Atlanta Hawks: Hawks at Grizzlies
Memphis–Finally, the games are for real.
Got to see at least some hints about L.D.’s offensive and defensive approaches during the preseason. The one thing that’s still a big mystery is how he will distribute the minutes because (stop me if you’ve heard this one) the injuries made a mess of the rotation.
The Miami game provided the best clue but it wasn’t definitive, unless you somehow think Jamal is going to play just 19 minutes per night.
“I have kind of got an idea of how many I want my starters to play and the guys off the bench,” L.D. said. “I don’t want to wear guys down. I will scale back on a couple starters who played I thought too many minutes in the past. I certainly want to utilize my bench more.”
Like everything else L.D. is trying to do, it remains to be seen if his wishes will match up with reality. He’s committed to going deep in his bench but that means five reserves are going to have to be consistent contributors.
J.J. is all for reduced wear and tear. He said the ideal situation is for the starters to get the Hawks going at the start of the game and after halftime; the reserves hold it down in the second quarter and bridge the third and fourth quarters; and the starters come back to finish the game.
“As long as the starters come out and we start the game off right, come out business-like, that can happen,” he said.
Lakers love
Josh Powell watched the Lakers’ ring ceremony last night and heard Phil Jackson give him a shout out. Some of the Lakers players talked about the team’s cohesiveness. Powell said it was real.
“The experiences and the relationships that I built there are definitely things to miss,” he said. “But I have a new family now and we’ve got things we are trying to accomplish. I wish their organization and team all the best this year.”
No word on when Powell will get his ring.
“I have no idea how that works,” Powell said. “I’m going to get it but I haven’t talked to nobody about that.”
Powell signed with the Hawks for a chance to play meaningful minutes, and L.D. has said Powell will get them. Even when Powell averaged 19.2 minutes for the Clippers in 07-08 the minutes were sporadic.
“For a guy in my shoes for six years and to finally have a real, true chance to be a part of something in the sense of showing what you can do on a night-in, night-out basis and bring somewhat of a leadership role to the guys, I look forward to it,” he said.
Injury report
Mo is still getting his knee up to speed. He said in hindsight he wishes he’d had his surgery earlier in the summer and not pushed the knee too soon after the procedure.
“It’s the residual effects of having arthroscopic surgery and trying to do too much and come back too fast,” he said. “As a professional athlete you are competitive and when I see the guys out there competing, it’s hard to watch. Then you get out there and have success and you get excited and you try to do too much.”
Teague’s ankle isn’t 100 percent yet.
“I feel it sometimes,” he said. “But I will be all right.”
Jamal says his back is fine.
Grizz center Marc Gasol (ankle) is out. Memphis coach Lionel Hollins is starting 6-9 Darrel Arthur in his place with 7-3 Hasheem Thabeet in reserve. Zach Randolph (6-9) can play there, too.
It will be interesting to see if L.D. will go big.
“We’ve got the bodies,” L.D. said. “Against Memphis you may end up using your bodies. They have some bodies and do a good job crashing the boards. You have to block them out. It may take all of our bodies to get the job done.”
MC
Tell us what you think about the site
Customer Care »
Vacation stops, manage subscriptions and more
AJC Services
Sections
Other Editions
Visitor Agreement | Privacy Statement
© 2013 The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
297 comments Add your comment
RethinkPossible
October 27th, 2010
10:38 pm
Come on guys, it is not time to change the channel, it is time to watch the STINGER!
Wabe
October 27th, 2010
10:39 pm
Definitely an impressive performance.
cp
October 27th, 2010
10:39 pm
The Thunder are a fun team to watch
O'Brien
October 27th, 2010
10:42 pm
Mike bibby talkin About “defensive presence ” haha.
MC,
Where is big country tonight?
RethinkPossible
October 27th, 2010
10:43 pm
Who is STINGER’S star of the game?
Ree Roe
October 27th, 2010
10:43 pm
Happy for Coach Drew. His first win as a head coach tonight.
I think we all saw how great the offense looked, but I’m worried about the turnovers (which I think will go down once this team settles in on offense) & the defense. Hawks have a chance to get off to a good start this season
Bench looked AWESOME. I hope they keep it up & I hope Teague really continues to develop. With his speed & athleticism, he’s unguardable when he attacks the basket.
-REEspect Roe!!!
Najeh Davenpoop
October 27th, 2010
10:44 pm
If you watch the Thunder some time and see what Thabo Sefolosha does for them, that is EXACTLY what the Hawks need Marvin to do on a regular basis.
Not hating on Marvin’s performance today, though, which was solid.
Ramon
October 27th, 2010
10:45 pm
Chicago will not be able to score much without Boozer. Definitely don’t seem like a top 4 team in the east. Fact is our 3rd/4th option (Josh and Al) would still be their 1st option if on their team.
Stizz
October 27th, 2010
10:48 pm
Great win. This new offense looks to be pretty good. Defense def. needs to step it up. People want to talk about how we didn’t have a huge offseason pick up, but if we can have an improved ZaZa, the same great defense and atleast SOMETHING on offense out of Marvin and continue to get 6-8 pts off the bench from Powell then that will be equivalent to a great pickup. Gotta love that OKC team. Great leader in Durant.
cp
October 27th, 2010
10:48 pm
Samuel had more post than anybody during the last preseason game when the Hawks looked terrible. They came out and played well tonight when it mattered and dude is no where to be found. I guess he is going to do a reversal of last year. When they won he came on here bragging about Woodrow and when they lost he was invisible. I guess since his boy is gone he will only be here when they look bad. smh disgusting
richbrave
October 27th, 2010
10:49 pm
HAWKS win track meet. GO HAWKS, nice take-off.
RethinkPossible
October 27th, 2010
10:50 pm
FIRE WOODY!!!!
cp
October 27th, 2010
10:51 pm
If Blake stays healthy this dude will be a beast
Wabe
October 27th, 2010
10:51 pm
Damn………
Blake Griffin is abusing the rim.
Section 303
October 27th, 2010
10:53 pm
Nice win. Good way to start the season.
NBA is back! I wish I did not have to work in the morning. I would watch games all night.
cp
October 27th, 2010
10:58 pm
Wabe he jumps so quick. I forgot just how hard he goes at that rim. I hope the guy stays healthy
STEEL(Formerly VenomSpitter)
October 27th, 2010
11:00 pm
Wheres that punk Samuel?
Hmmm
October 27th, 2010
11:01 pm
Griffn Vs. Smoove/Horford It’s Going to be EPIC!
Ramon
October 27th, 2010
11:02 pm
Griffin reminds me of the young McDyess!
J from the A
October 27th, 2010
11:04 pm
Nice win. If the Hawks can get the turnovers under control, they should have a good season. Of course, to play the pessimist for a moment, we might not want to read too much into this win. After all, it is not likely the Grizzlies had above average players starting at the center position or the point guard position. Since the Grizz don’t have the personnel to exploit our biggest weaknesses, of course, the Hawks beat them.
Grandad
October 27th, 2010
11:05 pm
Zaza makes a statement for the gravity challenged.
Bibby’s experience & shooting are invaluable.
Josh Smith plays his ass off.
I really hope we’re able to re-sign & keep Jamal.
Al’s gonna be fine.
Josh#2 = what a stroke of luck, getting him.
Joe; how often is your marquee player also your glue guy?
Marv earned his keep and then some, he played hard.
I’m really happy for LD.
O'Brien
October 27th, 2010
11:05 pm
Stinger’s star was zaza. First time ever for Zaza.
Melvin, ray,
Hibbert with 28 pts so far against the spurs, although Pacers are losing big
cp
October 27th, 2010
11:07 pm
Ramon thats a good comparison. I think some people forget how explosive McDyess was before the injuries. That cat used to throw down something nasty.
JSS
October 27th, 2010
11:07 pm
Get the ZaZa out of here!!! Great job big fella!!!
JSS
October 27th, 2010
11:11 pm
Co-sign Najeh at 10:35P
You’ve preached road readiness, it was great to see it!
Najeh Davenpoop
October 27th, 2010
11:14 pm
I haven’t really seen Blake Griffin as a pro aside from a few preseason highlights. This guy is a MONSTER. Holy sh-t. If he can stay healthy he is going to terrorize the league.
Amare Stoudemire with a willingness to rebound and play D. That’s what he is.
J from the A
October 27th, 2010
11:16 pm
Oh, and I cannot forget to give our players of the game big shoutouts:
(1) ZaZa was beast tonight. I liked his energy. Scored a lot, rebounded a lot, and even blocked a Thabeet dunk!
(2) Joe was Joe, quietly showing everyone how real players get it done.
(3) Smoove was a beast on the defensive end. We also got to see glimpses of him being a leader and floor general as he played a little point-forward. It was nice to see him direct traffic and get a few nice assists. As for his jumpers … most of the time it looked like the plays were ran for Josh to take those mid-to-long range jumpers. Sounds crazy, but I am still of the opinion that the Hawks are experimenting with letting Josh take a handful of mid-to-long range jumpers a game.
(4) Marvin had a solid game.
(5) Mo showed a couple brief sparks off the bench. I still think he will do well under this motion offense. Now if the Hawks just had the personnel to allow him to guard men his size …
(6) Bibby looked good. He still has his shot … just don’t expect him to defensively keep up with some of the better PGs in the league.
(7) Jamal was Jamal, a very nice offensive spark off the bench. I also have to give him props for his couple steals. However, it is clear that his defense is still sub-par. He cannot even stay in front of his man. Unlike Bibby, it has nothing to with speed (obviously), but more to do with lack of defensive fundamentals.
(8) Teague doesn’t look like he is close to being ready to take over. Hopefully, he progresses fast. We will need him to put in significant minutes against some of the league’s better PGs.
(9) Powell didn’t look too bad, either.
All in all, things looked promising.
Looking at the upcoming schedule, the Hawks could easily start the season 6-0.
Hawks Fan In New Orleans
October 27th, 2010
11:23 pm
I was impressed with Coach Drew’s rotation and time management. I he can keep this up – there will some very fresh legs come playoff time.
CHEF ZAZA impressed me with his tenacity and double/double performance – could be morph into our very own Bill Lambeer???
Bibby looked great offensively and the Zone defense was somewhat effective.
Marvin did great today – hopefully he carries it over to Philly.
Hawks Fan In New Orleans
October 27th, 2010
11:24 pm
Mutombo throws Atlanta under the bus with his comments to Carmelo – sucka.
http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=5735056
Grandad
October 27th, 2010
11:33 pm
Hawks Fan In New Orleans
Did I miss something?
I did not think that he even mentioned Atl.
Hawks Fan In New Orleans
October 27th, 2010
11:41 pm
@ Grandad –
I kinda read between the lines. He said he left Denver for Atl only because they had no cap space but the grass was not as green as her though on the other side.
truthspitter
October 27th, 2010
11:53 pm
Glad to get a win but don’t blow it out of proportion because Gasol and Randolph were both basically out. Philly has a really nice bench with Turner, Young, Lou Williams, Nocioni, and Speights. Let’s see what the Hawks do with a team who has a better bench on Friday. A win is a win and enjoy this one though
Clyde
October 27th, 2010
11:59 pm
*yawns*
Ken Strickland
October 28th, 2010
12:06 am
In only one gm HC LDrew managed to find mins for 10 players before halftime, while Woodson spent 6yrs trying to find mins for his bench players. Managing mins, developing and playing younger players, your bench, using strategy and making adjustments, are all responsibilities and duties of a HC. They are also responsibilities and duties our previous HC refused to accept or carry out.
NORTHCYDE-Do you think the Magic would have defeated us by 25pts if we had committed to playing them the way we played tonight, or the way we played against the Heat? Other than DHoward, the Magic’s other starters are below average defensively. Our motion OFF will allow us to expose them and work the hell out of Dwight, unless he gets into early foul trouble.
Tonights gm was very exciting, and a far cry from the boring ISO, jump shooting OFF we’ve had in the past. Lost in the outcome of this gm is the fact Memphis would have beaten most teams with the way they shot the ball from the outside, because they certainly couldn’t get anything done inside. With our frontline players being able to stay with their assignment and not having to switch onto PG’s and SG’s, along with an improved perimeter DEF, did you notice the improvement to our interior DEF?
I don’t see inferior teams like the Knicks dominating us like they did last yr. For the 1st time in yrs, we’re finally taking FULL advantage of our speed, quickness, athleticism, and overall talent and depth. EXCELLENT START TO THE 2010/11 SEASON LDREW, AND THE HIGH FLYING HAWKS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Big Ray
October 28th, 2010
12:09 am
Hawks offense definitely looks better than ever with the ball and personnel movement. The more the ball moves, the greater potential there is for turnovers, so I’m not too worried about that.
The bench looked legit, and that was great (in part, because we needed them to be).
I see Josh is doing his same stuff as last season, blocking a bunch of shots, not rebounding nearly as well as he’s capable, dishing out a handful of assists, and taking enough jumpers (and missing them) to make you wanna scream. Not gonna make the all-star team with those numbers, that’s for sure.
I also see we’re leaning on him too much to clean up the mistakes we make starting on the perimeter.
Bibby looks better than he has in quite a while. Maybe this new offense really suits him (he hasn’t played in a real offense since Rick Adelman left Sacramento).
I liked Marvin’s contribution. Dude hit shots, hit free throws, and rebounding decently. Anybody who says Rudy Gay torched him…well, Gay needed 6 free throws to help his 7-16 shooting from the floor, and 21 points is good, but not great.
Yes, Rudy Gay makes you want to find Billy Knight and smack him upside the afro….
Al Horford came into the season like he should be on the front of a Wheaties box. Instead, he’s going to be on the back of a orange juice carton under “missing persons”. I hope it’s just an issue with his ankle or whatever, because we need a heck of a lot more out of him than what he gave us.
In the meantime, Zaza was great off the bench, and we finally have found a good PF off the bench in Powell. I’ll take 8 points and 6 boards in 20 minutes anytime.
Jamal helped, but something told me that he would not have nearly the prominent role in this new offense, and it shows already. Here’s the irony in it: he’s holding the ball with his dribbling act in ways that people always used to accuse Joe Johnson of doing. Didn’t see that coming, huh?
Joe Johnson….what can be said? Not the best shooting night, but this makes up for it: 9-11 from the charity stripe. I’ll take those 40-something percent shooting nights all season long if he can get to the line 4+ times a night.
Jeff Teague – didn’t look bad, didn’t look great. I’m looking for him to grow into things more. I’m giving it 20-30 games, but by then he should be having a very clear impact on the game in significant minutes, if he doesn’t win the starting job. Why? Because there will be nights where Bibby gets covered up on one end, and can’t stay in front of the opposing pg on the other end, and Teague will need to come into the game, showing his ability to stay in front of point guards, and penetrate the lane.
I’ll take the win on the road. Anytime.
Big Ray
October 28th, 2010
12:15 am
Ken Strickland ,
The Hawks need to start with simply committing to actually playing the Magic. That’s the problem. We show up to the game, but we don’t actually PLAY them. And as bad as it is to get beaten by 25 points, would getting beat by only 8 or 10 really make you feel better? A loss is a loss.
We have to compete against that team. We aren’t doing that. We showed that in the preaseason against them, which is in stark contrast with what we did against Miami. Either we lock in mentally somehow, or we continue to get beaten by them like we’re a D-League team. We beat them one time last season, because we committed to playing the entire game (and, their shots were a bit off). Beyond that, it’s been a woodshed whoopin’ every time.
So no, I can’t even begin to put a game against Orlando in the same sentence as a game against Memphis.
Big Ray
October 28th, 2010
12:23 am
Still laughing about this whole Al Horford thing from the last blog. Let me ask a question.
Why is there such a big deal made about Al Horford and his comments about playing the Center position vs the Power Forward position? Are we suffering memory loss around here? Was he a center in college? No. Joakim Noah was the center, Al was the PF. Both are listed as F/C on the roster, but we know the deal. Al only played center against the heavier guys that were a little thick for Noah, and sometimes they even used Chris Richard against the heavier guys.
So it’s not like Al has been playing center on any consistent basis until he got to the NBA, and played for the Hawks. Why is he a center here?
1) We didn’t have anybody better for the position. You can chalk that up to draft issues, or free agency issues, but all things lead back to management, and from there…ownership.
2) Because Zaza DOES NOT give you 17 points and 11 rebounds a night. Never has.
3) Because when we acquire centers (with the exception of Zaza), we only go for minimum contract guys.
Quit acting surprised. This is nothing new. Back in the 90s, nobody would have put Al at center. He would have been at power forward, just like Shawn Kemp, Derrick Coleman, Antonio McDyess, Larry Nance, PJ Brown, etc.
ptc
October 28th, 2010
12:30 am
Just a reminder. Last year the first thirteen games of the season the Hawks were 11-2
Ramon
October 28th, 2010
12:32 am
Big Ray, the biggest problem with playing Orlando is the Hawks seem to go in the locker room at half time, and never come back out. Its as if they send out the program robots from Naked Guns to finish out the games. They always seem to be right in the game until the 3rd quarter starts. Then Orlando hits 4-5 threes and the game is looking like an old Tecmo Bowl game.
Hawks Fan In New Orleans
October 28th, 2010
12:32 am
Great road win and fourth consecutive season opener.
Ramon
October 28th, 2010
12:34 am
The boards are pretty quiet tonight! If the Hawks would’ve lost tonight, there would already be 6-8 pages full of comment from a few people who haven’t said anything tonight. I think a lot of people who post on here aren’t even Hawks fan. They’re just residents of Atlanta who have internet connection, with a negative outlook on everything related to Atlanta.
ptc
October 28th, 2010
12:38 am
The same people praising the Hawks will be the same team dogging them out when they lose. How can you tell what this team or LD is going to do for the rest of the season. Before you give your opinion wait to some more games are played. Games where teams have a full roster unlike what Memphis had tonight. Gasol not there
Ramon
October 28th, 2010
12:44 am
Ptc, and the Hawks were successful last season. No matter how they looked in the 2nd round of the playoffs. Only four teams were more successful than the Hawks when you factor in wins total, and cost of roster. Why pay $80-90 million just to lose in the 2nd round (Cleveland, Utah, Phoenix, and San Antonio, Dallas, Denver)?
kwooden1
October 28th, 2010
12:45 am
Very nice WIN!
Offensive looked very good. Great contributions from the bench and solid game from Marvin. We need to play defensive more consistently, but I will take a road win any day!
GO HAWKS!
Ramon
October 28th, 2010
12:47 am
PTC, you can’t tell what any team is going to do for the rest of the season rather its the Lakers or the Timberwolves. Every team is injuries or acquisitions away from reversing their projection year. But what game last season do you recall having so many Hawks involved as much as tonight, when for majority of the night the lead was under 11 points? The Hawks were already 10 deep in the first quarter although it wasn’t a blowout.
Ken Strickland
October 28th, 2010
1:43 am
BIG RAY-HC LDrew isn’t afraid of DHoward or the Magic, so our players will take on that same attitude. Woodson was terrified of DHoward, and he reflected it by the way he obsessed over stopping him, rather than his teammates, particularly PG JNelson. We might have returned 10 players from last yrs 12 man roster, but THIS IS A NEW TEAM, with a new HC, a new attitude, a new, or actual, identity, a new OFF, DEF, and approach. We won’t be afraid to play anyone, and we fans can’t continue making assumptions about this yrs Hawks based on how they performed under Woodson.
LDrew provides this yrs Hawks with additional assets. The Hawks will be much better than last yr due to ORGANIC GROWTH, and what LDrew brings to the table. By bringing back 10 players from last yrs roster, any improvement we derive with be net improvement. With the other Eastern Conference teams relying on trades and/or FA to improve, you have to factor in what they lost in trade and/or FA to factor their net improvement. 2 is greater than 4 minus 3.
Bplaya
October 28th, 2010
6:31 pm
Dang…I thought I was the only one hearing Nique and NIMBERS. Has anyone told him?