Hollinger chat: Lots of Hawks stuff

[gsuteke]

Chat with John Hollinger

Welcome to The Show! On Tuesday, NBA columnist John Hollinger will stop by to share his thoughts on the NBA season.

Send your questions now and join John in The Show Tuesday (and every Tuesday during the season!) at 3 p.m. ET.

Hollinger archives: Columns | Chats

John Hollinger: (3:01 PM ET ) Greetings everyone. Got treated to a great battle in the ATL yesterday between Blazers and Hawks... let's hope this chat session can match it.

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Phil (Portland): How are you feeling about the Blazers today?

John Hollinger: (3:02 PM ET ) Seeing them in person for first time this year, two things stood out to me that weren't as clear on TV -- 1) How they space everything out with shooters and make it really hard to help against Roy at the top, and 2) How well all the guys get along. That's one of the happier locker rooms I've seen, at least from one day's worth of observations.

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Joe(SLC, UT): John, Love the chats!!! Do the Jazz need to make another move or can they make a deep playoff run with their current roster?

John Hollinger: (3:03 PM ET ) Thanks, flattery will get you everywhere. The Jazz are a much better team than their record indicates. With Denver nursing so many injuries, I think they'll end up winning the NW division and could make another deep run in the postseason. A shooter was the only missing piece and now they have Korver.

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Doc(Portland): Did the Bulls make a huge blunder not taking Aldridge in the 06 draft? They need his low post scoring bad!

John Hollinger: (3:04 PM ET ) Blunder in the sense that he's been better than Tyrus Thomas this year, but Aldridge ain't exactly a big physical brute down there either, so I'm not sure how much he'd shift the equation for the Bulls.

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Zain, Atl: Are Hawks a playoff team this season?

John Hollinger: (3:05 PM ET ) I still think they're going to squeak in, but this five-game roadie will be a big test. They really need to get at least two of them.

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Patrick (Portland, OR): OK, we're getting down to the wire. Brandon Roy an All-Star? The Blazers keep winning, Roy keeps chugging along (isn't that what everybody was waiting to see happen?). With GS and Baron, and Utah and DWill all being inconsistant, and Parker (injuries) and the Spurs (struggling of sorts) showing signs of weakness, it seems that Roy may have the inside track on that final G spot in the West. Agree?

John Hollinger: (3:07 PM ET ) The play of the Blazers will help Roy, as will their halo as the year's feel-good story, but honestly, Joe Johnson killed him yesterday. Individually, I'm not sure he's played as well as Baron or Iverson or Parker.

When push comes to shove, I think T-Mac being voted in will end up costing Roy a spot.

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Jake (Atlanta): Don't you think a team like Atlanta should consider trading some of their SF for a PG like Segio rodriguez?

John Hollinger: (3:08 PM ET ) Keep in mind that Sergio doesn't normally play like he did yesteday. That said, ATL really needs a PG who can push the pace and get those wings some easy buckets, and few are as good at that as Rodriguez. You just might have a future as a GM.

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Bart (Philly): John, you ripped the Wiz prior to the season starting and had them finishing way below last years 7th... any thoughts now? Caron Butler in the least bit of MVP talk?

John Hollinger: (3:09 PM ET ) Washington has defended WAAAAYYY better than anyone expected -- they moved into the top half of the league in Defensive Efficiency. As for Butler, MVP is a serious reach, but he's a shoo-in for the All-Star Game and could end up getting second-team All-NBA.

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Mikey (Jacksonville, FL): How would you go about rebuilding the Heat? Any chance that Miami could get expiring contracts and draft picks back for Shaq?

John Hollinger: (3:11 PM ET ) That's exactly the kind of deal Miami would need to make to start the rebuilding, but unfortunately Isiah Thomas's check-writing privileges have been revoked, so I'm not sure who is out there that would be willing to take on such a behemoth contract.

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Hania (Denver): With the Pistons and Celtics playing 500 ball lately, what does that tell you that they are at the top of your rankings?

John Hollinger: (3:11 PM ET ) It tells me that a 40-game sample is a lot more powerful and predictive than a 6-game sample.

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Lisa, Jacksonville FL: It feels like dejavu with the Magic. Last year the magic got off to a great start than stumbled into 8th seed. Seems the magic are headed toward that rout again.

John Hollinger: (3:13 PM ET ) Not so fast. Last year's hot start was a lot more smoke-and-mirrors based -- they barely had a positive point differential even when they were 13-4. And it seems like Rashard Lewis is starting to heat up. I pegged them for 49 wins at the start of the year and that still seems about right ... if so, it might be my only correct prediction for this year.

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Sean, New Jersey: Whats up with the Nets? They seem to have 2 young big men in Boone and Sean Williams to build around the big 3 yet we're still losing games. What gives?

John Hollinger: (3:14 PM ET ) They're not good. Boone and Williams are nice pieces, but they're better as energy guys off the bench. Unfortunately, they have nobody who deserves to start since Krstic is out and Collins/Magloire have been about the two least effective centers in the league. The bench is horrible and while they have three stars, none is having an All-Star caliber season. So that leaves you on the short end most nights.

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Audel Del Toro, Los Angeles: Is Chris Webber done?

John Hollinger: (3:16 PM ET ) I'm not sure what the deal is. Seems like a lot of teams sure are skittish about adding him though, huh? You can't dominate the ball if you're shooting 40% with no FTAs and that's been his M.O. the past couple years, and he can't guard my keyboard, so I understand the reluctance. But man, you have to think he'd help somebody ... right?

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Drew (DC): John, aren't you being a bit hard on the Cavs? Without the 6-game skid, they are 22-12 with a positive point differential.

John Hollinger: (3:17 PM ET ) They've played much better of late, but still -- take their first half as a whole and it doesn't exactly scream out "defending conference champion."

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Zac (Oakland): what a terrible loss by the Dubs yesterday. do they make the playoffs this year? should they try to move Pietrus? who else is fair game for trade bait?

John Hollinger: (3:19 PM ET ) Golden State has stopped playing defense, so I'm definitely worried. They've also seriously mailed in a few games in the past couple weeks, and they're barely hanging on with Baron healthy -- so what happens when he missed 10 games with a hammy in March? If you're trying to pick the two teams of the Big 10 out west that don't make it, I think GST has to be at the top of the list.

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Steve(Mobile): You currently have the Spurs w/ an 18% chance of missing the playoffs. Do you actually believe that?

John Hollinger: (3:20 PM ET ) 18% seems high, but the computer doesn't know the Spurs' history. There's a presumption that they'll be fine once the rodeo trip starts, since that's been when they've made their run in the past. But looking at how unimpressively they've played the pats month-plus, don't you at least have to start questioning if something is different this time around?

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Chris (LA) : John, can u just guess what kind of stats Noah would be putting up if he got Wallace type minutes? He does so much in the little amount of time they give him

John Hollinger: (3:21 PM ET ) I don't understand why they don't just give Noah the job already. He's been far better than Wallace.

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Kobe, El Segundo: John, what do I have to do to win an MVP award? They tell me to lead my team so I score 81, they tell me to be a team player, see: last night, they tell me to prepare like a champion, they tell me to live and breathe basketball, I DOMINATE!

John Hollinger: (3:23 PM ET ) How come I don't get crazy message like this about Chris Paul or LeBron James? There's this weird assumption among a lot of Laker fans that Kobe's lack of an MVP award is some kind of accident of history that requires immediate correction. Sorry, not buying. He's a great player, but there hasn't been any year where he's been the best. That applies so far this year too.

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Paul, Atlanta: John, you've said several times you don't like Acie Law. In 19 minutes he went 3-4 with 3 boards and 5 assists. He has not received more than 25 minutes this season. How can you possibly justify saying that Sergio is an answer for the Hawks when coach Woodson can't coach his way out of a paper bag? Sergio, and answer over Law? Please stop.

John Hollinger: (3:24 PM ET ) Law played fairly well yesterday, primarily because he actually shot the ball when he was left wide open instead of doing the fake-the-J-take-two-dribbles-and-let-Zaza-get-called for-3-seconds routine. I'm sure he'll be OK once he gets used to the 3-point line and gets confident pulling the trigger. That said, I'd take Sergio over him in a nanosecond.

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Sam (Potomac,MD): With the improved play of Butler, DeShawn Stevenson, and Brendan Haywood, and the recent victory over Dallas, and two over the Celtics, should the Magic be concerned about the Wiz looking over their back?

John Hollinger: (3:25 PM ET ) I think you got your over the shoulder metaphors mixed up there, but yes, Washington is a real threat to pass Orlando and win the Southeast division. Come to think of it, that wouldn't be such a bad 4-5 series, would it?

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Steven (Toronto): What's Calderon's price tag now that he's established himself as one of the better pure PGs in the game? Can Toronto afford to pay $15-16 million between 2 PGS?

John Hollinger: (3:27 PM ET ) He's the most interesting player this offseason, hands down, because of the implications for Toronto's cap. I have to think somebody will make a serious run at Calderon but fortunately for Colangelo, few teams have money and he can match any offer, so he might be able to skate away with a full midlevel deal.

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vimal (ny, ny): Donnie Nelson is a GREAT talent evaluator. Why is it that every year the Mavs try to add those little pieces at the 2 that never work out (Hassell, Buckner, Jones, D. Christie, etc...) shouldn't a 2 be the easiest position to find?

John Hollinger: (3:29 PM ET ) They loves them veterans, so every year they bring in a guy on the downslope and hope for the best ... To be fair, the Buckner move was the only truly indefensible one of the bunch -- the others were low-risk moves in terms of cap.

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Jake (VA Beach): How late into the season will the losing have to continue for Noah, TT, and Gray to get regular playing time?

John Hollinger: (3:29 PM ET ) Probably won't happen this year, because even if the Bulls lose two of every three they'll stay in this sad-sack playoff "race" until late March.

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Chris (DC): With ATL's shaky ownership and Josh Smith's FA status in question, any chance they package him to move Claxton for a reasonable PG like Jason Terry or Andre Miller? Keep up the good work!

John Hollinger: (3:31 PM ET ) There's no question about Smith's FA status -- he's restricted and the Hawks will match. Josh Childress is the Hawk who is likely to be in play, because Atlanta would be skittish about matching a large offer to a guy that's caddying for the Johnson-Smith-Williams trio.

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Greg (Denver, CO): Do you think Stefanski is just trying to drive the pricetag up on A. Miller prior to the trade deadline or do you think he really wants to keep him and find PF help some other way?

John Hollinger: (3:32 PM ET ) I think it's more an issue of the Sixers being worried about attendance and wanting to stay on the fringes of the playoff race as long as they can before they bust out the dynamite. The smart money remains on Miller being dealt.

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Michael, Colusa, Ca: Would Kevin Martin be an All Star if he didn't get injured this season?

John Hollinger: (3:33 PM ET ) In the East, yes. In the West, who knows? It's so hard to stick out in that crowd. Also, he'll have a better chance if he improves his defense -- that's still a pretty sizable weakness at the moment.

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Carlos (LA,CA): John, When Kobe's career ends. Will he be the best player never to win an MVP? Thanks

John Hollinger: (3:34 PM ET ) There's a very good chance of that happening, yes. Right now I guess Stockton would probably top that list, though I'm going off the top of my head. And I'd say by the time he's done Kobe will outrank Stockton if you're ranking all-timers, so he'd be the one, yes.

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Valentin (France): You said that none of nets stars would be an all-star this year.And Jason Kidd?

John Hollinger: (3:35 PM ET ) I said that none of them are having an All-Star caliber season. Kidd will be voted in by the fans, but he's having his worst year as a Net, by far, and nobody's talking about because they're blinded by triple-double mania.

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Rob (Sacramento): Melo got hurt in L.A. last night. How much will it hurt the Nuggets, if at all?

John Hollinger: (3:36 PM ET ) Unless Linas Kleiza plans on some more 41-point outbursts it's a killer. Denver was already running out of players. It's a shame because this is one of the most talented teams in the West when everyone's healthy, but if Melo misses more than a few games I think they might not make the playoffs.

[gsuteke]

Cory (NYC): Stockton? Did I somehow miss Patrick Ewing's MVP ceremony?

John Hollinger: (3:37 PM ET ) Close call, but I'll still take Stockton. Reasonable people can disagree on this.

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Drew (NYC): Hollinger, you are the biggest JKidd hater since Joumanna.

John Hollinger: (3:38 PM ET ) Post of the day.

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Kyle (ATL): You saw them yesterday.... Does Joe Johnson or Josh Smith make it to the All-Star game?

John Hollinger: (3:39 PM ET ) I think they might end up taking votes from each other and end up with both falling short. If I had to pick one it's still Josh, but Joe has played a lot better the past two weeks and is rapidly closing the gap.

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George (San Diego California): Why are people so scared about Bynum and Ariza going down? They still have their strong core from last year plus Fisher that was great when healthy.

John Hollinger: (3:40 PM ET ) A team as deep as the Lakers should be able to weather these injuries fairly well; the issue is more whether losing Bynum will cost them the division and/or a top-four seed in the West, and unfortunately there's a good chance that will be the case.

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Luke (St. Paul): Hey John, did you read Sterling's recent comments about not trading or buying-out his FA guys, because he expects the Clippers to win in the second half? Or is he just posturing, so he can save a million bucks after the deadline, when Cassell offers him a buy-out so he can be released and sign with the Celtics?

John Hollinger: (3:42 PM ET ) Thanks for bringing that up. For those who didn't see it, Sterling killed Dunleavy in an LA Times column today by TJ Simers, and basically said the team has to start winning more. Nice to know he's still insane. Glass-half-full reading is that he's trying to make people think he's insane enough not to buy out Cassell, and thus drive up the trade offers.

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Mario (Toledo, OH): Jerry West aka Mr Clutch aka The Logo tops the list of best players without an MVP award.

John Hollinger: (3:43 PM ET ) Thank you, it's settled. I knew I was forgetting somebody.

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Petar (Milwaukee, WI): What do the Bucks need to do to get back on track? Do you think the team needs a complete overhaul?

John Hollinger: (3:44 PM ET ) defensedefensedefensedefensedefense. Until they play some, they aren't going anywhere.

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Scott (Toronto, ON): Of last years draft three top players: Roy, Gay, Alldridge all things being neutral who would you pick?

John Hollinger: (3:45 PM ET ) Gay has an outrageously high ceiling and is a year younger than Roy, so you'd have to look hard at him. Right now Roy is the superior player, but I wonder if that still will be true three years down the road.

[exodus]

My view of the Hawks hasn't changed in awhile. Ultimately it still boils down to the same thing. Acie is going to have to play big minutes and play well for the Hawks to make any noise this year.

[gsuteke]

Chris (St. Paul): Wolves questions in honor of a rare victory last night...Where is Gomes gonna be next year? What is gonna happen with Ratliff's contract and who should the Wolves look to draft?

John Hollinger: (3:47 PM ET ) Ratliff is definite buyout material and is likely to be back with the Celtics by March. I think Minnesota will resign Gomes -- he's restricted and it's not like there's a huge market for him, and since McHale overpays all his free agents there's no reason for him to leave.

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Sam (Providence): John, Atlanta has no perimeter shooting. How much would a 3-point specialist help them on offense? And is there anybody available, like that Matt what's-his-name who played for Charlotte?

John Hollinger: (3:50 PM ET ) Atlanta has perimeter shooting, it's just that they're mid-range guys -- Marvin has been death from 17 feet and Joe Johnson is a fantastic shooter, though he's been a little cold this year. As for Matt Carroll, who do you play him ahead of? Smith? Willliams? Johnson? Childress? He'd get five minutes a game with the Hawks. The solution is to get a PG who can push the ball and hit open 3s. You know, somebody like Deron Williams or Chris Paul or ... here we go again.

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Jacob (Los Angeles): Hey John, what is your impression of Mike Conley Jr, he seems like the real deal.

John Hollinger: (3:51 PM ET ) I want to see more before I render too strong a judgment, but so far I'm really impressed. He's quick, athletic, can finish and keep guys in front of him.

[gsuteke]

john (chicago): Do you not like Denver? It seems that you're always selling them...like they're aren't very good or they're gonna fade. They have played with these injuries all season and they keep winning games. With the talent they have dont you think they can keep up this current pace?

John Hollinger: (3:53 PM ET ) I picked Denver to win the NW before the year, but it's tough to do if all the players are in casts. If Melo comes back soon and Nene follows not too long after they can still make a big push, and if they can get another backcourt body at the deadline that would help too. I'll say this though -- if they make it to the playoffs and their top nine are back in action, I sure wouldn't want to face them.

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Pete (Minneapolis, MN): If Mchale buys out Ratliffs contract for more than a $1, I am going to...I'm so mad just thinking about it. Why not just let it slide off the books or use it as trade value?

John Hollinger: (3:54 PM ET ) I don't think you get it -- the pay him less than they'd otherwise owe, permitting him to sign somewhere else. It's a win-win. Ratliff has no trade value because he makes like $11 million (going from memory), but if he agrees to go away for less than that amount then the Wolves would be fools not to say sayonara.

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Mikey (Philly): Aside from Miller, is there anyone else on the Sixers that is potential trade material? Please tell me that there is someone out there looking for Sammy Dalembert or Willie Green.

John Hollinger: (3:56 PM ET ) I tihnk it makes mor esense to keep Dalember than trade him. If you deal, you're just going to end up overpaying some other half-good center to fill the void, and as far as half-good centers go Dalembert is one of the better ones. (how's that for a backhanded compliment?) If somebody offered an expiring deal for Willie Green, the Sixes would blurt out yes in 0.000001 seconds, but that ain't happening.

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Hank (Portland): Is the reason you're not sold on Roy because he doesn't 'look' like a good ball player or what? Why does no one give this kid props? He CARRIES his team when he needs to like any other superstar.

John Hollinger: (3:58 PM ET ) I'm not sure why you think I'm not sold on Roy. He does everything well and he's going to play in an All-Star game, whether it's this year or down the road. The issue is who people are asking me to compare him to -- the very fact that we're asking questions about him vs. the likes of Baron, Iverson, etc. pretty much answer the question of whether he's legit.

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Paul (Trenton, NJ): What about Rodney Carney? Is anyone interested in his freakish athletic ability enough to lose sight of his general lack of aggressiveness and propensity to disappear for long stretches at a time?

John Hollinger: (3:59 PM ET ) If I were the Sixers I'd keep Carney -- you're not going to get much in cap relief and the best you can get in return is somebody else's disappointing prospect.

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Josh (Seattle): Seems like you favor Utah to win the NW division over Denver, but where do you put Portland's odds to finish first? Thanks!

John Hollinger: (4:00 PM ET ) They aren't going away, if that's what you mean. I just like Utah's odds better; I'd expect Portland to end up more like the 7 or 8 spot if I had to bet right now.

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Larry Bird (French Lick): True or false: The Pacers are the organization with the least amount of hope for the future.

John Hollinger: (4:02 PM ET ) Not sure I'd go that far. Shawne Williams looks like he might be a player, and Ike Diogu has some promise too. But yes, ti's a little disconcerting to have a largely veteran team that's under .500, and Bird's moves over the past couple years haven't been real encouraging.

[gsuteke]

Tom (Boston): Hey John, The Knicks may stink but don't guys like Crawford and Randolph have some value? Crawford is a good scorer and makes reasonable money.

John Hollinger: (4:04 PM ET ) Crawford is one of hte Knicks with the most trade value right now, for the reasons you point out, and if New York makes a deadline deal it's most likely to involve him. Randolph has value too, but a lot of teams won't even look twice at the guy because of his track record and almost comical aversion to defense, so that limits the available trading partners.

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Dixy (Canberra, Land Down Under): It's clear that JJ Redick can shoot and is poor on D. But can't he be used as a dead-eye shooter in Orlando's offense? I can think of many other teams that can use his shooting to stop teams double teaming their big man. Is a trade on the way or is he just another case of a bad draft choice by Orlando?

John Hollinger: (4:05 PM ET ) He could, expect they already have Rashard Lewis and Hedo Turkoglu and Brian Cook doing the same thing, so Redick is beyond redundant. A trade would be best for everyone, but Orlando probably would only deal him to a West team (sorry Cleveland).

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Nick (Portland, OR): Will Chris Paul and Deron Williams play out their current contracts and then test the free agent market? With plenty of cap room, Portland would be an attractive destination when they hit the market.

John Hollinger: (4:06 PM ET ) Keep dreaming.

John Hollinger: (4:06 PM ET ) Folks, that's all the time I have, but thanks for the great questions and we'll do this again next week.

[Admin]

Excellent chat, thanks for posting GSU! It seems like Holly is much higher on the Hawks than he used to be and although right now Sergio is definitely better than Law I don't think that will be the case in a year or two. That said, if we could steal him from the Blazers for Childress I would do it in a heartbeat.

[gsuteke]

I think it's fairly obvious BK has backed himself into a corner. He has to make a move.

[Packfill]

Hollinger definitely threw some daggers at the Hawks. All deserved though.

[Packfill]

Quote:

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Excellent chat, thanks for posting GSU! It seems like Holly is much higher on the Hawks than he used to be and although right now Sergio is definitely better than Law I don't think that will be the case in a year or two. That said, if we could steal him from the Blazers for Childress I would do it in a heartbeat.

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I think it is inconclusive who will be better in the long run. Sergio is younger.

[DrReality]

Quote:

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I think it's fairly obvious BK has backed himself into a corner. He has to make a move.

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I don't see this. And with the move re Mullins, who knows what will happen. I think in the end this will cast a further shadow over the team and create more uncertainty.

[TheDude]

Quote:

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Excellent chat, thanks for posting GSU! It seems like Holly is much higher on the Hawks than he used to be and although right now Sergio is definitely better than Law I don't think that will be the case in a year or two. That said, if we could steal him from the Blazers for Childress I would do it in a heartbeat.

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agreed...i think a huge key will be when Acie gets his 3point shot down...AND get big minutes....i mean having Lue in short stretches doesnt kill us and having AJ be solid as a backup would be nice...But if Law could play big minutes (which means better defense, quickness, and playmaking ability in the game) AND got his long jumper down, that would help greatly.

[Johnnybravo4]

The fact that we don't have a 3pt specialist or a pg, is directly related to woody's coaching.

Acie Law and Salim Stoudamire are excellent perimeter scorers. The problem is that they aren't allowed to fail. In Woody's system, if you come in to the game and go 0-3, then you may not play again the rest of the game, or the rest of the week....it is hard for young guys to play with that kind of pressure and it makes them tight. Salim responds by trying to launch at the first sign of daylight and Acie responds by not shooting at all. Boris Diaw had the same problem when he was here.

Contrast that to the Blazers the other night. IN the first half they were shooting bricks, but McMillan allowed them to catch a rhythm and they started hitting everything.

[AHF]

Quote:

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Acie Law and Salim Stoudamire are excellent perimeter scorers. The problem is that they aren't allowed to fail. In Woody's system, if you come in to the game and go 0-3, then you may not play again the rest of the game, or the rest of the week....it is hard for young guys to play with that kind of pressure and it makes them tight. Salim responds by trying to launch at the first sign of daylight and Acie responds by not shooting at all. Boris Diaw had the same problem when he was here.

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That may have been my single favorite thing that Pitino did at Kentucky. His philosophy was that he wouldn't pull you for missing a shot (that you should take in the context of the offense) - he would pull if you if you didn't take the shot. It gave guys a lot of confidence.

[TheNorthCydeRises]

(( This is more for JB than you AHF . . nice win over my Vols by the way. ))

Just like with Shelden, I can't defend Salim anymore.

When you're a shooter, and your job is to come in and make shots . . . you have to make those shots. That's one of the main reasons why Lue plays over Salim. Lue, while horrible defensively, can at least step in a game, and knock down a few of his early shots. He doesn't need 5 shots to get warmed up.

Hawks down by 4 to the Nuggets . . 8 minutes to go in 2nd quarter . . and Law just picked up his 2nd foul . . this is a typical Hawks game log with Salim in the game:

8:05 - Salim enters game for Acie Law

7:52 - Salim misses 24-foot three point shot

7:51 - Camby defensive rebound

7:35 - Iverson makes 17-foot jumper ( Anthony Carter assist )

7:17 - Salim bad pass ( Iverson steals )

7:06 - Camby mises two point shot

7:05 - Josh Smitth defensive rebound

6:58 - Salim misses 20-foot jumper

6:57 - Zaza offensive rebound

6:56 - Zaza misses lay-up

6:55 - Zaza offensive rebound

6:55 - Zaza misses tip-in

6:53 - Kleiza defensive rebound

6:44 - Carter makes lay-up

6:30 - Josh Smith misses 16-foot jumper

6:29 - Joe Johnson offensive rebound

6:24 - Salim misses 23-foot three point shot

6:22 - Camby defensive rebound

6:07 - Carter makes 7-foot shot

6:07 - Shooting foul on Salim ( Anthony Carter draws the foul )

(( Woody gives Salim "the look", throws up his hands in disgust, and calls timeout ))

6:07 - Atlanta full timeout

6:07 - Josh Childress in for Salim

6:07 - Carter makes 1 of 1 free throws

So what happend here?

- Salim misses 3 shots ( 2 threes )

- He commits 1 turnover

- He commits a foul on Carter on a shot that he makes

- Carter scores 5 points out of the 7 Denver scored

- Hawks are now down by 11, instead of 4

And Woody is suppoed to let him stay in the game?

[Johnnybravo4]

Quote:

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(( This is more for JB than you AHF . . nice win over my Vols by the way. ))

Just like with Shelden, I can't defend Salim anymore.

When you're a shooter, and your job is to come in and make shots . . . you have to make those shots. That's one of the main reasons why Lue plays over Salim. Lue, while horrible defensively, can at least step in a game, and knock down a few of his early shots. He doesn't need 5 shots to get warmed up.

Hawks down by 4 to the Nuggets . . 8 minutes to go in 2nd quarter . . and Law just picked up his 2nd foul . . this is a typical Hawks game log with Salim in the game:

8:05 - Salim enters game for Acie Law

7:52 - Salim misses 24-foot three point shot

7:51 - Camby defensive rebound

7:35 -

Iverson makes 17-foot jumper ( Anthony Carter assist )

7:17 - Salim bad pass ( Iverson steals )

7:06 - Camby mises two point shot

7:05 - Josh Smitth defensive rebound

6:58 - Salim misses 20-foot jumper

6:57 - Zaza offensive rebound

6:56 - Zaza misses lay-up

6:55 - Zaza offensive rebound

6:55 - Zaza misses tip-in

6:53 - Kleiza defensive rebound

6:44 -

Carter makes lay-up

6:30 - Josh Smith misses 16-foot jumper

6:29 - Joe Johnson offensive rebound

6:24 - Salim misses 23-foot three point shot

6:22 - Camby defensive rebound

6:07 -

Carter makes 7-foot shot

6:07 - Shooting foul on Salim ( Anthony Carter draws the foul )

(( Woody gives Salim "the look", throws up his hands in disgust, and calls timeout ))

6:07 - Atlanta full timeout

6:07 - Josh Childress in for Salim

6:07 -

Carter makes 1 of 1 free throws

So what happend here?

- Salim misses 3 shots ( 2 threes )

- He commits 1 turnover

- He commits a foul on Carter on a shot that he makes

- Carter scores 5 points out of the 7 Denver scored

- Hawks are now down by 11, instead of 4

And Woody is suppoed to let him stay in the game?

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Ok so he was off in the second qtr. How about putting him in in the 3rd or early 4th...instead he probably DNP him fo the next 10 games. At some point you have to let youth develop. The season is long and you can't afford to play every game with a 7 man playoff rotation. There is no need for JJ to be second in the league in minutes. He won't have anything left if we do make the playoffs. You have to allow your young players to fail in order for them to build character.

[Murat]

I agree with JB, Woodson thinks you are supposed to be perfect if he doesn't like u.

P.S BTW Right after we lost to the Nets the last time we played them, Woody came to the club(where i do valet) right after the game. Maybe he is thinking about going out instead of coaching.