Atlanta Hawks: Brighter future for Hawks in ESPN.com rankings
In a few short weeks the Hawks transitioned from a good-but-not-great team with no financial flexibility to a franchise that can clear gops of cap space and has a long-term plan.
No surprise, then, that the Hawks moved up in Chad Ford and John Hollinger’s latest future power rankings at ESPN.com (Insider). The rankings are Ford and Hollinger’s attempt to project the on-court success for the 2013-14, 2014-15 and 2015-16 seasons.
The Hawks improved from No. 19 to No. 15 largely on the strength of their dramatically improved salary-cap situation. That development moved Atlanta’s “money” ranking (worth as much as 200 points) from No. 26th to No.1 Ford and Hollinger noted this “25-place jump was the largest of any team in any category.”
That was offset by Atlanta’s league-high drop in the “players” ranking (600 points), down to 23rd from 12th. Ford and Hollinger dock the Hawks not just for the talent disparity in the Joe Johnson deal but also because Josh Smith is in the last year of his contract. The authors opine that “[Al] Horford is the only key player who is both signed [long term] and guaranteed to make an impact.”
The Hawks rank No. 13 in the “management” category (200 points), up from No. 17 in the previous rankings. Ford and Hollinger give Danny Ferry high marks for both his tenure as Cleveland GM and his initial moves with the Hawks.
Atlanta ranks No. 14 in the “market” category (100 points), up one spot. The considerations: “Appeal to future acquisitions based on team quality, franchise reputation, city’s desirability as a destination, market size, taxes, business and entertainment opportunities, arena quality, fans.”
Finally, Ford and Hollinger place the Hawks No. 13 in the “draft” rankings (100 points), up from No. 19. That’s based on future draft picks and draft positioning.
The teams ranked ahead of the Hawks in the overall rankings, in order: Heat, Thunder, Lakers, Jazz, Pacers, Mavericks, Nuggets, Bulls, Spurs, Celtics, Hornets, Cavaliers, Rockets, Nets.
(Note to blog people: Please respect the paywall and refrain from reproducing substantial portions of the ESPN.com link.)
Michael Cunningham, Hawks beat
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464 comments Add your comment
Ken Strickland
August 19th, 2012
11:31 am
CARLOS-See what I mean? All you said was Josh and Horford were good, but not great players, which is an extremely accurate assessment of both players. Your mistake was not classifying Josh as a great player that’s better than TDuncan. And for that, this ANAL MINDED MORON attacks and calls you stupid for not agreeing with him/her/it.
As you can see, we’re dealing with someone who’s extremely immature, always on the defensive, and acts and reacts strictly from an emotional and illogical perspective. He attacks anyone that offers any rebuttal to anything he feels, believes or presents, no matter how logical it might be.
If someone says AHorford is a 2 time Allstar and All NBA selection, he either ignores that fact, makes fun of it, or tries to discredit the accomplishment by offering one BS excuse after another. This ANAL MINDED CLOWN is even stupid enough to state that those accomplishments are meaningless.
I don’t know if he and his multiple personalities are more angry at Horford for getting chosen All NBA and 2 time Allstar, and everyone associated with the NBA, including those fans who apprecite Horford’s contributions to the Hawks, for JSmith not getting the same recognition. This sick puppy obviously has a massive and unnatural MAN CRUSH on Josh Smith that won’t allow him to think or see things as they really are.
I honestly believe his MAN CRUSH on Josh is so strong that he has sexual fantasies about him. Otherwise, how do you explain him always using explicit sexual innuendos and references whenever he lashes out at those who don’t support his special brand of sick BS? No matter how many different names he posts under, the same sick, immature and deranged ANAL MIND resides.
GET SOME PROFESSIONAL HELP MY FRIEND, YOU ARE IN DESPERATE NEED OF IT.
Ken Strickland
August 19th, 2012
11:43 am
OBRIEN-Since the players I referenced have yet play a second or accumulate a stat with the Hawks, what other stats can I reference. It’s quite possible that with a new system, teammates, responsibility and pecking order, they might exceed their production with their previous teams.
Don’t you think the massive attention, and the high number of teams that were interested in acquiring DHoward before he was traded to the Lakers, was based on what he did with the Magic, and not with their teams? Any value one team might place on a player they’re interested in acquiring, will be based on his production with another team.
doc
August 19th, 2012
11:49 am
a lot of opinions around here without data to back it up.
ken, nice data exchange yesterday when it was suggested harris is way ahead of teague. may harris move ahead of him? sure, but by the numbers they are very similar and you can toss a sofa throw over them and cover them. therefore, there is a good chance harris might win the job if teague slumps.
me? i wont root for either guy to fail, which sadly i see here over and over, as fans of this team denigrate their own. sense less and silly. so, i look and see we have two guards who are better than any point guard we have had in the new century, including bibby, a one trick pony. these two guys only lack size, um, which bibby didnt have either.
after vets like luo and picks like law, i am tired of seeing lousy guard play and look forward to seeing what these two guys can bring with heart and guts in a one two punch, along with home grown williams who should out shine recently departed west coast williams.
Melvin
August 19th, 2012
12:01 pm
Good article on Blatche. I still prefer the Hawks to take a chance on him. Low risk, high reward type of player.
“Blatche bought a condominium in Houston, where he has lived since May. Lucas instituted a regimen of yoga, weights and basketball for Blatche to trim what was once a soft 282 pounds into the firmer, trimmer 268 he weighs today.”
http://blog.syracuse.com/sports/2012/08/andray_blatche_released_by_the.html
steven a smith
August 19th, 2012
12:23 pm
O’Brien
August 19th, 2012
11:12 am
The same Okur who has never received votes to the All-defense team (Al has)? The same Okur who averages less assists per game than Al?
So please tell me you were being sarcastic.
” It’s not neccesarily about the numbers when it comes to “team building.” Do any of you remember Glen “Big Dog” Robinson or Shareef Abdur Rahim. Both of these guys came to Atlanta with outstanding resumes but neither produced a winner here.” As a matter of fact, both of them seemed lost and out of place.
steven a smith
August 19th, 2012
12:27 pm
I do not like Josh Smith’s shot selection some of the time, however, he is the very best player on the Atlanta Hawks Basketball Team. Josh Smith would probably net the most in assets in a trade moving forward. I believe that the Hawks have “1″ more major trade to make.
Just Joe
August 19th, 2012
1:05 pm
I’m not even sure Okur can make it through a season. He couldn’t last year. His game however, is one that I think Horford could model himself after. Can Horford increase his range out past the 3-pt line? Could he hit 40% of his open spot-ups? It is very difficult to learn fluid post moves. It is much easier to learn a 3-pt set shot, and then add a show and go move. That, plus pick & roll / pick & pop, would make Al a very dangerous offensive player. It would also improve our spacing to allow Josh to go one on one in the post, or Teague/Harris to attack off the dribble.
Punanny Jones
August 19th, 2012
1:17 pm
“1″ more major trade to make.”
I would not call trading Al a major trade. Well it would be if you ask the five adamant Horford cultists who run rituals on this blog page, but the reality is we would not miss Al very much and its easy to improve your financial position and your player strength position by trading Al now.
The object is to get better. You build around talent and try to trade up on your weaker talent, where you can improve.
There is not much better we can get for Jsmoove who is already one of the best power forwards in the game.and his growth and talent is still rising. It may be four (4) or more years before Josh peaks.
Which is unlike Al who has already peaked and has very very limited offensive tools or defensive will. His attitude towards defense and his “me” first attitude hurts the hawks very much so.
That said, the Hawks have tried 4 times in the last few months to move Al. However there were no takers. I think it was Steven Smith who said it best. ” the GM’s dont see Al’s value quite the way the press does,” or the 2 Allstar coaches who added Al as a reserve.
The GM’s see that Al is a weak defender, who is not willing to own the center position and is a limited offensive resource who will need you to run pick and rolls and set screen plays to help him get open. He is unable to create his own shot.
Just for the record here you go, all of these have occurred since June 2012:
Al offered for Danny Granger rejected
Al offered for Tony Parker rejected
Al offered to Bobcats for 2 draft picks rejected
Al (along with Teague) offered for Dwight rejected
Google either if you need more information
It appears that teams that are trying to come up; and impact in the playoffs arent interested in Al. Which makes sense if you are thinking about winning a championship or going to the next level. Al is a complimentary piece at best. Certainly not a guy you want to build with or drive your team forward.
As difficult as it is to find a decent return for Al I really think its best to let Al go cheap;, like say a couple of draft picks, keep the 7 million you save by using Zaza and Ivan Johnson and put yourself in a better position. You dont miss a beat in the won lost column by letting Al go.
Josh on the other hand is a keeper. You cannot find an upgrade for Josh. Hes already a top 4 or 5 NBA power forward and unless you can get one of the 3 or 4 guys in front of him it makes no sense to down grade the position. Any team would be happy to have Josh, but what they can give you in return is not as good as keeping Josh.
Josh is the type of player you build around, an” Up and Comer” who loves the game and is hungry for a shot at a championship. Josh has the heart of a champion, we just need 4 other position players with a heart like his. Trade yes but not Jsmoove.
For whom the bell tolls? It tolls for thee Al horford. It toll for thee.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1rVIU8fJQ8w
Ken Strickland
August 19th, 2012
1:47 pm
You know I sick and tired of you anal minded morons attacking Al Horford. Al is not here to defend his self so Sautee, Cunningham and me have to do it. You guys are really anal minded and childish if you think you can get a better player than Al horford. Why so much hate you anal minded morons? I hate you too and which you would leave our Al alone. You anal minded moron, and If Danny Ferry trades our Al Horford he too is an Ana Minded Moron.
Now Play teague as holes. you are a moron, Thats right an Anal Minded Moron,.Its said that I have to come to you like this but you are too stupid to learn anything. So shut up and listen to me you anal minded morons.
I HATE JOSH SMITH! HE IS ALSO AN ANAL MINDED MORON.
Grandad
August 19th, 2012
2:06 pm
Najeh
-That was funny-
Ken Strickland
August 19th, 2012
2:33 pm
DOC-Long time no hear. DHarris has been a very good PG over the yrs, but he’s entering his 9th yr and is obviously on the downside of his career, as his overall production has declined over the last 3-4yrs. After only 3yrs in the NBA, 1 as a starter, Teague’s production matches or exceeds his.
Therefore, it only makes sense, unless you’re an ANAL MINDED MORON, that Teague is the one that will get better with more experience, responsibility, and confidence. We now have 3 backcourt players, Teague, Harris, and Williams, that are more capable than any PG we’ve had since Mookie Blaylock.
You add SGs that are young and still developing, like JJenkins and AMorrow, and you have a very deep and talented backcourt. If you include the same core of frontcourt players, like Horford, Josh, Zaza, and Ivan, and add Petro, Scott, Korver, and Williams or Benson, you end up with a quicker, faster, deeper, more athletic, better shooting, penetrating, and more improved team overall.
This yrs team, without JJ, Marvin, Collins, Dampier, Green, Pargo, TMac, Stackhouse, and VRad, is far, far more talented with a whole lot more potential than any team we’ve had in the last 10 yrs. But it’s going to take more coaching than we’ve seen over the last 10yrs to get this much talent to realize its potential.
If LDrew and his staff can come up with a team oriented DEF concept like Boston and Chicago have used so successfully, and if he can successfully impliment an uptempo fastbreaking OFF style, this team will exceed everyones expectations. Our backcourt might be shorter than ideal height, but their collective speed, quickness, athleticism, shooting and penetrating ability will prove to be as problematic for other backcourts as our lack of height might be for us at times.
Slimjr
August 19th, 2012
3:39 pm
Just Joe,
the last thing I want my 5 who wants to play the 4 to start doing is jacking up 3’s with a one handed dribble.Or leading the fast break..That Sir spells disaster..This is not the Harlem Globe Trotters…Sheesh..
Park his 6′10.5″, 255 lb azz on the block and dominate! [Think of Moses Malone 2.0]
Slimjr
August 19th, 2012
3:46 pm
Larry is hand cuffed. He has got to fight for his team when it comes to those refs, but being the lowest paid head coach in the league he cant afford to get T’ed up. That one technical he received last season was very costly to his bank account! He needs to fight for his team and set an example…
Naw this guy is the football version of [Wade Phillip]! Forget it, I was just thinking out loud..
Ken Strickland
August 19th, 2012
4:33 pm
I’m really excited about the prospects for this team, as well as the upcoming season. We don’t know if we’ll make any trades for, or sign a FA SF, or basically enter the season with the projected roster we now have(Horford, Josh, Zaza, Ivan(who we’ll resign), Petro, LWilliams, DHarris, AMorrow, KKorver, JJenkins, Scott, Teague, Stevenson, and/or Williams/Benson).
If Drew is going to prove he’s an NBA caliber HC, he’ll have a chance to prove it with this team and this roster. This team, as currently constructed, is built to run, shoot, and penetrate. If he can keep from getting in the way of those attributes, both he and the team will have a successful season.
Just Joe
August 19th, 2012
5:28 pm
Slimjr…just because Al is 6′10″ 255, doesn’t mean you can park his azz in the lane. Not all centers are created equal. Al does not have the post moves to “dominate”. Why can’t you put Josh in the low post and Horford in the high post (or extended even further to the 3-pt line)?
Slimjr
August 19th, 2012
5:30 pm
KevinM
August 19th, 2012
9:58 am
“When Al was drafted back in ‘07 by BK and Woody, I was of the mindset that even with Joe and Josh, Al was going to be the one to lead us. He was going to be our version of Tim Duncan. He came off 2 NCs at Florida. Duncan couldn’t even get to the FF. Horford was a leader on that team and he was a 2nd team AA with Noah on the NABC poll, and 3rd team on the AP. What we have gotten so far from Al is a pretty good basketball player.
Head to head against Tim Duncan? Duncan leads 6-1 while both have played C. He has not become as dominant as Duncan has been for the Spurs. Perhaps Danny already sees that what we’ve seen from Al is as good as its going to get”
Excellent points KevinM.. “This is as good as he’s going to get”..
Slimjr
August 19th, 2012
5:38 pm
Good idea Just Joe. Al could play give and go with Josh and attack the rim as Josh gives it back for the and 1!
Excellent idea Sir.. Just tell him 3’s are not part of this equation… LOL!
Slimjr
August 19th, 2012
5:41 pm
The Fan Club President would probably would agree with that idea Just Joe? Hmmmm
Buddy Grizzard
August 19th, 2012
5:41 pm
“What do you make of that? Is it worth it using this ranking for any argument?”
The list gets more interesting toward the top. I think it’s really stupid to rank guys like Mike Scott who have never played and may never play an NBA game. How can he be ranked among NBA players? The bottom of the list is just cobbled together and not very useful.
Buddy Grizzard
August 19th, 2012
5:45 pm
“I did not like AL.s game in High school, College, or Pros.”
I’m more interested in the opinions of professionals, like the ones who voted Al third-team All-NBA and to two All-Star games. Sorry, your opinion doesn’t hold much value or relevance.
Slimjr
August 19th, 2012
5:47 pm
1-6 against the Real Deal AllStar Tim Ducan? Wow.
Betcha The Fan Club President didn’t know that Stat? Hmmmm
wpl
August 19th, 2012
5:52 pm
The hawks has got to improve on their marketing
random
August 19th, 2012
5:55 pm
Check out the hawks summer report card, I have no clue how 3 b’s and 2 c’s average out to be a c though lol.
http://www.nba.com/reportcard/summer/2012/hawks/
Slimjr
August 19th, 2012
5:56 pm
[probably] delete one above. Better Ms. Dept?
KevinM
August 19th, 2012
5:57 pm
SlimJ: “That one technical he received last season was very costly to his bank account!”
LD is overpaid as it is, and if he’s thinking about his bank account, then he’s in it for the wrong reasons. The guy got a huge raise to do what he has done all these years in Atlanta: his job as a HC has not become harder. No one has limited him like Woody did. The years under Woody should have been harder in that he had to find ways to contribute when Woody kept chopping down his ideas.
LD has no excuses and I don’t hear him making any. I just think he needs to make his guys accountable whether it makes him the enemy or not. The days of being the players’ biggest cheerleader are over. It’s time to compete.
I just think we need to move out LD before he tries to bring in LD III. It’s only a year away now.
Slimjr
August 19th, 2012
5:59 pm
The Hawks have got to improve their 38.7% winning percentage bigtime against teams above .500.. That will take care of most of the marketing…
wpl
August 19th, 2012
6:12 pm
Hawks biggest mistake in sports history, signing J.Johnson to a L.James type contract.
J.Johnson a little above avg b-ball player, has a higher nba team base salary, than mega superstar L. James.
J.Johnson famous dumb comments a few yrs ago ” I don’t care if the fans come to the game or not ”
so the fans stop coming. In the playoffs he’s avg 12 pts a gm. Just could not wait to get down to the arena to see this guy play, wow, weeeee 12 pts a gm.
Slimjr
August 19th, 2012
6:19 pm
“LD has no excuses and I don’t hear him making any. I just think he needs to make his guys accountable whether it makes him the enemy or not” -KevinM-
Hey Kevin, have you ever heard Larry Leisure say I screwed up or I have to do a better job coaching my team?
But I have heard him say post game interview the players need to step up and execute!
Hey Larry, Greyhound leaves on the hour!
Slimjr
August 19th, 2012
6:38 pm
Lets keep it in perspective. ISO along with Bibby were the main reason why the Hawks started playing good enough to partake in the playoffs starting back in 07. Big Al and Josh also contributed to making that happen..
But Joe gets most of the rep! Thank you Joe for the wonderful years! Yea the contract was out of line but don’t get it twisted! Joe was the main reason for the Hawks stepping up for the 1st time in almost 10 years to play amongst the winners[Playoff] Teams. Playoffs?
I just hope that Joe will not come back to Phillips and drop 35 on us….
i_am_soulstar
August 19th, 2012
6:49 pm
I’m def getting Nets-Hawks tix. Wouldn’t miss it for the world.
Slimjr
August 19th, 2012
7:10 pm
Joe will destroy our guards.. I would tell J-Smoove to lock down ISO..That would be his assignment for the night…
Ra'mon
August 19th, 2012
8:09 pm
Slim, Joe wouldn’t destroy Pietrus though, lol.
doc
August 19th, 2012
8:56 pm
slim j the problem is he rarely dropped 35 here though paid like someone who should. prob was he aint in the class of durant, kobe, lbj or dwade to go off for big numbers. the guy might go off and go high but guess the money would be he didnt. but yes thanks to jj and we dont have to feel sorry for him, it isnt as though he ended up in sacramento.
we have more depth, just no size right now. really it has been our handicap for years as marvin never played to his size. chills was the go to guy while here. then we didnt lose much when evans filled in for him. mo evans! for that matter nether did jj when it came to scrapping for rebounds even though he was huge for his position even as a sf. that is why we might not see the back slide many think we are to expect. we had two of the smallest big people when it came to not doing the things bigger players do.
oh yeah, anyone remember vlad who falls in that category? i’ll take my chances with these sharp shooters over pargo, green and vlad any day, even if one is a rook. again marvin? he is a small big, as big as they come while playing small.
KevinM
August 19th, 2012
8:58 pm
I sure would’ve liked to see what Spurs HOF Avery Johnson would have done with Joe here in Atlanta. Its a shame we have to watch them team up in another city.
And probably for the 1st time in the history of the franchise, 7 Hawks from a year ago will be on other teams’ rosters. Even when Willis and Mookie and Smitty were here, they didn’t leave at the same time.
KevinM
August 19th, 2012
9:08 pm
Avery vs. LD
Josh vs. Gerald Wallace
Al vs. Humphries
Zaza vs. Lopez
Lou/Stevenson vs. Joe
JT vs. DWill
We have our hands full with this matchup. We probably matchup better with CHI than NJ now.
Sautee
August 19th, 2012
9:55 pm
Wow. out of town and away from my computer, and I come back to find lie after lie being told about, guess who?
here’s a sample from our old friend T-s:
“They tried to trade Al for draft picks to the Bobcats
They tried to trade Al for Danny Grainger
They tried to trade Al for Tony Parker
They tried to trade Al for Dwight Howard.”
“Non of the above wanted Al. Orlando settled for considerably less than what was assumed by the hawks as a good deal with Al and Teague being shipped.”
This is TOTALLY a lie, T-s. I followed your advice and Googled each of those supposed “trade attempts”, and what do you suppose I found?
Every one of those mentions of Horford being traded were: speculation by a writer or a blogger. One was speculation by Najeh. But EVERY single mention is either fantasy from a writer, rumor, or conjecture. There is ZERO evidence that any actual offers were ever made.
So, T-s, I’m calling you out. Prove to us all that you have hard evidence of ANY offer concerning Horford. Just prove it, if you can. But you cannot, because it’s all BS, speculation, or rumor.
It’s odd that you would even NEED to exaggerate to that degree, since the entire blog is already well acquainted with how you feel about him. It’s seems that you just can’t control some of those impulses, and that ends up with BS.
I truly wish you would “keep it real” and not spout untrue things regarding ANY Hawk. I guess at this point I’m hoping in vain.
Ken Strickland
August 19th, 2012
10:03 pm
http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1300700-atlanta-hawks-rebuild-plan-is-genius-for-this-season-and-beyond
Here’s an interesting article for those with enough intelligence to appreciate it.
SAUTEE-When you’re a complete DUMBASS that can’t find facts or rely on common sense to support your special brand of BS, you have to make up lies to keep it going. Talk about a sick attention craving retard.
Sautee
August 19th, 2012
10:03 pm
“Funny you Al Horford Enthusiasts miss a key observation, The hawks tried to trade Al 3 times this summer, and 4 if you count the D12 mishap.”
“Put Capt. Sautee at the top of that list! [President and CEO of Al's Fan Club].. LMBO!”
Top of the list, eh, slim? Lemme ask you this: Do you believe what T-s is spouting about the Hawks trying to trade Horford?
A simple yes or no will suffice.
Ken Strickland
August 19th, 2012
10:17 pm
DOC-In the past, if JJ’s, Horford’s or Jamal’s shooting was off, we were usually doomed offensively. But now, I don’t know if we’ll ever see the shooting of Harris, LWilliams, Korver, Morrow, Scott, Horford, and Jenkins being off during the same gm. If just 2 of these players are on their gm from the outside, that will open the lane wide open for JTeague, Horford and Josh to attack.
I wonder when Ferry will make a move to acquire a SF. Earlier in the season I remember reading that the Hawks were very interested in SF Gee, who might still be available. He might be the type of SF Ferry mentioned he wanted. Gee might not be outstanding at any one thing, but he’s solid at just about everything.
Ken Strickland
August 19th, 2012
10:45 pm
http://search.yahoo.com/r/_ylt=A0oG7trfoDFQEGoAEmBXNyoA;_ylu=X3oDMTE1bGJ0Nm8xBHNlYwNzcgRwb3MDMgRjb2xvA2FjMgR2dGlkA1NNRTEzN18yMjA-/SIG=1491rrai1/EXP=1345458527/**http%3a//bleacherreport.com/articles/1282563-nba-free-agents-2012-8-players-still-available-who-will-be-absolute-steals
Read the writeup on Gee, who is listed as the 7th FA available. It really makes it seem he’s an ideal SF option and the perfect example of what Ferry said he wanted.
WHY ARE THEY STILL HERE ?????
August 20th, 2012
1:11 am
WHY IS THIS CRAP TEAM STILL WASTING TIME HERE AND NOT ON THE MOVE WEST TO SEATTLE ??? NO NEED FOR A WORTHLESS TEAM AND SPORT WASTING THE DOLLARS OF PEOPLE IN THIS CITY.
I WANT TO SEE THE SEATTLE HAWKS THIS COMING SEASON, NOT HERE !!!!!
GO AWAY hawks and asg !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
vava74
August 20th, 2012
3:51 am
“doc
August 19th, 2012
8:56 pm
slim j the problem is he rarely dropped 35 here though paid like someone who should. prob was he aint in the class of durant, kobe, lbj or dwade to go off for big numbers. the guy might go off and go high but guess the money would be he didnt. but yes thanks to jj and we dont have to feel sorry for him, it isnt as though he ended up in sacramento.”
doc, slimjr,
What JJ did was to bring it ON BOTH ends of the court.
That is one of the reasons why Deron is so happy to have him on the back court, he always or almost always struggled with JJ’s D, as did many other PGs who JJ guarded in crucial possessions.
JJ’s main value was his two way game and it was on Woody and LD to use him correctly.
He was only a “first option offensive player” / “carry a team kind of guy” when the Hawks were not considered dangerous by playoff teams.
Back on those days, JJ dominated subpar defenses (which he again did last year) and against playoff teams he simply was not the focus of their defenses because the Hawks had so many holes that for the opposing team to let JJ get 26/30 points did not endanger the final result.
vava74
August 20th, 2012
4:05 am
And now, we have absolutely nothing like than on our backcourt, so we better be realistic about our up coming season.
We will be fun to watch, but only for the people who don’t mind losing many shoot outs.
We will be, at best, a .500 team.
EmirS.
August 20th, 2012
5:24 am
One child calling another child…a child. Ironic? Yet we all are grown adults?
” And for that, this ANAL MINDED MORON attacks and calls you stupid for not agreeing with him/her/it” -ken
Ken Strickland in all honesty…are you not the same? If someone disagrees with you or your opinions, do you not go on a rant of how “stupid” and how much of a “dumbass” they are. You that same AMM that you claim others are.
Children acting like children calling others children…once again…ironic?
MsDee
August 20th, 2012
8:59 am
Marc J. Spears: Forward Malcolm Thomas, the only free agent on the All-Summer League team, getting solid interest primarily from ATL, CHA, CHI and LAC. Twitter
This is a VERY old twit, back on July 24th but I was wondering have anyone else have any updates on this guy??
vava74
August 20th, 2012
9:08 am
MsDee,
His rebounding stats are IMPRESSIVE, both on the D-League last year (+10rpg) and on the summer league 12.4rpg.
He does seem to be more of a PF than a SF, however, rebounding is for an essential factor for success and you simply can’t have enough good rebounders.
Anal 24/7
August 20th, 2012
9:14 am
MC, can I make a suggestion that you ban the word ANAL from this Blog.That word has been over used and abused by one blogger in particular. Now it has infected other bloggers and is starting to spread like the West Nile virus.
The word is offensive and makes many people uncomfortable.
Thank you,
Not an Anal Minded Blogger
wpl
August 20th, 2012
9:15 am
I believe D. Ferry will bring in a solid sf to training camp, I also believe the hawks will be a better team, play harder than last season hawks. 2012-13 wins will be between 46-50 wins. In the playoffs teams are not going want to have to play them in the first rd.
J.Johnson was a good b-ball player when he first arrived in ATL those few yrs, after he signed that 124 million dollar contract his points have went down every yr, and in the playoffs he disappears. He is a jump shooting guard, he has no desire to go to the rim and draw fouls ” ie LBJ, D.Wade, K. Durant, Westbrook, C. Anthony ” and he is not a R. Allen, a guy who works tirelessly on his jump shooting, 2-3 before each gm and after the gm.
I do not believe he will be missed or M. Williams. Trading him was the best move for the hawks and him, to try an make this guy the leader of your team was a mistake, that is not who he is. I have never seen him talk or correct younger players on the court. For all I know, he could be a good guy. But his personality and failure to communicate and diminishing performance on the court. He had to go.
Anal 24/7
August 20th, 2012
9:19 am
” And for that, this ANAL MINDED MORON attacks and calls you stupid for not agreeing with him/her/it” -ken
EmirS., this blogger you are targeting should seek professional help immediately. His obsession with the butt is troublesome.
O'Brien
August 20th, 2012
9:21 am
vava,
Even if we are a .500 team, I think it will be good enough to make the playoffs.