Regarding Josh Smith (8 minute free write)

 This post will be all over the place, and it probably will not flow very well. You've been warned.

Josh has wanted to be traded for quite a while. Josh has needed to be traded for even longer.
I am an unabashed Josh Smith supporter.  If you've read this blog then that's not news, so there's no need to dwell on it.
 While I'd prefer to have Josh as a member of the team I root for, I don't think it's in his best interests to stay in Atlanta.  The organization and the city's treatment of him has been baffling at times. Many people regard him as the third best player on the team (a stance I vehemently disagree with)  but for years he's been the player who takes the bulk of the blame for the team's shortcomings.  The Hawks have two All-Stars, and neither of them is named Josh Smith. Yet, it's Josh Smith who's the whipping boy when the team fails.  I think it would do him a world of good to go to another city, and play for a better organization. The Hawks are not trying to win a championship, and we've known that for the last 2 decades.  Anyone who is serious about winning or at least competing for one, definitely need not look to the Atlanta Spirit to provide such an opportunity.  That's a hard pill to swallow as a fan. Imagine how it feels when you're a player.

My only hope is that they can get some decent pieces in return. Do I think Rick Sund is capable of getting equal value for Josh? Nope, but miracles happen everyday. Although truth be told, there's no one of equal talent who's available. Even Josh's loudest haters would be kidding themselves if they said there was someone out there who can do what he does on both ends of the floor, that the Hawks can realistically get to replace him. He has to be traded though. They basically made the decision about Josh's future in Atlanta when they gave Joe that contract.
I doubt Josh will be traded before the deadline because if there's one thing this organization is committed to, it's creating the illusion that they're trying to compete with the other elite teams. He's been carrying the team without the services of his two All Star teammates, so nothing is going to happen before the summer.





For more thorough Hawks analysis visit Peachtreehoops, and Hoopinion,

Poor Coaching and Poor Shot Selection

I'm sick of this Hawks team.
There are so many things wrong with them that if I tried to name them all, I'd be here bitching all night long. I don't want to do that, and no one wants to read that anyway. There are a couple of things that bother me more than others.
Let's start with Coach Drew. I was never in favor of this hire. I'm sure you'll find my objections somewhere here on the blog. I would go find them, but I've had like 3 glasses of wine and dammit, I just don't feel like it. Anyway,  I didn't think it was a good idea to hire one of Mike Woodson's minions, because I assumed he learned a lot from his former boss. He did, and a lot of the things that plagued the Hawks in the Woodson era are still there. Drew has done nothing to change my mind about the fact that they could have found someone better.  He annoys the hell out me. He never defends his players. Ever. He doesn't even roll his eyes at the refs. He just stands there chewing gum, looking clueless. If it annoys fans, it's got to piss the players off beyond belief. He seems to coach his game plan as opposed to coaching the actual game far too often. All coaches have rotations that they'd like to stick with, but the game ultimately dictates whether or not those plans have to be scrapped.  Drew doesn't give a damn about the flow of the game. If he planned on taking Player X out at a certain point in the game, then that player is damn  well coming out, no matter what. The only thing that derails his plans is foul trouble. He, like Woody, loves to foul his players out of games in the first half. Two fouls is NOT the end of the world, but I digress. Also, there's very little evidence that he holds any player not named Jeff Teague and sometimes Za Za Pachullia accountable for poor play. He'll scold them and sit them with quickness, but he won't do that to the All Star and All Star snub. I bet if he attached playing time to poor shot selection, then some of those ill advised jumpers wouldn't happen.
Speaking of ill advised jumpers, there's plenty of blame to go around for why they keep happening. Of course it starts with the player, but it's clear that said player views himself differently than the rest of us. That means, others are going to have to be more vigilant about stopping him. Since we've already established the coach isn't going to do it, that brings us to the other players on the court, specifically the guards. They have to stop giving him the ball when he's out of position. How will they know when he's out of position? If he's more than like 8 feet away from the basket, then his ass is out of position and should not be given the ball. No exceptions. If Teague wants to truly cement his role as the leader of this team, then he's got to put his foot down and make better decisions. Joe and Kirk have to be just as vigilant. It makes no sense to keep allowing such high risk, low reward shots to keep happening. It affects the bottom line. Anyway, this vent is getting long. I'm done for now.







For more thorough Hawks analysis visit Peachtreehoops and Hoopinion

Maybe Next Year, but Probably Not.

The All Star reserves have been announced, and Josh Smith is again not among them.  At this point, I'm not sure Josh will ever make an All Star game. That's not even hyperbole. He's been the the straw that stirs the drink on this Al Horfordless Hawks team, and even that wasn't enough. Truth be told, he was that straw even when Al was available, but I digress.  There will always be snubs and it looks like Josh will always be among them. He still has a chance to make it if someone gets injured, but we'd all hate for that to happen.
It really sucks that guys like Josh Smith, Monta Ellis and Brandon Jennings haven't had the opportunity to play in a defenseless game. Maybe the coaches should eliminate the two or three lifetime achievement players who make the rosters every year. Will the fans be worse off watching Monta Ellis as opposed to Steve Nash? Lord knows Josh Smith brings more entertainment than old ass Paul Pierce. Not to mention, you know the coaches are going to let the older players rest, so why even bother to put them on the team? Anyway, I'm not going to go on and on about this. I'm sure the snubs will enjoy the days off, especially in this shortened season.




For more thorough Hawks analysis visit Peachtreehoops, Hoopinion,

Thankless Job

Do you know the worst thing about watching a team and its fan base celebrate winning a championship? Being a Hawks fan and feeling like you're never, ever, ever, ever going to have that opportunity. Why can't the Hawks ever play out of their minds when it matters most? Why do they gladly play the role that everyone expects them to play? The Atlanta Spirit are not creative enough, nor are they committed enough to genuinely make a run at a championship. They just aren't. Year after year we fans hope for a miracle, but deep down we know it's not going to happen. Joe Johnson isn't going to suddenly turn into Kobe Bryant. Al Horford isn't going to magically transform into Tim Duncan. And Larry Drew probably isn't going to turn into Larry Brown. So what are we poor, suffering Hawks fans to do? Well, we're going to continue the thankless job of rooting for this bunch of loveable losers.
We all know there will be no parade on Peachtree Street, because this organization doesn't have what it takes to bring us one. We've made peace with it, I guess. 



For more thorough Hawks analysis visit Peachtreehoops, and Hoopinion,

Just One Quick Thought

So  Jeff Teague isn't having a great game and Larry Drew thinks Janero Pargo is the answer. Please let the record reflect that I vehemently disagree with that assessment. Always. 


For more thorough Hawks analysis visit Peachtreehoops, Hoopinion,

Atlanta Hawks: 2011-2012 Season Preview

I'm going to keep this short and sweet. The Hawks will make the playoffs. That's a pretty bold statement if you believe some of the better known national writers. They seem to think there are at least 8 teams in the East who are better than the Hawks.
Unless some things go horribly wrong, and I'm talking 3 of the 5 starters missing most of the season, random players legs falling off, or signing Jerry Stackhouse and expecting him to contribute, they'll make it.
They'd have to try HARD to miss the playoffs. I think it'd be harder for them to miss the playoffs than it'll be for them to make the playoffs. I'm kidding. Maybe. Either way, I've looked at the East and I just don't see the Hawks being on the outside looking in.
They have an issue or two, obviously. They don't have a lot of depth on the bench, but I defy you to name a season in recent memory where they've actually had any.  Sure, they'll miss Jamal's 18 ppg, but when you consider he gave up just as many points if not more, it might balance out. (I have no idea how many points Jamal's opponents actually averaged, I just know he's as bad a defender as he is a good scorer).

Sidebar: I'm going to miss Jamal. I've always enjoyed watching him play, and he's genuinely the nicest athlete I've ever met.

Anyway, I don't know specifically where the Hawks will finish this season, and I dare not guess. I just know they'll make the playoffs. This season is going to be hard on everyone, so I hope all of the players can stay healthy. Well, everyone except the guys who play for the Celtics, Knicks, and Heat. I'd be okay if they missed the latter half of the season due to paper cuts or something like that.
Go Hawks!


For more thorough Hawks analysis visit Peachtreehoops, or Hoopinion

Series Preview: Hawks/Bulls

Hmmmmmm......

Am I just going to pick against the Hawks in the hopes that they'll prove me wrong again? Maybe.

I've been seeing a lot of "Bulls sweep" predictions. I'm not sure what this is based on. Everyone seems to be willing to discount the Bulls struggles with Indiana, yet they're not willing to acknowledge that the Hawks played relatively well against the team that beat them by something like 7,958 combined points last year. That's cool. All signs point to a Bulls victory, but there aren't very many signs that point to a Bulls cake walk. Outside of one and a half positions, the Bulls do not have superior talent to the Hawks. The half is Carlos Boozer. He's not more talented than Josh Smith, however he does harness his talents better, so there's that. Otherwise, the teams are pretty evenly matched. The best chance the Hawks have to win this series is to speed up the tempo. The Bulls are too good defensively and the Hawks are too inconsistent offensively to play a half court game with them. The Hawks have wasted several years of being one of the most athletic teams in the league, but not fully using it to their advantage due to being coached by two men who want to run an offense that they don't have the personnel to justly execute. It's asking a lot, but they need to let Teague push the ball. Otherwise, they'll be playing right into the Bulls hands.

Anyway, the Bulls are a good team, but people are acting like they're comprised of a "been there, done that group" This group hasn't been deep into the playoffs together. They're young and they're vulnerable. Just because no one is willing to acknowledge it, doesn't mean it's not true.

Having said all that, the Bulls will probably win this series. But, I'm going to let the rose colored glasses wearing fan in me have this preview.

Hawks in 6.

For more thorough Hawks analysis visit Peachtreehoops, Hoopinion, or Hawstr8talk