Atlanta Hawks: How Rick Sund sees them
Sund changed his coach but not the core. (Curtis Compton/ccompton@ajc.com)
When he was evaluating the Hawks at the end of last season, GM Rick Sund took a look at the other seven teams to play in the conference semifinals and did his own round-robin calculation.
The way Sund sees it–and he said most GMs look at it the same way–the elite teams are those that earn homecourt advantage in the first round and advance to the second round.
“When you get through that first round, that validates that you are an elite team,” Sund said. “Now what I do is I take the record of all the final four in one conference and the others and see how you do against each other. It’s a great barometer because you play 20 games against [common] opponents.”
So how did each team fare against the others?
The Cavaliers were 13-7.
“That’s an incredible record,” Sund said.
The Magic were 12-8, no surprise since they steamrolled through last two months of the regular season. The Lakers were 10-10. And the Hawks? They were 11-9 against Cleveland, Orlando, Boston, Utah, Phoenix, San Antonio and the Lakers.
So scored by Sund’s 20-game litmus test, the Hawks were third in the East behind Cleveland and Orlando, each of whim beat the Hawks three out of four during the regular season.
“We weren’t ready to advance in that second round against those teams, particularly one of those teams we went 1-3 against,” he said. “But that all goes into your [evaluation] of your club.”
The problem for the Hawks, of course, wasn’t that they couldn’t beat Orlando. It’s that they couldn’t compete with them. Clearly that’s the reason Woody is no longer the coach.
Sund could have gone further and sent away some players, too. But the 53 wins and the 11-9 record last season against the other teams Sund considered elite–while no reason to throw a parade–also helped convince him that dismantling the team would be premature.
He said he learned from Jerry West and Wayne Embry not to blow up a good core too soon.
“Fans may not understand and media certainly wouldn’t understand because they like the hype of all the moves in the summer,” he said. “But when you look at our club, we’ve got a pretty damn good club and a good nucleus given that we [operate] under the luxury tax.”
MC
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232 comments Add your comment
Najeh Davenpoop
October 20th, 2010
9:58 pm
“Najeh Davenpoop
Get ready to jump on that Marvin bandwagon around All star time”
I’ve been waiting to jump on it for five years. Let’s see if Marvin finally gives me a good reason.
Melvin
October 20th, 2010
9:59 pm
*under my laptop desk laughing*
Marvin just said that he’s not a guy that gets to the gym very early on game nights. Well, we can tell that….
Najeh Davenpoop
October 20th, 2010
10:01 pm
““Fans may not understand and media certainly wouldn’t understand because they like the hype of all the moves in the summer,” he said. “But when you look at our club, we’ve got a pretty damn good club and a good nucleus given that we [operate] under the luxury tax.””
This sums up the Hawks fan experience in a nutshell. The owners refuse to spend the kind of money to make the team a contender, and the GM glosses over his numerous personnel miscalculations — like the trifecta of bad contracts from the summer of 2009 — by blaming the owners’ unwillingness to spend.
Fire Sund and fire the DASG.
bigdave
October 20th, 2010
10:14 pm
“Magic sold his stake on the Lakers because he is broke and close.
He is not buying anything.
He said clearly two things:
1. The sale was motivated by bitter economic motivations and for the benefit of his family (ie he needs the cash);”
lol @ society, not every current and former athlete is dumb with their money.. is it the natural reaction to automatically assume that one is broke when he sales. i think Earvin Johnson has proven over the years to be quite the savvy businessman. i dont know of his investments, but i wonder if this was Larry Legend getting off assets would the same conclusions be prematurely drawn?
some of these guys are a bit smarter than you think.. this guy here for example:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=07G23zMGa4g
banks in such in the Boston area.. of all areas… just look @ him.. things aint always what they appear..
O'Brien
October 20th, 2010
10:16 pm
Najeh, northcyde,
Rick Sund is just a puppet for the ASG.
The irony is the Hawks will probably be 10th in the league in payroll, but with no major personnel moves or upgrades, why should fans get excited?
Plus, we are also dealing with a grumpy Jamal. I will not be surprised if Jamal gets banged up this year.
gcs
October 20th, 2010
10:21 pm
I wish the NBA would have a lockout or a strike so the season would be canceled.
.
bigdave
October 20th, 2010
10:29 pm
more encouraging bits from coach:
“im a firm believer in making the corrections and moving on”
tyger
October 20th, 2010
10:47 pm
http://www.hbcuclassics.com
Hmmm
October 20th, 2010
10:47 pm
smh, what hppend to my request that no one gives me a reality check? lol
MC should take this blog post down. Sund just basically confessed to a crime. Reaping the benefits of the fans $$$ while not working to put the best product on the floor (staying under the luxury tax). It’s just sickening. Gearon Jr. is a liar. He said he would go over the tax if it was for the right player…well what is Carmelo?
Hmmm
October 20th, 2010
10:50 pm
If I were Horford, I would sign anything until they promise to do what it takes to make us a LEGIT contender.
Truth-Se rum
October 20th, 2010
11:04 pm
http://games.espn.go.com/nba/tradeMachine
NOW THAT A TRADE !!
Truth-Se rum
October 20th, 2010
11:05 pm
“If I were Horford, I would sign anything until they promise to do what it takes to make us a LEGIT contender”. – Sautee/Hmmm
including trading horford?
Ken Strickland
October 20th, 2010
11:09 pm
TRUTHSPITTER-wasn’t your beloved Woody a career assistant before the Hawks hired him as well? There are only so many ways to make the same lame point, and after a certain period of time you become contradictory and stop making sense. YOU’VE DEFINITELY REACHED THAT POINT!
i_am_soulstar
October 20th, 2010
11:32 pm
“…given that we [operate] under the luxury tax.”
Spare me.
Ken Strickland
October 20th, 2010
11:33 pm
Anyone that knows NBA basketball knows coaching becomes a much bigger issue in the playoffs. Under Woodson, the Hawks improved in wins each of the last 5yrs. Yet, over the last 2yrs, as the team improved its regular season win totals, the team’s ability to even be competitive against Cleveland and Orlando, the 2 teams that stood in their way of getting out of the 2nd rd, they regressed badly.
You WOODY LOVERS keep talking about wanting the team to become a championship calibur team, and that Sund made a mistake by not keeping Woodson. But with the teams embarrassing and record setting1st and 2nd rd playoff futility over the last 2yrs, HOW IN THE HELL COULD THE TEAM HAVE IMPROVED ITS PREVIOUS PERFORMANCES WITH HIM DOING WHAT HE’S DONE BEST DURING THE PLAYOFFS, WHICH IS ABSOLUTELY NOTHING?
drmaryb (*_*)
October 20th, 2010
11:36 pm
I.E. “On The Cheap!”
The Hawks have a drug problem, The Magic drug them up and down the court for 48 minutes. At the end of the exhibition, The Hawks to a man, had their:
Pants on The Ground. Sund and The ASKG Family of 8 – should be marched to The Calvary and stoned to death outside the Arena Gates for the following charges:
Public Indecency
DUI – driving the basketball under the influence
Failure to Maintain Lanes
Impersonating an Elite Basketball Team
Where were the 20 Deputies, 2 Canine Units and the Helicopter after that historic Magic Series exhibition and again on Monday night?
________________________________________
-drmaryb The Entertainment Reporter-
northcyde
October 20th, 2010
11:41 pm
Home wins of the East playoff teams
CLE – 35
ATL – 34
ORL – 34
CHA – 31
MIL – 28
MIA – 24
CHI – 24
BOS – 24
Road wins of the East playoff teams
BOS – 26
CLE – 26
ORL – 25
MIA – 23
ATL – 19
MIL – 18
CHI – 17
CHA – 13
Does anyone see the difference?
Not that winning at home doesn’t matter, but in the playoffs, your most dangerous teams are going to be those that know how to win on the road. And they’re able to win on the road, because they play D-E-F-E-N-S-E.
This is what your dumb a** apparantely doesn’t understand. If you construct a team that can defend, they’ll win more on the road. And if they win more on the road, the better chance they’ll have to advance in the playoffs.
We were a good team last year, not an elite one.
Boston struggled at home ( because of injuries ) during January and February, which is why they only won 24 home games. But because they defend well, and don’t panic, they posted the 2nd best road record in the NBA ( Dallas was tops at 27 wins ).
Unlike Dallas, who isn’t a mentally tough team, Boston was able to win both at home and on the road during the playoffs. Even when they dropped early home games, that team knew it could get it back on the road.
By Sund’s definition, the Denver Nuggets should’ve been an elite team. But Denver was the ONLY West team to not win 21 or more games on the road. In fact, Denver was Atlanta East.
* 53 – 29 record
* 34 home wins
* 19 road wins
* 14 – 10 record vs Sund’s top 8
Yet, they get bounced in the 1st round because Utah was a far more mentally tough team than they were. Once they lost a game at home, they didn’t have the mental toughness to get it back on track.
The Hawks were very lucky that we drew Milwaukee, and not Miami in Round 1. Miami had the mental toughness and the defense to take us out.
We are 2 – 11 on the road in the playoffs, with 9 of the 11 games being blowouts. And I bet our great GM doesn’t have the slightest idea of why that is, despite his Chante Moore “It’s Alright” stance on things.
Truth-Se rum
October 20th, 2010
11:49 pm
“WOODY LOVERS” – guy who cant deal with the issues
If you dont agree with Ken you will take on this negative comment thats not related to the argument or facts. Just a fallacy of an argument with mob mentality.
cp
October 20th, 2010
11:57 pm
Still smdh@Sund. I didn’t know making the playoffs meant you’re an elite team. Didn’t we make the playoffs a few years ago and didn’t even win 40 games? Does that mean the Hawks were elite even if they couldn’t break .500 for the season?. Is it too much to ask that Hawks fans had owners who spent money and a competent GM?. Being a Hawks fan is hard as hell.
northcyde
October 21st, 2010
12:07 am
That last post was directed toward our all-knowing GM. Not at anyone on the board.
In other news . . . I see that Shaq scored 12 pts and grabbed 9 rebs and played about 1/2 the game. ( 4 – 5 FG . . 4 – 5 FT ).
Sure would’ve been nice to have a low post threat here like him, that could put up those numbers in that amount of time.
Can any of our backup big men score 12 pts and grab 9 rebs in a game? Hell . . Horford can barely do it.
drmaryb (*_*)
October 21st, 2010
12:11 am
The Palm Beach Post
jmusgrave@pbpost.com
Posted: 10/19/2010 2:04 PM 
Five members of a Wellington family who were arrested at the Mall at Wellington Green in December 2007 over what started as a case of droopy drawers have sued the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office.
Accusing Sheriff Ric Bradshaw and three deputies of false arrest, malicious prosecution and civil rights violations, Marthe, Joseph, Frantz and Samantha Leger and Pierre Odige are seeking an unspecified amount in damages.
The chaotic scene, that led to their arrests, began when Frantz Leger, then 20, went to the mall in violation of a trespass warning he received about four months earlier for wearing his pants too low. When he returned in December wearing pants slung low on his hips, he was arrested.
When family members objected, they were arrested, too, after the agency responded with about 20 deputies, two canine units and a helicopter.
In the lawsuit filed last week in Palm Beach County Circuit Court, they claim they all beat the charges that were filed against them. Two were found not guilty at trial and charges were dropped against three, according to the lawsuit.
A sheriff’s office attorney wasn’t immediately available for comment.
___________________________________________________ 
-drmaryb The Entertainment Reporter
drmaryb (*_*)
October 21st, 2010
12:21 am
That article was posted to expand on my previous post.
If you and your entire family can get arrested for showing your azz in public?
Why are Sund and The ASKG Family freely walking the streets of Atlanta, GA.?
That is not – Just Wronge!
It is Criminal!
drmaryb (*_*)
October 21st, 2010
12:26 am
A Class Action!
And, shouldn’t the Fan-Base be able to sue The ASKG, for an undisclosed amount for the tickets that were not refunded?
And, then go after Direct TV for: Airing Dirty Laundry?
The West Palm Beach case should be our precedent to show cause for the Plaintiffs.
bigdave
October 21st, 2010
12:31 am
lol.. @ your 12:21
bigdave
October 21st, 2010
12:36 am
MJ selling this space craft (maybe he’s broke).. 430k makes you the man on Peachtree.. lets take up an offering to put bigdave in this thing for this weekends Spelhouse Homecoming..
http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/blog/ball_dont_lie/post/For-Sale-Michael-Jordan-s-430-000-Mercedes-McL?urn=nba-278651
Truth-Se rum
October 21st, 2010
1:49 am
http://espn.go.com/nba/powerrankings
Gee… the hawks have fallen to # 13
Truth-Se rum
October 21st, 2010
1:50 am
My bad, make that 14th
Truth-Se rum
October 21st, 2010
1:53 am
The first thing the hawks should do to get this franchise pointed back in the right direction is to
FIRE SUND
king
October 21st, 2010
2:02 am
Rick Sund basically spend the whole budget on one guy. Joe Johnson. 120 million dollars for 6 yrs. The sad thing is that he has not done anything that last couple of years. Now the real question is how much is he willing to pay Holford when he becomes a free agent? Is Ownership willing to go over the luxury tax go do that? I don’t think so given the fact that Micheal Gearon who is Hawks NBA governor claims that the Hawks are losing money. If that is the case, why pay Joe Johnson the max contract? I just don’t understand that concept. The most I would pay him is 85 million for 5 years. Is he going to approved the signing of Jamal Crawford? I don’t think so and I believe that Jamal Crawford is a better clutch player than Joe Johnson. If the hawks does not resign Jamal Crawford, the Hawks will be pretenders not contenders
vava74
October 21st, 2010
2:58 am
URGENT MESSAGE BULLETIN FOR THE FOOLISH (that includes you Samuel):
The MAGIC just trounced the MAVERICKS by 25 POINTS with HOWARD going 7/7 from the field, 6/10 from the FT line getting 20points and 13reb on 29 minutes of action.
Guess what? Brendan Haywood, Tyson Chandler and Ajinca shared the minutes at the C (ALL three are “TRUE 7 footers”)
AND, Haywood, in while on court posted a +- of -22
Why?
Because just like the Hawks the Mavericks played with a PG which brings ZERO D = Jason Terry, who posted a +- of -20
All this whilst Jamer Nelson posted a +- of +30 in 24 minutes of play.
The Mavs shot .360 from the field and .222 from 3point land.
The Magic starters shot 7/16 from 3 point land and the whole team 10-22 if you remove Pietrus who shot 0-6.
Looks familiar, doesn’t it ???
drmaryb (*_*)
October 21st, 2010
3:07 am
vava74
Great Stuff! Thanks! I’m more worried about our DEFENSE as I’ve said to ad nauseum. Looks like Dallas has some perimeter D – issues as we do!
So, how much is Jamal really worth to us w/o any Def.
Bibby has other roles for us besides scoring, unlike Jamal.
We simply need to D – up! Inside & Out!
This still does NOT let Sund & ASKG off the hook!
Misery does NOT love company, where I come from!
But, Dallas does answer the 7′ question and cries! They even have a HOF’er that we don’t. Or, is Dirk really a HOF’er? He plays NO Def. Either!
Again, Great Job … vava74! Thanks for that research!
Mike
October 21st, 2010
3:16 am
i like this trade
http://games.espn.go.com/nba/tradeMachine?tradeId=29jvr3u
truthspitter
October 21st, 2010
4:00 am
The Hawks should have never hired that career backup in Larry Drew, if you have been in the league 20 years and never got a shot it usually means you never had a shot at success in the position you wanted. Larry Drew has been sitting around 20 years thinking about what he is gonna do when he finally gets a chance which is evident by him talking about he learn the offense he wants to run in LA. Pick and roll, High Post, straight post ups, and some curls for Joe is all this team really needs. Defensively is what needs to be fixed and overhauled to an extint
dr.maryb
October 21st, 2010
4:09 am
Where’s The Beef?
vava74
You proved what I’ve been saying all Summer:
We need some BEEF in the post to battle the: Celtics, Magic, Lakers. These three teams are guarding – The Obrien Trophy Case.
I know where the Beef is/was all Summer Long:
Shaq – 7′ 3″ @ 320 lbs
Dampieer – 7′ 1″ @ 320 lbs
Dwight advised The Hawks this Summer, “They’re athletic and they don’t need Shaq.” a (vested interest) statement. Of course Superman 2.0 does not want to face Superman 1.0 (even at age 38).
That’s like an old George Foreman winning his last Heavy Weight Championship Belt at age 40!
Dallas had a better shot at beating The Magic with Daimpeer @ $13M, than with Chandler, Aijinca and Haywood, as we saw tonight and vava74 so eloquently broke that down.
Dwight stated in the article I posted on the last blog, “I was too skinny when I came to this league, and became frustrated from being pushed around. So, I dedicated myself to building my upper and lower body strength by adding muscle.” -paraphrased. Even still, the HOF Coach Larry Brown figured out a way for his team to totally frustrate The Magic and almost upset them in Round 1, by turning Dwight into a surly brawler and sat his butt on the bench for most of their four game losses.
The game is still played between the ears, so don’t get it twisted. But, The Magic has way too much talent to be overlooked and still won the series, even without much from Dwight. Few teams have as much talent as the Magic. The Heat will soon realize who the best team in Florida is and very soon.
The Hawks diagnosis is: Beef-o-penia (defined as a lack of beef production in the post)
We slept on Shaq and now Dampieer (best available). We are NOT a contender nor a pretender -
Who is Sund fooling? Himself? Certainly, not me. Size matters.
The Celtics had the best off-season. They were and are still, a more talented team than Kobe’s Lakers. Had Perkins not blown out his knee, they would have won the Championship with Bynum playing on one knee. Don’t forget that Rasheed also played through severe back spasms.
Now, The Celtics have added: Shaq and Jermaine to go along with Big-Baby, as I doubt Perkins will be useful next season. He really blew that knee up: PCL and MCL (some very nasty stuff there).
GMOY is Danny Ainge by a land-slide. They will again, defeat the Magic and then The Lakers next season. Even, though Lakers eeked out that Championship? They made some bold roster moves to re-tool for that next run. I boldly predict The Celtics will WIN that next Trophy. I purposely left the Big Alien – Z off the: Where’s The Beef list, because he plays small and soft in the paint. Z will avoid post contact like the plague, because: That’s What He Do. The only 7′ 3″ Center who plays away from the basket, because he was blessed with an Achilles Jump Shot! The Magic will not have enough to win it all, because of the same reason The Hawks will not:
No Beef! So, to all these 7′ Marcus Camby’s? Word to your Mother!
Good Night!
Duke
October 21st, 2010
5:51 am
drmaryb,
Your prediction of the Celtics winning it all next season is definitely bold, very bold. I have to say that I strongly disagree. First off, I would say it’s a bit silly to use the injury card as an excuse for the Celtics losing to the Lakers in the finals. Almost any team can use that excuse. Rasheed was having back spasms and Perkins missed almost 2 full games (Keep in mind that Boston lost twice to the Lakers in the finals even with Perkins). However, the Lakers could make excuses and say that they would have dominated if Bynum and Kobe were healthy. You didn’t hear Kobe or his teammates complaining in post-game interviews after losses to the celtics about injuries. Kobe, if anyone, could have complained considering he had a broken finger on his shooting hand, a fluid-filled knee, and a bad back throughout the finals, but he’s too proud and determined to ever make excuses. The Celtics lost to the Lakers because the Lakers were the better team, plain and simple. The Lakers had better players, a better coach, and a better gameplan. They made adjustments when necessary and executed well, even when they couldn’t get a shot to go down in game 7. Anyway, enough about last season. I could go on and on about who is better on paper also, but the point is, you have to give credit where credit is due. The champs are the champs for a reason.
Now, as for why I don’t think the Celtics will win it all next season (let alone make it to the NBA finals). There are a myriad of factors against them, more factors than last season. For one, the team and it’s core is a year older. the team, overall, is older and less durable. The likelihood of the team staying healthy for an entire season seems extremely low, and considering the coaching staff may have to give their key guys time off or limited minutes during the season, in order to keep them fresh, the team may not have ideal seeding, or even homecourt advantage in the playoffs. There are a lot of hungry teams in the east this season, each with a lot to prove, and I think it’s going to be a dog fight throughout the season and in the playoffs. Now, lets assess some more of the celtics weaknesses.
The Celtics don’t have a particularly impressive or complex offense (not that they need it), they make their mark on defense. The team this season looks to be less effective defensively due to age and personnel. With the loss of tony allen, the celtics have lost their only “elite” perimeter defender, and the closest thing they had to a lock-down perimeter defender. Furthermore, on the interior, the Celtics have lost their defensive anchor (perkins) for probably most of next season. Kevin Garnett would have been the anchor in previous years, but those days are behind him now. Also, the Celtics offseason additions (while better in most part than the Hawks additions) were heavily overrated and average at best. Shaquille O’neal is probably the most overrated big man in the league at this point. He was an incredible player in his heyday, but those days are long gone. Shaq has slowed down so dramatically that he is proving to be a liability on the defensive end, outside of the rare circumstances that he is used as a stationary body to shield low-post bangers on post-ups. However, with the emergence of so many mobile big men these days, Shaq is apt to be very ineffective on defense in a lot of scenarios. Offensively, Shaq may still demand a double-team, but what he gives you in the low-post on offense, he also takes away from you in transition.
As for Jermaine O’Neal. I think he was a pretty good pick-up for what he is being payed, but he is no longer the presence that he used to be either. As he proved in Miami, he is no longer a big low-post thread, and is mainly becoming a jump shooter these days. Also, on the defensive end, he no longer is a very effective rebounder and his shot-blocking has gone down as well. I think most of this has to do with the fact that Jermaine seems to have lost his passion for the game. Don’t get me wrong, I definitely think he’s an upgrade over perkins, overall, but he’s far from being an elite center anymore.
Now, in terms of perimeter acquisitions, Von Wafer is really a wild card. He has his good days and his bad days, but has always played with inconsistency, much like Nate Robinson. It’s too soon to tell whether he will help or hurt the team. One thing is for sure though, I’d take tony allen over von wafer in a heartbeat if I had the team make-up of the Celtics.
Outside of those acquisitions, there’s not much worth noting. The other additions likely won’t be seeing playing team once the season starts. Now, onto match-ups.
Boston has proven to have it’s biggest struggles against quick, athletic teams, and teams with good isolation players. With that being said, both the Hawks and Heat are nightmare match-ups for them (the heat are basically a nightmare match-up for anyone, but that’s besides the point). I don’t even need to go into detail about the Hawks. Last season speak for itself, and although the Hawks will likely play differently on offense this season and refrain from switching, we are still talking about the same match-ups and same personnel. As far as the Heat go, there is no way that either ray allen or paul pierce (especially at this point in their careers) will be able to guard Dwyane Wade and Lebron James meanwhile still being productive on the offensive end. The best thing that Boston could do would be to try and attempt to make Wade or Lebron into a jump-shooter. This would work against one of them individually, but with Wade, Lebron, and Bosh all on the floor at the same time, it’s essentially impossible to clog the lane and not give up something to one of these guys. The bottom line is that the Celtics are not composed with the personnel to guard these types of teams.
The Celtics play best when they are able to take the other team out of their style of play and force them to play a game that they are uncomfortable with. That’s exactly what they did against the Orlando magic, and it’s exactly why the Magic struggled. The celtics stuck to the shooters, refused to double dwight, and took away the strongpoints of the 1-in 4-out offense. This worked like a charm in that case, but it definitely isn’t that easy against more dynamic teams/players.
Anyway, a lot of this is just speculation, and we won’t really know what how true these things are until the regular season starts. I could go on and on with predictions and analysis, but I think this novel has become long enough for now. I just wanted to share my take on the matter. I would put the celtics maybe 4th at best in terms of the NBA’s best teams today. We’ll have to wait and see if that is true. Basketball is just as much mental at the NBA level as it is physical, there are definitely better teams out there than boston, but not all of them have proven to have the mental toughness to face adversity. That’s one advantage that boston has.
Duke
October 21st, 2010
5:59 am
Just a note on my last post. In the paragraph discussing Jermaine O’neal, I meant to say “low-post threat”, not “low-post thread”. I don’t know what exactly a low-post thread even is…lol. Aside from that, the post should be readable and sensible. There are some minor errors due to exhaustion and the time of day it is here. Anyway, I’m off for now.
Adam
October 21st, 2010
6:31 am
Best Savings Account
vava74
October 21st, 2010
7:55 am
drmaryb?
Are you joking? Dallas had the following C’s playing yesterday:
Haywood 7′0” 263lbs
Chandler 7′1” 235lbs
Ajinca 7′1” 262lbs
Further to the C’s, they also had playing:
Nowitzki 7′0” 245lbs
Mahinmi 6′11 240lbs
Where is the lack of beef???
Fundamentals
October 21st, 2010
7:59 am
Our future lies in the strength of our perimeter defense allowing Josh and Al to help in emergencies, not every play. That way they can focus on getting the rebound or holding only their man. Defense is the key.
We’ll need more than Bibby, Jamal, Teague and Jordan have shown on D. They’ve got to committ for us to win. Stopping the PG stops the flow of the offense. Last 2-3 years we’ve never done that consistently.
tremaine
October 21st, 2010
8:00 am
Elite teams are those that earn homecourt advantage in the first round and advance to the second round. That is the dumbest thing I ever read. Elite teams are teams that have a chance at winning the title. If Andrew Bogut was not hurt the hawks wouldn’t have made it out the first round. Now the rest of the east got better while the hawks wasted a large part of their salary on a guy that quit in the second round. Not to mention they fired the coach and hired his assistant. Rick Sund you can keep talking that BS but i’m not buying it.
Fundamentals
October 21st, 2010
8:03 am
Elite teams win when it matters…like Boston did. 53 wins don’t mean anything after you collapse when it matters. Its all in how you play the game at crunch time, not your seed or record. Woodson thought the record and meeting expectations would save him.
Hopefully LD will continue his approach of real accountability. Win or lose. Grow, learn & improve regardless of your record. All you need is a playoff bearth and a chance to prove you’ll go out with your boots on.
dap01
October 21st, 2010
8:05 am
The interview sounds like Sund is happy and satisfied to have a core that is slightly better than average and slightly under the cap. No real goal of a championship. Average is good!
Average will not help ticket sales.
Fundamentals
October 21st, 2010
8:18 am
Enter your comments here
Fundamentals
October 21st, 2010
8:18 am
Average will destroy this team.
juice sourcer
October 21st, 2010
8:36 am
Not impressed at all by what he has to say.
juice sourcer
October 21st, 2010
8:38 am
tremaine is dead on
~~MAC-ToWN~~ (Area Code 478 Westside Macon)
October 21st, 2010
9:01 am
Sometimes you have to take a gamble.
It’s as if Sund is like “As long as we’re pretty much better than most other teams, it’s perfectly fine being a punching bag to the 1 or 2 teams you would need to compete with and beat to get over the hump”
That kind of mentality is self destructive. What happens when all those other teams you’re so fine with being “better than” with our “core” start gaining ground on and/or surpassing us??? (Milwaukee??)
STRETCH
October 21st, 2010
9:06 am
Like what Tremaine said. Rick Sund has done NOTHING to improve this team since getting JC. Really cant place all the blame on him though, its the owners and they are giving him “hush money” folks. The Hawks are going to have a ho-hum season, and if they thought the stands were empty last season, wait till this season! ‘
And when they do make the playoffs it wont be as a 3, 4 or 5 seed. They will be knocked out in the first round, but if they somehow make it out of the first round, they will once again be destroyed.
drmaryb (*_*)
October 21st, 2010
9:10 am
Paper Dolls!
vava74
The Beef is not there obviousy, if all three got rolled up like a Buritto and Salsa-ed by Dwight. Beef is 300 lbs. my man. Brawny, Immovable. Clogging …
The way Perkins and Big-Baby man handled Dwight in the paint.
And, then one-legged Bynum laid his Big Beefy body on Perkins.
The Celtics had The Lakers on the ropes, till Perkins blew his knee up.
It’s all about styles of play along with that tremendous size.
Yao Ming scares no one if he can’t see the court. I hope Yao can play this season w/out injury. He doesn’t sound too confident, however.
But, to answer your question Zsa Zsa? The entire league is riddled with
Paper – Weight Centers. How, else do you explain 3 of them ending up in Dallas?
Dallas plays no defense on the perimeter, like most regular season 50 Win teams who can not contend for the Championship year in and out.
Utah, S.A., Phoenix, Hawks, et.al.
drmaryb (*_*)
October 21st, 2010
9:22 am
* vava not zsa zsa.
Hey there, Duke:
I really enjoyed reading your posts, assessments and analysis on the three
Best Teams upcoming. Nice job and very entertaining read.
You make some very valid posts and gave some things to chew on.
It was a lot, so, I’m still chewing.
-smiles-