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TnDawg

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Everything posted by TnDawg

  1. Here is the part that relates to the Braves: "Braves building a strong bullpenposted: Thursday, January 18, 2007 | Feedback | Print Entry Some of the Braves who shared in the division titles of the 1990s and 2000s have wondered privately how differently their postseasons might have gone if their bullpens had been better, deeper. Atlanta has always had the exceptional starting pitching and usually had a decent closer, from the pre-Jim Leyritz Mark Wohlers to the seasons when John Smoltz filled that role. But while the Blue Jays and Yankees and other great teams of the era often had power middle relievers like Duane Ward, Jeff Nelson and Mike Stanton, the Braves always seemed thin in the pen. That will not be the case in 2007, now that general manager John Schuerholz has put together one of the best bullpens in his time with Atlanta; he landed Pittsburgh left-hander Mike Gonzalez yesterday, for first baseman Adam LaRoche. The Atlanta bullpen does not appear to be as strong as that of the Mets, but the Braves' staff is balanced, with Gonzalez and Rafael Soriano lined up in front of Bob Wickman, and a rotation of Smoltz, Chuck James, Tim Hudson, Kyle Davies and the recovering Mike Hampton. The Braves could reclaim the NL East if Hudson, Hampton, Smoltz, et al, stay healthy. Last year, the Braves' relievers ranked 25th among 30 teams in strikeouts per nine innings, and 25th in WHIP. Now the Braves have added two big-time power relievers in Gonzalez and Soriano -- pitchers who will miss bats, pitchers who can overpower even very good hitters. Last year, Gonzalez struck out 64 in 54 innings, but even more impressive was the fact that even when he allowed hits, nobody really did any damage against him: He surrendered six doubles and only one homer, and opponents mustered a meager .259 slugging percentage. Soriano punched out 65 hitters in 60 innings, and similarly, opposing batters really didn't generate that much against him, batting .204, and a .333 slugging percentage. Manager Bobby Cox has the tools to play matchup against anybody in the seventh and eighth innings now: Right-handers batted only .179 against the right-handed Soriano last season, and left-handers hit only .163 against Gonzalez. And if Wickman -- who turns 38 in a couple of weeks -- breaks down or stops getting outs in the ninth inning, Cox now has two strong candidates to take over. The Braves may not be able to precisely replicate the offense that LaRoche gave them last season, but getting offense out of first base is probably one of the easiest challenges for a general manager, and they'll get somebody decent. David O'Brien writes here that Scott Thorman will be the Atlanta first baseman. This is a great trade for the Braves. And a very good trade for the Pirates, who desperately needed a consistent left-handed threat for the middle of their lineup more than they needed a closer at this stage of their development. There is still every reason to think that opposing teams will continue to pitch around young slugger Jason Bay, but LaRoche's presence creates some depth in the lineup. Pittsburgh should get solid production out of its 3-4-5 combination of Freddy Sanchez, LaRoche and Bay. Salomon Torres likely will be the Pittsburgh closer.
  2. What I don't get is why those in favor of ousting BK and Woody never acknowledge that any competent Coach and GM would not want to come to this team with a cloud hanging over its head. If Belkin wins, and I pray he doesn't, he would oust anyone brought in by the old regime. That is a mighty big consideration that has to be dealt with first. I don't see us getting a new GM anytime soon. Woody could be let go but then who would we replace him with. Consider the names that have been brought up in the past like Adelman, and ask yourself if its a viable soultion at this time. I don't think it is in his best interest and it would be the same for anyone else. If they are competent coaches, with competent agents, someone will be asking that question before accepting a job with us.
  3. Here is the link: http://www.ajc.com/sports/content/sports/h...1hawknotes.html The article also states that Chillz had a set back and his return may be delayed.
  4. Here is an article from the AJC where BK had him in for a tryout. He was hurt most of last year and I can't remember what his numbers were like the year before. Either way picking him up can't hurt much. We would have to waive someone though. I'm thinking it would be Freije. "Hawks hold audition for Medvedenko By SEKOU SMITH The Atlanta Journal-Constitution Published on: 12/21/06 Former Lakers power forward Slava Medvedenko went through a private workout with the Hawks on Tuesday and made a favorable impression. "We liked him in the workout," said general manager Billy Knight. "Tyronn Lue and Zaza Pachulia know him. Lue has played with him, and we always reference those things with our guys. So all of the things we saw with him are good and positive." The Hawks would have to waive someone to sign the free agent, who can also play center. Medvedenko, 6 feet 10 1/2 and 253 pounds, played in two games for the Lakers last season before going down with a season-ending back injury. He was diagnosed with a herniated disc and had surgery later. The Lakers waived him late in the season."
  5. Yes, please mention the radio issue. I reallllly miss AM750. I used to be able to catch Hawks games on the air all over the place. This time of year I even caught them when I lived in Michigan after dark. Now that I live in west TN, I'm forced to endure the Grizzlies, eve though advertise the Hawks on cable.
  6. I agree with that, but even though I'm not good at looking up stats/past drafts, I'm pretty sure that we could find examples of players picked in that range that haven't lived up to potential. All I'm trying to say is that with solid players to trade and the right people making decisions we should be good for along time. Our talent pool shouldn't dry up. Look at how he found Smooth as a 17th pick and remember all the bad choices made in that range during the Babcock era. Look at the FA pickups he made without overspending and killing our cap. This is the first year I can remember that we actually kept players that weren't drafted to improve our team. I think its important to acknowledge that BK is doing a good job of improving our team for the long haul as compared with the past. We can actually afford to trade away a very solid player/ borderline superstar without totally wilting as we did in the past when we traded away our only true superstar. I am also more confident that when the time comes that we do, we won't get shafted as bad as we did when we got Manning. The Hawks are on the verge of a run that only the Bravos have held in the ATL. Provided, our front office stays intact. I'm still not sold on Woody, but he's doing better and is growing with the team.
  7. The good thing about having all of our guys, despite what the BK haters say, if he keeps drafting the way he is, we should be able to stay solid for a long time to come. Notice I said drafting and not trades, even though I don't think he's doing so bad in that area either considering all of the issues involved with each one. Anyhow we should be in a better position to demand a good return on whoever is traded in the future while already having a solid replacement on the team.
  8. As always, great work. Envious of your skills
  9. New season, Al's gone. Speedy,Lo and the Landlord in the Fold. Is it time to update the Logo on top of the board Yet? Thanks, for the job you do.
  10. I don't think it will be as big a problem as last year because we have more enforcers to back them up during games. Marvin has already stated that was one of the reasons Woody held him back last year so he changed his mindset to handle it. Last year other than Batista we didn't have anyone laying the smack down on opposing teams players in response to their aggressive play. As Sekou has pointed out Lo and Shelden will provide that for us and hopefully be a deterent. I expect good things from our team this year.
  11. Here's an update affirming Marvin's growing hunger to improve and a positive note on S.Jones. This should be a fun season to watch. "Hawks already in training camp mode By Sekou Smith | Thursday, September 14, 2006, 12:10 PM The Atlanta Journal-Constitution Made my way over to the practice court at Philips Arena Wednesday for a sneak peak to see who was doing what with training camp a couple of weeks away. Most of the usual suspects you would expect were in attendance – Josh Childress, Marvin Williams, Royal Ivey, Shelden Williams, Esteban Batista, Solomon Jones were the Hawks players on the floor. It’s easy to see why the hopes are so high about Marvin’s second NBA season. As reported from summer league play in July, this guy is playing a different brand of basketball. He’s so much more confident and physical than he was as a rookie, playing with that nasty streak the coaching staff loves and continues to try and coax out of him. He was working on Solomon for a good part of the action I saw (though Solomon gave it back in kind a bit later). Marvin was putting the ball on the floor and going to the basket aggressively. He got on a roll at one point where he scored five straight times with sticky defense in his face during a fairly rugged half court game. It was impressive stuff. It’s obvious to me right now that in order for the Hawks to make the leap from the bottom of the standings that they desire, they’re going to need major contributions from the trio of Marvin, Josh Smith and Shelden Williams. I know, that’s hardly breaking news. But after watching him in person, there’s reason for me to believe that Marvin is going to be able to deliver on his part. He’s still a pup in terms of his NBA development. And he’s still got plenty of room to grow into his body. But if he’s come this far this fast, the future could be filled with exciting moments for Hawks fans. So what’s this junk about Josh Childress not being very athletic? I can’t tell you how many times I’ve seen that nonsense on this blog and elsewhere. I’m not sure what qualifies as athletic, but if playing above the rim consistently doesn’t qualify a person as athletic I don’t know what does. Childress goes above the rim at will. What he continues to struggle with is finishing, probably because he’s usually not as strong as the guys he’s battling with around the rim. But to say that he’s not athletic is just a mistake. He showed off plenty of athleticism Wednesday. While he doesn’t look like he’s bulked up considerably from last season he does appear to have maintained the 210 pounds he played at last season remarkably well. I still say he’s an underrated piece to what’s being assembled in Hawksville. Shelden and Solomon both appeared to be much more comfortable since we saw them last (both guys had their struggles and triumphs during summer league but not enough of either one to make any lasting judgments about what’s to come). Royal Ivey was his usually gritty self, it’ll be interesting to see what his role is now that Speedy Claxton is set to run the show. The Ecuadorian Executioner (we’ve got to think of a nickname for Esteban) was too busy draining jumpers - he made the game winner in the last game of the day - to do his usual dirty work. But he knows that his NBA future depends on his outworking other guys and being the most physical player within a 10-county area. As mentioned before, Solomon Jones turned a few heads. He’s going to make it really hard to keep him on the sidelines too long because he’s so athletic and so unbelievably long (he had one block that had everyone in the gym buzzing for five minutes). Before anyone asks, Josh Smith had a date with his eye doctor Wednesday, so I didn’t get to see him on the floor with the rest of these guys. And I missed Salim Stoudamire by a day (I was told he took a spill during Tuesday’s workout and took Wednesday off to rest). I’ll have to make at least two more trips to the practice floor before camp to get a few more updates."
  12. I found this on Sportsline.com. There is a quote from BK near the bottom. The article is dtd 12 Aug, I hope it is true/current and not a rehash of something old. Here it is: Hawks report: Notes, quotes Aug. 12, 2006 The Sports Xchange Notes, quotes · Getting inside · Roster --The Hawks have agreed to contract terms with veteran center Lorenzen Wright, a deal that won't be consummated until after they complete a sign-and-trade deal for Al Harrington. Wright, a 10-year NBA veteran who played the past five seasons in Memphis, will make a little over $3 million per season over the next two years. He'll also serve as the primary backup to Zaza Pachulia, though he could be used often at the same time as the 6-11, 265-pound Georgian. After searching in vain for a veteran presence to replace Jason Collier, who died of a heart attack during training camp last year, the Hawks found their solution in yet another former Hawk. Wright played two seasons with the Hawks and posted a career best 12.4 scoring average during the 2000-01 season. --Another order of immediate business for the Hawks has to be figuring out what to do with third-year players Josh Smith and Josh Childress. The Hawks can exercise options on both of their rookie contracts this fall and have to be thinking long-term with at least one of them. Saving money for one (Smith) and possibly both of them could be the reason the Hawks have been slow to spend major bucks on this summer's weak free agent crop. QUOTE TO NOTE "We hope to have all this wrapped up fairly soon. Provided there is no unforeseen snag, we're planning to have something done early next week." -- Hawks GM Billy Knight on a timetable for the completion of a sign-and-trade deal for Al Harrington.
  13. Among the recent signees, here are the 10 leading candidates to make the most of their new surroundings: 1. Speedy Claxton, Atlanta: My odds-on favorite to get his shine on is Claxton, a strong, lightning-quick point guard who is finally being handed the reigns of a team. At 28, he's sufficiently seasoned to handle it. There's a reason Joe Johnson and coach Mike Woodson were so ecstatic at Claxton's introductory press conference. They know what he can bring. Claxton is a scorer, penetrator and defender yet to reach his full potential. He has battled injury woes, and there's no telling how far along he'd be had he not torn an ACL in his rookie season with Philadelphia. He has bounced around since, winning a ring with San Antonio in 2003 and then toiling for Golden State and New Orleans over the past three seasons. Claxton became a valuable part of the rotation in both stops, occasionally starting and receiving significant minutes as a pace-changing reserve, but he has never been handed the keys. Although Johnson is undeniably the man in Atlanta, Claxton will be running the show. "Now I can spend my time playing off the ball, and I think I'm going to be more effective," Johnson said of how Claxton makes the Hawks better. "Now I think we can have one of those big improvements." The Hawks have unsuccessfully tried to plug the hole at the point before with unheralded acquisitions like Brevin Knight and Tyronn Lue, but this signing is going to pay dividends. Claxton's quick hands and philosophy of constantly pushing the ball fits right in with what Atlanta likes to do, applying pressure and playing at a fast tempo. At $25 million over four years, Claxton didn't exactly come cheap, but I like the gamble. The organization's foresight should be rewarded with another increase in wins as Speedy finally cements his rep as a legitimate NBA-caliber starting point guard. I only posted the part about Speedy but here is the link for the rest of the article: http://www.sportsline.com/nba/story/9590054/1
  14. While everyone gripes and moan about Lo, take a minute and look at what occurred during the offseason. We needed to improve our interior defense and add a proven point guard to run the team. BK found a way to do both. We may not like the players he picked up, (hindsight being 20/20 vision), due to other players he passed on but he manage to address both needs. If we had picked up another swing man I and left the holes open I would be alot more upset. Chances are we won't be playing for the championship next year but we will be alot better. Given the ownership situation, I think BK is doing a good job to help our team, as well as aid the owners. Personally I am glad he is keeping the flexibility to resign our young players when their time comes (providing he is still here), rather than having to let one of them go to avoid the luxury cap. Correct me if I am wrong, I believe we will have to resign Smoove and Chillz after next season to avoid them going into RFA.
  15. Center Wright returning to Hawks By SEKOU SMITH The Atlanta Journal-Constitution Published on: 08/05/06 The Hawks have reached an agreement with free agent center and former Hawk Lorenzen Wright on a two-year contract worth an estimated $6 million, according to a source familiar with the situation. Wright, a 6-11, 250-pound 10-year veteran, played the past five seasons in Memphis, alongside All-Star center Pau Gasol. He started 58 of 78 regular season games for the Grizzlies this past season and averaged 5.8 points and 5.1 rebounds while playing just 21.7 minutes per game. Wright spent two seasons with the Hawks, 1999-00 and 2000-01, posting a career high scoring average (12.4) during his second season. Drafted by the Los Angeles Clippers with the seventh pick in the 1996 draft, Wright has career averages of 8.8 points and 6.9 rebounds. He fills a huge need for the Hawks as the backup center to fourth-year pro Zaza Pachulia. http://www.ajc.com/news/content/sports/haw...0805wright.html
  16. My response: Inconsistency. Smith plays well at times, but he has not improved the specific parts of his game that need improving for the Hawks to rely on him. He has not shown the work ethic, and still has not shown an understanding of team basketball, which is why Atlanta would not mind moving him. http://www.sportingnews.com/yourturn/viewtopic.php?t=109499 He posted this in response to someone questioning him about a previous proposal he wrote. Obviously he doesn't think much about Smoove's improvement last year.
  17. part that I find most interesting " " although the officiating is so bad here that they're making it tough to stomach even these glorified pickup games. There were 80 fouls in the Hawks-Mavs game Saturday night. It was "brutal'" This may be a reason that Sheldon has been playing so poorly. If the refs are calling every touch foul it has to be harder for the big guys to get into their games, especially while learning the plays at the same time. It doesn't look as any of the big guys, who have to play inside,are doing that well. Not an excuse for SW, but at least a plausible reason. Sekou also points out "the rookies are, well, rookies. They're going to struggle in their first taste. They can't stop fouling. Both Sheldon Williams and Solomon Jones have shown flashes of the things that gto them drafted. But this game, even here, moves so much faster than what they're used to; so watching them struggle doesn't worry me one bit. Now is too early to be passing lasting judgments on any rookies. Talk to me [sekou] when the veterans show up for training camp an we'll assess everybody again then". Hopefully everyone will ease up on the complaints, listen to the expert that everyone seems to respect, and reassess after preseason.
  18. This is the deal that I prefer. Golden State's offer impacts our cap too much, especially over the next couple of years when we will need it to keep our nucelus together. I was wondering is it possible to just trade Al for Foster and Indy's 1st. Can the 7.5 million exemption they have make it happen. I'm really hoping BK is waiting to pick up a 1st for next year.
  19. TnDawg

    Appeals Date?

    Do anyone have any idea how long it is going to take before the case come up for appeal? I read on RealGM/ message board that it will take at least 18 months. That's an awful long time to be handcuffed and I pray it isn't true.
  20. In an attempt to get this thread back on the subject, do anyone know when the appeal is supposed to be heard?
  21. I'm glad he isn't interfering with Claxton's deal, but I wonder how this affects a sign and trade with Al. Is this going to force us to let Al walk for nothing or is it ok to go ahead with a deal that BK already has planned, but hasn't announce.
  22. Quote: The No. 21 pick During Wednesday's draft Phoenix used one of the draft picks the Hawks had to give up in the Joe Johnson deal from last summer. The Suns took Kentucky point guard Rajon Rondo with the 21st pick but traded it later to Boston to ease their salary cap burden with so many current players in line for new contracts or extensions. The Hawks owe the Suns their first-round pick in the 2007 draft if it's not a top-three selection. This is the best news for me. I guess I was confused as to what picks we owed Phoenix. I thought that we owed Phoenix another pick after next year. I'm happy that one of them is out of the way. On another note, some members of this board has dogged BK for not trading cash for Rondo, this just backs up my argument that it would have made no sense for Phoenix to give us our pick back.
  23. I'm not arguing against trying to pickup their pick,but I don't see the logic for Phoenix, in helping a team to improve that owes them 2 future first round pick. Despite the fact that I want to create cap space, there were other teams available to deal with. I couldn't justify helping to weaken those future draft picks, by addressing the Hawks needs for them. I will also not say that BK used this rationale when he bypassed the opportunity.
  24. The answer to this one is easy. Why would Phoenix do anything to help us improve when they get our 1st round pick next year(outside of top 3)? We already stand to improve somewhat, with the guys we have. It isn't in their best interest to assist us.
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