Othello Hunter, the losing streak
Hey, folks-
Hope you are well. I wanted to hopefully shed some light on the Hawks’ thinking in the release of Othello Hunter (some) and also the players-only meeting (probably not a lot more than what was in the story).
First, Hunter. This is Rick Sund’s answer to why the team made the move.
“Basically, it just gives us some options for the roster. Wev’e got a two-week grace period in which we can have a 12-man roster before we have to get to a 13-man roster. It allows us to be able to look at the waiver wires a little bit right now. We have the NBDL Showcase, which coincides with this time period, so all the D-League teams are in one place.”
My sense of things is that they’ll look hard at the Showcase, see if any other NBA teams’ cuts looks intriguing, and if not, they may well go ahead and sign Hunter back. Sund said there wasn’t anything in particular they were looking for.
Said Sund, “I think we’re pretty well-covered in all the positions. I’ve had some dialogue with Woody. We’ll see what happens in the next week and a half.”
I imagine some of you pull your hair out at the notion of the team being well-covered at every position. Certainly, the Hawks could be strengthened at some spots. But I’d say it’s unlikely that there’s someone out there in the D-League or about to get cast off from an NBA roster who’s going to be significantly better than what the Hawks have now.
What was interesting to me was that the Hawks didn’t have to let Hunter go to fish around, but it would certainly appear that budget has at least something to do with it. I asked Sund about why they couldn’t just add a 10-day player if they found one, or something to that effect, and he said, “We’re going to go with a 13-man roster this year.”
In fairness, I don’t think it is that big a deal. Some teams carry the full 15. Having more would help, certainly. If a player got hurt, then you could have someone to dress out who already knows the schemes. But, these are the realities of the league and the franchise. The Nets are, or at least were, leaving one assistant coach at home on each road trip to save money.
Joe Johnson on the losing streak
From Tuesday. Questions approximated.
Q: How is this losing streak different than those in the past?
A: It’s no different. We’ve just got to get back on track.
Q: What do you have to do?
A: Just get back to playing with intensity, having fun. That’s pretty much the difference. It seems as if we’re just kind of out there, just going through the motions.
Q: Do you think players have been reading press clippings about how good they are? (For the record, I didn’t ask that. Not that it’s a bad question, but I would feel very weird asking someone if they had been reading my stories)
A: I know they haven’t been doing that. I think we’re a pretty good team, but we’ve still got a long ways to go.
Q: How long do you think the team has been ‘going through the motions’?
A: I don’t know. I don’t know how long it’s been going on, but we just haven’t been playing up to our capabilities.
Q: You’ve played 43, 40, 45 and 38 minutes in the last four games. How are your legs?
A: I’m a little tired, but I’ve been doing this for awhile. I’ll be alright.
Q: The team has been settling a lot for jump shots. Do you see this as a problem?
A: I do think we have to get a little more aggressive, but we’ll figure it out.
My take on his answers and where the team is. Joe is not the most expansive player on the team, and I got the impression he was either on his way out the door somewhere or didn’t feel like talking a whole lot. I think it’s noteworthy that he conceded that the team needs to be more aggressive. Players, and I suppose all of us, don’t like to admit we’ve been doing something incorrectly. For him to own that, I think, says something.
And, I think, too, the fact that they decided they needed a players-only meeting is pretty significant. It’s the first one they’ve had this season and that, more than anything, is acknowledgement that something is wrong. I don’t exactly what was said – I think it was mostly, “We’ve got to get back to playing how we were before,” meaning defending well, rebounding and running.
We’ll see how things shake out against the Nets and this weekend. I think tonight is important, even if it’s the Nets, for them to establish the rhythms and style of play that has worked so well for them.
Gotta run.
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337 comments Add your comment
welikebaseball2
January 6th, 2010
8:59 pm
If only typing in ALL caps ALL the time & switching screen names like a schizo could actually make one’s point sensible. Wow. Well, 3 minutes until your bedtime little man, type away!
BONE
January 6th, 2010
8:59 pm
LOL@ Mac
welikebaseball3
January 6th, 2010
8:59 pm
zaza is play some good D on lopez
Samuel
January 6th, 2010
8:59 pm
We just needed to make some shots.
Woody=COY
Big Ray
January 6th, 2010
8:59 pm
FUNNY how somebody other than me will report these posts and FUNNY people will find themselves banned yet again by somebody else, whilst they think it’s me doing it. Gosh, I didn’t know I had this power…
Melvin
January 6th, 2010
9:00 pm
Sautee and Big Ray,
Yall better be glad that Horford is not 7ft (heck, or 6-11) b/c I think he would have been the 1st pick over Greg Oden. I can live with Durant as a consolation prize as the 3rd pick…
bigdave
January 6th, 2010
9:00 pm
lol@ Bob..
Kiki
January 6th, 2010
9:00 pm
Teague is doing a great job on Harris.
welikebaseball3
January 6th, 2010
9:01 pm
Ok big bitch ray, you should have the low down on the ip now to block. See your fat nasty azz in another two weeks.
Big Ray
January 6th, 2010
9:01 pm
Samuel ,
I hear you. We needed to do much more than that, though.
All the same, the real test comes later, as O’brien adroitly noted.
Melvin
January 6th, 2010
9:02 pm
Where is Clyde. Sean Williams has yet top play in the game when his team is down over 30pts in the 4th qtr…. Heck, KiKi decided to go with a 4 guard lineup before they put the monster Sean Williams in the game…
KevinA
January 6th, 2010
9:02 pm
cheesburger and fries time
BONE
January 6th, 2010
9:03 pm
LOL @ Woody being the coach of the year.
He’s never even been the coach of the minute in my eyes.
Big Ray
January 6th, 2010
9:03 pm
Melvin ,
No doubt. Two more inches in height, and we don’t get him in the draft. But nobody thought we would be stupid enough to pass him up at #3. And guess what? We weren’t.
My hand’s in the air, too, but Jersey isn’t stupid enough to do that. Are they?
Melvin
January 6th, 2010
9:03 pm
Now Nique and Bob is clowning Sean Williams…
Big Ray
January 6th, 2010
9:05 pm
Jamal Crawford: 29 points in 23 minutes.
Joe Johnson: 20 points in 29 minutes.
Ummmmm….
Melvin
January 6th, 2010
9:05 pm
Ironic, that Devin Harris could drive to the paint with ease when Teague was in the game… Forget Mario, put Teague on the quick PGs…
welikebaseball2
January 6th, 2010
9:05 pm
FUNNY how someone wants somebody to play with so they start using welikebaseball3 as a screen name to get a little attention. No thanks, I got nieces & nephews to play with. It might actually be FUNNY if it wasn’t what seems to be signs of some sort of psychological misfiring.
Blast
January 6th, 2010
9:06 pm
“Good thing we play in the east…where the last time I checked..the last 3 playoff spots were filled by sub .500 teams.”
While this might be true, the West isn’t that better either.
East Top Teams:
Boston: 24-8.
Cleveland: 27-9.
Orlando: 24-10.
Hawks: 21-12.
Heat: 17-15.
Rest are just bottom fodder.
West Top Teams:
LA: 28-6.
Dallas: 24-11.
Denver: 22-13.
Phoenix: 22-13.
Portland: 22-15.
San Antonio: 20-12.
Houston: 20-15.
Rest are just bottom fodder, though Memphis and OKC are coming up.
Which Means?
Even with a 4 game losing streak, if Hawks played in the Northwest division, they would be the first seed, over Denver, with a slight percentage. If they played in the Pacific, they would be second, after the Lakers. If they played in the Southwest division, they would be second seed. So that talk does not hold water.
Justin, co-sign your 8:22 pm post!
Why can’t Hawks play like this always? Good team or bad? Ball movement, player movement, unselfish play, hustle, hard rebounds and good defence?
The Iso play just does not work. Find the open man!
Sautee
January 6th, 2010
9:07 pm
Library must have closed at 9
MR HORFORD
January 6th, 2010
9:07 pm
GIVE MR LOPEZ ABOUT 8 MORE MINUTES AND MAYBE HE CAN GET AS MANY REBOUNDS AS I GOT IN 27 MINUTES. SURELY A STAR CENTER CAN DO THAT RIGHT.
Melvin
January 6th, 2010
9:07 pm
Josh,
11pts,9rebs,7ast,2steals and 1BS…
BONE
January 6th, 2010
9:09 pm
Woody’s head looks like some shaved monkey nuts.
welikebaseball2
January 6th, 2010
9:11 pm
Well, well, well, Woodson gives Teague some burn in the blowout of a subpar team. Go figure. Got to love that head coach. Oh well, can’t say he isn’t consistent!
Sautee
January 6th, 2010
9:13 pm
Here’s something really FUNNY:
Truth-serum (FUNNY) posted on Bradley’s blog that we needed a center like Darryl Dawkins to guard the paint.
Dawkins career nimbers (for ‘Nique):
12.0 points, 6.1 rebounds, 1.41 blocks
Horfords nimbers this year:
13.8 points, 9.9 rebounds, 1.42 blocks
Who would YOU rather have?
KevinA
January 6th, 2010
9:14 pm
point to ponder – marvin does not get clean up minutes – his stats would be much better
Melvin
January 6th, 2010
9:16 pm
KevinA,
Neither do any of the other starter gets clean up mins…
welikebaseball2
January 6th, 2010
9:16 pm
Sautee: Good stuff!
BONE
January 6th, 2010
9:17 pm
I repeat “Woody’s head looks like some shaved monkey nuts.”
Big Ray
January 6th, 2010
9:17 pm
“Ok big bitch ray, you should have the low down on the ip now to block. See your fat nasty azz in another two weeks.”
Um, no sorry. I can’t come by “the center” anymore. They say I’m scaring the other patients that are in your room.
KevinA
January 6th, 2010
9:21 pm
Melvin
True but it might smart to play Marvin more and Jamal less in blow outs. Confidence thing. Let him work on his drives. Come playoff time – could be important.
Blast
January 6th, 2010
9:25 pm
Big Ray,
The big difference between Joe and Jamal is that Jamal goes quick, unlike Joe who holds the ball too long while trying to make a play.
Melvin
January 6th, 2010
9:25 pm
KevinA,
Thats a good point…
Big Ray
January 6th, 2010
9:27 pm
Okay, not too bad of a tuneup.
Real tests coming up. Still a “W” is a “W”.
Big Ray
January 6th, 2010
9:31 pm
Blast ,
How right you are. It is definitely a difference of method.
Big Ray
January 6th, 2010
9:32 pm
KevinA ,
I’ll co-sign that….
Big Ray
January 6th, 2010
9:34 pm
On the flip side ….
Joe Johnson: 1 turnover
Jamal Crawford: 6 turnovers
Clyde
January 6th, 2010
9:40 pm
“Where is Clyde. Sean Williams has yet top play in the game when his team is down over 30pts in the 4th qtr…. Heck, KiKi decided to go with a 4 guard lineup before they put the monster Sean Williams in the game…” – Melvin
That’s why the Nets only won 3 games this season.
Roll Tide!!!!!
vava74
January 6th, 2010
9:48 pm
Orlando just lost at home against Toronto…
I am sure that Orlando bloggers are using the word “pretenders” right now…
Melvin
January 6th, 2010
9:48 pm
Dont look now but Orlando has lost their 3rd game in a row tonight. They are only 1 game better than the Hawks in the loss column…. Good thing we got rid of the extra baggage on the Wagon… Big three we are in your rear view mirror…
Melvin
January 6th, 2010
9:49 pm
Roll Tide, Clyde. Good luck tomorrow night….
Blast
January 6th, 2010
9:54 pm
One and a half games separate Hawks from Magic for divisional crown. Magic on a 3 game losing streak of their own! Celtics down to the Heat in the fourth!
Astro Joe
January 6th, 2010
9:58 pm
Hey, Orlando just lost their 3rd consecutive game to a scrub team (Chicago, Indiana and Toronto), with tonight’s lost being at home against the Raptors. So maybe some of y’all can go to the Magic’s blog and suggest that Gortat should be starting over Dwight Howard. After all, Howard was in foul trouble in the last two games and allowed Hibbert to score a career high last night. Based on the huge sample of 3, he’s obviously an overrated player who should lose his job to Gortat. Or at least, Gortat should immediately be developed to replace Howard. Do y’all need the URL for the Orlando blog? I’m sure your expertise in pressing the panic button would be greatly appreciated over there.
Astro Joe
January 6th, 2010
10:00 pm
Big Ray, you only get to criticize one SG around here… and his name is NOT Crawford.
Astro Joe
January 6th, 2010
10:05 pm
Player development. That includes having Horford guard Lopez during a blowout so that our young center can figure out how to stop their young center because if things go as they should, those two will be battling for the next 5+ years. So let him learn during a game like tonight (when a win is in hand) as opposed to bringing in someone like Bacon Jason who won;t likely be here in another year or two. At some point, Duncan had to learn how to handle the much bigger Shaq and likewise, Horford will need to figure out how to frustrate Lopez.
Melvin
January 6th, 2010
10:17 pm
Amasing ending regulation ending to the Heat/Celtics game…
niremetal
January 6th, 2010
10:29 pm
Wade is doing my fantasy team proud in the total stats categories, but dude is killing me in the efficiency ones…
Astro Joe
January 6th, 2010
10:42 pm
Wade had twice as many shots as the next huighest teammate AND shot less than 50% from the field? Geez, he must be catching that Joe Johnson virus, huh? IWho cares if Beasley and Q-Rich were 3-14, he should have tried to keep the scoring balanced. Right? Hello! Is this thing on tonight? Darn it!
Astro Joe
January 6th, 2010
10:54 pm
Gosh, everyone must be over at the Orlando Magic psrty enjoying the Panic Punch.
Melvin
January 6th, 2010
11:36 pm
AJ,
The Hawks won tonight. There’s nothing to talk about….lol