Atlanta Hawks: Hawks 103, Bulls 95

Grandad 12:45 am

Zaza has become a better interior defender than Josh.
Josh’s block’s are down, and he’s still a good perimeter defender,
but when he tried to guard Boozer, he got his back-side whupped.
*[don't anyone say...it's affected by where he plays on offense]
*(where one plays on offense has no effect on whom you guard)

Back to Zaza – he is more physical than Josh.
[who has turned into a finesse (sissy) player]
Zaza and / or Collins give us a true Big.
One or the other needs to be on the floor;
- guarding Boozer – in this series.

When Josh is on the bench – he cannot take bad shots.

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FREE JEFF TEAGUE

EAT A DICK JOHN HOLLINGER

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Could it be…was I actually…naw…never…but I wuz.

” still awake ”

Yawl thought I was gonna’ say 1st, didn’t you ?

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LOL CO SIGN NAJEH

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COLLINS HAD 3 REBOUNDS IN 7 MINUTES

YAGA

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The Hawks are a very dangerous and experienced playoff team. Guess the Bulls are going to find that out the hard way! Go Hawks!

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a physical, more experienced Pacers team probably could have won more games in their opening series against the Bulls. They are, however, not anyone of those…. the Hawks are though …. the Hawks won game 1 too.

Pacers did push the Bulls, made em work but couldn’t knock em out. If the Hawks play smart, they can knock em out … dare I say if they win game 2 ….. they’ll sweep? Long shot? Sure but stranger things have happened and this IS the Hawks we’re talking about

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Damn, LD’s in-huddle comments are very encouraging

FIRE LD

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Free Teague

I miss Jordan Crawford

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They put the brooms back in the pantry. Tell them folks at ESPN they better recognize game.

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Great game Hawks!!! I’m glad to see Teague hold his on!!!! Let’s see if we can get a second game in Chicago!!!! Let’s go Hawks!!!

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Just saw Joe Johnson at a bar having a couple of drinks after the game with a bunch of friends… felt like telling him, “Great Game, but go home cause there is still 6 more games and the Bulls are not going to go down quietly…” but I am sure these NBA superstar knows whats best!?!?@!?

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After the game, the questions for the Hawks from Chicago media types were along the lines of: “Now that you’ve got the Bulls’ attention, how do you expect them to react?”

…I would have thought the Hawks beating the Magic in six would get Chicago’s attention even with Hinrich out. And if it didn’t what does that say about the Bulls, who had an excellent regular season but have proven even less than the Hawks in the playoffs?

I think the Chicago media types were just looking for a reason to explain why the Bulls came out flat. The Bulls didn’t look great against the Pacers, so they have to decide how good they want to be. The Hawks, for all that is made about their Jekyll and Hyde personality, have a considerable amount of playoff experience now. They are not going to lay down for a team that won’t put a death grip on them. The key to this series will be whether the Bulls can find that ability. If they can’t (and the jumpers keep falling for the Hawks), the Bulls will be left wondering what might have been.

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CONGRATULATIONS JEFF TEAGUE, you played very good tonight, keep up the good work young man.

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I have call my homeboy and ask him why teague is not getting the burn he deserve, but now it’s teague time to show the world why he is future point guard for the hawks.

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Man, Teague is just great for this team.

If this is a jumpshooting team, then from a “gaming” perspective, we NEED a guy that can drive and dish like Teague for the mix-up game.

I don’t realize how LD just could not realize this sooner.

Kirk going down is definitely a blessing in disguise.

GO HAWKS

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Hawks gonna make me buy tickets for game 3 and 4. Meet me at the Jack Daniels.

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Just shows how dumb LD is. Why hasnt Teague been played sooner? So frustrating. Kirk injury is a blessing and I hope LD persists with Teague after he will inevitably make some mistakes.

Josh is great on D and woeful on O. Can’t we just sub him every time up the floor?

I still hope this isnt fools gold with LD. If we lose series does he deserve to keep his job? We’ll see.

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“Its sad that Drew was forced into playing Teague.” – Worldwide Clyde

It’s GREAT that Vegas was forced to play Teague… nobody can ever doubt his ability or hold him back again. This doesn’t make him an all star, but nobody can question if he is a rotation NBA player ever again.

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Message to Skip Bayless @ ESPN who said the Bulls will sweep the Hawks.

Like Jalen Rose said in one of his debates against you, that’s why everybody calls you Skip “Say-less” because you could say more but why?

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Buddy . . Drew just has to keep it simple for Teague. If Jamal is going to look for his own shot all the time with the 2nd team, Teague has no chance to develop how people want him to. When he plays with the starters, he’s far more comfortable out on the court, because he may get a chance to make plays. He knows that he may get the ball back from them, so that he can do his thing.

The data has been there since March, that Teague playing with that group may be the way to go. It was just a stroke of luck that Hinrich gets hurt on a fluke play, forcing Drew to play Teague with that group.

It’ll be interesting to see what adjustments the Bulls make in Game 2. Most interesting will be how they will attack Teague on offense and defense.

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Hey Worldwide Clyde,

Falcons = 2nd round exit. You can still fire Sund though if you want.

RISE UP

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JJ’s game tonight reminds me of the game he had at Boston in January 2010, when he scored 36 on them. He was making 3’s, made a wide array of midrange shots, and didn’t hesitate to shoot the ball in that game as well.

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“He’s the most “taken for granted” player in Hawks history.” – northcyde

True story. You just kinda expect the production from him. What I didn’t expect was the efficiencey.

“I still hope this isnt fools gold with LD. If we lose series does he deserve to keep his job?” – Hawks fan down under

Well, if the Hawks get embarrassed in four straight and lose 4-1, yes. It all depends on how Thibs adjusts and motivate his players to fix what’s not working against the Hawks. Once Thibs does his job, Las Vegas Larry has got to adjust an not just sit on the bench and pray for the jumpers to go in so he can keep his job.

Don’t know where my boy slimjr is hiding, but he will tell you, the Lord High Gangsta David Stern wants no part of the Hawks in the ECF. Vegas will need a presidential pardon if he lets that happen. Watch for a key Hawks player to get benched without foul trouble in the second quarter of Game 2.

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The big guys, Al and Smoove in particular, did a really good job hedging to help on Rose and recovering quickly to prevent Rose from finding the open man for the easy basket inside.

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http://popcornmachine.net/cgi-bin/gameflow.cgi?date=20110502&game=ATLCHI

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Article on Yahoo says that Teague is an “iffy” defender lol.

What pathetic reporting.

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Art,

Kelly Dwyer and “reporting” cannot be on the same sentence.

His blog is somewhat entertaining when he is not “analysing” actual basketball.

When he does, he is mostly pathetic.

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as soon as we WIN this series, teague will be back on the bench. larry drew is a disciple of mike woodson, who is a disciple of larry brown who HATES rookies or young players…

there was no effin reason why teague should be relegated to bench duty.

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@Northcyde/Vava

A player shouldn’t be given an improved grade or considered to be “ballin’” simply because their horrible shots just happen to fall on a given night or in a given instance.

Hitting horrible shots is the equivalent of a guy walking into a mall a opening fire on it’s occupants — and just not happening to kill anybody.

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I have been on LD and the Hawks all year, but they deserve a lot of credit for their playoff showing so far. However, the one thing that was reinforced to me is that LD cannot control these players.

In the regular season, he would say some of the same things but the players wouldn’t listen, and LD seemed powerless. In the playoffs, the players are listening, and LD is actually coaching. Good job guys.

As for the game, JJ played like the JJ of the Boston series, game 4. Great game. What I liked (which Kenny pointed out at half time) was he wasn’t dribbling the ball 15 times, and he was getting the ball in spots where he could pass or shoot, which he did, more quickly.

And he did a good job on defense against Deng in the second half (much better than Marvin was doing).

And with each game like this, Jamal is pricing himself out of the Hawks range. Of all the FA SGs out there (Richardson, Carter, JR Smith etc), Jamal has to be top of the list. This is a contract year (and he didn’t play particularly well in the regular season), and there are lots of players who have great years during their contract year. But Jamal has definitely exceeded expectations.

Great job Hawks. I hope they are not satisfied with winning game 1, so I would like to see the same effort in game 2.

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With the compliments out the way…LD deserves some heat. I think he takes most of the blame for not helping Teague to be further along in his development, because its possible Teague would have earned the starting spot by his merit and Bibby’s decline.

IMO, if LD was playing Teague consistent minutes during the season (when Bibby was here, and especially when Bibby was struggling earlier this year), maybe we dont need to give up Jordan and a #1 pick for Hinrich.

And if we can’t afford to resign Jamal, Jordan could have been an asset off the bench next season.

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Oh yea, Excellent, Excellent job Larry Drew. As far as Charles Barkley, well, I do not have to say a Word, because you ate it last night! I hope you caught hell in the hotel last night!

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Najeh, I’m in for those MVP chants on Friday.

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Felix,

I think you may be new around here. I am one of the biggest Jamal critics but there is no valid argument against him whilst he keeps up draining horrible shots at the rate he is doing.

He is shooting .444 in the playoffs (with .463 from 3) whilst averaging 20ppg AND he only has 8 turnovers in 7 games.

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“Its sad that Drew was forced into playing Teague.”

LD=D-, your an idiot!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! You knew how good this Teague dude was and should have benched Bibby back in Nov. and started featuring Teague!!!!!! We’d still have Bibby Mo JC2 and a #1 pick still?

If Hinrich does not go down, Teague is still riding the bench in 2nd rd and we lose game 1 by at least 10 pts………………….You and Sund need to kick rocks when this run is over………..

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MR. CUNNINGHAM, THAT IS AN AWESOME ARTICLE. i hope it does not jinks my hawks as they have tended to thrive on neg press.

to all who gave NO CHANCE to the hawks (skip bayless and a few other bloggers) GAME ON.

NOT TO SHABBY (according to some “EXPERTS” (haha)) for a coach who has no clue, a super star that doesn’t deserve the money, a 20% 3 pt shooter 6′11 player who thinks he is a guard, and a point guard that the coach doesn’t like.

maybe it is no more than “stars being in alignment” but like other years, i’m just going to enjoy ride until it is over. right now MY hawks look pretty good. just 11 more wins. “WHY NOT”.

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I just have to laugh when 90% of the highlights are of a player on the losing team.

GO HAWKS!!!! The Hawks should get more physical. They are the tougher physical team….and maybe (never thought I would say it) the tougher mental team. They just have to keep driving to the hole and crashing the boards.

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Three things:

1. I hope Teague’s legs don’t tire on him. That was a lot of minutes to play after languishing on the bench.

2. The Hawks won on the ROAD in convincing fashion.

3. When LD puts Marvin back on the bench, where he belongs, and Hinrich returns the second unit backcourt is going to be very, very good: Hinrich, Jamal, Marvin/Wilkens.

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“GIVE TEAGUE A CHANCE!”

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Great game Hawks.
This is the kind of effort I have been waiting for the past two seasons.
The loyal fans are finally being rewarded. Big ups to my blog crew.

Quick points: 1) Joe Johnson, enough said. 2) Jeff Teague, not enough said. 3) Josh Smith nearly lost the game for us, I don’t know who I was more upset with him or LD for leaving him in so long. He is playing himself out of any trade value for us.
4) Wilkins on Rose was effective and should be used again, and a little more (10-15 minutes)

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‘POOP and 303,

y’all betta make sure that jj ain’t layin’ an egg in game 3, before yall start your mvp chants. lol. 34 pts is an anomaly for jj, not the norm.

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so was sund and asg right in:

1. bringin’ in pape sy?
2. hirin’ larry drew?
3. skippin’ over shaq, dampier?
4. cannin’ bibby?
5. tradin’ jc2 and #1 for hinrich?

ARE THE HAWKS CRAZY LIKE A FOX? LOL

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@Najeh & Section 303: Cosign. I’ll be at the game on Friday (Section 303 ironically, Row H!). MVP chant the first time Joe goes to the line?

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I have criticized LD all season, and did not like his coaching during the regular season. However, the players are responding in the playoffs, and LD is doing a better job.

In his first season, LD has done what Woody couldn’t do. Win a game in the second round.

Where you at, Samuel and others?

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I think I was a little harsh on Teague at half time last night. I didn’t mean to be. I was more or less (over?)reacting to one of the members of the “Teague is the second coming” fan club. (Not you Najeh!) But I do have to give Teague major props for last night’s performance. His D was solid for most of the game — and when he made mistakes or was just beat, strong shows and good help D really kept Rose at bay. He was really aggressive on the offensive end, and more importantly, efficient on the offensive end.

Teague definitely has the skill set to be something really special in this league. I think if he can improve his passing — at times, he still looked a little timid when trying to make semi-routine passes — he will become a force to be reckoned with.

GO TEAGUE!
GO HAWKS!!!

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I’m totally impressed with the coaching job LDrew has done so far. In fact, he did an excellent job of coaching during our season ending 6gm losing streak. Now, I’m not going to say that I felt that way while we were losing, but I’ve come to realize there was purpose behind his perceived madness.

Under Woodson, didn’t we go all out down the stretch and ended up worn down and wounded when the playoffs started. And aside from poor to no coaching, isn’t that why we struggled to win our last 2 1st rd series, and got blown out in both 2nd rd series?

LDrew placed getting his key players and team prepared for the playoffs, above padding his regular season won/loss record. Resting his starters, giving his players time to heal, and giving his bench extended mins might have cost us wins down the stretch, but it’s worked wonders during the playoffs.

LDrew and the Hawks are giving Sund and the ASG the playoff presence and performance they were hoping to get under Woodson, but he just wouldn’t/couldn’t. I guess when all is said and done, LDrew didn’t lose the respect or ear of his team, like some of us were suggesting.

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Section 303

May 3rd, 2011
8:31 am

“Najeh, I’m in for those MVP chants [for Joe Johnson] on Friday.”

I absolutely love to hear this coming from Section 303.

GO SECTION 303!
GO JOE!
GO HAWKS!!!

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ant banks

May 3rd, 2011
9:40 am
so was sund and asg right in:

1. bringin’ in pape sy? YES, EVEN THOUGH HE GETS NO PT
2. hirin’ larry drew? NO, DUDE STILL GARBAGE
3. skippin’ over shaq, dampier? SKIPPIN OVER SHAQ YES, DAMPIER NO
4. cannin’ bibby? NO, ALL THEY HAD TO DO WAS BENCH HIM
5. tradin’ jc2 and #1 for hinrich? NO, ALL THEY HAD TO DO WAS BENCH BIBBY

ARE THE HAWKS CRAZY LIKE A FOX? LOL

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680 ESPN RADIO

Is throwing down the gauntlet on Da Bulls! He is saying, they are in trouble even if Rose has no ankle injury. They have no shooters period. And Jamal will eat Korver alive, Korver can’t even spell defense and he is what Jimmer Fredette will be – useless in the NBA.
He said, “The Hawks are a match up nightmare for the Bulls all over the court and at every position + our bench. The Hawks are built for the play offs.”

- The Heard -
__________________

Doo-Doo Birds!

The Hawks just shi-ated all over The Bulls last night. Much like the Magic game 1 presser, the COY looked like a constipated SVG to me.
Loul Deng said, if we can’t score, we have to find other things to do.
What they are not realizing is that the Hawks defense is no fluke. By the time they figure out what is happening, they will be down
3-1 or swept. It will be too late when they realize, the Hawks are a more talented roster. Drew is The Oz behind the curtain, he is pushing all the right buttons.

All the line-ups he tinkered with all season long has revealed to him what his strengths and assets are:

Teague is a secret weapon that even Drew didn’t know he had!
Now, everyone else will know it too.

The Heard said, “Josh Smith will destroy Boozer and whoever else they put on him.”

44 wins and Kirk’s injury and the #5 Seed was our blessings in disguise.
We were right where we wanted to be to get to the ECF!

We will likewise take down: Boston or Miami. I promise you if it is Boston, they do not want to see the Doo-Doo Birds!

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Paging All Star Al, Paging All Star Al……. Please report to the playoffs ASAP. We really need you.

“Marvin has no discernible basketball skills that should allow him to start for a NBA team . Even the 5′5 300lb center sweaty center at the park knows that while I cant block shots I can at least be the best screen setter and try and hep my time.”

If Drew would only realize this and start Damien Wilkins, these games won’t be close. He is a much better defender than Marvin, and if they have to switch, he has the ability to guard Rose, Marvin can’t. Plus he will attack the rim, and finish, Marvin can’t.

Teague provides this offense exactly what it needs, A guy who can penetrate and keep the defense honest. If he had been playing minutes all year, this team would be much better. Props to Drew for giving the guy a shot to start Yesterday.

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mc- neway u could pull my ajc account to see all my comments made? i predicted hawks in 6 vs orl before game one as well as jamal would avg 20ppg that series and guess what? he did, ive only made mayb 15 comments on this site
besides my physcic abilities id like to congrad the hawks esp jj, wow, jj was amazing hittin his shots and playn great d, jt played great/drose type fast, jamal gettin 20 again, great team effort, 1 downer tho, jsmooth, man ive never been upset at josh before ive let him do him but last night i did not want to see him on the floor takin 20 footers, does he not see teams will give him those all day? he needs to stay 15ft<
larry drew=htc, quietly brilliant

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teague stat line: 46% from the field, 5-to-1 assist/turnover 10pts, in 45 min. THIS BOY IS READY FOR PRIME TIME.

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ant banks

May 1st, 2011
11:10 pm
teague GOTTA have one of those games when he goes into THAT zone. do y’all remember when d’antoni was HATIN’ nate robinson? he put nate in the game against the hawks and nate SCORCHED us for 40pts!!! teague gotta go the eff off!!!

GILBERT RENFRO, JASON GARRETT to name a few, are some guys who star shined brightly, when called upon and they became legends.

this ish is all on teague. the bloggosphere already loves and supports teague. all he needs to do is have one of those games and become endeared in all our hearts.

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2

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Guys we are 5-2 in the playoffs.

11 more wins for an NBA Title!!!!

That’s not much

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did anyone hear the Bulls coach call Marvin one of the most underated players in the NBA?..Why is Josh getting more burn than Marvin?..the countdown has started..later on this year the Hawks will make the franchise’s second worst move ever..Trading Marvin..the sheldon williams pick is the worst..hawks in 5..

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We’ve all been commenting on how weak the East has seemed – Boston with no Perkins, the Heat looked vunerable versus the Sixers, the Bulls really struggled with the Pacers.

This really could be our year.

And the 9 man rotation LD played last night was stellar.

Could you imagine if Bibby and Mo’ were still here? This would have been ugly

I made the statement after the Hinrich trade – I didn’t care what other teams did, if we could just get a roster that LD couldn’t mess up with his hilarious rotations, we’d be fine.

We may have that team.

I’m concerned when Hinrich’s healthy LD will have no clue on how to play he and Teague together on the same roster. One of the weirdest things I’ve ever seen in basketball really.

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We can beat the Lakers if it came to that, because Collins and ZaZa can handle Bynum just like Dwight.

Al and Josh match up with Odom and Gasol

Marvin and Wilkens match up with Artest and Barnes

JJ and Jamal can hang a little with Kobe

And Teague and Hinrich are better than DFish and Blake.

But let’s beat the Bulls first

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Free Jeff Teague!!! I hate to cry over spilled milk but we are much better than a 44 win team..and the hawks playoff performance shows how poor a job Larry Drew did in the regular season..and thanks Joe because Drew was about to let Josh shoot us out exactly how he did in the 3rd quarter in that regular season game in Chicago…

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The Hawks are my 2nd favorite team behind West Virginia. Go Hawks!!!!

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Hawks are my favorite team!!!!!!

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We have more playoff experience than all the main Bulls except Boozer.

3 straight trips to the 2nd round. When was the last Hawks team to do that? “Nique? Mutombo?

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Did ya’ll see Carlos Boozer last night? That is the clumsiest big man Ive ever seen in basketball. BOOZER LOOKS LIKE A CAVEMAN PLAYING BASKETBALL.

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It was not a bad pick,

“did anyone hear the Bulls coach call Marvin one of the most underated players in the NBA?..Why is Josh getting more burn than Marvin?”

“Marvin is 20x better than damien and josh..if we start ZaZa and Marvin over josh this will be a sweep..Without Marvin in game 6th, orlando is playing the bulls this round!”

Yeah i guess those game saving blocks last night and shutting down Turk in the first round while being the 3rd leading scorer and second leading rebounder had nothing to do with it.

Josh gets more burn than Marvin becaause he ain’t scared. Bottom line. Also along with the fact that he can run without falling, he can post up Jameer Nelson and not get stripped, he can actually guard someone his size, and good or bad, he makes plays every night. Marvin makes a play once every 10 to 15 games. If the Bulls coach did say that, he was playing mind games with LD to try to get LD to play Marvin more because he knows that Deng will take his lunch all game.

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Reposted from last blog: Rotoworld Fantasy Website

>> All NBA Fantasy Player News

Johnson scores 34 points; Hawks take 1-0 lead

Joe Johnson (G/F) – Atlanta Hawks

(Mon, May 2 – 11:33pm ET)

Joe Johnson hit 12-of-18 shots (and all five 3-point attempts) for 34 points in the Hawks’ Game 1 win over the Bulls, and also added four rebounds, three assists, and three steals.
He played like a ‘max contract’ player on Monday, and while he fell into the Hawks’ pattern of jacking up bad shots at times, some of them fell and as you can see he was amazingly efficient tonight. Josh Smith stood outside and played the pick-and-pop game to his peril, hitting just 3-of-11 shots for eight points, but enough was working for Atlanta tonight to wake the nation up — Atlanta is for real (we think).

Teague’s defense the difference in Game 1 win

Jeff Teague (G) – Atlanta Hawks

(Mon, May 2 – 11:22pm ET)

Jeff Teague started at PG and checked the presumed NBA MVP Derrick Rose in Monday’s Game 1 win, neutralizing him in one-on-one defensive situations, and also added 10 points on 5-of-11 shooting with two rebounds, five assists, one steal, and just one turnover.
Rose hit just 11-of-27 shots and many of his makes came without Teague on him, as Teague’s quickness and athleticism kept Rose from demanding entrance into the paint. Teague still made a handful of mental mistakes, but he got the game ball from Larry Drew and was the difference in the win. Look for the Bulls to employ a more creative game plan in Game 2 to free up Rose, and also play on Teague’s mental lapses.
______________________

That’s worth repeating. I am so confident right now. I just had a sneaky feeling Teague would play brilliant. I have seen the flashes before. What I loved about Jeff is, he didn’t try to do too much and didn’t play Hero Ball. Solid all the way around, IDK if we win with Kirk and no Teague. Drew was forced to play this kid. I don’t follow college ball, so I had never heard of Teague when he was drafted.

I trusted Drew’s decision on this guy and I was WRONG! What is Drew’s problem with this guy? I am still waiting for an explanation.

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It’s obvoius to me that Joe and Jamal were playing possum the last part of the season. In the playoffs they are two totally different players. I can’t say that I am mad at them. Keep it up guys.

Josh please DRIVE the ball to the hole. Teams are leaving you open for a reason. Instead of shooting that jumper, PLEASE drive and try to finish, or kick to an open shooter. When LD was talking about not taking bad shots, he was talking to you. Your defense at the rim last night was tremendous. If you would just stop trying to prove to the world that you can hit jumpers, we might be able to sweep Chicago. Thanks!!! CP for life.

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“Paging All Star Al, Paging All Star Al……. Please report to the playoffs ASAP. We really need you.”
Elvis has left the building……LOL

Deng destroyed Marvin AGAIN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! What else is new?..Marvina is too SOFT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Park Marvin on the bench and bring him out once in a while till we waive his azz in the off season or do a package deal and ship him outta here for good!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Buster…………………sigh……

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“obvious”

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“It was not a bad pick…are u Marvin? Nobody other than Marvin himself would defend him as hard as u do..”
naw, they’re probably BF’s??????

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Allstar Al’s game is going to need a ton of work and I mean a ton of work in the off season….The ALLSTARS game has left the building….WOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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From ESPN:

“Standing shirtless in front of his locker before taking on the biggest assignment of his two-year NBA career, Teague recalled the last time he faced the daunting task of matching up with Rose.

It was the summer between his high school junior and senior seasons, in a final four game of a high-profile AAU tournament in Las Vegas. Rose shared the backcourt with Eric Gordon.

Teague was playing alongside, uh, well …

“No one nearly as good as them,” Teague remembered Monday as he took over the starting job in place of injured veteran Kirk Hinrich.

Before that tournament, Teague had solid scholarship offers from Indiana, Dayton, Southern Illinois and a few other lower-level to mid-major Division I basketball programs. After that tournament, he was ACC material and would end up attending Wake Forest.

“That game, that tournament, really is what put me on the map,” Teague said, admitting that Rose probably wouldn’t even remember facing him that day in Vegas. “I guess I made a name for myself.”

Six years later, another matchup with Rose provided an opportunity for Teague to do the same thing.

“First thing I told him out there was to be Jeff Teague,” Hawks coach Larry Drew said. “Don’t bow down to anybody. He stepped up big, this being the playoffs, playing defense against the MVP of the league and running the offense. When he came into the locker room, I gave him the game ball.”

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ESPN:

“With 10 points, five assists, just one turnover and a near wire-to-wire defensive effort against Rose, Teague got it started for the Hawks. And then Johnson took over from there and put the finishing touches on what should qualify as one of the most impressive victories of these playoffs.

As hard as it might be for some, it’s about time for the critics to start giving the Hawks some credit. What happened here Monday was no fluke. It was a flurry. And if the Bulls aren’t careful, they could end up facing the same fate as the Orlando Magic.”

Finally getting some respect.

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Josh should just watch ZBo film for half the day, then go practice ZBo the other half of the day.

Joakim is taller than Josh, but Josh is bigger than Noah. He can punk him.

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@ BobStevens – FYI….Josh Smith committed one turnover last night.

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Marvin said on 790 this morning that he is very close with Teague off the court and he and the players have known all along he can play like this. Teague also was “frustrated” he didn’t play Rd 1 vs. Orlando.

No idea what we do next year if Teague plays like this and Hinrich returns.

Also, Colin Cowherd said Dwight should’ve been MVP – how Orlando’s defense is garbage without him and that D. Rose is more like Allen Iverson in that he is a scorer first and is too fast for his teammates to keep up

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JeJe – What we do is watch Teague rot on the bench while hearing how much LD believes in him, that’s what we do.

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jj the man

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shots^^^^

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This summer, if the Hawks keep Marvin, he’s need to find “his” game.

He needs to be the best mid range jump shooter in the game.

He needs to learn to drive

He needs to set his mind to playing elite, all NBA defense. He has the tools.

He needs to commit himself to basketball, or he’s the eternal Kwame Brown.

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vava74

May 3rd, 2011
3:37 am

northcyde,

AND WHAT ABOUT JJ’s D on Deng in the second half?

24 minutes: 4 points on 2/3

JJ played “DENY DEFENSE” hardly letting him get any looks nor the rock in his sweet spots.

*******************************

vava . . I’ve talked about that too. JJ isn’t going to make the flashy defensive plays. All he’s going to do is limit the amount of shots you get up in the first place. Deng was killing us in that 1st half, so for him to only get 3 shots in the 2nd half, with the Teague – Jamal – JJ lineup playing the vast majority of the 2nd half, was huge.

JJ was just great all around last night. To me, this was better than the home playoff performance vs Boston, because he did this on the road.

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Felix

May 3rd, 2011
7:40 am

@Northcyde/Vava

A player shouldn’t be given an improved grade or considered to be “ballin’” simply because their horrible shots just happen to fall on a given night or in a given instance.

Hitting horrible shots is the equivalent of a guy walking into a mall a opening fire on it’s occupants — and just not happening to kill anybody.

****************************

Name a star in this league that doesn’t take horrible shots?

The difference between stars and regular players, is that star players can take and make horrible shots. That’s why Jamal is so dangerous at times. He’s very good at making difficult shots.

The downplaying of what JJ did is expected though out of some people though. Had Horford gone for 34 points on 12 – 18 shooting, people would be anointing him the leader of the Hawks.

It is what it is. LOL . . and that’s why JJ doesn’t care what people think about him or the team.

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Slimjr – I was just referring to Josh’s low post game – he should take lessons from ZBo.

I agree – I like Josh the offensive beast – getting to 1,000 blocks quicker than anyone in League history, including Dwight – that’s the Josh I like to see.

But I do think he could develop a very nice low post game along the way.

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if we keep jamal and marvin this team will be doomed, look jamal is great right now that he is in his final year and is great offensively but on defense he cant do nothing. when a pick comes he either falls down or does a mike bibby and jumps to one side and doesnt recover. People need to get off marvin on here like he is going to be good, he is quality no doubt but he is not a starter for an NBA finals team. with teague getting confidence it will be easy for us to let go of kirk as well. i love kirk and think he has been a great fit for us this year with his defense and IQ but teague is our pg. next year starting lineup teague joe josh al and with all our money saved we need a legiteC, tyson chandler type center to own the paint downlow get boards and 2nd chance points. no more being small, look at dallas and LA to 7′0s starters, size matters…

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Seemed like we built our lead last night with Josh on the bench in the 2nd half, then when he came back in, it was down to 6.

Where was Damien in the 2nd half? ZaZa? Collins?

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You know All Star Al averaging a double double – 11.6 PPG and 10.6 RPG is not bad for 7 playoff games.

Nor is his Team leading 3.7 assists per game, or his 1.14 blocks per game.

Couple that with only 1.1 turnover per game, in 39.6 minutes a night, I’d say that’s pretty good.

Marvin is averaging 1.3 turnovers per game in only 18.4 mpg in the playoffs.

I just can’t complain to much when a guy averages a double double, plays really solid D, and makes almost no mistakes, while leading the team in assists from the PF/C position. That’s Al right now. And he’ll only get better it seems, he really works on his game.

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you know najeh, hollinger missed the point on the pacers coming so close. it wasnt that they were that good but the bulls might have to work harder to win than originally thoiught based on their regular season run. ultimately, he undersold the hawks thinking they might not be as good as the pacers. fool stuff as the hawks are certainly that good and he missed the idea that the bulls might be stoppable by a hawks team playing at heir best if the bulls werent. rather than say that he wanted to trash the hawks. i guess he would rather have copy than be smart.

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“MIKE WOODSON WILL NEVER BE A HEAD COACH AGAIN IN THE LEAGUE.”

Haha… I don’t think a good team will hire him, but I could easily see a bad team bring him in to lift them to playoff contender level. Woody is not a good coach but that doesn’t mean he is worse than every NBA head coach. I’d take him any day over people like Jim O’Brien or John Kuester for example.

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I mean Al’s last 4 stat lines, I just can’t complain about:

Last two games against Orlando:

10 pts, 12 boards, and 6 assists in the clincher

9 pts, 14 boards, and 6 assists in the game before that

14 pts, 12 rebounds, and 4 assists before that

And last night:

9 Pts, 13 boards, 4 assists, 2 blocks – Solid D, Those are All Star Center numbers right now. Not alot of good C;s in the League right now.

And did I mention he also had a block in those previous games as well.

Al is quietly having a solid playoffs.

4 straight games of at least 12 rebounds.

Averaging 39+ minutes per night.

I’m not sure what else your wanting.

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I think Pokohrov comes in and offers Jamal a 5 year, 45 mill. deal and he’s gone. But I also don’t think it’s the end of the world for us.

But let’s just win these playoffs and worry about that stuff later maybe. There may be a lockout, and nobody plays next season – we don’t know.

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It is hilarious. Some dude on Peachtree Hoops has said that if the Hawks beat the Bulls (he said this before the playoffs) in a series, he would no longer write blog or write articles about the Hawks again.

He’s a regular featured contributor there

I feel sorry for the guy, because I think he just committed himself out of a hobby…..

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THE HAWKS MAY END UP WITH AN EASY CHAMPIONSHIP BY THE WAY THE UNDERDOGS ARE PERFORMING THIS SEASON IN THE PLAYOFFS. IF THE HAWKS FACE THE MEMPHIS GRIZZLIES IN THE FINALS, I THINK OUR CHANCES ARE FABULOUS TO BRING HOME THE GOLD TROPHY.

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Here are Hollinger’s power rankings for the regular season (I linked the second page, teams 16-30). Dude has like 6 lottery teams ahead of the Hawks. This is my problem with stat nerds — at some point, they stop trying to improve the accuracy of their stats and instead start acting like their stats give them some hidden insight into reality that is not readily observable. Stats are useful tools, but their purpose is to describe reality. If stats are not accurately describing reality, the problem is with the stats, not with what can readily be observed as reality.

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Someone brought up a good point. When do you want LD fired. After we win the Eastern Conference Finals or after we win the NBA Finals. Great point. The guy is doing a great job and should have been COACH OF THE YEAR. Give Larry Drew a 10-year extension.

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“We were kind of schizophrenic on the boards. But all of the reserves rebounded the ball well when they got in. We need Josh Smith to rebound the ball better. I don’t know if Al can get us 11 – 15 rebounds a game, so he’s going to need help on the boards”

I noticed Smoove/Al/Zaza fell just one short of your suggested 25 rebound mark. You are right about Smoove though — 6 boards is not enough for him. His D was terrific but the rest of his game has to improve going forward.

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He Got Dreams!

“This summer, if the Hawks keep Marvin, he’s need to find “his” game.”
_________________

SteveW, that’s cute.
Marvin couldn’t find his game with a “Game – Finder”.
Hell, I got a “View – Finder” and I can’t find it either.

Wake Up Stevew, baby you’re dreaming. LOL!
________________

Seriously, Marvin did deserve the game ball in game 6 and he did get us going last night to bury the Bulls early on. He is who we thought he is.

He’s just Marvin. I done waiting on this guy to make my day.

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Got Links?

Anybody got any good links to share. I went to Chicago Tribune, didn’t see a live game blog or anything.

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Great but lengthy article MC linked on his twitter about our defense last night. They said props to Josh and Al on D:

“But the praise of Teague overlooks a knockout defensive performance by Josh Smith and Al Horford, two mobile big men long used to covering for Mike Bibby on pick-and-roll plays. These two guys, more than Teague, flummoxed Rose in half-court sets, and they did so with an entirely different strategy than Indiana used in holding Rose to 37 percent shooting in the first round. While the Pacers often trapped Rose hard on pick-and-rolls, sending him scurrying back toward midcourt, the Hawks’ big men lingered around the foul line, shadowing Rose laterally across the court until Teague could recover from the pick.

A great example comes at the 5:22 mark of the second quarter, when Rose and Joakim Noah run a pick-and-roll on the left side of the floor. Teague goes under Noah’s screen and Smith leaves Noah to take over on Rose as the MVP dribbles to his left, toward the top of the arc. Smith doesn’t jump above Rose, in a way that would make it difficult for him to turn the corner. He just stays in front of Rose, facing him straight up and hanging out near the foul line until Teague can recover. Once Teague gets back in front of Rose, Smith looks for Noah again.

Of course, this means Noah is briefly open. If you freeze the image when Rose picks up his dribble, you’ll see Horford standing in the middle of the paint, near the restricted area, responsible for guarding both Noah and Carlos Boozer. This is the moment where Rose has to kill Atlanta. Noah is on the right edge of the paint, and Boozer is on the left edge. They are exactly parallel to each other — close enough that Horford can nearly touch both of them if he stretches out his arms. Still, with only slightly better spacing, Rose has a chance to set off a series of quick-hitting passes that could lead to an easy layup for one of his big men.

Also of note: Johnson, guarding Keith Bogans in the left (far) corner, is helping out Horford. Johnson has crept over to the left edge of the paint, just below Boozer, ready to pounce if Rose decides to pass there. This was a recurring theme: Johnson, when he’s guarding Bogans, is going to rove into the paint.

There is no perfect way to defend a guy as good as Rose. The Hawks are banking on two things here:

1) They are willing to let Rose shoot long jumpers — even three-pointers. Again, this was a theme all night, and it’s typical of the way a lot of teams defend Rose. On at least three of Rose’s three-point attempts, including one off a pick-and-roll with Luol Deng late in the game, the Hawks barely bothered to get within 10 feet of him. (Rose finished 2-of-7 from deep.)

2) Atlanta is betting that the Bulls, and Rose in particular, will not be able to take advantage of the openings that briefly present themselves on these pick-and-rolls. You can bet the Bulls’ coaching staff will hammer this theme in the next film session. The Bulls need to space the floor just a bit better, and Rose, if he’s going to pick up his dribble, has to pass the ball quickly, before the big man shadowing him can recover back into the paint.

There’s another option, though, and Rose demonstrates it on Chicago’s last possession of the third quarter: He can keep his dribble alive, wait for the big man to rush back into the paint and start the whole process over again — often in isolation, without a screener to muck things up.

On this possession, the Bulls run a Kurt Thomas/Rose pick-and-roll, and Thomas’ man (Horford) hangs out at the foul line until Teague can recover from the Thomas screen and find Rose. Once that happens, Horford runs back into the paint to find his man.

But unlike on that first possession, Rose has kept his dribble, which means he can lick his chops and attack Teague in isolation. Rose is one of the best isolation players in the league, and he blows by Teague with a nasty right-to-left crossover dribble. Once in the paint, Rose spins back to his right for what he surely thinks will be an easy floater. But Horford is there again, helping off Thomas, and he forces the point guard into a brutal one-handed shot in which Rose is moving backward in the air as he releases the ball. He makes it, because he’s Derrick Rose, and he’s awesome.

Of note here: In that brief window when Horford guards Rose early in this possession, it once again means that one Atlanta big man (Zaza Pachulia) is guarding two Chicago bigs (Thomas and Boozer). And once again, those two bigs help the Hawks by spacing themselves poorly. Thomas rolls down the right edge of the paint and ends up next to Boozer, who is on the right baseline. Pachulia can guard them both without any issues.

Chicago actually played a decent offensive game; it lost this game mostly on the other end, where Atlanta hit an unsustainable number of tough jumpers. But the Bulls also lost in part because Atlanta held Rose to manageable numbers. The Hawks did so using a defensive strategy that has some holes in it, and I’d expect Rose and the Bulls to be better prepared in Game 2 to exploit those holes. If they do, it will be interesting to see how Drew adjusts.
Published On 10:42am, May 03, 2011

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I hope D.Rose’s MVP announcement doesn’t transform him into Michael Jordan or something.

Hopefully Josh Powell has some stuff to say to our team about how to approach game 2 (Lakers 2x champion)

Also, why would Nene opt out? I’d get that $12M and play hard this year. Leaving a lot of money on the table

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Chicago is in the same position as the Thunder. Despite them having arguably the best player in the series, both teams may be in trouble, because they have absolutely no one who can stop the opposing teams scorers.

The Bulls don’t want to double team anybody. But if they don’t, they’re going to lose this series. So when they start to double, it’s up to our other guys to make plays. What I want to see in Game 2 is this. If the Bulls come hard at JJ with the double teams, I want Teague to shade close enough to JJ to make himself available to receive the pass. And when JJ passes him the ball, Teague should immediately attack and go to the hole. Put that Bulls defense in complete scramble mode, if they’re going to double JJ.

Unlike guys like Jamal or Kirk, when Teague receives the pass, he’s probably not taking the jumper. He’s attacking the paint.

As for Josh Smith . . I wish he would play like Bizzaro Zebo. That is . . play like Zebo, but on the defensive end. His value to us has always been that of a defensive force, than as an offensive star. If he would just embrace that, and be the consistent defensive game changer, we’ll be all right. He had 4 blocks last night, so maybe he’s getting back into that mindset.

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Great win last night. Everyone who played contributed. Hopefully they bring that confidence into the next game. I honestly dont know whats up with Marvin. He should stop working out with Sean May in the summer and hire a real trainer. Maybe he will play better coming off the bench but you never know with Marvin.

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geez dev, we bring out the best in you dont we? heh heh

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Najeh,

I cannot agree with your 12:20 post more. I draw conclusions, rightly or wrongly, based on the novel concept of watching games. Some rely on statistical analysis, contrived and otherwise. Drawing conclusions that run afoul of ones statistical analysis, invalidates the legitimacy of what he holds near and dear—his “nimbers,” and himself too to some extent.

At some point the tail starts wagging the dog.

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“You know, that did have to be one of the stupidest moments in sports when DRose tweaked his ankle.

Why guard someone down by 8 with a few seconds left. Just stupid. Nothing good is going to happen then.”

More importantly why is he even in the game at that point? I have seen Thibodeau this year criticized by some Bulls fans for a Woody-esque tendency to play his starters too many minutes. No reason Rose should have been out there after Jamal hit that 3 to put the Hawks up 101-90.

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“While Horford has been very good on the glass in the playoffs, I’m wanting my All Star Center to provide some resistance at the rim, I’m looking for my All Star center to dominate smaller power forwards. Must I post the other All Star Center in the East numbers in the playoffs. Do All Star Al’s number match up? I’m wanting my All Star Center to shoot more than 41% from the field, when he shot 55% during the season. I’m wanting my All star center to get to the line more than 20 times in 7 games, all while being defended by the likes of Carlos Boozer, Brandon Bass, and Ryan Andersen. I’m wanting my All Star center who thinks that he is better at power forward to be aggressive, and stop passing up his shot, to pass the ball to Josh Smith standing behind the three point line. I’m wanting my All Star center to look like he has a chance playing post defense against Dwight Horward, and Carlos Boozer. I’m looking for my my All Star Star Center to be one of the best players on the floor every night. Is that asking too much?”
Elvis has left da building!! LOL

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AGAIN, HORFORD HAD 3 FOULS IN THE 1ST HALF AND FINISHED WITH 3

NO ONE HAD MORE THAN 4 FOULS (JOSH WAS THE ONLY ONE WITH 4)

GUYS RARELY FOUL OUT IN THIS LEAGUE. LET THEM PLAY.

WE HAD NO ONE COMMIT 5 FOULS AND I STILL THOUGHT THE REFS SUCKED TOO

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OOps – Mo’ turnovers should be “No Turnovers in the last post – sorry!

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drmaryb, try the Chicago Sun-Times website. I think they do more Bulls coverage than the Tribune.

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@Rod from College Park

so josh jacking up bad shots in crucial times is a sign of not being scared?..lol..i have known Josh since he played with my nephew with the Celtics…coach Mccray could not get the kid to play right now with the Hawks its the same thing..He has been keeping other teams in the game for 8 years now..Start Marvin over Josh and trade him for the best big man we can find…

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WARNING: THE CONTINUED SUCCESS OF THE HAWKS WILL CONTINUE THE SAME LEADERSHIP THAT THE BLOGGOSPHERE HAS BEEN COMPLAINING ABOUT THIS ENTIRE SEASON.

Waiting until August to sign free agents off the scrap pile. Taking the CHEAPEAST route, rather than the most TALENTED route will continue.

Nothing can justify ASG firing Larry Drew or Rick Sund. EVERYTHING that they have done up to this point HAS WORKED!!.

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“Hejan Poopnevad ” spelled backwards!!! Wow………Huh?????????????????????????????

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I am not surprised Marvin and Teague are friends off the court. I think they both could use a bigger inner dog.

Rod,

Al being named an All-Star-Center is also a reflection of the lack of good quality centers in the league.

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Najeh, let me tell you how LD will handle JT. I see LD giving the cold shoulder once KH returns.

This reminds me of VanGundy and how he handled Rafer Alston when Orlando went to the Finals. Alston gets them there while “2nd round Jameer” is hurt, and then VanGundy gives Jameer the keys to the offense and everything sputters from there. SVG lost that series with that one move.

JT has to be superb for LD to give him his due. IMO LD is tougher on him than anyone associated with this team. You think he ever questioned Bibby on anything?

I remember someone saying where are all the Bibby alley-oops he used to throw? Like I really want Bibby to come back and do that “ONE” thing he was good at?

How bout that performance from Marvin last night? He’s not due for another good game until next week. Everyone performed well in their minutes w/ the exception of Marvin/Josh. Josh is still a ticking time bomb. Anyone else despise when Josh dribbles the ball up to his hip in the open court?

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Hejan Poopnevad backwards???????????? Yawn………….

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“Najeh, let me tell you how LD will handle JT. I see LD giving the cold shoulder once KH returns.”

Wouldn’t surprise me.

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I wonder if Hejan Poopnevad throws up in laundry hampers instead.

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If JJ plays consistenly good & refrains from over dribbling & holding the ball too long resulting in poor shots for himself & others I will look at him in a new light .

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Seems like the guys started playing hard after Smoove had that dinner chat about how talented our team is

FIRE LD

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All Of youz BLOGGERS are #1 imho!!!!!!

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Josh has no right hand, a major hindrance to advancing the basket ball to the rim!
Imagine if we had drafted CP3 back in 05..Josh not smooove would have become ALLSTAR JOSH years ago……..sigh…………………….

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Dem Rose left ankle is shot dude………………

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(:>) {:>)

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Again…what????

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Dey sayin dat da ankle be sprang but good? J-Rose gonna be hobblin an be pimped by dem Hawks. Yall a see.

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Lil Dang be strokin dem jump shoots erry nite.

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dem Hawks beat down da Bulls..love that Ginos East DEEP DISH PAN PIZZA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!Yeah…..

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Go Hawks in 4!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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IMAGINE IF MARVIN WASN’T AN AWKWARD STIFF AND IF SMOOVE PLAYED TO HIS STRENGTHS

WE WOULD SWEEP OUR WAY TO THE ECF (WOULD’VE SWEPT ORLANDO)

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Hawks in 7, here’s why?

1. LD will devise a D to neutralize Rose. I suggest a zone blitz.
2. Hawks mentally/physically/spiritually tougher after Magic series.
3. Individual matchups are pretty even overall.
4. JJ’s playing better, his domination of Korver/Brewer is key.
5. Teague contributes after watching Rocky I, II, III, IV.
6. Damian ain’t scared to throw ‘dem bows.
7. Smoove/Deng is a good matchup, younger legs prevail in 7.
8. Horford has Noah’s number.
9. Big lineup will neutralize Noah, Thomas, Boozer.
10. Watson scares me.

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The Bulls are an illusion…

They have been playing with playoff level effort and defense all year…In the playoffs everyone plays at that level so experienced, talented shotmakers are the difference and the Hawks have more.

They get their points from turnovers, offensive rebs and DRose(One players ISO-Players). Those things are the easiest to solve in the playoffs and we have alot of knowledge on how to stop one “ISO player”.

When the Hawks beat the Magic(Their true Bully) the Bulls were just bunch of overconfident, overachievers, who now stand in their way.

They don’t have a 2nd gear and the playoffs are played at a different speed.

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Your finals matchup will feature the Los Angeles Lakers against the Miami Heat. Get your tickets today.

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drmaryb,

What’s the link to the Bulls’ blog site? I always have trouble finding these things

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Wrecking . . what we need Josh Smith to do is not work on his jumper, but work on his post game. Horford too, for that matter. If either of those two guys had just a little above average post game, the Hawks would be less dependent on the ISO guards that people tend to hate at times.

The fact is that since Christmas, Smith’s jumper has failed him . . and it’s failing him something terrible during these playoffs. All people want the guy to do, is play to his strengths, not be tempted to prove that he can do something that most people think he’s weak at.

Instead of 1000 jumpshots, how about trying to develop 3 go-to type post moves? That would do more to help the Hawks, than Smith trying to make jumpers.

@ JeJe . . . http://www.blogabull.com

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3. D.wade

* 3. D.Wade [corrected]

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Najeh Davenpoop

May 3rd, 2011
11:56 am

“And with each game like this, Jamal is pricing himself out of the Hawks range. Of all the FA SGs out there (Richardson, Carter, JR Smith etc), Jamal has to be top of the list. This is a contract year (and he didn’t play particularly well in the regular season), and there are lots of players who have great years during their contract year. But Jamal has definitely exceeded expectations.”

If Teague continues to emerge in this series, it wouldn’t surprise me to see him go into next season as the starter with Kirk more or less sliding into Jamal’s bench role. Kirk is a combo guard after all. Obviously the future is cloudy since there will be a new CBA, but it’s hard for me to imagine a scenario where Jamal and Kirk are both Hawks next year if Teague continues to play well. Then again, not everything this team does makes much sense…

I like what Kirk brings “sometimes” on D, but that trade was bad and will look even worse this summer because he will be costing one more million that we could use to resign Jamal, this team needs Jamal he is like our Vinnie Johnson (Detroit Bad Boys that won NBA title). Personally, I think Sund can make ammends for that trade by trading Hinrich’s expiring whenever the CBA get’s done. I am enjoying the ride but the fact remains we have 3 glaring holes: C, SF, and a knockdown shooter. The knockdown shooter can be taken care of with a minimum level player or even 2nd round pick, but the other two will probably have to come through trades.

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If we win this series, ECF will be tough as hell. Scared of LBJ and Wade, but Boston would be rough too

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Allstar Al for Non ALLstar Aldridge

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Grandad

May 3rd, 2011
3:56 pm

I don’t care what Josh does this off-season;
because I’m hoping he’s traded for a Big man.
[a true Big man]
One who actually measures 7 ft + in his bare feet.
One who actually is mendable to coaching.
Even if he’s slightly less talented than Josh.

Name 5 big men that fit that category. If you can’t name me 3?

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Grandad,

“If I may;
I would like to put to rest,
the whole debate concerning “All-star Al”
-&- whether or not he merits or did merit All-Star status.”

Your post explains my argument. Al was playing at an All star level during the regular season. He deserved the All Star nomination. He was probably so efficient because centers were not coming out beyond the free throw line to guard him, thus wide open jumpers. But in the playoffs, when you really make your money, his effeciency is way down, because teams are not leaving him open, and he is not playing at an All Star level. He can be criticized also.

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I will help u Grandad these are the C’s in the league that measure 7ft plus when barefoot.

Illgauskas
Thabeet
Shaq
Aaron Gray
Bargnani

Now which one of those guys is worthing of trading Josh for?

On the other hand, these are guys that measure 7 ft with shoes in the league.

BJ Mullens
Brendan Haywood
Chris Kaman
Tyson Chandler
Solomon Alabi
Brook Lopez
Kevin Garnett
Marcus Camby
Erick Dampier
Greg Oden
Brad Miller
Javale McGee
Marcin Gortat
Tim Duncan
Andrew Bogut
Spencer Hawes
Joakim Noah

Which one of these guys do you think is both worthy of trading Josh and the team would be willing to trade the player?

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Even when we win reading some this make me feel like we lost.

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I hate that people are complaining about Al Horford’s steller play. Sure Al has been a little tentative on the offensive side of the court for about 6 weeks now, dating back to the last month of the season. It really doesnt matter to me because the Hawks are winning important games without Horford being in the sole spotlight. Sure we’d love to see Al score 30 points and grab 16 rebounds; but we really dont need that out of him every night. Last night although he only scored 9, he grabbed 13 impressive rebounds which helped the Hawks coast to a win. Al is saving his muscle and strength for the next round. When we get to the Eastern Conference Finals, Al will rise up again and play out of his mind, with reckless abandon as he will help the Hawks make it to the Finals. Go Hawks, crush Bulls in 4.

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I know that “AllStar Al” is kind of taking a vacation, playing it cool and taking his time, trying desparately to find his timing and rhythm for the playoffs. So far, guys and gals, WE HAVENT NEEDED ANY PRODUCTION OUT OF AL AT ALL BECAUSE WE HAVE JAMAL AND JOE TO DO MOST OF OUR SCORING. So Al, continue to rest, take it easy and be laid back, we dont care as long as we come away as WORLD CHAMPIONS, hey thats all that matters to me. Go Hawks, beat Bulls in only 4 quick games.

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both Josh and Allstar Al have turrible handles……………

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And when Boozer was locked in down low in the box he moved Josh and Allstar AL out the way like they were kids…………..

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Grandad:

I would not trade Josh for Gortat. Gortat would not put us over the top. I would not trade Josh for Kaman, Kaman would not put us over the top.

I would trade Josh for Bogut or Gasol.

Lastly, you correctly stated that LA would not do Josh for Bynum.

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I was thrilled to hear that Derrick Rose won the MVP Award today. Rose literally WILLED himself to that award. Most fans know the guy doesnt deserve it, but since Rose has become popular his name has gotten out in front of that award. Rose is probably the 9th or 10th best player in the league. Here are nine guys who are considerably better than Rose:1)Kobe Bryant, LaBron James, Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett, Joe Johnson, Dirk Nowinski, Chris Paul, Deron Williams, Kevin Durant and Carmello Anthony. These guys are much better than Rose, but somehow Rose got his name out in front of the MVP award and somehow won the award. Derrick Rose is about the same in talent to Jamier Nelson. Both do exactly the same thing: drive down the lane to the basket like a an angry bull and lay the ball up off the glass. Boring.

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Rod – You said this, “When Joe and Jamal are shooting the way they have been the last couple of games, everybodies assist will be up.”

So Josh’s assists are up? I don’t think so. Hinrich’s? Nope JJ’s? Nah Jamal’s? Nada
Where’d you get that stat from?

You said, “Howard is 6′11, Josh is 6′9, Horford is 6′10. Who should be guarding Howard, Josh or Horford?”

Neither – Collins and ZaZa, with a dash of Etan and Hilton thrown in.

You said, “If the article you posted referred to Al’s defense as the reason we won the game, and did not mention Josh’s defense, then there is no reason for me to read that article.”

It did mention Josh. Your point? I thought we were talking about Al, not Josh.

You said, “He states that he is more confortable being a power forward. He has not guarded any centers in the playoffs. Josh was on Noah most of the game last night.”

So Josh was playing Center last night? – Or just on D. I think Al was the official Center last night. And did a good job on Boozer also.

You said, “But lets remember, Josh is not an All Star, Al is.

Of course, Al is an All Star Center, not PF.

Al is not above critisism. All of the All star power forwards and Centers in the playoffs are listed and their playoff numbers (not one game). Stoudemire, Gasol, Duncan, and Garnett, are closest to Al in stats, and Gasol, and Duncan have been roasted in the media daily, Stoudemire was hurt, and Garnett is on his last leg. All listed FG% are higher than Horford, except for Stoudemire, and he was injured. But, I can’t critisize Horford?

Bosh – 17ppg, 9.5 rpg, 46% FG
Duncan – 12ppg, 10rpg, 47%FG
Randolph – 23ppg, 9rpg, 50% FG
Howard – 27ppg, 15rpg, 63%FG
Aldridge – 20ppg, 7rpg, 46%FG
Nowitzki – 27ppg, 8rpg, 46%FG
Gasol – 13ppg, 7rpg, 42%FG
Stoudemire – 14.5ppg, 7rpg 38%FG
KG – 13.6ppg, 10rpg, 43%FG
Horford – 11ppg, 10rpg, 41%FG

Of course you can criticize Al. I did scathingly a few game ago, and since Al has posted Double Figures in Rebounds every game since.

So Al has out rebounded Bosh, Duncan, Randolph, Aldridge, Dirk, Gasol, Amare, and has the same per game as KG.

As a matter of fact he has out rebounded every C/PF in the playoffs you listed except Dwight.

Where does he rank on assists? Turnovers? MPG?

Man, thanks for doing my leg work for me, Al is quietly having a stellar playoffs. I had no idea how good until you posted these stats.

Thanks Rod!

By the way, if we put Josh’s #’s in the same equation he’s not looking so good is he?

Double the turnovers of Al.

Much fewer rebounds per game in the playoffs.

Worse shooting % than Al.

Take away that one game we got blown out in at Orlando, where Josh did well, and he really stinks these playoffs.

Yep, Al is playing at an All star level.

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The Hawks Big 3. Who are they?
Teague/Joe/Al?
Joe/Josh/Al?
Joe/Jamal/Al?
Teague/Jamal/Joe?
Jamal/Joe/Josh?
Hmmm?

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So in the postseason, Al:

Leads all C’s with 3.7 assists per game. Duncan is 2nd with 2.7

He would be 2nd to Gasol in assists per game if you count him as a PF.

3rd among C’s in Rebounds

2nd among PF’s – 4th overall C’s and PF’s

3rd among C’s in minutes played

3rd in double double among C’s

7th in scoring among C’s

Oh well, I know he wants to play PF, but he’s best a C. I think the Orlando series showed that.

He’s doing well, averaging a double double, leading the team in Assists, and playing mistake free basketball while defending well.

Good, solid, non erratic player.

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Superiorblogman understands the concept of “trade value” better than most of y’all. Smart teams understand how much value their assets carry and get appropriate value for those assets. This is why the Kirk trade is still a suspect one, even though in the short term it has clearly made the Hawks a better team.

In regards to how that relates to all this Smoove trade discussion, I’d rather have quality players playing slightly out of position than non-quality players playing their natural position. If you are getting a player of Smoove’s caliber in return in a trade, then it’s fine. But I am not in favor of trading him (or anyone else for that matter) just for the sake of trading them or filling positions with players who are better “fits” for those positions, and certainly not for inferior players. Players like Gortat are role players who can succeed in a limited role but are not going to be core players on any contending team. Trading a guy who for all his faults is a core player on a playoff contender for him would be a bad trade in regards to trade value.

And for that matter, injuries figure into trade value as well. I would be wary of trading a durable player like Smoove for an injury prone player like Bogut, even though talent-wise and production-wise Bogut is probably worth Smoove in a trade.

I really don’t see the problem with continuing long term with Smoove at PF, Al at C, and some defensive role playing center who can step in when the Hawks go up against the six or so centers that Al is not capable of guarding, whether that role playing center is Collins or someone better. To me it’s more important that the Hawks get either a) a true superstar, even if it requires trading one of the Hawks’ three core players or b) a fourth player of Joe/Smoove/Al’s caliber to complement them. I think either move lifts this team into elite status. These Smoove-for-a-decent-but-not-great-”true”-center trades don’t accomplish either goal.

What I hope is that Teague can become that 4th guy. He has a long way to go and there’s no guarantee he’ll necessarily even come close, but he has the talent to do so, and if he does it would take this team to the next level without requiring a trade.

Also, like northcyde said, both Smoove and Al need to work on their post game more than anything else. If each one develops a reliable go-to move (Smoove’s baby hook is close and his up and under move has potential, Al needs a move that takes him toward the hoop in a position to get fouled) they can do just fine in their current roles for this team at PF and C.

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I truly believe, that if Josh had remained in the game,
(and not been replaced by Zaza) we would not have won last eve.

This is a two part statement – true;
(1) Zaza contributed in a big way
— But —
(2) Josh was killin’ us.

* And I repeat again / I really like Josh / not a so called “hater”.
* He has marvelous athletic prowess — however — he is not coachable.

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Beautiful time to be a Hawks fan. Every Hawk that played last night scored. Teague scored the very first points of the game with a floater. The person I really loved to see eat dirt was Charles Barkely. Charles, just liked every other media outlet gave Hawks no chance versus Orlando. Hawks went in, took home court and nailed Magic 4-2. Same scenario playing out with Bulls.

Hawks can take their game up another level if thay can win game 2. They should not be satisfied to steal one game. They can further shock the world, and elevate their playoff run by winning game two. If Hawks can do that, they I will officially declare them as having arrived, and enroute to a first ever Eastern conference berth.

Sir Charles, eat dirt. Kenny Smith, chew on grass. Hollinger, chop crow. Y’all suck!

Go, Hawks, Go!

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“The games he really played well left me scratching my head at times on how good this kid can really be,” Drew said. “I’ve certainly seen the package.”

Pause.

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Najeh

I understand trade value.
see [5:53 pm]

Bogut took a nasty fall last yr, is that inj prone ?

I’m not certain we could get Bogut for Josh ?
True Bigs [5's] are hard to come by & Bogut is pretty darned good.

When I talk about trading Josh, it has nothing to do with positions
or fitting him together with Al or mis-matched parts.
I say constantly, a basketball player is a basketball player…..period.
— But —
I also quote Wooden:
“It’s your best five that -play together-”

I have come to this conclusion;
coaching Josh is not mendable.

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Like saying, don’t watch us during the year..the regular season is so overhyped!

Let the fans hear that just once from this team….

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how is JJ contract looking now?

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“He has marvelous athletic prowess — however — he is not coachable”
Bye Josh!! Not coachable adios!!

Allstar AL with the nimbers he putting up could not carry a team. He just a role player……………….

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JOSH NEEDS TO DRIVE TO THE RIM AND SLAM THE BALL THROUGH THE NYLON NETS.
JOSH NEEDS TO DRIVE TO THE RIM AND SLAM THE BALL THROUGH THE NYLON NETS.
JOSH NEEDS TO DRIVE TO THE RIM AND SLAM THE BALL THROUGH THE NYLON NETS.
JOSH NEEDS TO DRIVE TO THE RIM AND SLAM THE BALL THROUGH THE NYLON NETS.
JOSH NEEDS TO DRIVE TO THE RIM AND SLAM THE BALL THROUGH THE NYLON NETS.
JOSH NEEDS TO DRIVE TO THE RIM AND SLAM THE BALL THROUGH THE NYLON NETS.
JOSH NEEDS TO DRIVE TO THE RIM AND SLAM THE BALL THROUGH THE NYLON NETS.
JOSH NEEDS TO DRIVE TO THE RIM AND SLAM THE BALL THROUGH THE NYLON NETS.
JOSH NEEDS TO DRIVE TO THE RIM AND SLAM THE BALL THROUGH THE NYLON NETS.

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