Dejay

From a Hawks win in a loooong time. They showed alot of heart and testicular fortitude tonight; if they could bring this type of effort EVERY night against the Bobcats and Sixers of the world, things would be different around here but I digress. Anyway, where was Bill Walton when you needed him? He would've had a stroke watching his boy Diaw go for an amazing 4/3/3/2 and have the Koncak face after being pulled while JJ hits clutch shot after clutch shot. We tried to tell Suns fans about him; we tried to tell them he wasn't worth $50 million but they they never listened. If there was any win I wanted this team to get on this road trip, its this one.

Good point. Roy has much more trade value RIGHT NOW than SW will probably ever have. You simply don't draft role players you've never worked out before to come off your bench with the 5th pick, especially after 7 consecutive losing seasons. That's what late round picks and 2nd-3rd tier free agent veterans are for.

The real question that should be asked is when...when is this team going to finally get someone competent in the front office? When it isn't Babcock denonating the franchise with the J.R. Rider and Danny Manning deals, its BK spending top dollar on backup point guards (see Claxton, Craig) and wasting away draft picks. The Hawks still haven't drafted an All-Star since the Reagon-Mondale days thanks to these guys. Swim that in your heads for a minute. Twenty-three freakin' years have passed since they last drafted an All-Star player (Kevin Willis). Even Wikipedia mentions that it's the longest such drought in North American pro sports. Every action has an equal and opposite reaction so says my Physics book. If Chris Paul or Deron Williams is here, the Hawks would've been contenders for the 8th seed last year AT WORST and wouldn't have been in position to blow the 5th pick because they would be drafting much lower. Even if SW was available with the lower pick, we wouldn't be riding on his ass nearly as much because a 17th pick would've been used on him instead of the 5th. Childress and Smith would be on the same level with the same, if not better numbers as Deng or Iguodala if they had a guy like, you guessed it, Paul or Williams getting them the ball where they could be more successful. Why would you pass on a guy your team so desperately needs, then turn around and pay big $$$ to bring his oft-injured backup in, I have no idea. But these are the Hawks we all know and love. They've been rudderless for over a decade now (and nope, AOL, Kasten, and Babs don't count) with little relief in sight. Talk about your everyday corporate criminals. They've had tons of picks and cap space to use to bring in talent over the last few years, yet only have 3 legit players who would start on the majority of other teams in the league. The rest are career backups (see Claxton, Wright, Pachulia, Lue, Slava), role players (both Williamses until they show me MUCH more), and NBDL pickups (the rest of them). That's not my opinion, folks; that's FACT.

I agree with TP. If they couldn't beat NJ..... 3-7 at best.

Nah, those numbers are really Monopoly numbers; they aren't real. We all know that two 6'6" guys in the backcourt who can pass, shoot, and defend never works in this league, especially in the rugged East where everyone's a top contender for the title. I tried to buy into the Williams pick when he started out better than I thought but the last several games have unfortunately proven my first instincts correct. I know SW's shoulder is bad but man aren't Roy's numbers tempting to have on this team, which is now 29th in the league in scoring. Roy could've made people forget about the Chris Paul/Deron Williams fiasco of 18 months ago (sort of).

Any of those three could've came out of retirement, played TODAY, and put up better numbers than the big(?) three of Wright, Sheldon, and Zaza. They combined for just one more rebound than Rasho Nesterovic. Swim that in your head for a minute. Not a healthy Shaq, Tim Duncan, or Garnett. Rasho 'effin Nesterovic. 'Nuff said. Vdunk has it right. Sheldon is looking more and more like a guy we could've given the veteran minimum to get instead of spending a 5th pick on. If the draft was so bad that BK had to 'promise' a guy like Sheldon without working him out, what would've been so wrong with trading down and getting a pick or even another veteran to help? I guess that's a debate for another day....

That is embarrassing for anyone with PRIDE in his game. But I thought that BK had solved the PG question by bringing in Claxton (note sarcasm). Imagine how much more effective the Joshes and even Marvin would be if a legit PG was there to deliver the ball where they are most effective instead of chucking up shots they know they can't make like Dion Glover. Imagine JJ no longer being double and triple teamed everytime he gets within a lightyear of the ball. I guess that's all we can do. Imagine.....

Rasho Nesterovic managed to outscore (12 to 11; all by Zaza), outpass (2 assists to 1), and almost outrebound (6 to 5) Wright, Sheldon, and Zaza ALL BY HIMSELF while playing 21 FEWER MINUTES?! If you want to know why this team isn't a threat outside of JJ and the two Joshes, here's your answer. Really, WTF?!

Nice to see you back, Jay. What you said was just what the doctor ordered for some on this board; a good, cold slap of reality. While its easy to harp on the youth and lack of chemistry, TALENT is what ultimately wins in this league and this bunch just doesn't have enough, PERIOD. Think about it, folks. JJ, Smith, and maybe Childress are the only guys on the entire roster who would probably start on over half of the teams in the league, AT BEST. The rest of them aren't really worth mentioning, at least until they gain some consistency (see Williams, Marvin), some height (see Williams, Sheldon) or a new set of healthy body parts (see Claxton, Craig). The rest are career backups (see Wright, Lue), should be backups (see Pachulia) or should be in the NBDL, CBA, ABCDEFG and not on this squad. What does that say about the rebuilding project that BK has put together? This team would be hard pressed to get by the squad with Terry, Glover, Shareef, et al. And while Woodson isn't blameless, it wouldn't be fair to put the onus on him when he isn't buying the groceries (pardon the Parcells pun). You have to blame the guy (BK) for buying the stale bread, the spoiled milk, the freezer burned meat, while storing them in a house with no electricity (see Spirit Group, Atlanta), yet expecting us to enjoy the meal as if its filet mignon from a 5-star restaurant. If BK would've done his homework, Chris Paul or Deron Williams would be in Hawk gear and the PG situation settled for the next decade. Either guy, along with JJ, would've added 10-15 more wins to last year's total, to the point where an 8th seed would've been a possibility. The momemtum from that could've been the launching point where they would be in the same position the Thrashers are in right now; at or near the top of the division looking down with big crowds turning out at Philips to see them instead of the other way around. But instead, we're here once again, waiting, hoping, praying, that the ping-pong balls bounce our way while the entire city of Phoenix licks their chops at getting the 4th pick. I wonder which way the ball will bounce this time around, hmmm?

I've been saying that for the last three years now. Nothing further to add.

Its high time for a 'scorched earth' policy to be enforced on this roster, coaching staff, and front office. I hear some people saying 'who would you replace BK with right now?' I say ANYONE. I'm pretty sure there's an assistant GM or lead scout in Dallas, San Antonio, Phoenix, LA, Denver, SOMEWHERE who could do better than what the Burger King has done. If the ownership situation is causing BK to have this amount of trouble acquiring talent, say it. Tell the media and I'm sure they'll do everything to bury this group in the press. Otherwise, its time to knock this crumbling house down and build from ground up....AGAIN. GAME, SET, MATCH.

He hasn't forgiven the Hawks over the Manning for Nique trade or the Isaiah Rider debacle, either. We all know how this scenario is going to play out this summer and its as predictable as a Hulk Hogan wrestling match in 1987. The Hawks will continue to lose. JJ will at some point shut it down and the team will finish 18-64. Greg Oden and all of the other guys will declare for the draft. The lottery will be done with the Hawks having the highest probability for Oden. And just when things are lined up for a rebirth, the following words will come from Russ Granik.... 'And the 4th pick of the draft goes...to the Atlanta Hawks.' BK has the look of having lost his house and family on a poker table in Vegas while ESPN and Foxsports spends the entire month going into the draft having a field day buring him and the team. ESPN goes further by even having an episode called 'The top 5 reasons the Hawks are so bad' with Terance Moore berating the city for having the audacity for not spending $$$ to see this team get blasted by 27 and advocating Doc Rivers/Charles Barkley to be the next coach/GM. The city of Phoenix goes into complete delirium over getting the 4th pick to go with its championship contending team. Meanwhile in a Maryland courtroom, another injunction and appeal is filed to delay the court decision for another 18 months; the team's budget is frozen and BK is prohibited from making any moves that will increase salary above where it is ($10+ million under the cap). As predictable as gravity....

TP, it gets to the point where the excuse making has to cease. I'm tired of hearing about luxury tax savings and how much under the cap the team is. No other team in pro sports who is in the business of winning uses this as an excuse for not competing EXCEPT this bunch. Wait a minute, that means the Hawks have to be in the business of winning to qualify, doesn't it? When Lorenzen Wright is thought of as one of your 'veteran leaders', that's a problem. When JJ can get double and triple-teamed throughout the ballgame while there's NO ONE around to even pretend to be a threat, that's a problem. When Zaza Pachulia is the only post player worth mentioning, that's a problem. When Deron Williams, Raymond Felton, and Chris Paul have all shown that they are starter-material while we're still waiting to see what Marvin Williams is, that's a big problem. When your front office is hamstrung because the ownership spends more time in court than they do fixing the basketball team, it's another Hindenburg in the making. I'd rather see an owner who's willing to do what it takes to have a winner than be told to wait another 3-5 years on the young guys to develop, only to watch them leave because they're sick of the losing, too. Can you imagine the thought process going on in JJ's mind right now? How about Josh Childress? Do you really think he wants to stick around this rudderless ship when the waters are less choppy out west? The team is bad, the ownership situation is worse, the front office stinks to high Heaven, and the pain just keeps coming. Calgon, take me away!!!

As long as he doesn't move the team, I'm with it, too. It wouldn't be fair for the fans here to have suffered with this bunch, only to have the lightbulb come on once the team moves (see Calgary Flames, Colorado Avalanche, Carolina Hurricanes, Baltimore Ravens, Dallas Stars, and St. Louis Rams; all examples of franchises that were mediocre at best, only to win titles after leaving town). How long do folks here have to wait to even have a decent NBA product, let alone a good one? I wasn't expecting a playoff run but good grief, 10-23? Say what you want about Arthur Blank being too involved with his team and being on the sidelines. I'd much rather have an owner who at least acts as if he's interested, wants to win and puts his $$$ where his mouth is in terms of spending to bring in better players rather than the absentee ownership this franchise has had over the past decade from Time Warner and this Spirit group. GAME, SET, MATCH.

If Billy King agrees to that, it would take me about 0.000042 seconds to rush the transaction to the league office before some other team catches wind and makes it a bidding war. Of course, Billy King would probably have his house set on fire and have to enroll his family under the federal witness protection program to keep the crazies up in Philly from putting out an APB on him. BTW, great job on the sig...

If the price is right, I'd be all over this as well, JB. There's a difference between putting 19,000+ in the building when you have to use the star power of the opposing team (see Heat, Cavaliers) or stage postgame concerts with TI (see Sonics) and having 13-15,000 show up when the Bobcats come rolling in. With Iverson, the Hawks would instantly get the national publicity (which translates into $$$ if played right) they've been lacking since Nique, Doc, Tree, and Co. were in Hawk gear. We wouldn't be reading anymore Chris Paul comments from the experts anymore, that's for sure. They would also have arguably the best backcourt in the East, if not the league. With football season winding down (one Falcon loss would cement it as being over), you have the potential to own the town (well, share with the Thrashers anyway). The Hawks would have to play hardball and not give up more than one young player, though. Anything more (filler notwithstanding) would be a little much IMHO.

If that's correct then Woodson has to play him more, period. If he can end up being a 13/11 player instead of a 8/5 guy in 30 minutes...wait a minute, he's there already. I'll admit that I was wrong on the SW pick and he's been better than I thought he would be. He and Solomon needs more time on the floor so Zaza won't get worn down like he was last year when there was...well...who were the other big guys on the roster last year?

I was there to see it. Our team caught tons of flack on Realgm and the ESPN boards; as if we had to the audacity to attempt to improve our team by spending $$$ to lure a free agent who actually wanted to be here for a guy who clearly didn't.

While us Hawks fans aren't the type of fans to say we told you so but.... WE TOLD YOU SO!!!! Did we call it or did we call it? It took only about a dozen games into the second year until Suns fans started regretting the trade. We told them that Diaw was playing for a contract last year. We told them that JJ would be worth every penny plus the picks. Now they see JJ leading a team minus two of their key guys to wins while Diaw continues to inhale everything that isn't nailed down. Barring a collapse or injuries (possible given the minutes played and the 46 players defending him every night), he should have his All-Star pass already written in stone. Where are all of the national media guys from last year who told us how the Hawks were so taken by the Suns? What about all the ones who annointed Diaw as the great one? Bill Walton is the only one left in his corner but then again, as the unofficial color commentator for the Phoenix Suns, he has to stay loyal.

Let me be the second one on this thread to admit that I was also none too pleased with BK drafting Sheldon. I wanted Roy, Brewer, or Foye badly and was more than pissed when neither were drafted (as my past responses would more than attest). From watching him so far, I'll stick my neck out; I WAS WRONG ABOUT SHELDON WILLIAMS. Dead wrong. Hell, the man would be averaging a double-double if he was given starter minutes. Might as well not stop short now. Here's to SW winning the ROY and MW coming back healthy. GAME, SET, MATCH.

I wouldn't say that JJ>Diaw+Marion+Bell but yes, they're still bitter about JJ leaving the desert to start anew and become a star here. Call it the Paul McCartney syndrome, if you will.

Welcome aboard.

I've been noticing that too and have been waiting on someone from the national media to try to bring up the 'empty seats in Atlanta' crap so we can throw it back in their faces. That's the highest average attendance the Hawks have had since moving into Philips back in 1999. Come to think of it, that is higher than Boston, New Jersey, and Philly; places that are supposed to average more than Atlanta. The key of course, is to continue winning games and remain competitive. The number could increase even more after football season ends.

That was a really good article and one that didn't talk about empty seats, lack of attendance, moving the team to (insert non-NBA city here), or Chris Paul. I'll keep this in mind when the rest of the pack tries to hop on the bandwagon later in the season if the Hawks start winning some of these close games.

Agreed, Sothron. Drafting Paul or Deron wouldn't have made a difference in obtaining JJ. To think that drafting either guy would've created a sticking point in JJ not coming here is silly.