Atlanta Hawks: Camp Report Day 8 (Public Scrimmage)
- The Hawks had a public scrimmage. They let me in, too. I don’t want to make too much of a camp scrimmage but I was so happy to see competitive professional basketball again I have to make some observations even if they end up meaning nothing.
- Nice crowd at Philips–the Hawks put it at 2,500. The fans were into it. “That felt great to see that,” Josh Smith said. “The fans are really anticipating this season and looks like they are really excited to see something special we are putting together.”
- The fans saw a scrimmage that was cleaner than any I’ve seen at camp. That doesn’t mean it was very good. “Overall, it was OK,” Larry Drew said. “But we still have a ways to go.”
- Joe Johnson (13 points, three rebounds, seven assists, very very unofficially) looked like he could go out and play 40 good minutes right now. He scored effortlessly, made his 3-pointers, defended with vigor and generally showed the young guards in camp what an All-Star talent in top form looks like. “I didn’t know when the lockout would end, and I just wanted to come in in great game shape,” he said. “If you come in in good shape, everything else takes care of itself.”
- Joe said he’s down to about 236 pounds after weighing as much as 247 last season. “I feel a little faster, more durable,” he said. “I am going to try to keep it down.”
- “He’s playing really well,” L.D. said. “He’s having one of his best camps that I’ve seen him. He looks comfortable. He’s picking and choosing his spots. I think having guys like Tracy [McGrady], [Jerry] Stackhouse and [Vladimir] Radmanovic out there, I think he feels a comfort level with those guys because he knows those guys have been in the trenches.”
- Jeff Teague (16 points, four rebounds, one assist) pushed the pace and got to the rim whenever he wanted. Finishing was another matter. Teague tends to have tunnel vision while heading to the basket, which isn’t so bad because it means he’s being aggressive. However, he will draw a lot of defensive attention and he’s playing alongside scorers now so probably good to look for them.
- Josh Smith (10 points, six rebounds, two assists) was off and running every chance he got (though he, too, had some trouble finishing at the rim). He’s definitely faster but probably sacrificed some strength.
- Smith said he will have to change his approach to playing in the post: “I’m doing pretty good with that. I have just got to make sure I am low at all times and be able to create the contact and not wait for it. I’ve got to be ready for guys like Derrick Favors, Zach Randolph, Amar’e Stoudemire, all those guys who are strong down low.”
- Pape Sy (two points, two rebounds) didn’t make many shots but was aggressive with the ball and made some good decisions when he got to the basket. He threw down an alley oop dunk on a lob from J.J. “He’s very athletic,” Drew said. “He can get up and down the loor, he’s got a good body on him. He’s a really hard driver, too. He puts his head down he usually gets to the rim.”
- I’ve heard Keith Benson (10 points, four rebounds) has struggled during camp but he had his moments tonight. He’s got a smooth mid-range J, which was expected. He also showed no fear with banging in the paint for rebounds and post position, which were good signs for his development.
- McGrady (two points, two rebounds) never really seemed into it. Stackhouse (four points, two rebounds) competed hard on D and running off screens but the first step is lacking and the jumper wasn’t falling.
- Vladimir Radmanovic (three steals, two blocks) showed that he can at least hold his own on defense. He’s got quick hands and anticipates plays well.
- Al Horford (seven points, four rebounds, three steals) tried to work on his post game but he ended up mostly going to the spinning fadeaway Js. Those are the moves Brandon Bass and Joakim Noah anticipated and disrupted. I didn’t see him try to drive much, either.
- Drew said Magnum Rolle suffered a foot injury while playing in Korea over the summer. That helps explain why Rolle looked out of shape early in camp. He’s got good size and was making smooth jumpers. “I like his size, I like his length,” Drew said. “He’s a guy that hopefully he can keep getting better. You can throw him the ball down there and he can do something on the block.”
- I thought Brad Wanamaker (nine points, three assists) and Donald Sloan (five points, three assists) both looked pretty good. Both players are solidly built.
- Wanamaker is the crafty combo guard.”He’s a tough kid,” Drew said. “Very steady. He’s got some bulldog in him. I like that about him. He doesn’t back down. He’s a competitor.”
- Sloan is the speedy one, especially for his size (6-3, 205). He looks the part to play in the league. “I think he has the talent, I think he has the body,” Drew said. “All of the essentials needed at the guard position, I think he possesses those. He can knock down shots, he’s good on the pick-and-roll, he’s a distributor.”
- Zaza Pachulia (seven points, six rebounds) did what he does: He went hard to the basket and didn’t finish particularly well but drew fouls and kept collecting his own rebounds because he competes.
- Jason Collins did not play.
- Shout out to Hawks PR staffer Jason Roose for supplying the unofficial stats.
Michael Cunningham, Hawks beat
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143 comments Add your comment
northcyde
December 17th, 2011
1:53 am
Najeh Davenpoop
December 17th, 2011
12:29 am
In fact when you look at the positional depth on this team, it becomes more apparent that Radmanovic wasn’t the greatest signing, even at the veteran’s minimum. Sure, he will stretch the floor and can probably provide quality minutes, but the 3 and 4 are the deepest positions on this team. It would have probably made more sense to go after someone like Murphy who could fill in at the 5 in a pinch, or someone like Redd who would provide back court depth; both of them can stretch the floor as well as do other things.
Typical uncreative Sund, bringing back his wack ass lottery picks from Seattle.
******************************
One of the things I started to do last year, was look at the roster from top to bottom, and see how they ranked efficiency wise at their position. When I did that, it was CLEARLY evident that our team lacked quality players outside of our top 6 or 7 guys. I mean, we only had 7 players ranked in the top 50 at their respective position. And that’s scary. That means that 1/2 of the team wasn’t even 2nd team quality.
So let me look at this again. I’m getting this from http://hoopsstats.com
I’ll cheat a little bit, and use Teague’s playoff efficiency rating, and place that number with the overall ( reg. season + playoffs ) PG efficiency ratings of the other guys. He had a 12.6 efficiency rating in the playoffs.
Remember, the number I put in parenthesis, is their efficiency rating rank within their respective position.
PG: Teague ( 30 ) – Hinrich ( 35 ) – Sy ( NR )
G: Johnson ( 10 ) – McGrady ( 31 ) . . . was listed as a SF, but mainly played guard. So I took his 10.4 efficiency rating and placed that within the SGs. Ranked ( 27 ) amongst SFs
F: Marvin ( 26 )
PF: Smith ( 12 ) – Radmanovic ( 56 ) – Benson ( NR ) – Rolle ( NR )
C: Horford ( 4 ) – Zaza ( 51 ) – Collins ( 87 )
************************
When you look at it like this, you kind of see what the problem is. If Drew is going to continue to play Smith some spot minutes at SF, you HAVE to try to get another quality big, before a guard. One injury to Smith or Horford would be catastrophic, because of the lack of quality behind those guys. Even one of those guys in foul trouble wouldn’t be good at all.
Teague’s regular season efficiency rating last year at PG was ( 49 ) out of 83 eligible guys. If Teague can improve to ( 30 ), and a guy like a Wanamaker can at least be a top 50 PG, we would be OK at guard . . IF . . JJ is back to his All-Star form. Then we SHOULD be solid at the position once Hinrich gets back. He should at least be a top 40 player at that position.
Heck, when I looked at the 2006 – 07 season, Tyronn Lue was ranked ( 33 ) with a 9.9 efficiency rating . . and he was our starting PG. As inconsistent as Bibby was in 2009 – 10, his efficiency rating was ranked ( 39 ) at 10.1
IF Wanamaker could at least post a 7 efficiency with about 10 – 12 minutes of playing time, that would at least hold us over until we get back Hinrich.
northcyde
December 17th, 2011
2:00 am
Who I would LOVE to add to the Hawks, would be a guy like Reggie Evans . . ranked ( 25 ) amongst PFs and was 5th in the league in rebounding, despite only playing 27 minutes a game.
THAT’S the type of quality big man reserve we need. A guy that if Smith or Horford went down, or was in foul trouble, could come right in and contribute significantly with his rebounding ability and decent defense. A guy that would have no problem whatsoever in doing the dirty work on the boards.
But the ASG would have to give him 2.5 – 4 mill for at least 2 years, to secure him. You’d think that a guy like Sund would love Reggie, seeing that he was a former SuperSonic. But the ASG would have to pony up and pay that guy and go over the Luxury Tax.
But watch . . a team like Boston ( who is going after him hard ) will get him, even though they can only pay him the vet minimum. All the ASG would have to do is outbid Boston a bit, and I bet we could get him. But they won’t do it because it will send us into the Tax.
@ Grandad . . . you’ll appreciate the following Reggie Evans game clip. No flashy highlights here. Just simply Reggie doing the dirty work.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aRCrhkEcuH8
mykhalc
December 17th, 2011
2:04 am
TMac…what a joke of a contract!!! his attitude will be reason enough to eat it and admit the mistake!!! like i said, he was lookin’ for a meal…PERIOD!!!
Big Ray
December 17th, 2011
2:32 am
Buddy Grizzard ,
Bay Ray in response from the last blog… agree with all your comments. Josh will have Teague to run with this year but don’t expect a bunch of oop’s because Teague is not a great passer. Josh will be rebounding alot of Teague’s misses because Teague mostly looks for his own shot.
I hear you. I do seem to recall that, and MC’s comments reflect it. Hmmm…
Big Ray
December 17th, 2011
2:36 am
I don’t like a single thing I just read about Al Horford. If this is the tack he’s going to take, then trade his butt.
Like MC said, smarter defensive players (Noah, Bass) know his game now, and know how to disrupt it. The man has athleticism, but not like Amare Stoudamire, Blake Griffin, etc. He made his mark in this League early on with energy, relentless play, fundamentals, and hard work. If he’s going to act like this (abandoning post moves in favor of spinning fadeaway jumpers), then we just don’t need his a$$.
Where is the old Al Horford? Somewhere out there with Waldo on the back of an orange juice box?
remember me?
December 17th, 2011
2:45 am
Turnover teague is back, Al did nothing in the offseason and now is surprising no one with that same ol bulchit. trade-his-ass yesterday.
is the dude still trying to be dirk? The dude Al says he aint gonna play center, what he meant is he aint gonna defend at center.
Teague looked good in the play offs cuz no body guarded him. They were right in assuming teague couldnt beat the bulls.
Still shaking my head at Al. Big Fck ing Al.
JJ and Josh will bring it down the stretch but the hawks go nowhere this year. trade Al and get a play maker and a defender for the rim.
Ra'mon
December 17th, 2011
2:47 am
Big Ray, the Horford who played against Chicago in the regular season, is the Horford the Hawks need. Horford will never be the most athletic or most gifted on the court. But he can outwork everyone in the gym, if he chooses to. Instead, after signing, it seems as if he’s finding the easy way to do things, and settling for that.
bird
December 17th, 2011
3:42 am
Wish I would have known they were streaming the scrimmage on Hawks.com. Sure kept that on the hush hush..
i_am_soulstar
December 17th, 2011
3:42 am
JJ was beasting. Wanamaker looked great. Benson definitely needs works. McGrady threw a lob to himself off the backboard, but it didn’t work it out the way it did in that All-Star game so long ago. Also, McGrady barely contributed. I hope he does better.
Also, Stackhouse’s lift is gone. Had a drive to the basket, could barely absorb the light contact that he received.
Marvin’s back is more straight, but he seems to play the same.
Teague is fast as hell, but everyone knows that.
Watching the scrimmage made me more optimistic about certain players and pessimistic about others.
Buddy Grizzard
December 17th, 2011
3:58 am
“Do the hawks have the money to sign Keith Bogans to be their backup SG?” – O’Brien
Was thinking about this. I’m sure he can be had for the vet’s minimum because CHI declined a $1.7m team option on him… he wasn’t making much more than the minimum anyway. But looking at his stats he doesn’t score, doesn’t rebound, doesn’t get assists. He’s known as a defensive player and he started all 82 games for CHI last year.
Might not be a bad pickup. He’s young, so he doesn’t have the diminished physical abilities of Stack. He’ll never be half the player that Stack was in his prime, but right now he would be a cheap pickup with ECF starting experience. He also has a chip on his shoulder about the Bulls cutting him loose after they signed Hamilton, whom it remains to be seen if he can either stay healthy or contribute.
vava74
December 17th, 2011
4:21 am
Bogans was CHI’s Bruce Bowen = huge mistake which we should capitalize in our favour.
Bogans is quality NBA material = an intangibles guy who knocks down his open looks.
vava74
December 17th, 2011
4:26 am
Najeh Davenpoop
December 17th, 2011
12:52 am
Can’t agree there. Even if Wannamaker proves to be a contributor he is NOWHERE near Hinrich.
Not by a mile. Hinrich is a savvy vet who is also an intangibles guy. I know that he is a good trading chip but we would be horribly thin on the back court.
vava74
December 17th, 2011
4:33 am
Big Ray,
Diaper Al made his presentation. Boss Al is long gone.
He really thinks that he is Dirk’s new coming. Oh brother…
Hopefully, when he is blocked or rushed into a brick night after night he will come back to Earth.
MsDee
December 17th, 2011
4:47 am
I was there, but wouldnt put too much negativity towards Teague nor T-mac just yet. All players dont look at a practice scrimmage the same. Sure, they should but O-K, they dont all the time, doesnt mean their attitude and attention wont change for the better when an opposite opponent are guarding them. I use to play college ball back in my day (95′-99′), and had that same mentality when it came to us scrimmaging each other..mostly because we all knew what the play was b4 the 1st pass was thrown. Just not the same when the season actually started so dont take too much from this practice that Teague, T-mac, or even Horford will not be useful. Now the players I would be concerned about is Josh still looking like the Josh of old with the jumpers. Sure, he made his 1st 3 or 4 jumpers, but would like to have seen more post-ups and drives to the basket. Marvin looked like Marvin, non-aggressive and that what bothers me with him. He would rather play it safe than to go all out to at least attempt to be aggressive. And as much as i’m looking for Stackhouse to make the team, he just looked kinda old out there. He tried his best but couldnt deliver like he once did in his past, not really focusing on when he was in his ‘prime’, he couldnt even match his ‘past’. I think it may be time for him to call it quits. JJ, Wannamaker, Donald, Sy, & Magnum are the ones that impressed me the most in that order. We should be fine but could be better with an added ‘Big’ tho.
Buddy Grizzard
December 17th, 2011
4:53 am
“Bogans is quality NBA material = an intangibles guy who knocks down his open looks.” – Vava74
Vava called it… sign him up Old Horse! The more I think about it, the more I think this guy would relish the chance to make a difference in the playoffs against the team that cut him. If the Hawks eliminated CHI this year like we did ORL last year with Bogans contributing… think how gratifying that would be fore him.
Buddy Grizzard
December 17th, 2011
4:55 am
“He really thinks that he is Dirk’s new coming.” – Vava74
When has Al ever faced the basket and taken somebody off the dribble? That was half of Dallas’ offense… spread out the shooters so they can’t double team and watch Dirk go around his man for layups. Just cause you can make standstill jumpers doesn’t make you Dirk.
superiorblogman
December 17th, 2011
5:24 am
remember me?
December 17th, 2011
2:45 am
Turnover teague is back, Al did nothing in the offseason and now is surprising no one with that same ol bulchit. trade-his-ass yesterday.
is the dude still trying to be dirk? The dude Al says he aint gonna play center, what he meant is he aint gonna defend at center.
Teague looked good in the play offs cuz no body guarded him. They were right in assuming teague couldnt beat the bulls.
Still shaking my head at Al. Big Fck ing Al.
JJ and Josh will bring it down the stretch but the hawks go nowhere this year. trade Al and get a play maker and a defender for the rim.
Point Guard Slim: You are usually okay with me but this is some of your bigger bull-manure. How can you say Teague looked good in playoffs because no-one was guarding him. No-one is ever guarding him because he just goes right by, and when you get pass your man they are not giving you a free lane to the basket someone will help. As I remember it Teague was on his back quite a bit from contact. He was guarded as much as anyone can guard him. Teague’s problem is he needs to just forget about scoring until he masters the art of passing the ball. He isn’t a scorer in the NBA, just distribute and play defense and make a wide open shot when they give it to you.
vava74
December 17th, 2011
5:25 am
Buddy,
Yesterday, whilst not driving like Dirk, Al looked to make turn around fade away jumpers.
For a scrimmage, the moves looked good, but they were on the slow side which means once the opponent is looking to stop him, he will not drain those.
vava74
December 17th, 2011
5:39 am
As for some of the criticism around here on some players. Some of it does not seem deserved.
V-Rad actually showed that, when he wants, he is bit more than a shooter. He had a good dribble drive and looked to pass more than just to shoot.
On Marvin: what the heck was everyone expecting from him? That he suddenly stopped being Marvin?
Also, a guy with his injury record should not take risks on a scrimmage.
His best move was, once again, the half hook in the paint.
Since he falls when he drives hard, I think he should be deployed as a sixth man at the PF slot (hence facing weaker opposition) and working mainly in the paint (not exactly low post stuff, but using his “slashing” moves).
“slashing” is not the exact word, but I think you’ll get my drift.
Dawg
December 17th, 2011
6:38 am
Does Sund actually get paid money?
Marcus
December 17th, 2011
7:26 am
vava/O’Brien/ – I was just about to mention the Bogans waiver as possible interest from da Hawks. So McGrady is already signed, if we had to choose between Stack and Bogans …
also, I like the young guards Wannamaker and Sloan … I hope one of them sticks.
joshau
December 17th, 2011
7:30 am
you have to be mentally challenged to believe a 32 year old tmac will go out all guns blazing in a practise run. You really must be.
joshau
December 17th, 2011
7:32 am
look at mykhacl comments and see what stupidty looks like.
vava74
December 17th, 2011
7:40 am
joshau,
the issue is not going all out, but looking ancient. really ancient.
tony
December 17th, 2011
7:46 am
JS didn’t need to loss weight, he just needs to play smarter, play to his strength(rebound, tip in, dumps and play solid def) and make the referees work for him instead of against him.
JJ just needs to realized that there are 4 other players on the court besides himself and he needs to maintain his composure for 4 quarters.
AH just needs to keep his head in the game – that way he won’t be distracted whenever his teammates(JJ/JS) desides to become one-dimensional.
T-Mac can help this team if he plays the way he played against the Celtics in 2010 and realize that he has an opportunity to play in the nba finals and also help a city experience for the1st time the excitement of watching their team play for an nba title. http://youtu.be/jWz3PjMqEZk
joshau
December 17th, 2011
7:51 am
Howabout waiting for the season to start and then see if he is ancient or not. Premature judgements are not wise.
terrell
December 17th, 2011
8:03 am
Horford shooting fadeaway J’s? Come on man! And MC, McGrady always looks like that. Thats why they used to call him droopy. Looks like he could fall asleep anytime. lol.
Michael Cunningham
December 17th, 2011
8:24 am
@Sec 303: “Michael, I was there tonight. I was going to say hello, but you looked like you were locked in to your writing. I didn’t want to bother you. I’ll come introduce myself at a game this season.”
sounds good.
Michael Cunningham
December 17th, 2011
8:26 am
@Nique: “Thx MC, Any interest in MIchael Redd?”
judging by L.D.’s comments on Thursday, it doesn’t seem as if they are in a hurry to add anyone right now and are focused on evaluating the camp guys.
Slimjr
December 17th, 2011
8:30 am
All NBA Al apparently did not impress anybody( present company included) at that scrimmage last night.. We should have used him to upgrade our front line to go deeper into the playoffs..Wanna play the 4? Would be absolutely embarrassing come playoff time…..
I would not pay to watch him….ZZZZZZZZZZ!!
Teague has got to continue to work on his jumpshot!
The way he holds the ball before shooting is down right terrible!!!!!! C’mon Coach teach the guy how to hold it for proper release???????????????Hello??????????
Better yet Jeff go watch some film on how CP3 shoots the rock..It’s a thang of beauty..Comprende?
Michael Cunningham
December 17th, 2011
8:41 am
@terrell: “And MC, McGrady always looks like that. Thats why they used to call him droopy. Looks like he could fall asleep anytime. lol.”
haha, yeah he has the sleepy look. you could see the difference between T-Mac, whose spot is secure and is probably saving it for the season, and Stack, who was going hard because he wants to make the team.
like i said in the opening of the blog, don’t want to make too much of a scrimmage when it comes to the established guys.
Melvin
December 17th, 2011
9:13 am
The more I watch Horford the more I think about Okafor. A guy who outplayed the value of his rookie contract but not worth the 12 million contract. I think Horford is a better offensive player than Okafor but will give Okafor the advantage on defense. I like AL but wouldn’t label him untouchable if we could trade him for the right piece.
Astro Joe
December 17th, 2011
9:23 am
Rolle looked better than Wanamaker. And Vlad looked better than both. I don;t like the idea of Teague (very small sampling) and an undrafted FA as our PGs for the season. Much, much too risky. Even if Teague replicates the Bulls performance (which is unlikely), we are an injury away from having a borderline NBA player in a key role. Makes no sense. With Vlad and Rolle looking better than any of the PG options(after Teague), I maintain that an adequate replacement for Hinrich is critical.
tony
December 17th, 2011
9:37 am
Baron Davis would of been a better option than Stackhouse. Bring him to the ATL Sund.
Rev in Tampa
December 17th, 2011
10:09 am
I didn’t see the game last night, but from everyone’s comments (or lack thereof) it appears that Marvin is in mid-season disappearing-act form.
Joe.Jeff.Smith.Leuer.Bogut
December 17th, 2011
10:22 am
@blogman
this is my first comment on this blog. Check my IP or something.
SMH at the Horford comments. Franchises never learn until its 2 late and it becomes a buyer’s market instead of a seller’s market. Hindsight is always 20-20.
“Al Horford (seven points, four rebounds, three steals) tried to work on his post game but he ended up mostly going to the spinning fadeaway Js. Those are the moves Brandon Bass and Joakim Noah anticipated and disrupted. I didn’t see him try to drive much, either.”
Dude always gets injured on drives. Dirk is 7′0 tall and uses his height and length to his advantage. Should we post the video of “Horford Dirk Move” vs the Miami Heat and the defense of Mario Chalmers.
Average Height, Average Length, Stellar effort = Teacher’s Pet all Star
Not Amare, not Blake, not Zach.
Gearon Jr. please do this. Sund please do this >>>
Josh Smith + PF perimeter + center
does not mean
Josh Smith + (Vladimir Radmanovic/Marvin Williams) + Al Horford
Josh Smith + Jon Leuer + Andrew Bogut
Horford is killing his value so bad…toss in a 2nd rounder if need be, but I think Leuer is still overseas or on a non-guaranteed. So we might have to suffer Marvin/Radmanovic 1 year, But enough with Horford.
I don’t need 35 minutes of Chuck Hayes little brother trying to be scoring champ.
2 FOR JOHN DREW
December 17th, 2011
10:25 am
@ Rev in Tampa …… Now that’s funny, right there !!!!!!
i_am_soulstar
December 17th, 2011
11:17 am
Pape had more than 2 points. Hit a jumper in the first quarter and caught that nasty oop from JJ. Although MC already stated how unofficial these stats are.
ryan
December 17th, 2011
11:51 am
I think T Mac and Stackhouse will be good veterans for the young guys as the season progresses .
Ken Strickland
December 17th, 2011
11:52 am
To me, it looks like a decision has been made to try and find a serviceable PG out of our camp invitees before deciding whether to sign a Vet PG. If we feel a vet PG is needed, I seriously doubt if we’ll sign another Big. If we go with one of our camp invitees as our backup PG, we might go after a Big.
With 4 Bigs already in camp(Zaza, Twin, Rolle, Benson)to backup Horford, not counting Radmanovic, and no clearcut backup PG penciled in behind Teague, I don’t see how getting Horford a 5th backup can possibly be a bigger priority than securing a primary backup for Teague.
In Twin, Zaza, TMac, and Radmanovic, we have 4 bench players who definitely know how to play, and know how to utilize their strengths to minimize their weaknesses. I think Rolle is definitely serviceable, and has the skill to play both C and PF.
I don’t know why, but Wannamaker sort of reminds me of Chauncey Billups. Strong, aggressive, intelligent, steady, but not particularly athletic. He doesn’t seem to have mastered any one thing in particular, he just does everything well. He also has some of KHinrich’s qualities.
I see Radmanovic, Zaza, Twin, and Rolle as our backup Bigs. That leaves 3 slots open on our 12 man roster. TMac is a lock, and with our need for a backup PG, I think it will boil down to Sloan or Wannamaker. That leaves only one remaining slot, and that will go to either Pape Sy, or JStackhouse. Sy is younger, quicker, faster, more athletic and versatile.
I see Benson, the winner of the Sloan/Wannamaker PG, and the Stackhouse/Pape Sy SG battle, filling out our 15 man roster. Just based on last nights scrimmage, it looks like MRolle is an upgrade over HArmstrong. TMac is an upgrade over DWilkins, because of his superior offensive skills. Radmanovic seems to be an upgrade over JPowell, and Wannamaker would be an upgrade over JCrawford, but strickly as a backup PG.
For me, the beauty of this potential roster is its absence of any DEF liabilities at any position. We won’t be a great DEF team, but we’ll be a very solid DEF team. We will definitely have a solid perimeter DEF, which definitely won’t be vulnerable like in the past.
I see where some of our NEGATIVE MINDED BASHERS have taken issue with those of us who don’t share their NEGATIVE MINDED view of the Hawks. Even though this yrs team represents the most experienced and talented Hawk team in yrs, and far to much of both to collapse or fall apart, you are still predicting doom and gloom for the season.
Of the 4 Eastern Conference teams that finished ahead of the Hawks last yr(Bulls, Heat, Celtics, Magic), only the Bulls and Heat figure to do it again this yr. The Celtics are too old, and too soft, fragile and thin in the middle. The Magic are about to go into serious rebuilding mode, and are more interested in seeing how much they can get for DHoward before the trade deadline passes than battling for a playoff spot.
ryan
December 17th, 2011
11:53 am
If we have no shot at Howard i like Gerald Wallace or Okafor we are dying for a true C .
mike
December 17th, 2011
11:57 am
mark my words, hawks heading for disaster year, t-mac going to spend 20 or 30 games injured, stackhouse been awful even 5 years ago and ld wanted me believe that suddenly at 37 he going to prosper, this organization under asg ownership is a fraud. they are cheap and a bunch of lies. the great city of atlanta didn’t deserved this clowns.
Carrlos lyles
December 17th, 2011
12:05 pm
The hawks will have major problems at the point this year, all the guards even Teague has extreme tunnel vision when driving. I was at Phillips last night and the half court sets became predictable if they do not run more the hawks will be below .500 this year.
jhan
December 17th, 2011
12:08 pm
I still believe Teague is the key to this team. Unlike others I believe he MUST score to be effective. It does no good to continually get to the rim and only look to pass. If he never scores who is he going to pass the ball to? Nobody will rotate if he only drives & dishes. He must score until the defense decides to rotate. Then he can pass to others for easy baskets. PG play 101.
mykhalc
December 17th, 2011
12:24 pm
@joshau…LOL at your stupid a$$. at least you can read…
drmaryb.[*_*].
December 17th, 2011
12:31 pm
Dirk … Really?
“He really thinks that he is Dirk’s new coming. Oh brother…” -Najeh DavenPoop-
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I hope not. Dirk is a super star and ‘7 footer who can shoot over anyone who finally learned to take his size, game and skills inside to bang in the post last season.
I know “Hope Springs Eternal”, but Al Horford is no Dirk. If Al doesn’t awaken, and soon – he will become Dirt not Dirk.
Park it in the paint Al and go to war!
Carrlos lyles
December 17th, 2011
1:00 pm
@jhan but how can he score? His release point is at his shoulder, he isn’t aggressive on pick and rolls trying to turn the corner, he doesn’t get to the free-throw line at a high clip and even when he does finally get there he splits the freethrows.people are hoping that Teague has it but that’s not who he is.
drmaryb.[*_*].
December 17th, 2011
1:01 pm
Voided!
So, Jeff Green’s 9M contract has been voided by the C’s. He will be out for the entire season and will undergo surgery next (week?) for an aortic aneurysm.
By voiding his contract, the C’s still retain his rights? I guess this is due to the facts of it being a medical condition and not purely a performance issue.
This issue will certainly quell the Celtics further downward in the standings while strengthening the Hawks.
Get Well Soon Mr. Green! Many prayers for your health and your family’s well being during these tough times, Sir.
drmaryb.[*_*].
December 17th, 2011
1:11 pm
9M Cap Space!
But, will Mr. Ainge replace Jeff Green with something better? Who’s left out there @ Jeff’s position on their team?
680 The Fan … Is blowing up right now re: all things NBA and NFL concurrently. Its a mixed bag on Kobe, Lamar, Pau, CP3, Celtics, Sam Heard, Eli Manning, Cowboys and Saints.
Its just too much good stuff!
northcyde
December 17th, 2011
1:30 pm
If we’re going the PG route, Baron Davis would definitely be my target. I just can’t see him playing for the vet minimum . . . not with us anyway.
The only thing about Baron, is that he’s probably better offensively than Teague right now, and the temptation will be for Drew to start Baron and bring Teague off the bench. Baron is still a great passing PG that knows how to run a team. But he shoots waaaay too many threes. He did play well in his mini-stint in Cleveland though.