Big shoes to fill
What’s up, Sekou readers?
Hope you are all doing well. Thanks for your patience in waiting for this blog to get churning again. My name is Ken Sugiura, and I have the unenviable task of following up the master. Sekou, if you weren’t aware, took a job down the street at nba.com after five years of excellent Hawks coverage for the AJC. I’m not telling you anything you don’t know, but Sekou is a great guy, a great reporter and we will miss him plenty.
I’m going to be filling in on the Hawks until a full-time replacement is hired. I’ve got a good bit to learn, but I’m looking forward to it. As Sekou shared with me, it’s a good group to cover and the team, obviously, is on the way up. Hopefully it’ll be a fun ride, however long it lasts.
Anyway, I’m here for you guys, so fire any questions at me you’ve got, either on the blog or e-mail. I don’t have the wealth of NBA knowledge that Sekou does, but I’ll do my best to get you answers.
Enough blathering – on to the two-game trip to New York tonight and Boston Friday.
From Mike Woodson on down, the talk Monday and Tuesday was about defending better, which obviously will be a factor in both games, against the “Seven seconds or less” Knicks and then the three-headed monster in Boston.
Different guys were saying they need to get back to defending the way they did last year. The sample size for this season is small, obviously, but some numbers for comparison – 2008-09 – 96.5 points per game, 45.4 FG percentage from the field, 35.3 percent from three-point range. This year, 102.1, 46.0, 40.0.
One thing I heard a few different times was that the players aren’t doing a good job of communicating – calling out switches and the like.
Said Joe Johnson, “When we’re guarding our man and we’re supposed to switch, we’re not calling the switch. I think we’re assuming more than anything. It’s just guys not on the same page. Therefore, two guys are going on one man and another guy’s laying it up.”
Al Horford also mentioned the communication lapses, but added that “I think it comes down to effort.”
So, something to be watching for tonight (Wednesday) and Friday.
You may find this interesting …
Jamal Crawford, Jeff Teague and Horford all mentioned looking forward to playing at Madison Square Garden. For Teague, it’ll be his first trip. Horford said it’s probably his favorite place to play, citing the arena’s history.
Said Crawford, who played a little over four years there, “It’s like you’re on stage. … The court’s lit up and the crowd’s kind of dark. It’s like you’re on a stage performing. So it’s really cool.”
Crawford also mentioned that over his time there, he became friends with Knicks fans such as Spike Lee, Samuel L. Jackson, Adam Sandler and Fat Joe.
Said the rookie Teague of going on the road, “Flying from city to city, you’re getting on planes, carrying bags and having so much luggage. It was kind of difficult at first, but now I think I know how to pack a lot better. I took too much stuff last time.”
One big difference between college and NBA road trips: “No homework at all. That’s a good thing.”
Your take
Anyway, let me hear from you, readers – Is 1-1 a successful road trip? Woodson has mentioned multiple times that he wants the team to go .500 on the road, so he said that the West Coast plus Charlotte trip was good, because it was 2-2, despite the trip-ending disaster in Charlotte.
What do you want to see from the Hawks?
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460 comments Add your comment
BONE
November 11th, 2009
9:42 pm
Joe has 40 mins ya’ll
Mac-Town'z Finest 478
November 11th, 2009
9:42 pm
Dude is lucky he didnt get boomed on right there. I thought Josh was about to punish the rim.
BONE
November 11th, 2009
9:42 pm
LMAOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO @ Harrington
Melvin
November 11th, 2009
9:42 pm
Does Cylde Frazier want to be a rapper or a commentator? He puts the color in color analyst….dahhhh
J.J.M.
November 11th, 2009
9:43 pm
lmaooooooooooooooo
bigdave
November 11th, 2009
9:43 pm
i think Nique was about to call Bibby Michael Vick…
nvnvnv
November 11th, 2009
9:43 pm
Smoove is going to the all star game this year.
Melvin
November 11th, 2009
9:43 pm
*Clyde Frazier
Mac-Town'z Finest 478
November 11th, 2009
9:43 pm
Josh’s elderly, senior citizen lookin form on his jump shot is painful to watch, especially for such an athletic guy.
Horn
November 11th, 2009
9:44 pm
Another W on the way, everyone be happy! Geez reading this mess will make you thin we are about to be 2-6!
J.J.M.
November 11th, 2009
9:44 pm
yea he was going to say michael vick
BONE
November 11th, 2009
9:44 pm
All of our starters have played at least 32 mins. Except the weak link Marvin
Big Ray
November 11th, 2009
9:45 pm
LOL@ Melvin
bigdave
November 11th, 2009
9:45 pm
“if you look at this pass by Michael Vick”
-Nique’
JohnnyWalking
November 11th, 2009
9:46 pm
Mannn the Knicks are some chumps. LOL. Wheewwww. Is this Real??? Dtoni probably wished he had stuck with Crawford n Starbury. Al is straight pimpin the kid from Italy or where evaa….
BONE
November 11th, 2009
9:47 pm
Horn the reason we’re angry is becuz 1st of all woddy plays the starters into the ground. 2nd he doesn’t wanna play Teague. 3rd woodson is unlikeable
DecDawg
November 11th, 2009
9:47 pm
Does anyone else notice how Horford seems to dominate his former Florida teammates? It’s like he’s proving to them who was the man on that team every time he plays against them.
Mac-Town'z Finest 478
November 11th, 2009
9:47 pm
Kobe with the jumper!!
bigdave
November 11th, 2009
9:48 pm
Joe just plain ignorant with these shots… wow… degree of difficulty…
J.J.M.
November 11th, 2009
9:49 pm
ok we can put teague in now
Big Ray
November 11th, 2009
9:49 pm
Bibby having a great game with 17 and 9. Josh and Al just beating these guys up (they should be).
Joe needed 19 shots to get 19 points. And still, he plays 43 minutes. Why, Woody? Why?
rms
November 11th, 2009
9:49 pm
Woodson is just not a likeable guy around here. A win is a win and thats all that counts but dang, if you are a rookie or a role player you are out of luck on the Hawks roster.
Melvin
November 11th, 2009
9:49 pm
My goodness the Knicks announcers are riding Joe. Every time he touches it they are referring back to his comments about playing unselfish. And dont let him dribble more than 3 times, thats cause for even more bashing…
Mac-Town'z Finest 478
November 11th, 2009
9:50 pm
Here comes teague i bet
Melvin
November 11th, 2009
9:50 pm
Oh my, Woody is going to allow Joe to rest the last 1:51 of the game.
BONE
November 11th, 2009
9:50 pm
I bet Teague gets mins now
Blast
November 11th, 2009
9:50 pm
Hawks story for the last 5-6 years has been this. Start slow, and finish strong, win or lose. Now they can’t afford to do that with Boston, Cavs or Orlando, but so far this year, they are getting away with that versus the bad team.
That’s one bad habit they have to break if they want to do well.
Bibby was huge tonight keeping Hawks in the game early.
Grandad
November 11th, 2009
9:51 pm
MTF 478 – Great Quote: “Erratic coaching leads to erratic play.”
J.J.M.
November 11th, 2009
9:51 pm
jordan hill
Big Ray
November 11th, 2009
9:51 pm
Oh look. Joe gets a break after playing 44 f’in minutes. And we have a bigger game tomorrow, followed by another one after that.
Meanwhile Teague gets the gift of 1 min, 30 secs from Woody.
Brilliance at work…
Mac-Town'z Finest 478
November 11th, 2009
9:52 pm
that boy Randmo!!!!
look and Randmo in the post, lookin like another Tim Duncan!!
…………………………………….. <<<<
J.J.M.
November 11th, 2009
9:53 pm
keep them under 100
Mac-Town'z Finest 478
November 11th, 2009
9:53 pm
Randmo….. so intimidating in the post, he’s got to get more minutes
J.J.M.
November 11th, 2009
9:53 pm
awww josh grrrrrr
BONE
November 11th, 2009
9:54 pm
They should be riding Joe. Jooe has been ball hogging like crazy.
Big Ray
November 11th, 2009
9:54 pm
Melvin ,
Well, this is what happens when you talk to the media after every single game. And then travel to New York…where the media will beat the crap out of you at every turn….
Mac-Town'z Finest 478
November 11th, 2009
9:55 pm
Joe is getting the big head……
Melvin
November 11th, 2009
9:56 pm
All the starters are in double figures except for Marvin… People get ready to duck b/c Rod is coming in full blast and taking no prisoners on Marvin lack of point production…. dahhh
BONE
November 11th, 2009
9:57 pm
Once again people:
MARVIN’S STATS FOR THE YEAR PEOPLE
10 PTS 5 REBS 0.4 AST
WOW HE’S GREAT AIN’T HE
Najeh Davenpoop
November 11th, 2009
9:57 pm
Nice to see the Hawks get a win, even if it was with a C- effort against an F- team. It was nice to see them actually share the ball in the second half and attempt to get easy shots. The defense was still subpar even in the 2nd half, and they are just asking to be carved to little pieces by Rajon Rondo and Chris Paul in the next two games if that keeps up. They have to come up with a way to challenge opposing guards. Toney Douglas’ points came way too easy today.
Sautee
November 11th, 2009
9:58 pm
You KNOW it’s gone South for Joe if even big dave is callin’ him out!
Great games from Al, Josh and Bibby.
Melvin
November 11th, 2009
9:58 pm
Agreed Big Ray. Just play ball and keep it to a limit with the comments to the media. At least keep the negativity in house b/c these announcers live for comments like that. They wont let it go…
BONE
November 11th, 2009
9:58 pm
3 STARTERS PLAYED 40+ MINS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Blast
November 11th, 2009
9:59 pm
Where are those Knicks announcers now?
Hawks might have won hard and won late, but a win is a win, especially on the road. NY shots the lights out in the first half but Hawks adjusted in the second and got the win. But I see some fans are still complaining.
Rod from College Park
November 11th, 2009
9:59 pm
Did Marvin play tonight? (LOL) TRADE MARVIN WILLAMS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
bigdave
November 11th, 2009
9:59 pm
Nique is a funny guy…
BONE
November 11th, 2009
10:00 pm
LOL @ Nique’s comments on Marvin “well Marvin sat on the bench alot” lmao
bigdave
November 11th, 2009
10:04 pm
Sautee,
not quite… just was acknowledging the degree of difficulty of those shots…
tough shots… but he made them… missed some shot at the rim though… but seemed to make tough ones…
The Hawksta
November 11th, 2009
10:05 pm
Wish I could have heard the Knicks broadcast. They tell it like it is! Joe was hogging the ball to get his numbers. No one even cuts to the basket because he likes to dribble drive. We won which is fine! But tomorrow that stuff won’t work because the Celtics collapse the middle like no other team. We will see alot of jumpshots. The Hawks will be hot early then they will lose their legs because of all the minutes Woody let them play. Mark my words we’ve seen this play out time and again.
Go Hawks??? Ehhh, yes go… Hawks???
cp
November 11th, 2009
10:06 pm
We won but its so many negatives to this game. Too much one on one. Once again Marvin did absolutely nothing. Too many minutes for some of the starters. Terrible defense…. Teague is getting the Acie Law development so far…..I said before the game just attack the rim and once the Hawks figured that out and let the Knicks shoot themselves out the game they took over. They cant come out sluggish against the Celtics or look for a 30 point blowout.
I know its early in the season but I would not be mad if Marvin is put on the trading block. I’m tired of waiting for this potential. He has been sleepwalking out there except for like 1 game. I just don’t know whats up with him so far this season but he needs to either get it together or ship him out and get somebody else in here. I would take Travis Outlaw for Marvin in a heartbeat.