Atlanta Hawks at Lakers: Point presence desperately needed
Los Angeles–The following question was put to Al over All-Star weekend: How can the Hawks be a better defensive team when they so obviously struggle to contain the perimeter and opponents relentlessly attack that weakness?
“Our guards have got to do a better job of that,” Al said. “Obviously we [bigs] have to be there on the help side, but we need to have that presence to try and keep the ball out of the paint as much as we can.”
The answer to that has been “not much at all” with the current group and as long as that’s the case it’s going to be too difficult for the Hawks to get consistent stops in the playoffs. L.D. has tricked things up with zones and switches but that’s just smoke and mirrors that teams like Boston, Orlando, Chicago and Miami will exploit.
This fundamental issue explains why they are so desperate to add a point guard like Devin Harris. The advanced stats say Harris has declined defensively–perhaps because of a poor attitude in New Jersey, as reported by the Bergen Record’s Al Iannazzone.
Perhaps a change of scenery would rejuvenate Harris, who has been a good defender in the past. Even if it didn’t, Harris would be an upgrade defensively over what the Hawks have now. He’s also an excellent playmaker who would push the pace in the open floor and allow Josh and Al to run and fill the lanes instead of handling the ball.
Jamal needs a jolt
Jamal is slumping. Perhaps more troublesome than the shots not going in are the long stretches when he’s stopped shooting—six shots against Toronto, two against Detroit–because if he’s not trying to score where is the bench going to find points?
Jamal is in some kind of funk. It happens occasionally and said he’s not sure why.
“I don’t know,” he said. “Once or twice a year I do that for whatever reason.”
L.D. had a talk with Jamal after practice Monday, like he has the other times when it seems like Jamal isn’t into it.
“I’ve got to get him going,” Drew said. “All great scorers go through periods where they go through a little slump. It’s nothing unusual. He just has to work his way out of it and I have to help him out of it. We will try to get him on the right course tonight.”
Status quo
Drew said he will use the “big” lineup against the Lakers but hasn’t made up his mind about a permanent change to the normal lineup:
“I spent these four days looking at some of the possibilities as far as changes within the lineup. Nothing concrete yet. I will keep tinkering with it as we move forward, see how we do [tonight] and at Phoenix on the back-to-back. It won’t be anything [different], I think, on this road trip. I will just decide whether to go with big lineup or traditional lineup [each game] and see what happens.”
High expectations
The Lakers have lost three straight, including an ugly L to the Cavs, to drop to 8.5 games behind San Antonio in the West. These developments qualify as a crisis in these parts, though Kobe was upbeat yesterday after Lakers practice:
“It’s a marathon. You see the finish line, you tend to pick up the speed a little bit.”
Mike Bresnahan of the LA Times offers a four-point plan to fix the Lakers.
Michael Cunningham, Hawks beat
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836 comments Add your comment
SteveW
February 23rd, 2011
12:50 am
I’ve been concerned about the Sixers myself. Collins has those guys cooking, and there the real deal.
AG
February 23rd, 2011
12:50 am
Powell again has blown Teague’s assist
SteveW
February 23rd, 2011
12:50 am
Joe Smith gets some burn
slimjr
February 23rd, 2011
12:50 am
Trade Sund please…………………………………………………………………..
bigdave
February 23rd, 2011
12:51 am
ZaZa didnt even bother to rotate and contest that open 3..
SteveW
February 23rd, 2011
12:51 am
Teagues playing with Blake and Shannon on the floor, so it’s not like he’s up against chop liver
Mac-Town, Georgia (urban-macon.blogspot.com)
February 23rd, 2011
12:51 am
Nice D-League game goin on now.
slimjr
February 23rd, 2011
12:51 am
Hawks could slip to the 7 spot in about 3-4 weeks…..WOW……………………
slimjr
February 23rd, 2011
12:52 am
ZaZA=THE BIG STIFF
NUNNA!!!
February 23rd, 2011
12:52 am
Did u see Teague cut old boy off
Tremaine
February 23rd, 2011
12:53 am
SteveW, Bibby could keep up with Derrick Fisher.
Ramon
February 23rd, 2011
12:53 am
By the way, guys, I was told by a very reliable source that it isn’t Sund who’s holding up any trades, but its the ownership!
slimjr
February 23rd, 2011
12:53 am
HAWKS GETTING CRUSHED ON THE BDS…..WHAT ELSE IS NEW????????????????????????????
Tremaine
February 23rd, 2011
12:53 am
SteveW, Bibby couldn’t keep up with Derrick Fisher.
bigdave
February 23rd, 2011
12:53 am
u wouldnt think Za Za was a 7fter
Loserville USA
February 23rd, 2011
12:53 am
Say what you want about Woodson but very rarely was this team BLOWN OUT as much as it’s happened this year.
Garbage, Absolute garbage. Send Smith to Ruckert Park where he can play in his element. He is a team killer.
EmirS.
February 23rd, 2011
12:53 am
The only good thing out of this (and yes I beleive there is one) is that Sund is with the team currently. With good fortune, he might actually come to his senses and see how poor of a team we are compared to other playoff bound teams.
Abandoned Hawk
February 23rd, 2011
12:54 am
If they do not make a trade..I am done with this team. DONE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Nique's Revenge
February 23rd, 2011
12:54 am
amazing
SteveW
February 23rd, 2011
12:54 am
Let’s see – Teague with 4 FT attempts, 2 assists, 2 boards and no TO’s. LD, give the kid a chance.
bigdave
February 23rd, 2011
12:54 am
wow. ESPN 1st highlight.
Rufus1
February 23rd, 2011
12:54 am
IDK…
Teague can’t be as bad a Bibby…If the 2nd unit could hit some shots he would have 5-6 ast
bigdave
February 23rd, 2011
12:55 am
more bad pub. well.. it was already nationally televised so. hell wit it.
Shake Something
February 23rd, 2011
12:55 am
With no deadline move looming,Hawks are bound for the 7 spot in the east if the Sixers can put it all together..
Najeh Davenpoop
February 23rd, 2011
12:55 am
I missed it, what was Bob yelling about a second ago?
slimjr
February 23rd, 2011
12:56 am
Gearon is the face behind this team..He pulls the strings over Sund…Gearon go kick rocks..You Buster………………………………………………..!
cp
February 23rd, 2011
12:56 am
Driving and kicking out to Joe and Al would be a lot different than driving and kicking to Powell and Zaza
SteveW
February 23rd, 2011
12:56 am
Tremaine – I know. Sessions destroyed Fisher and Blake. So we put Bibby out there who whiffs horribly. Why didn’t LD start Teague and at least try to exploit LA’s weakness? He had 4 days to think it over.
And Bibby’s going into that brutal March schedule – playing Rondo, Rose 3 times etc. We are in trouble
NUNNA!!!
February 23rd, 2011
12:57 am
Is it just my eyes or does Joe Smith look like………………………..
CHARLIE MURPHY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
DARKNESS EVERYBODY DARKNESS IS SPREADING!!!!
RaJaH
February 23rd, 2011
12:58 am
Hawks should have to scrub the Lakers lockerroom after this ish..coaching staff and all!
Grandad
February 23rd, 2011
12:58 am
It’s not about who we add;
it’s all about who we subtract.
Everyone gets better minus one.
slimjr
February 23rd, 2011
12:59 am
Nique said What??? The Hawks should beat Phoenix????? ARE YOU KIDDING ME????????????????????? Put the bottle down Dude……………
Loserville USA
February 23rd, 2011
1:00 am
Time to take this horse behind the barn……
BAAAAAAAAAAAAAANNNNNNNNNNNNNNGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG!
Tremaine
February 23rd, 2011
1:00 am
What can we do to get Teague in the starting lineup? Any ideas?
SteveW
February 23rd, 2011
1:01 am
Woody wasn’t as good with x and o’s as LD, but he was better at controlling the team. We are getting beat like a dog on a regular basis. A good team with a lot of flaws.
And LD is the biggest one right now.
bigdave
February 23rd, 2011
1:01 am
i wouldnt mind seeing ole Teague run with the 1st unit..
EmirS.
February 23rd, 2011
1:01 am
We can always start a Georgia wide petition. Or boycott the Hawks.
slimjr
February 23rd, 2011
1:01 am
“Time to take this horse behind the barn……
BAAAAAAAAAAAAAANNNNNNNNNNNNNNGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG! LOL……
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Shake Something
February 23rd, 2011
1:01 am
Caracter just raped on the offensive glass
Rufus1
February 23rd, 2011
1:02 am
That one play is why he should be playing…if players could finish he would have 10ast
slimjr
February 23rd, 2011
1:02 am
24 point loss!! CONGRATS HAWKS, YOU SHOULD HAVE LOSS BY 50!!!!
AG
February 23rd, 2011
1:03 am
Powell 2-10 in 14 minutes…pretty bad. Good game Teague. It sounds like Nique is critical of Teague but gives everybody else a pass..tough road trip, good shots early, etc. These guys sucked tonight. START JEFF TEAGUE
Hawks Fan In New Orleans
February 23rd, 2011
1:04 am
To Bibby: in the immortal words of the Makavelian poet 2Pac, “…Its all over now take it like a man. Lookin’ like Larry Holmes flabby and sick.”
We go nowhere but down with Bibby at the helm running the “offense”
SteveW
February 23rd, 2011
1:04 am
Teague – 5 pts, 2asst, 2rbs, 2stls, 0 TO’s playing against Steve Blake and Shannon Brown. Not bad.
But Bibby can get hot and hit some 3’s. He should be playing 5-7 minutes a half, tops. Teague should get the rest.
I hope Gearon and Sund saw this
This aint’ sund’s fault, this is on LD
W.R.Terrell
February 23rd, 2011
1:04 am
Well I am watching the last few minutes of the Lakers and SOFT’S game. They are funny to watch and these are supposedly pros. Josh “the smoove” Smith, nuff said and ISO is still ISO. I am trying to figure why going to the hoop creates such a fear in these guys Well, tomorrow is about as predictable as tonight and Phoenix ain’t raising all that much hell and they are SOFT. So it’s a game of softs vs softs. Nique is alright commentating, he really tries to be a light for these guys, by having something positive to say about each and everyone of them. He’s a true HAWK, I think we all are except the team. They play like pidgeons….lol….This really is becoming a bad scenario.
Loserville USA
February 23rd, 2011
1:04 am
This just in….
Hawks will be replacing the Washington Generals on the next Globetrotters tour.
slimjr
February 23rd, 2011
1:05 am
1-3 ON THE ROAD TRIP SO FAR..STILL LIKE YOUR CORE SUND???????????????????????
JSS
February 23rd, 2011
1:05 am
Is it over yet?
Loserville USA
February 23rd, 2011
1:05 am
Time to fly to Phoenix so they can make last call….
SteveW
February 23rd, 2011
1:06 am
Bigdave – That’s right