Is Marvin done for the season?
Will a back injury sideline Marvin Williams for the rest of the season?
HAWKSVILLE - No one came out and said it.
They didn’t have to for everyone start talking about it. But everyone wants to know, is Marvin Williams done for the season? Is the lower back injury that the cost him Monday’s game against New Orleans going to cost him the rest of his season?
We were told he will be out “indefinitely,” with more opinions from specialists being sought.
Yet Hawks coach Mike Woodson’s entire demeanor changed when speaking about Williams in the postgame session after the Hawks’ 89-79 defeat of the Hornets.
“He’s going to seek a few more opinions about his back and then I’m sure he’ll make a decision after that and then we’ll know,” Woodson said when asked about his starting small forward’s status.
Make a decision about what?
Hawks captain and All-Star Joe Johnson kicked the door wide open a few minutes later when he was asked about Williams.
“If he’s out for the rest of the season we can’t worry about that,” Johnson said. “We have to move forward with what we’ve got. Injuries are a part of the game, they happen. And unfortunately it’s a tough loss for us, but we have to be strong and be strong for Marvin as well. And everybody will have to step their play up.”
When pressed about it after his initial comments, Johnson admitted that he didn’t know if Williams was done or not.
“I’m just saying worst case scenario,” Johnson said. “You have to prepare for the worst and hope for the best.”
That doesn’t sound terribly hopeful.
So in the meantime, the tough question remains, is Marvin done for the season?
And if so, what can the Hawks do to replace him?
It’s obvious the Hawks can ill afford to lose Williams, or any of their starters, for the remainder of this season.
Not only is Williams their fourth leading scorer (14.0) one of their top rebounders (6.4), he’s also been their best defender of wing forwards all season, with Johnson concentrating on opposing point guards most of the time.
The Hawks also lack a backup small forward with the size and range of Williams (6-9, 240), who also shoots 35 percent from beyond the 3-point line (where’s Josh Childress when you need him? Oh yeah, dude’s in Greece).
JChil is in Greece!
Facing the likes of LeBron James, Paul Pierce, Carmelo Anthony and others this season, Williams has more than held his own. In this, his fourth season, he finally started to shed some of the grief (most all of it unwarranted) he’s taken over the years for not being Chris Paul or Deron Williams.
So how wacky is that Paul was in the house Monday (24 points, 10 assists and dazzling the entire night) and Deron Williams and the Utah Jazz will be here Wednesday?
Remember me?
The Billy Knight bashers out there couldn’t have asked for a better scenario (and I imagine they were going to be out in full force whether Marvin was injured or not).
If he is done for the remainder of the season, which at least appears to be a possibility at this point, things change dramatically not only for the Hawks but for the entire Eastern Conference.
Hanging on to that fourth spot becomes an even taller order for the Hawks. And teams eye-balling the Hawks in a potential first round matchup know that they’ll face a much different crew than the one they’ve seen all year with Williams playing a huge role.
However you twist it, things are going to take a major turn if we get the “worst-case” answer to our question.
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121 comments Add your comment
ValdostaMike
March 10th, 2009
12:41 pm
Get well soon, Marvin.
Marvin's Doctor
March 10th, 2009
12:55 pm
Well folks according to the MRI, He has been diagnosed with “old man’s walk” This means his temperal dorsal aka his backside sticks way out when he walks, almost duck-like. I will have the nurse prescribe some Forrest Gump braces and fix him up for next season.
fudd21
March 10th, 2009
12:59 pm
Rod, your comments always put a smile on my face. Question for you though. Josh’s stats have decreased pretty much across the board this year. Would you say he has digressed as a player. if not, what are the reasons for his numbers being down.
Show me, any lineup that puts Josh on the perimeter (having ZaZa and Al starting would do that) I am against bigtime. His game flourishes when he attacks the basket especially when guarded by other PF who are typically slower than he is. Putting him back on the perimeter with ZaZa and Al in the paint may get him back into his jump/3 pt shooting ways.
jhan
March 10th, 2009
1:08 pm
I like the line-up of Acie, Flip, Joe, Josh & Al. This team can play defense & both Acie & Flip will attack the basket. This also allows Joe to work without the ball. It also keep Josh & Al close to the basket.
I don’t see this as the starting unit but I would like to see this mixture for at least 15-20 minutes per game
TskOoOo
March 10th, 2009
1:28 pm
Where is Ruben Patterson? We should get this guy and play Speedy. Then you are talking about a solid bench with defense all around.
Why is ASG so poor/cheap? Play Speedy–the guy makes 5.5 million a year. Can 7 owners not afford to pay him? The guy said he’s healthy–give it a shot, especially with Bibby in a century-long slump except for the DET game on Sat.
doc
March 10th, 2009
1:48 pm
jhan i see you agree with comments earlier.
DunwoodyHawk
March 10th, 2009
1:54 pm
Uh, folks, the reason Speedy ain’t playing is probably because his injury is being covered by insurance — so as long as he sits, the ASG is reimbursed by their insurance carrier or some or all of his salary. If he plays, they pay. The ASG has probably decided that given that Speedy hasn’t played in 3 years, his contributions aren’t worth the financial hit. Besides, adding another back-up point guard is the least of our worries right now.
bigdave
March 10th, 2009
2:01 pm
Samuel,
what do you mean when u say, “Woody was saving Acie for the stretch run…”
Rod from College Park
March 10th, 2009
2:12 pm
Fudd21,
Appreciate it. I agree with your comments. I don’t think Josh should play the 3. I would just insert Mo Evans at the 2 and move Joe to the 3. I really don’t think he has digressed that much. I think Josh’s numbers are down due to a lot of things. The injury early in the season. The guy only missed a couple of games in three years prior to that injury. Coaching!!!! He is not put in good positions on the floor to be as successful. A staple of our offense should be the back door alley oop. Joe pounding the ball everytime down the floor. We used to run that play, but not as much as we do this year. Bibby taking many more shots this year. Josh also is much more emotionally unstable this year for some reason (Free throws). These are some of the thing that I have seen, which have affected his numbers this year.
Spud Webb
March 10th, 2009
2:15 pm
Sekou, thank you for the photo of Billy knight, just threw up!!! ahhaha. I hope Marvin is ok and does the right things to get back, this year or next. A back is a serious thing and I’d hate to see him rush & do perminate damage.
Sekou, any update on woody vs Smith? woody had better start using more of that bench and developing folks. Personally i hope he gets fired ASAP so we can have hope of another playoff run or A playoff run. Just my opinion.
Marwin Williams Done for Season? | NBA Rumors
March 10th, 2009
2:27 pm
[...] Atlanta Journal-Constitution [...]
allan in texas
March 10th, 2009
2:37 pm
Sekou, I see where the warriors just released marcus williams. Do you think the hawks have any interest? Thanks.
terrell barron
March 10th, 2009
2:51 pm
We never should have let Von Wafer leave the building when he was on our roster this summer. He coulda stepped right in for Marvin, just like he stepped right in for McGrady. Who’s doing the talent evaluating around here? Idiots.
terrell barron
March 10th, 2009
3:03 pm
If Marvin is out for the year, will Sund trade him before the 2009-2010 season? Because like he said that he needs an entire SEASON to do his evaluating. Whatever the heck that means.
terrell barron
March 10th, 2009
3:05 pm
Sekou, how in the hell do you edit your post on this thing?
terrell barron
March 10th, 2009
3:06 pm
Allan in Texas, pg is the least of our worries right now. Especially an unproven one.
TskOoOo
March 10th, 2009
3:35 pm
Man between the porn sites and this blog, I barely have time to pick my nose.
Najeh Davenpoop
March 10th, 2009
3:41 pm
“And to those yelling “Marvin’s better” when CP3 had the ball – let’s give that a rest when Deron in the building. Just boo the guy, it’ll sound more legit.”
That was me.
No, I don’t actually think Marvin’s better. But it does make for some quality entertainment, don’t you think?
gypsyjoe
March 10th, 2009
3:44 pm
Somebody metioned Bonzi Wells for a guy that might be able to help out till Marvin comes back.(if he is out long). Did a google and Bonzi was in China but got cut when he did’nt come back from the U.S after chinese new year.
Najeh Davenpoop
March 10th, 2009
4:09 pm
Last I heard, Bonzi Wells was getting paid $80,000 (not a typo) to play in China. I’m sure he wouldn’t mind suiting up for the Hawks for the veterans’ minimum.
Rod from College Park
March 10th, 2009
4:17 pm
I like the Bonzi Wells talk. I think he would be a legit scoring option at the 3. He is also a very good finisher at the rim, and would give this team a little more toughness. He could give us everything and more than Marvin gives us except for rebounding. I think about how he went nuts in the playoffs 2 years ago. Make a move Sund.
newkid
March 10th, 2009
4:28 pm
Speaking of CP3, as I watched Ty Lawson and the Heels beat Duke on Sunday I couldn’t help wondering if the team that drafts him might not get a poor man’s version of Paul. While he’s vertically challenged, this kid’s a baller. Both his on-ball defense and speed are superior to Paul’s, but creativity, charisma, and jumpshot don’t quite measure up. He’s exceptional at playing passing lanes, getting the ball to teammates in positions where they can be effective, and finding and getting to crevices in defenses where he can get his shot off. Would be exciting to see him with a team with the ‘horses’ to run and a coach with an offensive scheme similar to D’Antoni’s.
TskOoOo
March 10th, 2009
4:30 pm
It’s my personal opinion that resigning ZaZa and Flip is more important than resigning Marv and Bibby. In other words, the money they make compared to the money Duck and Bibs will ask for is definitely more favorable. One can even argue that Flip is better and plays with more fire than Marv, plus he plays the 1 and 2 very well. ZaZa crashes the board on every single play and I can’t believe dude only makes 4 mill a year. We cannot let another team steal him.
On the other hand, Bib is virtually useless when he doesn’t make shots, is out of shape, and is always sick or getting hurt. Marv’s horrendous-postured back could be a reason for concern, but we’ll have to wait and see.
I would love to get my hands on Ruben Patterson or Bonzi Wells (both are nutcases I think though)…No homo…
TskOoOo
March 10th, 2009
4:34 pm
This bench needs to get better this summer.
Solo, Randy, Gardner, Othello, Mario as 5 guys consistently on the active roster is just putrid. Can ASG not afford anyone?
Also, why does being over the cap matter so much? Every team worth a squirt of piss is over the cap, so can we please spend some more money on better bench players than Jamal Jackson and Steven Jones
SB
March 10th, 2009
4:47 pm
I would be in favor of starting Smith at the 3, Horford at 4, and ZaZa in the middle. Reason being although I like Flips attitude off the bench, His shoot first style of play would make our offense more predictable than it already is. The ball would never go into the post to Al or Josh. Can you actually imagine Joe taking 17 to 25 shots, Flip taking 20, and Bibby putting up 14 to 18. That’s not what you want. And I like all these guys, just saying 55 to 60 jump shots a game spells LOOSING……… To everyone taking side ways shots at Josh, give it a rest. Marvins shot selection isn’t better, neither is Joe’s nor Bibby’s, nor Flip, they all have better jumpers. But as a whole our offense takes bad shots at time due to to much Iso dribbling.
SB
March 10th, 2009
4:54 pm
Also……. Never in favor of any injury’s…… NEVER……. But i always try to find something positive in everything. Maybe This drives down his market value this off season. Maybe we won’t have to go through what we went with Josh. AC looked good last night, get the man some minutes, you may need him next season( Bibby is a free agent). Get him in this summer with Mark Price to work on his stroke. Josh as well, Maybe get Kenny Anderson in here to work with them on their ball handling.
TskOoOo
March 10th, 2009
5:25 pm
I find this Dwyane Wade MVP talk to be grossly out-of-line. If you want to make a player on an average team barely over .500 the MVP, you might as well put Andre Miller or Dirk Nowitzki in the MVP talks. Kobe and LeBron are head and shoulders above the rest of the league, and trust me, I hate LeBron more than I hate most people on this planet, but he is the MVP this year
darrell starks
March 10th, 2009
6:04 pm
Woody should starte BIBBY, JOE, JOSH, HORFORD, AND ZAZA. BACK UP ACIE, FLIP, EVANS, SOLO, AND MORRIS,this would be a stronger team defensely.GO HAWKS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
TskOoOo
March 10th, 2009
7:33 pm
Next season:
1) Iverson goes to the Clippers, a team full of underachieving and selfish basketball players
2) Shaq gets traded — he obviously hates the up-tempo offense, the losing. Shaq for Andrew Bynum, and he’ll sign a smaller contract to end his career there if Lakers don’t win championship this year.
U heard it here first
otrhawksfan
March 10th, 2009
7:50 pm
what free agent is out their that the hawks could pick up?
hawkfan
March 10th, 2009
8:18 pm
this is an excerpt from the article about playoff prediction in the bleacher report:
- Pistons vs. Hawks
The Pistons have played the Hawks three times this season and have come away with three losses. All the games were close, the biggest margin of victory being seven points.
The Hawks have a very strong starting five and play very well at home. Al Horford, Josh Smith, and Marvin Williams can cause problems down low for the Pistons. Joe Johnson may be one of the most underrated two-guards in the league.
But the Hawks don’t have a strong bench, and if the Pistons can get Iverson in the right mindset, they should be able to beat the Hawks in a first-round matchup.
Hamilton can have a field day with either Bibby or Johnson guarding him. Also, the Hawks have a tough time with zone defense, which Coach Curry does teach well. This would be a favorable showdown for Detroit, despite the season series.
yea, im kind of scared for the post season, no one takes us seriously and I don’t see us doing much or going very far with whomever we face, I hope they prove me wrong though, GO HAWKS!!!
doc
March 10th, 2009
8:47 pm
tsk oo oo, check back to the blog around the all star game when i said that was a possibility after seeing them together with phil watching on with a smile on his face. kobe needs to get a championship beforehand maybe to make it more than a nostalgic moment. sorry dude you are second in line.
Patrick
March 10th, 2009
8:55 pm
I’m not really concerned about the regular season. The Hawks play great at home and I think they play more home games from now till the end of the season than any other team.
The major concern is the playoffs, with either Detroit or Miami as the likely opponent. I think the Hawks will struggle containing Wade or Hamilton without Williams. Evans or Murray can replace most of what Marvin does on offense (if not all of it), but defensively neither of them are half the player that Williams is.
TskOoOo
March 10th, 2009
9:36 pm
doc, give me a break. hundreds of people are thinking that shaq and kobe will be reunited, but the fast-tempo offense phx is playing is the clincher. i am sorry i am not as smart as you.
coming to think of it, you and ray are the absolute smartest people to ever walk through planet earth. You want a cookie?
doc
March 10th, 2009
9:54 pm
tsk oo oo, a little put off there guy? tsk tsk, guess i shouldnt have burst your bubble that you built there saying you were the first. a bit sensitive? just playing with your comments guy, you probably need the sugar more than me so keep your cookie.
thomas
March 10th, 2009
10:17 pm
SIGN DREW GOODEN NOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
richbrave
March 10th, 2009
10:34 pm
And from most of you last year he was “duck” and couldn’t do anything right. He and the team have come a long way baby.
TskOoOo
March 10th, 2009
11:24 pm
doc, no one on this baord takes you seriously. you and your lame friend ray need to get a life outside of here. i could give a crap less about you or your arrogant hogwash you write here. Learn some f’ing capitalization and punctuation and stop acting like you run this palce
Melvin
March 10th, 2009
11:59 pm
thomas, the spurs already signed Drew Gooden…
TskOoOo
March 11th, 2009
12:06 am
Clippers are a fun team to watch. They only decide to show up when they feel like it. Taking care of the overrated Cavs right now
LouHudson
March 11th, 2009
1:24 am
I have been saying two years Marvin Williams is a major problem to the Hawks winning games. He’s a solid NBA player, but not a STAR. He will never be everything other than what he is(average). He clogs the Hawks starting lineup as well as disturbing the bench rotation. He’s fools gold he shows glimces of greatest, but not enough to hold back the development of the team. Why would anyone play two of your best players out of position to allow him to start. Al’s a 4 and Josh should be running at the 3. Two years ago, ZaZa averaged 12 & 9 before Woody’s shortsightness disrupted his development. Josh Childress is the perfect 6th man and if you sign & trade Marvin next year; he will be back. There’s no need for Evans. The Hawks need to re-sign ZaZa and Flip. Offer Bibby three years for around 25M; he knows its his last contract. Nobody else will offer more.
Here’s your lineup ZaZa(5), Al(4), Josh(3), Joe(2), & Bibby. 2nd team Morris/Solo, sign backup PF, Jchill, Flip, & Acie. Woody will have to grow as a Coach or get Fired which will probably happen when the ownership question is answered. Unfortunately, Marvin & Woody have doomed the team for a second round loss the playoffs this year. Hopefully, Woody will get a clue and use the last 20 games to prepare for the playoff and maybe the Hawks can surprise someone in the 2nd round.
kirkinga
March 11th, 2009
1:32 am
This is just a devastating blow. As everyone else has said this is a change event of uncertain dimension.
I second the call by others that Sund reach out to a FA vet that can play a solid 12-15 minutes, preferably with playoff experience.
Get the right guy and the Hawks could still hold on to the 4th spot, but my guess this the price of this injury is going to be playoff position, not the playoffs.
Dark times in Hawksville.
Go Hawks!!
Zo from SAV
March 11th, 2009
3:19 am
I cant believe some of the things im reading. Marvin, get well. As far as the lineup goes, Mo isnt going to contribute as much as Marv can. Mo cant defend the 3, given the fact that he’s only 6′5″. He can make the 3, but he isnt consistent enought o be a a real offensive threat. Smoove can play the 3, not because of his ball handling or shooting abilty, but because he is a true slasher that can finish at the rim, and because of his DEFENSE. We have to take a chance with ZaZa or Solo at the 5, Boss(Al) at the 4(his true position. He’ll explode at the PF, watch and see), Smoove at the 3, JJ at the 2 with Flip or Mo backing him up, and Bob at the 1 with Acie and Flip backing him up. That should be the starting 5. Marvin is worthy to start, especially since he’s added the deep threat dimension to his game. His defense IS decent, not remarkable, but he has put the team on his back(no pun intended)a few times this year and took over the scoring load. Its a big loss, especially right now, but we can still beat teams without him……Chuuuuch
BA
March 11th, 2009
3:45 am
That was kind of harsh on doc and Ray. It would be hard to find a more amicable pair of individuals.
We don’t need Wells. Slide Johnson to the 3, start Flip at the 2. Acie Law is your back-up guard Woodson, like it or not. Murray brings a lot more to the table than Evans. I’d start Pachulia and Smith at the 3 before I would start Evans.
Patrick
March 11th, 2009
4:46 am
I think it’s unrealistic for Zaza to start given how the Hawks run their offense. With Joe getting so many post isolations, I don’t think you can start Zaza, Al, and Josh, all of whom need to be near the basket to be effective. I think Evans will simply slide into Marvin’s spot, and Acie will likely get actual minutes since the rotation will need an 8th player.
doc
March 11th, 2009
8:06 am
ba agree on it all. i think the hawks can persevere this loss better than they can the loss of either al, jj or josh. it might also prove to allow them to see how important marvin is to the team for negotiation purposes. if they fall apart they better ante up and make sure he goes to the best back surgeon they can find. have a feeling based on his build that his back is and will be an issue his whole career. maybe flash will chime in here o the topic of structure and how it affects performance. in the mean time coach woody gets to do just that, coach. this one will test him more because there are plenty of out of the box things he can do to support the team while marvin is on the bench. he might have to play some guys from his dog house but as we have seen sometimes he is a better coach this way. unfortunately, i see him possibly choking and attempt to do a seven man rotation and wear the team down instead of get them ready to play roles in the playoffs.
yeah ba, tst tsk was a bit harsh. odd he had to bring his anger in and let it rain down on an innocent bystander in ray. no reason for that and quite irrational. odd too how tsk tsk was spouting off about how “you heard it here first” BY HIMSELF, that shaq and kobe were getting back together and then all of a sudden hundreds have the idea when i simply point out to not go too fast on the back slapping as i stated just that earlier in agreement with him only weeks earlier. then to add to it he has to play the no caps game just because i never learned to type. back in my day it wasnt a very guy thing to do, if you catch my drift. you had a girlfriend to do it or wrote it long hand. typing went in with the home ec courses. heh heh. funny, i never say anything about others lack of grammer, misspelling, no paragraphs, thought structure or the popular concept of spell it any way you want and he wants to go there. it is all cool when it comes to that stuff. talk about being arrogant and intolerant of others. geez, it is only a blog for gosh sakes. scroll baby if you dont lke it!
Astro Joe
March 11th, 2009
8:58 am
scroll baby. Nice one, doc.
doc
March 11th, 2009
9:11 am
yeah aj, sometimes it is as simple as a ding sometimes it is a scroll.
Melvin
March 11th, 2009
9:49 am
doc, did you drink your coffee this morning…lol
JM
March 11th, 2009
9:54 am
Najeh, it was only funny because the chant didn’t catch on. Go Hawks!