jhay610

^^^^^^^^^^^ That is some funny stuff.The squawk also loses some content fodder, albeit stale, with the removal of JJ and Marvin. Two (formerly) big topics around these parts.

I'll believe a player of CP3 or D12's caliber is coming through that door when I see it.That said, this was absolutely necessary and it has nothing to do with who we are getting back. The team was capped out and hit its ceiling in the 2nd round, in traditional Hawks fashion. JJ is declining and that deal will be the albatross of the league in 2 years' time, plus you have JSmith's contract coming up and that fractured relationship.This team was coming down from the mountain. Thanks for the memories.

Terribly under-appreciated here and became a lightning rod after his contract. Dude was a stone cold killer on the court and made our team go.As Nire said, best Hawk since 'Nique. When he first came over from the Suns I started watching every day again because he made it worth watching.My best memory of Joe is his Game 4 against Big Bad Boston in '08, back when we were a young team on the rise.Time to rebuild again. This is familiar territory, but I am hopeful we are in better hands this time. It had to be done.

Not to hijack, but MC goes in hard on Coach about his rotations as well, on the regular. I think it's warranted for the most part. Hinrich has played well in this series but LD has been going with Willie Green, who has done nothing.Also LD drives me crazy with his 'all bench mob' lineup he runs out there for extended periods.

Of course I'm ride or die and I won't stop until the final horn blows and we are down...but you really never know what to expect with this team. They seem comatose right about now, but I wouldn't be shocked to see them blow Boston out by 20, get beaten down by 30 or anything in between. Realistically I expect a close game but if Boston can play hard for 48 mins and keep us from feeling good about ourselves for extended periods then you'd have to expect they have the advantage coming down the stretch.The scary thing about Boston is that they don't HAVE to shoot like they did the other night to win. All that offense was a bonus for them and if lightning strikes twice for them (thinking more ahead to Game 6) then it is quick curtains for ATL.If we are summarily and comprehensively dismissed by Boston then it is time to shake things up. We absolutely can't afford to let JSmoove walk in free agency and as much as I am a fan of the guy it may be best for him to get a fresh start somewhere else...it would be sad but this thing has obviously gotten stale and hit it's ceiling and we need a major rewrite.All that is for the offseason though. I'll hope we can take care of business tonight and somehow wrangle a win in Game 6. Path to the ECF is wide open but you have to step up and take it.

@ MaceCaseI am not saying Harden is not a good player -- he is excellent in his role and underrated -- but I am not ready to put him in front of a six time all-star just yet. You of course are welcome to do so, but I don't think the difference in their roles should be dismissed offhandedly because JJ faces defenses night in and night out that have geared up and gameplanned to stop him. Harden does not -- teams are worried about KD and Westbrook first and second.The point I am making about the draft picks is that they are an asset, yes, but they are also an unknown quantity. There is certainly no guarantee with BK's love of 6'9" wings that he would have taken Rondo with that pick or with Woody's bias towards vets that he would have ever gotten the time on the floor to alter the perception that he was ultimately flawed because of his inability to shoot with any consistency.You are also giving way too much credit to Mr. Belkin as there are many alternative theories as to why he moved to block that trade. At the time of the JJ trade the Hawks were the wasteland of the NBA -- all of the cap space in the world doesn't amount to anything more than a cost savings if no one wants to come play for you. Getting Joe Johnson at that time was a coup for this franchise (as would be netting Harden in the same situation) and he performed at a very high level for several years. Whether or not you agree with the decision to max him in his free agency year is not relevant to a comparison between the two players and is in my opinion coloring your view of things.

This is a legitimate and salient point. Do you believe that a straight swap of Joe and Harden makes the Hawks a better team (excluding their contracts/age/etc -- e.g., a "right now" comparison)? Contract is irrelevant. "First round picks" is similarly off topic -- just because a player goes high in the draft does not mean they are any good. The Hawks have a consistent track record of getting very little return on their draft picks. I'm not absolving Joe but people tend to blow things out of context after a loss like this. We all know that Joe is a very good player, an All-Star. Is he a #1 guy? No. A #1 guy does not go quietly in a game his team really needs (closest thing to a must-win outside of the literal sense of the term). A #1 guy would have shown some vitriol and demanded more shots, however the other side of this is that when Joe has made these sorts of comments in the past he has caught flak for it, and when he does try to take over a game he catches heat because his shots often come out of iso sets. This is not fun to watch and easy to pick apart when it doesn't work.As I understand it amnesty still requires the team to pay the money owed over the life of the contract. People need to stop throwing that out there as if it is a legitimate option. There are very, very few ownership groups that would eat that sort of money for nothing (especially when the other side of it is going into rebuilding mode), and certainly the ASG does not fit that profile (they just sent Atlanta's hockey franchise to Canada because it was leaking money).

Given all the obstacles, it has been a fine season indeed.Let us go, Hawks. Now and Forever.

I just wanted to point out the irony of this comment, given what we know about Woody and what he gives and does not give sh!ts about!

All I know is that this is great theater. Pass the popcorn! As others have said the Knicks are better tailored to Woody's style as they have a couple of bona fides on their team that love to iso and go one-on-one (or two, or three, etc). Defensively, the switch everything scheme is always good fun. It will be interesting to watch when the heat inevitably comes from the press because he did not react well at all to the relatively docile media when things went sideways in ATL.

It's human nature to hate those guys.

This is on point. Personally, I marked the season a total loss when Al went down, unless he can somehow find a way to make it back for the playoffs and in top form at that. Even at full strength, the perception around the league is that this team has reached its ceiling, maybe even the window is starting to close a little bit, and I have seen nothing that convinces me otherwise. I allowed myself to think with the bench playing the way it was early and the efforts against the Bulls and Heat that maybe something was there for us this year but Al's injury totally decimated any positive momentum. I will still yell like he!! for them and I'll be crunk as ever when the situation dictates, but if I'm honest with myself I know that this team is fatally flawed and capped out with zero flexibility. It will take some creative thinking to retool this squad into a contender without pretty much dismantling the whole thing and starting over. Maybe we could retain BK as a consultant for that job -- it's the one area in which he's shown some aptitude as a GM. Certainly, Sund has not inspired any sort of confidence that he is the guy to get this square peg to fit a round hole...maybe that is because he is hamstrung by his bosses at the top, but whatever the constraints, I see a steady decline towards mediocrity and worse unless something truly revelatory happens. The one chip they have is the Captain's expiring contract. If they can't find a great deal with that then I say there is no one on this team that is untouchable and they shouldn't hesitate if a favorable opportunity is presented, no matter who it involves.

And then another poor game. The All-Star snub will not supernaturally lift him to another level -- he has been snubbed before. He is who he is.

Even benhill paying homage...what is the world coming to?

I laughed at this. Something about the ALL CAPS and the analogy itself, considering the source, struck me as humorous.

A compelling argument exists for Smith > Deng and Iggy. You could also make a case for Smith > Hibbert and Pierce. That said, his reputation for erratic play and eccentric behavior hurts him, no doubt about it. This is not his best season but he has played well and better for that matter than at least one of those named above. This is not the first time he's been snubbed so I don't see how this is supposed to spur him to become the perfect version of Josh Smith that we would all like to see. He is a veteran at this point so we have to accept him, warts and all. He is a hometown guy and a career Hawk so I have nothing but support for him.

Is this really a thread?

This would be one horrible, horrible move. Age! Plus PP is a terrible person and his old man's game is hard to watch.

Pretty much!

Doesn't look good. http://blog.chron.com/ultimaterockets/2012/01/mutombos-role-in-10-million-%E2%80%A8gold-scam-only-now-coming-to-light/

Zaza is the most "heady" player in the league. Z uses his head on the court and is an irritating presence to opposing players and fans alike. He's at the head of the class when it comes to cultural pursuits such as fashion, food and music as well. He's been known to plunge headfirst into his off-the-court endeavors including the opening (and closing) of restaurant/bar/club. He is owner of perhaps the most famous head-butt in franchise history (see KG, 2008 NBA playoffs). As an aside, some would say his head is rather large.

Have to say I am a bit flummoxed by this one. Don't want to prejudge but surely they will not be printing additional 2012 season tickets on the back of this move. Smith is really sticking his neck out on this one if it doesn't work, in my opinion. Given their history, it just comes off as Smith making the easy choice, not doing his due diligence, what have you. Still glad to see MM go but having a hard time feeling the juice with the new guy. He'll certainly have more weapons to work with here than he had in Jacksonville. Time will tell.

Looks like the Dieselputer needs a tuneup.

Even MC commented on the (atrocious) quality of the officiating in his game blog: "I’ve covered a lot of games in this building, always sitting underneath the goal near the visitor’s bench. I never say much about officiating one way or another but I’m always amazed how officials let the Pacers beat up on the visiting team, especially around the basket. Seriously, I’ve probably watched 10 games from that seat and it’s the same thing every time." http://blogs.ajc.com/hawks/2012/01/11/atlanta-hawks-pacers-96-hawks-84/?cxntfid=blogs_hawks

Brutal game today...need some time to digest because emotions are still raw at this point. My initial thoughts are: Strictly looking at personnel, are the Falcons really this much worse than the elite level teams (Pack, Saints, etc)? On paper, that wouldn't seem to be the case. On paper they should at least be competitive, not getting blown out. There are holes on the team but the same is true of every NFL roster. That would seem to be an indictment on the coaching. I am also doubtful Matt Ryan will ever be more than a very good quarterback even if he develops optimally. He does not have the footwork, athletic ability, arm strength or improvisational ability of the elite level guys. To win big with him we may need elite talent all over the field around him and will most certainly need elite coaching to put him in the best positions to be successful. We don't seem to have either of those at the moment. Keeping things in perspective, the Falcons recent run is literally the best stretch of continued performance in all of the franchise's history, so some credit is due for that. It's just painful as a fan to make the playoffs but be clearly inferior to the better teams and be abused by them repeatedly -- it's the same thing we endure as Hawks fans. Perhaps the hardest part is getting over the hump to the championship level.