It’s game time!
There were no smiles to be found at Philips Arena when the Hawks' season came crashing to an end in a four-game sweep against Cleveland in the Eastern Conference semifinals. But they get a fresh start on a new season tonight. The Hawks open the preseason at home against New Orleans.
HAWKSVILLE – The last time you saw the Hawks on this floor, their heads were dipped and the spirits were sagging. On the receiving end of a series of furious left hooks and right crosses from the Cleveland Cavaliers in the Eastern Conference semifinals, the mood was nasty.
Thank goodness for preseason basketball. The Hawks kick off their slate tonight at the building formerly known as the “Highlight Factory” against New Orleans.
While I don’t expect to see Joe Johnson and Josh Smith or Chris Paul and the Hornets’ starters for long, I’m going to cherish the few quality minutes we see from the big boys tonight.
If we get a barnburner by accident, so be it. After all, this is Mike Woodson we’re talking about (he of the “I’m trying to win every preseason game I can” fame of the past few seasons). But the smart money is on seeing much less of the starters and more and more of guys like Hawks rookie point guard Jeff Teague and his draft classmate Darren Collison of the Hornets.
“I’m going to be excited to be out there and to see how we all jell together,” Teague said. “I’m just excited in general to play my first real NBA game.”
The youngster will have to forgive some of his older and more seasoned teammates for not showing up with the same vigor. The veteran Hawks know that what really counts is the games that come at the end of this season and not these pre-Halloween dress rehearsals. I’m not insinuating that the preseason is meaningless, but as a wise general manager told me recently, “Does anybody remember how many preseason games the Lakers won last year?”
Yet I remain addicted to the NBA preseason. I like it because it gives me a chance to see the rookies and the camp invitees at work, knowing this might be the last time we see some of them this season (or at least for a while). Who knows? We might not see a whole lot of Courtney Sims or Aaron Miles after tonight, not to pick on those two guys alone. But you get my point.
Now is the time to take full stock of all the guys you see wearing the uniform, because in a few weeks there will only be nine or 10 of them playing most nights. And that means you’ll have a small sample size to work with on the others (that make the team but don’t make the playing rotation).
IN THE MEANTIME …
All that said, you shouldn’t take your eyes off the big boys. I think we all want to see what the chemistry looks like with the top seven or eight guys. I know I want to see how Jamal Crawford looks out there with JJ, Josh and Al Horford. We’ve seen so little of it during training camp, what with Crawford and Teague working exclusively with the reserve team in scrimmages (simulated and the real thing). I need to see if he fits as nicely as I think he will with those guys.
Other than how he and Teague (and to an extent Joe Smith, though he’s a utility player that should have no problem blending his skills in with whatever a team is doing) mesh with the core group, I can’t imagine there a ton of surprises to be had in this game. One of the benefits of the Hawks returning so much of their core from a year ago is that we should know exactly what we’re dealing with from the opening tip of this season.
Roles have been established. Responsibilities have been defined. Positions are squared away. The only left is to trot out onto that floor and see if it all looks as good under the bright lights as it did with the practice lights on.
The conversation here throughout tonight’s game, so don’t go anywhere.
Oh, and in case you missed the update, there’s a new home for your Hawks information on Twitter. We’re going with a new look and a revamped, corporate style. It’s a permanent move for the Twitter updates, so adjust your glasses to make sure it fits. Everybody starts from scratch on the new spot. Ha.
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126 comments Add your comment
Brandon from Warner Robins
October 7th, 2009
4:52 pm
Hawks basketball is finally back….
wink
October 7th, 2009
4:53 pm
first, heading that way, game time!
wink
October 7th, 2009
4:53 pm
second
WarEagle
October 7th, 2009
5:06 pm
Anyone knows if tonight’s game will be televised? Any way to watch the game online?
Melvin
October 7th, 2009
5:12 pm
the building formerly known as the “Highlight Factory” – Sekou..
Did they change the name????
Westurd
October 7th, 2009
5:12 pm
fifth?
Ken
October 7th, 2009
5:47 pm
Is the game on radio or tv or not? anyone knows?
Hoops
October 7th, 2009
5:49 pm
Alright Hawks Fans, it’s time to get it started!!!!
KM
October 7th, 2009
5:53 pm
I thought I saw a radio promo for it on 790…I’m ready to see the new acquisitions, especially Craw and Collins.
Art Vandelay
October 7th, 2009
6:03 pm
WarEagle, I’m pretty sure the game isn’t on TV anywhere, which is a dern shame.
Hawksgirl
October 7th, 2009
6:14 pm
A dern shame!
Ariose
October 7th, 2009
6:18 pm
I need an internet feed….theres gotta be sumthin’….
Sekou Smith
October 7th, 2009
6:44 pm
Hawks are sporting new bright red warmups. A different look for the first night of the season to be sure. Woody says the starters won’t see much more than 20 minutes tonight. We shall see. Heard that before and then the game goes a little crazy and both side are playing like it’s Game 7 of the NBA Finals.
He also said we’ll see lots of Teague and Crawford tonight. I think he wants to see them in live game action as much as we all do.
Get this, Hawks’ halftime entertainment: Human Hamster Ball Race? Seriously, it’s on the game notes. I hope this is a joke.
J.J.M.
October 7th, 2009
6:53 pm
lmaoooooooooooo human hamster ball race wow
JSS
October 7th, 2009
7:03 pm
Sekou, What in the world happend to Sims?
Clyde
October 7th, 2009
7:03 pm
Why the Falcons’ preseason games come on television but the Hawks’ don’t?
JSS
October 7th, 2009
7:05 pm
Excuse the typo in “Happened”
Jerry
October 7th, 2009
7:05 pm
Still looking for game on internet. If someone else finds it first please post it
cp
October 7th, 2009
7:14 pm
I looked at all my sites that broadcast live streams of games but the Hawks are not listed. I saw streams for Toronto vs Philly and the Lakers vs Golden State but no Hawks. Hopefully someones goes to the game and comes back with a detailed account of what they saw. I really wanted to see this game.
Sekou Smith
October 7th, 2009
7:14 pm
Josh Smith goes up for his first jumper and someone in the crowd hollers, “No, No” He sank the shot. Guys yells, “I guess he was working on that this summer.”
Tony from Stone Mountain
October 7th, 2009
7:14 pm
What time does the game really start?
Fanboy69
October 7th, 2009
7:17 pm
The NBA is BACK BABY! Go Hawks. Another year, another chance to prove we belong with the best of them
Jerry
October 7th, 2009
7:18 pm
I cant find it either
Sekou Smith
October 7th, 2009
7:22 pm
Already started Tony. Y’all must be on the seven minute delay on the East Side.
ÛfØ
October 7th, 2009
7:29 pm
Am using my advanced technology to see this game! Hahaha
Brandon from Warner Robins
October 7th, 2009
7:30 pm
Its on 790 if ya wanna listen to the game,
rms
October 7th, 2009
7:35 pm
Is this on T.V. or the internet?
ÛfØ
October 7th, 2009
7:38 pm
is 790 FM or am?
Brandon from Warner Robins
October 7th, 2009
7:38 pm
i would assume AM. Im listening to the live broadcast on the internet.
JSS
October 7th, 2009
7:40 pm
It is WQXI 790 AM in the City
Brandon from Warner Robins
October 7th, 2009
7:43 pm
32-24 @ the end of 1
Sekou Smith
October 7th, 2009
7:46 pm
Twitter thoughts on the new feed (http://twitter.com/ajchawks)
Zaza is going to live off of a steady diet of slick passes from Crawford and Teague this year. All he has to do if finish.
4 minutes ago from TweetDeck
Mario West with a great steal and pass ahead to Othello on the break. I love when these hungry free agents get on the floor.
8 minutes ago from TweetDeck
Othello Hunter is gobbling up rebounds out here with Hornets regulars on the floor. He’s trying to make this team folks.
11 minutes ago from TweetDeck
@DanWeiner YUP!
15 minutes ago from TweetDeck in reply to DanWeiner
17-13 Hawks up. Teague and Crawford (and Zazaz) are already in the game. Woodson wasn’t lying about minute distribution. Othello’s in too.
20 minutes ago from TweetDeck
JSS
October 7th, 2009
7:48 pm
http://www.790thezone.com/ Press the listen live button in the upper right corner…
Stotts Era
October 7th, 2009
7:53 pm
wish i could watch this on tv/online….holman on 790 will have to do
Sekou Smith
October 7th, 2009
7:55 pm
First replacement official infraction. Tech on James Posey for knocking Josh Smith down and then helping him up. Brutal!!!!!!!
ÛfØ
October 7th, 2009
7:55 pm
thank you god i can listen to the game!
hawks 44
hornets 31
Sekou Smith
October 7th, 2009
7:57 pm
Josh just caught a crazy oop from Al. Too bad the Hawks can’t stop Bobby Brown.
BarneyStrickland
October 7th, 2009
7:57 pm
Jamal Crawford. Anyone remember Chris Crawford? Wow, he played on some bad Atlanta Hawks teams. He wasn’t so bad though…… What a waste of a career…………..
Sekou Smith
October 7th, 2009
8:05 pm
This is getting silly now. Hawks up 58-34. Teague’s warming up. Randmo is headed to the scorer’s table and we’re 90 seconds from halftime.
TheHawksFan
October 7th, 2009
8:06 pm
Yeah Mannn Its ON Once AGAIN!!! Opening a Can of Whoop AZZZ!!
Sekou Smith
October 7th, 2009
8:07 pm
Randmo just scored on a putback layup. I’m outta here.
Teague shortarmed a runner and Woody told him, “good shot.” Can’t remember the last time he said that to a rookie. Ha.
ÛfØ
October 7th, 2009
8:07 pm
The hawks are on fire! Is CP3 playing?
Brandon from Warner Robins
October 7th, 2009
8:18 pm
This one is a laugher….
ladydk27
October 7th, 2009
8:19 pm
Looking forward to this year’s season! They left me at the season wanting more. LET’S GO HAWKS!
ÛfØ
October 7th, 2009
8:29 pm
Can’t wait for Oct. 23 the hawks will play Orlando on ESPN.
J.J.M.
October 7th, 2009
8:30 pm
lol air ball josh smith
Melvin
October 7th, 2009
8:33 pm
I’m listen to the game and it sound like a layup/dunking drill for the Hawks..
J.J.M.
October 7th, 2009
8:37 pm
lol “block by josh smith”….”again block by josh smith”
Melvin
October 7th, 2009
8:37 pm
2 block shots in a row by Josh… He’s back….
Melvin
October 7th, 2009
8:39 pm
Oh my, ZaZa with a block shot….
Brandon from Warner Robins
October 7th, 2009
8:42 pm
Block party?
Sautee
October 7th, 2009
8:46 pm
LOVED seeing THIS on the play-by-play:
Jeff Teague steals the ball from Chris Paul. Heh heh
Hawks Fan In New Orleans
October 7th, 2009
8:47 pm
I wish this televised – I’m lovin’ it. Cannot wait for the season to start! Jeah!!!
Melvin
October 7th, 2009
8:47 pm
Mario West hits a jumper….. oh my…
Danga
October 7th, 2009
8:50 pm
Mario West hits a jumper….. oh my…
Pics or it didn’t happen.
ÛfØ
October 7th, 2009
8:51 pm
teague will not be an all star, that sucks.
J.J.M.
October 7th, 2009
8:54 pm
all these foul calls
Melvin
October 7th, 2009
8:55 pm
Danga,
No pics (do you really want to see it) listening to the radio broadcast.
ÛfØ
October 7th, 2009
8:57 pm
«»››[:)
Danga
October 7th, 2009
9:00 pm
Good point Melvin. Watching those rare Rio jump shots is pretty painful.
J.J.M.
October 7th, 2009
9:01 pm
and here comes the hornets
ÛfØ
October 7th, 2009
9:02 pm
nba.com has game video
TheHawksFan
October 7th, 2009
9:04 pm
TEAGUE GOING OFFFFFFFFF!!!!
Melvin
October 7th, 2009
9:05 pm
Hornets cut Hawks 30 pt lead to 12 going into the 4th. Will Woody panic and put the starters back in…lol
Jin Rummy
October 7th, 2009
9:10 pm
1st Half Action Vid:
http://www.nba.com/video/games/hawks/2009/10/07/0010900017_noh_atl_1h.nba/index.html?ls=gt1hp0010900017
cp
October 7th, 2009
9:14 pm
Sounds like Hunter and Teague have great chemistry together already. They were talking about on the zone radio feed that you can already tell a difference between Teague and Law. Said that Teague has the confidence that Law never had and already looks better.
TheHawksFan
October 7th, 2009
9:19 pm
Folks here at the game talking bout Scott trying to pull a Pop with his starters not playing. NOW he has played them and they cant come back against the Hawks 2nd string lol. New Orlenas IS NOT San Antonio!!
Brandon from Warner Robins
October 7th, 2009
9:23 pm
So what kind of nickname are we going to give to these Hawks?
Hawks Fan In New Orleans
October 7th, 2009
9:28 pm
CP
Thanx for the info on Teague and Hunter. Confidence goes a long way for floor generals it seems.
BONE
October 7th, 2009
9:30 pm
I will give Mike Woodsoon this Acie wasn’t that good. He had no confidence at all. Teague is completely different.
TheHawksFan
October 7th, 2009
9:33 pm
Ok I’ll pay the differnce for the REFS PAY!!!! Just get the REAL ones in here ASAP!!!. HAWKSSSSSS WIN!!!!!!
Joe
October 7th, 2009
9:34 pm
I can’t wait to see the hawks play this season I’m hoping for the best. Go Hawks.
Joe
October 7th, 2009
9:36 pm
I’m glad we don’t have to see speedy claxton or acie law this season those guys were just a waste of space on the bench last season.
BosnianBaller
October 7th, 2009
9:42 pm
http://www.p2p4u.net/ has the Lakers game on later 2night
BosnianBaller
October 7th, 2009
9:43 pm
Why did Crawford only play 8min 0 points
Joe
October 7th, 2009
9:49 pm
thanks for the link BosnianBaller I’m gonna use that site to watch some good games this year.
ÛfØ
October 7th, 2009
9:49 pm
Äm sûrê thë håwk§ wîll wïn ëvêrÿ prê §ëasøn gamë» ººº «
Joe
October 7th, 2009
9:50 pm
I wonder will the hawks make a trade at the deadline if they aren’t in contention I say a good trade to look at is trade Joe Johnson to Chicago for Joakim Noah and Tyrus Thomas.
A Thinking Fan
October 7th, 2009
9:54 pm
Good effort for a preseason game…
Myrak43
October 7th, 2009
10:00 pm
Joe….. why in the Hell would we trade JJ for Noah and Tyrus Thomas? that’s a dumb trade!!!
BrittishAnger
October 7th, 2009
10:05 pm
Definitely an interesting showing for the first game of the preseason…I’m most impressed with our first half play dominated by Joe Johnson and Josh Smith (the video of the first half, that Horford assist to Smith for the dunk was nasty)…..I’m least impressed with the 2nd teams showing during the 2nd half; while I don’t expect much out of them, and I expect to see a lot less of them in the back end of the regular season, the number of offensive fouls during the 4th quarter is going to be a point of contention for Woody tomorrow morning, if it wasn’t already tonight….both Siler and Randolph seemed rough around the edges, which supports my claim that Garret needs to spend this season in D-League becoming comfortable and improving himself for next season when Randolph will be gone and we can snag him at a reasonable rate to fill that same hole….Lousy night for Crawford and Bibby, no scoring and limited involvement on the other stats, though the potential Teague showed makes me glad that we’ll have him available on nights when those two can’t bring it the way their supposed to….Wish I’d been at that game, can’t wait to see that Dunk on Sportscenter…they better have it, or I’m complaining to Realli….
Melvin
October 7th, 2009
10:05 pm
Hmmm, looking at this one clip. Looks like Marvin improved his ballhandling.
http://www.nba.com/video/games/hawks/2009/10/07/0010900017_noh_atl_1h.nba/index.html
BrittishAnger
October 7th, 2009
10:07 pm
Minor Correction: I doubt I’ll see the 2nd team play as heavy once the regular season starts…how much they play during the back end of it will depend on how deep we go and how many wins we get during the first half of the season….
rms
October 7th, 2009
10:13 pm
Where did Sekou go?? Give us some post game analysis of how he think the team play collectivley and who stood out the most. I know its nothing to get excited about, its just the first preseason game.
terrell barron
October 7th, 2009
10:29 pm
What in the hell happened in the 3rd qtr? The Hornets outscored us by 14 pts. Must’ve been one of those Woody pep talks. lol!
AL HORFORD
October 7th, 2009
10:54 pm
ITS WOODSONS FAULT!!!! HE DID NOT PLAY SPEEDY CLAXTON AND ACIE LAW. HAD HE DEVELOPED THESE GUYS WE WOULD HAVE WON A CHAMPIONSHIP LAST YEAR. I HOPE WE TRADE JJ AND JOSH SMITH FOR ACIE AND SPEEDY, WELL EVEN THROW IN MARVIN. I SEE WHAT THE BUBBA CREW WAS COMPLAINING ABOUT KNOW. WE SHOULD HAVE NEVER LET TALENT LIKE SPEEDY AND ACIE OUT OF THE STATE OF GEORGIA.- OFF WITH WOODSONS HEAD@!
Jin Rummy
October 7th, 2009
10:57 pm
Acie Is playing against the lakers right now. He and Steph Curry are in the backcourt together…..Kobe just scored on him:
http://www.justin.tv/big_bad_15/popout
mavid
October 7th, 2009
11:04 pm
LOL Sekou…
“Jason Collins (out of shape)”
KevinA
October 7th, 2009
11:12 pm
Looking at the boxscore
West with 9 rebounds? Wow
5 players in double figures and two more lacking one point to join them.
Hunter and West both get big minutes. Is the last spot between them?
ZaZa/Josh/Al 15 for 22
JJ/Crawford/Bibby/Teague 8 for 27
Marvin/Hunter 5 for 14
The bigs were very efficient on offense.
22 assists and 12 turnovers – very nice
Won the battle of the boards 41/33 – very nice
Went to the free throw line more 38/31 – love to see the Hawks being aggrssive
JSS
October 7th, 2009
11:13 pm
Sekou, did Woody actually crack a “smile” when Big Garret couldn’t his “pants” off? Or did he give him the Woody?
niremetal
October 7th, 2009
11:20 pm
KevinA,
JJ/Crawford/Bibby/Teague combined to go 14 for 30…not sure what box score you’re looking at…
http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/boxscore?gid=2009100701
KevinA
October 7th, 2009
11:28 pm
http://www.nba.com/games/20091007/NOHATL/boxscore.html
shows Teague 4-9
yahoo shows Teague at 6-12
wonder which one is correct?
KevinA
October 7th, 2009
11:34 pm
But yea, math was wrong any way
12-27 or 14-30
niremetal
October 7th, 2009
11:44 pm
KevinA,
It looks like the NBA.com box score shows the total score at 101-84. I guess the guys at NBA.com cut out at 10pm or something…heh.
Melvin
October 7th, 2009
11:56 pm
We may have to keep these replacement Refs. I just watch Kobe go in for a breakway dunk and Anthony Randolph from GS block it from behind and no foul was call. Kudos to the ref b/c replay showed he block it clean…
Also, I saw Speedy contest Fisher on a 3pt shot then outrun Gasol for the rebound on the same play. He didn’t look like a guy who had a knee problem to me…
KevinA
October 8th, 2009
12:03 am
Sekou,
Great post about Woody and the veterns supporting Teague. He must be doing the right things on and off the court to fit in. How about 1 turn over in 26 min tonight. Great game.
The Al to Josh alley oop was sick. The Highlight Factory is alive and well.
SPARTAN NATION
October 8th, 2009
12:14 am
GO SPARTANS!!!
Joe
October 8th, 2009
1:24 am
Myrak43 if that trade happened the hawks can look like this.
PG – Mike Bibby
SG – Jamal Crawford
SF – Josh Smith/Tyrus Thomas
PF – Joakim Noah
C – Al Horford
That looks like a pretty good team to me. So if the hawks aren’t in contention they need to trade Joe Johnson to Chicago for Joakim Noah and Tyrus Thomas.
Hawks Fan In New Orleans
October 8th, 2009
1:37 am
Joe,
in all likelihood, they WILL be in contention.
JJ stays.
Ramon
October 8th, 2009
2:25 am
Joe, wouldn’t that be the same exact squad that Crawford just played with 3 years ago except for it was Wallace and Deng instead of Smoove and Horford? In that line up who plays perimeter defense? And what happens to Marvin?
Big Ray
October 8th, 2009
2:38 am
Looks to me like Josh has both his ankles back, judging by that alley-oop. Glad to see it, and glad to see that he wasn’t shooting any 3-balls.
JJ’s shot looks really good. Nice to see a 7-10 shooting performance instead of a 3-14 job.
Jeff Teague definitely has some serious skills. It really helps when the head coach and the veterans are this supportive of a rookie, though
Key phrase from Joe Johnson: “”I knew Woody had said something to him,” Johnson said. “I just told him that he has to play through the mistakes and not to let [Woodson] take your aggressiveness away. When you’re a young player in this league your aggressiveness is what gets you through sometimes.”
Ladies and gentlemen, you can say what you want. That came from the team captain.
At the same time, Joe is showing some leadership here, and that’s a damn good thing.
Big Ray
October 8th, 2009
2:44 am
A note on coaching, veterans, young players, etc.
While watching the Hawks “Real Training Camp” episode, I listened to a lot of what NBATV commentator Eric Snow had to say. One of the things he said really stood out. He said that relationships between the good and the elite players, and their coaches, are rarely easy. He said it takes patience, a lot of time, and a lot of work. He went on to say that the player/players and coach aren’t necessarily going to agree on everything, but they find ways to work through that to accomplish a common goal.
I think that’s about as reasonable a point of view as I’ve ever heard, and it’s coming from a veteran of the NBA as well. Does that make how a player or coach approaches a situation any less difficult? No. Does it make a player’s petulance or other less-than-pleasant attitude right? No. But it is what it is, and it has to be worked through. Personally, I’ve seen, heard, and read of far worse situations than the one with Mike Woodson and Josh Smith. And I think most of us who have jobs (or rather, careers) have had worse situations to deal with. But we make it work, because we need to/have to, do we not?
vava74
October 8th, 2009
5:54 am
In my opinion there are very few conclusions to take from this game.
We opened a small gap when both starting fives were playing each other and then a huge gap when we had our starting five against NO’s reserves.
Then the opposite happened when Scott put in their best players against our reserves, crawling back bit by bit.
This means that each team’s starting fives are better then the opposite team’s reserves and not much else (we also have to take into account that NO were playing with a stiff – Marks – instead of Okafor).
Eventually we can also conclude that:
1. The team looks to be in good shape physically and mentally.
2. Teague seems to be ready for prime time scoring, but not really distributing (1ass) nor defending (Chris Paul had an easy offensive game 5-7FG and 10-11FT);
3. Zaza is coming out firing on all cylinders and apparently with 2” more of vertical leap (I know that this will break the heart of someone here in the blog…).
4. Otello and Rio are the front runners to make the team, although I guess that the absence of Mo, Joe and Collins explain why they played so many minutes.
and finally
5. That RandMo was a beast per48m proving how useless is that stat!!!
RA
October 8th, 2009
5:58 am
I’ll second you on that thought Big Ray, but add in that winning is your ultimate bonding agent. When a team is highly successful (i.e the Spurs), you very rarely hear about chemistry issues. Of course sometimes it does happen (i.e. the Lakers of the early 2000’s). Still, I think that if this team gets off to the kind of start that it’s capable of, the personality issues will be few and much less public.
Ryan
October 8th, 2009
7:03 am
I think the following says alot about Woody too, and it is not good:
“When Woodson jumped Teague about being nervous, Johnson swooped in with some sound advice for the young point guard that hit the mark.
“I knew Woody had said something to him,” Johnson said. “I just told him that he has to play through the mistakes and not to let [Woodson] take your aggressiveness away. When you’re a young player in this league your aggressiveness is what gets you through sometimes.”"
terrell barron
October 8th, 2009
8:28 am
Checking out Solo and the Pacers on NBA TV. Airing again at 12:00
Daniel
October 8th, 2009
8:32 am
I just got to read the game summary and see the highlight package, so it is difficult to make a lot of judgements about the game. I did see ZaZa looking very good around the basket, Josh certainly has his legs back, Joe Johnson can shoot(nothing new there) and Teague played well.
I wonder if the minutes that Hunter and Rio got were a signal or as VaVa puts it due to Mo and Smith being out?
Samuel
October 8th, 2009
8:32 am
Some how I knew the Woody hate would creep into every blog. It really stinks. Cuz really knows how to push yalls’ buttons. Whatever it takes to get the ratings I guess.
Daniel
October 8th, 2009
8:32 am
Is there a game feed somewhere on the Net from last nights game?
Daniel
October 8th, 2009
8:34 am
Samuel- I was thinking the same thing. I read it as more a statement about Joe’s leadership and confidence in Teague than a knock on Woody. Sekou went out of his way to talk about how impressed Woody has been of Teague and how supportive. Heck, he even told him “good shot” on a missed runner.
hawks_4_life
October 8th, 2009
8:35 am
All set for fantasy basketball
Daniel
October 8th, 2009
8:37 am
Samuel did you set up a fantasy league?
ILL-logical
October 8th, 2009
8:57 am
8,000 + attendance =not good. Collins DNP “out of shape”=not good
Win=very good.
hawks_4_life
October 8th, 2009
9:05 am
Daniel
Samuel did set up the league check the blog first page near the bottom
vava74
October 8th, 2009
9:14 am
Daniel and Samuel,
I’m with you. People fail to realise that the first job of a coach is not to pat rookies’ backs but to try and to correct their flaws and point the right direction.
A good coach must be a father figure or at least he must behave and be seen as an older brother who instils “loving respect”.
On the contrary, as JJ did it, is the job of the veteran players (leaders) to, once in a while, pat the back of the rookies giving them confidence to improve and play hard.
If a coach is too soft and forgiving, he will never get his players respect. I think from what we have seen in the past and recently on the training camp media day, Woody balances well discipline and teaching with the necessary camaraderie.
I really believe that the Hawks have a very good group character wise and that they look like a tight knit family.
vava74
October 8th, 2009
9:41 am
Daniel, Hawks_for_life,
I think the link and the info for Samuel’s fantasy league is on the last page (3) of the previous blog, not on this one.
Big Nuttz
October 8th, 2009
9:53 am
Stoke it Ryan.Get that haters flame burning. Shout out to the Bubba Crew. Lets go get Woodson.
Big Nuttz
October 8th, 2009
9:56 am
Yeah.It garbage time in the game and Zaza collects. Hummm well Ok I stand corrected thats a 2.75 vertical leap. Good point!
Daniel
October 8th, 2009
10:43 am
do you have to have a yahoo account to play?
Daniel
October 8th, 2009
10:45 am
ILL- What’s up, I read that about Collins, too. I am going to let it go, because he has never been a guy that has been called lazy. (no talent- yes) But, that comment did make me go HMMMMM…..
The Truth
October 8th, 2009
11:01 am
My thoughts from actually watching the game:
Our veteran core players continue to mature together as a team and played well together for the first per-season game. You can see the growth of the team after witnessing them some 4 years ago. However, I’m still not sure whether the apparent readiness of the Hawks and their overall fine performance were just the result of a rusty Hornet team who may have approached this game as an extension of training camp trying to assemble its pieces for the upcoming season run. JJ and Teague were the offensive standouts. Zaza stats look good but he played heavy minutes for a backup and was the recipient of some nice setup assist-plays by Teague and others. With the addition of Teague and Crawford, he must raised is level of finishing plays. His numbers would have been even better had he made more free-throws. Generally speaking, however, free-throwing shooting is still an area for improvement for most of the Hawks players. Josh played with confidence but continues to bark at the officials for some calls against him. He is starting to resemble Rasheed Wallace with his antics at times. I know his passion for winning is just on display but he has to learn to play under control or Joe Smith will get more playing time then he signed-up for. But without question, Josh athleticism can change the outcome of a game as he showed us some tidbits of things to come: block shots, highlight dunks, steals, etc. As Teague started slow but finished strong, Crawford struggled early and never hit his stride. When it was apparent he was struggling offensively, Woody elected not to let him play through-it as he would have done if JJ had struggled. As result, Teague may have been the recipient of more playing time.
One thing to watch is Crawford trying to discover his new role as a 6th man off the bench. Will he be a scorer (as Flip was) or a play maker (setup guy)? Last night he was searching for that right blend. He had 2 nice assist to Zaza but when it came time for him to score to keep the defender honest, he was cold and never found his rhythm. I hope he elects to go with his first instinct and not try to reinvent himself. Woody probably wants him to be a gunner attack dog first and then setup plays for others.
The game was not really as close as the scoreboard indicated. Mario and Hunter played like they belong on the team. Woody granted them minutes as if he expects them to be on the roster. Siler saw about 5 minutes and played respectable for the biggest guy in the building. Just his presence will alter an opponent’s offense. The body size of this guy is what makes him unique. I say he needs to on this team if for no other reason.
As a veteran team, the Hawks now understands that the nuances of winning games depends on the small things during the course of a game such as: that extra rebound, that extra pass, that timely block shot, causing that timely turn-over, etc. Sometimes these things don’t show up on the stat sheet as was the case last night. It was clear that the Hawk played at that style and the Hornets did not. I’ll give a shout-out to Woody and his staff for installing that kind of mentality to the team. Over time, both Crawford and Teague should profit from brand of team attitude.
Samuel
October 8th, 2009
11:09 am
Yea Daniel,
Did you get in?
Daniel
October 8th, 2009
11:18 am
not yet, is it closed?
Daniel
October 8th, 2009
11:19 am
Truth- were you at the game?
Where did Woody have Hunter playing? PF/SF? Did he play on the perimeter at all?
KevinA
October 8th, 2009
1:12 pm
The Truth,
nice post
nunna yo biznezz
October 8th, 2009
9:35 pm
am i missing something here..
did any of u see the hawks training camp on nba tv??
i see an issue here..
j-smoove was faked out by an unknown training camp invitee,who did a finger roll to cap off a brillian drive on smoove…
woody yelled down the court to smith,and just said”smooth”!!
josh was miked,and he just shrugged his shoulders and said(into the mike),”that was a good finger roll what do u want me to do”??
he did nothing on his mike but talk crap..nothing to show he was into the practice or even show some kinda leadership..no talking to new bigs about blown assignments or nothing..and neither did any other of the players except,bibby..
my point is,josh is a budding superstar on this team..he is not an all star,but is one of the highlight features on our team..he has a very decent help defense game,and is a slasher/mid range shooter/dunker..
he is a starter,and should be more of at least,a voice,on this team..
if woody and this team don’t make it too the championship of the eastern conference this year,don’t expect to see him,bibby,or even j-smoove here next year..
sund,has given him size with collins/stiller/morris to back up da front line against the likes of howard/shaq/yao,veteran leader who can play a strong roll in joe smith,and youth with teague/othello hunter..
this is a do or die year for woody..
and,since he has no extension,don’t expect him to show loyalty to this organization if he does make it past the eastern conference championship and get this team into the finals..HE WILL WALK…
AND IN SOME WAYS,I HOPE HE DO..