Grading the Hawks at the Break

So the Hawks get ready to start the second half of the season tomorrow kicking off a brutal road trip in LA against the Lakers. Today I thought I'd dole out grades for the Hawks prior to the All Star Break.

Joe Johnson - B
I can't be any nicer to Joe. His shooting percentage is abysmal. He still can't find the right balance at the end of the games. He's too tentative at times, too out of control at others. That said, Joe gives it all every night and he's far and away the best scorer on this team. He's running low on gas because he doesn't have much help to take the pressure off of him. He's a deserving All Star for what he brings to the team.

Josh Smith - B+
I'd love to be able to give Smoove an A here, but he has too many off nights and inconsistencies in his game for him to get an A. That said, when he's on he's the most dynamic player in the NBA. There I said it. There are better guys at specific things, but nobody can do all the things Josh does. At 22, he's on the verge of Super-stardom and as the game comes to him more he's going to be a multiple time All Star.

Marvin Williams - B-
You aren't going to find many more Marvin supporters in this town than me. Marvin gets crushed in this town for the Chris Paul/Deron Williams draft debacle. It's not Marvin's fault it happened and he's one of the most likable guys in Atlanta sports. That said, Marvin is what he is as a basketball player. He's the third option on the team with limited skills outside of shooting. He's a very good shooter and up until February you could count on 10 points a game from him just about every night. On the other hand, he's not very explosive, he's not a great rebounder, and despite the fact that he has a higher shooting percentage than Joe or Josh, he's not an outside scoring threat. In short, he's not the scorer Joe is and he's not the versatile weapon Josh is. He's also 21 and shown steady improvement each of his first three seasons and still has potential to be a very good player in this league.

Al Horford - A+
Proof that the sun shines on a dog's hind parts every now and then. For all the draft debacles of the Billy Knight era, he got it right with the big man. Granted, it was an easy pick since the Hawks picked third and Horford was the third best prospect in the draft, but Billy Knight never followed that logic in the past. Horford has been the best first year draft pick the Hawks have had since Kevin Willis in 1984. He's playing out of position (He's naturally a Power Forward) yet he has a legitimate chance to finish averaging a double double as a rookie. The list of guys who have done that since 1984 is elite: Dwight Howard, Emeka Okafor, Elton Brand, Derrick Coleman, Larry Johnson, Diekembe Mutombo, Alonzo Mourning, Tim Duncan, Shaquille O’Neal, David Robinson and Hakeem Olajuwon. Yeah, that's not bad company.

Anthony Johnson - C-
AJ earned the starting job more or less by default. Woodson was never going to turn the reigns over to rookie Acie Law and therefore it was AJ's job from day one . For the most part AJ was a non factor before being shipped to Sacramento in the Bibby trade. When the Hawks played well in December it was keyed by an aggressive AJ, but for the most part he was passive with the ball and not really an option on offense or a factor on defense.

Josh Childress - A
Quietly Chill has put together a nice season in a contract year. Yes, you expect a former top 10 pick to be a starter, but Chill is one of the best 6th men in the league right now. Chill can't shoot, let' s be honest. Yet, Chill hangs around the hoop, get's offensive boards and putbacks as well as anyone and his minutes off the bench have been critical.

Tyronn Lue - B
Lue is what he is. He's too small and poor on the defensive end to be a full time starter, but he also provides solid minutes off the bench and probably has the most clutch touch of anyone on the roster. Really the only true sad casualty of the Bibby trade.

Zaza Pachulia - C-
What an odd year for the big man from Georgia (not the state). He's been relegated to bench status due to the emergence of Al Horford and he's better suited to come off the bench anyway. He's not really a force on the defensive end for a 7 footer and his skill set is limited. I still feel like Zaza can provide solid minutes off the bench, but he's not much of a force.

Acie Law - C
The rookie PG from Texas A&M has, surprise, looked like a rookie through most of 07-08. He's shown flashes of brilliances at times, but they've been just those: flashes. He's been incredibly inconsistent, but one has to wonder how much of that has to do with his disjointed playing time this season. He stands to benefit from the Bibby trade as much as anyone. He gets to spend a year and a half learning from one of the better PG's in the game.

Mario West - A+++
Who cares what his output is? He's a great story and the 12th man on the team. He's a classic overachiever.

Shelden Williams, Solomon Jones, Lorenzen Wright, Salim Stoudamire - INC
Can't give these guys a grade because Mike Woodson won't play them (or they're hurt like Wright).

Speedy Claxton - F-
Biggest waste of money.

Mike Woodson - D-
Realistically this team should be better than they have been. They have as many wins this year at the All Star break as they did last year. They've been relatively healthy, excuses should be minimum. Plain and simple, Woody is in over his head with this roster. His refusal to let them run late in games and his inability to maximize the efficiency of his roster has led to many late game collapses and it's just unacceptable. The seat is hotter now with Bibby. If this team misses the playoffs, Mike Woodson should never get another NBA head coaching gig. He's had his time. It's running out now.

Billy Knight- A
Yup I went there. He drafted Horford and gave up little to get Mike Bibby. He's done well in 07-08. The sun indeed does shine on a dog's hind parts every now and then.