This team doesn't have the will night and night out to be a real winner.

[Plainview1981]

Regardless of what people think of the talent on this team I think everybody should be in agreement by now that this team isn't making the commitment to play hard night in and night out. A good start is only that.... A good start. It's an 82 game season and a team must play with effort most nights and the effort of this team has started to slip and it started with the Rockets game when the team played lazy, sloppy, and were outworked most of the game. Since then, they have NOT played with the effort required of being a top team. The players on this team are lazy and not committed to winning at an elite level. This is not an untalented team, and I know there are talented players here even when I get upset at them. But I haven't been convinced that this team can play with heart every night and so far they've proven that to be true.

It takes more than a good start to become a top team. After the 6-0 start last year, the Hawks returned to the inconsistent form that continues to plague this team. While this team started off well and did it differently than last year, the things the two starts had in common was EFFORT. Early in the season Josh/AL and even JJ was hitting the boards really hard. Since then, every bodies play has took a step back. Due to the lack of a center more beef in the middle, this team does have to work harder than teams like Boston, Orlando and even SA.... But this team isn't willing to maintain that effort. The team must find some size to start at center which means Al, Marvin or Josh needs to go. I know people don't like Josh at SF... But he is NOT a real PF, and this team is NOT going to reach consistency with it's current team.

The bottom line is this team looks good when they're giving all the effort, but when this team isn't playing hard or they lack energy... They got little else to fall back on considering this team can't shoot or rebound. This team has to work harder than the other contending teams and when they don't work harder they look awful because this team is structurally flawed. It's not all the players fault. Despite the record, Billy Knight built this team poorly. No matter who coaches this team... It will still have the same big flaw on the defensive end and of course rebounding. Size needs to be on the shopping list at the all star break and in the off season. If that means trading AL then so be it.

[itsslomotionbaby]

Regardless of what people think of the talent on this team I think everybody should be in agreement by now that this team isn't making the commitment to play hard night in and night out. A good start is only that.... A good start. It's an 82 game season and a team must play with effort most nights and the effort of this team has started to slip and it started with the Rockets game when the team played lazy, sloppy, and were outworked most of the game. Since then, they have NOT played with the effort required of being a top team. The players on this team are lazy and not committed to winning at an elite level. This is not an untalented team, and I know there are talented players here even when I get upset at them. But I haven't been convinced that this team can play with heart every night and so far they've proven that to be true.

It takes more than a good start to become a top team. After the 6-0 start last year, the Hawks returned to the inconsistent form that continues to plague this team. While this team started off well and did it differently than last year, the things the two starts had in common was EFFORT. Early in the season Josh/AL and even JJ was hitting the boards really hard. Since then, every bodies play has took a step back. Due to the lack of a center more beef in the middle, this team does have to work harder than teams like Boston, Orlando and even SA.... But this team isn't willing to maintain that effort. The team must find some size to start at center which means Al, Marvin or Josh needs to go. I know people don't like Josh at SF... But he is NOT a real PF, and this team is NOT going to reach consistency with it's current team.

The bottom line is this team looks good when they're giving all the effort, but when this team isn't playing hard or they lack energy... They got little else to fall back on considering this team can't shoot or rebound. This team has to work harder than the other contending teams and when they don't work harder they look awful because this team is structurally flawed. It's not all the players fault. Despite the record, Billy Knight built this team poorly. No matter who coaches this team... It will still have the same big flaw on the defensive end and of course rebounding. Size needs to be on the shopping list at the all star break and in the off season. If that means trading AL then so be it.

i was just relenting in my mind a minute ago, whays all the fasination with zaza when we could get one of those euro players thats 6 tt. 10 that could shoot thr 3 pointer.

[itsslomotionbaby]

their is just no excuse as to why zaza for as many minutes as he gets cant put the ball in the basket 5 times a night. he has been around what five yrs. now.

[HawksFan87]

Same ol bs from you, Pass!!!

[Atlantaholic]

their is just no excuse as to why zaza for as many minutes as he gets cant put the ball in the basket 5 times a night. he has been around what five yrs. now.

Zaza gets like 13 minutes a game man, no way should you expect him to score 10 points in 13 minutes.

[jerrywest]

After the 6-0 start last year, the Hawks returned to the inconsistent form that continues to plague this team.

If you pray real hard, may be Smoove will twist his ankle like last year, we will go on a tail-spin.

[DJlaysitup]

Regardless of what people think of the talent on this team I think everybody should be in agreement by now that this team isn't making the commitment to play hard night in and night out....

To be fair, we seem to hit peaks and valleys depending on our shooting. The Hawks are still a very perimeter oriented offensive team. We just don't have the horses inside to consistently run any kind of post up plays. But, we are good enough inside to hold our own when JJ/Bibby/Craw are hitting..add in some steal/dunks and alleyoop/dunks by JS and we can look awesome. But as with any perimeter team - when the shots aren't falling we are in trouble.

That was really shown last game against the Pistons.

Really it's been a while since I've seen a team that has a starting front line of 6-9 1/2, 6-8, 6-9ish.

Edited December 2, 2009 by DJlaysitup

[TheNorthCydeRises]

LOL . . . since this post, Cleveland has gotten blown out by the Bobcats, Denver lost to Minnesota, and the top team in the league ( Phoenix ) loses by 27 points against the Knicks.

The only things the Hawks have shown so for is . . .

- Orlando may be the one or two teams that we don't match up well with

- They play great at home ( .750 winning percentage or better )

- They may merely be a mediocre team ( around .500 ) on the road, instead of a bad road team

In other words, they're playing like a good 50+ win playoff team, instead of a great 60+ win championship caliber team.

[Atlantaholic]

LOL . . . since this post, Cleveland has gotten blown out by the Bobcats, Denver lost to Minnesota, and the top team in the league ( Phoenix ) loses by 27 points against the Knicks.

The only things the Hawks have shown so for is . . .

- Orlando may be the one or two teams that we don't match up well with

- They play great at home ( .750 winning percentage or better )

- They may merely be a mediocre team ( around .500 ) on the road, instead of a bad road team

In other words, they're playing like a good 50+ win playoff team, instead of a great 60+ win championship caliber team.

I don't know what you have been watching but we have not played like a 50 win team the last six games. More like a 30 win team... We got handled by an injury riddled New Orleans and Detroit team, barely beat a slumping Rockets team and got embarassed by Orlando on national tv. The only convincing win was against a team that is probably the second worst team in the east right now.

We are obviously probably not as bad as we look right now, but we are probably no where near as good as we looked the first three weeks of the season.

[Buzzard]

LOL . . . since this post, Cleveland has gotten blown out by the Bobcats, Denver lost to Minnesota, and the top team in the league ( Phoenix ) loses by 27 points against the Knicks.

The only things the Hawks have shown so for is . . .

- Orlando may be the one or two teams that we don't match up well with

- They play great at home ( .750 winning percentage or better )

- They may merely be a mediocre team ( around .500 ) on the road, instead of a bad road team

In other words, they're playing like a good 50+ win playoff team, instead of a great 60+ win championship caliber team.

Seventeen games is way to early to declare us a .500 team on the road. If its not, I guess I can declare us a .333 team on the road by using our last seven games for a sample size. Last 7 games:

Home record 3 and 1 .750

Road record 1 and 2 .333

We really have not proven anything this season; other than the fact we can compete with the best teams in the league and turn around and lose to a lottery looking team in almost the same breath. I think we are looking like a 4th seed; which is what I thought at the beginning of the season. And quite possibly a bad road team, which I thought was a critical area for us to improve on, once again.

[sillent]

Regardless of what people think of the talent on this team I think everybody should be in agreement by now that this team isn't making the commitment to play hard night in and night out. A good start is only that.... A good start. It's an 82 game season and a team must play with effort most nights and the effort of this team has started to slip and it started with the Rockets game when the team played lazy, sloppy, and were outworked most of the game. Since then, they have NOT played with the effort required of being a top team. The players on this team are lazy and not committed to winning at an elite level. This is not an untalented team, and I know there are talented players here even when I get upset at them. But I haven't been convinced that this team can play with heart every night and so far they've proven that to be true.

It takes more than a good start to become a top team. After the 6-0 start last year, the Hawks returned to the inconsistent form that continues to plague this team. While this team started off well and did it differently than last year, the things the two starts had in common was EFFORT. Early in the season Josh/AL and even JJ was hitting the boards really hard. Since then, every bodies play has took a step back. Due to the lack of a center more beef in the middle, this team does have to work harder than teams like Boston, Orlando and even SA.... But this team isn't willing to maintain that effort. The team must find some size to start at center which means Al, Marvin or Josh needs to go. I know people don't like Josh at SF... But he is NOT a real PF, and this team is NOT going to reach consistency with it's current team.

The bottom line is this team looks good when they're giving all the effort, but when this team isn't playing hard or they lack energy... They got little else to fall back on considering this team can't shoot or rebound. This team has to work harder than the other contending teams and when they don't work harder they look awful because this team is structurally flawed. It's not all the players fault. Despite the record, Billy Knight built this team poorly. No matter who coaches this team... It will still have the same big flaw on the defensive end and of course rebounding. Size needs to be on the shopping list at the all star break and in the off season. If that means trading AL then so be it.

I agree with everything but the bold statements. Our lack of consistency( ball movement, effort, hustle, defense) is our biggest problem. When you think about it these are not big problems to solve. Bibby, JJ, Crawford, Marvin, Evans and Teague are pretty good shooters any where on the court. When we rebound as a team and box out we have no problem in that department. When we are defending and helping we boast one of the hardest teams to score against because of our height(switching) and athleticism. Our problem is when our shots aren't falling we rarely have that Flip Murray( Teague/Marvin) instinct to take it in strong drive, get to the foul line and make our foul shots. Once we get more of that bully mentality like a Paul Pierce, Lebron James, Dwayne Wade, Kobe Bryant's, Dwight Howard's our inconsistency's will be a lot less and it will be easier to step up when our strengths (ball movement, defense, fast break's/easy buckets, team rebounding, shooting) aren't working for us.

[Plainview1981]

I agree with everything but the bold statements. Our lack of consistency( ball movement, effort, hustle, defense) is our biggest problem. When you think about it these are not big problems to solve. Bibby, JJ, Crawford, Marvin, Evans and Teague are pretty good shooters any where on the court. When we rebound as a team and box out we have no problem in that department. When we are defending and helping we boast one of the hardest teams to score against because of our height(switching) and athleticism. Our problem is when our shots aren't falling we rarely have that Flip Murray( Teague/Marvin) instinct to take it in strong drive, get to the foul line and make our foul shots. Once we get more of that bully mentality like a Paul Pierce, Lebron James, Dwayne Wade, Kobe Bryant's, Dwight Howard's our inconsistency's will be a lot less and it will be easier to step up when our strengths (ball movement, defense, fast break's/easy buckets, team rebounding, shooting) aren't working for us.

Teague hasn't shown much offensively... Mo Evans is horrible and Crawford is a scorer and not a shooter. JJ doesn't count as a shooter anymore either because his 3 pt has been dying the last few years. This team has RARELY played more than a couple of mins of defense in any given game. Teams shoot 46% against the Hawks and 38% in three's. This is an AWFUL defensive team. A brutal one. Teams rarely have trouble scoring against the Hawks.