Atlanta Hawks: Larry Drew says lineup change, trades may be needed to disrupt team’s ‘comfort zone’

Now that I’ve accepted my honorary position, I’ll move on.

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Hey LD, don’t talk about it, be bout it bout it!

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Fire Sund-joke of a GM…these trades are what should happen.

Smoove and JC for a C and reliable bench scorer

Smoove, Williams, and Teague for a star PG; move Bibby to the bench where he belongs

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LD is right and we need a trade…….

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Crumpy is frisky.

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we need a new small foward and point guard. trade marvin williams,mike bibby and a 2nd round pick to go get mo williams and antwan jamison from the cavs.

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The Hawks will be killed by a good team in the playoffs.

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MC: Thanks-you answered my questions9 at least partially) about whether or not Sund and Drew can/will do something to at least stop the bleeding. BTW is it true that ASA will do anything to win except play center?

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It’s good to see someone in the organization making a stand and saying enough with this BS.

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I wish it were Sund and the ASG saying there were trades needed. LD cant make no damn trades, so our bench is still going to stink no matter who’s startin.

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Doesn’t he need to make room for LD II who just QUIT on the Tarheels?? Maybe the coach is setting a bad example for the players… What do you think??

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I give LD credit for speaking out (if for anything he put Sund on the hot seat) but lets see if he follows thru with a lineup shake up….

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Anyone who doesn’t defend or listen to the coach should be up for a new home!! No defense, tons of ill-advised jump shooting,no rebounding,no attacking the basket on the offensive end. Someone needs to go and fast. Bibby cannot remain as the starting point guard. Josh Smith cannot stay on the perimeter shooting jump shots, not defending at the rim, and not boxing out defenders. I am not a coach or gm but there clearly needs to be changes made to get the guys to realize the same play and same excuses no longer fly. Getting blown out by teams like Philly at home is embarrassing to say the least.

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If Bibby starts Sat, I wont believe another word out of LD’s mouth. He’s the weakest link. And I swear, if I see Bibby, and Jamal on the floor together again I’m going to ……. scream! They better step up Sat for sho. And that’s on the real!

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Even Al Horfords Dad knows we need a trade. Everyone but the owners and our crappy GM.

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I’ve said this after each playoff lost over the past couple of years, how does the Hawks expect to improve without addressing the center position? You keep putting the same players back on the floor, you will continue to produce the same results. Every contender around them have been actively improving their team while the biggest spalsh the Hawks made was resigning one player to a 100 million dollar contract… Ask the Knicks how that went with Allen Houston…. It’s not rocket science.

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Outside of Horford this team has no heart.

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“NEWSFLASH” LD your team has no comfort zone after losing TWO MASSIVE BLOWOUTS at home in the past 3 weeks Sir…..Get a grip please…BTW maybe your squad should grab their crouch to check and see if they still have a set!!! At least Josh checked…..cost him 25 large though…LOL

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if this team stands pat (like it usually does) they will be a 2nd round exit once again….and in this case if everything falls into play they could be a 1st round exit if the magic lock up the 5th seed and we all know the hawks dont stand a chance in hell against them. but as usual this organization (and city for that matter) will stand for mediocrity. yes these guys have chemistry and have played together for awhile but theyve maxed out and to those of you who think they havent obviously you dont live on planet earth….

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Understand the idea for a shake-up. This has been a topic on these blogs for months. It has to be done with a business sense and not on emotion. Some of the proposed trades I see on here are pretty much fantasy trades and not realistic.

The most outstanding need we have right now is for a point guard who can run the team. This has to be someone who is aggressive, but smart, can make a lot of assist, but still score and definitely will get others involved. These are the type of players who are coveted by all teams so to pry one away is going to have to be somethng significant.

For all of the times he drives us crazy with his outside shot selection and arguing with the refs, this team would miss Smoove more than any other player. Too many people only look at those two issues rather than what he does as an all around player. His all around play with steals, blocks, rebounds, intimidations and all of the little things player do to help their teams is actually outstanding. However, it may be the time where he is the most valuable commodity that someone will want. Think about it, his stats are pretty even most of the time and generally, when they change it is almost always for the better. He does score 34 points one night and 6 the next like someone else on the team. He is a steady player day in and day out.

Who do we have that someone else would really want. The only expiring contact of any consequence is JC1 and JT make fare better in another environment where there is a real mentor and he is given the opportunity to develop. So, if we can get someone who is outstanding in the point and give them JC1 and JT and maybe a 2nd round pick, we may be able to get someone in who can help us

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T Mac as a Hawk.Think about it

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It should be he doesn’t score 34 points one night and 6 the next…….

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it was a terrible pick Marvina Williams should be jettison first along with his side kick the ole geezer MB yesterday……………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

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The Hawks front office should have done more last summer. It’s sad that when the critics actually praise the Hawks then they turn around and do something like last night. Then it’s back to are the “Hawks contenders or pretenders.” This organization has to get it together.

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AL HORFORD’S DAD FOR GM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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Mr. Sund: Is the goal to win 50+ or contend for a championship?

Well, 5 years ago, the 50+ wins would have been a huge goal – but no longer. Shake this team up. What is wrong with a lateral move?

DO NOT RULE OUT ANYTHING – PICK UP THE DAMN PHONE AND GET WITH IT.

As crappy as the ownership group is, at least they have opened their pocketbooks for their beloved basketball team – you should have the resources to get something done.

Great line from the movie War Games: “I’d p!ss on a spark plug if I thought it would do any good”.

That’s the mentality a good GM should have!

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Hawks need to make a deal with the Memphis Grizzlies and trade for Marc Gasol. The Hawks really need a Center and Marc Gasol will be a perfect fit that way Al Horford can be moved to his natural position Power Forward.

Memphis also wants to part ways with OJ Mayo so the Hawks should package a deal to get OJ Mayo & Marc Gasol from them. Hawks can give them Jamal Crawford & Josh Smith.

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GO HAWKS!!! Naw how about GONE HAWKS!!!!!!!

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Here you go Sund – be a better team now and increase future cap flexibility

http://games.espn.go.com/nba/tradeMachine?tradeId=4eactw3

Steve Nash and Grant Hill for Josh Smith (who will never be a championship caliber player)

Make this Horford’s team – as it should have been done over the summer!

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Josh Smith has a world of talent but his mouth and head interfere with his ability to make the Hawks team better. Too much talking and complaining on the court. Every night Blake Griffin is mentioned on Sportscenter and NBATV. He!!, Griffin is even on the all-star team. Josh Smith has just as much talent as Blake Griffin, without the consistency, but cannot seem to mesh with and elevate the Hawks to one of the elite teams. I dont’t know what the problem is other than the fact that Josh has to grow up mentally on the floor and Bibby is a total liability at point guard. Whoever the Hawks trade for needs to be mature with leadership qualities and heart!!!

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what are the hawks millionaire players “comfortable with?” They suck—and that makes them comfortable while still getting paid millions for showing up! They love those chump fans that keep paying the high prices for tickets, beer and food—it keeps those bentleys and escalades brand new every year! Keep it coming chumps.

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The ASG has made so many awful moves since their inception:

NEVER-EVER resign Joe Johnson. You give money like that the Kobe and Lebrons of the world, not JJ. Remember, he wet his pants during several Celtic moments and didn’t show up at all during playoff last year or the year before. Then had the audacity to tell the team to kiss his behind. JJ is a #2 at best.

It was obvious since the Hawks first playoff game 3 years ago to the Celtics that they needed a Center, yet the refuse to get one.

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I noticed at least seven times last night that Josh Smith loafed back to the defensive end and he was clearly the last person to cross half court. When he puts his mind to it he changes the game. Just a matter of which side of his brain he decides to use. Hopefully Drew and the assistants review the tape and address this with him. Not a big Hawks fan but I do like Josh Smith, just difficult to defend him consistantly when I see that. Not even discussing three point shot selection on critical possessions.

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Good grief . I have an idea . Lets trade our overpriced lousy players for this or that superstar .

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Send Josh Smith sorry behind packing and get Joe Johnson to give back most of his paycheck. THey are both horrible. Deport Zaza and send Marvin Williams to the Developmental League. That’s where I would start.

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Man get off horford N.U.T.S. man.He is not a defensive stopper,he cries just like everyone else does when he doesn’t get a call.6′10 man and he complaining about playing center.Man Dejaun Blair 6′7 and Dominating some of the 7 footers on a bunch of nights and he ain’t complaining bout playing center.The hawks need to find thereself and say enough is enough.Josh need to stop shooting jumpers and help out Al downlow,Joe needs to become more consistent and Jamal just need to become the player he was in new york and put fear in the defenders eyes.Al needs to become a man down low.He just one or two inches from 7 foot so why he cant go ham down low?Kurt Thomas 38 and 6′9 but still go crazy on the boards.Its about will and belief.

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atown gradybaby

only a fool would trade Josh smith!

Man you are so right,these folks on here trippin

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I think I see a lot of people commenting on this blog who are much more capable of performing the duties of Atlanta Hawks General Manager than Rick Sund. This is the same guy who is only paying $1 mil a yr for LD. Give me a break, he probably makes 10 times as much as that. I hope he gets amnesia and forgets who he is so someone else with a more palpable soul can be touched by LD’s cries for a trade.

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Get rid of the Hawks and the hip hop culture in Atlanta. Crime will surely go down if this happens. This is a must.

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I still think LD is in over his head. Nice guy who would make a good assistent teaching his offense, but not head coach material yet.

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The players probably don’t understand how their coach’s son can quit a team (UNC) in the heat of the “war”. We don’t know the circumstances, however, Larry Drew, Sr seem to be okay with his son’s decision. Perhaps the players are questioning their coach’s decision making and strategy. Could an okay Hawks team be on the verge of imploding? Let’s see how they do moving forward.

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can we just trade the entire team for nothing and just not have a team?

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What exactly is this lineup change?

Is it something DRASTIC like NOT starting Bibby or is it some BS move like starting Mo?

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who is the fake rick sund? that guy is phenomenal

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Maybe LD is the problem. He should quit midseason and walk away just like his son did to the Tar Heels

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They should make me the GM. I know I would at least be aggresive and I would be on the phone with Denver every day up until Melo is traded. I heard Sund called Denver once he was probbaly asking them about their 12th man not Carmelo.

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“Man get off horford N.U.T.S. man.He is not a defensive stopper,he cries just like everyone else does when he doesn’t get a call.6′10 man and he complaining about playing center.Man Dejaun Blair 6′7 and Dominating some of the 7 footers on a bunch of nights and he ain’t complaining bout playing center.”

AGREED!!!! It’s not like he’s a a much better power forward than Josh. In fact if you compare the career stats, they will tell you otherwise. Besides FG%, FT%, TO, and rebounding (about 1 more per game), Josh is better in every other statistical category for his career. I could understand if Al was this great leader, but it still seems to me that Bibby is still the true leader on this team, and that might be the true problem. Horford still does not have the credentials to tell Josh or Joe anything. Joe does not show any emotion or talk, and Josh is too emotional, and has not learned how to control his emotions. Shaq would have been the perfect guy to help this team. He would have been bold enough to call Joe and Josh out, would have probably made Marvin cry by now, and could have schooled Horford in the low post. But the ASG did not want to tamper with the core. LOL

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“People keep talking about trading Josh Smith, but you better get back a decent center or PF in return. ”

Very true, but most of the people who clamor for Smoove to be traded base their opinions more on his facial expressions and the level to which he voices his displeasure with calls than his production. To hear some of the people posting here, it’s almost as though people think getting rid of Smoove would be addition by subtraction. If the Hawks trade Smoove and don’t get someone better in return, they will not be as good as they are now. Seems like an obvious statement, but I think a lot of people don’t see it this way.

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It pains me to say this, but Josh Smith must go

I’m a huge fan of Josh’s, and I respect his talents very much. However, we have Al Horford who needs to be at power-forward.

We need a center. And we need to trade Josh in order to get ’said’ center. Josh can not play the ‘3′. I’ll support the team no matter what, but this is what I think needs to happen for the betterment of the franchise(while also shaking things up)

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Apparently, Larry Drew has been reading my posts. Now let’s hope Sund is listening.

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Don’t worry about the Hawks. This team will be moving to Las Vegas as soon as their new stadium is built. Wanna’ bet?

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I’d try to work a deal with the Suns to acquire Nash & Gortat. Ideally, Marvin Williams would be included in such a deal, but realistically, I doubt there’d be much interest in him so it might take a package centering on J-Smoove and possibly Teague and/or a draft pick. Nash & Gortat could immediately help this team though as two of our biggest weaknesses are PG and rebounding. Gortat would give us a legit C and Horford could shift over to PF. Nash would obviously give us a true PG.

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Seriously, does any one in Atlanta really give a flip what the Hawks do?

Half empty stands, boring, one-man offenses, and typical NBA no-effort games (by both teams) just don’t do it for most sports fans in Atlanta.

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Deal to be made: Atlanta sends F Josh Smith, PG Mike Bibby, C Zaza Pachulia and C Jason Collins to Golden State for PG Stephen Curry, C Andris Biedrins, C Dan Gadzuric and G Charlie Bell.

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What do the Hawks look like in five years? Is Al the only one left? I hope so.

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look I think Its JC1 that really needs to go number one ball hog throws up stupid Sh*T no defense Mo Evans is his twin, Mike Bibby is just glad to be out there he like that kid that was the final pick on a middle school roster and he starts what the F. Duck booty needs to be at an old peoples home how we expect him to even average ten points wit his old A#s. Smooth can barely speak legit english F a home town hero what has he done for the city of Atlanta nothing didnt even finish high school ball here come on. JJJJJJJJJ Joe Johnson shows up sleep half the time when he wakes up he gives a little but not for the money he is getting paid and thats your starters people and a couple back ups stop going to the games its not worth it until they make some changes we all should not go be the best bet

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Somebody should have fed joe some smelling salts last night…..He looked half asleep…..

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“Most NBA franchises recognize the need for a strong point guard – center combination in building a championship contender. As the following list of leading point guards and their overall draft position testifies, identifying a starting point guard isn’t a mystery, but their rare combination of skills make them hard to find.

Derrick Rose 1st
Rajon Rondo 21st
John Wall 1st
Chris Paul 4th
Steve Nash 15th
Deron Williams 3rd
Russell Westbrook 4th
Tony Parker 28th
Jason Kidd 2nd
Brandon Jennings 10th
Dwyane Wade 5th
Mike Bibby 2nd”
Don’t forget Marvin drafted #2 over Chris and DWill!!! Billy had Speedy so why draft another pg?? Still haunting this team 6 years later……..”it was a terrible pick!”

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I agree with dynasty19. Mo williams and thabeet. Either way marvin needsto go. Hes a role player.

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It appears that Josh Smith is the scape-goat for many of the Hawks fans. Rather than focusing on all of the things Josh does well, fans want to point out the 3 or 4 bad shots he takes a game. The Hawks have some obvious problems, but the problem is not Josh Smith. I remember when fans use to criticize Dominique just like they do Josh now. Once the Hawks traded Dominique, the same fans that criticized him and wanted him traded were the same fans that look back now and recognize what a talent Dominique was. Josh can’t make up for what Marvin Williams was expected to bring to the team. Josh can’t make up for Teague being a possible bust. Josh can’t cover up for all of the Hawks that refuse to play defense. Josh certainly can’t make up for all of the bad draft choices the Hawks have made. Al Horford may best the MVP on the Hawks Team. Joe Johnson may be the best player on the Hawks team but if the Hawks trade Josh Smith, you’ve just lost the one player that has the most impact on the team.

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Josh Smith IS a problem, RAD. The guy quits on plays and has a horrible attitude. If and when he ever quits that crap and plays EVERY possession, offensively and defensively, then I’ll change my tune but not before…

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Where do you find players with some gonads?

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Marvin and Josh for Andrew Bynum and shannon brown

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There’s an NBA team here in Atlanta???? Really???

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josh need to be unleashed like when he first came in the league

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q4IJN7Nj1Dk

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Ist trade scenario;
Joe for: [to Memphis straight up]
Zack Randolph

2nd;
Josh for: [to G.S.]
S.Curry, & Filler

3rd;
Joe, Josh, Marvin & Teague: [to Memphis]
Gasol, Randolph, Conley + filler

4th;
Joe & or Josh + Marv, Teague, filler [to Houston]
Lowry or Brooks, Martin, Battier & Jeffries

Break up the core for players with a pulse!

Production…we need players who produce.
exp:
Z.Randolph brings it every night – rebounding
K.Love = same thing
Production!
Get some players who actually produce!

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Drew looked so PO’d last night. I haven’t decided if he is a good coach or not yet, but I like to hear him stepping up and making a statement like this. Good job, coach. You are the first guy in the organization to acknowledge publicly that this team is a good team but not good enough to dominate any team they play and/or win championships.

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Will Atlanta ever get some marquee players, short answer, no. Coaching wise, Larry Drew has initials that the media in Atlanta loves because it makes him/them sound hip, L.D., really?

Atlanta has the same problem with ALL their franchises, the get personnel on the cheap. And they always seem to crash and burn just before winning the big one. (Just like buying a cheap suit and wearing it, and jussssst when you are ready to step out for a big night, wham, wardrobe failure!!).

There’s a lot to be said in you get what you paid for. Practically all the Hawks, to include the coach, would be bench riders anywhere else. Some out of the league all together. Jus sayin’…

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Right on LD!

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You can’t trade Marvin and Smith for a PG unless you get a forward back.

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“Josh Smith for Chris Paul…..Move Horford to his natural position”

-Can Chris Paul play center?

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As much as I like the fact that L.D. is taking a stand and saying that he needs to shake things up or that a trade needs to be made, there’s not much he can do. Seriously, if Sund and the ASG don’t make a move, L.D.’s options are limited. Honestly, what is he going to do to “shake things up”? We know he would never bench Joe or Josh, so what are his options? Insert Mo into the starting lineup? Insert Jamal into the lineup as the starting PG? Start Collins at center and move Al to the 4, Josh to the 3, and Marvin to the bench? None of those moves are going to make the team any better. I like L.D.’s approach to this matter, but there’s not much he can do as far as “shaking up the roster”. That power is out of his hands.

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The hawks are who we thought they were. Just a middle of pack team.

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Chris Paul for Josh Smith ? U R kidding no one would make that trade even up. besides Paul wants to go somewhere where he can win–that definitley will never be Atlanta!

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Well at least LD is looking to do something. I disagre with him on the “comfort” zone at Phillips arena. The Hawks just need players that want to play. All that “HIGHLIGHT” stuff is for the birds if you’re losing. No question about the talent on the Hawks team, but, basketball mindset is a “ZERO”. A trade could be a possibility because there’s only one on the HAWKS team that is not expendable and it’s not
smoove or joe. I would like to see some pride and effort. I enjoyed them more when the Hawks were trying to rebuild, at least they played hard on a nightly basis. We are not going to make the playoff folks because of two missing ingredients. Honor and Pride, we do not have that many players on the Hawks who know what those two words mean, but, I betcha they are enjoying the dollars.

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LOLOL No way we trade Josh Smith. Com-e-dy!! Jamal Crawford is a STARTER in this league. Enough…

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nick young is better than Jamal imo and Kirk Hinric is better than Jamal so….no

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As far as Mike Bibby goes, it’s almost impossible to trade him unless he’s one of the complimentary pieces in a trade surrounding another player. Outside of Horford who is obviously the one untouchable piece we have, Jamal and Josh are our only valuable trade assets.

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“And he gets paid probably the lowest salary in the NBA, so i think LD is just happy to be a HC.”
______________________________

I believe the Bucks coach an Tom in Chicago all signed a very similar contract to that of Coach Drew. Check it.

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honest_abe

joe johnson scored 6 points last night wat are you talking bout?Josh got his point average and was still on the floor wen joe got pulled early in the game because he wasn’t doin ish

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Drew is in a bit of a pickle as far as I can see. If he truly wants players traded, then he has a hard time devaluing them by demoting them to the bench. If he wants to just send a message, then it’s less dicey.

And knowing the ASKG, the Hawks will sit on their hands unless it means taking on less salary than they give.

I for one, will be shocked to see a trade of significant proportions.

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Phil, you sound like a woman..”Josh quits on EVERY play” For every play he quits on, he hustles 100, and makes 20 great plays for the play he takes off.

Not quite. And if hustle were all that was necessary, then Mario West would be a starter.

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who said anything about joe? i’m not a huge fan to tell you the truth and maybe he ain’t worth all that money. but it’s not his fault the asg is the most incompetent ownership group in the history of sports and poor to boot. he still plays his ass off and is our most consistent scorer. i don’t see him take plays off. his game has developed. he knows his strengths and weaknesses and he plays to those.

josh on the other hand….. hey nobody is arguing his talent. he’s probably the most talented player on the team. i just think he’s a loser. straight up.

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@Don Honestly, the only teams interested in Jamal right now are probably Cleveland, New Jersey, Charlotte, and Portland.

Memphis needs a guard who can score off the bench more than all the teams you listed. Charlotte and NJ are good the way there are. Portland, Cleveland, Memphis would trade with us.

Cleveland- Crawford for Mo Williams and MIA 1st

Portland- Andre Miller and filler for Jamal Crawford

Memphis- O.J. Mayo and Thabeet for Jamal Crawford

Clearly, the Memphis likely offer is much better for us. Get us the player with the highest potential who fits and a center who could play with our lack of depth. Portland gives us the best PG but no center. Cleveland deal just sucks.

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Big Ray, Josh has a big heart.. I bet he is one of the few who was pissed about last night. We are getting TRADE Josh, but he had the BEST statiscal game! Okay, he took jumpers (I did not see the game), AGAIN COACH THIS 25 YEAR OLD KID UP!!!! “Josh, your man can’t stop you on the block, POST HIS A$$ up”. Then your point guard waiving his hand so Josh will be in position. I bet Billups, Nash, etc, will make sure he is where he is suppose to be!

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Dawglasville “Outside of Horford this team has no heart.”

—

Quote of the day!!! Well, I would say ZaZa plays with heart as well, but his skillset is extremely limited.

Josh Smith does show some heart, but he loses his composure FAR too easily. The rest of the team could star in the next zombie film with JJ being max contract zombie king. They play like the spoiled babies just going thru the motions to collect a paycheck they aren’t earning.

I don’t are what their record is, it isn’t worth anything. They can’t beat ANY of the elite teams. None! They get blown out frequently by teams that are younger and more hungry but less talented(Chicago, NO, Milwaukee). It’s sad and pathetic how little heart this team plays with.

I really like Larry Drew, but he will never win with these players. If you have lackadaisical players, then a soft spoken coach is not going to be able to get max effort out of them. This team needs a Mike Fratello type of coach to get them to play harder. Either that or we need to jettison about half of these underperforming slugs.

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“They can’t beat ANY of the elite teams.”

So Miami and Orlando don’t count?

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Start your best players at their positions. Move JC1 into the starting line up at shooting guard and let JJ play small forward. Move Teague into the starting lineup and let Smoove and Boss run and gun. Let’s try to outscore teams if you can’t defend.

Bring Marvin, Bibby, Wilikins, Mo and Zaza off the bench. It amazes me how most on here blame Sund for not trading, but then say in the same sentence no big name player wants to come to Atlanta. Thus, some of this is not Sund’s fault. You can’t blame the man if ATL is a place no superstar wants to go. Plus, you just won over 50 games and are now in 4th place in a division with Boston and the Big three of Miami. Chicago is fading, so where did you really expect the Hawks to be at this point. Look at the overall record and where the team stands, not the individual performance (no matter how bad last night was).

I was once under the belief that Josh needed to be traded, but now I disagree. With the right point guard Josh, Joe and AL could be a great trio. Outside of Orlando (who have a worse record than the Hawks) and Boston (who rely on old men at center other than perk) who really has a big name big man. NJ does and Milwaukee and look at their records.

The Hawks are not that far away. A trade for a point guard that can score would keep the trio is important however. I am not that worried about defense. I think Nash with no defense would provide a much more disciplined Smith and would free up JJ and AL for the shots they need.

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If we trade Marvin, it will haunt us more than passing on Roy,Gay and Rondo for Shelden Williams…Jamal is our best trade piece by far..He will not be in atl next year, get him out of here

Air Zaza “Mayo/Thabeet for Jamal/Etan”

You are a smart man, that would be a great deal and could push the Hawks over the top..THE HAWKS NEED A CENTER…the rest is there….although, no way i would start Josh over Marvin at sf..But it is time for Al to play his natural position..If we had true c, guard penetration would not hurt us that much…The Hawks guards are not the problem..Lack of size is killing us..Drew has size, but just like good old woody, drew refuses to play a center and send Josh to the bench….In the end Drew is going to hurt the Hawks..

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Mo Williams is hurt and dude is having a terrible year shooting the ball. There are a few articles regarding Mo and how he is depressed because Lebron left. Dude almost retired because Lebron decided to go to Miami. We dont need that type of head case on the team. If his head was on straight I wouldn’t mind having him on the team but dude has been on some other shid since Bron left.

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Ramon

February 9th, 2011
7:40 pm

Where in the world are all of these user names coming from? And where were they Saturday when the Hawks won?
—————————–

I know.

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To the guys saying don’t trade Josh you need to get past him being the second or third best player on the team. The point is .. we are going nowhere and everyone one of you know it. To get better you have to make a move, or just sit here spinning your wheels.

Ok. Now that we all agree on that, let’s look at WHO the Hawks could legitimately get ANYTHING in return for.

Horford – Our best player and still young. No way you trade this guy, even if he has a little trouble d-ing up against the one or two centers in the league who actually have a little offense in the post.

JJ – Do you really think anyone is stupid enough to take on his contract? The only team that might is Denver to replace Melo and give the fans something .. but why would they not just sign Melo to a little more than JJ is making and be done with it? Seems silly because Melo is a better player.

Marvin – Get real. He has a fluid shot. Plays solid defense. Rebounds well enough. The negative part is he is completely passive. If he developed a ‘I am going to dominate’ attitude he could be a better shooting, less nimble version of Kevin Durant. Instead, he remains the most underperforming player int he league. That being said, if he could get on a team where he was expected to be THE man, instead of the fourth option, then maybe he would flourish. So yes, you might be able to get something for Marvin. Maybe.

JC – He plays better nearly as good as Joe and has an expiring contract. If the Hawks don’t think they can sign him, they would be wise to move him since they just have to know that they are nowhere near good enough to win it all. That being said, I don’t think Sund really understands just how far away these Hawks are because of the inflated record.

That leaves Josh Smith and a bunch of nothing. Smith is not fluid with the ball in his hands. Smith is not even an average shooter. He will NEVER develop into a true scoring threat. He is just a cleanup and fast break kind of offensive player. He is solid on defense, though his block shots make him seem better than he really is. The reality is that he will likely never get much better than he is now, no matter what coach. He just isn’t fluid enough. Why not trade him at his ceiling rather than wait around for him to decline? He is the PERFECT trade bait for the Hawks. Granted, they would likely not improve without him, but you just never know until you look around.

So yes, Josh is one of our better players ..but I completely disagree that he needs to be coached up. Most NBA players dont get much better due to ‘coaching’. They have been playign the game far too long. They do get better with more playing time, but that is something that Josh is definitely not lacking. Move him now or regret waiting.

Bibby, Teague, Zaza, and anyone e

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@cp Mayo is a PG for us. Memphis has a good PG and their system needs a PG who is a facilitator. In Atlanta, the PG job is just to start the offense up, which involves a lot of passing from everyone. Mayo is very smart too. He can play PG for us. Our offense is perfect for combo PG’s like Mayo is. He will take some time at first but should catch on before April.

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If we want to post fantasy trades that at least meet CBA guidlines, how about:

http://games.espn.go.com/nba/tradeMachine?tradeId=67janlz

JC1 FOR S. Nash and R. Lopez. The Hawks could throw in whatever picks/fillers needed to make the trade happen. Why would Phoenix go for this? Well, they won’t, but … Lopez is somewhat expendable and this move would shed over $12 million in salary for the Sun’s next year.

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and Al start askin’ about a trade!!!

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@It was not a bad pick

Have u been smoking milk? did u say marvin is better than Al??? All star! ALL star!! Trade josh in a 3 team trade. Hawks get nene Aaron brooks. Denver gets Shane Battier and jordan Hill. Houston gets josh. Mkaes sense eh? eh?

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http://games.espn.go.com/nba/tradeMachine?tradeId=69f7l95

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MO WILLIAMS OR SAMUEL DALAMBERT!

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I feel bad for Larry Drew. He knows this team needs a shakeup, but what can he really do? Give Jeff Teague and Jason Collins more minutes? It goes without saying that that’s not going to get this team over the hump.

LD is hamstrung by the GM. Getting Sund to make a deal is like passing an act of Congress. If he didn’t do anything that improve the team after our historic beatdown against the Magic last spring, he’s clearly not going to do anything now.

Sund is killing the Hawks. Those awful contracts he gave Mike Bibby and Marvin Williams in order to maintain the status quo are unforgivable. We had a window of time to make a move in the East, but with Miami and Chicago on the rise that window’s shut just about shut.

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MIKE BIBBY AND JOSH SMITH HAVE GOT TO GO!

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You will never win a championship or even compete at the higher levels as long as Al Horford is your center. He is not the power forward Josh is so trade Al while his value is high.

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Why would Memphis trade their star center? When they got Thabeet over there sucking air? Can we plz be realistic.

_________________________

What about Bynum in LA? We missed on Shaq – dumb azzes!
Hey if Tito is 7′1″ and 320? Can we get him to stand down there next to his son and hold his arms up? Do something Sund! Geez!

You need a PG! Fool!

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TruthSeeker
“Give Jeff Teague and Jason Collins more minutes? It goes without saying that that’s not going to get this team over the hump.”

Yeah that would make a lot of sense and it could put the Hawks over the hump..If we can play Al at pf we are a great team..I would even start ZaZa..he played better as a starter…

“Sund is killing the Hawks. Those awful contracts he gave Mike Bibby and Marvin Williams in order to maintain the status quo are unforgivable”

Neither contracts are bad..Marvin is a solid NBA starter..Could be a top 10 sf if given the chance..do you remember how Marvin played when Joe was out?..Joe Max has the bad contract. …since Drew is letting ZaZa sit on the bench, his contract was bad also..Go read my past post about Al and Marvin career stats….

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They wouldnt let BK fire Woody, and you guys think they’re going to let Sund and LD break up the “core”? lol

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3 or 4 year college players….

We have to many players on this team who never went thru the pressure and growth of the NCAA. If you look at the 2 toughest minded players on this team Al and Bibby, they went thru pressure of the NCAA tournament. The pressure of having your entire university and team depending on you to carry their dreams…..AND YOU DELIVER OR FAIL WITH HONOR!!!

They are the only 2 players on this team, we consider leaders…

With that said…. PG is our greatest position of need and the only PG’s I think we have a chance to get are Hinrich or Brooks….I prefer Hinrich, because of his defense. We would be a different team with him guarding the PG position.

Trade
Bibby, JC2/or Teague and MO and 3mil for Hinrich….This will keep the Hawks under the LUX tax this year and next, because Hinrich will makes 9mil this season and 8mil next…. The WIZ get a good young players and save 5mil over 2 years, or they could use the 3mil to buyout Bibby next year.

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@Rod from College Park

al makes the east all star team at c, because coaches know he is playing out of position and respect it..Also it is only 1 center in the east that is All star worthy(Howard)..If he had those stats as a pf in the east, he would have never made it..but his stats are his stats Rod…I didnt make them up..you bash Marvin for getting 10 -15 ppg Al was the #3 pick ….Durant went 2nd..Time to quit blaming Marvin and focus on the real problems Center, and lets face it, if Joe Max is going to be paid all that money he has to produce….

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Starters:
Teague/Jamal/JJ/Josh/Al

It’s our best hope. Cause Sund aint making no trades and we all know it.

Forget that 6th man shi..! No way Bibbster should start over Jamal. And I’ve been saying all along that JJ should start at sf. Huge upgrade over Marvin. Marvin can back him up. And Jamal’s a 2 guard, not a pg. If we dont wont to wear JJ down trying to guard the big sf’s, we can throw Marvin or Damien out there.

Again
Teague is the best pg on the team(not saying much)
Jamal is the best 2 guard on the team
JJ is the best sf on the team

If we dont make a move, this is the best option. imo
If we

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Glad to hear this from the coach. Now lets see if he is just all talk.

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Re-post of comment on last blog:

It is the easy way to just say the Hawks are not a ‘good’ team and should never lose by 30+ in two games, but instead analyze why it is they have lost that badly and make the necessary adjustments……….

The fact is the Hawks have the 4th best record in the East, while accumulating more road wins than any team AND dealing with probably as many injuries, which leads me to my point-In those two blowouts to the Hornets and more recently the 76′ers, Al Horford was not in uniform.

Say what you want about his size and playing out of position or what not, but he and Josh make a formidable duo down low. Aside from Twin(who does not get enough credit for his play this year), Al is our best low post defender. He and Josh are so athletic, great rebounders and shot blockers that they can mask the poor perimeter defense we have at the top of the key.

Now, take away Al(or Smoove) and not only are we poor defensively around the perimeter but also inside!!!!!!!!!!

Combine this, with poor shooting and no dribble penetration and you have the makings of a blowout. Exhibit A-Hornets and Exhibit B-76′ers. I am a big fan of Larry Drew and have confidence he will get this turned around. Lets remember, this is nothing new for the Hawks. Inconsistency has defined them for years. I do not think in most cases it was because of a lack of effort, but because we rely so much on the jump shot. I honestly believe Josh Smith would be putting up Blake Griffin highlights if we had a point Guard like Steve Nash who can penetrate and set up his teammates-Exhibit A- Amare Stoudamire. That is not a knock on Bibby, he can still be effective but I do not think he is a starting point guard anymore.

This is the difference between this year and years past-I believe LD will make the necessary adjustments to get things back on track. In my opinion, you have several options:
1. Start Teague over Bibby for defensive purposes and bring Jamal in like you normally would half through the 1st quarter. Bibby would come in at the end of the first for Joe and not have to defend the starters while complimenting Jamal with his 3 point shot.
2. Move Joe to SF and start Mo at 2 for perimeter defense.
3. Start Zaza/Twin depending on the match up and play big to force mismatches on both ends of the floor.
4. Trade for Steve Nash. While his defense may not be much better than Bibby’s, his dribble penetration and facilitating will make our offense more consistent to keep us competitive in games.

Preferably, the first change would be best but the theme here is defense. Something has to permanently be done to help defensively and I have confidence LD will get the job done.

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And please, no Mo Evans in the starting lineup.

This guy is a bum.

I want him gone, not bumped into a starting role.

I’d rather see both JT0 and JC2 start with JJ at the 3 than see Mo Evans on the floor.

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Teague/Jamal/JJ/J.Smith/Al Horford

With JC2 taking Jamal’s role as 6th man…?

2nd unit would then feature Bibby, JC2, Marvin, Powell, Zaza/Twin

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STARTER TEAGUE, JOE, JOSH, HORFORD, COLLINS
BENCH BIBBY, JAMAL, MARVIN, POWELL, ZAZA
RESERVE DAMIEN, MO
GO HAWKS!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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Just for giggles . . or to make people mad, we could have concievably constructed this lineup going into this year.

C – Shaq ( in a trade for Marvin . . if the Cleveland report was valid, and overpaid him . . 2yrs – 12 mill . . but we’d have a legit big man )

PF – Horford
F – Smith ( whom I would’ve been against playing SF at first )
G – Johnson
PG – Bibby

6th – Jamal
7th – Allen Iverson ( who could’ve been had for the league minimum )
8th – Zaza
9th – Tracy McGrady ( who could’ve been had for the league minimum )
10th – Collins ( if they still wanted a big . . and got for the league minimum )

11th – Teague
12th – Evans
13th – Jordan
14th – Somebody other than Pape Sy in the 2nd round

Now I’m not saying that this team would be better than the current team . . but there would be no denying that we’d have a few vocal leaders on the team that wouldn’t just accept anything.

And even though they aren’t what they once was, I’d gladly roll with an Iverson – Jamal – McGrady – Horford/Smith – Zaza on that 2nd unit.

And that’s not to say what that squad would’ve generated at the box office. Shaq and Iverson are two of the most beloved non-Hawks in Atlanta. And we see that T-Mac even had a little left in the tank with Detroit this year.

That’s a one year “hired gun” type of a squad, to see if having a few future Hall of Famers/All-Star players, coukl inspire the original “core” group to play more consistent and have more passion.

Too many egos for Drew to handle? Too many egos for the ASG to handle?

All I know is that I wouldn’t have objected to that type of team, no matter how much Sund “liked his core”.

I would’ve taken a one year shot, and see what happens.

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Oh . . . and if Avery Johnson was the coach of that bunch, I definitely wouldn’t have worried about them. Avery wouldn’t have been scared of those cats at all. Maybe Drew wouldn’t have been either.

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Bring Dwight Home in 2012 Campaign Begging Pleading…..Dump salaries except Joe and decide who you want to be your PF AL or Josh….i prefer Al since Howard will make up for Josh on defense….How Possible is this if we start planning now

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PG – Farmer, NJ Nets
C – Hakeem Thabeet – Memphis Grizzlies

Hawks eventually going to move Horford to PF permanently, so might as well get BIG and if you’re going to wait on someones development, it might as well be a 7′3 true shot-blocking Center, not a 6′2 PG w/o nuttsac.

Neither player should cost a ransom and would move Hawks forward.

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drmaryb

How you doing the night? Love reading your post and others like Grandad,Big ray, Northcyde, Rod from College Park and Ken Strickland, Doc and a bunch of others.

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lol @ drmaryb . . . some of them don’t understand.

I mean hell . . . we essentially went with a “big” lineup last night, by starting Zaza at center, and still got rolled. Horford’s absence shouldn’t have that big of an effect on the team, if the rest of the big people were worth a damn.

The problem with the Hawks is that one lineup change isn’t going to cure this ish. This team has strengths, but it also has MAJOR FLAWS . . because of the personnel.

It kills me to see a guy like Dejuan Blair dominate people AGAIN tonight, simply because the dude knows how to play 8 feet and in, around the basket. And every GM in the league passed on dude in the 1st round because of his supposedly “bad knees” and his lack of height.

All that dude does, is outwork people. And the Spurs weren’t stupid enough to pass on him again in the 2nd round.

Meanwhile, the Hawks can’t even get 2 consecutive 1st rounders to pan out. I mean damn . . we got a chance at Horford by luck . . and I bet we don’t pick Josh if he wasn’t a hometown boy.

Other than that, our best draft pick in the last 20 years is . . . . Jason Terry?

Thank GOD for free agency and trades, else the Hawks would REALLY be “Clippers East”.

The Shaq thing still bugs me though. That was a no-brainer type move, and they still didn’t pull the trigger. That’s why I expect no trades once the deadline comes and passes in 2 weeks.

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After that loss to Philly, does anyone really think we could even push it to 6 games against Chicago, Orlando, Boston, or Miami with this lineup?
Seems horribly unlikely.
Marvin, Josh, Teague and even Joe (who has done yeoman’s work) should be up for trade to teams with a real shot at a title who are seeking that key piece. I know JJ has huge contract, but if he went to NY or Chicago they would be legitimate contenders for a title this year.
Hard to imagine Teague has any value anymore though. He’s been a complete and utter bust at PG.

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I love that Coach Drew is saying these things about trades and giving the starting lineup a shake. Now, will Sund and ASG actually do something?

In my mind, trading Mo’ Evans is a no-brainer. The guy is worthless, but a team would be interested in is contract coming off the books.

76′ers go down tonight. Good game with the Magic. Funny how a team that actually plays hard does not lose by 30+ to Philly.

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at this point LD is all talk…like the rest of the team…PERIOD!!!

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The sky is falling the sky is falling the hawks lost at home to the sixers. get a grip, take some xanax fickle fans.

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Dream trade for the Hawks (yes I know it’s totally unrealistic, at least for Minnesota):

http://games.espn.go.com/nba/tradeMachine?tradeId=5sk9jov

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Classic Hawk,u blab about being professional, the last time I looked the the sixers are a professional basketball team. On any given night anybody in the league can win or loose. Even the lowly cleavland team is capable of winning some games.

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Josh is on the verge to being championship player. But he is not untouchable and if we could get Carmelo (which would never happen) I would trade josh before I trade AL or Joe For That Matter. Josh as really matured and could be great if He could keep working on that jump shot and plays the 3 exclusively. He could be a matchup nightmare if he just gets a little more consistent on the offensive end, shot selection wise and a more consistent jump shot. Josh is close, but AL and Joe Are There!

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Mike Bibby is about to go to the bench, because he can’t defend anymore. Teague ain’t ready, so look for jamal starting at the point. MARK IT DOWN!

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Section 303 . . . the reality is that the Hawks ( before last night’s beatdown ) were 12 – 4 in their last 16 games. But we fans have a “what have you done for us lately” sort of attitude toward them.

So when they get the hell beat out of them, like they did last night, that’s what we react to . . not the fact that they’re 12 – 5 in their last 17 games.

I think that’s why there’s no real sense of urgency with the Hawks, because they ARE playing well overall. It’s just these lapses that come up every now and then, that makes them look a lot worse than what they really are.

Most of this is stemming from Bibby’s January, now into February decline, and the anxiety that people are feeling about the PG position. Either Bibby needs to get back on track, Teague needs to really step up, or Sund has to trade for a competent PG to run the team.

If neither of those 3 things happen, it’s going to be up to JJ, Josh, and Al to carry this team fully. And it’ll be hard to win when one of those guys are out.

Right now, the objective has to be to keep both Orlando and Chicago within our sights. But even with that, a Melo trade to the Knicks changes EVERYTHING. Because at that point, even the Knicks become a VERY DANGEROUS 6th seed in the East that no one may not want to play.

The bottom line for this team, is that they need to secure that #3 or #4 seed, now that it seems as if Miami is pulling away from us ( despite us playing well over the long haul ). So it’s pretty much 3rd seed or 4th seed.

If we drop to the 5 seed, that’s playing with a nuclear bomb. Can’t expect this team to win a playoff series with Orlando, if they have home court advantage.

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[...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Evan Daniels, GamblingIQ (Dirty). GamblingIQ (Dirty) said: Atlanta Hawks: Larry Drew says lineup change, trades may be needed to disrupt team’s ‘comfort zone’ | Atlanta Hawks http://goo.gl/Zu4TV [...]

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Nice trad Najeh . . . but the ASG’s issue is always going to be those multiple year contracts. They’re not going to pay the Luxury Tax. That’s the dilemma with trading Jamal for a quality guy that still has multiple years on his deal.

The salary cap and luxury tax ( if we have one ), would be lower I assume. Trading for those two players would put us over 70 million, until some relief would come in 2012 – 13 with the expiring deals of Bibby and Zaza.

I just can’t see a scenario in which the ASG pulls a trigger on a trade, unless they know that they can stay under the Luxury Tax. Maybe they would do a Nash for Jamal straight up, then only roll with 13 players next year to reduce costs as much as possible.

I just see the ASG trying to trade Jamal for another expiring player. And the only ones in his tax bracket that I can think of, are Dalembert, Troy Murphy, and Eddy Curry. They can’t even do a 2 for 1, unless they cut somebody and eat the cost.

I say that Sund does nothing. Drew will have to become Mr Wizard, and find the best lineup that will get him the results he looks for on a nightly basis. Hard to do with that personnel group though.

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Josh Smith is the Micheal Vick of basketball.Very Talented and exciting player to watch but doesn’t study the game and lack game decisions.But if he ever gets the right players and coach around him like mike vick did and study the game like mike does now,he is going to be a force to be reckin with

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Owl, you realize LD has contradicted your post right? Josh was the first to pick up the offense, and for most of the season has been the only one who knows where everyone is supposed to be on the court at any given time. That explains why majority of his turnovers come from passes where teammates are suppose to be or should expect the pass but fumbles the basketball. Josh takes his own money and hires the best trainers in the LEAGUE to work with him on his game. In the last 4-5 seasons, no one on this roster has improved more annually than Josh has. So to say he doesn’t study the game is grossly false. And to say he lack game decision skills is falsely wrong as well when you consider he’s the team best defender, and from the PF position he’s the 2nd best assist guy on the team.

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“Josh Smith is the Micheal Vick of basketball.Very Talented and exciting player to watch but doesn’t study the game and lack game decisions.But if he ever gets the right players and coach around him like mike vick did and study the game like mike does now,he is going to be a force to be reckin with”

Josh Smith is nowhere near as talented as Vick. Vick is a top 5, franchise-type player in the NFL. Even if Smoove puts it all together, he is not a top 5 (or even a top 15 or 20) player in the NBA. I really think part of the problem with fans and Smoove is expectations. People see him dunking and passing like LeBron and assume he should be able to do everything else like LeBron if he tries. Smoove is what he is — an elite complementary player who isn’t quite good enough to carry a team.

Smoove came into this league with a horrible jump shot, a nonexistent post up game, and pathetic handles. He now has a decent jump shot, a decent post game, and pathetic handles. It’s reasonable to believe he can improve his handles to the point where he can drive to the basket the way people think he should now. It’s not nearly as likely that he will improve his jump shot, post game, and handles to a level that will make him an elite player.

The one thing both players have in common is that they get an unfairly large proportion of the blame from Atlanta fans when their teams lose, despite the fact that they contribute a lot more positively to the team than negatively. Hopefully Smoove’s story won’t turn out like Vick’s where he will realize his full potential elsewhere.

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Dear ASG,

Metropolis Isn’t so Magical anymore. Please make space so Clark can come back to Smallville in 2012.

A Message from the Bring Dwight Home Campaign

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I would rather see Sean Williams get a shot here than to trade for Thabeet

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“If we drop to the 5 seed, that’s playing with a nuclear bomb. Can’t expect this team to win a playoff series with Orlando, if they have home court advantage.”

Honestly, the way they have played at home vs. on the road this year, I don’t know if it makes a huge difference. The home/road records say they have only been slightly better at home than on the road, but I actually think they have been slightly worse at home overall, between their blowout losses and their narrow victories over teams they should be beating much more handily. I don’t think this year is like previous years where they were a totally different team at home.

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I wonder if Teague plays like crazy in practice the next two days, if he’s the starting PG Saturday?

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@cp, have you watched Thabeet. Most people in Atlanta want to get rid of Marvin when he’s productive on a reasonable contract. Why? Because we could him 2nd ahead of CP3 and Deron. They want Marvin to be a superstar or trade him because they can’t get over it. Most fans in Memphis bring up Tyreke Evans a lot, why? Because they could have had him instead which would replace Mayo in their minds. Thabeet is raw, we know that. At the same time our centers are either awful or lack starting potential. At least Thabeet is tall, long, athletic, and has defensive potential.

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SteveW

Gortat cannot be used in a trade with another player.

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Grandad – Well, shot that idea – and the Suns probably wouldn’t part with that Lopez kid. I’m not sure he’s what we’re looking for anyway.

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I’m one of those suggesting “trading Josh”.
Not for reasons you may think.
(1) Josh is our most tradeable asset + would bring the most return.
(2) If LD wants to send a message…then…message sent!
*everyone else would have to figure;
“if they traded Josh, they would surely trade me”.
(3) It unlocks our conundrum at the [4] position.
No longer would we have duplicate talent.
(4) We would surely get a piece that fits (for Josh) [a pg or a Big].
*Thus balancing our roster.

**editors note / I like Josh! -But- this must be done.
***Also we must rid ourselves (systematically) of “losers”;
and, inturn fill the roster with players who have pride in their work…..
AND they produce. Players with a history of production.
Such as:
Kevin Martin – scorer + gets to the line
Zach Randolph – rebounds
Shane Battier – defends & leads
JaVale McGhee – blocks shots
Steve Nash – assists
Stephen Curry – can shoot (3 pt %)
These players are players who are producing!!!!!
Not Potential, Not Marvin, Producing!!!!!
Day in, Day out – they produce!!!!!

Yes…I’m still mad!

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http://games.espn.go.com/nba/tradeMachine?tradeId=6dfq6hl

Send Memphis a Second Rnd Pick(or if need be 1st)
Play Mayo at PG(Didnt he run the point at USC?!?!,Casspi at SF(Can light it up from 3 Range), and Gasol at Center(Common Sense)

Lineup:
1-Mayo
2-JJ
3-Casspi
4-Horford
5-Gasol

Bench:Bibby,JC1,Marvin Williams,Josh, Horford spells Gasol,with Powell giving Horford a breather till Gasol is ready to come back in..

Those starters with that bench can make some noise in the LEAGUE, and even gives that rattling LD talking about by making some moves in the roster and shifting starters to the bench which works out for this team,and all in all, you keep your core players and gain future ones, which can lead to letting Jamal go and resigning the new talent

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Amen Big C. There’s a reason why the Hawks are rarely seen on TBS or ESPN. They are a boring no-star fraud of a 50 win team. Marvin Williams – I loved Snapper Jones comment: He walks like an 80 year old man.

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northcyde, I don’t agree. This is a little more than “what have you done for me lately”. I think we learned from last year. All the red flags are there for another noshow effort in the playoffs. Getting beat by 30+ at home 3-4 times is a signal that something needs to be changed.

Also, it would be nice to see the Hawks have a sense of vision. Don’t wait until they are cleaning out their lockers in April (May, if we’re lucky) and realize a move should have been made. They need to act now.

Coach Drew is right on. The team just needs a shake-up. We have players that think they can turn it on and off at will and everything will be OK. Well, they can’t do that. They aren’t the Lakers. More urgency is needed by that whole organization.

Ray Charles could see that their needs to be changes with the Hawks.

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Nash does not make you elite. Nash gives you a better chance at going deeper in the playoffs. Nash alone wont help you win. In order to get Nash or any other legitamate (hope I spelled that right) point guard and/or center, you’d most likely have to give up Jamal. Giving up Jamal weakens your bench play “even” more. As we are currently constructed, we have 6 players who can play basketball. Bibby, Johnson, Williams, Smith, Horford, and Jamal Crawford. We have no other presence at all. Regardless if we were to land Nash or Gortat or “Melo or Brooks or Rip, etc, etc, etc, we will still be lacking a deep bench. You can give up Jamal for Nash and have Bibby come off the bench BUT…you still have 6 players who can play basketball. The way I see it, no matter who we acquire, our chances of making it to the ECF’s are zero to none. Mainly becuase our bench is made up of one person.

Now once again heres my scenario. And it starts with a right mindset from the owners and the GM. We blow up this team and rebuild around Horford. Everyones on the trading block.

Get back to me on that one. Im late for work.

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Nahila, I think you’re off on that. The NBA is pretty strong right now. There are a lot of good teams. Some even have losing records right now. Watch the league every night. Tons of good games.

Your take sounds like you are just spitting back what ESPN told you to say. If you watch the games, you see there are plenty of tough teams out there.

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Grandad,
You sound like me after the Boston & NJ losses earlier in the season when northcyde welcomed me to the darkside. lol.

This meltdown began in the off-season when the Hawks management settled for filler rather than trying to build a team to contend.

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Get Nene….enough said

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o b the point it would have made the celts weaker is one i have used about aquiring shaq during the debacle we watched unfold. in situations like this when management wants to compete it is very valid to make moves just like that. some will point to the matt barnes deal in l a as one thst was made as much to hurt orlando as help l a as potentially they were a finalist contender to maybe end up in the finals with l a. good points all as usual.

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Teague/Jamal/JJ/Josh/Al

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Need more energy at point, more focus as a team, and a big man in the playoffs to play the big dogs. Otherwise, sayanara

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Great post by LethalWeapon3 at Hawksquawk:

http://www.hawksquawk.net/community/index.php/topic/355812-stat-du-jour-and-when-theyre-bad/

That loss margin among the 8 home game defeats so far is -16.8 (88.5 – 105.3). I don’t have time to compare with everyone in the league, but just looking at the sad-sack Cavs, their differential in 17 home game defeats is -11.0 (94.8-105.8).
Time to get my flog on…

There are some NBA organizations who can endure a handful of blowout losses, even at home, or perhaps on the road before a national audience.

The Atlanta Hawks are not one of those teams.

This is the sole returning NBA playoff team that is NOT among the top 20 in home percentage attendance. The team whose relative ranking among NBA clubs for attendance has slid to 25th (down from 18th) after slowly climbing every year since 2006.

This is the team with multiple All-Stars and Almost-Stars that, individually, can not fill any tier of seating in an arena, at least not anymore. Blake’s 19-32 Clippers, Nash’s 24-25 Suns, and Amar’e’s 26-24 Knicks are bigger draws in this town than the 33-19 Hawks.

This is a team who brands its arena as The Highlight Factory, whose leading scorer’s “highlights” generally involve teardrops and turnarounds in traffic, whose flashiest player, now seven years removed from a Slam Dunk title, has become enamored with 20-foot jumpshots.

This is a team almost one year removed from playoff blowout performances so epically bad that they eclipsed their prior year’s second-round drubbings, and the road playoff drubbings from the year before that.

This is the team that, when forced to discuss them solely because of their relative record, provokes faces on national media members worthy of laxative commercials. “C’mon, do we have to talk about the Hawks? Really?”

This is a team whose dispirited ownership only seems to make headlines when they further entomb themselves in lawsuits and inertia.

This is a team that strings along a flawed head coach on cheap contracts, and lets him go only to promote the assistant sitting next to him for even less money. When he was promoted, and when the so-called ‘core’ was brought back in its entirety, this was all presented under a Kool-Aid sale suggesting, with new systems and philosophies in place, blowout basketball and mail-it-in efforts would be mere notions of the past.

This is the team that is the only American pro franchise (MLB-NFL-NHL-NBA) around for at least the last 40 years that has not given its fans a conference final in the past four decades.

Altogether, it takes an awful lot of trust to get thousands of people to stop in on a lousy-weather mid-week night to see the Atlanta Hawks. When a low-profile team like Philly (or New Orleans. or Milwaukee) comes in, and their first-quarter scoring equals the Hawks’ effort for the entire first half, that’s hundreds more people who have made a mental note never to darken Philips Arena’s door again. Other teams can shrug this off. Not this one.

Without splashy maneuvers, high-profile players, and risk-taking management, this is a team that needs to build consumer confidence, rather than erode it, one game at a time.

~lw3

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“I wonder if Teague plays like crazy in practice the next two days, if he’s the starting PG Saturday?”
_____________________________

Jeff should play like crazy in practice everyday. He is lucky to have one of only 420 jobs in the NBA, the best league in the whole wide world!

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Okay, I got it…trade J-Smooth, Bibby and our 2nd round pick to New Jersey for Harris and Lopez, move Horford to the 4 and then trade Marvin to Memphis for OJ Mayo strait up and move JJ to the 3. In the draft take Jimmer Fredette and go get a chip

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Big D, you clearly do not watch the Hawks.

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Why are you all so ANGRY?

Can’t you see we are an ELITE team? We made it to the 2nd ROUND 2 YEARS IN A ROW. WE ARE AMONG THE ELITE 8 IN THE NBA

We have Josh Powell, WHO BRINGS CHAMPIONSHIP-LEVEL EXPERIENCE to our team. He won TWO rings on the Lakers

We have TWO ALL STARS. We have 3 players in the top 15 in the NBA at their positions.

We have Mike Bibby, who competed in the 3 pt shootout 2 years ago, making him ONE OF THE BEST SHOOTERS IN THE LEAGUE

Etan Thomas has been compared to Charles Oakley with his DEFENSIVE TENACITY

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@Atlgent – Thank you for proving to me that there is atleast one person with some basketball sense that posts on these blogs. Excellent post.

Most of these fools have no clue just how important Josh actually is to this team winning. Yep, he shoots jumpers. And he’s making a fair amount of them so just shut up haters. He’s also the vocal leader and the only player that gives this team any kind of defensive presence. Only a fool wants to trade Smith, and as we know, due to carpetbagging Yankees infesting this place…Atlanta is full of fools.

Only trade that needs to be looked at is a upgrade at PG. My eye is on Pheonix. I think by the deadline they will be in sell mode. Which if that’s the case, the Hawks should put a guy like Marvin (who also gets bad rap from clueless bloggers) along with Teague and a pick or something together to get Nash. The team needs a PG that can really facilitate the motion offense with the other players. Bibby is a fine backup. Teague appears to just not be good enough, atleast at this point.

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IDK if I would totally give up on jeff just yet? Haven’t seen enough of him to say all that. Give him some time, he is not the reason we are flailing.
Bibby does need some rest from the bench. Save him for the post season.

Or, trade them for an upgrade or just do something at the PG. Also, the Center position with the glaring hole in it. Aaahhh! How many times must we post the same, before a CHANGE will come.

Make a trade Sund! Do something man, do it now! Keep Josh unless you can get a perennial All-Star at PG. Good luck with a Center! There aint none and yall missed really bad on Shaq!

Later! I’m Gone!

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Two points:

If you want energy, play Etan Thomas. That’s his game, play crazy with energy. And the fans would fall in love with him. 15 minutes per night, and he could help your team.

Secondly, if the Suns want Josh Smith, and they should, Smith, Bibby, and Mo’ for Gortat and Nash solidifies your team. We could make a deep run with that team.

PG – Nash/Teague
SG – JJ/Jamal
SF – Marvin/Wilkens
PF – Horford/Etan/Powell
C – Gortat/ZaZa/Collins

Your half court game/Playoff basketball would be immensely improved.

The contracts, both short and long term, work with this deal and ASG’s thinking.

As much as I would hate to trade Josh, this trade makes sense for the Hawks, if the Suns would do it. And I think they would, and rebuild around Josh.

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Josh Smith is far more mature and better overall than Kevin Love.

Kevin Love does not block shots. He also cannot score and rebound.

Josh Smith is an ELITE 3 point shooter and LEADER who has MATURED TREMENDOUSLY

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When I say Kevin Love cannot block shots, this means he is a USELESS basketball player and should not be pursued.

He is not a component of the “economic pie” I speak so highly of.

I have 30 years of experience in this league – trust me, I know what I’m doing

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ag

February 10th, 2011
10:04 am
Big D, I don’t care how you put it Josh is NOT the problem. Al playing center is Not the problem.

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LOL a 6′8 PF playing center is not the problem. A 6′8 PF shooting 3’s and is a career 29% from 3PT range is not the problem.
A 6′8 SG with 100M contract who has proven to disappear in come playoff time is not the problem//
Yeah ok, pal give me a hit of what youre smoking

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The above Gortat/Nash trade would give the Hawks a +14 on Hollingers analysis for what it’s worth. Anyway, if we don’t do a trade I say:

Start Jeff Teague
Make Etan a rotational player in the front court 15 mpg or so
Sit Mo’ Evans and give his minutes to Wilkens.

You then have more energy which seems to be what LD is looking for.

If you look around the League, the Hawks are very close to being a bad team. No PG, and no inside presence are a bad combination in the NBA.

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Sometimes blog people make better GM’s.

I remember this summer, and some of you guys were screaming to get Shaq and Dampier. It looks like you guys were right.

Some of you guys were agitating to sign TMac and/or Stackhouse. Looks like ya’ll were right.

Ya’ll were jumping up and down to get a 3rd PG like Boykins, Dooling, Watson etc. Looks like you folks were correct again.

Hindsight is many times 20/20.

And we could have made all of those moves at little or no cost above what we have currently.

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If Teague starts….

if Teague starts the next game IT WILL BE A REQUEST FROM ASG AND NOT LD.

I said it on e previous blog, that LD was hired because he promised to develop Teague. With Bibby’s current play he can nolonger justify not playing Teague.

There is one common theme in all of our blowout loses(including last year in the playoffs)…PG defense…NOT PG OFFENSE.

If we change the PG from and offensive one, to our best defensive one(I am not saying Teague is a great defender), his speed and athleticism helps him cover-up his fundamental issues.

I also said, LD will not allow himself to be fired because he was a Woodson clone….I believe after the allstar break, there will be 2 changes to the starting line-up.

Marvin will become the Shawn Marion of our bench…A versitile defender who can score and defend multiple positions.

Bibby will become the Eddie house of our bench…veteran clutch shooter, who can run the point.

Jamal will become the Louis Williams of our bench…a scorer.

PS. Louis Williams makes 5mil a year, how much do you think Jamal is worth. So when you talk about overpaid players on this team, don’t forget him.

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Rufus1,

Why would we bring Marvin off the bench?

He is an ELITE player in this league who many GMs compare favorably to LeBron James.

Mike Bibby is the closest thing this league will ever see to Magic Johnson and John Stockton.

Bibby is THAT good. He is very athletic, quick, and intelligent.

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hawks players have a blood feud with the Hawks fans.
gotta ship some bad apples out to fix.
by by.

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Big D,
Not smoking anything, but numbers don’t lie.
Josh Smith
career 14.5ppg 7.7 rb 3.0 ast 46 fg% 28 3p% 67 ft%
10-11 16.3ppg 8.9 rb 3.5 ast 47 fg% 35 3p% 73 ft%

Numbers across the board tell us this is our problem, not Bibster or Maaaaarvin. This kid is 25 and has to be coached up. I will agree he is shooting way to many treys (105). If you look at the year when he averaged 17 ppg, he only took 99 threys, but shot 469 ft. This year, he has shot only 212 ft. He is being lazy and settles for the jumper. The coach has to coach him up. They have these numbers just like I do.

If our center made the All-Star team two seasons in a row, well, I guess our problem is center..again what are you smoking?

I would like a young project center (really Greg Odom) or Thabeet and trade Marvin away (I actually like Marvin as a person, appears to be a good guy). WIth the right team (Phoenix or Memphis), he can have a Boris Diaw kind of season outside of Atl (He should avg 18ppg 8 boards).

Lastly, I promise to never blog AND stop watching the Hawks if the changes DO NOT INCLUDE BENCHING MIKE BIBBY. We can do without those 3 ppg he is averaging over the last 5 games.

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Okay, Rufus, so Marvin to the bench tells me you are okay with Smoove at SF? Smoove is not a SF and he has proven it this season even though I wanted to see how he would fare…..man, that jumper has got to go…it isn’t near Bosh-esque.
I can’t tell you if we get anything with Bibby coming off the bench? Will he and Marvin improve their games enough to justify their salaries?
I think both go the opposite direction and give less than they already are….and I don’t see either with those contracts having any value around the league. That’s 14M better spent elsewhere easily.

That gives this team one of the most expensive benches in the league. The problem is is that the Gearonettes aren’t looking to add anymore salary and we end up limited as opposed to Larry’s view as us being so versatile…that statement just makes me gag….we are so good at things, but not great at any….

Larry being promoted was a huge mistake with this roster. The bench behind JC1 is all questions. You can’t get 2 straight good games from any of them.

This team needs a blockbuster of a change. But you have Sund, so there you go….lots of wishes, not lots of reality.

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Big D,
Speak on all aspects of the game.Assists,Steals,Blocks,Contested Shots and You tell me who came to play?
See thats whats wrong with yall haters,Don’t know the game of basketball. You don’t have to always have a good game overall to be impactful.What the hell was ya pose to be best player joe doing other that saying f the fans because of his bad a** performance

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I hope I’m wrong, but I really see a 5th seed for us this year, and that means no homecourt. I see us losing in 6 or 7 to the Magic. But that could change with injuries, trades etc. That’s why they play the season.

But it looks like Magic – Hawks, and I would guess Magic have HC. We’ll see.

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SteveW,

Your Smith/Bibby/Evans for Nash/Gortat deal makes sense.

However, I haven’t been impressed with Etan’s play when he has made it on the court.

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Rev – I’m going by the past on Etan. He has done a decent job on Dwight when he’s played him. But he is a human ball of hustle traditionally. It was only 2006 when he beat out Haywood for the starting C job in Washington, when the Wizards were pretty good.

I know he’s had knee surgery and open heart since then, but they say all of that is behind him now. But I know what you mean.

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“Basically, we’ve got 30 games to develop Teague before the playoffs begin, or we’re toast. I’m talking 1st round toast. ”
@SteveW, They were toast last year against Orlando… This should have been addressed over the summer but we have a GM in over his head along with the HC! These 8 home losses which avg pt gap is larger than incredibly the Cleveland Cavaliers will spell disaster come playoff time…The wheels are already starting to loosen up around the hub. It’s just matter of time before they fall off.Lets hope it does not happen on national tv in the playoffs again…But this team will continue to get no respect with the national media or any anybody else until this team starts playing like men instead of a bunch of pu**y’s…Fake professionals. A JOKE…………A BAD JOKE!

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How has Teague not been impressive in practice?

WTF is he doing on the practice court?

Damnit

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Is Teague has not deserved to start 1 game yet this entire season, he really should not be on this team. Pathetic a guy cannot beat out Bibby for the starting spot

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E from tha C hit the nail on the head..Josh Smith’s potential has started blossoming these last few years as he has helped this team go from 13 wins to what they are today, and his stats this year shows he is improving.In the past, his off the wall, no sense at all 3’s would brick more often,but this year he is shooting a solid 35% and avg 16 and 9.True he isn’t the 20&10 guy we are paying for but his defense alone makes up for that plus he is maturing some what..He avg 2.2 blocks for his career and even gets considered for DPY..

Honestly you give up a potential DPY, who is avg 16&9, that is 25 year old,and can really play both Forwards for a 37 year old former MVP PG(those days are behind him),that actually makes the team better,but only has maybe 2 years left

No ones untouchable but some players just make more sense to keep,and potentially seeing Nash retire in 2 years leaving another void at PG and seeing Josh Smith go on to become an even better player in Phoenix or where ever, not to mention losing his defensive presence, which no one including Al Horford cant match will only drop this team back to the streets of the east and playing the lottery only to bust again on players like Shelden Williams or have guys not live up to the hype, like Marvin Williams..Since we are playing GM, why not trade your pointless draft picks,Mo Evans and J.Collins for Omri Casspi then Zaza&Teague plus picks for O.J Mayo and Gasol and play Mayo at the point

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Van Exel needs to make Teague made and let’s start Teague

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“A lot of these guys never played organized ball with a coach and I be some never really even played ball enough to understand this game. I have been saying this over and over, a good point guard will make this team better because he puts players in place”

Billy Knight played in the NBA and new this organization was in need of a talented elite type of pg so what does he do with his #2 lottery pick in 2005? He picks this buster Marvina over CP#,DWILLand RFELTON!! What’s his excuse??

Next…………………………………………….

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More on Josh for you haters… In the playoffs his average was about the same as regular season, except he rebounded better. Across the board, EVERYBODY’s stats were worse. This year, he is second in scoring, rebounding, 4th in assist and 1st in blocks and steals (oh are those defensive categories? (stats amoung his teammates).

Vs. all forwards in the NBA he is 22nd scoring, 12th rbs, 13th steals, 3rd blocks, and 5th ast. 32

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Yeah a real impact player in the playoffs…LOL

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Problem with Josh and its major. He will disappear at crunch time in the playoffs because of his limited offensive skills so he literally becomes a liability! He has improved but he’s still not good enough to take this team to the next level..Sorry but true…..Still has no handle….Not fluid in his motion..It’s just the way he’s wired can’t change that now at 25. Its too late……Do something else to help em win the big games!!!!

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ag, I get your support for Smoove, but here we have 2 positions where we have duplicate talent and not a lot else. There needs to be some influx of leadership/talent here. We know that Smoove is talented, but exactly how much is he worth in the league? To me, the PF is one of the easiest positions to fill…we happen to have 2 very good ones.
We just don’t have the salary structure to support both and continue to grow.
My wish this past offseason was 2 things:
1) Let Joe walk instead of paying him enormous years of salary
2) Find a way to get DeMarcus Cousins on this roster.

We did neither, and here we are….this roster has peaked. Changes are simply needed, and I prefer to keep Al and JC1. I can’t keep Smoove also and get something of need in return.

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http://games.espn.go.com/nba/tradeMachine?tradeId=6h6f6j3

starters
Mike Bibby
Joe Johnson
Carmelo Anthony
Josh Smith
Al Horford

bench would be ( very strong bench )

Jeff Teague
Damien Wlikins/Jordan Crawford
Al Harrington
Josh Powell
Jason Collins/ Etan Thomas

Al Harrington would be our 6 man who can play small forward or Power forward.. its not a strong bench based off thrownin all five in at the same time.. but different combination’s during the game could be overwhelming

super scoring threat
Joe Johnson
Melo
Josh Smith
Al Harrington
Al Horford

big line up
Joe Johnson
Melo
Josh Smith
Al Horford
Jason Collins

defense
Jeff Teague
Damien Wilkins
Joe Johnson
Josh Smith
Al Hordord/ Collins

run and gun
Jeff Teague
Joe Johnson
Melo
Josh smith
Al Hordord/ Harrington

small ball
Jeff Teague
Jordan Crawford
Joe Johnson
Melo
Harrington/ Smith

crunch Time ( 4th quarter )

Joe Johnson
Melo
Josh Smith
Al Harrington
Al Horford

different combo’s if somebody gets injured, literally, nobody would be missed too bad..

yeah it sounds like a dream.. but who ever gets melo, will have to get al Harrington.. he has a big contract, but its not like he is a bad player.. he is a upgrade from josh powell, marvin williams, mo evens, zaza, and any other big back up on the hawks right now….

and i think that trade is worth it for both sides… they get two expiring contracts, a small forward, a back up center, and a first round draft pick…. Hawks would be a true contender, and Melo would realize how fun it is to be in atlanta and he would resign..

well what about a true center and a point guard?
I think getting melo would balance it out

Now yall go ahead and say.. thats a stupid trade, why would they do that, you stupid ICECOLD.. but look at who they might trade for , andrew Bynum, ( injury prone ).. and those chandler and who ever in new york.. those are nobodies!!!.. at least this trade im trying to do will help both teams, and Marvin gets to be the go to guy and see how good he really is !!

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Big D,
Once again you don’t know basketball.You must not watch the game?Maybe you need some googles like amare to see what going on, on the court.Who else plays defense in the playoffs?Nobody!Who else brings energy to everyone else and make them play better?Ask anybody on the team.When josh is at his best everyone else is at there best

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or get lou williams

Lou WIlliams
Joe
Josh
Al Horford
Collins

Collins dont need to score if we got Lou williams.. jus play defense

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ICECOLD

We start JJ at the point now and have one of the Biggest line-ups in the game…Now that is a shake-up I could believe in. Imagine Jameer or Rose trying to guard JJ on the block.

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FIRE RICK SUND.

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Kwame confronted Perkins the other night. I don’t see anyone on this team doing things like that besides that fluke Marvin fight

FIRE WOODY

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Rufus1

February 10th, 2011
11:49 am

ICECOLD

We start JJ at the point now and have one of the Biggest line-ups in the game…Now that is a shake-up I could believe in. Imagine Jameer or Rose trying to guard JJ on the block.

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Rufus1

February 10th, 2011
11:49 am

correction..”We could start JJ at the point now

that would be crazy.. he always said that Magic Johnson was his favorite player.. and he already lead our team in assist!!! why not.. it would only help. because all bibby do is sit around waiting on the three… Joe Johnson can do that.. and he can drive and dish.. or drive and finish.. especially against point guards ..

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ag, now give me the things we do to improve this team in the 1/2 court because if you aren’t fluid in the 1/2 court, your days are numbered.
You want us to run up and down and be the highlight factory….well, that doesn’t work in the playoffs. Ask Phoenix because their roster is not last year’s roster for a couple of reasons.

The highlight factory, as much as I enjoy the moniker, is not a highlight factory in the postseason. I have no issue playing it out as is, but we all know and we all have little hope for any success.

Other teams got better, we stayed the same. And even other teams TRIED to get better. Our moves didn’t dictate improvement. Our bench is not any stronger than last year.

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Spelled Bibby incorrectly in last paragraph of previous post.

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Big D,

You have been destroyed on numerous occasions after your crazy post. If you make a statement, be prepared to back it up with facts. If you don’t like Josh, that’s your perogative, but at least be prepared to defend you position.

“Yeah a real impact player in the playoffs…LOL”

That won’t cut it. If you say Josh was terrible in the playoffs, then what was Joe, Marvin, Bibby, and Horford? The team was terrible, not one player. Everyone else played worse also. No one on our team was an impact player.

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ICECOLD

Why not, LD’s offense doesn’t require a true PG and he has to guard the quick PG’s anyway. That would be a change that would truly take advantage of our players. They paid that brother 120mil, at the PG he would be a true difference maker…If he averaged 20pts and 9ast, people would stop complaining about his contract.

It would also make the switching defense much more effective.

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True PG or not, we need elite talent.

Billups needs to be on the demand list. His contract runs as long as Larry’s contract….sounds like a fit to me.

Speaking of Larry’s offense, who says his offense will work in the playoffs in the 1/2 court? The best we can do right now if Joe and JC1 in the backcourt. Don’t they need some help?

We are a jumpshooting team and that will kill us come playoff time.

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On the subject of Smoove…….

I dont think anyone would argue he is not a very good player with great potential, BUT……..He is in his 7th year in the league and I believe he has regressed this year for the following reasons:

1-His blocks, steals, and FG percentage are all down this year while turnovers AND 3 point attempts are up
2-I still dont think he knows his identity. This year, he has taken more jump shots, more 3 point shots, more awful fadeaway’s and whatever else along with contributing more turnovers than anybody on the team. He should know he is most effective being active on defense and on the glass, but when he camps out on the perimeter it’s hard to get to rebounds.
3-He complains too much. It is one thing to plead your case against a bad call, but literally every call I see Smoove whining. I understand he’s passionate and everybody can respect that, but it is literally having an impact on this team directly and indirectly. Case in point against the Bucks when we blew that huge lead in the 4th-in transition on defense Smoove was caught with his back turned arguing with an official and Boykins drove to the basket uncontested. Not only that his body language carries over to the rest of the team when he complains: instead of expending that energy complaining use it for resiliency like we did against the Heat when we beat them and the refs that night.

I am a big fan of Smoove but the dude has to know his limits and ways he can help this team win. We dont need him shooting 3’s we have plenty of guys who can do that. We dont need him threading the needle with passes that ultimately lead to turnovers. We need a defensive presence inside and a beast on the glass. Whatever offense is complimentary. That is a huge role that somebody on our team has to fill if we want to contend.

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“Why not, LD’s offense doesn’t require a true PG and he has to guard the quick PG’s anyway.”
_________________________

That’s prolly because Drew ain’t got what Woodson NEVER had!

A PG!

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Al IS a leader. He is EXTREMELY VOCAL and is NOT afraid to talk to players.

I have 5 criteria for what makes an ELITE player:
1) Someone who wears flashy shoes
2) Someone who is fast
3) Someone who has made a 3 pointer in his career (or attempted one)
4) Someone who shoots above 50% from the foul line
5) Someone who tells the media after the game that he tried his hardest

These concepts all consolidate into my proverbial elite criteria, as stated before.

In order to slice into my proverbial “economic pie,” we are looking for rental players. I have recently visited all the QT Gas Stations and McDonalds in the southeast looking for 6″8 people who have touched a basketball before. This trait is all I need in assessing whether the player would be a worthy fit for our team.

Again, I am a SEASONED GM with LOADS of experience. I have not won a ring, but I view making the playoffs as the ESSENTIAL EQUIVALENT to winning a championship. Making the playoffs means the team is in ELITE company.

Last year, we lost to Orlando ONLY because they had homecourt advantage and because fans started booing the players (we were beating Orlando and as soon as they took the lead, the fans started boing…WTF?!?!)

2 years ago, we had injuries. Marvin and Joe were hurt, as was Horford

3 years ago, Speedy Claxton was hurt. OUR BACKUP PG WAS HURT!

That’s all for now. I’m going back to the Bahamas since I’ve earned my paycheck.

Best,
Rick

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Scoop,

“1-His blocks, steals, and FG percentage are all down this year while turnovers AND 3 point attempts are up”

You think playing the 3 has anything to do with that? What should he do, tell Larry Drew that he is not playing if he has to play the 3.

“2-I still dont think he knows his identity. This year, he has taken more jump shots, more 3 point shots, more awful fadeaway’s and whatever else along with contributing more turnovers than anybody on the team. He should know he is most effective being active on defense and on the glass, but when he camps out on the perimeter it’s hard to get to rebounds.”

Maybe he is camped out on the perimeter because that is what the offense call for? He also is 1rst in blocks, 1rst in steals, 2nd in rebounding, and 3rd in assist on our team. Interesting that he is shooting more 3’s, but is shooting a higher percentage from 3 than Joe, Marvin, Jamal, and Mo. Maybe nobody on the team should shoot threes except Bibby.

“3-He complains too much. It is one thing to plead your case against a bad call, but literally every call I see Smoove whining. I understand he’s passionate and everybody can respect that, but it is literally having an impact on this team directly and indirectly. Case in point against the Bucks when we blew that huge lead in the 4th-in transition on defense Smoove was caught with his back turned arguing with an official and Boykins drove to the basket uncontested. Not only that his body language carries over to the rest of the team when he complains: instead of expending that energy complaining use it for resiliency like we did against the Heat when we beat them and the refs that night.”

Intersting that this keeps coming up. If he complained too much, I’m sure he would be leading the league in techs. The NBA did implement a new rule to curb complaining. It’s funny I don’t see Josh’s name at the top of the tech list. Maybe Orlando should get rid of Dwight Howard. All his complaining about calls is really hurting his team. By the way, he is at the top of the list. On the play that keeps being brought up with Boykins, you do realize that Boykins was Bibby’s man right. Did Larry Drew not empahsize that he would hold everybody accountable for guarding their man? Some of you guys rationale is amazing. If you don’t like Josh then you have that right, but don’t blame the issues with the team on him.

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We arent trading josh so stop with the BS……. A trade Idea i would like to see is

Mayo/Gasol for JC1/Marvin/ ZAZA

or

Monte Ellis for JC!/Teague ZAZA/MO for Turriaff

Mo has been horrible this year andTteague is an Ac Law clone- So much for our PG of the future JT0 i think he’s called……………..LMAO

At this point anybody can get it-the only person I wouldnt give up is Horford -the real leader of this team.

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To: Rod from College Park,

Al, gets players situated, he keeps our players focused, he nails his jumpers off of the pick and roll, he could care less whose in the stand, he give a darn about The Hawks as a team…and it shows. But most of all, it’s the things that you don’t see (intangibles) that makes him a leader. It’s no wonder that the two games he’s out, The Hawks get SMASHED!!

When LD gets in a bind or when LD wants some “for sure” consistant offense, he runs it through Horford and Jamal Crawford. The “ISO” stuff with JJ is mainly a “gimmick” to me, but it’s effective when JJ is hot. But JJ is too quiet and Josh whines about every single play on the court the WHOLE game.

So that’s why I think Horford is the one and only leader. : )

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I lover reading the trade options where we dump our worst players for another teams best player……blogidoiots

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one thing for sure…other teams DO NOT want Hawks players…PERIOD!!! somebody could use JC and Josh of the probable players that would be moved. all the rest, well we better hope they like a contract ’cause it ain’t gonna be the player…PERIOD!!!

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Seriously tho I believe PHX would bite on JC1 /Marvin /Mo /ZAZA for Dragic/Lopez/2nd

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slimjr

February 10th, 2011
11:30 am
“A lot of these guys never played organized ball with a coach and I be some never really even played ball enough to understand this game. I have been saying this over and over, a good point guard will make this team better because he puts players in place”

Billy Knight played in the NBA and new this organization was in need of a talented elite type of pg so what does he do with his #2 lottery pick in 2005? He picks this buster Marvina over CP#,DWILLand RFELTON!! What’s his excuse??

Next…………………………………………….

—-
Booyah ! Then he picks Shelden Williams the prior year…How’d that work out for him. They Hawks had opptys to get Brandon Roy and we pick Sheldon Willams….dont have to play organized ball to know that was a dumb a** move.

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If you think a bandaid of another PG will improve this team youre no better than Knight and now Sund. Thats the problem with this team post Lenny Wilkens era, bandaid solutions to cover up a litany of bad personnel moves and horrible contracts.
A poster accurately stated the roster is littered with players NO ONE WANTS with the exception of AL. JJ & JSmith are hard to move because of their bad contracts. It would involved atleast 3-4 teams per player just to make the numbers work and the Hawks will end up on the short end 2X over.

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How about Tayshaun Prince and Will Bynum for Marvin Williams and 1st round pick. A veteran presence, improved perimeter defense.

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“it’s quite discouraging for them to see so few fans showing up for home games. Then they are left with the mentality that if no one else cares (including the organization, affirmed by lack of any changes in the off-season), why should they? Thus, complacency is bred from within. ”
____________________________

Very Nice observations!

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I see there are some BIBBY LOVERS still trying to dredge up the old excuse about Teague not showing anything in practice to justify Bibby remaining as our starting PG, and it’s just as lame now as it was before. First, how many of you have seen a Hawk practice? And secondly, what in the hell has Bibby done since Jan that would indicate he’s done a doggone thing in a single practice during that period?

It’s not a matter of Teague being unable to beat Bibby out, but a matter of not getting an honest chance to do so. And don’t come up with this he was given a chance to beat him out at the beginning of the season crap, because he was coming off a leg injury that sidelined him for most of the preseason. Why would anyone, without a bias and/or looking for an excuse, expect a 2nd yr player that wasn’t given an opportunity to develop and challenge for more mins his 1st yr, expected him to return from an injury clicking on all cylinders when seasoned vets like JJ and Jamal struggled upon their return?

There’s no way Teague can do any worse than Bibby’s done since the beginning of Jan. We have no where to go but up, if we start, and/or playing Teague more mins, and play him consistenty. The results of the last gm should be an indication of what we can expect by taking this approach. Bibby played just over 22mins and Teague played just over 20mins. Teague doubled Bibby’s scoring, equaled his assists, and got to the FT line 3 times to Bibby’s 0. I’d much rather roll the dice and go with a young, quick, fast and athletic PG with OFF and DEF potential ANY DAY OF THE DOGGONE WEEK over a slow, unathletic, past his prime PG with OFF and DEF limitations, and who’s in rapid decline with absolutely no chance of improving at this point.

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Ken S.

Co-Sign! What other option do we have? Why not? What have we got to lose?
Roll the Dice!

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“NEWSFLASH” Jerry Sloan just quit!!! Get DWILL he wants out of Utah yesterday!!!

Wake the heck up Sund and make it happen dude…..

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“Unlike Al, Josh really has not improved a specific offensive element of his game”
______________________

This is a “Pants on Fire” LIE!
Find another angle to make your point.

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slimjr,

IKR…The Hawks are too moody for me at times. If the refs get them consecutive bad calls, instead of tightening and continuing on…they stay stuck on the refs and the bad calls, and they loss their minds…IMO….They are the absolute worst at playing through a little controversy. It’s painful to watch at times.

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Josh has improved his post game and his outside shot. Wtf?

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If you dont like Josh just say so. Just like Dr Mary said, “liar, liar, pants on fire”. lol!

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trade 1
calderon, dorsey, reggie evans and alabi for bibby zaza and mo

trade 2
TJ Ford for Marvin

according to espn trade machine, these trades would work. And i also think it would make us a thousand times better.

starting 5
Calderon
Johnson
Smith
Horford
Collins

Bench
JC1
Dorsey
Evans
Alabi
ford
wilkins
teague or JC2

inactive
powell
sy
JC2 or Teague

and then cut etan thomas

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The Hawks knew all off season what their weaknesses were! They’re the same ones that they had last season. They had Collins slim down and added Powell…what were those moves supposed to solve?

They sold their a draft slot, and received a mid-level trade exception, and kept the team the same.

That sure looks like a team that’s being agressive to me. Stop talking about shaking things up, and get to shaking!!!

Set the expectations higer, and hold the player accountable. The Hawks defense is non-existent!!!

It wasn’t all Woody’s fault!

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One of the main reasons our frontline players have difficulty posting up is:

1-our starting PG doesn’t pose a threat other than shooting uncontested 3’s,
2-he doesn’t challenge the defender when pressured and isn’t a threat to beat anyone off the dribble and finish,
3-because of the issue listed in #2, he iniaties the OFF above the 3pt line,
4-because of all of the above, it’s very difficult for our post players to hold position near the basket and receive feeds in the post.

Players and coaches recognize Teague’s speed, quickness and ability to beat defenders off the dribble, so they will give ground. And he’s not afraid to maintain control of the ball and challenge the defender when pressured. In the last gm we saw him get a rebound, go coast to coast and score, with an and one. Has anyone seen Bibby do anything like that since he’s been here? We’ve certainly seen Marvin, Smoove, Horford, JJ and Jamal do it.

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larry drew ain’t gone do ssssshhhhhiiiiiiidddddd

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Aaron brooks is a point guard. Nene is a center. Shane battier is a Small foward. Does this ring any bells about the hawks?

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@Ken

Bibby has no trade value and Teague doesn’t to that degree either.

Nash isn’t getting traded. Miller is really that helpful. We still have major flaws and he doesn’t solve them. We don’t need just a PG/C. We need ones with a lot of potential and one who can become a star. Our core of Josh, Joe, Al is just too weak compared to others at the top of East as well as the ones behind who can get better. Combine that with our the rest of the cast and were never going to be contenders.

I would love Lawson/Nene which is unlikely or Mayo/Thabeet. With need that one young guy who can become something special. That’s what we are really missing. Detroit had four stars. Rip, Billups, Big Ben, and Sheed. We need that young Billups.

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Biedrins for Marvin Williams and bibby. We need a center so that Horford can step down to PF.

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RUFUS1-Your last post makes a lot of sense. Not only does JJ usually end up playing the opposing PG, to cover for Bibby, he also controls the ball and the OFF most of the time. Starting JJ and Damien at both guard positions would definitely allow us to utilize the switching DEF more effectively, and it would take a lot of the pressure off both players when it comes to fighting over picks and maintaining position in from of quicker, faster PG’s. Tell me they wouldn’t form a solid perimeter DEF.

This big guard lineup would also give us a favorable matchup advantage against opposing PG’s when we’re on OFF. How many PG’s can matchup to the size and strength of JJ and Damien, or defend either in the post? Adding Damien would also increase the speed, quickness, athleticism, size, aggressiveness, penetrating, fast breaking and rebounding ability of our starting lineup. This lineup puts our 5 best defenders at each position on the the floor together, and with Jamal and Bibby coming off the bench, it increases our bench’s fire power.

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Go get Melo.

http://games.espn.go.com/nba/tradeMachine?tradeId=4a9czy2

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I believe Sund does not have the nads to pull off a trade before the deadline. He would have done so this past summer as Granddad has alluded to in past blogs… Last summer would have been the perfect time to make his move after his team was dismantled and absolutely completely destroyed in the playoffs!! He’s like a figure head that’s it yall. No substance, just a suit…………………BTW the fix is in. No NBA Championships coming to Georgia ever!!!!!!!!!!! I finally got it David Stern!!

Sund= Retread, Recycle, 31+ years of mediocrity………………………Yawn……………….

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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qVfZCz0xd4o

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Ahhhh, yall Crazy to think the Hawks will trade their only defensive presence in Jsmoove!!!! lol ….. SMH!!!!!

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I really think MW needs to be traded in a big way

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Joe Johnson has proven he’s a flop and should be traded to New York since the Carmelo mess has backfired. Joe seems to want to reunite with his old coach and I for one want to see it happen. The Hawks should get some picks for him and play the Crawford’s, Jamaal can start and Jordan can come off the bench as the sixth man. They could even include Sacramento in this deal and try to pry Hassan Whiteside away from them since they’re not playing him. I thought they drafted Jordan Crawford because Joe was leaving? The off season deal with Joe Johnson was irresponsible and for that Rick Sund needs to go. Joe Johnson’s time is over in Atlanta period. Be gone Joe and “take your talents” to the “Big Apple!”

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@PoloisGucci….i agree with you….i have my uhaul in stand by…lol….not only that, but we had two significant blowouts this yr…one to NO and the other againg PHI….so you may ask what is the significant of that….no Al horford in both games….we need a big, more now than ever….

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