Packfill

I agree to an extent. It was not the lack of an adequate point guard that was keeping the Hawks from becoming respectible. That said, for the Hawks to become an elite team, as in a true title contentder, I think having a really good point guard would be helpful.

Maybe we should let Marvin play a few regular season games before we make these fancy comparisons.

To be fair, when you have three picks inside the top 6 it is hard to screw up too badly, but it is a credit to BK that all of the first rounders have shown at least a glimmer of potential. I am just not sure how you keep 4 young forwards happy splitting the available minutes. I guess it is a good problem to have.

Hello Senator Kerry - is that you?

Sounds good in theiry but I imagine all those guys will be looking for at least 35 minutes per game. Can the team afford to sign Smoove and Childress after next year and then Marvin the following year (and Sheldon the year after that)? I am guessing that either Smoove or Marvin will be a $10 million+ per year signing, and the rest at least in the $6 million+ range. Also Zaza will be do for a large raise somewhere in there.

Childress is so much better then his statistics, or his ugly shot or thin unathletic body. He just knows how to play the game. As many have said, he is a glue guy that every team needs. The Hawks are going to have some interesting decisions to make regarding which forwards to build around.

I just hope they don't cut back on Chill's minutes too much when Marvin returns. Of course, Marvin will need some playing time so the current trio (Smoove, Chill, Sheldon) will inevitably lose some time to Marvin.

Quote: Don't laugh, but the 2000-2001 New Jersey Nets went 26-56. The 2001-2002 New Jersey Nets went 52-30 and made the NBA Finals. Bringing in Jason Kidd had a little something to do with that.

As long as the Hawks are not "bottom 5" again they are moving in the right direction.

I like the positive attitude.

Apparently this is the first time the team has been above .500 since 2002. Crazy.

Quote: I can still remember laughing my arse off when Sportscenter made such a big deal of Jacque's first fg of that season. That was classic. The most interesting thing about that was that Jacque went on to have a very good season as far as field goal shooting percentage.

It looks like Marvin is bowling.

Even though it is early, when was the last time the Hawks were in first place in their division?

At 6'8" I wonder if JJ could play some small forward ala Paul Pierce.

There are alot of things that Salim does not do well but he is such a talented shooter that it is inevitable that his shot will come back.

Dude, give them at least a couple weeks before trying to reinvent the wheel. It is way, way to premature to start this type of talk. That said, if by mid-season it is evident that Woodson has not improved his game management, ability to teach and ability to get the players to actually play defense then he needs to go. I am not confident he will get there, but I will give him until midseason to prove me wrong.

Quote: Quote: i don't think that is true. he starts in the 7 million range and ends up making in the 11 range at the end of the deal. I think he perhaps signed a front loaded deal, similar to JJ. On paper it's the same total amount paid out, but if you get $4 million today it's worth more now than in 5 years. A front-loaded deal is a benefit to the player. He gets the money now and can earn interest off of it over the life of the contract. When you are talking about a few million dollars, the interest on that if invested soundly is real money. It is a win-win for player and franchise.

Definite no.

This sucks for Marvin. I hope he doesn't lose his condidence as a result of this.

Regardless of who makes the team, if Ivey or Bozeman have to play significant minutes the team is in less then ideal shape.

Quote: Quote: I don't care where Smoove starts (though I think he is more of a small forward then power forward), nor do I care who starts with him. Rather, I think the battle for the other starting position is between Sheldon and Marvin. Are you interested in wins or just seeing Josh Smith play? Not everyone can win like Phoenix who just throw atheletes in the game regardless of their natural position to play with Nash. Most teams need a power forward that can rebound and play rugged interior defense. Shelden has demonstrated that he can do that at the NBA level. Josh Smith and Marvin Williams have not. So it come down to in my opinion who plays Small forward. Marvin has much better skill sets to compete with starters at the Small forward position. Many players can get garbage points and hit shots to pad their stats. Hedo Turkoglu is a prime example. But does Turkoglu have the kind of skills to make him an elite small forward? No! But Marvin does. I think you are putting too much stock into pre-season games. It has yet to be demonstrated who is best between Smoove, Marvin and Sheldon. Only real game play will determine that. By virtue of his relative "success" last season it seems to make sense to put Smoove in the starting line-up until he is beaten out by someone better - as evidenced by regular season game play.

Quote: Quote: Just checked: Josh Smith average 17.5 points per game during the month of April last season! I need to get this straight. Are we arguing that Smoove should start at Small forward or Power forward? Is it Marvin you want on the bench or shelden? I don't care where Smoove starts (though I think he is more of a small forward then power forward), nor do I care who starts with him. Rather, I think the battle for the other starting position is between Sheldon and Marvin. I just think those games played in April are more indicative of Smoove's ability then these pre-season games, so in that sense his starting spot should be secure for now. If Marvin and Sheldon surpase him during the season fine.

Just checked: Josh Smith average 17.5 points per game during the month of April last season!

Quote: LOL you have got to be kidding me. Other than last night, Smoove has scored more and shot a higher percentage in every pre-season game than Marvin this year. You Marvin lovers are killing me. I don't understand why you guys want one guy to fail so the other can do well. It's crazy talk. Marvin has played well in the pre season also. They both have played well. Josh Vs Marvin this pre-season PPG 12.5 vs 12.8 Marvin is clearly the best player look he average .3 more points a game. LMFAO FG% 474% vs 442% Yep I see your point Smith is a terrible shooter. 3p% 438%(7/16) vs 1000%(1/1) Everyone knows Marvin will keep this percentage up. And Smith obviously needs to stop shooting threes. FT% 875% vs 833% Rebs per 4.30 vs 5.00 APG 2.3 vs 2.2 SPG .75 vs 1.00 BPG 1.00 vs 1.00 Again there is no basis for these constant rants. These guys are a statistical push as of now. Both look good to me and I want both on the court when possible. Obviously Smooth is going to block more shots in the long run, and Marvin will get to the line more. Why because thats their respective games. On top of that Smoove has proven he can knock down clutch shots, in real NBA games(not preaseason). On a side note. I think Claxton will help Smoove more than any other player on this team. Do we all have memory problems? Smoove posted MUCH better numbers across the board last year in real games. Does anyone really think his statistics in these pre-season games are more important in terms of determining who should and who should not play then real live game production? At the end of last season Smoove was clearly the second best player on the floor for the Hawks. To me, that means something. He starts until Sheldon or Marvin outplay him in real games. If they do, great, we have a great asset to trade.