Atlanta Hawks: Hawks 111, Timberwolves 105
Hawks managed to hold off T-Wolves. (Curtis Compton/ ccompton@ajc.com)
– It wasn’t as seamless as it should have been, but considering the consequences had they blown this one the Hawks took the W and moved on.
– “This one was a must-win,” Al said. “I thought the same thing about the game on Friday. But this was one we had to have. I was encouraged with the way our guys came out and competed.”
– They did compete, which is not a given, and ended the losing streak at four. Playing smart was another matter.
– Smoove’s putback gave the Hawks a 97-83 lead with 5:53 to go. Less than two minutes later it was 97-92 and Atlanta had to scramble to win a game it had in hand.
– Not surprisingly, Josh was in the middle of lots of good plays and a few bad ones.
– Josh took 20 shots and made 10. He countered any critique of his shot selection by pointing out the 10 makes. “We all have our roles, but when I’m open, I have the green light to shoot,” he said.
– That’s not exactly how L.D. has explained it. True, he has gone out of his way to say Josh has worked on his shot, but he doesn’t like it when Smoove settles for long jumpers in certain situations, such as . . .
– The Hawks leading the T-Wolves 97-89 and Josh threw up a 20-foot airball that Kevin Love rebounded, leading to Corey Brewer’s 3 eight seconds later. That was after Love stole the ball from Josh on Atlanta’s previous possession.
– “We had chances to put them away but we turned the ball over,” Al said.
– Of course, J.J. didn’t help matters on the Smoove airball by dribbling out most of the shot clock before passing off to Josh.
– “We had ample opportunity to create separation but we made some bad plays and bad decisions,” L. D. said.
– At one point in the first half L.D. corrected Teague on four straight possessions. Teague seemed to be getting tired of hearing it and Lester Conner consoled him.
– Teague ended up providing a spark early in the fourth quarter with a block that led to Jamal’s layup on the break and drawing contact from Beasley and making both free throws.
– Bibby’s shot has been a bit shaky the last couple games and it looked like L.D. would leave him on the bench for the fourth quarter. But after Brewer made that 3, Bibby was back in. He missed an open jumper and one of two free throws down the stretch.
– But the Hawks made 34 of 39 free throws, including 8 of 10 in the final minute and change to avoid an awful collapse. “Well certainly take the win,” L.D. said.
– Mo looked pretty good again. He was part of the bench group that gave the Hawks a jolt in the first half and when L.D. needed someone to help guard the perimeter in the final minute, out went Jamal and in came Mo (who was so surprised he didn’t respond at first).
– “Mo gave us a huge lift,” L.D. said. “I’m glad to get him back. You know what you are going to get from him. He has that blue-collar mentality. I need more guys like that. It’s not always pretty but you know you will get the effort.”
– Atlanta’s backup bigs were just sort of out there. Four rebounds, one blocked shot, 1 of 7 shooting in 24 minutes combined for Zaza and Josh Powell.
– J.J. missed practice yesterday because he was ill. He started the game and was steady and efficient.
– Al got stitches to the back of his head but returned to the game. Facing a physical frontline, he used his quickness to get 10 rebounds and earn 10 free-throw attempts. After missing two big ones against Utah, he made them all.
– The T-Wolves lost steam when Beasley went out with two early fouls. Love collected 17 rebounds but his teammates got just 22 combined.
– Atlanta rebounded 25 of Minnesota’s 41 misses (not including team rebounds). “The Hawks sent more guys at me tonight,” Love said. “I got my shot blocked a couple times. They’re an extremely athletic team at every position. They really clamped down and made it a point on both the offensive and defensive glass to get in there and get them.”
– After playing 11 games over the first 18 days of the season, including three sets of back-to-back games, the Hawks will play just two games over the next seven days. L.D. plans to give them a day or two off and pull back on some of the physical work when they do practice.
– “I’m not one to make excuses about our team and the way we perform,” he said. “But a part of me has felt, especially after that Milwaukee game [Wednesday], I thought the season kind of caught up with us at that time with our schedule. That’s no excuse. We have to come out and we have to play because other teams go through it too.”
– “We might be a little run down,” Al said. “It’s early in the season but we got off to a fast start [with the schedule] so it will be a nice break.”
– I’m out, Hawks fans.
MC
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200 comments Add your comment
JeJe
November 15th, 2010
9:31 am
THIS TEAM IS NOT BUILT TO COMPETE
IT HAS NOT BLOWN OUT ONE TEAM YET THIS SEASON. EVERY GAME COMES DOWN TO THE LAST FEW MINUTES BECAUSE OF THE COMPLACENY AND PAUCITY OF DEFENSE
FIRE SUND
Geemack
November 15th, 2010
9:36 am
Vava74
I don’t think people are wrong with their assessment of the Hawks.
The effort we are seeing night in and night out, is the same effort that got us sweep by Orlando and Cleveland.
It’s that same effort that allowed us to go 7 games in the first rd with the Bucks and Heat, 2 years in a row. These are teams that were clearly undermanned.
As fan we want to see the team improve over the last 3 years, but that has not happened.
The Hawks still don’t defend, hustle, grab rebounds, and execute the offense with any consistency.
MC said before Woody and L.D. preached great principles in practice, but the game execution is not consistent.
JeJe
November 15th, 2010
9:40 am
BOX OUT THE OPPOSING PLAYER
DAMNIT
FIRE SUND
FIRE DREW
FIRE ASG
FIRE WOODY
O'Brien
November 15th, 2010
10:00 am
vava,
I’m not concerned about the fact that we are 7-4. What I dont like, is the way we have played.
But like you said, the season is still young. Miami is 6-4, OKC is 5-5, and Orlando is 6-3.
I think what the Hawks need is a player who enjoys playing defense. We dont have one. Josh is the closest one, but his thing is getting blocks, not necessarily playing great man defense.
Most of our players are all about offense, and with Jamal and Bibby, we will always have a problem.
I think Jamal should have been traded this past offseason, but I can understand Rick wanting to evaluate them for half a season.
However, at the trade deadline, we will have Jamal and Mo’s expiring contract, plus the $3.6 TPE we got from the Chills deal. If Rick is serious about us getting to the ECF at least, then I think he has to make a move.
J from the A
November 15th, 2010
10:06 am
This Hawks team is not built to compete? Compete with whom and for what?
Do you mean this Hawks team is not built to compete with 90% of the teams in the league?
That cannot be the case because the Hawks can compete with everyone in the league (and compete evenly or better against at least 80% of the teams).
Oh, you must mean this Hawks team is not built to compete for an NBA championship. Perhaps, you are right. It seems like they are close to being able to compete at this level but just can’t quite get there.
But instead of constantly complaining that the Hawks “cannot compete,” why can’t Hawk “fans” appreciate that the Hawks are an exciting team that will better (not just compete with!) 80% of the teams in the league?
I understand that some are of the mind that we shouldn’t settle for anything less than a championship-caliber team, but can’t we at least appreciate the very good team that we have?
I guess not. Either the Hawks compete for an NBA championship or they suck. There is no happy place in between with the NBA’s worst fans. smh
These Hawks are really good and deserve our praise. (Yes, they also deserve a bit of chiding, as even the great have room to improve, but they deserve much more praise than hate.)
GO HAWKS!
JM
November 15th, 2010
10:22 am
7-4 after the first 11 games and people are jumping off the wagon. Let’s be real people – with this ownership group the roster is most likely set. No need to fantasize about some other teams great player, who has actually one anything yet. LD needs to work on the defensive end, that’s where the team is weak.
Go Hawks!
JM
November 15th, 2010
10:24 am
* not won
Jim
November 15th, 2010
10:50 am
The Hawks as currently constructed are a good team that will never be an elite team. You either need 1 or 2 superstars plus a couple of good players or 4-5 really good players (like the Pistons of years past), JJ is NOT a superstar and the point guard position is not adequate at this point. Add to this Marvin Williams playing like he is asleep half the time and I just don”t see Hawks going any farther this year. However, since Atl. was dumb enough to give JJ max money they don’t have a lot of options. Therefore, stick with what you have and play Teague enough to find out if he can run the team. Maybe they can trade Crawford down the road for an asset of some sort. Horford was a good move.
i_am_soulstar
November 15th, 2010
11:03 am
Jeff Teague for Jason Thompson??? I wouldn’t either.
http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/rumors/post/Hawks-say-no-to-Kings-Thompson?urn=nba-285602
superiorblogman
November 15th, 2010
11:18 am
Anyone that thinks Jeff the bust Teague is a more valuable NBA piece than Jason Thompson is a fool.
Geemack
November 15th, 2010
11:33 am
J from the A
I don’t think Atlanta have the worst fans ,because they expect their team to get better.
How exciting is to watch your team lose by 40 point at home to the Magic?
Oh I guess great fans would have cheered regardless of the efforts of the team?
The fans of the Hawks are not disappointed in the Hawks being a good team. We are disappointed because they don’t show any consistent effort.
When Boston came to town in 08, and we knew we had no chance of winning that series.
The fans cheered like crazy because, when the Hawks left the floor, you knew they gave
everything they had, but got beat by the better team.
I can’t say that Cleveland or Orlando was the better team the last 2 seasons in the playoffs, because the Hawks didn’t compete enough to come to that conclusion.
We’re not asking for a championship tomorrow, but we are asking the Hawks to give an all out effort every night, and get to the Eastern Conference Finals.
That’s further than they’ve ever been.
dap01
November 15th, 2010
11:37 am
Pape should not be mentioned as a 3 string anything. He was 3 string on a french team.
i_am_soulstar
November 15th, 2010
11:43 am
superiorblogman,
So let’s see. That’s me, the Kings GM, and the Hawks GM. We’re all fools.
I’m sure Jason Thompson is more valuable than Teague, I just think that Teague has a lot of upside at PG, and that makes him more valuable to a team w/ a solid frontcourt and question marks at the PG position (see Hawks & Kings (Tyreke Evans is more of a 2 than a 1)).
Fundamentals
November 15th, 2010
11:47 am
Geemack said it best 11:33 AM. Great Post!
i_am_soulstar
November 15th, 2010
11:47 am
Someone needs to write an article on how well Al Horford is playing.
JeJe
November 15th, 2010
11:49 am
“But instead of constantly complaining that the Hawks “cannot compete,” why can’t Hawk “fans” appreciate that the Hawks are an exciting team that will better (not just compete with!) 80% of the teams in the league?”
Fans like you are the reason Atlanta teams never win !@#$
JeJe
November 15th, 2010
11:50 am
Where the hell would Jason Thompson fit in here? We have like 8 6″10 average bigs
Wow did Sund actually do something smart?
i_am_soulstar
November 15th, 2010
11:51 am
11 games in, Horford has the highest PER in the Eastern Conference at 27.13. He’s second only to Chris Paul in the entire NBA.
Fundamentals
November 15th, 2010
11:52 am
Amen JeJe: BOX OUT THE OPPOSING PLAYER! How hard is that to remember?
JeJe
November 15th, 2010
11:55 am
Geemack, great post at 11:33 except for this: “can’t say that Cleveland or Orlando was the better team the last 2 seasons in the playoffs, because the Hawks didn’t compete enough to come to that conclusion.”
Orlando was a far deeper and better coached team than us. Effort is a major factor in the equation of how good a team is.
What if the Lakers show no effort at and lose the next 60 games despite having the best roster in the league? Are they still the best team?
No.
Fundamentals
November 15th, 2010
11:57 am
JeJe – With Etan and Twin basically being set out to pasture we might could use another PF/C to keep them company in their suits on the end of the bench.
Seems like we need a boost in PG play to me. Not to bash Teague, but he’s going to take some time. Wouldn’t be harmful to have 2 younger options available after Bibby’s contract ends. Thus far Bibby has been a valuable assett. When he leaves the game you can tell a difference in the flow of the offense. Is that Teague’s fault or more JC1 dominating the ball?
JeJe
November 15th, 2010
12:02 pm
Jamal doesn’t really look to score anymore. Mo played well yesterday, but he is still a bit hurt and we all know he does nothing 90 % of the time statistically.
HOW IS THIS TEAM GOING TO COMPETE WHEN 2 OF ITS 3 MAIN GUARDS ARE ATROCIOUS, HORRENDOUS, AND AWFUL DEFENDERS (BIBBY AND JAMAL)?
SOMEONE PLEASE ANSWER THIS QUESTION AND HUMOUR ME
JeJe
November 15th, 2010
12:03 pm
JAMAL DOES TEND TO POST UP AT HALF COURT LOL. HE JUST NEEDS TO LOOK TO SCORE EVERY TIME. DON’T DEFER TO FREAKING MO EVANS OR JOSH POWELL.
superiorblogman
November 15th, 2010
12:05 pm
i_am_soulstar
November 15th, 2010
11:43 am
superiorblogman,
So let’s see. That’s me, the Kings GM, and the Hawks GM. We’re all fools.
I’m sure Jason Thompson is more valuable than Teague, I just think that Teague has a lot of upside at PG, and that makes him more valuable to a team w/ a solid frontcourt and question marks at the PG position (see Hawks & Kings (Tyreke Evans is more of a 2 than a 1)).
Who are these solid frontcourt members? We have 2 solid bigs that’s Al and Josh. There are no other solid bigs worthy of playing time on a playoff team on this roster. On the other hand, We have atleast 3 backcourt players who are worthy of some sort of playing time on a playoff team. I don’t get how ignorant you guys are to basketball. Rick Sund is one of the worst GM’s for a reason. I bet the Jerry West of the world are laughing after reading that Sund would turn down such. Sund, the ASG, and the ignorant fans of Atlanta deserve each other. I have met some ignorant people since being on this blog.
JeJe
November 15th, 2010
12:07 pm
THIS TEAM HAS PLAYED AT THE SAME LEVEL ALL YEAR. WE JUST HAPPENED TO HAVE PLAYED MORE CRAPPY TEAMS THAN GOOD TEAMS – THAT’S WHY WE HAVE A WINNING RECORD.
THIS IS THE SAME TEAM AS LAST YEAR WITH A SLIGHTLY BETTER BENCH. THE ONLY DIFFERENCE IS OUR DEFENSE IS WORSE, OFFENSE IS SLIGHTLY BETTER, AND DREW RUNS SEXIER ROTATIONS – NO HOMO.
i_am_soulstar
November 15th, 2010
12:12 pm
Jeje,
They won’t. This team is a decent defensive-point-guard-who-can-run-the-offense away from having a realistic shot at the Eastern Conference Finals. That’s why they won’t trade Teague for Jason Thompson. It’s not yet clear if he is, or is not that dude.
i_am_soulstar
November 15th, 2010
12:14 pm
superiorblogman,
I think you missed the point, figuratively and literally. But it’s ok, I’m not one to go back and forth all day.
superiorblogman
November 15th, 2010
12:15 pm
Anyone bragging on Horford is missing something. The guy is only taking 11 shots a game. How can you have a guy scoring the ball with such ease and getting so few shots? That just shows how ineffective this offense is. Shooting damn near 65% and only taking 11 shots a game. That shows some major flaws and incompetence within the coaching of this team. No way I could rest until I see if he can shoot 65% with 15 shots a game then 20 shots a game and so on. I can remember growing up and watching how basketball is suppose to be played. The #1 rule of offense is feed the hot hand. None of that other BS motion everyone touch it. Larry Drew is a career backup and needs to go back to being one. What an incompetent little ugly MF’er, but you all deserve each other. Sund, the ASG, Drew, and the ignorant bloggers on this site
JeJe
November 15th, 2010
12:16 pm
CAN WE JUST DUMP SMOOVE AND BIBBY FOR A DEVIN HARRIS AND SOME OTHER PLAYERS? CAN WE PLEASE GET A REAL POINT GUARD? WE SHOULD’VE GONE AFTER DARREN COLLISON.
!@#$. JARRETT JACK IS BETTER THAN OUR GARBAGE POINT GUARDS.
STILL HAVE NOT SEEN TEAGUE MAKE A JUMPSHOT THIS SEASON
LOL. DUDE LOOKS LIKE HE’S PUSHING A 40LB BACKPACK OFF HIS CHEST WHEN HE SHOOTS
superiorblogman
November 15th, 2010
12:21 pm
Now I agree that picking up say Jarret Jack would be a big upgrade over Teague and if we could get Devin Harris without giving up Joe, Josh, Jordan, or Al I would do it without a thought.
Fundamentals
November 15th, 2010
12:22 pm
We’re ignorant b/c we don’t want yet another 6′10″ PF/C? Think about it?
Whether you like Teague or not we don’t need another “transition” center. We need a dominating Big or a PG for the future. I’d also be interested in SG help, but a PF/C again? Really, superiorblogman, really?
JoJo the Godfather
November 15th, 2010
12:34 pm
When asked about Mo Evans, LD said “I need more guys like that”. Is that a hint to Rick Sund that we need to shuffle the roster a bit?
Fundamentals
November 15th, 2010
12:36 pm
JoJo – he’s referencing Mo’s comments about the Hawks never moving forward because of a lack in consistent effort and dirty work. We need a shuffle in professionalism and mentality more than roster.
O'Brien
November 15th, 2010
12:40 pm
I blame Rick Sund for this team’s maekup. This offseason, he had the chance to make some moves while still keeping the starting unit intact.
He could have signed another PG, he could have signed a legit backup SF and he couldve traded Jamal.
Instead, all he did was resign JJ and Collins, signed Josh Powell, and drafted Jordan.
I wonder if the Hawks would trade Josh Powell for Jason Thompson? Probably not, because they like Powell’s great locker room presence.
As for Teague vs Thompson, I would pass as well. At PF, Josh and Al both get minutes, so there is not much left over for Jason Thompson, and we’re already stuck with Powell.
At center, we’re already playing Collins, Al, and ZaZa, so once again, there isnt much room for Jason Thompson.
If Teague is traded, who becomes our backup PG? Does anybody really want Jamal playing more minutes at PG?
If Teague is to be traded, it needs to as part of a package for another PG.
superiorblogman
November 15th, 2010
12:43 pm
Yes you are ignorant Fundamentals. Jason Thompson has more upside than Zaza, is already better than Zaza and cost less than Zaza. He is totally better than Powell, Collins, Thomas, and everything you have off the bench with maybe the exception of Jamal. The guy was the #12 pick in the draft, a lottery pick. Seriously, this just shows how ignorant you people are to even try to argue that this would be a bad trade. He is a upgrade over everyone of the Atlanta Hawks bench except maybe Jamal. He would be the 3rd best big on the team, with 3 lottery type talents as your bigs. Sund once again proves how totally stupid he is if this offer was made and he declined it. Teague is a bust, I would rather have Eric Maynor. Teague is the worse PG taking in 1st round last year.
JeJe
November 15th, 2010
1:01 pm
“He is a upgrade over everyone of the Atlanta Hawks bench except maybe Jamal. He would be the 3rd best big on the team, with 3 lottery type talents as your bigs. Sund once again proves how totally stupid he is if this offer was made and he declined it. Teague is a bust, I would rather have Eric Maynor. Teague is the worse PG taking in 1st round last year.
WE HAVE NO BACKUP PG IF WE TRADE TEAGUE.
DO U REALLY WANT BIBBY AND JAMAL PLAYING MORE MINUTES? THEY ARE GHASTLY DEFENDERS. LIKE O’BRIEN SAID, TRADE TEAGUE IN A PACKAGE FOR A BETTER PG
JARRETT JACK JARRETT JACK JARRETT JACK JARRETT JACK JARRETT JACK JARRETT JACK
O'Brien
November 15th, 2010
1:11 pm
blogman,
There is no need for name-calling or classifications. This is a blog, where everyone is entitled to an opinion. There is not always a right or wrong answer.
If you trade Teague, who would be your backup PG?
Because although Teague has not taken advantage of the opportunities LD has given him, he is still our second best defensive guard behind JJ.
Do you really want to see Jamal (and his no-defense/free lancing self) playing more minutes at PG, where he has to guard opposing PGs, and help run the offense? No thank you.
And if my numbers are correct, Teague ($1.47 mil) for Jason Thompson ($2.2 mil) would not work financially under league rules. Hawks would have to throw in another piece. And I dont think our minimum wage veterans can be traded as yet.
Fundamentals
November 15th, 2010
1:11 pm
I guess so, but your master plan of excellnce leaves us with no one to run the point outside of Bibby and an abundance of PF/C on the bench who play lousy with limited roles.
What is your plan to move ZaZa, Collins, Powell and Etan since you think they’re worthless? I’m all ears, but your plan loads us up with more of the same and limits us somewhere else.
I’m a realist, not an expert blogger. Never claimed I was genius, but spell it out brother. Like you said…we’re all kinda slow here?
Fundamentals
November 15th, 2010
1:13 pm
O’Brien adds some real content to my frustrations with your plan. To you blogman? What say you?
JoJo the Godfather
November 15th, 2010
1:15 pm
If Jason Thompson is so good, then why does Sacramento want to trade him? Landry & Dalembert are both free agents at the end of the year. And why would they want Teague if he sucks so bad? They have 3 PG’s on the roster now, not including Evans. If Thompson is as good as you say, why would Sac. not build around Thompson at PF?
superiorblogman
November 15th, 2010
1:20 pm
http://games.espn.go.com/nba/tradeMachine?tradeId=28goqkd
Mike Bibby, Zaza, and future pick
for
Devin Harris
Fundamentals
November 15th, 2010
1:24 pm
If you secured Harris for ZaZa and Bibby the Thompson deal might make sense, but none of that has come to fruition. Even if we got Harris there’d be alot of time needed to integrate the new players into the system and Harris would still be a defensive liability like Bibby is already. We’d still need PG, C and SF help. How does this fix anything?
superiorblogman
November 15th, 2010
1:25 pm
http://games.espn.go.com/nba/tradeMachine?tradeId=27gunp6
Teague and Mo
for
Jason Thompson and Donte Greene
New roster
Devin Harris/Jamal
Joe/Jamal/Jordan
Marvin/Greene
Smith/Thompson/Powell
Horford/Thompson/Collins
L-QUE
November 15th, 2010
1:28 pm
TRADE JAMAL CRAWFORD -BIBBY-ZAZA for a facilitating point guard play COLLINS- THOMAS dont let the bench blow the lead before the starters come back in put a big man on the coaching staff to DEVELOP our big men DO NOT TRADE JOSH-AL or MARVIN this is the core for years to come ATLANTA is ready to compete now with a threating pointguard
superiorblogman
November 15th, 2010
1:29 pm
Fundamentals: How does anything you post fix anything? Devin Harris, Joe, Josh, and Al are all all-star caliber. 3 of the 4 have played in all-star games. Greene is a legit sized SF at 6″9 or maybe even taller so now you don’t have to worry about a 6″5 SG Mo Evans playing the position. Thompson is better than any backup big currently on the team. You have made the starting lineup more potent and added quality young depth. If that’s not making things better I don’t know what better is.
Fundamentals
November 15th, 2010
1:31 pm
Alot of your plan hinges on Greene being an effective defender/rebounder at SF b/c he can’t shoot. Also uses Jamal heavily. We’d still need PG help in your new roster?
Fundamentals
November 15th, 2010
1:34 pm
I like the younger, faster talent, yes…but if they’re so good why do #1 the Nets stink and #2 Thompson is falling out of favor in Sac town?
The biggest problem is how are you going to convince ASG to get any of these deals done?
The real deal is how do we get ASG to actually enter the tax threshold to really get us solutions, not bandaids.
superiorblogman
November 15th, 2010
1:36 pm
Fundamentals: You must ride the short bus? Donte Greene shot 37% from 3pt range last year. As for your whining about PG help Jamal and Jordan can handle that better than Teague because Teague is a pure bust. He is the worst PG selected in the 1st round last year to date and that is fact
Section 303
November 15th, 2010
1:37 pm
Does anyone ever tire of posting about trades that will likely never happen? Dispite what the Trade Machine says, willing to bet not one of these deals gets done.
superiorblogman
November 15th, 2010
1:40 pm
None of my suggestions put the ASG into luxury range.