Bradley’s Buzz: John Hollinger picks (on) the Hawks again
Is Zaza aging? (AJC photo by Johnny Crawford)
My Facebook friend John Hollinger of ESPN.com is a fine fellow and a fine writer. (I am, as we know, neither.) But Hollinger had a Bradleyesque moment last fall, picking the Atlanta Hawks to go 31-51 and describing their bench as “a FEMA disaster zone.” (The Hawks finished 47-37 and their bench was rather good.)
I mention this because Big John — I call him Big John, although he’s actually quite slender — has made his 2009-2010 Hawks forecast on ESPN’s Insiders, and I wouldn’t say he gushed. Indeed, he picks the Hawks to backslide. He still has them as the fourth-best team in the Eastern Conference and the second-best in the Southern Division, which is how they wound up last season, but he crunches his numbers and decides they’ll go 44-38. (Link requires registration.)
Some Hollinger highlights:
In the end the Hawks won 47 games, and there was room for them to go higher — Josh Smith had a disappointing season that saw him slump to 58.8 percent from the line, Joe Johnson had his second straight midseason funk that suppressed his overall numbers, and Williams missed 21 games and was useless in the playoffs due to a late-season wrist injury.
All told, it was a hugely successful and somewhat bizarre year that saw the Hawks, five years removed from a miserable 13-win campaign, finally become one of the league’s respectable teams. Now the challenge is whether they can stay there…
“The Hawks bring back the same team that won 47 games a year ago, with a few upgrades: [Rookie Jeff] Teague offers a vast improvement over the departed [Acie] Law as a fourth guard, and Joe Smith provides a fourth big man that simply didn’t exist a year ago.
“On paper, all that should make the Hawks a better team than a year ago, but not so fast. [Jamal] Crawford is a better player than [Flip] Murray if you’re comparing careers, but he’ll be hard-pressed to match the season Murray put together a year ago. Similarly, [Zaza] Pachulia and [Mike] Bibby may also struggle to match their solid 2008-09 campaigns.
“And the Hawks aren’t as youthful as they once were. While they still own three 23-year-olds in the frontcourt, the four veteran backcourt players are 31, 30, 29 and 28; additionally, Smith is 34 and Pachulia’s listed age of 25 is only believable if you use a 500-day calendar.
“Between the limited scope for improvement and the lack of star power, it seems the Hawks shouldn’t be much worse than a year ago … but neither should they be any better. It’s quite possible they’ll finish this season in the exact same position as last season — at the top of the East’s pretender heap, but miles away from the ruling Cleveland-Boston-Orlando trinity.”
Much of that I’ll buy. But I think the Hawks have made themselves a 50-win team, and I’m not so sure they can’t pick off one or two of the so-called Eastern trinity in the playoffs. Though it must be said that Big John can be wrong about everything the rest of his life and still not be as wrong as often as I’ve been.
Oh, and one thing more: Big John was slightly distressed last year when I mentioned, in conjunction with his Hawks’ dismissal, that he lives in Atlanta. I certainly don’t want to make that mistake again.
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94 comments Add your comment
Northside Native
October 1st, 2009
10:47 am
Guess no one cares about the Hawks
The Truth
October 1st, 2009
11:00 am
2nd
Will
October 1st, 2009
11:05 am
I just became a Hawks fan this year and I have to say they have some of the worst reporters. Do hawks writers know anything about basketball or do they just know how to write.
Stotts Era
October 1st, 2009
11:06 am
every player has to play ridiculously good for us to improve this year i just doubt that will happen
Mark Bradley
October 1st, 2009
11:07 am
Actually, Sekou Smith is the Hawks’ beat writer. And he’s the best in the business.
theneatguy
October 1st, 2009
11:27 am
I think if this is what is expected of our team, we’ve come a long way. If we continue to exceed expectations then only good things will come.
Hawks2388
October 1st, 2009
11:29 am
I think it is very unprofessional to accuse a player of lying about their age. If he has no proof, there is no place for a comment like that. It is a huge accusation that has a lot of consequences if true (lying of age mainly occurs in the MLB with international players). I would love for him to be personally called out for his attack to Zaza as a person (because he is basically calling him a liar). For gods sake how old does he think Greg Oden is? 58? NBA players are freaks of nature, doesn’t mean they are older then they state. Their crazy athletic abilities are WHY they are NBA players. So Hollinger can just eat it.
TommyP
October 1st, 2009
11:32 am
I don’t watch many Hawks games but it’s hard to agree with Hollinger when he says they might be worse. What????
They lost hardly anything, made major upgrades in bringing in Teague and Crawford, and added a serviceable big man in Smith that should be great for the younger players to be around.
Oh yeah…it’s best talent (Johnson and Josh Smith) are young and getting better…not to mention Williams.
So our young talent is going to buck the trend of younger players getting better with more experience??????
Clint
October 1st, 2009
11:33 am
I think they’ll win at least 50 and win the Southeast. You can’t tell me that Orlando is going to be better without Hedu. I know they got Vince Carter, but when has he ever been on a winning team? By the way, your numbers are wrong on the Hawks record last season 47-37 add up to 84.
EW
October 1st, 2009
11:35 am
MB All due respect but why quote Hollinger’s prediction? I mean it’s interesting to see what he thinks but what do YOU think?
I will tend to agree that we finish around where we did last year but there are a few interesting variables that will determine if we can improve:
1. JJ is in a contract year now. Don’t underestimate the drive of a man trying to get paid.
2. If Josh Smith can harness that all-star ability and focus on scoring in the paint and forget that the three point line even exists, he get’s better this year. On the flip side, if he improves mid range game in the off-season he will be unguardable. This will go hand in hand with improving free throw % bc we know he goes to the line A LOT if he decides to take it to the hole.
3.Did Acie Law even play? If Jeff Teague provides ANY valuable minutes off the bench it will be an improvement (but I think he plays very limited minutes. (Ok so that really isn’t a variable at all, just a thought)
4. Mike Bibby needs to decide if he wants to step up and be a veteran leader. JJ may be gone for big money next year so I don’t know how much he will be a vocal leader.
Mark Bradley
October 1st, 2009
11:49 am
Why quote John Hollinger? Because he’s a respected analyst for the Worldwide Leader, and he knows his hoops.
JSS
October 1st, 2009
11:52 am
The Hawks are maybe the 3rd highest subject in terms of the blogs on the AJC… Only GA Football and DOB’s Braves sojourn has more loyal commentators… Sekou Smith’s Beat Blog is never slow… Moreover, the AJC Hawks Fan Blog is now back up and you rarely get the silliness (like race baiting) that you see in the Columnists Blogs. They come to discuss the team, the coaches, and to sometime vent… The Hawks will win more than 50 games, the question is what will they do on the road and in the playoffs…
EW
October 1st, 2009
11:54 am
I am not downplaying that and thought that it was clear I knew who he was…Only trying to say that you are also a sportswriter…with thoughts…and opinions…and a KEYBOARD. One smarta** response deserves another right? Take it as a compliment, I’d rather see your thoughts here than get bombarded by more ESPN talking heads.
Gilley
October 1st, 2009
11:55 am
Sekou Smith>>>>>>_________
C’mon admit it guys yall laughed when you read Hollinger’s post: “Pachulia’s listed age of 25 is only believable if you use a 500-day calendar.”
The Hawks have been doubted and will always be doubted ntinue to use that as a motivational force. Despite our success, my friends still laugh at the Hawks because of their past and previous years in the new millineum. It’s all good. I think the Hawks will do fine and just hope Joe Johnson actually plays like its a conteact year ALL SEASON and don’t have his slump and that Woody doesn’t play him 40 + minutes every game. We have enough talent where that is no longer necessary. He says he didn’t trust certain players but how can they prove themselves without a chance to be trusted?! I digress, let’s go Hawks and use this as a means to get better each year.
Hawks2388
October 1st, 2009
11:56 am
Mark Bradley October 1st, 2009
11:49 am
Why quote John Hollinger? Because he’s a respected analyst for the Worldwide Leader, and he knows his hoops.
——————————————————————
If he is such a respected analyst, why did he take a shot at a players integrity that has never said anything about him? I like how you skipped by my comment already. Don’t stick up for him. It was a classless attack at someone. If he was Greg Oden and black, white (Basically American) and a freak of nature would he be questioning his age. Or is it because he is international. Sounds like extreme antisemitism to the international community if you ask me. I know you will defend him though so please go answer.. Go right ahead
Canton Dawg
October 1st, 2009
11:56 am
I think that the Hawks have improved relative to the rest of the East. The Cavs have done nothing to improve (Shaq will be a disaster), the Celtics continue to age (signing an old Rasheed Wallace doesn’t help) and Orlando I just don’t believe in. I can see the Hawks getting a 2 or 3 seed in the East with no problem and with a little luck the 1 seed.
Also, I have to agree with Bradley regarding Sekou Smith. He is regarded around the nation as one of the best NBA writers.
Richard Hamilton
October 1st, 2009
12:13 pm
Big John really stepped out on a limb with that forecast. If that is what you get for becoming an Insider, ESPN must be laughing all the way to the bank.
BugKiller
October 1st, 2009
12:29 pm
EW, don’t you know, Bradley’s prediction will come in the next few weeks. Hold on fella, it’s a comin’.
Hollinger was SPECTACULARLY wrong, Mark.
And here’s the thing, we’re seeing more and more ESPN talking heads take more definite stands on certain things that not even Vegas would.
Predictions this bad can’t disappear into ink anymore. They’re there on the internet for all posterity, forever and ever. It does take some guts to be wrong so often, by trying to pick ACTUAL final records.
The only league where that makes less sense is the NFL, where the fortunes of a franchise literally change from year to year. From the playoffs (or the Super Bowl) to the outhouse in one season (Arizona, Carolina, Miami).
The NBA is also hard to figure, because so many teams take the first half of the year off, because the only thing that matters is momentum going into the playoffs, because so many teams make the playoffs and they’re SO long. Some teams perfect this taking it easy until the last month strategy that it’s become expected (see: San Antonio and Boston).
It’s kind of like even entertaining the thought of counting Tiger out because he’s not within 9 shots of the lead at the beginning of the third day.
Sports. Where crazy s–t happens.
Navigator
October 1st, 2009
12:32 pm
Who cares, after all ESPN is famous for saying Atlanta is the worst sports town in the country. They need to stay in New England, forget what happens in the Deep South (cover word for describing all white southerners as member of the KKK), rather than the Southeastern USA.
Benjamin
October 1st, 2009
12:48 pm
Well played with your final paragraph, Mark Bradley. Well played, indeed….
Tony from Stone Mountain
October 1st, 2009
12:49 pm
I really don’t put much stock in what “Big John” has to say. Where’s Sekou Smith?
bigeasy830@yahoo.com
October 1st, 2009
12:50 pm
The hawks will win 50+ this year and probably another 4 seed. I don’t see them beating out Orlando in the South and Boston and Cleveland will be strong. The Hawks will win their frist round play-off series and we will roll the dice in round 2. Any way it goes, I love going to Phillips Arena and catching those games. I can’t wait for till the start of the regular season.
MightyQuinn
October 1st, 2009
12:55 pm
“Oh, and one thing more: Big John was slightly distressed last year when I mentioned, in conjunction with his Hawks’ dismissal, that he lives in Atlanta. I certainly don’t want to make that mistake again.”
I agree with Benamin, well stroked, MB!
DawginLex
October 1st, 2009
1:05 pm
Mark,
I thought John Hollinger was Marlo Thomas’ boyfriend on “That Girl”.
mountain_jim
October 1st, 2009
1:07 pm
Someone from the Hawks must have peed in John’s cornflakes some time ago, just as someone from the Falcons must have likewise done to NFL Network’s Jamie Dukes. Non local pro-bias is one thing, but these guys are carrying around some hate.
Mark Bradley
October 1st, 2009
1:10 pm
That was Donald Hollinger, DawginLex.
DawginLex
October 1st, 2009
1:11 pm
Clutchy
October 1st, 2009
1:14 pm
you said we were 47-37, I think you mean 47-35.
Nativebird
October 1st, 2009
1:14 pm
Good to see competitive basketball back in Atlanta; now, if only the Hawks and Philips can improve the gameday experience for attending fans. Less thug, less strip (uh dance) team, more family friendly.
Tim
October 1st, 2009
1:24 pm
ESPN generally doesn’t give Atlanta teams credit until AFTER they’ve succeeded. Those east coast writers are always there to jump on the bandwagon (i.e. falcons) but they never pay enough attention to the south to see when something special is being built.
Some Sense
October 1st, 2009
1:42 pm
Sekou is, indeed, the man.
You’re the man also, Mark.
Mark Bradley
October 1st, 2009
1:47 pm
I’m not the man. But Sekou is. He’s great.
BugKiller
October 1st, 2009
1:48 pm
Mark Bradley is A man.
Sekou is THE man.
Hehe. Nah, Bradley, you know we got your back!
Kelvin
October 1st, 2009
1:53 pm
Boston will be better than last year. Cleveland and Orlando? Compare rosters: I would take Shaq over Al(this year not next) and LeBron over Marvin. Who else on the Cavs would you take over the Hawks? We may give Cleveland a run this year as well as Orlando, who just got worse defensively by adding Vince Carter. Brandon Bass does not scare me. Josh is better on both ends. I would not take Reshard over Marvin nor would I take Vince over Joe. We just may surprise Hollinger and the other infallible national experts.
Mark Bradley
October 1st, 2009
1:54 pm
I’m 40 — actually, I’m 54 — but I’m NOT much of a man.
Al Smith
October 1st, 2009
2:02 pm
Thank god joe johnson wont sign an extension dude just disappears in big games. Smh at the marvin williams contract though. lets hope teague is godly. fingers crossed
wxwax
October 1st, 2009
2:09 pm
Everyone complains about weather forecasters getting it wrong and still drawing a paycheck. How about “experts” like John Hollinger? His prediction is worth what we paid for it today. Nothing.
I mean, how can you take seriously a guy who contradicts himself? First he enumerates why “there was room for them to go higher” last season. And then he ends by claiming the Hawks have “limited scope for improvement”.
Well? Which is it, Hollinger?
I think the point a poster made about Joe Johnson being in a contract year is excellent. Johnson was sub-par for long stretches last season. He was not Mr. Reliable. He seemed tired. Betcha that all changes this year.
The oft-dismissed Marvin Harrison has lots of room for growth. Josh Smith has lots of room to refine his game and mature. Does anyone believe that last season’s Al Horford is as good as he’s going to get?
And while it’s certainly possible that the Hawks won’t be an elite team, the opposition is hardly overwhelming. An old Celtics team just got another year older. Cleveland may experience internal tension and dissension once it becomes clear that Shaq isn’t the answer. And Orlando remade important parts of their roster. Let’s wait and see how the team gels before declaring them just as good as last year’s team, shall we?
Mr. Hollinger is obligated to fill the screen with pre-season prediction words. That’s no reason for us to take him anymore seriously than we do the “experts” who dream-up the ridiculously inaccurate pre-season college football polls. It’s all blather.
Hawk n the Ham
October 1st, 2009
2:10 pm
And after all this time I thought Zaza was 14 years old, with the acne and all……
There are going to always be doubters of the Hawks, simply because the Hawks have never really been any good until they met the Celtics in round 1. So, there will be skeptics.
Go Hawks
Al Smith
October 1st, 2009
2:12 pm
The eastern conference is terrible apart from the top 3 so they should at least make the playoffs. I think they’ll be the 5th or 6th seed I think the Heat will be better than them this year.
Deacon Jones
October 1st, 2009
2:24 pm
Pundit Bradley, what do you think the proverbial ceiling is for rookie Teague in his first year in the league? Also for his career? I know you went on record early on saying he wasn’t your favorite pick. Has he changed your thinking in any way since the draft?
Keep up the solid work!
south ga boy
October 1st, 2009
2:28 pm
Around the “NBA writers coffee table” there is a “proove it to us” mindset with the Hawks that may or may not be justifiable. Nevermind that, they need to use it as fuel just as they used the “disrespect” card last yr. The big ? For me is Crawford. If he is as motivated as Sekou says he is in training camp to play defense and distribute the ball then Sund and Woody will have really pulled the rabbit out of the hat again with bench and roll players. Last yr Woody had a rotation of 8. This yr it should be 10 or 11. Tht could be a major dif in a long season in reducing inj and keeping plyrs fresh. So Mark wht do u think about the bench, not jj playing in a contract yr or Josh s ft percentage, being the difference between a 2nd rd loss and the conf finals. Whatta ya think Mark
supa
October 1st, 2009
2:30 pm
I wouldn’t underestimate chemistry. The Hawks performed better than expected last season because the chemistry was excellent. I think that’ll be the case again this season with largely the same team and a few improved pieces (Crawford, Joe Smith, Teague). Looking forward to the season.
When was the last time that we could legitimately get excited about the propects of the Falcons, Braves, and Hawks in the SAME season? Has it ever happened before?
DW
October 1st, 2009
2:47 pm
MARK: Is there actually some question about the validity of Zaza’s birth certificate, or is that comment by Hollinger just intended to be a clever little rip at him?
I have to say that I would be a little bit careful about raising doubts about an athlete’s age– if there’s concern that someone might be older than he really is, that’s real money lost in a contract. Maybe that’s just my lawyer mind going to work, but … seems kind of a risky thing to say.
frosgrim
October 1st, 2009
3:00 pm
I think the Hawks can challenge the top 3 in the east. Boston is a year older, and there C’s seem to be hedging their words on the status of KG. Orlando has a lot to prove. They made a very nice run in the ployoffs, but teams that do that a year or two early tend to regress the next season. Don’t fall asleep on Chicago though. They have some nice players.
Peter
October 1st, 2009
3:37 pm
Joe won’t sign the extension………so he will play well enough to get a good deal and leave…..
That says ALLOT !!!!!!!
The Atlanta Spirit is a slack organization, I have personally done business with them, so I can say that first hand.
No honesty, no follow up, lack of professionalism………… lack of integrity !
They will continue to lose money ………as over all leadership really cannot be there !
Ted Striker
October 1st, 2009
3:39 pm
Ditto what Mark says about Sekou. He’s fantastic covering the Hawks.
Mark’s good too but I gotta have more cowbell.
Mr. A
October 1st, 2009
3:53 pm
It is amazing that people that know what they are talking about can see what we have here in Atlanta. Big John realizes that with Woody coaching this team will never get anywhere!
Last years prediction was off but don’t count on him being wrong again. Simply put……………. FIRE WOODY!!!!!!
gafan1
October 1st, 2009
4:00 pm
I respect Hollinger and think he is good writer. More than likely, we will end up forth behind Orlando, Cleveland and Boston (in no particular order) The one glaring weakness we have is that we have no one Superstar that has yet to emerge. JJ is great and Smith is very good, but they are not elite talents that can carry a team for a strech of the season. We have a strong starting five and a fine bench. But at the end of the day, we do not have that one person to go to when we need those big buckets in the big games.
Scoots
October 1st, 2009
4:09 pm
I don’t think Hollinger is picking on the Hawks – I think he’s pretty much right on, except that I could see the Hawks possibly getting to 50 games.
I think the Magic can be had, but also think the Heat will be improved from last year. I think it will be Cavs-Celts-Heat, then Orlando or Atlanta.
Mark – would you agree the Hawks have about a 50-game ceiling until they get either a better coach or a true on-court leader?
Paul From Milton
October 1st, 2009
4:10 pm
I read Hollinger’s columns fairly regularly. If I am not mistaken, he has mentioned that he lives in Atlanta several times, most notably during the playoffs.
mike
October 1st, 2009
4:16 pm
I AM GOING TO HAVE SOME WORDS WITH HOLLINGER THIS YEAR. ATTENTION FANS HE IS THE TALL BALD GUY THAT USUALLY IS WALKING UP THE STEPS IN SEC 117 OR SITTING IN THE PRESS ROW RIGHT ABOVE SECTION 118 WITH A BADGE AROUND HIS NECK THAT SAYS JOHN HOLLINGER. WHAT A LOSER. MOVE OUT OF ATLANTA
yardie
October 1st, 2009
4:33 pm
What side of town does Hollinger live.
BigCaliDawg
October 1st, 2009
4:39 pm
Enter your comments herePoint guard Acie Law sustained a concussion and sprained neck in a pickup game last week and hasn’t been cleared to practice.
He’s probably competing for a roster spot with Speedy Claxton, as the Warriors are point guard heavy, and this injury isn’t going to help him make the team. Sep. 30 – 10:20 am et
Source: Contra Costa Times
At least we don’t have Speedy and Acie competing for a roster spot. We should actually have 12 dudes that can actually contribute, if needed.
We are a much improved team over last year. While I wish we had a bruising enforcer, we are still better. If we can just get Josh to stop chuckin’ ‘em up. Do we still have Maurice? He chucks ‘em up, too. If we can get those 2 cats to stop shooting, we’d be coo.
Joe
October 1st, 2009
5:49 pm
sounds about right cause the east was bad last year the hawks are gonna lose more games this year since the east is gonna be alot better.
F-105 Thunderchief
October 1st, 2009
5:52 pm
Did anybody give you grief for torpedoing the Braves’ playoff chances, Mark, or did readers give you a pass. It’s been Monday all week, so I haven’t checked in much.
AtlMan
October 1st, 2009
5:59 pm
Love that he thinks our frontcourt is old. Boston and Cleveland look like the senior tour if the Hawks are old.
MyView
October 1st, 2009
8:04 pm
It seems obvious to me that with the players the Hawks added to an already solid base of young talent, its no question that they will improve. Losing teams gave the Hawks fits in the past, but this roster should dominate those teams. The road record should also exceed .500 this year which will also increase the record. Fresher legs for our starters with the newly acquired depth should make us a better 4th qtr team. Correct me if I’m wrong but I don’t think the Hawks won any games of 2pts or less last year? That was directly attributable to the 8 man rotation. No more. All that says to me is the Hawks are a team capable of making the ECF or beyond this season.
Al, Josh, and Marvin are returning starters under 25 , tell “Big John” that is a young team.
MyView
October 1st, 2009
8:11 pm
I was smiling last playoffs when the Magic and Cavs met in the ECF’s, because I knew every sucker with a dollar would bet the farm on LeBron. People quit speaking to me after that series.
I Feel the same way about this years Hawks team if Woody gets them on the same page. Luckily I think the cohesion and expectations will make that mission easier to accomplish.
MyView
October 1st, 2009
8:23 pm
I’m curious, how old is Allen, Garnett, Pierce and Sheed? Just askin.
Tall Lady Dog
October 1st, 2009
8:37 pm
Enter your comments here I think you’re a thoughtful, intriguingly modest, good-humored man. I enjoy reading your columns and you’re not bad to look at, either. Mrs. Bradley is a lucky woman.
lawton
October 1st, 2009
8:57 pm
yawn, wake me up when they get a head coach . do they run? are they halfcourt? are they defensive oriented? who or what are they? nobody knows because they dont have a philosophy. thats because they dont have a head coach.
TROTTINGHOME
October 1st, 2009
9:45 pm
Hollinger didn’t no much about the Hawks last year so why say he is the “Greatest.”
TROTTINGHOME
October 1st, 2009
9:47 pm
“OPPS” No should have been Know
Big Ray
October 1st, 2009
10:20 pm
Mark ,
Nice article, as usual. Hollinger has been a Hawks naysayer for as long as I can remember. Not that he hasn’t had supporting data.
The onus really is on this team to prove that they belong at the level in which they arrived at last year. The problem is we still lack a clear identity on both ends of the court. We still lack clear leadership. I don’t think this story is set just yet. The team could be in for some serious changes. Or it could not. Personally, I think it’s a big unavoidable, even though the popular positive vibe thing is to say “just keep the core together.” I think this season will go a long way in determining what this core really is, and what it should be.
Hollinger mentions the fact that we have lost some of our youth. I seem to recall the opinion that youth was part of our problem. Well, can’t have it both ways, and he fails to mention that one of his “four veteran backcourt players” is no longer with the team. Not only that, but the most expensive one is only under contract for this season (he’s not signed the extension), another is only here for this season and next, and the third is here for three more seasons at a pretty good price. That makes a difference, believe it or not. And it’s not like Joe Smith has been signed to a multi-year contract. Even the Portland Trailblazers know that youth only goes so far, and you don’t want to have too much of it for too long.
It’s easy to point out the problems. A lot harder to point out (and expound upon) the positives.
Two things Hollinger said stood out to me:
1) [Jamal] Crawford is a better player than [Flip] Murray if you’re comparing careers, but he’ll be hard-pressed to match the season Murray put together a year ago.
Okay, how can you compare careers and then say that? I like Flip, but he is not nearly as offensively capable as Crawford. I’m not talking just shooting. I’m talking play-making ability as well. And his assist to turnover ratio is better, if I recall correctly. Crawford is a guy who has shown what he can do in a starting role, over the course of a year (if it becomes necessary here). I really liked Flip Murray, didn’t like to see him go, but not only has he not been able to equal what Crawford can do in a starting role over his career, but he has not been able to prove to any team he’s played for, that he can even be a steady starter, unless that team is in dire straits at the pg or sg position. It may not seem fair or nice, but it’s the truth. His biggest starting role was in Cleveland, in the ‘06-’07 season I believe. Check out his stats where he started 25 of 28 games, and played 36.7 mpg. You won’t exactly be blown away.
2) “Similarly, [Zaza] Pachulia and [Mike] Bibby may also struggle to match their solid 2008-09 campaigns.”
This is very much like discounting or ignoring the additions of Joe Smith, Jeff Teague, Jason Collins, and even Jamal Crawford. In reality, we don’t want Bibby and Zaza to have to duplicate what they gave us last year. Joe Smith can do things Zaza can’t. Same for Collins. Teague is speedier and more aggressive going to the basket than Bibby is. Same can be said of Crawford, and according to Sekou Smith AND his new teammates, Crawford is a better defender than advertised. And a better passer. Last year, Flip did a good job backing up Bibby and Joe. But a playmaker he was not. Crawford is. And Crawford can drop Joe Johnson-like scoring numbers on you at any given time, while also keeping the offense under control. And before anybody gets their dander all up about mentioning Crawford in the same sentence as Joe, just remember what Joe’s shooting percentage looked like last year. Let’s be honest. Twenty points is twenty points.
What we have now is what I like to call “credible depth.” No longer are we going into games knowing that if Al gets hurt or in early foul trouble, that Zaza is the only credible
Big Ray
October 1st, 2009
10:21 pm
JSS ,
Thanks for the shout-out.
niremetal
October 1st, 2009
10:37 pm
Haha…Hollinger talks about Georgia like it’s a third-world country. It’s not. Zaza was born in the Soviet freaking Union. They might not have been able to keep bread on the shelves, but the Soviets knew how to create birth certificates.
And how the hell do you pick out any one of the 2534 big men in the NBA and say “he looks older than his age?” They ALL do. Greg Oden looks older than JJ and he’s barely even old enough to drink. Brook Lopez looks like he’s in his early 30s. And I’m pretty sure Tim Duncan was born looking 35 years old. But some how he singles out Zaza as looking older than his listed age? Huh???
RA
October 1st, 2009
10:43 pm
“Between the limited scope for improvement and the lack of star power, it seems the Hawks shouldn’t be much worse than a year ago … but neither should they be any better. It’s quite possible they’ll finish this season in the exact same position as last season — at the top of the East’s pretender heap, but miles away from the ruling Cleveland-Boston-Orlando trinity.”
Hollinger might be as our esteemed Mr. Bradley states a respected columnist for the Worldwide leader, or he might just be constipated, either way, I feel that the Hawks front office deserved a much better write up than that. This is a team that had glaring weaknesses going into last season, but in spite of that, they still won 47 games and finished fourth in the Eastern conference. Well, they go out this season and address, in detail, every glaring weakness from last season and the best observation that a respected columnist from the Worldwide leader can muster are the above words? Mr. Bradley, Mr. Hollinger may be a man with some admirable qualities if you hold him in such high esteem, but those qualities are in no ways reflecting in excerpt that Sekou quoted above.
I’m sorry, but that’s not even objective journalism.
First off, he says that Teague is a major upgrade over Law, but he doesn’t follow his own thoughts through to conclusion. What that means is that you’re going to have to burn Bibby a lot less. And though Bibby’s older (but by no means “old” by NBA standards, i.e. Sam Cassell…), if he’s got a solid backup, you’re not going to have to burn him as much, he’s going to be fresher and by extension, more productive. Same with Joe Johnson. Joe’s “funk” was due in no small part to the fact that Coach Woodson, by his own admission, “burned” him by playing him more minutes than he should have. Well, Crawford is going to help carry those minutes this season and from everything our respected beat writer (Sekou Smith) has written, Crawford ain’t too shabby. Speaking of which, Hollinger doesn’t back himself up very well at all. Crawford is a man that averaged almost 20 pts a game last year. I think Flip averaged around 14… I’m sorry, I don’t think that Crawford will be all that hard pressed to equal, or indeed surpass, what Flip did for us last year. Nothing against flip, but Joe Johnson’s backup would be starting on a lot of teams in this man’s league and he’s a decided upgrade from last year. Sloppy Hollinger, very sloppy.
“The Hawks bring back the same team that won 47 games a year ago, with a few upgrades: [Rookie Jeff] Teague offers a vast improvement over the departed [Acie] Law as a fourth guard, and Joe Smith provides a fourth big man that simply didn’t exist a year ago.
WRONG. Loud and wrong. If Teague is a vast improvement and Smith provides depth that wasn’t there last year, this ISN’T the same team, by structure it can’t be. They should be stronger, deeper, and more talented. That is the definition of a better. Look, I’m not in a position to judge Hollinger or anyone else. I’m not a journalist and I’ve never had any desire to be, but if you are going to come after my team in front of the known univers and as a representative of the “the World leader,” you best have your %#?! together because I’m going to call you out. And for the record Bradley, Hollinger may be respected in his field, but his conclusions and the supports that he used to make them, or lake there of, would have been laughed out of a good college news paper, bottomline.
But, I hope players around the league do read him and I hope they believe what they read because the more the “holy trinity” believes that victory over the Hawks is a birthright, the more like our boys will be to pick off one or two of them…
My advice to Mr. Hollinger, either go back to school, or start proving that you don’t need to be there. Either way, I’m not interested in anything else that you have to say about my team.
RA
October 1st, 2009
10:49 pm
Please forgive my spelling and grammer errors in the previous post. Unlike Mr. Hollinger, I work for a living and I’m tired. Goodnight.
RA
October 1st, 2009
11:00 pm
Nice post Big Ray. Question, why do you rate the grey block?
Najeh Davenpoop
October 2nd, 2009
1:13 am
I am still convinced John Hollinger has never seen a basketball game in his life, and bases every statement he makes solely off box scores.
Last I checked, Zaza is not from the Dominican Republic, and backne is not an accurate measure of age. Don’t know where Hollinger is getting that from.
Barring injury, the Hawks are a 50-win team. The goal should be to break into that top 3, which may seem tough but is not impossible.
Dr. Warren
October 2nd, 2009
4:59 am
Sekou Smith’s coverage of the Hawks is nuanced and bottom-line honest. He energizes every piece with his passion for basketball. I agree with Mark’s assessment.
"Chef" Tim Dix
October 2nd, 2009
5:17 am
500 day calendar huh? Does that mean 16 months or 42 day months?
Women could have their “time of the month” twice in a 42 day month or does that change too?
I see alot of promise to this type new calendar except for those who get paid on the first and 15th…
"Chef" Tim Dix
October 2nd, 2009
5:22 am
500 day calendar: The good news, I’m 30 again!
The bad news, Jeff Teague just turned 6.
Paddy
October 2nd, 2009
6:57 am
who cares about the nba?
ken
October 2nd, 2009
8:16 am
Listen, let us learn a valuable lesson from what just happened to the Atlanta Braves who filed to make the playoffs again. The difference between average teams and elite teams comes down to critical in game coaching decisions. I can count at least 20 games the Braves loss this year due to obvious poor coaching decisions. This will also be the case with the Hawks. The Hawks will only go to the next level if coach Woodson vastly improves his decision making especially at crunch time. All the talent in the world don’t mean a thing, if the coach refuses to learn to use it properly. Learn a lesson from the Braves!
Grumpy
October 2nd, 2009
8:19 am
The Hawks returned 8 of their top 9 players, and the one guy they lost (Flip) they replaced with a better player (Crawford). And they added Smith and Collins to bolster the back of the bench.
Hollinger admits they probably underachieved in winning 47 last year, and the roster is better top-to-bottom this year. How that equates to a decline to 44 wins is beyond me. Maybe Hollinger needs to re-calibrate that computer program he lives and dies by.
Even with Woody’s pathetic half-court offense this team should win 50 games this year.
(And SEKOU IS THE MAN!)
Kevin
October 2nd, 2009
8:24 am
well they have to prove them wrongs (hawks) will to Hollinger this season…..however if the coach woodson not do better he may be right say hawks be 30-52 i believe they win be at end of season at 56-26 if everyone falls in and be a team not carpet baggers n cry n moan at each other again!After all we lost to the chokein cleveland team who lost to orlando n wonderfull sportsman King James could not shake oh gee the orlando center at end!…No worry cavs fans u may get shaq but u still will not when the Big Prize….
Glenn
October 2nd, 2009
8:47 am
John Hollinger is a parrot . The holy trinity is not all that & a side of grits . Boston is getting long in the tooth . Cleveland is fully reliant on Lebron , & Orlando is not going to be as good without Hedo Turkoglu . Vince Carter has a sexy game but isn’t nearly as complete or as versatile . The Hawks could easily be playing in the conference finals . As has been mentioned , the team as a whole is much deeper . I also think Joe Johnson will lift his game with him being in a contract year & all . The only thing that worries me is the coaching . Our half court game really needs to improve .
Glenn
October 2nd, 2009
10:35 am
On a side note , how nice will it be not to hear Dominique say that silly ” flip the switch ” ever again .
JJ
October 2nd, 2009
2:02 pm
I truly wasn’t aware that people even paid attention to John Hollinger anymore. He makes an absolute mockery out of covering basketball.
This man has little knowledge of the game and even less passion/interest for it. You would think, alas, that the giant that is ESPN could find a better basketball writer than him.
tony
October 2nd, 2009
3:12 pm
Do you people realize that we are sitting on a GOLD MINE? Open your eyes! This offseason we signed a player who has the potential to be the best all-round basketball player in the nba. Yes, Jamaal Crawford has the potential to be the best all-round basketball player in the nba if he asserts himself the right way.
I’ve seen most of his highlight reels and I can tell you that I’m just stunned that he’s not being mentioned amongst the elite players like LeBron James and Kobe Bryant. He is absolutely the best penetrator and allround shooter in the nba. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DxKEou4vPHk@NR=1
I think once Jamaal Crawford learn the importance of being a true team player, he will start creating a positive image of himself and he will recieve the recognition that he rightfully deserves. He must put the team before himself if he want that happen. He’s the kind of player that wins championships. I am very excited about the upcoming season.
BosnianBaller
October 2nd, 2009
3:18 pm
I laughed pretty hard when Hollinger said Vince Carter is a better player than Turlkoglu in his chat from the other day.Carter is the biggest ball hog and has done nothing in the playoffs in his careeer.Turkoglu is a complete player.Carter is a better shooter and thats it.I wouldn’t be surprised if the Hawks win the division this year,
James
October 2nd, 2009
5:21 pm
So glad to see that Joe Johnson turned down the contract extention.If he’s not scoring he brings nothing to the table,not even leadership.He gave the team nothing against Cleveland in the playoffs.He’s a second maybe third tier star and not the superstar that Hawks think he is.Trade him now rather than loose him to free agency and get nothing.Please dont get into a bidding war over this guy next summer,let him go..
Zach
October 2nd, 2009
7:42 pm
No one has even mentioned Mo William. He’s still on the team right?
Zach
October 2nd, 2009
7:48 pm
Mo Evans i mean, see I can’t even remember his name…
cj
October 2nd, 2009
10:08 pm
Big Ray, thank you for clearing up some “myths” by Mr. Hollinger. It’s nice to see someone who also knows a few things about their basketball and does a little research to back it up. Good post.
bman
October 2nd, 2009
11:05 pm
i wrote to this a-hole last year when he predicted the hawks would finish FIFTH IN THEIR DIVISION one year after taking Boston to 7 and told him he was an idiot. Then i made sure to remind him of his inane prediction several times during the season. Oddly, i received no response…looks like he’s up to the same tricks… if he says this every year, eventually he’ll be right…moron!
bman
October 2nd, 2009
11:08 pm
Oh , and Bradley, it’s been about a month since you hated on Duke or Duke players in an article. you’re overdue…
Big Ray
October 3rd, 2009
12:37 am
RA ,
Sorry about that. I get the grey block because I’m logged into WordPress, which is the program that anybody writing anything for the AJC is logged into. Even us fan forum scrubs (I do the Hawks fan forum with HB Ando), who aren’t real writers/journalists like Mark Bradley. Sometimes I’ll be working on a blog, then get finished and decide to peruse my usual hangout spots. And I forget I’m still logged in. Like probably now (oops)….
By the way, the name of “Hawks Hacks” was changed to “Hawks Fan Nest.” Now, you know where the fan forum is, instead of looking for a name that implies the obvious: we’re not real writers/journalists.
Big Ray
October 3rd, 2009
12:40 am
RA ,
By the way, I really liked your post, too!
cj ,
I don’t do this for a living like Hollinger does. And I don’t have nearly the sports-related knowledge that he has. And I am definitely a Hawks homer (though I sling plenty of criticism their way on my own). But I disagree with Hollinger, as you saw. Hey, let’s hear it for opinions!
Snowman
October 3rd, 2009
1:14 am
Enter your comments
Here we go, look I like Mr. Bradley and Mr. Smith allot however riddle me this and this is a very, very serious question…HOW DOES JEFF SCHULTZ get to keep his job at the paper, seriously?…Bradley and Smith are great writers, fair and balanced…can some one please tell me why Jeff is still a writer for the AJC? With all the great writers losing jobs left and right, how does Schultz still have an opportunity to write for Hawks, seriously??? We should run a survey and find out how many people think Jeff should be fired? What percentage of folks think the AJC can hire a better writer tomorrow than Schultz? I DEFINATELY DO!!! By the way, if you like him, that’s fine but keep him away from our Hawks!!! He is a poison, just read his stuff. I want to be the president of “LET’S FIRE JEFF SCHULTZ” fan club. He is a terrible freakin writer (ok, ok sorry for getting you two involved in my ditrust and dislike for Jeff Schultz)…
Finally, I think the Hawks will win 52-55 games if they stay healthy. I also think they will win two games in the 2nd round of the NBA playoffs. That’s it, I ‘m officialy on the record. GO HAWKS and COACH WOODSON (smile)!!!!!!.
Maxx
October 3rd, 2009
5:51 pm
It seems that the Hawks are a “Love ‘em or hate ‘em” team, and I think we know what side Hollinger is on. He is joined by Charles Barkley and Kenny Smith and many other Hawks haters. The reason people hate the Hawks is because of our half-court offense (or lack thereof), the fact that they believe that Joejohnson is overrated and overpaid, and they think that Josh Smith is overrated and can’t shoot (not to mention how many haters he gained with his missed between-the-legs dunk attempt against Miami during a blowout in the playoffs), and they think that ZaZa Pachulia is a dirty player. I, for one, am an Atlanta native and an avid Hawks fan. I think that Josh Smith needs become smarter in his shot selection, meaning stop shooting three pointers. I also believe that Josh Smith is one of the elite shotblockers in NBA history and he needs to focus on that as he seemed to lose his defensive focus last year. I also love his low post game. He can’t dribble worth a damn and needs to stop trying to face people up. If he focuses on his strenghts the sky is the limit. Joe Johnson has the ability to take over a game offensively, but seemed to lose confidence in his deep ball during the season. He can be unstoppable, but when he was double-teamed constantly last year he had no second option offensively. Enter Jamal Crawford, one of the best offensive players in the league, and Jeff Teague, the explosive rookie. When J.J. and Crawford are on the same floor this year, we will see how Woody’s iso take-your-turn (now more like pick-your-poison) offense will be successful. People can say what they want about ZaZa, but we will stand behind him and fight for him to the death. Atlantans love his hustle and toughness and offensive rebounding ability. ZaZa Pachulia is a throwback to the old school and is an invaluable piece of our team coming off the bench. Jeff Teague will be an exciting addition to our squad, and Joe Smith was a huge pickup for us. His veteran defensive presence and mid-range shooting ability will add an important dynamic to our team. As we say every year, Marvin Williams needs to show out. He is a very good shooter and a good-enough defender, plus he does a great job of getting to the free throw line. Everyone loves Al Horford and his energy, hustle and smarts. He can shoot and defend very well, and is a tough and respected player who has success desppite playing out of position. If Garret Siler could be the future answer at the 5 and Al could move over to the 4, he could really become an elite player in this league. We have improved our size and depth greatly down low this offseason, which is what we have sorely lacked in years past. I believe that our additions have been vastly underappreciated by the sports media, and I believe that we are ready to make a run and challenge the likes of Boston, Cleveland and Orlando in the East, no matter what the haters say. Go Hawks!!!
braveshater
October 3rd, 2009
6:09 pm
IF THIS MORON KNEW HOOPS MARK BRADLEY THEN HE SHOULDVE BEEN ABLE TO SEE THE HAWKS WERE A VASTLY BETTER TEAM THAN THE 31-52 RECORD HE SUGGESTED. hE DOESNT KNOW SHYT ABOUT HOOPS, HE’S AN IDIOT. PERIOD.
Live from the Hawks, and even John Hollinger is impressed! | Mark Bradley
November 18th, 2009
6:05 pm
[...] We’ve had some fun with our Facebook friend John Hollinger of ESPN.com. We’ve noted more than once that he picked the Hawks to win 31 games in 2008-2009 — they won 47 — and declared their bench “a FEMA disaster zone.” (It was actually pretty good.) More recently we’ve noted he predicted the Hawks will slide from those 47 victories to 44. [...]