Kings at Hawks, AKA Let’s See What Happens After Woody Calls Out His Vets
– Woody was dang near prophetic before that loss to the Thunder on Monday when he said: “We are still trying to learn how to win at a high level.” A big part of that is matching the effort and intensity of so-called “lesser” opponents, and Woody said the Hawks “didn’t put up a fight early” against the Thunder.
So during the Tuesday film session the coach called on his veterans to lead the defensive effort.
“I put it right on them,” Woodson said. “And that’s how it should be. They should want more. Thy should want more from each other, and hold each other accountable, but they are not getting it done.”
Joe Johnson agreed.
“It’s definitely on guys like me, Mike (Bibby), and Jamal (Crawford) to get us all on the same page, especially on the perimeter,” Johnson said. “We’ve had a lot of breakdowns and that puts our ‘bigs’ in tough positions.”
Bibby said “we always can put a little bit more effort in,” but added: “We’ll be fine. I’m not really worried about it.”
Woody, though, notes that he’s a coach, and so “I’m selfish. I want more, like every coach.”
– That includes Kings coach Paul Westphal, who told The Sacramento Bee he plans to send out a new lineup tonight with Donté Greene taking over for Omri Casspi at small forward and Spencer Hawes replacing Jon Brockman at center.
“It’s time that (defense) becomes an all-the-time thing for us,” Westphal said.
Are coaches ever happy?
– The Hawks should expect a scrap from the Kings, another try-hard team that won’t wilt in the face of superior talent. The Bobcats had them down 24 in the third quarter on Monday but the Kings got back within 94-93. They lost their fourth straight game but they didn’t quit.
– The Kings are third in the league in offensive rebounding percentage. That’s effort.
“They play hard,” Smoove said. “The are young and talented. We can’t take them lightly.”
– So why did the Hawks not come out fighting against the Thunder?
“A lot of it is attitude,” Woody said. “We can’t be comfortable, man. It’s nice to sit at the top of your division but you have to play like every night you want to hold onto it, and we didn’t do that (Monday).”
– J.J. on Crawford taking the last shots against Phoenix and Oklahoma City instead of him: “The plays are not getting fully executed. Not that that’s a bad thing. It’s nothing against Jamal. He makes big shots for us. You never know, the next three or four game-winners, I might take them. We’ll live with it.”
– Smoove is ditching the sneakers that he says caused a bruise on his right Achilles’.
– Woody didn’t have much to say about the NBA’s denial of his protest of the Hawks’ Dec. 30 loss at Cleveland:
“Disappointed. I just won’t comment beyond that. What are you going to do?”
No doubt the Hawks didn’t like that stuff from David Stern about the clock error having “no clear impact” on the game’s outcome. Of course it did. I mean, deny the protest if you want but don’t say something silly like that.
– I saw that players voted J.J. the most underrated player in an Sports Illustrated poll. I wondered how a guy with three All-Star appearances, going on four, could be considered underrated. Then I saw LeBron James got a vote and decided I had to stop looking at that poll.
Still, though, J.J. probably is underrated. A deep playoff run this spring should take care of that.
– I’m relieved to discover there actually are nice winter days in Atlanta. It ain’t Miami, but I’ll take it.
– Talk amongst yourselves, Hawks fans.
MC
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135 comments Add your comment
terrell
January 20th, 2010
8:35 pm
Can we put a team away for once?
Melvin
January 20th, 2010
8:36 pm
Now I would Love to add Nocioni to the Hawks bench. Good defender and scorer with size to play the 2,3 and some 4. Package Mo Evans and parts to get him in the ATL.
Mac-Town'z Finest 478
January 20th, 2010
8:40 pm
hope this unit can keep this lead
Mac-Town'z Finest 478
January 20th, 2010
8:42 pm
lol poster
J.J.M.
January 20th, 2010
8:42 pm
lol@mario west
KevinA
January 20th, 2010
8:44 pm
feed a big – get a win – go Hawks
Najeh Davenpoop
January 20th, 2010
8:47 pm
This is the worst I’ve seen Zaza look in his entire time with the Hawks. I’m hoping it’s just his recent injury still bothering him and not something else.
J.J.M.
January 20th, 2010
8:47 pm
lol he thought crawford was josh
Melvin
January 20th, 2010
8:51 pm
What do you know? Woody gave the bench some extended mins in the 3rd qtr and they responded by increasing the lead…. Who would have thought you can get meaningful production from your 8,9 and 10th player…
cp
January 20th, 2010
8:52 pm
Sorry Sautee I’m not one of those posters who blame Al and Josh for giving up points in the paint. I was talking about another big who can rebound and block shots coming off the bench. I didn’t say anything about a starter or somebody better than Al…. Marios overrated defense is on display tonight.
terrell
January 20th, 2010
8:54 pm
Has Joe Smith made a jumper while wearing a Hawks uniform? lol!
Wabe
January 20th, 2010
8:55 pm
Mo Evans with the ball in his hands = garbage.
The guy’s handles are limitted and he never looks to pass. Even on a fastbreak, the majority of the time, if we’re running down the court with a 3 on 1 with the ball in Evans hands, the ball will stay in Mo Evans hands.
Wabe
January 20th, 2010
8:56 pm
I don’t think Joe Smith’s made one of those jumpers since he went down for that stretch of games with the finger injury.
Melvin
January 20th, 2010
8:56 pm
Jamal playing like he is at Rucker’s park
Sid
January 20th, 2010
9:01 pm
I dont know what Kevin Martin said to Jamal but it seems to have made him upset. I do recall martin making a 3 in the second quarter right in jamals face and running down court laughing .I wonder if the Kings are doing some trash talking .
Sautee
January 20th, 2010
9:01 pm
cp,
It’s all good, man. And you KNOW that Astro Joe and I have been asking for that for two years. But the reality is, those guys are hard to come by, as are defensive guards who can shoot.
J.J.M.
January 20th, 2010
9:03 pm
can we put the starters back in
Mac-Town'z Finest 478
January 20th, 2010
9:06 pm
teague is nasty…what a cross
jean
January 20th, 2010
9:06 pm
craw 4 point play
cp
January 20th, 2010
9:07 pm
Yea its all good. I guess when you get so many guys on here who blame those two then its easy to think i was too. And you’re right those guys are hard to come by but I think this year around the trade deadline a lot of guys could be available. What Sund is willing to give up is another story.
O'Brien
January 20th, 2010
9:07 pm
What’s up with Bibby? 21 minutes, 2 points. Although he does have 3 rebs, 5 assists. I cannot imagine what Bibby will look for 2 more seasons after this. Is it just me or does he look slower this year?
Teague with the penetration, and he goes to the line. So thats what it looks like when a PG actually penetrates? Can anyone remember when was the last time Bibby penetrated? And I think ZaZa has regressed too.
Woody has given the bench some minutes, and they played well. Unfortunately, come the next game, he is just as likely to shrink his bench again…
terrell
January 20th, 2010
9:10 pm
Taking out Teague and putting Josh back in? Wtf?
J.J.M.
January 20th, 2010
9:14 pm
lol refs dont like josh
O'Brien
January 20th, 2010
9:22 pm
It’s still early, but the Celtics are down 3 in the third to the Pistons. If they lose, Hawks will be half a game out of the second seed.
Charlotte up by 40 against Miami, and the Bobcats will be the 5th seed at the end of the night.
After the way the Bobcats blew us out early in the year, I am looking forward to some payback on Friday night.
Freshmaker
January 20th, 2010
9:57 pm
Pretty good use of the bench by Woody. Nobody played more than Horford’s 32 min. Nice, balanced scoring attack too.
KevinA
January 20th, 2010
10:11 pm
O’Brien
January 20th, 2010
2:39 pm
But the problem lies in our guard oriented offense. Combined, JJ, Crawford and Bibby have taken 1597 shots (shooting on average 44%). Josh and Al combined have taken 855 shots, shooting an average, 55%. Our guards have taken 742 more shots than Josh and Al. 742 more shots. That number is way too much.
yep, you the man, I agree, bring that message, you are a smart man, tell it like it is.
Astro Joe
January 20th, 2010
10:12 pm
So what did I miss?
I’m worried about our dainty crew when Charlotte comes to town. Captain Jack, Gerald Wallace and Flip don’t take any prisoners when they get going. I’m expecting a super-physical game Friday. My prediction? Charlotte comes to town and they try to punk the Hawks. Will we answer? I’ve complained for years that we are soft. One shot to the ribs and we may go running home to Mommy. Friday could potentially be embarrassing.
doc
January 20th, 2010
10:15 pm
sautee, the cats are rising fast. could be trouble again.
Astro Joe
January 20th, 2010
10:15 pm
Kevin, isn’t a 3-to-2 comparison fundamentally misleading? Bibby doesn’t shoot much more than Marvin (check the stats). So I would suggest that you either add Marvin to your mix or better yet, subtract Bibby so that you can highlight the true issue.
RLP
January 20th, 2010
11:48 pm
I know that the game only ended recently but I think it is time to do an assessment of the team halfway through the season.
First: At this point the team is on pace to win 54 games this year. I think that is the kind of improvement the team should show. Early in the season they were on pace to break the club’s season win record of 57 games but have not played as well in the second quarter as they did in the first quarter. There have been some who have pointed out that at a comparable point last year the record was close to what it is this year. But in the second half of last year the team’s W/L record did not match the first half of the year. Will there be a repeat this year? I do not think so. Last year the team had a number of injuries that had an effect on the record. This year they have had very few missed games. This years team is also visibly stronger then last year because of the addition of JC and another year of maturity for Josh and Al. Let us hope we continue to avoid injuries.
Second: Has the team reached the status of an elite team? I do not think so. They have shown improvement over last year but they have also demonstrated that they still do not always play with the intensity needed to win games against weaker opponents. Even early in the season I remember games where the team would almost be embarrassed in the first half of a game against a weaker opponent only to turn it up in the second half and win going away. It is not easy to maintain defensive intensity throughout a game but a truly elite team which makes defense its priority cannot have that kind of lapses. The offense continues to be a problem. Actually I think there has been improvement in this area. This team can be fun to watch when they are running and moving the ball. I think they are doing it more this year but there is room for much improvement. This blog will provide plenty of evidence of the kinds of problems the offense incurs.
Third: The number of elite teams in the league has declined. A few days ago I posted the W/L records of each of the top four teams in the East. Of those four teams only the Hawks have improved their winning percentage over last year. From my perspective there is really only one true “Elite” team in the league right now. That team is not in the East. All three of the other Eastern division top teams have problems. Cleveland is the only one playing right now as if it were approaching “Elite” status but they have never played in a Finals and I think the Lakers would exploit their inexperience in that arena. While the top four Eastern teams compare favorably with the Western top teams I doubt if the records would be as good as they are if any of these teams played in the West.
Four: The playoffs. I can see a loss in the first round if the team does not perform with the proper level of intensity and if they are paired against a team that gets hot. There are plenty of examples of upsets in the playoffs. On the other hand I can see this team getting to the Finals if everything fell into place. The most likely scenario is reaching the second round or the ECF.
Five: What does the future hold? I expect that gradually over the next 2.5 years Teague will replace Bibby as the team’s pg. The trade for JC was a great move especially if JJ leaves after this year. As much as bloggers here complain JJ is a very integral part of this team and if the team loses him in the summer then the future will not be as bright as it appears to be right now. We also do not know what Sund will do. I am of the opinion that his options are limited because of the ownership’s lack of financial resources. I think the jury is still out on Coach Woodson. This blog offers many more who wish for a new coach but also has some die hard supporters. I am content to wait and see how the season plays out and how the playoffs go and then see what happens.
I offer my observations just as a starting point. I am sure that there are others here who will not hesitate to provide their opinions.
nunna yo biznezz
January 21st, 2010
4:36 am
IM TIRED OF WOODY USING HIS BENCH WITH A FULL 5 FOR 5 MAN ROTATION ONE GAME,THEN PLAYING JUST JAMAAL/ZSA ZSA/MOE FOR THE NEXT 2 OR 3..
WHEN WE SUB 5 FOR 5 IN BOTH THE 1ST AND 2ND HALF,WE WIN!!
NAME ONE TIME THIS SEASON THAT WE DIDN’T..
WOODY’S CALLING OUT PLAYERS IS AN EMBARASSMENT UPON HIMSELF AND HIS COACHING..
THATS WHY HE NEVER ADJUSTS PEOPLE,HE DOES NOT SEE THINGS UNTIL HE REVIEWS THE FILM,AND,IF HE DOES GIVE THEM INSTRUCTIONS THEY DON’T LISTEN..
WHEN YOU LOOK AT IT,HE IS JUST ONE OF US..
THATS RIGHT,ME,ROD FROM CP,NORTHCYDE,KEN STRICKLAND,ETC…
WOODY IS JUST ONE OF US..
HE IS A FAN WHO HAPPENS TO SIT WITH THE TEAM ON THE BENCH,THEN TRAVELS WITH THEM ON AWAY GAMES,GETS ONE ON ONE TIME WITH THE FELLA’S,AND (JUST LIKE WE WANT TO DO)HE ACTUALLY GETS TO PUT WHO HE WANTS IN THE GAME WHEN HE WANTS!!..
BUT OTHER THAN THAT HE IS JUST LIKE US..
HOW?
HE RANTS AND RAVES,CALLS OUT PLAYERS,HAS A POINT OF VIEW THAT HE DETAILS IN THE PRESS LIKE WE DO ON HERE WITH MC,BUT,HE HAS THE BEST SEAT IN THE HOUSE TO DO SO IN..
BUT IN THE END,THE PLAYERS DON’T LISTEN TO HIM
JUST LIKE THEY DO WITH US..
KevinA
January 21st, 2010
5:35 am
Astro Joe
JJ……….737
Jamal….532
Total…..1269
Josh……462
Al………..393
Total……855
1269-855 = 414
JJ……….737
Bibby…..328
Total……1065
1065-855 = 210
After the game there wan an interview with Josh. He was asked why the 2nd half was so much better than the first half. Josh basically said we shot to many jumpers and did not play inside out. I hope he becomes more vocal on the team and along with Al push the issue and style of play.
It’s not just about shots though. Al and Josh have shown the ability to play team ball with exellent passing. They average 6 assists per game. JJ and Jamal just 7.5. When we get into the shot clock early and go low – good things happen.
KevinA
January 21st, 2010
6:37 am
The Hawks average 22.2 assists per game. How many games have we lost when we have 23 assists? The answer is 2.
How many assists do we average in our 14 loss? The answer is 16.6
An indicator that good passing = more wins.
Jamal and JJ passed well tonight, especially in the second half. they piled up 11 assists along with an efficient 14-24 shooting. Another huge key to the game was attacking the basket. We went 23-28 at the line while the Kings went 12-15.
KevinA
January 21st, 2010
6:55 am
Against the Cats we were out rebounded 56-36, out assisted 24-10 and shot 39.8% against 47%. The Cats have moved into the 5th seed are up and coming since adding Jackson. We will need last nights 2nd half effort the entire night to beat this team.
AceDawg
January 22nd, 2010
11:42 am
The Hawks are Jekyll and Hide, and I don’t think they’ll shed it. But then again, I think they are learning to play good basketball more often, and they could beat anyone in a 7 game series as long as they bring their best in 4 of those games. Last year they fizzled in the end, but it’s understandable with Horford and Marvin Williams having injury problems.