tomac

Sure I do. A little more play in the post and he's there. His FG % will rise with post play as will his rebounding. Once he acttually figures out that no one can stop him on the block, you see his assit numbers rise from passing out of double teams. You're really not talking about a large margin to make up. We're talking 3-5 quality possessions a game. He can get those stats by being a little more efficient.

The man is not going to take a paycut. Didn't he make about $15 million last year?

I thought teage measured at 6' 2.5" without shoes?

He'll be a more athleltic Antwoine Jamison. I believe that he can average 20pts, 10rb, 4ast, 2blk, and 1.5stl a game. He's honestly not far from that now. I beleive that his jumpshot will eventually come around. It reminds me of karl malone in his early years with the Jazz. he couldn't hit the broad side of a barn, but he worked at it. Josh will eventually be proficient because he actually does have a solid work ethic. His jumper will continue to improve, and so will his decision making. Just like in any sport, the game eventually slows down and players figure it out. We can't determine when that happens for anyone, but it does. Josh's skill set is the thing that will allow him to maximize his potential. The tools are there, and he'll put it together.

Don't forget about Cenk Akyol. I haven't heard much about him lately.

What we need is a true floor general. I want a point guard who understands that it's his responsibility to make sure that the ball goes where it needs to. I was hoping that Acie would turn out to be that player, but I've seen him be a little too hesitant and unsure at times. I know that part of that is due to coaching, but that "General" instinct isn't something that you develop. You either have it or you don't. Personally, I don't think that Bibby has that. He isn't a playmaker. He's an outside scoring option. When I look at Hinrich, Blake, and Alston (who I like on some levels), I don't see floor generals. I just see complementary pieces. TJ can be, but he isn't consistant in that respect either. Duhon is the closest to the description. With that said, I don't want him either. I wnat a young gun with a leadership mentality. He doesn't even have to be the greatest shooter. He just needs to be a great facilitator with a High BBIQ and a stout defensive presence. I see several of those type of PG's in this draft, with Lawson fitting the description very well. We need a leader of men who will control ball distribution.

Trading Josh for Amare would be a big mistake for a number of reasons. The defensive liabilities have already been mentioned, and you gain a player who is arguably only a marginally better offensive player (6-8 ppg). Josh is the only true game changer we have. He outclassed every player on our team during the playoffs. It wasn't Josh showing the poor BB IQ. Bibby and Joe lead the team in turnovers, and the back court play was poor for the better part of 2 series. Josh acutally was the one who held it together; particularly from the defensive end of the floor. Sund made a very relevant point about Josh in his interview with Mark Bradley. The point is that Josh continues to get better each and every year. The reality is that (over time) his jumper will improve. This is simply becaseu we know that he works on it. Once that happens, the moments which cause lots of us to question his basketball knowledge will disappear. To me, he's already an above average passer and his low post game is coming around. He's got way too much upside. If anything, you want Amare WITH Josh. That would be by far the most explosive front line in the league. Right now, I think Amare is in entering the 4th year of a 5-year 73 million dollar contract. He's making about the same money as Joe. We can free that kind of doe up with the right moves.

I say we keep Joe and Josh and sign a true # 1 in 2010. Bibby's contract will free up 9-10 million/yr even if he's resigned. Speedy's contract is expiring. That's another 6 mil per. Trade the rights to Chills for cash considerations. You could clear 20 mill per to sign a "Dwayne Wade" to put next to Joe. If we could draft a PG and sign a utilitarian center like Brendan Haywood, then we'd roll out a lineup including Joe, Josh, Dwayne, Haywood and whatever PG we draft. Sign Marvin for the MLE and let Mo Evans walk after 2010. Your bench now has Bibby, Marvin, Flip, and Al filling it out. This is realistic. Even if we had to pay a luxury tax, we wouldn't be that far over the cap.

Two of the threes that Josh took last night were because of the shot clock. Joe simply held the ball t oo long. One was wide open (he should have taken it), and one was a bone-headed decision. The bottom line is this; Josh Smith and Zaza Pachulia won the game for the Hawks last night. Anybody who watched the game should know this. He made better decisions with the ball than Joe Johnson and Mike Bibby. When we took him out of the game is when Miami made their run. It amazes me (as a relative newbie) that folks would pick on this guy at this point when he's one of only a few guys on this team who seems to play with a sense of urgency in the playoffs. Let's talk about how Joe Johnson didn't show any heart. Lets talk about the horrible officiating for most of the game. Lets give Josh a break.

Personally, I'd like to have Chillz back. We don't necessarily need him now, but he brings a lot of things to the table that we don't have right now. For example: 1. Chillz has the ability to operate in the "point-forward" capacity, which takes pressure off of Bibby and Joe 2. Chillz is the ultimate garbage man and has the penchant for scoring off of offensive rebounds around the bucket 3. Chillz was arguably the best player on this team in regards to moving without the ball on offense. He never stood still. I know that others may disagree, but he absolutely cannot hurt your franchise. We also need the depth. Chamoionship teams have a starting 5 coming off the bench. Currently we only play 8 deep. We need more help. I say we do the following. Bring Chillz back @ $6 per Resign Bibby for $5 per Trade Speedy's expiring contract, Acie, and our first in order to move up and draft a Big or a PG

The point that I was trying to make is that Josh's game may end up being different from the guys mentioned above. Amare is probalby the best comparison, but his offensive game is more polished than Joshes. When I see Josh, I see a player who not only has tools, but a solid work ethic. If he continues to try and add new facets to his game, he'll be a beter player for it. I don't think he wnat to turn into a full-time 3 point shooter; he just wants to stretch the floor. Secondly, I know that 60% of those players scoring doesn't actually happpen in a back-to-the-basket fashion. The point I was trying to make is that their production was just about equally split between the face-up game and the banging style. At the end of the day, it's all about matchups. Those players have the necessary tools exploit whatever kind of matchup they encounter. Josh is trying to develop that as well. As long as he uses wisdom, I don't see an issue with it.

exodus, We'll just agree to disagree

Nice stats, but for players who average over 20 pts/ game that would still leave 60% + of their average to be scored with their backs to the basket. They are bangers who developed mid-range games.

+1

If Joe goes to Cleveland (and they keep their core), they win championships. Bad for the Hawks (unless we can snag D-wade); GREAT for Joe.

Speedy will not play to protect the Hawks from any more insurance issues. He should consider himself traded next year as a valuable expiring contract. Personally, I think it's a smart move by Hawks management. He shouldn't be in the position ot make any more money than his base contract in lieu of all of his injuries. Honestly, there was a time when I thought that Speedy faked an injury because he didn't want to play for a "loser". It may not be true at all, but that's the way I saw it.

The guys you named are prototypical power forwards. They like to bang and create contact (although Amare will shoot the occasional three). Josh wasn't drafted as a prototypical PF. When he was draft, BK was looking for players who could play multiple positions. Al Harrington (also a PF who shoots the 3) was manning the 4 spot for us. Josh often played the 3 his rookie season. Also, for every board-banging PF you can name in today's NBA, I can name a jump shooting, 3 point loving PF. The blessing in Josh's game is that (eventually) he'll be able to fluidly switch back and forth between the styles. I'm not saying that he'll be a shot-blocking, better rebounding Dirk Nowitzki, but he will be a constant match-up problem.

The reality is that Josh is really working on that facet of his game. The papers and commentators regularly speak about how he and Mark Price get together before and after games to work on his jumper. then he goes and works with Hakeem and Calvin Murphy in the offseason to add more dimensions to his game as well. Most of the great forwards went through this stage; and they were better for it. Karl Malone couldn't hit the broad side of a barn with his jumper when he first hit the league, but it becae a deadly tool for him after a few years of launching bricks. Barkley (although not as bad) was similar. Even 'Nique wasn't considered a great jumpshoooter when he entered the league. the 3 point shot was not a part of his game at all, but he developed it. Modern day forwards like David West went through the same thing (with a lot of their development in college). Josh's jumper will get better because he works on it. By the time that he's 27-28, it will probably be a pretty deadly part of his game because of his effort to master it. We'r just observing the growing pains. At this stage there will be some great nights, and others will stink. We just need Josh to excerise wisdom when he's having an off night.

Niether Bibby nor AI are true point guards. Bibby isn't a distributer either; he just doesn't dominate the ball. He also doesn't penetrate or play a lick of defense. On the other hand, AI does dominate the ball (ala JJ), but he gets to the rim and plays pretty good defense. He was the league's top thief for a few years in his prime. Personally, I thought that AI did a better job in Denver of not dominating the rock. In the beginning, he was even too passive. I remember seeing coach Karl urge him to take more shots. In the present situation, I would probably prefer AI at the point for the Hawks. We need a PG that can defend against the quicker pg's in the league. We also need a point guard who can still score when his jumper is off. Lastly, we need a point who can create offense on his own at the end of games without force feeding a double-teamed JJ. The bottom line is this, Bibby gives you absolutely nothing when his jumper isn't falling. AI can contribute on both sides of the ball when his shot is off. You're not getting that many assists from either one, so IMO that makes AI the better player at this stage.

I think I've figured it out

Am I the only one who can't get this site to work properly? Instead of showing the game, it just shows the "NBA League Pass" splash page. I'm trying to view the Houston vs. Atlanta game. Any suggestions?

Wovie on 790 just said the rumored contract for Smoove is 5 years $67 million. The plot thickens.....

Good post. I agree with you.

Great game, Marvin.

Personally, I haven't seen Marvin play any D lately. IMHO, he's one of the worst defenders on the team. Joe does work hard, but I think he gets asked to do too much.