Coming to you from Boston
What’s up?
Just landed in Boston, quite literally. I’m sitting in baggage claim at Logan. (It’s not that cold here, actually.)
Anyway, nothing to throw at you, other than that I’m pretty fired up for Friday night’s tilt. I don’t know exactly what importance it carries for the Hawks themselves – I gather some of you are framing it as a “stand up to the bullies” sort of game – but hopefully I’ll get a better sense of that tomorrow before the game.
Anyway, I am going to shootaround Friday morning at the Fleet Center and wanted to bring you along, so to speak. If you want to give me some questions that you’d like me to ask, I’ll try to get to the best ones and give you answers hopefully before game time in another post.
It’s something I tried while covering and blogging about Tech last year. I don’t really remember how it worked out. I’ll give you some parameters or advice. A question like “Player X, which would you so your game resembles more – a vacuum cleaner or a black hole?” or “Player X, how do you sleep at night knowing you’re stealing money?” is probably not going to make the cut. I sense that these are questions some of you would really like to ask, but these are people I’m going to have to deal with practically daily for the next few weeks or months. Tough questions are fine, so long as they’re thoughtful and respectful.
Anyway, that’s about it. Sorry to post this so late in the cycle, but your deadline is probably about 8 a.m. (If this goes well, we’ll try it again another time.)
Catch ya later. Off to grab dinner and find my hotel.
P.S. I LOVE the passion you guys bring. Some of you probably want to check around for loose screws (ha ha), but great stuff.
Tell us what you think about the site
Customer Care »
Vacation stops, manage subscriptions and more
AJC Services
Sections
Other Editions
Visitor Agreement | Privacy Statement
© 2013 The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
160 comments Add your comment
Big Ray
November 13th, 2009
2:53 am
I have to say I have honestly missed Abe
Ramon ,
Yep. And yep again.
CP ,
I’m co-signing THAT.
Drewscrilla
November 13th, 2009
4:57 am
Ask Woody is he going give teague some minutes? Yeah it is early in the season so you want to get your rookie some experience.He could at least got the last 5 mins at MSG. All im sayin is give a kid a chance how bad can he be.
vava74
November 13th, 2009
5:46 am
Hi Ken,
Nice blog topic. My only question would be for JJ (it’s a statement followed by the question, so bear with me):
Most fans are questioning the fact that you are not doing offensively what you are preaching (being less selfish) and that you should “get more into the flow” of the game instead of going so many times on your own.
Is that something which is happening on account of Woody’s instructions or are you still adapting to the fact that the team is now playing better offensively and have not yet caught on to that fact?
vava74
November 13th, 2009
5:47 am
“…you have not yet…”
David R
November 13th, 2009
8:31 am
Please dont start Marvin, he is a role player at best. Mo and of course Jamal need to start in front of him. He is bust 1st round pick, live with it and move on.
dap01
November 13th, 2009
8:57 am
If a player don’t know how to do something or play, he better pick it up on his own. Our staff knows nothing about development.
Daniel
November 13th, 2009
9:14 am
Ken: I have two questions one for fun and one a little more serious.
1) Jeff Teague: The bloggers have been trying to come up with a nickname for you, suggestions have been JT0(like the car, I like this one since I suggested it of course), JT-Quick, etc.(help me out guys if I forgot other ones). Do you have a nickname, and if so what is it, if not do you like any of these suggestions?
2) Joe Johnson: Obviously, you have made an effort to be more of a vocal leader this year, and as a result you have gotten some heat by the press and the fans for your comments. How are you dealing with this aspect of being a vocal leader? Does it make you want to revert back to your previous quiet, lead by example style?
Daniel
November 13th, 2009
9:15 am
vava- nice question!
Big Ray
November 13th, 2009
9:27 am
“The general feeling was — and Chris Paul has said this — that this team did not have an identity, did not have a style, did not have a process for winning,” Weber said. “Coach felt the issue was trust and effort, that if we just trusted each other, we’d get better, but the issue was execution.”
Weber added that the Hornets had fallen into “bad habits” and no longer had a “culture” of winning. These problems, he continued, dated back to last season and didn’t improve during training camp. Instead of looking outside for the next coach, the decision was made to go with someone familiar with the team’s personnel.
Although Paul has been frustrated with the team’s slow start, a team insider said he was surprised and upset by the firing of the only NBA coach he’s played for. Paul and Scott had a close player-coach relationship that extended off the court. The two played golf together in Los Angeles earlier this week with Hornets reserve Devin Brown and Paul’s brother.
Other team members weren’t as shocked. David West, the team’s other resident All-Star, found Scott’s offensive system too rigid. Several of the team’s younger players were unsure of their roles.
Another knock on Scott was his handling of young talent. The team’s two rookies, first-rounder Darren Collison and Marcus Thornton, have had difficulty breaking into the rotation. Former first-rounder Julian Wright, now in his third year, has yet to see his career take off.
Players such as J.R. (Earl) Smith, Chris Andersen and Brandon Bass didn’t get much playing time under Scott, and flourished after leaving New Orleans. The Hornets’ front office was tired of watching potential develop elsewhere.
Again, a tale of caution. Look at the issues this team had. Look at WHEN they had them. It was right after they had gone further than they ever had before. I’m sure Byron Scott was able to say the same things that Woodson has said: “You may not like how I did it, but I reached the goals that were set” , but you can only say that while you’re winning.
On the plus side for Woodson, we’re 6-2. So he doesn’t look to be in any trouble at all.
But the rumblings from our corner sound eerily familiar to those heard in New Orleans. Chris Paul says execution is the problem, not trust and effort. Joe Johnson says guys don’t know their roles and are missing their assignments. That’s kind of scary, if you think about it.
The noise made about youngsters not getting playing time. Huh. Again, Woody is on the winning side right now. So none of the rumblings really matter. Start losing, and background noise gets louder.
Another plus for Woody is that he and Josh seem to be getting along, and Josh is playing some good ball, better than ever before in many areas.
Of course, we’re not yet where New Orleans was. We have yet to challenge for or be a tough out for the Conference Finals. But we might be there soon. This year, even.
Woodson should take note of Scott’s situation, and how it developed. He has to be careful. He has to grow. He has to see that sticking with one rigid system without making adjustments can only get you so far. It may get you almost to the Conference Finals. And after that, it may get you gone.
It’s all well and good when you’re on the way up. But when you can’t maintain? There’s the rub. Woody still has his chance. He still has choices. Byron doesn’t. Woody should pay attention. The path is familiar, the pitfalls all too recognizable.
The Truth
November 13th, 2009
9:30 am
Ken S
From The Truth: WELCOME TO HAWKSVILLE
Your welcome is now official. I sense from your recent comments that you are already enjoying your new assignment. As it is no big surprise, you have also notice the opinion eye-glasses that some of us bloggers often wear; some stronger than others. Though it may sometimes taint real basketball vision, it does make for an electrifying chatter room.
I would just have a few questions for Marvin: From his prospective, what is his reason for his recent shooting slump? What is his plan for getting out of it? Does he feel any added pressure as a result of his new contract? What (if any) new goals did he set for himself this year? Is he comfortable with the offense?
Big Ray
November 13th, 2009
9:33 am
On the other side of the coin, what happened to Scott wasn’t just about him. It was about his GM as well. What has Bower accomplished? Where has his path of decisions led?
Doesn’t matter for the coach, because that’s always the first fall guy. I’d say New Orleans has a talent problem, and they didn’t do a whole LOT to fix that. The best that’s happened is trading Chandler for Okafor. Jannero Pargo and Rasual Butler are both gone, two guys who could put the ball in the basket. Julian Wright is more frustrating than guys like Tyrus Thomas or Josh Smith have ever been.
The worst of all of this is that the Hornets managed to actually keep their best player. Of course, their best player is also head and shoulders above everybody else on his team, something that isn’t quite the same here in Atlanta.
Big Ray
November 13th, 2009
9:36 am
I have a question for Joe Johnson that probably should not be asked:
Which bothers you more (or bothers you at all), Jamal Crawford’s play, or the use of Jamal by Woody?
OR….
Who is missing assignments and not understanding their roles? Be specific.
Hamma Time
November 13th, 2009
9:42 am
In the past it seemed that the Hawks never ever attempted to fight through picks on D, causing severe and constant mismatches.
Now it seems that every effort is being made to switch (even though execution is sometimes lacking.)
Did Woody officially change the defensive philosophy or am I imagining the change?
Hamma Time
November 13th, 2009
9:48 am
I meant “every effort is being made to fight through picks”.i
Ken Sugiura
November 13th, 2009
9:48 am
a lot of good stuff in here. you guys came strong. i’ll try to hit as many as i can. thanks.
Decatur Native
November 13th, 2009
9:53 am
@ Mz. Hawkdafied
You need to be a reporter you have the BEST questions I have heard, give this dude a blog ASAP!!!!
KevinA
November 13th, 2009
10:00 am
JJ is our team leader and has carried the load for the Hawks for years. In fact he is off to a great start this year.
To bad he can’t match up with Paul Pierce.
FG% 3 PT Turn Over
JJ .451 65-144 9-34 23
Paul Pierce .515 53-103 19-36 18
Pierce is just very efficient.
Now lets look at team ball
Assists
Boston 239
Atlanta 170
3 PT
Atlanta 46-134 .343
Boston 136-181 .399
We are an improved team and maye one of a handful of teams that can beat Boston. It will take an almost perfect game played with a lot of energy.
A few keys.
We cannot afford to get behind early. We will have to play good all 4 qt.
We have to play good defense against the 3 ball.
Josh and Al will have to play great and. .
Boston avg 26 assists per game – Atlanta 21. To win we need to flip flop that number.
The Truth
November 13th, 2009
10:02 am
Big Ray
Your Hornet comments are very compelling and points are noteworthy. Since you mentioned it, I could also see a similar scenario with the Hawks if the losing starts. However, since we have not yet reached the same level of success as the Hornets (under the current regime), our expectation is (no doubt) different. While the Hornets may have used language like “winning a championship”, we often use language like “building on last success” or “competing with the elites”. That kind of expectation could earn Woody a new contract even if he falls short in a second round appearance; seems like the new expectation is just to “compete” better.
O'Brien
November 13th, 2009
10:06 am
Another question for our Hawks is what will it take for them to overcome these challenges on the road, especially against good teams?
(After winning in Orlando, the Cavs also won in Miami (back to back), without Delonte West. Those are the kind of road wins I would love to see the Hawks achieve).
Ray,
CP3 is unhappy in NO, and the Hornets are losing money, so I wont be surprised if there are trade rumors this offseason.
ILL-logical
November 13th, 2009
10:31 am
Some great analogys comparing Byron Scott’s NO career path and its similarity to Woodson’s.Definitely some food for thought.But let’s look at the situation from Woodson’s perspective for a moment.
He came into what was one of the worst run, financially unsound and structurely flawed organizations in pro sports as a first time head coach, fresh from a world championship experience.The talent pool was shallow and full of guys on the down side of their careers and with some fairly large contracts. 13-69 out the gate. Not good but he survived.
How? By making a plan and sticking to it. religously. Then came a serise of drafts that may or may not have had his imput but the succession of 6′8-9″ players continued ,without the type of point guard that fit his system.But still the team improved. There were dust ups with players and coaches who all intimated that he didn’t listen/ did not know how to coach.
All of this in the context of his former friend and team mate who hired him wanted him fired while the ownership acted as if they were filming a 3 Stooges episode.
My point is that I come to neither bury nor praise Woodson but to place his tenure into a context that may claify some of his actions/ non-actions. He has been in very unstable environment from day one and yet he has survived and on many levels prospered.
And it is very clear that he is not Mr. Sund’s choice for the job. So ,all things considered, he has done the best he can with the hand he was dealt. Maybe, just maybe one day he can feel confident enough at some point to be a little more strategic ; trust a little more and most of all not feel as if the whole world doesn’t know the troubles he has seen.
ILL-logical
November 13th, 2009
10:35 am
*analogies*
honest_abe
November 13th, 2009
10:40 am
welcome aboard ken!
can you ask coach woodson what the hawks can do differently so they can at least compete against elite teams on the road? it seems the hawks always have a penchant for laying down once the other team goes on any kind of run.
Daniel
November 13th, 2009
10:50 am
Decatur Native- Mz. Hawkdafied is a woman.
Daniel
November 13th, 2009
10:52 am
Mz. Hawkdafied- why are you so freaked out about JT0’s playing time? He didn’t get much time in NY, which was after 3 days off and the starters needed to get going, otherwise he has been getting very solid time for a rookie pg on a playoff team, esp. at home. I think you are over reacting.
Daniel
November 13th, 2009
10:53 am
Also, you would have killed Woodson for taking Horford out and playing Za or Collins when he was going crazy. You can’t have it both ways.
Daniel
November 13th, 2009
10:55 am
KevinA- another key you missed is turnovers! The Hawks have actually done well in this category this year, but they tend to come in bunches!! We cannot afford to have a quarter with 7 turnovers against Boston.
Ken Strickland
November 13th, 2009
11:03 am
BIG RAY-Don’t forget, BScott coached for GShinn, an owner that rivals DSterling of the LA Clippers for the title of cheapest most selfish and greedy NBA owner.
You can tell some of our fans are getting a little excited about what’s going on in New Orleans with CPaul and the Hornets. They’re thinking the Hawks might be able to work a trade for him. Well, why would he want to put his career in jeopardy by coming here? Woodson didn’t like him or his style of play when he came out of college, and his style of play definitely doesn’t fit Woodson’s preferred jumpshooting style of OFF.
Does anyone really think Woodson would give Bibby the ALaw treatment? You know he’d be pressured to play CP3 the heavy mins Bibby’s now getting. If, as TRACEMAN suggests, there’s no way for him to find anything other than limited and inconsistent mins for Teague, how can he possibly do any better for Bibby, since he’d assume the backup position Teague now occupies? Also, we’re already seeing JJ’s selfish reaction to Crawford and his impact, now what do you think his reaction would be to CP3?
CP3 could definitely make the Hawks a better team, but would JJ and Woodson, along with his limited OFF system, have a negative impact on CP3? However, I wouldn’t hesitate to take the chance to find out. If we’re going to become strong enough to compete with the big boys, and become a serious title contender, we have got to upgrade our starting PG position. We also need to get more consistent production from our SF position, but both situations are on Woodson. After all, he hasn’t made a single comment, change or adjustment in reference to Marvins inconsistency or JJ’s attitude towards Crawford, as well as his selfish ball hogging play.
There’s an old saying that goes, “IF YOU’RE NOT PART OF THE SOLUTION, YOU’RE PART OF THE PROBLEM”, and that is definitely at play here with HC MWoodson and the Hawks.
Rod from College Park
November 13th, 2009
11:08 am
Mz. Hawkdafied,
“The key word is “starters”. Your players who start the game and are supposed to be your best players. The other word is “reserves”. You know players who are supposed to relieve the starters, may not be as good but can contribute nevertheless while the starters rest up.”
Of couse you realize that that is not the case on this team. Marvin is not one of the 5 best players on our team. Crawford is better than Bibby. The starting lineup is based strictly on position and preference of the coach. It is not based on who the best players are.
KevinA
November 13th, 2009
11:15 am
Daniel,
To much work – to many minutes – got tired. I looked at the team turnovers and they were only one apart. Good point about ours seem to come in bunches.
Daniel
November 13th, 2009
10:52 am
Mz. Hawkdafied- why are you so freaked out about JT0’s playing time? He didn’t get much time in NY, which was after 3 days off and the starters needed to get going, otherwise he has been getting very solid time for a rookie pg on a playoff team, esp. at home. I think you are over reacting.
I like the home cooking point. When you are new (JT) or struggling (Marvin) maybe you some time off on the road. We have 70+ games to sort out our playoff rotations.
Mz.Hawkdafied- I do understand your worry – Woody does have a history.
terrell barron
November 13th, 2009
11:18 am
Melvin, the answer is yes. Bibby is Woody’s version of Mr Big shot. His shot can be off all game long, but Woodrow wont pull him because he has faith that he’ll hit the “big shot” when he needs to. Problem is, big shots usally come at the END of the game, not at the START.So, maybe he should just start Teague, who is better pg when it comes to getting his teammates involved, and bring Bibby in when we need some more scoring. Not advocating benching Bibby for Teague, but it’s the only way he’s going to get more time, playing for old stubborn azz. With all that said, it’ll never happen. Btw, I’m starting to see the Acie experiment all over again. Bring the ball up, pass it to Crawford(Flip), and get out of the way. I guess as long as your on the court with a vet, Woody thinks your developing???? What the .uck ever!
Samuel
November 13th, 2009
11:21 am
Euro Wilkins. That’s funny.
OK, two players out of a whole continent. Also, Gasol is lucky KG was out since he got “punked” so bad the year before.
KevinA
November 13th, 2009
11:28 am
http://www.nba.com/hawks/feature/cooper_current.html
Ramon
November 13th, 2009
11:28 am
Ken, if getting CP3 was possible, at this point I don’t even think Sund would let Woody opinion about it stop him. Also Chris Paul has a lot more respect than Joe around the league. If those two had problems I’m pretty sure it’d be Joe who would take the biggest hit. But I can tell by Paul’s frustration he really doesn’t want to be the leading scorer of a team. True enough he is ok with averaging 20 points, but the Hawks clearly have more offensive weapons than NO. I would truly trade JJ for Paul straight up tonight if possible. And I wouldn’t lose a second of sleep.
Duke
November 13th, 2009
11:31 am
Ken, welcome to the ol’ blog. I was hoping you could ask Coach if he was going to try and work Joe Smith and Teague in the game tonight. They both got 2 minutes in New York and I think that is unacceptable.
Ramon
November 13th, 2009
11:32 am
Samuel, all coaches know you have to have some luck on your side to win a ring, every single coach you know will tell you that when not in front of the press. You’ll always hear a coach say hopefully we can stay lucky and avoid the injuries, turnovers, distractions and what ever else.
The main point I’m making is what is the difference between Euro style basketball, and the way Brent Barry, Sean Elliott, Steve Kerr, Glen Rice (who never played defense, Ray Allen (shoots more threes with less defense than anyone I know), and others?
KevinA
November 13th, 2009
11:43 am
From the link.
early in the third quarter with the Hawks down 61-54, Woody effectively went small and sent in Jamal Crawford for Marvin Williams, which gave the Hawks a Bibby/JJ/JC/Smoove/Horford lineup featuring three guards. Six minutes later, the Hawks led 78-71.
The key phrase there is “NBA star,” because that is what Josh is playing like thus far this season. He’s averaging 16 ppg (up about half a point from last season), 7.3 rpg (basically the same as he averaged last season), but he’s averaging a career-high 4.4 assists per game, and has knocked his turnover per game to as low as they’ve been in five seasons. But the most important stat? Josh is averaging a career-high 58-percent shooting from the floor, eighth-best in the NBA, and he has yet to even attempt a three-pointer this season (the last few years he’s averaged at least 1 per game).
Melvin
November 13th, 2009
11:46 am
Ok, I see some valid agruments (with I disagree with) for Teague lack of playing time. However, can some of these same folks explain the lack of playing time for Joe Smith, ZaZa and Jason Collins (although I think he will be a situational player)? Joe Smith and ZaZa have seen some DNPs in the 2nd halfs of several games.
KevinA
November 13th, 2009
11:48 am
Ramon
November 13th, 2009
11:32 am
The main point I’m making is what is the difference between Euro style basketball, and the way Brent Barry, Sean Elliott, Steve Kerr, Glen Rice (who never played defense, Ray Allen (shoots more threes with less defense than anyone I know), and others?
Ray Allen? Might be the Rondo pass – 83 assists. Peirce is even better at the three 19-36. .528%. Dude is on fire.
terrell barron
November 13th, 2009
11:50 am
Melvin, here’s your answer. There is no an answer.
Ramon
November 13th, 2009
11:53 am
Kevin, you’re right, but Pierce at least look like he plays defense on 46% of the plays lol.
terrell barron
November 13th, 2009
11:53 am
Melvin, Zaza is still cashing them checks. Regardless of min. Haha! Maybe he and Joe Smith just didn’t match up well in Woody’s eyes? That’s the only answer I have. So much for adding depth this year.
Ken Sugiura
November 13th, 2009
11:55 am
I’m afraid I didn’t get a ton of answers for you. A lot of the questions were for Joe, and he had to go to a drug test so I missed him. (no cause for alarm; league policy) I’ll post answers when I get back to the hotel.
Right now, I’m waiting for Marvin Williams to finish extra shooting practice. (I imagine the Truth is happy to read that)
game time eight hours away.
Melvin
November 13th, 2009
11:56 am
terrell,
And to think the man requested for more vets and he won’t play them. His coaching style is fustrating to watch.
WAF
Ramon
November 13th, 2009
11:59 am
Ken S., what about Coach Drew?
JeJe
November 13th, 2009
11:59 am
PLEASE REMOVE SEKOU’S NAME FROM THE HAWKS PAGE
Mz. Hawkdafied
November 13th, 2009
12:32 pm
Lordy, lordy, lordy! Sigh! My main concern is the promised depth and not Jeff Teague’s minutes. I wanna know what happened to the promised depth. Its about show and tell for me. You told me all about it in the offseason. Now let me see it. That way when the season ends you can’t blame it on lack of quality reserves. Heck I even got a glimpse of it during the preseason when coach Woodson COULD FIND THE MINUTES. We got teased in the preseason with great rotations and awesome management of minutes. What happened? That’s what I wanna know. Where’s the depth and why is it difficult to utilize the reserves during the regular season? Until I get a clear answer or get a chance to see it for myself I will continue to bring up the question: What happened to the Hawks’ depth?
KevinA
November 13th, 2009
12:32 pm
Woody has made adjustments for Marvin. The last couple of years he has averaged 34 minutes. The last two games his minutes were 23 and 22. To say he does not make adjustments is wrong.
I would say Woody is playing Josh and Al because they are playing the best ball in their careers. Jamal, Bibby and JJ are also off to fast starts.
Until the team slows down or an individual slows down, look for more of the same. Woody is going to ride who’s hot. We may not like it but it’s just the way it is.
JT may have brought his PT problems on himself. He needs to stick to assists and driving when he gets his next chance. Shooting is not his forte. I would give the same advice to Jamal. He is a good shot but the ISO ego shots are not so good. Like JJ the team suffers when they go into that mode. All three can break down defenses and create shots for each other. If you have to shoot – do it off a pass – or better yet drive and finish or do a floater. Attack the basket. Do what you do best.
On a side note – shoot less 3 pt shots. Leave those for Bibby and Evans who are hot. JC/JC – you are not.
KevinA
November 13th, 2009
12:37 pm
Mz. Hawkdafied
November 13th, 2009
12:32 pm
Lordy, lordy, lordy! Sigh! My main concern is the promised depth and not Jeff Teague’s minutes. I wanna know what happened to the promised depth. Its about show and tell for me. You told me all about it in the offseason
We got teased in the preseason with great rotations and awesome management of minutes. What happened?
Just like meeting someone and then getting married. It always looks better in preseason.
Mz. Hawkdafied
November 13th, 2009
12:47 pm
Okay KevinA I can understand it from that point of view to an extent. But shouldn’t the coach let the players know what he sees working for them and what is hurting them. Or do you think he’s telling them but they are not listening?
KevinA
November 13th, 2009
12:56 pm
http://www.hoopinionblog.com/?gcid=C12289×022>kw=Hoopinion
Story on Marvin.
Where is Aroise the true sir links a lot