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
Dan
January 20th, 2010
2:53 pm
First?
Cole
January 20th, 2010
2:55 pm
Man I was first but didnt put in email…guess i’m second
Dan
January 20th, 2010
2:57 pm
Yes!! First!!
This one will be interesting tonight. The Hawks should win. This one could get tough, though.
I am already anxious for the rematch with the Thunder. Everyone keeps saying that the Hawks came out flat. I don’t think they did. I think they just missed shots (just like they did at the beginning of the Suns game). The Thunder are a good team. I think the rematch will show if the game on Monday could be credited to the Thunder just being a better team or were the Hawks just shooting poorly.
Also, getting tired of hearing from people that the Hawks were “flat” everytime they lose. Sometimes teams just lose. It is not always because they were “flat”. I tend to think they just got beat on Monday because they missed too many open shots. They had a million chances to win that game, but just could not get the shots to drop at key times. That has nothing to do with them being flat.
dooley
January 20th, 2010
3:05 pm
is it me or does Joe Johnson sound a little salty about jamal taking the last shots.
jon
January 20th, 2010
3:06 pm
No impact , Stern should be embarrassed that the refs reviewed it and still got it wrong… Fishy, very fishy.
theZaZaguy
January 20th, 2010
3:11 pm
Joe was only salty because Jamal missed. Or rather, he felt comfortable talking about it because he missed. The honeymoon is over. Now they have to work through their issues. Sort it out and we’re in the finals, continue to bicker and it’s Reggie Theus/Doc Rivers and an early exit to Milwaukee again.
Gilley
January 20th, 2010
3:13 pm
Yeah JJ salty but players should never be salty about passing the ball to someone who has a better chance of making the shot due to double team, bad angle or execution or being hot. Crawford is more clutch than JJ and has proven it his entire career.
Fundamentals
January 20th, 2010
3:29 pm
Dan, do you really feel like we gave 100% effort for 4 quarters? I saw maybe 1.5 quarters of decent play. We got beat by a team that obviously outhustled us on both ends of the court. FLAT! FLAT! FLAT!
Ken, I see your point from the last blog. I’m not proclaiming to love Woodson. I just pray every day he sees the light and continues to grow. Granted he does it slowly and honestly reverts back in times of adversity. He just can’t committ to a 10 man rotation because he fears for his job. Sadly he’d get the big bucks if he would develop them in time to help us in the playoffs. Time will tell, but I just don’t think the guards he “killed” were really that good. They definitely didn’t bloom elsewhere. Hopefully Teague has that talent. He seems different, and thus deserving of a chance.
The inside out game is coming. Al & Josh are coming along. In time we’ll move from our guard oriented offense regardless of Woodson’s ideals. Hopefully in time Teague or a quicker point will assume the healm and our team will be able to run and gun, while still dominating the 1/2 court offense with our post play. That’s the dream. Can Woodson get us there? Time will tell, time will tell. It’ll all be over in June. We’ll see where we/he/they end up.
Westurd
January 20th, 2010
3:37 pm
oh and MC, keep the behind the scence quotes and stories coming. Thats what us true fans cant experience without your help.
O'Brien
January 20th, 2010
3:39 pm
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.”
I bet most of the breakdowns on the perimeter involve Mike Bibby. But for those who hate on Horford (especially for his defense), I hope you’re paying attention to what Joe is saying. Defense begins on the perimeter.
J.J. on Crawford taking the last shots against Phoenix and Oklahoma City instead of him: “The plays are not getting fully executed”.
Hmmm…what plays are those JJ? Make sure we get you the ball, watch you get double teamed, and then you’re forced to take a tough shot, very similar to what Crawford did?
Fundamentals,
Although the guys who left the Hawks have not dominated after leaving, its hard to say they didnt have the talent in the first place. Sometimes, the talent is there early on, but it needs to be groomed and cultivated by the coaching staff. Sometimes when that player loses confidence, and gets sporadic PT, they will regress, and its hard for another coaching staff to give them that chance again.
ant banks
January 20th, 2010
3:44 pm
anyone who is on their knees beggin’ for stern to give us a “do-over” because of a 10sec differential needs to be pimped slapped!!. wipe your mouf while you are at it.
the hawks could be up 31-8 and not 26-13 had they won both knicks games, the detroit game, without their big 3. the okc game and the hornets games, without cp3. fightin’ for your manhood and not sittin’ around waitin’ on a 3rd entity to give you a do-over.
sound like some biotches.
Fundamentals
January 20th, 2010
3:48 pm
O’Brien? Wouldn’t one of them come around? I thought maybe Salim would’ve caught on with San Antonio, but they cut him. Others just never panned out anywhere on multiple teams. Teague needs PT for sure. Woodson needs to play him. He hasn’t gotten a real chance. The other kids did. Woodson might “kill” Teague, but the other kids did themselves in if you ask me, but that’s my 2 cents.
Our perimeter defense stinks based on effort some nights. When it does, Josh and AL get frustrated and foul out or relax. We need all 5 together to win! It’s Woodson’t job to subsitute Bibby for a more effective matchup. Tonight that might be Mario or Evans to be physical against Evans or Teague to keep up with his speed. We’ll see what Woodson does. We all have our guesses.
jerrywest
January 20th, 2010
3:49 pm
JJ sounds grumpy. He wants to take the tough shot on double team defense.
dap01
January 20th, 2010
3:51 pm
Thanks for the fresh blogs MC. Joe’s idea of a play is someone handing the ball and everyone else watching him pound the ball. Motion would help everyone including Joe. Marvin would be helped if there were actually an offensive plan.
I don’t get Joe’s comments at all.
Michael Cunningham
January 20th, 2010
3:54 pm
@Dan: i see what you are saying, but maybe the two are related, as in the hawks were flat because they missed shots. Woody thinks they let the offense affect their defense and he doesn’t like it. and if you think about it, they weren’t missing shots early so that doesn’t explain the first half hole. not sure they were really “flat” against OKC as much as they failed to match the Thunder’s intensity until late.
@cole: no excuses
@ joe, zaza, gilly: i can tell you J.J. didn’t seem salty when he said it. he was actually in a very good mood. but maybe that was because he just got off the massage table? he also said something along the lines of this is a better situation than when he always had to be the one to take those shots. PC, perhaps, but i tend to believe him for now.
@westturd: do my best
Fundamentals
January 20th, 2010
4:01 pm
MC – Flat comments to me demonstrates the lack of intensity and effort for 2.5 quarters during the game. We really never turned it on, we thought we could just beat them b/c we were the Hawks. That doesn’t work against a real team, much less scrubs.
We might have the same issue tonight. Look for Evans, Martin & Hawes to have big nights. We need some effort tonight. If they win the boards we might just lose the game.
Folks are just looking for a reason to blame JJ for hating Crawford. We need both of them to win – every night! We shouldn’t have ever put Crawford in that predicament Monday. Suns game we pretty much stole that game. A blessing to offset the CLE robbery.
Fundamentals
January 20th, 2010
4:07 pm
Typing in a hurry today. About the past few games.
Suns – Crawford hit a great shot. Amazing that we had the chance to shoot it, regardless of who shot it we stole that game from PHO. We didn’t deserve to win that one based on our play.
OKC – Joe wanted it, obviously, but the inbound went to Crawford. He got a good look. Once again, we should’ve never been there. More effort and better play keeps us out of a last second shot.
Hawk Str8Talk
January 20th, 2010
4:12 pm
I have done a few blogs on this, but there’s something wrong with blaming effort and intensity and flatness all the time. We have mailed in a few games and lost a few by playing bad defense and Woody was right to call it out and call it that, but when is he going to say – hey, you know what…I’m not doing the team a service sometimes with the offensive sets I call (or don’t call). Sorry but the Thunder loss wasn’t due to effort or defense – it was due to AWFUL 4th quarter offense. We shot terrible shots and after a while you can’t just say that the players are solely at fault unless the coach repudiates it and says – hey, guys we WILL move the ball, we will give it to our most efficient scorers (Horford and Josh), or you’ll sit next to me. Our team is too good to have Joe and Jamal throw up those last two shots of that game. It was simply awful basketball and we’ve been watching it for too long and someone needs to stop blaming everything on effort or defense because that’s not all that causes losses. I suspect that he says those things b/c they point the finger back to the players instead of on his inability to get his players to do what’s best offensively.
Fundamentals
January 20th, 2010
4:22 pm
Everyone here has argued to get the ball in the post. When we play lazy we drop it off to Joe or Crawford and stand around. The PG has to dictate the offense and make things happen. Crawford & Bibby are capable of being the floor general with our without Woodson. I’ll also agree he needs to expand his rotation and hold folks accountable.
Melvin
January 20th, 2010
4:29 pm
“So during the Tuesday film session the coach called on his veterans to lead the defensive effort.” Woody
Hawk held OKC to 15pts in the 4th qtr and this guy is still talking about the defensive effort. Are his interview responses scripted? You held a team to 15pts in a qtr and you’re talking about DEFENSE…Nevermind the fact that your team only scored 16pts in the same qtr. You wanna talk DEFENSE!!! Do he know, the winner is determined by who scores the most points before the game is over????
Eman
January 20th, 2010
4:30 pm
The Hawks do not have a real leader!! When the team gets down they all look at each other stupidly.Nobody on this team gets in to the face of their team-mates. They need a leader that provide them with leadership and energy. Joe is not a natural leader thus we need a player that has that drive. Al Horford is that type of player but it will be in his five year or so before he becomes that leader.
rms
January 20th, 2010
4:31 pm
Such a “ho-hum oh well attitude from Bibby. He needs to know the team is not good enough to just turn it on when they feel like it. Does anybody on this team have any fight in them or fire in their belly or passion to go out and beat the squat out of their opponent every night. Such boring players and lazy mental attitudes towards winning and settling for second place!!
clarkekent
January 20th, 2010
4:34 pm
so MC … if you see your vets are not playing the way you want them to then why stay with them..(mintues send a better message than words) thats when teague, mo evans, mo west, marvin should play more. our defensive problems are on the perimeter. hint bibby, crawford and jj. our young inside guys damn near avg a double and double and always seem to get in foul trouble helping on defense not guarding thier on man. Teams with penetrating guards hurt the hawks not to metion when both back court players have the ability to attack the basket. you can’t hide bibby or crawford -(JJ plays defense when he wants too).. bibby has to guard one or the other. thats why bibby always go under the screens .. trying to prevent himself from getting beat.. he gets beat most of the time anyway.. hence the foul touble our big guys get into sometimes. woody needs to play his bench when matchups present themselves and not be stubborn and stick with his “fav 5″.
Fundamentals
January 20th, 2010
4:39 pm
They’re content with meeting expectations. The “Defense & Effort” speeches are basically relating to HEART & CHARACTER. We don’t fight every night. We play lackluster ball looking for our Lebron or Kobe to take over. Problem is we have a TEAM. We don’t have a superstar.
rms – it’s not just Bibby, it’s everyone at times. They trigger off one another. We need 10-deep 100% or we’re gonna get swept in the 2nd round. If so we’ll fire the coach and maybe break up the team.
We’ve got such a great thing going here. How can they not see it?
Answer = Maturity & Professionalism
theZaZaguy
January 20th, 2010
4:39 pm
Good to know about Joe’s tone. I’ve always had a good impression of Joe. But he doesn’t seem like the kind of person that you can read easily. He’d probably be really good at poker.
Michael, It’ll be interesting to get your thoughts once you have more contact with these guys.
O'Brien
January 20th, 2010
4:41 pm
Fundamentals,
Salim was hurt when he went to the Spurs (I think it was hamstring), so he never caught on. And then he was still hurt when Milwaukee got him. (Ariose, where are you?).
Acie looked really good in college, so I dont know what happened to him. He looked above average early on with the Hawks, but then he got hurt, missed some PT, lost some confidence, and got buried on the bench. He’s been to Golden State and Charlotte, and he’s buried on the bench again.
I dont think JJ is hating on Crawford, because the last shot against OKC looks like it was originally designed for Bibby, based on these comments in the ajc article after the game.
He said he hesitated while waiting for a play for Bibby to develop. The Thunder covered that option and Green gave Crawford some space.
“I was a little surprised,” Crawford said. “It felt good when I let it go.”
Melvin,
Exactly. When the Hawks lost to Cleveland in ATL, didnt we hold Cleveland to 95 points. They scored 19 in the 3rd quarter, and 20 in the fourth. But we lost that game because we went 9 minutes without making a shot.
Woody should talk about offense more.
Benjamin
January 20th, 2010
4:42 pm
LeBron James as an underrated player… give me a break…
The guy is going to be the National League MVP if the media gets into his bed any more.
Fundamentals
January 20th, 2010
4:42 pm
Woodson will never send a message to his starters buy playing the bench. At least not until he gets his contract.
Mike is Back
January 20th, 2010
4:43 pm
MC, It not that JJ is under rated…it is his persona…usually your leader is an animated or emotional guy…JJ rarely shows any emotion…unfortunately…that comes off as indifferent…it hard to get a read on him. I would like to see him be more vocal during the game and quit letting the ref off the hook by avoiding contact when goes to hole.
He’s one the elite guards in the league…make the ref blow the whistle…create contact…he is like what a 90% free throw…jeez!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
jean
January 20th, 2010
4:46 pm
how about that forced layup that had no chance of going in by joe when we were down 1 ask him about that……wit 2 people open
Fundamentals
January 20th, 2010
4:54 pm
Joe is the perfect compliment to an elite star player. He’s a great fit for us, but he’s not our leader. We go as Horford and Smith go. Eventually they will lead the team. They’re not there yet. Hence the need to hold the team together.
Dukester9
January 20th, 2010
5:19 pm
First of guys this is one of the best blogs i have ever read. All good points no matter your opinion, i must say i agreed with most. And no stupid comments or personal attacks against each other. Now here is my opinion I agree 100% that JJ is not the leader we need. I say we give his max contract to Wade and find a way to move Marvin because no doubt he is the weakest link. They should have traded him last year for a big man.
Dan
January 20th, 2010
5:59 pm
@ Michael: Fair. The two may be related. But, I think we (as Hawks fans) are getting a little full of ourselves thinking that the team came out “flat” whenever they lose. Sometimes you just get beat and that was my take on Monday. The Thunder is not done beating people. They are a good team, give them their due.
I am off to the Highlight Factory. Hope a lot of you will be there. These midweek games have been poorly attended.
rms
January 20th, 2010
6:12 pm
I got nosebleed seats to the game on Friday when they play the Bobcats.
Alatl
January 20th, 2010
6:33 pm
Can we please make a move and get somebody for Bibby DEVON HARRIS for example he is on the block we need somebody who can push the ball
rusty
January 20th, 2010
6:34 pm
jj is not the type of player to bring home the bacon. he is selfish & even worse halts all ball movement. woody is a hugh ass,always comes all as being stupid
Alatl
January 20th, 2010
6:34 pm
please!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Hawks Fan In New Orleans
January 20th, 2010
6:35 pm
LMAO @ antbanks.
@ Dan the team did come out flat – they are superior to OKC point blank and they should not have lost the game. They need a leader to light a fire when they go into lulls. Bibby is lackadaisical in his response to defense, we need a critical voice who will hold himself and team accountable for lackluster play (weak perimeter defense and non-existent (at critical times) ball sharing.)
IMO, Woody not benching the vets and developing Teague/Morris more could be the determining factor in him being let go.
NDiiBaBii
January 20th, 2010
6:41 pm
Joe Johnson is a selfish player and it shows more && more at the Thunder game everyone in my section was shouting pass in Joe pass it, but he wouldn’t Jamal Crawford was below the goal instead he took the shot & missed it, then we had to depend on JCraw to make another 3. We can’t always depend on that, if Joe would pass the ball when other players are open then we would see a drastic change. I always hear of tension w/ JJ and other players, I’m really thinking he is jealous of Jamal!
I hope Teague gets more playing time bcuz I would hate to see him be wasted, anywho I’m heading to the game in a few we will see how this goes
Hawks v Crowns
January 20th, 2010
6:59 pm
Woody called out his vets? I guess that’s good but hopefully after he got done they called him out.
Don’t just critique the vets, critique the whole team even yourself!
mountainman36
January 20th, 2010
7:01 pm
ok – Fundy – i agree with you on pretty much everything. Not sure about Al and Josh being the leaders eventually….perhaps 3 years from now, but not sooner….hate to say it though. I think they are both awesome players, but they need to earn more respect before they can lead. They have coaches respect but not other players as much, i think. Pehaps if they are the last men standing from present team, then maybe sooner.
Dan – i dont see how you dont think we looked flat in the ok loss. No we didnt look terrible, but we shoulda won that game. Sometimes good teams loose, yes, but we just sucked it up for most of that game, and didnt put forth the effort.
Im not sure about Marvin being the weakest link, or Wade being the answer. I would like to see the team like it is with another solid, true #5 guy. I think we can play horford with another skilled big man (ZaZA isnt quite there) with josh and a couple good guards (JJ and JC) and we would be really good. We may have to move Marvin for that to happen, perhaps….i may be ok with that, but i still would like to see Marvin do well.
Also – as far as woody ruining previous players. Not buying that. I havnt watched but 2 years of hawk Bball intensely, but none of the other guys have been getting it done after they have left here…..I cant say with teague – i havnt been watching long enough to have a good reference point. My argument is that those other guys have bounced around and havnt found a home…..if you have the skills and are good, a home finds you pretty quick…..
As for JJ and crawfors – they arent mad at each other. JJ didnt mean anything i bet.
As Fundy said – JJ is a great compliment, but not a quite a leader, go to guy. hes just not consistent enough…..i suppose the double team doesnt help. but lots of other elite playes get the double, and still score……..just sayin.
JASon
January 20th, 2010
7:05 pm
Regardless of how good a player is, if he cannot knock down shots in the clutch, then we might be better off without him.
Gwinnett Fred
January 20th, 2010
7:10 pm
I’m still wondering how, with visual evidence, the refs couldn’t have made the correction that night!
I would at least like to hear that the Cavs timekeeper was chastised. I remember the Hawks scorekeeper getting singled out for a mistake a couple years ago against Toronto I believe. Fair is fair, but we are talking about King James and his court AT HIS CASTLE.
Stern is a weasel always has been, always will be.
DangerousDan87
January 20th, 2010
7:15 pm
The Hawks just couldn’t buy a shot even in the second half. Didn’t they have a run of 10 missed shots in a row. They are so close to becoming an elite team and can’t afford losses like that.Hopefully a better story tonight.
Sid
January 20th, 2010
7:20 pm
Here we go again with another high energy high scoring start by the Hawks starters at home. These guys need to get it together .
J.J.M.
January 20th, 2010
7:21 pm
smh trade joe for bosh
rms
January 20th, 2010
7:21 pm
Uh oh!!!!!!!
terrell
January 20th, 2010
7:23 pm
The vets really listened to Woody. What a start!
Sautee
January 20th, 2010
7:24 pm
Let’s go inside over and over.
terrell
January 20th, 2010
7:25 pm
Maybe we should start the bench and bring the starters in later on? lol!
J.J.M.
January 20th, 2010
7:26 pm
omg marvin is so clumsy
J.J.M.
January 20th, 2010
7:31 pm
lol a rookie killin joe
David Stern
January 20th, 2010
7:31 pm
Atlanta is the gayest city in America. Look it up.
David Stern
January 20th, 2010
7:34 pm
Oooh the shot clocks not working, somebody spank me!
terrell
January 20th, 2010
7:35 pm
Give Teague some burn Woody.
JSS
January 20th, 2010
7:37 pm
Hey, did anyone mention that NBA League Pass is a free trial now to the 24th? All platforms
Sid
January 20th, 2010
7:38 pm
The starters are basically yelling to Sund that they wont be able to get it done and that he should make a move.
Elmore Spencer
January 20th, 2010
7:38 pm
No. No they didnt
rms
January 20th, 2010
7:43 pm
I am not getting league pass JSS!!!
rms
January 20th, 2010
7:45 pm
Oh yes I do have it. Thanks JSS. I got league pass for a while and I didnt even know it
Sautee
January 20th, 2010
7:45 pm
Whatever happened to Mo Evans? He’s getting lost on D…. not like him.
Eric Wiley
January 20th, 2010
7:46 pm
I BELIEVE WE SHOULD MAKE JAMAL CRAWFORD OUR #1 OPTION IN THE 4TH..HE GETS TEAMMATES INVOLVED BETTER THAN JJ AND GETS TO THE LINE MORE AND SHOOTS BETTER…follow me on twitter please Mr. Cunningham…@dwaynedatguy….Im following you
terrell
January 20th, 2010
7:47 pm
Mountain, do you really want Josh guarding sf’s? Did you see how fast Jeff Green got by Smoove? Josh is a greta help defender but one on one? Not so good.
Mac-Town'z Finest 478
January 20th, 2010
7:48 pm
gettin out hustled again
J.J.M.
January 20th, 2010
7:48 pm
smh@this team
Sautee
January 20th, 2010
7:48 pm
This sh!t isn’t working!
J.J.M.
January 20th, 2010
7:49 pm
trade joe for bosh…start crawford….bosh will resign with the hawks cuz he will be close 2 ga tech
terrell
January 20th, 2010
7:49 pm
Teague wont see the floor again. Bank on it!
vava74
January 20th, 2010
7:51 pm
Hawks’ basketball is like “free jazz”, sometimes it sounds wonderful, sometimes it sounds like sh*t…
Mac-Town'z Finest 478
January 20th, 2010
7:53 pm
these boys havin their way
Mac-Town'z Finest 478
January 20th, 2010
7:54 pm
and look at that upcoming schedule
vava74
January 20th, 2010
7:54 pm
34 out of 44 points in the paint for the Kings…
…it says here that the switching defence is not working for us today…
Melvin
January 20th, 2010
7:55 pm
The Kings are scoring the ball from all angles on offense. Hawks are playing one on one basketball on offense…
vava74
January 20th, 2010
7:56 pm
that was a +1…
JJ never gets a break…
Sautee
January 20th, 2010
8:03 pm
Glad JJ’s shot is on, ’cause he can NOT guard Evans.
Mac-Town'z Finest 478
January 20th, 2010
8:03 pm
the Hawks desperately NEED a guy like Kevin Martin…that constantly gets to the line…he’d come in handy in the playoffs
Mac-Town'z Finest 478
January 20th, 2010
8:04 pm
lmao@ol buddy in the crowd with the gray shirt’s fro
J.J.M.
January 20th, 2010
8:05 pm
man evans is nice
KevinA
January 20th, 2010
8:09 pm
If you got Bosh – who is to say he would get passed to
vava74
January 20th, 2010
8:10 pm
Mac-Town’z,
The Hawks need desperately that the refs call the fouls on JJ, Al and on Josh which they constantly don’t call.
Just a few minutes ago it was a clear +1 for JJ and the refs remained, as usual, silent…
Furthermore, I don’t think we need another perimeter player who drains only 40% of his shots and plays absolutely no defence…
KevinA
January 20th, 2010
8:12 pm
We need a defensive guard who can pass the ball and run the team. Something we have not had in years. John Stockton out of retirement?
J.J.M.
January 20th, 2010
8:12 pm
i talk 2 bosh he said he would heavy consider signin with atl cuz of bein close 2 tech
KevinA
January 20th, 2010
8:15 pm
vava74
Furthermore, I don’t think we need another perimeter player who drains only 40% of his shots and plays absolutely no defence…
We got the slow version of this in Bibby
KevinA
January 20th, 2010
8:16 pm
Also if you got Bosh – who is going to pay for him.
J.J.M.
January 20th, 2010
8:18 pm
what you mean pay for him????
cp
January 20th, 2010
8:19 pm
I really wish it was another feed to this game because Nique is killing me. The Kings are abusing the Hawks in the paint. Like I said the other day, we need a big who can block some shots and rebound. End this Mario experiment and get a big in here. Evans is going to continue to do what he wants unless Woodrow makes some type of defensive adjustment and we all know Woodrow and adjustments don’t go together.
Sautee
January 20th, 2010
8:19 pm
Bobcats are beating the crap out of the Heat in Charlotte tonight.
Up 61-34 at half.
I’d say LOL about the Heat if we weren’t playing the ‘Cats Friday.
Blast
January 20th, 2010
8:19 pm
Hawks had better win this game!
Sautee
January 20th, 2010
8:21 pm
cp,
Horford has 3 blocks in the first half. Who do you think we can acquire that will do better than that?
Mac-Town'z Finest 478
January 20th, 2010
8:22 pm
vava74…maybe not exactly Martin but someone to give the rock to …that will find some way to get to the line quite often..and can actually make their free throw shots. No one on the Hawks seems to want to be this guy, maybe Horford can be???
Joe Johnson avoids the contact too much to get the calls of the LBJs of the world. It doesnt seem he will/wants to change that.
Mac-Town'z Finest 478
January 20th, 2010
8:24 pm
lol@Nique’s babble
Mac-Town'z Finest 478
January 20th, 2010
8:25 pm
Marvin has been keeping his balance a little better lately
vava74
January 20th, 2010
8:26 pm
KevinA,
What an argument… Mac was saying that we needed to trade for that.
Bibby is already in the roster and unless the Kings accepted Bibby for Martin or any other team accepted Bibby for a player like Martin, your argument is worth nothing.
I already know that Bibby is a defensive liability and his shot has been off during the past games. What else is new!
If Mac or you had said that we needed to get a PG who penetrated, dished and got FT, then we would be talking.
KevinA
January 20th, 2010
8:31 pm
vava74 ,
we need “to get a PG who penetrated, dished and got FT, then we would be talking.”
Wabe
January 20th, 2010
8:32 pm
From MC’s article:
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.”
Honestly, I read comments like this one coming from Bibby and can understand why we drop games like the one against OKC. Truthfully, as a vet, Bibby should be the one preaching the importance of taking care of business on a night to night basis. But, and this may just be me, Bibby’s body language + comments illustrate the lack of character/mental strength needed to win on a consistent basis.
I think when talking leadership amongst Hawks players, you don’t have to look farther than JJ/Bibby. Those 2 are essentially the vets that some of these Hawks have grew up around and should be the one’s that are vocal. I don’t think you can pin the Hawks lack of leadership on JJ. Sure, he may not be the most vocal guy, but I actually think JJ steps out on the court every night giving it his all in an attempt to get a W. I don’t know if I can say the same about Bibby after reading comments like that.
Maybe it’s just me…
Mac-Town'z Finest 478
January 20th, 2010
8:32 pm
Kevin Marvin = Drake
Mac-Town'z Finest 478
January 20th, 2010
8:32 pm
Martin*
KevinA
January 20th, 2010
8:34 pm
J.J.M.
January 20th, 2010
8:18 pm
what you mean pay for him????
He would put us over the cap
Mac-Town'z Finest 478
January 20th, 2010
8:34 pm
hey well atleast that proves Bibby is on the same page as his coach…they both seem to have an “everything is gonna be just fine” attitude.
Mac-Town'z Finest 478
January 20th, 2010
8:35 pm
nice find by crawford to horford
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.