[Blog] Uｕpon further review
Upon further review…
By Sekou Smith | Thursday, March 30, 2006, 03:50 PM
Welcome to confessions of a bipolar basketball team, where they
can lose to the league’s lone expansion team by giving up 125
points, 70 in the paint, and 24 hours later defeat a team bound
for the playoffs for the fourth straight time. Your guess is as
good as mine when it comes to how this happens. But you have to
admit it is pretty hilarious.
The looks on the faces of the Pacers coaches and players at the
end of the game said it all. On any given night they are one of
the league’s elite teams (their 35-35 record tainted by drama,
injuries and just about anything else you can think of). But when
they see the Hawks, it’s a wrap. Priceless stuff.
Now with New Jersey coming to town Friday, we’ll get a chance to
see if the Hawks are up to the task of battling with an elite
team that’s actually playing like one?
Let me backtrack and address some things that have been floating
around the board the past few days that I’ve read but not yet
had a chance to respond to.
1: I realize that everyone here wants me to blast someone —
coaches, players and Billy Knight more than anyone else — for
the Hawks’ struggles this season. I think I’ve been pretty
vigilant about pointing out where I think the Hawks have gone
wrong and what they’ve done right since I’ve been on the scene.
I spent much of the early portion of the season running down just
about everyone (what else do you do when a team is 2-16). But I
can only take so much of that myself. And when the season’s
complete, there will be ample opportunity to request
accountability from the powers that be, because someone will
have to beheld accountable for another losing season. But until
then, it’s pointless to worry about who’s going to get the
blame. Because from where I sit, there’s going to be plenty go
around.
2: There seems to be this sentiment that the Hawks have done a
disservice to guys like John Edwards, James Lang and Donta Smith
by not playing them more, or at all in Lang’s case, and putting
all the minutes on Zaza Pachulia, Joe Johnson and the rest of the
regulars. I agree. I’d make guys play until their tongues fall
out and then shuffle in my next guy. But much like you, I’m not
in charge. So it’s not my call. And to be quite honest, tell me
what any guy who’s played sparingly has done to make you believe
he’s warranted extended playing time? Anthony Grundy did that
Wednesday night. He made it impossible not to notice him by
playing all out in the limited time he was on the floor. I can’t
say that those other guys have done that, no matter what brief
flashes they’ve shown.
3: Now that the draft has been qualified as weak, the Hawks are
destined for the top overall pick and yet another 6-8 swingman to
add to their long list of lean and athletic talents. Me thinks
not, at least about the player they add come draft time. I do
think fate works in sinister ways sometimes, and a year after the
Hawks had their best shot to get the No. 1 pick they’ll probably
get stuck with it in the draft no one seems to be interested in
having the No. 1 pick. But I don’t think there’s any question
that the Hawks’ needs are for big men and point guards. And in
the absence of a transcendent wing player, though Brandon Roy
has me thinking of Dwyane Wade, there’s no need to go in that
direction.
4: I know some people want to pan Marvin Williams because he’s
not Chris Paul or Deron Williams. But that’s unfair to Marvin
and I won’t do it. Dude didn’t ask the Hawks to pick him. And
given the situation he’s in, he’s done more than an admirable
job. I won’t even get into the details about his age (19) and
limited experience at a high level, because that should be
painfully obvious. I’m prepared to give him the time necessary
to become the player everyone, and I mean EVERYONE who makes
draft night decisions was willing to when they all decided he was
one of the to two picks. Would a back court with Joe Johnson and
Chris Paul be sick. Uh, yeah. Any dope can figure that out. But
who knew? I don’t remember a massive outcry when Deron Williams
was drafted ahead of Paul. The truth is, just about any team that
had the No. 2 pick last summer would have passed on Paul. So I’m
not willing to brand the Hawks busters for passing on a guy that
everybody would have passed on.
So anyway, enough of my ridiculousness today. The weather is too
nice to be messing around on this laptop all day. And we’ve got
bees flying all over the yard, these days I like to refer to it
as Crab Grass Gone Wild. With the Hawks’ road schedule lately,
I’ve had little time to tend the grass. I’ve got my iPod
charged up and the shades on. It’s time to handle some problems I
might actually be able to fix, like turning the yard into Augusta
National on the west side of A-Town.
資料來源
http://0rz.net/121aW
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