How to break out of a slump...

[Andrew]

...and rebuild your confidence:

Lakers 113, Atlanta 67

Who needs Shaq when Medvedenko can score 26 points and grab 11 boards? No, let's not go nuts and label him a superstar. But it's an example of what the remaining frontcourt players must do in the absence of Malone and O'Neal: step up and try to fill the void.

Note that LA won the battle on the boards, whereas they were outrebounded 60-37 against the Nuggets. More importantly, they managed to win without Shaq and Malone. If those two are going to miss a significant amount of games, then the Lakers will need to find a way to stay near the top of the West. They're currently a sub .500 team on the road, and homecourt advantage might be all another strong Western team needs to eliminate the Lakers in the playoffs.

[Stevan]

excuse the pun (somebody had to say it), but the Lakers pretty much raped the Hawks...

Medvedenko has had a couple of good games when given the minutes, so it's not that much of a suprise.

[Stonecold]

Thanks goodness to the lakeshow

[fgrep15]

Well like my brother said, the Hawks should moved to the NBDL and be given the chance to re-enter the league next season. Or they could od it like soccer and have the crappy teams moves to "NBA Division 2" which would include Orlando and Atlanta playing 82 games against each other and whoever wins in the playoffs gets to move back to the NBA. Then the next year the next worst team will go down to the division.

Anyaways, the Nuggets are a crazy reboudning team, but yea Slava showed some promise today. I liked the dunk on Ratliff, well not really on him but kinda.

[Amphatoast]

hawks seriously suck. Although the Nets lost by more to the Grizzlies, when you lose like this, and your record looks like the Hawks, I think you should start rebuilding! Do like the Suns did, get rid of your best player, and get some draft picks to build for the future. They ain't going no where this year, so might as well get ready for next year.

[fgrep15]

hawks seriously suck. Although the Nets lost by more to the Grizzlies, when you lose like this, and your record looks like the Hawks, I think you should start rebuilding! Do like the Suns did, get rid of your best player, and get some draft picks to build for the future. They ain't going no where this year, so might as well get ready for next year.

No one wants Shareef , no i think they are trying to, just not getting anything to work. Terry's contract is also up this year, and he doesn't want an extension, so no need to trade him for a longer contract.

[flip_wun]

the Hawks are horrible. i hope Jason Terry gets traded to a good team cuz he's a good guard.

[fgrep15]

the Hawks are horrible. i hope Jason Terry gets traded to a good team cuz he's a good guard.

Well im guessing that they are planning on rebuilding so therefore its really not logical for them to trade him since his contract comes off the books this year.

[flip_wun]

either way.. i hope he gets on a good team

[Jowe]

hawks seriously suck. Although the Nets lost by more to the Grizzlies, when you lose like this, and your record looks like the Hawks, I think you should start rebuilding! Do like the Suns did, get rid of your best player, and get some draft picks to build for the future. They ain't going no where this year, so might as well get ready for next year.

No one wants Shareef , no i think they are trying to, just not getting anything to work. Terry's contract is also up this year, and he doesn't want an extension, so no need to trade him for a longer contract.

didn't he sign an extension in the offseason? or was that just a 1 year contract?

[benji]

He signed a three year extension I thought...he also loves Atlanta apparently...

I don't think this blowout surpised anyone...here's the scary part: the Hawks are playing better now than they were three weeks ago...

[fgrep15]

Oh yea i remember, Utah offered him a contract, but he was restricted so Atlanta matched it, ah well too bad for him then.


In order to keep the game competitive and so the fans would stay and the food places would make money, Utah played Jarron Collins, Paul Grant, Aleksandar Pavlovic, Raja Bell, and Raul Lopez vs Atlanta's starters excluding Stephen Jackson at the 8 min mark in the 2nd quarter of the Utah vs Atlanta game. This was to ensure that a huge lead wouldn't be built causing a blowout.

Even with the huge effort by Utah to give Atlanta a chance, they still lost 92 - 71, ah well.