You guys are being way too harsh on the guys

[Admin]

Yes he is struggling right now, I will give you that. However, he has everything that you look for in a star player and something you can teach, size. Lets try and keep in mind that this guy is a rookie and not all rookies are able to make the transition to the NBA perfectly. I think that right now what is holding him back is that he isnt confident in himself. You can see it in his game. He certainly isnt at a loss for hustle because when he is on the court he is busting his butt. Granted he has an ugly shot, but he has always been a good shooter and once he starts to get confidence back in himself we will see what he can really do.

On a side note, last night in the 4th did you guys see Diaw drill consecutive 3 pters from the corner? Sure we were out of the game, but he didnt hesitate to take those shots and hopefully that will carry over to the next game. I have always said that he has the ability to be a good scorer in this league but he just has to learn to not pass up the open shot. We just have to remember that he is young and grew up playing in a league that taught him to pass pass pass rather than shoot. That will come with time.

I honestly believe that by the end of the year we will see Diaw and Childress both making huge strides.

I also think that we will see Josh Smith eclipse both of them because with his freakish ability and the confidence that he seems to have the sky is the limit. I really liked what I saw in him last night in the 4th when he air-balled that free throw, the players came over and patted him on the butt and then he swished the next one with the fans heckling him. He definitely has a lot more maturity than anyone gave him credit for.

Last thought here. We are going to be bad this year. There is no doubt in my mind. We will get better as the year goes on, but we are so bad in the paint that there isnt any hope of this team contending. I am perfectly content with that. I know that this team is finally heading in the right direction and Billy wont do anything foolish and try and plug a hole by trading away the future. We will suck all year! We will win a few games based purely on our athletic ability. Next year we will have a ton of cap room (20+ mil), a top 3 lotto pick to use on a PG or C, plus hopefully another lotto pick or young player from whatever team deals for Antoine.

I am very excited about the future and I hope that you guys can get on board and look for the forest beyond the trees.

[Gray Mule]

At least, now we have the hope of growing, getting

better and learning a proven system of defense.

We see so many things that go wrong. Part of it is due

to our young players. Some of it is due to all these

players, both old and young playing together for the

first time.

While we know that the U.S.A. didn't send their best,

remember how we did in the olympics. A lot of that

was said to be the players not having played together.

If that is true, what about these Hawks? They have

the same problem.

As parents and, for some of us, grandparents, there is

excitement as we watch the children grow and mature.

We shall see the same thing, I believe, as we watch

our team of young colts grow and mature.

We shouldn't expect to win a lot early, but I believe

victories will come, and with greater frequency, as

the season progresses. First, we must learn to play

together, learn the coaches system of defense and find

some scoring from our young lads.

Go Hawks !!!!

[Employee8]

Speaking of "plugging a hole and trading away our future", the question remains :

Is Walker in our Future plans?

My answer after seeing these first two games are a resounding NO. And not because he hasn't been trying but because he will undoubtedly be driven up the wall with the struggles of this team and would want to have a one-way ticket out of here(and it could happen since there are some playoff teams that wouldn't mind having a good player like walker w/an expiring contract on their team in exchange for whatever)

[Nicholasp27]

walker for dalembert

[chillzatl]

Beyond him there is little to be excited about. At least in the here and now.

Honestly, I am not disappointed in the team play. I did not expect us to be a good team, or even a decent team, for quite a while.

what is disappointing to me is the sub-standard play from both Childress and Diaw. I expected to see some maturation from Diaw, I have not seen it. I expected to see a 3 year award winning college player in Childress, I have not seen it. That is what is disappointing.

Smith is really all we have and might have, for a while. If that's the case, I'd like to see him getting bulk minutes and not garbage time. If we win 20-25 games and he only averages 16mpg this season, it's a wasted season.

[Wretch]

Quote:

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Smith is really all we have and might have, for a while. If that's the case, I'd like to see him getting bulk minutes and not garbage time. If we win 20-25 games and he only averages 16mpg this season, it's a wasted season.

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Why is it that before now, nobody understood what I was trying to say? The same holds true for Chill too. We drafted these guys as our future, it would behoove us to put them on the court.

Even if they get on the court, Walker and Harrington are going to dominate the offense. What good is it for these guys to get out there when they do nothing but sit back and watch these guys play? And what will it all mean if we are still a bottom feeder?

I love the addition of Harrington, and I think he can learn to grow with our players without hindering anyone else's progress. I like AW too. He's a great player. But he dominates the ball and he really doesn't have the time to wait 3 or 4 years for this team to come around. His presence changes the dynamics of the team. We go from a developmental team to something in between that and a playoff team - at least on paper.

I'm not saying that we can't or won't improve. Nor do I believe Walker is any kind of cancer. I simply believe he was brought in as an asset. I think he will be traded like Rasheed (or Jax for that matter) was dealt last year.

In the mean time, the young guys are playing behind him and Harrington (and it would have been Crawford too) and we are shooting ourselves in the foot.

[Inside_Man]

Right now, we have no backcourt player who can give us 20 points on ANY night. Not average 20 pts, just do it once in a while! None!! Until we have an outside threat, team are going to beat up and abuse Al and Toine. That's life.

Toine is here for one year. The future is Smooth at the 3 and Al at the 4. Smooth should be playing at least 25 minutes a night. At least.

What are we going to do with the 1st pick next year?

This team needs a combined 25 points a night from Diaw and Childress. Right now they're getting 13.

I'm dissappointed in Chill so far, but it's too early to pass judgement and I'll give him and the coaches the benefit of some time.

When's Delk coming back? We might not win a game until he does.