Hornets and Hawks in a close one....

[pathway23]

I agree man, bad pick Billy! Marv IS a bust.

[thesource966]

He gets a double-double and now he's a bust, I don't get it. This is good comic relief.

[Yeti]

If Smoove doesn't start playing ball, I'll be willing to trade him. Too many talented high school guys think that dunks and blocks are all they need. Maybe we can send him to Little Rock for some growing up? It's really frustrating to see someone with so much talent give up on himself.

[Gray Mule]

Smooove to the Development League !!

An interesting thought. A wake-up call!

I do wish he would wake up. Seems everyone on most boards

have mentioned how "SLEEPY" he is playing.

NBADL! Now, wouldn't THAT frost his Corn Flakes !!!!

It would be funny if it wasn't so serious.

[Spiral]

********LONG POST WARNING**********

I made the 45 minute commute to Columbus after work on Friday. I was delighted to find out that "The Stinger" Mike Glenn was calling the game on the PA system. What really struck me odd was that David Stern was sitting dead center at the scoring table. He didn't make any announcements or anything so I'm not real sure why he was there. Here are my views player by player of our Hawks.

Joe Johnson - He looked pretty good. He showed the entire package. He can post up down low, he can dribble, he can shoot, he can defend. He didn't seem to be a floor general or anything like that, but he has a very solid game. I think Al is probably the floor leader.

Josh Childress - He had a quiet 15 points. He played just like you think he would have. He got a few of his points on put-backs & lay-ups. I think he hit 2 (I remember 1 for sure) 15-20 foot shots. He drove to the basket, got fouled & made his free throws. He seemed a bit timid to shoot at times. He passed up a couple of open looks and swung the ball back around the arc.

Josh Smith - He is an anomaly. He looked lost through the first half of the game, but came on strong towards the end. He picked up two quick fouls (a block & a charge) and found himself on the bench for most of the 1st quarter. Both fouls were a bit on the ticky-tack side, but none-the-less he needs to learn to stay out of foul touble. He rebounded the ball very well late in the game. He didn't shoot from the floor very well at all. He showed a back to the basket move on the offensive end that I haven't seen out of him before. He used a drop step & spin move to get to the basket. He failed to convert, but was fouled and made both his free throws. He was being guarded by Jackson Vroman (not exactly feared for his defensive prowess) at the time so take it for what it's worth.

Marvin Williams - He looked really good. He played within the flow of the offense scoring mostly on put-backs & tip ins. He didn't show any one on one moves to speak of. He did play good defense, passed the ball well and hit the glass very hard. He seemed to snag almost anything coming off the glass. He hit one shot from about 15 feet, but missed a couple as well. To be honest, I wasn't expecting alot out of him, but he was very impressive.

Zaza Pachulia - He was flat out good. He was all over the glass. He played excellent D. No one got any easy baskets in the paint. He hit a shot from around 12. He is not a great passer. He showe a little baby hook with his back to the basket. He is definitely something we didn't have last year at all; an inside presence. He'll commit a hard foul before he gives up an easy lay-up. He looked to challenge almost everything.

Salim Stoudamire - He didn't show much of point guard mentality. I remember a couple of turnovers he had on bad passes. He showed what everyone knows he can do. He can flat out shoot. He will keep defenses honest. If you give him any room, you might as well add 3 points to our score and jog on back to the other end. He is going to fun to watch.

Estaban Batista - He was Smoove's replacement when he got into early foul trouble. He didn't show much of anything on offense, but he looked about as good as Zaza on D. He battled hard against everyone from the Hornets for post position. He commited a very hard foul to break up a dunk attempt. Mike Woodson made sure to let him know that he liked the foul by applauding him during the free throws. For what we're paying him, I think we're getting a bargain.

John Edwards - To me, he looked goofy. He's a lanky dude that just looks awkward. He kind reminded me of Napoleon Dynamite when I was watching him run. I wasn't very impressed. He commited a few ticky-tack fouls and also got called for a defensive 3 seconds. He didn't show much on offense and both Batista & Pachulia outplayed him on D.

[Blunt91]

Are you sure that was David Stern? I saw that guy and at first I thought it might be him but he appeared to be a little too chubby(I know Dave's not thin) and most of all his hair was too thick(looked like he hadn't had it cut in a good month or more). He just appeared to be a little sloppy looking. On tv David is usually well groomed. I also wonder why Rathbun came? The game wasn't on any tv station.

[BeeSwatter]

Rathbun was in Chattanooga the night before also, probably just doing some preparation for the upcoming season.