Handing off . . .
Whenever I’m asked why I call my blog people “my blog people” I always think back to something I wrote when I started the Hawks beat for the AJC.
“I care that you care. It’s my job to give you your Hawks fix and I take that responsibility seriously, but I hope we can have some fun along the way. My aim is to be informative, entertaining, fair, interesting and, above all else, honest.”
Now that I’m (sort of) moving on my hope is that, on balance, I’ve met those goals more often than not.
I’ve moved to a new role as a general assignment sports reporter for the AJC. Chris Vivlamore is now the AJC’s Hawks beat writer. He’s a real pro and I’m sure he will do good work giving you your Hawks fix.
In my new role I will be covering all of the teams we follow at the AJC. That means you’ll still see my byline on Hawks stories and on the blog, but you’ll also see it lots of other places in the newspaper and at ajc.com.
I sincerely appreciate my blog people for giving me an audience for the past 900-odd blog posts and who-knows-how-many tweets. When fellow beat hacks disparage Atlanta fans for not supporting the Hawks, I often remind them that there is a smart and passionate group of fans who love the team and the game.
Hopefully, I’ve enhanced your ability to do both.
Michael Cunningham
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106 comments Add your comment
Joe Johnson
September 24th, 2012
9:41 pm
G Night
ATL Sports Pessimist
September 24th, 2012
9:42 pm
Thanks for your work Michael
skog
September 24th, 2012
9:42 pm
Best wishes Michael. First?
@DanWeiner
September 24th, 2012
9:44 pm
Much respect, MC. You absolutely owned this blog and the Hawks beat and we’re all appreciative of your hard work. Here’s hoping your new gig treats you well.
tom
September 24th, 2012
9:45 pm
standing O for another hawks beat legend.
Show me state
September 24th, 2012
9:49 pm
First Sekou and now you. Two great Hawks beat writers that has now left us but good luck MC! Congrats on the promotion!
EmirS.
September 24th, 2012
9:54 pm
Good luck MC. Best wishes for the future. Thanks for all your reporting.
With that,
Welcome to the blog CV.
kwooden
September 24th, 2012
10:07 pm
Thanks for all the timely blogs and inside the locker room information. Best wishes on your new role!
Melvin
September 24th, 2012
10:08 pm
MC,
Congrads and good luck…
JSS is a Troll
September 24th, 2012
10:08 pm
Wow, it seems no matter what poor Vivamore does, he just can’t escape the insanity that is the hateful Atlanta Spirit.
Najeh Davenpoop
September 24th, 2012
10:13 pm
Peace MC. Who runs @ajchawks now, and will you have your own separate Twitter?
Mike
September 24th, 2012
10:14 pm
Job well done, sir.
MB in SC
September 24th, 2012
10:19 pm
Very much enjoyed reading your posts. Cheers
jgsbirds
September 24th, 2012
10:29 pm
thumbs up mc!!!
RA
September 24th, 2012
10:37 pm
I wish you well.
Ra'mon
September 24th, 2012
10:46 pm
Sad to see you go MC. We have given you a hard time sometimes, but we give everyone a hard time, lol. And sometimes our frustration with AJC was truly created by our frustration from ASG. Thank you for your coverage.
Rev In Tampa
September 24th, 2012
10:58 pm
MC,
Thanks for going to the matresses for the blog-people regarding the Lunk-head Larry’s refusal to give Teague any meaningful playing time a couple of years back. It was classic beat-reporting.
Slimjr
September 24th, 2012
11:16 pm
Elvis has truly [left the building]…
As my friends South of the border would say: adios
and GOODNIGHT!
coscro
September 24th, 2012
11:31 pm
Thanks MC. Great job. In someways I think you changed the culture around the Hawks. Sometimes just asking the right questions or reporting the insanity can change a situation. Good luck.
tjhook
September 25th, 2012
12:23 am
thanks Michael for consistency with your work. I looked forward to your blogs and articles. I hope Chris brings passion to the job also.
Big Ray
September 25th, 2012
12:39 am
Good work you’ve done, Michael. Hope you enjoy your new job.
doc
September 25th, 2012
12:46 am
MC you will be missed. i looked forward to your insightful and well researched comments. i will miss it tremendously. i dont think your shoes will be easily filled. i hope you are rewarded in your efforts.
The Truth
September 25th, 2012
1:06 am
About what I expected from you MC
EXCELLENT WORK
I”m sure it will carry-over to your new gig.
Just keep paying attention to details and always:
TELL THE TRUTH
Hawks Blog Legend Worldwide Clyde
September 25th, 2012
2:41 am
Another one bites the dust
lewis
September 25th, 2012
4:09 am
peace
prison mike
September 25th, 2012
4:10 am
So hold up, MC done hit the big time. I know you got an eye on Joe’s old pad. Sounds like you are covering more college stuff.
Remember one thing, The UGA Bulldawgs run this entire state, period point blank. You would be wise to get up on some of that action.
vava74
September 25th, 2012
4:58 am
MC,
Thank you for all your hard work. I think you are a good writer (simultaneously fun, consistent and incisive) and did a very good job during the season as the beat.
My gripe is that you were not consistent with your own imposed targets when the season ended. A player by player season review that ended before you reached a quarter of the roster players?
It would have been simpler if you concentrated on the players that remained on the roster and had just one blog entry for the departed.
My feeling is that somewhere earlier in the summer you were already told that you were moving on from the beat job and lost interest in finishing up what you started. I think you could have ended things with a bit more professionalism, but hey, nobody is perfect!
Evan
September 25th, 2012
6:23 am
I’m not sure about Viv taking over. The last Atlanta team he covered moved to Winnipeg.
some sense
September 25th, 2012
6:48 am
NNNNNOOOOOOOOOOOO
The Real Fan
September 25th, 2012
6:55 am
All the best. Maybe you will begin to include Atlanta Dream scores.
They are a pro team after all.
NCBravesFan
September 25th, 2012
7:13 am
Thanks for your work, MC! Best wishes on your new role.
Welcome, CV!
Dudley Do it Right!!
September 25th, 2012
7:30 am
Yes!!!
Chris is a very good blogger, writer and commentator…. plus. he is much better than that ol con & ham.
Chris V is a first rate guy… kinda like Sekou.
Con & Ham Good by and good riddance! and Take Al Horfords sorry Azz with you !
Charles Barkley
September 25th, 2012
7:42 am
Michael Cunningham Got Fired!! Good Move AJC!
Now maybe we can get a center to go with Josh smith and Devin Harris putting the Hawks back in the right direction.
Can We get Al Jefferson for Al Horford in a 1 on 1 trade? Hell well even throw in Marvin Williams….
Oh wait weve already spent our Marvin chip. Well well throw in Teague. Yea, thats the ticket. Lets get rid of 2 project cases in 1 trade. Teague and Horford for Al Jefferson, right now!
KevinM
September 25th, 2012
8:34 am
Best of luck MCand may Cal’s Cats always keep their edge on your team.
CV, welcome and get ready for an interactive season for what we need to build a ‘legit’ contender this time. There is a small opportunity now to make things right.
MO Bravesfan
September 25th, 2012
8:37 am
You did a great job. Thanks.
Slap Dog Hoops
September 25th, 2012
9:02 am
best of luck to you in your new endeavor
MsDee
September 25th, 2012
9:02 am
MC,
Enjoyed ya. Wish u the best at your new gig..gonna miss your nice smile..take care!!
Sautee
September 25th, 2012
9:09 am
Best wishes, MC
Ken Strickland
September 25th, 2012
9:10 am
MC- You have a valued member of the Atlanta Hawks nation, and it’s truely been a please young man. I wish you Good luck and continued success as you continue moving forward.
Astro Joe
September 25th, 2012
9:12 am
MC, much success in your new role. I hope to see some feature stories on Dusty Rhodes, Abdullah the Butcher and Dirty Dick Slater. Southern Sports, baby!
Jamaaliver
September 25th, 2012
9:12 am
Best Beat writer to cover the Hawks in decades. Congrats on the new position.
Feel free to visit often.
KevinM
September 25th, 2012
9:21 am
Alright CViv, let’s get to work…..what have you heard on Anthony Tolliver? Sounds like its Danny or Phoenix with a guaranteed deal.
If we bring him in, does that make it more of an assurance that Josh will not be starting at the 3? We are starting to get nimbers at the SF position. I would prefer Josh be our 4, but that means a battle between Al and Zaza.
Luv Josh Smith
September 25th, 2012
9:26 am
Say it isn’t so…… Congrats on your promotion Michael. Glad you are still on the ATL sports beat. It seems that many have shifted their hatred of all things Smoove to our All Star center. Short sighted. Here’s hoping that Ferry figures out a way to break the logjam at PF and gets a legit big man in here. I can’t wait to see this team get out and run. If the sharpshooters get the green light, the iso game is a thing of the past. It will be interesting to watch who the braintrust installs as starting 3 for this team. Go Hawks.
Just Joe
September 25th, 2012
9:52 am
I don’t want to see Tolliver with a guaranteed deal from the Hawks. The last thing I want is to give LD someone he can give minutes to that should be going to Ivan Johnson. I’d rather play Mike Scott than Tolliver.
Ferry needs to find us a 7 footer to develop. Whatever happened to the big french kid that tried to stick with Charlotte, Dallas & Toronto (I should know his name)? He would appear to be right in Ferry’s wheelhouse. 7′1″ shotblocker with 3-pt range. He didn’t have a clue on defense though. Hassan Whiteside & Soloman Alibi are a couple of other youngsters (more may shake out of various camps).
Ken Strickland
September 25th, 2012
9:56 am
JUST JOE-From the previous blog. You said you didn’t believe Benson would make the roster, then you said Petro’s $3.5M expiring contract would make him excellent trade bait at the trade deadline. However, if there’s any possibility of Petro being traded by the trade deadline, wouldn’t it make sense to have a young developing player like Benson on hand to take his place in the event he’s traded?
I believe JAnderson’s scouting report says he’s very athletic, a good defender, and an above average midrange shooter. DJames’ scouting report says he’s strong, physical, aggressive, a good wing defender, a strong finisher, and a strong physical rebounder, especially on the OFF boards. In other words he’s a BANGER, which will probably make VALVA74 drool to the point where he’ll want to start him at OC.
According to their scouting reports and rookie performances, the deciding factor for them having a strong training camp and making the roster will be their full recovery from their respective injuries, not a lack of talent or ability. If they are fully recovered and are able to produce, this will end up being a really interesting team indeed.
In Zaza, Ivan, Horford, Josh, and James, we’ll definitely have a solid inside presence. With Jenkins, Korver, and Morrow, we’ll definitely have 3 strong 3t shooters. With Harris, Teague, and Williams, we’ll have an unmatched combination of speed, quickness, athleticism, penetrating and shooting ability in our backcourt.
If James and Anderson make the roster, we might see a wing player traded or released to accomodate another Big like Benson, especially if there’s a willingness to trade Petro by the deadline. Right now, we have 15 players under contract. With Morrow, Jenkins, and their prolific 3 pt shooting on the roster, along with the added size, physical and DEF ability of James and Anderson, there’s little need for a one dimensional player like Korver, who’s also a DEF liability.
OC-Horford, Zaza, Petro
PF-Josh, Ivan, Scott
SF-James, Anderson, Korver, Stevenson
PG-Teague, Harris
SG-Jenkins, Morrow, LWilliams
Ken Strickland
September 25th, 2012
10:06 am
JUST JOE-When we drafted KBenson in the 2nd rd, we drafted a 6′11″ player with as much, if not more, overall potential than any of the players you mentioned. He has a very good short range jumper, he’s very athletic, and a good rebounder and shotblocker. He’s attributes could help him become another version of Josh as a help defender off the bench at PF, and a very good option against the less physical OCs like CBosh, JAnthony, JNoah, or DJordan.
vava74
September 25th, 2012
10:07 am
Ken,
Yes, the description of Damion’s game pleases me and picking up on your poking of me:
Ivan, who is a banger who is hardly more than 6′8” (if even that big) played the C slot admirably well for us when required to do so.
A banging spirit allows smaller players to play BIG and Horford should BANG so he can overcome is lack of size.
There is no question – for me – that Horford is not skilled enough to play the PF slot at a high level, although his skill level is more than enough IF COPED WITH A BANGING SPIRIT he seems to have lost to be a very effective C.
I know that you can only see things black and white but balanced guys like Big Ray have also mentioned here in the blog that Horford needs to find his lost dog.
If you wish, you can say that I have a negative bias against Horford since I coined Diaper Al, but I am not.
Al’s performance during the 2010/11 playoffs was inexcusable and I already mentioned that I gained some HOPE (but not TRUST) that his 2011/12 showing was an indication that Al was getting back to his good ways.
vava74
September 25th, 2012
10:08 am
A few typos and missing comas, but you should get my drift. I am out!
MsDee
September 25th, 2012
10:10 am
KenS,
I LOVE your starting line-up!! But I seriously doubt Drew starts Jenkins. I hope he does tho
Just Joe
September 25th, 2012
10:32 am
Ken,
You can throw Benson in there with those guys: Whiteside, Alibi, Ajinca (I remembered his name), maybe even Fesenko.
I’m just not sold on Benson’s rebounding ability and defensive footwork. He let a lot of layups go by in summer league, and was pretty much matched (or bested) on the boards by Mike Scott.
KevinM
September 25th, 2012
10:40 am
I see Lou Williams starting. There is no one in front of him who is better. Why bring him off the bench? So he can play with other backups? Lou is quite possibly our leading scorer this year. He knows how to get buckets.
Jenkins may eventually get minutes, but he isn’t starting over Korver or Lou IMO.
I do expect Josh to start at the 3 if Zaza is fully healthy. He proved his worth last year.
Astro Joe
September 25th, 2012
10:44 am
My guess is that Benson will be avaialble to add to the roster next summer. We’re weeks from the start of camps across the league and it appears that he has yet to sign a contract.
vava, I think Horford finding his inner dog is more related to astehtics than to actual production. I also prefer a tough-minded banger in the 2 “big” positions… but I struggle to find anything that suggests that Horford is lesser performer because of his new found mid-range jumper. And honestly, I still think his voyage to the perimeter has more to do with LD than anything else. His defensive rebounding has not changed since LD arrived, only his offensive rebounding numbers 9just like Josh) and his inclination to shoot open 15 footers.
swatguy
September 25th, 2012
10:57 am
Following Sekou is undeserving. ‘Precate MC.
swatguy
September 25th, 2012
11:06 am
I believe Teague and Lou would be too small a backcourt. That means Lou at the two would need Harris at the point. Harris and Lou off the bench is overwhelming against any and every 2nd unit in the league. Because we have not a strong backup center, Zaza cannot start he has to backup Al. Ivan and Zaza off the bench with Lou and Harris is just bully. Initially I start Morrow at the 2 and Stevenson at the 3 completely creating matchup problems for our bst two players(Al & Josh).
vava74
September 25th, 2012
11:10 am
AJ,
Horford was PUNKED (completely out-hustled) by Bass, Anderson, Gibson, Noah and Boozer (and stayed as away from Howard as possible) during the 2010-11 playoffs.
That was not aesthetics, that is the cold blooded truth. We need Horford to get back into the paint to fight for rebounds and loose balls instead of backing away from contact, which was what I saw.
That was not related to LD asking us to protect the transition D. What I saw was Horford wide eyed being completely lost in the shuffle down low, which is something that DID NOT HAPPEN before when he was hungry for buckets and tried to get them the only way he could when he entered the league, which was in the paint.
Last year’s playoffs give me some hope that he got his fighting spirit back, but I need to see that again and consistently in order to believe in him again.
Homer
September 25th, 2012
11:19 am
Teague Devin Lou
Stevenson Morrow Jenkins
James Korver Anderson
Josh Ivan Scott
Al Zaza Petro
Astro Joe
September 25th, 2012
11:28 am
vava, if the only thing that you are considering is Al’s playoff performances, then let’s discuss further when, oh, I don’t know, maybe when the playoffs start again in 8 months? Meanwhile, I’ll discuss the 82 regular season games which have a bearing on things like playoff seeding (and subsequently chances for playoff advancement). But yes, I think it is fair to conclude that when the Hawks faced one of the elite defensive teams in the 2011 playoffs (the Bulls) that the vast majority of players struggled mightily. And my guess, that will be true when this team of non-elite offensive players face off against elite defensive squads. For some strange reason, elite defensive teams have an ability to impact individual player performance. Bizarre, huh?
The Truth
September 25th, 2012
11:50 am
“We’re weeks from the start of camps across the league and it appears that he has yet to sign a contract” – AJ
It is conceivable that Benson could come to camp while still under his summer contract. According to the CBA:
“A summer contract is typically used for training camp invites, because the player’s salary is not included in team salary until the first day of the regular season. In other words, it is a “make-good” contract — the player must make the team’s opening day roster in order to receive his salary and for his contract to be included in team salary.”
Accordingly, in this scenario, Benson must impress in camp before his salary and contract is included in the team salary. earning him a roster spot at the start of the regular season.
Khao$
September 25th, 2012
11:54 am
Great job MC. You will be missed on the blog. Honestly, you never sugar coated the news…regardless of how fans or the Hawks organization felt about what you were saying. Keep up the good work.
vava74
September 25th, 2012
12:03 pm
AJ,
You are king of dodge ball:
“And my guess, that will be true when this team of non-elite offensive players face off against elite defensive squads. For some strange reason, elite defensive teams have an ability to impact individual player performance. Bizarre, huh?”
Horford’s non-elite offensive skills must be compensated by extra-hustle/banging.
That is precisely my point. Al went through the whole 2010/11 season reconfiguring himself as a midrange, supposedly face up post player when in fact his game is not polished enough to be effective in the playoffs.
We need Horford to realize that – hopefully he did – and use his mid-range range as a complement to his (past?) hustle based game.
Is that such a difficult concept to accept and acknowledge?
Just Joe
September 25th, 2012
12:06 pm
Punked by Anderson & Bass?
Horford – 39 mins, 12 pts, 10 rebs, 3.7 assists, 1.3 turnovers, 40% shooting
Bass – 23 mins, 7 pts, 4 rebs, .3 assists, 1.2 turnovers, 42% shooting
Anderson – 24 mins, 4 pts, 4 rebs, .5 assists, .2 turnovers, 26% shooting
Matched, maybe? Horford could have obviously played better, but punked is a little strong.
DS
September 25th, 2012
12:39 pm
Chris Thomasson reporting that Tolliver is coming to Atlanta for the vet min for 1 year
glw
September 25th, 2012
12:41 pm
Looks like Tolliver is headed here.
Anthony Tolliver tells FOX Sports Florida it will be a one-year minimum deal with Atlanta. Salary will be $915,852.
Read more: http://hoopshype.com/twitter/media.html#ixzz27V5qeFNE
UGA
September 25th, 2012
12:43 pm
I really think its a good sign. For example, vs the Knicks, Smith guards Melo and he guards Amare best he can.
Ken Strickland
September 25th, 2012
12:44 pm
KEVENM-As quiet as it’s kept, starting Josh at SF just might be the backup plan if James or Anderson don’t stand out during training camp. If that’s the case, we might end up needing an additional backup PF like Benson, who can also be utilized@ OC, the way Ivan was used last yr.
After all is said and done, I firmly believe that a lineup of SF-JSmith, PF-AHorford, OC-ZPachulia, SG-JJenkins, and PG-JTeague, would be by far our biggest and most productive starting lineup on both ends of the court. In turn, it would also give us a very versatile and productive bench, with DHarris, LWilliams, AMorrow, JAnderson, DJames, IJohnson, JPetro, with maybe DStevenson, MScott and KKorver on the inactive roster. Substituting KBenson for Korver or Stevenson would make it an even more versatile bench.
Whether Jenkins gets a chance to start will depend on Ferry more so than Drew. If Jenkins can stick that deadly jumper during training camp and preseason, and average anywhere near the 15.3PPG he averaged during his Summer league play, he could very easily get the starting nod. With Ferry running the show, the days of allowing our HC to play vets, just because they are vets, regardless of their production or liabilities, are over.
Also, the days of our GM doing nothing while our HC refuses to develop or play rookies or less experienced players just because they are rookies or less experienced, like Woodson and Drew did Teague, are also over. LWilliams and JJenkins are the only SGs with starting potential that are not on 1yr contracts, so the starting SG battle could very well come down to those 2.
glw
September 25th, 2012
12:46 pm
Here’s a link with quotes.
http://sulia.com/channel/basketball/f/47659be4-a8de-4c2f-818f-c252778eadb5/?source=twitter
Finds it interesting that he says he fits here because he is a big man that can shoot something we dont have.
Really?
What is Al? And he implies he is a big man, which I would relate to him playing the 4. Does this mean Josh will get more action at the 3?
Ken Strickland
September 25th, 2012
12:52 pm
Signing Toliver makes me believe Ferry is bringing aboard a stretch 4 to give us what the Spurs have with Bonner. This could be why we haven’t heard anything about KBenson, you never know.
Ken Strickland
September 25th, 2012
12:54 pm
VALVA74-I hope you know that my comment was meant in fun and not in a sarcastic way.
Just Joe
September 25th, 2012
12:56 pm
I think Tolliver means a big man that can shoot (threes), something we don’t have. This definitely spells d-league for Mike Scott. Getting crowded in the ATL:
Teague / Harris
Jenkins / LouWill / Stevenson / Anderson
Morrow / Korver / James
Smith / Ivan / Tolliver / Scott
Horford / Pachulia / Petro
It’s still funny that between the PG & C positions, we’ll have just one guy under contract at season’s end, and we can’t even all agree that he’s a center!
Ken Strickland
September 25th, 2012
12:58 pm
In addition to what we’ve already added by way of trades, we’ve now added 2 definite starting SF candidates(James and Anderson) and a stretch 4 candidate(Toliver) through FA. Again, this is shaping up to be an interesting training camp, preseason, and final roster.
ag
September 25th, 2012
1:01 pm
MC – thank you for giving the readers what we were looking for over the last year. Good luck
Najeh Davenpoop
September 25th, 2012
1:09 pm
The Hawks have already waived one player with a guaranteed deal, so Tolliver’s deal may not necessarily mean he makes the roster. I don’t really like the idea of adding another big man who likes shooting jumpers, though. Seems to me that in a transition type of year, that roster spot is better used on a developmental player like Keith Benson than a mediocre veteran with little upside.
MsDee
September 25th, 2012
1:17 pm
vava74,
“That is precisely my point. Al went through the whole 2010/11 season reconfiguring himself as a midrange, supposedly face up post player when in fact his game is not polished enough to be effective in the playoffs.”
“reconfiguring himself as a midrange, supposedly face up post player”
By adding this great offensive trait to his game, he improved GREATLY from the 2009/2010 REGULAR SEASON.
“in fact his game is not polished enough to be effective in the playoffs.”
By adding this great offensive trait to his game, he improved GREATLY from the 2009/2010 PLAYOFFS (frm 42% to 52%, FG%,)( frm 66% to 83.9% FT%)(, frm 5.8 to 9 reb%,)( frm .7 to 1.7 BK%,)( and frm 6.9 to 14.6 PPG%)
Astro Joe
September 25th, 2012
1:18 pm
vava, I struggle with two things… ignoring an 82 game regular season as a way to evaluate a player. And secondly, suggesting that if a player finds it hard to score against a Thibs team, they need to bang and hustle more.
One more thing, was it the 2011 playoffs when LD lost a game because he sat Horford on the bench for much too long in what was not really foul trouble? Didn’t Hollinger wax poetic about that during the ‘11 playoffs. So if my boss sits me down when I get in foul trouble AND is the master-mind behind a jump-shot frined offense… what should employee #15 do? Bang relentlessly with his still developing low post skills and spend a lot of time sitting next to Lester Connor?
Astro Joe
September 25th, 2012
1:28 pm
The Tolliver signing may suggest that Josh could split his on-court time at SF and PF. But, again, hard to get too wound up about a late September free agent signing.
Astro Joe
September 25th, 2012
1:31 pm
OK, so this was in reference to the Orlando series in 2011.
http://blogs.ajc.com/mark-bradley-blog/2011/04/21/espns-hollinger-larry-drew-blew-game-2-for-the-hawks/
Astro Joe
September 25th, 2012
1:34 pm
Another account from that same season of how LD “protected” Horford against anything resembling foul trouble.
http://www.hoopinionblog.com/2010/12/horford-treatment-catalogue.html
Just Joe
September 25th, 2012
1:42 pm
Najeh…Waiving a guy that was forced in to a deal as trade-filler is one thing (Williams). Waiving a guy that you signed as a free agent 45 days earlier is totally different (Tolliver).
Very similar to how someone suggested that Korver might get waived since his deal is only partially gauranteed. That would be a huge waste since we gave up a valuable trade exception to acquire him.
Those are the kinds of deals that would make our tight wad owners start sticking their noses in the GM’s books again.
I like to believe that Ferry has a plan. Korver will eventually be traded for a late 1st rd pick or a young player off of a contender’s roster. Tolliver will knock down 40%+ of his 3’s in LD’s motion offense, and will be flipped at the deadline for an early 2nd rd pick in next year’s draft.
Melvin
September 25th, 2012
1:52 pm
Not a big fan of Tolliver but hopefully he will make me a fan of his…. He seem to be a duplicate of the bigs the Hawks already have with Josh, Horford and Scott… More of a finesse jumpshooter than a post banger player…. For the money, I would rather Blatche….
cp
September 25th, 2012
1:57 pm
Congrats on your new job MC. Loved the work you did here. I’m sure CV will also do a good job.
Tolliver hasn’t been very good since he left the Warriors. Maybe he can find his shot again, if so then it will be a solid signing.
MsDee
September 25th, 2012
2:04 pm
With Tolliver being added to the team, this is how I see Drew subbing players in and out this season:
Starting: PG Teague,
SG Jenkins (YES Jenkins),
SF Josh
PF Horford
C Zaza
Harris in for Teague, Lou in for Jenkins, Morrow replaces Josh while Ivan plays PF moving Horford down to play Center for Zaza..Looks like this:
PG Harris
SG Lou
SF Morrow
PF Ivan
C Horford
Teague comes back in to play PG and moves Harris to SG. Tolliver comes in to play SF, Josh comes back in to play PF and Zaza in at center all right b4 halftime. Looks like this:
PG Teague
SG Harris
SF Tolliver
PF Josh
C Zaza
The starters begin 3rd quarter but the closers will be:
PG Harris
SG Lou
SF Josh
PF Horford
C Zaza
With your fill-in’s and/or garbage time going to Korver, Stevenson, Scott, Petro with James or Anderson getting the boot being that we can only have 15 players.
Any comments with my line-up?
Buddy Grizzard
September 25th, 2012
2:05 pm
Great run, MC. Even with all your defensive reactions to my posts, I always respected your game. Your finest hour was in the playoffs when you relentlessly dogged the gutless wonder Joe Johnson. Your last tweet about how you were sure he was mobbed with fans in central park was the icing on the cake. We all know Joe wasn’t mobbed with fans. Joe doesn’t have fans. And that was the central mistake of the ASG era. They put all their marbles in the non-superstar basket. Thanks for calling them on it. I can’t help but think it moved the process along.
The Truth
September 25th, 2012
2:22 pm
With this Tolliver addition, I have no earthly idea what Danny is thinking given the log jam at PF and specialty players with an over abundance of duplication.
It seem like Tolliver is just a bigger version (mostly wingspan and weight) of players like Korver and Morrow. But since his contract is assumed to be non-guaranteed, the so-called “Danny plan” is shaping-up to be more of experimentation than anything definitive at this point.
The final roster will auto-adjust
Buddy Grizzard
September 25th, 2012
2:27 pm
“Tolliver believes he will fit in well with the Hawks because he’s a big man who can step out and shoot the ball, something Atlanta doesn’t have.”
This is funny to me. We have Al Horford, the best shooting big man in the NBA not named Dirk.
DS
September 25th, 2012
2:41 pm
Buddy: Horford doesn’t shoot the 3
Ra'mon
September 25th, 2012
2:44 pm
While I’m not sure of Tolliver being a starting SF. I must say though Ferry has done what he stated and added players with a proven SKILL. Every guaranteed deal on this roster is a player who has an undeniable skill of some sort. Last season, I still wasn’t certain what was Marvin’s, Dampier’s, and at times Kirk’s SKILL. Even with James and Anderson, I don’t see why they will not be at least as serviceable as Mo Evans was during his time here.
Grandad
September 25th, 2012
2:45 pm
May God bless you and yours MC.
northcyde
September 25th, 2012
2:47 pm
Props to MC, and good luck in your next assignment. You’ll probably do “some” articles on the Hawks in the future ( I guess like how Mark Bradley does with the Hawks on occasion ), so I’ll look forward to those write-ups ( if they come about ).
I always appreciated MC’s professionalism and “matter of fact” type of writing style. With no true ties to the team or the city, he did give an unbiased account of the team for the most part.
I personally liked MC better than Sekou, who was also very good.
C-Viv . . with this being your blog now, I hope you develop your own unique style. And most important, don’t be afraid to interact with the blog. The (AP) style of writing that you’ve normally blessed the blog with is OK. But don’t be afraid to express your true opinion on the team ( while not alienating the team in the process ).
glw
September 25th, 2012
2:47 pm
@ Ms Dee
Not sure about your rotations there. A few things I disagree with:
1. I think Korver will be in the rotation. I dont have much faith in Jenkins seeing much playing time at first. I think a wing will be eventually traded and maybe that will free up Jenkins some minutes.
2. As far as ended the game….Josh, Al and Lou will definitely be there. Devin or Teague will be at the point, I wouldnt say for sure its Devin. If Teauge is going good then he will be out there. Zaza being out there will depend on matchups. If its Miami, Zaza isnt out there, more than likely Tolliver/James/Ivan or more apt to be out there. While i do see Josh playing on the wing some, at crunch time, Josh will be at PF for his shot blocking abilities.
Ra'mon
September 25th, 2012
2:53 pm
ANYONE who looks at this roster and doesn’t see a playoff team (barring injury), is someone who is fooling themselves. Josh, Al, Lou, Teague, Zaza, Harris, and the shooters on the bench, as well as Ivan, will WORK to make sure there is playoff basketball in Atlanta. Also remember, EVERYONE, excluding Lou and Al, is playing for a new contract in 2013! So everyone will be at their best in their respective contract years.
By the way, am I the only one who thinks Teague watches Martin 8 hours a day? Half of his tweets are about Martin, lol.
northcyde
September 25th, 2012
2:53 pm
Buddy Grizzard
September 25th, 2012
2:05 pm
Great run, MC. Even with all your defensive reactions to my posts, I always respected your game. Your finest hour was in the playoffs when you relentlessly dogged the gutless wonder Joe Johnson. Your last tweet about how you were sure he was mobbed with fans in central park was the icing on the cake. We all know Joe wasn’t mobbed with fans. Joe doesn’t have fans. And that was the central mistake of the ASG era. They put all their marbles in the non-superstar basket. Thanks for calling them on it. I can’t help but think it moved the process along.
***********************
Which is why people need to stop talking about Joe Johnson altogether. I mean, if he doesn’t have any fans, why continue to talk about dude when he’s gone?
But I have a funny feeling that Joe Johnson is going to be a hot topic around here. If he falls off, people like yourself will bring up how the Hawks made a good decision. But if he becomes highly efficient with Deron by his side, others will cite how the Hawks could’ve had the best backcourt in ATL for the past 5 years, had we drafted Deron.
It is what it is though. We’ll see if the loss of JJ truly affects the team.
MsDee
September 25th, 2012
2:56 pm
New Blog up
northcyde
September 25th, 2012
3:00 pm
Ra’Mon . . . the problem with this team is that the NBA is full of DOMINANT and athletic 2’s and 3s. The East is especially strong at the 3 spot. While the Hawks may make the playoffs, they’re also probably a 38 – 42 win type team as well.
Miami, Boston, and Indiana are not taking a step back. Chicago, once Rose comes back, will be a problem as well. Philly now has a dominant big man and a bunch of tall gunners around him. The Knicks are going to be a playoff level team, unless Amare REALLY falls off.
And no matter how many people want to dismiss it, Brooklyn will be a playoff team as well.
It’s going to be extremely difficult for this team to get in the playoffs higher than a 7th seed.
Ra'mon
September 25th, 2012
3:03 pm
G’D, close your eyes for 4 seconds and dream about Hubie Brown having this team, with this number of shooters (Korver, Morrow, Al, Tolliver, Harris, and Jenkins) and athletes (Josh, Teague, James, Anderson).
northcyde
September 25th, 2012
3:09 pm
FACT: Josh Smith shot a higher percentage from 3 point range AND on his jumpshot, than Anthony Tolliver last year.
I guess Ferry is hoping that Tolliver’s shooting last year was more of an anomaly, than of the norm. Maybe Tolliver can shoot like he did in 2010 – 11, in which he made over 40% of his threes.
But last year, his shot was COMPLETELY broken. 25% FG shooting on his jumpshot. And that was his favorite shot 72% of the time. Even Josh Smith at 32% FG shooting on his jumpshot last year would say . . . “Daaaaaaaammmnn Anthony. You can’t shoot man.”
northcyde
September 25th, 2012
3:12 pm
LOL Ra’Mon
And then tell Grandad to open his eyes, and watch Hubie tear his hair out, when he tries to get those guys to play defense.
Even San Antonio, a team that perennially shoot the ball very well, also plays great team and individual defense more times than not.
Poor Josh Smith may have to defend every SF in the league this year, along with trying to protect the rim and the paint at PF.
Ra'mon
September 25th, 2012
3:13 pm
Northcyde, I just don’t see it like that. Over half of the league are sub .500 teams. Most veteran teams in 82 game seasons, lose sleeper games to some of those young teams in the middle of the season. Boston is a playoff team, but they don’t care if they’re a 3 seed or a 7 seed, because they know they can win. Boston mainly cares about being healthy in the playoffs. Indiana will not be as good as they were last season. And I still see the Hawks having a better record than New Jersey and New York. Philly will struggle even to make the playoffs this season. Remember while this was Bynum first season playing this amount of games, he still have games where he checks out mentally. You take away Brand, AI, and Lou, and I feel much of that team’s heart is gone. You’re not going to have me believe that a backcourt of Turner, Holliday, and Meeks is better than Teague, Lou, Harris, and Morrow. And while Bynum is dominant, I’ll take Josh, Al, Zaza, and Ivan over Thaddeus, Bynum, and their backups collectively.
This is the deepest roster of TALENTED PLAYERS, not potential the Hawks have had since Lenny Wilkins walked the side line.
MsDee
September 25th, 2012
3:14 pm
NEW BLOG UP PEOPLE!!!
Ra'mon
September 25th, 2012
3:24 pm
Northcyde, Josh, Teague, Zaza, Ivan, Anderson/James, and Al will be committed to a good team defense. I see this team running A LOT and ATTACKING a lot. That will be the greatest defensive scheme because it will keep a lot of players in foul trouble.
Also you smoke about the dominant 2 and 3’s in the East. However, two of them play on the same team. And Pierce is still in Boston. I don’t see these great wings you’re speaking of. I guess because I feel if that was the case, after falling off so much, Joe wouldn’t have still been a top five wing player if there was so much depth at those positions. Also, when Al is at the C and Josh at the PF, they’re arguably the best starting front court in the EAST. And to go along with that, they have the best back up big in the league (Zaza).
Also the Bulls have already stated they will not rush Rose back. Remember, without Rose, they weren’t any better than the 8th seed in the playoffs. So playing 40-60 games without Rose, why would we believe that a team with NO proven scorers, Boozer doesn’t count, will be better than an average team?
ECF or Bust!
September 25th, 2012
3:33 pm
Tolliver is a good pick up. way to be on the ball Hawks.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OAE2jIAQsKA
AT Highlites
kbb
September 25th, 2012
4:58 pm
MC,
thanks for your hard work over the years on this blog!
i_am_soulstar
September 25th, 2012
10:14 pm
Good luck in the new role MC
H4L
September 26th, 2012
3:58 am
First Sekou now you, definitely be spoiled with two of the best. Its going to be a tough act to follow but all the best to you in your new position.
Ernest
September 26th, 2012
7:30 am
Best wishes in the new role, MC. We’ll hold you to your statement that you will blog from time to time.
pointguardslim
September 26th, 2012
10:00 am
Much respect to Mr. Cunningham. I wish you happiness and success in your next endeavor.
JSS
September 26th, 2012
2:34 pm
Wow, sorry to hear about this move, not a big Chris V fan… I always enjoyed the pace and “real” understanding that you brought to the coverage of the most misunderstood men’s franchise in the league… I look forward to your work in other parts of the AJC… Still the pro that you are…
Best Wishes,
JSS