Atlanta Hawks: The Chicago Way?
The Hawks need to get better. The Bulls needed to do the same last summer and Al said the Hawks might learn something from the way they went about it.
“That’s the perfect example,” he said. “They got that kid Asik. They got Korver, a shooter. They addressed their needs and got better. That’s a blueprint that I think if I’m the team I would look at.”
So let’s look at what the Bulls did last summer and see if the Hawks can copy the same formula:
- Al’s theory falls apart from the start: The Bulls had just $34 million in committed salaries for 2010-11 after clearing space to get in on the 2010 free-agent bonanza. The Hawks have about $67 million in committed salaries mostly because of J.J. and Smoove’s contracts and Al’s extension.
- The Bulls cleared more cap space by trading Hinrich and a first-round pick to the Wizards for a second-round pick. The Wizards coveted Hinrich and were willing to take on his $17 million salary. The Hawks don’t have a first-round draft pick. They also aren’t under the cap and so can’t make such a trade without taking back salary (under the current rules).
- The Bulls hired a coach with a single-minded obsession with defense (and didn’t break the bank to do it). L.D. talked a lot about defense when he was hired, too, but his personnel decisions usually didn’t match the talk. (The Hawks did end up playing good D in the playoffs and L.D. deserves some credit for that, especially his decision to use the Twin lineup against Orlando. But D was neither a big part of the team’s culture nor was it usually at the forefront of the way L.D. distributed minutes among his backcourt.)
- The Bulls signed Boozer for five years and $80 million. The Hawks don’t have cap space so they can’t outright sign such a player even if they wanted to pay the tax. But let’s go ahead and say the contract for J.J. last summer was their Boozer move.
- The Bulls signed Korver for 5 years and $15 million (the final year is partially guaranteed). They could do that because they had cap space. The Hawks can’t because they don’t.
- After the Magic matched their offer sheet to Redick, the Bulls signed Ronnie Brewer for two years and $9.5 guaranteed. The Hawks can’t do a deal like that because . . . well, you know.
- The Bulls signed Asik for two years and $3.6 million. They had acquired him in a 2008 draft-night trade with Portland in which they sent away three second-round picks. Maybe Pape Sy or Gladyr can be the next Asik?
- The Bulls acquired Watson in a sign-and-trade with Golden State. The deal was for two years and $7 million guaranteed. They could do this because of their cap room.
- The Bulls signed Bogans, Kurt Thomas and Scalabrine to minimum-salaried contracts. The Hawks presumably make similar moves, depending on the details of the new CBA.
Clearly, because of salary commitments already on the books, the Chicago Way can’t be the Hawks’ Way.
What’s next?
I know there are lots of questions about what the Hawks can and should do. Honestly, they are difficult to answer without knowing what the new CBA rules will look like. The players quickly rejected the league’s latest offer, which reportedly proposed a hard salary cap and salary rollbacks.
What will be the amount of the salary cap? What about the luxury tax? Will there be an amnesty provision to allow teams to shed salary? Will there still be cap exceptions and, if not, what about those teams whose payrolls are above the new salary cap?
“As players we are just trying to do the right thing for current players and the players that are going to come behind us and for what the players before us worked so hard for,” Hinrich said. “We’ll see. Right now it probably looks like July 1 we are going to be locked out. For now, it’s up in the air.”
Under the current rules it’s hard to see how the Hawks could even fill out the roster with the minimum 13 players without paying the tax. Right now their options are limited to trades and using exceptions to acquire players whose salaries that don’t put them over the tax level. Assuming the tax threshold is about the same as it was the past three seasons, about $70 million, the Hawks would have roughly $3 million of wiggle room to sign six players.
Again, that’s based on the current rules and some assumptions. With the way things are going with the labor situation, who knows what the new system will look like when the league starts playing basketball again. But clearly the Hawks, like all teams, are counting on new rules more favorable to owners.
L.D. didn’t want to get into exactly what he thinks the Hawks need because he hadn’t talked to Rick Sund or the owners yet. (Sund, by the way, says he’s not talking until after the team’s scouting combine, which ends a week from Wednesday). But I noted the team’s lack of scoring at the rim and also their low free-throw rate and asked if that’s something that can only change with different personnel.
“Possibly,” L.D. said. “A lot of that is simply making the wrong decision out of ball movement on when to attack or settling for jump shots. You guys heard me say time and time again how we just settled for jump shots. We did not do a good job collectively in attacking the glass and going to the basket. That’s personnel-driven.
“Once we do spread the floor and the ball is moved we have to be mindful of just attacking. You can’t be afraid; you can’t be intimidated. You have to go in there with authority. Players that want to get to the free-throw line, they seek bodies. For them it’s not always about finishing the shot, they seek bodies to draw the and-1. That is something we will have to evaluate.”
J.J. seemed to hit on a similar theme when asked about the team’s needs.
“For us it’s guys like blue-collar guys, guys who do a lot of dirty work and do a lot of things that don’t show up in stat book,” J.J. said. “Those are the kind of guys that can help us out. We will see what happens. We’ve gotten better each year. Our postseason [this year] was probably the best it’s been.”
L.D. never could get his team to completely shed its isolation tendencies. When they got open shots and made them, then the ball and players moved and the Hawks were difficult to defend. That’s what happened in Games 1 and 4 against the Bulls.
When the defensive pressure intensified, or when the wrong guys took the wrong shots, then the Hawks started isolating and were easier to defend. That’s what happened in the fourth quarter of Game 5, which ended up being a lost opportunity for the Hawks to win the series.
Does L.D. still think this group of players us capable of running his offense?
“I’m still hopeful we can do that,” he said. “I think Chicago, their defensive pressure was much more intense than Orlando. Sometimes when you are playing under pressure you get sped up and you start getting away from the game plan. I think a lot of what Chicago did had a lot to do with that. That being said, we did not get to our spots like we did against Orlando. That tells me that it was jut the pressure of their defense.
“It was the same coverage [as Orlando] but once we played out of that double team [the Bulls] weren’t as organized as Orlando. I’m not going to abandon something that has been good to us. We just have to do a better job playing out of pressure, double teams. You still have to make plays and in making plays have to move the basketball. I thought we did a great job against Orlando. The Chicago series we weren’t as good.”
Joe said the offense “was kind of up and down” this season.
“We was all trying to feel each other out as far as him implementing his system and us trying to learn it,” he said. “At the same time there are times we looked great. That’s something we can build on and look forward to next year.”
Notes
- Teague said he’s scheduled for an MRI on his right wrist on Tuesday to make sure there’s no ligament damage.
- L.D. on meeting with Sund and owners: “I give them my views and hear their views. You have to slowly and methodically take your time and assess this season and the personnel, talk about things we lack and we need to get better. Do we have those players to make us better in certain areas or do we have to go out and find those kind of players? We have to look at everything and analyze everything and come to a decision about certain things, not necessarily an agreement. I’ve been around for a long time and I know you don’t always agree but important to lay it out on the table and talk about it.”
- L.D. on the postseason: “The question I asked myself, looking at the postseason, is were we better prepared this season than we were last year? Did we compete at a higher level this year than last year? Did we accomplish more goals than last year? I am my biggest critic when it comes to team getting prepared and going out there and executing game the plan, and I thought the answers to all those questions were, ‘Yes.’”
- Al on possibly adding a full-time center: “It’s going to be an interesting offseason because I think there are probably going to be some changes. I think having a bigger player like that to help is always a great strength and a great help. We will see what happens. I do like playing power forward. I like playing the center, as well, but if we can have another bigger body that would be great.”
- Smoove on if he prefers to play the 3: “It is what it is. It’s a controversial question. I’m just here to play.”
Michael Cunningham, Hawks beat
Tell us what you think about the site
Customer Care »
Vacation stops, manage subscriptions and more
AJC Services
Sections
Other Editions
Visitor Agreement | Privacy Statement
© 2013 The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
476 comments Add your comment
Rev in Tampa
May 15th, 2011
12:54 am
“i think that culture has to be developed by the head coach but the team’s best players also have to buy in and there have to be enough role players who bring that kind of attitude without needing to be coaxed.”
CHURCH!
Co-Sign!
Ra'mon
May 15th, 2011
1:13 am
testing 123
James
May 15th, 2011
1:18 am
Hawks can try to trade Josh Smith to the Lakers for Pau Gasol we need a Center we can find a replacement for Josh Smith.
Ra'mon
May 15th, 2011
1:26 am
Horford really is the weak link here. Horford is an all star center who insists on playing pf. But too often when he’s at the pf spot, he is a non factor beside for the occasional 15 footer. I still believe a Horford for P. Gasol trade makes the most sense. And I actually believe it can be done!
One thing about the post season is I think it killed any value that Marvin had. But it raised the value of Zaza on the market. So I believe you could get a nice player or two for Zaza’s deal. For all Zaza does with energy, he still is a liability on defense. In the Chicago series, if you trade Zaza and Asik, the Hawks are in the conference finals!
Also, I still wish the Hawks would give Hubie Brown a call to come and coach them for one or two seasons!
mykhalc
May 15th, 2011
1:31 am
whoever posted the Hawks last 4 head coaches have nailed the 2nd biggest problem of this franchise!!! #1 problem…the phucked up owners!!!
Ra'mon
May 15th, 2011
1:33 am
Would letting Jamal go, and signing someone like Rip Hamilton be a good move for leadership in the playoffs? Though he’s not as good as he used to be. He’s certainly a player who knows what it takes to win and get there. I think the Hawks mainly need to bring in championship pedigree players who have been there to compliment the players we have now. I actually believe with a healthy Kirk (coming off of the bench) this team could win, if you added Dalembert, McGrady, Rip, and Prince to the team and subtracted Marvin, Zaza, JC1, and Powell.
mykhalc
May 15th, 2011
1:34 am
Woodson and LD…rooks have been in charge since this core has been assembled…PATHETIC!!!
Ra'mon
May 15th, 2011
1:38 am
Would Fratello be a good option?
mykhalc
May 15th, 2011
1:44 am
Theus woulda been a better option than LD. Theus had his SAC teams playin’ hard…
Grandad
May 15th, 2011
2:34 am
Weighin’ in on the Al is a:
center, power forward, 6-10, 6-8 & 3/4
needs to lift wgts, gain wgt, wingspan,
Elton Brand, Elton John, Elmer Fudd debate.
_______________________________________________________
Al is a basketball player who functions best as a post
[not a wing / perimeter] type player.
The problem is with match-ups, more on def. than off.
One word on measureables;
Al is 6-8+, with an above avg but not great wingspan.
He appears to be playing at his optimum wgt.
(unlike Josh who seems like he could shed 10 or 15 lbs)
Being heavier does not mean stronger nor better. (necessarily)
It is more in the make-up of the individual, mind-set, upbringing,
attitude, meanness, focus, goals, temperment, & environment.
Example = our society as a whole is softer today than in my day.
In my day we were softer than my parents and their parents etc.
That cannot be taught at this late date, in my estimation.
I’m veering off topic – we need a true center, Al recognizes this.
We are undersized. Yes Ben Wallace was a different species.
Wes Unseld was cut from the same cloth.
I’m not real sure Rodman even had a position [6-6] but he could
guard a pg or Shaq and everything in between. [including Bird]
These are exceptions.
Regardless we need -more- size & rebounding. period. period. period.
_______________________________________________________
Josh has been hurt and we all acknowledge this.
It’s affected his stats, I’m certain.
I think, (just an opinion) but I think, Al has been hurt
to some degree since Griffin took him out of the air.
Hopefully he will recover mentally from this by next year.
_______________________________________________________
*side note – Bargnoni = 7 ft.+, great wingspan yet in no way is a center.
*ditto Dirk
We need two true 7 ftrs who are true [5's] and it has nothing to do with
Al or Josh or whatever pos they prefer to play.
The Hawks are small.
Marvin will be a 20ppg scorer
May 15th, 2011
2:37 am
@Najeh
Yeah but the Pistons had Wallace at 6ft11, Okur 7ft, and Elden Campbell 7ft
Buddy Grizzard
May 15th, 2011
4:23 am
“Smith/Teague for Curry/Beidrins” would be an unmitigated disaster for the Hawks and one of the most lopsided trades in NBA history. Teague took Curry’s lunch money the last time they played. Some predictions, based on what I saw in the CHI series.
1. Josh Smith will be a 2011-2012 NBA All-Star
2. Joe Johnson has played in his last All-Star game
3. Jeff Teague has All-Star potential, based on what he did against the reigning MVP. Not saying he will make the All-Star team next season, but I think it’s a possibility.
Buddy Grizzard
May 15th, 2011
4:37 am
Hawks to-do list for the offseason:
1. Re-sign Collins
2. Re-sign Damien
3. Tell JC1 run, don’t walk
4. Tell Etan and Powell run, don’t walk
5. Sign Chuck Hayes, unrestricted free agent who made $2.3m last season and received the second-most first place votes for defensive player of the year behind Dwight Howard
6. Sign Kwame Brown
Buddy Grizzard
May 15th, 2011
4:40 am
The reason to re-sign Damien and go after Chuck Hayes while letting Powell and JC1 go is that the former are defensive hustle players who are limited offensively. The latter are defensively challenged players who toss up every available shot when they get on the floor. Powell is also regarded by more than one NBA executive as the single worst player in the NBA. Funny how he was the first big man off the bench in one of the games against Orlando.
Casual observer
May 15th, 2011
5:23 am
ROFL
Casual observer
May 15th, 2011
5:34 am
People who were saying Teague isn’t a good player or “baller” at the beginning of the season are now saying Larry Drew should have been playing him since the beginning of the season and there would not have been a need to do this and that, blah blah blah. Hindsight from a couch is always so very clear.
Horford says something about playing power forward and now people are saying he is soft and useless, blah blah blah. Smith says he is just here to play and now people act like he has the right mindset and all that. So very funny how quickly people turn on a guy. Well, Mr. “I’m just here to play” needs to figure out actually how to play. Maybe some are impressed with that quote, but are they impressed with a guy who just cannot get his behind in the paint to do his scoring and instead hangs around the perimeter for really bad shots? Mr. “I’m just here to play” does not even box out for rebounds, he only gets them when he chooses to out jump people. Someone with that kind of athletic ability should be getting more than ten rebounds a game, but “he’s just here to play.” So funny. The paper tissue softie is a two time allstar and just been named to the all nba third team but Mr. “I’m just here to play” has never made the all star team and still wants to run the break and be magic johnson instead of filling the break as the most unstoppable catcher of alley oop passes.
These people sound like the same kind of people who said Jamal was better than Joe. Well Joe upped his points from round one to round two, while Jamal got his scoring average cut in half. But go ahead and praise Smith over Horford and Crawford over Johnson. Some of you would run this franchise into the ground quicker than the general manager before billy knight.
Casual observer
May 15th, 2011
5:43 am
Short sightedness at its best.
1. Josh Smith will be a 2011-2012 NBA All-Star
Maybe if he plays inside and can do better than sixteen points and eight rebounds. If he keeps shooting long jumpers you get what you got the first seven years.
2. Joe Johnson has played in his last All-Star game
It is still four more than Josh has played in. The coaches keep voting him in. That says something. Mr. Grizzards vote does not count.
3. Jeff Teague has All-Star potential, based on what he did against the reigning MVP. Not saying he will make the All-Star team next season, but I think it’s a possibility.
All star potential based off of five and a half playoff games against one opponent. Never has so much been assumed over so little. Show me an entire season first or maybe half a season. Not five playoff games.
Najeh Davenpoop
May 15th, 2011
7:11 am
It’s only been a day and a half and this blog is already in offseason form. Nothing new in the Hawks universe, T-S is back, and people are sniping at each other about topics that have been rehashed a billion times.
Football Fan
May 15th, 2011
7:43 am
The best plan is to be horrendous and get the number 1 pick. Then you can draft a Tim Duncan, Derrick Rose, etc. type of player. When the Hawks were horrendous they made horrible draft picks. Glad we passed on CP3 for example. We will be a 4 or 5 seed in the playoffs for the next 3 years and then be awful again.
The Game Has Changed
May 15th, 2011
7:55 am
Wow. You guys are hilarious. Everybody either wants to fire LD, trade the best players, or take back Joe Johnsons contract. IT AINT GONNA HAPPEN. News flash. This team was one of the last 6 teams standing at the end of the season. We did well against Orlando and if Hinrich was healthy the outcome may have been different. So lets not try to re-create the wheel here. Drew did a great job this year with what he had. Maybe next year this time we can really determine if he needs to go. But until then, lets just support my Hawks.
darb
May 15th, 2011
8:16 am
The hawks have 2 problems. One is that they have just a bunch of mediocre players, and the other is that their system of joint ownership cannot and will not work.
bigdave
May 15th, 2011
8:38 am
“Horford says something about playing power forward and now people are saying he is soft and useless, blah blah blah. Smith says he is just here to play and now people act like he has the right mindset and all that. So very funny how quickly people turn on a guy.”
maybe you should be a more “frequent” observer.. your “casual” status has your opin
bigdave
May 15th, 2011
8:38 am
*opinion a bit off base
dap01
May 15th, 2011
8:41 am
We went through the longest and most painful rebuilding process in order to get LD and this collection of misfits. Teague is the one player that is untouchable. Everyone else needs to go. Especially the coach and management.
dj dascorpian
May 15th, 2011
9:01 am
Al Horford needs to spend the summer doing 2 things. 1. Yes, get in the wieght room. 2. Spend the summer with Hakeem Olijuan or Moses Malone, or Karl Malone-to develop low post moves. Al can get into the low post. The problem is he doesn’t know what to do when he gets there. Other players have figured out his game. He’s one dimensional. If Al could develop a left hand, game over. Al also needs to spend some of the off season at the Rucker in NY. Where he can learn from some of the best in the world. J. Smith needs to humble himself and get Jerry Sloan to teach him basketball fundamentals along with Stockton and Malone for additional tutoring lessons to become a great pick and roll low post presence.
KevinM
May 15th, 2011
9:18 am
Dj, while you’re at at it, can you get Marvin to put time in this offseason othervthan at Chapel Hill hanging out with Sean May. He is our equivalent to Arenas based on what we will get out of him with the remaining 23M.
Sund s/b fired for that signing alone along with his Bibby “prime” comment.
Marvin will be a 20ppg scorer
May 15th, 2011
9:50 am
@Stupid is as Stupid does”Yes Al is 6′ 10 1/2 ” but he plays 6′ 5″ maybe 6′4″ with a wing spam of 7 or 8 inches”
AL IS NO WHERE NEAR 6ft10..lol…Dwight Howard is 6ft10, Noah is 6ft10, hell, ZAZA is 6ft10, AL is no where near taller than any of those players…SMH!
M Tuck
May 15th, 2011
10:14 am
I think the big difference in Chicago is there new coach Thibodeau. When he was the asst coach at Boston they had the #1 defense, now that he is the head coach for Chi they have the #1 defense. Not a coincidence.
M Tuck
May 15th, 2011
10:19 am
I think we should let j Crawford go. I think the PG combo of an improved Teague and Hinrich can do better.
Myrak43
May 15th, 2011
10:26 am
dj dascorpian @
May 15th, 2011
9:01 am
Al Horford needs to spend the summer doing 2 things. 1. Yes, get in the wieght room. 2. Spend the summer with Hakeem Olijuan or Moses Malone, or Karl Malone-to develop low post moves. Al can get into the low post. The problem is he doesn’t know what to do when he gets there. Other players have figured out his game. He’s one dimensional. If Al could develop a left hand, game over. Al also needs to spend some of the off season at the Rucker in NY. Where he can learn from some of the best in the world. J. Smith needs to humble himself and get Jerry Sloan to teach him basketball fundamentals along with Stockton and Malone for additional tutoring lessons to become a great pick and roll low post presence.
You mean Al should work on his game so he can be more like Pau Gasol? yes he should. but hey why don’t we just trade Horford and Marvin Williams for Pau Gasol. and we would have to worry about Al getting a low post game or not.
NUNNA!!!
May 15th, 2011
10:39 am
M Tuck says,”I think we should let j Crawford go. I think the PG combo of an improved Teague and Hinrich can do better.”
Ditto!!
But u know what i hate about the coverage of this team M Tuck?
While i appreciate what the ajc does,the coverage by 680 and 790 is so f8cking shi88y!!
All during this series you had bulls talk almost all day and on game nights you had them taking calls up to 3am-4am in da freaking morning!!!!
U get segments of coverage here in ATL..Instead of talking hawks they have UGA talk,Falcon talk and then the NBA coverage would be 10 mins with the 1st 5 or 6 on other playoff games and the last 4 or less on the hawks!!
Im calling the hawks front office on monday and insist they get a foot in the butt of their hawks radio station to offer more coverage on this team..Its sick how they 680 and 790 would act as a national channel more than doing something for the local fans here like us!!
They would get more listeners and more respect if they did.But its just freaking frustrating!!!!!!
darrell starks
May 15th, 2011
10:42 am
LD must be fire and let go, if the hawks owners wants to make a big investment into this team and build a championship caliber team, go get a coach point blank period.
GO HAWKS!!!!!!!!!!!!
NUNNA!!!
May 15th, 2011
10:44 am
Correction:
M Tuck says,”I think we should let j Crawford go. I think the PG combo of an improved Teague and Hinrich can do better.”
Ditto!!
But u know what i hate about the coverage of this team M Tuck?
While i appreciate what the ajc does,the coverage by 680 and 790 is so f8cking shi88y!!
Totally different from what the coverage that they give in Chicago for the Bulls!!!
All during this series you had bulls talk almost all day and on game nights on chicago sports radio and you had them taking calls up to 3am-4am in da freaking morning!!!!
U get segments of coverage here in ATL..Instead of talking hawks they have UGA talk,Falcon talk and then the NBA coverage would be 10 mins with the 1st 5 or 6 on other playoff games and the last 4 or less on the hawks!!
Im calling the hawks front office on monday and insist they get a foot in the butt of their hawks radio station to offer more coverage on this team..Its sick how they 680 and 790 would act as a national channel more than doing something for the local fans here like us!!
They would get more listeners and more respect if they did.But its just freaking frustrating!!!!!!
darrell starks
May 15th, 2011
10:51 am
All of the playoffs games where sold out fans will support this team, but ownership have to give the fans hope and show that there in the bussiness to win, if LD coach this team next year it will be a waste of year, first josh and LD will clash the hole year and destroy the chemistry o the team LD is not a leader, get a coach that will have control of the team and coach this team up, LD will be a waste if stay.
GO HAWKS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
ejh
May 15th, 2011
11:08 am
First off the Hawks gave this series to the bulls. In game five with the lead the hawks had zsa zsa, and Josh on the bench, when they should have been on the floor regardless of their fouls. Damien wilkins should have been on the floor for defensive purposes. Going down the strectch you need defense not offense. The lineup should have been teague, joe, damien, josh, zsa zsa. Wilkens ond Deng, Josh on Gibson, Zsa Zsa on Asik, and Joe on Brewer. LD failed in keeping crawford and al on the floor. That being said, if the hawks are going to improve, they must move Joe to the three and keep him off the perimeter where he gets the ball and stagnates the offense. You must bring in a two guard who is willing to drive the basketball and a defensive minded center who blocks and rebounds. Tegue and Josh are the cornerstones of the frachise going forward. If there are any trades to be made this offseaon, I say send Al Horford and Marvin williams to Golden State for Monte Ellis and Beindris. Sign Caron Butler and a scoring power forward to come off the bench, Perhaps carl Landry. Then if you can try a sign and trade with beindris for tyson chandler. This would put the hawks in play for dwight howard if they want to be or still good enought to stand pat with what they would have, because you then could offer Monte Ellis and tyson Chandler for Dwight howard along with a future first round pick. if not your next year line up would be:
Teague
Monte Ellis
Joe Johnson
Josh Smith
beindris or Chandler
Bench:
Hinrich
Butler
Wilkens
Landry
Zsa Zsa
Pape Sy
Collins
This makes for a better defensive Team 1 – 12, and have guys like ellis, and buter who are always determined to get to the rim and get foulde. This GM needs to be creative.
darrell starks
May 15th, 2011
11:09 am
2 coaches that are out there that i really like Bill Lambeer and Mike Brown.
1.BILL LAMBEER is a winner all thru out his proffesional career and is a true leader, who demand toughness witch is good for horford and smartness witch is good for joe, josh not only that he develop his player and bring the best out of player.
2. Mike Brown who also leader will demand excellence from his team and not affraid to put players in there place, like i seen him do the greatest player in the game today lebron james and put his butt on the bench when was out of control that what you call a leader.
GO HAWKS!!!!!!!!!!!!
Joey
May 15th, 2011
11:10 am
Well, I love Al and all, but if he had made his wide open jumpers, and not thrown the ball away so much in the Bulls series, yeah, it would have gone 6 games, but the Hawks would be figuring out now how to defend the Heat, instead of watching the Bulls/Heat on tv.
NUNNA!!!
May 15th, 2011
11:13 am
LD needs to go..He has not control over this team because they do not listen to him.Jamaal is not coming back yall..He see’s that his need for a ring would be greatly more appreciated if he were to go to a lakers team,or heat or bulls team..Trust me he is going to one of the big 3..Bibby better watch out lol..
Another thing is that LD should know that some players don’t practice with intensity but they do play with it..
LD has not shown that he has seen what most fans have seen in Teague all season.He plays politics and he says he tells JT this or that and that he knows he can play..Bull Crap LD!!
If he did then JT would have gotten more playing time,point blank period.
Was LD not coaching the team after the bibby trade when JT had to start?
Did he not see the job that JT did on Andre Miller and others?
Kirk brings better defense than bibby and he has the 3 point shot but overall we could have gotten by without him..
But,i do love our backcourt has he and JT in together and so does JT(who said it in an earlier blog with MC) who pointed out his like for kirk in another interview:
SS: Kirk Hinrich came to the team late in the season. What’s it like playing with Kirk and how big is it to lose him for this series?
Jeff Teague: He’s a great teammate. I started a couple of games with him and during those starts I got to know him real well. He’s a great help defender and he’s all about the team. ——————————————————————————–
He has never complimented not one of his current or former(Mike Bibby!!) teamates in that same manner.
As a coach u are supposed to know how to get thru to each of your players as time goes on as u coach them..LD doesn’t.
LD didn’t know that he could guard bigger guards,play with intensity the way he does and could score the way he does because if he did he would have been playing or starting a long freaking time ago!!
I still do not advocate the release of Rick Sund either.He has supplied us with Jamaal,JT,and Jordan Crawford over the past 3 years and now he has Magnum Rolle on the roster as well?????
But just like Woody,LD preferres to have this team stuck in a philosophy thats not interested in developing players..
Oh,and he also brought in Twin too..
U might not get the name players that u want with Sund but u will get the game that u want from the players he does provide for you…
Its up to u to play them,Larry Drew!!!!!!!!!!
NUNNA!!!
May 15th, 2011
11:18 am
ejh says,”This makes for a better defensive Team 1 – 12, and have guys like ellis, and buter who are always determined to get to the rim and get foulde. This GM needs to be creative.”
——————————————————————————————————–
Does Jordan Crawford,Teague,and a driving Jamaal like getting to the rim and get “and 1’s”?
Sund has provided that for u but its up to u allow 2 of the 3 names the chance to show u what they can do while they are on the team and playing..Not when u trade one and the other is forced to start because of injury..
Keep Sund
NUNNA!!!
May 15th, 2011
11:22 am
Uh ohh..Base Raider u done started something now!!
Now u gonna have Gov.Deal checking Al’s status to see if her is here legally..They might even have had checked his legality by stopping play and walking out on the court if we would have advanced and would be playing games 3 and 4 here against miami..Wow!!
Rusty
May 15th, 2011
11:25 am
God what nonsense if kh was healthy the outcome would have been different,ha,ha. If JJ & jc wouldn’t have choked so badly, & if we had a coach who could coach the results could have been different.
darrell starks
May 15th, 2011
11:26 am
NUNNA co-sign, keep SUND and get rid of LD.
GO HAWKS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Rusty
May 15th, 2011
11:26 am
GET REAL THE GAME HAS CHANNGED
KevinM
May 15th, 2011
11:36 am
Uh, are you saying we played defense against the Bulls in 2/6 games or are you saying we played defense as a whole?
I didn’t see it; Chicago had their way with us most of the series. They won twice as many games as we did and I’m glad its not the best of 11 series..Chicago would have beat us 6-2!
We have loads of room for improvement, and the post defense has a lot to be desired. You have 2 PFs and a Zaza protecting the rim. Collins was a help in smaller spots, but the core of your post defense needs an uptick.
I like Josh moving back inside, limiting his jump shots. I like Al being used to bring in more talent, inside or outside. I like Teague and Joe together for the most part. I don’t see Joe as a guy who can play withstand the number of minutes a #1 has to play and succeed.
Resolve the interior defense, use your limited salary ways and get us a defensive minded 3 (Battier), and I think we have a better shot at moving forward.
Joe’s salary is 25% of available resources; what he showed me under LD is not 25% contract worthy. Get me a coach who will play to Joe’s strengths, get him some scoring/defensive help, and I think we give it another run. Oh, and average Larry can’t be retained if we are serious about major improvements.
The main move is putting Josh back at the 4, and getting us the SF help we need so bad, yet is the easiest position to fill.
Michael Cunningham
May 15th, 2011
11:38 am
@Mitch: “The players were generally soft—MC, correct me if I am wrong, but the reason why the Hawks didn’t take it to the rim or get to the foul line nearly often enough, was that the players used LD’s so-called motion offense as an excuse to settle for jump shots, wasn’t this the truth?”
that’s a fair assessment. L.D. wanted them to put it on the floor and get better shots but they tended to settle.
J from the A
May 15th, 2011
11:38 am
The “Chicago way” to the Eastern Conference finals was not accomplished through major player acquisitions, and this is why the Hawks may be able to emulate the “Chicago way.”
What did not make that much of a difference for the Bulls:
1. The addition of Boozer. Adding Boozer to the Bulls’ line up was the only major acquisition Chicago made this off season. While Boozer’s talents definitely made the Bulls a little bit better of a team, the addition of Boozer alone could not have elevated the Bulls to so-called “elite” status. Boozer added to the same 2009-10 Bulls team may have made the Bulls a middle of the pack play off team, but nothing more.
What did make a big difference:
1. Internal improvements. I think this is the #1 reason for the Bulls success this year. Derrick Rose went from being a really good PG to arguably the best player in the NBA. Loul Deng went from being someone who was looking a lot like Marvin (i.e., an overpaid role player that is barely adequate at playing their role) to one of the better all-around SF in the league.
2. Smart additions of effective role players. Korver gave them a legit shooter off the bench. Asik gave them size and tenacity off the bench. Brewer gave them an additional rotational quality wingman. Bogans gave them lock-down defense plus the ability to hit the open 3 (for the vet minimum mind you). Kurt Thomas gave them a savvy veteran center to throw in to the mix when needed. These role players filled needs and gave the Bulls great depth.
3. Thibs. Enough said.
Of course, the Hawks don’t have the cap space to sign 4 or 5 quality role players. They have the space (using exceptions) to sign 1, maybe 2, plus whatever quality the Hawks can get for vet minimums. And the Hawks are more than likely stuck with Larry Drew for next year. But that’s OK. The Hawks also have a few nice trade pieces. So, how do the Hawks emulate the Bulls model (or at least their outcome in a semi-similar fashion)?
1. Trade one of the “core” pieces. Given that the Hawks are doubled up at PF, in many ways it makes the most sense to trade Al or Josh. However, if you can get value for JJ, any trade involving him should be considered. In this trade, the Hawks must be willing to take a slight talent downgrade for the addition of NEEDED pieces. For example, Al for a starting-quality center plus a very good rotational-quality wingman or a very good rotational-quality PF. The Hawks may not be able to get an All Star in return for an All Star, but the Hawks would be filling two holes with quality players.
2. If the new CBA is anything like the current CBA, the Hawks should still have the ability to use the MLE (or something close to its equivalent) to pick up an additional quality role player.
3. The core pieces that remain MUST improve. We can expect Teague to have a break out year next year. If Al is traded, Josh must improve. If Josh is traded, Al must improve. It would be nice for Marvin to have a break out year, but I am not holding my breath on that one. (In fact, I would like to package Marvin + the Hawks’ core member in a trade for a starting quality center plus 2 very good role players that fill needs.)
Bottomline: Internal improvements of key players, plus the addition of three to four quality players (even if this means giving up one of the Hawks core stars to get these players) = Eastern Conference Finals and, perhaps, beyond.
Michael Cunningham
May 15th, 2011
11:38 am
@Grandad: “1. Have the Hawks conducted exit interviews? 2. If so / or if when, would we be privy to some of the appraisals?”
they were on Friday. since those are pretty much like employee performance evaluations, the only way to know the details is if L.D. or the players give them when asked. they generally didn’t, except for Teague, who said L.D. told him to work on his 3-point shot.
KevinM
May 15th, 2011
11:38 am
I take the latter approach on this team because there is no way in HAIL that any GM will come in and do a complete makeover.
But that’s what is needed here……Miami and Chicago were below us a year ago…..now we are looking up to both.
Thank you Rick Sund, Mike Gearon and Larry Drew for all the reinforcements you provided to the roster this year.
I know the season ticket holders are pleased with the results this year as well.
Michael Cunningham
May 15th, 2011
11:39 am
@Boom Dizzle: “@MC — That’s a good point. At the same time, before the start of this season who would’ve thought some suck…err I mean team would take on the likes of Gil Arenas, Baron Davis and/or Rashard Lewis. Marvin isn’t untradable but expect someone else’s junk for him. At this point IMO that would be better….”
haha . . . yeah, usually trading a bad contract (unless it’s expiring) means taking another one back.
The Game Has Changed
May 15th, 2011
11:44 am
@Rusty-Blame everything on everybody. Yall first thought we were not even going to make the playoffs saying the Bucks, Bobcats, Knicks, 76ers, Pacers, and Nets go better. Wow. We didnt even play our best and still landed the 5th seed. Then yall said we would be swept by Orlando. So much for that. Then they said we would be swept by the Bulls. We won 2 and should have won 3. The bottom line is we are still striving. I dont know what teams you were watching in the first round but Hinrich played very well.