Atlanta Hawks: Nets 89, Hawks 82
Devin and the Nets broke down the Hawks. (AP Photo)
Newark, N.J.–The Nets a) are 2-1 against the Hawks and 6-19 against the rest of the league and b) have a penetrating point guard, a big post presence and a coach who gets them to play a scrappy defensive style. A and B are closely related.
- “This is the type of defense we’ve been playing but we just haven’t been able to score,” Avery Johnson said. “We only scored 89 points tonight but it was seven more than our opponents.”
- The Hawks got 30 of those points in the first quarter. They started off the game passing the ball around with ease and making lots of shots but then the Nets turned up their pressure. They wouldn’t let the Hawks catch it clean in the post and chased them away from rhythm shots on the perimeter.
- The Hawks didn’t make of those things very difficult for New Jersey. Their entry passes to the post were poor and they were content to shoot lots of jump shots and fade away from the basket instead of go hard at it. Two plays in particular stood out in my mind to illustrate how the Hawks’ passiveness did them in.
- One time Al had Vujacic guarding him and started to back him down. Troy Murphy offered some token help, then retreated. It’s a situation where it’s hard to think Al wouldn’t at least end up with a foul. Instead, he pulled up for a jump shot and missed
- Another time, Murphy ended up guarding J.J. near the top of the key. Joe dribbled, juked a couple times, then threw up a long jump shot while fading away. He missed.
- The Hawks attempted 74 shots. Only 27 were from the painted area.
- “A lot of jumpers,” L.D. said. “We were looking to get more in the paint. We tried to post and they were coming on the double team, which we were already prepared for. That was a situation where we were settling from the outside when we should have tried to put the ball on the floor more to get more drive-and-kick situations. We had some open looks and they just didn’t fall tonight.”
- Joe made four of his first eight shots, then missed his next eight. He looked uncertain for much of the second half and said he’s still rusty. “It’s not going to come back overnight,” he said. “I just have to take my time. “
- “It will probably take another game or two for him to get into a rhythm,” L.D. said. “Early he was explosive and really making some nice plays. He kind of got cold again and couldn’t get it going again.”
- When winning time arrived, the Nets did to the Hawks what any team with competent pick-and-roll guards can do: Get dribble penetration then take advantage when the defense scrambles. Good shots usually will be available against the Hawks in those situations and then it becomes a matter of making them. The Nets made enough to win.
- “They were running the same plays and it took us a while to catch on to them,” Bibby said. “They were running pick-and-rolls, getting mismatches, spreading us out.”
- Atlanta was down 74-70 when Josh was forced to hack Lopez, picking up his fifth foul. Smoove played less than a minute in the first quarter before picking up his second foul. He finished with just 26 minutes and had three blocks. When he wasn’t out there cleaning things up in the back it’s no surprise that New Jersey found it much easier to score on drives and post-ups.
- After Lopez made those free throws for a 76-70 lead, here’s what Atlanta’s next 11 possessions looked like: J.J. travel . . . Collins foul . . . Al misses a fading runner across lane (he wanted a foul). . . J.J. missed corner 3 . . .Bibby made 3. . .Al’s miss over Vujacic . . . Marvin miss . . . Marvin made 3 . . .Josh made 3. . . . Horford made free throws . . . Bibby missed a rushed 3.
- “In the first quarter, we had good ball movement,” J.J. said. “We were getting into the teeth of the defense and making the game easy. After that, for whatever reason, we stopped doing that.”
- Bibby, among the least turnover-prone guards in the league, had five today. He had three brutal miscues in the second quarter, twice throwing it away while trying to feed the post and another time when the Hawks had a chance to get off another shot near the end of the half.
- The Hawks had two turnovers in the first quarter, 14 over the final three. It’s not even that the Nets were taking all those turnovers and scoring–they had just nine points off the 16 turnovers. It’s just that the Hawks needed all the possessions they could get.
- “It’s frustrating,” Drew said. “What’s even more frustrating is they are unforced turnovers, just coming down and making bad decisions on when to deliver the ball. When you are on the road, you have got to be more selective. You can’t have the high-risk plays, the high-risk passes.”
- Without all those turnovers and thus more possessions the Hawks probably win. Consider that they had 12 assists on the 15 shots (out of 52 attempts) they had over the final three quarters.
- The Hawks got nothing from their bench with Jamal out. Just two points after halftime for the reserves. Two rebounds in 13 minutes each for Twin and Josh Powell. Teague never could get the offense going and played just three minutes after halftime. Zaza played two minutes total and had two turnovers.
Michael Cunningham
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208 comments Add your comment
Fundamentals
December 20th, 2010
2:59 pm
Sorry Astro, I love Joe, but the only reason to come back so soon and push the doctors is to make sure you get your numbers up and image out there. Was it coincidence he played the first night voting was eligible? I’m sorry, too much coincidence.
If Joe is really worried about the TEAM he should get 100%, pass the ball when he’s off, not shoot 3’s till he’s back and focus on wins. I’m glad he appears rested and ready to play, but worry about if the elbow is truly ready.
Same for Jamal – get healthy – you only have 1 back.
We need Joe 100% for the playoff stretch run, not for the All Star stretch run.
Now is the time to sit them both, rest them and get Teague and JC2 minutes – WIN OR LOSE. Let the young kids play, let them develop now, while there’s still time to make them useable players later in the season while getting your heavy hitters back 100%.
Fundamentals
December 20th, 2010
3:00 pm
CP – amen on pressuring Dwight. Be nice, Mo will get 3-4 untimely fouls to go with his 2 points due to his bad footwork and defensive positioning.
O'Brien
December 20th, 2010
3:01 pm
Ramon,
Even if Portland would do that deal, Rick and the ASG will not, because Camby is owed $9 mil next year. IMO, if the ASG trade Jamal, I think it will only be for another expiring contract.
I know its early in his first year of his new deal, but JJ has not met expectations (imo). Another concern is whenever he is playing, the team automatically defers to him, and right now, he is not capable of carrying them.
yodaddy,
If Teague can step up his game offensively, he will get more minutes. And if that happens, I think the team will run more when he is out there. On the flip side, he willprobably have more turnovers.
O'Brien
December 20th, 2010
3:04 pm
Fundamentals,
JJ already has his max deal, and its not like he was playing all that well before the injury. I dont think he is concerned about all-star votes at all.
Plus JJ is one of the most durable guys in the league, and I think he takes pride in that. So he wanted to come back as quick as possible, especially since the team had lost a couple games, and Jamal was hurting.
drmaryb (*_*)
December 20th, 2010
3:04 pm
Joe Don’t Give a Damn!
Joe could care less about being VALIDATED!
By a Fan
By a All-Star Vote
Joe is a Cat cut from a very different cloth, he is humble, he does NOT pound his HEART after great plays, Joe does NOT someone to tell him HE got GAME!
Joe don’t give a sh!t about The Section 303’s of this world & I don’t blame him!
Who cares if some 300 LB couch potato wants to Boo them!
Joe don’t care about NOBODY but them SOILDERS in that Locker Room!
As it should be. Fans are fickle, crazy, unreasonable and short sighted!
Half of them can’t even run 100 YDS, much less 48 minutes full throttle.
So, Joe – YOU DO YOU!
When you ISO-ED and scored 25 Pts, 5 Assts, 6 Rebs? They Complained!
When you passed the ball w/elbow injury and scored 16 Pts? They Complained!
When you can back 4 Weeks early from surgery? They Complained!
Take care of You, Your Family and Loved One! Damn these Fans!
Cash them checks and Do You!
Fundamentals
December 20th, 2010
3:07 pm
O’Brien – Could it be that Joe knew about his elbow and never said anything late last season, through the contract and into the season. Dude waited till it locked up to deal with it! Now he’s fighting to come back and play for the All Star bid? Dude’s trying to be a warrior, but as you say, he’s not living up to expectations.
I still say it’s b/c dude is hurt, he’s rusty and he needs to get practice reps and rehab in to get to 100% before we even play him…much less hold the contract expectations over his head. When he’s back to 100%, then we should judge him.
I want a healthy, on his game Joe for this year’s playoffs to prove once and for all what the kid’s got. Judging him now is just unfair.
Fundamentals
December 20th, 2010
3:12 pm
drmaryb – do games right now really matter that much? Some say yes, some say no? Joe shouldn’t “rush back” to save us cause Jamal is out. We’re not falling out of the playoff race, we’re right in the middle, where we would be with Joe and Jamal…so what’s the big deal with taking time to get truly healthy?
When Joe went down I didn’t want to see him till the new year. Not cause I got something against the kid. Just to ensure he’s really ready for the stretch run. Coming back this early is just stupid.
tony
December 20th, 2010
3:22 pm
The hawks can beat Orlando without JJ if JC1 was healthy. I tried to tell you people that JJ would hurt the team when he returns? We need to trade JJ to Washington for Kirk Hinrich so we will have the cash to sign Kendrick Perkins this offseason.
We need to hire Bill Laimbeer to coach the hawks next season because he knows how to get the most out of his players and we need to draft our future center Keith Benson.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ekNfbYNNswU
JeJe
December 20th, 2010
3:25 pm
“The hawks can beat Orlando without JJ if JC1 was healthy. I tried to tell you people that JJ would hurt the team when he returns? We need to trade JJ to Washington for Kirk Hinrich so we will have the cash to sign Kendrick Perkins this offseason.
We need to hire Bill Laimbeer to coach the hawks next season because he knows how to get the most out of his players and we need to draft our future center Keith Benson.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ekNfbYNNswU”
LOL!!!! Thank God you aren’t GM
Astro Joe
December 20th, 2010
3:27 pm
Fundamentals, tell me something, did Joe put himself back in the game? Did he play himself for 39 minutes the last 2 games?
Let me ask you this, when a player has a bad game (or more), does he do so with some ulterio motive? Josh had a few bad games immediately after Joe got hurt, was he too worried about his personal finances to play well? Was he so gung ho about making his first All-Star game that he choked under some self-inflicted pressure?
I wonder if Chicago fans will expect Noah to return to matching his season averages in his first 2-3 games when he returns from injury. I guess Lakers fans should be ticked off that Bynum has been rusty. Maybe the Bulls should have expected 18/10 from Boozer in his first few games. I guess all of those guys came back for some selfish reason… since obviously they didn’t immediately perform at historic levels.
slimjr
December 20th, 2010
3:29 pm
@Ramon
Josh scored 8 pts in the 4th quarter against who last night and they still lost by how much, 7???? The freaking lousy Nets……..Let’s see how he scores in the 4th against Orland tonight. Dude will disappear…Just like he does against Utah,Lakers,Celtics,San Antonio, Miami ..Must I go on?? Trade this buster asap….
RICK SUND=BILLY KNIGHT JR
northcyde
December 20th, 2010
3:32 pm
Fundamentals . . please.
When has JJ ever shown to be such a selfish player? The dude is willingly sacrificing shots to get other people looks. The dude has never taken as many shot attempts ( including the shots other guys take, but get fouled on ).
Even when people call JJ a “ball hog”, that’s wrong. Because at the worst, the only thing the dude does is dribble too much.
That dude played through an injury ( both elbow and hand . . which I’m wondering if the hand still bothers him ).
JJ doesn’t seek the spotlight. He stays low key most of the time. Plus he has his big time contract. So why in the world would you think an all-star appearance is that important to him?
lewis
December 20th, 2010
3:35 pm
JJ coming back early, despite his play, might be the most epic display of leadership he has ever shown. Too bad he was not ready.
tony
December 20th, 2010
3:37 pm
JeJe, if I was the hawks GM we would have at least one championship by now. Get over JJ my freind because he is a team killer without Nash.
Grandad
December 20th, 2010
3:44 pm
Najeh;
from earlier, I agree about Josh except perhaps the part about his
position. I think that is secondary to our current “Alpha Dawg”
struggle which is raging within the team.
Joe came back early because, [maybe], he felt as if Al & Josh were
taking his team from him.
Which leads me to believe;
“Joe must go”
It will never happen. ASG does not understand that Team dynamics
cannot be forced into a functioning unit by coddling a group of men
who really will never fit. (and really don’t like one another)
Bibby?
Why does Teaguer play out of his mind against the best team in the
league…..then disappear?
Bibby?
Joe’s wingman.
Maybe I’m nuts, maybe not.
It’s not coaching. The plan works – we’ve seen it.
It’s not talent. You’re correct – misfit talent.
It’s like trying to play “chess” and you have no rooks or bishops,
you’re trying to play with all -Knights- and no queen.[pun intended]
Egos! Oh yeah!
Explain why millionaires don’t show up for work? [yeasterday]
Right now…I’m cheering for the lock-out!
Astro Joe
December 20th, 2010
3:49 pm
Joe came back early because, [maybe], he felt as if Al & Josh were taking his team from him.
And if Joe came back early because the team had lost 3 of 4, Jamal was hurt, he felt ready to contribute, the doctors gave him clearance and the team was playing a challenging stretch of games, then your conclusion would be…
Never mind, let’s just frustrate ourselves for another 6 years by believing that someone who has been so clearly indifferent to the trappings of stardom would suddenly become a new (and worse) creature. Why believe the best in people when it is so much easier to assume the worse. Have at it.
Grandad
December 20th, 2010
3:52 pm
*the spelling for *yesterday has -not- been changed to *yeasterday
@ leest as far as I know it has not bean changed.
Eaven though my eaditor perused my post before I submitted.
Atlanta Fawks
December 20th, 2010
3:59 pm
TRADE FOR THE FUTURE WHILE THESE SCABS STILL HAVE SOME VALUE!!!!
Grandad
December 20th, 2010
4:02 pm
Astro Joe
Very good point.
Joe does stop the offense.
Team chemistry does not exist.
Joe left no money on the table for another FA.
Joe brought nothing in the way of energy, enthusiasm,
or even talent to the game yesterday.
Nothing that Pape Sy could not have provided.
drmaryb said it best – “this team is a hot mess”
The day Joe earns superstar money;
he will get my superstar respect.
Dollar for Dollar;
Battier is a better player by the standards you put forth above.
northcyde
December 20th, 2010
4:04 pm
Co-sign drmaryb’s 3:04 post
I remember when JJ got on Twitter 2 summers ago, and people didn’t like some of the comments he was making on there. JJ was having fun, even playfully tweeted about betting one of his boys about kissing a woman he didn’t know.
Oh boy, did the fans have a field day on those few tweets they saw from JJ. Talking about how some of his comments were inappropriate, even calling him ghetto.
Those were the same fans that constantly complained about JJ not having any personality . . not not showing enough emotion on the court . . not being a vocal leader.
But when he did show some personality, they had a fit.
So what did JJ do? He took down the account, or he changed his name and protected his tweets.
LOL @ people questioning JJ and how hurt he was or his reasoning for coming back. If Josh Smith or Al Horford were in that same situation, and after being out for a few weeks didn’t feel any pain after surgery, they would’ve done the exact same thing JJ did by coming back early.
None of those dudes have ever been in any type of trouble, so I DO NOT question their integrity.
Astro Joe
December 20th, 2010
4:10 pm
Granddad, if you were Joe and had watched the team spend no money on a free agent since the Speedy signing (2006), why would you leave money on the table? Because you believed the ASG would spend it? That would make you a slightly less wealthy fool. The business decision that Joe made has nothing to do with his on-court performance. Joe has spent 5 years in an iso-based offense and is adapting to a new system. Meanwhile, he leads the team in assists. He finished first in LD’s conditioning program during the off-season. He opted to return when the team started to sputter instead of opting for full health and better post-surgery stats. The team had lost 3 of 4 games priop to his return. Let’s not confuse things here.. they had lost to the freakin’ Pistons. Joe didn’t give himself that contract, didn’t clear himself to play nor insert himself for 39 minutes int hefirst 2 games. I think your venom is misdirected.
saml
December 20th, 2010
4:22 pm
Hawks are still the same team as last year…and that was a pretty good team (except for the coach). Nothing to prevent them from being better this year. Everyone of these guys, (yes, even Joe Johnson who really is a great talent), everyone (including Josh Smith, Marvin Williams, especially Teague, frickin’ Crawford (who also is a great talent), plus the newcomes (who seem like they may have their heads screwed on straight)……..
All these people have to have the intense, almost insane desire to win so they will play as a determined and intelligent (see Boston and San Antonio) team and cut off their loose edges immediately so they will flow together.
It’s the same team as last year….so there’s still hope.
That said, why did Orlando cut loose a squad that can run up huge victories? Did they perceive a drug, alcohol party problem ? Do the Hawks have the cahoonies to do the same?
No, Joe Johnson doesn’t get a pass for being parochial in his thinking……..all that means is he is parochial and totally self-absorbed without being selfish. Okay….but he still must produce……
If not find a real center, pull the trigger. Bye Joe, no more massages from Mary B.
Grandad
December 20th, 2010
4:26 pm
I don’t think I questioned Joe’s integrity.
If I did, then I did not express myself very well.
I’m questioning:
Joe, Josh, Al, Marv, Jamal, Bibby, fitting together
as a team and being able to function at a high level
working as one singular unit.
This group of men, this experiment has failed!
Individually, each one is a nice enough guy and a good person.
I reckon?
* Shane Battier * is my favorite player, I’ve made that clear.
However, I’ve come to the point that he would just be more of
the same. Another nice guy.
* Gerald Wallace * I’ve begun to think that maybe we need someone
such as GW (Rodmanesque) to stir up the mix.
Bottom line – It’s time to shake ‘em up.
*editors note – I did -not- say start over & re-build.
Nothing drastic -but- dramatic.
Astro Joe
December 20th, 2010
4:26 pm
Maybe you guys are right, maybe after watching the team dip to 10-11 after the 6-0 start, go 1-3 in a 4 game stretch and feel like you are ready to contribute to the team’s improvement, maybe Joe should have sat back and said “no, they will figure it out. Let me just sit back, relax, deposit my fat paycheck and come back in the 4-6 weeks timeframe. That’s what the doctors said and I could really enjoy the holidays without the pressure of actually playing and practicing and all that nonsense. I’ll just let the rest of the guys figure it out while I chillax in the cut and count my cheddar”.
Yessir, that clearly would have been the better alternative and one that would have earned the respect of his teammates and the fan base.
If one of our other captains suffers an injury in this season (or next), I wonder if some will likewise accuse him of horrible things if he returns to the team during a bad stretch of losses (and with his main back-up injured)? I have a feeling we’d be nominating Josh or Al for Hero of the Year.
O'Brien
December 20th, 2010
4:29 pm
I think the Hawks win tonight, because that has been their pattern even when Woody was here.
Have a bad loss, then win a tough game that nobody thought they would win. Then go back to a couple bad losses, then get a couple good wins.
This team is too inconsistent to be taken seriously.
O'Brien
December 20th, 2010
4:40 pm
The bigger issue about the Hawks, is that after starting out 6-0, they are 11-12. That’s inexcusable.
I know there have been injuries, but they should also be better acclimated to the motion offense. So when do we get to see the results?
Rigtht now, they are 5th in the East, and would play Orlando in the first round. The good thing is they played Orlando tough both games. I hope to see more of that toughness tonight.
{MAC-Town Georgia 478}
December 20th, 2010
4:45 pm
Ramon…Lebron James is a career 27.7 PPG scorer, including 2 years of 30 or more. Lebron James is a much better ball handler, finisher, and career shooter than Josh Smith. Smoove hasnt even came close to 20 PPG. It’s no comparison.
Lebron James cant do it all by himself, but I did see Lebron carry a team all the way to the finals.
Depending on Josh Smith OFFENSIVELY wont get the Hawks far, especially when he forces the issue several times..
{MAC-Town Georgia 478}
December 20th, 2010
4:47 pm
I dont know what anyone can see about this team as currently constructed which would make them think anything is going to change, as far as being able to compete with and beat an elite team in a playoff series.
Considering that, a shake up is needed.
Grandad
December 20th, 2010
4:51 pm
Astro Joe;
Your point are both well take and well spoken and if my
vilification of Joe crossed the line and sounded venomous
I apologize.
Having coached, I’m merely trying to dissect the problems
[as if I have inside info] from watching the team and their
interactions with one another.
From a purely personal standpoint, I admire all the Hawks and
the fact that they stay out of the news. (in a bad way)
From a team standpoint, I realize how tough it is to get
5,6,7,8,9 guys to work and play well together.
Ramon
December 20th, 2010
4:52 pm
Grandad, I understand what you’re saying. But I think the biggest problem with this team was made by Sund. Each of the top 6 players that Sund inherited was re-signed, and only two really had competition for their services. Bibby, Zaza, and Marvin were each re-signed at prices that not only left the team depending on them succeed, but left the team vulnerable not to be able to make moves if they didn’t succeed. If each of those players were signed for 70-75% of the cost of their current contract, the Hawks would’ve been left with enough money to bring in players who could challenge their spots and bring more production to the team as a unit. What other GM would’ve given those contracts to Bibby, Marvin, and Zaza? I don’t even think BK would’ve made those signings. And Sund did it at the insistence of Woody. How do you take the advice of a coach, that you don’t even trust to give a long term contract to? I believe with the exception of your three best players, you should never sign contracts with players after rookie deals, that are longer than 2-3 seasons max.
Now the problem of this make up comes when you look at the top 7 players on the team now, and only see two great defender (Josh and Joe), one good defender (Al), one average defender (Marvin), and 3 terrible defenders (Bibby, JC1, Zaza). You should have more defenders on your team than you have shooters. When was the last time a team won the NBA finals, without 3 excellent defenders in their top 6 players? If half of your team isn’t defensive minded players, than your team will not have a defensive mindset when it comes to the playoffs. KG is a great defender, but his teams in Minnesota weren’t great on defense. It wasn’t until he came to Boston. And while Ray Allen and Pierce were great shooters all their careers, Pierce was always an underrated defender. And Rondo and Perkins knew how to play defense, and actually excelled in college from their defense, not their offense. The Lakers traded one great defender in Ariza for a great defender in Artest, to go with Kobe, Odum, and Gasol.
You can’t make a dish and expect the dish to taste like ingredients that you didn’t put in the recipe.
So I really believe that this team can excel with Joe, Josh, and Al being the three best players on the roster. However, I do not believe this team can excel with Marvin, Bibby, and Zaza (or Crawford) being the next three best players. In Joe, Josh, and Al you have three players who are all at the top of the league in their position, (Josh and Al at two different positions). But in the other four you have four players who are at the very bottom at their positions. The fact that teams have PGs, and SFs on the bench who can out play Bibby AND Marvin, speak volumes about the dropoff of talent on this roster. And the fact that they’re paid as much as they’re paid makes their negative that much greater of a problem.
Grandad
December 20th, 2010
4:56 pm
*well taken* -not- well take…..that would mak no sens
Ramon
December 20th, 2010
4:59 pm
Mac, sorry cousin, but I disagree. Lebron has never shot better from the field than Josh has. Lebron has always averaged twice the amount of attempts (and referee favor) as Josh has. But anyone with knowledge of the game will say Lebron isn’t a natural scorer. Lebron’s first instinct is to pass, not to shoot. Jordan Crawford is more a natural scorer than Lebron is. Lebron is a much better player than Josh is, that’s not the argument. But Lebron isn’t that much more of a scorer (mentally) than Josh. Lebron is almost like an oversized Grant Hill or Lamar Odum (if you remember him in his good days). Grant Hill had the physical talent to go out and score 40 any night. However, mentally they’d both rather make the unbelievable pass over the unbelievable shot any day of the week. If Josh averaged 18 shot attempts per game (or Al) they would both average over 20 ppg, and still shoot a high rate percentage.
Fundamentals
December 20th, 2010
4:59 pm
Astro Joe – you’re missing my point entirely and mixing it with others. I’m not bashing Joe. I don’t feel like we overpaid. We paid what we had to to keep him. We paid him out of respect for how far he got us. We paid out of necessity.
I don’t expect Joe to play, much less put up numbers. I want him 100% COMPLETELY HEALED AND READY! That’s all. I don’t want him in the All Star game, I don’t want him rushing back for some lame mid season games, especially when we lose anyway. He needs to get 100%.
LD, ASG, the Doctor, whomever, including Joe should’ve been fined, slapped, something for allowing him to come back and play those minutes. I don’t care if we’re 10-15 while he’s out. We’re still in the playoffs right now. That’s all that matters.
Right now should be about getting folks ready, getting folks healthy and figuring out what we need before February. I know what I’m getting from Joe when he’s healthy. We’ve got 6 years to prove it.
For those who don’t like Joe, so be it. He failed because our TEAM failed. He can’t carry the load 100% – neither can Kobe so give the kid a break. He needs role players to play their role to win. He needs professionals who play 100% every night to win.
We didn’t lose the last game b/c of Joe Johnson, we lost b/c others didn’t show up and he obviously wasn’t ready to carry the load.
SHAME on whomever let that happen.
I hope Joe and Jamal sit till they’re ready to give 100%. I don’t want to hear lame excuses about a back and an elbow in April. I want their best…WHEN IT ACTUALLY MATTERS!
Ramon
December 20th, 2010
5:00 pm
Mac, Lebron didn’t take Cleveland to the Finals. David Stern and the Zebras took the Cavs to the finals. And they’ve regretted every since, because Cleveland was massacred, and the ratings were the worst in a long time.
Grandad
December 20th, 2010
5:07 pm
Ramon;
excellent points.
A balanced line-up:
[1] Lowry
[2] Joe
[3] Gerald wallace
[4,5] Al & Camby
Bench:
[1] Teaguer
[2] Jamal or Mayo
[3] D.Wilkins
[4] Powell + young project [4,5]
[5] J-Cheese + young project [4,5]
Something like this?
Attainable, probably.
Grandad
December 20th, 2010
5:09 pm
I really didn’t mean to leave out Josh…..whoops!
lewis
December 20th, 2010
5:12 pm
I would trade for Gerald Wallace in a heartbeat.
but why do you people put these ideas in my head, r sund is a puppet who can’t get things done
Ramon
December 20th, 2010
5:14 pm
Grandad,with Wallace, you wouldn’t need Camby. Camby is really a PF (as he has been listed at the last 2 seasons). With Wallace you’re able to play Wallace, Josh, and Horford as your front line. And you can get a way with it because it allows Horford to be on the elbow for his jumper. And Josh and Wallace to slash and rebound. To me though if had to choose, I would choose Josh starting over Horford at PF, because Horford still has yet to prove he can CONSISTENTLY guard the 4 position, as Josh has. Right now, it seems Horford does better on defense against the 5 than he does the 4. Rather he likes it or not that is the case.
Grandad
December 20th, 2010
5:22 pm
lewis,
I’m sorry, they’re in my head.
Ramon,
just showing you a balanced roster.
Rod from College Park
December 20th, 2010
5:25 pm
One thing that has not been mentioned is would Dwight Howard consider coming home. It has been reported that the Magic broke that team up to appease Dwight. My personal belief is that they will not be able to compete with Boston to make it to the finals this year. I saw somewhere that Dwight will not resign with Orlando and will become a free agent whenever that is, I think it’s 2012. Should the Atlanta Hawks be positioning themselves to be ready to deal any and everybody to get Dwight when he becomes a free agent? I know for a fact that he and Josh are very close, and I’m sure they would love to play together on a professional level and represent the hometown.
JeJe
December 20th, 2010
5:34 pm
Won’t Smoove only have like a year left on his contract in 2012? Dwight would just go to Boston or some other loaded team that has a million tradeable pieces.
Like the rumor goes, we were one ping pong ball away from getting Dwight
FIRE SUND
Ramon
December 20th, 2010
5:39 pm
Grandad in my mind, that roster would just be one shooter away from the finals!
Ramon
December 20th, 2010
5:39 pm
Jeje, BK would’ve chosen Okafor, lol…
LeBroom
December 20th, 2010
5:51 pm
The Hawks are struggling. The coach doesn’t know who the team’s best player is. The coach is clueless about matchups. The coach plays his players to their weaknesses rather than utilizing their strengths. The coach is in love with jump shooting and jump shooters. The coach shows no accountability. The coach odes not understand how to manage a rotation. The coach is lost and should never have been hired.
The moral of the story:
Larry Drew is a terrible coach. Period. Point Blank. End of Story.Enough said.
northcyde
December 20th, 2010
5:52 pm
Ramon hit the nail on the head. The problem are the guys outside of the “real core” of JJ, Josh, and Al. I can’t think of a single current playoff team, in which Marvin or Bibby would be the starting PG.
Maybe Bibby in Miami, to serve as an extra passer/spot up shooter to Lebron. But that’s the only playoff team I can think of.
Worldwide Clyde
December 20th, 2010
6:06 pm
Zaza = Jon Koncak
He gets his two fouls on illegal screens and then goes right back to the bench.
northcyde
December 20th, 2010
6:08 pm
But also realize this. On what current playoff team would JJ, Josh, or Al be the undisputed Best player on the team?
Boston? – no
Orlando? – no
Miami? – no
Chicago? – no
New York? – not with the way Amar’e is playing
Indiana? – maybe
Philly? – probably
San Antonio? – no
LA Lakers? – no
Oklahoma City? – no
Dallas? – no
New Orleans? – no
Denver? – no
Utah? – better than Deron? no
Portland? – maybe
So that’s the other problem. As great as some us individually think JJ, Josh, and Al are, I don’t know if any of them are better than the current lead guy on other teams.
NBA teams win with talent. If we subtract one or two of our most talented players, you can’t replace them with equal or lesser talent, and expect the team to be better. The NBA doesn’t work like that.
Good team don’t go to NBA Finals. Only the great ones do . . ( or the team with some of the best talent in the conference ).
JeJe
December 20th, 2010
6:16 pm
We have 3 guys who are “the Leader,” “The Captain,” and who think they’re the best on the team.
JeJe
December 20th, 2010
6:20 pm
MARVIN IS NOT STARTING!!!!!!!!!!!!
Chad
December 20th, 2010
6:38 pm
The biggest problem Atlanta Hawk fans have is a man named SUND. Joe Johnson is a starter on any team in the league but he is NOT worth the $120 million of contract space he was given. I’m not sure anybody is. The Atlanta Hawks are going to be limited as to what they can do as far as free-agents are concerned because of this very fact. The rest can be tied back to Sund too.