sillent

Coach Larry Drew will be one of the top 5 coaches in the NBA this year. His team and game plan are revolutionary enough to shock the NBA world and make a lot of teams have to adjust. Jeff Teague will show us why passing up on Chris (I'm injury prone) Paul and Deron (I really just want to play offense) Williams with Teague's defensive prowess and overall ability. Teague/Marvin/Horford I'll take over a superstar asking to be traded because we can't give them enough help. Marvin Williams (via good health) will finally have that break out season that most of us have spent years waiting for. Josh Smith will make the All Star team and be in the talks with the elite player's of the league. Joe Johnson will be the Joe of old but with less iso's and more movement. Radmanovic will earn the love we give Zaza. Pape Sy is going to surprise many fans in a good way. Magnum Rolle is going to be a surprise talent and keep Benson is going to develop into a promising big. Ok this prediction might actually have to go beyond this year's season. McGrady and Stackhouse are going to help give us an over the edge attitude that we have not seen with our team in the past. Hawks will be an elite squad for years to come with this core!! Feel free to challenge these predictions. I didn't go into full detail explaining each one but I will pull this out at the end of the season so be careful if you know you don't know what you are talking about.

This Franchise has picked up 3 key veterans (2 of them being stars in this league at one time or another) and people still complain. Defense wins championships which makes Crawford a liability. Great Leadership and Chemistry creates dynasties!! If you watched our team last year you can see the talent and we confidently beat the Bulls the first 2 games of the playoffs. We looked like a deer in headlights afterward as if we were in shock at what we accomplished against the #1team in the league last year. ASG signed leaders like Tracy McGrady and Jerry Stackhouse to encourage us to realize we are as good as we think we are if not better. They also brought along Radmanovic who is a deadly threat if you have a drive and kick point guard (Jeff Teague anybody).I actually have to give the ASG kudos for addressing many of our needs. My prediction, if McGrady can stay healthy he is going to shock many and make us forget about Jamal(The good parts at least). Many will be surprised to see Tracy's defensive presence and other factors he brings to the table. All and all Larry Drew's motion offense has a much better chance to be implemented properly with us cutting half of our 1 on 1 duo.Don't get me wrong Crawford would still be a good addition to our team if he stayed within his role and came at a reasonable price.

Why is getting a big man who can spread the floor bad for a versatile team like us? I still agree we need another defensive rebounding big man and would like to look at Samuel Dalembert as an option but I don't think Rad is a bad signing at all with the pieces we already have in place. A Horford, Rad and Smoove trio on the court could actually be quite deadly when all 3 can switch positions from offense to defense to create the best match ups. Zaza a hard nose rebounder and offensive rebounding threat could be more dangerous if the other big has to go out to guard Radmanovic. A team is exactly that (a team) and having the right pieces used correctly at the right time is the formula for winning!! I see Rad even being able to play the 3 at times which would allow a back up big 3 including Keith Benson or Jason Collier for defensive.

Defense wins championships!! That's why the McGrady pick up wasn't such a downgrade. At 6'8 players playing small forward on down are going to have trouble shooting over and guarding a lengthy 6'8 Tracy McGrady. Although he has alot of NBA miles he is only 2 years older than Joe Johnson and he is coming off a pretty healthy season. He is still Tracy McGrady (see Grant Hill) and knows how to play in this league!! On top of that we added another solid vet in Jerry Stackhouse. Jamal's absence will be missed until we realize how defensively improved our team is from top to bottom. Also remember that Larry Drew has a pretty slick motion offense that involves the whole team and based off of reactions that our core players have been exposed to for a year. It will be interesting to see if we add another defensive center(Dalembert for instance).

I'm a Yi Jianlian fan and would love to add him but Samuel Dalembert would be a nice addition to the team as well !! Samuel would be the shot blocking, defensive, rebounding center that was stated as needed in the beginning topic.

I'd be tempted to see if Sean Williams is available. We have enough offense to go around but to have another athletic 6'10 shot blocker and rebounder would not hurt. He also comes at a reasonable price and brings some attitude which might be needed for this team. We have enough veterans and good guys around him to keep his head in the game!!

Jeff Teague plays defense and could be just as deadly as "he who's name shall not be mentioned" will on offense. Chris Paul has proved not to be that durable and Teague has potential to be a better Rondo (Yeah I said it !!). I'll take that plus he knows our system and has a hunger to be great !! Josh Smith just getting his head together. He knows what he is capable of but is bound by his weaknesses. His weakness isn't jump shooting, It's taking those shots when there were better shots and plays available. Josh can beat you all over the floor defensively and offensively. Offensively when he's playing within the game he is unstoppable. He is a good and willing passer and ball handler for his size. He can hit a jump shot/three pointer when he is playing within the flow of the offense.

As a Hawks fan if we trade Josh Smith I'm afraid I want be a Hawks fan!! He's my favorite player since Dominique and I've been a fan since. If we repeat history and curse the franchise by trading a Josh Smith who is not even close to his prime it would be hard for me to be a fan. He came straight out of highschool!! He's younger than Lebron & although it may be a slow growth there is growth in his game every year!!

LMAO too yall are funny :laugh: !!

:D Great Post I Wanted To Give You Plus 3

It's the "First Round"!! Not saying that we should not celebrate or be happy (especially as fans) but we have to believe that that is what we were suppose to do. We have to understand that getting out of the first round is not our goal. We have done that 3 years straight now. We have to stay focused on elevating our level of play and elevating the play of our core to match playoff intensity. The Bulls had the best record in the season but as shown by the Pacers they can be beaten in the playoffs. I think we all can agree that the Pacers aren't as talented as the Bulls or us for that matter but they have one key factor (Effort ). Heart, hustle, gritty, heady plays, toughness, ("Effort" )!! Talent wise we can compete with these Bulls of course with their being an exception cough cough " D Rose ". As we saw in the last series though, one man can not beat a team. We have to battle extremely hard but the main point is we have to get out of the second round. I said this before but If Hawk's players and the organization want/plan to keep this core together, they have to continue to show improvement and advancement. Our theme all year has been "It's Happening" so let us as the fans see "It" "Happen"!! We all know that our team is capable on any given night to compete with any team in this league. (Good) Consistency is what we are looking for now. We have had more time than most in the league to grow together with our core and now is the time to show how strong our chemistry has become. We've been through dang near everything together from a 13 win season to battling the Celtics in the first round as major underdogs to consecutive 2nd round sweeps. We just beat the team that gave us a record making sweep last year. We should not only have learned from that but also this current series advancement. If we come out and play with "Effort", Heart, Hustle, Desire and a Will to Win we will be hard for any team to beat!! KUDOS TO THE WIN AGAIN!! NOW TO ELEVATING TO THE NEXT LEVEL!!

Played in the summer league and was very impressive. I know it's just the summer league but if we can implement him into our team correctly he can be a diamond in the rough.

Yeah truthfully I was thinking the same thing. We supposedly are so dynamic because our starting bigs are suppose to be explosive and create mismatches of there own. I've watched Brandon Bass play better than Horford in this series. Horford has been allowed to play his coveted position without having to deal with Dwight too much and besides that first game( when he was making jumpers) he hasn't really performed. Horford is suppose to be a beast and him and Josh should be a force for Dwight to have to handle but it looks like they plan on making it easy on Dwight on that end of the floor. I want somebody to at least sneak a nasty dunk on Dwight and we can't even do that. I would prefer Horford to at least go hard against Bass and that's not looking likely either. How many dunks or form of domination have we seen from Horford? You are a Gator so playing hard in Florida shouldn't be a problem either. This is the Playoffs the biggest stage you can play on so please tell me what is going on? Horford is suppose to be one of our stable leaders and enforcers. Where is the less skilled Horford that battled the Celtics with heart? Yes Joe has been playing like Joe(the bank robber) all season and Josh hasn't played consistently good but our most stable leader is playing Marvin's old invisible act. Marvin actually looks like a guy ready to play wit heart if given the chance in this series.

:taunt: lol!!

Larry Drew is going to be a great coach in this league which I'll explain in a later thread but this is the playoffs. He got caught up making a rookie mistake which was taking the emphasis the opponent made to the head. Stan Van Gundy made sure he spoke loudly about how we broke them down one on one and made this a one on one game which Stan supposedly didn't like. We of course played into his game plan instead of our own which was ball movement and exploiting mismatches. Instead everyone played the one on one game from Kirk to Joe to Jamal. Josh had some success because he played inside. Horford not so much. The one on one game wouldn't have been that bad if it was actually one on one's but the Magic's closed out and gave quick double teams especially on Joe and we waited too late( 4th quarter) to change our strategy. It would be nice to see Teague get in the game at least for energy in Atlanta. Marvin has to focus and be more of a focus all over the floor and not be stuck only taking the 3. He can be out there because it spreads the floor but he has to use his other skills as well. Horford has to man up and show why he is the second best CENTER in the East. He should focus on being more dominant since he get's to play his coveted Power Foward position. I think Larry Drew realized he got baited into changing his game plan and switched it back in the 4th. When the score was 74- 78 I still didn't see the energy out of the team needed to steal this game. This is the difference between having the heart of champions and just being skilled. You got the momentum and you are down by four you got to dig deep and take the game. Make them exert that much more energy to try to deny you. I saw Derrick Rose refuse to lose against the Pacers in their first game when there was no way the Pacers should have lost. Where is our lion heart? When the other team has more offensive rebounds than you have defensive rebounds and you are not shooting 50 or more percent that's a lack of hustle. I saw us so focused on holding Dwight back that we didn't even go after gettable balls/rebounds. That's like so many businesses now a days that want to make money but scared too spend when spending might help you make more money. We missed point blank shots ourselves out of fear of Dwight. Make him stop you but don't ever stop yourself. Let him know either your going to come get it or I'm going to take it and have plan B's and C's for those moments when you know he is stalking you. MESSAGE FOR THE HAWKS: Everybody is tired and banged up during this time of year but this could be your last time balling together and period for awhile. THERE IS A LOCKOUT LOOMING THAT HAS ALREADY PUT THOSE NOT IN THE PLAYOFFS ON HOLT AND IT WOULD BE GREAT TO SHOCK THE WORLD BY PUTTING ALL OF YOUR TALENT TO GOOD USE AND REFUSING TO LOSE. IF YOU LIKE BASKETBALL LIKE YOU SAY YOU DO PLAY LIKE YOU WANT TO CONTINUE PLAYING!! TEAM BALL, SMART PLAY AND HUSTLE. THOSE ARE THE INGREDIENTS FOR WINNERS THAT HAVE HELPED TEAMS WITH LESS TALENT SUCCEED!!

I thought that I should give you a +1 on this post. It was creative honest and fun. I've been so optimistic that I don't have too many crows. I though and still think Marvin has (underated on defense) and will be key to our success from here on out (playoffs).

Thank You, And exactly!! When is the last time as a Hawks fan(Or most fans for that matter) you could say our teams largest losing streak was four games.

I definitely agree that we need to rebound better and Josh needs to take better care of the ball and make wiser decisions. I don't agree with those wanting to trade Josh. He will be one of the great players in this league someday because he can do it all and is motivated to keep getting better. Why not have him as our great player. At 25 I think he has a long way to go as far as reaching his prime. Our other young guys Horford, Marvin and Teague aren't too shabby either to be under 24 either. Teague may make a name for himself sooner than we imagined. Marvin is an underrated defender and scorer who just needs to get his shot back on track like two of our other top scorers.

Been there just finally getting the confidence in himself to make it happen.

We haven't had more than four losses in a row all season! True we do have split personalities from night to night but our overall season has been consistent. We have a tough and defensive team (Horford, Smoove, Marvin, Joe, Teague, Kirk, Damien, Powell, Thomas, Hilton). Collin's is a big and smart defender. Jamal is hell for a defender when he is on his game and again is a threat on Defense because of his length. Good/Great playoff teams are the teams that are tough, can grind it out and won't back down. Although it may seem different from night to night our offense isn't stagnant. We have just been settling for wide open jump shots and missing. We have 3 capable All Stars / Captains. Josh showed more of his willingness to play smart tonight. I've said this a while back but we can be a superb fast break team on offense and defense. We have plenty capable scorers and athletes that can get out on the break. Our bigs Horford, Smoove and Marvin can bring it up the court although that may not always be advised. We got guys that can run down and stop fast breaks on the defensive end like Smoove, Teague and Horford. Marvin, Damien Wilkins and company are pretty good one on one defenders. Our main thing is defining our identity and playing hard and with energy every night. We as Hawks fans know that making the playoffs is an easy reality with our core but the big test is what we do in the playoffs. We have the ingredients to surprise a lot of people by being low on the radar (maybe Joe will show up there since he hasn't really showed up this whole regular season). Our goal now is to go into the playoffs with a good mindset and momentum. We have not showed that we can cruise into the playoffs and turn it on then but Don't Panic. It's like the Hawks against the world right now at Home and Away and we have to have that mentality and make it work for us. There is an adjustment period especially being so unsupported at Home but we got the Grits and the ingredients to make something happen!!

That is a great example!! Jason Williams and Bibby trade would have looked llke a lateral move if not a slight downgrade at the time. Jason Williams was an exciting dynamic young point guard. Trading him for Bibby to the Griz didn't look like much at the time but it was the perfect fit for that Kings team and it worked. Bibby coming to us 3-4 years ago was what our team needed at the time to gain that confidence to go against a team like the Celtics. Bibby was already looked at as a big time player around the league because of his Sacramento days. When a big time player tells your team that y'all have tremendous talent and you think he is talented as well that's a big morale boosts. Hinrich is yet another next step as far as what our team needs to succeed. Hinrich brings the need without the pressure that we would receive if we got a big time name and can't get the chemistry together or win a title. Looks like a small move now but in hindsight stopping dribble penetration was one of our main weaknesses. Now our players have an opportunity to look like the defense team they real are when they don't have to deal with so many blown coverages. JJ was a great defender in Phoenix (This is on a team that didn't have many if any defenders). Marvin's a good one on one defender because of his size and strength and is pretty good in the passing lanes. Horford and Josh can focus more on their men and weak side help. Our whole team is filled with defensive minded players with the exception of an offensive juggernaut (when he is locked into the game). Even Jamal has his share of steals on ball and in the passing lane because of his length(are we forgetting he is 6'5) and quickness. Just like the Bibby move for the Kings this can be bigger than the player to player lateral move seen on paper for us. Again Kirk is no all star but he is solid and consistent in all the places that count for us. He could be the moral boost this team needs to realize their true potential. Bibby helped them realize their talent. Kirk can help them realizes what they can do with that talent when they play hard nose basketball.

Trading Bibby and Mo for Hinrich was addition by subtraction. When was the last time that we saw our defense clicking on all cylinders like that. The game plan and help defense on Stephen Curry was superb but it would not have occurred unless we had guards that can defend and stay in front of their men. We look like a completely different team when everyone can hold their own on the court. They seemed more eager to help on defense because they did not have to help that often. Our switches were crisp and more relevant today than they've been in awhile. We gave great help against Curry after picks and screens and not letting him get off was a key component to tonight's win. Give credit to the GM for finding a formidable candidate to bridge our gap (biggest weakness was defending the drive and kick). Our coaching staff did a tremendous job game planning and our players did an excellent job executing the game plan. We seemed to be all business on the court today and it started with our defense that led to easy offense. Teague is showing the promise that a lot of us know he has and will only get better with more confidence (playing time). Hinrich's demeanor alone could be felt on the court the way our players reacted and got up for the challenge. Joe got a steal, Marvin was in the passing lanes and so was Jamal. Elite teams are top playoff teams but championship caliber teams are teams that play great team defense. If tonight was any indication that we are ready to put forth a defensive effort like this consistently than we might have a chance to take that next step. That will determine whether this trade was lateral or not for those looking at the players that were traded instead of the needs/position that was filled. Were going to have great offensive nights especially with Drew's offense working to perfection with ball movement. We are also going to have the latter of the nights offensively but our defense and effort must stay consistent if we want to be contenders. The trade once again didn't mean we picked up the best point in the league. It has a lot more to do with finding the better fit for our team. We needed a point to stop/slow down penetration. We needed to find a way to increase Teague's development. What better way to do that then to find a guy that can fit with Teague,Joe and Jamal pretty seamlessly offensively and defensively. We need our players to step out on the court with more purpose and a seriousness to the game. What better way to do that then to get a floor general that commands that along side with our big man Al Horford. We didn't lose much if any offensively so it is hard to battle the deal. Granted we faced the Warriors who are not particularly studs in this league currently but are actually offensive monsters. They have two of the most dynamic scoring guards in the league (ex biggest weakness) and they were slowed/shutdown by our guards and company. As a Hawks fan we haven't been able to say that since Mookie left. Jason Terry wasn't even the lockdown defender he was supposed to be during his stint with us. Kudos to Drew and Sund for not settling and understanding we couldn't go much further with such a glaring weakness. Kudos to the team for responding positively. Hopefully we continue to gel the rest of the season and bring a good momentum into the playoffs. On another note Josh Smith is moving on up in status as far capabilities. In about 2-3 years when he put's it all together consistently he will be an elite player in this league. Thank You Josh for ignoring the naysayers. They said he had a bad attitude and was just an athlete. His B-Ball IQ is increasing although he sacrifices a lot of his game these days to work on that jump shot every chance he can get. With greatness comes sacrifice but once he puts it all together he will be a superior threat on offense and defense. Their is nothing on the court that he can't do and should only get better with time seeing that he is still only 25. He is starting to put himself in the category of High School players that come into the league with a big impact. Some start off fast (See Lebron ) but all of the good/great ones Kobe, Dwight, Garnett, McGrady/J. Oneal(during early prime), Perkins, Al Jefferson make steady gradual improvements every year which is what Josh has been doing. Watch out NBA world Atlanta may have it's very on drafted superstar since Nique. Horford and Teague(down the road see Rondo type impact) don't look too shabby either. All and all I like the moves we've been making and steps we've been taking management wise. We kept our core together (Al, Smoove, Marv, Joe, and Jamal) while adding toughness and defense with our role players. Jason Collins although very limited is big and has a good b-ball IQ. Etan Thomas and Josh Powell are tough. Damien Wilkins is a plus in tenacity and has been longing to play on his Uncle's team since he got in the league and it shows(look up Damien against us in his Seattle days). Hilton Armstrong is big and pretty physical. Kirk is a critical piece to the rest of this puzzle because he brings the intangibles that we needed here for awhile. Teague again has more sense of place since he can play alongside any of our guards without it creating too much of a mismatch. Jamal should have gotten some of the weight off his shoulders knowing he is still a critical piece for us( no replacement in JC2). It also won't look so bad with just Crawford being our weak defender because he is still lengthy and quick. We still do have Zaza (now if he can only find his game that he had the first 2-4 years here). Pape can also always be called upon in case we need a spare man for any reason and he's not too shabby on the hustling/hard nose play himself.

As the topic states it was reported that they were holding Zaza back for another trade that could be pending.

You trade not because someone is your favorite player but to improve the team. Our team clearly lacked perimeter defense as well as another defensive inside presence. We got rid of a duplicate JC2 which might make Jamal feel like he has a home to stay and play like it. We got rid of our weakest defensive presence(Bibby) and gained a pretty good defender and floor general(Capt. Kirk). Damien is more defensive minded than Mo and needs more playing time. Hilton believe it or not is a big man who can at least block shots and hopefully inspire Josh & comp. to get back aggressive on defense. Will our first round draft pick really be worth that much and do we need to add more youth at this point in time if they can't jump straight out of the gate? Most realize by now that the Hawks are a little too non chalant at times. Bibby our past floor general was one to lighten the bunch up and keep them joking and having fun. There is nothing wrong with fun but our Hawks team needs to get serious and grow up. Drew is trying to enforce that but that does not compare to having a general on the floor who can actually put it to action. Let's see if Kirk's work ethic and serious approach to the game can help revive our team. Let's see if our team can help resurrect Hilton Armstrong's career(I know we heard that before see Randolph Morris). We desperately needed a big man that can be a tough inside presence and aid our all star bigs on defense. Hilton may or may not be a fit but it is definitely worth the risk. All in all we got two pieces that we desperately needed and though they may not have been the perfect candidate they fit the bill. We also gained by getting rid of one of our biggest weaknesses so it should be harder for scouts to key in on us. We created bonuses for ourselves by forcing more playing time for Teague (since Jamal and Hinrich can be used as combo guards). Who knows we might find a use/need for our forgotten draft pick (Pape Sy). The only real negative I can see to this trade is a chemistry factor because our players grew together as a family. Hopefully this works in our favor and helps us grow up and understand that this is a business and should be handled that way on the court.

Bottom line Horford could get his wish and be a Power Forward and maybe that'll help my boy Josh get his wish and be an all star as a small foward. Horford is the second best all star in the East and that is only second to a guy name Dwight Howard. How far down the list does he have to go to make all star at Power Forward. Let Josh be second to Lebron because with another year of maturity he can easily catch Paul at this point as an all star Small Forward. My point is with greatness comes sacrifice. Make the best of your situation or complain until you get what you wish for and hopefully it is what you wish for.