Falcons vs Saints

The Falcons are hosting the New Orleans Saints tonight, so this seems like a good time to talk about the Atlanta Hawks. Twelve games into the season, Mike Budenholzer has his team playing well. Point guard Jeff Teague has been very impressive so far, averaging 18.4 points per game along with 8.7 assists per contest. Meanwhile, former Gator, Al Horford is providing the offense with 17.4 points per game. The 6'10 center is leading the team in blocks with 2.1 per contest and collecting 8.2 rebounds during the young NBA season of 2013.

The 7-5 Hawks have the night off, but they will resume play tomorrow night at 7:30 in Motown. Atlanta will be facing a Pistons squad they just defeated 93-85 in Philips Arena on Wednesday evening. Detroit will be looking for more productivity from former ATLien, Josh Smith than the 11 scrawny points he scored during his first game at home in an away jersey. Another Piston with local ties is former Bulldog basketballer, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope. The 20 year old shooting guard from Thomaston, Ga is averaging 7.4 points per game during his rookie season.

I'm expecting another close game on Friday night. The Hawks average 102 points per game to Detroit's 98 and allow 99 points per contest to the Pistons' 101. The key statistic that gives Atlanta an advantage is assists per game, as they are second in the league with 25.7. Both teams need to improve their efforts on the glass. The Pistons are 24th in the NBA in rebounding and the Hawks are currently 2 spots behind them at 26.

Outpaced in Indiana

Well, tonight's game between Atlanta and Indiana started out pretty well. After one quarter of basketball, the score was tied at 26. But then, the pesky Pacers stepped on the gas and outscored the Hawks 32-17 in the second quarter. Things got a lot worse for the good guys, when the home team put together a 27-20 3rd quarter. Going into the fourth, Atlanta trailed by an insurmountable 22 points, 85-63.

Refusing to go quietly, the Hawks put together a tremendous 4th quarter rally, aided by 10 Pacer turnovers and cut Indiana's lead to 98-92 with 19 seconds remaining. But, there was too little time left on the clock. Led by Roy Hibbert's 17 points and 13 rebounds, the Pacers did just enough to hold off the charging Hawks. The final score from tonight's contest is Indiana 100, Atlanta 94. Josh Smith had 20 points,3 rebounds,4 assists,4 steals,and 2 blocks. But, Atlanta falls to 39-32, while the Pacers improve their record to 44-27 on the season.

Hawks at Pacers

Josh Smith and Atlanta's 39 win Hawks are on the road tonight, as they take on the hoosier state's Pacers. Allowing less than 90 points per game, Indiana has become one of the toughest teams in the eastern conference. Former Georgetown Hoya, Roy Hibbert averages 2.7 blocks per game and anchors a squad that leads the NBA in rebounds.

With 12 games left in the regular season, Atlanta is currently 5th in the east, with only one more victory than Chicago's 6th placed Bulls. Danny Granger and David West will miss tonight's game, along with George Hill and Lance Stevenson. However, the Pacers will be led by small forward Paul George, who averages 17.7 points per game in his second NBA season.

Leading the charge for Atlanta will be power forward/center Al Horford, who averages 17.5 ppg along with 10.3 rebounds per contest. Alongside the former Florida Gator will be Johan Petro, who likely starts in the 5 spot and the electrifying Josh Smith at small forward. Atlanta needs the victory, but the task is a lot tougher without Devin Harris, who is sidelined with an injury to his left foot.

Update: Indiana outscored Atlanta 32-17 in the second quarter, to take a 58-43 lead into the half. Josh Smith leads the Hawks with 17 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals and a block, as he continues to fill up the stat sheet. For the Pacers, shooting guard Orlando Johnson (averages 3.7 ppg) tallied 15 points to go with 3 rebounds and 2 assists in the first half.

Keep Josh Smith Day

With the NBA trade deadline inching closer and nerve-rackingly closer, I have decided to make February 19, 2013 Keep Josh Smith Day. The former McEachern and Oak Hill Academy star has become the most exciting Atlanta Hawk since the days of Dominique Wilkins. His gravity defying dunks and tremendous shot blocking prowess consistently transform Philips Arena into the Highlight Factory. But, it is highly speculated that the Hawks are exploring trade possibilites revolving around J Smoove. So, I'm campaigning for the Hawks to keep Josh Smith.

The AJC's Jeff Schultz recently wrote, "Smith hardly is the Hawks' biggest problem. They need a center. They need consistency at point guard. They need more players to build around. Moving past years of being a punchline isn't easy."

Although the Hawks have made great strides over the past 5 seasons, Schultz is right. There is still a lot of work to be done, as far as tuning up the roster. But, trading your best player ain't the answer. As a fan, I hope to see #5 continue to deliver an exciting brand of basketball to the hometown Hawks. Josh Smith is the heart and soul of the Highlight Factory. Without those elements, what remains?

To Hawks GM Danny Ferry, I offer a few simple words. Keep Josh Smith.

NBA Draft

As a Hawks fan, draft night usually means I should go to bed early. Although I have yet to be mistaken for an NBA expert, I rarely agree with their decisions. Even when they're not busy selecting busts like Priest Lauderdale, Cal Bowdler, and Marvin Williams, I'm consistently disappointed with their moves.

Al Horford has been an All-Star and Josh Smith has brought an exciting brand of basketball to Philips Arena. But, this team can not win a championship with both players at the core of their roster. Smith fills up the stat sheet, but also has a tendency to forget that his 3 point shot is both dismal and deficient. If healthy, Horford could be a very valuable asset to this team, but he's gotta be moved to power forward. For that to happen, Atlanta needs to acquire a quality center to take over the 5 spot. Then, the high flyin' J Smooth must be evicted from playing the 4.

In today's NBA, good ain't good enough. You've got to have an elite squad, if your goal is to win championships. Atlanta has plateaued and will continue to be another title-less team, if significant upgrades to the roster aren't made. A rebuilding project will be tough to overhaul with Joe Johnson's immovable contract on the books. But, an attempt at shaking things up, in order to pursue a greater collection of talent would be extremely refreshing.