Atlanta Hawks: J.J. to Teague: ‘Don’t defer to me’
Hawks want Teague to push the pace.
The pickup games at Philips in advance of training camp are loosely organized affairs. The Hawks’ full squad hasn’t been on the floor yet. The stakes are low and the comp isn’t what Teague will see once the ball tips for real.
But J.J. was out there with Teague this week, and already he’s pushing Teague to stop being Rook’, taking a backseat to the vets, and start being the guy who’s ready to be the starting point guard.
“‘Play your game. Don’t just defer to me a lot.’ ” Teague said J.J. told him the other day on the court. “When he said that, that helped me a lot. I’m going to be a lot more aggressive.”
That message already had been delivered by L.D. and his assistants. But it’s one thing to hear it from the coaches, another to hear it from the All-Star guard who for a while now has been the guy everyone defers to on this team.
“That’s his next step,” J.J. said. “When he is out on the court, he has to be the leader. He is the guy who makes us run as a team. When he gets in the game, he has to be aggressive, he has to get guys in the right spot, he has to talk more.”
Teague said other teammates have told him the same things, so he plans to go into camp with an aggressive mindset. He’s also changed his body, staying in Atlanta this summer and hitting the weight room. He said he’s up to 186 after being listed at 180 last season.
“I think my legs are a lot stronger,” he said. “That’s what I’ve really been working on. For defensive purposes [because] I was coming out of my stance a lot.”
Teague also has been working on his jump shot with assistant Lester Conner in an effort to shore up a weakness in his game.
“That is really going to help me out there,” he said. “I’ve been making a lot of threes.”
It’s no secret Teague’s development is key for the Hawks. L.D. wants the Hawks to play offense at a faster pace–Teague is among players who have been running on the track at Georgia Tech, something the Hawks did last summer “but not like this,” he said. L.D. also wants the Hawks to play more straight-up D, and Teague probably is the Hawks guard best able to keep his man in front of him.
Both of L.D.’s goals would seem to be more attainable with Teague playing significantly more than the 10.1 minutes per game he logged in 2009-10. This is Teague’s chance to establish himself with the Hawks and show that he’s at least a bona fide rotation guy, if not a starter, on a good team
He said he understands what’s at stake.
“If you want to play in this league, when you get the opportunity you’ve got to take advantage of it,” Teague said. “I think what gives me an advantage is we have a lot of good players here who are going to help me along the way. We’ve got Bibby, who is a veteran point guard. He has been helping me since Day One. I know he is still going to play, but just to get an opportunity to play [more] is great.”
J.J. said Teague’s teammates have his back.
“I think he is going to be good,” J.J. said. “Last year was a learning experience. The point guard position is the toughest position to come into the league and try to play. He had his ups and downs last year, but this year I think he will be a lot better.”
MC
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208 comments Add your comment
O'Brien
September 20th, 2010
6:50 pm
Fundamentals,
The Russian Owner will be willing to spend luxury tax money. So if he gets Melo, he can try to build a team around him. Would they be championship worthy? No.
But if you are a fan of the Nets, and they pull off this move, you have to be excited about the ownership willing to make moves.
Their owner has said his goal is to win an NBA championship in 5 years. Will it happen? Probably not. but I like his goal.
What is the ASG’s goal? To remain a top 4 seed, and close the gap on the big 3, without going into luxury tax.
ryan
September 20th, 2010
6:51 pm
Nets are front runners to land Mello there willing to part way with top pick Derick Favors and Troy Murphy . The Hawks are not even in discussion for Mello .
JSS
September 20th, 2010
6:52 pm
@ Northcyde
Peachtree-Dekalb Airport approach pattern plus building two major interchanges on said approach equal mess/ disaster waiting to happen.
Ramon
September 20th, 2010
6:55 pm
Fundamentals, Melo has made it past the 1st round a few times in the West. Melo fell victim to San Antonio and LA in the playoffs. Denver losing in the playoffs had more to do with their roster make up more than Melo. Melo hasn’t played with anyone as good as Pau Gasol, as Kobe has. Melo is better than Pierce in my book, and worth the money. But on the right roster that’s full of defenders.
Ramon
September 20th, 2010
7:00 pm
O’Brien, ASG goal is to not lose as much money as they put in the team, lol. Otherwise, they’d be doing what they could to get Chauncey Billups.
KevinM
September 20th, 2010
7:06 pm
Atlanta would be a good fit for Melo and not many here agree.
That would round out this roster to where we could match up easier with the big clubs.
If you could bring him in and only have to move 2 starters and draft picks? You gotta inquire at the mininum…..let the cap numbers speak for themselves.
Denver getting Marvin/JC1 and draft picks might not be enough though. Marvin and JC1 account for 17M this year (max contract).
We’re talking about someone Joe can play with and defer to if necessary. Team them with Al and Smoove, this board would blow up!
MC, please tell me that we are a consideration?
KevinM
September 20th, 2010
7:09 pm
The Nets offer of Favors, Murphy, Humphries and a future 1st just doesn’t make sense if Denver bites on that.
There is more to offer here should we have the interest.
ryan
September 20th, 2010
7:12 pm
I agree KevinM the Hawks have the pieces to offer for Mello and the music industry i wish the cheap ASG had the guts to pull the trade .
O'Brien
September 20th, 2010
7:37 pm
The Nuggets would also get Favors from the Nets. Favors is young, and has upside.
Why would the Nuggets want Marvin? And JC1 would be a duplicate of JR Smith. The Nuggets would prefer frontcourt help, because Birdman, Kenyon Martin, and Nene are dinged up.
ryan
September 20th, 2010
8:26 pm
I just don’t why you give up on guy like Favors who turn out to be superstar .
drmaryb (*_*)
September 20th, 2010
9:00 pm
Perched in Waiting!
ant banks made this comment and asked a dynamite question:
“i am real curious how spoelstra thing is goin’ to work out in miami. you have given a relatively young (in coaching experience) the careers of 3 superstars and potential hof to coach. i don’t see lebron respectin’ or listenin’ to this guy when the stakes get high.
DO Y’ALL THINK THAT RILEY WILL COME OFF HIS PERCH AGAIN?”
OH YEAH!
The Tiger never changes his stripes!
I got two words to answer that – Stan Van Gundy!
Now DWayne has already stated he wants Spolestra to Coach
“The So. Beach Boys”. Maybe, that has lot to do with personalities.
Spolestra is a nice guy and they will run him outa’ the Arena
very soon. Here comes “Riles” with those 3-A-Day suicide practices
and his Lion – Tamer Whip!
But, yes, Pat Riley will micro-manage those practices, team plane
and player rotations from his high perch. The minute they get
outa’ control (and they will), Riley will run to the rescue and
take them to Championship.
Remember how Shaq left in discord? He wrote in a written
article that he was a grown man and didn’t take well to Riley’s
heavy handed practice sessions and demands.
Talent alone will not win the elusive Obrien Trophy!
That takes team and character – not characters.
ABTSteves
September 20th, 2010
10:46 pm
Excuse the shameless plug but, you may want to check out our podcast interview with Ernie Johnson. It starts around minute 17 of the show. Braves talk to start. Hawks and LeBron talk at around minute 37. You can listen here. Thanks.
KevinM
September 20th, 2010
11:01 pm
I don’t think the Nuggets have a huge need with their big men.
They have already stated they want to move JR Smith.
They are on the last year of the Kenyon Martin contract.
For them to take on Murphy’s and Humphries? That is just junk for a team. I don’t want either on my roster at any cost. So its basically Favors ( a position not big in need ) and a future draft pick (which will probably be lottery protected).
Me being the Nuggets GM (i can’t remember that guy’s name!), I am calling Sund and begging him to make me an offer. I can get a better value out of Marvin and perhaps JC2 and next year’s #1 if they dont’ want Jamal. Hey, give them a backup in Zaza for some depth too.
There are way too many scenarios for this not to be a consideration. For the ASG not to inquire would prove they have no intereest in becoming elite.
Wah wah, it just costs too much!
They should have never gotten into the NBA business because they are basically a stagehand watching the main event from behind the curtain.
Najeh Davenpoop
September 21st, 2010
12:19 am
“For them to take on Murphy’s and Humphries? That is just junk for a team. I don’t want either on my roster at any cost. So its basically Favors ( a position not big in need ) and a future draft pick (which will probably be lottery protected).”
Favors has more upside than anyone the Hawks can give Denver. He gets talked about like he could be a defensively improved version of Amare, and he’s only 19. Maybe the Hawks can give Denver 2 good players, but they can’t give them one player whose upside equals Favors.
Najeh Davenpoop
September 21st, 2010
12:20 am
And with the Nets being willing to offer Favors, you can throw those already far-fetched Crawford+Marvin+picks scenario out the window. It will take at least Smoove or Al to get Melo in a Hawks uniform.
Najeh Davenpoop
September 21st, 2010
12:23 am
“Zaza
Bibby
Jamal Crawford
First Rd pick
To Denver for
Nene
JR Smith
Balkman”
If the Nuggets do trade Melo, this could be one of those rare trades proposed on the Hawks blog that actually has a chance of happening, and it would definitely benefit the Hawks. It would be a bit of a risk to have Teague as the only true point guard on the roster, but I think the risk would be worth the potential reward.
Najeh Davenpoop
September 21st, 2010
12:25 am
“both the Hawks & Dallas are known as being soft teams…athletic? yes…intimidating? no.
This is one of the reasons why I’ve been waivering on the need for Dampier after initially being all for it…He’s better than Collins & Thomas, but he’s more of the same…No real change to the dynamic of the team.”
A fair point, but considering that Collins, Powell, and Zaza are neither athletic nor intimidating, I’d rather have a guy who is athletic and somewhat skilled even if he’s not going to change the team’s defensive identity. It’s not like there are a ton of better options available at this point.
MsDee
September 21st, 2010
12:26 am
Who says that Sund isn’t or haven’t been trying to make offers to these top players wanting out of their current teams?? Only Joe Johnson has been a (some what supa-star) who decided to join us. We have to 1st prove to ourselves that we are worthy of some top players to come our way. YES, we won 53 games last season & YES we finished 3rd in the REGULAR SEASON, but we stunk it up in the playoffs. No one will respect us having games like that, and I will forever blame Woodson cause he NEVER and I mean NEVER MADE ANY ADJUSTMENTS!! Everyone and their grandma knew the Hawks switched at every position on DEF and only had ONE go-to OFFense and that was ISO JOE, but he never changed or at least tried to fool the opponent, why oh why??
Let’s not be too quick to blame Sund for not being able to land top players here after last season performance. Maybe his name isnt being mention like other GM’s are because maybe the agents of the players IMMEDIATELY returns Sund’s message with a, “WE ARE NOT INTERESTED, BUT THANKS THO”!
Najeh Davenpoop
September 21st, 2010
12:27 am
“Horford or Noah?”
Interesting you should bring that up — Slam Online is currently doing their rankings of the top 50 NBA players. They have Horford at #45 and Noah at #44.
The Truth
September 21st, 2010
1:56 am
Has anyone checked-out the Hawks Roster with the addition of Pape Sy? He’s listed as a F-G instead of a G-F. This may not be a big deal but some has suggested (including MC) that he “projects as a point guard for the Hawks”. If that is the plan, then he should be listed as a G-F. As a F-G listing, then logic would suggest he’s backing up Marvin (if he ever saw playing time). Furthermore, since PG is the hardest position to master, it would seem seasoning him for a future PG would only make his learning curve even longer. With such an ambitious goal (if true), conceivably, his 1-yr. contract with the Hawks will likely be over before he becomes useful to the team. I don’t understand why there isn’t a team option in his contract. His 1-yr deal doesn’t actually inspire confidence in the Hawks plans for him.
Big Ray
September 21st, 2010
2:02 am
Horford vs. Noah.
Tough call. You really can’t get this one in a vaccum. Noah IS the better defender and rebounder. Horford is the better guy on offense. Both have leadership skills, though I say Horford has the advantage there.
They are right that the extra couple of inches Noah has, gives him an advantage. It’s true.
The Hawks fan in me says Horford is a better player.
The NBA basketball fan in me says Noah is a better ideal fit at center.
My brain says “Why didn’t Billy Knight try to trade up and take Noah after grabbing Horford?”
vava74
September 21st, 2010
2:39 am
Horford OWNED Noah last year.
It’s a no contest for me.
I like Noah a lot, but I prefer Al.
truthspitter
September 21st, 2010
2:58 am
Big Ray
September 21st, 2010
2:02 am
Horford vs. Noah.
Tough call. You really can’t get this one in a vaccum. Noah IS the better defender and rebounder. Horford is the better guy on offense. Both have leadership skills, though I say Horford has the advantage there.
They are right that the extra couple of inches Noah has, gives him an advantage. It’s true.
The Hawks fan in me says Horford is a better player.
The NBA basketball fan in me says Noah is a better ideal fit at center.
My brain says “Why didn’t Billy Knight try to trade up and take Noah after grabbing Horford?”
I agree Big Ray the Hawks have a long history of being less than creative and just bad with draft moves. Most people forget that we were the original owners of Pau Gasol also. Unless we trade Jamal in which I am not really so happy about, other than the fact that we need to make a move and he is best option, they would have made another bad pick with Jordan Crawford. #11 pick that was wasted on Acie could have been used to move up 2 spots to get Noah, probably would have only taken something like a future #1 pick, but I guess they were still filling Sheldon Williams or were they? Seems like if they were they would have never drafted Al. The Hawks are just ran bad. That’s all
Najeh Davenpoop
September 21st, 2010
3:30 am
“The Hawks fan in me says Horford is a better player.
The NBA basketball fan in me says Noah is a better ideal fit at center. ”
I agree with this. Horford is a better player, but Noah would be a better fit for the Hawks.
vava74
September 21st, 2010
4:19 am
Everyone should reserve judgment until Al plays a full season below the basket instead of running around trying to cover perimeter players with the switching D.
Noah is a great intangibles guy but Al is on the verge of taking the next step forward.
I know that it is usually meaningless, however, I differ somewhat: Al’s performance in the All Star game was MEANINGFUL for me and showed that he belonged there, specially when comparing how Lee looked that he did not belong.
Given the ball on a more “loose” environment Al’s athleticism in the paint shined. I think LD’s new offense will bring the best out of Al with him easily breaking loose of slower Cs for easy baskets over and over.
Al already has passable tools as a low post scorer but when he starts to benefit from the ball movement which LD’s offense should bring we will see him dunking on everyone.
The same applies to Josh: with more space and ball rotation teams will need to replace their rims after they play us.
The least athletic guy in our projected starting 5 and the only guy who is not a menace to rims’ integrity will be JJ who will have plenty of space to use his floaters and long distance dialing when defenses are rattled by our athletic play and are scrambling trying to cover our dunking bigs.
Even Marvin will have slashing cameos at will.
MsDee
September 21st, 2010
4:21 am
I wouldnt trade HORFORD for nothing in the world!! Horford CAN become a better rebounder/defender..Noah will ONLY be a great rebounder/defender.
Big Ray
September 21st, 2010
5:56 am
Hey, I ain’t talkin’ about trading guys.
Vava ,
You do make some good points.
KevinM
September 21st, 2010
6:58 am
“Najeh Davenpoop
September 21st, 2010
12:20 am
“And with the Nets being willing to offer Favors, you can throw those already far-fetched Crawford+Marvin+picks scenario out the window. It will take at least Smoove or Al to get Melo in a Hawks uniform.”
Makes sense on both points….Favors is looked at as the better prospect. But Smoove’s contract is a good one too long term. You are going to get your money’s worth. Its a shame he can’t play the 3 right now. He would have to be our defensive stopper.
What would Denver accept? Well, that new GM has to get something for Melo, and taking Favors and a #1 might be enough. I just think there is more here to offer, but I am willing to see the core broken up immediately to make this happen:
Smoove / Marvin / JC2 / #1 next year or after
Melo
I don’t swap JC1 for JR Smith though, because I just think JC1 brings more to the team than Smith would. JC1 can play some point, something Smith can’t do.
We then go out and get Damp to shore up the interior position for defense as we should have the numbers to do that.
You don’t get a crack at an elite player often in this league, and we have seen what this group can do. They win despite themselves, but fall short when it matters most.
Denver is in a bad position to be picky. I don’t think they can start the season with Melo on the team.
wordsmithtom
September 21st, 2010
8:06 am
If you’re going to swap Smith, you better get a life insurance policy and a true C. Melo is a stud, but the locals would treat this GM like he was Frankentstein.
Your package of Smith, Marvin, JC2, + future # says=we don’t think this core can get over the hump. Considering Smith/Marvin are 24year olds with upside, and JC2 a sleeper, you’re proposing a lot for a malcontent who might not even sign a long term deal in the ATL.
I’d do this on a fantasy league…in the real NBA. No way, no how.
jason
September 21st, 2010
8:10 am
LD needs to go into training camp and look on starting teague or jamal. Jamal needs to work on defense while teague needs to improve his jumper stop turning things over
wordsmithtom
September 21st, 2010
8:29 am
Smith + JC1 for Noah. That I’d consider. Ditto Pau Gasol, while we’re in lala land. Marvin + #1 for Melo, sure. But Smith….PLEASE, not with Monopoly money.
KevinM
September 21st, 2010
9:03 am
wordsmithtom, I have been known to say that this core is not good enough. That’s obvious. The question is whether Sund wants to ‘realistically’ go for a division crown this year or better?
The current core, young or not, is not getting you there. Marvin is what, 24? He has probably 6-8 years left in the league if he can stay healthy. Smoove, 25, is the Hawk I thought we had to keep the past 2-3 years when he was entertaining other offers. Now? We need to thin out our PF slot;
it should be either Smoove or Al and find that length needed for defense. I like Thabeet for defense and Al for offense if I had more choices.
So Smoove can be seen as a candidate in a Melo raffle. You have to give up Marvin in this scenario because he isn’t coming off the bench and there won’t be enough minutes at the SF.
When you look at the Denver roster, I don’t think they can add those 2 to Al Harrington. We have seen that in the past. It doesn’t do much for the Nugget fan base to have that rotation.
So really, what could Denver use that Sund has? It would have to be more scoring.
So possibly JC1 and Marvin but that won’t be enough. That is why I suggested Smoove as more talent headed their way. They would consider Al for sure IMO. I always considered Al as close of a version to Tim Duncan as you will find in the league.
I like the trifecta of Joe/Melo/Al better than Joe/Melo/Smoove. That gets you competing with everyone then.
JC2 is just young unproven talent. You don’t see many rookies get traded a couple of weeks into training camp, but there just aren’t going to be minutes for him with Joe and JC1 in front of him. He’s not a PG at this level and he’s a smaller SG.
You know it doesn’t make sense to consider if Melo doesn’t sign long term. That is so far from the real issue right now and that is will Sund even investigate the opportunity.
I don’t think the proposals above are as much as you would like to think. We value our talent more than the entire league does. You have to give up something to get something. Again, I would like to see Damp come into the fold should there be this opportunity.
wordsmithtom
September 21st, 2010
9:19 am
Kevin, I admit to you it’s obvious this core is not good enough. To management, and to many others, this is not so obvious. Many think the coaching decisions that wore the core down at the end of the year had more to do with a team going from world beaters last fall to lagging. Witness the Celtics before playoffs. Their bench played while starters rested. They lost games; games Woody would have not lost. All that switching and predictable ISO ill used this core.
I repeat: Smith for a C would rebalance power forward excess. Horf practically untouchable. And Melo’s potential not to sign long term means more than you admit. This is a business. You don’t give up prime real estate for other real estate with potential toxic waste cite in the basement.
JC1 + MW + #1 pick at max.
But, I rather like the cats we have if LD can walk the talk. I’m betting he can.
ICECOLD
September 21st, 2010
9:20 am
How bout we trade
Marvin Williams ( starting small forward )
Jamal Crawford , expiring contract
Zaza pachulia
And next years first round pick
We get
Carmelo Anthony
Jamal gets to leave, melo goes to a championship caliber team, Marvin gets a fresh new start and could be the go to guy for denv3r , we finally get rid of zaza … and we wouldn’t need our next years first round pick any way.. and Denver still could be a decent team with three new peaces that they can use.. especially Jamal Crawford.. then they can extend him or trade him next year for a great young player..
The hawks gets to shed three expensive contracts , and then they could extend al horford right now, and extend Carmelo right now and get Eric damper … then we can truly compete with the heat for a title… and the starting would be
Jeff teague
Joe Johnson
Carmelo Anthony
Josh smith
Al horford
Off the bench
Mike bibby
Jordan Crawford
Mo evens
Josh Powell
Dampier / etan Thomas
Perfect bench and perfect starting five….
Yeah its a dream, but it could happen… make Atlanta believers again. Seriously
vava74
September 21st, 2010
9:24 am
niremetal was very vocal earlier in the summer voicing his opinion that in order for us to take that extra step forward we need another 20ppg starter to go along JJ and his preference was for a low post threat, namely, one of the available PFs (Boozer, Nowitski, Bosh, Amar’e, …).
that would allow us to have a good mix between inside and outside game.
I tend to agree to that theoretical concept, however, I am hopeful that the new offense will allow our bigs to be more productive.
virtually all of our major players are above average passers, including Al who is a competent and alert passer with good hands, Josh who is a very good passer, although he tends to be too carried away, Marvin is average+ passer (does not usually compromise and has decent hands on the receiving end), JJ is a good passer and Teague has shown that although he may not be yet cut out to be a full time PG, he has shown that his passing can be precise and spectacular (last year he had too all star bounce passes on the break that clearly prove that).
consequently, although we don’t have a sure thing 20ppg down low, we may have this coming year a pair of guys able to bring 17/18 ppg in Al and Josh.
bringing ‘Melo would bring a sure thing 25ppg to the perimeter but how would he mesh with JJ? could we manage to have two dominant perimeter players?
my guess is that we would not be productive with ‘Melo, specially if we had to give Josh in return.
that is a no go for me since we would lose his help defense and his dynamic play which are game changers.
most occasions in which the Hawks broke the game loose we had either Jamal going hot or Josh blocking and poaching the lanes getting steals for dunks energizing crowd and the crew or both, whilst JJ kept us with an even keel with his usually unspectacular steadiness.
people got understandably pessimistic and with a very low self esteem after the ORL beating but we should not forget that last year we a pretty spectacular stretch in the beginning of the year that made us look and feel world beaters.
we have that potential, we simply lacked a game plan and miss used our personnel to face quick point guards and to attack zone defenses.
to aggravate that, Woody’s complete inability to prepare the Hawks to beat and be competitive against ORL early on and then in the playoffs created a ghost where it does not exist and which has even crept into the Hawks’ players minds:
ORL can be beaten regardless of how well Howard plays. Our problem was in the perimeter from where every single scrub wearing a Magic jersey was shooting threes at will and sinking them.
FORGET ABOUT HOWARD, CONCENTRATE ABOUT GOOD AND FUNDAMENTALLY SOUND PLAYING BASKETBALL.
Astro Joe
September 21st, 2010
9:34 am
When comparing players, I think health is an important variable (IMO, more important than a 2 inch difference in height). Give me a healthy B+ player over an A- player who will almost certainly miss 6+ games a season.
dap01
September 21st, 2010
10:03 am
Anyone: Hoopshype Rumors today spoke of ATL being one of the teams that Dampier is considering. Do you think that ATL is making a serious attempt to get Dampier? Could the salary spent on Dampier be funded by the money save in another deal (JC1)?
drmaryb (*_*)
September 21st, 2010
10:03 am
Cake Mix!
Were The Hawks ever really in the mix? I think not!
From rotoworld.com:
“
Erick Dampier-C-Bobcats
Sep. 20 – 8:47 pm et


Erick Dampier met with Houston coach Rick Adelman and worked out for the Rockets on Monday, as he chooses between the Rockets and Heat.
Apparently the Hawks are no longer in the mix, which isn’t surprising. The Rockets are reportedly offering a two-year, $4 million deal, while the Heat can only do $1.4 million. On a side note, Rockets are said to be making their push for Carmelo Anthony, but the same can be said about almost every team in the league.”
drmaryb (*_*)
September 21st, 2010
10:07 am
dap01
That should answer your question.
The ASKG should offer more that 2 years @ 4M and gitter’ done!
But, then these are The Seven Dwarfs we’re talking about – right?
smh
GeeMack
September 21st, 2010
11:33 am
wordsmithtom
JC1 + MW + #1 pick at max
I would be willing to let Josh and JC1 walk to get Melo, but only if Melo signs the 3 year extension to stay with the Hawks.
A combination of Al/JJ/Melo gives you the foundation for a championship team…a Big 3.
vava74
September 21st, 2010
11:35 am
drmaryb,
Dampier is 35 and last year he was injured for an extended period.
he averaged 1 POINT PER GAME in the playoffs to go with 6,6 rebounds in 23 minutes of game play.
we are not talking about the end of the world if we don’t make a move for him.
I believe that he is clearly sliding and that his next stop will probably be a disappointment.
I was all for signing him, however, that was before we signed Ethan who is younger, more athletic and an equally impressive physical enforcer down low (albeit shorter) if not more.
Rev in Tampa
September 21st, 2010
11:38 am
Vava, thank you for your 9:24am post. Cogently reasoned and it adds a fresh persepective to the conversation.
The Hawks, indeed, are a very good passing team. This, coupled with their athleticism, should make Drew’s motion offense exceedingly effective.
Ken Strickland
September 21st, 2010
12:08 pm
DRMARYB-Houston is willing to over pay for Dampier because they’re looking for a center with recent starting experience to team with Yao Ming. They’ve already indicated their intent to limit his mins, and they was to protect themselves against his potential re-injury.
It makes little sense for us to invest that much money for a backup center, especially since we’re already 4 deep at the position. The motion OFF will make every player a potential inside scorer. Under LDrew, everything our players, and we as fans, have become accustomed, accepted, complained about and/or experienced is about to change. So, the players will have training camp and preseason to be instructed on what changes will take place, and we as fans need to change and adjust our approach or way of viewing things as well.
Stop with this BS about us needing to sign this player or that player to stop DWIGHT HOWARD. Hell, DHoward didn’t beat us, the ORLANDO MAGIC DID. During the 1st rd of last yrs playoffs, the Bobcats did such an excellent job of limiting DHoward and his effectiveness, he whined and complained throughout the playoffs about the officiating.
They reduced him to being little more than a minor factor, yet were still swept in 4gms. I love LDrew’s approach. He’s about to impliment a style of play and philosophy that fits our talent perfectly. As I’ve said before, THE ATLANTA HWWKS, AND IT’S FANS, ARE ABOUT TO EXPERIENCE A TOTAL TEAM APPROACH TO PLAYING BASKETBALL. This will be something we haven’t seen or experienced in at least a decade or more.
JoJo the Godfather
September 21st, 2010
12:20 pm
I say we help New Jersey get Melo…Send Jamal, Bibby & a 1st round pick to NJ for Devin Harris, Damion James & Kris Humphries…Nets then turn around and trade Crawford, Murphy, Favors & 2 first round picks (ours & theirs) for Melo & JR Smith…Then everyone will be happy…We dump Bibby, get back James, and have a second up tempo PG to run this offense…Nets get Melo & Bibby…Nugs get Favors, 2 1st rounders, and 2 large expiring contracts to ride out or flip for more assets.
KevinM
September 21st, 2010
12:27 pm
A big three in Atlanta? Exactly, GeeMack! Now that looks good heading into a training camp.
Can you imagine the buzz in Atlanta if we were able to pull that kind of a deal off.
I guarantee the TV games would be rescheduled, knocking Denver out of numerous opportunities.
The pieces are here to make an offer; what would Denver accept?
Now Rev or Big Ray, need your knowledge here………
Please explain the difference in LD’s system and the system that Eddie Jordan brought to some success in Washington and a train wreck 1 season in Philly?
A link to some of the Philly ongoings and as easily as it wouldn’t happen to the core, it could just as easily happen: I wouldn’t expect any discourse out of Joe and Al, but the rest of the core? Quite possibly.
http://bleacherreport.com/articles/366504-why-sixers-coach-eddie-jordan-never-had-a-chance-in-philly
The Princeton offense has to have a real playmaker and a high IQ on the court. Well, some here pine for Lou Williams take a look at this article. You might think otherwise the next time.
Things fell apart very quickly in Philly, and just because the ASG (and did Sund really agree with them here?) promoted the lieutenant, it sure doesn’t mean success is a given. Because the Princeton offense is now here in town….and who has run it before? Hmmmm, let me think…oh yes, Bibby.
You have to show the success with this offense before you can annoint it as a fit with this roster. I am all for supporting him once the games start (like we have a choice anyway), but it doesn’t mean I agreed with the selection nor the way he is ‘attempting’ to differentiate himself with Woody. Why didn’t he have any input the previous 6 years?
I still don’t buy the product as it is today, and I don’t see the faith given to LD with a sure league minimum contract. Opportunities to improve should not be overlooked. The personnel this offseason has not changed enough to annoint them anything more than 3rd in their own division.
drmaryb (*_*)
September 21st, 2010
12:37 pm
VaVa74
Based on your comments, then, I guess we should pass
on Damp. Oh well, I was fun to explore that while it lasted.
Ditto with Rev on the very nice post at 924 AM, we certainly
have good passers on this team at all 5 positions. Josh is
an exciting passer who makes it look fun to do as well.
Even Zsa Zsa has flashed some nice behind the back passes.
LOL.
Ken S.
Baby, you have gotten me excited to see the new pentangle
offense. It sounds intricate to me, so, how long do you think
before the players pick it up and become fluid?
I recall MJ being very impressed that Rodman picked up
The Tex Winter Triangle in just one team practice.
He labeled Dennis as extremely intelligent for that.
On the other hand, it was duly reported last season by Ron Artest
and others how Ron struggled mightily to pick it up. It took
a lot longer for his light bulb to come on. At any rate,
Al said, “I will go to battle with what I’ve got!”
So, Let’s Go!
drmaryb (*_*)
September 21st, 2010
12:59 pm
Vava74
I would also rather have 25 pts inside the paint with And-1’s
than 25 pts on the perimeter (I.e. Melo) however, Melo does
score well inside. If we did have Joe and Melo on the perimeter
they wouldn’t be scoring 25 points each night, there is only
one ball in this game. They would both need to do what
The Celtics did with Allen and Pierce. Share the ball, forget
about individual stats and adapt to the TEAM system.
That is also what will have to happen in So. Beach.
Like Ken S. has been preaching, All the other teams have
similar challenges to absorb all the changes, perhaps the Hawks
will have the easier challenge, because of familiarity of the players
on this roster. These guys really do like each other and that
should never be undervalued. Never.
Rev in Tampa
September 21st, 2010
1:02 pm
Kevin M, I read the bleacherreport article that you posted. The article actually supported the points that vava74 posted and I co-signed earlier this morning. Here is the relevant selection from the bleacherreport:
Yes, as well-documented, the Princeton offense was a non-starter in Philly from the beginning. Long story short , the Princeton is a passing-heavy, high-basketball IQ offense that requires all five guys on the court to be able to pass effectively and knock down an open shot if necessary. The Princeton often requires two major players to run successfully: a pass-first point guard and a big man who can do anything he’s asked to do… But the architect of the Princeton O, Pete Carril, confessed that he believed the Sixers needed a playmaking point guard to have a chance running his complicated read-and-react offense. So, the lack of a pass-first point guard was the first nail in the Princeton offense’s coffin. But here’s something that’s been less talked about: The lack of an all-purpose big man. For all the jokes Elton Brand wants to make about Marreese Speights’ lack of passing acumen, it’s not like Brand is lighting it up with dimes this season. He’s dished out 91 assists in 68 games, for a whopping average of 1.4 apg. (his career average is 2.5 apg).
The Hawks are a very good passing team. They led the NBA in fewest turnovers. Many will point to the iso-offense, but all of us on this blog have witnessed the high-energy Hawks team that ran the court and displayed their athleticism in transition. The Hawks are a very good passing team even when not in the iso-mode.
The Hawks are a very efficient shooting team. Joe & Jamal are exceptional shooters, but everyone can hit an open jumper (when taken within their range).
The Princeton offense requires a pass-first point guard. This very blog-post from Cunningham confirms that Teague is a pass-first point guard. And, as you pointed out in your posting, Bibby has already run the Princeton.
The Princeton offense requires a big man who can do anything he is asked to do. The knock against Horford is that he is so versatile that he does not specialize as the stationary 7’ big body in the paint.
The real reason why the Princeton did not work in Philly comes in the last sentence of the article: “And get ready for the Sixers’ new coach next season; it’ll be their seventh new coach in seven years.”
drmaryb (*_*)
September 21st, 2010
1:19 pm
Rev
Great Job! Thanks for posting the keys of that article on here.
Nice read.
Fundamentals
September 21st, 2010
2:30 pm
Preseason is just around the corner. The Melo drama should keep things buzzing for a while. Props to Houston for tyring to stay in the mix on all fronts. No word on Crawford here or extending Al, but I imagine we’ll start hearing something around Thanksgiving.
Preseason should tell us right away what everyone has been up to this summer. I’m praying for a hungry, mobile Bibby, Marvin busting 3’s, Smoove with a midrange jumper and Etan ready to knock ZaZa on his butt to inspire him. These are the keys to getting out of the gate.