Just a lil' rant...

[parson]

...Mike Woodson got fired because he didn't develop his players. We gave him 6 years, yet all he wanted to do was strut around, pretending to be relevant, when everyone knows it's the players who matter. Get good players and you'll be called a genius. When his schemes (iso ball? switching defenders?) began to chafe, management looked around for someone else.

The truth is that, even with Woodson's flawed idea of the game, if he'd coached up the players he had, he'd still be an NBA coach.

Now I see Larry Drew and he's making the same mistake. ZERO minutes for Teague? Unless JT kicked Drew's dawg, there is simply no excuse for that. This team has been proven to be dependent on competent PG play. When Woodson began, we used to only look good for those short minutes when Anthony Johnson was physically able to give us that. Then we got Bibby, who is decidedly past his prime, but we took off anyway. All we need is good PG play.

Without Teague making it, Drew will soon be toast. It's really that simple. Sure, we won tonight with Joe and Jamal scoring at will (60 points on 22 for 35 shooting.) But did you notice that bigs didn't do so well? Bibby's slowing down and Jamal's not a PG (maybe he COULD be, but he's not even looking). Drew has got to work with his talent while he can. The day is fast approaching when the players will fully know what Drew's message is. When that happens, they'll stop listening - just as they tuned Woodson out - unless Drew has something that will benefit each of them PERSONALLY -- something that'll make them better and put more $$$ in their contract.

It'll take more than Teague making it, of course: Drew has to figure out how to structure the offense to accommodate Horford more; Smoove has to learn to defend better as he swings between SF and PF (his new future); and we need more from our bench bigs. Still, with the athletes we have, PG is key. Jeff Teague is key.

Either that or Sund had better have another PG up his sleeve...

[HoopsGuru25]

Drew is Woodson with worse rotations. I appreciate the good things that Collins did against Orlando but maybe someone should tell Drew that he's scored about 5 points in the 2 weeks since then. I understand why he doesn't just hand Teague's minutes....but he only benched him AFTER the games he plays well which makes no sense.

His "princeton offense" is also a sham just like Eddie Jordan's.

[SAUCERY_SWEET]

I'm satisfied because i realize what we are, a playoff pretender in the East. I think Drew has done decent with this team and i enjoy the fact we ain't in the Bobcats/Pistons or Raptors situation. That's all.

[ATL DirtyBird]

^ I enjoy very little about this team. Winning is nice but the winning means nothing. The team isnt going anywhere. We are also one of the most boring teams in basketball. No more dunks. No more fastbreaks.

[draycon530]

Drew is Woodson with worse rotations. I appreciate the good things that Collins did against Orlando but maybe someone should tell Drew that he's scored about 5 points in the 2 weeks since then.

I actually like the lineup with Collins in better than with him out. He's not an offensive threat by any means. But with the current starting lineup, it allows Horford and Smith to play their natural positions. Horford is considerably more productive at power forward, and with Smith apparently fixing his jumpshot (by some miracle), playing small forward allows him to be all over the court, which is what he likes to do. He never really looked that comfortable to me while backing people down, so he'll be more effective doing what he is comfortable with. In games that Collins starts, the Hawks' offensive effective field goal % is up, and their opponents' effective field goal % is down from when he doesn't start. He may not be a particularly good player, but he is a big 7 foot body who can move other big bodies out of the way. Also, Collins starting allows Marvin to come off the bench (whenever he heals up), where I feel he is a considerably more productive player. When he plays with the second team, he can be the primary or secondary scoring option, as opposed to the fourth or fifth when he starts, and it lets him be a lot more aggressive. He is a great player when he's aggressive. He is just too passive when he's with the first team. He is also a considerably better option at SF off the bench than is Mo Evans, who is getting old and is practically doing nothing while on the floor.

[CALPURNIA]

I like when we play with a center (Collins, Zaza, Powell, Thomas), but Horford has player poorly the last two games when he is playing mostly the 4 position.
In the first one he even commited 4/5 PFs, which shows he is not completely adapted to that spot.
This does not mean it is not his natural position, as time is needed to accomplish that.

I do agree that LD is no coach for this group of players. May be we have one of the most complicated rosters in order to give minutes and positions and install a game system.

[evildallas]

Woodson wasn't fired for failing to develop players as much as he was fired for completely losing the team. By that I mean that Joe Johnson and Josh Smith quit listening to him at all by the end. LD isn't playing Teague and JC2 as much as I'd hope for long term development, but I don't feel like panicking about that. I like the big lineup move and even saw signs of life from Marvin the one or two games where he was the 7th man. You are welcome to rant, but LD still has my support.

[SAUCERY_SWEET]

^ I enjoy very little about this team. Winning is nice but the winning means nothing. The team isnt going anywhere. We are also one of the most boring teams in basketball. No more dunks. No more fastbreaks.

You definitely need to consider dropping the Hawks cause you most definitely don't watch the games. Crawford and Zaza had 2 dunks alone last night and the Hawks fast breaked them all game long, that's why the lead was as high as 20 at one point. Your disappointed cause you put this team on a Championship level where I look at them as a 2nd round possible scare for somebody. It is what it is.

[parson]

Woodson wasn't fired for failing to develop players as much as he was fired for completely losing the team. By that I mean that Joe Johnson and Josh Smith quit listening to him at all by the end. LD isn't playing Teague and JC2 as much as I'd hope for long term development, but I don't feel like panicking about that. I like the big lineup move and even saw signs of life from Marvin the one or two games where he was the 7th man. You are welcome to rant, but LD still has my support.

In my OP, I said Woodson lost the team ... BECAUSE his message got old. When guys think they know what you're about to say, they shut their ears. I also said that, if Woodson had offered something to aid their growth, they would STILL be listening and he'd still be coach.

If Larry Drew thinks that coaching is what he does on the sidelines, then he has no future.

[azuresou1]

^ I enjoy very little about this team. Winning is nice but the winning means nothing. The team isnt going anywhere. We are also one of the most boring teams in basketball. No more dunks. No more fastbreaks.

You definitely need to consider dropping the Hawks cause you most definitely don't watch the games. Crawford and Zaza had 2 dunks alone last night and the Hawks fast breaked them all game long, that's why the lead was as high as 20 at one point. Your disappointed cause you put this team on a Championship level where I look at them as a 2nd round possible scare for somebody. It is what it is.

That was against the Kings... and we STILL almost choked away the game. We shoot jumpshots against good teams like Boston instead of driving and taking it hard to the other team.

Josh doesn't even try to dunk anymore in traffic, he just settles for long jumpshots.