Vesper

lol

I really like the idea of Sekou sharing his notes! :beer:

Camp Insider III By Sekou K Smith | Thursday, October 2, 2008, 05:47 PM The Atlanta Journal-Constitution HAWKSVILLE - First the gas crisis and now the blog crisis (don’t know what happened to all the stuff - mine and yours - that posted last night and all day folks, bear with the blogmasters that be as they make like the Orkin man and get the bugs out). There was a live scrimmage here Thursday, with Hawks in three different shades (Blue team was the first team, White team was the second group and the Yellow squad was the rest) going full tilt with officials for the first time in camp. As opposed to one of my long-winded wrap ups I figured it might be interesting for you to see the notes I made to myself as the action was happening and then I’ll revisit some things later on after you get done laughing at me. There was no real rhyme or reason to what I was writing. It was simply watching what was going on and then jotting down notes to myself on what I was seeing, so it reads like this: * First team is JJ, Bibby, Josh, Al and Marvin as expected. Second team is Flip, Acie, Mo, Zaza and Solo. Interesting top 10. That second group doesn’t look half as bad as ESPN.com said they would. * Marvin is making this 3-point thing look easy. He’s 2-for-2 and drained both from opposite corners like he’s been shooting them forever. If he keeps this up he’ll be hard to guard. * Flip is stronger than you think. He’s holding his own against Joe physically. He might be the wild card in the backcourt this season. * No doubt Solo is stronger. Nice touch on that baseline jumper over Al. Keep watching and see how he fares after everybody gets tired. * Bibby is shooting lights out. He’s a totally different player when he’s healthy. * Josh and Al have great chemistry on both ends of the floor. They’re the most active cats out there. Josh is a terror on the glass and goes wherever he wants to go, and if it’s not him it’s Al getting a hand on a ball as it goes in the air. * How many free throws is Josh going to shoot. These second team cats can’t guard him. Heaven help the third team squad. * Flip has just figured out that every time Joe hollers on his way to the basket these rec league officials call a foul (“That’s a bad word,” he tells the guys on the sideline, “I gotta steal that.”) * The first five already have their timing down. They’re playing like they did in those home playoff games. Quick passes and anticipating each other’s every move. Impressive. * Second five looks more impressive as a group than people will expect. Flip and Mo bring so much veteran savvy to the floor with Acie still working out the nuances of running the show. * Uh oh, here comes the third crew and yup, Mario West makes his first breakneck play. This man is on a mission. * Zaza looks quicker to the basket, much more decisive. That’s what he looked like a couple years ago. He has to keep this up if he’s going to have a major impact. * Josh passes up a 3-pointer and drives to the basket for a sweet layup. Showing much better judgment in that situation paid off. * There’s no doubt, Flip is already the vocal leader of this second unit. He knows what to do out there. * Solo is working his tail off. Seals his man and makes a great catch and finishes with a two-handed jam. Where has this cat been the past two years? * Flip made good on his promise and used his own version of Joe’s holler on a drive to the basket. He didn’t get the foul but he finished with a nice reverse layup in traffic. * Solo is handling Oyedeji off the dribble and finishes with the nice layup. Solo is going nuts and his teammates are juicing him up along the way. * Acie still strikes me as being a bit tentative, oops, scratch that. He finishes strong at the bucket after a nice drive in traffic. * Flip and Mo running the floor like they’ve played together for a couple years. They’re finding each other on the break for easy baskets. Vets made all the difference in the world. * Flip making it look easy, buries a wide open 3-pointer the way you’re supposed to when the defensive rotates too far. * Solo has worked out every second he’s been on the floor, rebounding, shooting, moves to the basket and finishes the scrimmage with a smooth turnaround over Randolph. Write about Solo for tomorrow. * First thing out of Woody’s mouth when they huddle, “I like what I saw today.” No doubt. That’s the notebook from the scrimmage verbatim.

Duane is a great guy. He use to come by my store and buy Dragonball Z products for his boys. I had to try hard not to look at his wife because she was awesome. :worshippy: :worshippy:

Solo Chomping at the Bit Solo chomping at the bit By Sekou K Smith | Friday, September 12, 2008, 01:20 PM The Atlanta Journal-Constitution So you think you’re the only one anxious for the start of the Hawks’ season? Anxious can’t do justice to what Solomon Jones has been feeling since the Hawks’ Game 7 loss to Boston in May. Like most of his teammates who have been working together at the team’s practice facility the past two weeks, Jones has been chomping at the bit all summer in anticipation of the start of training camp, which is just weeks away. Jones played sparingly in his first two seasons with the Hawks. But he is angling for an expanded role this year. With 20 extra pounds packed on his 6-10½ frame and a much more aggressive attitude, Jones is eager to make his case on the court as opposed to anywhere else. And that’s why his decision to skip summer league at a time when the post minutes would have been plentiful, seemed so bizarre. “I did two years in summer league and I wanted to take this summer to hit the weights hard and it paid off,” Jones said. “Right now I’m up to 250 and I want to play this season anywhere from 245 to 250. I thought [skipping summer league] was the best choice for me to make at the time, even though some people didn’t think it was the best decision. But I think people watching me right now would agree that I did the right thing.” It’s no secret that this is a huge season for Jones, the one-time second round pick who has outlasted the fifth overall pick of the same draft, Shelden Williams ( who was jettisoned in the Mike Bibby trade last year). And Jones knows that better than anyone. “Man, hungry isn’t the word to capture how I’m feeling,” he said. “I’ve had opportunities and I thought I made the best of those. But now I have to come out and prove to people, to people everywhere that I can play in this league. And that’s what I’m doing right now. That’s what working so hard this summer was all about, proving that I belong.” BIG BODIES ABOUND: The difference in available bodies for the Hawks during the playoffs was stark. On one end the guards were working, with more players in the mix than playing time to be dispensed. On the other end of the floor there was Al Horford, Josh Smith, Zaza Pachulia and Jones - the Hawks’ paper-thin frontcourt rotation without any margin for error. “I think it’s fair to say we were a little thin,” Horford said. That shouldn’t be a problem in the future (and the Hawks might not be done procuring big man talent, per at least one of my spies who insists they are still searching for perhaps one more big to add to the mix). When you add Randolph Morris, Othello Hunter and a thicker Marvin Williams to that mix, it does appear that the Hawks will have a few more bodies to work with compared to what they had in the playoffs. “I feel like Solo has improved a great deal over this summer,” Horford said. “Josh has gotten a lot stronger and the addition of Randolph and Othello allows us to throw more bodies out there and gives us some serious depth.” The surprise of the group could be Hunter, a player whose name plenty of people are familiar with from his time at Ohio State but a player whose game his new teammates are just starting to fully understand. “We played his team in high school when I was at Oak Hill and we blew ‘em out by 30, but we did that to a lot of people,” Smith said and then laughed. “So I didn’t realize it before but I’ve actually gone against him before. He was a good player then but as you might expect, he’s so much better now. He has that good touch around the basket, he’s got good hands, and he has a face up game, too. And he plays a lot bigger than he is, which is basically the standard for all of us.” Horford faced off against Hunter in college, when he was starring for Florida and Hunter was backing up Greg Oden at Ohio State. “It’s different for guys in Othello’s case, like my case, when you come from winning programs. It’s all about the team concept so you can’t always show what you can do individually,” Horford said. “I know that was the case for me at Florida. I could always do more than I showed, but you play a role and sacrifice shooting face up jumpers for the good of the team and for the ultimate goal, which is winning. And I wouldn’t have it any other way. But when you get to this level you get to open up your game a bit more and I think we’ll see the same thing from Othello. He’s got pretty good hands and I suspect he’ll really open some eyes in [training] camp.” The added bodies means increased competition and a mood heading into training camp that no one will be allowed to rest on what they’ve done in the past. “My rookie year we had some guys but we had injuries and then last year we had trades that moved some guys out,” Jones said. “Right now we’re back up to where you figure a frontcourt needs to be. And I’m looking forward to it. It’s going to be a [expletive] of a training camp and honestly, I’m looking forward to it. I can’t wait for it to get started.” ROLL CALL: The only players yet to make an appearance at the pickup games are veterans Joe Johnson, Mike Bibby, Mo Evans and Pachulia (who has been in and out of the practice facility all summer). But all are expected to be in the fold within the week - as they arrive other pros that reside in Atlanta during the offseason and were mainstays on the Hawks’ practice court will head out to their respective cities.

You guys just confuse me with all the cap space cap hold talk. But I think Bibby is more important to this team! If he is healthy we will have a dangerous team with exciting starters and a good bench that's isn't paying the lux tax!

I agreed with the masses, except I was a homer and voted for Josh Smith. :beer:

Live-in boyfriend confronts husband, wife having sex Woman says both men now kicked out of apartment By TIM EBERLY The Atlanta Journal-Constitution Friday, August 22, 2008 On this day, three was a crowd. Until Sunday, 35-year-old Carla Ramson lived in an apartment in southwest Atlanta with two men she identified as her husband and live-in boyfriend, according to an Atlanta police report. Recent headlines: Police dressed like tourists arrest 40 panhandlers Live-in boyfriend confronts husband, wife having sex Fulton woman says Shaquille O'Neal stalked her • Atlanta and Fulton County news Both men were arrested after they got into a fight at their apartment in the 2900 block of Third Avenue, possibly because one got jealous of the other. The husband, Tracy Lee, 25, was arrested on charges of aggravated assault and battery, and was released Tuesday from the Fulton County Jail on $25,000 bond. The boyfriend, Michael Reed, 21, is facing charges of aggravated assault and possession of a knife during the commission of a felony. He, too, got out of jail on Thursday, after posting $35,000 bond. The incident happened at 11:30 a.m. Sunday. Ramson told police that she and Lee were having sex in her bedroom, while Reed was sitting in the living room, the report said. Apparently that didn’t sit well with Reed. He got angry and demanded that Ramson and Lee let him in the bedroom, the report said. Reed somehow got into the bedroom and pushed Lee, the woman told police. Lee returned the favor, pushing Reed onto a table lamp, the report said. Reed then picked up a glass vase and hit Lee in the face, he told police. Lee retaliated by getting a knife and trying to stab Reed several times, Reed told police. When police arrived, Reed was taken to Grady Memorial Hospital for injuries, and both were eventually taken to jail. When reached by phone Thursday afternoon, Ramson said that both men no longer lived there and she wasn’t going to worry about it. But she said she couldn’t talk because she had company over, and asked a reporter to call her later. She could not be reached later. www.thedragonshorde.com Stone Mountain's Premier Comicbook, Gaming & Anime Store

Carmelo thinks he's better than he really is! :saythat: :saythat:

I just want Shockley to get a chance to play with the first unit and not being forced to try to make a comeback in the fourth quarter with limited talent around him!

Phelps is being tested after every race! He wants to leave no doubts!

Phelps is the Man!

I like GA Tech myself. more nerds in the ACC!

Why is he getting stuck with the scrubs to games straight? :help wanted3: :help wanted3: He needs to play with the starters!

Your right, there wasn't much insight!

By SEKOU SMITH

Not a bad ranking! A lot of teams ranked below us!

I look forward to reading Sekou's work in the AJC! It's the first thing I look for in the sports section!

It looks like he has some game!

I thought we had PF's but we needed Centers?

But they learn to dribble with their feet first in Africa! :thumbsupsmileyanim: :thumbsupsmileyanim: Let's put both teams on the soccer field and see what happens!

Very Negative Nut!

By Mark Bradley August 9, 2008 4:28 PM | Link to this Al Horford is the Hawks’ second-best player. And it’s my belief that the owners have deferred to Rick Sund regarding these two negotiations.

Josh, Bibby and Joe are making to much money for the Hawks to afford high quality veteran help.

Memphis fans don't seem excited about the signing!