Atlanta Hawks: Bulls 114, Hawks 81
- Perhaps it’s best to just skip those video “highlights” above.
- The Hawks got down and stayed down. At Philips. Again. The Bulls balled and the Hawks bailed.
- The Hawks checked out against Orlando last spring (can’t say they did the same vs. Bucks after that W in Game 6). This time it looks like they are doing it before the playoffs even start.
- L.D. keeps preaching the same things and nothing changes. Is he still confident he can get through to this group?
- “I am going to keep trying.” he said. “Right now I think the most important thing with our team has nothing to do with Xs and Os. It’s got to do with just our whole mental state. Coming out and playing hard and sustaining that and being able to play hard for four quarters. I am going to continue to try to preach that message. Hopefully it will get through as we wind down this regular season.”
- That’s not exactly a stirring speech to rally the Hawks but, hey, at least it’s honest.
- And, anyway, all the talk from the Hawks is getting old. At the expense of ticking off my blog people, who no doubt are sick and tired of hearing from the Hawks after games like this, I will share what they had to say. J.J. sounded as if he’s pretty tired of hearing it, too.
- “We are a team that sits here in this locker room and talk about all the time ‘What we’ve got to do, what we need to do,’” he said. “And then we go out on the floor and do things that are out of our character. It makes us all look bad. Until we get that part of the game down we are going to continue to look bad. We have had countless meetings throughout the season that have meant nothing. I don’t even know what to say about it.”
- Of course there is the possibility that what’s happening is completely in line with this group’s character. Could it be that the Hawks need a new mix of players and/or new voices?
- “Maybe,” J.J. said. “Shaking it up a little always rejuvenates. I don’t know what we need. More so than anything come out and have each others’ backs. We haven’t been doing that, especially against upper-echelon teams. Teams that are not in the playoffs we will come out and play together and beat them. But the great teams, the top teams in the league, we come out and it seems like we don’t fight back.”
- The Hawks now own the three worst home Ls in the league this season. “The [stuff] is starting to get embarrassing,” Smoove said. “We are too good of a team to be getting blown out in our own gym.”
- “When you are at home you would think the sense of urgency would be there a little bit more and be jacked up and play with more energy,” Drew said. “We do the opposite for some reason. I am at a loss for words for that.”
- Bulls fans invaded Philips but, as Drew said: “We should be used to it by now. It should be something we can totally just block it out and go play.”
- Believe it or not the score was tied at 17-17 late in the first quarter. Then D-Rose and the Bulls put it on the Hawks and never let up.
- “What happened the last time we were here was definitely on our minds,” Rose said. “We knew once we got that lead we couldn’t let that happen again.”
- That was no sweat since the Hawks showed no indication that they wanted to make the Bulls work for it this time. “This team was up on us by 20 points at halftime last time we played here,” Smoove said. “We fought back, showed some resilliance. I seen the passion in our eyes and the will to win the game. Tonight it was just nonexistent.”
- “It’s frustrating and it’s embarrassing as a competitor,” Marvin said. “I think everybody in here, including the coaching staff, is embarrassed with our effort today.”
- “It went downhill very fast,” L.D. said. “It’s kind of a familiar sight to see–when a team makes a little run on us, our body language just changes. We have to learn how to respond in those situations. That’s just the bottom line. There is no magic pill. There is nothing to do but just roll your sleeves up and tough it a little bit more.”
- Probably no one was going to slow D-Rose the way he was playing tonight. Teague didn’t even get a chance so I guess that means he’s officially dropped out of the rotation again.
- Like he did at Chicago, D-Rose danced to the rim and did what he wanted without penalty.
- “We didn’t run any coverages,” Josh said. “We didn’t help each other and when you don’t help each other it gets contagious. We was giving up too much stuff–junmp shots, dribble drives to the paint, wide open layups, and no one was giving hard fouls. We didn’t show any resistance.”
- The Bulls are starting to look like the class of the East. They won despite injuries. They keep winning even as their schedule toughens. This is the time of the year when the real teams announce themselves and the Bulls are doing it.
- “Give them credit,” J.J. said. “They have been the hottest team in the league and they have been showing it all year. They came in here and kicked our ass pretty much the whole game. It is what it is.”
- It’s also the time of year when teams who once looked good are exposed as lacking what it takes. That’s the Hawks.
- “It’s going to take action. Results,” Joe said. “We are getting nothing out of sitting in here and talking about it or talking to one another. We have got to go out there on the court and do it. It’s matter of going out there and putting forth the effort.”
- L.D. took Zaza out of the game in the second half and the two had words. I couldn’t make out exactly what Zaza said but it looked like he wasn’t happy about whatever Drew said to him.
- L.D. said he told Zaza he didn’t like the jump shot he attempted on the previous possession: “You don’t go on your own, you don’t start trying to do things you aren’t capable of doing. You don’t deviate from what the team is expecting. You continue to play the right way. That was either a shot where he saw he was about to come out of the game or just a bad shot.”
- Said Zaza: “Obviously a game like that nobody feels good about it. We are not happy. These kind of things happen. We move on.”
- Al left the game in the second half with a hamstring strain. “He was OK,” Drew said. “I think the hamstring is still bothering him a little bit. We sat him in the fourth quarter and hopefully he will be ready to go tomorrow.”
Michael Cunningham, Hawks beat
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400 comments Add your comment
mykhalc
March 23rd, 2011
2:57 pm
listen my ‘Joe to the Nets’ trade is not about tryin’ to get DWILL. the Nets aint that stupid. it’s about gettin’ Robin to a willing taker. and it puts Joe in a role he can only succeed in. it’s all about gettin’ Joe and his no leadership skills off the books. and no it’s NOT about gettin’ fair trade back…the Hawks are NOT dealin’ from a place of strength…as if that needs to be said.
jmarablw
March 23rd, 2011
2:59 pm
notice how the hawks dont pick and roll,they pick and pop out 4 the 3,which is much easier 2 defend.it would b ok if we could shoot jumpers but our jumpers suck. hawks cant shoot,jj holds the ball 2 long dribbling in place and wont drive.hinrich is another bibby,he wont drive.we never post marvin on plays back to back.horford post up twice a game.josh thinks he actually has a jumper, [NOT]BREAKING NEWS,JOSH YOUR JUMPER SUCKS OK, GET IT IN YO HEAD, U CANT SHOOT JUMPERS U R NOT GOOD ENOUGH 2 KEEP LUNCHING THEM U KILLING US DUDE.
PRESTONI
March 23rd, 2011
3:00 pm
This Hawks Team will go down in Infamy–they are truly an Embarrassment to Professional Sports. As so many of you have previously stated, they really do STINK. Philips Arena has become the TOILET BOWL FACTORY and there should be ONE GIANT FLUSH FOR MANKIND to get rid of Larry Drew, Rick Sund, the Ownership Group and Most of the Players. I hope the Midnight Train Out of Georgia is locked and loaded to take their Sorry Butts to Never Never Land. The Excuses are Pathetic–we Lost Our Focus; we play better when we just come out to have Fun. I can just hear a Brain Surgeon saying–sorry I Lost My Focus during the Operation and next time I’ll just try to have More Fun. Hopefully the Person signing their Payroll Checks loses Focus, because why should anybody be paid for this Garbage. The Hawks have really never accomplished Anything Noteworthy in Atlanta and their best chance to become Elite was when Billy Knight had the opportunity to Draft real Prime Time Players. Of course Billy Knight’s Picture is now prominently displayed in every Dictionary under the Word MORON–a Picture tells a Thousand Words and Billy Knight is the Real Definition of MORON. Can’t wait for New Ownership, because this is a Real Mess.
JeJe
March 23rd, 2011
3:04 pm
sam’l,
But I always saw how ASG signed Joe to that massive deal because they knew they’d sell the teams. So why give that msasive contract if that would look presumably UNATTRACTIVE to a prospective buyer?
slimjr
March 23rd, 2011
3:04 pm
AL and Josh have no HANDLE!!!!!!!!!!!!! That why they suck down low and they know it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Pete
March 23rd, 2011
3:05 pm
Charles Barkley is a fool……………………………
mykhalc
March 23rd, 2011
3:05 pm
i’ll re-phrase…Joe and his ‘no-desire to lead’ skills off the books…
Najeh Davenpoop
March 23rd, 2011
3:05 pm
“I’m sorry….I don’t know what you see in that guy. I really don’t….almost staggering that someone is willing to come to Josh’s defense.”
You were saying almost the exact same things word for word last summer about Joe, and eventually you got over it, so I assume you’ll eventually get over Smoove too.
Like I’ve been saying for the last couple of weeks, the only player on this team I actually look forward to watching right now is Teague. I like Smoove and Al, but neither one plays the way they should be playing.
(to be continued… blog monster)
JeJe
March 23rd, 2011
3:06 pm
Enter your comments here
slimjr
March 23rd, 2011
3:06 pm
Josh never learned the game of basketball. His offensive skills are High school level at best…………………………..
JeJe
March 23rd, 2011
3:06 pm
Joe never says “I”. It’s always “We”
What a loser..
Najeh Davenpoop
March 23rd, 2011
3:07 pm
(continued from previous post… blog monster)
I really don’t care about players’ attitudes or tendencies to complain to the refs or whatever. I only care about their production and impact while they are on the floor. The way this team is constructed currently, Smoove is the glue that holds the team together defensively. Even in last night’s defensive debacle, the Hawks were hanging in there until Smoove picked up his second foul and left the game, and immediately after this the Bulls rattled off 15 straight scoring possessions. By the time Smoove came back into the game the game was already out of hand and he was playing to avoid his 3rd foul instead of playing aggressively, and the defensive collapse continued.
(to be continued… blog monster)
Rod from College Park
March 23rd, 2011
3:08 pm
Section 303,
You have the right to your opinion, and what you see is what you see. My question to you is if you never see Josh hustle, and 95% of the time he is pouting or arguing with the refs, then how on earth has he amassed over 1,000 blocks(that many is not random) in a 6 year period. One of the youngest people in the NBA to ever do that. He also has been our second or third leading scorer over the past couple of years. So how is he able to do all of those things and never hustle? If he doesn’t hustle, then what do Marvin and Joe do, because I have seen Josh streak by both of them many times to make a block. I know you don’t like Joe either, but what your opinion of Marvin? Does he always hustle? I was at the game last night, and I saw Teague pushing the ball up the court like he was told to do by Larry Drew, and not one player was up the floor, or sprinting up the floor with him including the great “Al Horford”. Oh, I forgot Al was hurt. LOL
Najeh Davenpoop
March 23rd, 2011
3:08 pm
(continued from previous post… blog monster)
Now maybe that says more about the quality of the rest of the team than it does about Smoove, but one way or the other, as long as the Hawks continue to roll with the current makeup of the roster, they are way too reliant on Smoove defensively for me to act like getting rid of him is going to solve this team’s problems.
(to be continued… blog monster)
slimjr
March 23rd, 2011
3:08 pm
Bye Josh………………..
slimjr
March 23rd, 2011
3:09 pm
BYE JOSH BYE JOSH BYE JOSH BYE JOSH………………………………
slimjr
March 23rd, 2011
3:11 pm
WAIVE MARVIN
SHOP AL
SHOP JOSH PRONTO……………..
Najeh Davenpoop
March 23rd, 2011
3:11 pm
(continued)
If the Hawks somehow manage to land a Noah or Perkins or Dwight caliber defensive center, who will allow Al to shift over to power forward full time while also being able to convert their own offense at a respectable rate, then they will be able to realistically view Smoove’s defensive impact as being expendable. Until that point, it’s not.
And yes, Smoove is paid at a level more or less commensurate to his contributions by NBA standards, which is a big reason why he (and not Joe or Marvin for example) is a target of trade rumors in the first place.
(to be continued…)
slimjr
March 23rd, 2011
3:11 pm
JOSH FOR DEANDRE……….
slimjr
March 23rd, 2011
3:12 pm
JOSH GAME IS A CANCER………………………..
slimjr
March 23rd, 2011
3:12 pm
JOSH FOR BARKLEY… LOL
mykhalc
March 23rd, 2011
3:13 pm
and in all honesty Joe has shown us who he really is…post payday. think back to when Joe first came to the Hawks and how he talked. now look at him. frankly i hope he goes to the Nets, thinks he’ll be Robin, and DWILL bolts…leavin’ Joe at the feet of the NYC fans. that’d be just!!!LOL
slimjr
March 23rd, 2011
3:13 pm
GOOD BYE JOSH, NICE KNOWING YA………………………
drmaryb (*_-)
March 23rd, 2011
3:14 pm
Najeh
Thanks. I would be very amenable to looking at a 1st rounder from the
Nets. They got their PG & Center now, Joe would give them a nice back court with some size and defense.
Especially, if that 1st pick is not lottery protected from 3 to 10.
If, I were a GM, I would jump on it and see if I couldn’t get that 1 to 2 if at all possible. I doubt that though.
I would hate to lose Joe, but we need some wiggle room to get better.
I see what Denver got for Melo and no one is crying in the Mile High.
Conversely, word on the street is, New York having buyer’s remorse right now. I saw a ticker on NBA TV that Knicks going through the Miami Heat syndrome, now.
______________
Thanks, Najeh.
Najeh Davenpoop
March 23rd, 2011
3:14 pm
(continued)
“You need to stop being seduced by his random block or dunk.”
This notion that anyone who supports Smoove is in love with his dunking needs to stop. Dunkers are a dime a dozen in the NBA. I plain and simple do not care about his dunks. I’m a lot more impressed by Smoove’s low post moves, which have improved by leaps and bounds over the last three years, than I am by his dunks. It’s not like he even dunks that much anymore anyway.
Section 303
March 23rd, 2011
3:15 pm
Najeh, I never said any of those words about Joe. My beef with Joe came from the “I could care less” comments. Never questioned his effort.
Josh, on the other hand….just watch. He gives minimal effort, at best. And, he clearly refuses to follow LD. The jump shots…to me that’s just a further example of being lazy.
Sorry, Najeh…you know I value what you have to say. You’re my favorite poster on here. But, I’ll never understand what you see in Josh.
Rod from College Park
March 23rd, 2011
3:16 pm
“Even in last night’s defensive debacle, the Hawks were hanging in there until Smoove picked up his second foul and left the game, and immediately after this the Bulls rattled off 15 straight scoring possessions.”
Vava74 and O’Brien will tell you that the Bulls went on the run because Jamal Crawford was in the game. They will also say that the the GREAT defender Kirk Hinrich was not in either, and thats what caused the run.
slimjr
March 23rd, 2011
3:17 pm
JOSH IS KILLING THE HAWKS WITH HIS LIMITED OFFENSIVE SKILLS AND LACK OF REBOUNDING SKILLS……………………………………..BYE……………………………..
Dept. of Unintended Certainty
March 23rd, 2011
3:18 pm
“That could be right. Almost has to be it looks like sometimes.”
That could be the most certain statement, almost, that I’ve sometimes seen. Looks like, anyway.
slimjr
March 23rd, 2011
3:19 pm
THIS GUY THINKS HE’S MAGIC ON THE HARDWOODS???????????????????/WTF??????????????????????
Najeh Davenpoop
March 23rd, 2011
3:20 pm
“Smith loves his midrange jumper. So does Horford. Neither is comfortable setting up down on the blocks. Our best post player is actually Joe Johnson. It’s easy to say that we should play inside-out. I would agree with that, if our big men would play that way. ”
Then fine, post up Joe Johnson. Whatever. One way or another, the ball needs to go through the post every possession. The problem with saying get the ball to Joe and hope he recaptures the magic of previous seasons is that invariably this results in Joe getting the ball on the perimeter — often out of his own accord, when he sees a double team and backs out to the three point line instead of getting rid of it in a timely manner. And when Joe is on the perimeter, he’s not quick enough to break people down off the dribble, which means he invariably ends up launching contested jumpers. As far as I’m concerned, Joe launching contested jumpers is no better than Smoove launching uncontested jumpers. The end result is pretty much the same as far as my eyes can see, and maybe one of the advanced stat pages can confirm or deny this.
slimjr
March 23rd, 2011
3:22 pm
ISO JOE JUST GET SELFISH AND WIN THE FREAKING GAME DUDE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1
Section 303
March 23rd, 2011
3:23 pm
Rod from College Park, I don’t care about his stats. I know what I see. He does not play hard. He doesn’t.
Not counting the Orlando series (remember when Hubie Brown called him out on national tv?), Josh had a good year. He stopped with the long range shots. He mainly stayed down low and he attacked the rim on a consistent basis. The jumpers he took last year, almost always in that 15-foot range, which he can make.
This year….total opposite. And, really, should have saw that coming. He even said last year, in the SI interview, that he was going to start shooting 3’s again.
He’s been terrible this year. You go to games…don’t you see the walking up and down the floor? And, it’s all the time. The pouting on the bench? You don’t see that?
Sorry….defending that guy has got to be getting hard to do.
Grandad
March 23rd, 2011
3:24 pm
Lester Conner Loyalty Problems:
http://www.indycornrows.com/2010/6/10/1510476/pacers-news
hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm
SteveW
March 23rd, 2011
3:41 pm
KevinM – No, the Bulls are only in decent financial shape because Rose is still under his rookie contract status. Once he gets out of that, the Bulls are in really bad shape.
Deng has a long term, enormous contract.
Boozer has a longer term, gigantic contract, and he’s getting older and he’s also injury prone.
And they have a good long term contract with Noah.
Korver is signed for too long at too much also.
And they gotta find money for Asik as well as DRose. No easy task, since Asik can be really good.
So the Bulls are only in good shape because of Rose and his rookie contract right now, no other reason. And they are in terrible shape once they sign Rose and Asik.
And don’t forget Gibson is still under rookie status also, and he’s going to want some good money as well.
Double Zero Eight
March 23rd, 2011
3:44 pm
Joe Johnson is making $6756 per minute.
For that kind of money, he should be the
undisputed leader and captain. He should
at least to pretend to care.
SteveW
March 23rd, 2011
3:46 pm
Get rid of the Coach now, so you can see if the guys will respond to new voice. If not, start trading the culprits of who’s not cooperating.
And talk radio has been trashing the Hawks all day in S. Ga. – ESPN, Fox, Rome etc.
SteveW
March 23rd, 2011
3:47 pm
The Hawks did finally get some national exposure however….
Rashod
March 23rd, 2011
3:48 pm
Joe Johnson Sucks !!!
drmaryb (*_-)
March 23rd, 2011
3:49 pm
That Goode | That Kush | That Ooo-Wee!
These Hawks been seen hanging out at The velvet Room and Magic City and what not. Seems like to me they been hanging out with Charlie Sheen and his supplier, because they like him really believe they’re:
“Winning!”
But, I guess, (& I wouldn’t know this first hand) when your front pockets look like it’s the mumps and your hip pockets so swollen?
That when you sit down, you roll like a weeble – wobble but, you don’t fall down? It may very well seem like you’re “Winning!”
But, remember, the day after Charlie said that, he was terminated by CBS the very next day. So, sometimes “Winning!” Can be a losing proposition. Especially, when “That Goode” is talking.
_________________
I’am seriously beginning to wonder if these guys got that
Vin Baker syndrome. I sure hope not.
Double Zero Eight
March 23rd, 2011
3:51 pm
My previous post should say “he should at least
pretend to care”.
Rod from College Park
March 23rd, 2011
3:53 pm
Section 303,
“He’s been terrible this year. You go to games…don’t you see the walking up and down the floor? And, it’s all the time. The pouting on the bench? You don’t see that?”
That’s why I asked you the question. Iv’e seen everyone in the Hawks starting linup be terrible this year with the exception of Horford sometimes, on a regular basis. I see Marvin and Joe, walking/jogging back, and not giving full effort alot also. I also see them showing no emotion and being mutes. I think the pouting is what gets you so upset, and thats your right. I would much rather a guy pout and show some emotion, like he actually cares about what’s happening to him and his team than guys who never show emotion, and wrap their heads up on the bench and crack jokes when they are down by 40 points. I guess thats where we differ.
Double Zero Eight
March 23rd, 2011
3:54 pm
If the Hawks implode tonight, LD should resign.
SteveW
March 23rd, 2011
3:55 pm
I mean with the Bulls you got:
Deng for 3 more years after this season, for around 40 mill.
Boozer for 4 more years at 61 mill total
Korver 2 more at 10 mill total
Brewer 2 more at 9 mill
Noah 5 years at over 60 mill
And you have to sign Rose and Asik after next season, and Gibson the year after that.
Read the Chicago papers, they’ll tell you.
And their owner is famously cheap, and doesn’t want to go into luxury tax either.
The contract they keep trying to dump is Deng. They say they cannot afford Rose, Noah, Boozer, and Deng, so it looks like Deng is odd man out, at least for now.
drmaryb (*_-)
March 23rd, 2011
4:03 pm
* when your front pockets look like it’s GOT the mumps and your hip pockets ARE so swollen? ……. (typos)
mykhalc
March 23rd, 2011
4:03 pm
the Hawks have already imploded and they WILL lose tonite!!! Philly by 13!!!
SteveW
March 23rd, 2011
4:04 pm
The Bulls have 48.7m committed after next season before they sign Rose, Asik, and if they want to keep Watson.
That’s not a rosy picture.
The Hawks of course have over 58m committed, but really have nobody to resign at this point. That’s assuming we let Kirk go after next season, or re-sign him really cheap.
That’s with JJ, Josh, Al, ZaZa, Teague, and Marvin under contract in the ‘12/13 season.
northcyde
March 23rd, 2011
4:11 pm
Actually . . last night’s collapse started to happen as soon as Marvin went out the game. Deng scored 6 points on Marvin, but we were only down 2.
Deng scores 9 on Damien, in the short time he was in the game guarding Deng. When Marvin came back in, Deng was at the line about to make 3 free throws to put the Bulls up 13
Section 303
March 23rd, 2011
4:11 pm
Rod from College Park, I do hate the pouting. You’re correct there. And, I hear you on showing emotion. But, does Josh show positive/productive emotion? No way. He seems to be uncoachable to me and just selfish. He has killed the Hawks this year. Time for him to go.
In fact, if it weren’t for the lockout that’s coming up, I would be willing to bet Josh is not here next year. And, even with the lockout, I’m confident he won’t be. Will be glad when that happens.
mykhalc
March 23rd, 2011
4:15 pm
i always thought Josh was no more than Kenyon Martin. but i actually think KM is smarter and has learned to play within his skillset.