khaos7

To call the Grizzlies trash is a bit harsh. If you've watched/kept up with their games since Iverson left, they have been playing good basketball. They can score and they are athletic. I wouldn't sleep on this team. Will Rudy Gay go for 40 like he did against Miami last night? Probably not. But, by no means is this team a push over. The Grizzlies and the Thunder remind me of us. Their confidence is growing. This is not an easy game by any stretch of the imagination. Should we win? Yes. Can they win? Yes.

Although I won't put the same scrutiny on this game as I did the Chicago one if we lose (home vs. away being the difference), I really believe this is a game the Hawks have traditionally lost. A win would go a long way in showing the maturation of this group. Bargnani or not, we're a better team. I want to see if this team can go out put their foot on the necks of a team they pummelled. We all know Toronto has probably been waiting for this game since we smashed them. Look for Bosh to redeem himself from his 2 point showing. They've gone 3-1 since we last met. They will be intense and they have good 3 point shooters (something we don't seem to defend well). Lets see how well Woody prepares them. Again, I wouldn't be crazy upset if we lost. However, I think this is a game a good team should win. No more Knicks outings.

I agree. Nobody can take for granted that the Hawks blew them out. This was a game that I've seen the Hawks drop, time and time again. They came and handled business. If we continue to win games like this (the one's we're supposed to), we've truly grown.

I couldn't have said it better. I know it's a long season. However, after losing to NYK, DET (depleted roster), NO (w/o Chris Paul) and CHA ,I think losing to this lowly Bulls club would be the signs of a trend we don't want to see. And that's why this game is so crucial. I haven't posted in a while. However, something about this game stood out and gave me pause. I think there is just cause for concern. We need to take it seriously and not walk into the arena thinking, "Oh, we've got this." If we have that type of attitude, history tells us the Hawks won't fair well and we'll hear the same quotes in the paper from Woody and Joe. "We didn't prepare." "We're soft" "We're inconsistent" "We got our --- whipped." "We didn't come out and play" Good teams break the will of teams like the Bulls.

What worries me is our defense and second chance opportunities. If we play sloppy defense and allow them second opportunity points (their good on the offensive glass), we'll have some problems.

http://insider.espn.go.com/nba/insider/columns/story?columnist=hollinger_john&page=PERDiem-091209 As of late, the national media has bashed the Bulls mediocre play. Just today, John Hollinger predicted they could have a 50 loss season. Plus, they loss to the lowly Nets last night. We know how the Hawks like to play up/down to their competition. This game scares me a little bit. Derrick Rose is decisively faster/quicker than Bibby. Noah hustles and is as athletic as Horford. Deng can score the basketball. They are pretty good at grabbing offensive rebounds. If the Hawks come in with a lackidasical attitude (as they have been prone to do), we'll lose yet another game to a mediocre opponent (Det, NO, NYK, CHA). I'm interested to see which team comes out. I have a feeling a motivated Bulls team will hit the floor. I believe guys like Noah and Rose have pride. Look for a surprisingly good effort tonight from Chicago. The question is, how will we come out?

I know we're only 12 games into the season. However, after sending Nique to the Clips, Pete Babcock, trading Smitty for Rider, Krugar's playoff guarantee, Bob Sura messing up the ping pong balls, Rasheed for a day, trading Jason Terry, flushing our roster out, putting out a starting five with Kenny Anderson & John Barry, a 13 win season, the death of Jason Collier, Belkin holding up the JJ trade and the Spirit suing each other, the Paul/D. Williams vs. Marvin Williams debate, Shelden Williams promise @ 5, Speedy's contract, and Billy Knight's aloof behavior... I'm going to enjoy winning and watching a truly good team. Whether we're the 1st or 5th seed, I'm glad we're finally watching winning basketball. Other than the Clippers, I don't know of another fanbase in the NBA that's dealt with the mess we've dealt with. We haven't reached the promise land yet. However, I'd be a fool not to enjoy this.

I actually hate that they lost to the Thunder last night. But I digress... We'd better not sleep on MIA. Honestly, they've played good ball this year and Wade is still Wade. Keys to the game for me (aside from containing Wade): 1) Defend the 3pt line 2) Don't turn back the clock on Jermaine O'neil and allow him to have a good game. 3) Control the paint/glass These things could offset any surge Wade gives them.

My thing about Joe this year is the timing of it all. Based off the interview Josh Smith (essentially saying things should be kept in the family) had after the Denver win, Joe didn't gripe to his teammates; he did so to the media. Things aren't perfect. We know that. We have to improve defensively and we can't continue to give up 100pts a night. That said, we are 6-2. You'd think it was the other way around. So, heaven forbid, if we lose to Boston, is Joe going to gripe about that too? With every loss, will we hear him say "guys don't know their roles" like we did after the Charlotte loss or "We're soft" like we did after the Lakers's loss? To me that's as detrimental to the team as not saying anything. Say it in the locker room. I'm a Joe supporter. I don't think the team can move forward without him (or a significant upgrade). That said, he's letting me down with his ill-timed comments. Horford is averaging a double double. Save the Lakers game, Josh has actually played like he has a mind. Bibby has sacrificed minutes and points for the team. Crawford has made strides to play within Woody's system and embraced the concept of the team. There are some positives. Yet, are leader has bad body language on the court and I'm almost convinced he'll whine in the media after every loss. I'm all for Joe maximizing his money making potential. However, if he wants to leave or he's unhappy, I pray Sund doesn't let Joe catch us with our pants down and makes a move before the deadline.

Okay, when will the official signing take place? Am I the only one who is worried?

The thing that concerns me is that Belkin is "entitled to be reinstated" as the governor for the Hawks. This is according to Jeff Schultz latest blog. Although the Spirit doesn't have to pay Belkin that big sum for a buyout nor can he force them to sell to them, he was the governor under the old agreement. Of course, it would have to be in compliance with the NBA. However, I don't like the sound of that. It is a scary thought.

Or maybe...just maybe we can revamp our starting line up. Lets say we resign Bibby and/or lose Marvin (or move him to the bench): PG Bibby SG Crawford SF Johnson PF Smith C Horford Johnson has the size of a SF. That could work. The only issue is, we'll lose something on defense. Neither Bibby nor Crawford are much on defense. However, offensively, we'd be pretty potent.

ESPN is now saying they trade is on hold right now because Woody doesn't like the fact he can opt out of his contract and he's not sold on Crawford. Ordinarily, I'd agree that a coach should have some say. However, who is Woody to hold up anything?

I share in your fears. His Sonics teams weren't exactly world beaters. Most cities look forward to the offseason with the hope of their team improving. We can't do that because either the owners are suing each other, we pass up on talent for Shelden Williams, ESPN reports we're broke or a player bolts for Greece.

I don't mind trading Smooth, provided it is a logical basketball move made to better the club. Given the ASG's current financial condition (which is open to public disclosure due to the court case) and the bone head decisions they've made in the past, I don't think logic and basketball driven decisions are their top priority. That is why I cringe at the thought of trading Josh. Unless it is Blake Griffen, I wouldn't trade a 23 year guy, who was our best player in the playoffs, for picks. Nor would I trade him for role players. If we're talking Chris Bosh (provided he'd sign an extension), I'm all for it. If we're talking Caron Butler/and a back up PG (for Smith and Speedy's contract), I might do it. However, I'm not doing it for 50 year old Marcus Camby or an unproven draft pick. That doesn't make good basketball sense. Secondly, I wouldn't do it for somebody else's junk and yet keep Woody around. Honestly, in a player's league, you get rid of the coach first. That's unless the coach is Phil Jackson, Greg Popavich, or Jerry Sloan. Woody hasn't done jack that would make it a sensible move to trade a 23 year old talent (for somebody else's junk) and keep him. The reason I keep saying "some one else's junk" is because, other than the Ray Allen/Gary Payton trade, Rick Sund hasn't done ANYTHING...I repeat...ANYTHING...that would lead me to believe he's capable of making a franchise changing trade in the positive direction.

Don't get me wrong; I like JJ. However, he's not good enough to say who should/shouldn't be on the time. Although no player should have that sort of power, if it were given, only the MJ's, Kobe's, Lebron's, Shaq's, Magic's, Oscar's, Wilt's, Bird's, Duncan's, and/or maybe Wade's should have that type of say in player personel.

I would have a problem, simply because ATL will never know what this kid could do away from Woodson. I'm sorry, but Woody staying and Josh going is a bitter pill to swallow. For one, Woody isn't Phil Jackson, Greg Popavich, Larry Brown, Mike Dunleavy, Stan Van Gundy, or Flip Saunders. These coachs (to varying degrees) have a pedigree. Woody doesn't and the only reason he's still around is because he comes on the cheap. Even if that was not the case and it was done strictly for basketball purposes, I have a problem with trading Smith and keeping Woodson. I'd opt for the other way around. Smith hasn't been the only player to gripe about Woody. If this is being done to improve the team, I'm all for it. However, if improving the team is the reason, Woody also has to go. There's no way to justify trading Josh Smith, but keeping Woodson, from a basketball perspective.

I don't think we're to hard on Woody. To me (and this has been based off reports in National and local publications), any improvement the players have made has been outside of Woody and his staff. Josh learned his post moves from Hakeem. Marvin went back to UNC to work on his 3 point stroke. Joe was already coming into his own with the Suns. I'd argue that Al's work ethic has more to do with Florida than anything Woody has done. Diaw looks like a bust here. He goes off to Pheonix and to a lesser degree Charlotte and looks like a bonafied NBA player. So when it comes to player development, he has a failing grade. Before somebody brings out our increasing win total during the time he was here, I'd argue, if you have a team of 1st rounders, you're naturally supposed to improve. Al was picked 3rd overall, Marvin 2nd overall, and Josh 17th. Additionally, their acquistions via trade (Joe and Bibby) were picked 10th and 2nd overall respectively). So, given the pedigree of there starters, it should be expected that they improve as they play along side each other for an extended period. Therefore, I give him minimum credit for our overall improvement Offensively, we have NO MOVEMENT What I will give him credit for his some of his defensive moves. Honestly, I don't believed we've been thrashed inside as much as people would have you believe. Bibby is as much to blame for PG's having big games on us as Woody. However, defensively, he's have some good game plans (defending Wade and Kobe when he played us at home). That said, he's an assistant with any other team. I won't be foolish and say the guy doesn't know basketball. He played in the league and he was an assistant on a championship team. That said, he's not HC material. Nothing will make me sway my opinion on that.

I slightly disagree with this statement. The GM does have a lot of say in what the style of play will be, based off the fact they are doing the drafting, trading and signing. Take the Suns for example. Steve Kerrs moves made D'Antoni have to rethink some things. Ultimately, D'Antoni left and Kerr brought in Terry Cummings, with a mandate that they play more defense. Certainly, the GM doesn't draw up the X's and O's. However, they do have a say in the style of play based off the fact they pick the players and the coaches.

While I didn't like hearing it. It doesn't surprise me, however. Woody achieved goals he set out reach: over .500, 2nd round, fourth seed. He made his case. That said, I don't believe he's the guy who can get the most out of this club. That's the issue. To paraphrase Bill Parcell's, "you have to try to get better in any area you can get better in." If that means upgrading your coach, so be it. There are better coaches out there. Nobody can make me believe there isn't. When it boils down to it, Woody has kept his job because of the current litigation going on in Maryland that has the Hawks finances tied up. I know we've improved each year. I know he inherited a rebuilding job. Yada, yada, yada. The fact is, I believe another coach could get much more out of this team.

In the context of this playoff run, his opinion does warrent some attention. After all, he's the one who stripped the team down for better or for worse. It was BK's decision to go with Joe (which led the ownership group into court). He made the most important draft picks of this decade for the team (for better or for worse), and most of the players on his roster are his players. So after watching a team go from 13 wins to 47 wins and a 2nd round berth, in this context Knight's observations would garner some interest. If you think it wouldn't, let the AJC track him down during this playoff run, get an interview and watch how many people on this blog would have some type of response. Asking what he thinks about the direction of a team he helped to big isn't a negative question. It's just one man's opinion; I think its justified to wonder. Throwing Babcok and Kasten into the conversation is irrelevant because they didn't sign Joe and Zaza, trade for Bibby, draft Horford, Smith, Marvin, Acie, and Solo. BK did. So the question becomes, is this team performing the way he thought it would and according to the timeline (if he even had one) he had.

And how did you arrive at that opinion? Not once did I mention his record or herald him as the next coming of West the NBA logo. I simply said want to know what he thinks. One thing non of us can deny is he picked the majority of the players on this team. Billy Knight made some dumb choices (Speedy, Shelden...). That said, he constructed the roster (minus Mo and Flip). Josh Smith said as much at the end of the season. Regardless of what he did in the past or how he left, I would like to know how he feels about the progress of this team, now that he's removed from the situation. We've reached goals in the past 2 years. However, he isn't around to reap the accolades for it. I just want to know how the cat feels about it. He's been silent.

Let's get the obligatory I hate BK, he didn't draft Roy, passed on CP3 or Deron Williams stuff out of the way. We all know how people felt about him when he was there. However, when you see Josh Smith being our highest scorer in the playoffs, JJ finally step up in a game 7, Horford play like a soldier while injured, Zaza (a player no one knew about) play tough minutes, Marvin (in game one at least) set the tone early on, and Bibby lead the young team Billy Knight put together via trade, FA, or the draft, I have to wonder how he's feeling these days. Many people have called this mixed matched team with a bunch of redundant pieces. Now the team is growing up before our eyes. I, for one, am curious as to hear what his thoughts are about where we are now as a team.

My brother just texted me and said ESPN reported they were out. We cannot be surprised by that news. Guys have to step up: Solo: i know you haven't played much but you can't have any dumb fouls Joe: Earn your money. Nuff said Bibby: you're the playoff vet. You've been through the trenches. You have to be the court general. Josh: PLAY SMART! With Horford out, you'll be the only true force we have down low. FOCUS! Mo: We need more than 5 points from you tonight Flip: Play like you've been playing Zaza: Play like you've been playing and remember EVERY FOUL COUNTS Marvin being out doesn't shock or upset me. He's been out most of the series anyway. Although Horford hasn't had a big series, that's six fouls we've lost and scrappy play. Let's see what this team is made of. I don't want to go to a game seven. Anything could happen.

If Wade is insulted by theatrics...wonder what he has to say about his own antics... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ISnZzK9r ... re=related