Off Season Goals for Hawks Starters

I agree with your list, and here’s a few more improvements that would be great to see next season…

Mike Bibby – Defensive quickness. At this point in his career, he probably won’t improve his quickness, but the way he plays D is the definition of matador defense. I’ll let you run by me, and then I’ll jack up a 3 on the other end to make up for it. That’s okay when the 3 is goin in, but when it’s not, it’s the quickest way to dig yourselves into a hole. I just want to see him keep his man in front of him.

Josh Smith – Overall attitude and mental toughness. He needs to work on his emotion, and be more like Horford. Horford has positive reactions to most plays, is always clapping, and acts like he is unbreakable and his attitude goes a long way. JSmoove on the other hand is always a few tears away from a tantrum. He lets refs and opposing players get in his head. I do like the way he supports everyone from the bench, but he just reminds me of a big kid sometimes and I would love to see some more maturity from him.

Joe Johnson – Leadership and aggressiveness. I definitely agree with you on that one. I’m not sure how other players would react to him becoming a vocal leader overnight after receiving a max contract, but ultimately, I think they would accept it. If he remains a quiet leader, I think if he was more aggressive, it would rub off on the rest of the team. I would also like to see him go into his bag of tricks more often. Joe can pretty much do anything he wants on offense, but as of late, he has become very predictable. I would like to see him attack the basket more often with his arsenal of moves instead of settling for so many jumpers.

Al Horford – Low post moves & footwork. I think Josh Smith worked with Hakeem Olajuwon on his footwork for a few offseasons and he has improved tremendously over each year. I think Horford would also benefit from something like that. His low post game gets the job done but he could benefit from a few more moves.

Marvin Williams – Aggressiveness & 3PT specialist. A few years ago, Marvin came out of nowhere with a deadly 3 that he worked on in the offseason, and it complimented the offense perfectly. For some reason, he went away from that last season, and his offensive contributions were minimal. Marvin needs to stop looking at himself as the 5th option because the man is talented. If he was more assertive, people wouldn’t be so disappointed with him. I still think he has one of the sickest jumpers in the league.

Zaza Pachulia – Leaping ability. Zaza is an excellent rebounder because of his timing, heart and hustle. If he can work on his vertical, he could become that dominant big man we need. I think that’s the only thing that holds him back.

Jamal Crawford – Become a facilitator. I love Jamal’s game, but sometimes when you take ten shots in a row, the whole team’s overall offense loses it’s rhythm. Jamal has the quickness and dribbling ability to get to the basket whenever he wants to, and on those drives, I would like to see him kick it out to his teammates for wide open shots more often. Especially, when he’s running the point.

Jeff Teague – Outside shot. I would like to see him develop a better jumper. We still have yet to see what he can really do, so I’ll keep his comments brief.

Mo Evans – Confidence. It seems like he’s hard on himself for missing one shot, and it carries over to his next shot. I would like to see him with more of Bibby’s attitude, where he knows what he’s capable of and he treats each possession like a fresh start even if he just threw up a brick.

Jason Collins – Show us he’s worth a roster spot. I wasn’t impressed with him at all last year. This guy is one of the least talented players in the league. His lack of any athleticism whatsoever makes his size useless because he still can’t keep up with other big men. I want to see him prove me wrong and actually do something on the court next year.

the two players that are going to take us to the next level (if we keep them) Josh & Marvin. If one of these guys or both make that next step or two…the Hawks will be at the top of the East. If Josh can just concentrate on doing one thing well offensively…getting to the basket and using his power…no j’s, no cute crossovers…. just power.

And Marvin, if LD can run some plays for him, and keep him aggresive all through the game. Have excellent ball handling skills, get his 1st step as explosive as he can get it, and get that Carmelo Anthony/Paul Pierce drive and stepaway jumper. ( a lot of players use it but they come to mind when I think of that move) the move when the defender is trying to keep you from driving so they overplay and get ahead of you, then the offensive player just steps back while the DEFENDER is trying to gather himself and and recover the shooter just raises up and sinks the jumper…yeah that move!!! I f I was Marvin I would have practiced that all summer long

He just doesn’t seem like the guy who was ever motivated to win championships and become legendary. He just wants to make money and have fun playing the game.

The other 4 goals are more plausible