Atlanta Hawks: Wizards 107, Hawks 92
JaVale Mc Gee (16 points, 11 boards in 24 minutes) took advantage of Atlanta's weak D. (AP Photo)
Washington– You can go down the list of excuses for Atlanta’s atrocious defense: short roster, tired bodies, back-to-back, preseason.
– Al was offered all those outs but he wouldn’t take them: “There’s no excuse. I think we have a long way to go as far as defense if we are going to be an elite team.”
– The Hawks lacked energy and Smoove was the only consistent deterrent at the rim against Washington’s bigs. Al said the Hawks also lack something else: “It’s going to take time for us to trust each other. We’ve been playing together for a few years but when things break down, the next guy isn’t there.”
– The Hawks were slow to get out on shooters. They didn’t fight hard through picks. They gave up too many free runs at the rim. “The defense was not very good at all,” L.D. said. “There energy wasn’t there, the intensity wasn’t there.”
– L.D. didn’t like the 16 turnovers, either. The Hawks forced passes in the offense in the first game, got sloppy in transition last night and this time did both.
– Former AJC Hawks beat guy and current Washington Post scribe Michael Lee came up to me during the second half and said: “I’m sold on Jordan Crawford.”
– It’s not hard to see why. The Hawks play faster with Crawford at the point. He never stops coming, he’s confident and he’s skilled. And he tends to look the same no matter who he’s playing with.
– Crawford needs polish but the raw material looks promising. He’s a dynamic player who can get into the lane and make something happen once he’s there. He’s also a rookie, which means he sometimes immediately follows a very good play (drive-and-dish to Powell for a layup) with a bad one (forced runner early in the shot clock).
— “He’s a true competitor,” L.D. said. “He has a big heart. At times he gets blinded by wanting to get the shot up but I like his competitive spirit. We will continue to nurture him along.”
– JC2 poured in 30 points, distributed the ball well and went 47 minutes after playing 46 at Washington. He looked spent by the end of the third quarter tonight but he kept going. “I’m beat up a little bit,” he said. “But it’s fun. I’m the new guy on the team and the preseason is for me. Coach is letting me play a lot of minutes and giving me freedom”
– For a while in the second half it looked like Crawford and John Wall were trying to outdo one another. Did Crawford have extra juice facing the No. 1 pick? “Not really. He’s a good player and you want to play against the best, but it’s not like I was sitting in my room thinking, ‘I’m going against John Wall.’”
– Joe continued his hot play from the second quarter last night. In the first six minutes of the game he made his first four shots, had an assist and nearly got a steal. It was one of those games where he made scoring appear effortless. You can see him getting his game in shape and building up to the opener.
– It’s the preseason and he’s got stitches in his right hand but Smoove is playing hard. He thwarted a Wizards fastbreak in the first quarter by going low to strip Nick Young, diving to the floor to take the ball away, and then hitting Bibby in stride. The play led to Al drawing a foul at the basket and fired up the the Hawks bench.
– Al, Josh and Joe went to the bench early for Zaza,Powell and Brock. That’s when the game got away from the Hawks. Zaza and Powell had trouble with the tandem of Yi and JaVale McGee. This would have been a good time to at least see what the new-look Twin can do.
– Zaza gave what he got, too. He left McGee checking his nose for blood after a head-to-face collision in the first half, then cleared McGee out with a shoulder to score in the second half.
– This was to be the first home game for Arenas since he was suspended due to gun charges last season but he was a late scratch with a knee injury. Or at least that’s what the Wizards announced.
– After the game, Arenas told reporters he bowed out for Young: “I told him I’d go ahead and fake an injury or say something is wrong with me so you can start.” Michael Lee says Arenas wasn’t joking.
– Tomorrow the Hawks will enjoy their first true off day since camp. “Man, I am so excited,” Smoove said. “I can’t want to go to sleep.”
– “I’ve got some guys banged up, I’ve got some guys tired,” L.D. said. “I’m not going to run them into the ground so we will have a day off. But when we get together Thursday we are going to watch a lot of defensive clips.”
– I’m out, Hawks fans.
MC
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226 comments Add your comment
WestCoast Hawks FAN
October 14th, 2010
1:07 pm
the end of the game lineup needs to be Jordan PG, Jamal SG, Johnson SF, Josh PF, and Al at C
Samuel
October 14th, 2010
1:34 pm
Again Ken,
All talk. So far it hasn’t elevated the play of any player on the team except maybe JC2. Everybody else seems to be going backwards. I see Conner is quite the jokester though: “Miami who? We are going to run them out of the gym!”. Jokes like that will definately keep the guys loose.
Grandad
October 14th, 2010
1:40 pm
wordsmithtom
Had to add Andersen to make the trade work per CBA.
I’ve always like Barbosa as well.
He & Teague together would blind other team’s guards.
(with Joe @ [3])
Grandad
October 14th, 2010
1:41 pm
* like[d]
The Truth
October 14th, 2010
2:04 pm
As I re-watched the Hawks Wizards game, I couldn’t help notice how poorly the Hawks defense was executed though it is still just preseason (thank goodness). Under Woody, the switching defense got exploded when the opponents staged match-ups to their advantage like putting their PG against our Center. Coupled this with a disappointing season last year and you got a fired coach. This year, the much talked about personnel responsibility of the “man-to-man” defense has created a new era in Hawksville. However, what I saw in the Wizard Hawks game was another exploitation of our new “man” defense that yielded the same bad result. The opponent with the ball would just come off of a double-screen while the Hawk defender would briefly get lost in the traffic trying to find him. The net effect would be an easy scoring opportunity for the opponent. This was a bread and butter play that the Wizards often ran and became a nightmare for the Hawks. Perhaps explain why Nick Young had a monster game of 24 pts. If we don’t figure out how to ball-defend properly, then our sloppy version of the man-to-man defense will cause us to yield the same results as the flawed switching defense.
I can’t believe I’m saying this but the best thing about a switching defense is being able to defend with even mediocre players because the opponent will always have someone in his face regardless. Whether it’s a slow-center on a fast-PG or a slow-PG on a fast-center, you have a chance of causing a deflection. But with a man-to-man defense, when executed poorly like the Hawks are doing, often the Hawk defender is literally caught “lost in space”. In this case, there is no chance of a deflection because for an instance, the opponent is unguarded with an easy look.
KevinM
October 14th, 2010
2:11 pm
I see nothing that tells me the Hawks should not get off to a strong start if all the pieces perform like they are supposed to. That’s the issue here; whether they can be motivated enough to become elite or simply can’t compete for 4 quarters with the top teams.
Everyone knows there’s talent here; those who are knocking Jamal don’t have a clue how good he is in his role. JC2 won’t come in here and vie for 6MOY anytime soon. JC2 will be needed and needed more than last year. All facets of his game will need to stepped up.
Same for Al/Josh/Marvin(especially) and Joe. Bibby, Zaza, Mo: if you don’t know now what you’ll get out of that trio, you haven’t been watching the past 2.5 years. They are who they are and they won’t all of a sudden ‘RISE-UP’ beyond their limitations. If you get anything positive out of the remaining roster, congratulate Sund on his hidden gems.
A favorable early schedule, no worries about Miami perhaps for most of the year, and somehow find a way to ‘compete’ with Orlando. Finishing 3rd should not be acceptable for this athletic, interchangeable, unable-to-matchup-to roster. That gets you no higher than 4th in the seeding.
northcyde
October 14th, 2010
2:12 pm
Ken, the reason why the Hawks need ( or should ) get off to a great start, because our best stretch of winnable road games occur in those 18 games.
Hawks road schedule in Oct – Nov:
@ mem
@ phi
@ cle
@ min
@ orl
@ ind
@ nj
@ nyk
@ tor
You’re not going to find a more favorable stretch of road games that the Hawks will play all year, than those stretch of road games. If we’re going to be a elite or close to elite team in this league, the Hawks MUST go 7 – 2 at the minimum vs these teams.
Home games in Oct – Nov:
WAS
PHO
DET
MIL
UTA
DAL
MIN
BOS
WAS
Honestly Ken, we could arguably run the table at home against these teams. Only Boston, Phoenix and Dallas proved that they could consistently win on the road. A 7 – 2 record against these teams is a feesible record as well.
We may not go 14 – 4, but there should be no reason in the world for the Hawks to be anything less than 12 – 6. If we’re a legit contender, this isn’t much to ask from the Hawks at all, going into December.
KevinM
October 14th, 2010
2:18 pm
Truth, please don’t tell me that Woody’s scheme is looking better than this year.
What I would like to see is more ball pressure because there has been none so far from what I have seen. Hey, let me know when you see guys on the floor diving for an extra possession too!
So far, the defensive concepts being taught haven’t translated to those who are getting minutes on the floor. Right now, I could care less about the offense. Its defense that dictates tempo.
The Truth
October 14th, 2010
2:35 pm
KevinM
That why I was very careful to say:
“But with a man-to-man defense, when executed poorly like the Hawks are doing”
Let’s hope they get their act together and execute it correctly
Grandad
October 14th, 2010
2:36 pm
Rose Colored Glasses: [part III]
Josh’s shot release;
awhile back I noticed Josh was shooting with different mechanics.
*[practice video]
I have not watched Josh in pre-season so I’ll take you folks word
that I was -not- imagining what I thought I saw.
Evidently the fellow who worked with him over the summer changed
his mechanics. (from throwing/launching to actual shooting)
My 1st point is that Mark Price was useless.
Secondly these improved mechanics will also help FT’s.
The motion offense will also help because he will now become
a catch & shooter rather than a stand & launcher.
Rhythm will improve his percentage while the offensive scheme
will dictate his shot selection.
“Rose Colored Glasses” series to return as needed.
northcyde
October 14th, 2010
2:40 pm
@ The Truth . . . Some teams that we gave the most trouble to, cited the very things that fans hated about last year’s team, as the reason why we were successful against them.
Boston readily cited our “horrific” ISO offense as the reason why we were successful against them. Indiana cited our even more horrific switching defense as the reason why we dominated them.
What Drew will probably have to do this year, is simply go with what works. If we’re playing a team in which ISO plays will be highly successful, you ISO them to death. And if we’re playing a squad in which switching will disrupt most everything they do, then you switch everything.
One of the weaknesses of Woody was his ability to make adjustments. Woody was a Larry Brown-ish “set in his ways” type of coach. If Drew proves that he can adjust on the fly and go with what is working, it’ll validate him as a good coach.
One thing about it, these good defensive teams and coaches are going to come up with defenses against our motion offense, just like they did our ISO attack. When that happens, the coach and the players must be able to adjust.
The Truth
October 14th, 2010
2:41 pm
KevinM
Also, I taked about the “good” of the switching defense. We all know about the “bad” and “the ugly” so I didn’t bother to go there.
JoJo the Godfather
October 14th, 2010
2:42 pm
Watch that Heat roster and grab Patrick Beverly or Da’Sean Butler, whichever gets cut…That will be a hard decision for Riley & company…I’d love to have either…Beverly plays solid D and rebounds very well for a PG…Butler has serious potential as an NBA 3.
Grandad, I’d take Marvin Williams 2.0, I mean Julian Wright, over David Anderson in your proposed Toronto trade.
The Truth
October 14th, 2010
2:43 pm
“I talked about”
The Truth
October 14th, 2010
2:50 pm
northcyde
“If Drew proves that he can adjust on the fly and go with what is working, it’ll validate him as a good coach.”
That is exactly what I am hoping for; him being flexible. He must be able to adjust because there is good and bad in every scheme. Whether it’s switching or man-to-man or whatever, a good coach will find a way to exploit.
Big Ump
October 14th, 2010
2:56 pm
Enter your comments here
Grandad
October 14th, 2010
2:59 pm
JoJo the Godfather
I’ve always liked Julian Wright.
However, recently read some negative comments.
Attitude, willingness to work hard, whiner, etc.
On the flip side…I have no 1st hand knowledge of such.
I used Andersen for his contract #’s only.
northcyde
October 14th, 2010
3:13 pm
JoJo . . . DeSean Butler all day.
If he comes back fully healthy, that’s essentially a 1st round talent that we’ve acquired. People want Pape Sy to become what DeSean ( when healthy ) already is. The liklihood of Butler coming back from the knee injury and being a decent NBA player, is much higher than Pape Sy becoming one off the bench in France
frederick j. surles
October 14th, 2010
3:15 pm
The wizards suck eggs. Also they should stop looking at the tapes that they recorded(of the Hawks games) and they need to tell their selves that they are stupied for doing that and that they can’t even when a basketball game playing me and my friends and family,because we will beat them so hrad that they wont be called the “Wizards” when my friends and family get done with them. Plus then they will be called the losers from D.C.
Big Ump
October 14th, 2010
3:15 pm
Seem like the former HC get more attention then anyone on the club. Why talked about Woody, he gone. I hope he have very much success in the future. I also hoped our new HC have the same success. I can’t fiqure out why we still on the subject about Woody. If we can just stop all the negative
about our former HC and our HC now we would make it a better blog. The Hawks blog have some pretty educated bloggers about basketball. We also have 2 wonderful ladies (drmaryB and Ms Dee0
who is very knowledge on the game of basketball, a great beat writer in MC and a slew of others bloggers (Big Ray, Northcyde, Astro Joe, Ken S. Sautte, Doc Truth Splitter, Samuel, Rod from College Park, and many others who post here everyday with their great analysis of the game. Be cool everyone.
richbrave
October 14th, 2010
4:07 pm
drmaryb:
It’s a boy all 13 oz. of him.
richbrave
October 14th, 2010
4:12 pm
frederick j. surles
October 14th, 2010
3:15 pm
“……..The wizards suck eggs…….Plus then they will be called the losers from D.C…….”
I thought they already were called LOSERS for having that ARENAS fool on the team. That sof-boiled egg is cracked and oozing on anyone willing to listen to him. The WIZ are headed in the right direction however, provided Cracked Egg doesn’t drag them down.
drmaryb (*_*)
October 14th, 2010
4:12 pm
Freak Show!
My man tom said:
“Anderson’s a bit limpid for my tastes. I want a 7 footer with an azz,
wordsmithtom, I knew you were a little on the freaky side.
Ha Ha Ha!
Seriously though, I was telling G-Daddy the exact same thing about
Yi. Anoither 7′ PF with nothing to hold his britches up!
We got Marvin’s junky trunk (like Rick Mahorn), Marvin should
use that thing as a deadly weapon in the post.
A defensive stopper, I say.
KevinM
October 14th, 2010
4:13 pm
Big Ump, the reason Woody will continue to be discussed until the end of next season is because he was the only significant move made to the core of this team. You have his lieutenant, who is trying to move away from anything that was preached the past 6 years, to a more adaptable approach and bring in a defensive coach who is supposed to do a makeover and take advantage of the same talent we had last year.
Now, until the results are in, you will hear plenty about Woody, because he is right now the scapegoat that and no one on this roster has been held accountable for the results of the last 2 years of playoffs. Nice and comfortable, no changes needed to compete for a Top 4 seed.
Any changes made is significant because there aren’t many things being changed by the roster that no one is talking about as a contending team.
And I mean, no one.
wordsmithtom
October 14th, 2010
4:53 pm
DrMary, I concur on MW. He’s got more azz than a freighttrain can haul. That’s why I suggested he be used in a H/L two man game the way they’re using Horf. (Second unit action???!!!) He’s got enough baggage in that cabbose to do some serious damage. I like him in the high post as well, as his FT% is stellar.
Again, don’t give me no 7 feet, unless they been eating high on the hog..
drmaryb (*_*)
October 14th, 2010
5:11 pm
wordsmithtom
I already saw where a 7′ Dirk Nowitski can lead a team.
Can he even play with his back to the basket or post up the
smaller 3’s?