Atlanta Hawks: Hawks 100, Cavaliers 88

Great win by the Hawks. Very encouraging to see them playing so well on the road so far. They really struggled away from Philips last year, so this definitely some good progress.

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good win, but I won’t get too high on it, last time i checked a couple of years back during the season after we made it back to the playoffs we were 7-0 or something like that, then we faced boston and lost by pierce’s last second shot and then went on a losing streak and we all the know the rest of that story, so hopefully it does not happen again this year when we face the magic, let’s be glad but not giddy now since we really have not done anything, I’ll wait until I see the orlando game (and that will also be on the road) before I give a correct prognosis on this team, GO HAWKS!!!

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I have actually seen the value of Teague on the defensive end this year but he has a long long way to go. He should have tried to finish with his left hand on that break. To think about it I don’t know if I have ever seen him finish with his left hand and that is another problem. He has to be able to make some type of shot consistently and he needs more time on floor without Jamal so he can get used to making quicker decisions in the offensive sets. Jamal does not seem gitty this year and we all can speculate why. Finally, we need another post up guy since it seems that Al and Josh are both ineffective in the post way too often. Al is probably gonna end up making his living off of a mid range jumper that is becoming deadly. Josh can’t do anything on the offensive end consistently and that has to change or LD’s offense is not going to hold up through a long year including the playoffs.

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I am very, very proud of the boys, for a team the Chris Webber said wouldn’t even make the playoffs this year. I think we are playing very well. The key so far is we are beating the teams that we are suppose to beat. The only thing we have to sure up is we have such big leads coming out the half that we come out very sluggish almost like we have won the game already…I know this may sound funny but I would pull the starting lineup after the first 2min of the 3rd quarter or even start the bench after half time because they always play with more energy then the starting unit, and they pressure the ball better because of Jeff Teague, one thing I can say about Teague, he may look lost at times but he plays D. He may be, naw I take that back he is the best on the ball defender we have and he gets better every game. Then after about 5min you can put the starters back in.

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if this team learns how to step up their defensive play they will be very dangerous. huge IF but one can hope.

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The best quote he ever made:

“Don’t get too high when you win or too low when you lose”

Rick Sund

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How ironic that the issue brought up by ole’ Mike C. would be addressed so quickly.

“The Bibby-Jamal-Joe alignment certainly can score with the best of them. But if L.D. sticks with that lineup to finish game, it’s another example of how he must get more from some players who haven’t proven they are suited to do what he’s asking.”

What a way to come through in the clutch Marv!

A common theme through these first four games is that LD will ride the hot hand and this offense is suited to find the hot hand, (every starter had a shot attempt within the first 6 or 7 possessions). Also, LD plays the winning hand. Im sure that the best five will be playing at the end of games to pull out the win!

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I was very eager to see how Marvin would preform in this game after laying in egg against Washington. For years, I have been harping about how under-utilized Marvin has been and I was afraid the trend would continue under new management; this was not the case.
From the get-go tonight Marvin was involved and aggressive and was rewarded for his effort with extended minutes when Jamal subbed for Bibby in the first quarter. Last year the sub-on-schedule style of Woodson would have killed all momentum the team had offensively but we scored 40 points!!!!!
Hearing Coach Drew immediately acknowledge Marvin’s involvement against Washington is a very positive sign for things to come in my opinion.
A few things I would like to see in the future is Marvin on the wing next to Joe when he goes isolation. A problem I’ve noticed is Smoove is on the wing next to Joe and defenses use his man to double Joe leaving him with the unresistible open jump shot. If instead Marvin were alligned next to Joe that would keep defenses more honest and Smoove where he is best-UNDER THE BASKET. This would also give Marvin more easy looks.
I also want to see the Hawks play more zone against teams. Were at our best in transition, plus we’re so athletic that I feel like we’re one of the few teams that could utilize this scheme-especially against the Heat.
Scoop

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Mel

November 3rd, 2010
12:35 am

one thing I can say about Teague, he may look lost at times but he plays D. He may be, naw I take that back he is the best on the ball defender we have and he gets better every game.

I was echoing this thought yesterday or the day before when the blog had all the JT0 “bust” talk going. I didn’t go as far as to call him the absolute best on-ball defender, but it’s a toss up between he and JJ. It’s up for debate.

But, being the best “on-ball defender” doesn’t have the same ring to it when you’re playing with the likes of Bibby and JC1 in the backcourt. Neither one of those guys can really play much defense. But, I like what JT0 brings on the defensive end. Say what you want about him not being the Hawks PG of the future. But, right now, with little to no offensive game, he’s still a valuable asset simply because he offers a skill set that very few others (if any) on the Hawks roster offer.

Solid defender.
Pass first penetrating PG.
Lightning quick to help speed up the tempo.

He may not have what it takes at this point to surpass Bibby on the depth chart, but he’s an asset nonetheless. Do you guys not remember all of the whining we heard last season about Bibby’s inability to stay in front of opposing PG’s? Bibby getting torched by every PG we play? Well, here’s your answer. Teague may not bring the same capabilities scoring wise – but he neutralizes that if he can contain other PG’s on the defensive end.

If he can ever get his offensive game on point, this kid *can be* scary.

The one thing I’ll say, I think Teague needs a little more burn with a different look in terms of the rotation. Typically, I’m seeing him out there with him and Jamal in the backcourt – with Powell and Zaza in the frontcourt. Jamal tends to dominate the ball more times than not when he’s out there with this group. I’d like to see him go a bit more with JJ and Jamal together like we saw for a good portion of this game in the 2nd half. There are more options for him and lanes open up for him seeing JJ and Jamal are pretty solid from beyond the arc. We’ll see what happens as the season moves forward.

4-0’s all that matters at this point.

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@Big Ray

I can understand your concern for J-Smooves on-ball D thus far, but to his defense and LD mentioned this, Hickson was hitting his jumpers. The same can be said for Arthur in the game against Memphis. I would argue that it is more a part of the defensive scheme for Smoove to protect the paint and live with the jump shot.

If you noticed Andray Blatche jump shot was off in the game against Washington, so he obviously was less successful vs Smoove.

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The Hawks are 4-0 but us so called fans will ALWAYS find fault in us…3 of those 4 games are on the ROAD..Northcyde, ON THE ROAD!! Weren’t u the one who constantly harped on the Hawks for losing on the road?? And there are the fans that cry about the Hawks having a 4-0 record against the “sorry’ teams, well would u rather us be 0-4 against these ’sorry’ teams??? Then you have the fans who cry about us losing a huge league EVEN THOUGH WE STILL WON THE GAME. If I’m not mistaken, didnt Boson, in the opening night, lose a very nice 20+ lead to the lowly Heat, and they were lowly that night. Boston had LeBron and friends looking amess out there but nevr-the-less, Miami made a run, LIKE MOST TEAMS DO, but fortunately for Boston,(a veteran team) knew how to keep their composure and get a win out of it…well, we do the SAME IDENTICAL THING,

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northcyde,

CLE’s turnovers were generated by our defense.

It was not stellar but it generated extra possessions.

The only guy which was not contained at all was Hickson, who i believe will have a breakout year.

More: the cavs biggest mistake last year was to get jamison and sacrifice the hickson-varejao quick and young combo in favour of Shaq-Jamison old legs and no D.

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Where are all the LD haters? Just curious.

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Sorry I forgot to mention the Wiz as well……….

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Big Ray, 6 of Josh 11 shots were around the basket. And he was 2 for 4 on his mid range jumpers (that’s 50%). The one three that he attempted was at the end of the shot clock with 55 seconds left in the game, and the game had already been won. So Smoove’s jumper wasn’t that terrible tonight. It was the shots that he missed around the basket that hurt his average. And also Smoove had four assists to go with ZERO turnovers.

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Also Big Ray, in games where majority of the game is a double digit lead, someone on the other team is going to rack up a lot of points. If the other team is scoring off of their power forward (not named Dirk) hitting seven jumpers, then that is just a shot as a defense that you have to concede, especially when six of those jumpers were made in the first half when the team was up by more than 10-14 points.

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Our average margin of victory is only 8.5 points, despite the fact that the teams we’ve played are not very good.

However, we are still learning, and we’re 4-0 (3-0) on the road. Good job Hawks, good game Marvin.

Lets beat the Pistons tonight.

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Well as far as Josh if he had 5 blocks he probably altered 7 shots and made 3 change their mind about shooting at all. Look to say Josh’s defensive assignment had career highs against him is not fair because believe me those 5 blocks were not his man. Come on folks give the guy a break he makes steals at the top of key block shots in the paint the dude is not super man!! Why couldnt you say “we need to play better team defense” when Josh leaves his man to go help some one should rotate over and cover where Josh left! We are 4-0 enough said one game at a time for me.

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Not too worried about the lapses and the margin of victory. Fact of the matter is these Hawks have begun to find a way to correct the lapses and shut the door on inferior teams. A skill set Woodson couldn’t establish. A very good sign of development as a team.

Marvin said it best when he said he has to be aggressive. LD proved that he’s coaching by sitting him down and talking to the kid. Marvin came out strong and had a great game. When he offers that to us it gives us that missing piece. When he shows up the weakest link becomes our biggest assett. I’ll get bashed, but I hope the kid sees what plugging in can do for this team. He’s vital to our success.

Jamal did look a bit miffed in the 4th, but he’s got to realize we know what he’s going to provide. We know what he can do. We’ve got to inspire Marvin. It isn’t about who finishes in the 4th, it’s about winning. We need Marvin to do that. Props to LD for inspiring and utilizing Marvin tonight. Most likely we’ll need JC1’s firepower tonight.

Great job Hawks. You made Chris Webber apologize. Keep improving, not to prove everyone wrong, but to demonstrate the immense talent we have on this squad.

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Big Ray, first off on Smoove defense on Hickson…Dude scored the majority of his point from jump shots. I can live with Hickson hoisting up jump shots…cause he can also take you off the dribble…and finish strong at the rack. Over all thought Josh had a good game…take away the ill-advised jump shots, and Josh would have had a great game.

On the third quarter melt downs…LD is going with a deeper rotation…the reserves are getting an opportunity to play meaningful minutes. As the season rolls on this will pay dividend for LD.

It might be just me…but the Hawks just look like a difference team under LD. They actually look like they have a clue now. The adjustment to go with Marvin down stretch last night…is just one example.

GO HAWKS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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O’Brien, as long as the Hawks have Bibby or JC1 on the court we will never really see Josh play straight up one on one defense (except for when opposition is posting up). If you remember years back, Ben Wallace used to always be the best help defender in the league. And as a result of this who ever he was guarding would often times end up with great point totals, but collectively their team would rarely score enough points to win the game. If Josh takes those extra two steps out to contest the jumper (of a PF), then that opens up the lane for back door cuts, lobs, and slashing down the middle without him having an opportunity to get back. Remember beside Smoove there is no other player on the Hawks who will consistently turn you away from the rim. Because if a team has to live off of their big guys knocking down jumpers to try and outscore you, then you’re going to win more times than not.

Now all of what I said goes the opposite against a team like Orlando (and Dallas) because Lewis and Dirk are both such great shooters that you can’t give them the shot all day. But majority of the teams in the league will have problems with Smoove playing like that.

Also by playing that style (which I have to believe is designed by LD), Smoove haven’t had much foul trouble this season. And that is huge.

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@ JG, important fact that you mentioned with it being Cleveland. Even without Lebron, the Cavs are not used to anything other than winning at home. You don’t win that many games (with pretty much the same roster intact) and forget how you won those games. Lebron was great, but Cleveland’s team defense used to be great. So they still play with a pride when at home.

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I didn’t see a “motion offense” last night. I saw the typical NBA 4 guys standing around watching one guy with the ball.

I also saw Teague shoot ANOTHER air ball…….this time from 15 ft.

And I listened to Gawd Awful Dominique Wilkins give us his “insights” into the game. He’s pathetic.

I also watched Georgia elect one of the most corrupt members of congress to Governor of Ga. Also pathetic.

Wake up…….

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“but really I thought Atlanta’s problems putting Cleveland away were due to lax halfcourt D in the first half”

We were up double figures at halftime.

And Jeff Teague offensively is garbage. Can’t even come close to hitting a jumpshot (MC is spot on with this one).

Good defender though. Too bad starting PGs need to be more than just good defenders to make it in this league.

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What was good is the Hawks finally beat Cleveland in Cleveland. If you remember the shot clock debacle last year, it made you wonder if there was something out of their control going on that kept them from keeping a lead…..sure enough, it was happening again. But Cleveland has only Hickson to depend on down the stretch, so the win was there for the taking.
Good comeback by Marvin, LD with his comments, and Smoove knowing he doesn’t always do some things well. Lots of growth still there to take shape, and keep JC1 involved. You like to see him being upset with coming out.

Nothing wrong with 4-0….one at a time. I would expect the bench to play a bigger role tonight. Is it time to blow up the Pistons at 0-4?

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OB,
What is there to talk about. Nice start but I think most of us expected this against the caliber of teams weve played. Good start but nothing to write home about. After all, the “regular season” means nothing anyways right. Looks like Teague will settle in on his basic 10-15 minutes a game. He’s just not good enough to take any meaningfull minutes away from Bibby.
Bibby=MVP
LD=COY

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KevinM,

Between bringing in the wrong coaches, trading Chauncey for Iverson, paying what he did for Villanueva and Gordon, and the team struggling like they have, isnt it time for Joe Dumars to be on the hot seat?

As for Teague, he needs to make a couple jump shots to keep defenders honest, so hopefully he will start knocking them down shortly.

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A few nits (but 4-0 is very,very good):
1.Another 40+ minutes for Joe, That cannot continue $124 million or not
2.ASA is still not a consistent post defender/ offensive rebounder
3.Still some work needed on stopping dribble penetration by opposing guards.

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OK, it’s true that teams are bound to get a little better handle on the Hawks new offense when they get a chance to see it on film a little more. Still, on most nights – even when the guys don’t put it in the hole at 70% a clip in a quarter – I don’t think anyone is going to be able to entirely shut the motion-O down for an extended period of time when the Hawks unselfishly pass the ball.

Even if the Hawks missed every open look (which they won’t) it’s so very nice not to see 4 players standing on one side of the floor while J.J. forces up shots in the Iso-Joe. Like a faithful dog who had seen his better days and was painfully struggling, it was long overdue to put the Iso-Joe to sleep and out of the Hawks misery.

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Great to be 4-0, and the Hawks are off to a good start.

I would like to see them improve their defensive intensity. The biggest problem is they are not aggressive on defense.

I could understand, LeBron Kobe or Dwade dropping 40 on you, but JJ Hickson C’mon son.

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Everyone should realize the length of an NBA season and the peaks and valley even a good team will ride. Fans and Hawk fans are generally overly critical of players, management, coaches schemes etc. Take a deep breath and watch the season unfold and quit pushing the panic button after a loss or annointing the team champs after a win. It’s good to see the Marvin haters aren’t hating so much today.

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@TIDOG Well here comes Marvins number one hater! LOl I will congratulate him on last nights performance but that wasnt Marvins career high! He has had games like this. The problem i have with him is HE HAS NO HEART!!
Look at Josh and Joe they had horrible shooting nights last night. But they still played with effort man. Josh never gets down on himself. He will do other things steal, block shots, hustle, complain to the refs, keep shooting, foul somebody. LOL Josh will not lay down he could care less man.
If Marvin come out and go 0-3 or 1-4 he will dwindle on away and skip to the end of the bench pouting with a long face.
Do you think Josh has made it this far for his offensive prowess!!!! Heck know Josh is a beast and he aint scared of no one including Woody we all saw that. So my point with Marvin man make yourself useful make it hard for them to take you out the game. I am 6′ 5″ and couldnt shoot a lick(hands were too small) but defense and rebounding was my thing I would make it my business to guard guys 6′ 8′ or 6′ 9″ with reckless abandon.

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@yessir this must be your 1st year watching the hawks or you bumped your head and forgot the last 6 years of them playing like that old school football board with the men with the green base. You turn it on and it start vibrating and they start going in circles Lmaooo Thats how they played under woody. Who remembers that game??

If you are not at least 35 you probably wont find that funny.

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My 2 cents…………………..

Marvin had a great game -BUT- We’ve seen this before, he has a big game and then disappears for the next 3. When Marvin comes to play and doesnt defer to JJ,Bibby and JC1 we are a tuff team to beat.
Josh Powell- He has suprised me so far,he is a really nice pick up. Big upgrade for the bench -Joe Smith was horrible IMO

What a waste of time talkiing about Teague replacing the aging Bibby. Bibby will be our starter next season as well. You just cant replace shooting and leadership. Teague plays good Defense but its not enough. This man cant hit a jumper or finish at the rim to save his life.I hope he comes around he reminds me of a young Tony parker.

It may be time to trade jC1 before he becomes a locker room cancer-he just doesnt seem to be the same player as last year and we all know why. I know he was pissed when they gave Al that extension. Oh well suck it up and be a team player or git gone -A grown men pouting is so g_y

Were 4-0 but this means nothing until we beat Orlando,Boston ,Miami, or any other top teir teams. I think we have the talent to run with Miami and Boston but Orlando= Bad Things man,Bad things

Also I know JC2 is a rook but get the guy a few minutes here and there -how is he suppose to improve when he doesnt play,,,,,,, see jeff teague

Feels good to have a coach that has a clue…..long gone are the days of

1.We just werent ready to play tonight
2.We just didnt show up
3.Ive got to get those guys more involved

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Teague has no touch around the rim. His floaters are line drives.

Fundamentals, u notice that?

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I hear the arguments about Smoove missing shots around the basket. There’s a reason for it. The guy just won’t go and establish himself in the paint. He started off from the perimeter, and then when he went inside, he couldn’t get anything to go.

I have always thought that he needed to have a credible midrange jumper, as well. But here’s my question. Are we going to win with him playing the way he did against Cleveland…when we face the playoff caliber teams? We swept Boston in the regular season because Smoove was tough to deal with inside (so was Al). We beat Orlando in that last second thriller by what….a Smoove jumper, or a Smoove dunk? I’m just sayin’….

As for other forwards scoring on him by shooting from the outside, look at the top teams we face in the East. All have that type of forward. Boston – KG. Orlando – Rashard Lewis. Miami – Chris Bosh. Think they won’t try and exploit that? To be fair, Smoove gives Bosh the fits, but if he lays off of him enough when Bosh is hot from the outside, dude will burn him up.

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Teague DOES have to hit that floater….or something . He can’t settle for being the next Royal Ivey (defensive pg who plays 10-15 mpg).

At the same time, a coach has to commit to developing a young pg. Especially when he’s not a high draft pick. Some guys have it early on, others don’t. Teague has to take his lumps this year, though we’re all hoping he gets a lot better, a lot quicker.

He has the passing thing down, and he actually drives and handles well (low turnover guy), making some slick passes here and there. The shooting, the attacking…ehhh…has to get better than that. It’s good though, if he plays enough minutes to keep Bibby fresh, and keep the offense from being solely in the hands of Jamal.

I would like to see him more in the backcourt with Mo Evans. Jamal dominates the ball and has mostly one thing on his mind….but that IS what we pay him for.

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My intuition has always been that Teague is closer to Lou Williams than he is to a Rondo. If he were able to focus on scoring as opposed to running the offense, he would probably be more productive at this stage of his very young career. George Hill also comes to mind… the Spurs never asked him to play PG, they simply allowed him to be a guard, which suits his skills. Teague may eventually become more of a PG than I forecast, but I doubt it. And honestly, the problem is less about Teague and more about the fact that with Jamal and maybe even JC2 on board, Teague may never have a chance to be that Lou Williams type of guard. It all feels like they’re trying to fit a square peg in a round hole.

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Big Ray, I get what you’re saying about the east’s forwards. But with Boston, its all about weathering the storm. You already know KG isn’t going to play heavy minutes. And you also know KG is TOO unselfish (this used to be the biggest thing that hurt his game- he was always one of my favorites) to sit there and repeatedly keep shooting. The problem is, the PF taking that uncontested jumper, is still a lower percentage shot than the other team’s PG driving an uncontested lane. So its really a pick your poison.

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If Teague picks up his defense, he’ll easily average 9-11 ppg this season, because the turnovers he creates will lead to easy fast break buckets for him.

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I wrote a long post yesterday morning that the blog monster gobbled up. It was my observations on Marvin and why I am quickly warming to the idea of Marvin being a part of ‘the sacred core’. I don’t have the time or interest to try to regurgitate everything I typed yesterday, but I want to put forward my points in broad outline.

First, Marvin has shown flashes of heart that I have been looking for. His dunk on Bosh and his fight for an offensive rebound with three Charlotte defenders.

Second, a solid game in the opening game of the season – 5 for 6 shooting, 7 rebounds, 1 block. Good defensive effort.

Third, a terrific defensive game against Philadelphia – The Sixers starting SF did not score any points whatsoever. It was a hard fought game with a lot of energy expended.

Fourth, Marvin, along with all the Hawks, had tired legs because of the back to back games. They simply did what they had to do to win and no more. It was their 3rd game in 4 nights. Marvin only played 21 minutes against Thornton’s 42 minutes. The Wizard’s had only played one game previously and had a couple of days rest. The Hawks won so Marvin gets somewhat of a pass in my mind.

Of course Marvin has not made any of us forget the past, but I believe he is trending in the right direction. Last night’s game was not a fluke, but part of the upward trend.

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The Hawks are 10th in defense and 9th in rebounds. These stats are encouraging.

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Funda

Teague suppose to be a pro. Handling pressure come with the territory. We got to quit blaming people for his offensive game. This not 8 year old Rec Ball. we taliking about, this is tne .NBA

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““but really I thought Atlanta’s problems putting Cleveland away were due to lax halfcourt D in the first half”

We were up double figures at halftime.”

Yeah, but Cleveland was shooting over 50% for the entire first half. The main reason the Hawks were up by so much is because they were shooting even better and they were forcing turnovers. When Cleveland took care of the ball in the first half, they generally scored easily.

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I agree with “I must”, it is so nice to hear LD, he seems to know what is actually going on. Woody’s lame one liners were only used to coverup his lack of coaching.

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Over/Under reported attendance for tonites game 10,000. I say the under

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Truth, I have really enjoyed your thought-provoking posts these last several days. I agree with bend-don’t-break character of this team.

On an encouraging (on the other hand, discouraging) note, the Hawks seem to play to the level of their opponent. They beat several ‘elite’ teams consistently last year, but lost to several poor teams (knicks, bobcats). It seems if they ‘bend’ to the level of the competition, but last year they also ‘broke’.

Playing to the level of the competition is a character issue. It seems as if their character level has gone up some since they are running up double-digit leads against poorer teams, but there is room for growth since they have also lost those big leads. At least they are able this year to pull out the win.

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@YESSIR So you dont see the difference between Woody and LD. I mean LD has a offensive plan, he is playing on average 10 guys, he dumped the switching defense. I mean I am not saying this team will win 54 games and make it to the finals. Also I am not saying that there wasn’t a better candidate for the Hawks job. And I will be the first to say we are not yet a contender.
But what Iam saying is LD and Josh is not the reason why! I mean my motto is start with the weakest link first. And to me its Marvin Williams, until he can play like he did last night every night or we ship him out we will be a 50 win team and out in maybe the 1st or 2nd round.

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He is playing 10 guys right now against the weaker competion. Wait to things get tough and see what happens. Marvin is weak and for whateva reason he cant play like that night in and night out. Jeff Teague offense sucks period.

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JT just looks like he is afraid to make a mistake, take
a deep breath and play your game TEAGUE woody is not the
coach anymore, you can make mistakes Rondo made a ton
of mistakes and won a title to boot his first year
RELAX…. and to the ATL FANS: 4-0 great start
COME ON MAN…….

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Marvin had a good game last night but his problem has always been his consistency. He is known to have a game like last night then follow that up with 3 or 4 bad games. If he can consistently score 14 a game pull down 7 boards and play good defense then I think we all will be happy with him. Consistency is the key……..Teague was a scorer in college who wasn’t known for his defense. Now he seems to be becoming a good defender but cant score. I think he should just attack the rim at will until he perfects that floater because that jumper just isn’t there yet…I think he will eventually get it but its going to take time.

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@THE TRUTH- About the convo me and YESSIR have been having about LD’s impact. I agree I mean you can tell the difference with this team especially on the offensive end. And YESSIR your right when teams adjust and when we have fatigue, and better competition, injury all of that will factor in but for now I have to say lets wait and see how LD adjust.
YESSIR you would have a point if we were 2-2 and only averaging 90 pts but we are scoring good so i am cool.

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@dukester, we will wait and see. Its early. Like I said before anything less than last yr mark is a failure because we were improving 6 yrs in a row.

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dukester
Yes, though still early, LD impact is quite obvious on offense. It is the point distribution and the ability to closeout games that is the standout.

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If we trade Smoove, I assume it’s for expirings.

I’d strongly consider Smoove for Dalembert + Udrih (massively underrated) or K.Love + Ridnour.

These 2 PGs are severely underrated and Dalembert/Love is that center you need to shift Horf over. Plus, Dalembert is long + athletic

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All “yessir” has to do now is mention the Hawks needing a center and we’ll ALL know for certain. He’s already hating on Teague and LD.

Actually some of us DO know.

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@MsDee, excellent point about Smoove vs. Teague comparison:

“If Teague could just have an attitude where he can just be aggressive AT ALL TIMES, not caring about mistakes like Josh Smith had when he was a rookie/2nd year player, Teague will more than less see more improvement in his game and see more min on the floor too.”

I think difference is personality type. Smoove comes across as outgoing and not bashful. Criticism is not taken inwardly. He probably is much more comfortable pushing back.

Teague seems more introverted and shy. I think the last year under the old regime has an impact bigger than any one can imagine on a psyche of a young man. I am sure Drew will heal the wounds that exist. By the end of the year, I am hopeful, we see a more productive and aggressive player, similar to one that Sund drafted. Sure he will have to exercise judgment on how to attack, and his shot may still not look pretty, but he will show improvement.

It is very difficult at that young an age, to take criticism in such an open manner from your mentor and coach. Drew seems like the type that will provide support and push Teague at same time, while he gains confidence that was taken from him last year.

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@Oldtimer I agree with you and MSDEE. But you guys failed to mention MARVIN WILLIAMS he has the talent as shown last night but he has no heart!! Josh is really not a pure basketball player do you folks know he was a QB on his football team. He switched to basketball because he kept growing. LOL (a 6′ 9″ QB) He is a athelete with a lot of fight and heart. Joe, Marvin those guys are pure basketball players. Its a reason Josh struggle with basic fundamentals of shooting he played all sports growing up and never mastered any of them. But he is so atheletic is scary.

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Jamal VS Marvin at the end of the game???

Depends on the situation and who you’re playing. Jamal is an excellent big shot maker and closer. But if the other team has scorers on the floor that have it going also, do you leave Jamal with his questionable defense to trade shot for shot with the other team??

Or do you put Marvin in who is not as big an offensive contributor, but can allow Joe to move to SG and both can get stops on the end that really matters.

I like this move by LD. If the other team isn’t producing offensively, then leave Jamal in. But if they are, don’t risk losing a shootout w/ Jamal VS whoevertheirhotplayeris.

Somebody should’ve yelled “DEFENSE WINS GAMES!” as Jamal sulked his way to the bench.

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dukester,

J-Smoove’s jack-of-all-trades status serves him well in his role as a habitual stat-stuffer with the Hawks.

He is a great timing guy also. The passes, the steals, the blocks, the rebounds, it’s all timing.

And honestly, if a guy like Smoove could shoot lights out, we probably wouldn’t be able to afford Smoove, Al, and JJ for real.

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@I am soulstar

I don’t think the hawks have lost a game in the last 3 years when Marvin has scored 20pts.

What is your preference?

Hawks win 65 games and our the #1 seed with the Magic #5 seed or Heat #1 seed and the Hawks #5 seed..

I will take the 1st option.

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I think it was Lakers, Portland, Sacramento, and Charlotte I believe (probably not in that order). Came back 2-2 with L’s to the Lakers and Charlotte.

(I think we got blown out in Charlotte, and squandered a 19 point 1st quarter from JJ in L.A.)

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I don’t know why Jamal would get upset by being replaced by Marvin down the stretch. After all, when LDrew wants more DEF, does he actually expect him to keep his NO D behind in the gm? LDrew is not only coaching the team, he’s coaching individual players as well, which is something that didn’t happen over the last 6yrs. He’s working to instill, not destroy confidence and trust.

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Rufus1,

I’m gonna reserve judgment until I catch this Hawks-Magic game next week. Interested to see if LD can get the guys to give a decent effort against the Magic, and on an away, last game of a back-to-back no less. Should be interesting (or depressing).

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Where’s Rod from college Park? Hadn’t heard from him in a while. Could it be because Marvin has played well in 3 of the 1st 4 games? Holla at us Rod. You kill him when he struggles, gotta give him some props when he actually looks like he supposed to be out there. lol! Come on Rod. It wont kill ya.

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“I’d strongly consider Smoove for Dalembert + Udrih (massively underrated) or K.Love + Ridnour.

These 2 PGs are severely underrated and Dalembert/Love is that center you need to shift Horf over. Plus, Dalembert is long + athletic”

Love is no more of a center than Horford — he is the same height and weight as Horford and is a defensive matador — and Dalembert’s basketball IQ is lower than Smoove’s free throw percentage.

Don’t know what you see in Udrih for that matter… he’s a nice complementary player, but has nowhere near Smoove’s impact on a game.

Anything less than Melo is not worth it for Smoove.

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“i_am_soulstar
November 3rd, 2010
4:12 pm

Although it definitely works better with an aggressive Marvin. I don’t know if I’ve seen the Hawks lose many games when Marvin gets 20.”

Here ya go soul……..
-When Marvin scores 20+, the Hawks are 24-24 for his career. (including last night)
-When Marvin scores 25+, the Hawks are 8-3 for his career.

Marvin had 17 20+ point games in 07-08 (his best), 10 in 08-09 (contract year).
He has ONE 20+ pt game in the playoffs (Game 5 vs. Milwaukee-loss).

So, its not the Hawks will go as far as Marvin will take us……

This does tell you how up and down his career has been with us. I know its about number of touches and how involved he is in the offense, but consistency is not part of Marvin’s resume.
We do need him more for defense than we do for offense.

Looks like he and JC1 will be fighting for 4th quarter minutes going forward.

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Kevin M, Marvin didnt have Joe, Jamal, Bibby, Horford, or LD for his entire career, so those numbers dont mean a thing. If Marvin avg’s 20 on this team, we’ll be hard to beat. Hell, he coulda avg 50 from 2005-2008 and it wouldn’t of mattered. That’s how bad the Hawks were.

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No Jamal Crawford tonight. Probably means more playing time for Marvin… maybe also more playing time for Jordan?

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Awww Yeah!

I hope JC2 gets in the game tonight and Rocks the Bells!!!!

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Najeh;
Thanks for the info on Jamal.
A person is certainly not going to find any information
by looking on the Hawks page in our esteemed paper.
Whoops, there I go sounding critical of MC/AJC again.
The criticism will surely reign. [malaprop-ism intended]

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Hope JC2 is ready! This is his chance with the bright lights on!

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Oh and BTW, I’m going to go ahead and predict that if JC2 has a standout game tonight scoring anywhere between 15-20 pts, there will be a fury of trade speculations and ideas regarding JC1. Hope ESPN got their trade machine ready…it will most definitely be in use tonight. Lol!!!!!!

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http://bleacherreport.com/articles/508832-a-dark-horse-looms-in-the-carmelo-anthony-trade-sweepstakes

“Of all the teams rumored to be in the hunt for superstar small forward Carmelo Anthony there is a dark horse team lurking, and if the Atlanta Hawks decide they are serious about competing with the Miami Heat they have the assets to get it done”

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