OldTimeHawk

do we want a cheap option?? We already did that and Brand didnt play much and Pero was , well Pero. We need a legitimate talent that can have nights where he can dominate and also provide a veteran presence to help mentor guys like Moose and Tavares. 

 I dont want another band aide , I want a center that will finally enable us to move Al over and give us the rim protector we have needed for years. Who knows this could also enable Al to focus more on his offense and just like that we have the scorer we need too !

there are plenty of cheaper options out there - heck we already have Mack on the roster - with more playing time I think he will shine . We simply dont need two starting calibre pg's - while its nice to have we need to resign Milsap and get a legit center. Jeff has a solid season and a trade can make that happen.

I hate to say it but having both Teague and Dennis is a luxury. It may be time to trade Jeff and stick with the cheaper option . Letting Dennis run the team gets him playoff ready and clears cahs off the books where we can get a bog center in return.

we need another shooter to pair with Korver to help spread the floor and a rime protector, but honestly team ball doesnt sell well in the NBA unless you have a superstar that can duel another superstar in crunch time - thats what the NBA wants .

overmatched ?? I dont think so - only area where we are overmatched in Lebron - and thats with all the special treatment that comes with being the King - the rest would wilt rather quickly if the games were called staright up per the rule book - no more 3 steps plus , no more charges called blocking , no more bail outs after a miss.

 Unfortunately the NBA wants to see a duel between 2 superstars at the end of games  - I was hoping the Hawks would continue to ride Teague as he was giving the NBA and refs what they want but they decided to play team ball instead lol.

And that whole rugby argument is such bullshit. I grew up playing rugby and soccer. I didn't try to grab the soccer ball with my hands and run to the other side, and I sure as hell didn't try to body slam anyone while playing soccer. All athletes play multiple sports, and the fact all these morons from TNT and cavs "fans" keep using that lame excuse shows you the lazy/bias analysis of the media, and for those "fans," well, we know they probably haven't watched a full game of any sports in their lives. Probably just watch YouTube Lebron highlights and call themselves "fans." Yeah I'm in a bad mood.

I played Rugby too and I will tell you this - you go after legs like that in rugby and your own teammates will get on your ass. Rugby is a brotherhood also and trying to injure someone gets you blasted from all sides .

the fouls in the first 3qrts stalled every run vs the Hawks. The 4th  they actually started calling against Cleveland but once overtime started it was back to protect Cleveland. This was the game that the refs can point to and say " see, we called it even" BS !!

to say he threw an elbow at the head is ridiculous. If anything may have thought it but it never came close to the head or neck - it was on the back area. I just appreciate the effort by the Hawks and their desire to play hard nosed winning basketball. They need o learn how to retaliate without getting caught .

cmon guys get off Buds ass - how many and 1's did the refs refuse to call vs the Cavs ?? It was utterly rediculous until the fourth  when the Hawks were finally for the first time in the playoffs getting a few calls.  This was a tough one to lose but give them man credit and the Hawks credit - they battled through it in spite of the odds and kept their composure . Im proud of them in this near no win situation of a series.

Personally I would designate someone to plant Labron on his backside a few times when he drives next game and set the tone early that if the refs are gonna call fouls every drive then he can damn well earn them. Same for Delevadova - that jackass  needs to be throttled on a backside screen - speaking of screens did you see James basically drive Carroll on the final regulation shot across the floor ?? Wow !

I hate watching iso ball especially superstar ball. Even if he is a great talent , its a farce to watch the game being played and officiated so the scales are always in the favor of the superstar.  From the carries, to the no call offensive fouls, traveling - geez we know they have a world of talent do you have to give them even more of an edge where they are simply unstoppable ???

BTW for what its worth, any other 270 pound man slinging elbows and aggressively bull rushing would have more than 1 foul at games end - isnt this unbridled aggression a huge part of what allows him to be great - cause his shooting  has been sub par most of the playoffs. 

Knock if off. Keep posts on the subject - not on the poster.

why is it ok for him to call out  the guy for " hating " on Labron but when hes called on his being a Labron fanboy its an offense ??

 I think its a strategy and trust issue . Overall outside of Labron the Hawks are better. The Problem is 2 fold.  On one hand if the game gets too close Labron will iso and take the ball hard using elbows and bull rush and 9 times out of 10 the foul is in his favor. Once he gets them up a few points the defense starts to try to focus on stopping him and leaves easy baskets.

 I think in order to win we need to do what the Celtics did with MJ which is basically let him get his honestly as possible and shut down the others.  The Celtics did this earlier with Dominique and shut down everyone else. 

They also need to stop worrying about the fouls which we arent going to get and start playing hardnosed ball and make Cleveland  work for every single shot.  If we do that we will be in position to win, but it starts with trust and hustle. I just dont know if we have the health sand desire at this point to suck it up and get off the deck . We will see.

I actually though team ball could overcome not having a superstar but its painfully obvious that in the NBA  you have to have one to counter the other teams stars - the fact that the Hawks who have demonstrated enough dicipline throughout the season to be one of the least fouling teams in the NBA didnt matter come playoff time- they got rang up more in every series .  Basically my worst fears have been confirmed.  

I think our guys see the writing on the wall. We have given up - its gotta be discouraging to not have calls go your way , but at least fight until you foul out . And why someone hasnt wiped that smirk off Labrons face I dont know.

whats up with the Milsap hate ?? The guy took a beating from Labron and his elbows all night and you guys want to throw him out like trash ????

it looked to me like he took a knee to the lower thigh from Labron on that drive which wasnt called of course. lots of opportunities for the hawks to draw the fouls on drives the refs just refused to call them .

just watching Labron this year, he really relied on the refs bailing him out over and over this season and his body is finally starting to break down , This could very well be his last year as top dog .  Lots of miles on those knees and during the Bulls series he logged a ton minutes to compensate for the rest of his team.

 The thing about needing an elite player is come crunch time you simply get the calls - Labron as aggressive as he is in lowering his shoulder and bulling over players generally gets 2 fouls a game against him but creates numerous opportunities at the line.  

 The Houston Clippers game the other night seemed decided before the game really got started as the refs  simply gave James Harden the benefit of the doubt every drive.  41 foul shots ?? Yep thats a  win in any  game on any level.

come crunch time Lebron will be handling the ball each time down - he will drive and he will get the call. Can we overcome the barrage of whistles the refs are gonna unleash ??

I saw that on that last three - I thought for sure it would be reviewed but nope.

the Hawks are just getting out hustled through stretches of the games. I dont know if its the quick whistles have taken their agression away or the fact that its just a bad matchup for the Hawks. But The Nets are challenging the outside and daring the Hawks to put it on the floor and go into the teeth of the defense and the result is Atlanta missing an ungodly amount of layups  .

this whole series has been a little lop sided with the whistle. The bigger team is allowed to play more physically than the smaller team that has the leagues least number of fouls - why now ??

We played 3 straight games against championship contenders and came out 0-fer. Regardless of injuries or referees, that's pretty bad. The team defensive problems have been going on too long now to blame the missing parts screwing up the machine. I only see 2 or 3 customary defensive performances this month versus Cleveland and Phoenix, arguably Houston.

Hopefully we can get fully healthy and tune up against inferior yet tenacious teams the rest of the way. If this were February I would expect us to win out. This current defense could go .500. I forever have faith in my boys to turn it around, though.

look at the box score and see where the minutes are going. when the box score looks like it did earlier in the season you will notice a different result.

we are getting healthy and when the playoffs start we should be at full force. Only downside is what I saw in OKC where the refs swallowed the whistle late and let the Hawks get banged around.  I really feel like we backed off a little bit more so cause we didnt want to get put in a situation where injuries could happen - that no call knockdown on Dennis was just senseless and is maybe a preview of what we may see come playoff time by the refs.   I really wish we had at least picked up a  hired enforcer that could dish it right back out .

 But dont sell these guys short - they are competing,  back end of the bench getting time on the court ( which we never saw under  the last 2 coaches ) and our starters are getting rest.  I want home court too, but we have to have everyone healthy for us to reach  the finals. A piece or two missing and the team dynamics are totally different.