Johann

Quote: Seven Questions. If I can remember, I'll put the same questions up 2/5th of the way in... 1. Who is untouchable? 2. Who should we trade? 3. Who do we want taking the last shot? 4. Who cannot take the last shot? 5. What do we need Most? 6. What do we need the least? 7. What do we think we need but probably don't? 1. Smoove. 2. Anyone but Smoove, Marvin, Law and Al (for the right price). Would have to get a star for Joe. 3. Joe, Lue, soon maybe Chills, Marvin, Acie. Maybe Salim. 4. For now, Smoove, Shelden, Al, assuming it's an outside shot we're talking about. 5. Healthy Speedy or equivalent; Chandler/Aldridge type. Maybe a new coach - we should know by mid January. Don't want to get rid of Woody just for a mediocre replacement. 6. LOL. We may have enough 6'9" athletic forwards. 7. Another shooter.

I do think Mark Jackson and Michael Cooper would be good candidates, I just don't expect a ring out of them.

Quote: A few of the guys on the list.... I have to wonder. Were they just in the right place at the right time? Could be. Repeat rings much preferred. L. Brown, the only one probably available, has only one ring, but he took a different team to the finals, and he also won an NCAA championship. I agree with whoever said he is a short termer and a head case, but he is in rarefied atmosphere as a coach. I have wondered if Carlisle might not be capable of a ring. He has at least gotten a couple of teams to the verge, or deep in the playoffs.

It would certainly be worth an inquiry to Rudy T. No clue what happened to Billy Cunningham, but by now, he's been away too long.

Quote: Other than Larry Brown and Paul Westhead, is there anyone who is still active and available? I don't think so, unless Riles is getting tired of the situation at South Beach. The paucity of names just proves the point to me - not many are capable of winning the title, even with a good team.

Quote: Woody has a ring too ! Don't count. I mean as head man, not clipboard carrier. I agree with the poster that said BK and L Brown wouldn't work out together. To get Brown, I would be willing to make that sacrifice.

Quote: Hopefully next time we really talk about it (as the season comes to an end) we will know a lot more! I hope we're talking about it before then (i.e., I am crossing my fingers for a settlement). Not betting money, but crossing fingers.

My first choice is someone, any coach, who has won an NBA title. That is the litmus test of success. I'm sure Fratello, Adelman and etc. are decent coaches, but the proof is in the pudding. Show me the ring. Of those, the only one remotely available is Larry Brown. I'll take him, no matter what his "style."

Quote: I have my doubts that Larry's heart is still in the game as a head coach. But if he could get himself t buy in first, and if he could get the players to buy in second, he could do wonders for the team. Sign me up. Many say LB doesn't coach the way the team is built. But the way I see it, great coaches win NBA titles. LB has proved he can do it. Only one way to find out if it works in ATL. Nothing we have tried for the last 37 years has gotten us past the 2nd round, and now we are just pining to get to .500. Only way to get him here presently is to settle the court case as part of his deal, maybe give him part ownership. Pipe dream, but that's my specialty. The team has a lot of connections with him.

Thanks for the work. Much appreciated.

I don't see why Shelden has been benched. We haven't seen what he can do - he doesn't get enough time to get a rhythm. I saw enough of him in college to think he will play in this league a long time. This is the beginning of his second year. This board unanimously wrote Marvin off as a bust all last year. Personally, I want to see more of Shelden Williams as the year goes on, and next year I expect him to be a player. As for Za, I saw the second half last night. He did virtually nothing. Even Rathbun gave him h_ll. Woody rolled his eyes at ZaZa, as he took him out, maybe the most frenzied reaction I've seen from Wood. Maybe Z will hold down the bench a while and yield some time to the only guy on our team who will muscle up an opponent.

Stick around. You like the Hawks, you seem a little off, this is the place for you. Learn to step aside from your ego (which is no goody) or juries will screw you, if you go in that line of work. None of us really know much. The quicker we realize that, the more intelligent we'll be. I hope you get that 350Z when you grow up.

You may be right. Certainly the rational view. But at some point, it might get to the point of taking a big chance. Personally, I may be getting there.

Plus, the worst PR disaster is losing games, which we have been doing quite consistently since our new arena was new!

Might lead to a brief rerun of the final exam jokes, but when you look at such PR events as the Isaiah Thomas escapades, wouldn't be in the same league as that. I don't know really what the general public thinks, but the diehard UGa roundball fans (which number 27 at last count) maybe are by head count more skeptical of Dennis Felton than Jim Harrick, though it's true there are some that hate JH's guts. JH Jr. has no fans, but JH himself still commands considerable respect. At the last Tipoff club banquet, after he had "resigned," JH got a standing ovation from a very large crowd.

Quote: Having him for anything would be distasteful to me but you are talking about bringing him in as an assistant, right? Not a head coach? He sure can teach a well-oiled offense, that is for sure. No, man, I'm thinking of giving the team to him as the head man. Only as an interim coach, if we give up on Woody in the next few weeks. I can't see much difference in this team if we replace Woody with someone on the staff. Yet, given the legal snafu, no one is going to spend money on a new coach, and no real coach, including probably most of the ones mentioned in this thread, is going to come here given the current situation, especially to work for peanuts. Harrick is contoversial as the dickens. He cut corners. He lied. He won't be coaching in college again - he can't abide by the strict NCAA rules. But the NBA is an entirely different animal, and he wouldn't have those same pressures of dealing with poverty-stricken kids as the stock in trade. Given the circumstances, all of the circumstances, I might clean house entirely and offer him the chance as HC on an INTERIM basis. I think he would jump on it. I've seen what he can do on the court, it's amazing. My hunch is he could deal with Stern a heck of a lot better than he could deal with Miles Brand. Not saying I would do it, but I might.

Quote: I got this one question about him. How good is he when he doesn't have recruiting? My only knowledge about Harrick's rercruiting was when he was at Georgia. Recruiting wasn't his strong suit. He did come up with some good players (Jarvis, Damien Wilkins) but they were by transfer from other schools. He can school players - has made some fine NBA players - those two plus Lamar Odom and others, and has a National Championship to his credit.

Here is a real wild idea that occurred to me recently. Harrick. I know, college coaches don't work (exception: Larry Brown). But this guy, as far as x's and o's, can't be beat - his offensive scheme is a thing of beauty. And his defenses are pretty good also. He would take the job for nearly nothing - he's coaching in the d-league right now. He has integrity issues, but that relates to the NCAA and its tough rules on player income. Players love him. He's great at PR. I might just consider it, as an interim alternative to Larry Drew...

Quote: what does intelligence have to do with being a fan I can't help you, man

Quote: I must be in Bizarro world Shhhhhh...! No one else knows yet.

Quote: Its like the two times I mentioned what car I have and then someone proclaims me a "Dodge attention whore" If you were really cool, you'd drive a Nissan

Quote: The quick answer to the question in your post's title is that being a Hawks fan for any extended amount of time drives you a little batty Ulp! I should read the durn board before I post - if I had, I wouldn't have said the same thing on the Sothron poll thread. You must have beamed that post psychically to me, Doc. All that time in space is honing your skills.

Quote: Hell Ron could be Mrs. Billy Knight for all it matters... Is that something to be Jealous over. ROFLMAO! Man, in my work situation I can NOT be busting out laughing while staring at the computer screen! Exercise a little discretion now and then.

Quote: To everyone: Keep bashing if you like, who cares? But try not to take yourself seriously. Is anyone here intelligent? Not overly - no one who has been a Hawks fan through all this can be called really intelligent. Addictive, obsessive, insanely loyal maybe; but hardly rational. I meant to direct that to everyone in general, not to those who bash one person, Sothron or anyone, in particular.