Time for Mike Edwards

to play big.  The game against Robert Morris tonight at 7:00 p.m. should be a win for UGA.  With that said, nobody wins by just showing up.  The Dawgs will have to jump on RM quickly and not let them get their confidence going.  Robert Morris has some size and ability.

The key to the game could be the play of Mike Edwards.  It's hard to get comfortable when you first come in as an athlete.  You don't know the guys and you have to learn the plays.  Totally, totally different than high school.  But after a while, as you keep working on things in practice, the game slows down.

I enjoyed reading the Red and Black article on Edwards.  I missed it when it came out a month or so ago.  I especially appreciated the comments about Mike Edwards' high school experience and the role that John Glenn High's Coach Rod Watts had on Edwards.

Edwards wasn't initially highly recruited, as the article explains:

"The spot with the Bulldogs came after a breakout senior season in Michigan. He started his last year of high school with one college scholarship offer — Akron — and eventually gained notice across the country with his improved play.

An influence in Edwards’ late bloom was Rod Watts. Watts took over as the head basketball coach at John Glenn High School in Westland, Michigan, after Edwards’ junior season. With experience coaching players like Al Horford and Draymond Green, Watts recognized Edwards had unique talent. His task was to make him even better."

Takes some time to get on the court and play like you know you can.  Coach Jonas Hayes is high on Mike Edwards, and I have come around to the same viewpoint.  When Edwards gets the plays down and learns the nuances like setting screens properly (the refs never give the new guys the benefit of the doubt), his natural speed and athleticism will have a chance to emerge.

Like tonight.  Edwards should get some playing time in relief of either Yante Maten or Houston Kessler.  We haven't seen much from Edwards since the game against Oakland, in which Edwards scored 14 points and grabbed six rebounds (Edwards averages 3 points and 3 boards a game this season).  Well, like the Oakland game, Edwards can perform at a high level, and I'm looking forward to seeing him play more and play well.

You've been practicing enough.  It's time to play.  Let's go, Mike!

When was the last time that

Kentucky was last place in the East?

Georgia was in third?

Alabama was in first for the whole conference?

UK has a tough road ahead playing against Tennessee and Vandy. Either one of those teams could go into Rupp and pull out a win. The issue is that Kentucky does not have a big-time presence in the post. No Patrick Patterson. DeMarcus Cousins is gone. As a result, the team is decent, but definitely not great.

Georgia, on the other hand, has post scoring. If Gerald Robinson gets hot again, we're tough to beat. Hate to jinx us, but this team reminds me of the championship-winning squads that Florida had, with Horford, Brewer and Noah. Not as athletic and not as good defensively, but with balanced scoring and a good mix of bigs and shooters.

In fact, but for Florida's long-distance three at the end of regulation, Georgia would be in first place in the East.

As for Alabama, I don't know what Anthony Grant told his kids, but they have shocked me. Grant's players have bought into the defense-first game plan, and they're shutting other teams down. I did not expect to see them at the top of the SEC-- at least not so soon. I knew they would be good when Nick Jacobs arrives, but they are ahead of the curve at 7 and 1 on the year.

Should be fun to see how the rest of the SEC season turns out.

Hawks over Knicks

Final score: 114 to 101.

The Hawks could have easily lost the game last night. The Knicks were shooting over 60 percent there for a while, playing in front of their home crowd.

Although the Knicks are not very good this year, they have some players who can put up big numbers. Al Harrington had it working in the first half, Larry Hughes got hot, and then Tony Douglas started to shoot the ball well.

But the Hawks didn't fold. They got the ball to Al Horford, and he delivered. Solid game from Josh Smith, too, with a double-double. Mike Bibby hit open jump shots. And Joe Johnson, who didn't shoot well in the first half, seemed not to be able to miss in the second.

Nothing much from Marvin Williams. Not a whole lot of scoring from Jamal Crawford, although he did play well.

The Hawks are 6 and 2 on the year. In 3rd place in the East. They'll struggle against teams with big post players, like Cleveland, Orlando, and Boston, but you have to like the way Atlanta is playing right now.

Hawks Blown Out by Magic

I was happy last night to see that there were NBA games on television. No football this weekend for the Dawgs-- no problem. Last game of the pre-season for the Hawks, going against division rival, Orlando Magic. Should be a good one, I thought.

I got myself in position in front of the television and waited impatiently for the game to come on.

I should have brought a pail with me.

Hate to be too critical, and maybe nauseating is too strong a description, but that's the first adjective that came to mind. It was awful, awful basketball from the Hawks. The Hawks got blasted by nearly 40 points. They shot a paltry 37 percent from the field, and 23 percent from behind the arc.

The Hawks starters seemed to have no answer for the Orlando Magic's schemes on defense. They were able to trap the ball in the corner and keep the Hawks from executing any plays. On the other side of the ball, no one from the Hawks could guard Vince Carter, Jameer Nelson, Dwight Howard, Michael Pietrus, or Brandon Bass. The Magic shot over 60 percent from the field and over 60 percent from three. Shucks, Dwight Howard even shot 7 of 10 from the free throw line.

Dwight Howard will get his points. But how could the Hawks go through the off-season and declare themselves much improved, when they did not bring in any shot-blockers? No one on the team got more than 6 rebounds. The Magic's big men had 8 blocked shots. Ours, just 1.

I think I heard one of the commentators say that Al Horford had a twisted ankle. If true, that explains some of the ineptitude in the post. But if Horford is hobbled or is not playing well, the Hawks need to have someone who can come off the bench and give the team a lift.

Didn't see Joe Smith play, but he's a pick and pop guy-- a tall player who shoots well enough if you give him space. He doesn't have enough weight to bang in the post on offense or defense. Haven't seen Jason Collins play in a long time, but if memory serves me, he's not a particularly proficient scorer, rebounder or defender. Keeping Solomon Jones would have been just as good an option, if not better.

If there was any good news, it was that Randolph Morris came off the bench and notched 11 points with 5 rebounds. I didn't see any of Morris' play, so he must have played in the 4th quarter when the game was well out of reach. However, if he's in shape, maybe he can help the team, and even challenge for minutes earlier in the game.

The most disappointing aspect of the game was the seeming confirmation that the Hawks management made a major mistake by re-signing Mike Bibby, and bringing in Jeff Teague, while letting the truly versatile Flip Murray leave.

Teague didn't impress me at all. I'm with commentator and former coach Hubie Blalock on this one: Teague has no mid-range game and cannot hit a 3-pointer.

How did Atlanta end up paying major money for another fast guy who can't shoot? Unless I'm missing something, Teague is a healthy Speedy Claxton. Shoots better from the line, but I'm afraid that's about it.

Teague went 0 of 15 from the floor and 0 of 4 from behind the arc. I would say that it's just one bad game, but the truth is that the guy is a point guard with a set shot. Bad form. He will shoot better from the field in the future. He can't possibly go every game with a 0% shooting average. But he won't ever be a great shooter, in my opinion, unless serious reconstruction is done on his shot. If I'm Mike Woodson, I make Teague work alone with Mark Price or some other shooting instructor for the entire season and off-season.

Let's hope that last night's game was an abberation. An off-night for the whole team.

Is Mark Fox getting the basketball Dawgs ready? I'd like to see the Hawks or the Dawgs play well in 2009.

Albert Jackson and Score International Complete Trip

The team went 1 and 3 against pro-level competition.

Jackson held his own. Basketball in the Dominican is very physical in the post. Going up against guys like Larry Turner, formerly of the Lakers, and Al Horford of the Atlanta Hawks, Jackson peformed well. He had 10 boards in one game. Five points and seven rebounds in another.

Hopefully, Jackson has been able to adjust to being back in the States and get going on the rigorous schedule of classes, weight-lifting and pre-conditioning. Without Dave Bliss in the middle, we will need Jackson to "man up" in the post this year.

Great experience all the way around for Jackson.

Albert Jackson and Score International Update

Albert Jackson is in the Dominican Republic this weekend, playing with a team from Score International (see www.scoreinternational.org). Besides Jackson, players from Auburn, Ole Miss and Mississippi State are on the 9-player squad.

The Score International group will begin the day with ministry activities, including delivering food to the poor and visiting orphanages. During the evening, Jackson and Score International will compete on the court. Opposing them will be many talented players from the Dominican Republic, including Al Horford and Francisco Garcia.

For the sake of reference, Al Horford was a starter with Florida's two national championship teams and runner-up for the 2008 NBA Rookie of the Year. He scored 10 points with 10 rebounds per game this past year. Francisco Garcia is a current NBA player with the Sacramento Kings. He averaged 12 points and 3 rebounds in the 2007/2008 season. Garcia starred at Louisville for Coach Rick Pitino's team, and led the team to the 2005 Final Four.

Horford and Garcia will be playing on the Dominican Republic's Blue Team (the Dominican team is divided into a blue team and a white team). Joining them and competing for the blue squad will be none other than former UGA recruit and Milledgeville native, Larry Turner, who has applied for citizenship.

Needless to say, the competition in the post will be intense. Al Horford is a rising star in the NBA and Larry Turner is a big physical player at 6' 11", 260 pounds. The basketball playing time and the life experience for Albert Jackson will be unforgettable.