Josh Smith: I've got a lot to prove

[Popeye]

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Why else would somebody work so hard on his dribbling skills and his shooting from 3 point range and

not work on his post defense

or post up game.

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That sucks cause even at SF he needs to be good low post defender and he is already a bad perimeter defender. He better work on his post defense.

[gsuteke]

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Josh Lacks the skillset of a PF... Period. You can make up what you like, but anybody who watched him play knows that he doesn't play post defense well, doesn't play post offense so well either. Putting Smoove in the post is limiting him greatly. Moreover, it seems like he doesn't want to be a PF. Why else would somebody work so hard on his dribbling skills and his shooting from 3 point range and not work on his post defense or post up game.

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Josh doesn't want to play PF. he has went on the record as saying he is a SF.

If the Hawks are true to their word and attempt to change to a more wide open fast break oriented offense to best use the talents of their young athletic core then your initial point is moot.

unless the game went into slow down mode he'd only need a few post moves. when it does go into slow down mode put Shellhead in.

[Guest Walter]

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unless the game went into slow down mode he'd only need a few post moves. when it does go into slow down mode put Shellhead in.

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...and never take him out, because the playoffs slow down everything.

We need a legit, true center prospect. All other talk about juggling rotations like chainsaws is moot. We can't both juggle the lineup to get everybody minutes, to create mismatches, to respond to mismatches, AND to win games. We have a rotation disaster here. With all of BK's many 1st rd draft picks at essentially 2 positions we had better face the team will suffer because players will be unhappy (and eventually leave), the team is too heavy on talent and prospects in the middle and too thin at ends, and to begin to make everyone tolerate the situation our rotation must be determined by a need to play players rather than what the team needs at that moment on the court.

W

[gsuteke]

I agree we need a Center. and a point guard. when Billy Knight does get a Center and a PG this team will be set for the next 7 to 10 years.

i see light at the end of the tunnel. the problem i am seeing with you guys is that you are arguing back and forth over this roster like it's a finished product.

[Diesel]

Good defensive teams will always be able to slow the tempo and take it to a halfcourt game. In the league there are a few good defensive teams with PGs that are capable of doing this. These will be the teams that we will struggle against. It will seems as though we lost our identity.. however, in order to succeed in the NBA, you have to be able to play in the halfcourt.

That's how Miami beat Dallas.

That's how Dallas beat Phoenix.

It turns out that run and gun teams are only as good as their best halfcourt set. I don't think that there has been one run and gun team that has been able to force their way to the championships because there's always a good defensive coach who says... Put the breaks on them.

I hope getting Landlord was our way of helping our defense but also for having a steady hand on the halfcourt offense. Otherwise, we will be reduced to being a team of Jump Shooters like Most run and gun teams become in the halfcourt.

[gsuteke]

Shelden, Marvin, Smoove, JJ.... all pieces of a larger puzzle.

you guys should be more worried about Woodson. he's the guy that will make or break us.

[DJlaysitup]

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...you guys should be more worried about Woodson. he's the guy that will make or break us.

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That very well may be the case. More and more these days you see coaching/system be a very big part of teams winning (I would say in the NBA and the NFL). It's important to be innovative.

[Diesel]

I think Woody is green... But I like his offensive gameplan and I want to see how well his defense works now.

[Johnnybravo4]

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Josh Lacks the skillset of a PF... Period. You can make up what you like, but anybody who watched him play knows that he doesn't play post defense well, doesn't play post offense so well either. Putting Smoove in the post is limiting him greatly. Moreover, it seems like he doesn't want to be a PF. Why else would somebody work so hard on his dribbling skills and his shooting from 3 point range and not work on his post defense or post up game.

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Dude, last year he was only 2 years out of H.S. Did you expect him to be Karl Malone? That is why it is called development. He can develop post moves. Hell Deek only had one.

And as far as defense goes, most shotblockers are weak in the post, that is because you need space in order to block shots. However, since Smoove is quicker that 99.99% of PF isn the league, he will be able to use that quickness to deny the ball in the post and to pick up steals. that will come with time

Walter, your incessant bitchin about our center situation is getting tiresome. This is what we have at the 5

Zaza-A 22 year old who avg 12/7 and was top 5 in off rpg. If he was a rookie out of UNC, you'd be estactic about that.

Lo Wright- A grizzled veteran with playoff experience who at one point avg damn near a double double on this team

Este- Young foreign player who dominated international competition over the summer

Shelden- Young prospect who was the 2 time NCAA defensive player of the year.

Whan in the effin more do you want? Not every team will have a Shaq, Duncan or even a Dwight Howard. Our center spot stacks up well against 75% of the teams out there. True we won't out muscle anyone, but no one can doubt the tenacity of the above group...they are all scrappy. And in this day and age of the hybrid center, they are the ideal.

[gsuteke]

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I think Woody is green... But I like his offensive gameplan and I want to see how well his defense works now.

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I want to see Woody motivate the players. i think my first post on Hawksquawk was the beginning of last year was brought about when I'd had enough of the players lack of effort on defense.

[Guest Walter]

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I agree we need a Center. and a point guard. when Billy Knight does get a Center and a PG this team will be set for the next 7 to 10 years.

i see light at the end of the tunnel. the problem i am seeing with you guys is that you are arguing back and forth over this roster like it's a finished product.

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...more than just Josh Childress. We don't have a pick that will get us either center or Pg next year as Indy whould be too good and shouldn't the year following because we will be too good. That leaves FAcy. RFAs cost too much $$$ and traded talent (we don't have enough following trading Harrington for peanuts, at least talent that is expendable, save maybe Josh Childress).

So, how do we get such players? SW's has no trade value as far as top 10 picks go. We don't want to trade JS and MW and have positioned them to lose value with less opportunities this year than they would have had without SW. How do we get these players, much less in time to keep JS if not Childress if not MW? Our cap space diminishes each and every year as salaries escalate. When does this team completion occur when it didn't occur this past offseason, the most capitol laden, flexible offseason I can recall? Seriously, what plan should we expect that wasn't more likely and easier to accomplish this past offseason?

W

[gsuteke]

Walter

what was my reaction before, during, and immediately after the Al Harrington saga?

Walter I just don't understand why you can't sit down, relax, and watch the show for a little while.

but to answer your question, the same way every NBA team except the Hawks acquire talent. circumvent the salary cap.

[Buzzard]

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I said that because of all we have done, we should have high expectations of Marvin.

You can only look at what's left.

What's left is Marvin who should have high expectations placed on him.

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You think Boris, JJ, and Al were all moved or aquired because of Marvin, which is nuts. We should have high expectations of MWill for one reason and one reason only, he was the 2nd pick in the draft. You make drama where drama is not needed Diesel. #2 picks are suppose to perform well; that is why they go #2.