Atlanta Hawks: Camp Report Day 12
Here’s what Larry Drew had to say today about Jannero Pargo, who was officially signed and immediately designated the backup to Jeff Teague:
“Very similar to Jeff, he’s a point guard who can score. But the experience itself is very valuable.”
In my assessment of Pargo last night, I didn’t note that he does have a pretty good scoring rate. In fact, his per-36 minute scoring averages over the last five seasons are comparable to what Jamal Crawford provided last season.
And in the context of the Hawks, Pargo’s experience is valuable. It was not feasible to start the season with one of Pape Sy, Donald Sloan or Brad Wanamaker as the backup point guard, especially since the schedule is so demanding. So adding a veteran, even a marginal one, provides some stability for the Hawks.
But if the goal was to add some scoring punch to the bench on the cheap, the Hawks got a scorer who is less efficient than Jamal because he doesn’t shoot as well and doesn’t get to the line as often. As John Hollinger wrote in his assessment of Pargo (Insider): “He can be useful if a team is desperate enough for shot creating that it doesn’t really care so much about the accuracy of said shots.”
Pargo’s career turnover and assist rates are also lower than Jamal’s. Pargo does represent an upgrade defensively and is a better rebounder (even at his size) but that was going to happen with most replacements. I guess Pargo can help with Drew’s plan to be a more energetic defensive team but he’s too small to play the two on any kind of regular basis.
In any event, we’ll see what Pargo can do on this team. He sounded enthusiastic about getting his next chance with a good squad.
“Kirk [Hinrich] is out so you need somebody that can come in and spell Teague a few minutes here and there and help that second unit not drop off as much from the starters,” he said. “I think I’m a guy that can come in and provide energy, defensive effort and hopefully help win some games.”
Pargo said his experience should help him quickly learn Atlanta’s offensive and defensive systems. He got a crash course on the offense today and so far likes what he sees: “Great stuff. A lot of passing, moving, cutting, backdoor. I think it’s a great offense so hopefully I learn it pretty quickly and get acclimated here.”
Camp report
- Drew’s assessment of last night’s game after breaking down the video: “I thought there were some pretty good things but I also thought we reverted back to some old habits. We have got to be a little more focused if we are trying to do some things different defensively. We have to understand exactly what we are trying to accomplish. As I told the team before the first practice, I don’t want to be a team that sits back and lets the other team do what they want to do. I want to create havoc. In order to do that you have to have everyone on the same page.”
- Charlotte got a lot of clean looks from the 3-point line last night, even when the Hawks had starters on the floor. “The concern was the effort to get the 3-point shooters,” Drew said. “As I told the guys, we have to exert our energy from the start of the shot clock till the end. It’s going to take multiple efforts. There were possessions where that didn’t happen and as a result Charlotte got some open looks.”
- Drew said the Hawks have been better with closing out during drills: “I’ve seen guys come from one corner to the other corner. Last night, a guy at the elbow just watched the guy. It has to become habit-forming. When playing against a team that is a 3-point shooting team, you have to be on your horse. You have to be committed to taking that extra step.”
- Hinrich participated in a 3-point shooting drill with Pargo and was making them at a high clip. He said he still lacks strength and full range of motion in the shoulder.
- My fantasy basketball team name: Pick-and-Pape Sy.
Michael Cunningham, Hawks beat
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275 comments Add your comment
The Real Hawk
December 21st, 2011
6:52 am
Love that he can score. Check his ststs on that.
Also Chicago thought so much of him last year he didn’t play at all.
Gotta love it!
Dukester
December 21st, 2011
6:59 am
So Ive been reading over this blog and are you good people telling me that we still have our mid level exception, we resigned Collins and center, that we could trade Zaza for a pick to clear cap space all of these moves could be used to sign Samuel Dalembert a strong rebounder and shot blocker. All of those possiblities to stay under the cap??
Its so depressing to watch this franchise.
O by the way Larry Drew probably the reason why the 3 pt shooters were open is (drum roll) The team had to collapse in the paint to protect and defend the rim and try to get position for a rebound. So you see its hard to do a center’s job and get out and defend a guy 22 feet a way. So either give up high percentage shots in the paint or high precentage open 3 pt shots. OR GET A DARN CENTER!!!! Dang yall stupid.
Just Joe
December 21st, 2011
7:00 am
Until Hinrich gets back, our second unit will be Pargo, Sy, TMac, Vlad, Rolle or Benson, Pachulia, Collins.
Bulls will be Watson, Brewer, Korver, Butler, Scalabrine, Gibson, Asik.
Heat will be Cole, House, Miller, Battier, Haslem, Pittman, Curry.
Knicks will be Bibby, Shumpert, Balkman, Jefferies, Jordan.
Just Joe
December 21st, 2011
7:07 am
None of those benches scare me that much. The Bulls have a nice group of role players, and it seems Thibs knows when to use them. They have not replaced Kurt Thomas yet.
Bostons bench will be Dooling, Bradley, Pavlovic, Daniels, Bass, Wilcox + one more.
Very little center depth in the East.
Dukester
December 21st, 2011
7:13 am
Just read Dalembert wanting somewhere around 7 million for 1 year. In a short season I would be willing to move Zaza or Hinrich to bring him in here.
Big Ray
December 21st, 2011
7:29 am
“However, I like Roy Hibbert. I would take him over Bogut and Lopez.”
Lopez, absolutely. But Bogut? No. AB is the best defensive center in the league not named Dwight and knows where to be on offense.
Agreed. And on top of that, he’s a very good passer.
But….
1) The last time he played 82 games was his rookie year.
2) That also happened to be the only time he’s played any playoff games.
3) Bogut usually goes missing due to some sort of bad injury towards the end of the season, during that stretch run, when he’s needed most.
I just don’t really want to take that chance.
Big Ray
December 21st, 2011
7:34 am
I believe Hawks are done signing people, and had decided to stick with whatever shakes loose from their preseason roster….and decided that quite some time ago. It sickens me to see Reggie Evans go elsewhere for a mere $1.3 million. It sickens me all the time to see different guys going different places and thinking “damn, we could have had that guy.”
But we do this ish every year. In the meantime, I wonder a few things about Larry Drew:
1) What happens when Teague struggles early? Will Drew let him play through it and take his lumps, or will he snatch him in favor of Pargo at the earliest opportunity?
2) If Al gets two quick fouls, will we see him sit for the remainder of the first half and a large chunk of the third quarter?
3) Does Marvin stay in the starting lineup or will Drew bring him off the bench? Can Drew even manage to make up his mind about what kind of lineup he will use most nights, or is he going to keep yammering on about tinkering with this and/or trying that?
4) Three team captains again, or does he have the balls to change that?
vava74
December 21st, 2011
7:36 am
Ray,
I asked you a couple blogs ago if you could e-mail me. I lost your e-mail when my previous laptop burned out.
Unless you are still weary about being in contact with a gun control advocate
drmaryb.[*_*].
December 21st, 2011
7:54 am
Training Day!
““Howard has clearly stated that the only way he comes to Atlanta is if his best buddy and co film star Josh is here”
-Truth B Told-
“Just out of curiosity, where and when did Howard make that comment?”-EmirS.-
_________________
Hello Emirs., G-Morning sir. Your reponse to -TruthBeTold-, is gonna’ make Sautee proud. Perhaps he can catch up some music playing and rest, while you keep the “blowers” honest with their self-serving mis-quotes and “straw-man” supported opinions. Keep working out the lies my friend.
vava74
December 21st, 2011
8:28 am
On the Hawks’ holiday video:
Sy’s accent makes him sound like he is having a Freudian slip:
“Hawks basketball is BAD!”
Ken Strickland
December 21st, 2011
8:28 am
When evaluating the Knicks, you have to factor in this yrs brutal schedule. How well will Amare handle it? Bibbby fade badly down the stretch under a regular schedule when he was with us, and BDavis has been over weight and out of shape for at least 2yrs. Who do they have to back up Chandler? In fact, who do they have as backups period, unless you think they are going to successfully weather this schedule relying primarily on their starters to play De Antoni’s wide open style of basketball.
This is yet another example of how some fans only see one side of things when it comes to the Hawks. They can show concern, or visualize how how certain things, like the schedule, will afffect the Hawks, but not how it will affect other teams. I think the Bulls will be replaced by the Heat and will be challenged by the Hawks. Replacing Bogans with Hamilton won’t be the improvement they were hoping for.
Rip can’t create his own shot, can’t effectively take anyone off the dribble, and hasn’t proven to be very effective without a series of picks to free him up. Add OFF priorities like DRose, CBoozer and Deng to the mix, and the fact that their OFF won’t be built around his needs, and his contributions will be limited. Besides, he’s definitely not the DEF player Bogans is.
Ray
December 21st, 2011
8:54 am
You know how much of a joke this organization is we’re only above the Clippers according to a lot of people, and what makes it even worse they mention on ESPN First Take the Nique trade and I was just left SMDH.
I’d actually rather be a fan of any other team excluding the Clippers and Hawks sometimes it’s so horrible.
KevinM
December 21st, 2011
9:01 am
Looking at our roster as it stands today, I think we keep 15 for this season. Based on our need to find some players off the bench, and the current state of Hinrich, we need more bodies to come in and spell the starters for a few minutes.
So with Hinrich out, and it sounds like he may be ready sooner than expected, we have to let go of 2 more. I think the winners will come from Sloan/Wannamaker and Benson/Rolle. Both of these groups are very similar in skill and we keep one of both to balance the roster. So it looks like Stack may hang on at least until Kirk returns.
Ken Strickland
December 21st, 2011
9:14 am
BIG RAY-Drew is in the final yr of his 2yr contract. With this yrs condensed schedule, and his job on the line, you had better believe he’ll throw Teague on the trash pile if he struggles early.
There’s been mention of us paying the luxury tax to sign Dalembert, and or trading away valuable assets to get him here. There has to be something wrong if he’s stlll available, as desperate as some teams are for center help. Also, there’s a reason Philly got rid of him, and the Kings were willing to let him walk, and couldn’t get anyone to do a sign and trade for him. I think his salary demands are too high, but I think I know why. He wants as much money as he can get so he can help the people in his home country of Haiti. I can only love him for that.
It just wouldn’t make any sense whatsoever to trade Zaza and go into luxury tax territory to sign him. If you subtract Zaza’s production from his, we’d end up paying a few million more than we’re paying for Zaza, plus the luxury tax, for just over 1BPG, and a couple of rebounds. And remember, Dalembert started 46gms last yr, so his stats are inflated by that fact. He’s also been very injury prone as well. The ASG has already stated that they’ll only pay the luxury tax for an impact player, and Dalembert is no longer an impact player.
However, he could be an impact player if he was’t so injury prone, and dedicated himself to working hard and maximizing his efforts and contributions. Apparently his former teams don’t feel he’s been willing to do any of those things, hence his continued availability.
Ra'mon
December 21st, 2011
9:16 am
Miami is the only team in the East I see clearly improved who was in the top 8 teams.
Ken Strickland
December 21st, 2011
9:29 am
BIG RAY-I can even envision another situation where Teague could be thrown on the trash pile. Suppose he plays well, but doesn’t have the impact he had in last yrs playoff, and Pargo does well as his backup. When Hinrich returns, I can see Drew starting him and using Pargo as his backup, which leaves Teague as the odd man out. Drew wouldn’t give a doggone about Teague, Teagues future, or the teams future PG situation, because his expiring contract would mean his future is now.
KevinM
December 21st, 2011
9:33 am
NBA.com has approx 60+/- FAs that still do not have a home….there is plenty of experience out there.
Scoring from the bench? Give me Arenas, Boykins, Vujacic, or Stevenson
Big body? Powe, Armstrong, Chuck Hayes (take a claim on him)
Defense? Bogans (trumps Sy), Stevenson
c'mon man
December 21st, 2011
9:37 am
here my eastern conference playoff picture agree or disagreee?
1. Miami Heat
2. New York Knicks
3. Chicago Bulls
4. Atlanta Hawks
5. Milwalke bucks
6. Boston Celtics
7. New Jersey Nets… (If Dwight is there)
8. Indiana Pacer or Orlando (without dwight)
Truth B. Known
December 21st, 2011
9:38 am
drmaryb.[*_*].
Your reponse to -TruthBeTold, is gonna’ make Sautee proud. Perhaps he can catch up some music playing and rest, while you keep the “blowers” honest with their self-serving mis-quotes and “straw-man” supported opinions. Keep working out the lies my friend.
Drmaryb, Ive instructed Santa to play a shoe horn under your tree that you may used to remove your foot from your mouth.
http://www.slamonline.com/online/nba/2011/12/dwight-howard-wants-andre-iguodala-monta-ellis-or-josh-smith-in-orlando/
Truth B. Known
December 21st, 2011
9:40 am
**Drmaryb, Ive instructed Santa to place a shoe horn under your tree that you may used to remove your foot from your mouth.
Truth B. Known
December 21st, 2011
9:42 am
c’mon man slightly disagree.
1. Miami Heat
2. New York Knicks
3. Chicago Bulls
4. Boston Celtics
5. Milwalke bucks
6.Atlanta Hawks
7. New Jersey Nets… (If Dwight is there)
8. Indiana Pacer or Orlando (without dwight)
No
December 21st, 2011
9:44 am
“drmaryb.[*_*].
Your reponse to -TruthBeTold, is gonna’ make Sautee proud. Perhaps he can catch up some music playing and rest, while you keep the “blowers” honest with their self-serving mis-quotes and “straw-man” supported opinions. Keep working out the lies my friend.
Drmaryb, Ive instructed Santa to play a shoe horn under your tree that you may used to remove your foot from your mouth.
http://www.slamonline.com/online/nba/2011/12/dwight-howard-wants-andre-iguodala-monta-ellis-or-josh-smith-in-orlando/”
Where in that link does he say he’d come to the ATL?
No
December 21st, 2011
9:44 am
About 99.99999% sure he would not go to GS or Philly to play with Monta or Iguodala
c'mon man
December 21st, 2011
9:53 am
Dwight in golden state would be a freaking problem. that team is getting better every day but steph went down yesterday dont know how bad it is though.
Dukester
December 21st, 2011
10:05 am
@Ken Strickland: On the topic of Sam Dalembert I agree he is a question mark. His basketball IQ is not the best, not sure about his injury situation. I think in Sacramento’s eyes they have young talent that plays in front of him. As far as any other teams not signing him it may be due to him wanting more than he is worth. (I heard 7 mil.) So I will say what does that mean if Sacramento is willing to pay him 7 mill to ride the bench.
Now here is our reality. First off Zaza is at 5 mil with another 5 due next yr, We just signed Collins, neither of these players have the athleticism to defend and rebound the way Damlembert can. We see how hard and expensive it is to get someone who can. I say we bite the bullet move Zaza and get Dalembert. Al Horford has basically said in his mind he wants to be shooting PF not a 8pt 12rbd 3blocks a night center. And I agree with him, I saw him at La Parilla Mexican restaurant. He is not 6′ 10″ as advertised. A solid 6′9″. Iam 6′ 5″ and I have played against many players his height. My point is 7 mil for 66 games to start at center and bring the much needed rebounding and defensive presence in playoffs where we get penetrated and out rebounded is the way to go.
J from the A
December 21st, 2011
10:12 am
With the exception of KevinM’s recent post, I am really surprised people have not mentioned DeShawn Stevenson. If he can be had for the minimum (or close to it), he seems like he would be an excellent value pick up.
Re: Dalembert: If you guys want him just to have another big body on the bench, fine. But if you are actually advocating giving up (dumping) some pieces so that the Hawks can sign him, just say no. Dalembert simply is not that good.
Dukester
December 21st, 2011
10:18 am
@J from the A You dont believe Sam Dalembert is a upgrade over the centers we have? Not counting Al Horford.
Rufus1
December 21st, 2011
10:23 am
DeShawn Stevenson> Keith Bogans
Stevenson can shoot the 3pt and Bogans can’t shoot anything.
Send Sy back to the D-league and sign him to a non-guaranteed contract….We need more TATTOOS and TOUGHNESS on this team.
J from the A
December 21st, 2011
10:25 am
@Dukester: I am not convinced that Dalembert is a _clear_ upgrade over Zaza. Yes, Dalembert can clearly do _some_ things better, but I am not sure if he is overall better than Zaza. Besides if Dalembert is wanting (and assuming he gets) something close to $7 mil, that means either (a) giving up Zaza AND going into the lux tax or (b) giving up Kirk or (c) finding a way to give up Marvin. Even if it was worth giving up Zaza for Dalembert, it is definitely not worth giving up Zaza AND going into the lux tax. I am not giving up Kirk for Dalembert. And Marvin … well, you find away to give up Marvin (at his current contract) without having to give away additional assets.
c'mon man
December 21st, 2011
10:25 am
Truth B. Known
I like your list but i cant see boston keeping it up at a high level.. To old and no bench.. Compressed schedule hurts them too. 3 players on that team will be retiring in the next 3 years.. I dont think the legs can hold up but they are a 6 seed in my book. Now the bucks, idk man, good center good gaurds but i dont have faith in them.. i look at brandon jennings as a poor man D rose kinda but he cant be all they have to offer. salmonds is good but i just dont see them higher than Atlanta.. Look I hate Atlanta management as much as the next guy but truth is.. they did a pretty good job this offseason considering that Joe Johnson has raped atlanta and will do so annually for the next 4 years.. I like our bench I like our starting 5, yea a center would be nice but other than Miami and New york we have the best starters in the east.
KevinM
December 21st, 2011
10:25 am
You would think with Sund and LD, they would have a bench stacked with experience. Right now, we’re still looking at the potential of 5 rooks on this roster; 5 guys that will not help this year. If this were such a make-or-break year like Gearon has stated, rooks would not be part of the picture. I would be 3 deep with vets at every position.
J from the A
December 21st, 2011
10:27 am
Even more to the point: DeShawn Stevenson may be better than Tracy McGrady … maybe, soon enough we shall see what Tracy McGrady will bring.
Rufus1
December 21st, 2011
10:27 am
Correction- Drop “Stack” and sign Stevenson.
Ken Strickland
December 21st, 2011
10:28 am
TRUTH BE TOLD-You started your 3:07am post off with, YES, STUPID IS AS STUPID DOES, and then you proceeded to prove it with your lies and misrepresentations about what Dwight alledgedly said. What’s so stupid about it is you actually expect anyone else to believe that BS. You aren’t the only one to ut those words in Dwight’s mouth, but so far, not one of you has been able or willing to provide any proof whatsoever.
Your feable attempts to make a point by telling obvious lies and resorting to misrepresentations reminds me of a person who’s just run out of gas about a mile from a service station. But rather than walk to the service station to get the needed gas, and then walk back to the car, he tries to push the car all the way to the service station in order to cut the walk in half. Like you said, STUPID IS AS STUPID DOES!
Rufus1
December 21st, 2011
10:35 am
Dalembert is LAZY with a BAD attitude….The Sixers give him away.
http://robqink.blogspot.com/2010/06/sixers-unload-dalembert.html
Rufus1
December 21st, 2011
10:40 am
^^gave
KevinM
December 21st, 2011
10:48 am
Top 4 in the East this year, as the rest don’t matter:
Heatles
Bulls
Celtics – they’re not done yet!
Hawks
Rufus1
December 21st, 2011
10:51 am
The Bulls DEPTH WILL BE GONE NEXT YEAR….
http://www.hoopsworld.com/chicago-bulls-team-salary
They will look alot like the HAWKS NEXT YEAR……WEAK BENCH BUT A STRONG CORE.
The new NBA is here.
c'mon man
December 21st, 2011
10:52 am
KevinM
the knicks are Waaaaaaaayyyyyyyyyyyy better than the celtics.. C’mon man. Melo, BD, Tyson, Amare.. C”mon Man!!!!
Heat, Knicks, Bulls Hawks in that order
Dukester
December 21st, 2011
10:53 am
@ J from the A and Rufus1. Do you agree our biggest weakness is Rebounding and tough interior defense? Zaza as never provided that. Rufus as far as Dalembert having a bad attitude. So does Josh, Joe’s attitude passive, Marvin has no heart, All players come with issues. But we need rebounding and shot blocking in the last 5 minutes of a playoff game that could tilt the game our way. Right now we have some 20 mil tied in Zaza, Hinrich(hurt) and Marvin. I am saying at what point in time do we address the most basic part of fundamentals. Earlier in this article Larry Drew spoke about not covering the perimeter shots. Im saying if we had a guy that could hold his own on the post we might could defend better on the perimeter instead of crashing and running all over the court chasing passes.
KevinM
December 21st, 2011
10:53 am
And the Hawks in the 4th slot due to Jeff Teague alone!
They barely overtake the Knicks and the Sixers.
KevinM
December 21st, 2011
10:56 am
c’mon man…..if the backcourt doesnt matter, than the Knicks are better. So Tyson Chandler for Chauncey Billups makes them a Top 2?
But the Knicks backcourt? Really? How are they going to stop the Heat, the Bulls and the Celts?
O'Brien
December 21st, 2011
10:58 am
J from the A,
Deshawn Stevenson has been mentioned by quite a few bloggers. As a matter of fact, Gearon said Stevenson put Dallas over the top, so I asked MC if he gets a chance to follow up with Gearon, to ask him why not go after Stevenson then.
One reason I don’t think they will is 1) He will likely put us into luxury tax (if not Stevenson, they should go after Bogans) and 2) Stevenson has a strong personality. The Hawks stay away from people like that for fear they may ruffle feathers.
I would love to have either Bogans or Stevenson backing up JJ. That way, we can limit JJ’s minutes, and keep him fresh for the long haul.
O'Brien
December 21st, 2011
10:58 am
MC,
Do you know how many teams in the league have more than 1 captain? And depending on the number, could you ask LD if he felt having 3 captains were successful last year, and if he will do that again this year?
I am curious to hear his feedback.
c'mon man
December 21st, 2011
10:59 am
KevinM your killing me man,
Jeff teague alone.. This is teague were talking about, yes probably the best PG atlanta has had since mookie blaylock but still just teague. He showed signs of promise in the playoffs yes but i promise you that if you insert half the nba’s teams starting point gaurd on our roster we would be more or less the same team.. the sixers Wont make the playoffs..and the Hawks arent better than the knicks.. C’mon Man!!!!!!!1
Truth B. Told
December 21st, 2011
11:00 am
I think you may have mistaken me. Neither of my automobiles ran out of gas. In fact I wasn’t driving. I was in my library making sure I can correctly spell words like feeble.
feable
At least we agree on something, stupid is as stupid does. Thanks for the shout!
Dukester
December 21st, 2011
11:02 am
@Kevin M I will say this what Tyson Chandler will bring will be so valuable. Its amazing how so many people dont value rebounding and defense in the paint on a basketball court. Look at the sports with goals and nets. Hockey,Soccer and Basketball. They all have a bracketed area around the goal, they all have a player that his job his assigned to defend that goal. The teams that do the best defending usually wins.
O'Brien
December 21st, 2011
11:05 am
Imagine how deep this Hawks team would be if we had added Reggie Evans (who signed for the vet min) and Stevenson or Bogans (who probably won’t cost much)?
C – Al, ZaZa
PF – Josh, Evans, Benson
SF – Marvin, T-Mac, Vlad,
SG – JJ, Bogans or Stevenson, Pape Sy
PG – Teague, Pargo.
That’s 13 players who LD can rotate and mix and match depending on the opponents, and SG and PF would be positions of strength.
Oh well. Typical ASG always missing out on the right moves.
As for the season, I think Hawks will be competing for the 3-5 seed.
Dukester
December 21st, 2011
11:07 am
@cmon man. You said the name Mookie Blaylock and do you know we had at center Dikembe Mutombo!! If it wasnt for Jordan and bulls I think we could have went to the finals with that team. If we had one more scorer to go along with Steve Smith we could have had a better chance to beat Chicago that year. By the way I love Teague and I think he will have a come out year. Dont know if he will get us pass 4th tho. LOL
c'mon man
December 21st, 2011
11:09 am
KevinM
They signed Baron davis there front court is okay…
But to flip your question who’s front court is better? NY, BOS, CHI, MIA, only one close is miami.. but even them its not a gimme
MIA NYC
C-? C- Tyson Chandler
PF- Bosh PF- Amare
SF- James SF- Melo
my opinionis advantage NYC