hawkman

Quote: LeBron can't believe that his team could lose to the Hawks. he wouldn't think that about opponents he respects. Put that on the bulleting board. I don't think that lack of respect at this point in the season is that big of a deal. I love the Hawks but in all hoensty, they have been terrible from management on down for over 6yrs which leads to lowered expectations. It's going to take a while, and more wins like the one they had over the Cavs, for the Hawks to get respect around the league. Four games is too early to tell, but I sincerely hope that we make the playoffs this year. Better yet, wouldn't it be surreal if we managed to hold on to the Eastern Conference lead? That's probably wishful thinking but I believe that this team can, at the very least, make the playoffs as a 7 or 8 seed.

This a heck of a road win against a good team. The Hawks showed a lot of heart tonight.

TYRON FRIGGIN LUE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Quote: when that idiot Woodson pulled out the Josh's with 3:30 left we had a 6 point lead. now we are down by 1. gosh we got screwed again on that Joe tip! That was blatant. That was a clear tip on the replay.

True, the team is kinda boring, especially in light of the fact that they were dubbed the "Highlight Factory" before the game. But the fact that they looked just as bad as they did last season is what's really dissapointing to me. I know it's just the first game, but I've seen this all before. The lack of chemistry, bad defense, and clueless offensive possessions were the same problems this team had last season. To see ABSOLUTELY no improvement in any of these areas is very telling of the kind of coaching staff the Hawks have right now. There seems to be no player development going on, and that's inexcusable for a team that depends excusively on its young players. Where's Childress' jumpshot? Smoove's ballhandling? These things have been issues for these players since they were drafted and yet we see little to no improvement. What gives? All of the youg guys on this team seem talented and athletic enough to do quite well in this league, but I get a feeling that they will never reach their potential....at least not as Hawks. There are still some other proven coaching options out there: Adelman, Van Gundy, and heck even Paul Silas that I feel can come in and improve the team right away. I love this team and have been a fan for quite some time, but I can no longer look at this team, including the coaching as well as management decisions, with the rose colored glasses that others seem to have.

But seriously, I can't help but think that the Hawk's performance tonight was due to bad coaching. They just seemed completely unprepared to play NBA basketball tonight. There seemed to be no cohesion between the players at all. I still think that they will be improved from last year, but until they make a coaching change I sincerely don't believe that they will be a playoff team. BTW, did anyone else find it ironic that the Hawks have been labled the "Highlight Factory"?

LOL! Just kidding. Just seemed appropriate looking at the first half of this game.

Quote: Our last Olympic team was poorly put together. We didn't have any "glue" players like a Battier or a defensive specialist like Bowen or ANY kind of shooters like JJ/Hinrich who can just flat out shoot. Instead we had to rely on Richard freaking Jefferson to reliably knock down a 18 foot jump shot because they simply collapsed a zone defense on Duncan when he got the ball or they used zone to stop dribble penetration. That team was put together like a Yahoo fantasy roto league and it showed. This team is already much more complete regardless of what it does. I blame Brown for not even giving the young guys on that team a chance but he didn't have a real team to work with either. I know the team didn't have that much time to practice or develop any kind of chemistry, but it is the coach's job to know the strengths and weaknesses of his players and use them accordingly. Larry Brown basically had a friggin All Star team out there and instead of playing everyone to their strengths, he whined to the media about their weaknesses. like i said in my earlier post, this guy cannot co-exist with superstar talent. Just wait,Coach K will do a much better job with essentially the same team that Larry Brown had.

Quote: Team USA will kick butt now that they don't have ball hogging, "me me me" players like Allen Iverson and Stephon Marbury on the team. Marbury, Melo, and Iverson were not the reason why the U.S. wasn't that successful last time . I personally blame Larry Brown. He obviously has a problem coaching superstars. He can coach a "team", but he has a problem with coaching individual talent. It's as if he feels that he is the "talent" and his players are his supporting cast. That would explain his inexcuseable behavior during his last season in Detroit and his horrible record this season in NY. He had a great team in Detroit but still flirted with Cleveland.... DURING THE PLAYOFFS!!!. He did a terrible job of handling the Marbury situation in NY by going to the press. He did the same thing in Philadelphia with iverson. There's no way a team with Amare, Lebron, and Wade on it should struggle against any other basketball team, foriegn or not. I may get flamed for this but somebody had to say it. To quote Melo, "He may be a great coach but he ain't Jesus."

Quote: Quote: My one question with Foye is his head. he took so many crazy shots this past season it makes me wonder about him. If i felt confident he could tone down his chucking then I would take him for sure. That's true, but college and the NBA are different games. My impression of Nova was that they kind of let them run lose anyhow. He strikes me as a good kid wh would listen to his coach. I think he had the green light at Nova, and won't have it here. It would only concern me if he had attitude issues, which I don't believe he has. You also have to remember that guys like Dwayne Wade and Allen Iverson had "questionable" shot selection in college as well. I'm sure that he would tune that down a bit once he gets in the league. All I know is he and JJ would make a killer backcourt right away. There's no real hate for Shelden here, but I have to admit that he is not exactly what I have in mind when I think about a top five pick. We could easily equal his production through free agency. I hope BK can check his ego and think about the fans on this one.

We can address interior defense in the second round or through free agency. There's no need to reach for Shelden with the 5th pick. BK says he always drafts the best player available (see last year's draft), so why change that philosophy now? It looks like Foye is the best player in this draft. He could start for us immediately and inject some life into this franchise.

you beat me to it. I just made a post about Foye. I think he would be a perfect fit for this team.

I'm not a scout or an expert in pro basketball by any means, but I believe Randy Foye should be our pick. I think he has the tools that this team needs RIGHT NOW and he gives us one half of a great back court to build on. Atlanta needs a dynamic player on the roster who can create and make shots off the dribble in half court sets and who can finish with authority on the break. I watched this guy during the tournament and he was electric. He took over some of those games for Villanova and I like that kind of mentality in a player. Defenses were geared against him but could do little to stop him. He kind of reminded me of Dwayne Wade back when he played for Marquette. I think Shelden can be a solid pro but this team needs to give the fans a reason to be excited again. Foye fills a need and gives the fans a reason to be excited about the upcoming season. Many on this board are opposed to bringing Iverson here because of his salary/attitude. Imagine if we could get a player with most of his positive attributes but none of his baggage or his high salary over the next few seasons. I know a lot you will say that Foye does not address our need for better interior defense, but we could always pick up a shot blocker/rebounder of Shelden's caliber either in the second round or through free agency (see Justin Williams, Aaron Gray, Pryz.), so why not get Foye with our 5th pick?

Quote: The Hawks can't recall swingman Donta Smith from the NBA Developmental League because he is out with a knee injury. http://www.ajc.com/monday/content/epaper/e...2c51a1003b.html Well that makes the decision even easier. The Hawks brought Will in before the draft for a workout so obviously there was some interest there. With our guard situation now, this is a great opportunity to bring someone in for cheap who might actually have an impact. I think he brings the same level of defensive intensity as Ivey but with a much more explosive offensive game. I'll admit that I am a little biased being a GT fan but this kid's talent and heart are undeniable.

Quote: We need a little more depth on the bench cuz last night JJ and Marvin almost fouled out. We should be auditioning some of these D-league players and recall Donta, how about a JJ/Donta backcourt. As for Bynum, I think he is just as good as Nate because he actually has some point guard skills. I know. It's bad when JJ has five fouls and all you have is Ivey,Batista, and Edwards available on the bench. We should have some roster spots available now so why not bring in both Donta and Will?

With Salim's suspension, Lue's injury, and Delk being waved, it may not be so bad of an idea to bring this guy up from the D-league. He is currently leading the league in points (24) and assists (6). He is also leading the league in turnovers but that is something that can be fixed in a more structured environment. I watched almost every single game he played in with GA Tech and this guy should be on an NBA roster somewhere. I would compare his game to that of Nate Robinson's , athleticism and all. He was probably the best overall athlete in the draft and has a lot of heart for a smaller guard. He bought into Hewitt's system so I believe that makes him a pretty coachable guy. I'm not saying that he'll be a savior or anything but it wouldn't hurt to bring him in with a ten day contract to see what he brings to the table. He played great alongside Jarret Jack and it would be interesting to see him paired with Joe Johnson.

Quote: Quote: If we get him I will call him wookie blaylock BTW, anyone notice that we're ahead of Charlotte now? A lot of us have been taking the top pick for granted, but if our past luck has taught us anything, it should be that we should expect the #3 or #4 pick Exatcly, i dont see us getting that #1 pick But that doesn't have to be a bad thing. If we have to, we could trade #3-4 for 2 first round picks and still end up with two good players. I'm not so sure that any other teams are really sold on Aldridge as the number 1 pick anyway. Aldridge looks ok but Oden would have looked a lot better at #1. Besides, Aldridge could easily fall to us at the 2nd or 3rd pick and we could still use one of our SF/SG/PF's in a trade to get a late first round pick.

If we end up getting the first pick in the draft, I have no doubt that we would pick Aldridge. But what about our needs at PG? I feel there are some other PG prospects in college right now that just aren't getting the recognition that Rondo and Williams are getting. Check out Wil Blalock (love the name by the way) and Curtis Stinson at Iowa state. Either one of these guys could be had late in the first round if they decide to declare. Another one to consider is Carl Krauser. True, he has some FT shooting woes but is still a decent player in the late first round/ early second round part of the draft. There are a few others out there, but their names escape me at the moment. It would be pretty easy to swing a deal that could get us another first round pick so that we could get one of these guys, especially with our depth at certain positions. Just thought I'd spread the word.

Quote: Priest Lauderdale or Ed grey anyone, cmon we never gave them a chance to develop. Can anyone notice the irony that is currently going on with Al being just like JT. When he was here nobody wanted him. He was bashed on here like a red headed step child. We get rid of him and he plays well and then everyone wants him back. It will be the same way with Al everyone points the finger at the spokesman for the team, and finds an escape goat. I've gotten used to it over the years. If we are having a bad season, we always seem to bash our best player as if he is the only reason for our lack of success. Examples include JT, Toine, Reef, and Big Dog. True they were all flawed players but so are most of the players in the NBA. The problem with this is that we overlook the real problems like bad drafting, trades, and coaching.It's not that Al is a bad player, it's just that he happens to be arguably the best player on this team right now aside from his defense. I agree with the statement that "Dumb teams look at what a player can't do while smart teams look at what a player can do". To overlook Al's obvious talent and then chastise others for not recognizing Marvin's potential is almost hypocritical. But don't worry, we'll be bashing Marvin or JJ in the next few years and will attempt to trade them both for Kendrick Perkins and Delonte West or Andrew Bynum and Smush Parker.

Quote: Wait a minute. The skills that Marvin has shown are not simply basic skills for a player that is 6'9" with his kind of athleticism. There are very few long players like him that bring a complete skill set to the table. Josh Smith doesn't have his skill set. You simply don't find many 6'9" players like Marvin that can handle the ball and shoot the ball from the perimeter like he can. Marvin Williams has the ability to be what a healthy Jamal Mashburn was. A guy that can score 23-25 points per game, shoot the ball from the perimter, rebound, and play defense. If you give me the choice between a young Kenny Anderson, which is who I think Chris Paul compares most favorably to, and a young, healthy Jamal Mashburn, I'm going to take Jamal Mashburn everytime. I hope your'e right about the Jamal Mashburn comparison, but I honestly don't see it. Mashburn was a prolific scorer in college and in the league. The guy was virtually unstoppable from his rookie year on. He had something about his game that Marvin doesn't seem to have, yet.I honestly believe that maybe Marvin would have benefitted if he had stayed in school for another year to be "the man". I'm not another Marvin hater who wants to see him fail. I actually hope he lives up to the hype as the best player in the draft. But the Hawks don't exactly have the best record when it comes to developing young talent (Smoove, Chill, Diaw, Terry, Demarr, etc.)and I don't know if an unfinished product like him will do too well here.

Quote: Quote: Quote: how many 6'9'' tweeners have led their teams to a championship, When was the last time a pg led their team to a championship? After Magic and Isiah there's...... And about that same time Bird and DrJ, both swingmen, led their teams to titles. The bottom line is that big men are the key to titles. And Marvin isn't a tweener. He fits perfectly at the 3. I am not trying to say Marvin was the better pick but at least make a coherent argument. A defense oriented big man is definitely a requirement for an NBA title, without question. Outside of that - and we can all agree that there were no such players available to the Hawks - the clearest path for the Hawks to at least competing for a championship is with a great point guard. This is evident from the success of Steve Nash last year and Jason Kidd in previous years. The thing is, you also have to factor in how much better a good point guard could make Al Harrington, Josh Smith, Josh Childress, Joe Johnson and Zaza Pachulia. I agree with this. The only way the Marvin pick could be justified (at number 2)is if he had the same impact as another top high school prospect who chose to go to college for one year and won a championship, Carmelo Anthony. So far, I don't like what I'm seeing. He really didn't lead his team during the tournament and he really didn't show any go to moves in the post or perimeter.What he did show were the BASIC skills an NBA forward is supposed to have. He should be able to handle the ball reasonably well. He should be able to shoot a jumper with his feet set. He should be able to play decent defense on his man. He should be reasonably athletic enough to get by his man, hes only 19. When I saw him play against GT, I honestly saw nothing that really stood out about his game. What's so bad about it is I actually fell for all of the hype the weeks before the draft, trusting that all of these league scouts and college analysts couldn't be that mistaken about a player. I think that Marvin could be good player in the future, but I think his ceiling may be Al Harrington with a better looking jumpshot, which isn't a bad thing, but definitely not worth the nimber two pick in a draft loaded with great PG prospects.

Quote: This is what happens when you have 10 players all the same height with similar skill sets. Somebody gets pushed out. Diaw was far better than his role here for personel and coaching reasons. I expect the same will be said for Childress, Josh, and/or Marvin one day soon. W And it will continue to happen if we don't realize that if you draft based on potential, that you actually have to develop the player's skills and put them in a position to succeed. The hawks seem to have a recent history of not developing players, labeling them busts, then trading them (or giving them) away and having it blow up in their faces later.

Quote: Well I guess with 2 draft picks in that year we had to get at least one of them right. BTW it is truley sad that the Hawks are 2-13 and the NewOrleans Hornets are 8-7. The thing is that team last year wasn't that much better than the Hawks. You're right. They weren't that much better than the Hawks last year, and without Chris Paul they would probably be competing with us for "worst team in the league" status. And just think, they actually traded away Jamal Magloire and IMPROVED as a team. If you take Paul out of the equation, we have a much better team than the Hornets. We desperately need to get a PG to maximize the potential of the players that we have right now. Maybe then we could gain some stability and start to have some idea as to where this team is headed.

Quote: Our scoring would be a lot better with a legit point guard. Exactly. If you are truly trying to rebuild through the draft,you have to make those draft picks count. The problem is we keep drafting the same type of player rather than filling positions of need. This past season we had a glaring deficiency at PG and had our pick out of perhaps the best group of PG prospects I have ever seen. How do we respond? We draft another SF/PF based on potential. This team does not have the luxury to use the #2 pick on a player who MIGHT turn out to be good in 3-5 yrs. You have to go with the sure thing. I believe this team has the talent, youth, and athleticism to be alot more competitive than what they are right now. The only thing that's lacking is a PG. The problem is that we knew that last season and did nothing about it. The problem with this is that the fans aren't stupid. They will not spend money on a bad product just because you say that "it will be good in 3-5 yrs" and I can't fault them fo that.

I can understand why we picked Marvin, but that does not change the fact we mage a BIG mistake in not drafting Paul or Deron. Paul has just as much superstar potential as Marvin and both Deron and Jack could start for us right now. I know that we probably would not have drafted Salim, but he and Delk do essentially the same things on the court(somebody had to say it). I still think we would've picked up both ZP and JJ which still would have been a great off season. I believe that when you're rebuilding, you have to build with known commodities. Paul, Deron, and maybe even Jack were all known commodities. They all played well in big games and had that floor general mentality that we've not had since Mookie left. True, Marvin may turn out to be a great player in 4yrs, but then what? He'll be in Miami or Los Angeles with a max contract and we'll be in Las Vegas. The fans, both fairweather and long suffering supporters, need some indication from this organization that they are not only building for the future, but that they are also committed to winning now. Drafting a true PG this summer could've accomplished both of those things. Our record may not have been that different from what it is now, but at least we could have had some reason for optimism THIS season and many to come. Sorry for the rant but this is starting to look like another long season.