Atlanta Hawks: Hawks 103, Warriors 93
Zaza got in on the frontcourt mauling (Hyosub Shin, hshin@ajc.com)
- At Milwaukee the Hawks shut down one of the league’s slowest-paced and least efficient offensive teams while getting key baskets to hold them off. This time the Hawks shredded one of the league’s least efficient defensive teams and got key stops against a faced-pace opponent to hold them off.
- There’s something to be said for the Hawks handling their business in this way, particularly since they executed their offensive plan so efficiently: 44 of 86 field goals (with 36 attempts in the paint for 44 points) and 31 assists.
- “At times we revert back to isolations, but that’s fine because we have some good isolation players,” L.D. said. “For the most part we are doing what we want to do.”
- The Hawks took a look at Golden State’s thin frontcourt (no Biedrins or Gadzuric) and decided to exploit it. When the Warriors started overplaying Al and Smoove (and Joe when he was in the post) the Hawks regularly swung the ball around until the open man took an unrushed shot.
- “The game plan was just to play inside out,” Al said. “I think when we do that we usually have a lot of success. Josh is unselfish and I’m unselfish. When there’s a double team, we usually kick it out to the guards. That’s how we got going as a team, then later that opened up everything else.”
- It never felt like the Hawks were going to lose but it could have been a blowout if not for their bumbling in transition for turnovers. The Hawks wanted to run smart, and they did, but they were awful at finishing. Even the normally reliable Al threw a couple away.
- “We had some careless turnovers on the break, [including] myself,” he said. “I try not to do that. I want to look back and see where I can improve in that area. We could have had a lot more opportunities on the fast break.”
- The Warriors were even more careless with the ball. I lost count of their unforced errors. The weird thing was how eventually they seemed to just kind of shrug their shoulders as if they expect such things to happen. So what’s the point of being upset?
- Golden State had better success working for open shots in the halfcourt. Not surprisingly, Stephen Curry was able to dance into Atlanta’s interior defense even though he’s just three games into his return from a balky ankle.
- Curry and Monta Ellis just didn’t shoot nearly well enough to overcome Golden State’s suspect D and 18 turnovers (for 20 Atlanta points). J.J. constantly backed down Ellis, who tired to hold his ground but just couldn’t. “Some nights he’s just not going to have it,” Golden State coach Keith Smart said. “Guarding bigger guys will take some of his energy on nights like this.”
- J.J. passed Lenny Wilkens for 10th on the franchise scoring list.
- “I’m a big fan of Lenny,” he said. “It’s an honor and a privilege. It says a lot not just about me, but about this team and organization and where we’ve come to where we are now. We are just trying to do big things. We’ve got so much potential in this locker room; we just have to stay confident and believe, and the sky’s the limit.”
- J.J. had 16 points on 14 shots and also eight assists. “When I see him with eight assists, it means he is playing the right way,” Drew said.
- J.J. said he still can’t fully extend his right elbow and put his health at 90 percent. When you shoot the ball you’ve got to pop your elbow and I can’t quite do that,” he said. “When I’m on the court, I don’t really think about it. As long as we win, that’s all that matters.”
- It looks like Josh Powell is out and Zaza is in (though such things are always subject to change with L.D.). Maybe that’s why Zaza looked so spry while putting up 11 points, seven rebounds and smothering David Lee.
- Jamal was just 2 for 10 from the floor but had six assists against one turnover. He passed up some pretty good looks to get teammates better shots. At least he will do that when his offense isn’t working.
- Fast-paced game, pick-and-roll-a-rama and Teague played just three minutes. I guess that’s just how it’s going to be for him.
- Marvin suffered a lower back bruise when he fell to the floor in the third quarter. “I got up quick but when I tried to walk back to the bench it locked up on me,” he said. “I will see how it feels tomorrow.”
Michael Cunningham
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201 comments Add your comment
drmaryb (*_*)
December 30th, 2010
3:41 pm
Ramon
All that was, was a Heat Check before the trade deadline to see what he can get. Also, that was before Larry Brown was dismissed due to the players quitting on Larry’s bully-ball tactics.
When, we played Charlotte, Wallace was and Jackson took himself out of that game with 7 minutes left in the 1st Qrtr (to compound Wallace absence), and mysteriously his elbow pain subsided and Jackson returned in the 4th Qrtr.
I’m sure all the players went to MJ and expressed they would not play for Brown.
MJ resolved a lot of chemistry issues by replacing Brown with a players coach in Silas. MJ is not gonna gut his team to collect the Hawks garbage and some unknown picks. Get Real!
Word is, MJ was looking for a LOT! Not our scrubs – end of that discussion.
Would The Hawks trade Josh and Marvin and Jamal and Teague for:
Other teams lesser talent. Wallace is an All Star not a scrub he just quit on Larry. I would love to have Wallace for Marvin, but that ain’t NEVER gonna happen in our life time. Stop dreaming and move on from that.
I’m done there.
i_am_soulstar
December 30th, 2010
4:12 pm
Maybe we can trade Pape Sy for Angel McCoughtry.
SteveW
December 30th, 2010
4:54 pm
Stephen Jackson scored 38 for the Bobcats last night. He cooks in Silas’ offense.
O'Brien
December 30th, 2010
4:56 pm
Oh Oh, Marvin’s back is hurting again, so he wont be making the trip. Good thing we signed Damien. I hope Marvin gets better soon.
I have given Marvin a hard time (and deservedly so), but he has been playing better, and we need him healthy.
With a new CBA coming, and a possible reduction in player salaries for next season, I think teams will be more than willing to trade for expirings (like Jamal’s $10.5 expiring). So if Rick wants to trade him, I think he will have good options.
But as usual, the question is What Will Sund Do?
SteveW
December 30th, 2010
4:57 pm
The Hawks are 6th in the NBA in total D at 94.5 per game. Isn’t that about 3 pts per game better than last season? Who says we’re not playing good D this season?
SteveW
December 30th, 2010
5:07 pm
Hawks versus Heat:
PG is a wash. Bibby and Teague (with Jamal) is probably better than Chalmers/Arroyo/House
SG Wade is better than JJ. But Jamal is better than Miller. Advantage Heat by a small margin
SF LeBron is way better than Marvin. But Marvin and Wilkens can shut him down as well as anybody not named Paul Pierce can. James Jones is OK Advantage Heat
PF Bosh has been outstanding recently, and has probably played himself into an All Star game again. But Smoove can neutralize him. And with Udonis out, I call this one Equal.
C Z, Anthony, Dampier, and Magliore against Horford, ZaZa, Collins, and Etan Hawks win the Center position. Z is looking old.
I stand by may statement: If Teague develops (and the season is only 40% over), ZaZa plays like he did last night consistently, Marvin keeps beasting it (for him anyway), and we stay healthy, we can play with the Heat as well as anybody. They are not used to people being able to match their athleticism like the Hawks can. Not just my opinion, but several in the League think we give them problems.
And don’t discount DWade getting hurt again. The man plays like a kamikaze. But it breeds injuries.
SteveW
December 30th, 2010
5:09 pm
Our biggest problem versus the Heat? Mental. We fold like a tent in a big game. We need Josh to see a Sports Psychologist.
SteveW
December 30th, 2010
5:13 pm
Out of all of the contenders, I think we match up worst with the C’s if they’re healthy. Their veteran professionalism just kills us. And inside with Shaq, Jermaine, Kendrick, and Big Baby, that’s 3 guys over 280, and 1 at 265. We have none over 280, and really only 1 over 260 which is ZaZa at 275. Etan is 260 but only 6-8, and JC3 is 255.
They and Rondo kill us. But I think Teague can stick to Rondo. But we have no one to stick on Nate.
SteveW
December 30th, 2010
5:20 pm
I just don’t want the Hawks to be quitters!! If somebody beats them by 25 in the 1st game, get an attitude and come out fighting to the end in the last game. Don’t be cowards, have guts!
KevinM
December 30th, 2010
5:23 pm
Steve, we aren’t beating the Heat anytime soon. We don’t match up with them….something about Smoove who is always trying to one-up Bosh, but always struggles in these games.
Big 3 versus Hawks 3: JJ/Wade – Wade
Smoove/Bosh – Bosh
Al / LeBron – LeBron does more than Al can
his team.
We really don’t have much if any of an inside advantage against them. Marvin/Bibby don’t give us the advantage over Z/Arroyo.
Bench – it is what it is…..not sure of any advantage of either side.
Hey, next up OKC, we better be getting the ball inside early before Durant and co. get hot.\
Kudos to the Hawks for their improvement in the numbers on D….any notch above last year is an improvement. Let’s get to about 50 games to see how good they really are.
OB, But as usual, the question is What Will Sund Do?
I have been asking that since the FA period opened. While I truly expected Joe to leave based on his year ending results, perhaps that big house was too much to unload in this market and he knew he couldn’t financially recoup what he would have missed had he gone to NY. And he might not like to be criticized by the NY media. But adding him to that Knick lineup would have made them a much better team.
Hey, 2 good games tonight: Knicks/Magic followed by Spurs/Mavs…
SteveW
December 30th, 2010
5:24 pm
Marvin out indefintely.
http://atlanta.sbnation.com/atlanta-hawks/2010/12/30/1904447/marvin-williams-injury-atlanta-hawks-forward-stays-in-atlanta-while
SteveW
December 30th, 2010
5:25 pm
KevinM – Agreed. The Thunder have the potential to beast us if we’re not careful.
SteveW
December 30th, 2010
5:27 pm
And by beast us, I mean beat us by 25 or something. They’ve been sitting at home since the 23rd of Dec., while we’ve travelled for a back to back, then back home, then out to OKC
KevinM
December 30th, 2010
5:37 pm
Steve, IMO, we don’t have to win at OKC to have a successful road trip. The Utah game is the one that I would like to see this team play well. Utah is very comparable to our plight here in that they can never get enough horses to compete for the conference crown.
That one is a good measuring stick. We should go into that game 2-1 minimum if we just find some consistency and our bench provides a boost.
Marvin being out keeps him on this roster just that much longer.
NCBravesFan
December 30th, 2010
5:40 pm
Seems to me like there ought be to teams that LD could look to spot start Teague against – not hand him the job outright, but start him against inferior teams or when the match-up is favorable for Teague. Seems to me that since the consensus was he would have a chance to win the starting role this year there shouldn’t be any obvious team chemistry issues by sitting Bibby every now and again.
As nice a season as Bibby is having on the offensive side, no one thinks he is the long term solution at PG anymore. It’s time to let the kid have a bigger role and see what he can do.
honest_abe
December 30th, 2010
5:40 pm
can a win be disheartening? maybe i’m just getting more critical because i’ve got nothing better to do. but, i’m so sick of this team wasting possessions like its nothing. when your captains are the ones turning it over i don’t know who’s to blame. is it LD’s fault that our 120 mil dollar man throws the ball away on consecutive possessions? is it LD’s fault that josh and al continue running the break? josh is an above avg passer in the right situations but he offsets this with his boneheaded decisions. the hawks should’ve blown out the warriors last night. ellis was off, curry wasn’t 100% and they didn’t have any big men. instead they grind out another less than impressive win. keep this up and the crowds will continue to dwindle unless a “fun” and “professional” team come to town.
enough negativity.
happy new year aj, doc, ray and whoever else used to be on this thing when the hawks were a sub .500 team. we’ve come a long ways. but the blog stays the same. complain, complain, and then complain some more. (i’m the biggest culprit) goes to show you that its hard to make people happy. or people enjoy being miserable!!!! heh
go dawgs!
JeJe
December 30th, 2010
5:58 pm
2 most pathetic moments from the game last night:
1) Marvin trying to hack Amundson (I believe) and ending up on ground. ANY other player in the league would’ve taken the other player to the ground and gotten a flagrant 2 and a 1 game suspension, but MARVIN ended up on ground LOL. Softer than toilet tissue
2) Teague getting blocked on an uncontested shot. His release point is so low that he still got blocked
FIRE SUND
JeJe
December 30th, 2010
5:59 pm
LD has no rotation at all.
how the hell does Powell not play anymore? Where is Damien?
how did Teague not play in the 1st half yesterday?
The only players on the bench guaranteed ANY minutes at all are Jamal and MAYBE Mo
Najeh Davenpoop
December 30th, 2010
6:11 pm
When did they start getting Internet at the old folks’ home? First Marvin’s grandma shows up, and now Woody’s grandma is posting as “6th seed”.
It’s funny to me that some of y’all equate “LD sucks” with “Woody was better”. Give me a f-cking break. How soon we forget. All of us on these Hawks blogs have collectively written a f-cking book on Woody’s shortcomings. Now all of a sudden the Hawks are “only” winning 62% of their games despite multiple key players being injured (for comparison’s sake, they won 65% of their games last year with everyone healthy) and people want Woody back? Are you people insane? The Hawks played harder for Woody? Yeah, if four people standing around for 24 seconds watching Joe do his best and-1 moves is “playing harder” sure.
Criticize LD if you want, and there’s plenty he could be doing better, but GTFOH with this “I miss Woody” nonsense.
JeJe
December 30th, 2010
6:23 pm
GET STEVE NASH
JeJe
December 30th, 2010
6:24 pm
Najeh,
FIRE WOODY
sam'l
December 30th, 2010
6:41 pm
What trade could put the Hawks over the top? I can’t figure it out….I see a lot of speculation but nothing that good or real. I would like to think Sund is on the phone every day, searching for the missing piece, but I remember Gearon’s recent rather bland attitude. I think you have to have Gearon emotionally and personally involved in the team to make something meaningful happen.
About imploding the NBA and packing fewer teams with star players………it could make the game more exiciting. Dont’ know if Atlanta would be around after the implosion, and I’m really not convinced Miami won’t implode either.
Didn’t take Orlando long to smear San Antonio with all those new players…..they could beat Miami…
They can find trades….other teams can trade….how come the Hawks don’t. Owners aren’t personally committed. Too much time spent on one core…..no ability to imagine what could be.
Marvin Wiliams and Teague can go as far as I’m concerned. Pachulia would be long gone. heck, anyone on this club would be acceptable if a potent meaningful combination of players could be achieved. Lack of courage, common sense and intuition…….
That’s why no trades are being made even when certain players are clearly performing below potential.
Course, only an opinon, and subject to change with the next winning streak.
..
JustAThought
December 30th, 2010
6:43 pm
Hey Soulstar………….I say they blow this whole team up, and draft Mya Moore and start over! She could not possibly be any worst than the sorry-assed bunch of guys they got now. And I would be willing to bet that she would be able to sellout Phillips more consistantly. I know I would go see her play before I see the cast they got now!
JustAThought
December 30th, 2010
6:46 pm
sam………..your are talking about the asg/hawks……..so that is all you need to know as to why they don’t.
drmaryb (*_*)
December 30th, 2010
6:50 pm
Kevin M
What are you talking about? Why would Joe need to unload his house in this market? Joe is not bankrupt and a ton of Pro Athletes have Atlanta homes just because this is a Hot City! Allen Iverson, Antoine Walker, Terrell Owens, Jerome Bettis, Tyler Perry, T.I. And that list goes into eternity!
Joe has homes in So. Beach, L.A., Atlanta and could buy 10 more anywhere he pleases. What is your point? I don’t follow …
Joe was never going to NY or anywhere else, his desire has always been to live and play in Atlanta. Obviously, that hasn’t changed.
The man said, “We have built something here in Atlanta, from nobody in the stands, from 13 wins to 53 wins. I just wanted to finish the job and bring a Championship to this city and our fans.”
Why can’t we just take him at his word, which is seldom heard.
Joe also said, “My team was struggling with Jamal out and I was shooting 200 jumpers per day with no pain. So, I returned early. The guys in this locker room just want to win.” Of course all the haters didn’t want to hear that simple truth, so they make up negative conspiracies to further the Hate Agenda.
I for one am grateful to have an entertaining and competitive team to watch.
I’ve been watching since 1986 and these fans are arrogant in the face of progress. Sure, I really dislike these owners, but I love the coach and team.
And, yes we need an upgrade of talent, badly to become elite!
This team as currently constructed will win absolutely NOTHING!
Let’s just keep it real!
JeJe
December 30th, 2010
7:25 pm
2 most pathetic moments from the game last night:
1) Marvin trying to hack Amundson (I believe) and ending up on ground. ANY other player in the league would’ve taken the other player to the ground and gotten a flagrant 2 and a 1 game suspension, but MARVIN ended up on ground LOL. Softer than toilet tissue
2) Teague getting blocked on an uncontested shot. His release point is so low that he still got blocked
FIRE SUND.
drmaryb (*_*)
December 30th, 2010
7:31 pm
NBA Fan Voice posted this titled:
Will Howard Leave Orlando?
Dec 18, 2010 — 11:36PM, i-can-fly wrote:
“Well, consider this. Howard can opt out for 2012. If my math is correct;
Turkoglu will be making about $11 mill each year for two season after that. He will be 34 years old during 2012 FA.
Arenas will be making $20 mil per year and his contract ends the same year as Turkoglu’s. He will be 31 years old when Howard can opt out.
Nelson and Redick are making about $5 mil each, and their contracts expire in 2013.
So they already have 4 players making a total of about $41 mil when Howard is able to opt out. Assuming that he is a max player, he will combine with those 4 to put them around the luxury tax, and that is with just 5 players. Then they will be stuck with minimum contract players to fill out their roster. Considering that Turkoglu and Arenas are already well past their primes, and will probably be no more than role players by then, that isn’t a roster that can even make the playoffs.
Howard would be stupid not to leave. Their contract situation is much worse than it was before-hand. At least they could have opted out on Carter after this year.”
______________________________
Dwight makes 13.7M this year – not bad huh?
Can we get him next year for 2012?
Will ASKG consider that worthy of going into the Luxury Tax?
If we take out some garbage, maybe we won’t even need to enter the Luxury.
Samuel
December 30th, 2010
7:32 pm
Woody>LD
ANT BANKS
December 30th, 2010
7:35 pm
cosign ‘POOP!! the issues that i have with larry drew are nowhere near the issues that i had wit’ woody. every game, larry has at minimum a 9 man rotation, some games 10. i love this. keeps from burnin’ up the starters and gets bench players some burn. woody had a 7 man rotation at best and if we were playin’ a good team that ish would shrink to 6.
i will take a few losses for the sake of developin’ the bench
JeJe
December 30th, 2010
7:45 pm
Well, with the Van Exel issue in the air, there goes Teague’s playing
ANT BANKS
December 30th, 2010
7:46 pm
SAM,
if you gone say woody> larry drew. you need to explain that ish for slow peeps like me.
Fundamentals
December 30th, 2010
7:56 pm
Key to the OKC win will be tight D and strong rebounding. We can’t get into a “shotmaking” exhibition. They beat us at it every time.
Watching the ORL/NYK game. Still loving Ryan Anderson’s game. Is there a way to snag he and say Duhon or Orton for ZaZa? Duhon isn’t fitting in in ORL and Arenas will only put more pressure on ORL to need to deal Duhon or Williams to gt that big man. Duhon has struggled, but he’s known as a good defender and has PG skills.
Blast
December 30th, 2010
8:05 pm
All y’all Hawks fans mad crazy, yo. Hawks lose, you complain. Hawks win, you complain even more. Gosh! I guess it will only take a Hawks championship win to make y’all happy.
And stop with this Woody better than LD crap. If he was, he would still be coaching the team. As it is, Woody is still jobless. Maybe ESPN or NBATV will give him a studio job. Those folks are adept at stealing Hawks broadcasting talents, anyway.
I didn’t like the hire when it happened, but Drew has proved he is a way better coach than Woody. Woody stuck with his line up for years regardless of the opponent. Drew has shown he is ready to mix it up depending on match ups. Switching at every single play is gone for the most part, since Drew mandates that every man account for his man. Hawks are not so iso dependent anymore, leading to Al and Josh touching and scoring the ball more. Joe scored 16 last night and Hawks still beat GS by 10. That means versatility and balanced scoring. That means good coaching who insisted the team continue to pound the ball inside, and take advantage of their bigger frontline. I don’t remember Woody making too many in game adjustments.
And Drew will bench Josh any second he steps out of line and is only jacking up jumpers. Woody never had the nerve to bench anybody.
Drew has accomplished just about the same as Woody in as many games, even through injuries Woody never never had to deal with in the first quarter of the season. So anybody who say Woody is better and even remotely suggests bringing him back is smoking some ice age crack!
Under Woody, Orlando was Hawks biggest nemesis in the East. Under Drew, Hawks have beaten Orlando twice. Now, it flips with Boston who has had Hawks number this year, but that is bound to change.
To me, Hawks will not win a championship this year and I can live with that. They do not have the payroll or personnel the elite teams do, all I want from them is to have as great a regular season as possible and make a good accounting in the playoffs. Never know what will happen then if they do.
So if you are a Hawks fan and expect super greatness from them, you had better think again, and if that is not good enough for you, then I suggest you find another team to follow.
2 more techs and Howard starts sitting. He is the current age Rasheed Wallace!
Blast
December 30th, 2010
8:07 pm
On this upcoming road trip in the West, I expect Hawks to go 2-2 at the worst. Utah and OKC should be their bigger challenges. Hawks did not beat OKC last year, so they are always a challenge and we all know what Utah can do. So I wait with baited breath till tomorrow.
Blast
December 30th, 2010
8:12 pm
Why would a free throw shooter take 10 freaking seconds to shoot a free throw? Good free throw shooters do not require that long.
Looking at Orlando tonight, it just illustrates how dependent on the 3 ball they are. So if the 3 ball is not stroking or are been contested hotly, where does that leave Orlando? How many dunks can Howard have to win the game for you?
Fundamentals
December 30th, 2010
8:16 pm
Blast – I like Drew and I recognize we need some tweeks to the roster to expect much in terms of playoff success. LD has to find a way to make ZaZa and Teague more dependable to put us over the top. Fans will be fans. They’ll be frustrated, fickle, or opinionated. It doesn’t mean they don’t love their team.
Orlando isn’t the same as last year. Outside of those wins we really haven’t competed against elite teams. Is LD the reason for that…no – it’s the players ability to mentally withstand the storm and close out. Thus far we’ve faltered as a team at crunch time. Woodson rode his ponies to many clutch wins. LD has to figure out how to do that. That’ll take time. Hopefully we’ll begin to see that soon. If this team could gel just after the All Star break we’d be very competitive. A few tweeks to bring in a good post defender and PG we’d be scary.
LD needs time and a few pieces. That’s obvious to everyone but ASG/Sund.
KevinM
December 30th, 2010
8:43 pm
DMB, all I was saying is that Joe made a financial decision and one he couldn’t get elsewhere. Joe isn’t buying $15M houses is cities he doesn’t play in. Its the same as Kevin Martin of the Kings dumping his house in Sacarmento now that he plays in Houston. He isn’t going to get any value so he lets it go and takes away his burden. I say Joe stayed because he couldn’t have a better setup anywhere else.
The problem is Sund has come out and told us that we are going to go as far as Joe takes us. Now you take that any way you want. Joe isn’t leading this team any further than where they have gotten. He does not create mismatch problems and he isn’t unstoppable. Plenty of playoff stats to back up this argument.
You cannot dispute that Joe isn’t a Number 1 option for a championship team. His contract is going to hurt this franchise more than any other contract ever signed by this team, and that goes past the inept Jon Koncak, who stole money the minute he signed his big deal….which by the way is what Joe spends on a pad in another city.
This team has lots of talent, but they also have lots of limitations. This roster needs an influx of superstar talent at one of the weak positions. We have the 2 and 4 slots in place. That’s it.
You continue to hope for this team to finally flip the switch but in the meanwhile the CBA is a threat to the survival of the league and the way we know the NBA as it is today. Lots of open ended agendas to be resolved.
The only good thing the city of Atlanta has is that it stays within the league’s salary structure and that should help them going forward. But if they wanted to add a big piece to help the core, they would have to take away possbily the depth they do have at any position.
LD is working with what he has to work with. He’s not getting any more help any time soon. Beating Boston, Miami and Orlando is still a tall task for the core. It’s hard to be convinced that there is enough talent here to achieve those high reaches.
Blast
December 30th, 2010
8:50 pm
Fund,
Truth is I would love to see the Hawks make a trade or two, since I agree that they are not competent enough. But the ASG is commited to staying under the cap. And no way you can win in the NBA if you do not spend money. The Spurs used to be one team that won without going over the limit, but even these days, they have to pay to win.
Fundamentals
December 30th, 2010
8:58 pm
Everyone keeps harping for a big time player. I honestly think that’d do more to wreck chemistry. We already don’t have enough balls go around. We need a solid PG who can defend, penetrate and hit the open jumper enough to keep teams honest. We need a decent defending big man, similar to Collins in a sense. Someone who can be counted on to help Horford against really big C’s. There are plenty of available deals around for the money we have to trade. JC1, ZaZa and Mo are plenty. You could use the TPE, Marvin, JC2, Teague ect to really make moves. Being stuck with the core doesn’t mean you can’t make moves. Folks just have to look for what’s available. I honestly think the Feb waiver wire will be full of talent w/teams not going anywhere dropping pieces. Expirings will have value. We have several key ones to use.
Fundamentals
December 30th, 2010
8:59 pm
Amen to the Spurs for maximizing talent, finding picks and making the best of a tight budget…at least until lately…but they too have held on to an aging core for a long time too. I can dream, but I doubt our core will have 4 rings before they are too old.
O'Brien
December 30th, 2010
9:08 pm
My thoughts and prayers go out to the Van Exel family, and the family of the deceased person.
As for LD vs Woody, people need to keep in mind that last year, the Hawks were the healthiest team in the NBA, and they won 53 games.
This year, some say the East have improved, and JJ, Jamal, Marvin, and Mo Evans have all missed multiple games, but yet they are almost on a 53 win pace.
Meanwhile, Magic up on Orlando. I think once Orlando trades for a legit backup Center (which I think they will), they will be tough to beat.
Fundamentals
December 30th, 2010
9:38 pm
Terrible news for Van Exel, his family and the family of Bradley Bassey Eyo. Please pray for all of them.
I’m not in panic mode O’Brien, but I do hope ASG and Sund are looking for ways to improve this team. I hope Marvin can get better soon as he was finally finding his niche. We have the ability to make a run if we can find the right pieces.
All I want is the team to play TEAM ball and give it their all. We haven’t gotten that in the past 2 post seasons. We’ve played like we were satisfied to meet expectations…and we did.
It’s time to up the anty. We can achieve more.
doc
December 30th, 2010
9:49 pm
honest cool to see you around occasionally, man those were the dreary days.
good crew to carry on here at the liar’s table, the core here has grown for sure.
Samuel
December 30th, 2010
9:56 pm
The only thing that counts. Record and seeding and by that comparison Woody>LD. All that other talk means nothing. We have advanced to the second round in the last couple of years with 2nd round talent. This year, we still have 2nd round talent but i’m not so sure we even make the second round. We had two players make the Allstar team and another 6MOY. This year we’ll be lucky to have one. The last few years, everybody feared coming to our place to play. This year, not so. Need I go on?
hawkfan
December 30th, 2010
10:00 pm
haha a VAUGHN sighting
hawkfan
December 30th, 2010
10:07 pm
looking at this mavs-spurs game shows how fast these 2 teams pace are compared to us which does not make sense due to our athleticism, our team is even younger than both of these teams but even kidd is running way faster than bibby could and making us look old and slow
Fundamentals
December 30th, 2010
10:08 pm
I can agree to all you’ve just said Samuel at 9:56, but we can’t truly judge the accomplishments of a season until the season is done. If LD just wins one game in the 2nd round it’ll be better than all those accomplishments. As of yet, the team hasn’t gelled, the lineups aren’t set and players haven’t grown into their positions. Hopefully it’ll happen in time, but till they’re booted from the playoffs we can’t make that call.
doc
December 30th, 2010
10:34 pm
samuel, it is hard to say that LD is not holding his own in comparison to woody. woody had a golden year with no injuries last year of note. when LD came on board, i said right then that he would not be blessed with the lack of injury so comprisions would be difficult especially if he didnt “match up” record wise with woody over the long haul. you can say what you want but the data in thus far shows he matches up well with woody even in the face of adversity that woody didnt have to face last year since the record at this juncture is only off by one game.
he has also come up with formula’s to negate some of our greatest adversaries in the magic. yes, the heat will not be approachable in the long run nor will the celts as they retooled well in the off season along with the knicks and bulls so he may not finish as high. that is the problem of the askg not LD who has to run with the same lack of horses that woody had. i would suggest you aim higher and you might get the true target that holds us back in “my boy rick” and the askg that folded the tent when the three musketeers went south, uh to south beach that is.
your continued nit picking on LD really is unfounded and shallow as he has done a quite capable job. i am not one to think we should have hired him and it was another one of those misjudgments that may work out in the end that the askg are known. only the problem is not LD nor was it probably woody. however. i do admire some of the things LD has achieved though you continue to look beyond them because of your bias that isnt rational or the loyalty to your own ego.
you are deceiving yourself if you think we have second round talent with the ascension of the knicks and bulls. not sure why you say it, as you would argue otherwise for it usually and have before and to argue otherwise again takes you away from the culprits that continue to hold fist to making change because they dont want to spend or an inane loyalty to the core and its surrounding parts they put with it. shaq is an example we both decry of the lack of action the askg needed to take to build a true competitor.
happy new year, glad you got back safe and sound from mississippi and your boy monta is delivering.
Ramon
December 30th, 2010
10:48 pm
When you watch San Antonio play, you can’t help but be a fan of their professionalism. Out of all of the year SAS have been winning, why is it that the Hawks have never interviewed any of their assistants for head coaching position here? Watching the Spurs, makes me wonder how T. Corbin from Utah would’ve done here.
Samuel
December 30th, 2010
10:50 pm
Somebody said LD was a better coach than Woody, I just gave you proof. Second round talent meaning we have enough to make it to the second round, not enough to win it.
I never said LD hasn’t done a capable job. I said he wasn’t as good as Woody. Doc, why is it when we “happen” to accomplish something such as a relatively injury free season, it’s in spite of Woody yet when it negative, he was the reason. Injuries are no scapegoat as far as i’m concerned. We’re not the only team who has them, so it evens out. Bottom line is if we finish with a worse record, fail to win home court in the first round and lose. The Hawks took a step backwards.
On the flip side, if LD can push the guys beyond what we’ve accomplished under Woody, i’ll concede that it was the right move. I just don’t concede to talk. Results are what matter.
Sure, Rick and the ASG are cheep Good Ole Boys who are afraid to step out on any kind of a limb and get some players in here who can take us to the next level. We are definitely in agreement there. Mississippi was great and Monta Ellis kinda disappointed me against the Hawks but he’s still having a decent year for a 2nd round pick. He and Big Al deserves to make the AllStar team but probably won’t. Mississippi is always underrated and disrespected, but OH WELL.