Atlanta Hawks: What about Marvin?
Hawks want Marvin to do this and produce on offense.
So I was contemplating the five questions for training camp I have to come up with for Tuesday’s newspaper, going down the usual list of suspects, when it occurred to me I hadn’t spent a lot of time thinking about one key question:
What about Marvin?
I know my blog people haven’t forgotten him since you’ve included his name in every possible dream trade scenario all summer. I’ve seen him criticized for seemingly not spending enough time developing his game over the summer (the dude is a gym rat by all accounts) and too much time developing as a human (he can’t spend every minute in the gym, can he?)
That’s not to say I don’t understand the frustration. Fans are selfish by nature, and what you want to know is now what did Marvin do to become a better person but how can he help the Hawks be better. Does it provide any solace to hear that Marvin knows he needs to be better, too?
The Hawks are pinning much of their hopes for Marvin’s improvement on L.D.’s new offense. Marvin is, too.
“That always sounds good to a player,” Marvin said. “You always want to be involved. Last year my production went down. Hopefully with this new offense guys will get looks on a more consistent basis and they will be better looks.
“Some nights, for me I could have 20 [points] or I could have 4. For our team to be a good team, I personally can’t have nights like that. So hopefully with this new offense, I will know where the shots are coming from each night and be able to knock them down.”
Actually, Marvin only had four nights of at least 20 points during the regular season and one in 11 playoff games. Even considering how Williams often got lost in the iso-shuffle, that’s not good enough for a player with his physical attributes and talent.
It’s true that perhaps no Hawks player has to put in more double-duty than Marvin. Checking NBA small forwards night after night isn’t easy. Doing so and then also being expected to make consistent offensive contributions, even as a guy who plays off teammates, is even harder.
But Marvin is entering his sixth season, he’s set to make more than $22 million over the next three years, the Hawks need him to produce and so here we are.
“You spend so much energy on the defensive end [but] at the same time you’ve got to make your opponent guard,” he said. “It’s hard enough to guard them but you can’t let them come down and catch a blow on defense. With this new offense and everybody moving hopefully [defenders] will have some more to think about.”
Marvin took some time to think this summer. He went back to Chapel Hill and continued work on his African-American Studies degree (”Probably three more summers to go,” he said). He recently played host to a local bowling event for Special Olympics, an organization he’s volunteered with since he was a sophomore in high school.
Before that, Marvin went to Dakar, Senegal, with the NBA’s Basketball Without Borders program.
“The people were great,” he said. “The people were so nice. They made something out of literally nothing. Those guys are out there playing on dirt courts. It was 120 degrees, it felt like. Super humid. They are out there exercising, working on their game.”
The NBA contingent helped with the effort to put up bed netting in villages in the region with the hope of eradicating malaria.
“I think that was the most special thing for me was to be able to help out,” he said. “Just a little bit.”
So it’s not exactly back to reality for Marvin. More like back from that harsh reality to his job, which figures to be tougher as expectations for his performance rise (again).
“Coach just wanted me to come back ready,” he said. “I just continue to do the things I’ve been doing: shooting the ball, try to get quicker guarding the ball, trying to handle the ball. Just try to stay consistent. I’ve got to work on being consistent this year. I think that is my biggest thing.”
MC
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168 comments Add your comment
vava74
September 27th, 2010
6:45 pm
Look at this and then rub your eyes in disbelief!
http://www.nba.com/hawks/photogallery/Media_Day_Photos.html?curPhoto=3
The Hawks need to ask for refund: this year’s Collins edition is a chinese counterfeit… This guy is too damn thin. It can’t be our pork-chop twin!
Jae Evolution
September 27th, 2010
6:45 pm
Marvin Williams interview: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ft1dhyBbEPQ
Najeh Davenpoop
September 27th, 2010
6:53 pm
“IMO, he should always be judged as a potential franchise player because that’s what he was initially pegged as.”
The point MC was making, with which I agree, is that Marvin has long since proven that he is not a franchise player, so it’s a waste of time to expect him to be that. As disappointing as he is, he didn’t ask to be picked #2, and we have all agreed that Billy Knight made a mistake picking him at that position. Expecting him to be a franchise player doesn’t make any more sense than signing Stromile Swift or Kwame Brown and expecting them to be franchise players.
rusty
September 27th, 2010
6:58 pm
@ mc it always seems that you know no more about the hawks than we do. do you really have any direct contact with the hawks. you never seem capable about answering any of our questions.
rusty
September 27th, 2010
7:05 pm
why anyone would think that mo was capable to play first string for us, i cant imagine , i dont think he is good enough to play first string for any team in the nba. i would give the job to jc1 & move jj to sf. i rather give the job to jc2 as i already see he has a hell of a lot more talant than mo
jason
September 27th, 2010
7:15 pm
if marvin can go from 10 ppg to 18 ppg then we will be in buisness
leedsatlanta
September 27th, 2010
7:27 pm
OK, lol,
Hawks have signed a new player and nobody even noticed!
Come on MC fess up!
leedsatlanta
September 27th, 2010
7:31 pm
Ok , 3 new rookies listed on the roster? What is going on?
truthspitter
September 27th, 2010
7:34 pm
Where is Teague in the media day pictures? Glad that Marvin is not in any of them. I get sick to my stomach everytime I see him, LMAO
northcyde
September 27th, 2010
7:35 pm
@ doc . . . completely co-sign your 4:50 post
MC is a PROFESSIONAL writer who also blogs . . not a blogger masquerading as a professional writer, like some of these national writers that cal themselves “experts”.
I knew MC as legit the minute he took time to break down the ACTUAL effectiveness of ISO-JOE, and not roll with the perception that the fans thought of it. And when he cited that players were messing around in practice when Woody was trying to teach defense, that just validated for me.
Mike Cunningham is EASILY the most “attention to detail” writer on the entire AJC sports staff. Easily. And that includes Sekou, who is a damn good writer, but doesn’t pay attention to detail all the time.
I guess people want MC to be more like Mark Bradley and Jeff Schultz ( whom I consider “shock bloggers” ). Blog with “passion”, even though 75% of the time, they’re hating on the Hawks and may not even give you the facts. But they rile up the base, and give you an opinion.
We’re lucky to even get 2 blogs a week from him during NBA downtime. A lot of NBA bloggers from other papers may write one blog a week, if nothing significant is going on.
Keep up the good work MC. Don’t change ANYTHING to your approach on how you cover the Hawks.
Grandad
September 27th, 2010
7:39 pm
These players have been on NBA trade machine for a week or more:
[practice players I recon]
(1) Evan Brock [formerly of Lassiter HS]
(2) Richard Delk
(3) Ricardo Marsh
Grandad
September 27th, 2010
7:44 pm
*reckon
Even though I have been on a recon mission.
drmaryb (*_*)
September 27th, 2010
9:12 pm
Talented State of Mind!
WOW! Just saw NBA TV GameTime.
Chris Webber said if you are a Hawks Fan?
“You are depressed, Because you have a New Coach and No Talent
for him to work with.”
C Webb says, “They spent a lot of money, but haven’t resigned
Crawford and supposedly they have all this talent, but I don’t
see it. They will not make the play offs, because everyone around
them got better.”
Webb picks the rematch: Lakers and Celtics
Very interesting to hear the outside looking in perspective.
Well, my friends told me I owed too much on credit cards and
was too old at 32 years of age to return to Graduate School
and become a Doctor.
Well, we all know how that turned out!
I wonder what crow taste like?
I Believe my Hawks WILL make the play-offs and should not
be grossly over looked like that.
doc
September 27th, 2010
9:45 pm
northcyde, honored and ditto dat. MC did really do something when he broke it down with a bias of thinking it was working to find iso-joe wasnt as effective and reported it. that was huge then going the next step and getting the data base on bball and using it as he writes shows effort, insight and desire to get it right. g-dad i hate to say this but you might have noticed all you really did was bring out some worms.
Hmmmmmmm
September 27th, 2010
10:39 pm
Question MC – shouldnt anyone who says James White is better than Marvin Williams be banned from the blog? Hell shouldnt he banned from the human race?
Ken Strickland
September 27th, 2010
11:34 pm
ROD FROM CP-Go back and reread your last post and see if you’re not guilty of the POT CALLING THE KETTLE BLACK. Marvin was a better scorer before Woody started depending on the one on one skills of JJ, FMurray and JaCrawford, which subsequently pushed Marvin further down the scoring hierarchy. The increase in scoring attempts for JSmoove and Horford also contributed to his OFF regression.
But it’s a total waste of time discussing Marvin and what we think he can or can’t do. The only opinion that matters is that of HC LDrew.
I like the new slim down look of JCollins. He should have more mobility, foot speed, lift and stamina. He looks like he can function very well in our new motion OFF and man to man DEF. His commitment to losing weight and being in better condition indicates he intends to be more than just a situational backup to be used exclusively against the Shaq’s and DHoward’s. Bravo for him.
nes
September 29th, 2010
5:36 am
OK WordSmithTom, i will take your comments to heart as Marvin isn’t a bust as a good player but not an elite player either you expect from the top of the draft, but first off it is not hate! just my opinion of watching Marvin for 5 years in Hawks uniform. i understand the ISO with JJ but that usually is in fourth quarter where all the Hawks players were standing and watching JJ dribble and try to create his shot, not just Marvin on the wing. Point here is Marvin has had 20 points plus games in Woody’s system some but never consistent on a game to game basis, that is what i mean when he disappears in games-that is fact! Then on defense, i get tired of the talk he has to guard the other SF and gets worn down or tired, it this is the case he should only play 25 minutes a game and play all-out and not try to save energy and then bring in a role player offf the bench to spell Marvin in each quarter for a breather. I never agreed with Woody playing the starters all those minutes a game without rest for the fourth quarter, so lets see what happens this year under LD, and see if he is willing to develop the bench players and rest the starters in games. Preseason will be a great indication where this team is going and how well the offensive system works.
Ex GM Knight and this bunch ASG owners are the real culprits in this mess anyway from keeping the Hawks from the title, especially this year with a few free agent centers available that could have helped the Hawks have muscle around the basket and not drafting center Whiteside in this year’s draft.
nes
September 29th, 2010
5:39 am
Sorry about bad sentencing above, too early in the morning.