When will we ever get a scorer at will?

[JTB]

That is our biggest problem and has been for some time now! Johnson wasnt the answer, we need that player that can just flat out drop buckets no matter the defense, no matter the opponent, no matter the time of the game.Not saying this guy needs to be Kobe, melo, lebron, Durant, but more so a guy like harden, Westbrook, Irving, curry those guys are stars too but it will be easier finding a player like that rather than seeking for a player on the level of lebron or Kobe.Will there be any guys like this available over the next years or so?By the way Paul and Howard don't fit the scorer label to me. Paul is more of a playmaker who can score very well if need be and Howard has no offense.

[TheNorthCydeRises]

Like it or not, Joe Johnson was that guy for 5 of the 7 years he was in ATL. In those years, he was always in or near the top 10 in scoring. And he's been the closest thing to a big time scorer we've had since Dominique.

The fact is that those types of players simply aren't easy to find. What may be easier to find, are two guys who can somewhat light it up on a nightly basis, with one of them having the capability of going for a big game at any time. Even with that, you'll need guys who can get timely buckets in other areas of the court.

When they both had it going, JJ and Jamal were a pretty good 1 - 2 punch we could throw at times, while Smith and Horford provided good complimentary scoring. If you can't get that one guy who can do it all the time, it's best to have 2 guys who can do it some of the time.

[swolehawk2]

That is our biggest problem and has been for some time now! Johnson wasnt the answer, we need that player that can just flat out drop buckets no matter the defense, no matter the opponent, no matter the time of the game.Not saying this guy needs to be Kobe, melo, lebron, Durant, but more so a guy like harden, Westbrook, Irving, curry those guys are stars too but it will be easier finding a player like that rather than seeking for a player on the level of lebron or Kobe.Will there be any guys like this available over the next years or so?By the way Paul and Howard don't fit the scorer label to me. Paul is more of a playmaker who can score very well if need be and Howard has no offense.

You don't think Lou can do that?

[Cwell]

u do know know almost every player u named was a top 5 pick right? Kobe is the only one that wasn't. those guys are super hard to come by. especially when u blow the picks when u have them smh

[Cwell]

You don't think Lou can do that?

HELL no. The hugging of Lou is RIDICULOUS OMG! smh he's not that great. Solid 6th man nothing more, nothing less

[Admin]

Like it or not, Joe Johnson was that guy for 5 of the 7 years he was in ATL. In those years, he was always in or near the top 10 in scoring. And he's been the closest thing to a big time scorer we've had since Dominique.

The fact is that those types of players simply aren't easy to find. What may be easier to find, are two guys who can somewhat light it up on a nightly basis, with one of them having the capability of going for a big game at any time. Even with that, you'll need guys who can get timely buckets in other areas of the court.

When they both had it going, JJ and Jamal were a pretty good 1 - 2 punch we could throw at times, while Smith and Horford provided good complimentary scoring. If you can't get that one guy who can do it all the time, it's best to have 2 guys who can do it some of the time.

Every other game JJ was that guy but rarely on a consistent basis and he was just as disappointing in the playoffs as our other guys were. I know you're JJ's #1 fan but he's never been nearly as good in reality as he is in your mind. If he were even remotely as good as Harden is we'd have had a lot more playoff success than we ever did with JJ.

[Admin]

HELL no. The hugging of Lou is RIDICULOUS OMG! smh he's not that great. Solid 6th man nothing more, nothing less

Agreed Lou is a talented scorer but he's a liability on defense. The best thing he'll be for us is a great 6th man and a guy who can come in and get us FT's and to stop shooting 3's when they aren't falling.

[TheNorthCydeRises]

Every other game JJ was that guy but rarely on a consistent basis and he was just as disappointing in the playoffs as our other guys were. I know you're JJ's #1 fan but he's never been nearly as good in reality as he is in your mind. If he were even remotely as good as Harden is we'd have had a lot more playoff success than we ever did with JJ.

JJ was every bit as good as I said he was. It's just that you guys always envisoned him as a guy who failed to be a superstar. I KNEW he was a guy who couldn't be a superstar, but always acknowledged that he was an above average player who never had that 2nd guy to play with, like most other superstars.

No top 15 PG during his prime years in ATL. No low post big man that had a good enough post game that could keep JJ from being double teamed, even triple teamed at times..

Let's keep it real.

The most "big time" player JJ ever played with in ATL, was Jamal Crawford ( as much as it pains me to say that ).

When that is the case, it is fairly easy for good defensive teams to lock right in on him, and make his life a living hell. He was definitely feast or famine come playoff time. He wasn't a superstar player who could go to that next level as a scorer, when we needed him the most.

But the fact still stands that he was the closest we had to that, since the days of Dominique Wilkins. But dang, even Nique had Rivers . . and even Steve Smith had Mookie. JJ had a spot up shooting Mike Bibby and a young Jeff Teague. Only when he and Jamal had it going, that you saw the potential for the Hawks to really be a high scoring and potent team.

[TheNorthCydeRises]

LOL . . and Harden was a top 3 pick, who had a season on par with the likes of Kobe and Wade.

Put a competent PG beside Harden, and that dude will really blossom into a very nice player.

[Admin]

LOL . . and Harden was a top 3 pick, who had a season on par with the likes of Kobe and Wade.

Put a competent PG beside Harden, and that dude will really blossom into a very nice player.

Ohh so it's not a fair comparison since Harden was the 3rd overall pick. Sorry I didn't realize that made the comparison so outrageous since the circumstances were pretty similar through their early years in the league. I mean gosh that extra 7 picks that JJ went later really ends this debate.

[TheNorthCydeRises]

Ohh so it's not a fair comparison since Harden was the 3rd overall pick. Sorry I didn't realize that made the comparison so outrageous since the circumstances were pretty similar through their early years in the league. I mean gosh that extra 7 picks that JJ went later really ends this debate.

Never said it was or wasn't a fair comparison. But let's not act like there isn't usually a difference in talent from a guy that is picked 3rd, to a guy who is picked 10th.

3rd pick in the draft, since 2001

- Pau Gasol ( 4 time All-Star Center )

- Mike Dunleavy ( Starter/6th man - Swingman )

- Carmelo Anthony ( Superstar - 6 time All-Star Swingman )

- Ben Gordon ( Starter/6th man - Guard )

- Deron Williams ( 3 time All-Star Point Guard )

- Adam Morrison ( Scrub - 161 total games - out the league )

- Al Horford ( 2 time All-Star Center )

- OJ Mayo ( Starter/6th Man - Guard )

- James Harden ( 1 time All-Star Guard )

- Derrick Favors ( Bench - Forward )

- Enes Kanter ( Bench - Center )

- Bradley Beal ( Starter - Guard )

10th pick in the draft, since 2003

- Joe Johnson ( 6 time All-Star Swingman )

- Caron Butler ( Starter/6th man - Swingman )

- Jarvis Hayes ( Bench - 7yr career - out the league )

- Luke Jackson ( Scrub - 73 total career games )

- Saer Sene ( "Walter's boy" - Scrub - 47 total games - out the league )

- Andrew Bynum ( 1 time All-Star Center )

- Spencer Hawes ( Starter/Bench - Center )

- Brook Lopez ( 1 time All-Star Center )

- Brandon Jennings ( Starter - Point Guard )

- Paul George ( 1 time All-Star Swingman )

- Jimmer Fredette ( Bench - Guard )

- Austin Rivers ( Bench - Guard )

There's definitely a difference in talent between being picked 3rd, and being picked 10th. Most of the guys who are being picked 10th are either solid players, or just coming into their own as All-Star caliber players. Most of the guys picked 3rd, were starters from Day 1, with Melo being a superstar and Deron being on that borderline of one. James Harden looks to be the next in line ( if he can get some more help, especially in the backcourt ).

So if we were to field a team between the 3rd and 10th picks, it would be

PG - Deron vs Jennings

G - Harden vs Johnson

F - Melo vs George

PF - Horford vs Lopez

C - Gasol vs Bynum

But the game would be lost by that 10th pick team, when they went to the benches.

[Plainview1981]

JJ is playing next to Deron and he isn't anything special this season. He only shot 42% this year.

[TheNorthCydeRises]

JJ is playing next to Deron and he isn't anything special this season. He only shot 42% this year.

JJ has been less than 100% for about 1/2 of this season too.

All I know is that it would've been real nice to see a JJ - Deron backcourt 5 years ago, when both players were in their prime.

My overall point is that JJ was the closest guy we've had since Nique, to being that "scorer at will" type of player. But even he didn't have that mentality to jack up 25 shots if need be, to win a game on a nightly basis.

People used to call him selfish, but to me, he wasn't selfish enough as a scorer. There were too many times in which JJ passed the ball to a wide open shooter ( who couldn't shoot the ball ).

Guys who have that "score at will" quality, don't mind one bit jacking up 25 shots ( touch shots ), whether they're hot or not. They take it upon themselves on a nightly basis to have the game decided on their shots.

What the Hawks need, is an offensive "Alpha Dog". A guy who doesn't mind one bit for a game to be decided in his hands. But he also must be capable of being able to deliver wins, while playing that Alpha Dog role. JJ never had the Alpha Dog mentality, even if he had to play that role at times. Nate Robinson DOES have the Alpha Dog mentality, but you don't want Nate in that role.

The Hawks are going to have to find somebody who is good, but is much maligned to the point that their current team will part with them. A guy who can be that Alpha Dog, by creating and making a wide variety of shots.