Was it just me or did JT seem happy last night?

[Admin]

I realize that his jumper was on and for the most part its been very erratic this year, but last night he seemed very happy. Perhaps the move to PG is what has hurt his jumper. He is one of the deadliest shooters and scorers in this league and last night when he knew he only had to be the SG he just seemed very content. I would honestly like to see what a Dickau/JT backcourt can do. [censored] Dallas goes with Van Exel/Nash quite often as a backcourt and they dont get hurt. Dickau I really believe (as I always have with him) is going to be our answer at the point. Once he gets accustomed to the NBA game he is going to be dangerous. He has to get used to the range on his shot, which is hurting him and us right now, but there isnt anyone on this team that feeds the post like he does. It was a thing of beauty to watch last night. I sure hope that we can find a way to make the DD/JT backcourt successul.

[PlayaPat420]

I agree, we need to try something. I never much understuood why you cant have a small backcourt. If you stick with the same rules, we would have had magic johnson playing the point at 6'9 or dirk and kg playing the styles they do at 7 feet tall. You have to work with what you have and JT is a good shooting guard despite his height... and if DD can play like he did last night consistently, why not start the together and have newble off the bench? Something has to be change... 12-21 isnt acceptable.

[JTFan31]

As much as I would rather see JT succeed at the point, he really gets off on the 2. Yes Dickau is a good pg, not great but good and I doubt he will be a star player in this league, but can be a decent PG.

I think we need to get rid off Big Dog, sorry but this guy doesnt cut it, no effort and no heart, he must go. Mini me backcourts can work, if both those players play with effort every night and play tough on their opponents, I would much rather see us acquiring Jamal Crawford and start him with JT, while he covers the 2 and JT the 1's.

They are some good 6'5 and 6'6 pg's out there that will fit in nice......Snow, Alvin, Crawford, etc...

What I will like to see is JT at the 1, only one way that will happen and that is if we aquire a sg with pg skills and with 3 pt accuracy. IMO JT runs the point better than Dickau, it was just that Dickau had JT in that 2nd quarter that was on fire.

[Diesel]

We need to say the [censored] with Theo. This is the same thing I preached all Last yr and this summer.. On a team that has no other defensive talent, Theo is a waste. We need to trade him.

Theo/CC to Phoenix for Penny/Ford. I know Phoenix would consider it. They have similar questions about Johnson as a 2 that needs to be answered.

[BlackHawkDown]

One minute you post smart trades, or have inciteful post, The Next you post trades where we get ripped off.

Lets see Diesel's favorite trades.

1.All of our talent for Jones and Grant

2.All of ourr talent for Crawford and Fizer

3.All our talent for Anybody in a Blazers uniform.

As for this Theo trade if you bring a decent player in then post a trade. Penny is a has been and cant run our offense.

I do agree we cant have a mini mouse backcourt.

Diesel I dont know what to say. I agree with the spirit of your trades. But they are for the most part ridiculous. At least they have started making sense in terms of cap.

PS On the AA board werent you the one always thinking up trades to get Ratliff?

[Guest]

have you watched the Suns at all, kept up with their team, and generally kept on eye on what Penny's been doing - with the exception of explosive athleticism, he fits the bill for what this team needs - a big pg (or combo guard, which is fine) with range, ball handling and play making skills and plays some (D).

[Swopa]

What kind of theory is that? The ship is sinking because it has four holes in it, so why not make it five? Yikes. (Incidentally, why then is Bradley the best fit as the Mavs' center?)

If Ratliff can no longer be the player he was before the hip injury, that's one thing. But generally speaking, the Hawks need MORE players that can play D, not fewer.

The Hawks team that finished last year was arguably much better balanced in that sense. What I saw in my limited exposure to that team was two effective perimeter defenders (DJ and Newble) at the positions where many teams have their best scorers, and who didn't need much feeding offensively, although Johnson in particular hit just enough 3-pointers to create space for Terry and SAR to be effective.

Replacing DJ with Robinson not only hurts the defense, it gives Terry someone else he has to worry about balancing his own scoring with (which may have led to decision-making problems and an inability to find his shooting rhythm).

[Swopa]

... to boost his trade value (whether he's aware of that part or not)?

[Diesel]

In reply to:

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What kind of theory is that? The ship is sinking because it has four holes in it, so why not make it five? Yikes.

---

Actually, that's the wrong way to look at it. The Ship is sinking because we HAVE no Floor Leader. Also, Theo doesn't match this team. He becomes a FOUL MAGNET because we don't have competent defensive players to help him.

So, it's not a fifth hole... It's finding something that will cover all the rest of our holes. A floor Leader will work wonders for JT, Big Dog, and SAR.

My question is WHY NOT?

As far as Why Bradley works... It's quite Simple. Both Nash and Van Exel can play floor leader. Remember, the reason Dallas beats teams is because THEY Outscore them. The are still the Highest PPG averaging team in the league. That's because they have good gaurd play.

Our Gaurd Play Sucks. If we want to be effective, we need to bring in another OG to help JT OR get rid of JT.

If we want to keep Theo... We need to get some players that play defense... Like Eddie Griffin and Dale Davis. We also need a Rebounder!

[Guest]

The thing to keep in mind with the "trade JT" thing though - we'd have to get two ball handlers back in return, or Andre Miller, (unless y'all're ready for DD to run the point full time).

otherwise, we're no better off than we are right now...there aren't that many guys who would be a "significan't upgrade" from JT at either the two or the point...just something to keep in mind.

unless JT is traded for a taller sg (ala Eddie Jones) and we then start DD or Wilks full time at the point, trading him wouldn't put us in better position than we're in now

[mrhonline]

I doubt the Hawks are able to trade anyone in a major deal until mid-February, and, unfortunately, by that point there may be no chance to make the playoffs. If they suddenly learn how to win and play like a team, and have a chance at the playoffs, it's unlikely that anyone would be traded.

So, unless Babcock pulls off a stunner, any trade this year will probably be a free up cap space/build for next year type trades...

[Malignant]

gee you think the motto next year will be 'your playoff bound atlanta hawks' as in another playoff guarantee lol?

[Guest Walter]

In reply to:

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"The Ship is sinking because we HAVE no Floor Leader. Also, Theo doesn't match this team. He becomes a FOUL MAGNET because we don't have competent defensive players to help him."

---

Wow! The best part you "BLAME" Theo because "we don't have competent defensive players to help him". Wow. Then get COMPETENT defensive players don't trade the only COMPETENT one you have!

W

[BlackHawkDown]

You are annoying me with this. Stotts is a great coach. He just isnt the man for the Job. Truth is Lon is an idiot. He couldnt coach any better than Karl. Just because the team is losing doesnt validate your love affair with Freddy Kruger. The Hawks are garbage all around.

I am sure you will find a way to say this is racist I will justsit back and laugh at your stupid remarks still to come

[Guest]

Walter just feels that alot of people have made

LOn to be the TOTAL problem and that is clearly

not the case.I think a coaching change needed

to be made...but it was not 90% of Lon's fault.

[Guest Walter]

I don't think Sotts is any much better or worse than Lon overall, just Lon was never the problem people made him out to be. The main reasons to get rid of Lon were:

1) there wasn't any real benefit to keeping him.

2) to remove the player's scapegoat (right or wrong) and hold them accountable for their play

I don't exactly know what "garbage all-around" means or how that is an indictment against Lon when he obviously did better with the garbage than the "great coach" Stotts is dooing, but I do know that holding the players accountable by removing their ready made scapegoat allows us the greater opportunity to make value judgements individually and perhaps as a team. Here, I suspect, you and I don't disagree.

However, better or worse Stotts is than Kruger, the players are now, rightly under the microscope. However, better or worse Stotts is, Lon has been demonstrated to not be THE problem he was portrayed as being.

...

Not everything you post depicts you as racist, BHD (though we can not escape our predjudices, with one of yours being against white individuals). But how many obviously if not blatantly racist posts must you post to be considered one?!?

Remember, according to you Big Dawg isn't a "sissyballER", like every white player including Chris "effimenent pansy sissyballer" Crawford, he was "sissyballING" and perhaps more importantly it was his white coach's fault!!! How sad. Big Hog is 1000000000000000 times the sissy baller as CC, but, for what seems no other reason than he is black and not white, he can not possibly be a sissyballER. Thus, as your logic appears to extend, he is merely sissyballING. Not to mention, THE (white) MAN is made him act LIKE (but not "BE" because he is black) a white sissyballer. Pathetic.

W

[Diesel]

You didn't watch any games (period).

Did you?

Lon didn't prepare these guys one bit.

All that Stotts have done is started to UNDO everything that Lon did poorly. That takes time. It's like Stotts has to tear down and then rebuild.

But just because Stotts have a losing record thus far doesn't mean that Lon goes blameless. Had we had another coach to start with, we would not have gone through this stretch of Hawks History.

Lon Sucks. Plain and Simple. Had you watched a game, you would know that. Lon didn't make adjustment. Didn't have any play calls. He basically sat on his hand and did nothing. He didn't even motivate. AnD his rotations????? Were "What the [censored] was that Moments".

[Playmaker0017]

What Diesel said is correct.

It is like the economy and Presidents.

People talk about the economic boom of Clinton. All he did was happen to be in office when the internet happened. It is like a coach with a great team.

Now the economy stinks and people think it is Bush's economy... well it isn't... it is still Clinton's. It won't be Bush's for about four years.

The Hawk's coaching is the same. We are still Lon's team.

Give it time.

But, I still say Stotts is NOT the man for the job.

Play.

[Guest Walter]

I didn't say "Lon wasn't the problem". I said "Lon wasn't THE problem". The emphasis on "THE". That would mark exclusivity. Almost like saying Lon was 90% of the problem, nimwit. Oh, and then insisting JT and Theo (and not Big Dawg) were NOW the problem (when previously the players were only 5% of the problem). You've already done all of that of course.

Stotts not only doesn't have a winning record, he has the worse loss of the season (Miami's largest EVER road victory) and even less effort from his players than Lon had. Moreover, our most recent 2 wins have come WITHOUT Big Dawg! And you want to be Big Dawg's biggest apologist, insisting he is not responsible and Lon's biggest critic insisting he is?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?

W

[Guest]

couldn't agree more...see Jimmy Carter's reign - wasn't a bad pres, but the times sucked, so he got the blame...

Lon wasn't the worst, nor the best...but a change needed to be made, and we can't fire the players

Can Robinson break a bone in his hand or something? nothing career ending, just enough to make him sit the rest of the season?