Running with Zaza

During Atlanta’s loss to the Celtics almost two weeks ago, I felt badly for Joe Johnson when he missed a free throw in the final minute with a chance to tie that game up. Johnson has played well and has been the Hawks’ go-to-guy in the 4th quarter of every close game. However, looking back on that game the next day, I felt ten times worse for poor Josh Childress.

Apparently, the NBA and the powers that be at ESPN thought it would be a great idea to check in with J-Chill during the 2nd quarter. With a crisp, clear telephone connection from somewhere in Greece, the Childress interview interrupted a couple of minutes of game time. (By the way, I hate these interviews in all sports when people are on the telephone or in the booth. The game action goes on and the announcers interview the person during the game action. Terrible.)

ESPN and NBA commissioner David Stern probably thought Childress would come on with some positive feedback about playing in Greece and push forward the NBA’s inexorable agenda of moving towards an actual global league. Instead, Childress sounded miserable, sad, and lonely. He kind of sounds like Simba in The Lion King when he thinks he is responsible for father’s death.

In keeping with the Disney theme, Childress needs to type up a letter admitting that going overseas was a mistake. Then, he should fold that letter up, put it into an empty bottle of ouzo, cork the bottle, and drop the bottle in the Mediterranean Sea. Disney Studios could make another movie sequel of the animated classic The Rescuers and send Bernard and Miss Bianca across the Atlantic to save J-Chill.

Can you imagine the comedic effect of an animated Childress? He would be great drawn really long and skinny, with the big grin, and the great, blown out hair. He could be in an Olympiakos jersey. The Olympiakos owner and Chill’s agent would be the bad guys that are trying to steal some huge diamond or something. They need Chill’s defensive skills and wingspan to beat an elaborate museum security system. For other product placement, he could eat McDonalds, drink Cokes (for the Atlanta connection), and wear some Nike gear.

For Olympiakos, Childress is doing exactly what he did for the Hawks last year. In the tough and competitive Euroleague games, he is averaging about 10 points per game. He probably plays solid defense and rebounds well for his size. He shoots over 50% from the floor, but cannot make a 3-point shot. He probably cannot get his own shot or score clutch baskets in crunch time of games. Give credit to Childress and his agent, he parlayed some limited success as a 6th man last year into a very lucrative contract. But at what damage to Childress’ career?

Here is my advice to Childress: Come back home. Admit you made a mistake. Accept a ride from Miss Bianca and Bernard (Hawks' GM Rick Sund). You can be the role player in the NBA that you always were, but you have to do it for 3 years at $5 million per year. Ask Sund and Coach Woodson to take you back. Coach Woodson will forgive and forget. Last night against the Pacers, he could have played you about 25 minutes. Keep the minutes under 40 for Smooth, Bibby, and Super Joe. Pair you with Mo Evans as a defensive stopper. The Hawks don’t need to make a trade at the deadline to have a great chance to win a playoff series in 2009--just get Childress back for the stretch run.

Most Hawks' fans probably felt and acted just like Coach Woodson and I last night--scared about a trap game, yelling just to make some guys focus, flinching anytime Al 'the Boss' Horford landed funny on a rebound, worried about Smooth having a melt down, wondering if Bibby is going to be a Hawk in two months, frustrated by a lack of effort from some players, puzzled at the horrendous OKC shot selection, and finally relieved that Joe Johnson showed up to carry the Hawks to a victory.

Super Joe continues to make a case for a starting spot on the Eastern Conference All-Star team. He had a triple double last night in the Hawks' win versus the lowly Oklahoma City Thunder. (Aside--this morning I still am flabbergasted by Robert Swift's appearance for the Thunder. He has made a ton of money in the league, but don't you think he would have been served well by some time on a college campus? He has to be high on someone's list of worst first round draft choices in the last 20 years.) Johnson's best quality is his consistency. He brings effort and energy every night. He is playing better than AI, Ray Allen, and Vince Carter. Super Joe passes, plays defense, and rebounds better than any of those guys. He is just a notch below Dwayne Wade as the best shooting guard in the East.

What better way to kick-off an eight game home stand than to beat Lebron James and the Cleveland Cavs. The Hawks arrived back from last night’s victory against Miami at 3 AM this morning. The Cavs were coming off a big win last night as well. Would any of the players have any energy left for tonight’s game? Where would the energy come from?

The answer is playing against Lebron James. He will embarrass you if you are not ready to play. Even on television, and you could feel the energy in the gym. Everyone wants Lebron in 2010 because he electrifies his teammates, the other team’s players, and the fans. A sellout crowd of 19,200 showed up in Philips Arena to see Lebron try to extend the Cavs winning streak. The Atlanta Hawks treated the fans to a great game and a huge home victory.

The Hawks have only lost at home once all year and that was to New Jersey. They are now 8-1. Mike Bibby came out in the first quarter determined to get the team off to a positive start. He succeeded. The Hawks jumped ahead and held the lead after a 31 point quarter. With everyone in Coach Mike Woodson’s rotation making a contribution, the Hawks led the Cavs by nine points at halftime.

I have not watched that many Cavaliers’ games this season. You see highlights of Lebron every night, but I have not watched a whole game. The biggest surprise for me was how disruptive Lebron is on the defensive end of the floor. Despite what you hear from NBA analysts, Lebron has not been known for his defense. I would argue that his focus for most of his five years in the league has been on the offensive end of the court—maybe playing with Team USA this summer has changed his focus a little bit. He was all over the court against the Hawks.

A great example occurred in the middle of the 2nd quarter. There was a loose ball tipped off a rebound from a Hawks’ jump shot. Joe Johnson and Mo Williams went for the ball at about half speed, when Lebron came flying from the baseline and snatched up the loose ball. Lebron moved so much quicker than the two smaller players that it amazed the crowd. It was the kind of awesome, athletic move that made the fans in Philips arena respond with an audible and collective gasp.

In the past two games, the Hawks are pushing the basketball more. With Josh Smith back in the line up, they are a much deeper team and they can play a faster game. During a key 2nd half fast break, there was a loose ball that the Cavs came up with after a scramble. The Cavs’ Moe Williams took a 3 point shot in transition that missed. Bibby snagged the rebound and hit Joe Johnson who passed to Horford for a pretty finger roll lay up. On the transition for the Hawks, the ball never touched the floor with a dribble. The teamwork and solid fundamentals helped the Hawks to a victory in this game.

The 4th quarter was a back and forth duel between Lebron and Joe Johnson. The Cavs’ Delonte West gave Joe Johnson trouble again in this game, but for some reason West did not guard Johnson much in the 4th quarter. That hurt the Cavs as Super Joe not only had 11 points, but he keyed pretty much every other Hawks’ basket. These two stars went at it, but it was the Hawks’ great supporting cast that came through to win the game. Bibby, Horford, Marvin Williams, and Josh Smith made key plays down the stretch to preserve the victory. The Hawks’ are at home for the next two weeks. The fans and the city are energized. If Coach Woodson keeps telling them to push the ball in transition and the team defense continues to execute like it did tonight against Lebron, the Hawks will celebrate the New Year in style with a winning record for the 2008 part of the season.

Here are four quick hitting observations on the state of the Hawks and Cavs:

The Cavs are on this win streak without Zydrunas Ilgauskus, but they need Big Z. The Cavs miss his scoring ability. He is literally a big, big man that sets solid screens and plays great off Lebron. Big Z is the only player on the Cavs other than Lebron that creates mismatches for the opposing team.

Posterization = Optimization. Will Josh Smith ever learn that his athletic ability can not make up for poor foot work? Last night, the Heat jumped out to a quick 11-0 lead against the Hawks, and they still were leading 16-5 when a play happened that might be one of the turning points of the Hawks’ season. Wade drove down the lane and thunder dunked on Josh Smith. (It was the same type of posterization dunk that Wade put on Emeka Okafor of Charlotte earlier in the week.) Smith played much better after that play. Tonight, with about 4 minutes left in the 3rd quarter, Lebron faced up Josh Smith at the top of the key and just bulled past him for a thunderous dunk. J-Smooth was beaten off the dribble by Wally, Lebron, and even Varejao. Hopefully, being posterized every game will make Smooth more focused.

Hawks’ fans have to be excited, because in this game Al Horford was the best big man on the court and Zaza Pachulia was the second best. Zaza and Horford do the little things on the defensive end of the court that are missed by the casual fan. They showed hard on screens, played big in Lebron’s passing lanes, and came to double Lebron if he picked up his dribble. They also came up with tough rebounds and set solid screens on the offensive end.

The Hawks and Cavs challenge every shot. All game long, players were running at jump shooters. This effort happens when your best players are playing hard on the defensive end. Lebron was flying all over the court and he was running through screens. For the Hawks, Bibby was down inside trying to block Varejao’s shot! He was boxing out Ben Wallace. Marvin was rebounding and playing tough defense against Lebron. The bigs for both teams were showing hard on ball screens. Defense is about effort and the effort was definitely in evidence tonight.

What makes the NBA so fun to watch is that teams are playing at a high level every night. The intensity and physical play in the second half of this game almost reached a playoff type level. Blocked shots, dunks, steals, hustle plays, and hard fouls characterized this game. Just check out tonight’s highlight of the Rockets' Luis Scola diving into the bench for a loose ball!

Playing the second night of back to back games, the Rockets figured to start slowly against the Hawks. With two days of practice, the rested Hawks were coming off a tough road loss on Saturday to the Mavericks. This game could have been one where the Hawks jump ahead early, and a tired Rockets team without Tracy McGrady plays lackadaisically and gives the game to Atlanta. The exact opposite happened in tonight’s game. The Rockets stormed out to a 27-16 lead after the first quarter. After another terrible start, the Hawks fought back and led by 8 points with about six minutes to play, but Ron Artest and Yao Ming took over the game in the last five minutes to lead Houston to a huge 92-84 win.

Ron Artest is not one of these NBA players that put up huge statistical numbers. At this point in their careers, I actually like his game better than McGrady’s. In fact, some of the plays he makes and the intangibles he brings to the game are not measured by statistics. Basically, he took over this game in the last five minutes, but the best Artest moment happened in the 4th quarter after a Yao Ming basket and a Hawks’ timeout. As the Rockets players walked over to the bench, Artest grabbed the five guys on the court and quickly huddled them up. Who knows what he said, but his gesture said, “Let’s stick together as a team and win this game with toughness down the stretch.” Coaches always talk about the leadership of glue guys like Artest; and this quick huddle is a perfect example of what that term means.

Here is a quick synopsis of Artest’s 4th quarter. With the Hawks up two points, he buried a 3 point shot from the right wing in front of the Rockets’ bench. He beat his man off the dribble and dished to Yao for a lay up. Then, Artest took a long rebound and went coast-to-coast and finished with a sweet left hand lay up over Mike Bibby. After a Hawks’ timeout, Artest read the offensive set, left Joe Johnson, and doubled Al Horford in the corner. Horford was forced to call another time-out or commit a turnover. Then, with the Rockets pulling ahead, he partially blocked a jump shot from Joe Johnson. Finally, with the Hawks pressuring full court, he took the inbounds pass, cleared everyone out, and forced Joe Johnson to foul him as he brought the basketball up the court. Artest is a fundamentally sound player and his whole array of skills was on display in tonight’s game.

In simple terms, the Rockets are quicker and play better team defense. Scola’s energy permeates through the whole team. How many times did he show out hard on the Hawks’ high pick and roll play? Von Wafer, Aaron Brooks, Carl Landry, and Shane Battier play hard and know their roles. The Rockets out rebounded the Hawks 57 to 40. It is hard to remember the Hawks getting any 2nd chance points or loose balls. Acie Law, Mo Evans, and Flip Murray looked disinterested. The Hawks are not a young team trying to learn to win. Except for Horford and Law, these players are veterans. Dominique Wilkins, the Hawk’s color analyst, kept saying how impressive it was that the team was able to play hard and get back into the game. Much respect to Dominique, I could not disagree more. With higher expectations for this team, playing close on the road or playing hard and losing is not good enough any more.

Coach Woodson has some decisions to make. Defensive adjustments have to be made quicker. Yao was a force of nature in this game. The Hawks did not double immediately when he caught the ball in the post. It looked like they were waiting for Yao to dribble the basketball and then bring the double team. That is too late. Yao’s post moves are too polished. Zaza and the Boss (Horford) can not handle him one on one. He finished the game with 24 points and 19 rebounds. He also controlled the lane on the defensive end of the court. Also, Coach Woodson is going to have to decide on a late game rotation. Marvin Williams has disappeared with the return of Josh Smith. In the 4th quarter, Smith looked upset on the bench. Rafer Alston of the Rockets hit a huge 3 point shot in crunch time when Mike Bibby went under a ball screen. Who can get the job done at the end of the game? The Rockets had their answer tonight with Artest and Yao Ming.

Over the last couple of days, I have been taking another look at the 2007 NBA draft. During that draft, I wanted GM Billy Knight to take a point guard first and then a big man with the #11 pick. Maybe, pick a Mike Conley and Spencer Hawes combination. Knight went in another direction and took Al Horford and Acie Law. With some hindsight, it would have been one of the great drafts of the last ten years if Knight would have taken Rodney Stuckey with the 11th pick instead of Law; but the Horford pick has set the tone for this franchise. Horford’s stellar play last season (he should have been 2008 Rookie of the Year) raised expectations enough that the Atlanta Spirit Group signed off on the trade for Mike Bibby. Getting Mike Bibby has set the stage for the Hawks to become a respectable team this season, and possibly a great team over the next five years.

Something special must have happened to Billy Knight on Valentine’s Day last year. He must have had a great meal in Buckhead or called Bibby’s father and asked him about Mike’s health. You have to give him credit for stealing Bibby from the Kings. On February 16, the Hawks traded Shelden Williams, Anthony Johnson, Tyronn Lue, Lorenzen Wright, and a 2008 second-round draft pick to Sacramento for Mike Bibby. With the 42nd pick, the Kings drafted Sean Singletary and then traded him to Houston with Ron Artest for Bobby Jackson and some loose change. The Rockets promptly traded Singletary to the Phoenix Suns for D.J. Strawberry. At this point, no players selected after Singletary really have made an impact in the NBA. Is Bibby really worth five players? Yes, with these five guys, you could have kicked in Salim Stoudamire, Mario West, and a hamburger franchise and still came out ahead.

Although the Hawks have had some injuries and adversity, they are 11-6. This team is in better shape than a bunch of other teams. Bibby is a big reason why. He is a veteran presence that is providing a quiet leadership for this team. His 3 point shooting has been invaluable and the great shooting has spread like a good plague to some teammates. The Hawks are leading the NBA in 3 point percentage shooting. Last night against Memphis, Bibby was clutch in the 4th quarter. He is not afraid to take and make big shots. He also has been more of a playmaker and assist man than I thought he could be this year. He is healthy and has been able to penetrate and beat his man, because everybody is flying out to challenge the jump shot. Okay, I have been railing about his defense all year. It is true that Bibby has trouble guarding the elite point guards, but how many of those are there in the Association? Six? You don’t think that the Miami Heat would not kill for Bibby right now. Yeah, they are playing Chris Quinn in the 4th quarter with the game on the line.

If Bibby stays healthy, the Hawks are in good shape. He is only 30 years old, but has been in the NBA since 1998. His body is pretty old. The Hawks will make the playoffs. The drop off to Acie Law and Flip Murray is like dropping off a cliff. Flip Murray could run the point, but he does not want to--he is a score and shoot first guy. Acie is serviceable. Here is the dilemma for GM Rick Sund. Keep Bibby, have a great year, maybe win a playoff series, and lose him in free agency; or on the other hand, trade Bibby to a contender for a proven point guard with another skill set, a high draft pick, or a couple of up and coming role players. In February or March, Bibby might be worth a 1st round draft pick to a team like the Lakers, Jazz, or Spurs.

I want Sund to keep Bibby and make a run this year. If Bibby walks, Sund can use that money on the free agent market. The problem is if you let him go for nothing, who knows if the ASG is going let you use part of Bibby’s money to sign someone. They might just pocket the playoff profits. I have not looked at the salaries, but what if the Lakers offered Sasha Vulacic and Luke Walton for Bibby. That is the kind of deal that will be hard for Sund to pass up. You can then move Walton or Marvin Williams for a point guard of the future.

Bibby is the key to the Hawks’ season and to the future of the franchise. The team is solid and good if not great. The Hawks can beat anyone on any given night this season. I cannot wait until the NBA season really starts to heat up after the New Year. And, I have not even starting thinking about how the Hawks’ can clear enough cap space to sign Dwayne Wade in 2010.

Here is something you might not know about Mike Bibby:

The Hawks’ #10 has a MLB pedigree. Bibby’s uncle, Jim Bibby, was a professional baseball player with 111 major league victories. He was an important pitcher for the “We Are Family” Pittsburgh Pirates of 1979 and a National League All-Star selection in 1980. Bibby threw a no hitter in 1973 as a member of the Texas Rangers. In maybe a more amazing game against your Atlanta Braves in 1981, Bibby gave up a lead off single and then proceeded to retire the next 27 batters in order—as close to a perfect game as you can pitch.

Remember how you felt immediately after the final scene of the Sopranos went to black? Very hard to describe that feeling. You were kind of confused, but you kind of liked the ending because you could fill in the blanks of what happened. Then, you woke up the next morning and you were like, "What is David Chase doing, give me an ending." Give me an ending and I might take out the small loan to buy the 33 DVD set of the entire series. In short, you were frustrated, happy, or glad that Tony did not get whacked. That feeling is exactly what I felt watching the Hawks beat the Milwaukee Bucks tonight—glad the Hawks won the game, but ambivalent as to how they are playing--uninspired and a little worried.

I am watching an NBA game almost every night. I pretty much have stopped watching college basketball until conference play starts in January. The Hawks are my adopted team. Tonight, the Hawks won the game to go 5-1 at home, but they really played an uninspired, lackadaisical game. The Bucks starting line up tonight was as bad talent wise as you can get in the NBA. The Bucks started Richard Jefferson, Charlie Bell, Luke Ridnour, Luc Mbah a Moute, and Dan Gadzuric. Jefferson is legit. Bell is wearing the biggest knee brace I have ever seen in an NBA game. Ridnour is fun and hip, but not good. Moute is a role player at best. Gadzuric is so athletic he just hangs around the league collecting checks. The Bucks’ second best player tonight was Ramon Sessions, a point guard off the bench. He is better than Acie Law.

Really, the Hawks should kill this team. These guys were scrappy and played harder than the Hawks. Give the credit to Scott Skiles and his staff. They out prepared and out coached Mike Woodson and company tonight. For example, I actually saw assistant coach and NCAA pariah Kelvin Sampson coaching Richard Jefferson. The great part was that Jefferson was actually listening to Sampson! I should not complain because the Hawks are 9-5. That is better than most people predicted. Their schedule has been very tough so far, and they are missing Josh Smith. But, almost every other team also is dealing with injuries. Here are a few of my problems with the Hawks on the eve of Thanksgiving:

Hawks do not have the hustle type role player. The hustle player for the Hawks is Al “the Boss” Horford. Horford leads by example, but he is getting himself into foul trouble. The Bucks had any number of hustle players tonight. Acie, Solo, Mo Evans or someone has to match Horford’s effort. Right now, Horford is the Hawks’ most valuable player and emotional leader.

Mike Woodson has to use Joe Johnson more effectively on both ends of the court. Stop making Super Joe guard the other team’s best player. Look at Jefferson tonight—most of the time he was guarding the Hawks’ worst perimeter player. On the offensive end, if the Hawks’ have 80 possessions, 25 of those plays should be sets to get Joe the ball where he can score or create for someone else. The first possession after halftime the Hawks’ ran a great set play for Johnson, and he made a 3 point shot. You need to get Joe moving without the ball and not make him break his man down off the dribble all of the time.

Stop making Johnson bring the ball up the court against pressure and inititate the offense. Did Jefferson ever bring the ball up for the Bucks? No. Johnson should run down to the baseline and wait on people to set screens for him like a Richard Hamilton, Ray Allen, etc. Remember when Iverson played for Larry Brown in Philadelphia? They used to run sets for Iverson all night long. It is not like Joe Johnson will not pass the basketball. Really, the opposite is true and Johnson passes too much. Run some plays for him.

The Hawks have to figure out a way to get better play out of Zaza and Solomon Jones. The center position is where they are struggling. Gadzuric was awful tonight for the Bucks, but the Hawks could not take advantage. At the very least, these guys have to pound the offensive glass.

I am excited about the Hawks’ start to the season. Without Josh Smith one of their top players, they are winning games. But, there is something missing--maybe a killer instinct, maybe an overall attitude. The Hawks had so much more talent tonight than the Bucks, but they let Charlie Villanueva play like an all star in the 4th quarter. They have been off since Saturday, and they should have come out fired up to blow the Bucks out of Philips Arena. The Hawks need a “glue” guy--someone other than Horford that will chest bump Joe Johnson or Bibby and get these guys to show some emotion. Tonight, it did not seem like it hurt enough when the Bucks scored on the Hawks. In the NBA if you play to the level of your opponent and play the scoreboard, you will lose when you are supposed to win. You will end up 37-45 again and out of the playoffs. No one who was downtown in June last summer wants that for this season.

1. Before talking about the Hawks’ two games, Vince Carter of the Nets deserves some press. I am not sure why, but his performance in the last minutes against the Toronto Raptors is not getting any attention. Carter was incredible in the last minutes and in overtime. ESPN only showed the game ending dunk and the long 3 point shot to send the game into overtime. Those two plays should be the best plays of the week. What most people did not see was that Carter basically took over the game with the Nets down double figures. He scored on almost every possession of the last minute of the game. Carter’s performance in the clutch was sensational—I wish more people were talking about it. The game somehow got lost in the shuffle.

2. What has happened to Flip Murray? Murray was playing great at the beginning of the season, but he has fallen off in the last few games. He might have been getting too much attention for the Hawks’ quick start. He looks like he is trying to score every time he touches the basketball. I like his offensive aggressiveness, but he needs to pass the ball sometimes. The Hawks do not need Flip to dribble the ball down in the half court set, take his man off the dribble, and shoot a contested shot. The emergence of Acie Law in the last week might give Coach Woodson a way to control Flip and get Acie some more minutes.

3. Super Joe Johnson is on the verge of becoming one of the top all around players in the NBA. He defends, scores, passes, etc. Joe does a little bit of everything. He is going to have to learn to score when facing the double team. Delonte West did a great job guarding him in the Cavs game. Joe looked tired against the Cavs. He did carry the load against the Bobcats, but the smaller, quicker West gave him trouble.

4. Believe it or not Al Horford keeps getting better every game. He is a better player on both ends of the court right now than Emeka Okafor. He is better than any of the Cavs interior players. Varejaeo might be more athletic, but he is not nearly as skilled on the offensive end. Horford drove from the foul line into the post and scored on Ben Wallace and Zydrunas Ilgauskas. When Horford is healthy, he is the only guy that the Hawks can consistently go to on the post

5. What was Coach Larry Brown doing in the first half of the Hawks versus Bobcats game on Friday night? The Bobcats were off to a great start with Gerald Wallace flying around and scoring lay ups at will. On one play, Wallace grabbed a rebound and dribble coast to coast for a lay up without being contested by any Hawks’ players. Then, inexplicably, Wallace was out for an extended rest, and Brown played his entire roster in the first half. In the 2nd quarter, he had Matt Carroll, Sean May, and Adam Morrison in the game at the same time. Brown obviously was trying to prove a point to someone, but it cost the Bobcats.

6. If you went through every player in the NBA and ranked the players, Sean May and Adam Morrison would be at the very bottom. May looked terrible in the minutes that he played against the Hawks. He is totally out of game shape. I am pretty sure that he physically cannot get down into a defensive stance. I would take Solomon Jones and Othello Hunter over May right now. Morrison was unrecognizable. He has a new haircut and I had not idea who he was. He looks bigger and kind of like a poor man’s Brian Cardinal. That’s poor. On the few times he caught the ball on the offensive end, he did not even face the basket to try to score. You can start looking for personnel changes from the Bobcats—the typical Larry Brown makeover should start fairly soon.

7. The Hawks split the games this weekend. They beat the Bobcats on Friday and lost to the Cavs on Saturday. Marvin Williams and Mo Evans hit big shots against the Bobcats down the stretch to help win the game. One big concern for the Coach Woodson has to be the very slow starts to the games. The Hawks were down big after the first quarter in both games. Luckily, the Bobcats are not a very good team, and Larry Brown was messing around with his player rotation. Against the Cavs, the Hawks’ second unit played hard and made runs against the Cavs, but Lebron and company never let them get closer than 10 points in the second half. Without Josh Smith, the Hawks cannot beat any of the top 4 teams in the Eastern Conference.

8. Can Lebron James be stopped? The Cavs beat the Hawks on Saturday night, and Lebron almost had a triple double in the game. The incredible part of the game is that Lebron did not seem to be playing well or even interested in the game in the first half. He made some plays, but then in the second half, he took over the game. Sometimes, Lebron is so big physically that it makes everyone else on the court look overwhelmed. After Lebron was hit in the face in the 4th quarter, he came down the court and received the basketball on the wing. The Cavs cleared out and sent Big Z over to set a ball screen. With Mo Evans fighting over the screen, Lebron just shouldered him out of the way, thundered down the lane, and dunked on Evans and Solomon Jones about as hard as humanly possible to dunk the basketball. The dunk was fierce, ferocious, and insert your own adjective here.

9. Speaking of Lebron getting hit in the face, I have watched a ton of NBA games going back to the 1980’s, but I cannot remember seeing a play called that way by the officials. Acie Law drove the lane with authority, switched hands, and scored a right-handed lay up. The officials whistled a foul on one of the Cavaliers on the drive—count the basket and Acie goes to the foul line. However, on the play, Acie flailed with his left hand and hit Lebron right in the nose. The officials called a technical on Law for the blow. The Cavs shot a technical free throw and then Acie shot his free throw. The Cavs scorer must have been just as confused as I was, because they did not give the Hawks the 2 point basket until the next time down the court.

10. Cavaliers are a much improved team. The main improvement is the addition of Moe Williams in the back court. Williams can play either guard spot. He plays off Lebron very well and is ready to knock down open 3 point shots on drives to the basket. Anytime that the Hawks made a run, the Cavs threw the ball to Lebron and ran a screen and roll at the top of the floor. Lebron is such a great passer that he creates easy baskets for everyone. Add to that the Cavs unselfish, team mindset and you have a great recipe for success. Several times Lebron passed out of the double team and the Cavs rotated the basketball for wide open shots. Wally, Moe, and Boobie Gibson all can knock down open 3 point shots.

The Hawks just finished beating the Washington Wizards tonight in a close game at Philips Arena a.ka. the Highlight Factory. The outlook looked pretty bleak with the Wizards leading for large portions of the game and clinging to a 4 point lead with just under a minute to play. In the last minute, the Hawks came through with two huge 3-point shots and two solid defensive possessions. Tonight, the Hawks played like the veteran winning team and the Wizards self-destructed on their final possessions.

Joe Johnson made two great plays in the final minute. On a side-out, Johnson broke to the ball and scored on a quick shot off the inbounds pass. The Hawks stopped the Wizards. Down by one point, Johnson set a ball screen for Bibby. Bibby was on fire tonight going 12-22 for 25 points, but had struggled in the 4th quarter. The Wizards doubled the ball screen and Bibby was able to get the pass to Joe. A younger player might have forced the shot, but Johnson is one of the most unselfish all-star caliber players in the NBA. When the Wizards rotated on defense, Johnson took a dribble and hit Marvin Williams for an open 3-point shot. Williams nailed the jumper for the game-winning shot.

Here are some quick thoughts about the game:

1. Marvin Williams is playing very hard. What it's a contract year? Oh, that explains the 14 tough rebounds. Marvin is a solid player. I think he would be great as a 4 man coming off the bench to stretch the defense. He just seems to be a player without a natural position. I like it when he plays hard and he is proving that he is a clutch shooter.

2. Our man from Georgia (the country), Zaza Pachulia, rebounded like a man tonight. He is injured. The guys in the post game show said he barely can raise the left arm up, but he was diving on the floor and hustling. I liked early in the game when the Hawks ran a set play and Bibby hit Zaza for a lay up.

3. Anytime the camera cuts to the Hawks' bench and I see Speedy Claxton, I cringe. Claxton has made an egregious amount of money on this contract without any production. I need to break this down in a future post.

4. When Bibby does not have to contend with a scoring point guard, the Hawks have a great chance to win that night. I want to know why the Hawks cannot find one guy with personality in post game interviews. This town is starving for a NBA guy with personality to take it by storm.

5. I like Maurice Evans in the starting line up beside Joe Johnson. It is a more natural look for the line up. Please stop making Johnson guard the other team's best player for long stretches of game action.

*What is the story with Drew Gooden's beard? That is terrible. Three years ago the Bulls had some crazy rule where Ben Wallace could not wear a head band during games. Now, they are allowing this beard! The Blazers are killing the Bulls right now. Mike Breen just said that Vinny Del Negro is looking down his bench for answers...probably not going to find any on that bench--Tyrus Thomas, really?

Starters
Hawks: Super Joe, Bibby, Williams, Horford, Pachulia
Pacers: M. Daniels, T.J. Ford, Granger, Troy Murphy, Nesterovic

If you just look at the rosters and the starters, the Hawks should have beaten the Pacers tonight. The pre-game was warm and fuzzy. Coach Mike Woodson was back in his native Indiana. The Hawks made shots in warm-ups, but the first play of the game was an omen of bad things to come. The Pacers won the tip and on their first possession T.J. Ford broke down Bibby off the dribble for a lay up. The defense never recovered. On the Hawks 2nd offensive possession, Joe Johnson ran the point and initiated the offensive set? Why? Bibby has to be able to handle the basketball against some pressure. Early in the game in transition, Horford ran hard, but he did not post up hard against Troy Murphy. It looked like Horford already was injured at this point, because Murphy should not be able to keep him off the block on the move.

The Indiana crowd was totally dead in first quarter, but the Pacers played hard and played with energy. Greg Foster came off the bench and gave them a spark. With 5 minutes left in the first quarter, Horford headed to the locker room—terrible news for Hawks’ fans. Losing Horford at the beginning of this week will be tough for the Hawks to overcome. Right before the buzzer, Foster, a 6’11 post player, hit an improbable 3 point shot to put the Pacers ahead 32-25 after one quarter. Foster has not hit a 3 pointer since the economy was running smoothly. Nothing was going right for the Hawks and the adversity showed in their lack of intensity.

Defensively, the Hawks’ were not executing. They could not contain dribble penetration. Their help side rotations were late. Even if the Pacers drove and missed shots, they rebounded and scored on second chance opportunities. A great example of the defensive breakdowns happened in the second quarter. The Hawks switched and Flip Murray was beaten on a back door cut for a lay up by Nesterovic of all people. On another typical poor play, Murphy just posted Marvin Williams right under the basket and scored easily.

Coach Woodson tried to adjust and play the match up zone, but immediately the Hawks gave up a 3 point basket, and then another. Here are three big problems for the Hawks. Joe Johnson had to guard Danny Granger. Johnson has to be able to concentrate more on the offensive end. Put Evans on Granger. Coach Woodson needs to play Evans and Johnson together more. Granger had 14 first half points. Secondly, the Hawks were killed in transition. When the Pacers rebounded the basketball, the Hawks’ players challenged the rebounder. That is a basketball cardinal sin. At one point in the first half, the Pacers had 30 points in the paint to only 6 for the Hawks. The Hawks were killed on screen-roll plays and hand-offs. The Bigs had to help too much, and then their men scored on the roll play. The Hawks were down 13 points at half, and the Pacers shot a blistering 63% from field.

In the 3rd quarter, nothing happened except that Coach Woodson finally played everyone on the bench when he put Acie Law into the game with under a minute to play. In the first part of the 4th quarter, Law keyed a 15-5 Hawks’ run with 7 points and 2 assists. Benching him might have made him mad enough to play better. Super Joe missed a huge open 3 point shot in transition off a shot fake. That shot would have closed the gap. The Hawks really needed that basket.

Here is a microcosm of what is wrong with the team right now. With 4 minutes left in the game and down by 11 points, Coach Woodson called a time-out. Out of the time-out, the shot the Hawks got was a Solomon Jones spinning hook shot with the shot clock running down. That shot probably was not what they talked about in the time-out. Then, Danny Granger finished this game for the Pacers. He had 34 points on 13-18 shooting—a monster game. Tonight, he was the best player on the floor. The final score was 113-96, and the Hawks’ losing streak continues.

*Offensively, Super Joe caught fire in the 2nd quarter. He carried the Hawks’ offense for most of the night. He not only made shots, but he also created shots for everyone else. Horford never came back into the game. He has a right ankle injury. Joe would have to score 40 plus for the Hawks to get a win right now.

*Dominique took the night off from his color commentary duties. Is he already bored and tired after 9 games? I would do these games for free, okay maybe per diem money and travel expenses. Steve “Snapper” Jones filled in pretty well. He used to be great on NBC when teamed with Bill Walton. “Snapper” was the voice of reason to Walton’s zany comments.

*Every basketball fan is a little sadder today, because of the passing away of coaching legend Pete Newell. Newell was a master teacher of post play, and he was an influential mentor to Coach Bob Knight.

Coaching staffs in the NBA watch more film than any other basketball coaches. They are going to find the opponent’s weaknesses and try to exploit them. Last night, New Jersey beat the Hawks and the Nets showed everyone the weaknesses in the Hawks’ roster. The Hawks played hard and shot great from 3 point range to make the game close. However, the Hawks’ defense missed the fire and determination that got them off to a 6-0 start. They are playing short-handed. It was a long week away from home and the Boston game was a heartbreaker, but New Jersey exposed some things that the Hawks and Coach Woodson need to improve.

The Hawks cannot stop an offensive minded point guard. In the 4th quarter, Woodson did not even try to use Bibby on Devin Harris. Flip Murray was put on Harris to try and slow him down. Murray is playing great, but there is a reason he is a career back up. Harris was better down the stretch. He made a couple of huge 3 point shots and he penetrated and dropped a dime to Brook Lopez for a dunk. Bibby has to be on the floor for his shooting and savvy, but Coach Woodson is going to have to figure out what to do against scoring point guards. Hard to play zone in the 4th quarter, but the Hawks might have to mix it in on possessions out of time out or one single possessions.

Al Horford is a power forward. He is not a center. When Horford had to guard Brook Lopez he was over matched. Zaza is a quality bench player, but he did not step up last night. The same was true of Solomon Jones. Lopez looks like a bonafide NBA player. He scored and he actually bothered shots around the rim. The problem for the Hawks is that this weakness does not get solved when Josh Smith returns. Playing Marvin Williams at the power forward spreads the floor on offense, but he cannot guard bigger or smaller players. Zaza and Solomon have to bring their best every night.

Who is Ryan Anderson? I had to go to the Nets web page and look this guy up. As far as an all around floor game, Anderson was second only to Joe Johnson in impacting the game. He was all over the floor. He rebounded, hit 3 point shots, drove and scored. He is a big time energy guy. The Hawks had no one playing like that last night. Hopefully, that is not a sign of a ‘we just have to show up and win’ attitude.

The Flip Murray and Mo Evans dynamic duo already has inspired nicknames in the media. Talk radio, sports writers, and Joe the plumber all have come up with there own take on the immediate impact these guys have made. Check out my posts from this summer and you will see that I was a huge fan of Rick Sund’s moves to sign these guys. But, is it possible the attention has already made the Hawks too overconfident.

Against New Jersey last night, Evans did not even score. He had some open looks, but he looked uncomfortable especially when the Nets played their 2-3 zone. He looked tired at the end of the week long road trip. Evans is noted for his defense, but not sure yet if Coach Woodson trusts him in one on one match ups in crunch time. Against the Celtics and against the Nets, Woodson had Joe Johnson guarding Pierce and Vince Carter in the final minutes. I think Evans can be a defensive stopper.

Listen, I am firmly on the Hawks bandwagon, but the margin of error is slim in the NBA. The Hawks have to play defense every night to have a chance to win. Excuses about travel or whatever will come back to haunt you. Tonight fans should be worried about one thing—Vince Carter. Carter has the kind of talent to show up tonight on a back to back and get 40 points. The Hawks should have beaten New Jersey last night, and I expect them to come out tonight and blow the Nets out of Philips Arena.

The NBA is where amazing happens. I just finished watching an incredible finish to the Hawks and Celtics game. Then, I caught the last few minutes of the Miami Heat game. Dwayne Wade had a monster dunk over Travis Outlaw and LaMarcus Aldridge of the Trail Blazers. The Blazers won behind a great game from rookie Rudy Fernandez and Steve Blake’s clutch 3 point shot in the final minute. If you are not watching the NBA, you are missing out on great basketball.

Here was the situation for the Hawks--Josh Smith injured. Zaza out with a bum shoulder. Al Horford in foul trouble. Joe Johnson is not quite into the flow of the game. But the Hawks are up 77-76 at the start of the 4th quarter? The Hawks were out-manned and everything was against them. Still, the team fought hard, played together, and should have won the game. Here are three quick observations:

1. Hawks have a much deeper bench than last year, but not good enough yet to compete at the highest level. Coach Woodson was trying just about any combination of post players, because foul trouble killed the Hawks. Solomon Jones was too thin in this game. Randolph Morris was not a factor. When Marvin Williams has to play a ton of minutes at the 4 spot and guard Garnett, Powe, and Glen Davis, the Hawks are going to be in trouble. Really missed Zaza tonight.

2. Joe Johnson had to run the point in crunch time. Why? He was bringing the ball up even when Bibby and Flip Murray were on the court. Acie Law is not the answer and Coach Woodson knows it, but the Hawks need Johnson coming off screens in an offensive set. If Joe has to bring the basketball up the court, the Hawks do not get into an offensive set until about 14 seconds left on the shot clock. Probably not going to work over the course of the season.

3. The other thing that almost made me jump through the TV set was the Hawks’ strategy of switching on side ball screens and hand offs between Pierce and Garnett. Coach Woodson you have to make the in-game adjustment. Switching gave the Celtics two different ways to attack. They either threw the ball to Garnett on the post with a guard on him or Pierce took the ball off the dribble with a post on him. With just 7 seconds left on a side out of bounds, the Hawks should have switched up their coverage of this play. Maybe double Pierce on the handoff and make someone else beat you, or play on the high side and fight through the handoff.

Here is my play-by-play from the final five minutes of the telecast:

Johnson has to play big in this quarter for the Hawks to win this game. Celtics are hurting the Hawks with second chance points. The Hawks have no inside game on the offensive end of the court, and they are taking too many jump shots off the dribble. Garnett has been out of this game for a long stretch. He should be rested. Ray Allen has missed two straight wide open 3 point shots. Mo Evans just tied the score 88-88.

Five minutes to go and here comes Garnett into a tie game. Out of the timeout great defense by the Hawks, but Garnett hits a long two. Next time down—again great defense by Atlanta, but Garnett gets the rebound and scores on an alley oop pass for a dunk. Time out Atlanta.

After the time out, the Hawks have Joe Johnson bringing the ball up the floor because Rondo is pressuring Bibby. Boston’s Rondo fouls Bibby on a long jump shot. Bibby pulls a veteran NBA move by kicking out his leg. The Hawks desperately need a defensive stop. Boston runs a two man game with Garnett and Pierce. Hawks switch on the screen and Joe Johnson ends up behind Garnett in the post. Foul and free throws.

Rondo hits a 2. Evans responds with a 3. Huge shot. Pierce scores an old fashioned 3 point play with the fans chanting MVP. 99-95 Boston with 97 seconds left. Horford offensive goal tending! Bibby steals the ball back and is fouled. After a tough drive, 2 free throws by Super Joe. 99-97. The Hawks have been switching on the side ball screen and giving Boston a mismatch with Garnett. Please stop switching.

What will the Hawks do on this play out of the time-out? Superb defensive possession for Hawks. Quick and hard double on Garnett on the catch in the post. Rondo fires up a terrible shot on the ball reversal. Joe ties up the score on one of his patented drives down the right side of the lane against Pierce. Johnson cleared some space by fading away from Pierce for his 28th point of the game. 99-99. Johnson fouls Pierce. Pierce so good at going to his left. Marvin Williams for 3…Good! Doc Rivers brought in Tony Allen to guard Joe Johnson and Johnson beat him baseline before dishing to Marvin. 102-101 Hawks. Pierce hand off from Garnett and Pierce nails the game winning jumper. Again the Hawks switched and Horford ends up on Pierce. Inbounds pass goes through Bibby’s hands and the Hawks lose by one point 103-102. Ugh.

Hot off the press--the Hawks do not miss Josh Childress. I have only been able to watch parts of different Hawks games this year, but tonight I was able to watch the whole game. Two things really stood out to me. First, even though the Hawks did not have a great game from Joe Johnson (4-16 from the field); the team controlled the game from start to finish. The Bulls made a couple of small runs, but I never thought the Hawks were in danger of losing—did not even enter my mind. Al Horford totally dominated this game. If he consistently plays at this level, Horford will be an All-Star. Secondly, the Hawks have better players and a better head coach than the Bulls. Both teams were missing very important players in Josh Smith and Kirk Heinrich. The Hawks’ bench more than made up for J-Smooth’s absence. Solomon Jones played solid minutes, but Zaza played a great game. He scored a few baskets, dished out some great assists, and played aggressively on defense. Zaza had a few hard fouls to set the tone in the first half. Although the defensive nuances go unnoticed by the announcing crew, Zaza showed hard on screens, helped and recovered to his man, and rebounded. When you couple that with a very active Horford with five blocked shots by halftime, you understand why the Hawks still are undefeated.

With a bigger starting line up and Horford playing more minutes at his natural position, the Hawks can weather the storm of losing J-Smooth for couple of weeks. Do you think Smith would come off the bench? Just kidding. I am confident Smooth is geared up for a great season. Here are two points that are concerns. Mike Bibby will not fight over ball screens at the top of the floor. The Bulls could only take advantage of that when Ben Gordon was handling the ball, because Derrick Rose cannot shoot outside of the lane. Scoring point guards could give the Hawks problems. I did like when Coach Woodson went to the zone in the 2nd quarter with Bibby at the top of the key. Changing up the defense slowed down the Bulls fastbreak and dribble-drive attack. Bibby will make it up on the offensive end and he blitzed Chicago in the 4th quarter. Coach Woodson has to watch Bibby’s minutes though. In my mind, Flip Murray is the back up and Acie Law probably will not see much floor time against the better teams.

Believe it or not my other concern is that the Hawks might be getting over confident. They scored so easily against the Bulls that at times the Hawks were a little sloppy handling the ball and executing the offense. The core group of players are veterans and this should not be a problem. Plus, Horford acts like a veteran NBA warrior. You know he had to love just killing Joakim Noah.

The Hawks’ win sets up a huge game tomorrow night against the Celtics. You have to be excited about the way the Hawks are playing. The guys are passing the basketball to open teammates, moving without the ball, and finishing with dunks. Without Josh Smith, it will be tough to beat the Celtics, but I like some of the match-ups for the Hawks. If Super Joe Johnson has a big night the Hawks can win the game.

Dominique Wilkins just had his best analysis of the night. The Hawks’ players know their roles. The NBA is so competitive and teams are playing at a very high level early in the season. Wednesday night is going to be great. Hawks versus Celts and the Lakers are at the Hornets on a second game of a back to back. Check out the game in Boston tomorrow at 7:30 pm, and you might catch Hawks’ fever.

I really love the NBA, but this year is the most excited that I have been for the start of the season in a long time. Over the past few years, I have been transitioning from watching a nice mix of college and NBA basketball to mostly watching the NBA. When conference play starts at the college level, I go back and watch a mix of games. On a night in and night out basis, NBA players are bringing their top games. The competition between the top stars is fun to watch. I already broke down the Hawks in previous columns, but here are some thoughts on the two conferences.

Eastern Conference…5 things I already know a few days into the season...

1. Lebron James is the most exciting player in the NBA. No one else can physically do the things that King James does. The dunks that James had in the Cavaliers game versus Charlotte on Thursday were incredible. James plays with passion and energy every night. I like what the Cavaliers have done around him this year. Mo Williams gives them another guy that can score. It looks like Daniel Ewing is ready to be a factor. What will they get out of Ilgauskas? Other guys I like are J.J. Hickson, Aleksandr Pavlovic, and Anderson Varejao. Last year during his holdout, the Cavs missed Varejao and his hair. He is solid in the pick and roll and he plays defense. Plus, you do not have to run any plays for him. Varejao is a very valuable piece around Lebron. This team is a legitimate Eastern Conference contender. If James can take over games against the upper echelon teams on the defensive end and rebound better, the Cavs can get back to the NBA Finals.

2. Toronto’s front line is scary. Jermaine O’Neal and Chris Bosh are a dynamic duo. Bosh is still the man, but the great thing for Bosh is that O’Neal is a legitimate low post presence. O’Neal can run to the left block and set up shop. That allows Bosh to work on the perimeter in the high post area. When the offense runs through O’Neal, the key will be whether he will pass the basketball out of double teams for easy baskets. Jose Calderon is an underrated point guard. He can push the ball and walk it up and get the Raptors into set plays.

3. Dwayne Wade is healthy and the Heat are a very intriguing team. Last night, the Miami Heat flew up and down the court in their home opener. Dwayne Wade is in my favorite five NBA players. I have been a convert since his rookie year when the Heat made that playoff run with Wade, Stan Van Gundy, Lamar Odom and crew. Defensively, Wade is always in passing lanes and making plays. Offensively, his jump shot has improved and he looks like he is back to attacking the basket. The best part of his game is his unselfishness. He does not have to manipulate the basketball to make the team better. Michael Beasley is smaller than I thought, but he is very creative on the offensive end. He made a great move the other night to score with his right hand. He will score but can he stop anyone. There are two question marks for the Heat. The first is new head coach Erik Spoelstra. He is an NBA veteran and has respect, but the NBA often comes down to calls made in the last minutes of the game. What does Spoelstra bring to the table? My other concern would be how does Shawn Marion play as a potential free agent? The risk of injury has to be in his mind. Plus, he is again the 3rd name on this team. Marion is a force on the defensive end and can guard virtually anyone, but does he play hard enough for the Heat this year.

4. The Boston Celtics are better than last season! They blew out the Chicago Bulls last night without much trouble. When the camera kept cutting away to the Celtics’ bench in the 4th quarter, they looked more like a team than any NBA team in a long time. All the starters were still in to the game in a positive way. They were cheering for each other. Garnett is probably my favorite NBA player. He really is the heart and soul of the team. Pierce is their most important offensive player, but Garnett is the guy that keeps everyone in line. He is the guy the other guys do not want to let down. Sometimes, winning a championship leads to complacency and guys looking to make big money, but sometimes winning championships brings teams closer together and makes them an even better team. If they stay healthy, this team is going to be there at the very end of the season. Just think Hawks’ fans, if Bibby were healthy, the Hawks could have beaten this team!

5. The Detroit Pistons and the New York Knicks are in under different types of media spotlight. Do not count out the Pistons. They have a great mix of veteran players and up and coming stars. The core group is still playing well and Rodney Stuckey and Jason Maxiell are emerging stars. But, how will they react to really getting hardly any media attention? The Pistons are flying way under the radar. The Knicks on the other hand probably will not make the playoffs this year, but they are going to be in the media spotlight. Until the Knicks decide what to do with Marbury, they are going to have questions. Under new coach Mike D’Antoni they are going to be more competitive and win over 30 games, but can they get any value for Marbury? The Eddy Curry situation is murkier. Curry can probably help them in limited minutes, but does he even want to. I am wondering about this guy’s heart—in a literal and figurative sense. I would not be surprised to see Curry have to retire or something because of his heart. Until he proves to D’Antoni that he can run the floor, come out on the floor and set high screen and rolls, and rebound consistently, Curry will be seeing a ton of DNP Coach’s Decision.

Introduction: You can say whatever you want about Billy Knight. He missed on two of the best point guards that will play in the NBA over the next ten years. However, in the 2007 draft, Knight made the right pick in Al Horford. Horford quietly is establishing himself as one of the best young big men in the entire league. The best evidence of that was his selection to play on the USA Select team that scrimmaged this summer against the Redeem Team. Hawks’ fans should be very excited about Horford’s leadership ability, talent, and future in Atlanta. There are two problems I see with the Hawks’ front court. The biggest dilemma is that Horford and Josh Smith excel at the same position. Both are power forwards. Secondly, the Hawks do not have a strong offensive post player. Horford is the best option with his back to the basket in the post, but he is still learning on the offensive end of the court. Mike Woodson has a major task of finding an offensive system that puts these two players in positions to score; but, his most difficult task will be balancing the egos as Horford emerges as a bona fide NBA All-Star.

Al Horford: After watching the Hawks’ last year, Horford to me is their best defensive player in the low post. He fought Kevin Garnett on every possession during that great playoff run. In the playoffs, the pace of play slows down and every possession is important. During the first quarter of games, the Hawks tried to establish Horford in the post and he delivered with points. The best part of throwing the basketball into Horford is that he is an unselfish player. He finds open shooters. With Bibby, Evans, and Super Joe Johnson, Horford should have plenty of open shooters who can make shots. I am a huge fan of Horford, and I think that he has huge upside. He also seems hungry to improve and make his mark on the NBA.

Josh Smith: Luckily, the Hawks were able to re-sign Smith to a fair contract. Smith is worth 60 million dollars. Defensively, he is able to change shots and cover up for mistakes on that end of the floor. If he dedicated himself to becoming a better on the ball defender, he would be an NBA All-Defensive 1st team player every year. But, the tenacity is missing on a nightly basis. My advice to Josh Smith would be to listen to try something new this season. Listen to Coach Woodson and try to do everything Woody says. What if J-Smooth would listen? The Hawks have a chance to win 45-50 games. There two variables in the winning equation for the Hawks are Bibby’s health and production and Smith’s attitude. Smith has the talent to do virtually anything on a basketball court, but does he have the desire, the killer instinct?

Zaza Pachulia: I was inspired to start writing this blog, by Zaza’s fiery playoff series. When he went nose to nose with Garnett, it was a turning point for Atlanta fans and the team. Pachulia is more talented than many other centers in the Eastern Conference. The potential is there, but once again it’s the mental aspect of the game that eludes Zaza. If he can produce and earn consistent minutes, Pachulia will blossom next to Horford or Smith. He has to channel the emotions into his play on the court. Take the passion that his fans in his home country of Georgia and focus that on being the best player that he can be.

Solomon Jones: As I write this column, I am watching the Hawks’ opening night game with the Orlando Magic. Jones is actually playing some minutes here in the 3rd quarter. Coach Woodson has a small lineup in the game with Smith and Woodson together on the front line. Jones is very long and a good defender. I have read some articles about how much he worked on his game this summer. If he has improved, Jones gives Coach Woodson flexibility in his rotation. By providing depth, Jones really is a valuable member of the Hawks’ team.

Prediction: The Hawks’ frontcourt is much improved, but not by bringing in new players. All of these guys should be better this year simply because they are a year older and wiser. I see no drop off with the loss of Josh Childress. In fact, I see Woodson using some of Childress’ minutes to keep J-Smooth happy by playing him on the perimeter in short spurts. These guys are stronger on the defensive end than the offensive end. Coach Woodson has to figure out a way to get offense from these guys. Running in transition more will free up Smith and Horford to score without always having to post up and make back to the basket moves.

Hawks’ Season Prediction: The Hawks’ just cleared out for Flip Murray against J.J. Redick at the end of the 3rd quarter. Great play. Murray and Evans are going to be great additions to this team. The Eastern Conference is going to be much better this year than in the recent past. My season prediction is 46 wins and the 6th seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs. If they can avoid the Celtics in the 1st round of the playoffs, the Hawks have a chance to win their first playoff series in a very long time.

Introduction: Here is the dilemma for Coach Mike Woodson: Marvin Williams has been penciled in as a starter at the “3” spot for a couple of years, but does Williams have the talent to start at small forward?

Marvin Williams: In all honesty, I think Williams can be a productive and impactful NBA player, but he should not be starting. I see his role as an offensive force coming off the bench. Because of his size, he presents match up problems for other teams, but he is reluctant to post up. From what I have been able to read about this preseason, Williams’ focus has been on shooting better from 3 point range. He seems to want to be strictly a perimeter jump shooter. He cannot beat regular small forwards off the dribble, but he could face and beat power forwards. His defense at the position is below average. The thumb injury might be an excuse for Coach Woodson to bring Williams off the bench. If the Hawks could then get off to a hot start, Woodson could stick with that rotation and Williams would have to accept his role as an offensive spark. He could flourish as the second scoring option on the second unit

Maurice Evans: I briefly broke down Evans in my shooting guard post, but he is clearly a “3” man. Evans should start for the Hawks. The smaller and quicker line up is a way to start the game with more energy. Evans is a tough defender that can guard Turkoglu, Pierce, and all. He is a better outside shooter than Williams. He will not penetrate very often, but he stretches the floor. I probably would argue that Evans is a better passer and quicker in the transition game than Williams.

Josh Smith: I talk about Smith more in my front court analysis, but he has the physical tools to be a dominant type small forward. If he would take time to work on his ball skills, he could play on the perimeter. I have read where he has worked on his shooting and his strength in the off season. That is great, but he needs to learn to be a better ball-handler and passer. He would be a match up nightmare for opposing teams.

Prediction: Defining the roles for Williams and Evans is critical for Coach Woodson. The other positions seem to be falling into place. Bibby, Joe, Horford, and Smith are going to start. What Coach does with that “3” spot is going to be interesting to watch. Depending on who starts or not, Evans and Williams could be a 6th Man of the Year award candidates. I think Williams can flourish off the bench, but he probably does not want to do that in a contract year. Can the Hawks trade Williams to Olympiakos for Childress? You could start Evans and bring Childress off the bench. Wow, that scenario sounds about perfect.

Joe Johnson. This year is the coming out party for Joe Johnson. Anyone that watched the exciting playoff series with the Boston Celtics knows that Super Joe has the capability to take over a game. Johnson is on the cusp of rising from the very good player to All Star level. It is imperative that Coach Mike Woodson find someone else that can guard the other team’s best perimeter player. At the beginning of games and in certain situations, Joe should match up with the likes of Kobe, Ray Allen, etc. However, in the 4th quarter, Johnson does not need to kill himself guarding these guys. He needs to kill the other teams with his scoring and playmaking abilities. The additions of better perimeter players should make Johnson an even better player this year. Woodson is going to be able use a variety of line-ups with Johnson and Evans in the game at the same time. Woodson can even go small at times with four perimeter and Al Horford in the post.

Maurice Evans. Signing Maurice Evans is my favorite move of the Hawks’ off-season. I just like this guy’s floor presence. He started games last year for Los Angeles and Orlando; but he should play just as many minutes this year for Atlanta. His role should be the 6th Man role as the first player off the bench. For Coach Woodson, he brings versatility to the line up that was missing last year. Evans spaces the floor with his outside shooting. He probably will not get to the basket or the free throw line very often, but his shooting presence will keep help side defenders out of the driving lanes. He is an above average defender with a workman-like attitude. He also brings toughness to the Hawks that was lacking during the 2007-2008 regular season.

Ronald “Flip” Murray. I discussed Murray’s upside in my previous blog about the Hawks’ point guard situation. Murray can play either position. Coach Woodson will be able to pair him with JJ, Bibby, or Law. One of the most intriguing questions going into the regular season is what will the Hawks’ second unit look like. This season the roster is deep enough that Woodson should be able to rest the starters for stretches in the 2nd and 3rd quarters.

Mario West. At 6’5 and 210 pound, West has a reputation as a defensive stopper. Honestly, I am not sure what else he can do. He could mature into a Bruce Bowen type, but he is not a threat from 3 point range. He is kind of like a poor man’s Josh Childress without the ability to score. That probably is not going to be enough this season to see the floor. Baring injury to one of the other wing players, West’s contribution to the team is to push guys in practice.

Thomas Gardner. The 6’5 225 pound swingman from Missouri played in three games last November for the Chicago Bulls. In a game against Denver, he played 27 minutes and scored 14 points. In that game, the Bulls were down over 20 in the 3rd quarter, so they were garbage minutes, but Gardner can score. He should make the Hawks’ roster unless a decision is made between West and Gardner. West probably makes the team over Gardner, because the Hawks need someone on the perimeter to be a defensive stopper.

Prediction: I see Joe Johnson having a break out year for the Hawks. He might actually make the Eastern Conference All-Star roster without being a replacement for someone who is injured. Mike Woodson has much more flexibility with the addition of Maurice Evans. Evans and Johnson should be on the floor at the same time in the 4th quarter. Evans' outside shooting ability is going to be a huge bonus for the Hawks this season.

Wow, this position is the most improved on the Hawks roster from the beginning of 2007-08 season to 2008-09 season. Mike Woodson has to be excited that he can pretty much pencil in Bibby as the starter. The great part for Woodson is that these guys should know the pecking order. The Acie Law / Anthony Johnson / Tyronn Lue debacle from last year is a distant memory. Remember when Lue use to take big shots? Awful. Remember when Super Joe (a new nickname let’s see if it catches on) and J-Chill had to play the point? Will Bibby make you forget Chris Paul and Deron Williams? No, but I am starting to think getting Al Horford was worth missing on those two guys. As a group, these point guards can score on any group in the Eastern Conference.

Mike Bibby. One of the Hawks’ highest paid players this season. In the last year of his contract, Bibby will start every game that he is healthy this year. Having Bibby in the lineup is a huge upgrade compared to the start of the 2007-08 season. His outside shooting stretches the defense. He is a veteran leader that has the respect of NBA officials. In critical situations, Bibby draws fouls and earns free throws. The weaknesses are clear. He cannot pressure the ball on defense. Bibby has trouble breaking the defense down and getting into the lane. Bibby’s smarts and skills make the Hawks a stronger regular season team.

Acie Law. Law is the heir apparent to Bibby, but the problem is that he is not much different than Bibby. Law is a solid player, but he will not scare opposing defenses. Mike Woodson can rely on Law to run the offense and get the ball to the right guys on the offensive end. Defensively, he is important, because he can pressure the basketball. In his second year, Law needs to make a major step forward in his development. Whether or not he can make open jump shots and beat his man off the dribble are the variables that should determine his playing time.

Flip Murray. Murray is the most intriguing new player in the Hawks’ backcourt. He is an explosive scorer and a game changer. If he is focused, Flip can mean the difference in close games, because he can beat anyone off the dribble. What happens after he beats is man is the part that is scary. Anything can happen. He could find someone for an open 3-pointer or dunk, or he could dribble the ball off his foot. Because of his size, I see him playing lots of 4th quarter minutes in place of Law.

Speedy Claxton. Forget about Claxton. It’s over for him unless Bibby gets hurt and misses significant time. He is small and has lost a step. If Bibby goes down, Claxton can run the point to start games. My question is do the Hawks give him some minutes so that they can try to trade him? This is the last year of his contract. He lasts the year with the Hawks and then quietly leaves Atlanta.

Prediction:
Mike Woodson has to feel more comfortable with this position than he ever has during his tenure with Atlanta. Does anyone remember when Boris Diaw was the point guard? Bibby solidifies the position on a nightly basis. Bibby stays healthy and shoots a high percentage from 3 point range. Acie Law plays at times, but Flip Murray earns more and more minutes during the regular season. Murray should thrive with the southern hospitality of Atlanta. I guess the final question is can Mike Woodson get any of these point guards to play defense?

During this time with little Hawks’ news to talk about, I revisited an old post to track down a human interest story. Loyal Running with Zaza readers remember our story in June about the NBDL draft camp held in Sewanee, north of Atlanta. I was there for most of the games on Saturday, and I blogged about a few players that made an impression on me. Jeff Caha was one of those players, and I was able to ask him a few questions in an e-mail interview:

RWZ: Jeff, thanks for agreeing to answer some questions for our readers. Can you tell me a little about your personal basketball history?

Caha: I am 28 years old. I played 4 years of college basketball. I have been coaching at the NAIA, JUCO, and NCAA DII levels the last 6 years as an assistant. I never really played pro ball, but I went to Spain right after college and tried to get picked up but was not good enough. I played one game in CIBA / COPA league in Mexico while coaching two years ago in Arizona at Cochise College.

RWZ: Can you tell me about your motivation and your decision to attend the 2008 NBDL Camp pre-draft camp?

Caha: Well, I took the assistant job at Southwestern Oklahoma State University this past year weighing between 270 and 275 lbs. The best strength coach, Josh Musick, is there. I started working out with him and after 5 months was in ridiculous shape and was down to 230 lbs. Josh told me I should try to play again after a day of messing around in the gym after a workout, so from March until the NBDL Camp, Josh and I worked hard to get everything right. I found the NBDL tryout, went and performed. I love the game and just wanted to try one more time as I have never been in this kind of shape before. I never had a guy like Josh around - so with the help from Josh plus doing all the drills I learned from Jerry Carrillo, whom I played for and worked with at Cochise College, I got ready for the camp.

RWZ: A cynic might say that the NBDL camp is not worth the time and that it is just quick way for some people to make some money during the summer. What was your experience at the camp and what was your goal going into the 5 on 5 games?

Caha: At Cochise College, we were taught to play as hard as possible for as long as possible. Then, we would sub you out. That was my goal at the NBDL camp: just to go and to play as hard as possible. Playing my game and trying not to do something I am not capable of doing. I LOVED EVERY SECOND OF THE NBDL CAMP! The feeling of being on a "team", even though we were just thrown together, was amazing. Talking on “d”, high fives, getting guys in the right places, interacting and being coached, were such a great feelings. Playing 4 games and not losing, because we tried to play together. I can say I walked out of there with no regrets. No excuses on not being picked--just not good enough.

RWZ: We know that you have not been signed yet, but what opportunities are you currently pursuing?

Caha: I still have the belief that with my ability I can help a team, somewhere in the world, but the prospects of a soon to be 29 year-old who has not played since college is not good. There is not much of a market for a guy like me. Currently, I am still looking for a chance but soon the door will close. I am trying to bust into the world of strength training and would love to work with athletes. I am close to that with an interview at Velocity Sports Performance in Champlin, Minnesota this next week. If I can’t make a difference on the court, I want to help others make a difference.

RWZ: Jeff, I enjoyed watching you play at the camp. Thanks again for your time and good luck with your interview and in the future.

3rd Quarter—Coach K and I feel the same way with this start—very nervous. What would happen if the game is close at the end of the 4th quarter? There is the first awful shot by Kobe. Lebron is complaining to the official. Take the ball up and dunk it! Kobe called for traveling. Collins is cryptically criticizing Kobe for trying to do too much. Howard is 15-33 from the foul line in the Olympic tourney. That’s bad. Spain scores on another pick and roll. Marc Gasol sets solid screens. Clearly, he is an NBA ready player. NBA regular season is a long grind, so he would have to get in better shape. Coach K has to take a time out. Beckham is in the audience! Spain sits back in a 2-3 zone. Missed shot by Carmelo. Quick lay-up scored by Melo. Uh-oh, looks like Melo hurt his hand by hitting the backboard. Reyes and Jimenez hustle and get second and third shots. USA up by 4 points with 5 minutes left in the quarter. Kobe takes another bad shot. A couple of more lay-ups traded. Again, no defense is being played by either team. Great screen set by Marc Gasol, nicknamed “the Tank”, on an out of bounds underneath play. He is going to the foul line for two shots. Wade takes a questionable, guarded outside shot. USA is playing with a lot of energy and determination. Kobe finally passes (he was almost forced to by the defense) and Wade goes to the foul line. How is Juan Carlos Navarro getting to the basket? Spain scores on a pretty alley oop to Gasol. Spain back to a zone and Anthony hits a 3. I like the way Team USA uses the wing ball screen against the zone. Paul used the screen and found a wide open Melo. At the 3rd quarter buzzer, Navarro torches Deron Williams to cut the lead to 91-82.

4th Quarter—Deron Williams misses the lay-up. Lebron and Kobe have three fouls. Fouls are being committed on every possession. Kobe takes another guarded, bad shot. Spain cuts the lead to 5 on a Rudy Fernandez / Pau Gasol screen roll into an alley oop dunk. Bad shot taken by Melo. A 3 point make by Fernandez cuts the lead to 2 points! Krzyzewski calls another time out. Out of the time-out, high screen and roll leads to a forced shot by Kobe which goes in the basket. Kobe drives and dishes to Williams for 3 point make. Kobe for 3! Yes! Kobe gambled and Fernandez just ferociously dunked on Dwight Howard. Howard and Lebron have 4 fouls. Pau Gasol makes a jumper with no one around and it’s down to a 5 point game. Spain gets back in a zone. Wade drives and finds Kobe for a 4 point play. Wow, Fernandez has fouled out. I am glad I stayed up for this! Navarro runs a great curl off a down screen and scores. Jimenez nails a 3 point shot. Spain stays in the zone. Wade hits a 3! Yes. Spain down by 7 calls timeout. No Michael Red in this game, interesting? Kobe called for a foul. It is his 4th. Rubio out hustles CP3 to the loose ball. Jimenez misses a 4 point shot and Lebron rebounds. That should be the game with 1:30 left. Kobe pretty much took over in the last 5 minutes of the game by scoring and actually passing to his teammates. Happy Birthday, Kobe! Redeem Team is redeemed. Congrats Coach K! USA Basketball is back! And I am gone.

I wanted to watch the Gold Medal game live, so here I am at 2:33 in the morning on Saturday night watching Olympic basketball. I am stone cold sober just to blog during this game. Clearly, I have drunk the Kool Aid, and I totally have bought the Coach K program!

1st Quarter--Jose Calderon Spain’s point guard is out with a hamstring injury, but Ricky Rubio just made a great no look pass on a 3 on 2 break for a dunk for Gasol. Lebron just picked up his 2nd foul. That is not good. This game already looks like it is going to be more physical. Coach K is leaving Lebron in the game. Depth is a major factor, Doug Collins and I agree. USA is doubling on the high ball screen. That strategy just leads to a 3 by Spain. Spain is playing with much more spirit and confidence tonight. Kobe just fouled a 3 point shooter and picked up his 2nd foul. USA is in foul trouble big time. Kobe and Lebron are out. Dwayne Wade is in and USA chants start from the crowd. Even though I am a Hawks fan and it might keep them out of the playoffs, I am so excited for a healthy Wade for this NBA season. Wade just exploded to the basket for a three point play. With about 5 minutes left and USA down 4, Carmelo caught Rubio’s wrist and now he is out. He needs to toughen up to play in the NBA. Spain down to their 3rd point guard—some guy named Lopez. NBC’s Craig Sager just said it is a hyperextension. 22-22 and Spain drops into a 2-3 zone. Now Lopez has 3 fouls. Rubio is taped and back into the game. USA with full court pressure, but they switched the screen and roll giving Garbjosa a 3 point make. Wow, Wade got fouled shooting a 3 point shot. Marc Gasol is huge. He just scored on a great back to the basket post move. USA up 7 at the end of 1st quarter with great minutes for USA second team of Wade, Prince, Paul, and Bosh.

2nd quarter—Unsportsmanlike foul called on Dwight Howard. He just grabbed Gasol after losing him on a back cut. Kobe just had a dunk and the Spanish bench went crazy. I guess they wanted a traveling call. C’mon, when you are crying for a call on a break away like that, you know that your team is in trouble. Rubio is only 17 years old and he can really play. I would like to see a plus/minus on Jason Kidd and Chris Paul during the Olympics. Spain is now in the bonus with more than ½ the quarter left. Shooting free throws slows the game way down. Big transition conversion for Team USA. Spain had a steal, then we stole it back and Lebron scored. Wade just stole a pass at the top of the key and dunked on the other end. USA is 7-10 on 3 point shots. Doug Collins just gave a great stat—going into this game Kobe has 11 assists and 12 turnovers in the tournament. Yikes! Wade is carrying the team right now. (After that made 3, my friend texted me that the Hawks should trade Mo Evans, Speedy Claxton, and 2 second round draft picks for Wade, I am interested probably not enough.) What a wild first half. Wade has 21 points and the USA leads 69-61. No defense at all. Spain has pounded the basketball inside and made some 3s. 2nd half is scary. USA is shooting 70 % from the field, but they are only up 8. Look for some zone from Spain, Kobe to take some bad shots, and Wade to lead the USA to the Gold Medal.

There is a method to the madness. Last week, the Atlanta Hawks quickly matched the offer sheet Josh Smith signed with the Memphis Grizzlies for 5 years and $58 million dollars. By waiting, and not bowing to pressure from the media, blogosphere, and fans, general manager Rick Sund retained the Hawks’ third best player for much less than other free agents signed for this summer.

This new contract is a fair one for both sides. Smith is a rising star who has not even made an All-Star team, but he earned this contract with exceptional play on both ends of the court. He is an NBA difference maker. The Hawks did not have to overpay for Smith, because Sund and the ownership group waited and let the restricted free agency process work for them. J-Smooth did not have to sign the offer sheet from Memphis. He could have taken the Hawks qualifying offer and become a unrestricted free agent next year. That would have been a gamble, especially when a major injury could be a one-on-one workout away. The Hawks did not have to match the offer. Both sides in this negotiation came out on top. Smooth becomes a very wealthy and secure player for the next 4-5 years, and the Hawks did not have to overpay for a rising NBA talent. Sure, there might be some hurt feelings, but do you really think that Smith wanted to leave Atlanta? For Memphis?

Losing Josh Childress was a public relations blow, but Sund has made two moves that will make the Hawks a better team in 2008-2009. Clearly, signing Maurice Evans and Ronald “Flip” Murray is a combination that fills the void left by the departing Childress. Both of these guys can score the basketball and shoot with 3 point range. Evans is a dangerous 3 point shooter who will play more at the small forward spot. While, Murray is a solid NBA veteran that can play either guard position. He is more of a scorer than a 3 point shooter, but other teams will have to respect his scoring and shooting ability. Last year, teams dared Childress to shoot from the outside. Defenders backed off into the paint and clogged up the lane for cutters and post play. Murray can also play the point and started 15 games for the Indiana Pacers at the point at the end of the 2007-2008 season. I saw Flip play live in college and he is lightning quick with a big body for a guard. He can create his own shot on any possession. That is a good thing, but could be a bad thing. Woodson will have to reign him in at times, but he should provide some microwave type offense off the bench. The Hawks need more depth at the point guard spot, because Speedy Claxton will never be the same player after this injury, and the jury is still out on whether Acie Law will be a solid NBA player.

The summer shake-up here in Atlanta has made the team deeper and better without sacrificing payroll flexibility. There is a nice mix of veterans and young players. The new players are veterans that have proven NBA track records. Mike Woodson should know what to expect night in and night out from Evans and Murray. Competition should be more fierce on the team for spots and minutes as well. Here is a look at the possible Hawks starters and bench rotation:

Bibby, Joe Johnson, Marvin Williams, Josh Smith, and Al Horford in the starting line up with Acie Law, Murray, Zaza, and Evans off the bench.

Because Marvin Williams is such a high draft pick, he will start at the small forward spot. However, Evans will earn tons of minutes and probably will be on the floor at critical moments in the 4th quarter. Mike Woodson’s job is going to be more fun this year than ever before. He will have some chess pieces to move around on the court, but he also has more pressure to win than ever in his career. The Hawks have to make the play-offs. That is going to be tougher this year with an improved Dwayne Wade-led Miami Heat team and a defensive-minded team in Milwaukee. The Eastern Conference is a more intriguing than its been in several seasons, and the Atlanta Hawks should be right in the middle of all the action

Team USA opens Olympic pool play against China tomorrow morning at 10 am. Let me be clear, I want Team USA to win the Gold medal in dominating fashion. I am tired of losing these international competitions. I want someone to come out and say we invented basketball; and, we need to win this tournament for national pride. My standards are very high for this team. In short, I do not just want to win, but I want Team USA to send a message. In the final two games against Russia and Australia, the better competition exposed some chinks in the armor of the so-called “Redeem Team”. Here are the 5 questions Team USA must answer to win the Gold in Beijing:

Will Coach Krzyzewski make the right decisions, play calls, and adjustments during the games? There is no question about Coach K’s ability to manage egos and to motivate these players, but the fact that the staff with Nate McMillan, Jim Boeheim, and Mike D’Antoni has no NBA titles is a concern. Coach K is going to have to call a time-out sometime. He is going to have to decide what set plays to run down the stretch of a close game. Will one of these other professional, international coaches out coach the heralded Coach K? It could happen. With 33 seconds left in the game against Australia, the camera panned to Coach K on the bench and he looked red in the face. Maybe the team got too much sun in Macau and was just a little tired here in Shanghai. Hopefully, Coach K was boiling inside at the lackluster performance and went off on the team in the locker room after the game. When Team USA plays Spain, Greece, or Argentina in the win or go home tournament, the talent will be pretty close to equal. Coach K will need to make the right calls to give us a chance to win Gold.

Who will be the emotional leader of this team? Who will fire some guys up on this team? Actually, I am worried about this, because Team USA seems so politically correct in interviews and when talking about the other teams. We should respect these other teams and countries, but these games are going to be very competitive. Three weeks from now, I fear that I will be writing about how Kevin Garnett should have been on this team. There would be nothing “friendly” about these games if Garnett were in China. The USA team has to play these games like they are on the playground playing for their rent money. Garnett plays that way--always hungry to win. Redemption is ours for the taking, but our anger about losing has to be real. The “Redeem Team” went through the motions against Russia and Australia. Hopefully, someone mentioned that fact. Jason Kidd has a Gold Medal, but the fire has to come from someone else. Team USA needs a Charles Barkley stepping on someone’s chest type of moment early in this tourney. Tomorrow morning against China is a great time to send a message.

Will Team USA be able to convert clutch free throws when a big game is close in the final minutes? There is a lack of focus at the free throw line by some of these players. Dwight Howard and Lebron missed badly on free throws in a couple of the exhibition games. These international teams are scouting hard and they will know whom to foul when the games are on the line. Just ask the Memphis Tigers how important free throw shooting is to winning a tournament championship.

Can Team USA play Coach K’s pressure man defense well enough to win the Gold? In basketball when you pressure the ball, you have to contain your man. If the offensive man beats you off the dribble, a teammate has to rotate and stop the penetration. The USA help side defense and help side rotations were not consistent in the last two exhibition games. On one play in the second half, Andrei Kirilenko just blew past Carmelo on the right side of the court. That is horrible as Bill Walton might have said, but what was worse was the lack of help side rotation. Lebron just stood and watched the lay up as Kirilenko attacked the basket. Team USA often looks like a team with a mindset of “okay my man just scored, but we will score on the other end so it does not matter.” Team USA must hate to get scored on, and then we can blow out even the good teams.

Is the America roster big and physical enough to beat Spain, Greece, or Argentina? Can Team USA rebound and block shots well enough to win? Rebounding is a big question mark. The perimeter players seem to be floating to much and not coming back to help rebound. The USA’s lack of an inside, physical presence was glaring. With Dwight Howard in foul trouble, there was no shot blocking or fear from the Russian team going to the rim. The Russians and the Australians had so many lay-ups and easy shots. Hardly any physical play from the Americans. Team USA has to rebound, block some shots, and set solid screens to win this tournament.

After watching these exhibition “friendly” match ups with Canada, Turkey, Lithuania, Russia, and Australia, I am convinced that Team USA will win the Gold Medal. I have to be honest I am guilty of buying into the hype, of drinking the soft spoken, fatherly Coach Mike Krzyzewski cocktail of team basketball, of listening and reading about the great USA players saying the right things about team work, defense, and unselfishness. However, the “Road to Redemption” looks bumpy and maybe a little scary, kind of like a road in the mountains with a great view, but a very steep drop off if you make a wrong turn. For this Olympic tournament, I am fired up, hopeful, and a little star struck; but, I am frightened and would not be surprised at Team USA coming home with another Bronze. Here is my 5 on 5. The 5 reasons Wade and Company will win the Gold, and in the next post, the 5 reasons they could lose it:

1. Team USA will win because of their overall depth and talent. Depth will be a factor as the games become more physical and the stakes become higher. In FIBA rules, five fouls is a disqualification. This is a great rule for the shorter 40 minute game. (The 48 minute NBA game needs the extra foul.) Carlos Boozer and Tayshaun Prince are barely getting much playing time, but they are great players. Prince looked disinterested in his end of game minutes against Australia. He was beaten badly on a back cut for a late wide open lay-up, but if needed Prince’s big game and playoff experience will be huge for Team USA. Boozer’s physical presence and ability to make free throws are huge assets for this team. Coach K is going to have to play two big men together at some point in this tournament, and Boozer is a solid professional that will rebound and finish strong around the rim.

2. Carmelo Anthony has the total package of offensive skills. For some reason, Melo is overlooked by many basketball fans, sports writers, and analysts. He is a natural scorer that gets to the right spots to catch and shoot. You absolutely have to be ready to catch and shoot without the dribble in international basketball. In transition or against a zone defense, Anthony, a natural scorer, knows the right areas on the floor to get open shots. He is far better at this than Kobe or Lebron. You hardly ever see Bryant or James spot up, catch, and shoot without a dribble. Carmelo also is very effective shooting the pull up or mid-range jump shot off the dribble. He is the best Team USA player to run a set play for if you need a big basket late in the game. In a close game, who Coach K goes to on the offensive end will be a key to winning the Gold Medal. Melo is that go to guy.

3. Coach Krzyzewski’s emphasis on ball pressure on the perimeter. Team USA is quick and athletic. They have been generating easy offense from steals, deflections, and turnovers. International teams run continuity offense based around passing and cutting. Great ball pressure makes finding the open cutters more difficult. The danger is that Team USA cannot gamble, get out of position, and let the opponent penetrate into the lane. Guys like Chris Paul, Carmelo, and Deron Williams cannot get beaten off the dribble. If that happens, the Internationals will slice them up with penetration and great three point shooting. If Coach K can get everyone to pressure the ball at the same level, Team USA will win the gold.

4. We have great players that are playing unselfish basketball. Most of the time when the Team USA guards have penetrated into the lane, the team has gotten easy dunks or lay-ups. Drop off passes, kick outs, and one extra pass have been the standard operating procedure for all the players. When the ball movement is good, Team USA is impossible to guard. Chris Paul and Deron Williams have been distributing the ball. Against Australia, Paul even was able to get into the lane and score a few baskets when the defense sagged and played the passing lanes. Team USA has adjusted to international pick and roll defense. The offensive man setting the pick is open rolling to the front of the rim. Dwight Howard and Chris Bosh have scored many easy baskets after setting solid screens. Team USA cannot rely on jump shots only. They have to get to the rim, score or get fouled.

5. The players have their pride at stake! They play hard for each other. There is a hunger and desire to win. The mixture of young up and coming guys with veterans like J-Kidd and Kobe Bryant is working well. Kidd is maligned as old, but he is very important for team chemistry. Most of these guys are established stars that do not need the big stage for endorsements and respect. Kobe Bryant’s commitment to defense has been a shining example. He has taken on a positive leadership role. Coach K and his staff have done a great job at selling these guys on the “Road to Redemption” mind set.

Tonight, I watched the replay of the Team USA versus Russia basketball “friendly” on ESPN. I am working on a blog about Team USA and the “Road to Redemption”, but watching the game was so frustrating because of the announcers. Rick Kamla and Fran Fraschilla were driving me to distraction. I had seen some bloggers criticizing these guys, but I had not really noticed anything in the previous few games. Maybe it was a hangover from Macau or the travel to Shanghai, but something was up last night. Kamla tries to be a hip, which I normally do not mind, but tonight he provided Fraschilla with no direction, and made glaring mistakes calling the action. Fraschilla was redundant, boring, and tentative. Be critical. Give some analysis. Don't be soft on Team USA!

Here are some glaring examples of mistakes that went uncorrected during the broadcast. Fraschilla called Michael Redd “JR Redd”. Nothing from Kamla. Fraschilla said that the head coach of Bucknell University is Pat Flannery when the new head coach is actually former Williams College head coach Dave Paulsen. Nothing from Kamla. Kamla joined the fray midway through the 2nd quarter. Both guys totally missed a play in the second quarter when Kobe hustled down the court and saved the ball between his legs. The ball bounced off the opponent and was clearly the USA ball—a great hustle play by Kobe. A distracted Kamla, the play-by-play guy, totally blew the call of the play, then he missed the inbounds play. He finally admitted his mistake and said “my bad”, but the action was going back to the other end of the court. Very frustrating. The commentators are almost as frustrating as the constant watching of replays, while live game action is happening off screen.

Fraschilla is smart with great technical knowledge of the game which he usually brings to the broadcast. Tonight, he just keeps saying the same things over and over with no analysis. When he did bring analysis and a critical eye, he waffled and apologized as he made the criticism. Crazy. Fraschilla has been harping on how much money these guys are making as players and coaches in Europe, but he has not mentioned that the Euro League, even at the top level, is not as tough a league as the NBA. There is a reason that Russia's point guard, J.R. Holden, is not in the NBA, and that is that J.R. Holden is not good enough for the NBA. In the 4th quarter, when Dwight Howard bricked a free throw, Fraschilla commented that “I do not want to coach anyone or anything, but someone needs to tell Dwight Howard to move his guide hand to the side of the basketball.” Great point, but why not just make the comment and not waffle? Kamla followed up with nothing. At another point, Fraschilla said that he used to have his teams play 1-3-1 out of timeouts, even though they never practiced 1-3-1. That makes no sense. Fraschilla seems like the kind of coach that practices every part of the game in minute detail. He probably was trying to say that he would spring surprises on other teams, but no way would he do that without practicing the coverages of the 1-3-1 defense. Kamla could have asked a follow up question to clarify and help Fraschilla sound smarter. Did he? No. One point that did resonate was when Fraschilla theorized that “Coach K is not going to out X and O any other coaches in this tournament.” This is an important factor in whether Team USA wins the Gold Medal, but the analysis just died in Kamla’s silence. Plus, no one wants to admit there are serious flaws right now with Team USA.

This exchange was typical of tonight’s broadcast. With about nine minutes left in the fourth quarter, Kamla asked Fraschilla for an analysis of where Team USA stood. You could tell Frischilla wanted to rip Team USA and say they were not ready to compete against the best teams in the world, but instead he fumbled around the question. Fraschilla said that Team USA has “ten days really or actually a week before they open up with China.” I wanted some analysis, but clearly everyone involved is worried about offending anyone on Team USA. Why be afraid? Because in today’s soft, access driven media, criticism gets you fired. Instead, you get a broadcast that is redundant, uninteresting, and not very informative. Kamla, made me feel just like he acted--uninterested in the game or anything that Fraschilla had to say.