TheNorthCydeRises

Jordan Williams defensive stats: Defensive FG%: 44.7% . . ( 0.99 points per possession ) . . rank: #427 Post Up: 43.2% FG . . ( 0.91 points per possession ) . . rank: #200 And that dude is absolutely HORRIFIC in guarding the Pick and Roll: 68.8% FG given up When you have scrub big men who aren't going to see the ball hardly at all offensively, unless the grab an offensive rebound or someone passes it to them if they're completely wide open, you want that big man to at least be able to play defense. Collins overall is a horrible player. But he can at least play post defense. Neither J-Will ( lol @ calling him that ) or Petro can play defense. If either of those scrubs see 10 minutes a game for the Hawks, we're in trouble.

LOL . . you post THIS to prove that Petro is much better than Collins? Offensive Scrub vs Offensive Scrub? Like Petro will help us? Petro is HORRIBLE. Collins is HORRIBLE. But Collins does something much better than Petro, that may be more valuable to a team. And that's play good post defense According to SynergySports Defensive FG% - Collins: 36.8% . . ( 0.78 points per possession ) . . rank #75 - Petro: 43.5% . . ( 0.92 points per possession ) . . rank #361 Defensive Post Up FG% - Collins: 42.9% - Petro: 47.9% Petro is a worse defender in EVERY CATEGORY than Collins. The ONLY thing he does better than Collins from a defensive standpoint, is rebound the basketball, and score a little bit better. He's DEFINITELY not a better defensive player than Collins. Collins > Petro . . . . but both of them still suck.

Does Georgia Tech see Georgia as their most bitter rival?Does New Jersey/Brooklyn see the Knicks as their most bitter rival?Does Sacramento see the Lakers as their most bitter rival?How about Indiana? Do they see the Bulls as their most hated rival?The one thing all of those matchups have in common, is that they are grossly one-sided in the favor of the more well known and popular team. I doubt very seriously that Georgia wants to beat G Tech more than Florida, Tennessee, or Auburn. I doubt that Knick fans get more jacked up to play the Nets, more than they do to play the Celtics, Heat, or Bulls. The same goes for Lakers fans with Sacramento. Kings games for a short time meant something. But their fans still get up more for the Celtics, Suns, and Spurs.When you're a team without a true bitter rival in your area or division, fans hatred usually turn toward the team they simply dislike the most. And that answer is OBVIOUSLY Boston.A Tuesday night matchup vs Orlando isn't going to bring the fans out, because they hate the Magic so much. But let that game be vs Boston, and see how many fans show up and see how intense they are throughout the game.When Boston comes to town, there is very little "star-gazing" by our fan base. Nobody outside of hardcore Boston fans are cheering for Pierce, Garnett, and Rondo. Add the fact that Celtic fans in particular make themselves well known at our arena, and that just adds to the "hatred" of Boston.That kind of hate isn't felt toward Orlando or even Miami.

With the way these rankings are going, it wouldn't shock me to see both Smith and Horford outside the top 40. #88 - Lou Williams #108 - Devin Harris#109 - Jeff Teague#186 - Kyle Korver#196 - Anthony Morrow#223 - Zaza Pachulia#312 - Ivan Johnson#319 - Deshawn Stevenson#397 - Johan Petro#398 - John Jenkins#424 - James Anderson . . ( not sure how likely he is to make the team though )#439 - Damion James#457 - Jordan Williams#481 - Mike Scott

SMH As soon as I posted that last post, Teague pops up in a tie for 109 with Wesley Matthews #109 - Jeff Teague #186 - Kyle Korver #196 - Anthony Morrow #223 - Zaza Pachulia #312 - Ivan Johnson #319 - Deshawn Stevenson #397 - Johan Petro #398 - John Jenkins #424 - James Anderson . . ( not sure how likely he is to make the team though ) #439 - Damion James #457 - Jordan Williams #481 - Mike Scott

They're through #110 and still no Teague or Harris. If Teague cracks the top 100, that would represent a significant improvement in perception that the ESPN heads have for him. Let me add Damion James to the list, since we've acquired him. #186 - Kyle Korver #196 - Anthony Morrow #223 - Zaza Pachulia #312 - Ivan Johnson #319 - Deshawn Stevenson #397 - Johan Petro #398 - John Jenkins #424 - James Anderson . . ( not sure how likely he is to make the team though ) #439 - Damion James #457 - Jordan Williams #481 - Mike Scott

So we're not only "Golden State East" . . we're "New Jersey South"?The Hawks ARE over the salary cap though, so minimum contracts are all we can acquire right now. I believe we still have our bi-annual exception, but they may be holding onto that in case Ivan gets an above-minimum deal from somebody.

A good marketing team would approach T.I., and have him do a Hawks version of this song as the starting lineup intro video. T.I. is talented enough to change up the lyrics and fit the team perfectly. I would rather use this, than that lame Flo-Rida "Good Feeling" song that they were using last year.

Exactly. Honestly, the Hawks lack of taking advantage of the hip-hop talent in the city, is a part of the PR problem the city has. If I were the Hawks owner, I'd cut an artist like T.I. a $250,000 million dollar check, and ask him to cut a high quality Hawks song/video that could not only be the anthem for the team, but a possible anthem for the city. Matter of fact, cut that dude a million dollar check, and have him be the promotional face of the team, along with Smith and Horford. If the Hawks can't successfully promote the team, let the biggest hip-hop artist in the city do it. I'd rather do that, than to give Erick Dampier the money.

How did you expect people to react? So the reason why we can't have "nice things in Atlanta" is because ATL residents wear sports gear from other cities? Is that your point? And does that point make any sense?

That just shows that they past 5 years was nowhere near as bad as people make it out to be. The Hawks simply have a MAJOR public relations problem. And it starts at the top.

OWNERSHIP: 103rd overall . . . 25th in the NBA Sub-Categories - Honest Ownership: 28th - Loyalty toward core: 13th - Committed to community: 25th AFFORDABILITY: 56th overall . . . 17th in the NBA Sub-Categories - Affordable tickets: 17th - Affordable parking: 17th - Affordable concessions: 22nd STADIUM EXPERIENCE: 98th overall . . 25th in the NBA Sub-categories - Great/quality stadium or arena: 23rd - Fan Promotions/contests/giveaways: 29th - Fan friendly environment: 27th They messed up the Coaching category. They may have the actual rankings right, but they have the sub-category of Fan Cost in the coaching section. Those rankings are abysmal. And it shows just how out of touch the ASG, and especially Gearon and Sund, have been over the past 3 years.

This is interesting. You can sort the list overall, or just amongst NBA teams, or even amongst teams just in a certain market. Then you can click on an individual column and see the sub criteria within that column. For example, the Hawks ranked 16th overall in the "Bang for the Buck" category and 5th in the NBA. The two sub categories within the Bang for the Buck section are . . . - Fan Cost: ( cost of being a fan for a full season, and their ranking within that league or overall ) - Win-Loss record over the past 2 years In those 2 categories, the Hawks ranked 7th in cost and 10th in W-L. This would indicate that watching the Hawks would be a pretty good buy for a sports fan in ATL. And honestly, it has been just that over the years, even without a superstar player. Despite that, the Hawks ranked 27th in the NBA in Fan Relations and 28th in the Players category. This just proves how apathetic the fan base was/is with the ownership and the players, despite the Hawks perennially making the playoffs during that time. Under the Players category, there were 2 sub-categories: Likability of players and Belief that players always gave their best effort. In those 2 categories, the Hawks ranked 25th in Player Likability and 28th in perceived Player Effort. When you look at Fan Relations, you had 4 sub-categories: Professional acting players on and off the field . . Player/owner appreciation shown toward fans . . Accessibility of players to fans . . Team provides avenue for fan feedback. Here's where the Hawks ranked in those categories amongst NBA teams: - Professional acting players: 22nd - Player/Owner Appreciation: 29th - Accessibility: 28th - Fan Feedback: 29th When you look at all of this, it goes back to one thing in my opinion. PUBLIC RELATIONS I don't know who is in charge of Hawks public relations, but the Hawks have a MAJOR PR problem. For a team that has been above average the past 3 years, the apathy shouldn't be as low as it is. Bringing Ferry aboard was a major step in improving not only the culture of the team, but possibly the perception of the franchise. But he has a looooooooooooooong way to go, if these numbers are how Hawk fans feel about this team. That's why I say that Ferry doesn't have 6 years to turn this around. He has more like 2 years to do it. The apathy toward the Hawks is just too great to expect fans to tolerate an extended period of no playoff success. And if a superstar isn't brought in to energize the casual fans, this team is going to have to be really, really good in order for them to get the respect of the ATL fan base.

Here were the categories that the pro franchises were judged by: - Bang for the Buck: ( reg season + playoffs wins the past 3 years per revenue directly from fans ) - Fan Relations: ( Openness/consideration toward fans by players, coaches and ownership ) - Ownership: ( Honesty and loyalty to core players and local community ) - Affordability: ( Price of tickets, parking, and concessions ) - Stadium Experience: ( Quality of arena and game-day promotions and friendly environment ) - Players: ( Effort on the field and likability of it ) - Coaching: ( Strength of on-field/court leadership ) - Title Track: ( Championships already won or expected within lifetime of fans ) The top 10 1) Oklahoma City Thunder 2) Green Bay Packers 3) San Antonio Spurs 4) Indiana Pacers 5) Memphis Grizzlies 6) Phoenix Coyotes 7) Tampa Bay Lightning 8) New Orleans Saints 9) Texas Rangers 10) Arizona Diamondbacks 94) Atlanta Hawks Hawks rank amongst NBA teams: 23rd Hawks rank amongst teams in Atlanta: 3rd ( out of 3 teams ) . . Braves ( 27th ) - Falcons ( 41st ) The good news is that we were 103rd last year overall Here is the summary overview of the Hawks and why they placed 94th http://espn.go.com/s...sport/nba#table

Honestly, if Jenkins shooting in college translates to the NBA, he'll be better than Morrow and definitely Stevenson. He's a better defensive player than Morrow and a better offensive player than Stevenson.

If Jenkins is undersized at 6-4 . . 220 lbs, what are the rest of these guys who may start at the 2? - Deshawn Stevenson ( 6-5 . . 218 lbs ) - Anthony Morrow ( 6-5 . . 210 lbs ) - Devin Harris ( 6-3 . . 192 lbs ) - Lou Williams ( 6-1 . . 175 lbs ) I actually agree that if we're truly rebuilding, we may as well see what Jenkins can give us right out of the gate as a starter. The problem is that Drew is in the final year of his contract, so he doesn't have the job security to experiment with a rookie. He'll opt to put what he thinks is the best team possible out on the floor. And that probably means starting Devin Harris at the 2 alongside Teague.

I think both Smith and Horford will be outside the top 30. Probably in that 30 - 40 grouping. People will use Al's injury against him, and the national media has never been that fond of Smith. ESPN ranked him #43 last year, so he has a ways to go for them to see him as a top 30 player, even if he's already at that level. I think Lou Williams will be outside of the top 50. I'll say he's closer to 70 than within that top 50. Harris should be top 75, as well as Teague. But something tells me that they may sell one of these guys short, and place them outside the top 100. With Harris being traded, it might be him.

Updated list: #186 - Kyle Korver #196 - Anthony Morrow #223 - Zaza Pachulia #312 - Ivan Johnson #319 - Deshawn Stevenson #397 - Johan Petro #398 - John Jenkins #424 - James Anderson . . ( not sure how likely he is to make the team though ) #457 - Jordan Williams #481 - Mike Scott

Very good video. And a good, not over the top, song choice. Very good moments by that squad that people will give more props to over time. They had a good, but not great, 5 year run.Just to nitpick, I would've included Horford's drive and hard foul that Blake Griffin committed against him ( with Al shaking it off and making 2 FTs ) . . and Marvin's clothesline of Rajon Rondo in Game 7 of that Boston series.

My bad . . . I missed Petro#223 - Zaza Pachulia#312 - Ivan Johnson#319 - Deshawn Stevenson#397 - Johan Petro#398 - John Jenkins#457 - Jordan Williams#481 - Mike Scott

You either buy out or amnesty Bibby. Of course, that trade was made before the new CBA gave an amnesty clause to NBA teams. The amnesty clause, however, would've been like a Get out of Jail Free card for the Hawks to get rid of Bibby. But now, the only Hawk that can be amnestied, is Al Horford. JJ and Marvin have been traded, and Smith, Teague, and Zaza wll sign new contracts next season. So Horford is the last guy left they can amnesty. As for that horrific trade, the Hawks made that trade to simply avoid even paying a little Luxury Tax in 2011 - 12. And the crazy thing is that they STILL played Luxury Tax last year. So we traded Bibby and 2 First round picks to avoid paying the tax . . . but we still paid the tax because we added Jerry Stackhouse and Erick Dampier? Bibby was set make 6.22 million in the final year of his deal in 2011 - 12. These are last year's Hawks salaries if he were still on the team. And remember, had we not made that trade, there is also no Kirk Hinrich and his 8 million final year deal on the squad. Johnson: 18.04m Smith: 12.4m Horford: 12m ( Shamsports had him at 12.49m, so I'll use both numbers if necessary ) Marvin: 7.5m Bibby: 6.22m Zaza: 4.75m Teague: 1.58m Faried: 1.25m Crawford: 1.12m McGrady: .85m Collins: .85m Green: .85m Pargo: .85m Radmanovic: .85m Stackhouse: .85m Ivan: .47m Dampier: .39m Total salary: 70.82m * if you add the extra 499K they have Horford making, that number climbs to 71.31 So let's use the higher number. At 71.31, we're 1 million above the Luxury Tax line. Who do you cut ( or not sign in the first place ) to get below the line? And I won't amnesty Bibby. I'll keep him on the squad. Johnson: 18.04m Smith: 12.4m Horford: 12m ( Shamsports had him at 12.49m, so I'll use both numbers if necessary ) Marvin: 7.5m Bibby: 6.22m Zaza: 4.75m Teague: 1.58m Faried: 1.25m Crawford: 1.12m McGrady: .85m Collins: .85m Green: .85m Pargo: .85m Radmanovic: .85m Stackhouse: .85m Ivan: .47m Dampier: .39m 71.31m - 2.09m = 69.22m As the rapper Future would say . . . "Voila . . Magic" And heck, I'd cut Radmanovic's garbage azz and just keep Papy Sy ( @ .79m in 2011 - 12 ) on the squad as a defensive option to put in the game. So that would've saved us an additiona 100K had we gone that route. But the Hawks could've simply gone with 13 players, if they were that scared to death to pay the Luxury Tax. If that's the case, even a guy like Ivan isn't needed on that team. And as far as the Hawks not making out of the 1st round if Bibby was on the squad and we didn't have Hinrich, who cares? That trade wasn't going to put us in the EC Finals or NBA Finals. That trade was made for fnancial reasons only. So why even make the trade? Only the Hawks would do a damn trade like that. Only we would give up two 1st round picks to bring in a journeyman defensive combo guard. When Bibby started to become highly ineffective, his role on the team shoud've been switched with Teague. Let Teague start and play 12 - 20 minutes per game, with Bibby coming off of the bench as a specialty player. Jamal was going to play 30+ minutes a game anyway, so just play Teague with the starters to begin the game, and let Bibby become the 3rd PG. Poo-poo it all you want. The Hawks did what they usually do with personnel decisions . . . (( bleep )) it up. Heck, Faried may have even made a guy like Josh Smith expendible, giving us an incentive to trade him for assets, instead of possibly being forced to overpay for him just like we did with JJ.

The Milwaukee series in 2010 . . for the ups and downs. We had dominated the first 2 games of that series, despite having problems with Brandon Jennings. Then Smith made those "Noah-like" comments about Milwaukee, plus the party trip to Chicago right before Game 3 ( allegedly led by Bibby ) That fired Milwaukee up, and they basically played like we did vs Boston in 2008, winning the 2 home games to tie the series. Then came the infamous Game 5, in which the Hawks blew that 4th quarter lead, JJ literally played like he was drunk for 1/2 of that game, and Jamal completely sold us out with a 4 - 18 FG performance. LOL @ that foul JJ committed when he lost the ball, and gave Jennings a shoulder block. Hawks had an epic collapse in that game, especially when JJ fouled out. The team literally didn't know what to do. Once we went down 3 - 2, I think about 75% of the fan base had given up on this team. People were salivating ( even on here ) at the prospect of us losing Game 6. Some even suggested that the Hawks should PURPOSELY lose Game 6, just so that Woody could be fired. And then the Hawks came out in Game 6 @ Milwaukee and did this: http-~~-//www.youtube.com/watch?v=ob1fAkG8rbw It wasn't a pretty offensive game, but they played the best 12 minute stretch of defense that I've EVER seen on an NBA level. Milwaukee goes up by 7 ( 34 - 27 ) with a little under 4 minutes to go in the 2nd quarter. I remember being in Hawksquawk chat that night, and seeing people being mad, but happy at the same time. Because they were convinced that we were going to get blown out at that point. How did the Hawks respond? They go on a 29 - 4 run in the next 12 minutes, including a 19 - 2 run to start the 3rd quarter, to completely take over the game and go up by 20 points. The defense that they played in that stretch was simply a thing of beauty. It was literally the best team defense I've ever seen. And even when we STILL tried to give the game away in the 4th, Jamal finally redeems himself from the abysmal Game 5, to ice the game with timely shots. At that point, there was no way we were losing Game 7 back in ATL. The Hawks quickly took control of that game, and never looked back. While the 3 home games vs the Celtics were obviously the best playoff moments ( along with the Game 4 win vs the Bulls and the Game 6 win vs Orlando ), the Milwaukee series probably had the most range of highs and lows possible.

#223 - Zaza Pachulia #312 - Ivan Johnson #319 - Deshawn Stevenson #398 - John Jenkins #457 - Jordan Williams #481 - Mike Scott

PG - MookieG - JJF - NiquePF - HorfordC - DikembeI'd have my superstar ( Nique ) . . with 2 elite defensive players at PG ( Mookie ) an at C ( Dikembe ) . . with JJ playing an all around Scottie Pippen-esque role . . and Horford being a highly versatile big man.If I could also have Josh Smith as my 6th man ( the role he'd be perfect for on a high caliber team ), I'd roll with that squad.As long as Mookie didn't get 3 pointer happy and start to shoot us out of the game, that team could hang with anybody.

Hilarious.