Atlanta Hawks: Hawks 90, Blazers 83
Hawks have gotten defensive since adding Hinrich. (Bruce Ely/The Oregonian)
Portland–Watching the Hawks these last two games, I kept thinking back to what some All-Stars on good defensive teams said in L.A: It’s difficult to stop NBA players one-on-one but you can do it as a team if there is a real commitment to the system.
- I don’t know if the Hawks can become that kind of team. I do think it’s more realistic for them to do so now that Hinrich and Teague are playing most of the minutes at point guard. It made an obvious difference at Golden State and again tonight.
- There no longer is an easy swinging gate open to ball-handlers. That had led to breakdowns and obvious frustration as the Hawks were forced to scramble and cover for the guards. They don’t have to do it so much now and it seems to have had the effect of lifting everyone’s defensive level.
- “Obviously during a game you are going to have to help but when it’s limited to a minimum that makes it that much better,” Smoove said. “I think this team can be known as being scrappy and a team that gets after it defensively. That’s what we’ve been the last two games. I think we are finding an identity.”
- “We don’t have to help as much,” Al said. “It takes a lot of pressure from Josh and myself. The guys are really doing a good job getting over screens and staying aggressive. Now we have to keep it going because we look good when we play like that.”
- And the Hawks don’t look so good when they lose focus and nearly squander big leads. They were in total control from the second quarter until they got sloppy with six turnovers in the final four minutes (a couple of them courtesy of flops by Batum, but still).
- “That was really rough,” L.D. said. “We took a lot of ill-advised shots, and then their pressure sped us up and we turned the basketball over. You just can’t do that but hopefully we’ll learn from it.”
- “We’ve been getting big leads but we still have some room for improvement in closing out games,” J.J. said. “But for the most part a win is a win. We’ll take it.”
- It would have been a shame if the Hawks blew this one because they looked like an inspired ball club in stretches. None more so than that 14-1 run in the third quarter when they challenged shots, rebounded, made the right plays in the open court and got easy chances to score.
- “When you do those things, get a lead and make a run, everybody feeling good about themselves on the fast break, a lot of guys who can finish with dunks and layups,” Zaza said. “It’s just fun to play like that. It’s fun to be part of a basketball team when you do those things.”
- Jamal and J.J. each scored at least 20 points for the first time since Jan. 12 at Toronto. They combined for 45 points on 29 shots.
- It turns out that Jamal’s recent struggles may have been related to grief over the death of his friend and mentor Paul Lawrence.
- Teague held up relatively well in his assignment against Andre Miller, who never consistently backed him down. Whenever Miller started to post Teague, help was quick to arrive and then quick to recover once Miller gave it up.
- The same thing goes for Atlanta’s work against LaMarcus Aldridge. He was doubled when he caught in his sweet spots, was never allowed to get comfortable and was challenged constantly at the rim by Smoove.
- It’s easier to help in those predictable, planned situations as opposed to scrambling because of breakdowns.
- “From a bigs standpoint, it was like me and Al had to pick and choose because we didn’t want to get in foul trouble helping every night,” Josh said. “Kirk is a hard-nosed defender. And you have definitely got to tip your hat off to Teague, who was definitely thrown in the fire after really not playing a whole lot. He’s really been handling it well. Whenever you can limit the help on the perimeter it makes the team that much better.”
- Aldridge had 12 points on 12 shots through three quarters.
- “They tried to take away LA and made the other guys shoot the ball,” Blazers coach Nate McMillan said. “We’ve seen that [before] with some of our guys on the floor, they’re not going to let LaMarcus play and they’re going to clog and they’re going to force you to make perimeter shots.”
- The Blazers couldn’t do it. A fair amount of their 17 missed 3-point shots were open but credit the Hawks for not making anything easy for long stretches.
- The Rose Garden was hyped for the return of Marcus Camby and the debut of Gerald Wallace. They were peeved by all the foul calls against the Blazers in the fist half, then turned on their team when the Hawks took control in the third quarter.
- Hinrich now has more road Ws in the last three days than he did in 48 games at Washington. “I can laugh about it now, I guess,” he said.
- Hinrich said he felt more comfortable on defense than offense.
- “Since I’ve been here we’ve talked about defending and bringing the energy,” Hinrich said. :And when we do that we can be a tough team because of the talent we have and athletes and the shooters. If we can lock down on the defensive end, it will make the game a lot easier for us.”
- Zaza, fresh off his benching at Golden State, came into the game and immediately started thrashing the Blazers on the boards. That was a big reason Atlanta forged a 48-36 halftime lead despite Al playing just 10 minutes.
- “The last two games I couldn’t waste my energy, anyway,” Zaza joked. “I just did the things I was supposed to do and rebound was my No. 1 goal. Bottom line that’s what the coaches want. After the last two games I want to do the things that coaches expect from me.”
Michael Cunningham, Hawks beat
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205 comments Add your comment
Worldwide Clyde
February 28th, 2011
2:00 pm
O’Brien re-up that link I’d like to read that article.
I’m telling yall giving away Jordan Crawford is going to come back to haunt us.
Mr Mojo
February 28th, 2011
2:06 pm
Yes we are lucky to have a chance at 4-3. If we get bumped in 1st rd or swept in 2nd rd again they will both be gone most likely. As i said the day the Bibby trade went through he will be bought out and sign with Miami. Well it looks like that will happen. He will actually fit perfectly there all he has to do is spot up for open 3’s.
O'Brien
February 28th, 2011
2:14 pm
Jordan Crawford’s article;
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Jordan Crawford played 16 minutes in the Wizards’ 105-99 loss to the Mavericks on Saturday night, which is exactly one-tenth of the amount of minutes he played in his entire NBA career before being traded from the Hawks. Many of those minutes came at the end of the game, when Flip Saunders put him out there with four other starters to try to steal a win from the league’s hottest team.
Afterwards, Crawford’s voice was hoarse and his demeanor weary. But in the midst of a rare postgame interview for him, he shared his philosophy on player development on the NBA level. To Crawford, it all comes down to playing time.
“You can’t [develop without playing time],” he said. “You can’t. That’s how I look at it. I don’t think you can. I was always the type of person where I felt I got better in a five-on-five [situation]. When you play a game, that’s how you really get better.
It was an astute comment, one that applies to him and for this organization as a whole.
Crawford didn’t literally mean that everything he learns is meaningless if he doesn’t get a chance to show it off in game action. He credits lessons learned from Jamal Crawford, Mike Bibby and Hawks assistant coach Nick Van Exel (”like Sam Cassell here” is how he described him) for working with him in practice extensively. But when asked to follow up a little bit more on how he tries to improve his game even given his previous lack of playing time, he went back to the same point.
“I had Nick Van Exel in Atlanta. It was good for me,” he said. “But as a person, I just feel like games is where you really get better.”
Crawford inadvertently hit on the biggest challenge any NBA coach faces, especially with a young team like this one. When I asked Flip Saunders before the game how difficult it is for a coach to facilitate player development, he noted that, realistically, nine of his players are youngsters who need consistent minutes. But you can only play five guys at a time, so no matter what you do, some players just won’t get their chance.
For one night, Crawford got his chance, and the results were mixed. He clearly has a very refined offensive game, flashing a nice mid-range pull-up, a three-point shot and an ability to get into the lane. The Wizards have talked up his “competitiveness” ever since acquiring him from the Hawks, and we saw a little bit of that on display at the end of the game. But he’s also the kind of player who needs game experience to figure out how he can be most effective. He seems a little too anxious when he’s out on the floor, desperately trying to make plays that, for now, are not routine for him.
Saunders, for one, sees a lot of talent in Crawford. He said the Wizards had him high on their draft board last year and loves the way he competes.
“He didn’t play a whole lot when he was in Atlanta, but I was talking to Mike Bibby, and he said ‘Coach, I’m telling you, this kid is extremely talented,” Saunders said. “He might not have played a lot, but he’s got unbelievable talent.”
Crawford said his biggest strength offensively is his ability to both hit the jump shot and get to the rim in a half-court setting. He wouldn’t tell me his favorite spot on the floor, but did admit that corner threes are good spots because of the shorter distance to the rim. But for him to make the most out of all his skills, he needs to become more efficient. His usage rate in Atlanta (27.9 percent) was way too high, and it was similarly high (25.3) even against Dallas.
For Crawford, that is a two-step process: slowing down when on the court and learning how he fits into a team setting. I asked him about the challenges of doing that, and he said he feels he is capable of figuring those out.
“My tendency at Xavier was to try to do everything, and now, I can back off,” he said. “If you’re a selfish player, yeah, it can be tough [to adjust]. But not if you’re an unselfish player.”
Of course, that goes back to Crawford’s astute analysis at the top. He’s got a lot of talent, and now that he has more of an opportunity to show it than he had in Atlanta. You can bet that he will do everything he can to try to take advantage of it. But to facilitate his development, he needs playing time to work out the kinks, get used to an NBA setting and learn how to best use his skills in a team setting.
“He’s got to learn what we’re doing, with our concepts, and as most rookies do, he has to learn the game,” Saunders said.
It’s the biggest challenge for Saunders going forward. This league is full of Jordan Crawford types. It’s on Saunders to figure out a way to get the most out of his..
tony
February 28th, 2011
2:16 pm
HIRE BILL LAIMBEER!
northcyde
February 28th, 2011
2:27 pm
O’Brien . . that article on Crawford is more of an indictment on ownership not utilizing the D-League for player development, than anything else.
Most people knew that when we acquired Jordan, that he’d have a hard time getting out on the court with an all-star and 6th man of the year playing the 2 guard. The only way he was going to see playing time is if he could play an extremely small SF, and beat out Mo Evans . . or if he could play PG, and take minutes from Bibby and Teague.
Ownership should’ve utilized the D-League when some of the young players weren’t getting minutes. Why they don’t utilize that more, I don’t know.
Ken Strickland
February 28th, 2011
2:30 pm
With our frontline players no longer having to scramble and worry about covering up for a DEF liability, let along 2, it’s makes it so much easier for them to get into rebounding position. During our most recent loses, we were getting hammered on the boards because our Bigs were usually defending on the perimeter and out of rebounding position.
Also, with us now being able to initiate our OFF well below the 3pt line, we’re going inside more and getting better ball movement. Both of our current PG’s are actually controlling the ball and the OFF, which has drastically increased ball and player movement, and all by eliminated deferring to JJ or Jamal.
I believe it will take KHinrich about 15-20gms to fully get comfortable with the OFF/DEF schemes and his teammates. Once that happens, look out. Isn’t it odd that with DEF being our biggest problem over the last 2-3yrs, it turned out to be the easiest one to fix?
northcyde
February 28th, 2011
2:38 pm
On the Teague issue, I’ll definitely give Ken his props if the kid continues to put forth the effort defensively that he has the past 3 games. There is no doubt that while his offensive game still has a long way to go, that he has made a difference defensively.
The only problem with the assessments going on though is this. Even if we’d benched Bibby, he still would’ve had to play ( most likely alongside Jamal Crawford ), which means that the 2nd team would be weaker defensively.
For this to work like it has, a defensive PG that could also provide a little offense, had to be brought in. In that aspect, Hinrich is doing an adequate job offensively and a hell of a job defensively. I don’t know if the defense all around would still be seen, if Bibby was still playing in a backup role. He had to be removed altogether, in order for the D to improve.
Teague isn’t necessarily running the team offensively, but he is making his presence known on defense, and most important, playing all out on that end of the floor. You just have to wonder why he, and especially a guy like Zaza, couldn’t play like that all year.
O'Brien
February 28th, 2011
2:38 pm
northcyde,
Co-sign. I dont know why the Hawks dont use the D-League more.
From the Washington Post;
The Wizards are close to completing a buyout for point guard Mike Bibby, according to a league source. Bibby’s agent, David Falk, is currently speaking with Wizards President Ernie Grunfeld to get a deal finalized.
But the source said that Falk is also looking for a possible destination for Bibby. Portland, Miami, Boston and possibly Denver are believed to have interest in the 32-year-old Bibby, whom the Wizards acquired from Atlanta in a trade involving Kirk Hinrich..
His brother-in-law (Eddie House) plays for the Heat, but they also have Chalmers and arroyo. All Boston has is Rondo, since they traded Nate. I think he ends up in Boston.
How ironic will it be that Bibby ends up in Boston, and makes it to the NBA final? Last season, Shelden Williams made it to the finals with Boston.
mykhalc
February 28th, 2011
2:42 pm
“Teague isn’t necessarily running the team offensively, but he is making his presence known on defense, and most important, playing all out on that end of the floor. You just have to wonder why he, and especially a guy like Zaza, couldn’t play like that all year.”
co-sign…and Marvin is still a bum!!!
northcyde
February 28th, 2011
2:51 pm
As for JJ . . it’s amazing that people still criticize him last night. There is no doubt that at the end of games, the holding of the ball, especially so far out on the perimeter, isn’t the best way to operate.
But some act like he was a non-factor last night. He had 16 points in the 2nd half, and was a big part of the defense last night with his help defense and deflectons.
As I’ve said before about him . . even when he does play well, people still talk ish about JJ, like he’s a scrub or something.
What I want to see Hinrich do at the end of games, is go get the ball from JJ, and run a play. Direct the team at the end of the game, much in the way that Chauncey Billups did the Knicks last night.
Ryder
February 28th, 2011
2:57 pm
It’s going to take a scrappy mentality to win on the road against the Magic, Heat or Celtics in the playoffs. Championship teams know how to adjust their mindset to play half court basketball on both sides of the ball, and if Atlanta wants to change their results from the last two years then they will need to play defense first and everything else second.
al-ref You-blow
February 28th, 2011
2:57 pm
Last night was the first hawks game of the season for me. Ok Refs sucked but thats what the do. Teauge should start every game and more playing time please. why was he not in there at the end is amazing. He is young and let him end a game put peasure on the young kid now we will need by the end of the year. Yes he should stated last year and this year too. the team will handle his mistakes. Capt Kirk and his starship crew will be fine given time to jell. Now if ZaZa can bring that every night good we can pull josh every time he jacks up a three with more than 5 sec on the shot clock. Now please play the new big so we can all see what we got. please go deeper into the bench it a long season and we will need Every Body. JJ great game keep doing what you are doing … shh do not get your superstar mad he might wants to get traded to the Knick or south beach. Coach LD ok except for that last four min I have never like a prevent dee or off….. keep doing what got you there. Again a sub to put in your best ball handler would showed me you got some. hmm
O'Brien
February 28th, 2011
3:02 pm
northcyde,
What I want to see Hinrich do at the end of games, is go get the ball from JJ, and run a play..
It takes more than Hinrich to make this happen. There were plays last night when Josh got the rebound, and looked away from Hinrich, but readily gave the ball up to JJ.
It’s a culture in Hawksville, that JJ is the man. And thats one of the reasons why the team struggles down the stretch. Because the team stands around and waits for JJ to do something, instead of doing more to help him out.
And even with Hinrich in the game, Jamal was playing point.
LD is the one who has to take charge of the situation, because most of the players defer to JJ, so I dont see Hinrich doing any different.
Fundamentals
February 28th, 2011
3:03 pm
I hope Crawford does well, but folks have to realize it’s easy to get minutes and stats on a dead end team who can’t win. He was insurance, when Joe signed, he became unnecessary.
ZaZa proves it’s his own personal motivation and selfishness. Play your role, you’ll help this team and become an icon again.
Marvin proves once again he doesn’t fit and I guess no one wanted him for the $$.
Teague seems to be playing with confidence and a bit more poise. I think he’s giving it his all and proving he can be a rotational player when #1 he relaxes a bit and #2 when he plays with starters.
Kirk proving what real leadership, intensity and defense can do for a team. Dude is coaching every play, even from the bench instead of laughing and joking with Josh about the Kiss Kam.
The team is playing hard to gain Kirk’s respect. Hopefully it’ll flow into the playoffs.
What’s up with DNP’s for Hilton? We should at least give him some burn to evaluate his fit? His treatment this far is well…Welcome to the ATL!
WHO ARE WE GOING TO PICK UP? WE HAVE ONE ROSTER SLOT OPEN?
bigdave
February 28th, 2011
3:05 pm
@ this stage in his career Kirk being that floor general point guard i prefer would be shocking..
i wish the point handled more in our system, but im not sure it calls for it.
Fundamentals
February 28th, 2011
3:05 pm
Kirk and Teague need to call the play and run the team. Unfortunately we have 4 other PG’s on the floor at all times bucking that system. I don’t care how long it’s in our culture. LD has to demand the offense run through the floor general = the point guard.
Kirk has done a good job setting up the bigs when given the chance. Teague needs time to command their respect, but he can’t do it without touches or LD’s support.
Sautee
February 28th, 2011
3:08 pm
Veteran Fan,
about this: “They usually just mail in the last game on these western trips.”
A couple of years ago, you could say this, but last year they beat Utah 105-100 on the last game West, and the year before lost by one at Denver.
That’s hardly “Mailing it in”. Perception is NOT reality.
Ra'mon
February 28th, 2011
3:11 pm
O’Brien, I think Josh looking away from Kirk towards Joe, started after Kirk was in the wrong place on that turnover when Josh threw a pass out of a double team that ended up in the front row. Josh knows this offense better than anyone on the team. Also Kirk was reluctant and seemed shaky in the 4th quarter during Portland’s run on offense last night.
No crying
February 28th, 2011
3:14 pm
The more I think about it, It seems that JC2 and the draft pick was what Washington really wanted, not Bibby, we forced Bibby on them to seal the deal. JC2 was never going to get time in the Hawk rotation. Bibby led us to the playoffs for the first time a couple of years ago and kudos to him for that. We suffered too many ugly losses lately and the shakeup was needed. The team was too talented to be so bad. The excuse that we need to try harder is the mark of a loser, and unacceptable. Now we just need to do go to work and get the job done. No excuses, I am not listening anymore.
At this point in time, If we are competitive in the second round this year it will be a success, (I don’t want to get my hopes up). I am tired of being embarrassed on the national stage. We need to keep developing our pride and professional work ethic to go deeper. Two games don’t make the season, but it is a first step.
Sautee
February 28th, 2011
3:15 pm
Fundementals,
“What’s up with DNP’s for Hilton? We should at least give him some burn to evaluate his fit? His treatment this far is well…Welcome to the ATL!”
This tells us that Armstrong was a throw-in for the trade. It’s also telling that he was only able to get 10 MPG with as poor a team as the Wizards.
My guess is that until he gets a full grasp of the offense, we won’t see Hilton except for extreme foul trouble by our bigs.
Ra'mon
February 28th, 2011
3:19 pm
Fundamentals, what you’re saying goes against LD’s system. LD runs a motion offense. There is NO POINT GUARD in a motion offense. In a motion offense, all parties are considered equal. And when (like last night) Joe has a smaller defender on him (which is often since he’s 6′8), LD loves to run a high post with Josh/Joe or Al/Joe, where they’re able to lob a pass over Joe’s defender for an easy two or foul. I actually believe this is one of the most efficient plays the Hawks run.
Worldwide Clyde
February 28th, 2011
3:33 pm
Drew plays who he wants to. If Teague was out there when Portland came back he would have got yanked with the quickness.
terrell
February 28th, 2011
3:37 pm
Earth calling Joe Johnson. You copy?
K-Dogg
February 28th, 2011
3:53 pm
OK now Josh Smith has been in the L now what 8 years and he is still making mistakes in the NBA that i made in Junior High ie leaving his feet to make a pass. I love the guy and what he brings but his baskeball IQ is awful!! He is a beast in the post and has great feet and can get slower bigs in foul trouble. Why we keep letting him shot 3’s and handel the ball on fast breaks i dont understand!!! Can someone on this team or a coach with enough balls tell him to play to his strenghts and stop with the AND 1 crap!!!!
KevinM
February 28th, 2011
3:56 pm
I have zero issue with Joe in the post and a flip flop with Josh. The only concern I have is when teams start sagging off of Josh, he is going to start jacking up his jumper again, negating any advantage. He has to be a threat to drive each time.
For JC2, glad to see him get some minutes…no room for him here and everyone knows it….its not like he is going to start playing defense to get on the court….he doesn’t have a defensive mentality.
There are plenty of JC2s out there, and if his brother was better defensively (Joe), he would still be on a NBA roster as well. JC2 will be easy to replace as there are many vets that has a shoot-first mentality.
Tonight, Teague vs. Lawson….Larry can’t say its a bad matchup. Teague IMO deserves to continue to start until he proves he can’t handle it…so far, so good. He doesn’t look like he is limited in any aspect of his game. I want to see he and KH share the minutes and let the hot hand stay on the court in the 4th. Nothing better than earning your minutes in the 4th as opposed to not even being a thought (see Larry’s treatment of Teague this ENTIRE season).
My last comment on Bibby….I don’t care where he goes as long as its not here! His effort and conditioning should have turned off every ATL fan out there. The guy simply wasn’t interested in doing more things to help this team. Its easy to see when Al comes out and clearly states the improvement of the perimeter defense (AFTER 2 games!).
The Nuggets will be challenged tonight as they try to still develop their rotation. Can they fit Felton and Galinari in quick enough for them?
ant banks
February 28th, 2011
3:57 pm
the BIBSTER agrees to a buyout from washington, foregoing his ‘11-’12 salary. WOW!!
http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=6167769
drmaryb (*_*)
February 28th, 2011
4:02 pm
Any system runs better with a PG – right? Who leads the team when the plays break down, or the opponent impedes your game plan?
KevinM
February 28th, 2011
4:07 pm
My last comment again on Bibster: what a fool to drop 6.2M and relieve the Wizards of any commitment. Talk about saving face!
Why couldn’t Sund get that accomplished? Wow, the value of this trade only gets worse the further we go….I am still glad he’s gone though.
We don’t how to use draft picks as assets anyway.
Geemack
February 28th, 2011
4:12 pm
KevinM
There is no way Bibby accepts a buyout from a playoff team. If Washington was winning Bibby would keep making his money, but the suck. So Bibby said give me my money and I will go play with the Heat.
Ken Strickland
February 28th, 2011
4:14 pm
SAUTEE-HArmstrong probably didn’t get any burn last night because Zaza was on fire.
WORLDWIDE CLYDE-While LDrew is still an upgrade over Woodson, and approaches certain things differently, he’s definitely shown some of Woodson’s bias’(a dislike/distrust of younger PG’s)and old habits( an over reliance on Bibby and making excuses).
Therefore, we can continue to expect Drew to react differently towards Teague than we will towards a vet who makes the same mistakes.
RA’MON-The motion OFF represents only a portion of what we run. We also run ISO, high low post, and pick and roll, all of which require a traditional PG. Because Bibby deferred so much to JJ and Jamal, who just happens to be our best ISO players, we started relying heavily on ISO’s. That’s why our player and ball movement decreased, and we started relying so much of jump shots.
With the DEF we’re now getting from our PG’s, we can now win without getting a lot of pts from them. Now, it’s their DEF that compensates for their OFF, rather than the other way around.
Grandad
February 28th, 2011
4:19 pm
Ra’mon
“There is NO POINT GUARD in a motion offense”
That’s not true at all.
All five players handle the ball,
all five players move,
the ball moves from side to side,
all five players are threats to score.
* But *
There must be a Quarterback.
In football if you run the “wildcat” offense;
there is still a QB. True?
Rufus1
February 28th, 2011
4:30 pm
Bibby gives up his entire salary for next year….
The Hawks didn’t get robbed….Bibby got jobbed. His poor play just cost him 6mil.
Next time he will come into camp inshape.
EmirS.
February 28th, 2011
4:32 pm
What’s so special about Troy Murphy? Why are all the teams after him?
I read an article about him a few days ago…it read that in Indiana and in New Jersey, he never seemed fully commited in practice and at times in-game.
drmaryb (*_*)
February 28th, 2011
4:33 pm
Ken Strickland
Great post. I loved that breakdown. I have to give you a “Shout Out!”
for calling this team out for who they are, all Summer long and now, with this trade of: Addition by Subtraction.
This team looks night and day with a true PG doesn’t it.
Not so much so, because of these two games, but because it is just the right thing to do! Having a PG, that is.
I have seen Mr. Hinrich once in that GSW game and the minute he came in, hit that three pointer, and he ran several curls through the paint.
I never saw Bibby do that. Nash does it on every play, man does Nash have a motor! If Kirk gives us that type effort? He will be too tired to play 35 mins. Which, bodes well for Teague.
Rip Hamilton, Reggie Miller and Ray Allen comes to mind when I see Kirk moving without the ball. Leandro Barbosa, John Starks and Mookie also comes to mind. I noticed these are all older, veteran type players.
The new kids just want to dunk like Blake does and Josh used to do.
Shawn Kemp, Vince Carter, Grant Hill all leapers who developed a complete game to stick around the league. Hopefully, Jordan Crawford grows his game too. He is special.
The Game Has Changed
February 28th, 2011
4:42 pm
Ra’mon and Grandad. Our motion offense is different than what the Lakers run. Our point guard has more responsibility than the Lakers. In other words I think we dont have the players to treat every as equal and thats whats killing us. The motion offense that we run allows Josh to dribble and shoot at will and that is killing us. Also Jamal and Joe think they are playing street ball when they start dribbling. So in other words Joe and Jamal dribble to much and Josh shouldnt be allowed to handle the ball on the perimeterl. When he shoots from the perimeter that leaves Al to rebound by himself and thats why we are last in the league in second chance points.
Grandad
February 28th, 2011
4:42 pm
Mary Ellen,
Josh High & Joe Low ( Hi / Lo = best play in basketball )
*[it take away all help]
back to Josh & Joe;
Josh is a beautiful passer & Joe has the best post-moves [footwork]
on the team. On the flip side Joe is as soft as Andy Dick’s butt
(or so they say). “I’m glad I’m not dyslexic” !
It is also a way to get Joe inside and hopefully to the FT line.
IMHO a great option.
cp
February 28th, 2011
4:51 pm
LD has to do a better job of pulling guys when they are struggling. He tends to give the vets more rope and it hurts the team at time. I hope Teague doesn’t get buried on the bench again but I wont be shocked if it happens……..Tonight should be a fun game….No Jamal at the point but I’m sure we will see a lot of that too
KevinM
February 28th, 2011
4:54 pm
Power rankings: Wow, Hawks have dropped down to 13, which I believe is their lowest ranking this year.
http://www.nba.com/2011/news/powerrankings/02/28/week18/index.html?ls=iref:nbahpt1
Grandad
February 28th, 2011
4:54 pm
The Game Has Changed
The Lakers run the “Triangle”
completely different concept.
Hawks motion;
alot of called plays.
Joe & Jamal pounding the ball;
Iso ! No ?
Josh ends up with the ball @ the end of shot clock
and like Barkley said
“If you don’t want him to shoot, why pass him the ball” ?
Or was it Weber ?
Last I checked Josh was shooting higher % from “3″ than Joe.
* + *
Since KH has arrived Josh seemingly…???
has been attacking the rim more.
The Game Has Changed
February 28th, 2011
4:54 pm
Joe Johnson has a lot of talent but he is about 25lbs overweight. Do yall realize how much better the Hawks would be if Crawford and Horford ran the pick and roll. They both can shoot the mid range and Jamal is so tricky with the ball he would blow by anybody.
Veteran Fan
February 28th, 2011
4:58 pm
Sautee, appreciate your point, have been watching too many years! Hope you are right as I will be there tonight and hope they play like last night! Wow, even saw JJ get a couple of rebounds and Josh take it to the hole! I have argued for a Josh for Love trade and still hope they consider it in the off season as Love has so much more basketball sense than Josh, but I hope they prove me wrong and I will come out and support them!
Ra'mon
February 28th, 2011
5:10 pm
KenS, if this is the 2nd game in which we’ve seen a true PG play in LD’s offense, how can we say that the PG is important in the half court offense? The truth is LD may have to go back into the office and add some wrinkles for the game plans now that he has a pg who can drive the lane. But on last night, Hinrich was shaky majority of the game (not to mention his +/- was -11). While he doesn’t know the offense, he still had 4 turnovers compared to 1 assist. So I can understand why Joe seemed like a better option to bring the ball up in the last 3 minutes of the game. Jamal and Kirk were having problems with the bigger back court of Portland.
By the way, isn’t it funny the one person who had no turnovers last night was Teague? Teague will be a player who stats won’t always reflect how much of a positive impact he had on the game. So right now my vote is for starting Teague until he loses the position.
JObJO
February 28th, 2011
5:11 pm
one word.
Troy Murphy
Melvin
February 28th, 2011
5:14 pm
Corey Brewer is a guy who the Hawks should really consider adding to the roster after the Knicks buy him out…. Tell Horford to put in a good word for him….
Najeh Davenpoop
February 28th, 2011
5:14 pm
Bibby signs with Heat, per ESPN.
As bad as Bibby is, the Heat’s current point guards are so awful that Bibby has a legit shot at starting for them. And considering how iso-heavy they are, Bibby’s tendency to dump the ball to a teammate and camp out on the 3 point line will blend in perfectly with what they already do.
Melvin
February 28th, 2011
5:15 pm
Marc Stein: Just filed to ESPN.com: Sources say we’re about to have a surprising late addition to the buyout market: New York is buying out Corey Brewer Twitter
Dept. of Unintended Irony
February 28th, 2011
5:17 pm
“one word.”
“Troy Murphy”
enough said.
Sautee,
February 28th, 2011
5:18 pm
Enter your comments here
drmaryb (*_*)
February 28th, 2011
5:19 pm
Who’s My Grand-Daddy?
How’s my “chunky monkey” doing? Great posts from G-Dad. He was a Coach, so he really knows his stuff about that motion offense.
I see you like the trade. I only saw that GSW game out west. I got me a life now, so I’m not Sund watching anymore. I’m getting out and doing stuff. I’ll be at that Chicago Game Live though. When are you taking me out to a game Poppie? My husband said ok, only because he knows how much I love you. LOL
Let’s Go Hawks!
____________________________
I never heard Kevin Love was being shopped. Why would the TWolves want to lose him? He is terrific for that organization. Would you trade Kevin Love for Josh Smith? I wouldn’t.
_________________________
Sautee
February 28th, 2011
5:20 pm
Melvin,
I’d LOVE to have Corey Brewer. Cut Etan if you must.
I’d be hugely surprised if it happened though.