Atlanta Hawks: Lakers 104, Hawks 80
This was just one of several mismatches for the Hawks. (AP Photo)
Los Angeles–If I know my blog people, I figure you’d rather hear about trade chatter (some hope for the future) than a recounting of this debacle (a depressing reminder of the team’s stasis).
- So, OK . . . Yes, Kirk Hinrich is a possibility and Ramon Sessions remains in play. No to Devin Harris (who is probably headed elsewhere) and Raymond Felton (whom the Nuggets apparently aren’t looking to move).
- Basically, it seems like the Hawks have called about every decent-to-good point guard who might be available. Of course it will take more than a new point guard to fix what ailed the Hawks tonight.
- The Lakers were smarter, faster and tougher than the Hawks.
- “I can go down competing, but we are not competing at our highest level it’s frustrating,” Al said.
- These beatdowns are becoming more commonplace. That’s four Ls in five, with three of them by at least 15 points. It’s also Atlanta’s fifth loss by at least 20 points this season.
- The Hawks are back to their habit of getting down big and staying there. “We didn’t play with an edge; we gave them too much respect,” J.J. said. “We didn’t have that fire, that competitive nature that we need. It’s frustrating, man. I don’t know what to do.”
- They could start by not continuing to jack up jump shots when they a) are challenged and/or b) aren’t making them. Both things happened against the Lakers, yet the Hawks kept firing away.
- Certainly it’s no easy task to score inside against all that Lakers size but it’s not as if the Hawks ever made a focused effort to try it.
- “I don’t think we went to the rim enough,” L.D. said. “I just thought we settled, which is starting to be a pattern with us. When you fall into that type of pattern when you are not making shots you’re going to struggle. We went 1-for-15 from the three, yet we settled for the three. We have to have more basketball savvy than that.”
- The Hawks got handled 54-32 on the boards. Los Angeles collected an astounding 42 of Atlanta’s 62 misses (not counting “team” rebounds) with Gasol and Bynum combining for 21 of those.
- “We didn’t play with physicality,” Drew said. “I thought they really banged us in the half court. I don’t think we responded very well to it.”
- This game showed the limitations of the big lineup. Twin is a good position defender but he can’t hang on the boards against the better big men. The Hawks actually had more success (relatively, at least) going small with Al working outside against Gasol and Bynum.
- The Lakers made 24 of 48 shots before emptying the bench in the fourth quarter. Kobe (20 points on 11 shots) didn’t even have to do anything special in his 26 minutes. Heck Shannon Brown took it to the Hawks and Joe Smith had three blocked shots.
- “They dominated on both ends,” Al said. “We really have some soul-searching to do as a team. It’s discouraging. We had a great practice yesterday, and to come out like that, it’s frustrating.”
- The Hawks botched five fast break chances by my count. Smoove threw a couple passes that smashed the backboard.
- Here was one inept fast break sequence: Mo fumbled the ball away while standing under the rim and missed a layup; Josh Powell tried to put it back only to get his shot pinned by Joe Smith, leading to an alley-oop dunk by Devin Ebanks.
- The Lakers presented Powell with his Lakers championship ring before the game.
- “I actually want to see it,” Al said. “I kind of saw it from far away. I know what it’s like to win. I did it on the college level. We are hungry for that. We are hungry to be in that position and we are not there yet.”
Michael Cunningham, Hawks beat
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720 comments Add your comment
KevinM
February 23rd, 2011
7:45 pm
Finally, the Bibster is out of tonight’s game….
Glad we are finally moving forward.
Shake Something
February 23rd, 2011
7:45 pm
WTF a first!?!??JC2 was enough with those guys.. Sund I gave a little lee way,but i think im taking that back..
Najeh Davenpoop
February 23rd, 2011
7:46 pm
I’d like to see how much playing time Teague gets tonight.
KevinM
February 23rd, 2011
7:47 pm
Emir, that’s a classic….we’re at the point where we are saying…
ANY PG!! ANY C!!
We got what we asked for, haha!
ATL FAN
February 23rd, 2011
7:47 pm
Like Najeh said, 1st rounders are useless with this team as long as Sund is our GM. Also, getting rid of Bibby’s contract ( he was clearly showing some signs of aging) and also Mo, and we get a solid PG/SG in return, I’ll take the deal. However, hopefully this won’t be it. Sund has only addressed one of our problems, and not that well at that. We still need more bench players and a solid C.
EmirS.
February 23rd, 2011
7:47 pm
Wow who is this Manny Harris kid? 11 Points, 5 assists, 5 rebounds in 11 minutes??
cp
February 23rd, 2011
7:47 pm
Hilton Armstrong is tall thats about it. Dude looks like he doesn’t care half the time. I remember that Brown kid who used to play for the Spurs, Cavs and a few more teams talking about how Hilton was never working on his game. He was a good defensive player in college but now he is ehhh
bigdave
February 23rd, 2011
7:47 pm
Jeff should start..
Brandon from Warner Robins
February 23rd, 2011
7:47 pm
Teague should start.
bigdave
February 23rd, 2011
7:48 pm
“Manny Harris, 8 Pts. 5 Boards and 3 Assists…”
the boy can simply play NBA basketball.. he and sessions were preferable if we couldnt get Felton.
Wabe
February 23rd, 2011
7:49 pm
I think Jamal *HAS TO BE DEALT* now.
But that’s just me.
This move really doesn’t do anything other than dump some dead weight. We dumped dead weight at the expense of the equivalence of two 1st rounders though.
The only way this trade makes sense *to me* is if they turn around and flip Jamal for a wing/big, as Najeh pointed out.
But again, IDK what the Hawks are doing or thinking. They probably did this just to point to fans that they “tried” making something happen.
bigdave
February 23rd, 2011
7:49 pm
Manny Harris is the kid from Ann Arbor..
plays fast..!! all the time. all out hustle.. kinda reminds me of Fields..
ATL FAN
February 23rd, 2011
7:50 pm
Agree, this was a very “easy” trade to make, not many risks involved…
Wabe
February 23rd, 2011
7:51 pm
BTW, we still have no facilitating PG.
mykhalc
February 23rd, 2011
7:51 pm
as was said early…bargain bin shoppin’!!!!
Wabe
February 23rd, 2011
7:51 pm
And yeah, Teague better get minutes tonight.
If you can’t get minutes tonight teaguer, you’re screwed.
Melvin
February 23rd, 2011
7:52 pm
Well, I guess Teague will be starting tonight…. Maybe this will answer some questions about him going forward….
Wabe
February 23rd, 2011
7:53 pm
And with Mo Evans gone (still makes my season that he’s finally gone), Marvin is the lone wing on this roster.
That scares me.
JJ should be clockin more minutes at the 3.
Either him or Josh.
Jae Evolution
February 23rd, 2011
7:54 pm
What if this trade boosts Teague into the starter role…Just sayin’.
Raybud
February 23rd, 2011
7:54 pm
I agree that this is a low risk trade; but here’s a question, now that bibby is gone, is it teague’s time now? hmmmmm….any thoughts?
ATL FAN
February 23rd, 2011
7:54 pm
Drew wanted this trade to go down lol
“It’s no secret we have been trying to improve our point guard position,” said Hawks coach Larry Drew. “Hopefully, this trade goes through.”
bigdave
February 23rd, 2011
7:54 pm
this was a somewhat lateral move. the same move he claimed wouldnt be made.
ATL FAN
February 23rd, 2011
7:55 pm
Didn’t think of it that way, maybe Hinrich will play backup PG if Teague shows his skills tonight??
Wabe
February 23rd, 2011
7:55 pm
Sources: Haws, Wizards nearing five-team trade
What’s that about?
Wabe
February 23rd, 2011
7:56 pm
@NBAonESPN Sources: Haws, Wizards nearing five-team trade
? Did they mean 5-player trade?
ATL FAN
February 23rd, 2011
7:56 pm
Wizards got Hinrich for a 2nd round pick lol
Wabe
February 23rd, 2011
7:56 pm
Gotta be a 5-player trade.
What the hell is a 5 team trade.
EmirS.
February 23rd, 2011
7:56 pm
Lol no way the Knicks lose tonight. No way in hell…
(Off subject again sorry)
Najeh Davenpoop
February 23rd, 2011
7:57 pm
I do think this trade is sort of a vote of confidence for Teague. Can’t see why else they would trade Jordan over Teague, unless Washington insisted on Jordan, which would surprise me seeing as how Jordan has barely played this year.
Najeh Davenpoop
February 23rd, 2011
7:57 pm
If not from LD, at least a vote of confidence from Sund.
hawks_4_life
February 23rd, 2011
7:57 pm
The Atlanta Hawks are making progress toward their first move of note in the Eastern Conference arms race.
The Hawks are negotiating the final points of a deal with Washington that would bring veteran guard Kirk Hinrich to Atlanta for the stretch run, sources close to the situation told ESPN The Magazine’s Ric Bucher.
Sources told ESPN.com that the latest version of the deal would send veteran guard Mike Bibby, rookie guard Jordan Crawford, swingman Maurice Evans and a 2011 first-round pick to the Wizards for Hinrich and Hilton Armstrong.
Hinrich was brought to Washington to mentor prized rookie John Wall, but the former Bull has been coveted by the Lakers and other playoff teams since it became apparent that the Wizards would fall out of playoff contention early.
The Hawks have done very little to change their roster in a conference where Boston, Chicago, Miami and New York have made major upgrades since last season. Hinrich will bring some needed depth and versatility to Atlanta’s backcourt as the Hawks try to make a run at a top-four seed in the East — or at least ensure that they don’t slip lower than No. 5 after New York’s acquisition of Carmelo Anthony.
ATL FAN
February 23rd, 2011
7:58 pm
Hinrich is only a minor improvement over Bibby stat wise and PG wise, but a huge upgrade on Defense
Wabe
February 23rd, 2011
7:59 pm
Jordan’s still more polished than Teague though Najeh.
Jordan can score.
He can shoot.
And he was special in college.
I’m still heated they let this kid walk without letting him do a damn thing. I think he could’ve been good *this season*. Something similar to what Wes Matthews did for Utah last season. He just couldn’t find minutes.
This kid could put the ball in the hoop.
Najeh Davenpoop
February 23rd, 2011
8:01 pm
Jamal’s gotta be next, though, preferably for a wing who can get to the line.
lewis
February 23rd, 2011
8:04 pm
so happy bibby is gone
slimjr
February 23rd, 2011
8:04 pm
Sund picks up a 30 year old pg..? Not impressed. But Sund does not impress… why do some people always bring color into their conversations?? I guess their remnants from the Georgia penal colonies established by the Brits….just sorry bunch of f–ks………………..
EmirS.
February 23rd, 2011
8:04 pm
Im very skeptical of Jamal leaving. I really dont think he will. As someone mentioned, he’ll be very good for the Spirit Group once his contract comes of the books at the end of the season.
I think the only reason this trade was done, was not to improve us, but to silence the fans.
Sautee
February 23rd, 2011
8:05 pm
new blog up
bigdave
February 23rd, 2011
8:05 pm
Jamal and Marvin for … ?
Najeh Davenpoop
February 23rd, 2011
8:06 pm
I don’t doubt that Jordan could play, although I think his total lack of a conscience when it comes to shooting would have made it tough for him to get minutes on any serious contender this year. Typically, though, you tend to see teams value players they have seen over players they haven’t seen, and typically you see teams valuing point guards over combo guards.
Anyway, that’s all speculation. For all I know Washington may have asked for Jordan over Teague.
lewis
February 23rd, 2011
8:06 pm
dude, if you’re not impressed mike bibby’s useless $6m is off the books you’re just ….i dunno
ATL FAN
February 23rd, 2011
8:07 pm
Agree, Spirit would rather take the extra cash at the end of the season for Jamal rather than deal him now
Melvin
February 23rd, 2011
8:14 pm
Rumeal Robinson, Dan Dickau, Salim Stoudamire, Acie Law, Jeff Teague, Mike Bibby… after all that, I damn sure welcome Kirk Hinrich….
bigdave
February 23rd, 2011
8:17 pm
D. A. lives in DC ..
says Hilton Armstrong has played well this year.. particularly help defense.. if he sits ZaZa down im happy.. if he can finish with a dunk every now and then, that will be great as well..
Section 303
February 23rd, 2011
8:22 pm
Stop, Melvin. Don’t lump Bibby in with Law, Stoudamire, and Teague. That’s just stupid. Bibby was a good player here. We don’t see the ‘08 playoffs without him.
ATL FAN
February 23rd, 2011
8:36 pm
LMFAO Dan Dickau he was awful
KevinM
February 23rd, 2011
8:40 pm
Bibby had to go to give Teague any chance….LD not impressing me with his response to the deal.
You know he doesn’t like the deal, but has to accept it.
So Teague starts, and gets his chance against a sub .500 team.
Wabe
February 23rd, 2011
8:45 pm
I won’t blame Bibby for this pathetic group of owners + Sund’s mistakes.
Bibby did what he was brought here to do. We needed a PG, Bibby filled that roll as the stop-gap. That’s all he was supposed to be.
The problem is, when his contract was up, Sund re-up’d. And truthfully, we did little to nothing to find his replacement. If Teague was supposed to be that guy, both coaches have done a terrible job getting the kid prepared.
Bibby shouldn’t get hammered. He simply agreed to a deal. He came here making $15 million a year, we resigned him for half of that. At the time, it seemed like a decent move. That wasn’t the case. Too many years, and really too much money for where he went after that signing. He aged quick.
Wabe
February 23rd, 2011
8:47 pm
bigdave
February 23rd, 2011
8:17 pm
D. A. lives in DC ..
says Hilton Armstrong has played well this year.. particularly help defense.. if he sits ZaZa down im happy.. if he can finish with a dunk every now and then, that will be great as well..
Completely co-sign on the Zaza. Wish we could’ve just thrown him into the deal as partying gift.
ATL FAN
February 23rd, 2011
8:48 pm
Good post Wabe