TheNorthCydeRises

Quote: I would assume he was trying to say sufficiently and had a seizure halfway through typing the word. LOL. That's what happens when you view this board over your cellphone, and have exactly 4 minutes to type what you want to say . . plus keep it under 512 characters. LOL . . I'm pushing buttons as fast as I can, before my connection cuts off. Once that happens, I have to re-log in, and start the process all over. Translation: I either need a Treo or a Crackberry.

Quote: All we needed was Josh Smith. really? them why we're we down by 17 at the half, with smoove playing the majority of the 2nd quarter and jj on the bench with 3 fouls? woody sat smoove at the exact same point in the 3rd quarter, and we cut into the lead.

actually, we lost because our pgs shot 2 - 15 from the field. lead was 6 when smoove went out. lead was 10 when he got back in. woody should've put him back go when jj got his 2nd foul. but jj sitting most of the 1st half, it may not have mattered.

solo should definitely be in d-league if he isn't going to see 10 minutes a game. but we as fans don't see behind the scenes. if lo and zaza outplay him in practice, them he shouldn't play in the game. i say play the kid anyway. he is only 230 lbs though, and would have the same problem with big men that smoove has guarding them. i'd put solo in whenever the 2nd team went to zone, and let him roam the middle. if ivey can see spot minutes at the point, surely solo can get some spot minutes.

i chose option 3. the team is in better shape than it was 4 years ago. woody does mistakes, but also does things right. and smoove and chill have suffiky improved under his watch.

troy, miami hasn't set the world no fire either. what you fail to realize, is that this entire conference is schizophrenic. if miami gets hot, they'll knock someone else down. if we can play 5000 ball this month, we'll still be in the mix.

lol troy. jersey lost too. that means we lost no ground tonight. if we can take case me jersey in the next 2 games, we're 2 games from the 8 spot.

Quote: Quote: Walter says tanking is the way to the future. I say.. Bet on whoever has the worse record getting the #1 pick. MY BET IS that it doesn't happen. If Walter is all about tanking, why doesn't he take that bet?? Walter has not been all about the first pick in his posts, though. He has been about the benefit of the Hawks getting any pick 1-3. What you should be betting on is the whether the third worst team (which looks to be about the bets outcome for tanking at this point) will get a top 3 pick. But any pick doesn't help us in our need areas. We can't play Durant at center, unless the decision is to go small, and play Smoove at center and Durant at PF. Walter's argument has mainly revolved around getting Oden here. Oden is the immeadiate impact player in the middle. Durant may be good right out the gate, but he won't impact this team from an offensive and defensive standpoint, like Oden will. And when you talk about a guy like Noah, he' strictly a defensive pickup, who may or may not be able to hold his own at center. So his argument isn't just about gettting a top 3 pick. It's about getting Oden. It's always been about getting that dominant center . . not a dominant PF or a great scoring SF. So to get Oden, you have to be in the catbird seat at #1. It's always been mainly about Oden in his eyes. The only team that might even think about passing on Oden, is Charlotte. They could go with Durant at #1, giving them a Okafor, Durant, Wallace frontcourt, with Morrison being the hired gun off the bench. But even they would be crazy to pass up on a "mini twin tower" look with Oden and Okafor. By the way, they're not thinking about tanking either. They also went 8 - 7 for the month of January.

If the Knicks don't make the playoffs, expect the 1st round pick that they gave the Bulls, to somehow jump into that #1 or #2 position in the lottery. What is better for the league? Greg Oden or Durant in Chicago? Or Greg Oden or Durant in a place like Atlanta, Charlotte, or in Philly without AI? I've always been suspicious about the draft lottery and the process they use anyway, because you don't see the drawing of the ping pong balls live. They always preface the draft lottery selection show by saying that some reputable accounting firm oversaw the precedings, and that everything was secure. It's a reason why the Knicks got Pat Ewing. Speaking of that . . here's a question: Our pick is top 3 protected. Now is that top 3 protected AFTER the lottery positions are picked, or top 3 protected according to how we finish in the standings? For example . . would Phoenix still get our pick, if we had the 2nd worst record in the league, but somehow ended up having 2 teams jump ahead of us in the lottery, thus, making us pick 4th? Conversely . . what if the Hawks finish in the 11th position . . but get extremely lucky in the lottery and obtain a #1 or #2 pick once the selection order is announced. Do we keep the pick, because it's in the top 3, or does Phoenix get it?

Quote: Quote: The Hawks just have to take this one game at a time . . and so does the fan base. I have always looked at it that way. I don't get all worked up about the schedule since it always ends up being the same every year. We are healthy and playing well so I want to see them play against tough opponents to see how they (especially Marvin and Smith) hold up. I don't either. I know people on this board say that this or that game is a MUST win. LOL . . fact is, we don't know what Hawks team is going to show up, so even "sure" wins can turn into losses . . and "sure" losses can turn into wins. I mean, even during this stretch, I'd never say that we'd be 5 - 4 . . but have losses to Charlotte twice, and Philly. A loss Friday vs the Raptors isn't the end of the world, although you'll see the "Fire Woody" and "Hawks need to tanK" posts return. And a Friday win vs the Raptors doesn't mean that we're in the playoffs either. One game at a time . . sweet Jesus . . that's all I'm asking from you . . LOL.

And he kept him in the starting lineup, something that even I was questioning. I wanted Marvin to still get his minutes, but come off the bench and get them. That's why I'm not dogging Woody every chance I get, like other posters on this board. The guy obviously knows what he's doing. He just needs his young players to mature more. But now, Marvin is pretty much a money shooter, shooting almost 57% FG in the past 7 games. And the vast majority of those shots are coming off 15 - 21 foot jumpers. Marvin has been compared to Worthy and T-Mac most often on this board . . along with Tim Thomas. But with the way he's shooting the ball lately, the guys he's reminding me of lately . . are Alex English and Glen Rice. For those of us old enough to remember Alex in Denver, we know that he was one of the purest shooters in the game. He wasn't a guy that worried about taking a lot of 3's to beat you. He'd just beat you with that solid mid-range jumper. If he caught it, and was in good position to shoot it, the jumper was automatic. For you youngsters, this is Alex English. http://databasebasketball.com/players/play...ilkid=ENGLIAL01 Size wise, Marvin may be more comparable to Glen Rice, although Marvin is bigger. But since most of our college posters probably don't know much about English, they probably do know about Rice. I'm just glad to see Marvin playing within himself these days, and not worrying about forcing the action and taking it to the hole . . or trying to be a 3 point marksman. He's taking what the defense is giving him, and killing people with that 20 footer.

. . and in a decent position to really make a move on that #8 seed. Right now, the target is definitely NEW JERSEY. We're 4 games behind them for the #8 spot. Miami is 2.5 games ahead. The Knicks are 1 game ahead. Jersey's next 4 games: @ Orlando vs Atlanta @ Philly @ Atlanta Interesting stretch here. On paper, Jersey is probably better than Orlando, Atlanta, and Philly. And they're probably looking at these stretch of games as an opportunity to distance themselves from the pack, and move back ahead of Toronto for the Atlantic lead. If we are destined to go 7 - 6 in this 13 game stretch before the west coast trip, the 2 games I'd obviously want, are the Jersey games. I think, at worst, the Nets go 1 - 3 in their next 4 . . while at best, we go 3 - 1. If that happens, the Nets will be 23 - 27 . . while the Hawks will be 20 - 28. ******** Although our February schedule is tough, it's also a tough road for teams ahead of us like Miami, Orlando and Milwaukee as well. Orlando and Milwaukee are especially in danger of taking a serious hit in February. And Miami has to play the Texas teams, with the Heat playing Cleveland 3 times that month. Jersey may be able to post a .500 or better record in February, but their March schedule is absolutely brutal, with them having to play the Texas teams on the road, during a grueling 6 game road trip. But the Knicks, of all teams, may set themselves up, if they take care of business in February. Other than road games @ Utah and at the Lakers, every other game that month are definitely winnable games for them. The only consolation about our schedule, is that we get Houston, San Antonio, and Phoenix at home . . 3 games that would almost be automatic losses on the road. At home, with a big crowd, maybe the Hawks can squeak out a win or two amongst those 3 teams. But right now, it's in our best interest to take care of business this week and next . . and possibly steal one or two of those west coast games ( Golden St and Clippers ). The Hawks just have to take this one game at a time . . and so does the fan base. But I'd like to see this team win 3 of their next 4, so that they can be at that 20 - 28 mark by the time they get on the plane and go to Phoenix. At worst, they need to play .500 ball this month, to make it interesting. But once they get over that 10 games under .500 mark, it's in our best interest that we don't dip below that again. Put the pressure on these other teams and see if they crack.

***** vs ORLANDO . . 1/29 ***** 1ST QUARTER 11:45 - Marvin finds JJ coming off of a screen, who hits a jumper. Assist to Marvin 11:10 - Defensive rebound 10:30 - Good 5 foot jump hook on the right block 9:16 - Defensive rebound 8:55 - Turnover on Marvin, trying to get the ball to JJ for an open 3. 8:49 - Hill makes a lay-up past Marvin -.5 here because his turnover led to the Orlando score. 7:14 - Marvin blocks Nelson's lay-up 6:48 - Marvin knocks down a 22 footer 5:17 - Marvin drives in the lane, then kicks the ball out to Smoove, who hits a 22 footer. 4:40 - Marvin hits a 19 foot jumper. Marvin out . . . Score: 21 - 15 ATL . . +/- in game: +6 2ND QUARTER 11:25 - Marvin in . . . Score: 29 - 23 ATL . . +/- out game: even 10:58 - Marvin rotates in the zone to force a traveling call on Arroyo. 9:51 - Marvin called for traveling while trying to back his man down low. 9:19 - Offensive tip rebound didn't go in basket 8:50 - Very shaky bringing the ball up against Hill. Almost led to a turnover, but Hill is called for the reach-in foul. 8:23 - Defensive rebound 4:52 - Long 2 pointer goes around the rim and out. Good shot though. 3:32 - Goes to dunk, but extends arm into Battie and is called for an offensive foul. This is the weakness in his offensive game right now. 3:19 - Defensive rebound :50.8 - Hits 18 foot jumper with the shot clock running down. **** Halftime **** Score: 48 - 41 ATL . . +/- in game: +1 3RD QUARTER 9:30 - Got completely turned around guarding Turkoglu, who beats him for a backdoor lay-up. 8:38 - Great ball movement on this possession, which ends with Marvin finding Lue for a wide open 3. Assist Marvin. 6:30 - Hits a 10 foot shot after receiving a nice pass from ZaZa. 5:58 - Marvin out . . Score: 59 - 47 ATL . . +/- in game: +5 4:59 - Marvin In . . Score: 61 - 50 ATL . . +/- out game: -1 3:52 - Great steal by Marvin, who then drives and misses a tough lay-up. Hawks retain possession though. 3:21 - Hard foul on Darko, who makes 2 FTs 3:01 - Hits a nice 21 foot jumper as the shot clock was running out. Good pass by Smoove to find him at the last minute. :45.6 - Marvin is aware enough to get a steal, after ZaZa pokes ball away from Howard. :01.6 - Great block by Marvin on Nelson, who actually beat Marvin off the dribble, but still had his lay-up blocked. 4TH QUARTER 15:00 - Marvin out . . Score: 71 - 58 ATL . . +/- in game: +2 10:45 - Marvin in . . Score: 71 - 61 ATL . . +/- out game: -3 9:54 - Arroyo strips Marvin as he was going to the hole for a tough lay-up. 7:44 - Marvin gets caught in a screen, which gives Arroyo just enough room to hit a jumper over Marvin's outstretched hand. 7:08 - Marvin out . . Score: 80 - 69 ATL . . +/- in game: +1 3:40 - Marvin in . . Score: 86 - 69 ATL . . +/- out game: +6 1:37 - Misses a 21 foot jumper with shot clock at 1 second. 1:36 - Throws an in-bound pass out of bounds, trying to hit Smoove coming back to the ball :31.8 - Marvin out . . Score: 93 - 83 ATL . . +/- in game: -7 ***** Final ***** 93 - 83 ATL . . +/- out game: even OVERALL GRADE: BHe had very good 1st and 3rd quarters in this game. The jumper looks good as ever, as long as he takes the shot in rhythm. Defensively, he was out of position a little, but did do some good things on that end as well. Had to lower his grade from a B+ to a B, because of the turnovers. Positive plays: 14 Negative plays: 6.5 +/- in game: +8 +/- out game: +2 ************************************************ ***** vs Golden St . . 1/31 ***** 1st QUARTER 10:45 - Marvin hits a good looking 3 pointer. LOL . . his foot was obviously on the line, but ref didn't see it. 10:17 - Makes a good aggressive baseline drive to the hole that draws a foul. He hits 2 FTs. 9:04 - Kind of gets lost in no-man's land on defense. Not sure if he was playing man or zone. In either case, Stephen Jackson ends up getting an easy lay-up as Marvin looks at him and barely moves. 8:35 - Pietrus hits a tough lay-up over Marvin 5:57 - Marvin hits the 21 footer 5:00 - Marvin's 22 foot airball shot was heavily contested by Jackson. Not a bad shot, just didn't have enough on it. 4:55 - Fouls Jackson going for a steal. 3:45 - Biendrins makes a hook shot over Marvin. 2:48 - Tries to front Harrington, but the lob pass goes right over Marvin's head. Harrington misses the lay-up, but is fouled by Smoove. Hits one FT. 1:42 - Knocks down 21 footer. 1:23 - Marvin out . . 26 - 25 GST . . +/- in game: -1 2ND QUARTER 8:53 - Marvin in . . Score: 38 - 37 ATL . . +/- out game: +2 8:23 - Makes 21 foot jumper from the corner 6:54 - Bumps into Powell and is called for a foul. Marvin out - Score: 46 - 38 ATL . . +/- in game: +7 ***** Halftime ******. . Score: 70 - 56 ATL . . +/- out game: +6 3RD QUARTER 9:40 - Good in-bound entry pass to JJ, who was right near the basket. JJ makes the lay-up. 9:28 - Good steal by Marvin, who goes the length of the floor and dunks. (( 2X positive play here )) 6:09 - Hits a 22 footer . . rapidly becoming his money shot. 2:03 - Pull up 15 footer is nothing but money in the bank. :03.4 - Defensive rebound, then misses 1/2 court shot at the end of the period. 4TH QUARTER 10:49 - Misses 22 footer. 6:10 - Nice steal by Marvin. 4:59 - Picture perfect pass to Shelden, who makes lay-up and gets fouled. 4:47 - Called for defensive 3 seconds. Gonna give him -.5 here 4:35 - defensive rebound 3:49 - Marvin out . . Score: 107 - 81 ATL . . +/- in game: +12 ****** Final ****** .. 115 - 94 ATL . . +/- out game: -5 OVERALL GRADE: A- . . He played so under control that game. Offensively, he was dang near perfect. The jumper is pure, and pretty much proves that maybe the injury was the reason for the slow offensive start. Defensively, he had very few mental lapses. Just a good all-around team win. Positive plays: 12 Negative plays: 2.5 +/- on floor: +18 +/- off floor: +3

LOL . . what happened to that bet that Walter made before the season, regarding Shelden and Sene?

nj... this season to me is the 2004 bengals season all over again. they were a young team that had to overcome a lot of crap, before they really started to gel. ty lue plays the role of jon kitna for us.

Quote: Way to jinx it, man. Smooth. lol. my faith in this team has never waivered. they'll get it done tonight. and even he they don't, it's ok. they're learning how to play with each other and that's the most important thing for the future of this franchise.

a chance to have it's first winning month in 3 years. also a chance to post it's first 8 win month since 1999

Quote: With a better coach just maybe the Hawks display that sense of urgency. Listen up Cyde: There is NO EXCUSE when you lose at home by 15 points to the lousy SIXERS. None. And if you would pull your head out of Woody's butt you might understand that. This win was a layup. We not only get beat, we get blown up. If you want to make excuses for this type of stuff be my guest. But a lot of fans know what time it is...we are a piss poor team with a piss poor coach...piss poor ownership...and piss poor GM. These losses are far too common, just like getting hammered at home by the beat up Hornets a couple weeks back. There is no excuse for this garbage. Byron Scott owns Mike Woodson...even Mo Cheeks is better. The Sixers aren't that bad, huh? LOL... Pete . . the NBA is about matchups. When a team doesn't have a significant talent advantage over another, the matchups will determine who will win the game. Philly's frontline played excellent. JJ had an off game shooting the ball. And Smoove was pretty much a non-factor in the 2nd half. Excuses? No. Facts. That game was even, until Dre Miller took over. I guess inserting Ivey in the game would've prevented him from going off . . lol. LOL @ a lay-up win for us. We never have lay-up wins over anybody. We beat Orlando on the road, but lose to the Sixers at home. Hey, those are your Atlanta Hawks.

1ST QUARTER 7:35 - Marvin was in position to get the rebound, but Smoove tries to get the rebound as well, and both end up knocking the ball out of bounds. 4:16 - Missed 18 foot jumper. Lots of movement before the shot. 3:25 - Takes one dribble, acting like he was going into the lane, but steps back and knocks down a 19 foot jumper at the top of the key. 2:39 - Marvin folued when trying to get post position. But he misses both FTs. A rarity for him. 2:18 - Marvin out of game . . . Score: 24 - 16 Philly . . . +/- on the floor: -8 :07.3 - Marvin back in game ( for defensive purposes ) . . Score: 27 - 18 Philly . . +/- out of game: -1 **************** 2ND QUARTER 15:00 - Marvin out of game . . Score: 27 - 18 Philly . . even +/- 7:11 - Marvin back in game . . Score: 39 - 32 Philly . . . +/- out of game: +2 6:18 - Nice recovery here. Iggy initially knocks the ball away from Marvin, but Marvin recovers the ball, drives into the lane, and hits a 12 foot floater. 5:17 - Good closelout on Korver, who misses a 3 pointer at the top of the arc. 3:17 - Drives to the hole, but shot is blocked by Dalembert 2:39 - Grabs defensive rebound and starts a 4 on 2 fast break. Passes to JJ who is wide open for a 3, but JJ couldn't knock the shot down. :42.1 - Excellent touch pass to Chill on the fast break. who gets an easy dunk :25.1 - Looks like he gets completely shook by Iggy going to the hole when he falls down. Further review shows that Marvin falls down because he stepped on Daly's foot, who was setting a screen for Iggy. ***** End of Half ***** . . Score: 55 - 48 Philly . . +/- on the floor: even *********** 3RD QUARTER 11:22 - Marvin picks up the loose ball and immeadiately finds jj streaking down the court what should've been an easy 2 for JJ and a Marvin assist. But Carney hustles on the play and blocks JJ's lay-up. ((I'm going to give Marvin .5 positive points for this play, because it shoulud've been an easy 2 for the Hawks that he created for JJ.)) 9:25 - 2 Offensive rebounds for Marvin after having his shot blocked twice while aggressively trying to put the ball in the hole from point blank range. He also makes a good pass to Lorenzen after recovering the 2nd block. Lo then goes through the same fate as Marvin, by having his shot blocked. 2nd block was a goaltend that wasn't called. (( I'll give Marvin another .5 points here, for his hustle and keeping the play alive )) 8:42 - Knocks down 21 footer and gets fouled on the play. He converts the 3 point play . . . (( 2 positive points here )) 7:29 - Knocks down another 21 footer on a perfect looking shot. 5:04 - Misses 20 footer. A "heat check" type of shot. 4:26 - Plays good defense on Iggy to almost force a turnover. Marvin then steals the ball 4 seconds later and is fouled becore he can start the fast break. He hits both of his free throws . . . (( 2 positive points here for coming up with the turnover and scoring at the line on the other end )) 3:23 - Draws a foul on Iggy when he was trying to post him up down on the block. He hits both of his FTs plus the technical foul free throw called on Dre Miller on the same play. 2:41 - Got the ball with 4 seconds on the shot clock. Instead of shooting, he passes to ZaZa who was completely oblivious to the shot clock. Turnover Hawks. 2:37 - Marvin out of the game . . Score: 72 - 68 Philly . . +/- on the floor: +3 *********** 4TH QUARTER 10:37 - Marvin back in the game . . Score: 76 - 73 Philly . . +/- out of game: +1 10:00 - Hits driving lay-up over Hunter. A strong play to the hole. 8:46 - Gets a hand in Miller's face as he drives for a lay-up. Dre hits a tough shot over Marvin that he banks off the glass. 7:50 - Marvin misses 22 footer 6:37 - Smoove and Marvin can't deny the entry pass to Dalembert. Daly makes the lay-up and is fouled by Marvin. He converts the 3 point play. . . (( -2 points for Marvin here )) 4:29 - Good defense on Iggy forces him to miss a jumper. 4:15 - Marvin makes a 21 foot jumper 2:12 - Loses ball after going aggressively into the lane, when he bumps into Joe Smith. :56 - Comes from the weak side and fouls Iggy to prevent him from making an easy lay-up. :56 - Marvin out of game . . Score: 101 - 87 Philly . . +/- on the floor: -11 ******* Final Score ********* 104 - 89 Philly . . +/- off the floor: -1 ********** OVERALL GRADE: B . . . He had a lackluster first half, but really turned up his play in the 2nd half. His play in the 3rd quarter was excellent. One thing of note in this game. The player that Marvin was guarding when we were in man to man ( Korver, Iggy, Carney ), didn't look to challenge him or shoot over him much at all. Those other players attacked Chill and Joe, but not Marvin. It says something about how his length bothers the man he is guarding when out on the perimeter. Marvin looks a lot more comfortable taking the open jumper and is making a point to really get his feet set before he catches the ball. Positive plays: 13 Negative plays: 5 +/- in the game: -16 +/- out of game: +1

Quote: We came out flat... They didn't. We fought hard. They did too. We made up deficit after deficit, they never gave up. I don't think they stink as badly as you may believe. Maybe with AI, this team stinks.. but without AI and with Miller, this team is not so bad. They can run and they got scorers. Our problem tonight and I'm hard pressed to find a lot of them because we played very good offensively... Defensively, we just couldn't get many stops. Who'd expect Dalembert to hit the shots that he did? Who'd expect that Andre' Miller would dominate the way he did. Like Smitty said... "sometimes you have to play with a sense of urgency early". and I think that's how we lost. Good analysis Diesel. People act like the Hawks are this team that should beat everybody on any given night. LOL . . we're just as schizophrenic as all of the other "bad" teams in this league. Dre Miller took over the game in the 4th quarter, when the Hawks were only down 2. We go down the court 4 straight times and miss 4 straight jumpers. Meanwhile, Miller hits 4 straight shots and had a nice assist to Iggy for a dunk, that quickly pushed that lead to 12. That stretch ended the game.

Are you guys SERIOUS? You're complaining about Batitsta not dressing? LMAO . . come on now. Batista hustles, but he was/is a fouling machine who just bangs people on the block. Did anybody see the last game Batista played last week? Yeah . . he was really a factor on the boards and on defense in that game. If anything, complain about Woody not playing Solomon Jones ( who is also a fouling machine, by the way ), but is a young player that has tons of more upside than Batista. Heck, even make a case for Shelden seeing more time. But Batista? LMAOOOOOOOO. You guys can do better than this. Wanting Woody fired because he doesn't play a big man that should be in the NDBL, is ridiculous. We all know the problems with this team. We just don't have the personnel right now to fix it on a nightly basis. And I've never seen Daly and Steven Hunter play that well throughout their entire careers. Those guys were hitting 10 - 15 foot jumpers by the boatload.

Quote: Quote: When we're not injured, we're a little better than .500. That is an absolute joke. Are you basing that on the first 6 games? * 4 - 1 in the first 5 games . . could've easily been 6 - 1 if we pulled out those two games vs Milwaukee and Seattle. * 6 - 7 at the end of November. Maybe if Chill was healthy, that record is 8 - 5 * We lose 11 out of 12 from early-December to early January mainly because that's the time when we had people dropping out of this lineup like flies * Last 11 games . . . we're 6 - 5 and starting to get back to full strength. So let's review. From the beinning of the season to the incredible comeback win @ Denver on December 6th, the Hawks were an 8 - 9 team From Dec. 8 till Jan 5 . . the Hawks were 1 - 12 From Jan 6 till now . . the Hawks were 6 - 5. It is so inconcievable that the Hawks couldn't be a .500 team, if we were somewhat healthy?

Damn . . if I'm not mistaken, that Jaric deal was a sign and trade. Now, the Wolves are stuck with Jaric's deal, which will pay him 34 million over the next 5 years

Quote: I'm not on the get rid of Woody bandwagon just yet, but I'm open to discussing the possibility of making a coaching change in the offseason. With that said, if a coaching change is made, the offensive structure of the team is the least of my concerns. I want someone that can get this team to play consistent defense. That's the only way this team is going to push through and get into the playoff picture. That's why I would look into coaches like Mike Fratello, Paul Silas, and Del Harris.....coaches that have strong defensive backgrounds. I don't believe in the theory that just because you stress defense that you are going to be a plodding team offensively. Two things though: 1. I absolutely hate the idea of hiring a retread head coach. 2. It makes no sense to fire a first time head coach and then replace him with a first time head coach. Now, when you look at the situation at hand, if a coaching change is made, the Hawks have to get an experienced head coach that is basically a retread. The one guy that I will not hesitate to support for this job is Eric Musselman, and there is some talk that he might get fired in Sacramento after this season. I believe that Eric Musselman is a very strong young head coach in the league, and he would be my top choice to replace Woody if that decision has to be made. I agree KB. And don't get me wrong about Woody. If we could find an upgrade to him, I wouldn't be against letting him go. But these guys on this board act like he's the sole reason why the Hawks don't win, instead of blaiming what really ails this team: injuries and youth But you just don't fire a coach, just to be firing him. The way the T-Wolves let go of Casey, may come back to bite them in the butt. That team had won 10 of their last 13 games, before we came in there and destroyed them. Then they lose to Detroit in OT, and road games at Phoenix and Utah, and the guy gets fired? LOL . . now the team can't even beat Portland and Seattle on the road. People talk about our GM and ownership. But Kevin McHale has to be the most idiotic GM on the planet. BK looks like Jerry West, compared to him. - The Joe Smith "under the table deal", which costs them a boatload of money and three 1st round picks - Signing Wally Szczerbiak and Troy Hudson to HUGE deals. Wally was the T-Wolves version of Harrington, a decent, but one-dimensional scoring forward. Troy Hudson is a notch below Tyronn Lue, but got a big deal from McHale after his stellar "4-game" performance against the Lakers in a 1st round match. Now, Hudson is buried on the bench . . making over 25 million for the next 4 years. - Signing Cassell and Spreewell, which were great things, but refusing to pay them after they got the Wolves to the WCF. That seemed to distract Spree, and have him play horrible that whole year. And Cassell struggled with injuries off and on the entire season. That pretty much killed the Wolves "window of opportunity" in one year. - The Sam Cassell trade AND a 1st round pick . . for Marko Jaric. This is arguably the worst trade this young century. McHale thought that Cassell was washed up, because he stayed hurt too much, so he traded for Jaric because he was "supposedly" a better passing and defensive PG. LOL . . but Jaric can't hit the side of a barn, and his defense and playmaking ability was vastly overrated. - Now, he lets go of an average coach who probably had the T-Wolves right where they should've been, because he and the fan base thought that the Wolves should be better. But with only an interim assistant coach to step in, the Wolves might be worse off. BK >>>> McHale

Quote: Woody is the man NorthC....LOL. Woody is an idiot. We have 3 players doing it on their own. JJ - JS - and to a lesser degree JC. The Wood man is clueless. DJ, you're the clueless one, if you truly believe that. Players don't get markedly better during the season, unless the coach has something to do with it. Players usually work on their games in the offseason, but the coaches put them in the right situations to maximize their talents. JJ didn't develop on his own in Phoenix. Nor did Diaw. Nor did any of those former scrub players, who are now great complimentary players in Phoenix. Boozer was a good PF in Cleveland. Sloan has turned him into a mini-Karl Malone. Shoot, even JJ has developed his game more in Atlanta. Most people, including Hawks fans, thought that JJ could NEVER play at this level. Even though it was out of necessity, Woody pretty much put the ball in his hands last year, and let him be a Paul Pierce-like playmaker for this team. Now, he's becoming that dangerous 2-guard that very few of you thought he could turn into. And understand this DJ. We run a lot of the offense that they ran in Detroit, when they were winning titles a few years back. A lot of in-screens. A lot of pick-and-pop type plays. The Hawk coaches aren't clueless, but they do need a certain amount of talent to execute what they want to do. Woody isn't the man DJ. He's just not the Hawks anti-christ. And if we're able to make a legit run at the playoffs, he has to get a lot of the credit if we do, along with our young players.