Atlanta Hawks: Hawks 102, Pacers 92
The Pacers couldn't stop Josh Smith. (AP Photo)
Indianapolis–If their defensive energy is going to vary depending on how often their shots go in, then at least the Hawks are humming on offense more often than not. Facing a physical opponent, the Hawks were crisp, patient and effective scoring the ball and improved to 5-1 on the road.
– Smoove was inside, outside and everywhere in between, making his jumpers and getting to the line. Bibby made the Pacers pay for collapsing on Smoove, then handed out dimes when the defense ran at him. Al damaged the Pacers with pick-and-pops in the fourth quarter. Marvin was efficient. J.J. wasn’t hitting so he passed.
– Clearly one early trait of the Hawks under L.D. is that they really are buying into moving the ball and spreading around the scoring. “He puts new wrinkles in probably every week,” J.J. said. “I think that keeps us fine-tuned to what he wants and what we are doing out there.”
– “They’ve got a lot of people you have to stop,” Pacers coach Jim O’Brien said.
– Smoove dominated with 25 points, eight rebounds and seven blocked shots (the Pacers had six). “That’s a pretty good line,” L.D. said. “He made a couple mistakes but they were aggressive mistakes. ”
– Josh had three blocks within the first five minutes and from then on you could see the Pacers peeking to see if he was coming over to help on drives. Hibbert missed a layup in the fourth quarter because he felt Smoove.
– “Every night my teammates depend on me to give us energy,” Smove said. “I can’t let them down. I’ve got to play well.”
– J.J. came out on the losing end of his tussle with Danny Granger, who is a big, strong guy. J.J. can’t displace Granger like he can most defenders. The matchup wore J.J. down and frustrated him at times–he and Granger got double technicals in the third quarter.
– Still, J.J. had five assists and Bibby benefited from Indiana’s focus on him. “When we get into offensive sets, everyone knows we are going to feature Joe,” L.D. said. “He’s been very unselfish. He did a great job of finding the open man.”
–The Hawks’ bench was complaining about Indiana’s hand-checks and roughhousing in the first half. That made it tough for J.J. and the other guards to get into the lane and there also wasn’t much room for Smoove and Al to operate. The Hawks played through it until they started getting some whistles after halftime.
– “That’s kind of part of understanding how to win on the road,” L.D. said. “You are not going to get calls. We don’t expect it. You have to play through it.”
– Atlanta never did get calls in the first half but it hardly mattered once Bibby started draining 3s. He made all three attempts in the second quarter. “When you can get any guard to start knocking down consistent threes, it opens up the post-up for us bigs,” Josh said.
– Al was pretty stout against Hibbert, who never did back him down and score consistently. Hibbert said he spent time in the summer studying tape of his matchups with Al. Horford’s strategy: “Just contain him, keep him off the paint and make him shoot over the top. Obviously he’s gotten better but we weren’t going to come double and just kind of let him shoot over the top.”
– L.D. said the Hawks wanted to make Hibbert, the league’s top shot blocker, defend a lot of pick-and-rolls. Hibbert had one blocked shot in 33 minutes. “If you play a halfcourt game and allow him to sit there he can affect the game,” L.D. said. “We wanted to get him on the move.”
– Al picked up his second foul early in the second quarter and L.D. again gave him the hook. Horford said he was “frustrated” by having to sit.
– Horford took over during the 9-0 run that essentially put Indiana away. He started the spurt by scoring over Hibbert on a power move, made a jumper, found J.J. going baseline for an and-1 and then made another jumper. “I stuck with it and the guys really found me,” he said. “I was just ready to step in and make shots.”
– Hibbert had 15 rebounds as the Pacers had a 42-30 edge on the board. L.D. said the Hawks only sent their centers and power forwards to the offensive boards because they were focused on getting back in transition to cut off 3-pointers. Indiana had four fastbreak points and was 4 of 18 on 3-pointers.
– Powell played only three minutes, most of those at center. Hibbert scored over him easily so L.D. went to Collins, who lasted only five minutes.
– Teague made a pair of 3-pointers to help Atlanta stay close in the first quarter. He also had three assists with no turnovers and three rebounds. His on-ball defense is invaluable to the Hawks.
– Marvin limped off in the fourth quarter and iced his knee on the bench. He said he could have gone back in if needed.
– The Pacers played without Darren Collison. T.J. Ford is a capable backup, and Bibby had his problems against him, but Indiana could have used Collison’s shooting.
– L.D. gave the Hawks Wednesday off.
– I’m out, Hawks fans.
MC
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155 comments Add your comment
Big Ray
November 17th, 2010
12:20 pm
If you ask me, Josh Smith should be replacing Chris Bosh on the all-star team.
Bosh is now Miami’s “Marvin”, lol….
Ramon
November 17th, 2010
12:22 pm
I can understand LD taking Horford out early with 2 fouls in the 1st half. If Horford is still on the court with 2 fouls. His already average defense, will translate to below average, passive defense. He will not be able to protect the rim physically, as he needs to do. I remember a handful of times last season where Woody would leave him in with 2 fouls, and his defense would turn into a gateway for the lane. Also, every one keeps saying that we haven’t played anyone tough really. So could LD be saving Al’s energy for the play off teams? Was it not Al who MC quoted as speaking about the fatigue early in the season?
JoJo the Godfather
November 17th, 2010
12:22 pm
Big Ray, I believe Hibbert had jumped in front of Josh in total blocks going in to last night’s game.
northcyde
November 17th, 2010
12:25 pm
I just don’t want LD to act like Josh Powell deserves 15 – 20 minutes a game, while Al sits unnecessarily. And I’d like to see more of Al at PF, alongside Zaza. Drew is still feeling people out though, so it isn’t a major concern yet. But he can’t be letting Al sit vs these powerful teams, like the 2 we have coming up ( Dallas and Boston ).
And it’s nice to see Mr. Strickland back posting his words of encouragement, after making just a few appearances during the 4 game losing streak.
As of right now, the Hawks are not better than last year’s Hawks as this time. At this time last year, the Hawks were looking like a juggernaut. But in the long run, they may be ( depending on how they handle December and the 7 game road trip before and after the All-Star break ).
I’m happy to see this team handle the bad teams on the road. If they can keep doing that for the rest of the month, we may come away with a 13 – 5 record going into December.
And that’s exactly where we need to be.
JeJe
November 17th, 2010
12:32 pm
FIRE SUND
Section 303
November 17th, 2010
12:42 pm
Guys, I think some of you are missing the point on Horford’s minutes. Coach Drew has said since camp that he wants to be careful not to run starters into the ground by over playing them. Yes, Joe Johnson has had to play big minutes some games, but that was due more to injury of other players (Williams & Evans).
I don’t see why resting Al is such a bad thing. It seems like all this debate started when Michael posted a link to the article that suggested Coach Drew was taking Al out too quickly when Al picked up early fouls. Until then, no one ever talked about this.
Resting Al throughout the regular season is not a bad thing. It isn’t. It will, hopefully, serve the team well in the playoffs.
O'Brien
November 17th, 2010
1:06 pm
Ramon,
The question is, would you prefer Al with 2 fouls playing defense, or ZaZa playing defense?
I guess ZaZa might be a better option because at least he can commit a foul when he gets beat (and he usually does), whereas Al would have to let his go because he wouldnt want to commit his third.
vava74
November 17th, 2010
1:18 pm
Horford has been playing less minutes and being pulled in and out. That spoils rhythm and affects rebounding.
The fact is that BEFORE yesterday’s game, both Josh and Al were rebounding MORE PER MINUTE.
The “new Hibbert” is a difficult match up due to his extreme length but Al delivered when it mattered: in the 4th Quarter.
We are 8-4 with just one loss in which we were not in position to win entering the final minute.
And that was with Mo and Marvin out or severely limited (they still are).
Ramon
November 17th, 2010
1:26 pm
O’Brien in the 2nd quarter, I’d have to go with Zaza. Zaza is a good hard fouler if nothing else.
Najeh Davenpoop
November 17th, 2010
1:28 pm
“If you ask me, Josh Smith should be replacing Chris Bosh on the all-star team.”
If you ask me, he should have replaced KG last year.
The Truth
November 17th, 2010
1:33 pm
I think Twin did a nice job with the limited minutes he was on the court. It certainly spoiled the in-the-paint block party the Pacers seem to be having with their big line-up in the first half. As good as Al is offensively, there will be times when the opponents will dictate the Hawks to alter the line-up with a bigger frontline. It interesting to read bloggers questioning LD for depriving AL of minutes based on his fouls situation as if to suggest that Al is not getting his minutes-quota. If LD starts allocating minutes-quotas, he starts looking like Dark Vader Woody.
I Heart Atlanta
November 17th, 2010
1:41 pm
Roy Hibbert Missed a layup because he felt Smoove………….Good 1 lol
O'Brien
November 17th, 2010
1:46 pm
MC,
Could you release my post from the blog monster. I posted one with a link, but then I tried reposting it without a link. And none of them are showing up.
The Truth
November 17th, 2010
2:03 pm
Why won’t Twin teach Al his trick of standing outside the paint and drawing his patented offensive fouls? It would certain discourage drive penetration. I’ve seen Josh draw those fouls but I’ve never seen AL draw one. This may be part of the problem when Al is at the center position. He can’t seem to keep penetration out of the paint. Josh is getting so many block shots on help defense from inbound traffic.
Ramon
November 17th, 2010
2:34 pm
The Truth, I posted a week ago on Al’s inability to draw offensive charges, or over the back fouls on rebounds. All he has to do is take an extra step when seeing the opposition drive. But instead he either tries to block out his man (when the possibility of the player missing an uncontested layup is very small) or he jumps right under the basket allowing the offensive player to get into his chest, drawing a foul on him, while still having enough momentum to finish the shot also.
~~MAC-ToWN~~ (Area Code 478 Westside Macon)
November 17th, 2010
2:44 pm
-Josh Smith is improved
-Horford is improved
-PG Defense improved (because Teague is gettin more mins)
-Motion Offense improves the team (less predictable/higher % shots)
-We’re deeper and bigger (simply because L.D. doesnt mind gettin guys like Collins off the bench when needed)
The Hawks look better prepared to handle a playoff series against an elite team this year. Atleast to the point where we should have chances to win each game, instead of gettin blown out every game.
Not to mention you just have to believe JJ will play better and we’ll probably make a significant move to improve the team even more before that time of year
Section 303
November 17th, 2010
2:47 pm
Najeh, I agree. Josh should have replaced KG last year. Josh is having a great year. Looking forward to seeing him eat up KG.
And…I have to give that guy Scott credit. I haven’t seen him post here since yesterday, but he called it. Hibbert is much improved. Not as good as Al, but way better than last year. Hibbert is a player these days. I learned that lesson watching last night.
superiorblogman
November 17th, 2010
3:05 pm
This team still needs a trade. Don’t forget the big picture which is getting to Eastern Conference Finals atleast. Jamal is okay but we still could use another good size SF, 6″7 and up, a defensive minded Center that deserves minutes, and a upgrade at the PG position. I am not like you inferior bloggers that whine and moan after every lost and think everything is okay after every win. The big picture is that this team is a playoff team that will struggle to get out of round 1 as currently structured.
Astro Joe
November 17th, 2010
3:13 pm
Only the elite usually get 3 All-Stars in a given game. If the Hawks want to get 3 guys in the February game, they will need to start beating quality teams and beat them resoundly about the head and neck. Beating up on the T’Wolves & Pistons ain’t likely going to get 3 Hawks on the squad.
The Truth
November 17th, 2010
3:13 pm
superiorblogman
Are you a bigot?
Eric
November 17th, 2010
4:42 pm
On a semi-unrelated note, who wants to see the Heat lose tonight? I know I do. Hopefully the Heat, Celtics, and Bulls all lose tonight to help us out in the standings. There’s a pretty good chance that the Spurs will defeat the Bulls, and a fair chance that the Suns have a shot at beating Miami, but Washington beating the Celtics is highly unlikely. Crazier things have happened though.
O'Brien
November 17th, 2010
4:59 pm
In other news, Eva Longoria is soon to be a free agent.
From espn.com;
LOS ANGELES — Eva Longoria has filed for divorce from Tony Parker, citing irreconcilable differences..
Maybe she really didnt want to be in San Antonio after all.
lewis
November 17th, 2010
6:36 pm
lol she was waiting on that contract extension
Ken Strickland
November 17th, 2010
7:21 pm
REV IN TAMPA-some so called fans are so desperate to trash LDrew, selected players, and the team overall, they either refuse, or are unable to see the increase in OFF efficiency, in number of open jumpers, FT attempts, as well as OFF and DEF rebounding. It’s like JEJE specifically singling out the 3gm home losing streak to try and point out the teams alledged lack of progress.
His negative minded way of processing things wouldn’t allow him to process or mention the 4gm road winning streak and/or our 5-1 road record, because it wouldn’t support his negative minded paradigm. There are people who still waste time trying to convince anyone stupid enough to listen that All Star center AHorford is the teams weakness and needs to be traded.
There are also those who insist JSmith is immature, shoots too many jumpers and should be traded, or is better suited to play SF, even though he may currently be the NBA’s best PF. I can’t wait to see how we do against the Celtics, who have become older, slower, and less athletic, while we’ve gotten quicker, faster, deeper and more athletic. This yr, that vaunted Celtic DEF will have to stop an entire OFF, rather than one or two players dominating the ball.
Last yr at this time we were 10-2 rather than 8-4, but we had the benefit of playing more home gms during that stretch. The majority of our next group of gms will be played on the road, which means we should have a home friendly schedule during our stretch run to the playoffs. I really like this team, and the fact we can win, especially on the road, without JJ or Jamal having big gms.
O'Brien
November 17th, 2010
7:50 pm
Ken Strickland,
While I agree about the offensive efficiency, assists etc., I dont think you can mention rebounding as an improvement.
The Hawks currently rank 22nd in rebounding in the league. That’s unacceptable.
But I like the progress they have made, especially on the road. We can see that they have the confidence that they can win games on the road. They did not have that road confidence last year.
Also, I wouldnt think the game against the old Celtics should not be too much of a barometer, because we went 4-0 against the Celtics last year, so what kind of progress are you looking for against the Celtics?
Winning by a larger margin?
The progress I am looking for, (which we have seen signs of), is winning on the road, playing much better against Orlando, and more consistent effort (especially on defense) night in, and night out.
So far, the biggest issues to me, are rebounding and the same inconsistencies we saw last year (especially on defense).
But I have confidence in LD that he will continue to preach and teach, so hopefully the players will continue to buy in, and continue to work on their game.
O'Brien
November 17th, 2010
7:53 pm
Najeh,
I know this is Hawks blog, but comments on the Braves blog tend to get lost in the shuffle.
I’m surprised you’re not a big a fan of the Uggla trade (especially if we only have him for one season).
I know that his defense and strikeouts are a big issue, but it’s hard to argue with 30HR, 30 doubles, and 90 RBIs, which he has basically averaged for the last 5 seasons.
And having him behind Chipper will force pitchers to give Chipper something to hit.
And if we lose Uggla next year, we will get a draft pick from whoever signs him, and a supplemental pick as well (assuming Uggla lives up to his averages).
Infante will be a free agent after this season, so it’s also possible he might have been with us one more year too. And he was coming off a career year, so I think selling high is the way to go.
Even if Uggla is a one year rental, I like the move a lot.
Grandad
November 17th, 2010
8:05 pm
O’Brien & Lewis:
Parker cheated on her.
Only thing I can figure is…..
Tiger must be TP’s mentor?
lewis
November 17th, 2010
8:06 pm
its stupid because you know Bosh is going to get all star votes because of this espn game. he’s abusing channing frye’s weak a$$ D
Grandad
November 17th, 2010
8:09 pm
O’Brien
Uggie will sign an ext and retire a Brave.
[only a prediction] of course.
I’m a huge Braves fan & this was a masterful pick-up!
~~MAC-ToWN~~ (Area Code 478 Westside Macon)
November 17th, 2010
9:17 pm
will they get an outfield bat now though??
and I wonder how Freeman will do at first…..he is going to be the starter next year right???
lewis
November 17th, 2010
9:47 pm
From Etan’s Blog:
Last week after meeting with the NBA CEOs, David Stern suggested cutting at least $750 million in player salaries (more than a one third reductio). Does he really think this is something Billy Hunter would ever agree to?
No, of course he doesn’t. His 1-3 FG on 5 min played has cost the Hawks $178,999.90 so far. Does he even dress out regularly?
Section 303
November 17th, 2010
9:59 pm
Guys,
Watching the Mavs/Hornets game. If you have League Pass, check it out. They played on Monday, I watched, great game. Tonight’s looking like another good finish.
lewis
November 17th, 2010
10:02 pm
spurs / bulls aint too shabby
lewis
November 17th, 2010
11:03 pm
when complaining about Al not being a true center,
remember this: Greg Oden is officially out for the season. 2nd time in 4 years.
drmaryb
November 17th, 2010
11:45 pm
Bustin’ Loose!
lewis
Oden is a Buster and a Bust! reminiscent of Sam Bowie taken ahead of MJ by Portland and now Oden taken ahead of Durant! OKC must be saying whew! Thank God, we had the second pick or we would have been stuck with Oden.
is it me? or does Oden look like he’s 98 years old? does he have that aging disease? Thank the Lawd, we got Horford with that 3rd pick, or we may have ended up with Oden too!
he Gone Fishin’ already?
Big Ump
November 17th, 2010
11:48 pm
drmaryb
Bustin loose! That was Rick James all the way.
Najeh Davenpoop
November 18th, 2010
12:10 am
“I’m surprised you’re not a big a fan of the Uggla trade (especially if we only have him for one season).”
I freely admit I don’t know nearly as much about baseball as I do about football or basketball (and I don’t pretend to be an expert on those either) but my main objection to the Uggla trade was because I didn’t know Infante’s contract was also expiring. I was under the impression that many years of Infante (who is more than just the utility man David O’Brien and Jeff Schultz are trying to make him appear to be) were being traded for one year of Uggla. I still haven’t seen any convincing evidence that the Braves are going to pony up the cash to keep Uggla long term, but if both are pending free agents my opposition to the deal decreases significantly.
Not a huge fan of the defense getting even weaker and another strikeout machine being added to the lineup, but if he produces like 2010 and not like 2009 or 2007, the Braves are going to benefit.
All that said, though, I think Freeman is the key to whether or not the Braves take a step forward next season. If he can start producing at the level some think he will, I think the Braves should be back in the playoffs.
~~MAC-ToWN~~ (Area Code 478 Westside Macon)
November 18th, 2010
4:06 am
That’s true….we could have been suck with Oden lol. Here in Hawks’ country we tend to focus too much on the negative (at times myself included) but we hardly ever talk about the positive.
We talk about Marvin over CP3. Well atleast we got Horford over Oden.
This year the theme is that we havent beaten a playoff team, buy ya know what? We also havent LOST to a non-playoff team or bad team.
Even Boston, Orlando, Chicago, Milwaukee, and Miami cant say that as they have all dropped games to atleast 1 sub-par team.
~~MAC-ToWN~~ (Area Code 478 Westside Macon)
November 18th, 2010
4:06 am
stuck*
O'Brien
November 18th, 2010
7:18 am
One guy I wanted to see interviewed this offseason, was Thibodeau, the defensive guru behind the Celtics.
Thibodeau’s Bulls gave up 37 third quarter points and 29 fourth quarter points to the Spurs (after giving up 37 the entire first half).
I guess coaches can’t do it on their own, no matter the scheme. They need the right players.
With Oden out for the season again, I can’t help but feel bad for Blazers fans. After taking Sam Bowie over MJ (which is understandable, because they already had Clyde Drexler), Bowie never lived up to the hype (partly due to injuries), while MJ went on to become MJ.
And now, they draft Oden (which is understandable, since he was the next star center), and who will have played 82 games in 4 seasons, over KD, who has been a scoring champ, and a gold medal winner on Team USA.
I know BK was horrible in drafting Marvin over CP3 or Deron, but at least Marvin contributes in some way (although he’s still not consistent enough).
And BK was horrible in drafting Shelden over Roy and anybody else. But at least Shelden was part of the deal to get Bibby.
I feel bad for Oden too. Seems like a good guy, but injuries have ruined his career before it even got started.
terrell
November 18th, 2010
8:22 am
Obrien, if Bowie over Jordan is understandable because they already had Clyde, then Sheldon over Roy or Gay has to be understandable cause we already had Joe and Marvin. Keep it real now. lol!
doc
November 18th, 2010
9:33 am
uggla is a masterful pick up if it doesnt turn out to be texiera. it already smells better because less was given up and not a desperation move. if grandad is right and he is signed at a reasonable deal then it is real cool unless the all star we traded blossoms even further and stays cost efficient. najeh’s point about his defensive liabilites are huge on a team that has quality pitching as its goal but no over powering guys but guys who depend on defense. dont make a pitcher feel he has to strike everyone out and ground balls are not good. in the end if they improve and he signs then it is great. if he is a borrowed player like so many before and the two guys blossom like we have now seen in st louis with wainright and several in texas then we have been taken.
back to bball. nice work MC.
ILL-Logical
November 18th, 2010
9:35 am
Big Ump
November 17th, 2010
11:48 pm
drmaryb
Bustin loose! That was Rick James all the way.
Try Chuck Brown and the Soulsearchers,who are still go-going by the way.
JeJe
November 18th, 2010
9:41 am
FIRE RICK SUND
NOT COMPILING A CHAMPIONSHIP ROSTER WHEN U COULD’VE
DID NOTHING THIS OFFSEASON
O'Brien
November 18th, 2010
9:49 am
terrell,
To be fair, the presence of Marvin and JJ did not affect the drafting of Shelden.
Instead, the presence of Marvin led to us not drafting Rudy Gay, and the presence of JJ led to us not drafting Brandon Roy. But the Hawks needed frontcourt help, and Shelden was supposed help.
Taking hindsight out of it, I was ok with drafting Shelden. What I didnt like was (allegedly), BK made a promise to Shelden that he would take him at #5, and as a result, BK was unable to trade down. Nobody had Shelden rated that highly.
If BK had traded down from 5th and taken Shelden at 13th, I would have had no issues with that.
*Again, taking hindsight out of it, because if they have a Do-over draft, Shelden would not get drafted in the first round, and might not even get drafted.
O'Brien
November 18th, 2010
9:59 am
Doc,
This is nothing like the Tex trade, based on who we gave up. Infante is a solid player, with good defense and plays multiple positions, but probably will not develop into a 30HR, 90 RBI guy.
And the reliever (although solid), will probably not develop into an all-star closer.
I am concerned about our team defense though. Hopefully nobody hits the ball to him.
doc
November 18th, 2010
10:13 am
o’b i understand that and said it. my point if it is one and done it doesnt work on any level if that is what this turns out to be. unless you are projecting losing him and having the home runs in freeman and heywood, saying it wont matter then fine. we gave up wainright for that one year guy we couldnt sign and didnt get the return and he has been huge going forward. the tex deal i mentioned was desperate and almost denegrates schuerholz’s name for the one who got taken on that. thumbs up if it is for several years, he is a ballplayer. the trade is from strength if we really have a bench guy to pick up the chipper pieces.
doc
November 18th, 2010
10:23 am
o’b fair comments on the shels thing. i wasnt uncomfortable with the concept because we needed help at that position and we knew basg in court was not going to go out and buy a worthy big. yes, to have traded down and maybe gotten more for shels was the way to go instead of sending out messages everywhere he was our guy which didnt make sense. it was a poor year for bigs that year though milsaps came that year in the second round. he might have been the best of the bunch. we made up for the bad luck that year in getting good luck to have al h fall in our lap so it kind of worked out. interesting shels doesnt seem to be embarrassing himself in denver at 900 grand a year. a very reasonable investment.
Ken Strickland
November 18th, 2010
10:39 am
OBRIEN-your point is well taken. But my point about rebounding better relates to critical points during a gm where we are doing a much better job of getting key OFF and DEF rebounds. Teams that are known for their strong rebounding, like the Grizzles, and are ranked at of near the top of the NBA in that catagory, haven’t been able to dominate us on the boards. I see that as an improvement in our ability to rebound.
Why do people insist on blaming BK for not drafting CP3 or DWilliams when Woodson was the one that opposed drafting either, and publically stated his doubts about their abilitity to succeed as NBA PG’s? Woodson didn’t want any rookie PG running his team, or even on his team for that matter, and he demonstrated that repeatedly. Woodson was an extremely poor judge of talent, especially when it came to guards, and allowed his preference for veterans, and personal bias against rookies and younger guards, to influence the way he dealt with them.
While BK certainly missed on SWilliams, I understand what he was trying to do when he drafted him. We already had JJ on board, and we desperately needed more size, rebounding and interior DEF, so logically Shelden was a more logical pick than BRoy. As it turned out, BK was mistaken in thinking Shelden could duplicate his college success and give the team all of the above. However, Shelden wasn’t a total loss or failure. When given consistent mins and opportunity, he proved he could be a consistent rebounder and contributor.
But Woodson, for some unknown reason, had a bad habit of shutting down rookies and younger players, that weren’t starters, after they produce when given adequate mins. Fans seem to forget the 2week stretch where Shelden got consistent mins due to injuries, and earned PLAYER OF THE WEEK HONORS and was runner up the following wk. After that, Woodson acted like it never happened and didn’t give him consistent mins again.
There was obviously a big difference of opinion between BK and Woodson on a number of things, and who should be drafted was certainly one of them. In the end, it created a big rift between the two, and caused BK to try and fire him on several occasions, which ultimately led to his dismissal. I guess Woodson now knows how it feels to have the ASG turn its back on you and send you packing for being too stubborn and insisting on doing things your way.
Rufus1
November 18th, 2010
11:54 am
How Luck makes a man a GENUIS..(ODEN)
OKC was lucky enough to NOT get the 1st pick in the draft, so KDurant fell into their lap. KD becomes a transendant players, while ODEN is a shattered windshield.
OKC has become a model franchise in the NBA and our held as a GOLD STANDARD on how to build a franchise…ALL because their were LUCKY.
People seem to forget that Billy Knight and ASG has drafted 2 potenial Allstars(AL and Josh), trade for a 4 time allstar(JOE) and laid the foundation for a perrenial playoff team…..BUT THE HAWKS GET NO LOVE!
People forget that OKC was one of the worst franchises in the(Seattle Supersonics) NBA before they were LUCKY enough to get the 2 pick(KDurant).
If the Hawks were LUCKY enough to get the 2nd pick and OKC had any other pick, they would still be the Sonics, BK would still be the GM and the Hawks would be the GOLD STANDARD in the league.
FUNNY HOW LUCK CAN CHANGE PERCEPTION….