After an egregious loss, we ask: Have the Hawks hit a wall?

First

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hawks depended to much on joe in the 4th…coach has to realize its a team game. Try moving the ball around and get better shot selections.

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Perfect time to get rid of Mike Woodson, and hire Pat Riley, he’s good at taking over teams mid-season

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The loss against Golden State sickens me, worse than the 24 second shot clock debacle in Clevelnad. They had a 18-point lead and then hit cruise control while the Warriors, to their credit, came back with intensity. Yet Golden State is not Orlando or Cleveland or Boston, teams that can make a comeback with their personnel – that’s what makes this loss hurt even more. Golden State shouldn’t be in the Hawks’ league. Instead of using what got them the big lead in the 3rd quarter, passing the ball to the open man, stiff defense, Atlanta went one-on-one and then tried to hit a jumper as the time clock expired.

Atlanta’s good enough to beat Orlando. Good enough to beat Cleveland. They’ve shown they’re good enough to beat Boston by sweeping them in four games. They have the talent, and have a good head coach – I support Mike Woodson, especially after the Lon Kruger & Terry Stotts eras. They just can’t let up on a team when they got a big lead; you can stop playing when the clock reads 0:00 in the fourth quarter.

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they have hit a brick wall and have power driven through the ground thanks to rick sund.why is josh smith taking three pointers in crucial moments?.i hope woodson hasn’t lost his mind.sund has put the nail in the hawks coffin by not getting a big man so as far as the rest of the season, its lost but does sund care? no he doesn’t. so why should we fans?he’s satisfied with putting a fourth rated product on the floor

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Mark, I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but as of late, we’ve had tons of problems scoring in the 4th quarter. Against the Suns. Against Golden State. Against the Thunder. Against Miami Even going back further: the Cavs game in ATL, Orlando, etc.

Woody is quick to say we didn’t defend. We’ll we defended against Phx and we lost. If we hit just a few shots last night, we win. Bottomline is, this “I don’t care about the offense thing” is killing us. Our offensive efficiency is fool’s gold. On a good night we get a ton of offensive rebounds which lead to second chance points. But what about those nights when we don’t get those 2nd chance points? Our offense has to have plays installed that can exploit the other teams weaknesses on D and play to our strengths. Everything Woody preaches is predicated on defense. I have no problem with his attention to defense. However, we have to score the ball! These cold 4th quarters with 38% shooting or below is ridiculous. He’s the ultimate problem with this team. Yes, we’ve improved every year with him. However, is that a product of his coaching or the natural maturation process of an NBA player? I’d argue the latter. He’s a decent coach, but not a good one. I believe a better coach could get more out of this team. Too bad JJ will be gone before we find out.

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Is anyone else besides me concerned at how often JJ turns the ball over. I cringe whenever he puts the ball on the floor especially late in the game. Case and point last nite against Golden State he lost his dribble 3 times inside of 4min. Im just saying happens alot.

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I am afraid they are done they will make the playoffs as a 4 seed maybe get by miami maybe not but second round is as far as this team can go and its hard to figure with the talent they have . will woodsons job be safe I don’t think so .

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Ugh. I’m so over Mike Woodson. This gets so old. I will give him credit for giving Teague a little burn last night…athough, as usual, it was only when the Hawks were “comfortably” ahead. Of course when the starters began to gift wrap the lead for the Warriors, Woodson sticks with 4 starters plus Crawford. Go figure. How does Joe Smith play well for one half & doesn’t see the floor for the next three halves? I’m just saying, for the second game on the trip, the starters fizzle in the 4th & Woodson sticks with them plus Crawford. Ridiculous. If the bench, FULLY UTILIZED, had proven unproductive then I’d say the it’s mostly on the players. Unfortunately, we’ll never know if Joe Smith or Moe Evans (or even Teague or ZaZa in the 4th quarter) would have made a difference. Ugh…

Yes Mark, the Hawks have indeed hit a will. It’s name is Mike Woodson.

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Mark, I think there was reason to panic a little after that Miami game. That night, the team looked indifferent to the beating they were getting and acted like they could just turn things on after the break. Well, they can’t.

The team is just immature. They think they know how to win, they really don’t. Horford said last night that they thought they could just let GS make a run and still win anyways…I don’t understand that mindset. If that is really what the Hawks think, that they can just let teams make a run and win, then they are no where near as far as I thought they were.

I am taking this loss harder than any other February loss I can remember. I think the reason is because it was a loss that showed the Hawks true colors. They’re good, they’re just really not that good.

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Hawks showed the other night that they are a very average team – no better than last year – without Jamal Crawford. Jamal cooled off in the 4th quarter last night, and they could not mount an offensive charge.

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Hawkfan i understand your point about Josh taking the final shot but where the hell was joe and the rest of the team while an 18 point lead went away. the hawks should have never been behind by 3 at the end of this game. I don’t care who the last shot they deserved to lose with the way they played.

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No leadership on the court and poor coaching will have this team out by the 2nd round.

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Mark I take nothing from Al but wouldn’t you agree he is playing out of position. He has done a great job kudos, but the hawks have serious match up problems with orlando. Is that to say you think this current roster can make it past the second round.

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Let me re-state that: Woodson has taken this team as far as HE can.

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woody is wcoy. he needs to go & let him take iso joe with him

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The team has hit a wall with the Browless imbecile running the show. This program will never be “elite” as long as Woody is running the show.

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We have to many streak players. Nobody plays 100% everynight, Bibby can’t play any defense and doesn’t drive to the paint. Marvin is the player on the team that can either make or break the hawks. He needs to be ready to play everynight on defense and offense. I was glad to see JJ get upset at the refs lastnight he needs to do more of that.

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More like a ceiling than a wall really.

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Al is an “above-average” center as long as the opposing center is 6′10″ or less. Anyone above that height dwarfs Al, and he gets absolutely dominated.

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The Hawks Needs A New Leader, Woodson done a great job working with the Hawks doing their re-building stage. Its seem at time the Hawks do what they want on the court, and get lost on the court
someing elite teams try not to do. you cant loose ball games like what happen with the Warriors.
The Hawks Needs Avery Johnson (Former Dallas Coach).
Its Time For A Coaching Change.

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When this team passes the ball they can beat anybody. It only takes a couple of Iso-Joe possesions to completely get them out of their offense and once that happens, they are sunk.

Woody has hit his cieling – he can’t take this team higher. Bibby’s legs are gone and he is now a slower version of Randy Whitman only he doesn’t shoot as well and nobody sets screens for him. I am not so quick to pull the plug on Marvin – only because nobody ever passes him the ball. Remember last season when he was getting the ball in position to shoot? Aint seen that happen this season. Bibby can’t pass to anyone but Joe and Joe don’t pass.

Next year’s starting lineup looks intriguing: Teague, Jamal, Al, Josh and Marvin. Not sure who the coach will be.

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I’m certainly no insider and this is 100% conjecture, but I’m convinced that neither Joe, Josh, or Woody get along with each other very well.

I’m not sure what else would explain the severe lack of cohesion in big games/moments.

We desperately need Joe, Josh, and Woody (the three most important Hawks) “on the same team” and it rarely seems that way in the face of any adversity.

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yes woody is depending way 2 much on Joe… He is burning his starters even with a decent bench.. That said, I question the commitment of some of the Hawks…. To many times in last nights game i saw 3 or 4 hawks standing and watching the ball bounce around like they were in a trance or to lazy to go and get it, while GS team made a concerted mad rush for it. Go Hawks

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Woody has only one play in his playbook and that is ISO Joe. I would like to see ball movement. Joe move without the ball to get open(like Jesus Shuttlesworth), run some pick & roll, some in to the post then back out to the perimeter. Woody shelve ISO Joe for the rest of the season, please!

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Its not that shaq would beat the hawks it is the match up problems that hurts what about on the offensive end how will Al play. Again do you feel they will make it past the second round just a question. If not what pieces do they need in your opinion.

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It is not a question of hitting a wall. It IS a question of hitting a ceiling.

Minutes are better distributed so I doubt that they are tired. Although that iron man 2nd half in Phoenix was a bad idea.

Remember, Golden State’s feared Nellieball was down to 8 guys…half of which got to the NBA via the D-League. We should have been able to overwhelm them based on numbers of fresh, talented bodies.

As for the offense, Woody NEEDS to use the Chuck Daly model. Keep running the same play for the hot guy until the other side figures out how to stop you or the guy is no longer hot.

There is a confidence and a killer instinct that this team does NOT have. Lesser teams see the Hawks as the biggest guy in the playground that they can sucker punch to keep the bullies away. Unfortunately, the Hawks play right into the big guy with a glass jaw mold.

Think about it. The guy with the most swagger in the 4th quarter is the guy who has the longest tenure without playoff experience (Crawford). The guys with the next strongest swagger is Josh. I know he missed the 3 last night, but he didn’t shy away from it even though he has sworn them off except in extreme situations.

Bibby needs to see Austin Powers because someone has stolen his mojo. He had it when he got here, but it is AWOL right now.

Joe is doing ok, but he is not the type of guy that puts the team on his back and drags them to victory. He’s more of a momentum guy. If we are going in the right direction, he can accelerate the process, but he rarely takes over games late in the 4th anymore.

While it is easy to point to Woody, I think it is a collective thing. You need a guy that has some of that I’ll smack my mama to win attitude. You don’t want 12 of them, but 3 or 4 would be good.

I won’t say nice guys finish last, but I will say they need to be ahead by 3 or 4 late in the game instead of behind.

BWAF

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Mark please answer this:
Is Woody the best coach for our situation?
We are one of if not the most athletic teams in the league yet we only run on half the opportunites.
No offensive strategy and yet we average over 100 points, what if we brought in somebody that actually installed a playbook instead of iso plays and swing the ball around the perimeter then jack up the 3
The team doesnt actually listen to woody, if they did do they lose an 18 point lead? does josh shot the 3 he hasnt made in years? does joe have a career year in an expiring contract as players of his caliber should? do we even still need mike bibby if a good coach comes in and shows crawford how to pass and teague how to develop to be a good point?
I like woody but since we started to develop into a playoff team ive questioned if this is the right situation… u dont have larry brown coach the showtime lakers… so why do we have larry brown’s deciple running a team with that same type of athleticism?

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I’m “concerned” too, but about making it out of the first round.

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Mark, I have to disagree with you on Al Hortford. Al is clearly playing out of position. Except for maybe Miami, Al Hortford gives up height and/or weight to any other starting center on a Eastern Conference playoff team. And seeing how the Hawks will either face Orlando or Cleveland in the 2nd round of the playoffs, how can you seriously think that Horford is a viable option at the center position? Hortford gets by at center because he is usually more athletic, quicker and is a little more skillful than most big man. If you are comparing Hortford to that 610-11 guy shoot 3’s and plays like a guard, then yea I can see how you think Hortford is a center. But as much as I like Hortford, he aint Mourning to where he can hold down the center position at 6′10

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They look sloppy and tired. Poor coaching in the 4th…what’s new?

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Yea the celtics won But perkins was a role player and understood his role. They still got a ton of high % baskets from KG. If we had that kind of scoring down low we can have a role player at center. Thats not to mention the celtics outside shooting. If Marvin or josh were better outside shooters Al would be fine, but neither of our forwards take pressure off Al by making outside shots.

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Let Mike Woodson walk after the season is over, get a real coach in there like Byron Scott or Avery Johnson. Short term fix sign Big Z and let him back up big horford…..also sign Joe J back and trade bibby not the player he once was..

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MARK: Al Horford dominated Chris Kaman?? It was the freakin Clippers for Gods Sakes!! Is that all u got??! He couldnt handle The Lopez kid in Phoenix and almost got outplayed by there center last night. They had too many offensive rebounds to be a small team. Other than sweeping the aging celtics, the hawks have not had a significant win since beating the NUGGETS earlier in the year and they werent even at full force.

Josh Smith started complaing at tip-off. He was not hustling and he walked up the court every time on defense. Mike Bibby looked awful, no defense and worst of all, no offense to makeup for his lack of defense. I dont think I even heard Marvin’s name the whole game.

My points:
#1 We cant continue to play Al at the 5 and expect to go far in the playoffs against teams with legitimate bigs (CLE,ORL,LAL)
#2 We CAN get rid of Marvin or bench his behind
#3 We cant move Josh to the 3 ( cant dribble or shoot, and for some reason he wont give the ball to a guard on fast brakes)
#4 We can get Teague more minutes since Bibby is not producing
#5 DID I say get rid of MARVIN?? Its like 4 on 5 out there.

I think we are scared to retool. We have gotten comfortable with the guys we have in the starting lineup and they dont matchup with the top tier teams. Someone has to be benched. Either Josh or Horford and bring in a true center. I prefer to bench Josh because he leaves Al in the paint alone to much. I know centers are hard to come by but thats what Rick Sund was hired for. Obviously its to late to do anything this year since we stood pat and did nothing to improve. The CAVS have LBJ an SHAQ and they still made moves to get better!!! LETS GO HAWKS!!!!

FIRE WOODY..MARVIN

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FYI Al is about to interview on the Scott VanPelt show interested to hear what he has to say.

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FINALS!!! (spoken like Mora and PLAYOFFS)…ha Toronto started the season 7 and 13 and they are 24 and 11 since. Atl started 14 and 6 and they are 20 and 14 since. The teams split so far with each winning in blowout at home.

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Mark, I would not wish for anyone to lose their job, but I am of the belief that Coach Woodson will be gone after this year. Also, Do you know what the relationship is like between Joe Johnson and Management? [ Possible sign and trade if he does not wish to return}.I would try to get all that I can get for him if he does not want to return to Atlanta.

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Mark Bradley are you serious. Kendrick Perkins is listed at 280 and this man got in shape this season. Hortford can’t bang with him at 245- 250 for 48 minutes. Maybe that’s why the Celtics did win a championship with him as Center. No one is saying Hortford is bad as center, I think we are trying to say he his BETTER as PF! I’m pretty sure Karl Malone could have got by as a decent center, but the man’s skills were more suited for a PF. It’s the same scenario for Hortford.. The following centers all cause match up problems for Horford(in no particular order): D-Howard, Shaq(even at 37 on just his size alone) Perkins (dude is a beast, slightly more than Hortford), Tim Duncan, Haywood, Bynum(I hate to say it). Ironically, there is a 90% chance we are going to see either Howard or Shaq in the 2nd round of the playoffs. I think the major problem is that no one expects the Hawks to be champions and we as fans and sportswriter don’t hold the organization as whole to expectations of being a champion. Part of being a champion is having the correct pieces. The main purpose of being a center is to clog up the lane. Its not always about how good you are overall. Would I build my franchise around Kendrick Perkins. Hell no! Would I put him as a center at 280 pounds with a mean streak, if I already had superb pieces around him. You damn right I would. He fits the mold as a center. Hortford simply does not.

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Mark I agree with you about Marvin and bringing him off the bench, his head now is all mixed up and he’s just not getting it done. Where was Mo Evans last night? That was embarressing, to tell you the truth, we maybe a first round knock out, they can’t deal with success and Woody has not done a good job either.

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If you read the article that either ESPN or SI did on the Hawks about a month ago, they quoted Woody as saying in a team meeting that he thought that the Hawks were good enough to score enough points so he wasn’t concerned about that, but his focus would be on the defensive end. I think that it’s fine that he wants to do that, but Woody needs to hire an offensive coordinator like some other teams have done. You can’t just ignore one side of the ball when you get to the higher level of the league. If the Hawks have hit a wall, I think that’s what it is – it’s their inability to score consistently in the clutch, especially when forced into a half-court game. That’s where most of their losses come from.

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Horford isn’t the biggest issue. The issue is our guards put our bigs in bad positions. Quicker guards rip our guards and our bigs are put in a bad position. Honestly, I have a bigger problem with point guard play (both defending and orchastrating the offense) and coaching than anything Al Horford is/isn’t doing.

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Mark, you are getting a lot of dumb questions and statements from people on here. These are obviously just random people that don’t watch the Hawks.

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Mark

The Celtics may be 0-4 against the Hawks, but they can beat both Cle. & Orl in a 7 game series when healthy.

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SWAT Native

Has Bibby ever been that person in his career? I don’t recall him being that type of player. In Sac Divac & Webber were the leaders, and I’m not sure who was the leader in Vancouver, and they weren’t leaders anyway so I don’t think mattered.

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It’s one thing to be beat by Bos, Orl, & Clev teams that have more talent and just as deep, but GS that’s unacceptable.

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Mark I agree with you about Joe Johnson downbeat demeanor. He is definitely not a team leader. Also last night Woody ran the starters way to long in the second half. Golden State used Josh lack of offense to their advantage by letting him take tough shots with the clock running down or turn the ball over six straight posession when they made their run. And why was he on the court at the end game when needed 3 shooters. GS left him open on purpose and look at the results. Woody has no idea on how to manage a game and situations.

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Khao$

Well said….That is the problem and Woody refuses to play Teague and Moe to help with situation. Team with quicker point guards always exploit this and we lose.

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The problem with the Hawks (and the NBA in general) is that there are about 4, maybe 5, teams that have a legit shot at winning it all and the Hawks just ain’t one of ‘em. Upsets are so rare in the NBA past the 2nd round. It’s all fine and dandy to “believe” we can do it but history says we won’t. So what, we’re essentially just pulling for a good showing in the playoffs? That’s just depressing.

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Mark I agree with you about Joe Johnson’s demeanor. He is some what negative with his after game comments. But never shows any fire on the court.

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im starting to lose faith in Woody.Defense 1st yes,but u can stop a team all nite,u cant win unless u score points.Bibby cant drive to the basket and other teams KNOW it,no one penetrateS the defense but jamal.The offense needs some structure,some cuts down the lane.they all just stand around.this is gonna kill us come playoffs.i say get an offensive minded coach in here.woody scares me not using his bigs on the bench, and not caring about the offense.get him outta here.why not try the princton offense anything to get us moving in the half court set.u can just tell when teams tighten up the defense in the 4th quater we look lost.With no idea how to break a team down.Better let teague play more.

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GS left Josh open on purpose last night so the offense would flow through him with the shot clock going down. Most teams try this when they are down against the hawks. Last night it worked big time. In six straight possession in the 4 qtr, he either took a difficult shot or turned it over. Woody left him on the court for the final possesion and they left him open again.

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Is this the same Mark Bradley that said the Colts would beat the Saints? And, the same Mark Bradley that couldn’t play dead in MacBeth? Hawks, if Bradley is against you, it means you have a hell of a chance.

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The hawks are what they are. A slightly above average team with no takeover guy or true team leader like the teams better than them have. Good teams don’t lose with a 18 point lead in the 2nd half. This team will win it’s first round series and then get smoked in the 2nd round. Maybe win 1 game.

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Marvin Williams and Mike Bibby have regressed. Woody is shortening his rotation and bench minutes. The players are not operating with a sense of urgency and focus. Your shot can be off on any given night, however that should not determine how you play defense and hustle. This team needs to grow up and understand that they are not overflowing with a plethora of talent. They have to come with maximum effort for forty-eight minutes every game, and when adversity comes fight back, do not collapse like a uterus.

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1. Lack of respect. The Hawks get hammered by teams and nothing is called but on the other end if the Hawks look at someone the wrong way the get called for a whistle.

2.Woody. WTF. Where was Moe,Joe S. and did Teague or Zaza play at all in the second half. Although you have been here through 13 wins seasons, its time to get some new blood to get these players involved and moving the ball on offense. Geez. Im so tired of seeing Joe and Jamal pound the rock for 17 seconds of the shot clock.

3.Jamal you’ve been a beast all season but you blew it last night. The game was still yours before the technical.

4. Josh how many times are you going to the hole and just throwing the ball up hoping to get a call. Memo. you cry too much so they are not going to give you any calls.

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they are done!, everybody can give advice and offer solutions, but, evidentally the entire organization is not committed to winning. You Can Tell by the way they conduct business. For Example, They Know That They Really Need A “GOOD” BIG MAN, SO What Do They Do About It? “NOTHING” Is The Answer. They Have 2 BIG SORRY@SS Guys Taking Up Money And Space,Drop Them And Sign A Good Big Man From The D League. OOP’S I FORGOT, They’re Not That SMART And Sure Isn’t Committed To Winning, So There You Go. NEED NEW MANAGEMENT, EVEN DOMINIQUE IS ACTING LIKE THEM NOW, AND WE USED TO HANG & PARTY During the Omni Years. BELIEVE ME……… THEY ARE DONE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!……………………………………..

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Up 18 in the 3rd Qtr and losing to the GS Warriors? You got to be kidding me.

A couple observations:

When you are down by 3 with only seconds left and your starting small forward is on the bench, what does that say about your starting forward?

When your starting forward scores 8-10 points a night and of those points 80-90% come from either a dunk, lay up or withing 2 feet… means your starting forward CAN NOT shoot! = MAJOR PROBLEM.

The Hawks need a consistent outside shooter to help out JJ and Crawford when he’s out on the floor. If Josh Smith shoots from beyond 15 feet, I would bench him right away. JS has made big strides this year with his shot selection, but not completely done.

Marvin Williams is a MAJOR problem for this team. And the Front office signed him to a new contract this off season. Whoever made that choice should be fired on the spot. He is the reason this team struggles. He is the reason the Hawks will be eliminated in the playoffs. I would trade Marvin for a bag of basketballs and find someone who can shoot a mid-range jump shot… and help this team!

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You call yourselves contenders for the eastern division crown, yet you are unable to beat a team with the third worst record in the entire league. Shame on you. Its nothing but lack of effort. Devner played Boston the other day. Even though Boston battled with Denver for the entire 48 mintues, Denver played like they wanted to win that game and led by 20 points after the first quarter. That shows you want to win the ballgame. The Hawks had the same chance against Golden State but couldnt pull away. When they advanced to an 18-point lead they shoud have kept their foot on the throttle to sprint out to a 30-point lead, but that lead is still not safe in the nba. The only lead i think is safe in an nba game is perhaps a 60-point lead. Then you are assured of winning the game.

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When Josh is on the bench the team loses the lead which Josh has given them; Josh is the backbone of this team, why would we bench him. Al is not a center and gets kplenty of help from Josh!

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Two words, one name: Mike Bibby. He stinks, yet somehow continues to start. Start Crawford and bring the rook off the bench.

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Yetta…

I agree he is the backbone. But Woody has got to put him a position so he is not an offensive liablity. Movement is the key not ISO. ISO brings a double team and ensures Josh will get the on the perimter.

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Woodson has iced Bibby, Marvin and Joe Smith. In their place we have a crunch time strategy that involves Johnson or Crawford going one on one or Josh Smith looking like a rookie on the offensive end.
JJ and Woodson are human and at this point their contract status has to be playing with their minds. Unless all six can turn it around we have no chance of impressing.

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Timt from EP,

I’ll call you Tim and not Timt, when you start calling Horford HIS name without the T.

A question for you:

Why do you think the Head coaches named Horford as the second-best Center in the East? Not Lopez, not Shaq, not Perkins?

If all of the aforementioned players are such a matchup problem, and dominate Horford in the paint, then why weren’t one of THEM on the All-Star team?

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Two words: Mike Woodson. Two more words: Must go.

Old habits are hard to break. Woodson’s old habit of playing too few players too many minutes is killing the Hawks as they near the stretch run. What happened to the deep bench? What happened to spreading the minutes around so everyone would be rested, and the young players would develop? Woodson is running this team in the ground as he tries to build a glossy win-loss record. Why? To get a new contract. This heavy-legged team won’t make it out of the playoff’s first round.

Joe Johnson sits only eight minutes (on average) per night. Even when he’s shooting 25% from the field, which happens far too often, he stays on the floor. It’s the some-old, same-old with Woodson at the helm. Here’s a shocker: Johnson’s season-long FG percentage is 0.02% better than Marvin Williams’.

It also doesn’t help this team hat 34-year-old point guard Mike Bibby is playing like, well, a 34-year-old. (Too bad Woodson hasn’t been bringing Jeff Teague along like he promised earlier this season.) On a 48 minute basis, Othello Hunter and Zaza Pachulia average more points per game than Bibby, and Teague averages more assists.

If a change isn’t made, and it has to be at the coaching level because the coach himself has shown that he can’t change, then the Hawks are one round and done in the playoffs.

bowman
– -
“Art will always be Art.” – Goethe

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Package deal…WOODSON,BIBBY,ZAZA,and Marvin for Monta Ellis and some cheerleaders.

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Bradley hits joe in his post and in his several comments. Always bashing joe but not a damn word to stay about the idiotic shot josh took with more than 9 seconds left on the clock, or the fact that joe was the ONLY one hitting shots down the stretch.

HATER AND A FOOL. That’ bradley for u.

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Are u kidding me? We lost to Golden State? Wow is all i can say. Bibby, Marvin, and zaza simply need to put up more pts if the hawks want to win the southeast division. As for Jamal… shame on him a technical with 30 secs left. Careless, simply careless!

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Sautee –, damn good point about Horford being the second best center on the All-Star. My However, I think the point half the people are trying to make is that Horford is not a true center. Offensively, I really don’t have a problem with Horford at center, especially in the East. But defensively, looking towards the playoffs, Horford is not the ideal situation. The most ideal situation would be to have either a taller person that can block shots straight up or a bigger person that can clog the lane. All championship teams have this type of center and you can not deny this. You can not honestly tell me that you can see the Hawks getting past Orlando with Dwight Howard at center or even Shaq. Especially when you consider the fact that Bibby can not stop anyone from penetrating. Again, no one is saying that Horford is a bad option at center, what I am saying however is that the Hawks will never go past the 2nd round of the playoff if they think they can use him as a center. At least not with their current team. Do you remember how beat up Horford was at the end of last season. Horford being voted as the second best center in the East is just as much as testimate to the lack of big men in the East. He sure would have not been put over Tim Duncan, Stoudumire, Marc Gasol. And going back to the East if you want to consider David Lee a center, (same size as Horford), production wise Horford is no where close to David Lee. Again, I am not taking anything away from Horford. I’m just tired of the Hawks settling on using him that way, when we would probably score 17 or 18 points a game if he was match up against other PF.

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Did Mike Woodson attend a coach’s clinic held by Paul Hewitt last week? His offense looks similar to what is ran on the flatts. Watch the guy with the ball dribble until he has no where to go or nothing to do but put a poor shot. Way too many black holes on this team. Hawks moto “I need me to mine frist screw the rest of you.” Even Al Horford has caught this attitude.

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ELMER FUDD SHOOTS BETTER AND MORE CONSISTENTLY THAN ISO-JOE

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Am I the only one that thinks Woody needs to keep Teague in the game more than he does so he can keep pushing the offensive tempo?

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here

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sorry but this team maybe will go to the second round i said maybe.

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Marvin Williams is a bust. Mike Bibby is washed-up. Besides Crawford, the bench isn’t good enough. Don’t blame Woodson for not using the bench, it sucks.

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Mark, I have been saying the same thing with each blog…the Hawks need a big man. It really does not matter what Perkins is to Boston, because he fits their program. We do not even have a big guy to effectively bang against Shaq and Howard. That is the issue. Horford is holding down the 5 remarkably considering his size. Tim from EP is correct about him giving up a lot of pounds down low. I have said this repeatedly. Not only that, the Hawks are having a problem stopping penetration, i.e. Stephen Currie, Montae Ellis. The Hawks have 2 choices: 1) grab a center, or 2) keep the current team and hope to get lucky with the matchups during the playoffs. Also, maybe they should start Pachulia, and put Marvin on the bench. Surely, Morris and Collins can bang up enough teams in the middle coming off the bench. If not, why are they there? Let’s Go Hawks…come on man!

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I wish people would stop telling the lie about us having a decent bench. Please . . . just stop.

I said on one of the Hawks blogs back in early January that NONE of our guys 7 – 12 would be a main rotational player on ANY of the current playoff teams. I’m talking about Zaza, Evans, Teague, Joe Smith, Collins West, and Morris. Not a single one of those guys could get playing time on one of the other 15 current playoff teams.

That’s how weak our bench is.

Just go through the box scores of past games, and look at the +/- numbers of our bench players. They almost ALWAYS post a negative number . . . even if we win.

Zaza was flat out horrible last night. And honestly, with him being a big man, we need for him to play somewhat decent.

Crawford had his worst 4th quarter ( offensively and defensively ) of the year. He took 9 threes ( missed 6 . . . including a big one he received from a JJ pass in the corner ).

Teague actually played well, especially at the end of the 3rd. But when everything started to fall apart, Woody subbed Teague for JJ.

Mario is Mario. No offense . . . while tries to play defense.

So I guess now we lost because Woody didn’t play Joe Smith or Mo Evans? Is that the reason now? Those guys have played sorry most of the year too ( especially Evans ). Evans has played so bad, that even the people that wat Marvin benched, don’t even cal for Evans taking his place.

This bench is sorry folks. If we played the bench more, we’d actually lose more games. But we have to play at least SOME of them. So if we can’t get expected production out of at least our 6th, 7th, and 8th men, it forces the starters ( mainly JJ ) to do that much more extra work.

We need 2 other guys on that bench, besides Crawford, to STEP UP and give us CONSISTENT play off the bench. One of them has to be a big man. The other has to be a guard. I don’t care which one it is . . . it needs to happen in order for Woody to properly play an 8 – 9 man rotation, without the team suffering.

Because last night, the minute JJ went to the bench to start the 4th, was the moment everything started coming apart. Meanwhile, the 3 bench guys of Golden St. ( Watson, Hunter, and Morrow ) were the ones who scored 13 of the first 15 points in the 4th quarter for Golden State.

And it’s been happening ALL YEAR, with the opposing team’s bench outplaying our bench and even some of our starters.

Check the game logs and the box scores. You’ll see exactly what I’m talking about.

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Longwinded to say the least. Broken down in section for the sake of your eyes…

Last night’s loss was one of the most frustrating in years. In spite of that, the Hawks remain an above-average team, but not much more than that. We have a lot of things going for us, but there are a host of deficiencies this team must address to take the next step, and a lot of it starts with leadership and lately, focus. Let’s start at the top:

The ASG-

These guys have been notorious for infighting ever since the whole Belkin dilemma, and it’s never been viewed as a good thing to have an ownership by committee. The Gearons seem to be the only members committed to providing a winning atmosphere in Atlanta, and that often goes hand in hand with getting support for the local team from the community, which has been paltry at best. It may seem contrite, but it is inexcusable that the Hawks’ only radio broadcast is on 790, a station that pretty much kills its bandwith after dusk. I live in the city limits and I can only pick up a scratchy reception. We’ve got some of the most enjoyable homer commentators around (Rathbun and Holman), but one of them is restricted to catering to an audience of about 1,000. Can we not get onboard with V-103? Ryno as a PA announcer is one of the few things the ASG has going for it in the way of garnering fan support. Last night was Exhibit A: a team with 15 wins has an arena twice as full and as raucous as any typically listless Philips crowd. We are a good team, and I’m sick of people coming out only to watch the guys on the other team play (i.e. LbJ, Kobe). Either way, it is evident that putting a winning team on the court (or on the rink) is a secondary concern to the entire ownership.

Sund-

This guy appears to know what he’s doing, but it’s a tall order to make what many would call genius moves, given what he’s got to work with (see above). The importance of acquiring Jamal in the offseason cannot be overstated, and nobody questioned the resignings of a few core players over the summer. Depth in the frontcourt is a constant concern, and Ilgauskas would definitely provide some extra interior presence (but of course, we’re not gonna get him because David Stern is going to do everything in his power to help his newest Crown Jewel aka King James make it to the Finals), not to mention invaluable insight on one of our chief conference foes.

Woody-

Like most people on this message board, I don’t agree that he is much of a coach in the way of X’s and O’s (nor does he do much from a motivational standpoint). That being said, it’s pretty tough to support firing a coach who has improved the team’s win total every year he’s been here. Our continuity as a team is what has gotten us here, and I like to think there’s nobody out there who knows the strengths and weaknesses of our core players better (although I question this often). This is where the issue with hitting the ceiling comes in. Woody seems like the only adjustments he is capable of making are follicly related. I can’t count how many times the Hawks have made a brainless error, and the camera cuts to Woody, arms folded with a dumbfounded stare on his face, saying absolutely nothing. We almost never have successful offensive trips on inbounds after timeouts, and our patterns of play are far too predictable, allowing any coach in the league to make the necessary adjustments after a little scouting. If we get bounced in the first round or have a second round showing similar to last year, you gotta think he’s on the outs…

Joe-

Personally, I don’t think there’s any question he’s still the best player on this team. He has the ability to create for himself, and his defensive prowess (and willingness) is often overlooked, especially with how much we ask out of him on the offensive end. The gripe on Joe remains his lack of vocal leadership. How much did his bashfulness stand out amongst every other (household name) starter in the Allstar game? He seems uncomfortable as a leader; like he is waiting for someone else to assert himself. It is his prerogative (and clearly in his nature) to remain silent at times when the team hits lulls, but if he wants us to advance any further than the experts are prognosticating, he’s got to come out of his shell and say something to get the team fired up every once in a while. It might be out of character for him, but he has to look at himself and ask why a gap still exists between himself and the superelite players in the league. There are times when it looks like he is about to break through, but he gets fired up and internalizes his emotions, resulting in him trying to take the game over on the offensive end. His teammates look up to him, and I’d like to think they would respond to the call if he got in their faces every once in a while.

Smoov-

I don’t list him ahead of Al solely because of his tenure; his attitude is a microcosm of the team’s state. When he is focused, playing within himself, and hustling night in and night out, the Hawks are playing their best basketball. When he doesn’t get a few calls, starts dribbling too much, hoists jump shots as the entire arena groans, his defense suffers, his attitude sours, and the team becomes infected with a false sense of being wronged in some way. Josh’s scowl is as telling as Woody’s Terri Schiavo stare, when it comes to identifying the state of the team in a snapshot. He is one of the most athletic players in the league, and when he harnesses his talents, he is capable of playing with anybody. As things stand now, he is the Andruw Jones of the Hawks: limitless defensive abilities, vast offensive potential, a questionable work ethic and a tendency to go for the home run at inopportune moments. Another parallel- Andruw’s strikeouts to Josh’s free throw woes.

Al-

Nobody on this team puts in a greater effort on a consistent basis more than Horford. Any scout in the league will tell you he’s gotten where he is now (an All-star) by outhustling his man and tirelessly honing the skills he’s been given. I’m increasingly impressed with the improvements of his offensive game. His jump shot gets better with each game, and he adds a move to his offensive repertoire every month. It is obvious he puts in work in the offseason and in practice, and he is emerging as the vocal leader I have long wished Joe would become. With a work ethic like his, the sky is the limit for Al, and he is the one player on our roster that I believe is truly indispensable.

The Bibbster-

Mike Bibby was the reason we made the playoffs two years ago. That was two years ago. He is not the same player he once was, but I don’t understand why he still hesitates to take open jump shots, as he is our third best shooter (behind two outstanding ones), and Joe is constantly double-teamed by his man, leaving him open for a kick-out three on the perimeter. His defense has become his achilles heel, as his age shows when younger, quicker guards beat him to the basket. As much as we abuse Joe minutes-wise, Bibby would benefit more than anybody from a reduced role. We need a healthy, rested Bibby as much as we need anybody in the playoffs, not to mention the betterment it would provide both Jeff Teague and the rest of the team if he were to get more reps with the first unit. His value to the team these days doesn’t extend much beyond his playoff experience and his shooting ability (which is restricted now to wide open looks off passes), but both are crucial.

Marvin-

Okay, so Marvin was picked a little too high at No. 2 overall a few years back (a little?!?!?!). We drafted him based purely on upside; he wasn’t even a starter at UNC. Needless to say, the pick hasn’t materialized the way management had hoped, but even more disheartening to see is how Marvin has regressed based on improvements he made before last year. He’s less confident with his jumpers, maybe because he gets less looks, and his defensive game sags when he struggles on offense, a trait that the whole team is frequently guilty of adopting. Marvin is still a young and athletic basketball talent (23), but his lack of confidence this year has affected too many assets of his game. More than anybody Woody needs to light a fire under Marv’s butt (doubtful) to get him to work a little harder to earn back the trust of his teammates. I wouldn’t be surprised to see his game blossom in another system, or perhaps even under new coaching. Although it feels like we haven’t seen it at all this year, he’s still capable of being a go-to guy on offense and a solid defensive stopper, if he ever gets his swagger back.

JamCraw-

Aside from the uncharacteristically boneheaded “T” (that should not have been called, but still) that changed the complexion of last night’s game, it’s hard to find much negative to say about the Sixth Man of the Year. Jamal is one of the few players who goes out there every night with something to prove, more than likely a result of never having been to the postseason. He’s the least afraid (and most qualified) to take the big shot in the fourth quarter, and he’s close to automatic when he gets an open look. Like Joe, he can create off the dribble, and he can score from anywhere on the court. Due to his quickness, he’s a better defensive stopper than Bibby, and he forces teams to respect another pure scorer when paired with JJ in the backcourt. It’d be great to see him get involved in more pick ‘n rolls with Smoov. If Josh’s guy hedges, which he has to, that gives us a major mismatch with Josh down low, depending on who is guarding Jamal.

Zaza-

Everyone in the NBA knows what Mr. Pachulia’s role with the Hawks is: ruthless enforcer. His fearless attitude has endeared him to the fans here in Atlanta, and he is second on the team only to Smoov when it comes to getting the Highlight Factory involved. You can tell he goes out there every night with the intention of leaving everything on the floor. However, his role has definitely diminished offensively this season, and he’s been plagued with the Marvin syndrome of being less confident with the ball. Zaza is relentless on the glass, and if he could just be stronger with the ball in his hands and not put it on the floor, he’d get a ton of garbage buckets in his limited PT. When he’s out there with the first unit, it’s obvious a lot of the guys aren’t comfortable giving him the ball, even when he’s got a clear path to the hoop, but Zaza has to show that refusal to be denied when he gets the ball, instead of hesitating, then panicking, then turning it over out of bounds. He’s got a decent short range jumper, and teams would have to respect that and box out other guys when we go big with him, Smoov, and Al out there. Compared with the talent level of the rest of the bench big men, Zaza is a solid player who gets maximizes what tools he has, and refuses to be outworked.

Mo-

Mo is having a bit of an identity crisis this year. I thought him and Flip more than compensated for the departure of J-Chill to Greece, as Flip surpassed Chill’s offensive output, and Mo was just as versatile on the defensive end and on the boards. Even though I’ve seen him do it 100 times, I’m always surprised to see how quickly Mo can elevate to the basket and finish. I’d love to see him lower his head the way Smoov does (as he is a better dribbler and in much more control) and take the ball to the rack once a game. He’s also got a pretty good outside stroke that teams have to deal with when we’ve got other shooters on the court. After writing these profiles for the last few players, it appears there is a recurring theme that is an aftereffect of Woody’s reluctance to go to our supposedly strengthened bench (besides Jamal): lack of confidence. Like Marvin and Zaza, Mo seems more content to swing the ball around when he’s got decent looks, because he fears his playing time may suffer if he makes a bad play or forces one up every once in a while. When he does have an opportunity that’s too good to pass up, it’s like he deflates when it doesn’t turn out how it should, because he knows he’s going to get yanked. It is outrageous that he didn’t get in the game last night, as he can contribute in various ways on both ends of the court.

Jeff Teague-

I haven’t been as high on Teague as everyone else seems to be on this message board, but he really looked good last night. There’s no question he’s an explosive guard with great quickness and defensive skills, he just sometimes plays a little outside of his game and tries to do too much. I like the fact that he is trying to prove himself, but it’d be much more prudent of him to drive and dish than try to finish at the rim (which he can do at times). He’s definitely a step up from Bibby defensively, as his youth allows him to stay in front of some of the better blow-by guards in the league, but he still has a lot to learn. You rarely see him on help D, and he needs to figure out (like he did last night) that he is in the game to push the tempo, but not to play out of control. There is more potential in Jeff than there was in Acie IMHO, but he’s going to be another squandered pick if we don’t focus on developing his good habits and weaning him of the bad ones. Playing time would benefit him tremendously, as it would our 7th and 8th men.

Joe Smith-

Our best offensive option off the bench among big men. Also provides very necessary playoff experience. I’m hoping Woody is keeping him fresh for when we need him in the stretch run (and that Joe “senses” it), as I have a feeling he will contribute more than he has thus far. His age shows on the defensive end, as he has trouble matching up against the inside-outside PFs of the league. Like Mo, Joe should be seeing more playing time when some of our bigs get into foul trouble. He’s a smart player who knows his job, and is going to make everyone around him a little better. It’s hard for a guy to do much though when he’s forced to spend his time chillin with Wally Blaze and Larry Drew.

Gandalf Morris-

One of the greatest mysteries of our time. Once considered a virtual equal to Dwight Howard during his days at Landmark Christian, Randolph has never materialized, and doesn’t look like he’s making any strides. He was a solid player at UK, but his game has hardly translated to the NBA. He always seems like he is out of place when he’s out on the court, and he pours in as many fouls as he does field goals. Once in a blue moon, Randolph may have a nice up-and-under or show some flash of offensive adeptness, but his only real duty is to play physical D against the other team’s second unit big.

Jason Collins-

If Shaq is still Superman, he’s our kryptonite. That one series of plays against Cleveland a couple of months back was by far Jason’s most impressive performance. He is far-removed from his days at Stanford and starting over Deke for the NBA Finals Nets, but he is still a little more than a massive figure at the end of the bench. Regardless, like any tested veteran he has value in the postseason, and his big(ger) body has been proven effective against Shaquille in the deep post.

Mario West-

When I said way back when that nobody puts in more work than Horford, Mario may be the lone exception. Just look at what he has done to get to the league and still be here, after walking on at Tech. To be frank, Mario is not used enough. He is a defensive stopper who will shamelessly harass the stars of the league like a one-man Paparazzi. When we play the D-Wades and Kobes and even LeBrons of the league, I don’t see why we don’t put Mario on them for just five minutes a game and tell him “you don’t leave him, not even on offense. I want you to tell me what kind of gum he’s chewing and when it’s lost it’s flavor.” He is an absolute pest who could wear down a team’s best offensive weapon before the stretch run. Nowadays, Woody doesn’t even sub him in for the ceremonial 8 seconds before the end of the quarter. Mario’s also probably the second best athlete on the team to Smoov.

So what do we need to fix: For this season, it’s the mental lapses that we are virtually guaranteed to go through at least once a game. I’ve heard it often, but the Hawks have no real killer instinct. When the game is about to be put out of reach, that’s when they have to step on the other team’s throat and let them know that they won’t let up until the final whistle. In reality, I don’t see this happening as long as Mike Woodson is our coach. I don’t doubt Woody is a nice guy and an okay coach, but our team has taken on his relaxed demeanor at times when we should be as urgent as ever. If we want to lay any sort of claim to being one of the elites in the East, we have to want it more than the other teams that have already proven themselves, and I don’t think we even want it as much as those guys. I believe that we are as talented as anybody in the league, but with the exception of a few players, our hearts aren’t in it.

In the future, it all starts with ownership. As much as it is a bastardization of the tenets we have always been told are necessary to succeed in sports, pro sports is invariably a business, and the guys in charge can obstruct any amount of talent and desire to win by withholding some essential elements.

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Last night’s loss was one of the most frustrating in years. In spite of that, the Hawks remain an above-average team, but not much more than that. We have a lot of things going for us, but there are a host of deficiencies this team must address to take the next step, and a lot of it starts with leadership and lately, focus. Let’s start at the top:

The ASG-

These guys have been notorious for infighting ever since the whole Belkin dilemma, and it’s never been viewed as a good thing to have an ownership by committee. The Gearons seem to be the only members committed to providing a winning atmosphere in Atlanta, and that often goes hand in hand with getting support for the local team from the community, which has been paltry at best. It may seem contrite, but it is inexcusable that the Hawks’ only radio broadcast is on 790, a station that pretty much kills its bandwith after dusk. I live in the city limits and I can only pick up a scratchy reception. We’ve got some of the most enjoyable homer commentators around (Rathbun and Holman), but one of them is restricted to catering to an audience of about 1,000. Can we not get onboard with V-103? Ryno as a PA announcer is one of the few things the ASG has going for it in the way of garnering fan support. Last night was Exhibit A: a team with 15 wins has an arena twice as full and as raucous as any typically listless Philips crowd. We are a good team, and I’m sick of people coming out only to watch the guys on the other team play (i.e. LbJ, Kobe). Either way, it is evident that putting a winning team on the court (or on the rink) is a secondary concern to the entire ownership.

Sund-

This guy appears to know what he’s doing, but it’s a tall order to make what many would call genius moves, given what he’s got to work with (see above). The importance of acquiring Jamal in the offseason cannot be overstated, and nobody questioned the resignings of a few core players over the summer. Depth in the frontcourt is a constant concern, and Ilgauskas would definitely provide some extra interior presence (but of course, we’re not gonna get him because David Stern is going to do everything in his power to help his newest Crown Jewel aka King James make it to the Finals), not to mention invaluable insight on one of our chief conference foes.

Woody-

Like most people on this message board, I don’t agree that he is much of a coach in the way of X’s and O’s (nor does he do much from a motivational standpoint). That being said, it’s pretty tough to support firing a coach who has improved the team’s win total every year he’s been here. Our continuity as a team is what has gotten us here, and I like to think there’s nobody out there who knows the strengths and weaknesses of our core players better (although I question this often). This is where the issue with hitting the ceiling comes in. Woody seems like the only adjustments he is capable of making are follicly related. I can’t count how many times the Hawks have made a brainless error, and the camera cuts to Woody, arms folded with a dumbfounded stare on his face, saying absolutely nothing. We almost never have successful offensive trips on inbounds after timeouts, and our patterns of play are far too predictable, allowing any coach in the league to make the necessary adjustments after a little scouting. If we get bounced in the first round or have a second round showing similar to last year, you gotta think he’s on the outs…

Joe-

Personally, I don’t think there’s any question he’s still the best player on this team. He has the ability to create for himself, and his defensive prowess (and willingness) is often overlooked, especially with how much we ask out of him on the offensive end. The gripe on Joe remains his lack of vocal leadership. How much did his bashfulness stand out amongst every other (household name) starter in the Allstar game? He seems uncomfortable as a leader; like he is waiting for someone else to assert himself. It is his prerogative (and clearly in his nature) to remain silent at times when the team hits lulls, but if he wants us to advance any further than the experts are prognosticating, he’s got to come out of his shell and say something to get the team fired up every once in a while. It might be out of character for him, but he has to look at himself and ask why a gap still exists between himself and the superelite players in the league. There are times when it looks like he is about to break through, but he gets fired up and internalizes his emotions, resulting in him trying to take the game over on the offensive end. His teammates look up to him, and I’d like to think they would respond to the call if he got in their faces every once in a while.

Smoov-

I don’t list him ahead of Al solely because of his tenure; his attitude is a microcosm of the team’s state. When he is focused, playing within himself, and hustling night in and night out, the Hawks are playing their best basketball. When he doesn’t get a few calls, starts dribbling too much, hoists jump shots as the entire arena groans, his defense suffers, his attitude sours, and the team becomes infected with a false sense of being wronged in some way. Josh’s scowl is as telling as Woody’s Terri Schiavo stare, when it comes to identifying the state of the team in a snapshot. He is one of the most athletic players in the league, and when he harnesses his talents, he is capable of playing with anybody. As things stand now, he is the Andruw Jones of the Hawks: limitless defensive abilities, vast offensive potential, a questionable work ethic and a tendency to go for the home run at inopportune moments. Another parallel- Andruw’s strikeouts to Josh’s free throw woes.

Al-

Nobody on this team puts in a greater effort on a consistent basis more than Horford. Any scout in the league will tell you he’s gotten where he is now (an All-star) by outhustling his man and tirelessly honing the skills he’s been given. I’m increasingly impressed with the improvements of his offensive game. His jump shot gets better with each game, and he adds a move to his offensive repertoire every month. It is obvious he puts in work in the offseason and in practice, and he is emerging as the vocal leader I have long wished Joe would become. With a work ethic like his, the sky is the limit for Al, and he is the one player on our roster that I believe is truly indispensable.

The Bibbster-

Mike Bibby was the reason we made the playoffs two years ago. That was two years ago. He is not the same player he once was, but I don’t understand why he still hesitates to take open jump shots, as he is our third best shooter (behind two outstanding ones), and Joe is constantly double-teamed by his man, leaving him open for a kick-out three on the perimeter. His defense has become his achilles heel, as his age shows when younger, quicker guards beat him to the basket. As much as we abuse Joe minutes-wise, Bibby would benefit more than anybody from a reduced role. We need a healthy, rested Bibby as much as we need anybody in the playoffs, not to mention the betterment it would provide both Jeff Teague and the rest of the team if he were to get more reps with the first unit. His value to the team these days doesn’t extend much beyond his playoff experience and his shooting ability (which is restricted now to wide open looks off passes), but both are crucial.

Marvin-

Okay, so Marvin was picked a little too high at No. 2 overall a few years back (a little?!?!?!). We drafted him based purely on upside; he wasn’t even a starter at UNC. Needless to say, the pick hasn’t materialized the way management had hoped, but even more disheartening to see is how Marvin has regressed based on improvements he made before last year. He’s less confident with his jumpers, maybe because he gets less looks, and his defensive game sags when he struggles on offense, a trait that the whole team is frequently guilty of adopting. Marvin is still a young and athletic basketball talent (23), but his lack of confidence this year has affected too many assets of his game. More than anybody Woody needs to light a fire under Marv’s butt (doubtful) to get him to work a little harder to earn back the trust of his teammates. I wouldn’t be surprised to see his game blossom in another system, or perhaps even under new coaching. Although it feels like we haven’t seen it at all this year, he’s still capable of being a go-to guy on offense and a solid defensive stopper, if he ever gets his swagger back.

JamCraw-

Aside from the uncharacteristically boneheaded “T” (that should not have been called, but still) that changed the complexion of last night’s game, it’s hard to find much negative to say about the Sixth Man of the Year. Jamal is one of the few players who goes out there every night with something to prove, more than likely a result of never having been to the postseason. He’s the least afraid (and most qualified) to take the big shot in the fourth quarter, and he’s close to automatic when he gets an open look. Like Joe, he can create off the dribble, and he can score from anywhere on the court. Due to his quickness, he’s a better defensive stopper than Bibby, and he forces teams to respect another pure scorer when paired with JJ in the backcourt. It’d be great to see him get involved in more pick ‘n rolls with Smoov. If Josh’s guy hedges, which he has to, that gives us a major mismatch with Josh down low, depending on who is guarding Jamal.

Zaza-

Everyone in the NBA knows what Mr. Pachulia’s role with the Hawks is: ruthless enforcer. His fearless attitude has endeared him to the fans here in Atlanta, and he is second on the team only to Smoov when it comes to getting the Highlight Factory involved. You can tell he goes out there every night with the intention of leaving everything on the floor. However, his role has definitely diminished offensively this season, and he’s been plagued with the Marvin syndrome of being less confident with the ball. Zaza is relentless on the glass, and if he could just be stronger with the ball in his hands and not put it on the floor, he’d get a ton of garbage buckets in his limited PT. When he’s out there with the first unit, it’s obvious a lot of the guys aren’t comfortable giving him the ball, even when he’s got a clear path to the hoop, but Zaza has to show that refusal to be denied when he gets the ball, instead of hesitating, then panicking, then turning it over out of bounds. He’s got a decent short range jumper, and teams would have to respect that and box out other guys when we go big with him, Smoov, and Al out there. Compared with the talent level of the rest of the bench big men, Zaza is a solid player who gets maximizes what tools he has, and refuses to be outworked.

Mo-

Mo is having a bit of an identity crisis this year. I thought him and Flip more than compensated for the departure of J-Chill to Greece, as Flip surpassed Chill’s offensive output, and Mo was just as versatile on the defensive end and on the boards. Even though I’ve seen him do it 100 times, I’m always surprised to see how quickly Mo can elevate to the basket and finish. I’d love to see him lower his head the way Smoov does (as he is a better dribbler and in much more control) and take the ball to the rack once a game. He’s also got a pretty good outside stroke that teams have to deal with when we’ve got other shooters on the court. After writing these profiles for the last few players, it appears there is a recurring theme that is an aftereffect of Woody’s reluctance to go to our supposedly strengthened bench (besides Jamal): lack of confidence. Like Marvin and Zaza, Mo seems more content to swing the ball around when he’s got decent looks, because he fears his playing time may suffer if he makes a bad play or forces one up every once in a while. When he does have an opportunity that’s too good to pass up, it’s like he deflates when it doesn’t turn out how it should, because he knows he’s going to get yanked. It is outrageous that he didn’t get in the game last night, as he can contribute in various ways on both ends of the court.

Jeff Teague-

I haven’t been as high on Teague as everyone else seems to be on this message board, but he really looked good last night. There’s no question he’s an explosive guard with great quickness and defensive skills, he just sometimes plays a little outside of his game and tries to do too much. I like the fact that he is trying to prove himself, but it’d be much more prudent of him to drive and dish than try to finish at the rim (which he can do at times). He’s definitely a step up from Bibby defensively, as his youth allows him to stay in front of some of the better blow-by guards in the league, but he still has a lot to learn. You rarely see him on help D, and he needs to figure out (like he did last night) that he is in the game to push the tempo, but not to play out of control. There is more potential in Jeff than there was in Acie IMHO, but he’s going to be another squandered pick if we don’t focus on developing his good habits and weaning him of the bad ones. Playing time would benefit him tremendously, as it would our 7th and 8th men.

Joe Smith-

Our best offensive option off the bench among big men. Also provides very necessary playoff experience. I’m hoping Woody is keeping him fresh for when we need him in the stretch run (and that Joe “senses” it), as I have a feeling he will contribute more than he has thus far. His age shows on the defensive end, as he has trouble matching up against the inside-outside PFs of the league. Like Mo, Joe should be seeing more playing time when some of our bigs get into foul trouble. He’s a smart player who knows his job, and is going to make everyone around him a little better. It’s hard for a guy to do much though when he’s forced to spend his time chillin with Wally Blaze and Larry Drew.

Gandalf Morris-

One of the greatest mysteries of our time. Once considered a virtual equal to Dwight Howard during his days at Landmark Christian, Randolph has never materialized, and doesn’t look like he’s making any strides. He was a solid player at UK, but his game has hardly translated to the NBA. He always seems like he is out of place when he’s out on the court, and he pours in as many fouls as he does field goals. Once in a blue moon, Randolph may have a nice up-and-under or show some flash of offensive adeptness, but his only real duty is to play physical D against the other team’s second unit big.

Jason Collins-

If Shaq is still Superman, he’s our kryptonite. That one series of plays against Cleveland a couple of months back was by far Jason’s most impressive performance. He is far-removed from his days at Stanford and starting over Deke for the NBA Finals Nets, but he is still a little more than a massive figure at the end of the bench. Regardless, like any tested veteran he has value in the postseason, and his big(ger) body has been proven effective against Shaquille in the deep post.

Mario West-

When I said way back when that nobody puts in more work than Horford, Mario may be the lone exception. Just look at what he has done to get to the league and still be here, after walking on at Tech. To be frank, Mario is not used enough. He is a defensive stopper who will shamelessly harass the stars of the league like a one-man Paparazzi. When we play the D-Wades and Kobes and even LeBrons of the league, I don’t see why we don’t put Mario on them for just five minutes a game and tell him “you don’t leave him, not even on offense. I want you to tell me what kind of gum he’s chewing and when it’s lost it’s flavor.” He is an absolute pest who could wear down a team’s best offensive weapon before the stretch run. Nowadays, Woody doesn’t even sub him in for the ceremonial 8 seconds before the end of the quarter. Mario’s also probably the second best athlete on the team to Smoov.

So what do we need to fix: For this season, it’s the mental lapses that we are virtually guaranteed to go through at least once a game. I’ve heard it often, but the Hawks have no real killer instinct. When the game is about to be put out of reach, that’s when they have to step on the other team’s throat and let them know that they won’t let up until the final whistle. In reality, I don’t see this happening as long as Mike Woodson is our coach. I don’t doubt Woody is a nice guy and an okay coach, but our team has taken on his relaxed demeanor at times when we should be as urgent as ever. If we want to lay any sort of claim to being one of the elites in the East, we have to want it more than the other teams that have already proven themselves, and I don’t think we even want it as much as those guys. I believe that we are as talented as anybody in the league, but with the exception of a few players, our hearts aren’t in it.

In the future, it all starts with ownership. As much as it is a bastardization of the tenets we have always been told are necessary to succeed in sports, pro sports is invariably a business, and the guys in charge can obstruct any amount of talent and desire to win by withholding some essential elements.

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I think the Hawks ran into the rookie of the year in Stephen Curry (13 for 18) and weren’t prepared. Curry has been a 30 point scorer since Ellis was injured. Now that they are both playing, GS is an offensive machine at guard. Chalk this one up to bad scouting against a team nobody ever sees play

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I just wish we could sign Ivano Newbill to a 10-day…

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Why are you fans expectations so high? It takes time to build a championship. As soon as Marvin, who I entrusted with a 5 year 40 million dollar contract, comes around we will definitely WIN ONE OR TWO GAMES IN THE SECOND ROUND.

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Tony, I appreciate your concern but a REAL fan wouldn’t criticize the team. We are meeting our standard. We have the POTENTIAL and the UPSIDE to get to the East Finals. As long we have Mike Bibby, who I gave a 3 year 18 million dollar contract to, as our floor general we will be alright. We have a GREAT OFFENSIVE SCHEME in place and don’t worry JOSH will hit that GAME TYING THREE POINTER SOMEDAY. Tony all we need you to do is come and support us for CHIK FILA FAMILY NIGHT.

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phony az sund wanna be looooooool @tony 4 believin its him

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Yes, the Hawks have hit a wall. It’s called the SOS wall (Same old Sh…). On this wall are the usual problems:

1) Leadership. Joe doesn’t provide enough of it, Bibby has lost his ability/desire to provide it, and Horford is only a third year player, so too many of these “older” guys aren’t listening to him at all.

2) Woodson has a vested and painstaking interest in the defense. He is far from having the same attitude about the offense. Good coaching comes on both sides of the ball. This is why he made an excellent assistant, but cannot take a team to higher levels as a head coach. The solution is to either get a better and more balanced head coach (not so easy), or get a very well-versed-in offense assistant coach….then let him do his job unimpeded (easier solution).

3) The locker room is divided. As much as we don’t want to think this, it’s becoming more and more apparent. It’s not split in a way that you see on bad teams, but it IS split. Don’t ask me to prove it, just watch games and pay attention to post-game quotes.

4) Woody lets his veteran guards do as they please, mostly on offense. Sorry Woody, but they still need some guidance. And while JJ is a damn good player, he’s not Kobe…who, by the way, still needed guidance.

5) Woody always knows what went wrong AFTER the game. He never knows what’s going wrong (or rather, how to fix it) DURING the game. His post-game comments following a loss are absolute contrition. But they do nothing for the win-loss column, or the continuation of the same bad habits game after game, after game, after game…

6) Josh Smith and Al Horford can be having the game of their lives. In the 4th quarter, the guards will begin shooting and stop sharing the ball. Sorry for die-hard JJ fans, but he’s the worst about this (though Jamal can be a close second). By the time they realize shots aren’t going down, and they start passing the ball…it’s too late. Here is the residual effect:

When the “ball-hogging” starts, the other players automatically begin to sour on the idea of hustling, rebounding, and playing tough defense. As a result, the missed shots turn into scoring opportunities for the other team, while we continue to NOT score. This is how we lose big leads. Players who are doing well on offense (particularly Josh and Al) recognize the formula every time: Joe and Co start chucking up shots, and it is hard to maintain intensity on the other end of the floor while the big men are 1) Not getting the ball, and 2) Constantly having to try and defend the guards who are penetrating at will against OUR guards. You know, the ones who are hogging the ball. If your teammates are doing that, how well would YOU play?

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Northcyde ,

If you were blacklisted, then nobody would know who you were, as none of your posts would ever make it to the blog pages. Sorry to ruin your cross-climbing adventure…

Our bench is sorry, eh? I love these arguments. I keep waiting for explanations of why it is that bench players perform well early in a game, then never make it back into that game for the rest of the night.

Explain why Woodson stated two years ago that he alone shortened his rotation all year long, and he fought his assistant coaches on this issue all year long. And that was when our bench looked much worse than it does now. I can understand if this is an inconvenient fact…

I like the whole thing about “our bench players couldn’t crack the rotation on other top teams”. Really? Which crytal ball told you that? Our bench is sorry because they don’t play. Force them to perform, and they will. Or they will get shipped out. And as I recall, it was Woody who endorsed bringing back guys like Zaza and what not. It was Woody who endorsed the roster we have now, saying all the pieces were there.

Don’t you just hate it when the guy you’re so adamant about defending, keeps opening his mouth and making you look crazy? ;0

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“these illiterate and often degenerate beasts”

Larry, those are college men you’re talking about there. If not for the wondrous opportunity to reach for the stars with the benefits of higher education, they would probably be sanitation workers. Or ballplayers.

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All of those comments about the bench playing more, and look what they did in a mere 3 – 4 minutes of playing time in that 2nd quarter. That was basically our 2nd unit vs their 2nd unit . . . and we got ran completely off the damn floor.

16 – 2 run in a 4 minute timespan?

Yet, some of you are asking why doesn’t Woody play more of the bench?

Cause they suck, that’s why.

The more Woody subbed in that 1st half, the smaller the lead got. Then when Woody put the entire unit in to rest the starters, the entire thing just fell apart.

Then the CAPTAIN comes right back in the game, and continued to carry this team on his back. Thanks to the starters, and Crawford making a few threes, we now lead by 3 at halftime.

Now you tell me . . . . who should Woody put back in that game in the 2nd half?

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GA native & lifelong Hawks fan living in the Bay Area. I went to the game, and we looked completely lost in the 4th quarter. Offense stagnant and relied on Joe too much. Soooo disappointing. But looky here, we just beat Utah, who was 17-2 lately. That makes up for my disappointment.

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Hit a wall, MB? What do you have to say now that we went into Utah and won there for the first time since ‘93?? Yeah, the Jazz were missing key players, but they were still the hottest team in the league coming into this one and have been dominant at home… Bouncing back from that epic 4th quarter collapse last night with a huge win tonight shows nothing but character. This ain’t the same Hawks we’ve seen over the last decade. And they have not a hit a wall. They’re just getting going.

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Hey Mark, Haaa Haa.

If the Hawks had won the night before your article would have been entitled “Does this Hawks team have a ceiling?”.

Stay fickle my friend.

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Mr Bradley, what was your opinion of our bench tonight?

Big Ray . . . how about some commentary from you sir? (( holding mic in your face )) . . . What did you think about our bench tonight?

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The Hawks have NOT hit a wall (which is evidence by their steller win against the Jazz), but the Hawks need a gut check and an attitude check. On some nights, the Hawks seem to have a sort of swagger that they will beat you down, then on other nights (like the Golden State game) there is a complete lack of effort, which was evidenced in the sloppy play and mishandling of loose balls. The Hawks may not have been credited with a lot of turnovers in that first quarter against G.S. but the Hawks surely should have led by more than 1 point after the first and second quarters. The Hawks SHOULD HAVE LED G.S. AT half-time by 40 points. THAT WOULD HAVE ASSURED A VICTORY. As I mentioned previously, the Hawks should make two changes to their starting lineup. Start Teague(the rookie) and find out what he can bring in 30 minutes of play. Also start Jamal Crawford for christs sakes since he has earned it. Sit down Bibby or Marvin and let Jamal start so that we will have more scoring punch throughout the game. Those are the only changes I would make. Bibby is washed up and “Starvin” Marvin should not be starting.

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Despite the Hawks recent problems, thankfully they are still only 2 games out of first place in the southeast division behind Orlando, DEFINITELY STRIKING DISTANCE. Orlando has not been able to pull away in the division, so the division is still up for grabs. Lets hope the Hawks can wrestle the division title away from the Magic. When a team wins a division, (DEFINITELY A HUGE ACCOMPLISHMENT); an NBA title usually is not too far behind or not out of the realm of possibility. In my experience as a fan, a team that wins a division usually is capable of winning a world title. So you can see the Hawks are on the brink of greatness! Its up to Mike Woodsen and the Hawks team to navigate great decisions from here on and it might be the diffence between 1)-[just another ho-hum season] OR 2)-[the Hawks hoisting the Larry O'Brien trophy] as world champions at the end of the season in June. As a solid, excited, passionate, knowledgeable Hawks fan I’m hoping the Hawks are closer to the second choice.

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I think the Hawks SHOULD go after Ilgauskas. If the Hawks manage to sign him, WOULDNT IT BE IRONIC IF ILGAUSKAS HELPED THE HAWKS TO WIN THE EASTERN CONFERENCE TITLE AGAINST HIS FORMER TEAM (CAVS). Additionally, if that happened it might catapault the HULKS INTO THE FINALS POSSIBLY AGAINST LAKERS OR DENVER. Then if the Hawks eventually go on to win the title, I know this would not sit well with LaBron James. I know Im getting ahead of myself, but I am delighted that the Hawks are not just standing pat and accepting mediocrity.

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