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
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137 comments Add your comment
Macaroni Tony
October 12th, 2010
6:52 pm
first
truthspitter
October 12th, 2010
7:00 pm
LD is showing signs of being a bad coach. Seriously, do you think Phoenix changes the way the play on the road? I will answer for you, NO. They make you adjust. I don’t like changing the way you play just because you are on the road, but that’s what bad road teams do.
Macaroni Tony
October 12th, 2010
7:03 pm
I say until we get the turnovers down then we should slow the ball down. We’re still in the learning process.
STEEL(Formerly VenomSpitter)
October 12th, 2010
7:07 pm
Damn I’m getting tired of these games not being on tv
Melvin
October 12th, 2010
7:09 pm
Look like may be in luck tonight. click on the link below…
http://www.firstrow.net/sports/basketball.html
vava74
October 12th, 2010
7:11 pm
Getting the game live in Portugal on NBA TV. What a treat!
vava74
October 12th, 2010
7:12 pm
So, there should be plenty of feeds!
STEEL(Formerly VenomSpitter)
October 12th, 2010
7:13 pm
Thanks Melvin
vava74
October 12th, 2010
7:15 pm
Jordan will be a star on this league.
Melvin
October 12th, 2010
7:20 pm
Watching the first 5 mins of the Hawks/Wiz game. Like this lineup of Joe/Jordan/Josh/AL. Sub Bibby for Teague or Jamal and lets Ball….
josh
October 12th, 2010
7:21 pm
THANK YOU MELVIN
Mz. Hawkdafied
October 12th, 2010
7:21 pm
Channel 642 on Directv.
STEEL(Formerly VenomSpitter)
October 12th, 2010
7:25 pm
Damn Im loving the movement on offense
Freshfromatl
October 12th, 2010
7:26 pm
Lol…Jordan Crawford IS THE REAL DEAL…Joe looking great so far.
Freshfromatl
October 12th, 2010
7:30 pm
So far the offense looks good…
I’m going out on a limb and saying when the Hawks is fully healthy, they’re gonna be a scary team. They certaintly won’t lack shooters this year. Also, it’s gonna be hard to keep Jordan out the lineup; somebody is gonna be the odd man out between Jamal and Bibby.
joBjo
October 12th, 2010
7:30 pm
MELLLVINNNN!!!!!
Melvin
October 12th, 2010
7:34 pm
I like Yi. I think he would fit nicely on the Hawks team playing the backup 4/5….
Trent
October 12th, 2010
7:35 pm
Everytime I watch these exhibition games, I keep hoping our team gets healthy quick. The team hasn’t been looking so good without the core players being together as a unit in games.
Melvin
October 12th, 2010
7:36 pm
Jordan Crawford is a beast…
Freshfromatl
October 12th, 2010
7:36 pm
Two words!!!!
Jordan Crawford!!!!!!!!
vava74
October 12th, 2010
7:36 pm
This kid is dynamite. Step aside Jamal, the hired gun job has a new owner!
STEEL(Formerly VenomSpitter)
October 12th, 2010
7:37 pm
Jordan Crawford is gonna be GOOD. He’s outplayed Wall.
Jody
October 12th, 2010
7:37 pm
I think the Hawks will have problems rebounding the ball this year, but I do like what I see on the offensive end so far. Thanks Melvin.
vava74
October 12th, 2010
7:43 pm
I see that the “asthma treatment” which the NBA authorised on JaVale has produced its results…
Asthma is usually treated with medication used to bulk up and add muscle (anabolic steroids)…
Trent
October 12th, 2010
7:44 pm
Jody,
It’s kind of tough to tell what rebounding will be like for the Hawks this year, based upon these preseason games. The team’s best rebounder (Horford) has been playing extremely limited minutes on an injured ankle, so he’s been taking it easy. Also, our frontcourt has not really been able to play together for any significant minutes yet, due to injuries. In a system that does not feature as many switches though, it would seem that the Hawks rebounding would improve as Horford and Smith would stay closer to the basket, rather than having to spend time on the perimeter guardian smaller players.
Trent
October 12th, 2010
7:46 pm
*guarding, not guardian
Jody
October 12th, 2010
7:49 pm
Trent,
I’m not basing that statement off what I’m seeing tonight per say, but off of recent history. Eliminating the constant switches will help to a degree, but I don’t think it will totally solve the problem.
Ray
October 12th, 2010
7:53 pm
I haven’t been enjoying watching the Hawks defense get abused night-in and night-out in these first few games of the preseason. I just hope this is not what we can expect to see from the actual team once the season begins, because as it stands now, the switching defense has been more effective defensively than the Hawks straight-up defense. However, a lot of that has to do with the fact that running this new system means that if Bibby gets beat in 1 vs. 1, there is no one to cover for him on a switch. That, to some degree is making the defense look worse than it actually is.
jason
October 12th, 2010
7:54 pm
Jordan is beasting this game. Who knows he might win the scoring title or rookie of the year
Hawks Fan In New Orleans
October 12th, 2010
7:54 pm
Wall Vs. JC2
Brought to you by Don King Productions.
drmaryb (*_*)
October 12th, 2010
7:55 pm
vava74
Yeah! I’m glad you get to see the game Live on NBA TV!
Jordan Crawford hits a loong 3! Shoulda’ been 4 pts.
STEEL(Formerly VenomSpitter)
October 12th, 2010
7:56 pm
Dont worry about the defense. There are too many key players out to even judge the defense.
Mz. Hawkdafied
October 12th, 2010
7:57 pm
I’m glad to see the game on my nba league pass. Let me see if it’s on nbatv got that channel too. I just love being able to watch road games on the tele. Go Hawks!
Ray
October 12th, 2010
7:58 pm
Nice move by Big Al. Looks like he’s practiced putting the ball on the floor during the offseason.
Mz. Hawkdafied
October 12th, 2010
7:59 pm
Nope Boston vs Philly on 216. How are you guys seeing it on nbatv when my tv has the celtics vs 76ers. Any how go Hawks!
Melvin
October 12th, 2010
8:02 pm
Bibby couldn’t guard his own shadow. I say we rolled with Teague, Jordan, Jamal and Joe to handle the PG duties. Bibby would be my third PG and I would trade Mo Evans to Minny for Corey Brewer
cp
October 12th, 2010
8:03 pm
Jordan Crawford is beasting. If he keeps playing like this it will make it easier to trade Jamal. Joe, Josh, and Al look sharp. Powell was playing well when he was out there. Bibby can still shoot but thats it. His defense is terrible. I dont even know if switching would help him out… Etan looked ehhh out there. Love the ball movement. This team is going to look better when healthy. Right now its just so many guys out.
Melvin
October 12th, 2010
8:03 pm
Corey Brewer would backup Marvin…
drmaryb (*_*)
October 12th, 2010
8:07 pm
Peach Turnover!
These passing angles look weak/bad/soft!
Why are the Hawks making all those passes directly to
the Wizard players?
vava74
October 12th, 2010
8:10 pm
Jordan has unlimited range… He almost nailed it and got the foul…
Trent
October 12th, 2010
8:13 pm
The Hawks have almost been doubled-up on the glass. It’s tough to tell if this is really reason to worry though, considering Josh and Al haven’t really been playing like themselves defensively. Al probably is still taking it easy on his ankle, so I can understand why he hasn’t been working very hard on the glass. Josh is a bit beaten up himself. Aside from that, half of the team is missing so it’s tough to really pull much from these exhibition games. Jordan Crawford looks like he could be a rookie of the year candidate if he were starting on a team, but even that is deceiving in these games, considering he will probably play very limited minutes during the regular season, unless Jamal Crawford is indeed traded.
At any rate, I hope coach Drew is at least getting some useful information in regards to his new system from his games, because they really aren’t providing much information in regards to what we can expect during the regular season. LD has made it seem like he knows exactly what he’s doing and is not surprised by what he is seeing. Whether or not he is being genuine in his remarks is unknown, but hopefully his plans begin to work when the games actually start to count.
Astro Joe
October 12th, 2010
8:13 pm
It’s a good thing that poor defense in the pre-season is meaningless, right?
lewis
October 12th, 2010
8:14 pm
we look a year older.
bibby makes the D look horrific
get him outta there
vava74
October 12th, 2010
8:15 pm
The passing is still very shaky (lazy and careless), hence the turnovers.
The d is sagging mostly because Al and Josh are hurt and coasting (no harm there), bibby is being bibby and Jordan loses sight of the game flow often (but he has shown that he will be a much better defender than Jamal).
truthspitter
October 12th, 2010
8:17 pm
Hawks look bad people. No defense and the offense is not that great. The bench is weak when it comes to big men. Etan was a bad pickup but I like Josh Powell. We are the same team from last year with a worse defensive scheme. Our only additions worth noting are a rookie SG in which we already have 2 damn good SG’s and a PF in which we already have 2 or 3 damn good one’s. Who is running this team, Billy Knight or Rick Sund? Oops that are they same sh!t.
jason
October 12th, 2010
8:20 pm
did u see that long three by jordan? ohh man that was sick
leedsatlanta
October 12th, 2010
8:21 pm
Based on what i have seen so far, i think this would be some team and a decent bench!
SF Johnson
PF Smith
C Horford
SG Jordan
PG Teague
Bench
SF Williams
PF Powell
C Pachulia
SG Evans
PG Jamal
The Truth
October 12th, 2010
8:22 pm
What does it mean when your leaders play uninspired ball? Are they sleepwalking? Their body language says it all. They are playing as if they are not expected to win. Perhaps the Wizards length is taking the air out of their sail. JC2 is the only bright spot.
Trent
October 12th, 2010
8:23 pm
lol, I agree that Etan Thomas does not appear to have been a very good pick-up. He’s actually starting to make even Randolph Morris look like a pretty good player.
cp
October 12th, 2010
8:24 pm
The offense is not that great? Have you not seen the ball movement and the high shooting percentage? Are you even watching the game? The offense is fine but seeing who made the post I’m not surprised by anything you said. You have been bitching and complaining all summer. No shock here
Freshfromatl
October 12th, 2010
8:30 pm
Hawks quit.
cp
October 12th, 2010
8:30 pm
The problem is that the Hawks are playing Lazy as hell.
Jody
October 12th, 2010
8:31 pm
One of the things I’m not liking about the offense is that it seems the only thing the Hawks are getting out of it is jump shots.
richbrave
October 12th, 2010
8:32 pm
truth:
Not to worry truth. It’s pre-season and the first half is basically a warm-up. Pretty meaningless in the overall scheme of things. HAWKS will heat up in the second half. WIZ look pretty good with almost no one leaning on them. Wait till the fun begins. WIZ are probably going to have to waive ARENAS out of the league under an unable to perform clause before this season is over. I can’t see that knee ever holding up through the course of a full season. Might be true of JOSH HOWARD too.
Anyway, I see ZAZA is his normal surly self. But JaVALE’s growing up literally, and BB smarts also, He’s gonna get taken to the woodshed a lot this season, but I’m thinking next year is his coming out party like BLATCHE’s will be this year. And McGEE’s still growing. He’s now 7′1+ and 265.
HAWKS are gonna’ get some play out of JORDAN CRAWFORD as far as I can tell in this game. Of course, this IS the WIZARD’s defense for 2010-11, so he’s getting a pretty good shake-down cruise right now.
Trent
October 12th, 2010
8:33 pm
On the topic of offense, the offense has been alright, nothing special. It has been decent. However, the Hawks would be getting a lot more easy buckets if the defense would pick-up. Obviously, we can’t compare the defense from these 3 preseason games (with many missing and injured players) to the defense employed last season. However, if we could, it would be logical to say that the defense is much worse. We won’t really be able to tell how effective the offense or defense is until we get the actual team roster and starters intact and playing in a game that actually counts where they are showing significant effort.
The Truth
October 12th, 2010
8:35 pm
Etan looks incoherent and out-of-sync. He’s not sharp at all. He was expected to shine since he is playing in front of his old team. He’s got more than enough motivation to play well since the DC press obtain ragged him out. So far, his looks like RandMo 2.0 without any offense which means he could be worst.
The Truth
October 12th, 2010
8:36 pm
richbrave
I’m hoping so
doc
October 12th, 2010
8:36 pm
i think the idea of playing slow carried over to their attitude for playing slow on defense. i think ld needs to be more specific in his instructions.
this is a very improved wiz team; some coming of age, a rook that could be very special and two new parts they got as a steal. what is it? the bulls and nets pay 3 mil for the wiz to take henrich and yi, two very good team players and we pay a half mil to a french team to relieve them of their second string guard in the french league?
cp
October 12th, 2010
8:37 pm
The Hawks should be on the phone with Dampier right now. They need more size. They have been needing more size for a while. Collins and Thomas are not what I call good pickups.
richbrave
October 12th, 2010
8:38 pm
TRENT:
From an old, and long-time WIZARDS fan, ETAN is a great guy, and I have all the admiration in the world for a man willing to be pounded on who has had open-heart surgery. As a two timer myself, I can’t even imagine the pain he feels with those wires in his chest. But truth be told, THOMAS has only had flashes of brilliance on the court, and that was mostly pre-surgery. RAND MO actually looks like a better option at this point.
Samuel
October 12th, 2010
8:42 pm
The Wizards are “clowning” us like they are the Orlando Magic. Their bigs are playing monkey in the middle with Al. Can we finally put an end to this notion that LD’s smokescreen interviewing tactic will bring us any different results. I see nothing different. I know we don’t have Duck and Teague but they dont have Arenas. This is “UGLY”. Ken, what’s the alibi.
Mz. Hawkdafied
October 12th, 2010
8:42 pm
Damn would have liked to see Teague vs Wall. Gonna have just wait until the home opener. Thank God this is a preseason game.
vava74
October 12th, 2010
8:43 pm
This kid is dynamite.
cp
October 12th, 2010
8:44 pm
LD has to find a way to get Jordan Crawford consistent minutes. This dude looks like he will be the steal of the draft.
Trent
October 12th, 2010
8:46 pm
Jordan Crawford has been impressive tonight, but you have to take into account he is playing heavily inflated minutes. Don’t expect him to put up numbers anywhere near these during the regular season, but he probably won’t even be playing a third as many minutes as he’s played tonight, unless, of course, Jamal is traded.
Samuel
October 12th, 2010
8:46 pm
Crawford should start
STEEL(Formerly VenomSpitter)
October 12th, 2010
8:47 pm
Jordan is the MAN
richbrave
October 12th, 2010
8:47 pm
HEY doc:
My man, speakin’ the truth about the newly constituted WIZARDS. Definitely not the same old, same old. Be seein’ you here more and more as the warm afterglow that was the 2010 BRAVES fades into memory.
My first love, BOSTON BRAVES. Great club, tremendous heart this season, but limited offensive talent. Fantastic pitching, terrible fielding subs. Here’s hoping FRANK WREN gets two bats including a big stick for this line-up in 2011. The pitching’s in place. We’re about where the PHILLIES were two years ago relatively speaking. Not point for point strength-weakness, but overall.
Jae Evolution
October 12th, 2010
8:48 pm
If they get within 10 before the end of the 3rd, they can easily comeback to win this game. Jordan Crawford is looking incredible out there, I hope he can stay this consistent if a Jamal trade does happen.
kwooden1
October 12th, 2010
8:48 pm
LD, finally got some guys in the game that want to rebound. Crawford, looks great!
richbrave
October 12th, 2010
8:52 pm
SAMMY:
You’re probably looking at D.C.’s first-line defense in this game. I don’t envision much improvement when the bell goes off. At least initially. Given time yes, better defense. Barring the ‘ZARDS propensity to be snake-bit however, I wouldn’t be surprised to see half the team go down with career-threatening injuries before the season’s over.
Trent
October 12th, 2010
8:57 pm
Looks like we will be watching the Hawks scrubs play with Crawford for the rest of the game. Don’t be surprised if the Wizards’ lead gets to blowout status quick.
Samuel
October 12th, 2010
9:01 pm
I picked the Wizards as a team that will battle us for a playoff spot this year. They look very good. I know we are short handed but this team looks lost out there. We definately don’t look capable of winning the East huh Ken.
Samuel
October 12th, 2010
9:04 pm
Randmo>Ethan Thomas
cp
October 12th, 2010
9:04 pm
I dont see how Etan Thomas was a better option than Josh Boone smh. Etan looks done too.
cp
October 12th, 2010
9:05 pm
I cant believe I’m about to agree with Samuel but yea I would take RandyMo over Etan. Wow
Nothing But N....
October 12th, 2010
9:07 pm
Who cares. Just Smoke a Joint and hold your junk and you too can be an NBA player. Don’t forget to have a bunch of kids and guns. What a technicually beautiful game spoiled by a bunch on Ghetto Bros.
kwooden1
October 12th, 2010
9:10 pm
I only saw about 6mins of the 3rd, but it definitely looked like the starters didn’t want to play.
Melvin
October 12th, 2010
9:11 pm
I’m Glad the New Jersey Nets were DUMB enough to trade Jordan Crawford to Hawks.
cp
October 12th, 2010
9:14 pm
Jordan Crawford is fun to watch…… Is Sund still on vacation ? smh
Mz. Hawkdafied
October 12th, 2010
9:15 pm
LOL! Sorry but I know it’s just preseason but this game has done nothing to hype up the season. Those commentators are getting on my last nerve. Time to use the mute button.
Big Ray
October 12th, 2010
9:15 pm
Who let the race baiter in here?
kwooden1
October 12th, 2010
9:17 pm
I don’t like the way we’ve lost this game or how the starters have played, but you can’t deny what Jordan Crawford can do!
drmaryb (*_*)
October 12th, 2010
9:17 pm
M$. Hawkdafield
Its on Direct TV CH 642. Not on NBA TV
Hawks look very careless and uninterested with the ball.
Big Ray
October 12th, 2010
9:17 pm
Melvin ,
And here I was thinking WE were the dummies at the time (still not sold on selling the second pick, we got Etan out of it, oh joy).
LOL at the comments about the defense. If you don’t see anything different, try and remember it’s preseason. Every preseason looks the same…
jason
October 12th, 2010
9:17 pm
the reason the hawks are losing because our “core” are injured. need to be a healthy team.
Mz. Hawkdafied
October 12th, 2010
9:17 pm
Ho hum!
Melvin
October 12th, 2010
9:17 pm
The Hawks three camp invitees are terrible. Why didnt the invite some vets that are trying to make a comeback into the league like Antonie Walker or Darius Miles? These three guys has no busy wearing NBA uniforms.
richbrave
October 12th, 2010
9:18 pm
SAMMY and cp:
Guys lighten up, it’s pre-season. But of course I’m hoping the WIZ are better than 26 wins.
CRAWFORD looks great at least tonight. You got a dy-no-mite player in my estimation. I saw him do some pretty amazing things here in RICHMOND last season when he played the SPIDERS, and at the A-10 tourney in ATLANTIC CITY..
Big Ray
October 12th, 2010
9:19 pm
Learning curve, guys. The same people who say they don’t see anything different with Larry Drew as head coach were the same ones who always touted Mike Woodson as having improved the team every year.
Translation: this stuff ain’t done overnight. Even if it looks largely like the same team. I still hated the switch defense, and would prefer that we get better personnel when it comes to defense, rather than better schemes (you can only scheme so much for Bibby and Jamal).
Offense is a whole other story.
Melvin
October 12th, 2010
9:20 pm
Ray,
I remember our discussion of draft night. At the time, I told you I didnt like the Damion James pick b/c he was more of a tweener that really didnt have good SF skills… As it looks, James is not getting much playing time during the preseason…
ptc
October 12th, 2010
9:21 pm
Hawks are not that short handed. Marvin is the only starter missing. Stop making excuses
Mz. Hawkdafied
October 12th, 2010
9:21 pm
Dr B been watching the game the whole time on channel 642. I know. I feel just like the team bring on the regular season. YAWN.
Jordan did his thang though. Go Hawks!
doc
October 12th, 2010
9:22 pm
richie you saying the wiz are peaking tonight?
yeah a lot of holes this year in the braves. unfortunately there is still 13 mil tied up in two players that arent able to contribute in kk and mclousy. that is about fifteen percent of the payroll. i dont see how they can improve without spending money and they are like the hawks budget restricted.
i see the team is as enthusiastic about their chances after the dismal off season by sund who folded the tent when the heat grabbed and came up with the dirty three. jc2 is impressive though it is a practice game with little challenges, kind of like one of those end of the season games.
we will see what happens when the lights come on but our guys arent good enough to turn it on at will.
richbrave
October 12th, 2010
9:23 pm
BIG RAY:
Can you report that crap and get it removed. Offensive in the extreme.
Melvin
October 12th, 2010
9:23 pm
Man, Pape Sy is missing some valueable playing time…
MsDee
October 12th, 2010
9:24 pm
The Hawks has yet to play with ALL HEALTHY PLAYERS so I’m not worried about these pre-season games..We are taking it easy while understanding this offense. Trust me, the Hawks do not want to be the laughing stock again this season. WE WILL LOOK A WHOLE LOT BETTER ONCE THE SEASON STARTS!!
cp
October 12th, 2010
9:24 pm
Melvin I read that they were going to play James at sg but I don’t know if he can play the 2 guard. He is a tweener but I like the Crawford pick more and more….The guys we had on the summer league are better than the 3 guys we brought to camp. I really thought we were going to give Aminu a chance to make the team. The kid looked pretty good on the sl team. Big Ray you have to look at who is making the comments. It makes sense when you see who says it lol
Big Ray
October 12th, 2010
9:25 pm
Melvin ,
Sounds like I owe you a beer on that one. LOL
Big Ray
October 12th, 2010
9:26 pm
CP ,
True dat!
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.