Atlanta Hawks: Hawks 106, Kings 99

Could anyone imagine if Jmoney went down and Horf had to take over the primary scoring down low? The “amigos” would fiercely come to his defense and diss Zaza while trying to trade Josh to “compliment AL”. SMH His post move makes that gold robot on Star Wars look human.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8WrLGIEL45U&feature=plcp&context=C49f4c5eVDvjVQa1PpcFNOKO-a0SbelGmDEbqzWEPl4Z_WDGCTTj8%3D

Josh is averaging 26 this month and a shade under 10 rebounds. Starting to finish with the right hook that is pretty much wet now. They say you can’t grow while 7-8 years in the league but I’m seeing his ability to finish with his off hand almost better than his primary hand. Once he figures out this free throw thing, watch out.

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Play of the night was Teague’s dunk. I loved how he screamed after. That kid is mini-smoove!

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Dalembert and martin? Good thing u r not out gm. Terrible deal

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Ra’mon,

I read a book while getting my undergrad that shaped my thinking about God like no other book. It is less than 100 pages. I can’t imagine being a pastor without having read the book. It is “THE ATTRIBUTES OF GOD” by A.W. Pink. I believe you can find it free online. It is still in print.

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Cool, Rev. About to search for it on my iPhone now.

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If they could acquire a knockdown shooter or at least someone like Sessions to play at the 2G next to Teague, that is your lineup.

Zaza (til Al returns)
Josh
Joe
Session/whomever
Teague

WIN FROM WITHIN! …YEA!

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I’m waiting for a trade to get done

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“I’m big on matchups”, says the guy who has lost several games this year because he’d rather play Vlad at the 4 and Josh at the 5 than use his big men off the bench.

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I don’t get why ownership doesn’t make a big move? Are they that cheap? Are they that naive? The Hawks are a few pieces away from being a championship caliber team! Josh should leave ATL if they don’t make a trade. It just shows that all the owners care about is taking our money–making a profit–and not winning anything. That’s fine by me. If they blow it this year and do nothing, the city of ATL will turn their backs on them anyways. They already hate them from the Thrashers fiasco.

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when marvin williams dunked in the 2nd quarter guess who was the only player to NOT stand up from the bench…JOE JOHNSON

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“Najeh Davenpoop
March 12th, 2012
12:24 am
“I’m big on matchups”, says the guy who has lost several games this year because he’d rather play Vlad at the 4 and Josh at the 5 than use his big men off the bench.”

Or when he went with Green against Landry Fields to start the game and then Hinrich against JR Smith when we had to go to the bench.

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I have said it before, KH and JT starting with Marvin coming off bench.

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Other considerations apart, we cannot disregard the striking fact that we had another game in which Josh was the main focus on offense and he delivered.

JJ will easily average 20ppg if more shots are given to Josh.

The simplicity of this conclusion is that with Josh dominating our offense, there will be:

a) More clean looks out of the double team in the post;

b) More FT for JJ since we are bound to be leading more games with JJ getting the rock in the waning minutes and being fouled.

Basically, the only clear drawback of having Josh dominating our offense is his FT shooting so to close games there will be some level of JJ-dominating the rock, however, there is absolutely no reason for them not to develop a consistent and effective two men game together.

It’s on LD’s court.

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Josh is averaging 25.8 ppg in his last 5 games, but he’s taking 21 FG attempts and 6.6 FT attempts to get get those points. That tells you that he requires a high volume of shots to score 20+ ppg. I’m fine with Josh getting those shots as long as the matchup is favorable and he is scoring efficiently, but that is not the case. We need to keep our offense fluid and not just play through one guy. Josh had it going with his jump shot tonight, but there are other games (like the last game vs. GS after the All-Star break) where Josh’s jump shot is not working and he can just as easily shoot you out of the game. Against teams without solid defenders to put on him, we can probably play through him as long as he’s trying to score inside, but I’ve seen too many games where Josh takes too many shots and it hurts us, so I wouldn’t want to make him the #1 option on a consistent basis yet. He’s just too inconsistent and doesn’t have the offensive efficiency to warrant that type of role. Maybe someday soon he’ll grow into that role though. He’s showing signs of it.

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First off Jermaine, it’s not to many scores that don’t take a high volume of shots to get points, he just needs to make his FT’s and it will even out. If you notice most 28 to 30 point a game scores go to the Free Throw Line alot too. right now the refs just don’t respect Josh’s game, but if he keeps droping 24 to 28 again they will have no choice but too.
As for Joe at the point in his career he is more of a 3 than a 2 anyway, if LD can, he should think about playing him more at the 3 then the 2.
I love the idea of Williams coming off the bench…the man has talent!! he just is so far down the line in the starting role as far as option on offense that he goes to sleep on the court. If he came of the bench he would be the number 1 or 2 option with Tmac feeding him on the wing or in the post or running two man games with him, on pic and pop and roll action. People forget when Joe got hurt and they played marvin at the 2 that he droped between 26 and 29 point a game nights with double digit rebound efforts…It’s a reason they resigned him and drafted him so high. We just don’t have the coaches that know how to get the most out of our players… Dame the Falcons have the same problem!!! Just food for thought.

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Didnt get to see the game, but Hinrich 42 minutes? Wtf? Please tell me they were showing him off to some trade partners? Im not mad though, because I saw where Marvin was on the bench where he belongs. lol

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The kings are another bad NBA team. The NBA has become so bad that I thought I saw Ben Wallace checking Erick Dampier. The haws will have to do something with either Josh or Al because they don’t play well together.

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Joe is too slow to play SG. He needs to man up, be more physical and play SF. He can be good as SF. He will continue to slow at SG.

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Zaza is as good as if not better than Al horford. As good, because of the double doubles he produces, better than because he plays center, likes it and will fight for the position and the team. Al wont.

Smith, yo light is shinning bro, but be advised your haters in the press and on this blog site will be more venomous than before. Let that continue to motivate bro. You will always have a fan in me. You represent the ATL very well.

Teague with 7 assist and the hawks win…. Thats my point. for Teague to have an impact he has to learn to distribute and not hog.

If Al is able to over come this major injury and not have recurring issues with the muscles connection and tissues that are typical with this type injury he will not be as he was before. he should be traded or accept a back up role.

Lets stop the lie before it begins (again) Al averaged 9 rbs last year matching his career average which is very average 12 pts 9 rbs

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POST OF THE DAY…..

“As for the trades, I agree we should build around Josh, amnesty Joe, and trade Marvin/Kirk/Al for somebody. Maybe D12? I mean… imagine a D12 and Josh defense. Nobody, not even MVP Rose and LeBrick would drive/score in the paint. That’s a championship team right there. The owners must be blind to not give everything we can for Dwight!”

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Should the Hawks try a minor trade or should they blow it up?

Major blowup team option; Trade Josh to New Orleans with our #1 pick for Okafor and N.O.’s 2 first round picks. Then trade Hinrich to LA for their #22 pick. (we throw in a #2)

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Man, Josh is ballin.

Amazing to see him finally putting it all together. What’s scary is, he still has room to get better.

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I don’t think the Hawks should make a trade at this point of the season. To me it wouldn’t make sense to trade Josh Smith. Josh still has one more year left on his contract. The Hawks should finish the year and see how far they can get with this group for one more last time, and if they flop in the playoffs this year, then they should break this team up in the off season, but not right now.

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trade josh and we can say goodbye hawks.

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* Question ?

Yawl think Josh is a SuperDuperStar ?

Can Josh Lead a Team – any team- to a Championship ?

Is he that good ?

Curious Mind ?

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Joe at the 3, yeah, that might work.
It leaves a hole at the 2, like we had at the 3.
Which one is easier to fill? I think the 3 slot.
For one thing, Joe is not a rebounder, so that leaves us vulnerable as we have been since Marvin has been in that role.

I think a Gerald Wallace would make us a better all around team and keep Josh off the perimeter. He’s simply better around the basket instead of us being non-existant of the offensive rebounding category.

How nice would this team look with a SF in the lineup with Al out?

JT/Joe/Wallace/Josh/Zaza sure looks like a good band-aid to me.

You worry about next year NEXT YEAR ASG.

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[...] on Young but Crawford is a possibility. * The Lakers and Hawks have interest in Ramon Sessions. * Josh Smith on his recent trade demand: “I’m here. I have one more left on my deal. We have to see what happens. I just have to [...]

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***post script on Kendall Marshall:

*’`Left Handed`’*

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I hope when Josh leaves you really don’t expect Joe to carry the Hawks like he should cause the reality is Joe is a look at me type of player. He’s really got the benefit of the doubt when it comes to the All-star selection of SG’s in the east cause the crop is so weak.

Besides D-wade and him who else is that great of a SG be honest with yourself.

Oh yeah and I also hope people aren’t expecting Horford to carry us on Defense like people think he will LOL! That will be the day.

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Josh and Joe are playing to there strength more and more, post up in the paint and not shooting so many long difficult jumpshot ISO Joe.
BIG DOG IN THE HOUSE

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From ajc;

“I like our team,” Hinrich said before the Hawks played the Kings late Sunday. “I feel like we can be a dangerous team come playoff time. I want to be a part of that.”.

I wonder if there was a smirk (or tongue in cheek) when he said it…

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Doc thanks for the link.

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O’brien, I hear you on the three point attempts. But one was at the buzzer right before half time. And the three he shot in The fourth quarter I can understand cause his jumper had started falling. I don’t mind Josh shooting jumpers. IF. He establishes his rhythm in the paint first.

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KevinM, they will not extend LD contract. Because this is still regression compared to what Woody did. And I doubt they extend Sund. They probably will just find two people cheaper to hire lol. Or Lester will be next head coach.

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Who doesn’t cringe when Josh fires up his long range missile? I pray every shot attempt and my prayer quota is met easily.

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Ra’mon, they extend LD and Sund one more year..I mean, seriously, who is going to take either of them away? There’s no market for either, so this will be the norm again next year with the promise of Al making the big difference.
It would not surprise me to see Kirk make it through the year with us as well, because Sund isn’t getting a #1 for him and that is only 1/2 of what he gave up for him prior……

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Rod, McGrady should be starting not Kirk or Marvin. LD seems to have a buddy system. The same way Ivan Johnson disappeared out of playing time for 4-5 games.

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Big Lou baby, why didn’t Dale walk after he was attacked and gutted? It seems like the walkers put an alien in his guts or, ripped his tummy open or, something.

I can’t wait till Sunday. AMC is blowing up now. I wouldn’t let the kids watch this though. They might get some crazy ideas. LOL

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drmaryb

” Or, maybe … The walkers found that guy while his body was still freshly dead to eat his flesh and that made him walk … ”

That couldn’t have happened because Darrel said he had no bite marks or scratches when they(him and Glen) discovered the body. Im thinking that it’s airborne, but they only turn if they are killed naturally. So, they should try to live, but not fall off a cliff or something. Lol As far as the airborn, I’m thinking that they are hinting that it’s a virus and it could be cured.

Also, I wonder how Shane got infected, too. All I know is that some ominous sh!t is happening right now. Next episodes look like people are going to die.

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“Ask the fanbase…if they told you to fire LD and Sund, the ASG’s arrogance ignores the paying fanbase and says screw you, we know what we’re doing.

And they do, as long as you want to ‘pretend-2-contend’.” -KevinM

Co-freakin-sign!

Hawks are a big man away from winning the whole thing. All they care about is profits. Down with the ownership! Get Authur Blank to buy them up. At least he will spend the money on big names.

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Did LARRY DREW just call TRACY MCGRADY OLD & SLOW &.UNABLE TO CONTROL THE TEMPO? BUT USED NICIER WORDS?

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I think Drew & T-Mac are like oil & water….

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Go get Chris Kaman and when Horford returns you would be good defensively against the bigger Heat & Bulls.

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I think that they are all infected, and doesnt goes active until they died and they brain functions stops working completely, besides you see how fast that Shane turned into a walker and all the visions that he was seeing before he died.

But back to subject at hand,

Hawks did well but its the Kings and they still need to make a move to atleast contend againist the Heat and Bulls

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“I think Drew & T-Mac are like oil & water….”

Notwithstanding all his shortcomings – I strongly believe that at least a substantial chunk of his physical ailments were originated on poor conditioning – T-Mac sees LD exactly as he is:

An assistant coach with very limited ability to run a ball club.

Hence the clash from side to side.

T-Mac on the floor makes LD frequently look as stupid as he is.

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*bold statement*
i think ASG is partially accurate in their business approach; i dont think an NBA team needs to be paying the luxury tax to win an NBA championship(i dont think ASG is trying to win one though) all it takes is mangaing your money properly with signing/extending/declining the right contracts and getting the most value for your money. ill give Sund credit for assembling a pretty good bench of veterans wanting to prove they arent finished. i dont like the fact we didnt have a guy we drafted and can let him progress along throughout the year.
as for the trade deadline ASG has to ask what do they want? do they want the “now” typical 1st or maybe 2nd round exit with 0% chance to challenge for the eastern conference championship or do they wana play MIA or CHI in the eastern finals and get the city’s interest into the Hawks franchise.
my solutions: ive said it before and ill mention it till thursday, al horford for monta ellis;GSW can also give us a 1st or a 2nd and jeremy tyler. also trade kirk to LA for their exception and a 1st(if LA doesnt get felton-POR) if these trades happen our team is now
starters: teague ellis johnson smith zaza bench: pargo wgreen tmac williams IJohnson dampier (tylerGSW)

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i think with teague and ellis being able to drive easily joe can get good open shots and our offense will be more fluid.
just one mans opinion

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Good grief…

This blog is becoming the “Walkers’ blog” ??

How can you be so caught up on that??

How can you explain that a bunch of slow moving meat sacks could not be wiped out by the army? An army who apparently was armed to the teeth as the abandoned arsenal hinted?

I only watched half of the first or second episode and disregarded that show all together…

I certainly haven’t watched enough to know what idiotic explanation was found for that but… helicopters, hummers and the likes could not control those snails??

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I am tired of hearing Drew talk about not playing a guy because of matchup. I can see if it was a Center like Dampier or Collins but McGrady come on. McGrady should have atleast been giving a few minutes to see if he works with the matchup, would not have hurt the way the 2nd unit was and no Green.

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“Good grief…

This blog is becoming the “Walkers’ blog” ??

How can you be so caught up on that??

How can you explain that a bunch of slow moving meat sacks could not be wiped out by the army? An army who apparently was armed to the teeth as the abandoned arsenal hinted?

I only watched half of the first or second episode and disregarded that show all together…

I certainly haven’t watched enough to know what idiotic explanation was found for that but… helicopters, hummers and the likes could not control those snails??” -tool

Everyone has their own likings. Stop sounding butt-hurt.

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AJ, all I have to say on that matter is that this ownership group has made moves that continue to show them how inept they really are. Like I have said since Day 1, the only good negotiation they did with any of this roster is where Josh had to go get a contract offer.
The others: do I really need to name them?
So here we have an ownership group that has sold opponent’s jerseys in the ‘team’ shop, the same ownership group that has claimed that they will spend to get the necessary parts, yet here we are, 3+ days away from another trade deadline, and they still don’t know what they have as a team. Other nuances this team has:
- Their marketing plan is a joke.
- One of the best markets for the NBA and home to TNT and Barkley calls out this ownership group/GM and tells the country how painful it is to watch. Should I also look up the Hubie Brown quotes for you?
- The only thing the ownership group can come up with is let’s give this one more run and then consider changes. Yes, let’s tell the league all the excuses we have, especially how we’re losing money and they give Joe ‘Arenas’ money.

Oh, by the way, their best player wants out…does he need to explain why? They will manage that like they’ve managed all the other terrific moves.

They haven’t earned any respect from this fanbase. And do I think some here could do just as good a job? You better believe it, and tell me where tomorrow’s talent is? It’s somewhere else, because we aren’t growing talent in this town.

The lowest paid coach in the game, the ‘marginal’ results that Sund brings….

I see wasted opportunity after wasted opportunity to make this a respectable franchise. Now you have the Clippers looking down on us.
How bad is that?

For what Sund is being paid for, yes, keep paying him, because you’re going to get ‘average’ results and plenty of important 2nd round facts that mean squat.

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Kevin and Lou, the ASG suck, but there is a practical issue with running any business based on the whims of the fan base. When objectively comparing this team to the other 29, they are a top 10 team. Despite horrific ownership, coaching, drafting, signings and player development. Amazing, huh?

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“Kevin and Lou, the ASG suck, but there is a practical issue with running any business based on the whims of the fan base. When objectively comparing this team to the other 29, they are a top 10 team. Despite horrific ownership, coaching, drafting, signings and player development. Amazing, huh?” -Astro Joe

Top ten team doesn’t equate championships–not even the 3rd round! I’ve been an ATL fan all my life, so I am accustomed to mediocrity. Yet, maybe I’m starting to get spoiled by real owners like AB, who WANTS to win a ring badly. I want to spend my money on an owner who doesn’t try to be cheap to win. Sometimes you need to break the bank, and in the NBA–except for maybe the Pistons–you NEED to in order to win it all.

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Entertainment is what ASG is looking to keep the fans coming out to the Phillips, and they would’nt want to part with Josh unless they can get someone exciting to make the fans want to come downtown. That being said-the Hawks won’t give up Josh for nothing; other than Dwight, the Hawks should start looking at getting a draft pick for Andre Drummond; he’s a man-child, only 19, and is compared to Amar’e Stoudemire. He’s 6′11 and weighs 270 and still growing. Now he’s someone you can build your team around. Charlotte Bobcats or Washington Wizards will probably get him in the first round, but may be willing to give him up for Josh Smith and some cash, along with another Hawks player. Right now Dwight is the prize. He’s at his prime and can make any team an instant winner. Drummond is for a team that wants to rebuild for the future. Unfortunately, if you look at the first four or five draft lottery teams, each one of their needs begs for a center. The 6′11 or 7′0 centers in this years draft are scarce. So it will be a tough climb for the Hawks to fill that need, but nothing’s impossible. Yes, the Hawks can wait on Al Horford-but they may get something good for trading him along with Josh-if it brings in Dwight or Drummond-along with a veteran PF.

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“Watching a team lose with a full arena is not realy all that important to me (the Knicks). I don’t need anyone sitting next to me in the stands to appreciate the team. Superstars guarantee fan interest but don’t guarantee team success. What is the goal?” -Astro Joe

Superstars = more coverage on ESPN. More Coverage on ESPN = better ratings/fan interest. Fan interest = team success. The team feeds off the home crowd. The team feeds off the support. More support adds pressure to management, coaching, and players to preform. It creates an organization of professionalism. Once the fans start coming in, and the owners’ pockets fill nicely, they start thinking about the future and how to keep that money flow going. They start hiring competent coaches–not LD and Woody–and better GMs (example TD for the Falcons). You might not care about fans cheering around you, but I guarantee that the players do. And, I know the owners will once they start making that extra cash.

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I think Mr. Blank is a much better owner than the ASG. But…the bottom line is the Hawks have won first round playoff series on multiple occasions the last 5 years. When was the last time the Falcons won a playoff game?

As for LD and his contract…This is from MC on 6/13/10.

The Hawks officially hired Larry Drew as its head coach on Sunday by signing him to a two-year contract with an option for a third year, according to a person with knowledge of the deal..

Therefore, it is not a matter of re-signing LD. All the ASG has to do is pick up his 3rd year option, which unfortunately, I think they will do. Ia lso think Rick Sund will be given another 1 year deal.

The ASG will say the Hawks were injured, and therefore, will not hold a forst round playoff loss against coach and management.

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Arthur Blank’s organization has not won a playoff game since 2004……Yawn…

Overrated? Yep..

BTW his streak will continue with ICE MELT as the QB for the foreseeable future.A throwback obsolete skill set……

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“I think Mr. Blank is a much better owner than the ASG. But…the bottom line is the Hawks have won first round playoff series on multiple occasions the last 5 years. When was the last time the Falcons won a playoff game?” – O’brien

That doesn’t take away from AB’s commitment to the Falcons. He’s had some bad luck in the playoff department, but every year he spends money in the FA and tries to draft dynamic players to please the fan base and win a championship. What do the Hawks do? Keep the core and pray it changes over the years. They fire an incompetent coach and what do they do? They hire his assistant. Bueler? Just because the Hawks beat up on mediocre teams in the first round, doesn’t make them a better organization and better team in the playoffs. The first real series win the Hawks had–in my opinion–was versus the Magic last year.

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Dwight Howard’s act is boring.

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“People don’t want to hear that truth Astro. It was a statement that Gearon cited in his rant earlier this season, and he got ripped for it. But he was right. The Falcons and Braves have done jack (( bleep )), compared to the Hawks.

Rev made a comment about the Sacramento crowd being as loud as he’s ever heard Philips. Paid attendance for last night’s game. . . 13,976 ( which may have been even lower, because there were a lot of upper deck seats that were empty last night. . . . in an arena that holds about 17,300 people.” -northcyde

Really? Maybe because the Braves actually won a world series and the Falcon went to the Superbowl in the past. What have the Hawks done? They haven’t even been to the third round in their entire history in ATL! You cannot compare the fan groups because they actually have had something to cheer for. The Hawks have been nobodies forever! You are comparing apples and oranges here with the previous success. I’m just trying to put in perspective why getting a Superstar will help the Hawks franchise considerably.

Also, the Kings have always had a wonderful fan base. They have also made it to the third round and got screwed over by the refs. The Kings could have won it all two years in a row!

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Tracy should tell LD he should never coach against a good coach because he doesnt match up. lol. I feel your pain TMac. I’ve got a boss whpo doesnt know his azz from a hole in the ground too. Cant say too much cause we need our jobs. lol

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What about Paculia, Josh and Hinrich for Okafor and Kaman? Would the Hawks do it? Would the Hornets do it?

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Big Lou,

The Braves are coming off one of the worst collapses in baseball history. And what changes did they make this offseason? Two. Hired a new hitting coach, and they let the veteran Alex Gonzales go, and gave the job to an unproven rookie.

Other than that, everybody is coming back. I dont agree with it, and I dont think the Braves should get the benefit of the doubt just because they won 1 WS back in 95. When’s the last time they even got to the LCS?

I give AB credit, because he demands change when he feels like his team underachieved, unlike the ASG who sits on their hands. Unfortunately for us Falcon fans, the geat ownership of AB has not translated to wins on the field, whereas the terrible ownership of the ASG has not stopped the Hawks from winning a first round series.

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Lou Williams lit up those Knicks last night..His jumper is lightning quick! Dropping 3’s and mid-range jumpers in the blink of an eye with 2 inches of daylight! What a baller?

If Josh is your featured offensive weapon he’s not taking anybody to an ECF..

Peyton to either Denver or Arizona..Radio sources say…

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“The Braves are coming off one of the worst collapses in baseball history. And what changes did they make this offseason? Two. Hired a new hitting coach, and they let the veteran Alex Gonzales go, and gave the job to an unproven rookie.

Other than that, everybody is coming back. I dont agree with it, and I dont think the Braves should get the benefit of the doubt just because they won 1 WS back in 95. When’s the last time they even got to the LCS?” -Obrien

I don’t remember bringing up BRAVES ownership in OUR discussion, yet I agree with you completely on the downturn ever since Turner sold them. I think the Braves took a step back this year, as well. I was bringing up that they have a more loyal fan base due to the previous ownership to northcyde…

Anyways, AB is a good example of what ownership should do. That’s why Mike Nolan and Koetter is the Falcons new coordinators. That’s why I expect another big move in the FA this year, cap willing. Also, they have been winning, just not in the post season unfortunately. They are one of the most winning franchises in the past 4 years.

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Falcons have a new OC because their previous one received a promotion. What we don’t know is if Blank would make wholesale changes if the Falcons win their first playoff game 3 years in a row. Now why is it that we don’t know that again?

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“The Fal-cons need a new QB? Their in denial for the next 3-4 years….It will take that long for some to catch up..But catch up they will………………………….”

Matt Ryan’s contract is not to be extended till next year, so you might get your wish. It depends how he preforms under the new coaching.

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“Falcons have a new OC because their previous one received a promotion. What we don’t know is if Blank would make wholesale changes if the Falcons win their first playoff game 3 years in a row. Now why is it that we don’t know that again?” -Astro Joe

Again, I guess this is why it’s pointless arguing with homers or people in blogs, you are making another straw-man argument of WHAT IFS. Mularkey would have been let go for sure; the Falcons only scored two points in the playoffs–by the defense. AB will not tolerate mediocrity. He even said there are NO SACRED COWS. That’s why they might let go of Lofton this year, because he is great for the run but horrible in coverage. That guy has way more skill in his toe than Marvin Williams had his whole life.

You can try to spin sh!t into cotton candy all you want, but the ownership of the Hawks is below par; everyone with half a brain knows this. Changes are needed in life to survive and prosper. Sticking with what doesn’t work and expecting different results is insanity.

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Lou, you are accusing me of “what ifs” in the same statement where you are declaring beyond a shadow of a doubt that Mularkey would have been fired if he had not accepted a promotion. Do you see the irony in that? You’re offering your opinion and I am offering mine. You brought up the Falcons earlier as some type of role-model organization, not me. You seemtto want buzz, I want a winner. I’d rather be a 76ers or Pacers fan (no superstars) than a Knicks or Magic fan. Fan interest does NOT equate to team success. However, team success should equate to fan interest.

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6 of 7^^^^^^^

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“Lou, you are accusing me of “what ifs” in the same statement where you are declaring beyond a shadow of a doubt that Mularkey would have been fired if he had not accepted a promotion. Do you see the irony in that? You’re offering your opinion and I am offering mine. You brought up the Falcons earlier as some type of role-model organization, not me. You seemtto want buzz, I want a winner. I’d rather be a 76ers or Pacers fan (no superstars) than a Knicks or Magic fan. Fan interest does NOT equate to team success. However, team success should equate to fan interest.” Astro Joe

I see the irony, but my end holds more water than yours. There have been talks of Mularkey getting the boot before the playoffs and his promotion happened. Just saying.

“76ers or Pacers fan” They’re not going to win it all either. Just look at history. There might be exceptions to the rule, but they are few and far between. Superstars win championships in the NBA. Of course, they usually make ownership sign and draft a good supporting cast. They demand it, actually.

Yet, let’s agree to disagree. I respect your opinion and you are quite knowledgeable of the posts I’ve read. Let me know how that championship that never comes works out for you.

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AJ, the Hawks’ model is not working, and the ‘nimbers’ should reflect it.
Has there been an increase in attendance the past 3-4 years?
There is so little backing for the Hawks, the local sports stations can’t talk about them for fear of losing ratings.
The ownership group is going to waste the talent they have assembled and IMO will be lucky to see the 2nd round this year.
Basically, is it really a level of achievement that the Hawks are a top 10 team in the league? I don’t think so, because based on that Top 10, have you heard one person think this team is a contender?

If you aren’t contending for the title, then you as an owner have no right to complain that you can’t fill the arena with your gimmicky ideas.
The only way the arena sells out is because of the opponent. The ASG can pat themselves on the back all they want. They aren’t in this to win it.

And Josh is the only reason why this is the ‘Highlight Factory’. That will disappear in 1 week if you move him. So much for that marketing ploy.

Hey, look at that…DA on nba.com just ranked the Hawks at #7….congrats for being considered a Top 7 NBA team. That’s quite funny, because no one knows what team will show up.

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“I’d rather be a 76ers or Pacers fan (no superstars) than a Knicks or Magic fan.”

The Magic are currently in 3rd place in the conference and Dwight has lead that franchise to the NBA Finals a few years ago.

I’m assuming your Knicks reference is intending to point figures at Melo but he has lead his Denver team to a WCF. Same as Amare and Chandler won a ring last year with the Mavs.

The Pacers and 76ers haven’t won a playoffs series in (probably) over a decade. Do you really want to be a fan of those organizations?

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“Lou, I put far more value in quality coaching than I do in a superstar.” -Astro Joe

Then you must not know that the Hawks have a coach named: Larry Drew. The assistant coach of Woody ‘no-brows’. At least Woody made Josh not shot jump shots, and knew when to ride his hot players. LD can’t coach out of a wet paper bag. He has cost this team at least 5 wins this year with poor substitution and incompetence in using Ivan, Pargo, Green, and TMAC effectively. The guy who thinks Kirk is the best thing since sliced bread. Oh wait…

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“The Magic are currently in 3rd place in the conference and Dwight has lead that franchise to the NBA Finals a few years ago.

I’m assuming your Knicks reference is intending to point figures at Melo but he has lead his Denver team to a WCF. Same as Amare and Chandler won a ring last year with the Mavs.

The Pacers and 76ers haven’t won a playoffs series in (probably) over a decade. Do you really want to be a fan of those organizations?” -Melvin the Brilliant

Thank God! Somebody with common sense and history to back up his arguments! Bravo Sir!

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“The Pacers and 76ers haven’t won a playoffs series in (probably) over a decade. Do you really want to be a fan of those organizations?”

While you can say you wouldn’t want that decade long albatross around your neck, go out and tell someone you’re a Hawks’ fan and see what kind of response you get.

Both of those teams have seen something besides the 2nd round, so is there really a discussion here?

Both Philly and Indiana have passed us right by, have they not? We’re a 6 seed today, looking at our favorite punching bag, Orlando. Do you really like our chances against any other winning team this year? I want our guys to win, but until they do it, we have no clue if they can even win a pivotal series.

So, another satified season getting to the 2nd round should we ‘upset’ our 1st round matchup?

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“Dwight Howard to Chicago in exchange for Omer Asik, Luol Deng, Carlos Boozer and a valuable first-round pick from Charlotte”

We simply can’t beat this.

The best we could manage would be Horford, Marvin (if they were dumb enough), Teague and a first round.

Eventually, our leverage could be to take a worse contract than CHI is willing to accept in the package (Turk) and to accept that we could be looking at a 1 month rental.

Honestly, I would trade Horford + Marvin and a 1st for Howard+Turk in a heart beat even without ANY assurances from Howard that he would stay.

However, I would couple this move with the hiring of Larry Brown to take us there. I am sure that he would jump at the opportunity and he is the best available HC if we take into consideration that Sloan is retired and Phil Jackson cannot implement the triangle offense in 1 month.

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And since I have missed most of the chatter for the past 10 days, let me get this straight. Horford is a bum because he said he wanted to play a different position for the Hawks but Josh is a hero because he says he will only play for the Hawks if they make changes that suit him? That conclusion is about as dysfunctional as hiring the lead assistant.

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[...] Smith is being asked about his trade request on the road now, but considering he had 28 points on Sunday night, there’s a good chance he isn’t going [...]

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AJ,

Horford will never be a difference maker and Josh is proving that he might still become one (he is being right now).

That alone make their situations completely different.

Also, Horford has a preference to play in a position where he can’t help us as much as Josh does and has a preference for not playing in the only position where he can be effective.

Not a question of being a bum, but I would rather go to war with Josh than with Al who has become a softie.

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There’s also reports saying that D12 would be interested in the Heat if he hit free-agency….

I’m done with the NBA if that happens…

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Hoops Rumours says Josh likely isn’t going anywhere until possibly the draft. Say what you want, but I can see a scenario with a bunch of hungry vets making some real noise in the playoffs. If everybody stays healthy and focused, we can make a push in the playoffs even without Horford.

Since the Clippers and Wolves want Hinrich at the 2, maybe LD had another reason for starting him there.

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Steve, if the Hawks trade Josh for Varejao, they are giving up on the season as Andy may not return from a busted wrist for another few weeks. Sacrificing playoff revenue doesn’t sound like something the ASG would do.

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AJ:

“Of course, the assumption is that I am acquiring a comparable asset and not a stale bag of chips.”

Even with his recent tear, Josh’s trade value is not high enough to bring us anything remotely close in value (yes, I consider him very valuable).

Josh’s potential as main cog is still unknown.

Never trade an asset which value is not yet determined.

Hence my rants about giving Josh the clear main cog status in a make or break opportunity.

If he makes it, we will alway gain, even if we are forced to trade him next year.

If he fails, perhaps he will settled down as a top notch do it all hüber-role player.

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Josh Smith is on a tear right now and playing some of the best ball in his career. He’s tired of being singled out as if he was the number 2 pick. All this hate towards Smoove and he was not the one picked after Andrew Bogut.

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Vava,

Boozer’s contract is terrible. Not counting this year, he has 3 years, $47 mil left. And Dwight has said he does not want to go to Chicago. 1) It is too cold and 2) He doesn’t want to be a sidekick (which he would be to D-Rose).

So a Chicago trade would be a 2 month rental. Not happening, and I dont blame the Bulls GM either.

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T minus 2 days, 22 hours, 32mins Houston….. zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz…

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So Howard doesn’t want to go to Chicago because he refuses to be a sidekick, but wants to go to the Clippers or Heat?

Wade is Batman, LeBron is Robin, and Bosh is Catwoman. Besides it being technically impossible, what does he expect to be in Miami?

And the Clippers support Blake Griffin 100 percent. And then you have Chris Paul there to…..so where would he fit in there and be the head honcho?

One thing I do hate about trade deadlines is when these superstars come out and say these idiotic things that make no sense whatsoever. I don’t care them demanding trades to certain teams. But be smart about it.

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Boston is 2.5 games out of the 6th slot.

The Hawks have a great chance to seperate themselves from playoff slot 7 the next 2 weeks. The C’s play 9 of the next 11 on the road…ouch!

They have to make a deadline move to get new energy in there. They can’t stand pat and think they can win a 1st round series against CHI or MIA.

We should feel like we’re competent to keep the #6 slot. 26 regular season games to go….I don’t think we add or delete anyone.

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Vava,

Horford will never be a difference maker and Josh is proving that he might still become one (he is being right now).

Horford has been in the league 4 years, and averaged 15 and 10 last year, but just because Orlando and Chicago figured him out in the playoffs…all of a sudden he will never be a difference maker?

Meanwhile, Josh is in his 7th year (although he didn’t get the college coaching Al did), and he is just now playing at his highest level. Why are you giving up on Al? Just because he looked soft in the playoffs last year?

SteveW,

Heyward finished second in the ROY voting. How did his second year go? So who knows what to expect from these young guys.

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@EmirS.

Lebron is having one of the best seasons of all time, and you think he is Robin? LOL, either get your eyes checked or your brain examined.

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From Marc Stein’s power rankings this week, Hawks are ranked 14th.

Go ahead. Try figuring these guys out. You putting more stock in the recent wins over Orlando, OKC and Indiana? Or the losses to the Warriors and Pistons? Elias says Friday night’s 86-85 loss in Detroit was their eighth straight defeat in one-point games on the road … one short of the NBA record..

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What good is it to get to the 2nd round when you can’t get past it? Is there an award coming for only 1 of 3 teams to get to the 2nd round the past 4 years? The idiocy that is Rick Sund and the ASG.

And I think Boston may take back Al Jefferson if they can move KG or Pierce. That would give them ’some’ flexibility. The money owed to Pierce and Rondo will be expensive in 2013 if they can’t make another run at a title.

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Disclaimer: I have only watched about 45 minutes of college basketball this year and most of that has been Kentucky, UNC, and Duke, so my opinions of most college players on other teams right now are mostly based on what I read at nbadraft.net and other draft sites.

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“Superstars guarantee fan interest but don’t guarantee team success.”

True, but lack of superstars practically guarantees lack of success, if you judge success on winning or contending for championships.

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“Rev made a comment about the Sacramento crowd being as loud as he’s ever heard Philips. Paid attendance for last night’s game. . . 13,976 ( which may have been even lower, because there were a lot of upper deck seats that were empty last night. . . . in an arena that holds about 17,300 people.”

Some of that loudness may come from the fact that they turn their rim mics up higher than maybe any other arena in the league. You could hear it when players swished jumpers in that game.

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Kevin M,

All of the guys you listed averaged double figure points in the playoffs for their careers, except for Varajeo (who is known for defense), and Tyrus Thomas (who is just as big a bust as Marvin). Guys make their monry in the NBA in the playoffs. I would feel much better going into the playoffs with Shawn Marion, Richard Jefferson or John Salmons playing the 3 than I would Marvin. Hell, I would feel better going into the playoffs with Salmons playing the 2 than I would Joe Johnson at this point. Salmons usually steps up in the playoffs. Also all of the guys listed can take advantage of smaller players, and finish at the rim without getting their shot blocked.

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Forget trading Josh, I was just thinking about how much he means to this team.

Trade Kirk for the better of Lakers pick come draft time since the Mavs pick is top 20 protected which I didn’t know. Show Al and Josh that you want to move them to their preferred positions and draft 7 ft Fab Melo out of Syracuse with the first of the picks, and any of these players with the second–Will Barton/John Jenkins/Moe Harkless/Dion Waiters. I guarantee we challenge Miami and Chicago in a series with those moves.

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Larry Drew was on the Announcement looking confused around women

I know yall saw it

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“Regarding Josh, if a player wants out, I would always show him the door. I struggle to think of a single player for any team that I follow that I woulldn’t trade if he asked to be gone from that team. I would have traded Greg Maddox in 1995 had he asked to be traded. Same for any Falcon, Brave or Hawk in the past 30 years. If you don’t want to wear the uni, get gone would be my sentiment.”

@Astro Joe.

that’s just dumb. The man with the money makes the decisions aka THE BOSS. And just like Jerry West said….call their bluff. Dwight Howard…if you want to leave 30 Ms and a year of security on the table then so be it but you will play out this contract. The insurance that they will play hard for the remainder of the contract is that they want to cash in on the next contract

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Source confirms that the Magic, Warriors and Hornets are discussing three-team deal that sends Monta Ellis to Orlando. Talks are heating up.

There goes any chance at D12

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It hasn’t been mentioned much,

But I am sick and tired of players requesting trades (Dwight and Josh) and then claiming that all the external talk and rumors is affecting them.

GTFOH.

If you don’t want all the external talk, don’t request an f’ing trade or talk openly about it (Dwight)

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Ray

When I was discussing Kendall Marshall;
It was in response to dialogue ra`mon and myself
have been having off and on over the course of several or more days.

However;
should I decide to write a scouting report on draft picks
for the 2012 draft, beginning [Now] and continue until June,
I will do so.
And guess what; You can scroll away, if you wish.

Furthermore;
If *’`Ditch~Weed`’* wishes to trade Horford & Teague;
every single day of the year after year;
as long as he behaves himself;
he can do that as long as he wishes.

Now, Ray, If you wish to edit my posts;
go right ahead.
You are a much respected blogger,
Have a Wonderful Rest 0` the Day !
_____________________________________________

Kudos to Murray St -&- Coach Steve Prohm.
I knew him when he was just a lad. [valedictorean @ his HS]

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I`ll bet coach Prohm can spell valedictorian

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“The Hawks appear determined to stand pat with their roster through the deadline, barring a minor deal that could help them for the stretch run and playoffs, sources say. One possibility would be moving Kirk Hinrich, but it would have to be a trade that helped them basketball-wise, not simply a salary dump. As for Josh Smith, who isn’t exactly denying that he’s requested a trade, Hawks GM Rick Sund’s approach to such things historically has been to deal with them in the offseason — say, around the draft, when more teams will be active in the trade market and draft picks acquired in trades will be known quantities.”

LOL. Sund’s approach is to not make changes to the core and to sign washed up Seattle players

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Nail it Down!

The Truth just hit the nail on the head re: Josh’s posturing. Josh knows he is the straw that stirs the drink at Phillips Arena.

Unrestricted Free Agency 101

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I just readHawks are in discussion to trade Kirk for Chris Kaman! I hope this happens he would definitly help more than Kirk!

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Here’s the article from Yahoo

“Al Horford is still likely out the remainder of the season with his torn pectoral muscle, yet the Hawks still sit as the #6 seed, and provided they can remain sixth or higher, they have a legit chance at getting out of the first round. No one wants to face Miami or Chicago.
But could the Hawks really make noise starting Zaza Pachulia at center the rest of the season?They might not have to.New Orleans is seeking to deal Chris Kaman and his expiring contract, and Atlanta has an expiring of their own in Kirk Hinrich—and the salaries match up.The Hornets could use Hinrich as bad as the Hawks could use Kaman, so the deal makes perfect sense for both squads, and would solve short term problems for both teams (more so the Hawks of course, since New Orleans is no where near the playoff picture).Also, Kaman would put up great numbers on the Hawks. They need a legit post presence while Horford is out, and when Kaman is at his best, he can still draw double teams. His ambidextrous skills enable him to hit a variety of shots from 12 feet and in, and though he is aged and beat up from injuries, 7 footers don’t exactly grow on trees.Kaman would likely have been nothing more than a backup in the ’90s, and that’s really all he is now at this point anyway. But he can still serve a purpose to a team like the Hawks, who still sit seven games above .500 and if the Playoffs began today, they would draw the Orlando Magic.If Dwight Howard leaves, all of the bottom feeders are going to hope to draw Orlando. Even with Howard playing, Atlanta has to like their chances after dispatching the Magic four games to two last year in the opening round of the Playoffs.No one really takes Atlanta very serious as a contender, but by adding Kaman they would be at least a step closer, and he would still serve a valuable purpose when Horford returns too.
The trade makes too much sense to not happen, so we’ll see.”

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Rather than go after Kaman and a back up to All Average Al, Id rather Keep hinrich and Trade average Al and Teague for cap room and go after D12

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The difference between the press and the truth is lies.

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*b) you like average performance

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With the general atmosphere on this blog being semi-negative or at least unimpressed by typical feats of “up-and-coming” team, I’m a bit surprised that people are so excited about us beating a bad team like the Kings. We lose to a bad team and the attitude is that the sky is falling, and that we need to trade everyone and blow up the roster. Then, we beat a bad team and someone has a good game, and all of a sudden people are feeling good again. Then, if we lose in the next game and the same guy has a bad game, the attitude again shifts to “break up the core” and trade this player, etc. etc. Talk about inconsistent.

As far as Josh, I don’t understand what is up with the all the up-and-down hate/love for the guy. Yes, he can be inconsistent, but for the most part, you know what you are going to get. The Josh that we see playing today is very similar to the Josh that we’ve been watching for the last couple of years. The main difference is that with the injuries and the current roster, he has a much larger offensive role than he used to, and he’s taking a lot more shots than he was given in his previous years. Of course Josh is going to score more when he is taking 20-23 shots a night compared to the 11-14 he used to take in previous years. Unless Josh is wildly inefficient shooting the ball, his scoring is going to increase and stay around 20+ ppg. Josh’s efficiency has dipped since having an increased offensive role, and for the reason, his shooting percentage is below average for a starting PF, but lately, he’s been pretty efficient, so you can see that he is becoming more comfortable with his shot selection. The other difference is that he’s no longer playing alongside a very good rebounder who is helping him do the dirty work, (Zaza is filling that role, but isn’t as effective as Horford was at doing so) so his rebounding is up as well with an increased role.

At any rate, what I’m trying to say is that Josh has been capable of scoring 20 a night for quite some time, many in the league are capable of doing so, the biggest difference is that he’s being given the opportunity to take a huge volume of shots now, and in the past he was one of the lower options on offense. Opportunity is very valuable, and Josh should cherish it. A lot of players in his position are never given that type of opportunity. I don’t understand why Josh would really want to be traded at this point, unless it is purely to chase a championship, because as it stands, his best bet to “campaign” for himself in terms of future accolades is right here in Atlanta. Individually, you can’t ask for much more than the role that he currently. I can’t think of any contending team out there that would give him this big of a role today where he gets to be the center of the offense and take 20+ shots a night. Unless Josh wants to continue his career with a rebuilding or up-and-coming young team, he’s going to be asked to fill a smaller role elsewhere, and I don’t see any motivation for leaving to do that. It seems like Josh’s best bet would be to stay in ATL.

Josh is basically treated like royalty on the team. The fans give him hate sometimes, but he basically has the green light from his coach to do whatever he wants on the court with no consequences, and that’s tough to get from any coach. I don’t know what more Josh could want, individually. LIke I said, I see no reason for him to leave unless it’s for a chance to contend for a title with a team focused on that goal.

If Josh’s goal is to “reach his potential” and “campaign” for a future all-star bid, this seems like the place to do it. He has all the opportunity in the world to showcase his talents here in Atlanta under a coach who is very high on him. He gets to play big minutes each and every night and shoot as many shots as he wants. That sounds pretty good to me. Might as well stay put and see if someone else gets traded. You may never get to even the conference finals with the Hawks, but you’ll have every chance in the world to showcase your individual ability, if that is what you really want. It’s sort of like what Kevin Love is doing in Minnesota. The team probably won’t be contending for a title anytime soon, but he has free reign to take over the team and show the world what he can do, meanwhile receiving tons of individual praise from the national media. It seems to me that that is what Josh truly wants.

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If Kaman is really available for Hinrich, Sund should jump on that deal. Kaman can still ball and before his injury, he was one of the best low-post scorers in the league, and was playing at an all-star level. Sure, he may not be as good these days, but he’s still effective and could be very useful to the Hawks. He could give us another legit low-post presence on the offensive end, and he could really help out our floor space as well, since defenders have to respect his offense and can’t sag off of him to help on others. If the Hornets would trade Kaman for Hinrich, I’d take that deal immediately.

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myths

This is an up-and-coming” team.- this team has had declining win totals the last 2 years and still cant get out of the second round

Myth

Josh is inconsistent. Josh is our most consistent player and hardest working player

Myth

Josh is only doing good because Al is hurt. this one is laughable

Josh was doing as good as he is now as before Al tried to kill his self on the court.

In fact Josh’s numbers before the Al destruction were great and since the suicide attempt his numbers are great.

More over. If Josh, and JJ were out and Al had to carry the team wed be in the lottery at the end of the year.

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Dont trade Hinrich… hold out for D12 or better, al and kamen still gets us kick out in the second round and both of them have peaked and are best as back up. Time to up grade the center position not maintain the mediocrity. You mediocrity lover are the main reason no real championship caliber player wants to come here.

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With all of these trade ideas, we all have to remember that we are dealing with Rick Sound and ASG and they don’t really care about this team or the championship, they just want to get some playoff money and that it.

BTW, Glenn is the Asian Dude name.

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LOL at ppl who think we can just trade Kirk for Kaman. LOOK AT THEIR CONTRACTS

ASG, despite what they claim, will never ever go into the LT. these guys won’t even spend money on a stat board at Philips and WE ARE NOT TOP FIVE IN PAYROLL CONTRARY TO WHAT MORON JR THINKS

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Hawks are not a good match for Kaman. His salary is $14 mil. Hawks dont have enough expendable salaries to make the deal work.

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Myth: That Yard Sale the troll is a true Hawks fan.

Truth: Yard Sale is not a fan of any team. He hates human beings in general. Himself most of all.

Myth: That trolls are only trying to win arguments

Truth: Trolls only care when they are noticed. I am feeding a troll right now, although he doesn’t really like the taste.

Myth: If you ignore a troll, he will go away

Truth: Trolls live to annoy others. They only leave if they feel accepted, but they are careful to not let that happen.

Myth: That this troll can control himself most of the time

Truth: He’ll be stealing this handle and spouting nonsense any minute now

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The Blazers and Clips are discussing a deal that would send Jamal Crawford to L.A. for Eric Bledsoe and Ryan Gomes, sources say.

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It’s true that Josh is playing better without Al than he played with Al. These were his numbers with Al this season:

15.8 ppg (48.9%, 13.8 FGA/game), 8.5 rpg, 3.3 apg, 2.4 topg.

Those are Josh’s typical numbers every year. Now, let’s look at what he’s doing lately with his huge offensive role. In March, his best month so far, these are his numbers:

25.5 ppg on 20.7 FGA/game, 9.8 rpg, 3.0 apg, 2.3 topg.

His shooting efficiency right this month is the best it has been so far this season, back up after some poor shooting in February. I agree with Joe that Josh is doing what he’s always been capable of if given a bigger role. If Joe and Al had been healthy all season, we’d be seeing Josh’s typical production that we see every year, but with Al out and Joe banged up, Josh is getting to take a high volume of shots and has the largest offensive role of his career. His other stats are basically the same, outside of rebounding, which is up a bit, predictably, with the loss of Al. It makes sense to me.

Personally, I think Josh and Al play best without one another. That’s the main reason why I think we should trade one of them so that they can both flourish.

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“What about Al and Marvin for Bogut, Stephen Jackson and a 1st round pick?”

Al is the best player in that trade, and Bogut gets paid an awful lot for someone with major injury concerns, so I don’t like the player aspect of that trade. If the pick is high enough, it could justify the trade, but with Milwaukee in position to snag the 8th playoff spot, I don’t think that pick is worth it.

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Bogut gets paid an awful lot for someone with major injury concerns LMAO LMAO…… WHAT THE FCK IS AL? BUT A MAJOR INJURY CONCERN.

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T.S. is on fire today. I guess that’s it for blogging today. See you guys later. I’m tired of treading through spam. Have fun masquerading around using my blog handle.

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http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2012/writers/sam_amick/03/12/trade.notebook/index.html

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Fright Night!

Big Lou, LOL … I’m getting burglar bars installed on the ground floor Saturday morning. Ha Ha!

I think Rick should run into the barn to draw the walkers in there, and climb out the rafters, have the kid go get Glenn and ‘Nem to lock the bolts. And, SET IT OFF!

Aiight? That’s wassup! Gas up the cars and get the hella on. You sick Big Lou … Rotten flesh – an aphrodisiac? I’ll pass dawg! LOL

I got $5 on my escape plot … You in on The Barn Burner?

Do you remember the old man’s younger daughter was feeding their family of Walkers in the barn with live chickens to keep them fed, satisfied and outa’ sight? That might work for a minute too? That’s why I think the barn is the key to survival.

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Fire LD!!

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“But the problem is his injury lead way to Josh improving his play at the PF” – Johnny

Josh’s determination hard work and focus is what lead Josh to increase his skill set. Josh worked extremely hard in the off-season and came to camp in the best shape of his life. That’s what lead to Josh’s increased skill set.

Al spent his off-season humping ms camel toe and came to camp out of shape which left him in a rush to get in playing shape and susceptible to injury…. which was the case.

So Josh’s hard work paid off for him and Al’s folly is also netting its results.

If anybody profited from Al’s lack of discipline it was Zaza who has seamlessly replaced Al. Not that it is hard to replace Al…..

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KevinM,

“Both Philly and Indiana have passed us right by, have they not? We’re a 6 seed today,”
“We would still be In the 6th slot with a healthy Al.”

Hawks are only 2 games behind the Magic(#3), 1 game behind Philly(#4) and basically have the same record as Indy(#5). Are you saying the Hawks wouldn’t improve by at least 2 games if AL was healthy?

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@Melvin

You gotta believe that this team would be at least 2 games better if Horford was healthy. I know he is overrated, but his PER is very good. He would have helped us.

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Since Al and Zaza play the same position and post the same numbers, then you would still get the same number regardless of which is playing. In other words you’d still have the same record because youd still get the same production out of the center position whether its Al or Zaza.

But Zaza actually gets the edge because he will fight. Al wont.

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An article on Marvin going to bench and LD’s reasoning would be nice.

These blogs are so dead. Pretty sad

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“allow” not “all” in the 2nd paragraph above.

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LA in many ways is like a really big version of Atlanta, and that includes its sports fans’ tendencies. LA sports fans are fickle, star-driven, and contain a lot of transplants, just like the fans here. The difference is that the teams there have actually managed to go out and get stars to maintain the fans’ interest.

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Horford’s major victim, TJ Ford retired today. I think that single play derailed Ford’s career, and it altered Al’s career to an extent as well. Every since that play, I can’t recall Al playing relentless (except for the game against Chicago). Before that game Al was THE BOSS. I thought he would be a physical enforcer. But after watching Ford rolled off the court, Al’s demeanor has changed. I can’t say I blame him. But I do think he may should have been required (by the Hawks) to see a sports psychiatrist to get pass that. A play like that would negatively affect anyone for a good while, much less a young player (Al) who just started their career.

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“Elias says Friday night’s 86-85 loss in Detroit was their eighth straight defeat in one-point games on the road … one short of the NBA record.”

The Hawks look lost when they come out of a timeout with the game on the line. LD has to be the worst ‘end of the game’ coach in the league. The only time I was impressed was the play they ran for Al last year against, I believe, Chicago. It worked because everybody focused on JJ.

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Celts won unfortunately

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“What about Al and Marvin for Bogut, Stephen Jackson and a 1st round pick?” – O’Brien

Bringing in Jackson would be like trading for J.R. Rider. You don’t trade for guys that are known coach killers and locker room poison. And I wouldn’t trade Al straight up for Bogut.

“WE ARE NOT TOP FIVE IN PAYROLL CONTRARY TO WHAT MORON JR THINKS” – GM

7th in salary this year, 5th in total future committed salary… scroll to the bottom:

http://www.shamsports.com/content/pages/data/salaries/index.jsp

PS the trade of Kirk for Kaman only works if we throw in Marvin. Any takers?

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O’Brien
March 12th, 2012
5:15 pm

OB, Al has no significan margin for improvement.

Of course, he can get better and become a little bit more polish on the block (if he puts work on that and realizes that he can only thrive as a C).

But the harsh reality is that from a skill set point of view – physical and technical – Al is very close to his maximum ability.

He already had the “college coaching polish work” that Smoove never had, not even at the pro level with two listless assistant coaches unable to guide him.

Last year’s playoffs were not an aberration, the regular season was.

I already said 1000 times here:

NO ONE HAD A CLUE, DURING THE REGULAR SEASON.

EVERYONE WAS CAUGHT BY SURPRISE WHEN THEY SAW AL HITTING THOSE ELBOW SHOTS.

Once the scouting caught up with that (in the playoffs and early this season), his numbers dropped dramatically because he only shoots from a set position, without elevation, no fading, no driving and pulling.

Al’s offensive game is composed of TWO types of shots:

1. Spot jump shots, for which he will no longer be open more than 3 to 5 times per game, AND THAT IS ONLY AGAINST Cs WHO ARE SLOWER AND LESS INCLINED TO COME OUT OF THE PAINT;

2. His spin hook shot in the lane WHICH HE CAN ONLY EFFECTIVELY USE AGAINST SLOWER OPPONENTS (Cs).

Al takes so much time to make his move, with his never ending studder step, that you can almost fall asleep and wake up before he has actually made his move.

The above does not mean that I don’t like Al. I do, but not as I did in the past.

IF Al came and said: I now understand that Josh is balling at the PF position and I am more suited to help him in the paint as a mobile C, using my superior speed and mobility, I would say FINE, KEEP HIM.

BUT, he won’t, so one must go, and in my book, I have no doubt that Al has better trade value whilst being a substantially inferior player.

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Very disappointing if this team just sits tight during what is expected to be a very active trade deadline. Hawks need to either try to improve this team for the playoffs, or go ahead and set some things up for the offseason.

I think setting up the offseason is the greater priority. Hawks have $61M committed to Teague, Joe, Marvin, Josh, Al & ZaZa for next year. That gives us $9M to add 7 players (13 is roster minimum), one of which is currently set to make $1M+ as our 1st rd pick. If you wait until the offseason, then you’re limited to trading one or more of our current players to teams under the cap in order to improve our cap situation. Hawks should make every effort NOW to find expiring contracts, draft picks, and younger/cheaper players.

Moving Marvin Williams should be priority #1. Getting a future draft pick or young player for Kirk Hinrich should be #2. Seeing if McGrady can get us a draft pick or young player is #3.

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Just Joe,

First, you still don’t know if we will or will not pull a move.

Second, pulling a move does not guarantee you a successful return so lets not think that a move is essential.

A good move would be excellent, a bad one not.

The harsh reality is that we only have three trading chips:

Al Horford – which could be coveted mostly by teams which are not in the playoff run and that may not have anything particularly good to trade for;

J-Smoove – which, if traded, will not attract equal value, so it would be a dumb move to do it (and we are still finding out his true value, IMO).

Hinrich – which can only bring us a complementary piece.

The rest:

Zaza is looking better and better from a $/production point of view so to trade him would be dumb if we were not talking about a high high quality package (for instance D12);

Marvin is not coveted by anyone due to his lack of skills/horrific contract (he would attract some interest at 4/5 million);

JJ ditto but only for contractual reasons;

Teague is an asset with unknown value and I don’t think we will trade a player with untapped potential on his rookie deal.

All the rest are minimum vet players, so the most you can get is a second round pick and you know what the Hawks do with second rounds picks.

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Get Rid of Joe Trade of the Day:

This trade is THE ONE!

http://espn.go.com/nba/tradeMachine?tradeId=7mhrzad

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Armand,

Horford lacks the girth and the length to be effective in the post.

His best weapon in the post is his speed – which he only has WITHOUT the rock.

Hence, against slower opponents (Centers) his best characteristics help him overcome the lack of girth and length. For instance, on baseline cuts and put backs from the weak side.

At the PF slot, most players are as quick as Horford (or even quicker) and in many cases, much longer (wingspan), making him average offensively.

All the moves you saw Horford use in the FIBA tournament are worthless when he is giving up 3, 4 or even 5 inches in wingspan/height.

At the FIBA level, a guy who is 6′10” is in many cases the tallest guy on court or close.

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You don’t need above-average girth or length to score in the post. I don’t know where this notion that you need to overpower people in the post to score came from or where the idea that you need to have some physical advantage over your defender in the post to score on them came from, but that’s not what it’s all about at all. Scoring in the post is about positioning, moves, skill, timing, reaction, and finesse more than anything else, with things like power and athleticism thrown in to make things easier. Unless you are an athletic freak or have unreal strength, you won’t be an effective post player without those things I just mentioned. You don’t have to be longer, taller, stronger, or quicker than the guy who is guarding you to be effective. There are plenty of things that players do in the post to trick defenders in order to get enough space or correct positioning in order to get off a high percentage shot to score. It’s not just about having the length to get your shot off over an outstretched arm, or having the strength to back your man all the way to the hoop, or having the speed to get past your defender before they can contest or block your shot. It’s much more than that. Scoring in the post is more about wit, positioning, and timing/reaction than anything. If you are sub-par in the post, of course it will make it easier if you have physical advantages, since you can get away with using very simple moves and still scoring since your defenders don’t have the physical tools to effectively contest your attempts, but that’s not a necessity.

I don’t want to write a novel about it, so I’ll just leave it that. I disagree with the comments on Horford not having the physical ability to score effectively in the post against NBA-level PFs. That’s my opinion.

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“Since I feel like Josh and Al play better without each other, I think we’d be better off trading Al once he’s healthy, as long as he’s okay with it, so that he can have an opportunity to flourish elsewhere, since he won’t have the chance with Josh and Joe have such large roles on this team.”

Bottom line… Al or Josh = Josh by a long shot at the pf and Al is marginal at best playing the most crucial position on the court, for what ever reason, mostly his attitude….

Its time to trade Al for his sake and the teams sake…….
” Al has no significant margin for improvement.Of course, he can get better and become a little bit more polish on the block (if he puts work on that and realizes that he can only thrive as a C).

But the harsh reality is that from a skill set point of view – physical and technical – Al is very close to his maximum ability.

He already had the “college coaching polish work” that Smoove never had, not even at the pro level with two listless assistant coaches unable to guide him.

Last year’s playoffs were not an aberration, the regular season was.

“IF Al came and said: I now understand that Josh is balling at the PF position and I am more suited to help him in the paint as a mobile C, using my superior speed and mobility, I would say FINE, KEEP HIM.

BUT, he won’t, so one must go, and in my book, I have no doubt that Al has better trade value whilst being a substantially inferior player.”

“Al Horford – which could be coveted mostly by teams which are not in the playoff run and that may not have anything particularly good to trade for;

J-Smoove – which, if traded, will not attract equal value, so it would be a dumb move to do it (and we are still finding out his true value, IMO).”

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“Get Rid of Joe Trade of the Day:

This trade is THE ONE!

http://espn.go.com/nba/tradeMachine?tradeId=7mhrzad”

Why would the Clippers want to take on Joe’s huge contract? I understand that they need a starting caliber SG with some size, but taking on that large of a contract will hurt them long-term, considering they will have to offer Griffin a large-scale extension soon, and they already have a large portion of cap space committed to Paul, Butler, and Jordan for the foreseeable future. If you add Joe’s huge contract to that mix, it makes it tough to eventually sign Blake to a max deal and still have enough put quality pieces around them to build a contender without going deep into the luxury tax, unless one of their key pieces is moved. Joe is not a bad player, but his contract makes him difficult to trade to anyone, even if he can produce at a near-all-star level.

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Limited Skills: That be All NBA aka Mr Stiff( lack of fluidity)

“Once the scouting caught up with that (in the playoffs and early this season), his numbers dropped dramatically because he only shoots from a set position, without elevation, no fading, no driving and pulling.

Al’s offensive game is composed of TWO types of shots:

1. Spot jump shots, for which he will no longer be open more than 3 to 5 times per game, AND THAT IS ONLY AGAINST Cs WHO ARE SLOWER AND LESS INCLINED TO COME OUT OF THE PAINT;

2. His spin hook shot in the lane WHICH HE CAN ONLY EFFECTIVELY USE AGAINST SLOWER OPPONENTS (Cs).

Al takes so much time to make his move, with his never ending studder step, that you can almost fall asleep and wake up before he has actually made his move.

The above does not mean that I don’t like Al. I do, but not as I did in the past.

IF Al came and said: I now understand that Josh is balling at the PF position and I am more suited to help him in the paint as a mobile C, using my superior speed and mobility, I would say FINE, KEEP HIM.

BUT, he won’t, so one must go, and in my book, I have no doubt that Al has better trade value whilst being a substantially inferior player.”- vava74-

Excellent synopsis reference All NBA offensive skills..I’ll add one more thing.. He has very weak handles too. His left hand is useless.. That’s why once the defender closes out on his throw back 1950’s set shot he’ll give up and pass the ball. Limited at best..And this guy believes he can play at an Allstar level at the #4 spot? In his dreams…..

I’d much rather trade All NBA than Josh everyday all day..

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The Hawks should never trade Al!

Al Horford is better than Josh Smith in a multitude of ways. You’ll all see when he gets back, and if he is traded from the Hawks one day when he’s healthy, you’ll see what you missed.

I hope he does get traded to another team if he is happier there.

In the long run, we’ll all find out who is right and who is wrong.

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All good points, Jerome, but Donald Sterling is one of the few owners with the money to go into the tax without fear or hesitation. The Clippers have ALWAYS been profitable because of the market they are in, even though the team has historically been terrible.

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LaMarcus Aldridge(A real #4) 2x> All NBA……

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I’m anxious to see how L.D. manages his rotations for tonight’s game. I wonder what he’ll come up with “from a match-up standpoint” for this game since Denver likes to play with a very big lineup that features Nene at the 4. Nene is the size of a center and is probably too strong for Josh, but on the other hand, probably to slow to defend Josh. I wonder if L.D. will decide to play small again. I won’t be able to watch the local broadcast this time, so if someone finds a link before tonight’s game of the broadcast, please share it.

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Armand
March 13th, 2012
8:30 am

Armand, I did not mention technical aspects because Al will NOT develop McHale or Olajuwon type of moves.

He does not have them in him.

He has good speed and decent coordination for his size BUT the key word is DECENT.

His body and ball control are DECENT but he is not TALENTED/GIFTED.

Horford’s game has ALWAYS been about DISCIPLINE and HUSTLE and his only future in the NBA – if he decides to embrace it – is to be BOSS HORFORD again:

Living off scraps on offense and a few scattered open looks (because he will no longer get as many as last year).

Basically, what Horford can do is emulate what Zaza is doing right now:

Make use of a limited physical and technical skill set by battling on D against stronger/quicker opponents (Zaza’s shortcoming is speed/quickness of reaction and lack of vertical, Horford’s is strength and lack of lenght/wingspace) and on offense live off offensive boards, back-door cuts and indeed a portion of baseline and elbow shots to go along his DECENT running hook in the lane.

IF Horford embraced that mission and said:

“I will kill myself in the paint in order for us to win games” (like Ben Wallace did) then I would be all for keeping the core and just hiring an actual HC.

Without this commitment by Horford we will not evolve with him competing with Josh for the PF slot.

In order to convince you a little bit better, let’s look at 3 PFs which either average or averaged 20/10:

Bosh: is immensely more skilled than Horford on offense, able to hit turnaround, fade aways, drive, … This has been the case since he entered the league.

Duncan: called the big fundamental because his complete game: deadly turnaround banker, hook shots with both hands, up and under moves, solid handle, … This has been the case since he entered the league.

Love: has 3 point range, soft touch around the rim, banks shots consistently and is a dynamo on the offensive boards allowing him to get 2 to 4 easy baskets around the rim. All these skills have been more or less solid since he entered the league being that his biggest deficit as he came in was physical/athleticism

I think there is no question that Horford cannot be a 20/10 guy in this league since his improvement on PPG has been achieved with him getting further and further away from the basket, which means that if he indeed was able to increase his range and continued to favour jump shots, his rebounding averages would decline like it happen last year.

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“Melvin

March 12th, 2012
10:52 pm
KevinM,

“Both Philly and Indiana have passed us right by, have they not? We’re a 6 seed today,”
“We would still be In the 6th slot with a healthy Al.”

Hawks are only 2 games behind the Magic(#3), 1 game behind Philly(#4) and basically have the same record as Indy(#5). Are you saying the Hawks wouldn’t improve by at least 2 games if AL was healthy?”

Going back and looking at some of our losses, would we have beaten Indy or Chi early on? I don’t think so.
We have been beaten good a few times and Al isn’t make much of a difference there. I would hope Al would improve us by 2 games, but I can’t say that is a true statement.
We are what we are, and that is inconsistent. Maybe a Golden State or Phoenix team where Al would make a difference.

Tough call there as I just don’t think Al makes that much of a difference.

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the only trade I would even consider for Josh is Josh and Kirk for Dwight.

unless we get a superstar I don’t even consider it

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vava, good review of Al’s skills and I am with you.

I always said Al was going to have to be our Tim Duncan as I saw him as a PF, not a C. Now that we have this influx of PF talent and part time skills at SF and C, we still need to add to the frontline like we have needed since what, 2005?

How hard is this to give these guys help? We have to wait until we’re in a bind before Sund decides to consider moves? Sounds like he’s about 5 steps behind the rest of the league.

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@ Vava74

THANK YOU TELL THEM AGAIN PLEASE!!!!!!!!!!!!

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Wow. It is being reported on ESPN that if Dwight Howard signs an extension at the end of the season, he can decide the fate of the coach and GM.

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Whats funny in that D12 for Josh thought is that Josh is probably the only asset they would consider for D12. Apparently, Joe and Al are not enough, and I dont’ think they are or would be satisfied with that.
How would Al and Joe fair under Van Gundy? I think they would play very well if not better than who they have leading them now.

If we moved Joe for D12, we would be ultra thin in the backcourt for a team that has always had SG depth. To solidify our roster, it will take a couple of moves to get there if we move Joe.

ALERT: we still need C help…Zaza is not enough.

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hawkville

March 13th, 2012
10:13 am

“Without making any moves, the Hawks will be the 3rd seed and playing in the ECF”

“crack is whack” -Whitney H.-

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slimjr, you said it better than I did re: Al.

We had him all last year, and we weren’t very good.

We don’t have him this year, and we might be a bit better.

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KevinM,

If you can agree that this team is better with Al than you would have to equate that into a better record. Forget about trying to determine which game we would have won with him b/c each game he plays would have a different impact/outcome.

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betsomething, and as for those who keep asking for Kaman, have you checked his shot attempts lately. He needs a lot of shots to produce the great numbers he’s putting up (lol). Hawks have a pretty good team. Questionable leadership and coaching,

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I like AL Horford as a player, but as a center-he has to guard centers that are much bigger and heavier and longer than he is. Al should be playing a power forward position, period. The starting lineup:
Zaza-C
Josh-SF
Al-PF
Joe-SG
Jeff-PG
This lineup should be the norm; Marvin should not be in the starting lineup, but a sub. He seems to play better when he’s angry-anyway. The Hawks coach should’ve figured this thing out by now.

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* If, you want to BE the owner … then BUY your own team.

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drmaryb,

The Magic could trade him since he wants to be a player-coach-GM…..

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Mad Men!

“He seems to play better when he’s angry-anyway. The Hawks coach should’ve figured this thing out by now.”
____________

Yeah Walt, but this is Marvin we’re talking about. How long will he remain angry and, when will he revert to his lackadaisical self?

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ra’mon i hope al doesnt carry that one in his mind. right from the get go it was over reaction on the part of the league. that play wasnt dirty anymore than the one blake laid him out on which i think turned boss more to moss on. fird had spinal stenosis and it was the factor not al that faused the prob.

i did not realize at the time it was the second time he had been paralyzed and already been operated on. he has known about this injury from high school. tell boss to come back if that is why he is charmin soft al now.

here is an article that lays it out for us and gives us the “rest of the story”

http://www.mysanantonio.com/sports/spurs/article/Backup-guard-Ford-decides-to-end-career-3401266.php

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Would D12 trade himself after he becomes he 2nd most powerful entity in Orlando (behind Mickey of course)? Maybe he would trade Ryan Anderson, JJ Reddick and 2 1st round picks to the Hawks for Josh Smith, his best friend and life-long pal.

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Soft ass bitch ass Al and Marvin makes the hawks suck.

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