WHO ARE THE AD WIZARDS THAT CAME UP WITH THIS ONE!?!

If the Thrashers and Hawks had the exact same marketing slogans just three years apart, I'd chalk it up to yet another notch on the TJ Maxx discount-bin belts of the Atlanta Spirit LLC (a cheapness that for SOME inexplicable REASON did not extend to Mr. Joe Johnson).

However, what I would like to know, is how the fuck did THIS happen:

I know the ad industry is hurting right now, and that more people have watched that video on YouTube than attended Hawks games that season (Antoine Walker, Al Harrington and Ren Wright RIP as the main three attractions!), but c'mon, generic sports marketing agency. That's just lazy.

At least the Atlanta Spirit is Alive

Thoughts on the Jamal Crawford deal in a second. First, some draft thoughts:

• If Acie Law couldn't see significant run in two years under Mike Woodson, I don't see Teague seeing the floor much more. With Crawford, JoeJ and Bibby and/or Flip returning, there's not room in the backcourt for another guard that needs touches to be effective. I suppose that with Mike Woodson's "pass to Joe with 18 seconds left on the shotclock and let him run the offense" offense, the Hawks don't need a true pass first PG, but they've seemed to corner the market on veterans like Teague.
  

• Still, I'm more bullish on his long term potential than I ever was on Law's. Teague will be two years younger than Law was his rookie season, is significantly more athletic, and played at an elite level of college ball from the second he stepped on the court at Wake, while Law didn't really come into his own until his senior year at Texas A&M. Like most Hawks bloggers, I never felt that Woodson gave Law a fair shake and I hope he does well with GSW, but I don't think we will feel much of a difference with Teague receiving Law's 10mpg.
  

• Much like his Spanish national teammates Pau Gasol and Juan Carlos Navarro, I don't think I will ever be a big Ricky Rubio fan, albeit for different reasons from those two maricons. Okay, so the kid doesn't want to go to Minnesota. They have a solid young nucleus, but whatever, you were hoping for a bigger market. Unfortunately, you knew you were going in the #2-#6 range this whole time. You know what teams/markets were picking there? Memphis, Oklahoma City, Sacramento, Washington (pick traded to Minny - by the way...how fucking stupid to the Wizards feel now...that's probably the one place Rubio DEFINITELY would have gone, and they had that pick 48 hours before the draft!) and Minnesota. You weren't going to a big market no matter what, Ricky. Other than OKC, there is no better situation in that group than Minnesota. If this kid is smart, and has smart folks advising him, he will be with the Wolves next year. They own his rights for the foreseeable future. Unless he wants to toil in international obscurity playing in Spain or Turkey until he's a 22-year-old fading prospect, he will sign with the Wolves and prove he can beat out a solid-but-not -spectacular American college star like Johnny Flynn.
  

• No clue what the Wolves were thinking with that Flynn pick. Rubio/Flynn backcourt will never work and is a defensive nightmare. Curry pick wouldn't have been much better, Hill would be buried behind Jefferson/Love, and it was probably too high to reach on DeRozan/Terrance Williams. The lesson? It's not a good thing to have eighty picks in a shitty draft.
  

• The Wolves just pissed me off on draft night even more by taking Ty Lawson at #18 and moving him to Denver. Three Top 18 picks, and the Wolves could seriously be looking at only Johnny Flynn to show for it. At least they got folks in the media talking about them and their GM, aye Simmons? Anyways, would have loved to see Lawson in a Hawks uni next year...quick as shit in transition, better passer than Teague, proven track record on a winning college team (matters more than you'd think....unless you went to Duke), and an injury-proneness that would fit right in. Alas...

• I've been sure of few things more than I was sure that Indiana was taking Tyler Hansborough at #11. Good jeez...Bird has destroyed that team (assist from Ron-Ron). Five years ago they were a fairly young team that was among the most talented in the league. Now their collecting average white guys like they're casting a fucking overrated Hollywood comedy.
  

• Speaking of white guys...hipster blogger fetishization alert!!!! Brandon. Jennings. a.k.a. Young Money. A much more reasoned, logical and less holier-than-thou take here.
  

While we're here, some early thoughts on the pre-draft trades not-involving Jamal Crawford:

• I like the Shaq deal for Cleveland...I'm not sure how so many media types and NBA fans can say that if the Cavs had acquired Shaq four months ago, it would have been a huge help against Orlando; but, now it smacks of desperation. Sure, it would have been ideal if they made the trade during the season, but they, along with EVERYONE FUCKING ELSE, thought they had more than enough to beat Orlando. Hindsight, 20/20 and all that shit.
  

• Shaq will help Cleveland, but the Cavs still need a consistent outside shooter than Shaq can kick it out to from the post or LeBron can fallback on when the lane collapses on him. Sheed Wallace would be a nice fit here, as Turkoglu has been priced out of their range. This season really is it for the Cavs. I see it as HIGHLY unlikely that if they win the NBA title in '10, LeBron is visiting other teams a few short weeks later as a free agent. Ergo, an NBA title is a must, and so is going out and acquiring whatever parts are necessary...cap room be damned, as it will be made up with four more seasons of LeBron in Cleveland.
  

• What's not to like about the VC deal to Orlando? For the first time in his career, Carter won't be called upon to carry the brunt of the scoring load. The Magic needed to figure out the sketchy Alston-Nelson PG situation and did so swiftly, while also filling their biggest need, a swingman that can slash to the basket and take advantage of the good perimeter shooting on the roster. Major balls award to the Magic brass. They could have been content with their Finals appearance and Nelson coming back at full strength. Instead, they seriously upgraded their team to the NBA elite, just in case there was any doubt they weren't there already.
  

• One caveat: The VC deal makes it slightly less likely the Magic will resign Hedo Turk, who made himself a ton of money after an excellent playoff run. Rightfully so, Turk's agent will seek a 4-5 year deal, and well, I'd like to offer a sympathetic cringe to the team that eventually placates to those demands (looking at you, Detroit). Turkoglu is more valuable to the Magic than any other team because the offense they run is perfect for him. With Nelson running the show, Turk and Lewis as the shooters spreading the floor, VC as the primary scoring option off the wing, and Howard more than able to hold his own down low, I couldn't imagine a starting five that fits better together. I hope they re-sign Hedo, but I wouldn't bet on it.
  

• Richard Jefferson to the Spurs! It's almost like Popovich and RC Buford realized that plugging their holes with crappy Euros and washed up vets was no longer working. Jefferson will provide the solid perimeter defense that Bruce Bowen received credit for but hasn't provided in four years. He'll also be able to spell Manu during the season so that he is fresher for the playoffs. I'm not gonna go overboard on the DaJuan Blair pick, but if he can provide a Big Baby/Leon Powe type infusion to the Spurs bench, that would be a plus. Suddenly, the Spurs are a solid MLE acquisition away from being "done" to throwing themselves right back into the CLE-LAL-ORL-BOS category.
  

• Poor Yao Ming. Being 7'6 must suck. Well except for the millions of dollars he's made. Allow me to rephrase. Being 7'6 and hailing from an oppressive communist party dictatorship that forces you to play through career-threatening injuries for a shitty national team every summer must suck.
  

• Anyways, I really like the way this summer is shaping up for the Lig. One of the NBA's biggest problems in recent years was non-franchise guys being paid like franchise guys (VC, Jefferson, Bosh, Gasol, Pierce, KG). All those guys have been Da Main on crappy lottery teams in the last 2-3 seasons; and now, all are on contending squads, save for Bosh (who will be paired up with either LeBron or Wade next summer, believe that). None of those guys should ever be franchise players, but put them together, or alongside true franchise players (Kobe, LBJ, Wade, Duncan, Howard) and what you're looking at is a highly competitive upper class of teams. I'm fine with this. I want to see the best players in the playoffs. It's not like baseball, where its a big-market-little-market situation, as Orlando, San Antonio, and Cleveland are all involved. Simply put, the second tier of NBA stars are realizing that if they want their ring, they need to give up some shots, let go of some ego, and play with better players. This should make for yet another great season in what is shaping up to be a phenomenal era of NBA basketball.
  

Finally, the Jamal Crawford deal: I don't really like it, but won't know for sure until camp breaks.

As far as I have seen from his game, he can do one thing well...score. He's not a great shooter, he's not a great passer. His assist-TO ratio isn't anything special. No team with Crawford starting has ever made the playoffs. No team with Crawford on the roster has either.

Now, I do like Jamal Crawford off the bench. As a 6th man, playing the Flip role of instant offense, Crawford would be a legitimate asset. If the Hawks re-sign Bibby or sign Andre Miller or some other quality starting PG (Ty Lue/Anthony Carter don't count), then Crawford off the bench, backing up both guard positions and allowing Joe to play less than 44mpg is an enormous upgrade.

I don't see it playing out that way, however. I think the Hawks brought in Crawford to be the starting PG. Unfortunately, dude needs the ball in his hands to be effective. If Joe Johnson is running the offense for 18 out of the 24 seconds of the shotclock, what is Crawford doing? If we are to believe that the Hawks already had too many shooters and were better off when someone (i.e. Marvin or Josh Smith) was out, allowing more clearly defined roles among the scorers, than how does adding another scorer to the mix help? Does this mean Marvin is gone? Can you really rock out with a starting lineup of Crawford-JoeJ-Marvin-Smoove-Horford? That could turn into one of those "I gotta get mine" Nuggets squads from 05-08 pretty quickly, and I don't see Mike Woodson as some sort of offensive genius that is able to figure it all out.

So there you go. More questions than answers with the Hawks right now. May as well wait and see what they do in free agency before the annual fretting. Credit to Sund and the Atlanta Spirit for mixing it up and doing something already this summer. Now we just got to figure out what that something is.

Post-Mortem on an Unsatisfying, Satisfying Season

We didn't write anything much of note during the Hawks-Cavs series. In our eyes, it has all been said. Sure we could re-hash the same shit that had been said all season about JoeJ being given the keys to the O ala a Kobe or Wade, Horford needing more touches, Acie getting more run, Smoove being wasted on the perimeter, etc. etc. etc. But in all honestly, we've grown sick of saying we're sick of repeating those same complaints. So when those and other issues reared their ugly head during the Cavs series, it was no surprise.

Injuries and, by extension, a weak bench didn't help. Neither did the fact that the Cavs are just a better coached team that also features the best player on the fucking planet. That the Hawks lost was not a surprise.

In all honesty though, I was hoping for a run akin to the Celtics series last year. Maybe pushing it to seven games would have been a stretch, but a home win or two was not out of the question. Alas, it was not meant to be, and here is where we stand as Hawks fans:

• With a coach that has done a below-average-at-best job of developing the plethora of talent on the roster or devising a gameplan to fit their talents. It should be noted that due to THE ASSHATS THAT ARE THE ATLANTA SPIRIT, said coach will be retained despite eleven (!) playoff losses of greater than ten points in a year's time.
  

• A "best player" that will never the best player on a championship team. I love JoeJ, and in the right situation, he can absolutely be an all-star on a contender (think Paul Pierce last year). But he absolutely cannot be the end-all-be-all in crunch time situations.
  

• A free agent point guard that, while aging, is a ideal fit for this team. You can either resign said point guard, or head into next season with the two options being Acie Law, who hates the coach, and Speedy Claxton, whose expiring contract could be one of the Hawks main weapons next year. Let's just move on.
  

• Marvin Williams as a restricted free agent. If you don't anticipate this situation playing out exactly like Josh Smith's "lowball offer--->teams scared off by 10 day matching period--->sign a below market contract with a shitty team--->Hawks match offer" last year, well then you just haven't been following the Hawks long enough.

• Two quality players overseas (Josh Childress, David Andersen) that the Hawks hold the rights to. There about a 0.0000000006% chance that either of them will ever suit up for this team in the future.
  

• Josh Smith trade rumors. Please. He's not going anywhere, nor should he. As anyone who's watched the playoffs the last two seasons, he has the talent and ability to be our best player on the court, and often is. Unfortunately, he also doesn't get along with ole Woody, so stagnation will reign supreme.
  

So does anyone anticipate any upcoming moves by the Hawks this offseason, other than a couple of Flip Murray/MoE signings to replenish the bench and make up for natural free agent attrition? (Zaza, you will be missed, but you'll no doubt be relieved to know that you will retain your spot on Sue's sidebar indefinitely.) As long as this ownership mess continues, there is probably no bigtime shakeup coming in the near future, so trying to guess any impending moves is ultimately useless. This means you're looking at a Wizards-type situation, where your nucleus (with the current coach) probably has a ceiling of a 4 or 5 seed and the conference semis.

This was undoubtedly the most enjoyable Hawks season in more than a decade. Unfortunately, there doesn't seem to be much room for an improvement in personnel or on the sideline. That, combined with the way the Hawks went out against the Cavs, kind of puts a sour taste on a sweet season.

ATLas Nudged

Again, please check out the usual suspects for coherent thoughts and analysis on Game 2 (none of which will be pleasing, anyways). As per normal, we have no clue what to expect from the Hawks until we see their backs against the wall at home in the playoffs. It's getting tiresome, but it's their M.O. Also, until I settle into my seat on Saturday night, I'm just going to assume JoeJ is playing, so if you hear otherwise, don't let me know.

Speaking of the Hawks homecourt, I'd like to point toward a post over at FreeDarko that talks about the unique dichotomy between the city of Atlanta and its' basketball collective. As is the case with most FreeDarko jobs, the piece focuses on the strong racial identities that comprise Atlanta's rich history.

Unfortunately, I fail to see the connection between the two. The mish-mash of vibrant talent/occupants/players and top-down disorganization may be comparable for both ATL and the Hawks, but I don't think that Atlanta's racial history provides a link between the two, and that part of the author's thesis is a stretch; but I think there is another, similar direction that does work here.

Atlanta fans of all races, classes and point-of-origins are bandwagoners by-and-large when it comes to in-house support. Given the makeup of this city, transplants and lower per-capita incomes compared to most similar markets (not mutually exclusive), fans are hesitant to attend games often and engage themselves in the day-to-day followings of a team. And that's fine. I may have watched a shitton of Hawks games during the Jason Terry era, but I'm also a masochist. I certainly couldn't begrudge a Hawks fan for simply checking the box score and reading the game recap of a Hawks loss to the Wizards and subsequently focusing their attention elsewhere.

The fact of the matter is, Atlantans really do care and follow sports, even moreso then most major cities. The TV numbers prove that (seriously, click that link) for most sports, but especially for the NBA, which can in part attributed to the large black population in Atlanta. But as has been the case with the Braves, Thrashers and Falcons, Atlantans of any race aren't going to come out, watch and spend money on a losing franchise. So when the Hawks were losing all those years, it wasn't that ATL was a bad basketball town, but rather, that the locals don't want to spend money on a shit product (Sweetwater IPA excluded - HEYO!).

So the Hawks started winning, and what happened? Well, much like with the Braves in 1991 or the Falcons during the Vick era, the fans came out in droves. A significant homecourt advantage was suddenly omnipresent. The intimate nature of a basketball arena (not to mention the constant action) allows for louder crowds than an outdoor baseball game or larger domed football facility. Suddenly, the Hawks have one of the most significant home court advantages in the league. This shouldn't be surprising to anyone following Atlanta's demographics or fandom patterns over the years.

I love the diversity at Hawks games. I love the enthusiasm and passion and newness feel there is to being a Hawks fan again. It's like going through a brutal breakup with a girl and getting back together and starting the honeymoon period all over again. And that is where this current Hawks squad narrative runs parallel with their fans'.

This is all new to the players too. They're young, brash and confident. They're loud and they believe anything can happen. When shit gets bad, they're willing to pack it in (read some of the posts linked to above), but they always believe that they could be at another level were it not for certain hindrances (for both fans and players, this would be Woodson/ownership).

Sometimes it's best not to over-complicate things in sports. A newly enthused fan base is out there with pride, supporting a team they enjoy to watch playing a sport they love. The city of Atlanta and this Hawks team just fit. Maybe it wasn't preordained, but I could see how one would think that.

Party Like It's 1999

My favorite Josh Smith shot

Mike Woodson, the seventh longest tenured coach in the Lig, just endured a coaching stalemate with a rookie head coach. The Hawks' all-star played as such for exactly one game in the last two weeks. The transition offense still sucks, and Josh Smith should never leave the low post. Everything that every Hawks blogger has said all year is still absolutely true.

But I'm sick of writing about all of that, as correct as it may be. Right now, I just want to revel in the fact that my favorite team just won their first playoff series in a decade. This team is no different than it was a week, or two, or three ago. The weaknesses remain the same and probably will for the remainder of the playoffs. Pay that no mind for the next few hours, because at this point the Hawks are playing with house money, much like they were in that epic opening round last season.

Quite honestly, I feel alot better heading into this series than I did against that Celtics. And we know what happened there. Don't sleep on 'these Hawks...because you'll miss something interesting.

Actual analysis to follow tonight's showdown. GO. HAWKS.

Where Bad Possum Analogies Happen

What happens when you play possum for too long

Though I would never place money against my team to lose a series or game outright, I thought heading into the playoffs that the Heat would emerge from Round 1 victorious, thus setting up a LeBron-Wade ESPNgasm in Round 2.

True, the Hawks at any given time have five of the six or seven best players on the court (the same would be true against the Cavs), but when the best player on the court is leaps and bounds better than everyone on your squad, having four really solid options out there can only take you so far. It also doesn't help when your go-to guy is doing his best impression of Steve Smith, #1 option, circa 1996-97.

As ugly as Game 3 was, and it was indeed Zaza-after-a-16-hour-coke-binge ugly, if the Hawks can win tonight they get homecourt and the momentum back heading into a rowdy Game 5 at Philips. Win tonight and all the ugly memories of Wednesday and Saturday disappear. Win tonight and I can stop having nightmares of Dwayne Wade hitting bank shots off my ex-girlfriend's bare chest. Lose tonight, and it probably makes more sense to cancel the Charter for Game 6 and put that money to hiring a new coach, because these guys aren't winning a Game 6 in Miami.

Apologies for the fluff analysis, but everything that's been said about needing to double Wade, stop running Joe isos, dishing it to Horford, inane substitution patterns and the like has already been said all over the Hawkosphere. I'm sick of it. Either 1. win or 2. fire Woodson. I'm happy with option one, I can live with option two.

Quick Hits on other series:

• The lucky winner of Hawks-Heat gets to face a rested Cavs team that will likely have a week off before Round 2. That should be fun. Though the amount of garbage time in this series is giving many Hawks/Heat starters ample rest in their own right.

• Allen Iverson, thanks for playing! Good god, have you ever seen a team deteriorate so fast by adding a future Hall-of-Famer to their rotation? Mitch Richmond is jealous. I love A.I., but dude played this whole situation like a total prick. His career can go in one of two directions now: He can go to a team like the Clippers or Bobcats, get his shots and stats, and win 30 games a season, OR, he can embrace his limitations and immediately become the best 6th man in the Lig, providing what Ginobili or JT give you off the bench, only on a grander scale. Either way, his days of being a prime scoring option on a contender are long gone.
  

• There's no aspect of the Celtics-Bulls series that wasn't covered in that long ass Simmons piece, so I'll just give a tip-o-dee-cap and say I'm enjoying the hell out of it as well. Even moreso since OBJ bet me $25 at even odds that the Bulls would win the series (after Game 1).

• I've been a staunch holdout, but yeah, even I can admit it now: the Spurs-as-title-contender era is probably FIN. That's what happens when you load up your bench with 35-year-olds, insist that Bruce Bowen is anything other than a mediocre defender at this point in his career, and improbably feature Matt Bonner as a 4th option at times. I know there is a tendency to give RC Buford and Pop the benefit of the doubt when it comes to personnel moves, but it's been quite a few years since they upgraded their role players. Imagine how much better the Spurs would be with Flip Murray or Mo Evans coming off the bench to provide instant offense or defense.
  

• As good as Denver looked in Games 1, 2, and the early parts of Game 3, do not count the Hornets out. Again, it comes back to that whole "when the best player on the court owns everyone else out there..." rule.
  

• On the other hand, the Blazers have about as good a chance of stepping on the court in Round 2 as that possum pictured above does. A crashed bus full of prisoners doesn't empty as fast as that whole "Blazers can challenge the Lakers!" bandwagon did.
  

• Even though I don't really like anyone on that team, I'm thoroughly enjoying the fact that the Rockets are about to advance to the second round of the playoffs...without T-Mac. Karma's a bitch. And yes, the Rockets do match up well with the Lakers. And no, it won't matter. Lakers win that one in six.
  

• The final four minutes of these Sixers-Magic games are required viewing for any hoops-head. The preceding 44 minutes are definitely not. Whatever though...I love the first round of the NBA playoffs. Every night feels like that opening Thursday-Friday of March Madness, only involving teams and players I'm actually interested.
  

GO. HAWKS.

8 Thoughts on an 8 Man Rotation That Thankfully No Longer Includes Mario West (kinda)

Close your eyes, shut your mouth and hope for the best.

Before we lose our Hawks Blogger Card, and since we attended both games at Philips, I figure we may as well throw up some thoughts on the first two games of Hawks-Heat. Get it on:

1. The Hawks have played well in both games. The Heat, on the other hand, played like shit in Game 1 (37% FG, 17% 3FG) and out of their damned minds in Game 2 (55% FG, 57% 3FG). It's very unlikely that Miami will replicate their performance of either game, and the Hawks will always win if the Heat play as poorly as they did in G1, and they (or any NBA team) will lose against a performance from D-Wade and Co. in G2. I see the Heat finding an equilibrium for the rest of the series, thus resulting in some close games from here on out.

2. I like the chances of Daequan Cook not going 6-9 from the three point line for the rest of his series. Similarly, while I'm hoping that Eminem can channel his inner-2001 when Relapse drops next month, I'm hoping the exact opposite for Jermaine O'Neal the rest of this series.

3. I've been a Hawks fan since I was 8-years-old, watched most all the games through the "Big 4 (as in four total playoff wins)" days, as well as the "Jason Terry is our #1 option? Really?" days, so I like to say that I'm not a bandwagon fan. That said, I do prefer to attend Hawks games against star-studded opponents. To those who went to Games 1 and 2 solely for the Dwayne Wade factor, they weren't dissapointed. They got to see some sick dunks in Game 1 and/or a classic playoff-Wade performance in Game 2. But from here on out, screw him.

4. I am a big fan of Josh Smith, Playoff Basketball Player. A vast improvement over the regular season version.

5. Not sure what's gotten into JoeJ, but he doesn't seem like himself out there. It appears that he's pressing, using more behind-the-back dribbles and jukes than normal in order to penetrate the defense and get to the basket. I also don't like him on Wade unless MoE is on the bench. Marvin has played very well considering his injury, but nobody on this roster can be as effective on Wade as MoE, and it's not in the Hawks best interest offensively to have JoeJ expending the energy on the defensive end needed against D-Wade. So basically, I'd like to see MO MO out there (sorry). Speaking of which...

6. OBJ and Bret from Hoopinion disagree with me, but I'm in favor of doubling (or at least bringing a help defender in the general vicinity of) Wade around the three point line. Again, I'll take my chances of Cook hitting 6-9 beyond the arc or Haslem knocking down 18-footers with ease. That said, switching on pick-and-rolls consistently doesn't help the defense, either.

7 I still have no idea whether or not Beasley is a future stat-sheet filler, or a lifetime enigma ala Kenyon Martin or Derrick Coleman (that can shoot 3s). Given that dude is only 20, I guess nobody really knows. Worthless thinking aloud.

8. So basically, we know nothing yet. The Heat are all over the board, the Hawks predictably looked good at home, and (gulp) they haven't yet hit the road. So there's still alot of ball to play. Just wanted to mention, however, that the home crowd on Wednesday for Game 2 was by far and away the worst Hawks home playoff crowd I've ever experienced. I'm not exactly Mr. Punctuality by any means, but when I saunter into my "adopted" seats midway through the first quarter, I plan on cheering, being loud, waving those gay towels and pretty much standing up anytime anything happens. So while I apologize to the folks that repeatedly told us to sit down and/or move during Game 2; it's not happening, brother. Go watch the game at Outback or attend a regular season game against the Clippers if you want to sit and drink your wine during a basketball game.

GO. HAWKS.

QUICK, HIT THIS...

Steam of consciousness yo...

*I know it was a meaningless contest, but did anyone see that abortion of a final possession by Miami during Tuesday night's Hawks game? I mean, as someone with no discernible basketball talent above a high school (OKAY MIDDLE SCHOOL) level, I always figured most NBA players were interchangeable, and given the right opportunity (i.e. all scrubs on the floor), anyone can look good out there. Not so. Those Joel Anthony-Mario West missed opportunities were like watching a world class actor on stage in broadway. It might pique your interest, tho it's ultimately a waste of time. Either way, you ain't re-creating that shit, so if you missed it, it's over.

*Kenshin Kawakami: 6ip, 3er; 6ip, 4er. That's what you're getting all year, Braves fans...dude is a fourth starter. You do not want this guy starting in the postseason for you. All things being equal, if the Braves are in the race mid-July, GET HALLADAY. Quit rubbin your nuts over the Braves signing some Japaneese dude with nice stats in 150ip seasons.

(UPDATE: After re-reading this post made late last night, I don't know what I was thinking. With the rotation and prospects the Braves currently have, they are the one team that probably shouldn't pursue Halladay. Call it wishful thinking on my part.)

*You know who shouldn't be in jail anymore? MICHAEL VICK.

*G-Day? Aye yi. I loved Groo's excellent post about the idiocy that plays into preseason hype, but fuck it...I want to see Logan Gray get some snaps behind Cox and switch it up scheme wise in '09. Cox ain't Shockley, he's not as talented. He's not JoeT either, he doesn't suck. He's a good QB in this system with limitations, so there is room for mixing it up...and knowing Richt's tendencies when he doesn't have a future #1 overall pick behind center, I think two QBs will see playing time.

*If Aaron Murray ends up playing, the season is a rebuilding year anyhow (ala Stafford's frosh year), so they may as well let him get his if the season quickly deteriorates early on. But I think Richt goes with a Cox/Gray platoon to start out the season. I only see Murray playing once the SEC East race is decided. Murray's skillset is duplicated by Gray, so no need to burn his redshirt unless you're building for the future. No matter what, it's going to be one interesting/scary Qb controversy all year.

*Good God that running game scares me. Folks thought that all them years of building up the running backs made the OL look good....I have a feeling it might be the other way around this year.

*Larry has been saying all year that the Hawks are better with Marvin off the bench and MoE in the starting lineup (more shots for the other starters, a legit #1 off the bench, etc). Ain't gonna lie, he's got me convinvced. Not that I think Marvin is better suited off the bench rest of his career, but when you're running iso plays on every critical possession anyways, maybe having a stopper in there on the opponent's best swing doesn't suck. Plus, if Marvin's playing with second units, as witnessed in Tuesday's Heat game, he is so immensely talented he owns the court during that time. Is it what the 2005 #2 overall pick envisioned five years down the road? Hell no. But he got that work for the time being.

*I wanna bet the Heat and make some money. But fuck it, I'd never bet against my team (UGA against a Troy State-ish team aside). I'm pumped for these games. I want to see what kind of a weird dichtonomy it is where holy shit I have no idea what I'm saying, just go Hawks. I can't wait for Sunday night. Drop us a line if you're heading to the game. We'll be walking from the Blimpie's to the Gorin's to the Gyro Wrap for a solid two hours before tipoff doing our part to stimulate the economy. And by stimulate the economy, I mean drinking beers.

*Speaking of those three CNN Center posts, what's with the cheap beer arms race? First the Gorins starts offering an excellent post-game $4, 24oz. option, then Gyro Wrap not only follows suit, but ups the ante' by pulling out a $7, 44oz BEAST of a beverage. When did these guys start following the Quiktrip business model? And can they please apply the same pricing methods to their overpriced food?

And one more bit of news on the fucking Thrashers of all teams:

*Seriously, HOW IS THEIR GM NOT FUCKING FIRED??!!??!? As a quasi-Atlanta blog, I think it's time to reach out to the Thrasher blogs and see how the fuck one could possibly justify Don Waddell keeping his job, and just start the movement. Now if this were just another ATL Spirit be-cheap case that would be one thing, but do hockey people actually think this guy is a good GM? As a casual Thrashers observer, Waddell was recently a Team USA hockey GM, no? I mean, this guy gets Top 10 picks every year and fucks them up. Even the Clippers almost made the WCF a couple years ago. I'd rather have the Thashers hire Gordon Bombay than have Waddell throw his ass behind the bench again. Can't say I blame Kovalchuk for wanting to see how shit plays out before signing an extension

*Tomorrow, Sue's embarks on a project that only a mother could appreciate. Casual Thrasher fans are gonna find out if and why Don Waddell still has a job.

Be easy.

Bawlin' Cawlin' 04-14-09

Guess who's coming to dinner?

One of these guys handles their celebrity and massive wealth with grace and aplomb; the other is a total douche bag. Let the guessing begin!

A bit of the excitement has been sucked out of tonight's game, with Atlanta and Miami locking up the number four and five seeds, respectively. This is no more evident than when you watch the game tonight, to discover that Speedy Claxton is not only playing, hells bells he's in the starting lineup!

While you can look to Sue's for a more in depth study of both the upcoming playoffs and - more importantly - our preseason picks, a quick recap of our regular season series with the Heat reveals that, hey! this D-Wade guy's pretty darn good! In three meetings with Miami the Hawks are 2-1, winning 91-83 in their last meeting at Philips Arena (Feb. 27). But Wade has averaged 25.7 points, 5 boards and nearly 6 assists while shooting over 51% from the field in those games. Let's get something straight here...Wade is my favorite player in the NBA right now. He's one of the top 3 players in the LIG, and rather than being a global conqueror ('Bron) or an ego-maniacal assmunch, Wade has always seemed surprisingly down to earth and genuinely nice. I saw one of those Make A Wish things with Wade, which just so happened to come on in back-to-back succession with Kobe's episode, Flash interacted with the poor kid suffering from some disease or another as if it was literally his little brother or cousin. It was genuinely touching, and one of the most emotional things I ever caught myself getting teared up with in regards to sports. Conversely, Kobe seemed uncomfortable and stiff the whole time. Much like the way I feel when I accompany my saintly mother on her trips to the hospice where she volunteers with her therapy dog to put smiles on people's faces that are waving in death. The only difference is I feel uncomfortable because I'm overwhelmed with sadness and compassion, and Kobe seemed uncomfortable because he was working a charity angle that was clearly forced and without emotion.

Of course I don't know Kobe or Flash, and I could be way off base. But Wade really seems like a good person, and that's always stuck with me. If I could put money on an athlete in sports today that will not have some sort of character-shattering scandal or other development that leads people to doubt if he (sigh, or she) is a good person, Dwayne Wade would probably be my number one pick.

This is all to say that I wish we were not playing the Heat in the opening round, because not only is the opportunity to root for Wade's one-man wrecking crew against a superstar of similar grit like 'Bron mercilessly stolen away from me, but it also means Wade has not chance of reaching the second round. Hawks are winning y'all. Which reminds me...

Records
OBJ: 15-7
Joe Friday: 14-8

This could be the last regular season Bawlin' Cawlin' of the 2008-09 season. If you're not excited with our records by now, you may want to look into seeing a psychiatrist ('cause you're depressed!!).

Today's Picks

OBJ: Atlanta (-9.5) over Miami

Jeez. I've gotta believe that the Hawks can cover a near 10-point spread at home against the team I've already predicted will lose to them in the opening round of the playoffs. Right? RIGHT??

Joe Friday: Miami (+9.5) over Atlanta

Can you believe this shit. Runaround Sue's. Where selling out your own team happens.

Hawk Tawk, Shocked, Doc?

Because I am sick and tired of hearing people bitch about the economy, I went against common sense and attended three Hawks games this week (Pistons, Hornets, Pacers). I just felt like if I give the Atlanta Spirit more of my (not) hard-earned cash, maybe they could settle their differences. That, and I'm a sucker for mixing live basketball and $5 jumbo beers from the CNN Center.

So, with apologies to Braves and Birds, here's 10 thoughts and/or observations on the Hawks and their recent four game winning streak.

1. It was really nice to be on the other end of that Pacers game last night. In previous years, it was the Hawks that jumped out to a nice first quarter lead, held serve in the second quarter, gave up the lead in the third, and got blown out in the fourth. The Pacers last night reminded me of so many Hawks teams over the last few years. More importantly, it was nice to see the Hawks systematically dismantle a poor team (albeit minus its best player). That's the sign of a good team.

2. Roy Hibbert is second only to Yao Ming in the "man that guy is a physical fucking freak" in the list of players I've seen up close. He played really well last night and has a good enough post-up game and rebounding prowess that it's kinda surprising he's not much better.

3. I'm not a doctor, and I didn't stay in a Holiday Inn Express last night, but I'm not optimistic about Marvin's injury. I'm glad he might make it back, but he will probably need surgery in the offseason, and he's still probably not going to be at full strength when he does return. On the brightside, this increases the Hawks ability to lowball him ala J-Smoove during his restricted free agency this summer.

4. Mo Evans had a nice game last night (+19), but he's not going to be able to replicate Marvin's scoring or rebounding output. However, if he continues shooting the 3ball like he has, maybe we won't miss that aspect of Marvin's game as much as I thought.

5. Chris Paul, while still a douche, is amazing to watch in person. The Hawks were mostly effective at limiting his ability to split the defense and penetrate the lane, but the few times he did, it was like watching a 6'', 185lb LeBron out there. Dude just opens up passing lanes out of nowhere also. He basically owned Mike Bibby defensively as well. Along with LeBron, Duncan, DWade, the Celtics, and Kobe, he might make my list of "I am going to that fucking game" when he comes to town.

6. This is completely irrelevant whether we are winning or losing, but does Josh Smith seem to be a) dunking less and b) dunking with less authority over the last few weeks? I didn't think about it until I attended these games this week and had to rely on Flip Murray for some of my my "UNNNNNNNNNNNNGGGGGGGHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!" shouts following a powerful jam. That said, there's few things more exciting then seeing the Hawks on a fast break and realizing Smith his a clear path and a good passer about to feed him the ball. Bonus points if it is a game-clincher like during the New Orleans game. If that had been in NBA Jam, it would have elicited a "THE NAAAIL IN THE COFFIN" shout from the announcer.

7. As for Smith's benching in Charlotte, this kind of crap is getting annoying. I'm not sure what the suspension was about, but if it was about effort/getting back on defense, I'm not sure I've seen a marked improvement over the last few games in that area. So, uh, way to go Woody. As my buddy Logan pointed out, Smith is just a baby. He's not a "punk" or a "thug" (I hate when those terms get used about him- looking at you sports talk fools), he's just a baby that happens to play basketball. If he was a banker or some other type of boring-job co-worker, he'd be that guy who always annoyed his boss, always took shortcuts on their work, complained about their workload, never went above-or-beyond on any project, etc. He's been in the league for 5 seasons, so we're running out of time on the "he's just young and immature!" excuse.

8. Joe Johnson appears to have given curbjaw to his slump. Let's hope this continues, because there is no way we can beat the Heat in a Round 1 matchup with Joe not at the top of his game.

9. Coach Woodson apparently reads Hawks blogs, finally giving Acie Law some run! He's still raw, but there's definite potential there, espicially on the offensive end. That said, not sure I see him as starter-material next season, but it does give Rick Sund a little bit of wiggle room with regards to Mike Bibby's impending free agency. On another note, Coach Woodson definitely doesn't read Hawks blogs, because for some reason he deemed it appropriate to reward Mario West's first good game EVER against the Jazz by inexplicably allowing him to be the team's 6th man last night. What. the. hell.

10. Finally, a mini-RIP to the career of Allen Iverson as a star-quality figure on a contending team. As one of my favorite players ever, this pains me to type, but the Pistons are a much better team when he is not on the court. It allows their best player, Rip Hamilton, to do what he does best: run those annoying screen-curl-shoot sequences. The other Pistons sense this as well.

“Some games we do feel like the old Pistons,” McDyess said. “We’ve got each other’s backs, playing free and having fun. For a while it’s been that way, since we’ve had Rip in the lineup.”

“We’ve got to keep it the way it is,” McDyess said. “We’ve only lost (two) games with him in the lineup. He’s been sharing the ball like a point guard, which is not his strength, and really scoring, also. With the energy he brings, it’s like we have more confidence in ourselves now.”

What does that have to do with the Hawks? Well, nothing. But let's just say my dream Round 1 matchup for the Hawks involves the Pistons. And Allen Iverson. And not Dwayne Wade.

Bawlin' Cawlin' 03-05-09

With 22 games remaining on the schedule, and Atlanta a full 10 games back from Orlando for the #3 seed, it seems the only thing left for the Hawks to fight for is the #4 seed and a shot at playing Miami (2.5 back from the Hawks) or Detroit (3.5) in the opening round (I'm thinking Milwaukee and Philly don't have spurts in them to make up 5 and 7 games, respectively). Is this enough to motivate a team to play at the top of their game? What you want to do is catch your ass on fire heading into the postseason, a la the 2007 NFL football Giants. The last thing you want to do is pull a Gail Devers.

Don't bust yo ass down the stretch, BABY HAWKS!

The schedule is favorable, with only 10 of 22 games against teams with records currently better than the Hawks (and of those, a great deal are Western Conference teams). The key is to not glide along, and remain energized on the prospect of ending the season as a respectable challenger to the East throne. The organization has something to be proud of this year, but faltering down the stretch and falling to the fifth or sixth seed, while walking into your first playoff game with an enormous stench surrounding your squad, could erase that.

But if the Hawks need further motivation, which the fourth quarter of several games this (not to mention recent) season(s) seem to suggest, how's about the prospect of facing the Celtics in Round 2? If the Celtics can somehow stop sputtering around and LeBron and Company stop being a ridiculous juggernaut, it's a very plausible situation. I know the Hawks were thinking all off season that they wanted another shot at the Celts. If they only had one more game, one more chance to score, one more 24-second shot clock of time, they could've done it. If they carry themselves into the second round of the playoffs and face-off against Boston, I fully believe the Hawks can take them. Which would put them...in the Eastern Conference Finals? Okay, sure. I'll admit all of a sudden that situation becomes completely ridiculous when you think of it that way. But if the Hawks can catch fire and all of a sudden start playing out of their minds - like a late-for-her-rent-Saigon whore with pocket fulls of eightballs and a house full of GIs on R&R leave - it's not impossible we could see Hawks/Cavs in the Finals. Which would I'm sure piss off a lot of people, and probably hit the NBA financially even more.

But dammit...It sure would be a nice parting gift from the city of Atlanta to a transplanted Georgia boy about to move on.

Records
OBJ: 11-6
Joe Friday: 11-6

The excitement is piling on like the drunkest douche at the bar talking to the last cute girl at a bar.

Today's Picks

OBJ 1: San Antonio (+3.5) over Dallas

The best part about having more than a few teams you root for as "hometown" teams? When your blog partner (blartner? partnog? plogner?) takes the Hawks off the table, you still have one or two on reserve.

I understand that the Spurs are 2-1 against the spread versus Dallas this season. I'm not sure how I'm supposed to take that, but I'm guessing commons sense dictates I should assume Dallas will cover. Well, FUCK YOU common sense. Where the FUCK have you been all my life, ANYWAY?

OBJ 2: New Jersey (+7.5) over Boston

Ugh. What the fuck do YOU want, common sense? Eh? What's that? Boston's defeated the Nets seven straight times since March 3rd of 2007? By an average margin of WHAT? 16 points?? The two meetings this year have been 118-86 and 105-85? HAH! Shows what YOU know, DICKHEAD common sense. This all means JERSEY'S DUE, BABY!

Joe Friday 1: Atlanta (PK) over New York

Joe Friday 2: Miami/Phoenix OVER 226

Bout to Confuse the Hell Outta Y'all

Well, I wanted to do a Hawks 1st half season recap. And I'm currently wasting a rainy Wednesday night watching this Hawks-Kings clash of the titans. So unfortunately, it looks like you're getting one of those half-liveblogs, half-posts that meshes about as well as this lovely lady and any article of clothing smaller than a tablecloth. Enjoy:

We pick it up with about 5 minutes left in the first...and the Tyson Chandler trade to OKC is rescinded? Wow. Everyone in New Orleans rejoices except for George Shinn. Karma's a bitch.

I hate being so Shanoff-esque, but this game really is a must win for the Hawks. They haven't proven that they can beat a quality team on the road, and a 1-4 roadtrip is a very real possibility. Add in the fact that the Hawks are benefitting from the Kings' apparant fire sale, and you

GOOD GOD! That woman behind Nique is stacked and ain't afraid to show it. Unfortunately, some of the money put into those boobs could have been better spent on some botox. Then again, she's sitting VIP at an NBA game and I'm sitting on my buddy's couch drinking a half- frozen Killians, so maybe I should just shut the hell up.

Joe misfires a three that leads to a sequence where Solo misses a dunk and Kevin Martin nails a 4-point play to take the lead. Joe just seems injured or tired out there...he's not himself.

Fucking Shelden Williams just brings down the house with a two handed jam. What the hell is going on out there? I'm glad Shelden feels the need to prove he really did deserve to hold his spot ahead of Solo in the rotation last year.

Solo on the baseline is not the shot you want to try and regain the momentum after a shitty end to the first half. Halftime fools.

Now that we're here, some thoughts on the 1st half of the Hawks season:

1. The lack of development by these young cats on the Hawks kills me. Big Al's offenseive production has seemingly plateaued. Drew and Larry (Larry Drew?) can go to the mattresses over where the problem lies on this issue; but if Al isn't getting the touches, it can be attributed to the fact he hasn't yet shown he's a more legitimate scoring option on the blocks, than say Josh Smith or even Marvin Williams. Why hasn't he developed this skill while the tools are clearly there? Therein lies the coaching question.

2. Marvin Williams and Josh Smith have shown flashes of brilliance that remind you that they do indeed have all-star level talent. Then they'll throw up a 5 point/30% shooting stinker. No consistency from these two, and still have unfufilled potential in their 4th and 5th years, respectively. Not good. But do be on the loookout for a big 2nd half from Marvin on the contract tip.

Back in the 2nd half, Sacto is controlling the pace of the game. Kevin Martin is fun to watch in a "any team prominently featuring him will suck" kind of way.

Bibby nails a big three followed by knocking down a couple free throws, which leads me to point #3 about the first half:

3. Bibby has been outstanding. Everyone has benefitted from having him controlling the ball, allowing JoeJ to free himself up in crunchtime, never turing over the rock and shooting lights out from all over the floor. Having a team of solid defenders behind him has helped mask his liabilities on that end, but there's not many PG's that would fit better with this squad than Bibby.

Between Udrih, Martin, Garcia, Hawes and Jason Thompson out there, I think the Kings combined weight out there is approximately 500 lbs and nary a bicep in the bunch. Their S&C coach definitely ain't earning his keep.

Spencer Hawes on Joe. All day baby. Joe looked like he was playing in slow motion and still ran that in.

Horford runs the break, feeding Josh for an easy layup. Usually a center trying to pull off a pass like that is girlfriend-talking-to-your-grandparents awkward. Big Al pulled that off like he was CP3. Without being a whiny ass.

Arrrgh Joe pulls up for an 18-footer in a 1-on-3. I'm convinced he's injured or completely fatigued.

Fernando Garcia plays like his pregame meal consisted of three rolls. If he was on my team I'd hate him, but I'm strangely enjoying the hell out of watching this. The fact they have Spencer Hawes throwing up 3balls helps, no doubt.

4. I know it's the last year of his contract. I know he's regressed or plateaued since his first year here (noticing a trend?). I know that his "age" ("24") may not be all it's cracked up to be, but I still see potential in Zaza, espicially on the defensive end. Not to go all Michael Lewis on you, but hes really improved his defensive positioning and rebounding ability. I think that tough/dirty persona he gained in that Celtics series has helped. As far as Euros go, he D's it up with the best of them. Do with that info what you will.

Al takes it up against a double team for an easy deuce. I'm all about it. When Joe ain't on, feed it to Al. Josh will get his points like he normally does. You can't run an offense through him. Let Horford learn on the job. Whoever the hell is gonna play outfield for the Braves will have to!

Bobby Jackson has been in for like ten minutes tonight and is probably the Kings best player outside of Martin. Pretty much sums up their season, right there. Give it to Spencer Hawes some more, though.

Annnnd....I've been on the phone for the last four minutes of the game. Take away my fan card.

After the Kings get a favorable call, Udrih turns the ball over and Joe is at the line to effectively clinch the game. These Kings remind me of the Hawks from 00-05. They. just. don't. got. it.

Joe misses the second shot, Kings ball, down by three. Maybe Joe would be better at these end-of-game-must-make free throws if he was more adept at getting to the line DURING THE OTHER 47 MINUTES OF THE GAME.

Nice offensive rebound by Marvin, and we're in the drag it out phase of the game. Solid win against a shitty team. Always gotta love a win on the back end of a back-to-back though, so I'll take it. Win one of the next three on this trip, and you're sitting pretty for the second half of the season. 32 wins! In February! I'll sleep to that.

Bawlin' Cawlin' 01-28-09

4-6 in their last 10 games, I'm not feeling overly confident about the Hawks walking into the Garden tonight. But, if you were to tell me that 44 games into the season Atlanta would be a few games ahead of Detroit for the #4 seed in the playoffs, I think I'd be marginally satisfied and perhaps even a bit impressed. A little like when the timid, not-overly-hot girl turns out to be the most ferocious tiger in bed. Rowwwl!

The real question at this point: does Atlanta stand a good chance of beating Deeeeetriot baaaaasketball in a 7-game series. If Miami somehow sneaks into the 5 spot, I'm almost positive Atlanta would beat the Heat, but I have to like my chances that the Hawks could beat Detroit regardless. In other words, provided the current momentum (last 10 games notwithstanding) continues, Sue's is making the bold prediction that we'll see the Hawks in the second round this year.

From good news to the UGH department, we have the most recent news on the squabbling Hawks ownership. This is ridiculous. I mean, the Hawks ownership is more dysfunctional than the Brady Bunch family. Only instead of the Brady's the family is comprised of fucking crackheads. The gist:

"The [Hawks and Thrashers] and the arena lost $48.9 million in the 2002-03 season; $37.3 million in 2003-04; $12.5 million in 2004-05; $24.8 million in 2005-06; $27.2 million in 2006-07; and $23.1 million in 2007-08."

Wonderful. Look, if the 8 of you can't pull your collective money-grubbing shit together, I'm going to nominate and openly campaign for new ownership of the hopefully-soon-to-be-formerly-named-Spirit Group's primary holdings, the Hawks and Thrashers. Actually, I don't really care about the Thrashers. You can run them into the ground for all I care. But the Hawks have potential, dammit! Stop squandering an excellent opportunity to make the Hawks one of the most popular franchises in the league. We have rappers, for Christ's sake!

My leading candidate for new ownership. Knows how to turn a flippin' profit, ya'll.

You'd have to search pretty meticulously to find my explanation for liking so many various professional teams. Hell I tried and I couldn't even link you to it. But suffice to say that I used to live in Houston and I like to see them do well. Which is why this makes me a little sad. An All-Star in 'o2, '03 and '04? Waived by the Grizzles after not even playing a single second? Francis is only 31...I can't believe he fell of so fast. He may not even play in another NBA game again. Poor Stevie Franchise. With such a hyperbolic nickname, perhaps you were destined to be such a minor flash in the pan.

Can we please get football back soon? The distractions are not helping. Thanks. Onto the picks.

Record
OBJ: 7-3
Joe Friday: 8-2

There's exciting, then there's "I just beat Contra without the Up-Up-Down-Down-Left-Right-Left-Right-B-A-B-A-Select-Start code" exciting.

Today's Picks

OBJ 1: New York (PK) over Atlanta

I have a serious gambling problem. Not in that, I-can't-buy-diapers-for-my-kid-because-I-just-leveraged-next-month's-salary-on-the-coin-flip-outcome-of-the-Super-Bowl-problem, but I can never bring myself to bet against my own teams in any way (see: 1-2 picking Texas teams). But New York's been playing real well recently (4-1 last 5 games), and Atlanta has not (see above). I just see New York pulling this game out. Yes, I'm hinging my bet on a team that features Zach Randolph as the leading scorer. And yes, I see that the Baby Hawks are 9-13 on the road, while New York is a paltry 13-9 at home. I hope I lose this one.

OBJ 2: Detroit (-1) over Minnesota

My O-ridge pick here was Denver (+4) over New Orleans, but then I heard that annoying SJF voice in my head saying, "I always look to see who played the day before, and then bet against them or ignorer it altogether." Damn you, SJF.

Joe Friday 1: New Orleans/Denver OVER 199.5

Joe Friday 2: Atlanta (+1) over New York

Well this makes sense. Now I'm really torn between going up a full game on SJF or rooting for the home team.

Bawlin' Cawlin' 01-27-09

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What Deadline? Hawks/Heat/Suns Liveblog

No lie, a pretty sweet view

As one of the few bloggers that couldn't liveblog last night's contest due to connectivity issues (though perhaps our laptop had something to do with it), we'll make up for it by liveblogging the last quarter of tonight's Hawks-Heat game.

11:30 remaining - With the Hawks down by 13, Marvin grabs a rebound and instead of kicking it back out, immediately knocks down a jumper. Don't see that everyday on a long offensive rebound. Two MoE free throws later, Hawks are within 9 after being down 22 earlier.

10:10 - Flip cuts the lead to 7. Flip has been on fire lately. I mean, you know the guy can knock it down in November, but we're almost in February and dude is playing out of his mind. If only our backup bigs were doing likewise.

Anyways, the biggest item I took away from Rick Sund's excellent Q&A with the Hawks bloggers last night was that it was abundantly clear he is an enormous Flip Murray fan and has no reservations about him being the backup point guard for the remainder of the season. While he stated he was pleased with Acie Law's performance thus far in his career, I didn't get the feeling he viewed Law as a long-term solution at the 1. Makes me hopeful for our chances of re-signing Bibby after this season, but either way, it's time we get used to Flip being the backup PG and SG this season, for better or worse.

9:35 - Flip airball. Of course. Nice timing.

Another note on Sund: He adamantly believes Horford is not playing out of position at center. Obviously, the GM has forgotten more basketball than I could ever hope to learn about, but I'm still not buying it. He mentioned Dwight Howard not playing out of position, but I think Horford has an ability to move without the ball and has a jumper that Howard lacks. Also, Howard has a power game down low I just don't ever see Horford (or pretty much anyone else) developing. Still, if you're a betting man, bet on Sund knowing what he's talking about here and me forgetting I even wrote this by tomorrow.

7:52 - Second block on J-Smoove in two minutes. Don't like dem apples.

7:42 - Marvin at the line. Maybe the 20+ minutes of FT practice before yesterday's game will come in handy.

At one point Stevie boy made 7 in a row...and I could think of was the All Star challenge.

7:21 - LeBron and Kobe are freaks of nature, but very few players can split a defense like Wade. He just kicks out a perfect pass out to Mario Chalmers for a 3. Damnit. Not looking good.

6:10 - Chalmers just bricks a wide open 3. I turned this game on 20 minutes ago and he's taken about nine 3's already. Cherrypicker.

5:19 - Another offensive rebound by Marvin, another missed dunk/layup by another Hawk. Much like last night, I'm just getting the feeling this ain't the our night.

Horford styling a fly suit on the sidelines. I'm hurt Coach Woody lied to us about him making the trip out to Miami.

Last night was the first time I had ever seen Shaq play in person. Him standing next to Zaza, Robin Lopez or anyone really was like seeing a St. Bernard hovering over a Chiuwauwa. I also feel like he's accepted his limitations and role on this Suns team as well. The Suns shortcomings are with their bench and Amare's desire to only play on one end of the court. The much-maligned Shaq trade was a winner for that club.

2:48 - I'd just about thought I was done with this game, but much like Joey Zaza in Godfather III, Marvin pulls me back in with a three. Marvin and Flip are carrying the Hawks this quarter.

2:45 - Daequan Cook, 3ball, and that's probably the game. The Heat's whole offense seems to consist of a) Wade shaking off a defender and taking a jumper, b) Wade penetrating and taking it to the hoop, or c) Wade penetrating and kicking it out to some mediocre player behind the three-point line. I mean I know D-Wade is da main, but damn, this team can't be that hard to defend against. Anyways, with this one in the bag, back to thoughts from last night.

I can't believe I forgot to ask Sund about this in my haste to ask about Acie Law's PT, but I really wanted to know if the ownership situation was preventing him from acquiring some bench help before the deadline. Although the chances of me getting a straight answer on that were about as good as one of us in that suite last night meeting up postgame with Ciara, who was looking good as the only big name (it seemed) in the house last night. Although if I had to place bets on anyone, I would've put my money on Larry from Str8talk.

Less than a minute left - Acie Law enters the game. Talk about symbolism.

Final thoughts on blognight:

- Talking to Sekou Smith for a brief second after the game, dude seems like he just legitimately enjoys his job. You can tell that in his writing and his overall demeanor around other media members and Hawks staff.

The mural that stands watch over the Hawks practice floor. In the not-too-distant past, this poster would elicit some scoffing, half-witted sarcastic remark involving the finer points of the uses of oxymoron. I am happy to say that is no longer the case in Hawks land.

- You always see a press conference on TV and imagine it taking place in some giant room with rows and rows of chairs, cameras and tons of reporters wearing suits and asking important questions. Then you actually go to one following a game between two quality NBA squads and its a handful of casually dressed reporters standing just a liiiiil too close to a coach that would probably rather be anywhere than there right now.

This crowd's a little bigger than usual...wait who are those young guys
that keep snapping pictures??

- I can't ever figure out if Solomon Jones has the potential to develop into a solid rotation player or if he's destined to be a 9th/10th man that can fill in when a team has injured 4/5s. Some nights, like last night, he looks like a guy who belongs in there in key moments. That said, under no circumstances should he be getting the rock consistently in the last few minutes of a close game. Where the hell did that come from?

- Few things are more enjoyable than watching a Josh Smith "UUNNNNNNNNGGGGHHH" dunk in person. Few things are less enjoyable than that split second when you realize he's about to take an ill-advised 18-footer. Does anyone else almost feel guilty when he occasionally hits one of those? Just a weird feeling...almost like you don't want him to get that confidence in that jumper. Maybe he can just stop taking them so I don't have to feel so conflicted. Or maybe I can just move on...

.76 seconds after Josh Smith brutally suspends Steve Nash (center-right, seated) via posterization. Smith can be seen mugging towards the crowd (perhaps mean mugging to the Suns bench?), deservedly so after that whooooooooooooooAH MONSTER JAM

- ...or not. On a related note, I'd love to see Smith looked at down the stretch rather than the "clear out one side of the court and allow Joe to go 1on1" offense the Hawks run in the final minute of a close contest. Give it to him on the block. Find him on the wing and have him take it in and draw a foul or try to find Joe/Marvin for an open J. Mix it up. It doesn't have to be all Joe all the time down there.

This picture features a depressing score with no other redeemable qualities.

The same margin of defeat, this time with a small measure of added delight.
Can you spot the difference, kids?

- Thanks again to Micah and the Hawks for setting up last night's festivities. It was a helluva lotta fun, it was great meeting all the excellent Hawks fans and bloggers out there. It will probably be the only time myself or OBJ ever ride in an elevator or are able to skip a line at Philips ever again, but between the sweet suite, access to a GM that surprisingly seemed interested in taking to a bunch of folks who write on the internet, and interacting with everyone from the ushers to media members, it was definitely the highlight of the last 24 hours of being a Hawks fan. Now let's get back to winning some ballgames.

Bawlin' Cawlin' 12-30

Two Cawlin's in two days! Hey, this basketball picking thing can be kinda fun! With both competitors neck and neck out the gate, it's time to reveal our official Runaround Sue's 2008-09 Bawlin' Cawlin' Pot:

It's there, you just have to look for it! Like positive signs in the Braves' offseason!

On the table: $500 and an overpriced meal + drinks at the Chop House (former stomping grounds of {sniff} Andruw's Brew Crew) during the first compelling Braves match-up of the season. Quite a bit on the table, so I hope all of you Sue's fans are rooting me. Because I'm the good guy. And SJF is a complete asshole.

Now, most of you will probably not find this very surprising, but apparently Joe Johnson is kinda good. Since joining the Hawks, JJ has reached career highs in nearly every statistical category, including FG, FG%, Age, FT%, AST, STL and PTS. The only major category he hasn't eclipsed is his insane 2004-05 3-point shooting performance (.478%). All this is to say that starting me off on the right foot may have earned the Hawks my go-to team to choose for Cawlin' purposes. On to today's picks!

Record
OBJ: 1-0
Joe Friday: 1-0

So ridiculously exciting, isn't it?

Today's Picks
OBJ: Hawks (+2.5) over Pacers - I'm riding these Hawks until I'm 6 feet under laying next to Jeff Francoeur's career (zing!)!!11!! C'mon, BABY HAWKS!

Joe Friday: Sacto (-3) over LAC