Atlanta Hawks: Joe Johnson’s D has been strong, too
Much of the discussion about Joe Johnson’s season has focused on his offensive surge since Al Horford went down. And rightly so: In 11 games without Horford, Johnson has averaged 21.2 points per 36 minutes with a 55.9 true shooting percentage (by the way, his 54 percent TS mark for the season ranks fifth among shooting guards playing 30-plus minutes).
With Al sidelined, Joe has made 87 percent of his free throws and 40 percent of his 3-pointers and has eight games of 20-plus points and two with 30 or more. Like all things Hawks lately, those numbers come with the caveat of competition: Since Al went down, the Hawks have faced just three opponents ranked in the top half of the league in defensive efficiency: Minnesota, Portland, and Philadelphia. Still, Joe is balling.
But Johnson’s defense has been overlooked even thought the best available objective evidence suggest he’s also having a very good year on that end of the court.
According to Synergy, Johnson has allowed just .71 points per possession, ranked No. 42 among all players. (Synergy had him allowing .93 points per possession in 2010-11 and .89 in 2009-10). This season Joe has been very good when defending in isolation (.56 ppp allowed, ranked 13th), against screen-roll ball-handlers (.69 ppp, ranked 33rd) and chasing his man off screens (.69 ppp, ranked seventh). Joe’s only defensive weakness this season, according to Synergy, has been defending spot-ups: .94 ppp, ranked 113th.
Opponent PER tells the same story. According to 82games.com, Johnson’s foes at shooting guard have posted a paltry 8.6 PER and small forwards have managed just a 12.6 PER. (The opponent PER is ugly when Joe has been at point guard but that has only been a couple minutes, according to 82games.) Last season Joe’s opponent PER was 11.6 at shooting guard and 12.9 at small forward; in 2009-10, those numbers were 15.3 and 14.4, respectively.
Joe’s on-court, off-court numbers at basketballvalue.com also are positive. The Hawks have allowed 6.24 fewer points per 100 possessions with Joe on the court. And it doesn’t appear as if his strong numbers here depend on having Al and Josh Smith behind him: Joe has been part of strong defensive units that featured Zaza Pachulia or Jason Collins at center and even one lineup with Vladimir Radmanovic at power forward.
If you want to pick at nits, you can use the same “weak opponent” argument for Joe’s defensive matchups. The Hawks have faced six shooting guards who are top 15 in PER: Dwyane Wade, Kevin Martin, MarShon Brooks, Mike Miller, Sundiata Gaines and Danny Green. Of those players, Martin (27 points on 20 shots) and Brooks (36 points on 26 shots in two games) had strong scoring games against Joe (though that’s not to say Joe was solely responsible).
Also, Joe hasn’t been able to maintain the flashes of strong defensive rebounding he’s shown. Then again, he’s raised his block rate from almost nothing last season to something this year and has also increased his steals rate a bit.
I think it’s accurate to say Joe has been excellent on offense but also very good on defense this season. Of course he’ll have to do both when the competition stiffens and stakes are higher but, so far, he’s raised his level of play just like he said he would.
Notes
- Marc Spears of Yahoo Sports adds the Lakers to the list of suitors for Kenyon Martin and echoes earlier reports that Martin is seeking a large role for a contender. Adam Zagoria reports that Martin is expected to make a decision by the end of the week. I’m guessing Martin also is looking for money because of my oft-proven theory that guys are almost always looking for that above all else (and Martin just lost money with his Chinese adventure). The Clippers, Knicks and Spurs can offer more than the minimum. The Hawks can, too, but likely won’t because it would mean paying the tax.
- I haven’t heard anything to indicate the Hawks are making a bid for Chris Kaman. Reports indicate New Orleans is looking for a first-round pick, a quality young player and cap relief. Surely that price will come down as the deadline approaches but I don’t see the Hawks wanting or needing to make a deal like that. Kaman can help them because he’s a good post defender and rebounder when healthy, but at what cost for a three-month rental? Plus, the Hawks won’t do a deal that adds salary and they still aren’t sure if/when Horford will return this season.
Michael Cunningham, Hawks beat
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273 comments Add your comment
Najeh Davenpoop
February 1st, 2012
3:23 pm
1,612th!
Najeh Davenpoop
February 1st, 2012
3:25 pm
Kaman’s on the Hornets.
Rufus1
February 1st, 2012
3:28 pm
Tears of Joy…. MC, I thought they took you from us. I felt like Cily in “The color Purple”
Ray
February 1st, 2012
3:32 pm
Ahh man we were shooting for 2,000 posts LOL!
Rufus1
February 1st, 2012
3:33 pm
MC,
Can’t the Hawks cut Stack or Pargo and use that money to stay under the cap?…Pay him 2.5mil
Tootsi
February 1st, 2012
3:35 pm
If they let you go, I would have been PO’d. The AJC needs to look at and subsequently fire D. Orlando Ledbetter. He is a disgrace to the profession and to the paper.
MC and DOB are good stuff.
Admiral Ackbar
February 1st, 2012
3:41 pm
MC!!!! THE BEST SPORTS WRITER EVER IS BACK!!!!
doc
February 1st, 2012
3:43 pm
yes first on pg 33 will stand!
welcome back MC from your forced hiatus. we all missed you! yup probably ts, too. heh heh
hope you are proud of your bloggies for holding down the fort in your absence.
yeah jj is ballin bro like never before, all star legit numbers. that three last night over johnson was as good as blake’s slam on monday night. huge shot. hope he continues to play at that bar and doesnt try to crawl under it the next few games.
Melvin
February 1st, 2012
3:43 pm
MC,
Glad to see the rumors of your departure were false. I guess we need to pass the hat around to collect some traveling expenses for you during to home stand.
jon
February 1st, 2012
3:43 pm
Know one in this world could argue that Joe couyld be considerfed for League MVP. The number speak for themselves…. Remember i said “considered”
Michael Cunningham
February 1st, 2012
3:44 pm
@Rufus1: haha, that’s funny. i’m still here.
if my calculations are correct (and i’m still not certain they are because the new tax threshold rules are confusing) the Hawks are just barely under the tax. the roster has to be at least 13 so they can only cut one more guy if they add Kaman. long story short, even after cutting another guy they wouldn’t have much wiggle room at all as far as adding money.
strick
February 1st, 2012
3:44 pm
really pleased with the blowouts of inferior teams. yes, we are supposed to do this to these teams, but Hawks teams of hold have not always done this. winning the games you are supposed to win is critical in a shortened season, esp with Horford’s injury.
Michael Cunningham
February 1st, 2012
3:45 pm
@Tootsi: thanks. they are not letting me go as far as i know. damn . . . did you hear something?
jon
February 1st, 2012
3:45 pm
thank you Melvin for mentioning, the ajc is minor leagues!
Bonifide Big Man
February 1st, 2012
3:45 pm
When the team decides to play defense, they are really good. Joe has stepped it up. Loving Willie Green. Zaza has grabbed some bug rebounds.
ILL-Logical
February 1st, 2012
3:47 pm
Welcome back(?) Joe has consistently stepped up his game as the ALL Star game nears over the course pf his time with the Hawks. The key will be how he plays after the game.
16-6 is very good considering the lack of practice,training camp and the injuries. Maybe this is the year the Hawks get better as the season plays out and saves their best for the playoffs.
Ray
February 1st, 2012
3:51 pm
Depending on how the hawks do come Feb. will really determine just how dangerous the hawks will be when the playoff approaches.
If the hawks only come out of this with 1-5 wins it will force Sund to sign some center any center will actually help lol.
If we have 6-9 I think it means we will stay with what we have.
If we have 10-13 well this is the best hawks team we’ve had in a long time lol.
Honestly if the hawks grab at least 10 wins I’m willing to say they are legit dangerous team in the playoffs and even a true dark horse for the NBA Finals at least at first glance.
We are already dangerous, but this will force most media outlets hands to consider us among those that will contend for the title.
Michael Cunningham
February 1st, 2012
3:56 pm
@Melvin: “MC, Glad to see the rumors of your departure were false. I guess we need to pass the hat around to collect some traveling expenses for you during to home stand.”
haha. . . . thanks. i’m surprised to see the support. i thought my blog people would be surly at me for decisions made above my head.
in fairness, the newspaper has limited resources and so must make decisions on what we will cover. obviously my preference is that every Hawks game gets staffed but that wasn’t an option. but the good news is i haven’t been told that the AJC will skip any more road games.
Soullrenaissance
February 1st, 2012
3:59 pm
9-4 is my prog
That is stated, of course with a “glass half full” perspective. I still feel that another quality BIGMAN must be acquired to catapult The Hawks into true elite status. While I admire is talents, I am growing tired of Dwight Howard’s antics – not the sign of a true throwback champion at all. Kaman, perhaps, may be a better fit. Being that The Hawks aren’t on his “shortlist” of preferred destinations, and we are doing so well without his services I say take you talents to Jersey Clarke Kent, lol…but I would gladly push my Hawk Pride aside if we could pull off a reasonable trade to snag him for a year rental (I know its pitiful but D12 will bring a buzz this team has been had since The Human Highlight Film.)
We need a bigger buzz in this city and nationwide.
LT
February 1st, 2012
4:00 pm
MC!!!! Glad to have you back!!
Michael Cunningham
February 1st, 2012
4:02 pm
@Ill-logical: “Welcome back(?) Joe has consistently stepped up his game as the ALL Star game nears over the course pf his time with the Hawks. The key will be how he plays after the game.”
thanks . . . true about Joe. it was very noticeable last season. but i sense something different about Joe this year. it’s hard to explain (in large part because he’s not the type to offer much insight) but he just seems more determined.
UGA
February 1st, 2012
4:04 pm
Hawks could hope someone like Brad Miller is waived and pick him up……….????
Najeh Davenpoop
February 1st, 2012
4:05 pm
“the newspaper has limited resources and so must make decisions on what we will cover.”
And yet they make the decision to keep 2 Braves beat writers and someone to cover high school recruiting but can’t get you two more plane tickets even though Delta ads are all over this website.
Sounds a lot like the “decision” the DASG has made to not fix their scoreboards.
To be clear this is not a shot at you MC.
Michael Cunningham
February 1st, 2012
4:05 pm
@LT: thanks
doc
February 1st, 2012
4:05 pm
dad gum MC, maybe if we donated frequent flyer miles?
we know it is tight but didnt think it was that tight. i want to see them do that to the braves on a sorry road stand against say the marlins and the nats.
najeh, who would have though ivan “truck” johnson would be a mama’s boy? nice post from bottom of last blog to check on folks.
The Truth
February 1st, 2012
4:06 pm
Welcome back MC
This Memphis match-up is a very losable game for the Hawks.
http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/news?slug=ap-nuggets-grizzlies
“It’s the grit-and-grind, 48-minute effort from the entire team,” Mayo said of the change in mentality. “We try to put havoc on the opposing team. Defensively, playing hard, scrappy, owning the paint.”
They match-up well against the Hawks at every position except SG. But Mayo can occupy JJ offensively while Tony Allen play “monster” defense and impact the game.
The last “scrappy” defensive team we played against was Houston, we loss.
Najeh Davenpoop
February 1st, 2012
4:07 pm
My prediction is 8-5 for February, losses vs. MEM, @CHI, @LAL, @POR and vs. MIA.
KBB
February 1st, 2012
4:09 pm
MC,
Good to see that the rumors of your demise were greatly exaggerated!
Personally I assumed that AJC sports were just going to ditch the charade and just become the official blog of the UGA football bulldogs and Atlanta Braves only. The resources that are dedicated to the Hawks seem to be obligatory at best. I hope that the powers at be at the AJC realize that not EVERYONE is a UGA football fan. There are alot of people who are fans of ALL of the ATL teams. Even the Falcons coverage leaves alot to be desired and pales in comparison to the fawning and attention to detail dedicated to the Braves and Bulldogs.
Big Lou
February 1st, 2012
4:09 pm
Well, I am done promoting the Hawks within the Cage(Falcons) blog. I am really excited on what this team has done this year, but the true test will be February.
Rufus1
February 1st, 2012
4:09 pm
MC,
I was reffering to KMart. Could we cut someone and offer him 2.5mil
Big Lou
February 1st, 2012
4:11 pm
I think the Hawks will go 9-4. They will get a win @POR or MEM. In all reality, they could beat CHI, too.
Melvin
February 1st, 2012
4:11 pm
I wonder if the Hawks implemented any changes to their facility or routines b/c of the aggressive NBA schedule. One thing as fans we may not consider when we hear/see players signing with teams is the team facilities, training staff or other team related operations/procedures.
Look at what Houston has put in place b/c of the irregular NBA season.
http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nba-ball-dont-lie/rockets-adjusting-lockout-schedule-typical-rockets-thinking-000506207.html;_ylt=AhLPPWxwFSMx9y0mw5vM_1.8vLYF
doc
February 1st, 2012
4:12 pm
you know this blog and hawks fans in general and the hawk team are very similar. man you got to want it bad to put up with all the crap here. we dont even have the thrashers to dump on anymore. we might feel like that old brave catcher bob uecker in the miller lite commercial among the best ever shouting, ‘loving being on the front row!”
doc
February 1st, 2012
4:13 pm
k mart has set his sights higher than vet minimum guys. just dont feel it here.
Big Lou
February 1st, 2012
4:14 pm
MC good link on twitter about Ivan Johnson! Let’s go DEBO!
Tootsi
February 1st, 2012
4:17 pm
Ha, heard nothing, but was concerned based on the fact that they didn’t send you out there, much less allow you to blog about the games.
They should have used the resources/cash they used to send Ledbetter to the Senior Bowl to allow you to go on the road trip. Ledbetter of course provided no insight whatsoever and was instead retweeting all the other media members that were there. MC and DOB are great at giving us info and stats that allow us to think and discuss. Ledbetter could only dream of that. If they send him to the Super Bowl I may have to refrain from reading the AJC for a little while.
mountain_jim
February 1st, 2012
4:18 pm
Add my voice to the chorus happy for your presence and a new blog, MC.
If the AJC will not decently cover the Hawks, then we fans are hurtin’
Cause ESPN, the Daily Dime, Pro-basketball Talk, they all are doing their best to ignore the Hawks great start and position
Tootsi
February 1st, 2012
4:18 pm
Oh, and if the AJC powers that be had any clue, they would realize that this blog gets far more attention and discussion than anything posted on the Falcons blog.
Joe for 3
February 1st, 2012
4:18 pm
Welcome back from the short hiatus, MC!
Slimjr
February 1st, 2012
4:19 pm
I’m going to be optimistic for real and say 9-4 for the Month of February!! C’mon Sund get a big in here YESTERDAY!!!!!!!!!!!!1
Tootsi
February 1st, 2012
4:20 pm
http://blogs.ajc.com/atlanta-falcons-blog/2012/01/31/georgia-connections-in-super-bowl-xlvi/?cxntfid=blogs_atlanta_falcons_blog
For example, this useless Ledbetter post got all of 15 comments. The game blogs from the last 2 got 32 pages worth of comments.
Slimjr
February 1st, 2012
4:20 pm
The Falcons and their blogs stink!
KBB
February 1st, 2012
4:22 pm
DOB is probably one of the best baseball beat writers in the country. Ledbetter is probably one of the absolute worst in his profession. Go figure.
Slimjr
February 1st, 2012
4:23 pm
D-led aint one of them…So he does not get the retarded responses that Jeff gets vs the Fail-cons….
kwooden
February 1st, 2012
4:23 pm
I haven’t seen MEM play this year, but they look like a tough minded team. I don’t see any real match-up issues, which is good, but we’re going to have to play a consistent game to get a win. Tony Allen is a tough defender, but JJ has to win that match-up for us to be successful. I like our bench in this match-up though because of Tracy’s height and MEM doesn’t have a real quality 6-10 guy coming off the bench. Hopefully we can hit the boards and the bench can apply some pressure. Mayo is going to be a problem this game, along with the other quick players they have coming off the bench. Hopefully LD is ready to give Pargo some playing time, because I think we’ll need his defensive help. This could also be a game where Vlad can get some shots and do some work. Memphis is a lot weaker without Arthur and Randolph.
GO HAWKS!!
Sautee
February 1st, 2012
4:23 pm
LOL, the AJC should have just taken out a full page ad saying “we suck”.
That would have been cheaper than not sending a beat writer to a game, which was the exact result.
Slimjr
February 1st, 2012
4:25 pm
bring back MV7 and D-led blogs would lite up with hate mail…..
Hawks Blog Legend Worldwide Clyde
February 1st, 2012
4:28 pm
FIRE SUND
Slimjr
February 1st, 2012
4:31 pm
Tony Allen is a freaking beast on the defensive end…He’s a 10 on the D scale. JC1 is a -10 on that same scale!! lol
Rod from College Park can write a thesis if he like but we know a non committed defender when we see one JeJe! Thats why he wears out his welcome after a couple of years….People want to win..You win with defense and rebounding….. Long distance bombs? Not so much….
Najeh Davenpoop
February 1st, 2012
4:32 pm
Joe hasn’t been up against a defender as tough as Tony Allen in weeks.
The weakness in Memphis’ defense is power forward. Marreese Speights is a weak defender and they have a tendency to go small with the second unit. Josh is the guy with the matchup advantage, and he’s shooting under 40% with 11 points per game over the last four games. He needs to step it up on offense if the Hawks will beat Memphis, by which I mean he needs to do work on the inside, not from the perimeter.
GDH
February 1st, 2012
4:32 pm
What about a trade for Troy Murphy?
Joe for 3
February 1st, 2012
4:34 pm
No.
Michael Cunningham
February 1st, 2012
4:35 pm
@Rufus1: “MC, I was reffering to KMart. Could we cut someone and offer him 2.5mil”
yes but it still would mean about $2 million of tax on top of K-Mart’s salary plus forfeiting the distribution for non-tax teams.
Slimjr
February 1st, 2012
4:36 pm
If Josh could have mastered the NBA jumpshot with an assortment of movement he would be compared to Lequeen…..
Michael Cunningham
February 1st, 2012
4:37 pm
@Najeh: “Joe hasn’t been up against a defender as tough as Tony Allen in weeks.”
Iggy? then again, you saw how that went.
KBB
February 1st, 2012
4:37 pm
@GDH
What about a trade for Troy Murphy?
Heck, anything would be better than trotting out Twin. He is worse than Zaza at EVERYTHING. This whole town is broke. The ajc is broke, the Spirit are broke, Liberty media is filthy rich but they spend like they are broke, the only entity with any money is Blank and his young ex wife is about to take him to the cleaners
FreshmakerGT
February 1st, 2012
4:38 pm
The Hawks could be set up for a good run this year. I think the fact that the core is still the same helps us out greatly. A lot of teams are adjusting to new coaches and new players with very little practice time due to the lockout. The players’ familiarity with each other and the system has made a big difference IMO. Combine that with the smart FA moves that Sund made (actually bringing in a bunch of guys that can shoot), and we could do some serious damage in the playoffs. Love the fact that we can rain threes like we’re Kentucky.
kwooden
February 1st, 2012
4:46 pm
I think Joe will have a better time with Allen than Iggs because Allen’s only around 6′ 3″-4″. Joe can at least post him up and shoot the fade-way, but with Iggs that wasn’t happening. If Joe posts-up and also gets in the lane for a few floaters I think he’ll be just fine, but I don’t expect 30 again either.
GO HAWKS!!
Slimjr
February 1st, 2012
4:51 pm
Problem with Tony, is Iso wont be able to out quick him…He wont score more that 17-21..
JOSH needs to get 20pts Thursday night!
doc
February 1st, 2012
5:00 pm
tony allen was huge last night and personally stopped andre miler one of my favorite gamers in the fourth quarter. the old “he was in his jock strap” held true. yup pretty old. bet some dont know what a cup really is.
Rufus1
February 1st, 2012
5:07 pm
We are not going to lose to MEM….
They don’t have enough OFFENSE OR DEFENSE to beat us….We owned them when Bibby was our PG, and they had their whole team…Also, Josh and Marvin own them.
Show a little faith in the Hawks…
kwooden
February 1st, 2012
5:09 pm
Slim, the problem is Speights is 6′10″ and athletic, Josh won’t be able to just drive by him and score. If Josh goes for 15 and 10, I will be happy. I think the bench needs to come-up big with good games from Tracy, Vlad and Ivan. Hopefully Hinich, Pargo and Green can slow down Mayo!
GO HAWKS!!
Najeh Davenpoop
February 1st, 2012
5:10 pm
Sekou’s Hang Time podcast is about the Hawks this week.
Slimjr
February 1st, 2012
5:11 pm
RIP DON CORNELIUS!
PEACE,LOVE AND SURE NOUGH SOUL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
KevinM
February 1st, 2012
5:16 pm
“FreshmakerGT
February 1st, 2012
4:38 pm”
Fresh, if we get half the respect UK gets, things will be going great in the ATL.
Welcome back, MC…talk about a void from the regular day-2-day? That hiatus is a bit hard to take right in the middle of the season. Next time, suggest the AJC to not make you cover preseason games.
Now going forward, all we need from Joe is 20 vs. Memphis…I like our chances at that point. Teague needs to get 13 and I’ll feel even better.
Reward T-Mac with more minutes should Marvin not be at his best.
Runner-
February 1st, 2012
5:22 pm
Hawks lost $15 mill last year, no way in hell they will go over the threshold now, not with half the season almost already over
Slimjr
February 1st, 2012
5:25 pm
kwooden, I have a feeling that this game will be a double digit blowout for the Hawks!
Hawks Win!!!!!!!!!!!! Hawks Win!!!!!!
vava74
February 1st, 2012
5:28 pm
MC,
Good to see that you are back.
On the month of February:
Main problem, as usual, is focus.
With Al going down, cohesion and focus increased, not because we are better without Al but because we are mentally instable and weak.
When everyone is available it’s like these cats get laisier and rely on others stepping up, so it is more frequent to have more than one guy out of sync. That is what happens on “those nights”.
With Al down, they felt threatened/harrassed like a wounded animal and amped up their games.
My fear is that now that they completed a good series Of games under this mind set, they will feel comfortable again (I think we are already seeing some cracks on Josh’s focus).
If this materialises, then I see us going 4-9 during this month (I still believe that 7-6 is realistic and 9-4 possible).
On the MEM game:
I think JJ’s line will be 15 points on 5-12, 1-4, 4-4 4reb 8ass 3to 1st. – I would use him mainly at the sf slot.
Crucial players:
Josh must have a good game (let’s hope his shot is on since he will definitively shoot a few long ones).
Teague must dominate on both ends (my fear is LD increasing unjustifiably Hinrich’s numbers).
Zaza/Collins must make Gasol work for his points – if he shoots only .500 from the field and we do not allow them too many oReb, we should be ok.
Marvin cannot repeat his HOU performance when he simply did not show up on D. If he makes Gay work hard, we should be ok.
Finally, Pargo vs Pargo?
Slimjr
February 1st, 2012
5:29 pm
15 million loss? Then why did these Genius just spend 2 million on a Steak House and not spend 30grand to fix the freaking Score board?……………..Sheesh….
Just Joe
February 1st, 2012
5:30 pm
Pryzbilla to choose between Bulls & Heat by end of week. Rich get richer.
Rev in Tampa
February 1st, 2012
5:31 pm
I almost missed the story about Ivan. Thanks Najeh & doc for mentioning it. I’m glad I listened to it in its entirety rather than reading the edited transcript. The media player is down at the bottom of the page.
http://thestory.org/archive/the_story_488_The_Brink_Of_Sucess.mp3/view
Just Joe
February 1st, 2012
5:40 pm
If you protect the ball, you beat Memphis. They run strictly iso plays and score in transition off of turnovers. They are #1 in the league in forcing turnovers. We are 3rd in the league in fewest turnovers committed. They only shoot 32% from 3 as a team. Take care of the ball, keep them out of the paint, and we’ll be fine.
KevinM
February 1st, 2012
5:41 pm
“Just Joe
February 1st, 2012
5:30 pm
Pryzbilla to choose between Bulls & Heat by end of week. Rich get richer”
That right there is my reasoning why Sund should make a move or 2 now to get the best of what is available. We quite possibly be the only team in the league more concerned about the luxury tax than finding any way possible to get this team to the ECF and potentially the Finals.
Its there for the picking, especially when the Heat is still trying to figure themselves out.
WITGF!!
KevinM
February 1st, 2012
5:44 pm
The Grizz are a 4-7 road team with no Zach….gotta prevent Rudy from having his way….you prepping for him Marvin?
W. R. Terrell
February 1st, 2012
5:47 pm
The HAWKS are beginning to show signs of being a good basketball team. They are winning the games they should. I was surprised last eve that Josh was 3 for 7. Could it be that he’s learning the game of basketball. Tomorrow night will tell the story about Josh in a lot of ways. Philly is a game the HAWKS can win in a decisive manner if the HAWKS as a team play together. I hope LD uses the bench if some player (not mentioning any name)starts launching wild shots and imitates a bad point guard.
Joe is making his move a lot quicker on players that he has an advantage over and that is a good thing. Zsa, Zsa is finding his niche and it’s about time and Marvin is becoming comfortable and his game is finally emerging. This will continue if Josh plays to his strengths. The one thing I would like for Josh to do is give the ball to the point guard and run the floor, it would be very much appreciated and make the HAWKS even more prolific in their scoring.
The HAWKS will know something about themselves during this homestand. I am definitely hoping we are not seeing a mirage. Ivan is becoming a blessing and TMAC is getting his lege, Willie Green is definitely an asset and so is Pargo. The HAWKS have wingspan and atheleticism going for them in their starting forwards, it’s about time that POTENTIAL is reached and surpassed.
Shooter
February 1st, 2012
6:02 pm
What about Ben Wallace ?
My View
February 1st, 2012
6:03 pm
K-Mart makes me feel a whole lot better about the Hawks long term (this season) but I’m afraid that it won’t happen so I try not to think on it to much. Front court toughness/Def, rebounding, and depth are all positives that would propel us. The Hawks are playing so well right now. Beating the teams that we should beat save Mia at home. Not my money but K-Mart is worth paying the tax for.
Najeh Davenpoop
February 1st, 2012
6:25 pm
If Przybilla signs with the Bulls he clearly is just in it for the money. He’s not even going to get playing time there behind Asik and Noah.
jay
February 1st, 2012
6:25 pm
In short, Joe seems healthy. He’s playing his game of smoothness. Needs to show up like that against quality though.
Sautee
February 1st, 2012
6:30 pm
Najeh,
Maybe Pryz is chasing a ring?
system configuration
February 1st, 2012
6:41 pm
Enter your comments here
system configuration
February 1st, 2012
6:42 pm
Whats the difference between Al Horford and Kwame Brown?
system configuration
February 1st, 2012
6:42 pm
Nothing
Just Joe
February 1st, 2012
6:51 pm
Kendrick Perkins averaging a very ZaZa-like 4.7 pts & 5.7 rebs in 26 minutes per game., and has 3 yrs and $25.5M left on his deal after this year.
With Maynor out, would they be interested in Kirk Hinrich for Perkins in order to clear some future cap space for the new deals that Westbrook, Ibaka & Harden will get in the next couple fo years?
O'Brien
February 1st, 2012
6:57 pm
RIP Don Cornelius. Suicide is alleged.
O'Brien
February 1st, 2012
7:01 pm
Najeh,
The Lakers have kicked the tires around on Gilbert Arenas, so we know they are looking for help. Maybe you should call them to ask about Hinrich for their Odom trade exemption (we know Rick Sund won’t).
But which big would the Hawks get?
atlantaHAWKS
February 1st, 2012
7:03 pm
Great article on hoopinion about the hawks chances of getting a top 4 seed for he playoffs.
“The 4 seed has required a winning percentage of 0.572 (38 wins) over the past decade. Taking into account two standard deviations gives 43 wins to “guarantee” a top 4 seed this season, which will require the Hawks go 27-17 the rest of the way.”
hoopinion has been posting some decent, albeit short articles about the hawks recently which i like.
http://www.edaboard.com/thread214386.html
atlantaHAWKS
February 1st, 2012
7:03 pm
And great to have you back MC!
i_am_soulstar
February 1st, 2012
7:17 pm
Marc Gasol’s gonna be a headache tomorrow. Really gonna need Zaza (or Collins) to get in that guy’s head.
Hawks Fan Down Under
February 1st, 2012
7:22 pm
Is there any chance we can trade Al for a big with inside presence? Al has salary of about $12mil and we could easily get a great player back in return.
System Update
February 1st, 2012
7:26 pm
“With Al going down, cohesion and focus increased”,
I couldn’t agree more. All the constant bickering about wanting to play another position, the refusal to assert in the post, the locker room fights, Tito getting involved, the leaks in the press, boy, it wasn’t about winning or playing as a team. It was all about what “Al” wanted and it destroyed the chemistry of the team.
Bottom line
this is a MUCH better team with out Al.
jlewis
February 1st, 2012
7:31 pm
Could it be JJ is healthy this year, maybe thats the something different. You can say what you want, but NO ONE in this league can guard JJ one on one, its been proven in the past, thats why every team double teams him.
Slimjr
February 1st, 2012
7:41 pm
nothing mechanical in this offense….
Grandmaster JeJe (GM)
February 1st, 2012
7:44 pm
Prybilla choosing between Heat and Bulls
Good job going after him, ASG
Grandmaster JeJe (GM)
February 1st, 2012
7:45 pm
Just like any other Hawks season, we started fast. Now we will be like 3 games over .500 after the month is over since we are playing real teams… *yawn*
Just Joe
February 1st, 2012
7:52 pm
3 games over .500 after the month is over would mean going 3 – 10 over the next 13 games. I don’t think things are that bad.
Astro Joe
February 1st, 2012
8:00 pm
MC, in lieu of writing a blog based on interviews, you could have just made up some ish like the rest of us do.
It is kind of interesting to see that the current blog features statistical analysis and articles from other NBA writers (as opposed to the aforementioned quotes from players/coaches). Kind of makes one wonder if the previous blog was left up for so long to prove a point (as opposed to a lack of material for a new one)?
northcyde
February 1st, 2012
8:04 pm
Rev in Tampa
February 1st, 2012
5:31 pm
I almost missed the story about Ivan. Thanks Najeh & doc for mentioning it. I’m glad I listened to it in its entirety rather than reading the edited transcript. The media player is down at the bottom of the page.
http://thestory.org/archive/the_story_488_The_Brink_Of_Sucess.mp3/view
************************
WOW @ this. One of the best interviews I’ve ever heard. Ivan is a man of few words, but what he says is right to the point. No matter what happens after the season is over, SOMEBODY is going to sign this dude and may give him a multi-million dollar contract.
He got his one chance in that Miami game on national TV, and has never looked back. He’s actually given our “soft” team a little spunk and toughness. When the playoffs come, that toughness will pay dividends for us.
skyhawk1
February 1st, 2012
8:10 pm
Why not trade for Kaman? Kirk + 2nd round for BIG Kaman…. David Stern would love to help our miserable franchise at some point….
O'Brien
February 1st, 2012
8:11 pm
From espn.com;
The Miami Heat, interested in any and all veteran big men who become available on the market, are in the race for two such players that could make their decisions by the end of the week. The Heat have offered contracts to both Joel Przybilla and Kenyon Martin, their agents told ESPN.com..
But Rick is ok with Zaza and Collins as our centers (although he is interested in Kenyon). One good reason for going after a guy like Pryz would be to keep him away from the other contenders. But Rick doesnt think that way.
I will be shocked if Kenyon signs with the Hawks.
Section 303
February 1st, 2012
8:13 pm
Glad that the Hawks are not likely in the Kaman bidding. He isn’t that good. Those of you wanting him, would hate him in two weeks. He would either be hurt or just an average addition.
Looking forward to the game tomorrow. Joe vs Tony Allen. Will be a good one.
Grandad
February 1st, 2012
8:14 pm
“Joe hasn’t been up against a defender as tough as Tony Allen in weeks”
Actually Joe ran into the burgeoning rookie talent
-Kawhi Leonard- vs San Antonio !
Kawhi Leonard – they say – ” is gonna be the next Bruce Bowen ”
Could make all-rookie team based on his defense.
STRETCH
February 1st, 2012
8:18 pm
Well, just know this…Sund is Frank Wrens long lost twin. He is the same as Wren. They blow pipe dreams and hope that the fans drink their Jim Jones juice!
sure the Hawks are looking good, but wait till the latter part and playoffs start when teams start to take advantage of that paper thin front court. 1st round folks!
Dark Karma
February 1st, 2012
8:27 pm
in fairness, the newspaper has limited resources and so must make decisions on what we will cover. obviously my preference is that every Hawks game gets staffed but that wasn’t an option. but the good news is i haven’t been told that the AJC will skip any more road games.
Translation – the AJC is broke. Must be something about a company with an acronym that begins with an “A”……
Najeh Davenpoop
February 1st, 2012
8:34 pm
“He would either be hurt or just an average addition.”
“Average” is better than “Collins”.
Najeh Davenpoop
February 1st, 2012
8:35 pm
“Sund is Frank Wrens long lost twin.”
Wren’s philosophy is exactly the opposite though. He is constantly tinkering and trying to make the team better — of course sometimes this results in disaster (Lowe), and sometimes it results in something good (Bourn). Sund on the other hand is too happy to sit on his hands and pretend everything is fine.
Najeh Davenpoop
February 1st, 2012
8:37 pm
“Maybe you should call them to ask about Hinrich for their Odom trade exemption (we know Rick Sund won’t).
But which big would the Hawks get?”
Haha. I am at the point where I might actually do that or at least send them an email. I wonder if Mitch Kupchak is on Twitter.
Any big who is a significant upgrade over Collins and doesn’t add too much long term salary is a good acquisition.
Najeh Davenpoop
February 1st, 2012
8:40 pm
“The 4 seed has required a winning percentage of 0.572 (38 wins) over the past decade. Taking into account two standard deviations gives 43 wins to “guarantee” a top 4 seed this season, which will require the Hawks go 27-17 the rest of the way.”
Hoopinion is actually pessimistic compared to Hollinger’s automated Playoff Odds, which have the Hawks finishing 46-20 (.697) and finishing 2nd in the conference ahead of Miami. That would require they go 30-14 (.682) the rest of the way. They are currently 16-6 (.727).
Najeh Davenpoop
February 1st, 2012
8:40 pm
“Maybe Pryz is chasing a ring?”
Couldn’t he get that in Miami where he’d actually play?
KevinM
February 1st, 2012
8:41 pm
303, on the Kaman deal, I am thinking more than just this year, but you have to get in position this year to make a push. All of our guys are playing great, and we all know it can’t last for the long run.
You have to make a strike when the opportunity arises; we can’t watch MIA and CHI add pieces and we sit and say, “I like our bigs”…its not enough.
Losing Kirk could be costly, because I like the combo with JT and Joe. If that is the only way to get Kaman, I would consider passing because NO really doesn’t have a lot of leverage and they should be looking for players who take the team first approach. Kaman wants major minutes, and NO wants to develop and not re-sign him.
Say we get Kaman, and we lose 2 role players, I am okay with that. We made an attempt to strengthen the starting 5 and push further in the playoffs. If we lose some of our long term contracts, we then have room to maneuver this summer. We cover ourselves whether Al comes back or not, we free up cap space, and we deal with Kaman & Kirk this summer.
I am against trading a #1 (not that we can) as we still need to develop some youth.
Out of the available big men out there being bantered about, I choose Kaman first over Pryz, KMart, some Tony Battie type backup, and D12 doesnt’ appear to be an option at this point. Should the D12 situation open up, then we have a whole different challenge, but ORL isn’t swapping within their own division.
And if I could move Marvin for some value, I am dialing, texting, IMing, anything to see what we could get in return.
Astro Joe
February 1st, 2012
8:44 pm
Around the league tonight:
LeBron outscores Milwaukee 24-23 in the first quarter.
Wizards are holding their own against the Magic.
76ers are whipping the Bulls.
Najeh Davenpoop
February 1st, 2012
8:45 pm
Bulls getting waxed on the road at Philly. Nice to have some company.
Blast
February 1st, 2012
8:49 pm
I ain’t worried about the Grizs. It will be a big test for Hawks, though.
Astro Joe
February 1st, 2012
8:49 pm
BTW, there seems to be a bit of a pattern with some of the Hawks recent major injuries. Joe had elbow surgery and was supposed to miss around 4-6 weeks (as I recall), but returned in two. Hinrich was supposed to be out 2-3 months and returned 1 month after the season started. And after reports that initially suggested Horford would miss the regular season, there seems to be some hedging on that one too. Could it be the Hawks have opted for a “let’ make it sound worse in case it is” communications strategy? Seriously, they could straight up lie and tell us that Horford won’t be healthy until August, what difference would it make? Maybe the sample of two (Joe & Kirk) doesn’t make a trend… but I’m beginning to wonder.
Eric
February 1st, 2012
8:52 pm
Is this an update, or, something we already know?
System Update
February 1st, 2012
7:26 pm
“With Al going down, cohesion and focus increased”,
I couldn’t agree more. All the constant bickering about wanting to play another position, the refusal to assert in the post, the locker room fights, Tito getting involved, the leaks in the press, boy, it wasn’t about winning or playing as a team. It was all about what “Al” wanted and it destroyed the chemistry of the team.
Bottom line
this is a MUCH better team with out Al.
doc
February 1st, 2012
8:55 pm
quote for posterity:
Jeff Schultz
February 1st, 2012
7:59 pm
Doc — The Hawks are great!!!!! (How’s that?)
heh heh
Bluntly
February 1st, 2012
8:59 pm
Since Al is so disharmonious, and dont want to play center, its time to trade him for some one who wants play the position and wont fight his team mates about their position. Since Al wont embrace the position trade him for some one who will. Why is that so hard to understand? Why is that so difficult?
what is the issue ?
doc
February 1st, 2012
8:59 pm
aj, sorry, that is preposterous and the recuperation of both of those guys is admirable. jj wasnt 100% and it showed but he delivered. hinrich was about on time of 2.5 to 3 mth. they were saying end of janusary at the outset which i thought was optimistic. of course it all depends on how bad it is and what they have to repair as the shoulder injury gay had last year shelved him for 6 mths.
Cedric
February 1st, 2012
9:02 pm
We are playing beautiful basketball right now. Keep up the intensity and play with aggressive energy. We are one of the five best teams in the league. There is no reason why we should expect anything less than a 9 and 4 record this month. I am expecting a 11 and 2 record this month. Joe Johnson is playing great ball right now. Keep up the aggressive play on both ends of the court. He is playing like an all pro right now. Go Hawks.
Rev in Tampa
February 1st, 2012
9:02 pm
System Update, AKA SLB, AKA T-S,
I was wondering if you were around. I have a video I wanted to share with you. By the way, I share your very negative view of the so-called Bishop. This is the stupidest thing I have ever seen.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AVkoQHCXSK8
JaeEvolution
February 1st, 2012
9:08 pm
If we got Pryzbilla and K-Mart we would be so much better a defensive team, but that will never happen actually if we got K-Mart and Semih Erden for a 2nd round pick we would be an even better defensive team.
Maybe K-Mart will randomly come here like T-Mac did, I can hope he is a good player.
doc
February 1st, 2012
9:17 pm
rev, feel for the lost flock is all i can say.
T.S.
February 1st, 2012
9:17 pm
Rev in Tampa I could only watch so much.
Thanks for the reach out.
They still cast lots over his garments
KBB
February 1st, 2012
9:23 pm
We are not getting Pryz or K-Mart. Sund is content to rest on his laurels. I would love to be at his blackjack table. He would get an Ace and a 3 of hearts and Stand.
KBB
February 1st, 2012
9:24 pm
Sunds philosophy is stay with this core
Its not like this core has ever accomplished much. I can see Ainge in Boston staying loyal to his core which won a title and features 3 potential future Hall of Famers. We have zero rings and zero potential hall of famers. Whats so magical about this core? Trade Marvin for a bag of hammers and decent center!
Slimjr
February 1st, 2012
9:25 pm
Rev, that link has my jaw wide open!!! Wow!!!!!!!!!!!
Incredible….Sheesh……..
Rufus1
February 1st, 2012
9:26 pm
Wow…Bulls lose by 16pts on the road….
It must be hard to win on the road against good teams……Who would have thought that!
doc
February 1st, 2012
9:26 pm
philly smoked the bulls, magic got well against the wiz.
Slimjr
February 1st, 2012
9:27 pm
Doug Collins for COY!
What a basketball mind!!!!!!!!!!!!
doc
February 1st, 2012
9:27 pm
i’m with you ts i couldnt make it past the belt coming off. what a show.
Rufus1
February 1st, 2012
9:38 pm
Doug Collins must be genius….
Those 15 home games, sure does wonders for you coaching ability…. I wish the Hawks had a record like Philly, too bad we have played 13 road game to their 8.
Rufus1
February 1st, 2012
9:49 pm
Bulls 5 and 5 vs above .500 teams
Najeh Davenpoop
February 1st, 2012
9:54 pm
Miami has blown a 20 point lead and is now tied in the 4th quarter with Milwaukee.
Subtlety
February 1st, 2012
9:59 pm
“Since Al wont embrace the position trade him for some one who will. Why is that so hard to understand? Why is that so difficult?”
“what is the issue ?”
Grandmaster JeJe (GM)
February 1st, 2012
9:59 pm
FIRE SUND
FIRE LD
FIRE ASG
ROD FROM COLLEGE PARK = AJC BLOGGER OF THE YEAR
WORLDWIDE CLYDE #2
GRANDMASTER JEJE (GM) #3.
BEING #3 MEANS I AM THE ANSWER LIKE A.I.
YAGA
Subtlety
February 1st, 2012
10:02 pm
The “issue” is, that nobody would want him, so what do you think you can trade him for? A rack of basketballs?
Najeh Davenpoop
February 1st, 2012
10:09 pm
Half the Bucks crowd is pulling for the Heat, and that arena was empty when the Hawks beat them, but I don’t see any articles being written about how terrible Milwaukee fans are.
bigdave
February 1st, 2012
10:10 pm
Listening to trade offers for Dirk
Najeh Davenpoop
February 1st, 2012
10:12 pm
Bigdave I’ll give you Byron Mullens for him
Najeh Davenpoop
February 1st, 2012
10:24 pm
Miami just completed one of the season’s biggest choke jobs and is about to lose to Milwaukee, putting the Hawks in sole possession of first place in the Southeast division.
Soullrenaissance
February 1st, 2012
10:25 pm
The Heat are about to lose ChiTown – The East is Atown’s for the taking; let’s handle Memphis things will shape up nicely.
Melvin
February 1st, 2012
10:26 pm
Bucks beat Miami for the 2nd time tonight. How good does that Hawks win at Milwaukee look now….
Rufus1
February 1st, 2012
10:28 pm
Melvin,
REAL GOOD..
Rufus1
February 1st, 2012
10:31 pm
The East standings..
http://www.nba.com/standings/team_record_comparison/conferenceNew_Std_Cnf.html
Soullrenaissance
February 1st, 2012
10:31 pm
Melvin and Rufus –
Like ‘real contenders’ good.
Soullrenaissance
February 1st, 2012
10:32 pm
not to Chitown but The Bucks – you know what I meant.
Rufus1
February 1st, 2012
10:34 pm
Soullrenaissance,
SSShhhh! You are going to make some of these bloggers nervous, that word scares them.
Najeh Davenpoop
February 1st, 2012
10:34 pm
This is unlikely to happen, but in theory the Hawks could be tied for first place in the conference by tomorrow, if they beat Memphis and Chicago loses to the Knicks.
High-Tech Lynching
February 1st, 2012
10:36 pm
Bulls and Heat lose tonight. The Hawks move up to the 3 seed in the Eastern Conference standings and are only one game out of first place. Bulls and Heat are vulnerable. The Heat has/have problems closing out games.
http://www.nba.com/standings/team_record_comparison/conferenceNew_Std_Cnf.html
Soullrenaissance
February 1st, 2012
10:45 pm
Rev – that is a disgrace how they are making a mockery of The Most High and how lost that congregation to follow that false teacher….
Soullrenaissance
February 1st, 2012
10:46 pm
Rufus – true, mediocrity is more suitable for some.
Rufus1
February 1st, 2012
10:50 pm
I wonder if DWill like living in NY, more than winning…Because Utah is good.
Soullrenaissance
February 1st, 2012
10:53 pm
DWill likes mediocrity in a big market – hope he got what he wanted because the grass did seem greener for he and Carmelo to demand those trades. Spoiled brat superstars.
Spyro
February 1st, 2012
10:58 pm
What happened to Smith.Leuer.Bogut? Ever since Bogut went down and the Bucks started winning, he has been extremely quiet.
Rufus1
February 1st, 2012
11:00 pm
Soullrenaissance,
D12 will find the same truth if he leaves, because a team will have to gut their roster to get him.
Najeh Davenpoop
February 1st, 2012
11:00 pm
Correct me if I’m wrong but I don’t believe Deron Williams actually asked for a trade. In fact if I remember right he didn’t even expect the trade to go down.
ntrigue
February 1st, 2012
11:05 pm
Who wouldve thought that coach would have a shot at coaching the all star game LOL. With the bulls and heat losing its a possibility if we win our next two and bulls lose at knicks and heat lose to 76ers! Hawks 1st place in Southeast division go hawks let’s try to stay there and get home court advantage throughout the playoffs! I want us to get the 1 or 2 seed if we do we will at least go to east finals …. Don’t let us sign K-MART if we do its a wrap! I hope he chooses us all of you all that think he’s washed up watch what i say he will do this team wonders on the 2nd unit and mixed in with the 1st unit!
Soullrenaissance
February 1st, 2012
11:16 pm
Remember Najeh…
…Deron Williams demanded that either Sloan be replaced by Corbin or he wanted out. He was a real prima donna about it all too.
http://jbmills1971.hubpages.com/hub/TheDeronWilliamsTradeFittingJustice
FreshmakerGT
February 1st, 2012
11:22 pm
Wow…5 teams with only 6 losses in the East. O_o
FreshmakerGT
February 1st, 2012
11:23 pm
Great to see the Bulls and Heat get blown out on the road though.
And lol @ those of you who want to trade our All-Star center for a bunch of paint chips…
brigadierjerry
February 1st, 2012
11:31 pm
I was wondering for all us Hawks fans when did you become an Atlanta Hawks fan and why?
For me I go back to the early 80’s when Mike Glenn used to play for the Hawks
Rev in Tampa
February 1st, 2012
11:44 pm
Brigaderjerry,
I can remember the exact moment I became a true fan. I wnet to a game at the Omni and saw Nique come from the corner for a tomahawk jam. I’ll never forget it. I dropped off for a few years while in Philly getting my masters degree, etc but came back strongly during the playoff series with the Celtics. My passion was never ferver pitch high, however, until I happen to peek at what was being written in the blog by fans. The Hawks organization ought to pay MC’s salary for upkeep of the blog because the passion stoked on this blog puts butts in the seats in Phillips.
High-Tech Lynching
February 1st, 2012
11:52 pm
Jamal is ballin’ harder than a mug tonight for Portland!
doc
February 2nd, 2012
12:02 am
brig i lived in atlanta as a native and somehow i chose to become a hawks fan in 1957 the year they last won it. i thought i had picked out a real winer for years to come. check the roster out as they had some really good players including bob petit.
http://www.basketball-reference.com/teams/STL/1958.html
the next year was the start of the celt dynasty. ;-(
oddly enough, my favorite baseball team starting that year was the milwaukee braves who won the world series that year with aaron, matthews, spahn and burdette. within eight years both were my hometown teams.
didnt work in football as my team growing up was the colts and craved to be the next john mackay. they were served up regularly on channel 5 back in those early days of football coverage as it was only regional for the most part. child, double hitters on sunday were gold back then. heh heh
so one world championship in 140 or so sports years since and i still wait for another one by an atlanta team before i go. preferablly it will be the hawks but not too choosy at this point. i might have to live another 50 years.
doc
February 2nd, 2012
12:05 am
yowsa, three teams with less than 5 wins in the east, another 5 with 8 or less.
blake blowing it up tonight against the jazz.
doc
February 2nd, 2012
12:15 am
you might say the hawks were the braves of old as a storied franchise. in the years between 1956 to 1970 the hawks were in the conference finals or better 12 years. not bad and even went to the conference titles two years in their first four winning upwards of 56 games a year with richie guerin as the coach. man did they ever go donw hill after they got here even with pistol pete around a few years.
Soullrenaissance
February 2nd, 2012
12:20 am
Brigadierjerry, I am a have been a fan since the 88 Season and clash between Nique and Bird. I cried when the Front Office traded Nique for Manning during the year when it was primed for us to win the East and face the Rockets 94′ – been rooting ever since. through the Mutumbo – to Isaiah Rider to Abdur Rahim to the blow up and all. I really jumped back on board in 2008 and have been hanging on since.
Soullrenaissance
February 2nd, 2012
12:21 am
typo – I am a ‘younger fan’ ….
Soullrenaissance
February 2nd, 2012
12:23 am
doc, they say Pistol Pete, for all his flash and scoring greatness, was lacking as a team leader and winner. Am I wrong?
Najeh Davenpoop
February 2nd, 2012
12:27 am
Started watching the Hawks regularly like a year before they got Mutombo, but been an ATL sports fan since ‘91. Too young to remember anything before that.
doc
February 2nd, 2012
12:48 am
soul, sadly he was probably an alcoholic even in college. he was pushed pretty hard by his dad, press, the lsu coach and probably didnt grow up too much but he had talent. sadly he blew out an acl before there was an operation that could repair it back to full strength. scopes have been a remarkable part of rehab surgery for most athletes. his career as a pro was cut too short to say much about the leadership stuff as you had to earn that distinction back in those days. maybe he was more ai than dwade when it came to leadership and phenom skill.
wouldnt say a lot of really great talents were leaders anyway. it almost comes with the territory of the gift to not be a great leader because you dont have to work as hard as the mortal does. like chamberlain one of the greatest specimens ever to put any uniform on period in any sport. it was said he could military press his weight of over 300 pounds. talk about strength? dwight would look horfordesque standing next to him at 7 ft 4 or so and 270 pounds of pure muscle. he also had remarkable stamina as his list of women will attest. what was it, 10000? but he was never the leader of a team that say russell was. couldnt even say jabbar was that much of a leader but walton when healthy was.
tjhook
February 2nd, 2012
1:13 am
I liked the Hawks when they had Dan Roundfield, Steve Hawes, John Drew and Charlie Criss. I really became a die-hard fan in 1982 when Domonique was acquired. Watching Nique, Willis , cliff Levington, etc. was awesome!
tjhook
February 2nd, 2012
1:17 am
Yankees announcer John Sterling called Hawks radio back in the 80’s- I used to love hearing him say “domonique is mon-u-fique!” also Levingston was nicknamed “Good news” and he often had timely baskets.
Soullrenaissance
February 2nd, 2012
1:41 am
thanks for the info and clarification of what a leader was doc. Maravich was a scoring beast at LSU, as his records attest, but I never considered ‘the other side of the game’ (parental and coaching pressures, expectations, etc.)
drmaryb.[*_*].
February 2nd, 2012
1:47 am
The Two That Got Away!
“I will be shocked if Kenyon signs with the Hawks” -O’Brien-
____________
OB, when The Black Knight was here he offered Eric Dampieer and Kenyon Martin a boat load of money to play here and they both paddled off. But, that was after they gobbled up a couple “Bone in Ribeyes” and Fried Lobsters at Market Price from Pano’s and Paul’s.
What a kick in the gut for Hawks fans. Just the feeling of rejection in the aftermath of Danny Manning of all people paddling away in his Life Boat after the Nique debacle. Looks like we have never recovered from The Curse of The Bambino.
Here’s my point: Don’t be surprised if Kenyon Martin presses “rewind” then “play” on that cassette deck. One can only hope.
_____________
SlimJr, hotcakes! You stole my thunder with that RED restaurant debacle in lieu of scoreboards and a big man. Why furnish the team what it desperately needs when, you can furnish a full service steak house instead. The sophisticated palate of “Atlantians” prefer Bones! (smh).
_________
That’s all I got. Oh yeah, one more thing:
Hawks 97
Memphis 88
drmaryb.[*_*].
February 2nd, 2012
2:03 am
Reading Backwards and UP the board!
“soul, sadly he was probably an alcoholic even in college.”
-doc-
_______
I always read page one top down, but the consequent pages bottoms up as I comment. This post from doc caught my eye and I thought doc was describing Vin Baker and Kenny “the jet” Smith when he said alcoholic.
Too much good stuff! From doc, soul and tjhook taking us down memory lane. So my comments re: Eric Dampieer and Kenyon Martin were posted before reading up. Keep it coming fellas! I got insomnia again. I’m watching my political shows on MSNBC:
What a TOOL that Mitt Romney is! He said he does NOT care about poor people today. Way to go Mitt! You will hear from the 99% come November. We don’t care about YOU either. What a TOOL you are.
Right now though, all I care about is My Hawks handling The Grizzlies.
doc
February 2nd, 2012
2:07 am
soul, pistol was a child prodigy from the womb though he was pressed hard b his dad to develop his ball skills and little else is what i suspect and he was about as big as elvis for that time.
check out the talk with ivan. it is a beautiful story and i hope it continues to have a good ending for him. it is also a story about maturing and coming to grips with demons and folks that do that have to have mentors no matter what age just as in aa. i dont think pistol had his and ai had many chances from thompson at georgetown and continued it into his playing career as long as ai allowed it.
doc
February 2nd, 2012
2:12 am
sure dmb, cool babe.
Soullrenaissance
February 2nd, 2012
2:16 am
Right on drmaryb on Mittens Romney, he thinks that corporations are people and that we the people are peons.
Kenyon was wined and dined in Atl, 5-star style and he said no??? must’ve been the curse of Nique for real, that or he loved the ski slopes of Colorado. Let these BIGS keep sleeping on what we got cooking – the one who bites just may arrive in time for a title run.
Grandad
February 2nd, 2012
2:18 am
brigadierjerry
I actually played against Mike Glenn in HS.
He was a Freshman, I was a Sr.
He was a Player, I was a,;`’”.,`;; ahem;;.,“””’`';;,
what they called in those days a
“hatchet man” !
In today’s terms they would call me an enforcer !
[an antique version of Zaza]
We had a Sr that was better than “The Stinger”.
[a top 100 in the nation player]
MG still scored 19 points against us if I remember correctly.
We played at the old Coosa HS gym – wooden backboards – no kiddin’ !
The rims were loose and his shot was soft,
needless to say he got the roll.
-memories-
I cannot remember but I may have still been a Celtic fan at that time.
I’m not sure if the Hawks had moved south yet are not.
drmaryb.[*_*].
February 2nd, 2012
2:20 am
Soul 2 Soul!
Soul Renaissance! Do you remember that band? Anyway, as I was reading up the blog, I noticed you commented on Danny Manning as did I prior to see what you said.
I guess us old folks are on a tootsie roll tonight, going back in time. But, these Hawks do feel like a throw back team this year. This may be the best team we’ve had since Nique. Even better than Mookie ‘Nem? If we see the ECF, that may prove true. It’s just that these Hawks seem special and ironic because Horford went down.
This team is rising like The Phoenix … For now.
Grandad
February 2nd, 2012
2:30 am
doc
Pistol’s mom commited suicide somewhere around his HS years
or maybe his 1st year out of HS.
I read a book or two about him and I’m pretty sure her tragedy
was the antecedent for his dependency.
Soullrenaissance
February 2nd, 2012
2:34 am
Of course! Soul 2 Soul was the ‘Black British’ invasion back in the day – great music and vocals.
I am an 80’s baby I tell ya…I’d be remised if I did not let you check out my music.
There you go trying to make me feel old
http://youtu.be/ZZEKddBKLmI
“This may be the best team we’ve had since Nique. Even better than Mookie ‘Nem? If we see the ECF, that may prove true. It’s just that these Hawks seem special and ironic because Horford went down.”
I concur with that sentiment.
Soullrenaissance
February 2nd, 2012
2:35 am
He died tragically too right – a heart attack during a pickup game. Fallen Legend. Like Don Cornelius.
doc
February 2nd, 2012
2:51 am
gdad i was hoping you would join the discussion. yup she did. dad was a controlling sob from what i remember. pistol probably had clinical depression. when he died most of the demons had been lifted and he had a child or too if memory serves me that he left behind. i dont think he enjoyed basketball the way he was forced to go with it, that much but it was what he knew. he was a marvel to watch. rubio kind of brought back some memories of pistol but he isnt close. pistol came as close to being a globetrotter playing real ball as they came, a true magician but that doesnt always translate into wins if team mates cant keep up.
pistol went out too early twice, in his career and then in life. cornelius sad to hear about because soul train was more my era as well. something got the best of him to end it voluntarily. but his career was done, pistol never got started
hawks came in 66 i think gdad, braves in 64 maybe?
doc
February 2nd, 2012
2:52 am
falcons in about 66 as well. atl went big league overnight. then the flames which was cool.
doc
February 2nd, 2012
2:57 am
until then it was primarily ga tech football and basketball for me dodd and hyder on the radio along with the crackers in summer and the paper that covered the dew the constitution with outlar to feed me sports in the morning and the journal with furman at night. look the atl has had some of the very best writers forever and though folks dont like em still do. dob, mc, mb and js are stalwarts.
doc
February 2nd, 2012
2:58 am
durn might as well write my obit the way it is sounding tonight. to bed lads i go.
system configuration
February 2nd, 2012
4:44 am
The hawks dont need a short term “fix” at center. How stupid. Even before Al injured himself the Hawks were in DESPERATE NEED of a center, so why go after a short team “fix”? When Al comes back the problem still has not been resolved. You are right back where you started from A center who plays the position begrudgingly and is very lackadaisical on defense to the hawks detriment and the main prohibitive to the hawks getting pass the second round.
Hawks need to address this for once and for All. Not with a short term status-qo weak attempt to resolve but the Hawks need an impacting center to get to the next level and most of all to stay on that level.
The clock is ticking the dead line approaches. Any one whose first name doesn’t start with a J is trade-able.
Do it ASG
Dirty Birds
February 2nd, 2012
4:46 am
Soullrenaissance – Dmaryb is officially a troll !!
Just Joe
February 2nd, 2012
5:27 am
My dude, Jordan Hill had 6 pts and 10 rebs in 23 minutes against the Spurs last night. His last 5? 9.5 pts and 9 rebs in 19 minutes per game.
O'Brien
February 2nd, 2012
7:33 am
Good to see Miami choke away a game. It’s hard to believe that 2 of their losses have been to the Bucks.
And Philly looked good. However, they are have played 14 home games already, which is the most in the East (compared to the Hawks 9 home games), and Philly is only 4-4 on the road.
Looking forward to a good game tonight.
terrell
February 2nd, 2012
7:51 am
If I see or hear the words “without Horford” again, I’m going to SCREAM!
Dawg
February 2nd, 2012
9:02 am
Come on Sund, help this team by filling the obvious need at center. This team has a chance.
brigadierjerry
February 2nd, 2012
9:23 am
Grandad,
Didnt know you played against Mike Glenn in high school. He seems like a nice guy.
doc thanks for the info for Pistol Pete. He always looked to me like he was never happy. He always seemed to play but I never got the impression he loved the game of basketball kind of played cause he felt he had to
Looking back that series against the Celtics where they lost in 7 stings a lot because that Hawks team was a great team and had a good chance to beat the Pistons. ALso I remember the Hawks losing to the Pistons in the Detroit where Isiah made a game winning shot and spun around happy like a top. Those were brutal playoff losses
CRL
February 2nd, 2012
9:27 am
Welcome Back MC. As an avid Hawks fan who lives outside the Atlanta area your blog is my Hawks lifeline. Its the first thing I check every morning. Big game tonight against Memphis. Hope a decent crowd shows up for the game and the Hawks continue their winning ways.
Joe is The Man
February 2nd, 2012
9:40 am
Joe has been ballin since the day he touched down. To those of you that dont understand what i mean, because you dont have any swag, it means since he arrived in Atlanta. We wouldnt be relevant without him, and many of you take his talents for granted. He is an outstanding on-ball defender, and clearly has the highest IQ, basketball or otherwise, on the team. He is the man. Give him his due.
Still Laughing at Mike Bianchi
February 2nd, 2012
9:44 am
Joe will be one of the biggest keys to this team in the playoffs because it seems like everytime the offense gets in a funk and we can’t seem to get any momentum….
just give the ball to Joe
Still Laughing at Mike Bianchi
February 2nd, 2012
9:46 am
what’s the projected attendance for the game today?
more important, what number of those hail from Memphis, TN?
Soullrenaissance
February 2nd, 2012
9:59 am
I for one tired of Lob City. The hype around Blake Griffin is a bit overstated. Blake flopped so hard last night in Utah it was a shame. CP3 whining to go there was enough for me NOT to root for them. CP3 even the Clips have had a great history!!!! LMAO!
Najeh Davenpoop
February 2nd, 2012
10:04 am
“My dude, Jordan Hill had 6 pts and 10 rebs in 23 minutes against the Spurs last night. His last 5? 9.5 pts and 9 rebs in 19 minutes per game.”
I noticed this too. Dude has been crashing the boards with a vengeance ever since Houston declined his option. I think he’s too skinny to defend bigger centers, but considering the Hawks’ depth issues at C, they sure could use him.
hawks_4_life
February 2nd, 2012
10:05 am
As a kid the first basketball game I saw was Hawks vs Bulls in the 80s and Dominique was going off in the game with crazy dunks. My love affair never changed, yes the first team I saw playing. Granted I couldve easily been a Bull fan if Jordan went off but as faith had it I became a Hawk.
Ken Strickland
February 2nd, 2012
10:10 am
Right around the Philly loss, I stumbled upon the Feb schedule and I had the same sinking feeling of doom and gloom most of you are now having. But a funny thing happened between then and now. We lost AHorford, and as a result, both starters and bench rose up. We are a better team now than we were then, and we’ll be a much better team when Horford returns.
JJ is playing lights out, Teague is not only playing better and more consistently, he’s making it look so easy. Josh is playing better, especially on DEF, and he’s hitting his shots, especially in the clutch. Marvin is finally coming out of his shell, and not only with his scoring and rebound, but with his consistency. During that time TMac was missing gms and was inconsistent as well due to back issues. But now he’s balling and having a definite impact on the team.
Pargo struggled early with his shot and ball handing, but he’s really stepped up since the loss to Philly and started hitting his shots. WGreen couldn’t hit the backboard with his shot back them, but he’s been hitting shots from JJ range lately and consistently producing on both ends of the court. IJohnson has settled down since that time. He’s drawing more charges on OFF, and committing fewer charges and fouls on DEF.
VRad is the only player getting consistent mins that hasn’t improved his production. In fact, it’s fallen off, but he hasn’t hurt the team. Before this month of over, I predict Hinrich will have he legs under him, which is when his shot will return. We are now equipped to weather this schedule, and I predict we’ll either go 10-3 or 9-4. We have too many weapons that are playing quality ball on both ends of the court to faulter. GO HAWKS!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Ray
February 2nd, 2012
10:11 am
@ Joe is the man
Trying to call people out cause they have no swag just stop it man, and actually the word you’re really looking for is Swagger.
Plus last year Joe was not balling he was actually playing very poorly. This year though he’s finally beginning to step it up, and that’s great for him and us.
Ray
February 2nd, 2012
10:24 am
Well Tonight’s game is big if we win this and the Philly game we might finally get or excuse me The Hawks might finally get that recognition they deserve and rightfully so.
If we beat both the Bulls and Heat again they have no choice, but to respect us at best.
Soullrenaissance
February 2nd, 2012
10:31 am
If we lose to Memphis – we will get no national respect and the ’semi-buzz’ that Sekou is generating on his NBA blog will fizzle. We gotta take care of business tonight. Which I believe we will do.
Melvin
February 2nd, 2012
10:33 am
I became a Hawks fan when I saw Spud Webb in the Slam Dunk competition. Following the Hawks that season is when I discovered The Human Highlight Dominique Wilkins who became my favorite player of all time. I’ve been a loyal Hawks fan (who don’t believe in having a 2nd team crap) every since.
Melvin
February 2nd, 2012
10:34 am
Doc,
Forget Wilt’s stamina, I want to know how he kept count of all those women?
O'Brien
February 2nd, 2012
10:35 am
Ken S,
I agree that there should not be doom and gloom because of the February schedule. I think we’ll be ok at home. My reservations is for when we play teams above .500 on the road. Those games are where we struggle.
Hopefully guys will continue to step up.
I still think we need another big, because we dont know when Horford is coming back. And if he doesnt come back for the playoffs, we will be playing ZaZa and Collins the majority of the minutes at center.
As is, we can still make it to the second round (imo). But if we want to make it to the ECF, I think we need another legit big in the rotation.
Ray
February 2nd, 2012
10:38 am
@ Soullrenaissance
You are correct Hawks need to take care of some serious business tonight Memphis might be 11-10, but history says they are still dangerous as a team. They lost Battier, but still got a lot of nice pieces.
O'Brien
February 2nd, 2012
10:40 am
I became a Hawks fan when I moved to ATL in the mid 90’s. At that point, I adopted all the ATL professional teams.
Ken Strickland
February 2nd, 2012
10:46 am
I have a question I want to ask. But first, I want to say that we can forget about all of the rumors of us signig Kenyon Martin. He’s looking for a bigger contract than anything we’d offer him in order to recoup the money he paid to buy out his Chinese contract. So, my question is, WHAT ABOUT RESIGNING FORMER HAWK RMORRIS? He’s a legit 6′ 11″ and is a very smooth and very effective postup scorer.
He’s not a big rebounder or DEF presence, but neither is JCollins. He would be a perfect compliment to Collins, and could certainly be an asset against teams without a strong physical presence in the middle, like the Heat or Bulls. Twin can handle the physical centers that would give Morris trouble, and Morris could handle the quicker less physical centers that would give Twin trouble.
And let’s face it, in the playoffs, it would be a plus to have a good halfcourt OFF with inside scoring potential. Unlike his previous stint with the Hawks, he’d be playing with a functional PG and in an actual OFF system, which might allow him to be more productive. We’ve already seen how our vastly improved perimeter DEF has benefitted our interior DEF. Even though we’re shorthanded at Center and PF when it comes to size, we’ve yet to have any foul difficulty. I seriously believe he’d provide us with considerably more production, potential, versatility and depth than Stackhouse. WHAT DO YOU GUYS THINK OF THE IDEA?
Hawks Fan Down Under
February 2nd, 2012
10:52 am
Tonights game is a big one. Its just the type of game the Hawks would lose. So hopefully they are a better team than the last few years, which I think they are. It also seems that the team isnt riding Josh’s emotions as much. This can only be a good thing.
In regards to a big man..we have a logjam at PF with Josh and Al…and we need a C so it’d make sense to try and move one of those guys for a defensive minded C. Doubt this club has the ability to do that however.
The thing that gives me most hope is that in this compacted season there are numerous title contenders. Anything could happen. Hopefully the Hawks happen!!!!!
Hawks Fan Down Under
February 2nd, 2012
10:53 am
and its true about Philly. They need to be tested on the road before they are the real deal. Cant wait to play them after the Grizz. Pay back time!
kwooden
February 2nd, 2012
10:57 am
Personally, I’m hoping for Horford to come back right before the Playoffs opposed to hoping we find or trade for another Big. I do think we could really use the Chris Kaman of 2-3 years ago, but I don’t want to pay a lot for the hurt Kaman of last year. Kenyon is good, but we need a consistent backup center and Kenyon is more of a Josh Smith SF/PF. For right now Collins needs to play a lot better. He can use his body well enough on the defensive end, but he needs to do the same thing on the offensive end. He gives up to many offensive rebounds and does not work inside on the offensive side of the ball. If Collins can play like a competent basketball player for 10 mins a game, I think we’ll be OK, but if he can’t we need to make a serious move.
GO HAWKS!!
Ken Strickland
February 2nd, 2012
10:57 am
Oh yes, I became a Hawk fan when I moved to the ATL in DEC of 1974. Anyone that remained a Hawk fan during those times can really appreciate how well the team is playing and progressing now. Those were the times when fans went to see certain players rather than the team, because the team sucked. We were happy to see our Hawks upset teams like the Lakers, Trailblazers, Supersonics, Celtics, 76ers etc. Hoping or expecting the Hawks to make the playoffs was fantasy basketball before fantasy basketball existed.
So you can forgive me if I don’t get all bent out of shape and start trashing the team, GM and owners for the team regularily making the playoffs, getting a high seed, winning 1st rd series, but not advancing beyond the 2nd rd.
wordsmithtom
February 2nd, 2012
11:12 am
Always thought Morris would eventually “get it”. He has an offensive game. I’d rather have him than an extra guard, assuming Kirk regains his full use of shoulder motion.
Kirk’s first game back he issued 7 dimes….and that with a still bumm shoulder. What would the Lakers or Knicks do for a backup PG who could issue 7 dimes….EVER.
Slimjr
February 2nd, 2012
11:14 am
Playoffs defense steps up tremendously! That’s why perimeter guys like Jamal get shut down as you advance! You got to have an inside presence to score the ball to keep the D honest!
If Sund does not address this front line by playoff time its gonna get ugly…..
All NBA maybe back but what do you expect from a guy who had limited offensive skills before the injury..He’s basically a more polished version of Noah….He does not have the talent to impact the game offensively from the post..
Sund get Help man..C’mon…
Nothing mechanical bout this offense…
Bar has been so low for decades round these parts….Time to raise it…
Rufus1
February 2nd, 2012
11:19 am
“So you can forgive me if I don’t get all bent out of shape and start trashing the team, GM and owners for the team regularily making the playoffs, getting a high seed, winning 1st rd series, but not advancing beyond the 2nd rd.”- Ken…Amen
Winning is better than losing.
Slimjr
February 2nd, 2012
11:23 am
After pistol Pete died it was found out during the autopsy that he had a 3 Chamber Heart!
Normal human hearts have 4 chambers..The docs were astonished he survived into his 40’s with a major birth defect like that! And to have played professional basketball too? Amazing……
Nookah
February 2nd, 2012
11:23 am
Greetings Hawks fans!!!
Man this is nostalgia day, a blog within a blog. I became a Hawks fan in ‘88 a year before I moved to ATL from the good ole’ Jah-Mek-Yah (Jamaica) to attend GSU. I was a big Nique fan and had my heart broken in that epic Boston series. However, I have never waivered and always supported the Hawks. Of course over the years I have been very frustrated but always hopeful and keeping the faith in my team.
This blog is a “virtual” documentary. I learn so much about basketball here especially from the regulars such as KenS, vava, Najeh, doc and so many more.
I am no longer in the ATL but remain a big fan of all things ATL, Hawks, Braves, Falcons, you name it I support it. That’s a testament to the great time I had when I was ther. I do still have family there by the way so I ain’t giving up on my allegiance.
Nuff respect!!!
Go Hawks!!!
doc
February 2nd, 2012
11:26 am
melvin, the story is stilt had an abacus on him at all times. never knew when the urge might hit.
Najeh Davenpoop
February 2nd, 2012
11:27 am
Randolph Morris averages 8.2 fouls per 36 minutes for his career. If this number gets cut in half, he can help the Hawks. But where’s the evidence that this has happened?
There are more reliable options out there. The Hawks need shot blocking more than scoring out of a backup big man anyway, and Morris doesn’t provide that.
Slimjr
February 2nd, 2012
11:31 am
Wilt the Stilt said he slept with over 15 THOUSAND WOMEN. Not 10 Thousand… Huh?
Betcha over 95% were dime pieces! LMAO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
doc
February 2nd, 2012
11:35 am
slimjr, no, pistol died due to a blockage of his one single blood vessel to his heart instead of the normal two with one dividing within millimeters of entering the heart. a widow maker condition to the extreme.
Slimjr
February 2nd, 2012
11:38 am
Oh okay Doc, thanks for the correction Sir..
Rufus1
February 2nd, 2012
11:52 am
Kenny Smith, on NBA TV stated,
“once you go around the league, they start to figure you out”…
I think the Bulls and the Heat are being solved by the better teams.
If the Bulls don’t get offensive rebounds or DRose doesn’t score 30pts,
they lose.
The Heat have trouble with good PG’s and they can’t beat the zone.
The Bulls have lost 5 in a row to above .500 teams..Just FYI
Rev in Tampa
February 2nd, 2012
11:55 am
When I picked the Hawks to go 8-5 a couple of days ago, tonight’s game was one of the losses. Memphis is a young, athletic team with some scoring punch from their bigs.
I hope the Hawks active defense shows up tonight or it could be a very frustrating time on the blog this evening.
Rev in Tampa
February 2nd, 2012
12:04 pm
On the topic of sports reminiscing, but not necessarily regarding the Hawks…
I grew up in Palmetto (just above Newnan) and we would go to the Braves games from time to time without really planning to go. My dad would come in from work and annouce that we were going to the game. It only took a half-hour to get there since only 5,000 were attending the games.
But one night my dad came in and said, “Let’s go see if Hank hits it tonight.” As it turns out most of Atlanta had the same idea and we were stuck in traffic forever. When we were walking through the gate the cheer went up and the man taking the tickets said, “Hank must have just hit it.” I barely missed history.
But I was there when Phil Niekro was suddenly announced as the starting pitcher instead of Pascual Perez. We later learned that he was lost on I-285.
STRETCH
February 2nd, 2012
12:05 pm
Nookah,
glad to hear that cause in these days when so many fans jump on band wagons whenever it comes rollin thru.
Also remember being a fan back in the late 70’s coached by Hubie Brown with Tom McMillen, Tree Rollins, Terry Furlow, then on to the early 80’s teams coached by Mike Fratello when they added with Eddie Johnson, Mike Glenn and Wes Matthews. They really took off in the later part of the 80’s with Nique, Doc, Spudd, K Willis, Antoine Carr, Scott Hasting, Levingston, Battle and Wittman.
That team right there had what it took to win it all and if not for some shady officiating at the Boston garden they would have probably won it all! Man i hated the Celtics for a long time after that game.
But im over it now. I really love the make up of this team, but im hoping they get some more frontline help though.
Slimjr
February 2nd, 2012
12:08 pm
Hey doc, we think Wilt was big strong? Go Google this Giant Roman Emperor named Maximinus Thrax from 235 AD..
Dude was said to be 8′6″ and had gargantuan strength and speed…Could out run horses for starters!
Could lift grown men with one hand out stretched…
You probably already know this but man kind has de-evolved not the other way around…
The powers that be have suppressed so much information and technology from the masses…
wordsmithtom
February 2nd, 2012
12:08 pm
Slimjr, I bet most of them were Lisa Left Hand
Not even Soloman could do what Wilt claimed to do.
STRETCH
February 2nd, 2012
12:08 pm
Rev,
That is going to be one of the achilles heals for them when they face teams that have active bigs that can score the ball.
doc
February 2nd, 2012
12:16 pm
slimjr, it was probably a pitutary disorder with increased hgh production, lie our own example andre the giant. trouble is it has many deleterious effects on the rest of the organs as well as the bone. kind of like barry bonds, too, except his bones had already closed so only his head grew.
Rev in Tampa
February 2nd, 2012
12:30 pm
“kind of like barry bonds, too, except his bones had already closed so only his head grew.”
Wow. I thought it was Barry’s pride.
W.R. Terrell
February 2nd, 2012
12:37 pm
IT’S TIME! The HAWKS can say it all in this Homestand. They have had a day of rest, suroundings are comfortable and they know the rims. The fans are with you. Joe, make your moves man, see it and go, you are playing like an ALLSTAR. Marvin it’s SHOWTIME cause you been showing up. NOW IS YOUR TIME!. You have health, atheleticism and skills (Hotdamn).
JOSH, clean the boards, block those shots like no one has ever seen before cause that’s your strengths and your STARDOM, screw the jumpshooter crap man. Your game of FAME is controlling that LANE, snatch those rebounds and let other teams FEAR your name. IT’S SHOWTIME for you too. (Hotdamn)
Zsa, Zsa, your lil shot in and around the key is key, especially, if you keep dropping a good percentage, which will make your inside game all the stronger. You feelin it man, you bloking shots and BANGIN and you making other teams take notice, that’s good, real good. You gettin that RESPECT. IT’S SWOWTIME!. (Hotdamn)
Jeff…Just keep on keeping on, your’re the floor leader and you got some STALLIONS, run those BADBOYS. The gifts of a good team is coming together and you’re a very strong part of that. “It’s yo thang, do what you wanna do, you know the folks, you gotta SOCK IT TOO”. IT’S SHOWTIME!
(Hotdamn. Kirk, welcome back, its always good to have a “consumate”‘ pro ready to go.
TMAC, Isee yo legs coming back and that’s a fact. I think you gonna scare the poo outta teams, they see it coming, Willie Green, hahahaha you’re playing mean so keep bein obscene with the BOTTOM of the net, Janero, I know you rarin to go, cause it’s in yo flow when you runnin that floor, Vlad you’re back home no doubt in my mind that you gonna get it on, The TWIN, holding up your end, it’s UNDERSTOOD that if needed you will step right the fug on it STACK I see you foamin at the mouth to show em you’re back and I truly believe you are, nice to have you as a HAWK annnnnnndddddddddd IVAN who still is arrivin and that’s a damn good thanggggggggg cause you craftin yo game. IT’S SHWOTIME! (Hotdamn)
Hopefully a lot of you fellas will get to the arena a few hours early, take a coupla hundred shots and get that feel. Can’t be great if you wanna wait.
Section 303
February 2nd, 2012
12:43 pm
The Hawks can win the East. I do not believe for a second that Miami and Chicago are, as Brent Barry said, “head and shoulders above everyone else.” How could anyone come to that conclusion. Their either star gazers (Miami) or just wanting to nutsuck on a team from a big market (Chicago).
Hawks start a run against good teams for almost the rest of this month. Time to find their inner “eff” you mode and win these games. Will demand they get the credit they deserve from the media.
And, I know it does not matter what talking heads say, but the continued lack of credit the Hawks get is really starting to annoy me. Hawks do not even get mentioned when talk of “contenders” comes around.
drmaryb.[*_*].
February 2nd, 2012
12:52 pm
Jumping in here, and at a quick glance I see we are going down memory lane. I love that.
So off topic here but, is it just me or does it seem Josh has lost interest in dunking the ball?
doc
February 2nd, 2012
12:53 pm
we can talk the talk but these guys have to walk the walk. 3-6 is not crawling.
Dawg
February 2nd, 2012
12:53 pm
Morris with all of his shortcomings would help us more than having the extra guard.
Geemack
February 2nd, 2012
12:54 pm
@Sections 303
When you lose to the Miami Heat at home in 2 overtimes without D-Wade & LBJ…it’s hard for anyone to take you seriously. The Hawks are playing well though.
Geemack
February 2nd, 2012
1:01 pm
Sections 303
I put all my buddies on notice before the season started that the Hawks would play in the ECF. If Chicago is the best team in the East, then I think the Hawks are better. However I do think Miami is a bad match up for the Hawks.
Geemack
February 2nd, 2012
1:03 pm
drmaryb.[*_*].
So body needs to tell Josh that nasty dunks gets you votes for the All-star team….ask Blake Griffin.
ajc
February 2nd, 2012
1:12 pm
hate to be a little downer but I don’t recall all of these other fans’ screen names on this blog, seems like when you start winning poof the boat starts packing, at least that will eventually happen with the media
Najeh Davenpoop
February 2nd, 2012
1:17 pm
“When you lose to the Miami Heat at home in 2 overtimes without D-Wade & LBJ…it’s hard for anyone to take you seriously. The Hawks are playing well though.”
What if you lose in regulation twice to the Bucks without Andrew Bogut, or lose in regulation by 16 to a team missing both its starting centers?
That Miami loss was a bad loss, no doubt, but the Heat and Bulls don’t have blemishless records either.
I don’t think the Hawks can beat them in a playoff series with the current big man rotation, but the difference between those teams and the Hawks (or the Sixers for that matter) is not that huge.
Slimjr
February 2nd, 2012
1:28 pm
3-6 against the winners does not spell elite.. 6-3 does..You earn respect.. Atlanta Hawks still have work to do to get it!
Slimjr
February 2nd, 2012
1:31 pm
BEAT OKC,LAC,HOUSTON, SAN ANTONIO,LAKERS,DALLAS…BEAT THESE WESTERN CONFERENCE TEAMS AND YOU LOOK MORE LIKE A CONTENDER THAN PRETENDER..
YOU HAVE TO EARN IT….
Slimjr
February 2nd, 2012
1:33 pm
THE HAWKS FRONT LINE AS PRESENTLY CONFIGURED KEEPS THEM FROM BEING A CONTENDER…
drmaryb.[*_*].
February 2nd, 2012
1:38 pm
Healed!
“Plus last year Joe was not balling he was actually playing very poorly. This year though he’s finally beginning to step it up, and that’s great for him and us.” -Ray-
________
Uggh … Plus, Mr. Johnson was hurt last year, had surgery, was supposed to be out 2-3Months. But, the warrior returned in 10 days from elbow surgery to his shooting arm. Let’s not leave out such a KEY fact.
Keep it Real.
Rufus1
February 2nd, 2012
2:13 pm
The Bulls have lost 5 in a row to teams above .500….Are they “contenders”?
O'Brien
February 2nd, 2012
2:15 pm
Ken S,
I’m not a fan of RandMo, (based on what the Hawks need) but if he is a last resort signing, so be it.
Najeh,
Although the Bulls and Heat have bad losses too, I think the media gives them credit for 1) last year’s accomplishment and 2) superstar players.
Bulls and Heat were the top 2 seeds last year, and both advanced past the second round. The Hawks, on the other hand, have never-ever gotten past the second round.
Bulls have D-Rose, MVP, superstar, Heat have Wade and LeBron, superstars. Hawks have JJ. Just not the same (despite JJ’s All star seasons).
Geemack
February 2nd, 2012
2:16 pm
@ Najeh Davenpoop
Keep in mind the media gives you a pass when you have made it past the conference semi-finals.
Like I said I expect the Hawks to make it to the ECF. When that happens you will see the Hawks get more respect.
Najeh Davenpoop
February 2nd, 2012
2:16 pm
An article in support of Joe and Josh in the All Star game.
hawkfan
February 2nd, 2012
2:17 pm
hate to say it but these past two major injuries with kirk and al horford have been blessings in disguise for this team, with kirk out we finally got our starting point guard in teague, and with horford’s injury we finally get to witness the best out of joe, josh, and zaza and the rest of the team following suit
Geemack
February 2nd, 2012
2:18 pm
@ O’Brien
Great minds think alike…Lol.
Najeh Davenpoop
February 2nd, 2012
2:18 pm
I totally get why the Bulls and Heat get more respect than the Hawks, based on previous years and the quality of their best players. Just pointing out that they have done nothing this year to justify it. The Hawks not getting respect compared to the Bulls and Heat isn’t a huge deal to me.
It is a bigger deal to me that the Hawks don’t get as much respect from the local media as the f-cking Falcons, who have NOTHING on the Hawks.
Geemack
February 2nd, 2012
2:22 pm
@ Najeh Davenpoop
I agree with you on that! Imagine if BK would have been in his right mind and picked CP3 there is no way we are even discussing this topic.
Najeh Davenpoop
February 2nd, 2012
2:23 pm
Marc Stein tweets that Western Conference teams have a better shot at getting K-Mart.
Melvin
February 2nd, 2012
2:29 pm
I don’t think K-Mart would solve our problem at center. We need a guy with length. I prefer Rasheed. He could actually start and allow ZaZa to come off the bench. He matches up well with the bigger centers, would still command a double team in the post and he brings a toughness attitude that only Ivan has on this team.
justahawkfan
February 2nd, 2012
2:32 pm
Trying to convince Barkley, john berry, Kenny smith and others is one thing but having to convince the so-called hawk fans is something else. The record is real and tangible. It is there for everyones inspection, there no trickery or slight of hand, just real numbers. If you have picked us to finish out of the playoff picture or pick the Knicks and others to have better records. If you have stated that we are soft and just a bunch of nice guys then I can understand why you want the hawks to fail. If you are a fan of this team, truly a fan, then take the record for what it is, very good. The record is the same as miami, chiago, and philly. I see none of you writing that you think miami or chicago are frauds or need to play a few games to prove themselves. They say that your family are hardest on you, i guess it true.
Melvin
February 2nd, 2012
2:32 pm
Although the Hawks may play fewer elite teams in March by they also have 7 back to back games which will not be easy as well.
Melvin
February 2nd, 2012
2:34 pm
justahawkfan,
Nice post…
Melvin
February 2nd, 2012
2:36 pm
doc,
I dont think I have eaten 10,000 meals. I wonder how Wilt defined sleeping with. Example, if he fell asleep on a plane next to a women, does he count that as sleeping with her….LOL
Najeh Davenpoop
February 2nd, 2012
2:42 pm
Maybe Wilt slept with three or four women at the same time. That would let him get through 20,000 women more quickly.
New blog up.
Grandad
February 2nd, 2012
2:53 pm
the hawks are playing very well Together !
Chemistry, Cohesion, Team play, cannot be overlooked.
bringing in players such as a noted bad egg randolph morris …
are dangerous to the delicate Balance the hawks currently have achieved.
kenyon martin, jordan hill, although not percieved as bad guys per se;
would they contribute enough to take a chance of upsetting the Balance.
even myself; the “daily trader”; I have been reluctant of late to suggest
much of anything to tip the Balance !
we seem to have a Team !
i like that; we need a big;; yes we do.
but who knew Zaza would raise his level of play so well !
i’m really enjoying our ‘`little`’ Team right now.
if we get a big man, i hope sund is most judicious in his choice.
Grandad
February 2nd, 2012
2:58 pm
kenyon martin, jordan hill, although not percieved as bad guys per se;
would they contribute enough 2 take chance of upsetting the Balance*?
[question mark]
Grandad
February 2nd, 2012
2:59 pm
*[question mark]
Slimjr
February 2nd, 2012
3:00 pm
“It is a bigger deal to me that the Hawks don’t get as much respect from the local media as the f-cking Falcons, who have NOTHING on the Hawks.”
Yes Najeh, maybe the most overrated NFL Franchise with the most Overrated, Obsolete, Throwback QB in the National Football League and they get more coverage and respect with beatdowns after beatdowns with more to come? Sheesh!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Ken Strickland
February 2nd, 2012
4:13 pm
Does anyone think the Bulls are are a better team than they were last yr when they eliminated us in 6gms? And remember, Teague was getting his 1st chance to really play, we had no backup PG, and the key players on our bench were Zaza, Twin, HArmstrong, JPowell, DWilkins, and JCrawford. Zaza and Jamal were the only ones we could expect to count on for any meaningful production, unless we were playing Orlando.
This yrs bench, comprised of TMac, Zaza, VRad, WGreen, Pargo, and IJohnson, have all proven, in this shortened and difficult season, that they far more productive, consistent, and talented than last yrs bench.
NAJEH DAVENPOOP-There might be better options out there than RMorris, but how many of them can be had for a minimum contract, which is all we’re offering?
drmaryb.[*_*].
February 2nd, 2012
6:19 pm
DEA Proof!
” Their either star gazers (Miami) or just wanting to nutsuck on a team from a big market (Chicago).” -Section 303-
_____________
Or, perhaps section, flying under the radar, (like a small twin engine dinking and dunking from Miami to Alabama) might not be such a bad idea.
I actually prefer to slip in and out, of wild parties. LOL!
drmaryb.[*_*].
February 2nd, 2012
8:08 pm
Ivan comes down with the rebound utilizing fundamental Free Safety skills: 4 points of pressure (Dan Reeves).
He cradled it with both arms and squeezed it. This kid is a quick learner.
Perhaps, Ivan can teach that to Za and Marvin? LOL
W.R. Terrell
February 2nd, 2012
9:51 pm
I saw LD make a good coaching decision and pull a player tonight, he’s learning to coach. The rest of the game can be summed up as NO COMMENT!!!!!!!
doc
February 3rd, 2012
12:42 am
looks like the same affliction hit the clips tonight as their tank is empty. we talked that there would be many games like this this year due to the schedule. i really hope it is more this than one more indicatro that this team cant quite measure up to more talented teams.
honest looked for you and hung out there awhile but never saw the mad ninja korean on red bull or anyone closely resembling that. heh