Atlanta Hawks: Al Horford: ‘I am going to war with who I’ve got’ (Update: Hawks sign Etan Thomas)
Horford and Hawks hoping they have enough guys who can do this. (AP Photo)
When Al Horford said earlier this summer that the Hawks needed to add an “impact center” to be a serious contender in the Eastern Conference, I’m going to guess he wasn’t talking about Jason Collins (who had no impact for the Hawks last season) or Etan Thomas (whose impact lately has been blunted by injuries).
Yet as training camp approaches that’s what the Hawks have behind Horford and Zaza. They re-signed Collins early, struck out with Shaq (who had endorsements from both Al and Smoove) and Brad Miller and today added Thomas.
I bumped into Al at Philips today and asked him if that’s going to be enough to help the Hawks break through the ceiling that for this franchise has been short of the East finals for so long.
“I am going to war with who I’ve got,” Al said
What he’s got at center is Zaza, who came on at the end of last season and stacks up favorably against other NBA backups though he isn’t a stout deterrent at the rim; a leaner and apparently more-motivated version of Collins; and Thomas, a tough banger in the post who will try and show that injuries have not robbed him of his rebounding and shot-blocking ability.
Those three players plus Al, Smoove and Josh Powell will make up Atlanta’s frontcourt. That rotation, with L.D.’s plan to play Al at power forward and Smoove at small forward at times, is going to have to be enough.
Horford had hoped Atlanta would add an impact center who could split minutes with him at center and shore up the interior D against the likes of Dwight Howard and Boston’s frontcourt (and that was before the C’s added Jermaine O’Neal and Shaq). Now he will roll with Zaza, Twin and Thomas.
“I haven’t seen him, but I know that Jason Collins is coming in in great shape and has really worked,” Horford said. “He is a guy who could have been utilized a little more last year. And we’ve got Etan Thomas who will be here soon and he will be a great help, as well.”
After a long day of physicals with Atlanta’s medical people, Thomas had to smile when I asked him about his health. If he came through all the poking and prodding with passing grades, he must be good to go. “Everything is fine,” he said.
Why did he choose to sign with the Hawks?
“This is a great situation,” he said. “I was with Larry Drew in D.C. and I have a lot of respect for him. I like what he is doing here.”
Thomas said Drew made “no promises” about his role and just told him to be ready. Does Thomas think he still can provide the physical presence the Hawks are looking for?
“That’s what they brought me here for,” he said. “I’m going to put in a lot of hard work.”
Thomas, who will wear No. 36 for the Hawks, has earned a rep for physical, high-energy play around the basket.
“We need that inside toughness in here,” Al said. “The more that we have, the better.”
Jamal Crawford’s pending pay-me-or-trade-me request notwithstanding, it looks like Atlanta will send out the same top nine for 2010-11 as they did for 2009-10.
So how can the Hawks improve on No. 3 in the East and the second round of the playoffs, particularly with Boston still Boston, Miami shooting past them on paper, Orlando’s so-far unconquerable core still intact, and Chicago and Milwaukee creeping up from behind?
“I know that I’m excited personally with what Coach Drew has been talking about,” Horford said. “He wants to change the offense a little bit and do things a little differently. Having said that, it all depends on the kind of level that our key guys like Joe Johnson and Josh Smith [reach] coming in. Mentally, I think that’s going to be a part of how good we are as a team.
“I think there is room for growth. There definitely is. We have to work harder if we want to be any better because, man, the East. Milwaukee is better. Chicago is better. Miami is better, it goes without saying. It’s going to be an interesting year for us.”
The same can be said for Al, who is heading into the final year of his rookie-scale contract fresh off his first selection to the All-Star game. The Hawks can extend him for up to five years and $82 million by Oct. 31 or tender him to make him a restricted free agent next summer.
Indications are that the Hawks plan to make an aggressive push to sign Al to an extension but that process hasn’t started.
“I haven’t heard anything yet,” Horford said. “I think anything will start coming once training camp gets going. I am just kind of leaving to that to the owners and my representation and just seeing what happens. I am going to keep working hard and keep doing what I’ve been doing.”
MC
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382 comments Add your comment
JSS
September 5th, 2010
9:21 pm
How “about”
Clyde
September 5th, 2010
10:01 pm
LETS GO DREAM
Its a shame they might win a championship before the Hawks
Clyde
September 5th, 2010
10:03 pm
We need the owner of the Dream to buy the Hawks
Clyde
September 5th, 2010
10:04 pm
When was the last time the Hawks made it to the Eastern Conference Finals?
JSS
September 5th, 2010
10:33 pm
Answer:
Never!!!
Western conference final in 1970
~~MAC-ToWN~~ (Area Code 478)
September 5th, 2010
11:13 pm
Honestly, I’m tired of hearing about most of these guys. The Hawks are my team and organization, so I want whoever they put out on the court to WIN GAMES, including who we have now, but I’m so tired of hearing about JJ, Smoove, Crawford, Marvin and Bibby.
H3ll, we’re only planning on being a middle of the pack or latter playoff team anyway, right? And when you trade people, you usually expect to get equal or more value back, right (unless its a salary dump)?
With that said, I know it’s not possible (for all) but I wish we could deal away JJ, Smoove, Marvin, Crawford and Bibby, or atleast 2 or 3 of them. Get some fresh faces, something new to talk about around here.
Horford’s the only one I’d truly hate to see go. I dont care to see this same core group for a mediocre season and early playoff exit.
Hopefully the roles the guys play in Drew’s “system” on O and D will change things and that’s all I cant hope for.
JSS
September 5th, 2010
11:40 pm
MAC-Town, you running the Labor Day Road Race in the AM?
Grandad
September 6th, 2010
12:10 am
doc: below is from 1:?? am Sept 4
For doc:
[@ doc sounds a little antagonistic]
I think you may have misunderstood.
I said for doc rather tham @ doc.
Sometimes saying *(@ ______),
sounds as if you’re coming at them.
Hence, antagonistic.
I was not referring to anything you said.
Just so you know, I like Jamal as well.
I would not trade him.
However, [push/shove] then we must get equal compensation.
Two last thoughts.
I don’t think LD’s offense is a trick offense.
-&-
Would you concede that a *[major upgrade in coaching]
would equate to a major improvement with the team, given
virtually the same personel. *[hypothetically speaking]
Grandad
September 6th, 2010
12:13 am
doc
last paragraph = ?
I ended a ? with a .
doc
September 6th, 2010
1:14 am
i dont think it is a trick offense but really everyone here talks about it like they know what to expect. i dont think anyone knows what it is going to look like or how it is run. i will wait to render an opinion about it or LD. realist not pessimist.
WAHSM …. ASKG
Grandad
September 6th, 2010
1:42 am
doc
It’s like I told SteveW;
I realize I was only a lowly HS coach but,
after 30+ years of running motion offense
and studying variations thereof:
(Coach Knight, Don Meyer, P.Carill & Princeton)
among others I have a working knowledge of the
concepts he will be teaching.
I would not expect you to take my word.
However, I’m sure, of that which I speak.
vava74
September 6th, 2010
2:19 am
“JeJe
September 5th, 2010
4:10 pm
LOLOLOL JOE DIDNT EVEN TAKE A PARTIAL PAYCUT.
LOL LBJ, BOSH AND WADE TAKING MILLIONS LESS.”
Due to Florida’s taxes, Lebron and Bosh are actually taking MORE net than if they had signed for the MAX in New York or ATL.
Mike (free booty) con/ham
September 6th, 2010
7:57 am
OK some of you guys have been complaining about all the attention I give to Al Horford. Some of you feel that a career 12pts 9 rebound man who was # 25th among centers for block shots is not the kind of guy you want to build team around or a fan club.
]
Thats a fair position.
My question to you is….Would you like some of my free booty?
Mike (free booty) con/ham
September 6th, 2010
8:02 am
PS
I have a fat nasty stanky aziz if you are interested? If you smell my breath and my aziz you cant tell the difference.
Mike (free booty) con/ham
September 6th, 2010
8:05 am
“I dont care to see this same core group for a mediocre season and early playoff exit.”
fire woody now!
Ramon
September 6th, 2010
8:21 am
@ Grandad, I can’t wait to see how many things will open up off of the back door screens. I can almost see JJ coming out screens like Reggie Miller. And Smoove coming off of screens for easy lob passes underneath.
doc
September 6th, 2010
9:16 am
GD being an oglethorpe grad i loved and coached the wheel to young high schoolers. worked like a charm.
however i want to see how our personnel fit into it and how he deploys it is all i am saying. we have looked a little free lance, undisciplined and school yard in the past. not sure whether the guys will buy into the discipline or the thinking that has to go into it.
look if they get ball and personnel movement which ultimately determines the likes of boston and the lakers vs. us then fine. i just want to see how they do it and how quickly they get it before i go “this is mecca”.
JeJe
September 6th, 2010
10:33 am
FIRE WOODY.
doc
September 6th, 2010
10:43 am
add on to above GD; they are not going to restructure this roster for LD. either these guys get it and he stays or they dont and he goes. if they flail miserably they wont wait to make a decision either, he will go quickly. the leash is short is my estimation, this roster either fits or it doesnt. LD says they have the people and the players say they like it. that should be enough and if it doesnt work then they have to get rid of it and go back to playing it straight up as they have in the past and depend on their athleticism instead of a disciplined attack. the only discipline they have had is to have one guy pound the ball in place for a few seconds to run some clock then go to the first piece that looks open. with lue it didnt work as well as it did with jj.
Ken Strickland
September 6th, 2010
12:25 pm
Now this is strictly speculation on my part, but based on our roster, and the obvious input LDrew had in putting it together, I believe the standard idea of the PF, SF, SG, PG and C positions will be blurred in his motion OFF. When everyone is moving and screening, with the idea of creating switches and mismatches, it doesn’t matter all that much which position you started out playing.
One thing is certain, and that is LDrew’s motion OFF, along with our overall speed, quickness, athleticism and passing ability, will put an awful lot of pressure on opposing teams’ half court DEF. Drew obviously doesn’t feel a more traditional backup PG or SF is necessary, at least not at this point.
If he intends to play AHorford more at PF and Smoove at SF, wouldn’t it be logical to expect JJ, JaCrawford and Marvin to play more than one position as well? JJ certainly had difficulty playing PG in Woodson’s limited ISO, one on one style, but he might be perfectly able to play PG in LDrews motion OFF, which won’t rely on having a traditional PG with traditional PG skills.
Instead of ISO’s and post ups, our players will beat their defenders with speed and quickness, using back cuts if they overplay, and jump shots or drives to the basket if they lag behind or get picked off. As fans, we’re still thinking in terms of traditional positions and approaches, while LDrew is thinking nontraditionally. He’s looking to create a guard and wing oriented team that will create match up problems for the more traditionally constructed teams, much like the Suns have successfully done over the last few yrs.
The main difference is the none requirement of a dynamic PG like SNash to make his OFF function. It sounds to me as if he intends to introduce actual TEAM BASKETBALL to Atlanta and the NBA, instead of the STAR POWER ONE ON ONE BASKETBALL that’s dominated it over the last couple of decades.
Grandad
September 6th, 2010
1:13 pm
doc
“Management must speak with one voice.
When it doesn’t management itself becomes
a peripheral opponent to the team’s mission.”
‘Pat Riley’
“There are only two options regarding commitment.
You’re either in or you’re out.
There’s no such thing as in-between.”
‘Pat Riley’
“There can only be one state of mind
as you approach any profound test;
total concentration, a spirit of togetherness, and strength.”
‘Pat Riley’
“The Ten Commandments were not a suggestion.”
‘Pat Riley’
“Being ready isn’t enough;
you have to be prepared for a promotion
or any other significant change.”
‘Pat Riley’
I don’t usually refer to Pat Riley;
but on this occasion he seemed to help me express
how I think as a coach.
LD is not me, however I would hope he has the kind of
*moxie:
[piss & vinegar, backbone, nerve, boldness, defiance]
-continued-
[resolution, will, balls, ardor, fortitude, staying power]
-&-
[courage] to approach this job in such a way that he would
not abandon his conviction because a player or players
will not submit to the team.
He must be willing to put it on the line,
even with Josh or Joe to dictate his will.
If he must change his beliefs to suit the players
then he is no better than Wdsn.
I think it was important for him to bring in;
Collins, Powell, E.Thomas. *[they will be all in]
Also to win the battle for Pape Sy [management].
Any Coach worth his salt wins those *battles.
*[players & management]
I’m telling you from experience.
He must. He cannot give in.
I’m pullin’ for the guy.
Rick Sund
September 6th, 2010
2:10 pm
I am not back from vacation yet, so expect a decision on Jamal in about 7 weeks.
We are evaluating players and coaches on a daily basis. We have the same young core, and our goal this year is to finish in the top 4 in the East and win at least ONE game in the second round
Best,
Rick
The Truth
September 6th, 2010
2:32 pm
With all the chatter lately about Teague as being the next PG starter of the Hawks and Jamal Crawford being a heartbeat away from the trading-block; Not much chatter about the prospects of Jordon Crawford emerging as a contender for the starting PG position in a combo guard role. As Ken alluded to, in LD motion offense, so much is possible including this idea. If Jordon Crawford emerges as a multi-talented player which he did show in the summer league, then it could boaster credence to this idea (if LD hadn’t thought of it already). In this scenario, Jamal Crawford keeps his job and Teague or Bibby becomes the odd-man out while Pape Sy becomes the third option. If Jordon Crawford turns out to be “The Truth”, (and that’s a big if) then playing him as a combo guard along side Jamal and JJ could put a tremendous amount of offensive pressure of the opponent in a Princeton Offense design. When you think of this set, think of Gilbert Arenas and his role with the Wizards. When you really think about further, a combo guard role for Jordon is the only scenario in which he and Jamal could coexist. He can do no worst on defense compared to Bibby (not sure about Teague)
jason
September 6th, 2010
2:34 pm
Grandad i do not want to give out my sources. just know that we are signing him before halloween
ant banks
September 6th, 2010
2:44 pm
JASON,
you sound like an effin’ idiot. YOUR sources tell you that we have signed, not WILL SIGN, but have signed jamal and the team will announce before effin’ halloween? mf that is 8 weeks away. lol.
why would we sign crawford BEFORE we know what we have in teague or jc2? they could be jus’ as good as jc and a lot cheaper. plus, the hawks are signin’ horford before we sign anyone else.
you are an effin’ idiot. lol.
ant banks
September 6th, 2010
2:56 pm
check out eddie jordan and ernie break down the finer point of the princeton motion offense. i am wit’ ken. the hawks will be jus’ as good or better this season. i like ecf, too.
http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&cd=4&ved=0CCcQFjAD&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DX9WZoTYdsQE&ei=5TiFTLSJDsXflgevs9wy&usg=AFQjCNE1ewYeaGp2Wbo_A_0DOelZr0YvcQ
Grandad
September 6th, 2010
2:59 pm
jason
So, you have inside sources.
I see.
Good to know.
Keep us posted.
When are they going to announce the trade?
Sept. 14th or wait until Columbus Day?
northcyde
September 6th, 2010
5:41 pm
Offense . . offense . . offense.
Hawks had the #2 offensive rated team last year . . . but the #13 rated defensive team last year.
The team characteristics, for the most part, of championship caliber teams are:
1) they usually have a top 10 rated defense ( even top 5 )
2) they usually win 24+ games on the road
3) they are usually a top 10 rebounding team
4) they are usually an efficient half court offense.
******
As the great womens coach from the U. of Tennessee ( Pat Summitt ) always says:
“Offense sells TICKETS . . Defense wins GAMES . . Rebounding wins CHAMPIONSHIPS!!!
Rev in Tampa
September 6th, 2010
7:23 pm
Northcyde, I agree. That is why Jamal is more valuable to the Hawks as a trading chip.
Jamal is my favorite Hawks player. His smile is infectious and he genuinely loves playing for a winner. And any time he has the basketball he is able to make special things happen. But because Jamal is so good he can bring serious trade value.
Its just business…
northcyde
September 7th, 2010
12:26 am
It’s the entire team though Rev. Even in year’s past, when the Hawks weren’t switching everything, these guys would have big time defensive lapses in games.
Guys like Crawford and Bibby may be the biggest liabilities, but our other guys just aren’t consistently good defensive players at critical times.
Josh Smith bails this team out A LOT, with his hustle plays . . then will turn around and kill us with lackidasical closeouts on shooters and not boxing out on defense for rebounds.
JJ may be our best perimeter defender, but he only seems to really lock in on defense when he’s playing against another star player. And his closeouts are weak at times as well.
And those are just the team leaders. I won’t even go into the other guys and their lapses. The bench guys were horrid on defense last year.
For this team to get to the level where people want them to be, we MUST become a much better defensive team, not a much better offensive team. It is highly unlikely that our new offense is going to turn us into Phoenix East, like a lot of people want to believe. So we must find a way to improve defensively and get to that next level as a team.
This team has to be able to win games, when they don’t break 90 points, like Boston and San Antonio do.
One of the best games this team played last year, was that ugly 80 – 75 win @ Dallas. The Hawks couldn’t buy a basket in the 2nd quarter in that game, but played defense well enough to not let Dallas run away with the game. Then when the offense started to somewhat click again, the defense was able to hold off Dallas when they made that final run.
That’s when you’ll know that this team will be ready come playoff time. When we can win ugly, especially on the road.
Michael (free booty) con & H a m
September 7th, 2010
4:14 pm
“Horford and Hawks hoping they have enough guys who can do this…” – get dominated by Howard? Go a whole year with out shutting down an opposing center? Have a career 12pt average? Finish 25th among centers for block shots?
Michael (free booty) con & H a m
September 7th, 2010
4:18 pm
Yeah management is stupid and thats why the hawks cant be champions. The offense was on par with the lakers while the defense was… well you never going to win a championship with your center rated as # 25 among centers for shot block and 60% of the people who attempted shots over horford in the low post scored… those who did not often got to the free throw stripe seeing he commits 3 fouls for every 1 block shot. Defensively he reminds me of a live fish on the beach just flopping around….