HawksBalla

Al's jumpshot isnt good enough (or maybe I should say, consistent enough) for him to be a go-to scorer. And because we play him at center with Josh Smith on the court, he almost always will be stuck trying to post up a player that is stronger and taller than he is. He will always have a tough time in this league as a low-post offensive player at center. His only chance to score anything over 12 ppg is to develop a fade-away jumper, a la Boozer. I am open to trading him, though I am trying to remember he is hurt and how helpful he has been in the past. He is a good rebounder and his shot-blocking has improved. He can run the court, he is a leader. These are all good qualities. Really though, right now I am open to trading everyone not named Joe, Josh, and Zaza (because he fits the roles of backup center and enforcer perfectly). Josh Smith is hopefully starting to see how good he can be on the low-post. That makes Horford expendable. The problem is I can't think of too many centers that we'd want in his place. Think Portland would do a Oden for Horford? Would we?

Of course Joe is tired. He's been playing an absurd amount of minutes two years in a row, along with two postseasons in a row and two all-star breaks in a row. Plus he's forced to defend the other team's best guard in every single game, and he carries the burden of being the main focus of our iso-Joe offense. I blame this 100% on Woody. We had all year to try to develop Law or West to give JJ 12-15 minutes off a game. We had all year to develop a half-court offense that doesnt require JJ on the court. Woody failed on both fronts. I hope Sund either finds a player that Woody will actually play off the bench, or Woody forces the issue with Sund. What sucks though is how the Spirit group eats out of Woody's hands. We'll never win a championship with JJ averaging 40 minutes a year. Period.

We wont be able to "make" the refs call anything on LeBron. He gets the Jordan rules, just like Wade except to an even higher degree. If we so much as breathe on LeBron, we're getting a whistle. We dont match up that well against the Cavs. Factor in their dominance at homecourt and the refs and it could get ugly. We're going to need to play very well as a team and try to take out LeBron's teammates and force Lebron into a jump shooter.

After watching today's game I believe that JJ has the TALENT to be a superstar, statistically. The problems that are holding him back are two: 1. His coach runs him into the ground with all the minutes played. 2. He forces his game too much. Is it because he feels like he has to do it all by himself because his teammates arent good enough? Does he feel pressure to be THE man? Is it coaching that is pushing him to force jumpers? Is it our playbook and offensive scheme? #1 can be easily fixed, and I hope Sund does something about it. So really, the problem is #2. Because today was a perfect example of how good JJ can be when he lets the game come to him, as Mark Jackson said. He wasnt forcing those double-teamed jumpers. He was passing a lot. And we were running plays to get JJ open off screens. I think JJ could score 25 a game if he played three less minutes a game, wasnt forced to bring up the ball as often as he does, he relied on his teammates more, and we run more plays that get him open. BTW I would have done the Tmac for JJ trade, but then I remembered the surgery Tmac just had. Pass.

Zaza. He was the x-factor, the one player they couldnt match. He took out Jermaine O'Neil, which was huge. He got under the skin and inside the head of the entire Heat team. He galvanized the crowd. He had the Hawks' best effort in the most important game of the series, game 4. He also was able to play big minutes with Horford being ineffective or hurt. King Zaza, indeed.

Agreed. Our offense seems miles better when joe isn't bringing up the ball, like last night.

Aldridge is almost as untouchable as Roy to Portland. Why? Because Oden looks like a injury-prone, foul-prone, out-of-shape bust. Plus you don't trade your centerpiece big for a dime-dozen small forward.

You know, I've wanted Woody gone for a long time but I gotta admit...at the end of the game when he was talking to the bench and pumping his fist with a look of determination...I got chills.

Choo Choo! I am 100% on board. It was an awesome performance. He truly dominated the game. Just when his team needed him. I am stunned, just stunned right now over what happened tonight. Wow.

Zaza was a Man tonight. He made himself at least an extra million dollars tonight. The country will be talking about him. Congratulations Zaza, you carried the team and solidified your status of an Atlanta cult hero.

I wouldn't offer bibby more than five mil a year. If he wants more, he can take a hike. Heck, I might even question if Bibs is worth that. He can't create his own shot, he is slow, he can't penetrate, his shooting is too streaky, and he is terrible at d.

I would take him back in a heartbeat. He would easily be the most athletic player on our bench. Play Flip at pg, play Mo Evans at sg and Chills at Sf, or flip them if there is a matchup advantage. Or, I wouldnt be opposed to starting him if we lose Marvin.

Good, I'm glad its getting some press. We've all known how much a joke our half-court offense is. But yeah...this game is over. Its almost like of our weaknesses are being completely exposed. 1. Bibby is very one-dimensional 2. Iso-Joe doesnt work against good teams. Its predictable and Joe Johnson just isnt good enough to make plays regardless of the defense on him. 3. Josh Smith is our X-factor. When he is Bad Josh, we will always struggle to beat good teams 4. I thought Mo Evans was supposed to be good at defense. 5. Flip Murray is losing a lot of money in the playoffs. He looks more one-dimensional than Bibby right now, total contrast to his play all season. 6. With Marvin sidelined yet again (way to suck it up) and Bad Josh in the building, we lose a lot of our athleticism, talent, defense. 7. Our lack of depth is being exposed with painful consequences. This is where we could have used some burn from Solo or Morris if we could have developed them at all.

I would also add... -Josh Smith's immaturity. Pushing people, crying to the refs instead of playing, lazy d that allow Haslem to hit those two jumpers, hanging out by the 3-point line looking like he is taking a play off. -Free-throw shooting. I cant believe you didnt mention this one. -Poor coaching. Wade should have never been allowed to score 13 in a row or whatever he did. .

Think Boston said the same things last year after Game 1? Probably. And they turned out to be correct when the series was all said and done. So... Order your Rd. 2 tickets!

I would take Iverson, warts and all. He's the second scorer that this team needs, unless Marvin or Josh ever develop into that guy but they arent there yet. He can get to the hole, only Flip can really do that (Joe occasionally). He'll be able to run with us. He'll draw fans and exposure. And he'll be cheap...for the mid-level exception at most, you're getting a player that can score 18-20 a game. The only thing I dont like is his attitude about the bench, but since he'd start for us it wont be a problem.

He's been run into the ground by Woody. You play someone as many minutes as JJ has played the last couple of years, what do you expect? This is Woody's fault.

Heck no we dont need him, we already have enough 6'9 forwards on our team.

I think the argument against Marvin took a big hit today. He is one of our few players that can catch fire and carry the team offensively. Plus we miss his athleticism...I think only Josh Smith is more athletic. And some of our scorers (Flip, Bibby) are just too darn streaky. Now with him out, our depth is really being exploited, and we look so helpless on offense. I am offically off the "we are better without Marvin" train (subject to change).

We had an insane amount of luck with the 3-ball early in the season. But that luck has dried up. The N.Y. game showed that if we arent hitting 3's we probably arent winning.

I can sort of understand benching Smith if whatever happens warranted it. But why not play Zaza when it was obvious we were getting abused on the boards? And why not play Solo...oh wait, its because Woodson hasnt commited to developing our bench past an eight-man rotation (most nights its down to six-man rotation with a couple token appearances). And I think its too little too late to be tough with Josh Smith...its like trying to discipline a 10 y/o when he's been allowed to do whatever he wants his whole life. Its obvious Woodson has lost his team. Listen to the quotes from our "leader" JJ, had to say"We're not on the same page," Johnson said. "It's kind of tough to play when the chemistry is not there. We're just not working as one." Funny that he would say the team isnt working as one when he's constantly forcing up jumpers and driving to drive against two and three-man fronts.

Whatever the cause, I have a feeling this is going to linger until he has had an offseason to clear his mind. Its too bad...I keep wondering why I rarely see Josh Smith at crunch time, then I remember how much of a liability he is at the ft line (or shooting a 15ft+ jumper, or trying to dribble through traffic, but I digress...)

Its karmic payback for drafting Shelden Williams over Roy, thus banishing Roy to play in obscurity in Portland.

I think Miami is better as well. Beasley can take Marion's minutes instead of coming off the bench. O'neal will have height advantages over every one of our players, I dont see how that is a good thing. Plus it gives them a shot-blocker, which matches us well against our weak post-up game.

I wanted Conley and then the best big available. Then we could have used the Shelden Williams trade to bring in a solid veteran point guard and a shooter for the bench. I know they said Conley couldnt shoot, but neither could Kobe or Jordan when they first joined the league. You can be taught. Conley, Smith, Chills, JJ and Marvin would have ran teams off the court. That said, I was happy with Horford and Law when the draft was over. Horford seemed just tall enough to play center for us, and I figured Acie being an senior all-american he would seasoned and able to contribute right away. 1 out of 2 aint bad I suppose.