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Atlanta Hawks: Hawks 110, Jazz 87

1:05 am January 6, 2011, by Michael Cunningham

Smoove and the Hawks eventually forced Jazz fans to throw in the towel. (Steve Griffin / The Salt Lake Tribune)

Smoove and the Hawks eventually forced Jazz fans to throw in the towel. (Steve Griffin / The Salt Lake Tribune)

Salt Lake City–Wow.

  • The Hawks finished their West trip in style by waylaying the Jazz. It was surreal to see the fans in one of the league’s toughest building start leaving midway through the fourth quarter.
  • “As I told the guys before the game started, ‘Let’s turn a good road trip into a great road trip,’” L.D. said. “That was kind of our theme going into this game, and they did it. Just a great, great win.”
  • The Hawks have won five of six games. Joe and Jamal are getting healthier. Their defense looks better. They play four of their next five at home. They’ve survived a grueling schedule despite injuries to sit a half game behind Orlando for fourth fifth place in the East.
  • Could the Hawks finally be ready to get on an extended roll? “Why not?” Jamal said. “Other teams have had their chances to get on a run. I think it’s our time now. It’s a game tonight that a lot of people wouldn’t have bet on us. It was a gut check. It was a pretty convincing win against a great team.”
  • There’s no question about that. The Hawks were sharper, faster, tougher and better than the Jazz from start to finish.
  • “From start to finish I thought it was one of the most complete games where we controlled it from start to finish on both ends of the floor,” Drew said. “Defensively, I thought we did a great job. And then we actually got our and ran, made the extra pass.”
  • The Jazz could do nothing to stop the Hawks on the perimeter. If they appeared slow to react, it might have been because Atlanta passed the ball so crisply. And when they did manage to close out, the Hawks frequently made plays off the bounce.
  • “They pass the ball well,” Jerry Sloan said. “They got it to who was supposed to have the ball almost every possession. We didn’t seem to be able to do anything with it.”
  • It was shocking to see the Jazz unable to run their normally-silky offensive sets because the Hawks beat them to the punch. Deron Williams, among the league’s best point guards, was made to look ordinary by J.J. and Atlanta’s swarming help defense.
  • “I think we did a number on Deron,” Smoove said. “We did a good job with team defense.”
  • “We tried to take away a lot of the easy touches,” L.D. said. “The system that they run, they are so good at it. They put you in a position of switching and if you are not careful you can get back cut. I thought we did a good job of defending that. I think we forced them into more one-on-one situations than what they are accustomed to and then we defended it.”
  • J.J. was great at both ends. This was the first game in a while I can remember him so smoothly meshing his deliberate, one-on-one game into the rhythm of the offense. He picked his spots, let his teammates set him up and is starting to make more open jump shots.
  • “You can see he’s starting to find rhythm in his game and what we do,” Drew said. “He is incorporating his game in the movement that we’ve put in.”
  • The same can be said of Jamal, who scored at least 20 points for four straight games for the first time since he joined the Hawks. All of those efforts were efficient.
  • When Joe and Jamal are going like this while getting other involved, the Hawks are very difficult to defend.
  • “I think we are definitely getting healthier as a team,” Joe said. “We are starting to figure things out about how L.D. wants things to be run offensively and defensively. Most importantly, we are going out there and having fun.”
  • “I think it just took time,” Jamal said. “We just had to figure out how we were going about things. I think now we are doing a good job picking our spots. But we still have such an interior presence with Josh, Al and Zaza and all those guys in there.”
  • Al was making the shots that Jamal, Joe and Bibby (eight assists) created.
  • That’s where the Jazz could have used Paul Milsap, who was out with a hip injury. Al Jefferson was flummoxed all night by Atlanta’s bigs.
  • “We wanted to match their physicality,” Smoove said. “I think we did a good job at really pressuring them and stopping them from swinging the basketball easily. We got in the passing lanes and did a nice job of limiting them to one shot and rebounding and getting the ball out.”
  • The Hawks made 14 of 25 3-point attempts. That’s a lot of long balls to put up but they were quality looks: all but two of them were assisted, and one of those was Jamal’s 47-foot bank shot at the buzzer.
  • “We had great ball movement and we had some great looks,” L.D. said. “In most cases we won’t be taking that many threes. Joe got into a rhythm. Jamal got into a bit of a rhythm. They were within the flow of what we were doing.”
  • The Jazz tried to make a game of it in the third quarter but couldn’t get stops. The Hawks had 10 assists on 11 field goals and made 6 of 8 3-point attempts in the period.
  • The Jazz were a step behind trying to defend the three, probably because the Hawks gave them so many other things to worry about, too.
  • “A lot of that had to do with the way we tried to guard them in the post,” Sloan said. “They threw the ball out of the post a number of times for guys to be able to take shots. That’s one thing; the other is whenever they were looking for three-point shots we had trouble getting to them.”
  • Smoove was the early catalyst for the Hawks. He was all over the court as they raced out to a 20-6 lead. During that stretch he assisted on two of J.J.’s 3-pointers, plays that suggested they are rediscovering their chemistry. Josh also got an and-1 on the break, a steal and two rebounds during that opening burst.
  • The starters handed the reserves a big lead in the second quarter. It wasn’t always pretty, but they pretty much maintained. Mo made open shots, helped with the team defense and even looked pretty good on the break.
  • The Hawks returned to Atlanta to face the Pacers on Saturday. “Three big wins and coming off a great win like [against] the Jazz, it can definitely fuel you to a domino effect for us to string some wins here together,” J.J. said. “The East is tough, man, so we have got to get on a roll.”

MC

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199 comments Add your comment

O'Brien

January 6th, 2011
10:08 am

Duello,

It gets worse. If there is a new CBA, then the salary cap would probably be lower, and the luxury tax threshold would also be lower. So the Hawks may actually have less than $7 mil to spend before the luxury tax.

I dont think the Hawks can afford to resign Jamal, and I think that’s one of the reasons why they drafted Jordan Crawford.

With Mo and Jamal off the books, I think we sign a backup SF (vet min), a backup PF (vet min), and a backup C (vet min, and it might be Collins again).

Edgewood Adam

January 6th, 2011
10:19 am

O’ Brien,

Surely they would have to grandfather in the contracts signed before the new CBA. Maybe have contracts signed before 2010 count on a pro-rated scale.

Great win last night. I had almost forgotten what a great player JJ is. I have been telling anyone that will listen that if JJ can go back to taking over games then this team is a 3 seed like last year but with a better chance in the playoffs. We can run Boston out of the gym.

Astro Joe

January 6th, 2011
10:30 am

I think LD is also “freeing” the team to run a little more, which comes naturally to them. He seems to be calling for a little more fast breaks and less half-court sets even when they’re on the road. I never understood that original strategy, get easy baskets ESPECIALLY on the road… don’t try to make everything a half-court grind. After pushing the tempo against the Clippers, it was like the players responded well on both sides of the court.

dap01

January 6th, 2011
10:31 am

My concern is that if we again fall in love with our lineup. The starters will again be out of juice and our bench will again not be prepared to help out in the playoffs.

Remember how BAD the Hawks were the last two years at playoff time. What is different this year?

JeJe

January 6th, 2011
10:37 am

Enough of this “if we play at our best we can beat anyone” crap. Any team besides Sacramento and Minnesota can make that same claim.

Rev, was Damien by the bench last night? Didn’t see him

Rev in Tampa

January 6th, 2011
10:50 am

JeJe,

I don’t know if Damien sat with the team. I only know what MC told us – that he stayed with the team in Utah and was apparently in the locker room with them.

Rufus1

January 6th, 2011
10:55 am

Why collins should start….

Collins was guarding Jefferson in the post on the right block….crossed to the left block using a screen…jamal was guarding the screener, but didn’t proved help to Collins….jefferson got a layup….Collins was give jamal the business about his defensive assignment….next time Jamal did his job…

Collins does the little things to win games…He is the new “Difference” or D2

JeJe

January 6th, 2011
10:57 am

I still don’t understand how cutting Damien was a business decision. There was no reason in the world to cut him unless we are signing a PG (which we won’t). Why would we sign a 3rd PG if our 2nd PG doesn’t even play? Damien was making the VETERAN MINIMUM

FIRE SUND

JeJe

January 6th, 2011
10:58 am

“With Mo and Jamal off the books, I think we sign a backup SF (vet min), a backup PF (vet min), and a backup C (vet min, and it might be Collins again).

DAMIEN, POWELL, COLLINS

FIRE SUND

KevinM

January 6th, 2011
11:02 am

Can we keep the bulk of our bench roster intact next year? Yes, we keep Zaza & JC2, but questions about Powell will come up and I really like this kid. Collins, he is showing how much of a waste he was last year by not being in shape. He is adequate in the post and does help on the defensive end.

kwooden1

January 6th, 2011
11:02 am

The one concern I have out of a win like this is the jumpshooting. All those shots were falling last night, but that isn’t going to happen every night. (they have proved that Already) The defense from Bibby and Crawford are what needs to be consistant every game for this team to be more successful. I don’t think they are going to become an inside first team anytime soon. The HAWKS have two excellent perimeter scores in Jamal and Joe, so they are a good team if at least one of those guys is clicking. (along with playing good defense and rebounding) My issue though with that model is Miami and Boston. We can’t beat them consistantly doing things that way. Boston can stop our scores and so can Miami. We need more in the paint scoring out of Horford and Smoove to consistantly be successful against the elite. Our bigs take more than half their shots from outside the paint. That is one thing that really needs to change.

GO HAWKS!!

bigdave

January 6th, 2011
11:02 am

“We tried to stop them but they were good at keeping their composure and executing their offense,” Kirilenko said.

well damn.

Ken Strickland

January 6th, 2011
11:03 am

It appears to me that LDrew has decided to go with a 3 guard rotation, until Marvin comes back. If he decides to stick with the big lineup, it means MEvans will become the 4th guard in the rotation and take over the roll DWilkins had, with Marvin backing up Smoove. If Moe’s knee has full healed, he can successfully fill that roll.

kwooden1

January 6th, 2011
11:03 am

Rufus, nice observation.

Rufus1

January 6th, 2011
11:05 am

The New PG

I don’t know how many of you have been watching, but Jamal has been playing better at the PG. He has been getting the team in its sets better and getting his shots more in the offensive flow. His offensive eFG% has been going up(if I am not mistaking) and his defense is much better.

I think LD is grooming JC1 to be the finishing PG in late close games in the playoffs.

KevinM

January 6th, 2011
11:14 am

I gotta think that Jamal cannot have his contract extended at this point until the end of season. I don’t honestly see how the Hawks hold onto him unless they move a couple of contracts.
He will very much be in demand next season, CBA new rules aside. He should be considered a huge core piece.

Ken Strickland

January 6th, 2011
11:17 am

RUFUS1-What’s most impressive about Jamal isn’t how he’s running the point, but how well and consistently he’s been playing good DEF. He’s done a particularily good job of playing the passing lanes, getting steals and deflections. He’s showing a new level of aggressiveness, both offensively and defensively, and last night it seems to have affected MBibby.

JeJe

January 6th, 2011
11:23 am

BIBBY PLAYED WAYYYY TOO MANY MINUTES THESE LAST 2 GAMES

WTF?

LAP

January 6th, 2011
11:23 am

No Marvin Williams=Hawks better off.

Angers me even more that Sund gave him that god awful 5 year 38 million dollar deal.

Look how much better this team is when you start an actual center even if it is someone pathetic like Jason Collins(who deserves props for at least bringing it every night despite his physical limitations.) Can you imagine this team with a legitimate center so that Horford could always play the 4.

Billy Knight had the most warped conception of what a team should be when he believed Joe Johnson could be a full time pg and Horford a full time Center. It’s plain to see that this team is better with a big man clogging up the middle. If we could have used that Marvin money on a guy like Felton, imagine where this team could be.

Ken Strickland

January 6th, 2011
11:26 am

RUFUS1-You comment about JCollins and Jamal reminded me of the way the MJordan led Bulls took off after acquiring an aging, but very intelligent center named Bill Cartwright. His ability to play excellent man post DEF allowed them to avoid using double teams.

I also think he’ll get better at rebounding, scoring and rotating once he’s better conditioned.

Melvin

January 6th, 2011
11:30 am

No post from Slimjr lately. I wonder why????

JeJe

January 6th, 2011
11:30 am

I think Collins needs to lose a few more pounds

drmaryb (*_*)

January 6th, 2011
11:33 am

LAP

Big men ain’t just laying around. They are like azz-holes, everybody needs one.

Sautee

January 6th, 2011
11:34 am

Ramon,

about this: “Sautee, when you consider how often Josh actually creates his own shot or creates shot for others (which would probably be only behind Joe and/or JC1) compared to Al method of normally being set up for his points by someone drawing the double off of his man. You must say, that 2-4 turnovers is a lot compared to 4 turnovers because of how the turnovers came. Its the same way Lebron or Wade can have 4-5 turnovers in a game (and they do that regularly), but it wouldn’t be as big of a problem as Al Jefferson having 2-3 turnovers.”

OK Ramon, this is in response to my pointing out that your statement of “Al has as many bad turnover games as Josh” was untrue. So now you are saying (I think) that Horford’s turnovers, even if they are less than Josh, are somehow more egregious?

Let me point out something, Ramon. It’s NOT just Josh who sets up his teammates. Horford’s assists are just a tick behind Josh (3.2 to 3.6). Your reference to Al Jefferson hardly applies here precisely because Horford IS so good a passer for a 4/5. Jefferson, btw has a career average of 1.2 assists / gm. In your attempts to defend Josh (unneeded in my eyes) you are ignoring the fact that Horford ALSO sets up his teammates.

Rufus1

January 6th, 2011
11:36 am

@Ken

I completely agree about Jamal’s defense…it has been very good. I was a very big critic of his defense in the past, but the way he has been playing latley…I have to give him his credit.

I think Collins is our Kendrick Perkins…

So with Collins playing that role and Jamal playing good defense and scoring efficiently, people need to take a new look at our team….In the 4th qt we can match-up with anyone.

WE ARE CLOSER THAN MOST PEOPLE THINK!

Rufus1

January 6th, 2011
11:41 am

@Kwooden

Collins was the only person on the team that takes charges…but I thought I remeber josh taking a charge in a game…Those kind of things can be infectious

Geemack

January 6th, 2011
11:44 am

Terrell
Why start Jamal? Because he’s a better option at PG than Bibby and Teague. Marvin, & Bibby can give you that same spark coming off the bench.

The team will be better suited with Jamal in the starting line up especially against elite teams.

Romoe1

January 6th, 2011
11:47 am

Hawks funs, we the Hawks can get a decent center they will be one of the elite teams in the league. They are fine at the point between Bibby, Teague and Jamal, if they could trade Zaza, Mervin or Evans with a baggage with one of those players they have a chance to beat any body.

doc

January 6th, 2011
11:52 am

those who thopught it wouldnot take time to learn each other in ld’s system were kidding themselves. it also seems it hasnt taken the bulls longer to do the same so it isnt suggested as a crutch or excuse. i do hope the lights are finally on and we make a run. jj saying so moight mean something.

Fundamentals

January 6th, 2011
11:54 am

No one will know the CBA rules till they come down, so we can’t assume anything. Most likely the players won’t allow a deal that won’t allow some flexibility. Question will be the luxury tax and how ASG will respond next season?

Jamal is definitely setting himself up for a bit time deal if he can follow his 6th man season with a complete season on both ends. If he can show mastery of the PG in a up tempo motion offense he’ll be that much more valuable to a potential team. I’m interested to see what will happen when it comes down to pay him or lose him? Everyone has their ideas about ASG, but that to me will become their defining moment. Put up or shut up time is coming. ASG can make a real statement with how they handle Jamal. I only hope he continues to put pressure on them with his outstanding play on both ends.

JeJe

January 6th, 2011
11:55 am

Collins is solid (taking charges, etc), but he’s a bit too unathletic. I wish he’d lose some weight so he can better contest shots

Fundamentals

January 6th, 2011
11:57 am

Right now Jamal & JJ are showing they can play together. If Collins stays in the big lineup Marvin should respond well, if not better than when he was a starter. He can play multiple positions on the 2nd unit and dominate lesser competition. He seems to be a tweener in terms of his level of play. Hopefully it won’t take long to get him 100% after the back injury.

I.MUS WRITE

January 6th, 2011
11:57 am

Any trade that we make should include Mo Evans…Talk about a waste of a roster spot-he has been hobbled all year and his production is almost nonexistent. HTF is this guy labled a defensive stopper-I saw D Williams abuse him a few times last night-hell hes been getting abused all season. Pull the plug already!!!!
Pissed me off when we waived Wilkins -He plays great D and hustles every time hes in the game.

Stackhouse would be a great pick up IMO at 36 yo he is just as good as Marvin-The man played well against us in the playoffs last year in fact his and JJ the 120 million dollar man had similar statistics,,,Jus say’n

Al has become David West form 2 years ago-17 ft assasin…..Im suprised when he misses a shot,hes almost automatic from the elbow /top of the key.

Mo Evans/ZaZA for Ronny Turiaff Jamal/2nd for Turiaff

We should be enquiring about the 7′1 guy rotting away on the Knicks bench . Shot blocking-Ball skills -Post moves……. everything that ZAZA Gabore Lacks

Fundamentals

January 6th, 2011
11:58 am

Collins losing weight won’t help him JeJe – we need a youthful player of the same type as Collins. A defensive stopper. Someone with footwork and a knack for the boards. I still think that’s McGhee, but we most likley would never get him.

Scoop

January 6th, 2011
11:58 am

The secret to the Hawks success-put together the most grueling schedule imaginable, with more back to back games so far then any other team in the league. The Hawks are 9-3 on the 2nd game of back to backs, despite significant injuries to Joe, Marvin, and JC.

Winning 3 of 4 on the road without Marvin, who should be back in the lineup next game, is very impressive. The game to game improvement from the Hawks is finally becoming apparent, highlighted by last night’s game: we were recognizing the mismatches offensively, correctly dictating the tempo based on the situation, and our offensive spacing was the best I have seen from this Hawks team ever. There was one play in particular where a pick and roll was called for Joe on the strong side of the floor and he drove to the middle, passed the ball to Bibby on the wing when the defense double teamed him, and Bibby passed to Horford in the corner facing the defensive rotation for a easy basket.

Given, we were hot tonight with our shooting.A portion could be attributed to luck and the rest to our spacing and execution. However, what really impressed me was our execution defensively. Offense comes and goes, but defense should always be constant and we brought it tonight. I think now we are getting a glimpse of what this team can do when their healthy, especially their captain Joe Johnson.

It was not a bad pick

January 6th, 2011
12:00 pm

LAP

the Hawks would be even better with Marvin at the 3..Last night Josh tried his best to let Utah back in the game with his usual bad shot selection, and turnovers…Start Marvin , Al and Twin, and you may have a team that might advance past the 2nd round..good game Joe Max..It feels good to have your MAX player put up MAX numbers…Now if only he could do that every night…

Fundamentals

January 6th, 2011
12:01 pm

I doubt the Knicks are going to part with their Russian project. He’s too young to drop now. They’ll most likley try to develop him.

It was not a bad pick

January 6th, 2011
12:03 pm

Fundamentals

“He seems to be a tweener in terms of his level of play. Hopefully it won’t take long to get him 100% after the back injury.”

You got to be talking about Josh..
Marvin is a natural sf who can get you 20 ppg if the hawks would call plays for him…Josh is a classic Tweener..he is a small pf…not a sf..his bad shot selection and turnovers will hurt the hawks in the end

Ramon

January 6th, 2011
12:22 pm

Sautee, its truly hard to explain what I’m saying without video. But assists doesn’t mean you’re a play maker. If you watch, you’ll see Josh pick up a lot of hockey assists. You’ll see his initial move on this man, many times is just the first of two passes (swinging from the corner with defense reacting) of the shot that is finally attempted. But the initial play was made off of the first pass, even though that player will not be credited with an assist. Also for a good while Smoove was the initiator of majority of the fast breaks. It first started when T. Lue was Woody’s man crush, lol. Because there was no one else who would push the fast break. More and more lately, Al has started initiating the break as well.

Also to go along with it, how often do we see a big (the Zaza rule) drop a pass from Josh right under the basket still to this day? I just view Josh as more of a creator than Al is. So with that, higher turnover rates are expected.

Ramon

January 6th, 2011
12:30 pm

Sautee, Horford gets his assists from the offense, not from creating and making plays as much. That is evident in the fact that he’s averaging a full assist higher this season than he was last season. His assists are coming from back door screens when he’s in the high post, and hitting Joe or Bibby at the elbow coming off a pick. That’s not creating. That’s a play called by the coach, lol.

Not So Casual Observer

January 6th, 2011
12:33 pm

You are correct – Marvin was not a bad pick, he was an absolutely awful pick.

Marvin gives effort about 1 game in four and his body is not that of a SF. He has the lower body of a post player, without the strength, and the upper body of 2 guard. Marvin is an average shooter (or worse) from mid to long range and could not average 20 points in an empty gym.

Ramon

January 6th, 2011
12:38 pm

Marvin wasn’t a bad pick. The draft is a crapshoot, and a straight gamble. Many though Marvin would be the best player in the draft. But Marvin was a TERRIBLE re-signed player. It wasn’t stupid to draft him. But it was stupid to re-sign him for that amount. There are a long list of SF who produce the same or more than Marvin, for a lot less money.

Sautee

January 6th, 2011
12:49 pm

it was not a bad pick,

you said this: “Last night Josh tried his best to let Utah back in the game with his usual bad shot selection, and turnovers…”

I’ll call BS on this statement.

First, shot selection: Josh only took 8 shots for the game and 4 of them were within 9 feet of the basket. That is NOT poor shot selection. Many nights you can join me in criticizing his shot selection, but NOT last night. He took only two threes and hit one of two. That’s 50%. Isn’t that a higher % than Marvin shoots on 3s?

And yes he had two turnovers, but he also had 4 assists and two steals. That’s a net PLUS and not at ALL “letting Utah back in the game” as you try to put it.

By the way, about turnovers…..

Marvin Williams career assist to turnover ratio: 1.07

meaning that for his career he has (only) 1.07 assists for every turnover he makes

Josh Smith career assist to turnover ratio: 1.2

meaning that for his career Josh has (only) 1.2 assists for every turnover he makes.

For all of Josh’s sloppy plays and careless passes, he takes care of the ball better than Marvin, and that’s even though he handles the ball MUCH more than Marvin does.

Look man, it’s fine if you want to ride Marvin’s jock. Go for it. But you do not have to tear down other hawks to defend Marvin. And when you make erroneous statements like today, you can be sure that someone will come along and challenge you.

Clyde

January 6th, 2011
12:57 pm

Woodson didn’t want a rookie point guard thats why he drafted Mavin Williams and signed Speedy Claxton.

MJC

January 6th, 2011
1:06 pm

People need to give Jason Collins some love. We play better when he is in the starting lineup.

CavilierJones

January 6th, 2011
1:07 pm

Last nights Hawks game was absolutely, unequivocally the BEST HAWKS WIN IN ATLANTA TEAM HISTORY, PERIOD. The Hawks played solid through and through and never, ever appeared as though they were fazed by anything the Jazz did. A great win against a quality opponent. I feel that right now:::if the Hawks were to begin a playoff series right at this moment, they would easily win the Larry O’Brien trophy (gold trophy) signifying them as “WORLD CHAMPIONS”. They are playing that well right now and I now they will remain unchalleged if they keep it up. Think of this, how many times have the Hawks gone on a 4-game west coast trip in their history and came back home 3-1. I dont ever remember it. Go Hawks! Keep rolling on!

terrell

January 6th, 2011
1:13 pm

Why not use Jordan Crawford as the backup pg? Just looks like he has IT. Cant say the same for Teague.

terrell

January 6th, 2011
1:25 pm

Yawn @ it was not a bad pick.

O'Brien

January 6th, 2011
1:27 pm

Fundamentals,

Even if the Hawks are interested in bringing Jamal back, I think another team will offer him just as much money (if not more), and somebody will offer him a starting spot.

I think Jamal would love to play for the Knicks, and even if they get Melo, they can offer the Hawks a sign and trade for him. And the Hawks would have the option of getting a TPE in return (if they didnt want equal salaried players).

His decision making has improved, and his defense has looked a little better. In a perfect world, the Hawks would resign Jamal, and spend the money to upgrade the other positions.

Ken Strickland

January 6th, 2011
1:42 pm

I’ve been rather critical of LDrew and his decisions lately, especially his recent decisions not to play Teague, DWilkins and JPowell. However, I understand him pulling the plug on DWilkins, since I’m certain he knew he’d be waived.

Earlier in the season it was obvious to me he was experimenting with his rotations, and running what I call an extended preseason. That’s why he gave Teague, Powell and JoCrawford mins. I think that approach has come to an end, and he’s now developing a fixed rotation for the playoffs.

I think he’s decided that Teague and Jordan’s development will have to wait until after the season. It also seems he’s decided to go with starting the big lineup, and will go back to the small lineup as dictated, rather than the other way around. It appears Jamal has become our backup PG, MEvans our backup SG, and Marvin our backup SF.

It looks like his rotation will likely be Marvin-SF, MEvans-SG, Jamal-PG, Zaza-C, with Horford rotating from PF to C, and Smoove rotating from SF to PF. That’s a pretty good 9 man rotation. With everyone, except Marvin, fully recovered from their injuries, and producing at max efficiency, I see LDrew preparing the team for a serious 2nd half playoff run.

For me, this is the only logical explaination for his abrupt change in philosophy, approach, rotation, and starting lineup.

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