hawkszone

I just saw this video on a random website. It's a clip that some guys driving in downtown Atlanta took when they saw the Hawks mascot - Harry the Hawk - driving a motorcycle in the street and on the sidewalks. This is even more strange considering that several years ago I saw "Harry" and "SkyHawk" in full uniform riding around downtown streets on a golf cart. Very strange. Here's the link

The potential return of Scott Pollard!! I remember back in '98 when Lenny Wilkens had him in the Hawks preseason camp and cut him because he had the flu and a hairstyle Lenny didn't care for. Not a bad trade on the whole though. Gives us some size and clears Terry's contract. http://www.hawkszone.net

Jay, listened to the whole show, and you did very well. It's gotta be hard to analayze on the fly like that and it sounded like you took everything in stride. There wasn't a name that Fro and Ellinger brought up you didn't have something on. You also added the element of putting the picks in context with teams' individual circumstances. Good job.

You bet Jay. I have listened to Guys Night Out on 680 the fan for almost as long as they have been on - they are the only guys on Atlanta radio that actually talk with any degree of knowledge about the NBA and the Hawks. You can still teach 'em a thing or two though. There is also a possibility I will make it down there if I can get out of work early. I'll check in with ya if possible. http://www.hawkszone.net

Frankly, Stotts was a decent low profile coach. Seems to me that's exactly what big time free agents seem to be looking for these days. Why the Hawks saw Stotts as a liabilty right now is beyond me. The last person we need in here is Byron Scott. He is as proud and stubborn as any coach I can recall in recent memory and that's why he ended up alienated his team in NJ. GM Billy Knight may have mercifully ended speculation for Stotts, but I may mercifully end my relationship with the Hawks if they bring in a jerk like Byron. http://www.hawkszone.net

My impression has always been that Dion Glover (is) and Theo Ratliff (was) the most vocal/disappointed on the lack of fan support. Of course J.T. doesn't exactly hide his feelings either. I saw him in Buckhead one night after his first season as a Hawk and talked to him for few minutes. I told him that I was a season ticket holder and had center court seats in the front of the upper deck. He told me to come on down courtside because "there won't be anybody there anyway"....LOL - It's only gotten worse since then... http://www.hawkszone.net

Quote: If we can add Kobe then this franchise will be fine, but without him I think we are in serious trouble trying to get people here. That's my main concern - that the Hawks may have a whole lot of money and no one to give it too. Dikembe Mutombo was the last "big" free agent to sign with the Hawks and he basically told his agent just to find the best deal. Most free agents have a much different take than Deke, they want to play for a team that yes, has money, but also has a good reputation and a legitimate chance at winning. The Hawks may only fit half the bill after this one.... http://www.hawkszone.net

Let's see what type of quotes Michael Lee gets out of Terry in the locker room after this one.... http://www.hawkszone.net

It's the same thing every year. I am starting to run out of ways to criticize these guys. They aren't even interesting when they self-destruct...... http://www.hawkszone.net

I am on my way....

I have a feeling he won't contribute nearly as much to the Hawks as he did for the Spurs. He just doesn't have the guys around him. A decent defender - yes. A good shooter - when cheated off of I suppose. The funniest thing is his quotes from this afternoon. "This is where I wanted to be from the beginning" ??????????? Yeah right. http://www.hawkszone.net

like every other team in the league does. I am sick of signing CBA players over and over. Not to mention playing with 10 or so guys healthy. No doubt about it (as Lenny would say) on the scouting situation !!!!!! The scouting department is way too small and it showed the way the Hawks drafted. I swear the Hawks asked future employees whether they wanted to answer the phone in the office or do a little scouting. Good call. http://www.hawkszone.net

If anything I think the move will hasten the Hawks decision (which reportedly is already made) to match the Jazz offer sheet for Terry. The new management should not be as concerned with initial expenses, and keeping Terry will make sure the team is at least competitive on the floor this upcoming season. http://www.hawkszone.net

Interestingly, they moved the Annual West Coast Road Trip up a month to January. Since we normally use this trip to crush any hope of making the playoffs, maybe getting this out of the system earlier will be of benefit. http://www.hawkszone.net

Yep, this lag in the process is troubling. I am hearing the same thing you are, that the he hasn't pooled the money required. If he can't make the deal official and begin transition by the beginning of July, I see this thing spiraling downwards quickly. There is just too much to do over a summer, and we are already seeing that with the draft, coaching, and free agent prep. Right now we have phantoms making the calls on those accounts, and that isn't a good thing. http://www.hawkszone.net

if he were to leave the Wizards. I really doubt that the Hawks would be MJ's first option if he leaves DC. However, the chance to be part owner in the new team could be a good draw. As far as whether or not I would want him to make personnel decisions is another story. I can't say his decisions were the best before he suited back up. The link to the Washington Post article is on my website. http://www.hawkszone.net

The fact that his brother is in the Wolves organization is interesting. If it was anybody but Babcock i'd have said he was doing a favor, but it just doesn't jive with his personality. And yes, the injured reserve fiasco was something that Babcock never should have put the team through. Backchannel your dissent, then just do what the rest of the league does until they change it. There is no excuse to turn your franchise into a moral experiment for such a obvious league policy gaffe. http://www.hawkszone.net

Rivers is a good prospect, but leaving Orlando for Atlanta is a stretch. BTW - Because it came out of Terence Moore's mouth, I already consider it a bad idea if for no other reason. Moore hasn't paid attention to a Hawks game in years. Arthur Triche should pull his press pass as Moore just takes up a spot on press row that Jason Walker ought to have. http://www.hawkszone.net

Dion's offense has improved, but he is still a liability on defense. I go to a lot of games and sometimes I concentrate on his defense exclusively for minutes at a time. He will go under picks he should go in front of, he will lose his assignment routinely, and his rotations ain't the best. He also been know to pull moves like fouling jumper shooters. That being said, he has done a good job of improving his offensive game. He has changed his game to play from the inside out and he has done a lot better job of controlling his temptation to launch 3's. He is a good finisher and has slippery moves around the hoop. The Hawks still need offense, and if they can get a solid ball handler for the backcourt in the offseason they should try to keep Dion. The only problem might be that Dion doesn't much want to stay here, or so the rumor goes..... http://www.hawkszone.net

He was able to put some good teams on the floor, but never put a "great" team out there. His decision to trade Smitty was the beginning of the end. We can't forget that he was responsible for the Mookie, Smitty & Deke era which produced some good season records and some exciting times. He will find another job in the league. Maybe not a GM though. I hope that Stan Kasten takes a good look around before he settles on Billy Knight. He has a good resume, but someone with of more prominance might serve us better in the long term. Stan Kasten must make a good decision in his replacement of Babcock or letting him go does nothing if not make us worse. I have to go out of town until next week, but I was able put up a short article on the site. http://www.hawkszone.net

I would also say that at least 15% of the crowd last night was made up of young ladies looking to put a paternity suit on any one of the Lakers players. http://www.hawkszone.net

We can probably get a good deal for him from a team that can more effectively use his "shoot at all costs" mentality. I can't tell you how disturbing it was to see him put the ball on the floor last night against the Lakers. He was either out of control or taking a bad shot with no rebounders under the basket. When he gets the ball, all the other guys just stand around. If he's able to be on a team where he receives the ball on the baseline and shoots his patented little jumper (maybe New York, Houston or Dallas) the Hawks may get a good player or two in return. http://www.hawkszone.net

They were a little generous on Dion Glover. Not pointing out his defensive weakness is glaring. I like thier take on Terry, his improved perfomance at the point has gone unnoticed all too often as the team continues to struggle. Too bad it might be a struggle to sign him this summer. webmaster@hawkszone.net

oh brother, here we go again. These guys can't seriously believe they can take a team for granted can they??? http://www.hawkszone.net

This is a classic piece from Terence Moore. He spent years writing column after column about how Lenny could only take this team so far and how he refused to let his youngsters play. Then he lauded his firing. Now he jumps on the anti-Hawks bandwagon once again (at the easiest possible time) hoping this city won't remember. Whatever. The most suprising fact about the piece is that Moore actually got Wilkens to give him a qoute. http://www.hawkszone.net