Atlanta Hawks: NBA admits blown call in Game 6 (plus notes)

First?! Quit crying, It’s sports. You’re the road team. It happens. And yes I’m for a new coach and the best deal we can get fro JSmoove. That is all.

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Taking shots at fans? Et tu, Smoove? Bye, Josh.

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“Our city had big expectations for us. It was unfortunate we had a number of injuries and couldn’t do what we wanted.”

^You see that? That’s a LEADER talking. Not a QUITTER who wants out of town.

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MC, what about the flagrant foul on Al? What about the foul on Joe on the drive? What about the silly foul on Rondo? Just wantt you opinion. Also, the foul on Josh and Al when Josh shot the jumper? Do you think Al would have done a better job on Garnett that Josh?

For the record VERY PROUD OF THE TEAM!! Wanted to shut up big mouth Barkely, but we had to shut up Steven A… Hawks will loose by 25!

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Drew thinks they can do it and plans to hold his players to that standard. “When a coach tells you, ‘No excuses,’ he holds you responsible as a player,” Hawks forward Marvin Williams said. “It shouldn’t be any other way. You know your job
*****

was Marvin held accountable at all this season or at all in his career?

Astro, I read somewhere if you allow another team to sign your RFA to sheet, you lose right to offer extension before his next contract expires assuming you resign him.

Notice not 1 word has been mentioned about extending Smoove this offseason. This is why. Stunk and BASKG scewed it up, even if they got a bargain

Smoove ain’t resigning here for under the max. Just read the above blog. Idiots want our GM who hasn’t made 1 major core move to stay

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I was really angry over that inbounds call last night. Still am. The league admitting it was incorrect is not helping. Of course, if the roles were reversed, we would have to go back to Boston and replay the final 3.1 seconds.

They should trade Josh Smith. It’s a shame, but he does not want to be here. He will walk after next season. He has value. If this organization had a clue, they would try to make a move.

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Horford and Teague should be the 2 untouchables on this team unless u trade Horford package for DH12. Keep ZaZa too

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I don’t care how talented the 27 yr. old is. If Josh doesn’t want to be here, YOU HAVE TO TRADE HIM. You can’t lose him for nothing. That would be the ultimate in stubborness and stupidity. Trade him.

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another atl choke in a big game—it never ends in this loser city. rise up!

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AG, I don’t really want the Hawks to trade Josh, but I think they have to. You can’t let him leave without getting some value back. And, right now, is probably when the Hawks can get the most for him (I would suggest going for a high draft pick).

Would be a disaster to let him walk and get nothing back. Just can’t let that happen.

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Without Josh Smith the Hawks dont make the playoffs and there is no reason to watch them play.I would have an attitude too if I played with Joe Johnson and he made more than me.Josh is not the problem its Joe’s contract..He gets paid like Batman but he’s only Robin.The real leader of the team is Al and its best player is Josh..Get over it.

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Oh, huge surprise. Who gets the bigger advertising bucks for the NBA? Hawks or Celtics? Maybe one day the Hawks will have the right combination of superstars to let us have those calls.

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I believe Josh wants to be here, but he wants an ownership group that will demonostrate that their main goal is to win championships at any cost. The ASG is running this like a business where as they are worried about the bottom line and how to turn a profit or to be profitable, and stop hemorraging red ink. The heat, lakers, celtics, spurs, and bulls do not worry about bottom lines. They worry about winning championships, because there fan base in these bigger markets expect that and will not let them get away with medocrity. The celtics and lakers both went through those lean years after Bird, Parrish, Mchale, Ainge, DJ, etc. The lakers also after Magic, Worthy, kareem, Perkins, Byron Scott, etc. As hawks fans we do not put that kind of pressure on hawks ownership to do better. If we did not sujpport that product they would either have to sell the team or invest more resources to contend to have a true fan base that would help sale out the arena every night. Step up ASG.

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I wonder if the Josh Smith fans who are vehemently opposed to trading him will be singing his praises when he leaves the team with nothing. Then again, those folks are probably Josh Smith fans first, and Hawks fans second. Pathetic.

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That tech from Josh could not have come at a worse time and he wasnt on the court either…

Just Brutal…

Zero points from Joe in that 4th quarter was beyond on unacceptable…

When your two horses fail in the 4th quarter, expect to go home…

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Je-Je, Sund has long said that he likes to have guys on expiring deals, he believes it motivates them to perform at a higher level. To my knowledge, none of the free agents received a contract extension prior to actually reaching free agency (Joe may be the excwption, but I’m not sure).
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then why were Marvin Teague Joe Al and Kirk on the eam this year. Sund is an idiot

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Josh Smith is NOT the Atlanta Hawks. What titles has he brought this franchise? When you start putting individual players before the team, that’s when you mess up.

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Okay, during the playoffs, Josh was second on the team in scoring, rebounding and assist. He also has the highest average in the playoffs for rebounds. He is second in blocked shots…. Again, Jody, Josh is our problem!

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josh smith came into his own. he has matured and should be one of the main cogs for the hawks next season

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AG,

And where did those stats lead to? Instead of going home in the second round, they went home in the first. Take the rose-colored glasses off. Nobody’s saying Josh isn’t talented. However, if he doesn’t want to be here, you’re an idiot if you hold on and don’t move him.

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An Iso lockdown specialist= Larry’s luck ran out this year…

See vintage Orlando destroy the Hawks many times when they presented two lock down iso specialist [Peitrus and Matt Barnes] on-line…

Now Woody Jr had to experience a taste of what Woody experienced in the playoffs with his go to guy locked up!

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CORRECTION – JOSH IS NOT THE PROBLEM.

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Why should ZaZa be gone?

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A idiot would trade their best player while their team has the best record for a guy who is half as talented who decides to leave after the season. Trust me Jody, I am no Stan Kasten!

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FTPB,

AJ,

The going rate for 23 YO SFs who just averaged around 14 points as the team’s 4th scoring option was around $7.5M..

My biggest issues are not with Marvin’s yearly salary. My biggest issues are:

1) In the final year of Marvin’s rookie contract, he missed the last month and a half of the season, which included 21 regular season games. And when he returned for the playoffs, he was not 100%, and did not play well.

With him being a RFA, there was an opportunity for Rick to let the market set his price. How many teams were looking for a STARTING SF, and how many would have offered him $7.5 mil coming off an injury plagued year. We’ll never know. Oh by the way, 2 years earlier, Marvin also missed 17 games. So why not let the market set his price, especially since we could match?

2) His contract was for 5 years, with the 5th year being a PLAYER option. Marvin was injured 2 of his 4 seasons, so why give him that long a deal?

Those are my 2 big issues.

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If you think this team can’t win without josh you are crazy……

We will win just like we won without AL…It will just be different.

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Marvin showed up – but to late. FIRED…I really like him as a person (from what I read about him), but he has to go. We need that 6 million. KH, don’t let the door hit you were the good Lord split you… PEACE AND CHICKEN GREASE. I liked what I saw out of Damp, WIllie, Ivan and Pargo.

TMAC has never been out of the first round. Goodbye. Collins, and Stack – retire.

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pointguardslim,

That ain’t me. I don’t post on realgm.

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Josh need to be traded, if a player have and certain remarks, there objection no need to linger get something in return before to late, testimony of words are facts.

BIG DOG IN THE HOUSE

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Josh should not worry about the Hawk Fans.. He should concentrate on improving his game to Championship caliber level cause from the looks of it, he still has a long way to go……..

IMHO….

Trade him if he wont take the offer!

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So Josh Smith wants to be traded? One major problem, who the heck would want him? The Hawks would be lucky to get a bag of balls for him. Play out your contract idiot and see who lines up to sign you. Good luck in Toronto or Charlotte.

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Big Dog, I think the comments “I don’t care about the fans” comment after getting embarrassed is worse than what Josh said. Josh spoke the truth.

Jody – that was the worse trade any Atlanta franchise ever made. Josh is no Nique, but a poor man’s version of a Shawn Kemp….He is a player that you continue to coach up. Josh did not post up once last night. Posting up is his bread and butter. Even on the play when he missed the jumper, he should have posted and allowed Joe to get the ball from Al.

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Funny, if you look at the top 100 NBA players as of today, guess who is the highest Hawk? Four starters made the top 100, and 3 were in the top 40. Do we really want to KA BOOM this team? When Kobe demanded a traded, ownership got him players to complement him. I think that is all Josh wants.

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Well thanks alot NBA but you tell me how this helps us now. Your refs messed up our season and you wont do nothin about it. ASG bettwr be on the ball this offseason because us the fans are sick of being screwed. Get some damn superstars in here, or for goodness sake help them out by bringing in championship talent.

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AG,

I agree the Nique trade was a total disaster.

I’m not going to invest $80 million or more in a poor man’s Shawn Kemp. A poor man’s Shawn Kemp is not going to lead to title contention. Also, who was Josh going to post? One of the reasons he was shooting jumpers is because he struggled to score in the post against KG and the other Celtic big men. In fact, he always struggles against bigger guy in the post, hence the multiple jumpers. The young man is talented, but he clearly has holes in his game. Let’s be honest about that.

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Share your trade

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

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Please don’t mention JJ Hickson. We could have picked him up for free. Instead we signed Damp for the rest of the year. Boston actually cut J. O’Neal to make room for Hollins – who is an athletic big.

Also, I thought Joe is our $120 million dollar man! He should be the one carting the team. Yet, so much blame on Josh. You must admit, Josh has improved every season in the league. Look at the post ups in game 5 against KG and Bass. They were not pretty, but he did some damage in the paint.

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I basically said Josh did the same thing Kobe did. You act as though Josh was the first player to ask for a trade. Josh is in his contract season, so I expect big things from him. I guess why I am baffled, it is because their is a lot of blame to pass around – and Josh is getting most of it in the blogs. Again,if you went to the game 5, there was a lot of green. I am sure Josh could not find red no further than him looking past the Hawks bench.

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Share your trade

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

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i wish there was some brains and heart SOMEWHERE in this franchise…stupidity and incompetence are king!!!

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Josh has a lot of talent….

but he is a coach killer because he does what he wants to instead of what a coach wants him to do. And i’m sure he can’t understand this at all because that’s what selfish players do.

Sorry Josh, but you aint gonna change.

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Josh and Teague were the MVP’s of this years team.

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nah…KH and MW are included but this team does not work as a unit…that’s just not gonna change as long as this same personnel stays together. it’s waaaayyyy passed time to blow this thing up. there is nothin’ enjoyable about watchin’ a franchise continue to run in place for the last 3 yrs…PATHETIC!!!

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Man i really like Cousins in a Hawks uniform to play beside Horford.

BIG DOG IN THE HOUSE

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You watching this LAC game?

Conley just hit a huge 3! His jumper has improved immensely! This dude has a smooth game!

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The Hawks were hosed by the officials in games 5 and 6. Game 5 was the classic NBA “cover up by the officials. Double digit fouls on the Hawks in the 1st half of game 5 and only 3 on the Celtics, with more on the Celtics in the 3rd quarter, then with the game on the line the fouls went against the Hawks in the 4th. Bad news for the NBA was the unexpected hot streak of shooting that carried the Hawks to a win.

The entire 6th game was a tank job by Stafford, Lewis and the other guy. Phantom “T’s” on Smith and Teague (I hope the T on Teague was removed after the NBA reviewed the DVD), and an absolute refusal to make calls against the Celtics – the call at the end of the game was a mistake and the save by the official was not calling a “dead ball” foul.

I am absolutely amazed the zebras made the call for Horford to go to the line at 3.1! Had Horford made the 2 FT I am sure there would have been a saving foul against the Hawks for the Celts to go to the line – and still Doc Rivers complains on virtually every call. Even a double digit advantage at the FT line does not shut Doc’s mouth.

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Let little Joshie go play in a city that he thinks is a ‘better’ basketball city. I would assume he is talking about Boston, Chicago, LA, NY…any others? Ok, so let Josh miss the shot at the end of the SEASON when he wants to be the man on the team. Just how BIG a hole do you think the fans in those cities would tear into him? I’m thinking something akin to the Grand Canyon. And do you think the ultra-sensitive Josh Shmoove Smith could actually handle that kind of ‘abuse’? He’d be whining again saying that he gets blamed for EVERYTHING.

Go Joshie, we need real men who can take the heat. See your other buddy down low, Al Horford. He lets his play do his talking and doesn’t get STUPID T’s that cost his team points!

By Josh. Too bad. You could have manned up and been a hero in your home town. You’re leaving a spoiled, whining manchild who doesn’t know how good you got it. Just wait till you get what you think you want. You’ll be a hero one day, but torn to pieces the next. And pining for the days you were in Atlanta.

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AG,

Of course Josh isn’t the first player to ask for a trade. However, the is a monumental difference between Josh Smith and Kobe Bryant and the Hawks and the Lakers.

Secondly, it’s been reliably reported that Josh has wanted out for over a year now. We’re kidding ourselves if we think he won’t leave the Hawks high and dry. He will have many suitors, one of which will be the Boston Celtics as they will have cap room.

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Nobody want any part of the Grizzles in the playoffs, there the only team in the west that can beat Thunders.

BIG DOG IN THE HOUSE

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Hey Josh, don’t let the door hit you on the way put. You accomplished all of nothing during your storied Atlanta career. Best of luck in an “NBA” town where media will destroy you for the stupidity you display night after night. After 3 months you’ll be crying like a baby wanting to return to a city where nobody cares about some nimrod like you. In the meantime, try finding some ballhandling skills and a jumpshot.

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Kobe is a superstar, hall of famer. Josh is…. what exactly?

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Hawks lost but they went down fighting. I respect that.

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Najeh,

Memphis survives. On to a game 7 in Memphis, so they will have a good chance to win the series after all.

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chokers chokers chokers chokers!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! go celtics green & white forever:):)

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“Nobody want any part of the Grizzles in the playoffs, there the only team in the west that can beat Thunders.” -BIG DOG-

Najeh has this team in the finals!

Memphis would sweep the Hawks! They are scary…..

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GOLF SEASON GOLF SEASON GOLF SEASON GOLF SEASON HAHAHAHAHAHAH GO CELTICS GREEN & WHITE FOREVER

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1st of all ‘`Big Ray`’

You are probably correct:
I hold Sund in such low regard that it is difficult for me
to rank anyone higher than him on a “scorn” list.

`Tis pretty sad when ASG / Gearon, Sund, -&- Joe
all rank ahead of Marvin on the list we are talkin` about.

For those who do not know what I`m talkin` about:
“a list of who we hold in greater disdain”
[as it pertains to the Hwks success]

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This team, owners & coaches are retarded. Their offense is one guy w/ the ball while the other 4 stand around w/ their you know what in their ^&#$@*. Josh is the most talented, undisciplined player in the NBA. The team is painful to watch and that’s why no one I know goes to the games unless they get free tix from some stupid company that paid for them. BTW, this team has zero heart outside of Horford.

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Why didn’t Drew tell Horford to “brick” the second shot. If you get the rebound, you have a chance to tie the game. Make the second free throw and there is not enough time in 2.3 seconds to foul and then score from the other end of the court. Any good coach should know that!

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John Drew

Thank you sir:

I`ve been pitching Andrew Nicholson for more than 6 weeks
on this here blog.

It was nice to hear someone else follow suit and mention A.N.

Mature senior with a really nice, diverse skill set.

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HAWKS WOULD HAVE WON THE GAME IF NOT FOR THAT BOTCHED CALL, NOT TO MENTION BOSTON SHOOTING 14 MORE FTS.

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GOLF SEASON GOLF SEASON GOLF SEASON GOLF SEASON GOLF SEASON GOLF SEASON HAHAHAHAHAH GREEN & WHITE FOREVER GO CELTICS C’S IN 6 OVER THE SIXERS

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BIG IVAN NEEDS TO BE THE FIRST PLAYER WE SIGN THIS OFFSEASON

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Rusty

‘`Fantasying again grandpa`’

I`m sure you mean`t fantasizing.

Be that as it may;
if i`m gonna be doin` any fantasizing,
rest assured,
it ain`t gone be about the Hawks.
No sir,
Any fantasizing by me takes at least two Brazillean swim suit models
and a spatula.

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“*find players who are willing to listen to the Coach
[otherwise they will be traded to the Turkish National Team]
-or worse … Toronto-” -Grandad

Good stuff grandad. Made me chuckle and smile.

It all goes back to this:

Joe and Josh?

Joe and Al?

Josh and Al?

Pick one set or even one player and rebuild around them. I, like many others, hope Sund retires or goes to the assumed Portland job. New GM, new coach, new mentality, new goals. 21- 61 for lottery ? Then so be it, I’m a Hawks fan for life. Always have been, always will be. Wagoners will come back, they always do.

But IMO, either JJ/Smoove, Smoove/Al, or JJ/Al we still make the playoffs. So again…pick someone and build around them.

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“Horford at 50% health was our MVP the last 2 games IMHO.”

7 — count them 7 turnovers in game six by Al…… and he’s the MVP……wow come on grandmaster

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By the way, I want to find a way to get Dion Waiters and Fab Melo out of this draft. We could even stick with the Cuse theme and take Kris Joseph in the second round.

Waiters is my sleeper pick. He plays tough and strong at the 2. Can run some point if you need him to. Loves to push the tempo and attack the rim. If his jumper gets better (just turned 20), then look out. Put this kid next to Teague and watch the energy, defense, and pace of the game improve.

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I’m not down on Josh. I think if we bring in some big name coach that can actually earn the respect of the players, then we could win a championship with this team we have now. I would like to ask Josh what he thought of games 1 & especially 2? I was there, and there were hardly any Boston fans. When we lost 3 straight to go down 3-1, then yeah it was pretty bad for game 5. I would remind Josh that this happens to teams all over the league when Boston, LA, New York, chicago etc play at the smaller markets. The Celtics have won 18 freaking championships. Win one or bring in a big name, and we will pack the Highlight factory every night. This fan will be there if we win or lose, but its getting frustrating because we seem to be so close. We need to figure out a way to convince Josh to stay with a big deal, and trade Joe to Charlotte.

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You’d be a fool to give up Josh Smith at all unless you knew he was officially gone after next season.

As much of a bonehead you guys might think Josh is he is not that bonehead his IQ is much higher then you also give him credit for.

If I had to choose between watching Iso Joe or Josh jacking the jumpers I’d probably lean towards Josh jacking jumpers why because it doesn’t bog down the offense to a halt, and plus he’s gotten better at when to take those shots.

This teams problem is Joe and Marvin one of them has checked out the other is pure garbage since he came into the league.

For those screaming about Al being a boss he played like a boss for 3 games we don’t know if he would have done that all season. Before this the last two years Al disappeared on us in fact me and Big Ray plus others were in a heated debate about Al.

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Nate ArchiBALL
May 12th, 2012
6:56 am

“Horford at 50% health was our MVP the last 2 games IMHO.”

7 — count them 7 turnovers in game six by Al…… and he’s the MVP……wow come on grandmaster

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he destroyed Boston in 4th and we went away from hin

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Unlikely we trade Josh soon because that’d require Sund to actually do something besides signing bench scrubs and selling picks. And I thought BASKG did make an offer about a month ago or it had been reported?

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Josh is right. You people, the supposed Atlanta Hawks fans, are pathetic. I wish we could trade you, yes you people, back to Boston, or New York or whatever other dingy northern hole you crawled down here from.

Hawks are 35 win team without Josh. Mark it down so when you idiots get your way, and again run the best player on the team out of town, and we again get some garbage like Danny Manning for him, you idiots just remember it was YOU who wanted it.

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All of you Josh Smith apologist’s unable to read or something? The man is saying HE WANTS OUT… so why are you trying to KEEP him and let him WALK after next season FOR NOTHING?

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ATLien

I’m from Atlanta too. I don’t blame Josh Smith for the Hawks loss, but I think his stock is at an all-time high right now. The Hawks could trade him for a decent player and a first round pick, and use that pick to draft a low post player like Andrew Nicholson. That’s what the Hawks need, a player who can get you that easy basket or draw a foul at crunch time. The Hawks don’t need players who stand around and watch iso Joe dribble right into the double team.

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thank goodness,some bloggers who make sense. the problem not josh or al. it is joe and marvin. joe gets the big bucks and gives us 17 ppg. 17 ppg is a role player. at least josh averaged 13 rbs for the series… he stepped up. what if marvin would have given us something games 1-4?

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ATLien “Hawks are 35 win team without Josh. Mark it down so when you idiots get your way, and again run the best player on the team out of town, and we again get some garbage like Danny Manning for him, you idiots just remember it was YOU who wanted it.”

I mentioned it before. You guys tried that before.. Nique for Manning. sure that turned up great!. You build around your core to make it better. If my core struggles in a half court game against the zone, get me guys (JJ Reddick, Kyle Kover etc) who will make you pay for the zone. The Hawks are one piece away. When Marvin is on, we played great. If he would have kept it up 4 quarters we would have won easily.

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The Hawks have many issues to address in the off season. Of Rick Sund, Larry Drew, Joe, Al, Josh, I would say definitely 1 will go, possibly 2, but which 2?

I think Sund will leave simply because he feels handicapped by the ASG. A new GM, depending on who it is, will probably wont his “own guy” as coach.

I hear D’Anotoni is interested in the Magic job, would be nice to have him here. I wanted him here before he got the New York job, because with the team constructed the way it is, he would be a good fit. The Hawks have a unique blend of talent, maybe a unique coach with his system would work here. Joe blossomed playing this way, maybe he can do the same with some of the other guys. Atlanta isnt that bad defensively, the biggest issues come with having an offensive identity with the Hawks. LD talked good when he was hired but nothing has changed since Woodson left. Nobody moves without the ball. Joe does too little and Josh tries to do too much, and this tend to conflict with Teague, Williams, and Horford play.

Things that need to change offensively:

1. Iso Joe…..we all know the problem exists here. Joe is a willing passer, but there is no movement. Teague is the pg, so wont say its on him, but Marvin is in the far corner, and Al is on the opposite side of the lane. why is Josh at the top of the key so much?

2. Josh vs Horford For the last couple of years, there has been a fight brewing there. Am sure we all see it, and if one is not traded the conflict wont be resolved. neither will really call the other one out. In theory, of our 3 captains, Al is the most suited to lead. I think he doesnt want to step on guys toes, in particular Josh. Because Josh and Joe are viewed as the faces of the franchise. But Al is far more suited for that elbow shot than Josh is , but Josh always comes and camps his ass out in that spot. A more strong willed coach could fix that problem too.

3. Teague and Marvin. Teague grew a lot, a shame he had to sit for 2 seasons are he would be further along in his learning curve. If Teague really would take control of the team, it would help this team’s identity too. Much like Josh, he can do things that other guys on this team cant do (like beat his man and get to the rack). Marvin, yeah its official he is a bust, the only thing he can really do to keep his career doing is rebound and try to be a knockdown shooter, doubt he will be total consistent, but he is what he is now, 5th option, borderline bench player. A lot of people say amnesty Marvin, but not sure we want to do that, from a financial point, we migh want to save that amnesty for Joe in about 2 years. If Joe’s game goes in dramatic decline, we might want to get out from under that $20 millino a year we owe him.

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An MC sighting.

The more physical team usually gets the benefit of those calls late in the game. The Hawks are a soft jump shooting team, and get treated as such. However, imo, that is not the reason we lost.

And for what it’s worth, foul calls for the series? Boston – 113, Atlanta – 119.

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they’re going to bring back the same core and try to make another run at it. the ASG are lazy and just fine with the status quo.

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Ray

May 12th, 2012
9:00 am

You’d be a fool to give up Josh Smith at all unless you knew he was officially gone after next season.

As much of a bonehead you guys might think Josh is he is not that bonehead his IQ is much higher then you also give him credit for.

If I had to choose between watching Iso Joe or Josh jacking the jumpers I’d probably lean towards Josh jacking jumpers why because it doesn’t bog down the offense to a halt, and plus he’s gotten better at when to take those shots.

This teams problem is Joe and Marvin one of them has checked out the other is pure garbage since he came into the league.

For those screaming about Al being a boss he played like a boss for 3 games we don’t know if he would have done that all season. Before this the last two years Al disappeared on us in fact me and Big Ray plus others were in a heated debate about Al.

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

The problem is . . we don’t NEED Josh jacking up jumpers. We need him playing as close to the rim as possible. That is where he is most effective, not out on the perimeter. And as much as people despise “ISO Joe”, I can name far more games in which ISO Joe has won or kept us in a game, than “Jumpshot Josh”.

I’m not for or against keeping Josh. But people acting like the outside shots that our PF takes isn’t an issue, are just being “fanboys” of that guy. You can’t have Joe Johnson and Josh Smith taking the exact same shots, with no one but Al or Zaza being at the rim to get the rebound.

That last play in which Josh took that jumper, had ALL 5 Hawks 22 feet or more from the basket, when he took that shot. That’s an indictment on Drew’s offense, and also an indictment on these players simply not wanting to play around the rim.

None of them.

A guy like Al Jefferson would make people completely forget about Josh Smith ( from an offensive standpoint ). It’s on the defensive end where we’d miss Josh the most.

It’s time for fans to get over the emotional attachment to a player. It’s been a 5 year playoff run, and we’re no better than we were in 2009. Something has to give. We can’t keep doing the same thing and throwing out the same people onto the floor, and expect things to be different.

I’m under the notion that if we trade Josh, we should probably try to trade Joe as well . . . and vice versa. Just get rid of the so-called “problems” with the team, and see if we can get a better mix here. There are good players out there that can be possibly had for the right deal.

We simply have to pull the trigger.

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The core of this roster never has won more than one round of playoffs and, regardless of who the owner, general manager and coach are next season, there are two major issues: Joe Johnson and Josh Smith.

Johnson reaffirmed in the playoffs that $20 million a year doesn’t buy heart or courage. His playoff shooting percentage: 37 percent, a career-low as a starter. He had games of 11, 9 and 15. He complained about not getting enough touches and double-teams. Rondo, Garnett and Paul Pierce stepped up at key moments for Boston. Stars do that. Johnson disappears.

Smith was the team’s best player this season. He helped bring the Hawks back late in Game 6. But when the Hawks trailed by a point with 10 seconds left and a play set up for Johnson broke down, Smith forced a 20-foot jumper and we slapped our foreheads again.

Where is the hope?.

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BTW, the post about Joe and Josh was from a Jeff Shcultz article.

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I mean . . real talk . . if salaries were equal . . I bet Denver wouldn’t trade Kenneth Faried for Josh Smith.

Josh is a very good player. But don’t act like if we traded him for a more stable player, that the Hawks would fall down. What you DON’T DO, is let Josh go for nothing. You have to get something in return for him. And there are solid players around the league can do some, if not most of the things Josh does . . without the loose cannon side that Josh has.

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BYC . . . Rashard Lewis, a player far worse than JJ, was able to be traded on a contract similar to JJ’s, with 2 years and 45 million still left on his deal.

A team viewing JJ as the “final piece” to winning a title . . or an up and coming team that could use JJ to get them to playoff level, will bring that dude in. Even with the new CBA, there is no such thing as an “unmoveable” contract.

If we called Washington and told them we wanted to trade JJ for Rashard Lewis, they might just think about that.

If we called Mark Cuban and told him that we wanted to trade JJ for Shawn Marion and Brendan Haywood, he might just think about that.

If we called the Lakers ( especially if they lose on Sunday ), and told them that we’d give them JJ and Marvin for Pau Gasol and Ron Artest . . they might just think about that

If we called the Knicks, and asked them for an Amare for JJ swap, they just might do that ( especially if they picked up a rebounding PF like Reggie Evans to play PF and rebound all of Melo’s and JJ’s misses ).

The NBA is a creative league in which teams will move chess pieces around to get the players they want. It could be that we’re simply using a guy like JJ the wrong way, and another team believes that they could use him right.

No such thing as “unmoveable”.

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I was just checking out NBA Draft.net and saw Kentucky SF Terence Williams’ NBA comparison was Marvin Williams. LMAO.

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Jason terry…

We need tough minded closer.

Trade josh for draft picks, so we can get his money off the books.
Some of you over value his impact on this team, just like you over valued Jamal’s.

Our offense needs to run thru the pg and the will change everything. Josh won’t let Teague run the pg.

Trade his a$$

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Larry Brown would have been the perfect Coach for this bunch of Boneheads.

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I would trade Josh as soon as the season ends. He does not have an “elite” BRAIN. Also, the superstar
“Average Joe” Johnson, must go. This guy must go. Time to infuse the franchise with up and coming players.

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Are ASG still selling the Hawks ?

BIG DOG IN THE HOUSE

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[...] clock, Celtics guard Marquis Daniels fouled Hawks center Al Horford before the ball was inbounded.Atlanta Hawks: NBA admits blown call in Game 6 (plus notes)Atlanta Journal Constitution (blog)NBA: Blown Call in Celtics/Hawks GameHoopsWorldAl Horford: NBA [...]

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http://blogs.ajc.com/jeff-schultz-blog/2012/05/11/hawks-plagued-with-too-many-issues-from-owners-to-joe/?cxntfid=blogs_jeff_schultz_blog/

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ESPN radio this week had a segment on overrated/underrated NBA players. Day of Game 6.

They said that Joe Johnson was underrated, and it was because of his contract. The host said because everybody says Joe is not worth his contract, you rarely hear about his contributions.

Hence, he was underrated according to those guys. I was shocked.

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This desperate?

http://games.espn.go.com/nba/tradeMachine?tradeId=7hmmvs7

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northcyde,

The reaosn the Magic could trade Rashard Lewis (2 years, $45 mil), is because in return, they got back Gilbert Arenas (3 years, $60 mil). So if the Hawks want to trade JJ, they may have to take back the other team’s terrible contract.

imo, Dallas will amnesty Brendan haywood (3 years, $27 mil), and go after Deron Williams. If they miss out on Deron Williams, I’m not sure what their backup plan would be. But I doubt they will take JJ, because that takes away too much of their financial flexiblity.

Lakers will not trade for JJ. They already have Ron Artest playing SF (for 2 more years), and Kobe playing SG (for 2 more years), so where would JJ play?

SteveW,

What about the Pacers though? If Indiana loses out on Eric Gordon, would they be willing to trade for JJ? The Pacers are under the salary cap for next year, so the salaries dont have to match up.

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The call was bad the Hawks would have won if right. However they missed going to overtime by one point, basically Josh Smith cost them overtime by a stupid technical foul at the scorers table cause he wasn’t let in the game he made a stupid comment. Now bust them up, since no one in their right mind will take Joe Johnson cause of his outrageous salary for what he brings to the table, keep him, Horford, and maybe Teauge. Then trade or release Josh and spend what money you have on a really really good big man and whatever other supporting cast you can get and run with it…

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This desperate?

http://games.espn.go.com/nba/tradeMachine?tradeId=7y8rayg

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Looking at replay of game on NBA TV now (1 -3 pm Sat). On the inbounds play w/2.3 sec, Josh had actually beat KG (turned head for 1 sec) and had received the pass from Marvin (throw in from baseline), breaking for a layup (1 step away) had the whistle not stopped play.

From our resident NBA rulebook scholars, if the foul supposedly occurred after the ball was inbounded, why wouldn’t Josh have been allowed to continue to the basket + foul vs. M. Daniels on Horford?

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“For the 100th time, Joe Johnson is NOT the problem.”

“Marvin’s 8 mil a year for two more years is keeping the Hawks from addressing their true needs.”

And Joe’s $20M+ for 4 more years isn’t? Maybe you should look another 100 times.

That’s delusional IMO. Are you one of Gearon’s recent hires to flood the blog with propaganda?

Yeah, let’s spin it so that doing nothing with Joe is viewed a positive. LMFAO.

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Josh’s worst nightmare?

Being traded WITH Joe to a team in a bad basketball town.

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Marcus, I said the same thing last night! Josh had an easy dunk because he backdoored KG. NOBODY was in the lane! THat play hurt for two reasons, we lost out on an easy dunk and we did not get two free throws. Also, the last play on Al – JT got a tech for a fould – then the MD foul on AH he grabbed his sholders and jersey. He NEVER went for the ball!

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You dont draw up plays in the huddle.You practice plays for the situation.This team clearly needs a new coach.Larry Brown.Forget it go after Phil Jackson.This team has talent that is yet to be groomed by a top NBA coach.

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Hawks and the entire NBA should try to make the league more appealing to white people. There is nothing from coaches and roster to music and game day experience that is worth most peoples dollars. The hard core white fans are at the arena, but there is no additional growth outside of them. Not watching on TV. Not talking at the water cooler the next day.
Add to that, the style of play today – constant traveling and palming of the ball that NEVER gets called anymore. Rules are thrown out the window in many ways. Either teams don’t play any defense or players that grow up doing nothing else in life except play basketball can’t shoot the ball and score anymore.

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“You dont draw up plays in the huddle.You practice plays for the situation”

Yes, but by games end, when you’ve seen the adjustments the defense is making to the plays you went over in practice, you draw up a play to counter what the defense has been doing to stop you.

Are you telling me that Popovich never draws up plays at the end of a game? Or Doc?

Gimme a freakin’ break. Just say you don’t like LD and get it out of your system. But don’t try to justify it by saying he was awful for doing the same thing every coach in the league does.

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You tell ‘em Phuch.

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he said it near the end of the regular season when Boston came to town. he said it two or three times during the series.

***

i guess i missed this during the series

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Northcyde,

Your 2:12am post on MB’s blog was excellent. Great stuff on Smoove’s 263 3s last 2 years and barely any before

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Defintion of insanity…….doing same thing over and over and expecting different results. Blow em up and start over, this dawg wont hunt anymore.

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This is for the one who named him or herself “Stop Being an Idiot.” It sounds like you should take your own advice and stop being an idiot! For crying out out loud, now.

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STARTERS TEAGUE, JOE, JOSH, IVAN, COLLINS

BENCH PARGO, GREEN, TMAC, MARVIN, DAMPIER

RESERVE HINRICH, VLAD STACK

THIS ROTATION WOULD HAVE EASILY WON THE SERIES.

GO HAWKS!!!!!!!!!!!!

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ob nice dtats re fouls. roblemnis when were they called or not capked and hiw jany non calls against them ir phantom calls on hawks

fratello called it right on during the game on the broadcast

refs discussed it away

just tired oftrying to beat stern

josh your cooments were as poorly timed as so many of your eighteen footers bro. sorr guy you lst me

do you want me to yell you why there arent more fans?

how many clse big games were list this year is a start. it is a byatch to cheer for guys who cant seem to deliver in crunch time.

stern rules

stupid owners still passing the buck of blame

a gm that doesnt know how to negotiate or build a balanced roster times two

a 120 mil guy with a vet minimum game in pkayoffs

an all star forward in his own mind who comtinues to miss in crunch time

the best coach for the money, sadly the money wasnt enough to get a real first ratecoach

anyone else care to add onto the list

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Atlanta Hawks have never beat the Celtics in playoff action. They play scared against them. Go figure. It’s all over but the crying. Season down the drain………….Next year we battle again

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The worst part about the blown call…..

Was that Josh had beaten KG and would have scored if the play continued…

http://www.nba.com/video/channels/originals/2012/05/11/dmo_bosatl_call_v3_051012.nba/

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The only player on this team who should be traded for the sake of being traded is Joe. His trade value will decline every day for the remainder of his contract. While you can still convince another team that he is good, he should be traded.

Go watch the ball movement in crunch time in the six games the Hawks played without Joe, when iso-Joe wasn’t an option, and it is like night and day compared to the crunch time possessions against Boston. It is not Joe’s fault that this team isn’t willing to bring in a coach who has the juice to take the ball out of his hands and get the team to run plays in crunch time, but unless Phil Jackson or Jerry Sloan is walking into that locker room next year, Joe should be walking out of it.

Once that happens, I don’t mind trading Josh, Teague, or whoever else, but trades involving them should bring back players who actually improve this team. Unlike Joe, they still have several years before they start declining, and none of them (even Josh on his next deal) is going to be crippling the cap with his deal.

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Joe Johnson got a 5th place MVP vote. I didn’t know Bob Rathbun had a vote.

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“Najeh has this team in the finals!

Memphis would sweep the Hawks! They are scary…..”

The two most lopsided losses I can remember this year for the Hawks were the losses to the Spurs and Grizzlies, and the Grizzlies loss came in Philips Arena. That team plays hard, has multiple scorers, plays great D, and dominates the boards. It’s going to take a monster defensive team to defeat them, and the West doesn’t really have any. The Spurs may beat them, but I can’t see them losing to the Lakers, Nuggets, or Thunder.

Looking forward to Game 7. The Clippers are still in this series because of Reggie Evans and Kenyon Martin. Helps to have great defensive veteran big men who will mix it up, when you are playing a team that dominates inside.

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amen to najeh at 8:40. mc is get ths a reporter. he is paid to report news and an owner saying something is news. he isnt here to make up stries whch is what he is mostcriticized fr by not gong with every rumor and waiting fr real news. gearon speaking at a large group is not off the record if he is representing the hawks plain and simple. just like his team he sometimes just doesnt get it.

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Najeh

I guess you make the better points re: it is MC’s job to report what the owner said, it certainly was newsworthy as it caught the ire of many in the NBA. I see he was fined 35K by the Commish and, Ivan was fined 25k for flipping the bird. Lord knows Ivan needed that money and, he never even saw the court in the post season, any thoughts Najeh, on Ivan should have been used at some point?

Back to Gearon, Jr., this is not the first time he has been fined for inappropriate comments, too bad they don’t spend their money wisely, hugh?

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Moron owners!!!!!! League needs to push for a sale.

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Sautee

I am so upset, i guess I forgot. I really thought we would upset the green people. I really want to see a new GM run this team, but with these owners? I don’t know how much autonomy any GM will really have, but, if we can get a creative one that would be key.

My Grandma could take five dollars and feed the whole village. That’s what we need – a cap master. LOL

Thanks for your response there. I just hope the “bird finger” doesn’t keep Ivan from being re-signed, we need goon on our team.

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I get the feeling the Sixers are going to get swept. Maybe they take a game in Philly, but I can’t see them going more than five games in this series. They have the same problems as the Hawks with half court offensive execution, except they have worse players and don’t have the defensive versatility to switch screens and cause the Celtics problems on offense like the Hawks did.

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When Boston takes a jumpshot the 76ers have 4 people under the boards.if LD comes back Ivan & TMac are gone. As long as JJ is here our offense is crap. We need a real coach bad.

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I don’t think LD is terrible, but I would like to see what the Hawks would do with a top-tier coach too. I wonder if Gearon gave Jerry Sloan $5 million to come in here and coach this team for one year, if they would get to the conference finals.

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Grandad
May 12th, 2012
3:32 pm

High-Sider;

You got me.

I`m a dumb ass.

-but at least I got spatula right-
————————————————–

Grandad,

I was just kidding with ya. While you were “gettin’” [correcting] Rusty, I thought it would be funny “gettin’” [correcting] you. Kinda like what goes around, comes around. No big deal, just playin’ around. I make mistakes [too].

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The thing that no one wants to admit is that the hawks played most of this series 5 on 4, because Heinrich was on the floor unable to guard and unable to score. But you have to play him in this market (deep south), most of you Josh bashers would rather see Heinrich on the floor than see the hawks win.

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From ajc.com (and dmb )

The league fined Gearon $35,000 for public criticism of officials and negative comments about Celtics forward Kevin Garnett..

Does that mean we will have to sell more second round picks?

And with a fine like that, I’m not surprised LD never complains about the refs. He is one of the lowest paid coaches in the NBA, so he can’t afford to get fined

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Conley has two huge advantages over Teague. He can pull up and shoot midrange jumpers and he’s left handed…

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Gearon just STFU and Sell your team!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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My series analysis:

http://www.hoopinionblog.com/2012/05/lessons-learned-after-action-report.html

Thanks to the blog peeps for all the love and all the hate. As a former professional and now amateur writer, I can tell you that through all stages, I would rather have somebody call me an idiot, or say they hate what I wrote, than not read it at all.

So thanks to all of you for reading! It’s an empty exercise with no feedback, good or bad. MC I hope you’re staying on as beat writer. Nobody in my experience since I resumed caring about the Hawks in 2005 has done half as good a job as you have done of covering the team.

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High-sider

I do not mind bein` got.
I enjoy good natured give & take.
-and yes-
I can take it.
Which is why, I fully accepted my folly.
I never use spell-check – I rely on this ol` feeble melon.
Occasionally I jump back & forth between casual and formal register;
but other than that it`s all me.
Now typos are a whole nuther story … 10 thumbs.
Which should not be an excuse … since I only use two fangers anyway.
Naw;
if `n you catch me and or git me please have at it.
I promise … I love it.

Sincerely,
G-dad

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Jack thriller LOL!!!!!!!!!!

http://youtu.be/mJWQN3X6xM4

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Wow, Karl eliminated again in the 1st rd. What nine of ten seasons now? Come coach the Hawks….

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JAVALE MCGEE is a free agent this off season… Lets get on that, him at center al at the 4 spot josh at the 3 joe a teage… scary line up the paint would def be held down!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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same old $hit now they are going to fine our owner for making derogatory comments I think the celtics are god, come on man,I want to post on their blog but I don’t want to give them the pleasure.It is not all about winning to me I will follow the hawks regardless but I am sick of the NBA it is all politics Man you cant get away from it, it isn’t for real It is a show for every one like Ringling brothers and Barnum and bailey.Run the elephants out there but the trapeze artist is not gonna fall no real under dogs does not matter how good you are or any intabgiables it is what they want you to see.Like a movie what a damn shame

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TEAGUE, JOE, JOSH, HORFORD, JAVALE

WOULD THE BEST DEFENSIVE TEAM IN THE NBA

BILL LAMBEER THE COACH.

GO HAWKS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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“I get the feeling the Sixers are going to get swept. Maybe they take a game in Philly, but I can’t see them going more than five games in this series. They have the same problems as the Hawks with half court offensive execution, except they have worse players and don’t have the defensive versatility to switch screens and cause the Celtics problems on offense like the Hawks did.

Yet they put up 91 points on that great Celtics defense, and we averaged 81ppg in the series, but some people think defense was the problem.

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MC

To his credit he tells the “objective” story. The blog fans for the most part tell a very “subjective” one. Then there are the blog fans like Najeh, Grand-Daddy, O’Brien and Northcyde [et.al.] who tell a pretty objective story with some “noted” (disclosed by the writer) subjectivity sprinkled in here and there. But, as a beat writer MC does an excellent job and, just tells it like it [T.I. is.] and, without the inflammatory commentaries.

Najeh

Thanks for your responses.

Buddy Grizzard

I have read many of your articles. They are great reads, problem is the posting of comments criteria, make it nearly impossible to upload anything from a smart phone. I for one, can not make out the “Soul Train Scrabble” board letters and, get rejected every time.

For you, that is a systems issue. What’s wrong with simply typing a user I.D. and email address? Also, for me anyways, I can barely manage the time to post on one blog much less two. LOL

Rod from CP

The Hawks did not have enough fire-power to get past the Celtics. The defense was fine except for that game 3, when the C’s scored 101 points.

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@ drmaryb.(*_*).

I think the Hawks had enough firepower ..we had questionable end-of-game execution. Outside of Game 4 which was decided by the end of 1Q, every game came down to the last 2 minutes or less, including our two wins. We either got tight, reverted back to old habits (iso ball or questionable shot selection), or just couldn’t crack their defense.

If two opportunites (shots) go our way, I am sitting in Philly watching the Hawks in Game 1 of the EC semis – 1)Game 3 – Wille Green’s missed jumper with game tied at 80 w/13 seconds left; 20 Game 6 – the two cracks at expanding our 79-78 lead by Teague and JJ (see post @ 7:40 am)

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Like I said yesterday, the officials blew the call…and the game for the Hawks…as usual. Also, on the foul of Horford on the resulting in bounds play, please prove the defender was trying to go for the ball! He grabbed Horford from behind with two hands on his shoulders….not trying to block the ball….deliberate foul in my book!

As for management of the team, it improved this year. Horford improved,but was injured. Teague improved. Smith…well…he still hasn’t found a shot he can’t take…no matter how bad a shot. (the Jumper he took in the fourth quarter was another Oh NO moment). Joe Johnson could not free himself from real defense….Get rid of Joe and Smith…resign the bench! Oh and sign a few refs for games with the NBA’s “preferred teams! (wink wink)

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Stat should be playing center in this league at this point in his career. Last year as a center for the Knicks, 25 pts, 8 boards, and nearly 2 blocks per game. As a PF next to Chandler this year, 17 & 8. Front line of Smith , Horford, and Stat, with quick, slashing guards that can also knock down a 3 when needed.

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mykhalc
May 11th, 2012
11:25 pm

. . . this team does not work as a unit . . . that’s just not gonna change as long as this same personnel stays together. it’s waaaayyyy passed time to blow this thing up. there is nothin’ enjoyable about watchin’ a franchise continue to run in place for the last 3 yrs…PATHETIC!!!
______________________

“. . . for the last 3 yrs”?? How about for the last 44 years?!

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glw
May 12th, 2012
9:56 pm

Damn the 76ers are running the hell out of the Celtics. And they are constantly moving without the ball. If I was LD, I would have Josh, Joe, Teague and Marvin sitting in my living room watching this game to show them how to play the Celtics.
_____________________

And how did that Philly strategy work out in Game 1?

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northcyde
May 12th, 2012
12:27 pm

It’s time for fans to get over the emotional attachment to a player. It’s been a 5 year playoff run, and we’re no better than we were in 2009. Something has to give. We can’t keep doing the same thing and throwing out the same people onto the floor, and expect things to be different.
_______________________

2009?

In terms of results, we’re no better than we were in 1968.

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@ Just Joe

That is a Trade I can work with surprisingly.

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DawgNole
“It also would be nice to have one who interacts with his bloggers more than once a month.”

LOL! Pretty sad actually. Even Chris Vivlamore tries to interact with us. I am wondering whether MC actually enjoys his job anymore

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To Dawgnole,

It looked good for a while, they were moving without the ball and cutting to the hoops, but then they reverted to Hawks tendencies, throwing up wild jump shots. I think they are the type of team that Iso Joe would work out well late in the game, The 76ers biggest problem is they dont have a go-to guy down the stretch. Iggy definitely aint it, thats been proved several times in the past. I love Josh, but if Philly would give me 2 of their athletes I would jump on that.

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I don’t like Amare at all and I like his uninsured contract even less, but I might do that trade and inflate his trade value for a couple of months just to flip him to someone else for a shorter and less risky contract.

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O’brien
May 12th, 2012
12:49 pm

MC, I have some comments eaten by the blog monster. help.
_______________________

Good luck with that.

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LOL @ DawgNole.

Nice

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Not many regulars on here today. Hopefully they’re spending time with their moms.

And to any moms who happen to visit the blog, I certainly hope you are enjoying your day. Wish my mom were still here; I’d be animatedly filling her in on how my favorite basketball team, the ATL Hawks, lost yet again in the playoffs. And she’d be sweetly and politely acting like she cared.

Miss you, Mom.

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Grandad
May 11th, 2012
3:21 am

Tonite I must get a few things off my chest . . . .

I really do not care for the attitude that DogNole takes; in that 43 yrs ago had nothing to do with these kids who played tonight.
_______________________

NEVER will you find a post in which I’ve blamed today’s players for this team’s failures 43 years ago (or 42, or 41, or 40, or 39) because no such post exists. Please stop fabricating.

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The Hawks are simply too soft for playoff basketball. When you look at this Memphis – LA Clippers game, they’re damn near killing each other in the paint and out on the perimeter. Most of our guys shy away or are literally afraid of contact, and would be crying like a bunch of punks in a game like this.

Boston got physical with us, especially in the final minutes of games, and we couldn’t respond with the right amount of force.

Our coach is soft. All of our stars are soft. The one tough guy on the team ( Ivan ) was always told to reign himself in by the coach and didn’t get much playing time. The other tough guy ( Zaza ) was hurt and couldn’t go.

If the ownership is serious about bringing a championship to ATL, or at least putting us in position to make a deep run in the playoffs, they have to bring in a General Manager that understands how to construct a playoff tough basketball team. A team that isn’t scared of physical contact . . from the big men to the guards.

You can be “nice” and be “tough” at the same time. But we’re “nice” and play “timid” out on the court. The “core” will never get to the next level, until they understand this.

I’m in that camp that believes we should throw the BANK at Jerry Sloan. If it’s one guy who will bring out the toughness in these guys, it’s him. And an idiot like Michael Gearon will realize that “dirty basketball” is simply part of the game. Winners don’t whine and cry when they’re grabbed and held. They simply break out of that hold with more force and get the job done.

Gearon should pay Ivan’s 25K fine as well. Idiot.

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Rod from College Park

May 13th, 2012
4:21 am

Yet they put up 91 points on that great Celtics defense, and we averaged 81ppg in the series, but some people think defense was the problem.

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

They scored 91 points in one game vs the Celtics . . . and lost.

So why did they lose? Because they couldn’t stop the Celtics in the 4th quarter.

DEFENSE.

Orlando was an offensive team . . they’re at home

Denver was an offensive team . . they put up a good fight, but they’re at home

Knicks were a wannabe offensive team . . they’re at home

Let’s see if the Clippers offense or defense will bring them home. Right now, they’re playing tremendous defense in this 4th quarter and shutting the Griz down. Clippers up by 8 with a little under 9 minutes to go. Outscored the Griz 11 – 2 in the quarter so far.

LOL @ you constantly looking at regular season PPG averages, knowing that most good teams destroy bad opponents to inflate that PPG number. This is playoff basketball man. Where about 25% of the teams in a game will score over 90 points and maybe 10% of teams in a game will score 100.

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Najeh,

Not looking food for Memphis.

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Yeah, some of us have been frustrated by the Hawks softness for going on 4+ years. We finally get a rookie tough guy and dude is 27 years-old (older than Josh, Marvin & Al). Hawks are physically and mentally soft… need to trade at least 2 captains to make a true cultural change (and of course, change out the coaching staff).

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Loserville
May 11th, 2012
7:25 am

One fluke title in atl pro sports since 1966—a baseball title in a strike year. Every other team—choke. Maybe the atl owner can call out another player next year in a key game!!!! Come to New York for championships and titles!!! I miss Brooklyn—hopefully I can move back next year.
_________________________

We hope so too.

“Championships and titles”? Yeah, how bout them Knickabockas!

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O’Brien . . Memphis simply need to get stops and get rebounds. But Reggie Evans isn’t letting anything get past him. Dude is WORKING in the paint. A guy like Rick Sund doesn’t even have the sense to bring a guy like that in, despite Reggie once being a Sonic that HE brought in.

Hawks need to be constructed right. Give us a banger down low, and a defensive perimeter monster to guard people.

Grizzlies are OK. But it may come down to Chris Paul willing the Clips to victory. If I’m Del Negro, I SERIOUSLY think about NOT bringing Blake Griffin back into this game. Ride Reggie until the wheels fall off.

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Conley having a HORRIBLE game. Griz don’t have a backup PG worth a damn to sub for him, unless they play Tony Allen at the point.

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7 point lead with a minute to go . . this game is about over, barring some miracle.

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Dwayne C
May 11th, 2012
6:41 am

As usual the Hawks coach and players give themselves a pat on the back after falling short in the playoffs. It is this kind of attitude and culture of the Atlanta Hawks that has to change before this team can ever become a serious contender for an NBA championship. Me, I’m not optimistic it will ever happen, given some of the players on the Hawks’ roster, milquetoast head coach Larry Drew, inept GM Rick Sund and equally inept owner Michael Gearon.. Hawks fans can, I think, expect more of the same in coming years from this team: a decent W-L record during the season and then watching the Hawks become fodder for a playoff opponent who is more motivated to win.
_______________________

“Attitude and culture.” Hate to say it again, but I think you’ve hit on something there. It’s the “attitude and culture” permeating this organization from the very start that have contributed mightily to its playoff failures–year after year.

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MC,

Whats up with the blog monster?

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Can’t rely on streak shooters to consistently win playoff games for you

OJ Mayo:

4 points . . 7 rebounds . . 1 – 11 FG . . ( -22 ) plus/minus on the floor . . in 24 minutes

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Grandmaster JeJe (GM)
May 13th, 2012
3:21 pm

DawgNole,

Sorry about my comment the other night, was just pissed our team was doing so miserably. Hope you are well
______________________

I appreciate that, JeJe.

As you said back then, it’s just so damn emotional following these Hawks–especially in the playoffs. It may surprise some on here, but many of us who take a “negative” (I think we call it “realistic”) approach to the organization are still passionate fans who want more than anything for the team to WIN. Those are my feelings anyway. It’s no fun at all following a playoff failure for all these years, with so little hope for change.

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AJ,

Some fans didnt think Javale McGee would help us either. But yet he averaged 9 pts, 10 rebs, and 3 blocks in 26 mpg against the Lakers in the playoffs.

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LOL . . . Indiana making it look eaaaasy.

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Enter your comments here

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northcyde
May 11th, 2012
4:49 am

And some of you fans need to stop being so sensitive about Josh’s comments. His comments are the absolute TRUTH. There were literally 5,000 Boston fans in that building on Tuesday. And most of then were in the lower bowl.

So what is Josh supposed to think, when he sees the crowd looking like Christmas decorations, with all of the red with green sprinkled everywhere. The crowd IS an issue in Atlanta. Name whatever reason WHY it is . . but it IS an issue.

If you go to the games and cheer for the Hawks, Josh obviously wasn’t talking about you. But what else SHOULD he think, when he sees all of those Boston fans on his home court?
________________________

Maybe he SHOULD think, “Geez, I wonder how this organization has done over the years in ATL (all 44 of them) as far as bringing our city’s fans something to get excited about?”

Then maybe he’ll understand why ATL fans aren’t Boston fans.

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O’Brien

“Some fans didnt think Javale McGee would help us either. But yet he averaged 9 pts, 10 rebs, and 3 blocks in 26 mpg against the Lakers in the playoffs.”
__________

But, we don’t have the right coach to reign in hard headed players like Javale McGee & his meddlesome Mamma. Those two are a package deal, she would probably be in the locker room un-coaching Drew simultaneously. George Karl is no nonsense or, you see the bench.

Bottom line, we need a Real Coach to put a foot on some necks. Not “bench a rookie” and, dole out hugs in the tunnel with apologies, post games.

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Greener Pastures!

“Then maybe he’ll understand why ATL fans aren’t Boston fans” -DawgNole-
___________

Josh better be careful though, In Boston he will be leashed. No more point forwarding, kami-kaze passes, poor shot selection and 18 shots per game. He may even be used off the bench and, not as a starter. The new role from the coaches who refuse to vote him onto the All Star Rosters, see him as a defensive specialist and post player only and, not as a jump shooter.

Limiting his stat stuffing ways in a new city will be a huge point of contention for Josh, he will be irately unhappy and, not used as a potential starting all star, but strictly as a role player. I just hope he understands this and, one more thing … no other team will pay max-salary for those services @ a 5 years term.

The most value Josh will see as an UFA is in Atlanta, with the bird rules in effect, in a free reign starters role on a non-contender. So, the real question for Josh is:

Will I give up my personal stats in exchange for a title quest with a limited role on a better team concept? In other words … I may not be THE man.

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doc,

Even with my good, strong, small, steady doctor hands … I stick with the old skool BlackBerry. I have got to feel and push real buttons. I ordered the Apple 4S iphone one minute and cancelled my order the next. I don’t even have the heart to deal with a talking phone (SIRI) and, a pain in the azz – touch screen and, I have never even touched one.

I’m just sayin’. Stick to what you know. LOL

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I hope the Hawks are watching the remaining playoff games so that they can see “how” to properly close out games. Playoff shot selection. Playoff defense. Protecting the rim. The Atlanta Hawks “Grossly” underachieved this basketball season. Shame on them…

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does josh think going to a new city will have fans that can help him make those critical game winners the atlanta fans would love anyone make? or does he think a new city with real fans will make a difference in his shooting percentages outside the paint where he shot himself and he hawks out of a series. or does he think a new city will keep him from being punked by an elder citizen? will real fans put up with his bone head insolence?

go find out josh, go find out but send us two smart regulars back and maybe even a third rotation player to do a mans job:

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Josh Smith and Marvin Williams trade to Phoenix for S&T Steve Nash,Gortat, and Grant Hill. Dont know if the salaries match but we get a great point in Steve, a improving center in Gortat, and great 3 man in Hill.

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I am “sick and tired of Chris Broussard” This guy thinks that his stuff don’t stink. He ought to be selling insurance..Magic Johnson, how dare he to crticize coaching. He was as bad a coach as
Michael Jordan is an Owner.

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All those commentators think their stuff dont stink. They are so called “experts” and they know everything. Please

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drmaryb.(*_*).
May 13th, 2012
4:32 pm

doc,

Even with my good, strong, small, steady doctor hands … I stick with the old skool BlackBerry. I have got to feel and push real buttons. I ordered the Apple 4S iphone one minute and cancelled my order the next. I don’t even have the heart to deal with a talking phone (SIRI) and, a pain in the azz – touch screen and, I have never even touched one.

I’m just sayin’. Stick to what you know. LOL
_____________________

Hell, I wouldn’t even attempt to post from my smart phone. Takes me an hour to type my name. Don’t know how y’all do it. I can fly on a regular keyboard, but texting came too late for this ol’ dawg to learn.

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“So what is Josh supposed to think, when he sees the crowd looking like Christmas decorations, with all of the red with green sprinkled everywhere. The crowd IS an issue in Atlanta. Name whatever reason WHY it is . . but it IS an issue.”

He is supposed to think, “Let me improve my game and become a superstar and put this team on my back so that this city gets behind us.”

It’s not his fault that this organization’s personnel moves have been inept enough to leave him as the best player on this team. But he has been a Hawk for 8 years and an ATLien for 25. He has “DSGB” and the Pacman Hawks logo and the state of Georgia tatted on his arm. He knows about Atlanta as much as any of us do. He remembers what the crowd was like in the 2008 first round, which rivaled any crowd in any other city. He knows what has happened since then — lopsided playoff blowout losses, lack of progress in the playoffs, and a general sense of contentment from the people in charge of the franchise with the current state of affairs. He is smart enough to put two and two together and understand why the fan support here hasn’t improved. If he thinks that he, the rest of the players, and the organization in general has done enough to get the local fan base on their side, he is deluding himself.

Point your fingers at the front office, Josh, not at the stands.

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Another thing.. I have never seen a more “OVERHYPED” player than LeBron “Pippen” James. He is much closer to Scotty Pippen than M.J. MVP…PLEASE!!!

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@Buddy Grizzard

High-sider
May 13th, 2012
9:33 am

“My series analysis:

http://www.hoopinionblog.com/2012/05/lessons-learned-after-action-report.html…” – Buddy Grizzard
———————————————————————————

Overall grade for the article: 94 [A]

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I hate watching Miami play.

With 8 minutes left in the game, Wade and James have been called for 1 foul combined. And they have attempted 16 FT combined.

And Miami gets away with a little shove here and there, whereas the other team does not. SMH

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doc,

In his last 2 regular seasons (143 games combined), Josh has attempted 263 three pointers, and is shooting a combined 29%. But yet he continues, and LD refuses to reign him in.

I can only imgaine how jumpers he took from outside of the paint. Maybe northcyde has those numbers.

Mentally, Josh is too frustrating (imo). I’m with AJ. Offer him a very reasonable extension this offseason, and if he refuses, then trade him.

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The Hawks can’t offer Josh an extension thanks to allowing Josh to sign the Memphis offer sheet and then matching. Remember too, Josh has a trade kicker that increases his salary to just over $15M if traded this year.

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“Bosh suffered the injury after a dunk with 1:06 left in the first half. Pacers’ center Roy Hibbert fouled him on the play but it wasn’t clear exactly when Bosh suffered the injur”

2nd major injury Hibbert has caused to a Southeast Division PF/C this season

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“IND-MIA is exactly the same as PHI-BOS. The Pacers will hang around because they play hard and have depth and play good D, but they won’t get good shots in crunch time and the Heat will end up winning. The Pacers may take them to 6 games, maybe, but this isn’t going to be that competitive of a series either.”

IND and PHI will probably do just as well or better in those series as we did/would do. You just really like downplaying the other teams in the East. We are just as sucky/worse as these teams.

We wouldn’t even score 80 ppg vs Philly in a series

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“The Hawks can’t offer Josh an extension thanks to allowing Josh to sign the Memphis offer sheet and t
then matching. ”

Exactly. Most people here don’t realize this. This is why you never hear of ASG offering him an extension

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O’brien

May 13th, 2012
6:05 pm

doc,

In his last 2 regular seasons (143 games combined), Josh has attempted 263 three pointers, and is shooting a combined 29%. But yet he continues, and LD refuses to reign him in.

I can only imgaine how jumpers he took from outside of the paint. Maybe northcyde has those numbers.

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

That’s easy to find, due to basketball-reference.com giving detailed shooting charts dating back to the 2000 – 01 season.

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

Number of Josh Smith jumpers from 16+ feet ( this will include the areas from 16 – 23 feet and from 3 point range ) . . . numbers include regular season and playoffs.

2005: 162 attempts from 16+ feet . . . ( 609 total shot attempts . . 26.6% of shots were from 16+ feet )

2006: 335 . . . ( 774 attempts . . 43.3% )

2007: 394 . . . ( 993 attempts . . 39.7% )

2008: 363 . . . ( 1221 attempts . . 29.7% )

2009: 299 . . . ( 1008 attempts . . 29.7% )

2010: 263 . . . ( 1127 attempts . . 23.3% )

2011: 526 . . . ( 1212 attempts . . 43.4% )

2012: 527 . . . ( 1155 attempts . . 45.6% )

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

In defense of Josh, while he did shoot terrible from 3 point range, his 38.5% shooting from 16 – 23 feet in 2011 was a career high, and right at league average from that range. His shooting from that range dipped to 36.4% this year, but is still well above what he usually shoots from that range.

But the dramatic increase in jumpshots by Josh are a direct indictment of Larry Drew. Almost a fireable offense, in my opinion. Woody actually had him on the right track, but Drew turned him back into a jumpshot menace.

A lot of people want Josh to play SF. Well, if he’s going to take this many jumpshots, you may as well put him at SF, and get a guy at PF who simply rebounds and defends at a high rate.

This team is so out of balance, it isn’t funny.

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Just eyeball test tells you Larry will not be the coach to take this franchise to an ECF…

His two Dogs(Iso and Josh) dont trust him..Why should the others?

“Git to steppin” dude…

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I told NAJEH DAVENPOOP that the Hawks would fold in crunch time, like they always do…. and that ALL CAPS letters was pointless. And i know that NAJEH likes little boys round behinds…..

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Off-season issues are many:

1. Rick Sund – unimpressive, aloof; hamstrung; did not advance team.
2. Larry Drew – impressive; clever; resilient; good 1st/2nd yr coaching job.

3. JJohnson – $21M limits flexibility; good, not great, outside presence.
4. AHorford – Allstar C-F is future; move him to PF now?
5. JSmith – Part ways now, will not re-sign, not champion-smart.
6. ZPachulia – Starting C alongside Horford or trade him now?
7. MWilliams – Inconsistent, but absent JSmith, does he rise? Good Gm 6.
8. JTeague – Improved, worst PG in playoffs, weak link. Need upgrade.

9. KHinrich – Dissapointment, did not provide leadership in backct.
10. TMac – Given opportunity, still playmaker, minus Josh, then what?
11. WGreen – Athletic, streaky scorer, LD favors him.
12. IJohnson – Good rookie season, suspect character issues.
13. JCollins – Good depth at center, can still play, good value.
14. EDampier – Good depth at center, can still play, good value.
15. VRadmanovic – Early success, streaky shooter, injured late.
16. JPargo – Early success, but horrid playoffs, injured late.

1. Where does Horford play next season C or PF?
2. If PF, trade Josh for best player available or Top 5 pick.
3. Move ZaZa to starting C position, contract expires next season.
4. Keep or Trade Marvin? Probably can get a late lottery pick – 15/16.
5. With 2/3 1st rd picks target: 1. 6′11, PF, Perry Jones, Baylor 2. 6′9, G/F, Quincy Miller, Baylor 3. 7′0, C, Fab Melo, Syracuse; 4. 6′4, G, John Jenkins, Vandy
6. Acquire Free Agent veteran point guard – Jason Kidd, Jason Terry, Chauncey Billups…

2012-2013 Hawks

JTerry JTeague JPargo
JJohnson WGreen _______
TMcGrady QMiller IJohnson
AHorford PJones JCollins
ZPachulia FMelo EDampier

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“And, when Horford sees him again, he might pee on his leg and, run the other way.”

LOL.

Though I will say that Horford has matched up well against Hibbert in the past. Last year, in 4 games, Hibbert had 46 points and 41 rebounds. Al had 55 points and 38 rebounds. Considering that Al gives up 5 inches and about 15 lbs., I’d say he holds his own against Hibbert.

But that was still a funny line!

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Chris Bosh Injury: Updates on Heat Star’s Abdominal Injury
By Josh Martin (Featured Columnist) on May 13, 2012 3,246 reads 9
Use your ← → (arrow) keys to browse more storiesNext

If the Miami Heat are going to take a 1-0 series lead over the Indiana Pacers in the Eastern Conference semifinals, they’ll have to do so without the services of Chris Bosh.

According to ESPN NBA insider Tom Haberstroh, Bosh will not return to Game 1 at AmericanAirlines Arena on account of a lower abdominal strain.

Tom Haberstroh@tomhaberstroh
Heat announce Chris Bosh will not return, lower abdominal strain.
13 May 12 Reply Retweet Favorite

The All-Star forward suffered the injury late in the first half, when Indiana’s Roy Hibbert fouled him on a drive through the lane that ended in a dunk.

Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra started Ronny Turiaf in Bosh’s place in the second half.

Bosh had enjoyed an efficient half on the offensive end, scoring 13 points on 6-of-11 shooting and pulling down five rebounds. However, he struggled to subdue the Pacers frontcourt on defense as the Heat went into the locker room with a six-point deficit.

Bosh had averaged 15.0 points and 7.2 rebounds during Miami’s five-game series win over the New York Knicks. Without him, the Heat will have to lean heavily on Turiaf, Joel Anthony and Udonis Haslem to absorb minutes in the middle and LeBron James and Dwyane Wade to replace his production offensively.
____________

Bosh is a wrap for this series, perhaps the post season in it’s entirety. An abdominal strain? He will swell and feel worse over the next 7-10 days. The tenderness and strain will make the muscle weak and useless without proper rest. If Chris tries to man up and return early, it may tear completely.

Granted, we don’t know the severity of this strain, nor the specific muscle(s) involved. So, I am assuming the worst case scenario and figuring it is the abdominal rectus (the “six pack” muscle group).

Oh well, Get Well Soon Chris!

Unfortunately, this is season has been a war of attrition and, only the strong will survive and reign supreme. Let’s Go Pacers!

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[drmaryb]^^^^^

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“Do any of the projected top 5 teams in the draft seem like places where Josh wants to sign a new deal? I’m still predicting Houston, Brooklyn, or Philly, if anywhere.” -just joe-
___________

I guess the ping-pong balls will rank the top 5ive teams, (the system in place to prevent the bad teams from playing possum & suck-for-luck) unlike the NFL where you can play down for the #1 pick.

Just Joe, IDK who the top 5 worst teams are in the NBA but, do you think Josh would want to lead a re-building team at age 27/28? Or, go to a seasoned contender like Boston? We all know if Mr. Woodson gets a new deal, The Knicks are out of the question, besides Melo is the ball hogger that Joe Johnson is not. LOL! Amare’ already regrets the Melo Hog Factor, (see his left hand string the glass).

Melo over there taking 40 shots per game and, Denver blossomed as a team when he left. Josh will find himself in an untenable situation when he looks around. Is he willing to sacrifice his personal stats to win a ring? If so, the ball hog Kobe and the Lakers might be a good spot for him and the Hawks. The Lakers may be willing to overpay Josh as well.

Money is no obstacle in LA when it comes to winning rings. The flip side is that Kobe is an azz of a person and teammate. No room for an extra alpha dog there, just hard work and a lunch pail.

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Kobe’s Mother, Father and Wife & Kids don’t even like this guy. Why is he such a miserable man?

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“or just kick him in the shin and run! lol!” – slimjr-
______

Haha … I love that! Al may not have to evil heart to do it, maybe he can pay Ivan that 25k fine money and, get him to do it? Debo will kick Roy in the nuts and flip his Mamma the bird too, probably for half that amount. LOL

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northcyde
May 13th, 2012
5:51 pm

It’s not about ATL fans being Boston fans. It’ about ATL fans supporting their team to the point that they don’t let another team’s fans take over the their building.

You see the same thing in the NFL, when it comes to Pittsburgh Steelers fans. They’re everywhere. And that fan base will literally take over a stadium with a weak fan base.
_______________________

And how have the Steelers done in the postseason the past 44 years? And how many championships have the Steelers won in that timeframe?

It’s about a team giving its fans some semblance of hope–something to cheer about–when it counts (in the playoffs)! This isn’t the Hawks’ first year–or second, or third, or fourth, etc. In 44 years, this team/organization has progressed not one iota, and thus has not given its fans realistic expectations for a championship–quite unlike the Celtics and Steelers.

When is enough enough?

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* I don’t THINK they will have any high picks …

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NBA ‏ @NBA
Take a closer look at the special bond between @DenverNuggets center @JaValeMcGee34 & his mother Pamela McGee.
____________

I feel sorry for Javale’s future wife. She will have some “Oedipus Complex” issues going on for real. LOL

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I hope Miami NEVER wins a ring.

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Shamrock
May 13th, 2012
9:03 pm

I told NAJEH DAVENPOOP that the Hawks would fold in crunch time, like they always do…. and that ALL CAPS letters was pointless. And i know that NAJEH likes little boys round behinds…..
____________________

Seems like you posted this same idiot comment earlier. You must like writing (and dreaming) about those little behinds.

Certainly doesn’t say a whole lot for you and your fellow Celtics fans.

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Thank God I don’t care about the NBA or NHL I might be upset about some or any of this crap.

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Was thinking that I could see Josh wanting to go to Boston since he is cool with Rondo. I just dont see how Boston would acquire him.

Was thinking which teams Joe J could go. I could see Knicks but I do not think Atlanta would take on that money even though it is less years and a frontline of Amare Horford Smith is somewhat weak defeneively.

I could see if Nets do not get Dwight and keep Deron could see them trading for Joe Johnson.

Slimjr, I know you like Rudy Gay. I have followed him since his last year of high school but he has a good game but again as you say today same with Danny Granger, they are Robin type of players they are good not sure they get you over the hump if they are on the Hawks.

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“You just really like downplaying the other teams in the East. We are just as sucky/worse as these teams.”

Where did you see me say the Hawks would do any better? They have already proven the Celtics are better, and I have said all season that they would have no chance to beat the Heat in a series.

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If I was Josh Smith I would want to leave town too. Our fan support for sports teams in Atlanta, especially the Hawks, is terrible. Just listen to what people say on national television about us.(ATL sports fans)

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Just Joe,

I forgot about Josh’s trade kicker, which is reported as 15% of the value of his remaining contract. So with $13.2 mil remaining on his deal, the other team would owe him $15.2 mil. Nobody will pay him that (imo) unless he agrees to an extension first, Because imagine if a team trades for him, only to see him walk away as a FA.

brigadierjerry,

If Boston wants him, they would wait for him to become a FA (they are way under the cap in 2013).

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How badly do you want to get rid of JJ? Do you need equal talent in return, or just want to get rid of his salary?

Orlando will want to impress Dwight Howard, so maybe they are interested in trading for JJ to pair with Dwight. But if you’re the Hawks, would you trade JJ (4 years, $89 mil) for Jason Richardson (3 years, $18.6 mil) and HedoTurkoglu (2 years, $23.6 mil)?

That deal gives us nothing close to equal value on the court(imo), but it would give us more flexibility in 2013 and beyond. And let’s face it. If the ASG owns the team, they will not amnesty JJ, paying him $48 mil (his salary the last 2 years, just to go away).

In a perfect world, they would amnesty Marvin this offseason (imo), assuming they can’t find a trade partner for him, let LD and Rick go, bring in an established coach (like Sloan), and a new GM, even if he has only been an assistant GM somewhere else. And with Kirk’s contract off the books, and Marvin’s salary, maybe they could sign an impact FA for a change.

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Jeff Teague the worst PG in the playoffs? Are you sure about that?

CJ Watson started 5 of 6 games for the Bulls – Didn’t play nearly as well as Teague in the playoffs

Darren Collison for the Pacers is at best Jeff’s equal. George Hill below Teague in most every category.

Chalmers again may at best be equal to Teague.

Baron Davis and Mike Bibby are nowhere close to Jeff Teague. Not now.

Ramon Sessions is a little below Teague statistically in most categories. Close, but not quite Teague.

Devin Harris right now is probably no more than Teague’s equal. Maybe not as good. Check the stats.

So Teague was not the worst PG in the playoffs by any measure – Regular season or playoff performance.

And you could make the case that Jeff had a better regular season than JRue Holiday. Check the stats.

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If you really wanted to trade Josh, I’m sure Boston would trade picks 21 and 22 for him. Two first picks for Josh – We would have picks 21-23 in the draft. Supposedly a deep draft – so if we were sure we had 3 guys we liked in those spots, like Tony Wroten, Arnett Moultrie, and Fab Melo or Festus Ezelli, we could probably do worse.

And use the savings of about 9.4million to sign Kevin Garnett for 3 years at 8 million per.

Your Frontcourt rotation would be ZaZa, Al, and KG. 2 more young bigs behind them.

And a G that has alot of talent in Wroten.

Make the deal with Boston, but don’t make it official until after the #20 pick is drafted, so you can make sure the players you want are still on the board.

I know the negatives. Just a thought.

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I told NAJEH DAVENPOOP that the Hawks would fold in crunch time, like they always do…. and that ALL CAPS letters was pointless. And i know that NAJEH likes little boys round behinds…… and the Celtics will dominate all the way to the Finals. Tell Josh i hope he liked the green integrated all throughout his arena

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“Thank God I don’t care about the NBA or NHL I might be upset about some or any of this crap.”

No, but you’re a Tech fan, so you get to be upset every year because your teams don’t even come close to winning anything meaningful. At least the Hawks manage to make it to the postseason.

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Trade Josh NOW.

Now, before you folks get all mad at me please let me explain. I think Josh Smith is probably the best player the Hawks have (close battle with Horford). I love watching him play hard almost all the time.

That being said .. the Hawks are strapped with one of the worst contracts in NBA history. They are paying the 20th best scorer in the playoffs(JJ) a max contract at one of the easiest positions to fill with decent talent. Not only that, everyone above him has a much better field goal percentage, meaning JJ has to shoot far more often just to rank 20th.

Since the Hawks simply cannot move JJ, then they need to realize they will not win it all for the next 5-6 years and need to start thinking about this. Simply put, they should trade to anyone willing to take his contract. If they cannot, then they need to start moving other pieces and start rebuilding … again. Josh is easily the most sought after piece and they may walk away with NOTHING if they don’t trade him. I will hate to see him leave this team, but it’s probably best for the Hawks long-term .. and it’s certainly best for Josh.

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And a big case could be made that Jeff Teague outplayed 39 year old Jason Kidd both regular season and postseason this year.

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Shamrock

I`ll bet you`re not even Irish;
I would imagine you are probably from Wales.

Which would explain why you`re such a Neanderthal.

Didn`t get it, I thought not ?

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one on one exit interviews will be a blast this year. wish i could be a “back stabbing” fly on that wall. (snickers)

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Najeh Davenpoop
May 13th, 2012
11:20 pm

Shamrock, is that really so important that it’s worth posting 4 times? Have fun getting swept by the Heat and having the Big 3 dismantled and entering the next Antoine Walker/Rick Pitino era for the next 20 years.

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****

Keep Rondo, sign Smoove, and add other pieces with the loads of space they will have….doesn’t really sound like a Pitino era to me

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If we get Amare, trade Smoove for a SG.

And DrMary, when do exit intvws take place? Or is this anemic report above in the blog all we got? Is MC already on vacation for 4 months? I remember last summer we got like 10 blogs in 3 or 4 months

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U gotta hope Amare recovers from this season. Just to avoid the BS 24m u owe Joe at age 34 u do this trade

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Joe for Amare is only a good trade because it gets rid of Joe’s contract. I have no interest in building this team around a 30 year old, non-defensive, non-rebounding PF who needs a pass-first PG to create shots for him and has knees so bad that his contract can’t be insured. If the Hawks trade Joe for Amare (which is a good short-term trade for the Knicks) it has to be followed up by trading Amare for someone else or cap space.

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John Hollinger ‏ @johnhollinger
http://NBA.com stat I just stumbled upon: The Hawks were league’s best team in last 2 min of one-poss games, at +37. Really.
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najeh, what does this mean? in plain english?

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ghost, like them blacked out scoreboards and that RED restaurant with no patrons. i’ll be at bones in buckhead, with them 100 year old white dudes. lol

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G-Nite.

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Maybe Detroit wants JJ – Stuckey and Gordon for JJ?

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“…It would’ve been Jordan Crawford . . but oops, we traded him. Hey, maybe some of you will get your wish, and Jamal opts not to take the 5 mill, and the Hawks sign him to something like a 3 yr – 12 mill deal. That way, ya’ll ( we ) can root for Jamal again.

Teague
Jamal
Smith
Amare
Horford

Does that lineup get us to the Eastern Conference Finals? Is that a playoff tough squad?” – northcyde

Yaaayyy! I’ll go along with a scenario that brings Jamal back to the Hawks, but a frontcourt of J. Smith, Horford and Stoudemire may clog the paint for the Hawks on the offensive end. Who’s going to be the first, second, third and fourth option [on offense]? I still like Joe Johnson, however, and would hate for the Hawks to lose him [J. Johnson].

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Grandad

May 14th, 2012
12:03 am

northcyde

Sign Nash [unrestricted FA]
Teaguer plays the [2] Barbosa style;
while being mentored by Nash.
Teaguer would also defend the [1] position.

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

So Nash would have to defend people like Dwyane Wade, Joe Johnson ( if traded to the Knicks to play the 2 ), and chase around Ray Allen ( if he re-signs with the Celtics on the cheap )?

Nah Grandad. That backcourt is way too small. Either way it goes, Nash is going to be a major defensive weak link. And it’s unfair to ask Teague to guard people much bigger than him. Teague would have to be the 6th man off the bench. We’d need a defensive SG if we’re going with Nash at the point, and Teague rotating between the 1 and the 2.

And the end of game scenario, no way we could play Nash and Teague together in a tight game. Teague isn’t Joe Dumars.

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High-sider

May 14th, 2012
1:48 am

“…It would’ve been Jordan Crawford . . but oops, we traded him. Hey, maybe some of you will get your wish, and Jamal opts not to take the 5 mill, and the Hawks sign him to something like a 3 yr – 12 mill deal. That way, ya’ll ( we ) can root for Jamal again.

Teague
Jamal
Smith
Amare
Horford

Does that lineup get us to the Eastern Conference Finals? Is that a playoff tough squad?” – northcyde

Yaaayyy! I’ll go along with a scenario that brings Jamal back to the Hawks, but a frontcourt of J. Smith, Horford and Stoudemire may clog the paint for the Hawks on the offensive end. Who’s going to be the first, second, third and fourth option [on offense]? I still like Joe Johnson, however, and would hate for the Hawks to lose him [J. Johnson].

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

What do you mean “clog the paint”?

Smith will be at SF, and out on the perimeter. That’s where he likes it, so that’s where he’ll be. And I thought that’s where fans wanted him to play. Let Horford and Amare play from 17 feet and in, while Josh plays from 16 -23 feet, with a post up now and then . . and a few fastbreak dunks.

As for who will be the options on offense? That’s easy.

1st option – Jamal: because that’s what he does. He shoots the ball. Even at the 2 alongside Teague, he’ll have the ball in his hands. And since he can create his own shot ( no matter how bad the shot is ), he’ll shoot it.

2nd option – Jamal: As the shot clock is ticking down under 5 seconds, who will shoot the ball? Jamal will. ISO Jamal in effect.

3rd option – Jamal: Even if the play isn’t called for him, he’ll shoot the ball when the ball is passed to him, even if he was supposed to throw an entry pass down to Horford.

Don’t worry about the scoring options. Jamal has all of that covered.

It’s the defense that is the concern.

Jamal vs Dwyane Wade
Jamal vs Joe Johnson ( if traded )
Jamal vs Kobe Bryant
Jamal vs Monta Ellis

But then again, Jamal can do it. He can hold is on on both ends.

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Najeh,
That stat (Hawks late-game ) is surprising, as I took a quick count of games we lost in the last minutes (excluding playoffs) and I had a runinng count of about 8 reg. season games we lost by virtue of no “poise at the end” (phrase me and my boys coined in early 90s when battling on early Madden/C-64 “4th and Inches”). Now I didn’t tally how many we pulled out the W on, but we all know which ones we lost late, including 2 vs. BOS, the early season Ls @CHI maybe 2 vs. MIA (the 3 OT vs. MIA minus Wade and Lebron and the last game in MIA where we turned over in the last couple of min), and the 1-point loss to DET.

drmaryb,
Javale might be fortunate he is out of the playoffs … He might need to be home making sure no late-night phone calls or doorbell rings are going down … His mom is *whew*

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What a waste of ink begging for help from the NBA. The hawks have got progressively worse since they lets Mike Woodson go.

The coach sucks
The GM Sucks
The Center Sucks
The Blog writer Sucks

This is a Sucked Up team….

You will never ever…..ever win a NBA championship or make it to the finals. With Al “soft and sweet” Houdini Horford as your Center.

Al had All season to rest and recuperate while Josh labored and carried the hawks to the playoffs. Al only played two (2) playoff games and should have been the most rested man in the tournament. He should have been heds and heels over every one else who was worn down from season long labor. Al should have had a spring in his step…

With the huge advantage of being rested the whole season Houdini Al could not even average 20 pts in the playoff. Something Josh and JJ were able to do the entire season. (both right at 20ppg)

Trade Al and stop making excuses for him.

You will never, ever ever win a professional championship with that lazy as Al as your center. TRADE HIM NOW!

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Idiots on the loose….

“Amare and Horford that can run the floor, Smith could conceivably average 6 – 7 assists a game while scoring 14 – 15 ppg ”

Smith Averaged about 17pts per game and 5 assists per game in the playoffs and 19ppg with 4 assist during the regulars season…. Why should he take a step backwards?

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One
On one hand we and NBA experts rail incessantly about iso Joe and how it sometimes bogs down teh offense, esp. at ends of games, yet …

yesteday a couple of “experts” don’t like IND chances vs. MIA because they lack a true closer in the mode of Jordan/D-Rose/Kobe/’melo (maybe) who can dominate the ball at the end and get a clutch basket.

Now which one is it? The entire NBA has isolation plays, it isn’t just an ATL thing. You see it in the playoffs all the time.

Is it that they don’t feel he is in the class of a Kobe or ‘melo as a scorer (maybe true), or why don’t other teams seemingly not catch as much flack for iso plays?

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i agree mary, Al is a true point guard cause he aint no low post player, he’s too soft, they say hes got some bi tch in him.

Yeah, Javale its time to dump the mom and man up. You are a true center who could have an impact….

Does any body know how to get the Bi tch out of Al ?

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on this team nobody plays where they are supposed to. lol

SF’s who fumble every ball under the basket and fall on the only center we got foot, coupled with a PF who prefers to shoot jumpers, yaddi-yaddi-ya …. whatever. then tell Melo to stay from under the basket too.

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From a Charles Barkley interview on 790 last week.

1) Owners need to own, and shut up, especially when you have been one of the most dysfunctional ownership groups in the NBA.

2) Josh Smith is the Hawks best player, but LD has to rein him in. And if he refuses to stop shooting those jumpers, he needs to be benched

3) We are too soft. Our only tough player is Ivan Johnson, but he doesn’t get enough PT

4) LD has done a good job, but the Hawks do not have the right mix of players.

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And Barkley sits on TNT and runs his mouth. He’s not a coach or a GM. He’s a retired player.

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Thanks drmaryb/Grandad.

Only reason I ask is because above in the blog it says “exit interview day”

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The best game they played was when Josh sat on the bench injured.

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@O’ Brien, I agree Charles made some very good points about the Hawks.

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I look forward to the Hawks getting the cheapest GM and coach that money can buy. I look forward to selling the draft picks so that we can get more of ISO Joe and nothing else. I look forward to no money being spent on an NBA caliber center. I look forward to average.

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The next GM we get better be someone who is at least above average when it comes to scouting we don’t need anymore blunders of Shell Heads and Marvin the Ducks in ATL.

Same thing for the next coach you get rid of Joe’s Contract to whomever Amnesty Marvin I’d stick it out with Amare or once you get him trade him to someone like New Orleans.

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Aren’t there some situations where a player is fouled before inbound, and the offensive team is awarded TWO (2) free throws, rather than 1? Maybe I am mistaken.

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nice article on a maligned coach.

http://sports.yahoo.com/news/nba–clippers-coach-vinny-del-negro-gains-credibility-with-game-7-win.html;_ylt=Aow7esdIMDNIfALTPiAl2vg5nYcB

about 2/3 of the way down either najeh or northcyde will be interested in how he managed the game …. just like one of them said he should.

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Doc you are dead on. Al has been a champion before, one of the great college teams of this watered down era, but still he had to play to win. All Smithy has had was a class A high school experience and whoops he is a pro. The NBA has ruined college basketball and has no product to sell itself. Josh was probably drafted higher out of college than he would have been as a pro. You expect high schooler to be a little immature, but as he was stunted in college maturity he would have been discovered lacking or better yet would have gotten a coach that made him play team basketball.

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So if the Hawks have $61M in salary next season and the salary cap is projected at $58M, then if you amnesty Marvin, it brings you down to about $53M, or provides $5M of salary space. That’s good, but not likely enough to transform the roster. Thyat will require a trade.

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doc

I am pondering your hypothesis.

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gdad it is an intriguing question and goes very deep into jim maybe but you have seen it before

look the kind of guy josh is used to chafe my ass having to play with them

when you needed em most they would implode into the most selfish players around or quit. like inside deep they werent or couldnt be winners.

best example was sheed

you can have those types because their psyche is untouchable

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