HawksBalla

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.

Chuck and Kenny are almost on the floor laughing at the Hawks offensive scheme. They call it "Dribble, dribble, dribble.......MISS"

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'll put it simple:

-Bad defense

-Uninspired play

-Joe Johnson is one of the worst number 1 options in the NBA. He showed his value tonight completely. He couldn't even make free throws out there.

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. .

Jinx what?

Our roster is so much better than Miami's it isn't even close.

Order your Rd. 2 tickets!

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).

and? They haven't been doing much winning lately. In 2009 they're 5-5 at ho,e and 7-13 on the road. This is no 4 seed. The early success (luck) from making an insane amount of jumpers clouds the real issues. They've just come back down to earth. A horrible coach can't take us that far off of talent.

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.

If I can pick our opponent, I'd take Philly in a heartbeat. We'd have the best player (JJ), best shooter (Bibby) and most athletic player (Josh Smith) on the court at all times. Who is there go-to, Iggy? Please. Plus Andre Miller is slow enough to be guarded by Bibby.

I don't want Detroit because AI will get a lot of calls and we can't stop him from getting to the hole. Rasheed Wallace and Hamilton work the refs, and Price is still a good defender and likely to get the best of JJ in at least two games.

I don't want Miami because of what others have said...Wade will be unstoppable. If we breathe on him, instant foul as he "falls" to the ground. Plus Beasley seems to be coming on. JO could present problems against our lack of size.

I wouldnt be opposed to trading him, but could we really get a better player at either guard position? VERY doubtful.

I will admit though that last night I thought to myself I had more fun watching the team when JJ wasnt playing. The offense semeed to pass the ball around more, and they seemed to have more energy. Now its back to boring iso-Joe, pound the ball for 15 seconds then either force a contested jumper or pass the ball and leave someone 5 seconds to create or die.

I used to be a huge member of the "play Acie more" bandwagon. But the last couple of games have kicked me off the bandwaqon. He is looking like another Shelden-like bust.

1. He is terrified to dribble inside the three-point line: Watch how many times he passes the ball away above the three-point line, its laughable.

2. He has lost confidence in his jump shot: I dont believe Acie is that bad of a shooter, but he seems timid shooting the ball. He gives up layups all the time...on the rare occasion he takes it to the hole.

3. He doesnt have the athletic ability to compensate for his mental meltdowns: He isnt that fast, or that big. That also gives him...

4. Defensive problems: He is a liability on defense, either getting posted up or foul-prone when a quicker guard blows by him.

I think we might be better served trading him away soon while his value is inflated by his draft status, then try again drafting a pg...except a pg with a much higher athletic ceiling then Law.

Watching Al Thornton finish his moves by throwing down vicious dunks, I thought to myself that I wish we had a player like that, a player who looks like he can jump from anywhere for a slam. Then I remember we did have a player like that...Josh Smith. He just doesnt seem nearly as explosive near the rim like he used to. Is he still playing hurt? Has his tendencies changed? Has he fallen too much in love with his running hooks?

After last night I'm back on board. Last night shows what he can do when he harnesses all his physical talent.

Ridiculous. Woody needs to be fired. That's a pathetic attempt at spin. We all know the truth... Woody is terrible at managing his bench. The last two games have proved that we have enough talent without JJ on the court to be competitive in the nba. Imagine how much better along Law and Solo would be if they had been getting 10 minutes a game, every game this season.

We can't afford to lose any of Woody's eight-man rotation. Woody has developed the rest of the bench, so when Solo goes from dnp to 15 minutes, I'm not surprised when he starts fouling every play. Or if Law's jumper isnt failing. Or if West passes away the ball like it has the plague.