Atlanta Hawks: J.J.: ‘We all are jump shooters. That’s pretty much what it is.’

Rod from College Park

March 9th, 2011
3:33 pm

Wow!! I never knew Josh was a jumpshooter. Maybe that is the problem. These guys actually think that they are jumpshooters.

Katie

March 9th, 2011
3:36 pm

first!

Katie

March 9th, 2011
3:36 pm

not

mykhalc

March 9th, 2011
3:37 pm

i posted 2 blogs ago that these cats think they are better than they really are!!! gggeeesshhhhh what morons!!!

mykhalc

March 9th, 2011
3:39 pm

now if we can only get Joe to admit he’s a mere Robin then we’ll know blog theraphy is workin’!!!

Jamaaliver

March 9th, 2011
3:40 pm

Katie…you failed.

I don’t know what this team needs anymore. Maybe a more dependable post presence from what we have.

How different things could be had we drafted either Ty Lawson OR Dejuan Blair instead of Jeff Teague back in ‘09.

ATFail

March 9th, 2011
3:40 pm

The problem with the Hawks is the city of Atlanta

initial J

March 9th, 2011
3:43 pm

I put a lot of the blame on the coach. The goal should be to put the players in the best situation for them to be effective. If they aren’t doing what he asks of them then put their behinds on the bench. Joe and Josh are most effective in the paint. Why is it Jamal and Al only attack the rim when LD decides to run a play at the end of a quarter? Why not do it more often? When’s the last time your saw Smoove catch an oop in a half court set?

Sensibility

March 9th, 2011
3:44 pm

This team is pathetic. Rod, you hit the nail on the head. The reason they stink is they think they’re jump shooters. The reason this team competes is its length and athleticism. Take the friggin ball to the hoop, If you love shooting jumpshots then perhaps you might get fouled where you can shoot your coveted jump shots from the foul line. LD is a terrible coach.

Trojan

March 9th, 2011
3:46 pm

Poorly constructed team, poorly managed team, poorly coached team. Yep, jump shooting teams often do well in the playoffs. It seems that in all those years of rebuilding, the management could have directed the franchise in a direction that wins in the playoffs. Horrible!

JeJe

March 9th, 2011
3:53 pm

Josh Smith asks LD what is a good shot and what isn’t

LOL

JJ is terrified of going to FT line

Dude can’t even make a technical FT

Najeh Davenpoop

March 9th, 2011
3:56 pm

“Jeje . . then why didn’t the Hawks pick up Damien during the summer, instead opting to sign guys like Powell and Collins, and buying out Papa Sy’s contract so that he can come to ATL.”

Because the Hawks are run by the equivalent of a bunch of orangutans throwing feces at each other.

Don’t discredit what Damien has done. Even with his limited offensive game he is the most consistent SF on this team.

K.W.

March 9th, 2011
3:58 pm

LD needs to be straight up with Josh and tell him to attack the basket and stop shooting those jump shots. Sure some of those jump shots go, but he’s more better when he attacks the basket. Also LD needs to use his rotation better. I see why some call him Woody’s clone.

JeJe

March 9th, 2011
3:59 pm

Damien doesn’t even have limited offensive game. The guy is very crafty and hits jumpshots.

I must be like the only person in this state who can see this. it’s pathetic.

JeJe

March 9th, 2011
4:00 pm

JJ offers no solution. He doesn’t fully condone attacking the basket. He pretty much just wants to live and die by the sword. We’re pretty much the Orlando Magic, but with no big man and worse shooters

Great

STRETCH

March 9th, 2011
4:01 pm

They are not a jumpshooting team. And Larry Drew is not the right coach for this team as well. These guys play more like the Yellow Jackets.

Seriously, do you think Avery Johnson would put up with Josh Smiths antics?

Rick Dantonio would definetly draw up more offensive plays than they currently have. I mean, last night they came down and in six (6) trips – zero (0) points, not even a trip to the line.

A Phil Jackson would have been able to work wonders with a team with 2 all-stars and JS/JC. Anyone remember the days of Jordan/Pippen/Ron Harper??? or Kobe/Shaq/Fisher???

The talent is there, but the coaching and the heart of the players isnt. I agree the fans dont support this team alot, but what do you expect…this is Georgia and people dont have much to get excited about down there. But give them a winning product, they will show up.

northcyde

March 9th, 2011
4:02 pm

From the last blog:

Jeje . . then why didn’t the Hawks pick up Damien during the summer, instead opting to sign guys like Powell and Collins, and buying out Papa Sy’s contract so that he can come to ATL.

I don’t react all emotionally to every win and loss like you do Jeje. I’ve accpeted long ago what this team is. A good but not great team, that is only good because of JJ, Horford, Smith, and Jamal when he’s balling.

Nobody wanted Damien Wilkins.

When Marvin went down, not a single Hawk fan was even thinking about him coming here. So how did he all of a sudden arrive in Atlanta? Because Sund was familiar with him . . and because Nique was his uncle.

What you’re talkin about, is why he gets playing time. That’s different than what I’m talking about. I know good and well why Damien has cracked the rotation.

But it’s not like he’s consistently balling though. He’s just as mediocre as any other backup SF in this league. He only looks better to us, because Marvin is so schizophrenic as a starter, and we literally have no backup SF to play anyway.

Damien outplayed a sorry Mo Evans. Like that was a big accomplishment. But knock yourself out if you think people wanted Damien, and don’t believe that the major reason that he’s here, is because of his uncle.

I said that Damien, Teague, and Zaza wouldn’t play on any other playoff roster. I take that back. They MIGHT be able to get on the floor in Miami.

Zaza probably could, due to their lack of big men. Teague and Damien might beat out Chalmers and Eddie House in certain situations. So they’d get on the floor for 1 of the other current 15 playoff teams.

mykhalc

March 9th, 2011
4:02 pm

@JeJe…damn co-signed again!!! all the way from san fran too!!!LOL

JeJe

March 9th, 2011
4:03 pm

Northcyde from previous blog:
“But it’s not like he’s consistently balling though. He’s just as mediocre as any other backup SF in this league”

Sorry but I don’t recall many backup SFs taking 2 charges on Carmelo
And that’s preprosterous to claim he’s worse than every backup SF in this league. If he started and was given Marvin’s minutes, he’d give wayyyyy better production than what that pathetic stiff does.

but if I am the only person on here who thinks this, I don’t mind. Damien has played very well for this team recently.

Rufus1

March 9th, 2011
4:03 pm

Last year we were a defensive team, that added a scorer(Jamal)…

This year LD in trying to fix the offense, has broken the defense..

GO BACK TO THE DEFENSE 1ST MENTALITY!!!

The Bulls expect to win games in the 80’s…We have the same kind of roster. Look at their box score(Boozer 15pts, Deng 15pts and Rose 24pts, No one else has 10pts..WIN). Our PG is a defensive, NOT OFFENSIVE MINDED PG and we have defensive bodies all along this roster…LD needs to play to this teams STRENGHT, DEFENSE!!!!!

It would take the pressure off players like Joe, Jamal and Josh to score, because defense will be our calling card.

We are a Jeep Wrangle, LD is trying to put in the Indy 500…IT AIN”T GONNA TO WORK.

That is why I wanted Bibby and Jamal traded, because an offensive coach can’t help himself around a player like Jamal.

Najeh Davenpoop

March 9th, 2011
4:04 pm

“Dare I say more Iso-Joe and Iso-Jamal going at the basket is a better plan than swinging the ball around only to jack up long jump shots anyway?”

This one is easy: no. At least when the Hawks run the offense and end up with a jumper, more often than not it is an uncontested jumper in rhythm. When the Hawks run iso, the result is a contested jumper. Give me uncontested and in rhythm over contested and out of rhythm any day.

It’s one thing to run iso with a player who can get into the paint and to the line. Joe can’t do either one, and Jamal only does one or the other on an inconsistent basis.

To me, the solution to the Hawks’ overreliance on jump shooting is to force Smoove and Al to roll instead of pop when Hinrich and Teague run pick and rolls. And if they won’t do it, find someone who will. Sh-t, if Hilton Armstrong is more willing to roll to the hoop than Smoove or Al, let him do it.

JeJe

March 9th, 2011
4:05 pm

*to claim he’s as mediocre as every backup SF. If Damien started, and Marvin came off the bench, WHERE HE ACTUALLY PRODUCES EVERY GAME, our ppg would be better.

Rock Preston

March 9th, 2011
4:06 pm

Joe Johnson is as soft as they come. That cat never attacks the rim. A 120 million 3-point shooter is all he is. What a joke. I bet Kobe and the real stars laugh their arses off when they see him coming down the floor. He even looks out of place int he All Star Game. Everyone attacks in that game but he still floats to the 3 point line on a fast break.

JeJe

March 9th, 2011
4:07 pm

ZaZa needs to get MAJOR minutes Friday vs. Chicago – especially that Asik guy. He almost beat us last week if he had played more. ZaZa is at his best when he’s going against physical players AND NOT TRYING TO DO TOO MUCH ON OFFENSE/ NOT FLOPPING
If ZaZa can just be physical, get garbage baskets, and rebound, he is worth his contract

Marcus

March 9th, 2011
4:07 pm

Sund is either gonna GM his way into a better record or out of a job:

We have decent- good players, but no real wiggle room to make improvement due to existing deals/contracts and the constant budget dictates of the ASG.

Jamaal is a FA, so either we give him an extension or he walks. His value in a trade (expiring contract) is gone since the trade deadline elapsed.

We took on Hinrich’s contract (probably more than ASG wants to pay for 2011-12) but also traded away our only low-cost (relative) method of team improvement: our 1st round draft pick. Now we either have to leverage existing desirable assets in a trade that other teams might actually want (Hinrich,Smoove or Al), go over the luxury tax (yeah, right) or go even more bargain-basement for role players around what remains of the “core”.

Najeh Davenpoop

March 9th, 2011
4:07 pm

“We have to be more aggressive going to the basket,” Al said. “I think we can get baited into taking a lot of jump shots. Even though we are good jump shooters, at the end of the day you have to have a balance. We have to be able to do both to be successful.”

Very true, but Al is a big culprit when it comes to lack of aggression. Hopefully he takes his own advice. This team would be better off if he were more selfish.

jtshoopsblog

March 9th, 2011
4:09 pm

They shouldn’t be a team of jumpshooters as they have a long and athletic lineup. And someone tell me WTF was Al Horford doing shooting threes?

JeJe

March 9th, 2011
4:09 pm

LOL @ Najeh. Al takes WAY too many jumpshots. Every single time he gets the ball, it’s 20 ft away, he jabsteps, then shoots. Bynum knew this and blocked the crap outta him at least once

SteveW

March 9th, 2011
4:17 pm

The synopsis of this article, “We are a team in disarray”. And of that there is no doubt.

And you have to admit, ya’ll didn’t think we would regress this badly this season did you? We are regressing noticably.

Rufus1

March 9th, 2011
4:19 pm

I have no problems with the Jumpers… The Hawks are missing wide-open jumpshots, that happens.

I have a problem with the UNBALANCED starting line-up, that focuses on the offensive end. We need to start a real center, that will rebound and defend. We need to bring MW of the bench, because he produces from that role.

SteveW

March 9th, 2011
4:20 pm

All this talk about good but not great, we are what we are. No, we are a 53 win team who is now going backwards. We are a 3rd and 4th seed the last 2 years, who are now 5th and fading fast.

We are a team that could beat the Lakers the last 3 seasons, and now we are a 15th seed versus a 2nd seed.

We are now a team that loses by 14 at home and says good job.

We are not the Wizards. The Wizards should say good job losing to the Lakers by 14 at home. Not a 53 win 3rd seed!

SteveW

March 9th, 2011
4:21 pm

To this point, the worst thing Sund did, if he had anything to do with it, was hiring LD. LD may wreck this organization for years to come.

HawkNoMore

March 9th, 2011
4:24 pm

The Hawks just plain suck and J.J. does not even care if the fans show up or not. He said so last year. This is just a bad team with a buch of bad players and the future looks even worse. But really, who gives a #$%& about the National Broters Assocaition

SteveW

March 9th, 2011
4:25 pm

From the last post:

Please let’s put this idiocy to rest that Championship teams don’t develop talent, but only play “win now” folks:

Boston in their Championship season was developing, using, and using to win a Championship:

2nd round pick Leon Powe
27th pick Kendrick Perkins
25th pick Tony Allen
2nd round pick Glen Davis

When the Spurs won the last Championship, they were using:

28th pick Tony Parker – who they developed
46th pick Matt Bonner
28th pick Beno Udrih

When the Lakers won in ‘09, they were using:
2nd Pick Trevor Ariza
26th pick Jordan Farmar
25th pick Shannon Brown

Now all these guys were developed by their teams, or the team that had them before, and were young, like 3 years or less in the League

Just because the Hawks are so stupid not to develop quality role players, or hire Coaches that are that stupid for whatever reason, stop with the good teams don’t develop these players. It’s just patently not true!

And we won’t even go into how Portland is developing 2nd round pick Patty Mills, how the Sixers are developing 2nd round pick Jodie Meeks and the seemingly endless other examples that are out there.

Good teams develop marginal picks into rotational players. Period. And let’s not even look at 2nd pick DeJuan Blair with you guessed it, the Spurs.

And yes, when Jamal was slumping, LD could’ve have played mr. 22 points in 27 minutes Jordan Crawford last night on 9-17 shooting a little bit. I don’t blame Sund for trading him. If your Coach won’t play him, get something for him that he will utilize.

And I forgot to mention Rajon Rondo, Boston’s 21st pick, who stunk to high heaven, but Doc developed him into you guessed it, an All Star.

Rondo’s 1st season in 23.5 mpg – % 41.8 fg, 3.8 assists, 20.7% from 3 point line, 64.7% from the FT line, 6.4 ppg, 1.8 to’s. If Teague put up those numbers, ya’ll would be screaming for his head.

Next season, still only 5.8 assists per game in 29.9minutes, 26.6 % from the 3.

Now – 50.5% from the field. 12.2 assists per game, 32.3% from the 3. Why? Coaching, nothing else.

Sautee

March 9th, 2011
4:25 pm

MC,

Will you please ask LD why we don’t run motion in crunch time? After all he said that the motion offense made “everyone on the court a threat to score”. That seems like the right thing to do when we need a bucket the most. It would put more pressure on the defense (particularly if we ran our cuts HARD) then an ISO would UNLESS Joe or Jamal are having a rare “in the zone” game. THEN do iso.

Thanks

roan st.

March 9th, 2011
4:26 pm

Thanks Joe, I’m glad we paid you a 120 million to be a jump shooter. For that kind of money you would think we could get a player who could attack the basket. This team is going nowhere so it’s time to make some major changes. I think the hawks need to seriously consider trading some of their talent and recalibrate this roster. Horford is a freakin 4 and we need a true center. So we are going to have to eventually choose between horford and j. smith. And please trade duck for anything of value! Our only hope for the future is new ownership.

drmaryb (*_*)

March 9th, 2011
4:26 pm

Baboon’s Azz!

“Because the Hawks are run by the equivalent of a bunch of orangutans throwing feces at each other.”
_________________________

Damn! Naj! Just Damn!
________________________

Question: When Bosh cries? Does his face look like a “fck face” or a “bBaboon’s azz”? Ta Dah! What happened to the Avatar? Did cutting his locks cause him to lose his strength?
__________________

Aye Najeh! Nothing man, just damn! LMBAO!

Ryan

March 9th, 2011
4:26 pm

I HATE TO SAY IT BUT JOSH SMITH WASNT SHOOTING THRESS AND JUMP SHOTS UNDER WOODY. BRING BACK WOODY, AND I HATE THAT GUY WITH ALL OF MY GUTS. JOSH IS HURTING MY HAWKS!!!

JeJe

March 9th, 2011
4:27 pm

Sautee,

It’s probably because we have no motion offense. All that results from our “offense” is guys shooting 20 footers

LD is an awful head coach

MistaGamer

March 9th, 2011
4:29 pm

This blog is actually very consistant with what I’ve seen over the course of the season. Drew’s offense is just that, a motion offense to create jump shots.

People wonder why they see Josh standing out near the 3 point line, and pull their hair out and scream at him. Actually you should be screaming at the coach.

1.) If you actually pay attention, no one is telling Josh (ie the coach) to move. Or get where he’s supposed to be. That means he is standing where the offense dictates he’s supposed to stand.

2.) Also, he is spaced very properly, and say what you want about Josh (I know I have a few words myself over the course of a game) but he understands the spacing of the offense and where everyone is SUPPOSED to be better than anyone on the team.

What people want to see, and what I want to see, is not an offense that is structured in such a way to invites Josh to jumpers at such a high rate (and believe me it’s not just Josh), but one that invites him and others to roll to the basket to get uncontested or foul inducing drives to the basket. This is motion offense I was hoping to see.

These are LD problems.

MannyT

March 9th, 2011
4:30 pm

THEY ARE A BUNCH OF JUMP SHOOTERS!!!????

Wasn”t the point of the LD magic offense, that he had a much more flexible, wide open set offense than Woody? I recall hearing that it had elements of the Princeton offense where they have a bunch of jump shooters, BUT also make excellent use of the back cut off of that weave to get easy buckets. I would think a back cut would give Josh or Marvin an excellent opportunity to get a layup.

What in the world is going on?

Bruce Mac

March 9th, 2011
4:33 pm

Who cares, it’s the Hawks? Obviously, nobody based on attendance less the opponents fans.

Sautee

March 9th, 2011
4:34 pm

Rufus,

“We need to start a real center, that will rebound and defend.”

I truly know what you mean, but I must point out that Horford is THIRD among centers in rebounding. So that’s a little unfair. And he’s acknowledge as a good position defender, though he definitely doesn’t protect the rim enough in his help defense. And he was named by the coaches as an All-Star at the center position, NOT PF.

Many teams in the league would love to have him as their center. But unless we can acquire an All-Star caliber center who is a better shotblocker, I’d say hold on to Horford. And hope that he’ll play more often like the last Bulls game.

Blast

March 9th, 2011
4:35 pm

The roof is crumbling in Hawksville! Help!!!!!!!

MsDee

March 9th, 2011
4:38 pm

I think what we need to do this off season, is see if New Jersey Nets would do us a HUGE favor in taking Joe Johnson off our hands. They are the only team that could do that willingly since they 1) have a billionaire owner who can afford Joe, & 2) since they were unable to land Lebron or Melo, the next best SG would be Joe. Him along side Deron Williams would be great in the eyes of their owner. The only downside for us is that the Nets would then be holding all the cards. We probably wouldnt get anybody of any value in return since they will look at it that they are helping us out by taking Joe off our hands. We would then be stuck with straps off their bench and future draft picks that we OBVIOUS dont know how to use. So Hawks fans, WHAT WOULD U DO? Trade Joe to the Nets for straps, or just, well..keep him?

W.R.Terrell

March 9th, 2011
4:39 pm

I just read what ISO Joe said. The team from 1-5 are pretty much jump shooters. Can you believe that? He as much said they can’t play basketball. The HAWKS are paying him 20 mill a year for that kind of mindset. No wonder. Josh Smith can’t shoot worth a crap. ISO Joe can make a few but jump shooting team?.That’s a crock of garbage, they are suppose to be ball players and that’s the real facts. None of them are good enough to live and die by jump shooting. Get rid of him and let all those sorry azz jump shooters go someplace else. This is getting more STOO-PID by the minute. They are really a farce and we continue to cheer for a fiasco. There’s a no ball playing mentality in these “SOFT’S”, it is evident everytime you watch the “smoove” fella, ISO and the rest of his jump shooting cronies. I really hope good riddance is in our future for these sorry group of ball players.

jfreak13713

March 9th, 2011
4:40 pm

If the coach can’t have the players playing to their actual talents instead of their desired talents then this team has little to no chance. The inmates are certainly taken over the prison at this point. This team needs to be broken up to some extent. Start with Josh Smith who seemps spoiled rotten and the coach who seems over his head.

drmaryb (*_*)

March 9th, 2011
4:41 pm

Re – Hashed!

SteveW, what’s up baby? Man, that delayed response was tied to a conversation we had what? Two weeks ago. Man, catch up!

You continually miss my point. I don’t know how else to explain it, if you don’t want to hear it? Again, The Hawks are NOT the: Lakers, Spurs or Celtics! Those teams are proven, balanced at every position two deep.

Sure, they can draft a project player and develop it alongside:
Phenomenal talent Phenomenally. They can all hide developmental players behind HOF players and not skip a beat! Sure, Rondo looks like gold playing with now 4 HOF’ers.

Why so impressed?
___________________

Please don’t compare “The Orangutans” who run The Hawks to those
storied franchises. Those storied franchises deserve better.
_____________________

SteveW? Fast forward three weeks and holler at your girl.

Sautee

March 9th, 2011
4:42 pm

Joe: “But one through five, we all are jump shooters. That’s pretty much what it is.”

Now what does this say about the former and current GMs? No slashers to be found unless you count Marvin once every other game.

No wonder our defense has so much trouble with slashers. They NEVER face one in practice.

And does anybody else remember the Joe Johnson that played in Phoenix? Back then he slashed. Now he’s a self-admitted jumpshooter, lol.

JM

March 9th, 2011
4:43 pm

Let’s just hope LD can add a couple of plays that have players (Al and Smoove, maybe Marvin) motioning to the basket. Gotta believe JJ is still hurt and Sund needs to tell Jamal to play for a contract. Light a f*&!ing fire man! Scratch Marvin, we need someone to finish at the rim not fall out of bounds. Come on Hawks, damn!

MsDee

March 9th, 2011
4:44 pm

I have another question for yall Hawks fans. WHAT WOULD U DO IF U WERE THE GM? Here is your question. Would u move Josh Smith if you KNEW u could land a penetrating PG who knows how to draw fouls and make ‘and 1s’ and get a decent Center who only rebounds well and who could clog the lane OR would you keep Josh Smith if u KNEW it could land u Dwight Howard in 2013?

mykhalc

March 9th, 2011
4:44 pm

Joe just said, to para-phrase…’we don’t do what it takes to win. we win if we’re on’!!???? thanks Robin…what a great leader you ‘would’ make!!!

drmaryb (*_*)

March 9th, 2011
4:49 pm

* consistant
____________

*** CONSISTENT! Ok, if this guy doesn’t stop using this misspelled word, I’m afraid I might start miss-spelling it too. Please get a pictionary? LOL!

ag

March 9th, 2011
4:50 pm

Last night the better team won. That happens a lot in the NBA and in other sports as well. Sometimes a team that is not as good wins, but usually they have a good coach or a good game plan. Good teams lose more than they should with a bad coach

ToeKnee

March 9th, 2011
4:52 pm

nope.

BirdDirty

March 9th, 2011
4:53 pm

Larry Drew can’t control this team. They do not respect him or care what he says. These players need a coach like Jerry Sloan. I get tired of Josh shooting jump shots and Joe being a wuss!!! Marvin Williams needs a heart transplant. These players need a kick in the @$$. In addition, the front office does not know how to evaluate talent either. Dejuan Blair and Toney Douglass would look good in a Hawks uniform right about now. This team from top to bottom is awful!!!!!

ag

March 9th, 2011
4:55 pm

Again, for this post and for all radio shows, Josh HAS to be coached up. During the 4th quarter, Kobe was checking him. When Josh missed the two hand dunk, Kobe clearly hit all forearm, but no call. Josh never posted again (after faking Gasol, and getting his arm whacked by Kobe). The coach or point guard seeing the mismatch should have immediatly have Josh go down low – instead of having Josh shoot a 3 pt shot or him trying to go around Kobe.

drmaryb (*_*)

March 9th, 2011
4:55 pm

“OR would you keep Josh Smith if u KNEW it could land u Dwight Howard in 2013?”
_________________________

That one, right there. (*_*). What’s up Ms. “Beautiful” Dee?

slimjr

March 9th, 2011
4:56 pm

“0-1 Spurs 0-2 Mavs 0-2 Lakers 0-2 Thunder 0-1 Nuggets 0-2 Hornets 0-2 Suns 0-1 Rockets
2-0 Jazz 2-0 Grizz 1-0 Portland
5-13 Against .500 West teams

Man if we were a West Coast team we’d be eaten alive.”

Sund your team is GARBAGE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
KICK ROCKS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

* Link
* Report this comment

tony

March 9th, 2011
4:57 pm

“That doesn’t bother me, and I hope it doesn’t bother anyone in this locker room,” Johnson said. “It’s about us in this locker room. We could care less if [fans] showed up.”

slimjr

March 9th, 2011
4:58 pm

Its too late to coach up Josh..He is set in his ways from youth..Never learned the fundamentals at an early age.. He is already wired and thinks hes much better than he really is…………….Yawn..

Josh for Andre dollar……….smile..

JeJe

March 9th, 2011
4:59 pm

slimjr, good post (I saw it earlier too)

1-1 vs Utah, not 2-0

slimjr

March 9th, 2011
4:59 pm

ISO JOE= ALFRED………………………

Rufus1

March 9th, 2011
5:00 pm

Sautee

I love Al and thinks he is a very good PF playing center but would we be a better rebounding team with ZaZa/Hilton and AL in the game. I JUST WANT TO BE BETTER!!!

Zaza is one of the few players on the team who gets to the line. He is physical, FOULS HARD, GOOD OFFENSE REBOUNDER and doesn’t take many jumpshots…Taking a jumpshooter out of the offense, will decrease jumpshots.

Marvin and Damien coming off the bench offers the Hawks, better offensive and defensive versatility.

This is a small change, that may pay big dividends in the playoffs.

slimjr

March 9th, 2011
5:02 pm

@JeJe.
Thanks for correction Sir.. Also Iam which ya on Damien take……Northcyde must be Marvins’s bro?? LOL

Marvin for an ICE COLD ONE!!! LOL

MannyT

March 9th, 2011
5:03 pm

Ms. Dee

If it was a guarantee to get Dwight Howard, I’d make you the only female player in the NBA…and no, I don’t care if you even showed up for practice, just get me the big man!

Sautee

March 9th, 2011
5:04 pm

MsDee,

I’d LOVE to trade Joe to anyone who will take on his contract. NJ wouldn’t have much to give back, so it would likely take a third team to make it happen. NJ will NOT be giving up Lopez though, that’s a given.

And as much as many of us are down on Joe…. if NJ DID acquire him, they would have the best backcourt in the league.

WeNeedTree

March 9th, 2011
5:05 pm

The Hawks are leaderless….like our country…

WeNeedTree

March 9th, 2011
5:09 pm

We need to hire Jerry Sloan…

drmaryb (*_*)

March 9th, 2011
5:09 pm

50 All Time Greatest!

“A Phil Jackson would have been able to work wonders with a team with 2 all-stars and JS/JC. Anyone remember the days of Jordan/Pippen/Ron Harper??? or Kobe/Shaq/Fisher???”
_____________________

This guy just named 4 of the 50 Greatest Players – Of The World, to ever play this game! Is he seriously comparing these 4 to anyone on The Hawks? Somebody, please wake me when he’s done shagging me. I was bored to sleep.

Rufus1

March 9th, 2011
5:10 pm

MC

There will be no sign-and-trade as long as Jamal wants “Manu Money”

Rufus1

March 9th, 2011
5:13 pm

“this basically seemed to be Bibby’s defense when L.D. got on him during games for passing to Josh on the perimeter.”

LD is turning into a “Woody Clown” right before our eyes…

WeNeedTree

March 9th, 2011
5:13 pm

The highest paid player in the league…..

ag

March 9th, 2011
5:15 pm

Actually, great article MC. I have noticed the Hawks get a lot of wide open looks and some come in and out. Happened a lot. Except Al, most of the guys are struggling with their shots. The person who gets the most open looks is Marvin and Josh Powell and they just don’t convert them to points. Unlike Josh, Marvin does not have any type of back to the basket game because he just can’t elevate anymore. So unless we have a SF who will burn you for leaving him open, we will struggle. Josh can make the jumper, but when he misses, only ZaZa an Al are their to get offense rebounds. Marvin does not board well, so again, that is why Josh needs to stay in the paint. If he patterned his game like Barkley, focus on interior and occasionally shot from the outside. Josh can easily average 20ppg.

Rufus1

March 9th, 2011
5:15 pm

Ms Dee

I would take DWill and Tyson Chandler over Josh and D12

slimjr

March 9th, 2011
5:17 pm

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
interpretation, I don’t have the horses to execute my genius offense and on top of that the busters that have been bestowed upon me with my incredible laid back demeanor have shot their loads for the season..They are spent. We are just going through the motions…ISO Joe is pulling down about 200k a night..We have to make the fans think he and all of us are really worth that kind of cheese…..LOL The Blue Pills wont help these busters…………..

Playoffs??????????????/ REALLY?????????????????????????????????/.

Sautee

March 9th, 2011
5:17 pm

MC,

Thanks. I hadn’t gotten to that blog yet, as when I had time, the game had started and I went straight to the game thread. Then I forgot to go back, so thanks again.

Rufus1

March 9th, 2011
5:18 pm

“only ZaZa an Al are their to get offense rebounds”

Ag

That is another reason to start a real center.

SteveW

March 9th, 2011
5:19 pm

Sautee – NJ still has some 1st picks don’t they? They had 5 the next 2 years and I don’t think they used them all to get DeRon. But outside of Lopez, not much on that team. I hear you on that

mykhalc

March 9th, 2011
5:21 pm

@MC…this same confrontation happened last year when Woody got on Bibby about passin’ the ball to Josh. Bibby’s reply was ‘he was open. and if you don’t want him there change the play design’. this actually happened durin’ a game in which Woodson gave Bibby kudos for callin’ him out on the design of the play.

LD and Marvin…USELESS…PERIOD!!!

Double Zero Eight

March 9th, 2011
5:22 pm

They have been playing like the Atlanta Brick Masons
lately instead of the Atlanta Hawks..

slimjr

March 9th, 2011
5:22 pm

LD=Jim Mora, in way over his head………………….Trying to fit a round peg in a square hole..It does not work DUDE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

mykhalc

March 9th, 2011
5:23 pm

Joe to the Nets…make it happen Dimitroff!!! (only real GM in ATL)

Double Zero Eight

March 9th, 2011
5:23 pm

Marvin is the opposite of priceless….he is “useless”.

mykhalc

March 9th, 2011
5:24 pm

and to think of it…it was probably LD’s play design last year!!!

slimjr

March 9th, 2011
5:25 pm

up next Chicago by 23!!!!!! OUCH……………………….

RealSquawk

March 9th, 2011
5:30 pm

Joe Johnson you should stick to keeping your mouth closed! If that wasn’t the most out of touch thing I have ever heard. Seriously a jump shooting team? What pure jump shooting team do you know that ever does anything in the playoffs?

What is a pur jump shooting team? please someone give me an example.

Westurd

March 9th, 2011
5:31 pm

I feel ashamed saying this, but I am starting to HATE all things hawks. Same dang problems, same dang sound bites, same dang lack of heart, same dang, same dang………I come out to support you guys and half the crowd is rooting for the other team. It continues to become harder and harder to stay interested in you guys. I love the Hawks and love basketball, butthese Hawks are pushing me closer and closer to divorcing them. DANG its so frustrating!

Alex

March 9th, 2011
5:31 pm

Sadly this exemplifies what is now the Hawks problem Stubborn underachieving and over-paid players. Josh is a slasher and certainly not a jump shooter unless he is just luckily hot. Pretty much the same for Marvin because he is a ghost in many ways most games even his outside shooting. The other players are good jump shooters though.

However, Sometimes the shots aren’t going to fall and the team as to have the maturity (like the coach is asking for) to adjust. Also, they should run of a inside-out game through Hordford and Joe who have good post-up games. But when your figurehead leader(j.j.) is spouting off this contrary mess these are the problems you have. This shows the true leader for sometime has the young, talented Horford. All others are expendable; it’s time.

Can anyone say Kevin Love for Josh ( if he doesn’t want to play to his slashing strengths and develop a post-up game. And package Joe and Marvin.

Blow it up…I’m out.

ag

March 9th, 2011
5:33 pm

At this stage of the game we should not be talking trades… the deadline is over. MC, I like Teague starting because it makes our bench much stronger. It also gives Teague an opportunity to get burn with the starters, therefore, we do not need his offense. Having Hinrich and Jamal… and keeping Jamal off point is good. You will still close with Hinrich, but let Teague start the games. Also, ZaZa is showing a little life, and honestly Damien is the only person who realizes he is not Reggie Miller, so most of his jumpers are within 15 feet of the basket.

Westurd

March 9th, 2011
5:34 pm

Also hate to say this, but we looked better without Josh last week….just saying.

Sautee

March 9th, 2011
5:34 pm

SteveW,

There ARE some players on the Nets I’d consider:

Anthony Morrow, Kris Humphries (who they like), Damien James, even Stephen Graham could be useful.

ag

March 9th, 2011
5:36 pm

Rufus1, when Josh is shooting J’s, only Al and ZaZa grab offensive rebounds (okay Joe had a nice one yesterday from a Josh air ball), but that is why Josh needs to play inside out.

drmaryb (*_*)

March 9th, 2011
5:38 pm

” I don’t think they used them all to get DeRon.But outside of Lopez, not much on that team.”
___________________

That’s a rolling start! (and better than what most have). See Hawks.

tom

March 9th, 2011
5:39 pm

essentially the same team as last year, you could argue they have some better bench players this year……seems like their inconsistencies are mental. the team needs to see a freaking psychiatrist or something. induce some hypnosis!

slimjr

March 9th, 2011
5:40 pm

Al and Josh have major flaws in their footwork with their back to the basket! That’s why they fail in the post up game many nights..They just don’t have the natural ability to score the ball night in and night out.. Its the GM’s job to figure that out and get the players that do!!! We need a scorer at the critical 3 to help take pressure off the 2 and 4 with the scoring load..We got Marvina avg 4 pts a night.. 3-7 pace every 10 games…next year wont make the playoffs with that crap……………….This year sliding fast to the 7th-8th position to be annihilated…

ag

March 9th, 2011
5:41 pm

Double Zero Eight

March 9th, 2011
5:23 pm
Marvin is the opposite of priceless….he is “useless”.
lol….

Mac-Town, Georgia (urban-macon.blogspot.com)

March 9th, 2011
5:41 pm

all these years of “chemisty” and “core” and JJ still doesnt know Josh Smith isnt a jump shooter?? 1-5…jump shooters?

phil

March 9th, 2011
5:42 pm

Amazing stupidity on JJ’s part. Or maybe not. Josh Smith a jump shooter? Then Atlanta is a tiny unincorporated southern town. Surely he was kidding…Josh Smith can block a shot and dunk hard. Wow. That’s where it ends. Jump shooting teams lose. a lot.

phil

March 9th, 2011
5:43 pm

Marvin just flat can’t play.

slimjr

March 9th, 2011
5:46 pm

Marvin is without a doubt A COMPLETE BUST!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

slimjr

March 9th, 2011
5:52 pm

If we could draft the next MJ, the Hawks could pack the dome 41 nights a year!!!!!!!!!!!!!! And if I could grow to 7′5′ with a 39 inch vertical??????????????? Smack yourself Slim!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!Wake up!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!LOL

ag

March 9th, 2011
5:54 pm

Slim, I really like Josh on the block. He has a nice baby hook and he passes out of the double team very well. Gasol left his shoes on the court with that fake Josh gave him, but was bailed out by that foul on Kobe. I am sure Josh has to be amoung the top 10 players in dunks. My conclusion, he is a good down low player

Mac-Town, Georgia (urban-macon.blogspot.com)

March 9th, 2011
5:54 pm

soft, finesse guards (Joe and Teague) cant even knock their floaters down regularly. God forbid they ever take it strong, might draw a little contact.

JeJe

March 9th, 2011
5:56 pm

FIRE WOODY

JeJe

March 9th, 2011
5:56 pm

I FEEL LIKE TEAGUE AIRBALLS HALF THE FLOATERS HE TAKES

LOL!

Puzzled

March 9th, 2011
5:56 pm

Mr. Horford, the Hawks are not a “good” jump shooting team!!!!

MikeH

March 9th, 2011
5:57 pm

Enter your comments here

tyger

March 9th, 2011
5:57 pm

WHO CARES ANYMORE?

Sautee

March 9th, 2011
6:00 pm

slim,

Once again, I’ll disagree. Al is robotic in the low post, but not from his footwork. And Josh made huge strides two summers ago with his footwork when he worked under Olajuwon.

While neither player could say it was a strength, I disagree that it’s a “major flaw”.

For me Josh’s “major flaw” is his lack of emotional control. For Al, it’s his lack of aggressiveness.

O'Brien

March 9th, 2011
6:01 pm

Isnt it ironic that the head coach and the players have a pretty good idea what the problem is, but NONE OF THEM are able to do anything about it during the course of a game?

As for Jamal, sure, he cna be used in a sign and trade (under the current CBA). But that would mean the Hawks would have to go over the luxury tax next season. And as we know, they will only go over the LT line for the right player (like LeBron).

terrell

March 9th, 2011
6:02 pm

I get it. No wonder they took Marvin over Paul and Dwill.And no wonder the fellas were pissed about losing Bibby. And no wonder LD lets Josh, JJ, and Jamal, continue to chuck em up. They’re just a jumpshooting team. lol! What a joke. LD should be fired. I’m sorry. Everybody and theire mother knows that Josh belongs in the paint. I’m starting to miss Woody. And thats saying a lot. He was an idiot sometimes, but LD is in over his head.

MikeH

March 9th, 2011
6:04 pm

You guys will soon do what I do….I tune into the game only once now and that is during the second half somewhere around the end of the 3rd quarter…If we are close then I usually watch it till it gets out of hand…However, if we are already down by 10 or more in the 3rd then I quickly turn the station and read online tomorrow how the Hawks fared…This simple practice has saved me from countless nights of stress and sleep depravation..Seriously, this is what I do and until the Hawks get serious about winning I will not watch a full game..Won’t do it

Sautee

March 9th, 2011
6:06 pm

From MC:

“Taking into account the nature of the playoffs, Atlanta’s poor ability to stick to a plan, and the fragile psyche as exposed by Orlando last spring, do you think the jump-shooting Hawks can carry the day as an underdog in a seven-game series?”

It will certainly depend on the match up. But I’m not hopeful, at this point.

O'Brien

March 9th, 2011
6:07 pm

Najeh,

I agree about our GM putting all his eggs in one basket by overpaying to keep his players. As a result, he was forced to either overpay JJ, or potentially miss the playoffs this year (although to MistaGamer’s point, the Hawks might have been able to qualify for the playoffs even if its as an 8th seed).

Question. Would you have traded Josh last year for Amare (if that deal was possible, as some people suggested)?

MikeH

March 9th, 2011
6:14 pm

I am a big believer in teams that play 9 or 10 deep. You have to have that kind of depth in order to apply constant pressure and survive with the so called super teams. We are never going to have the kind of roster where we can compete just playing 6 to 8 guys everynight without forcing our will. We need constant pressure and constant rotations and as players develop and they will develop because they play everynight then you will have a team that can compete because of they LEARN to do it everynight

O'Brien

March 9th, 2011
6:15 pm

JJ’s comment implies our starting Center and our starting PF are jump shooters too. And I agree. However, Josh is not as good a jump shooter as he thinks he is.

Its also proof to me that Teague deserves more PT, because as we all know, he is not a jump shooter

Tremaine

March 9th, 2011
6:16 pm

Glad to see that the hawks get it. Now lets see what they do about.

Tremaine

March 9th, 2011
6:17 pm

“START JEFF TEAGUE!”

Sautee

March 9th, 2011
6:18 pm

O’B,

If Amare were here would he be a jump shooter too?

Ron

March 9th, 2011
6:19 pm

In regards to the jump shooting, some of you may call me crazy for saying this, but I’ve said from day one that jumpshooting is what this type of offense is predicated upon. That’s basically what the princeton motion offense is, for the most part. I’ve said from day one that it makes very little sense for our team to utilize a system like this. This type of system is supposed to emphasize the strengths of your team when you do not have athletes. On a team which lacks speed, quickness, athleticism, and other physical attributes, a motion system maximizes the shooting strengths of the team and allows a team which excels in that area to maximize their ability.

However, our starting 5 is not Stephen Curry, JJ Reddick, Kyle Korver, Ryan Anderson, and Matt Bonner. While we do have some outstanding shooters for their positions in guys like Al Horford, that doesn’t mean that jump shooting is our strength, or that we should predicate our entire attack off of jump shots. This is a team whose strength is their physicall ability; their speed and athleticism.
Rather than using our talents to run, slash, attack the basket, wear down opponents on the offensive glass, go up and over the defense with lobs, etc., we play to our weaknesses by trying to turn our entire roster into jumpshooters. Zaza, Damien, Collins, Hilton Armstrong, and even Josh are not great jump shooters, and by having guys like Josh stand around on the perimeter, we are making terrible use of our team’s assets.

As awful as Woodson was, even he did a better job of getting the team to play to its strengths, and I am no fan of Woodson. At least Woodson had us using our athleticims to be one of the best offensive rebounding teams in the league and he had Josh and Al doing most of their damage in the paint. For the record, I have no problem with Al doing some of his damage from the outside with his remarkable jump shooting, but I don’t want guy like Al to settle for only jump shots.

Right now, I feel as though Drew is encouraging his players to shoot the ball from outside way too much. I know that he says otherwise in post-game interviews sometimes, however, in his actions and the plays he often draws up, you can see that his attack is deeply predicated on jump shooting. He has even said publicly that he wants Josh to feel confident taking those outside shots when he is open and in rhythm because he practices those shots. He has also said that Al’s jump shot is his advantage and he wants him taking it with confidence more than he wants him in the post. Even Zaza is starting to take more jump shots.

I truly believe that coach Drew has been a terrible influence on this team, and I just don’t see us progressing any further until we cut ties with him. While there are some players that are rebellious at times (e.g. Josh), I feel like a lot of the guys on this team just do what they are told, especially players like Al, and if Al is taking more and more jump shots, along with everyone else, it has to be for a reason other than he just likes taking them. Under Woodson, Al played at center the vast majority of the time, and he showed no reluctance to attack larger opponents in the post. I remember him routinely shooting jump hooks over guys like Ilgauskas and going right at Dwight in the post, even if he was unsuccessful. Now, there’s also the fact that Al wasn’t as effective with his jump shot last season as he is now, perhaps making him less likely to take it before. But, still, I just find it odd that all of our players seem to want to take jump shots this season, when that wasn’t their approach before. When Drew calls a play for a pick-and-roll or something that involves guys attacking the basket, they typically do it with little to no resistance. For example, every time I can remember Drew calling for Al to roll to the basket in late game plays, Al has attacked the basket with force and either converted or gotten fouled. If he’s willing to do this, I find it odd that he wouldn’t be willing to post-up more. He has even said himself that he feels his post-game is one of his strengths.

Josh, seems like his infatuation with the jump shot is slightly more self-induced, but I also believe that if Josh were motivated and disciplined by a real head coach who actually enforced accountability, he would probably very willingly take his game into the low post and find great success there.

At this point, I firmly believe that it is not just the fault of our players. Each of them has flaws, but under the right leadership and coaching, I feel like our players could really be a lot more effective, and our team could be a lot better. The talent is there, we just haven’t had a capable leader on the sidelines who has been able to get the players to harness that talent and use it to the best of their ability. That’s what we’re missing, and I don’t expect our problems this season to disappear. Only when we hire a real head coach who shows no favoritism and actually rewards/disciplines players based upon obedience and production will we improve.

MikeH

March 9th, 2011
6:25 pm

For examply, did anyone notice how Tony Douglas, and the Fields guy (Knicks) stayed in our guards pockets all night….Harassed them and anyone else that dared to over dribble the ball and while they did not shoot particularly well they caused turnovers and bad shots from our guys all night…Their constant pressure wore us down and in the end they were as responsible for that win as any of the so called stars…a team full of guys like them can win way more in the league and playoffs than the Hawks as they are currently constructed. The closest we have to guys like that are Horford, Wilkins, Hinrich, maybe Teague, and Smooth if they were developed properly

Sautee

March 9th, 2011
6:26 pm

Ron,

about this on Larry Drew: “He has also said that Al’s jump shot is his advantage and he wants him taking it with confidence more than he wants him in the post.”

I don’t ever remember LD saying that. Ever.

Do you have a link? Or a source?

aFan

March 9th, 2011
6:29 pm

In Jesus name we pray AMEN.

Ron

March 9th, 2011
6:30 pm

Sautee,

Here’s an excerpt from the article:

“The knock on Horford was that, despite his considerable talent and skills, he needed to become more effective scoring in the post against bigger and stronger players. Drew didn’t deny that, but he also told his All-Star center that he would need to force bigger and stronger defenders away from the basket, where they aren’t as comfortable.

“Can he post guys? Yeah, he can post guys,” Drew said. “But the strength of his game is the ability to pick-and-pop.”"

http://www.ajc.com/sports/atlanta-hawks/al-horford-picks-and-815731.html

It’s not in the exact words that I mentioned, but I definitely see an indication from Drew that he wants Horford to play away from the basket more to utilize “his advantage”. This is not the only time he’s said something of this nature either.

Ron

March 9th, 2011
6:32 pm

By the way, that’s exactly what Horford did last night. He tried to force Bynum away from the basket and took lots of jump shots. Most likely, that was part of Drew’s game plan.

Sautee

March 9th, 2011
6:36 pm

Ron,

If it’s not the exact words then do NOT say that he “said it” when he didn’t.

I get your point (and agree that Horford should drive more) but you weaken it when you try to attribute false words to strengthen the argument. You didn’t need to. Just say “in my opinion……”

It’s ok , of course, to not like LD, but at least be fair and not fill his mouth with words never said.

Ron

March 9th, 2011
6:45 pm

Sautee,

I was typing a very long post, perhaps I could have used a different word than “said”, but I really didn’t think it was a big deal. I feel like my interpretation is pretty accurate, and at the time when I typed that up, I didn’t recall what the EXACT quote was word-for-word, but after looking it up, I still feel like it was a pretty good interpretation. In essence, I was paraphrasing what I remembered Drew saying. I wouldn’t call that trying to “attribute false words”. I think you’re nitpicking a bit here. I was off a bit in my recollection of what he said, but it’s not like I was trying to make up entirely false statements and pass them off as Drew’s. I just paraphrased what I remembered him saying to the best of my memory, I think a lot of people would interpret that statement in the same sense that I did.

Big Daddy

March 9th, 2011
6:46 pm

Josh and Al have come outside because no one passes the ball inside when they are down low. To their way of thinking why should I bang down inside to watch JJ, JC or anyone else dribble the ball around outside then jack up a 3. All you get to do then is run down to the other end and try to get back on defense. And, when they do pass the ball inside they are so inept at doing that it gets picked off for a turnover. So they come outside and that is the only way they will get any touches. That is why when one of them does shoot, you see 3 or 4 of the opposing team around the the basket.

What it looks like is the players are not running the plays and only passing the ball around on the inside. When you draw up plays you do it so that the plays can pass the ball to where you want it to go. The movement creates passing lanes and the pass is made giving the ball to the player in a good position to make a move or take a shot. That does not happen. LD probably draws it up, but the guys don’t execute. He has lost their ear.

Luke Cage668

March 9th, 2011
6:49 pm

This team will be different next season, Horford, Joe, Kirk & Teague will most likely be the players that stay, everyone else will be traded or released, the team as its constructed now will struggle in the 1st rd of the playoffs and if they survive that will be decimated again in the 2nd.

This “Core” has basically ran its course, I think Josh has reached his ceiling which is sad because he so much upside its incredible, Marvin, sorry bub but your garbage. Crawford is a great scorer but dribbles too much and runs on offense whatsoever.

So I won’t be totally blown up because Joe & Al will still be here but there will be changes on this team which sadly will force this team to take a step backwards before moving forward.

James

March 9th, 2011
6:51 pm

Ron, great 6:19 pm post. I strongly agree. I like the fact that Drew is encouraging ball movement, but I really don’t feel like we play to our strengths either. A lot needs to change, and I think that change has to start on the sidelines. Drew is not a bad coach, he just has a lot to learn, and I don’t necessarily blame him for the team’s shortcomings, but I feel like it was a big mistake, actually a huge mistake, to hire a rookie head coach, who already had strong relationships with some of the players, to improve our 53 win team. That’s a big task for anyone to accomplish, and Drew is in way over his head from what I can see. I think he means well, but he just doesn’t know what he’s doing.

Nate ArchiBALL

March 9th, 2011
6:54 pm

Enter your comments here

Big Daddy

March 9th, 2011
6:55 pm

James, that is exactly where Phil Jackson was when he took over the Chicago Bulls. There are number of assistant coaches who have taken over after a head coach left. The question is was LD the real person to take over?

Monger

March 9th, 2011
6:55 pm

I will end this and sum it up like this…Here is the problem…Our main man….

How many times have you seen Lebron this season drive the lane and slam down a dunk on two guys to bring his team back in the 4th quarter?? 10? 15? 20?

How about Dwayne Wade???

Derrick Rose??

How many times has Kobe carried his team on his back and nailed 4 straight 3’s to stretch the lead???

And then you have this sorry excuse for a basketball “player” Joe Johnson, the reason you guys are scratching your head and cant think of a single time Joe has driven hard to the basket and put a thunderous dunk on someone is because it hasnt happened. He is too soft and cant carry this team to save his life. Thats allright, because he is a “jump shooter” right? Well he is even worse at that, I cant tell you how many 1-9 and 2-14 shooting nights he has had, and the only difference is while Kobe is swishing 4 straight 3’s in the 4th, Joe is bricking 4 straight 3’s and then Kirk Hinrich throws away a few passes and then Josh Smith misses a few more shots—BOOM- down 20!!

These clowns really think they are “jumpshooters”…. maybe for a small-town high school team, other than that,,,,funny

@HawkSquawkLive

March 9th, 2011
6:57 pm

Ok, I’ve thought long and hard about this one and I think I’ve got it. Hear me out:

1.) Larry Drew is a 1st year coach and while everyone was praising him for the Hawks doing good before the All Star break, I don’t think his coaching this team has made them better, I don’t think it has done anything.

2.) Drew is trying to get the Hawks to play his scheme, but it has pretty much still been Woodson’s scheme because the players were all used to playing that with each other and those are the main pieces: the players who’ve been together for many years and for some, they’ve never played for other NBA teams.

3.) When Bibby & Mo were traded (two big pieces in the Woody system) that is where the problem starts to stem. Because now, you’ve got more players on the team who never played for Woody.

4.) Hinrich is playing under Drew’s scheme (or trying to) while the other guys aren’t used to it and now trying to adapt what they’ve known as a Hawk for years.

The problem is that Drew is actually the problem now. You’ve got guys who are all playing in different systems and a coach (Drew) who really can’t change things with this lineup.

I almost don’t even blame him. I think he wants to and tries to change it, but he can’t.

James

March 9th, 2011
7:01 pm

Big Daddy,

To answer your question: No, Larry Drew was not the guy who should have taken over. I’m not just saying that it is a bad idea to hire a rookie head coach to take over a franchise that is on the brink of elite status and trying to improve on some very lofty goals. I’m also saying that the fact that ASG chose to hire someone who was not only an assistant under the head coach that was let go, but was also the guy who had strong relationships with many of the players, was a terrible idea. It’s clear that Drew already has a strong relationship with guys like Joe and Josh, and his starting 5. That’s the reason why he simply just carries over the same trends from last season, as far as the rotation goes. Drew already established that comfort zone with the players long ago. He is not going to change things or enforce accountability at this point, and that is one huge reason why. I really feel like the best thing the Hawks could have done this offseason was to sign an accomplished head coach with experience, someone with a plan, and someone who was new to the players, someone who wouldn’t play favorites right off the bat.

Big Daddy

March 9th, 2011
7:04 pm

I know a lot of us, including myself sometimes, scream about the jumpshots Josh takes. What I have started doing is going to the box score after games and looking at the stats. Josh really are not bad and he is probably the most consistent player on the team in rebounding, points, steals and blocks. So, why does he infuriate us? Probably because he takes that shot at the worse possible time, early in the shot clock or when there is room for him to drive the ball. And, like I said earlier, if he goes down low, he won’t see the ball because the point guard, shooting guard, shooting guard or sixth man will jack up a long jump shot. He and Al don’t touch the ball with Bibby, now Kirk, JJ, MW and JC jacking up long jump shots. So now they are going out and taking their shots also. LD has to put a stop to that.

Dept. of Intended Rudeness

March 9th, 2011
7:11 pm

Sautee, the most common form of an ellipsis is a row of three periods or full stops (…) or pre-composed triple-dot glyph (…). In the United States, the correct notation for an ellipsis is “. . .” per Modern Language Association (MLA) standards. The use of ellipsis can either mislead or insult, and the reader must rely on the good intentions of the writer who uses them.

In the future, please do NOT use more than 3 dots to signify an ellipsis. It weakens the etiquette, punctuation, grammar, and composition of the post, thereby weakening it’s credibility. (A special thanks to Wikipedia.org for providing this concise and concrete description).

Also, for whomever is using the word “consistant”. Please realize that the correct spelling of the word is “consistent”, and refrain from using incorrect spelling in future posts. If you continue with this trend, it may result in drmaryb having a nervous breakdown.

Thank you for your cooperation. Isn’t it fun to waste time policing posts? Perhaps, someone will police this one.

NorcalHawk

March 9th, 2011
7:25 pm

Hawks have so many weak areas, it’s hard to focus on just jumpers. But since JJ raised the issue, here’s a question: how much better would our offense be if JJ and Jamal were making THEIR shots? The offense last year revolved around those two; this season what are their FG percentages, about 40?
You can play all the D you want, you still need your best scorers to step up.

MistaGamer

March 9th, 2011
7:30 pm

@MC “this basically seemed to be Bibby’s defense when L.D. got on him during games for passing to Josh on the perimeter.”

I never knew that actually happened. At least Bibby confirms the same complaint I had with Woody and now LD. I guess it really is true that the apple doesn’t fall too far from the Woody tree. At least on this issue lol.

We didn’t see Bynum and Gasol, or most teams bigs, camped out near the 3 point line. And that’s because their offenses don’t put them there. It seems like 60-80% of our plays have Josh out near the 3 point line. And every time I see it I just smh. That’s THE biggest reason why we get pounded on boards.

I can’t understand why people think that Josh is standing out there because he just so stubbornly wants to. He is just being where he’s supposed to be in this offense.

drmaryb (*_*)

March 9th, 2011
7:35 pm

Ron, Sautee is absolutely correct. It is NEVER ok to misquote or put strong words in someone else’s mouth. If, you do the Truth-o-Meter will goo far left, indicating a “Pants on Fire” LIE.

Again, you can surmise all you want all day long, but if you tell a bald-face lie and put it in quotes? Sautee will call you out and hold your feet to the fire, relentlessly and for days. No one will stop him and he will win.

See JeJe. Sautee will break the bad habit of telling lies on people.
And, yes Sir! It is a BIG DEAL.
———————-

So, CYA: e.g.

IMHO, IMO, allegedly, correct me if I’m wrong, I believe he sadi, I think I’m correct when I say, supposedly, bear with me while I paraphrase:

are all great prepositional phrases to use when drawing others comments into your own comments and opinions! Misquotes are poisonous in todays media markets filled with super highways of credible and incredible information. Ron, IDK if you knew this, but your blogs can actually appear on search pages if your key words are googled.
That Ron, makes your words very powerful. Celebrities actually sue reporters who report lies for millions in damages.

Why? Because some people actually believe everything they see on TV and read in Magazines. If he were alive, you could ask Michael Jackson (rip). Printed lies cost him a lifetime of hard work and eventually caused his death. He actually died the day the LIES were printed.
_____________________

Let’s keep it real on this blog! This is the best blog in the NBA between MC and Blu-Ray at The Fans Nest.

darrell starks

March 9th, 2011
7:37 pm

drmaryb stop drinking that grape coolaid like LD BE DOING, you said size with out talent is irrelevant, size matter period you don’t need 2 be a superstar or a good center, but if your 6′11 or 7′0 you cant tell me that you can’t contribute on defense and having a presence in the paint that come with coaching, if you have a coach who don’t understand the importance of having that big 2 defend in the post then his coach abillty is non exist he have no knowledge or clue on coaching.
GO HAWKS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Samuel

March 9th, 2011
7:37 pm

LD: “We’re in disarray”. What more needs to be said?

ag

March 9th, 2011
7:40 pm

I agree with MistaGamer that the plays designed have he and Al on the outside. If he is open, he should shoot. I just think we are all hard on Josh because we know with better decisions, he will be a better player. We are just upset with Marvin because he is not a point guard, nor is he a good SF. I think we deserved a 6′9″ scorer and impact player with the number two pick… and don’t say it doesn’t happened because it happened with Kevin Durant. The only difference was Durant was a NCAA star at Texas and Marvin was the 6th man at NC

darrell starks

March 9th, 2011
7:43 pm

Horford is not a center the hawks need size in the paint point blank period, untill then this team will always be the same or worst, LD HAVE 3 BIG NOW COLLINS, ARMSTRONG, ZAZA to bang and 2 make it physical down low these guys do not have 2 score not 1point, but if they defend down low that translate into easy basket, and will stop alot of this half court stuff with jumpshots.
GO HAWKS!!!!!!!!!!!

ag

March 9th, 2011
7:47 pm

DS
If you have an opponent that is bigger or has a strength, then as a coach you have to exploit their weaknesses. Gasol and Bynum can dominate in a half court game, but make them run, run and run. The one thing that the Lakers have is an identity i.e Kobe= superstar; Gasol= down low post player; Bynum +down low post player/rebounder; Artest = defensive specialist; Fisher+ 3pt assassin. ,
The Hawks… Joe (actually Robin); Josh ????? Marvin = (okay is identity is garbage boy); etc… If our players accept their roles, then the team will come together.

ag

March 9th, 2011
7:55 pm

DS
The only talent that those guys have is they are tall! I really wish Hilton was a great rebounder or Twin was a good defender and low post scorer. You didn’t mention Etan, who I remember from his days with the Wiz was a very talented player. ZaZa is not complete, but when he has his heart in the game would be the best option.

darrell starks

March 9th, 2011
8:00 pm

AG im give you a prime example, remember the year hawks was swept by orlando in playoffs because of superman in the post, 95percent of his points was dunks and layups because the hawks had no size in the paint, but when collins guard him this year howard scored but his points was tough basket away from the rim, thats the point when team score easy on the inside that mean your team is soft and have no toughness and what it does it destroy the confidence on defense and make easier for your opponent.
GO HAKWS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

JeJe

March 9th, 2011
8:05 pm

Since everyone on the team is on the wing trying to get up jumnpshots, we have no post game and NO offensive rebounds

LOL

What a joke

RaJaH

March 9th, 2011
8:09 pm

I saw my first billboard of one of ATL’s franchise basketball players while driving up 85 this morning. That’s right… ANGEL MCCOUGHTRY! The Dream will hang a banner in Phillips before the Hawks make it to the conference finals. But it’s all good though cause I’m still a Hawks fan!

Mac-Town, Georgia (urban-macon.blogspot.com)

March 9th, 2011
8:09 pm

Starting 5:

SG – Kirk Hinrich
SG – Joe Johnson
SG – Marvin Williams
PG/SG – Josh Smith
SG – Al Horford

RealSquawk

March 9th, 2011
8:12 pm

How about that draft?

Sautee

March 9th, 2011
8:13 pm

Ron,

Blog monster got my last post to you. Needless to say it’s my view that if you paraphrase, then you should indicate that you did. It’s that simple.

In your comeback post to me here’s what you said: “It’s not in the exact words that I mentioned, but I definitely see an indication from Drew that he wants Horford to play away from the basket more to utilize “his advantage”.”

If you had said THAT originally, the only thing I would have said is “nice post”. I can agree with that somewhat, though I’d argue that there’s nothing that definitively shows that LD would RATHER have Horford outside, as you suggested.

Anyway, I think you understand my point. If it’s nitpicking to ask that we all not attribute words that weren’t said, then I’m guilty of nitpicking.

But the idea behind it is blog integrity.

Sautee

March 9th, 2011
8:16 pm

LOL@ mac-town

prison mike

March 9th, 2011
8:19 pm

It’s funny johnson would say this when he is the main culprit. Josh while taking too many jumpshots does take it to the cup more than anyone else but gets easily frustrated by the lack of foul calls that is getting under his skin.

Johnson has no go to move. He does the same dribble routine that stymies the offense into what ends up as a semi desperate jumpshot for him and others nearing a shot clock violation.

O'Brien

March 9th, 2011
8:25 pm

The problems with this team all starts at the top. The ASG, and Rick Sund.

drmaryb (*_*)

March 9th, 2011
8:26 pm

darrell

Calm down young fella. Since you like size without talent, then go find Eddie Curry and the 10.3M the Knicks paid him to stay away from MSG while they desperately needed a Center. Also, see if you can recover the other 22M he stole for the 38 mins he has played for them the last 3 years. (correct my numbers if wrong, but they’re close.)

Then go to Memphis and look for Thabeet, see if you can shake him down too. Maybe a rebound or blocked shot will fall out of his wallet.

I mean, darrell, we can do this all day, but with a few brain cells you can multiply these two by over 100 other 7 footers who were a waste of human tissue in the NBA.

Look no farther than Atlanta. We got Collins who has ankles set in concrete. His jump shot is flat footed and nailed to the floor. He can not move to a rebound, offensively nor defensively. If his arms weren’t so heavy? Maybe he could raise them up and block one shot thin two seasons. He does stand there and can take a charge pretty well, but that’s because he can’t move to get out of the way.

If anyone with size could play center, then every team in need of one would have three. But, as we know in the real world. Centers are like azz-holes! Everybody needs one. Unfortunately, there is only ONE dominant center in the NBA: Dwight Howard! Bynum (often injured) is a close second. After that, who do you see dominating? I’m not talking about scrubs and losers. See Celtics and Lakers (last 5 champions) as a reference to make your argument please.

drmaryb (*_*)

March 9th, 2011
8:35 pm

Barber Shop Talk!

To the wise guy … (ellipsis). Hey man, we all misspell words on here, consistently.

But, we can all tell typos from ignorance. Sometimes, we say THERE when we really mean THEIR, or TO when we mean TOO, and that’s “kewl” too. The older I get, the worse I spell. LOL

But, that “consistant” was really messing with my vibe. Sorry. I was starting to think I had it wrong. I just had to call that one out, before I had a nervous breakdown.

But, at the end of the day? It’s just a casual and fun conversation.
Ok, I’m done for the day. I gotta’ go. Thanks for all the banter, it helps ease some of the pain from my Hawks losing.

Mmmmmmwah!

drmaryb (*_*)

March 9th, 2011
8:42 pm

“The problems with this team all starts at the top. The ASG, and Rick Sund”
_______________________

O’B! Brother, you ain’t never lied. Amen!

O'Brien

March 9th, 2011
8:43 pm

From Hoopinionblog.com;

Joe Johnson: “[W]e are a jump-shooting team. If shots are falling then, great, we are rolling. But one through five, we all are jump shooters. That’s pretty much what it is.”

As Josh Smith approaches taking half of his shots from outside of 16 feet, Al Horford adds the corner 3 and the step-back 18-footer to his arsenal, and Johnson is on pace for another career low Free Throw Rate this must surely be the apex of one-dimensional inefficiency if not also self-awareness, at least in Johnson’s case.

ESPN’s new director of analytics, Dean Oliver, in essay about the Miami Heat addresses two topics relevant to the sputtering Atlanta offense: over-dribbling and the absence of the -roll part of the pick-and-roll..

Paradise Lost

March 9th, 2011
8:45 pm

@RaJaH – Maybe the Dream would be amenable to mentoring the Hawks on how to play with heart and passion. Just a thought.

@drmaryb – Many thanks for your diligent work in demanding a modicum of English grammar standards (basic 4th grade spelling words, Blog People! Come on!!) that contribute to the integrity of this blog. It is my genuine concern that this and future generations of Tweeters and bloggers who are limited to expressing life-changing existential ideas in 140 characters will forget what real English words look like.

I now return you to your regularly scheduled blogging…

JeJe

March 9th, 2011
8:45 pm

JOE CAME BACK EARLY FROM INJURY SO HE COULD MAKE THE ALL STAR TEAM. HE HAS SINCE THEN TANKED FOR THE SEASON

HE ALSO INEXPLICABLY PLAYED TOUGH D ON KOBE IN THE ALL STAR GAME WHICH MADE KOBE GO OFF ON US

GOOD JOB JOE

Ron

March 9th, 2011
8:48 pm

Sautee, drmaryb, and whomever it may concern,

I was away from the blog for a while, but I just looked at the recent comments and it seems like things with the whole “misquote” issue have gotten way out of hand. As I said before, what I did with the “misquote” (for the record, I never actually quoted L.D. in the original post) was an honest mistake. I think I’ve made that very clear by this point. I didn’t say that it was alright or that it was my intention. I even mentioned that I should have used another word or phrase rather than “said”. Not only did I clarify myself in my last post, but I stated that my intention was not malicious at all, and I think that was very clear from the start.

I’m well aware that you should not misquote anyone (although the media does this very often), but for the record, if I have to clarify myself again, I was typing a long post, and at the time when I mentioned Drew’s comments on Horford, “said” was the first word that came to mind, although something like “Drew’s comments seem to suggest…” would have been more accurate. I’m well aware of that, and I do not need a lecture on this matter to be further aware of it.

My blog posts are purely recreational, and forgive me if I don’t analyze every detail to determine whether I’ve made a mistake like that each time. However, don’t get me started on blog integrity. If you want to preserve that, there’s a ton of work to be done here. People not only misquote, but attempt to impersonate, harass and even slander the names of those in the Hawks organization on a regular basis. This is nothing new or unexpected on an informal blog, but the integrity of most statements on blogs such as these are far from genuine, and while I appreciate the fact that you want to preserve the truthful nature and integrity of what is said, I’m not sure if that goal will ever be accomplished.
At any rate, I think you made your point in the first post, and I’ve made mine. I made a small mistake unintentionally and should have corrected it sooner, but there was no malicious intent, and the erroneous remark has been clarified. End of story. To me, this is water under the bridge at this point.

Slimjr

March 9th, 2011
8:54 pm

Hey DEPT? This is what I think of . …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………LOL

drmaryb (*_*)

March 9th, 2011
8:55 pm

This is Nice!

Because, ag said it best when he purported,

“We are just upset with Marvin because he is not a point guard, nor is he a good SF. I think we deserved a 6′9″ scorer and impact player with the number two pick… and don’t say it doesn’t happened because it happened with Kevin Durant. The only difference was Durant was a NCAA star at Texas and Marvin was the 6th man at NC”

Paradise Lost

March 9th, 2011
8:55 pm

“Centers are like azz-holes! Everybody needs one.”

@drmaryb: I must respectfully disagree. Clearly the Hawks have chosen to go with an ostomy pouching system thus negating the need for a real azz-hole…er, I mean Center.

Paradise Lost

March 9th, 2011
8:56 pm

@Slimjr – Good one. roflmbo

Slimjr

March 9th, 2011
8:57 pm

“To the wise guy … (ellipsis)”
What an azzhole………………………………………………………………………………………..

Slimjr

March 9th, 2011
9:00 pm

“@drmaryb: I must respectfully disagree. Clearly the Hawks have chosen to go with an ostomy pouching system thus negating the need for a real azz-hole…er, I mean Center.” wtf? LOL…

GT Alum

March 9th, 2011
9:02 pm

Ugh, looks like it’s possible ASG can sell the Thrashers while holding on to the Hawks and Philips Arena, which seems to be their preference. Really depressing news to me since I have no interest in hockey. If that happens, watch the Thrashers start to soar while the Hawks continue to just glide at the same level. http://www.ajc.com/sports/atlanta-thrashers/three-entities-in-discussions-866892.html

Harper Smith

March 9th, 2011
9:02 pm

No wonder so many people don’t waste their time with blogging. I came on here to read about thoughts and opinions about the Hawks, but more than half of the discussion is people complaining about mispelling, having the wrong word in a quote, using the wrong grammar, etc. And then, the people getting harrassed about those mistakes retaliate with their own silly comebacks, and then we have 3-4 pages of nonsense that most people don’t even care about. By the time I scroll passed all of the nonsense, I’m at the end of the blog.

Some of you people need to get a life. If you have nothing better to do than look for reasons to call out others on this blog for stupid mistakes, then you must have very depressing lives. I thought we were here to talk about basketball, but instead it just turns into a bunch of mini-wars of nonsense. I guess some people just need to make themselves feel good by pointing out what’s wrong with everything someone else types.

I don’t give a flying Hawk about people using the wrong number of dots in an ellipsis, or spelling consistently wrong, or paraphrasing statements incorrectly. I can’t even believe that I wasted my time looking at those idiotic posts. Now, I feel like I’ve wasted time form my day on stupidity. Anyway, how about instead of people policing posts, they just share their basketball thoughts and ignore the nuances and little mispellings. It’s such a waste of time.

I don’t want to hear another word about a damn ellipsis!

Slimjr

March 9th, 2011
9:03 pm

ISO JOE= whats a pick and roll???????????? We be Jumpshooters B?

shaad

March 9th, 2011
9:03 pm

the hawks nxt year should try and get love like send josh packing and probably sumbody off the bench and a second round pick and the line up should like dis

hinich
joe
marvin
horford
love
what u think huh

Harper Smith

March 9th, 2011
9:06 pm

Before some idiot starts nitpicking at my post too, I meant to say “wasted time FROM my day…”, not “…form my day…”. I think I put the right number of dots into those ellipses too.

rusty

March 9th, 2011
9:08 pm

First of all jj shut your dumb azz mouth.you don’t use your head before you speak too bad we can’t fine you 1 mill every time you say something stupid & non productive we might get some of our money back. This team will never be good with Joe here, his selfish style of play monopolizing the ball & time cloak. God how I hate the way he plays. There are a lot of players in the league who make a lot less than he makes & gives a lot more to his team than he does. We should be willing to give him up to the nets for some high draft picks. We would be a lot better off if we did. Ld has to go he seems to get more stubborn & stupid every day. This man is incapable of coaching a NBA team.
We can blame him for much of what has going wrong this year. The funny think is if he had done what he said he would do this team would have been a successful. Watching the thunder game I seen a center who could really help us & there is a good chance he will become expendable when Perkins comes back. Oh I seem to think we seen him before here how stupid this team is

Rashod

March 9th, 2011
9:09 pm

Joe Johnson is Garbage,look how tall he is & he’s scared to drive.Why did he get that big deal !!! Five more years of this crap.He supposed to be the leader,he should be saying i have to drive more & not shot bricks all night,but he’s let us know he’s going to bricking.Fire everybody that thought it was a good idea to give him the Mega Deal.He a rich man,with no pride.I know he could care less about anything i have to see,because his Paid/Made for the rest of his life.PUNK

James

March 9th, 2011
9:10 pm

So, since I can’t conduct a poll on here (officially), I was wondering if some of you would be so kind as to share your opinions with me on a certain matter. I’d like to know what the general perception of L.D., as a head coach, is at this point. Are you impressed with his coaching? Do you feel like he’s doing an adequate job? Are you disappointed in his coaching? Do you feel like he’s a coaching genius (that’s probably a stretch), or do you feel like he’s totally incompetent (that’s another big stretch)?

I’m just curious what all of you think. I’ve already shared my opinions on him, now I’m wondering what some of you diehard Hawks fans think. Please, share your thoughts if you have the time.

terrell

March 9th, 2011
9:16 pm

Knicks are ballin, Hawks are fallin. Sad.

Slimjr

March 9th, 2011
9:19 pm

and Philly is red hot!

Row 109

March 9th, 2011
9:28 pm

FIRE LD, he has no control of this team, just listen to him talk. The players do not listen. We have alot of talent, a stronger Coach would get so much more out of these guys. FIRE LD

Slimjr

March 9th, 2011
9:31 pm

Uh OH! Knicks up 15 in the 3rd. Here they come! Man those two Knick announcers on NBA TV make Bob and Nique sound like amateurs….Wow , Night and day difference!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

RealSquawk

March 9th, 2011
9:32 pm

nba drafte anyone? It’s just hard too be a Hawks fan right now. Hawks fan squabbling over petty things while the Hawks remain lose and get ready for the post seasen. We will all be celebrating because clearly the hawks are just positioning themselfs for a favorable first round match up. The team is fine they are just tired and who wouldn’t be. Plus like really it isn’t like their is much we can do? Unless Rick Sun is here looking for advice or if one the owners is here looking for advice there is nothing we can do. I know it feels good to get out your opinions, but really it isn’t healthy. Action is healthy very healthy. Try doing something for the team like showing up for games or protesting games. Even though that will not work because there will always be the other fans.

We could do something together and make it a publicly owned team like a company, but I think they already tried that.

Worldwide Clyde

March 9th, 2011
9:33 pm

We all know what needs to happen but will it happen?

We need a center. Will it happen?
We need to stop shooting jump shots. Will it happen?
We need to run more. Will it happen?

For 6 years now we have been on this blog going back and forth about what the Hawks need but nothing seems to get done.

We need more results. If we don’t get them we’re going to get swept in the first round of the playoffs.

Sautee

March 9th, 2011
9:39 pm

One final thought on “policing” posts. There is a HUGE difference between calling one out over grammatical or spelling errors and pointing out a mistake of fact. Ron inadvertently attributed something to LD that he never said. That’s quite different from a spelling error or the number of dots, etc.

Ron, it’s to your credit that you accepted what you did and stepped up without rancor to explain your thinking. I’ve enjoyed your posts and look forward to more.
I have no problem with you. Thanks for your explanations.

Slimjr

March 9th, 2011
9:40 pm

Read my virtual LIPS! 18 brutal games left and the Hawks are playing at a 3-7 pace per 10 games, Simon says they will go 4-14 and end the season as a 7th seed..Which means they will get swept by Chicago in the 1st rd………..Thank you Simon says………………Sorry to be the bearer of bad news Clyde.

Jae Evolution

March 9th, 2011
9:41 pm

Holy Sh*t the Spurs are shooting 80% from the FIELD against the Pistons at halftime, that is UNBELIEVABLE.

EmirS.

March 9th, 2011
9:43 pm

Larry Drew

Once again Mr.Drew is an offensive minded coach. I believe he sees offense leading into defense which is clearly the opposite. From day one his rotations have been all about offense and scoring. (Ex. Jamal & Bibby at the end of games). Thus again leading to the opinion of “offense to defense”. Im unhappy that he continues to have people who are cold as ice on the floor. When we have leads (due to defense), he sticks in an offensive minded player (Jamal) while we have a 6 or 7 point lead. He seems to want to take the lead further up….by sticking in offense WHILE taking out defense. So again “Offense to Defense”.

I continue to be baffled by his roations at given times. I beileve he needs to actually expirement and not just talk the talk. At times when we have a lead, I dont understand why we dont use a backcourt of Teague and Kirk to sustain leads. While having Joe and Al in for scoring. And to top if all of have, Smith in for an even greater boost of defense.

I don’t think he’s a bad coach. I think his mindset needs to change dramatically tho. We have pieces to be like a better Chicago Bulls team, but with greater offense. I know I get PISSED of as well when we lose games that we should have won. Good or Bad teams. Most of the times it dose’nt fall on the players. The player’s do what they do best everytime on the floor (Ex. Jamal Scoring or Zaza scrapping). It’s on LD to put the right personnel on the floor at the right times. And so far he is still unable to do so.

Jae Evolution

March 9th, 2011
9:43 pm

Also Boozer was injured on a flagrant foul at the end of the Bulls game and was said to be unable to return, so look out for that, might catch a break against the Bulls.

Slimjr

March 9th, 2011
9:45 pm

okc beat philly in overtime by 5 110-105! Whew…………………

Jae Evolution

March 9th, 2011
9:46 pm

^ Knicks are still looking like they will get the W.

Slimjr

March 9th, 2011
9:47 pm

Hawks get blown out by 17 tomorrow..Remember they are jumpshooters on the road??? ISO JOE ISO JOE ISO JOE……….Marvin just sit down…………….

RealSquawk

March 9th, 2011
9:50 pm

Emir S.

I am not saying that you are wrong about Larry Drew being a good coach, that just needs to change his mentality, but I will say that I remeber saying the exact samething about Mike Woodson. That is all.

UGA

March 9th, 2011
9:50 pm

Based on what I have seen………I think we match up best vs. the Bulls. So we would need to be seed 7 to face them. But, we are 2-0 vs Orlando this year too………..

EmirS.

March 9th, 2011
9:57 pm

@RealSquawk

I never mentioned that Larry Drew is a good coach.

EmirS.

March 9th, 2011
9:58 pm

However, my hopes are’nt high on Larry Drew and his “mentality”. Afterall, he was Mike Woodsons assistant.

RealSquawk

March 9th, 2011
10:06 pm

@EmirS.

I hear that.

you said not bad i assume you must mean good, but apparently not.

Man this is the day of call outs isn’t it.

drmaryb (*_*)

March 9th, 2011
10:11 pm

Ron

Aye man, I know it felt like you were under attack. Hey, I’ve been called out for doing the same, back in the day. Everybody on this blog has misquoted someone at some point. We just help each other keep it real on this blog, again, I’ve been on that hot-seat.

I loved your post, I rather enjoyed your opinions myself. I hope you keep it coming.
_______________________

Ignore the jerk. Its past his bed time. He’ll be fine with rest.

tony

March 9th, 2011
10:17 pm

James, here’s my thoughts on LD. I think he should coach recreation basketball because he has only one position(sg) in his offense. His system isn’t design for a traditional pg to create scoring opportunities for his team and passing and running the offense: setting up plays on the court, getting the ball to the teammate that he feels is in the best position to score, and dictating the tempo of the game. The pg is the most important position on the floor.

Either the players don’t listen to him or he doesn’t coach good fundamentals. Passing is poor, shot selection is poor, basic screening and cutting is poor, basic post moves is poor and finishing at the rim is poor.

It’s those little things that make the best teams and players. If you can master those little fundamentals, they work no matter what!

Najeh Davenpoop

March 9th, 2011
10:21 pm

“well, i said iso “going at the basket.” Joe can get to the paint with his floater or post-ups. Jamal can do it with his crossover. but if you say it’s asking too much for either guy to do these things consistently then, well, yeah i feel you.”

It’s not that it’s “asking too much” as much as it’s asking for something that is against either player’s nature. If Joe was the kind of player who was inclined to get in the paint off isolations, he would have done it a hell of a lot more over the last few seasons. And the inability of Joe to get to the foul line takes away one of the best possible outcomes that isolation provides.

Najeh Davenpoop

March 9th, 2011
10:31 pm

“Would you have traded Josh last year for Amare (if that deal was possible, as some people suggested)?”

If Amare would have signed an extension, yes. But I’m not a fan of renting players unless they are going to show up and win you a title, and Amare instead of Smoove on last year’s team wouldn’t have won the Hawks a title.

Mike is back

March 9th, 2011
10:32 pm

MC, dare I say this on blog…but I missed the game again…the Hawks are no longer worth altering your schedule for…we might as well admit it…these guys are on a path to no where.

JJ’s comments…only reinforces what I said about him on a previous blog…how can you have a guy that’s suppose to be a leader on your team…saying that kind of crap…like I said MC…your level of decorum is unmatched.

I don’t blame LD…the ASG needed a bargain from the Salvation Army…and they got one…This time the BASG is referring to broke in terms of knowledge not money…these cats should be banded from owning another professional sports organization…so it’s hard for me to blame LD alone. He was a feel good story.

However, I don’t know about you…but I ain’t feeling to giddy about feel good stories these days…in fact…I’m all TF out of feel good stories. lol

Geeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeez…GO HAWKS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Najeh Davenpoop

March 9th, 2011
10:34 pm

“Would u move Josh Smith if you KNEW u could land a penetrating PG who knows how to draw fouls and make ‘and 1s’ and get a decent Center who only rebounds well and who could clog the lane OR would you keep Josh Smith if u KNEW it could land u Dwight Howard in 2013?”

So basically you’re asking me to pick between these two lineups:

A: Teague, Joe, Smoove, Al, Dwight
B: Devin Harris, Joe, Marvin, Al, Tyson Chandler

I’d take Team A. Dwight would change everything for this team.

northcyde

March 9th, 2011
10:38 pm

So people are mad at JJ for telling the truth? LOL.

Percentage of shots that were jumpshots, taken by each Hawk player this year: ( 09 – 10 percentages listed in parenthesis )

GUARDS

Bibby: 93% this year . . ( 93% last year )
Jamal: 85% . . ( 82% )
Johnson: 80% . . ( 79% )
Teague: 67% . . ( 61% )

FORWARDS

Marvin: 70% . . ( 61% )
Powell: 69% . . Joe Smith ( 69% )
Smith: 64% . . ( 36% )
Damien: 53% . . Evans ( 69% )

CENTERS

Horford: 66% . . ( 51% )
Collins: 60% . . ( 83% )
Zaza: 34% . . ( 35% )

So it’s not like JJ is lying.

But I guess the irony of his comments, is that he’s been our worst jumpshooter this year out of our main guys, while not reducing the amount of jumpers he takes as a percentage.

But the irony of that irony is that I believe he leads the Hawks in the amount of shots taken within 10 feet of the basket. A decent amount of his “jumpers” are those 7 – 9 foot floaters he shoots.

Let me check that to see if I’m right on that.

Najeh Davenpoop

March 9th, 2011
10:40 pm

I posted earlier that forcing Smoove and Al to roll off pick and roll plays would be one possible solution to the jump shooting problem. Another thing the Hawks really should do is post up Smoove more often. Not only would this keep him on the block where he belongs, but Smoove passes the ball out of the post when he sees the double coming more quickly than anyone else on the team, and this forces everyone else to move the ball more quickly. Yeah, it more often than not results in a jumper, but it’s worth the result of keeping him in the paint.

Wabe

March 9th, 2011
10:41 pm

I’m a little late to this discussion, but I’ll agree with northcyde about Damien.

I like Damien, and I like the effort he gives. But don’t kid yourself. Northcyde’s explanation is pretty much pinpoint. Damien looks like a better option than what we’ve been forced to live with in Marvin Williams and Mo Evans. But, there’s a reason why he was on 10-day contracts. There’s a reason why other teams weren’t lining up to sign him.

He’s a decent plug-in at times. But, he’s not really a legit SF that you tend to see on quality playoff teams. This teams bench is pretty pathetic. I’d disagree with northcyde about Teague, because truth is, he’s been given the raw end of the deal on this team. He’s never had a real opportunity to develop. He’s raw, no argument there. But, the Hawks track record developing other players would be?

Teague really didn’t look all that bad when he got the nod to start. He showed flashes, which is all you can expect him to show at this point. The problem with him with the 2nd unit is quite obvious. He’s depended on to be more aggressive with his offense (which isn’t there), whereas with the 1st unit, he can play facilitator and look good playing defense. Plain and simple, development. The Hawks SUCK developing.

Melvin

March 9th, 2011
10:42 pm

Watching the Magic/Kings game. If Dwight and DeMarcus keep going at it like this, they will be fighting before the game is over….

Wabe

March 9th, 2011
10:43 pm

Teague showed more than enough people here when he got a couple of starts in a row that he’s capable of being pretty good down the road. I think more than a couple of people here said that it’s quite obvious he needs to work on his offensive game, but if he’s given a chance, he could improve.

Either send him to the D-League, or give the kid 15-20 minutes. It’s useless having the kid sit on the bench bumming.

Najeh Davenpoop

March 9th, 2011
10:52 pm

“I’d like to know what the general perception of L.D., as a head coach, is at this point. Are you impressed with his coaching? Do you feel like he’s doing an adequate job? Are you disappointed in his coaching? Do you feel like he’s a coaching genius (that’s probably a stretch), or do you feel like he’s totally incompetent (that’s another big stretch)?”

I think he has the potential to be a good coach and certainly has shown that he has good ideas when he comes to designing plays, but the fact that he is a rookie coach is quite plainly obvious, and his close pre-existing relationship with the players on this team seems to be working to his detriment.

Najeh Davenpoop

March 9th, 2011
11:01 pm

Knicks are within 2.5 games of the Hawks after their win at Memphis.

AUG24

March 9th, 2011
11:11 pm

I watch the Hawks every night, same old crap. No more excuses! This team is not improving! It might have been better under Woodson. I’m glad we didn’t extend Jamal’s contract. We as Hawks fans are so frustrated it isn’t even fun anymore.

Little Fawkers

March 9th, 2011
11:14 pm

The excuses are old guys. It’s so bad right now that the Hawks announcers kept talking about how excited they were to play a losing team (Bucks) during the Lakers “game”.

Aren’t we supposed to want to play the best and beat the best? No teams like the Bucks will be in the playoffs. Sorry Dominique.

Raybud

March 9th, 2011
11:21 pm

Start Teague, put Hinrich on the bench….Teague was successful when he started. As for right now, i agree with AUG24. We may as well kept Mike Woodson. The reason this time hasn’t moved up is because of Rick Sund. It’s easy to put the blame on the coach when he can’t make moves to get new players. I actually liked Woody. He’s the only coach in NBA history to improve his record 4 straight years since his first year. Fire Sund!!!!! Make Teague the start. The Hinrich move should only help us with players on the bench and to provide that extra energy.

Najeh Davenpoop

March 9th, 2011
11:24 pm

Looks like even if the Hawks had wanted to hire Tom Thibodeau, it may have been harder than originally thought.

brigadierjerry

March 9th, 2011
11:28 pm

Lets face it. This Hawks team is not as good as the Hawks team of the last 3 years. This Hawks team is the sum of it parts. Also when you think about it Joe Johnson is a nice player. He is a 20-25 point guy. The problem is Joe isnt that type of player that is going to take his team on his back and score 10 points in a row to grind or bail out wins if the team is struggling. He is paid to be a first tier but he is a second tier player. He has the same problem Andre Igudola and Danny Granger stars of their teams but arent good enough to carry their team and that is why their respective teams struggle.

Johnson signing reminds me a lot of the Alan Houston signing. Only way Joe Johnson will get traded will have to be to a bad team that feels he can be a piece as part of a winning team.

The Hawks struggle because a lot of the players struggle to score in big spots. We know what Marvin is about. Josh can be up and down and Horford. They are nice players but you cant count on them to carry the team on their back. Johnson has to be that guy and he really isnt that type of player. He plays more of a cereberal game. Also the thing even if you are struggling as a star player is you need to get to the line. Kobe does it. James, Wade does it. Melo does it even Amare does it. Rose, Durant. Johnson not going to the line avoiding contact kills the team.

Also Teague I like. Toe me he can be a Tony Douglas type of player is what I see his ceiling as.

northcyde

March 9th, 2011
11:42 pm

Nope . . I was wrong. Josh Smith still leads the team in attempts within 10 feet of the basket.

Smith – 6.6 attempts
JJ – 6.5 attempts
Horford – 5.9 attempts

last year

Smith – 9 attempts
JJ – 7.1 attempts
Horford – 6.5 attempts

rusty

March 9th, 2011
11:42 pm

Woody,I mean woody lite & jj both suck. Nortcyde enough of your stupid stats trying to validate your opinions. Take your face out of jj’s butt

SteveW

March 9th, 2011
11:46 pm

Maybe Grandad is indeed justified with his wish that if LD is going to run the motion O, we need better jump shooters.

Over the summer, he kept wanting Troy Murphy and whoever else, because he said that was what was needed to be successful in the Motion O.

Good job Grandad! You saw this one coming. .

Not Sund

March 9th, 2011
11:48 pm

Thank you for playing L.D., your work here is done. Not because you are not a good coach or a nice guy but because your system does not work with this group of players. Your jump shooting system gives players who are all to willing to take the easy way out, the easy way out.

SteveW

March 9th, 2011
11:50 pm

Northcyde – Phenomenal stats as always.

That 28% increase in Josh shooting J’s probably tells us why his overall shooting % is down a good bit this season.

Everybody else about at what you would think.

And I agree with Northcyde. I love Damien’s game, and may think a little higher of him based on his production defensively with the team. But the dude is no starter. Great off the bench, very good D, hustle, won’t hurt you, but he has limitations.

SteveW

March 9th, 2011
11:52 pm

SI saw this train wreck coming in September with an article on the new coaching hires. I’ve posted it a few times, so you can google it if you want to see it.

prison mike

March 9th, 2011
11:55 pm

Josh
18.5 – 6.6

Al
21 – 10.6

These are the numbers they put up when joe was out for 9 games. I omitted the celtics game cause they were horrible for that game(no joe or jamal for that one). As you can see joe is stunting their growth into one of the better dynamic front courts.

SteveW

March 9th, 2011
11:56 pm

And say what you want, but we can still beat Chicago on Fri.

And no, I will not say a 14 point loss at home was a good game, when you’ve beaten the Lakers 3 straight years at home. Your a 53 win 3 seed not the Wizards!!

When we accept 14 point losses at home as good, was the 24 point beat down at LA good to? If so, we have reverted to Pacer/Clipper territory.

And i still say, if Phil coached ATL, he beats LA if coached by Larry Drew. Phil would have beenn throwing Wilkens, Marvin, JJ at Kobe.

Posting up JJ on D Fish.

Running Teague around Fish and Blake.

Putting bodies on Bynum like Collins and ZaZa

Josh on Artest

Hilton to combat the length of Odom and Gasol, and maybe even Marvin as well.

Phil would have found a way to win.

SteveW

March 10th, 2011
12:06 am

Two 2nd round picks that the Sixers have developed beautifully came thru for them tonight.

Lou Williams – 22 pts. in 23 minutes.

Jodie Meeks – 17 points, 7 boards.

The Hawks hate developing young talent worse than any team I know of in the League. Talk about no foresight. Maybe Sy will come thru for us.

SteveW

March 10th, 2011
12:15 am

In ‘06 we did draft Solomon Jones in the 2nd round with the 33rd pick. I have no idea why we let him go. He’s way better than Josh Powell. He’s better than Hilton. He’s probably better than Collins for what it’s worth really.

Royal Ivey is still in the League whom we drafted 37th in the ‘04 draft, but he is buried deep on OKC’s bench.

Chris Crawford in ‘97 did play 252 career games.

That’s about it for the last 14 years of second picks, of which we have had 16 second picks total.

The player development machine – ATL!

cp

March 10th, 2011
12:24 am

A bunch of talking from the head coach and players. They always seem to know what to do but wont do it. No more talking start doing.

SteveW

March 10th, 2011
12:44 am

Marvin is not our only bad example of drafting. In 2007 we took Acie Law IV with the 11th pick.

12th – Thad Young went to the Sixers
15th – Rodney Stuckey
16th – Nick Young
22nd – Jared Dudley – who has beat out our former 6th pick for playing time, Josh Childress
23rd – Wilson Chandler
24th – Rudy Fernandez
26th – Aaron Brooks
27th – Arron Afflalo
31st – Carl Landry
35th – Big Baby Davis
48th – Marc Gasol
56th – Ramon Sessions

Ouch – what if we would have traded down with the 11th pick, and picked up a Aaron Brooks and Marc Gasol? Could’ve happened. Maybe even a Sessions to boot.

Jae Evolution

March 10th, 2011
12:46 am

Well, we can still get home court if we manage to string together a run, 3rd spot is our ceiling and the 7th spot is worst case scenario. I think we stay 5th come playoffs facing Orlando.

SteveW

March 10th, 2011
12:51 am

In ‘06 – It’s Shelden with the #5 pick
#6 pick is Brandon Roy
#8 is Rudy Gay
#21 is Rajon Rondo
#24 Kyle Lowry

The list just goes on and on….

South Ga boy in the Atl

March 10th, 2011
12:53 am

What a pile of crap from JJ. Either he’s delusional or full of it. JJ is a 6′8″ SG who has a height advantage almost every game and there is no reason for him not to use by driving to the basket. He either has gotten to lazy to do it or just wants to take the easy route and shoot. Josh is just stubborn and will not listen to coaching, which is why it’s time to trade him this off-season, because everyone in the world knows he’s at his best posting or driving to the hole. These 2 do what they want. JJ can’t be moved but it’s time for Josh to go and get a true 5 for him, give the keys to Teague next yr, and start Damien with Marvin off the bench. It’s as though the core of “the core”, JJ and Smoove, are going to do what they want and to hell with everyone else.

South Ga boy in the Atl

March 10th, 2011
1:06 am

To answer your question Najeh, I think LD is a very good assistant. Good offensive mind and can be a good counter-balance to a demanding HC, but he has been a big disappointment this year. 1st he’s way to easy-going for this group of players. If we had a demanding field general like Koby or Kevin G. then his easy going style would probably fit. Of course, we have the opposite with a no. 1 player who barely says anything along with a talented hometown guy like Smoove who has the maturity of about a 14 yr old. 2nd, like Woody, he’s “Job scared.”. He’s afraid to get in anybody’s face for fear of a complete rebellion (see Pistons this yr or Hawks in Orlando series last ) where ASG would feel compelled to do something drastic and fire him this yr. It’s the worst of all possible situations with LD who’s probably afraid this may be his one and only HC chance and will not rock the boat at all. That’s my 2 cents anyway.

Najeh Davenpoop

March 10th, 2011
1:18 am

Good fortune smiles on the Hawks once again. Carlos Boozer got flagrant fouled in tonight’s game and injured his ankle. The Hawks and Bulls play Friday.

Judging from the Hawks’ recent play and how much better the Bulls are at home, though, I’m not quite as high on the Hawks’ ability to take advantage of the situation.

Najeh Davenpoop

March 10th, 2011
1:19 am

“Ouch – what if we would have traded down with the 11th pick, and picked up a Aaron Brooks and Marc Gasol? Could’ve happened. Maybe even a Sessions to boot.”

The flip side to this, of course, is that the Hawks are so bad at player development that who knows if they would have even turned those players into something productive. For that matter, who knows how Acie or Teague may have turned out if they had landed on a different team.

Jae Evolution

March 10th, 2011
1:25 am

“The flip side to this, of course, is that the Hawks are so bad at player development that who knows if they would have even turned those players into something productive. For that matter, who knows how Acie or Teague may have turned out if they had landed on a different team.”

This is also true that we missed out on a bunch of quality players, is it because we are so bad at the developing stage or did we just draft busts? If you ask me, real talent will find a way to get there I mean you look at the other names that we passed up I’m pretty sure they were all scrubs, so maybe we just have no luck drafting quality players.

Grandad

March 10th, 2011
1:27 am

Najeh…answering your poll query about LD;
with exp. I think LD will become a good coach someday.
Right now;
he’s learning on the job.
A wise man [much brighter than myself (not sayin' much)]
mentioned that LD has been castrated by the ASG & Sund.
I agree.
I think LD wished to make changes, went public, then was told;
“maybe you shouldn’t oughta said that”.
He has a philosophy and I think he has a plan for where he wants
to go with this team. We could never say that with Woody.
Given time he will do a solid job.
HOF = probably not, most arn’t.
To his credit he has inherited a talented team of *[soft] misfits.
*[not tough minded or physically]

whyyoumad

March 10th, 2011
1:52 am

Joe was the reason yall made the playoffs in the first place, dont get brand new like this team been winning forever, the reason why there losing is drew dont kno how to coach, and dont kno when to play the players, before joe came this team sucks, you notice great teams put great players around there star player, and the ownership hasn’t done that, this is a major city like LA, New York, Chicago, Miami and this suppose to be a major team, but the blame is on joe i see cause he got his moneys worth, if he was scoring 40 points and they was losing sumtin there still would be something said, but tell me, who else got all the skills that he got, he didnt get paid off of how many commercials he done, or dunks he made , or shoes he sold, he got paid cause of his skill level, yall can be mad and blow your brains out, they still get paid regardless of what we think, and if we dont show up at another game LOL!!!! so your mad for no reason, the NBA id like the WWE, they already kno whos gonna win and the NBA is controlled by stern, and it will be MIAMI vs LA cause thats Big Money #POW

Mac-Town, Georgia (urban-macon.blogspot.com)

March 10th, 2011
2:04 am

I’ve never really been a guy that wants to settle with “at least we’re a playoff team” but after watching and reading a few things these past couple days, I’m leaning in that favor.

I watched Drew in the post game say that we “competed” in a game we got blown out in. I watched Drew say he turns to Zaza for offense (good luck with that).

I saw some commercial, Atlanta Hawks 360 or something, with one of the owners saying that since they’ve been there they’ve always been about championships.

I saw JJ say that 1-5 they are all jump shooters (been playing with Josh Smith this long and he says this?)

These people are so clueless and full of lies, delusions, etc. it’s amazing we’re this many games above .500

KC

March 10th, 2011
2:39 am

I’ve given up on this team… The Hawks need new ownership, period. Joe Johnson needs to be traded along with Josh Smith.

RED ZONE 1

March 10th, 2011
3:46 am

YOUR CAPTAIN HAS SPOKEN!!!! If this is the general consesus of the team, then its time to break up the team!!!! Ownership has made it clear, THEY WON’T SPEND ANY REAL MONEY, so a respectable coach (ala Jerry Sloan) is out of the question, but from a financial position breaking up the current team’s core will change the teams mindset. Get rid of the your biggest cancers in a package deal Josh Smith/Marvin Williams for (players and or picks). Unload Kirk for Louis Williams or Jerryd Bayless. Teague understands going to the rim b/c his jumper is to inconsistent at this point in this career. BUILD AROUND HORFORD AND LET JOE BE THE SIDEKICK THAT HE IS.

hawks_4_life

March 10th, 2011
4:06 am

JUST AS I FINALLY FLY TO AUGUSTA THE DARK AGES FOR MY HAWKS STARTS CREEPING IN

JeJe

March 10th, 2011
7:19 am

I feel like we get a “Georgians in the NBA” feature article like 5 times a season

O'Brien

March 10th, 2011
7:27 am

Hawks are 2 games up on the Knicks in the loss column. However, Knicks play at Dallas tonight, so I think they lose, which allows the Hawks lead to go back up to 3 (until tomorrow night anyway).

As for my assessment of LD, I expected more out of him (rookie HC or not). Having been here 6 years as an assistant, he knew the players well, and talked a good game at his press conference. I have been disappointed by his inability to follow up on some of his comments.

Rick Sund said elite means having homecourt in the first round, and winning your first round matchup. Its very unlikely Hawks will have homecourt, and its quite possible they will lose in the first round.

If that happens, I think both Rick and LD will be on the hot seat next season.

O'Brien

March 10th, 2011
7:28 am

Najeh,

I’m not blaming the Hawks or Woody for Salim, but I think if he was drafted by the Spurs (instead of the Hawks), they would have helped/motivated him to play to his strengths, and I think he would have had a better career as a Eddie House type player off the bench.

jgsbirds

March 10th, 2011
7:30 am

whatever happen to the offensive plan of getting the ball inside first and go from there! oh that’s just what all the other nba teams do–not the hawks! their all jump shooters…i was a pretty good jump shooter too back in the day–but if i jacked up a jump shot before any attempt to go inside was made–then my rear would have been out of the game.

you have to atleast throw it down low at some point!!!!!!!!! bye bye drew, bye bye jj, bye bye smoove….everyone on this team is expendable!!!! how nice would it have been to somehow have gotten nash, lopez and a battier a few weeks ago….keep on dreaming atlanta. we’re done!!!

yessir

March 10th, 2011
7:31 am

Bring back Woody!!!!!

tim

March 10th, 2011
7:50 am

Jump shooters need to be basket makers. 40% shooting doesn’t cut it. If Josh Smith was 6′ tall, he wouldn’t even be in the developmental league. Throw up ANOTHER AIR BALL Josh……..gawd awful.

Trojan

March 10th, 2011
7:50 am

Bottom line, the Hawks are in a mess. And with the current ownership, current coaching and current players, the only solution that will be evident eventually is a total blowup.

Mike is back

March 10th, 2011
7:53 am

Najeh, the point you made about posting Josh up more…is on point! Make Josh and AL your 1 and 2 option…so they can man the F up…and fight and scuffle for points…LD is making them soft…and post up Marvin more…and move him up the food chain too. lol

At lease if you try to force the ball down in the post…even if don’t convert…you forcing your opponents to collapse and react…it may not solve all your problems…but it would be a heck of lot better than…hoisting up jumps…why your opponent gets to stand there and rest.

The sad thing is…there isn’t enough pure jumper shooters on this team…to even be a jump shooting team…WTF!!

Ak

March 10th, 2011
8:10 am

The comment made by JJ shows his lack of leadership, focus, and his Bball IQ. The guy does not have a clue. That statement just goes to show he is ok with the current state of this team and will not step up to the plate as a leader. I am tired of his no emotion having arse who always tends to dissappears when his team needs him most. The Hawks are to damn soft with a very low BBall IQ.
Let “Lil Woody” go after this season…

Gamer

March 10th, 2011
8:14 am

J.J hit on the real problem when he said, “one through starting five, we are all jumpshooter.”

Joe know, as we all do that Josh Smith isn’t a legit jumpshooter!!!

But Josh continues to launch jumpers as if he is a pure jumpshooter!!!

We can all see that Al Horford have made dramatic improvements in his jumpshots. Notice his shooting percentage.

BUT NOT JOSH SMITH…Josh Smith jumpshots are problematic to teams offensive flow.

Either Josh need to self-scout himself on game jumpshot selections or LD need to discipline Josh Smith on shot selections. Especially during certain junctures of the game.

THE BALL SHOULD NEVER END UP IN JOSH SMITH HANDS AWAY FROM THE BASKET WITH LESS THAN FIVE SECONDS ON SHOT CLOCK!!!!

THE HAWKS ARE STILL A BIG MAN AWAY FROM BEING A LEGITIMATE THREAT TO CHALLENGE FOR EASTERN CONFERENCE TITLE.

IF HE IS PLAYING FOR THE HAWKS AT THIS TIME, HE ISN’T VISIBLE IN THE GAME!!!!

The Point Forward » Posts The Opening Tip: Thursday, Mar. 10 «

March 10th, 2011
8:23 am

[...] Michael Cunningham, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution: “J.J. may have gotten to the crux of the matter when asked today if the way for the Hawks to get their offense back on track is to attack the basket. “Maybe,” he said. “But you look at a jump-shooting team–we are a jump-shooting team. If shots are falling then, great, we are rolling. But one through five, we all are jump shooters. That’s pretty much what it is. Like I said, if we are making shots then we are probably unstoppable. But when we are not making shots those are the games we have to grind out.” With the notable exceptions of the recent games against Portland and Chicago, the Hawks haven’t been able to “grind out” against better opponents. They remain, essentially, a group that wins by outscoring opponents, and one that generally must do so by making a high percentage of their long jump shots. They still do so at an above-average rate for the season but not well enough to counteract their lack of scoring on free throws, their below-average 3-point shooting and their conversion of 2.4 full less baskets at the rim per game than the average NBA team. Atlanta’s effective field-goal percentage has nearly dipped to the league average.” [...]

STRETCH

March 10th, 2011
8:24 am

Michael Cunningham,

Im with the majority on this blog, i agree that Josh Smith needs to stop taking so many shots. But, what i would like to know is, does LD think that?

Geemack

March 10th, 2011
8:30 am

Interesting article MC, but it’s funny…you didn’t even try to hide your sarcasm.

slimjr

March 10th, 2011
8:46 am

Josh= I will never get it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Winning that dunk contest in 05 was the worst thing to happen for me in basketball..

Astro Joe

March 10th, 2011
8:53 am

Post Josh up more? Yeah… and let’s have Jamal stop taking so many bad shots, Marvin be more aggressive and Horford treat every opponent like they are Joakim Noah while we are planning for these miracles.

tjhook

March 10th, 2011
8:54 am

I am a fan of Joe Johnson but he has shaken my faith with this jump shooting comment. The Hawks were known and FEARED with their ability to attack the basket with outstanding athleticism. Larry Drew has undermined the strength of this team; he wants half-court executioners when our core naturally gifted in breaking down opponents with speed and force. I officially hate Larry Drew’s approach: I want the hungry Hawks who were always trying to get to the rack. Drew’s philosophy directly reflects why Marvin and not Josh Childress was chosen for this roster.
I HATE YOUR GAMEPLAN COACH DREW!!

drmaryb (*_*)

March 10th, 2011
8:55 am

Call ‘Em Out!

I read Joe’s comments as being profound. In a back handed way, Joe is calling out the problem with the offensive scheme and/or players mind set. Now we know everybody shouldn’t be shooting long range bombs.

Like, I and many agreed in the beginning. Al and Josh playing out there is sickening, soft and takes the bite/beef out of the middle. We become a west coast Phoenix, GSW or Dallas type team.
And, I hate that. We are East Coast ballers, bangers, defenders or, rather we should be that type of team.

But, I interpreted Joe’s comments to be tounge & cheek and riddled with sarcasm.

ltdbrave

March 10th, 2011
8:57 am

All I can say is that the Hawks suck. Smith and Horford are the only pros on the team. Johnson couldn’t hit the broadside of a red barn.

Astro Joe

March 10th, 2011
9:07 am

Dr. Mary, i agree. I think Joe was saying that we have “devolved” into a jump shooting team. That despite having himself, Jamal and Bibby (at the time), the front court has decided that the team needed even more jump-shooters. We’re like a baseball team that has all right-handed batters who hit for average… no balance and easily defensible. We can only imagine what would happen if Josh and Al spent as much time working on low-post offense. The disconcerting thing is how quickly LD conceded some of his press-conference statements this season. He went from saying that Josh would live in the paint to recently suggesting that Josh helps to stretch the defense. I suspect that LD’s 164 game tenure will be very, very forgettable.

northcyde

March 10th, 2011
9:12 am

Hubie Brown at the end of our playoff series talked about getting your best offensive players shots where they are most efficient. So let’s examine where these areas are for the Hawks.

I’ll focus on our main guys ( JJ, Horford, Smith, Jamal, and Marvin ). The following stats come from hoopdata.com

AT RIM ( league average is 64% )

- Horford: 74.4% ( top 10 in the league )
- Smith: 67.3%
- Marvin: 66.4%
- Johnson: 65.5%
- Jamal: 57.3%

These percentages shouldn’t surprise people. One thing the new offense has done is get people open looks going to the rim. The problem though, is that while it has helped guys like JJ and Marvin finish better at the rim, a guy like Horford isn’t getting enough attempts at the rim. And Smith’s attempts at the rim have reduced a full 2 attempts a game.

- Smith: 4.6 attempts ( 6.7 attempts last year )
- Johnson: 3.6 attempts ( 3.7 )
- Horford: 3.3 attempts ( 4.1 )
- Marvin: 2.4 attempts ( 2.8 )
- Jamal: 2.1 attempts ( 2.5 )

When people talk about how our big men should roll more in the pick and roll, this probably illustrates why. Not all their fault though, because they need a PG that can initiate it and make the right play.

MistaGamer

March 10th, 2011
9:19 am

People mad at Josh for taking open jumpers while standing exactly where he’s supposed to be in the offense need to redirect your frustration away from Josh and towards the coach and the play design.

Apparently, like Bibby said, “if you don’t want him there change the play design”.

Buck

March 10th, 2011
9:20 am

FIRST!!!! (not on this blog). I have posted on this blog at least five times over the course of this season EXACTLY what JJ said. The Hawks live by the jumper and die by the jumper. Very simple. If the shots are falling they can beat anyone. If the shots are not falling they have no clue. They keep shooting and can/will lose to ANYONE.

Joe Johnson

March 10th, 2011
9:25 am

You know man, we jus shooter man. We jus r jump shooters man, you know.

O'Brien

March 10th, 2011
9:26 am

In the past, the ISO heavy offense would wear JJ down late in the season, but this time around, he should be fresh. With that in mind, I’m calling out JJ.

In 4 March games, JJ is averaging 15 pts (4 pts below his season average), 4 rebs, 4 assists in 39 minutes, and shooting 11% from 3 (2-18, and only 5-6 from the FT line).

We get on Josh for his shot selection (and rightfully so), but why has JJ taken 18 three-pointers in 4 games, when it is clear he is struggling (and he has struggled from 3 all season)? And then he only has 6 FTA in 4 games?

He complained when Kobe baited the ref into giving him 3 FTs (rightfully so, because JJ didn’t touch him), but that’s what good players do, especially when their shot isn’t falling. Find a way to get to the line or at the very least, drive the ball.

When’s the last time he put this team on his back? He is our best player, and our highest paid player. We need him to step his game up this time of the year.

MC, Ken S,

Any responses from JJ as to how his elbow is doing? Is he injured, or is it just a slump?

Trojan

March 10th, 2011
9:27 am

Josh Smith needs a leader for a coach, not an enabler.

northcyde

March 10th, 2011
9:28 am

3 – 9 FEET ( league average is 39% )

- Johnson: 52.8% ( top 10 in the league )
- Horford: 44.9%
- Marvin: 38.9%
- Smith: 37.4%
- Jamal: 28.4%

JJ’s percentage in this area has always been fairly high, because this is the area in which he shoots his trademark floater. Plus his post game is solid, which doesn’t hurt his percentage here.

For guards, this is the area where they shoot floaters and runners. For big men, this is usually the post up area. Horford’s 45% shooting from this area is respectable for a big man. And you do have to wonder if it would be better, if he were playing PF more.

If there is a reason why Smith doesn’t post more, it’s probably indicated right here. The 37% shooting from this range is below league average. Plus when he does get fouled on a post move, he rarely gets a call, unless he goes all the way to the rim.

If there is a systematic offensive adjustment that can be made to the offense, it would be to try to get JJ more attempts in this area. A lot of times, he gets these shots via ISO. So maybe if he got the ball 15 feet from the basket on a post up ( instead of 25 feet ) and then went ISO, he could get more attempts in this area. But he’d have to attack right away and think score first.

Mike is back

March 10th, 2011
9:31 am

Astro Joe, make that easily forgettable…what’s that ole saying…you get what you pay for…that may be true about the coach…but not so much with the players on this team…geeeeeez.

northcyde

March 10th, 2011
9:41 am

10 – 15 FEET ( league average is 39% )

- Hinrich ( WAS ): 55.6% ( #2 in league )
- Jamal: 45.8%
- Horford: 42.2%
- Johnson: 38.8%
- Smith: 29.4%
- Marvin: 14.3%

I should note that this is usually the “no mans land area”, when it comes to shot location. The average player may only attempt one shot a game from this area ( like Hinrich and Jamal ). 2 attempts from this area is fairly high.

Hinrich is a guard who is not going to get all the way to the rim, but he does have the ability to break his man off the dribble and shoot the short pull up jumper.

And this is what kind of bugs me about Jamal Crawford. He has the quickness to get into this area anytime he wants to. And he can make this shot in traffic. But he doesn’t utilize it nearly enough.

And here’s where JJ’s woes as a shooter start to begin. In year’s past, he would shoot in the mid 40s% from this area. This year he’s shooting below 40%. This is usually the area where he goes ISO, but can’t get deeper into the lane, so he shoots the pull up jumper.

SteveW

March 10th, 2011
9:49 am

Astro Joe you are being very generous. I would say there is a 50/50 or better that LD is not back next season. I would say if the Hawks tank badly the next 5-10 games he may be gone before the playoffs. He’s doing that badly right now. We are so far behind last years team at this point, it’s not funny.

But he may beat the Bulls and stave off the wolves for a little while longer.

R. K. Biggs

March 10th, 2011
9:50 am

The Hawks will be lucky to make it past the first round of the playoffs. They tend to be selfish on offense and don’t pound it inside. How long is going to take for this club to get a first-rate center and put Horford at power forward?

northcyde

March 10th, 2011
9:57 am

16 – 23 FEET ( league average is 39% )

- Horford: 56% ( #1 in the league )
- Marvin: 43%
- Jamal: 43%
- Smith: 42%
- Johnson: 38%

I can’t lie, this kind of shocked me. Not Horford though. He’s been brilliant all year from this area. If he’s open, we definitely want him taking this shot as much as possible. He averages almost 5 attempts from this area, but honestly, it probably should be more, if he’s this efficient.

What shocked me is the 43% Marvin shoots, and the 42% Smith shoots from this area. As much as these 2 guys are ripped about their jumpshooting, their midrange jumpshooting has been solid overall. I guess it’s because they are so streaky, that it seems to be worse than what it really is.

And once again, in relation to Jamal, this is an area that he can live off of, because he can break his man down and make this shot off the dribble. But he only attempts a little over 3 shots a game from this area.

JJ’s 38% from this area is close to the norm of what he shoots from this range. The problem is that he’s more streaky than Smith and Marvin these days. This is the ISO shot that most people hate from him.

Unlike Jamal, who is outside the 3 point line and drives into this area to shoot a pull up jumper, JJ methodically sets up people to shoot a contested standstill jumper.

Maybe sending JJ to the post more often, will reduce the amount of shots he takes from this are somewhat. But he does ned to make this shot more consistently, especially with him having the ball in his hands a lot.

JROLL1

March 10th, 2011
10:00 am

ACTUALLY, AL SHOOTS A SET SHOOT. SMOOOVE’S IS TIP TOE SET SHOT. NOT TRUE JUMP SHOTS. ANYWAY, NOT TAKING THE BALL TO THE BASKET LIMITS YOUR OPTIONS.

Throwdown40

March 10th, 2011
10:04 am

Coach Larry Drew has no ideal of what he wants this team to do. Atlanta needs a coach that can develope players. Atlanta will not be able to contend in the playoffs. At the rate that they are going New York Knicks will overtake the 5th seed. That leaves the Hawks playing one of the top three in the East in the playoffs.

Larry Drew has this team thinkimg that they are a jump shooting team. With the same players that were there when Mike Woodson was at the reins. They took shots but, for the most part they made points in the paint and protected the ball.

After this season for sure, one of two things are going to happen. Either Rick Sund or Larry Drew will lose their JOB. Maybe both. Too late though, the damage has already been done.

Husky

March 10th, 2011
10:15 am

That is why the Hawks suck during crunch time. Why not play Hilton Armstrong some. He is the only guy on the team that knows how to play with his back to the basket. Give the guy a chance to show his worth before the team cuts him without ever playing him.

shark

March 10th, 2011
10:20 am

Can you tell me why isnt Jamal Crawford starting ahead of Marvin Williams. A great lineup on this rostr could feature Teague,Crawford,JJ,Horford,and Zaza. It can make your bench just as much potent,because JSmooth aint cutting it right now. Williams needs to be under the bench!!

northcyde

March 10th, 2011
10:34 am

3 POINT ( league average is 36% )

- Hinrich: 56.5% ( 38.7% in WAS )
- Bibby: 44.1%
- Smith: 34.1%
- Jamal: 34%
- Johnson: 28.9%
- Marvin: 28.7%

When it comes to offense, this is the area that could and should be addressed the easiest. Even if Hinrich can replace the 3 point shooting that Bibby gave us, WE ARE NOT A GOOD 3 POINT SHOOTING TEAM.

And anybody that knows me on this blog and on Hawksquawk KNOWS why I listed the actual 3 point %, instead of the eFG%. I don’t want anybody confusing the slightly above 50% eFG that guys like Josh and Jamal are shooting, and justifying them taking that shot, instead of the more makeable 20 foot jumper that they make 40+% of the time.

When it comes to a possession by possession basis, especially when we need a basket to stop a run, NONE of those guys need to be jacking up a 3. NONE OF THEM. Damn a point value on a shot. In those situations, you take the shot available that is the most makeable.

Both Jamal and JJ are on pace to take almost 350 – 400 threes, despite them not shooting the league average. These two are not pure shooters. They are streak shooters. So if they aren’t on early, they shouldn’t be taking the shot.
Give me a contested ISO floater by JJ, or an off the dribble 18 footer by Jamal . . than an open 3 by both of them, any day on the week.

Marvin will take 100 threes, despite shooting under 30% . . that’s bad.

Smith, while much better than in past years, is on pace to shoot 160 – 200 threes, despite his 3 point% steady plummeting. And with his attempts at the rim getting less and less . . that’s bad.

And JJ’s percentage is so woeful, that he shouldn’t even be shooting that shot if he misses his first 2 threes.

Unfortunately, this is the shot that is most available in Drew’s offensive system. And it’s the shot that other teams are starting to give us, especially when opponents go zone.

What Drew needs to do down the stretch, is really focus getting the ball to these guys in the areas they can be most efficient in scoring. The

Najeh Davenpoop

March 10th, 2011
10:50 am

“After this season for sure, one of two things are going to happen. Either Rick Sund or Larry Drew will lose their JOB. Maybe both. Too late though, the damage has already been done.”

In a good organization, yes. But y’all seem to forget that the root cause of the Hawks’ problems is the inept DASG. Sund is their perfect yes man and LD is the cheapest coach in the league. I fully expect both of them to be back.

Tony

March 10th, 2011
10:57 am

Forget about 3’s, the Hawks lack a motivating coach, and X’s and O’s coach. Winning in sports is about making adjustments. In our case, that adjustment is to get the ball down to the low post. Utilizing the big men on the bench will not only gain them experience but spare fouls. When things go wrong coaches should conduct practices that get back to the basics. This is how the Dukes in college and the Celtics in the pros continue to win. Oh, it would help if we just scrap this mgmt from the owners (spare Sund, for now) down to the coach. This coach should rotate the 4 and 5 more frequently along with getting the ball in the post, creating an in and out game. It is the typical model of the pros in the half court. Some influential coaching in the realm of defense would be helpful. But if it were not for Josh, Al, and some pretty good D from Pachulia, we would be getting blown out every game. The Hawks definitely have a management problem.

heartofdarkness

March 10th, 2011
10:58 am

“I don’t need shooters, I need makers”.
Red Auerbach

Balance....

March 10th, 2011
11:02 am

is all they need. Work the ball inside then out and follow your damn shot. If they could improve slightly on offensive rebounds and limit other turnovers, they would get those extra possesions they are missing from last year. simple.

JeJe

March 10th, 2011
11:02 am

Zach Randolph is in a contract year and is still beasting

Jamal is in a contract year and has been garbage

Tony

March 10th, 2011
11:22 am

That’s it Balance…it is simple. And if ASG were concerned about bringing a winning team to Atlanta, they would first of all become more visible in the community, generate some fan surveys, sign a new coach, and finally sell the team to an Arthur Blank type. A city of Atlanta’s magnitude should not be at the bottom of the list where pro sports is concerned. We are tired! Come on man!

joey

March 10th, 2011
11:29 am

hawks are one of those team that frustrate you bc they are their own worst enemey, they could be a elite team in the east if they played will all they had every game, but they lack the heart to do it night in and night out

JeJe

March 10th, 2011
11:50 am

According to LD, we are better on the road than at home, so we should expect a W tomorrow. LOL

bigdave

March 10th, 2011
11:54 am

i was disgusted down there watching them vs NY and LA. the only good out of it was being across from the bench on the floor for $1536 a pop .. yeah, pardon.. i had to stunt for a minute.

Joe is simply stating the obvious. i’ve said the same thing before. positions pg-center are most comfortable shooting jump shots. Joe wasnt saying the team is full of marksmen, but they prefer it to driving. as a player you rarely play outside your comfort zone, you do what you feel gives you the most success.

this is one of the main reasons why i preferred Sessions to slim shady.. i like Kirk, but Ramon doesnt want to shoot the ball at all. he wants to drive.. facilitate.. or get to that LINE!! we have not one guy that has a mentality of attack. maybe Marvin.

ive said that Al would come back next year w/ a 3 pt ball. clearly he’s well on his way. that kinda bothers me though. b/c he’s basically telling the organization that he is going to play PF for the Hawks. i dont mind the mid range game, but instead of working on his footwork w/ his back to the basket to go along w/ it. he went out and went strictly perimeter. if i remember correctly i saw Al use in and outs.. step backs.. all (practiced) moves guards use to free themselves for jump shots. he’s being working. smh. just on the wrong thing. yet he missed a couple w/ in 7-12ft of the rim!! but my what a PG would do for this guys game. an Andre Miller. goodness.

remember, aggressiveness comes from confidence. when you see him pass out of what you feel is an opportunity to score. its b/c he’s not comfortable. he’s not sure of his game. same thing that applies to Teague applies to Al.

b/c using the #2 pick on Marvin will hunt this team forever. its going to come down to moving either Josh or Al. to me, Josh gives you too much to depart w/ him. he rebounds better( Al doesnt leave his feet @ times), defends, better passer in transition and out the post, better low post block game, and he gives you the mid range every now and then. ill take that from my PF.

@ this point.. i think shots are coming from guys that dont need to be shooting the damn ball. open looks too. i think Joe needs to focus on getting up 20+ shots a night. period. he looks like he cant find a rhythm out there. more mins for Damien and he needs to look for his offense. the only thing i feel Marvin has on him is length.

people we need a PG.

in fact.. maybe they should start Teague.. plays fast.. better in transition that Kirk.. and his shot is looking better.. as well as some of his finishes @ the rim. use it before he forgets how.

ATLien

March 10th, 2011
11:57 am

I’m so frustrated because I want my team to succeed but it looks hopeless. I always wonder why JJ drives to the rim and floats the darn ball instead of slamming it home? Josh seems to only have one post move-NONE, Marvin Williams is just uncoordinated and goofy, Jamal has been a disappointment because he’s not in attack mode anymore. Al however is the lone bright spot on this team.

slimjr

March 10th, 2011
11:58 am

Sund contract is up I believe in July!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!11
Kick Rocks Dude………………………………………………….

O'Brien

March 10th, 2011
11:59 am

Thanks for the stats breakdown northcyde.

In 54 games played, JJ has attempted 241 three pointers. That’s an average of almost five 3pt attempts per game…from a guy who has struggled with that shot all season. He needs to improve his shot selection.

Especially since he averages less than 4 FTA per game.

slimjr

March 10th, 2011
12:01 pm

We are getting killed at the critical #3(SF). That guy is supposed to get at least 16-22 per night to take the offensive stress/load off the #2 and #4. We getting maybe 4-12 a night???? Unacceptable Mr. Sund????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????

slimjr

March 10th, 2011
12:03 pm

Hawks have to some how get iso outta here..He is the major hurdle to toward getting this team back on track

wcj

March 10th, 2011
12:03 pm

This is the dumbest thing I have heard in a while.

slimjr

March 10th, 2011
12:05 pm

Dept. of unintended irony=wcj

slimjr

March 10th, 2011
12:07 pm

Waive Marvin…………………………………………………………….

ATLien

March 10th, 2011
12:09 pm

JJ has handicapped us for awhile with his contract and I don’t think we are going to resign Jamal. I wish we would trade Josh and Marvin and bring in a lost post player that could really balance our offense. However we have to wait for the offseason to see what happens.

slimjr

March 10th, 2011
12:10 pm

John Salmons is better than ISO at this time…..for less than half the price………..

slimjr

March 10th, 2011
12:12 pm

The beat down is comin hang in there!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

slimjr

March 10th, 2011
12:13 pm

Thanks to Sund, ISO JJ has handicapped this team for the next 5 yrs….SHOOT……….

Samuel

March 10th, 2011
12:19 pm

MC:
Can you ask LD why he only wears black and gray.

slimjr

March 10th, 2011
12:25 pm

ISO makes 243,902.43/Night…avg 19 pts= 12,836 per pt! WOW………………………………………….
Sund you have lost your __________. Fill in the blanks….

Save your money.. Simon says the jumpers wont fall and the Hawks are one and done…………………..

slimjr

March 10th, 2011
12:26 pm

up next Chicago by 17………………

ATLien

March 10th, 2011
12:27 pm

The players on this team seem to be clueless to what it takes to win B-ball games!!

James

March 10th, 2011
12:29 pm

Hawks are Done they aren’t going anywhere the team is not built to win a championship.

rusty

March 10th, 2011
12:34 pm

I am an old fan of the Knicks in the days of Willis Reid & walt Frazier. that team sole purpose was to win games. Offensive & defensive teamwork was what it was all about. Granted them game is not the same today but there still is a lot of teams in the NBA who still play the game right. There still are a lot of smart coaches who instill a great plan. For a long while under woodys realm I hated the way the hawks played,all of the selfish iso play,no trying to make good passes to get easy baskets, stupid switching on defense, a slow half court offensive with mb & jj never pushing the ball.our team had young athletic players but played a style of ball for old men. It seems like we never would give our high draft choices any chance to develope while other teams did. I thought that our scouts did a piss poor job in drafting,Josh C,landlord @ mw. It seems that this team never gets easy baskets while other good teams always do. Along comes ld saying all of the right things let’s do away with the iso play,let’s develop a motion offense getting the whole team involved which will result in a lot of easy baskets, let’s hold every one accountable on defense, let’s run a lot more ,let’s hold everyone accountable for what they do on the court & play people accordingly. Let’s develop our young players ESP jt who we will need for this type of offense & defense. The man didn’t live up to anything he said. He let every one do what ever they wanted with no consequences what so ever,never gave jt or jc2 play out all being tremendously unfair, let the team slip back to always taking jumpshots & playing iso ball,where the hell is the motion offense. If the man would have done what he said this team would have been good. Why he always did the complete opposite of what he said that he would do has to be one of the big mysteries of our year

Samuel

March 10th, 2011
12:35 pm

Lionell Hollins=COY

James

March 10th, 2011
12:41 pm

ISO JOE SAY IT AIN’T SO.

Daniel

March 10th, 2011
12:43 pm

People on this blog keep discussing X’s and O’s or imaginary personell moves in order to make this team better. But none of that addresses the REAL issue here. MC broke it down “Atlanta’s poor ability to stick to a plan and fragile psyche as exposed by Orlando” and the Knicks, Lakers, random out of town fans, etc..

MC calls it a fragile psyche. I call it a lack of heart, heck, they even pointed it out on ESPN during the Knicks game. The “athletes” on this team should be embarrassed and determined to change, but what do we get? Feeling sorry for themselves because the Laker fans were louder? Whining that it just “is what it is” BS.

When will someone address the fact that since the Orlando series this team has shown itself to be paper tigers? LD never took responsibility when he got the job. Remember, everything wrong was Mike Woodson’s fault (even though he was the lead assistant). None of the core has stepped up and just admitted the fact that they played like p*ssies. Do they not care or do they think we don’t notice?

I guess if I played like a chump and got $125 milion I wouldn’t feel any need to change either.

Pathetic.

Double Zero Eight

March 10th, 2011
12:51 pm

All kidding aside, maybe Marvin should see a hypnotist
or therapist to make him more aggressive. He has the
physical attributes for his position. Several professional
teams have used them in the past and had some success.

74-75 Hawks

March 10th, 2011
1:00 pm

JJ’s right and the club sure paid him too much damn money$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$ FOOLS…

slimjr

March 10th, 2011
1:01 pm

“None of the core has stepped up and just admitted the fact that they played like p*ssies. Do they not care or do they think we don’t notice?”
Looks like Marvina may have rubbed off on them?????? LOL
ISO told us last year he could give two flying cent what the fans think… I got news for bubba(ISO). He aint getting a dime from me……….BUSTER……………………

Najeh Davenpoop

March 10th, 2011
1:04 pm

That “fragile psyche” was one of the big reasons I wanted the Hawks to get Ben Wallace at the trade deadline. Two areas at which the Hawks struggle — mental toughness and rebounding — would have been mitigated to a large extent by Ben, no matter how far he may have fallen from his peak.

slimjr

March 10th, 2011
1:06 pm

Naw you know what would have fixed Marvin? If the acting genius at the time Billy Knight would have drafted DWILL instead that buster!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!……………………………..

Daniel

March 10th, 2011
1:08 pm

slimjr- You are right that Joe told us last year he didn’t care what the fans think, but then of course they whine and complain that they don’t get enough fan support. Joe has said that to MC at least twice this season, that I can recall. I would love to hear him answer the question: “If you said that you didn’t care what the fan’s think, why do you now complain about a lack of support? Also, given the team’s historic playoff loss, lack of responsibility and nationally recognized fragile pschye, why do you deserve fan support?”

slimjr

March 10th, 2011
1:11 pm

Daniel, Good points!

Daniel

March 10th, 2011
1:13 pm

Najeh- I just don’t see how any role player can affect team psyche when your highest paid player doesn’t get it, your local kid with potential still acts like he is in AAU, your main bench weapon is just watching the clock tick down until free agency, your best player has clearly made it his mission to prove that he is a PF and not Center, and your coach is the former assistant who stabbed his last boss in the back, and an ownership group who are desperate to sell.

Daniel

March 10th, 2011
1:14 pm

Did we get any player or coach reaction from the Knicks game that they were called out on national tv as being inexplicably soft and gutless?

slimjr

March 10th, 2011
1:23 pm

“I just don’t see how any role player can affect team psyche when your highest paid player doesn’t get it, your local kid with potential still acts like he is in AAU, your main bench weapon is just watching the clock tick down until free agency, your best player has clearly made it his mission to prove that he is a PF and not Center, and your coach is the former assistant who stabbed his last boss in the back, and an ownership group who are desperate to sell”

Sounds like a VH1 Reality TV show???????LOL

O'Brien

March 10th, 2011
1:25 pm

Samuel,

I think you could make a case for Doug Collins as COY too.

Bigdave,

You raised some good points, so looking at all the numbers for Hinrich, Bibby and Sessions;

Sessions: 1676 mins, 10 3-pt attempts, 565 2-pt attempts, 323 FTA.
Bibby: 1722 mins, 264 3-pt attempts, 190 2-pt attempts, 48 FTA.
Hinrich: 1646 mins, 353 2-pt attempts, 135 3-pt attempts, 109 FTA.

With Sessions, you would not have as many 3-pt attempts from the PG position, and dude gets a ton of FTs. But LD deserves some of the blame, because he insisted on playing Bibby more minutes despite being basically a 3-pt shooter (he has more 3-pt attempts than he does 2-pt attempts).

The one issue with Sessions though, is he is not a very good defender.

slimjr

March 10th, 2011
1:26 pm

Ld said the other day his team was tired? Not too tired to collect that 243K check a every night?? Huh???????????

O'Brien

March 10th, 2011
1:28 pm

Since that win at Washington, the Hawks are 4-9. In those 13 games, JJ has 18 FTA, and 44 three point attempts (he has made 8).

drmaryb (*_-)

March 10th, 2011
1:29 pm

Kryptonite!

What Mr. Johnson is saying, * my big people are playing small -
they look at the paint … and see kryptonite. * (*_-)

mykhalc

March 10th, 2011
1:39 pm

i sure hope Joe communicates his back-door method better in the locker room…tho i doubt it…and i’m not even sure it’s a back-door hit…probably believes just what he said…SMH

Samuel

March 10th, 2011
1:39 pm

Yea OB,
I was torn between Collins and Hollins. Pretty much a tossup. So who do you guys the Hawks would fair better against in the 1st round on the road? Orlando or Miami? Orland is hot but Miami will be mad and definitely out to get that monkey off their backs.

WreckingBall

March 10th, 2011
1:40 pm

I dont know why everybody is so down about the Hawks. The Hawks have one of the top 8 teams in the eastern conference. That tells me they will participate in the playoff tournament this season. When a team gets into the playoffs, ANYTHING IS POSSIBLE. I predicted before the start of this season that the Hawks would win the NBA title this year. I have seen absolutely nothing to cause me to back off that prediction. The Hawks are far and away the best team in the league and all they have to do is prove it at the right time. I did not approve of the Kirk Hinrich trade because the Hawks gave up way too much and the effects of that trade has been absolutely DEVASTATING. Since the Hinrich trade the Hawks have been going down the drain. I still think they will recover in time before the playoffs to get hot and win the NBA title this season. Like Charles Barkeley used to say, “anthing less would be uncivilized”.

Samuel

March 10th, 2011
1:44 pm

Slim, that’s what you get with a neophyte out to prove he’s the opposite of his former boss. He should have said, “It’s my fault for running them in the ground during training camp trying to teach an offense that don’t even work”.

Daniel

March 10th, 2011
1:48 pm

Oh, Wrecking Ball- that is so nice of you to say, but you did say “the Hawks are far and away the best team in the league” You gotta stop drinking during the day.

O’Brien and Samuel- Bibby, Hinrich or Sessions are neither the problem nor the solution for this team.

Daniel

March 10th, 2011
1:50 pm

Samuel- I am sure you didn’t mean to suggest that the Hawks (a team of professional athletes) are tired because of extra work in training camp?

Samuel

March 10th, 2011
2:07 pm

Daniel,
It’s not about being a pro athlete, it’s about common sense. When you have 82+ games, there’s no reason whatsoever to run guys in the ground in October and have their legs gone with 20 games left in the regular season.

slimjr

March 10th, 2011
2:15 pm

Poor 7 figure athletes!!!!!!!! Spoiled!!!!!!!!!!!!

Huh??????????????????? Go Chicago!!!! Oops, wrong Blog………….

Rev in Tampa

March 10th, 2011
2:15 pm

I remember during the off-season how there were stories from Philadelphia about the players rebelling against the coach who had installed a motion offense. Could a similar rebellion be taking place in Atlanta.

As far as the motion offense being a jumpshooting offense, I would like to hear Grandad’s opinion on the matter. I consider him an authority on the issue. Has he addressed this issue?

slimjr

March 10th, 2011
2:16 pm

excuse me ISO=8 Figures………………..WTF??????????????

slimjr

March 10th, 2011
2:19 pm

I would not say rebellion, lets just say LD was their friend for 6 years..So he does not get their ears..In one ear and out the other…Remember he is their friend first, then coach!!! Wrong Hire Sund!!!!!!!!!!!!

slimjr

March 10th, 2011
2:22 pm

“Barkeley used to say, “anthing less would be uncivilized”.
Barkley also said don’t break your ankles as you jump off the Hawks bus way back in September 2010 on the the 2live stews broadcast one quiet afternoon.

Samuel

March 10th, 2011
2:24 pm

Daniel,
I never said they were. I have always contended that we have slightly above average talent compared to other teams in the league. You guys were the ones who said Bibby was our major problem and before him, Woody.

Buddy Grizzard

March 10th, 2011
2:30 pm

I will admit I thought LD’s hire might work out because all the players wanted him. It turns out this was the Bob Weiss hire all over again. Remember what happened to the Hawks when they fired Fratello and hired Weiss because Nique wanted a players coach? Remember when Sund hired Weiss in Seattle?

rusty

March 10th, 2011
2:39 pm

The problem with the hawks start with jj. The whole team has disintegrated to every one just looking out for them self, there is a total breakdown of anyone getting easy baskets. You can’t win basketball games by just shooting jump shots especially when you can’t make them jj & mw. Again this ld ’s fault as he holds no one accountable. The offense needs to run(ld&jj) the offense need to run through the pg not in the hands of jj

rusty

March 10th, 2011
2:43 pm

I would put jt in the game & tell him I want him always to push the tempo. ( like rondo) could we play any worse than we are now. But of course ld will never change anything.

tom

March 10th, 2011
2:54 pm

if they are intent on just being a jump shooting team they need to play faster to get more possessions and try to outscore the opponent.

tyger

March 10th, 2011
2:57 pm

Not that I care anymore, but…

when I was coming up, guys stayed in college and learned the fundamentals – the difference between pros and amateurs was that they didn’t miss “open shots or free throws”.

So, if you wanted to play, you worked to become a great shooter, not just a dunker and 3pt shooter. You developed the mid-range game, the floater, the tear drop, the fade-away, the baby hook, etc. You had to have an array of shots for any situation.

Well, it’s different now, but it’s not Larry Drew’s philosophy that’s flawed, it’s the players that are flawed. If they can’t hit open jump shots, they shouldnt be in the NBA. That’s the problem.

Look, you’re paying a guy $20M per year that doesn’t have sense enough to get to the free throw line. Superstars shoot 10FT per game, how many does JJ get? Maybe 5, he’s scared of the paint.

MsDee

March 10th, 2011
3:27 pm

We need to forget about this season. What needs to take place for next season is for the ASG to announce that they will be selling the Hawks since they OBVIOUSLY dont now how to market this team..(wrong/STUPID move selling Kobe’s jersey the other night in Phillips Arena), Next work out a 2 or 3 team trade to send Joe Johnson to the New Jersey Nets in return for whatever we could get from him. Finally, work out the necessary details on how to get Dwight Howard in a Hawks uniform by 2013! Build this team around Dwight and Horford. Both would work wonders for us..while Horford got that 15-20fter going, Howard can crash the boards for rebounds and easy put backs. We would not have to then worry about Josh taking too many jumpers cause then we will have a rebounding GENIUS down low! Keep Jamal to feel in for Joe and bring Teague off bench since he wouldnt have to worry about Jamal taking over the 2nd unit.

SteveW

March 10th, 2011
3:30 pm

Nate McMillan gets some consideration for COY also. The Trailblazers have had 3 devastating knee injures, everybody wrote them off, with good reason, and here they are with the same record as the Hawks. McMillan has done a great job.

Tyger – I don’t think JJ has gone to the FT line over 2 times in any game in the last 10. Doing that from memory, so you may want to check me out on that. But it’s not much.

SteveW

March 10th, 2011
3:33 pm

Collins in Philly has the horses to run the Motion O.

And Lou Williiams got to the foul line 10 times in 23 minutes last night. That’s more than our entire starting lineup gets there combined in a game usually, at least recently.

SteveW

March 10th, 2011
3:37 pm

Our problem is not ASG – they’ve spent the bucks this year.

Sund is not our problem.

Hiring the players coach seems to be the problem.

Bibby and Mo having the wheels come off was a problem

JJ and Jamal not producing is a problem

Having Josh shoot alot of jumpers and not play in the post as much is a problem.

And is it just me, or does Josh look small in the post? He’s usually the smallest guy in there when I see him.

SteveW

March 10th, 2011
3:39 pm

Josh Smith shooting 29.4% from 10-15 feet is a problem. He should work on that over the summer.

SteveW

March 10th, 2011
3:43 pm

And Marvin shooting 14.3% from 10-15 feet is abysmal.

I say over the summer, trade Marvin for Sessions – the Cavs want Marvin (or did).

I could live with a backcourt of JJ, Sessions, Hinrich, and Teague. 2 guys over 30, 2 guys 25 or under. That would be a good rotation. All 4 can play either G spot to varying degrees of efficiency.

Move Josh to 3. I now can live with that also. He has convinced me this year he may need to move to 3, and play 4 on occasion, and not vice versa. I think it is his choice on what aspects of his game he is choosing to emphasize, and he’s emphasizing the perimeter over the post.

SteveW

March 10th, 2011
3:45 pm

Najeh – Co-sign on that Ben Wallace deal. If we’re trotting Collins out there when we play big, I think Wallace would be an upgrade on Collins.

And if you had a team of Horford, Hinrich, and Ben, you are definitely changing the culture of the team in a positive direction.

Booo!

March 10th, 2011
3:57 pm

You know who isnt a jumpshooter?

Jeff Teague.

Start Him.

We looked better and had better balance with him starting anyway.

Tony

March 10th, 2011
4:18 pm

Good point Big Dave…we do need a point. And yes Marvin is a decent player perhaps in another system, but Atlanta has to rid itself of befriending certain players. Marvin should be traded. He would probably benefit in a system such as a bench playing Celtics team or somewhere like LAC.

Joe Don’t Lie. Hawks Love to Take Jumpshots. « Soaring Down South | An Atlanta Hawks blog

March 10th, 2011
4:22 pm

[...] most Hawks fans have heard or seen, Joe Johnson told the AJC’s Michael Cunningham that the Hawks are a jumpshooting team. To be more specific, here’s what he said: you look at a jump-shooting team–we are a [...]

James

March 10th, 2011
4:44 pm

Joe only re-signed with the hawks cause they offered the most money he don’t care about winning he only cares about money.

WreckingBall

March 10th, 2011
4:49 pm

Somebody wrote a blog the other day that was probably the best one ive seen in a while where the person said that “coaching” has an aweful lot to do with draft picks who are coached well and develop into great players. Rondo of Boston was mentioned in that blog. I believe that two keys to the Hawks who will make them a great team if their skills develop are MARVIN WILLIAMS and JOSH SMITH. Like I mentioned yesterday, Larry Drew is INEPT at coaching these two talented studs to greatness. Both of them combined have the potential to score 50 points a night (Josh scoring 30 and Marvin scoring 20). However, the coaching staff (Drew) can only get 20 out of them Josh (15) and Marvin (5). Its unfortunate because both of those guys would help the Hawks lead the NBA in scoring if they were being coached “UP” properly. I take my hats off to former coach Mike Woodsen because at least Woody was a masterful teacher and a great coach. If Woody was allowed to stay another year, the Hawks would have won the NBA title this summar. Oh well, thats what happens when management makes an emotional decision and fires someone prematurely.

ShempHoward

March 10th, 2011
5:32 pm

If Larry Drew wants his team to win the NBA championship this season, all he has to do is make a couple of “tweaks” in his motion offense. His motion offense is great, wonderful, stupendous, sensational and we are all amazed by it. In fact the great Doug Moe who coached the Denver Nuggets years ago when they had Kiki Vandeweigh, Alex English, Dan Issel and others and led the league in scoring by putting up about 130 points per night, coach Moe ran a MOTION OFFENSE, the same offense that Larry Drew is running. The only problem with the motion offense is that it wont work if you dont have the horses (athletes) to run it. Fortunately for the Hawks, THEY DO HAVE THE ATHLETES TO RUN IT. Coach Drew doesnt know how to maximize his great young players and get the right return for their efforts. All Drew has to do to get 50 points a night out of Marvin and Josh is instead of having them run around in a circular motion spinning their wheels and going nowhere, have them cut to the basket the exact same way that SLASH (Dwayne Wade of Miami) does for the Miam Heat as he gets his 27 points a night. JOSH AND MARVIN ARE ATHLETIC ENOUGH TO DO THE SAME thing and their scoring averages will triple if they start doing this. If Marvin cuts to the basket he wont be able to stuff the ball on Dwight Howard, but Marvin knows how to lay the ball up against the glass and score layups because he did this in college repeatedly. If Josh Smith gets the ball at the rim he will stuff it home and slam dunk it 99 times out of 100 and his scoring average will go up exponentially. Josh Smith will lead the NBA in scoring average if he does this on a consistent basis. Have those 2 guys cut to the basket and watch the Hawks soar to heights theyve never been to. Once this game plan is executed the Hawks will soar so high at heights weve never seen before you will think that Captain Kirk has beamed scotty up to the moon and the Hawks will be on their way to winning the world championship.

Tony

March 10th, 2011
5:38 pm

The only issue with this motion offense though is that it is not good for this team. What’s good for KiKi may not be good for JJ…and the fellas. We have the advantage of some post players that need action to implement some sort of inside game. And what to say about coaching defense. Give it to Woody for being a litttle more well rounded in the coaching arena. LD sold ASG on this new offense, and now that he is at the helm….shucks, it is nonexistent.

Peter

March 10th, 2011
5:54 pm

Well if the entire team is a jump shooting team the GM should be fired for this MIX. The team is really silly at best, no one with an athletic mind seeing that getting the other teams players in foul trouble is to their advantage.

DUMB is the best way to describe this team……thus fire the GM, better yet find owners who know basketball…..cause these guys don’t know basketball or Hockey for that matter.

ICECOLD

March 10th, 2011
6:03 pm

Basically , if you say you a jump shooting team, you need a point guard thats going to drive and dish, attack the rim hard, get doubled team, disit to the open man…. if not doubled , lay of up finish at the rim, or get fouled ….. since this seasons looking bad and since we gon make the playoffs , start teague …. let him drive and dish and drive and layup/dunk… he might as well get all his practice in doing that… might lose a few games , but about the times the playoffs come , he will be ready….

Who does that sound like ….( RONDO!!!! )

slimjr

March 10th, 2011
6:08 pm

“And Marvin shooting 14.3% from 10-15 feet is abysmal.”

I knew Marvin was horrific but now we have a number?????????? 6′9″ and shooting that low of a percentage at 10 feet!!!!!!!!!!!!
He can’t fix that??? Waive his sorry azz..
Worst #2 Lottery pick in Atlanta Hawks History by a long shot!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!…..Thanks Billy Knight for screwing this franchise for the next 10 years…………………….
Marvin for a bag of doughnuts………..LOL

slimjr

March 10th, 2011
6:09 pm

Marvin= D-League scrub…………………………..

ashah

March 10th, 2011
6:50 pm

This has been a pretty disappointing regular season. Even though we got blown out last year by the Magic in the second round, we had a promising regular season where we beat a lot of tough teams (we sweeped the season series with the Celtics) and it seemed our main problem was that our offense could get stymied because of a lot of our guys were playing iso and not moving around much (this problem was exposed in the series against the Magic). That’s why I had high hopes with LD coming into the picture this year…especially with our core group of guys coming back (even though Bibby is gone now) and having had improved each year for the last three years.

So the fact that we are playing terrible against good teams and that we have a worse record at this point than we did last year should point to the fact that something is not clicking with our team. We do have our weaknesses (lack of a true center, more turnovers than usual, bad perimeter defense which has been helped a little bit with Kirk) but a lot of these weaknesses were present last year. So then why the sudden drop-off? Has the competition really gotten that stiff in the East? I think it has, but I expected us to compete. It seems like everyone on this blog had higher expectations for the Hawks and they are underachieving.

Maybe the problem is the fact that the players on the team don’t feel as though they are underachieving. JJ is saying that our team should keep being jump-shooters, but if that is clearly not working…then why not try something different? Why stick to something that only works well to a certain degree. I think we have a great core group of guys and a lot of potential if we can get a deeper bench, but I think our offensive philosophy has to change and the guys have to want IT more. A playoff birth is no longer what they should be aiming for; it should be the ECF or beyond. Doesn’t seem like the guys want that.

Was anyone at any of the Hawks-Boston series at Phillips a few years ago? Best series ever! Not only was the crowd crazily into it, but our players actually played with some fight. I think that’s what’s missing…from the players and from our fans. Maybe one side of the see-saw can fix the other? Maybe if our fans are more passionate, it will ignite the players? Or maybe if the players play with some more heart, the fans will start showing up. Something’s gotta change.

Ok enough rambling, haha. GO HAWKS

jason

March 10th, 2011
7:22 pm

Omfg, Hawks are going to dump marvin and i think he knows it.

ICECOLD

March 10th, 2011
8:06 pm

The hawks problems are simple
Point guard … still need one .. my solution, give teague a chance , hawks are already losing what, more can you lose , give teague a chance

Sorry starter , Marvin Williams … move him to the bench , move josh smith to small foward, his jump shot is better then Marvin , and he can drive to the basket and dunk , Marvin can’t dribble at all

Need a center , or another powerforward who is going to run the floor , Al is a powerforward , let him play it and stop forcing him to do something he doesnt want or need to do.. he really should request either get a true center or somebody else to start at center or trade him… its only fair and I wouldn’t blame him..

So… starters
Teague
Joe
Josh
Al
Any center that is a true starter in the League .. everybody happy and you do change the make up of this team , by shifting players around …. I bet it work

ATL

March 10th, 2011
9:29 pm

Let Damien Wilkins start… Trust me I see more potential in him then in Marvin or Collins… The guy is a pure beast… he’s the only player on the team that looks like he wants to play… And hawks fans step it up man… Lets show some love

SEAN LOGAN

March 11th, 2011
5:07 am

I WATCH THE HAWKS FAITHFULLY AND FIND MYSELF UPSET MORE THAN A HAPPY FAN. I SEE A TEAM WITH TALENT AND I SEE A TEAM THAT IS INCONSISTENT. LD IS A JOE JOHNSON TYPE OF GUY COACHING A JOSH SMITH TYPE OF TEAM. AL HORFORD IS DEF OUR BEST PLAYER AND JOE JOHNSON IS GETTING WORST BY THE SECOND. I DUNNO WHAT TO THINK NEMORE MAN ITS FREAKING SAD… MARVIN WILLIAMS IS A BUST, JOSH SMITH IS TAKING JUMPERS ALL THE TIME AND SOMETIMES THEY GO BUT THATS NOT HIS GAME MAN , HE NEEDS TO CRASH BOARDS, STAY IN THE HOLE , ATTACK THE RIM ALONG WITH ALL AND JOE. JOE JOHNSON IS TRYING TO SHOWBOAT HALF THE TIME AND LASTELY HE HAS BEEN MISSING ALMOST EVERY ISO JUMPER. I WOULD LIKE TO SEE MORE OF A LINEUP LIKE HORFORD AT THE 4 AND SMOOVE AT THE 3 AND USE JOE AT THE POINT SOMETIMES..MIX IT UP ..USE ALL UR PLAYERS TO THE POTENTIAL MAN ..FROM WATCHING MY HAWKS DAY AND NIGHT I CAN ALMOST PREDICT WHAT THEY DO MAN AND IM A LINE COOK AT APPLEBEES. I HOPE THE BEST FOR MY TEAM BUT THEY GOTTA TURN IT AROUND AND I DONT SEE THAT HAPPENING NETIME SOON BUT I GOT MY FINGERS CROSSED. AND KIRK WITH THE TURNOVERS..DAMN PLAY TEAUGE MORE ..ATLEAST HE TRYS TO BE AGGRESSIVE. AND ANOTHER THING …IM A DIE HARD FAN BUT ITS A NUTSHOT WHEN U WATCH UR TEAM PLAY THE KNICKS FOR 3 QUARTERS IN PHILIPS AND THEY GET BURNED BY SEAN WILLIAMS AND ROGER MASON JR IN THE 4TH AND UR HOME CROWD IS FULL OF BLUE JERSEYS AND THEIR BOOING US AND CHEERING FOR THEM YANKEES. CAN WE BLAME OUR HAWKS OR THEY MIGHT NEED SOME MORE SUPPPORT FROM US FANS..OR DO WE EVEN HAVE ENOUGH FANS. IT HURTS MAN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

yessir

March 11th, 2011
7:13 am

You guys just won’t give Woody credit.

Tony

March 11th, 2011
7:22 am

Woody deserves a lot of credit. He is one of only a couple of coaches who have made the Hawks playoff contenders. There was more to his leaving than what is told.

Gamer

March 11th, 2011
8:52 am

Enter your comments here

ICECOLD

March 11th, 2011
9:07 am

yeah.. him and Billy Knight Had a plan…. and now, they are complicating what ever plans that they had… i think you have to make a change…

AND honestly … I think Joe Johnson should play the 1… we need another shooting guard.. Josh Smith at the 3.. Al at the 4… and a center…

or
start jeff teague… only way he can get better is if he gets real playing time now… He has the raw talent… and he just needs the real nba experience to develope his skill.

and Marvin Williams should not start at all.. He hurts this team…. I can see if he was neutral… but he really hurts the team.. If you are going to start a player that hurts the team… You might as well start a center!!! because what team who has ever been anything… small forward is the worst starter on the team… your small forward suppose to be your best athlete!!!

thats the problem..

Teezo

March 11th, 2011
9:24 am

This is not a jumpshooting team, they made themselves that..No need to go into detail but this team did as well as it can do LAST SEASON..They only 2 players worth keeping is Horford and JJ, everyone else should be trade bait..From what I saw in Phillips Arena at the NYK and LAL games the city, fans, and team needs a STAR point blank..If management can’t see that then there is a problem, no need to go on b/c any real Hawk fan can see where I’m going…GET A STAR TO ATL, I’ll deal with a few bad years in order for us to build around a top tier player b/c it’s not like we’ve been on a major playoff run, this winning this just started 3 years ago…peace…

W.R.Terrell

March 11th, 2011
9:15 pm

Well the first half is over and we are leading 50-48. That “smoove” person has been playing point, holding the ball too long and taking dumb shots, I guess him and LD are communicating and ISO has tried to drive but it is unfamiliar to him because he has gotten stripped 3 times so far, but, it is a change. Marvin should not play anymore tonight, really, he’s a waste of time. The team appears to move better without that “smoove” fella doing his thing and yes I know, he has at least 10 points but he took enough shots to get em. The half will be over shortly and we head into the final 2 quarters, here are a few questions. (1) Can that “smoove” fella play within a team concept, give the ball to the guard and try to score under the basket (2) Will ISO Joe continue to go to the hoop and hopefully hold the ball even tho that may be foreign (3) Will they keep Marvins ass off the floor and start someone else (4) will they put forth the effort it will take to win defensively and (5) Will Jamal at least think about playing some defense, I hope so.

W.R.Terrell

March 11th, 2011
9:30 pm

Well that “smoove” person is letting us see what STOO-PID ball is. Damn, he just makes you ill

Bill Hackett

March 11th, 2011
10:53 pm

i agree that the biggest problem with this team is Larry Drew, he sucks as a nba coach, these players don’t respect him as a coach, he is not in control, josh smith do what he wants to do. jj really don’t care now, now that he’s got the big contract.marvin william is a joke

Atlanta Hawks: J.J.: ‘We all are jump shooters. That’s pretty much what it is.’

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Atlanta Hawks: J.J.: ‘We all are jump shooters. That’s pretty much what it is.’

376 comments Add your comment

We’ve Moved!

About Atlanta Hawks

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