CrawDaddy

Al stinks on D. Plain and simple. Worst defender ever. He moves his feet as soon as he sees his team has the ball back. Watch on Tuesday how much quicker he gets on offense than he was on defense.

Was it Wilbon that said that? I caught the blurb on ESPN somewhere, but I didn't know who said it. I don't know if we would have been 5th in the east, but I have no doubt whatsoever had we drafted Paul we would have a playoff spot right now. It's very disheartening. I like Marvin but it hurts to think about what might have been.

Quote: All JJ has done is pad stats. He isn't proven anything more than the likes of Big Dog, Shareef or any of the other stat players the team has had. Agree with some of the other stuff you said, but to say JJ is just padding his stats? C'mon now. JJ could go out there and shoot 35 times a game like Kobe, but he's chosen to play team ball and hopefully develop some of the younger guys on the team. He also consistently defends an opposing team's best player - which makes him vastly different than Big Dog or Reef. Don't be mad at JJ just because you're mad at Woody.

But you can't give him credit without knowing all the facts. It might just be that BK wanted to throw max money at them but their agents didn't give him the opportunity to counter other team's offers. I will give BK credit when we are in the playoffs. Till then, he is a mad scientist who doesn't know what he's doing.

Quote: When the evil is gone, the picture will also leave. So I'm assuming both men pictured have to be gone then? There is lots of evil in that picture.

Anybody still think Darko is a slouch? He's basically playing his rookie campaign right now and looked damn good last night. He and Howard are going to dominate the East when Shaq retires.

Diaw is an average NBA player. His current success is a product of the system he plays in. It wasn't a bad trade. Diaw is a worthless human being with no spine and he would have underacheived his whole career here because the staff wanted him to be a focal point in the offense. In PHX, all he has to be is a conduit to Nash's brilliance = no pressure. JJ is worth Boris and two picks. It's not a great trade for us, but we were far from being bunghole torched.

Lebron - no playoff appearances. So based on your evaluation of what makes an NBA star Lebron is not worth trading for at this point. Kobe - No playoff appearances without Shaq by his side. Same deal, Kobe is not worth having in a Hawks uniform. KG is a superstar, a top ten player in the league, and I would kill to have him in ATL.

Which teammates are those that have moved on and helped other teams? Wally S? Candyman? Stephon? Spreewell? The fact is that KG has never had a good supporting cast that would allow him to go anywhere in the playoffs. Cassell has been his only legitimately good teammate.

Not that it means much, but Morris stated during the season that he now believed it was in his best interest to finish his career at UK and develop his skills before moving to the league. I am of the opinion that if he did indeed want to sign, he would at least be an upgrade over Edwards.

There's nothing wrong if he wants every single one of his posts to be about Batista. Lots of people like one guy off of one team. I for one am glad we have a fan of the Hawks in another country. What was the purpose of your post anyway? To bash the guy for having a favorite player that is on our team? How dare he!

Quote: becuase many people think that he should be better than he is. Despite the fact that there are probably only 20-25 players in the entire league that are better than him. Because he's simply good and not great, means that we, one of the five worst teams in the league, can do better. With that said, I put myself among those that think that Marvin (or smooth) could come close to matching his production next year. He's not going to be a 19ppg guy next year or anything. But 14-15ppg with better rebounding and better defense will have as big an impact for us if not bigger, than Al has had this season. I personally don't think Al was destined to be here long term. My theory is that Marvin was signed for that very reason. Well put. Bottom line is that Al is not a needed piece in the team we are trying to put together.

Whoa. He's a legitimate 6'11", runs the floor like a deer, has great ups and timing. His offensive game could use some work and he'll need to get thicker (don't most 19 year olds?), but from last year to this year he's made amazing strides. You're entitled to your opinion, but I'd urge you to take another look at him. My argument isn't based on his strides from last year to this year. Granted, he's a totally different player. I just don't see him being a Top 10 worthy pick. I think he'll be serviceable in the paint, but he's not going to be anything special in the NBA. That's all I was saying. First rounder - yes. Difference maker - no.

Why was Salim out of the game in the first place? What did he have last night? 21?

Watching Marvin the last few games, I really feel like he's beat up at this point. He's giving up 25 pounds to whoever he's playing opposite of every night and that's got to wear on a kid's body over the course of an NBA season. I think his lack of agressiveness may just be his body shutting down. On the Hansborough note, the board hasn't talked about him much. I would take him in a heartbeat. He's not tall enough to be a C, but if he keeps putting on muscle (he's 18 for God's sake and built like a young Karl Malone) he's going to be a beast in the paint in a couple years.

Quote: Doc is no upgrade. He's not a good coach. He's lucky to have a motivated Paul Pierce right now. Well put. The only thing saving the Celts right now is PP. Doc is as bad a coach as Woody. Watch their games. You will scratch your head at some of the stuff Doc does.

Because the team's coach is a moron.

Quote: Tyler Hansborough and Josh McRoberts, as a GT fan, are two players I'd love to see go Pro early. Amen.

Noah's a decent college player, but I don't see his game transferring to the pros. He's not that athletic, he lacks size, and he needs to work on some moves or he'll be destroyed in the paint on the next level. Top ten is high for him IMO.

Quote: How about this one? Esteban Batista gets elbowed in the head, gets bent over backwards, and has Shaq fall on him, slamming his head into the court, and somehow Batista is the person that committed the foul. That was my favorite. I guess it isn't worth it these days to play defense with your hands straight up and your feet planted--you're going to get a foul called on you anyway. After this particular call, I would have just told my guys to start punching people in the face and get your money's worth. If the NBA can't clean up those kinds of calls they are in BIG trouble.

I like Salim, but you couldn't refuse that deal if it ever came up.

Edwards is like the rest of our team - not bad on offense, a stiff on defense.

I have to admit, I got excited about the 3 out of 4, but then when I looked to see if we had any kind of mathematical shot at the last playoff spot, I got depressed too. It's just hard at this point in the year, when 75% of the league is looking towards the playoffs (or a legitimate shot at the playoffs) to already be looking towards this summer's draft. Don't knock the guy for wanting to have a good team.

Speaking of the reviews officials receive, does anyone know if they are fined for blatant bad calls? For instance, after reviewing the tape rrom last night's game, would the officiating crew receive a deduction from their paycheck for the missed call at halfcourt? It's nice to say you're reviewing tape with your officials and all that, but if there's no real penalty, then why would they care if they keep making bad calls?

I always though Bowdler could have been a decent presense in the post. I think his confidence was destroyed by Lenny.