TruJerz

scratch that. brand new 30 team league. no draft, updated rosters. league name is "givemethose" if you wanna join. Hawks are available as of now. 30 games then playoffs. you can message "P r ii k o"(with the spaces except for the ii's) or "TruJerz" on XBox if you cant find it and need an invite. on HOF still and you can trade all you want

40 game league then playoffs

Hawks are available..they are 2-0 but previous user traded Joe Johnson :( lol but you can make trades tho

teams available are: Jazz(4-2), Bobcats(2-8 I think) Lakers(0-9) no Bynum but have Tony Parker, Bogut and Maggette, Nuggets(2-13) no JR, Lawson, Chandler or KMart but do have Darren Collison, Grant Hill and Haslem lol. its a pretty competitive league on Hall of Fame so make sure you are good. leave your gametag and I'll add you right away with the team of your choice or shoot me a message online at TruJerz..first come, first served

peace :)

being from Jersey and seeing this guy play a good amount at Seton Hall, I can tell you this guy is a NBA player. he could of came out last year but decided to go back to school..they had him going early 2nd round last year. and this year he was still a 2nd round pick in most mock drafts until he got hurt and his stock dropped but his game never fell off at all. He was a scorer but in the NBA he'll most likely be a 3 point specialist. his game is not like Glover much but like Anthony Morrow who also went undrafted. but his shot is more streaky..Morrow is pretty much automatic. he has potential to be a better defender than Morrow tho. I expect him to make the roster if Hawks are indeed in need of a scoring 2 guard

Diesel, Nash has missed the playoffs. the year he had Shaq and Amare. Melo is the one who has never missed the playoffs. with that said getting Iguodala without giving up Joe Johnson and Josh Smith would be huge for the Hawks even tho he is struggling imo

AI + TMac?? with a team that already has Crawford?? No way lol I liked all the players in their prime but AI and TMac are both in their 30s and still want to be the man on the team. Iverson is ok but TMac is washed up and thinks he's still a go to guy. I think a team with those guys will not get out the first round..no way they would win a championship. I wouldnt mind signing Iverson if he came off the bench

Coach Drew has implied:

1. Teague's minutes will increase significantly.

2. He wants the Hawks to attack.

3. Players will be expected to defend their man and will not be able to rely on the switching defense.

If you ask me, Bibby MUST be traded if Joe leaves. Even if Joe returns, I think you still have to consider moving him. Do you guys agree?

To preempt the "he's unmovable" argument:

a. We all recognize that the Hawks would have to take back a contract equally as poor.

b. 2 years, $12M isn't *that* bad.

c. There are teams that could use a veteran PG off the bench (e.g., Chicago).

(EDIT: In Bibby's defense, it seems that Drew might use him in pick-and-rolls with Smith).

dont assume this means Teague will be the starting PG..I dont think he will start right away and he shouldnt..he hasnt really proven anything yet. And lets say he is a bust(i dont think he is, but you never know) then you wanna have someone like Bibby, who knows the system and the players there just incase. Teague minutes may increase but that doesnt mean Drew will start him..so talks of trading Bibby is kind of pointless at this point unless you mean for another PG but he couldnt bring back anything much better so i'd keep him..especially if you tryna keep Joe Johnson

Rondo

Kobe

Lebron

Dwight Howard

Brook Lopez

From both a Defensive and Offensive standpoint this is the best dream lineup I can muster. Though outside shooting IS a little bit of a weakness.

thats a damn good team..I'd put Wade over Kobe but I like Lopez at C..thats a good dream team

I'd take Lawrence Frank over any of these candidates so far. We need some energy.

I agree with that. Being from New Jersey, I appreciate what the guy did even though he made history lol he made history twice though..starting his career with 13 straight wins and then getting the worst start in NBA history lol but with that said, he's not a horrible coach and everyone knows that. He's a good energy guy and can draw up plays as well. I would like to see him get a chance to coach next season

Salmons is the most overrated player in the league. He did this stunt last year with the Bulls then went MIA on them this year.

I disagree..no one even rates him lol he's a role player and a 3rd or 2nd option at best. If Joe Johnson does leave there arent many other options out there..Hawks dont have that much money to spend and wont get a high draft pick so unless they are gonna make a trade, this may be the best option..Salmons is a good scorer that we would need

That would be a decent, affordable replacement, in my opinion. He's making about the MLE now? Could we just sign him to another MLE deal? That would be about $10M less than what Joe will get per year. He's by no means as good an all-around player but for $10M less we'd be lucky to have him. We could resign Childress with some of that money if we wanted to or use that flexibility for sign-and-trades with other teams. If Joe goes, it would be nice to find a place for Bibby, too. Maybe find a way to acquire Collison or another solid, defensive PG.

Hopefully a new coach with a more team-oriented offense.

yea would be a good option B but first we should try to get Joe Johnson back. I dont mind having Bibby on the team but maybe Teague starts and Bibby comes off the bench. If we get Salmons we will probably look like this:

Teague/Bibby

Salmons/Crawford

Marvin Williams/Childress

Josh Smith/Lawal(Georgia tech)

Horford/Zaza

not a bad team. Deeper than any team we've had in the past 5 years for sure

If Joe Johnson leaves, looks like Hawks may target Salmons according to this article. I've seen others pick him as a replacement of Joe Johnson if he leaves..looks like its a possibility because he may not resign with the Bucks. Take a look:

http://my.journaltimes.com/post/woelfel-world-of-sports/could_bucks_salmon_become_a_hawk.html

I think you guys are overrating Collins.

I bet he sees less than 12 minutes in the whole series. He will play 2 minutes in game one, get stupid fouls (one offensive, one on Howard, and then one on a PG) and then go back to the buffet. Then he'll play 2 minutes in game two, when Zaza fouls out. Then he won't play again until game 6, when we're about to win the series, up by 20, and he'll hit a three.

not overrating but his size can be a factor..he's the biggest player we got and we're facing Howard. He has to see some more minutes

These are the 2 most important things on your list IMO:

1.We cannot under any circumstances double team Howard. If he scores big he scores big. Its not like he is going to score 100 points.

Double teaming Howard just makes it easier for them to score because someone will be open and they are the best shooting team in the league. Play him straight up. cant let their shooters beat us from the outside

5. Teague/Collins/Smith will have to get some playing time.

This is why we got Collins because Horford just doesnt match up with Howard well..numbers prove it..Howard dominates Horford and I dont see that changing now. Collins and Zaza have to play BIG or else...sweep!!!

Horford was the only consistent player we had in Game 5. He instead decide to throw him under the bus? This guy need to go. He will get another HC job soon as he is let go. His time here is over with.

Woody may need to go. But did you guys read the article or did you just skim thru it? "He said there were too many one-pass possessions involving guards Joe Johnson and Jamal Crawford." And he was right about Horford as well..before Horford got going he took some forced shots in the paint that were tough shots. Horford played good in the 4th but he did force some shots down in the post where it's like he has nowhere to go and throws it up.

Everyone is to blame for his lost though

I am a littlle worried about Crawford. His shooting stats from both games have been pretty awful. We are going to need Jamal vs. the better teams

and I hope he can get going like the regular season Jamal. He seems a little tentative so far in the playoffs.

nah. he's being aggressive and that's what you wanna see. he'll get it going..it's only 2 games

$20M should not be a big deal to a man that has already made +$70M and has the potential to make another $60M. Now I wouldn't be mad at Joe for taking the money but, as a huge JJ fan, I would be disappointed that he put money ahead of the city that has put him on the map.

i actually agree. I know it would be tough for him to take less money but its still a good deal and I think he should make it his first priority to stay with the Hawks since its been a perfect marriage since he's been here. What happens in the playoffs would impact his decision IMO conference finals would be good enough to keep him maybe

You give note to Acie but don't rate Horford?

Smoove, JJ, Horf: A

Crawford: B (doesn't play D)

Zaza, Teague: C+

Mo: C

Bibby, Marvin: C-

Joe Smith: D

the only ranking I agree with for the most part. Crawford's D wasnt even that bad at all this year, surprisingly

I'm not a big fan of the switching defense, but it works for this team at this point as we have won 50+ games with it. Now that the playoff are here, you cannot expect significant changes to what the coaches and players have had success with. I think they will have to mix their defensive strategies up but the switching has been the bread and butter for the last 3 years....The PLAYOFFS are no time to start experimenting.

exactly..why change now..its worked and it gives teams problems for the most part. gotta stick with it unless we have to change it

LeBron is the best basketball athlete in the world, but Kobe is far more skilled. I'd give LeBron the nod in overall BBall IQ, though.

LeBron>Wade>Kobe

most of yall seem the opposite of me... it'd be really tough for me to accept kobe as a starter on my home team, but lebron wouldn't bother me at all- and im not a big fan of either.

more than anything- i don't like dirty players or players that have off-the-court issues that make it tough to pull for them.... lebron doesn't fit either for me.

now if we were talking KG- i'd be down there to BOO the signing myself- right as he held up a fresh 'atlanta jersey' for the photo op. LOL

agree..I wouldnt mind LeBron. But KG and Pierce I would mind..we had a little rivalry with the Celtics. LeBron didnt do anything but sweep us lol but I wouldnt want Kobe at all..i dont even think he will be much of an upgrade of Joe Johnson..better yes, way better..no

why do yal hate LeBron again? the best basketball player in the world. I would become a LeBron fan because I appreciate his game so much. I wouldnt become a Kobe fan..i dont like his game. Too many 8-24 nights for me and I think at this point in his career, he's a bit overrated..he isnt as good as LeBron or Wade to me even tho he is the most clutch out of the three players. And I dont like Kobe's attitude either..always crying and complaining to refs when he gets more calls than anyone not named Wade

Al/Joe aren't worth the max. If some team...say...the Clippers offers Joe/Al the Max, and thats what they want, then so be it. You can't go all housing market 2008 on your team for one player, that isn't worth it. That being said, I really really doubt any team would offer Al the Max....now Marvin on the other hand... lol

I'll let Horford walk before giving him the max but not Joe..Joe is obviously a more proven player. We cant give 2 players a max contract that hasnt really earned it. I like Horford but he's too small..I wouldnt mind getting a bigger guy with a little less talent just for the size alone

I actually like NBA TV for some strange reason. Maybe its because they cover almost all the games no matter how scurby the team is. I like them. But there is a good shot the Bobcats get NBATVed before us. People want to see BJ.

Also, we wrap up the 3 seed after the Cetlics lose tonight to the Bulls, and I'm not sure if the Bobcats can catch the Bucks. In any event, I have NBA TV so..

I'm sure there will be streams.

Bobcats cant catch Bucks..they are set to play Magic in the first round. Thats the only series confirmed. I do think Atlanta will play Bucks..and since the matchup isnt all that great most of the games will probably be on NBATV..Idc..i just hope we sweep or go 5 games the most so our guys get rest and get ready for whoever

All that and in his 3rd year, Yi is better than Marvin.

39.4% from the field.

39.5% from 3.

That's odd.

Terrance Williams is better than Marvin too.

It's just hard to see a Hawks fan criticize Yi when Marvin sucks.

By the way, last night, Yi = 15, 12, and 2... with 47% shooting. While Marvin gave us his usual night of nothing.

Terrance Williams will be the better player out of the 3..he is the next Iguodala..potential all star. Triple double last night in a double OT win against the Bulls..amazing game

i found this and thought it would be nice to post and see what people thought about Marvin Williams before the draft..this is a DWill vs Marvin debate that I found:

http://sportstwo.com/forums/showthread.php?t=10205

interesting lol