Atlanta Hawks at Trail Blazers: No zest for Zaza
Portland–The trading deadline came and went and Zaza is still with the Hawks after the team tried to deal him.
Is he happy about that?
“I don’t know,” he said. “I will say, yeah, I am happy because to moving in the middle of the season, especially [from] a team like Atlanta Hawks, you never know where you are going to go. So, yeah, for now I am happy but in the bigger picture, on different team it might be a better situation where I am getting more playing time and being more involved.
“For now, I am happy. I am not even thinking about next summer [that] I might go somewhere else or something. I definitely want to enjoy this year and do my best for this team.”
Zaza in happier times.
Zaza said that before he got a DNP-CD against the Warriors last night. He didn’t play against the Suns, either, but that was because he was potentially going to be moved. That’s not the case anymore, yet he still sat while Josh Powell played 18 minutes in Oakland and even Hilton Armstrong made a cameo appearance.
What gives?
“Coach’s decision going forward,” L.D. said. “I’m looking for certain things out of our big guys. I need presence, I need physicality, I need rebounding, I need screens being set to open up our perimeters. Prior to last night’s game we had lost five out of six, and I wanted to make sort of a change to give us a different look and jump start us a little bit.
“Josh Powell came in and did a good job for us. He came in and got eight rebounds in 18 minutes. I am just looking at some different things especially because we had been struggling lately.”
So it seems Zaza is out of the regular rotation for now. And Drew said after looking at the video from Friday, there’s a “strong possibility that more changes could be coming.”
Will they be changes to the starting lineup or the rotation?
“Both,” L.D. said.
No doubt Zaza has had some poor games lately. But here’s the thing with him: Look at his game logs and he had some of his most efficient and productive nights when he played the most minutes. And the on-court, off-court stats show that Zaza has been an effective defender, especially when he plays alongside Al (and isn’t playing alongside Powell.)
It’s not just the numbers. When Zaza gets more minutes he just seems more into it.
“It’s obvious,” he said. “Especially the role I am in, to bring energy. I am role player bringing energy and effort off the bench. Not only just me, but I am talking about any role player to come off the bench and [it's difficult to] make a difference in five, six minutes right away. I have had the games played more than 20 minutes [and] this is where you see the efficiency and my effort and energy.
“Especially I don’t come to the game and [have] any plays–not complaining, just saying that’s my [role]. In my situation to play five or six minutes, you have a defensive slippage or teams make most of their shots and don’t give you a chance to get a defensive rebound. Or offensively you make a mistake. My time is going fast meanwhile and you don’t seem that efficient.”
Zaza said that since the season started he hasn’t really talked to L.D. about his playing time. He said when he met with Drew last summer the coach was aware of the similar frustrations he had under Woody. In the interests of being professional, Zaza said he’s not going to go into L.D.’s office and complain now.
“Bottom line is whenever I get a chance to get on the court I am trying to do my best and help the team,” he said.
L.D. said he knows Zaza tends to go in a funk when he doesn’t get regular minutes but it seems that’s not in the cards for the near future.
“I’ve been in this thing too long, and this is just not a time to be sensitive,” Drew said. “This is a results business. I am willing to give every guy an opportunity but we have got to come up with wins. And everything I do has got to give this ball club an opportunity to win.
“I wish I could play every player. I wish things worked out for every player. If we are struggling in areas I have got to do something about it. I made a decision last night to give Josh Powell a look. Not that I am giving up on Zaza; I am going to need Zaza. But right now this is a decision that I had to make.”
Practice report
The Hawks had a light practice session today at ClubSport, a palace of a gym outside Portland. Weird scene: Kids playing a league game on an 8-foot rim on one court, multimillionaires going through their paces on the next.
Some guys hit the weight room. Josh, Marvin and Jamal played a 3-point shooting game. Drew’s focus was running Hinrich and Armstrong through the offense. He said Hinrich might start against the Blazers because big Andre Miller isn’t a good matchup for Teague.
The expectation still is that Hinrich will eventually become the starter. But after Drew’s comments about lineup changes and his still-fluctuating rotation, I’m not sure what to think anymore. I guess we’ll see.
(Update: Teague will start again tonight. “Just as soon as Kirk gets more familiar with what we are doing he will move into the lineup,” Drew said. “Kirk is really picking stuff up faster than I thought he would, which is good.” Marcus Camby will start for the Blazers after missing 16 games following knee surgery.)
No more ‘Rook
One aspect of the trade I’ve overlooked is that Teague no longer has JC2 to lean on. Teague now is back to being the only young guy. It’s not the biggest deal, I know, but he still is just 22-years old.
“The first day it was tough,” Teague said. “I did everything with him, so he was like my best friend on the team. I know there is a business side of basketball and things happen and I’m glad he gets to go down there and play. I am still going to get to see him in the summer, so it’s all good.”
As for Jordan, Teague said: “At first he was a little hurt, I guess you can say. He knew the business of basketball and he knew the decision the team had to make. I think he is probably happy now. He actually got to suit up the other night.”
Crawford played tonight, too, and had a very good line.
Michael Cunningham, Hawks beat
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581 comments Add your comment
jlewis
February 27th, 2011
11:23 am
When Josh or Al can command a double team, then you can say they have surpassed JJ. Also, dont be fooled by the Jordan Crawford line, a lot of players get good numbers on bad teams.
Trojan
February 27th, 2011
11:23 am
I like the starting lineup of Teague, Hinrich, JJ, Josh, AL, with Marvin, JC and Wilkins being the 2nd wave.
Hinrich would recieve the most minutes at PG but Teague would be in the regular rotation.
jhan
February 27th, 2011
11:29 am
Rookie coach = rookie mistakes – just like a rookie player. Management has to be willing to let them both learn on the fly. Not too concerned over losing JC2 even though he might be a decent player. He won’t be better than JJ, JC1 or Heinrich any time soon.
ZaZa needs to hit the court with attitude & hustle and he will get as many minutes as he can stand. After 25 years he might try to shoot the ball without dribbling first! If the guy would ever learn to play with the ball above his shoulders he would get serious minutes. Most of his mistakes come when he puts the ball on the floor.
terrell
February 27th, 2011
11:35 am
Marvin usually plays well in the Northwest believe it or not. Must be the homecooking. lol! Wouldnt put any $ on it though. Btw, wonder if the players gave Marvin’s sorry butt all the tickets for tonights game like they did Bibby? Hopefully having the family in the audience will pump him up a little bit. Wouldn’t put any $ on that either.
terrell
February 27th, 2011
11:37 am
Trojan, we didnt bring Hinrich in to be a sg.
terrell
February 27th, 2011
11:38 am
Either start him at point, or let him backup Teague. I’m tired of playing people out of position.
terrell
February 27th, 2011
11:41 am
Hinrich is WAY better at pg than he is at sg. Just ask the Bulls fans. They’ll tell you the same thing. Why take away from what he does best? We’re already doing it twice already, by playing Jamal at the 1, and Josh at the 3.
darrell starks
February 27th, 2011
11:56 am
terrll I COSIGN
GO HAWKS!!!!!!!!!!
darrell starks
February 27th, 2011
12:02 pm
Horford should never play center, the only player 2 play out of position is josh, because he is the best smallforward on the team.
GO HAWKS!!!!!!!!
Dr. Warren
February 27th, 2011
12:05 pm
Hawks are like a mediocre company—i.e. no long-term vision. Just like a bad company does not invest in innovation, and instead spends its resources on making sales and putting out fires, the Hawks didn’t develop a talent like Crawford about whom they obviously felt strong enough to draft. Here’s betting the guy averages 15+ per game by next year.
darrell starks
February 27th, 2011
12:18 pm
Why josh continue 2 get the ball 20feet from the basket, why is that because of coach LD not getting on josh and tell him 2 play more on the blocks, if josh get the ball more at the 3position in the paint he could avg easly 20points a game, no smallforward can stop josh in the paint he will either get foul or score.
GO HAWKS!!!!!!!!!!
darrell starks
February 27th, 2011
12:22 pm
STARTER TEAGUE, JOE, JOSH, HORFORD, HILTON
BENCH HINRICH, JAMAL, DAMIEN, MARVIN, ZAZA
RESERVE POWELL, COLLINS
GO HAWKS!!!!!!!!!!
ATL FAN
February 27th, 2011
12:24 pm
Great article, MC. More of these where we get insight from the players and coach would be great. As for Zaza, less is better. Teague will continue to shine playing PT with Hinrich. Good things will come.
Fundamentals
February 27th, 2011
12:24 pm
Kirk will help folks like ZaZa, Al & Josh get the ball where and when they need it. His defense is obvious after only one game. I think he has a more of a leader/coach mentality than Bibby so Teague will only benefit. Hopefully they’ll split time till crunch time to allow Teague to develop.
What’s up with the crap substitutions for Armstrong? Why doesn’t anyone even mention his name? I’m not sure who’s in charge of all that, but way to make the guy feel welcome. We need his size. He’s quick, athletic and his back is against the wall. He might just surprise us. I feel like we could’ve welcomed him along with Kirk to show him respect. In true Hawks fashion, we treated him worse than Randmo.
Lastly, who will fill our final roster slot? MC Who’s on the waiver wire?
darrell starks
February 27th, 2011
12:24 pm
LD now have 3 center, COLLINS, HILTON, ZAZA, horford should never play center again he is not a center.
GO HAWKS!!!!!!!!!!
Dennis G. Berdanis
February 27th, 2011
12:34 pm
If a player can’t motivate himself to give his all in 5-6 minute spurts, then he should retire.
darrell starks
February 27th, 2011
12:41 pm
DONT SLEEP ON ARMSTRONG, this guy can play everybody is talking about hinrich but i like the armstrong trade even better.
GO HAWKS!!!!!!!!!
darrell starks
February 27th, 2011
12:42 pm
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xb0wS2cydMU
Mike is back
February 27th, 2011
1:54 pm
MC, I understand where Zaza is coming from…but please Zaza spare us the excuse about playing time. Dude it’s your defense and rebounding that cost you your spot in the rotation…not to mention your inability to finish strong at the rack.
I’m ready to see what Armstrong and Powell can do with those minutes…I don’t want to see lip service from LD this time…guys like Zaza and Marvin expect to continue give mediocre performance and expect to play…you can tell it by there reaction.
Well the fans are sick of Fing mediocre performance and mediocre coaching…it time to let some of these others guys get a chance to compete.
My best wishes to Zaza…he has been blessed with a second opportunity…stop all that whining…and Man the F up when you are on the court…Word up.
Mike is back
February 27th, 2011
1:57 pm
Oh, my bad…I should have said I can kind of understand where Zaza is coming from.lol
GO HAWKS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
O'Brien
February 27th, 2011
2:01 pm
Najeh,
Marvin was a #2 pick and summer league MVP, and what has he done?
From hoopshype;
John Canzano: Keep an eye on Mike Bibby. Portland feels like a potential suitor there, even as Bibby would have to give up big money to make it happen. Twitter.
O'Brien
February 27th, 2011
2:05 pm
Mike Prada: I asked Jordan Crawford how one develops without PT: “You can’t. You can’t. That’s how I look at it. I don’t think you can.” Twitter.
Grandad
February 27th, 2011
2:46 pm
My 1st Post Trade Analysis:
(1) Initial Reaction = positive;
Mike Bibby in his day was an all-star caliber pg that did not age well.
*(Steve Nash / Jason kidd / Chauncey Billups et al) = aged well !
KH is one of those players who although not an all-star
is a leader, glue guy, warrior, hard nosed competitor which is just what
the Dr. ordered for the Hawks @ this point in time.
(2) Hilton Armstrong…..I’ve been calling for the Hawks [two yrs. now]
to find a long, rim defender to play the [5] position. A sidekick for Al & Josh.
I * Hope * young Mr Armstrong lives up to that descriptive need for our team.
(3) Now * If * Teaguer becomes a factor along with Hinrich & Jamal continues
to play well alonside better defenders @ the [1]…..this allows Joe to make a…
semi-perm move to the [3]. Presto, all of a sudden we have one of the quickest
defensive teams in the league. Sporting four guys who are supposed to be
pretty good defenders; KH, Joe Josh & Al. Throw in Teaguer @ the [1] & KH
@ the [2] and all of a sudden we are real quick.
*{{{which leads me to my next point}}}*
(4) Supposedly Boston traded Perkins because:
* Now Miami is the team to beat ( not ORL.)
So they felt having perimeter defenders were more important than
having beef to guard D.Howard.
Now KH can guard D.Wade while Joe could guard LbJ.
Or, Teaguer, KH can chase Jameer and Joe doesn’t to cover
for Bibby vs Orlando or any team with superquick pgs anymore.
*[match-ups]*…play-offs!
**final thoughts;
I like the trade, Armstrong is a keeper if he ***[plays hard]***.
We still need another rebounder as we are still small.
I also like Collins and Zaza v Big line-ups especially ORL.
But, they don’t rebound enough, Collins hardly at all.
What to do?
If ASG were commited to a winning culture;
they would make every effort to get Troy Murphy in here.
Get ‘er done!…Won’t happen.
Murphy could be a difference maker for us ““` truly.
As bad as we have looked for the last five games prior to GS,
we looked just the opposite [good] v GS.
Maybe the best that I can remember.
The motion offense was the best all year, crisp passing & cutting.
Joe didn’t kill the offense. Could Bibby have been the problem all along?
If so, Joe I’ll apologize at some point.
Go Hawks!
SWAT Native
February 27th, 2011
3:00 pm
What’s sad to me about this is that this is the last day of February and we’re not sure who the Hawks’ starters are, what positions they play, who is in the rotation and how much they will play. There are four teams coming into Philips in the next week that can beat the Hawks at home (and I’ll be at all four games). Now is not the time to be juggling our lineup. All of this should have happened in November. I understand they made a trade, but still.
I also would like to hear what trade(s) the Hawks were pursuing with Zaza that didn’t pan out.
lewis
February 27th, 2011
3:04 pm
I wanted a PG strictly to get Josh and Al more shots and easier shots.
Re: Teague, so far so good.
We all know what Hinrich’s about, but how can he help this team best? at the 1? 2? Starting? Bench? He did say he was sick of coming off the bench behind younger guys to play 30mpg.
lewis
February 27th, 2011
3:06 pm
Also, Jamal at the point was destroying this team.
HWJ
February 27th, 2011
3:09 pm
Hopefully we can deal him next year… he can’t match up with any power foward who is actually good in this league (zaza)
ntrigue
February 27th, 2011
3:09 pm
I would rather have teague starting than hinrich. Too me Teague tends to play better with the starters than the reserves. I think hinrich fits a lot better with our 2nd unit and if Teague is not performing you can always put hinrich in earlier.
lewis
February 27th, 2011
3:09 pm
cole aldrich looking good
Jae Evolution
February 27th, 2011
3:11 pm
So Kirk gets the start tonight, hopefully Teague will get about the same minutes he got in GS then.
Jae Evolution
February 27th, 2011
3:14 pm
ntrigue – Just reminded me why I want Teague to start he plays no role in the second unit, dribble it up hand off to Jamal, sit in the corner, run back down and play defense. Hopefully LD actually LET’S Teague play the PG tonight in that scenario…
Najeh Davenpoop
February 27th, 2011
3:20 pm
“When Josh or Al can command a double team, then you can say they have surpassed JJ. ”
Smoove gets doubled in the post a lot, and usually he uses the opportunity to dish the ball to the open guy. In fact on the offensive end this ability to pass out of the double team is his greatest asset. Whether he should be getting doubled so much is an entirely different question, one that other teams should answer, not the Hawks. But the fact of the matter is that he does.
Najeh Davenpoop
February 27th, 2011
3:28 pm
As far as LD’s “lineup change” is concerned, assuming he’s not BSing us like he did last time he mentioned a lineup change, the most likely move to me seems like it would be starting Damien and bringing Marvin off the bench. Maybe he feels that Marvin plays more aggressively with the second unit.
I doubt that he is going to do anything drastic with the backcourt rotation. Hinrich was brought here to play the 1, and that is his best position. Teague has played well the last two games, but I’d be really surprised if that alone earned him the starting job going forward. Hopefully, though, his solid performances against the Suns and Warriors result in extra minutes for him. I do like the idea of occasionally using a small lineup of Teague/Kirk/Joe at the 1-2-3 depending on the matchup, but that shouldn’t be the starting lineup.
The Truth
February 27th, 2011
4:10 pm
“it’s difficult to make a difference in five, six minutes right away. I have had the games played more than 20 minutes [and] this is where you see the efficiency and my effort and energy”
But Zaza, you are the 1st big off the bench. That’s considered privilege by role player standards. You average not five or six minutes but 14 minutes a game for the entire season. If your demotion was just about a PER number then you make a valid point since really there is a correlation between MP and PER. But this is not an analytical mathematical exercise because the PER measurement is obscure. Here’s the with problems With PER
“PER largely measures offensive performance. Hollinger freely admits that two of the defensive statistics it incorporates — blocks and steals — can produce a distorted picture of a player’s value and that PER is not a reliable measure of a player’s defensive acumen. For example, Bruce Bowen, widely regarded as one of the best defenders in the NBA (at least through the 2006-07 season), has routinely posted single-digit PERs.”
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Player_Efficiency_Rating
No stat number can replace what is actually happening out on the court. Jason Collins PER number is worse than Zaza and plays less minutes yet he’s more effective doing fewer things with his bigger body. As stated in a previous blog, when Zaza enters the game, we tend to lose leads more often than not. This is a result oriented business. It’s all about what have you done for me lately.
Zaza, you making excuses about PT is the wrong answer. Your argument is weak.
The Truth
February 27th, 2011
4:22 pm
*Meant to say: Here’s the problems with PER by itself:
The Truth
February 27th, 2011
4:34 pm
*Better yet: Here’s the problem with PER by itself:
drmaryb (*_*)
February 27th, 2011
4:46 pm
And nothing But ….
The Truth. Very, very, very nice post re: PER
I learned a lot from reading that very informative explanation.
For the 1st time I understand how to interpret this PER stat.
____________________
northcyde and najeh has explained this well a zillion times too.
But, with that Truth Post? The light came on.
_______________________
I agree that when you watch the game and see the nuances of the refs bad/non calls and measure how the team responds to the bad calls.
Emotionally or Professionally. If we had a Lead Dog @ PG and Center? That would change The Game! PER aside, make some damned plays on defense and then offense flows out of that. This team should run first and run that half-court in the 4th Qrtr.
Because a Champion knows how to win in a variety of ways.
drmaryb (*_*)
February 27th, 2011
4:52 pm
The View!
“If, you are NOT the lead dog? Your only VIEW is a lead dog’s azz.”
-bernie mac- “Who you wit?”
northcyde
February 27th, 2011
5:19 pm
Smh @ Zaza. There are plenty of bench players around the league that make their presence known in 5 or 6 minutes. Those same players earn extended minutes from the coach because of that.
I don’t want to hear Zaa crying about playing time, when Dejuan Blair scored 6 points and pulled down 6 rebounds in 7 minutes . . in his very 1st regular season game as a rookie. He ended up with 14 pts and 11 rebs ( 5 offensive boards ) in his very first rookie game. A guy that proved his worth right off the bat in the NBA, and has consistently been able to do it.
If you could consistently produce, you would consistently play.
Instead, you have one of the worst shooting percentages for a center in the NBA. You constantly fumble passes. Your turnover rate has been fairly high your entire career. You don’t defensive rebound like you should. A lot of your offensive rebounds come off your own misses. And your defensive awareness is bad at times.
Of course you’re not going to get 20 minutes a game playing like that. You might even get a few DNPs.
Tremaine
February 27th, 2011
5:34 pm
WHO CARES?
Worldwide Clyde
February 27th, 2011
6:03 pm
Sean Williams would be leading the league in blocks if he had the same playing time as Zaza.
Worldwide Clyde
February 27th, 2011
6:05 pm
Learn how to set a screen Zaza and you might get back into the rotation.
Worldwide Clyde
February 27th, 2011
6:07 pm
Contest a shot instead of just watching someone go in for a open layup Zaza and you might get back in the rotation.
Sautee
February 27th, 2011
6:15 pm
lewis,
“He did say he was sick of coming off the bench behind younger guys to play 30mpg.”
Is that what Hinrich actually said? Is that a quote?
KevinM
February 27th, 2011
7:37 pm
I can’t believe no one has given the Bibster’s stats after he left…14.5 mpg/ 11%FG / 1ppg
For those who said he could contribute off the bench better than starting….I got your answer above…Bibby watch is on going forward.
JC2, the only way he was going to get PT here???? Joe would have to have been somewhere else, and JC1 would still be on the one year limb w/o an extension. Perhaps JC2 can play…when you get some of his defensive numbers, let me know…I would like to hear how he’s doing on that end of the floor.
lewis
February 27th, 2011
8:12 pm
Yeah, it was in MC’s interview. Not exactly, “i don’t like starting behind younger guards,” forgot what he said, but going from different teams to “mentor” 1st and 2nd year point guards does probably get old
Najeh Davenpoop
February 27th, 2011
8:13 pm
Kinda sucks that the Hawks have to see Gerald Wallace again. That guy always seems to be a pain in the ass for this team.
Portland has a lot of people who can penetrate off the dribble and create their own shots. This will be a good test for the Hawks’ new look defense. I also want to see how the Hawks plan on defending LaMarcus Aldridge — will he draw Smoove or Al on defense?
Najeh Davenpoop
February 27th, 2011
8:34 pm
Marc Spears tweets that the Hawks are one of several possible suitors for the recently bought out Rasual Butler. According to Hoopinion, though, the Hawks can’t sign anyone until March 12 without going over the luxury tax.
Jae Evolution
February 27th, 2011
8:37 pm
Rasual Butler is a good player, don’t know why the Clippers would release him he was playing great until Del Negro immediately cut down his minutes, he would be a good pickup.
cp
February 27th, 2011
8:56 pm
Butler would be a good pickup. I wish they could have moved Zaza. Dude has really regressed as a player. He is always fumbling passes, setting illegal screens, and getting blocked by smaller players. Tonight will be a good test for the Hawks. I hope to see the same type of energy and defense tonight that they had against the Warriors