How bout those Hawks

[mrhonline]

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First of all homeslice

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Has hitting the frightfully old age of 25 made me so out-of-date that the phrase "homeslice" is insulting???

What do you do with a "homeslice?" Is it edible? Do you play parcheesi with Mr. Homeslice? Is "homeslice" malleable?

I don't like getting old...

[Wretch]

As a B*A*C*K*U*P*

Off the bench...in the 4th...in a pinch...give a breather...provide some energy...take some shots...push the ball....20-30mpg. The guy does everything you need a PG off the bench to do, and actually knows that's what he's best at doing. He's like the perfect backup PG.

[Wretch]

It's about as much of an insult as saying someone's middle name is "optimism." Condescending? Perhaps, but I give what I get...always.

[exodus]

Since when is 25 old?

I am afraid I have some bad news for you. Once you hit 25 your birthdays start coming quicker and quicker.

[exodus]

They had the chance to draft a starter but chose not to. Until they do draft one, or trade for one, or sign one as a free agent, Lue is the best they have.

Again I have no problem with Ivey starting and playing significant minutes. But I think it has been pretty well established that JJ and Salim don't work at the point.

They are still trying to run the offense through JJ somewhat and he seems to be getting better, but he can't do it full time.

[mrhonline]

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It's about as much of an insult as saying someone's middle name is "optimism." Condescending? Perhaps, but I give what I get...always.

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And I appreciate that effort.

This board is hilarious tonight. Are we allowing the Hawks' recent success to get us "optimistic???" We should've learned by now...

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Since when is 25 old?

I am afraid I have some bad news for you. Once you hit 25 your birthdays start coming quicker and quicker.

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No kidding, huh? I finish up my M.A. soon, my son has started kindergarten, and my wife is beginning her teaching career in January.

Only forty more years until retirment, I suppose.

[Wretch]

I've been saying that about the Hawks since before we played a single game. This is a better team than last year's. More importantly, we've added some key components. Shooting and an inside presence. This is in addition to what we've already had in AL, Smoove, and Chill. We're close to having a decent bench (Chill, Lue, Ivey) and I've made no mention of the #2 draft pick. Should we (likey) finish in the bottom of the heap...we'll add another. And we've got money to spend.

This is what I was looking at all summer, and that is cause for optimism.

...but factor in the positives from these games. Not often have we simply looked overmatched, we just look like a young team - which is encouraging and is the exact same point Gearon made. We've looked really good against some good teams, we've been in almost every single game, and we came out and man-handled the Champs for one half and beat them at home in another game. We just went up to a rested Cleveland team (looking to come out of a slide no less) and smacked them around in their own building.

Is it that much of a stretch to see this team playing .500 ball within the next couple of seasons?

[CrawDaddy]

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First of all homeslice...

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And here I thought homeslice was a term of endearment. Now, before we go getting our panties in a wad, I was merely saying that a two game win streak hardly qualifies a statement like "we are close to a winning record." Don't get me wrong, I'm thrilled with any type of winning streak. But I've grown up in Atlanta and been a Hawks fan forever as well. This is not a 'Nique led group. This is not a Steve Smith/Mookie/Dikembe in the middle group. This is a collection of guys that are great swing players, with no "defense first attitudes" among them (you may leave Ivey, and perhaps Chillz out of that subgroup if you wish).

This is not a group that can produce a winning record. Once we obtain some meat in the middle (much like a corndog), then we can start speaking of being above that elusive .500 mark.

[Wretch]

Gotta love that internet bravado and borishness. In person, what I said would warrant a "huh? Why would you say something like that." Over the net, anything goes. BTW...I don't wear panties. My wife does...(occasionally). lol You might be able to discuss that with her.

Back to the issue at hand, I totally agree with you. Any team in the league can put together two wins. Though, that isn't why I am optismistic, as I've painstakenly tried to reiterate...and will not do again.

What's more, there are many degrees to winning. The Lenny led teams were 50+ game winners. I did not say "Soon we'll be as good as we were in the mid 90's or late 80's!" So your arguement is irrellevant. Nor did I say, "We're gonna turn it around this year with the way we've been playing!!!"

Every team needs size, so that isn't saying much, but you are right that we need to get better defensively. Right now, we play well in spurts. I will add that JJ is not a bad defender and neither is Lue. We need is consistent team defense, and that should come with time and chemistry.