Why we lose.

[Playmaker0017]

First, let me make a disclaimer that we have the worst coach in professional basketball history.

Now, we can attack the real issues:

First, Dion Glover. The guy is dreadful. He shoots 11.5 times a game and a 39% clip. He plays ZERO defense. He brings the intensity of a bench player, because... HE IS A BENCH PLAYER!

Second, Jason Terry. The guy is not a PG. We keep putting him at PG. He is dreadful at PG. He makes awful shot selection decisions. Quite often jacking up 16+ foot jumpers before there is a single player under the basket for a rebound.

Third, Stephen "The Worst" Jackson. This is a guy that shoots 13 times a game at 38%! So, combine that with Glover and you have basically given the other team 10 free possessions. Couple this with the AWFUL shot selection and quickly chunked up shots and you have what could be the worst offensive player on the squad. It would be okay if he was Artest-like on defense. Unfortunately, he is Jason Terry-like. Then he runs his mouth like he is actually good.

Fourth, why does Reef only shoot 1 more time then Jackson?

Fifth, SHOT SELECTION! We shoot jumpers before we even get into the offensive set. A good team will pass at least three times before most shots. Not us.

Terry Stotts should save the world the time and trouble and just quit. The team under him certainly has.

DD looked okay tonight, he should start over Terry.

Play.

[pathway23]

I agree about Dickau starting over Terry.

I think Diaw has picked up bad habits from his teammates already. We need to set him straight.

[KB21]

It's kind of hard for Diaw to do anything when he gets chippy fouls called on him.

This is the Hawks problem in a nutshell though:

1. They play horrible team defense.

2. The offense has no structure.

Sub problems to #2 include too many turnovers and poor shot selection overall.

The 30 games that I was willing to give this team are up. The result was an 8-22 record. It's time to make massive changes.

1st -- I like Terry Stotts, but he's not getting the job done. It's not all his fault, but this team needs a coach that is going to bring discipline, structure, and a very low tolerance for players who don't play defense. Hire Mike Fratello!

2nd -- This team needs to put players on the floor who are willing to work hard and expend energy on the DEFENSIVE end of the floor.

3rd -- A point guard. This team is desperate for a point guard that can lead the team and get the team into an offense. Is Dan Dickau that guy? Who knows? Terry Stotts won't play him.

4th -- A shooting guard that can actually shoot from the perimeter and play defense.

5th -- A small forward that plays defense, rebounds, and gets hustle points. Boris Diaw is already on the team.

6th -- A center that can body up defensively down low and extend the offense, unclogging the lane for Reef.

[Plainview1981]

If I was terry Stotts I'd quit on this team also. Just terrible.

[codyatl]

We couldn't defend the perimter against me. Everytime we lose a game i see other teams gaurds putting up terrific numbers. I don't know if tis the players or the coach but I would first try a new coach like fratello that actually coaches defense and see what happens.

[Plainview1981]

When you can't score(90PPG) or play defense (97PPG)

and can't create turnovers or rebound you are going to

lose.

[pathway23]

I agree with you...I think this team played better perimeter D last year, but I think the players aren't even trying to play D right now. They admit it but shrug it off. Last year I don't remember the SGs going off on us every night, even though we lost a lot last year too. None of them accept responsibility for their own play individually, yet they are accepting responsibility as a team and not playing like a team, epitomized by the Terry quotes.

[Plainview1981]

As passionate of a fan as I've been for years...I've just

grown sick. I haven't watched a half Hawks game in a

while...As you said, the players admit the flaws they

have and do nothing to prevent them...So I don't waste

my time until I see improvements.

I'm stuck with being a Hawks fan...But I probably will

have to take on a second team just to keep myself

interested in the NBA right now. No matter how much

bad things I say about them, I am stuck with them. Just

switching teams like that doesn't come easy to me.

[Playmaker0017]

Hots,

The question is whether these things can be solved with a good coach and a good system.

Sure, our pieces at this point could not beat the Lakers in a best of 7 series with the greatest coach of all time. But, I truly believe they can make a serious contending shot at making the finals. Maybe 2nd round.

From there we can make moves to bring in better pieces.

For instance, scoring deals with patience, the system and team play. Our system allows for players to take shots too quickly and is based on one-on-one basketball.

Defense deals with the system and how much work is put into perfecting it. Further it deals with tenacity and desire. A coach can put in a GREAT system and then FORCE players to play it. Our coach now doesn't have a system, and doesn't berate players for laxidasical play.

Rebounding is desire. Desire is created with wins and hunger. A good coach can artificially up the desire for a short while, then with wins we become hungry.

Stotts may be a good guy, and even turn into a good coach, but he has a lot to learn and his style does NOT match the pieces we have.

Play.

[Plainview1981]

This is the least talented team in the NBA. Jt only scores

so much due to the freedom he's allowed to have. Guys

like Derek Anderson/Mano/Marshall and alot of other 4

or 5th option guys could produce 18PPG if they where

allowed to shoot as much as JT does. The team has no

good swingman...no good defenders or anything. There

really isn't any reason to believe this team could win

with anyone.

[Playmaker0017]

Hots,

I don't think we are the least talented team in the NBA, but we are certainly near the bottom, due to the likes of Jackson and Glover.

JT, Reef and Theo are not bad players individually.

We need swingmen. We need guys to play WITHIN themselves.

That is what good coaching brings.

Play.

[Plainview1981]

Yes JT is a bad player....What does he do other than score

at a low percentage?

Bad defensive player

bad passer

turns the ball over

undersized

doesn't provide any leadership

What does Theo do other than block a few shots?

Bad scorer

Mediocre rebounder

undersized

terrible offensive player all together

These are limited players.

There is no bench.

[TROUBLEMAN69]

I will be the first to admit, I was one of the fans who shouted give these guys a chance to jell. Well, the time is up and this is a bad team. Shareef is the only veteran keeper on this roster. JT is cool, if we can somehow find a big point guard to play with him. Theo has played with heart since his remarks a couple of weeks ago, but he is still too small for this team.

Stephen Jackson and Dion Glover have been major disappointments. They play outside of their game too much and neither brings much to the table defensively. If both of those guys would realize that they are nothing more than role players, and strive to become better defenders and play within the system, then this team would show slight improvement. It is a hard adjustment for guys who have been stars since 8 or 9 years old, but the palyers who stick around and help their teams win, are the guys who accept their roles.

Unless we can move Theo or Nazr for talent in other areas, I don't believe this team will improve much, regardless of who is coaching. Nobody wants Glover, Jackson, Crawford, Henderson, Hansen, Nailon, Dickau, or Vaughn. I don't believe this team has the young talent needed for a quick fix. Patience is needed in rebuilding this team. The Hawks will be a lottery team for the next 2 or 3 years, so they need to draft well. They will have salary cap room in 2005, so they need to use it wisely. The last time they faced the possibility of large salary cap space, they panicked and now we are still stuck at the bottom of the league.

The team needs to stop wasting picks on players like Dan Dickau. We traded a future first round pick for the guy, and I don't see any hint of him being a starter, regardless of who is coaching the team. He is too slow, has average handles, and his jumpshot is suspect. He reminds me of Steve Alford. A good college player, who was too small and too slow to make the transition to the NBA. I still do not believe that this team should trade Shareef. He is the one guy who can become a piece to a winning team. He might not be the best player on a winning team, but he will be a huge piece of the pie.

TROUBLEMAN

[Playmaker0017]

Hotz,

JT is a poorly coached player and MAY in fact be a poor player. But, the only coach he had was Lenny and Lenny treated him like he deserved. Too bad they booted Lenny for JT. (if I understand the story)

Defense is coaching.

Passing is coaching.

Undersized is genetic, but can be overcome... ie Spud Webb

Leadership is personality, and isn't needed if we play as a team.

Theo is not a bad scorer, he is a misused scorer. He is best from around 10 feet out. He doesn't play well with his back to the basket and needs to play outside the lane. Unfortunately, Stotts has just started to clue in and Theo has become a 12-15 PPG scorer since then.

They are limited. We have very little bench. But EVERY team has limitations. It is the coach's job to minimize the problems. Stotts can't do it, and maybe no coach can. But, we NEED a good coach one way or the other and NONE of these players have any real value except Reef.... so I say stick with them till the EOY. Get a good coach and a good pick.

Play.

[Lrenfro]

Guys listen to yourselves. We are complaining about the same things we were complaining about last year, and the year before that and yet the year before that. What’s the deal? Did we make the same mistakes or is it we don't know what we are talking about. We have fired two head coaches yet we are complaining about the head coach again. We have traded many point guards however we are complaining about this one. I know you get my point but what can we do about this. We have two choices we can show up and support the team or we can give up and show them that we are not going to support this anymore. I remember someone talking about a boycott. Might not be a bad Ideal if we could get the whole city to do it. You would have to understand the season ticket holders. I know if I had already paid for my tickets I would go. But if they were the only ones there and they were not supporting concessions I think we could get someone’s attention.

[Playmaker0017]

Lrenfro,

One thing you forget is that while we complain about the head coach, it isn't like we ever switched to a real one.

Moving from Lenny, I can't comment on, but Kruger was awful and Stotts is much worse.

It isn't like we moved from Lenny to Popovich.

Play.

[KB21]

We don't know what we've had with the last two coaches because the cast of players has been so terrible.

Rick Carlisle wouldn't magically make Jason Terry a better point guard. He wouldn't magically make Stephen Jackson a smarter player with better shot selection. He wouldn't magically make the trio of JT, DG, and SJ better defenders.

This team is a complete mess that was built by Pete Babcock. The combination, as is, will never win consistently enough to be a playoff team. This is not a smart group of players, and these players are not willing to sacrafice themselves on the defensive end of the floor.

[Plainview1981]

Play, you act as if coaches are supposed have this god

like power that can make players into anything. JT was

a 4 year starter for a good college I believe.....A good

coach...One came out of college a good PG(Bibby) and

they other one didn't(JT) and I know Bibby was overrated

the last two years, but he was a solid PG for every coach

he has played for...Even the bad coaches. Coaches at this

level don't make PG's. You fail to realize that there are

instincts.

Larry Brown is a good coach, but I haven't seen Billups

turn into a pass first PG.....Flip Sunders is a good coach,

but he couldn't make Marbury a pass first PG...Players

like Kidd are PG's because of instinct..They feel an open

man....They see it when nobody else on the floor does.

It's not Lon or Stotts fault that JT came out of college

(where are you supposed to learn those fundamentals)

4 years and STILL has no clue how to play PG despite

playing for a good coach.

"Theo is not a bad scorer, he is a misused scorer. He is best from around 10 feet out. He doesn't play well with his back to the basket and needs to play outside the lane. Unfortunately, Stotts has just started to clue in and Theo has become a 12-15 PPG scorer since then."

Theo is not a good offensive player at all. He has POOR

handles, his jumpshot is mediocre, he has no ability to

get to the basket. Theo had about 2 good decent scoring

years.....But he carries about a 8PPG career scoring average. That's not good.