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
brigadierjerry
April 30th, 2011
9:48 pm
Josh could play like Zach Randolph if he focuses on playing that way but he wants to play like Lamar Odom. One thing I notice is that Josh cannot compensate when he isnt 100%
Najeh Davenpoop
April 30th, 2011
9:54 pm
“You are essentially starting 3 guys who you cant depend on in Marvin,Josh,and Teague in hopes of trying to win a playoff series . ”
The problem with this line of reasoning is that it implies that Al, Joe, Jamal, etc. are players you can depend on. Nobody knows if Aggressive Joe or Passive Joe will show up. Nobody knows if Al will put up 31 and 16 or if he will shoot 40% for the series like against Orlando and pass up makeable shots all game long. Nobody knows if Jamal is going to catch fire or if he’s going to throw up bricks and get burned all day on D.
There is nobody on this team who is dependable game in and game out. We don’t have a Kobe or a LeBron. Start the players who give you the best chance of countering the Bulls matchup-wise and hope for the best.
Starting lineup: Teague/Joe/Marvin/Smoove/Al
Bench: Jamal/Damien/Zaza/Collins
Teague is the Hawks guard best equipped to slow down Rose and make it hard for him to get in the lane. Smoove has the athletic advantage over Boozer and is more effective at PF than at SF where he has to close out on shooters and tends to drift to the perimeter. Presumably Al will step up his game going up against Noah in the playoffs. Marvin is unreliable as ever but he played good man to man D in the Orlando series and has the appropriate body type to chase Deng around and deny him open looks. Joe had trouble when Turkoglu guarded him in the Magic series because of Turkoglu’s length; Deng is equipped to give him similar problems whereas Bogans is not.
I’m not entirely opposed to Teague/Joe/Smoove/Al/Collins either. Collins is not a good rebounder but he does box out; he doesn’t get rebounds because he doesn’t jump. If he can box out Noah, it’s on Al and Smoove to swoop into the space vacated to get rebounds, like they did in Game 6 against Orlando when both got double doubles. I like one thing that Collins does on the offensive end that doesn’t show up in the box score, which is sealing off his man to create space for Joe to drive to the basket.
Ideally in my opinion the Hawks should have/could have started Teague/Kirk/Joe/Smoove/Al. I know this contradicts what I said earlier about Joe being matched up on Deng, but the tradeoff of having three players on the floor who can guard Rose and bringing Marvin off the bench where he is more effective would have been worth it to me.
northcyde
April 30th, 2011
9:54 pm
LOL @ those draft picks. The worst thing about those pics, is that about 70% of those guys were INSTANT failures for us. Didn’t even last 2 years. Just horrific draft picks.
It’s one thing not to be able to get anything out of 2nd round picks, but 1st round picks? Just horrible. LOL . . then we trade the best pick of them all for Reef, and he only lasts 2.5 years with us.
Horrible.
Najeh Davenpoop
April 30th, 2011
10:00 pm
“Drew would be silly to not try Teague against Rose. And if he’s going to play, I’d rather him play with the Starters, than with the reserves.”
Co-sign. ‘Preciate the stats. They sound right to me based on what I remember seeing. Maybe Teague fails in the playoffs against Rose, but it would be damn stupid to not try it out.
J from the A
April 30th, 2011
10:02 pm
darn blog monsters are killing me today!
Synopsis: When you let your own venomous racism go, perhaps most of the “others” stop seeming so bad and stop seeming so “other.” But with your own venomous racism in place, much of what the “other” says and does, seems offensive, if not evil. Learn to love and give your “other” brethren the benefit of the doubt (until they decisively prove they don’t deserve your benefit), and this world would be such a better place. (Obviously, this cuts both ways.)
Najeh Davenpoop
April 30th, 2011
10:03 pm
^^I meant Game 4, not Game 6. But the broader point still stands; in Game 4 Smoove and Al got double doubles, and in Game 6 Joe and Al got double doubles. The Hawks outrebounded the Magic in both games. Collins is capable of boxing out even if he can’t rebound. If he does that the other players on the floor have to crash the boards.
Najeh Davenpoop
April 30th, 2011
10:07 pm
Drew said a lack of consistency prevented Teague from joining the rotation.
“That being said, I will never give up on him,” Drew said. “I still believe in his ability. I know that when he plays with consistency, he’s a totally different player and we’re a totally different team. I see something in him that I really like.”
Yeah, because the rest of the team is such a model of consistency. Maybe Nique has more influence on the Hawks’ coaches than we all think. Hard for me to think of another reason why this blatant double standard seems to permeate the higher ups in this organization.
WindyCityVic
April 30th, 2011
10:07 pm
lol….you all have to be dreamin’…maybe….and i say MAYBE the hawks win one game….see ya next year
northcyde
April 30th, 2011
10:09 pm
Noah vs Collins Per-36 minutes . . . according to NBA StatsCube
- they played only 17 minutes vs each other
- actual production in parenthesis
NOAH
10.6 pts . . ( 5 pts )
12.7 rebs . . ( 6 rebs )
4.2 asst . . ( 2 asst )
67% FG ( 2 – 3 FG )
4.2 FTA . . ( 2 FTA )
4.2 fouls . . ( 2 fouls )
**********************
COLLINS
0 pts
0 rebs
2.1 asst . . ( 1 asst )
0 FG% ( 0 – 0 )
0 FTA
6.4 fouls . . ( 3 fouls )
J from the A
April 30th, 2011
10:09 pm
It’s TEAGUE TIME!
I have been a critic of him for most of this year, but now is his time to shine. Go Teague! GO HAWKS!
northcyde
April 30th, 2011
10:12 pm
Najeh . . you’re reaching on Collins man. I think Collins is good at boxing out, only if his man shot the ball. But as far as boxing out people who don’t have the ball, he sucks. And he’s always sucked at that.
That dude should not play AT ALL during the Chicago series, unless it’s an absolute emergency.
Najeh Davenpoop
April 30th, 2011
10:12 pm
Collins vs. the Bulls may be a little more telling, seeing as how most of what Collins does doesn’t show up in the box score, but even then it is a really small sample size.
northcyde
April 30th, 2011
10:15 pm
Brig . . why do you keep saying that Josh isn’t 100%, and using that as an excuse for him? When he is 100%, he still has the same issues.
And anytime he’s on the break, he sure doesn’t look hurt to the point that he still can’t throw a thunderous dunk down. And he got up quite well to block Howard’s shot the other night.
Josh may not be 100%, but he’s not hurt to the point where his athletic ability is severely hampered. It’s like JJ’s hand. It may hurt, but he can still shoot if he takes the right types of shots.
brigadierjerry
April 30th, 2011
10:16 pm
WindyCityVic ,
I see you are a fan of the Bulls, you see them winning a chip this year cause I dont see it. They remind me of the 2001 SIxers.
brigadierjerry
April 30th, 2011
10:21 pm
northclyde,
That is true about Smith but he just isnt the same player to me as he was even say two years ago. IT is really hard to figure him out. Wouldnt you agree he has the potential to play like Zach especially the rebounds part? I know Joe Johnson gets killed sometimes but he is the best on the team taking it to the basket he has a handle and has a midrange game.
I posted those draft picks to point out how bad the Hawks draft picks has been. You are right most didnt last past their rookie contract. Some even less than that. I will say the late 90’s Hawks team had a real good chance to do some damage but once they traded Smith and Mutombo went downhill from there
brigadierjerry
April 30th, 2011
10:24 pm
northclyde,
I would agree with you I wouldnt start Collins it isnt as if the Bulls have Howard in the middle and that negates Collins ability to start. The key for this series is Smith and Horford have to play tough defense and rebound the ball. Another thing that will hurt the Hawks is lack of a shotblocker to make it difficult for Rose to get clear shots at the basket
northcyde
April 30th, 2011
10:28 pm
Collins is our fullback I guess then. He picks up the blitz on pass plays, enabling the QB to get the pass off . . or he makes the key block that springs the RB for a big gain. Neither play will show up in the box score.
I’d still would rather roll with anybody but Collins though. Damn we need to obtain a big man rebounder at the very lease during the offseason.
northcyde
April 30th, 2011
10:32 pm
NO . . he does not have the ability to play like Zach, because Zach has always played an inside/outside game. Smith, if you let him, would rather camp out on the perimeter on every possession. And that alone prevents him from being as good of a rebounder than Zach. Zach, for the most part, makes sure he’s in the paint when that shot goes up.
I think the Lamar Odom comparison is dead on though. Eddie Johnson ( the former Seattle Sonic and Phoenix Sun player ), said 4 – 5 years ago that Josh reminded him more of Lamar Odom, than anybody else. I’ve always wanted him to play more like Shawn Kemp. But it looks like that will never happen.
J from the A
April 30th, 2011
10:46 pm
Is there going to be a big man available this off season that
(a) represents an improvement over Zaza and Jason
(b) can be had given the current CBA (things might be even worse under any new CBA)
(c) can be had given the Spirit Group’s reluctance to go into the luxury tax
In order for condition (b) to be met, it would have to be someone obtainable for the MLE or lower.
In order to for condition (c) to be met, it would (in all likelihood) have to be a vet minimum guy. Or maybe the Spirit group might be willing to violate condition (c)?
Under the best case scenario in which the Spirit Group is willing to go into the luxury (and the new CBA doesn’t keep the Hawks from being able to sign what would now be considered an MLE player), who would be the potential answer? Are any of those potential answer better than Zaza and Collins?
My best answer is DeAndre Jordan. His services MIGHT be obtainable for MLE-type money. He has a lot of upside. But is he good enough now to make a real difference for the Hawks next year? Also, given all the teams that need big men, what’s the chances of the Hawks being the one team that is able to grab him?
Who else might be available? Nenad Kristic? Joel Pryzbilla? Kurt Thomas? Dan Gadzuric? Take a chance on Greg Oden? It’s not clear that any of these guys offer a clear improvement over Zaza and Collins. Who else might be available for MLE-type money?
Sleepy
April 30th, 2011
10:48 pm
Josh is more like the Sixers version of Derrick Coleman when everyone realized that the guy was never gonna mature into the force everyone thought he would be .
Odom by the time he was 24 had already matured into a player that could help a team win a title
Sleepy
April 30th, 2011
10:51 pm
Deandre Jordan is gonna get a Al Horford type deal . The MLE would not be enough to get him .
They would probably be interested in a Marvin + Zaza for Kaman type of deal .
J from the A
April 30th, 2011
10:53 pm
Is Kaman an improvement over Zaza? I ask in all seriousness.
J from the A
April 30th, 2011
10:55 pm
And do you really think DeAndre is going go get a Horford-like deal? I think DeAndre still has a lot to prove before someone dishes out that kind of money to him, but then again with the dearth of legit big men, maybe his value gets pushed through the roof by one of these teams that have the space and the finances to pay whatever they want.
Jae Evolution
April 30th, 2011
11:02 pm
J from the A – When Kaman was healthy a few seasons ago he was a legit all-star candidate for C in the West he is a huge improvement over Zaza if he can get healthy.
northcyde
April 30th, 2011
11:15 pm
While I think DC in his prime was a better player than Josh, that’s a damn good comparison. And a scary one.
superiorblogman
April 30th, 2011
11:17 pm
brigadierjerry :
Regardless of what happens this series for the Hawks where do they go as far as moves going forward?I know a lot depends on what the CBA looks like. Drew will be back. He did that getting past the first round. Does anyone see them trying to make a move for Dwight?I get the impression Josh Smith will try to be moved. It seems a lot of fans have fallen out of favor with his play lately. I also think Marvin probably needs a change of teams.
Honestly where are the Hawks going forward? They dont have a lot of capspace and I dont get the impression they are going to go over the cap. 2nd round is nice and if they get to ECF that would be great but you get to a point in time where you want to see more.
I agree we need a shakeup regardless. If Teague gets atleast 25 minutes a game this series and does not average 8 pts 3 asts and 3 rebs I say move him. I like Teague but he has a lot of value in trades because honestly I don’t think any of these college guards in the draft are as good as Teague. Kemba does nothing defensively and is not Teague and nowhere near as quick as Lawson. Jimmer is Eddie House at best in the NBA and Kyrie Irving is going to be the next Jay Williams not wishing that on him but I doubt if he every stays healthy for 1 and #2 he is being overrated I did not see any Chris Paul in the guy, Teague would eat him alive. I think if you put Josh and Teague in a package you can get a whole lot. On the other hand, trading a guy with the talent of Josh alone you rarely get value. Below are a few trades of value that have a chance:
Josh for Monta Ellis: Ellis can play PG for Hawks we don’t need a true PG. Honestly, I want Teague to play like Monta not Chris Paul. If you want the truth, Deron Williams, Westbrook, Rose, they all play more like SG’s than PG’s, they shoot the ball a whole damn lot.
Josh for Okafor: I would be skeptical about this though. I’m not sure given the age difference and marketability difference that this would really be value but Okafor does block shots and is a legit NBA C because of strength and wingspan and he plays smarter.
Lastly, maybe Josh and Kirk for Rashard Lewis and Javal McGee: You would have to take Lewis horrible contract to even get them to think moving McGee and I still doubt if they would. McGee has as much upside as Josh in a lot of ways.
It’s not gonna be easy to move Josh because its gonna be so tough to get value back and we don’t need to be taking a big step back in talent. Maybe Cleveland would take him if they get the #2 pick and are not sold on Derrick Williams though. I would do that in a minute and Cleveland would have to think about it.
superiorblogman
April 30th, 2011
11:43 pm
I have posted several FA lists on this blog.
C’s that would help
1. Marc Gasol he will get a Al and Noah type contract though so forget it.
2. Tyson Chandler- when Haywood and Gortat signed to be backup C’s there contracts were both about $6 million a year. Chandler is no backup he will be getting 8-10 a year forget it.
3. Samuel Dalembert- He may be a guy that is attainable for 5 to 6 million a year. He was a backup sometimes in Sactown and starter sometimes. He may be possible.
4. Deandre Jordan- No way anyone is paying this guy $12 million a year. You are delusional if you think so. He has not even shown to be a full time starter. He will be a guy that is attainable for 5 to 6 million a year.
5. Greg Oden- He is another guy that should be in the 5-6 million dollar range because of injuries I just don’t see someone paying he more when he may not ever get right but I could be wrong about this one.
The Wildcard is getting Chris Kaman who I am not a fan of and would not even think of putting anyone other than Marvin and Zaza in a trade for and would think hard about putting Zaza in the trade. Kaman is another inconsistent type dude that I would not really want. Kaman is possible because I don’t see the Clips wanting to pay Kaman about $11 million next year and pay Jordan also. That is the reason Memphis moved Thabeet because they were not going to pay him near $6 million next year and pay Gasol 10-12 which they are going to have to.
Another Wildcard is Yao Ming.
Note: Of the list of 5,Only Dalembert and Chandler are unrestricted which means anyone can just straight up sign them, while the other players you can sign to offer sheet and there teams have the right to match the sheet.
Ming is unrestricted also but his injury history is also horrible.
J from the A
April 30th, 2011
11:44 pm
Jae Evolution
April 30th, 2011
11:02 pm
“J from the A – When Kaman was healthy a few seasons ago he was a legit all-star candidate for C in the West he is a huge improvement over Zaza if he can get healthy.”
The clauses “When Kaman was healthy,” “a few seasons ago,” and “if he can get healthy” are what worries me. Plus, even if Kaman was to get healthy and play at a fairly high level, the Hawks would have to give up, e.g., Zaza AND Marvin for him.
In short: At best, the Hawks would still have one more hole to fill. At worst, Kaman remains injury-prone/a shell of his old self and now the Hawks are worse in two positions.
J from the A
April 30th, 2011
11:51 pm
@superiorblogman: So the short version is roughly: The chances of obtaining a relatively low cost, quality big man through free agency this off season is next to nothing.
(BTW, I agree with your assessments on 1-5. I didn’t mention Gasol or Chandler because I figured they would obviously be looking at $10-12+ mill per year. I forget to mention Dalembert.)
brigadierjerry
May 1st, 2011
12:01 am
I agree we need a shakeup regardless. If Teague gets atleast 25 minutes a game this series and does not average 8 pts 3 asts and 3 rebs I say move him. I like Teague but he has a lot of value in trades because honestly I don’t think any of these college guards in the draft are as good as Teague. Kemba does nothing defensively and is not Teague and nowhere near as quick as Lawson. Jimmer is Eddie House at best in the NBA and Kyrie Irving is going to be the next Jay Williams not wishing that on him but I doubt if he every stays healthy for 1 and #2 he is being overrated I did not see any Chris Paul in the guy, Teague would eat him alive. I think if you put Josh and Teague in a package you can get a whole lot. On the other hand, trading a guy with the talent of Josh alone you rarely get value. Below are a few trades of value that have a chance:
Josh for Monta Ellis: Ellis can play PG for Hawks we don’t need a true PG. Honestly, I want Teague to play like Monta not Chris Paul. If you want the truth, Deron Williams, Westbrook, Rose, they all play more like SG’s than PG’s, they shoot the ball a whole damn lot.
Josh for Okafor: I would be skeptical about this though. I’m not sure given the age difference and marketability difference that this would really be value but Okafor does block shots and is a legit NBA C because of strength and wingspan and he plays smarter.
Lastly, maybe Josh and Kirk for Rashard Lewis and Javal McGee: You would have to take Lewis horrible contract to even get them to think moving McGee and I still doubt if they would. McGee has as much upside as Josh in a lot of ways.
It’s not gonna be easy to move Josh because its gonna be so tough to get value back and we don’t need to be taking a big step back in talent. Maybe Cleveland would take him if they get the #2 pick and are not sold on Derrick Williams though. I would do that in a minute and Cleveland would have to think about it.
superiorblogman,
That Monta Ellis deal might not be a bad idea. I think the Hawks need to make a big time move to get a major player. Do you think it is possible that to get Dwight Howard moving a Josh or Horford for him? Okafor watching him against the Lakers he looked so small out there. He is a good shot blocker though. You know who I think Teague can end up being the type of player?Aaron Brooks type of player.
The one thing I do not want is to take a bad contract back especially a long term one. That would hinder their progress to make future moves. The Oden is not a bad idea I would take a 1-2 year chance as far as a deal on him.
northclyde:That is an interesting comparison to Derrick Coleman although Coleman problem was he was never motivated well enough. I dont think that is Josh Smith problem. I think Josh Smith problem is he needs a good teacher and a strong personality.
Sleepy
May 1st, 2011
12:24 am
LOL the only thing wrong with Kaman would be hes been injured hes never been inconsistent as far as production or play.
There is a nice read on on Kamans road back from injury
http://sports.espn.go.com/los-angeles/nba/news/story?id=6163946
In March in 26 minutes
17 ppg 7 rpg over a block a game
In our situation these are the types of chances that you take
As far as Jordan goes
Taking the new CBA and work-stoppage threat out of the equation, one prominent NBA agent pegged Jordan’s value on the open market to be around $9 million to $11 million dollars a season and predicted he’d sign a contract similar to the five-year, $60 million extension that Bulls center Joakim Noah signed in 2010 or even the four-year, $58 million extension Lakers center Andrew Bynum signed in 2009.
superiorblogman
May 1st, 2011
12:39 am
I don’t care what the NBA agent said DeAndre Jordan is not getting anything close to $11 million and you are delusional if you think he is. Like I said Gortat’s contract is what Jordan is looking at at his best and that is 5 years 34 million and I would not be surprised if its more like 5 year $30 million.
Najeh Davenpoop
May 1st, 2011
12:51 am
I think a Brendan Haywood-type contract isn’t out of the question for DeAndre Jordan. But Horford money? No way.
Grandad
May 1st, 2011
2:25 am
northcyde
One of your silliest statements… ever.
“you’re reaching on Collins man.
I think Collins is good at boxing out,
*only if his man shot the ball*.
But as far as boxing out people who don’t have the ball,
he sucks. And he’s always sucked at that”
______________________________________________
When boxing out;
one has to take into account several factors
whether guarding the shooter or not.
*When guarding a non-shooter you are in help position,
therefore you sometimes end up boxing out another man.
*Sometimes when guarding the shooter,
one is out of position due to fronting.
*ergo…It may or may not have anything to do,
with whether or whether not you are guarding
the shooter or non-shooter.
*There are many more situations that could arise
which could impact box-outs;
namely; hedging, switching, doubling, trapping, close-outs,
teammates missing assignments, etc., of which you would
need to be aware and observe in the film room.
*It’s doubtful you have observed that closely.
I contend, Collins is a poor rebounder,
yet does a good to above avg job of boxing out.
*[box outs are a team job]
*Collins is a team player !
superiorblogman
May 1st, 2011
3:24 am
Sleepy
May 1st, 2011
12:24 am
LOL the only thing wrong with Kaman would be hes been injured hes never been inconsistent as far as production or play.
LOL as usual you have no clue. Kaman is not a upgrade of playing Al at C for several reasons and the injuries are just one. The biggest reason is that Kaman’s combination of height, wingspan, and vertical is worse than Al’s. DeAndre Jordan, Okafor, Oden, Gortat, and McGee all dwarf all on the other hand.
superiorblogman
May 1st, 2011
3:53 am
By the way, the Hawks should be looking at how Golden State beat the Bulls in a February meeting as the blueprint. We have much better defensive personnel than Golden State we should watch what they did and try to duplicate it. They made Rose turn the ball over 9 x’s and he admitted after that game they did some stuff to him that He had never seen before. He might think he figured it out but we can remind him he did not.
http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/recap?gid=2011020509
vava74
May 1st, 2011
4:57 am
http://msn.foxsports.com/video/NBA?vid=e590153a-6b49-4218-8d15-4ec64593e39f&from=foxsports/NBA+Basketball/headlines
Check it out. Marques Johnson says CHI are overrated (too many wins in a very easy division) and is tempted to consider an upset but Rose’s MVP play is difficult to overrule and should be the deciding factor.
FOR me, the key is NOT TO GET DEMORALIZED by Rose’s play and keep everyone else under control.
Just like against the MAGIC, the KEY is to make Rose work, get tired and remove everyone else from the equation.
IF, we manage to get everyone else to shoot in the .300 or very low .400 the main thing will be our ability to score and be efficient on offense and Rose’s production will be secondary.
Rose can’t do it all, has a bad ankle and if the scoring load is carried only him he will reach the 4th Quarter tired and will be easier to get stops.
JoJo The Godfather
May 1st, 2011
6:53 am
Let’s not forget our 6′7″ former PG from France. Pape Sy could be in uniform with Hinrich, Rolle & Thomas in suits. He needs to be ready to give us 5 minutes of defense on Rose every night.
lewis
May 1st, 2011
7:36 am
northcyde
April 30th, 2011
10:15 pm
Brig . . why do you keep saying that Josh isn’t 100%, and using that as an excuse for him? When he is 100%, he still has the same issues.
And anytime he’s on the break, he sure doesn’t look hurt to the point that he still can’t throw a thunderous dunk down. And he got up quite well to block Howard’s shot the other night.
Josh may not be 100%, but he’s not hurt to the point where his athletic ability is severely hampered. It’s like JJ’s hand. It may hurt, but he can still shoot if he takes the right types of shots.
Disagree. Josh’s knee injury has severely affected his play from the first half of the season to now. Pretty much killed his transition/alley oop/block game. You can see he hasn’t even attempted to grab a few lobs teammates have thrown for him because he just can’t get up that far right now. I hope its not forever, but he seems to have lost a solid 10 inches on his vertical. Figured he’d be at least 27-28 before the decline.
lewis
May 1st, 2011
7:41 am
As for Josh and Lamar Comparison,
all I can say to that is,
If we ever got a true C,
I’ve always loved the idea of Josh coming off the bench.
KevinM
May 1st, 2011
8:24 am
JoJo, Pape Sy will get run over like a Poppy Seed. He doesnt’ deserve the punishment nor the accolades. No way does he even get to do layups in the layup line.
And if you want to see what Oden is going to cost…..he’s considering testing the FA market next year….and it looks like Portland is offering 4/40….http://basketball.realgm.com/wiretap/213422/Oden_Looks_At_Free_Agency_As_His_Move
I’m not touching that number. He’s a long way from earning that kind of cash…not getting it, EARNING it.
Hey lewis, Josh may want to be Lamar, but he is more ZBo….he just won’t play to his strengths for 45 mpg. Count the number of wasted possessions per game with Josh next time……
- leading the break to pass to Al in the open court…..rec ball
- hoisting up rocket launchers while he stands on the 3 pt line….he learned this from Marvin.
- his passes to Teague that would have been caught if it were a bit taller Hindrich.
This guy wastes more possessions per 48M than when PG Boris Diaw was a Hawk…Woody had to tell Diaw to shoot the ball during the game…..a vivid memory in my mind. We all see what position Diaw is playing today…he’s on the Eddy Curry weight plan.
KevinM
May 1st, 2011
8:25 am
Did I mention how much I miss our 2 lottery draft picks Chills and Shell?
JeJe
May 1st, 2011
8:40 am
FIRE LD
SHOULD’VE SWEPT ORLANDO AND HINRICH SHOULD NOT BE HURT
JeJe
May 1st, 2011
8:41 am
CAN’T IMAGINE WHAT’S GOING THROUGH HINRICH’S HEAD (NO HOMO)…
GONNA MISS A SERIES VS. A TEAM HE SPENT MOST OF HIS CAREER ON, AND AGAINST A POINT GUARD HE MENTORED
SMDH
JeJe
May 1st, 2011
8:48 am
Point guard is the only position we are outmatched at vs. Chicago. I fear that if Boozer is out, we will go light on them and get killed. Kinda hoping he plays. If Horford doesn’t step up in this series, we will all see the truth about him, because
HORFORD SAID HE LOVES PLAYING VS. CHICAGO
Buddy Grizzard
May 1st, 2011
8:49 am
In my opinion, JT has an unusual (abnormal) release on his jump shot. – Mandingo
And maybe this is Las Vegas Larry’s problem with Teague. He seems to favor jump shooting above all other skills, and maybe because JT has bad form that’s not going to be easily corrected, Vegas will never trust him. But again, Rondo is not an elite outside shooter but he is an all star point guard. Derek Rose is not an elite outside shooter (although he is making strides) but he is the league MVP. I don’t think Teague is half the creator/pure point guard that either of them is, but HE IS AS FAST AS EITHER ONE.
IMO he hasn’t been afforded that. He may not be the pg of the future but give the guy a shot. – Fan in New Orleans
IMO Jeff Teague IS THE POINT GUARD OF THE FUTURE for the Hawks franchise. We are fortunate to have a two guard that leads the team in assists so we DON’T NEED a pure point guard. We need a DEFENSIVE PRESENCE at the 1, and that is JT’s area of specialization.
Buddy Grizzard
May 1st, 2011
8:52 am
SHOULD’VE SWEPT ORLANDO AND HINRICH SHOULD NOT BE HURT – JEJE
True story! But Las Vegas Larry made a killing on games 2 and 5 where he sat starters for extended stretches despite not being in foul trouble. Aren’t you glad Las Vegas Larry rested Al in Game 2 so the Hawks could play two extra games?
Booo!
May 1st, 2011
8:55 am
Over at blog a bull they keep talking about how stupid Josh Smith is
-_-
Hawks in 6….free the Teague
Booo!
May 1st, 2011
8:58 am
Kirk being out is a good thing for him. Now he doesnt have to get abused on national telivision by Rose.
Teague ALL Day!
Go Hawks!
JeJe
May 1st, 2011
9:13 am
LET’S MAKE THIS YEAR’S 2ND ROUND DIFFERENT FROM THE PAST 2 YEARS. LET’S GO INTO GAME 1 WITH A GOOD GAMEPLAN.
LET DAMIEN AND TEAGUE GET MAJOR MINUTES. NO ONE IS GIVING US A CHANCE.
CHICAGO IS NOT *THAT* GOOD. THEY HAVE A SUPERSTAR. NO ONE ELSE ON THEIR TEAM CAN SCORE IF CONTESTED.