MoonKnight

much like how JT has been used in the past. Armond Hill was the point during that period of time I believe.

The host did not indicate if the deal was a straight up player for player trade or not. Actually Mobley (cap permitting)would be as decent pick up to play the 2.

Hawks were interested in trading GRob for Glen Rice. The Show's host did not site his source but said that the Hawks would make the deal b/c Rice has one year left on his K and that the Rockets were interested in GRob's services. If Rice was willing to come off the pine (I think he would unlike GRob) then this might be a way to clear out cap space a year early. Thoughts?

IMO new ownership will feel the need to make a "splash" with the city and make at least one big p.r. move. Unless Lebron falls into our lap I don't think our salary cap allows us to make a "splash" with our personnel. So a coaching move might be the p.r. move the new owner makes. Whether a new coach can make a p.r. "splash" remains to be seen. While I agree that Stotts' performance was an improvement over Lon I don't believe that Stotts is a more qualified candidate than some of the vets available, especially Fratello (I think Fratello's observations during the playoffs have been outstanding). I also have very serious doubts about J.Jones. Frankly, I think Ira is a better option than J.Jones. J.Jones has fallen in love with the outside J and his O game is very predictable and static. He has wasted away his athletic skills. I do agree with the rest of your suggestions.

I know Smitty's game has leveled off but come on. Part of the Spurs problems have been heart and mental toughness and Smitty has both of those attributes. Remember his clutch shot at the buzzer to beat the Pistons in the playoffs at the Omni? Not that Smitty should start or even play more than 20 minutes but he should get some PT. I know rotations are shortened but that is silly. The Spurs might be ripe for the upset.

The Suns have a real chance against the Spurs. The Spurs just are soft. Robinson should have retired years ago. Amare is more of a physical force underneath than most of the Spurs already. The Spurs could get bounced early. I was happy for Marbury. That shot could propel him in this series. He has the ability to take over a series with his skills. The Mavs were also fortunate last night. But for Dirks hot shooting late the Blazers would have won. Pippens poor decision making also hurt the Blazers late (one of the 50 greatest my a&@). The Blazers still have a shot in this series because they are clearly the better post team and have more athletic guys on the break.

I think Jones made a mistake by coming out so early from college. His skills have not improved. He does not slash or post up. His O game is limited to long jumpers or put backs. He does not know how to use his athletic ability at all and his game has not improved. Glover has actually shown more improvement in his game than Jones. It does not appear Jones has the work habits or interest to improve his game. Heck, I had much rather have Ira at the 3 than Jones. I think I had rather have a healthy (yes a big IF) C.C. than Jones as the b/u 3.

how he defers the O sets to Robinson. He gives Robinson far too much latitude on Offense and I don't see him trying to correct (or bench) Robinson for his team chemistry disruptive behaviors. I also suspect that new management would want to start things by trying to appear differant from past teams and a coaching change is an easy first step. Unlike Dan Reeves when Blank took charge, Stotts has no real history of success here. Stotts only real chance of staying here is if money is an issue b/c he would come cheap or if no big names will accept the job.

I have not posted in awhile b/c of the sadness this season has brought but I am firmly convinced that Big Dawg must go. I have been to many home games, including the Wizards game, and it is clear the Hawks play much better with Big Dawg out of the lineup. The ball movement is better, the team seems more relaxed, and the D rotations are much better. If we could move Big Dawg for a 2 who can handle the rock well (which DG cannot) and shoot the ball from the perimeter consistantly (which DG cannot), resign JT, leave Ira at the 3, then we would have a good chance of winning next year. I, like you, think Fratello is the perfect choice for GM and coach. I also don't see him getting along with Big Dawg. With the right moves, my tears could turn to cheers in a short period of time.

Respectfully disagree about attendance during the Wilkins/Fratello years b/c those were very hot tickets and the Hawks were the toast of the ATL's professional teams during those years.

from the 790theZone. I am paraphrasing but Shaq said there was nothing wrong with Atlanta's fans that winning wouldn't cure. He also said that if he played here there would be no problem with attendance or local fan support. He praised Atlanta as a great place to live, work and play. The reporter then asked if Shaq would like to play here when Shaq responded that he couldn't comment on the question (implicating NBA rules). I thought his words were interesting especially since I believe he has a home here and parties here when given the chance. Hmmm.... Anyway, GR should learn a lesson about how to handle the media from Shaq instead of calling out the home crowd.

Just brainstorming but what about a deal in the offseason for a signed Kandiman, Jaric, and a future pick for Robinson, Nazr and DD. The Clipps would get something for Kandi b/c their other FAs are going to walk though I don't know if they would take back that much in salary except Robinson's salary comes off the books in two seasons. We could then move Kandi to the 5, Theo to his natural 4, and SAR to the 3, and Jaric to the 2. We could then sign Wilks to back up JT with Hendu, Newble, DJ, and Ham off the pine. Just a thought.

I have not posted in a while b/c I have been depressed over our play this year to care to contribute. Prior to this season I posted my concerns over our lack of ball handling and the problems continues to kill us on a regular basis. I agree with Walter in that our 2 and 3's cannot handle the ball and have no guard instincts whatsoever. I imagine that JT has to handle the ball more than any other 1 in the league. The Clips Jaric could be the perfect backcourt compliment to JT. IMO he played the point better than Miller did the other night in the Phil and he has the ability and size to play three positions (1,2, and 3). He is still very young and his potential is vast. If we resign JT (which we definitely should), Jaric would relieve JT from some of the ballhandling chores and free up JT's O. I know the Clipps are high on Jaric but with the wholesale changes coming to the Clipps, maybe we could swing a deal for him. Thoughts?

does us no good. In the past I have read that people questioned his handle and suggested he would be a better 3 than 2. If this is true then the trade does not help us at all. I don't think JR is worth JT anyway.

Stinger made numerous comments that the team D has been at its best the last two games... 2 wins. Now is the team finally buying into Stotts coaching or is the loss of BigDawg the reason for the improvement of team D? This is a key question and I don't know the answer yet. However, if we see a drop in team D when BigDawg returns to the starting rotation then the answer will be clear. On another note, stop the trade JT talk. He is the only player on our roster who can create his shot from anywhere on the court. He is the only clutch shooter on the team (I suspect DG's shot was a one time event). Lose JT and this team could quickly become the stagnant Lenny W type of O team. We either need a big 1 or a big 2 with the ability to handle the rock and sometimes initiate the O. Turk, McInnis, J. Crawford all fit this bill. But the big question remains...Why has our team D drastically improved the last 2 games?

I've posted this before but again, compare the 2 guards the best 1s had to play with compared to the 2s JT has played with when he has played the point. Lets see........Gary Payton has played beside Nate McMillian, Hersey Hawkins, and Brent Barry. JT has played beside Ira, DG, and DJ. John Stockton has played beside Jeff Horny, John Starks and the Stevenson kid (notice how the Ws have disappeared lately for the Jazz as the solid 2s have disappeared.) Baron Davis has played beside David Wesley (a former point). Jason Kidd has played beside JJ (in his prime), Kerry Kittles, L. Harris. Again, JT has played beside Ira, DG, and DJ. We don't need an all star at the 2 spot only a 2 who can dribble (we currently don't have one) and occasionally initiate the O to get the most out of JT. I don't think it is that difficult to find a player to fit this requirement----J. Crawford, George McCloud (a former point guard early in his career), Jon Barry, etc.

JT, while playing the point, has never had a 2 beside him who could handle the rock or occasionally run the O. Consider Payton... throughout his career there has always been a 2 beside him who could handle the rock and initiate the O at times (Nate McMillian, Hersey Hawkins, Brent Barry). Consider who has played beside JT while he played the point (Ira, DJ). You make Payton (especially early in his career) the sole ballhandler and we will see if he remains as proficient. Give JT a true 2 beside him and I believe he will also make his teammates better and be more proficient.

I hope to see more of the Karl Sonic type style of play than the recent Karl Buck style of play. Maybe Stotts will extend the D and press teams more like the Sonic teams of old to raise the team's intensity. The currrent Bucks style of play seems somewhat similiar to our current style of play. This team needs some serious D lessons.

I wonder how much imput Stotts had with Krueger on the sidelines. It appeared from the seats that Stotts was one of the more vocal assistant coaches and participated in the huddle. If he has been actively involved then I don't think the players will respond to him. Maybe Jaywalker or some other insider can address Stotts past role with the team. I just feel an old-school coach would be a better fit with the makeup of this unit.

turn the season around and possibly make the playoffs. I am tired of feeling overmatched in the coaching matchups each night. Fratello was an excellant defensive coach and was a very good Offensive coach the first tour of duty with the Hawks. He would demand respect from his players or they will sit. I just do not see the same situation for Stotts. While this is an initial bold move we need to follow it up with an equally bold move and hire the right coach.

I didn't see him messing up in the 2nd half at all especially considering how poorly he started the game with his 2 early fouls. I entirely missed any argument between JT and SAR but I didn't see JT do anything to deserve being yanked at such a crucial time in the game. On another note, I was listening to the 2liveStu's show on 790theZone thursday and there was alot of Hawktalk. The general theme of the callers was that a coaching change was needed now not later. I was surprised to hear from local fans since Hawktalk is so rare on sportstalk radio. Most fans wanted Michael Cooper or Fratello as the coach (or at least during the limited time I listened to the show). If this swelling of discontent continues coupled with more losses, the management cannot afford to wait to make a coaching change or completely lose our limited fan base.

MM for JT at the 5:50 mark in the 4th. I was at the game last night and could not understand at all this sub at such a crucial time (if there was one) in the game. This was an atrocious coaching decision b/c JT was not tired. Heck he only played 21 minutes. JT's facial expressions when he was yanked in the 4th told me all I need to know. I am no longer on the fence. Lon must go.

Let's compare last year to this year. Last year we lost games due to injuries and lack of talent. We never lost games last year for lack of hustle or heart. This year we clearly are a very talented teams and have played with little injuries. It appears to me that we are losing with a lack of intensity and heart. It is not the losses that are bothering me at this point in the season but the manner in which we are losing that is bothering me. At some point in the game the team is challenged and then the Hawks throw in the towel. They appear unwilling to match intensity with the other team. What can cause a lack of desire and intensity? Either the players are tuning out Lon or he is unable to motivate the team anymore or something has changed among the players that has caused them to lose intensity. Is Big Dawg that bad of a chemistry killer? Is Theo a chemistry killer? I don't see enough evidence to point to the new additions as the culprit. However I do notice that these intensity lapses occur after timeouts or after halftime or change in a quarter. These lapses also occur after we recieve a stiff momentum challenge. So IMO, the cause points to coaching, especially how the patterns occur consistantly. If this pattern continues through this month, I will be sold that we need a coaching change. If so, we cannot affort to wait too long. We still have time to make the playoffs if the team is properly motivated. Thoughts?

Should Nazr take any of Hendu's minutes as the b/u 5? I have been very impressed with Hendu's play even as the b/u 5. While he is an inch shorter and several pounds lighter than Nazr he is much more physical. His post D is much better than Nazr's and his post O is better than Nazr. Heck, Hendu is the best O rebounder on the team. There are few large Shaq like 5s in the east so Hendu can easily play the 5 most nights. I am curious how Lon will use Nazr in the rotation.