Atlanta Hawks at Bucks: Too Much Fun Preparing For Games? (UPDATE: Crawford out with toe injury)
Woody's mad and Jamal is hurting. (AP Photo)
Milwaukee–(EDIT: Jamal Crawford (toe) is out. He said he hurt his right toe late in the Wizards game when (he thinks) big JaVale McGee came down on his foot while challenging a shot. He said he had turf toe during his New York days but that injury was “much worse” than this one. Crawford hopes to play Wednesday vs. Cleveland even if the game has no bearing on seeding for the playoffs.)
Tense scene at Hawks shootaround today. Woody was going over the Hawks’ defensive rotations and he felt some players were taking the lesson too lightly. So Woody told them in salty terms he didn’t see what was so funny considering opponents had been exploiting the Hawks’ in that very situation late in games.
Woody headed for the bus without talking to reporters. (Edit: In pregame Woody said: “That’s my time. That’s time for me and my staff. I don’t want to have to keep repeating myself because that means you’re not listening.”)
Clearly he’s not happy with the Hawks’ focus with game No. 81 tonight.
“That just comes with having a young team,” J.J. said. “Honestly that’s something we need to work on as players is locking in and having more attention to detail. Because that does come back to haunt us late in games.”
These things happen over the course of a long season, of course, but the circumstances had to bother Woody.
The Hawks are still playing for the third seed in the East. They aren’t a very good road team and have a tough task against the Bucks tonight, especially if with Jamal (toe) sits out. Leaving shooters open due to lax rotations has been an issue for much of the last half of the season–you only need to look back to the Wizards game Saturday to see how the Hawks can be nonchalant about rotating and closing out.
The Hawks seemed to take Woody’s blowup in stride.
“It can be tough late in the year like this,” Al said. “You don’t want to look ahead but you can’t help but look ahead at the playoffs. We have to do a better job as a team trying to key in and finish the right way.”
– The Bucks are 3-1 in games without Bogut. Old pro Kurt Thomas is picking up most of Bogut’s minutes and as pointed out by Charlie G., my old colleague at the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, the Bucks are adjusting on the fly without Bogut:
“Bucks coach Scott Skiles has to do a balancing act with his lineup now that Bogut is absent and the team is relying on a center trio of Thomas, Dan Gadzuric and Primoz Brezec. At times, Skiles has elected to go with a smaller lineup, as he did in the fourth quarter Saturday with Brandon Jennings, Luke Ridnour, John Salmons and Jerry Stackhouse combining with 6-10 Ersan Ilyasova.”
Thomas is in his 15th season. Obviously there’s a dropoff from Bogut to Thomas in production, skill and size. But Thomas still is a pretty good pick-and-pop shooter
and a tough rebounder and post defender.
“He’s a very solid vet that knows how to play,” Horford said. “That’s the kind of guy you like to have on your team.”
Look for Al to take Thomas out to the perimeter, where he should have little trouble zipping by him.
– The only thing that can be settled for the Hawks in the playoff picture tonight is eliminating Charlotte as a potential foe. That happens if Miami wins at Philadelphia tonight to draw 3 games clear of Charlotte with each team having two more to play. Both the Bucks and Bobcats would win a tiebreaker over the Heat.
Jon Newberry at Hawksbasketblog breaks it down: “(T)here are too many possible scenarios of how things could shake out to go through them all. The simplest scenario is if we win our last two games against Milwaukee and against Cleveland and Miami wins their last two game. In that case the matchups would be ATL (3) vs. MIL (6) and BOS (4) vs. MIA (5).”
– THHB has a poll up at Peachtree Hoops asking who Hawks fans would rather face in the first round. So far it’s the Bucks in a landslide.
MC
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339 comments Add your comment
Boy George
April 12th, 2010
10:41 pm
I like Ree Roe’s signatures – does that mean I’m gay?
BONEY= REE ROE
April 12th, 2010
10:41 pm
SHOULD BE OBVIOUS
BONEY
April 12th, 2010
10:44 pm
BONEY isn’t REE ROE – sorry to dissapoint you . . .
Section 303
April 12th, 2010
10:45 pm
Great win…gladly eat my words on this one!
Give a nod to Woody, though I know that might actually kill some of you. 52-wins!
Big Ray
April 12th, 2010
10:45 pm
Hate it when Woody makes quotes like that. Makes some people look incredibly ignorant, regardless of their own herculean attempts.
Anyway, loved that win. I can only imagine how hard we’ll be on the Bucks when Crawford is around. Also, so glad to see Josh Smith wasn’t injured seriously when he was hit in his thigh earlier. That one had me worried.
Joe was a straight beast. That’s the aggressive Joe you want to see. That’s the one who will terrorize the East in the playoffs.
cp
April 12th, 2010
10:47 pm
Lol yea Ray I have noticed that. It is what it is. Im glad Pachulia has finally got on a roll. He was really struggling this season but it seems he has found his game. I read about Mo likely opting out, I really hope we bring him back. When he gets the minutes he produces.
BONEY
April 12th, 2010
10:47 pm
Translation – Teague sucked tonight but it wasn’t all his fault.
Sorry Big Ray !!
BONEY=REE ROE=NORTHCYDE
April 12th, 2010
10:47 pm
DONT LIE TO YASELF
BONE
April 12th, 2010
10:49 pm
GOOD THING IS WE WON W.O JAMAAL………..AND DID YALL SEE JAMAAL BEING A LEBRON LIKE TEAMATE? ON THE SIDELINE PUMPIN HIS TEAMATES UP LIKE A LEADER SHOULD
BONEY
April 12th, 2010
10:50 pm
BONEY is the one and only – accept no imitators !!
Now, who are you with all the fake screen names? Come forward !!
Big Ray
April 12th, 2010
10:51 pm
cp ,
I hope we bring Mo back as well. But, guys go where they want to go. If he can get a better gig or more money, I can’t fault him. But we need an impact player like that off the bench, so I hope we either get a good replacement or re-sign him.
Tell me that phoney clown using another guy’s name is not trying to bait me. Arguing with an idiot is useless. They take you down to their level and then beat you with experience…..
pinoy hawk
April 12th, 2010
10:51 pm
boney, the hawks could have won more games if woody tried to “intelligently coach” on every regular season game! peace!
Grandad
April 12th, 2010
10:51 pm
Ree Roe
If Big Ray is the resident Teague dedender, then can I be 2nd chair?
Wabe:
I noticed the same thing. Teaguer looked like he was trying to pull away. Wdsn pretending like he’s coaching him up.
Great win I thought Zaza looked good, boxing out, making hustle plays.
The def. won the game.
Kudos to Wdsn. [see I don't hate the guy]
The hawks can be as good as they decide they want to be!
JeJe
April 12th, 2010
10:51 pm
Anyone else see Woody trying to talk to Teague when he took him out with 6 min left and Teague looking like he was about to cry?
BONEY
April 12th, 2010
10:52 pm
BONE,
You should have said, “ON THE SIDELINE PUMPIN HIS TEAMATES UP LIKE A CHEERLEADER SHOULD . . . whatever, the last man on the bench can do the same thing – go back to sleep.
Big Ray
April 12th, 2010
10:53 pm
BONEY is the one and only – accept no imitators !!
Now, who are you with all the fake screen names? Come forward !!
Okay, not that is funny.
If I had to guess, there is a pot trying to call a kettle black….just as soon as it can identify the kettle, that is…..what a hot mess…. 
I’m staying out of this one.
BONEY
April 12th, 2010
10:54 pm
JeJe.
Woody was only trying to congratulate Teague for his double-double tonight!
BONEY=FAKE BALONEY
April 12th, 2010
10:54 pm
STOP FAKING IT YOU FONEY. THERE IS NO BONEY ONLY FONEY BONE.
BONEY
April 12th, 2010
10:55 pm
Big Ray,
What is there to identify? I’ve used the same name all evening – what’s the problem?
BONEY=FAKE BALONEY
April 12th, 2010
10:55 pm
JEJE AND BONEY BOTH HAVE SAME CLASS IN HS
Ree Roe
April 12th, 2010
10:57 pm
@ Big Ray,
You refuse to even venture a GUESS as to why Teague plays so few minutes now. Maybe it’s b/c the Rook aint ready. So here comes the predictable & tired Ray Ray response:
Me: if Woody liked him why doesn’t he play more?
Ray Ray: “Oh well umm he had a 5 game stretch where he looked like a STAR!!! See that’s my proof! I kno I picked an arbitrary 5 games but hey leave Teague alone! I dunno why Woody doesn’t not play Teague. I thought he loveded him so much.”
Me: SMH
Hawks STILL need a backup PG
-i REEk of Roe!!!
Big Ray
April 12th, 2010
10:57 pm
Grandad ,
Room on the wagon, sir. We crazy people have to stick together.
BONEY ,
I don’t have a problem with you. I’m laughing at you. I don’t care what name you use, bruh.
BONEY
April 12th, 2010
10:57 pm
This bozo has the nerve to call somebody phony – he uses a different name with each post! Hilarious !!
BONEY
April 12th, 2010
10:59 pm
That’s cool Big Ray – just putting my 2 cents in. How that makes me phony, who knows?
cp
April 12th, 2010
11:00 pm
Ehh that was very corny
BONEY
April 12th, 2010
11:02 pm
cp,
What was very corny?
BONEY
April 12th, 2010
11:05 pm
pinoy hawk,
On the flip side . . .
The hawks could have LOST more games if woody didn’t “intelligently coach” on every regular season game! peace!
Big Ray
April 12th, 2010
11:07 pm
Ree Roe ,
I don’t like liars. I never said Teague looked or played like a star. I said several times that his stats in that stretch were comparable to those of Ty Lawson, a guy YOU brought up to try and compare to Teague. Sorry, but if you compare guys, you have to compare every detail/stat. Lawson gets 20 mpg. So, I found one stretch during the season where Teague got as many minutes per game as Lawson does. Wonder of wonders, they had near identical stats, with Teague having better assists. Yes, Teague’s shot needs some work. Jason Kidd had a crappy shot when he came into the league. So did Brevin Knight. So did Craig Claxton. Brandon Jennings is shooting 37% from the field. Guess what? That’s no better than Teague, and Jennings is a starter from Day One. How do you explain that one? What, Jennings gets more points and assists? What would happen if that crappy shooting of his got his minutes cut down to 9 a game? I could tell you, but you’d only ignore me. And NO, I’m not saying Teague is as good as Jennings. Clearly he’s not. Funny thing is, Jennings couldn’t score much on Teague when he was in the game….
What you can’t stand is that I have a valid point, and that it disagrees with your opinion. Keeping twisting and turning what I say. In the meantime, explain to me why Woody gave Teague the minutes he got. Explain to me why Woody gave Teague more than 5 minutes in ANY game. Can you? I’ll wait.
Meanwhile, my explanation for Teague’s minutes, as stated by Woody itself, stands. No matter how many times you twist my words into lies. You simply don’t play a rookie pg on a team that wants to win 50+ games and win it’s division, when you have a veteran pg, and two high scoring veteran shooting guards.
I think Woody made the right decision to limit Teague’s minutes, and it wouldn’t matter if he was hitting 50% of his shots. There is no substitute for experience unless a rookie is also a superstar. Guess what? I’ve never said or even thought Teague was a superstar. I only wanted to see him get 15 mpg.
So enough with the twisting of words.
Big Ray
April 12th, 2010
11:09 pm
If bad shooting was all it took to bench a guy, Brandon Jennings should be glued to the bench, and Luke Ridnour should play 35 mpg. According to that logic, Scott Skiles is an utter fool. Don’t you hate it when your own logic bites you in the a$$?
BONEY ,
Stick around long enough, and people will call you more interesting things. Well maybe not you . But guys like me who don’t give in easily (especially if we have a valid point), are a different matter. LOL
BONEY
April 12th, 2010
11:09 pm
Ok – raise you hand if you thought the Hawks would have more wins than Boston and the same total as Denver, Utah, and Phoenix.
. . . and still, they want to fire the coach
UGA
April 12th, 2010
11:12 pm
We control our own destiny for the 3rd seed. If it comes to the last game, if the Cavs beat us, they could play us round 2. IF they lose to us, they could get Boston who split with them 2-2.
I’m looking for LeBron and Shaq to play Wednesday. Hopefully the Bulls win tomorrow and we don’t have to worry about it.
BONEY
April 12th, 2010
11:14 pm
It’s all good, Ray – I’ve learned when they can’t beat you intellectually, they resort to name-calling. Whatever makes them feel better, I guess.
Big Ray
April 12th, 2010
11:18 pm
Ree Roe ,
You refuse to even venture a GUESS as to why Teague plays so few minutes now. Maybe it’s b/c the Rook aint ready.
Maybe it never occurred to you that I’m not arguing this point one bit. What I’m saying is that Woody looked at Teague back in training camp and decided that this was so. YOU are saying that Teague has proven over the course of the season that he is not ready. I’m trying (really hard, mind you) that Woody made this decision a long time ago, before Teague even played his first regular season game.
Why play a rookie big minutes (25-30+) every game in a season where you are trying to win your division, unless said rookie has proven to be a superstar? Why think a rookie is a superstar if he wasn’t a lottery pick (Teague was the #19 pick, as I recall). Rookie pgs do NOT get you deep into the playoffs. Even Chris Paul couldn’t do it, and he was one of the best rookie pgs to come into the league since Jason Kidd. Do you think Brandon Jennings will get the Bucks past us and into the 2nd round of the playoffs? I’ll bet you two things: 1) He won’t, and 2) Luke Ridnour will see some serious minutes (probably more than the 21.4 mpg he plays now) in the playoffs against us.
Hawks need a backup pg
They needed one last year, too. But Woody likes going with the scoring guard that backs up his two starting guards. Jamal ain’t a pg. Flip ain’t a pg. We haven’t had a backup pg since the last time Speedy Claxton managed to stay healthy longer than 5 minutes.
And now I will say the deplorable, evil, nastiest thing in the world.
Draft Deron Williams or CP3 instead of you-know-who, and we aren’t even having this conversation. End of story.
Big Ray
April 12th, 2010
11:21 pm
BONEY ,
That’s how it goes sometimes.
I tell you what, Woody deserves the chance to prove that he can can’t get us past the 2nd round of the playoffs. To do that, you have to give him a few tries at it. Maybe several. This is Woody (and the team’s) first realistic crack at the 2nd round of the playoffs. Last year was what it was: less talent and a bundle of injuries.
This year is more talent and better health, but still not all the roster could be.
I don’t want Woody to fail. His failure is the team’s failure. They are irretrievably linked.
Big Ray
April 12th, 2010
11:23 pm
And I have to admit…..I didn’t know if we’d outwin Boston (though I said this was our absolute best chance to break into the top 3 of the East), or match Denver and Utah.
Funny thing is….I didn’t see Phoenix doing as well as they have.
Big Ray
April 12th, 2010
11:23 pm
And with that, I’m out. I’ll let Ree Roe chew on the last few paragraphs if it’s not past his bedtime.
checkmate
April 12th, 2010
11:31 pm
Don’t you love to see a guy trying to win a debate but his own logic is used to kill any argument he had lol. How can one try to make a point yet his logic is the total opposite of what he is arguing for. People bring your A game. You cant rely on silly jokes and the twisting of words against facts. In all honesty the only person on the bench who had consistent minutes all year was Jamal Crawford. So that’s another dagger in that silly argument about minutes. Certainly all the guys on the bench cant be bad. Mo Evans said last week the reason he was playing so well is because he was finally getting consistent minutes. Who knew that all a player had to do to play well was get consistent minutes. Yea I think we can call this one checkmate. Ray has pretty much ripped apart this debate. Maybe next time youngster.
Grandad
April 12th, 2010
11:41 pm
Mr. Boney: (sir)
I said last evening that we are about where I thought we would be and
if you are relating that to the fact of whether or not I preferred a new coach then as opposed to now then the answer is yes & yes just as it was & is.
As all of this relates to young Mr. Teague, it has a direct correlation
upon the current & future success as well as the prospectus in the play-offs as it pertains to our overall depth not to mention our depth @ pt. guard and the ability to defend quickness.
Najeh Davenpoop
April 12th, 2010
11:48 pm
To SWAT Native: huge thanks for the bargain hunter link dude, you probably saved me like $100. Got me playoff tix for games 1 and 2.