Atlanta Hawks: Larry Drew says lineup change, trades may be needed to disrupt team’s ‘comfort zone’
Larry Drew looking to upset team's 'comfort zone' (UPI Photo)
In the immediate aftermath of another home beatdown, L.D. sounded the alarm about the Hawks and said changes to his starting lineup may be in order.
But after sleeping on it, watching the game video and holding a team meeting this morning. . . well, L.D. basically turned up the volume on the alarm. He said he’s still looking at changing the starting lineup and added that a trade might be necessary before the Feb. 24 deadline to shake up the status-quo.
It seems that team meeting didn’t go as Drew had hoped. He said he asked every player and coach why the Hawks seem to play with more urgency on the road. There were a variety of answers, Drew said, but he concluded the Hawks too often fall into a “comfort zone . . . a safe zone” at Philips.
So Drew has that in mind as he looks at possibly changing up his starters.
“Just to give us a jolt,” he said. “Just to get us out of a comfort zone. We are 50-plus games into the season and I think at this stage we need something to give us a jolt, to wake us up. We have, in my opinion, fallen into a bit of a comfort zone with everything. It may be time to do something just to rattle the cage a little bit. ”
L.D. said he hasn’t made up on his mind about changing the lineup and didn’t get into any specifics about what they might be. He said it’s possible he could experiment with different lineups in practice over the next couple days.
Drew didn’t sound like a coach who was simply ticked at his team for a bad loss. Rather, he sounded like a coach who has come to realize that sending out the same players in the same roles is good enough to be on pace for 52 Ws but isn’t going to lead to a much better ending for the Hawks than last spring.
“I am not one to react on emotions but I have had this feeling for a little while,” L.D. said. “I have been in situations where it has been like this, where a team has had to do something just to shake the cage a little bit. It’s something I’ve been thinking about. Will I do it? I have a couple days to practice and make a decision.”
L.D. already has shown a willingness to be flexible with his lineup, sending out six different groups of starters when all of the candidates have been healthy. But if the right mix of players just isn’t on this roster, then it’s out of Drew’s hands and in the wheelhouse of Hawks GM Rick Sund, who has said he’s always looking to improve the team but isn’t interested in “lateral moves.”
The Hawks are a good team so a blockbuster deal isn’t necessarily in order. But Drew acknowledged there have been internal discussions about how to shore up the team’s weaknesses through the trade market.
“With the trade deadline coming up, there is always discussion about possible trades, personnel changing,” he said. “There is always that dialogue going on about looking to improve the team. ‘Would this be a good fit? Would that be a good fit?’ There is always that possibility. Certainly at this stage we have to continue to explore those possibilities.
“I don’t think at this stage . . . at least I don’t feel comfortable, totally comfortable with where we are after 52 games. We have had some bad losses here at home. That may be a sign, I don’t know. I never want to throw out the possibility of making our team better.”
Atlanta’s weaknesses have been pretty obvious for most of the season. The Hawks struggle with defending dribble penetration, defending in transition, rebounding, and scoring consistently in the post or at the rim when they aren’t making their favored jump shots. The Sixers, hardly contenders, exposed them all last night by competently executing a sound game plan, and certainly the East contenders are capable of doing the same no matter how much energy and effort the current Hawks regulars might generate.
It’s getting late in the season for the Hawks to still be trying to shore up their issues. So it’s understandable that Drew might be feeling that the only way to change things is by drastically altering the way he uses his players or through acquiring different players.
“At the end of the day, regardless of what happens [with trades], we still are going to have to go out there and improve our club,” he said. “After last night’s loss, I do believe we do have to look at our situation very seriously and possibly look at a lineup change, possibly doing something that will jolt this team. Because I don’t want this team to get into a comfort zone. The minute we get into a comfort zone, what happened last night, that is the end result.”
Michael Cunningham, Hawks beat
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460 comments Add your comment
Alsandair Barnes
February 9th, 2011
8:14 pm
Trade Joe Johnson & trade JC for anything.Before he becomes a FA & we get nothing for him !!!
TIRED OF MEDIOCRITY
February 9th, 2011
8:16 pm
MIKE BIBBY AND JOSH SMITH HAVE GOT TO GO!
tyger
February 9th, 2011
8:16 pm
This is why Woody kept Mario West around. Sometimes you just need somebody hungry enough to hustle and appreciate being in the NBA. Hawks might simply need to grab a scrappy PG from the D League that’s willing to bust his a$$, harass the opposing PG and push the rock. That’s an easy fix.
Getting that low post-scorer and rebounder is going to be difficult. Every body wants one and their not letting theirs go cheap. But all this sounds awfully stupid now, when Sacramento offered 6′11 Jason Thompson for Jeff “Puppy Nutts” Teague.
Mo truth
February 9th, 2011
8:17 pm
You will never win a championship or even compete at the higher levels as long as Al Horford is your center. He is not the power forward Josh is so trade Al while his value is high.
Rod from College Park
February 9th, 2011
8:18 pm
It was not a bad pick,
Your last post was pretty funny. Your future may be in comedy. Comparing Mavin to a two time all-star. That make a bunch of sense. Did you ever consider that Al and Marvin play 2 different positions? Al also is actually guarded by some of the better defenders in the league on a night to night basis, and Marvin is left alone.
drmaryb (*_*)
February 9th, 2011
8:19 pm
Why would Memphis trade their star center? When they got Thabeet over there sucking air? Can we plz be realistic.
_________________________
What about Bynum in LA? We missed on Shaq – dumb azzes!
Hey if Tito is 7′1″ and 320? Can we get him to stand down there next to his son and hold his arms up? Do something Sund! Geez!
You need a PG! Fool!
terrell
February 9th, 2011
8:19 pm
Teague is the best pg on the team
Jamal is the best sg on the team
JJ is the best sf on the team
Why not make this our starting backcourt, along with Josh and Al?
It was not a bad pick
February 9th, 2011
8:21 pm
TruthSeeker
“Give Jeff Teague and Jason Collins more minutes? It goes without saying that that’s not going to get this team over the hump.”
Yeah that would make a lot of sense and it could put the Hawks over the hump..If we can play Al at pf we are a great team..I would even start ZaZa..he played better as a starter…
“Sund is killing the Hawks. Those awful contracts he gave Mike Bibby and Marvin Williams in order to maintain the status quo are unforgivable”
Neither contracts are bad..Marvin is a solid NBA starter..Could be a top 10 sf if given the chance..do you remember how Marvin played when Joe was out?..Joe Max has the bad contract. …since Drew is letting ZaZa sit on the bench, his contract was bad also..Go read my past post about Al and Marvin career stats….
TIRED OF MEDIOCRITY
February 9th, 2011
8:23 pm
RICK SUND NEEDS TO MAKE A BLOCKBUSTER DEAL OR HE’S GOING TO HAVE A LOT OF EMPTY SEATS IN THE PLAYOFFS AS WE ARE SICK TO DEATH OF FIRST ROUND EXITS IN THE PLAYOFFS WITH NO CHANCE OF WINNING A CHAMPIONSHIOP!
terrell
February 9th, 2011
8:28 pm
They wouldnt let BK fire Woody, and you guys think they’re going to let Sund and LD break up the “core”? lol
TIRED OF MEDIOCRITY
February 9th, 2011
8:30 pm
CAN WE SAY CHEAP WHEN THE ATLANTA SPIRIT ARE TALKING ABOUT THE HAWKS OR THRASHERS?
Rufus1
February 9th, 2011
8:30 pm
3 or 4 year college players….
We have to many players on this team who never went thru the pressure and growth of the NCAA. If you look at the 2 toughest minded players on this team Al and Bibby, they went thru pressure of the NCAA tournament. The pressure of having your entire university and team depending on you to carry their dreams…..AND YOU DELIVER OR FAIL WITH HONOR!!!
They are the only 2 players on this team, we consider leaders…
With that said…. PG is our greatest position of need and the only PG’s I think we have a chance to get are Hinrich or Brooks….I prefer Hinrich, because of his defense. We would be a different team with him guarding the PG position.
Trade
Bibby, JC2/or Teague and MO and 3mil for Hinrich….This will keep the Hawks under the LUX tax this year and next, because Hinrich will makes 9mil this season and 8mil next…. The WIZ get a good young players and save 5mil over 2 years, or they could use the 3mil to buyout Bibby next year.
Rufus1
February 9th, 2011
8:33 pm
A lot of new people on the blog after a loss….wow i didn’t know we had so many Hawks fans in ATL.
It was not a bad pick
February 9th, 2011
8:34 pm
@Rod from College Park
al makes the east all star team at c, because coaches know he is playing out of position and respect it..Also it is only 1 center in the east that is All star worthy(Howard)..If he had those stats as a pf in the east, he would have never made it..but his stats are his stats Rod…I didnt make them up..you bash Marvin for getting 10 -15 ppg Al was the #3 pick ….Durant went 2nd..Time to quit blaming Marvin and focus on the real problems Center, and lets face it, if Joe Max is going to be paid all that money he has to produce….
Big Ump
February 9th, 2011
8:34 pm
drmaryb
Keep bringing it. We definitely need a PG and C so Al can move to PF. Bibby need to be coming off the bench and Teague is not the answer to be the starting PG. as a whole the team also lack fire in their belly.
The team take to many nights off. The effort got to come from everyone including the coaches and upper management.
terrell
February 9th, 2011
8:37 pm
Starters:
Teague/Jamal/JJ/Josh/Al
It’s our best hope. Cause Sund aint making no trades and we all know it.
Forget that 6th man shi..! No way Bibbster should start over Jamal. And I’ve been saying all along that JJ should start at sf. Huge upgrade over Marvin. Marvin can back him up. And Jamal’s a 2 guard, not a pg. If we dont wont to wear JJ down trying to guard the big sf’s, we can throw Marvin or Damien out there.
Again
Teague is the best pg on the team(not saying much)
Jamal is the best 2 guard on the team
JJ is the best sf on the team
If we dont make a move, this is the best option. imo
If we
Hoops
February 9th, 2011
8:44 pm
TRADE OF THE YEAR!!!
http://games.espn.go.com/nba/tradeMachine?tradeId=6e944jg
Tremaine
February 9th, 2011
8:45 pm
Glad to hear this from the coach. Now lets see if he is just all talk.
tedoo
February 9th, 2011
8:50 pm
Trade Jamal Crawford,Jeff Teague,and Zaza Pachulia to the mavs for Roddy Beaubois,Brendon Haywood and there Matt Carroll trade exception and the we will be complete.Marvin on the bench with bibby,JC2,MO,Collins,Thomas,Powell and Pape Sy.Let Roddy start because he is a young talented point and needs somewhere to shine and he can get the job done and brendon at the 5 we would be much better
Scoop
February 9th, 2011
8:51 pm
Re-post of comment on last blog:
It is the easy way to just say the Hawks are not a ‘good’ team and should never lose by 30+ in two games, but instead analyze why it is they have lost that badly and make the necessary adjustments……….
The fact is the Hawks have the 4th best record in the East, while accumulating more road wins than any team AND dealing with probably as many injuries, which leads me to my point-In those two blowouts to the Hornets and more recently the 76′ers, Al Horford was not in uniform.
Say what you want about his size and playing out of position or what not, but he and Josh make a formidable duo down low. Aside from Twin(who does not get enough credit for his play this year), Al is our best low post defender. He and Josh are so athletic, great rebounders and shot blockers that they can mask the poor perimeter defense we have at the top of the key.
Now, take away Al(or Smoove) and not only are we poor defensively around the perimeter but also inside!!!!!!!!!!
Combine this, with poor shooting and no dribble penetration and you have the makings of a blowout. Exhibit A-Hornets and Exhibit B-76′ers. I am a big fan of Larry Drew and have confidence he will get this turned around. Lets remember, this is nothing new for the Hawks. Inconsistency has defined them for years. I do not think in most cases it was because of a lack of effort, but because we rely so much on the jump shot. I honestly believe Josh Smith would be putting up Blake Griffin highlights if we had a point Guard like Steve Nash who can penetrate and set up his teammates-Exhibit A- Amare Stoudamire. That is not a knock on Bibby, he can still be effective but I do not think he is a starting point guard anymore.
This is the difference between this year and years past-I believe LD will make the necessary adjustments to get things back on track. In my opinion, you have several options:
1. Start Teague over Bibby for defensive purposes and bring Jamal in like you normally would half through the 1st quarter. Bibby would come in at the end of the first for Joe and not have to defend the starters while complimenting Jamal with his 3 point shot.
2. Move Joe to SF and start Mo at 2 for perimeter defense.
3. Start Zaza/Twin depending on the match up and play big to force mismatches on both ends of the floor.
4. Trade for Steve Nash. While his defense may not be much better than Bibby’s, his dribble penetration and facilitating will make our offense more consistent to keep us competitive in games.
Preferably, the first change would be best but the theme here is defense. Something has to permanently be done to help defensively and I have confidence LD will get the job done.
Wabe
February 9th, 2011
8:57 pm
{MAC-Town Georgia 478}
February 9th, 2011
3:18 pm
It’s good to see someone in the organization making a stand and saying enough with this BS.
Co-sign
Wabe
February 9th, 2011
8:59 pm
And please, no Mo Evans in the starting lineup.
This guy is a bum.
I want him gone, not bumped into a starting role.
I’d rather see both JT0 and JC2 start with JJ at the 3 than see Mo Evans on the floor.
Bernie Matt
February 9th, 2011
9:01 pm
Who in the hell does LD think he’s kidding! Everyone knew the Hawks would be the same old team when they hired Woody’s assistant as the head coach just to save a few bucks, then gave the house to Joe Johnson. Is this man stupid or did he actually think the front office was interested in winning anything more than a first round playoff series. What LD is going to get, is his ass fired if he keeps talking like this and pissing off the front office. I wouldn’t be surprised if Sund has already talked to him and reminded him of the more qualified people that actually wanted the Hawks head coaching job!
Wabe
February 9th, 2011
9:02 pm
Teague/Jamal/JJ/J.Smith/Al Horford
With JC2 taking Jamal’s role as 6th man…?
2nd unit would then feature Bibby, JC2, Marvin, Powell, Zaza/Twin
darrell starks
February 9th, 2011
9:07 pm
LD is a smart coach, and he realize there is change 2 be made but at the same time i wonder why he continue 2 fall for the oakedoak and play in to the advantage of his opponent, stay with the big lineup and have a nice rotation in the line up and the hawks would be fine, but LD get caught up in a numbers game 2 much.
GO HAWKS!!!!!!!!!!!
darrell starks
February 9th, 2011
9:08 pm
STARTER TEAGUE, JOE, JOSH, HORFORD, COLLINS
BENCH BIBBY, JAMAL, MARVIN, POWELL, ZAZA
RESERVE DAMIEN, MO
GO HAWKS!!!!!!!!!!!!!
drmaryb (*_*)
February 9th, 2011
9:10 pm
“Where in the world are all of these user names coming from? And where were they Saturday when the Hawks won?”
____________________________
One Troll with 17 people running around in his head on one computer.
What else do you need to know, you are probably one of them too.
Smh
northcyde
February 9th, 2011
9:10 pm
Just for giggles . . or to make people mad, we could have concievably constructed this lineup going into this year.
C – Shaq ( in a trade for Marvin . . if the Cleveland report was valid, and overpaid him . . 2yrs – 12 mill . . but we’d have a legit big man )
PF – Horford
F – Smith ( whom I would’ve been against playing SF at first )
G – Johnson
PG – Bibby
6th – Jamal
7th – Allen Iverson ( who could’ve been had for the league minimum )
8th – Zaza
9th – Tracy McGrady ( who could’ve been had for the league minimum )
10th – Collins ( if they still wanted a big . . and got for the league minimum )
11th – Teague
12th – Evans
13th – Jordan
14th – Somebody other than Pape Sy in the 2nd round
Now I’m not saying that this team would be better than the current team . . but there would be no denying that we’d have a few vocal leaders on the team that wouldn’t just accept anything.
And even though they aren’t what they once was, I’d gladly roll with an Iverson – Jamal – McGrady – Horford/Smith – Zaza on that 2nd unit.
And that’s not to say what that squad would’ve generated at the box office. Shaq and Iverson are two of the most beloved non-Hawks in Atlanta. And we see that T-Mac even had a little left in the tank with Detroit this year.
That’s a one year “hired gun” type of a squad, to see if having a few future Hall of Famers/All-Star players, coukl inspire the original “core” group to play more consistent and have more passion.
Too many egos for Drew to handle? Too many egos for the ASG to handle?
All I know is that I wouldn’t have objected to that type of team, no matter how much Sund “liked his core”.
I would’ve taken a one year shot, and see what happens.
terrell
February 9th, 2011
9:12 pm
Clippers blowing out Knicks. We’re not alone. lol!
northcyde
February 9th, 2011
9:14 pm
Oh . . . and if Avery Johnson was the coach of that bunch, I definitely wouldn’t have worried about them. Avery wouldn’t have been scared of those cats at all. Maybe Drew wouldn’t have been either.
darrell starks
February 9th, 2011
9:16 pm
Alway keep horford at power forward and rotate josh at the 3 and 4 keep your bigs in the game and rotate collins and zaza at the 5.
The hawks are rank 27th in the league because of the small line up that LD continue to put on the floor.
BIBBY, JOE, MARVIN, JOSH, HORFORD, is 2 small of line up 2 compete for nba title, YOU HAVE 2 HAVE DEFENSIVE SIZE IN THE POST.
GO HAWKS!!!!!!!!!!!!
BDHC2012
February 9th, 2011
9:24 pm
Bring Dwight Home in 2012 Campaign Begging Pleading…..Dump salaries except Joe and decide who you want to be your PF AL or Josh….i prefer Al since Howard will make up for Josh on defense….How Possible is this if we start planning now
drmaryb (*_*)
February 9th, 2011
9:29 pm
“stay with the big lineup and have a nice rotation in the line up and the hawks would be fine”
____________________
Nice rotation with what? You only got 8, if that – talented players.
tyger
February 9th, 2011
9:35 pm
PG – Farmer, NJ Nets
C – Hakeem Thabeet – Memphis Grizzlies
Hawks eventually going to move Horford to PF permanently, so might as well get BIG and if you’re going to wait on someones development, it might as well be a 7′3 true shot-blocking Center, not a 6′2 PG w/o nuttsac.
Neither player should cost a ransom and would move Hawks forward.
It was not a bad pick
February 9th, 2011
9:39 pm
darrell starks
Your post at 9:16 made too much sense…you are one of the few people on here who get it! We are just too small and drew refuses to play a center…
Big Ump
February 9th, 2011
9:40 pm
drmaryb
How you doing the night? Love reading your post and others like Grandad,Big ray, Northcyde, Rod from College Park and Ken Strickland, Doc and a bunch of others.
drmaryb (*_*)
February 9th, 2011
9:49 pm
Fools Gold!
Big Ump! What’s up baby?
They keep saying we are the 4th seed looking at a 3 seed? Just because everyone else sucks, don’t believe for a minute that we are as good as our record, nor as bad as we played last night.
We are somewhere in between, but no where good enough to stand pat!
Aye Sund! You got NEEDS! You ain’t know?
Michael Cunningham
February 9th, 2011
9:50 pm
@ Don Mohow: “As far as Mike Bibby goes, it’s almost impossible to trade him unless he’s one of the complimentary pieces in a trade surrounding another player. Outside of Horford who is obviously the one untouchable piece we have, Jamal and Josh are our only valuable trade assets.”
truth (and maybe Mo in a package because of his expiring contract).
Michael Cunningham
February 9th, 2011
9:51 pm
@Shams: “How do you feel about a Jamal Crawford/Mo Evans for Kirk Hinrich/ Nick Young. Do you think the wizards will do it?”
no, i don’t think they would.
“Also, What about a Jamal Crawford/Mo Evans for Devin Harris/ Anthony Morrow?”
i don’t think they would do it, either.
northcyde
February 9th, 2011
9:59 pm
lol @ drmaryb . . . some of them don’t understand.
I mean hell . . . we essentially went with a “big” lineup last night, by starting Zaza at center, and still got rolled. Horford’s absence shouldn’t have that big of an effect on the team, if the rest of the big people were worth a damn.
The problem with the Hawks is that one lineup change isn’t going to cure this ish. This team has strengths, but it also has MAJOR FLAWS . . because of the personnel.
It kills me to see a guy like Dejuan Blair dominate people AGAIN tonight, simply because the dude knows how to play 8 feet and in, around the basket. And every GM in the league passed on dude in the 1st round because of his supposedly “bad knees” and his lack of height.
All that dude does, is outwork people. And the Spurs weren’t stupid enough to pass on him again in the 2nd round.
Meanwhile, the Hawks can’t even get 2 consecutive 1st rounders to pan out. I mean damn . . we got a chance at Horford by luck . . and I bet we don’t pick Josh if he wasn’t a hometown boy.
Other than that, our best draft pick in the last 20 years is . . . . Jason Terry?
Thank GOD for free agency and trades, else the Hawks would REALLY be “Clippers East”.
The Shaq thing still bugs me though. That was a no-brainer type move, and they still didn’t pull the trigger. That’s why I expect no trades once the deadline comes and passes in 2 weeks.
falconfever
February 9th, 2011
10:01 pm
what was the reason for firing woodson if your going to hire his younger inexperienced disciple
Jeff
February 9th, 2011
10:01 pm
After that loss to Philly, does anyone really think we could even push it to 6 games against Chicago, Orlando, Boston, or Miami with this lineup?
Seems horribly unlikely.
Marvin, Josh, Teague and even Joe (who has done yeoman’s work) should be up for trade to teams with a real shot at a title who are seeking that key piece. I know JJ has huge contract, but if he went to NY or Chicago they would be legitimate contenders for a title this year.
Hard to imagine Teague has any value anymore though. He’s been a complete and utter bust at PG.
drmaryb (*_*)
February 9th, 2011
10:07 pm
Rent a Pimp!
That’s who you call to rent a HO, till you get on your feet!
Section 303
February 9th, 2011
10:09 pm
I love that Coach Drew is saying these things about trades and giving the starting lineup a shake. Now, will Sund and ASG actually do something?
In my mind, trading Mo’ Evans is a no-brainer. The guy is worthless, but a team would be interested in is contract coming off the books.
76′ers go down tonight. Good game with the Magic. Funny how a team that actually plays hard does not lose by 30+ to Philly.
Section 303
February 9th, 2011
10:10 pm
Michael,
I’m curious…do the players realize everyone is ripping them after these terrible home losses? I really hope they read your blog and the posts that are made after.
mykhalc
February 9th, 2011
10:12 pm
at this point LD is all talk…like the rest of the team…PERIOD!!!
ClassicHawks
February 9th, 2011
10:14 pm
The Only Untouchables On This Team To Me Is AL Horford and Joe Johnson. If There Was A Way To Get A Superstar Leader To Plug In With Those Two Guys, The Hawks Could Be A Real Contender. But IT AINT HAPPENING!! RICK SUND Has Not Made One Trade Since He’s Been HERE! He’s Just Managing The Payroll! FU#K The HAWKS!
The U
February 9th, 2011
10:18 pm
The sky is falling the sky is falling the hawks lost at home to the sixers. get a grip, take some xanax fickle fans.
ClassicHawks
February 9th, 2011
10:21 pm
@ The U. Man you are the average Atlanta Fan! Probably Ain’t Never Been to A Game, Invested Money, Time Or Heart or Passion In Anything! The Hawks Are Getting Beat By 40 Points every couple of weeks. These dudes are supposed to be professionals. Wake Up LAME!
Supa Steve
February 9th, 2011
10:22 pm
Dream trade for the Hawks (yes I know it’s totally unrealistic, at least for Minnesota):
http://games.espn.go.com/nba/tradeMachine?tradeId=5sk9jov