Atlanta Hawks: Van Exel helping Teague find his inner ‘dog’
Hawks want Teague to attack like Van Exel.
They called Nick Van Exel “Nick the Quick” during his playing days because of his speed, and in that way Jeff Teague is similar to Van Exel.
But Van Exel also had what L.D. calls an “edge” and “played with a chip on his shoulder.” Teague doesn’t have that so L.D. brought in Van Exel to help him find it.
“We call it ‘the dog’ in the NBA,” Van Exel said. “We are trying to bring that dog out of him.”
For Van Exel, the dog was a natural thing. You saw it in his brashness, his attacking style and his knack for taking and making buzzer-beating shots. Of course, sometimes it could be tough to contain Van Exel’s “dog”–he had a history of untimely technical fouls and a rep for difficult relations with coaches and teammates–but you could never say Van Exel wasn’t aggressive.
These things don’t come naturally for Teague.
“He’s kind of a quiet kid,” Van Exel said. “He likes to joke around and have fun. But there are times when somebody makes him mad, and he is just blowing by guys. And we are like, ‘Man, you’ve got to to that all the time.’
“He can do it. He has those skills. We are thinking about maybe going up to him and making him mad before every game, making up stuff just to get him going.”
You see flashes of fire in Teague. During one of the informal pickup games last week Bibby called a foul on Teague, who thought his block was clean. Teague angrily protested the call and in the next few possessions attacked the basket with zeal. His banter with Bibby continued in locker room, and though it was in that half-joking, half-serious tone, there was no doubt Teague was still ticked about the call.
Hawks coaches want to see that spark all the time.
“He has all the tools,” Van Exel said. “It’s just a matter of him bringing an aggressive style and approach to the game every night. Skill-wise, I think he is up there with the best of them. He can shoot it. He can get in the lane anytime he wants. He can break the defense down. He has all the skills.”
Van Exel retired from playing after the 2005-06 season. He ranked among the league’s top eight in assists for five different seasons and the top 10 in 3-pointers made in four seasons.
Van Exel said he had planned to take a couple years off after his retirement and then get an NBA coaching gig but that didn’t work out. He was an assistant coach at Texas Southern in Houston when L.D. called.
“This is really I wanted to be,” he said. “It is great to be back [in the league].”
MC
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145 comments Add your comment
Fresh
September 30th, 2010
11:56 am
WOW!!!! The Heat have absolutely 1 year to win a championship because with this new hard cap that will be set in place; D.Wade, Lebron, and Bosh is going to be playing with D-Leaguers for the rest of their contracts lol. This is good news for Hawks fans actually and fans of teams outside of Boston and LA. We may finally see some parity in the NBA. Of course, if there isn’t a lockout for next season.
edub
September 30th, 2010
12:02 pm
@Rod from College Park..You may not be able to pull a dog out of a duck, but you can pull a duck out of a dog (See the book Bark George) (LOL)
Ramon
September 30th, 2010
12:05 pm
Vava, you don’t think with Shaq on the low block, that will cause teams to have to double him? And do you think they could leave Pierce or Allen (on the arc) or Garnett (at the elbow) to come in double? Shaq still demands a double team when he’s in the game. And giving Pierce or Allen an extra split second to get set is dangerous.
northcyde
September 30th, 2010
12:10 pm
Fresh, our situation ( once we re-sign Horford ), is going to put us in the same boat as the Heat. We’re going to have 3 high salary players ( JJ, Smoove, Horford ), with very little wiggle room to add a signficant piece in the future, if a hard cap is instituted. And especially if that cap number is 60 million or below.
The only thing that will save us, is if the contracts are also adjusted downward . . . which would also help the Heat.
I believe the Hawks this year have a higher team payroll than the Heat. A hard cap in the future means that we may have to very well choose between Jeff Teague and Jordan Crawford as to who we re-sign long term.
Ramon
September 30th, 2010
12:11 pm
Here’s a quick question, who would you rather have on your team, Mike Bibby or Yao Ming?
JoJo the Godfather
September 30th, 2010
12:15 pm
Celts, Magic & Heat are “for real”…Bucks & Bulls are being hyped up a little too much to me…Good teams, but not great…Who scores for the Bulls besides Rose, Boozer & Deng?…Similar issues for Bucks…That front line is thin: Bogut (still hurt), Gooden, Brian Skinner, Mbah a Moute, Ilyasova???…Bulls could really use a Jamal Crawford type to create shots for that 2nd unit…Korver & Brewer are both guys that have to be “set up”…Bucks need a big man off their bench or starting PF.
Ramon
September 30th, 2010
12:23 pm
Sautee, I guess we get different things from the Al Horford’s Summer Article. Because even MC said Horford wants to play PF (prefers). In my mind, you don’t even say you want to play that or prefer to play that as a leader. As a leader, you say you want to play and win, end of quotation, lol.
northcyde
September 30th, 2010
12:26 pm
@ vava
Shaq’s opponents at center shot 47% against him and had a PER of 14.2 ( when looking at their production on a per 48 minute basis ).
Perkins opponents at center shot 51% against him and had a PER of 16.6
Does this mean that Shaq is a better defensive center than Perkins? No . . . because Perkins is a better help defender.
But this does mean that Shaq makes it extremely tough on opponents to score on him.
You know what you’ll see with Shaq this year in Boston? You may very well see a Michael Vick effect that he’ll have on that team. And when Perkins is ready to come back to the rotation, Shaq will be playing so well that Doc may not dare take Shaq out of the starting lineup ( because he will beat out Jermaine O’Neal for the starting job . . . or at least he should ).
He’s on a team now whose entire culture is centered around defense. So expect Shaq to be an even better defender this year, than he was last year. And that will make the Celtics a VERY SCARY team.
But believe that dude will suck if you want to. Check that dude by early December, to see how he’s playing.
vava74
September 30th, 2010
12:47 pm
northcyde,
those stats mean nothing, starting with PER and ending on the defensive stats.
these are the same stats that apparently state that Bargnani is a good defensive C!!!!
Shaq is a huge liability defensively and Ramon, no, I don’t think Shaq commands a double team right now, not unless he loses 60 or 70 lbs.
Put a body on him and let him get his shots without him fouling and whenever he is getting too close, just send him to the line. I saw many Cavs’ games last year and he was not effective at all.
If you and northcyde want to dwell on stats, just look at the Cavs’ best combinations of 5 players on the floor for last year and Shaq was not present in none of the top 5 or 6 combos.
And that, my friends, is one of the reasons why the Cavs went down.
The Truth
September 30th, 2010
12:48 pm
“So the Heat passes on Erick Dampier. Then the Bucks sign Brian Skinner while linked to Dampier. Could it be we’re all overstating Dampier?”
http://twitter.com/IraHeatBeat
Big Ump
September 30th, 2010
12:48 pm
Mike Is Back
You right on the money with your latest post.
vava74
September 30th, 2010
12:50 pm
And by the way, IF KG returns to 2008 form, I am not ruling out the Celts at all.
If not, if he plays like last year? I think that will put up a fight but go down on the second round.
northcyde
September 30th, 2010
1:34 pm
Vava . . . who told you that lie about Bargnani when he plays center?
Opponent production per 48 minutes.
FG%: 53%
PER: 18.2
inside FG%: 58%
Those aren’t good defensive numbers. But the stats mean nothing I guess.
( note . . . both Perkins and Shaq give up less than 50% FG on inside shots . . which is the mark of centers that defend well around the rim . . and is the only glaring weakness in Al Horford’s defensive game when he plays center . . 60% iFG given up by him )
But keep believing the lie if you want to.
As for Shaq not being part of their best 5 man unit, keep believing that lie too. Although Mike Brown didn’t ue the lineup nearly enough, the lineup of Mo Williams – West – Lebron – Hickson – and Shaq was one of their best defensive lineups last year.
But keep believing lies if you want.
Ken Strickland
September 30th, 2010
1:41 pm
JO JO-I totally agree with your assessment of the Bulls and Bucks, but not the other teams. The Celtics lost their best perimeter defender(TAllen), and have tried to replace him with a collection of players, including head case DWest.
They lost their primary backup center(RWallace), and their starting center(KPerkins) won’t be available before FEB. They’ve replaced them with 2 old, slow, immobile, injury prone players(Shaq & JOneal). They’ve also lost the DEF guru(Thibodeau), who was the architect of last yrs playoff success.
We dominated them last yr because they couldn’t match up with our speed, quickness, athleticism and versatility. At the same time we’ve gotten quicker, faster, more athletic, versatile and talented, while they’ve gotten older, slower, more injury prone, less versatile and athletic. They aren’t going to finish ahead of us anytime soon.
Miami has far too many questions, personnel changes, adjustments, chemistry issues and ego’s to overcome, and that includes GM PRiley. None of the 3 stars they’ve sign can possibly be as effective and productive playing together as they were when dominating the ball and/or the OFF individually last yr. Their bench might look good on paper to some of you, but it’s not all that much.
I think our starting lineup matches up pretty good with theirs.
SF-LJames/MWilliams-Obviously this match up favors Miami, but Marvin has demonstrated he’s not afraid to take on a challenge like Lebron. In fact, he’s turned in some very good DEF performances against him. If he improves his OFF output in LDrew’s motion OFF, it could put a lot of pressure on Lebron and his average at best individual DEF.
C-It doesn’t matter who they start at C, AHorford gives us the advantage.
PF-It doesn’t matter who they start a PF, JSmoove gives us the advantage.
SG-While DWade is a better scorer than JJ, he’s not in his class as an individual defender. And offensively DWade won’t be as prolific, having to share the ball and scoring playing with CBosh and LJames, as he was when he was Miami’s one man OFF. It’s unlikely that Lebron or DWade has ever had to play in an actual structured OFF where they HAD to share the ball.
They’ll be very vulnerable to zone DEF’s, because their starting lineup won’t be much of an outside shooting threat. Their lack of DEF will force them to compensate by trying to outscore their opponents. With PRiley’s massive ego, and desire to coach his personal collection of talent, everyone in the Heat organization knows he’ll be looking for any excuse to take over the HC duties. That will put everyone, especially the HC, on pins and needles waiting for PRiley to come down from his perch to take over as HC. They’re not going to be the team everyone seems to believe or hope they’ll be.
As far as Orlando is concerned, it’s obvious DHoward works very hard on his physique during the off season, but seemingly very little on his still very limited OFF gm, or his habit of fouling. With his limited OFF skills, why not play him straight up and let him try to carry the team offensively, and use our speed, quickness and athleticism to limit the production of his teammates. With 4 centers, and our motion OFF, we can make him work his butt into exhaustion, and/or foul trouble.
I won’t say we’ll have the team with the most talent, but I’ll say we’ll have the most talented TEAM, and I predict we’ll earn one of the top 2 seeds in the East.
Samuel
September 30th, 2010
1:46 pm
4/160. I guess that makes me a .975 empty fan. LOL!!
Melvin
September 30th, 2010
2:10 pm
Grandad,
I just viewed the video of LD’s interview. I also noticed Josh in the background shooting 3’s. His shot does look better. I did see him make one but couldn’t tell how many he actually made/missed from the angles of the camera…lol
Kapoonka
September 30th, 2010
2:11 pm
Nick had mad game, and played his heart out. I really hope this works out because Teague is due. On another note….I remember Tyra Banks coming into the Lakers locker room, and my man Nick was so smitten he couldn’t even talk to her. It was classic to see a pro athlete respond like a regular joe. Don’t think Tyra could make him swoon now, but Beyonce……..
dap01
September 30th, 2010
2:27 pm
It is nice to hear and see the changes that Drew is working on. He is looking forward with Teague (Woodson did nothing except put him down). Drew is proactive in making Josh a leader (Woodson did nothing except put him down). Drew hired a defensive coach (Woodson switched and was abused). Drew hired a coach to help Teague (Woodson again just put him down). Drew will use an offense that compliments our talents (Woodson was lost on offense).
Has anyone hired woodson?
Rod from College Park
September 30th, 2010
2:33 pm
vava74,
So per your logic Shaq, J.Oneal and Big Baby < Perkins, Wallace and Big Baby. OK. You do know that Wallace was terrible all year until the playoffs.
northcyde
September 30th, 2010
2:35 pm
Ken . . . does the fact that Lebron, Wade, and Bosh frequently played and practiced together being a part of Team USA count for anything?
I mean, it’s not like these guys have never played with each other.
You’re talking about these guys having problems sharing the ball? Please. Both Lebron and Wade have proven throughout their careers to be unselfish players. Sharing the ball wll be the least of their issues. Both Lebron and Wade could easily average over 7 assists on this squad.
I mean . . damn Ken. We’re essentially bringing back the same Hawks team, and Miami ( without Lebron, Bosh, Mike Miller, and Big Z ), blew us out twice last year.
You can keep talking the “Miami isn’t all that” theme if you want. But the facts are that Riley has assembled the right pieces together to make a SERIOUS championship run. And for the Hawks to beat that team, we’re going to need EVERYBODY playing at the highest level possible . . . especially defensively, which doesn’t seem to be the focus for Drew right now.
It’s just silly to keep trying to find holes in that team, but act like the weak additions that we added are going to elevate us to borderline elite status.
The Hawks should be a solid 50 win team. Miami’s worst case scenario as a team is that they win 55. And only teams with powerful frontlines and/or great defensive teams, are going to be able to take them out.
LOL . . who do you try to stop on the Heat? Who do you double team? And if you double somebody, Mike Miller ( the best 3 point shooter in the league last year ), is waiting on the outside to knock the shot down.
Tell me Ken . . . which squad would you rather have? Theirs or ours?
Rod from College Park
September 30th, 2010
2:41 pm
Ken Stricland,
“They lost their primary backup center(RWallace), and their starting center(KPerkins) won’t be available before FEB. They’ve replaced them with 2 old, slow, immobile, injury prone players(Shaq & JOneal). They’ve also lost the DEF guru(Thibodeau), who was the architect of last yrs playoff success.”
So i guess Doc Rivers, Paul Pierce, Ray Allen, Kevin Garnett, and Rondo will forget all of their defensive principles because Coach Thibodeau is not there. OK. Those two old, slow, immoble centers have sure given Atlanta a lot of problems over the years. I guess this year will be different because we are running a magic offense. (LOL)
Hawks Fan
September 30th, 2010
3:00 pm
This is a great move by coach Drew BUT i’m sorry Jeff has to want that DOG to come out on his own..He is a very quiet soft spoken 6′0″ guard that is super quick..has a below average J and turns the ball over a ton! In my eyes the only two people on this team that need to show more DOG is Marvin and Joe…Marvin was the 2nd pick in the draft and is on the bench in the 4th quarter with 2pts..Joe was actually quoted in the media for the 1st time in over 5 years just last season! Those two are starters..those two are match up nightmares those TWO NEED TO STEP UP…BOTTOM LINE!!
Astro Joe
September 30th, 2010
3:11 pm
dap01, you do realize that the PG coachlast year was a guy name Larry Drew, right?
MsDee
September 30th, 2010
3:22 pm
@northcyde, ‘which squad would you rather have? Theirs or ours?’
I know this question was directed towards Ken S but I couldnt resist.
I WOULD RATHER HAVE OURS..first of all, the Heat had to ‘create’ a group of guys basically to ‘cheat’ their way to a ring which is sad to a point. Any and all sports should be about the competition and not the ‘GIVING IN’ mentality! Ken S. made some AWESOME insight on both the Heat and the Hawks, but for you to be a ’so-called fan’ you ALWAYS find a way to think very highly of other teams accomplishments and choose to view the negative aspect of ours..why oh why?? I LOVE BEING THE UNDERDOGG and look forward to the POSITIVE gain we will have this up coming season, whether we win 50+ games or not, just has long as we play better to have an ALL AROUND GAME instead of the ONE DIMENSIONAL game that Woody had for us!!
Grandad
September 30th, 2010
3:23 pm
To Melvin -&- vava also -@- nc.
About Josh’s shooting mechanics. Melvin – early on Josh should
expect some misses but hope that he does not get frustrated
then revert to his old flawed stroke, [It takes awhile] patience.
vava – what I saw was him shooting as opposed to throwing.
[oversimplification]
Still still falling away, much improved. [baby steps]
nc:
“Josh Smith can’t shoot”
“will never be a decent outside shooter on the NBA level”
I beg to differ:
While Josh will never become Ray Allen,
he can cease to be a brick mason.
I am currently writing a disqisition [thesis] for publication
on shooting mechanics in which I take on *nature vs nurture
in my argument. *[heredity vs environment]
*heredity = physical stature, musculature, etc.
*environment = training, when did training begin, etc.
Too much to debate on this blog.
Hoewever, my position is:
“Josh can ‘-greatly-’ improve his shooting”!
MsDee
September 30th, 2010
3:24 pm
KEN S. continue to be our ’savior’ on this blog..THE ONE WHO IS TRULY A FAN OF THE HAWKS!!
~~MAC-ToWN~~ (Area Code 478 Westside Macon)
September 30th, 2010
3:37 pm
This article by FAR…is the most interesting in awhile (not a knock on you MC, I know things have been slow around Hawks nation)
but all this talk about Marvin, Joe, Smoove, and especially available bigs has been rather “blah”
To recognize that Teague’s skills are there but his attitude and demeanor arent (as of now) so the team/coaches need to get “IT” out of him is very key and intriguing.
Grandad
September 30th, 2010
3:39 pm
Two points:
(1) Teaguer – it’s not that he has never shown competitiveness.
It’s that he lost his edge last year. NVE will help him restore
that lost mojo.
(2) Bargnani – I’m not certain what yawl are debating?
-But-
The young man is an intriguing player whose stats mirror
Bosh’s almost identically except reb’s.
Just sayin’ – wish we had him.
newkid
September 30th, 2010
3:40 pm
AJ, not sure if you’ve been around long enough to remember Larry Drew as a player. If so, you’ll recall that he didn’t exactly exhibit ‘the dog’ he wishes to have Nick the Quick extract from Teague. So maybe LD realized what some here have asserted about Marvin: if it’s not within you, no one and nothing can coach it out of you. Maybe LD realized that he needed an assistant coach fully imbued with ‘the dog’ to mentor Teague; something that perhaps he himself (i.e., LD) was not equipped to accomplish. Kudos to LD if in fact he recognized this weakness in his attributes, and was selfless enough to seek help. Takes a ‘big’ man to do that, and the Hawks will be better for it.
Grandad
September 30th, 2010
3:43 pm
*Bargnani – yeah, yeah, *scoring avg.
*[shooting % indicate that it would be the same if...]
Grandad
September 30th, 2010
3:45 pm
newkid
keen observation!
Hawks Fan In New Orleans
September 30th, 2010
4:08 pm
I believe both Horford and Smoove will be great vocal leaders this season. I don’t think I am alone in assuning josh will his new role as captain.
Astro Joe
September 30th, 2010
4:17 pm
newkid, I do remember Drew and I immediately applauded his hire of Van Exel. Just trying to set the record straight regarding the previous coach, who in fact, had an assistant coach in place to work with PGs. (One who has even produced an instructional video on PG play). Over on Ray’s blog, I called for a younger asst. coach weeks before Van Exel was hired because I thought it would provide our still young nucleus with a more relatable person to work with. I have suggested at least twice that the Van Exel hire may be the best move of the summer by the Hawks. But let’s not suggest that the previous administration ignored the need for a PG position coach… that is patently false. If you want to say the previous coach chose the wrong PG coach, that’s another story.
Sautee
September 30th, 2010
4:23 pm
Ramon,
Yes, we can agree to disagree in what we read in the article, but…..
You’re not off the hook yet. You stated this “Section 303, is Al whining when he states (over and over) that he can’t win without playing the PF position?”
I say he NEVER said that, and that you are using your own interpretation of what you read. I challenge you to either give up that assertion, or show us exactly where he said that. If he truly said that “over and over”, as you claim, then surely it should be easy to find a link to a quote.
And I appreciate your taking the time to look up the article. Take a little more, please and show me where Al said what you claim.
Or give up the claim.
newkid
September 30th, 2010
4:25 pm
Thanks Grandad.
MC’s post on this ‘dog’ thing has prompted me to think of others guards from NBA lore (not named Jordan) who’ve unmistakenly exhibited this characteristic. I’ve imagined myself turning the packages of an ‘NBA dictionary’ and coming to a stop next to the expression ‘the dog’, and prominently posted there are pictures of Gary Payton and Zeke. Then I remembered a cat I saw play college ball a time or two who might have moved into that same company if he’d decided to make a legal living on the hardwood: Pee Wee Kirkland. Bet you guys could cite tons more of that ilk.
Astro Joe
September 30th, 2010
4:32 pm
newkid, STEVE NASH. He doesn’t get credit (for reasons which I won’t discuss here), but dude is a KILLA! I have learned to appreciate his game and his ability to destroy opposing teams with clever passes and then to put the nail in the coffin with a big time 3 ball.
Others include Rod Strickland, a once young Baron Davis, a break-your-ankles Tim Hardaway and an injured-too-young Penny Hardaway. And I MUST add Mr. Flip Murray, the last Hawk who brought some serious DOG to this squad (at a 5th of Jamal’s salary).
But Mr. Nash is a tough SOB who will fling those locks around like a pretty boy while ripping you apart like a Geroge Clinton Atomic Dog.
newkid
September 30th, 2010
4:38 pm
AJ, yes I recall you giving multiple early props to LD for the Van Exel hire. And I couldn’t agree more with your assertion that, from an extremely small sample size, this could turn out to be the best move Sund has made since bringing in JCross to fill the 6th man role. But not because Teague needed a coach, surely he had that in Drew; rather because Teague needed a dog extractor. Personally I’d have preferred Gary Payton, but Van Exel will do just fine.
Hawks Fan In New Orleans
September 30th, 2010
4:42 pm
If Teague rediscovers “the dog” the league better watch out – our offense will be lethal! Woody put “the dog” of Teague had in the dog house, effectively castrated him as a rookie. Van Exel has his work cut out for him.
Sautee
September 30th, 2010
4:48 pm
newkid,
I’m not a fan, but Iverson should certainly be included. As should Jerry Sloan in his playing days (I though you’d appreciate that one).
tyger
September 30th, 2010
4:52 pm
The kid cant shoot and will never be a #1 PG. The D will sag and challenge him to shoot. Great PGs keep the D off-balance due to their abilities to both penetrate and knock down outside shots. Teague only penetrates and once his legs get heavy, its a wrap.
1. Rumeal Robinson
2. Jacque Vaughn
3. Mateen Cleaves
4. Charlie Ward
Astro Joe
September 30th, 2010
4:53 pm
Young dogs commit a bunch of turnovers. Young dogs have to learn how to play winning basketball. I’m glad NVE is here because I have long said the Hawks are mostly wimps and he brings an edge the team sorely needs. But excuse me if I struggle to remember the numerous rings worn by past DOGS (especially young ones). It’s about wins, folk, not who looks best in an NBA Live game.
KevinM
September 30th, 2010
4:53 pm
Ken, I can’t stop laughing:
“We dominated them last yr because they couldn’t match up with our speed, quickness, athleticism and versatility. At the same time we’ve gotten quicker, faster, more athletic, versatile and talented, while they’ve gotten older, slower, more injury prone, less versatile and athletic. They aren’t going to finish ahead of us anytime soon.”
How have we gotten quicker with an older Marvin, and older Bibby, an older iso Joe, an older JC1, an older Mo, and older Thomas, Zaza, and Collins. The 2 O’Neals will make oatmeal out of our bench big men. Truly classic that we are more versatile now over last year. How does that happen with the same roster?
Miami beats us 3 out of 4 games last year, and now we match up better with them. Miami gains 10 games on us this year. No more watching DWade a cast of boring teammates.
Wow, this offseason truly has been a godsend for us to see the Hawks now getting serious about contending. The things that were holding us back: Woody, Randolph, Mario, Joe Smith and Mark Price are gone now.
Average Age: 25.1
Average Height: 6-7
This roster matches up height wise with the league but the age average is the issue.
Dos Hawkquis
September 30th, 2010
4:57 pm
MC, NIREMETAL, BIG RAY, DR MARY B, VAVA, KEN STRICKLAND and any other “CAPOLOGIST”
Could the Hawks offer Jamal Crawford a 4/25mil and still re-sign Horford, without putting us over the cap? Would this be offensive to JC1?
We have Mo’ Evans coming off the books next yr and Bibby the year after that.
“I don’t always watch basketball, but when I do, I prefer the Hawks. Stay thirsty my friends.”
northcyde
September 30th, 2010
5:11 pm
No ma’am Ms Dee. You can’t put that negative fan label on me. I’m simply realistic about things.
You and Ken can be elated about the additions of Collins, Thomas, Powell, and Pape Sy. But I would bet that 70% of this fan base isn’t.
Why?
Because we needed REAL talent to upgrade the bench, to make sure that we could be right there with the elite teams in the conference . . . not leftover players that nobody wanted.
I didn’t see him, or you, or anybody else talking about . .”man, if we could only re-sign Collins and bring in Josh Powell, we’d be set for next year.”
I’m a die hard Hawks fan, but also a realist fan. I don’t live in Hawk Utopia or Hawk Purgatory.
I definitely didn’t last season, as I enjoyed thoroughly watching the Hawks, while others went into panic or hate mode everytime we lost 2 games in a row or 3 out of 4. A lot of you couldn’t even enjoy last season, because you were too worried about Woody doing so well, that he’d get another extension.
Luckily for you and Ken and the others, the Hawks and Woody bombed so bad in the playoffs, that a decision to not renew his contract was easy . . . despite the fact he was the coach of the 5th most successful team in the 40 years the Hawks have been in Atlanta.
I have said all summer that while the gap between us, Chicago, and Milwaukee has definitely closed, I still think we’re better than those 2 teams. Barring multiple injuries, there should be no reason why the Haws shouldn’t win 48 to 52 games this season.
But like I said . . . I’m a realist as well. Because I know good and well that if the Hawks don’t become a much better team defensively, it’s niot going to matter how good we are offensively.
I also know that the scrup players we added aren’t going to help this team much. Etan MAYBE, but people like Collins, Powell, and Sy won’t. Jordan probably won’t either, unless he wows the socks off of people during the preseason.
So my hope lies in our REAL CORE. . . . JJ, Smoove, and Horford. They’re the ones that have the most chance of seeing their games go to that next level. If all 3 of those guys can turn into legit All-Stars ( i.e. – top 4 at their respective position ), we now have a puncher’s chance at the elite squads.
newkid
September 30th, 2010
5:16 pm
Sautee, my parents barely had tv when Sloan played with the Bulls, but I do vaguely remember he and Stormin Norman. Hated them both, but probably because they were both afflicted with ‘the dog’. Loved Butter Bean though.
AJ, Zeke was the prototypical ‘young dog’, and he benefitted greatly from ‘Up Chuck’ (sorry, that’s the moniker one of my pals hung on Daly) playing him early. Now, how many O’Brien’s did he have?