[08] Flying High In The ATL-NBA Finals - Complete!

[Lamrock]

He is struggling, but he has arguably the most trade value on my team. I have a few trade ideas in my mind, but I'll see what happens. Personally, I see Smith as a young Shawn Marion with even more potential.

Thanks for following still! This is the 90000th post in a Dynasty thread here. Part 3 of the recap up very soon.

[Skills]

Haven't seen this in a while. Still looks great! Keep it up.

[buzzy]

Cool updates here, your Hawks are doin' very well.

I'd also say to keep Smith for the moment, he's your best player on the defensive end. If you give up on him, you probably wouldn't get so much defense back.
Give him some more games to prove himself.

Keep it coming!

[Lamrock]

How the Hawks Players Fared

Last year, the Atlanta Hawks finished with a lackluster record of 33-49. The offseason brought only subtle changes to the roster, ditching bench players Salim Stoudamire and Solomon Jones in favor of serviceable journeyman Center Jamaal Magloire, Forward Craig Smith and rookie Ellery Cochrane. However the Hawks are currently standing at 12-4, on pace to 61 wins. While it very well may be a fluke, the Hawks are on fire. Check out the stats of the players following the month of November, below.

- Click Me!

Who Is Doing Well:



Joe Johnson easily leads the team in scoring with 24.4 points a game, and also adds nearly 6 assists. Johnson could be a sleeper MVP candidate if the Hawks continue to win, and he continues to drop these numbers.

Mike Bibby could get the all-star appearance that has alluded him since his days as a King. Averaging 17.7 points and 7.5 assists a game, Bibby has been arguably the best point guard in the Eastern Conference.

Al Horford has seen a natural improvement in his stats, and continues to move towards a 15 and 10 average. Things only look bright for the young Power Forward, who could also see an all-star appearance.

Marvin Williams has been successful coming off the bench, averaging 15 points and nearly 6 rebounds on efficient shooting in just under 27 minutes a game. Fans and stat-whores alike believe that Williams should get the starting nod. Marvin Williams is widely considered the front runner for Sixth Man of the Year.

Who Isn't Doing Well:



Josh Smith has underachieved big time this season, seeing his numbers dip in every category. While he has had his moments, his 10 point, 5 rebound output has not been enough to warrant his superstar contract. He is rumored to be on the trade block.

Craig Smith, who, after not playing at all in the first 6 games of the season, has became the second man off the bench. However, his minutes have slowly dipped, as the guy has been very inefficient. Josh Childress calls it "a travesty" that he gets so much playing time.

Speedy Claxton is the only player that Washburn has openly put on the trading block. Despite a high assist/turnover rate, Claxton's contract will be an obstacle for years to come, and is too big for a guy that plays garbage minutes.

Free Agency Update:

The long list of free agents still remains as the likes of Chauncey Billups, Ben Gordon, Monta Ellis and others have continued to hold out for the contracts they want. Robert Horry, Bruce Bowen, David Wesley, Alonzo Mourning, Jalen Rose and Chris Webber are rumored to be retiring. David Stern has still refused to comment on the matter.

The Month Ahead For The Hawks

The Hawks will play twelve games in December, seven on the road and five at home. Half of these will be against teams that made the playoffs last year. Can they keep up this scorching start? Here is their schedule for the month of December:

Vs. Timberwolves
Vs. Kings
@ Celtics
@ Bulls
@ Bulls
Vs. Wizards
@ Nets
@ Knicks
@ Sixers
@ Bobcats
Vs. Celtics
Vs. Pistons

[Jing]

Man, doing a dynasty from a console is hard man. So much time spent stat-taking cause you can't just press a button to take a screenshot.

Great analysis of the players who are doing good and struggling.

[Lamrock]

December 2008 Prediction Game!

Based on the schedule in the previous post, predict my record in the coming month! Predicting the exact record will earn you 5 points, and being one win/loss off will earn 2 points. Extra credit points awarded for correct guesses for East/West players of the month. Whoever has the most points accumulated at the end earns a special little prize at the end of the game. I'll keep this post updated with the standings for this round.

Leaderboard:

[deihatein]

So you mean we will predict your record after that 12 games? Or we can predict if you lose or win that certain game?

[Lamrock]

Record after 12 games; i.e. 7-5

[Chaser7]

nice analysis and commentary. I think josh smith is struggling because of his poor jump shot, I know that is why he is very inconsistent for me. Its hard to get him a dunk unless its a fastbreak since he can't dribble well either. I dunno maybe that's just me.

My prediction is 8-4

[Cartar]

My prediction: 9-3(Celts away, Pistons home and Bulls away)
East player of the month: Dwyane Wade
West POTM: Chris Paul

[deihatein]

Shit, my prediction has been said already.

My other prediction that you will have 7-5.

[Oskar]

8-4

[balozunite]

I am thinking 7-5
you should be cooling down by now

[airBerlin]

I think Josh Smith is having off-games because NBA Live is trash... But that's just me!

10-2. Atlanta should be able to take a lot of those teams. I wouldn't be surprised if you went 12-0, to be honest.

East: Joe Johnson, why not?
West: Kobe Bryant

[Lamrock]

Shit, my prediction has been said already.

My other prediction that you will have 7-5.

?? You do know that your prediction can be the same as someone else's, right?

Keep posting predictions! Should have something new for this soon.

[Martti.]

8-4.

East player - Lebron James.
West player - Kobe Bryant.

Good luck!

[Lamrock]

Could Bibby Be On His Way Out of Atlanta?

Perhaps the biggest success story this season has been the Atlanta Hawks, who are trying to stop a nine-year playoff drought and currently hold a 12-4 record, good for second best in the league.

However, Mike Bibby, who was acquired from the Sacramento Kings last year will become a free agent this summer. Bibby has been open about requesting a maximum contract. With star Marvin Williams also due for a big pay day, and the Hawks being millions over the salary cap limit, this could be a recipe for disaster. The Hawks could have to choose between a promising young star and a 31 year old point guard.

Coach/general manager Liam Washburn has always been interested in Raptors guard T.J. Ford. Ford, 25, has a smaller contract worth roughly 8 million over the next three years. Since being chosen as the main point guard for the Toronto Raptors over still-free agent Jose Manuel Calderon, Ford has not been playing as well as expected, and is on the outs with his team. An additional salary filler would need to be thrown in to make the trade work, and it would be in the Hawks' best interest for it to be an expiring one.

-------------------------
Could Mike Bibby be traded for T.J. Ford?

Speedy Claxton and Josh Childress have also been in trade talks. Both players have somewhat large, long-term contracts and get little play time off the bench. They could very well be part of the trade. However, Toronto would need to trade multiple players, or franchise player Richard Jefferson to match salaries in addition to Ford.

Another option would be a three-team trade. Teams with big expirings such as New York, Portland and Minnesota come to mind. Whether the Hawks are willing to part with one of their best players is up in the air, but they don't want to become the new Dallas Mavericks, do they?

[airBerlin]

Aww, not Mike Bibby... I thought he's been playing well?

[Skills]

Since it's NBA Live, I'd trade for TJ. He's faster and passes more than Bibby.. in Live anyway.
As for my prediction, I say 7-5 if you keep Bibby. And 9-3 if you trade for Ford. Keep this up!

[Lamrock]

Well, I didn't trade Bibby in the month of December (which I have played and will be having write-ups for in the coming days), but the deal is still on the table.

Look out for the December game of the month!

[lildang]

Well, I didn't trade Bibby in the month of December (which I have played and will be having write-ups for in the coming days), but the deal is still on the table.

Look out for the December game of the month!

you need to make this trade TJ is more explosive than Bibby and the hawks will be able to run more with him

[Lamrock]

Hawks Game of the Month

Detroit 107, Atlanta 111

Atlanta, GA - December 29th, 2008, 10:29pm ET - With seven minutes left in the fourth quarter, down by 15 points against the Detroit Pistons, the Atlanta Hawks of yesteryear would have given up and let their garbage players have free reign. Those days are no more. With finishing the year with a win in mind, the Hawks came out of their timeout and shut down the Pistons.

For the first three quarters, Detroit controlled the game. Richard Hamilton was on fire from the field, and Rasheed Wallace blocked 3 shots. Leading by twelve going into the fourth quarter, the Pistons looked to upset the Hawks on their home court. Leading by 15 with seven minutes remaining, Atlanta took their final timeout and changed everything.

Beginning with a three by trade-candidate Mike Bibby, the Hawks went on a 20-7 run to get the Detroit lead to one with two minutes remaining in the fourth. Richard Hamilton, who led all scorers with 32, hit a clutch three to help give his team some breathing room. However, Josh Smith struck back with a three-point play, then followed it up with a block on the other end.

A Smith dunk, a Prince miss and a Johnson make gave the Hawks their first lead since early in the second quarter. Tayshaun Prince posterized Al Horford to tie the game, but the Hawks shrugged it off and Joe Johnson hit a dagger three to give them a three point lead. From there it became a free-throw contest ending with a 111-107 Hawks victory, allowing them to end the year of 2008 on a high note.

JORDAN Player of the Game: Marvin Williams: 21 Points, 13 Rebounds, 4 Assists, 2 Blocks, 2 Steals
MCDWYANE Shitass of the Game: Ron Artest: 2 Points, 1 Rebound, 1 Assist, 1 Steal, 4 Fouls, 3 Turnovers, 1-7 FG

Top 5 Performers: (P/R/A/S/B)

Marvin Williams (ATL): 21/13/4/2/2
Joe Johnson (ATL): 29/4/5/2/0
Richard Hamilton (DET): 32/3/3/1/0
Tayshaun Prince (DET): 26/7/2/0/1
Al Horford (ATL): 14/14/4/1/2

DET 25 33 28 21 107
ATL 27 24 24 36 111

Notes:

- Josh Smith also had a very sold game, scoring 24 points.
- Former Detroit Pistons star Chauncey Billups, like countless others, still has not signed with an NBA team
- Well, I still left the team's record a mystery, but there is context to when it was. Part 1 of the update should be up this weekend. Predictions still excepted, but will lose a point.
- I really wanted to have pictures for you this time. Unfortunately, I do not have the thing for my phone that connects to the computer. The pics are nothing special, but they are something.
- Feel free to post feedback and suggestions for the presentation, as well as the team.

[Chaser7]

Nice win and dont worry about pix so much. You dont need them that badly.

[Clutch]

sounded like an exciting game to play and great heart by your squad to pull through; glad to see bibby still in an ATL uni too

[Lamrock]

The Atlanta Hawks Month In Review: December 2008

Looks like the Atlanta Hawks aren't a fluke. After shocking the league with a scorching 12-4 start, the Hawks finish the year with a 21-7 record, good for second best in the league.

However, the Hawks month hasn't been all glory. Point Guard Mike Bibby, who leads the team in assists and is the second leading scorer, is rumored to be mentioned in trade talks, due to his request of a maximum contract, at the same time as Marvin Williams' expiring.

The month of December starting with an easy blowout win over the Timberwolves, and that was followed up with another blowout, this time with Bibby's former team the Kings as victims. The night after, the team traveled to Boston and shocked the Celtics, beating them 107-103 in a closely fought game.

The first loss of the month came when they visited the well-rounded Bulls. In a game that came down to the wire, Luol Deng's 32 points, Chicago won 96-90. Facing the Bulls yet again in Chicago, the Hawks got their revenge with a ten point win. After that, they returned home for just one game, in which they defeated the Wizards 119-104.

Coming into New Jersey, the Hawks expected an easy win over the Nets, but Chris Bosh dominated, getting Al Horford into foul trouble en route to a 92-82 win. Atlanta almost dropped their second straight - at the hands of the Knicks of all teams! However, they managed to come back and edge them out in a very high scoring affair, 135-128. Their win was followed up by an easy win over the Sixers in Philadelphia.

The season series between the Hawks and Bobcats heated up yet again, as the Hawks deleted a big third-quarter deficit to once again beat the 'Cats in Charlotte. Returning home, the Celtics got their revenge, by beating the Hawks on their home court. Thankfully, a very special comeback win over the Detroit Pistons allowed them to end the year of 2008 on a high note.

Record:
Month: 9-3; Home: 4-1; Away: 5-2
Overall: 21-7; Home: 10-3; Away: 11-4

Vs.
Win 112-79 - Johnson: 33/3/3; Jefferson: 18/7/2 - RECORD: 13-4

Vs.
Win 105-90 - Bibby: 18/3/8; Martin: 22/5/4 - RECORD: 14-4

@
Win 107-103 - Johnson: 25/6/8; Garnett: 22/14/5 - RECORD: 15-4

@
Loss 96-90 - Deng: 32/6/6; Horford: 18/9/4 - RECORD: 15-5

@
Win 114-104 - Smith: 22/6/3; Hinrich: 24/3/7 - RECORD: 16-5

Vs.
Win 119-104 - Johnson: 26/5/5; Arenas: 32/4/7 - RECORD: 17-5

@
Loss 92-82 - Bosh: 34/15/7; Williams: 20/7/4 - RECORD: 17-6

@
Win 135-128 - Smith: 29/11/5; Crawford: 29/4/12 - RECORD: 18-6

@
Win 96-81 - Horford: 15/9/6; Miller: 20/3/9 - RECORD: 19-6

@
Win 116-106 - Smith: 20/8/3/4 Blocks; Richardson: 30/4/5 - RECORD: 20-6

Vs.
Loss 104-96 - Horford: 12/12/4; Pierce: 40/5/3 - RECORD: 20-7

Vs.
Win 111-107 - Williams: 21/13/4; Hamilton: 32/3/3 - RECORD: 21-7

--------------------

Still To Come: Season Standings, MVP Race, Player stats, Transactions, Power Rankings, League Leaders, Prediction Game standings and such. If you read this dynasty, be sure to post some feedback. Until next time...