HawksBalla

The one thing I noticed about Marvin on offense is that he doesnt move much. He seems to just hang out by the 3-point line. He needs to move more...set picks, go towards the ball, something. That said, I would have liked to have seen Marvin come in to stick Pierce. I still think he's more valuable then Crawford when it comes to defense. Also, I wish we could get JJ a little more rest. Play Craw and Marvin, let JJ get a little break here and there. I dont want to see another JJ collapse in January because we burn him up in November and December.

I would NOT take Horford, Marvin, and Teague over Paul. Teague hasnt proven anything, Marvin is replaceable as we are seeing this year, and Horford is solid but undersized. Compare that to the best point guard in the league and its no contest. A JJ/Paul/Smoove/Chills core would have been dominant.

Exactly. All the Woody apologists rush to damage control, making excuses for him. I would love it if Woody proves me wrong, but I'm not holding my breath.

I knew better then to buy the hype that Woody would play JJ less minutes this year. JJ is never going to pull himself out because he is playing for a contract. That makes JJ look like a fat juicy steak to Woody...he can play JJ into the ground and not hear a peep from JJ. Then Woody will give us one of his bs excuses, "oh, well, we're playing for the playoffs" or "I was trying to help JJ make the all-star team" (my favorite). What he should say is "I'm playing for my job, and JJ is one of the few guys I have that I trust, so I'll sacrifice him to keep my job" Why would we pay Crawford $10 million just play 14 minutes off the bench???!?

Lakers bench is better, the Spurs probably better as well.

Yes.

I think this team WOULD make the playoffs. All of your players would have a chance to develop their games once they split up all of JJ's shots. Crawford would score a solid 18-20. We'd run more without iso-joe bogging us down. I think this team would have a realistic shot at at least the 7th seed.

I think this would be a great deal if it gets done at 4/64. That means we'll have Marvin, Smoove, and JJ for four more years to see how far that trio can take us. They have the highest upside of all the players on our roster. I agree with others who say JJ's decline is due to Woody's insane minutes and predictable iso-Joe playbook. If JJ played even four less minutes and didnt always have to bring up the ball, I think his production would go back to the 25 ppg we saw when he was balling with Harrington.

I think this. If/when JJ leaves, we will be able to plug in a 20-point scorer off our bench in Crawford. And Crawford will just happen to be in a contract year, so he'll be balling out. That would also be a perfect time to return Chills as the super-sub to back up Crawford and Marvin, since Evans will surely be gone after his contract his up next summer.

I think too many people are sleeping on Cleveland. 1. I don't think Shaq will clog the lane anymore then what Z does. Z can't move, and while Shaq is thicker he is also more handy around the basket. Plus most nights I don't think shaq will play more then 28 minutes. 2. Shaq is in a contract year for maybe the last contract of his career. He has something to play for. 3. Lebron is in a contract year. 4. Lebron has potential to score more. His jumper will continue to improve. He will also continue to get all the calls. 5. They will have Mo Williams, West, and Gibson bombing wide-open threes thanks to Lebron AND Shaq. There is no way Lebron's team falls to the fourth seed (or lower). Plus, the league will make sure that the Cavs are a factor this year.

I am glad to have Marvin back, and I advocated paying him 40 over 5 years. BUT... Now that its done, the reality that our cap situation is QUICKLY running out of wiggle room is sinking in. I think we have a 50-50 chance at best to sign JJ...if we do sign JJ then how can we afford Horford? And if we don't sign JJ for whatever reason, will we be able to hold on to the #4 hole? I guess we have a whole season to ponder. Regardless, I'm glad that we'll have Marvin and Josh together for the next four years (barring trades). I think they have the most promise on our lineup of becoming all-stars. If either one can raise their game...or should I say, if Woody's offense allowed them to raise their games, I think we would have a shot at #3 or better.

At first, I was upset the Hawks werent willing to spend 3 million. But the more I think about it, the more I think it might be reasonable. This backup we sign is only going to get about 12-15 minutes a game AT MOST. Horford and Smoove will both play at least 32 minutes a game, and Zaza is good for 20-25, especially since we're paying him almost 5 mil to come off the bench (man that Miami road game made him some money). Thats a max of 89 out of the possible 96 minutes from power forward and center. 3 million for seven minutes?!?!??

Oh yeah, one more thing...this thread doesnt seem appropriate without a dunk from

Anytime I see Josh Smith do something like that, I immediately dismiss any ideas in my head about trading him. Not many players are capable of that offensive explosion. If Josh was just in a better offensive system, I could he could average at least 18+.

No one knows what Anderson will bring, but ill trust in our scouts who signed off on this trade. It does seem cheap for a big man at first glance, though.

Those %'s dont surprise me. But in this scenario, they also support my argument that Marvin's offensive output can improve by "increasing the plays called for him". Its almost like the Hawks indirectly control how much they get out of Marvin by how much they give the ball to Marvin. Is it the ideal scenario? No, but then again I can think of several players that needed to be fed the ball.

Have Marvin EARNED 8 million a year? Probably not. But is he WORTH 8 million a year? I think he's worth 7-7.5, and I am willing to overpay for 8. Why? Mostly because of 2010. 1. I personally think there is a great chance we lose Joe. It seems likely that Wade, LeBron, and Bosh will all stay put, so the teams with cap space will have a better chance of signing a tier 2 star, such as JJ. Think he wouldnt fit in perfectly with his old coach up in N.Y.? Or be a perfect second banana at Clevland or Miami? Plus I dont know if the Hawks will be comfortable going max with the ownership issues. And then there's the white elephant in the room: is JJ WORTH max? I dont think so personally, but we might have to overpay to stand a chance. Because I think we lose Joe, we'll need Marvin's offense more then ever. We saw what Marvin can do when plays are called for him and the offense is ran through him. He can score. I think Marvin could help the Hawks stay afloat to a degree if/when JJ leaves because Marvin has potential to score more for us simply based on increasing the plays called for him. 2. I think if we dont sign Marvin long-term this year, we lose him in 2010. He'll be unrestricted and more teams will have cap space. If the Hawks keep JJ, Marvin will be an affordable and young tier 3 star. 3. I am not ready to give up on Marvin. He's still very young. His game is still improving. And if we're lucky, Woodson will be gone after this year...I think a better offense would hlep Marvin's scoring output to increase, and put Marvin (along with Horford) in a better position to be successful offensively.

That lineup was Bibby at point, Flip at Sg, JJ, Smoove, Horford

I don't think the Bulls make it past the Hawks, Heat, Pistons, and Wizards if Arenas is healthy. Gordon was a huge part of their offense, like what losing JJ would be for us. And it also looks like they arent getting Boozer.

Thanks. And I agree with you, we need another big. I think a veteran power forward would have be perfect for this team.

I would take Flip back for no more then 2.5 million. Teague isnt going to get significant minutes as a rookie...come on people, this is Woodson we're talking about. And I am not as enamoured with Evans like some of you, I think he adds very little on offense and his defense is overrated. I think getting Flip 15-20 minutes at PG, and 25 minutes at SG and SF for Crawford would work just nicely. In that scenario, Teague and Evans offer depth. Another idea is to take Evans contract and spin it into a veteran backup point guard.

Marbury behaved himself in Boston, he knows he has to control himself to make anymore money in this league. And I dont see the idea that we have too many shooters, considering that JJ is constantly doubled, Marvin is still coming into his own, Bibby is streaky, and Crawford is more known for driving. I'll take anyone with talent right now...its our only chance to close the gap between us and the top 3.

Link for the HoopsHype article?

I think Teague will get 10 minutes a game, 15 max. Remember that a lot of people have said Crawford isnt a true point guard, so I think we will see some Teague-Crawford back courts. I also think we'll need/try Teague against the quick, little point guards that own Bibby. The other thing I keep telling myself is that I think Bibby will be tradable should his game drop off the planet. His deal wont be for that much money or years, and we'll be able to sell him on his 3-point shooting and leadership.

1. His offensive scheme is embarrassing. It doesn't fit the players we have. Its boring. Its mocked all the time in the press. It struggles mightily against good defensive teams. It relies far too much on Iso-Joe, causing Woody to play JJ 40+ a night. When Joe is off, our offense is usually toast. 2. He doesn't develop his bench. With Woody's job on the line yet again, we are assured of seeing 8-man rotations by January and 7-man rotations in March. 3. He doesn't develop young players. Acie Law, Shellhead, and Salim never came close to reaching what was predicted, Chills and Horford plataued offensivley much quicker then we thought would happen, Marvin and Smoove have had years in the league but havent achieved the potential we percieve of them due to their physical ability. 4. He doesn't get along with players. Zaza, Smoove, Salim, Law, Bibby bitches him out during a playoff game If he took care even just #2, it would solve #3 as well. Those two factors alone would make our offensive output go up by sheer better production from our starters, and surely Woody would find lineups that give us mismatches, like when we would use Bibby-Flip-JJ at small forward. I like him as a person, I know he tries hard as hell and is proud of what he has accomplished. But I think the Hawks aren't achieving what they could if they had a true offensive system, and if the team would play at least 9 deep to develop depth, develop our non-starting young players, and keep our starters rested for the playoffs. Those two weaknesses alone will keep the Hawks from advancing to the Eastern Conference finals.