Packfill

Quote: I don't disagree that BK has made some bone-head picks particularly Shelden --- However Woodson has enough talent to win in a very weak Eastern Conference. Even with the hand he's been dealt. He has JJ, Josh Smith, Horford, M Williams and Childress. That is enough talent for a average to excellent coach to have significantly more than 21 wins at this point. I am not letting BK of the hook, not for the players he chose, but as you stated he did choose Woodson. Nevertheless, Hawks not winning are issues dealing with motivation, player rotations, Xs and Os and player development. That is why I think removing Woodson and not BK would be far more effective than the reverse. In fact I would venture to say if BK stayed and we got a very good coach that developed players (i.e. a Jerry Sloan Type)we would look at BKs picks differently. You are missing the point. BK, based on his track record, will not hire a good coach to replace Woodson. BK just can't identify good coaching talent. That is why he has to go. Why would BK hire a good coach now when he has failed to do so in his previous opportunities?

I am suprised. Wasn't BK the guy that hired Woody? Isn't BK the guy with the worst track record of all time in terms of identifying coaching talent (i.e., see record in Memphis)?

Quote: I also think BK should stay. However if Woody gets fired and all we get is a guy from the bench promoted to head coach then is there really any reason to fire him. My God what if another Terry Stotts situation happens. What if we go on a nice little mini run with one of our assistants and the Hawks sign him long term in the off season but he turns out to be a bad coach. I would rather see Woody fired at seasons end so we can bring in a proven veteran coach then for that senario to happen. BK is a MUCH bigger problem then Woody! Who do you think hired Woody in the first place? Do you honestly think BK will hire a qualified replacement if, in the unlikely event he pulls the trigger on firing Woody? Look at his track record. Remember the turd he hired in Memphis?

Quote: If making the playoffs means BK and Woody keep their jobs then i hope the Hawks don't make it. The players deserve better than having to deal with those clowns. I agree. Ensuring that Woody and BK are gone is more important than making the playoffs this year.

Quote: Memphis is in full rebuilding mode and they seem to be going the long, athletic, versatile, running team route. Maybe they'd rather have Childress, a cheap center, and an expiring contract than Miller, plus they're pretty much set at PG with Conley and Crittenton. I think they're trying to get rid of Miller, and we've already seen what they got for Pau, so I don't think this deal is unreasonable. Maybe we could even substitute Shelden for Chills if they really want to cut costs. I don't think Childress is more athletic than Miller. I am also pretty sure the long, athletic, versatile team thing doesn't work - as evidenced by the Hawks.

Will Al Horford become the low post scorer the Hawks desperately need?

Quote: Don't know if anyone else saw this, but I love it.... Kyle (ATL): David, what do you think? Hawks get Mike Miller and Kyle Lowry, Memphis gets Josh Childress, Zaza Pachulia and Anthony Johnson.... Trade Machine says its a go! Also would help the Grizz free some cap room at the end of the year to be a big player for FA's. David Thorpe: I like it! So don't expect it to happen. What reason would Memphis have for doing this deal? Miller is better then Chill and Lowry is better then Lue and Zaza combined. Childress' contract won't be much smaller then Miller's, so no money being saved either. Plus, Childress is not a full-time 2-guard - and Gay has the small-forward position locked down.

That is a good blog entry. Painfully true. The Hawks should really start thinking about trading some of their underachieving lottery picks while they still have some value so they can get some role players that can allow the team to have proper balance offensively and defensively. "Talent" on paper is nice, but balance and a solid team approach will do more good for this team.

Quote: Andre Miller would definitely be an upgrade and would be enough i think to put us over the top to definitely make the playoffs. however he's not much of a shooter so can't help us much there. our goal would be that he can come in and setup folks better so they can get their shot. Deal or no deal the Hawks should be a lock for the playoffs in the leastern conference, especially now that NJ unloaded Kidd.

I would definitely do your proposed deal if I were Hawks GM. Jack would help either as a decent starter (if Law fails to develop) or excellent back-up. Not a perfect point guard set-up, but a big upgrade over AJ/Lue. I would resign AJ next year to be the third stringer that only plays in the event of injury.

Quote: Quote: Quote: Since Teke is on a negativity writer's strike, I might as well make a bold prediction. I'd be SHOCKED if we lost tonight. Flabbergasted even. 1) Detroit almost NEVER sweeps us for the season. Even the sorry 13 win Hawks, led by the 32 points that Lue scored, beat the Pistons at least once. 2) JJ's numbers after having adequate rest, usually go up. Expect a good all around game from him, even if the Pistons do try to shut him down. 3) This team was literally embarrassed Saturday night. They're pizzed, and will come out ready to play. 4) The role players play well at home. 5) We got a little "Jungle Karma" today, with Nique being on Jim Rome's radio show today. Nique was evrywhere this afternoon. We got that same karma last Tuesday, with Marvin on his TV show, which led to the win over the Lakers. Expect victory tonight folks. Brilliant! I think you did a great job. Substance over style my friend. I like it! Plus it seems you've already got your critics. LOL Nice work! This PG situation will make you pull your flippin hair out! ?

Quote: Who would the #1 option be that BK should have drafted? Chris Paul.

Quote: Would you rather Woody come out and publicly criticize JJ for taking those awful shots? It might be Woody's game plan to have JJ take awful shots like that but it could also be that JJ simply doesn't trust his teammates or has too much confidence in himself to pass the ball. I strongly doubt that JJ is coached to fire up an almost impossible shot through a double or triple team. At this point the Hawks really need to make a move to get someone here who is more of a star than Joe. I love Joe and I hope he will be a Hawk for the rest of his career but he isn't a #1 option and isn't the best option to go to at the end of games and it's hurting us severely but he is the "star" of the team and I think it would take someone like an AI or Arenas to put him in the position that he should be in and that's as the #2 option where he would be the best in the league or close to it. If BK had drafted properly then JJ would be the number two option. Too bad that didn't work out.

Quote: Since Teke is on a negativity writer's strike, I might as well make a bold prediction. I'd be SHOCKED if we lost tonight. Flabbergasted even. 1) Detroit almost NEVER sweeps us for the season. Even the sorry 13 win Hawks, led by the 32 points that Lue scored, beat the Pistons at least once. 2) JJ's numbers after having adequate rest, usually go up. Expect a good all around game from him, even if the Pistons do try to shut him down. 3) This team was literally embarrassed Saturday night. They're pizzed, and will come out ready to play. 4) The role players play well at home. 5) We got a little "Jungle Karma" today, with Nique being on Jim Rome's radio show today. Nique was evrywhere this afternoon. We got that same karma last Tuesday, with Marvin on his TV show, which led to the win over the Lakers. Expect victory tonight folks. Brilliant!

Quote: Quote: Quote: Quote: Yeah, I heard about that last night. Paxson really messed up that team. Imagine if they still had Chandler how good they would be right now. Yeah - taking them to the playoffs three straight years (after 6 years of embarrassing play) and having them picked as Eastern Conference contenders at the beginning of this year - what was he thinking? Well, if Chandler had played anything like he played his last year in Chicago - probably not very good. Chandler had given up on Chicago - he wasn't going to go to the next level there. Oh, and lets not forget that Chris Paul isn't playing in Chicago - I think he might have a little something to do with Tysons offensive improvements. But you can't ignore the really bad choice in signing Ben and then the subsequent poor play this year. I will defer to your insights on why the Bulls are playing so poorly this year, but from the outside it looks like Paxson made some very bad moves over the past couple of years. This isn't to say Paxson is in the BK realm of goofy moves by any means, by the by. In hindsight the Big Ben signing was terrible, but at the time it was the best option. Chandler had just come off the worst season of his career and had played historically bad in the playoffs - all of this after being rewarded with a new contract. The Bulls had the caproom, and couldn't roll it over to the next offseason because of the Hinrich extension and Nocioni RFA. They went and signed the best FA on the market at a position of need. The Bulls frontcourt was absolutely atrocious, and it was thought that Ben could stabilize it. Because of The owners edict on salary, Paxson was forced to trade Chandler after signing Ben. Chandler had been given 5 years in Chicago and aside from one good season had been a pretty big disappointment. I actually like Chandler, he seems like a good kid, but he was done in Chicago. Whehther it was the pressure of being traded for Brand or the new contract - who knows. The trade did light a fire under him though and he did things he never did in Chicago (like hire a trainer and a nutritionist) In retrospect the Big Ben signing was obviously a mistake, but to Pax's credit he only signed him to a 4 year deal that also declines each year. Big Ben's contract expires the same season that Lebron, Wade, and the rest of the big FA's become available. Its doubtful we sign them, but it is possible that Bens contract becomes a valuable expiring - like Kwame was this season. Why are the Bulls playing so bad this season? There are a multitude of reasons, some of which include injuries (to Deng, Gordon, and Hinrich) Big Bens suckitude, coaching, and two players response to not signing a new contract (Deng and Gordon). Skiles had given up on the team, and in his place Pax hired an assistant as the interim. This assistant has shown himself to be quite possibly the stupidest coach in the history of the NBA. His substitutions are maddening and predictable. He plays the veterans until their legs fall off - even when the younger players behind them have proven themselves to be better. Deng and Gordon have been out for extended periods, and Hinrich has been missing games of late. These three guys account for almost 55 points a game. Big Ben sucks, and even though Noah has proven to be a better player Ben is still playing 35+ minutes a game. In general it seems like everything that could go wrong has gone wrong. So what your saying is the new interim coach is exactly like Woodson! We know your pain!

Quote: Teams looking to make the playoffs with multiple coaches in the last year of their deals are not likely to play rookie PG's major minutes, especially if that rookie has been less than stellar so far. We need to be realistic about the minutes Law is going to get from here on out, barring injuries. The Hawks most definitely need a stopgap PG. The question in my mind is whether AJ/Lue is good enough to get to the playoffs in the EC. If not, someone needs to be brought in to replace Lue this season, and consequently, to replace AJ next season. The way the east is shaping up, the Hawks could make the playoffs this year with Gary Coleman at the point. The Hawks need a starting caliber point guard with advanced court vision and passing ability. If it takes trading a Marvin or Childress and some of the other junk on the roster to get one, so be it. Forwards are easily replaced.

Yikes. Unless all those statements were taken completely out of context then they do evidence a general dissatisfaction the players have with management. Not surprising that the players see the same issues as the fans do. If only ASG, BK and Woody could get the message.

Quote: Quote: I also didn't see anything in your offseason about me hooking up with either of the Jessica's Alba or Biel so I don't consider that to be a perfect offseason! You're not kidding Dolfan. That's an offseason where no matter how the team does, you still come out a winner!! Anyway, my perfect offseason would involve a new local owner taking over, jettising the ASG, and firing BK. That, followed by a press conference announcing that he's willing to do/spend what it takes to bring a world title to Atlanta. That's what this franchise really needs. I like that off-season plan above all others!

Quote: There is no rumor going around about it. It would take someone such as Marvin to get him away from the Grizz more than likely. Of course I would offer the expiring and a future 1st just to see if the bite. If not then use Marvin as the center piece. Seeing as we need a 3pt threat and just outside shooting in general. Mike Miller might be traded. I would seriously consider trading Marvin along with expirings. It is a deal worth considering. http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/players/profile?playerId=558 Just looking over Miller stats. He is not another Jason Kapono. I am not sure how his defense is. He rebounds and it appears he is good passer. This on top of shooting the ball with a high % and being a lethal 3pt threat. He has two years left on his contract after this at about $9 Mil per. Well worth it that price. Memphis has zero use for Marvin. Rudy Gay is better.

Quote: Its been my concern for the longest time. Here we are in year 4 of BK's 'master plan' and this team is still under .500 with Detroit and a western road trip waiting for them after the All-Star break. The fact is that they're in the playoff picture simply because of geography, not because of some mass improvement by the team; that says something about not only the coach and players, but the entire front office and ownership group as well. Unless the lightbulb pops on for these guys, a move has to be made, whether its a trade or two, or Woodson being asked to leave the island. Something has to be done to shake up this sleeping bunch. There's no excuse for a team who hasn't made the playoffs in nearly a decade to 'man up' when the Lakers, Suns, and Mavericks come to town but fall asleep at the wheel when they play a depleted Cleveland team, Seattle at home, or the Clippers. And please, I don't want to hear about how 'young' they are anymore. Portland is young and they're winning. So is Utah, New Orleans, and Golden State. And they're doing it in a much tougher conference to boot. Ironically, three of the four teams mentioned were the benefiaries of BK's drafting expertise (Paul, Williams, Roy). The problem with this franchise is that the ASG's pursestrings are tighter than a virgin's honeypot on prom night. They have two key free agents (both Joshes) and Marian Hossa from the Thrashers to sign this offseason; does anyone HONESTLY see them getting Jason Kidd? The youth thing is a bit of a fallacy for the Hawks at this point as Horford and Marvin are the only players on the team playing significant minutes with fewer then 3 full seasons of NBA experience. Law hopefully joins the list but his time is too spotty at the moment and Woodson seems content with playing 30-something vets AJ and Lue.

Quote: Which screams back to the point of JJ prior to the season stating that he thought this team needed to add another proven scorer in the offseason. Again he has to play major minutes, he is clearly nursing a sore leg, and by the end of the game he can't even get off his patented game winning jumper. Then people wonder why he looks disinterested or unhappy. Until this team either adds another player or learns to win without relying on JJ IT WILL NOT MATTER who the coach is. How many coaches have we been through this whole grass is greener if only we have a new coach with now since Lenny left? no one is questioning that the roster is flawed. That is why BK needs to go before Woody. But, once BK goes Woody will be gone with him because no other GM will be satisfied with Woody as HC.

Quote: The team has improved under Woody. Do you guys really think that Woody wants to play Lue and Zaza? I certainly don't. He doesn't even appear to like them. Isn't it ironic that we played our best basketball without those 2 guys and now that they are back we are losing again? I know a lot of people seem to think that Woody is playing these guys because he wants to or thinks he should but as anybody who has ever had a job knows sometimes you have to do things that people with more power than you dictate. Maybe the owners are so cheap that they don't want to see guys making millions sitting on the bench. Then again maybe BK is trying to showcase some of the guys for trades. Yeah it's possible that Woody can't see what the brilliant people of the internet see and that's why he keeps playing Lue and Z but I highly doubt it. Wait until the trade deadline is over with and if we are still in the playoff picture I am pretty confident that the guys who make us worse on the court won't be getting as much playing time. In saying all of these things I don't think Woody is a perfect coach or even close to it, but he is far better than many give him credit for. You can't believe what you just wrote. If this is Woody's idea of "showcasing" Zaza and Lue someone needs to tell him that he needs to showcase their strengths, not their weaknesses.

Quote: We play a very exciting style of offense this year that we hadn't played in the previous years. Do you think that Woody just all of the sudden figured out how to get us to be a running team? I certainly don't. I think he realized that we didn't have the talent capable of playing that style. We are poor in the half court and don't run much, if any, of a real offense. Do you think that Woody doesn't know how a real offense should be run? Or do you think that there is a chance that we might not have the players to get that done? Imagine if we had an actual capable PG running the team in the half court, being a coach on the floor, instructing guys where to move. Defensively we are one of the better teams in the league and that's with a PF playing C and mostly poor defenders at PG. Imagine if we had an actual capable starting 5 how good we might be on D. So the veteran Johnson & Johnson backcourt, that handles the bulk of the ball handling duties, is incapable of putting the team into an offensive set? Both did this with other teams. Are Marvin, Smith and Horford that clueless that they can't be taught a high school level motion offense?

Dear Atlanta Spirit, Please sell the team. Your lack of interest in the team, coupled with your limited financial resources and lack of business sophistication, as evidenced by your course of dealings with Mr. Belkin, strongly suggests that the team would be better off under different ownership. Very truly yours, EDS

Quote: If anyone is at fault for this situation it's BK. When our starters are on the floor we are as good as anyone in the league most nights and it's not until AJ has to come off the floor that we start playing like crap. This team desperately needs an emotional leader on the floor with a high basketball IQ and until that happens it won't matter who the coach is. I absolutely guarantee that if Woody is fired he will go someplace else and have success and we will all be disappointed by the new coach who is brought in to coach a flawed roster. Obviously BK is more at fault for the Hawks poor performance than Woody, but how can you explain this team's lack of improvement under Woody? Outside of one good month the team has been crap this year. Do you think any new GM would retain Woody?