Atlanta Hawks

Are the Stars Going Overseas?

Josh Childress just jumped on the first ship out of Atlanta and headed for Greece for a little extra dough and the hope of being a bigger fish in a smaller pond. This has caused many to wonder if this is to be a trend, and if the NBA may lose some of its stars.

It’s amazing how little it takes to begin the knee-jerk thinking. It made sense for Childress to go, and it may make sense for a few other middle-of-the road players to hop across the ocean—especially if they are younger players.

Childress was once again, going to be relegated to coming off the bench as the 6^th or 7^th man. That has pretty much been his role for the entire 4 years he has been with the Hawks. It is a smart move as Childress has been stagnating with Atlanta. Childress is a good young player, but he wants the opportunity to start every game and to be a focal point of an offense.

At 25 years old, Childress can spend a couple of years in Europe, gain confidence in his offensive game, and then come back to the NBA with a more refined skill set. There are plenty of young players around the league that could benefit from something like that. I think he should take Sebastian Telfair and a few others with him.

ESPN posted an article on its website about Childress’s move and hinted at the idea of more of this type of thing to come. In the article, they added a little chart showing that 5 NBA players have signed with European teams this off season. The funny thing is, of the 5, Childress is the only American. The other four guys had come to the U.S. to make it in the NBA and their careers were sputtering, so they decided to go back.

There is no real evidence to point to the Childress move as anything but an isolated incident. None of the big stars are going to leave the NBA to play in Europe. Are more of the middle-tier players going to follow Childress? Maybe, it would be a good move for lots of them, but I think too many still have big enough egos to believe they can make it in the NBA without having to go to Europe first.

I also want to predict that Childress does not play out all 3 years of his Greek contract. He has the opportunity to opt out of the contract at the end of each European season. It may well happen after the first year.

 

Do You Feel Sorry for the Clippers?

Just when you think the Clippers are over their old ways and may put up a really good team to contend in the tough West, the bottom falls out and moves to Philly.

The Baron Davis signing, the thinking that Brand will resign and that Maggette would possibly resign as well, gave the fans and ownership a ray of hope for the 2008-09 season. It didn’t take long for the Clippers to be down to only Baron Davis, an improved, but oft-injured Chris Kaman, and a bunch of rag-tags. The Clippers now look poised to finish at the bottom of the West and Dunleavy will probably be fired before the end of the season.

What was Baron Davis thinking when he decided to go ahead and sign after the departure of Brand and Maggette. Davis left a good team and now is part of a bad team. Even if the Clippers get Josh Smith from Atlanta, the Clippers are still a bad team. Smith is a rising star and a bon-a-fide stud, but he is no Elton Brand who can command the inside. Not to mention that gaping scoring hole left by Maggette.

I can’t say that I feel sorry for the Clippers. I think by now owners should realize that you either spend the money or you don’t. This in-between nonsense keeps you from winning and cuts into your bottom line.

If you are going to pay Davis a pile of money and then low-ball Brand, what is your strategy? I would think that if you want to win and you decide to spend the money on Davis, you would do whatever it takes to make sure you keep Elton Brand. He is the best player and the heart and soul of the team. If you lose Brand, then you don’t have a team. Even if that means you lose Maggette, you keep Brand.

It just reinforces the fact that the Clippers are a sloppy organization who recently showed improvement, but that seems to be the most they will ever show. Letting Brand and Maggette go is a debacle and they will once again be the laughing stock of the league.

Words of advice to Josh Smith—don’t sign with the Clippers. Atlanta is improving; stand pat for another year because you don’t want to jump onto a sinking ship.

 

The Hawks Aren’t Scared

In one corner we have the Atlanta Hawks, the 8th seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs with a record of 37-45 record.  Atlanta has young unexperienced players such as Josh Smith, Josh Childress, Al Horford, and Marvin Williams. There is hardly any playoff experience on the roster after the likes of Mike Bibby and Joe Johnson.  In the other corner we have the Boston Celtics with an NBA 66-16 record.  The “Big 3″ of Ray Allen, Kevin Garnett, and Paul Pierce have been the most talked about trio of players all year.  The Celtics are a complete team, and have been picked to contend for the title all year from the beginning of the season. 

Who would have thought that the young Hawks would have taken this series to a game seven.  This is a game seven that nobody saw coming, and many people, including myself, thought that the Hawks were going to be swept like its no big deal.   There is no pressure on the Hawks, all of it is on Boston, if they lose, it will be one of the biggest and disgraceful chokes ever. 

There seems to be a reoccurring theme in this series, Hawks fall behind, the Hawks make a huge fourth quarter run, and the Atlanta crowd goes crazy as the Hawks win.  Atlanta is not scared and they are not intimidated.  The Hawks are playing with fire and intensity in front of their home crowd, and every single time it looks like the Celtics are about to put them away for good, Atlanta comes charging back and refuses to be stopped.  At one point last game, Atlanta scored on 16 straight possessions. 

The series now goes back to Boston, where the Hawks have failed to win at so far.  This game seven really will show how much resiliency Atlanta has in them.  There will be a point in the game where the Celtics have control and have Atlanta on their heels, but lets see if the Hawks can make one of their comebacks on the road.  Joe Johnson and Mike Bibby are really going to be at their best for the Hawks to take this game seven.  I believe that they can too, Atlanta is confident. 

“What other people think about this team does not bother us,” Atlanta forward Josh Smith said. “We know we can play with this team or anybody else. We didn’t come into this series to lose or just being satisfied with making the playoffs.”

The Hawks are fearless.

Best of the Year 2008

Best of the week is now best of the year being that the real season is upon us. Now is the time for all of the post season awards to come rolling out. The Sixth Man of the Year and the Defensive Player of the Year have already been announced and I agree unanimously.  

Let’s get started with the top 5 Rookies of 2007-08. 

5.) Thaddeus Young: A big reason for the Sixers being in the playoffs and a big part of their future. He is only 19 and has tons of what they call “upside.” 

4.) Luis Scola: When Ming went down, Scola and fellow rookie Carl Landry was a big reason for the Rockets streak. He is old compared to other rookies, but his first season in the NBA was a good one. 

3.) Al Thornton: Other than Durant, he may be the best scorer among the rookies. He averaged 15.6 PPG in games in which he started, which included 3 games of over 30 points. 

2.) Al Horford: He was a starter from the beginning of the season and just missed out on averaging a double-double. He has the makings of a 20-10 guy, possibly even by next year. 

1.) Kevin Durant: His shot selection could use some work, but he averaged over 20 PPG and with some added size his rebounding and shot blocking should improve. He is the easy Rookie of the Year. 

Here are the top 5 Most Improved Players for 2008. 

5.) Chris Kaman: He turned into a dominant big man in the absence of Elton Brand. I doubt many thought Kaman could turn into an offensive presence in the NBA, and he is a rebounding and a shot blocking force. He blew away all of his career highs, and the only reason he is not higher on this list is because he only played in 56 games. 

4.) Mike Dunleavy: We have been waiting on Dunleavy to produce since he came into the league. The former overall number 3 pick finally did this year, averaging almost 20 PPG while putting up decent rebounding and assist totals. 

3.) Danny Granger: Granger is a big man that likes to play out on the wing. He is a deadly three-point shooter who bumped up his scoring average from 13 to almost 20 to lead the Pacers. 

2.) Rudy Gay: Gay doubled his point total from last year and is also a respectable rebounder. His defense has improved as well with fantasy worthy numbers in steals and blocks. Gay has the makings of a superstar and a 25 PPG scorer. 

1.) Hedo Turkoglu: Turkoglu has always had the potential to be a 20 PPG scorer in the league and this year he finally came through, averaging 19.5 PPG. The biggest improvement for Hedo came in his assists; He went from 3.2 per game to 5.0. Orlando gave him more responsibility this year and Turkoglu took advantage. 

Next post we will get down to who should be the MVP of the league and the debate is hot.

Best of the Week (Mar.31-Apr.6)

With only 5 or 6 games left, the playoff races are taking center stage. Because of this, I am focusing only on guys playing for contending teams. 

5.)  Rasho Nesterovic: 60.7% FG, 91.7% FT, 20.0 PPG, 9.8 Reb, 1.3 Blk 

I don’t know what has gotten into Rasho, but he has been a beast lately. I never expected to have him on this list, but he has been putting up the numbers over the last month. Toronto is already in the playoffs, but a strong finish could move them out of the dreaded slot of having to play the Pistons in the first round. 

4.)  Andre Iguodala: 51.1% FG, 80.8% FT, 24.0 PPG, 6.0 Reb, 7.3 Ast, 1.0 Stl 

Iguodala has shined in the void left by Iverson. Iguodala is a great athlete who is also extremely skilled. He can do anything on the court. This has been his finest season, and he is making Philly a respectable team. A strong finish and some faltering of Cleveland and Washington could move Philly into the 4^th slot in the East. 

3.)  Lamar Odom: 73.5% FG, 75.0% FT, 19.7 PPG, 8.3 Reb, 4.3 Ast, 2.0 Blk, 1.3 Stl 

Kobe is the best player on the Lakers, but Odom seems to be the key to their wins and losses. When he is on, they are as tough to beat as anyone. With Gasol back and the possibility of Bynum for the playoffs, the Lakers may not be beatable. Odom fills up the stat sheet, and when he shots like he did this past week (73.5% from the field), the Lakers are the impossible to defend. 

2.)  Carmelo Anthony: 57.6% FG, 32.0 PPG, 10.3 Reb, 3.2 Ast, 2.0 Stl 

A devastating loss to lowly Seattle was a blow to the Nuggets playoff hopes, but it would be hard to blame Carmelo. He is averaging over 30 PPG and almost 10 rebounds over the last 8 games. Denver is tied for the last spot in the West and they need to learn to play some defense if they want to hold off Golden State. 

1.)  Kobe Bryant: 57.8% FG, 90.0% FT, 30.0 PPG, 9.3 Reb, 6.0 Ast, 1.7 Stl 

Kobe was spot on all week and the Lakers are looking good as the playoffs near. Kobe and Odom are tough by themselves, but with Gasol and Bynum coming back from injury they will be the team to watch. Kobe is also making a late push for the MVP. There are about 5 candidates with equal arguments for the MVP this season and it will surely cause some controversy no matter who gets it. 

Honorable Mention: Vince Carter, David West, Steve Nash, Amare Stoudemire, Mehmet Okur, Kevin Garnett, and Josh Smith.

Worst of the Week (Mar. 17-23)

5.)  Jason Kidd: 19.0% FG, 50.0% FT, 3.3 PPG, 7.0 Reb, 7.0 Ast  

Kidd has not been his same old self since joining the Mavericks.  The blockbuster trade has not netted the Mavs what they were hoping for. Not only is Kidd not shooting well, but his assists are down as well.  The Mavericks are 0-8 against winning teams since Kidd came aboard. 

4.)  Morris Peterson: 21.4% FG, 50.0% FT, 3.0 PPG, 3.3 Reb, 0.3 Ast, no blocks, no steals 

Mo Pete has been on this list many times this year.  He should no longer be getting any real minutes, but he continues to do so.  Anyone can shoot that bad and play that little defense and not pass off to anyone, it’s time to give someone else a chance to suck.  It’s amazing that this guy starts for one of the best teams in the league. 

3.)  Joe Smith: 62.5% FT, 5.3 PPG, 3.5 Reb, 0.5 Ast, no steals, 0.8 Blk 

His production has dropped off since joining the Cavaliers without any real good reason.  He is not the starter, but he is still getting good minutes.  He is a veteran and will probably come around before the playoffs start. 

2.)  Chuck Hayes: 37.5% FG, 0% FT, 1.5 PPG, 2.7 Reb, 0.2 Ast 

It was a tough week for Houston, and without Ming, guys like Hayes have to step up if the Rockets are to make some noise in the playoffs.  He got the playing time in the first two games of the week and didn’t produce; he didn’t get the playing time in the last two games of the week. 

1.)  Randolph Morris: 13.3% FG, 50.0% FT, 2.0 PPG, 2.3 Reb, 0.3 Ast, no steals, 0.3 Blk 

He got the start in two games and did not make the most of his chance.  He shot 1-8 and 1-7 in his two starts and contributed little else.  He probably will not get many more chances. 

Un-Honorable Mention: Ben Wallace, Emeka Okafor, Jason Kapono, Sam Cassell, Marvin Williams, Luther Head, and Michael Finley

Best of the Week (Mar. 17-23)

5.)  Al Horford: 70.4% FG, 100.0% FT, 14.3 PPG, 13.3 Reb, 5.0 Ast, 1.3 Blk 

It has been an up and down season for the rookie big man, but he has helped Atlanta win 4 of their last 5. As it stands now, Atlanta is now in the last playoff spot in the East.  Watch out for this guy next year; notice the assists. 

4.)  Chris Paul: 68.2% FG, 25.7 PPG, 3.7 Reb, 10.0 Ast, 3.0 Stl, 1.0 Blk 

Paul is making a late push for the MVP, and if the Hornets finish with the best record in the West he may just get it. His stats for this past week are nothing new for him except that he scored a few more points. If you are thinking New Orleans is still not for real, you need to push that crack pipe out of arms reach. 

3.)  Mo Williams: 65.4%FG, 80.0% FT, 27.5 PPG, 12.0 Ast, 5.0 Reb 

Williams is one of those under-the-radar kind of guys, because he plays in Milwaukee. He came off an injury with a bang and continued with his best season to date.  He is a small guard that rebounds well and when he is hot; he can score with anyone in the league.  

2.)  Vince Carter: 52.2% FG, 91.7% FT, 30.0 PPG, 7.0 Reb, 5.8 Ast, 1.5 Stl 

Carter has caught fire for the playoff push, but the Nets are losing anyway.  He seems to be playing better without Kidd, but the team is not. They are still only a game behind the Hawks for the last playoff spot, so Carter will probably continue his hot streak. 

1.)  Lamar Odom: 46.3% FG, 86.4% FT, 17.5 PPG, 15.8 Reb, 4.0 Ast, 1.3 Stl, 1.3 Blk 

Odom has been a monster in the wake of the injuries to Bynum and Gasol.  He hasn’t been scoring 30 a night, but he is doing everything on the court.  Since the Gasol injury, he has been more valuable to the team than Kobe.  In Sunday’s lost to Golden State, Odom’s line was 19 points, 22 rebounds (9 offensive), 4 assists, 4 blocks, and 2 steals. He has always had this talent; he just only gives it to us in little bursts. 

Honorable Mention: Allen Iverson, LeBron James, Amare Stoudemire, David West, Mike Dunleavy, Dirk Nowitzki, Danny Granger, Antawn Jamison

Best of the Week (Mar. 10-16)

5.)  Ron Artest: 53.1% FG, 22.3 PPG, 7.7 Reb, 3.3 Ast, 5.0 Stl 

After missing two games with foot issues, Artest picked up where he left off by doing it all for the Kings. If they played in the East, the Kings would be in the playoff push, but they are out of it in the West. Say what you will about Artest, but he puts it all out on the floor, even if the season is out the window. 

4.)  Joe Johnson: 50.0% FG, 87.5% FT, 27.8 PPG, 4.8 Reb, 7.3 Ast, 4.3 3PT’s 

Johnson held the #4 spot last week as well.  He is playing great ball at just the right time for the Hawks.  Who would have thought the Hawks have a legitimate shot at the playoffs?  If the Hawks can keep these young guys together, they may have a winning record next year. 

3.)  Baron Davis: 50.0% FG, 26.7 PPG, 6.0 Reb, 10.0 Ast, 1.7 Stl 

Like Johnson, Davis is turning it on for the playoff push and has made this list two weeks in a row.  It’s amazing that he has stayed healthy for the entire season.  Fantasy owners and Golden State fans have to be smiling as this is Davis’s most productive year. 

2.)  Amare Stoudemire: 66.0% FG, 78.1% FT, 31.7 PPG, 11.3 Reb, 1.7 Blk 

I’ve said it before, the Marion trade has opened things up for Stoudemire, and these types of numbers should continue through the end of the season. Look at that field goal percentage with him taking so many shots!  He is 30-10 every night from here on out. 

1.)  Chris Paul: 54.0% FG, 22.3 PPG, 16.7 Ast, 2.7 Stl 

Paul is making a late surge for the MVP, and he just may get it.  The most impressive thing he did over the past week was to lead the Hornets to wins over the Lakers and the Spurs.  The 3^rd guy this week that was a repeat from last week, he, like Lebron, could make this list every week.  I’m waiting for him to average 20 assists in a week. Oh yeah, he is only 22! 

Honorable Mention: Kobe Bryant, Lebron James, Anthony Parker, Dwight Howard, Charlie Villaneuva, Josh Smith, Drew Gooden, and Deron Williams

Houston Makes it 20!

Can you believe the second longest winning streak in NBA history belongs to the 2007-08 Houston Rockets! On top of that, the last 8 have come without their best player, the big man from China.  The Rockets are not only winning, but they are blowing people out.   

They are riding the shoulders of their other superstar Tracy McGrady, who has raised his scoring average in the absence of Ming, as well as his rebounds, assists, and shooting percentages.   

McGrady is not the only one doing it for the Rockets.  Rafer Alston, Luis Scola, Shane Battier, Chuck Hayes, Bobby Jackson, and even the ageless Dikembe Mutombo have all stepped up and played good team defense and increased their production across the board. At this point, Rick Adelman has my vote for coach of the year. 

How much longer will this streak last is what many are wondering.  They just beat Atlanta without playing a very good game, but the Rockets will eventually have to play the elites of the West before the end of the season.  I doubt the Lakers streak of 33 games is in any real jeopardy, but the Rockets are looking like a good bet to make into the playoffs. 

Best of the Week (Mar. 3-9)

5.)  Baron Davis: 56.6% FG, 80.0% FT, 28.3 PPG, 4.5 Reb, 6.3 Ast, 1.3 Stl 

Davis led Golden State to a 3-1 record for the week and kept them within the top 8 teams in the West. Davis hit for over 30 in 3 of the 4 games. Davis is having a career year and has played in all 62 of the Warriors’ games.  This is a big deal for a guy who has been injury prone for the past 5 seasons. 

4.)  Joe Johnson: 52.9% FG, 81.8% FT, 30.3 PPG, 3.3 3PT’s, 6.3 Ast, 1.8 Stl 

Even though the Hawks played horribly over the past week, Johnson was a stud.  Though Johnson is having another strong year, this is his worst season since joining
Atlanta.  Johnson will need to have more weeks like this one, if Atlanta has a hope of holding on to their playoff spot. 

3.)  Chris Paul: 57.5% FG, 95.2% FT, 28.0 PPG, 13.3 Ast, 2.5 Stl 

Paul continued his case for the league MVP with a week that would have normally landed him on the top of this list.  He led New Orleans to a 3-1 record and kept them near the top in the jumbled West.  I don’t think it is a stretch to call him the best PG in the league. 

2.)  Tracy McGrady: 55.6% FG, 81.8% FT, 32.3 PPG, 5.0 Reb, 7.7 Ast 

He has carried Houston on his back since Yao went down, and this week he was awesome once again.  They are beating good teams easily, and McGrady is doing every thing on the court. 

1.)  LeBron James: 49.4% FG, 82.5% FT, 42.3 PPG, 4.7 3PT’s, 7.3 Reb, 5.0 Ast, 2.0 Stl, 1.7 Blk 

There is no denying LeBron the number 1 spot this week.  He has made this list almost every week.  Is it possible for LeBron to get any better?  He will mature and make better decisions like Jordan did, but is there anyway for Lebron to become more skilled.  I see him as a cross between Jordan, Magic, and Karl Malone.  He almost had a triple-double while scoring 50 points.  I’m sorry Kobe; Lebron is the best player in the league.      

Honorable Mention: Jason Richardson, Lamar Odom, Brandon Roy, Deron Williams, Kevin Martin, Charlie Villaneuva, Nate Robinson, Allen Iverson, and Antawn Jamison

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