Atlsportfanz

The key to the game for me is can we contain Garnett?? I'm not really worried about Ray and I think Joe or Marvin can limit Pierce. But without Josh, I don't know about KG. If Pachulia starts on him, Garnett will be able to beat him off the dribble or elevate over him. If it's Al, he can elevate. I expect to see a lot more of Solo and Randolph Morris tonight. I think Morris might be able to do a better job on Perkins which will allow Horford to stay on KG. Someone said it earlier, but got to stay away from cheap fouls. And of course the biggest culprit is Pachulia. He always picks up a couple tick-tack fouls. We'll need all our bigs tonight.

When we had the lead at 12 early into the 4th, I had the feeling Woody was going to start resting Joe and Al. But Chicago came back and cut the lead to 4 and had the momenteum, he was forced to get the rest of the starters back in there. I have no doubt that Woody would have like to rest his starters more but the game didn't allow for it.

Unfortunately in our Youtube/ESPN Highlight Sports World, it's all about the sound bite or big play so a lot of guys who should receive superstar attention don't. You also have to play in a big market. That's why we see the Boston's, L.A's, New York players (not just basketball, but every sport) receive so much coverage. And if you don't have that going for you, you either have to act a fool or get in trouble. Look at Clinton Portis and his "costume" interviews with the Redskins. Not a superstar. Pacman Jones - Not a Superstar. Hank Aaron's talent and longevity was so undeniable that people couldn't pass him by in the superstar conversation even though he never sought the attention. If Nique were playing now, he'd be one of the biggest stars in the league (very comparable to when Vince Carter came in the league and the hype that followed him) And Mike Vick was breaking the rules of what a qb was supposed to do. But Atlanta sports teams have had other superstars. Namely the Big 3 of the Braves. Maddux, Glavine, and Smoltz. But their biggest downfall was their position. They weren't seen every game so out of sight, out of mind. But they were among the greatest pitchers of their generation. If the Hawks begin to win consistantly, and JJ continues to put up all-star #'s, he'll get more credit and attention. Will he ever be considered a Superstar? No, he doesn't have the flashy dunks or plays that LBJ or Kobe has. He doesn't get himself in trouble nor does he call attention upon himself. It's not an indictment of Joe, in fact it's a compliment. I'll take him and as many other guys like him that I can get my hands on rather than the generation of players that we have now.

Not to mention Wallace's history of concussions. As hard and reckless as he plays, he's one fall from never seeing the court again. (which with our history, he'd fall, suffer a concussion, never play again, and break Joe's leg in the process). I think I'll stick with our current squad. The thought alone has got me cringing.

It was good to see the Hawks scrap and win an ugly one. Not all the games are going to be fast paced up and down affairs. Yesterday's game seemed more like a football game where the two teams continue to punt to trade for field position. No one could seem to get the score to put it away. But "good" teams find a way to win and that's what the Hawks did yesterday. Hopefully, this is a trend that will repeat itself throughout the season.

5 games into the season and we already have 1/4 of our road win total from last season. Things look good in the ATL so far.

Joe, Marvin, and Bibby should be enough to carry us against the Thunder. As long as we continue to play solid D especially on Durant, we should be fine.

While I certainly don't want any of our players out, least of all Josh. At least offensively, he's the one that easiest to work without. We don't really run any plays for him except the occasional post-up (and we all know that we can do without the long 2's and 3's for the next couple of weeks.) But I do wish him a speedy recovery because we will miss him on the defensive end. The work he did on Lewis, West, and Dalembert was amazing!

Screw their respect, let's keep racking up the wins!!

Yeah, I literally laughed out loud at that one.

I think we have to employ the same philosophy that we had against New Orleans. Let Chris Bosh get his points and do his thing but shut everybody else down. Jermaine O'neal honestly doesn't worry me too much. I think Al will do really well on him. Bibby on Parker and Marvin on Kapono are the matchups I want to see us win. I say Bibby since Joe has been on the pg's so much this season. I would expect to see him hounding Calderon as well. Can we keep them from hitting 3 after 3? It will be important for us to play the bigs straight up. If we have to double down on them, we're in trouble because it will leave a shooter free. And that's not what you want with this team.

At the end of the month, everyone will have a better indication. Right now, I'd say 6 seed. Seeing as most of the experts picked us to finish out of the playoff race, I think that would be a pretty good spot for us. Like I said though, if we continue playing well this month, maybe 4th or 5th seed.

Josh did play great defense. But I also think now his reputation as a great defensive player is giving him a little more latitude to make plays and not get the whistle. Same for Horford. Like it or not, reputation goes a long way in this league.

nice to see our guys getting a little national attention

So far this season, Joe has been D-ing up the opposing teams point guards while Bibby plays the shooting guard. I wonder if we will see this tonight. Joe on Paul and Bibby on Mo Pete.

I just wonder what team this guy "scouts" for and just how well they are doing? Because I have to imagine if he's had any impact on their trades or draft picks, they can't be in good shape.

I think Al is the perfect guy to run the pick and roll with. Between he and Josh, Al's got the more polished 15 footer. And he's a wider body so Bibby might have more time on the pick. If they ever run it with Josh, I want him to show the ball and then drive to the hole. No Jumpers!!!

You must be excited. We don't play New Orleans until tomorrow!!

Yeah, in the first two games, I don't think we've run the pick and roll or pick and pop with AL yet. Either one would be nice to see with Bibby or Joe. Probably Bibby since Joe takes two guys with him anyway. Smith and Marvin need to continue to flash into the paint and Mike and Joe need to look for them when they do. Horford is going to have his hands full going up against Chandler and I'm hoping that Josh and David West will wash each other out. West is much stronger on offense but Josh is better on defense so who knows?

I agree. It's unprofessional to not honor his contract unless he wants to sign with us :smile:

Let's face it. Childress is a very serviceable player but nothing more than that. So it all comes down to Smith or Howard. As much as I like Smith I would take Howard every day of the week. He's a rare talent, a true big who you can build a team around.

Beat me to it. He didn't get the 17 million he wanted (crazy if he thought he would) but he gets a pretty hefty pay check based on very little time on the court. He may be the real deal. If he's not, he may eventually be the Lakers downfall.

Boy Diesel, that's a lot of hope :helpsmilie:

I thought ZaZa played really well especially on the offensive glass. He had 6 offensive rebounds! He also went to the hole stronger than he usually does. Usually he flops and throws something up and doesn't get a call. Also, Josh Smith looked great. He played a very smooth and fluid game and didn't turn the ball over. Not once. Which is huge for him. If he can eliminate turnover's, he'll move into the upper echelon of players in this league.

You seemed to answer your own question. Playing Howard is not the norm. I fully expected Horford and Pachulia to be in foul trouble especially since Dwight struggles to hit FT's. Had the game been closer and Pachulia had fouled out, I expect we would have seen more of Solo or Morris.