HawksBalla

I thought the Sign of the Apocalypse was that Woody has been playing his bench lately, including Teague.

Lakers Orlando LeBrons A healthy San Antonio We should be able to take everyone else. And I'm not saying we can't beat the Lakers or Orlando...we can, we just have to actually do it to prove it.

That was one of the best games I've ever seen Marvin play. He was taking his jumpers with confidence instead of reluctance. He was being AGGRESIVE driving to the hole, and he was aggresive when he got one-on-one matchups. If he could keep up the attack mode all season, he could average 16+ a game. This team will need the perimeter offense, with Bibby and JJ prone to getting cold streaks (like last night). With Marvin hopefully turning tthe corner, this team has 6 players that can go off and carry the team offensively. Holy crap we're good.

It was lip service. At this point, Woodson is what he is. He can't help himself when it comes to running JJ into the ground. JJ's annual January slump will happen again this year, and we can all blame Woodson for it.

Looks like Woodson is well on his way to destroying Teague's confidence. We were getting killed all night by their speed at pg, but Woodson just cant help himself. He is married to a rotation of his five starters plus one super sub. Think there is any connection between JJ going 45 minutes and JJ going 6-18? Woodson doesnt play young pg's, and Woodson plays JJ into the ground. These things have happened during Woodson's entire tenure, and I am 0% surprised that they continue to happen.

Which team would you take to defeat the other three teams in a tournament for best Hawks team ever? 1988 Hawks: Dominique in his prime. Doc Rivers. Spud Webb. Moses Malone. Coached by Fratello 1993-1994 Hawks: Dominique/Manning, Kevin Willis in his prime. Mookie Blaylock. Stacey Augmon the "Plastic Man".Lenny Wilkens coach. 1996 Hawks: Steve "Smitty" Smith and Mookie Blaylock tandem. Mount Mutumbo. Laettner who made the all-star team. Lenny Wilkens coach again. 2009 Hawks: JJ as our do-it-all leader, Smoove leading the league in blocks at 6'9, Horford averaging a solid double-double in his third year, Crawford in the running for 6-man of the year. Woody as the coach. I think Woodson is the worst coach, but his team has the most over-all talent. I think the way the 2009 Hawks are playing right now, they would run the other three teams off the court. I like JJ against Smitty, and Marvin would at least make Wilkins work for his points. Smoove would blow past Willis.

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.