Atlanta Hawks at Nets: Magic make moves; Hawks wait and see
Newark–The Magic come to Philips Arena tomorrow with a whole new look. Hard to tell what it will mean for Atlanta’s division rival until we see how Orlando’s new pieces come together.
“They add guys that can shoot the ball,” L.D. said. “But they got rid of guys that can shoot it, as well. I was very surprised that they pulled the trigger on it. I had heard about but it just surprised me that they pulled the trigger.”
My initial reaction is that the Magic probably got better on the perimeter but without Gortat will have issues in the frontcourt when Dwight gets into foul trouble. The former just means the Hawks will have the same challenges as always in defending the Magic; the latter means the Magic (as presently constructed) will have to go small when Dwight is on the bench and that helps the Hawks.
J-Rich is a more versatile scorer than VC. Arenas comes with a bad knee and baggage but he says he’s ready to come off the bench and so will immediately fill a need for Orlando. Turkoglu had fallen off since leaving Orlando but perhaps a return to his playmaking role will rejuvenate him.
“Turkoglu has always been a tough guard because he has size and he can handle the ball,” L.D. said. “But I think it remains to be seen with the other guys. Both Carter and Rashard Lewis are guys that have always played well against us as far as making shots. Them getting Turokglu and Richardson and Arenas they add three guys who are just as potent from the outside. I think it just becomes a matter of whether the chemistry works out, and that just remains to be seen as they play with one another and get a feel for one another.”
Even after their recent struggles, the Magic are in a virtual tie in the standings with the Hawks. They had a good team before the moves.
“It definitely surprised me,” Marvin said. “They moved their whole team. I guess they have a vision how they want things and they thought it wasn’t working. They had to change it up, I guess. They could have gotten better. They bring Richardson in who averages 20. Hedo had a monster season when he was there the year they got to the Finals. You never know how it will work out.”
The consensus seems to be that the Magic made the move to appease Dwight and also in reaction to the Celtics and Heat streaking.
From Mike Bianchi of the Orlando Sentinel:
We don’t know if these trades will work or not, but what we do know is this: The Magic were not going to win anything by standing pat. This team is 16-10, has lost six of its last seven and is 3-6 against opponents with .500 records or better. It was becoming increasingly evident the Magic could not compete for a championship with a slumping Rashard Lewis and an aging Vince Carter in the lineup.
Replace “slumping Rashard Lewis” with “inconsistent Marvin Williams,” and “aging Vince Carter” with “aging Mike Bibby” and couldn’t he be talking about the Hawks?
Jamal out, Joe a go
Jamal will sit out his third consecutive game with a sore back. L.D. said J.J. was good the day after his return.
“He didn’t complain about anything,” Drew said. “He said it felt fine. No soreness. He said it felt good.”
Drew said he didn’t anticipate that it would take long for Joe to get back in the flow.
“It’s just a matter of him getting his timing back, getting his rhythm back,” he said. “Anytime you miss a few games it is always a little difficult at the beginning of regaining that rhythm and that timing. I am certain that he will get it back.”
MC
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202 comments Add your comment
northcyde
December 19th, 2010
3:14 pm
A lot of blame to go around this game, starting with JJ and all the turnovers.
Hawks basically need to go on a 10 – 0 run to win this game.
bigdave
December 19th, 2010
3:14 pm
b/c offense is struggling i doubt Hawks have the desire to get the stops necessary to win this game..
lukas
December 19th, 2010
3:14 pm
This game is a clear message to Rick Sund: shake and bake!! But his m.o. is passiveness and conservativeness, so the only place we’re going is to a playoff 1st round exit.
ROFLMFAO
December 19th, 2010
3:16 pm
Josh Smith
#5 24:11 12 9 2 5
Al Horford
#15 37:06 13 9 4 3
Looks like Josh has done as much as Al in half the time.
northcyde
December 19th, 2010
3:17 pm
LOL . . the Nets lead the season series 2 games to 1. That is tuurrrrible.
Jae Evolution
December 19th, 2010
3:17 pm
Another L to the Nets, pathetic loss after a terrible game to the Bobcats without their best player and Jackson being injured, is this team serious?
bigdave
December 19th, 2010
3:17 pm
smh @ the inability to make shots from good looks.
Kaveman
December 19th, 2010
3:17 pm
We want a trade! If we don’t, I predicting 7th or the 8th seed and then loose in first round. These players play with no passion and very lazy. JS, especially…don’t listen to the coach…. bench his azz next few games! That way we know he won’t be taking those threes and wild jumpers!
ROFLMFAO
December 19th, 2010
3:18 pm
b/c offense is struggling
What? the Princeton offense is struggling? Wonder if it has some thing to do with hawks being forced to shoot out side because they cant get off in the paint?
Ya Think?
bigdave
December 19th, 2010
3:18 pm
Horford played timid tonight..
ROFLMFAO
December 19th, 2010
3:19 pm
I cant stop laughing @ you idiots…
HAWKS NEED A CENTER.
lukas
December 19th, 2010
3:19 pm
In order to get quality players that fit in the roster, either Josh or Al have to be traded along with Jamal. Marvin, Bibby, Zaza have minimal trading value.
J.J.M
December 19th, 2010
3:19 pm
lol losing to the nets again is just pathetic…team is not that good and needs to make a trade and joe needs to sit out some more games hes hurting this team not being 100%
J.J.M
December 19th, 2010
3:21 pm
if hawks do get a center josh will suck it up at small forward because he never drives and rely on his jump shot smh
BROOK LOPEZ
December 19th, 2010
3:21 pm
Horford played timid tonight..
NO CHIT?
Nate ArchiBALL
December 19th, 2010
3:23 pm
To All Star Al: Where is the inside game? Zero trips to the free throw line on Friday and two trips today!!! Talk about someone falling in love with the jumper……..
ROFLMFAO
December 19th, 2010
3:23 pm
Exactly lukas. I could not agree more.
Atlgent
December 19th, 2010
3:24 pm
Its a wrap!!! Last year after the debacle on Thanksgiving night where the Hawks just laid an egg after halftime, I decided to not attend a game the rest of that year. As of now, as long as Bibby and Marvin Williams is on the team, I will not be watching another game….PERIOD… I will now only read the comments on the blog or catch lowlights on SportsCeneter od NBA-TV
Bailey
December 19th, 2010
3:26 pm
It’s asking a lot for Bibby to have to guard Devin Harris. I think Joe should be matched up with Harris. Bibby would have been better off on Vujacic. One thing that I think Drew has done a bad job on all season long has been with matchups. It’s not just L.D.’s fault today though. Outside of Horford, Bibby, and Powell, no one on the team shot at or better than 50%. I think the coaching strategy and who was on a floor at the same time had a large part in the issues.
Clyde
December 19th, 2010
3:30 pm
JeJe for Blogger of the Year
Kaveman
December 19th, 2010
3:31 pm
Trade Marvin, Josh, Zaza………………………..
Trade Marvin, Josh, Zaza………………………..
Trade Marvin, Josh, Zaza………………………..
Trade Marvin, Josh, Zaza………………………..
Trade Marvin, Josh, Zaza………………………..
Trade Marvin, Josh, Zaza………………………..
Marvin sucks…………………..
Josh is $broke………………..
Zaza is a chef…………………
Marvin sucks…………………..
Josh is $broke………………..
Zaza is a chef…………………
Ron
December 19th, 2010
3:31 pm
Another extremely disappointing loss to an inferior team due to the same issues that people complain about over and over again. Poor perimeter defense, bad matchups, not enough involvement on the offensive end for Horford, too much isolation when things get tight in late-game situations, bad shot selection for Josh, poor bench play, too many minutes for Bibby/not enough minutes for Teague. It amazes me that we are this far into the season and have yet to see even an attempt at correcting these problems. It’s almost impossible for me to even watch a Hawks game without feeling disappointed or depressed by the time the game is over. Even in the wins, these same issues are apparent.
ROFLMFAO
December 19th, 2010
3:32 pm
Shot filter on Hawks.com shows the Nets with multiple lay up in the 2/3/4 quarters the hawks had 2 in the 1st, 1 in the second, three altered misses in the 3rd and 1 altered miss in the 4th.
Looks like brook and company held down the paint.
ROFLMFAO
December 19th, 2010
3:34 pm
Forget horfords offense can he play defense, ron?
JeJe
December 19th, 2010
3:34 pm
OK,
It’s time to give up on our scrub PGs. Teague will NEVER star for this franchise and likely in the NBA.
Bibby is old, out of shape, and gets DESTROYED every game.
Trade Marvin and Bibby for a PG. I sure as hell know NJN has 2 PGs, one of which they’d likely trade, given how good Farmar is. Houston has 2 PGs. Indiana has 2 PGs.
MC, can you PLEASE see if this “front office” is shopping around?
How the hell do you lose 2 games to this scrub team?
light bulb came on
December 19th, 2010
3:35 pm
The object is to stop the other team from scoring….
Kaveman
December 19th, 2010
3:36 pm
Damn let Teague play, Larry!
Damn let Teague play, Larry!
Damn let Teague play, Larry!
Damn let Teague play, Larry!
Damn let Teague play, Larry!
Damn let Teague play, Larry!
Damn let Teague play, Larry!
Damn let Teague play, Larry!
Antwan
December 19th, 2010
3:36 pm
I don’t care what anyone says… the Hawks were a better team under Mike Woodson. Certain players, like Horford, are better than they were last season, but that potential goes to waste when the coach doesn’t use the player anyway. The Hawks struggle to even beat inferior teams this season, what a disgrace. That almost never happened last season, and when it did, it was usually due to a lack of heart or effort. This season, even when the effort is there, they lose due to poor strategy and ineffective use of players and matchups on the defensive end. It’s time to hit the road, Drew.
JeJe
December 19th, 2010
3:36 pm
Bailey,
forget blaming Drew about matchups.
Bibby CAN’T guard anyone. He couldn’t even contest Richard Hamilton’s shots a few nights ago.
Lose @ Detroit, 2 losses @NJN, lose at home to Milwaukee after being up huge AND NOT ONE DAMN TRADE RUMOR ABOUT THIS TEAM. NEVER IS THERE ANY RUMORS ABOUT A HAWK BEING TRADED
WORST GM AND OWNERSHIP IN SPORTS
light bulb came on
December 19th, 2010
3:36 pm
Good point Nate ArchiBALL
ryan
December 19th, 2010
3:37 pm
Fire the hole organization ASG is the problem they did not push for Avery Johnson they took the cheap way out with Larry Drew i mean i have it this team is going no were but down hill .
We all agree
December 19th, 2010
3:37 pm
WORST GM AND OWNERSHIP IN SPORTS
Bailey
December 19th, 2010
3:44 pm
JeJe,
I’m aware of the fact that Bibby is a defensive liability, but the point is that if Drew wants to keep him on the floor then he should at least put him in the most advantageous matchup that he can, not the most disadvantageous one. Asking Bibby to guard the quickest player on the floor is just a bad idea, plain and simple. Either take Bibby out of the game and use someone else, or if you must have him out there, put him on the worst offensive perimeter player for the other team. It just doesn’t make any sense why Drew has Bibby guarding guys like Harris and Robinson in the last few games. If he puts Bibby on someone like Rose or Westbrook when we play the Bulls and Thunder, then something is definitely wrong with coach Drew. I just hope he doesn’t do anything that crazy.
Hawks73
December 19th, 2010
3:51 pm
I can’t say I’m surprised that the Hawks lost again to the lowly Nets. It’s the makeup of the players on this roster that is the demise of this team. The more we all witness the uneven nature of this team’s play, the easier it is to surmise the outcome. This team has too many players that are not willing to put in the effort game in & game out, to compete for anything less than their respective salaries.
It’s time to make some tough decisions, but needed nonetheless.
Steve W
December 19th, 2010
4:03 pm
Is it just me, or has the Hawks’ offense looked a lot worse ever since Joe came back?
It was not a bad pick
December 19th, 2010
4:04 pm
Like i have said before, I would have never gave Joe Max that deal….Worse move ever other than sheldon williams over Roy,rondo,Gay…But that pick was all Woodson according to my sources…..If he was really a star, no way we lose to the nets..It is time for the Hawks to see where Marvin can take us on offense….No way i waste Marvin to pad Joe Max stats..The guy was the 2nd pick of the draft and we are making him a decoy out there….We need a center also..But I hate to see a talent like Marvin go to waste..He took 9 shots made 4, 8 points..Joe Max took 16 and made 4,14 points..DO THE MATH..the man just had 26 points against Boston.Every time Joe Max is hurt Marvin comes up with big scoring nights….All it takes is for him to get in a groove..
It was not a bad pick
December 19th, 2010
4:10 pm
A pg will do nothing to improve this team..bibby has been money all year..We need a center and a coach that will play a true center…We have no player over 6ft9 that can protect the rim….this is all that you have to do..
1.Trade jamal,Mo,Picks for a big man, and start him..Always have collins,ZaZa or ? in the game at all times
2.Make Marvin the focal point of the offense,If we do that it will be no more long scoring droughts..
3.Bring Josh Smith off the bench,he would be our Lamar Odom, and upgrade the foward positon on the bench
JeJe
December 19th, 2010
4:14 pm
Bailey: “Either take Bibby out of the game and use someone else, or if you must have him out there, put him on the worst offensive perimeter player for the other team.”
I’ll say it one more time: BIBBY CANNOT GUARD ANYONE IN THIS LEAGUE. He is a BOTTOM 5 starting PG, just as Marvin is a BOTTOM 5 SF.
Our starting lineup is SEVERELY DISADVANTAGED with these 2 scrubs out there. Bibby is ONLY good for 3pt %. His defense is ATROCIOUS. I won’t even waste 5 minutes typing all I think about Marvin because you all already know.
Ben G.
December 19th, 2010
4:16 pm
Our problems for a long time now have not been on the interior. Horford and Smith do a great job for the most part on our interior defense, and on the offensive end Horford is very effective, just about every game, when he actually gets the ball for a an attempt. Josh can be very effective on offense too, when he isn’t jacking up ill-advised shots. Our problems are on the perimeter, on the defensive end. As bad as Joe was today, and as bad as the offense has looked, we will had a chance to win that game, but couldn’t stop the perimeter players down the stretch. Bibby on Harris was just an awful matchup, and that bench lineup with Mo, Wilkins, and Powell as the frontcourt really did us in early in the fourth quarter. That’s on L.D., but the awful offense only compounded the problem. For the kind of money that Joe is making, I can understand the coach wanting to get the most out of him, but not when he is single-handedly hurting the rest of the players on the court. Guys like Joe and Jamal really hurt the development of other players. Horford could easily be a 20+ point, 10+ rebound guy each night if he was the primary option, and Williams could probably be a 20 point scorer if he was one of the main options as well. I’m tired of the favoritism and the habit to go to Joe for isolation everytime we need a basket, when in reality, the usually results in us coming up empty. I don’t know if it is Drew’s doing, Joe’s doing, or a combination of both, but I don’t like this trend, and it has been going on for years now. Your star player should not be shooting 30% from the field, if that happens, then something is obviously wrong.
JeJe
December 19th, 2010
4:20 pm
Without a CONSISTENT facilitator on the floor, we will always have dry spells out there.
PLAYERS JUST STAND AROUND BECAUSE THERE IS NO OFFENSIVE SCHEMING. How many times have we seen Horford at the top of the key with the ball with 7 seconds left on the shot clock?
Joe should’ve stayed out longer. We were fine without him and his shooting hurt us today. So did Marvin who did nothing (what’d he have? 6 & 4?) Pathetic.
People here don’t even mention Marvin much because we know he sucks
Bailey
December 19th, 2010
4:22 pm
JeJe,
As bad as Bibby is on the defensive end, neither you nor I can do anything to make L.D. sit him on the bench when he wants him to play. That’s why I’m saying, if Drew is fixed on playing him, he should at least try to hide him somehow on the defensive end, like Woody sometimes tried to do. That was one of the few things that Woody did well was match bibby up with the worst and slowest offensive players on the other teams. As long as Bibby is on the floor, the opposition can attack us from the perimeter, which is why it would be best if we make it so that the player attacking him is not a good offensive player in the matchup.
Teague has obviously not gained L.D.’s trust yet, so we are stuck with Bibby for the foreseeable future. Maybe if Teague had a better jump shot, L.D. would play him more. He seems to have a love for the jump shot. I think that’s the main reason why Powell gets more minutes than any backup big man that we have, because he definitely doesn’t help us much on the defensive end.
JeJe
December 19th, 2010
4:22 pm
Marvin had 4 rebounds in 34 minutes.
Yes, our 6″9-6″10 starting SF got 1 rebound every 8.5 minutes
LOL!
terrell
December 19th, 2010
4:24 pm
Make a trade. Hawks been “waiting and seeing” for 6 years.
Ben G.
December 19th, 2010
4:27 pm
Another thing that I’ve noticed since Joe has returned is the fact that Horford gets ignored in the post even moreso than he was ignored before. I’ve noticed him get great low post position on numerous occasions between this game and the Charlotte game. He gets position and holds his hands out waiting for the ball, but Joe pops up and asks for the ball instead and then Horford has to leave the paint to not get called for a three-second violation. Then Joe dribbles around for a while trying to find a shot, and when he notices the clock going down, he’ll pass the ball back to Horford at the top of the key with time running out, or over to Josh, who then tries to become Magic Johnson to save the Hawks before the clock runs out.
Allen
December 19th, 2010
4:29 pm
Other point guards must love playing against Bibby. One crossover, stepback, or drive and fake, and you’ve got a wide open jump shot.
Najeh Davenpoop
December 19th, 2010
4:29 pm
I hope y’all were watching Eagles-Giants like me instead of the sorry azz Hawks game. Game of the year. Mike Vick for MVP.
Steve W
December 19th, 2010
4:32 pm
Not everyone is a football fan, Najeh. So, there are probably a lot of angry people who watched that Hawks game.
Ben G.
December 19th, 2010
4:36 pm
Just a note, to all of the people who are angry about Joe Johnson being a max player and the effect that his ball-hoggery has on the team, he isn’t going anywhere anytime soon, The Hawks basically have what the wizards had on their hands with Gilbert Arenas, contract-wise. Almost no one is going to want Joe in a trade due to the amount of money he is owed, and if the team ever does manage to trade him because they are not satisfied, it will have to be for an inferior player (e.g. Rashard Lewis for Arenas), since there won’t be many offers.
JeJe
December 19th, 2010
4:37 pm
Ben G,
The thing is, Arenas wasn’t on a max contract. It was a 110M/6 deal. Joe’s was 125M/6, a true max
Allen
December 19th, 2010
4:39 pm
By the way, if you guys think the offense looks bad now, just wait until Jamal gets back and you have him and Joe both on the floor at the same time. Not to mention the defense…If you thought it was bad seeing Bibby get smoked by Devin Harris, just wait until Jamal is healthy and L.D. starts playing Bibby and Jamal together, with Joe at the 3 down the stretch. Don’t be surprised if Nelson and Richardson light up the Hawks for 50 going against Bibby and Jamal. You can thank your management and coach for those gifts.