HAWKS1986

It was a good timeout by Woodson. However, Miami had a few chances to hit some long jumpers to cut the lead down further. I believe Wade had just missed on a three-point jumper late in the third quarter after not shooting the ball for awhile. The Hawks fortunately re-grouped.

Hawks had a big win against Dwayne Wade's Heat team. However, the national media wants and has predicted a Heat-Cavs second round matchup. Somehow the Hawks must maintain that proverbial chip on the shoulder and continue to pressure Miami and force them to be one-dimensional. Last night after being up by 24 points in the third quarter, the Hawks got a little complacent ( a Wade dunk, a Chalmers three pointer and a few careless Atlanta turnovers) and then it got a tad interesting. The Hawks must maintain that edge that everybody outside of Atlanta is against them. Marvin had a nice night (I admit), but he still hasn't had that breakout game for the 48 minutes...I am not saying duplicate Chauncey Billups' 8 for 9 from three point land, but I would like to see Marvin expand his range, convert and give the Heat something else to think about. Josh looks great dunking the basketball on the fast break, but he must resist the temptation to fall in love with the long jump shot and getting mad over a refs' call. For Mike Bibby, limiting bad turnovers and hitting timely jumpers is something he must continue to do--especially on the road. This second game is a crucial game, and could be a LETDOWN game. ESPN commentators had mentioned the Hawks have always lost a playoff series whenever Atlanta had won a game by 20 points or more (i.e. Boston, 1986, Detroit..) I like the way the Atlanta crowd was booing D-Wade last night, but the whole Hawks' team got to have the mindset to blowout the Heat..20 points isn't enough (we saw what happened with Orlando blowing a lead to Philly..) And if we have a bad call or two from the refs.. in the words of Mark Jackson: 'don't get mad at the refs, get mad at the rim..' The Hawks must stay focus and continue to attack and pressure the Heat.. The national media might not like a second consecutive beatdown, but the Hawks can't afford to leave the door open for a Heat comeback..

Sund seems to be stating the case for doing nothing during the offseason. This team is not a inexperienced team, but a talented younger team that has been around for awhile. Memphis has an inexperienced and young team, so does Oklahoma City or even Sacramento...These teams may be a year or so away from acquiring a playoff berth, but the Hawks are ALREADY there. So is Sund the guy to make the moves for this team to be a championship team?

Marvin has no future with the Hawks, maybe as a bench player (like he was at N.C), but he is not an All-Star caliber player for this team or any other team. I wish Marvin would play like a Carmelo Anthony or on a higher level, but Anthony is two levels better than Marvin, and Anthony wants the pressure while Marvin just coasts. Let us see what Marvin (aka the Future) does tonight: fumbling through the lane getting stripped of the ball while the opposing team goes the other way for a score or being reluctant to shoot the three point shot...

Sund should be put on notice (at the very least) and this upcoming offseason, he needs to start earning his money as an executive. As of now, GM Sund has showed thus far he has no vision of the Atlanta Hawks (present or future) and is content in doing virtually nothing and playing status quo.

Randolph hasn't panned out as you should know... Flip/Mo replaced Childress during the offseason... Everybody makes minor moves in the offseason, but the playoff contenders have made in-season moves, such as Detroit, Houston, Orlando, San Antonio, Phoenix and other teams... The Hawks have holes, but GM Sund could have been more pro-active in trying to find veteran help to make the team better..HE HAS FAILED IN THAT DEPARTMENT! GM Sund should give back half his paycheck, because he has sat back and really done nothing to help the Hawks improve as other teams acquire free agents via trades or through waiver pick ups.

Flip to start. More Mario West. And fewer minutes for Bibby (ala Iverson)... GM Sund needed to do his job and help get another veteran big man... My thoughts about Marvin hasn't changed... an upgrade at the SF position is needed!

The team has ownership issues. The team has players with bad contracts. The trading deadline has come and gone. And it looks like we have one of the laziest GMs in the NBA. GM Sund has sat back and done absolutely nothing in-season to make the Hawks better. We are a playoff team, but it seems he is resting on Billy Knight's work. Detroit traded away Billups for Iverson, acquired Kwame Brown, Will Bynum. Now these moves may or may not help them, but they are playoff team and finally come to the realization they are a more dangerous team without Iverson starting. GM joe Dumars wasn't afraid to make moves. Cleveland upon LeBron's request were active during the season and they acquired Mo Williams, traded for Ben Wallace and got Joe Smith on waivers. San Antonio acquired Drew Gooden. Miami traded Marion, acquired Jermaine O'Neal The Sixers acquired Reggie Evans and Theo Radliff (again). Orlando acquired Alston from Houston when Jameer Nelson went down. What exactly is Rick Sund doing as GM? The Hawks WERE in a great position to challenge the top teams, but we are on the verge of being bounced out of the first round by a more balanced Philly or D-Wade led Miami team... The Hawks aren't a young team per se... this GM needed to make strategic moves to re-tool this roster. Where's the accountability for Rick Sund? Why isnt this guy receiving more criticism?

defensive PG and a Big? How about bring back Dikembe and Mookie? LOL Just kidding.. GM Sund dropped the ball. He should have been more aggressive in trying to acquire Camby, and maybe try to get Will Bynum when he was available.... Bibby got the Hawks to a certain point, but its the law of diminishing returns with the aging Bibby. A second superstar scorer is needed (and its not Marvin)...

Philly has beaten the Hawks by double digits the past two times. This team has our number. And defensively they have done a better job of neutralizing our backcourt--especially Bibby and to a certain extent Joe. And the emergence of Thad Young and Louis Williams in the last year have closed whatever gap existed between the two teams. Philly is able to turn the Hawks over and capitalize with fast break points. Philly rather play the Hawks than Orlando...

Well after a beatdown by the Celtics tonight (without KG) again, and Rondo being able to do whatever he wants, it is become clearer that the Hawks will be the underdog in the upcoming playoff series regardless if it is Miami or Philly. Philly is more of a balanced team and collectively more athletic than the Hawks. They don't shoot well, but they take advantage of other teams missing shots and collect a lot of fast break points. Thad Young and Iggy provide multiple match-up problems, and Andre Miller is more consistent than Bibby..and if you add in veterans Reggie Evans and Theo Radliff, the Sixers are a problem..

If Flynn isn't available, it's either Tyeke, Collison (if he leaves) or Maynard..

True. However, a player like Nate Robinson came off the bench when he was first drafted in 2005. Robinson made mistakes, got fewer minutes than he originally was receiving for a little while and then worked himself back into the playing rotation. Robinson is small, but he doesn't play small. Robinson plays big all the time whether he is on the court seven minutes or 37 minutes. Robinson makes impact plays and the coaching staff eventually trusted him enough to increase his playing time and responsibilities. Robinson may have felt he was wronged, but his self-belief in his ability never waned and now he is one of the emotional leaders of the Knicks. Law has to pick himself up right now and make himself useful regardless of how many minutes he gets. Against the Clippers at home, he had an opportunity to make an impression... in a Clipper blowout, he went a timid 3-9 for eight points... Acie needed to have an explosion, but it never happened...if this was Nate Robinson, he may have had 30 points with three dunks and five three pointers.

We shall see. Some folks were raving about Shelden, then he was gone.

Ben Gordon may not be a natural PG, but if I were going to take a risk and give 10-12 million a year to either Bibby or Gordon, I would pick Gordon. Gordon is younger, a better defender, a better shooter an he would fit the uptempo style that Hawks profess to be. Gordon would attack the basket similar to Tony Parker and initiate contact and get to the line...Bibby rarely gets to line anymore. Is Gordon the next Chauncey Billups? Who knows, but he has put together a solid NBA resume that should warrant attention by the Hawks. And Gordon has playoff experience as well. And if you add in Jonny Flynn or Tyreke Evans, a quick guard who can break down defenses and score is someone who Coach Woodson can immediately phase into his system as well. Claxton will be gone, Bibby will likely be gone so the need to change the backcourt dynamic with faster guards who can consistently break down defenses and cause havoc and score is something I hope GM Sund decides to do.

One of the few true center prospects is B.J. Mullens from Ohio State or Cole Aldrich from Kansas. However, the need for a young, confident, impact point guard is important as well. Which is more important? Point guard or center? When Al Horford was drafted two years ago, it was an attempt to erase the mistake of drafting Shelton Williams. And the 2009 draft may be an attempt to erase the perceived mistake of drafting Acie Law.

Acie Law's days as Atlanta Hawk player may be numbered, and the somewhat mysterious back injury may be the last that we will hear from Law, who had a lot of promise coming out of Texas A&M. Mike Woodson said he wasn’t sure when Law would return to the active roster. “I hate it for Acie because he really had a chance to help us right now and he’s out.” This may be coachspeak for : I hate it for Acie, but that was his last chance here in Atlanta and he is out of here in June...just like Shelden! Acie's playmaking ways at Texas A&M has not translated to the NBA. He has lacked confidence from Day One and now apparently the Hawks will go back to the drawing board when the NBA Draft comes up in late June. The Hawks need a young, fast guard who is confident and a leader. Someone who has speed and can break down defenses, hit open shots and stay in front of the quicker guards in the league. Is that too much to ask? Mike Bibby is getting old very fast after 12 seasons. Bibby is an old 30 and his days as a viable starting guard are numbered. In the draft, Jonny Flynn of Syracuse has a spirit about him and the talent to lead a team. He isn't perfect, but he is likely to make a bigger impact in his first year than Acie Law has. Flynn will make his share of mistakes, but he doesn't play scared and learns from his mistakes--quickly. Same thing with the 6'6 Tyreke Evans..or Virginia Commonwealth's Eric Maynor. Acie plays scared, and the Hawks got to find someone to replace Bibby--yesterday! Flip is 30, Bibby is 30, Joe will be an old 28 in June... The Hawks need to improve their backcourt, and get younger and faster. Acie Law, unfair or not, has been a failure or in other words a BUST--just like Shelden Williams.

..."He was helped into the locker room and had x-rays which were negative. Young, who ended with six points on 3-of-8 shooting, will have an MRI exam performed on Wednesday...." It could be day-to-day or 3-4 weeks...

I am concerned about how this game turns out, because it may give the Sixers momentum to make that final push for the 4th spot... Woody got to be careful if Bibby starts turning the ball over early and at the same time being a non-factor on the court defensively as well. If that's the case, then more Flip and Mario is necessary.

Thaddeus Young has emerged as a potential superstar and that strong second option besides Andre Igudola. Both are long players who can drive the basketball, shoot the three, dunk over you and play great defense. Philly is hovering around .500, but they are capable of shutting teams down offensively and making the game ugly. I have this bad feeling that after a great win that the Hawks are poised for a sleepwalking game and get behind early. Bibby has been known to be streaky, but will we see good Bibby or bad Bibby on the road tonight against Philly. Maybe the Hawks should insert Mario West earlier in the first quarter to be that energy boost and provide an example to help keep the Hawks energized and focused. Mario can play 10 to 15 minutes overall, but his early defensive presence may be needed to help stymie Philly who is likely to be running and gunning in an effort to knock the Hawks out early and take their spirit away.

During one of the earlier ESPN games, Mark Jackson commented that Josh shouldn't get mad at the refs for a bad call, but take it out on the rim-- stay focused and attack the basket... don't just accept the jumper.

Limiting Bibby's minutes shouldn't be seen as a demotion, but an opportunity for the Hawks to be better and win games. Bibby is still our team leader, but what's best for the team is paramount. Mario West. Soloman Jones. Acie Law....even Thomas Gardener. At some point, Coach Woodson has to trust his bench MORE than he has been doing. West may not be a NBA starting guard, but he gives maximum effort in the limited number of minutes he receives. He should be receiving 12 to 15 minutes a night. Soloman Jones provides another athletic shot blocker and he is a decent FT shooter (better than Josh)..why can't Soloman receive 10 to 12 minutes? In recent weeks in Hawks blowouts at home, I had seen Thomas Gardener, the 6'5 shooting guard/small forward, why not give him look to make a play or two and see how he responds to pressure and see if he is more willing to shoot the three and make the three when open... Right now we are very predictable with our rotations as is. West defensive intensity gives the Hawks a boost and sometimes that lead to momentum changing rallies. The Lakers will be a tough test, but if Acie is still injured and Marvin is OUT, then this is an opportunity to test the bench with extended minutes.. We have secured a playoff berth and with these homes games, Woody needs to see what the bench can do...

Everything isn't solved against the best teams. We need an upgrade at the small forward position. Marvin still isn't the long-term answer for the Hawks. I would like to have seen Mario West and Soloman Jones play more minutes last night, and Acie being injured forced Bibby to play more minutes than he should have. The Celtics controlled the second and third quarters and the Hawks' defensive effort was lacking.

Hotatlanta, the hawks did look very fraudulent tonight, but they are still a playoff team. They are able to do some things right, but not enough against the likes of Boston and San Antonio unfortunately..

Disappointing is the word I would use to describe this night. The other night no Tim Duncan, tonight no KG and the Hawks looked flat and were pushed around at times... The Hawks are a contender, but need another quick guard who can play defense and shoot and another big man with size and experience would have been nice. Boston made themselves better by getting Marbury whether people believe it or not..Marbury is insurance and the world champions didn't rest on their laurels.. San Antonio acquired Drew Gooden...they didn't have to, but they did.