Billy Knight Took My Lunch Money

2010-12-06T20:14:00.002-05:00

We Packed Up Our Bags and Moved

2009-04-29T17:01:00.002-04:00

Alright fellas. We have packed our bags and moved to a new site (cry and shed those tears). The new site can be found here with this link:

http://mvn.com/billyknighttookmylunchmoney/

Check back to that site in order to see us perform our first ever post there with a live-blog for tonight's HUGE Game 5. See ya there Hawksnation.

Hawks EVEN Series!

2009-04-28T13:59:00.002-04:00

Congratulations to the Hawks from both of us at BKTMLM. You finally came out, clamped down on defense, and outlasted the Heat on offense. Last night's game was blue-collar basketball at its absolute finest.

In honor of Zaza Pachulia's huge game, we tried to make some Khachapuri, but our attempts to master Georgian cooking have failed us.

To remind everyone of just how valuable (and well liked) Zaza is, we recommend you read the second ever post on our blog, the Open Letter: to My Favorite Georgian. (Also a good read since few of you were reading the blog when it started)

It can be found here.

So The Hawks Lost, Who Did Not See That Coming?

2009-04-23T11:19:00.004-04:00

I'll tell you all one thing here, I saw it coming. I was blessed with the ability to see the future, and in the future I saw the Hawks losing game 2. Don't believe me? Ask my fellow blogger Craig Ehlo. We were in the library "studying" for our finals when in the middle of reading about proxy violations for corporations, I looked up at him, gazed into his blue-green eyes and said "The Hawks are going to lose tonight. I am sure of it."

Later on, while the Hawks were busy doing their best let's not guard the other team's best player, I looked at Ehlo again and said "hate to say I told you so." Look let's not get to crazy here, during the first game I even said that I could see the Hawks losing one of their home games but still winning on Miami's court. In fact, I believe the Hawks will win game 3 in Miami setting the tone that this series will be done in six games. But last night. Boy that was a terrible thing to watch. I do not even know where to begin.

I guess the best place to start is on the players for their lackadasical play and failure to realize they were playing in a PLAYOFF GAME. The reason I knew we would lose last night's game was due to the way we blew out the Heat in game 1. As soon as we started destroying the Heat's reserves in game 1, you know the mindset of the team changed dramatically. It went from taking the Heat seriously as a playoff team, to labeling them as just a stepping stone in the way of us playing a second round playoff opponent. In fact, what happened to us last night, is the same thing that happened to the Celtics in Game 3 last year in Atlanta. Once you stop taking your opponent seriously, the end result is not going to be favorable. A NBA team can afford to take a night off and not take your opponent seriously, a NBA PLAYOFF team can not.

Next place to start my gripes deals with the player that everybody was gushing over only three days ago after he had a huge game 1. That is right, Josh Smith, you have not found yourself immune from attack once again. So you had a big game on Sunday night and probably thought that you were going to come out and dominate this next game and play to all the accolades you had seemingly earned the previous game. Boy did you disappoint. Sadly to all of us who actually follow the Hawks we knew it was coming. Everyone, from the Atlanta media to ESPN seemed to fall in love with the way Smoove played in game 1 and rightfully so, it was one of his first good games in a while. But all of us in Hawksnation knew it was an aberration. Look at what he did last night for proof that this kid still does not have the maturity level to succeed in the NBA. He began the game by shooting jumpers and 3's and to be fair, he did hit some of them. In fact, after he made his first jump shot, I turned to my brother and said: "there it is, that is proof we are going to lose this game." If Josh Smith's first basket is a jump shot, for some reason he is going to believe his jump shot is on all game, and if there is one thing we have learned from Smoove it is that his jump shot is NEVER on all game. TAKE THE BALL TO THE BASKET AND DUNK - that is all the kid needs to do on offense, somebody please grab him by the head band and let him know this.

How about this for another little "great play" by Smoove. At some point in the third or fourth quarter, Josh goes for the steal on Beasley, misses the steal and lets Beasley drive to the basket where then out of nowhere Josh comes back into the play and swats the ball into the row behind the Hawks Bench. Wow Welcome to the Highlight Factory block right? Wrong. The block, instead of being hit back to someone on our team, which the best shot-blockers in the league do, went out of bounds on us and after passing the ball in the Heat, and more importantly Beasley due to Smith's horrendous defense, nailed a three. So instead of a two point basket, they scored a three. WAY TO GO JOSH. This is where people need to realize Josh is just not getting it done on defense. Give up on your attempts to get him to be first team all NBA defense, that is a load of crap. His blocked shots are never on his own guy, because he is always getting beat. Do not believe me? Look to see how many points Beasley has next game. Watch him go right at Josh and almost score at will. In the fourth quarter when the Hawks had the game to five points, Haslem stepped up and nailed a jumper from the free throw line to go up by seven. Who was supposed to be guarding Haslem, I'll give you one guess. Wanna know what Smoove was doing instead, hanging around under the basket doing NOTHING. Great defense Josh thanks.

But the blame for the loss cannot solely be on Josh for that game, hell Flip missed a ton of shots yet for some reason kept shooting, Joe obviously had nothing but felt the need not to differ to Bibby who was stroking it. And Marvin, oh Marvin where did you go? Al, come on man, I was telling people you were going to have a huge series, do not make me look like an idiot. I do that enough for myself as it is, I do not need help from others making me look stupid. And give it up to the Heat who made an astounding 15 three point baskets. Damn, if a team is going to make that many 3's well it is going to be a long night for the other guys. And to the Heat coach who told his team to shoot more threes, genius. By shooting three's, even if you miss them, you are going to at least have somebody far back enough that it will be difficult for the Hawks to take the rebound and run with it. By preventing the Hawks from running the Heat took them out of their game. But to be fair, the Hawks always seem to take themselves out of the much better for them offense of a run and gun by simply playing half-court basketball for some reason. And when we get into the half court it turns into the stand around and watch Joe show, which rarely works.

But do not fear Hawks fans, it is just one game. The Hawks got punched in the mouth and did not get back up. The Heat came out and were more physical and were nailing three's. I still think the Hawks were the better team last night, just could not get the biscuit in the basket as some of my friend would say. They kept the Heat from driving to the basket and making layups. In fact, we made them shoot jump shots which is how the Hawks are going to win this series. The Hawks did what they were supposed to do in order to win the game, just sometimes it does not happen. However, if they come out flat again and do not stop the Heat from hitting all those 3's wll then, the NBA might get their wish of a Wade v. Lebron Second Round matchup.

For a more sobering look at last night's game, and probably one with less anger and disgust at the way we played, go over to Hoopinon. This guy has a much better outlook on the game than I did.

That's Our Race, That's Our Playoffs

2009-04-16T13:50:00.002-04:00

Anaheim Angels outfielder Tim Salmon said the title quote to this post, and for at least the first round of this year's NBA playoffs, I see no reason why it can't apply to the Atlanta Hawks.

This year, for the first time in a LONG time (1999 Season they were the 4th seed), the Hawks will have home court advantage in the playoffs, albeit for only the first round (unless there's an upset in the Cleveland/Detroit series). And for that, Hawks fans have reason to be excited. We will get at least 2 games to watch in Atlanta, and probably more. Furthermore, we will have the opportunity to make Philips Arena again one of the loudest and most intimidating places on the planet.

So how do I see the Heat/Hawks series going? I think it really is a toss up. I see the Hawks winning the first 2 games at home, that's for sure. However, one thing I know is that Joe Johnson will not win this series. There is no doubt that he will bring his A game, but Joe hasn't had any spectacular games against Miami thus far in the season.

Joe Johnson's stat lines:

12/12/08 - Hawks 87, Heat 73 in Miami
21 Points, 7 Rebounds, 4 Assists, 4 Turnovers

1/26/09 - Hawks 79, Heat 95 in Miami
19 Points, 4 Rebounds, 4 Assists, 5 Turnovers

2/27/09 - Hawks 91, Heat 83 in Atlanta
24 Points, 3 Rebounds, 5 Assists, 3 Turnovers

In fact, JJ only rose above his averages in points (21.4) in the win in Atlanta, and in rebounds (4.4) in the win in Miami. Whether it's the length of the defenders in Miami, the strength of Dwyane Wade on the defensive end, or just coincidental luck, JJ hasn't had any explosive games against the Heat.

Josh Smith is the only player on the Hawks whose had consistent games against the Heat - 14/15 points and 7/8 rebounds per game. If Josh Smith is our most consistent player in this series, we're in a little bit of trouble.

So how do I see it playing out? I think the Hawks win the first game, 103-91 on the strength of home court advantage and a huge double-double from Al Horford. Joe will score 30-something and the Hawks will take care of business.

In the second game, Josh comes out of the gate like a chicken with his head cutoff - he's dunking, blocking, and unstoppable. The Hawks will win, but the game will be closer than the first - I'm thinking 97-92.

Expect a post after the first two games with an update.

Ehlo's prediction? Hawks in 7, still unable to win on the road.

Playoffs?

2009-04-05T22:44:00.004-04:00

So the playoffs are set to start in 2-ish weeks, and your Atlanta Hawks will be participants once again, albeit (and thankfully) at a higher seed than they were last year. Hopefully, the Hawks will finish with the 4th seed, earning them homecourt advantage for the first round of the playoffs.

But while hope springs eternal, nothing is set in stone. The Hawks, losers of their last 3, are 2 games up on Miami and 2.5 games up on Philly. However, they still hold the 4th spot by that margin.

So who would I rather play? Personally, I think the Hawks would fare better against Miami because I think if they shut down Dwyane Wade, they'll shut down the Heat. Unlike the NBA Championship year in Miami, there's no Shaq to help Wade. Philadelphia, on the other hand, has a few guys that can beat you on any given night.

Do I have any stats to back that up? Sort of. The Hawks are 1-2 against Philadelphia, with the 1 win coming at home (and 1 loss each at home and on the road), and they're 2-1 against Miami, with a win at home and a win on the road. They have another game against the Heat this season, on April 14, and in that game we should get a better idea of how they'd fare.

So I ask you this: Who would you rather the Hawks play in the first round, and why?

Once the playoff matchup is set, Smildress and I will weigh in with our predictions on the first round. Until then, Go Hawks!

Get that Train A-Runnin

2009-03-23T22:27:00.003-04:00

So after tonight's big (and that term is used only in relation to the point differential between the two teams) win over the T-wolves, the Hawks are sitting pretty at 42 - 29 guaranteeing themselves at least a .500 record. As exciting as that sounds (you know cause being average is ok) this is a marked improvement from last year where the Hawks squeaked into the playoffs with a sub-.500 record.

What you may be wondering is why there haven't been many posts recently after the Hawks recent surge into the upper echelon of NBA teams - ok maybe just NBA eastern division teams. Oddly enough, we haven't had many gripes with the Hawks or the way they have been playing recently. Sure there are the constants Josh Smith what are you doing moments, and the never gets old why is Woody using this lineup right now questions. But for the most part all has been quiet on the Hawks front in terms of complaints.

Over the past few weeks there have been some interesting things to take note of like the Hawks only losing one game since Marvin went down from injury leading many of us to wonder are the Hawks better off without him. There also is the rise of a new leader of the team in the ever-blossoming Al Horford. The unbelievable shooting of Flip Murray that keeps the Hawks bench from looking pathetic. Hell, even Mario West is getting playing time (and much to Speedy Ehlo's anger Othello Hunter still sits on the bench).

See most of these things are happening right under our noses and we have no complaints about them, but that does not mean there are no questions surrounding them. For example, now that the Hawks have seen what they can be without Marvin, I think they can take that money and maybe get a lockdown defender in the role of Mo Evans but better. Now that Horford has been shown as the vocal leader of the team does he have what it takes to become the true leader by his actions not just words? Can Flip really score 30 points on any given night against real competition? Will Mario West ever become a reliable NBA fantasy option?

All of these are food for thought and maybe even some late-night munchies for you to consider or even us to give you our insight regarding them. All in all, the Hawks have been playing well and if there ever was a time for the train to get rolling, with the Spurs, Celtics, and Lakers coming up, now is as good of time as any.

LIVE Blog, HAWKS vs. Kings 3/17/2009

2009-03-17T19:08:00.019-04:00

Hello members of Lunch Money Nation! Smildress and I are here ready to bring you the action from our comfortable perch atop the not-so-highlight factory. You know what this is about, so let's get this party started:

Ehlo: JS, pass me a brewski. I wanna watch the Hawks win their 6th straight in style.

Smildress: You bought Michelob Ultra Lime. In no way is that style.

CE: F that noise.

JS: Hawks in glorious HD, I'll drink some Ultra Lime to that.

And the game is underway.

CE: In honor of my favorite NBA name, I'm gonna take some Beano for each shot Udrih makes.

JS: You need it.

With 10:16 left in the first, Mo slams on a fast break

CE: Nice!

JS: Josh Smith has a white guy guarding him. Why isn't he's dominating? Oh yeah, he's spending time arguing with the refs instead of playing.

CE: 10-4 Kings with many easy opportunities. If the Hawks lose tonight I'm not gonna be too happy. The Hawks have turned it over a few times here in the early going...and it's now 12-4.

Timeout Hawks, and they needed it.

JS: Out of the timeout, Bibby throws the ball away. What is going on? As soon as I start watching, the hawks suck. I should go back to Spring Break...and I got a good tan too.

CE: If I see Smoove airball another shot, I'm gonna be furious. Oh, there's a Smith dunk...that's good!

JS: Expect the Hawks to go on a big run over the rest of the quarter. They look like a sleeping giant - Seems like they were taking the Kings a bit too lightly to begin. Smith is still arguing, I can't believe it. If this was the Josh Smith Basketball Association, he'd have 0 fouls on the season. How can someone complain that much?

JS: Smoove must have messed up his mane. I need a brush to fix my do, but I guess he can smear his hands along the top of his head.

CE: Smoove hits a free throw! Yes! Please hit the other. Yes! 2-2! Way to go!

18-11 Kings with 5:30 left in the first

JS: Mo Evans hit a good three after an excellent pop out.

CE: Illegal screen gives us my favorite Ryan Cameron saying "THAT FOUL IS OFFENSIVE!"

CE: Horford slams, a good drive along the baseline

JS: What a monster. We're cutting the lead...what did I say? We'd be up 6 at the end of the quarter. 27-19...my prediction doesn't look that good anymore. The Hawks have missed 2 dunks already and Nocioni just hit a three. This is ugly.

CE: The Kings haven't beat an Eastern Conference team this season (0-26). If we're the first, I'm reposting the fire woody diatribe from a week ago.

Shout out from us to Sekou Smith, who we just saw at the bottom of our screen. That's pronounced SEH-KOO...we looked it up.

JS: You looked it up, Ehlo

CE: I want his job.

JS: Joe's 0-7 from the field, he's killing my fantasy team.

CE: Make that 0-8 with a last second heave. Sucka.

31-26 at the end of the first. Hawks looked sluggish and like they didn't care. For a team fighting for home-court advantage, they certainly aren't playing inspired ball. Woodson, where's their inspiration?

JS: Acie's in! And he turns it over. Ugh.

CE: 5 turnovers by the Hawks. They just don't look good. You know, sometimes they look really good. Other times they look like crap. The inconsistency is what is so frustrating. The score is 35-29, but I feel like they're being clobbered.

JS: Acie passes to Flip who hits a three. I like it! Man, Nique would be an excellent coach for the Hawks. He would command respect in the locker room and his opinions seem to be right on the money.

CE: Horford elicits my second favorite Ryan Cameron saying "A score and one more!" All we're missing so far is "Too many steps"

JS: We have Bibby, Acie, and Flip in at the same time...and they're making a run! Hawks take the lead 40-39, and then the Kings hit a three. 42-40 now.

CE: Zaza with a power move off the dribble. I like it!!!! Finally the Hawks seem to have woken up. "A score and one more!" Al Horford back to the line for an "and 1"! It's St. Patrick's Day...I hope no one is wearing Celtics gear.

JS: Why don't we have any comments yet?

CE: Smildress, looks like your prediction isn't even close. Calvin Booth? Seriously?

JS: He must be one of the ugliest players in the NBA.

CE: 59-52 Hawks...I think we're gonna win this one. It sort of looks like a college game - both teams are sort of sloppy.

JS: That's the definition of a Big 10 game. Wait, Ehlo, didn't you graduate from Illinois?

CE: Shut up. 9 first half dunks so far in the game for the Hawks. This is unreal.

JS: Hawks up by 6! Looks like my prediction was 1 quarter early. No way, Smoove just hit a three pointer at the buzzer! So what if they ruined my prediction? Ugh. Cocksuckers.

Hawks ahead at the half, 68-59. We'll take a break with them. Unlike Charlie Villanueva, we won't be posting during the break.

3rd Quarter
Sorry for the delay as we had to switch hands here and I had to finish off eating the famous Smildress Quesadilla. Do not worry we were watching the game and took notice of the ref stealing the ball from Joe but sorry for the delay as we will get back to in-game blog right here with Bibby nailing the three off of Joe's dribble and pass.

JS: Did Bibby and Joe get compared to Bibby and Christie? How is that a good thing? And why can Joe not seem to handle the ball tonight as he has 4 turnovers.
CE: Wow these franchises are old. I did not realize the Hawks were so old. FLIP!!! Now that Mo is out with like his 8th foul we get to see Flip.
JS: Joe alright hitting a shot and a three point play.
CE: A score and one more!
JS: Well looks like we are wrong with that Joe play.
CE: WOW. Another dunk and alley-oop. The Hawks might set a record for most dunks in a game.
JS: Is anyone else loving this dunkfest?
CE: Another foul on Martin as he is shooting a jump shot? What gives Hawks?
JS: Smith complaining he got fouled.
CE: He is lucky he did not called for a walk. Seriously, how does he complain after every play? We are due for a dunk, it has been a while.
JS: Well we did not get one :(
CE: It would be cooler if Smith had a cool like finger-wag after he blocks a shot. It would make things more exciting.
JS: It would also give him something to do instead of actually play the game. I am actually surprised he does not have one yet
CE: They are not taking Sacramento seriously as they are not playing defense and are just having fun.
JS: As you say that Josh has another block. A carry? I thought the refs do not call those anymore.
CE: Why does Joe keep shooting jumpers when everyone else is having a field day when it comes to dunking.
JS: Kevin Martin gets fouled again and goes to the line for his 16 and 17th free throw attempts, 3 more than the Hawks as a team. Joe another turnover, come on.
CE: Josh complaining yet again, but this time he might have some real issues as he got thrown to the floor.
JS: How are the Hawks only up two? There you go Joe hit that jumper, ignore my requests to go to the basket.
CE: Hawks have 8 turnovers this quarter to the Kings none, but there is another dunk from FLIP!
JS: A 3 point shot over Zaza, Garcia shows off his poor decision making and Flip shows off his poor shooting from past half-court. Moving on to the 4th quarter.

4th Quarter
JS: Were they just playing a Spanish U2 song?
CE: I thought U2 was Spanish.
JS: Selfish Joe. Should have passed to Acie he is feeling it tonight.
CE: Why won't these Kings just go away and did Bob Rathburn really just say draino for Beno.
JS: AL NOOOOO.
CE: NOOOOOO.
JS: Whew he is up let's hope it is nothing serious.
CE: He looks like he might be ok here as 'Nique reminds us that he is a tough guy, a tough guy.
JS: Does Smoove just argue with whoever will listen?
CE: Sad thing is I do not think anyone is listening.
JS: I'd listen.
CE: I just realized that Woodson calls Josh "Smoove."
JS: That could be one reason Smith does not respect him, right?
CE: Has Joe even sat in this second half? If he keeps taking it to the basket like that I will be ok with him staying out there, as it is a score and one more.
JS: A mouse in the house? What does that even mean?
CE: After pondering that saying for some time, I still do not know what it means. Joe is getting absolutely whatever he wants.
JS: Woody get after the refs.
CE: These mics in HD broadcasts are great. We can hear anything.
JS: This seems like a perfect opportunity for me to bring up my idea about a pay-per-view basketball game where there are mics on the court and we can hear everything the players are saying. Who would not pay for that?
CE: Well then opposing teams would watch that and hear the plays and cahnge their game plans.
JS: You really love to ruin my dreams don't you.
CE: Well a ref mic would be cool.
JS: About as cool as that Nocioni block on Horford. I guess this is where Joe is taking his breather. Pull all the starters, this game is over.
CE: FLIP. A score and one more. How many and one's is that? Goodness. Horford should be out of this game as if he went down we would be in bad shape.
JS: After that dunk, take him out. That brings the dunk-o-meter to what, like 18? I think Rathburn's head is going to explode if the Hawks dunk it again.
CE: McCants do not steal the Hawks bubblegum. Zaza with a midrange jumper, and that is why he does not shoot those.
JS: A Mario West sighting! With more than a minute left he will unfortunately not be getting a Mario tonight.

Ok we have to wrap this up a little early tonight as we have to head out to celebrate St. Patty's day with our Irish bretheren. And as much as I want to watch Mo, Flip, Mario, Acie and Zaza play, I'd rather drink some green beer. Good night peeps.

We are Back Again

2009-03-17T16:49:00.002-04:00

So Spring Break is over and after some much needed R&R we are ready to provide you all with some quality Hawks information and entertainment. Unfortunately we were not able to watch any Hawks games during the break so we are kind of out of the loop a little (like how come Marvin has not been playing in any games recently?) Anyways, tonight, since there have been so many requests, Ehlo and I will be doing one of our famous in-game blogs to keep you all interested when the Hawks take on the Kings. Come back later tonight to see our thoughts as we have them in-game! That's right, a running stream of consciousness regarding the Hawks, get pumped and hopefully you will come back later to check it out.

Ehlo and Smildress Hit SPRING BREAK

2009-03-09T09:46:00.004-04:00

Finally, Ehlo and Smildress have hit their annual Spring Break and will be unavailable for posting from now until next Sunday (3/15) or so. Keep looking out for a surprise post or two, but don't expect it...

Because we are leaving you for a week, we thought we owed it to you to leave you with a couple our favorite Hawks pics:

Hawks fall to Knicks 109 - 105

2009-03-04T23:11:00.001-05:00

After getting beat in MSG, I give you a beauty from NBC's Friday Night Lights. Watch this show if not for me then do it for Tyra. How could you say no to this face?

We Have Power!

2009-03-04T19:32:00.001-05:00

Have no fear Hawksnation. Our power and cable have been restored (big props to Georgia Power and a little for Charter). So we will be able to watch the game tonight and give you our thoughts. Get pumped cause we back.

No Power, No Cable, No Fun

2009-03-03T14:53:00.005-05:00

For those of you concerned with Ehlo and my well-being, rest easy, we are not hurt by the recent snow/ice storm that rocked the Athens area. Our house experienced multiple falling trees that have taken out our power and cable lines. Luckily our power was restored last night but our cable (thanks to Charter) is probably not coming back for a while. This means that we are not getting television nor internet. It is as if we are living in the early 90's all over again, except there are no cool Hypercolor t-shirts to get us through the tough times.

Anyways, I bring this up to explain why we might not be able to post in a while and also to explain my frustration with what happened Sunday night. The Hawks were finally given their due by being broadcasted on Sunday night to a national audience thanks to ESPN. Hell, the game was even going to be in HD, a rare luxury that does not occur much in Hawksnation. Anyways, while all of us were so excited to finally be able to watch a Hawks game on national television, mother nature had other ideas.

On Sunday afternoon around 1:30, snow began to fall in the Athens area, and while it was a welcome sight due to the rareness of the occurrence, many people began to get worried when it would not stop. A lot of us were just looking forward to the evening where we all knew class would be cancelled and we would be allowed to drink and watch the Hawks game. But then, the cable went out across the city. Thousands of Hawks fans rushed into the street to protest this lack of coverage. All week, all of us were anxiously awaiting the game on ESPN, only to be left with nothing to watch.

So for all of you out there expecting us to type up an angry response to the supposed foul on LBJ at the end of the game, you won't be finding it here. For those of you wanting to read something about the NBA conspiracy regarding refs and their horribly biased calls, it won't be here. If you are looking for a post about the Hawks going the distance with the 2nd best team in the East and looking like legit playoff contenders, it won't be here. If you are looking for a response regarding Woody being able to deliver us a victory at Washington after the Cavs game, it won't be here. As you can see, many news regarding the Hawks will not be found on our site. Instead, you will have to wait till the cable comes back for us to be able to watch some Hawks games. So there you have it, nothing till we get cable. Thus you wait, you wait.

*All pictures taken by Craig "Speedy" Ehlo himself.

Woody...Please Go Away

2009-02-24T14:29:00.014-05:00

*Sorry in advance for the long post, but I'm extremely pissed off right now. I hope you'll read it anyway and share your opinion in our comments section*

Five years ago, the Hawks hired a defensive-minded assistant from the World Champion Detroit Pistons to lead their team out of the basement of the NBA and into title discussion. In all honesty, I thought the Woodson hire was a good one. The team, at that time, had few gifted athletes that could outscore an opponent, and the idea of playing defensive ball seemed like a good one for a squad that could maybe steal some wins by being tenacious on-the-ball defenders and energetic, hustling, and harassing pains-in-the-ass of our opponents. That year (2004-2005), they did steal some wins...13 of them.

At that time, it was safe to say that very little could have gone worse than it did. The Hawks gave up 102.5 points per game in Woody's first season, and guys like Al Harrington and Antoine Walker were not able to adjust to his system. Defense first was not their motto, and it was clear that they had no intention of adopting that type of play. So the GM at the time, Billy Knight, decided to turn the team around through the draft - and he drafted 2 guys that gave the franchise hope and seemed poised to fit perfectly into Woodson's system - Josh Childress and Josh Smith. Was Childress, a career 6th man, a reach at the number 6 pick in the draft? No doubt. However, he was the kind of gritty, hard-nosed player that would work well in Mike Woodson's system.

The following offseason (Summer 2005), the Hawks signed Joe Johnson and drafted Marvin Williams with the second pick in the draft. Needing a point guard and a solid center, they got neither (although they did sign Zaza Pachulia that year). Assuming Woodson had input in Knight's offseason plans, it is unquestionable that Woodson made a strategic error - he began to get personnel that didn't fit his system. Joe Johnson is indeed a defensive stopper - he is one of the better defenders in the game. However, the team had no answer to defending a point guard nor an answer to defend an NBA center. For a strong defense in the NBA to succeed on an everyday basis, beyond the intensity and fire that naturally shows up for playoff games and rivalry games, they must have the personnel to stop a point guard and stop a center. The Hawks had neither, and won 26 games that season.

In the 2006-2007 season, the Hawks drafted Shelden Williams and added him to practically the same lineup as the previous season (albeit without Al Harrington). I'm guessing Knight and Woodson thought Williams could defend the bigger men in the league, but at 6' 9" they were foolish in that determination. Naturally, fans of the Hawks called for the firing of Knight - how could a GM possibly make such inept draft selections year-after-year and expect his team to grow and succeed? The goal in the NBA is to win championships, and it was clear that after 3 years the Hawks were no where near that point. To their credit, the Hawks did limit the opponents' points per game from 102 in the previous season to 98.4 - and they increased their win total by 4 to 30.

Their defense swayed last season, however. The team, after making their best draft in years, gave up 100 points per game. They drafted an interior defender in Al Horford who was too small to defend the elite bigs in the game (I love Al, but he just isn't big enough), and traded for a point guard (Mike Bibby) who was too slow to guard even an average NBA point guard. Still, they won 37 games, made the playoffs, and took Boston to 7 games. These were all signs that maybe the Hawks were turning a corner. For the first time all season, they showed intensity, fire, and a drive to prove their doubters wrong...and to some extent, they succeeded.

After many years of rebuilding, 6 under Knight, 4 under Woodson, the Hawks made the playoffs. However, that wasn't enough to quiet the growing outcry for Knight's demise as he stepped down following last season. After Knight's resignation, the Spirit hired Rick Sund to put together a roster that would lead the team to more victories, and eventually, compete for the NBA Championship. Sund evaluated the players and the coaches, and decided to keep Woodson for 2 more years.

So where are we? The Hawks are 33-24, winners of 5 of their last 10, and are currently 1-3 on their west-coast road trip. They are playing with even less passion and desire than they have over the past 5 years, which is truly saying something. They start games slowly, show no emotion, and seem to have no idea what they're doing on the offensive side of the ball. Whenever a player gets 2 fouls in the first half, he sits. Whenever the game is on the line, Joe gets the ball and everyone else watches. Whenever we play a good team, we get destroyed. Whenever we're on the road, we look listless. And still, the only times the team looks amped are when they play Boston, Cleveland, or Los Angeles (the latter two only at home).

While you may place blame on Knight or Sund for personel decisions, it is clear that Woodson, in addition to making bonehead in-game decisions like benching players after 2 fouls or deciding which version of "give Joe the ball" to run, is in charge of making the players feel excited to play basketball - a job he has clearly failed over the course of the past 5 years. That job is outside of the X's and O's. It is the responsibility of the head coach to make his players treat each game - all 82 of them - as critical games in the scheme of the season, and Mike Woodson has completely lost any ability to do that.

Furthermore, it is fair to say that Woodson has had a hand in the makeup of the team's roster. Just like a college coach recruits players for his system, Woodson should be directing the GM to make moves for players that fit his system. If Woodson has influenced some of the decisions to support his system, his system is idiotic. As a defensive oriented coach, he has gone 5 years without a defensive-stopper at point guard and a defensive-stopper at center. Allowing teams to penetrate at will and screen and roll to perfection is not the way to play defensive basketball. Sure, we have Josh Smith, who can (when he feels like it) block some shots and disrupt the middle...but he must leave the player he's guarding in order to do so. Regardless of who you blame for the clear disassociation between the strength of each player's game and the ideal set forth by Woodson, it is clear that some part of the equation isn't working.

In the NFL, a team would never hire a 4-3 coach if the players are better for a 3-4. Furthermore, the team would never hire a west-coast offense coach for a roster better suited for a pound-it-up-the-middle game. However, in almost all sports most coaches are given some time to get players that fit their system. For example, Bruce Webber, the basketball coach at the University of Illinois, went to the National Championship game in his second season with Bill Self's recruits. He then had a significant fall from grace while he recruited players that fit into his system. After 3 years, the Illini are back in the top 25 and seem poised to stay there for the next few seasons. Webber used his rebuilding years to get players that fit into his system. In his 5 years, Woodson has failed to complete this task.

In five years, and 2 GMs, the Hawks have yet to put together a roster that resembles a unit that can shut down its opponents on a nightly basis. Sure, they can begin the season with desire and emotion and win 5 or 6 in a row. And sure, they can play Boston to a last second shot. But what they have yet to do is sustain that intensity throughout any significant stretch of games. Let's get one thing straight - this is not a roster that can win defensively based on talent alone. They need the fire and intensity that they displayed at the beginning of the season in order to succeed playing that style of ball, and over the past 2 months or so they simply haven't showed it...any of it. So who is to blame for lack of intensity? Of course some blame goes to the players, but a lot must go to the coach - who seems to have lost any ability to inspire his squad.

Inspiration wouldn't be necessary if the Hawks had a roster that was naturally able to play the defensive-style that Woodson desires from his team, but they don't. Marvin is actually OK defensively, Bibby is slow, Joe is worn out, Josh is lost, and Horford is undersized. Rick Sund told us a few weeks ago at blogger night that Horford is an NBA center and that center is his natural position. To this, I agree - if he's in the right system. In fact, each of these players is at the right position, and if in the right system they could succeed.

Further proof of the necessity of inspiration can be found by looking at the Hawks' road record over Woody's tenure. While last year's playoff series taught the Hawks that they can play with anyone in the league at Philips Arena, their road record continues to be embarrassing. In Woody's first year, the team was 4-37 on the road. The next? 8-33. Then 2 straight years of 12-29 and now 13-18. The Hawks road record is the most telling sign that Woodson can't inspire the team. Needless to say, it's one thing to come out and win at your home arena, but when the fans are rooting for the other team the game becomes a whole different animal.

What we have here is a situation where the coach is too stubborn to try something new, and has an ego too large to admit that his method might not be the best one for this set of players.

The Washington Redskins had a similar problem over the past couple of years. After hiring Joe Gibbs back to coach their football team, they realized that Gibbs' method just wasn't going to mesh with their roster, and his strategies just didn't work anymore. Gibbs retired in 2008 and the Redskins found a new coach in Jim Zorn. Gibbs was known for his system, and his system didn't work for that squad.

The same can be said for Woodson. If Mike Woodson wants to be a defensive coach that is known for having his players always playing swarming, intense, fiery defense, he needs to motivate his players to play that way. If he wants to have gifted defenders that need no motivation, he needs to advise the general manager to put together teams that have these gifted defenders. In the event that he is unable to accomplish either of these resolutions, he needs to change his system. Granted, we've had 5 years of Mike Woodson at the helm, and the team has been able to incrementally increase its win total every season. What should not happen is a continuation, year after year, of the lackadaisical Hawks play that shows a clear deficiency in the Coach's ability to inspire his players to play his style.

It is time for Mike Woodson to give in or take a hike. If he wanted the swingmen on his team, he needs to let them loose. Marvin, Josh, Al, and Joe all have excellent fast break ability. They are young, motivated, and can run with just about anyone. If Woody continues to demand excellence on the defensive end, he is stunting their growth - both offensively and as all-around basketball players. Furthermore, if he continues to require that the players play to his style, they will continue to lose interest and desire to play for him...and the team will continue to barely beat the average teams in the NBA while getting smashed by the better teams in the league. So Woody is now stuck with three options - One, he can retool the roster (again) to try and create one that fits his style. Two, he can change his style to fit the players that are on the team. Finally, he can stick to his guns, and to his players, and have them continue on their current path.

I'm actually glad he's (apparently) already selected option three - one that will almost certainly cause him to lose his job. As a result, the question now is not if Mike Woodson will be fired, the question is when. The answer? Not soon enough. Woody, for his five years of disappointment, should add one more loss to his 138-236 coaching record - being fired would make him 138-237.

Get Your Game Face On

2009-02-23T17:56:00.004-05:00

So the other night, a friend and I were discussing the way the Lakers were putting a hurting on a team. The way Kobe just took over the game and got real serious and emotional and we could tell that he had no intentions of losing the game. You have seen this game face and change of emotion upon many different players in the league (LeBron, CP3, Paul Pierce, KG) and to be fair, Joe does show glimpses of this face and the ability to take over a game. But how come when these other superstars begin their push to dominate a game they look like they are eager to win and will stop at nothing to do so, while our superstar looks as if he wants to be anywhere but on a NBA court.

Amongst all the NBA pundits, it seems that right now Joe is struggling to get through the rest of the NBA season let alone the month of January and now Febuary. My opnion is not that he is tired but rather that Joe just does not look like he wants to be playing basketball anymore. Watch him as he goes through the motions of another Hawks game. He is chucking shots, not driving to the basket as often, playing lazy and tired, and...that face. I know many people say that what they like about Joe is the fact he comes out there and gets his job done, but come on Joe, show a little emotion here.

The name Josh Smildress came from an idea I had about combining Childress' NBA IQ and Smith's basetball athleteism. As you sit there and ponder about the truly amazing love child those two would have, think about combining Horford's intensity with Joe's overall game. The results would be astonishing. The Hawks would have a star player who, when he wants to win, will lead the team to victory. Horford seems to play with all the intensity in the world, and if he could just lend some of that energy over to Joe - just imagine.

One reason which I think causes Joe to act as if he does not care stems from the amount (or lack thereof) of coaching that is taking place during the games. Joe has to have gotten tired of the terrible scheme (or lackthereof) that Woody seems to implement during the games. Is Joe sabotaging the team in hopes of getting Woody fired? Doubtful, but still he might now be at the point where he is tired of listening to the coach and his inepititude in running the team. Either that or Joe might just not care anymore (please don't be true).

Anyways, I hope none of you take any of this the wrong way. This entry is not an article blasting Joe. I, like many others, just want to see him have the sort of enthusiasm he displayed in the playoffs when we beat Boston in Philips Arena. If he displays that sort of intensity, the Hawks would be a dangerous team to play - even more so then they are now. But with this lack of intensity comes games where the Hawks come out flat and lose to inferior opponents. Joe is the leader of this team, and in being so, needs to lead the team with his on court mannerisms as well.

ESPN Recognizing Talent

2009-02-18T17:27:00.002-05:00

I know the mood is glum around Hawksnation due to the recent struggles and Joe's poor play, but here is some good news for you. Looks like the basketball nation is getting excited about watching the Hawks play more and thus the March 1st contest against the Cavs will be broadcast on ESPN at 8pm. Don't believe me? Check out this link.

ESPN to broadcast Hawks v. Cavs

2/18/2009 Preview: HAWKS vs. Sacramento Kings

2009-02-18T13:49:00.006-05:00

After severe bouts of overnight depression (my icon was demoted to the D-League, and my favorite team got absolutely destroyed at the hands of arguably the best team in the league), as well as severe stomach pain from trying to eat this, I have decided to forgo tonight's preamble. Therefore, we will delve right into the predictions:

PREDICTIONS:

Top Scorer:

Josh Smith - 26

Kevin Martin - 22

Top Rebounder:

Zaza Pachulia - 10

Spencer Hawes - 9

Top Assists:

Mike Bibby - 8

Kings - Unclear

Ehlo's Game Prediction:

Josh Smith comes out in complete attack mode after a terrible game last night. He, Marvin, and Al are all busting ass on the glass. However, since the Hawks are on the road, this game will be much closer than it should be. Nonetheless, the Hawks pull it out and win 102-87.

Ehlo's Excellence (Prediction Record):

5-1

Famous Kings:

The English Kings

King Solomon:

King Kong:

The King:

And of course, The King:

Hawks Lose to Lakers, 96-83

2009-02-18T02:07:00.000-05:00

The final score was closer than the game. No amount of women makes me feel better after this loss, so I guess you'll have to find one yourself.

Try this first.

2/17/2009 Preview: HAWKS vs. Los Angeles Lakers

2009-02-17T11:35:00.005-05:00

After taking a few days off for the all-star break (and much needed rest for all of the guys), the Hawks head to the land of Pink's Hot Dog Stand and The Griddle Cafe for a basketball affair with the Andrew Bynum-less LA Lakers. The Lakers, who were on a seven game winning streak before losing their last game to the Utah Jazz in Utah, are 8-2 in their last 10 games and 6.5 games ahead of the 2 teams tied for second place in the West - San Antonio and Denver. The Lakers are 5-1 without Bynum in the lineup, so his loss hasn't exactly derailed their drive to the NBA Championship. In those 6 games, they won at Cleveland and at Boston, with the only loss coming at Utah by 4 points. LA has now become a three-headed monster, with Kobe Bryant leading the charge and Pau Gasol and Lamar Odom fitting in nicely.

It's a good thing the Hawks won't have to play against Bynum, although they haven't faced him in a game since February 5, 2007 - when he scored 14 points and grabbed 10 rebounds against an inferior Hawks team (although Bynum wasn't what he is now, either). Needless to say, the Hawks haven't had their best games when trying to defend the elite (and tall) centers in the NBA.

Even though the Lakers are widely considered one of the top 2 or 3 teams in the league, the Hawks may give them a run for their money. Winners of 4 of their last 5 (the only blemish being the forgettable game against the Clippers), the Hawks come in after a much needed all star break rest. Hopefully Joe, Mike, Al, and Josh were all able to rest up for the back stretch of the season, which begins with a 5-game western conference road trip that makes stops in Sacramento, Portland, Utah, and Denver - all after tonight's game in LA. The Hawks should beat Sacramento and Portland, so if they can do that and steal a victory from one of the other three teams then you can consider the road trip a huge success. Of course, any more wins would be icing on the cake (but losses to either Sacramento or Portland will be deserving of our scorn).

FUN FACT:

The Lakers team name comes from 1948, when the team began in Minneapolis and named the Minneapolis Lakers. Minnesota is known as "the land of 10,000 lakes" - hence the name Lakers. The Lakers were bought and moved to Los Angeles in 1960, and the new owners decided to keep the name.

PREDICTIONS:

Top Scorers:
Mike Bibby - 29
Kobe Bryant - 33

Rebounds:
Marvin Williams - 11
Pau Gasol - 12

Assists:
Joe Johnson - 7
Jordan Farmar/Pau Gasol - 5

Ehlo's Game Prediction:
The Hawks try to steal a game on the road in LA, and actually manage to keep the game close with an unbelievable amount of hustle and heart. However, the matchups with Lamar Odom (6-10) and Pau Gasol (7-0) prove to be too much for the fairly undersized Hawks to handle. In the end, LA outlasts Atlanta and wins 112-104.

Ehlo's Excellence (Prediction record):
5-1

Random Lake Statistics:

Largest single lake:
Lake Superior with a surface area of over 51,209 square miles

Deepest lake:
Lake Baikal in Siberia (Russia) with a depth of 1.017 miles

View Larger Map

Only saltwater lake inhabited by crocodiles:
Lake Enriquillo (Dominican Republic)

Lowest lake:
Dead Sea, where you really can read a newspaper without sinking!
(1,371 feet below sea level) (Considered a lake even while named "sea")

Only other world with a lake:
Titan, Saturn's largest moon

My Favorite Menu Item in LA:

The Millenium Dog @ Pink's
(Jalapeno hot dog, chili, guacamole, grilled onions, and tomatoes)

Hawks Mid-Season Super-Superlatives

2009-02-13T13:32:00.007-05:00

Dear Loyal Readers,

Smildress and I were thinking of ways to repay you for the 7 comments you've left us, the 1500 page views we've had since December, and the generally happy mood we're in from our Uncle Otto's lunch. We thought about firing shirts out of a cannon, dropping cows from our roof, or posing for kiss cam, but ultimately we decided to give you our take of a midseason report. Without further ado and hopefully no more doo-doos, we present to you Ehlo & Smildress' "now yearly Atlanta Hawks midseason super-superlatives."

Best Career Reinvention since John Travolta in Pulp Fiction - Mike Bibby
For a point guard thought to be past his prime, Bibby has had a surprisingly strong first-half. He's shooting at his highest level in five years and at a career-high three-point percentage. Furthermore, he's averaging more steals per game than he has in the past 4 years, and the lowest turnover rate in nearly 7 years. Either he knows it's his contract year, or he's in a system that truly fits his style of play. To me, it's both...Smildress says "contract year". Additionally, Bibby has only missed one game this season, which (in the 121-97 loss to the Clippers at home) highlighted his importance to the team. I shamefully suggested that the Hawks trade Bibby a few weeks ago, but he's caused me to eat my words - he's simply too valuable to the team to be traded at this point in the season. Although his defense, as well as the missed layup against Orlando, drops his grade a bit, Smildress and I agree that Bibby has been the integral cog whose offense makes up for nearly any mistakes that he's made thusfar.
Issue: Will Bibby's high-level of play continue for the rest of the season? If so, how do the Hawks tackle his impending free agency?
Grade: A-

Most Likely to Injure Himself Stepping Onto the Team Bus - Speedy Claxton
Seriously, what the hell is with this guy being injured all the time? Trade him for 3 five-dollar foot longs or something - take whatever you can get.
Issue: When will he get shown the door?
Grade: F

Best Reason to Have Forgotten About Josh Childress - Maurice Evans
In what most people will admit was a tough loss this offseason, Childress decision to bolt to Europe instead of play with our beloved Hawks, most league pundits wrote off the Hawks bench as being that of the quality of poo-poo. Cue Maurice Evans who was a quiet signing by new Hawks GM Rick Sund. A starter on last year's Orlando Magic playoff team, Mo has come in and accepted his role as the team's 6 1/2 man. One of only two players to have not missed a game, Mo has come in and given the Hawks exactly what they needed off the bench with Childress leaving. Mo defends, rebounds, scores and provides a solid backup to Marvin, Joe, and Smoove. The ever versatile player that he is, Mo has even seen spot duty in the starting lineup for all the players listed before. Providing a solid three point threat off the bench, Mo plays a smart game averaging nearly one turnover every two games.
Issue: Can he become the James Posey of the Atlanta Hawks?
Grade: A

Best Eyelashes - Al Horford
Ehlo: Really?
Smildress: Yeah, he really does have beautiful eyelashes. There's even a Facebook group called "I wish I had Al Horford's eyelashes".
Ehlo: Keep your bizarre obsession to yourself.

Although his numbers are down from last year, Horford is still the backbone of the team. Even if offensively he's not the centerpiece, he does seem to be the vocal leader that will accept nothing short of tough, hard nosed hustle from himself and his teammates. Even though Horford does show flashes of pretty good offensive play, the Hawks do not need him to be a dominant low post scorer. However, if he does develop that skill over the off-season, the NBA better watch out. He's only in his second year in the NBA and has a lot of room to grow. Thusfar in the season, Big Al has been everything the Hawks could want - he plays smart and within his own capabilities. Rarely does he try to do too much, and for that he deserves praise.
Issue: Will Horford ever make Smildress' day by batting his eyes in Smildress' direction?
Grade: B+ (Due to lack of offensive progression)

Elmer Glue's Best Hands - Othello Hunter
While totalling 6 points, 3 fouls, 3 blocks, 7 rebounds and zero free throws made (4 attempts) in 10 games, Othello Hunter should be most known for his great hands - My boy has zero turnovers. While still the 12th man on the team, he's shown enough potential to cause an Ehlo standing ovation when in a game, but not enough to cause Smildress to take notice. At blogger night, GM Rick Sund specifically mentioned Hunter as a player with lots of potential - let's hope we see some...next year.
Issue: The Hawks have had a multitude of injuries on the season, but none have caused an increased in the O man's PT. What will it take to get OH on the court?
Grade: N/A, too many coach decision absences.

Most Likely to Pass Out in the Middle of a Game - Joe Johnson
What can be said about Joe that has not been mentioned already? The Hawks' lone All-Star has taken the team and once again put them on his back in hopes of gaining the appreciation from the league that he already has amongst Hawks fans. Joe has played an average of almost 40 mins a game, which surprisingly is less than last year's 41 mins. The overall wear of minutes has seemingly taken its toll on Joe as the month of January saw him post averages much less than his normal play. He also sat two games recently for a sickness that could only be caused by his lack of rest due to Woody playing him at such high minutes. Joe has done everything that has been asked of him and more and he continues to play at a superstar level. Soon enough the league must take notice of this rising star and give him the recognition he deserves. People say stars are made during the regular season and superstars are formed during the playoffs. By leading the Hawks to the Eastern Conference's fourth best record, Joe has set up the potential to receive's the nation's recognition as one of the league's best players. If he continues his play into the postseason, we could be complaining less about his non-superstar status and more about next season's inevitable ticket price increase.
Issue: Will Joe get the rest he needs to be dynamic through the duration of the Hawks' hopeful road to the championship?
Grade: A

Most Similar to Free-Based Rock Climbing - Solomon Jones
Much like free based rock climbing, which sounds totally awesome until you're on the mountain with no ropes thinking "what the hell am I doing up here?", Solo appears to be a great NBA player who seems to have no idea what he's doing when in a game. Don't get me wrong, he does show flashes of brilliance - and at times seems like he could eventually be a solid player who earns plenty of playing time. However, at this point in his career, he seems to be somewhat of a lost player on the court. Whether that's due to a lack of playing time, Woody's consistently inconsistent lineup rotations, or just a simple lack of developed skills remains to be seen. The point remains that Solo still seems awesome, and one day he hopefully will be.
Issue: Will Solo ever go free-based rock climbing?
Grade: B-. Not really enough playing time to grade better or worse.

Most Resembling a Joker in a Deck of Cards - Acie Law, IV
Everyone likes to look at the picture of the joker, but when it comes time to play the game, he is removed from the deck. Much like the Joker, when Acie Law gets into the game he acts as somewhat of a wild card. There are times when we think he's the point-guard of the future. Meanwhile, there are other times where he simply looks lost on the court. A fan favorite, Acie should be commended for knowing his role on the team and not disrupting team chemistry by asking for more playing time - even if he's earned it.
Issue: Have his stat lines earned him more playing time in the Hawks rotation?
Grade: Incomplete (Limited body of work has shown glimpses of great play but is marred by limited playing time)

Most Likely to get an Ass Splinter from the Bench - Randolph Morris
Randy, you came to the Hawks for playing time. You come into the game behind Horford and Zaza, and leave shortly thereafter in foul trouble. In fact, you have more fouls on the season (20) than rebounds, steals, blocks, assists, and turnovers combined. If that's Woody's strategy, keep up the good work.
Issue: Will RaMo end the season with more fouls than all other stats combined?
Grade: N/A, too many coach decision absences.

Best Resembling Miller Lite - Flip Murray
Much like Miller Lite, which tastes great and is less filling, you score at will without filling up other stats. Do not take this the wrong way, what Flip provides to this team from the bench can not be overstated. For a team that lacked a consistent scorer of the bench, Flip has provided the natural scorer the team thought they had with Salim Stoudamire. Averaging two more points than his career average, Flip has been a somewhat consistent contributer to the Hawks sucess during the first half of this season. Sometimes he runs around like a chicken without a head, but for Flip, this is rarely a disadvantage. Flip is the only other player to play in every single game this season (Mo Evans).
Issue: Will Flip be able to continue his recent great play or revert back to his early-season turnover prone style of play?
Grade: B

Most Likely to Have Voted for John McCain - Zaza Pachulia
Zaza Pachulia, the token caucasian on the team, seems to have a style of play much different than that of the other 11 guys on the team. An oafing bruiser, Zaza collects rebounds as if they were double cheeseburgers. One to throw around his body and never back down from a fight, (check last year's playoffs for evidence of this) Zaza has shown the ability to be a solid back-up center in the NBA. He has even shown the ability to be a quality spot starter if called upon as was needed with the recent injury to Al Hoford. Zaza is the type of player every coach has to love (even if Woodson does not) as he goes out every night and leaves it all out on the court. In one of Billy Knight's best moves, Zaza is even signed to a reasonable contract and provides the Hawks with the down-low rebounder the team needs off the bench.
Issue: Will Zaza give KG what is coming to him when the two team's meet again on March 27?
Grade: B+

Best Habitat For Humanity Bricklayer - Josh Smith
Don't get confused with the volunteer organization listed in this superlative. While Yankee Stadium was known as the house that Ruth built, Philips Arena is brick-by-brick becoming the house that Smoove built...literally. Does Josh have unbelievable talents? Yes. Is the sky his limit? Yes. Is he one of the most atheletic players in the league? No doubt. But any player that continues to shoot nearly 2 three-pointers a game when his career average is 25% should be benched for stupidity. Josh, you have other-worldly talents and when you drive to the basket, no one can guard you (except Smildress). But, as a 5th year player in the Association, it truly is time to know what your strengths are - and to perfect them. You are not a jump shooter, and this season you won't be. Maybe your offseason goal should be to work on your J, but for the next 30 or so games, you really should play to your strengths. Be extremely active on the defensive side of the ball, and attack the basket on offense. The Highlight Factory has a good enough foundation, stop adding bricks to it.
Issue: Will Josh Smith have a lower free throw percentage than Shaq? (Josh - 58.3% and dropping, Shaq - 61.9%)
Grade: C-

Most Likely to Pull a Mario - Mario West
Although your averaging less than 3 mins a game, we salute you Mario West, for your hard work and hustle that helps you overcome your lack of natural ability and keeps our starters from recording unnecessary fouls at the end of each quarter.
Issue: Will you lead not only the team, but the whole league in Mario's this year?
Grade: B+ (he does what he's supposed to do, can't argue with that)

Most Comparable to Ryan's Steakhouse - Marvin Williams
Much like my favorite dinner buffet, Marvin brings a little bit of everything to the table while providing nothing spectacular. Marvin is averaging one more rebound and one less point than last year, but he's still averaging 14 points and almost 7 rebounds per game with a couple of assists, very few turnovers, and pretty good percentages. His hustle reminds me of Ryan's fried chicken - not what the steakhouse is known for, but possibly its best menu item. It is clear that amongst all the players on the team, Marvin has changed his game the most this season - He's made 44 threes thusfar, but only attempted 10 last season. I still think Marvin has the biggest upside of any player on the team - he's probably 2 years away from putting all of his talents to their best use. Smildress agrees, saying "Marvin has become a decent third option on the team. Even though he's no Chris Paul or Deron Williams, he's one or two offseasons away from truly being a good (if not great) player."
Issue: Can he increase his scoring by 2-3 points per game, truly making him a solid offensive option on a team that is offensively inconsistent?
Grade: B

Most Damning - Mike Woodson
To be fair to Woody, it is very hard to argue with the team's current record as they have reached 31 wins before the All-Star break and only compiling 37 with last year's playoff team. Woody has also had to manage a lineup that has dealt with their fair share of injuries and still has managed to keep the team fighting for home court advantage in the playoffs. While we, and many other fans, love bashing Woody and his owl-like face, objectively it truly is hard to fault him much thus far into the season. Still the team's lack of consistent play, failure to show up in the 1st quarter, failure to close games in the 4th quarter, and keeping teams in games when they should clearly be blown out, all reflect on Woodson's coaching skills. Watching player's shake their heads when coming out of team huddles, make both of us wonder whether Woody is still the best available coach for the job. Would this team have more wins under a different coach-hard to say. But still, as loyal Hawks fans, we can not complain too much with the job Woody has done.
Issue: Does Woody have the ability to inspire the team to play to their full potential and finish the season as strong as they started it?
Grade: B

Overall:

So far this season, the Hawks could be compared to peanut M&Ms. They're not the smoothest, but they taste just as good. For now, the Hawks aren't quite at the elite level of the best teams in the NBA, but they're fun to watch and always have the potential to surprise all their critics. Furthermore, at 31-21 going into the All-Star break, they have a solid hold on fourth place in the East. Who are we to argue with that? Here's to a great second-half of the season, filled with many wins and consistent play. From the not-such-a-highlight-factory, Ehlo & Smildress say Good Night, and God Bless the Hawks.

Hawks outlast Pistons, 99-95

2009-02-12T13:49:00.001-05:00

Big win at the Palace to go into the All-Star Weekend with 31 wins and a 3.5 game hold on the fourth spot in the East!

New Nike Commercial

2009-02-11T17:05:00.002-05:00

Look at our boy Joe getting some face time in the new Nike commercial. Let's hope this adds to his superstar status.

2/11/2009 Preview: HAWKS vs. Detroit Pistons

2009-02-10T22:42:00.010-05:00

The Hawks, after destroying the lowly Washington Wizards, travel to the Motor City to take on the 27-22 Detroit Pistons. The Pistons, at #5 in the Eastern Conference, are two games behind the Hawks in the standings...needless to say, this is a game the Hawks need to win to get some breathing room heading into the All-Star Break.

The Pistons are 5-5 in their last 10 games, and like the rest of the Eastern Conference, have been bumbling around for the past month or so. The Hawks, meanwhile, are also 5-5 in their last 10, and are in fourth place in the Eastern Conference - a whopping 9 games behind Orlando, the third place team. In a conference that's been playing fairly poor basketball over the past few weeks, both the Pistons and Hawks have had opportunities to separate themselves and stay with the three elite teams in the East. However, neither team has capitalized.

Last time these teams met up, the Hawks used stifling defense to hold the Pistons to 78 points in an 85-78 victory in Atlanta. Even though Allen Iverson may be out (Flu), the Hawks are still going to need to bring some defensive intensity if they want to end the first half of the season on a good note by winning at The Palace.

PLEA:
Dear Marvin,
Please bring your A game tonight. The team is going to need you to stretch the floor on offense and stay active on defense to pull this game out at the end. Just think, in a few hours you'll be able to rest for 4 days!
-Ehlo

PREDICTIONS:

Top Scorers:
Joe Johnson - 33
Rasheed Wallace - 20

Rebounds:
Josh Smith - 12
Rasheed Wallace - 8

Assists:
Mike Bibby - 8
Rodney Stuckey - 5

Ehlo's Game Prediction:
Both teams, after playing the night before, will come out surprisingly hot to start the game. However, as the game goes on, expect the Hawks starting 5 to outmatch the Pistons en route to victory. The Hawks will be looking to end the first half on a positive note, and will do so by winning in Detroit, 96-89

Ehlo's Excellence:
4-1

Smildress' Just For Fun Spread Prediction:
(4-1 SU, 3-1-1 ATS)
Prediction Coming Soon

Famous Detroi-ans:

There are many, so we'll start with a list:
Horace & John Dodge (of car company fame), Henry & Edsel Ford (of car company fame), Charles Lindbergh, Mitt Romney, Aaliyah (since age 5), Elizabeth Berkley, Jerry Bruckheimer, Francis Ford Coppola, James Earl Jones (since age 5), Ed McMahon, Obie Trice III, Eminem, Kid Rock, Madonna, Bob Segar, The Supremes, Xzibit, Stevie Wonder, Kirk Gibson, John Smoltz...

And of course:

B. Joseph White, the president of my Alma Mater, the University of Illinois (B. - if you're reading this, bring back Chief Illiniwek.)

Home Improvement

Oscar Mayer

The Steiner Brothers

The Only Pistons Fan in Georgia:

Congrats Joe

2009-02-10T12:10:00.003-05:00

The two of us here at BKTMLM would like to congratulate Joe Johnson on his selection to participate in the first annual All-Star H-O-R-S-E competition. Good luck, Joe!

For more information:

AJC

Horse Information

Furthermore, keep checking back for the anticipated return of the much-missed Ehlo game preview for tomorrow's Hawks-Pistons battle.

Are the Hawks better off without Joe?

2009-02-04T22:43:00.002-05:00

The short answer to this obvious question of whether or not the Hawks are a better team without JJ is no. Take away tonight's victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves and you will understand this team just cannot compete with the top level teams in the league without our superstar. Sure if you watched the game you could have seen the Hawks display some great ball movement, you might have seen some glimpses of great play from Josh Smith and Bibby, heck even Marvin looked like more above average than his usual decent game. But I go back to the question and just cannot get myself to admit the Hawks are better off without Joe.

Look towards the way the Hawks played tonight. They had a 15 point lead going into the fourth quarter and Speedy Ehlo turned to me and said: "watch the Hawks will find some way to blow this lead." My response was laughter and me commenting, "Speedy, surely you jest." He replied by saying he jests not. I just could not see a way for the Hawks to lose this game with the style they were playing. They were passing the ball, they were moving without the ball, they were playing defense, they were scoring, they were making their free throws and usually the Hawks play their worst basketball early in the game saving their best for last. However, once the fourth quarter started the Hawks played as if someone told them it was the first quarter and started to stink up the joint. Ehlo kept saying he told me so and I kept ignoring him.

How could the Hawks play so poorly in the fourth quarter after doing so well early on in the game? The answer goes back to the first question posed. The Hawks simply need Joe Johnson in the fourth quarter. Joe does most of his scoring in the first and fourth quarters going nearly invisible when it comes to the middle two quarters. Personally, I am ok with this as long as he makes his baskets when it counts (and making them has been difficult as of late for him). It seemed the Hawks were lost on offense in the fourth quarter due to their usual standing around and watching Joe make something happen once the clock starts counting down in the fourth. So when the time came for something to happen and when the Hawks needed baskets they had no one to turn to.

This is where Bibby needed to step up and do his damage and to be fair he did step up and do some damage with his 3 point basket late in the quarter that pretty much sealed up the game being the best example. (Side note on this, after this huge momentum grabbing and game ending shot was made, nobody on the Hawks bench jumped up and cheered. What's up with that? The T-wolves bench was up on every play. Our bench looked like they would have rather been anywhere else) Even though the Hawks did close out this game, a situation will come up when they need a big time scorer in the fourth quarter, a guy who will create his own shot for not only himself but others on the team as well. This is why we need Joe. This is why, even though with a victory tonight, we are not a better team without him. Do not listen to the haters, Joe come back, cause although we beat the Timberwolves, we might not be so lucky later.

Hawks hold off T-wolves 94 - 86

2009-02-04T22:42:00.000-05:00

Oh Horford, how we have missed thee

Hawks beat Nets 105 - 88

2009-01-31T12:29:00.000-05:00

Looks Like Joe's got his groove back...

Every Team Needs A Smuckers

2009-01-29T21:39:00.000-05:00

And for this Atlanta Hawks team, Rick Sund may have found the perfect one - Flip Murray. In July, I nearly pissed myself when I read about J-Chill's decision to bolt for Club Olympiakos. I, along with many of my friends, thought that the Hawks were making just another bonehead decision - along the lines of drafting Shelden Williams, signing J.R. Rider, and having some chick dress up as Sky Hawk and jump all over the arena. I understood Childress' reasoning, and frankly, I thought he was making a smart business decision. Never in my wildest dreams did I think the choice he made to head to Athens would work out so well so far this season.

After the Childress departure, Hawks GM Rick Sund signed free agents Flip Murray and Maurice Evans. Both are NBA journeymen who have been in the playoffs and bring a much needed veteran presence to the team. I can think of other journeymen that Sund could have signed - Ira Newble, Othella Harrington, and Kevin Willis (What's the NBA without a Kevin Willis on-court sighting?) - but Sund signed Flip Murray and Maurice Evans.

At the beginning of the season, Bill Simmons said about the Hawks bench, "The Hawks should just have Feces Night and have their cheerleaders shoot dog doo out of T-shirt cannons at their fans. What a disgrace." Bill Simmons had no idea, and neither did either of us, that the Hawks bench would hold their own thusfar in the season. The reason why? Evans, Murray, and Zaza Pachulia.

Flip Murray is the jelly man. He can do a little of everything. When the whole team was healthy, Flip comes off the bench to play excellent defense and score. He's scored over 15 points 10 times and is averaging over 10. In addition, he's hit a bunch of clutch 3's and has had many games with multiple steals. These stats are excellent for a jump shooter, especially one that comes off the bench.

I never knew the difference between preserves, jelly, and jam...but I think Flip Murray is all three. He veteran presence has helped keep the team together through injuries, winning streaks, and losing streaks. To me, this is the true definition of a Smuckers - someone who is like jelly. Ronald "Flip" Murray? A true Smuckers man.

Knicks Beat Hawks 112-104

2009-01-28T22:39:00.002-05:00

If only she could be Buffy the New York Knicks Slayer:

They're not who we thought they were!

2009-01-28T22:00:00.003-05:00

Earlier today, Smildress asked me "Honest opinion, do Hawks win tonight?" Without hesitation, I answered "Yep, 106-93". After seeing them lose 112-104 at the hands of the New York Knicks, I'm not so sure I'll answer that question as quickly in the future.

The Hawks, so far this season, have been hard to figure out. They've had taxing injuries to two of their star players, and have managed to play well enough to stay in the middle of the playoff race in the Eastern Conference. However, in so doing, they've seemingly pulled wool over their fans eyes. Too many times I've read "If only he was healthy, they definitely would have won the game" or "They won without ____, just imagine if he was healthy!" While that might seem like decent logic, no benefit of the doubt should be afforded a team that has made the playoffs once in 10 years. Injuries are part of the game and every team has to adjust to them - playoff teams overcome injuries, while lottery teams use them as an excuse. What will the Hawks do?

During the month of January, one thing has dawned on me - maybe the Hawks aren't quite as good as we thought they were or were hoping they were. Any team that can't compete without their full lineup is a team that won't go very far in a league like the NBA. Not only does fatigue play a factor, but everyone goes through rough patches (See Joe Johnson and Mike Bibby) in a season. When a star player is off, the rest of the team must step up. When a star player gets injured, the rest of the team must step up. If the guys want to go to the playoffs with home court advantage, they must step up.

Someone told me in 2005 that they hoped the Braves would miss the playoffs. Not only would it cause the fans to actually appreciate the playoff atmosphere instead of taking it for granted, but it would also give the organization some humility and realization that sometimes you have to shake things up to truly progress. Now, I'm not one for shakeups. In fact, Hawks GM Rick Sund told us the other night that he's somewhat conservative when it comes to roster moves. However, it's times like these when you know what you have. When you have players injured, and when you have players on cold streaks, you find out who is going to step up and who is going to emotionally lead the team to a victory.

Over the first moth of the season, the Hawks players and fans used last season's appearance in the playoffs as a turning point for the franchise. In fact, some of the players acted as if since they made the playoffs last year, they would make it there again. They must have forgotten one key thing - no team is ever guaranteed an appearance in the playoffs. In order to make the playoffs, everyone on a team has to play within their roles, and step up when they are depended on. Furthermore, the coaching staff has to instill a winning attitude amongst the players. Finally, the players need to have a sense of humility along with a keen swagger that gives them an emotional advantage over their opponent. Right now, the Hawks are showing that the possess none of these attributes. Until they do, these losing streaks will continue.

Heat beat Hawks 95 - 79

2009-01-26T22:04:00.002-05:00

Well that is what we like to call really ugly. Let's hope this beauty from NBC's Friday Night Lights helps you overcome the loss.

Rick Sund said what?

2009-01-26T18:13:00.002-05:00

As our (three) loyal readers knew, last night we were treated to a Hawks game for the promotion of Hawks Blogger Night. While the social circle that was the Hawks bloggers were not afforded our due screen time on the jumbo-tron, we were able to enjoy the game from a suite, go down to the coach's post game press conference and talk to the Hawks General Manager, Rick Sund.

All of this was really great and we would like to extend a huge thanks to the organization (and Micah Hart) for allowing us this opportunity. A full review and more information regarding the event will likely follow from my colleague Speedy, but for now I'd like to give you some highlights from the Rick Sund conversation. A lot of this is not going to be direct quotes but I will try to give you the gist of what he said.

First he talked about him coming to the organization and what he wanted to do once he arrived with the Atlanta Hawks his main thing he emphasized was that he wanted to LISTEN to the organization and determine what would be in the best interests of the team. He talked to many people within the organization (including players) to try and hear what they felt like were good ideas and good recommendations for moving forward. He acknowledged that some change was needed but also some continuity. This was most evident in his approach to Woodson and his coaching staff. He believed that Woody had deserved to stay to see if he could take the team to another level but determined incremental improvements were needed especially to his staff. I believe this is where we see the addition of new coaches like Price being assembled and added to the staff.

Sund also determined that this team needed more veterans on the roster as was declared by Joe last year and sought to bring in some quality NBA journeymen. Without the draft picks this year he sought out older players through free agency that he felt like could help this team acheive what he described as "tangible objective goals." These goals were to make the playoffs with a winning record to show the league that the team is a legit contender. To acheive this goal the team would have establish a home court presence and win more than 25 games there. The team has 17 wins there already and has a very good chance of acheiving this goal. The other goal was to increase the road win total from last year's 12 wins to somewhere in the 15 - 20 win range. This would allow for let's say 18 wins away and around 30 wins at home giving the team 48 wins or very close to 50 wins which Sund equated to winning 90 games in baseball.

Of course someone asked about the contract situation regarding Mike Bibby and Sund answered the question in a typical general manager fashion - by declining to talk abou this during the season. He acknowledged that Bibby was a nice fit with the team and organization and that both sides were happy that he was here. Sund does not see any potential trades on the horizon (even going so far to tell us that one trade he worked on in Seattle took almost a year to finalize) and feels as if this team is pretty good and still has room to grow. He mentioned how hurt the team has been due to injuries this season (Smoove, Zaza, Horford, Marvin) and that the team has weathered these pretty well - a testament to both the team and the coaching staff. He next was asked a question regarding our lack of a quality big man to which Sund seemed agitated and proceeded to just rave about Al Horford (seriously like 5-7 mins about the guy). He felt that Horford was not playing out of position and that he is best suited for center in this league even going so far as to say a potential top 5 center in the league. And, get this, that Al would have probably made the All Star game at the center position if he had not gotten hurt. (This is very interesting considering opposing coaches vote for the other players to make the team so Al must have a great reputation in the league).

Sund then went to talk about the future of the team and that he likes what he sees in Acie Law, Solo Jones and (start laughing) Othello Hunter. In fact, to all the concerns about Acie not getting playing time, they knew when they signed Flip that it would cut into Acie's minutes but the team seems to be happy with his progress. He also mentioned that he loves the team chemistry and the fact that the players (specifically Joe) love the locker room and the guys in it. Sund would go on to say that he believes that three of our players have reached their full potential, Bibby, Joe, and Zaza, and that everyone else on the team has plenty of room to grow. In fact he believes that Smith, Horford and Marvin all SHOULD get better.

To the other minor issues which you fans would be concerned with, Sund said that he was not worried about the summer of 2010 with all the free agents that will be available (a big sigh of relief from me) and that the media was making this a bigger issue than it really was. When it comes to draft picks he does not really follow the workouts more on what they did in college and in fact likes to sit down with each pick and have film sessions to see what the players think. Lastly, there was no update on anything that could happen with Childress and trust me that question was asked.

So there you have it. A somewhat brief review of what went on behind closed doors with Rick Sund and all your favorite Hawks bloggers. As you can see he was very open with us regarding the team and his feelings about where the team can go from here. After our little meeting, he went down to the seats and not a single fan turned their head or acknowledged that the GM was walking past him. Such seems to be the life of the Atlanta Hawks GM, meeting with bloggers who criticize his every move then allowed to slip into anoynmity in his team's own arena.

Live Blog: Hawks vs. Suns & BLOGGER NIGHT

2009-01-25T18:15:00.032-05:00

So we arrived at Philips Arena just over an hour before the game, headed to our box seats for Hawks Blogger Night...and in walks Hawks GM Rick Sund for a 30 minute Q&A (details about the session will follow later).

For now, here's the (world-famous) Ehlo and Smildress in-game blog:

To the two readers viewing this tonight, we appreciate your support. And to one of ya'll, thanks for the Spurs pick - you know who you are.

First Quarter:

CE: The game has started off pretty well, and after hearing what Rick Sund said about everyone playing within their roles, it is cool to actually see that happening.

JS: 8:15, Nice steal by Joe, and a good pass too. There had to be a foul somewhere, and the bloggers seem to agree.

CE: 7:37, Timeout by the hawks. The Suns were going on a run, and Woody must have noticed a defensive problem.

JS: Redd just went out for the season, your fantasy team is done, Ehlo.

CE: 6:30, It's 18-8, and like Smildress said pre-game, we may be in for a long night.

JS: Elle Duncan, the philips arena sideline reporter, is kinda hot.

CE: Smith has been complaining about foul calls (as usual), but finally we get a call on Phoenix. Joe to the line for 2, hits the first one (and solo comes in for Zaza). Misses the 2nd...no surprise.

JS: Ryan Cameron seems to be the only person in the arena that's excited about Solo's appearance...including Solomon Jones himself.

CE: 4:30, Marvin hits a jumper and seems to be really engaging himself on both ends of the floor

*Smildress is clapping along with the DE-FENSE chant.

JS: 3:20, Great defensive set after that 24 second violation.

*Random guy yells defense deep and loudly in the suite next to us.

CE: 2:43, Timeout Phoenix, can we get some free hot dogs up here? The answer seems to be no...

JS: On the jumbotron, the team was asked "Name 2 people you'd like to have dinner with". Biggest surprise? Randolph Morris - Kurt Cobain. Also, only one mention for Obama (Mo Evans)

* With 1:00 left, the Hawks seem to be making a mini-run to keep it close.

CE: Great pass by Flip to Joe in the corner for a three to bring the Hawks within one. Smildress, get your face out of the Media Guide...breathe, man.

*End of the First Quarter, Hawks down one...and some high-flying folks are dunking off trampolines. They're much better than the ones at Georgia games.

Second Quarter:

JS: 9:35, Great pass from JJ to Solomon Jones, who dunks it. Shaq looked like the burger he probably ate for lunch is slowing him down. The Vortex will do that to ya.

CE: Joe seems to have taken a lesson from the LeBron book of Crab Dribbling...what a move!

JS: 7:30, Shaq didn't even make it up the court and Steve Nash just took the Hawks on his own. At least we have a Randolph Morris sighting!

CE: 5:48, Josh Smith should be able to keep up with Amar'e, he has the potential to be on that level...if only he was more defined. Hit the gym, buddy.

*Pause for the dance team.

Ok, we're back.

CE: One Hawks strategy, which has been working, has been to foul the crap out of Shaq. He's 3-5 from the line thusfar, and I'll take that.

Josh Smith just posterized Nash...highlight dunk of the year, arguably his career. Where has that been all season?

JS: 3:12, Kiss cam time. This is the single best reason to come to a game. Two girls about to kiss each other and the two dudes in front of them stand up! Dammit!

CE: 2:07 Good move Marvin, another "score an 1 more!"...his second of the game.

CE: The highlight of the game thusfar - A rare Othello Hunter appearance!!!!!

JS: Ehlo, keep your cool.

And we've hit halftime - 57-55 Hawks. They came from behind again, and have been able to take the lead. This game has had a little of everything, including some unreal highlights. Now we have some 12-year-olds playing a game for the halftime show...which has gone completely down hill. What happened to the dude who could spin 45 balls on his body at once?

JS: Watching these kids is like watching Oklahoma City play.

3rd Quarter
And now you will be entertained by your favorite blogger where I beat Craig Ehlo 251 - 8 in an online poll. I have it on high authority that Ehlo voted for himself 6 times, so whoever you other two are, I'm holding it against you.

CE: I wish I could see that Josh Smith dunk again. He dominated Nash on that one.
JS: Come with me to Ramsey this week and I will recreate it over you Ehlo.
CE: How come are fans do not do anything behind the basket. The team needs to give them pinwheels or something.
JS: This is evidence of what Bill Simmons likes to talk about all the time. The fact that the crowd only does what the jumbo-tron tells them to do and thus will not make noise unless prompted.
CE: Know your role Josh, shooting jumpers is not.
JS: What a shot by Smoove. Hopefully Shaq's sweaty arm pit did not put Smoove in a funk. More evidence of the jumbo-tron culture is the fact the "everybody clap your hands" was just commanded. The delay in a post was me clapping my hands. What, everybody was doing it.
CE: I wish someone would take a picture of me with my media pass on.
JS: I don't have a camera, but I'll take a mental note.
CE: How did we end up down 3?
JS: I wish I knew, this blogging does not let me get to watch much of the game.
JS: We are back during the 3-point takeoff where Marvin was predicted to take the shot to win the skymiles. Marvin's not even in the game.
CE: Another steal for Joe that's like six already. I wish I could get a free t-shirt.
JS: Marvin comes in the game and hits a 3. Unbelievable prediction. By the way, CE is wearing cowboy boots and is definitely the only one in this building wearing them. Actually the A-town dancers came out and their new dance is to Cotton-eyed joe. They are wearing cowboy boots.

During this lull in excitement, let me just say that after meeting with Rick Sund we have both come away very impressed with not only how he handled himself but also his answers to our questions and how up front he was with his responses. There will be more on this interview later so be checking for that.

JS: Marvin has played an amazing game with 17 points at the end of the 3rd quarter. What a bank shot by Flip Murray made famous by none other than Dwayne Wade and not Tim Duncan.
CE: I can't believe all we have talked about is fantasy and the fact that my team is going in the tank. At least Bibby is not making me look bad for trading him. Right now he is at 1-10 shooting...just abysmal. Damn that last second three by Barbosa is a back breaker.

4th Quarter

CE: The fourth quarter where the men separate themselves from the boys. Well Barbosa just separate himself from Joe with that breakaway layup.
JS: Great play by Joe with the rebound and fastbreak followed by the assist to Flip for 3.
CE: A score and one more for Solo. Maybe he is the guy to pickup in fantasy?
JS: With that Smoove dunk we get treated to two Sportcenter highlights here tonight. Just another instance of the Highlight factory turning out quality.
CE: Someone made a sign with the Falcons logo.
JS: Someone else needs to tell him that their season ended about 4 weeks ago. And that their building is down the street across the park.
CE: Amare is playing pretty well. What was that trade the Hawks tried to do for him again?
JS: Wow. An old school Shaq dunk without him staring at his hand afterward though. I guess he finally knows what it looks like.
CE: You know, one of the A-town dancers went to high school with me.
JS: I'm not impressed.
CE: Bibby's got to do something now and he must have heard me cause he drains a 3.
JS: Joe on Amare?
CE: Well if Amare is going to shoot jumpers I am not going to complain.
JS: What just happened with Joe and Marvin missing dunks? With Shaw at the line and the Hawks needing the fans to get loud, the jumbo-tron requests the fans to make some noise. They respond with noise.
CE: Josh Smith has fallen in love with his jumper yet again and every blogger here is not too happy with it. If all of us can see this, why can't he? Also like to add that he is in the running with Rasheed for biggest crybaby in the NBA.

Ok we got to head out of here to go down to the Coach's post game press conference. Hopefully we can ask him how they won despite terrible shooting performances from Bibby and Joe.

Hawks destroy Bucks 117 - 87

2009-01-24T14:19:00.001-05:00

Thoughts on National Television & MLK

2009-01-21T09:13:00.000-05:00

A running commentary between Smildress and I has been the mind-numbing decisions that the NBA makes in determining which teams to show on national television, and when to show them. For the sake of argument, let's begin with 1/22/2009, and continue through the rest of the season. The following is just a sampling of some curious decisions by the NBA, and who they've decided to put on national television:

First tier:
Cleveland - 15 games
Boston - 14 games
LA Lakers - 14 games
Phoenix - 13 games (An average team in the West)
Dallas - 13 games (An average team in the West)
San Antonio - 12 games
Detroit - 12 games (An average team in the East)

Second tier:
Houston - 8 games
Utah - 8 games
Denver - 7 games (One of the best teams in the league)
Golden State - 6 games (One of the worst teams in the league)
New Orleans - 6 games (One of the best teams in the league)
Washington - 6 games (One of the worst teams in the league)
Portland - 5 games

Zeros:
Indiana
Atlanta
Charlotte
LA Clippers
Memphis
Minnesota
New York Kicks
Oklahoma City
Sacramento
Toronto
Milwaukee (has 1 game)

Now, I understand the reasoning behind putting the best teams on national television as often as possible. They are, understandably, the league's bread and butter. However, there is simply no excuse why every team doesn't get a nationally televised game. First, there are fans of each team dispersed throughout the country who would love to get a glimpse of their team at least once. Furthermore, by placing all of their eggs in a few teams' baskets, the league runs the risk of being unable to highlight the play of any up and coming teams - instead choosing to focus on the old yellers of the league. Additionally, every owner, who is investing hundreds of millions of dollars to promote their team and participate in the NBA, should be entitled to display their investment on national television. Also, if the NBA allows a team to enter the league, they should also be willing to grant them a television slot out of fairness. Finally, every player on an active roster deserves a chance to showcase his talents (at least once) on the national stage. Putting all the teams on national TV would allow the NBA to market itself as a league of superstars. Both Smildress and I agree that Joe Johnson (and to a lesser extent Josh Smith) would be a bonefide superstar in the league if the Hawks were on national television more than once.

Last November, the Hawks had their first rematch against the Boston Celtics in Boston. It was the teams' first quarrel since their unbelievable playoff series in May of 2008. Not only was the game hyped in Atlanta as an exciting rematch between two new rivals, but it was exciting all the way down the stretch - when Paul Pierce (the biggest thug in the NBA) hit a turn-around jumper at the last second to score a 2-point victory over the Hawks. What game did the network choose to put on television? Portland @ Miami. Not only was Miami not expected to be any good, but they chose a mediocre matchup between two mediocre teams over the potential classic between the Hawks and Celts.

In the NBA, the teams play an 82 game season, many without any national television exposure at all (nearly 30% of them). Common sense would say that out of 82 games, each team could have a nationally televised game without any consequence or detriment to the NBA. Put the Boston-Charlotte game on tv. If you think that'd be boring, put Charlotte-LA Clippers on tv. That might be even more boring, but it knocks two bad teams out at once.

Don't even get me started on the Hawks. They've gotten the NBA shaft for years, and this year may be more offensive than any other. After making the playoffs for the first time this decade, exceeding everyone's expectations in their series with the Celtics, showing off talents in Joe Johnson, Josh Smith, Mike Bibby, and Al Horford (many are young stars), the NBA rewards them with ONE national game this season. One. That's it. Washington has 6 left for this season, and they're the worst team in the league. Someone explain why the Hawks only have one game on national television this season. Please. Because I simply don't get it.

On television, the NFL does it right. I don't agree with all of their television policies (namely the TV announcers, blackout rules, etc.), but they do have one policy that the NBA should emulate - Flex Scheduling. The NBA should have the ability to choose great matchups later in the season to put on television instead of the teams they had picked at the beginning of the season.

The NFL does another thing right: Showing an annual Thanksgiving Day game on national television in Detroit. Whether the Lions are the best team in the league or the worst team in the league, they have still hosted a turkey day game every year since 1934 and they have been nationally televised every year since 1962. The NBA should adopt this policy for an annual Martin Luther King, Jr. Day game in Atlanta. This past Monday, the Hawks hosted their 10th in a row - a 2:00pm start that wasn't even in HD in Atlanta.

The history of race and MLK in Atlanta along with King memorial being in downtown creates the perfect background for a nationally televised annual game. The broadcasters could use the airtime to focus on the accomplishments of Dr. King and the personal stories of NBA players and the effect of race in their lives. Atlanta provides the perfect backdrop for this annual tradition, and the NBA should seize the opportunity to promote the accomplishments of Dr. King in the city where he is memorialized.

Annual nationally televised MLK Day game in Atlanta in primetime...make it happen, NBA.

4 is the new 5

2009-01-20T15:43:00.003-05:00

So apparently the Hawks never read the rules about being allowed to have five players on the court at one time. Yesterday, in appreciating the memory of MLK, the Hawks beat the Raptors on their home court by getting points from four players on the team. (OK so Evans had 2 points, but please ignore that as it came in the fourth quarter).

My first gripe deals with the fact that it is amazing to me that with only four players scoring the Hawks have the ability to win a game. I wonder if that has ever before happened in the league where four players beat the other team. In fact, when Kobe scored 81 points he had contributions from five other guys. The Hawks had five guys score last night, with one of them scoring only 2 points.

Is this not bizarre? Does this say more about the Raptors then it does about the Hawks? Yes to the first question and no to the second, although the Raptors really are hurting now. The Hawks won a game at home with only four players doing anything, imagine what is going to happen when we get to full strength with Horford and Marvin both coming back. If we can win with four, there is no excuse for us to win with six.

If you have been reading this blog, or anything else on the Hawks, it seems they are all saying the same thing - criticizing the team for its play as of late. Me, I am impressed with this 4 v. 5 effort especially with the win that came out of it. If we had lost, this post would be about how piss poor it is for the Hawks to lose a game especially since only four players did something. Instead, we win and I say how amazing it is for us to win with only four players contributing. See how that works. If you win, we shut up and do not have anything to talk about. So keep winning and leave me with nothing to say.

My second gripe is the fact that MLK is from Atlanta, has a big presence here in the city, and yet the Hawks are relegated to a 2pm contest against the Raptors not shown on national television. The NBA needs to do something about this where the main MLK games should be held in Philips Arena. Am I right?

Side Note: How did Thomas Gardner get more playing time than Acie Law. Did Acie run over Woodson's dog and that has caused Woody to hate on him so much? With the amount of disrespect thrown Acie's way I'm guessing he ran over one of Woodson's kids.

Hawks beat Raptors 87 - 84

2009-01-19T16:29:00.000-05:00

First quarter jitters? Just Flip your strategy.

2009-01-14T19:50:00.006-05:00

In the world of Hawkland (oops, I mean HAWK LAND), there seems to be 2 potential outcomes to each game. One, come out strong and perform well early...leading to a victory (albeit by generally a small margin). The other, and obviously less positive, is to putz around in the first quarter and play from behind throughout the game. You don't need me to tell you that the Hawks have taken the second route a little too often recently.

In their previous 5 games, the Hawks have been outscored by 48 in the first quarter alone. Furthermore, they haven't had a first quarter lead in any of them (tied at 30 at home against Philly is pretty close). Coming from behind is a very difficult thing to do night-in and night-out in any sport, but it might be toughest in basketball, where the game is short and any additional run by the opponent could put you away. You could say that 48 points over 5 games (just under 10 per game) could be overcome since it's the first quarter. To that, I agree. However, compound the first quarter deficit with the amount of times it has happened, and you get a recipe for disaster. The team just can't continue to overexert energy for three quarters every game and expect to make comebacks great enough to win.

But the first quarter has not been the crux. Over the past 5 games, the Hawks have been outscored by a total of 56 points at halftime, and in one of those games, they led by 8 (Houston). Notice the only victory in the past 5 games was the game in which they led at halftime. Additionally, they only once outscored their opponent in the third quarter, and that was by a mere 2 points in the Philadelphia game. Obviously, if you get outscored, you lose, but to be dominated in the early few quarters of recent games is not only demoralizing, but it puts the team in an insurmountable hole nearly every night.

So, what do they need to do to start quick? If I were coach (which I'm not, and have no business being), I would have them run all over the place. Run, Run, Run, Run. I don't care if the opponent has had time to set their defense or not. I also don't care if Josh Smith throws a terrible pass to Marvin, which rises 5 rows into the stands. Personally, I would rather a bad pass on a breakaway than an ugly jumper with 8 seconds left on the 24. The Hawks have the personnel to outrun nearly every team in the league, but over the past few games they have played slow, lethargic, boring basketball - and they've gotten beat.

Now, you could say that in each of these games, they've lost to teams with big, tall, (somewhat) dominant centers...and to that I would agree. Dwight Howard, Shquille O'Neal (and Amar'e Stoudemire), Yao Ming, and Samuel Dalembert (not so much), are all great centers. In fact, they are some of the best in the game. But even without Al Horford in the lineup, the way to beat an inside presence has always, and will always be to outrun him and drive to the basket on almost every possession. Even if you miss your attempted layup, there is the potential for a foul on the big man (not to mention the exhaustion from weighing 300 pounds and running 94 feet so many times), and I'd try and use that potential to my advantage.

To their credit, the Hawks have been attempting a fair amount of free throws...they just haven't been making them. (See prophetic previous post) Generally I would say that the free throws attempted in their recent games show that they were attacking the basket, but the fouls charged to each center leave me curious - Yao (3), Howard (4, 3), Shaq (3), Dalembert (3). Based on what I've seen (and confirmed through the box scores), the team simply isn't attacking the big man when he's in the game. Why? I'm not sure. There are, however, 3 guys on the team that seem to attack the basket more than the others - Joe Johnson, Acie Law IV, and Flip Murray.

Let's take a look at Flip Murray's +- over the past 5 games to confirm my feeling that driving to the basket consistently will help, not only with getting the opponent's big man in foul trouble, but also to spread the floor:

New Jersey, 1/2: +8 (second best on the team)
Houston, 1/3: +15 (best on the team)
Orlando, 1/7: +15 (best on the team)
Orlando, 1/9: -11 (better than all the starters...by a lot)
Philadelphia, 1/11: -5 (second best on the team)
Phoenix, 1/13: +18 (best on the team by 12)

That said, Flip should not be starting - he's perfect in the 6th or 7th man role. However, maybe the rest of the team should take notice at the energy, fire, and smarts that Flip plays with and try and model their brains to his - attack the basket, play smart, and it will open up the whole court.

Hawks lose to Suns 107 - 102

2009-01-14T10:46:00.003-05:00

Thanks to that disappointing effort last night, you all get to see Sloan from Entourage.

The Response Not Given

2009-01-12T21:20:00.004-05:00

To our loyal reader, I would like to apologize for the long layoff between posts for me. I had encountered some difficulties with my computer and now that it has been fixed I am hoping I can give you something to read while making your many potty breaks during the day.

So while we were away, it looks as if the Hawks put up some pretty good numbers and did not lose many games. However, it looks like their past two games put a serious damper on the team's prospects and opinion from around the league. These two losses occurred right as I was telling everyone that the Hawks had cemented themselves as one of the top 10, heck maybe even 5, teams in the league. Boy is my face red now. My problem with these two losses was not the way it happened, although a beat down is never something to be happy about, but rather how flat they came out in the second game.

If you are reader on this blog, you are either a huge Hawks fan who keeps up with the news surrounding the team or, you accidentally found this page and stuck around for the pics of the beautiful girls that are littered throughout the page. (You can be both). To the people in the second group stop reading here as there will be no pics in my post today (except for this one), to the Hawks fans, I have to assume you read Sekou Smith's blog posted on ajc.com. If you do not, then you are missing out on some seriously good Hawks insight and I highly recommend you stop reading this and go there to read more.

In Sekou's post before the Magic game last Friday night he spoke about how angry Woodson was with the team due to their effort at home a few nights earlier. In fact, Sekou said "If the Hawks’ don’t kick off the game with their intensity sky-high I’ll be afraid for their safety." This was due to the earlier comments where he proceeded to tell us how Woodson just chewed into our players not giving preference to who was getting yelled at. He went on to describe the practice session as "a session the family could [not] have attended, as there were far too many interesting words uttered by Woodson for anyone with sensitive ears to be allowed in."

So Woodson laid into the team and what happened? The team came out extremely flat falling behind 22-6. The game was over before it even began. How to explain the coach reeming the players and the players responding with a terrible game? I'll give you one hint, it involves the fact our coach is not the one to get the job done. I know you are thinking "great another fire Mike Woodson post, what a surprise." But I am here not to say that, rather to say he has done his job and now it is time for the next guy to come in and as we say at UGA, finish the drill.

Woodson developed our players and they look legit now. But let's be honest, the team does not respond to him and from the looks of it do not even care to implement his coaching strategies. The reason the Hawks have a winning record right now is due to their talent level, but the reason the team could win more, starts and ends with the coach. If you wanted another reason to be angry at the season, look no further than the flat game we played last Friday night. Thanks to the extreme practice beforehand, I am afraid to see what would have happened had the team not been chewed out.

Kryptonite?

2009-01-06T15:29:00.009-05:00

Everyone has their kryptonite. For Bruce Willis, it's water. For Ohio State, it's the BCS. For vegetarians, it's the Big Texan Steak Ranch. For the 2008-2009 Hawks, it's Jason Kidd's old team, the New Jersey Nets.

Who?

Exactly.

The Nets are 17-18, and are currently in second place in the terrible Atlantic division, and the seventh seed in the Eastern Conference. They've lost home games against Charlotte, Toronto (by 22), New York (by 12), Washington (by 20), and Indiana - amongst others. However, three of their 17 victories have been against our Hawks. THREE!!! That's close to 20% of their wins, and nearly 30% of the Hawks' losses. Furthermore, so far, those are the only three games the teams have played against each other. The Hawks are 0-3 against the Nets on the season, with their last tilt coming at Philips on January 30.

The most critical stat of the three games seems to be Free-Throw shooting. In the first game, the Nets were 32-39, while the Hawks were 17-23. That kind free-throw discrepancy will almost always result in a loss, and the Hawks lost by 7.

The second matchup, in which the Hawks lost by 12 in Atlanta, the Nets were 31-36, with the Hawks at 28-36. 3 Free-throws are not a huge difference, but the big difference in this game was who was taking them. For the Nets, they had their excellent FT shooter, Devin Harris, get to the line 14 times and sinking 13 of them. Meanwhile, the Hawks were scattered all over the place, with Joe Johnson taking 8 and making 6, and Flip Murray taking the second most, going 6-6. It is critical that the good free throw shooters on the team take the ball to the basket and attempt to get to the free-throw line. If they don't get fouled, they'll have a higher-percentage shot opportunity, and if they do get fouled, they go to the line. Just look at the shooting percentages in the second game - the Nets shot 38-69 (55.1%), with the Hawks coming in at 35-76 (46.1%). The difference in shooting percentage correlates to the types of shots the players were taking, and it is evidenced in the fact that our best ballers were taking jumpers and not getting to the line.

The third game, a 2 point loss in overtime, was also lost at the line. The Hawks went 10-20 (50%) from the line in that game, while the Nets went 9-12 (75%). Obviously, if the Hawks had made an extra FT or 2, they would have won the game in regulation. Shooting 50% from the free-throw line is simply unacceptable.

I'm still afraid the Hawks aren't exactly sure who they are. Are they the defensive juggernaut that can hold any team under 90 points when they make that their priority? Are they the running/gunning offensive team that can score 120 when needed? We know this much - if the Hawks get into a free-throw battle, it won't be pretty.

For your enjoyment, here are some random free throws:

We're BBBBAAAAACCCCKKKKK!!!

2009-01-06T14:45:00.003-05:00

Loyal readers -

Much like a once-innocent, twice-pregnant, once-hairless pop star, we're back! Smildress and I have returned and are getting right back into the swing of things. Thanks so much for your continued visitation even through our lull period known as winter (or Christmas) vacation. Expect more Hawks news, info, opinions, and commentary in the coming days, weeks, months, years, and millenniums.

Hawks Beat Bulls 129-117

2008-12-28T00:45:00.001-05:00

Keep Your Chin Up Joe

2008-12-18T11:37:00.005-05:00

Ok, so we had to witness another Celtics victory. Trust me. I am as sick of this as you are. There is no other team that has more players that I just cannot stand to watch then the Celtics have. Kendrick Perkins? When you were young and would make an ugly face and your parents would warn you that it could get stuck like that, I never would believe them. After seeing Perkins perma-stink face, maybe my parents were right. KG? Oh you are so great let the media go on and on about that. Hows about you shut the hell up and play basketball. If you have to talk shit to the twelth man or even the fans to pump you up I think you need to take a good look at your life. Paul Pierce? Flashing gang signs and choke symbols, ahh I just can't stand you. Big Baby? I don't want to say anything for fear he might cry.

Anyways, getting away from all these links, last night's game was a tough one. Yeah we lost but to be honest I thought we played very well. If the Hawks play like that every night they would be a great team. Don't believe me. Check out what Rondo said after the game, "If they played everyone else the way they play us they'd be a top five team." Wow, me and Rondo think alike. Sweet.

However I take that as a backhanded compliment. Sure it was nice to hear that we would be a top five team, but also it was shot towards our lack of intensity for other games. Believe me Rondo, we know the team rarely shows up (cough cough COACHING) but shut your trap and get out of our city.

I have yet to read any other fan's posts for today or what people are saying after the loss as every time my team losses I have a hard time reading or watching highlights, etc. But I'm here to say "Joe, thanks for playing a good game. Sucks you missed that last free throw, but I do not blame the loss on you. And you should not blame it on yourself either." I'm hoping others feel this way, especially in the Hawks locker room.

Teams can let these sort of losses damper the season helping lead to a spiral that would be very difficult to get out of. Where the Hawks go from here will be a big test towards where they can go as a team. An easy win against Golden State at home seems likely, but if the Hawks dwell on this then the fall could be bad. They cannot let this loss linger, they need to move on. It's tough. Everything has been building up to this game. But the Hawks played well and showed that they are a legit team. They need to continue to show that.

Boston celebrated their win as if they had just won a playoff game even though they acted as if the game was not important. If the Hawks build upon this loss and get better from it, then the next time we play Boston the end result could be better. For even as Boston celebrated as if it was a playoff victory, if the Hawks keep playing and getting better, they will actually be doing the celebrating over Boston in the playoffs.

UPDATE: Great article on whether or not a rivalry exists. Spoiler he says yes.

Celtics beat Hawks 88 - 85

2008-12-17T22:26:00.002-05:00

This one was tough. Real tough. Therefore we felt that you all needed something very good to cheer you up.

UPDATE: Paul Pierce Injured?

2008-12-15T23:10:00.003-05:00

Paul Pierce left his game tonight with under one minute remaining with a knee injury. His status for Wednesday's game is unknown for now. Keep on the lookout as his absence could be huge on the Hawks' chances of winning this game.

If a Hawks Game Takes Place and No One is Around to See it, Does it Count?

2008-12-15T21:53:00.003-05:00

So the Hawks were victorious tonight against the new-look Charlotte Bobcats, but yet again the game was not televised and the announced attendance only amounted to 12, 733. First of all, I wonder if really that many people were at this game. Second, I'll never know due to the fact the game was not on T.V.

In my winter sabbatical right now, which trust me is unbelievable, I wonder why is it that every Hawks game is still not broadcasted in the local area. Every Braves game is on T.V., every Falcons game which sells enough tickets is on, I'm not sure about the Thrashers, but seriously who really cares about that. How is it that a team that went to the playoffs last year, is off to a solid start this year and is trying to garner more attention around the city, fails to have their games broadcast. I am sick of planning my night around watching these games only to find that the game will not be on.

Fox Sports and Sports South, this has gotten ridiculous. Put the games on. All of them. I'll give you a break with the HD, but there is no reason for a HOME game to not be on TV. Put them on so those of us who can not make the game can watch it. Do it.

(Ok so I know more coaches got fired, Mo Cheeks and Reggie Theus, but my picture ran out of space so I can't add more people to it. When the next one gets fired I'll create a new picture.)

Also, HAWKS beat Bobcats 83 - 79

Bad News

2008-12-15T10:14:00.007-05:00

Dedicated Readers,

Smildress and I are are on a sabbatical until the beginning of January, so our posts will not have regular consistency. Sorry for the disappointment this may cause, but please continue to visit the blog in hopes of seeing a new post. If you need another reason to visit, come to read all of our old posts...it is just like eating at The Best Buffet in East Texas (WARNING: Read this link only if you have a strong stomach) - you need to visit more than once to experience it all. But let's be honest, sometimes you gotta have your fix of salad, mashed potatoes, fried chicken, steak, soup, pizza, corn, green beans, tacos, black eyed peas, fried okra, whole catfish, rice, baked chicken, sauteed mushrooms, macaroni & cheese, spaghetti, banana pudding, cookies, soft-serve ice cream, sprinkles, oreo crumbles, and various cakes...all at the same place and in the same meal.

Hawks beat Heat 87 - 73

2008-12-12T22:49:00.000-05:00

12/12/08 Preview: HAWKS v. Miami Heat

2008-12-12T17:48:00.007-05:00

After doing the Texas Tango, the Hawks are on their way to travel to South Beach to take on the Miami Dwyane Wade's. I know there are other people on the team, but let's all be honest none of them really matter in the grand scheme of things. Sure it could be cool watching the number two pick, Beasley, play. But if it is anything like what has been happening recently, there wont be much time for that.

NEWS

The Hawks have lost 3 in a row and have a chance to go on their second four game losing streak this season. Remind me again how many playoff caliber teams have two 4 games losing streaks in the course of the first two months of the season. I'll give you a hint...none.

PREDICTIONS

Top Scorers:

Heat: Dwyane Wade - 43

Atlanta: Joe Johnson - 24

Rebounds:

Heat: Udonis Haslem - 11

Hawks - Al Horford - 9

Assists:

Heat: Dwyane Wade - 9

Hawks: Mike Bibby 9

Game:

The Hawks right the ship tonight and beat the Heat 104 - 88

Ehlo's Excellence (Prediction Record):

4-1

Smildress' Just For Fun Spread Prediction:

(4-1 SU, 3-2 ATS)

After going 3-0, I have suffered 2 straight losses, with the Spurs pushing the other night. Tonight take the Hawks to win and the points if you like.

Solomon Jones Minutes:

I ain't Ehlo, this kid will not play. A big, stinkin' ZERO

Famous Heats:

Technical Difficulties are causing no pictures or links, sorry

(By the way, check out www.nba.com/hawks for our take on the Hawks-Celtics Rivalry

Spurs beat Hawks 95-89

2008-12-10T23:02:00.005-05:00

Hopefully this does not rub in the loss but instead reminds you of something nice. Here she is in all her glory, Eva Longoria (I refuse to acknowledge her other last name)
(Side Note: I would love to see the day when a woman would wear this when doing dishes)

4 Years in the League and He Still Does Not Get It

2008-12-10T15:13:00.007-05:00

Please help explain something to me. Now, I am only trying to compare these two players on their understanding of the NBA game, but Josh Smith and LeBron James both came into the NBA out of high school and in successive drafts (LBJ 2003 and Smoove 2004) and while it seems LBJ has figured out how to play this game at a ridiculously high level, Smith is still making mistakes that would send any rookie straight to the bench.

Remember what I said, I am not trying to compare these two careers because anyone could tell you that LeBron was going to be a superstar while some people merely claimed Josh Smith could be Next. While his showing in the 2005 NBA All-Star Dunk Contest led all of us to believe he was on the verge of something special, I cannot help to wonder if we will pereptually be waiting for this transformation.

Do not get me wrong here. Josh Smith is a stat stuffer when it comes to what he brings to the court. The dude even gets consideration for being a Round 1 Fantasy Draft player. But anyone who watches his games with any regularity, which does not seem to include anyone who makes NBA mock-fantasy drafts, knows that there is something off about that. I mean, including yourself in the first round of fantasy puts you in the category with Wade, CP3, LBJ, Howard, Amare, Kobe, and many more players who have developed a one-name reputation. Josh Smith does have this one-name recognition, Smoove, but has little else in being compared to those players.

I also realize that I was the one who only a week ago wrote the piece about how much we missed his presence in the lineup, but after last night I am wondering if the bench is missing his presence more. Even though he is this Round 1 talent, Smoove needs to realize that he does not have the dribbling skills or court vision of CP3. He needs to realize that he does not have the same jump shot as Kobe and needs to realize that he is not the lead player on the team like Amare thinks he is.

Smoove, on the other hand, decided to prove to all of us, "Guess what suckas, I do have all of these skills," when last night he successfully ruined any chance the Hawks had at beating the Rockets in Houston. With the Hawks up 6 in the 4th quarter, Smith proceeded to miss a 3PT shot even though he had only connected on one earlier in the night, then fouled Carl Landry for a "score and one more". This foul was committed when both he and Al tried to block a Ron Artest fast break point instead of just letting one go for the block (in this case Al since he was in front of Josh) and the other try to rebound the miss. Well, Landry got the rebound and Smith fouled him sending him to the line. Smoove then missed another 3PT shot followed by Yao scoring and drawing a foul on Smoove for another And1 opportunity. What did Smith do for his next act? He missed another terrible shot followed by a horrible pass leading to a turnover. A six point lead erased and well you all know the rest.

Here's the thing - I am not writing this to criticize my boy and this is not to blame him for last night's loss (maybe a little). I am just trying to figure out when the kid will put all his talents together and form an elite player along the lines of other superstars. There is no reason for Josh to ever lead our team in attempted shots when we have Bibby and Joe playing (like last night where Smoove went 5-19 before being pulled in the 4th). The only way for basketball players to truly play well is if they play within themselves and do the things their teams need them to do. We need Smith to rebound, block shots, and score when he can drive it to the basket. That is all. Stop taking 3's. Stop taking those terrible jump shots. Stop dribbling the ball up the court. Start dunking. Start rebounding. Start blocking shots. Start listening to the coaches and other players. Start playing like we know you can because I am getting sick of these mental lapses and immaturity...and from the looks of things, your teammates are too.

12/10/2008 Preview: HAWKS vs. San Antonio Spurs

2008-12-10T13:08:00.013-05:00

Coming off a tough loss in Houston last night, the Hawks flew 197 miles to San Antonio for this season's last game in Texas. The Spurs, fresh off a double-overtime thriller at Dallas, return home to the AT&T Center, where they have won their past 10 against the Hawks. Furthermore, the Spurs have won 4 games in a row and are now 12-8 on the season. Al Horford should be able to defend Tim Duncan, who isn't as big as last night's bohemith, Yao Ming. The backcourt, however, is a different story. Not only do the Hawks have a difficult time containing speedy point guards (like Tony Parker), but they have never been able to figure out how to stop Manu Ginobili.

The Hawks have one thing going for them tonight - the Spurs played an incredibly long game just last night. Tim Duncan played over 50 minutes, Parker had over 47, and Ginobili had nearly 42. Hopefully the Spurs come out a little bit tired, and the Hawks can capitalize. Last night, the Hawks were outscored by 11 in the first quarter. If that happens again, this will be a long night. After winning 3 straight, the Hawks have now dropped 2 in a row - look for them to come out firing in an attempt to right the ship.

PLEA
Dear Josh Smoove -
Please stay under control tonight. Thanks!

-Ehlo

PREDICTIONS
Top Scorers:
Joe Johnson - 25
Tony Parker - 30

Rebounds:
Al Horford - 9
Tim Duncan - 10

Assists:
Mike Bibby - 6
Tony Parker - 7

Ehlo's Game Prediction:
Even after the Spurs' double-overtime victory, they still have enough in the tank to outlast a Hawks team that is frustrated and tired from their game last night. Manu Ginobili and Tony Parker carry the Spurs to victory, 96-89. (And, in what has now become a bittersweet tradition, you get another hot picture afterwards)

Ehlo's Excellence:

3-1

Smildress' Just For Fun Spread Prediction:
(3-1 SU, 3-1 ATS)
Unfortunately, I have to agree with Ehlo (again) - Spurs win and cover the 6 points.

Solomon Jones Minutes:

3 - Solo pulled a Mario last night, so look for him to get a few minutes tonight against Duncan.

Famous San Antonians:

Dr. Robert Cade (Inventor of Gatorade):

Stone Cold Steve Austin:

The Alamo:

Shaquille O'Neal:

The Heartbreak Kid:

Brickowski:

Rockets defeat Hawks 92-84

2008-12-09T23:05:00.005-05:00

To help overcome the loss here is one of Ehlo's favorites: Anna Rawson (Women's professional golfer)

12/9/08 Preview: HAWKS vs. Houston Rockets

2008-12-09T17:02:00.012-05:00

The second leg on this year's Texas Triangle tour is a stop in Houston to take on Vakeaton Quamar Wafer and the Houston Rockets. The Rockets come home for the second game of a back-to-back, after losing to Memphis last night. Houston is 6-4 in their last 10, and are 6-3 at home. The story of this game will be how the Hawks contain Yao Ming. Last night, Yao was held to one of his worst games of the season - scoring 14 points, grabbing only 4 rebounds, and giving up 4 turnovers. Expect Yao (a freakishly good free throw shooter for a big man) to come out with his sights set on having a much better game.

The Hawks, meanwhile, are on the second game of a 4-game road trip that will continue at San Antonio on Wednesday and conclude at Miami on Friday. After nearly pulling off a miraculous comeback against Dallas on Saturday, the Hawks had Sunday and Monday to get some much needed rest. The Hawks should be the fresher team tonight, and I expect them to sneak out of Houston with a win.

NEWS

Ron Artest is questionable tonight. If he doesn't go, the Rockets will be without their lock-down defender and starting small forward. If Artest does sit out, look for Joe Johnson and Marvin Williams to have excellent offensive games.

PREDICTIONS

Top Scorers:

Joe Johnson - 36
Yao Ming - 28

Rebounds:
Al Horford - 9
Yao Ming - 10

Assists:
Mike Bibby - 8
Rafer Alston - 7

Ehlo's Game Prediction:
After 2 days of rest, the Hawks outlast a Rockets team that gets worn out near the midpoint of the third quarter. Score - 107-94

Ehlo's Excellence:

3-0

Smildress' Just For Fun Spread Prediction:
(3-0 SU, 3-0 ATS)
The Hawks win so take the moneyline or the 4 points

Solomon Jones Minutes:

12 - Not only will Solo be relied upon to help guard Yao, but Woody will try to give the starters some rest this game.

Famous Rockets:

Red Rocket:

The Rockettes:

R-7 Rocket (Used to launch Sputnik):

THE Rocket:

Johnny Rockets:

The Acme Rocket Company:

Make it Four...And Counting

2008-12-09T16:36:00.002-05:00

If you haven't heard it...it's news to you. Hit the road Randy.

Hey Woody! You Have a Bench

2008-12-09T14:46:00.014-05:00

To all our readers who came here over the past few days only to find no new updates since the Mavs defeat, you can rest easy knowing that we are now back. The Mavs win did not end up sending us into a free fall where we were unable to cope with our daily lives, and we didn't decide to go all Mario West (he's the one on the end) on all of you and only make an appearance for a short time only to disappear shortly therafter. No, the reason why it has been a while since our last post is due to the fact that Mike Woodson was the one who decides how many posts we get per week and he decided that he was gonna let Joe Johnson take the majority this week.

I know what you are thinking, Joe Johnson is going to write blog posts like everyone's already favorite NBA blogger - sadly the answer to that is no. What you should be thinking is how hilarious the metaphor about Woodson's inability to manage a successful blog was, especially considering the he has the same difficulty doing a job he is PAID to do.

Before you say, "here we go again another Hawks fan who thinks that Woodson cannot coach, cannot relate to his players, cannot be allowed to continue to coach (this guy was calling for it two years ago-he wins), and cannot possibly sue the Tootsie Roll Pop Owl for a face-mark infringement claim," stop and instead try to say "Woody won't want to win with the bench." In fact try to say that five times fast. If you succeed, congratulations...but it was not a tongue twister. There were, however, a lot of words starting with the letter w in that sentence - and that makes it an alliteration.

There will be a time and place for the Fire Mike Woodson post, trust me. I have been waiting to see that headline appear on AJC for a long, long time. Instead, I have become comfortably numb to the fact that the Hawks will continue to be coached by this incompetent man. Instead of wondering why Woodson is still employed, I am wondering after this weekend, what is happening to our bench players and how come none of them can get into any sort of rhythm during the games? Player rotations are not done by the players. Joe Johnson will not come over to the bench and say, "whew I'm spent. Hey Flip, why don't you go in there and cover for me for a bit." It is the coach's job to do these substitutions based on the pace of the game and any other little facets that the casual fan does not notice.

This is one aspect (of the too many to name) of coaching where Woodson has been failing miserably these days. Let's take a look at the minutes for our bench players the last few games:

(To find out what a Mario is Click Here)

Look at these numbers. The only consistent minutes belongs to Acie Law, who, after his supposedly constructive summer and great preseason, should probably be getting more than 10 minutes per game. Zaza's minutes fluctuate more than Vincent Chase's movie star status. (Cannot even get an audition to landing the lead in a Scorsese film?) Flip's minutes seem to copy the Dow Jones average with its continuously downward swing. (I can go on but I thought that was enough). Woodson has been juggling around these guys and not letting any of them get used to their roles that we need each of them to do for the Hawks to be successful.

Before the season, a certain ESPN columnist described our bench as being so bad the cheerleaders should just hurl poop at us. Meanwhile, both Sekou Smith (Hawks beat writer) and Lang Whitaker (national NBA writer and huge Hawks fan) agreed that our bench would be better than people thought. And we believed them. And early in the season, when the Hawks went 6-0 and then 6-6 with Smoove out, we all saw what he was talking about. Now? Well let's just say thanks to Woody, I will be putting up my poop shield when I attend the next Hawks game.

This problem is not likely to get better any time soon due to Woody's unexplainable substitution patterns. So get used used to seeing Joe play for 42+ minutes a night. Personally, I want to see more of what the bench can do with much emphasis focused on Acie's full capabilities. (Can he handle being the PG of the future?) The bench is not going to succeed when the players keep getting shuffled around like Menudo (last one I promise). So Woody - give these guys minutes. Give these guys defined roles. Give our starters some rest. Mainly give our team some wins.

UPDATE: So apparently Sekou had already written about the same thing and since his opinion is ever so slightly better than mine, you might want to check out what he thinks here.

Mavs defeat Hawks 100-98

2008-12-06T23:33:00.005-05:00

To help overcome the loss here is one of Smildress' favorites: Natalie Portman

12/6/2008 Preview: HAWKS vs. Dallas Mavericks

2008-12-06T13:46:00.005-05:00

Tonight, the Hawks travel to Big D to take on the Mavericks and old friend Jason Terry at the American Airlines Center. The Hawks, coming off last night's tough victory against the Knicks, will have their hands full with a Western Conference powerhouse that's rolling, winners of 8 of their last 10. Led by German superstar (and ambidextrous shooter) Dirk Nowitzki, the Mavericks will be a tough matchup for the Hawks.

NEWS

Josh Howard will be a game-time decision for the Mavs, who, after going 6-1 in his absence, may be reluctant to throw him right back into action.

PREDICTIONS

Top Scorers:
Dallas: Dirk Nowitzki - 31
Atlanta: Joe Johnson - 27

Rebounds:
Dallas: Dirk Nowitzki - 10
Atlanta: Al Horford - 9

Assists:
Dallas: Jason Kidd - 10
Atlanta: Mike Bibby - 7

Game:
Hawks give all they can after a back-to-back, but it isn't enough. Dallas wins, 104 - 92

Ehlo's Excellence (Prediction record):
2-0

Smildress' Just For Fun Spread Prediction:
(2-0 SU, 2-0 ATS)
Hawks lose but not by much, take the 7 points.

Solomon Jones Minutes:
2

Famous Mavericks:

THE Maverick:

Tom Cruise:

Mel Gibson:

Hawks Beat Knicks 98-95

2008-12-05T23:20:00.003-05:00

In Game Blog: Hawks vs. Knicks 12/5/08

2008-12-05T15:16:00.027-05:00

Pregame:
Smildress and Ehlo here reporting from our living room on a Friday Night. Before you make fun of us for being lame, please understand we skipped Happy Hour at our local bar to give you this first rate coverage of the game. Although we are missing Happy Hour we are indeed getting happy this hour in preparation for the Knicks drinking game. Grab your drinks and adjust the contrast ratio on your television for standard definition broadcast as we are about to get underway for tonight's contest. We'll now send it over to Jerome Jeronivich and the Stinger.

1st Quarter:
JS: Always gotta love the James Verrett input before the game. This time he had some brilliant words that it seems only the lip readers could understand.

CE: Gotta love our chances if we keep getting wide open 3's...too bad we missed them both
(shot for the mention about how great Duhon is in this system)
JS: Joe has got into the lane twice with ease, sadly has not been able to finish either time. P.S. I hate Al Harington, a lot.
CE: Not sure I like how we are trying to keep up with their quick shots, but if Smoove can get a score and one more, I'll live.
JS: I really hate Al Harington
CE: I too hate Al Harington. An offensive rebound and then another made shot.
JS: Seriously, where are all the signature Harrington clanks?
(Stephon Marbury mention, take two shots for the inclusion of the mentioning of quitting on his team)
(Take a shot for the Al Harrington signature miss. This time he treated us to one of his always beautiful airballs)
(Take a shot for Nate Robinson who has a made basket and 2 assists)
JS and CE: Joint laughter for the fact that 'Nique loves Elton John. Did not see that one coming.
JS: Don't think we will see Zaza in this game as what Woody would call "matchup problems" might keep him on the bench.
CE: When did we get a pianist?

2nd Quarter:
JS: Gotta agree with 'Nique that we are just not playing defense right now. And has anyone noticed that every time Flip touches the ball he goes straight to the hoop.
CE: Ugh. (this was a the mention that Al Harrington is coming back in the game) What happened to Smoove being able to hit free throws?
JS: We are crashing the offensive boards. Nooooo not a Josh Smith 3PTA
CE: Wow a Josh Smith 3PTM. D'Antoni can not be happy he took that Knicks job.
(Harrington missed a shot and that means we get to take one)
JS: Oh no, that knee to knee hit on Mo did not look so good and now he goes to the bench and we call a TO.
CE: I'm so pissed I don't have Smith on my fantasy team. However, Smith should limit himself to 2 3PTA a game. No reason for him to be shooting 3-4.
(Harrington in true fashion waits for Smith to guard him to shoot instead of Bibby and gives us another opportunity to take a shot)
(A whole feature on Duhon and since it's Friday night, we'll consider that a shot taking opportunity)
JS: I on the other hand have Joe on my fantasy team and do not like seeing the turnover followed by an airball.
CE: Play defense. I do not understand how we can continue to not play defense.
JS: Just watched Bibby on NBA on TNT last night where he showed how he works the pick and roll. Horford and him just worked that to perfection.
CE: Bibby just got worked and his defense deficiency is so clear in this game.
(Harrington missed that 3 and we get to enjoy another tasty beverage)
JS: Right after Bibby got worked he just did a veteran defensive move by causing that turnover leading to the Hawks getting the ball with 3 secs left and Bibby clanking the shot. Oh well.

Here's Billy Knight with the Halftime Show!

3rd Quarter ("Speedy" Ehlo taking over the typing):
CE: If my predictions are gonna come true, Marvin needs to step it up.
(Harrington misses a layup: 1 more shot)
JS: The Hawks aren't playing defense on Harrington...I guess they know he sucks.
CE: Zaza! Finally!
JS: Excellent play by Marvin, tipping the ball away and getting back for the dunk.
JS: (After watching CE eat a burger)...Ehlo, wipe your hands off before using my computer
CE: Do any of our readers wonder if the hookup between Zaza Pachulia and Andrei Kirilenko (Georgia-Russia) will be like Rocky during the Cold War?
(Harrington misses a three: 1 more shot)
(Harrington misses an ugly three: 1 more shot)
JS: Great pass "Steve Nash"...One of my dreams is to sit courtside at an NBA game and have the ball come to me so I can toss it to the ref.
JS: Gotta give it to the Knicks for getting destroyed by the Cavs and then competing well with the Hawks.
CE: If Al Harrington plays an average game, the Hawks would be up by 15 now.
CE: With 6 seconds left in the quarter, the Hawks inbound to who?? Zaza, of course. Zaza dribbles half the length of the court and then gets fouled attempting a shot! Camera just showed Woody, who had a "just how I drew it up" face.

Shout out to Anonymous Commenter: Thanks for pointing out that Woody is keeping the starters in for too long. We totally agree. Josh Smith admitted he was tired to the sideline reporter, and it was clear that Horford was winded. Furthermore, Joe Johnson never really seemed to be sprinting in any direction - offense or defense. Woody's decision to use the starters so much is also going to have an effect on tomorrow night's game in Dallas.

4th Quarter:
News: Nate Robinson will not return due to a groin injury.
JS: Jared Jeffries just came back from a leg injury and the Knicks have him guarding JJ. Is that a joke?
CE: Josh Smith just took an ugly three from the corner. I don't think that's his best shot, but I'm no expert.
CE: I wish Woody would get Flip some more playing time - his speed will help the Hawks on offense and defense.
CE: My post must have gone to Bibby's head because he isn't shooting well at all. But I guess you can't argue with 9 assists.
(Harrington misses a layup: 1 more shot)
(Harrington misses a three: 1 more shot)
JS: Josh Smith just got a technical foul. He seems to be suffering from a bad case of "do you know who I am? I'm Josh Smith!"
JS: Has Joe hit a three tonight?
CE: 93-92 with 3:00 left, this game is gonna be tight (as predicted!).
JS: Big shot Mike Bibby. He's definitely woken up this quarter.
CE: Hawks up by 3, Knicks have 5.7 seconds to inbound the ball and make a three to send it to overtime. If I'm Woody, I use my last foul-to-give to interrupt the play and take some time off.
JS: They don't do that enough in the NBA, but they should.
CE: Knicks don't get a shot off in the final 5.7 and the Hawks win!!! Harrington and Duhon each had open looks, but the Knicks looked like a team who just didn't know who was supposed to take the last shot. Tough win for the Hawks, but a win is a win.

Tis' the Season to Get Sloppy

2008-12-05T10:38:00.010-05:00

After posting about the struggles the NBA and the Atlanta Hawks have had with attendance this season, I decided that I would come up with a fun way to enjoy tonight's broadcast of the Hawks - Knicks game for all you who are spending your free money on other things. I have come up with a fun drinking game that can be played while watching tonight's game. But remember if you are underage, be very careful not to get caught, do not drink and drive, and when drinking in excess be sure to have a toilet or trash can near by to throw up in. (In all seriousness, if you are underage, do not drink. If you do decide to drink in excess, do have something nearby to puke in. This is very important)

Now on to what can only help you enjoy the absurdity that is the Knicks season, as they enter Philips Arena to do battle with our Atlanta Hawks.

Rule 1: Anytime the announcers mention how perfect a fit Chris Duhon is in Mike D'Antoni's system, take a shot. This is pure Knickerbocker propaganda to try and get their fans to think that what Mike D'Antoni did with Steve Nash, he can do with Chris Duhon. There is a little difference here as Steve Nash has done this and then got to do this the very next year. So take a shot for this comparison between Duhon and Nash, at the extreme absurdity of someone who is in the NBA yet cannot find hotter girls to get pictured with.

Rule 2: Anytime Al Harrington misses a contested shot, take a shot. If the purpose of this game is to get really drunk, well then I think this alone might do the trick. I was going to do something else with Al but then I thought, hmmmm, if we take a shot every time he takes a well advised shot, we might never get to drink. If we take a shot every time he passes the ball to a teammate, we'll be sober AND thirsty by the end. If we take a shot every time he creates a turnover by playing good defense, our liquor would get warm. So it was between a contested shot or every time he turns the ball over, and I decided if it was his turnovers, we might run out of alcohol.

Rule 3: Anytime LeBron James is mentioned without him actually being involved with a play on the court, take a shot. I don't know about you, but I am about as excited for the 2010 Class of Free Agents as Billy is to learn about Chlorophyll. Listen up ESPN, that is 2 YEARS AWAY. I REPEAT, 2 YEARS AWAY. TALK ABOUT SOMETHING ELSE. I am going to love it when LeBron looks at the Knicks roster and just laughs and says "Fooled you dumbasses, why would I want to play with Chris Duhon as my PG? What? Look what D'Antoni did with Nash, he can do the same with Duhon? I bet now you gonna sell me on the fact that David Lee can get me into all the best clubs in the City. Please. I'm LeBron James. There is no way I am playing with Chris Duhon as my PG and David Lee as my C."

Rule 4: Anytime anyone references Stephon Marbury, take a shot. After you take the shot, punch yourself in the stomach and just for good measure maybe the head too. As much as I do not feel bad for the mess the Knicks are currently in, this feeling of the shot followed by a punch to the stomach and hit to the head is about equal to what Starbury is doing to the organization. In order to talk about another person, they say you need to walk a mile in their shoes. If I am going to talk about the Knicks, I'm gonna need to understand the pain that they are currently feeling while dealing with this nutcase. Sadly, I will never understand this drama, nor will understand how anyone could want to do this but I can however slightly understand this.

Rule 5: Anytime you see Nate Robinson actually sneak past the guides and be allowed to ride any roller coaster at Six Flags, please alert an authority figure. In all honesty this is how people get hurt, and that is never fun. Seriously though, if you want to take a shot when Nate Robinson does something, how about every time he looks like a legit NBA player and not some side show out there to get people to watch. I have it from other sources that this is what happens when Nate Robinson gets water on him, so hopefully he does not work up a sweat tonight. (Whew. I just remembered to work up a sweat you actually have to play. Good thing Robinson will not be doing any of that tonight.)

Rule 6: This has to be the easiest one to peg, but anytime Isiah Thomas is mentioned do yourself a favor and finish the rest of whatever it was you were drinking. If the announcers have started talking about Isiah Thomas during the game then there really is not much more to discuss due to the Hawks dominating on the scoreboard or the Knicks showing their incompetency through their terrible roster. Sadly, both of these are likely to occur which will help as the end of the game and your bottle draws near.

If you are at the Hawks game and have played this drinking game, now you have built up enough confidence to go hit on our great A-Town Dancers. If you are like me, and you might need some more alcohol to get the guts to ask them out, just be prepared to get the response that I get - a look as if they cannot hear what you are saying, followed by a personal escort to the nearest exit.

12/5/2008 Preview: HAWKS vs. New York Knickerbockers

2008-12-05T00:14:00.012-05:00

Tonight, the Hawks welcome (with open arms) Q and the dysfunctional New York Knickerbockers. Knickerbocker, a word made famous by Washington Irving in his parody Knickerbocker's History of New York (1809), was historically the name of an obscure clan of Dutchmen in central New York. Now? It's the name of an obscure clan of African-American men (and David Lee) that play at Madison Square Garden. The Knicks are coming into Philips with a record of 8-10, losers of 2 in a row and 7 of their last 10 games. Their last two losses have been to Portland and Cleveland, both teams in the top 5 of many NBA Power Rankings. This game worries me a bit because the Knicks aren't exactly sure what kind of team they are. Remember the Hawks a couple of years ago? They were capable of putting up 110 points one night, but would only score 85 the next.

The difference with the Knicks is that they don't play defense. Last year they gave up 103.5 points per game, and don't seem to be doing any better this year. Look for the Hawks to win a close shootout.

NEWS

The Knicks could have Nate Robinson and Jared Jeffries back tonight. Nate Robinson is a speedy little guy that scores at will, and could give the Hawks defenders some trouble. With Robinson, Al Harrington (remember that guy?), David Lee, and Chris Duhon, the Knicks have a formidable lineup that can definitely score some points.

Meanwhile, the Hawks will be welcoming back a fully healed Josh Smith that should be able to play a whole game. His presence in the lineup speaks for itself.

PREDICTIONS

Top Scorers:
New York: Al Harrington - 24
Atlanta: Marvin Williams - 26

Rebounds:
New York: David Lee - 12
Atlanta: Josh Smith - 10

Assists:
New York: Chris Duhon - 8
Atlanta: Mike Bibby - 8

Game:
Atlanta Wins: 113-106

Ehlo's Excellence (Prediction record):
1-0

Smildress' Just For Fun Spread Prediction:
(1-0 SU, 1-0 ATS)
Hawks win but take the Knicks and the 10.5 points

Solomon Jones Minutes:
7

Famous Knickerbockers:

Payne Stewart (RIP):

The Knickerbocker Bar & Grill:

The Knickerbockers:

The Knickerbocker Cocktail:

Ingredients
2 1/2 ounces golden rum
1 1/2 teaspoons raspberry syrup
1/2 teaspoon orange curacao
1/2 ounce lime juice
lime(s)

Future Knickerbocker:

Dead Knickerbocker Walking:

Bibby Busts (Grizzly) Bear Balls....

2008-12-04T18:59:00.013-05:00

A lot of people are focusing on the chemistry of the unit this year, the play of the bench, the improvement of Solomon Jones' golf game, or the drastic upgrade in Philips Arena hot dog quality as the reasons why the Hawks are playing better this year. My opinion? The answer is two words: Mike Bibby. Not only did I think that before yesterday's game (I swear), but last night's double-double against the Grizzlies confirmed it.

Man, isn't it nice to see a point guard succeed while playing NBA basketball in Atlanta? We've had a couple of decent 1-guards roll through here (JT) and some that were...not so good (T-Lue, Bob "triple-double" Sura, Jaque Vaughn, Dion Glover, Tony Delk, Dan Dickau, Brevin Knight (skip to :31), and Pepe Sanchez, to name a few). For the first time since the 1998-1999 season, the Hawks are likely to have their point guard be a key cog in their playoff run. The last time the Hawks had a point guard LEAD them to the playoffs was back when Bill Clinton was being impeached and the Titanic was sinking.

Even though Bibby was on the squad last year, he joined late and never really gelled with the team (in my opinion). His thumb was all messed up, so he wasn't able to hit the 3 with any consistency. Furthermore, he was coming into a volatile situation with a coach who was hanging on by a thread and players & coaches fighting with each other. In addition, the owners couldn't figure out who owned the team and who gets to make the decisions. Just to put the time into perspective, when Bibby was traded for, Kraft Macaroni & Cheese claimed to be the cheesiest.

Kraft Macaroni & Cheese is still the cheesiest and the ownership situation still sucks...but all of the other factors have changed. On the year, Bibby is averagin g over 16 points per game, and dishing out nearly 5 assists. What's even more impressive is that Bibby is averaging 2.6 threes per game, and has been able to keep his turnovers to a mere 1.5 per game. As he has gotten more comfortable to playing with his teammates, he's been able to perform at the level we all hoped for. Maybe he's playing so well because it's his contract year....but I'm not buying that argument.

In any case, another year with his team has helped develop chemistry and performance that is truly impressive. If he keeps this up, not only will the Hawks probably keep him for the rest of the year, but they may lock him up for years to come.

P.S. - A big shout out goes to Lang Whitaker for featuring us in his Hawks.com weekly column. We appreciate it Lang!

Where O' Where Have all the People Gone

2008-12-04T14:06:00.008-05:00

An interesting article was posted on Yahoo sports today about the attendance problems occurring in the NBA. This article specifically describes the poor attendance at the Hawks - Grizzlies matchup from last night. After seeing some of the pictures from this game, and the fact that the game was not even broadcasted on TV, is anyone a little worried about people buying into the Hawks product?

Let's be honest, attendance has always been a concern in the Atlanta sports market. The Braves rank in the middle of attendance figures despite the fact that they are consistently one of the better teams in the National League (please ignore this year). The Falcons have a hard time selling out to even allow their games to be broadcasted on local networks. This despite the fact that they are one game out of the division lead. And now the Hawks, who after last year's playoffs seemed to have taken a huge step in attracting a crowd, have fallen into the attendance black hole as well.

During these difficult economic times it is getting more and more difficult to attend a NBA sporting event. People are not going to dish out $50 to see a game between Memphis and Atlanta, when they could easily use that cash to buy dinner at one of my favorite Atlanta sport bars, Twisted Taco, and still have some left over for a fun night at the Cheetah. (Twisted Taco + The Cheetah > Atlanta v. Memphis) (And yes that was shameless pub for the Cheetah and Twisted Taco)

Charge that much for admission when LeBron comes to town. Charge that price when, I hate to say this, Boston comes to play us. Charge the higher price when the Lakers and their Hollywood fans invade Philips. I have no problem with the high prices when the quality of basketball is going to be equally as high. But a game against Memphis? Please. There is no way people are going to dish out any kind of dough to see that team play for the same reason no one would pay to see the Hawks four years ago. (Case in point found here and here)

In fact, the Chicago Cubs (and other MLB teams) have higher pricing for "prime games" and lower pricing for less than prime games...hey...Atlanta Spirit...hear that??

The NBA needs to get a grip on the reality of the economic situation in the country and if they want less arenas looking like this picture below, do something about the ticket prices. It's not like the quality of play is going to increase any time soon when teams keep drafting players on their potential instead of actual skill. But that is a topic for another time.

Hawks Beat Grizzlies 105-95

2008-12-03T21:35:00.002-05:00

More to Come Later

Three Down and Countless More To Go

2008-12-03T18:01:00.009-05:00

Word from sources out of Toronto is that the Raptors have fired their head coach. This is surprising to say the least, as Sam Mitchell is just two years removed from being named the NBA Coach of the Year. (Woody is still waiting for the NBA to give him the same recognition) Sam Mitchell led the Raptors to a 156-189 record in his five years with the team (if you do not like math that equals to a .452 winning percentage). He graduated from Mercer college in Macon, GA and if, fingers crossed, Woodson was ever to get the axe, his name is sure to pop up. Keep track now that three NBA coaches have been fired this season (Eddie Jordan and PJ Carlesimo being the others) and Woodson is still staring in disbelief on our sideline. Just for good measure, Woodson is 112-228 in his 4+ years with us. Again for the non-math fans this equates to a .329 winning percentage.

UPDATE 12/4/08: It seems the folks at firesammitchell.com are pretty happy with this decision.

Hawks In Da News

2008-12-03T11:00:00.005-05:00

Have no fear loyal readers, none of our players have had any sort of run-ins with the law, as of now. There was that incident back in March where a past player who shall not be named, did find himself in a wee bit of trouble. But other than that it has been smooth sailing since. Here are some links to new Hawks articles around the web today. This is just a short and quick post, but expect a longer, more well-thought-out post later tonight.

First billing will have to go to everyone's favorite AJC beat writer seen here talking to Childress. I am pretty sure that picture is from last year, unless Sekou has been traveling to Greece without telling us...Anyway here is his blog where he talks about the new cohesiveness the team has. Personally, I do not see what took so long for this to happen, as most of these guys have been around each other for a while.

I touched on it yesterday and looks like I beat Sekou to the punch by a few hours, but Josh Smith is indeed coming back to play tonight against Memphis. He is worried about rushing things and promises to take it slow, hopefully he moves a little quicker than he did to resign with us this summer.

The Atlanta Hawks web page spent some time with the Memphis Grizzlies Manager of Communications and for some reason felt that he was the best person in their organization to give a preview of the upcoming game tonight. At first I thought, the Manager of Communications, this is the guy to provide insight? But at another glance, and further investigation, the kid is legit, he even has a Memphis Grizzlies blog. And in fact, here is a link to his preview of the game where he interviews Micah Hart about the matchup.

Here is CNNSi's NBA power rankings. I don't really understand why we are 13 behind plenty of teams that we beat, including some with worse records (I'm looking at you New Orleans). But I do agree with his assessment on being proud of our away record. Seriously this little tidbit needs to get more recognition as we have almost won half as many games on the road as we did last year.

Speaking of power rankings, ESPN has us a little better clocking in at the number 11 spot. This one does not make me as angry as CNNSi, except the New Orleans fightin' Paul's are still in front of us. And using a statistical system that I will never be able to comprehend, Hollinger puts us at number 14. This is moving up from last week's ranking of 17, well la-di-freakin-da.

ESPN has also done an awards prediction article, even though we have only played one month into the season, the all-knowing sports network is ready to predict who will win what award. Look to number nine on the MVP watch, and also check out our boys getting dominated by Devin Harris. Thanks ESPN for including a picture of the Hawks in a shot where four of our players look like they just got worked. Can't wait to watch our ONE nationally televised game with you guys in two weeks.

Lastly, nothing to do with the Atlanta Hawks, but cool nonetheless, for all those who have been to Venice, does this cost as much as a gondola ride, and if so, why would anyone do that slow boat ride?

(Forgot to add this, but some people in Vegas think the Hawks got this game by 9 points, if I was a betting man, I'd say this number might be a tad low and that the Hawks win and cover the points)

12/3/08 Preview: HAWKS vs. Memphis Grizzlies

2008-12-02T22:17:00.000-05:00

Tonight the Hawks welcome back Josh Smith against the Grizzlies of Memphis (Elvis Presley and Jim Neeley fame). In his second year since graduating from Georgia Tech, Javaris Crittenton will ride the bench as his team visits Philips Arena as the worst team in the Southwest Division, with a record of 4-13. Memphis has lost 6 in a row and 9 out of their last ten. However, their rookie sensation, O.J. Mayo, just won Western Conference Rookie of the Month honors, so look for them to come out with great intensity to try and win a game in his honor.

PREDICTIONS

Top Scorers:

Memphis: O.J. Mayo - 27

Atlanta: Joe Johnson - 32

Assists:

Memphis: Mike Conley - 7

Atlanta: Mike Bibby - 8

Rebounds:

Memphis: Rudy Gay - 8

Atlanta: Al Horford - 12

Game:

Atlanta Wins, 108-91

Othello Hunter Minutes:

Mascot Relations:

The Grizzly is a type of bear. Other famous bears:

Paul "Bear" Bryant:

Yogi Bear:

Winnie the Pooh:

Smokey Bear:

Mascot Deaths:

A dead Grizzly Bear:

Welcome Back JSmoove, How I Have Missed You

2008-12-02T14:20:00.001-05:00

Well the long awaited return of our favorite shot blocker extraordinaire is finally upon us. I can only speak for myself when trying to contain the glee I feel about seeing number 5 get back in the paint and start swatting those shots into section 210. (Those 3 point attempts on the other hand, I can wait to see) But in all seriousness, this return to the lineup can only do good things for our team. The Hawks did go 6-6 in the 12 games Smoove missed, of which 8 were on the road. But in watching these past 12 games it was clearly evident that the team would have performed on a totally different level had J-Smoove been in the lineup.

For instance, I'm fairly confident that having Smith play could only have helped our team win when they lost by one in Boston. Then with those back to back games against the New Jersey Nets, Smith would have easily helped send at least one of Devin Harris' shots into the stands. I mean this is the same Devin Harris that had trouble stopping some British guy in street clothes.

!Game Analysis Warning!
Josh's biggest impact may be in the help he gives Mike Bibby on the defensive end. Unfortunately, Bibby can't really guard the quick point guards in the league anymore. Bibby's inadequacy on the defensive end leaves Joe Johnson with the burden of guarding the usually quicker PG for opposing teams in addition to carrying our team offensively. These two responsibilities have been clearly weighing on Joe as his scoring output the past few games has been 4, 15, 18, and 18. Though we are 2-2 in those games, these scoring numbers are just not going to get it done.

But back to the topic - with the help of Josh Smith behind him, maybe Bibby can guard the PG again. This time, if they blow by him - which we know they will - Smoove will be there to send that shot away. And let's be honest, if the man can do this to Dwight Howard, he surely can take a TJ Ford layup and give the shot a new planetary orbit around the sun. See, if you look at the Hawks losses in Smoove's absence - Boston, New Jersey twice, Indiana, Cleveland, and Toronto - you can see that most of these teams have a PG who is quicker than Bibby. This quicker PG can easily get to the basket and put points up on the board. (You are going to have to ignore the Cleveland game because they have LeBron and he can do this )

So understand that the return of Smith can only bring good prospects to our team. With him back, the defense can play up on their man so if they get beat Josh is there to to scare them from taking a layup. With Smith back, Joe won't be getting to tired on defense to bring his offensive A-game. With Smoove back, the Hawks will also return that swagger that has been missing. All these reasons and more is why I am excited to watch the game tomorrow night against Memphis (albeit on yahoo gametracker...No TV? Are you kidding me?). I mean in all seriousness the least his return does is move Horford back to his natural (Hawks) position of center...right?

An Open Letter: To My Favorite Georgian

2008-12-02T00:13:00.000-05:00

Dear Mr. Pachulia,

Last year you were an enigma. In fact, you spent nearly 80 games picking your nose and plucking your eyebrows. But no worries, because you awoke at the perfect time. When Philips Arena was sold out to the masses, louder than ever before (see Hollinger from ESPN - "Of the five arenas I've been to in this postseason, Philips was easily the loudest"), you decided to strut your massive caucasian body out onto the court and let the NBA know of your physical prowess. You earned your playing time with hard work, a defensive intensity that the '85 Bears couldn't match, and European brute strength and intimidation. Surely, it wasn't pretty watching you muscle up ugly layups and grab critical rebounds, but we - the fans of our beloved Hawks - appreciated your hard work and newfound energy and willingness to beat the crap out of the biggest douche in the NBA.

We wondered over the offseason, would you improve? Would you take what you've learned about the playoffs and create a new drive to make it there again? Would you work on your English so your courtside interviews (however few and far between) would be even a tad more understandable? What would Zaza Pachulia, the energizer bunny of the Hawks playoff series with the Celtics, bring to the table in 2008-2009?

Well, we've seen both sides of you, Zaza, thusfar this season. When you've come out with a clear sense of intensity and urgency, you've been one of the best 8th men in the NBA. In the last game you played, on Saturday 11/29, you started and destroyed Toronto's big men on your way to 17 rebounds. 17 REBOUNDS?!?! The only player with more on the night was Emeka Okafor, who is being paid $12,000,000.00 this year. Zaza, when you come to play, you are a force. When you don't, you look like Lebron's mother being told to sit her ass down. Admittedly, you've had some serious stinkers - games where you look lost out there. Zaza, you have some games that make the fans think you just took a nyquil instead of a dayquil, like you hit the shower head with your head, or like Robert "Tractor" Traylor sat on you earlier in the day.

Are you inconsistent? Yes. Is that to be expected from a big man who gets sporadic minutes? Of course. But do the fans deserve to see you give it your all for 82 games, whether in the playoffs, heading to the playoffs, or bumbling around in last place? You better believe it. Would you like to taste some of my grandmother's sweet potato souffle? Only you can answer that.

The point is this - no matter if you start and log 25 minutes or come off the bench for 10, you should play like your salary depends on it. Is it a sham when Mike Woodson (who will get his due in another post) sits you for a whole game? Yeah...but no matter what, when you're name is called, you better bust ass. The fans want to see more of this and this, and less of this.

Zaza, you are clearly Ryan Cameron's favorite name to yell over the PA in Philips Arena (ZA ZA PACHUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUULIA). Here's hoping we hear it more often.

Sincerely,
Your Biggest Fans

P.S. - This is awesome:

Billy Knight did not in fact, take my Lunch Money

2008-12-01T20:10:00.000-05:00

Aside from what you will read above this post, let me go on record as saying Billy Knight did not take my lunch money. However, the past Hawks GM did take all my money I would have spent at fast food restaurants, downtown bars, and/or Strip Clubs. To be honest, I did have some money left over for strip clubs. Billy Knight took my money by having me spend countless nights stuck inside Phillips Arena with about 423 people "enjoying" the product he put on the floor. But do not worry, this blog is not going to be countless posts about the mistakes of the Billy Knight era for the Atlanta Hawks, cough, Shelden Williams, CP3, Speedy Claxton, Al Harrington, Antoine Walker, cough, cough. Rather this blog will be about our current team and everything to do with the Atlanta Hawks. (cheer now) Check back here for a fan's perspective on the game that will not be influenced by the Atlanta Hawks organization, or anyone else getting paid by the team.

Are you pissed that JSmoove keeps shooting those threes? Well don't be, if you did not know he is hitting 4 out of every 11 on the year. Are you angry that Speedy gets to still sleep at five star hotels and enjoy the many travel accomodations with the team? Stop that foolishness, because I have it on reliable sources, that on some nights, he has to share a hotel room with Randolph Morris and the rumor is, that Morris has the stinkiest feet on the team. Are you in love with that face that Woodson displays every time something bad starts happening to the team? I know you know the one I am talking about, it's the one where he just stares off into the stands praying that the hot dog vendor would come down closer to the Hawks bench so he can grab at least six of them.

If all of these things whet your appetite or get you the wee bit interested, well then this blog is the right place for you. Enter comments, post thoughts and hope you enjoy reading this blog and remember that once the Knight is over, the sun always will rise.