Teague’s time may have finally come
Go ahead. Say “I told you so.” Two games is a small sample, but second year man Jeff Teague may finally have seen his ship come in. With the trade of Mike Bibby to the Washington Wizards, along with the arrival of veteran point guard Kirk Hinrich, many of us wondered if Jeff Teague’s “role” with the Hawks was going to change or not. So far, it has, and in semi-dramatic fashion.
Here Comes “The Pest”
It was kind of hard sometimes, watching Jeff Teague play in spurts in the early season. He would come onto the court and show that he had another gear beyond everyone else in some games. In others, he played like he knew he would be yanked within two minutes. Where was the consistency? At the same time, the same could be asked of Head Coach Larry Drew, who would compliment Teague after a good game, then inexplicably assign him a DNP or play him in spare, all but useless minutes. Stop me if you’ve heard this one before….
It seemed that Larry Drew had embraced the idea of going with shooting and offense first, rather than speed and harassing defense. Speaking of which, last night’s game against a talented Golden State backcourt was a pretty good testament to how bothersome Teague can be to opposing point guards. It’s not like hasn’t shown flashes of this ability before, but the starting role and extended minutes (he played over 25 this time) were a confirmation of sorts. In case you think this is just a case of home cooking with local media, you need to check out some particular notes on the game from a more national perspective. On a side note, I would encourage everybody to take note of some interesting comments from Al Horford within that same article.
The Chicken vs The Egg…and Promises, Promises
Before we get too excited about the early success of Jeff Teague’s new (and possibly temporary) role, we have to recall that it has only been two games, one of which was a loss (though that loss can’t be blamed on Teague, per se). Can we expect a consistent performance out of him from the defensive end, and to continue to push the pace on offense? Will he defer if he’s in the game with Jamal, or is that simply a lineup issue that is solely Larry Drew’s responsibility? Is the future rotation at point guard forming itself before our very eyes, or is this just another flash in the pan?
Obviously, this calls Larry Drew’s past decisions into question. One quote from the above link may be condemning in some ways, depending on interpretation:
QUOTABLE II: “I’m not concerned about whether he makes or misses shots. . . . The biggest threat [from] him is when he utilizes his speed and his quickness, and when he harasses people defensively. That’s two straight games where I’ve thought he’s done a really good job with his energy.”
– Larry Drew on Teague.
Okay, that’s also two straight games where Teague has had the opportunity to prove that he can do these things that Drew claims he wants, during times in the game when it will actually matter. Did Drew have reason to believe Teague could not do this before? Was the playing time he gave Teague adequate to prove the argument in either direction? Some feel that Larry Drew would have never given Jeff Teague this chance if the trade had not occurred. Drew says he doesn’t care about Teague hitting shots. Something doesn’t seem right here, but is that even important now?
Here is the last and most obvious set of questions – will Larry Drew continue to give Jeff Teague significant minutes during games (as in 20 mpg or more)? Will he revert to using Jamal in tandem with Kirk Hinrich if Teague has rough games?
That remains to be seen, but for now, it seems like Teague’s time may have finally come.
Big Ray, Hawks Fan Nest
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570 comments Add your comment
vava74
March 4th, 2011
10:25 am
OB,
Either I am terribly wrong or Bibby made a huge mistake by forfeiting those 6 million.
I just saw the second half of the MIA-ORL game and when he came in in the 3rd period, he was clearly winded after ONE minute of being in the game.
My guess is that the Heat will crash and burn badly in the playoffs and that next year Bibby will AT BEST get a minimum vet contract with some contender who wants to have a veteran PG to play sparingly and drain 3 pointers out of time out / late game situations and that the next year he will be out of the league.
I also think that Bibby is so self absorbed that he does not even realize how badly he sucks right now (conditioning being an issue).
He even complained – along with the fact that he did not get warned that he could be part of a deal – that he did not get to handle the ball in ATL.
Last night in the second half he air balled a semi-contested 3 and hit the front of the rim on the following one.
He also made Arenas look semi-good as his floor time increased as he got slower and slower and slower by the second.
Also, another interesting thing: I have a theory – shared by some – that you can see when a player is a loser, a guy who will fold under pressure and when faced with adversity: the deer in the headlights look.
Lebron had that look yesterday after a certain point and that was not the first time I saw that in him.
I think his move to MIA to team up with Wade and Bosh was for him an escape to find an easy way to a title (it may still materialize, obviously) but if MIA continues to struggle (12-16 against teams with a winning record) I think he will start to doubt the set up.
The first victims will be Bosh and Spoelstra (who may even get sacked and replaced by Riley for the playoffs).
Ken Strickland
March 4th, 2011
10:48 am
VALVA74-Sounds like Rosen is only repeating what I’ve been saying about Bibby’s limitations and liabilities since last season, and I got consistently jumped on by some for saying it. My pet peeve isn’t with Bibby, because he can’t help what age, wear and tear have done to him. My pet peeve is with LDrew, for maintaining the same STUBBORN STUPIDITY that was so characteristic of Woodson.
After seeing what happened to Woodson, and the team in the playoffs, you’d think he’d have enough sense not to rely so heavily on the same PG, or repeat the same failed approach that cost Woodson his job, but he did. The sad thing is, Drew would have continued following that same approach, and sending the team down the tubes, if Sund and the ASG hadn’t decided to make changes.
Rufus1
March 4th, 2011
10:53 am
“Elite”
Can we please stop calling the Heat “Elite”. Can we stop assuming they are better than the Hawks….Bibby is going to be their starting PG….Really? We basically gave up 2 1st rd picks to get rid of him. MARVIN WOULD BE THEIR 4TH BEST PLAYER….AND THEY ARE CONSIDERED ELITE….REALLY??????
I don’t understand.
vava74
March 4th, 2011
11:04 am
Let’s not get overly exited over here Rufus… we have been here before (when we won in MIA) and see what happened next.
Let’s build on this and get a win tonight (with or without Durant).
I actually think that we now match up better with OKC since stretch PF with 3 point range like Green hurt us a lot, so I am fairly confident that even with Durant we have a pretty good chance to play them well.
vava74
March 4th, 2011
11:06 am
excited
doc
March 4th, 2011
11:26 am
well yeauh on bibby. except for his shooting to start the season he was done and done last year, too. why so many argued for him in spite of his obvious limitations bewildered me. glad he went cold before it was too late for the coach, team and sund to see it as well. some were even saying he was still the virtuoso of the fast break as recently as two months ago.
you may be right on target if he continues to flail. still find humor at the response and look on jj’s face to the question of, u surprised he walked on 6 mil?
vava74
March 4th, 2011
11:34 am
doc,
I think JJ is a very straight forward guy and just let it slip that Bibby will never be able to make those 6 million again even if he tries to extend his career.
I think everyone kind of liked Bibby and respected him but we sick and tired of putting up the extra work necessary to cover up for him…
I’ve been there myself personally and regardless of how much you like someone there is a point where you simply cannot take it anymore…
Rufus1
March 4th, 2011
11:41 am
Vava
The Heat are basketball bully’s. The dominate weaker team with the talent of their big 3 and inflate their record. They have a problem dealing with teams, that have equal talent and tough minded mentality.
We are a 50 win team with Bibby as the PG, we have equal talent and we don’t fear them. We match-up with them better than any team in the east defensively and we just upgraded our worst defensive liability.
The Bulls and the Heat have something to prove every night….The Bulls have to prove they belong and the Heat have too live upto their self promoted hype.
The Hawks proving ground is the playoffs and the teams in the east. We are 6 and 5 against the top 5 teams in the east(I am including the Knicks). I think the Heat have a losing record…(I think they have 8 loses and 5 wins).
We don’t have to beat the Nuggets to get the ECF….someone could verify this, but I think the Hawks and the Celtics are the only teams with winning records against the other top 5 teams.
Ken Strickland
March 4th, 2011
11:41 am
RUFUS1-When you’re tied for 4th with the Lakers for most wins, especially this late in the season, I think it’s safe to call them an elite team. They’re just not as elite as they think they are, or as elite as some insisted they were before the season started.
Remember, as soon as the big 3 were signed, there were those on these blogs, as well as some so called experts, literally declaring them to be this yrs NBA champions, hands down. They’ve finally realized how weak their outside shooting is, especially without MMiller’s production, which is why they signed Bibby.
The fact is, Bibby was shooting poorly before the trade, and it seems little has changed since. Their OFF system seems to be limited, and based on the same ISO dominated philosophy Woodson relied on so heavily. The Magic made a great comeback, but they live and die by the 3. If you can control PG JNelson and keep him out of the lane, and play C DHoward one on one, they’re vulnerable.
While the top 3-4 Eastern Conference teams are having their weaknesses exposed and exploited, some of which were created by trades, we’re in the process of discovering how many of our weaknesses have been eliminated, while rediscovering our strengths.
Rufus1
March 4th, 2011
12:02 pm
KEN -Are the Heat Atlanta Falcons “elite”, that is the point that I am making.
vava74
March 4th, 2011
12:19 pm
Nate is out 6 weeks. Good for us.
In spite of Hinrich, I prefer not to face Nate who has the habit to make us miserable.
O'Brien
March 4th, 2011
1:24 pm
Doc, Ken S,
Bibby’s 3 pt % by month;
October: 53%, November: 52%, December: 45%, January: 39%, February: 34%.
I think part of it is being worn down (he was playing more minutes than he did last year), and even LD said he looks worn down on film. But you have to wonder what kind of shape he is in.
I know everybody ages differently, but when you see JKidd and Nash in their late 30’s, and Billups at 34 still being effective, I didn’t think Bibby would decline that quickly. I definitely didn’t think his shooting % would plummet the way it has.
Anyways, I like Bibby and would like to see him start making his shots again (except for when the Heat play the Hawks).
AJ,
I think Miami will play Bibby 15-20 mpg, but he has to knock down shots to be effective. Sure, he can get them 4 assists and 3 rebounds, but they need him to help space the floor and open up driving lanes for LbJ and Wade. If he is not knocking down shots, he is rendered almost insignificant on offense.
Vava,
I don’t think LeBron and Wade play well together. Neither of them are good spot up shooters, and they both need the ball to be effective. I know Bosh has struggled with his shooting the last few weeks, but I think playing with LbJ and Wade make it harder for him to get into a rhythm. Sometimes he probably doesn’t know when and where he will get the ball.
As for krypto-Nate, one reason he dominated us is because we would switch all the time and our bigs can’t keep up with him (I don’t know why Woody never adjusted). Plus JJ would exert a lot of energy on D trying to help.
With Hinrich and now Teague playing better on defense, we wouldn’t have to help so much.
With no Durant and no Perkins (and no Nate), Hawks need to win this game.
doc
March 4th, 2011
1:58 pm
ob, the actual individual numbers show more than the avg. the first part of jan not so bad, last third tailspin.
durant out definitely. as a fan very disappointed. if hawks dont win and i go there to see it without seeing durant i will be very disgusted.
Astro Joe
March 4th, 2011
2:01 pm
OB, agreed. He is a role player on the Heat. His defense will be “hidden” by his playing time. An opposing team won’t be able to make a come-back on the Heat by exploiting Bibby because they will simply take him out and stretch the defense with Miller or Jones or Money or Z or someone else. It’s called depth, something most of us have only heard about.
Regarding his buyout, he supposedly has made $100M in the league. If he has invested wisely, there was no need to suffer with the Wizards when he could join a contender and hope to go deep in the playoffs. Sure, money is all important for some but if you have managed your loot wisely, you can retire early and go sell swimsuits on the beach for far less income. That is essentially what Bibby has done. Less money for a better lifestyle (Miami and a contender vs. DC and a lottery team). If you can afford it, it seems like a no-brainer decision to me.
Joe took all the money possible to join a team with modest expectations while some other free agents opted for a little less to try to win something. Maybe Joe is surprised not because of his knowledge of Bibby but because he doesn’t agree with the concept of leaving money on the table to pursue a different goal.
Rufus1
March 4th, 2011
2:47 pm
@Asro
Did they read your email on 790thezone this mourn.
Astro Joe
March 4th, 2011
3:37 pm
Rufus, I sent one in but I’m not sure if they read it. I know that Chuck & Chernoff took a swipe at my poorly written email a few days ago (but that was about the Falcons potential draft pick). If is was an email comparing Bibby to Jeff Francouer, then yes, it was mine. But I didn’t hear them discuss it.
Rufus1
March 4th, 2011
4:04 pm
@ASTRO
That was the email….Steak, said Bibby took less money because he had no other options…
Astro Joe
March 4th, 2011
4:34 pm
Rufus, yeah, that was mentioned in my email. Steak is only wrong was a year and he used that up when he said that the Falcons would be in the Super Bowl. So he wil be right for the remainder of the year (in his mind at least).
Astro Joe
March 4th, 2011
4:36 pm
…only wrong once a year…
Big Ray
March 4th, 2011
5:20 pm
New blog up…