sillent

Teague will be starting by next season!! I believe he could deserve a starting nod after the all-star break but for right now Teague and Crawford are a great combination off the bench.

Teague may become great sooner than we think but will likely be competing sixth man with Crawford to not affect the chemistry of the starters.

My thought is an always have been that we need a Big man who can pass out of the post. I don't like JJ with the ball in his hands unless he's going to score. I think that he dribbles the stripes off the ball and doesn't find guys in their spots. I also blame some of our guys because all they do is stand around. People hated Chillz, but Chillz moved without the ball and made himself an option. In today's game, a player who moves without the ball punishes defenses because defenses have become lazy. But Chillz is not the answer. More movement is. I think for us to take advantage of what we have, we need a big who can get the ball in his spot and either go up with it or pass it out to the open man. Who might that be? Horf doesn't have the footwork. Smoove doesn't have the desire to be inside or the IQ. Amare could do that but I don't trust his knees. Boozer could be that but he's short. Brand too. The guy in the league who I believe would be the fit for us is Jason Thompson. I would probably trade Smoove for him and a pick.

Do that in your fantasy league or video game and let me know how it turns out for you because in real life, dats a joke!!

I thought those were pretty good, especially the first one since we got to see the goofy side of Josh, although it's messed up that they made it seem like he's never dunked on Dwight and he's been waiting all his life to do that.

He was saying he never danced off on Dwight(That's what made the joke)!!

Again I say look for Marvin to have his breakout season!! Smoove will be closer to what we expect of him(but still not reaching his full potential). Horford will be solid and just what the doctor ordered at times but still can improve alot more.

Look for Marvin and Josh to be our breakout players this year. Horford will improve and be solid. Josh will get closer to what people with high expectations expect of him(still not close to his ceiling). Marvin is going to show people why he was the #2 pick in the draft. Not saying he will be better than Paul but people are going to see why it was so hard to pass up on him with his size and skill level.

Mike Bibby's short comings not a big deal. Scout's believing we can compete(scare) the big three priceless and my feelings are mutual!!

Now You Know!! :thumbsupsmileyanim:

Again I will say I'll take Marvin, Horford and Teague over Chris Paul. I told yall for all of us that miss Flip Teague will be a better version mock my words. I also said he will be starting next year with Jamal/Joe does/does not come back again mock my words.

All in all like said above the Wiz are a great team(on paper). Caron can play D and so can Gilbert and Haywood(Don't sleep on Blatche either) but although their offense will definitely be great will they defend well as a team. The top/great teams play good defense and at the moment I see the Wizards being an average defensive team. The Raptors are pretty soft and Turkolu did not make them any tougher(on D).

Did i read the title of this thread wrong?

Although I was ranting a bit my points were if JJ showed that he could be elite why trade him except for other players with elite potential and I only saw 2 players that fit the bill(Iggy and Wade). These 2 players would compliment our team and would not effect our chemistry negatively like a Jr Smith or bringing in a Al Jefferson which would create holes and log jams(Not to mention confrontations of who should start stay or go between our young big man).

As far as the big 3 I wouldn't be surprised if we are the new Magic of last year in the Eastern Conference.Two major impacts on our team(Woody and JJ) have contract years which will not only motivate them but the rest of our team to do what they can to keep them here.We have the most stable core and should only get/be better(Crawford is here as a backup instead of a major impact player and with Bibby and Crawford, Teague isn't forced to perform).We have vet additions that can give some needed knowledge/push in the right direction to our young bigs and contribute a little their selves. We are still under the radar although most of the league may know better by now. Whether you agree or not that we have players with defensive capabilities all in all we are a defensive minded team(Defense does win Championships).

The Celtics big 3/4 are old and it's going to be hard for them to stay at a high level without coming across injuries. Which is a catch 22(Either play at a high level or try to turn it on later when it counts which isn't easy even for vets going against stiff competition). Rondo will have to become the new motor and Garnett will have to reserve his role a little. Their young guys will be the X Factor in giving the vets some rest/support during the regular season.

The Cleveland newbies can create chemistry issues. Even though I will admit Lebron has a high basketball IQ and could probably mesh with anybody(he knows how to highlight strengths and cover up weaknesses of his own and teammates). But inside toughness may not have been the only thing the Magic exposed them of and we have to see how their new additions and others perform in the clutch.

If the Magic being so unorthodox last year was their key to getting them so far than the swap could be an issue. Vince Carter is still a baller but he can't create the mismatch issues that Hedo and Rashard caused. He may be able to be a X factor in other facets but it is still a mystery how well it would work out especially with them being a little less under the radar.

The teams that were below us last year like Raptors/Washington although improved still have to worry about chemistry issues/defense. With the Heat it's hard to count Wade out and Beasley/Chalmers/Oneal barring no serious injuries should all come back better than last year. Quentin Richardson also adds another shooter along with James Jones and this team could be dangerous if you sleep on them. Bulls will be better with another year under their belt and coming off of a similar high that we had last year(except Boston was no where near the same team without Garnett).Losing a player like Gordon could also be costly when it counts.

76ers/Bobcats are my sleeper picks(only calling them sleepers because many are counting them out) that I'm sure at least one if not both are going to the playoffs and could be very dangerous once they get there. Pistons are a question mark but have the talent offensively(It's just that that has not been their style in recent years at least not without having great defense to match).

Nets/Pacers could be surprise teams but I don't see them making the playoffs. Knicks/Bucks will surprise if they stay close to any of these teams.

If we make it to the ECF expecting to fare well instead of hoping/wishing than we could be the surprise victors(No team that is as deep as us is coming back with their same core except for the Celtics and I think we would welcome a rematch).

As far as the Western Conference goes Lakers, Nuggets and Spurs are elite with the Blazers being our counterparts(Although some hold them in a higher status than us hopefully this year that won't be the case).The Mavericks squad is deep(all vets that should gel but may not be enough to put them over the top). Jazz may go only as far as Deron Williams can take them and Boozer being an old (we've seen the Jazz with Boozer before) wildcard. How much better will they get with Ronnie Brewer being one of the only players that could make major improvements? Hornets may be in the same boat as last year being a top tier team but not the top team. Suns may step back into playoffs but probably want have to big of an impact.

The Thunder/Grizzilies are my sleeper picks. The Grizzlies reminded me of us a few years back before they got Iverson/Thabeet (Young and very talented with Zach Randolph playing Al Harrington's role). Thunder built their team almost like we did ours by disassembling their old team and building through the draft. If my boy McGrady comes back in raw form don't sleep on the Rockets either (they compete every night) . The Clippers are a question mark? This team is still loaded(Baron Davis,Eric Gordon, Al Thorton, Blake Griffin, Marcus Camby, Chris "The Caveman" Kaman) but until they break their curse or pass it to the Lakers I do not know how to judge this team.

The Timberwolves although do have talent should still be among the top of the bottom with Warriors and Kings.

Again the weak West teams should boost the top teams records this year while the East is actually the better conference all around.

The Finals prediction could once again be the Cavaliers vs Lakers with any of the top 3 Eastern teams actually being able to swap in this prediction. Again if all goes right for us we can be the Magic's last year. It can also get all topsy turvy with the Nuggets and Spurs involved or we could even be facing our counterparts the Blazers!!

I definitely want to see how we fare against the Lakers(If that last home game was any indication of Woody knowing how to shutdown Phil's strategy). I mean, Woody was with the same Pistons team that won the Championship that year and was known as the defensive strategist(Defense was definitely their biggest boast that season)!! Artest is definitely an X factor but so is Crawford. If Roy(another Seattle bred player) is tough for Artest to cover I'm sure Crawford will be just as much in our system and paired with Joe Johnson.

Of course many factors come to play(midseason trades, breakout seasons,injuries,key matchups, allstars/superstars, etc.) but just some wishful thinking that might not be all that far fetched (At least as of now) !!

Love his team philosophy. He seems like he is all about winning !

Crawford, JJ, and Bibby are all that age where winning becomes everything and personal accolades mean nothing. Both Marvin and Horford seem to have that attitude beat into them at UNC and UF. I hope Smoove will reach that level of maturity this year.

We may not be a top 3 seed but we will be a dangerous team for those big 3...........especially Boston.

Yeah maturity(decision) and consistency is his main faults. But watch Smoove in the playoffs from the Cavs game on down he definitely is about winning as well. I like where you are going though and I think Sund was thinking the same thing. He wanted players that are skilled and passionate about winning and you can see that from him picking up Murray last year and drafting Teague along with getting Crawford this year.

This is a little off topic but does anyone have/know how to get the full game of the last game we played against the 76ers last season. That was the most complete/promising game I've seen Smoove play during the season. It also was a time where nobody else looked willing to step up and take the win(Flip did have a steal and dunk highlight on Louis Williams though).If he can add the focus that he had in that game to every game(no it wasn't just luck, like he said after the game in so many words nothing was forced he just played within the rhythm of the game). Then people will see why everyone is so high on Josh Smiths' potential. That game was the most exciting losing effort(Maybe because Smoove is my favorite player and it didn't hurt play off seeding) that I seen all season. I'm usually not to excited about a lost specially one that wasn't even close to being winnable at the end. He had a sick game against the Bucks a year before last too.

Love the Avator!! With the Teague/Crawford comparison I think he meant explosive and dynamic combo guards in their own right that can definitely improve the running game(specially when substituting these two for Bibby and JJ). Great Half Court Guards and Great Full Court Guards who can all play each others roles in instances. Looks pretty good!!

Might as well add Vince Carter too.

Should be called best wings. Why Peja(who is a small forward) made the list over some others mentioned is questionable. Who ever wrote this is/seems to be lacking a lot of knowledge of some people's game. Rashard Lewis for instance has a Rasheed Wallace killer inside game he just often settles behind the 3 point line which in his case isn't so bad because he is definitely deadly from their as well. Good rebounder offensively/defensively but again staying too far out prohibits him from taking advantage of this consistently(Dwight Howard is a good excuse as well). Maybe I was just looking for a more detailed description from how the beginning paragraph set the mood for the article. Scottie Pippen was the standard and then it seemed to sway away from that idea.

I agree that losing JJ for nothing puts us in a dicey situation. We enter next offseason with a ton of risk. However we do have some other options such as dealing Bibby (or maybe Zaza or Crawford) for an expiring contract and thus being able to offer a true max contract. It's not that we have no options, but we'll be taking on a ton of risk and could potentially destroy the future of this team. Let's hope Teague can really ball because that will give us some options and flexibility regarding Bibby.

Make no bones about it, JJ IS this team. Without him or a suitable replacement, the Hawks are sunk.

I'd like to know what kind of contract it would take to get Joe to sign right now. I tend to agree that 5 for 60 is a fair deal but I might go a little further than that to avoid the risk. We need JJ much more than he needs us.

:speak: Correction!! Although JJ is a great player JJ was this team. Does nobody understand the concept of growing up anymore. Kobe is still maturing and finalizing his game at his age now. Know one doubted he was a great individual player but I/we watched him grow even more the past two years as a better team player and look at where he is now. We got talented 24's year old's who still have no where to go but up and some people are already trying to give them a ceiling. Not to mention our new additions this year and next if JJ decides to leave.

I do agree though that we should let him earn what he wants along with Woodson. It will make the season even more interesting and everyone has a something a little more to play for. We win big keep our coach we play right keep our allstar/elite player. He can easily show us more with more rest, less double teams, more competition(On our own team), less weight on his shoulders(Everybody getting better and more clutch players) and more motivation(Money,Big Playoff Expectations).

Success ATL!!!!!!!!!! Check this out ATl, just a little somethin somethin to maybe/possibly get happy about:

Im not sure how accurate this NBA TRADE MACHINE is but:

Johnson for D.Wade= success

Johnson for A.Igoudala=success

both trades worked, but again i dont know how accurate this is!

CHECK IT OUT FOR YOURSELF:

who would you like to see for johnson? let us know who you have in mind and see if your idea works on espn's nba trade machine: http://games.espn.go.com/nba/tradeMachine

To all hawk fans:

I just want it to be clear Im not tryin to get rid of joe but i honestly dont think he's going to return with us this off season unless he has a spectacular year and make the hawks actually be willing to give him more money than they prevviously offered him.

however i did read that joe johnson did say that he thinks he can be one of the elite players of this league, an if proves that he can be, then i see the hawks offering him more money. but from a real true fans view joe is a long way from being one of the ELITE players of the league but if he say he can do it I will keep faith in him and hope he prove to us hawk fans that he is the real deal and worth more than what we offered him this off-season.

The only thing stopping JJ from being elite is consistency!! He can score from any where on the court and do all the other intangibles and with a guy like Crawford("The Puppet Master") pushing him in practice he is going to have to step his game up.

Don't sleep on Iggy either people. He is definitely underestimated from what I'm reading(I know/played with a player with the same type of game and all the things he does can be underestimated unless your out there on the court. Although I like Pau he is getting up in age(At least to be replacing a star or a up and coming star).

It's funny to me when alot of you all talk about a player not capable of this and doesn't do that or are over hyped about a player because of their established place in the league. It makes me think/know y'all do not really play the game of basketball(or at least not that good) and are just fans looking for the media to give you the next great hype.

Sorry if I'm being a little offensive but this is one of the fields I pride myself on because of my actual skill level and understanding of the game. I do admit that I may over hype a player especially one of ours but my logic is a little different and I understand a players capabilities based on watching their game. Scouting reports are more like motivators/hype men for a lot of players to appreciate the good things and work on things people say that they can't do and most analysis of players are nothing more than weak scouting reports or opinions.

Wade is great by the way every asset of his game resembled the way I play except he shoots better inside and I shot better outside and of course he has way more athleticism but my court vision may be better (Hard for me to hate a player that resembles so much of my game even if he is on another team).Still glad people can see what would have been if I had the height and/or stayed above influences. A JJ/Wade swap would not make too much sense until their current positions(salary status/agreements) are justified.

Teague - Crawford - Marvin - Smoove - Horford

is all that much better than this team:

Terry - Jackson - Big Dog Robinson - Shareef - Ratliff

The 2nd team never won more than 35 games, mainly because of horrible defense. I'll say the first team wins 30 - 35 games, because Crawford can't be counted on as a possible lead guy.

Terry could defend as well as Jackson. And Ratliff was the premier defender replacing Dikembe at the time. Chemistry is what makes a world of difference.

Mookie-Smitty-Christian-Henderson-Dikembe do not look better on paper than the team above and only had two primary defenders. They also competed in the Jordan era so it's not like their competition was lacking.

LOL @ gsuteke. Yeah, he's definitely an expert on bad teams. Especially bad teams that don't play defense.

Having said that, unfortunately MemphisX is right.

That team would have Bibby and Crawford starting. They instantly become the worst defensive backcourt in the NBA. Not only that, but Crawford would lead the team in shot attempts, seeing that he's the guy who can get a shot ( good or bad ) anytime he wants.

Any team with a good offensive PG or SG would absolutely kill us. And because both Bibby and Crawford are streaky, they's shoot us out of games. At least when JJ is streaky, he's good enough defensively to get stops on the other end.

The kids ( Smoove, Marvin, Horford ) would be fine. But one of them would really have to establish himself as a possible #1 guy, in order to keep this team afloat. Smoove is the most likely candidate to do this.

The last time he was in that situation, was in the 2006 season when JJ got "hurt" ( more like held out, so that the team could tank and possibly get a better position in the lottery ). He actually played well. Then again, Salim looked like a mini Ben Gordon during that stretch.

I think we immeadiately won 4 straight after JJ went out, then proceded to lose about 70% of the rest of the games.

To be honest, I don't think this team:

Bibby - Crawford - Marvin - Smoove - Horford

is all that much better than this team:

Terry - Glover - Big Dog Robinson - Shareef - Ratliff

The 2nd team never won more than 35 games, mainly because of horrible defense. I'll say the first team wins 30 - 35 games, because Crawford can't be counted on as a possible lead guy.

Who said Bibby would start next year? I have Teague upfront for a reason. Not to mention Joe could still come back but if he doesn't I believe all of our young dynamic players and company will show what they are made of. When you have a team full of talent players defer their roles for the greater of the team(Not saying that's what we are Yet but for example look at an allstar team. When everybody plays their role to perfection it is an easy win (When people try to do more than their role requires on a talented team it frustrates and throws off chemistry). If there is less talent on the team it is only logical for the players who do have more talent to step up there game.

In our case we would have three 25 year old's by that time who can come into their own in their own right. A talented player/play maker in Crawford and Teague with a year under his belt in our system and the desire to take it to the next level.

This is not a good team.

Although I know you will be misquoting yourself somewhere later along the lines. That is obviously not a complete team either and pieces can be filled in according to need.

I was wondering if Horf looks bigger? Standing next to Za he looked as big?

I thought the same thing when I seen the picture (First reaction did Horford grow or is Zaza smaller than we thought)!!

I've been trying to tell y'all don't sleep on our new guards Jamal/Teague. I have a great eye for talent and placement and this team is a perfect fit for both of them. Many Hawks fans are not going to know what hit them when the season starts and all of our core is seen together. For those that are Missing Flip Teague is going to show us the new and improved version. The new JC may become some people's favorite player when you see how he meshes with our team.

Did Horford extend his range. He is shooting from 3 feet inside the 3 point line.

I seen him take at least 1 three during his FiBA summer games(He didn't make it but you can tell the range is there/ getting there).

Sautee

September 29th, 2009

8:12 pm

Anybody else find irony in this statement of Woodson’s?

About JJ:

“There’s a time and a place for the business that he’ll have to deal with. And that’s later. But that’s not anyone’s concern but his. And it should stay that way.”

Odd how Woody’s OWN business situation was hardly “not anyone’s concern” but HIM. And obviously DIDN’T “stay that way”.

LOL. Where is this article/vid. I guess EVERYONE dropped the smiles and games as soon as training camp started(Good!! Now is definitely the time for business).

All things should be considered but unless it is a no brainer no!! Look at our team now if you take him out the roster and 3 of our core young players plus our rookie have no where to go but up(being lazy explained in more detail in another post) .

Players that we could get that would make me boycott the team until they were gone:

Dewayne Wade

Kevin Garnett

Charlie V

I am sure there's a couple more, but I could never watch any of these guys in a Hawks uni without getting sick to my stomach.

Wow you named 3 of my favorite players(I got probably at least 20 with Smoove being # 1 and Wade and Garnett being top 5). I respect them but of course they will always be rooted against when playing the Hawks (Garnett gave me a sour taste with the Celtics series but I kinda felt bad for Wade with all the weight lifting he had to do to even contend). While Morris is on the team that's not nice but I guess everyone has their Hero's, Villians, and Civilians.