Duff_Man

Quote: With a healthy Amare I would say the Suns are the favorite. Doubtful that they would be favored over San Antonio. IMO anyways.

Quote: Quote: And with Nash, they are a 50-win, defenseless squad. Not really. Teams are shooting only 44% against them on the year. They give up a lot of points simply because they play at a fast pace. In fact they are a good defensive team this year. We will see come playoff time. The Spurs would handle them over a 7-game series.

Quote: If I remeber right, Dominique was much farther along in his career when he won it, and so were many of the others you mentioned. The dunk contest was just a sidenote for them, and they had already developed a mental toughness for the game. All I know is that winning the dunk contest has not been good for Josh Smith, I don't really care what effect it had on the others you mentioned. Maybe it is the mental part of his game that separates him from those players? He came on late last year. Not sure that it affected him all that badly. I think it is a fun event and not something to be worrying about having an affect on his career in general. It's not like he quit to go play baseball or anything...

Quote: I am confused. AL is not capable of guarding Nash but everytime he did he scored. If you are going to put a bigger man on him it should have been CHillz!!! Disagreement here. I thought Al did well. Woody actually made a savvy move by putting someone with longer arms on Nash. I thought it was a good move. However, Ivey played Nash like a champ and should have let him log more minutes. I am not saying that Royal would stop Steve, but his hands were active and he stayed in front of him, and he recovers to the ball very well. The fact of the matter is that when Lue gets picked, he's done. I saw twice last night where Ivey actually fought through the pick and made Steve pass to another man, taking the ball away from the point, and the best player. How Mike Woodson did not see this is beyond me.

The funniest part about that list are the GMs that made the BAD trades. The Vince trade was freaking hilarious. I think sometimes people need to look at the trades that DON'T happen...BK is getting a bad run from some on here for not trading Al right away. The fact of the matter is that most people want .50 on the dollar just to get someone new. BK seems to be waiting for the right trade, which is admirable IMO.

Quote: I don't look forward to BK trying to draft Rudy Gay... So how about this trade: Josh Smith/1st to Toronto for Chris Bosh/2nd rounder. Better catch the Toronto GM on a bender for that trade to happen.

Quote: And without Nash the Suns are a 30 win team even with Amare just like they were a few years ago. And with Nash, they are a 50-win, defenseless squad. Fun to watch, but will never compete for a championship.

Quote: I know there has not been much for Hawks fans to cheer about this year, but JS needs to get this slam dunk BS behind him. Last year he went into a serious funk for about a month after winning, and this year he is trying to "prove" to the basketball world that he is more than just a dunker. His career seems defined by the hype around that junk contest last year. It has messed with him, and I hope he loses! Yep...him, Nique, Jordan, Richardson, Drexler, Carter, Erving, Spud...they should have all put it behind them and just played. The dunk contest was a scar to their careers. Not saying that he is on that level player-wise, but it is an exhibition, and he's 20? Let him go out, make a couple extra bucks and get some pub for the Hawks. I would much rather see a Hawk on All Star weekend doing something than see no Hawks at all.

Quote: Ya Iam the only one of the Boards that feels that way get real. There is no reason he shouldnt be playing when hes the starter period. OK...how about your unbiased opinion?

Quote: I was thinking about that in the 4th quarter and I asked myself, "Who comes out to put Smoove in?" I didn't have an answer. Chillz was playing the role Smoove normally does and doing a good job. It's not like the Suns were doing lay-up drills like most teams do on us, so their was nothing to force Woody's hand to bring him in. Tonight, their wouldn't be much Smoove or anyone else could've done to stop their offense. They pass the ball beautifully to create space and shots. I do think Smoove sitting half the 3rd and all of the 4th is absurd and somewhat of a punishment. I understand why he wasn't brought in down the stretch; our offense was playing with a nice continuity. I do feel he should've been brought back in much earlier though. Also, is it me or does Zaza's play seem to be regressing this month from his previous play in the year. I think Zaza is regressing due to the teams we are playing more than his overall game. But, I am sure there will be stats to prove me wrong. When you play a team without a C (PHO), Zaza has to take a backseat to the running style.

Quote: I was thinking about it while they were playing.. I only have one real answer. Being that this is the first night of a back to back, maybe Woody plans to use Smith more against Chicago and use Chillz less. Truth be known, i think Woody was trying to match Phoenix's speed. I think we did a good job considering. And What I mean is I don't think Matrix broke 20 points. I know Boris had a quiet 25 but Nash and Boris were the only one right. I don't think we had any problem from their frontcourt. I suspect that tommorow night, we will play Chicago with our frontcourt taking C stage. Zaza might get more touches because Chicago's frontcourt can't stop us. Wonder if some of the stat hounds can look up Smith's minutes in game 1 of a b2b versus game 2 of a b2b??

Quote: you cant play lights out sitting on the bench I mean anyone would know that Smith has been playing a little poorly lately. And I am not talking about stats...just seems like his head isn't in it as much. Tonight he just wasn't all there. Hopefully after the all star break we will see a coming out party again.

Quote: yeah nice job of our only shot blocker sitting on the bench again for the 2nd game this year for almost the whole 2nd half I wonder what WOODSON'S excuse is for him being him on the bench this time what a joke for a coach Smith wasn't exactly playing lights out tonight. He was hardly defending out there tonight. The Suns spread the ball out and took Smith out of his normal game of patrolling the lane and getting follows. Now, should he have played more minutes? Yes, but tonight I think it was at least somewhat justified. The Smith lovers are a touchy group. Wonder how the Delk fans are taking that situation.

Quote: I was watching the game in the other room. No wireless laptop for the time being. However, Nash was killing us on both ends. Diaw got about the quietest 25 I have ever seen. Nash was making passes on the baseline skooting around like a magician. Still, when it came down to it, we were still in it. I applaud the Hawks for the effort. We put up a much better fight than the Heat did last night. I don't want to say I like the big shots by Salim.. Because that's all he does is shoot.. He was just on tonight. What kind of defensive scheme has Al trying to guard Nash. For you who say Al doesn't play defense, you have to give him credit on the last 2 games. I thought Al on Nash did an adequate job. I also thought Ivey on Nash was more effective. Problem is that Ivey could have 40 points in 5 minutes and Woody would pull him. Tonight was another example of Ivey playing too few minutes. Just a few more possessions in either half may have made a difference.

Quote: We made too many errors down the stretch. I would chalk it up to youth errors... But Big shots galore. Smitty was right, it was probably the most entertaining game of the year! Nash is just a killer. Nash was the MVP...no slouch. Where are you for the chatroom?

Quote: Stats Players are those who put up impressive stats. When counted on they choke. That is Al Harrington. Noted. Thanks.

Quote: Quote: Quote: That was exceptional. Great article. I tell you I watched Steve Nash last night for Phoenix just orchestrate that offense to perfection. It's hard to believe how much a great point guard can mean to an offense. And after reading that article, even though I love Marvin's potential, it makes me wish we did draft Paul. I am trying to be patient with Marvin, but seeing immediate impact from Paul is highly frustrating. I seriously hope we do not make the same choice this year. The irony is that a true PG in here might have Marvin playing worlds better. Such is life in Atlanta these days. you know if you want to you can pull a Diesel and check my posts on this board around draft time. i was talking up Paul as a beast in college that the Hawks should pick up. that being said while I enjoy what Paul is doing I can see myself being happy rooting for Marvin for the next few years. he is really showing that he can play some ball if given the minutes. his scoring is going up and his fouling is going down. considering the other questionable moves the Hawks have made this year on the coaching front I believe Marvin may even be doing better if someone else were coaching the team. I am happy rooting for Marvin, too. He is making progress (slowly) and he should be better as time goes on. I am wondering about Woody's rotations right now though. I feel there is going to have to be a point where we let the kid get a few more minutes and get experience. He is looking more and more aggressive. It's good to see. I was really worried earlier in the season.

Quote: That was exceptional. Great article. I tell you I watched Steve Nash last night for Phoenix just orchestrate that offense to perfection. It's hard to believe how much a great point guard can mean to an offense. And after reading that article, even though I love Marvin's potential, it makes me wish we did draft Paul. I am trying to be patient with Marvin, but seeing immediate impact from Paul is highly frustrating. I seriously hope we do not make the same choice this year. The irony is that a true PG in here might have Marvin playing worlds better. Such is life in Atlanta these days.

I thought this was insightful, and since the Intern is an avid Hawks fan (he goes to games often), this is very relevant. I am not trying to start any arguments over the draft or our players, just posting Hawks stuff. Link By Kevin Cott Special to Page 2 After single-handedly burying the Knicks last week at Madison Square Garden, Chris Paul was his usual, outwardly humble self. But inside, I bet you he was itching to go T.O. on the world ... or at least on his draft-day detractors. On basketball's biggest stage, Paul was extraordinary, carving up Spike Lee's muse to the tune of 27/13/7. Larry Brown summed it up best, somberly praising, "He's one of the best that's come into this league in a long, long time ... He reminds me so much of Isiah." And this, of course, makes me want to fight a wall. That's because my hometown Atlanta Hawks, who could have had Paul, are instead stuck with the worst point guard situation in the entire league -- the vaunted Ivey/Lue/Stoudamire triumvirate. To be clear, I like all three for what they are. But there's not an NBA starting pg in the bunch. Period. Consequently, this year's team is competing against a stacked deck. Imagine a decently cast television show, only no one ever bothered to hire writers. No matter how competent everyone else is, the set will eventually fall into anarchy, a bunch of misplaced actors and production crew desperately devising storylines. That's this year's Hawks in a nutshell. But give this team just a serviceable pg and things could have been dramatically different. With an actual point to ease the playmaking burden, Joe Johnson settles in as the primary scoring option, Al Harrington slides back into a secondary role and the Hawks suddenly have a puncher's chance of executing in crunch-time. The difference would be staggering. That's where Paul comes in. By using the second pick in last year's draft on UNC's Marvin Williams, a raw swingman with star potential, the Hawks passed over Paul, Wake Forest's standout point. Normally, such a pick would be defensible under the logic that it's better to swing for the fences than mindlessly plug a hole. Unfortunately, the Hawks didn't just neglect a need (and add to their already flooded roster of 2s through 4s); they missed out on the most important pg to enter the league since Jason Kidd, possibly Isiah Thomas. With Paul, the Hawks are an immediate playoff team. As it stands, they have the second-worst record in basketball. The depth of Paul's importance, however, traces back to before he was even born. Much like today's glam-rocker, Paul represents the last of a dying breed -- the Classic NBA Point. Back in the '80s, though, the Classic Point thrived. While Magic redefined the position, players like John Stockton, Mark Jackson, Mo Cheeks, Mark Price and Isiah Thomas (the Classic PG gold standard) put out nightly clinics on running point. For one, each saw the floor beautifully, almost as if operating in a Neo-like existence of invisible passing lanes and slowed time (which is why, in retirement, I like to imagine an unshaven Stockton ambling through supermarkets, blindly feeding jaw-dropping bounce passes to unsuspecting soccer moms). Additionally, those '80s points knew how to manage a game. Take Jackson, for example. Outside of assists, his career numbers are ordinary. But he was a master of feeding the hot hand, rewarding the big man, knowing when to get a lethargic player involved and hitting a shooter in stride (not to mention that Jackson, as much as Charles Barkley, deserves credit for patenting the now illegal "20 second back-down into the post," a sublimely hilarious move). A swift crossover is nice, but intangibles like those are invaluable. However, the late '90s and early 2000s marked the rise of the "combo-guard," a shift that left Classic PGs like those '80s staples all but extinct. Look around the league today and you'll see a predominance of bigger, more versatile points -- Gilbert Arenas, Chauncey Billups, Baron Davis, Steve Francis, Jason Terry, Marko Jaric and Andre Miller, to name a few. Masterfully orchestrating an offense has been replaced by the ability to dunk in traffic, post up on the block and defend opposing twos. Yet the combo-guard label isn't necessarily a knock. Billups and Tony Parker, neither of whom could be termed a Classic Point, were at the helm of the past three NBA champions (and likely a fourth). In fact, if we've learned anything in NBA history, it's that the only blueprint for success is cohesive talent. Jordan's Bulls shuffled in serviceable pgs and centers as if they were towel-boys. But there will always be a place for the Classic Point, if for nothing else than the unselfish team dynamic that naturally follows. And that, ultimately, is why Paul, a Classic Point in every sense of the word, is so damn important. T.J. Ford is the real thing, and Sebastian Telfair, Raymond Felton, Shaun Livingston (more in the Penny mold) and Deron Williams have shown promise, but it's Paul who will inherit the reigns for an era, hopefully extending the line being tenuously held by the aging Kidd and Steve Nash. Paul's destiny became clear two years ago, back when he was dominating ACC action as a freshman. He moved at the speed of light, rebounded remarkably well for his size and, most importantly, hit open teammates with a fluid ease. Top that off with legitimate three point range, and the blasphemous Isiah whisperings were a foregone conclusion. So when Paul declared for the NBA Draft following his sophomore season, teams should have been lining up to take him after top pick Milwaukee (which already had Ford). Instead, a shocking amount of GMs and draft gurus outsmarted themselves nitpicking Paul's game, culminating in Utah inexplicably selecting Williams (a nice pg prospect) ahead of Paul (a great one). As a result, Paul unceremoniously fell to a waiting New Orleans at #4, followed by the entire Hornets front office breaking into an impromptu Riverdance celebration. Or so I imagine. Predictably, Paul has been lighting up the league since "GO." Through 40 games this season, he's averaging an astounding 16.5 points, 7.5 assists, 5.8 rebounds, and 2.2 steals per game, all rookie highs except for rebounds (where he's 3rd), effectively wrapping up Rookie of the Year honors well before the All-Star break. To fully put his start in perspective, though, consider Paul's numbers next to the rookie campaigns of (arguably) the three best PGs of the past 25 yrs (excluding the anomalous Magic). Isiah Thomas -- 17.0 points, 7.8 assists, 2.9 rebounds, 2.08 steals John Stockton -- 5.6 points, 5.1 assists, 1.3 rebounds, 1.33 steals Jason Kidd -- 11.7 points, 7.7 assists, 5.4 rebounds, 1.9 steals Not bad. Yet impressive as his early stats are, Paul is much more than a fantasy stud -- he's a 20 year-old, 6'0" virtuoso. Paul's superior talent and refreshing understanding for the position can be summed up in two distinct points: He can get anywhere on the floor, anytime, at will, and he almost always makes the right decision with the ball (evidenced by his 6th best assist/turnover ratio among players averaging over 30 minutes per game ... as a rookie PG, nonetheless). It's those two gifts that should have Coach Byron Scott and teammates like J.R. Smith and David West salivating over his arrival, particularly since Paul's addition has the Hornets, who should by all accounts be terrible, improbably hovering near .500 and in the mix for a Western playoff spot. Admittedly, we're only halfway through the season, which means lauding Paul as everything short of the next Isiah could be remarkably premature. In fact, when it's all said and done, maybe my Hawks land a real point, Marvin pans out to be a genuine star and basketball historians will recall the picks as a wash. Then again, I'd probably still take Paul. I'm biased like that. Sweet-swinging lefties, cutbacks through the secondary, perfectly timed alley-oops, Roger Federer's forehand, Ernie Els' downswing, Eduardo Najera's box-out -- each of these epitomizes athletic grace. But I'll always be partial to the little guy with eyes in the back of his head, making fools out of the trees. Kevin Cott is the intern for the Sports Guy's World.

Quote: I think this has a lot to do with Lebron James being the "target." If the target was Chris Kaman nobody would be talking about it. The first "target" was Donyell Marshall. Nobody seemed to care.

Quote: It isn't free anywhere except during the trial period. I am paying for it but it is worth it imo. It is free this week. It is free the first week of the season and the week that falls on mid-season. Been like that every year. IMO, the NBA package is the best bang for your buck.

The shame of it is that Olowokandi is an upgrade for the Celts at center. I also think that getting rid of Ricky Davis is addition by subtraction. Otherwise, a lot of players, not much meat in that trade.

Quote: i don't see how this is funny. i think it's pathetic and embarrassing. it's one thing to yell and scream and wave things to distract a player. but a laser pointer on your face is not something you can just "drown out" while you're at the FT line. and i don't think this happens to every team at every game or it wouldn't have been on sportscenter or espn.com. Do people have short memories? This type of thing used to be commonplace a few years ago when laser pointers were all the rage with the kids. They have even made SNL skits about it. It was an isolated incident. And if that is as low as it can get for Hawk fans, that's a good thing. Imagine how Detroit fans must feel.

Quote: Quote: When everyone in an internet chatroom agrees on things in a game, you know it is a bad situation. Last night was one of those times when everyong in their living rooms could easily have coached the game better. A few things that irk me about Woody: 1. Ivey/Lue - No doubt we need Lue's offense, and no doubt I feel Lue deserves minutes for this team as it is built right now, BUT yanking Royal Ivey when he is out there playing stellar D, getting boards, blocking shots (!), and shooting well is just unfathomable. Last night Ivey was looking like Mookie Blaylock out there, doing everything and not making mental errors...and he comes out after 4 minutes in each half. It was obvious Royal was giving them fits, and Woody stuck with his guns and pulled him. 2. Josh Smith - When he's hot, he sits him for entire halves. When he's awful (like last night) he gets minutes. WTF? This whole situation is proof that Mike Woodson is not all together with it. 3. The timeouts. Lenny Wilkens had a way of weathering the storm on some runs and not panicking with the timeouts. He felt the way the game was going and used them wisely. Woodson waits until an entire lead evaporates before calling timeouts. Hell, I have seen subs sit at the scorers table waiting to go in and Woody lets time tick away without calling a TO to get the player in the game. Just not smart coaching. Also last night, and I know this won't be a popular opinion, When Zydrunas got #5 and had to sit, Woody pulled Zaza...why? Zaza could have freely banged inside, rebounded, and gotten to the line (and made the FTs). Instead Woody went small and the torching began. I am losing faith in Woody as well. A new direction might be a good way to go IMO. How was Smith horrible last night he shot 4-5 with 6 rbs and 2 blks. His block shots lead to big plays in the game. He was playing good defense on Lebron as well. I dont see how he had a horrible game last night. He looked out of sorts last night. It was apparent that he wasn't in the flow of the game. He did have 2 blocks, but he wasn't all there. Of course, he could have shot 0-10, spit on a fan, and fouled out and you'd find a way to praise him. He has good games and bad games.

When everyone in an internet chatroom agrees on things in a game, you know it is a bad situation. Last night was one of those times when everyong in their living rooms could easily have coached the game better. A few things that irk me about Woody: 1. Ivey/Lue - No doubt we need Lue's offense, and no doubt I feel Lue deserves minutes for this team as it is built right now, BUT yanking Royal Ivey when he is out there playing stellar D, getting boards, blocking shots (!), and shooting well is just unfathomable. Last night Ivey was looking like Mookie Blaylock out there, doing everything and not making mental errors...and he comes out after 4 minutes in each half. It was obvious Royal was giving them fits, and Woody stuck with his guns and pulled him. 2. Josh Smith - When he's hot, he sits him for entire halves. When he's awful (like last night) he gets minutes. WTF? This whole situation is proof that Mike Woodson is not all together with it. 3. The timeouts. Lenny Wilkens had a way of weathering the storm on some runs and not panicking with the timeouts. He felt the way the game was going and used them wisely. Woodson waits until an entire lead evaporates before calling timeouts. Hell, I have seen subs sit at the scorers table waiting to go in and Woody lets time tick away without calling a TO to get the player in the game. Just not smart coaching. Also last night, and I know this won't be a popular opinion, When Zydrunas got #5 and had to sit, Woody pulled Zaza...why? Zaza could have freely banged inside, rebounded, and gotten to the line (and made the FTs). Instead Woody went small and the torching began. I am losing faith in Woody as well. A new direction might be a good way to go IMO.