marthe, Joseph, Frantz and Samantha Leger and Pierre Odige are seeking an unspecified amount in damages.

The chaotic scene, that led to their arrests, began when Frantz Leger, then 20, went to the mall in violation of a trespass warning he received about four months earlier for wearing his pants too low. When he returned in December wearing pants slung low on his hips, he was arrested.

When family members objected, they were arrested, too, after the agency responded with about 20 deputies, two canine units and a helicopter.

In the lawsuit filed last week in Palm Beach County Circuit Court, they claim  they all beat the charges that were filed against them. Two were found not guilty at trial and charges were dropped against three, according to the lawsuit.

A sheriff’s office attorney wasn’t immediately available for comment.
___________________________________________________  
-drmaryb The Entertainment Reporter

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A Class Action!

And, shouldn’t the Fan-Base be able to sue The ASKG, for an undisclosed amount for the tickets that were not refunded?

And, then go after Direct TV for: Airing Dirty Laundry?

The West Palm Beach case should be our precedent to show cause for the Plaintiffs.

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MJ selling this space craft (maybe he’s broke).. 430k makes you the man on Peachtree.. lets take up an offering to put bigdave in this thing for this weekends Spelhouse Homecoming..

http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/blog/ball_dont_lie/post/For-Sale-Michael-Jordan-s-430-000-Mercedes-McL?urn=nba-278651

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My bad, make that 14th

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Rick Sund basically spend the whole budget on one guy. Joe Johnson. 120 million dollars for 6 yrs. The sad thing is that he has not done anything that last couple of years. Now the real question is how much is he willing to pay Holford when he becomes a free agent? Is Ownership willing to go over the luxury tax go do that? I don’t think so given the fact that Micheal Gearon who is Hawks NBA governor claims that the Hawks are losing money. If that is the case, why pay Joe Johnson the max contract? I just don’t understand that concept. The most I would pay him is 85 million for 5 years. Is he going to approved the signing of Jamal Crawford? I don’t think so and I believe that Jamal Crawford is a better clutch player than Joe Johnson. If the hawks does not resign Jamal Crawford, the Hawks will be pretenders not contenders

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vava74

Great Stuff! Thanks! I’m more worried about our DEFENSE as I’ve said to ad nauseum. Looks like Dallas has some perimeter D – issues as we do!
So, how much is Jamal really worth to us w/o any Def.

Bibby has other roles for us besides scoring, unlike Jamal.
We simply need to D – up! Inside & Out!

This still does NOT let Sund & ASKG off the hook!
Misery does NOT love company, where I come from!

But, Dallas does answer the 7′ question and cries! They even have a HOF’er that we don’t. Or, is Dirk really a HOF’er? He plays NO Def. Either!

Again, Great Job … vava74! Thanks for that research!

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The Hawks should have never hired that career backup in Larry Drew, if you have been in the league 20 years and never got a shot it usually means you never had a shot at success in the position you wanted. Larry Drew has been sitting around 20 years thinking about what he is gonna do when he finally gets a chance which is evident by him talking about he learn the offense he wants to run in LA. Pick and roll, High Post, straight post ups, and some curls for Joe is all this team really needs. Defensively is what needs to be fixed and overhauled to an extint

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drmaryb,

Your prediction of the Celtics winning it all next season is definitely bold, very bold. I have to say that I strongly disagree. First off, I would say it’s a bit silly to use the injury card as an excuse for the Celtics losing to the Lakers in the finals. Almost any team can use that excuse. Rasheed was having back spasms and Perkins missed almost 2 full games (Keep in mind that Boston lost twice to the Lakers in the finals even with Perkins). However, the Lakers could make excuses and say that they would have dominated if Bynum and Kobe were healthy. You didn’t hear Kobe or his teammates complaining in post-game interviews after losses to the celtics about injuries. Kobe, if anyone, could have complained considering he had a broken finger on his shooting hand, a fluid-filled knee, and a bad back throughout the finals, but he’s too proud and determined to ever make excuses. The Celtics lost to the Lakers because the Lakers were the better team, plain and simple. The Lakers had better players, a better coach, and a better gameplan. They made adjustments when necessary and executed well, even when they couldn’t get a shot to go down in game 7. Anyway, enough about last season. I could go on and on about who is better on paper also, but the point is, you have to give credit where credit is due. The champs are the champs for a reason.

Now, as for why I don’t think the Celtics will win it all next season (let alone make it to the NBA finals). There are a myriad of factors against them, more factors than last season. For one, the team and it’s core is a year older. the team, overall, is older and less durable. The likelihood of the team staying healthy for an entire season seems extremely low, and considering the coaching staff may have to give their key guys time off or limited minutes during the season, in order to keep them fresh, the team may not have ideal seeding, or even homecourt advantage in the playoffs. There are a lot of hungry teams in the east this season, each with a lot to prove, and I think it’s going to be a dog fight throughout the season and in the playoffs. Now, lets assess some more of the celtics weaknesses.

The Celtics don’t have a particularly impressive or complex offense (not that they need it), they make their mark on defense. The team this season looks to be less effective defensively due to age and personnel. With the loss of tony allen, the celtics have lost their only “elite” perimeter defender, and the closest thing they had to a lock-down perimeter defender. Furthermore, on the interior, the Celtics have lost their defensive anchor (perkins) for probably most of next season. Kevin Garnett would have been the anchor in previous years, but those days are behind him now. Also, the Celtics offseason additions (while better in most part than the Hawks additions) were heavily overrated and average at best. Shaquille O’neal is probably the most overrated big man in the league at this point. He was an incredible player in his heyday, but those days are long gone. Shaq has slowed down so dramatically that he is proving to be a liability on the defensive end, outside of the rare circumstances that he is used as a stationary body to shield low-post bangers on post-ups. However, with the emergence of so many mobile big men these days, Shaq is apt to be very ineffective on defense in a lot of scenarios. Offensively, Shaq may still demand a double-team, but what he gives you in the low-post on offense, he also takes away from you in transition.

As for Jermaine O’Neal. I think he was a pretty good pick-up for what he is being payed, but he is no longer the presence that he used to be either. As he proved in Miami, he is no longer a big low-post thread, and is mainly becoming a jump shooter these days. Also, on the defensive end, he no longer is a very effective rebounder and his shot-blocking has gone down as well. I think most of this has to do with the fact that Jermaine seems to have lost his passion for the game. Don’t get me wrong, I definitely think he’s an upgrade over perkins, overall, but he’s far from being an elite center anymore.

Now, in terms of perimeter acquisitions, Von Wafer is really a wild card. He has his good days and his bad days, but has always played with inconsistency, much like Nate Robinson. It’s too soon to tell whether he will help or hurt the team. One thing is for sure though, I’d take tony allen over von wafer in a heartbeat if I had the team make-up of the Celtics.

Outside of those acquisitions, there’s not much worth noting. The other additions likely won’t be seeing playing team once the season starts. Now, onto match-ups.

Boston has proven to have it’s biggest struggles against quick, athletic teams, and teams with good isolation players. With that being said, both the Hawks and Heat are nightmare match-ups for them (the heat are basically a nightmare match-up for anyone, but that’s besides the point). I don’t even need to go into detail about the Hawks. Last season speak for itself, and although the Hawks will likely play differently on offense this season and refrain from switching, we are still talking about the same match-ups and same personnel. As far as the Heat go, there is no way that either ray allen or paul pierce (especially at this point in their careers) will be able to guard Dwyane Wade and Lebron James meanwhile still being productive on the offensive end. The best thing that Boston could do would be to try and attempt to make Wade or Lebron into a jump-shooter. This would work against one of them individually, but with Wade, Lebron, and Bosh all on the floor at the same time, it’s essentially impossible to clog the lane and not give up something to one of these guys. The bottom line is that the Celtics are not composed with the personnel to guard these types of teams.

The Celtics play best when they are able to take the other team out of their style of play and force them to play a game that they are uncomfortable with. That’s exactly what they did against the Orlando magic, and it’s exactly why the Magic struggled. The celtics stuck to the shooters, refused to double dwight, and took away the strongpoints of the 1-in 4-out offense. This worked like a charm in that case, but it definitely isn’t that easy against more dynamic teams/players.

Anyway, a lot of this is just speculation, and we won’t really know what how true these things are until the regular season starts. I could go on and on with predictions and analysis, but I think this novel has become long enough for now. I just wanted to share my take on the matter. I would put the celtics maybe 4th at best in terms of the NBA’s best teams today. We’ll have to wait and see if that is true. Basketball is just as much mental at the NBA level as it is physical, there are definitely better teams out there than boston, but not all of them have proven to have the mental toughness to face adversity. That’s one advantage that boston has.

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Best Savings Account

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Our future lies in the strength of our perimeter defense allowing Josh and Al to help in emergencies, not every play. That way they can focus on getting the rebound or holding only their man. Defense is the key.

We’ll need more than Bibby, Jamal, Teague and Jordan have shown on D. They’ve got to committ for us to win. Stopping the PG stops the flow of the offense. Last 2-3 years we’ve never done that consistently.

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Elite teams win when it matters…like Boston did. 53 wins don’t mean anything after you collapse when it matters. Its all in how you play the game at crunch time, not your seed or record. Woodson thought the record and meeting expectations would save him.

Hopefully LD will continue his approach of real accountability. Win or lose. Grow, learn & improve regardless of your record. All you need is a playoff bearth and a chance to prove you’ll go out with your boots on.

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Enter your comments here

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Not impressed at all by what he has to say.

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Sometimes you have to take a gamble.

It’s as if Sund is like “As long as we’re pretty much better than most other teams, it’s perfectly fine being a punching bag to the 1 or 2 teams you would need to compete with and beat to get over the hump”

That kind of mentality is self destructive. What happens when all those other teams you’re so fine with being “better than” with our “core” start gaining ground on and/or surpassing us??? (Milwaukee??)

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Paper Dolls!

vava74

The Beef is not there obviousy, if all three got rolled up like a Buritto and Salsa-ed by Dwight. Beef is 300 lbs. my man. Brawny, Immovable. Clogging …
The way Perkins and Big-Baby man handled Dwight in the paint.

And, then one-legged Bynum laid his Big Beefy body on Perkins.
The Celtics had The Lakers on the ropes, till Perkins blew his knee up.

It’s all about styles of play along with that tremendous size.
Yao Ming scares no one if he can’t see the court. I hope Yao can play this season w/out injury. He doesn’t sound too confident, however.

But, to answer your question Zsa Zsa? The entire league is riddled with
Paper – Weight Centers. How, else do you explain 3 of them ending up in Dallas?
Dallas plays no defense on the perimeter, like most regular season 50 Win teams who can not contend for the Championship year in and out.

Utah, S.A., Phoenix, Hawks, et.al.

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drmaryB,

Sorry but you are wrong: apart from Perkins and Baby, who are obviously beefy, the biggest difference maker is Rondo who is a good perimeter defender and kept Nelson away from the paint.

After that being accomplished, Howard had to face one on one beef.

The problem with the Hawks and apparently the Mavericks last night is that with Nelson roaming freely into the paint, the C’s and PF’s have to scramble to prevent easy lay ups and when they scramble, Nelson gets the rock to Howard free to dunk on people.

Against us, on situations in which Howard posted our C’s and the plays were strictly ONE ON ONE, Howard had a point per possession ration lower than 1.0 in between bricks, missed shots and turnovers.

That IS the issue, not the BEEF.

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drmaryB,

Just click on this:

http://www.nba.com/games/20101020/DALORL/gameinfo.html?ls=gt2hp0011000101#

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vava74

Thanks for that link.

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Vava co-sign
On all those posts about the “SIZE MITH”… It has and will be about stopping perimeter penetration. Breaking down defenses and creating easy shot for their teams is what elite PG do.

It is the reason we HAVE BEEN BEGGING FOR A PG FOR YEARS!!!!!! It is the reason DOC Rivers even after aquiring the BIG 3, spent the entire year developing RONDO.

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Buddy,

No, NO would never trade Collison for Crawford.

Ariza is younger, more versatile and a very good defender.

Jamal is 30 and a one trick pony who sometimes benefits his teams and sometimes sinks them with his exciting but completely unreliable game.

Ariza last year shot really badly as the go-to guy in Houston and struggled to meet his own personal expectations as a star (which he is not), however, overall since he brings a two way game (offense – defense) he is a very useful player.

Hence, they pulled the trigger.

My guess is that Jamal will only have limited trade value when we approach the deadline and some playoff bound team desperate for scoring off the bench (due to injury, for instance) is willing to make a move, but even then, don’t expect anything major in return.

Jamal is like a boat: exciting but ultimately superfluous and expensive to maintain.

This would only change if – unlike he showed against the Magic – he at least tried to play D and remained focused when he is on the floor.

He was even worse than Bibby defensively – and by FAR – and that alone sets his trade and per year values much lower than most people around here (and himself) think he is worth.

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Vava, Collison plays for the Pacers now

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Also, that would give Denver close to $13 million in expiring contracts (Mo Evans and JC1), an all star, and a first round pick. Atlanta gets the big center you guys have said you wanted, a consistent scorer who can put the opposition’s wing in foul trouble, and still keeps Marvin to come off the bench. The important part is Marvin is able to guard the opposing team’s 2 or 3. So if scoring is needed from the bench, put in JC2. And if defense is needed from the bench put in Marvin. Also coming off the bench would create more scoring opportunities for Marvin. This would also create extra roster spots for Sund to add another big. With the way Collins is moving this season, Nene, Collins, Josh Boone, and Thomas could man the C spot this season. Also against most teams, Marvin can back up Josh at the 4 as well.

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I like that trade the question would be would Denver like it .

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O’Brien, I’m a firm believer in having a better defensive perimeter would solve a lot of problems for the Hawks.

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Guys, I’m curious…..Any of you going to the game tonight?

I am. Usually, regardless of how down I can get on the Hawks, I look forward to attending the games. Tonight, not so sure. I love to watch the game, but I am dreading listening to the Heat fans. You know they will be there. They will be wearing their Wade, LeBron, Bosh jerseys and act like they are huge fans, even though you know they are not. They probably couldn’t name 3 other players on the team.

Also, the screems from the high school aged girls crowd will be annoying. You will have to hear them after every Wade/LeBron basket.

Anyways…anyone going?

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Ramon,

How can we put this to you in a way that you understand:

“CARMELO DOES NOT WANT TO COME TO ATL”

Is that clear enough?

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My opinion is that Mello will just ride out the storm in Denver and become a FA and the sign in New York or Chi Town .

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I understand Sund’s thought process on the elite teams, but the Hawks are just not there yet. I consider an elite team to be one that actually has a better than average chance to compete for the championship.

Matchups are the key, and although the Hawks matched up well against the Celtics last season, they did not match up well against Cleveland, Orlando, or Miami. The only hope that they had last season in gettig past the 2nd round, was to face Boston…and I really believe that the Celtics would have pulled it out.

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Jeje, wouldn’t the fact that Shaq’s Orlando team, and Lebron’s Cleveland team, make ‘no young team ever makes it to the Finals’ a lie?

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I think it’s interesting that MC hasn’t made one comment on this blog. When Sund said those things, he was probably thinking . . . “my blog people are going to eat this dude alive when I tell them this.”

And I misspoke last night. We’re actually 2 – 12 on the road during the playoffs, with 10 blowouts.

Boston: 0 – 4

Miami: 1 – 2
Cleveland: 0 – 2

Milwaukee: 1 – 2
Orlando: 0 – 2

And the 2 road wins were SOLELY because of great defense, not great offense.

Game 4 in Miami: 81 – 71 win

Game 6 in Milwaukee: 83 – 69 win

Those are the types of games that ELITE TEAMS routinely win in the playoffs. But Sund has no clue about that.

LOL @ this front office:

- Gearon: “Josh Smith is the closest thing to Lebron in the NBA.”

- Pendergraph: “There just isn’t much talent at #23 in this draft”.

- Sund: “A team is elite when thei win their 1st round series.”

None of these guys should speak ever again. Just let Dominique talk about the Hawks. The worst thing he may do is slightly mispronounce a word. But he isn’t going to say anything completely idiotic.

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Section303

I may go to the game tonight. I know you will be there.
You always are.

Please don’t toss your popcorn @ Joe. Enjoy it for yourself.
LOL

-smilesi

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Joe said, “We don’t care about nobody but this locker room!”
-paraphrased-

I hope this is TRUE, more importantly I hope L.D. and The Hawks don’t believe they are ELITE? I sure hope they have dispelled that Myth!

And, stay thirty and hungry. And, Joe! YOU ARE NOT THE FATHER!

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Does anyone know if there is some secret discount code for the Hawks game tonight?

I mean I would love to go, but I cannot really justify paying top dollar for a PRE-SEASON GAME, even if it is against the Heat.

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We need a new owner plane and simple .

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The lack of buzz has everything to do with the front office. Outside of signing JJ, they chose to do the bare minimum with every single offseason move.

* Fans get hype about a possible Avery Johnson hire . . and they opt for Drew

* Fans get hype when we trade down in the draft, and obtain the #27 and #31 picks, enabling us to get a shooter AND a big man . . . they get the shooter, but opt to sell the #31 for money

* Fans get hype about news of something being done with Chill . . . but we find out that he was traded for a trade exception so small, that it may not even be used. And even if it is used, the player we get in return may not be worth anything

* Fans get hype about a possible acqusition of Shaq . . . but the front office did nothing more than offer him slightly above minimum deal, instead of going all out ( or even trading a player ) to get him.

So when you see all of these things happen over the summer, coupled with the horrible taste that the playoffs left in our mouths, it’s real easy to see why there is no buzz about this team.

Maybe . . maybe if they look good tonight vs the Heat, a little bit of that buzz can be generated. But the ownership/front office have no one to blame but themselves, for the lack of buzz about the Hawks.

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Avery Johnson would have created a lot buzz than Drew and players would be playing much harder than are now ASG is just to damn cheap thats why we need a change .

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Ramon,

mea culpa?

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O’Brien . . no doubt.

If these guys aren’t willing to do something significant to improve the team, then they should all shut the F up and stay behind the scenes.

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No one matches up well with Orlando BUT Boston..Miami will have their lunches ate by Orlando as well this week!

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Well, they did offer Shaq money to come. What can we say, the guy didn’t wanna be here.

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My fav Sund quote of the preseason:
“Fans may not understand and media certainly wouldn’t understand because they like the hype of all the moves in the summer,”

Being ranked 18th in GM rankings might give you a hint that you do not understand, Mr. Sund. Take into account your non-moves and the salaries you are doleing out and it is obvious where you rank.

I mean, really, how many hours does it take to resign the same players and grab guys off the scrap heap?

Northcyde, re: your comments on the draft….were we really interested in another shooter when we picked? Did we really need another jump shooter? While I know you never have enough scorers, when is it time to focus on a guy who applies ball pressure, plays intense the entire time, and just leads by example? A shooter does not do that.

If the move was to secure a replacement for Joe leaving, fine. I don’t see if as being anything else.
If that was the case, a move needs to made soon then to put more balance in this roster. I don’t see us needing 2 nothing but shooters off the bench.

Until we play defense, this team isn’t heading anywhere.

Well, tonight, the rematch: JC2 vs LeBron…only at Philips.

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real training camp with the Hawks…right now!

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What are all of you freaking out about so much????

J Smoove said, “…no need to worry. We will be fine….”

Don’t you believe him?

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Funny Clyde…..

Do you know how boring this team would look without Smoove? Oh good, we’re going to be the aggressor going forward…..Smoove getting after Etan….”our cubbies are a bit small”….haha

You know who likes our roster? DHoward and Sund…….that says plenty, along with the empty seats during the preseason.

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Denver wants picks, a young player and expirings. How bout Marvin, Jamal, and 2 1sts for Melo. Wouldnt need draft picks with Melo inthe mix. Hell, I’d even do Marvin, Jamal, and a 1st for Chauncey.

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My dad once told me a long time ago that although you might think something in your mind, it isn’t always wise to say it in public. If folks want to know why the locals are so reluctant to buy tickets to watch this franchise, Sund’s comments should be Exhibit A.

Let me get this straight: after earning a 3rd seed, the Hawks get pushed to a 7th game by a Bucks team missing its two best players only to be bounced in record-setting fashion by Orlando. They respond by overpaying for its top player, underpaying for a first-time head coach who was an assistant to the former one, and doing ABSOLUTELY NOTHING to improve the roster (and sorry, Josh Powell and Etan Thomas doesn’t count). Yet their GM categorizes them as an ‘elite’ team?

Please, please tell me that I’m reading this the wrong way.

You don’t need a research team or a feasibility study to show that a guy earning $25K/year doesn’t have the funds to buy/maintain a $850K home.

In the Hawks’ case, you don’t need Jerry West, Hubie Brown, or Red Auerbach’s ghost to know that they need wayyyyyyy more than what they have right now in order to compete for anything significant come playoff time. Everyone here, on Hawksquawk, RealGM, Peachtree Hoops, Fayette County, and every expert who gets paid to cover the NBA know this. The only folks who still have their heads in the sand is the Notorious A.S.G., who still has the cracked up idea that a playoff team ran on the cheap should warrant a packed Philips Arena, because after all, it’s better than it was in 2004, right?

Uh, no. It’s one thing to be undermanned, give effort each night, and make some noise come spring time. It’s another animal to have enough talent to make the playoffs, only to be held back because of incompetence by the front office and tight pockets in the owner’s box.

Sund and the rest of them are going to find out the hard way this season that no town in America knows a phony from the Real McCoy better than Atlanta does when it comes to its sports teams. Just like we turned our backs on the Braves near the end of their playoff run when AOL forced Schoerholz’s hand and had him bringing in the Rico Brognas and Albie Lopezes of the world in order to make a buck, they’re going to see some disturbing attendance numbers in that building when Kobe or Team Voltron in South Beach aren’t in town.

This team goes to the lottery only to draft a Tarzan who plays like Jane (see Williams, Marvin). Then the finally make the playoffs but doesn’t do enough to put them over the top because the owners would rather cash in those escrow payments for being under the luxury tax instead of staging championship parades in June. Man, it’s tough being a fan of this team sometimes.

GAME, SET, MATCH.

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Yes…….Sund should wait until after this year and we suck, giving us less quality the following year.

Of course the small forwards, and point guards will dismantle Marvin and Bibby all year long.

After reading about Stern wanting to cut players salaries by a third…….JJ should be the first in line.

Personally I am not happy for the team……….. but for selfish ISO Joe, why not……….. they were stupid enough to give him the money, what was he suppose to do say NO ?

Also will Stern cut his salary by a third ? I doubt that !

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Dejay, “This team goes to the lottery only to draft a Tarzan who plays like Jane”

Tubby Smith would be proud to hear you say that, and you analogy of Marvin is dead on.

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I am off to Philips in about 1/2 an hour. Here’s hoping that there are Hawks fans there and I won’t have to listen to the yelps of teenage girls everytime LeBron scores.

God…I hate the Miami Heat. I know this is preseason and does not count, but I really want the Hawks to play well tonight (Yes, even Joe Johnson) just to watch the Heat lose.

I thought I could not dislike a sports team more than I hate Michigan Football or the Boston Celtics. I was wrong. I want the Heat to lose every game they play. Preseason, regular season, playoffs…I just want them to lose.

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Section 303

Go meet Clyde @ The Jack Daniels Bar @ Half-Time.
He’s got the collector’s edition Fire Woody T-Shirts!
Yall, have fun and be safe out there. I’m being called away!

I will TIVO the game though!

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LOL .. So many of you somehow think the Hawks are going to be a bad team this year? Why? They may slip in the standings a place or two because some of the teams got better on paper but the Hawks will still be a good team this year! They were good last year and nothing has changed except the coach and I hope he isn’t any worse than Woodson?

Injuries and trades always change things as the season moves a long. I like the Hawks to push 48 to 50 wins … JJ is still good, Horford and Smith should be better and we got some young guys who could surprise? We have trade bait in Crawford if there is a big man out on the block at trading deadline. Far too early to write this team off. I think they will be as good or better than last year even if they do slip a spot or two?

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Now if you’re a business man, why would you give Jamal an extension? Sorry Jamal, but you have no leverage.

And although I am a big Horford fan, no way do I give him a max extension.

I dont think he has earned a max extension, and also, there might be no basketball next season. Plus there will almost certainly be a new CBA with a pay cut for players.

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Cheap Suit!

I ain’t dissing my boy L.D., but that was a very cheap looking gray suit my man was sporting against The Magic on Monday night.

I’m just sayin … The ASKG need to spring for 4 or 5 of them Armani’s, you know th represent The ASKG proper. Oh! My bad – they cheap too.

Dang! Sux being cheap!

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Is Teague playing tonight?

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Did yall see Marvin dunk with authority! They are looking real good tonight.

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@Truchspitter…If you check, I believe the Hawks have the 8th highest payroll in the NBA.

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