Atlanta Hawks: Would they be hopeless without Hinrich? (Update: Hinrich doubtful for series)
7:30 p.m. UPDATE: Hawks say Kirk Hinrich is doubtful to play in series vs. Bulls because of “significant strain” to hamstring.
Kirk Hinrich had an MRI this afternoon. The Hawks haven’t released the results yet but say they expect to announce something today. I’m told it didn’t look good for Hinrich last night but there was more optimism today because he was moving better.
If Hinrich can’t play or is very limited, the Hawks are in serious trouble against the Bulls. I’m assuming they can’t suddenly change their offensive habits to the point where they can score efficiently against the league’s best D. They need Hinrich for scoring, too, because if you are going to be a jump-shooting team it’s best to send out as many jump shooters as possible, especially one capable of getting his own.
So it seems Atlanta’s best chance in this series is to play rugged defense and pull out some grinding games. They did that against the Magic but the Dwight Defense is null against Chicago, which plays through D-Rose instead of the post. Among Atlanta’s guards, Hinrich is their best chance to slow D-Rose–if not by staying in front of him, then by going under screens and then recovering to challenge his (so-so) jump shot. As Hinrich showed during the Orlando series, he’s pretty good at that.
Hinrich’s availability is so crucial, in fact, that L.D. and his staff couldn’t really make a lot of decisions on their game plans today because they didn’t know if they’d have Hinrich.
“It certainly changes things,” Drew said. “Hopefully he will be able to go but if he’s not we will have to make an adjustment. Not knowing what we will do at that point, we will talk about it as a staff and then make a decision. We are looking at matchups to see what will work best for us and not really knowing if Kirk can go, can’t go, play some or can’t play at all—a lot of that will change things.”
If Hinrich can’t play or is ineffective, the other options to defend Rose are Teague, J.J., Jamal, and Damien.
L.D. hasn’t put much trust in Teague all season and now would be asking him to guard the best offensive point guard in the league.
“We’ve been talking to Teague already, getting his mind prepared,” Jamal said. “He understands the challenge at hand. I think he’s prepared himself for the opportunity. I think he got a little down when he was not paying as much. Sometimes things work out in strange ways. Now he gets his change to play.”
J.J. doesn’t like checking points and has proven to be effective at it only in small stretches. Plus the Hawks are going to need all the points they can get and tasking J.J. with chasing Rose through screens and also carrying his usual offensive burden is a lot to ask.
“I am sure through course of the series he will spend time on [Rose],” Drew said. “There is a high probability a few guys will see time on him. [The Bulls] put you in a situation where they do force you to switch. Joe has guarded point guards before; he’s comfortable defending point guards. Hopefully it won’t be much. I’d like to keep him off of him.”
Damien generally has fared better against opponents he can body up rather than those who require quick feet. Jamal had his moments playing acceptable team defense against the Magic but clearly this is not an assignment for him.
The pick-and-roll alignment the Hawks used against Jameer and the Magic probably doesn’t make sense. Noah isn’t a big threat on the roll–he’s scored 1.09 points per possession, according to Synergy Sports Technology, but only had 61 attempts. Rose is generally less concerned with kicking out to 3-point shooters than with getting to the basket for scores (he was third among point guards in field-goals per game at the rim with 3.8 and averaged five against the Hawks) or drawing fouls (.35 free-throw rate overall, .32 against the Hawks).
And, anyway, Rose has been much more efficient scoring in isolation (1.09 points per possession, ranked No. 4 in the league) than on screen-rolls (.87 ppp, ranked 45th). It could get ugly for the Hawks if the Bulls clear out for Rose and an Atlanta guard is forced to defend him in space.
There’s some sentiment in the Hawks’ locker room to play a zone against the Bulls. Good luck keeping the Bulls off the glass with that strategy. They were the fourth-best offensive rebounding team this season and they hammered the Hawks on the board in all three meetings this season.
“We have to come up with a game plan to try to slow down the potential MVP,” L.D. said. “It won’t be an easy job; it’s going to be tough. He’s seen probably every conceivable defense there is. One guy won’t do it. It will take a total team effort.”
True, but that effort would appear to be doomed without Hinrich.
Michael Cunningham, Hawks beat
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425 comments Add your comment
Hawks Fan In New Orleans
April 29th, 2011
11:48 pm
Larry Drew maybe slighting Teague and giving him the Woody treatment because he wants to keep the “point guard of the future” spot open for his son LD 2.
What a subtle ploy if it is true – I won’t put anything past this sick genius.
Najeh Davenpoop
April 29th, 2011
11:48 pm
I say start Teague-Joe-Marvin-Smoove-Al
Jamal/Damien/Zaza/Collins off the bench
Slimjr
April 29th, 2011
11:53 pm
Wow @Josh creating his own shot and missing extremely easy shots..
terrell
April 29th, 2011
11:56 pm
“Would they be hopeless without Hinrich”? Not if LD woulda played Tague in the reg season. And I mean signifigant min, not garbage min. Too late now. And man, I wish we had ZBo. Just beastin inside. Hope Josh was watching that game.
tom
April 30th, 2011
12:00 am
this just sux. hinrich makes a key basket at 3:06 to put the hawks up by 4 and gets hurt in the process. hopefully teague is up to the challenge now.
Mike is back
April 30th, 2011
12:02 am
You gotta love POP’s post game comments…he’s a class guy.
BILLY KNIGHT
April 30th, 2011
12:03 am
Teague time now have arrive, LD just can’t put pressure on him just let him go with the flow, teague starting will give this team a boost of energy and along with his defense.
Najeh Davenpoop
April 30th, 2011
12:03 am
“Najeh Davenpoop posted a nasty virus – do not click his post!”
Huh? I only linked to BlackSportsOnline and Youtube. Didn’t get any viruses on my computer.
Slimjr
April 30th, 2011
12:07 am
““Najeh Davenpoop posted a nasty virus – do not click his post!”
Huh? I only linked to BlackSportsOnline and Youtube. Didn’t get any viruses on my computer.”
Maybe he’s running windows 98? LOL
Najeh Davenpoop
April 30th, 2011
12:07 am
Z-Bo was a beast in that 4th quarter. He has come a long way from this.
BILLY KNIGHT
April 30th, 2011
12:09 am
terrell it’s not to late now is the time for teague to play ball, but LD have to let teague play ball and have fun, look teague is your only defender on this team that can atleast come close to containing rose with his quickness so LD have to understand that and be more patient as a coach.
Slimjr
April 30th, 2011
12:13 am
Zbo has stuff you cant teach.he can finish under pressure with distance.Its a gift Josh will never have..Josh gift was a crazy vertical but never learned proper fundamentals…….He can watch all he wants..He needs to stop trying to be the man when he aint the man… comprende??
Mike is back
April 30th, 2011
12:14 am
EVEN BETTER POST GAME COMMENTS…FROM LHollins…its refreshing to hear coaches that get it…we can only hope that LD is watching these two class coach.
Adam
April 30th, 2011
12:18 am
Teague vs Rose? Really? What’s plan C?
Jae Evolution
April 30th, 2011
12:21 am
Wow watching that video on B&B, reminds me a lot of Josh Smith, even he can mature with either a new situation or new coaching. One of the two has to happen.
The Real Mandingo
April 30th, 2011
12:22 am
The Hawks need a coach like Lionel Hollins. I think Lionel Hollins would coach circles around Larry Drew in a playoff series. A coach can be outcoached and still win a playoff series. I hate dissin’ LD but I’m just callin’ it like I see it.
Tomahawk
April 30th, 2011
12:28 am
Please hurry and get well Kirk…we will need you! If Josh Smith plays with his heart and his head he can be the difference maker! Go Hawks!
moboman
April 30th, 2011
12:48 am
Teague was the wrong guy for the Orlando series, but the right guy for this one. Time for him to show he has the co-jones to play in this league. Even though he hasnt shown me he has the PG mentality to start in the NBA, he is the option we have to go to. LD wont leave him on the bench vs the bulls. step up young man!
Buddy Grizzard
April 30th, 2011
12:55 am
“…he wants to keep the “point guard of the future” spot open for his son LD 2.”
How monumentally delusional would he have to be, given the fact that LD2 is not remotely an NBA prospect. But I wouldn’t put it past him. Look at LD2’s birthday rap after he quit on UNC in the midst of their run to a regular season ACC championship. Look at his younger brother getting kicked off his HS team because of Sharon Drew. MASSIVE entitlement issues, that family.
In lighter news, LD2 quitting on UNC is probably the best thing that could have happened to Harrison Barnes. After LD2 left, he quickly leaped back into the top 3 on all the draft boards.
JeJe
April 30th, 2011
1:15 am
Just let Teague play
FIRE LD
roy
April 30th, 2011
1:23 am
Jeff teauge should start why mess with jamal who is playin well as a combo off of the bench
The Real Mandingo
April 30th, 2011
1:40 am
If the Hawks elect to go with Jeff Teague as their point guard in the future, his development process will be long and painful. JT will probably never be as good as Mike Conley, Jr. (MC Jr.) and I think MC Jr. is a below average starting point guard in the NBA who makes silly turnovers and misses clutch shots and free throws down the stretch.
Buddy Grizzard
April 30th, 2011
1:50 am
JT will probably never be as good as Mike Conley, Jr. – Mandingo
Teague is a pretty one dimensional player, but that one dimension, baseline-to-baseline speed and defense, is exactly what the Hawks need. We don’t need a traditional point guard. JJ brings the ball up and leads the team in assists. Teague can’t shoot but we have plenty of shooters. We just need somebody who can stay in front of drose.
Worldwide Clyde
April 30th, 2011
2:16 am
I thought the Hawks learned their lesson when Speedy Claxton broke down on them.
TheAntiMe
April 30th, 2011
2:43 am
I’m not writing the Hawks off yet. If I’m not mistaken, the game that the Hawks won during the regular season against the Bulls was before Kirk Hinrich was even a member of the Hawks. And it certainly wasn’t Mike Bibby that stopped Derrick Rose.
The Real Mandingo
April 30th, 2011
2:50 am
To: Buddy Grizzard
Is it remotely possible for the Hawks to wheel and deal and get somebody like Kemba Walker or is that too far-fetched?
You guys on this blog are the best ATL Hawks fans in the world and I ain’t just kissin’ butt either. I really mean it. I wish I lived in the ATL area but, unfortunately, I’m stuck out here in Texas!
vava74
April 30th, 2011
3:21 am
Regardless of what will be Teague’s production in this series A REAL COACH would come publicly state NOW LOUD AND CLEAR that if Hinrich can’t play or is limited HE TRUSTED TEAGUE.
A REAL HC facing the possibility of not having a certain designated player MUST GIVE public confidence to the guy who is likely called to pick up the slack.
He should have said: WE HAD TEAGUE START FOR US AGAINST QUALITY PGs AND HE DID A GOOD JOB. I TRUST HIM TO STEP UP HIS GAME IF WE CAN’T USE HINRICH.
Instead, this sorry *ss excuse of a coach comes publicly say that he is not making any plans until he knows if he can use Hinrich or not, as if starting Teague was like starting a race with a donut tire.
What an idiot. Is that the way you instill confidence in a young player?
As for Rose, he shot horribly against IND.
We need to working him hard and physical AND limit the shooting of the other guys:
Deng’s 3 point shooting in this year’s playoffs: 1.8/4.4 40.9%
Korver’s 3 point shooting in this year’s playoffs: 2.0/3.4 58.8%
Bogan’s 3 point shooting in this year’s playoffs: 1.8/3.6 50.0%
That’s 17 points per game in 3 pointers on close to 50% shooting.
If we leave these guys open, they will stitch us with their outside shots.
The worst possible defensive strategy is to over react to a single player.
Use every single body available on him, be physical. That includes Pape Sy who is long and quick and can give 6 hard fouls.
Make him bleed and step on his ankle.
Look how the Spurs used to win championships: Bowen was a dirty defender, kicking ankles, stepping on feet, etc…
Big Daddy
April 30th, 2011
3:47 am
I have said over and over again, as have others, about what happens if the point goes down just before or during the playoffs. If LD didn’t give Teague a chance to get some games under his belt before this, I don’t see him making the change now. He will probably have Joe start at point and Damien at the 2 spot with Damien taking the defensive assignment on Rose and Joe running the offense.
LD will probably use the same offense he did with Orlando only switching the focus point from Center to Point. Run Damien, Jamal and some Teague at D. Rose and concentrate on stopping Deng and Boozer. Noah is not that big a scoring threat. I will be very surprised if he starts Teague. He had his opportunity to do so all season and didn’t and I don’t see him doing that now. The only thing that may change is if JT comes in like a house on fire and the team gets in an uptempo game. That is JT’s strong point.
Buddy Grizzard
April 30th, 2011
3:58 am
“Is it remotely possible for the Hawks to wheel and deal and get somebody like Kemba Walker or is that too far-fetched?” – The Real Mandingo
It’s funny you mention Kemba Walker because I was watching him all season on nbadraft.net’s mock draft. He was actually sitting in the Hawks’ draft position for most of the season before he caught fire in the postseason and started moving up. He’s undersized and scouts probably looked at him as a Nate Robinson type, but nobody knew he was that good until he did his thing on the big stage.
There will actually be some teams trying to trade out of this weak draft. The Clippers already dumped their pick to get Cleveland to absorb Baron Davis’ contract. They felt like they were young enough. But unfortunately the Hawks don’t have alot of trade assets. Teague is actually the most trade-able asset we have, being on a rookie scale contract and having shown flashes.
Beyond that we have Josh and All Star Al signed to value contracts and JC1, Marv, Joe and Kirk are all overpaid relative to their production. There’s alot of speculation that Smoove could be the one to go, but we’d have to get alot back to make it worth it.
Buddy Grizzard
April 30th, 2011
4:02 am
“A REAL COACH would come publicly state NOW LOUD AND CLEAR that if Hinrich can’t play or is limited HE TRUSTED TEAGUE.” – Vava74
Excellent call. If LD doesn’t give Teague a vote of confidence, it will just show once and for all that this is a personal issue for LD that he doesn’t have the professionalism to overcome and set aside.
Ole Hawks Fan
April 30th, 2011
4:02 am
JC1 is NOT…………i.e NOT a PG. He is a SHOOTING GUARD and will Woody Light ever see this. Rose burned JC1 and Capt Kirk when they were trying to guard him. He is too quick for both of those players. If JC1 plays @ the PG…………………it will be a Blow Out in The Bulls favor and a short series. I’ve been saying this all season since I first saw JC1 playing at the point.
Buddy Grizzard
April 30th, 2011
4:21 am
Sam Smith thinks Hawks go big against CHI, points out Collins started the only game ATL won against CHI:
http://blogs.bulls.com/2011/04/bulls-get-atlanta-in-second-round/
Buddy Grizzard
April 30th, 2011
4:27 am
“The Bulls used to have some problems defending Smith. But under new coach Larry Drew he’s much less in control and doesn’t play as much defense and try to get the team in transition, which is when the athletic Hawks are best.”
- Sam Smith
Buddy Grizzard
April 30th, 2011
4:46 am
“JC1 is NOT…………i.e NOT a PG.” – OHF
Jamal is actually a decent passer. The problem is, if you go to NBA.com and look at Game 6 highlights, those two layups Jameer scored were helped by JC1’s defensive indifference. The first one he didn’t even try to stay in front of Jameer. On the second consecutive layup, JC1 shoots in the lane and stands there to see if it goes in. When Jameer goes racing down the other way, JC1 picks up Arenas and leaves Marvin to try to stop a full speed Jameer forray to the basket. JC1 doesn’t even try on defense… he’s indifferent.
vava74
April 30th, 2011
5:02 am
Just saw bit and pieces and most of the 4th quarter of the MEM-SA match up last night.
Randolph was on fire to close the game. He hit shots which were at a collective clutch and difficulty level that I only remember seeing MJ putting together on a stage like this (maybe Lebron’s 4th quarter against the Pistons a few years ago matched this as well, but the defense on him was not this tight).
Both Duncan and McDyess were all over him, trapping, moving their feet, hands all over and he managed to swish step back jumpers, get out of the traps driving around them and getting off-balance shots to hit nothing like net.
I was also wondering if MEM would be this successful with Gay since his presence would have certainly taken the ball out of Randolph’s hands and he destroyed the Spurs all series long.
Also, Gay’s presence (who’s D is sub par) would have probably diminished Battier’s minutes, so this is one of the most intriguing “what ifs” around.
O'Brien
April 30th, 2011
6:17 am
Vava,
If gay was healthy, Memphis might not have traded for battier. And I have not been impressed by Gay. He seems like a volume shooter who plays little defense
O'Brien
April 30th, 2011
6:24 am
Kirk played well against Orlando, and he will be Moises against rose.
However, I’ve been saying it all year from when bibby was here. LD should have been playing teague consistent minutes (even if it was only 12 MPG) because u never know when injuries might happen.
Even when bibby was struggling, LD refused to give teague consistent minutes, and would go with Jamal at PG even though the results were not there.
And after the trade, teague played well enough to get consistent backup minutes, but once again, LD hardly played him, despite publicly praising him.
That bulls game where rose torched Jamal and LD didn’t play teague was inexcusable, because that might have helped teague confidence this series.
That being said, I hope teague accept the challenge and play well.
Get Real
April 30th, 2011
7:00 am
I’d wager that when all is said and done, Teague will average less than 22 minutes per game in this series.
vava74
April 30th, 2011
7:18 am
OB,
You are probably right on that one (Gay-Battier).
And probably they would not have won the series against SAS.
Geemack
April 30th, 2011
8:12 am
Why is it that the Bulls have jumped the Hawks in expectation?
The Hawks are just as talented if not more talented.
The Hawks should be able to win this series in 6 even without Hinrich.
The only difference between the team is the Bulls respect the game more and play to their strength.
The Hawks consistently to their weaknesses, jump shot, half court offense, and lazy defense.
This is not Miami or Boston, this is Chicago, less playoff experience, and a team with the same talent level. The intangibles will win this series.
Slimjr
April 30th, 2011
8:21 am
LD something is not quite right about you???? You may need to seek some help??
You are starting to remind me of Billy Knight…..And that’s not a compliment!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Slimjr
April 30th, 2011
8:22 am
Josh for Rudy Gay, make it so………….
ILL-Logical
April 30th, 2011
8:25 am
Enter your comments here
Slimjr
April 30th, 2011
8:28 am
Hawks are very talented.but their coach is not..
…
He’s been blown out three times already,but I expect the Hawks to get it done in 5 or 6 anyway in spite of Larry!!!!!
The Game Has Changed
April 30th, 2011
8:45 am
@SteveW-Wow,how can you say we will be a 7 seed next year. Well some people said we would be the 8th seed this year. We didnt even play up to our ability and we still finished 5th easily. The Bucks, Knicks, 76ers, Pacers, and Bobcats were all predicted to finish higher than us this year. Where are all those teams now? At home or fishing. Drew has done an ok job this year and will only get better. When we win this round I know you will still find a reason to put him down. But thats cool with us.
The Game Has Changed
April 30th, 2011
8:47 am
Slimjr-Man you sound so comical. I dont understand what you are trying to say. Are you saying the coach doesnt make a difference and that the Hawks can win it without a coach? Wow.
Wink
April 30th, 2011
9:15 am
Let me state the obvious. Rose is the concensus MVP of the league. All the league opposing point guards, the quick ones, the tall ones, the completely healty ones, and the defensive minded ones have not been able to stop Derrick Rose. Rose has been taking BIGS to the rim.
Now that being said, how can anyone think that Hinrich can stop Rose, especially if he is not completely healed and comes back 80-85%. Teague is quick, may actually have confidence in his ability to stay in front of Rose,howvever, he will not be able to contain him. LD want give him the minutes & his limited shooting ability & handle makes him a liability on the offensive end as well.
For the Hawks to have a chance against Rose, either get the ball out of his hands or see if his team can win with him scoring 50 – 60 points.
Grand Dad suggested using a Triangle & Two. Maybe a Box & One. LD should dedicate the first game to this stategy. Give Teague the minutes and play him as a STARTER the entire game. Sub in Damien Wilkins to play Rose while Teaugue rests. These two player should be dedicated to Rose. Why? You have 12 fouls to use, Teague is the quickest & Damien is the best defender, and what do you have to lose, LD does not play them anyway.
Lastly, keep Twin in the lineup to wear down Noah, by the 4th quarter. Reduce his opportunities for 2nd chance rebounds, as they are not running plays for him on the offensive end. Also, gives 6 more fouls to use in the lane, when Rose beats his man. Twin should lay him down on the court EARLY & OFTEN!!!
We would still have Horford, JJ, Jamal, Josh for scoring along with whatever Marvin decides he wants to contribute.
Hinrich will not be available, so he’s no answer. Try this DEFENSE as a Game One experiment. Hey it’s game one of the 2ND round and no one is giving you a chance against the Bulls. “You can’t lose the series after just one game!” Just learn the lesson the game teaches you, win or lose!!
The end result is the Bulls did what they were suppose to do win on their home court,
Wink
April 30th, 2011
9:23 am
Just TRY something different for ONE GAME LD!!!
Beating Orlando has given you the security with ASG to continue your contract next year. (I think we need a new coach, but it what it is ASG world.)
Just think if you could upset the Bulls this ASG group will give you a MAX contract.
Just Try LD!
Ms.Chi-City
April 30th, 2011
9:38 am
the pacers tried to make it tough for the bulls and keep the ball out derrick roses’ hand …and I know you know that they are going to be watching this game from their own houses because they couldn’t make it happen….Orlando was weak you got lucky and you wont win against the bulls …dream on …SEE RED!
The Real Mandingo
April 30th, 2011
9:42 am
To: Buddy Grizzard
Thanks for the response regarding Kemba Walker.
I would be more comfortable with Jeff Teague if the shot form and release on his perimeter jumper was more traditional and orthodox. In my opinion, JT has an unusual (abnormal) release on his jump shot. JT and the Hawks should have worked more to improve his perimeter game last offseason. I think, if Teague shot a field goal percentage of 44%+ from 15ft. and beyond, Coach LD would have a lot of confidence in JT. By the same token, JT would play an overall better and smarter game if he shot well from the perimeter. There’s nothing like hitting a couple of outside jumpers to loosen up a point guard and get percolating.