Sekou blog: Speedy to return in 2 games

[gsuteke]

The perils of road trips

By Sekou Smith | Tuesday, October 17, 2006, 03:55 PM

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

I didn’t realize this until late last night (or was it early this morning when my delayed flight finally arrived in Orlando three hours late), but we’ve been wasting our time the past 14 months trying to fix the Hawks on this blog. We’ve done a great job analyzing, and in most cases over-analyzing, the issues of such a small group of people that quite honestly doesn’t want our help.

With our collective energy, will and obvious whit, we could be of service to so many more. And I think we should start with the geniuses at airports across the country that have turned commercial flying into a task as tedious as obtaining your license or registering for college classes before the Internet age.

It’s probably easier to sneak into this country illegally than it is to make it from the check-in kiosk through airport security and to your gate in under an hour at places like Hartsfield-Jackson. And don’t even think about getting to your destination at the scheduled time. OK, that was a bit extreme, but hopefully you understand my point.

And before you assume that this is one of my own personal travel rants (and please believe that there will be many this season. I’ve already had drama twice and we’re a week into the preseason schedule) I want you to know that it’s not. I’m ranting on behalf of all the people that are subject to the cruel nature of the airline industry and their ‘you’re at our mercy so deal with it’ attitude toward their paying customers.

Just like we’ve proposed sweeping changes to the operational procedures for the Hawks, we need to come up with a new plan for the airlines and airports around the country. Technology should have streamlined this process long ago and instead the process seems to be going backwards. It’s crazy.

Sorry for the Lou Dobbs routine. Airline travel has a way of making you go off on tangents. Let’s get back to basketball. And to steal from Monday’s blog and numerous other places, I’ll offer up Tuesday’s list of the five things we know right now:

Tonight’s exhibition game against Orlando offers the first glimpse of this new season at what could be the new millennium version of the Twin Towers. Dwight Howard and Darko Milicic could be trouble for the rest of the NBA for years to come.

Speaking of big men. How about my homeboy Chris Kaman (we’re both former residents and sons of Grand Rapids, Mich.) getting that $50 million extension offer from the LA Clippers? Good for him. And once again a team stuns me with their math. I’m done guessing what a player is worth because it never makes sense. I imagined Kaman would get a nice offer but nothing in the $50 million neighborhood. Let’s just hope he remembers where he came from and spreads the wealth to the rest of the NBA’s GR contingent! (Kidding, of course). But Zaza Pachulia has to be the steal of the century, as far as starting NBA centers are concerned.

Speedy Claxton is on his way back. He went through some light work during practice Monday and two of my practice moles have informed me that he’s targeting the final two preseason games to make his Hawks debut. That’s huge for the rest of his teammates if he can get back and get some game work with them before the regular season begins.

So let me get this straight: players from Miami and Florida International brawl on the field and one of the announcers gets fired? I was at the brawl between the Pacers and fans in Detroit a couple years ago and made a few comments that probably would have gotten me fired if they were broadcast on radio or TV. Thank Buddha for newspapers.

While we’re venting, who’s the Einstein behind the NBA’s preseason schedule? The Hawks and Magic play tonight and then again two days later? Why not allow fans to see someone different in all eight preseason games? The Hawks and Magic play enough during the regular season anyway. I’d love to see the Lakers or Suns during this part of the year. And I’d even suffer the airport for road trips to either place, if necessary.

[Eddielives]

I'm curious as to what the announcer said. Anybody know?

[Lascar78]

The color commentator who is a former miami (I believe) player was basically saying "yeah, that's right, you don't come in our house talking trash, you'll get beat down" (paraphrase) and was basically saying the players were doing a good job and he wanted to leave the booth and go down on the field.

His comments were definitely wrong but it probably didn't warrant firing him. Depends on how you look at it I suppose.

GREAT news on Speedy

[Swatguy]

Quote:

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I'm curious as to what the announcer said. Anybody know?

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http://www.ajc.com//sports/content/shared-...l_Telecast.html

[Dakin]

that miami announcer is a mindless jock thug who got what he deserved. Now he has plenty of time to roam the campus looking for people to fight.

[Eddielives]

Wow! That's not what I was expecting it to be at all. I though there might have been some politically incorrect language used. I must agree with Dakin though. That's completely unacceptable. How could he be so stupid as to think that what he said was proper. Unreal.

[DrReality]

Buck and Kinkaid played it on the radio. Sounded like some trash talking kid. Very unprofessional, disgusting stuff like we'll show them who is tougest. Very juvenile. Deserved to be fired. Kinkaid said he had a history of spouse abuse?

Miami's finest.

Who do you guys think will replace Coker?

[gsuteke]

Quote:

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Buck and Kinkaid played it on the radio. Sounded like some trash talking kid. Very unprofessional, disgusting stuff like we'll show them who is tougest. Very juvenile. Deserved to be fired. Kinkaid said he had a history of spouse abuse?

Miami's finest.

Who do you guys think will replace Coker?

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i will pay for Brian Van Gorder's plane ticket out of town!