BOSSSSS!

[JackB1]

Horford with a MONSTER night!

21 Points

15 Rebounds

10 for 14 shooting! Seriously....this guy is shooting an unbelievable perc. this season and is emerging

as the best player on this team and he does it night in night out! He is easily the most consistent Hawk.

If he's not, tell me who is?

Note: Marvin hurt his back and didn't return, so he may be out for a while.

Also, whats up with the DNP for Teague??? How is this kid supposed to develop? Drew's way of bringing along

Teague is almost as puzzling as Woodson's methods.

[DJlaysitup]

Horford with a MONSTER night!

21 Points

15 Rebounds

If our players actually understood mis-matches Horford would have scored 35 points easy and we wouldn't have had to rely on Bibbs threes to get us a win.

IMO we have a very selfish team. Everybody wants to get their shots every night and to h#ll with the results. Our guards feed the ball inside early (when they are paying attention to LD's words)...then once we get a lead they chuck shots at will.

Honestly - this game was a win....but it almost made me sick. Our selfish chuckers took a 35 point+ game away from Al Horford. I don't know how he puts up with these guys.

[Sherry]

So efficient in the game ~with a bruised shooting hand~tough guy~！

[Admin]

Horford with a MONSTER night!

21 Points

15 Rebounds

10 for 14 shooting! Seriously....this guy is shooting an unbelievable perc. this season and is emerging

as the best player on this team and he does it night in night out! He is easily the most consistent Hawk.

If he's not, tell me who is?

Note: Marvin hurt his back and didn't return, so he may be out for a while.

Also, whats up with the DNP for Teague??? How is this kid supposed to develop? Drew's way of bringing along

Teague is almost as puzzling as Woodson's methods.

Are you just looking at the box score or did you watch the game because Teague did play tonight, although he didn't play much because as soon as he got in there at the start of the 4th the Warriors went on a run and LD had to go back to Bibby and the starters to restore order.

To respond to the main point of this topic though Horford was his typical incredible self tonight and it's definitely worth debating whether or not he is our best player because Joe has certainly not been the Joe of old and Josh is still as inconsistent as ever, although he did have a very nice game tonight as well.

[DJlaysitup]

Are you just looking at the box score or did you watch the game because Teague did play tonight, although he didn't play much because as soon as he got in there at the start of the 4th the Warriors went on a run and LD had to go back to Bibby and the starters to restore order.

To respond to the main point of this topic though Horford was his typical incredible self tonight and it's definitely worth debating whether or not he is our best player because Joe has certainly not been the Joe of old and Josh is still as inconsistent as ever, although he did have a very nice game tonight as well.

In a normal half-court offense Teague is semi-useless. He is quick enough to dribble the ball down the court against a quality opposing PG but then he just passes off and runs to his spot.

[Bawse]

Horford is the best player on our squad, yeah I said it.

[benhillboy]

Al has always been the man here. And as much as he dominates Lee head-to-head, I've never quite understood the comparisons or All-Stat debates in the past.

[foeteen14]

al's a beast. the offense should run through him a lot more. the offense should be centered around al and josh. give them the ball and let them go to work. al has developed a good one on one game, and josh finds open teamates from the post as well as any big man in the league. quietly there's a shift going on with the hawks offense. this team has been dominated by the guards for the past 5-6 years, but now our bigs are making their presence felt on a consistant basis. the guards need to take a step back and just make open shots.

[Joker]

Al can't create his own shot. He's a PnR PF with elite ability but need a good to elite PnR PG. Having Al is like having Randy Moss in his prime. But what's the use if Kerry Collins is throwing him the ball. We need a Tom Brady at PG. That's all.

[AUhawksfan]

I'm soooo happy we signed this guy long term and to a decent deal. Best GM move we've had in the past few years. Playing better than Joe this season for a whole lot less.

[DJlaysitup]

Al can't create his own shot. He's a PnR PF with elite ability but need a good to elite PnR PG. Having Al is like having Randy Moss in his prime. But what's the use if Kerry Collins is throwing him the ball. We need a Tom Brady at PG. That's all.

I think you hit the nail on the head there supe. He needs a PG that will work with him (a good PG). Thing is with AL...he is chomping at the bit to get some 30 point scoring nights but if we (Hawks other players) don't give him the touches he can't get there. The longer we wait to give him those opportunities (last night was a PERFECT time to do it) the worse for us.

You can't just jack around and take turns when you have mismatches. Also, even though AL has the capability to score 30+.. until he gets that opportunity with the offense consistently running through him, he won't be experienced at doing it. It's like we have a Kentucky Derby level horse and we only let him run half a mile. To be a Karl Malone-esque PF AL has to get those experiences. He will likely fail a few times but succeed more often and build confidence if given the chance. IMO if you want a "go to" guy for the future of this team it is AL But he won't be a "go to" guy in the playoffs if you don't allow him to make his mark and gain more confidence in the regular season.

I just wonder if the egos on this team can handle that :saythat:

P.S. - I don't think it's our bigs that have a problem with AL excelling. Marvin obviously has no problem with deferring and Smoove seems to be a solid team player...it's our guards that are the problem.

Edited December 30, 2010 by DJlaysitup

[exodus]

I don't buy the idea that Al can't create his own shot. He just needs to go about it the right way.

He has established his ability to hit midrange so shots opposing bigs will have to come out on him. Now he just needs to be more aggressive taking guys off the dribble. He has done that at times and did it some last night resulting in easy points. He is too quick off the dribble against almost everyone he faces.

Edited December 30, 2010 by exodus

[JackB1]

It is frustrating to see Al keep having these 6 for 9 or 8 for 12 shooting nights. Al gets hot and then something happens

and they stop going to him. I agree that the offense needs to stop centering around jump shooting and more around

Al and Smith.

[thecampster]

It is frustrating to see Al keep having these 6 for 9 or 8 for 12 shooting nights. Al gets hot and then something happens

and they stop going to him. I agree that the offense needs to stop centering around jump shooting and more around

Al and Smith.

One of the biggest reasons for that is Al and Josh are willing to give the ball up to each other and their teammates (as evidenced by their assist numbers). The same can not be said for our guards (other than Bibby) as they tend to dominate the ball whenever allowed. Even Teague has fallen into this trap. In a game last week he had 3 break aways with players trailing and each time he insisted on trying to take a bigger player to the bucket alone instead of using the trailer.

Joe won't pass unless there is no shot there or time is running down and Jamal and Jordan Crawford have little conscious.

Running more through Al and Josh would be beneficial. Much like the Jordan/Pippen Bulls did. Pippen and Grant handled the ball and facilitated a great deal.

[ATownWhatup]

i posted this in the wrong topic by mistake

check this out

John (Daejeon, South Korea)

How valuable is Horford in terms of trade assets, considering his position and that he is locked up for the next five years after this? He can score from the block or facing and doesn't need the ball much to be effective.

John Hollinger

And, since nobody has mentioned his name yet, he's also the answer to my item above. Al Horford leads all NBA big men in EWA this year -- not Howard, not Amare, not Gasol. And the top frontcourt combo? That would be Al Horford and Josh Smith. Atlanta's bigs are carrying them and it will be a shame if they miss the All-Star Game because a few doofuses still think it's Joe Johnson's "team", whatever that means.

http://espn.go.com/sportsnation/chat/_/id/36233