Atlanta Hawks: Season’s over
Boston–The Hawks’ streak of second-round playoff appearances ended at three. After a 40-26 regular season, the Hawks lost in six games to the Celtics in the first round. There will be time to dissect things later but, for now, here’s what the participants had to say. . . .
- Larry Drew on the season: “Given everything that we went through in the season with all the injuries and not having Al and so many guys missing games, I am very proud of our guys. We could have folded the tent. We responded very well, very professionally. Given 40 wins I’m very happy about that, given all we’ve been through. Tonight was disappointing [because] we didn’t advance. I thought we played a very gutsy series other than the one game. Overall I’m very proud of this bunch for what they accomplished.”
- Al Horford on if there are any ‘what-ifs’ for the season: “There is. I’m proud of the guys the way they reacted and came out every night and competed. That’s tough having so many injuries and different guys having to fill in. I feel like each guy has had their moment this year. I just kind of came in at the end trying to help us out. Unfortunately for us the run ended.”
- Josh Smith: “We overcame adversity throughout the season. Obviously it’s disappointing that we couldn’t do something special this season. The road was paved as good as it’s ever going to get for us but we didn’t take advantage of it. That’s the frustrating part. But we can’t hang our heads. We have to look at all the positives this team did this season. Losing Al pretty much the whole season and people counting us out, and for us to be able to do what we did, it’s something special. It’s not all negative. We have got to look at the positives and take this into the offseason and work more harder to be able to better ourselves as a unit.”
- Joe Johnson: “I thought we did what we could with what we had. It was tough. We are just now getting our full squad back together, what is it here, Game 4 of the playoffs? We still had a chance to win and advance. All we wanted to do was give ourselves a chance to win in Boston and we did that. Unfortunately, we came up short.”
- Doc Rivers: “You’ve got to give Atlanta a lot of credit. You really do. Especially tonight. I mean, Atlanta is criticized so much about who they are and all that stuff. And they had 10 times tonight where they could’ve went away and said, ‘You know what? We gave it great effort.’ And they just kept putting the pressure on us. And I though that was what this series was more about: I thought they kept putting the pressure on us and we had to answer. Game 2 still was the biggest game. Not having [Rajon] Rondo and winning that game was huge for us. And then down the stretch we won games with execution at times.”
- Drew on Atlanta’s penultimate possession that ended with Josh’s missed jumper: That wasn’t [the play]. We were in our wrong spots. We did not execute what we had drawn up in the huddle. We can’t have that type of mental breakdown at the end of a game. You just can’t have it. That play is not designed to be at the elbow shooting a jump shot. We did not execute it.”
- Josh on the fourth-quarter offense: “We were getting the shots we wanted. We got some looks. A couple of in-and-out. We tried to drive the paint and get to the free-throw line but we wasn’t getting the calls. If I had to do it all over again, I’d do the same thing in the fourth quarter. We was getting the shots. This team helps so much on the strong side, they kind of make you live with the weak-side perimeter jump shots. Especially when they know what satisfies them the most is it’s not the star players doing it.”
- Horford on the foul by Marquis Daniels as Atlanta was attempting to inbound the ball: “I know that I was trying to get through and he was grabbing me and I couldn’t really move. I don’t know if the ball was inbounded or not. I was just trying to cut through. Obviously the ref saw [the play] and didn’t call it.”
- Horford on not intentionally missing the second free-throw attempt down a point and no timeouts: “I didn’t really think about it. That’s something I probably should have given some thought. The first one felt good. I was surprised I missed it. Looking back I should have missed the second one, not realizing we didn’t have any timeouts. I did [realize it] before but there was a lot of stuff going on through the game.”
- Josh on what “one or two” things could have made a difference for the Hawks: “Maybe we could have shot a little bit more free throws. It was 24-10. We was being aggressive; we just wasn’t getting the calls. I don’t know what we had to do. We played our hearts out tonight. We fell short. A couple controversial calls. Things like that happen when you are on the road. You have to try your hardest to try not to make it a close game. When you play in an environment like the Garden in Boston, they have some of the best fans in the whole entire league. Like I said before, I was a little jealous because the fans here are so supportive of their team. You go out, look in the stands there is nothing but Celtics jerseys. I don’t see a trace of red in there. Understanding that the fans are that passionate, it adds an extra advantage for them. A bad shot can be as good a turnover when you are playing against a team like Boston, especially with the fanbase they have.”
- Drew on what went wrong when Hawks blew eight-point lead in second quarter: “Bad shots. We had some bad shots. We had some turnovers and those made it into transition baskets. I told the guys at halftime, looking back at how we defended their sets we did a good job but turned it over and took some bad shots. In this building a bad shot is just as good as a turnover and if you don’t have proper floor balance, they can run you right out the gym. That’s what led to that spurt. We didn’t get into our offense very crisp. They pressured us, they took us out of our sweet spots and it just kind of made it tough for us and we didn’t respond to that.”
- Joe: “We just got a little stagnant. We turned the ball over a few times, they scored. That’s not where we lost the game. In the fourth quarter, we had a three-point lead with a minute and something on the clock. That’s what hurts the most.”
- Drew on Kevin Garnett: “‘KG,’ he was an All-Star tonight. He made some big shots tonight. He put them into a great position early. He was really fighting for the low block. We were trying to disrupt his rhythm as much as we could. We tried to double team him at times we didn’t get down there fast enough. He made some big shots for them.”
- Josh on Garnett: “He asserted himself early in the game. We were supposed to trap him a little bit but the traps were a little passive, not aggressive. He took advantage of it. He got himself started early and made some shots down the stretch for them. He’s definitely their emotional leader. He still has a lot in the tank.”
- Garnett on Hawks co-owner Michael Gearon Jr.’s comments: “First off, I want to say ‘Thank you’ to their owner for giving me some extra gas tonight. My only advice to him is next time he opens his mouth, actually know what he’s talking about, Xs and Os versus checkbooks and bottom lines. . . . We’re not dirty. We’re firm, we’re aggressive. We’re not dirty. You have to understand the word ‘dirty’ in this game is very defined. Going under guys, trying to hurt guys, ill intent–is not they way we play basketball. . . . We play with a lot of passion, play with force. It’s the playoffs but I’m not trying to hurt anybody, nor has my teammates. I just found that comment to be a little rude and a little out of hand and I wanted to address it. Just because you got a bunch of money don’t mean you can open your mouth.”
- Josh on feeling like the Hawks didn’t get to show what they could do with a full squad: “Al came back. I got injured in Game 2. I think that was a winnable game. Things happen, man. The margin there is so small in the playoffs. Anything can beat you at any given moment. We had opportunities where we could have won games and we couldn’t get it done. We can definitely learn from that basketball team in that other locker room. The way they play collectively on the defensive end together, they really make you think, really make you work for every point. I think we definitely can take their philosophies and apply it to this basketball team because we are long and athletic. Their philosophies can help us be one of the top defensive teams in the entire league next year.”
- Horford on returning for the playoffs: “I don’t regret any of that. I feel like I went out and played and gave everything I had.”
- Horford on playing 46 minutes: “I was dragging, to be honest, most of the game. Then in the fourth [quarter] I had to dig down deep and I was like, ‘Let’s make one more big run at this. Let’s try to win this game.’ That’s kind of what fueled me throughout that fourth quarter. I was fatigued but I knew my team needed me.”
- Joe on “what-ifs”: “Yeah, it hurts. The last three years we advanced and made it to the second round. After last year, we looked at if like we was ready to make that jump. Give them credit. They are a great veteran team that has been around the block, knows what it takes. They came into our house and stole one. That’s all they needed.”
- Drew on “what-ifs”: “Man, I’ve been saying that from Day One. If we would have had a full squad, if we would have had Zaza [Pachulia], all the games that Kirk [Hinrich] missed, all the games [Jason Collins] missed, the games Marvin [Williams] missed. I’m proud of these guys for responding the way they did given all the injuries. Everyone counted us out. The other day I saw when we lost Al, they projected us to win 25 games. I think that says a lot about [the players] and about my coaching staff with all the adversity we faced this season and yet we were able to overcome.”
- Josh on moving forward: “Go into the offseason and try to get better every season. Working out, keep having the same work ethic I’ve been having my whole career. Use this as fuel. That’s a great basketball team over there. They’ve done some special things. When they acquired the Big Three, since then they’ve been doing some special things in the postseason. We can definitely learn a lot from that ballclub. It definitely hurts not being able to get out of the first round. . . . I felt like we had the best opportunity to be able make it to the Eastern Conference final, this year more so than other years. That’s always disappointing but we’ve got to take this into the offseason, be able to work hard and try to get better next season.”
Michael Cunningham, Hawks beat
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206 comments Add your comment
PETER
May 11th, 2012
8:41 am
1-11 ON CELTIC IN PLAYOFFS ==.== I LOVE ATLANTA HAWKS FTW BABY ALWAYS SUPPORT YOU GUYS AND I HATE CELTICS GARNETT PEICRE RONDO ALL 3 OF YOU D:<
the buster
May 11th, 2012
8:41 am
All you JS bashing idiots. Don’t you see his defensive stats? Give them the credit. Keep the team together, do minor changes, let them mature more, teach them how to close out the crucial game, and they’ll beat Boston next year.
Han
May 11th, 2012
8:41 am
Every single guy quoted talked about the injuries they had during the year. That is a joke. Every team had injuries, and a lot of teams in the East had long stints with great players out – Wade, Allen/Rondo, Rose, Howard, etc. The problem with this team is that they are soft, plan and simple. They have no “playoff” basketball players – guys that increase their accountability and their intensity and get better when the postseason starts. That’s what great players do.
MsDee
May 11th, 2012
8:41 am
northcyde,
I like your trade options and would prefer Option1, sending Teague & JJ for Deron. By getting rid of JJ’s contract frees up money to get another good/great SG. Josh and Horford both with get all kinds of recognition for ESPN & SOUTHCENTER with Deron leading the way. By-the-way, which option would u choose?
HawksAllDay
May 11th, 2012
8:46 am
Joe must go!!!!!!!!!!!!! 20 Mill a season hahahahahaha he is NOT A SUPERSTAR TRADE HIM!!!!!!!!!!! Josh should stay and form team around he and Horford!! Send Joe and Marvin and who ever else to NY for Melo and JR Smith. Teague, JR, Melo, Smoove and Horford starting 5.
MsDee
May 11th, 2012
8:48 am
I would like to get Jerry Sloan over here too but not sure how he and Deron Williams would clash considering how things ended with them in Utah.
O'brien
May 11th, 2012
8:56 am
doc,
I wonder if Melo is rooting for the Nuggets?
Faried is off the chain. Averaging 11 and 10 in the playoffs, despite going up against Bynum and Gasol. And he is just a rookie. Props to George Karl for the job he has done.
SteveW
May 11th, 2012
9:00 am
How about those Nuggets?
I’m drained. Too intense to even post here last nite. Couldn’t do it.
Moving forward, to make a run at a Championship, with an healthy Al Horford – Salary dump Marvin and sign KG for a 3 year deal at 8 m per season. He probably takes it because he’s old. Maybe he doesn’t because he hates our owner now. But money talkes.
A team of KG, Al, Josh, JJ, and Teague takes the Eastern Conference next season. Especially in the playoffs. ZaZa, Ivan, TMac, Hinrich (at a much reduced salary) off the bench. Get some young players in here – Benson – Get Sy back for all I care, Draft well this time. Get Damien Wilkens back for wing help.
And if Chicago fires TT, hire him within 1 minute.
Eb
May 11th, 2012
9:01 am
Josh needs to shut his trap regarding fan support in Atlanta. Try winning something of SIGNIFANCE and the fans will follow. Even the national media sees what a heartless, inconsistent, and boring team this is and has been for years. Why would I drop $180/ticket to watch these clowns mail in a playoff game? Josh’s intellect makes him a perfect candidate to join the ASG one day.
Little Richardd
May 11th, 2012
9:02 am
2nd tier players at a 1st tier salary cap. Make the playoffs in the bottom half and go away early. We will be stuck this way till management changes.
gvj
May 11th, 2012
9:03 am
The reason why i started to follow and root for the Hawks this year was the fact that they signed McGrady who happens to be my favorite player though past his prime. The Hawks are a team with so much potential and have been for so many years now.I do not agree they should blow up this team who just needs a leader. Josh Smith is a heck of a player who needs a little growing up to do and if he decides to leave this team so be it. Joe Johnson is no max contract player but he can ball we cant blame him for not being clutch(look at Lebron). Al is a big boost and has a shot/moves great without the ball.JT will be an elite player when he learns to live with his mistakes and keep his head up.I really hope McGrady does not retire and could give us a last “Hoorah” with the Hawks(if he does not retire i would hate to see him in a Celtics/Heat jersey).The Celts fans can celebrate all they want but they did not realize how easy they just made it for the Heat to reach the finals.The only teams i thought could give the Heat trouble were the Hawks and Bulls.
SteveW
May 11th, 2012
9:03 am
Beside the guys who follow basketball from afar – ATL is getting alot of love in defeat.
At least we fought these goons.
JM
May 11th, 2012
9:07 am
Some of these fans kill me. So are you saying the Hawks have to win a title before you would go out and buy a ticket. GTFOH.
As far as the game, I’m still pissed. Too many blown opportunities. First order of business is a real head coach. LD did okay during the regular season but was completely out coached during the playoffs. What about in game adjustments. Pissed.
And thank you Josh Smith for a great season and trying your best on a bad knee in the playoffs. Thanks to Al for game 5. Wish we had Zaza, great season to you too.
drmaryb.(*_*).
May 11th, 2012
9:08 am
Job Criteria!
If Mr. Woodson was not re-signed for his play off performances, then what happens to Mr. Drew for digressing in the post season? Mr. Drew has dialed back the rounds from 2 to 1. No Excuses – right?
This team does not have one player that plays within the concept of any roles. Pretty much everyone does whatever they want, with no accountability. Sort of like the owners.
SteveW
May 11th, 2012
9:08 am
Ya’ll do know that if the past is any predictor, Teague is going to progress pretty good next season? Rondo and Conley, 2 guys Teague is really similar too in some ways, really turned the corner at age 24.
And this was his first year starting. Played every game – Regular season and playoffs. No other Hawk can say that.
And for a First year starter, he gave you what he could against an All star last nite – 6 assists, no turnovers – 1st time since March 9th Rondo did not have at least 10 assists in a game – left the scoring up to the big boys.
Look for Teague to take another step up next season.
phil
May 11th, 2012
9:08 am
I’ve said it for years now.
No one gets it.
We are Atlanta. We are losers. There is nothing we can do to change it. Nothing.
The same thing will happen next season too. We all know it. Every single one of us. You can’t win with dunderheads calling the shots and when your best player, Idiot Josh, doesn’t have the sense that God gave a brick wall.
Another season mercifully over. We can turn our attention to the Braves and how they will choke, followed by the Falcons and how they too will choke. It’s not a question of if with these teams, just when and how.
Polly Anna
May 11th, 2012
9:09 am
Hawks = Losers!!!
Until they actually make a deep run and win a championship, they will never get the full support in a city of transplants.
Rufus1
May 11th, 2012
9:10 am
The only change we need to make….
Is let Teague run the OFFENSE. His decision making is getting better and he is the only one that can consistently beats his man…Our Offense needs to looks more LIKE BOSTON’S, with RONDO at the PG.
Josh Smith complaining about the crown…
40% of the no-shows don’t show-up because of YOOOUUUU and your BAAAAAD DECISION MAKING…. the rest is split between ASG, MARVIN AND JOE’s Contract.
NO Changes will be made…
They will play out the year and let Josh walk at the END…Getting his money of the Books.
phil
May 11th, 2012
9:11 am
SteveW
May 11th, 2012
9:03 am
Beside the guys who follow basketball from afar – ATL is getting alot of love in defeat.
At least we fought these goons.
Link
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JM
May 11th, 2012
9:07 am
Some of these fans kill me. So are you saying the Hawks have to win a title before you would go out and buy a ticket. GTFOH.
As far as the game, I’m still pissed. Too many blown opportunities. First order of business is a real head coach. LD did okay during the regular season but was completely out coached during the playoffs. What about in game adjustments. Pissed.
And thank you Josh Smith for a great season and trying your best on a bad knee in the playoffs. Thanks to Al for game 5. Wish we had Zaza, great season to you too.
*************
And here, for your reading enjoyment, is the loser mentality that explains partly why we remain losers year after year.
Excuses and praise for pathetic failures. Always an excuse or wait til next year.
drmaryb.(*_*).
May 11th, 2012
9:14 am
Congratulations again, to the players!
Each and everyone of you played your hearts out. I look to ownership and the general manager to hire an effective coach, to build this roster and, to support the team on the elusive championship quest.
Reid in EAV
May 11th, 2012
9:14 am
Gearon should be tarred, feathered and run out of town on a rail.
ATLtodolavida
May 11th, 2012
9:15 am
Hey Michael Gearon, don’t insult the most emotional NBA player the day before the team you own plays an elimination game against his team. That just makes him play mad. The result: KG rarely missed last night, and played like a man on a mission. Maybe he would have anyway, but who knows.
JM
May 11th, 2012
9:16 am
Phil
I didnt say the season was a success. Read. I said fans act like they won’t support unless they when it all. Only one team wins it all. So should fans of all the other teams stop supporting their team because they didn’t win? Come on man!
Mike
May 11th, 2012
9:17 am
Blame this one on the owner with that unbelievable silly rant he did on KG and the Celtics. So KG hears this and puts out one of his best games of the year…best of the series by far. Way to piss him off guys. The team played well enough to win. Had the ownership kept their mouths shut, this series is back in Atlanta for game 7.
This is the kind of thing a team that doesn’t know how to win does. That’s exactly why the Braves are the only team with any real measure of success in this town. They never gave bulletin board material to the other teams. The Falcons and Hawks have yet to learn that lesson. Let your game do the talking, not twitter or the news media.
glw
May 11th, 2012
9:17 am
drmaryb(*_*),
I agree with you, above all else, we can talk about having heart and all that, but the bottom line is the Hawks dont have clearly defined roles. Everyone does his own thing. Joe does his own thing and doesnt call the other guys out. Josh definitely does his own thing, and naturally that just has a trickle down effect on the team. Thats on ownership, starting with the Spirit and down to LD. For that reason, the Hawks need a coach that can do that.
The fact that Josh is so multitalented is both a blessing and a curse. Yeah he can do a lot of things, but then the bottom line is when he leads the fast break and shoots those jumpers, he thinks he is fulfilling his role when we all know his role should be posting and cutting to the basket, and not camping out for jumpers and acting like he is Ray Allen. I think Josh creates a lot of the chemistry issue. Joe Johnson is a leader by example and we wont call Josh out for it, If when Joe was running the infamous Iso Joe if Josh would cut to the basket more and move without the ball, this team would become much more efficient in the half court.
SteveW
May 11th, 2012
9:17 am
As much as I’ve been a proponent of tweaking this team, blowing it up or whatever, I actually, upon reflection, say keep it together 1 more season. If Josh has another off season like he did, and makes another step up like he did this season, with a healthy Al Horford, and ZaZa, with Teague taking another step up, we may do something next season.
Get a sports psychologist to get Marvin to play the way he did the past two nites on a consistent basis.
I feel like the Braves “This Could be the Year”.
I mean the Lakers and Boston will be down. Miami may be in turmoil. Chicago def. is. Phiily was a disaster until they beat the Bulls. We can beat Indy. Gotta be rational in an emotional time.
Rod
May 11th, 2012
9:18 am
I don’t care what Marvin Williams did last night he’s trash we are going to suck badly next year watch we need a coach who can actually draw up a offense identity not ISO all day we deserve this anyway too many fair weather fans here NY has not done anything and they NEVER cheer for another team not ATL fans they wear opposing jerseys to the game try that in Philly lol
phil
May 11th, 2012
9:18 am
drmaryb.(*_*).
May 11th, 2012
9:14 am
Congratulations again, to the players!
Each and everyone of you played your hearts out. I look to ownership and the general manager to hire an effective coach, to build this roster and, to support the team on the elusive championship quest.
******************
Here we have some more unbelievable praise directed at this pathetic bunch that can’t manage to win more than 2 games against a team 3 years past its collective prime. This thinking is why we never get anywhere. It’s ok guys, way to go, here’s your participation cookie. Better luck next time.
It’s just what these pathetic failures want to hear….let em off the hook, again. Expect the same results.
phil
May 11th, 2012
9:20 am
JM
May 11th, 2012
9:16 am
Phil
I didnt say the season was a success. Read. I said fans act like they won’t support unless they when it all. Only one team wins it all. So should fans of all the other teams stop supporting their team because they didn’t win? Come on man!
**************
This is the 5th straight year of this. It’s not going to get better. It’s already getting worse, in fact. It’s been old for 40 years now.
High-sider
May 11th, 2012
9:20 am
@Edward
Edward
May 11th, 2012
5:22 am
In reference to your post dated above, I co- ["motherf-ckin'"] sign. Word to the mother on [just about] everything you said.
Rod
May 11th, 2012
9:23 am
I hope this pisses Gearon off and makes him actually care KG is dirty duhhhhhhh he punched someone in the nuts earlier this year and you sure aren’t going to get calls in Boston they played playground ball and it showed the Hawks get no respect from TNT or ESPN but we deserve this I’m A ATL fan win or lose
Statick
May 11th, 2012
9:24 am
“This team does not have one player that plays within the concept of any roles. Pretty much everyone does whatever they want, with no accountability.”
^This in a nutshell.
Which goes back to the team not having any respect for the coach. They didn’t respect Woodson and they damn sure don’t respect Drew since he was a leftover from Woodson’s staff. I thought the days of Iso Joe was over, but it raised it’s ugly head again in the playoffs. WTF, man?
Get a new coach in like a Stan VanGundy. These players are stuck in a rut and they need a reality check. And to you fans who keep waiting for Josh Smith to show any maturity, just how long are you fools willing to wait on that? Another 9 years?
SteveW
May 11th, 2012
9:29 am
Phil – I am no part of the reason the Hawks lose year after year. But having coached – I gotta give some credit – we fought the guys, showed some heart, as we did all season when we lost Al.
We lost last nite because Billy Knight didn’t know how to draft, plain and simple, end of story. No losers mentality. Really no LD, JJ, The Contract, whatever. Billy Knight deep sixed us for at least another 10 years unless we can somehow tweak the current unit into Champions.
When you are in the lottery for what, 7 straight seasons or more and you draft:
#2 Marvin Williams – passing on Chris Paul and DeRon Williams
#5 – Shelden Williams, passing on Rudy Gay and just everybody
#6 – Josh Childress
#11 – Acie Law
Game. Set. Match I don’t have a losers mentality. I just respect hustle and not folding up the tent.
But the game last nite was lost by decisions made many moons ago.
Something to think about.
Jbone
May 11th, 2012
9:30 am
Im not saying this game was rigged, but can someone please tell me how KG doesnt get called for his first foul until halfway thru the 4th quarter. Seems a little fishy to me, like maybe the refs were instructed to look the other way when he was playing d. Just sayin….
KBP
May 11th, 2012
9:32 am
What’s the point of bashing Joe about his contract? I am a JJ fan and I do not think he’s a max contract player but the ASG is to blame for his contract. Marvin is better than he is given credit for. He gets very few shot attempts on this team to be a consistent offensive contributor. Look at his shot attempts in the 2007-09 seasons and his ppg and compare that to the last three years. We need him, Joe, Josh, Al, Teague and if there is a shot-blocking, rebounding starting center out there and let Marvin come off the bench, then this team will be competitive in the East for the next 4-5 years.
drmaryb.(*_*).
May 11th, 2012
9:33 am
Phil
Kick rocks boy. Get the lotion and go do yourself. You are probably a fat couch potato who has never played professional anything, but has a whole lot of nothing to say. No one is interested in your foolishness this morning.
Disappointed
May 11th, 2012
9:39 am
I realize that injuries played a huge role in our limitations on the court and with our coach. Although I think we played better than I expected, Larry Drew is not the right answer at coach. We can not wait any longer before making moves. If we do not trade Josh, then we get nothing for him when he walks in a year. Deron is not coming here!!! Best deal is to trade Josh for Pau Gasol. Gives you a legit big man who the Lakers will want to deal. Josh gets them younger and Gasol gets Al in the PF position. You can’t move JJ but I would not resign any of our bench, with the exceptions of Zaza and Ivan. T-Mac retires and Marvin must find a way to retructure his deal or get moved. Maybe try to deal Marvin for a pick. This draft is deep! I think the more picks we have, the better off we’ll be.
Astro Joe
May 11th, 2012
9:40 am
Entertaining season and one that exceeded my expectations (after Horford went down). Great effort last night, they win as a team and they lose as a team.
Here’s hoping the Nuggets pull the upset so that the lakers will give more serious consideration to breaking up their Twin Towers.
And I’ll add the same thing I said when Woody was approaching his final year of his contract… having a head coach on a one year deal is bad for everyone involved (other than ownership). If they like LD, they should at least add a 2nd guaranteed year to his deal… if they aren’t willing to do that, replace him in the coming weeks.
Boy, I’d love to know which player(s) decided not to run the right play as LD described above.
Jbone
May 11th, 2012
9:41 am
The fact is, the nba is a business. It doesnt want the hawks in the finals because that means poor tv ratings. No one wants to see ATL in the finals except us hawks fans. It was the hawks against the celtics, the refs, the nba, and the world last night, and Im proud of these guys for fighting like they did. Get healthy for next year guys and make believers out of everyone.
O'brien
May 11th, 2012
9:44 am
From espn;
With the Atlanta Hawks eliminated from the playoffs, changes could be in order on the court and in the front office. General manager Rick Sund, in the last year of his contract, has drawn interest from the Portland Trail Blazers, according to sources.
The Blazers recently asked the Hawks for permission to speak to Sund, but Hawks ownership refused to grant permission until its season ended. Sund agreed with ownership’s stance.
“I don’t want to discuss anything until the end of the season,” Sund said by telephone before Thursday’s season-ending 83-80 loss to the Boston Celtics. “At the end of the season, we’ll address the future.”
Sund’s contract ends on June 30 and the Hawks have attempted to initiate talks about a contract extension. However, Sund, in his fourth year in Atlanta, has insisted on keeping his options open, the sources said.
While no interview with Portland had been scheduled as of late Thursday night, a meeting between Sund and the Blazers is likely..
I hope Rick goes to Portland.
OMG they suck (cept for Horford)
May 11th, 2012
9:44 am
If I were to tell you that your $120M player would score 1 more point than Marvin Williams in a Game 4 elimination game, what would you say the odds were that the Hawks would win that game??
Joe Johnson absolutely SUCKS, his contract has crippled this franchise and honestly, no one in Atl really cares. If Vick was a coach killer, JJ is a franchise killer.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KUFjYIsO57s
Astro Joe
May 11th, 2012
9:46 am
Or, I’d like to know that LD lied and he actually drew up a play with Josh taking that perimeter shot with about 9 seconds left. Either way, I’d love to know the whole story behind that specific play. Either our head coach is throwing a player under the bus (and needs to be let go quickly) or someone decided to ignore the head coach (and likely go solo) during the biggest half-court possession of the season. And the player(s) who may have done that don’t need to be on a team trying to advance in the playoffs. They need to go and join Audray Blatche or Tyrus Thomas.
Ray
May 11th, 2012
9:48 am
I see we already talking about trades you guys might as well put a stop to that now.
1. Deron Williams is not coming to ATL and honestly I don’t want him too yeah he’s a semi-superstar, but he’s a coach killer when you make someone like Jerry Sloan quit man I’m just saying.
2. All these other stars you guys trying to name ain’t coming here either. They’ve already cited guess who the owners as their biggest issue.
One thing that does need to be done is Marvin Williams dumped off and get himself a new start somewhere else he’s not doing anything here his overall stat sheet can be reproduced by Pargo of all people.
If you guys want a legit chance to win we’re now in need of a C and a SG we already got the PG who will become a force in the league.
First things first the franchise needs to be sold to someone who gives a damn then after that they need to either give L.D the boot, or only give him one more year cause there are better coaches out there right now.
Oh yeah and FIRE RICK SUND!
ATLSucks
May 11th, 2012
9:48 am
So did ATL shoot off confetti when they got knocked out of the series too?
STRETCH THIS YO BOY
May 11th, 2012
9:48 am
Maybe the Hawks need a trainer that can keep all these guys from getting hurt. Zaza,Marvin,Joe,Al,Pargo,Twin,Josh,Hinrich, hell all of them got hurt at some point.
Ward
May 11th, 2012
9:49 am
I have been a life long Hawks fan and this series defeat & the moves of ownership/Sund over the last 12 months have been very frustrating… I would have never paid Joe Johnson that much to stay when the market was void of anyone else bidding on him. Our owners are too cheap to amnesty his contract, no one would trade anything of real value for him (although if we could just get 1st round picks and 2years of junk contracts I would do it)… Josh Smith has to go somewhere else to be a better player; he has potential (the worst word in sports), but he is tapped in his hometown. He has value, so please trade him… Marvin??? Just amnesty him. I just want him gone; he brings so little to our team…That leaves Al and JT to build around… That’s better than nothing.
N2thaIzzo
May 11th, 2012
9:50 am
As a Boston Celtics fan living in Atlanta, here are my views on the team. The hawks are a better version of the 76ers. Decent players all around, but not one great person. If Atlanta could somehow find that great player (they missed horribly drafting Williams over Paul), Atlanta could match up with anyone. The Hawks should give up EVERYTHING THEY NEED TO in order to get Dwight.
Big Ray
May 11th, 2012
9:52 am
Exactly why LD does not need to be the coach of this team, because this isn’t just one play in one instance, it’s 2 years worth of this crap:
•Drew on Atlanta’s penultimate possession that ended with Josh’s missed jumper: That wasn’t [the play]. We were in our wrong spots. We did not execute what we had drawn up in the huddle. We can’t have that type of mental breakdown at the end of a game. You just can’t have it. That play is not designed to be at the elbow shooting a jump shot. We did not execute it.”
Why Josh Smith may as well get traded away, like he wants to, even though he denies saying he wants out:
When you play in an environment like the Garden in Boston, they have some of the best fans in the whole entire league. Like I said before, I was a little jealous because the fans here are so supportive of their team. You go out, look in the stands there is nothing but Celtics jerseys. I don’t see a trace of red in there. Understanding that the fans are that passionate, it adds an extra advantage for them. A bad shot can be as good a turnover when you are playing against a team like Boston, especially with the fanbase they have.”
I mean, I get the whole part about the fans. But two things don’t seem like they are going to change – ATL basketball fans and Josh’s inability to understand certain things, like how not executing your offense has nothing to do with fans, and how “bad fans” have nothing to do with bad calls by the refs….
•Garnett on Hawks co-owner Michael Gearon Jr.’s comments: “First off, I want to say ‘Thank you’ to their owner for giving me some extra gas tonight. My only advice to him is next time he opens his mouth, actually know what he’s talking about, Xs and Os versus checkbooks and bottom lines. . . .
1) Nobody in Atlanta could have called this one better. I have to say that the irony that this comes out of Boston is more than I could stand. Had to laugh, though bitterly….
2) Garnett exposed Gearon, who has embarrassed himself, the team, and the city by making the comments and then getting beat. Mark Cuban you ain’t. Get the F out of Atlanta, you’re no good. And though Garnett may not know it, his comments about Xs and Os vs. having a lot of money are more accurate than he can imagine. Gearon controls all in this organization, and has no clue about Xs and Os, hence his promotion of Larry Drew, even though the old man (Sund) didn’t recommend it.
Yep…Gearon is all money (misspent) and no Xs and Os.
Can we get the pizza guy back? Please?
Big Ray
May 11th, 2012
9:55 am
As a Boston Celtics fan living in Atlanta, here are my views on the team. The hawks are a better version of the 76ers. Decent players all around, but not one great person. If Atlanta could somehow find that great player (they missed horribly drafting Williams over Paul), Atlanta could match up with anyone. The Hawks should give up EVERYTHING THEY NEED TO in order to get Dwight.
You mean the more talented version of the Sixers. Clearly if we were the better version, we’d be facing the Sixers instead of the Celtics.
BTW, you’re about to find out just how much better than us the Sixers are.
Astro Joe
May 11th, 2012
9:55 am
OB, hard to imagine any GM would choose Atlanta over Portland. Portland’s owner (Allen) sends you to the mall with a Black AMEX card. The ASG sends their GM to the mall with one of those $25 pre-paid Visa cards you buy at Kroger.
If the Hawks are forced to hire a new GM, they will undoubtedly force LD to work with a single year guranteed for the new Gm to “evaluate” him (we’ve seen that story before). All this does is prolong when the roster changes significantly or when we get an upgrade at the head coach position. That is why I tend to cut these guys a break… because of the dysfunction at the ownership level. The roster lacks talent and the GM lacks the authority to make bold moves with the roster or the head coach. You can only do so much while operating under these circumstances where there is no clear long-term direction or stability. Managing in 2-year increments may work if you are secretly trying to sell the team, but it sucks for long-suffering fans.