Is Horford THAT valuable to the team?

[gsuteke]

Al goes down and they start stinking up the joint. The low post players haven't been the problem per se but since Al went out it's been all "Woody Ball" as some of us like to describe it.

Al Horford is a leader. I've seen it and also heard it via interviews. Is losing him that big of a deal?

They played better than they are now when Smoove was out. Please don't take that and twist it into a "Who's more valuable Smoove or Horford?" discussion.

I'm just saying.

Are they hitting a wall or is Al's absence that big a deal?

Joe and Bibby's play are the reason they Hawks are where they are over the past week or so, however does Al have an effect?

To hear other fans' opinions Al isn't all that effective/important.

Just throwing it out there.

[mrhonline]

It's probably a little of everything, but I think missing either of the two best bigs - Horford and Smith - creates major problems for the Hawks.

[MrRyda]

Zaza and Solo have been doing respectable jobs, but overall our recent funk is all on JJ. I think the addition of Horf will definitely improve the team chemistry and hopefully get our offense going again. But even so, Joe needs to get his shot going again.

Horford has a much quicker reaction time than Zaza. So that'll be nice to have back.

[thefloydian]

No. This team just has no heart.

[JackB1]

Horford brings a winning attitude. Without him around, they seem to accept losing.

[WraithSentinel]

It is the combo of Smoove and Horford. They both have said they compliment each other very well. It isn't so much Horford we are missing. It is the combo of Horford and Smoove that we are missing. Plus Horford does bring that X-Factor which is the winning attitude. Teams don't be around a player like Horford. He is a cornerstone of a franchise.

[Plainview1981]

Al goes down and they start stinking up the joint. The low post players haven't been the problem per se but since Al went out it's been all "Woody Ball" as some of us like to describe it.

Al Horford is a leader. I've seen it and also heard it via interviews. Is losing him that big of a deal?

They played better than they are now when Smoove was out. Please don't take that and twist it into a "Who's more valuable Smoove or Horford?" discussion.

I'm just saying.

Are they hitting a wall or is Al's absence that big a deal?

Joe and Bibby's play are the reason they Hawks are where they are over the past week or so, however does Al have an effect?

To hear other fans' opinions Al isn't all that effective/important.

Just throwing it out there.

The Hawks have played mediocre since the 6-0 start. Even when he was playing. So I would say no.

[frosgrim]

It is the combo of Smoove and Horford. They both have said they compliment each other very well. It isn't so much Horford we are missing. It is the combo of Horford and Smoove that we are missing. Plus Horford does bring that X-Factor which is the winning attitude. Teams don't be around a player like Horford. He is a cornerstone of a franchise.

I would agree with this. The cumulative effects of Smith and Horford missing significant time have really fatigued the team. JJ and Bibby in slumps can be attributed to too many minutes early in the season and now that has caught with them. Marvin being out here and there hasn't helped either.

[Cwell]

the team was sucking before Horford went out

[HawksBalla]

We can't afford to lose any of Woody's eight-man rotation. Woody has developed the rest of the bench, so when Solo goes from dnp to 15 minutes, I'm not surprised when he starts fouling every play. Or if Law's jumper isnt failing. Or if West passes away the ball like it has the plague.

[crimedog]

When Smith went out we were lights out from beyond the arc. Since Horford has been out, JJ and Bibby's shots have deserted them... We won in NJ when JJ played well and lost again last night when he didn't. Al would certainly help, as we are always in need of good, big bodies, but the problem here seems to be Joe Johnson. We'll win when he plays well and lose when he doesn't.

[Gray Mule]

The Hawks have no heart?

Horford IS the heart of the Hawks.

True, we weren't doing great before he went down. We've missed

various players over the season, due to injuries. Each one is missed

when he has to be out. Each one is important to the overall success

of the team.

[DrReality]

I agree aabout him being the heart of the team and I think he brings a quiet strength that is vital. Ultimately we will see after he comes back next week how much he affects them. I think he consistently does more than the box score shows.

[coachx]

Horford brings a winning attitude. Without him around, they seem to accept losing.

He is also our best man to man post defender hands down. He can man up guys better better then ZaZa and keep them from getting ideal position. Not to mention he protects the rim better then any one but Smith.

ZaZa does and adequate job of keeping guys out of postion in the post but cannot protect the rim.

Solo can protect the rim but he is not big or strong enough to keep bigs out of ideal post position.

Horford basically combines both their strengths into one player on the defensive end, not to mention he is stronger then ZaZa and is superior defensive rebounder to both of them. His offense is a class above too. He actually has some post moves where he is uner control, unlike ZaZa throwing up wild attempts that occaisonly go in when he's lucky. When Al takes a post shot they look like they were supposed to go in.

Al means SO MUCH to this team , it may not all show in the box score but it definately shows up in the win / loss column. I agree he is the heart to our defense and allows Smoove to take more chances on the defensive end b/c the anchor, AL, alwayse has his back............He may not be the heart of the offense but he is the heart of our defense in my opinion.

Edited February 1, 2009 by coachx

[Guest]

Horford basically combines both their strengths into one player on the defensive end, not to mention he is stronger then ZaZa and is superior defensive rebounder to both of them.

Not sure if I agree that Al is stronger than Z. Z is the bigger guy and naturally has an advantage in strength (because he is bigger). Al looks like he has bigger muscles, but Z appears to me to be the stronger of the two. I would point to who matches up better with Shaq as a barometer to their strength. Z doesn't get pushed around as much as Al does and that is why I believe Z is stronger.

[Diesel]

My take on this is that Horf has value to the team... but he's not untradable. If the right deal came along for Horf (and it would have to be for a legit Center with allstar potential) then we'd trade Horf. An Example...

Aldridge for Horf/1st.

I'd do that. Simply because Aldridge's offense is grown up. His defense is OK. He's going to be a player for years to come.

Even Kaman for Horf will get my attention. I admit, I think Kaman has allstar potential.

[gsuteke]

My take on this is that Horf has value to the team... but he's not untradable. If the right deal came along for Horf (and it would have to be for a legit Center with allstar potential) then we'd trade Horf. An Example...

Aldridge for Horf/1st.

the blazers won't trade Aldridge

who the hell was talking about trading Al Horford?

Edited February 2, 2009 by gsuteke

[Traceman]

We can't afford to lose any of Woody's eight-man rotation. Woody has developed the rest of the bench, so when Solo goes from dnp to 15 minutes, I'm not surprised when he starts fouling every play. Or if Law's jumper isnt failing. Or if West passes away the ball like it has the plague.

We MIGHT be okay with one of the top 3 bench guys hurt but we won't win consistently with ANY of the starters missing significant time. The team's biggest strength is that we don't have a real weakness in the starting lineup. All 5 starters have efficiency ratings of 15.77 or better. I don't think there is another team that has all 5 starters above 14.00. That said, we need all 5 guys healthy to be consistently good because we are simply not that deep. Flip has been terrific lately and Zaza, Mo and Solo have been solid but when any of our starters are out for a significant period, this team is dramatically changed.

[HawkItus]

We MIGHT be okay with one of the top 3 bench guys hurt but we won't win consistently with ANY of the starters missing significant time. The team's biggest strength is that we don't have a real weakness in the starting lineup. All 5 starters have efficiency ratings of 15.77 or better. I don't think there is another team that has all 5 starters above 14.00. That said, we need all 5 guys healthy to be consistently good because we are simply not that deep. Flip has been terrific lately and Zaza, Mo and Solo have been solid but when any of our starters are out for a significant period, this team is dramatically changed.

Totally agree. Our starting 5 are like major internal organs. We need every one of them

functioning to survive.

[coachx]

Not sure if I agree that Al is stronger than Z. Z is the bigger guy and naturally has an advantage in strength (because he is bigger). Al looks like he has bigger muscles, but Z appears to me to be the stronger of the two. I would point to who matches up better with Shaq as a barometer to their strength. Z doesn't get pushed around as much as Al does and that is why I believe Z is stronger.

I guess we have been watching different games ?

I see ZaZa falling and flopping on the floor all the time. Maybe he is just goofy like that or has less balance ? Either way, I rarely see Horford getting thrown around or "flopping" as ZaZa does. When ZaZa does hold his ground other centers seem to still shoot over him easier then they do Horford. Maybe b/c Horford actually jumps at times......

Again, that just what my eyes tell me but we are obviously not watching the same Hawks.