Atlanta Hawks: Heat 98, Hawks 90
- A lineup of Teague, Jamal, Damien, Josh Powell and Zaza played the entire fourth quarter and nearly beat a Heat crew that included LeBron for 12 minutes, D-Wade for 10 and Bosh for 6.
- That’s an aberration but it also was the kind of spirited play that’s been missing since the Hawks beat Boston. The Hawks had been searching for something good in these meaningless games and finally got it.
- Still, is the play of the bench in this game going to mean more for Atlanta’s series vs. Orlando than the play of the starters over the last three games? The guys that play the most minutes got drilled by the Heat two nights after they couldn’t put down Washington’s D-Leaguers.
- At least nobody got hurt. “The main thing is to be healthy because that’s been our Achilles’ heel the last two years,” Smoove said.
- Marvin played 19 (productive and efficient minutes) and Josh logged 24 (pretty good, especially on the offensive boards, but for a couple untimely turnovers) minutes.
- Josh said the knee came out OK. “It feels all right,” he said. “It might be a little sore tomorrow. There was a little bumping and it was physical. I will ice it and take my time with it. For the most part I felt comfortable. I had to get my timing down in that first half but when I finally got it in the second half it felt good.”
- L.D. said he never considered sending his starters back in and can’t say I blame him. The bench guys were simply better tonight.
- The fourth-quarter crew was 8 of 14 in the paint. The Hawks were 13 of 25 from that range in the other three quarters.
- Sometimes it’s better to be good than deep. The Heat’s All-Star trio outscored the Hawks 49-46 in the first half and tallied 70 for the game. That nullified Atlanta’s a 44-14 advantage in bench scoring.
- Bibby came in clearly motivated and outplayed Hinrich. It’s one thing for Hinrich to struggle to stay with Lowry and Parker, something else to let Bibby get to the rim more times in one game than he did in the previous 17 with the Heat.
- That’s not an exaggeration.
- Hinrich was no better offensively, either. By my recollection, all but one of his six missed shots were clean looks. He just doesn’t look comfortable out there and his body language was bad tonight.
- L.D. mentioned the other day that he would have liked to give Hinrich a break and he sure looks like he’s aged a lot in like three weeks. If that’s the case, then it’s just another reason for Teague to get more burn (and, yes, it’s a problem that the Hawks are still trying to figure things like this out in Game 81).
- I thought the Hawks moved the ball well in the second quarter (8 for 16 field goals, 5 assists) but the Heat turned up the D and didn’t allow anything easy. At the same time the Heat made 4 of their 5 long 2-point jumpers and scored nine points off five Hawks turnovers.
- The Heat were just 1 for 4 on long jumpers in the third quarter and 0 for 5. They scored 17 points in the third and 19 in the fourth. “Their reserves came in with a lot of energy and they went to the zone and that confused us at first,” LeBron said.
- Powell was a team-high plus-5 in 23 minutes and scored on a tip dunk and another dunk on a pass from Zaza to pull the Hawks within 86-85. He also set up a Damien basket with an offensive rebound.
- “I thought J.P. came in and gave us some muscle down low, some energy down low,” Drew said. “I thought he played with a physicality.”
- But before that good sequence Powell wiped out a Teague layup with a goaltend. Down the stretch he missed a 20-footer, had his shot blocked by D-Wade, fouled James Jones for a 4-point play on a late closeout in the zone defense and was called for charging with the Hawks down 96-90.
- The Heat’s stars got some suspect calls but the Hawks can’t complain too much when they got Miami’s bigs in foul trouble, earned 21 free-throw attempts and made just 12. Josh, Al and Zaza were 4 of 11 combined.
- Zaza ticked off yet another opponent. This time it was Big Z, whom he considers a good friend. “I am definitely going to call him,” Zaza said. “Or maybe text him, because he might not answer.”
- It didn’t appear that Zaza did anything dirty on the play that preceded Big Z chucking the ball at him but Big Z said Zaza hit him the face on an earlier possession. “That was a lot of contact between that particular player and our guys all night but that’s the way it goes sometimes,” Erik Spoelstra said.
- The flip side of the Hawks competing better with their bench guys is that the Heat had to go all out to win against that group. Is this really a team that can take the Celtics in a series?
- Joel Anthony surely must be tired of getting dunked on by Smoove.
Michael Cunningham, Hawks beat
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281 comments Add your comment
ag
April 12th, 2011
2:24 pm
Since the Hawks don’t have a stat man,as the new GM the first hire would be Northclyde. I would not have to fire LD, after I rip into him he will gladly quit.
northcyde
April 12th, 2011
2:30 pm
And for the first time all year, Jeff Teague’s net defensive rating is in the green, not the red . . which means that his defense the past 10 – 15 games has been really good . . or the people playing PG when Teague isn’t in the game, has been horrific.
Slimjr
April 12th, 2011
2:33 pm
@I mus write
“Slim Jr….. You post alot and its cool -you really have a fire in you when it comes to the hawks. Problem is nothings going to change and your fire will slowly die from lack of oxygen -this team takes the wind out of your sails.”
Yeah man I play the game and I am fixer by nature so watching this ish go down with the Hawks is so frustrating.I can get free tickets and I wont go down there..Iso makes 200k a night and the way he is playing right now I wouldn’t pay him 20 dollars.He’d have to pay me!!! LOL.. I rather spend that 20 on a Shoe model as she works the pole!LOL 20 one dollar bills, so the dance last longer…….He he…
Jae Evolution
April 12th, 2011
2:33 pm
Jeff Teague makes his first commercial debut for the playoffs.
“Locks it down on D.” Hear that LD?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cSr1715vM-Q&feature=feedu
Rod from College Park
April 12th, 2011
2:42 pm
Northcyde,
I did not have the numbers to prove it, but the eye test alone has shown me that we were better with Bibby.
Slimjr- Same thing here. I had season tickets for the past 5 years, Gave them up this year, which was the best move I ever made. I have been offered free tickets usually in the Club Section to at least 15 games this year, and have turned them down. Even if I don’t pay for the tickets, by the time I eat, and get a couple of drinks, I’m out of 40 dollars. the game I did go to was the last Chicago game, and the game was over before halftime.
Section 303
April 12th, 2011
2:49 pm
Sorry, but some of you cannot come on here and say “we were better with Bibby”. That guy was killed on here more often than Freddy Kruger. Don’t come back now talking about how he is missed.
That’s not a defense of Hinrich, who I think needs a kick in the b@lls. Just don’t start singing Bibby’s praises after ripping him left and right this entire season.
O'Brien
April 12th, 2011
2:56 pm
Section 303, Last 10 games;
Kirk: 8 pts, 4 assists, 3 rebs in 32 mpg
Jeff: 8 pts, 2 assists, 1 reb in 16 mpg.
I know we have to take into account that Kirk p;layed with and against starters, while Teague played against mostly bench players, but offensively and defensively, Kirk has been disappointing the last few games.
From MC’s writeup, speaking of Kirk;
. He just doesn’t look comfortable out there and his body language was bad tonight. L.D. mentioned the other day that he would have liked to give Hinrich a break and he sure looks like he’s aged a lot in like three weeks..
I can’t help but wonder how much of it is the system (or lack thereof), and how much is the players.
northcyde
April 12th, 2011
2:57 pm
Blog monster eating my post. I’ll try to break it down piece by piece.
Samuel
April 12th, 2011
2:57 pm
Section 303,
That’s pretty common around here.
northcyde
April 12th, 2011
2:57 pm
@ ag . . . thanks man for the Hawks statistician job
But all of this ish is available to them, plus other things I don’t have access to, like Synergy ( which you have to pay for as an outsider . . but MC references all the time )
Honestly, there’s no way that me, as a fan, can pull up information and decipher it correctly . . and an NBA team whose JOB is to do this . . can’t.
( cont. )
northcyde
April 12th, 2011
2:59 pm
Like on this page
O'Brien
April 12th, 2011
2:59 pm
303,
What needs to be taken into account as well, is most of the games with Bibby (this season), was when we were playing one of the easiest schedules in the NBA. How would we have looked with Bibby guarding Rose, Rondo, Parker down the stretch?
The same Bibby who said he was tired, the same Bibby who LD said he could tell he was tired…the same Bibby who led to the other players being frustrated because they had to cover for him all the time…
Kirk has not been playing as well as I thought he would, but at least the players are not covering for him all the time.
northcyde
April 12th, 2011
3:00 pm
Click on that link, and you’ll see EVERY single Hawk lineup that we’ve used in a game, and what their OFF, DEF, and OVERALL ratings are. The lineups are sorted according to minutes played.
The last column on the right shows that particular lineup’s NET OVERALL RATING. Specifically focus on those top 10 lineups, and see what their net overall rating was.
When you do that, you’ll see 3 things that will IMMEDIATELY jump out at you.
northcyde
April 12th, 2011
3:02 pm
haha . . blog monster killing me.
northcyde
April 12th, 2011
3:02 pm
1) The Bibby led lineups were almost always in the green for net overall rating. He had 5 lineups in the top 10 in minutes. 4 of them were in the green.
northcyde
April 12th, 2011
3:02 pm
2) The Jamal – JJ – Marvin – Smith – Horford lineup is arguably OUR WORST lineup we can put on the floor, both offensively ( 93.33 ) and defensively ( 121.43 ). It was one of the best last year, but this year, that lineup is horrific.
northcyde
April 12th, 2011
3:04 pm
haha . . it won’t let me post #3 . . which states that the Teague lineup + the starters is by far our best net lineup.
northcyde
April 12th, 2011
3:07 pm
81.37 defensive rating for that lineup
northcyde
April 12th, 2011
3:07 pm
I mean, all of this ish is there as plain as day.
I can see it. You can see it. Everybody else can see it.
But our coaching staff can’t see it?
The people in basketball operations can’t see it?
Something is wrong . . or since Sund doesn’t even use a damn computer, he doesn’t have access to these numbers.
As out of whack as this team has been, they should be using every resource available to them, in order to make the team better. And if that means shaking up the lineup and using combinations that you KNOW may work, then why not use those combinations?
Maybe some of these players just play better with certain people. And if that’s the case, why haven’t the coaches or front office noticed this and made the proper adjustments?
Section 303
April 12th, 2011
3:12 pm
O’Brien, I think (like almost everyone (but me) has been saying all season) that Teague needs to start. All your numbers and everyone’s numbers show that Hinrich has been a bust.
Too bad….I had hopes for Hinrich when he got here. Not anymore. Guy cannot hit a shot. He just can’t. Hinrich needs to backup Teague.
Bill Simmons said that Hinrich was “washed up” when the trade with Washington went down. As each game passes, he is being proven more and more right.
northcyde
April 12th, 2011
3:15 pm
O’Brien . . . maybe they need to be covering for Kirk though.
That’s why I wasn’t mad at how and why the Hawks used to switch so much. It is obvious that we don’t have great man defenders on here. Even the guys who are considered to be our best man defenders, are either only average or good.
Collins’ post defense is about an 8. JJ’s defense on most 2 guards is about a 7. So is Teague’s defense on PGs. Everybody else on the team are about average defenders at best. Smith is a premier help defender, which boosts his defensive importance on this team.
Covering for Bibby wasn’t the worst thing in the world, because we still usually found a way to win games. Now, we can’t defend people, nor score enough to win a game.
Back when Bibby was struggling, the obvious thing to do, was to either increase Teague’s minutes, or increase Jamal’s minutes at PG. Back then, I had no faith whatsoever in Teague, because he didn’t play confidently.
All I know is by trying to play everybody straight up, while good in theory, has made us an even worse defensive team.
It’s almost like the things that make most basketball teams good ( playing man defense and spreading the wealth on offense ), seems to be a detriment for us. For some reason, we play better and are a little more active when we’re switching and trapping . . and letting our best shot creators make the plays.
Najeh Davenpoop
April 12th, 2011
3:22 pm
“Going from The Stinger to Nique is like going from Bibby to Hinrich.”
Going from Smitty to either one of them is like going from CP3 to Bibby or Hinrich.
Najeh Davenpoop
April 12th, 2011
3:26 pm
“Lol @ Josh Smith talking about injuries derailing them the last 2 season.”
The owners use it as an excuse, the GM uses it as an excuse, the coaches use it as an excuse, so naturally the players do too.
As is the case with all the Hawks’ problems, it starts at the top.
Najeh Davenpoop
April 12th, 2011
3:28 pm
“low release on his jump shot which needs to be fixed”
I wonder what the coaching staff has been doing with Teague for the past two years. Seriously. Aside from trying to bring out his “inner dog” have they actually worked with him on developing any aspect of his game? I can’t imagine a good coaching staff wouldn’t have had him work on changing his shooting motion by now.
Ken Strickland
April 12th, 2011
3:29 pm
Woodson consistently made a big issue about being all about DEF, and openly stated he didn’t give a damn about OFF. Yet, he stubbornly rode the backs of his 2 biggest DEF liabilities, MBibby and JaCrawford. Now, we’re getting the same lip service from LDrew about DEF, and based on his actions and decisions, OFF seems to be all that he cares about, which has failed so far.
I remember LDrew talking about how impressed he was with Pape Sy’s DEF before he played in the summer league. A couple of writers also acknowledged his excellent DEF during and after the summer league. We all saw glimpses of his DEF prowess in limited playing time recently, and well as his ability to penetrate and get the FT line.
All season long LDrew has given us nothing but lip service about how we need these attributes. Yet he’s insisted on playing VETERAN PG’s that are either slow, unathletic, past their prime, OFF limited, and/or DEF liabilities. And all we’ve gotten out of this in return is inconsistency, poor perimeter DEF, and limited OFF production.
Doesn’t Drew realize that no team is going to score a ton of pts in the playoffs, and that DEF will be the deciding factor in most gms?
Najeh Davenpoop
April 12th, 2011
3:41 pm
“All I know is by trying to play everybody straight up, while good in theory, has made us an even worse defensive team.”
Maybe this has changed in the last three days, but the last time I checked, the Hawks were 13th in defensive efficiency this season. Last year they were 17th.
Rufus1
April 12th, 2011
3:46 pm
“All I know is by trying to play everybody straight up, while good in theory, has made us an even worse defensive team.”-Northcyde
I think is more the reason for our defensive problems than Bibby> Kirk. Al’s help defense since Bibby left has been terrible and switching defensive philosophy after six years is hard.
Also, Bibby seldom guarded the best perimeter player and Kirk does.
Najeh Davenpoop
April 12th, 2011
3:51 pm
About the Bibby vs. Kirk debate: I am in no mood to defend Kirk right now, since he has looked steadily more and more worthless since the first Chicago game when he played great, but in the interest of fairness a couple of things should be pointed out:
1) Like O’Brien noted, the Hawks’ schedule with Bibby was a lot easier than with Kirk. Presumably if they had played the same schedule, their numbers would be closer to each other.
2) On/off stats depend in large part on who takes a player’s place when he leaves the game. When Bibby left the floor, LD tended to go with Jamal at point guard, which generally hasn’t worked on either end of the floor. Since the trade, though, it seems like Teague has been used more often (although not to the extent I would like to see), and Teague at point guard seems to provide better results for this team. Perhaps this difference accounts for at least some of that difference as well.
With that being said, when the trade was made, I was expecting something close to the 2008 Kirk who played very good D against Wade in the playoffs and knocked down shots at the same rate as Bibby for his career. Instead, we seem to have gotten a washed up version of Kirk who is unable ot unwilling to stay in front of even the slowest point guards and can’t hit a shot or set up easy shots for his teammates on a consistent basis. Needless to say Kirk has so far been a major disappointment.
And with that being said, picking between Bibby and Kirk is like deciding whether you would rather get life in prison or the death penalty. The correct answer is that Teague should have gotten 20 mpg all of last year so that he could have displaced Bibby as the starter heading into this year. Teague > Bibby and Kirk.
drmaryb (*_-)
April 12th, 2011
3:58 pm
” For some reason, we play better and are a little more active when we’re switching and trapping . . and letting our best shot creators make the plays.”
-northcyde-
____________________
Apparently, Mr. Woodson had a computer and knew this as well.
He put these mis-fits in their best spots to play to their strengths.
He did that without all the necessary ingredients, and improved each year.
But, the best of fans complained. You will never hear me bash a coach, because, I just don’t know enough to be that person, I only know half of what I see on the court. That is way above my pay grade.
This roster is in dire need of a talent infusion/upgrade by any means necessary. No one is untouchable.
Where is a “Jimmy Johnson”, when you need one? He traded Herschel Walker for what seemed like 8 draft picks! And, the rest is Super Bowl History.
Mike Ditka tried to impersonate such greatness with
Ricky “Wedding Dress” Williams and that ended in a disastrous fatal world-wide tour of smoking “That Goode!”
______________________
Here’s my point: take a chance and trade something good to win something! The sum of parts are greater than individual pieces.
Rufus1
April 12th, 2011
4:00 pm
We needed a better coach at the trading deadline.
Ken Strickland
April 12th, 2011
4:01 pm
Here’s what puzzles me. Some of you complain about us being a jumpshooting team, and that our OFF is too reliant on ISO’s and shooting jumpshots. Then, at the same time, you fall into the same silly trap that LDrew has fallen into when it comes to JTeague.
You complain about, and focusing on, Teagues jumpshot, while ignoring that he brings a dynamic to our OFF that’s missing and sorely needed. How and where he releases his jumpshot is meaningless. What more do you want from a 2nd yr PG who’s been jerked around by 2 barely competent HC’s? CONSIDER THIS: TEAGUE/BIBBY
FG%-439%/435%, 2PT%-452%/427%, 3P%-370%/441%. I’ll take his shooting percentage, unusual jumpshot and release over what we’ve gotten from Bibby and Hinrich any day of the week.
Ck out this unbelievable Hawks fact
April 12th, 2011
4:03 pm
According to ESPN..this is what Joe Johnson makes in the next 6 years
$16,324,500
$18,038,573
$19,752,645
$21,466,718
$23,180,790
$24,894,863
The owners deserve to lose their butts if they are wasting money thisbadly. Belkin was right.. This kind of cash for a player that in no way is among the the Top 20 players in the league and who disappears every time you need him.
northcyde
April 12th, 2011
4:05 pm
Ken . . the only difference is that Bibby and Jamal were flat out oustanding offensively last year. Like I said in one of my earlier posts, the lineup that is a complete liability this year ( Jamal – JJ – Marvin – Smith – Horford ), was our 2nd best lineup last year.
And the lineup that was supposed to be a complete defensive liability ( Bibby – Jamal – JJ – Smith – Horford ), was overall our BEST lineup.
Both of those units had average to below average defensive ratings ( 108 ). But the offensive ratings for both of those units were 119 and 121
When Woody needed a more defensive oriented group, he went with the regular starting lineup.
Contrary to popular belief, Woody wasn’t crazy. He was just playing to his strengths. And the ish definitely worked, seeing that we beat every team in the league except Oklahoma City. It’s just unfortunate that his legacy is going to be the meltdowns in the 2nd round.
But Woody knew EXACTLY what this team could and couldn’t do. And he
stressed defense so much, because defense lost the majority of the games we did lose.
What Drew did, was change the offense and tried to enhance the value of everybody. Even on defense, he wanted for everybody to be more accountable. Like I said, that’s good in theory. But when people aren’t capable of playing at a high level on both ends of the floor, it does show that you may have to do something different.
Remember folks, the signs of this was seen right away in the preseason, with how horrible this team was playing. The 6 – 0 start to the regular season was thought to be proof that everything was cool. Then we promptly lose 7 of our next 9.
I know it’s hard to believe that Woody just may have been RIGHT about this team, but it’s high time that some of you come to that realization, no matter how much you hated his coaching, or his offense, or his defense, or his lack of ability to adjust.
He had sense enough to keep the ball in the hands of people who make plays . . and to create a gimmick defense that would keep us from being totally exposed on a nightly basis.
TheAntiMe
April 12th, 2011
4:17 pm
I’m willing to give the starters the benefit of the doubt about their lame effort going into the playoffs and am willing to believe that when the playoffs start that they will again put forth the effort that has clearly been A.W.O.L. for the past week or so. It is also encouraging to see that Josh’s knee seems to be improving.
The thing is, it’s going to take a whole lot more than effort if the Hawks are to make it past Orlando in the first round. It’s going to take:
* A strong effort on defense especially on the defensive boards against the Magic and Dwight Howard.
* Finding a way to screen out Howard on enough offensive possessions so that Al Horford and Josh Smith can get some points in the paint.
* Being able to rebound their defensive glass and push the ball on the break which will also help accomplish the previous point.
* Playing unselfishly on offense and making the extra pass for a good shot instead of just an OK shot.
* Cutting way down on the turnovers and protecting the ball like they were able to do well during the 2009 – 2010 season.
The Hawks have not been very successful in doing many of these necessary things since the start of February but they have shown in the past – albeit mostly last season – that they are capable of doing these things. I guess we will find out if it’s still possible for them to do these things very soon when the playoffs finally arrive and the starters Magically start caring again.
KevinM
April 12th, 2011
4:31 pm
Just because Bibby made us better than Hindrich (which is still hard to believe, and truly, how many games has Kirk had to fit in?), that still means that the Hawks still suck as far as being a contender. Neither guy is going to be a difference maker.
That trade tells us LD still has little use for Teague; Hindrich is going to have to get hurt to give Teague minutes. Say we win a series and Teague averages 20ppg…will LD find a way to give him credit?
Nope, he will show him and DNP the next time out.
drmaryb (*_-)
April 12th, 2011
4:33 pm
Pondering Thoughts!
Do any of the assistant coaches on this bench, or the staffed suits behind the bench have a role as “in game scouts” and, just as importantly -
Do they have a computer? If so, does Drew block out their opinions as he claimed Mr. Woodson did to him?
Rufus1
April 12th, 2011
4:34 pm
We need two thing s to happen….Joe and Kirk to make wide open shots and we will win. LD offense got Joe more open shots but his point are down….Crazy.
Grandad
April 12th, 2011
4:46 pm
I stated way back:
according to the (+/-) stats;
Bibby was our *best player.
*[best in that he was on the most/best 5 man combos]
—&—
*[he had the best (+/-) rating on the team. *(individual)
He still leads (as nc said):
best 5 man combo;
Bibby, Jamal, Joe, Josh & Al
Since the trade:
the best five man combo;
Teague, Joe, Marv, Josh & Al.
Proving I reckon;
that Marv is one of our five best and most reliable players ?
The Truth
April 12th, 2011
5:04 pm
I’ve taken a contrarian view about whether to start Teague over Hinrich. Actually I think Hinrich, for all of his shortcomings (and he has plenty) should continue to start but the difference however, I think Teague should finish with Hinrich on the bench cheering his teammates. The logic:
The 1st quarter seems to be a sizing-up period where opponents are doing more reading and measuring strengths and weaknesses as the games is more cerebral. Hinrich is fine as a facilitator and occasional scoring threat though he has shown to be very inconsistent on offense. His problem is that he is trying way too hard to prove his past merit (what every that was) and it has effected his performance. The Hawks need him to be a better ball defender and shoot less but be more aggressive, consistent and deliberate when making plays. Since the Hawks offense doesn’t evolve around him, he’s not hurting them as a starter.
It is the 2nd quarter and the 4th when the tempo of the game picks up and changes. This is when I want Teague in the game not Hinrich. Teague is more of a threat (offensively and defensively) coming off the bench than as a starter. As a starter, he’s in a straight jacket trying to facilitate to others while being forced to be submissive and yielding to his teammates as the 4th option. When we all complained about Teague lack of aggressiveness early this season, it was partially because of his undefined role. Now, Teague knows his role; “to be like Tony Parker” as his coaches told him. That’s a better fit off the bench. Yes his defense would be an upgrade over Hinrich as a starter, but the game is slower in the first quarter anyway.
Trust me, Nelson is not going off in the first quarter, he’s just a set-up guy. He’s going off near the end of the first half and in the forth. This is when you want your best defender on him, and that would be Teague not Hinrich.
MistaGamer
April 12th, 2011
5:09 pm
Northclyde,
Like I said, my problem with Woody was while he was preaching defense, he continued to go with what was NOT working in in-game situations. Some of that was arguably personnel contraints, but some of it “seemed” like pure stuborness. You can argue that Teague didn’t play enough and was just a rookie so you had no tell-tell signs of his effectiveness. But, that was Woody’s fault too.
What I can’t seem to get over with LD is that after a season of seeing what clearly seems to have been your best option at starting PG, he has paid too much lip service and done the exact opposite when it comes to Teague. The only thing that gets close to explaining his handling of Teague is either complete incompetence, or malice towards Teague. Both of which can be categorized as sheer incompetence.
If i really had a choice, after seeing a season with LD, is Woody as headcoach, IF he played Teague at point, and he had an assistant that excelled on the offensive end.
In other words, Dream On! lol
darrell starks
April 12th, 2011
5:39 pm
Our better line is TEAGUE, JOE, JOSH, HORFORD, COLLINS.
as we have witness you have 2 have some one in the paint 2 do the dirty work and horford is not that guy, collins 7′0 tall take charges and defend his man from even coming close 2 rebounding, come playoffs if you defend and rebound you have a chance winning, right now the hawks are rank almost dead last in rebounding with josh, horford in the post, so that why the hawks can’t continue 2 keep playing him at center.
GO HAWKS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Wabe
April 12th, 2011
5:40 pm
KevinM,
Co-sign.
Not sure why so many folks are talking about Bibby vs. Hinrich. Fact is, regardless of which one you throw in there, we’re not going anywhere.
Booo!
April 12th, 2011
5:40 pm
After our 2008 playoff exit against the Celtics, Woody took a page out of Tom Thibedau’s notebook and emplemented a “swarming” type defense to go along with the switching. This worked well for us the past two seasons. I mean, it works in general(Ray Allen and Paul Pierce are not great defenders…..neither are Korver/Boozer etc.)
Under L-Drew we have pretty much just played man Defense with no switching and no trapping(the trapping and swarming being the key issue) just man to man and the occasional Zone. I beleive that’s what Horford and Smoove have been complaining about…..nobody is helping one another out there. But what can they do? They are paid to run whatever Drew wants and thats what they do. I feel bad for the players sometimes because at the end of the day, they take more heat than the coach, when really it’s not their fault. I noticed this last season with Joe. PPL complain about him, but he just did whatever Woody wanted and never said a word. Unlike say, Lebron or Dwight who constantly have “meeting of the minds” with their Head Coaches. I’m not hating on LL, i’m just sayin’…
Woody wanted Smoove in the paint and eventually Smoove fell in line and last year we had our best season in a decade. This season, LD is not laying down the law with authority and smoove has to ask “Is this a bad shot coach?”. I am almost positive he never had to ask Mike Woodson that question. Smh
What Woody and Woody-Lite DO have in common, is their reluctance to play Young players EVEN IF they are leaps and bounds better than your veterans (EX :Teague/JC2 > Bibby Pape Sy > Marvin ) I mean how can you be that thick-headed? Even Stevie Wonder could see that Bibby/Marvin = Maximum Suckage
But because the ASG didn’t want to part with the necessary funds in order to aquire a competent Head Coach, we had to give up TWO first round Draft picks for ABSOLUTELY NOTHING!
If I was the GM, I never would have re-signed Bibby in the first place! Flip, Jamal, and Teague would be my guards sharing the backcourt with JJ. Marvin would be gone by now.
If I was our GM, I would have had JC1 & JC2 coming off the bench together causing nightmares for the opposition (and my coach would have had NO CHOICE but to play them or GET LOST!). Heck, I would have waived Bibby and paid the rest of his salary Shoot. Let him go to Miami, thats fine but I wouldnt lose sleep over it with Teague and JC2 on my roster.
Fire LD, and Get a real Coach!
Get us a new GM!
Sell the team to an owner who cares and has lots of $$$
Bring back that guy from Texas! We need a new owner ASAP!
darrell starks
April 12th, 2011
5:42 pm
Horford must play powerford at all time rotate COLLINS, ZAZA at center the hawks will be okay.
GO HAWKS!!!!!!!!!!
Booo!
April 12th, 2011
5:44 pm
I’m glad to see that most of you have “seen the light” in regards to Jeff Teague. That wasn’t the case when the trade first went down. PPL still wanted him to come off the bench like we have and actual shot at a Title this season….and even if we did it would have something to do with his play/potential. b/c like others have stated, Hinrich/Bibby aren’t getting anybody anwhere.
Booo!
April 12th, 2011
5:48 pm
Lol, in my 5:40 post “LL” is supposed to be “JJ” ha.
JeJe
April 12th, 2011
6:18 pm
It’s a sunny evening in the A
FIRE LD
JOEY1
April 12th, 2011
6:43 pm
1
darrell starks
April 12th, 2011
6:45 pm
BOOO last night at the game, the second unit did the switch and lock down on defense, so maybe the hawks need 2 go back 2 switching, i don’t see why not because right now there defense of lately is the worst in the nba.
GO HAWKS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Choosen1
April 12th, 2011
6:53 pm
Im starting to think Josh Smith may cry from time to time but he’s no hoe. Even though his shot selection is suspect he’s not scared to take the a shot no matter who were playing. I feel put this dude on the block and run the offense through him (And he does find the open shooter when their open) you would have better chance at winning. And I would love to see Teague run the break with Smith and Williams(yes Marvin) filling the lanes. Everybody talks sh*t about Smith but each year when the post season starts who stands up (yup Mr Smith)