Atlanta Hawks: Hawks 119, Grizzlies 104
Hawks executed L.D.'s blueprint to near-perfection. (AP Photo)
Memphis– Smoove said it before and I didn’t believe him. After what has to be considered a smashing debut for L.D.’s Hawks, Josh said it again: “Preseason is preseason. That’s what people have got to realize.”
– It didn’t take long for me to get the message. I think it happened around the time I realized J.J. wasn’t hitting, Al hadn’t scored and yet the Hawks were in control. On the road, even.
– “Give credit to the Atlanta Hawks and our coach,” J.J. said. “We were poised tonight. We made plays when we needed to.”
– Everyone who played for the Hawks did something good. That’s what it tends to look like when the bench has 50 points, 19 rebounds, 12 free throws and makes 18 of 34 shots. It looked like a bona fide 10-man rotation for the Hawks.
– The starters got to chill for long periods because the bench was beating the Grizzlies. “It’s outstanding any time they can give the starters a rest and be focused,” Josh said.
– “There are going to be games where the bench has to pick us up, like tonight,” J.J. said. “They did that, and we were able to come in and finish them off.”
– J.J. was only 6 of 16 from the field but that wasn’t because he was forcing things. “I got a lot of wide open looks,” he said. “I just didn’t make a lot of shots. At times I was a little too excited. For me to not have a great shooting night and for us to win big like this tonight, it’s perfect.”
– Seven assists and 11 free throws for Joe. The former is no surprise because he will share the ball but the latter was a change. I even saw him barking at officials a couple times.
– Josh had five blocked shots. Eventually the Grizzlies were looking for him when they went to the basket. “He bailed us out of a few plays with some blocks,” L.D. said. “When he plays like that, we are a good team.”
– There was one play in the first half that sent an early message that Zaza was going to outwork the Grizz. He was trying to work a pick-and-roll with Al but tripped and fell on the roll. By the time J.J. shot and missed, Zaza had picked himself up, collected the rebound and scored.
– It got to the point where Grizzlies fans booed each time Zaza pushed their team around. I guess seeing an athletically limited, 6-11 reserve center take it to their 7-foot-3 No. 2 overall pick made them a bit grumpy.
– “The reaction felt good,” Zaza said. “You want to keep that going. It’s all about helping the team.”
– Mo soared past Thabeet for a baseline layup. No signs of the knee slowing Mo, who made all three of his field-goal attempts and was active defensively.
–Marvin locked up Rudy Gay, made 5 of 6 shots and was strong on the boards.
– Jamal’s on-ball defense wasn’t the best and he tended to give up at the first sign of a screen. But his anticipation led to three steals. The Hawks are going to get baskets out of the motion but when things break down, there still aren’t too many better than him at putting the ball in the hole.
– Josh Powell had eight points and six rebounds in 20 minutes. He’s aggressive and showed good footwork in the post.
– You still can’t leave Bibby open. He made all four 3-point attempts, including back-to-back daggers in the fourth in case Memphis had any ideas about coming back. When Atlanta’s offense is clicking like this Bibby will get his looks and he will make a high percentage.
– The Hawks scored 12 of their 26 fastbreak points in the first quarter. Al pushed the ball and found Bibby for a 3 and Josh fed Zaza for a layup.
– Mike Conley looked like he was going to bring the Grizzlies back in the third quarter. Then L.D. sent in Teague, who didn’t let him get in the lane and create havoc. Memphis didn’t have anyone else out there who could make things happen.
– “We had a few problems with Conley on the high pick-and-roll but we made a few minor adjustments,” L.D. said.
– Teague also made a nice floater with the shot clock running down during that 12-0 run to end the third quarter. “His confidence has risen,” L.D. said. “One thing I have been trying to instill in Jeff is the fact that with him on the floor, his speed, his quickness and his ability to push the ball. He can guard. We need that type of energy and he’s the only guy on our team who has it.”
– Memphis was without Marc Gasol. Then Zach Randolph went down with a back injury. Either or both of those guys might have made it tougher for Zaza to have his way inside and also give the Hawks problems.
– “We just don’t have much offense inside after the three bigs we have,” Grizz coach Lionel Hollins said. “The other guys aren’t offensive players but it’s more than just Zach going out. We didn’t compete as hard as we needed to compete early on.”
– Al picked up two early fouls and L.D. rode Zaza. “I didn’t want to put him in for the second quarter especially when Zaza was going well,” L.D. said. “I spoke to Al on the bench about that and he was fine with it.”
– Al never really got into the flow. “Zaza really played a great game just being a strong body down there,” Al said. “I think coach felt like I didn’t have to play in the second quarter. It was one of those games where I couldn’t get it going. I just have to get back focused and get ready for Friday.”
– The Hawks’ motion offense was working (witness J.J. scoring on an oop) but they didn’t stick with it exclusively. Jamal and Joe still got theirs on some good old-fashioned pick-and-rolls and isos. “I thought the mixture was pretty good,” L.D. said. “It kept them off balance a little bit. We were effective.”
– The only real negatives for Atlanta: 15 turnovers, another s off-kilter outing by Al and no one but Teague able to stay in front of Conley.
– Smoove said L.D. and his staff gave created a great gameplan for the Grizz. L.D. got the game ball. “It’s my first win so I’ve got to enjoy it,” he said.
– I predicted the Hawks would be fine on offense and that Marvin, Zaza, Mo, Bibby and J.J. would benefit from the motion offense. Finally, I’ve managed to look smart.
– But these being the Hawks, there’s always a chance I will look dumb again come Friday night in Philly (or after that but it won’t have anything to do with the Hawks). “There can’t be a letdown,” Al said.
– I’m out, Hawks fans.
MC
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161 comments Add your comment
Zach
October 28th, 2010
12:23 am
The Hawks looked good tonight. This looked like a focused, determined team, who never doubted their ability and played with energy throughout the game. I hope they continue to play at a high level on Friday. Also, I have a feeling Al will be focused and ready to step up his game on Friday. I think tonight was just an off-night for him, especially with the fouls disrupting his rhythm, but he’ll be ready to go again on Friday.
Big Ray
October 28th, 2010
12:24 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
12:26 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 10 or 15 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
12:30 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.
So how this constantly continues to be Al’s fault is laughable to me. Dude got selected for the big midseason event while playing out of position. Clearly, the problem does not lie with him, it lies elsewhere.
Considering how he played tonight, I’m just glad our bench did well. I don’t think Memphis having Gasol would have mattered that much. We’re still better than they are, just maybe not as big of a blowout. He was the only starter missing.
Zach Randolph was gimpy. I get that. Some also say that Horford’s ankle isn’t fully healed.
Funny how we can make excuses for their team suffering injuries, but can’t take up for our own guys. Some fans we are.
STEEL(Formerly VenomSpitter)
October 28th, 2010
12:30 am
Samuel come out u chickensh*t
Najeh Davenpoop
October 28th, 2010
12:30 am
“Teague also made a nice floater with the shot clock running down during that 12-0 run to end the third quarter. “His confidence has risen,” L.D. said.”
Gee, I wonder why. Could it be because he ACTUALLY GETS TO PLAY NOW? What a shock.
Najeh Davenpoop
October 28th, 2010
12:32 am
On an unrelated note, Blake Griffin is a f-cking monster. One of those rare players who matches his elite physical ability with a great understanding of the game. You can see his basketball IQ on display when he has the ball in his hand.
If the rest of that team could play with half the basketball awareness he does, that’s a playoff team easily.
Najeh Davenpoop
October 28th, 2010
12:34 am
A nice side effect of Drew’s new offense seems to be that even when the Hawks are not executing that offense as written, they are still looking to move towards the basket and move off the ball more than they have in the past. That, in and of itself, is a major victory for Drew if they can keep it up.
Hawks are Pretenders not Contenders
October 28th, 2010
12:41 am
Don’t let this Hawk team fool you!!! For the past three years they start off on a lil win streak. Only until they BEAT the MAGIC, BOBCATS, HEAT, CELTICS,and other 500+ teams ON THE ROAD then maybe they will catch my attention.
bjrufino
October 28th, 2010
12:48 am
nice win for the hawks
Big Ray
October 28th, 2010
12:49 am
Philly always gives us trouble. They have one issue now, however, that they did not have before, and we should exploit the heck out of it: they no longer have a legit post defense presence. With Dalembert gone, the best post defense and shot blocking threat is Elton Brand.
They’ll have to rely on Iggy, Thad Young, Lou Williams, and the rookie for firepower on the other end of the floor.
Najeh Davenpoop
October 28th, 2010
12:51 am
Shellhead gobbled up 16 boards tonight.
Big Ray
October 28th, 2010
12:51 am
LOL.
STEEL ,
You wastin’ your breath homey. Woody’s best friend ever ain’t comin’ back out until the team loses a game it shouldn’t lose, then he’ll blame Larry the same way he used to get mad at guys for blaming Woody.
Nah, Samuel likes to talk trash, but he knows when he doesn’t have a leg to stand on.
Zach
October 28th, 2010
12:53 am
Who in the world is “Shellhead”?
Big Ray
October 28th, 2010
12:55 am
Najeh ,
Two things on Blake and the Clippers:
1) Blake gets to play his natural position, instead of being forced into a “bigger” role by a franchise that refuses to do the right thing at the two most crucial positions (Point Guard and Center).
2) Getting rid of Mike Dunleavy could only help things. Seriously.
Big Ray
October 28th, 2010
12:57 am
Shellhead = Shelden Williams
You know, the guy we drafted ahead of Rudy Gay, Brandon Roy, and Rajon Rondo. Yep. That guy.
Zach
October 28th, 2010
12:58 am
lol, thanks for the info Big Ray. I suppose that nickname is fitting.
Big Ray
October 28th, 2010
1:02 am
Hmmmm…the real Chris Paul is back, I see. 17 points, 16 assists. And, his Hornets beat the Milwaukee Bucks.
Uh-oh, looks like another hybrid PF had a rough game- Emeka Okafor with 0 points, 0 blocks, and 9 rebounds. Gee Whiz, I guess it’s happening all over, LOL.
cp
October 28th, 2010
1:08 am
Good game. Great ball movement, guys knocked down free throws, and the bench played well……The only thing I didn’t like was the over dribbling by Jamal. There were a few times where he missed wide open guys because he thought he was hotsauce out there. I wont even mention his defense. I like that he can fill it up in a hurry but his defense and “looking for his” is not a good look.
Zach
October 28th, 2010
1:12 am
If you think about it, Al didn’t have that bad of a night. He played a grand total of just over 17 minutes. That’s a little bit more than half of what he should play on a regular basis, and considering he was interrupted early-on by fouls, 7 rebounds is respectable for such a short time on the court. The scoring was definitely sub-par, but as many people have mentioned, Al was never able to really get into a rhythm in this game with the spotty minutes he played, plus he only had 5 field goal attempts. Obviously, his play was subpar in comparison to what he usually gives you on a nightly basis, but I’m assuming he’ll bounce back as he always does from a rare off-night. If this was someone who had suffered inconsistent play throughout his career, I’d be worried, but this is just one game, and Al has never made a habit of stringing together sub-par performances.
Wabe
October 28th, 2010
1:20 am
MC: “We had a few problems with Conley on the high pick-and-roll but we made a few minor adjustments,” L.D. said.
Damn, feels pretty damn good to finally have a guy at the helm who knows a thing about *adjustments*.
I know it’s game 1 of 82, and I know its the Grizzlies, but, you’ve gotta love how this team came out and looked at least tonight to have bought into LD’s motion offense. I mean really, when have you ever seen JJ catch a lob? Better yet, when have you seen Zaza dish it?
I loved it. Fun to watch the starters get those extended minutes – not on the court – but on the bench. LD showed faith in his bench. Had a solid rotation set up.
With that said, I’m still a little concerned defensively. It’s obvious our personnel may have a hand in this. Bibby/Crawford struggle to keep guys in front of them. It still leaves guys like Smoove tryin to make a play when he shouldn’t have to. But, I didn’t expect either one of those guys to become lockdown defenders. But, hope to see the defensive schemes offset personnel weaknesses.
All in all though, solid. I love LD’s demeanor. A players coach. The guys seem to be buying into the system. And, the more they win, the more confidence they grow – not only in themselves, but in LD and what he’s tryin to do here.
RIP – SWITCHING DEFENSE/ALL ISO-ALL THE TIME
truthspitter
October 28th, 2010
1:38 am
Look okay but you have to remember that Memphis was short some really good players. The Sixers bench is better than the Hawks and the Sixers will not be interested in going 0-2 at home. Let’s see the Hawks get this one when there heart and will is tested, gonna be interesting.
Ramon
October 28th, 2010
1:41 am
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)?
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.
oranjucejonz
October 28th, 2010
2:13 am
Not sure if the time off in preseason has caused Jamal to be behind in learning the new offense but he seems to be the only one thats not buying into the whole “motion” thing….Its either that or this guy is a selfish player and although i saw glimpses of it [selfishness] last yr,I guess i overlooked it,Plus it was camoflauged with everyone elses 1-on-1 play….But now that the other guys are working on this new system it was really apparent tonight
jc_dawgs
October 28th, 2010
2:39 am
The chemistry looks good with this team. I just hope Joe and Smoove can handle the adversity a little better this year. Zaza looked great and Jamal as well. I like our bench.
Also…I’m not too worried about the game at the Sixers. Hawks will keep it close at a minimum. I’m not guaranteeing a Hawks win…but on paper Hawks have the better talent.
vava74
October 28th, 2010
4:08 am
And what about that zone D Larry Drew came up with and disrupted the Grizz’s offence completely?
Man it tastes good to have someone on the bench… who actually knows what coaching is all about!!!
Big Ray
October 28th, 2010
5:39 am
Zach ,
I hear you. It was just disconcerting to see Big Al struggle early on, but hey, it happens to the best. We’ll need him against more formidable teams, as has been proven time and again.
By the way, I’m sure you can tell the difference between the real me, and the person who wants to spoof me. Let’s start with the fact that I never put a period at the end of my name. LOL…
truthspitter ,
True. Philly tends to give us a rough time, but without Dalembert, it will be difficult for them to defend inside. Nobody is scared of Jason Smith or Mareese Speights.
~~MAC-ToWN~~ (Area Code 478 Westside Macon)
October 28th, 2010
6:16 am
Pluses over Woodson’s Hawk teams:
-ball movement
-adjustments
-nice to know we have another front court player with decent moves in the post.
drmaryb (*_*)
October 28th, 2010
6:44 am
Character Assassination!
Blu-Ray
(Clear Image)
Content reveals Character!
Rev in Tampa
October 28th, 2010
6:45 am
@MC “– Mike Conley looked like he was going to bring the Grizzlies back in the third quarter. Then L.D. sent in Teague, who didn’t let him get in the lane and create havoc. Memphis didn’t have anyone else out there who could make things happen. – “We had a few problems with Conley on the high pick-and-roll but we made a few minor adjustments,” L.D. said.”
Actually it sounds like LD made a *0* adjustment.
drmaryb (*_*)
October 28th, 2010
6:46 am
Road Kill!
What I liked most about this game?
I was a Road-Win!
BBgenie
October 28th, 2010
7:21 am
Can someone Please explain to me What’s going on Between Dish Network and Fow Sports???? Couldn’t watch Hawks Game last night!!!!!!!!
BBgenie
October 28th, 2010
7:22 am
Dish Network vs Fox Sports: What’s the Deal!!!
drmaryb (*_*)
October 28th, 2010
7:23 am
Agent 0!
Rev you funny! A *0* Adjustment?
Coach Drew has said and IS doing ALL the right things.
Even, the way he handles Josh’s stubbornness is embracing!
Josh will never respond well to Yelling and Screaming.
When did berating ever work on Generation – Y?
Y do these kids do what they do?
This new offense allows Josh to take those jumpers, and he will take them. As long as Josh puts in the jumper-work in practice and in his free time, he can become a good jump shooter. Why shouldn’t he develop that part of his game too? MJ had no jumper when he was drafted, but he did the work and became formidable and garnered an inside-outside game!
Why can’t Josh do that?
dukester
October 28th, 2010
7:23 am
From Big Ray- There is a possibility that horford might be signed and traded. I just thought id let you guys know first.
Suppose Big Ray is correct who would you like the Hawks to trade AL Horford for?
chuckw/deadjournalist
October 28th, 2010
7:28 am
What an entertaining game that I didn’t get to see. (Our neighborhood cable is via Dish Network which means I’m screwed.) From what I’ve read, everything sounds promising enough. But while Memphis is better, they aren’t a great (or even good) defensive team. Promising start but it will be interesting to see how well the offense works with a team who plays much better defense.
drmaryb (*_*)
October 28th, 2010
7:28 am
BBgenie
You need to call Dish Network and find out what the problem is.
I have Direct TV and the 2nd Tier entertainment package is affordable which includes NBA TV and Basic Movie packages (not including HBO, Showtime, Starz).
I have a Commercial account for my office, but I pay $69/Mo.
I imagine it is cheaper for residential. I have coupons for my employees to get Direct TV at home for $19.99/Mo for a year.
Check for promos at Direct TV and:
“That is Change you Can believe in!”
chuckw/deadjournalist
October 28th, 2010
7:33 am
Everyone that asked about Dish vs. Fox:
Fox went to all their providers and demanded a significant increase in rights to broadcast Fox regional sports networks, FX, etc. Dish Network and others refused to pay what they felt was an exorbitant rate increase (widely published at 50%). So Fox yanked the channels.
Dish, specifically, wanted the ability to air Fox programming will the dispute was being worked out, but Fox declined, so on 10/1/10 FSS, FS, FX and a few other channel were gone.
Based on what I’ve read it doesn’t look like a solution is coming anytime soon.
As usual, the customers get screwed and no one seems to care.
Hawks Fan In New Orleans
October 28th, 2010
7:37 am
L.D. said. “One thing I have been trying to instill in Jeff is the fact that with him on the floor, his speed, his quickness and his ability to push the ball. He can guard. We need that type of energy and he’s the only guy on our team who has it.”
What about JC2 ? I sure hope coach LD doesn’t do to the rookie’s confidence what Woody did to Teague.
chuckw/deadjournalist
October 28th, 2010
7:37 am
*while the dispute is being worked out.
Unfortunately there is only one option if you have a personal Dish Network account: You’ll have to switch to another provider or wait until this mess gets resolved.
I looked into NBA.com/League Pass but those game are blacked-out on-line or on League Pass if a local, regional carrier is broadcasting the games.
That means if you can’t change from Dish the only option is listening to it on the radio, etc.
It sucks. Big time. This effected the last few Braves games, some SEC football games but most of all is eliminates the ability to watch Hawks games since 90% of the games are on FSS or FS.
vava74
October 28th, 2010
7:38 am
BBGenie,
NBA League Pass is free until the 1st of November (inclusive).
Hence you will be able to watch at least the next two games.
O'Brien
October 28th, 2010
7:39 am
Great game for the Hawks and LD. He actually made adjustments on Conley, and he even seemed to change defensive strategy a couple times. Nice to see a coach make adjustments, instead of telling guys to try harder.
L.D. said. “I spoke to Al on the bench about that and he was fine with it.”.
I like the communication from LD so far too. And there was a point in the game where Teague came out (maybe there was a time-out), and LD was talking to Teague, probably making corrections.
Woody tended to just give Teague the “evil eye” most of the times.
If Teague can make his floater consistently, that will be huge for us.
Overall, my game ball goes to the bench. On to Philly
vava74
October 28th, 2010
7:40 am
DrMaryB,
I am starting to doubt that you are only one person…
It’s physically impossible to be so active on the blog as you are…
O'Brien
October 28th, 2010
7:46 am
My one complaint was Jamal. Although he made shots, there were times when guys were open and he missed them, because he held the ball too long.
To borrow a quote from Brad Childress, “He needs to stay within the confines of the system.”
Stinger made a comment about Al’s game too. He said Al has been getting the ball on the elbow, and he is not used to getting it out that far. So he will have to adjust. We’ll see how he looks the next game, especially with Dalembert out.
drmaryb (*_*)
October 28th, 2010
7:54 am
VaVa74
Your doubts don’t concern me.
However, a quality education, a fantastic staff, owning a business, 3-Day work weeks, a swollen pocket and a Blackberry can do wonders for time management.
You should try it sometime. -smile-
Plus, I work out every morning at 530 AM … I’ll sleep when I’m dead!
Life Is Good!
chuckw/deadjournalist
October 28th, 2010
7:57 am
DrMaryB –
You just made me eight kinds of envious. You figured out something that a lot of us didn’t. And by a lot, I mean me. ha
drmaryb (*_*)
October 28th, 2010
8:08 am
Smoking!
chuckw/deadjournalist. … LOL!
Oh yeah! And on those three days I treat 80 Patients per day from
9am – 12pm to 3pm-6pm … Count it – that’s a 6 hour work day!
Time Management is my greatest asset!
Man, I’m blowing “7even Kinds of Smoke” like Bruce Lee!
But, I’m the Tiger Woods at what I do! Quality not Quantity – work smart, not hard! But, on the flip side, my life has been hell and I stayed the course.
I’ve buried my entire Family … Mother, Father, Sister, Brother (RIP) all by age 21!Now, I have all this time to do what I enjoy! Saving Lives and Living Mine.
I would trade it all, to have my Family back.
Thanks!
Dunkus Colossus
October 28th, 2010
8:12 am
The question is whether the Hawks are good or the Grizzlies are just bad. We will see when the Hawks play the Heat,Magic,Celtics,Lakers,Mavs,Bucks,Jazz,etc.
It could be like saying the Braves are great after beating the Pirates…
drmaryb (*_*)
October 28th, 2010
8:12 am
All the Praise and Glory goes to Jehovah God!
I accept, none of it! Through him ALL things are possible!
tp
October 28th, 2010
8:43 am
Thanks for the great recap MC!
Mike is back
October 28th, 2010
8:58 am
MC, don’t worry…you call the Hawks RIGHT!!
TREMENDOUS WIN BY THE HAWKS…but it only counts as one game. Early success will lead to early buy-end. LD will have his biggest challenge with Josh. Dude, must have forgot he is one of the leaders on the team…that’s why I said having a guy like Powell…could be invaluable. Now LD can put his asssss on the bench…when he starts pulling those shenanigans.
Can I get a little respect for MO now…the way JC1 was whiffing at guys on defense…MO will be sorely needed…Bibby was at lease trying to making an effort on defense…overall great effort by the entire team.
GO LD, AND GO HAWKS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
steve brown
October 28th, 2010
9:17 am
Oh my g-d, I saw multiple back door plays on offense (never before seen in modern Atlanta history) and players running up and down the court. Can this be the Hawks. Can this be professional basketball players. Can this please last!!
i_am_soulstar
October 28th, 2010
9:31 am
@steve brown,
I’m with you man.
I could not beleive what I saw last night. I have NEVER witnessed the Hawks move the ball like that.
Even my girlfriend, a well-known Hawks hater and Celtics lover, couldn’t believe it. She says, “After this game, I might have to invest in a Lary Drew jersey.”
GO… Larry Drew???
i_am_soulstar
October 28th, 2010
9:34 am
*believe
Rev in Tampa
October 28th, 2010
9:50 am
If it hadn’t been LD’s first win as a head coach I would have lobbied for the gameball to be given to Jordan Crawford for his first shot as a professional. It wasn’t just an airball, it was ugly.
darrell starks
October 28th, 2010
9:58 am
LD great coaching his rotation is the best i have every seen since watching the hawks, 9 or 10 guys playing together as a team, good job LD.
GO HAWKS!!!!!!!!!!!!
Astro Joe
October 28th, 2010
10:00 am
I was complaining about Jamal last night, but the reality is that there will be many times during the season when Drew will need to say “here’s the ball, make a basket”. I was struck by how many times we DIDN’T use the motion offense last night (not a ton of assists) so we need players who offer a diverse means of scoring the ball. Still disappointed in the defense, giving up over 100 points to a Memphis team with virtually nothing from Randolph and Gasol isn’t good. Josh still is a mixed bag, even defensively. Blocks a bunch of shots but let’s an unknown like Darrell Arthur have his way, by simply ignoring him. Josh did that last year too, it’s like he doesn’t respect all of the players he goes up against. Once Z Bo left the game, Josh almost decided he could exclusively go into weakside defender mode, meanwhile, Arthur went for a career high.
darrell starks
October 28th, 2010
10:00 am
LD defense still have be this team number 1 focus, that will be the hawks bread and butter for succes this year and for him as a coach.
GO HAWKS!!!!!!!!!!!
Astro Joe
October 28th, 2010
10:01 am
The box score from last year’s opening game. Some similarities (a lot of offense) and obviously, some differences (much more scoring from starters).
http://espn.go.com/nba/boxscore?gameId=291028001
I.MUS WRITE
October 28th, 2010
10:03 am
Ray stop spreading rumors we are not doing S&T for Horford LOL. Did someone from the front office call you. I wouldnt mind though if we could get one of the Lopez brothers or Kaman…
-JC1 is not even trying on Defense
-ZAZA was a beast last night but will most likely return to the ZAZA we all know and love
-Horford is really struggling offensively
-Giving Teague the keys to the car is a mistake he’s okay but not ready
-Bibby is slow and old but is really valuable with his shooting ,passing and veteran leadership.
Marvin played good D- he still needs to be more agressive on Offense
Just my 2 cents…………….Congratz to LD and the boiz on their first win of the season.
i_am_soulstar
October 28th, 2010
10:09 am
Memphis didn’t have a lot of scorers in the game though. So I’ll be interested to see what rotation LD uses against a team with 3 to 5 offensive threats on the floor at all times.
I know the sample size is small, but I have a whole new respect for Josh Powell after seeing what he can do with decent minutes.
JeJe
October 28th, 2010
10:16 am
Can someone please wake up Jeff Teague? Even if he’s a little hurt, he has to contribute something to this team.
I loved what I saw from ZaZa and Marvin. If Marvin can keep finishing like that and knock down shots when he has to, this team will be good. Joe, Bibby also played well. Why the hell is Smoove taking only jumpshots? Drew said he’d POST HIM UP
And this win does not erase the 6 years of forgettable failures by our former coach
FIRE WOODY
JeJe
October 28th, 2010
10:17 am
JOSH SMITH, GROW UP AND STOP TAKING JUMPSHOTS. WE NEED U IN THE DAMN POST. AND STOP GAMBLING ON EVERY DEFENSIVE PLAY.
IF WE ARE INSTALLING A NEW OFFENSE, THAT MEANS U SHOULD NOT BE AT THE 3 PT LINE THE WHOLE TIME
JeJe
October 28th, 2010
10:17 am
Wow @ Acie Law.
Made Teague actually look good out there
Rufus1
October 28th, 2010
10:42 am
Don’t say it’s just one Game!!!
We are a 53 win team, it’s just one game for a up and coming team….WE ARE HERE! We are better than the Griz and we should have beat them. IF THIS WAS THE MAGIC IT WOULD BE JUST ONE GAME, but no other team gets that disclaimer.
RACE CAR
For 6 years Woody was using a RACE CAR for a taxi and now LD has simply put the car on the race track.
That is the difference between a COACH and Woody. LD is trying to maximize his talent(His Athletes)…Woody tried not to lose. We are already a better team, BUT THE SPORTS HISTORY IN ATL MAKES MANY OF YOU SCARED ENBRACE OBVIOUS.
Think about this….
We won 53 games with no offensive or defensive strategy and now we do…..WOW, the possibilities!!!
STEEL(Formerly VenomSpitter)
October 28th, 2010
10:44 am
Do ya’ll know how good we could be if Josh went to the rim instead of taking jumpers?
Why doesn’t Josh understand that?
hawks_4_life
October 28th, 2010
10:49 am
JeJe did we win the game? From your comments its very hard tell. Did you even see the game? Teague outplayed Law, he was shaky but still better. Its the first game of the season, we won, stop b!tching. I wonder what you would say if we loss, you would probably be thrilled.
hawks_4_life
October 28th, 2010
10:52 am
P.S. we lead our division lol.
STEEL(Formerly VenomSpitter)
October 28th, 2010
10:55 am
LOL @ this analysis of Nique’s commentating
http://dealingdominiquewilkins.blogspot.com/2010/10/dominique-wilkins-color-commentator.html
niremetal
October 28th, 2010
10:57 am
I’m telling you. We need to set Smoove up with one of these and push the button whenever he takes a shot from outside 12 feet:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KZag1zlecGI
O'Brien
October 28th, 2010
11:00 am
Jeje,
Did u not hear when LD gave credit to teague for shutting Conley down in the third quarter? Did u watch the game?
AJ,
Agreed about Josh. He was 1-5 from jump shots early on (although he made 2 jump shots late in the game). Its one thing to take and make them against Memphis. But if we are playing the magic in a close game, we’ll see how he does.
Bibby looked good on offense, but Conley had his way with bibby on defense. Teague needs to develop his shotmaking (even if its just the floaters for now), because we will need his defense against the better teams.
And team defense needs to improve. Our players were active on offense, and really enjoyed scoring, but the defensive effort wasn’t consistent. Part of that though is probably due to the big lead we had most of the night.
dukester
October 28th, 2010
11:14 am
Hey a win is a win. Thats who Memphis marched out there and we took care of business. I would hate to see if this win was by 5 pts instead of 15. Ole JeJe would have a stroke. LOL As far as Marvin we need performances like that every night man! And Bibby might not have the footwoork but we need a veteran like that with that ice water running through his veins.
Bottom line is so goes Marvin and Zaza so goes the Hawks. When we signed those 2 to the contracts they have and are not willing to move them. They will be the ones that make us or break us.
Najeh Davenpoop
October 28th, 2010
11:17 am
““Gay’s got to be very careful. He’s doing a lot of reaching and touching down there.””
LMAO
Astro Joe
October 28th, 2010
11:18 am
OB, didn’t we applaud when the new coach said that Josh would not be on the perimter during his first press conference? This is a carryover from the pre-season as well. So far, Josh is doing what Josh wants to do offensively. I think it is quite possible that we will continue to go with a 2-headed PG, as each guy has opposite strengths/weaknesses. But on a one game sample, Teague showed nothing to convince me that he is a guy who can play 28+ minutes for a 50-win team.
Hawk n the Ham
October 28th, 2010
11:21 am
The Cavs look better than the Heat
I second the comments on Josh taking the open look to the rim, and NOT jumpshots. Josh would have a lot more and-1 chances, rather than bricking his jumpshot, and the Hawks losing the ball.
Big props to Zaza and Powell. Josh Powell looks like a great add, and will be a consistent player for this ball club. We needed that from the PF position. And what can I say about Zaza’s play last night? WOW!
MC, you were right about LD’s offense will benefit Marvin. Marvin is a player who needs structure and knows his place in the system. I saw some aggression from Marvin on the boards I haven’t EVER seen last night. Go on Marvo wit ya bad self!
hawks_4_life
October 28th, 2010
11:22 am
Astro Joe you are right on about Josh and Teague. Ill give Josh the benefit of the doubt for now (ten games) because like you said old habits die hard. Teague needs experience, in ways this is like his rookie year all over. He would now be a senior in college.
Najeh Davenpoop
October 28th, 2010
11:28 am
How the hell did they do an entire analysis of Nique’s commentary without using the word “nimbers”?
dukester
October 28th, 2010
11:29 am
And also i believe as the season goes on LD will find Josh a home on the offensive end at it will not be futher than 12 ft. One thing i can say LD has control with vision so all we can do is wait and see.
Astro Joe
October 28th, 2010
11:52 am
Unfortunately, ‘Nique will keep that job for as long as he wants to be a game analyst. That’s the price you pay when you hire a franchise’s all-time player. You simply can’t terminate his contract. Not only was Steve Smith much better, but so was Grant Long, who had the gig prior to Smith. Any insight during the broadcast comes when Stinger gets his 2-3 minutes of TV time.
KevinM
October 28th, 2010
11:53 am
Listening to last night’s telecast, you could hear the giddiness in Rathburn, who had totally bought the LD system. He sounded glad that the season was anew.
And if any bench hits these numbers, you do not lose many games:
50 points, 19 rebounds, 12 free throws and makes 18 of 34 shots. It looked like a bona fide 10-man rotation for the Hawks.
Kudos to Coach Drew and his first HC win in a not so easy environment. Gasol and Randolph injuries helped, but he made adjustments and kept the Grizzlies was coming back.
Philly next; it looks like a game that can be won just by duplicating last night’s effort.
A good start and a new attitude for the core going forward.
Ry
October 28th, 2010
12:18 pm
Offense looked good, but defense still looks atrocious. Please remember, this was Memphis they were playing and not Boston or Miami. If they were playing a team with better shooters, this would have been a tough one. I think the win had more to do with a bad Memphis team than it did with a good Hawks team. I still think they will just be average = Good Offense – Bad Defense = average
Ryder
October 28th, 2010
12:21 pm
What I was most impressed by last night was the team’s ability to maintain their composure when the home team made their usual third quarter run, especially on the road.
Najeh Davenpoop
October 28th, 2010
12:33 pm
“Listening to last night’s telecast, you could hear the giddiness in Rathburn, who had totally bought the LD system. He sounded glad that the season was anew.”
To be fair, Rathbun sounds giddy about damn near everything.
Section 303
October 28th, 2010
12:42 pm
You have to love Bob Rathbun, though. Good dude. His giddiness is one of the things I like about him the most.
I wish we could bring Steve Smith back to take over for ‘Nique. ‘Nique gets a little worse every broadcast. I don’t feel like I learn anything from him and he has no command of the English language.
lewis
October 28th, 2010
12:43 pm
riley drops the hammer on lebron — interesting read, if even minimal truth is involved
http://www.clevelandleader.com/node/15114
JeJe
October 28th, 2010
12:52 pm
hawks_4_life,
Give me a break, dude. I watched the entire game and probably saw more things than you did. Teague still is garbage, can’t make a jumpshot, can’t get in the lane, is timid, and can’t finish. When he finally starts actually playing well I will give him his props.
And what else of my observations gives you the impression I didn’t watch the game? Smoove pissed all of us off, Horford sucked, Marvin did well, Joe and Bib did well, Crawford was okay, and ZaZa was phenomenal.
Don’t talk about things you know nothing about
JeJe
October 28th, 2010
12:59 pm
Bottom line is this team will not get to the next level if Teague does not play well. We can’t have overweight Bibby being a 32 mpg PG, taking contested shots every night, if our other PG is just a timid stiff with no jumpshot who can only play okay defense
Rufus1
October 28th, 2010
1:01 pm
Bad defense not so much….
When you speed-up the tempo each team get more shots = more pts for both team.
What we need is less turnovers from the 2nd unit.
Rufus1
October 28th, 2010
1:01 pm
Bad defense not so much….
When you speed-up the tempo each team get more shots = more pts for both team.
What we need is less turnovers from the 2nd unit.
hawks_4_life
October 28th, 2010
1:09 pm
JeJe
Dude the way you blast everyone on the team in every aspect make wonder if you are a fan. The team is a work in progress we all know this, we all know the downfalls but you are like a broken record. How bout good game whoever just one time. Its not going to kill you.
terrell
October 28th, 2010
1:22 pm
Most of you guys laughed at the Powell acquisition, and now your’re showing him love. Hilarious! Told yall he was an upgrade over Joe “im old enought to be your grandaddy” Smith. lol!
lewis
October 28th, 2010
1:25 pm
call me crazy, but powell seems just like everyone else on the hawks, concerned with scoring and not defense
I.MUS WRITE
October 28th, 2010
1:33 pm
LOL@ Davenpoop…………………….. Nimbers, cracks me up every time he says that. Its going to be a long season listening to Nique.
Ahhh Yes JeJe is back lol………You’re in midseason form with the negativity.
I.MUS WRITE
October 28th, 2010
1:39 pm
Acie Law is a borderline NBA player. I never saw anything special in this guy. After 3 years he looks worse IMO……….If we could only get a do over and pick Aaron Brooks with that 11th pick.
O'Brien
October 28th, 2010
1:47 pm
JeJe,
U really think teague is who will take the hawks to the next level if he plays well? That sounds like very high expectations for a second year PG who played sporadically his rookie year.
AJ,
When it comes to Josh and his jump shots, we are on the same page. And I agree that teague has not earned his 28+ MPG. But the Guy is a second year PG (the seventh drafted), and he played sporadic his first year.
I’ll give him the benefit of the doubt for the first 20 games or so (a quarter of the season). If he hasn’t figured it out by then, then drew will need to evaluate accordingly, or sund needs to make a move.
Grandad
October 28th, 2010
1:54 pm
vava74 said:
“And what about that [zone] Larry Drew came up with and disrupted
the Grizz offense completely”
Thank goodness you saw it too.
I posted about the zone last eve but you are the only other one.
*[Ld's adjustment]
(Josh then Marv up top) point on the zone.
I was beginning to believe I dreamed it.
AJ said:
[about Jamal]
LD will need to say “here’s the ball, make a basket”.
[great perspective]
Najeh Davenpoop
October 28th, 2010
1:58 pm
I like Rathbun, giddiness and all, don’t get me wrong.
Astro Joe
October 28th, 2010
2:03 pm
OB, or we just continue to use a 2-headed PG until that no longer works. Seriously, if the team is successful, does it really matter if Teague and Bibby can only play around 20-28 minutes in a given game (based on situational match-ups)? Some folk may even call that “depth”. The team’s success may not require a 36 minute/game PG like John Stockton or Jason Kidd. I say we judge the position and not the players. We should think of it like a baseball platoon… 2 guys bringing their respective skills to a single position. Did we get good PG play against Memphis? Yeah, we did. That’s all that really matters… the platoon worked.
Grandad
October 28th, 2010
2:03 pm
The “Bloginator” got me last eve on this one!
[Concerning Josh & his outside shooting]:::::
Josh needs to make the Xtra pass.
It’s not that LD puts him outside strictly to shoot.
Many times he catches the ball and then quits thinking.
Josh wants to make the assist.
When the assist pass is not there………………………….
That’s what happens to Josh.
Then he shoots.
It is a skill, rather a gift to be able to assist the assister.
Call it B-ball IQ, slowing the game down, seeing two plays ahead,
whatever jargon you wish, but Josh has not developed it yet.
Many teams even have a statistic for this;
“a pass that leads to an assist”.
Bird may have been the best at this; let’s call it a gift.
However, the off. is still a new shiny toy, so give them all time.
Making the Xtra pass to reverse the ball in order to change sides
of the floor *[changing sides of the floor is fundamental] is a
habit that Josh, et al, will need to develop.
truthspitter
October 28th, 2010
2:04 pm
I like some things I saw from the offense but it is less than brilliant to have Josh Smith and Al Horford playing so far away from the basket on a constant basis. I like Joe getting to the line more and even Bibby got a layup but this offense will not be really effective until Al and Josh are hanging out on the block or getting to the rack just as much as Joe seemed to be able to do last night. Joe got 4 or 5 layups or dunks. If the offense can get Joe, Josh, and Al 4 or 5 cheap buckets a night I am all for it. Until it does that I am not that much of a fan.
Wabe
October 28th, 2010
2:12 pm
chuck – I’ve run into the same issue. I too have Dish Network as my provider. I was able to get a feed to the game online last night. The site isn’t fantastic, and the feed skips every now and then. But, if you’re interested…
http://www.channelsurfing.net
You’ll be able to watch the games online – not the same as watching it on TV – but still better than nothing.
Grandad
October 28th, 2010
2:23 pm
This is not a criticism:
turnovers:
Unaccustomed as they are, to multiple passes per possession,
more fundamentals will need to be employed.
I’m certain LD has already begun this process.
Remember, most of our players have never been taught by a “real”
Coach / teacher. Al had Donovan @ that Peninsular University
down South [peninsular is not an ugly word]. I cannot say the
real name of his school this particular week.
Anyway, (1) improving the angle of the pass by the passer, -and-
(2) coming to the ball, “meeting the pass” by the receiver,
will cut down turnovers by over 50%.
Basketball in it’s purest form is so simple.
Git ‘er done.
Once again, not a criticism.
i_am_soulstar
October 28th, 2010
2:32 pm
Joe Johnson creating contact and getting to the free throw line was what stood out the most to me besides the excellent ball movement.
I don’t know how long I’ve been saying it, but this is one of the things that has separated him from the top-tier all-stars in the past.
A prime example is the Hawks-Heat preseason game. Both Lebron and JJ had nearly the same amount of FG attempts and makes, but Lebron had maybe 10 more points just from trips to the charity stripe.
I truly hope this becomes a permanent fixture in his game.
If he shoots between 43-45% for the season and increases his free throw attempts, I won’t be surprised if he averages 25.
Grandad
October 28th, 2010
2:38 pm
@ truthspitter
Mr. truthspitter sir:
My post about [Josh] was one minute prior to yours.
It might be interesting reading………………………….
You were happy for Joe to get near the rim & get to the line.
Well, it might interest you (or not) that when Al and Josh move
away from the basket, then, that opens up the middle.
Also on a couple of occasions Joe got a back screen from a ‘Big’,
which allowed him [Joe] to go to the rim ‘uncontested’.
* Please forgive me for bringing this to your attn as it may
embarrass you somewhat given the fact that you are so much smarter
than the rest of us and surely you just overlooked these minor points in your haste to criticize.
northcyde
October 28th, 2010
3:23 pm
I think the best thing about last night’s game, outside of the play of the 2nd unit, is that Drew exhibited that he can be flexible. Flexibe to the point of playing Zaza almost 20 consecutive minutes ( which is kind of crazy to be honest, but probably did wonders for Zaza’s confidence ).
They didn’t just run one offense or one defense either. They mixed it up well. And they did employ the switch on a few occasions.
The other thing I took away from this game is that this offense is TAILOR MADE FOR JOE JOHNSON. He’s getting open shots. He still the primary playmaker. And because the ball and players are moving, he’ll have lots of opportunities to go one on one and draw fouls, if he catches the ball and attacks the paint.
JJ may possibly have a career year offensively this year, as long as he and the shooters he’s passing the ball to, are making those wide open shots.
As for the game itself, I can’t get too giddy about us beating Memphis without 2 of their 3 best players. Them not playing with Gasol and Randolph, is equivalent to us playing without Smith and Horford. That was about 35 points and 20 rebounds worth of players taken out of that lineup.
A win is a win though. And any road win helps. The bench is the group I’m worried about, but they get a standing ovation for their play last night.
Astro Joe
October 28th, 2010
3:25 pm
Grandad, if the play is for him to stand out there and make a pass, then don’t shoot from out there. If the play is ofr him to stand out there and shoot, then heaven help us. Last year, he was effective from the perimeter because he mostly passed the ball. Last night? It was a Halloween-worthy horror show.
Grandad
October 28th, 2010
3:37 pm
Astro Joe
I don’t think he is supposed to stand anywhere.
*habit
O'Brien
October 28th, 2010
3:47 pm
Didn’t Josh take more jump shots than Marvin? I hope that trend does not continue.
AJ,
Somebody needs to get through to Josh. He said woody didnt get on him too much because of all the other things he does well. And the few times woody got on him, Josh didn’t pay him any mind.
When LD yelled at Josh in the Charlotte game for taking a jump shot when the play called for him in the post, MC said Josh snarled at him.
Ironically, Josh stopped taking 3 pointers last year because he chose to stop. Not because woody was getting on him.
We’ll see if LD can get him to stop, or if he will stop when he feels like it. Or Maybe he will start making them at a 50% clip and it wont matter anymore.
Astro Joe
October 28th, 2010
3:50 pm
Grandad, MC recently said that Josh makes those long range shots in practice. Doesn’t that lead to an obvious question, “why does the coach allow him to practice something that he isn’t supposed to do in the game?” If you want someone to break a game-time habit, don’t you ban it from practice?
IMO, dude likes shooting long-range shots and will continue to do so until someone holds him accountable… which takes our best weakside defender out of the game. The same dilemma faced by the previous coach. Sometimes, you have to live with imperfection. Simply saying in a press conference what you plan to do doesn’t always translate into reality. There’s a consequence to holding someone accountable for performance on one side of the floor… you lose what they bring on the other side. Same issue, new season and new coach.
Astro Joe
October 28th, 2010
3:58 pm
OB, it seems unlikely that he will hit them at a 50% clip in the next game, right? So his teammates are supposed to watch him waste possessions while he ramps from ~25% to 50%? That doesn’t quite sound like a chemistry-building tactic from a team captain.
I’m sure that Drew will fix it. It’s as easy as pie.
KevinM
October 28th, 2010
4:14 pm
Najeh: ” I like Rathbun, giddiness and all, don’t get me wrong. ”
If you think Bob has a rise-up attitude, you should have been around when the Yankees’ John Sterling used to broadcast the Hawks’ games during the 1st Drew era: John Drew…..
Every night: The NITTY GRITTY Atlanta Hawks have done it again!
Sterling was so hard to listen to sometimes when describing mediocre basketball.
Truthfully, I don’t recall Rathburn being so adamant about something like he is about the motion offense. This guy agreed with every BK draft choice as well.
KevinM
October 28th, 2010
4:16 pm
Re: Smoove and his jumper………while Bosh always seems ranked above Smoove, he does have a sweet jumper….Smoove just looks like a ‘chucker’ when he cranks one up.
If there is one guy on our team that doesn’t squeeze the most out of every possession, its Smoove.
Astro Joe
October 28th, 2010
4:17 pm
Kevin, Sterling was the worse EVERRRRRRRRRRRR!
KevinM
October 28th, 2010
4:19 pm
Astro, Milo Hamilton always got a bad name here, but no one was worse than John Sterling…just his big mullet on the tube made me want to go to the radio broadcast with Skip.
KevinM
October 28th, 2010
4:22 pm
Northcyde: “As for the game itself, I can’t get too giddy about us beating Memphis without 2 of their 3 best players. Them not playing with Gasol and Randolph, is equivalent to us playing without Smith and Horford. That was about 35 points and 20 rebounds worth of players taken out of that lineup.”
That right there was the key to the game….not sure that the Grizzlies should have tallied 104 points either with those 2 components gone.
But as LD or anyone else would say, a win is a win is a win…..Philly and their underwhelming lineup is next.
Grandad
October 28th, 2010
4:35 pm
Astro Joe
I agree in part.
Sometimes players are shooting on their own.
MC told us many times that he did not have very much access to practice. I’ll reserve judgement on what LD allows in practice.
Practicing rhythm jumpers from 16 ft coming off screens are
much different than stand still catapult launches.
Which is what Josh insists on [ahem] shooting.
I agree in whole that the shots he [Josh] is presently taking,
non rhythm, need to be jettisoned.
I further agree that, best defender or not, as soon as he
“snarls”;
“put his hind on the pine”. -C.M. Newton-.
LD must get his attn -NOW-, not later, -NOW-.
If he does not do as he is instructed;
yank his ass.
Josh, Joe, Al, any one of them.
This is a crucial time for LD.
wordsmithtom
October 28th, 2010
4:38 pm
People carping about JS and his outside shooting. I’m not convinced it’s a problem. If he is to be used as a point forward, as he was in second half and Marvin after JS got in foul trouble, he must shoot shots from the outside to keep defence from collapsing on his rotating backcutters and eating up space. Even with a poor % shootmaking, he is doing what the position calls for. I take issue with him shooting early in the shot clock, and that’s why LD got on has azz the other night and said so. He is an excellent passer, so facilitating off the high post works for him, but he must take those shots to keep defence honest.
Liked seeing LD keep Zaza in game for extra minutes when he was playing well. How many times did we see bench guys perform in the first half only to see them vanish later. Staying with “hot” hands was something former coach never did, except for JJ and JC1….LD is showing us all that he spent a lot of time studying the game as a bench coach. He understands momentum, and the need to play a deeper bench.
DW talking about how tough Atlanta is. Glad to see us getting some respect for a change.
wordsmithtom
October 28th, 2010
4:47 pm
Granddad, the way I heard it LD did get Josh’s attention. He just refused to let the snarl create a problem. Pick your fights. JS is an emotional player; LD knows that. Letting his ego get in the way would be what a weak coach would do. I gotta punish this dude to save face… LD publically blew it off, but stated emphatically that he wanted JS not to shoot early in the time clock, and not when it wasn’t part of the “scheme”. To use a page out of Zenmaster’s playbook….don’t use passion to correct passion….a calm word diffuses fire.
JS believes he can make that shot. To quit taking it would be questioning his own talent. A shooter is a shooter is a shooter. He does not yet, however, understand WHEN to take that shot. This LD must continue to work on.
Astro Joe
October 28th, 2010
4:58 pm
Grandad, assuming that the free throw line is 16 feet, than the shots from last night were NOT from 16 feet. I don’t know what he practices, all I know is that if you are consistently missing 70% of a shot, I don’t think it is in the best interest of the team to continue to shoot that shot. And heaven knows, we would not tolerate sub-30% long distance shooting from any other player on this squad so I struggle on why a vet of ~500 NBA games should be doing it.
http://espn.go.com/nba/shotchart?gameId=301027029
honest_abe
October 28th, 2010
5:03 pm
the hawks looked better than i thought they would… a road win is hard to come by in the nba so i’ll take it. but before you pick the hawks to win the east you have to remember the grizz were without their best two inside players…
the good:
- acie law in an opponents jersey
- no sight of mr. potato head
- a center!!! ok so it wasn’t dwight howard or even kendrick perkins but it was someone down low banging away albeit one with limited capabilities…..go zaza!
- seeing joe score efficiently
- some semblance of ball movement
- a nice matchup zone
- marvin’s overall play
- zaza’s physicality
the bad:
- j.smith’s shot selection and indifference at times on defense
- jeff teague’s hesitation and carelessness with the ball
- bibby’s inability to stay in front of anybody
- jamal dribbling by himself for what seemed like days
overall a nice start to the season.
Grandad
October 28th, 2010
5:04 pm
wordsmithtom
“shooting early in the shot clock”
Therein lies the problem.
As I discussed in an earlier post, he must make the Xtra pass.
“he must take those shots to keep defense honest”
That’s not completely accurate.
They will continue to collapse unless he proves
he can make them, not just shoot them.
However, your analysis that he is somewhat of a point forward
is well taken. There are a # of other things he can do to keep the defense honest. One, is simply moving the ball quickly. Another is
using the dribble to improve angles. Yet another is slash,
so that the threat of penetration must be honored.
There are many, many, more and I’m quite certain that LD
will utulize all or most of these eventually.
J from the A
October 28th, 2010
5:09 pm
Re: Smoove and his outside shooting
I said it after one of the preseason games, and I said it on the previous blog, but many — not all mind you — of the outside shots he is taking seem to be set plays. On many occasions Josh was standing in his spot — the spot the offensive play called for — and it was pass, pass, and then pass to Josh with Josh being wide open while the others are covered.
If Josh starts hitting that shot with any kind of consistency, beautiful things start to happen for the Hawks. The opposing team will have to respect the shot and will be forced to close out on Josh. When this happens, the lane becomes less clogged, allowing Josh to drive and make the inside play OR make the easy, smart pass.
Now if Josh does NOT start to hit that shot with any kind of consistency, say by 20 games into the season, I want to see the outside shooting end … but for now I am willing to give Josh a little bit of breathing room on taking these jumpers (even if my gut still screams, “DON’T DO IT!” every time an open Josh catches the ball 17/18 ft from the basket).
J from the A
October 28th, 2010
5:13 pm
Also, I don’t know if I am the only one that has seen it, but Josh is displaying solid leadership as a “point-forward.” He gives good direction to his teammates, has a knack for setting up his teammates, and when his teammates are out of position, he isn’t afraid to bark at them.
… now if Josh could just start hitting those 17/18 footers
Grandad
October 28th, 2010
5:27 pm
Astro Joe
Free throw line 15 ft
3 pt line (pro) 23 ft dissymmetrical arc [I made up that term]
You are correct, Josh was launching from 21.5 ft or just inside
the arc [straight line on sides]. Worst shot in B-ball.
My point about 16 ftr’s was a hypothetical practice situation.
I think we are in agreement.
truthspitter
October 28th, 2010
5:39 pm
I would trade Smoove and Zaza for Danny Granger and Jeff Foster. I really think if Rashard Lewis can play PF Marvin can also. I know we would lose our only defensive presence around the rim but Josh is not going to ever really learn how to play basketball, I have never even seen the guy commit himself to using the glass on jumpshots. Tim Duncan is not a good jump shooter with that line drive shot but he has pretty much mastered angles and how to use the glass and that has made him a productive jump shooter but he is not naturally a good jump shooter.
zaza
October 28th, 2010
5:40 pm
NOTHING EASY
NOTHING EASY
jamillion
October 28th, 2010
5:41 pm
just wondering why are we so critical of josh smiths game.you guys want your cake and ice cream to
the guy is trying to have an all around game,whats wrong with that?
hell michael jordan,didn’t have a jumper, and lebrons j is just now getting nice in the last two years, it’s not like he’s trying to be reggie miller,that’s the one part of his game that is missing,let him get there to be a complete player.
it’s not like he is dwight howard or shaq.
we aren’t suppose to critisize people for getting better. damn yall hate dude to death.
take what you have and be proud of it. if your fat wife was losing pounds would you be made. if your kid was a d student and was studying more what would you do, tell him be a dummy?
respect what you got before it’s gone. peace
jamillion
October 28th, 2010
5:53 pm
truth spitter did you just call for jeff(gasp) foster.
man you guys are like a ugly dude who beats up his nice looking gurl.
you aint gonna know what you have until it’s gone, and then see don’t nobody wanna f’with ya noway.
and danny granger is just marvin as a number one option,with worse defense.
actually,let marvin take twenty shots a game, he a easily average twenty two or twenty five points per game.numbers don’t lie.
jamillion
October 28th, 2010
5:54 pm
man i wouldn’t trade zaza for jeff foster garbage ass str8 up.
who’s your dopeman?
lewis
October 28th, 2010
6:01 pm
where / when did D Wade comment on the Hawks being tough?
link please
O'Brien
October 28th, 2010
6:25 pm
J from the A,
Why would you call a set play for someone to take a certain shot that they only make 30% of the time (on average)? And there is a reason why Josh is usually open out there. Defenders and opposing coaches want him to take that shot, because he misses it a lot.
And if he is shooting, then that means he is not in the post, where he is so much better.
wordsmithtom,
I agree that if Josh can hit those shots, he would almost be unguardable. However, this is his 7th year in the league. He shoots 30% on those shots from that distance out. When is he EVER going to make it consistently enough to justify shooting it?
O'Brien
October 28th, 2010
6:27 pm
Josh needs to focus on making his FTs. In 2008-2009, he shot 59% from the FT line. In 2009-2010, Josh shot 62% from the FT line.
If a guy cant make his FTs at a higher percentage, do we really want him taking shots from 16 feet out (with defenders close by)?
drmaryb (*_*)
October 28th, 2010
6:29 pm
Lewis
I saw the DWade & Spolestra interview last night on the Heat -vs- ? Half-Time Report. I forget what channel that was. After breaking down the Hawks, they began to discuss the Bulls. But, I flipped back to watch the Hawks game.
It might be from the NBA TV Team Preview programs.
They were very high on the Hawks Team and very impressed with what the Hawks are doing.
Grandad
October 28th, 2010
6:32 pm
wordsmithtom
wordsmithtom said:
* “pick your fights”
I disagree with this statement.
-Dr. James Dobson- “Dare to Discipline” & “The Strong Willed Child”
Having read, then raised a family, plus coached thirty plus years,
*I tried to win ‘em all. Then again I’m bullheaded. Ask my young’uns.
wordsmithtom said:
“To use a page out of Zenmaster’s playbook….don’t use passion to correct passion….”
Not disagreeing, to a degree.
I tried to always keep everything internal [locker-room].
None of the public’s business.
As for Josh & LD = none of ours either, really.
wordsmithtom said:
“To quit taking it would be questioning his own talent.
A shooter is a shooter is a shooter”
Sorry;
Josh ain’t no shooter.
Actually, Josh is a shooter;
Josh ain’t no “shot-maker”!
O'Brien
October 28th, 2010
6:33 pm
Thanks to nire for posting the link, but based on Josh’s shot chart from last night, he was 3-3 inside the paint (100%), but 2-7 outside the paint (29%).
cp
October 28th, 2010
6:33 pm
How is Bibby looking overweight? He looks like he is in good shape. Yea its really looking like somebody didn’t watch the game and is just copying and pasting the same stuff from last season… And you must have a pathetic life that you’re using someone else’s handle only to make the same silly argument you always do on your other 50 handles.
drmaryb (*_*)
October 28th, 2010
6:46 pm
It’s in there!
cp
Context reveals Character!
It’s like Ragu – It’s in there!
It’s like fake spaghetti sauce (too sweet, too much MSG, too many preservatives), and everybody know’s Grandma didn’t make it.
Grandad
October 28th, 2010
6:51 pm
Les Miles is loose again. [AKA the Mad Hatter]*[TS]
J from the A
October 28th, 2010
6:54 pm
O’Brien said:
“Why would you call a set play for someone to take a certain shot that they only make 30% of the time (on average)? And there is a reason why Josh is usually open out there. Defenders and opposing coaches want him to take that shot, because he misses it a lot.
And if he is shooting, then that means he is not in the post, where he is so much better.”
J from the A says:
The Hawks new offensive game plan calls for Josh to play around the perimeter a bit more often. Josh has an unique skill set that includes above average passing abilities and the ability to direct the team and run the offense at times. (He is not a one-dimensional post-only player that you want to make him out to be.)
If Josh can start making the 17 footer with any kind of consistency, this will open up all kinds of wonderful opportunities for the Hawks. Now is the time to “experiment” with various offensive schemes/sets/plays …including sets that may lead to Josh taking 17 footers. If the “experiment” works out, it adds another more dimension to the Hawks game … if it doesn’t, well, as long as everything else is working out, it doesn’t hurt the Hawks too much to give it a try. However, as I have said before, if the experiment isn’t working out by, say the end of November, it might be time to move on from it.
The risk is minimal (as long as Josh and the Hawks are willing to abandon the experiment if it doesn’t work out), but the potential pay-off is immense.
KevinM
October 28th, 2010
7:09 pm
So 2 cents says Horford is being shopped…sure doesn’t make sense to make him a captain does it?
Does it really make sense to leave the backline with Smoove and Zaza as the mainstays no matter who we get to come in? Zaza has one breakout game that hasn’t been seen since when? 2008?
I wouldn’t jump so quick on that; Sund isn’t known to doing trades during the season. And frankly, he has Al signed for 2 years right now if no one gives him an offer. (highly unlikely yes)
Jamal would get my vote to be the first one off the LD island.
O'Brien
October 28th, 2010
7:17 pm
J from the A,
I understand where you’re coming from. But my point is, in 6 years in the league, Josh has been unable to hit the 17 footer consistently. So why would LD take the time now in Josh’s 7th season to experiment and see if he can make it or not?
Part of the problem with Josh as well, is that he has bad shot selection/timing. When we’re playing Memphis, and up by 10, him taking a 17 footer is not that big a deal.
But if we are playing Miami, and we are down by 3, I would not want Josh taking that shot.
He made tremendous progress last year by eliminating his 3pt attempts, and I’m a big fan of Josh.
Its only been one game though, so we’ll see what happens from here on out.
Big Ray
October 28th, 2010
7:42 pm
LOL. I’m glad to see that most folk can tell the difference between me and somebody who wants to pretend to be me. I’d say that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, but I know that flattery wasn’t the intention, LOL.
Oh well, moving right along, and I see that the fake me is now going by the name of “Two Cents”, as if we don’t all recognize who it really is. Hey what can you say, a troll can’t change his warts anymore than a tiger can his stripes, or a leopard his spots, though surely I am insulting both cats by putting them in the same sentence as monseiur troll.
Anyway, why do we keep saying “Yeah, we beat Memphis, but they didn’t have Gasol or Randolph.” Okay, I get that, but are they a different team from last year? Heck, they’re almost the exact same squad as they were last year. Hell, we aren’t much different from last year. So does anyone remember what happened last year? I do. We beat them at home, and we beat them in Memphis, both times by 13 or 14 points. And guess what? They had Gasol and Randolph both times. Yep.
Here’s the difference: This time, they didn’t have Gasol, and Z-bo got hurt. But on our side, Al played badly, and Zaza stepped up in his place. Meanwhile, Josh didn’t have a great game, saving his field goal percentage by making a couple of layups later in the game. Otherwise, he was jacking up jumpers early in the shot clock, shot an airball, and missed badly on a few passes. Both our low post guys played subpar (especially when compared to the damage they did to Memphis last year), and we still won. Fact is, we’re just plain better than those guys, and we’re better by double digit points every time, so long as 4 or 5 of our top 9 rotation players don’t stink it up.
Philly will be more of a test, as they have the athletes to keep up with us. But…they’re missing Dalembert.
CornDawg
October 28th, 2010
7:48 pm
I soooooooo want to believe! Was excellent to actually see some consistent ball movement as well as Team Defense. We may actually have a Coach who isn’t afraid to adjust when necessary and will make calls to win versus patronize the players. Great start Hawks!
Big Ray
October 28th, 2010
7:52 pm
O’brien ,
I can see that Josh Smith’s jump shot mechanics are different this year. His release is quicker and a little smoother. But, he has to make the shot. I think this can improve, but he’ll have to commit to shooting a thousand of those a day. I have always maintained that it is good for him to develop a midrange jumper. I still think it is.
As you say, however, his shot selection remains the issue (as in, WHEN to shoot that jumper). The guy is hard-headed. I don’t know what else to say, and I’ve been a fan of his for a long time. I hope this isn’t something that continues to hurt the team, but I certainly cannot guarantee that it won’t. In the meantime, I wish he would “D” everybody up, not just the guys he sees as threats.
It was embarrassing watching Darrell Arthur put up 19 points on us by shooting 8 for 12 from the field.
Whatever happened to the “#1 defensive power forward in the league?”
Just my “2 cents worth”…..
Big Ray
October 28th, 2010
7:55 pm
2 cents
October 28th, 2010
6:51 pm
Al Horford Rumors, Gossip & News | Yardbarker.com
Wow. For someone who hates Al Horford like he stole their girlfriend, dude sure knows how to find ANY sort of news about him. Went from hater to stalker. Al might wanna get a restraining order. For trolls.
Ken Strickland
October 28th, 2010
8:07 pm
Why is everyone making an issue of JSmith taking a few jumpers? He certainly didn’t make a secret that he was working on a midrange jumpshot during the off season. So why would anyone be surprised to see him do what he spent the off season working on? I don’t have a problem with him taking jumpshots, as long as there aren’t many 3’s included in his attempts. He has to do something to keep defenders honest, since he certainly doesn’t have the handle or the moves to be a dominant inside scorer.
Too many Hawk fans are nit picking and acting like we’ve had a tradition of winning and winning big. We have a new HC, a new OFF/DEF, and a new philosophy. We played our season opener on the road, scored 119pts and won big, yet some of you can’t help but take a negative approach by finding something, anything, to complain about. You B!TCH AND COMPLAIN about the Hawks not having the talent to be a title contender, yet at the same time you expect the team and everything about the team to be absolutely perfect the 1st gm of the season. WHERE’S THE LOGIC?
O'Brien
October 28th, 2010
8:16 pm
Ken,
Him going 2-7 from outside the paint does not keep defenders honest. They will continue to leave him open, just like they did last year, just like they did the year before that.
And I cant speak for others, but personally, I was thrilled with the game last night. But that doesnt mean we can’t discuss Josh and his jump shots.
I am looking forward to the Magic game tonight. And I am looking forward to the John Wall era. I wonder who will be ROY? Will it be Blake Griffin? John Wall? Or somebody else?
drmaryb (*_*)
October 28th, 2010
8:21 pm
TRO!
Blu-Ray
(Clear Image)
A Temporary Restraining Order?
Ha! That’s just a piece of paper! Wild horses couldn’t stop this out of con-troll troll! (LOL!)
How about a 10 minute conversation in a very dark alley, just to talk and you know, smooth some things out. Civilly? Yeah, that might work.
This dude is like a vapor, it seeps through concrete walls, ventilation ducts and cracks in the ceiling. No TRO can stop that, ask MC?
No, I say the dark alley would be a good start, you know a very nice conversation to build some character and understanding.
-smiles-
John Brown
October 28th, 2010
8:33 pm
Shellhead went for 8pts 16 reb last night. I know at least one of those has to be a career high.
John Brown
October 28th, 2010
8:34 pm
The worst part is last night J Smoove went 1-1 from the 3pt line. Oh no. Now he’s gonna shoot em all year.
northcyde
October 28th, 2010
9:40 pm
@ John Brown . . . Shelden had a few monster games while he was a Hawk. I remember a 20 point – 15 rebound game he had early during his rookie year. And I want to say that he had like an 18 rebound game toward the end of that same year.
*******
As for the Josh Smith jumpshot issue . . . lol.
I don’t know how many times that I’ve pointed this out over the years on various Hawk fan sites, but the truth is that not only is Josh a horrible outside shooter, HE’S ONE OF THE WORST IN THE LEAGUE, if not THE WORST amongst players who get regular NBA minutes.
But it’s the selection and frequency of these shots, that drive people mad. There is no excuse for Josh to be taking more jumpers, than shots in the paint.
NONE
And you don’t need another month of evaulation to see that.
His refusal to accept that he is one of the worst jumpshooters in the league, is the thing that is keeping him from unleashing the “Smash” type of player lurking inside him.
Instead, he wants to be “Smoove”, and make the easier smooth jumpshot, instead of catching the ball and slashing right to the hole, to “smash” it on someone’s head . . or draw a foul.
People complain about his jumpshooting, because they know that’s the one thing keeping him from being a sure fire all-star caliber player.
This is why I also say that the former coach should get a hell of a lot more credit for the offensive development of Smith, than he gets credit for ( lol .. he actually gets no credit. )
But it was the former coach who moved him to the 4 . . . and instructed him to work on his post game . . . and had him catch the ball around 15 feet, so that he could face-up his man and take him off the dribble.
Hopefully, the current coach can purge the urge of taking that shot more than the former coach tried to.
drmaryb (*_*)
October 28th, 2010
9:48 pm
Northcyde
Double Co-Sign that! I have no issues with Josh working on his jump-shot,
on his dime and his time. Like Blu-Ray said, put up 1K shots per day like MJ did, til midnight in the gym every night:
To the window
To the wall
Till the sweat drip of his balls (I.e. Basketballs)
Shoot ‘Em up! Bang! Bang! And when he adds that to his game, he will be unstoppable! Until then? Just Stop It!
drmaryb (*_*)
October 28th, 2010
9:54 pm
* til the sweat drip OFF his ……
Kezar Aos
October 28th, 2010
11:08 pm
Fake Ray said
Hell know
Hell Yes
Hell Know
Hell Yes
northcyde
October 28th, 2010
11:10 pm
Pretty good stuff by Etan Thomas on hoopshype.com
http://blogs.hoopshype.com/blogs/thomas/2010/10/28/my-25-questions-to-begin-the-season/
Grandad
October 28th, 2010
11:34 pm
About Josh:
1st thing;
the young man busted his tail.
For what he gives us, enjoy his talent, ability, and hustle.
Josh is a warrior. Yes he’s hard headed, as are most of us.
I’m weary from trying to explain that in a motion offense;
there is not necessarily a called play for Josh to shoot.
For example, when screening, the read calls for the cutter to
go to the basket, conversely the screener would then *ball cut.
*[fade, flair, pop, flash, I cut, show, ball screen, etc]
Right now Josh has “old habits”.
Psychologists will tell you:
one must *(practice perfectly)*[my phrase] 10 to 1
in order to overcome a bad habit.
Two facets Josh must practice perfectly:
(1) his shot / new stroke @ mid-range in rhythm
(2) LD’s [new] offense & LD’s expectations (not ours)
In the meantime I’m with Ken Strickland.
Enjoy!
Go Hawks…..&…..Go Dawgs !!!
Ken Strickland
October 28th, 2010
11:43 pm
OBRIEN-so he went 2-7. He’s certainly not the 1st Hawk player to go 2-7. I think we’re solid and prolific enough offensively to allow him to go 2-7. It’s not like Bibby going 2-7, because Smoove contributes in so many other ways. How many baskets do you suppose he prevented with his blocks? Let’s not get paranoid over things that won’t make or break the team.
This was just our season opener, and who knows, he might go 5 for 7 tomorrow night. When LDrew starts having a problem with it, then I’ll start having a problem with it.
sam'l
October 29th, 2010
4:23 am
“Athletically limited”.. Did MC really say that about Pachulia? Why on earth would we want an “athletically limited” player…….why not start with an “athletically gifted” player……which I’ve been hinting at for years….
So Teague can corral another team’s point guard on defense…….Gee, if Woody had known that, maybe all those speedy little guards from other clubs who had career nights wouldn’t have won those games……so instead of an additional 10 victories we could have had last year except for bad coaching…..make it 12.
I’m still cynical…watching Orlando destroy Washington…..but I’m still raising a tattered Hawks banner….
northcyde
October 29th, 2010
7:21 am
Ken still making excuses for Smith. Instead of calling the dude out, he chooses to coddle and protect his “right” to shoot.
How about taking a hard line on Josh’s jumpshots, like you do with Bibby’s defense?
The problem is that Josh took 7 jumpers, but 3 inside shots ( in which he made them all ). Why not 7 inside shots, and 3 jumpers?
The dude can’t shoot, and has never been able to shoot. So why be cool with him taking shots that he can’t consistently make? Everybody else gets called out for things that they do poorly, so I don’t see why people get defensive ( or are in denial ) about Josh’s shooting.
If he quit trying to be Rasheed Wallace, and play more like Shawn Kemp, Smith’s game will go to the next level.
It’s like people are afraid that if Drew comes down on him too hard about this issue, that it will affect the rest of his game. And if this is true, then Smith is nowhere worthy of being a team captain.
northcyde
October 29th, 2010
7:39 am
Melo talking about “it’s time for a change”.
Too late Melo.
Unless you’re saying that, and about to break out doing the “Cupid Shuffle” dance, just buckle down and focus on winning games for the Nuggets and stop commenting about your indirect desire to leave.
O'Brien
October 29th, 2010
7:45 am
Ken Strickland,
“It’s not like Bibby going 2-7, because Smoove contributes in so many other ways.”.
The guy shoots 30% for his CAREER from shots that distance and you’re okay with that, because he does other things well?
Ironically, that’s similar to what Woody said when they asked him about getting on Josh and his jump shots.
“How many baskets do you suppose he prevented with his blocks?”.
True. But the guy Josh was guarding for most of the 25 minutes when Josh was in the game was Darrell Arthur. Have you ever heard of Darrell Arthur?.
Arthur went 8-12 (75% from the field), for 19 points. So although Josh did a great job helping other Hawks players, the player he was guarding most of the night had a career high, in 31 minutes.
I’m a big fan of Josh, but as good as he is, he has the potential to be even better. But he gets in his own way sometimes…