Heat at Hawks, AKA Woody Looking At What Happens After The Weekend
Woody didn’t give the expected “win this one for momentum going into the All-Star break” spiel. Instead, he’s more concerned about what the Hawks do when they return to work on Feb. 15 in LA.
“After tonight’s game we really to make a serious push,” he said. “We need to be committed after the All-Star game. Guys will get a chance to rest their bodies over the break but they’ve really got to be more committed when they come back. Not that they haven’t done that so far, but the mental focus has really got to be there.”
Not surprisingly, Woody wants to see better defense and rebounding.
“We have so much slippage in those areas because we are not committed to the scheme,” he said.
Offensively, he said the Hawks need to be sharper in the halfcourt because that’s how opponents are trying to force them to play.
“The teams we play know we are much better when we are up and down” he said.
– Jamal was a late scratch. The Hawks said he aggravated his left shoulder in his sleep last night. He’s had trouble with the shoulder in the past. Tough break for the Hawks under any circumstances, but especially because Jamal usually lights up the Heat.
– Zaza (hip) is out. His MRI showed no significant damage but the Hawks decided to sit him until after the All-Star break. After tonight they next play on Feb. 17 at the Clippers, giving Zaza a total of 12 days of rest.
– USA Basketball released its roster for this summer’s world championships and the 2012 London Olympics. No Hawks are on it. J.J. played in the 2006 FIBA World Championships, when the U.S. won bronze.
– After the Heat lost to the Bulls on Saturday for its fifth straight defeat, Dwyane Wade said coach Erik Spoelstra’s offense is too predictable and questioned whether Spo is willing to be flexible. The two later tried to downplay his comments but no one was really buying it.
Wade of course can become a free agent this summer. So the whole thing set off speculation that he wants Spoelstra out at the same time Heat prez Pat Riley appears to be doing everything he can to trade for Amare Stoudemire.
Sounds like Wade is frustrated to be on a bad team but he had to know it would be like this. He also knows Riley isn’t one to let his team struggle for too long before making a move, so help should be on the way.
– Talk amongst yourselves, Hawks fans.
MC
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180 comments Add your comment
Mac-Town'z Finest 478
February 10th, 2010
8:30 pm
atleast Teague’s looked better than Acie
However, IF Teague turns out to be an NBA journeyman with his peak production year being around 5-6 ppg….then the Hawks should just stop drafting people period and use ALL their draft spots in package deal trades for already proven players……tired of us drafting busts,
stevo
February 10th, 2010
8:31 pm
2 responses:
1) it only takes a second to see how bad his jump shot is. it isn’t just bad, it is grotesque. it is like some funky set/push shot. it is not an nba shot. that will likely never change.
2) this is probably a moot point, because it is something that some people just cannot grasp or understand. maybe the shortcoming is mine, so whatever. but if you have ever played on any kind of team (or even if you haven’t – it really isn’t that hard to grasp, which makes it that much more confounding that everybody on here can’t seem to grasp it!), you understand what practice is, and you see who can play and who cannot. so my contention is (and this is apparently a revolutionary thought in these parts) that if teague was playing well in practice (i.e. controlling the offense, scoring or distributing, shooting well, etc.), that would lead to more playing time in the games. much more likely is that he plays just as poorly in practice as we see in the games, and all you all simply cannot accept something you do not see.
or, you just want a ‘prototypical’ looking point guard, no matter how badly he makes the team play….
i admit, i cannot understand it……
(this reminds me of the arguments over ‘big beefy run-stuffing dt’s’ in football – the idea that all you need is a big fat guy in the middle and the rest takes care of itself; uh, no…..)
BONE
February 10th, 2010
8:32 pm
Duckman!!!!!!!!!!
stevo
February 10th, 2010
8:32 pm
nope, have no problem with him developing in due time and learning from the bench and in practice. i just don’t get the need around here to play him when he clearly is not good right NOW.
O'Brien
February 10th, 2010
8:34 pm
stevo,
Woody has said Teague will run the Hawks someday. Woody said Teague has played well in the preseason. Woody said his time will come, but because of the veterans on the team, he has chosen not to play Teague much.
Hmm…I wonder what Woody has seen to make him think that Teague will be running the Hawks in the future
Mac-Town'z Finest 478
February 10th, 2010
8:36 pm
wow@tonight……The Arena has the atmosphere of a below .500 JV Girls home game at some high school.
joeBjo
February 10th, 2010
8:37 pm
carry us home, smoove.
Blast
February 10th, 2010
8:37 pm
Game is getting intense!
Melvin
February 10th, 2010
8:38 pm
This is a very sloppy game…
BONE
February 10th, 2010
8:38 pm
LOL @ Mac.
but yea this is pretty sad
Wabe
February 10th, 2010
8:38 pm
I’m telling yall, J-Smoove’s jumpers looking better and better!!
irepATL
February 10th, 2010
8:38 pm
lovin smoovs shot man , lookin real nice , he gets that consistant, he’s gonna be a problem
Mac-Town'z Finest 478
February 10th, 2010
8:41 pm
hmmmm….Josh just did something I’ve always wondered. His jumpers are USUALLY a step or 2 inside the 3 point line…..maybe he should take more mid-ranged Js from around the same amount of distance from the basket as he was then…which is closer than you usually see him try to pull them from. He might can actually hit those with consistency.
Wabe
February 10th, 2010
8:41 pm
There was a time, definately not so long ago, when I used to moan and groan everytime I’d see Josh Smith spotting up for a jumper, no matter how far he was from the basket.
But his jumper has come a long way.
Blast
February 10th, 2010
8:41 pm
Hawks just have to keep sharing the ball, and stop turning the ball over!
stevo
February 10th, 2010
8:42 pm
he has probably seen what we can all see and the reason he had success in college and the reason he was drafted in the first round – undeniable and exceptional athleticism. and once he matures and develops and grows into the nba, hopefully he will improve his ‘jump’ shot to at least minimally awful levels, and hopefully he can lead the team.
the point is this is not 5 years ago or whatever when a hopelessly outmatched josh smith should be playing 30 minutes a night or whatever and it is ok for the hawks to lose 60 games. the hawks are good; maybe very good. they can afford to let teague learn on the bench, because in no circumstance (NONE!!!!) is he a better option to have on the floor than bibby/johnson/or crawford.
i’ll try it like this:
if you agree he does not exactly light it up when he does play, are you suggesting that if given one month of consistent 15-20 minutes a night and he still does the same (shoots in the 30% range, turns the ball over and looks generally lost), then you would be satisfied that he is not ready and would be happy to wait. i am saying i believe there is no question that is how he would do, and if you gave him that opportunity you would lose how many games as a result? 2, 3, more? and what would that cost in terms of potential home court in the playoffs? have you seen how close the standings are?
it is a no brainer.
irepATL
February 10th, 2010
8:43 pm
like bibby right now as well, hopefull after the allstar break he cankeep it up
Mac-Town'z Finest 478
February 10th, 2010
8:43 pm
lol like those….barely inside the 3 pt line. BRICK
come in a little closer and shoot it, Josh.
BONE
February 10th, 2010
8:44 pm
Man this is a low scoring game. Just sloppy and bad
BONE
February 10th, 2010
8:45 pm
Oh man ducktales AWOOOOHOOOO Marvin
Melvin
February 10th, 2010
8:45 pm
Marvin with a NASTY dunk…
irepATL
February 10th, 2010
8:45 pm
marrrrrrrrvin wit tha jaaaaammmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm
joeBjo
February 10th, 2010
8:46 pm
Marvin for slam dunk contest!
Mac-Town'z Finest 478
February 10th, 2010
8:46 pm
lmao@O’Neal pulled his best “marvin williams” impersonation…..tripping up and falling to the deck
then Marvin goes in for the flying duckman jam
EPIC
joeBjo
February 10th, 2010
8:47 pm
Wade gets calls like LBJ.
Big Ray
February 10th, 2010
8:48 pm
Marvin says, “Trade me if you wanna…”
Meanwhile, BALL DON’T LIE, D-Wade…
northcyde
February 10th, 2010
8:49 pm
The point that he’s making about Teague, is that people act like there is some conspiracy by Woody to keep him off the floor . . . when it is OBVIOUS that the kid isn’t ready. If he can’t produce against the backup PG with the 2nd team, he’s not going to make it in this league.
Bibby is in decline, but he’s still light years ahead of Teague as a PG. The crazy thing is that Teague was a fairly high scoring PG at Wake Forest, yet, he can’t score on the NBA level.
Hoprfully, when Woody puts him back in the game, that he’ll look a little better.
But people need to stop acting like Woody has something against Teague. This dude is simply not ready. And you don’t sacriifice games to get him playing time, if he’s going to be detrimental to the team.
Mac-Town'z Finest 478
February 10th, 2010
8:49 pm
Joe needs to incorporate “going to the rack hard” to his game….for times when his finesse style isnt working. I mean he has the tools to get to the hole, just start going stronger!!!
Blast
February 10th, 2010
8:50 pm
This is the old Hawks without Crawford. Looks familiar? But they should pull this off tonight. Other players have improved.
vava74
February 10th, 2010
8:50 pm
ugly, ugly…
I have a feeling that Wade will suddenly wake up at closing time and by then we will not have the energy to keep up…
Big Ray
February 10th, 2010
8:53 pm
Somehow I don’t think Teague improving his jumper will be a problem.
I can think of another pg who came into the league with a worse shooting issue. Jason Kidd. Not that anybody’s ever heard of him…
BONE
February 10th, 2010
8:53 pm
No I disagree Big Ray Teague’s jumper is completely broken.
Melvin
February 10th, 2010
8:53 pm
Stevo,
Only way Teague (or any rookie) is going to get better is to play real mins. There’s no substitute for game experience…
BONE
February 10th, 2010
8:54 pm
And you can’t compare a future Hall of Famer (kidd) to Teague. Thats why they say Kidd is the only player that can dominate a game without scoring a point.
vava74
February 10th, 2010
8:55 pm
we are going to lose this one…
terrell
February 10th, 2010
8:55 pm
We look lost without our STAR player.
niremetal
February 10th, 2010
8:55 pm
JJ pressing way, way too much. Pull him, Woody.
stevo
February 10th, 2010
8:57 pm
ha ha ha ha
oh my goodness…
because one of the best high school/college/professional basketball players to ever play the game. a man with unparalleled court vision/intelligence and complementary athletic tools could survive with a poor jump shot, then clearly that translates to a good college player/mid-late first round pick/6th point guard taken having the same success. clearly. makes all the sense in the world. no question. brilliant.
KnightHawk
February 10th, 2010
8:57 pm
Damn, can Joe Johnson be any less of a leader?!
Big Ray
February 10th, 2010
8:59 pm
Teague clearly isn’t ready for the big time minutes yet.
Funny how wanting him to play 10 minutes or more in a game has been turned (predictably) into the usual refrain about how horrible of a player he is and how Mike Bibby is 500 times the player he is, blah blah blah.
Woody likes the kid, and he’s going to give him a chance when he thinks it is best. Woody has spoken nothing but good of him, so I’m wondering how those who don’t have inside access (I’m betting that’s pretty much anybody that’s blogging, except the beat writer) seem to know exactly what kind of player Teague is, and have such a differing opinion than the man’s own coach. Heh….
This organization hasn’t exactly been conducive to the development of young guards. However, I don’t think this is the same situation as we’ve seen in the past. The entire organization speaks well of Teague, and did so from the get go. I’m sure it will be fine.
stevo
February 10th, 2010
8:59 pm
all right, i am going to switch tracks and go after this vava character. i don’t come on this board every game, but whenever i do this guy is talking about how the hawks are definitely going to lose. usually in the third quarter and usually when the hawks are probably ahead. and then he continues in this vain for the rest of this game.
dude, you are weak! you have such low self regard that you cannot handle any loss in which you have not spent the majority of the game preparing yourself for such an event. to each his own and all, but it is really pathetic how you bring that stuff on here constantly.
just saying….
cheers!
O'Brien
February 10th, 2010
9:00 pm
If thats Bibby, he is walking the ball up the court. And the Hawks are better when they push it.
Man, JJ had missed 10 consecutive shots before that one.
KnightHawk
February 10th, 2010
9:00 pm
With Jamal Crawford down it’s clear the Hawks need to shore up the bench with another proven scorer.
BONE
February 10th, 2010
9:02 pm
Joe wtf was that. stop ballhoggin
Melvin
February 10th, 2010
9:02 pm
Big Ray,
These guys better review Teague college tape. He was hitting jumpers with that same broken shot. Give him time, let him learn under fire and take his lumps b/c he’s going to learn how to be effective at this level. Similiar to a kid going to the park and playing against the big boys for the first time. They will block his shots and ruff him up the first few times out until the kid get use to playing with them and soon after he will be just one of the guys with his own tricks…
Big Ray
February 10th, 2010
9:03 pm
BONE,
If it was completely broken, he’d never make one. I’ve seen him make jumpers in games. It will be fine, he just has to put some work in. A lot. But the best shooters in the game work hard on their shot. It’s just work, but he will need a pro to help him out.
Stevo ,
My, my. How we’ve missed your unsurpassed penchant for condescending sarcasm. I’m talking about a jumpshot. I’m not comparing point guard skills, court vision, passing, or anything else. Please read my post and if you don’t know where I’m aiming, just ask. Otherwise just scroll on. Thankyou.
Melvin
February 10th, 2010
9:04 pm
I dont think I ever seen Horford in a slump for this many games…. 6 turnovers… wow
Superiority Complex
February 10th, 2010
9:05 pm
dude, you are weak! you have such low self regard that you cannot handle any loss in which you have not spent the majority of the game preparing yourself for such an event. to each his own and all, but it is really pathetic how you bring that stuff on here constantly.
Wabe
February 10th, 2010
9:06 pm
Cook’s killing Mo Evans.
Melvin
February 10th, 2010
9:07 pm
I would have like to see Woody rest Joe the first two mins of the 4th qtr so he could be fresh to closed the game..