Atlanta Hawks: Bulls 86, Hawks 73
Chicago–The Hawks couldn’t keep Chicago off the boards or D-Rose away from the basket. They took bad shots and also missed 10 attempts within five feet of the basket. No one aside from Teague or J.J. could score.
- “And still, with four minutes left, it was a six-point game,” Jamal said. “We were right there.”
- And then on the next four possessions the Hawks reverted to the form they showed for most of the game: J.J. threw the ball away, J.J. missed a challenged iso jumper, Josh’s 3-point attempt rimmed out and Al missed an open 20-footer.
- One way to view this game is the Hawks had a chance to win despite a poor offensive game and getting pounded on the boards. But they also have to lament the possessions they wasted by taking poor shots and committing careless turnovers and the extra possessions the Bulls got by picking off scraps around the basket.
- The Hawks never really had a sustained stretch of good play. “We will take the split,” Joe said. “We wanted to come down here and get two but we got one, so we will take it. Now everything is in our favor. We have got to go home and take care of homecourt.”
- Marvin started 1 for 6 from the field but at least he stopped shooting and got some rebounds. Al’s attempts to bang his way to baskets against Noah weren’t pretty but he facilitated the offense with six assists and had 14 of Atlanta’s 39 defensive rebounds.
- Josh, on the other hand, didn’t offer much beyond that burst of defense and dunks in the third quarter after he’d angrily ripped off his headband.
- “I was [ticked] off at myself,” he said “I understand what I need to do to be more effective with this ballclub, especially at the offensive end. I think Game 3 will be a different look for me.”
- And why was he angry with himself? “Turnovers, a couple of unforced errors on my part, maybe a couple of untimely shots. Just a couple–maybe one or two. It is just frustrating because I know I can give this team a little bit more on the offensive end. Right now I am not doing my part on that end. I know I have got to do more and be efficient like I’ve been all season.”
- Josh was 0 for 6 from beyond 15 feet, same as in Game 2. Unlike in the opener, he didn’t mitigate that with consistently good work on the boards or on D.
- Smoove channeled his emotions into a positive during that stretch with the blocked shots (helped by Boozer’s insistence on trying to shoot finesse baskets over him). But Josh’s lack of focus appeared to passive work on the boards and some loose turnovers.
- “That is something that he has to figure out as a player,” Al said. “If he does, that would show growth. I feel like he’s been growing every year but when he gets that he is going to be on a good position.”
- When is Smoove at his best for the Hawks? “Running on the break, slashing to the basket, getting blocked shots and when it calls for an open shot, he takes it,” Al said. “When he plays like that, plays poised like that, I think that’s when he’s at his best.”
- The Bulls, like the Magic in the first round, realized that it’s not enough to just induce Joe and Jamal into long Js. You also have to make them give up the ball or chase them off those shots, too, and so the Bulls turned up the pressure.
- The results were similar: less ball movement, more contested shots. Joe and Jamal were 4 of 15 from beyond 15 feet. “They made a conscious effort to not let Joe and Jamal beat them,” Josh said. “As teammates we have to do a better job when we catch the basketball so it can make them second-guess if they are going to double them.”
- “The ball really didn’t move,” Joe said. “We had a lot of tough shots and contested shots. That hurt us. Offensively we got in a rut. Everybody wanted to score; everybody was thirsty. That killed us a team.”
- There were times when Teague held the ball at the top of the key while trying to feed a teammate on the wing or in the post. “It’s a lot of responsibility on my part to make sure guys get touches in spots where they can be effective,” Teague said. “Tonight they turned up the intensity and made it hard for us.”
- With the way Teague’s playing, the Hawks might be better off letting him loose instead of slowing things down so he can look for others.
- “I was just trying to win,” Teague said. “The opportunity comes, I have to be aggressive just so they respect me on the floor.”
- “I think with Teague playing it kind of throws them off because they really haven’t seen him play much,” J.J. said. “I think it’s hard for them to gear up, especially the first two games.”
- “I thought he played a brilliant game tonight,” L.D. said.
- Teague again led the effort to prevent D-Rose from taking over. “I think we did a pretty good job,” Teague said. “He made 10 of 27 shots. I guess we will take that.”
- Teague is doing a really nice job of making D-Rose work at both ends. But either Rose’s ankle isn’t right or he just doesn’t have it in him to be aggressive because he has so many passive moments.
- The Hawks had Jamal on Rose and Teague on Korver in the fourth quarter. It sort of worked because Rose wasn’t really looking to go to the basket and Teague makes up for the size disadvantage by staying in Korver’s chest. “You have to crowd and get into him,” Teague said. “He’s a lights out shooter and when he gets his feet set he has a quick release.”
- Zaza played just eight minutes. Even though he seemed a bit slugging early, I think more Zaza and less Josh might have been in order since the Hawks were getting outmuscled at the basket.
- More Damien and less Marvin might have been a good thing, too.
Michael Cunningham, Hawks beat
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368 comments Add your comment
PaulCrieder
May 5th, 2011
11:42 am
Jason Collins should replace Josh Smith in the starting lineup. Like I said yesterday, Josh Smith has the skills set, abilities and capacities to perform on a day-to-day basis AS GOOD AS D-WADE or LABRON JAMES. Smith, however, is lazy and could care less about making plays and performing with excellence. ALL JOSH SMITH CARES ABOUT WHEN HE IS IN THE GAME IS TO CLEAR OUT OF HIS WAY SO THAT HE CAN HOIST UP HIS 3-POINTERS BETWEEN THE 3-POINT LINE AND HALF-COURT. THATS ALL JOSH WANTS TO DO. Josh, if you want do so that, why dont you ever enter the all-star game 3-point shooting contest. You will lose that one too.
KevinM
May 5th, 2011
11:46 am
The last 4 minutes was the most painful display of the LD offense we have seen since he was announced as the HC. We simply threw in the towel instead of forcing our will.
Saying that, I thought for sure we would be down 0-2. So, in a 5 game series with us having home advantage?
I like our chances if it gets done by Game 6. Otherwise, it is just another ATL heartbreakin’ series when fans start believing in you.
And where would CHI be if Joe went there this summer? My goodness…..
And the truth is, we need Joe more than I thought because we would not blow this thing up had Joe left. We would have signed JC1 to a long term and that might not be the best thing despite the need to have him on our bench as instant offense.
I would have to say if we have concerns about the PG this offseason, then LD and Sund truly don’t know what we have and what a PG is supposed to do. It is going to almost take a MVP performance from JT to keep LD from yanking him.
And remember what Orlando did when they reached the Finals against the Lakers? Jameer was hurt throughout the playoffs, Rafer Alston gets them there and braniac SVG throws Jameer in there and blows any momentum they had that year.
I can see LD doing that once Kirk is ready to go again….just rip Teague right out of there.
DinasaurFenton
May 5th, 2011
11:53 am
Everyone says we thought we would be down 0-2 so we are glad for the split and the home court advantage. WHAT I AM WORRIED ABOUT IS THAT THE HAWKS PLAYED SO POORLY LAST NIGHT THAT I AM SURE THAT IF THEY PLAY LIKE THAT AT PHILLIPS ARENA, THE HOME COURT ADVANTAGE WONT DO THEM ANY GOOD. THEY WILL LOSE TWO STRAIGHT GAMES AT PHILLIPS IF THEY PLAY ANYWHERE CLOSE TO HOW THEY PERFORMED LAST NIGHT. I could see it in the players eyes. THE HAWKS QUIT AFTER THE FIRST 5 MINUTES OF LAST NIGHTS CONTEST. THEY JUST WANTED TO GET THE HELL OF THE COURT AND INTO THEIR ROLLS ROYCES AND ABANDON THEIR JOBS. It was a pathetic display of basketball last night and i am fed up with the effort. Lack of effort will get you tossed out of the playoffs.
TheAntiMe
May 5th, 2011
11:56 am
Josh unfortunately thinks he is Lamar Odom and was never taught how to play inside out game and a structured one.
Truthfully, lately I get the impression that Josh thinks that he’s Larry Freaking Bird with all of the 3-point and deep 2-point attempts he seems so determined to launch any time he get’s the ball in his hands.
brigadierjerry
May 5th, 2011
11:56 am
josh “jump shot” smith not sure he could be corrected unless he had a phil jackson or greg popovich coach. He is the type of player that will go 4-12 and swear he is on fire from the outside. Him and World B free have a lot in common. For the older heads who world be free was.
josh smith unfortunately is a mental midget
SteveW
May 5th, 2011
11:56 am
MC – Great post! As always really, but thanks!
Your my favorite sportswriter, local or national..No agenda, just like to tell people I appreciate a good job, it’s becoming so scarce nowaday. You got National potential man! But you probably know that already.
Quote from the article:
“Zaza played just eight minutes. Even though he seemed a bit slugging early, I think more Zaza and less Josh might have been in order since the Hawks were getting outmuscled at the basket.”
Yep, we were screamin’ that last night. Then LD says we didn’t protect the rim – no duh. But I also think a rotation of ZaZa, Al, and Josh would have been effective.
Al is spent.
Etan played good vs. Chicago in a game earlier this season, as against OKC and Orlando.
We needed him to bang Boozer and Noah around.
Activate Etan, and let he and ZaZa bash on Noah and Boozer a while.
Al definitely needs a break
northcyde
May 5th, 2011
11:58 am
Frontline shooting in the playoffs.
SMITH
5 – 31 FG ( 16% ) from 16 – 23 ft
3 – 18 FG ( 17% ) from 3 point range
Total: 8 – 49 FG ( 16% ) on his jumpshots
*************************
HORFORD
0 – 2 FG ( 0% ) from 3 point range
20 – 61 FG ( 33% ) from 16 – 23 feet
2 – 9 FG ( 22% ) on shots in the paint not at the rim
Total: 22 – 72 FG ( 31% ) on shots not at the rim
************************
Damn. Those numbers are much worse than what I thought.
Rod from College Park
May 5th, 2011
12:00 pm
It was the worst pick in history,
Al Horford is listed as 6′10, 245 on the official NBA website, so is not to small to play center, and he was voted by the coaches two years in a row as an All Star Center. He would have no chance to be an All Star if he played power forward, and I still am not sure if he is a better power forward than Josh. His defense is very average, and his help defense is terrible, and he has absolutely no post game.
Anti-Chicken
May 5th, 2011
12:01 pm
If Josh wants to take so many jump-shots from distance, then WHY IS HE TOO LAZY TO WORK ON HIS JUMP SHOT DURING THE OFF-SEASON. I have posted a million times on these blogs, Josh needs to find himself in the gym and launch 1000 jumpers per day during the off-season until he hits them at about a 50% clip. If he does that, he will become one the best jump-shooters in the league and the Hawks will win the championship. Why not be dedicated if they are paying you MILLIONS OF DOLLARS TO BE A PROFESSIONAL BASKETBALL PLAYER. You are paid to be a professional and not to be an ameteur, which is what Josh is.
Rod from College Park
May 5th, 2011
12:04 pm
Paging All Star Al………. You there? Your team is in the playoffs. They need you to play like an ALL Star.
northcyde
May 5th, 2011
12:04 pm
Jamal Crawford . . if you’re reading the blog, relay these numbers to Josh Smith, and see how he reacts to them.
On shots in the paint, he’s 12 – 25 FG ( 48% )
On shots at the rim, he’s 21 – 32 FG ( 66% )
Total: 33 – 57 FG ( 58% ) on total shots inside the paint.
So he’s shooting 16% on shots outside the paint . . and 58% on shots inside the paint.
If he REALLY understands where he is efficient on offense, show him these numbers, and ask him why does he continue to shoot jumpers, and especially 3s. Ask him why he doesn’t drift toward the paint or flash in the paint.
He honestly should not be shooting a jumpshot unless it’s less than 5 seconds left on the clock. And he should never be set up beyond 20 feet in the first place, even if coach has him out there in the offense.
brigadierjerry
May 5th, 2011
12:06 pm
Going forward, it will be hard but Hawks will have to make some decisions or changing the makeup of this team.
Free Agents in 2011:
Point Guard
(name, team – 2010-11 salary – status)
Aaron Brooks, Phoenix Suns – $2.0 million – Restricted ($3.0 million Qualifying Offer)
Andre Miller, Portland Trail Blazers – $7.3 million – Team Option ($7.8 million)
Goran Dragic, Houston Rockets – $2.0 million – Team Option ($2.1 million)
Leandro Barbosa, Toronto Raptors – $7.1 million – Player Option ($7.6 million)
Rodney Stuckey, Detroit Pistons – $2.8 million – Restricted ($3.9 million Qualifying Offer)
T.J. Ford, Indiana Pacers – $8.5 million – Unrestricted
Carlos Arroyo, Boston Celtics – $1.2 million – Unrestricted
Ronnie Price, Utah Jazz – $1.3 million – Unrestricted
Patrick Mills, Portland Trail Blazers – $0.9 million – Unrestricted*
Sasha Vujacic, New Jersey Nets – $5.5 million – Unrestricted
Sebastian Telfair, Minnesota Timberwolves – $2.7 million – Unrestricted
Charlie Bell, Golden State Warriors – $3.9 million – Early Termination Option ($4.1 million)
Willie Green, New Orleans Hornets – $4.0 million – Unrestricted
Mario Chalmers, Miami HEAT – $0.9 million – Unrestricted*
Jason Williams, Memphis Grizzlies – $1.4 million – Unrestricted
Earl Watson, Utah Jazz – $1.2 million – Unrestricted
Pooh Jeter, Sacramento Kings – $0.5 million – Team Option ($0.8 million)
Jose Barea, Dallas Mavericks – $1.7 million – Unrestricted
Sundiata Gaines, New Jersey Nets – $0.7 million – Unrestricted*
Chris Quinn, San Antonio Spurs – $0.9 million – Unrestricted
Royal Ivey, Oklahoma City Thunder – $1.1 million – Unrestricted
Marcus Banks, New Orleans Hornets – $4.9 million – Unrestricted
Earl Boykins, Milwaukee Bucks – $1.4 million – Unrestricted
Anthony Carter, New York Knicks – $1.4 million – Unrestricted
Acie Law, Golden State Warriors – $0.7 million – Unrestricted
John Lucas, Chicago Bulls – $0.7 million – Unrestricted*
Ben Uzoh, New Jersey Nets – $0.5 million – Unrestricted*
Shooting Guard
(name, team – 2010-11 salary – status)
Ray Allen, Boston Celtics – $10.0 million – Player Option ($10.0 million)
Jason Richardson, Orlando Magic – $14.4 million – Unrestricted
Jamal Crawford, Atlanta Hawks – $10.1 million – Unrestricted
Arron Afflalo, Denver Nuggets – $2.0 million – Restricted ($2.9 million Qualifying Offer)
Wilson Chandler, Denver Nuggets – $2.1 million – Restricted ($3.1 million Qualifying Offer)
Shannon Brown, L.A. Lakers – $2.1 million – Player Option ($2.4 million)
C.J. Miles, Utah Jazz – $3.7 million – Team Option ($3.7 million)
J.R. Smith, Denver Nuggets – $6.0 million – Unrestricted
DeShawn Stevenson, Dallas Mavericks – $4.2 million – Unrestricted
Mike Dunleavy, Indiana Pacers – $10.6 million – Unrestricted
Chris Douglas-Roberts, Milwaukee Bucks – $0.9 million – Unrestricted*
Nick Young, Washington Wizards – $2.6 million – Restricted ($3.7 million Qualifying Offer)
Sonny Weems, Toronto Raptors – $0.9 million – Unrestricted*
Mo Evans, Washington Wizards – $2.5 million – Unrestricted
Daequan Cook, Oklahoma City Thunder – $2.2 million – Restricted ($3.1 million Qualifying Offer)
Anthony Parker, Cleveland Cavaliers – $2.9 million – Unrestricted
Eddie House, Miami HEAT – $1.4 million – Player Option ($1.4 million)
Marquis Daniels, Boston Celtics – $2.5 million – Unrestricted
Marcus Thornton, Sacramento Kings – $0.8 million – Unrestricted*
Roger Mason, New York Knicks – $1.4 million – Unrestricted
Marco Belinelli, New Orleans Hornets – $2.4 million – Restricted ($3.4 million Qualifying Offer)
Gary Forbes, Denver Nuggets – $0.5 million – Unrestricted*
Michael Redd, Milwaukee Bucks – $18.3 million – Unrestricted
Delonte West, Boston Celtics – $1.1 million – Unrestricted
Stephen Graham, New Jersey Nets – $1.0 million – Team Option ($1.1 million)
Dominic McGuire, Charlotte Bobcats – $0.9 million – Unrestricted
Alonzo Gee, Washington Wizards – $0.6 million – Unrestricted*
Jeremy Lin, Golden State Warriors – $0.5 million – Team Option ($0.8 million)
Von Wafer, Boston Celtics – $0.9 million – Unrestricted
Small Forward
(name, team – 2010-11 salary – status)
Caron Butler, Dallas Mavericks – $10.8 million – Unrestricted
Thaddeus Young, Philadelphia 76ers – $2.9 million – Restricted ($4.0 million Qualifying Offer)
Grant Hill, Phoenix Suns – $3.2 million – Unrestricted
Tayshaun Prince, Detroit Pistons – $11.1 million – Unrestricted
Shane Battier, Memphis Grizzlies – $7.4 million – Unrestricted
Reggie Williams, Golden State Warriors – $0.8 million – Unrestricted*
James Jones, Miami HEAT – $1.1 million – Unrestricted
Al Thornton, Golden State Warriors – $0.9 million – Unrestricted
Jason Kapono, Philadelphia 76ers – $6.6 million – Unrestricted
Josh Howard, Washington Wizards – $3.0 million – Unrestricted
Rasual Butler, Chicago Bulls – $0.9 million – Unrestricted
Jamario Moon, L.A. Clippers – $3.0 million – Unrestricted
Julian Wright, Toronto Raptors – $2.9 million – Restricted ($4.0 million Qualifying Offer)
Peja Stojakovic, Dallas Mavericks – $0.9 million – Unrestricted
Earl Clark, Orlando Magic – $1.9 million – Unrestricted
Kelenna Azubuike, New York Knicks – $3.3 million – Unrestricted
Quinton Ross, New Jersey Nets – $1.1 million – Unrestricted
Shawne Williams, New York Knicks – $0.9 million – Unrestricted
Ime Udoka, San Antonio Spurs – $0.9 million – Unrestricted
Vladimir Radmanovic, Golden State Warriors – $6.9 million – Unrestricted
Joey Graham, Cleveland Cavaliers – $1.0 million – Team Option ($1.1 million)
Jawad Williams, Cleveland Cavaliers – $1.1 million – Unrestricted*
Rodney Carney, Golden State Warriors – $0.9 million – Unrestricted
Jeremy Evans, Utah Jazz – $0.5 million – Unrestricted*
DaJuan Summers, Detroit Pistons – $0.8 million – Unrestricted*
Damien Wilkins, Atlanta Hawks – $0.8 million – Unrestricted
Steve Novak, Dallas Mavericks – $0.9 million – Unrestricted
Derrick Brown, New York Knicks – $0.7 million – Unrestricted*
Darnell Jackson, Sacramento Kings – $0.9 million – Unrestricted*
Cartier Martin, Washington Wizards – $0.9 million – Unrestricted*
Power Forward
(name, team – 2010-11 salary – status)
David West, New Orleans Hornets – $8.3 million – Early Termination Option ($7.5 million)
Tim Duncan, San Antonio Spurs – $18.8 million – Early Termination Option ($21.1 million)
Andrei Kirilenko, Utah Jazz – $17.8 million – Unrestricted
Jeff Green, Boston Celtics – $4.5 million – Restricted ($5.9 million Qualifying Offer)
Boris Diaw, Charlotte Bobcats – $9.0 million – Player Option ($9.0 million)
Troy Murphy, Boston Celtics – $0.9 million – Unrestricted
Carl Landry, New Orleans Hornets – $3.0 million – Unrestricted
Kenyon Martin, Denver Nuggets – $16.5 million – Unrestricted
Glen Davis, Boston Celtics – $3.3 million – Unrestricted
Ronny Turiaf, New York Knicks – $4.2 million – Player Option ($4.1 million)
Kris Humphries, New Jersey Nets – $3.2 million – Unrestricted
Reggie Evans, Toronto Raptors – $5.1 million – Unrestricted
Louis Amundson, Golden State Warriors – $2.2 million – Player Option ($2.4 million)
Chuck Hayes, Houston Rockets – $2.3 million – Unrestricted
Yi Jianlian, Washington Wizards – $4.1 million – Restricted ($5.4 million Qualifying Offer)
Josh McRoberts, Indiana Pacers – $0.9 million – Unrestricted*
Jared Jeffries, New York Knicks – $0.9 million – Unrestricted
Luc Mbah a Moute, Milwaukee Bucks – $0.9 million – Unrestricted*
Jason Smith, New Orleans Hornets – $2.2 million – Restricted ($3.1 million Qualifying Offer)
Craig Smith, L.A. Clippers – $2.3 million – Unrestricted
Dante Cunningham, Charlotte Bobcats – $0.8 million – Unrestricted*
Joey Dorsey, Toronto Raptors – $0.9 million – Unrestricted*
Joe Smith, L.A. Lakers – $1.4 million – Unrestricted
Malik Allen, Orlando Magic – $1.2 million – Unrestricted
Jonas Jerebko, Detroit Pistons – $0.8 million – Unrestricted*
Sam Young, Memphis Grizzlies – $0.9 million – Team Option ($0.9 million)
Juwan Howard, Miami HEAT – $1.4 million – Unrestricted
Brandan Wright, New Jersey Nets – $3.4 million – Restricted ($4.6 million Qualifying Offer)
Darius Songaila, Philadelphia 76ers – $4.8 million – Unrestricted
Leon Powe, Boston Celtics – $0.9 million – Unrestricted
Shelden Williams, New York Knicks – $0.9 million – Unrestricted
Chris Wilcox, Detroit Pistons – $3.0 million – Unrestricted
DJ Mbenga, New Orleans Hornets – $0.9 million – Unrestricted
Brian Skinner, Milwaukee Bucks – $1.0 million – Unrestricted
Hamady Ndiaye, Washington Wizards – $0.5 million – Unrestricted*
DeMarre Carroll, Houston Rockets – $1.1 million – Unrestricted
Solomon Jones, Indiana Pacers – $1.5 million – Unrestricted
Brian Cardinal, Dallas Mavericks – $1.4 million – Unrestricted
Brian Scalabrine, Chicago Bulls – $1.2 million – Unrestricted
Josh Powell, Atlanta Hawks – $1.0 million – Unrestricted
Melvin Ely, Denver Nuggets – $1.1 million – Unrestricted
Center
(name, team – 2010-11 salary – status)
Nene, Denver Nuggets – $11.4 million – Early Termination Option ($11.6 million)
Marc Gasol, Memphis Grizzlies – $3.6 million – Unrestricted*
Tyson Chandler, Dallas Mavericks – $12.6 million – Unrestricted
Yao Ming, Houston Rockets – $17.7 million – Unrestricted
Joel Przybilla, Charlotte Bobcats – $7.4 million – Unrestricted
Samuel Dalembert, Sacramento Kings – $13.4 million – Unrestricted
Greg Oden, Portland Trail Blazers – $6.8 million – Restricted ($8.8 million Qualifying Offer)
Spencer Hawes, Philadelphia 76ers – $3.0 million – Restricted ($4.1 million Qualifying Offer)
Nenad Krstic, Boston Celtics – $5.7 million – Unrestricted
Tony Battie, Philadelphia 76ers – $1.4 million – Unrestricted
Kyrylo Fesenko, Utah Jazz – $1.1 million – Unrestricted
Erick Dampier, Miami HEAT – $1.1 million – Unrestricted
Zydrunas Ilgauskas, Miami HEAT – $1.4 million – Unrestricted
Jeff Foster, Indiana Pacers – $6.7 million – Unrestricted
Nazr Mohammed, Oklahoma City Thunder – $6.9 million – Unrestricted
DeAndre Jordan, L.A. Clippers – $0.9 million – Unrestricted*
Kurt Thomas, Chicago Bulls – $1.4 million – Unrestricted
Francisco Elson, Utah Jazz – $1.1 million – Unrestricted
Hilton Armstrong, Atlanta Hawks – $0.9 million – Unrestricted
Aaron Gray, New Orleans Hornets – $0.9 million – Player Option ($0.9 million)
Jamaal Magloire, Miami HEAT – $1.4 million – Unrestricted
Dan Gadzuric, New Jersey Nets – $7.2 million – Unrestricted
Ryan Hollins, Cleveland Cavaliers – $2.3 million – Player Option ($2.5 million)
Kwame Brown, Charlotte Bobcats – $1.3 million – Unrestricted
Theo Ratliff, L.A. Lakers – $1.4 million – Unrestricted
Etan Thomas, Atlanta Hawks – $1.2 million – Unrestricted
Jason Collins, Atlanta Hawks – $1.2 million – Unrestricted
Eddy Curry – $11.3 million – Unrestricted
Hamed Haddadi, Memphis Grizzlies – $1.8 million – Unrestricted*
Alexis Ajinca, Toronto Raptors – $1.5 million – Unrestricted
free agents in 2012:
Centers:
Dwight Howard
Andrew Bynum
Javale McGee (RFA)
Chris Kaman
Mhemet Okur
Marcus Camby
Anthony Tolliver
Ian Mahinimi
Forwards:
Gerald Wallace
Elton Brand
Guards:
Chris PAul
Deron Williams
Steve Nash
Raymond Felton
Andre Miller
Jameer Nelson
Carlos Delfino
Mo Williams
Baron Davis’
Kirk Hinrich
Ramon Sessions
Dhantay Jones
Randy Foye
SteveW
May 5th, 2011
12:09 pm
LD plays PG’s like the NFL does QB’s. The 2nd teamer just doesn’t exist unless it’s garbage time or the 1st teamer is injured.
I’d rather him say how can I get the most effective 48 minutes out of the PG position, and each position really. 25 mpg from Kirk and 23 from Teague? Ok let’s go with that.
But it’s Kirk or nothing at this point. Kinda glad he’s hurt in a way since LD doesn’t know how to utilize talent. This forces him to play Teague.
SteveW
May 5th, 2011
12:12 pm
So Josh is 0-12 from beyond 15 feet in the series? Hmmm…
SteveW
May 5th, 2011
12:18 pm
Keys to game 3:
Shot selection and ball movement on offense
A good front court rotation that includes ZaZa and may include Collins, Etan, Powell and/or Armstrong.
Maybe playing Wilkens more if Marvin is off his game (I burst out laughing as I typed that – He’s almost always off his game). At least Wilkens plays like he cares as someone said.
And Teague just needs to be Teague.
And let’s not get to carried away with Jeff. I may be his #1 fan as regulars on this blog can attest. That being said, he is:
1) Fresh, because he has barely played this year
2) And he’s playing a one legged DRose, who’s still pretty good playing 1 legged.
Jeff if good, and going to be very good in this League.
And I’m just glad he didn’t collapse under the pressure.
And he deserves rotational minutes at least, if not the starting job. But we have 2 good PG’s for the 1st time since????
northcyde
May 5th, 2011
12:25 pm
And Mr. Horford . . what people are saying about you being allergic to the paint, is right on point. If your midrange jumper is broke, do what most bigs do (( cough )) Noah (( cough )), and start RELENTLESSLY crashing the offensive boards. Get your points by grinding to get offensive rebounds and putting them back in the hole.
With the amount of jumpers that Chicago missed last night, you and Smith should’ve had 12+ rebounds apiece easily. But for you, the rebounding expectations has to be placed a little higher. Your 14 rebounds looks impressive . . but you only had 2 offensive rebounds total ( both in the 3rd quarter ).
With the way you are shooting the ball, we need you to be a DOMINANT rebounder. And that means more offensive rebounds in which you’re getting us extra possessions. If you’re not getting the ball to shoot your precious 18 footer, crash the boards HARD, to see if you can get an offensive rebound.
If your teammate at PF isn’t going to do it, or box people out to keep them off the boards, you need to have a mindset that you’re going to get 20 rebounds.
@ Grandad . . . maybe I was hard on Al with the D+ rating . . so I’ll give him a C-.
I mean, I can’t consciously give him a C for that performance last night, despite the ( +19 ) in help value he gave us last night. He had a ( – 13 ) for the game, which was the worst on the team. His jumper was completely off. Despite the number of missed shots, he only grabbed 2 offensive rebounds.
When we subtract the jumpers that you missed ( 8 ), the Hawks were 4 – 20 from 16 – 23 feet and 3 – 13 from three. That’s 7 – 33 on long jumpshots that you didn’t shoot ( 26 misses ) . . yet you only were able to grab 2 of those rebounds.
I’ve been asking all playoffs, who is going to get dirty or grimey on this team? Collins can do it, but he can’t rebound worth a damn on most nights. Zaza can do it, but his defensive rebounding is less to be desired. So if you and Smith don’t want to get your uniform dirty, who can we count on to do it?
Just a disappointing night from you guys. Completely wasted a career game from Teague, who essentially gave us Jamal Crawford like production last night. Had you two even played close to decent, we win that game.
Stop being so fuggin soft, and mix it up on BOTH ENDS of the floor.
Play like a friggin BIG.
northcyde
May 5th, 2011
12:26 pm
A -13 +/- rating
LuellaPatterson
May 5th, 2011
12:26 pm
Rod from College Park: you are absolutely right. AL IS MISSING IN ACTION. WHERE IS THE EXPLOSIVENESS FROM THIS ALL-STAR WHO HAS BEEN SPECTACULAR THE LAST 4 OR 5 YEARS. WHERE IS AL HORFORD? The guy who is playing inside Al Horford has quit for the season. Maybe Al has been brainwashed or his mind has been completely short-circuited but every time Al touches the ball and has an open look for a jump-shot, Al takes the basketball and gives it up like its a hot potatoe, instead of shooting his 64% field goal percentage and drilling the jump shot. If I didnt know any better, I would think that Al has a twin brother who has been playing basketball for the last couple of months and the real Al Horford is either in another country, on another planet or is on the beach in Hawaii somewhere. Please put out an APB on Al Horford so he can come back to the team and help us defeat the Bulls so we can move on to the Eastern Conference Finals.
JeJe
May 5th, 2011
12:30 pm
We let a guy with f’ing TURF TOE get 11 boards last night
If we were a team like the Celtics, we’d be banging Boozer around and screwing him up badly, since he is hobbled.
But no, we are a soft basketball team.
Smoove – 6 rebounds last night.
SMDH
tremaine
May 5th, 2011
12:32 pm
Nice to see Teague getting some national shine. 2 games to trips to the postgame podium. It’s cool to criticize Josh but don’t for get about Al. He has played just as bad on the defensive end.
JeJe
May 5th, 2011
12:33 pm
THE ONLY THING WE NEED TO DO TO WIN THIS SERIES IS REBOUND
THAT IS IT
BULLS HAD 3 GUYS IN DOUBLE FIGURE BOARDS LAST NIGHT
GET JOSH OUT OF THERE AND PUT ZAZA ON JOAKIM NOAH
WE CAN WIN THIS SERIES WITH GUYS LIKE HORFORD AND MARVIN SLEEP-WALKING THE WHOLE TIME. WE DID NOT GET THAT OUTPLAYED YESTERDAY
ONCE WE PUT BIGGER BODIES IN WE WILL DOMINATE THIS INFERIOR TEAM
BENCH JOSH. GROW UP U PATHETIC JOKE OF A PLAYER. 0 BBALL IQ
JeJe
May 5th, 2011
12:34 pm
How the hell does Teague outplay Smoove and Al in 2 consecutive games? These guys got huge contracts for the coming years and are useless on offense.a
WHERE ARE THE HARD FOULS? WHERE IS ZAZA? DAMIEN? THOSE ARE THE 2 GUYS WHO WILL PLAY TOUGH – NOT THIS BUTTERFLY BS
brigadierjerry
May 5th, 2011
12:35 pm
As Pat Riley used to say two things and this has to apply to the Hawks to win the series:
No rebounds no rings,
No layups
CharlieCriss
May 5th, 2011
12:35 pm
The Hawks are not handling success very well. Last night for example, the Hawks had a chance to go up 2-0. The Bulls offense is anemic, boozer has turf toe and cant score well, Derrick Rose has a grade2 strained ankle and instead of the hawks taking advantage of the situation, they watched the Bulls dominate the glass and embarrass them on national tv. The hawks stink and I cant wait for them to be eliminated.
Najeh Davenpoop
May 5th, 2011
12:39 pm
“Damn. Those numbers are much worse than what I thought.”
Those numbers are exactly what I thought. Both of them have been awful from anywhere outside of 2 feet in these playoffs, and they haven’t even been as good as they should be at the rim.
Banks
May 5th, 2011
12:41 pm
Let’s not talk about Marvin anymore, because he so inconseqential. I think Al and Josh will show up in Atlanta. I love and hate Josh at the sametime and I think most of us have this feeling about Josh. So far the Teague Rose mathup has been even and that is encouraging. We need to win the other match ups we have. There was one match up I saw that we did not exploit and that was Korver checking Teague. If this match up presents it’s self again we should go to it.
bigdave
May 5th, 2011
12:44 pm
naaaah.. Al didnt say “i stunk” he almost low key throws Josh under the bus. @ least Josh came out and admitted he didnt play the type of basketball we need from him.
bigdave
May 5th, 2011
12:46 pm
total opposite of what Noah did last night when asked why the team seems to play better defense w/ Taj on the floor..
hawks_4_life
May 5th, 2011
12:48 pm
People can rag on Al for not scoring, got it. How about leading the team in rebounds and assist. How about not being a freaking liability like Josh. JOSH I LOVE YOUR GAME WHEN ITS GOING TO THE RIM OR IN THE PAINT…..STOP THINKING YOU ARE BABY BRON AND STICK TO WHAT YOU DO.
Rufus1
May 5th, 2011
12:58 pm
Great Article
http://www.cbssports.com/#!/nba/story/15029890/lack-of-killer-instinct-costs-hawks-in-game-2
SteveW
May 5th, 2011
1:03 pm
I know Al played bad last night. He’s gassed.
But it is still pretty difficult for me to criticize a guy who is 3rd in rebounding during the playoffs for the entire NBA at 11.0 per game.
He also leads all PF’s/C’s in Assists per game with 4.0.
So while we criticize him, he’s till playing like a high level All Star in certain facets of his game.
SteveW
May 5th, 2011
1:10 pm
And about Al:
Among PF’s and C’s still in the playoffs, he’s number #1 in minutes played per game.
And amongst players still in the playoffs, he’s second in rebounds per game.
So Al is doing pretty well in many areas, but his shooting is not doing very well.
And it’s not like Boozer beat us last nigh or anything with Al guarding him. Josh dominates Boozer however.
SteveW
May 5th, 2011
1:14 pm
And let’s not forget about Jamal.
When his shot is falling, he’s a circus shooter. Unbelievable really.
But last night, he shot to quickly in the shot clock, terrible looks, and really helped to beat us.
Man last night was a winnable game
northcyde
May 5th, 2011
1:16 pm
SteveW . . but he’s not. The only thing . . and I mean the only thing he’s doing better than he did during the season, is defensive rebound the basketball. And even with that, he’s only slightly better.
Horford, for the most part, is an offensive PF/C. So when his offense is bad, he tends to be bad. We’re finally getting halfway decent play out of JJ throughout the playoffs, and Jamal for that matter.
But the guy that most people were ready to anoint as the “cornerstone of the franchise” is playing like a SG at center? Nah man. Al used to play tough on the inside and flex on people when he made a tough play. Now, he’s just looking to shoot his jumper, whether he’s making them or not. As a “big”, he needs to be trying to hit the offensive glass, and see if he can get some cheap points the same way Noah did last night. He and Smith don’t even think in those terms though, because they love the perimeter too much.
Lenaqt
May 5th, 2011
1:19 pm
Why was the smallest guy on the court (Teague), the only player driving to the basket? This stuff is not rocket science. Josh and Al need to be cutting to the basket to get high percentage shots. I guess everyone wants to be Reggie Miller or Ray Allen. If you miss a few, drive too the basket and try to get fouled or get a layup, to continue to shoot jump shots is INSANE!
JeJe
May 5th, 2011
1:29 pm
If guys on the team like Josh (especially) are banged up, why did they play the final 6 games of the regular season, IN WHICH WE GOT DESTROYED?
FIRE LD
JOEY1
May 5th, 2011
1:44 pm
hawksin 6 the bulls didtn impress me at all we can easily beat them 3 games in a row
JOEY1
May 5th, 2011
1:49 pm
1AGAIN to the people who say we need to trade josh smith , you are idiot, even though he shoots ill advised shot his defensive effort make up for it, if he could just control his shot selection we would be better. jeff teague if he develops like weve seen over the past 2 games we will be a elite team in the next few years,, and as bad as we played we still could have won,the bulls are verberable, they r a one man team,, hawks win in 6, we r still on pace
Slimjr
May 5th, 2011
1:50 pm
Who’s afraid of the big bad paint??
ans: Al is…..so sad…….
Non Allstar Al cant carry a duffel bag….
Mr. Softie………Like tissue….
The round ball has become a hot iron…ouch!
JeJe
May 5th, 2011
1:51 pm
The whole game last night, even though we were down 8-12 points pretty much the whole time, I never really got the impression they outplayed us.
As soon as this team pays attention to rebounding, BOXING OUT (which Josh has NEVER figured out), and being aggressive on offense, it will coast in this series.
I am not impressed with Chicago. Teague played just as well as Rose did last night.
Teague OUTPLAYED “All Star” Al Horford and Josh (and Marvin, but who cares? he sucks)
O'Brien
May 5th, 2011
1:51 pm
It was not a bad pick,
All this Marvin bashing is only because we passed on Paul and Williams.but guess what?..Neither has won a damn thing in the NBA..
CP3’s NBA accomplishments;
Rookie of the year, 4 time all star, All NBA, and former NBA all defense team. (I wont even mention his Olympic Gold Medal).
Marvin’s NBA accomplishments? Crickets…Crickets…Crickets.
Does Chris Paul have an NBA title? No. But neither does Dwight Howard, LeBron James, D-Rose etc. Would it have been ok to pass over thos guys in the draft to take Marvin?
And for the record, CP3’s career playoff average is 22 points and 11 assists per game. Marvin’s playoff average? 8 points, 4 rebs.
Scoop
May 5th, 2011
1:52 pm
“More Damien less Marvin”-YES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
That is why we lost game 2. Marvin and Josh were liabilities on the offensive end and could not capitalize on the double teams sent at Joe and the attention paid to Jamal. Damien has only given positive minutes with his time on the floor and Marvin is timid on offense and slow to react to Deng’s slashing on defense.
But Marvin was not the worst player on the floor, it was Josh. Give him credit for his honesty in the post-game response, but he could not even make a free-throw let alone a jump-shot. How about a lay up? He missed a couple easy and-one’s and layups around the basket because he was in a rush and panicked. He needs to settle down and finish strong at the basket. That was bad, but the turnovers were the worst-starting the 2nd half, in the first 4 minutes josh had 3 turnovers and an airballed jumpshot. He should have been pulled from the game, but LD kept him in along with Marvin!!!!!!!!
LD needs to hold everyone accountable and if they are not contributing then they do not deserve to be on the floor. Plus, guys ran out of gas in the 2nd half, Al, Joe, and Teague, played the entire half AGAIN and had nothing left when we finally came within striking distance.
In the first quarter our offense was excellent. We had 4 straight possessions that ended in layups. But turnovers and a lack of contribution from our wings lost us the game. Teague did everything he could to keep us in the game and he was undoubtedly our best player in game 2, but other veterans have to step up. You do not have to win the game, but you absolutely can not make mistakes that lose us the game. Play with in yourself. Joe and Jamal will not be able to carry us this series like they did in the last one. The Bulls are too good and too smart defensively to let that happen.
If I were LD I would be very quick to go to the lineup of: Teague, Joe, Damien/Jamal, Al, Zaza
Slimjr
May 5th, 2011
1:52 pm
He has not been the same after the Rookie of the year 2011 body slammed him into the hardwoods??
Poor Al…..
O'Brien
May 5th, 2011
1:55 pm
Rod,
In terms of pure talent, I think Josh is a better PF than Al. But I’m sure you know the issues with Josh, and 7 years later, they are still there.
Slimjr
May 5th, 2011
1:56 pm
Allstar Al for NeNe….
Scoop
May 5th, 2011
2:00 pm
Also, it is important to stay positive if your the Hawks. a 1-1 split is a good result and we have a chance to take control of the series with 2 WINS HERE AT HOME.
That’s right, we need both of these games. What has seperated the Hawks from the championship contending teams in the past is that “killer instinct”.The Hawks did not have it against Orlando in the first series when up 3-1 we took a game off, got blown out and let them back into the series.
This will be the ultimate test to see how far the Hawks have come-they did their job in Chicago with a split and now they have to come home and take care of business and get control of this series. NO COMPLAINING, NO EXCUSES.
If we give everything we have and play with in ourselves we will be in the NBA Finals this year.
Scoop
May 5th, 2011
2:03 pm
Another thing,
why is Al gaurding Boozer?????? Josh owned Boozer 4 times by blocking his fade aways, but when Josh was matched up against Noah he gave up just as many offensive rebounds.
Al is a better rebounder(he boxes out) than Josh and he is a better pick and roll defender, which is important because Noah is setting most of the screens.
James on Pharr Rd
May 5th, 2011
2:06 pm
Al Horford has been getting a free pass while all the blame falls on Josh. You cannot expect Josh to suddenly be great with his wing-play and penetration at this point in the season. He takes wild long two’s as a product of the spot he is asked to take for Joe and Jamal (weak side ISO). The play everyone is talking about is actually Joe’s fault dropping the ball to Josh with 6 seconds on the clock left.
Many times we are misinformed to expect Josh to shoot his way onto 15 points or so, his best bet is getting offensive rebounds and a couple of post up plays.
As for Mr. Horford,WTF? MC or Bradley and the national media all seem to forget that he is supposedly an All Star player-well, it is time he gets his through hook or crook, I dont care if he scores 15 points all by tip, please score. I dont see why Josh is playing Noah either-MISMATCH LD.
DinasaurFenton
May 5th, 2011
2:36 pm
Slimjr: Allstar Al for Ne Ne would be a good trade for the Hawks, since Ne Ne is so good with his low-post packages and is so deadly inside of the paint. The Denver Nuggets are not fools. They wont trade Ne Ne unless they get equal value in return. Ne Ne is playing as good as James Worthy did when he was with the Lakers. Right now AL HORFORD DOESNT KNOW WHAT PLANET HE IS ON. Calling Earth to Al Horford, pickup Al Horford. Al is masquerading as though he is Marvin Williams right now and giving us absolutely nothing. I cant wait until Al returns from Mars back down to earth again. Al Horford will be dangerous again once he returns to earth, remembers how to play basketball and starts helping the Hawks again.
Leffty
May 5th, 2011
2:43 pm
Marvin, Jamal, Al, and Joe Smith combined to shoot 11-45 (24.4%) from the field last night, as the only good performances came from Johnson and Teague. The frontline and the bench need to step out if the Hawks are gonna take this series. Check it out:
http://bit.ly/jZSTwH