Bucks at Hawks, AKA Waiting on Big Z and Looking For Tough D
At least three reports surfaced over the weekend saying Zyrdunas Ilgauskas will re-sign with Cleveland.
His agent, Herb Rudoy insisted those reports are “very premature” and said the Hawks are still in contention to sign Ilgauskas.
“I’ve gotten a number of calls about that, and it’s absolutely not true,” Rudoy said today. “Could it happen? Absolutely. But he has not made a decision. That will be at least a few more days from now if not more.”
Rudoy said he wasn’t sure of Ilgausaks’ motivations other than a desire to play for a team with championship aspirations.
“We haven’t gotten past this whole thing of being traded away,” he said. “That was sort of expected but it didn’t make him happy. He’s got a lot of years invested in Cleveland, and that makes it a very complicated decision for him. He wants to win a championship, but I don’t know how (else) he will make a decision. He told me he’s taking his time, and that’s what he will do.”
According to reports, the list of suitors for Ilguaskas had grown to include Boston, Miami and San Antonio as well as the Hawks, Cleveland, Dallas, and Denver. If money is an issue for Ilgauskas, who reportedly gave up $1.5 million to secure a buyout from Washington, then the Hawks, Jazz and Heat can offer him the most salary.
Those three teams have their full mid-level salary cap exceptions available and could offer Ilgauskas 36 percent more in prorated salary than Cleveland, which has only its bi-annual exception available. The Jazz and Heat are near the luxury-tax line while the Hawks are comfortably below.
The Hawks, who also have their bi-annual exception, have appeared reluctant to use either to sign Ilgauskas. Rudoy wouldn’t discuss the specifics of the offers to Ilgauskas but said the Hawks have been “very aggressively pursuing” him.
“Rick Sund calls me at least once a day to talk about how Zyrdunas would be helpful and would have a great opportunity there,” he said. “Joe Smith has called him told him what a great situation it would be for him. I just don’t know what he’s going to do.”
– Over the first 45 games, the Hawks allowed 10 opponents to shoot better than 50 percent and 17 to beat them on the boards. In the last 12 games, six opponents have shot better than 50 percent and eight have collected more rebounds.
No doubt the Hawks have issues on offense, especially late in games. But maybe that wouldn’t matter so much if they defended and rebounded at the level they did for much of the first half of the season.
“(The slippage) has been huge in terms of how we started the season and where we are today,” Woody said. “Somehow we’ve got to get our mojo back in terms of our defensive attitude and rebounding the basketball because we are just barely hanging on in those areas. We are going to need that the rest of the way. You look at the good teams that are winning, they are getting after it defensively and they are rebounding the ball. If we come in with the mindset that we are just going to outscore teams that’s not good enough for me.”
Why the slippage considering Woody’s a defensive guy?
“Our scoring is up,” he said. “I don’t know if guys just feel like we’ll make it up on the offensive end. Sometimes that’s good and you do that. In the past couple years I can count on our guys to get key stops and rebounds and hustle plays. We are not doing enough of that right now, and we’ve got to get back to that.”
And he said all that before the Mavs shot 52.2 percent and had 50 rebounds to 41 for the Hawks. Now here come the Bucks, who’ve won six straight and nine of 11 overall and six straight on the road. They are tied for 14th in the league with a 50.3 percent rebounding rate while the Hawks are tied for 24th at 49.4 percent.
– Late add: The post-game blog will go up late tonight because I’ve got to run and catch the team’s flight to Chicago. You know, in case you care.
– Talk amongst yourselves, Hawks fans.
MC
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593 comments Add your comment
bigdave
February 28th, 2010
8:45 pm
Najeh…
he’s a shooter… he is what he is… think what you want, he’s taken high % shots all year… he’s made a consistent effort to get points in the lane… a high IQ player… if he could drive dont you think he would chose too… your coach should iso him on the block
Live From the Westside of Macon (artist formerly known as Mac-Town'z Finest 478)
February 28th, 2010
8:45 pm
lol a player can eff up CONSISTENTLY then does one or a few things right and people come along like “uh oh uh oh what were you saying”……
Boys were in here like Bibby has been playing like an all star all year when he finally made back 2 back 3s last game.
BONE
February 28th, 2010
8:45 pm
LMAO @ the folks on this blog trying to compare Joe to Kobe and Melo. Man stop smokin’
bigdave
February 28th, 2010
8:46 pm
“Kobe had 12 assists and 8 free throw attempts today and his team beat a legit contender.”
ask yourself who else on this team has proven you can go them for a bucket…?
rob
February 28th, 2010
8:46 pm
wow they are going to be done tommorow night in Chicago the starters were ran into the ground
J.J.M.
February 28th, 2010
8:47 pm
lol@bone
rob
February 28th, 2010
8:47 pm
Joe needs to be compared to like Brandon Roy. Not Kobe or Melo
Taylor
February 28th, 2010
8:47 pm
rob
February 28th, 2010
8:46 pm
wow they are going to be done tommorow night in Chicago the starters were ran into the ground
just was saying that to myself
Melvin
February 28th, 2010
8:47 pm
Again, lets S&T Chills to the buck for Salmons…
J.J.M.
February 28th, 2010
8:47 pm
mannnn
rob
February 28th, 2010
8:47 pm
uh oh
LOL@Ken!
February 28th, 2010
8:48 pm
Why does every team go to Al’s man in crunch time?
Who’s choice is it to play that stupid azz YMCA village flaggot Music? no wonder the Hawks are struggling!
niremetal
February 28th, 2010
8:48 pm
Shoulda inbounded and saved that timeout…
joBjo
February 28th, 2010
8:48 pm
think the bench will get some minutes tomorrow?
bigdave
February 28th, 2010
8:48 pm
if Kobe was on this team with THIS SCHEME he would have put up 26 shots as well… like he hasn’t done it before…
Najeh Davenpoop
February 28th, 2010
8:49 pm
“he’s a shooter… he is what he is… think what you want, he’s taken high % shots all year… he’s made a consistent effort to get points in the lane… a high IQ player… if he could drive dont you think he would chose too… your coach should iso him on the block”
Danilo Gallinari is a “shooter”. Daequan Cook is a “shooter”. Joe Johnson is a lot more than just that. The fact that he limits himself to just “shooting” when he is capable of so much more is incredibly frustrating. I’m not saying he hasn’t had good games this year, or even that he hasn’t had a good season. In fact I’m not even saying he shouldn’t shoot. I am saying that on days like today when his shot is clearly off, he doesn’t understand how to change his approach to maintain his effectiveness. He is too talented to have a net negative effect on games like he’s had today.
But I agree about the coach.
bigdave
February 28th, 2010
8:50 pm
Marvin…
joBjo
February 28th, 2010
8:50 pm
WHEW!!!!
Taylor
February 28th, 2010
8:50 pm
-exhales in relief-
bigdave
February 28th, 2010
8:50 pm
more Marvin… less Jamal.
falcon21
February 28th, 2010
8:50 pm
This team has as much talent as anyone minus the big man. That being said Morris is a big man but is never used. Talent is available on the bench. Teague is wasting his time as a Hawk as long as we have Woody. A six man RO will not get it done in the NBA.
Melvin
February 28th, 2010
8:50 pm
Whewwwww…. Hard fought win…
mgm
February 28th, 2010
8:50 pm
Are you kidding me. These Hawks have regressed as the year has gone by. They were better when they thought they weren’t. Now they are falling back into the team that plays 3 quarters of team ball and the end of the game like they have forgotten what got them there. ISO Joe is not effective against good teams. Where is the bench. Where is the ball movement. They are going to make the playoffs. They ought to forget about position and take the remainder of the season to work in the bench players and no matter what the score play team ball at the end of the game. Win or Lose.
J.J.M.
February 28th, 2010
8:50 pm
so who grabbed the back of their head?
Blast
February 28th, 2010
8:50 pm
Wow! Hawks had us on a bender there for a while, but they pulled it off!
Now Hawks half a game ahead of Boston.
Loserville USA
February 28th, 2010
8:50 pm
Time to spray the Wizard air freshener because the bathroom stinks again.
After last night’s Nets-Celtics game the 4-0 record against Boston doesn’t look too shiny, does it?
LUCKY.
BONE
February 28th, 2010
8:50 pm
Seriously ya’lls love affar with Joe is hilarious LOL.
JeJe
February 28th, 2010
8:51 pm
The Philips Arena scorers table crew is a joke. How do you not control the clock? How does it magically start running during FTs? It’s an embarrassment being affiliated with this franchise
Sautee
February 28th, 2010
8:52 pm
bigdave,
The point about Kobe was that he adjusted his game to be a distributor when he wasn’t hitting his shots. I’d love to see Joe make similar adjustments.
Yes, Kobe has been selfish earlier in his career. But not tonight.
Najeh Davenpoop
February 28th, 2010
8:52 pm
“if Kobe was on this team with THIS SCHEME he would have put up 26 shots as well… like he hasn’t done it before…”
I have a much bigger problem with Joe’s 2 free throw attempts than his 26 shots attempted. If Kobe was in a scheme designed around isolating him, there’s no way he (or Melo, or Wade, or Brandon Roy) would end up with only 2 free throw attempts.
joBjo
February 28th, 2010
8:52 pm
HE’S ALL WE GOT. BONE.
Concerned Citizen
February 28th, 2010
8:52 pm
Josh does the defensive and sorry aise al gets the rebound.
Amongst all NBA center Big Azz Al is number 23 for block shots. We wouldnt have to got to over time If Al would start knocking people on their butts. Instead hes always on his….looking for a place to lay down and wolf a whooper.
rob
February 28th, 2010
8:53 pm
Woody will put the bench players in all at the same time. In the 2nd quarter. And then we wont ever see them again. Starters all played 40 plus minutes including crawford. Except Bibby had 23. Oh well Woodson said it before. its not about minutes its about wins. Really Woody? nuff said
Live From the Westside of Macon (artist formerly known as Mac-Town'z Finest 478)
February 28th, 2010
8:53 pm
Did anybody catch last game when Joe too it to the hole strong and finished…I think some other cat and myself pointed it out on the blog. Why cant he do that more????
I agree he limits himself and has more confidence in his jumper than getting to the rack.
Concerned Citizen
February 28th, 2010
8:54 pm
falcon21 as sorry as Al is hes better than any one on our bench in the 5 position.
bigdave
February 28th, 2010
8:54 pm
c’mon…
there is a difference b/t those players and a Joe Johnson… yes he has the ability to play make.. drive… etc. however, like Vick when in doubt.. he will go to what he does best.. if he feels its time to drive he will … if he trust his shot more he will shoot… w/ his lack of explosiveness and the way refs officiate him trust he’ll do what gives him the best opportunity to excel. if thats his highly contested floater he’ll take it, if its a fall away he’ll put it up.. its a preference thing with Joe, you either like his game or you dont.
Live From the Westside of Macon (artist formerly known as Mac-Town'z Finest 478)
February 28th, 2010
8:55 pm
Josh really impressed me tonight when he was giving it his all, full of energy, while the other guys lagged around lookin like bums.
JeJe
February 28th, 2010
8:55 pm
GOOD JOB WOODY. YOU RUN 2 STARTERS INTO THE GROUND WITH MINUTES AND HAVE CHICAGO TOMORROW NIGHT. TEAGUE PLAYS WELL IN 1ST HALF BUT IT NO WHERE TO BE SEEN IN 2ND. I DONT TIHNK I’VE SEEN TEAGUE PLAY IN THE 2ND HALF IN RELEVANT MINUTES IN ABOUT 3 MONTHS
WOODSON IS JUIST COACHING FOR A CONTRACT. THIS TEAM IS GOING TO BE BURNT OUT JUST SAVING THE #4 SEED FOR APRIL. WHO CARES ABOUT #3 SEED? ORLANDO OWNS US WORSE THAN CLEVELAND.
JeJe
February 28th, 2010
8:55 pm
GOOD JOB WOODY. YOU RUN 2 STARTERS INTO THE GROUND WITH MINUTES AND HAVE CHICAGO TOMORROW NIGHT. TEAGUE PLAYS WELL IN 1ST HALF BUT IT NO WHERE TO BE SEEN IN 2ND. I DONT TIHNK I’VE SEEN TEAGUE PLAY IN THE 2ND HALF IN RELEVANT MINUTES IN ABOUT 3 MONTHS
WOODSON IS JUIST COACHING FOR A CONTRACT. THIS TEAM IS GOING TO BE BURNT OUT JUST SAVING THE #4 SEED FOR APRIL. WHO CARES ABOUT #3 SEED? ORLANDO OWNS US WORSE THAN CLEVELAND..
Najeh Davenpoop
February 28th, 2010
8:55 pm
“ask yourself who else on this team has proven you can go them for a bucket…?”
Josh, for one, was consistently being aggressive and ended up with 22 points on above 50% shooting. Mo Evans was hitting shots when he was in the game. Granted, Bibby and Crawford weren’t doing the Hawks any favors. But if Joe was driving more, he wouldn’t have to rely on jump shooters to convert his dimes. He’d be able to lay the ball off to big men too.
Wabe
February 28th, 2010
8:55 pm
Looks like the Hawks pulled out the W. I’ll take any win we get, but I still leave this game with more concern than joy. This team isn’t the same team that was the talk of the league earlier in the season. I think it’s natural for a team to have its ups and downs. But, the way we handle the downs ultimately determines which route this team takes going down the stretch. We’ve got to figure out these 4th quarter lulls.
I could honestly care less what seed we’re currently in or how many games back we are of the Cavs/Magic/C’s. This team clearly isn’t playing as well as they need to be playing at this time of year. So, I still feel the door to experiment is open.
By the way, as I say after every game, more minutes for JT0 please.
Melvin
February 28th, 2010
8:57 pm
Hmmm, The Bucks 7ft center fail to get a double-double in an overtime game and the Hawks undersized center did…
dhawk
February 28th, 2010
8:57 pm
Najeh: Joe was driving earlier in the game and Bogut keep swatting this stuff out of there. Can’t keep doing something that ain’t working
rob
February 28th, 2010
8:57 pm
the starters are already appearing burnt out. That really sucks
bigdave
February 28th, 2010
8:58 pm
so Joe doesnt facilitate when its there? are his teammates going to convert?
amazing… lol.. wow.. just bring in a guy in here thats gonna dunk and sell tix… and maybe miss 20 games… lol…
JeJe
February 28th, 2010
8:58 pm
MARVIN AND BIBBY SHOULD HAVE THE WORD “USELESS” ON THE BACK OF THEIR JERSEYS.
I’M TIRED OF PLAYING 4 ON 12 EVERY NIGHT. JOE, HORFORD, SMOOVE, AND CRAWFORD VS. 9 OTHER PLAYERS + 3 REFS = 12
bigdave
February 28th, 2010
8:58 pm
Josh scored on iso’s?
falcon21
February 28th, 2010
8:59 pm
CC, never said Al was sorry, love his play but thanks to Woody we never really see what the bench can do.
rob
February 28th, 2010
8:59 pm
Chicago will be tough tommorow. At least Salmons doesnt play for them anymore
Taylor
February 28th, 2010
8:59 pm
why do we only play the bucks three times?