sillent

I would only want (a healthy) T-Mac in a swap for Joe Johnson. That is in hope that our young players and rising stars (Josh Smith, Marvin Williams, Al Horford and Jeff Teague) step up their game. While still having older vets like Bibby and Crawford and good role pieces like Joe Smith, Zaza Pachulia and Maurice Evans is also a luxury. A hungry T-Mac can mean having a proven Elite player to win a championship. An already motivated Crawford with an even more motivated Smoove(playing with his favorite player and proving he is an all star) and tough play from Horford will make us an even tougher team to deal with during the rest of the season and the playoffs.

This would basically be giving up strength for length and more star power. Iso McGrady is a little more deadly because he is a better passer and getting a good look because of his range and length. His length also helps as a defender because he is able to guard the passing lanes or taller perimeter players a little better. If McGrady goes down we still have young stars and good vets that can step up their game. We see games even now where Joe is not that big an impact in the win. Many of our players are ready to step up and with the opportunity can be even bigger contributors for our team.

Joe is more durable and can explode/fill in the pieces when needed and if he plays his role to perfection their will be no need to mess with our chemistry.

But in a fantasy world(No injuries and everyone playing up to their potential this would be the move to make.

P.S. Do not sleep on Marvin or Hoford, Smoove and Teague get even better in this season alone especially with more playing time/an injury occuring.

Josh Smith, he even made the 13 win team watchable.

There's a distinct divide in pre BK and post BK. He totally blew the team up, and it's good thing he did. I wonder who played the most games for the Hawks this decade.

Exactly, 10 blocks against the Mavericks in his rookie season. If any body has the potential to fill up the stat sheet it is J-Smoove. I wonder if we will ever get to witness a 10+scoring,rebounding,blocks,steals and assist game. I don't even know what to call a 5 category double double game.

Closing out games is learned in playoff type enviroments. Bibby is the only player on our team that has that kind of experience. Horford has it from two NCAA championships; but he does not get the damn ball in the 4th quarter. As much as we like to relish the seven game series with Boston, we still got blown out on their court and barely won most of them on ours.

If you watched our games the last couple of years( not just look at te stats) you would notice most of our wins and losses were determined by close games. Whether we came back or just held on they were close games. This is the first season in a while where most of our wins were decided by blowouts.

The owners are pathetic, but no they are not the problem right now, its the players not executing.

The bold quote is what you all should be reading. We are starting to be to complacent as if we are going to win simply because were on the floor. Everyone needs to get back to playing to their strengths. Josh(settling for jumpers),Joe(taking ridiculous and too many shots),Jamal( trying to score 50 every game).SIKE!! Not to the bold statement above but the statements after.

We know how to win we just need to execute at the right time before the game is on the line. We are pretty secure in the 4th position with an opportunity to finish in the 1st to 3rd spots. We are now starting to prepare for the element of surprise/dominance. We know Josh is a big load inside so him being a threat farther from the paint will be deadly. To me there is nothing wrong he is just trying to get his game time rhythm which will be essential come play off time.

Joe being able to make difficult/any shot will help aid his elite status/money especially if he does this on the big stage.

Jamal is borderline between cocky/confident. The bad games can motivate spectacular ones and his hunger to not only make the playoffs but show he is a great player once he gets there.

As much as I dislike seeing us lose I also understand strategies. We still want to be a team under the radar and we must be able to throw many different weapons on a team that gets a chance to scout and play for at least a four game stretch.

Howard would be the only likely choice(which is really saying something). Bynum will and can be great if he stays away from Injuries. But when it comes to ability, agility, chemistry and endurance Dwight would be the only choice other than just keeping Horford. Dwight and Josh are best friends(NBA wise) and would love to play and win with each other in their home town on a high level. Since Howard gets so much off the offensive rebound he would not have to demand the ball but still get a lot of opportunities. Horford can run the fast break better with/without the ball but Howard is strong enough to control the paint better with or without the ball. When it's all said and done we'll have one f the best Centers in the league in Horford and with Smoove is already one of the best front courts in the league. Our wing men/back court and bench aren't too shabby either.

Chillz was always a complimentary player and coming back to a team/league he is familiar with will make him an easy fit if he does decide to come back. Teague, Crawford, Childress and Evan would fight for position(unless JJ left). When has friendly competition been bad for our team. This is also a deadly team if we're playing small ball. A combination of Jamal and Childress as reserves replacing Joe and Marvin or Smoove and Bibby. Our team was built for this versatility and Chillz was/is a key piece. Smoove and companies missed jumpers will be easier to swallow with a Childress and Evan's offensive reBOUND. A line up of Chills, JJ, Marvin, Smoove and Horford we are a very tough team to rebound against offensively and defensively. JC's, Joe's, Smith's with all the confusion for the opposing teams and the Chemistry builder's for our team it will be hard to stop us. Because of Chillz length he can play spot pf minutes in small/quick ball. Childress and an improved Morris(or young athletic defensive and rebounding rookie) are the missing links to our already improved team. This won't disturb the chemistry or put a damper on the floor since we are getting a player who is familiar with the system and has a good relation with the personal of the team in Josh Childress. Teague is our future PG and Bibby shows plenty of life that he will play a big backup role. If Joe does leave Jamal can start and Chillz and Evan's can still play big backup roles. Teague,Marvin, Smoove and Horford will be even better especially if they have to step up in Joe's abscence. Once Crawford get's a taste of winning at a high level he is going to be even more viscous and is a better play maker than Joe although Joe's strength will be missed.

When you have a team this loaded you can not add too many more pieces because there is not enough balls to go around but with a complimentary player like Chillz (who also will get better especially in Joe's abscence). Even if we add another big he is going to have a limited role offensively. This big will have to bring more than scoring to the table like defense and rebounding.

We must admit that our team is well equipped and that we don't need too many more pieces to add to the puzzle. Chillz was and still can be a great piece to our puzzle (especially since most of the puzzle has been fixed). Our main question is Chillz pride(being rejected) vs. his pride(winning/competing for a championship on the World's biggest basketball stage)

We would be better without a doubt. Chillz walked bacuase Sund put him on the burner after Chillz was ready to sign. While on Sund's burner, 20 mil./per knocked on the door.

Josh Childress did the right thing.

Now having maxed his porfolio, he probably will be interested in 6-7 annually and with the Hawks deeply contending.

:thumbsupsmileyanim: I hope your right. Since we drafted Chillz everyone said he'd be great for a playoff/contender team. We are exactly that now and should be welcoming Chillz with open arms. Hopefully all his hard feelings against us are forgiven(Although it's hard to forgive trying to make somebody replace you and take your number "Evans").

FInally, Lady Luck re-appears in Atlanta's Dealings.

Some time ago, after years of stupid GMing like drafting Koncak over Karl Malone or re-Signing Koncak for more than Nique was making, we made a move that changed the course of this franchise and made up for all the bad moves that we had made previously. We traded a poor, misunderstood young PG named Rumeal Robinson for Mookie Blaylock. At the time, NJ had Mookie and Kenny Anderson. Anderson was to be the future of Pging... and Mookie was just seen as the next Heywood Workman. Well, upon receiving Blaylock... Old Smokie Mookie became an all defensive PG who would lead us to the playoffs several times. NJ had made a big mistake and we had be the beneficiaries. Lady Luck was renting an apartment in Atlanta. Well, it was at that point that Lady Luck left Atlanta. She Looked our way once when we got Christian Laettner for Spud Webb.... however, we blew it by choosing Alan Henderson over Christian Laettner. She re-appeared briefly by allowing us to trade away scrap pieces for future picks and giving us the cap room to sign Dikembe Mutombo. However, Babcock blew those future picks and lost Mookie in the process. So we have been patiently waiting here re-appearance. We thought it was her that allowed us to get Joe Johnson. However, us getting Joe Johnson was an Arn Tellem plan to get a GM in his pocket and it forced us to draft Shelden Williams a year later. However, Sund has come and Lady Luck was seen in Atlanta on Peachtree St. Riding in a Charger. Lady Luck came to Atlanta and made two strong moves. The first was allowing us to get Bibby for Shelden. The second was letting us get Crawford for Speedy Law. Lady Luck has once again transformed this team from playoff Hopeful to Eastern Conference finalist possible. There is no time when we step on the court when we think that we can't win. Every game has a strong possiblity of win beside it. I'm actually looking forward to dismantling Cleveland and brutalizing Boston. Whatever we have done to get Lady Luck back in Atlanta we must continue doing it. I guess this means that everybody must get your corndogs ready!!! It's big things poppin and little things stopping in the ATL.

The Josh's,Marvin/Salim,Sheldon/Solo your bold statement above made your whole topic irrelevant. I was reading and then heard the sound of a broken record. After that it was a hard read. I will agree with the second bold statement and the rest of the paragraph below it.

http://realgm.com/src_wiretap_archives/63288/20091208/hawks_blueprint_could_be_followed_more/

Great job Billy and thanks.

:thumbsupsmileyanim: :thumbsupsmileyanim: :thumbsupsmileyanim: :thumbsupsmileyanim: :thumbsupsmileyanim:

Allstars win games at least at worst 25-35% of games. Durant is a good example of an allstar. No matter how bad/inexperience his team is as an allstar he is going to get you a win or two.

If I'm not mistaken Courtney Lee was the biggest reason for their sole win.

I've said it before and I'll say it again: the All star game is about INDIVIDUAL play not TEAM play. I realize coaches don't look at it that way but it is in fact how it is supposed to work. Anyone whose watched Lopez play this year knows he has been on an All Star level.

Allstars win games at least at worst 25-35% of games. Durant is a good example of an allstar. No matter how bad/inexperience his team is as an allstar he is going to get you a win or two.

How about Anthony Randolph from Golden State? He was a monster during the preseason but is only getting ~21mpg now(11ppg,6rpg, 1.2blks with those minutes). Maybe he could be a cheap get that can contribute right away. I was originally on the Stephen Jackson bandwagon but he would've been to expensive anyway. Besides, he's more of a SG/SF while Randolph at 6'10" could do more damage closer to the rim.

Although I am a fan of Anthony Randolph I do feel like you all are sleeping on Marvin's contributions sure he has his faults at 23 but his benefits(although not as great as Smoove) exceed even a great double double machine like Horford. Mock my words(Again I think Randolph would be a great addition) but keeping Marvin Williams is going to pay good dividends. Their is not mch he can't do on the court once he learns to hone all of his skills.

TheHawkSquawk: Happy Birthday J- Smoove!

View the full article

Glad/Figured Smoove would get/go after the W for his B-Day!! Good job Hawks!! You can look at Woody's post interview after the Knicks game and realize Woody was giving Smoove an early Birthday present.

Regardless of what people think of the talent on this team I think everybody should be in agreement by now that this team isn't making the commitment to play hard night in and night out. A good start is only that.... A good start. It's an 82 game season and a team must play with effort most nights and the effort of this team has started to slip and it started with the Rockets game when the team played lazy, sloppy, and were outworked most of the game. Since then, they have NOT played with the effort required of being a top team. The players on this team are lazy and not committed to winning at an elite level. This is not an untalented team, and I know there are talented players here even when I get upset at them. But I haven't been convinced that this team can play with heart every night and so far they've proven that to be true.

It takes more than a good start to become a top team. After the 6-0 start last year, the Hawks returned to the inconsistent form that continues to plague this team. While this team started off well and did it differently than last year, the things the two starts had in common was EFFORT. Early in the season Josh/AL and even JJ was hitting the boards really hard. Since then, every bodies play has took a step back. Due to the lack of a center more beef in the middle, this team does have to work harder than teams like Boston, Orlando and even SA.... But this team isn't willing to maintain that effort. The team must find some size to start at center which means Al, Marvin or Josh needs to go. I know people don't like Josh at SF... But he is NOT a real PF, and this team is NOT going to reach consistency with it's current team.

The bottom line is this team looks good when they're giving all the effort, but when this team isn't playing hard or they lack energy... They got little else to fall back on considering this team can't shoot or rebound. This team has to work harder than the other contending teams and when they don't work harder they look awful because this team is structurally flawed. It's not all the players fault. Despite the record, Billy Knight built this team poorly. No matter who coaches this team... It will still have the same big flaw on the defensive end and of course rebounding. Size needs to be on the shopping list at the all star break and in the off season. If that means trading AL then so be it.

I agree with everything but the bold statements. Our lack of consistency( ball movement, effort, hustle, defense) is our biggest problem. When you think about it these are not big problems to solve. Bibby, JJ, Crawford, Marvin, Evans and Teague are pretty good shooters any where on the court. When we rebound as a team and box out we have no problem in that department. When we are defending and helping we boast one of the hardest teams to score against because of our height(switching) and athleticism. Our problem is when our shots aren't falling we rarely have that Flip Murray( Teague/Marvin) instinct to take it in strong drive, get to the foul line and make our foul shots. Once we get more of that bully mentality like a Paul Pierce, Lebron James, Dwayne Wade, Kobe Bryant's, Dwight Howard's our inconsistency's will be a lot less and it will be easier to step up when our strengths (ball movement, defense, fast break's/easy buckets, team rebounding, shooting) aren't working for us.

Capstone made an intriguing post earlier after the game: Have Collins be the one wearing the suits and dress Othello Hunter. My response: Why not?

Collins looks terrible out there and won't get any minutes unless A) blowout or B) 2 out of Zaza, Randmo and Joe Smith go down or get into terrible foul trouble.

Call me crazy, but Randolph Morris looked decent out there tonight, and he looked decent in the last game he played in as well--and I'm talking about on both ends of the court. If Zaza goes back to playing like he did earlier in the year, maybe just maybe Morris needs to steal a few minutes. I'm not saying he will be great, but I like what I've seen from him LATELY.

As for the Othello Hunter idea, I know he won't get many minutes at all, especially since he has both Smiths in front of him (and Al when moved to play minutes at PF), but man, he would certainly contribute more than Collins would.

What are your thoughts guys?

I was thinking the same thing. We don't need Collins on the court most nights any way(unless we are facing marquee bigs) actually. Hunter would give us more of a balance and hustle in blow out win/losses and could learn/earn more from being able to play. He would be another young athletic big out there and we already have Joe Smith and Zaza as our vet depth.

What was the reasoning for signing Collins over Siler? I wasn't one of the ones who thought Siler was going to be great or anything, but I imagine Collins cost more and he appears to be incapable of pretty much anything.

Collins is here to help mentor our young bigs like Joe Smith and give us 6 tough fouls and a strong big body who knows the NBA game(not saying he can play it but he knows how it is played). I was not ever a fan of the Collins but Jason was always better than Jarron and has more experience than Siler. You don't want a young Big in Siler making a rookie mistake in a close/important game against a Shaq, Dwight or other marquee big and you know what Jason is going to bring you which is hard fouls, defense savvy(semi smart play whether it is a good foul,box out or ect..). If you are a true NBA fan and not only watch our players but know almost every player you know Jason is not even considered as a star. His addition to our team was/is strictly beneficial to show our young bigs that with no real talent you can be successful in this league with playing smart, knowing your role/capabilities, using your advantages to the best of your ability.

If I were going to motivate a young deep team why not higher a successful(he's been in the NBA this long) slop who can motivate some of our players and teach them that with smart play and playing within your self you can have a long career in the NBA. If I'm Josh and Al and I look at my talents/abilities and his I am super pumped and extra hyped about what I can potential become in this league.

Lebron, Howard, Joe Johnson, Wade, Horford, Smoove, Jennings, Rondo, KG, Shaq, Bosh, and Granger all standing around when Woody comes in for practice.

Woody: OK, the starting 5 will be: Shaq, KG, Smoove, Lebron, and Wade. You all are here because you were the fans pick. However, don't expect to play much.

Shaq: What do you mean, don't expect to play much, people paid good money to come see the main attraction in Dallas... ME!

Howard: You heard him. You're old news. I'm the present and future.

Shaq: The people have spoken. I'm here live and in color!! I'm the people's Center.

Howard: I would have proved to you that you're too old to still be playing last year in the playoffs... OH, that's right... the People's center didn't make the playoffs.

Shaq: I had a bad team last year!

Howard: You mean Phoenix? They're the second best team in the West.... Without you.

Wade: Ok Big Fellas. We know who Woody was talking to. Anyway, we're a good looking team and we're going to beat the West.

Rondo: You know it. They're old and feeble. It's Kobe and the Hasbeens.

KG: Hasbeens? I came into the league with Duncan, Kidd, and Dirk.. what do you mean hasbeens?

Rondo: Well, let's just put it like this, Boston without Rondo is a retirement party waiting to happen.

KG: What? $##*! You!!!

Woody: Everybody calm down. I have to install my offense.

A few giggles can be heard in the room.

Joe Johnson: WTF man, this guy is an offensive genius!!!

Lebron: I know the plays: Iso-Left, Iso-Right, Iso-Center... Mike B. Uses those too!!

Wade: Those are OK, But I say we run my favorite play: DTLALFAF.

Joe: DTLALFAF? What's that???

Lebron: You don't know that. That's drive the lane and look for a foul... We used to run that too!!!

Wade: Did you guys stop running it?

Lebron: Yeah, we found that Shaq gets in the way.

Wade: We dealt with the Shaq issue by moving shaq High post and making him a decoy.

Lebron: That was circa 2004. Everybody knows that Shaq can't shoot from out there so it doesn't work anymore.

Shaq: What about the play SS?

Joe: SS? What's that.

Shaq: It's very complicated. It's basically me getting the ball in the low post and using a variety of moves to find an opening to scoring!

Wade: SS? you mean Shaq Smash?? We haven't run Shaq Smash well since you left. We tried to run it with Udonis, but he can't get the Shoulder drop right and Jermaine is too soft to run anything inside. He ran SS one time and he was out for the next 5 weeks.

Shaq: You got to be the People's Center in order to run that!!! I told you young fella, I'm the true superman and I'm the true People's Center. You need to relax and take notes.

Woody: Guys, Guys, Guys... Let's learn this offense. I do have Iso Left and Iso Right and we will run it with Lebron.

Joe: Lebron? Woody those are my plays!!!

Woody: When you get in Joe, we will run them with you.

Joe: So, what?? I'm Lebron's back up or something?

Woody: The people didn't vote you in.

Lebron: Relax. If Shaq is the People's Center, then I'm the people's... Damn Woody, what position am I playing.

Woody: Well, You're playing FUARD.

Lebron: FUARD. WHat's that mean.

Woody: You play some foward and Some guard, FUARD.

Joe: I thought you're supposed to know all these plays... You don't even know that there's a FUARD position. I told you he's an offensive genuis.

Lebron: IS that what you play FUARD?

Joe: No, I'm the Point FUARD.

Lebron: What about you Josh, what position do you play?

Smoove: I'm the FUANTER

Rondo: We didn't learn that at Oak Hill or Kentucky?

Smoove: Woody made it up. He said that I can play any position so I play Foward, Guard, and Center.

Wade: This is funny. Horford, what position do you play?

Horford: I'm the FONTER.

Wade: How do you tell the difference between FUANTER and FONTER?

Horford: It was hard at first, but if you listen carefully you can here it. FUA-NTER... and FO-NTER!!

Wade: I still can't hear it.

Horford: Listen. FUA-NTER... and FO-NTER!!

Wade: Nope.

Granger: I hear it, I hear it.

Wade: One more time.

Horford: FUA-NTER... and FO-NTER!!

Wade: I can't get it.

Granger: Damn, you lost me on that one. I had it, but I didn't hear it on that one.

Horford: Like I said, you have to listen carefully. It takes time.

KG: O My God, would you all just shut the $%$* Up!!!!!! I can't believe this. You guys are making up plays and making up Words... How in the hell are you guys the best team in the East with this madeup #$%t.

Josh: Because nobody knows how we're coming for them. We can do FUANTER Drive right or FONTER drive right. Even if you hear it, you won't know what to do!!

KG: What the $%# man!!!!

Woody: Let's go over our play list. We have:

Iso left, Iso Right, DTLALFAF.... Can you run that to the left or right?

Wade: It's down the middle of the lane, so its just drive.

Woody: OK.

We have:

Iso left, Iso Right, DTLALFAF, SS,... Howard, is there a HS?

Shaq: The only HS he knows is High School! There's only one Shaq and he can't be duplicated.

Howard: We don't have a HS but we have something better.

Shaq: What's that?

Howard: Just wait til the playoffs. You are going this year right?

Lebron: What are you saying?

Howard: I just wanted to know if he was going tot he playoffs or will he be having his second annual dancing with the People's Center.

Shaq: If I did have a Dancing with the People's Center, it would be more interesting than your offense.

Howard: What are you saying fat man?

Shaq: I'm a better dancer than you!

Howard: You're not better than me at anything but running your mouth.

Lebron: AH, Shucks.. A dance off you say?

Howard: That old man can't dance. He better stick to getting ghetto boos to vote him in the allstar game. Too bad you can't be voted into the playoffs.

Lebron: Me and My guy will be in the playoffs as the first seed, but right now, you have a dance battle with us....

Shaq: Let's take it to the floor.

You got a great imagination!! lol

That is just crazy

Joe can't even replace Joe. I hate to have to say it but what has Joe done for us lately. Crawford is deferring not only to Joe but to/for our entire team. What is Joe's excuse?

I don't think people think Crawford can replace Joe as far as overall production but as far as being the scoring leader of our team Yes He Can. Joe is a better defender but Crawford is a better passer. Ball movement is important on our team. So is defense but Joe's defense want be missed as much as good play/decision making. Coming to a new team and trying to fit in isn't easy especially if it is a good team or has plenty of marquee players( Ask Baron Davis).

Not saying Crawford can/will be our Joe but Crawford is doing a good job for his situation. What is Joe's excuse( Big Contract,maybe last time he plays with Hawks why not go out in a bang/within team, Deferring is not a problem when the team is winning but when you don't have good/great contributions in a losing record?)

Yeah I'll say it again!! This year Joe cannot replace the Joe we knew and loved. While saying this I still believe it will be a different story after the All-Star break( Joe might even show where all the Elite talk is coming from). Joe is a businessman( I can't say it enough) so I don't see him being mediocre at best all season and I do believe he will eventually go out and earn his money(the money he wants) before the season is over.

Talking with people that don't like the NBA.... The Hawks are the epitome of what makes basketball fans mad. Refs aside. This team is selfish, mostly lazy and fundamentally bad. They play such a bad brand of basketball that it makes it tough for me to say good things about them. They get paid millions of bucks and they can't even go out there and give full effort. How do you say good things about players that play like that? I don't like to watch the Cavs because they share a lot of the same problems the Hawks have. I want this team to do well and made a run, but they're not making a REAL run playing this way. It killed me to watch the Braves made World Series runs and the Falcons making the Superbowl while this team couldn't get out of the 2nd round. Largely, this team is headed down the same road that the late 90's Hawks teams went down. It's about the big picture.

The big picture is Joe is not Elite(at least not playing like it) and Woodson does not coach offense. When we continue to move on the court and move the ball we are almost unstoppable. When our movement is stagnant and we rely on one on one plays it shows just how much we lack as far as offensive plays. When our defense and effort isn't there then of course we are not going to be able to contend with any team including Nets. Woody has his faults but the players know and understand the freedoms they have on the court on the offensive end if they work with each other. When they choose not to play defense and with energy relying only on making shots these are the results. If we are complacent with just being good this will be the results if we want to be Elite we have to learn to hustle,defend and play with effort every night until it becomes a habit.

What has this team really done since beating Boston.... Let's take a look

-They blew out a bad NO team (It was close until the middle of the 4th) at home.

-Barely beat an underachieving Blazers team at home in over time.

-Beat an overrated Miami team at home

-Beat an injury plagued Houston team by 1 point in over time

-Lost in NO

-Got Thumped in Orlando

-Beat an injury plagued Philly team that is bad even when healty

-Got doubled up on the boards in a loss to Detroit

-Beat up the worse defensive team in the NBA

-Got owned by a Knicks team missing a starter at home

Yeah, they're for real alright.

Before the season started we had one of the toughest predicted schedules of the league.

We had to start off with a Pacers team known for being very scrappy.

A healthy revamped Wizards team.

Lakers and Blazers 2x(who were also considered to be entering Elite status)

A scrappy Kings team

Nuggets, Boston(@Boston), New Orleans/Knicks 2x(who knew Chris Paul would be out/2nd game fresh off of high of beating a good Pheonix).

Pistons(revamped offensively/ because of injuries we thought it would be an easy win)

Raptorsrevamped

Heat(Ask the Lakers if their overrated)

A scrappy Rockets, the Magic and a team that made the playoffs last year in 76ers.

Our problem this year is that we've struggled to show up against low marquee teams at times. Yes we can turn it on when needed when we continue to have good ball movement and defense but when we struggle in those categories we struggle period.

Can you really put a guy on an All-Star team, best 12 or 15 in their respected league when his own team is 0-18? I know the All-Star game is a long time away, and the Nets could make a turn around...but this isn't baseball. No player on the Nets should represent the East. Not at this time, at least.

Exactly!! Joe , Smoove, Horford and yes even Crawford all have a good chance especially if we maintain our Elite status(continue winning at a high level). Another factor that will help is if we all continue to vote daily.

I think JJ and Smoove will be AS. Horford is a possibility but Lopez is probably his main competition as a backup center.

Sothron? Making a rookie mistake? No team that has 1 win out of 19 deserves an allstar and I'm pretty sure the coaches will have no mercy in this reguard especially when Horford is a good second choice behind Dwight.

We (The Hawks) currently are not yet elite but taking the next step towards that goal. This is a process and a record of 11-4(tied for the best record in the 1st and 2nd spot in the East is not too shabby). The season is still pretty fresh and the Elite are trying to separate themselves early (which is an NBA custom). The exciting part is we have not yet played our bet basketball yet we are sitting on top with the Elite. We may have had or may have one of the toughest schedules in our conference and we haven't folded(much). We beat a tough Pacers team, a revamped Wizards squad that had/has high hopes out the gate. We are undefeated against an up an coming Portland team(meaning we won a tough home and away game), we destroyed an Elite team in the west in Denver at home and Celtics away. We beat a tough and scrappy Kings,Rockets and Miami team. We beat New Orleans and New York when we were supposed to win. My question is... why the Panic

Imagine a Josh Smith in the All-Star game after playing with all these other great players and really feeling like he can compete with anybody( This summer playing with a lot of his peers made him realize he needs to play smarter and to his strengths).

What about Jamal Crawford sniffing not only the playoffs but a chance to do something big when we get there even that much closer.

Joe realizing his money is on the line for the rest of the season and playing out of his mind.

Marvin is a competitor and will eventually find out how to fit in just fine on a daily basis.

Jeff Teague being a half a season in and more acclimated into our system and the NBA game.

Horford despite the defaults still being a double double machine.

And the rest of our vets doing what is needed to keep our team running as a well oiled machine.

Remember we are working towards being Elite and it will take a little time actually becoming what we and others believe we can be but we are taking the right steps. By the time we are in midseason we should be closer to being our best form and playing at the Elite level we are capable of playing which is scary (at least for the opposition) seeing that we are already still at the top of our conference and in the league. We are one loss away from being tied with the World Champions and still there is panic with some Hawk fans. Not being satisfied is a good mentality for players and fans alike but the disgruntled fans, that ridicule and hate just to hate nick picking a game or two in a 82 game season need to reconsider which team they need to be rooting for. True, there are Laker fans that wanted to get rid of Kobe but seriously it is a thin line between being dissatisfied and being ridiculous. With a record of 11-4 with our Hawks that have struggled for years can you really say you are dissatisfied and if not than the latter may apply.

Some of you better look around the league, and see what "winning teams" actually do to keep themselves winners.

- Lakers:

What young player has developed under Phil Jackson. Farmar? . Nope. Walton? . . nope. Adam Morrison? . . nope. Only Bynum has developed under Phil . . and that took 4 years. The core of the Lakers are made up of veteran players who all have experience in being "the man" on a team ( Bryant, Odom, Gasol, Artest )

- Celtics:

What young player has developed under Doc Rivers? Rondo? . . definitely, but only after the talent around him was greatly upgraded. House? . . no, he's the same one-dimensional player. Gearld Green? . . .lol, I think he's out the league now. Al Jefferson? . . definitely, but they traded him for the all around skills and team leadership of KG. Big Baby? . . yes. But like the Lakers, the core of the Celtics are made up of players who have experience in being "the man" on a team. ( Pierce, Garnett, Allen, Rasheed Wallace )

- Cavaliers:

What young player has devloped under Mike Brown? Varejao? . . nope, he's the same player. Daniel Gibson? . . he had that one good year, and has regressed. Delonte West? . . I'll say slightly yes. Mo Williams? . . I'll say yes. The Cavs do have the luxury of having the most versatile player in the league, who is arguably the best in the league.

- Magic:

What young players has Stan Van Gundy developed? JJ Redick? . . it took 3.5 years of JJ being totally useless, but yes. Nelson? . . . definitely. Courtney Lee? . . yes, but they traded him for a major upgrade in Vince Carter. So I guess Stan is the man, when it comes to developing young players, even though they have three high priced players on the squad ( Carter, Lewis, Howard )

The fact is that when you're a winning team, you're usually going to be filled with veteran players, and more than likely, you're not going to have a small payroll. Championships cost money, most of the time.

And it's contradictory to say that Woody is doing a great job, but has plateaued . . .at 11 - 3 . . which is our best start in 13 years. So far, a Hawk team under Woody hasn't failed to improve on the season before. And this season looks to be no different. But he's plateued? How? In what way?

Not you personally, but I think some people are afraid that this team may do really well under Woody, forcing Sund to re-sign him. Barring an NBA title, they'll always find a reason to dislike him, and wanting him gone.

It's amazing to see the coaches being tossed around to replace Woody.

- Byron Scott: I think he's a decent coach. But it doesn't look good for him when he can't win with Chris Paul playing out of his mind . . but the Hornets GM comes down, and coaches a Paul-less team to 2 wins over the best team in the East and the West ( Phoenix )

- Mike Fratello: I have nothing against Mike, but it's not like he's one of the top minds in the NBA. Quick . . has Mike ever coached a team to a conference final? Some of you touting Fratello may want to look that up.

- Avery Johnson: Definitely a good coach in my opinion. But don't forget, he was the coach of the Mavs . . the #1 seeded Mavs back in 07 . . when they got embarassed by the #8 seed Golden St. Warriors in the 1st round of the playoffs. That's part of the reason why he doesn't have a job now. That, and the fact that he probably wants a ton of money to coach again.

Ladies and Gentleman we have a thinker!! :thumbsupsmileyanim: !! To fire a coach that has grew with the team(chemistry) and is 11- 3 is more fit for a fantasy league than real life. Yeah Woody has his faults but he is an evil genius. Our record and play is not a fluke and even though I agree with Billy Knight in the fact that he should get more out of the talent given I do agree with Woody's lesson's he tries to teach. So what if he doesn't compose an offense for NBA players( Most have no problem in knowing how to score the ball). This strategy will also be baffling to the opposing team!! The most important thing in the NBA that needs to be taught is what Woody has been teaching since he got here. Hard to hate on someone that has been consistent in his ways since he has been here and the current result is a 11-3 record. No wait, Yeah let's fire the guy with the best record in the league(Yeah that will teach him and no of course it won't be any pressure for the next guy coming in, We welcome you, until you lose your first game).

Rudy Gay/ Andre Iggy would be good fits for our team. Our team is constructed to be a team with many weapons that can attack from many angles at any different time and we rely on our defense to win games. Rudy is/would be available and would definitely not need ISO's for him. This means more ball movement and help defense which actually is the strength of our team!!