TheNorthCydeRises

LOL @ I'll hang up and listen.

LOL @ Soth. Please. I've blown up your idiotic arguments as well about this team and the coach. I've been a die hard fan of the Hawks since 1985, and has taken just as much grief about this team, as everybody else has. And my allegiance to this team has NEVER wavered one bit. I'm not saying that you guys can't criticize things. Just be sensible when you do. And if you criticize, you also have to give credit where credit is due. The fact is this: only a few Hawks fans and no experts thougth this team could come close to doing what they're doing now, with Marvin gone and Speedy not at even 75%. But because WOODY has coached these guys up, and the role players understand fully what they're expected to do on a nightly basis, this team is damn near clicking on all cylinders. So if none of you want to give the coach at least 50% of the credit for our success, then you're the real idiots . . not the coach.

You're whole thing is that Woodson was an idiot for taking Smoove and Chill out when he did. Almost every coach in the league would do the same thing he did, to keep some of his main guys out of foul trouble. My only point is this. If you question substitution patterns, and don't fully understand why he did what he did, then you can't call the coach "an idiot". Because you obviously don't understand why saving your players to be able to play all-out in the 4th quarter, is more important than playing them in the final 3 minutes of a half, just to protect a small lead. Now . . you can have the last word if you want.

Quote: if you want Smoove out of the game with 2 fouls at the 3:30 mark in the 2nd when you have a 6 point lead then you are idiotic. Well then, most coaches are idiotic then, seeing that bench players usually get the majority of their minutes in the 2nd half. Our bench should be able to sustain a lead with 3 minutes to go in a half. Quote: you can try to spin this all you want with revisionist history since the Hawks overcame that deficit Woody created for them with this goober move when they were up by 6. the bottom line is the game never should have went to OT. the Hawks had their hands around the Cavs' necks late in the 2nd and let them off the hook. LOL @ woody created the decifit. Here's the play-by-play of the 2nd quarter for you http://scores.espn.go.com/nba/playbyplay?g...107005&period=2 Combined with the fouling we were doing, we also were missing point blank shots. Speedy missed 2 shots from 5 feet and in plus a long jumper and ZaZa missed a lay-up. But I forgot . . that's all WOODSON'S FAULT !! Quote: i stopped posting at 9 o'clock. i'm at work until 9 o'clock. i listen to the game on league pass. if you'd read the posts you'd know that. I know what time you leave work. I also know that Johnny also stopped posting around the same time. And when you guys stopped posting, the Hawks started playing better. LOL . . that's all I was saying. Quote: i could care less about Salim. I know . . . that Salim comment was for Johnny, since he can't understand why Salim isn't playing. Quote: and Woodson was an idiot when he pulled Chillz and Smoove at that very moment. the Hawks were up by 6 when i made that post. moments later they were down by 1. i don't need to use revisionist history to show you I was right when i posted that. the thread is time stamped. and by the way, I was right! No sir . . . you're still wrong. This team isn't supposed to fall apart when a few starters leave the game. And we still had JJ, Speedy, and ZaZa out on the floor. That's more than enough offensive firepower to get us to the half with a lead. They just didn't execute on offense, and Cleveland got back into the game. Quote: Northcyde you can sit around and pray for rain in the form of King James missing free throws all night long. i'd rather see some sound strategy exercised by the coaching staff. Go Hawks!!!! So how did we get back into the game then gusteke? And guess who were able to stay in the game the ENTIRE 4TH QUARTER, because they were able to stay out of serious foul trouble? I'll give you a hint. Both of them go by the name of Josh. By the way, the Hawks missed just as many free throws in the 4th quarter ( 7 ) as the Cavs did. And if Lue hits his 2 free throws with a minute to go, the Hawks are up 4, instead of up 2 . . which would've forced the Cavs to not only hit that 3, but stop us again. You can't have it both ways gsuteke. You can't blame the coach for putting us in a hole, and not give him credit for making the right moves for getting us out of the hole. If Woodson had nothing to do with the win, he definitely wouldn't have had anything to do with the loss. We committed 14 first half turnovers and missed 11 freee throws in the game ( 7 in the fourth quarter ). Sorry man . . that's not on the coach.

Quote: Thats about it FQ, I left out the Henderson trade since it didnt effect the Smoove deal, I was just looing at what SAR and Theo got us. Now Soth is going to say well we gave up JT. Yeh we also got rid of Hendu's max contract no team would take that without getting something, something being JT. If you dont move Henderson you can't get JJ in here either. So yes you have to give up good pieces to get good pieces. Its not NBA Live you cant trade Henderson for Shaq, no matter what any GM trading with Zeke in NY will tell you. You act like we were amazing with SAR and Theo. We didnt make the playoffs for the 3 years they were here. So if in the 3 years JJ and Smooth are togther this or next we make the playoffs id say thats a winning trade. Speaking of bending over and raping in a trade. The Hawks sent Pau Gasol a perinal all-star and cornerstone in Memphis (see them now tihout him in the lineup) for SAR a one time all-star. Geee, I wonder who pulled that off. Oh wait that Billy Knight guy. In response to your post earlier, no im not happy wtih watching all teh losing, but I could see the team growing. I knew when BK came in it might be 3 or 4 years. You cant strip down a team with the contracts we had and rebuild over night. So I knew there was a plan. All I wanted to see was progress and that made me happy. I want you to watch the Knicks rebuild. They like us were a vetern team witha bunch of has beens, that couldnt make the playoffs. We had 4 guys with almost max contracts and didnt make the playoffs for 3 years. Now we are well under the cap have a young core to build around. See how long it takes the next guy to rebuild NY after Zeke, and that will be even having MSG the mecca of bball to draw players to. Try getting a rebuilding job done in a city that has no true fans, or history. Id say getting this pointed in the right direction in 3 years is pretty f'n good job. And Isaiah is now on record as saying that he will bench ANYONE to turn things around. Wonder how long it will take to see this starting lineup: G - Robinson G - Q-Rich . . who is playing well F - Balkman F - Lee ( yes, Lee over Frye right now ) F/C - Curry ( unless you start Frye at center ) Then bring all of those overpriced vets off the bench, and see if they can contribute that way. They might as well do that. They really have nothing to lose in doing so, because no one wants Crawford, Marbury or Francis.

Quote: Clearly you are about as dumb as you come across in your flip flopping post. Lets do a little connect the dots. First many have stated that we are far better on defense without Al. I forever could not see this addition by subtraction. But I admit I was wrong. Allowing only 87 pts per game, and not having the ball goin in and not coming out is freeing up the offense. While some players put up good numbers they just dont fit certain teams. So we trade SAR and Theo to Portland for Rasheed. This frees up mega cap room seeing how we were over the salary cap. We then trade Sheed to Det. for a pick. That pick becomes Smith. The cap room, + 2 picks. (Which really became 1 since last years was lottery protected), and Boris become JJ. So lets talk about getting fleeced and bent over. SAR+Theo+1pick+boris = Smith,JJ, and cap space for FA. We get rid of two older guys, who each made one all-star game. That were making way to much money for their skill set. Are aging now and not being much of factors on their teams. Plus 1 pick that if we do well wont even be in the lottery. For two young possible cornerstones of the franchise. Yeh I take that. Then your Al trade we move him to allow for your young players to play. So like you said we dont want lotto picks sitting on the bench. Also who could have left for nothing, he was an UFA. We get a pick back in this draft. So we move a rental that was in place until Smith and company got old enough, and lets face it was going to walk anyways, for our spot back in this draft. This negates the pick in the above scenrio, and you cant count losing Al since he was a FA. So in essence BK gave up SAR+Theo+Boris=JJ,Smith. Yeh I def. take that. Let me know if you cant follow. Damn GoDawgs. I must've started my previous post right as you were finishing yours. Would've saved me a lot of typing . . LOL.

LOL @ Sothron. 1) We trade SAR and Theo to get RAsheed Wallace . . who we trade to Detroit for all of those expiring contracts and a 1st round pick . . which we used to select JOSH SMITH . . and get $20 MILLION OFF THE BOOKS. We trade JT to acquire Antoine Walker . . who we trade to Boston for a conditional pick . . which we used in a package deal to get JOE JOHNSON . . and we're only in position to get him, because of the deal to get SAR's and Theo's contracts off the books the previous year. And Diaw? LMAOOOOOO . . you GOTS to be kidding me? LOL @ calling Diaw a "gold mine". More like a "fools gold" mine. The Suns used him perfectly last year by having him take advantage of lumbering centers and PFs who couldn't keep up with him. But the NBA is a league of adjustments. Now, teams are putting SF's and quicker PFs to guard Diaw on the defensive end . . and they're attacking him on the offensive end to get him in foul trouble because he can't guard the post. 2) No one has been happy with 7 losing seasons. But this team, from top to bottom, is as good of an assembled cast of characters since the 1999 season. The 2002 Hawks had a better starting lineup, with JT, Newble, SAR, Big Dog, and Ratliff. But overall, this year's Hawks are a better team. 3) There is a thing in this league called DEPTH. Marvin, we don't have to worry about for another 3 seasons. Smoove and Chill, for another 2 seasons. If the Hawks do turn this thing around before Smoove and Chill become RFA's in the summer of 2008, then there might be some demand for them. If not, the Hawks can very easily offer them something reasonable in the tune of 6 - 9 million, and keep both of those guys in a Hawks uniform through 2012. The logic you use makes sense, only if those guys are being heavily sought after. Look at the deal Tayshawn Prince got. That could very easily be the deal that Childress and/or Smoove get in 2 years. And because BK has gotten all of this money off the books, it's the type of deals that the Hawks could EASILY work and stay either right at the salary cap, or a little above it. It's crazy. BK has drafted horribly, yet, you probalby think Smoove or Childress are going to get 10 million a year from somebody. 4) No need in responding to this, because while you do have intelligence, your intelligence is much like the federal government's . . . adequate, but incomplete.

LOL . . and those same people complain that BK has done a horrible job and has taken less talented players . . . but Childress and Smoove are talented enough to command big contracts by going someplace else? Here's a prediction . . BOTH Childress and Smoove will have 4 year deals by January 2008. The Hawks won't even let let them test the market before they lock them up. Both could get 6 - 8 million dollar deals . . and both guys will probably take that money because no one else will offer them that much.

LOL. It's just a tired act by you two guys, every time we start losing or get behind in the game. LOL . . we win despite of Woody, but lose because of him? Come on now, you can't have it both ways. Woody managed that game very well last night. And if it wasn't for the turnovers in the 1st half, the Hawks could've easily been up 10 - 15 points at halftime.

You guys dissing Bozeman . . . have you even watched ANY of the 4 games so far? If you have, you're telling me that you don't see that the kid knows how to play ball? Defensively, he's head and shoulders above Ivey and Salim. So right now, we don't need much offense from him, if he's going to come in, and play 10 solid minutes of defense. By the way . . including preseason . . the Hawks are 8 - 4.

Quote: I will agree that we have depth. However, we lack diversity. I think overtime, that will be more of a problem to us. Having 5 Sfs is a good thing if a Sf was to ever go down. However, our tallest player is 6'10". Without Speedy, we don't really have a pure PG. These are just areas that we lack diversity. All of our guys are the same mold.. About 6'7 - 6'10 (athletic, long). The only guy who's really different is Zaza.. and Zaza has made a big difference so far and I believe most of it is because he is different. For instance, if we had Swift instead of Zaza, I don't think we'd be so successful. I like our depth, but I look forward to more diversity.. if that means we get it by player development or we get it by the acquisition of a player with diverse game. I don't think we lack diversity at all. Smoove can defend the 4 better than he can defend the 3 . . even though offensively, he plays like a poor man's Tim Thomas Childress has become the master of the open mid-range jumper. People complain about his release point and him getting his shot off. But he's one of the few guys in the league who can hit wide open shots more often than not. Marvin will be the slasher on this team that attacks the rim, more than he settles for jumpers. Shelden is a rock on the inside that makes this team much tougher than they were a year ago. Freije is a 3 point specialist who is offensively a Matt Bullard/Bill Laimbeer type player. Five different players . . five different styles of play. Our length is obviously starting to bother people when we make a concerted effort to play defense. And because the league is dominated by SF's and SG's that score the basketball, it makes us that more potent as a team . . . if we can get everything together. We may have to add a piece, or subtract a piece to add a few pieces, but this team is definitely headed in the right direction.

LOL . . I might be wrong in calling you two guys out, but . . . how IDIOTIC did you two look last night in that Cle-Atl thread? LOL @ the comment . . "I'd rather have Smoove in the game with 3 fouls and a 8 point lead, than to have him out of the game with 2 fouls and down 4." Good lord man. THAT'S exactly when you take Smoove out. The 2nd half of the game is much more important than the first because just about every NBA team makes some kind of a run in the 2nd half. So I'd rather have Smoove on the floor the majority of the 2nd half, than have him play timid because he's afraid of picking up foul #3 by halftime. Seriously, until both of you guys give some sound commentary about what the Hawks should be doing, you shouldn't call ANYBODY . . on this board and especially our coach . . AN IDIOT!! It's almost like when you two guys stopped posting in that thread, the Hawks started playing better. Salim isn't on the floor for a reason. And we're winning with him off of the floor. So what's the problem? This isn't about seeing your favorite player get playing time. This is about the overall good of the team. Salim will get a chance to contribute in a game. He won't be buried on the bench the entire year. But for now, Bozeman is doing a good job guarding PGs and 2-guards. And he's a much better help defender. If you guys were actually WATCHING the games, you would know that already. I promise this will be the last time I call out somebody on this board by name in a thread that I start. But this had to be said. Keep the "Woodson is an idiot" comments to yourselves, if you don't know how to manage a game to keep your best players in the game at the end. This is what a bench is for . . to spell the starters when they get tired or when they get in foul trouble. The stellar play of the bench on offense and on defense, is the most important reason why we're 3 - 1 right now. So the next time both of you call Woodson "an idiot", hold the mirror up to your own face.

Give BK a B for the past 3 years.

Quote: I would give BK a solid C+. You can't just go on the last 4 years. You have a faulty premise. Some GM's built their teams before 4 years...and still have the core in place. That doesn't mean BK is better. Here are some GM's I rank over BK... Washington (grunfeld) A great core recently assembled with Jamison, Arenas, Hayes, Etan Thomas, and Caron Butler)They didn't build Rome in a day...they did it in two. NJ (Rod Thorn) One of the better GM's for awhile, an Eastern conference contender. Fleeced the raps for VC. PHX (mainly Colangelos) Their record the last few years speaks for itself. Chicago (paxson) My personal favorite...a nice roster 1-12. Fleeced I-Thomas. Miami (Randy Pfund/riley) just won the ring. Detroit (dumars) won the ring and put together a great nucleus. Blew the Darko pick. Still won ring. San Antonio (Pops) won several rings. Maybe the best in the league. Lakers (Kupchak) two years after Shaq and a couple of nice drafts have them contending. It didn't take these guys long. Dallas (little nellie) They have been bad this year, that won't last. Look at their draft history. Even their FA signings that look strange (Diop) work out. Josh Howard was a steal. LA Clips (baylor) don't laugh...Elgin is now allowed to spend money and they have as much depth 1-10 as any team in the league. A ton of talent but too many gunners. Anyway, these guys have pieces and lots of them...Livingston, Kaman, Brand, SamIAm, Cuttino, Ross, Maggette, etc. Milwaukee (Larry Harris) not there yet but these guys have some nice pieces. Fleeced younger colangelo getting Charlie V. for a marginal and undersized PG. This guy has done a nice job but hired a crap coach. Indy (Donnie) Has done a nice job over the years. Got JO for a snickers and a coke. Got Al for just a coke. There are some others in the same league with Billy. I probably would put Utah ahead of BK but I can't think of the guys name. There is my list and I'm sure you will tear it to pieces...its the popular thing to do. Washington - I agree. The main thing they did, was make a play for a player that was showing a lot of potential ( Arenas ). Kind of like we did with JJ. But that team didn't start from scratch like we did. They used their young guys to trade for veteran players . . like the Hawks used to do back in the 90s. It's funny though. The only Wizards original 1st round pick still on the Wiz's roster from the last 4 drafts, is Jarvis Hayes. Everybody else has been traded or released. Jersey - Yes, they have Vince. But that team isn't any better of a squad than they were 4 years ago. They have 2 all-star players ( Kidd and Carter ) and a very good #3 option in Jefferson. So why can't this team win more than 50 games in a weak Eastern Conference? Suns - Can't argue with this. When you draft Amare, acquire Nash, and implement a perfect system to compliment those players, that's a pretty good job. Even the JJ deal has worked out for them, even though they gave up an All-Star caliber player, for a great role player in Diaw, and future draft picks. Chicago - I disagree. I disagree only because we're basically on the same 4 year track that Chicago has been on. That team won 30 games 4 years ago . . digressed to 23 wins . . then made the quantum leap to 47 wins in year 3. We may not get to 47 wins, but we may get to 40, which would make our 3 year run of 13, 26, and 40 wins much more impressive than the Bulls ascention. The Bulls have a nice collection of young players. We do too, but we also have a potential superstar player in JJ. Hinrich and Gordon are too inconsistent right now to be at that level. They may get there one day though. Miami - Well dang. They have the most dominant big man in the game. And they got him by default because he wanted to leave LA, and they had enough young guys to trade for him, and still keep D-Wade. Their front office has done a great job though. Detroit - that's a no-brainer. They acquire a bunch of players that most teams have given up on to be the #1 guy, and convince all of them to work within a team setting, deferring to whomever has the hot hand on any given night. San Antonio - The Spurs have been a great team for the past 7 years. If you're talking about the last 4 years, the only moves they've made, has been to bring in Brent Barry and Michael Finley. 5 years ago, they picked a diamond out of the rough in Manu, so you have to give them props for that. And 6 years ago, they did it with Tony Parker. So the core of that team has played together going on 5 seasons now. Our core is just in their 2nd season. Dallas - Totally agree. They lose Nash and Finley in consecutive years, and become a better team. LA Clippers - ONLY because of the Sam Cassell trade ( which shows you just how stupid Kevin McHale is . . LOL @ him trading Cassell for Marko Jaric, plus he gave the Clips a draft pick ). That trade gave them a bonafide leader and a playoff veteran that knows how to go to war. They've had nice draft picks, but without Sam, they'd still be struggling to break .500 Milwaukee - TOTALLY DISAGREE. Milwaukee was on the verge of making the NBA finals 6 years ago with Big Dog, Allen, and Cassell. Since then, they've won 41, 42, 41, 30, and 40 games. Redd has blossomed into a star, but they're still mixing and matching pieces around him. They haven't done a better job than us. Indy - totally disagree again. JO has been there for years. What have they done since acquiring JO? They made one good run 3 years ago. Artest is gone. And Harrington is back. Not good for Indy.

Quote: The one deal I love by BK, other than Josh Smith, was getting JJ. Even if we may have given away more than necessary...it was worth it. The man is about ready to step into elite status. I would hate to think what we would be like without him. BTW, I'm not saying BK is a bottom 10 GM...just not one of the better ones...not in the top 10. How anybody other than KB21 can argue that is beyond me. I had typed up a nice response to those draft scenarios you gave, but my screen mysteriously closed out on me. I guess they're watching what I'm doing here at work. I'm curious though Pete. You say that BK isn't a bottom 10 GM . . and you say that he's not a top 10 GM. 2 questions for you then: 1) What is the overall grade you would give BK as a GM? 2) Name 10 GMs, in your opinion, that has done a better job than BK in the last 4 years . . not career . . but in the last 4 years. If you can't name the actual GMs, name the teams that you think have made better personnel moves in the last 4 years, than we have.

Because running sprints and playing 1/2 speed in practice, isn't the same as running in an actual game. And "game shape" not only refers to his physical stamina, it also refers to how he approaches the game mentally. Mentally, he may not be 100% comfortable with his shot or ball handling. He can definitely play, but he may not go in a game with reckless abandon, like he's done in the past. As far as his knees go, Speedy probably spent about 3 weeks of his rehab on a treadmill or on a bicycle, until he was actually cleared to practice. So in actuality, Speedy conditioning and mental state is closer to him being in Week 2 of Preseason, instead of Week 2 of the regular season. He'll be just fine by Thanksgiving.

Quote: I'm not complaining at all about a 2nd round pick. I'm complaining about Billy Knight passing over another fine young talent. This kid was strongly considered on the Hawks board and they went with the wrong guy...for the 100th time. The Hawks were said to have loved Ellis...and they went with Salim. This kid is a helluva lot more than a number 2 pick, he is headed to the big time within a few years. I love Marvin...but I would take Paul. I love Childress...but I think Iggy or Deng are better. I don't like Shelden at all...would have loved Roy. I like Speedy...would rather have drafted Roy and received something more for AL, or gotten help on the front line in free agency. I don't like Salim...I would rather have Monta Ellis. I like Solomon but there were several players BETTER on the board and we passed on them for a raw player. This rebuilding effort has been DELAYED a year or two with choosing good players...when BETTER ones were on the board. If you can't see it, I can't help you. But I spend a large chunk of change on my tickets every year so I am actually invested in this deal...I don't just talk about it on message boards. I will be in Philips, God willing, 35 times this season and I haven't seen the playoffs for 7 freaking years. I want Billy Knight to start taking the BEST player just once or twice. Not a decent player, the BEST player. Make sense? So this is your team Pete?: C - ZaZa PF - Smoove ( because he'd have to play PF almost exclusively ) F - Deng G - JJ PG - Paul Bench: G - Roy G - Ellis PG - Lue ( he'd still be under contract ) F - ( free agent pickup to replace Al . . don't know who that would've been though, seeing how just about every decent big man re-signed with their current team or went to the Bulls . . . LOL . . unless you do like the Clips did, and give ridiculous money to Tim Thomas ) F/C - Batista ( we'd have to keep him on the squad ) F/C - Wright ( we'd HAVE to make a play for him, seeing that we have no big people whatsoever ) With this team, Monta would have the same problems getting on the floor, that Salim is having now. The coaches would favor Lue, until Monta proved that he is/was the better player. Monta, much like Diaw, is in the PERFECT SITUATION to fit his style of play. All he has to do is worry about scoring the basketball, because he definitely isn't running the team. And who would be the guy that the Hawks would've gone after, instead of Solomon? With this "video game" squad you've assembled, we'd have to draft a big man that could rebound and/or defend at the very least. Is Paul Davis ( Michigan St.) your guy? Oh I know . . it would be Kevin Pittsnoggle ( West Virginia ). Or maybe you'd take ANOTHER guard, and get a very hyped kid like Daniel Gibson ( Texas ). I've seen Solomon play while at South Florida. He's an energy guy much like Keon Clark was a few years back with the Nuggets, Raptors and Jazz. Pete . . . this is a nice team if you're playing NBA LIVE 07. You could run and gun all day with that squad. The problem . . . the HUGE PROBLEM with this squad, is that they'd be one of the weakest defensive teams in NBA history. All of you BK detractors are hilarious. Complaining about 2nd round picks, when 75% of 2nd round picks don't even make it to their 2nd contract. Complaining about Childress, when he's one of the most complete players in the the league. The only thing that Iggy and Deng can do better than Chill, is dunk . . . that's it. They're definitely not smarter players than Childress. And there is no significant difference between the three players when it comes to their overall talent as ballplayers. I've said this on the AJC blogs, and every other blog/forum concerning the Hawks: From top to bottom, the Hawks have assembled their most talented team since the 2002 - 03 season. This team EASILY goes 9 deep . . and possibly 10 and 11 deep . . without a significant dropoff happening on the offensive and defensive ends. Shelden, Wright, and Solomon have already improved a very weak defensive frontline to the point that we can have bad shooting nights, and still be very mucn in the game offensively, because they're limiting scoring on the other end. The ONLY GLARING MISTAKE that BK has made during his tenure as Hawks GM, was not drafting Chris Paul. And even that may turn out not to be a mistake, if Marvin blossoms into the player that we all think he can.

Hot just can't stop complaining about something. LOL . . . pure comedy. Instead of trading baskets with people, we're showing the ability to stop people. Guys like Speedy and Shelden are a big part of that, even if they're not scoring.

Quote: I say that this season, it will be really hard to tell offensively. Al never got the opportunity to play with a PG like Speedy.. So as Speedy feels more and more comfortable who's to say.. If it were positive or negative offensively. Moreover, Zaza has matured a lot... I don't think that is a direct consequence of Al leaving, but just as the announcer said, it takes Big men probably 3-4 years to develop. I think what can be guaged is that we are a better defensive team without Al. No doubt. It seems like we know what we're doing. Don't be fooled though.. Smoove still has his moments like the other night against Q... I think Smoove is susceptible to being beaten by his man. But, you have to be happy with the Landlord, Chillz and Zaza defensively... I agree. But I don't think we're better just because Al is gone. We're better because a guy like Speedy can harrass the top level PGs in this league and not get lost in defensive rotations, unlike Tyronn Lue and Salim. Overall, we're a better defensive team. For all of the people that want to criticize Speedy, when was the last time a Hawk got 6 steals in a game? This team last year almost had to score over 100 points to win games. If we can cut that number down to 95, look for us to be much improved.

Hot . . . jumpshooting isn't Speedy's game. The entire league knows that. We're a jumpshooting team, so Speedy will have to get his points going to the hole or getting to the line . . like he always has. Speedy, when healthy, will still take the ball to the hole even when open, to either draw a foul or create an opportunity for a better shooter.

LOL . . don't even remind me. Thank God for the Hawks, or my entire sports weekend would've been miserable. Vols lose. Bengals lose. Hawks win.

Quote: HAWKS ARE OVER :500 !!! How long has it been? I know, it's a long season, but WOW !!!!!! Being 2-1 feels soooo good!!!! Since the 2002 season, when Big Dog, Reef, JT, Ratliff, and Newble was our starting lineup. That team started the season 3 - 1 . . but only won 35 games total.

LOL . . . this board is so funny. Good solid win for the Hawks. These are the types of games that we'd never win last year, if this team shot 42% FG and committed 17 turnovers. Speedy Claxton has instantly made us a better defensive team because of his ability to play the passing lanes and put pressure on the ball. Here's the thing about basketball, and specifically, turnovers. When you force a team to turn the ball over, you limit scoring chances. When you steal the ball, you create instant scoring chances with 2 on 1, 3 on 2 fast breaks. Holding D-Howard to 11 points . . 8 rebounds . . and forcing 5 turnovers from him, was the difference in the game. That, and the fact that Jameer only had 4 points, 1 assist, and 5 turnovers of his own. When you can take the main cogs of a team out of the offensive flow like that, you're going to give yourselves a good chance to win every night. And look at our big people. ZaZa is doing a great job of being "the scorer" . . . while Shelden, Lorenzen, and Solomon took turns harrassing people on the defensive end and securing the boards. And if Josh Smith is going to have an off night offensively, these are the types of all-around games I want from him. And what can you say about JJ? I hope some of you are finally realizing the type of player that we've acquired here. This guy is silky smooth, and now he's learning how to not only be "the man", but also the type of guy who can literally take a game over. By the way, Miami just lost to Philly. Maybe Philly is a lot better than what people thought, which makes our loss to them a little less painful to swallow. And we're now the division leader, and #3 seed in the East . . LOL. http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/standings

Smoove is the type that will hopefully benefit from a PG like Speedy. Hopefully, he and Speedy will develop a good chemistry, much like Kidd did with Kenyon Martin.

Quote: I can't believe noone has mentioned this, but the one thing Woodson did that really pissed me off was at the end of the second quarter. We had just built up a BIG lead by running, and the last 2 and a half minutes he put in ALL of our backups (including Freije and Bozeman), pretty much like we'd just cruise into the half and keep the lead. Well we didn't and ended up making a 15 point lead about 6 or 7, I can't remember exactly. Either way that was a HORRIBLE coaching decision.. LMAO . . . do you people even watch basketball? JJ had 2 fouls. So in a situation like that, most SANE coaches will pull a guy out so that they won't get a 3rd foul. Speedy picks up his 2nd foul with 1:39 to go in the half. So Woodson gets him out the game, along with Smoove, who also had 2 fouls. It's 1:39 to go in the half . . . and the Hawks are up 44 - 31. So the lineup we had on the floor to end the half was: G - Lue G - Bozeman F - Childress F - Shelden C - Lorenzen So here's what happened during that stretch at the end of the 2nd quarter: - David Lee was at the line at the time of the substitution, and he makes the 2nd free throw. - Bozeman Travels - Lee hits a jumper - Lorenzen misses a jumper - Curry makes a lay-up, is fouled and adds a free throw - Lue makes a jumper - Francis misses - Lorenzen is fouled and makes 1 of 2 free throws Half is over. So in that stretch of "horrible coaching" that you say Woodson done . . he not only kept Smoove, Speedy and JJ from getting their 3rd foul each by getting them out of the game, the Hawks were only outscored in that stretch by a 6 - 3 margin. http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/playbyplay?g...01&period=2 LMAO . . . some of you guys are so obsessed with this "Woody is a bad coach" thing, that you start to make up stuff to try to prove your point. This board is pure comedy.