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
Wabe
February 23rd, 2011
3:27 pm
Regardless of how much we talk about trading Horford or Smith or anybody from this “untouchable core”, we know we’ll be sitting here with the same team after all is said and done.
Just a waste of time to be honest with you.
ryan
February 23rd, 2011
3:29 pm
Gerald Wallace would be upgrade at C the Hawks want to move Horford PF Felton and Wallace would be good but will Sund to it .
mykhalc
February 23rd, 2011
3:29 pm
easily give up Josh to get GW IMHO
slimjr
February 23rd, 2011
3:30 pm
“Woody and BK are still laughing. Hahahahahahha!” YEP
The Truth
February 23rd, 2011
3:30 pm
“The Atlanta Hawks are open for business. They want to make a move, have wanted to make a move, but just about everyone on their roster can be had.
Now, that’s not saying they are having a fire sale. Not at all. The Hawks are looking to get better, and if trading a piece one might not normally think they would trade will do that, they are open. Marvin Williams has been shopped for awhile and would they’d like to move him. Mike Bibby is available for a point guard. Jamal Crawford they will discuss, but they have to get value in return equal to what he brings them off the bench – which is a lot.
Al Horford is a Poison Pill Provision player due to signing his early extension, but would likely be off the table anyway. The Hawks also don’t't seem interested in moving Joe Johnson.
However, in a change from earlier they will listen to offers for Josh Smith. They are not actively looking to move Smith, and any offer better return them a significant piece of talent, but they will at least not hang up the phone until they hear what another team is thinking. They still see Smith as a cornerstone…so to get him the offer would need to be approached in that fashion.
More on this as we hear it…”
——————————————————————————–
Read more NBA news and insight: http://www.hoopsworld.com/Story.asp?story_id=18860#ixzz1EoeORwcT
lewis
February 23rd, 2011
3:31 pm
Wabe, agree with everything you said.
But, Josh for the most part does what he’s told.
The majority of his jumpers come late in the shot clock when he’s wide open.
You have the entire team willing to feed Josh on the perimeter, which as Chris Webber pointed out,
“Joe Johnson, if you don’t want Josh Smith hoisting 3’s, don’t feed him late in the clock when Marvin is standing in his corner wide open for his shot”
How many times have we seen Bibby and Marvin pass wide open jumpers to give it to Josh on the perimeter late in the clock instead?
Oh, and btw, Demarcus + Josh = ticket sales.
mykhalc
February 23rd, 2011
3:31 pm
@Wabe…true. but the blog is waaaayyyyy better than watchin’ ‘em play!!!
Shake Something
February 23rd, 2011
3:31 pm
Wabe, If DeMarcus Cousin was offered straight up for Horford would you do it?!?!
lewis
February 23rd, 2011
3:32 pm
Not giving up Smith unless its for Curry
MsDee
February 23rd, 2011
3:36 pm
MC,
Could u update up with anything?? And I mean, ANYTHING..even if its NOTHING..LOL..(WHICH IS WHAT WE ARE GOING TO END UP WITH AFTER TRADE DEADLINE)
slimjr
February 23rd, 2011
3:37 pm
“The Atlanta Hawks are open for business. They want to make a move, have wanted to make a move, but just about everyone on their roster can be had.”
WHO’S BUYING??? HEY SUND WHY DON’T YOU USE EBAY???CASUE AT THIS RATE YOUR TEAM WILL BE A 7TH OR 8TH SEED IN 6 WEEKS……!
clay
February 23rd, 2011
3:37 pm
Im so done with this freaking team. Nobody wants to win. Were letting the trade deadline come and go and doing nothing about it. I refuse to go to any hawks game if they show me that they dont care about what is going on right now. I saw we do like tech. Loose the rest and blow this team up. Its time for a change this is year 4 with this core and nothing has changed the 2nd round is most we get to and this year we will be shut out in the first. Its a freaking joke and were doing nothing while the NBA fan bases are sitting out there laughing at us. Everyone has gotten better except for us. Hell the Nets are better now that us with the trade they made. Im done. Hawks suck.
MsDee
February 23rd, 2011
3:38 pm
Where is Ken S with is positivity when we truly need it right about now??
MsDee
February 23rd, 2011
3:39 pm
Correction: Where is Ken S with his positivity when we can truly need it right about now??
slimjr
February 23rd, 2011
3:41 pm
“Where is Ken S with is positivity when we truly need it right about now??”
He probably broke his ankles when jumped off the bus! LOL
Here some positive news.. The Hawks are open for business…………..REALLY??
slimjr
February 23rd, 2011
3:42 pm
smith for camby…dream on dude………
MsDee
February 23rd, 2011
3:42 pm
Gery Woelfel: Several teams interested in Ramon Sessions … The Hawks being at the head of the group. Twitter
slimjr
February 23rd, 2011
3:44 pm
Sessions and Gerald W, would plug some holes………….interesting?
mykhalc
February 23rd, 2011
3:44 pm
Here some positive news.. The Hawks are open for business…………..REALLY??
translation from Hawks mgmt…is our number listed?? the phones aren’t ringin’!!!???? don’t teams know the kinda team/players we are willing to give up???!!!???
slimjr
February 23rd, 2011
3:45 pm
“translation from Hawks mgmt…is our number listed?? the phones aren’t ringin’!!!???? don’t teams know the kinda team/players we are willing to give up???!!!???”
LOL!
slimjr
February 23rd, 2011
3:46 pm
smith for wallace…dream on dude…….
slimjr
February 23rd, 2011
3:50 pm
MC, you have any positive news on the Atlanta Hawks home front by any chance?? We’ve been waiting since last summer?????????
superiorblogman
February 23rd, 2011
3:53 pm
Nets are looking to make another move. The Nets no you don’t get anything for free. Lopez is the guy they are looking to move. Avery does not like him like he did not like Harris. Lopez is a C that averages 5.8 Rebs a game and shoots less than 50% from the field. Josh plays bigger and tougher than Lopez.
Josh Smith, Jordan Crawford, Jeff Teague and 1st round pick
for
Brook Lopez, Morrow, and the horrible contract of Travis Outlaw
that’s the move.
http://games.espn.go.com/nba/tradeMachine?tradeId=48s7yxk
Ken Strickland
February 23rd, 2011
3:54 pm
HC LDrew is making a habit of saying the Hawks didn’t penetrate enough, or shot too many jump shots, or didn’t defend well enough, or didn’t play with enough energy. Yet, he continues to give heavy mins to the very players that are the primary cause of these problems, and I’m not just talking about PG MBibby. It’s a damned shame that our center and PF lead more fastbreaks than our PG’s, and actually average more APG’s. The real joke about this is these 2 are also our best finishers.
Man, the Hawks are so messed up now, and LDrew, like Woodson, refuses to acknowledge a need for change, although he keeps informing everyone that he’s thinking about it. Hell, with fewer than 30gms left in the season, if he doesn’t starting doing instead of thinking, he’s going to think his way right out of a job.
ACTIONS SPEAK LOUDER THAN WORDS. Even though none of the players will speak out about it, but based on their actions, or inactions, they’re demonstrating how tired they are of carrying the load LDrew keeps putting on their backs. When Bibby or Jamal aren’t scoring, everyone has to compensate for them both offensively and defensively, and it appears to getting old.
Against LA, LDrew forced our starters to play 3 on 5 offensively by starting JCollins, who, along with Bibby, scored a combined zero pts. Even if we make a trade and acquire a PG, there’s still the possibility LDrew might use the excuse of him not knowing the OFF and/or needing time to adjust to continue relying heavily on MBibby and JaCrawford as his preferred PG combination.
Either way, it appears that our plays have started to see Woodson whenever they look at LDrew, and have started tuning him out, just like they did Woodson, only sooner.
KevinM
February 23rd, 2011
3:55 pm
lewis, you get Cousins in here, you get an immediate following to this team. I have been asking Sund to go get that high draft pick all summer so they could pull him in here….the huge void would have been filled and on the cheap. Instead, we stick with the core company line and force our fans to believe we have something special here.
The problem with bringing in Big Cuz, is that we need an actual coach/mentor/teacher to show him the ropes. Can anyone say Patrick Ewing? What does Ewing have on his resume in Orlando?
Please Gearon/Sund, tell me why you interview Mark Jackson, who hasn’t coached one day in the NBA over Ewing? You take someone from your rival and perhaps help yourself in the same transaction. And I gotta tell you that in no way is Ewing worse than what Larry is accomplishing here.
So, you have to dump Larry and his interchangeable parts approach and get us some basketball skilled players.
Truth, go get me Aaron Brooks and ask Houston what will it take? I give up both Teague and JC2 to bring him in here…they haven’t been totally ruined yet by this coaching staff. Add a draft pick, just get us some new energy. Something Bibby, nor JC1, nor Mo is showing this year.
This isn’t rocket science; its meshing players who are skilled in their craft and have some heart. Our team goes into games looking beat.
Did you see Larry’s shirt collar starting to curl up last night? He had no clue what buttons to push…nothing worked, so he gives up in the 2nd quarter down 8, he puts Bibby and JC1 on the floor at the same time…next blink, they’re down 17 in 3 minutes! That tells you the head coach is clueless because he thinks these players like playing with each other.
Zero accountability.
slimjr
February 23rd, 2011
3:58 pm
GM101 never hire the assistant to run your organization..It rarely works with few exceptions….Sund=Sad…..
JeJe
February 23rd, 2011
3:58 pm
It’s embarrassing watching those pre-game interviews with LD.
The guy shows no emotion, isn’t passionate, and is scared of upsetting his players by making a lineup change.
Let Teague start tonight and I guarantee he’ll put up better numbers against Phoenix than Bibby would
slimjr
February 23rd, 2011
4:03 pm
bench the starters for the 1st 4-5 mins tonight.That should get your undivided attention LD..Your azz, I mean job is on the line dude…WAKE the Fk UP LARRY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1
SteveW
February 23rd, 2011
4:03 pm
KevinM – I hear you about Aaron Brooks, but I don’t trust LD to play him either.
We gotta trade Bibby and Mo’, or LD goes on his merry way. The guy right now is in way over his head. The only way this team wins is if Sund pulls all of LD’s options of being stupid.
And kudos to the GM for the Nets. Not just for DWill, but also 2 nice back up bigs for an expiring contract. Good job.
slimjr
February 23rd, 2011
4:04 pm
“And kudos to the GM for the Nets. Not just for DWill, but also 2 nice back up bigs for an expiring contract. Good job.”
We got Nets fans in here??????????????????????????????????/
SteveW
February 23rd, 2011
4:04 pm
And with Brooks or Cousins, coupled with Josh, the inmates would certainly be running the asylum. We would need 3 travelling psychologists to keep up with all the issues. Get OJ Mayo, and you could at least have a team in the news all the time. Just for all the wrong reasons.
SteveW
February 23rd, 2011
4:06 pm
Slimjr – Not a Nets fan, but a fan when somebody does a good job. Unlike LD.
Teague PER 13.1
Bibby PER 11.7
We like our core – puke
slimjr
February 23rd, 2011
4:07 pm
bye josh..Hope you reach your goals??? Sund BREAK this ish up NOW….Not next year..Oh that’s right your contract terminates this year…OOPS…………..my bad…………………….
SteveW
February 23rd, 2011
4:08 pm
LD is evidently letting the players run the team. Getting their input who should be playing etc. Of course JJ and Josh want Bibby in there. That way they get more touches. They don’t want a PG who would tell them what to do. Could you imaging a real PG not passing to Josh for a 3? The guy might pout all night.
SteveW
February 23rd, 2011
4:10 pm
We need a strong PG. Teague is to weak, unlike Rondo. Bibby and Jamal just let them do what they want also. Now a Rondo would fight with the guys to get his way. That’s the temperment we need. right now.
Wabe
February 23rd, 2011
4:10 pm
To be completely honest with you, Horford for Cousins?
To those asking about this, or set on making this move, if I’m the Hawks, I’m looking to make a move that will propel this team to immediate contender status. I don’t think Cousin’s provides this.
Looking at the Hawks, they signed JJ to the max 6 year deal. I think that move should signal that this team is going to put the necessary peices around JJ within that span of time to get us into contender status.
Again, I don’t think Cousins does that for the Hawks. So no, I wouldn’t trade Horford for Cousins.
Truthfully, if I’m the Hawks, I’m looking for good proven talent if I’m sticking with this bunch. I’m tired of hearing about upside and potential, because I hope we’ve learned by now that potential is just potential, until it actually pans out. In our case, with our state of developing players, I don’t go near guys that need time to develop.
I’ll take a Cousins if we’re looking to blow this thing up and start over. Not if we’re looking to add peices to get us over the top. He’s not a peice that does that. He’s a rookie, and he’s gonna need time to pan out. I’ll also add, how many Hawks draft picks have made a drastic leap from year to year? I think this too points to our inability to harness a players potential. Cousins would be another year to year player. By that I mean, it’d be duplicate to what you’re seeing out of Horford/Smith, guys that are good and improving, but haven’t really made a leap from one year to the next.
mykhalc
February 23rd, 2011
4:10 pm
this team peaked Horford’s rookie season…PERIOD!!! NITRO this group!!!!
slimjr
February 23rd, 2011
4:11 pm
Phoenix by 30 tonight……………..WOW 1-4 in the last 5 games……………………..Down goes Frazier
!
mykhalc
February 23rd, 2011
4:13 pm
^^^^^ LOL
SteveW
February 23rd, 2011
4:14 pm
Available PG’s and their possible cost according to reports:
Curry – Josh would get a Curry according to what GS is asking.
Felton – Maybe 2 firsts, 2 seconds, and Bibby to mentor Ty and Mo’ for an expiring contract get’s you Felton. The Nuggets reportedly would take 1 halfway decent 1st, so 2 from us might fit the bill. The salaries work BTW.
Hinrich – A young player and a 1st. Bibby, Sy, and a 1st and 2nd? I wonder..Give 2 seconds for all I care.
Sessions – A young a 2nd pick. JC2 and 2 second picks as far as I’m concerned.
I hope we get 2 PG’s out of this, but that’s just me.
KevinM
February 23rd, 2011
4:15 pm
SteveW, Felton fits here like no other PG, but like you said, will Larry even play him?
This love affair with Bibby has to go….the guy won’t talk without a towel over his mouth so no one can pine what he is saying….I question his drive the moment he heads to the bench…he looks just as comfortable sitting there as he does jacking up 3s.
Steve, its going to take a coaching upgrade to make a difference. Larry is letting guys play their own game, when their game really doesn’t translate to good basketball. If we can’t run, we can’t win.
The playoffs will prove that…..for the 3rd year in a row.
mykhalc
February 23rd, 2011
4:16 pm
hey…got an idea…just watch the Nets and Hornets games to watch the Hawks PGs!!!!
SteveW
February 23rd, 2011
4:16 pm
Curry and Sessions would be ideal
Hinrich and Sessions I like
Felton and Sessions would be awesome also.
Keep Teague if you can, but if not oh well
And I think it’s time Jamal is gone. LD’s about messed him up pressing the PG issue with him.
Woody developed Teague better than LD
KevinM
February 23rd, 2011
4:17 pm
slimjr, your predictions are just killing me…are you going to ruin my night again? I hate it when ur right!
Funny how all the talk about PGs is about everyone but Nash….what have we offered? Diaw and 2 1st? Phoenix loves to deal with us don’t they?
SteveW
February 23rd, 2011
4:18 pm
KevinM – I agree about Felton -would love to have him, and I would give up a couple of firsts to get him and some players.
SteveW
February 23rd, 2011
4:19 pm
According to the Suns blog, they wanted Marvin and 2 first picks for Nash. At 37, I thought that was steep. But we could trade tonite, and just take him with us.
SteveW
February 23rd, 2011
4:21 pm
Bibby could help a team playing 5-7 minutes per half. That’s about all right now. Give a starter a breather. And he would have more energy with his PT decreased also, so his D might not be as bad.
But Jamal is spent. I think LD is trying to turn this wonderful scorer into a PG, and he’s thinking too much, and is now in a bad funk. That’s what it looks like to me. And Jamal’s D is abysmal also.
Shake Something
February 23rd, 2011
4:23 pm
Enter your comments here
drmaryb (*_*)
February 23rd, 2011
4:25 pm
“The only way this team wins is if Sund pulls all of LD’s options of being stupid.”
______________________
What Options?
When Drew looks down death row? He sees dead people!
lewis
February 23rd, 2011
4:25 pm
Kelly Dwyer says Hawks are trying to trade Teague, don’t seem to be willing to give up Jamal’s expiring