I watched the Hawks vs. Bobcats on Sports South tonight and by the end, I wanted my money back (or at a minimum the two one half hours of my life I spent watching the game). How can you go from beating Minnesota by 30 and then get run out of the gym by a depleted Bobcats team by almost the same margin? If you are asking yourself this same question, I have the answers.

1. Josh Smith is the only player dedicated to defensive play. The Bobcats were jumping on the floor for balls and racing back down court to slow Hawk fast breaks. The Hawks do too much window shopping, i.e., they watch the action, but don't get involved. They aren't fighting for every possesion and contesting every shot. They should realize by now that they are not good enough to coast.

2. The Hawks don't understand how to kill the opposing team's momentum. Joe Johnson attacks the basket in the paint regularly -- but he is the only Hawk who understands that if you attack the basket and get the other team to commit fouls, you kill their momentum. Instead, the Hawks prolong their opponents momentum by launching long range jumpers (i.e., Marvin Williams) that are the catalyst for many fast breaks. To prove my point, Gerald Wallace (Bobcat's Forward) dropped a 45 spot on the Hawks last year and all the points were in the paint (fast break lay up and dunks).

3. The Hawks are playing the wrong type offense for the type of players on the roster. Have you noticed that the Hawks are usually under-sized when facing other teams(which is why Josh Smith is the only Hawk getting blocked shots)? So if they are under-sized verses most teams, why are they running a power half court offense (slow and plodding). The Hawks don't have a power half court player who you can play with his back to the basket and deliver an automatic field goal (e.g., Tim Duncan). If the Hawks are going to run a half court offense, the offiense must include "pick and rolls" to set up shots for Josh Smith (i.e., Utah Jazz with Carl Malone) and double screens to set up shots for Joe Johnson. Utah and Indiana perfected these techniques so that their superstars could get consistent "looks" during half court sets. Instead, the Hawks run a slow plodding half court set where most passes are occur behind the three point line --- as because of their size -- leaves Joe Johnson scrambling to launch a 10-15 foot jump shot with 3-5 second left on the clock. Not good!

Coaches have to put their players in the best position to win. The Hawks are not positioned to win. The Hawks are not positioned to be a 500 ball club.