Bobcats 88, Hawks 86
Greetings, all-
A troubling game for the Hawks in that a) it followed the one game in which you’d think they’d do everything in their grasp to make sure they got a win; b) it certainly looked like a lot of other games this season.
Up by 22 in the first half, up by 18 midway through the third quarter and the Hawks give it away.
Said Josh Smith, “Words can’t describe it.”
Larry Drew: “The shot at the end, it should never have come down to that.”
- One of the most glaring numbers was this – 26 points in the paint in the first half, eight in the second. They pretty much abandoned their offense in the second half.
Said Drew, “We settled for a ton of jump shots.”
More Drew: “We start playing fast, we start going for home runs and then we start settling. That’s what happened in the second half.”
- One of the most crucial segments of the game was the end of the first half, after the Hawks got up 22. They were playing tough, tough defense, making the Bobcats take difficult shots and use the shot clock. Over the final 2:26, the Bobcats made 4-of-4 shots with two free throws to close to a much more manageable 13 points at the half. Granted, I wouldn’t expect the Hawks to hold Charlotte to two points for the entire quarter – which is what they’d scored up until that point and frankly is incredible – but if they had even been able to just trade baskets, they probably would have won.
I tallied it up, and it’s in the game story. After Smith hit a 3-pointer early in the third that got the lead to 70-52, the Hawks took 17 more shots from 17 feet or more the rest of the game, and made one. Plenty of other ones from in close weren’t great looks, either.
I’ll concede this much: Bibby had made three 3-pointers in a row, and so I’m sure he felt like he was in a good rhythm, so I don’t know how much I can fault him for continuing to shoot. And players like Joe Johnson or Jamal Crawford are guys who can get hot and make a living on the perimeter.
And it’s not like, as they were chucking up jumpers they knew they were going to end up 1-for-their-last-17 from the perimeter. When I talked to Jeff Van Gundy for the story that ran Saturday, he argued a point about the Hawks’ shot selection issues basically by saying, people say shot selection is bad when the shots don’t go in. I see his point. Johnson, Crawford, Bibby and even Smith are fully capable of making 3-pointers and jump shots, and it would have surprised no one if, rather than continue to flail away, one or more of them had caught fire in the fourth quarter and turned the game around.
Still, the indulgence on jump shots was ultimately punitive and, perhaps more to the point, was not what their coach was telling them to do.
Said Drew, “We ended up shooting more 3’s than we did getting to the free-throw line, and you just can’t do that.”
- Hawks have been outscored in the fourth quarter eight times in the last 11 games.
- The Hawks actually played decent defense, I thought. Charlotte shot 42.3 percent, below the Bobcats’ season average, and scored 20 points (on 6-of-16 shooting) in the fourth quarter. I think you’d win most nights with those numbers.
To me, I thought the effort was there for most of the game at that end of the floor.
- Johnson and Crawford were a combined 5-for-23 for 13 points, 0-for-9 from 3-point range. That followed the Philly game in which they were a combined 6-for-16 and had 12 points.
Drew: “At this point, we’re trying to get them the same shots that we’ve gotten them all season long. Right now, the ball has not been falling for them but they can’t stop doing what they do best and I’m going to hound both of those guys as we go out on the road now for them to re-gain their stroke, re-gain their confidence, re-gain their attack mentality.”
- Shaun Livingston took a healthy bite out of the Hawks. Drew said he tried to hide Bibby by mixing up some zones, but it didn’t really matter. He kind of did what he wanted no matter what the Hawks did, finishing with 22 points off the bench.
- Horford on his back (he played team-high 42 minutes): I felt O.K. I can’t say I’m all the way (back). I don’t have lift yet, but besides that, I felt good enough to be out there playing.”
- I’m not ready to declare the sky is falling. The season is way too long for that. This has obviously been a bit of an ugly patch. The Hawks, though, may re-gain their footing on the West Coast. Drew certainly hopes so. “It is a great time to go out on the road,” he said. They’re good enough to have won five games in a row three different times and 33 games total this season, so it’s not like this team can’t win, or shouldn’t continue to win its share.
But it’s, as I said, troubling that Drew can identify the problem but, when the game’s crucial moments arrive, either a) he can’t effectively communicate it; b) his players can’t do what he wants; or c) his players won’t do what he wants.
Drew said after the game that patience and shot selection are things he’s “been harping on since day one. When we don’t get what we want a few trips down the floor, we have to slow it down and we have to get the shot we want. Certainly at that point it’s not taking another three. Our guys, they have not grasped that concept yet.”
Ken Sugiura, Hawks beat
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257 comments Add your comment
Troll Alert
February 13th, 2011
9:15 pm
Gee I wonder who THAT could be? It’s really hard to tell.
just a note
February 13th, 2011
9:23 pm
Fire Sund
Fire Drew
Fire Michael Cunningham
Fire Al Horford
just a note
February 13th, 2011
9:25 pm
Bring back Mick Woodson
Rufus1
February 13th, 2011
9:25 pm
Win with defense and rebounding LD…
With every close lose, we always seem to have Bibby and Crawford in late in the 4th qt….This doesn’t work.
just a note
February 13th, 2011
9:27 pm
2 seconds left just get the ball inside and dunk over betch horford and lets take this game home.
just a note
February 13th, 2011
9:28 pm
This is a boring azise blog page, Im out!
Air Zaza
February 13th, 2011
9:36 pm
ASG cheap asses need to think smart since their cheap ass busters.
1. I love Marvin more than Smith at SF but Smith is better and Smith can defend SF’s to a degree even if Marvin is good at defending SF. I think we should trade Marvin for an exp just because we need to add O.J. Mayo and Thabeet without going over the Luxury Tax.
2. Trade Marvin for exp.
3. Trade Jamal and Etan for O.J. Mayo and Thabeet.
I traded Dan G. from GS for Marvin.
http://games.espn.go.com/nba/tradeMachine?tradeId=4skhxyz
Air Zaza
February 13th, 2011
9:39 pm
We need some real talent who can become a star or superstar. Mayo is the only thing that out there for an attainable price that we have. Joe/Smith/Horford is not enough. Not enough at all.
For the ones who want Camby and Miller, we aren’t winning a title with them either. Their old and we flawed on the bench if we get them. This team is too flawed to be contenders this year or next. It will happen when Jordan is in his 3rd yr or 4th and that’s with an huge talent upgrade in a trade.
northcyde
February 13th, 2011
9:53 pm
Grandad . . . your assessment of JJ ( while it is your opinion ) is about as off base as that comment you made about Michael Cunningham earlier in the season.
How does a selfish player, who is also the highest paid player on the team, not only lead the team in assists, but also readily defers to his teammates?
It’s funny that you and all of the other JJ detractors were basically silent in January, when the guy was damn near playing like a top 10 player in the NBA. But two bad games later, here comes all of the hate again.
I’ve always questioned the BBIQ of the entire team, and that includes JJ. But than anything, I just thin the entire team is soft. That’s why they settle for the easier jumpshot, rather than take it to the hole and try to draw contact so they can score from the FT line. As for as JJ goes, that’s his biggest issue/weakness as a player.
And people do the same thing with Josh Smith that people do with JJ. Love him one minute, want to trade him for some skittles the next. Knowing good and damn well we’d be a sub .500 team without either of those guys.
News flash for all of you who want to trade away our top talent for mediocre talent . . no team in the NBA has EVER won a damn thing by doing that.
Anybody watching the Warriors – Thunder game right now? You guys really want to trade Josh Smith for that “great” center Biedrins, just to say that we have a legit center?
Trade JJ for Kevin Martin? Go right ahead, despite the Rockets not doing anything with Martin as their go-to-guy. As soon as he’d get lit up on defense, people would be crying about him more than they do Bibby.
Get rid of Horford? No problem. Now find a center who can replace him. Memphis wouldn’t trade Gasol for him, so try again. Hell, they wouldn’t trade Zach Randolph for him ( or Smith or JJ ) either.
Git rid of everybody so that we can have cap room in 2012? Haven’t we done that before, only for the top name and even middle of the road players refuse to sign with us?
Ken Sugiura
February 13th, 2011
10:00 pm
not sure where to start. thanks, 303, for the town hall report. and thanks to whoever it was that posted about how suggesting trades involving the players you like least probably aren’t going to fly.
just a note – you’re free to your opinion, but tell me how firing michael cunningham is going to help the hawks win? personally, i think michael does a great job covering the team. i’m obviously as biased as you’ll get, but i think he has great insight into this team.
one thing i’d note – the hawks are in a bind in at least this way — they’re a 50-plus-win team with this group, but, presumably not much more. that precludes them from ever drafting an obvious impact player. however, there’s nothing really about atlanta that would attract a free agent that they couldn’t get (and more) somewhere else.
i read a lot of calls for “blowing up” the team. i can see why you’d want this, but if the hawks have trouble drawing fans with a 50-win team, who’s going to show up to watch a 30-win team?
one thing 303 noted that gearon said was about the risk of trading, a point which i think has merit. it’s not a reason to not look at trades, but it’s a reason to be prudent.
Ken Sugiura
February 13th, 2011
10:01 pm
o’brien – great stat about 3-pointers and free throws. eye opener.
northcyde
February 13th, 2011
10:09 pm
I wish I was at that season ticket holder meeting. The question I would’ve asked him, would have been about not aggressively going after Shaq.
I would’ve loved to hear his explanation on why they didn’t make a major push to bring him to Atlanta. Even if he didn’t think that Shaq wasn’t an ideal fit basketball wise, I wonder if he even thought that a guy like Shaq would’ve brought out more fans to Hawk games?
The ASG not only seems to be somewhat clueless from a basketball standpoint, but also clueless about the demographics of Metro Atlanta, and what ( or who ) they would respond to.
Give Shaq the MLE ( or the rest of the money up until they reach the luxury tax level, and they may still may only pay a minimum L. Tax bill, if they needed to add a player or two to get to the league minimum.
Or if that Cleveland rumor was true about swapping Shaq for Marvin in a sign and trade, we’d basically switch their salaries, while also having room to add players, and stay under the tax.
Shaq ( even an injured Shaq ) > Powell, Collins, Etan, Sy, Wilkins
At least then, the would’ve generated a buzz around the team. Regardless of the “Shaq experiment” not working for Phoenix or Cleveland, we would’ve reaped the benefits from him here, regardless if we became a better team or not.
I would’ve loved to point all of that out to Gearon, and see how he’d react to it.
Najeh Davenpoop
February 13th, 2011
10:23 pm
“And people do the same thing with Josh Smith that people do with JJ. Love him one minute, want to trade him for some skittles the next. Knowing good and damn well we’d be a sub .500 team without either of those guys.”
Haha… I’ve been watching this entire game and only after reading this post did I realize how invisible Biedrins has been in this game. David Lee is the only Warriors big man to have any sort of impact whatsoever.
I’m all for trading Smoove for a center who has his level of impact. I’d be totally down with Smoove for Noah for example. But these suggestions for Biedrins and Gortat are just idiotic.
Ken Strickland
February 13th, 2011
10:26 pm
One statement made by LDrew sums up the main problem with the Hawks, and it’s a problem caused by his own stubborn stupidity. “DREW SAID HE TRIED TO HIDE BIBBY BY MIXING UP SOME ZONES, BUT IT REALLY DIDN’T MATTER.” This extremely dumbA– comment ranks right up there with him acknowledging that fatigue had become a problem with Bibby, but then insisted he wouldn’t reduce his mins or do anything about it.
In some ways LDrew is rapidly becoming part of the teams problem, and is proving to be just as stubborn and stupid in some of his approaches to problems as Woodson was in simular situations, particularily when it comes to anything related to Bibby. If what you’re trying to do to hide an OFF/DEF LIABILITY isn’t doing any good, why not try to hide that DEF LIABILITY on the bench and go with something DIFFERENT? STUPID IS AS STUPID DOES!
LDrew must come to the realization that he can’t continue putting everyone else at a disadvantage by forcing them to wear themselves down trying to cover for a player who can’t handle his own OFF/DEF responsibilities. HOW IN THE DEVIL CAN ANYONE WITH A CLUE CLAIM TO HAVE ABSOLUTE CONFIDENCE IN A PLAYER WHO, FOR THE LAST MONTH AND A HALF, IS REPEATING THE SAME FATIGUE RELATED PHYSICAL AND STATISTICAL REGRESSION HE EXPERIENCED LAST YR? AGAIN, STUPID IS AS STUPID DOES!
northcyde
February 13th, 2011
10:29 pm
Ken S . . . most of these fans are just letting off steam, or aren’t thinking right.
Heck, a lot of them said that they were willing to lose less games this year, if it meant we’d have a new offense installed and the bench developed.
Drew tried to do exactly that, and the Hawks went 8 – 7 to start the year. The fans had a fit.
Drew started to rely on the starters, and the team started winning again. Now fans have a problem with that, knowing good and well that the bench sucks.
Ken . . these fans that are talkin about “blow it up” would be nowhere to be found ( and definitely not in the arena ), if the Hawks did blow it up, and struggled like Houston is right now. The bytching and crying would either be less ( because of lack of people caring ) or more, because we’d be sorry.
But back to this team. No matter what fans think, the Bibby – Crawford – JJ – Smith – Horford lineup is our most potent offensive lineup. If people want a more defensive lineup in the ballgame . . fine. But the residual effect of that is going to be either JJ, Smith, or Al getting even more shots.
It’s not like the offense is going to be handed over to Teague at the end of the game.
LD probably needs to close the game with Marvin, and either leave Bibby or Jamal on the bench. At least then, you’d have a guy who can at least defend his man and possibly help on the boards ( and possibly hit an open midrange jumper ).
Right now, that’s about the only adjustment he can make down the stretch.
ag
February 13th, 2011
10:36 pm
Okay, I like most of you wish I could take a pill and not care about this team. I promised to turn this team off if “the changes” were not made. I really don’t consider the ‘change’ of Twin in the lineup a change. Northclyde, I don’t think bringing Shaq in would have helped. He is hurt so much, we will still have the team we are playing with now.
The Hawks problem is they are a running team with Josh, Al, & Marvin. Shaq would have slowed them down, muich like Twin. Twin gives them little on the offensive end and is not a good rebounder. Yet we have a running team with the slowest point guard in the league.
The change is obvious, play Jeff Teague. Someone said the Jeff Teague experiment is over. When did it start? How many starts did he get? The kid has not had a chance. To take a page from Green Bay, well people were made when Rodgers became the qb. He sucked his first year, but he had to get that game experience. I am very harsh on Marvin, but he is what he is. I think ALL of the team will be better with an explosive point guard who will create problems going to the hole.
Melvin
February 13th, 2011
10:42 pm
Ken,
Gearon need to ask himself, what’s the point in having an expensive 50 win team that the fans will not support?
Ken Strickland
February 13th, 2011
10:42 pm
KEN SUGIURA-What is your opinion on LDrew’s insistance on continuing to play Bibby major mins even though he’s deteriated to a point of becoming a total OFF/DEF liability? The fact is, Bibby has become so unproductive and inconsistent that he’s eliminated any risk of going with Teague. If he can’t bring himself to give Teague a chance, for whatever reason, why not start DWilkins at SG and move JJ to PG.
After all, JJ controls the ball and the OFF most of the time anyway, and often ends up defending the opposing PG. With Wilkins size, we could use the switching DEF as an effective DEF weapon, rather than a DEF gimmick to try and hide a DEF liability. WHAT DO YOU THINK?
northcyde
February 13th, 2011
10:48 pm
Mr Strickland . . while Bibby does seem to be breaking down again, what Drew needs to do is go with Jamal at the point, and bring in Marvin . . along with JJ, Josh, Al . . to close the game. And if Jamal is off, Bibby has to be the closer.
Teague was not a defensive player nor floor leader in college. He was a scorer. And unfortunately for him, he hasn’t shown much ability to score on the NBA level ( mainly due to his lack of aggressiveness ). To me, if the dude can’t even run the 2nd team offense, no wa you can trust him to run with the starters.
I’m still hoping that Drew will try out his other combo guard ( Jordan ), and give him an extended look as an energizing type PG that can run with the 2nd unit. That probably won’t happen either.
If I were Gearon, I’d be calling Phoenix, and tell them that I’d give them Jamal + a 1st round pick, for Nash. Nash isn’t going to stop the opposing PG either, but he may at least remedy our 4th quarter collaspes on offense.
But that would mean that the ASG would go over the tax next season. And they’re not going to do that.
Bringing Nash to ATL would provide the spark to the team, and to the fan base, that people seek. You have to give up something, to get something.
mykhalc
February 13th, 2011
10:56 pm
there is NO way PHO would punish Nash after all those years of service by sendin’ him to the Hawks!!! let’s keep it real…
darrell starks
February 13th, 2011
11:02 pm
I COSIGN Rufus1
GO HAWKS!!!!!!!!!!!!
northcyde
February 13th, 2011
11:04 pm
AG . . the HAWKS play at one of the slowest pace in the league anyway. Adding Shaq wouldn’t slow the team down. Fast breaks aren’t ran with centers. If you have Horford at PF and Smith at SF, our fast break may become even more lethal.
The main reason to add Shaq, is to strengthen the frontline overall. You can point out the cons, but the pros of adding Shaq, in my opinion, were greater. When he’s out hurt, we’d toss out the same lineup anyway. But when he is healthy, his presence may have made Horford and Smith even better players. Plus Shaq gets a team easy shots or draws fouls vs the opponent.
And once again, it’s also about knowing the demographics of Metro Atlanta. Shaq is still one of the most popular players in the league. He’s also one of the most visible. And the media loves that dude.
Shaq would’ve put butts in the seats, made the ASG more money, and had us on national TV more ( because the PERCEPTION would’ve been that he would make us a better team, now that we’d have a legit center ).
The pros outweigh the cons, IMO.
But I never expect Sund and the ASG to be creative in their thinking. The only way they were able to deal for Jamal and Bibby, is because those teams were losing and wanted to trim salary. Plus, Jamal and Bibby weren’t helping them win, so those teams didn’t lose any sleep by receiving “expiring garbage” for them.
The Luxury Tax and looming CBA may be the 2 things preventing the ASG from doing a similar move. Because if they do want to strengthen the team with another high quality player, they’ll have to trade Jamal for a player ( or two players ) who probably have multiple years remaining on their deals.
That means Luxury Tax in 2011 – 12. And that means the ASG/Sund will blink.
John Davidson
February 13th, 2011
11:05 pm
Some of you act like L.D. is without fault. This roster is definitely flawed in some key areas, but there are a lot of flaws that L.D. accentuates on his own. For example, there’s really no excuse for playing Bibby and Jamal together when you know that neither of them has it going offensively. It’s bad enough to play Bibby major minutes and complain about how the team gets “exposed off of the dribble” on the perimeter. When you know what the problem is and you make no attempt to alleviate it, and instead amplify it, that is just plain inexcusable. I’d like to see Drew at least take some responsibility for some of these losses instead of using excuses like “we settled…”, “there was no sense of urgency”, ” we were lackadaisical in our effort”, “we weren’t ready to play”. Those are just the same old patented excuses that we hear after every loss, regardless of what the causes were. Man up, and get it together.
Ron Jeremy
February 13th, 2011
11:14 pm
LOL, it looks like TS is back again with another handle. Now he’s taking out his anger on Cunningham for banning him all of those times. Don’t hit yourself too hard on those padded walls, bud.
darrell starks
February 13th, 2011
11:15 pm
AG i disagree everybody can’t play the same role you need guys 2 do other things beside score, with out twin you have no size in the paint which make the hawks weak specially come crunch time when you need a defender 2 take charge and control the paint late in the game, this is why the hawks have no respect because of there smallish line up late in the game, BIBBY, JAMAL, JOE, JOSH, HORFORD is a horrible decision by coach LD.
GO HAWKS!!!!!!!!!!!
darrell starks
February 13th, 2011
11:21 pm
Late in the game come crunch time should be JAMAL, JOE, JOSH, HORFORD, TWIN OR ZAZA. stay big at alltime and keep horford at powerford strenghting the hawks front court 2 bang in the post specially come playoffs when it count, this why regular season is important 2 do it now so the player can become use 2 one another.
GO HAWKS!!!!!!!!!!
northcyde
February 13th, 2011
11:21 pm
I’m sure that Nash wouldn’t object to playing on a playoff team for one more year. Like I said, some of you can talk like we’re the Cavs or T-Wolves all you want, but it doesn’t change the fact that we’re still a good, but not great team.
I bet Nash would love playing with two quick forwards like Smith and Horford. Plus if Drew has any intelligence, ISO JOE, ISO SMITH, ISO JAMAL would turn into PICK AND ROLL NASH at the end of games. Nash is still one of the best shooters in the league off the dribble. Plus he can break people down and get people much easier shots.
And once again, it’s about knowing the demographics of ATL. Add Nash to the team, and watch all of the White surburban fans flock to Philips Arena in March, just to watch him play.
Sarver ( Phoenix’s owner ) is a cheap b@stard. He refused to give Amare what he was worth, instead betting that mediocre players like Channing Frye and then Hedo Turkoglu would come through. Might as well throw another expiring contract in his face, and let him give Nash to us.
mykhalc
February 13th, 2011
11:23 pm
simply put…this team is NOT bein’ lead from the front office, from the bench, nor on the court!!! so why should the fans be expected to continue payin’ for a movie they’ve already see???!!!??? and seen it for the last 3 years. what has this franchise done up to this point in its’ history to deserve other than fleetin’ devotion from the fan base???
mykhalc
February 13th, 2011
11:27 pm
no doubt Nash could make a big difference…just don’t see it happenin’…
Najeh Davenpoop
February 13th, 2011
11:37 pm
“And once again, it’s about knowing the demographics of ATL. Add Nash to the team, and watch all of the White surburban fans flock to Philips Arena in March, just to watch him play.”
Haha… I didn’t want to be the one to point that out, but yeah, those Zaza jerseys in the crowd would change to Nash jerseys pretty quick.
Najeh Davenpoop
February 13th, 2011
11:42 pm
And yeah, in the absence of a personnel change, I would go with Jamal-Joe-Marvin-Smoove-Horford in crunch time. Maybe sub Bibby for Jamal if Bibby is hot and Jamal is cold, or maybe sub Damien for Marvin if necessary. But the Bibby-Jamal backcourt, although it may occasionally be the best offensive combination, is just not worth the defensive headache.
darrell starks
February 13th, 2011
11:45 pm
The only way i would trade jamal is that it have 2 be devin harris that would be a perfect trade.
GO HAWKS!!!!!!!!!!
darrell starks
February 13th, 2011
11:47 pm
DEVIN HARRIS 28 YEARS OLD
15POINTS A GAME
7.7 ASSIST WOW!!!!!!!!
plus he play good defense
GO HAWKS!!!!!!!!!!
darrell starks
February 13th, 2011
11:50 pm
STARTER DEVIN, JOE, JOSH, HORFORD, TWIN
BENCH TEAGUE OR BIBBY, MOE, MARVIN, POWELL, ZAZA
RESERVE DAMIEN
GO HAWKS!!!!!!!!!!!
doc
February 13th, 2011
11:53 pm
almost seems like old times here with samuel, honest and myk on board. almost, until richter scale 7.5 rumbling as honest agrees with samuel.
nothing wrong with this team that discipline and respect for every possession wouldnt cure. team needs to grow up.
najeh, those same folks would have arrived or jerseys changed if shaq had been brought in here. it aint about color as it is about quality and hope.
one of the greatest things about atlanta is that race continues to mesh. the diversity of the crowd is one of the things i like about going to a game. that is part of the problem, atlantans are discerning with their money, enough money to flaunt a bit but not wall street of third generation money to throw away like in some cities.
darrell starks
February 13th, 2011
11:53 pm
JAMAL AND 1ST FOR DEVIN, MAKE THAT MOVE RICK SUND.
GO HAWKS!!!!!!!!!!!
mykhalc
February 14th, 2011
12:03 am
yo doc!!! hope all things are good your way my friend!!! you know, it’s sad that the blog discussions have really been the same since we broke it in…years ago!!! SMH…
darrell starks
February 14th, 2011
12:09 am
http://games.espn.go.com/nba/tradeMachine?tradeId=6bv84hb
Ken Strickland
February 14th, 2011
12:09 am
NORTHCYDE-You claim Teague was a scorer in college, not a DEF player. Well, isj’t that a perfect description of both MBibby and Jamal? And recently hasn’t Jamal been inconsistent as a scorer, and hasn’t Bibby been doing the same, but for much, much longer? Why do you feel the same basic issues that are shared by all 3 players should be used as excuses for to limiting Teague’s mins, but not either of them?
It’s not like we haven’t seen any of this before with Bibby. Didn’t we go through this with him as recently as last season? What does it take to get people beyond this Bibby love fest and recognize he’s become a liability on both ends of the court. When the Bobcats missed shot after shot, got into the penality with over 6mins remaining in the 1st quarter, they eventually fell behind by 22pts.
They regrouped, made lineup changes and started attacking the rim and scoring inside, which is why they outscored us in the paint, which fueled their first half comeback. We’re unable to do that, because we insist on relying on a PG that’s too limited skill wise to change our offensive focus or approach at any point throughout a gm. And we refuse to make an effort to develop or use the one PG we do have that can make a difference in that area.
Whenever we rely on Jamal and Bibby exclusively at PG, and neither player is effective offensively, we usually end up getting these embarrassing losses because they offer us no perimeter DEF. This fact that JJ wasn’t very productive in either gm only made matters worse. The Hawks don’t have the talent to consistently carry, or compensate for, DEF liabilities that aren’t producing offensively.
doc
February 14th, 2011
12:11 am
nothing has changed. still need a point guard and low post presence dont we?
all is good, hope same for u my friend.
mykhalc
February 14th, 2011
12:13 am
same as it ever was…same as it ever was!!!
Samuel
February 14th, 2011
12:19 am
Sautee and Naj,
What exactly had LD done that’s better than Woody. We are in the same position. Our offense is the same. Wake up, the motion offense doesn’t exist. Watch the games.
Doc, I agree but don’t sell it as something it’s not. Yea, i’m back for now. Just don’t have the motivation to keep posting about the same thing. When I come back 3 weeks later: JJ will still be pounding the air out of the ball, Josh will still be taking 20 footers even though he’s unstoppable on the blocks, Jamal will still be shaking and baking at times, Bibby will still be hobbling along and spotting up, Al will still be hitting that 10-15 footer with consistency but not shooting it enough, Marvin will still be falling down and occasionally dunk real hard to remind us of his “upside” and LD will still be lying to the people about how things will change around here and wearing them cheap Grey or black suits.
I’ll see you in a few weeks.
darrell starks
February 14th, 2011
12:36 am
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3hC3XrZviBw
mykhalc
February 14th, 2011
12:36 am
“Marvin will still be falling down and occasionally dunk real hard to remind us of his “upside” “…classic!!!
you know, i think that’s the one thing that has changed over the years. Marvin is on his a$$ a lot more than he used to be!!!LOL maturation or progress…i ain’t sure!!!
darrell starks
February 14th, 2011
12:40 am
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5xNYQOS_OEw
Najeh Davenpoop
February 14th, 2011
12:54 am
“What exactly had LD done that’s better than Woody. We are in the same position. Our offense is the same. Wake up, the motion offense doesn’t exist. Watch the games.”
There is a vast middle ground between a motion offense and Woody’s I-don’t-give-a-sh*t offense. What the Hawks run now falls somewhere in that middle ground. I don’t think the Hawks run a motion offense any more than you do, but there is no doubt they share the ball better and get the ball in the post with more consistency (still not the consistency I would like to see, but light years ahead of last year).
rusty
February 14th, 2011
1:25 am
Ld is a downgrade from woody who was a d. Nortcyde love of ball hog Joe is classic bull crap he don’t like jt because he don’t bring it all the time like his buddies jj & mb ,does he ever make sense?
Worldwide Clyde
February 14th, 2011
2:48 am
We need a center that knows how to finish and block shots like this. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oJnWw_KDgUM&feature=related
Zaza you can’t finish plays in the paint with layups.
Grandad
February 14th, 2011
3:43 am
northcyde;
I stand by my past criticism of Michael Cunningham.
* Mr Sugiura – I never called for MC to be fired !
Also my origina lstatement stands about MC’s lack of passion for his job;
which was misinterpreted as myself wanting him to be a homer fo the Hawks.
Passion for one’s job is totally irrelevant to pullin’ for the home team.
However, said passion is evident in his/her desire to feed the starving consumer.
Having said that:
Kudos to Ken Sugiura for being an outstanding Designated Hitter.
I hope all is well with MC.
northcyde
February 14th, 2011
3:44 am
LOL Rusty . . I’m clueless because I don’t believe a guy who didn’t even function as a floor leader for his college team, can do it on the NBA level?
Call me clueless then.
On a team that desperately needs another floor leader, he can’t even crack the rotation, despite Bibby struggling. A lot of you want to believe that Drew is the idiot . . but maybe Teague just isn’t the one.
People just want to see with their own eyes if he is or not. Drew brought in a special coach, one of the most aggressive and fearless PGs in the past 20 years, and Teague has still not impressed coach enough to consistently crack the rotation.
We don’t see the practices, but Teague must be underwhelming as hell in practice.
So it is what it is with him.
If he does ever get a shot to prove himself, he better take full advantage of it. And I’m not talking about him ballin’ during the midst of a blowout either.