My thoughts on the season

[Plainview1981]

I've watched a fairly good bit of the games and some things I've noticed:

1.The team misses Childress pretty badly. The hustle and defense has dropped off a tad since he's been out. He truly is an impact player off the bench.

2.Speedy Claxton is garbage. This guy is just awful! It's about what I figured... He's small, injury prone, and he can't shoot a lick. It's easy to see now why he's not an NBA starter.

3.Having both Claxton and Josh Smith in the startling lineup is hold the team back on offense. I thought people said Smoove has a better jumpshot that he did as a rookie? It seems like he misses nearly every jumpshot he attempts.

The problem is that he's fell in love with it and has become soft on the offensive end. I think he'd be more effective on a team like the Lakers. For everything he does well he has a weakness in the same area.

-Good passer/Poor ball handler

-Good shot blocker/Poor man on man defense

-Good dunker/Isn't aggressive enough taking to the basket with the exception of fastbreaks

The Hawks currently don't have enough skilled players at the other positions to afford to start Smoove. Having two offensive weak links like he and Speedy is putting a huge strain on JJ.

4.This team is .500 because of hustle and JJ. The team is pretty awful on offense... The basket area most of all. Sadly, reality is going to settle in on this west coast trip

that hustle and JJ aren't enough.

5.Tyrone Lue has also been very important and has more than earned the contract he got.

The team needs a more explosive offensive player at the PG spot and Marvin needs to be an impact player. That's the only way Smoove and ZaZa can remain starters on the team.

I'm not totally surprised by what has happend. I figured the team would be alittle better, but JJ has so much on him right now that he'll struggle in the second half of the year

if things continue at this pace.

6.Lastly, I think JJ has earned the right to be called the 6th best SG behind Kobe, Lebron, Tmac, Wade, and AI. Just ahead of Ray Allen and Paul Pierce.

I stand by my prediction of 32 wins.

[AtLaS]

imo this team has played pretty well. We've had opportunities to win every game except the Orlando one and we've lost a few OT games. Free throws are responsible for at LEAST 2 losses, probably more. This is also with injuries to Marvin, Childress and Speedy, that sounds pretty good to me.

You're right Marvin HAS to become a goto guy, maybe not this year, but soon. He was #2 overall and his position was unneeded.

Smoove would be playing much better if our pg play improves, he just can't create a shot right now. His shot will start falling, he's just lost confidence in it recently.

I just want Speedy to get healthy. I keep hearing about his knees, but damn don't play if you're hurt. He's HURTING the team right now. If his knees are hurt he just needs to sit out a few games and rest. He has played pretty good defense though.

Zaza needs to quit traveling. I swear he gets called for traveling like twice a game.

[KB21]

Speedy only hurts the team offensively, and that's because he's not a threat to shoot the ball. However, he sets the tone for the team defensively. He's an infinitely better defender than Ty Lue at the point guard position. Speedy is a great one on one defender as well as team defender at the point guard position. He knows when he needs to pressure the ball and when he needs to sag off and help. He plays the passing lanes well and collects 2-3 steals everytime out. The Hawks are probably 8-10 points better defensively with Speedy on the court.

[exodus]

Pretty reasonable analysis overall. I think you may be a little too rough on Claxton and Smoove though.

I don't think Claxton could possibly stay this bad once he gets healthy and comfortable being here.

I think Smith is a different story, more of a mental issue. I think he sees himself as a guy who could average near 20 ppg and obviously that is not the case. He worked hard on his shot and it showed early in the year. He was making his open shots consistently.

Problem was that he was taking a lot of shots when he wasn't open. He needs time to get lined up and get his shot off. When he rushes he simply isn't a good shooter. The misses started piling up and it hurt his confidence. Now it just looks like he is shortarming all his jumpers.

I think he will be a good shooter IF he learns good shot selection and accepts the fact that his role is to be a complementary scorer.

[Plainview1981]

Quote:

---

Speedy only hurts the team offensively, and that's because he's not a threat to shoot the ball. However, he sets the tone for the team defensively. He's an infinitely better defender than Ty Lue at the point guard position. Speedy is a great one on one defender as well as team defender at the point guard position. He knows when he needs to pressure the ball and when he needs to sag off and help. He plays the passing lanes well and collects 2-3 steals everytime out. The Hawks are probably 8-10 points better defensively with Speedy on the court.

---

You can't have 3 guys starting that are pretty much unskilled as offensive scorers. You can't win games that way. One of Speedy, ZaZa, or Smoove has to go and be replaced by a more explosive player.

[Plainview1981]

Quote:

---

imo this team has played pretty well. We've had opportunities to win every game except the Orlando one and we've lost a few OT games. Free throws are responsible for at LEAST 2 losses, probably more. This is also with injuries to Marvin, Childress and Speedy, that sounds pretty good to me.

You're right Marvin HAS to become a goto guy, maybe not this year, but soon. He was #2 overall and his position was unneeded.

Smoove would be playing much better if our pg play improves, he just can't create a shot right now. His shot will start falling, he's just lost confidence in it recently.

I just want Speedy to get healthy. I keep hearing about his knees, but damn don't play if you're hurt. He's HURTING the team right now. If his knees are hurt he just needs to sit out a few games and rest. He has played pretty good defense though.

Zaza needs to quit traveling. I swear he gets called for traveling like twice a game.

---

ZaZa does commit too many offensive fouls and it kills the flow of the offense at times. The problem though is that this team doesn't have enough guys that can create offense.

Having one or two guys on the roster that can create their own shot will not get it done if you expect to win 50-60 games in the future.

Oh, that white dude that shoots 3's needs to go... He makes those clumsy fouls that Hanno used to make... Lorenzen Wrights sucks now also.

[KB21]

You can't ignore defense either, and chances are, Smoove will go to the bench when Marvin is ready to go.

[Plainview1981]

Quote:

---

You can't ignore defense either, and chances are, Smoove will go to the bench when Marvin is ready to go.

---

Defense isn't going to matter if your best player is wore out in the second half of the year from having to do just about everything on offense. There is no reason to believe that Speedy is going to remain healthy... I think the hawks need a more explosive offensive player at that position.

You can't start 3 mediocre offensive players like Speedy, S.Williams, ZaZa and expect to win. I know ZaZa has some good offensive games, but he doesn't have the skill set to be able to count on him night in and night out. Same for Speedy and S.Williams.

Just in case you haven't noticed, offenses are improving and you need to be able to score points. It's not like 3 years ago when you could score 90PPG and expect to win.

[AtLaS]

That's why we have been so turnover prone. And it's forcing Zaza and Smoove to create shots or force up bad ones, which in turn causes turnovers. In the past we at least had JJ and Al or Al and Walker to go to. We're better without them but that's why Smoove was less turnover prone. It's also why Lue has become such an important part of our team. Marvin HAS to become a goto guy.

I mean someone other than JJ HAS to shoot when those players are in the game. What would everyone say if Speedy was jacking up those shots? Or Shelden? It's why Smoove is getting bashed so much. He essentially IS a rookie season, because he's never been looked at to be a goto guy, and with all the injuries he is forced to do that now.

[Packfill]

Quote:

---

That's why we have been so turnover prone. And it's forcing Zaza and Smoove to create shots or force up bad ones, which in turn causes turnovers. In the past we at least had JJ and Al or Al and Walker to go to. We're better without them but that's why Smoove was less turnover prone. It's also why Lue has become such an important part of our team. Marvin HAS to become a goto guy.

I mean someone other than JJ HAS to shoot when those players are in the game. What would everyone say if Speedy was jacking up those shots? Or Shelden? It's why Smoove is getting bashed so much. He essentially IS a rookie season, because he's never been looked at to be a goto guy, and with all the injuries he is forced to do that now.

---

I think the Hawks need a point guard or other playmaker who can make passes that put the team's offensively challenged players in position to score without having to make any moves with the ball. I think Speedy has show flashes of that type of playmaking ability but it is impossible to rely on him at this point. BK needs to bring in a real point guard soon to take advantage of the athletes the team has.

[DrReality]

I agree about a pg. Speedy has shown some flashes . . . . and I think the jury is still out on him. But given his history, he's not dependable night in and night out.

[CBAreject]

Last year, Speedy put up 28 or 29 on us when we played the Hornets. He was a great penetrator, and he had a decent mid-range jumper. He didn't shoot many 3's, but he scored at will.

[Plainview1981]

Quote:

---

Last year, Speedy put up 28 or 29 on us when we played the Hornets. He was a great penetrator, and he had a decent mid-range jumper. He didn't shoot many 3's, but he scored at will.

---

Speedy wouldn't be the first and will not be the last average player to have good games againest the Hawks. I mean, the likes of Anthony Johnson and Tyus Edey have kicked the Hawks @ss before. Doesn't mean anything.