hawkster411

I was cheering for Reef and the Hawks. I agree with you, I was pretty upset I heard boos when Reef was at the line; however, I'm not surprised that the Hawks were getting booed. The franchise never had a consistent winning season and no superstars to cheer for (hawks have above average players at best). Heck, a Win is a Win. I'm glad the Hawks stayed strong at the end. They proved it last night.

Jay, I would love to have Doc as GM. I'm not sold on him being both GM and coach, but GM for sure. If Doc took over the Hawks as GM, I envision a bright future for the Hawks. Hey, I miss him as a player, but it would be a great "welcome back" if he became the Hawk's GM. That would be great. BumP!

If i'm not mistaken, the Hawks will be broadcasted live on TNT. I really thought that Babcock's situation was going to be resolved during the offseason; however, I'm betting that Kasten has a masterplan to expose the Hawks to the public while the Hawks were given the chance to play in front of a national audience. I think Kasten is trying to get somebody he really wants if the public feels that this particular person is what this team needs. I'm not sold on Knight yet, but I think Kasten has somebody else in mind. If not, I think Kasten will have to give Billy Knight a shot at GM or VP (maybe both?). What a coincidence that Babcock's outing took place the day before the Hawks were playing live on national television. Comments?

I hope the Hawks make the right moves. The new GM and VP should concentrate on Terry's contract extension, scouting department, and make another key trade. The Hawks have the chance to sign key people. I am being more optimistic about the Hawks future; however, I hope the Hawks are conscience of who they will pick to run this ball club. Note to Management: It's your time to make the right choice, we're all watching you!

Omni, Once we clean house with management, then that is when the Hawks fans will have reason to have hope for a brighter future.

Out of curiosity, does everyone else in the league understand that Pete Babcock is an incompetent VP/GM? Pete is probably a good guy face to face, but it's obvious he doesn't have what it takes to run an NBA franchise. I'm just so frustrated why the Hawks have a poor scouting department. All the talent in the world, all the potentials of a superstar basketball player waiting to be seen. I mean it takes more than one person to scout the millions of talented basketball players. Like what the article says about Pete's 1st round draft picks (DerMarr Johnson, Roshown McLeod, Ed Gray, Priest Lauderdale, Doug Edwards), how does Pete determine who gets drafted (by our scouting department, hA)? Oh, what happened to when the Hawks had four 1st round draft picks? I still dont' understand why we didn't trade up? Well, I wish Pete good luck this summer. Whatever happens, I do hope he resigns his position(s) as a Hawk.

Comments, anyone?

Atlantafalcons.com...the Falcons signed MarTay Jenkins to boost up their secondary. Wow Mr. Blank is doing a great job. He believes in the people of Atlanta and wants to make them happy. I even heard he hired some architects (the one's who built Philips Arena) to add more club seats. Simply amazing how Mr. Blank revamped this organization with the few years he had. I wish we could say the same thing about the Hawks.

If your car breaks down anywhere near downtown Atl, I hope you have ear muffs. Man those cars are flying 70 or even 90 mph. I'm sure Jay did a great job getting his car fixed. I sure as h3ll would be scared changing a flat.

Yo..i just ordered a shirt with the new logo w/ Vicks number on the back. I hope you guys voted on Atlantafalcons.com whether or not you like the logo. I love the new look. I can't wait till the season starts.

I love it when people are optimistic. Go Hawks!

The more I watch and listen to what Kenny Smith has to say on TNT, I am a believer that one day he will make a great coach. He has that player/coach mentality. I listen more to what Kenny has to say than Barkley (Barkley rambles way too much, but I have to admit he does have some funny lines). In my opinion, I think Kenny would be a great fit as a headcoach for the Hawks. I think he can address the weaknesses of each player, and make their weaknesses as their strengths. I see Kenny getting into each players head and telling them exactly what they need to work on. I know this is an unfair comparison, but I think if Kenny Smith were given a chance to coach, I think Kenny Smith would be a better coach than Byron Scott. I can see Kenny Smith turning this organization around. If I'm not mistaken, during the 2003 all-star break, I swear I heard Charles Barkley telling Kenny Smith to become the headcoach for the Hawks?!?! I've read that Paul Silas or Van Gundy would be a great fit for the Hawks; however, I think Kenny Smith should be given the chance to coach the Hawks. I know Kenny hasn't proven he can coach, but my instincts tell me that he can become competent NBA coach.

Is there anyway the Falcons could sign Deion Sanders? I believe he hasn't played for nearly 2 years, and maybe he still has his legs. In his prime, Deion was a freak. If he doesn't ask for too much money, I would give him a try.

Well, in the AtlantaFalcons message board, someone heard on the radio from a reliable source that Peerless Price is a Falcon. The Falcons and Bills havn't publicly made the deal because the Falcons want a draft pick to go along with Price. Also, if the Bills did trade the rights of Price to the Falcons, the Bills might be able to sign Takeo Spikes.

Reggie Kelly is a bust. We drafted him, one statistic that's written in the books. Sure we could have drafted Price, but our GM doesn't know how to choose the right players for this organization; however, doesn't Bearthard have more say so in the draft than Reeves? Well, I'm not worried. Blank will play his hand on Reeves till Reeves make the wrong move. I'm sure Blank has a hidden trick up his sleeve. Blank is a business man. He knows what's best, and i'm sure he will swiftly make the right decision if a situation does come up ala Reevses. The Falcons organization is only going to get better. Vick, Dunn, and Duckett will be deadly along with a top receiver. If they can get a NT, OL, and some other hogs that can solidify the defense, I think the Falcons will be on the right track. Vick is a second year starter and will make history. The man did an excellent job at the QB position with the mediocre receivers he had to play with. Gosh Imagine Vick throwing to Owens (just for fun)....

I like Price over Boston. Boston carries luggage (drugs, health). I don't mind giving the Bills a 1st round pick (might I add that it is a low 1st rounder) and another pick for Price! Atleast Price is a proven player. People in the 1st round may end up as busts, you just never know. Price would compliment Vick on the offensive end. I just hope he can handle double coverage as our #1 receiver.

If we don't land Price, I say the Falcons wait on Terrell Ownes next year. The man will be an unrestricted free agent. His receving coach now coaches for the falcons staff. Vick to Owens in 2004!

Archie...If i'm not mistaken, I remember you posting a trade that actually happened before the trading deadline. If so, can you please tell us who will be traded? I can't stand waiting for something to happen.

Terry, Hawks take advantage of Miller ejection -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- RECAP | BOX SCORE | PLAY-BY-PLAY | GAMECAST ATLANTA (AP) -- This time, Reggie Miller wasn't around to beat the Atlanta Hawks at the end. Miller was ejected in the first quarter and Jason Terry scored 16 of his 26 points in the final period, helping the Hawks end a four-game losing streak with a 99-86 victory over the Indiana Pacers on Sunday night. Just two nights earlier, Miller scored 26 points and hit a 3-pointer in overtime to beat the Hawks 98-97 at Indianapolis. In the rematch, he was thrown out of the game for complaining to the officials during a wild first quarter that put the Pacers in a hole the rest of the way. "That helped us out,'' said Glenn Robinson, who scored 25 points for the Hawks. "Reggie can hurt you with his 3-point shooting. He gets the calls and gets to the free-throw line. We didn't need him out there.'' The Hawks had some good fortune after losing their previous three games by a combined five points. Indiana was called for five technical fouls in the opening period -- four in a span of 19 seconds. The Hawks made 15 of 17 free throws in the quarter, building a 15-point lead. "I don't know what happened,'' said coach Isiah Thomas, who also got T'd up. "I just know technicals were being called all over the place.'' The Hawks weren't about to complain. "I told my guys to keep their mouths shut,'' coach Terry Stotts said. "Obviously, not having Reggie out there is nice, but they're very deep team and very dangerous.'' The Pacers, whose only lead came on the game's first basket, closed to 49-45 at halftime and got as close as one point early in the third period. But the Hawks never relinquished the lead. Terry, the subject of almost daily rumors with Thursday's trade deadline approaching, hit a couple of key 3-pointers in the fourth to put away Indiana. "We're at our best when we're in transition,'' Terry said. "We found our shooters and knocked down shots.'' Jamaal Tinsley scored 21 points to lead the Pacers, who were held below 90 points for only the 11th time in 53 games. They shot just 35.5 percent from the field and missed 11 free throws. The ejection of Miller came after Atlanta's Theo Ratliff blocked Jermaine O'Neal's shot under the basket -- a play the Pacers thought should have been a foul. Miller, who started the game, was on the bench when the block was made. He drew a technical from referee Joey Crawford for coming on the court to protest. Miller returned to his seat but wouldn't stop talking. Referee Bill Spooner gave him another technical just seven seconds later, resulting in an automatic ejection. "It made a huge difference,'' Thomas said. "Reggie's been playing extremely well for us. He's a huge threat and weapon for what we do.'' Thomas waved his arms in disgust and also received a technical from Crawford. Only 12 more seconds passed before Crawford gave the Pacers another technical -- their fifth of the quarter. This time, it went to O'Neal. Earlier in the period, Brad Miller also received a technical for complaining about a call. "That wasn't what cost us the game,'' he said. "We didn't execute. The technicals happened in the first few minutes. The game is 48 minutes.'' Reggie Miller had already left the locker room after the game and wasn't available for comment. Robinson came in needing 11 points to reach the 13,000-point milestone. He got it with 1:47 left in the first, hitting one of his patented mid-range jumpers from 13 feet. Robinson scored 12 points in the opening period, getting a big assist from all those technicals. He went 8-for-8 from the foul line. "It's a great accomplishment,'' Robinson said. "I was unaware of it until (teammate Chris Crawford) told me when I came out of the game. I have to credit J.T. (Terry) for it. He gave me the pass.'' Terry showcased his game for any team that may be interested. He hit 3-of-5 from beyond the 3-point stripe, dished out seven assists and made two steals. Terry would prefer to remain with the Hawks. "This is my home. I love it here,'' he said. "I would definitely be a little hurt if they traded me.'' ................................................................................... JT: "This is my home. I love it here,'' he said. "I would definitely be a little hurt if they traded me.'' Well, for one, I would love to keep JT in a Hawks uniform. If we had to trade somebody, I would trade small. I say Nazr/filler for Crawford. I'm not big on trading our starters, yet. I still have faith with this team. I want to see what happens if we do pull a Crawford deal and see how everything pans out. I believe this summer we will be seeing a lot of changes. I see babcock getting fired. Also, I see us resigning JT. I think the Hawks will make another move to move up in the draft. Of course, all depending on how we perform at the end of the season and if we trade JT before the trading deadline.

I would want another 1st round draft pick with that trade

As much as I want to get Eddie Jones in our team. I don't think the fans will go gong-ho about him...we need a superstar...lebron james..i think what diesle proposed about us getting two 1st round draft picks from denver would be ideal

Braves Spring Training preview Schuerholz stakes excellent record on bold decisions By Mark Bowman / MLB.com Greg Maddux's acceptance of arbitration necessitated the trade of Kevin Millwood. (Erik S. Lesser/AP) ATLANTA -- Since leaving his job as a junior high school teacher to join the Orioles organization as an administrative assistant in 1966, John Schuerholz has advanced through the ranks and established himself as one of the shrewdest general managers in baseball history. Schuerholz, who is the only general manager to ever win a World Series championship in both the National and American Leagues, will be entering his 38th season in professional baseball this year. He has directed the Braves to 11 consecutive division titles and seen plenty throughout these many years. But it's safe to say this offseason was different than any other in his successful past. "There were definitely plenty of long nights," Schuerholz said. Days after the 2002 season ended in a disappointing fashion with a Division Series loss to the Giants, Schuerholz and team president Stan Kasten addressed the Atlanta media and previewed an offseason that would center around the futures of free agents Tom Glavine and Greg Maddux. Throughout that session, Kasten stressed the fact that although there would be changes and a strict look at the budget, he still planned on having his 2003 team "compete for a World Series championship yet again." But nobody knew exactly what Glavine and Maddux were going to do. With thoughts of building a championship-caliber team, Schuerholz set in motion a plethora of negotiations that would ensure Braves fans could continue associating themselves with one of the game's most successful teams. He has built his teams around solid pitching in the past and once again made that his focus this year. The path toward making this assurance was filled with many twists and turns. Along the way, Schuerholz would hear things such as, "How can you let Glavine get away? Why would you get rid of Damian Moss?" and "Kevin Millwood to a division rival for who?" "With the new era of economics that exist in our game, clubs are sometimes forced to take actions that wouldn't always be considered standard actions," Schuerholz said. "It makes for tough decisions." There were times that Schuerholz must have felt like he was in a serious chess match. Every decision seemed to necessitate another move. But now that his pieces are in place, it appears he still has a team that has a good shot of defending the organization's spot atop the NL East. "I'm happy with what we have," Schuerholz said. "I'm ready to get started." The offseason's most shocking and influential decision didn't belong to Schuerholz. Instead, it belonged to Glavine, who turned down a lifetime offer from the Braves to sign a three-year deal with the Mets. Once some of the shock of this decision wore off, Schuerholz quickly moved to explore other options. Two days later, he ensured continued negotiations with Maddux by offering him arbitration and then followed that by acquiring right-hander Russ Ortiz from the Giants for Damian Moss and signing free-agent right-hander Paul Byrd. Byrd and Ortiz would now be joined by Mike Hampton, who was acquired from the Marlins in November, to give the Braves a trio of experienced arms in the middle of their rotation. There is no doubt that acquiring Hampton, who has struggled in Colorado the past two years, is somewhat of a risk. But if the left-hander is able to regain his successful form of the past, his acquisition, which will cost the Braves just $5.5 million over the next three seasons, could be Schuerholz's best move of the offseason. After the same-day acquisitions of Byrd and Ortiz, it looked like the Braves would once again have a solid rotation. The only question that remained was whether Millwood or Maddux would serve as the staff's ace. Once again, this decision was out of Schuerholz's hands. Baseball's new economics once again made this determination. When he didn't receive any satisfying multi-year deals from any other suitors, Maddux surprised some and opted to accept the Braves arbitration offer. This decision ensured Maddux a salary of at least $13.5 million next year and forced Schuerholz to deal Millwood, who was in line to make approximately $10 million this year, to the Phillies in exchange for Johnny Estrada, the club's catcher of the future. There were plenty of upset Braves fans who didn't understand why the club's economic move to trade Millwood was necessary. In addition, they were puzzled why an 18-game winner would be sent to a division rival for a minor-league catcher. In addition, to the many moves he made to his starting rotation, Schuerholz also was able to land quality relievers in Roberto Hernandez and Ray King to solidify a Mike Remlinger and Chris Hammond-less bullpen. Offensively, the only major move came when Schuerholz opted to sign Robert Fick as his starting first baseman for just $1 million. But if Javy Lopez and Vinny Castilla, two of 2002's biggest disappointments, begin to produce offensively again, they too can be viewed as key additions to a lineup that missed their production last year. Braves fans may not be enamored with all the moves. But one thing is certain: Schuerholz's track record is strong and there have been very few times that he has proven to be wrong over the years. Mark Bowman is a reporter for MLB.com and can be reached at mark.bowman@mlb.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs. ----------------------------------------------------------- I believe Schuerholz did a great job. I mean he does have the track record to back him up.

I like the deal, but please explain to me about the two draft picks. Will the Hawks have a solid chance of landing Lebron James? If not, what two positions in the draft will the Hawks have in the first round?