Georgia Defeats Buffalo In Season Opener, 45-23.

Georgia QB Aaron Murray

Once again, it's always a great day to be a Bulldog. After a rocky first half, UGA completely turned it up to another level to win their first game of the season. Buffalo kept it close by making the halftime score 24-16, but Georgia's halftime adjustments paid off. UGA's defense played exceptionally well without All-American safety Bacarri Rambo & linebacker Alec Ogletree.

QB Aaron Murray had a good day in the air with 258 yards and 3 touchdowns on 15/26 passing. WR Tavarres King had 6 catches for 117 yards & 1 touchdown. WR Michael Bennett also had 5 catches for 76 yards & 1 touchdown. Freshman RB Todd Gurley had a phenomenal game by running the ball eight times for 100 yards & 2 touchdowns. He also had a 100 yard kickoff return for a touchdown in the first half. UGA had 458 yards in total offense.

Buffalo QB Alex Zordich went 14/24 for 148 yards and 1 touchdown. RB Branden Oliver had 30 rushing attempts for 111 yards and 1 touchdown. WR Jimmy Gordon had 3 catches for 63 yards. The offense was competitive against UGA in the first half but the Dawgs were just too much for the Bulls in the second half.

Freshman RB Todd Gurley

All-American linebacker Jarvis Jones had 8 total tackes with a forced fumble. DT John Jenkins had 6 total tackles & DT Abry Jones added 4 total tackles. This UGA defense was a top five defense last year. They look to play hard even without the services of Bacarri Rambo and Alec Ogletree for the next 3-4 games. Leaders like Jarvis Jones and John Jenkins will have to step up in big time games. Just like the offense, this defense has so much potential. Defensive coordinator Todd Grantham could've had a chance to get a head coaching job at another good D-1 school or maybe an NFL head coaching job, but he decided to stay put at UGA after having a great year last year. Grantham recently signed a 2 year extention w/ UGA.

Offensive coordinator Mike Bobo is working with a potential Heisman candidate in QB Aaron Murray. Everybody expects him to be a 1st round NFL draft pick but his status is unknown if he is going to stay at UGA or not at the end of the season. UGA always seems to have a great recruiting class when it comes to RBs every year. The future is shining bright on freshman RBs Keith Marshall and Todd Gurley.

The Bulldogs are on the road next week against newly-added SEC member Missouri. It will be tough playing in a rough environment like that but knowing that the #6 ranked team UGA is, they should be able to run the table against the Tigers and make it a fantastic game. I think QB Aaron Murray will be able to deliver in the clutch and get the Dawgs another win.

Keep on looking out for more of my UGA blogs and I hope you have enjoyed this one. I'm looking forward to covering UGA this season and watch the Bulldogs try to achieve their championship aspirations. So until then, GO DAWGS!!!!!-Yuriy A.

Danny Ferry Wastes No Time in Hawks' Free Agency

Hawks GM & President of Basketball Operations Danny Ferry

Its been a busy first week on the job for new Atlanta Hawks GM Danny Ferry. First he drafts SG John Jenkins from Vanderbilt and PF Mike Scott from Virginia. Earlier this week he traded allstar guard Joe Johnson to the Brooklyn Nets for the expiring contracts of Jordan Farmar, Johan Petro, Anthony Morrow, Jordan Williams, DeShawn Stevenson, and a future first round pick. Atlanta also traded Marvin Williams to the Utah Jazz for PG Devin Harris.

The Hawks are in rumors to get superstar center Dwight Howard from the Orlando Magic. They are one of various teams trying to go after him, including the Lakers, Rockets, and Nets. Brooklyn owes Joe Johnson $90 million over the next five seasons and they just resigned PG Deron Williams on a five year, $100 million contract so I don't know how they would have room to bring in Howard. They are coming up with a trade that would include four 1st round picks from Brooklyn and MarShon Brooks but I don't think this trade is likely to happen.

Dwight Howard

Some good news for Atlanta is that Josh Smith is impressed with the way Danny Ferry is making aggresive moves. I think Smith sees the fact that Ferry is trying to bring the right pieces to Atlanta and those moves will convince him to stay. If Dwight Howard does come to Atlanta, he would reunite with his best friends Josh Smith and Anthony Morrow. Howard has known Smith since pre school and from AAU basketball.

The problem with getting Dwight Howard is that the Hawks would have to convince him to sign an extension with the team. I don't think there's any point in getting rid of good players like Al Horford or Jeff Teague to just rent Howard for a year and then he leaves in free agency in 2013. I think Danny Ferry is the type of person who can bring in the right players and can convcince Howard that he can win in Atlanta. The city would be buzzing with hometown players Josh Smith and Dwight Howard on the same team together.

Chris Paul

The Hawks have the money to acquire Clippers PG Chris Paul. Some sources say that Paul is committed to the Clippers. It would be difficult convincing CP3 to come to Atlanta after the Hawks passed up on him in the 2005 NBA Draft and drafted Marvin Williams instead. (We all still think about that nightmare) I honestly believe that the Hawks will try to pursue Howard instead of Paul though. Atlanta has always been looking for that true center. When we drafted Al Horford, we had to put him at center because of that issue. Al Horford is actually a PF. I think we would have to trade Horford in order to acquire Howard.

It's been a wild free agency so far and we will see if Danny Ferry makes any more big moves for the Hawks. Hopefully Atlanta wins the Dwight Howard sweepstakes. Keep on looking out for more of my Hawks blogs about their free agency and I hope you enjoy them. So until then, GO HAWKS!!!-Yuriy A.

Hawks Hire Former Cavs GM Danny Ferry

Former Cavs GM Danny Ferry signs with the Atlanta Hawks

The Atlanta Hawks have hired former Cleveland Cavaliers GM & executive of the San Antonio Spurs, Danny Ferry. He served as Cleveland's GM from 2005-2010. Ferry had the NBA's current MVP LeBron James on his team until James went to the 2012 NBA Champion Miami Heat in 2010. Ferry is also signed as President of basketball operations and is signed to a 6 year deal. He is now replacing the Hawks' current GM, Rick Sund. Sund was Atlanta's GM for the past four seasons. He will now be a consultant with Atlanta.

There was much speculation about Danny Ferry going to the Philadelphia 76ers. The 76ers were busy looking for a front-office chief so talks started to break off. Obviously,  Ferry had success everywhere he went.  His biggest challenge was trying to get a championship to LeBron James. Every year the Cavaliers fell short of reaching the Finals. James' only trip to the finals was in 2007, in which the Cavs got swept by the Spurs.  After a second round exit to the Boston Celtics in 2010, that was James' last season in Cleveland and an era was over.

Ferry had to deal with the tension between Cavs' owner Dan Gilbert and LeBron James during that dark night when "The Decision" aired on ESPN. Dan Gilbert sent a letter to Cavs fans saying they deserve better and how James "quit" on his team in the playoffs against Boston. All around Cleveland, you could see people burning LeBron James' jersey. The next day the city took down the "We Are All Witnesses" poster in downtown Cleveland which had James on the poster with him throwing the powder during his pre-game warmups.

Now Ferry starts a new chapter in his managerial career. It is going to be a long and interesting offseason for the Atlanta Hawks. Hawks forward Josh Smith has been in trade rumors ever since last summer. Some people question if he wants to even play in Atlanta anymore. Hawks management also has to deal with allstar Joe Johnson's huge contract. Johnson signed a 6 year, $123 million deal back in the summer of 2010. This makes the Hawks' salary cap small. Atlanta has nine free agents to resign. Obviously, not all of them are going to be with the team next year. I believe the Hawks should resign guys like Jannero Pargo and Ivan Johnson who stepped up this year. These players were two of many free agent players who signed one year contracts with Atlanta, including former NBA scoring champion Tracy McGrady.

Hopefully the Atlanta Hawks have a great offseason and can bring a core group of players to the team that can take them deep into the playoffs. The Hawks made it into the second round of the playoffs every year since 2009 until this year when they made a first round exit to the Boston Celtics. I think Danny Ferry is the best managerial signing we've had in a really long time. I think he's the guy that can put us over the hump in the playoffs. We will see what this team will look like come training camp in September. Keep on the lookout for my Hawks post-draft blog and keep on checking out for more blogs coming soon including an Atlanta Falcons training camp blog. Until then, GO HAWKS!!!-Yuriy A.

Atlanta Hawks 2011-12 Season Review

PG Jeff Teague

The Hawks ended their season on a tough game 6 loss to the Boston Celtics in the first round of the playoffs. It was a game that went down to the wire and in my opinion, there were many questionable calls that cost the Hawks the game. There should of been a foul called on the inbound play with three seconds left that would've gave Al Horford an extra free throw that could of possibly sent the game to over time. The NBA acknowledged the missed call and left Hawks fans disappointed.

This year we saw hometown product Josh Smith have arguably the best season of his career. He averaged 18 points and 9 rebounds. Many critics believed he was an all star snub. Smith definitely put in the work and proved that he wanted to win games. His game elevated when all star center Al Horford went down for two months with a left pectoral muscle injury. Joe Johnson also increased his stats.

PF Josh Smith & SG Joe Johnson

We also saw the development of PG Jeff Teague. After his breakout performance against the Chicago Bulls in the playoffs last year, he earned the role as a starter. He averaged 12 points and 4 assists after averaging 5 points and 2 assists the previous year. Teague does a great job of getting to the basket and finishing. He knows how to run the offense and all he can do is get better and improve year by year. He will continue to bring playoff experience which will help him develop into the point guard that the Hawks have been looking for.


When Al Horford went down, many Hawks fans believed that their season was over. Little did they know, they were wrong. Atlanta's bench stepped up with key players such as Jannero Pargo, Willie Green, Ivan Johnson, and veteran all star Tracy McGrady. Josh Smith's leadership increased which earned him the role as a team captain. The Hawks racked up key wins against the NBA's top teams such as the Heat, Bulls, Thunder, and Celtics.

The topic that Hawks fans always want to bring up is Joe Johnson and his max contract. He is expected to perform at a high level every night and whenever he doesn't stuff the stat sheet, he receives a lot of criticism. When he doesn't hit a game winning shot in crunch time, he gets bashed for it. In my opinion, I believe he has to perform at that level. Night after night he needs to average at least 25 points per game. Every year it seems that Joe always steps up in the regular season and earns a trip to the all star game but come playoff time, he shuts down. Other players step up, but Johnson has to be that guy that puts the team on his back and is going to help the Hawks win and go deep into the playoffs.

I also believe that the Hawks should've took advantage of an aging Celtics team. There was no excuse to lose three games in a row and lose home court advantage. Game 6 wasn't an excuse to lose the whole series. The Hawks handed Boston those games in those three straight losses. Some factors were not coming out strong in the beginning of the game and not executing in the second half. Atlanta should know what the Celtics like to do in the playoffs due to the fact that they played Boston in the first round of the playoffs in 2008 which the Hawks took the Celtics to seven games but lost the series, unfortunately.

It will be a very interesting offseason for the Hawks. Ivan Johnson is a restricted free agent. There is also a long list of unrestricted free agents such as Jason Collins, Eric Dampier, Willie Green, Kirk Hinrich, Tracy McGrady, Jannero Pargo, Vladimir Radmanovic, and Jason Collins. Atlanta did a good job of signing veteran players last offseason but I think most of these players received one year contracts to evaluate on how they would play this season. I believe guys like Pargo, McGrady, Hinrich, and Green deserve extentions. Our bench definitely improved this year and I wouldn't want most of this team to break apart.

The Hawks are just a work in progress. This is a team filled with talent that can go to the next level. Head coach Larry Drew has had a solid first two seasons but just has to find a way to go deeper into the playoffs. Atlanta can't afford always going out in the second round, and this year, the first round. I think the Hawks should spend some money this offseason and they must do this if they want to be recognized as one of the elite teams in the east and in the NBA.

It was fun watching our Atlanta Hawks this season as usual. I hope you continue to read my blogs next season and hopefully the Hawks can do some big things next year. We'll always go through good and bad times together. Look out for my offseason evaluation blogs this summer. So until then, GO HAWKS!!!-Yuriy A,

Hawks Defeat Celtics in Game 1, 83-74

Hawks' forward Josh Smith getting the crowd involved

It was a great night in Atlanta as the Hawks came out on top against Boston in Game 1 of the first round of the playoffs. The Hawks came fired up from the start of the game & didn't look back. Atlanta consistently maintained a double digit lead throughout the game until Boston rallied in the second half but the Hawks were able to hold them off.

Hawks' forward Josh Smith was stuffing the statsheet with 22 points, 18 rebounds, 4 assists, & 1 block. Many critics were surprised with the way the Hawks were playing but no one in the Hawks' locker room was. It was just typical Atlanta Hawks basketball. 

Rajon Rondo had 20 points, 4 rebounds, 11 assists, & 4 steals. He was ejected in the last minute of the 4th quarter after "chest bumping" and screaming at an official. The league office is going to review this and a suspension is pending. Kevin Garnett also added 20 points and 12 rebounds. Celtics' guard Ray Allen was out due to injury and is uncertain for Game 2.

Everybody was doubting this Atlanta Hawks team. Every analyst on ESPN and TNT. Everybody had Atlanta losing in five or six games. But the Hawks want to do what the fans want them to do, which is to shock the world. 

Head coach Larry Drew has this team believing that they can win a lot of games in the playoffs. They have the potential to get farther than the second round. If Atlanta wins this series, they either play the Philadelphia 76ers or a Chicago Bulls team that is without star point guard Derrick Rose for the rest of the playoffs.

Hopefully the Hawks can come out with the same energy they did in Game 1 and come out on top in Game 2. Everybody in Atlanta should come out to Philips Arena and be apart of the Highlight Factory. "Come To Play" with your Hawks and watch their run throughout the playoffs. So until then, GO HAWKS!!!-Yuriy A.

Hawks Defeat The Clippers, 109-102

Johnson driving to the paint against the Clippers

Coming off a rough loss to the New York Knicks on Sunday, the Hawks come in facing a playoff bound and division leading Los Angeles Clippers. Both teams are hungry looking to build momentum heading into the playoffs this weekend. The Hawks came out with the last word.


The Atlanta Hawks collected a win on Tuesday night that was a key victory heading into the game against Dallas on Thursday and are looking to lock up homecourt advantage against the Boston Celtics in the 1st round of the playoffs. This key win was against an improved Los Angeles Clippers team that had Blake Griffin putting up 36 points. Nonetheless, the Hawks' will to win gave them the victory.


One of the huge contributions in the Hawks' win against L.A was Joe Johnson as he put up 28 points, 7 rebounds, and 3 assists. A long, fadeaway three-point shot in the fourth quarter by Johnson helped seal the game for Atlanta. The Hawks also received contributions from fellow star Josh Smith with 18 points and 10 rebounds. PG Jeff Teague scored 21 points. Second chance shots helped the Hawks build momentum throughout the game.


On the Clippers' side, Blake Griffin scored 36 points, 8 rebounds, 3 assists, and 1 blocked shot. PG Chris Paul added 34 points, 8 assists, and 5 rebounds. Despite the "Lob City" duo putting up these huge numbers, the Hawks still managed to put Griffin in foul trouble late in the game which was a factor.

The Hawks play the Dallas Mavericks on Thursday in their last home game of the regular season before they start the playoffs against the Celtics. The team with homecourt advantage is yet to be determined. Atlanta is looking to shock some people and show them that they can compete with the strong teams in the playoffs such as the Miami Heat and Chicago Bulls. Their 1st round showdown with the Celtics will most certainly be like the seven games series between them back in the 2008 playoffs when the Hawks took Boston to seven games.

Keep on looking out for more of my blogs as I update the Hawks' progress in the playoffs. Hopefully we can do some big things. So until then, GO HAWKS!!!-Yuriy A.

Hawks Defeat The Pistons, 101-96

Jeff Teague driving to the paint against the Pistons

I know I've been out for a while but let's get back to business. Good Friday was actually good for the Atlanta Hawks. A win against Detroit is giving the Hawks more momentum heading into the last two weeks of the regular season. It was a big night for PG Jeff Teague, who put up twenty-four points,  eleven assists, five rebounds, two steals, and one block. Josh Smith also had a good night with twenty-two points and twelve rebounds.

On the Pistons' side, PG Rodney Stuckey had twenty-seven points, three rebounds, & three assists. PG Will Bynum also contributed fifteen points off the bench. Detroit played hard all game long and even took the lead after the Hawks lead by twelve in the second half. This was a different Pistons team than the one that played Atlanta back in January.

The Hawks lead the season series with Detroit, 2-1, with one more game against each other to go. This game will be played in Atlanta on April 18th. The Pistons' playoff hopes have evaporated while the Hawks are playing for playoff position. They are currently the fifth seed.

If the Hawks stay healthy, they can finish out the last two weeks of the regular season strong and could do some big things in the playoffs. Players have stepped up through many injuries this season, even through the major loss of all star center Al Horford.

We have seen players such as twenty-seven year old rookie Ivan Johnson and Hawks veteran Zaza Pachulia step up in the absence of Horford. The contribution from the bench will be a big factor come playoff time and can win us a lot of games. Josh Smith has took his game to another level this season and doesn't appear to be slowing down any time soon. Head coach Larry Drew has his team thinking in the right direction and is looking like he has stressed winning to the team.

Keep on looking out for more Hawks blogs coming up and please post comments if you wish. Hopefully our Hawks can have a good rest of the regular season, post season and make a lot of noise. I know we can put the league on notice. So until then, GO HAWKS!!!- Yuriy