Jody23

As it stands now, this team is too little up front and not good enough defensively and on the boards to be a legitimate contender. These flaws won't get corrected without making some moves. However, it doesn't appear ownership is willing to do anything. In Sekou's podcast the other day, Michael Cunningham mentioned that the organization tends to over value certain players. It's really not possible to build a legitimate contender if the decision makers are not objective. Additionally, I saw an article where one of the owners said they had the challenge of building a contender while being "fiscally responsible". I think many would argue they have not been exactly successful with that thus far.

I think Kaman would indeed be a good fit on this team alongside Al and Smoove. Al Horford is clearly a power forward and is clearly more comfortable there. As good as he's been this year, I think Al will reach even another level when/if the Hawks finally have the sense to move him there. I remember Steve Smith saying two years ago that if Al were ever moved to his natural spot, he would put up Dwight Howard type numbers. I for one believe him.

That's a valid point. I think Smoove's athleticism has allowed him to be effective, individually, at the 4 despite him being closer in size to a 3. However, that athletic ability isn't going to continue at the same level for as long as people think (this is his 7th year in the league). I think Smoove is a good player, but I don't think he's built to play the 4 effectively over the long haul.

Without question. There's a legitimate reason Horf made noise about playing the 4 this offseason. From what I've seen, he's clearly the best power forward on this team and he knows it. No offense to Smoove, but Horford is just better suited for that position.

For all the crap Collins gets about being a "terrible" choice as a starting center, people seem to forget he was a starting center on a team that went to the NBA finals. While he may not be the ideal choice for some, the guy knows how play within his abilities.

Without question he's had a good game, but had they looked his way a little more, he could have done a lot more damage. Games like this is also why I think Al is a much better player at his natural position.

At this point, Horford should have at least 25 points. He has a clear advantage, but the Hawks won't go to him consistently.

Great post. Indeed, it's really impressive how much Al has done for this team while being forced to play out of position most nights.

The Celtics are starting to get it going. The officials in this game are horrible at best!

Perhaps I should say the team numbers on the boards have been stronger with this lineup. Both games against Orlando, @ Minnesota and against New Jersey show this. In both these games, Josh and Al have had easier times scoring in the post, which brought double teams, which in turn led to better looks for others.

I agree that the big lineup should continue to be evaluated. However, if we're honest about it, Marvin isn't really a starter quality player either. What Collins does that Marvin doesn't is he allows both Josh and Al to have physical advantages over their opponents which we've seen they've taken full advantage of on both ends of the floor and especially on the boards. By the way, it's funny we refer to this lineup as "Big" when in comparison to all the elite teams in the league, it's not big at all. Lol.

I picked Bibby, Johnson, Smith, Horford and Collins. If you want to do anything come playoff time, you've got to be able to defend inside and rebound effectively and this lineup gives the Hawks the best chance to do that hands down.

+1 and the sooner the Hawks recognize this, the better.

I don't think you have to trade away Marvin or JJ to move Smoove to the 3. LD said there would still be times when Collins would start when JJ comes back. Besides, the lineup is more effective on the boards and defensively with Josh at 3 and Marvin is more suited to be coming off the bench anyway.

So far, the Hawks have been good a team defensively and on the boards with him there. I think some people are frustrated that he's not Shawn Kemp or Amare Stoudamire. Truth is, he's never been like those players and never will be. I think Larry Drew is seeing that he is a combo forward rather than a true 3 or a true 4. This flexibility helps the Hawks rather than hurts them in my opinion. Whether people want to admit it or not, the drafting of Marvin was a big reason Josh got moved to the 4 in the first place.

I wonder if there's anybody who still thinks Al couldn't make the all-star team playing the 4?

Totally agree. Josh may not be a prototypical 3, but he more than gets the job done at that spot and as Mike Glenn said last night, the Hawks are a better defensive team with the bigger lineup on the floor. Josh came into the league playing the 3 spot and I always felt he would still be playing significant minutes there had the Hawks not drafted Marvin. The need for the organization to save face is long gone. If playing Josh at the 3 allows the Hawks to be more physical and better defensively overall, they need to stick with.

No ones mentioned it, but he's done most of his damage at the 3 spot tonight.

When given the opportunity, he's done very well. His play against Howard on the defensive end allowed Al and Josh to do productive work on the glass as well as enjoy physical advantages over the guys they were matched up with. I think he should get more time than he's been getting. I don't know if he'll continue to start, but I think he's proving that defense and rebounding is more important from that position than offense is. In my opinion, his impact on the starting lineup is greater than Marvin's.

If he's at his natural position, I believe you could run low post offense thru him.

I agree completely and I'm tired of the poor excuses and rationale being made for his poor play against quality opponents. He needs to be put in a role that better suits his ability...off the bench.

Yes, he should.

Indeed it has been sucessful and I don't think it should continue to be limited to being used against certain teams. That lineup is just stronger on the boards and defensively than when Marvin is in the lineup. Not trying to diss Marvin, but it's the truth. Even when Powell has been on the floor with Horford and Smith, it's been successful.

I want to see more of the bigger lineups. The game may get ugly, but if it means the Hawks control the paint and the boards on both ends, then I'm all for it because it's going to translate into more wins, especially in the playoffs when the ability to control the paint is critical. I think what Collins and Powell are giving the Hawks right now is really valuable.

Horford was effective this game and the last game against Orlando because LD had sense enough to not let him face Howard and instead let him play his natural position where he's most comfortable.