Hornets at Atlanta Hawks: ‘Good to have options’
L.D. wanted to go big against the Hornets so Twin can deal with Okafor. But now Al’s not playing and L.D. is . . . going with Twin to deal with Okafor.
(Drew said the Hawks would decide after the game whether Al or Marvin will travel to Charlotte but it’s likely both guys will stay in Atlanta.)
Mo is at shooting guard, Josh, Joe is at small forward and Josh is at power forward–except for when Josh plays the three and Mo or Joe checks Chris Paul
The point is, with Twin now a regular contributor and so many guys who can play multiple positions, L.D. has multiple combinations he can use.
“It’s good to have options,” Drew said, smiling.
Trevor Ariza is out for the New Orleans after suffering an ankle injury at shooataround. Rookie Quincy Pondexter starts and J.J. will start off on him while Mo gets Paul.
“The first couple of trips up and down the floor may end up seeing Joe on Chris Paul,” L.D. said. “They will flip-flop all night long.”
Powell, Damien, and Zaza all figure to play more minutes.
“It really depends,” Drew said. “We will use different lineups and what’s working we will stay with. I am sure we will be in situations where we have to adjust to them, and they will adjust to us.”
Speaking of options . . .
Paul is decent on pick-and-rolls. The Hawks are bad at defending them. L.D. has mostly stuck with his “accountability” approach and stayed away from the switches. Is he ever tempted to switch more or is he adamant on playing straight up?
“I’m not that adamant,” he said, laughing. “If it starts hurting us and we find ourselves in a switchable situation, we go ahead [and do it]. As much as you don’t want to do it, some teams put you in that situation by the pace of how they run things.”
He cited that play at the end of the Miami game when Bibby ended up guarding LeBron on a switch. L.D. saw the ESPN segment where analysts pointed out that LeBron should have went baseline on Bibby.
“But actually Mike was up on him far enough, [LeBron] had the ball in his left hand and he could not crossover in front of Mike,” L.D. said. “He played that switch the right way and funneled it right to the help [Smoove] was.”
Michael Cunningham, Hawks beat
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269 comments Add your comment
SteveW
January 21st, 2011
9:44 pm
I feel like Wake Forest at Tech the other night.
Nique's Revenge
January 21st, 2011
9:45 pm
just please Horford don’t pack your bags. Surely dumb management will realize they need to build the franchise around you. dump jj
Tim
January 21st, 2011
9:45 pm
Another great performance by an Atlanta team.
SteveW
January 21st, 2011
9:46 pm
Bad playing, bad coaching, bad game. Leave it and go on to Charlotte.
And does Al mean so much we get down by 32 before junk time? Can it be?
Mbenga and Josh Powell are the all championship team tonight
Jared
January 21st, 2011
9:46 pm
Whew. We avoided the embarrassment of a new franchise low in scoring at least. That’s about the only victory of the night for the Hawks so far.
JSS
January 21st, 2011
9:47 pm
Dream scored only 56 once back in ‘08…
WOLLEY STEKCAJ
January 21st, 2011
9:47 pm
ESPN is reporting a big story tonight. They predict the Hawks will lose against the Hornets and also that they have no chance of winning in the playoffs. ESPN states that their source is a fourth grade student in the Atlanta School System who cannot recite the alphabet , but does know how bad the Hawks are. Asked why do you think this about the Hawks, the student replied ” Well they suck everyone knows this!!!!”
SteveW
January 21st, 2011
9:47 pm
This seems like a nightmare. But at least Teague, JC2, Etan, and Powell got some burn.
Blast
January 21st, 2011
9:48 pm
Thought the Hawks would get beat tonight, but never saw them getting beat by such a large margin. Could Horford be the only player Hawks cannot do without?
Najeh Davenpoop
January 21st, 2011
9:48 pm
“You can continue to show little appreciation for him all you want, but as many of the experts have pointed out lately, he has a huge impact on the team’s success, and statistically, he’s the Hawks’ best player.”
I’m a fan of Al and I’m not trying to underappreciate him at all. I’m just saying that one guy wouldn’t have made that big of a difference in a game like this. It’s one thing if the Hawks had been missing contested jumpers in the first half and they hadn’t been getting open looks at all. But they were getting open looks and just bricking them one after another. Maybe Al’s presence would have allowed the Hawks to lose this game by 20 instead of 40, but the guards were ice cold all game long, the Hornets came with better energy as a team, and there’s not much Al’s presence alone could have done to help that out. When you lose by 40 points in the NBA, it’s a team effort.
Melvin
January 21st, 2011
9:49 pm
Just get on the bus and head to Charlotte. Just keep on those uniforms and wear that stank all the way up I-85…
Najeh Davenpoop
January 21st, 2011
9:50 pm
Anyway, we’ll see tomorrow whether I’m right or wrong about this. Chances are Al won’t play against the Bobcats, who are much worse than the Hornets. If the Hawks get blown out by them, I’ll be more inclined to change my opinion. I just don’t think one guy is the difference between a win and a 40-point loss, no matter how good that one guy is.
superiorblogman
January 21st, 2011
9:50 pm
Yes Al and Marvin are out but this proves what I have long been expressing. This new offense is a farce. It does not make everyone better. Does not get guys easy shots and will be proven to be a big failure as time goes on. The only thing that will make this team better is better and different players. No matter what offense you run if you don’t have players it will not work. Sorry, I just can’t buy into what Sund and the ASG are selling you guys.
Rod from College Park
January 21st, 2011
9:52 pm
Horford or Josh it does not matter. If we lose either one of those two we are dead in the water. I’m beginning to start saying that about Bibby also. Teague is terrible.
O'Brien
January 21st, 2011
9:52 pm
SO Hawks lose to Pistons by 23. And then they beat Utah IN Utah by 23.
They win in Miami, and then lose by 41 to Hornets.
Thats why until they win in the playoffs, media will not give them any respect.
How many times will LD say “energy” or “intensity” or “focus” in his post game?
Jared
January 21st, 2011
9:53 pm
“…one guy wouldn’t have made that big of a difference in a game like this.”
This is going a bit far, and I’m not trying to compare Al to the player whom I’m about to bring up, but one guy really can have a dramatic difference on a team’s success. Look at the Cavs without Lebron. That’s unbelievable.
KevinM
January 21st, 2011
9:53 pm
Anybody campaigning for Smoove’s all star presence now?
Absolutely nothing went right.
From the Heat game to the an all-timer in Atlanta Hawks history…who will say they were there the night the Hornets clamped down on the Hawks.
Sautee
January 21st, 2011
9:54 pm
s-blogman,
Actually, IMO, the offense got the Hawks a TON of easy shots, but they missed them over and over. And over and over.
JSS
January 21st, 2011
9:54 pm
Did they give out free tacos or chulupas for reaching a 100? This is just Orlando astonishingly bad! Well, shake it off… Ugh!!!
O'Brien
January 21st, 2011
9:54 pm
‘Nique’s watch is blinging…
Jared
January 21st, 2011
9:54 pm
O’Brien,
What about “sense of urgency”? That’s another one of L.D.’s favorite lines. You can’t forget about that one.
Rod from College Park
January 21st, 2011
9:56 pm
These are also the type of games we will see from the Hawks in the playoffs, when the pressure is on and jump shots are not falling. Until we get a point guard or a small forward who can put the ball on the floor and attack the rim consistently, the roster will remain flawed.
Sautee
January 21st, 2011
9:56 pm
O’B,
I’m betting on “embarrassing” as the key word tonight.
O'Brien
January 21st, 2011
9:57 pm
Jared, yes it is.
For a minute there, I thought this was the 2010 playoffs, and we were playing Orlando…
Rod,
I think a penetrating PG is more important than a SF to put the ball on the floor and attack.
O'Brien
January 21st, 2011
9:58 pm
Sautee,
Interestingly enough, at halftime of the Kings game, LD laid into his team, and called them soft, said they were embarassing etc.
So what will he tell them tonight?
cp
January 21st, 2011
9:59 pm
Sund and company will talk about how Marvin and Horford were out and how much they still like the core and no changes will be coming….The thought process of this front office is mind boggling….
drmaryb (*_*)
January 21st, 2011
10:00 pm
In fairness to the team, when all your owners have done for the past 6 years is file lawsuits, why would you bust your guts?
I mean, leadership starts in the business office. These owners filed a 200M lawsuit today against their ow Lawyers. All they do is in-fight and Sue from within. Every lawsuit has been against their own team members!
The last lawsuit was settled 2 months ago, David McDavid settled 6 months ago and a new suit was filed today!
Where IS the FOCUS? Fulton County Court House? There certainly is no Focus on the Basketball Court! ASKG did NOTHING to help this team improve upon last year and for that they don’t deserve a fired up team nor fans!
We should boycott this franchise, this blog and this team! Players around the league look at us and LAUGH.
They say, “Atlanta is a great city, but you never want to play there!”
The FA’s would rather play for the Clippers in LA than here! The weather is nicer and hey, you’ll be close to Hollywood!
————————
I’m gonna’ make like a baby and head on out! Peace!
Sautee
January 21st, 2011
10:00 pm
cp,
Can you say Mikey Gearon?
JSS
January 21st, 2011
10:01 pm
O’Brien
January 21st, 2011
9:57 pm
“I think a penetrating PG is more important than a SF to put the ball on the floor and attack.”
But if what you guys were saying earlier was true (the missed shots). will it really matter?
Tim
January 21st, 2011
10:02 pm
This city would be better off without the Hawks. And the Braves. And the Falcons. And the Thrashers.
Najeh Davenpoop
January 21st, 2011
10:02 pm
“Look at the Cavs without Lebron. That’s unbelievable.”
I figured someone would bring up LeBron, but with Varejao’s season ending injury this year’s Cavs are missing 6 of their top 10 players from last year, not just LeBron. One player can mean the difference between winning and losing, as we are seeing with the LeBron-less Cavs this year. But one player alone is not the difference between winning and getting blown out by 40 points, and one player alone is not the difference between the best record in the league and the worst record in the league.
Sautee
January 21st, 2011
10:02 pm
I wonder if there is any paint left on the locker room walls?
WOLLEY STEKCAJ
January 21st, 2011
10:02 pm
The Hawks will never be relevant in the NBA! Just will not happen. They just want you to give them your money so they can continue to tease you. I wish I had the list of Hawks season ticket holders, got some good deals thatt I think they would like!
cp
January 21st, 2011
10:04 pm
@Sautee yea good point
Jared
January 21st, 2011
10:04 pm
Looking at the box score, this game is really unreal. We shot under 30% for the game, gave up 100 points on 48% shooting (to a team that plays a slow tempo), got outrebounded by 23 (55-32), only had 11 assists (with 12 turnovers) to New Orleans’ 26 assists, we lost battle on steals (8-5) and blocks (5-3), we got doubled-up in free throw attempts (20-22 for the Hornets, 9-11 for the Hawks), and to top it all off, we gave up 24 points off of threes on 53.3% shooting.
Did the Hawks do anything right in this game?
Dre
January 21st, 2011
10:04 pm
I wonder what LD has to say.
Sautee
January 21st, 2011
10:05 pm
Jared,
They had their uniforms on right.
Najeh Davenpoop
January 21st, 2011
10:06 pm
In fairness, the Hawks were only allowing about 41% shooting until they put in the reserves during garbage time. That doesn’t mean a whole lot when you are giving up offensive rebounds, constantly sending people to the free throw line, and bricking every shot on the offensive end, though.
Jae Evolution
January 21st, 2011
10:06 pm
Let’s all look at the truth about this game, motion offense is mainly jump shooting. This was the WORST thing that can happen to us, NOT MAKING OUR SHOTS.
Now normally, their is maybe 1 or 2 people off on a given night and someone steps up tonight it was the complete opposite, EVERYONE was off and only Jamal and Josh had a semi-good night. Given all this along with the fact that we were missing our MAIN inside presence we got blown out.
We did get outplayed I will say that they killed us on the boards, but don’t let the league or anyone tell you that the Hornets, who are already known for their D, dictate this like they completely shut the Hawks down, because they didn’t.
Jared
January 21st, 2011
10:07 pm
“But one player alone is not the difference between winning and getting blown out by 40 points, and one player alone is not the difference between the best record in the league and the worst record in the league.”
This is true. But, in the rare case of Lebron and Cavs, this is majority of the reason for the Cavs downfall. Primarily, though, the Cavs struggles are due to the fact that the team was built around LeBron James, and with him now out, they have struggled to get a player to help fill the void and play the large role that he played, or to even play a smaller version of that role. If the Cavs would have had a more balanced roster, I don’t think their downfall would have been as horrific as it’s been. A player who can create his own shot and score would do wonders for that team.
O'Brien
January 21st, 2011
10:12 pm
JSS,
When the jump shots are not falling, a penetrating PG can drive into the paint and get fouled and go to the FT line. Or he can set others up for easy shots.
O'Brien
January 21st, 2011
10:13 pm
LD quotes, no surprise.
“defensively, we lacked ENERGY”
“did not have the INTENSITY or ENERGY I saw in Miami”
Ahmad
January 21st, 2011
10:14 pm
I wonder what the headline for this game’s results will be. It should be something like
“Paul, Hornets castrate Hawks” or maybe “Hawks evade history, get pummeled by Hornets in laugher”, or maybe something even less family friendly like “Hornets make Hawks’ their b!tches”.
I think those are all pretty good headlines for this one.
Ahmad
January 21st, 2011
10:15 pm
Ignore the apostrophe on Hawks in my last post…
Hawks Fan In New Orleans
January 21st, 2011
10:17 pm
Not only are we not taken seriously by the media but ATL does,’t take us seriously. The home fans deserved more than to see this display. Watching the game on New Orleans tv, they started digging into Bibby in the pregame show; saying he is an OLD 2 playing the 1 and how that is holding the “Hi Flying Hawks” back a bit. Steve Holman came on and defended him. Bibby should be off-the-bench sharpshooter period. Why can’t Drew see that and develop Teague accordingly?
Mark451
January 21st, 2011
10:21 pm
The Hawks have no heart! How can you get beat by a team that only has 2 stars. Truly disappointing to be an Atlanta sports fan.
JSS
January 21st, 2011
10:22 pm
So they went jumper crazy again tonight? I thought they were missing bunnies in close, my bad… Thanks…
Mark451
January 21st, 2011
10:24 pm
Joe has to be the most overrated player in the league. When its time for him to step up to the plate to keep the Hawks in a game he disappears. The Hawks are the laughing stock of the league. They are the only team I know that makes it to the playoffs just to get embarrassed. Blown out by a team w/pure role players. I am disgusted w/this bunch.
Jared
January 21st, 2011
10:25 pm
Knowing that Al, and Marvin to a lesser extent, are likely out tomorrow makes me even worry about facing an injury riddled Bobcats team. If the Hawks can get absolutely destroyed by the Hornets, I don’t know what to expect from them against the Bobcats, who have actually been playing pretty good basketball lately. I really hope our injured players heal up soon. Get well, Al and Marvin.We need the Boss and the Mighty Duck back!
Mark451
January 21st, 2011
10:28 pm
And who told Josh he has a jumper? He has to have the ugliest jump shot in the league but he keeps tossing that ish up every night. When is he going to learn his role is in the post. Get a post game because you will never be a jump shot player. This team has no disipline or heart. That equals 1st round elimination each and every year.