Hawks-Bobcats game thread
Greetings, all
Ken here for the last time in awhile as MC braces for the mother of all road trips.
1) You may find this interesting. On my way in to the arena, I was thinking to myself, If I were ever to feel good about wagering on a game (not that I wager), this would be it. Hawks have spent three days stewing over an embarrassing loss, playing at home where they’ve beaten Charlotte seven in a row, Al Horford back, Charlotte coming off a back to back, etc.
However, I confess I was not aware of what happened in Charlotte last night. The Bobcats lost at home to New Jersey, which had come into the game having lost 12 in a row on the road. Not only that, but Charlotte never led the whole game.
Stephen Jackson and Gerald Wallace excoriated their teammates for their lack of effort. Read these gems, excerpted from the Charlotte Observer game story (written by the very capable Rick Bonnell, who is sitting behind me in the media room):
“To not even show up at all is embarrassing,” said Jackson (21 points). “It’s sad that a coach has to ask guys to play hard…to care.”
“We acted like the other team was just going to fall down. There are only two or three teams in the league (good enough) that they can be like that. We’re not one of them.”
Or as Wallace (20 points and nine rebounds) added, “We just gave away a game in Indiana (Wednesday). We can’t keep doing that.
“We haven’t lost two (straight) games; we gave them away with our (lack of) effort. A coach should never have to ask for that.”
So, rather than being a gut-check game for one team, it’s a gut-check game for both. I still give the edge to the Hawks by basis of rest, being at home and the fact that they’re better, but this could be a bit more of a fight than you normally see in February.
2) This sort of feeds into 1), and is kind of amusing. I was in the locker room prior to the game, and it came to light that Wallace, from tiny Childersburg, Ala., bought 80 tickets for the game. Apparently even the mayor is coming. So Marvin Williams kiddingly wished Josh Smith good luck in defending a presumably extra-motivated Wallace. (Childersburg’s website claims it’s the “oldest city in America.” Not sure how that’s possible, but, hey, who am I to argue?
3) Nothing else new to report, really. Horford’s still going.
Enjoy the game.
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442 comments Add your comment
superiorblogman
February 12th, 2011
9:33 pm
What a joke. Simply put trades are needed.
Leo
February 12th, 2011
9:33 pm
FYI, Joe isn’t worth 120 million. 80 Maybe, not 120.
Nique's Revenge
February 12th, 2011
9:33 pm
resign Joe would of been fine, but not for no $120 mil. cmon now.
{MAC-Town Georgia 478}
February 12th, 2011
9:34 pm
Joe Johnson host at The Mansion Elan
Event Time: 10pm-3am
3595 Clairmont Rd.
Atlanta
Georgia
DJ: Infamous, Tephlon, Tayrok and more!
Avg. Cover Charge: $10-$20
Dress Code: Kool & Kosmo
…………
JJ not worried about this lost…..he bout to go keep it Kool & Kosmo with a few yellabones.
northcyde
February 12th, 2011
9:34 pm
It’s not ALL our fault . . just partially. Maybe 5% – 10%. Maybe a better crowd gets them to play better.
I mean, that is if you believe that home court advantage does have some effect on a game. Only if you believe a good vocal crowd can rattle an opponent at the end of a game..
If the city as a whole doesn’t care about the team . . and the ownership doesn’t care about upgrading the personnel . . then the ASG may as well sell the team and move the Hawks out of Atlanta.
Move the team to Cincinnati . . lol . . so I can root for 3 schizophrenic teams from that town ( Bengals, Reds, and Hawks ). I’m 4.5 hours from Cincy, so the drive would be the same for me.
Damn . . Hawks, Vols, and the Cuse lose . . . all stupidly too. Bad basketball day for me.
Look on the bright side folks. Maybe this loss will force Sund or the ASG to do something about the personnel. don’t hold your breath though.
Najeh Davenpoop
February 12th, 2011
9:35 pm
I like how Acie Law and Josh Childress are in the background of that party for Joe Johnson’s party. They couldn’t find a picture that was less than three years old?
bigdave
February 12th, 2011
9:35 pm
i d trust the Cookie Monster with my Oreo’s before i trust RICK SUND to build a championship contender ..
as a Hawk fan. signing Joe was the better choice..
Najeh Davenpoop
February 12th, 2011
9:35 pm
^that flyer for Joe Johnson’s party
W.R. Terrell
February 12th, 2011
9:35 pm
I just finished watching the Atlanta Hawks play “STUPIDBALL” again. Some folks are glutons for punishment and I am definitely one of them. Now if this was the first time a 20 point lead was blown that would be one thing but it’s not. The Hawks are not basketball intelligent. It’s time to start over with draft choices and trades. Lets call this season over and done with because if they continue with the same team it’s going to be more stupidity on the court. Time to say goodbye to Josh Smith, Joe Johnson, Marvin Williams, Josh Powell, Mo Evans and Bibby. We will not make the playofs and if by some chance we do, it’s over and done with in round one. Time to rebuild and get rid of all of that dead weight. There are players out there that wants to play because of the love of the game. These guys only love their paycheck. Dumb team, a very dumb team
yodaddy
February 12th, 2011
9:35 pm
Trade Mo Evans, Bibby, Crawford, Crawford, Jeff Teague, future first round picks, cash
Those are the players we need to get rid of. Trade Marvin too if we can get a good deal. I’m talking blockbuster…might as well do it.
Send Teague & Crawford for Richard Hamilton or Tayshaun Prince
Send JC2, Bibby, Mo Evans, Marvin Williams, Cash, and 2 First picks and conditional 2nd round picks for a Carmelo rental
{MAC-Town Georgia 478}
February 12th, 2011
9:35 pm
LMFAO@Najeh
I noticed that.
Freshfromatl
February 12th, 2011
9:36 pm
As I said two blogs ago. LMAO @ everyone that LD told a boldface lie to after the last loss (which is all of you). I CANNOT EVEN FATHOM HOW THIS DUDE CONTINUE TO HAVE THE BALLS TO PUT MO EVANS AND MIKE BIBBY ON THE COURT. I wonder what lie he’ll tell now.
bigdave
February 12th, 2011
9:36 pm
“I like how Acie Law and Josh Childress are in the background of that party for Joe Johnson’s party. They couldn’t find a picture that was less than three years old?”
its not like knows who’s on the Hawks anyway.. they could’ve thrown Nique on there..
especially the crowd thats going to be there.. hell.. this is a superstar city … u and i know that.
Flea
February 12th, 2011
9:37 pm
lol @ Niques’s Revenge, I remember that, Mutumbo was a beast though. Almost like Josh when he wants to be.
lewis
February 12th, 2011
9:37 pm
Marvin is bad, don’t get me wrong, but Drew has no clue how to use him off the bench
northcyde
February 12th, 2011
9:37 pm
LMAO @ MAC
Mansion is usually off the chain on Saturday too. He’ll take his shower, show up around 12:30, and be chillin with Bibby and Smith.
Najeh Davenpoop
February 12th, 2011
9:37 pm
Anyway, after watching two sh-tty teams battle to see who is more mediocre, you can watch two good teams battle to see who is better on WGN. Hornets are up by 11 on the Bulls in the 3rd quarter.
RA
February 12th, 2011
9:39 pm
Honestly, I don’t know what’s more sad, the fact that they went on and lost, or the fact that anyone with half a brain could see it coming right before halftime. The Hawks have all the talent to win (not to win big, not to win a championship, but to win). They just don’t have the heart. Larry Drew is a good coach, but that’s not going to matter if he has a team that only executes the game plan 2 out of 4 quaters of every game. I like this team. We’ve got good players, but to lose a game like Tuesday night and follow that up with an egg like this is inexcusable. Changes are not only necessary, they’re imperative.
terrell
February 12th, 2011
9:39 pm
Sund wanted Dwayne Casey, ASG wanted LD(the new voice). I’m bout to hop off the LD bandwagon. Think I’d rather have Casey now. At least he’d have the balls to put Bibby an Mo on the freakin bench. OMG! And I’m tired of seeing JJ getting outplayed by players making half of what he makes.Cant blame him for taking the $, but still.
bonquesha
February 12th, 2011
9:39 pm
I saw this coming when Dominique announced with 6 minutes left in the game that the Hawks had this under control and in the bag with a 3 point lead. Obviously, Joe played hard enough to earn an all-star spot because he seems to not try as hard now. This team is seriously flawed mentally and that’s something that LD cannot fix. It’s time for Sund and ASG to seriously start putting people on the trading block. I am convinced that these guys are complacent and think they are safe in Atlanta.
rusty
February 12th, 2011
9:39 pm
JJ you suck. Get rid of ld,he really sucks. Where was jt,jc2,dw. What the hell was mo in there & not dw. This coach has no idea how to sub or run a ball game. Ld, you suck
bigdave
February 12th, 2011
9:40 pm
folk just hate the city man..
Hawks not going not going nowhere bruh.. might as well find another team..
Charlotte
February 12th, 2011
9:40 pm
YEAAAAAAH GO BOBCATS HAWKS CAN EAT IT
O'Brien
February 12th, 2011
9:41 pm
Stinger had it right. “Hawks kept waiting for JJ to come through, but he didn’t”.
Why did they go away from Josh?
I’m glad Teague didnt play, because if he did, he might have been blamed for the loss (sarcasm).
I’ll say it again. Hawks can lose with Teague just as much as they can lose without him.
Jamal played backup PG, and although he had 7 assists, he was 1-9 from the field
bigdave
February 12th, 2011
9:41 pm
jump shooters 1-5
no slashers.
Najeh Davenpoop
February 12th, 2011
9:42 pm
“its not like knows who’s on the Hawks anyway.. they could’ve thrown Nique on there.. ”
Haha good point.
bigdave
February 12th, 2011
9:42 pm
LD c’mon now..
we settle for jump shots every game. its a matter of when they stop falling. we will not keep anyone out of games unless we stay hot; and thats not happening.
Don Mohow
February 12th, 2011
9:44 pm
It’s not like this is that surprising. Same old story. Poor perimeter defense causes the Hawks to lose another game. That’s on L.D. as much as anyone too. Especially tonight, I find it appropriate to place a large portion of the blame on L.D. Anyone who knows anything significant about the Hawks knows that their backcourt combo of Bibby and Crawford is the weakest backcourt in the league and then know that dribble penetration will always work against them. Livingston and Jackson abused the Hawks perimeter defense all night long, and Drew continued to stick with the Bibby-Crawford backcourt. He deserved what happened. I can’t say that the whole team deserved to lose. Al and Josh played with a lot of effort tonight and both had nice games, but as usual, that didn’t matter with the poor perimeter defense.
On a night where Jamal clearly had nothing going and was giving nothing positive to the team while he was on the court, it made absolutely no sense to stick with him in the backcourt over a more reliable defender. Damien Wilkins should have been in the game to defend Jackson or livingston, whom were getting anything they wanted all night against our guards. Poor decision by L.D. to stick wtih offense over defense (especially when the offense was nonexistant from the backcourt “go-to” guys). I’m really far beyond annoyed with this team. If personnel changes are not made, I don’t see any of our perimeter problems being solved. It’s incredibly obvious at this point that L.D. is all talk and is not going to “shake up his lineup” by making changes that actually matter. He’s not going to bench Bibby, he’s not going to play Jamal less minutes in favor of better defenders, he’s not going to bench Josh when Josh is playing out of control. The only guy who may go to the bench is probably Marvin who is usually the scapegoat for losses after Mike Bibby.
No perimeter defense, no rings. It’s that simple.
northcyde
February 12th, 2011
9:45 pm
Lewis . . he shouldn’t be on the bench in the first place. The only time he should come off the bench, is if we play a scoring center.
Drew is an offensive coach, so his adjustments will be offensive on most nights.
But it’s only so much you can blame on Drew. When players simply don’t step up, this is what you get.
Flea
February 12th, 2011
9:45 pm
Lol its not like knows who’s on the Hawks anyway.. they could’ve thrown Nique on there.. ”
Hell we could have thrown Dion Glover and Jason Terry on there
dandydawg
February 12th, 2011
9:45 pm
Man.. do the Hawks really suck this bad. What’s wrong with them? Any ideas?
terrell
February 12th, 2011
9:45 pm
Jamal IS NOT a pg.
Nique's Revenge
February 12th, 2011
9:46 pm
cmon LD announce your trades NAOW!
superiorblogman
February 12th, 2011
9:46 pm
Woody will be coaching in the NBA again next year, mark that down. Larry Drew is a horrible coach. The Hawks are a horrible team that needs to be broken off.
Tremaine
February 12th, 2011
9:47 pm
Larry Drew is full of ish. you are the coach take charge of the team.
W.R. Terrell
February 12th, 2011
9:47 pm
Well I just finished watching the Atlanta Hawks play “STUPIDBALL” again. It’s time for change folks, we have no team with a basketball IQ. Now if this was the first time the Hawks gave up a 20 point lead that would be one thing but it is not. Time to say goodbye to Josh Smith, Marvin Williams, Joe Johnson and Bibby. They are our so-called core group. They are a big laugh. We need folks who just want to play the game because they love the game. I can take losing with pride and dignity because of hustle and effort anyday but this thing we have called a team only care about their paychecks. They need to go. I say trade em, get some draft choices and be done with it. This season is lost and will not be found. It’s hard to be a fan when the team has no pride. Hell, Cleveland losing left and right but they fight every night for themselves and the fans.
O'Brien
February 12th, 2011
9:48 pm
Ken Sugiura,
I hope you ask LD if he still think some kind of change is needed…
superiorblogman
February 12th, 2011
9:49 pm
The Bobcats will not even sniff the playoffs this year. The Clips beat Miami and lost to Cleveland, who cares that the sorry ass Bobcats won a game. The focus should be the Hawks, they need a trade to get to the next level. The Bobcats need a miracle to even make the playoffs.
terrell
February 12th, 2011
9:49 pm
LD keeps saying “we seetled for jumpshots”. Well do something about it. PUT SOMEBODYS AZZ ON THE BENCH!
{MAC-Town Georgia 478}
February 12th, 2011
9:49 pm
It’s the way we lose….which makes it so irritating. Same Sh*t.
kwooden1
February 12th, 2011
9:49 pm
Charlotte, deserved to win this game, nice shot by Capt. Jack. Silas rode Livingston to get back in the game and clogged the middle on defense. The HAWKS stopped working the ball inside and then started missing jump shots. I’m not sure what LD is thinking but Wilkins clearly needed to come in and cover Livingston. Bibby played pretty well, but thats no excuse not to play Jeff. We clearly need someone that consistently get in the paint and get fouled.
terrell
February 12th, 2011
9:50 pm
“settled”
{MAC-Town Georgia 478}
February 12th, 2011
9:50 pm
Bob Rathbun and Nique probably already took a few to the head on their way to JJ’s party.
Flea
February 12th, 2011
9:51 pm
OUR CEILING HAS BEEN REACHED
NorcalHawk
February 12th, 2011
9:52 pm
First of all, Ken I’m glad you hung onto your money. I gotta admit, though, I’d never bet that Joe, Marvin, and Jamal would go a combined 6 for 30. Is Jamal hurt or is he just in a prolonged slump? This club no longer has anywhere near the spirit that last year’s had, despite basically no roster changes.
Hard to keep rooting for such a talented team that serves up mediocrity on a regular basis.
Flea
February 12th, 2011
9:52 pm
LMAO @ MAC Town. They probably have
Tremaine
February 12th, 2011
9:52 pm
terrell LD can’t do anything
ASG= Dumb parents
Hawks= Spoiled kids
LD= Babysitter (no respect)
{MAC-Town Georgia 478}
February 12th, 2011
9:52 pm
lmao who are those people shooting around behind the Stinger??? Somebody else about to play there?
yodaddy
February 12th, 2011
9:52 pm
Either we need to trade or players should be benched.
Bibby needs to be on the bench…Why are the fans the only ones that can see this???? He’s a BONAFIDE SCRUB….useless on defense….spotty at best on offense….doesn’t want the ball as the PG but instead will let his PF dribble the ball up the court with a defender on him….can’t penetrate…just a scrub. THat’s not a knock on his career…he was borderline great while it lasted but nowadays… BENCH
I can’t comprehend what Mo Evans does well but it’s probably because the answer is nothing. He should never play.
Jamal Crawford is only a spark plug. If he’s not hitting his shots he needs to be on the bench. He plays no defense.
Our rotation is too long. It needs to be shortened from 11 to 9. JJ, Marvin, Josh, Al, Zaza, Collins, JC1, Damien are the only ones that should get PT unless someone gets injured. Teague needs to start and Bibby needs to be over there with Etan
O'Brien
February 12th, 2011
9:52 pm
LD looks like he has no answers for this team. He needs to try something different.
Meanwhile, Shaun Livingston had a career night. I guess thats what happens when you are guarded by Jamal and Bibby.