New article mentions tonight's starting line-up.

[HawksFan87]

Focus on Josh and Shelden

[gsuteke]

i don't think that lineup will be able to stand up defensively. i do realize however that it's the lineup of choice on the Squawk.

i think Josh Smith and/or Marvin are too small to guard the 4. i hope they prove me wrong.

if you want to win basketball games right now i'd start

PG

JJ

Smoove/Marvin

Shellhead

Zaza

the big question is does that lineup have enough scoring power

i'd also consider going bigball with

PG

JJ

Marvin (supposedly better ball handler than Smoove)

Ren

Zaza

that lineup is damn dangerous with Claxton in the mix

[thesheedera]

I dig it, its not like its the only lineup we'll employ throughout the course of the game, so might as well see how it goes.

[SmooveTheFuture]

So Smith is the Power Forward now? Why are we moving this guy from his natural position SF to play PF somewhere hes not comfortable playing doesnt make much sense to me. Hes clearly played his best basketball at small forward.

[HawksFan87]

That's the only position he's going to start at because Marvin has locked up the SF spot. He's gonna have to learn anyway I mean he is going to be much better than AL for sure.

[vdunkndunk]

Josh Smith is really starting to look more like he can play PF to me. He looked very strong at the Open Practice and he hasn't lost any athleticism. Plus he's only about 20 years old right now and will only get stronger.

I don't know if this is the long term solution, but I'm plenty intrigued right now to see how Marvin and Smoove look together without Al Harrington around.

[SmooveTheFuture]

Quote:

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That's the only position he's going to start at because Marvin has locked up the SF spot. He's gonna have to learn anyway I mean he is going to be much better than AL for sure.

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You are saying Marvin has locked up the SF spot??? Did I miss something here but what exactly did he do to lock up the SF spot im curious to know cause I have no idea when he locked this spot up.

[Lascar78]

I think that's the right lineup. I think Smith can guard can guard PF's just fine. His problem will be the same problem when he guards SF's, he still bites on fakes too much and doesn't know all the fundamentals. On offense, having two guys with a hybrid game won't be a problem. Smith can be at least as efficient scoring in the post as Shelden is. He can also draw his man out and drive by him, much like Diaw does against bigger players. I see no real problem here.

[HawksFan87]

Exactly what I said, he earned it just like Smoove has earned the right to start. And who's to say Smoove cant play PF , have you actually seen him in person he did'nt gain 10 pounds to just play SF he did that to play both positions.

[gutz]

Sorry but isn't Kenyon Martin 6"9 and 240lb.? Isn't he a PF? I don't see why so many people are saying Smoove can't play PF. The guy is only 20yrs old and bulked up to 240lbs. himself this summer and in my opinion is already better and more explosive than even a healthy Kenyon Martin. SO if Martin can play PF then Smoove can easily people!

[AtLaS]

How is Josh too small to play PF?? He's as tall as the average PF in the NBA and probably the most athletic of them all. He's also added 10 more lbs of muscle this offseason.

I'm not disagreeing that he's played great as an SF, and I also like seeing him there, he'll still get a lot of minutes there this year. But just b/c he's starting PF doesn't mean he'll stay there the whole game.

It's funny that y'all say SF is his natural position when he continually gets beat off the dribble, he's a shot blocker, he CAN'T handle the ball well, and he played PF and C his whole high school career, with the exception of the Atlanta Celtics.

He won't be able to take the average SF off the dribble, why do you think he took so many jump shots last year? Plus he's quick enough to take PF's off the dribble, and his shot has gotten MUCH better so that will be a TOUGH matchup for opposing PF's.

I still remember that game from Josh's rookie season when I think Harrington was injured and Walker was traded, JS had to play PF against Garnett, and he actually did really well, he had like 15 and 10 or something, and played good D on Garnett most of the game. I do agree however that he almost always jumps when ppl pump fake.

[AHF]

I think this is the way we should start things off this season. I am crossing my fingers to see how it works out. I suspect Shelden will still get a lot of time.

[Guest Walter]

a MW, SW, ZaZa 3, 4, & 5, but we still need that center. Let's hope JS suprised us all playing Pf, SW plays better than he seems, and we somehow still get the center prospect we need.

W

[HawksFan87]

Walter do you ever think positive about anything concerning this team ?

[Guest Walter]

We need a center to start JS and MW. We all know it. I'd rather see MW and JS starting so what did I say that is negative. I'm happy this is the rumored starting lineup, it just isn't a long-term, perhaps even season long solution.

W

[swolehawk2]

Somebody bet me several months ago that Josh and Marv would not start together....who was it...they had big chemistry at the end of last year I hope it carrys over.

[Jdawgflow]

I have been reading about this all summer. Please leave it alone now. We all know your opinion. The Hawks need a two way center to get the most out of our team. That is fine. But for now, the season is starting with the team we actually have. Lets just be excited about it and root for our team. You can start this recording again in the offseason. And if you can't wait that long, please at least wait until December.

If I am off base with this, please someone let me know? I get the feeling that most people feel the same way I do.

[Lascar78]

Quote:

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If I am off base with this, please someone let me know? I get the feeling that most people feel the same way I do.

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Everybody feels that way. You are not off base at all, but don't expect anything to change.

[BusBoyIsBack]

How big do you guys think Josh Smith is right now?

I heard last off-season he bulked up to 240 and he clearly didn't lose any athleticism. If he truly gained another 10 pounds and possibly another .5-1 inch in height (he could still be growing) then he'd be 6'10 250. That's not that small at all. Even at 6'9 240-245 he's as big as several PFs in this league including Amare Stoudemire, Dwight Howard, and Okafor.

[Blunt91]

Dwight is listed at 265lbs.