Fire Billy Knight first By Jeff Schultz

[Duff_Man]

I would also like to add: The NY sports media is so overratred. Philly is FAR worse.

[DrReality]

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If you’re an Atlanta Spirit partner, do you going to trust Billy Knight to make a move?

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Yep. Great paper right there. AJC is a total dirt rag. I usually like Shultz, too. Pretty obvious their editors are non-existant.

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I share some of that sentiment and it is more obvious now that there are so many sport sites where info can be had. The live in a fish bowl.

[Gray Mule]

Billy Knight - AKA - BusyBoyIsBack is upset because he

can't make moves because the ownership has his hands tied

or he can't find a deal out there to his liking.

He's upset because this idea comes after an impressive win?

Perhaps it should have come 24 hrs sooner?

He's upset because the media points out that he pased up

not one, but two players who made the all star team

while one of his high draft picks sits, recieving a

DNP-Coaches Decision. The player selected instead of

one who is an all star.

He's upset because the cry from his only All Star player

before the season began that more help, big inside help,

was ignored and now Woody's request is apparently falling

on deaf ears.

One size fits all - That's the roster for the Hawks.

Who selected all these players? Yep. He did.

Woody gets a lot of well earned criticism for his ability

or non abiltiy as a coach. It's time that his GM, who

is responsible for all the players on the Hawks roster,

recieved his share of the blame. Spread it around. Don't

forget the ownership who seem to be in over their head.

They deserve some of the static to. There's enough

blame to go around - Everyone should get their share!

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[Guest Walter]

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Billy Knight - AKA - BusyBoyIsBack is upset because he

can't make moves because the ownership has his hands tied

or he can't find a deal out there to his liking.

He's upset because this idea comes after an impressive win?

Perhaps it should have come 24 hrs sooner?

He's upset because the media points out that he pased up

not one, but two players who made the all star team

while one of his high draft picks sits, recieving a

DNP-Coaches Decision. The player selected instead of

one who is an all star.

He's upset because the cry from his only All Star player

before the season began that more help, big inside help,

was ignored and now Woody's request is apparently falling

on deaf ears.

One size fits all - That's the roster for the Hawks.

Who selected all these players? Yep. He did.

Woody gets a lot of well earned criticism for his ability

or non abiltiy as a coach. It's time that his GM, who

is responsible for all the players on the Hawks roster,

recieved his share of the blame. Spread it around. Don't

forget the ownership who seem to be in over their head.

They deserve some of the static to. There's enough

blame to go around - Everyone should get their share!

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[TheNorthCydeRises]

Even I agree that BK should be fired before Woody.

The Sixers did it with their BK, Billy King. The Iverson trade pretty much took away the one thing that Philly fans came to see, even if they were tired of Iverson's "act". Now, they have the worst attendance in the league because that trade didn't make them any better. And it definitely made them less exciting.

You can only blame Cheeks to a certain point. The GM has to take the brunt of the blame for Philly's situation.

They problem with our fan base, is that people think we can be highly successful with the talent we have. But just about everyone agrees that we may not have the right mix of talent, big, physical teams give us major problems, or that good low post players and/or PGs create misatches against us.

So it's solely up to the coach to overcome those deficiencies, because the GM or the ownership, doesn't ncessarily want to spend more money or trade young talent to fix the problem.

[TheNorthCydeRises]

Wow . . look at Gray veering from his calm demeanor.

[pimp]

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I think Atlanta fans/media may be borderline more negative than New York media/fans.

We are the 7th seed in the East after jockeying for playoff position with the Nets, and have one of the youngest most talented rosters in the entire NBA.

I can't believe I even waste my time reading ish like this but it's just beyond aggravating that people could be this clueless and unappreciative

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lol @ jockeying playoff position!

If i was a player, i would be ashamed to make the playoffs with a losing record.Because deep inside you know you don't really belong there.

[BusBoyIsBack]

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lol @ jockeying playoff position!

If i was a player, i would be ashamed to make the playoffs with a losing record.Because deep inside you know you don't really belong there.

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Are you kidding? What type of competitor would not want to make the playoffs? Talk about something to build on next year. Not to mention, anything can happen in the post-season.

Remember the St. Louis Cardinals who backed into the post-season? Yeah last time I checked they won the World Series.

You have to be crazy to not want this team to make the playoffs. ESPECIALLY if we get a matchup we could have a legit shot at winning like Orlando a team we match up well with.

Even if we have to get steam rolled by the Pistons/Celtics, these guys just need to get the taste of the post-season.

I can't believe this ridiculous pessimism after a win.

[BusBoyIsBack]

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Play well on a consistent basis. Even with that, this team "as is" lacks potential.

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How can you honestly say this team lacks potential????

There isn't another young roster in the entire conference with more considerable upside than the Hawks. That upside is the main reason why everyone should be positive.

Josh Smith doesn't have upside? The kid could be freaking Vince Carter on O, Ben Wallace on D.

Marvin Williams doesn't have upside? If he continues to play with intensity he could easily be a 20/6 type of guy.

Al Horford doesn't have potential?

Acie Law doesn't have potential?

All those guys are 21 and 22 with ridiculous combined upside.

[pimp]

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I can't believe this ridiculous pessimism after a win.

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Well lets look at our last 2 wins.

We beat the Sonic while they were on a 12 game losing streak, and we just beat the Nets, who just came off of an 8 game losing streak.

Do you really get excited about beating 2 teams that are playing worst than us???

[Guest Walter]

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I can't believe this ridiculous pessimism after a win.

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Well lets look at our last 2 wins.

We beat the Sonic while they were on a 12 game losing streak, and we just beat the Nets, who just came off of an 8 game losing streak.

Do you really get excited about beating 2 teams that are playing worst than us???

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If you are BK, I mean BusBoyIsBack, you do.

I don't understand it either. After 5 years of this every d@mn one of us should be applauding Schultz. Even Memphis has and I quote a "2-3 year plan, not a 4-5 year plan" to rebuild. If only...

W

W

[Plainview1981]

Al Horford doesn't have potential?

Acie Law doesn't have potential?

All those guys are 21 and 22 with ridiculous combined upside.

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Josh Smith doesn't have upside? The kid could be freaking Vince Carter on O, Ben Wallace on D.

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He is about as good as he can get. He is still a weak link on the offensive end. On a team with more developed talent I can't see him averaging anywhere near 18PPG.

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Marvin Williams doesn't have upside? If he continues to play with intensity he could easily be a 20/6 type of guy.

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He can't even draw double teams. Statwise he is putting up 15/5, but he doesn't appear to scare the other teams.

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Al Horford doesn't have potential?

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It doesn't appear he can do anything other than rebound. His offensive game appears to be nowhere to be found, and he fouls all the time, and really isn't as good of a defensive player as people make him out to be.

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Acie Law doesn't have potential?

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He hasn't shown anything but in like one or two games this year.

[Atlantaholic]

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Play well on a consistent basis. Even with that, this team "as is" lacks potential.

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How can you honestly say this team lacks potential????

There isn't another young roster in the entire conference with more considerable upside than the Hawks. That upside is the main reason why everyone should be positive.

Josh Smith doesn't have upside? The kid could be freaking Vince Carter on O, Ben Wallace on D.

Marvin Williams doesn't have upside? If he continues to play with intensity he could easily be a 20/6 type of guy.

Al Horford doesn't have potential?

Acie Law doesn't have potential?

All those guys are 21 and 22 with ridiculous combined upside.

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Putting together a team isn't about fielding a team of 7 lottery pick forwards... Horford is a PF, so is Shelden so is Smoove. We have no centers on the roster and our only PG playing well is a 33 Yo back up who will leave the team next year...

It's not difficult to field a team of 21 YO players with good potential. You want to know how this is achieved??? you suck hard for five years in a row... Most teams don't have our same "young" talent because they have been busy actually BUILDING a team... You think it's some kind of freak coincidence that the team with the best "young talent" in the east (for four years and running) is the Atlanta Hawks... the same team that hasn't made the playoffs in a decade????

BK is a freaking joke. People defended him by saying "LOL... look at what he did in Memphis. He build that team but got no credit for it"... Well, I don't see any of his supporters clamoring for him to get credit for building that joke of a team that made the playoffs twice just to get embarrassed. Looks like he is building us to have a similar fate... but yeah, all of the supporters are right. Every fan of the hawks is a joke and a pessimist. I mean, wanting a GM who hasn't sniffed an iota of success, and hasn't come close to being in the vicinity of acceptable throughout any time that he has spent in the NBA is "pessimist"

WHAT A JOKE!

[BusBoyIsBack]

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Putting together a team isn't about fielding a team of 7 lottery pick forwards... Horford is a PF, so is Shelden so is Smoove. We have no centers on the roster and our only PG playing well is a 33 Yo back up who will leave the team next year...

It's not difficult to field a team of 21 YO players with good potential. You want to know how this is achieved??? you suck hard for five years in a row... Most teams don't have our same "young" talent because they have been busy actually BUILDING a team... You think it's some kind of freak coincidence that the team with the best "young talent" in the east (for four years and running) is the Atlanta Hawks... the same team that hasn't made the playoffs in a decade????

BK is a freaking joke. People defended him by saying "LOL... look at what he did in Memphis. He build that team but got no credit for it"... Well, I don't see any of his supporters clamoring for him to get credit for building that joke of a team that made the playoffs twice just to get embarrassed. Looks like he is building us to have a similar fate... but yeah, all of the supporters are right. Every fan of the hawks is a joke and a pessimist. I mean, wanting a GM who hasn't sniffed an iota of success, and hasn't come close to being in the vicinity of acceptable throughout any time that he has spent in the NBA is "pessimist"

WHAT A JOKE!

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Actually not "everyone" thinks that. Only pessimistic Hawks fans.

Everyone else thinks that this team has a very promising future.

Even many people bashing us in their pre-season predictions stated that they thought it was just one more year before we turned things around.

Other teams around the league see it, coaches see it, scouts see it.

Only our doom and gloom fans don't see it.

There are 8 teams in the East with a worse record than us. None of them have as promising a young roster as we do.

Hell Orlando and Cleveland are the only two young playoff teams in the East and neither are as young and talented across the board as we are.

[BusBoyIsBack]

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He is about as good as he can get. He is still a weak link on the offensive end. On a team with more developed talent I can't see him averaging anywhere near 18PPG.

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So a 22 year old kid who has improved his efficiency every single year has maxed out his improvement? Brilliant!

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He can't even draw double teams. Statwise he is putting up 15/5, but he doesn't appear to scare the other teams.

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He doesn't HAVE to draw double teams. Does everyone get double teamed that scores on the Pistons/Spurs? THe point to being a balanced team is having multiple weapons that can win one on one matchups and/or knock down open shots.

He's averaging 21/6 in his last 5 games, he's the youngest player on the team, and another who has increased his efficiency every year, yet he's peaked at 21.

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It doesn't appear he can do anything other than rebound. His offensive game appears to be nowhere to be found, and he fouls all the time, and really isn't as good of a defensive player as people make him out to be.

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A rookie that fouls all the time? Imagine that? No offensive upside shown? No AL HOrford has never shown the face up base line jumper. He's never shown that. No he's never shown us a back to the basket game. He's only averaging nearly a double double as a rookie while not being featured but he's maxed out his potential.

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He hasn't shown anything but in like one or two games this year.

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Showing flashes of brilliance isn't showing flashes of potential. Of course not. Neither is showing that you have physical skills that translate to the next level. For instance that you can dribble and even penetrate to the hole when that was one of the biggest questions about you making the transition. It means it is a fluke and he's also maxed out as a rookie

Wow we are the first team in NBA history (or sports history for that matter) with all these players who max out their potential at 21 and 22

Lol with beyond absurd logic like this, no wonder you guys are so doom and gloom.

[bumpyphish1]

I COMPLETELY DISAGREE WITH THE ASSERTION THAT BK SHOULD BE FIRED BEFORE WOODSON. ARE YOU TELLING ME THAT A BETTER COACH WOULDN'T HAVE GOTTEN MORE FROM THESE PLAYERS - ESP. OFFENSIVELY? IN THE WORDS OF CLAY DAVIS, SHEEEEEEIIIIIIIIIIIIIIT. BK HAS MADE SOME REALLY GOOD DECISIONS. THE ONLY ONE HE TOTALLY SCREWED UP ON WAS SHELDEN OVER ROY, FOYE, ET AL LAST SEASON. OTHERWISE, I COULD DEFEND EVERY PICK HE HAS MADE. REMEMBER, AGREEING WITH SCHULTZ USUALLY ISN'T A GOOD THING.

PEACE.

[Guest Walter]

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Everyone else thinks that this team has a very promising future.

Even many people bashing us in their pre-season predictions stated that they thought it was just one more year before we turned things around.

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First, the "turn it around" part refers to reaching lesser mediocrity! We've sucked so bad for so long mediocrity would seem like a perfect Patriot season to some. However, we all know the d@mning nature of mediocrity in the NBA.

Second, what are we going to turn it around WITH?!? We are a dysfunctional team of forwards, which does not have it's 1st rd pick, which is (if fortunate) about to spend the money it puts towards 3 contributing role players towards an existing one of THREE lottery pick Pfs, which is about to lose AT LEAST Childress and/or MW due. We still don't have center. The pg position is still questionable.

We are likely a 35 win, skill set and positionally flawed team who is about lose capitol being at the point of rookie contracts ending AND WE HAVE NO MORE CAPITOL COMING TO US!

We could decide to suck for the next 10 years and similarly have a "promising, young" 30 win team. This is no accomplishment. In the NBA it's called the road to mediocrity. Teams that succeed this road of rebuilding aren't still sputtering and stalling at the time rookie contracts come up.

The difference may seem insignificant to a blind, naive some but the Portland's of the NBA make IT. The Hawks with BK's leadership make lesser mediocrity.

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[DrReality]

We do have talent on the floor. No question and probably enough to make it to the playoffs.

BUT . . . we do not have leadership throughout the entire organization.

Woody stands there night after night looking lost, befuddled.

BK is a shadow man that evades the press, has a terrible reputation publically and provides no leadership to the team or coach in his presence publically. And this has to be done becasue the NBA is a public/fan commodity.

And then there is the ownership. I won't even go there.

My point is that it is impossible for the team to reach their potential when the organization above them lacks any sense of competency and integrity. I can only imagine what it feels like to be one of the players with all of this going on around them. No wonder they have a hard time having confidence.

[Vol4ever]

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I COMPLETELY DISAGREE WITH THE ASSERTION THAT BK SHOULD BE FIRED BEFORE WOODSON. ARE YOU TELLING ME THAT A BETTER COACH WOULDN'T HAVE GOTTEN MORE FROM THESE PLAYERS - ESP. OFFENSIVELY? IN THE WORDS OF CLAY DAVIS, SHEEEEEEIIIIIIIIIIIIIIT. BK HAS MADE SOME REALLY GOOD DECISIONS. THE ONLY ONE HE TOTALLY SCREWED UP ON WAS SHELDEN OVER ROY, FOYE, ET AL LAST SEASON. OTHERWISE, I COULD DEFEND EVERY PICK HE HAS MADE. REMEMBER, AGREEING WITH SCHULTZ USUALLY ISN'T A GOOD THING.

PEACE.

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You don't get it. This roster doesn't work at this point and BK is the one person responsible. BK had Horford fall into his lap this year or he would have screwed that one up too.

[Plainview1981]

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So a 22 year old kid who has improved his efficiency every single year has maxed out his improvement? Brilliant!

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He still has little ball handling ability, can't play defense (only shot block. He has Theo Ratliff syndrome) no jumpshot, and no postup game.

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He doesn't HAVE to draw double teams. Does everyone get double teamed that scores on the Pistons/Spurs? THe point to being a balanced team is having multiple weapons that can win one on one matchups and/or knock down open shots.

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Balance? Where is all this balance the Hawks have on the offensive end? They average 93PPG. He supposed to be our second best scorer and he was picked with the 2nd pick in the draft. He should be able to draw double teams.

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He's averaging 21/6 in his last 5 games, he's the youngest player on the team, and another who has increased his efficiency every year, yet he's peaked at 21.

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Yeah, because a 5 game stretch means alot. You throw around the word "efficiency" trying to make it sound like more than it is. Even with this so called "improved efficiency" he still can't do anything other than shoot. His rebounding numbers are still weak.

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A rookie that fouls all the time? Imagine that? No offensive upside shown? No AL HOrford has never shown the face up base line jumper. He's never shown that. No he's never shown us a back to the basket game. He's only averaging nearly a double double as a rookie while not being featured but he's maxed out his potential.

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Where is this face up base line jumper? Where is this back to the basket game? If he could do these things with any consistency he would be averaging more than a lousy 9PPG.

{quote]Showing flashes of brilliance isn't showing flashes of potential. Of course not. Neither is showing that you have physical skills that translate to the next level. For instance that you can dribble and even penetrate to the hole when that was one of the biggest questions about you making the transition. It means it is a fluke and he's also maxed out as a rookie

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He can't even earn time over Anthony Johnson and Tyrone Lue. He has not much more potential than a Marcus Banks had. He will probably head down the same road. People always assume that young players are going to improve by leaps and bounds.

Lastly, one thing to remember is that when I say this team lacks potential alot of that is because the team has no PG and no center. There is also very little talent on the bench. However, the lack of talent at the PG and big man spots can really hold a team back and part of the "lack of potential".

If this roster was half of what the people here think it is they wouldn't have lost to that Clippers team without their 3 best players. Losses like that really makes the Hawks so called "great "potential" look overrated.