Why the Marvin hate?

[mrhonline]

I've not had the opportunity to watch the games lately, so I'm wondering why the board has soured so fast on Marvin.

He still doesn't turn 21 until June, and he's only played a little over a full season's worth of games (91). Is it possible that asking him to be the 2nd option was simply premature and not an indictment of his potential?

[Packfill]

I think expectations were sky high after the summer league so his poor play since his return is a big disappointment. Hopefully he will turn things around in the second half.

[exodus]

Forget being the second option. He has been playing more like the 10th option lately.

[mrhonline]

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Forget being the second option. He has been playing more like the 10th option lately.

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So has everyone else on the roster apparently.

[TexasPete]

People forget he is just 20. He left HS at age 17 so he was a very young college freshman. Marvin is going to be a great player in the league but we may have to wait until he is 22-23 for that to happen. In the interim, we will have to watch him develop. But he will still be a decent piece. All the Marvin hate is going to look really stupid within the next 24 months. Really stupid.

[Diesel]

It's a difference between the highest pick the franchise have ever made and everybody else.

Marvin is playing as bad as Freije did and Freije is gone.

If Marvin is still hurt, sit him.

If Marvin is too young, sit him.

However, don't play him, watch him drag ass, make stupid fouls, miss easy shots, blow defensive assignments and then come back with some lame excuse about he's still injured or he's not 21 yet.

Hell, Smoove is as young as Marvin with No College experience and Smoove plays 10 times better.

[hawkman]

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People forget he is just 20. He left HS at age 17 so he was a very young college freshman. Marvin is going to be a great player in the league but we may have to wait until he is 22-23 for that to happen. In the interim, we will have to watch him develop. But he will still be a decent piece. All the Marvin hate is going to look really stupid within the next 24 months. Really stupid.

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I hope your right Texaspete because I just don't see what all the fuss was about. Yeah he can shoot. Yeah he's athletic. You probably could say the same things about Jumaine Jones and Tim Thomas. He has the athleticism and the physical tools. It's his mentality that I'm concerned about. That's what separates the good from the great players. He doesn't seem to fit the mold of other high school phenoms I've seen in the past. That "thing" that those guys had that let you know they were going to be great seems to be lacking in Marv right now. For example look at Oden and Durant, they have that "thing" and it has nothing to do with hype or media coverage. It has everything to do with how you carry yourself on the court. I don't know if that's something you're born with or something that you develop over time. But in any case, I just don't see it in Marv. I really hope that I'm wrong though.

[exodus]

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So has everyone else on the roster apparently

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Marvin doesn't get a free pass from me just because he is young. Smith is young too and I didn't give him a free pass when he was playing poorly in november.

In fact Smith played better as a rookie than Marvin is playing now.

[AHF]

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the highest pick the franchise have ever made and everybody else.

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For what it is worth since this line seems to be repeated, the highest pick the Hawks franchise has ever made was #1 overall in 1975 for David Thompson out of NC State.

We also had the #1 overall pick the year Bill Russell was selected there but traded it for Hawkins.

[mrhonline]

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Hell, Smoove is as young as Marvin with No College experience and Smoove plays 10 times better.

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Smith has had one additional year of NBA experience.

At this point in the season last year, there were many who wanted to trade Smith.

[gsuteke]

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It's a difference between the highest pick the franchise have ever made and everybody else.

Marvin is playing as bad as Freije did and Freije is gone.

If Marvin is still hurt, sit him.

If Marvin is too young, sit him.

However, don't play him, watch him drag ass, make stupid fouls, miss easy shots, blow defensive assignments and then come back with some lame excuse about he's still injured or he's not 21 yet.

Hell, Smoove is as young as Marvin with No College experience and Smoove plays 10 times better.

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if only Joe Johnson were a leader

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Hawks' leadership void filled by Williams

By SEKOU SMITH

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Published on: 01/03/07

Marvin Williams is the Hawks' youngest player, but the second-year forward won't let that keep him from becoming the team's most vocal player in the new year.

Williams took the practice floor by storm Tuesday during the Hawks' first workout of 2007, serving as the team's vocal leader during drills and situational work.

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It's a different look for the usually reserved Williams. But a seven-game losing streak and the absence of several starters prompted Williams to follow through on a plan he decided to try days ago.

"We've got to get off it, man," Williams said. "We've got to get off this snide, and it starts at practice. We've got to find a way. And we've got to bring energy, so that's all I wanted to do. Sometimes you can come in here after a day off and be sluggish. But we can't have that.

"This is a new year, a fresh start, and we have to put '06 behind us and just get that next game. It needs to be in Toronto [Friday]. You have to be working toward whatever is in front of you."

Hawks coach Mike Woodson welcomed the energized approach from Williams.

"That's got to be something these other guys feed off of," Woodson said. "Instead of moping around, guys have to realize that we're not out of this thing yet. If you look at our schedule, we've got eight home games and seven road games this month. All we have to do is get a few guys back and keep grinding and we can get right back into this thing. We've got to get some healthy bodies, but we're still in the mix."

Injury list not getting shorter

Getting those healthy bodies back remains the Hawks' biggest hurdle. Woodson said Joe Johnson is battling a turf toe injury in addition to a still-sore calf muscle, and Tyronn Lue is still day-to-day with a strained groin.

Josh Smith walked on a treadmill during the early portion of Tuesday's practice and sat on the sideline with an ice pack later. "We miss you, son," Woodson told him. "We miss you."

"I miss y'all, too," Smith said.

But he's weeks away from returning to action after undergoing hernia surgery last week.

Backup center Lorenzen Wright missed practice Tuesday to have his left leg examined. He took a blow in practice last week, and the leg swelled up overnight and forced him to miss games at Houston and San Antonio over the weekend.

"He just went to get a second opinion to make sure it's not any more serious," Woodson said. "All we can do is hope for the best."

Knight milestone thrills Woodson

When Texas Tech coach Bobby Knight passed Dean Smith for the all-time Division I men's wins record (880) Monday, guys like Woodson celebrated around the country.

"It's unbelievable," said Woodson, an All-American at Indiana while playing for Knight. "To surpass a great coach like Dean Smith, a legend who's done it all, you can't help but praise Bob Knight and the things he's done. The fact that I had an opportunity to play for him makes it even better."

[exodus]

The problem isn't that Joe isn't a leader the problem is that the rest of the team either sucks or is injured.

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Woodson said Joe Johnson is battling a turf toe injury in addition to a still-sore calf muscle,

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I guess leaders aren't supposed to be hurt. If he was really a leader he would never get injured, he would make Marvin's and Salim's jump shots go in, he would stop guys from making dumb turnovers, he would turn Zaza into a defensive force....etc.

[Diesel]

IN his rookie year, Smoove was better than Marvin plays now.

[TexasPete]

Total BS ^^^. I'm telling you the kid is going to be good. He is the only player on the team who knows how to attack the rim. Smoove fumbles the ball away every time he drives. Marvin's offensive game is much more advance than Smiths. Smooves defensive rebounding and shot blocking are better than MWs. The kid has had a bad hand and is working his way back. He will be a helluva player. Coming from a guy advocating Paul Freaking Westhead...LOL.

[TheDude]

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It's a difference between the highest pick the franchise have ever made and everybody else.

Marvin is playing as bad as Freije did and Freije is gone.

If Marvin is still hurt, sit him.

If Marvin is too young, sit him.

However, don't play him, watch him drag ass, make stupid fouls, miss easy shots, blow defensive assignments and then come back with some lame excuse about he's still injured or he's not 21 yet.

Hell, Smoove is as young as Marvin with No College experience and Smoove plays 10 times better.

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You don't sit Marvin must because he's not playing well. We're not contending for a championship so you play him to let your youth develop quicker.

[gsuteke]

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Total BS ^^^. I'm telling you the kid is going to be good. He is the only player on the team who knows how to attack the rim. Smoove fumbles the ball away every time he drives. Marvin's offensive game is much more advance than Smiths. Smooves defensive rebounding and shot blocking are better than MWs. The kid has had a bad hand and is working his way back. He will be a helluva player. Coming from a guy advocating Paul Freaking Westhead...LOL.

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all I will say is that Diesel has had it in for Marvin from day -1.

does he have a valid point in the here and now? yes.

i posted the article because there seems to be a vacuum in regard to leadership on the team. if Marvin Williams is forced to take on a leadership role then there are some issues.

[Diesel]

A guy advocating Paul westhead who told you back before the draft two years ago, that Paul would be ROY and that Deron would be a very good PG and that Marvin was the next coming of Tim Thomas. I was wrong about that last one because Tim Thomas is much better than Marvin.

[Guest Walter]

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A guy advocating Paul westhead who told you back before the draft two years ago, that Paul would be ROY and that Deron would be a very good PG and that Marvin was the next coming of Tim Thomas. I was wrong about that last one because Tim Thomas is much better than Marvin.

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...you and I both saw that draft the same way (save you didn't like Bogut and I did). Sometimes oil and vinegar do mix.

W

[gsuteke]

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A guy advocating Paul westhead who told you back before the draft two years ago, that Paul would be ROY and that Deron would be a very good PG and that Marvin was the next coming of Tim Thomas. I was wrong about that last one because Tim Thomas is much better than Marvin.

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man you are so over the top right now it isn't even funny.

[Diesel]

Dude, I'm a fan of the ACC... I watch lots of ACC basketball... Maybe you do too.

If anybody had seen more than 5 games that UNC played, you would be asking the question, "What's all the hype about Marvin?"

I mean, this is what I saw then... Paul leading his team. Paul for 2 years taking on all comers. WF without Paul being a mess.

Then in UNC, I must say that I think Jawad Williams played better than MWill most of the time.

However, Marvin had the hype machine going for him.

Deron Williams was called everything but a rollie pollie... However, if you watched that kid play, you would know that he was going to be one of the best PGs to play.

My concern about Paul was his durability. His style was physical like Baron Davis plays and Baron has had a time staying on the court too.

But more than just playing, Marvin never exhibited that fire. He was like watching Joe Barry Carroll or Pervis Ellison. NO fire. Hell give me a hothead like J.R. Reid or Malcolm Mckie.. before you give me a guy who shruggs his shoulders 90% of the time....

I really hope that Marvin can be a good player. I was pulling for him to comeback strong. I don't care about hand injuries because if he's on the court, then he should be ready to play...But what I see on the court is the same thing I saw at UNC (Indifference).