Acie Law: Victim of circumstance, bad coaching or lack of talent?

[HAWKS1986]

Acie Law's days as Atlanta Hawk player may be numbered, and the somewhat mysterious back injury may be the last that we will hear from Law, who had a lot of promise coming out of Texas A&M.

Mike Woodson said he wasn’t sure when Law would return to the active roster. “I hate it for Acie because he really had a chance to help us right now and he’s out.”

This may be coachspeak for : I hate it for Acie, but that was his last chance here in Atlanta and he is out of here in June...just like Shelden!

Acie's playmaking ways at Texas A&M has not translated to the NBA. He has lacked confidence from Day One and now apparently the Hawks will go back to the drawing board when the NBA Draft comes up in late June.

The Hawks need a young, fast guard who is confident and a leader. Someone who has speed and can break down defenses, hit open shots and stay in front of the quicker guards in the league. Is that too much to ask?

Mike Bibby is getting old very fast after 12 seasons. Bibby is an old 30 and his days as a viable starting guard are numbered.

In the draft, Jonny Flynn of Syracuse has a spirit about him and the talent to lead a team. He isn't perfect, but he is likely to make a bigger impact in his first year than Acie Law has. Flynn will make his share of mistakes, but he doesn't play scared and learns from his mistakes--quickly. Same thing with the 6'6 Tyreke Evans..or Virginia Commonwealth's Eric Maynor.

Acie plays scared, and the Hawks got to find someone to replace Bibby--yesterday!

Flip is 30, Bibby is 30, Joe will be an old 28 in June... The Hawks need to improve their backcourt, and get younger and faster.

Acie Law, unfair or not, has been a failure or in other words a BUST--just like Shelden Williams.

[tonegully]

What i hate the most is that the Hawks have not given Acie a chance to fail!!!!!

He gets no playing time. Then we are going to draft another dam PG and the same thing is going to happen. He will play behind Bibby and get garbage minutes.

Lets use our pick on a true center and get a PG in FA. We dont have time to get another dam rookie PG and wait for him to develop in our team "system". Let Bibby go.

[HAWKS1986]

What i hate the most is that the Hawks have not given Acie a chance to fail!!!!!

He gets no playing time. Then we are going to draft another dam PG and the same thing is going to happen. He will play behind Bibby and get garbage minutes.

Lets use our pick on a true center and get a PG in FA. We dont have time to get another dam rookie PG and wait for him to develop in our team "system". Let Bibby go.

One of the few true center prospects is B.J. Mullens from Ohio State or Cole Aldrich from Kansas. However, the need for a young, confident, impact point guard is important as well.

Which is more important? Point guard or center? When Al Horford was drafted two years ago, it was an attempt to erase the mistake of drafting Shelton Williams. And the 2009 draft may be an attempt to erase the perceived mistake of drafting Acie Law.

[Cwell]

lol at Acie lacked confidence from the start. U must have missed when his rookie year started and everybody was raving about how he had the swagger of a veteran and always knew what to do in any situation with the ball. This thread is a serious joke. Acie's days aren't close to being numbered.

Edited April 1, 2009 by Cwell

[HawkItus]

You forgot one.......injury prone.

[Guest]

You forgot one.......injury prone.

If you said that last year (as I did) you would have been flamed hardcore for that.

[smithrules]

What i hate the most is that the Hawks have not given Acie a chance to fail!!!!!

He gets no playing time. Then we are going to draft another dam PG and the same thing is going to happen. He will play behind Bibby and get garbage minutes.

Lets use our pick on a true center and get a PG in FA. We dont have time to get another dam rookie PG and wait for him to develop in our team "system". Let Bibby go.

Yeah that pretty much sums it up! I mean how do you expect a player to develop in limited garbage time minutes! I mean it boils down to this, woody is like larry brown and depends on the vets unless he has no one else to fill the position.

[High5]

A combination of coaching, talent, and injuries. It's crazy how timid he usually is when he actually gets some minutes. At A&M he was the exact opposite of timid.

[Diesel]

What i hate the most is that the Hawks have not given Acie a chance to fail!!!!!

He gets no playing time. Then we are going to draft another dam PG and the same thing is going to happen. He will play behind Bibby and get garbage minutes.

Lets use our pick on a true center and get a PG in FA. We dont have time to get another dam rookie PG and wait for him to develop in our team "system". Let Bibby go.

It's just a matter of need. If Woody would play somebody like Lawson more than he plays Acie, then we got to do that. Moreover, we shouldn't miss out on a PG that can play defense better than Bibbs.

[DJlaysitup]

lol at Acie lacked confidence from the start. U must have missed when his rookie year started and everybody was raving about how he had the swagger of a veteran and always knew what to do in any situation with the ball. This thread is a serious joke. Acie's days aren't close to being numbered.

I agree that Acie's days aren't numbered...at least in the league. Picking Acie was just another BK mistake IMO. We needed a big and a PG after all of BK's "rebuilding" and he went for Al Horford (a no-brainer) and Acie as the PG. Truth is, Acie is what many thought he would be (if given the chance)...a 1/2 tweener - but more a pro SG than a PG. He is pretty quick, but not a blazer. They (BK/Woody) tried to force him into the PG spot and it didn't work.

I think Acie will stick around in the NBA but he isn't our answer at PG currently. Not his fault...#11 picks usually don't come out of the box like CP3. That said, if we don't need a developing 1/2 guard - it might be time to cut bait with Acie.

[bonethugz]

i once again think it's the coach. for our past draftee, donta smith, ivey, salim, even shelden, who really got playing time? i know they probably didn't deserve playing time but we weren't very good. why not give them a chance?

[Popeye]

I like Johnny Flynn, the kid has heart...

[HAWKS1986]

lol at Acie lacked confidence from the start. U must have missed when his rookie year started and everybody was raving about how he had the swagger of a veteran and always knew what to do in any situation with the ball. This thread is a serious joke. Acie's days aren't close to being numbered.

We shall see. Some folks were raving about Shelden, then he was gone.

[HAWKS1986]

A combination of coaching, talent, and injuries. It's crazy how timid he usually is when he actually gets some minutes. At A&M he was the exact opposite of timid.

True.

However, a player like Nate Robinson came off the bench when he was first drafted in 2005. Robinson made mistakes, got fewer minutes than he originally was receiving for a little while and then worked himself back into the playing rotation.

Robinson is small, but he doesn't play small. Robinson plays big all the time whether he is on the court seven minutes or 37 minutes. Robinson makes impact plays and the coaching staff eventually trusted him enough to increase his playing time and responsibilities.

Robinson may have felt he was wronged, but his self-belief in his ability never waned and now he is one of the emotional leaders of the Knicks.

Law has to pick himself up right now and make himself useful regardless of how many minutes he gets.

Against the Clippers at home, he had an opportunity to make an impression... in a Clipper blowout, he went a timid 3-9 for eight points... Acie needed to have an explosion, but it never happened...if this was Nate Robinson, he may have had 30 points with three dunks and five three pointers.

Edited April 2, 2009 by HAWKS1986

[bumpyphish1]

FYI, Jonny Flynn most likely is going to stay at Syracuse according to Boeheim today. So, he is out. Sux, cuz I like him, too, and we probably wont get the chance for him after another season....

[ATLSmith]

If we do take a PG in the draft I can see a combination of Acie, Solo, and possibly Marvin being traded for a center.

I would love to see Tyreke Evans play here. Can you imagine him playing along side JJ?

[Dsinner]

100% coaching. How is Acie supposed to play with any confidence when even after good games he gets no playing time. How can he "play himself" into some minutes with Woody? It's not possible. Sure he has some crappy games but even after average and above average showings Woody won't play him for weeks. You simply don't do that to a young PG who is already showing signs of playing scared. The smart thing (even a sofa king like me knows) would be to reward his good games with, get this...more minutes. Wow what a concept. I know it's a broken record already but Woody is completely wrong for this young team. He's hurting our record and stunting our young guns growth. I hope for Acie's sake if Woody is going to stay here that he goes somewhere else and blows up. I also see no use in drafting a PG. I'd rather go after one via FA if that's what we choose. However, we are in more need of a center than a PG right now. Bibby, while obviously not a fan favorite, is more adequate than...um...that's right, we don't have a legit starting center.

Edited April 2, 2009 by Dsinner

[buckeye242424]

One of the few true center prospects is B.J. Mullens from Ohio State or Cole Aldrich from Kansas. However, the need for a young, confident, impact point guard is important as well.

Which is more important? Point guard or center? When Al Horford was drafted two years ago, it was an attempt to erase the mistake of drafting Shelton Williams. And the 2009 draft may be an attempt to erase the perceived mistake of drafting Acie Law.

As much as I would love seeing Mullins in a Hawks uniform, he would not help us next year, or the year after. He's a looooong time away from being "pro-ready". I watched every game he had in college, and he will be a solid pro, but not yet. Look what Oden has done thus far, and Koufus from last year. Both we're 7 footers that were one and done's at OSU and drafted in the first round. Oden's struggles are apparent, Koufus is in the D league. Mullins is light years away from those two when they declared.

The kid is getting some bad advice. He needs to stay in college. But, you can't blame the guy for going after the money that will be thrown in front of him. He lived in like 13 different houses (if you want to call them that) in Columbus, in some areas you wouldn't be caught dead in. His family has been in and out of prison, and he has no father figure. He's going in the first round because he's 7 foot and has a picture perfect looking jumper. Form wise, it's as fundamental as they come. He's athletic, blocks shots, runs the floor. His hands are awful, all thumbs. He has limited post moves. He led the Big Ten in FG%, but the #'s are skewed because they were all dunks. His defense is poor, save the block shots - but those we're simply because of his height and jumping ability. He didn't start playing until 8th grade. He's raw, bad passer, and makes poor decisions. He needs more experience playing the game to improve. Any team that takes Mullins better realize they won't be reaping the benefits of him until the future. Not a good fit for the Hawks as they are a "big" away from greatly improving their chances in competing for the East.

[DrReality]

Circumstances, coaching, talent. Hard to say. Probably a little of all of them, but given injuries and how Woody has used him it is hard to tell.

[HAWKS1986]

FYI, Jonny Flynn most likely is going to stay at Syracuse according to Boeheim today. So, he is out. Sux, cuz I like him, too, and we probably wont get the chance for him after another season....

If Flynn isn't available, it's either Tyeke, Collison (if he leaves) or Maynard..