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I'd go for it but I don't see it happening. Long term we won't have Walker and Delk so why not. My only problem with AI would be him being a negative influence on Smoove. But, people have been saying his body will break down for about 5 years. I'd like to have him until it does.

I don't know if I believe that Barry was a problem in the locker room. I'm sure he wanted to play. I like Wesley a lot more than Jackson. Like you said he's quicker and a better ball handler which is what you want out of your deep threats. Having height is no big whoop if you're at the 3 point line all the time. I wish we had made a Barry deal for Wesley. I don't know what he has left on his contract though. I like Lue but we could sure use a shooter like Wesley.

Inconsistent effort is the mark of either a bad team, bad coaching, or a young team. Lets hope its the latter. I like that our 3 rookies are getting the playing time they deserve now (and look they are performing!). The naysayer in me sees that the Mavs were a tired team that doesn't play great D anyway. And we shot well because we had so many dunks. But, I'll take it. It was a great win against a top team. I hope we can build on it.

I still think Woody is a good hire. I only said that his coaching has been suspect so far. But, that's what you get with rookie coaches. I'm still optimistic that it will be good in the long run. Barry doesn't have to take minutes from Chill. What about Delk? Why isn't anyone screaming about Delk taking so many minutes from Chill and Ivey? The point is that we need to be a competitive team this year to show that we have some promise. Delk and Barry are our only outside shooters so it makes no sense to have Barry not getting minutes. How hard is it to defend the Hawks when you know that 4 or 5 of the guys on the floor are going to take it inside everytime. No one has to worry about perimeter jump shooters with this team. Again today Woody is quoted as saying 'i'm searching for a good lineup' He says that about everyday, but then everynight its the same guys and the same minutes. It took highlight reel dunks and single-handedly winning a game for Smoove to get some minutes. If he's really searching he may want to try the whole bench and not just 8 guys. Could they lose much worse than we have been?

I agree somewhat with that, but I'm not talking just about attracting top tier FAs. We still have to attract veteran role players like Barry. No matter how promising our young guys look if we continue to get blown out every game no mid level players will want to come here. So will be stuck with a bunch of young guys and maybe a big ego who thinks he can carry the team. I'm not saying Barry should start. I wasn't even wild about signing him. But, not playing at all may be costing us.

Thanks for bringing this one up. On a team with no good shooters (except Delk) you have to wonder why Barry can't at least get 15 minutes. He certainly hasn't looked as bad as Kenny has at times and could fit in a back court with Ivey, Delk, or Diaw. To me this is another big ? on Woody's sketchy coaching so far. If you are searching for the right combinations on a 4-20 team why would you not try using your most consistent, best shooting, veteran guard? Worse is the idea that solid veteran FA's may avoid the Hawks (even more) because of the fear of lack of PT. Who wants to watch a 4-20 team from the bench.

I agree that BK has done a good job. I disappointed in Woody, but that's what you get with most first year coaches. I think he will be good in the long run and that's what we are working toward. If we had hired Fratello we may have a few more wins, but still not a playoff team. So letting the coach learn his first year has the added benefit of producing a high draft pick. He'll have it figured out by next year when it matters most.

I don't know how long Barry will be banished to the bench, but at some point we need to realize that there are times when you need a shooting guard who can shoot. I like the rotations for the most part but if you have delk running the point then there are no outside shooters to pass to. Barry may not have looked great but he certainly deserves the same chance that KA has been getting. Plus, Barry has been a very consistent performer throughout his career unlike Kenny who has been on the decline the last few. I think he needs 10-15 minutes a game just so he's sharp to take some last minute 3s.

I like Woodson as a coach too, and I think he will be a good one. But, how can he get an A+ when we've had soooo many blowouts. Including a loss to the Bobcats. I understand that Al and toine will carry our team but when they are ineffective and we are losing by 20 I don't see the point of them plaing 48 minutes. I'd give Woodson a C+ so far. But, that's not bad for a rookie coach with a whole new team.

Oh yeah, I know some will think starting 2 young rookies is a bad idea, but they would be starting over KA and Collier who everyone seems to agree aren't contributing much. I mean if you are going to 'shake up' the lineup then do it soon! This suggestion would not mess with the only real core we have which is AH and AW.

Please quit posting comments that don't have anything to do with Walker No one here is interested in that. I realize we all follow this stuff way to closely, but I'm ready for Woodson to keep more things to himself. He keeps saying he's going to shake up the lineup and then the lineup just has Diaw instead of Chill. I'm ready to see (as long as we're not playing the Heat): Diaw, Chill, Al, AW, Smoove. If they don't have a scoring center we can defend with that, and how will they defend us. Lets try taking to somebody. Then bring Barry, Drob, Delk, Willis off the bench.

True. And the conference is pretty horrible. But, everyone thought the southeast division would be a joke when in reality its the Atlantic that deserves this kind of treatment. The 1st place team is sub .500. Atlanta is just one of those places that the rest of the country likes to slam. Before the Braves shut everyone up all the talk was how bad ALL Atlanta sports teams were. They still ridicule the Braves for failing in the playoffs every year. This from guys who continually believe the Phillies will do something. The Hawks are in a bad stretch but really this is nothing compared to the Clippers, Warriors and a bunch of other teams. Of course, some things in the article are exagerrations of truths. I just hope that we not only get better but get harder. IF you have 4 centers of about equal ability, and you have a no layup rule, then lets see some punishment if you take it to the paint. The best thing these Hawks can do short of a huge win streak is make teams not want to play us. Then some of the laughing will stop.

EDS approach is right and sensible if the vets were performing, but they've been getting blown out. Getting Chill and Smoove consistent minutes (i'm not suggesting 40 a game or even 30) where they can spell the starters but some pressure on the opposing team by banging the glass they it will make the whole team better.

I'm right in between you guys. I've been disappointed in Woodson's rotations not because he's not giving the young guys time on the court to develop, but because its becoming apparent that when the young guys play significant minutes we have a much better chance of winning. The games we've done well in have been when Chill, Smoove, or Royal have gotten real time. As a good coach he should know they are going to make some bonehead plays. Why yank them after one bad play and then decide not to yank them just because he dunks the ball. Diaw doesn't get yanked for repeatedly throwing the ball into the stands. Collier doesn't get yanked for throwing one foot air balls, KA doesn't get yanked for just dribbling up the court and passing to AW every time (well maybe he does). Woodson is learning is way and I'm willing to give him time, but if the rooks are producting more and winning more than the vets then there is no reason not to put them on the floor. They can't look as bad as the starters have been the previous 9 games.

Quote: Hubie - He motivates by Benching. He doesn't fuss at players, he's the exact opposite. He calmly reasons with them. I'm not suggesting that these coaches all scream at their players but they all get effort out of them (in different ways). Benching is probably the best way. The point is that every coach in the league knows X's and O's. Its the ones that can get effort from their teams that win. Their players don't just decide to give effort. The coach demands it. Either by benching, reasoning, yelling, ego feeding, bribery, whatever. But to say your job as head coach is just X's and O's is ridiculous. I know what he meant, but its comments like that that make him seem unprepared for making a bad team respectable.

I just don't know why people would accept a head coach in the nba saying 'it's not my job to teach effort'. He must of thought this head coaching thing would be easy. Does he think Stotts and all the other losing coaches out there just couldn't draw up good plays? Are Phil Jackson, Larry Brown, Hubie, Sloan successful just because they have good players and can really diagram a play? Head coaches are successful because they light fires under these guys butts.

I agree that expecting a lot of wins at this point is ridiculous. If you could clear your whole roster and be a better team right off the bat then about 15 teams would try that every year. But, I think this many losses and not even close ones at that are a little unexpected. I've been disappointed in the coaching so far. Just because Woodson is 'highly regarded' doesn't mean he'll be good his first time as a head coach. I don't agree with putting the rookies out there for 40 minutes a game, but when you are down 20-30 points late in the 3rd quarter its garbage time! Willis, AW, AH have no business being on the floor at that point. All they can do is hurt themselves. If the coach isn't getting effort after 15 games can you imagine what it will be like after 50 when we're 12-38? If he thinks his job is just X's and O's then he shouldn't be a head coach. Head coaches in this league have to spend 50% of their time massaging egos, kicking asses, and making everyone think if they don't perform that they'll be hitting the bench. So far we haven't seen that. But Woodson's a rookie too, and he needs time to figure out what he's doing. Improving the team attitude needs to start at the top though.

You have to wait another year. This is an expanision team that didn't get an expansion draft or a top three pick. But at the same time if you watch these games even though we are getting beat by a lot you can tell that this will be a better team by the end of the year than in years past. There is better young talent and more depth. We have to at least give these guys 20 games. I'll be surprised if they don't start playing .500 ball after 20 games together.

I agree. As bad as Willis has played we need him tonight. Last night was awful because the Knicks are a team we can beat. Talk about not getting up for a game. Someone needs to be kicking butt or we're going to be worse than the bobcats.

If they had given Artest the time off he needed to focus on his rap album this never would have happenned. I don't see where any of it is Artest's fault at all. But hey I would go on a rampage too if I got a little beer on me before hitting the showers.

I read that Harrington was mad that some were taking the loss to lightly. At this point I think its all good that these guys care that much. It shows that they believe. But with these things you never really know what the truth is. KA has has some bad games but he's been steady the last 4 and we need him and we need him to be a team leader. Ivey can't play the whole game. I interested to see how this plays out. Even in a loss last night there seemed to be more hope/drive/promise than I've seen the last 3 years. Its good that these guys know what it takes to win.

Bob Neil has been around a long time but hasn't worked that much in recent years I don't think. It will take him some time but he's a pro. Hawks fans are spoiled by Bob Rathbun I think. I'm sure some don't like him but for my money he's the best play by play guy out there and he works 365 doing hawks, braves, and college ball.

I'll go on record as saying the Rockets will end up better than the Magic. The Rockets lose because they quit giving it to Yao in the post. JVG won't stand for that all season. Ivey and Chill looked great. You get minutes in the NBA a lot quicker if you can play D. What about Drob. Ivey is a surprise but Drob is really doing well for us.

Center will be a problem for us all year, but if Ivey and KA can combine for a solid PG then we'll be ok. Each game we look a little better which is the mark of good coaching. If our young guys continue to improve at the rate they are doing then we should be a competitive team. Maybe not a playoff team. Remember the Heat started last year 0-7 with a new coach and some young talent and they really jelled. And it worked out for them because the coach was good, the young guys learned quickly and played aggressively, and they had a couple veterans to turn to. Not unlike these Hawks.

We do need to look at the postives and one positive is that we look a little better every game. Last year's team looked great one night and then horrible the next 2 until the big exodus. Remember the Heat had a horrible start like this and ended up pulling it together. Granted they had more talent but we still have a lot more games to go.