Packfill

I think the take away is that Marvin and Al are good complementary players at this point in their careers. If they want to be more then that, at some point they will need to take matters into their own hands.

I definitely wanted Conley at 3 (whoops). My uninformed understanding is that he has been underwhelming this season at best. He is still very young so maybe he gets it in time, but I am not holding out much hope - though I think his chances may be better then Laws. Horford has been good, but not great. Same is true of Stuckey. This clearly was BK's best draft as it is the only one you can't say he categorically flubbed his lottery picks.

If BK made the right call in the draft he would still be GM. He is gone, so . . .

These guys only play 82 games a year, and if they are lucky, a few more. I think that most people put in at least 82 quality days at the office, and most of them aren't making millions to do so with professional staff available to deal with your bumps and bruses.

Understood. Has anyone done a ranking of the high school class of 2004 recently?

I think it would take a lot more then Horford to get Aldridge.

In fairness, he did not play very well despite the opportunity to prove his worth.

If Saturday Night Live ever did a skit on Woodson, it would be just like the ones they did on Palin - Repeat what he/she actually said verbatim, no need to make stuff up as the real stuff funnier. A second half collapse would probably help the team in the long run as it would hopefully mean the end for Woodson. That said, the Atlanta Spirit can't exactly be trusted to bring in a competent replacement. I am not routing for a second half collapse, just saying there is an upside.

Ugh. Another guy who, for the teams sake, should be home resting during the all-star break.

Woodson hasn't learned anything from four years coaching the Hawks so I doubt he would learn something from another coach on another team.

The rest of the team played very poorly so it is not like Smith had a lot of help.

If I could go back in time, there are alot of personnel decisions that BK flubbed that I would like to change, but barring that, I think good coaching would have a positive impact on the teams performance. I don't think Woodson is a good coach and the teams limited successes are in spite of him.

I am sure Woodson knows what he is doing . . .

Frank is a very good coach. That team is really slim on talent yet they remain respectable.

Sadly, BK's incompetence remains on display and will likely haunt the Hawks at least as long as Woody remains coach. You know, except for recently, the Hawks backcourt has been their strength - and is the product of BK's two big trades to land JJ and Bibby. The sad thing is, if BK skipped the trades and just drafted Paul and Roy the Hawks would have a better, younger backcourt.

Agreed.

The Hawks are really going to have to tank in grand fashion to get a pick high enough to get anything of value in return. A late lottery or later pick won't get you a KG - even with one of Smoove, Marvin or Horford thrown into the mix.

Until the Hawks have a winning season and win a playoff series or two I don't think they have proved anything.

I doubt there is a trade available for Bibby before the deadline that would improve the team this season. If there is a deal that could improve the team in the long run then it may be worthwhile but I highly doubt they make a move involving Bibby given the teams current record - despite recent slumping.

He wouldn't go to NY to partner with LBJ or Bosh, he would be the consolation prize if the Knicks failed to land a bigger fish.

I think the worst part about last night is that JJ was playing poorly and Woodson still played him 40 minutes. The Hawks would be better off losing with JJ getting rest then losing with him slogging around on the court and not making an impact. That said, if the old guys are tired, then the young guys, mostly Smoove and Marvin, need to bring it like they mean it and take control. Experience is no longer an issue for either. They both played well last night, but things like passing up open shots and missing free throws remain issues.

Marvin played well too. It is still mind boggling how easy Marvin goes down on contact given that he is in his fourth NBA season now.

I think fatigue is an issue with JJ. He and the team would benefit from him staying home and resting during the all-star break.

I think the real issue is that the Spirit Group (minus Belkin) just don't have enough money to keep operating the teams with these loses. They just aren't collectively as wealthy as some other owners. Also, it is my understanding that Belkin didn't have a problem with the contract for JJ, but rather giving up the draft picks.

Since Bibby and JJ, both grizzled vets at this point, do most of the ball handling, I am not sure that maturity is the issue.