Zone034life

I would much rather have Mutumbo at back up center than Howard at back up PF. Mutumbo gives another shot blocking presence other than Smoove. Plus the Hawks already have ZaZa, Morris, Solo or Hunter who could play minutes at back up PF. Not to mention Horford playing some PF. Howard may have playoff experience but it doesn't out way Dik's presence forget what the position is. Which player helps this team the most next season? Not even close Dik!

Not interested! It would be like having Lo Wright all over again. Mutumbo is the name that intrigues me.

I thought Stone earned a spot on the team

Disagree with you about Jackson. When Chris Houston continues to miss tackles you will want him out of the game. Houston also has poor ball skills. Grimes and Jackson played well tegether when Houston was out. Remember the Falcons will play alot of cover 2 and speed isn't as important as it is in man 2 man. Lid of course T Rex should start. I may have forgot to mention his name but he has earned the job at LT. As for the beer man he will be the third down specialist. He and Ab will be a force off the edges. Jamal can't rush the passer but he will be important on first and second down stopping the run. That still is the most important thing for any defense. I also am for Dahl and Clabo starting on the right side. Those cats play with a mean streak the falcons o line hasn't seen in a long time. Forney's best dayz are behind him and weiner is fresh off his injury.

Sounds like we may as well keep Solo....Lol!!! Slow footed, below average athlete and also has back problems. No thank you! I hope he is better than this write up is describing him if the Hawks do sign him.

Hate is a strong word. There is nothing wrong with a Hawks fan being dissapointed in Bibby last season. Especially in the playoffs. He has to be much more consistent to lead this team back to the playoffs next season.

I hate to see Solo go but with addition of Morris and Hunter he will be better served on another team. If that player they wanted to give a contract to was Dik then that would help this team a great deal. Solo has the potential to be a good role player if he is developed correctly.

I know some may be tired of me saying O. Hunter is the next Carl Landry but he has the tools to prove me right. I expect he will impress in training camp with his energy and athletism. Maybe not initially but at some point Hunter will get some PT and I expect him to be a capable replacement off the bench. The way he runs the floor will help him against bigger slower players on offense. I wouldn't be surprised to see him guarding SF's at some point either. He's just as good as having a second round pick.

Matt Ryan, Curtis Lofton and Chevis Jackon should all start as rookies IMO. Ryan is already a better leader and player than any other QB on the falcons roster. He will lead them to success in the future.

Congrats to Mo! I wish him and his wife all the best.

I could easily see either Richardson, Hunter, Gardner or West being the two players the Hawks send to the NBDL. Other than Mutumbo, Ratliff and maybe Quinton Ross I don't see much that can improve this roster in FA. I just hope the Hawks don't release a player that could help this team and Craig Claxtons pulls a Mike Hampton at the start of the season. They should have a three point contest to choose between J Rich and Gardner....jk.Lol

What will you say if he doesn't? Will you man up and say he is nothing more than a glorified role player? I would gladly say I was wrong about MW but I don't believe I will have to.

I agree that JJ should be priority number one. Bibby and Marvin will decide who becomes the second order of business. Its a good problem to have because both Marvin and Bibby must play well in order to get more money next summer. Good Thread!

Thanks for posting! Its good to hear Smoove is dedicated to his team, city and himself improving. He is getting me amped for the season reading how passionate he is about the game. Sund should go after Dike to help Big Al and Smoove down low. Ratliff would be fine as well.

Sad to say there aren't to many quality centers anymore. The teams who do have them won't trade them. Horford and Smoove down low is the best the Hawks can have going forward. Not a bad combo to be stuck with. In fact read this from Smoove: “I don’t think there’s any questions that our games complement each other,” Smith said. “You develop a chemistry out there that is hard to duplicate. And I think over the course of the season me and Al got our chemistry down, in terms of knowing how to cover each other’s backs and fuel each other’s fire, so to speak. We’re going to try and wreak havoc every night. Every night.” That gets me fired up reading it. As I have said in the past the chemistry cannot be overlooked between Smoove and Big Al. We are lucky to have them both!

That was more or less the players whom I would like the Hawks to keep in some way. Of course some of them won't be on the active roster and two can be sent to the NBDL. Not a fan of Luke Jackson's. I will believe Craig is healthy when I see it and even when he was I wasn't a fan of his game. Bennett and Hunter can start in the NBDL. Another interesting guy could be Bonzi Wells off the bench.

Sorry already posted!

ajc.com The dynamic duo By Sekou K Smith | Saturday, August 9, 2008, 09:51 AM The Atlanta Journal-Constitution Every time someone mentioned breaking up the Hawks’ Josh Smith-Al Horford frontcourt tandem in the past six weeks, I’d remind them of the one night that convinced me more than any other that doing so would be disastrous. I’m talking about the night the Hawks knocked off the Los Angeles Lakers 98-95 before a raucous, pro-Lakers crowd February 6 at Philips Arena. Joe Johnson led the Hawks that night with 28 points, outscoring Kobe Bryant (who was nursing an injured finger) by 17 points. But the bigger story was the way Smith and Horford outplayed the Lakers’ frontline of Pau Gasol and Lamar Odom. Odom finished with 19 points and 11 rebounds and Gasol 12, seven and one block in just their third or fourth game together. Smith ripped the Lakers 17 points, nine rebounds, nine assists and five blocks while Horford mashed them inside with 15 points and (what was then) a career-high 20 rebounds. It was a majestic sight to see in person, these two youngsters carving up the two vets the way they did. I told someone after the game that if the Hawks could ride those two young cats occasionally the rest of the season, I believed they truly had a shot to make the playoffs. I flip-flopped on that opinion down the stretch of the season, riding the roller coaster like everyone else. But as soon as the Hawks got into that playoff series with Celtics and Smith and Horford started going off in games 3 and 4, I went back to that Lakers game. Whatever size disadvantage they might face on a given night, they present just as many matchup problems for their opponents. Two guys this talented, this young and with so much potential still untapped … it’s almost as if the Hawks owed it to the game to keep this young dynamic duo together. If for no other reason than allowing us to see what becomes of them as a pair. A few weeks ago Horford made it clear to me just how important it was for him to have Josh Smith watching his back every night. And Smith said the same about Horford when we spoke Friday night. “I don’t think there’s any questions that our games complement each other,” Smith said. “You develop a chemistry out there that is hard to duplicate. And I think over the course of the season me and Al got our chemistry down, in terms of knowing how to cover each other’s backs and fuel each other’s fire, so to speak. We’re going to try and wreak havoc every night. Every night.” REAL TALK: Smith was candid about his future Friday when he had no clue what the Hawks were going to do (for those of you fresh out of the Fulton County lock up, the Hawks matched before the nightly news came on). I asked him about possibly having to leave his hometown to continue his NBA career, and he approached it with a measured tone and complete understanding of the business that is the NBA. “It’s tough, Atlanta is where I’m from, where I was born and raised,” Smith said. “I love the city, and I love the fans. They’ve been great to me. It would be hard [to leave], but I’m always going to be an ATLien. I’ll never forget my roots. But I understand this is a business.” Thankfully, Smith won’t have to worry about leaving anymore. GUARD HELP: Two intriguing names keep popping up on my radar in terms of free agents (not named Smith finally) that are still floating around. Jannero Pargo and Shaun Livingston. Pargo is a scoring machine that has bounced around the league and produced everywhere he’s been (most recently in New Orleans). He’s available and would give whatever team he joins a scoring boost off the bench. He’s also a former college teammate of Joe Johnson’s from Arkansas (he was at Johnson’s celebrity weekend last month in Tunica, Miss.) and from what I understand still one of his closest friends. Livingston is a guy I’ve always thought could be spectacular in the right situation. But after the horrific knee injury he suffered and the subsequent year of rehab he’s gone through, any team that considers the former lottery pick will be gambling that he can make a return to somewhere near what he was before the injury. With the need for still more scoring help off the bench, both guys would be intriguing options. After speaking briefly with Salim Stoudamire Thursday afternoon, it seems clear to me that he is one player that will not be an option. He doesn’t appear to have any interest in pursuing a future with the Hawks (nor do they with him), which is a sad end to what should have been a much more fruitful relationship for both sides. Stoudamire said (by phone from Portland) that he’s considering all his options from around the league, options that don’t include a fourth season with the Hawks (who never seemed to find the right fit for him). It’s too bad. I’ll always believe he could have been a dangerous weapon for the Hawks, if used properly (sort of like Pargo has been throughout his career). ANYTHING ELSE?: Francisco Elson’s name continues to be bandied about as an available big man the Hawks have made overtures about, which is a good thing because there is a need for another big in the rotation. Anyone that has been here over the past couple of years knows how much I’ve discussed Elson (and my all-time favorite, somewhat anonymous veteran big Aaron Williams and even a homeboy like Othella Harrington) and what kind of fit I think he’d be for this team. Sign up one more cat like that and the Hawks should be ready for training camp.

Bennett may have been a SG in college but in the SL he was playing the point. That maybe the only way he can make it in the league. The last game he looked like a smaller Gilbert Arenas and he made some nice passes as well. He projects better at the point IMO. He would be a good player to send to the Hawks NBDL affiliate as a just in case for Speedy. I know Speedy will make it over him if healthy but I would rather give the kid a shot.

Cwell gave you some points but I will add he gets off his feet very fast. He is a very good leaper and could be a nice weak side defender for the Hawks. He has a nice tough on his shot as well. His biggest weakness may be he is an undersized PF He may be a steal for the Hawks.

Love to hear the excitement of a guy making it in the NBA. It kind of reminds me of Mario West last season. Now all he has to do is come in and work hard in camp and compete every play. I predicted he would be the Hawks Carl Landry from a season ago and i'm sticking to my guns. Good luck and congratulations Mr Hunter!

I echo your sentiments....Lol! Now we can all breath a sigh of relief and focus on who will be brought in to fill out the roster.

Othello Hunter at least earned a chance to make this team in camp. I believe he will make it and have an impact probably later on in the season. The Bennett kids offensive potential may be to good to pass up I would rather see that young man make the team than Speedy. At least he has a chance to make the team. I would sign Dorrell Wright to an offer sheet with the remaining MLE money. Bibby/Law/Bennett JJ/Mo Evans/J Rich MW/Dorell Wright/West Smoove/ZaZa/Hunter Horford/Morris/Solo Bennett, J Rich, West or Hunter probably won't dress at the start of the season. Two of these players could also be allocated to the NBDL to get more game time. I wouldn't mind Dike at all but just say no to Walker coming back here.

If Smoove doesn't resign then I won't support this team again until the ASG and Sund are gone! The price is reasonable for both parties.

The one he showed this season and in the playoffs. Marvins post game is a running hook shot from the SF position. Both still need work in that area but Smoove is more advanced at this point.