Update: Hawks are given permission to interview Casey

GREAT !! Hope they sign him soon. Thanks for info Mark.

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[...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Mark Bradley and Eric M. Dye, Eric Dye. Eric Dye said: RT @MarkBradleyAJC: The New York Daily News calls Dwane Casey the "favorite" for the Atlanta Hawks' coaching job. http://bit.ly/bstQry [...]

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Thanks for the update Mark. I am hopeful that the next coach can be an offensive and defensive strategist, or at least have the self-assuredness to have trusted go-to assistants for those areas.

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I just wish we had hired him in ‘04.

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Mark, you think I can get the job done?

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We need a coach that would be wiiling to stand up to our squad full of spoiled, brattish millionaires? Someone who is not scared of making the necessary moves to get this team to actually play like a team. Who cares if he’s good with players, can he get the players to play good is the real question.
Look at the teams left in the playoffs, they all have coaches that get their respective teams to respond to their coaching.
Just my thought.

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Actually, MB, does anyone know what Avery’s contract demands would be?
Is he that high-priced?

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Avery would not be a good fit for our team hes a good coach but we dont need him!

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Dwade? How about in prime Shaq, Posey, Mourning. Anyway, Casey didn’t do a bad job considering the talent he had in Minny. Hindsight shows how many career backup players that were actually starting for him. Mchale should have fired himself.

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How about Laimbeer? We need a guy to teach our guys some toughness and intensity and there was nobody better at that than Laimbeer. I would to bring him on board with Mahorn and Salley as assistants.

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casey would be a great addition to the hawks. they would be able to add crawford and teague to the starting lineup and he’d relegate bibby to a back up (which i am certain he will be comfortable with). now the hawks need to find a replacement for the aged joe smith to help with their frontcourt issues. the next season will find the hawks playing for the eastern conference championship (regardless what that boob in cleveland does).

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I would veto the “Salley as an assistant” call, though.

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If Casey was fired so unjustly in Minnesota, why is he just now getting another crack at a head coaching gig?

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Jerry Maguire: not caring what people think seemed to be Billy Knight’s modus operandi, as well. And he wanted to win, too. Be careful what you wish for.

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Casey could be a fine ass’t to Kevin Loughery for a couple of years and then eased into the head coaching job like Jim Mora was in Seattle. (With better results, hopefully).

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MB,
You actually SAW a WNBA game?
Live?
In person?
Wow.

We got next!

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He just turned 70, but he’s sharp as a Clyde Frazier-on-a-road-trip-3-piece-suit.

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Bring back Mike Woodson…………not

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Mark Bradley what kind of offense do casey run

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Nice work of the “not” joke, UGA111111.

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I stand corrected by my first statement…..

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He is a sharp dresser, his beard is not weird, and he can always get some play from Miss Hotty.

zzzzzzzzzzzz

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There’s likely not a chance in the world he’d jump for this ludicrous Hawk’s ownership and imbecile run city government of Atlanta but I throw the best possible offer to the best college coach since John Wooten and a man who just coming off his latest NCAA title would clearly command the player’s respect and attention…Mike Krzyzewski.

Maybe we could get lucky and he wants a new challenge before he walks away from it all?

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this guy ?

why dont we just bring in Dominique Wilkins to coach.

We would get about the same results.

thats pathetic

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I agree with some of the things Dookie said. We can never pull any names here that are known and proven like Avery, It’s frustrating.Someone please find an owner for us who will spend the money necessary for us to be a contender! Especially how are team is made up now, we can probably get any coach we want because we’re a playoff team already, yet we go for sub 500 coaches….

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Pick and rolls sounds good to me i forgot how that look being ran in a hawks uniform. Thanks Mark

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Hopefully he will crack the whip and focus Josh Smith so he can be a force like a Garnett. Hopefully he will make Marvin into a solid offensive option. Team won’t get past Orlando without a big man or someone who can take over a game in crunch time and will this team to victory.

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Okay, Mark. I believe in giving people a chance, because I’m truly impressed with Doc Rivers’ performance. I didn’t see the level of success that he’s achieved coming so soon. So, Casey deserves further thought. Thanks!

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I think Mike Brown is about to be canned as Cavs coach – how about him? Could do the ol’ Houston Nutt thing – I don’t think he is a bad coach.

By the way, ESPN thinks a lot of Woody – one of the best play drawers during a timeout according to league consensus the say – wow!

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@Steve: I read that ESPN article as well and nearly choked on my muffin. What drunken scouts did they talk to?

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Also, if woody beat him out of the job.. what does that say about Casey?

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Mark, does this mean the players will now be paid in cash, mailed to them in envelopes?

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Same DAILY NEWS article MB provided also says the Hawks are up for sale. Maybe there is hope for some deeper pockets after all….(and let’s hope we can keep them here rather than Vegas or Seattle).

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Mark, I think your probably right – if you can’t win with LeBron, Shaq, Antwan Jameson etc., probably not going to win with the Hawks – just tossing names out – hope Casey does great if he gets it, but looking for more of a proven guy (not Kevin Loughery or Mike Fratello) – not sure the right guys out there…..How about Scott Skiles since he outcoached Woody in that 1st round?

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Hmmm, hiring a coach that has never gotten a team to the playoffs after not re-resigning a coach whose teams at least got into the playoffs. Gonna be a long couple of winless years.

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Seems like, from a familiarity standpoint, that Casey’s candidacy has a leg up on everyone else.
Sund knows him from SEA, management knows him from being a previous candidate in ‘04. Only folks that don’t know him are the players on the current roster.
Also, seems like his salary demands would be more in-line with ASGs slot for the job vs. a candidate w/previous HC experience.
we shall see.

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I am not quite sure that anyone would call this a “Championship hire” or that Casey would be confused with Phil Jackson. I thought the whole point of firing Woody was to instill an attitude that a second round sweep was not enough. Does hiring a guy who is “familiar” with Sund sound like going through a process of interviewing the best, or just taking the cheap way out?

I couldn’t tell you the first thing about Casey, it just seems that this organization is not willing to fully commit to taking the Hawks to the next level. If this is a sign of things to come, Joe Johnson is probably gone and the Spirit will go on the cheap to find his replacement.

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You don’t have to win games to make money in this league.
Blow it up and start from scratch.
Again.

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Casey doesn’t strike me as being any real improvement over Woodson. Woodson is a “good basketball man who’s good with players” too. The whole point of this coaching change is to get someone who will take the Hawks farther than their current level, and Casey doesn’t strike me as being that guy.

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Jeff Schultz wrote and article that claimed the Hawks had raised the bar. Going to the second round of the playoffs was not acceptable anymore. I couldn’t agree with him more. So, if that be the case, would Dwane Casey really be the guy who could get the Hawks to the next round? We do not need a coach who is going to come in and take 2-3 years to get us back to the playoffs. The Hawks have had way too many rebuilding years.

Let Johnson go. Give Crawford a substantial raise and then give the rest of the money to Bosh. All we need then is a coach who has been there before. Laimbeer or Byron Scott would be my choices.

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Mr. Bradley, I’m officially a Georgia Tech grad. Just thought I’d throw that in there.

Haven’t posted on the blogs as of late, but I’m sure I’ll be here with the Hawks’ search for a new head coach.

Never saw you in section 303 this year. Would have bought you a beer, man. I was up there with my season tickets cheering “OFFENSE!” as much as I was “DEFENSE!”. We sure could have used some offense in that Orlando series.

Oh, and as you would say…. “KUDOS” to your picking Casey for the HC job. He still hasn’t been signed, though.

Do you want to keep JJ?

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Mr. Bradley, I keep looking at this Boston/Orlando series and thinking “what could have been” if somehow the Hawks got to play Boston in this series. Orlando was the absolute worst match up for us. They’re not knocking down shots all of a sudden and Howard isn’t shooting 85%. Weird.

I think JJ should be signed, but not at the max…he’s not a max player, and it’ll cripple this team financially if he forces the Spirit to sign him for $90+ million.

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Mr. Bradley, you know as well as all of us here that Woodson lost his players at the worst time (the playoffs). Some coaches (Del Negro in Chicago) lose their players in the middle of the season. It’s weird that the Hawks go 34-7 at home and have 53 wins, then decide to stop listening come playoff time.

Maybe they just weren’t prepared.

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[...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by AJC , Mark Bradley, Brenda Clayson, Reggie Mickles, Gilley and others. Gilley said: RT @MarkBradleyAJC: The Atlanta Hawks have received permission from Dallas to interview Dwane Casey about their coaching vacancy. http://bit.ly/byjGpv [...]

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Hey Mark is one requirement to be a coach is they have to shave there Eyebrows?

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MB, saying he team may be for sale, that is referring to potential new ownership right? Not talking about moving the franchise or anything crazy like that.

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[...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Dallas Pro Sports , JCD potro. JCD potro said: Hawks are given permission to interview Casey – Atlanta Journal Constitution (blog) http://bit.ly/9j3RA0 [...]

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letting woodson go was so stupid he was a good coach he just needed to changed his offensive strategies , its the coach that coaches and the players that play. i could be the best boss in the world but if my employess do not work hard then i look dumb and lose my job the hawks need to move horford to the 4 spot trade smith and marvin for bosh and resign joe johnson and sign will bymun to be pg
line up should be

bynum
crawford
johnson
horford
bosh

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that would be a great lineup no #1 player but 2 # 2s in johnson and bosh that would definitly get the hawks farther into the playoffs

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Do NOT resign JJ
http://www.peachtreehoops.com/2010/3/10/1366059/the-non-atl-future-of-joe-johnson

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My post ID reveals my age – in a perfect world, Arthur Blank would lead an ownership group including Ted Turner, Tyler Perry, the Woodruff Foundation (Emory’s in good shape – move some of the $$$), and Jane Fonda (since she, no doubt, has plenty of Ted’s former $$$). They’d hire Phil Jackson away from the Lakers, sign Lebron, Duane and bring Chris home from the Great White North – that would be enough to drag me downtown to watch the Hawks. The last game I saw live was a playoff game in 1990 at The Omni. (Okay – I sat in nosebleed when my boys were in Cub Scouts in the mid 1990s to watch the Celtics – I think they were the Celtics – hard to tell from that distance.) It’s nice to see the Hawks make a bit of a run the past few years, but they just don’t register with me. (If the Braves aren’t careful, they’ll be the next “Who Cares” team in town. The Thrashers – never seen ‘em, don’t expect to anytime soon.)

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mark

letting woodson go was so stupid he was a good coach he just needed to changed his offensive strategies , its the coach that coaches and the players that play. i could be the best boss in the world but if my employess do not work hard then i look dumb and lose my job the hawks need to move horford to the 4 spot trade smith and marvin for bosh and resign joe johnson and sign will bymun to be pg
line up should be

bynum
crawford
johnson
horford
bosh
that would be a great lineup no #1 player but 2 # 2s in johnson and bosh that would definitly get the hawks farther into the playoffs

what do you think?????????????

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Hawks73, from your post on p. 1 …. the ultimate battle on this coaching decision will be lie within the ASG itself: the financial contraints for the new coach’s salary vs. desire/willingness to construct a championship-contending team.
The financial constraints could be self-imposed (e.g. cheapness), a lack of real $$$ due to inconsistent attendance overall, or combination of both. I think I read somewhere that we were in the lower-to-mid-20s in the NBA for average attendance, which doesn’t present a lot of $$$ to match roster vs. roster or staff vs. staff against the likes of ORL, BOS, CLE.

Seems like we are hell-bent on following a competitive strategy of a small market team, like we see more often in MLB (thinking Oakland and Milwaukee) and some NFL teams (GB, JAX). If so, we as fans need to not fool ourselves into thinking that we will get the big-name coach or the high-priced FA and be content (resigned) with being competitive and having an occasional shot to be the Cinderella in the playoffs.

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JoeyGT, you obviously don’t get it. Saying that Woody just needs to change his offense is ridiculous. Good coaches do that during the season and make adjustments during the game. Woody did neither of those, which was evident during the playoffs. Good coaches win on the road, he didn’t. Good coaches get the attention of their players in crunch time, and he didn’t. Did you see how all of the players were crowded around the TV monitor after Horford’s disputed 3 point shot. A good coach would have had his players around him talking strategies depending upon what the replay showed. A good coach would have sat Josh after attepting a 3 point shot or not getting back on defense. A good coach never would have allowed Joe to do so many ISO’s, and leave his teammates standing around. I could go on and on. Woody should have been gone long ago. The recent playoffs just made that idea more obvious.

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Oh Great. Let’s go get another Mike Woodson. Are you telling me there is nothing better out there than him?

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I just hope he is a disciplinarian who can control Josh “drag up the court” Smith.

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Only teams that can’t get to the NBA Finals are those that ignore championship logic. Look at the teams that have won championships.

1) Lakers/ They hired championship players to run there organization. Jerry West won a championship with the Lakers. As the Lakers GM he built a powerhouse.

2) Pat Riley won a championship as a player with the Lakers. He also won a championship as a coach for the Lakers and Heats

3) Phil Jackson won a championship with the Knicks in 1973 as a player. As a coach he won several championships for the Bulls and Lakers.

4) Bill Russell won 10 championships for the Celtics as a player and he won championships as a hc.

5) KC Jones won 8 championships for the Celtics as a player and he won championships as a hc.

6) Byron Scott won championships for the Lakers as a player and he took the Nets to an NBA Finals as a hc.

Avery Johnson won a Championship for the Spurs as a player and he took Dallas to their first NBA Final as a hc. Dallas have not return to the Finals since they fired him.

9) Gregg Popovich didn’t play in the NBA as a player but he was the CAPTAIN and LED Air Force Acadamy in scoring. He also was selected as the team CAPTAIN of the Armed Force Team which won the Ameteur Athletic Union(AAU)Championship.

10) Joe Dumars won 2 championships for the Pistons as a player. He won 1 championship as their GM and 2 NBA Finals appearance.

11) Danny Ainge won championships for the Celtics as a player. He won 1 championship a GM.

The Hawks need to hire championships to run their organization if their want to have a share of the NBA Titles. Avery Johnson sholuld be our guy despite losing in the NBA Final against legendary coach Pat Riley.

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The Real Hawk

Do NOT resign JJ
http://www.peachtreehoops.com/2010/3/10/1366059/the-non-atl-future-of-joe-johnson

*****************

That’s a good article . . and Michael Finley is a good comparison to JJ. But it doesn’t address the issue of building a championship caliber team.

The article makes the assumption that because the vast majority of 2nd tier guards fall off by age 30, that JJ will do the same,and they shouldn’t be re-signed for long term expensive deals. What that article doesn’t address, is that you need TALENT to win in the NBA. It doesn’t matter if that talent is overpaid or underpaid. You need TALENT, regardless of the situation. Lose JJ, and the Hawks lose a significant piece of talent to the puzzle that will not be easily replaced.

Fact is that if the Hawks lose JJ, and if Horford and Smoove don’t SIGNIFICANTLY raise their games offensively, this team is going to take a step back. . . possibly a significant one.

Peachtreehoops, like many other Hawks fans and blogs, would rather keep Horford and Smith around, thinking that they HAVE to get better as players, and may develop into legitimate star players. They bank on their “potential” as star players . . . . ( the same “P-Word” that has been used around here for 5 years now ).

When JJ leaves, all of a sudden Horford and Smith are going to see opposing teams gameplan to try to stop them offensively, and they’ll have to adjust to the extra attention that they’ll see. Orlando did just that in Game 3, after Horford got into a groove in Game 2. Horford had people running at him as soon as he caught the ball, forcing him to give it up.

Without JJ, he’ll see that often. So the question then will be . . . can Horford make the right play when being doubled . . and can he consistently score with extra defensive attention toward him? The same goes for Josh Smith, who already has a limited offensive game.

This is why we’ll see a heavy dose of ISO-CRAW to generate offense, if those two can’t elevate their offensive games. Right now, he’s the only guy on the team that can create AND MAKE his own shot.

How does all of this relate to an aging JJ? Easy . . JJ takes the offensive pressure off the complimentary guys, enabling them on most nights to work against one on one coverage. So even if JJ’s numbers do go into a slow decline as he ages, he’ll still be a good enough player to garner attention from the other team. And if the other guys develop around him, JJ will still be an integral part of what we do even at age 31 and 32.

And if this team happened to obtain a good point guard, that could add longevity to JJ’s career, much like how Ray Allen’s career has been extended. That’s what needs to happen anyway, regardless if JJ is re-signed or not. But team him up with a legit PG . . say a Chris Paul . .and you’ll see JJ be an all-star or at least a borderline all-star player for 4+ years.

Fans make the mistake of thinking a long term contract given to a player in his late 20s – early 30s, is supposed to be indicative of how that player should be playing at the end of the contract.

The money dished out in a contract isn’t supposed to represent how a player is playing in that particular year. The player is getting paid according of what his value is RIGHT NOW, not his value 5 years from now.

So when you see a big money contract that reads like this

year 1 – 16 mill
year 2 – 17 mill
year 3 – 18 mill
year 4 – 19 mill
year 5 – 20 mill

It doesn’t mean that the player in year 5 should be playing like a 20 million dollar player. The contract is simply structured to give a team cap relief in those first few years.

You don’t win in the NBA with a group of mediocre players. You at least need multiple star players to get you over the hump.

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Josh>Al”no defense” horford

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Hey Mark,

If you’re watching the Boston-Orlando game, do you see how the Celtics size up front (something the Hawks severly lack) is giving them a chance to win?

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and thank you FireSund for making the dumbest post on this blog. It takes a lot to achieve that and you have risen to meet the challenge.

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@DanWeiner

May 16th, 2010
5:55 pm

YOU ARE WELCOME IDIOT.

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Mark:

You answered MAP with a touch of sarcasm.
“Sam Mitchell a proven winner? He had one winning season.”
Thus: Dwane Casey a proven winner?
He’s had [no] winning seasons.
Plus: Sam Mitchell does have one NBA / COY on his mantel.

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41 BLOCKS PER FOUL COMMITTED. TEAMS HAVE A DUNK FEST ON HIM = 2.5 FOULS TO GET 1 BLOCK. DUDE!

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A lot of ISO from Orlando in the 2nd half of this game as well. Funny how teams play when they get down in a game.

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Bring back Fratello

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What about Mark Price?

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Northclyde, Can Josh cover the better small forwards in the league? Do you think his ego would allow him to come off the bench. Damn that Jameer Nelson is a player.

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In his more than twenty some years as a executive (SUND), any NBA championships on the books?

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Casey can’t coach, but it’s important to hire another African-American coach in Atlanta.

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Race is not relevent. You are both wack.

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Get this guy now.

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@ keepitreal . . .

1) Can Josh cover the better small forwards in the league? . . . . No chance. Josh has great straight ahead speed, but he isn’t the most nimble side-to-side guy in the world. At the scoouting combines, they call this lateral speed. Things have always looked ugly whenever Josh was matched up against a quick slashing SF.

Plus, if you put him at SF, you take him away from the rim to protect the paint. That was part of the problem in the Orlando series. Josh had to constantly make decisions on whether to help Horford or whomever was playing center vs Dwight, because he also had to worry about Rashard Lewis shooting 3s. In those times in which you saw Rashard wide open, it was usually because Josh was trying to help on the inside.

2) Do you think ( Josh’s ) ego will allow him to come off the bench? . . . And that’s the million dollar question. The new coach would probably have to convince him that not only is this the best thing for the team, but he’d also have to assure Josh that he’d get his minutes and be in the game at the end.

Could Josh humble himself to do it? Man I don’t know. He’d probably fight it at first, because that would create the image that Horford may be a better player than he is . . . ( that’s up for debate, by the way ). But a coach would say . . . “you could be like Lamar Odom . . a supersub off the bench that is still a big key to the team.”

Bynum doesn’t start with the Lakers because he’s better than Odom. He starts because he balances the team out better than if Gasol was at C and Odom started at PF. The Lakers are so dangerous because Odom can play both SF and PF . . and Gasol can play both PF and C.

So that’s what Smoove would have to be sold on. That he could help the team much in the way Lamar Odom does the Lakers.

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northcyde,

Good break down. Actually, I don’t think Al Horford is a full 6′10. I think he’s actually 6′9 1/2 and Josh is actually 6′8 3/4. With that said, I love both of these guys. However, it may become necessary to move one.

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Breaking News the Hawks are up for sale!

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I dont think resigning Joe would be best option long term if he’s gonna start to decline with 3 yrs, $40+ million still on the books. Remember Joe has played big minutes (40+) over the past 3 or 4 seasons; that is a lot of wear and tear on those legs. I think (if possible) rather than lose him for nothing do a sign and trade. I’d like to see him go to the Clippers for this year’s 1st rounder, Deandre Jordan, a future 1st rounder, and cash/trade exception. Laugh now… finished? Okay get it all out… Alright now we admit hawks need a true center, but looking at the landscape of the league they are few and far between. DeAndre Jordan is young, but has a similar build to Dwight Howard, but he’s slightly longer. He is very raw (like Dwight was coming out), but has great measurable and with personal coach in his corner like Dwight/Bynum had (Ewing/Kareem), he could be really good.

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northcyde,

I am thinking along the same lines as you about playing time at Center and Power Forward. Its not that Horford is ineffictive at Center, its just that he would be more effective if you could limit his minutes there, ideally 15-20 minutes a night. and 15-20 minutes at power forward. I agree it would be a tough sell for Josh coming off the bench, but maybe a good, strong coach can get him to buy into that. Assuming Joe resigns (and that is a big if), a bench with Jamal, Bibby, and Smoove would be awesome.

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We just saw a flat-out blueprint as to how to defend and beat the Magic. Who wans the architect of that blueprint? Tom Thibodeau. How’bout his blueprint on taking the swagger out of LeBron, Mo and the Cavs?

The Celtics showed all the reasons why the Hawks were so pathetically prepared to play the Magic.

If this guy, Thibodeau, isn’t at the top of the list…and Casey is…Sund just wants familiarity…and, quite frankly all the mediocrity that goes with it.

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I think Ty Corbin would be a fine choice. Thoughts?

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ryan

Does Casey have a winning record? The answer is “no.”

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This is a repost of a blog entry to Mark Bradley’s previous piece on Dwayne Casey.

IMO, Casey has written all over his forehead “WOODY 2.0″

The contents below is of the exclusive responsibility of its author.

“steve brown

May 11th, 2010
3:13 pm

fyi

This, in a nutshell, is the surprising (?) result of a quick Q & A session I did with Dave/College Wolf of TWolves blog, the site covering Minnesota of the Bloguin network.

For your pleasure (?), here is the complete transcript, I think it should work as a warning for Ed Stefanski and all of us Sixers fans.

(S4G): Casey’s record as T’Wolves head coach in 2006/2007 was 33-49 and was 20-20 the year after, when Mc Hale fired him and put Randy Wittman in his place (Wittman went 12-30 the rest of the way…). What do you remember of that stint, other than they were surely troubled seasons in Minnesota, and that coaching Szczerbiak, Olowokandi, Ricky Davis, Marco Jaric etc surely wasn’t an easy task?

(CW): Yes, we had bad teams, but don’t forget though that we also had KG near his absolute prime. Those seasons he was one of the (arguably) Top 5 players in the league. With that said, the Casey Coaching Era (CCE) was quite a while ago, so I apologize for not being to elaborate with tons and tons of details for you and your readers.

However, a few things stick out in my mind, and I can assure you that they were not good things. First off, Casey was nearly an epic fail at coaching X’s and O’s. At times, some of us Wolves fans wondered if he had any idea if he knew what he was doing at all. He was especially terrible coming out of timeouts.

It might not have been as bad as I am making it sound, but our playcalling/execution coming out of timeouts was absurd and horrendous. It seemed like we would never score, and most times it resulted in a turnover or terrible shot.

Again, it probably wasn’t *that bad*, but the fact that it is something I’ve never forgotten about the CCE has got to mean something. Casey’s substitutions were illogical and nonsensical. We fans were pulling our hairs out because his lineups and distribution of minutes made absolutely no sense.

Also, it didn’t seem like Casey had “control” of his team at all. Granted, we had a few bad apples back then, but he was far too passive and timid to be the leader of our team at that time. Now, it could have been simply that these things were factors of Casey being a rookie head coach. I don’t know.

Perhaps he has gotten better the past two years as a bench coach for the Dallas Mavericks. For his sake I hope that he has learned a thing or two.

(S4G): Why did Minnesota decide to give him the team that year? Was it another “Randy Ayers case” (=lack of better options) or what?

(CW): I am not entirely sure. Glen Taylor and McHale were doing their best to “win now”, and I think they viewed Dwane Casey as a hot-shot up and coming assistant coach, in the same mold as someone like Nate McMillan.

It’s not that they had a lack of better options, because they went out and actively recruited Casey. It was just a complete swing and a miss, because it was obvious that Casey was in way too far over his head. At the time, I had thought he was one of the worst coaches I’d ever seen. Little did I know what to expect from the Randy (Dim)Wittman era…

(S4G): Which were Casey’s strengths as a coach, and what was he missing?

(CW): I honestly cannot remember any “strengths” besides the fact that he was a nice guy. Also, I think he did a decent job getting our players to play defense during his 20-20 second season, although the stats might say otherwise (I didn’t check).

He was missing everything. Namely: experience, presentation, advanced game knowledge/strategy, good assistants, and good players.

(S4G): Can being fired by Kevin Mc Hale be considered a plus in a coach’s resume?

(CW): No comment

(S4G): Would you recommend the Sixers to give the helm to Casey? Why? Any other team where he would be a good fit?

(CW): No, I would not recommend him being the new head coach of your team. He just doesn’t strike me as a guy that will ever be a truly successful NBA *head coach.* I think his ideal position is that of an assistant coach for a veteran contending team. Those players would be much more likely to listen to him and his ideals, rather than a rebuilding team full of youngsters.

I realize that the Sixers are a veteran, contending (hopefully) team, but I wouldn’t want you guys to waste your championship window because a coach like Casey was hired. I think you guys could do much better.

I don’t think he would be a good fit as a head coach anywhere in the NBA. As an assistant coach, yes. You could probably do worse with the plethora of no-name assistants that have been floating around the league for years.

Thank you for enlightening us, Dave…

Conclusion: please say “NO” to Dwane Casey !!”

Next !

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I dont understand why Dominique wont come out of his analyst chair and coach the hawks already. I guarantee he can get respect from any players we have. then get chris bosh and a 7 footer in the draft. (sorry hockey fans) ATLANTA SPIRIT SELL THE THRASHERS TO CLEVELAND FOR LEBRON JAMES. or alot of us go in and buy the hawks out

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i also want to point out how good Boris Diaw became after leaving Atlanta with Woodson. i don’t think Billy Knight was a bad GM, Woodson didn’t know how to coach the players. The only players that he has coached that has improved his game is Horford.

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The hawks have to get “permission” to interview a mediocre assistant with dallas? Are you serious????

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Stoudemire and a 1st round draft pick for Josh and Marvin and our second round pick?

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vava is wrong

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Stoudemire is a good player but I still like the potential of Josh more if there is a coach that can bring it out of him. Josh biggest problem is he is on the court too much. he needed to sit and watch more to see what was going on in the game instead of thinking he was getting paid to play street ball and the same goes for Marvin.

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I agree Stoudamire a center for horford our center.
Our power forward Josh is the second best defender in the NBA, and a triple double threat at all time.

Our center was not on the All NBA defensive team nor the All NBA team. He is our weakest link! If Bogut had been healthy he would have abused horford just like Lopez always does!

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t height
Do you think we can get to the point of being able to stay on the floor with Orlando without a better center (not that Horford is bad, he is just out of position)? How else can we solve Howard?
Do you think it is realistic that we could get Stoudemire without giving up Josh? Is there another center that comes to mind?
Because anyone could be the coach for all it would matter if we cannot beat Orlando and it will take more than a new gameplan to get there in my opinion.

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Thanks Mark.
Does a potential scenario come to mind where we make a trade for that center? What do you see out there that is realistic and will still be enough to help us?

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the team really don’t need to lose any of the top 9 players other than Mo Evans, the team need to know where and when to play each player. Teague should get a shot at the starting position or Crawford. Marvin and Bibby need to come off of the bench and Childress need to be resigned in place of evans but put childress in the starting lineup instead of Marvin. Bibby and Marvin will bring a different kind of tempo coming off of he bench along with crawford if the team can find a true center.

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I really don’t care if the coach is purple so long as he can draw up offensive sets, get the team to play defense for 48 minutes, and runs an uptempo offense. The games in which the Hawks swept Boston were up and down the court and were over at or slightly past halftime. When the Hawks are defending and running ,outside of OKC, there are not many teams that can beat them. I like Van Gundy, Thibodeaux, Byron Scott, Dwane Casey, but I prefer Avery for the way he raised the play of Dirk, a known shoot-happy soft-defense 7 footer in the 2006 season. Dirk played defense and was backing guys down in the post. Hopefully, if ASG does sell this will bring some stability to the team and just maybe some deep-pockets willing to spend some cash on a winner. I hope they keep J.J. but I would definitely try not to give him max money. I would bring in a seven footer via the draft or free agency and find a way to trade Bibby, Mo Evans and even za za. Bring back J. Childress and run up and down the court next year with Teague, Josh, Horford, J.J., Marvin, and Smoove.

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???, with a smart front office(SMART) we could sign and trade and just trade for key players and picks. Everyone loves marvin, but he is streaky. Smoothie just plays to much and bibby is too old. great trade pieces for a brendan haywood, marc gasol, and in a dream world brooks lopez. And maybe just maybe we can do a sign and trade with joe. maybe…

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HIRE HIM! QUICK!

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I really don’t care if the coach is purple long as he has offensive plays, can bring the team together to play as a team, will bring an uptempo offense, and can help the guys to pass and play defense for 48 minutes. Jeff Van Gundy,Tom Thibodeaux,Lawrence Franks, Dwayne Casey, Byron Scott, and Avery will all do fine. I like Avery because he turned shoot-first, no-defense Dirk into one of the 3 best players in the NBA in 2006 playing defense and backing guys down into the post. That is real coaching. The Hawks against Boston ran and played defense and most of those games were over around halftime or shortly thereafter in the third quarter. Hawks need to run. Start Teague, find a way to get rid of Bibby, Mo Evans, and even Za Za. Draft or pick up a center in free agency ask him to defend and rebound and run like he!!. Sign J.J. but try to get him for less than max money if you can. Bring back J. Chill and no one can run with the Hawks accept maybe OKC. What do you think, Mark B.?

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I agree t height. But I think it was how we had to scheme for Howard that opened up the door for the three point shooters. Nelson and Jennings are both unstopable for us in the current configuration. And the Bucks will have Bogut back next year. I do not think they were a fluke.
We will have to find a way to cover the big guys and not end up with the kind of rotations we just showed in the playoffs.
Regardless of the coach.

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what about byron scott!!!

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@SlimG:

You have to realize that the draft is coming up in June and you can’t sign any free agent players that are not in your organization until July 1st (if im not mistaken). A lot of teams like to hire coaches before bringing in players so that they fit in the system. I would recommend trading the draft pick unless there is a small foward out there that will be around the early 20’s pick. I’m pretty sure there won’t be a center available.

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MB, what do you thnk about Laimbeer and Company?

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it is time the hawks get so,eome who can win now.give me avery

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Casey can be considered a candidate, but he shouldn’t be the first interviewed for thie job.
You need to get Byron Scott’s attention and Avery Johnson’s attention.
You need someone who should be an improvement and is playoff proven.

The two above are: Casey, while I don’t consider him a bad option, but you can’t take a guy who has zero playoff experience as a head coach.
What improvement does that show?

Call me crazy, Adelman or Rudy T. should be looked at if you truly want to start building a championship team. Both guys handle rosters very well and have proven themselves in the playoffs.

Please, no more non-HC candiates please. I don’t have sympathy for an ownership group that says they can’t afford to get the best coach out available.
Quit being a write-off and bring us a championship level team while we are young enough to contend.

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Atlanta…..Go get Larry Brown!!!!!

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And I forgotm Casy was the main part of that UK scandal that got Eddie Sutton ran out of Lexington!! Gees! A mediocre assistant AND A CHEATER?? Just what the Hawks Need!!!!

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Great! Get the deal done, Sund!

No more connection to Billy Knight, Mike Woodson and the looser 1984-85 Kansas City Kings, where they were team mates.

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Give this team a Good Big Man and move Horford to his NATURAL position trade Josh for a SF with good defensive skills and can knock down 15 footers. Find out if the young Teague can run the point. If possible sign and trade JJ for a sharp shooter and bring Crawford, Bibby and Marvin off the bench. Then I think just MAYBE we can really contend with Orlando. P.S. with this a nice x’s and O’s veteran coach would be great! (Avery Johnson or Byron Scott)

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No disrespect for Casey, as he didn’t get a chance to make an impact with the Wolves, but I would prefer a guy like Avery Johnson, who took advantage of his opportunity immediately. He did nothing but win during his tenure with the Mavericks. We need someone that can help put seats in the stands. If not him, pick another winner.

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The big news is not who will be their head coach but the fact that the Hawks are up for sale.Arthur Blank won’t buy them…. to much waste of money even for him. Hawks have pretty much been leaderless since they have been in Atlanta. If Mike Brown gets fired they should go after him.

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GET A CENTER!! WHAT CENTER??

Trade Josh Smith to Clippers for their 1st rounder, DeAndre Jordan, a future
1st rounder, and cash/trade exception

Trade Josh Smith to Memphis for Mark Gasol, Mike Conley (not panning out),
and 2 of their 1st round picks

Trade Josh Smith and our 1st round pick to Minnesota for Al Jefferson and
Wayne Ellington

Center is the hardest position to fill because there are so few, so other than getting lucky you
have to give to get. That is why I suggest trading Josh Smith cause he has a lot of value right now and no one wants Marvin Williams. What’d ya think?

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#stepyagameup

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We need Read and React Baby!! No more JJ ISO’s!!!!! Teague would kill in this offense. So would bibby, but let’s be real, we need to trade this guy b4 nobody wants him.

#thatruthhurtsometimes

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Recently had an interviw ith the sixers:

“Dan Majerle – Majerle (44) carries the most unknowns of the candidates on this list. He’s been an assistant with the Suns for the past two years, and most known for his nickname, Thunder Dan. It’s hard to tell what kind of coach Majerle will be, which is why I have him so low on my list, paired with the fact that he’s only been an assistant for two years. The best thing about hiring Majerle is he believes the Sixers should play “fast”, and he’s right.”

Thunder Dan quotes:

“They’re talented,” Majerle said. “They’ve got a lot of similarities to the way [the Suns are] set up. I think they’re looking to play fast, which is probably one of the reasons they talked to me. With that personnel, they probably should play fast.”

-I like it

#mightbethamove

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Recently had an interviw ith the sixers:

“Mitchell is 46 and has four full years as a head coach under his belt. He coached the Raptors from ‘04-’08, accumulating a 156-189 record in the process. Since, and prior to his job with the Raptors he’s been an assistant in numerous places, most notably in Minnesota during the KG era. However; my interest in Mitchell has nothing to do with his past experience, but rather the things he said in an interview with Dei Lynam. Most note-worthy quotes:”

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Just give Sam Dalembert his defined role,” he explained. “Play him 35-38 minutes a night.

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He has the sixers community a little worried:

“Johnson has a lot going for him. He’s young (45 years old), he has an absurd winning percentage in the regular season (.735, 194-70 career record), and already has a Coach of the Year award under his belt. The problems with Avery are, his teams have failed in the playoffs (23-24, including being on the wrong end of one of the biggest upsets in playoff history), he’s rumored to have a massive ego, and he said some questionable things about the Sixers roster during a radio interview last off-season. The cons outweigh the pros in Avery’s case, but he still remains an intriguing candidate.”

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Mark Bradley……1 winning season for Sam Mitchell is more better than the losing record Casey has as a head coach. Notice I had Sam Mitchell 3rd on my list! LOL I just think the current team and players need a coach that will bring instant respect and will attract major free agents. The Hawks better make it worth it……after all, they still plan to raise ticket prices next year!!!!

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Bottom line, the Hawks will get the same or worse results with CASEY as the they did with WOODSON. When are the Hawks franchise going to stop settling for below average coaches and below average Centers and Forwards at the end of their bench and on injured reserve. Bottom line: CASEY ISN”T THE ANSWER FOR THE HAWKS. THE HAWKS WILL NOT WIN A CHAMPIONSHIP WITH CASEY. POINT BLANK

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one word — Lambier!!

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If he’s Bradley’s first pick….I hate him.

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byron scott would be a good fit! he’s been in plenty of playoff games and brings big-name notoriety! and has been through a lot of wars through the nineties, i like the sound of that, 3-D for coach!

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No mention of his cheating at UK, Mr. Bradley? I’m surprised at you… or not. I guess Dwane doesn’t have to mail any money to anyone as part of his NBA coaching duties…

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I will give up my season tickets if they do not sign an improvement of Woody. You do not let a guy go who improved each season and hire another assistant. This is completely ridiculous.

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As long as the coach is young and energetic like the Miami coach I don’t care who it is! Sign and trade JJ and Bibby to the Nets to run with Lebron for Harris their point. Trade Josh and Marvin for Bosh in a sign and trade and their draft pick. Use the two draft picks to get the Heyward kid from Butler. Go after Kaman from the Clippers in free-agency. Sign Childress. Line up Kaman C, Horford PF, Bosh SF, Crawford SG, Harris PG. Reserves Zaza, Childress, Heyward, Teague fill in the rest. Can get 20 points per game from all starters, plenty of match up advantages with reserves and all can play good defense with the exception of Crawford. Team is young and can contend for 3-5 seasons with plenty of size and physical players. Can run or play half-court. Toronto gets Josh to put people in the seats for a player who is leaving anyway. NJ gets JJ to pair with Lebron and Lopez and they have a lottery pick to go with them much stronger than Cleveland and an experienced point in Bibby. Win win for everyone.

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***PHIL HANSON FOR HAWKS COACH ****

NEVER HURTS TO GIVE A LOCAL GUY A SHOT

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When Josh Smith was snubbed from the all-star game this past season, I felt Josh should have made the squad. But after the Orlando and Milwaukee series of the playoffs where Josh played foolish basketball and appeared to have ATTITUDE PROBLEMS when he repeatedly QUIT PLAYING while the game was going on, I thought not only should Josh Smith have been fined at least $50,000 by the Hawks but he should have been traded somewhere else. I also thought that during the all-star break, Josh Smith was our most improved player and the Hawks most valuable player for the season up until that point, but after the all-star break Al Horford has progressed so much that now to point where Al Horford is a more dangerous offensive player than Dwight Howard. In fact, “Big” Al is now more dangerous than WILT CHAMBERLAIN was and the INCREDIBLE HULK. The Hawks should win at least 60 GAMES NEXT SEASON. I hope the Hawks get a really good head coach because it will take a great coach to get the Hawks into the finals next season and win a championship.

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For all you basketball heads…do your due diligence on Casey’s stint in Minnesota!!! And what idiot keeps bringing up the Kentucky issue (over 20 years ago). If you want to talk about scandals, we can….every coach would be put on blast. The Hawks need to learn to play defense and a lot of it. That’s Casey’s speciality. He’s coached some of the best players in the league. He’s the man for the job…PERIOD!!!

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