About this “horrible” trade the Braves made. I’m not buying it. Yes, Texas got the better end of the deal, but where were these guys gonna play in Atlanta? Escobar has posted better numbers than Andrus, and B Mac is better than Salty. B Mac and Salty have the same # of HR, only 1 RBI difference, and B Mac BA is 75 points higher! Not to mention that both B Mac and Escobar have played in fewer games.

May 23rd, 2009
1:35 pm

I find it hard to believe that after the playoff and the season clearly demonstrated our inability to defend the post, yet Dumb and Mo dumb are looking for a point guard as top priority. In case Sund or Mo dumb Bradley are reading, defending the post in Basketball is a-kin to defending the goal in soccer or the goal in hockey or football or for that matter most sports… let’s start with fundamentals: to defend the post means to alter shots, block shots, pull down offensive rebounds and force the opposing center to the high post or the perimeter. As in chess center, control is dominating….My bad I’m trying to get Mo dumb attention, I’m sure he doesn’t understand chess.

Horford is a good power forward and can give you minutes at the center post but is not a longstanding match for a true NBA center. For all you Z “the expressway to the bucket is now open” supporters, the man had the starting job as center with the Hawks. He lost it because he can’t man the position. Ill grant him that he is physically a NBA center and he pushes and shoves with the best of them but he can’t Man the position and it seems that he is a continuous turnover. He’s not athletic enough, he can’t shoot or jump or block shots or finish in the paint. Dude. Let it go. He can’t protect the post and he lost his starting Job to a power forward. Just keeping it real. Other teams have their guards run down his throat and he alters 0 shots.

Back to fundamentals, on the offensive end you want to move the opposing center off the low block and open lanes for your slashers like Marvin and Josh and Joe…that way you won’t find Josh deep on the wing because the other teams seven footer is clogging the middle. This normally requires some weight on your center, something Horford does not have. Your center must also finish consistently in the low block something Za”why are you passing me the ball?” Za cannot do and something Horford can’t do against the big men and he must resort to his lane shot, which he makes consistently but he gives ground to do so and slowly the low post for us becomes a high post.. The reason this is imperative, Dumb and Mo Dumb, is that it forces the other team to drop down into the low post to defend and thereby making the range of outside shots shorter distance and higher percentage.
When we are force to a high post it allow defensive rotations to stifle us because it’s easier to get to the high post and rotate back to your man on the wing.
There is a role for Marvin who can go 2 or 3 and can draw the fouls Joe cant. 3 years from now Joe won’t be in Marvin’s league. Joe is good and stills the lead man. He can do it all. Flip has become the heart and soul of this team. Make no mistake about that. There’s room enough for Josh and Horford because they play different roles. Josh plays 3 and 4 Horford plays 4 and 5. They blend very well together and are great options to change the speed dimension. If they had a center like the U-Conn center or even the back up from Chicago Grey, Woody would be competing for the finals. Shaq has 3 strong years left and proved this year he can still take over a game when the shots don’t fall he can and will dominate any center in the post. Shaq is a winner. With Shaq on this squad this is a final four team no doubt. Yeah, he can run and open lanes for the J and A assault team. Camby is still a great pick!! There or lots of true centers available that can finish and defend the post. So stop whining saying there aren’t any. Do your home work.

The bottom line is you won’t get past the second round with Horford as your power forward playing center, and for sure you may not get out of the first round with Z top this turnover Pachulia as the center. He could not defend his job from a power forward how can he against real centers?

Here is the nucleus of the team, J.J. Josh, Marvin, flip and Horford and Woody (just keeping it real). Build around this crew. Get them a center and were in the final four…. with what you have in salary cap room and trade material with Bibby (sign and trade), Za “have you seen this turnover before” Za, Acie law, Solomon, and the GA tech guard you can get a good center another point and money left over.

Woody did his job even though you insulted him with your lack of a contract offer.
Now do your and get him a CENTER!