RedDawg#8

yeah...before the playoffs, there is this little thing called the regular season. to my knowledge, most teams actually have to play 82 games before thinking about the postseason. and during these 82 insignificant games, there is a need for locker room presence of ppl who can help a young roster be professionals and deal with the media, losing streaks, lack of playing time, disagreements with the coach, etc. anytime you can inject somebody into the locker room who has experience and maturity it helps. especially when the 2nd best player on the team is a whiney punk who has to have his way or else. if bibby doesnt come back, who is gonna be in his ear to calm him down. we already know mr. joe wont do it because he doesnt speak....ever. so, lets think about that for a min b4 a judge a players post season experience over his experience in the league as a whole.

yeah... i doubt that crawford will start at the 2 for us, unless somebody goes down with an injury. i think his best chances are starting 1 or backup 2. and seriously, marvins versatility and BBIQ will be missed if he is gone. i dont understand the love for a player who is immature inconsistent but Agressive in Smith over a player that is Smart, plays his role but not as agressive in Williams.

marvin is very underated. its hard to find players with his talent that are willing to fit in a role rather than whine and demand getting the ball more. when he gets the oppurtunity, he usually shows up. he has proven that he can score 25 a game when asked to do so. i think we will really regret letting him go one day. if woodson could ever figure out how to use all his weapons, we could be unstoppable.... seriously.

I just want to mention that even tho his style of play may suggest otherwise, dude is a class act off the court. he is very professional and will provide veteran leadership on our roster. things that are very important but are often over looked.

Crawford reminds me of what ppl expect Tyreke Evans to become. a 6-5 scoring combo gaurd who can dribble and attack the rim. is an effective but not efficient shooter, and needs to improve passing. So basically we drafted Evans an advanced him 8 years in the league. For our style of play, i think Crawford fits as the starting pg and backup sg, depending on whatever moves we make. his defense is so suspect because he is usually mismatched against starting nba sg's. i think against pg's he provides sufficient defense for us as he has the height and quickness to be disruptive. at worst he should still be better than bibby on defense. he also avg the same amount of assist as bibby by the way for those who dont think he can distibute the ball as well. the thing i like the best is that he can penetrate and attack the rim, something we have lacked from that position in a while.

I cant wait til we break out some alternate uni's with our new color scheme. Which do yal think would look best tho: primary Red or Silver unis's? i personally think silver since red is more common. and with that, if we make the silver light enough they could be home alternates. i think red is the more realistic choice tho, and it would give us a sense of returning to or roots. opinions?

pre-injury his rookie year, Acie earned his minutes. he was the talk of preseason about his leadership and control of the offense. post-injury tho, he didnt return immediatley to form and woody failed to stay with him. Im sure that he has the skill to be a great baller, he needs to believe in himself again, and so does woody

If we are to follow our past progresion then I think reasonalbe goals are: 1. Become a top 5 Defensive team (were not far off) 2. 55+ wins (only 8 more than this year) 3. Win the Division (or at least seriously challenge for it) 4. Get a top 3 seed in playoffs (preferably #2 seed) 5. Reach the 3rd round (and dont get swept) 6. Impove FT shooting % 7. Develop the bench (Depth is key for a deep playoff run) 8. Joe avg 37 mpg max *alot of this depends on who comes back*

Dang...thats pretty real fella's. Seriously tho, my thinking is that we have already given Joe the chance. Since the moment the ink dried on his contract he has had every oppurtunity to lead us, and other than the occasional game, he doesnt do it that well. Josh has the most potential of anybody on this team period. Even the announcers can se that his skill level has such a high ceiling, but he is so far off because of his decision making right now. How can anybody listen to the guy and take him serious when he consistenly makes poor decisions like trying to lead the break when everybody knows he is the best finisher on the floor. Or pulling up early in the shot clock everytime somebody gives him space even tho his shot isnt falling. On top of that, arguing with refs for evrey call, not always hustling back on defense, arguing with the coach at games (or just tunig him out completely). When he can eliminate those kind of decisions (not likely to happen soon), im sure he can begin to gain a following. Thats why I said Marvin. Unless we bring in somebody from another team, he and Horf are the only two guys that I can see really having the dedication, discipline, fire, good decision making and talent to lead the team. Marv already showed us in the 2 games Joe missed that he can step up as a scorer. At the end of the day, there isnt anybody one this team who elevates the play of his team mates. Not even Joe anymore. Our team has become so dependent on individual talent that there leaves little room for a true leader to emerge on the court. If there is room for leadership, it will be courtside and in the locker room. Thats why I say guys like Marv and Horf could step up and be that vocal guy who encourages everyone and tries to pick up the intensity of everybody. I may seem crazy, but see a leader in Marv. He has just become too comfortable playing the backseat to Joe, Josh, Bib, and Flip. He is still the youngest guy on the roster period, even younger than Horf and Acie, West, Gardner, even Hunter by a month. Think about that. yet: He is more explosive than Joe He Shoots better and makes better decisions than Josh He plays defense unlike Bibby He has more size than Flip or Evans He is one of the better rebounding SF's He doesnt have emotional outburst's What are the things Woodson asks his player to do every game. Play defense and drive the ball and get to the line on offense. Marv is the ONLY guy who consistently does both. Give him more time to gain that confidence in himself and we will see him emerge as a leader/go to guy.Think of the leap Danny Granger made. I think if given tha oppurtunity, Marv cold make that same jump in his game.

according to woody, its joe's team. however seeing joe the past few years, it always seems like he wants somebody else to take the lead. remember his comments when bibby first came here, he basically said now we have somebody who can take control so i dont have to. jos is very talented but he isnt on par wit the nba superstars who woody wants to compare him to. it ironic this topic came up because ive been thinking about this for days. smith for the previously stated reasons couldnt be the leader. but if he can just "get it" one day, no doubt he can be. imo, i think marvin could be that guy for us, but only if woody can get over lettin joe do it all. marvin has the bball i.q. he is the one guy you can honestly say never takes a bad shot. he plays "real" defense, not that blind weakside block stuff smith does. when his number is called, he usually delivers for us. he is the only guy who consistenlty drives the ball (when healthy). his one weakness is assists. but i attribute this more to the fact that when he gets the ball its usually the last option as every one else tried their look and he has to bail us out on the possession by getting to the line or shooting a jumper. this year he avg. about 10 shot attempts a game. joe avg 18 attempts. if woody can get marv up to about 15 and joe down to that number, i think hell have alot better numbers. ppl say he doesnt assert himself on offense, but how can he when his number is never called. next to joe, he has the best all around game on the team, and on top of that, he has won a championship in his time. he was drafted to be a superstar one day, and i truly think it could happen. woody has to let go of his vision for joe and begin to hand the reigns over. sorry for the long post

my only explanation would be that the official who made the call was standing out of bounds behind jones and couldnt really see the play/foul. that said, i agree with the poster who says that he got caught up in the moment. the Hawks were reeling and appeared to be losing all composure so he went with his gut instinct that told him Bibby prolly fouled the guy. i too am upset that even after the replays showed bibby didnt touch him, i have yet to hear any announcer on any station point it out. everybody see.s to riding jones's jock for his two 4-point plays. did anybody else notice how later in the game, bibby shot a 3 and was knocked down by jones way after without a foul called. i agree that there were some inconsistancies by the refs fortunately our hawks played like men and handled their business. The league really wanted the heat to win that one it seems

Im not homo-phobic or anything, but did any one else sense the rainbow when he was getting interviewed before halftime? Did anybody notice the neck-jerking and attitude and high-pitch lisp he was speaking with. He already looked the part in my eyes, but he definately just got put down on the SUS list. Dont be surprised to read a book by him one day about being gay and a pro-athlete.

Down 2-1 on the road Marvin Williams out again Two starters benched early because of foul trouble Refs blowing whistles left and right Josh Smith with terrible shot selections TWO 4-point plays AGAINST us ( the bibby one was absolute B.S of a call) Gave up a 20-point lead Yet we still found a way to win.......on the road......in the playoffs......against D-Wade Relish and enjoy it. this game was very ugly, but we just swung the series back in our favor GO HAWKS!

I was looking the playoff brackets on NBA.com and they had Us, Cleveland, Miami and Detroit and on one side of the bracket, and BOS, ORL, CHI, PHI on the other side. So is it locked in stone that even if the Cavs win their series and we win ours, that we will play against each other in the 2nd round, even if Boston or Orlando dont win their series? or is it like in college where the highest remaining seed always plays the lowest remaining seed regardless of bracket? Ex: Round 1 Cavs wins series Hawks win Chicago wins Orlando wins Round2 IF it is by bracket: 1. Cavs vs 4. Hawks 3. Orlando vs 7. Bulls OR if it is by seed it would be: 1.Cavs vs. 7.Bulls 3.Orlando vs 4. Hawks anybody know for sure?

Sheed is also a 6'11 PF/C. Smoove is a 6'9 PF/SF. So the fact that he has taken more 3's than him but still averages more rebounds only makes Smoove look that much better. People need to stop making Smith out as if he is a true PF. Thats never been the case. Even at 6'9 he is UNDERSIZED for the position yet his athleticism helps him. He is not a banger, never has been. We are trying to turn a HS wing player into an NBA PF and its worked so far. Thing is, he still has some wing skills. His jumpers isnt gorgeous, he does brick sometimes, but when they fall, its all the much sweeter. The only thing he needs to improve on is making smarter decisions in his OVERALL game, not just shooting 3's. That only comes with good ole experience. TRIAL and ERROR. By the way everyone...... we won the last 2 games, were 11 games over .500. Be happy for cryin out loud

Like some have already pointed out, i think that the difference is that when one of the the starting 5 is out, it forces woody to use our bench more. Whenever Solo and Acie get playing time, they bring needed dimensions to the game, particularly hustle and more commitment to defense. Did anyone besides me notice how when Acie was in the game, he ALWAYS fought through the screen to stayed manned up on CP3, whereas when bibby/flip/joe were gaurding him, they did the same switch routine which ended in mismatches. fortunately tonite the mismatches did not hurt us much, except for when bibby was on rasual butler early in the game. I dont know if it was by design but Acie really gaurded CP3 well and I loved that he never gave up on getting back in front of him man to man

Joe Johnson: All star, one of the best all around skillsets in the league Mike Bibby: Very talented shooter, floor leader, vet, FEARLESS Marvin Williams: San his passing, is a great all around player with his pure shot rivaling JJ's Josh Smith: This time last year, he was on his way to being a young superstar with freakish exciting athleticism Al Horford: Great rebounder with a good jumper for a player his size, underrated passer from the post, WINNER Flip Murray: Fearless and agressive scorer, good smarts for the game, plays fast Mo Evans: Money from the corners, plays hard on both ends even if his shot isnt falling ZaZa Pachulia: May look clumsey but always finds away to chip in the game, great rebounder, wont back down from anyone Solomon Jones: Athlete who is still improvong, plays aggressive defense, plays hard Acie Law: Great skillset on the wrong team Mario West: Can instantly change the tempo of the game on both ends, inspires teamates, Always gives 100% We have a talented team, esp. within the starting 5 and 6th man Murray. The thing is everyone will never be on at the same time, but every night at least 2 players will burn you giving us a chance to win. If we have a 3rd player making an impact we almost always win. I think the lack of consistency is a result of not knowing who will be the main guy next to Joe or Bibby each night. We know it could be any two other players but we dont ever know which one, and neither do the players. If they can play hard for 48 mins tho they can beat anyone and thats the prolem with our team... playing hard for 48 mins. Sometimes they become too passive on Offense or Defense because they either knowingly or sub-consciously defer to the OTHER guy too much not knowing who the supporting playmakers will be. 5 very talented players cant all stand out at the same time. Weve seen from Horf, Marv and Smith (last year) that they all can be great one day, but Marv and Horf tend to defer despite have better overall games than Smith, who (to our dismay) seems to think he is better than he is. I think their roles should be: Joe: Distribute ball during game, only take available shots, make plays happen for other players, take over in crunch time Bibby: Stay behind arc, share ballhandling with Joe, shoot every open three, drive and kick when lane is available Williams: Move more without the ball, spot up and call for ball for open J's, drive at the end of the clock to go to FT Smith: Stay in post, set some screens, rebound, take over in the fast break Horford: run the offense through Horford, he will make the right pass out of the post or take good shot if its there Murray: Run, drive, get to the rim, make defense collapse, find teamates more, stay aggresive taking open shots Evans: Live in the corner, its home, run the baseline from corner to corner til you are open Zaza: Clean up the glass, shoot open post shots

We dreaded this road trip all season long, but now its finally behind us. As we look ahead we still have tough games remaining but we have alot of winnable ones as well. with the 7 game homestand on the horizon after the next few, be prepared for wins to come in bunches. before you know it, we will have forgotten this little trip. Go Hawks!!!!

I really hated when he stopped getting PT last season, it seams like everytime he is on the court he brings energy that can rub off on whoever is on the court. He chases loose balls nobody wants to chase, he runs the floor hard on both ends, he contest every shot he can, even if it isnt his man shooting. Why doesnt Woody relize that when we need a lift (which is far too often) West is up to the challenge. Im listening o the Nuggets feed and they are raving about his play. The little things he brings to the game really make a noticable difference from all perspectives.

channelsurfing.net im watching right now on this site

seems like he assumed he would have been suspended and decided to take off for home early

we will lose at denver. they are an even better team than Utah. we will make up for this tough road stretch when we bring it home for 7 straight in march tho.

@ Lakers-L @Sacramento-W @Portland-L (will surprise us with their balanced scoring attack) @Utah-L (great home team) @Denver-L (they get payback at home) Miami-W Cleveland-L (lebrons hits a game winner in last seconds) @Washington-W @Knicks-W @Charlotte-W Detroit-W New Orleans-W (we won on road, gotta think we can do it at home) Utah-W Indiana-W Portland-W (we get payback) Sacramento-W Dallas-W (will be a tough game, matchups will give us fits) @Cleveland-L Minnesota-W San Antonio-L (very winnable but their guards kill us w/ dribble penatration) Boston-W (gotta believe we can get atleast one against them) Lakers-L (close early, but kobe puts out of reach late) @Philly-W @Boston-L Orlando-L (they win last match against us but we get payback in playoffs) @Toronto-W @Milwaukee-W (will be out of contention after all their injuries) Indiana-W Miami-W (L if we already secured seed and dont play as hard) @Memphis-W (reserves play mostly but Grizz suck so bad anyway) Overall: 20-10, I think we get 50 wins as the team comes out with a new attitude after the break. we will struggle with the early west coast trip but will reel off a 10 game win streak against weak teams on road followed by 7 game homestand. wins later on may change though depending on if we have any competition for the 4th seed. we could possibly hand in the last few games against some scrappy teams. Overall i think our team will show us they have a lot of fight in them that they havent been showing since before the new year. season will break down as: 20-10 great start/ came out with purpose 11-11 average middle/ struggle to keep up intensity night in and night out 20-10 great final push/ head into playoffs hot total: 51-31 solid #4 seed