hawks21

Jason Collins may need to play at least 12-15 minutes and rotate Zaza and even RANDOLPH MORRIS for a few minutes. Dwight is still a very inconsistent free throw shooter, so 'Hack a Dwight' may help slow the Magic down, but the Hawks outside shooters must be able to have an impact.

Dwight Howard uses begins the game with a smile on his face and ends the game with a smile on his face when he plays the Atlanta Hawks. THAT HAS TO CHANGE. Josh Smith, our 6'8 power forward is a close friend and former high school teammate on AAU , but at what point will Josh, Zaza, Big Al or even Joe Smith begin to mix things up and get in Dwight's head? Dwight is almost at his limit for technical fouls, and one more means a one-game suspension. Until Josh Smith commits to staying in the paint and battling Dwight along with Big Al, Dwight and the Orlando team will win most of the time, and especially in a 4 game series. Ball movement is essential against the Magic, and the Hawks will need to have a big night from Jamal Crawford shooting the ball and Maurice Evans has to be able to provide points off the bench as well. The Magic are in vulnerable position with Dwight, but the Hawks' have to be committed to transition defense and maintaining physicality with Dwight before he settles in the post. Josh, Big Al has to take that challenge along with Zaza or maybe even RANDOLPH MORRIS (for a few minutes).

If it is possible, SIGN RAJA

Bibby's play has clearly declined and so has his playing time. However, he is still a reliable shooter from the outside. Josh has been shooting more outside jumpers lately which is a little disturbing. Josh needs to be UNDER THE BASKET getting the rebound or blocking a shot. JJ has to trust his teammates for the WHOLE GAME, not parts of the game, the WHOLE GAME... After a great team victory against the Spurs, this Milwaukee road game was an opportunity to GROW AS A TEAM, and for JJ to continue his growth as a player... Even though Josh has his moments in making great plays, passing the ball and stuffing the stat sheet... Josh sometimes revert back to his out-of-control on-court behavior when things don't go his way. Joe is like this at times, not as extreme as JOSH SMITH, but the excessive ball-hogging is disruptive and that is a symptom of not knowing what to do when pressured and not trusting his teammates. JJ HAS TO MAKE HIS TEAMMATES BETTER--ALL THE TIME, NOT SOME OF THE TIME... Joe is always the team's FIRST OPTION, but he needs to have the faith and discipline to trust his teammates and once he DISPLAYS THAT TRUST, it will become contagious among his teammates.... Big Al said in his tweet "Man we still haven't figured it out..." because it seems the Hawks revert back to bad habits when pressured...ESPECIALLY ON THE ROAD I am a Marvin skeptic, but if he is on the floor and open or fighting to get open, JJ should throw him the ball--not hold it for 15 seconds.. Al has made great strides and has earned the 4th quarter touches down the stretch. The Spurs first option is TIM DUNCAN, but Tim is always thinking how to get his team involved at the same time, and he isn't even a point guard. JJ needs to be more like the "Big Fundamental", because not only that it helps JJ become an even more special player, but helps his teammates grow as younger players...which means putting away teams LIKE DALLAS AT HOME and MILWAUKEE ON THE ROAD would have been more easier...

The ball movement stopped in the 4th quarter, and JJ stopped trusting his teammates. Sunday's game vs. the Spurs was a great example when the team share the ball. JJ is the leader of this team, but he took several out of rhythm BAD SHOTS during that 4th quarter. JJ is not a natural PG, but he has to relaize that Jamal ISN'T THE ENEMY and BIG AL has shown he is ready to be a go-to offensive guy down the stretch in games as evidenced by his All-Star play this year and most recently against San Antonio and Toronto. Al Horford had a tweet that said .."Man we still haven't figured it out... " JJ lost his head in the 4th quarter, and he has to do some self-correction... BUT NOT TO THE POINT HE IS A NO-SHOW AGAINST ORLANDO ON WEDNESDAY... Al Horford played big vs the Spurs along with the much criticized Marvin, but if these guys are open, then JJ must have enough awareness and unselfishness to give them the ball. JJ should be re-signed and has been a durable player for the Hawks... however for the Hawks to get to the next level JJ has to be able trust his teammates in these late game situations and don't get sucked in to trying to OUTSCORE JAMAL or OUTDO John Salmons....AT THE SAME TIME...

The stat line is somehwat deceiving with Joe Johnson's scoring line, but the Hawks were in control of the game with Johnson only have 13 points through three quarters. Joe Johnson is the pseudo point guard when Bibby is on the bench, but he totally forgot about his teammates in a tough road loss-- a game the Hawks shoulkd have won by double-digits. It was as if Joe wanted to get HIS points in the 4th at the expense of the team. Jamal had 21 by the end of the third quarter, and it seems Joe wanted to surpass Jamal by the end of the night...and he got his wish. It was a little ironic in the end once Joe's selfishness sealed the Hawks' fate that the team had less than three seconds (at 98-95) and Jamal finally got his second shot attempt of the quarter, a very tough three point shot attempt at the buzzer. Joe has to realize that Jamal isn't the enemy, and Joe has to be more content in getting the ASSIST and passing to the open guy not jacking up three-point shots in the corner with three people in your face or getting trapped along the baseline with an open Jamal and Bibby outside the three-point arc. And Joe committing the foul on Salmons thirty to forty ft. away from the basket was puzzling. Frustration, anger, whatever it was..it isn't a good sign going forward vs. Milwaukee, a potential playoff opponent. Joe needs to be called out for his selfishness.

J.J.'s absence may be a blessing in disguise, because it provides ANOTHER opportunity for Marvin to step up at the small forward position and have more of an meaningful impact on game(s)--especially against playoff calibur teams. I wish Marvin is able to come close to duplicating the success he had in that ONE Houston game in which he played like an All-Star that night. The opportunities are there for Marvin, but will he step up? Kobe, just like JJ, are dependable performers who rarely get injured. Kobe has a better supporting cast, but he had tried to challenge his teammates publicly and last year it work and it helped them during last year's championship run. Jamal Crawford is not likely to score 28 a game, so on-court production and leadership has to come from other places. Also back-up Maurice Evans has been in a season-long funk coming off the bench; however when Evans is able to shoot the three pointer, and make multiple outside shots, it bodes well for the Hawks in terms of confidence and the teammates are more likely to move the ball around with assurance that the open man will hit the shot. The Toronto game without JJ will be interesting and with the Raptors as a potential playoff foe, how will Marvin, Mo and Teague perform on the road againsta playoff calibur team? Jeff Teague getting an opportunity to get 18 to 20 minutes is needed. For better or worse, he has to be exposed to game situations, and be able to gain experience. There is no other way. I hope JJ doesn't leave the Hawks, but Teague is the future (for now) and if JJ signs with another team, there will be a leadership void and Teague would be one of the candidates to fill it. I believe one of the directives from Sund is to DEVELOP TEAGUE. Woodson's job depend on it. If he is unable or unwilling to develop rookies, Woodson's value on this team moving forward decreases dramatically. Woodson has been able to hang his hat on each Hawks team being a little better than the previous team (record-wise), but at some point Mike Bibby is going to break down whether this year, during the playoffs or in the near future. So teague needs to receive meaningful minutes NOW against playoff teams, and learn from his mistakes. The Spurs' George Hill, the Hornets' Darren Collison or the Bucks' Brandon Jennings are examples of young point guards on winning teams gaining experience. Teague is behind in development because of Woodson, and it's time to see what this young guy can do, and if Woodson is unable to do it, Woody won't be coaching the Hawks next season.

That short narrative perfectly describes Marvin as a player...

The Mavericks were daring Johnson to be a SUPERSTAR. He had a few chances late in the 4th to give the Hawks a three-point lead with less than a minute, but came up short. It was embarrassing to see that. Caron Butler was on the bench which makes even more frustrating to see.

The last few games teams are taking advantage of the fact that we have an undersized frontline. But now , the Hawks are not getting ABSOLUTELY NO PRODUCTION out of the starting (Marvin) and back-up small forward (Evans), this team is becoming increasingly vulnerable and Phoenix (Grant Hill), Golden State and now Dallas are taking full advantage. When Kidd is playing small forward and Grant Hill is having a great night against the Hawks and Berea guarding JJ like he was Jordan is a very BAD SIGN.

Small ball is a new weapon against Hawks apparently. Woody stepping on the court in front of Kidd was not smart either. At times, the Hawks lose control of controlling the tempo. It happened late against Phoenix, Golden State and now Dallas. Al Horford played terrible tonight and was also a major reason the Hawks lost control in the 4th quarter.

Chillz > Marvin

George Steinbrenner criticized his Yankee ballclub last year and they were able to snap out of their funk and their supposed best players or high-priced players started playing better. This has to happen in Atlanta. It's a risk, because Marvin could break down even more (maybe start crying), but the TOUGH LOVE approach is the only other option to push Marvin to play at another level. And GM Sund should publicly criticize Woody for not being able to develop young point guards. Woody has had Salim, Acie and now Jeff Teague. Sund should put Woody on blast. Woody is too comfortable in the way he is coaching and developing players, and when the playoffs come around with Orlando and Cleveland, being swept 4-0 will put this team back at SQUARE ONE. Bibby isn't getting any younger, and neither is Jamal Crawford or Maurice Evans or even Joe Johnson! Teams like Oklahoma City, Memphis and even Utah have a collective YOUNGER core than the Hawks that have more of an impact. GM sund needs to put some people on blast or THROW THEM UNDER THE BUS...right now... Right now the Hawks have their best chance of going further, but the type of effort that is being put out by the Hawks underperforming players will become more of a problem as the season progresses.

Horford's contract will be an issue soon, but his true value, in my opinion, is still up in the air.. One example... Second example... Third example...

Big Al isn't Marvin Williams. However, after his 31 point outburst, I felt this game versus an above .500 opponent in the Phoenix Suns would be a great opportunity for Horford to string together back to back solid performances. However, he reverted back to his old ways of disappearing for long stretches of the game. Horford 's matchup against Amare Stoudamire is a tough one, but this is where Big Al has to raise his game. Big Al played the same way he has played against bigger, better, more motivated competition (i.e. Orlando, San Antonio, Lakers) -- NON-EXISTENT. With the prospect of Joe Johnson being gone next year (i hope not), some of these Top 5 picks the Hawks drafted have to RAISE THEIR LEVEL OF PLAY. And this is a type of game on the road in which he needed to show the maturing of his potential and talent. However, with Big Al's apparent hot/cold play, I EXPECT A GREAT GAME VERSUS THE LOWLY GOLDEN STATE WARRIORS. However, we can't measure his progress as a team leader by beating up on the Warriors, can we? Not at this stage. After a likely great game vs. the Warriors, will he then lay an egg vs. tougher competition the following night against UTAH (Boozer, Paul Milsap, Kiralenko...? Big Al has made progress, but the talk about max contract next year should be quelled until he gets over this hurdle of putting solid games back-to-back vs. quality competition on the road.

I have to agree. GM Sund has to make a move. 2010 may be the Hawks best chance to get to Finals.

With Jamal Crawford hurt and Bibby struggling, Marvin had an opportunity to play a full game and have an impact. However, Marvin makes a few nice plays and disappears during a critical stretch in the fourth quarter as Miami wins by 18. The Hawks can't count on Marvin and tonight's loss prior to the trade deadline should be a WAKE-UP CALL for GM SUND.

Our whole frontline have significant weaknesses offensively and in games like this versus Orlando or even San Antonio vs. someone such as Tim Duncan or Dwight Howard, are magnified. On some nights, the Hawks can get away with Horford shooting 2 for 9 or Marvin going 1 for 8 or Josh missing half of his FTs, and missing most of his shots. However, not at the same time! Joe Johnson and Crawford's shooting bails the team out at times. However, this team needs more balance and productivity from the offensively-challenged and tentative frontcourt. Marvin doesn't have the offensive skill or power of a small forawrd such as Dominique Wilkins, who would have dunk over Dwight Howard in his prime. In today's NBA, someone like a Amare Stoudamire has the skillset, power and high-flying athleticism to continously challenge Dwight or Tim Duncan. Dwight Howard is foul prone against better teams with stronger offensive frontcourts. However the Hawks frontcourt PLAY SCARED and the team is forced to make tough jump shots that Howard usually rebounds. Horford is no match for Dwight Howard, and Josh Smith has been M.I.A. in challenging his former high school teammate as well. So Howard's comfort level against the Hawks is growing by each BLOWOUT. Our team profile has to change.

Corey Magette. Marcus Camby. Amare Stoudamire. This is not likely to happen, but the Hawks have to do something to change their team profile.

GM sund should explore it, because right now the Hawks look lost against the Magic, and the thing about tonight proves is that THE HAWKS CAN'T BEAT THE MAGIC IN ATLANTA OR ORLANDO

Marvin can hide on most nights, but against the Magic, the Hawks need more from the small forward position. He started the game aggressive by attempting three-pointers and had a dunk... but then Marvin goes into HIBERNATION... 5 points in first quarter, then SEVEN FOR THE GAME... The Hawks need a more aggressive, PRODUCTIVE Marvin who can be an IMPACT PLAYER and consistent .

The Hawks can beat Boston, but now we can't beat Orlando. This team is a contender, but GM sund needs to start earning his money in making trades that can put this team in a stronger position. Camby is older, but he is better all-around big man than Horford right now and this has to change their profile against Orlando, because what this team isn't working. Camby can play 25 to 28 minutes a game. Cleveland got Shaq for Dwight, and GM Sund has to do something...

Horford went 1 for 3 vs. Howard for the whole game during the recent blowout. Big Al didn't look to use his own quickness and ability to put the ball on the floor vs. Howard. Josh becomes a perimeter player going 6/17 from the field, but Smith is hestitant to challenge Dwight or attack the rim as well. I would like to see Marvin at 6'9 challenge the rim and have an impact on the game, because I believe it would change the tone of the game..yet Marvin gets passive for long stretches of time... Randolph Morris is 6'11 and played with Dwight Howard along with Josh Smith. Obviously, Dwight has excelled, but the Hawks have to get physical with Dwight and put him on the line 20 times...maybe missing half of them..

Ryan Anderson. J.J. Reddick. Jason Williams. Anthony Johnson. There are stretches in the two blowout losses that the Hawks play alright, but when Van Gundy puts the SUPER SUBS in who are there to shoot the ball, the Hawks lose control of the game somehow. Vince Carter plays a role as a perennial Hawks killer, but the few BIG PLAYS that Anderson gives with his long-range shooting as 7 footer along with Reddick and Wiliams has hurt the Hawks. Defensively the Hawks have to take these guys moree seriously. And Bibby may have to continue to sit the bench if his defensive effort is lax. Possibly MARIO WEST may have to get 10 to 15 minutes to help disrupt the offensive rhythm of the backup guards when Van Gunbdy puts them in...

The Hawks must find a way to frustrate Howard and get more physical. Dwight is a local guy, and FRIENDS with Josh and has a size advantage over the smaller Al Horford. Howard has too much of a comfort zone, and if the Hawks want to beat Orlando, then the way this team has been defending Howard has to change. We don't have a Bruce Bowen, Dennis Rodman or an enforcer, but Woodson may have to bring Zaza or Jason Collins off the bench to deliver the hard fouls. JASON COLLINS has SIX FOULS and sending a message to Howard may get in his head and make him less effective.