Atlanta Hawks: Hawks 96, Raptors 78
Raps couldn't control Smoove. (Rueters Photo)
Toronto–Maybe you are thinking the Hawks beat another lackluster opponent. But funk that: They beat the mess out of a lackluster opponent, and don’t think there isn’t a difference in this league.
– The Hawks dominated the Raptors because Smoove did it all, Marvin did more (again) and they didn’t let down in a circumstance where it had to be tempting. Yes, they are a much better team than the Raptors, but give them credit for leaving no doubt about it.
– Raptors coach Jay Triano summed it up: “You go one through five: DeMar got outplayed by Joe Johnson, Jose got outplayed by Mike Bibby, Andrea got outplayed by Josh Smith, Sonny got outplayed by Marvin Williams, Joey got outplayed by Al Horford. Nobody could score and we couldn’t stop those guys and that is why you have a 20-point game.”
– The Hawks have won three in a row after the famous Wednesday meeting so they deserve to feel good about themselves. “What we have been doing these last three games is something special,” Josh said.
– OK, maybe that’s a bit much, but still. “We are going to have ups and downs all season,” Marvin said. “I think sometimes other people panic more than we do. We just can’t get too highs on the highs and too low on the lows. We started off 6-0, obviously we are going to hit some rough spots. The one thing about this team is we stay together.”
– Smoove made all the right plays at the right times, effort and otherwise. He controlled the defensive boards, passed when he should have and (of course) helped make the Raptors jump shooters when the Hawks took control in the third quarter.
– “It just seemed like he was all over the floor,” L.D. said. “When he plays like that and plays under control, he is such a force. His defensive game, he was all over the place, rebounding the basketball, helping defensively and talking. Just a super overall game.”
– “He impacts the game in a great way,” Al said. “For this team to take it to the next level, everybody has to be the same way.”
– Back-to-back day games. An opponent that thrives in Sunday matinees (7-2 in its last nine). No problem: 11 of 20 field goals, seven assists and 27 points in the first quarter. “I was a little concerned with our energy, whether we would have our legs,” Drew said. “We started the game with good intensity.”
– You had the feeling the Hawks would dominate if they could limit Toronto’s offensive rebounds, points in the paint and take care of the ball. They did all of that in the third quarter and were off to a comfortable W.
– Watching Marvin go for 17 points and 12 rebounds a day after he was good against the Knicks, i remembered he had a couple games like that in the first two weeks. Then he hurt his knee. Now he says he’s moving better even if the pain is still there.
– “I am starting to get my confidence back in it,” he said. “There are still some things that still bother me. Coach is doing a good job with slowing me down and letting me sit out in practice.
– After three straight games with no free-throw attempts and nine rebounds combined, Marvin took seven free throws and collected 20 rebounds in the last two. “I feel more explosive out there. When I first got it banged, I didn’t feel explosive at all. These last couple games I’ve been getting to the line because I feel more comfortable pushing off. I still feel pain but I am starting to feel better each day.”
– Joe made 6 of 12 field-goal attempts overall despite missing 4 of 5 threes. It’s just the third time in his last 10 games he’s shot at least 50 percent from the field. So of course his teammates ribbed him for getting just one rebound.
– “Well, I had 10 yesterday, so that makes up for it,” Joe shot back.
– J.J. seemed more upbeat after this one. “Honestly, I don’t worry about the misses,” he said. “I am sure here soon I will get it back on track. As long as we keep winning, that’s the main thing, but I will get it back.”
– The Raptors are one of the best rebounding teams in the league with Reggie Evans. Not so much without him. “I think that was big,” Josh said. “He’s been a monster this year. He is one of my good friends. I hated that this had to happen to him, but I’m kind of happy I didn’t have to play against him. He’s a tough player.”
– Toronto’s defense, not so good to begin with, also suffered without Evans. But when the Hawks take care of the ball and share it they are tough for even good defensive teams to guard (see the Pacers). “When we play the right way, it’s beautiful basketball,” Smoove said.
– Keep beating up on the likes of the Raptors and they can buy time to figure out how to do it ugly against better teams.
– I’m out, Hawks fans.
MC
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238 comments Add your comment
MsDee
November 30th, 2010
2:16 am
@northcyde…LOL..WOW, I’m so honored to have YOU agree with ME!!!!
northcyde
November 30th, 2010
2:16 am
symbols = cymbals
damn homonyms
northcyde
November 30th, 2010
2:18 am
Yeah I had to. Cause I’m tired of bums too. The last thing we need on this team is some cast-off from another team that has never done anything in his NBA life.
Just say NO to bums.
vava74
November 30th, 2010
2:25 am
A few people have been bashing JJ and re-posting garbage written by idiots of the press (Dwyer, Hollinger, …).
Oh, by the way, Durant is shooting .419 from the field and .267 from 3 point land…
AND NO FREAKING ONE IS SAYING THAT HE IS IN DECLINE AND THAT OKC MADE THE WRONG DECISION TO GIVE HIM A BIG CONTRACT!!!!!!!!!
MsDee
November 30th, 2010
2:42 am
Vava74, sorry but cant compare a 3year player to a 10th year player..but I do like that JJ does other things better even though the shot is wayyy off. My ONLY complaint in JJ is that he doesn’t make his move quick enough for me..he waits til trouble arrives and I just DON’T UNDERSTAND THAT WHAT-SO-EVER!!
Najeh Davenpoop
November 30th, 2010
3:20 am
“AND NO FREAKING ONE IS SAYING THAT HE IS IN DECLINE AND THAT OKC MADE THE WRONG DECISION TO GIVE HIM A BIG CONTRACT!!!!!!!!!”
When you are a 3rd year player coming off winning a scoring title, leading your undersized team in a spirited series against the eventual champion, making first team All-NBA, and anchoring the national team as it wins a world championship, you tend to get a little more slack than if you just came off “leading” your team to the worst second-round playoff defeat of all time while averaging half your regular season total in points in the aforementioned playoff series.
vava74
November 30th, 2010
4:27 am
Najeh,
The only point is precisely that: slack or lack of it.
Give JJ some slack. He is playing INJURED for crying out loud and at 29 there is no way that he is in decline.
On Durant, what people are failing to detect is that he is not only shooting worse, but also SHOOTING MORE, which it is the opposite of what you want from a guy who is struggling.
vava74
November 30th, 2010
4:30 am
JJ is shooting LESS and passing MORE which is something someone as stupid and in bad faith like Hollinger omitted.
MsDee
November 30th, 2010
5:12 am
vava74..u have valid points but still cant compare a 3rd yr player to a 10yr player cause just like you said, Durant(3 year mentality) is shooting more which is opposite of what you want from a guy like JJ (10 year mentality) who is shooting less while passing more.
MsDee
November 30th, 2010
5:13 am
Vava74, that’s just like expecting a 3 year old to out smart a 7 year old??
vava74
November 30th, 2010
6:06 am
MsDee,
No, what I want is FAIR reporting and not ESPN bull all the time.
JJ is not Kobe nor Lebron but he is a heck of a player who usually brings it to both sides of the court and it is extremely unfair that he gets all these reports on “decline” when has been playing injured and when there are other comparable players (in ability and situation – top man on team and having signed a max / big contract) who are also struggling with their shooting like Durant and Lebron (who is shooting 6% worse from the field and from 3 point land whilst piling up more than 4 turnovers per game).
{MAC-Town Georgia 478}
November 30th, 2010
6:23 am
Great posts by tom, msdee and terrell on page 1. That type of mentality is one I’m trying to have to ease the pain of not having beaten a good team yet this year and a somewhat mediocre start.
“tom
November 28th, 2010
10:16 pm
i don’t really care about the slow start. As long as we beat the teams we should beat and the team starts really clicking after the all star break we can hopefully ride that into the playoffs.”
especially like that….
the only thing I have to wonder is if we really have shown any signs that we WILL start clicking. Then again, we still are trying to get used to the new system and you have to imagine that Jamal and Joe will get better. Powell still is better than Joe smith last year. Josh and Horford are improved, and with Drew’s comfort in using the bench, hopefully Teague and Crawford will steadily improve and contribute more to make this team even deeper and more solid. Hopefully Marvin will perform more consistently as well, but what;s the possibilities of these things? We’ll see.
{MAC-Town Georgia 478}
November 30th, 2010
6:28 am
Another thing, I appreciate and love Josh Smith’s hustle and ability to stuff the stat sheet, but does anybody else still get the feeling that his game is still a little too wild or sloppy?
His jump shooting is improved but his low post moves are still questionable and he throws up some horrible attempts in the paint too much for my liking. He’s got to improve those low post moves and/or atleast get better at drawing fouls when operating down there.
It’s that type of fine tuning on offense we need on offense from Josh come playoff time
MsDee
November 30th, 2010
6:51 am
@{MAC-Town Georgia 478}
What really get me is when fans talk about how we havent beaten a ‘playoff team’ but all the ‘non-playoff teams’ when just last year, we would beat the Good teams while losing to the not-so-good teams..to me ALL THE GAMES HAS THE SAME IDENTICAL GOALS…TOO WIN!!
{MAC-Town Georgia 478}
November 30th, 2010
7:26 am
That’s true@MsDee
Actually I find myself upset with the team plenty of times then I try to look at things with a more optimistic view (like this morning). What we all have to remember is everybody on here wants whats best for the team but we just express it differently, some more optimistic and some more pessimistic. I can understand where both sides/arguments draw their conclusions from.
O'Brien
November 30th, 2010
8:04 am
Vava,
I understand your point about the media being not being fair to JJ, and I agree with you. But I understand where the media is coming from.
1) KD – 5 years, $85 mil. JJ – 6 years, $124 mil (a lot more than KD)
2) KD – 22 years old, JJ – 29 years old (closer to decline)
3) Look at the schedule. Hawks are 0-6 vs last year’s playoff teams, OKC is 8-5 vs last year’s playoff teams.
And like Najeh said. KD and OKC are coming off a great season and a hard fought playoff series (plus the USA gold medal), while JJ struggled big time in the Hawks playoff blowout.
I do think JJ is injured more than he lets on, so he needs to get his rest before the tough part of the schedule really starts in a week or so.
Big Ray
November 30th, 2010
9:10 am
“He came out with that sense of urgency, flying around, blocking shots, rebounding and finding guys,” Johnson said. “When he is playing like that, we all play at a totally different level.”
That would be our $125 million dollar team captain talking about our $58 million dollar team captain. Heh….
Ken Strickland
November 30th, 2010
9:18 am
For those who insist on berating the Hawks for winning against none playoff teams,.consider this:
MIAMI-this is the team most people picked to win the East and the NBA title, yet they’ve mananged to win only one gm against a playoff team, Orlando, who they clobbered earlier in the season. It looks like they need to do a better jog of defeating none playoff teams., huh.
ORLANDO-While they’re leading their division, they’ve managed to win only 2 gms against winning teams, Atlanta and Miami(who embarrassed them earlier in the season).
BOSTON-They’re leading their division, and have won 4gms against teams with winning records, Atlanta, Miami, Chicago and Oklahoma.
So what does this tell us? It tells us that you can maintain a good REGULAR SEASON record and make the playoffs by consistently defeating none playoff teams, but it’s much harder to accomplish if you have trouble defeating those teams. To be honest, the only time defeating top playoff caliber team really matters is IN THE PLAYOFFS. Remember, we managed to defeat both the Magic and Cavaliers during the last 2 regular seasons, but got swept and embrassed by both teams when it counted the most, IN THE PLAYOFFS.
Last yr we accpomplished a 4gm REGULAR SEASON sweep of the Celtics. Do any of you really think we could have swept them during the playoffs? In 07 the Celtics swept us during the regular season, but had to rely on home court advantage to win a 7gm 1st round serious.
I DON’T GIVE A DAMN ABOUT THE REGULAR SEASON RECORD, OR PLAYOFF STATUS OF THE TEAMS WE DEFEAT AS LONG AS WE DEFEAT THEM. THAT ONLY MATTERS WHEN PLAYOFF TIME COMES AROUND, AS I’VE JUST DEMONSTRATED.
JeJe
November 30th, 2010
9:34 am
“I think there’s frustration from everyone,” James said. “As far as me and Spo being frustrated with each other, I don’t think there is. I have Coach Spo’s back or whatever the case may be. This is who we have.
What does “whatever the case may be. This is who we have” mean? Is he saying that he doesn’t care who the coach is or it wouldn’t matter who the coach is? Sounds like a swipe at Spoelstra or the assumption they’ll get a new coach
dap01
November 30th, 2010
9:39 am
Lebron is the poster child for “spoiled brat”.
JeJe
November 30th, 2010
9:44 am
WE NEED MORE PLAYERS TO COMMIT HARD FOULS AND PICK UP TECHNICAL FOULS.
WATCH THE HEAT/WIZARDS GAME LAST NIGHT. THAT’S WHAT WE NEED.
WE HAVE NO VUJACIC’S, RON ARTESTS, LAMAR ODOMS, KIRK HINRICHS OR KEVIN GARNETTS ON THIS TEAM
MARVIN DON’T GO BACK TO SLEEP
wesleywhatwhat
November 30th, 2010
9:53 am
well written, insightful article.
the ajc could use more MCs, and fewer “sports columnists”.
O'Brien
November 30th, 2010
10:04 am
Ken S,
Hawks will qualify for the playoffs just by beating up on none playoff teams. However, IMO, the Hawks are a mentally fragile team.
So if they can win games against playoff teams in the regular season, that will allow them to buy into LD’s system even more, which would make them more dangerous in the playoffs.
JeJe
November 30th, 2010
10:04 am
” “He came out with that sense of urgency, flying around, blocking shots, rebounding and finding guys,” Johnson said. “When he is playing like that, we all play at a totally different level.”
That would be our $125 million dollar team captain talking about our $58 million dollar team captain. Heh….”
LOL
drmaryb
November 30th, 2010
10:19 am
All Things Hawks!
The Hawks are doing quite well considering ALL the changes they made over the off – season. (smirk)
All jokes aside, the Hawks are who we thought they were, there have been no surprises thus far.
The team is moving the ball like they did to start last season, better then – I might add, however, the difference now is that the player and ball movement in a stated new motion offense is cemented in writing and has been verbalized as a “Change – We Can Believe In!”
So, here’s my point: We always knew how to move the ball, the difference now is Coach Drew is making it an IDENTITY for the team and for the rest of the NBA to know, that this is now a philosophical change in attitude and demands. The other notable change is the chunking of the switches on defense 100% of the time. We are still employing some switches, and we should!
but, not to the detriment and point of being predictable and also, the showing on defense to disrupt the post player and then quickly getting back to the perimeter snipers. Is a show and fake double team, sort of like a pump-fake and drive to the basket, which we don’t do nearly ENOUGH! I wish Marvin and Josh would employ more pump fakes and drives like Grant Long mastered under Lenny Wilkens.
Overall, I like what I am seeing, just need to iron out a few wrinkles and learn to remain focused when challenged by success! Young teams win 13 in a row and actually believe they are good –
Veteran teams (like the Falcons), win 9 in a row and know they suck!
A Champion NEVER believes he is as good or as bad as his record!
- drmaryb -
Fundamentals
November 30th, 2010
10:25 am
JeJe – Imagine if just 1 player could show the resolve, leadership and fire that KG does.
I still feel like LD will continue to incorperate Marvin. If we can keep Marvin involved and get Joe & Marvin healty we’ll be pleasantly surprised by the jump this team will make. If Marvin can produce we can focus our efforts on getting help at PG and maybe C.
I know I’ll get bashed, but Collins has played well when given the chance. Why can’t LD use him instead of ZaZa? Collins has proven he’s worked hard this summer, he’s good on the +/- and he’s giving his best. He’ll only improve as he gets more time and into full game shape. ZaZa just seems out of sorts and slow to his assingments?
Fundamentals
November 30th, 2010
10:42 am
O’Brien,
We’ve got to gel & really believe in our system and each other. That’s where they fell apart against ORL and CLE. They were intimidated and afraid to try their best and lose. They lost their heads and thus embarrassed themselves. They’ve just gotta realize we’re behind them 100% when they give 100%. Personally I don’t care if they win or lose as long as they give all they have and it shows. I can respect a good effort.
PHO and ORL were pretty solid efforts this year. Utah as well. I could handle that. We had some adjustments and some need for work, maybe a few folks who weren’t 100%, but the effort was there. I could respect that. Bucks and Boston just made me want to never watch them again.
Definitely all mental. They control their own destiny. The other teams can’t be the one to dictate that.
ant banks
November 30th, 2010
10:56 am
hawks will be judged by the playoff showing…i am not sure how collins, powell or etan will help us get outta the 2nd round though.
woody was right about teague and ac law though.
ant banks
November 30th, 2010
10:58 am
DRMARYB,
excellent points, changin’ the mentality from a stagnant iso-joe to a motion offense is similar to changin’ from a 3-4 defense in football to a 4-3 or vice versa. it is a MENTALITY that will take time and coachin…
Rev in Tampa
November 30th, 2010
11:05 am
Fundamentals, I agree completely with your 10:42am comments. I am eager to support this team. I desire to live in blissful optimism in regard to this team’s future. But it was evident that the Hawks were not ready to believe in themselves or even give a fair effort in their losses to Boston & New Jersey. I was forced to take a more balanced view of this team.
I have been encouraged these past few games, but the December schedule of games will help me know how much emotion to invest in the Hawks. If the Hawks players, themselves, are unwilling to go “ALL-IN” then I won’t be able to either.
I can invest emotionally in this team even if the management and owners do not, but if the players won’t give 100%, then I won’t either.
Go Hawks! Give us a reason to cheer…
SteveW
November 30th, 2010
11:20 am
7 back to back games in a month seems much to me. That’s what we have from Nov. 28th to Dec. 28th. Hope our legs are ready. We did pretty well on the 1st back to back in that stretch didn’t we?
I believe our cohesion is starting to rise to the top. If Marvin and Teague develop, watch out!
BTW, I’m still hopeful on Teague. He was the 7th PG drafted in ‘09. All scouts said he was a 5 year project at PG, but worth it because of his extremely high upside. And why all the bashing about no jumpshot by Teague? The dude has a great jumpshot, way better than Rondo or Rose for that matter. He just has to learn how to lead on court, that’s all. All of the other tools are there. He’s already a much better defender than Acie in my opinion.
SteveW
November 30th, 2010
11:24 am
And I would trade Josh Powell, Jason Collins, and Etan Thomas for Eric Dampeir right now. We could have signed him. He would help us, and would have kept him away from the Heat. Man we need him. ZaZa seems more lost than last year, after a really good start.
And bash the Heat now while you have a chance. I root for the Heat to lose every game. But, being a realist, I know when they get Miller and Udonis back, with the addition of Dampier, they will be the team to beat in the East still.
SteveW
November 30th, 2010
11:28 am
And how does ESPN rate the Bucks at 6-10 better than our Hawks? Is it because of the beatdown they gave us earlier in the season? Just wondering. BTW, the Bulls look like the real deal even without Boozer. It will be interesting to see how he fits in.
O'Brien
November 30th, 2010
12:11 pm
LD has been giving his bench ample PT to try and establish themselves, and with so many back to backs, we can see why.
Usually, the starters have a lead, and then the bench comes in, and falls behind. And then the starters climb an uphill battle for the rest of the game. We will need our bench to play well if we want to win some of those back to back games.
Hawks have won 3 in a row, and all the players are happy. But we know how quickly that can change. After all, they went 6-0 to start the season, only to go on a losing streak.
Hopefully they will be focused for the December run.
Fundamentals
November 30th, 2010
12:25 pm
Amen O’Brien.
Rev’s right. We need them to committ so we as fans can bring more fans to the table. After the 6-0 I had a few folks ready to believe, now they might never come back. I kept preaching to give this team till Feb. Guess I’ll have to be patient. Hopefully it’ll come.
JeJe
November 30th, 2010
12:54 pm
I am more scared of a healthy Bucks lineup than a healthy Bulls lineup.
Let’s be real: D.Rose and Noah are the truth – but Deng and Boozer don’t scare me.
With Milwaukee, a healthy lineup can have Jennings, Salmons, Bogut, and Maggette. Don’t forget Michael Reed if he ever returned
drmaryb (*_*)
November 30th, 2010
1:03 pm
Ants in your Pants!
Yeah Ant Banks, my point was that even though the Falcons are
9-2? They can play soo much better and have room for a ton of improvements!
The 1 minute field goal wins have been great and lucky! But, they are not blowing teams away at home and are losing to elite teams on the road. When, that defense moves to the top five? We will become unbeatable – period!
The Falcons are holding down the league and gaining momentum, but I haven’t seen all three phases click at the same time game in and game out like a machine! The schedule is favorable down the stretch for two play off rounds at home, but in the NFL it’s: One and Done! So, to win the Super Bowl, we have to get better in ALL phases consistently. So, while 9 – 2 is great, we need to play better.
The Hawks, likewise need to play their game and not their record! When they were 7 – 0? They really believed all they had to do was show up and breath against the real teams! Very IMMATURE thinking.
JeJe
November 30th, 2010
1:26 pm
Boozer is extremely fragile and a bit short for a PF. Deng is good – not great.
This whole team is predicated on Marvin’s aggressiveness. We need Van Exel to fire up Marvin if Teague is going to continue to suck.
With Marvin, the guy is useless 90 % of the time, but when he is aggressive, he looks damn effective out there – maybe a poor man’s Antwawn Jamison. Teague hasn’t shown us much besides defense and an atrocious jumpshot
ant banks
November 30th, 2010
1:36 pm
last year, rick sund said that elite teams when 20+ games on the road. we are 7-2 on the road, so far. We have 32 more road games, i am sure that we will win atleast 13 more road games. i am surprised that we are 4-5 at home, but i am equally as surprise about our home record.
road wins mean more to me. it says that we are mature and can’t be rattled in hostile environments.
drmaryb (*_*)
November 30th, 2010
1:36 pm
Doin’ Work!
Teague should be in the gym with a hired ball boy until midnight on the daily!
Doin’ what? Doin’ Work!
Putting down 1,000 jump shots and making good on 500, before he takes his tired azz home! Ray Allen shows up on the court 4 hours before EVERY game to put up jump shots and he is 36 years old, while Grant Hill is 38.
So, should Marvin, who on Hawks 360 was riding his Rick Mahorn sized azz around in his Mercedes and a starched Polo Oxford Shirt, talking about he is not the one to show up at 12 noon for a 7PM game? He Should! Because his shot is TURRIBLE (Barkley’s Voice and Vernacular).
Oh yeah! Marvin says he likes to þake a nice shower and relax his mind before all games? Aye Marvin! How’s that workin’?
Go Figure! I can’t stand these candy-azzes!
Fundamentals
November 30th, 2010
1:42 pm
Drmaryb, it’s all about the “nimbers”!
We need Smitty back broadcasting!
drmaryb (*_*)
November 30th, 2010
1:44 pm
Show Time!
And, tell Sund that Elite Teams also, always play to their potentials too!
ant banks
November 30th, 2010
1:45 pm
” I DON’T GIVE A DAMN ABOUT THE REGULAR SEASON RECORD, OR PLAYOFF STATUS OF THE TEAMS WE DEFEAT AS LONG AS WE DEFEAT THEM. THAT ONLY MATTERS WHEN PLAYOFF TIME COMES AROUND, AS I’VE JUST DEMONSTRATED. ” Ken Strickland
yes, ken, but what do you see us doin’ in tbe playoffs this yr? if we finish 5th, that means a match up of possibly miami or chicago. i don’t see us gettin’ pass them in a 1st round.
Fundamentals
November 30th, 2010
1:46 pm
How can he use the term “Elite” when we’ve essentially proved nothing other than getting into the playoffs. “Elite” means you have a realistic shot to win the title. He haven’t up to this point. If we gel and potentially add a piece or two we might be in that echelon?
Fundamentals
November 30th, 2010
1:48 pm
Ant Banks, we’ll see how they do this year. If the team gels and gives 100% we can compete with almost anyone. I don’t see getting into the 2nd round as unrealistic. I do, however, think we’ll still have issues getting over the hump. My hope is that we at least make it intersting this time, like we did against the Celtics. Give yourself a chance, inspire some fans. Maybe then ownership will allow the extra $$ it’ll take to truly have a real shot at the title.
ant banks
November 30th, 2010
1:49 pm
fundamentals and maryb,
y’all do remember his sayin’ that last year, right?
drmaryb (*_*)
November 30th, 2010
1:49 pm
Fundamentals!
I know right? If not for Bob Rathburn, we would have no COLOR commentary!
lol!
Smitty would be informative and just as excitable (smirk) as Nique.
Thank Goodness we don’t have to tolerate Mark Jackson’s, “Mamma! There goes that man!” – Crap. Hey, Greg Anthony “The Analaphor” is pretty impressive too!
ant banks
November 30th, 2010
1:51 pm
FUNDAMENTALS,
etan, josh powell, and collins AND larry drew is ALL that sund thought that we needed to make it outta the 2nd round. i don’t know what these 3, collectively, will be able to do to get us past orlando
The Truth
November 30th, 2010
1:59 pm
“I’m not trying to break down the semantics of an actual trade. Maybe Jordan Crawford, Jamal Crawford’s expiring contract and a few future draft picks are enough.
Or maybe Atlanta would have to give up Josh Smith and absorb one of Phoenix’s long-term contracts, like Hedo Turkoglu or Josh Childress (eligible to be traded after Dec. 15).”
If this writer isn’t trying to “break down the semantics” of a trade, then what the hell did he just do? This trick of making a suggestion after declaring one was not intended is not fooling anyone. The bottom-line is that Phoenix wants Josh Smith after losing Stoudemire and they are indirectly campaigning hard for him. The Jamal and Jordan Crawford idea is really a smoke screen since neither player fills a void for Phoenix. Their problem is defensive presence so Josh Smith would be a huge upgrade for them. The problem is if they expect the Hawks to bite on this idea, then the weed they’re smoking must be the best because no-way this happen. Some of their fans routinely have come on this blog suggesting this same idea as well. Now it appears in the Bleacher Report. I know Sund hasn’t been a fan-favorite in Hawksville as of late with his constant inactions, but even he can’t be that stupid. Trading a nearly 37 yr old defensive liability PG for a nearly 25 yr old beast, where is the logic?
http://bleacherreport.com/articles/529672-nba-trade-rumors-5-reasons-steve-nash-and-atlanta-hawks-would-be-a-perfect-fit
drmaryb (*_*)
November 30th, 2010
2:02 pm
Ant,
Yeah, I remember that too. Etan? He wears nice dress suits! Maybe, those rebel flag comments glued his azz to the bench?
How can Etan and Pape Sy help us get past round 2, when we have never seen them suit up (my bad), uniform – up?