Does Woodson Shakeup Starting Lineup Tonite?

[JackB1]

Do u think Woodson will change the starting 5 tonite?

Don't you think he HAS to try something different? Even stubborn Woodson has to realize he has no chance of winning by sticking with the status quo.

Here is what I would do:

C - Al Horford

PF - Josh Smith

SF - Mo Evans

SG - Jamal Crawford

PG - Jeff Teague

[NineOhTheRino]

Do u think Woodson will change the starting 5 tonite?

Don't you think he HAS to try something different? Even stubborn Woodson has to realize he has no chance of winning by sticking with the status quo.

Here is what I would do:

C - Al Horford

PF - Josh Smith

SF - Mo Evans

SG - Jamal Crawford Joe Johnson

PG - Jeff Teague

i fixed that for you. that was a mistake right?

Edited May 10, 2010 by NineOhTheRino

[NJHAWK]

I could discuss this because its not a bad idea but did you hear whatelse they said? The part about having Sund using the backlash at JJ to announce after the game that the Hawks will not be pursuing JJ this offseason and not offer him a contract. Thats about the dumbest thing Sund can do. They say to do it to win points with the fans. How many fans will be left if we get nothing in return for our leading scorer. They say let Joe go and use the money elsewhere, what money? How do these guys get these jobs?

[NineOhTheRino]

I could discuss this because its not a bad idea but did you hear whatelse they said? The part about having Sund using the backlash at JJ to announce after the game that the Hawks will not be pursuing JJ this offseason and not offer him a contract. Thats about the dumbest thing Sund can do. They say to do it to win points with the fans. How many fans will be left if we get nothing in return for our leading scorer. They say let Joe go and use the money elsewhere, what money? How do these guys get these jobs?

Shock jocks.

[NJHAWK]

I would just send Zaza, Crawford and Horford out there since they are the only guys who seem to be trying. They are overmatched but at least they care. Just send 3 out there and make a statement, lol.

[coachx]

Shock jocks.

790 are morons !

Why would Sund piss away some of his leverage when orchestrating a S & T ?

[mrhonline]

I would just send Zaza, Crawford and Horford out there since they are the only guys who seem to be trying. They are overmatched but at least they care. Just send 3 out there and make a statement, lol.

That would be hilarious. You could add Mario West and Teague if they make you have 5 players.

[JackB1]

Lets get back to the topic! WHat should the starting 5 be tonite?

Tonite should reallt be "Al Horford Appreciation Night". This guy has given 100% every night, regardless of all the b.s. going on around him.

He has shined through all the crap and is truly a gem amongst all the other no-heart players on this team.

THANK YOU AL!!!

[AHF]

I don't think our bench is so strong that I would actually make huge changes in the minutes distribution. If you want to start a different group and see if they bring some good energy, etc. then have at it. If you want to try something minor like giving Teague a few more minutes when the game is still in contention then that is a worthwhile (if low %) gamble.

The status quo clearly isn't working so adjustments need to be made. I would rather try some zone defense, full-court pressure, etc. or offensive variations to mix things up than rely on Teague and Crawford to carry us in the backcourt for the majority of the game. I wouldn't be looking to shame JJ or anything - just give us some energy and hit Orlando with something they haven't seen from us.

[niremetal]

Tonite should reallt be "Al Horford Appreciation Night". This guy has given 100% every night, regardless of all the b.s. going on around him.

He has shined through all the crap and is truly a gem amongst all the other no-heart players on this team.

No. No, he has not. And I say that as someone who has consistently derided people who say we need a "true center" (apparently, a mere All-Star isn't good enough) and who requested an Al Horford jersey as my prize for winning a bet with a friend on the Hawks-Heat series last year. Al Horford did not give 100% effort on either end of the floor on Saturday, and he sure as hell didn't in Games 3 and 4 in Milwaukee. He settled for jumpers (even with a hand in his face), didn't rotate right away on defense, and let at least a half-dozen Magic players go right by him in the lane during Game 3.

Al generally does give a great effort. But in 4 of our 6 playoff losses, he was not remotely close to being a shining example for others to follow.

Edited May 10, 2010 by niremetal

[NineOhTheRino]

Tonite should reallt be "Al Horford Appreciation Night". This guy has given 100% every night, regardless of all the b.s. going on around him.

He has shined through all the crap and is truly a gem amongst all the other no-heart players on this team.

THANK YOU AL!!!

Maybe I was they only one watching Al give up on several plays Saturday. Why this guys gets a free pass with Hawks fans is well beyond me.

Edited May 10, 2010 by NineOhTheRino

[JackB1]

No. No, he has not. And I say that as someone who has consistently derided people who say we need a "true center" (apparently, a mere All-Star isn't good enough) and who requested an Al Horford jersey as my prize for winning a bet with a friend on the Hawks-Heat series last year. Al Horford did not give 100% effort on either end of the floor on Saturday, and he sure as hell didn't in Games 3 and 4 in Milwaukee. He settled for jumpers (even with a hand in his face), didn't rotate right away on defense, and let at least a half-dozen Magic players go right by him in the lane during Game 3.

Al generally does give a great effort. But in 4 of our 6 playoff losses, he was not remotely close to being a shining example for others to follow.

You are insane. Horf is putting up "better than regular season" numbers in the playoffs and he's doing it against Def. Player of the Year Dwight Howard! He consistently plays out of position as an undesized center

and gives more effort and heart than anyone else on the team. I was at the game Sat. and saw effort from Al all the time. He wasn't "settling" for jumpers. He was trying to hit his usual 18 footer to draw

Howard away from the basket. The only thing I will agree with you on, is letting too many Magic players drive the lane. But it's not from lack of effort.

I repeat....Horford is the ONLY HAWKS PLAYER to elevate his game in the playoffs. How can you even begin to criticise him compared to the others?

Edited May 10, 2010 by JackB1

[Devon]

You are insane. Horf is putting up "better than regular season" numbers in the playoffs and he's doing it against Def. Player of the Year Dwight Howard! He consistently plays out of position as an undesized center

and gives more effort and heart than anyone else on the team. I was at the game Sat. and saw effort from Al all the time. He wasn't "settling" for jumpers. He was trying to hit his usual 18 footer to draw

Howard away from the basket. The only thing I will agree with you on, is letting too many Magic players drive the lane. But it's not from lack of effort.

I repeat....Horford is the ONLY HAWKS PLAYER to elevate his game in the playoffs. How can you even begin to criticise him compared to the others?

All of you blaming Al for his lapses in the 3rd and 4th quarter need to go back and watch the games.... Al is giving 100% every second he's in during the 1st half, often having to cover for Bibby's inability to stop Jameer Nelson from driving to the hole; by the 4th he's absoultely SPENT/WINDED/BEAT...

I can't fault him for doing all he can to cover up for other team members' failures (repeated failures)

[niremetal]

You are insane. Horf is putting up "better than regular season" numbers in the playoffs and he's doing it against Def. Player of the Year Dwight Howard! He consistently plays out of position as an undesized center

and gives more effort and heart than anyone else on the team. I was at the game Sat. and saw effort from Al all the time. He wasn't "settling" for jumpers. He was trying to hit his usual 18 footer to draw

Howard away from the basket. The only thing I will agree with you on, is letting too many Magic players drive the lane. But it's not from lack of effort.

I repeat....Horford is the ONLY HAWKS PLAYER to elevate his game in the playoffs. How can you even begin to criticise him compared to the others?

I didn't criticize as compared to others. I didn't come close. YOU brought up Al's play and said he's given 100% effort. I disputed THAT. I did NOT say he was more at fault than any of his teammates. Don't try to twist what I said.

Most of the time, he has tried hard. In games 6 and 7 against Milwaukee, his tenacity on D and the boards led us to victory. For a good portion of games 3 and 4 against Milwaukee and games 1 and 3 against Orlando, however, he did not give the effort I've come to expect from him, for the reasons I stated.

Frankly, I don't see how you can acknowledge the number of times he let people go right by him without even trying to get in the way and say that it's not because of lack of effort. If that's Varejao, Noah, or Perkins, it's at least free throws instead of an uncontested layup or dunk.

It truly baffles me, the number of people on this board who absolutely refuse to see the flaws in their favored players.

Edited May 10, 2010 by niremetal

[Kimsey]

I believe the OP said that Kurt Thomas was "significantly bigger than Al" and "we should give him a pass" because of it. I love Horford and would only trade him for Dwight, Lopez, etc.

But giving all this man love when we are getting blown out is bogus imo.

[HAWKSFAN89]

Ha ha. Ha ha ha.

Tonight is Joe's last game as a Hawk, no chance he will be benched. I predict Joe throws up an outstanding 31 shot attempts.

[arhawkfan]

Ha ha. Ha ha ha.

Tonight is Joe's last game as a Hawk, no chance he will be benched. I predict Joe throws up an outstanding 31 shot attempts.

I would start Jamal and bench Bibby. It might be Joes last game if it is I hope he goes out with a bang.

[AHawks89]

It's funny when posters are pointing fingers at each player, but when a player plays good in one game than all the fingers are away from him. Remember how poorly Al played on the road? Very.

Joe Johnson had his game or two, Josh Smith did, Al Horford, and even Jamal. All of them have had good games, but a lot of bad games too. Theres not one person on this team you should give props to. Al might have been the most consistent, but he has played poorly on the road. My point is.. stop giving one player props or pointing a finger at someone for doing something bad. There is no I in team.

Just saying...

[niremetal]

Ha ha. Ha ha ha.

Tonight is Joe's last game as a Hawk, no chance he will be benched. I predict Joe throws up an outstanding 31 shot attempts.

Since two people have thrown around 30+ FGAs as a possibility, it's worth pointing out that Joe has only done that 6 times in his 346 games as a Hawk. Not one of them was a game where he shot worse than 40% from the floor. His FG% in those games is .447. To break it down further, we're 2-0 when he takes 30+ shots and shoots .500 or better, and 0-4 when he takes 30+ shots and shoots less than .500. But a sample size consisting of 1.7% of his games as a Hawk is, shall we say, small.

In either case, it doesn't happen often, although you wouldn't know it from all the "Joe is a selfish ballhog" posts that get made around here.

Edited May 10, 2010 by niremetal

[TheNorthCydeRises]

Do u think Woodson will change the starting 5 tonite?

Don't you think he HAS to try something different? Even stubborn Woodson has to realize he has no chance of winning by sticking with the status quo.

Here is what I would do:

C - Al Horford . . Zaza

PF - Josh Smith . . Horford

SF - Mo Evans . . Smoove

SG - Jamal Crawford . . JJ

PG - Jeff Teague . . Crawford

I fixed it again.

If you're going to shake up the lineup, this is what I'd do. And it goes against everything I believe in regarding Smoove. But this lineup puts all of our firepower on the floor to begin the game, plus inserts Zaza into the lineup to deal with Dwight from the beginning. It also puts Horford at PF, where he has been most effective.

Starting Teague and Mo Evans ( who has the worst playoff shooting % on the team ), isn't going to solve anything.