Ten reasons I enjoy the Atlanta Hawks.
- So far they are 2-2. That includes wins over the Mavericks and Suns. Atlanta also gave Detroit all it could handle in a one-point loss. The other loss was by five at New Jersey. Don't sleep on them.
- Joe Johnson. I like his game.
- The Hawks ownership puts the "fun" in "dysfunction". Don't believe me. Check out what Tim Tucker, by way of Henry Abbot, has to say about it.
- The Highlight Factory. I looked at each team's slogan a while back and the Hawks definitely had one of the best. Nice work.
- Acie Law IV. I loved his game in college and hope he can make it in the pros. And yes he is starting as of yesterday.
- As much as I like Law one has to wonder what the Hawks would be like with Chris Paul, Deron Williams or even Brandon Roy for that matter. With Paul or Williams I'm pretty sure they wouldn't have Al Horford. But I'd take that trade.
- The Hawks are just a random assortment of players. Josh Smith (more on him later), Marvin Williams, Joe Johnson, Horford, Josh Childress, gunner Salim Stoudamire, etc.
- Josh Smith. In his last game Smith had 22 points, 10 rebounds, 4 assists, 4 steals, 4 dimes, five blocks and only 2 turnovers. Three points about that:
- He puts up numbers like that all the time. And some of his blocks are just unbelievable to watch.
- I emphasize the turnovers because it can be a weakness. He'll get five or more from time to time.
- Did you catch the subtle Stephon Marbury reference in the stats? I'll let you think about it.
1. Tyronn Lue plays for the Atlanta Hawks. This in and of itself is not a huge deal. However, as The Fanhouse, True Hoop and originally Shira Springer taught us, Garnett listens to Lue. And that was a big deal over the summer,
"Then, KG asked me, 'What about the city?' I said, 'You don't go out anyway, so it doesn't matter. You don't go out of the house. You could play in Alaska.' He's like, 'Yeah, you're right.' "
So thank you Tyronn Lue. And yes I'm a little worried that Lue is in the last year of his contract and Garnett, according to Timberwolves owner Glen Taylor, has a history of taking care of his friends,
"I think there was a lot of stuff going on that we just couldn't talk about publicly. K.G. wanted Trenton (Hassell, forward) around. K.G. wanted Troy (Hudson, guard) around. And those guys took advantage of the situation, and it drove me nuts. I thought both of those guys could have been better players."
Having typed all that I should mention that I hate the Hawks new mascot, they never should have traded Dominique, their home games are depressing and I hope the Celtics take care of business.