Atlanta Hawks: Hawks at Wizards
Washington–When the Hawks are at home L.D. is fine with them running the floor and feeding off the energy of the Highlight Factory. But he’s got a different philosophy on the road.
That’s why one of the offensive keys on the team’s board before the game tonight against the Wizards said: “Play slow.”
“On the road, you want to run at the opportune times,” L.D. said. “But you can’t play at a pace that you play at home, especially when you are short-handed, too. With the home team they want to get their fans involved. They want you to quick shoot so they can get it and run it back at you.
“You have got to pick and choose your spots to keep the fans out of it and control the tempo, force that team to play your pace. The faster you play it opens more opportunities for turnovers. We want to be athletic and get up and down the floor but we don’t want to play at a speed that leads to turnovers, especially on the road.”
The Hawks are averaging 23.5 turnovers through two exhibition games. That’s fourth-worst in the league entering tonight’s game.
There are lots of caveats to that, of course–preseason, wacky lineups, etc.–but now is the time to develop good habits. Lester Conner wrote the turnover figure on the board as a reminder.
– Big defensive test tonight for JC2 , who is cross-matched against Wiz rookie point guard John Wall while Bibby draws Kirk Hinrich. Wall is as fast as they come and Crawford is a tough competitor so it should be an interesting duel.
– Etan is back in the city where he made his NBA name. He still has a house here.
“It was a good time,” he said of his time with the Wiz. “I have a lot of good memories here. I got to play with MJ. How many guys can say they got to play with MJ?”
– Arenas (knee) is out for the Wizards. Nick Young starts in his place. L.D. considered changing his lineup, too, but stuck with Bibby, Crawford, J.J., Smoove and Al.
MC
Tell us what you think about the site
Customer Care »
Vacation stops, manage subscriptions and more
AJC Services
Sections
Other Editions
Visitor Agreement | Privacy Statement
© 2013 The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
137 comments Add your comment
Mz. Hawkdafied
October 12th, 2010
9:26 pm
This is the first time in a while the preseason is actually boring. Must be the losing. The Wizards brought so much energy. I guess nobody told them it was a preseason game.
truthspitter
October 12th, 2010
9:27 pm
Hawks suck really bad and I don’t care that it is just the preseason. This offense is a joke and they are not executing. They should be going backdoor when the guys overplay the passing lanes. The defense is non-existent and teams are scoring on us at will. Al has not gotten a rebound all preseason it looks like. Jordan Crawford is a bright spot but so was Teague last preseason. This team looks bad. I guess my only fun from the Hawks will come from NBA 2K11 this year. This is real bad, but that’s what you get from firing a guy that won 53 games on going with his backup. He was a career backup for a reason people
richbrave
October 12th, 2010
9:27 pm
doc:
Barring injuries, no, they will get better. But it’s…..you know……pre-season. Not very big in the scheme of things.
I’ve been harboring the same thoughts that SUND just churned the roster a bit, and went nowhere with it. I’m hoping I’m wrong, and that the HAWKS have improved significantly but………………..well, we’ll swe. I would love to see them whip azz and take names on MIAMI in any event, better or worse.
Big Ray
October 12th, 2010
9:29 pm
Doc ,
I both agree and disagree. Sure, it is just preseason. But it’s several steps up from summer league or even training camp. I’m sure the Wiz are encouraged with what they see from Wall, though they also see his shortcomings. Then again, we’ve watched Acie Law have good preseason games…
wordsmithtom
October 12th, 2010
9:33 pm
Folks, this is the second end of a back-to-back and they only had 6 legitimate NBA players for both games. 3 CBA wannabees played major minutes last night and some tonight. Of course JS and Horf were “coasting” DUH!
It’s back to Atlanta to look at film, work on more schemes and get guys healthy for real season.
Jordan Crawford for 30. JC1 making a big mistake…..
Hawks Fan In New Orleans
October 12th, 2010
9:35 pm
Impressed by Jordan Crawford! I am officially joining the BENCH BIBBY CAMPAIGN as well.
Trent
October 12th, 2010
9:41 pm
I agree on these preseason games being boring this year. For me, a lot of the boredom comes from the fact that I’m watching camp invitees play a lot of minutes, which means almost nothing in terms of the Hawks capabilities. Larry Drew needs to pay close attention to how his players are doing physically in practices, but it is obvious that a broken team with injuries will have a tough time competing with even the worst teams in our league. That’s about all I can get out of these games. Sure, Jordan has looked impressive scoring the ball, but we already knew that the guy was a dynamic scorer. Also, no rookie is going to average 40+ minutes a night, so Jordan’s numbers are not quite as impressive when you think about the reality of how often he will really play, and what it will be like when he has guys actually scouting him. Take Brandon Jennings for example. He was a very explosive scorer early on in his rookie season, but once players and coaches took note of his ability, they started to focus in on him on defense and his numbers plummeted. Granted, he is still a very effective player and scorer, it just goes to show you what a little defensive attention can do to a player. I’m not trying to take anything away from Jordan, but just don’t get your hopes up to high on him. He may take some time to become a consistent, and under control scorer rather than just a volume shooter. Given the right circumstances and training though, he could be a very effective starting guard in a couple of years.
Big Ray
October 12th, 2010
9:42 pm
Richbrave ,
No, you saw what the rest of us saw. Sund didn’t do much of anything with the roster, and the Hawks are pinning most of the “change” on Larry Drew. It’s why I won’t bash Drew until he proves he is helping to screw things up. It took me aobut 4 years to finally get fed up with some of the stuff Woody was doing (or not doing). I’m not going to be an a$$ and start bashing Drew after two or three preseason games.
I’ll give Sund this: I think Teague and JC2 will turn out to be good solid draft picks. Acquiring Jamal was a good move, but may be a no-brainer that fell into his lap. Everything else has been vanilla or less. I’m never impressed with trading out one minimum contract for another. Not unless that represents an upgrade.
Powell will be better than Joe Smith simply because he’ll be healthy enough to play. Beyond that…
Grandad
October 12th, 2010
9:44 pm
I only saw the last half of 3rd plus all of 4th.
My obsevation is most likely going to be unpopular.
Jordan Crawford has improved quite a bit from SL.
However, during the time I watched, he shot the ball
almost every possession it seemed.
Before everyone starts griping & tellin’ me;
“who else was gonna shoot?”
my concern, is that he stops the offense.
I do agree,(and we must give Sund some credit)
that he was a steal for us in the draft.
[I don't like giving Sund credit...ever...]
Let’s not overhype the kid and turn him into Jeff Francoeur.
*That & he’s not a pg.
Example, tonight Etan was wide open on the pick & roll,
JC2’s instinct was to shoot…which he did.
When the movement was there on offense tonight it was beautiful.
richbrave
October 12th, 2010
9:44 pm
HAWKS FAN IN NO:
I been on that wagon quite awhile. Too many memories of PP taking BIBBY into the middle, and scoring j’s at will over him in that HAWKS coming out party that was the first round loss in seven to the CELTICS several years ago.
Trent
October 12th, 2010
9:45 pm
A couple of corrections on my last post:
The word “but” in the sentence which starts with Larry Drew should be “because”. Also, I meant to say “don’t get your hopes *too* high” in one of the later sentences. I’m very tired at the moment, so these posts are starting to lose their coherency lol.
richbrave
October 12th, 2010
9:50 pm
Does aqnyone here know how my main man aqnd fellow alum LAWRENCE SIDBURY JR. is doing with the FALCONS? I ask and ask on the FALCONS blog, and never get any response.
Grandad
October 12th, 2010
9:55 pm
I saw some good things from Zaza. He will thrive in this offense.
Late in the game Etan was able to seal his man effectively
and got some pretty good looks, while making @ least one.
Those two and JC2 were the only rotation players I saw play.
[well...there was Bibby...if you count him]
doc
October 12th, 2010
9:58 pm
shoot ray even shels and salim had their moments to shine when in the silly season before the playoffs or preseason. different animal. not much real tight aggressive d by either team and both teams shot lights out to show for it.
Melvin
October 12th, 2010
10:00 pm
Big Ray,
Co-sign your 9:42 post
Grandad
October 12th, 2010
10:02 pm
richbrave
I saw your post earlier about the Braves.
A center fielder + a Big right handed bat.
That oughta’ do it.
You reckon Venters becomes a starter with kimbrel closing?
I better hush since this is a Hawks blog.
I’ll check back later.
O'Brien
October 12th, 2010
10:07 pm
As good as JC2 has looked, the fact is he is getting lots of minutes. Once the regular season starts, he will be expected to contribute in limited minutes. And that will be tough for a rookie.
Also, what position will he play? he is not good enough to play steady minutes at PG during the regular season, and at SG we have JJ and JC1.
I think Sund should have seen enough of JC2 to know that he could trade JC1 to upgrade the overall roster.
cp,
The main reason for signing Thomas (imo) is because he can be physical. The intereting thing is being physical does not automatically translate to being good.
Melvin
October 12th, 2010
10:13 pm
OB,
The Hawks are going to need JC1 scoring ability. I would be very cautious in trading him unless they get a big time talent in return. I think both Crawford’s could play together. Both seem interchangeable at the guard position. I believe LD will have to make a decision on Bibby. His best days are definitely behind him and looking at his performance last season and this pre-season, I think LD will have to consider moving Bibby out of the rotation.
O'Brien
October 12th, 2010
10:14 pm
From ESPN.com;
LeBron James left the floor limping and grabbing the back of his right leg and went straight to the locker room during Miami’s preseason game against CSKA Moscow on Tuesday night. .
Hawks are not the only one being affected by injuries. And keep in mind that Wade is still out too.
O'Brien
October 12th, 2010
10:16 pm
Melvin,
The problem with playing JC1 and JC2 together, is both can be defensive liabilities (even if the effort is there).
And this being a motion offense, I think we can be fine with a legit backup SF, so that JJ can play all 35 minutes at SG. That would leave 13 mpg for JC1 and Mo Evans at SG, depending on matchups etc.
O'Brien
October 12th, 2010
10:21 pm
Hawks have to learn to make their FTs.
27-44 in game 1 (61%), 18-26 (69%), and 6-15 (40%) in game 3.
I dont know what the problem is…
richbrave
October 12th, 2010
10:25 pm
Grandad
October 12th, 2010
10:02 pm
richbrave
I saw your post earlier about the Braves.
A center fielder + a Big right handed bat.
That oughta’ do it.
You reckon Venters becomes a starter with kimbrel closing?
I better hush since this is a Hawks blog.
I’ll check back later.
VENTERS and MOYLAN were both used up by the end of this season. I could see VENTERS taking SAITO’s set-up role, but he will not be a starter, and KIMBREL being the closer. But more BRAVES starters need to consistently complete six. The BRAVES have the horses to complete a shutout game with the relief corps now on hand. BTW, they have another potential bruiser for the relief corps in AA, BRETT BUTTS. And three potential starters coming up over the next two to three years,TEHERAN, DELGADO, VIZCAINO. Their problem is they have no offensive bats of note down on the farm. Pardon me Mr.CUNNINGHAM. I post out of turn, but damn, these BRAVES just get into your blood-stream.
The Truth
October 12th, 2010
10:26 pm
Keeping it real, I didn’t see much motion tonight. The offense looked pretty ISO to me. ISO Joe, ISO Crawford, ISO Al, ISO Zaza, ISO Josh etc..
KevinM
October 12th, 2010
10:28 pm
I agree, Ms. Dee, they have to look better once everyone is available again.
Talk about no depth at the point! JC2 went lights out tonight. There was a iso-JC2 atmosphere out there. A 2 man game with JC2 and Etan….and Etan really couldn’t get much accomplished. I see why Sund was competing with no one for his sig.
When Al is hurt, the Hawks have no height. McGee was all over them. We made the Wizards look like a playoff team tonight. They showed us how to hold a big 1/2 time lead.
Did the Hawks win any category tonight? That sure looked like a typical back-2-back road game result.
So we have 3 games, and the results are eerily similar. The defense is non-existent. I still saw iso-plays out there more than I think should have been. JC2 has no conscience and he might get Bibby’s minutes.
Lots of things sure look similar to last year.
KevinM
October 12th, 2010
10:34 pm
Is it possible that Joe averages $1million/point this year? 20 ppg for the last 5 years.
O'Brien
October 12th, 2010
10:37 pm
KevinM,
I know this is hindsight, but I think the Hawks could have waited on Dampier to be available before signing Thomas and Collins. Those 2 guys are costing us ~$2.4 million combined, which means we could have offered Dampier ~$3mil, and not go over the luxury tax.
We dont know if Dampier would have signed with us, but if he didnt, I think Collins and Thomas would still be available.
Melvin
October 12th, 2010
10:37 pm
OB,
You know I normally agree with your analysis but I think you are over analyzing this one. Being that both Crawford will be playing the majority of their mins against the opposing bench players, you are suggesting that the opposing team will have capable scorers at both guard positions to expose the Crawford’s poor defense. And I dont think Jordan is that weak of a defender. He played the super quick John Wall better than anyone tonight (IMO).
cp
October 12th, 2010
10:38 pm
O’Brien , the reason I didn’t like the Etan signing or the Collins signing is because neither guy has been productive for about 4 years now. There was a reason nobody else wanted either guy. Might be great locker room guys and good practice guys but the Hawks don’t have the luxury of having bigs on the bench who bring nothing to the on court product. I know yourself and I had been talking about Boone since last year. He is a terrible free throw shooter but the two things he does well that we could use coming off the bench is rebounding and shot blocking. Collins and Etan do neither.
Grandad
October 12th, 2010
10:57 pm
I’m aware of these three all around 19 or 20 yrs. old,
[~TEHERAN, DELGADO, VIZCAINO~] but Don Sutton was talkin’
on the radio @ mid-season about -Vent- becoming a starter.
I promise that’s my last baseball post!!!!!
Ken Strickland
October 12th, 2010
11:02 pm
SAMUEL-If you insist on judging the Hawks based on preseason results, I guess you’d say the Lakers didn’t look like they were capable of making this yrs playoffs after getting whipped by the Euro team from Spain, huh. This is preseason, and LDrew is actually doing some serious critiquing, developing and evaluating. He seems to play his starters just long enough to see if they have it going and them he starts experimenting, mixing and matching. But he definitely makes certain JoCrawford gets him mins and experience.
While he’s not disciplined enough just yet to become a starter, he can certainly get it done coming off the bench. LDrew is making certain he gets plenty of experience defending quality PG’s. With his OFF, and better than Bibby or Jamal DEF ability, with the likelihood of improvement, I see him being the 1st guard off the bench. That’s assuming Jamal isn’t with the team.
We might still see Jamal playing the 6th man roll until the trade deadline. By then, Jordan should be settled and experienced enough to take over the 6th man responsibilities. It’s refreshing to see an Atlanta Hawks HC actually teaching, developing and explaining, rather than scoffing, ignoring and blaming.
Apparently over the last 6yrs, a lot of our fans have forgotten what it’s like to see a HC actually use the preseason to teach, develop and explain, and have had a hard time adjusting to it. Thus, we get the constant complaints and concerns about what’s going on with LDrew and the team during preseason.
When we get healthy and the season starts, and the adrenalin starts pumping, we’ll see an entirely different and focused Hawks team. FOOD FOR THOUGHT: What if MBibby continues to play poorly and the Hawks decide to cut him and keep or acquire a younger guard?
KevinM
October 12th, 2010
11:04 pm
Could the Wizards be this year’s OKC? They have a guy who can apply ball pressure and they bring a lot of energy. Hindrich and Nick Young will be beneficial to their growth.
We didn’t apply any pressure on the ball all night. I am sure it was because of the depth, and we’ll know more in 2 weeks.
Other than JC2, did anyone take anything positive from this game?
MsDee
October 12th, 2010
11:16 pm
Well, after taking some time after this 3rd pre-season game, I came up with an observation: Now again, this is MY OBSERVATION, NOTHING FACTUAL SO DONT BITE OFF MY HEAD ABOUT MY OBSERVATION.
Some on here may find it very difficult to watch these games due to the fact that we have several missing KEY players, boring invitees that will NEVER make a squad, and a new OFFense with very limited impressive DEFense. Now I need to correct my last post stating that we have yet to play with all our players, because that was false. Our 1st pre-season game was of course our best so far because we DID have all our key players that day. And if yall forgotten, we built a 20+ pt lead with that full squad and look DANG(I dont curse) good doing it. Now, this is where my observation comes in. Once LD saw what he needed to see with the full crew and the offense take control, he NEVERED PUT THE SAME CREW BACK IN. It cost us the lead but he didnt care cause again, THIS IS JUST PRE-SEASON. Now here is my reason for this…remember how ALL OFF-SEASON, LD could talk about nothing but HIS NEW OFFENSE he has in store for the Hawks. The whole NBA world heard about this new offense as well. I’m sure they were wanting to see this new offense displayed during the pre-season period, to get an idea how to stop it, but what a smart move for LD to not display it any further once he saw what he needed to see early on in the 1st quarter of the 1st game. Now further with my observation, mysterious illness and ankle injuries starts to creep apond us like crazy. Teague nor Marvin, both of which had TERRIFIC games, can make these next 2 games, thus allowing LD to display a star in action with Jordan Crawford! Had Teague traveled, LD would have been obligated to play him, but sense he didnt make the trip, impossible to play him! If this is indeed factual, I can further live with these boring pre-season games just to look forward to the REAL DEAL!
ONCE AGAIN, THIS IS MY OBSERVATION OF THE PRE-SEASON THUS FAR, SO DONT BITE MY HEAD OFF IF YOU DONT AGREE NOR BELIEVE ANY OF IT!! THANX IN ADVANCE!!
Hawks Fan In New Orleans
October 12th, 2010
11:56 pm
Great observations MsDee and who knows – maybe LD is really holding back his hand!
@Richbrave – yessir Bibby was defensively mutilated that series and pretty much every game thereafter. Braves need to move Chipper to 1st base and fire TP as hitting coach – he couldn’t coach Willie Mays out of a batting slump, lol.
Ken Strickland
October 13th, 2010
12:03 am
DRMARYB-What’s up lovely lady? I signed up as a potential subject at the Univ of Indiana for the HIFU certification trials. Although this particular procedure isn’t allowed in the US, the procedure and all associated equipment was actually developed at the Univ of Indiana almost 50yrs ago.
And, the organization that coordinates all of the scheduled HIFU treatments worldwide is located in Charlotte, NC. Yet, you can have the procedure done in the Caribbean, Mexico, South America, Europe, Asia, South Africa and Canada, but not in the US. And what’s most amazing is almost 80% of the doctors that perform this procedure are American.
I also contacted the U of FLA, and a Clinic in Jacksonville, FL, about the PROTON RADIATION TREATMENT. If you have $25,000 plus expenses, you can go to the Bahamas, Mexico or the Dominican Republic and have the HIFU procedure done at a resort, and make a vacation out of it. It’s a none surgical procedure that’s minimally invasive, which means minimal side effects, and the ones you have are usually temporary, It takes from 1 to 3 hrs to perform, and once the anesthesia wears off, you can go home, or to you room at the resort.
My brother’s father-in-law had the procedure done at a resort in the Bahamas. It’s the best procedure available for people with inoperable cancer, because it’s so precise. But overall I’m doing just fine. I’ve relocated to AL to be close to family in case I have problems with whatever treatment I decide to take. I also wanted to make certain my 4 legged baby girl(9yr old chocolate Doberman Pinscher)will be cared for properly if I’m not able.
She had a 3lb cancerous tumor removed a couple of yrs ago, and I had to see her through that. Now she’ll have to get me through my bout with it. She actually got me through my stroke in 04. I was feeling depressed and wasn’t doing so well at first, so I asked a friend to bring my mother and my babies to the hospital(I had 2 dobermans at that time).
I sneaked out the back of the hospital to see them, and they were so excited to see me they kept knocking me down. I knew how much I missed them, but I never realized how much they missed me. After several mins, I told them I had to get back inside before they missed me and sounded the alarm. It was a serious struggle for them to get my female back into my jeep, and she’d rather ride in that jeep than eat.
After finally getting her inside, we looked around and couldn’t find my male, and he wouldn’t answer our calls. We became rather frantic, because it could have been disastrous to have a 100lb+ doberman roaming free. We couldn’t figure how he got so far away so quickly, until we checked behind an outside stairwell, and there he was. He was hiding because he didn’t want to leave me and get into the jeep.
That’s when my attitude really changed and I decided I would work my butt off to get back home to my babies. You can bet the bank I’m going to have that same attitude and spirit regardless of what procedure I choose. At 63yrs old, I’m very lucky my cancer was in its early stage rather than late stage.
Ken Strickland
October 13th, 2010
12:12 am
HAWKS FAN IN NO-They’ve already had a failed attempt to move Chipper the 1st base, just like they failed with Dale Murphy. Both, as you know, were much better in the outfield than at 1st base. If you’ll notice, our long run of division title and playoff success ended after we lost our lead off hitter, RFucal. We need a quality lead off hitter so we can reacquire the ability to manufacture runs.
Hawks Fan In New Orleans
October 13th, 2010
12:30 am
Furcal is sorely missed – thanks for that correction Ken Strickland and much success with that procedure! Your doberman is an inspiration.
Ken Strickland
October 13th, 2010
11:35 am
HAWKS FAN IN NO-Thanks a bunch. I’ve been a dog lover, and actually animal lover, all of my life. But, I developed a particular love for Doberman Pinschers, and I’ve had 11 over the yrs. I name all of my females CANDICE, and all of my males KUSH, or CUSH. CUSH or KUSH, is the name of an ancient African kingdom that was located in the area now known as Ethiopia and Nubia.
CANDICE is the title of a dynasty of WARRIOR QUEENS that ruled the kingdom at one time, similar to the Cleopatra’s. So, I decided to establish a line of male and female dynasties with my Dobermans. It also makes it much easier, name wise, to make the transition from one Dobe to the next.