Atlanta Hawks: Nets 107, Hawks 101 (OT)

This was not good for the Hawks. (US Presswire)

This was never good for the Hawks. (US Presswire)

Newark, N.J.–There’s not been much in between for the Hawks when they lose. They have seven Ls and they’ve all happened in two basic ways: Surrender from the start, or falter at the end.

– This one was in the latter category, and what does it say about the Hawks that losing in a competitive effort at New Jersey represents progress? That’s how it goes when you show any life at all the night after melting down to the Celtics.

– Better effort, but it’s still a loss. That’s three in a row and seven in nine games since the the 6-0 start. Can’t use the good opponent crutch for this one, either.

– “As long as we stay together, we will be all right,” said Bibby, stoic as always. “You lose some games. You can’t win all 82. We’ve got a lot of games left. We can’t get down.”

– You had to figure Atlanta’s tendency to earn tightrope Ws in these road games against also-rans would eventually go bad. Unfortunately for them, it happened the night after the Celtics debacle.

– “The effort was there,” Jamal said. “It just didn’t go our way. We expended so much energy getting back in the game we didn’t have enough to finish.”

– The Hawks rallied to force overtime after trailing by 10 in the third quarter. They never could take the lead because once they got close in the fourth quarter they traded baskets and turned over the ball.

– “It was difficult [to lose] when you fight that hard after that game last night,” L.D. said.

– Too bad for the Hawks it took them until the second quarter to find some fight. The Nets led 31-21 after a quarter because they had clear passage to the basket and exploited one of their two clear mismatches, feeding Brook Lopez for 15 points on 5 of 7 shooting.

– “We did everything we could to give Al help on Lopez,” L.D. said.

Jason Collins and especially Zaza provided some resistance for Lopez after the opening period. Then the inevitable happened and Devin Harris started zigging and zagging around Atlanta’s guards while scoring 23 points after halftime.

– “Harris has always been a tough guard for us because of his speed and quickness,” Drew said. “They run a lot of pick-and-rolls for him. He’s clever with the ball, shifty with the ball. He knows how to create contact. When he’s making his jump shot he’s difficult to stop.”

– The Hawks went retro with some Iso-Joe and Jamal. It was a mixed bag. They rallied behind a combined 14 points on 5 of 6 shooting from those two in the fourth quarter. But costly turnovers by both cost them possessions when the game was there to be taken late in regulation.

– “I wanted Jamal and Joe to be aggressive,” L.D. said.

– Josh took 21 shots and missed 12. Lots of jumpers in that tally.

– Joe continues to be miserable on 3-pointers. He did grab six rebounds. No glove tonight.

– Marvin made 3 of 4 shots, including a 3 that got Atlanta within 70-67 at the end of the third. But he had just two rebounds in 24 minutes on a night when Al and Smoove needed all the help they could get.

– Zaza (six rebounds in 11 minutes) lended a hand. He was strong in keeping Lopez off the boards and even frustrated him a couple times.

– It was one thing for Harris and Lopez to get theirs. Anthony Morrow made a couple key open 3-pointers in the fourth, but let that slide because Farmar and Harris broke the Hawks down off the dribble to set him up.

– But Kris Humphries getting 12 points and 14 rebounds by basically being physical and persistent? That’s just not cool.

– The Hawks were griping a bit about the free-throw disparity (33-13) and it’s true they didn’t get a couple calls when things got tight at the end. Josh appeared to get hacked on two straight possessions when they were down 93-88.

– But the Nets weren’t getting calls by that point, either, and they earned those 19 attempts in the first half.

– The Hawks squandered chances to take control early in the fourth quarter. They were down 72-69 when Teague and Jamal had turnovers on consecutive possessions. Jamal’s came after a timeout; his pass for Al in the post was off the mark.

– Another Teague turnover led to Morrow’s 3-pointer to make it 80-77 and Morrow made a second 3-pointer after Crawford threw away a pass following a Hawks timeout.

– Joe was so intent on bullying Harris to the basket he got called for a travel with the Hawks down 91-88.

Avery Johnson has two talents in Lopez and Harris and a top prospect in Favors. He’s got the rest of the Nets playing scrappy ball.

– “I’ve been saying all along how much I love this team,” Avery said. “I love working with them on a day in and day out basis and you can see why. The team played their heart out, and they really deserved to win tonight. Nothing against Atlanta, they’re a great team, but we deserved to win.”

– “They are definitely not the same team as last year,” Jamal said.

– As for the Hawks, well . . . ah, nevermind.

– “We just have to keep working,” L.D. said. “We can’t feel sorry for ourselves. Throughout the season you are going to have ups and downs. You have to learn how to handle adversity and it makes you stronger.”

– I’m out, Hawks fans.

208 comments Add your comment

Ramon

November 23rd, 2010
11:45 pm

Repost from other blog

Josh and Joe are the only defensive minded players on this team. Joe shot isn’t falling, But he’s still playing great man to man defense. That is overlook when his shooting is failing. I would rather have a roster with players who can stop you from scoring 90 points any given night, over a line up that can score 110 any given night. However, LD seems to feel differently.
It frustrates me game after game, seeing LD go with a lineup of Bibby, JC1, Joe, Josh, Al. No matter how many points this lineup may create. It is almost a foregone conclusion that this lineup will give up more points. Tonight, Teague actually played pretty well. His defense on Harris lead to the Nets going scoreless for long stretches at time. However, in the fourth quarter, LD stuck with his offensive lineup, although the major problem was New Jersey’s back court scoring.
This isn’t the first game in which LD has made such substitution patterns. And LD says he will hold players accountable on the defensive end, yet I still don’t see it. How can you make that statement, and Mike Bibby still records 35 minutes while only having 3 assists, and 5 shot attempts. While the opposing PG goes for 27 and 10 assists. To make it worse, Teague, in limited play, had a +9 tonight. Teague had 2 rebounds, 2 assists, and 2 steals in only 16 minutes. And kept Harris from making so many shots.
I’m beginning to wonder did we trade an all defensive, no offense minded coach for an all offensive, no defense minded coach? When will we have a coach who values both? And doesn’t compromise nor simply makes the easy call?
Also how did JC2 manage to not get a single minute in this game?
One last question, does a half priced coach, get you half priced coaching?
Samuel
November 23rd, 2010
11:31 pm
Told Yall.
Woody>LD
Ramon
November 23rd, 2010
11:39 pm
Samuel, you may be right. However, that doesn’t mean much about Woody, it just describes LD. Saying your D- minus child is better than my F child, may make you feel better. But fact is both of our kids are heading to summer school.

Najeh Davenpoop

November 23rd, 2010
11:58 pm

8-1 against bad teams, 0-6 against good teams.

rusty

November 24th, 2010
12:05 am

ramon get your eyes examined jj is not a great defensive player.players easily drive around him while he jabs at them ,he cant stay in front of any one who is quick.he makes very little effort goeing after loose balls. two times in this game he was front of harris who was on a fast break,he just let him go by without even trying to stop him. i also looked at it in slo motion, he made no effort at all

Brad

November 24th, 2010
12:09 am

I disagree about Joe’s defense, Ramon. I didn’t see tonight’s game, but for the last several games Joe has looked slow and lazy on D. He has really been disappointing to me this season in pretty much every area.

gcs

November 24th, 2010
12:09 am

Larry Drew = BUM

.

Patrick

November 24th, 2010
12:12 am

People used to complain about the way Woodson handled his interviews after a loss or a series of losses because he really didn’t seem to care much and gave a lot of short answers. Well, L.D. is looking no better in that regard. Early on, he pretended like he knew exactly what to do and had a grand plan, but it’s become pretty clear that most of that was all talk. As the season has gone on, he’s reverting back to Woodson’s old ways more and more, and the team is having less and less success. L.D. calls out his players a lot after these losses, which is fine to some extent, but he should be calling out himself for his poor strategy. The accountability should apply to everyone, and right now, it really doesn’t apply to anyone, not to anyone important or anyone who plays regular minutes, anyway.

Worst of all, the team and coach seem to think that everything is all right. L.D. mentions that “Throughout the season you are going to have ups and downs. You have to learn how to handle adversity and it makes you stronger”. Well, it doesn’t look like they have been many ups so far at all. Also, in regards to adversity making the team stronger, it sure doesn’t look like that’s the case. Maybe with another team, and another coach, but with this team, the adversity seems to only make things worse. There are problems that run deep here. Not only among the players, and I mentioned in the last blog whom I think the culprits are, but also in the coaching staff (L.D.). Things need to change fast if the Hawks are going to get back on track.

K.W.

November 24th, 2010
12:19 am

It’s really starting to get OLD hearing the same thing over and over “We have to keep working” and etc. STOP TALKING ABOUT IT, BE ABOUT IT!

Ramon

November 24th, 2010
12:23 am

Rusty and Brad, both of you say this only a week after Joe contained D. Williams for an entire game? A 6′7 wing man contained the best PG in the league for a game. What better perimeter defense do you need than that?

~~MAC-ToWN~~ (Area Code 478 Westside Macon)

November 24th, 2010
12:34 am

Exactly@K.W.

Its tiring hearing those same lines from players. The lined where they are BSing themselves are even worse.

“As long as we stay together, we will be all right,” said Bibby

…..alright in what way? The same team that that was at the mercy of elites in the 2nd round the last couple years. The same team that hasnt beat ONE good team 15 games into the season???????

Screw that comment by Bibby.

Moves need to be made!!!!

Najeh Davenpoop

November 24th, 2010
12:43 am

I think it’s telling that today on Around the Horn and PTI, a lot of airtime was given to discussing the latest Heat collapse at the Pacers, but the Hawks’ debacle last night wasn’t even mentioned. The Hawks’ struggles are not even surprising. What do you expect from a team that suffers the worst second-round defeat ever and responds by standing pat with the roster and replacing the head coach with his assistant?

Sorry Ken Strickland, but it ain’t looking too good.

Section 303

November 24th, 2010
1:15 am

Will the NBA just save us all the trouble and start the Lockout right now. The season is over for the Hawks anyways.

What a miserable bunch of a$$holes. Apathy is really starting to set in. Proud to say that I did not watch 1-minute of tonight’s game.

Alsandair

November 24th, 2010
1:28 am

Just get rid of Joe Johnson,some kind of way!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Blood in the water

November 24th, 2010
1:48 am

Drew may be in over his head – clock management at the end of games doesn’t seem to be one of his strong points and it’s gotta be one of the toughest things for new head coaches to master – it appears also that nepotism trumped experience in his selection of assistant coaches – the sharks may start circling pretty soon

Von

November 24th, 2010
1:56 am

Check out this fan post on Peachtree Hoops:

http://www.peachtreehoops.com/2010/11/23/1831754/time-to-trade-josh-smith

It gives an interesting take on what might be the biggest problem for the Hawks right now.

L-QUE

November 24th, 2010
2:19 am

AS DEPRESSING AS IT IS MOST BLAME SHOULD GO TO SUND. ITS NOT THAT THE HAWKS HAVE GOTTEN BAD .OTHER TEAMS HAVE GOTTEN BETTER ,PLAYERS AND CHEMISTRY A PLAY OFF TEAM ADDS VETERAN PLAYERS CHICAGO,ORLANDO,BOSTON,MIAMI,LAKERS,DALLAS ,BUCKS,SUNS,BUT NOT ATLANTA SCRUB COACH & ROOKIES NO QUALITY POINT NO BIG HELP. TEAMS ARE TERRORIZING OUR UNDER SIZE BIGS WITH NO HELP IN SIGHT, TO LOOSE THE GROUND WE HAVE GAINED WE MUST WE MUST MOVE NOW NOT A ONE YEAR WONDER BUT PLAYERS FOR THE FUTURE ,THE HAWKS SHOULD HAVE MADE THE DETROIT&SAC. TRADES THOMPSON AND PRINCE -STUCKY IS AVAILABLE ERIC DAMP. SIGNED WITH THE HEAT WE LOST OUT ON JARRETT JACK. MELLO IS NOT THE ANSWER .TIME FOR A ATTACK POINT GUARD EVERY TEAM THAT BESTED US HAD TWO OR THREE .THERE ARE PLENTY OF SPACE TAKING SEVEN FOOTERS OUT THERE. TWO SEVENS TONIGHT, TWO WITH BOSTON, TWO EACH TEAM WE HAVE LOST TO AND CONTINUE TO LOSE TO. AL, JOSE AND OUR BIGS ARE OVER MATCHED LOPEZ CANT PLAY LIKE THAT AGAINST ANOTHER SEVEN, SUND HAVE FLOWN THE COOP.

Najeh Davenpoop

November 24th, 2010
2:27 am

“Check out this fan post on Peachtree Hoops:

http://www.peachtreehoops.com/2010/11/23/1831754/time-to-trade-josh-smith

It gives an interesting take on what might be the biggest problem for the Hawks right now.”

Words cannot express how unbelievably idiotic and poorly thought out every argument in that post is. Josh Smith is the biggest reason this team even has as many wins as it does. Trade him at your own risk.

Bailey

November 24th, 2010
2:38 am

“Check out this fan post on Peachtree Hoops:

http://www.peachtreehoops.com/2010/11/23/1831754/time-to-trade-josh-smith

It gives an interesting take on what might be the biggest problem for the Hawks right now.”

Good read, I guess. It’s one of the few posts that I see which does not directly point out either Joe, Jamal, or L.D. as the primary culprit behind the Hawks struggles. Someone in the comments section of that post has a pretty good analysis too. I’m definitely not on the trade Josh bandwagon, but there are some good points in that post. I’m kind of shocked by how many people seem to agree with what the author is saying, based upon the poll in there. I didn’t realize that this was a common feeling.

One thing I definitely agree with is the fact that Josh doesn’t really have a clearly-defined role.

Ramon

November 24th, 2010
3:03 am

Trade the only player on the team that poses any kind of defensive threat consistently? On a bad night tonight, Josh still goes for 20 and 7. And for the comments he gets about bad decisions, he only had 2 turnovers on the night. Like it or not, he is still shooting over 50% from the field, 38% from beyond the arc, and 69% from the free throw line. He is clearly the Hawks best player.

Bailey, being the Polamalu of the Hawks defense isn’t a clearly-defined role? Being the Hawks best hybrid player isn’t a role? In the half court offense, Josh is the best assist guy the Hawks have.

Ramon

November 24th, 2010
5:01 am

lewis

November 24th, 2010
6:54 am

lol @ hoopshype twitter

yesterday: Nets won, Hawks lost, both teams sucked.
yesterday: Devin Harris had a better look than he deserved in that last play.
yesterday: Bad basketball at the Prudential Center.
yesterday: That Bibby is able to play so much when he’s in such poor shape speaks volumes about his basketball IQ and the Hawks’ weakness at PG spot.

Read more: http://hoopshype.com/#ixzz16CSpv8G1

yessir

November 24th, 2010
7:06 am

Fire LD!!!! Yall asked for his head and now he’s gone(Woody). Some of you are still blaming him for what LD is doing. You guys are some confused individuals. You wanted a new coach now you have one. Woody came into this team with nothing and improved over 6 straight yrs. You are correct about Sund should have made some moves, but we were still winning with Woody without those moves. Be careful of what you ask for!!!!! We only lost 7 at home last yr, we already have 5 L’s. You guys really know basketball.LOL

JeJe

November 24th, 2010
7:14 am

LOL @ LD’s comments.

Acts like we have to keep fighting hard. WTF does that even mean? OH I KNOW WHAT IT MEANS. MARVIN IS GOING TO KEEP STARTING FOR THIS TEAM.

THE GUY WHO WILL LET HIS OTHER FORWARDS/CENTERS SUFFER ON THE GLASS WHILE HE DOES NOTHING

2 REBOUNDS IN 24 MINUTES?

I’LL GIVE AN AUTOGRAPHED J.SMOOVE JERSEY AND $200 IN CASH TO ANYONE ON HERE WHO CAN LIST ONE POSITIVE THING MARVIN CONTRIBUTES TO THIS TEAM AS A STARTERS

JeJe

November 24th, 2010
7:14 am

Tim

November 24th, 2010
7:27 am

Less than a month into the season, and the Hawks are already crashing. Those ticket sales will be great this year. Same ol’ Hawks. Same ol’ crap. Looking forward to that lockout next year.

mdonnel34

November 24th, 2010
7:30 am

Let’s not fool ourselves these guys are horrible and don’t deserve to call themselves professioanal athletes. Management has no clue on what to do with this group the players really need to be on teams overseas, they just don’t have the heart or spirit to play in the NBA. Marvin Williams is a draft bust why can’t anyone see that, this guy has no game, he doesn’t rebound, someone told him he’s a jump shooter….”not,” he doesn’t like to play near the basket because he fears the bigger player. Marvin is like a deer caught in headlights maybe he would be good playing for the YMCA. Larry Drew is overmatched as a coach, he is running a scheme I played in college, the sceme works when you have quick players and those that don’t mind passing the ball. This team is a horrible product when it’s on the floor, what hard working Atlantan would pay their descretionary income to go and watch them play and lose with out heart.

~~MAC-ToWN~~ (Area Code 478 Westside Macon)

November 24th, 2010
7:41 am

This core and team isnt built to get out of the 2nd round and with other teams upgrading, moving and arranging pieces (like we should be doing) we may find ourselves as a team not built to get out of the 1st, or even make the playoffs.

This team has maxed out for what they can do (get to the 2nd round). The Hawks actually gave effort down the stretch and just got outplayed BY THE NETS.

They had more guys capable of doing more things. We arent nearly as good as some think.

If management waits much longer to make some moves, it’ll show just how delusional/inept that they are.

lewis

November 24th, 2010
7:41 am

we’ll continue to lose with no pg and no bench

Bibby / Jamal / Teague faced with defending a starting calibur nba pg = fail.

Rajon Rondo > Hawks|| Nate Robinson > Teague || D. West > Crawford
Devin Harris > Hawks || Farmar > Teague || Morrow > Crawford
Jameer Nelson > Hawks. || Duhon / JWill > Teague. || Reddick > Crawford
Steve Nash > Hawks || Dragic > Teague. || Dudley = Crawford
Brandon Jennings > Hawks || E. Boykins > Teague. || Maggette > Crawford
Deron Williams > Hawks || Ronnie Price > Teague > Raja Bell ?? JCrawford
Jason Kidd > Hawks || JJ Berea > Teague. || Jason Terry > JCrawford

~~MAC-ToWN~~ (Area Code 478 Westside Macon)

November 24th, 2010
7:43 am

on D, I’ve saw entirely too many possessions with shooters left wide open and players able to drive in the lane and get to the hoop with ease. That goes for the last few YEARS.

and How many point blank floaters is joe gonna miss?

~~MAC-ToWN~~ (Area Code 478 Westside Macon)

November 24th, 2010
7:44 am

and no SF@lewis

KevinM

November 24th, 2010
7:48 am

Smoove shooting numerous long jumpers isn’t good going forward.
Bibby being our best PG isn’t good.
Horford guarding Harris at the top of the key isn’t good. It never has been.
Marvin hit one jumper of significance last night. Never saw him after that. HIt his 3rd 3 pointer of the year in the 16th game…..has no idea how to play team defense.
More and more iso coming into the equation. Did I mention anywhere previously that the Hawks have no chance if they have to depend on 1/2 court basketball?

Ramon

November 24th, 2010
7:49 am

MC, Does Sund or Gearon realize how majority of the fans see no silver lining in the team past Josh, Al, and Joe (and most aren’t happy with Joe)? Have Sund or Gearon ever seemed to care anything about what the fans want truly?

~~MAC-ToWN~~ (Area Code 478 Westside Macon)

November 24th, 2010
7:50 am

wdf????

Josh Smith Says Hawks Told Him Trade Rumors Are ‘False’
http://nba.fanhouse.com/2010/11/22/josh-smith-says-hawks-told-him-trade-rumors-are-false/

ok, I can understand wanting to keep smoove……but what about when he says this..

“They told me that it was all false,” Smith said Monday in an interview with FanHouse about the trade rumors. “That they want to keep this team and this nucleus together because they feel we have something special going.”

…..and this is from an article written 2 days ago? Front Office still believe in the “nucleus” as a whole? What exactly special is goin on? The amount of FAIL?
Gimmie a Break.

tony

November 24th, 2010
8:00 am

No one wanted Sund to hire his assistent coach to coach this team…….We wanted him to hire a proven coach(Avery Johnson/Byron Scott). If they weren’t going to hire a proven coach they should have kept Woody.

As for JJ, I wanted him gone after he insulted the fans in Atlanta. The guy ain’t worth 20 millions for 6 yrs but these clowns(ASG) are paying this guy 120million. I don’t even like watching JJ play but now we are stuck with him for 6 yrs. What team in this league would be dumb enough to take him off our hand?

Only if we had and owner like George Steinbrenner. The Man wouldn’t put up with mediocrity.

O'Brien

November 24th, 2010
8:09 am

Ramon,

JJ has the potential to be third team all NBA defense. But IMO, he takes a lot of plays off. Last year, it was justified somewhat, because he played a lot of minutes, and he exerted a lot of energy on ISOs, so he had to conserve energy. This year, he still plays good defense, but only when he wants to.

Same thing with Josh. Josh is a great safety (Polamula), great help defender, and he picks up others. But he does not make a consistent effort to play great man to man defense on his own guy. He does it when he wants to, like on that last play in regulation when he hounded Devin Harris. Why isn’t he playing like that more often?

Josh and JJ are our best defenders, but they can still defend better (and more consistently) than they have been showing. I’m not putting it all on them though, because Bibby, Jamal, and ZaZa make team defense a struggle.

Also, when your 2 best offensive players, are also your 2 best defensive players, that’s never good. So I blame Rick for that. But yet LD talks about being a top 10 defense. Does he really think he has the players for that?

Banks

November 24th, 2010
8:11 am

I like LD. But MARVIN WILLIAMS has to be the wost professional basketball player in the world. I would rather get someone from the D-leauge or run and shoot to play the 3. His lack of offensive skills allows defenses to leave him alone and sag on the other four players. He should not play another game. You can see his teammates frustration with him during timeouts. One other thing why is he always looking for dap when he comes out of the game after not doing nothing on the floor. He is a clown. The Hawks have not led in a game for at least eight quaters or more I am not sure about the Dallas game.

O'Brien

November 24th, 2010
8:16 am

Speaking of JJ, when was the last time he scored 20 points or more? Against Utah.

His last 5 games? 16, 6, 11, 11, and 17. His last 5 shooting percentages? 33%, 20%, 29%, 33% and 42%.

I dont know what the problem is, but if he insists on playing, then he needs to produce like a guy making $124 mil.

moBmo

November 24th, 2010
8:18 am

Hawks are soft. time to get mad and play that way. no more f’n layups.

i_am_soulstar

November 24th, 2010
8:26 am

dap01

November 24th, 2010
8:34 am

What should you expect from such a poorly constructed team?

lewis

November 24th, 2010
8:52 am

I really wanted JJ to be our Pierce but he keeps throwing up slop

a solid 5 man rotation is not enough to win a game in the nba

Mike is back

November 24th, 2010
9:09 am

Najeh Davenpoop, I have said it before…Josh is an easy target…for people when they want to play…the blame game…because of his approach to the game…I’m never surprised. So, you are going to trade…your only shot blocker on the team…Right. Yet, you have never adequately addressed the PG, SF, and C positions…but you can single out one person…Give me a Fing Break.

There are a collection of problems going on with this team…now collectively Josh may be part of the problem…still water…runs deep. That’s mainly because there has never been a vocal leader on this team. Bibby and JJ are the closes have you that are vets…and that’s it…Mo tries…but who is going to listen to you…when you are a reserve Vet player…playing minuses minutes.

LD gotta make a decision…sometimes…you can change the culture…by changing the line up…this ain’t rocket science.

However, the Hawks problems start at the top. I will have very little respect for anyone that will let Sund and the ASG off the hook for this mess.

tune me out

November 24th, 2010
9:15 am

The Hawks are just a bad team; my guess is about 38 wins and no play-offs. It is pretty sad when you see that the NJ Nets now have better talent and especially more depth. They are also better coached. I feel sorry for this Drew character. His performance is no different than anyone else who is thrust into a job he is not qualified for. Trading Josh Smith would be the best thing that could happen for the Hawks. You can’t build a team around a guy who loafs as much as he does, and pouts about every official call. I will check in with the Hawks again next spring and see if they can get to the 38 wins.

ILL-Logical

November 24th, 2010
9:17 am

Better effort but still nom cigar.

JM

November 24th, 2010
9:18 am

moBmo hit the nail on the head. Way too soft. Time for Etan to get out of the suit and land some hard fouls. Between Zaza and Etan, there should be a no layup rule. Al Horford is showing me that he doesnt want to play center anymore. Shaq and Lopez had it way to easy with his soft D. And I would like to see more post ups out of him and Josh.

The number one issue, however, remains the D. LD has to get them to play better defense or its time to blow up the “core”.

jon

November 24th, 2010
9:19 am

I was there last nite. EMBARRESSING!

STRETCH

November 24th, 2010
9:25 am

I really love Josh Smith’s physical approach and then again i hate his mental approach. Some say it would be crazy to trade him, some say its way past time to trade him.

I love what he does for the team, but i hate what he does to the team. Great athelete, terrible leader. People on here are always talking about he’s good for the team, but what about how he hurts the team?

Right now the nucleus is bad and it might get better, but I DONT SEE IT HAPPENING. Time to trade him.

GrymmDaReaper

November 24th, 2010
9:26 am

NOW would you made the trade superbust Marvin Williams for Shaq. Crap man, centers can not wait to come in the highlight factory to boost their fantasy numbers. By the way my wife has Brook Lopez on her fantasy team, she says thanks Sund.I know Teague jumper is broke like my chase account, but please start him anyway. Gotta be better defence than Bibby. P.S. reminder..We picked Marvin Williams over CP3 and Deron Williams

julius

November 24th, 2010
9:33 am

The hawks suck ass, they pay nickels and dimes for a coach and those are the results they get. They don’t have a true center Al is a great player but he needs help, bibby sucks he’s too old can’t play defense and u pay him all this money, marvin he’s a bust, zaza is just garbage. The ownership has always been cheap. Hey ASG if you want to win u have to spend money if u don’t have it look for investors am pretty sure there are plenty in the city. But seriously look to trade bibby, zaza, and marving williams, and get a good center

Double Zero Eight

November 24th, 2010
9:38 am

Bob Weiss = Lon Kruger = Larry Drew
The three are interchangeable any synonymous with mediocrity.
This group of players needed a veteran and proven NBA coach.

Double Zero Eight

November 24th, 2010
9:40 am

My previous post should have “and” instead of any on line 2.

Bama Brave

November 24th, 2010
9:45 am

Joe Johnson Is A JOKE. A ball hog and WASTE OF MONEY!!!!!!!!!

O'Brien

November 24th, 2010
9:50 am

Except for Devin Harris and Brook Lopez, who else do the Nets have that are considered really good players?

Mike is back,

Josh is part of the problem. But he is a big part of the solution. He does many things well, and the mistakes he makes can be corrected, so I dont think he should be traded either.

JJ is a vet, but he is not a leader. And I dont think Bibby is a leader either. Bibby’s comments after the game?

“As long as we stay together, we will be all right,” said Bibby, stoic as always. “You lose some games. You can’t win all 82. We’ve got a lot of games left. We can’t get down.”.

SteveW

November 24th, 2010
10:00 am

Man, I sure am glad we didn’t sign Shaq or Dampier when we had the chance. Etan, Collins, and Powell wouldn’t be able to keep the low post occupied in such an unbelievable way on a nightly basis – not!!!

Our depth – Teague – no clue yet, but I’m hopeful for a couple of years down the road.
Jamal – OK – but is it time to trade him?
Mo – OK
Bigs – bad on a nightly basis, including ZaZa most nights.
JC2 – Not ready for consistent prime time – but we may have a keeper for the future.

Starters – Bibby – Old and slow – but playing decent ball on Offense.
JJ – Hurt
Marvin – Pitiful – but somehow or +/- is good with him in the game many times.
Josh – All Star
Al – All-Star

Chemistry – LD has lost control of this team it seems.

Prognosis – It doesn’t look good – we may make the playoffs – hope so. We may even make some noise when we get there, who knows?

SteveW

November 24th, 2010
10:09 am

I’m almost wondering – is it time to keep Josh (with no jumpers – bring back Woody!!!), and Al – and trade everybody else to compliment them?

Can we get a real PG, a good backup C/PF, and some tough SG/SF types by trading Teague, Bibby, JJ (after Dec. 15th), Jamal, Marvin, and ZaZa? It’s almost, but maybe not quite time to rebuild. Sund may better get into position to trade!!

moBmo

November 24th, 2010
10:10 am

it will take time for the offense to come along. the guys are still learning the ins and outs of the new scheme. but the D should not take time, it is all about effort. try one of those shock collars on the players and if they are standing up and not in defensive position shock the s–t out of them till they get a clue. if you look at the players most of the time they are just standing there. not in a defensive stance ready to go where needed in a nano second like they should be. must be nice to be paid millions to stand around and watch the other team shoot and rebound uncontested. You can see the other team get defensive rebounds and there is not a Hawk on the TV screen, anywhere to be seen!

Mike is back

November 24th, 2010
10:16 am

For all you trade Josh folks…what’s make you so sure…that Sund and ASG…want screw that too!@! lol

Hey, nobody on the Hawks team is untouchable…if it makes your team better…you should always be willing to listen to trades, and make trades.

I guess trading Josh will make JJ all sudden start playing like a Super Star…and Give Bibby some mobility back…and improve Jamal’s defense…Cuz these are the guys that 90% is offense is designed for…this team is still a perimeter oriented offense…which leads to poor transitional defense…How do trading Josh fix that????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????
When we were committed to the motion offense…life was good…now that we have reverted back to the heavy ISOs…not so much…In fact…right now it stinks!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!just saying.

J from the A

November 24th, 2010
10:21 am

So, Joe sucks and is a ball hog? Well, he still leads the team in assists per game and points per game. He is the only one of the guards that can play defense, and he is often asked to cross-match against the other team’s best offensive player, whether that other player be a PG, a SG, or a SF.

Yes, offensively, he has had a few off nights. However, like him or not, Joe is still the Hawks best all-around player.

Mike is back

November 24th, 2010
10:36 am

I had some bleeps on in that last post…but you get what I’m saying. LD has basically reverted back to running the same offense as Woody.

We are always going to have problem with transition defense…as long as we are a perimeter oriented defense. I like and respect both Bibby and Jamal…but their defensive deficiencies’ are magnified when they are both on the floor at the same time…Well coached teams are going to exploit that matchup…you can count it.

DAChef

November 24th, 2010
10:49 am

Perhaps if Mr. Sund would make the EFFORT there are some available players that can help this team with one of their weakness REBOUNDING and protecting the lane as in Earl Clark who can be had for little or nothing in PHX…Mr. Sund you can”t continue to have a blind eye, ear or nose to the urgent needs of this team..Earl Clark could help in some areas but so much more is warranted…Let us see your EFFORT Mr. Sund.

Mike is back

November 24th, 2010
10:57 am

OB, I agree…most of Josh issues are correctable…the comments from Bibby are starting to sound like a broken record.

I respect Bibby for what he’s meant to the Hawks…I pass on taking shots at him…because in Bibby’s case…it is physical limitations that is slowing him down…the effort is there…ole father time catches up with all of us…why not go with Mo in some situations…instead of always going with Jamal…Heck, if it fails…you are still getting same results…A BIG L. Go Figure!!

AG

November 24th, 2010
11:07 am

time for a change. I know everyone was happy that we got rid of Woodson. I was to, but I did not want to get his assistant. We have to shake it up. I agree, get Etan in shape and bench Marvin. Bench Bibby as well…. what do we have to lose?

Sautee

November 24th, 2010
11:18 am

GrymmDaReaper,

You said this: “Crap man, centers can not wait to come in the highlight factory to boost their fantasy numbers.”

Well, maybe that goes for centers who haven’t played there yet. Because, of the ones who HAVE played at the Highlight Factory, only Shaq and Al Jefferson have even broken into double figures. I’m not sure what your point is, but here;s how opposing centers have done so far:

10/30 J. McGee 7 pts
11/3 B. Wallace 0 pts
11/7 R. Lopez 7 pts
11/10 A. Bogut 8 pts
11/12 A. Jefferson 15 pts
11/14 D. Milicic 2 pts
11/20 T. Chandler 8 pts
11/22 S. O’Neal 13 pts

I don’t see a lot of Fantasy numbers there, do you?

No Woody for Me

November 24th, 2010
11:24 am

You had a modestly successful team and coach. You changed one element (the coach) and it looks like he was not the problem. So, you now know that it is the players, and you can move on to making changes in the roster. Oops, no you can’t because you have sewn up this rogue’s gallery for several years with long-term, above-market salaries.

We need to bring back Billy Knight so he can make more trades for the Hawks’ perennial MVP of the 1990s, i.e. Mr. “CapSpace

rusty

November 24th, 2010
11:32 am

if jj is our best player when the hell is he going to play decent ball,he wasnt our best player last year. it seems that that a lot of players on the opposing teams out play him & most of them arent even stars.

tidog

November 24th, 2010
11:52 am

The slump and sloeful play may be the beginning of Teague earning the starting spot officially by December. This could be a very good thing for if LD has faith in Teague.

SteveW

November 24th, 2010
12:12 pm

Stats:

Jason Collins is averaging 3.5 Rebounds per 36 minutes.

With 18.3% of the season gone, JJ’s PER is 15.5, down from 19.5 last year.

Jamal’s PER is 14.5, down from 18.5 last year

Teague averages more steals per game than Bibby, playing less than half the time.

Teague averages almost 5 times as many Blocks per game as C Josh Powell, playing less minutes.

Teague averages 3 times as many Blocks per game as C Jason Collins, playing less than 5 mpg more.

Both Teague and Jordan Crawford have a better PER than Marvin

Teagues Blocks per minute is almost identical to ZaZa’s.

Jordan Crawford average more Steals per game than Marvin, playing about 1/3 of Marvin’s minutes. Teague more than doubles Marvins Steals per game, playing about 1/2 the minutes.

Josh Smith has already shot 11 more 3’s than he shot all of last season.

Josh is down from last year in: PPG, RBG, APG, and Shooting %

Teague averages almost twice as many Steals per minutes played than JJ, and almost 3x as many Steals per minutes played as Horford.

The Hawks have lost 7 of 9, and have played one of the easiest schedules in the League.

JJ has never shot 3’s this bad (25.8%).

JJ is having his worst shooting year since ‘02-’03.

He is having his worst scoring year since Phoenix in ‘04-’05.

Conclusion, Men – we’re in trouble!

jlewis

November 24th, 2010
12:15 pm

Blame Joe all you want, the problems are with Josh Smith, he drains the energy from the team. The article from peachtree sums it up great.

SteveW

November 24th, 2010
12:19 pm

More stats:

Jamal has not averaged this low in points (13.6) since ‘02-03 with Chicago. Not good in a contract year for a 30 year old SG. Maybe Sund was smarter than we think not signing him yet.

We are 26th in the League in rebounding.

Ken Strickland

November 24th, 2010
12:24 pm

NAJEH-you’re correct, it’s not looking too good for the Hawks, at least not for the 1st 15gms of an 82gm season. While the Hawks are currently having problems, at least they weren’t predicted to win the NBA title like the struggling Miami Heat. I can’t say much about the last 2 gms since I didn’t get to see either. However, based on the results, I don’t think I missed much.

After reading some of the comments, it seems the blog has been inundated by people who were silent during the Hawks 6gm winning streak. But they seem have crawled out of hiding to launch one tirade after another during their troubles. The Hawks and LDrew are going through adjustment and growing pains. He has to get certain players to rethink what they’ve become accustomed to doing, thinking, and expecting for the last 5-6yrs. Making the adjustment from Woodson, and the way he did and handled things is more mental than anything else, and that’s always the hardest part or any adjustment.

The much hyped Miami Heat are struggling just as much as we are, but I don’t see any of the those, who spent the entire off season proclaiming them the next NBA champs, saying a word about the cause(s) of their struggles. What about their poor interior DEF, poor PG play, or sudden struggles on DEF? In fact, didn’t they replace 6′9″ JAnthony with 7′3″ Ilgoukas as their starting center? AND AREN’T THEY STRUGGLING NOW MORE THAN BEFORE? I guess the idea shared by some, of getting bigger and taller at center, doesn’t automatically make things better does it. Even for a team with as much talent as the Miami Heat.

There have been several comments made in the past about micro managing. Well, that’s exactly what some of you are doing when you judge the talent, potential and capabilities of the Hawks based on the results of short winning or losing streaks. I don’t see anyone making the same negative projections and predictions of doom and gloom about the Miami Heat, based on their current struggles. THE HAWKS WILL DO JUST FINE OVER THE COURSE OF THE “ENTIRE” SEASON.

SteveW

November 24th, 2010
12:24 pm

For LD to get this team back, I think he’s going to have to go back to Iso-Joe and Jamal. I think the players need their confidence back, and that’s how they have won in the past.

Somewhere, Woody is smiling……

SteveW

November 24th, 2010
12:25 pm

And as good as Horford is, I think this year proves once and for all we have 2 very good Power Forwards on this team, and no Center.

lewis

November 24th, 2010
12:28 pm

hawks are lazy
they need switching d and iso joe // jamal so they can stand around most of the game

SteveW

November 24th, 2010
12:30 pm

KS – I think I was the one on this blog stating how the Heat had no PG or Inside play. And also made the observation that if Wade or Haslem got hurt, they would be toast. They happen to have Mike Miller out also.

If they sign Dampier, keep the Big 3 healthy, when Haslem and Miller get back they will be beasts, and Title Contenders. Mark it down.

But I also said if a team had good inside play, and a good PG, they would give the Heat fits. Also said they did not match up well with Boston at all. I think I was correct in those assesments.

But I’m with you, hoping the Hawks will be fine over the 82 games, and into the playoffs. I could see us making a run…

JustAThought

November 24th, 2010
12:30 pm

Oh well, there’s a thought…………focus on what the team down the road, around the corner or up the street, then it won’t hurt so bad. Is that what you are saying Ken?

JeJe

November 24th, 2010
12:35 pm

I’LL GIVE AN AUTOGRAPHED J.SMOOVE JERSEY AND $200 IN CASH TO ANYONE ON HERE WHO CAN LIST ONE POSITIVE THING MARVIN CONTRIBUTES TO THIS TEAM AS A STARTER

JeJe

November 24th, 2010
12:40 pm

PEOPLE THROW AROUND THE WORD ACCOUNTABILITY, TRYING TO SOUND SMART LIKE THEY KNOW WHAT IT MEANS.

THIS IS WHAT ACCOUNTABILITY MEANS:

1) BENCH BIBBY IF HIS DEFENSE SUCKS. AS SOMEONE ELSE SAID, OTHER TEAMS WITH GOOD PGS OWN US. GIVE TEAGUE MORE MINUTES

2) DO NOT LET MARVIN PLAY 24 MINUTES IF HE SUCKS. 7 POINTS AND 2 REBOUNDS FROM A STARTING 6″9-6″10 SF? ARE U F’ING SERIOUS? AND WHO IS THE NETS’ SMALL FORWARD AGAIN?

STOP GIVING THIS GUY A FREE PASS. THERE’S ALWAYS SOMETHING – THAT HE’S YOUNG, THAT HE’S HURT. STFU. THE GUY IS GARBAGE

honest_abe

November 24th, 2010
12:46 pm

jj is at his best when he has the ball in his hands and the offense runs primarily through him. he just hasn’t looked in sync this year. having said that he doesn’t look like he spent the offseason going through a rigorous training program. i don’t blame him. why would he? he just got PAID!

i was never a big fan of the switching defense but i’m starting to see why woody used it all the time. as coach gattison pointed out yesterday our perimeter d is so bad that our frontcourt players have to step up leaving all kinds of open looks inside. bibby is serviceable when he’s shooting the ball well but he’s such a liability on defense that its counterproductive to have him on the floor. the effort on defense is sorely lacking. as many of you have already pointed out and it has been brought up many times on this blog josh smith is a great help defender but he doesn’t give enough effort on every play. he lags and mopes when calls don’t go his way. he doesn’t run back on d. and he always gets blown by when he tries to go out and guard someone on the perimeter. he doesn’t guard pick and rolls well. so overall josh smith is average at best as a defender. horford is undersized and it shows on most nights. marvin and jj have been the best defenders from a pure effort standpoint but when you only have two guys giving it all they got on defense the results just aren’t going to be pretty.

i don’t think LD is a horrible coach. it’s too early to make a conclusion one way or another. but i will say this the discipline on this team is bad. it was bad enough when josh brings the ball up and turns it over but now we horford trying to play the point as well. who and what is going to take to nail into these cats that they are most effective filling the lanes on a break. i’ve already seen horford and josh turn it over on numerous occasions this year trying to be lebron james. there’s only one lebron and those two don’t come close to imitating him.

when all is said and done the hawks will still be one of the top 6 teams in the east. the ceiling is the 2nd round for these hawks and nothing was done to change that in the offseason. i’ve been to more exciting funerals than phillips arena this year.

need to trade josh smith now. his lackadaisical attitude and low basketball iq kill this team!

JustAThought

November 24th, 2010
12:47 pm

Hey Ken! Here go buddy, knock yourself out……..even tho it’s a link to the MIAMI HERALD (which is only a minor co-winky dinky). ENJOY!

http://blogs.herald.com/random_evidence/2010/11/letdown-city-what-is-miamis-most-disappointing-team-with-poll.html

Geemack

November 24th, 2010
12:53 pm

The difference between the Miami Heat and the Hawks is the Heat have 4 guys from that 09-10 team. The Hawks brought back basically the same roster.

yessir

November 24th, 2010
12:55 pm

@Ken this a Hawks blog not Heat!!!!! Fire LD

JustAThought

November 24th, 2010
1:04 pm

I’m not sure if LD has what it takes to make this team play defense. Woody had to “dog” these guys into playing defense (and I understand that….it ain’t “sexy” to be a great defensive player), so with that being the mindset of this team, he “dog” them to play better defense. This what they are doing now is what you get without Woody. LD is not going to gain these guys respect until he does something to shake them up. They play like they are just going thru the motions, no urgency and no energy. They should have destroyed the Nets last night, but when the game started and the Nets made the first move to take ownership of the floor, the hawks didn’t even respond. It was like oh well, we’ll let you guys drag us thru this game, and if “YOU” slip……..I guess we will take it, but at the end the Net had their confidence up.

Fundamentals

November 24th, 2010
1:06 pm

On the heat blog 47% of the fans say the Heat are Miami’s biggest flop this year. Wonder how many Hawks fans would vote the Hawks a flop compared to the Braves and Falcons….99.9%?

Fundamentals

November 24th, 2010
1:10 pm

Ken, I have to admit it, but I don’t think I crept out of a crack. I let my 99% full glass spill last night. Not sure what’s left. Not sure if I even want it anymore.

Face it folks, our team doesn’t care. They don’t want to win. They’re playing selfish, lazy basketball for the $$. They don’t listen to LD, they don’t want to play defense.

Will a new coach, owners, GM or even new players fix the problem? Hard question when the cancer has spread so far. It’s time for the entire organization to meet and decide who stays, who goes and who will unite towards a goal, and who they want to lead them there.

To date, no one in this organization is stepping up.

Fundamentals

November 24th, 2010
1:15 pm

Win or lose it’s time to:

Start Teague
Start Jordan till Joe is 100%
Move Smoove to SF
Move Al to PF
Reward Collins for actually coming in ready.

2nd Unit
Bibby
Jamal
Mo
Marvin/Powell
ZaZa/ Etan

See what they can produce, be ready to deal folks in Feb. Can’t be worse than 2-7.

Section 303

November 24th, 2010
1:17 pm

Ken, keep the Heat out of this (or any other team, for that matter). There is not a team in the league that is having the effort related problems that the Hawks are. So, yeah, the Heat may be losing right now, but they are trying at least. They are just not as good as everyone thought.

As for the Hawks….how inspiring! I am so inspired by a$$holes making millions patting themselves on the back for giving effort. That’s wonderful! That’s why I buy season tickets every year…just so I will be there for the games these d-bags decide to try in (tongue firmly in cheek, by the way).

Section 303

November 24th, 2010
1:18 pm

Fundamentals, I’m all for shaking up the playing group. But, I beg of you, no Jeff Teague minutes. He is terrible (and don’t give any of this bullsh#t about him needing more time. He sucks.).

If I never see Jeff Teague play again, it will be too soon.

O'Brien

November 24th, 2010
1:26 pm

Geemack,

Exactly. Heat are breaking in a bunch of new guys (and some of them are really old), including one (LbJ) who needs the ball a lot. Plus they have dealt with injuries to Mike Miller, Wade, and now Haslem.

What’s the Hawks excuse? Missing Marvin and Mo? I think we lost 2 games without them. But we have had the same starting lineup for almost 3 years, and we cannot put all the blame on Woody.

We’re learning a new motion offense, and stop switching on defense, but that has very little to do with our issues.

It has nothing to do with playing with Energy (I’m sure Woody would tell them to play with energy). It has nothing to do with rebounding (I’m sure Woody would tell them they need to rebound better), and it has nothing to do with defense (I’m sure Woody would tell them to defend better).

I’m not worried about LD, I’m worried about the players and their mentality. LD is trying, but the players are tuning him out like they tuned Woody out. And if they dont get it together by the trade deadline, then Rick needs to make a move.

Hawks are 17th in ppg, 26th in rebounds per game, and 14th in points allowed. Unacceptable.

JeJe

November 24th, 2010
1:27 pm

“”They told me that it was all false,” Smith said Monday in an interview with FanHouse about the trade rumors. “That they want to keep this team and this nucleus together because they feel we have something special going.””

LOL! SOMETHING SPECIAL GOING? WHAT? LOSING?

THESE IDIOTS GAVE DUCK A CONTRACT AND WON’T GET RID OF HIM
GOOD LORD

AG

November 24th, 2010
1:28 pm

reading what Avery said about his team, you wish LD would one day say about the Hawks “I love being with these guys everyday, they put their hearts in this game.” Also, keeping the nucleus together were based on Teague improving and Williams doing well under LD. NEITHER has happended so if management will not make trades, you have to shake up the lineup

O'Brien

November 24th, 2010
1:30 pm

Ken S, Fundamentals,

We will know a lot more about the Hawks in December, because our road schedule gets rough.

In december, we play @Miami, @Orlando,@Spurs, @Boston, @New Orleans, @Milwaukee, @OKC and a home game vs Orlando.

At the end of december, we should have a pretty good idea of where the Hawks stand. If they struggle in December, then Rick should make a move January 1.

JeJe

November 24th, 2010
1:32 pm

THE HEAT WON’T WIN A RING THIS YEAR OR NEXT YEAR BUT THEY WILL IMPROVE. WE ARE GETTING WORSE

Broken wing

November 24th, 2010
1:36 pm

First nobody in the NBA has played defense since the 1980’s, the Hawks including I block 2 or 3 shots a game Josh Smith do not play defense.

Fundamentals

November 24th, 2010
1:37 pm

303 – I agree Teague isn’t seeming to pan out. We need to know what we have 100% by Feb. Throw him in the fire. Pray he surprises you. At least he’ll play D. If not Teague start Jordan at PG w/ Mo and Jamal at SG. Rest Joe till he’s 100%. Give him no excuses when he comes back except the 124 million dollar “burden” he’ll have to carry.

It’s not about win/loss now it’s about seeing what you have and where they want to play 100%. Fill your slots, trade for what you need in Feb.

Right now we’re praying this team gels and makes the playoffs. W/O some change we’re destined to completely implode.

Joe, Al, Josh can forget any aspirations of being an All-Star. They can’t even handle being a Captain on this team.

I’m with you JeJe. Marvin just doesn’t fit in here. He should’ve taken over when Joe and Jamal were down. Instead he’s horrible.

JeJe

November 24th, 2010
1:39 pm

IF U WANNA TALK ABOUT GOOD BENCHES, LOOK AT BOSTON

OR DALLAS….HAYWOOD, JASON TERRY, AND MARION COMING OFF BENCH (AND BAREA)

WE GOT JAMAL AND SCRUBS

O'Brien

November 24th, 2010
1:40 pm

Section 303,

This is only Teague’s second year, so I think its too early to give up on him. I have not been impressed by his play so far, but this is essentially his rookie season, so I’m willing to wait until the end of the season to see how he does.

However, if Rick can make a move to bring in a better PG, I will be all for it. Its interesting that around the league, some of the best PGs in the game have solid backups.

Deron Williams has a solid backup in Earl Watson, Chris Paul has a solid backup in Jarrett Jack, Derrick Rose has a solid backup in CJ Watson, Tony Parker has George Hill.

But we’re stuck with Bibby and Teague, despite the fact that PG play is one of the most important positions on the court.

Fundamentals

November 24th, 2010
1:43 pm

O’Brien – even IND has Collison & Ford. Sad thing is we’d be happy with most teams back-up PG starting while we pray Teague can make it. If the rest of the team was settled I could see it, but with such unrest, Teague is doomed. He has no chance of running this team, b/c right now the best PG in the world couldn’t make sense of this nonsense.

honest_abe

November 24th, 2010
1:48 pm

the veterans don’t respect teague. one example against boston al rebounds teague is ahead of him calling for the ball. al ignores him and chooses to dribble it himself up the court. the play results in a turnover. whenever teague comes in the game he calls for the ball whether it be after a rebound or after a made basket but the problem is none of the veterans give him the ball. when he does get it he tries to do too much. always trying to put his personal stamp on the game instead of letting it come to him. this usually results in turnovers and ugly shot attempts. i dont’ know what the solution is but it might start with the attitude of the players…..

Fundamentals

November 24th, 2010
1:56 pm

honest_abe – proof that everyone is playing selfish basketball instead of their role. In the first 6 games things were shakey, but they stuck to their roles and ended up winning alot of close games. Now they just do whatever they want.

Teague does try too hard. All we need is solid D, and get it over mid court. It shouldn’t be that hard. Quit trying to make the all rookie team. You missed your chance last year! Now you’re hoping to prove something before the end of next year.

Like all the others. Teague thinks he has to do something spectacular. All we need is old school dirty work…the basic fundamentals of good winning basketball.

jimmymack

November 24th, 2010
2:07 pm

The Hawks have problems all over and a trade might be the only solution. The point guard with Bibby at the helm is to slow on defense and Teague on offense is lost(maybe we can DH Teague).
The off guard position needs psycho therapy, Joe inflated contract and a new offense that wants him to play like a regular Joe and Jamal wants a contract like Joe and a new offense that wants him to play like a regular Joe(pass and move forget about the open shot). The power forward position with Josh who came out this year ready to do business as team player unfortunately the team is not a team. The small forward with Marvin Williams don’t have time to make comments(TOO MANY). Last but not least the center position with Al I want to be the leader(supported by AJC writers)but I keep getting treated like a boy against man on defense end of the court that I can’t back up my wishes to be a leader.

honest_abe

November 24th, 2010
2:08 pm

fundamentals: i hear you. first six games the were trying to buy into LD’s system. the d still stunk but they had enough movement on offense to win some games against lesser opponents. but once they lost a game they got away from the concepts entirely. now they just look lost.

the problem with teague is everyone wants and expects him to be a chris paul. everybody’s sayin he needs to dominate when he comes into the game. physically he has the attributes to be a strong contributor. but mentally i think he’s a mess. he doesn’t know when he needs to try to score and when he needs to be aggressive. you made a good point that this year is more like a rookie year for him but he needs to mature fast. seeing him a few weeks ago against milwaukee dancing on the bench showed me he has a long way to go. he needs to slow down, like you said play solid d and attack on offense but learn to get others involved.

biggest thing though. josh smith needs to get the boot.

JeJe

November 24th, 2010
2:15 pm

LOL honest_abe and Fundamentals are exactly right.

Teague makes a mistake last year and people get pissed because he isn’t a superstar like we want him to be.

However, we don’t have time to watch players develop. It’s about now. We need to start playing defense or make a trade or this will be a longggggggggggggggggggggggggggggg season. Just look at our schedule at beginning of December.

We have to face John Wall tomorrow night then @NYK and @TOR (b2b)

honest_abe

November 24th, 2010
2:23 pm

at least we can be thankful for the ASG… heh

O'Brien

November 24th, 2010
2:43 pm

I’ve also noticed that over the last few games, we’re running more ISO JJ and ISO Jamal…more than we did earlier in the season. But with JJ and Jamal struggling, the ISOS are not working.

As for the PG issue, that’s a fair point. Josh is another one too, where when he gets the rebound, he dribbles the ball up the court. The good thing is him and Al really dont turn it over that much on the break, and they are good passers.

But I would like to see them give the ball to the PG more, and race down court to setup in the paint. Same thing with Jamal. He keeps the ball on rebounds, and too often, Teague is quick to give it up to him once he crosses half-court.

Looking back, Hawks would have been better off (right now) if they had drafted Collison instead of Teague.

Fundamentals

November 24th, 2010
2:53 pm

December will validate it is a LLLLLLLOOOOOOOONNNNNNNNGGGGGGG season. With our current roster we have to committ to growing a few of the players if we intend to survive. We need Jordan, Teague and even Sy to hope to compete in the face of adversity/injury late in the season…or we better be looking for trades or 10-day prospects. Don’t laugh at the mention of Sy. I know what everyone will say.

Point is we don’t have superstars. We have several who think they are, but no real items. We need honest, 100% hard work from all our players if we intend to even come close to meeting last year’s run…and hopefully show we can actually compete. Right now I see us as hoping to make the playoffs. Something folks said at season’s start that I didn’t believe. Right now I’m a believer.

Teague and Jordan need court time to fail so they can grow. As do all the Hawks if they would buy into the system. If they are going to refuse, someone has to go.

I still say it ain’t Drew’s fault. If we lost all those games giving 100% we could blame it on the system and LD. They’ll have to prove that one to me to show me LD is the problem.

Samuel

November 24th, 2010
3:00 pm

Ken,
You been hiding like “Ya Boy” LD did after last night’s game huh. How long are you gonna use Woody as an excuse? Looks like your Eastern Conference Contenders(LOL!!) have tuned that “slick talking” LD out already. Yea, it’s early but we’ve had one of the weakest schedules in the league thus far and are barely above your “half full” glass of water.LOL!!

Speaking of “half full” guys, look on the bright side. At least with this losing streak we don’t have to read Ken’s novel anymore about how great LD is, how Teague was gonna take Bibby’s spot, ect,ect,ect……. LOL!!

Fundamentals

November 24th, 2010
3:06 pm

What’s your solution Samuel? Where do we go? Give us a scenario? Not to bash, just ideas right now.

terrell

November 24th, 2010
3:08 pm

This thing started off bad. LD should’ve NEVER named 3 captains. NEVER! Joe and Josh couldn’t lead their way out of a ……… I’ll let you guys fill in the blank. lol!

honest_abe

November 24th, 2010
3:10 pm

U came on here to write that sam? What a waste of space. Woody was unimagininative and intellectually lacking as a head coach.. Even though the hawks are struggling nobodys calling for mr. potato head to come back except for ur pea brained self. Why dont u implement woodys dynamic offense to your own team?

Jamal and Marvin

November 24th, 2010
3:10 pm

We wanna be captains too.

northcyde

November 24th, 2010
3:12 pm

Ken . . people weren’t silent during the 6 game winning streak. There were major warning signs even then about this team.

Remember, this team had an absolutely horrific preseason in which the defense was already showing signs of lacking. It wasn’t until the Miami game in which minds were eased somewhat. Even NBA.com did a little blurb on us and New Orleans, and how at that time, we only had 1 preseason win ( which usually meant that the team was not making the playoffs ).

People were concerned even during the win streak, because we should’ve been destroying those teams, instead of playing toe to toe with them, before pulling away. Plus we were catching some of those teams without key players in the lineup . . and still struggling to put them away.

The problem is that people, including yourself, were convined that the former coach was the main problem, and that a new offense, with no switching defense, would fix everything. That Teague would step up and take the PG position from Bibby. That our bench would play markedly better. That Marvin would play up to his potential within the new offense.

Nah Ken . . . the only thing that’s happening on the blog now, is that the sweet “red” Kool-Aid that everyone had been drinking over the summer, has now turned into the salt water ryou gargle in when we lost a tooth as kids.

Had Woody lost 7 of 9 games last November, but still been above .500, people would’ve been calling for his head on a platter.

People aren’t going to be sympathetic to a freefalling 8 – 7 Hawks team in 2010, when we were 11 – 4 and rolling in 2009.

terrell

November 24th, 2010
3:13 pm

Obrien, we’d be better off if we woulda took Horford and Noah, instead of Horford and Acie. All we had to do was move up 1 spot. lol!

Fundamentals

November 24th, 2010
3:13 pm

Until the playoffs Woodson actually had the team motivated and meeting expectations. In his defense we have to grant him that.

Problem is, under LD and Woodson we can’t stop a quick PG, we can’t defend legit centers and we don’t have anyone who can defend w/o help. A bad team with a good game plan can pick either coach’s team apart night after night. Is it the system or is the players?

JeJe

November 24th, 2010
3:14 pm

WE HAVE 3 YEARS LEFT OF MARVIN AFTER THIS YEAR. AND THE FINAL YEAR IS A PLAYER OPTION

IN OTHER WORDS, HE CAN DECIDE IF HE WANTS TO MAKE 8MILLION HIS LAST SEASON OR TEST THE FREE AGENCY WATERS, SINCE HE’S SUCH A HOT COMMODITY RIGHT NOW

I HEAR THE HEAT OFFERED LEBRON STRAIGHT UP FOR MARVIN

Fundamentals

November 24th, 2010
3:18 pm

I bet Marvin does the same as Mo. Harp about his free agent value, gripe about being under-utilized and under appreciated, yet at the moment of truth taking the option only to gripe some more. Problem is he knew full well we really had no real role for Mo on this team. Marvin will repeat this scenario. He and Mo will still be sharing the SF load as part of our core or nucleus.

Fundamentals

November 24th, 2010
3:20 pm

My entirely full glass has spilled. I decided last night to knock it over. It’s cracked, leaking and in need of repair, possibly even a new glass. What should I do…

terrell

November 24th, 2010
3:22 pm

Dont remind us JJ.

northcyde

November 24th, 2010
3:23 pm

I disagree O’Brien.

The Hawks would’ve been better off drafting Dejuan Blair, when that dude started to freefall through the draft. That was a top 10 talent that was falling to us. But the obsession of obtaining a PG trumped that.

Now Popovich and San Antonio look like damn geniuses AGAIN, for finding a big time talent in the 2nd round.

But it’s not that San Antonio is that much smarter than everyone else. It’s that 70% of the GMs in this league are absolute idiots.

We just happen to have one of the bigger idiots of the bunch.

terrell

November 24th, 2010
3:23 pm

Marvin might reach his potential in his 10th year? Never know. lol!

Samuel

November 24th, 2010
3:25 pm

Fundamentals,
First of all, we need to trade either Al or Josh for a “good” center. I like both players but we will not be a serious contender without a force in the middle. We need to put some feelers out there to see what we can get back. Both of them are good PF’s so we should be able to get one,maybe two starters for either.

This team really doesn’t have a lot of good NBA “players”. We’re athletic but not good real players with real good IQ’s. Bibby, Al, both Crawfords and that’s about it. Athleticism can only take you so far in this league.

My core:
Al or Josh. Not both
JJ
Jordan Crawford
and that’s about it. Everybody else is up for moving.
Since we got LD, we may as well keep him the rest of the year but he’s not the answer I don’t think. I believe this season is all but over for all intents and purposes. We “MIGHT” make the playoffs but even if we do, we will lose the first round for sure.

JeJe

November 24th, 2010
3:27 pm

MIAMI’S centers: Ilgauskas, Joel Anthony, Juwan, Magloire, Dampier
I’m sure bibby could beat all 5 of those guys in a mile run

terrell

November 24th, 2010
3:28 pm

“Until the Playoffs Woodson actually had the team motivated”.lol! Guess we better give LD at least that much time then.

JeJe

November 24th, 2010
3:37 pm

HOW CAN DREW CLAIM THERE’S ACCOUNTABILITY INVOLVED IF MARVIN AND BIBBY ARE STILL STARTING AFTER 4 YEARS OF FAILURE

JeJe

November 24th, 2010
3:41 pm

WHAT THIS TEAM NEEDS IS A COACH NOT AS CLOSE WITH THE PLAYERS WHO WILL HOLD THEM ACCOUNTABLE

THIS MEANS NOT PLAYING PLAYERS WHO SUCK (BIBBY AND MARVIN)

Fundamentals

November 24th, 2010
3:45 pm

Terrell, I meant the team actually played up to expectations set by Sund & Woodson. They won the games they were supposed to. Now they just don’t try.

True JeJe – Dude should be sitting Marvin and even JJ down this year. Bibby is giving all he can this year, but that’s just not enough night in and night out. We need youth, we need speed.

Fundamentals

November 24th, 2010
3:48 pm

Thanks for the plan Samuel. I can see your points. I’d be a bit more conservative, but merit your attempt as a viable solution. I’d be tempted to keep Smoove and Al using them at SF and PF, but realize you’d lose the trade value it would take to bring in the types of folks your plan would need. I look forward with too much sentiment. I love this team. I’ve seen it’s potential…and yet I’m so lost for what to think. Oh yeah…I’m embarrassed to be a fan. Definitely will be at Thanksgiving listening to my brothers pound “I told you so” in over and over again like I’m an idiot for believing. Guess I am.

Fundamentals

November 24th, 2010
3:50 pm

Have a good Thanksgivng folks…I’m headed home & out into the woods. At least there I won’t have to Fear the Deer!

JoJo the Godfather

November 24th, 2010
4:15 pm

Josh Smith & Mike Bibby for Danny Granger & Jeff Foster…Indiana would have their young front line set with Josh Smith & Roy Hibbert (Paul George drafted this year as future SF).

Jamal Crawford for Kirk Hinrich.

Hinrich, Johnson, Granger, Horford, Pachulia
Teague/Crawford, Evans, Williams, Powell, Foster/Collins

south25

November 24th, 2010
4:29 pm

The Hawks would not pay the money for Avery Johnson to coach them, but those idots they call owners payed Joe Johnson like he was the second coming of Michael Jordan. Hope the group sells the team to a dedicated owner what a joke the ownership group is – a ship of fools.

Samuel

November 24th, 2010
4:46 pm

At this point, I would lean towards trading Josh. Even though I think he’s the biggest “game changer” we have, he is just too volatile and emotionally draining for our situation. He’s probably our best player but like I said, he and Al together are not a good mix right now. I don’t know if it’s competition to be the local young star or what but it aint working. Josh will probably go on to a great organization and become an all star and we’ll have some regrets but for now, I would lean towards trading him. He’s like a Rodman or Artest that needs a Kobe or Jordan to keep him straight.
We also need a defensive minded PG who can score. Bibby can still help us with his leadership and shooting ability but we need another PG. I’m sure you know that i’m not sold on Teague. I can’t stand Guards who can’t shoot.

I would say start with these names and see what happens.

A Bynum- I know he’s injured a lot but he’s worth the risk
J McGee. It maybe too late on him. Wizards have a gem.
Perkins and Robinson

I know these guys are coming off injuries but they would be worth the gamble.

O'Brien

November 24th, 2010
5:33 pm

Northcyde,

One reason I think PG was the way to go is because bibby was not getting any younger, so we would need a replacement soon. And I think its easier to find a backup PF in free agency.

Samuel,

I’m torn on the Josh vs al. But I would do is pay for a Guy like Chandler or dalembert to come here.

That way, we would have a frontcourt rotation of al, Josh and Chandler or dalembert. That way we would not need a backup PF because al would get minutes at center and backup PF.

And I would go cheap at SF (get rid of Marvin), because I would give Josh minutes at PF and backup SF. Plus JJ can play minutes at backup SF too.

But Sund and the ASG will not spend the money to make That move. I would have taken Shaq this season to add to our frontcourt .

O'Brien

November 24th, 2010
5:41 pm

By the way, if I have to choose between al and Josh, I choose al. I agree with samuel here. The only way I choose Josh is if we have a superstar player or a great coach who can keep him in check, and help him take his game to the next level.

Woody, LD, and JJ are not able to control Josh. He is not a bad/selfish player, and I like his game a lot, but Josh tends to do whatever Josh wants to do. And when things are not going well, he hangs his head.

L-QUE

November 24th, 2010
5:43 pm

atlanta faithful dont abandon ship yet.if you saw the game you should have seen atlanta over matched 2 seven footers a 6/9 sf 2 three point shooters with both attacking the paint . they subbed the same way.there was a 6/9 forward guarding bibby. atlanta should have gone big bringing in collins instead we went smaller josh &al tried to work inside the nets were to big with no fear of our outside shot .without a penetrating guard we will be at the mercy of every team we play’ its clear to me the 6-0 start have fueled other teams to attack our weakness. which is over power the inside and stop JOE outside

terrell

November 24th, 2010
5:48 pm

JoJo, ANY team with Zaza as the starting center cant be good.

terrell

November 24th, 2010
5:52 pm

If we lose to Washington tomorrow, it’s going to get ugly around here. lol!

terrell

November 24th, 2010
5:54 pm

Wall 30pts/10 assists/8 reb in the new VISITORS highlight factory.

Ray

November 24th, 2010
5:55 pm

Looking at ESPN rumor mill they’ve already begun to talk about the hawks right now.

The LD situation and Joe’s hand as well.

Still I knew I shouldn’t have been too optimistic about this season there was something telling me that. Instead cause it was the hawks I chose to watch only to be disappointed 15 games in the season smh.

Grandad

November 24th, 2010
6:01 pm

Samuel

I’ve been right with Ken all along.
AND:
I’m right here, right now.
No-one’s hiding.

I believe in LD, and I continue to be a Hawks fan.
Same as Ken.
What’s to hide from?

Ray

November 24th, 2010
6:02 pm

@ terrell

It’s already ugly around here thing is NJ is a worse team than Washington their not as bad as the T-wolves or Detroit, but still their not as good as Washington.

Von

November 24th, 2010
6:04 pm

It’s times like these when I really wish that the Hawks would have selected a coach that was unfamiliar with the players, rather than a pushover assistant. That way, playing time, starting lineups, rotaitons, etc. would be based upon ability, on-court productivity, and work ethic, rather than favoritism and old habbits. When can we get a real coach? Also, when can we get some defensive-minded perimeter players so that we won’t constantly be having to play the blame game on defense?

Will ASG ever wake up and make a trade this season or find another coach?

northcyde

November 24th, 2010
6:10 pm

Samuel . . . trading Josh Smith for 2 players like that doesn’t help us get any closer to a championship.

A frontline of Bynum and Horford may be a good frontline to throw at people, but we’d still have major depth issues with the bench.

This team just lacks overall talent.

When I saw that only 6 Hawks had a positive +/- rating last year, and that everybody on that bench ( except Crawford ), didn’t even rank in the TOP 50 at their respective position, it told everything about our overall talent.

And when Sund did absolutely nothing to upgrade that bench talent, we can’t afford to have even one starter be off on his game, let alone 2.

That’s why I say that Drew is making a catastrophic mistake in holding Jordan Crawford back. Our bench talent is sorry. We can’t be holding anyone back that can possibly help us.

Before you trade Smith, you send him to the bench and tell him to play a Lamar Odom type role as a “super sub”. He gets his 30 – 35 minutes a game still, but he’s on the court during the middle part of games with the 2nd team, to help stabilize them defensively.

But for something like that to work, we’d still need to find a center that can at least defend and rebound, so that he can start, Al moves to the 4, and Smith becomes the super sub.

Not adding a decent center and big body like Shaq to this team was an absolute killer. Sund and the ASG ought to be ashamed of themselves for not making that move and paying Shaq what he deserved . . . even if that meant trading Marvin to get him.

Ben

November 24th, 2010
6:13 pm

I know this is a bit off-topic, but since the result helps the Hawks in the standings, who do you guys hope wins tonight? The Magic or the Heat?

Personally, I’m for the Magic, since a loss for the Heat will tie them with us, record-wise.

terrell

November 24th, 2010
6:14 pm

If we had Chris Paul at point, we wouldnt be talking about trading anybody. Wouldnt matter who was at sf and center, with CP3, JJ, and Josh Smith on the same team. Damm u Woody! You and your veteran pg’s.

terrell

November 24th, 2010
6:15 pm

We’d have a pg and a LEADER. Guess I’ll quit dreamin now. lol!

terrell

November 24th, 2010
6:20 pm

Ok BK, the long, athletic, hybrid thing didnt work. Can we go back to traditional now? lol!

Rip

November 24th, 2010
6:23 pm

terrell,

The “long, athletic hybrid thing” could work, at least on the offensive end, but our foolish coach has no idea how to use it. He’d rather manage the offense like we have nothing but flip murry and shooters on the floor.

Rip

November 24th, 2010
6:24 pm

RealSquawk

November 24th, 2010
6:38 pm

Whose team is this?

Al Horford is our best player and the only one on the team who has leadership ability judging from his post game comments, but it seems allowing Joe Johnson and Mike Bibby the freedom to do whatever they want is what this team is geared towards.

I though Drew was going to address this, but apparently not. He is much more like Woody than I thought he was going to be. I am not sure if I am more disturbed by their similarites or that Woody was so bad that someone completely overhauling his offensive philosophies doesn’t change how horrible his overall philosophies were.

Von

November 24th, 2010
6:44 pm

RealSquawk,

I agree with your 6:38 pm post, for the most part. I think it’s more of Joe Johnson, Jamal Crawford, and Josh Smith doing whatever they want out there, though, not necessarily Bibby. Bibby pretty much just defers to Joe and Jamal out there.

JeJe

November 24th, 2010
7:05 pm

Enter your comments here

JeJe

November 24th, 2010
7:05 pm

WHILE HE PROBABLY HATES MY GUTS, I THINK NORTHCYDE IS BY FAR, WITHOUT A DOUBT, THE BEST POSTER ON HERE.

THAT COMMENT ABOUT US LACKING TALENT AND THE +/- STATS IS SPOT ON

AND LD IS NOT BEING FIRED. ASG CAN’T AFFORD !@#$

L-QUE

November 24th, 2010
7:30 pm

i might be blind but i cant see or dont want to see some of the crap being written. we are not going to change this team .the shots that fell last year for JJ & JAMAL are not falling now the HAWKS ARE being over powered inside .LD HAS TO START COLLINS AGAIN .move josh back to sf .it dont make sense to play bibby jamal joe or teague at the same time with the other team playing 2/7footers and 6/9 sf with 6/5points &shooting guards you will always be on the bottom in rebounding.to help AL &JOSH-until JOE get it going we have to play all our bigs with powell subbing at sf.e.thomas needs playing time with our starters .let joe play the point some situations. we need help at point and inside.but for now pound it inside to al &josh with collins on the floor.use the bench instead complainting about not having one. boston wins it all. with 3point shooting and power inside lead by a good guard

Samuel

November 24th, 2010
7:39 pm

north,
If you are referring to the Perkins and Robinson idea, I think it does. In Perkins you have a center who is strong enough to bang with anybody and can score inside and rebound. That will also allow Al to move to the PF where he can work inside and out and more likely will stay out of foul trouble. He would instantly become one of the best PF in the league.

Nate Robinson is a definate upgrade defensively and offensively over anything we have so you get two upgrade starters for one. I also agree that Jordan Crawford should be playing. Matter of fact I would start him at SG and move JJ to SF.
Perkins
Horford
JJ
JoCrawford
Robinson

Bench
Bibby
Crawford
Marvin
ZaZa
and the rest of them.

Najeh Davenpoop

November 24th, 2010
7:40 pm

“By the way, if I have to choose between al and Josh, I choose al. I agree with samuel here. The only way I choose Josh is if we have a superstar player or a great coach who can keep him in check, and help him take his game to the next level.”

I hate this line of reasoning. This is exactly the kind of nonsense people said about Mike Vick. I’m sorry, but when you have a player of elite talent, you don’t trade him for 70 cents on the dollar (which is what Smoove will fetch in a trade) just because you can’t find organizational leadership that can allow him to flourish. You go out and acquire that organizational leadership — whether it’s in the form of a new coach or a more established veteran presence — so that you can get the most out of that player.

Like I said before, Smoove and Al are the only reasons this team even has 8 wins so far. If you want to ship people out, start with the $20 million/year trio of Bibby, Marvin, and Zaza. And after that, I’d rather have the properly paid guy who consistently talks about playing as a team and sharing the ball (Smoove) over the overpaid guy who consistently talks about finding his own shot (Joe).

Najeh Davenpoop

November 24th, 2010
7:42 pm

“Al Horford is our best player and the only one on the team who has leadership ability judging from his post game comments, but it seems allowing Joe Johnson and Mike Bibby the freedom to do whatever they want is what this team is geared towards.”

THIS is the real problem. Smoove and Al should be the focal points of this team. Instead, Bibby and Joe are. If Drew can’t get Bibby and Joe to realize this and defer accordingly, either Drew needs to be replaced by someone who can or Bibby and Joe need to be replaced by players who will fit into the team concept.

Najeh Davenpoop

November 24th, 2010
7:44 pm

“I know this is a bit off-topic, but since the result helps the Hawks in the standings, who do you guys hope wins tonight? The Magic or the Heat?”

Magic, definitely, and that’s regardless of the impact on the Hawks. I want the Heat to lose as much as possible.

bonquesha

November 24th, 2010
7:47 pm

Nice to see Jamal Crawford showing his true colors so that everyone can see him for the player he has always been. And people were talking about him replacing Joe. That dude has never been one to participate in team offense and he never will. At least Joe looks like he’s making an effort to pass (old habits die hard), but Jamal just don’t care.

Najeh Davenpoop

November 24th, 2010
7:48 pm

“But it’s not that San Antonio is that much smarter than everyone else. It’s that 70% of the GMs in this league are absolute idiots.

We just happen to have one of the bigger idiots of the bunch.”

Co-sign.

And worse, I can’t remember the last time the Hawks had a good GM, at least in my lifetime.

Najeh Davenpoop

November 24th, 2010
7:58 pm

The “keep the good players together and address the team’s issues without breaking up the core” trade scenario: Jamal, Marvin, and pick(s) for Prince, Ben Wallace, and Chris Wilcox (can’t be done until Dec. 15)

The “shake things up for the sake of shaking them up and save some money” scenario: Joe and Marvin for Josh Howard, Gilbert Arenas, and Hilton Armstrong

The “boom or bust” scenario: Josh, Jamal, Marvin, and pick(s) for Nene Hilario and Carmelo Anthony

Not that any of these will necessarily be accepted — I still have a hard time imagining any scenario where any team trades for Marvin — but if the Hawks continue to suck for another month, Sund needs to give these a shot.

30344

November 24th, 2010
7:59 pm

The Hawks have enough talent on the roster to win right now!…The only problem is, LD is just like Woody, in one way……..

He doesnt start a true center…Al is not a center..He is a PF and would be easily a top 5 player at that position…Josh is a SF…He would be a top 5 player at the 3…Twin or Zaza should be starting..Bring Marvin off the bench..Marvin only takes around 5 or 6 shots a game……I dont understand why he gets blasted on here everyday..Al is the shortest center in the game..

30344

November 24th, 2010
8:03 pm

If we trade Marvin, it better be for a legit 6ft 10 big man who can play..Marvin has plenty of talent..He will easily be a20 ppg SF in the Nba…He doesnt get enough touches..Joe,Jamal and Josh take all the shots..

JeJe

November 24th, 2010
8:39 pm

LARRY DREW: DO NOT START MARVIN TOMORROW. START TEAGUE IF U MUST. JOHN WALL WILL DESTROY US

Najeh Davenpoop

November 24th, 2010
8:50 pm

Anyone have ESPN Insider? Hollinger’s PER Diem today is about the Hawks…

Najeh Davenpoop

November 24th, 2010
8:51 pm

“If we trade Marvin, it better be for a legit 6ft 10 big man who can play..Marvin has plenty of talent..He will easily be a20 ppg SF in the Nba”

Harold Miner had “plenty of talent” too. At some point that talent has to turn into production. It’s been five years. Time to cut losses and move on.

90% of NBA players can drop 20 a game if they get enough shots. The trick is to find the ones who can drop 20 a game and actually make their team better in the process. Nothing Marvin has done in his career indicates that he can do that.

Jae Evolution

November 24th, 2010
8:52 pm

“Hard times don’t build character, they reveal character.” – Jeff Van Gundy

Blast

November 24th, 2010
8:55 pm

Interesting to see the ESPN crew spend all game debating what is wrong with the Heat and paying Hawks no mind when Hawks have the same problem as Heat but no big time superstar or big time expectations.

Hawks are sucking it up for real, man. They seem to be playing now to get their coach fired or some players traded. Jamal is playing like he is pouting because he did not get a contract, Joe is playing like he’s got so much money, he doesn’t know what to do with it and that bewilderment is transferring to his game. Hawks as a team are not boxing out, not rebounding either on the offence or defence, they are not fighting for loose balls, passing up open J’s, turning the ball over, can’t defend the pick and roll, can’t play against the zone, the guards are not sticking with their men, resulting in Lopez going nuts on them…

Hawks seems to be giving their opponents free room to shoot or drive uncontested. There is no passion, no energy, no emotion, no joy, no nothing, and that makes me worry about the team I root for.

What is wrong with these guys? This is your job. This is all you do for a living. Go to practice, work on your game, and be mentally and physically sharp to go to work the next day and produce. They don’t even play everyday day or work every year, like us regular people. If the rest of America took so much time off during their jobs like Hawks have been doing, this country would be waaaaaaayyyy worse than it is right now.

Atlanta Hawks players: Please earn your paychecks! Right now I am embarrased to be your fan.

O'Brien

November 24th, 2010
9:44 pm

Najeh,

I would be happy with a guy who even if he doesn’t/can’t drop 20, he still finds ways to influence a game positively. Give me 10 rebs, great defense, and 10 ppg, while hitting open shots. Is that too much to ask?

As for the Josh vs Al example, we agree somewhat. If we have that leadership in place, then I will take Josh. But I have no confidence in the ASG bringing in a good GM or a good coach.

northcyde,

I would be fine with Josh off the bench too. but do you really think Josh would be ok with that move? I think he would pout (even if he still gets 30-35 mpg), and would ask to be traded.

But I agree with one point. This needs to be Al and Josh’s team. But LD insists on JJ being the man, despite the fact that he is hurting and struggling.

Al is shooting 62% from the field, so why aren’t we getting him more shot attempts. he gets 11 shot attempts per game.

JJ gets 16 shot attempts per game (shooting 41% overall, 26% from 3), and Josh gets 13 shot attempts per game, and Crawford gets 10 shot attempts per game.

Al needs to write a book like Keyshawn called “Just give me the D— ball too”.

hawkfan

November 24th, 2010
9:52 pm

is anyone watching the heat and magic game, I like wade’s decision making skills down the stretch unlike our max player at least I get to see 2 teams play with effort and will that right now we can dream of

Najeh Davenpoop

November 24th, 2010
10:05 pm

Amazingly, if the Magic hang on to win, the Heat and Hawks will remain tied in the standings.

Najeh Davenpoop

November 24th, 2010
10:06 pm

“I would be happy with a guy who even if he doesn’t/can’t drop 20, he still finds ways to influence a game positively. Give me 10 rebs, great defense, and 10 ppg, while hitting open shots. Is that too much to ask?”

Exactly. All of that is independent of coaching, too. It is really just about Marvin applying himself, which he has beyond proven that he cannot do.

JeJe

November 24th, 2010
10:25 pm

WATCHING JAMEER TONIGHT, IT’S AMAZING HOW MUCH BETTER HE IS THAN BIBBY. THE GUY PROBABLY ISN’T EVEN IN THE TOP 10 IN PGS YET IS 23480932529358X BETTER THAN BIBBY. BIBBY IS SO DAMN OUT OF SHAPE THAT HE CAN’T DRIBBLE PAST ANYONE

JeJe

November 24th, 2010
10:27 pm

HOW DO U GIVE JOE A MAX CONTRACT, THE RICHEST IN THE LEAGUE, AND CLAIM IT IS AL AND JOSH’S TEAM. OBVIOUSLY JOE IS JUST AS IMPORTANT. U DON’T PAY SOMEONE THE MAX TO BE A SECONDARY PLAYER, EVEN IF SKILL-WISE HE IS

JeJe

November 24th, 2010
10:35 pm

DELONTE OUT FOR EXTENDED TIME. DOESN’T MATTER THOUGH SINCE THEIR BENCH IS THAT DEEP. WE LOSE JAMAL AND THIS TEAM WINS 15 GAMES MAX THIS YEAR

JeJe

November 24th, 2010
10:36 pm

Knicks 5 game winning streak – play them Saturday. At least it’s not at home, since apparently we aren’t allowed to win at home anymore.

JeJe

November 24th, 2010
10:38 pm

“I’m such a good passer, I find my teammates open on the perimeter. It opens up the dribble-drive and definitely opens the cuts for my teammates.””

LOL. JOSH SMITH ACTUALLY THINKS HE’S A GOOD PASSER. HE MUST HAVE FORGOTTEN THAT EVERY FAST BREAK PLAY HE INITIATES ENDS UP IN A TURNOVER.

SMGDMFH

JeJe

November 24th, 2010
10:39 pm

JOE SAID WHEN HE SIGNED THE CONTRACT HE WAS UNAWARE OF THE CRITICISMS REGARDING HIM GETTING IT.

WTF. THIS THIS GUY LIVE IN A CAVE? DOES HE CARE?

Melvin

November 24th, 2010
10:58 pm

Difficulty against Shaq, difference without a Shaq and a difference Shaq make. I still would have preferred to have Shaq in a Hawks uniform.

Celtics vs. Hawks
=================
Shaq- 13pts, 11rebs, 2ast
Horford- 6pts, 4rebs, 1ast

Hawks vs. Nets
==============
Brook Lopez – 32pts, 9rebs, 2ast
Horford-14pts, 10rebs, 5ast

Nets vs. Celtics
================
Shaq -25pts, 11rebs, 0blk
Brook Lopez- 16pts, 5rebs, 1blk

Melvin

November 24th, 2010
11:05 pm

Watching a the Jazz/Hornets game. Nice PG battle. I prefer D.Williams but I would take CP3 in a heartbeat…

JeJe

November 24th, 2010
11:26 pm

SAW A RUMOR OF JAMAL, DUCK, AND TEAGUE FOR NASH. LOL

ITS FUNNY PEOPLE TALK ABOUT THESE PG BATTLES. WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME BIBBY HAD A PG BATTLE? LIKE 4 YEARS AGO WHEN HE DROPPED 9 THREES ON PHX?

WORST STARTING PG IN THE NBA
WORST STARTING PF IN THE NBA

JeJe

November 24th, 2010
11:29 pm

ANY CHANCE WE CAN TRADE BIBBY + TEAGUE FOR BENO UDRIH?

doc

November 24th, 2010
11:32 pm

najeh anyway to cut and paste that article?

melvin remember how there were folks that said shaq had nothing left and could only play against very few centers? that young quick centers could easily beat shaq? how limited he was?

guffaw!!!

you would have hought he could only play in handicap accessible league as immobile as they said he was. now we have images of shaq freshly in our minds hanging from rims.

Najeh Davenpoop

November 24th, 2010
11:36 pm

“najeh anyway to cut and paste that article?”

I was hoping someone else here would… I don’t have Insider, so I can’t read it.

O'Brien

November 25th, 2010
12:52 am

Melvin, Doc

I think one reason the ASG and Rick did not want Shaq, is because he would be quick to criticize them and their decision making skills.
They dont want anyone who is willing to speak out publicly against their operation.

And people don’t realize that a sign and trade for Shaq (even if we overpaid) would have gotten rid of Marvin (assuming Cleveland would have made that deal).

And we could have then gone after Matt Barnes for the starting spot, or kept Chills, or signed Rodney Carney etc.

Lots of options, but it would require the ASG and Sund to be proactive and creative. Two things which their track record suggests they are not.

O'Brien

November 25th, 2010
12:53 am

I have a question. If we did not have JJ for the last 5 games, what would our record be?

My point is, if he is hurt, we need to rest him, because we can lose games with him just as much as we can lose without him.

And it might actually be good (a learning experience) for the team to play without JJ, especially since he is hurt and struggling.

L-QUE

November 25th, 2010
1:17 am

Najeh ; the only players out of Detriot Alanta needs is Prince & Bynum or Prince & Stucky for Jamal and Teague Detroit is rebuilding and Hamilton and Prince will be traded.or Jamal & Marvin then send Teague to SAC. for Thompson. at least one incoming player needs to be a veteran that is serviceable for about 3 yr.s Wallace is done, Wilcox we already got that .a draft pick might help in Detroit .train JC2 to play point ,he’s a player

doc

November 25th, 2010
1:42 am

yeah o’b, agree, shaq by now might have said the obvious then called a cancer, malcontent and blamed for what already was. glad for him he didnt come to this fiasco to be made the scape goat for calling a spade a spade. i think he got too much blame in l a, miami and certainly in cleveland where he played his role and seemed to keep quiet.

northcyde

November 25th, 2010
3:32 am

I’ve been out all night and just saw the Shaq highlights.

(( shaking my head ))

Not only did he go for 25 pts – 11 rebs ( on 9 – 10 FG ) . . he held Lopez to 16 pts on ( 5 – 14 FG ). How bad does that look, after Lopez basically destroyed us?

Seeing ish like that pizzes me off more than the Hawks 8 – 7 record. How in the hell did we mess that up, after everybody else was basically out of the picture?

That was a team-changing, toughness-changing, fan enthusiasm-changing move that this front office was TOO DAMN STUPID TO MAKE!!

Sund and the ASG . . that’s why those fans in ATL flat out HATE you mo-fos. Idiots were too stupid to spend money, and properly evaulate the situation, to make a move.

Either that, or they were too chichen isht to do it.

This is why, for the most part, I’m not an emotional fan. I’d run myself crazy with the incompetence shown by this ownership.

Honestly, I don’t even think about the Hawks ever winning championships, because there are no championship qualities possessed by anybody associated with the Atlanta Hawks.

So I just watch the games, enjoy the successes, and try not to let the bad diminish my enthusiasm as a fan.

LOL @ the “old man” destroying the dude that just destroyed us. If he’s still able to do that once every blue moon, who in the hell is going to stop Boston?

[[ MAC-TOWN Georgia 478 ]]

November 25th, 2010
4:04 am

All these issues and we still arent the biggest failure in the division so far lol.

EmirS.

November 25th, 2010
6:01 am

This might sound mean,

but seems everytime I read these posts and I see a post with all caps, I immediately just scroll past it becuase I know its another post by JeJe, And to be honest, I’ve yet to read one by him/her that is informative what so ever.

Anyways moving on, I’ve read that peachtree hoops blog as well. While at the same time, I might also agree with some pointers, I dont see anyway we could improve significantly with trading Smoove. Unless someway on Gods Green Earth we get someone VERY good. I dont mean like a Dalembert, I mean like a Rose, Durant, Dirk, Love, Ellis, Lopez, etc,etc. Which ofcourse would be daydreams if anything.

However, one thing I completely agree is on having a coach who would not take anyones bullcrap at all. I’d like to see Smoove give up while Avery is the coach or Byron Scott. They would define his role very quickly, role of keeping the bench warm.

Funny, I bet Jamal is reading the blog atm, with a smile on his face:

“I did my part that last game”

And you know what Jamal, you did. You might have not played much defense for the first 3 periods, but I saw it come out one the last 3 or 4 minutes of the 4th.

O'Brien

November 25th, 2010
10:40 am

But northcyde,

1) Shaq will disrupt our chemistry
2) Shaq wants too much money
3) He is old and slow, and we are young and athletic
4) He wont fit the motion offense
5) He is injury prone

I’m sure Rick and the ASG (and a lot of the bloggers on here) all came up with these reasons NOT to go after him.

What the ASG should have done is look at the things Shaq could have done for this team.

Is it a risk? Yes. But as AJ said on the other blog. The bigger risk is to keep all the same players and promote the long time assistant.

Oh well. Rick has a chance to make a move before the trade deadline, so we’ll see what he does.

JeJe

November 25th, 2010
10:46 am

I THINK IT’S BEEN ABOUT 4 YEARS SINCE MIKE BIBBY OUTPLAYED ANOTHER GOOD TEAM’S STARTING POINT GUARD.

WITH BIBBY AND MARVIN STARTING, IT’S 3 ON 5 OUT THERE. HOW CAN PEOPLE ON THE TEAM TALK ABOUT ACCOUTNABILITY WHEN THESE CLOWNS STILL START?

FIRE SUND

JeJe

November 25th, 2010
10:51 am

AMEN TO NORTHCYDE’S 3:32 POST.

ASIDE FROM HORFORD’S DOMINANCE IN COLLEGE AND POWELL’S 2 CHAMPIONSHIPS, NO ONE ON THIS TEAM CAN WIN JACK. IF MARVIN HADN’T MADE A BIG SHOT IN NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP, WE WOULD’VE PROBABLY DRAFTED CP3 OR DERON – NO WAIT, WE WOULD’VE DRAFTED SOME FOREIGN 6″9 STIFF WHO WE’D NEVER PLAY OVER THOSE 2 STUD PGS OR GRANGER.

PEOPLE THINK IT’S AL AND JOSH’S TEAM, BUT WE JUST GAVE JOE A MAX CONTRACT.
IT’LL BE ABOUT 1.5 YEARS BEFORE JOE PACKS IT IN AND FAKES INJURIES AND COLLECTS HIS HORRENDOUS PAYCHECK

WE COULD’VE TRADED MARVIN AND BIBBY FOR MONTA ELLIS, WHO AVERAGED LIKE 28 , 5, AND 5 LAST YEAR. INSTEAD WE’RE STUCK WITH THE WORST STARTING PG IN THE NBA AND A SMALL FORWARD WHO AVERAGES LIKE 6 PPG AND 3 REBOUNDS

honest_abe

November 25th, 2010
11:21 am

why’s everyone upset that the hawks couldn’t sign shaq when we got that beast josh powell coming off the pine?

I.MUS WRITE

November 25th, 2010
11:40 am

IMO you keep Josh and Al and everybody else can be used as trade bait……Something has to be done. Yeah I know we’ll probably beat up un Washington tonight but dont be fooled we are not going to do anything in May with the roster we currently have………….

JJ/Teague/Marvin for Melo/Lawson -Melo signs an extension

Jamal/2nd for Dahntay Jones/Jeff foster

Lawson/Bibby
Dahntay Jones/JC2
Melo/Mo
Josh/J Powel
Horford/Zaza/Foster/Collins

vava74

November 25th, 2010
11:44 am

The Shaq issue is a non issue:

SHAQ was never a guy who set a locker room straight, never set the example. ON THE CONTRARY!

SHAQ in ATL would be the first guy swimming in strippers, booze and whatever the night before matches.

His BOS situation is completely different than what he would find here, there, instead of being an example HE FOLLOWS THE EXAMPLE, he is the good student.

He is inserted within a winning ball club and a winning and proven structure, hence, he is the one ADAPTING HIMSELF TO THE ENVIRONMENT.

Nothing like that would happen over here.

In ATL Shaq would just collect his pay check, pout about playing time and shots and get on with his off court life.

BE REAL AND STOP WITH THAT NONSENSE YOU CANNOT PROJECT SHAQ’s CURRENT PRODUCTION WITH THE CELTICS TO WHAT WE WOULD DO WITH THE HAWKS

I.MUS WRITE

November 25th, 2010
11:44 am

How the hell is JJ Reddick a better player than Marvin Williams. Dam It Im reading Je Je’s posts to much Lol. Deron Williams would have fit in well here with the grey hounds we have……Dam

JeJe

November 25th, 2010
12:25 pm

JJ REDICK ISNT THE TRUE STARTER FOR THEM, AND YES, SORRY TO BREAK IT TO YOU, JJ REDICK DOES MORE FOR THEM THAN DUCK HAS DONE FOR US IN 6 YEARS.

REDICK PLAYS HARD D, COMMITS HARD FOULS, CAN HIT THE FLOATER IN THE LANE, AND IS A VERY GOOD 3 PT SHOOTER. DON’T LET RACE FOOL YOU

lewis

November 25th, 2010
12:51 pm

Jeje’s posts are a breath of fresh air

he’s just callin it like it is

stop hatin

Samuel

November 25th, 2010
2:16 pm

Vava,
Shaq is one of the most respected players by coaches and players in the history of the game. He is always one of the best at giving back to his community. Plus, he “STILL” is one of the best centers in the game. His play this year is proving that. He’s is dominating these “so-called” centers in the East (including Al and Brooke). Other that Howard, there’s not a better center in the East right now. Even with your limited basketball knowledge, you should be able to see that.

While I was hoping, I never really thought he would ever wear a Hawks uniform. Thank God he didn’t. He deserves to retire in one of the Top franchises in the game and he will. This organization has historically been the laughing stock of the NBA and from the looks of it, we are on our way back thanks to bloggers and fans like yourself who were able to convince the “stooges” we have as owners and GM to follow through with that idiotic plan to take a step backwards.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sUE_0LRxtpU

Najeh Davenpoop

November 25th, 2010
2:16 pm

Redick wasn’t better than Marvin when he came in the league. In fact, when he came in the league Redick looked like a total bust (go type “Redick airball layup” in Youtube). But unlike Marvin, Redick has actually WORKED at his game to improve, and now he has become a solid role player for the Magic who can step in as an effective starter every now and then — something at which Marvin fails miserably. So yes, Redick is better than Marvin right now.

Najeh Davenpoop

November 25th, 2010
2:21 pm

“What the ASG should have done is look at the things Shaq could have done for this team.

Is it a risk? Yes. But as AJ said on the other blog. The bigger risk is to keep all the same players and promote the long time assistant.”

The worst part, though, is that even if like vava says the risk would not have paid off, it’s not like the Hawks would have been stuck with an untradeable asset. SOME team with depth issues inside (Portland? Oklahoma City? Boston?) would have made the Hawks an offer that would have allowed them to rid themselves of the problem.

There was really very little downside, aside from the money he wanted — and any real ownership group would have realized that the increase in fan interest alone as a result of his addition would have been well worth the investment.

Najeh Davenpoop

November 25th, 2010
2:24 pm

And anyway, it’s not like the Hawks have ever had some amazing locker room chemistry that can’t be f-cked with. If I recall correctly from Sekou’s radio interview, the locker room was split between veterans and young players even before the catastrophe against Orlando in the playoffs.

brigadierjerry

November 25th, 2010
2:42 pm

Najeh I think that is a great point you made about Shaq. I felt the ASG felt as if the Hawks was an up and coming team and treated them as when they took the Celtics to seven games a few years back. Afer the way they lost to Orlando they should’ve adressed their needs and make moves based on that A perfect player on this team would be a Reggie Evans from Toronto a real banger type of player

O'Brien

November 25th, 2010
2:44 pm

“In ATL Shaq would just collect his pay check, pout about playing time and shots and get on with his off court life.”vava .

With Boston, Shaq is averaging 23 mpg. But what happens when Perkins comes back? We could play Shaq 24 mpg. Do you think he would have complained about that?

And Shaq is shooting 67% from the field. So I would give him all the shots he wants. Al is shooting 61%, and he should be getting more shots too.

And we could start Shaq some games, depending on matchups, by going big with Shaq, Al and Josh. Because we keep starting Marvin, only to take him out the game 6 minutes later and put Jamal in.

We dont know if Shaq would have worked. But as Najeh said, he is always tradeable if he doesnt work. And if Shaq was here, do you think things would have been worse than they are now?

We are 8-7, the team has been embarrassing at times, and LD doesnt know what to do.

O'Brien

November 25th, 2010
2:46 pm

As for PT breakdown, my suggestion would have been:

Center – Shaq (24), Al (24)
PF – Josh (36), Al (12)

That frontcourt would have been much better than Al/ZaZa/Josh/Powell.

JeJe

November 25th, 2010
3:03 pm

THANKS LEWIS. HAPPY THANKSGIVING FAM

lewis

November 25th, 2010
3:24 pm

the Spurs will get Prince to deal with Kobe

Sund is incapable of thinking abstractly about trade scenarios

FormerHawksFan

November 25th, 2010
5:15 pm

I would LOVE the Hawks to trade #24, but the fact is the rest of league knows what an empty uniform he is. Most of the time other teams don’t even bother guarding him. Was he even on the floor for the Celtics game? He was, but you would only know that by checking the box score. He made a couple of 3s late against the Mavs and the Nets, other than those two events he does WAY more damage the good! I rue the day that he became a Hawk.

FormerHawksFan

November 25th, 2010
5:16 pm

That’s right. I said “rue”.