Atlanta Hawks: Hawks 105, Nets 98
- The Hawks didn’t play very well. The Nets made a lot of shots. Jeff Teague kept the Hawks above water and then they made more good plays than bad to get the W and improve to 3-0.
- That about sums it up. “It was hard, but a win is a win,” Zaza Pachulia said. “It fees good. We expected them to come out and be aggressive but obviously we didn’t have as much energy as last game.”
- The Hawks struggled to beat the Nets after waylaying them in New Jersey.
- “One of the toughest things to do, and I’ve been associated it for a while as a coach and a player, when you have a game like you had against them the first time you have a tendency to let your guard down,” Larry Drew said. “That’s kind of a human characteristic. I talked to the guys and told them the team we saw in New Jersey was going to be a totally different team tonight. We didn’t respond as well as I was hoping but I give my guys credit, too, because they hung in there and kept fighting.”
- Teague (22 points, 9/11 FG, six assists, two steals, two turnovers) provided most of Atlanta’s zip. He’s still not looking to pass on those drives but as long as he finishes like he did tonight it’s not a problem.
- “I think when I’m playing aggressive, I’m at my best,” Teague said. “Sometimes I miss guys on a couple passes and they talk to me but I think that’s just the way I have to play. When I am sitting out there being casual I think that’s when I’m not ay my best and I think that hurts the team. ‘Quick’ [Nick Van Exel] always tells me in my ear to be aggressive, so that’s what I do.”
- Teague also handled Deron Williams about as well as can be expected when Williams has it going like that.
- Teague’s drives to the basket and Zaza’s pick-and-pop Js and free throws were the only reliable offensive options for long stretches. Zaza (11 points on six shots, eight rebounds in 23 minutes) probably has been the most consistent bench player so far for the Hawks.
- The Hawks earned 38 free-throw attempts. They only made 27 but 14 of those were in the fourth quarter. Kudos to Joe Johnson for earning four attempts in the final period (not including the technical free throw and two after New Jersey fouled intentionally). His shot wasn’t falling so he started going to the basket, including that nifty move around MarShon Brooks for the basket that essentially sealed it.
- Speaking of Brooks, he looks really smooth for a brand new rookie. Johnson was all over him when he turned a broken play into a turnaround J late in the game. “He looks like he’s been in the league for quite some time,” Josh Smith said. “I guess that’s the Atlanta in him. That’s how we do. He knew he was at home and he definitely wanted to give his folks a good showing and he did it.”
- Josh didn’t get a call (he wasn’t fouled) while trying to take on three Nets defenders early in the game and then seemed to go in a funk. He later earned a technical foul for shoving Kris Humphries out of bounds on a loose ball.
- Still, Josh again combined with Al Horford to make it tough for New Jersey to score at the basket. The Hawks have the potential to be a significantly improved defense with those two now playing behind guards that are solid defensively as a group (and that’s before Kirk Hinrich, a good defender at the 2, returns).
- The Nets were hastily assembled before their opener. They looked much more cohesiveness this time. Al said they had a better plan: “We guarded them very well [in the first meeting]. They’ve seen so much stuff we have shown as far as doubling Deron. Tonight they stayed away from that and spaced the floor a little more, which made it harder for us to do what we wanted.”
- Brooks, Anthony Morrow, Sundiata Gaines and even Shelden Williams were making shots. “They shot the mess out of the ball, bottom line,” Josh said.
- New Jersey scored just 10 of its 35 third-quarter points in the paint but the Hawks were scrambling and slow to react to shooters. “We did not make a defensive stand whatsoever in the third quarter,” Drew said. “I thought we were back to old habits, looking for officials for help and not taking the onus on ourselves to be a gutty team, a blue-collar team.”
- T-Mac (6 points, two rebounds in 23 minutes) wasn’t as active offensively but he was part of the bench group that held the lead in the first half. Vladmir Radmanovic had a few weird plays that got me to thinking about how Phil Jackson used to say he’s a bit flaky.
- Jannero Pargo still can’t find his shot and had a quicker trigger tonight, though he was in good position most times on D. Willie Green also was quick to shoot at times.
- Marvin Williams was solid but it seemed he was getting subbed game each time it looked like he was heating up. Drew sat Williams for most of the fourth quarter before sending him in with 2:52 to go. Williams helped force Deron Williams to miss on a reverse layup and collected the rebound, then pressured Brooks before the rookie called the timeout the Nets didn’t have.
- The Hawks got out of town with the W and now face tough tests at Houston, Miami and Chicago. “I think it’s a good measuring stick for us,” Josh said. “Even though the schedule is not the way want it to be, playing those teams back-to-back and then come home and play Miami. I think it’s good for this team to see how we play when we hit adversity.”
Michael Cunningham, Hawks beat
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193 comments Add your comment
lewis
December 31st, 2011
8:04 am
many of us were screaming for teague years ago
drew / woodson were idiots
Neki
December 31st, 2011
8:29 am
Well you can blame them, because they were more comfortable with a vet PG but Teague was waiting for a chance to do big things
terrell
December 31st, 2011
8:51 am
Told yall about Teague a long time ago. lol. Half of you cats wanted Eric Maynor, Ty Lawson, etc…lol. Teague gonna be better than all them dudes. And Woody and LD had the nerve to start Bibby/Kirk/etc….. over Jeff. Wtf????? THATS INSANE! ROOKIE OR NO ROOKIE! Dumbazzez!
terrell
December 31st, 2011
8:56 am
And what’s LD and Woody’s fascination with pulling Marvin when he’s actually playing well?
Slimjr
December 31st, 2011
8:58 am
Man, Chicago looks like the team to beat. They look better than last year thus far! Wow. Impressive defense, rebounding, shot makers! Deep bench…..et al…
Slimjr
December 31st, 2011
9:00 am
Teague’s defense is 3x> than CP3!
Teague= The Blur
richbrave
December 31st, 2011
9:19 am
Win #3 HAWKSTERS. Nothing to complain about.
Ray
December 31st, 2011
9:40 am
I’m not going to call Teague the blur yet, but for people saying Teague was Average or just Above average I’m sorry as I can see right now his ceiling is as high as a CP3 in fact probably as high as Derrick Rose.
People bashing on Willie Green at least he was actually driving PARGO! just sat out there like a duck(lol use to be Marvin) trying to jack up 3’s
As of now it’s between Pargo and Green who gets cut think the advantage is Green he’s a backup SG. If pargo would just try to drive to the hoop I’d feel better every time he’d try those long range jumpers my stomach would hurt.
doc
December 31st, 2011
9:42 am
you know, i like good defense and i liked the hawks of a few years ago before they got complacent on both ends of the court doing the protect switch defense and the stagnated give it to jj and watch offense. it was so hard for them to break. i think also a reasonable facsimile of bench “players” rather than retreads and minimal salary rooks they werent interested in getting better is providing a boost during games and probably in practice as well.
when guys are playing hard defense and an active offense of passing and moving, i can tolerate not scoring as a fan if they go cold and begin to rationalize that on some days you dont have it. however, what i like about defense is you can always have it, it keeps you close and it wears down the other guys so at the end you can sneak up on them. folding in the second quarter like they did last year isnt that formula and it then becomes a stat game on how to pad the numbers late in the game or one dimensional play outside the team concept ala the wiz are doing now.
for all the criticism of the heat and the their three buds, i do like their defense and it is what makes them go as well as boston and now the bulls. rarely an offensive minded team wins it all and maybe that is what happened last year with the mavs or chandler was the final piece or defensive glue that pushed them over the top for that team, now gone, replaced by a more offensive minded player in odum.
looking forward to seeing what the hawks have to show against two bell weather teams over the next two weeks. will be there on the fifth but have to be out of town for the 7th and am bummed. i hope to at least get one win thinking two would mean maybe we have more than a pretender working to not get my hopes up too high.
303 yes it is rigged as we saw it over and over again when the queen was playing us. that is where i want to say it is close to wwf.
Wabe
December 31st, 2011
10:07 am
co-sign about teague terrell
darrell starks
December 31st, 2011
10:13 am
Great win by the Hawks.
GO HAWKS!!!!!!!!!!!!!
darrell starks
December 31st, 2011
10:18 am
When Hinrich return Pargo must sit his butt down, this guy just jack three up like playing in NBA allstar shoot out contest, Hinrich take over at point behind Teague when he return.
GO HAWKS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
darrell starks
December 31st, 2011
10:20 am
Teague is playing like he the best PG in the league right now.
GO TEAGUE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Grandmaster JeJe
December 31st, 2011
10:20 am
Pargo 5 assists
Teague 9-12
And Teague is playing better now than Bibby ever did for us. Bibby was never able to make it look easy around the hoop
hittman jamillion
December 31st, 2011
10:21 am
Slimjr, i don’t think chicagos the team to beat. Theyve already been defeated. I think in about two weeks we will know what’s what. I personally think we will beat chicago ,the thing is we play them on a back to back after the heat on the road.
Yeah doc i hate that wwf ish too. Most fans dont see it like that. Are DWade,Lebron,& D Rose nice hell yeah, but they all get away with too many calls. I remember when Tmac looked at the refs when he didn’t get the call five years ago he would a got that call,but now he’s not a top draw.He’s not filling the arenas anymore same as Vince Carter.
One another note Famlay,on the topic of any trade involving D12,you can’t include JJ or JT. If so our perimeter defense a surfer.Defense doesn’t show up in the stat box,but jj is a damn good defender.This is the reason why the clips arent good now.
Rufus1
December 31st, 2011
10:25 am
We are better…
We are BETTER than the team that went 6 games against the BULLS.
Don’t under estimate…
Don’t under estimate the EFFECT of being on a PLAYOFF team for these VETS…They are going to play hard.
steven A.
December 31st, 2011
10:25 am
New year Resolution; No business deals with Dominique Wilkins!!!!
Teague–most improved player. Great game.
steven A.
December 31st, 2011
10:26 am
Enter your comments here
Big Ray
December 31st, 2011
10:31 am
Doc ,
Very well said. Very well said indeed.
Big Ray
December 31st, 2011
10:39 am
You want Dwight, you gotta let Joe go. Like it or not, it’s that simple.
Joe does play great perimeter defense most of the time (only time he doesn’t is when he doesn’t feel like it). And that, coupled with is scoring and playmaking ability, would/will be missed if such a trade goes down.
But if you’re paying $124 million for a guy and you bring in another guy who will command a max contract, one of those guys goes. This is the ATL, not LA or NY.
Now ask yourself – do you want to pay max for Joe, or pay max for Dwight?
Reality might suck, but that doesn’t make it go away.
northcyde
December 31st, 2011
10:40 am
Johnson and Smith continue to be DREADFUL from the 16 – 23 foot range
Josh was actually a decent 2 – 4 last night, raising his percentage to 33.3% from that range on 4 – 12 shooting
Johnson is still ice cold, going 0 – 3 and lowering his percentage to a woeful 2 – 12 ( 16.7% ). And the two shots he did make from that range came via assists. Normally, only like 30% – 35% of his made shots from this area come via assists.
Johnson has it going from 3 point range though, shooting 46.7%
$5 says that none of you can name the top 3 players on the Hawks in PER . . without looking it up.
doc
December 31st, 2011
10:49 am
not sure i see the value of the per yet northcyde and maybe the list will suggest how meaningless it is.
have no clue but if pargo in there, it will cause many heart attacks from shock.
can i be sure it is not twin?
doc
December 31st, 2011
10:51 am
right now jj is smothering the opposing guards. his weight loss has helped him though he has not had to chase a true sharp shooting gunner yet this season. soon we will see. the match up with d wade could be fun.
Big Ray
December 31st, 2011
10:55 am
Northcyde ,
You can have my $5.
From a post you sent my way during the game last night – yes, there was about 5 seconds on the clock when Joe passed the ball to Smith, who took the 3.
As a former Josh apologist, I totally get that people will take solace in the “well Joe passed it to him while the shot clock was running down.”
But they never have anything to say about when he arbitrarily decides to take those ill-advised jumpers early in the clock, midway through, or whatever. And there are a LOT MORE instances of him taking the shot at THOSE times, than there are of him taking them as a bailout last second option when the clock is winding down.
But you won’t hear anything when that comes up.
I always said dude needed a jumpshot. But I always thought it was better as a 12-15 footer, and once that was mastered, maybe he could extend it to 16 or 18 feet. Instead, he ignores that range and shoots from 16-23 feet….and continues to be horrible at it.
Big Ray
December 31st, 2011
10:56 am
I don’t know who has the top PER, but I can probably tell you who the top three Hawks are in efficiency rating.
Marvin
Teague
Pachulia
Now to go check and see if I’m right…
northcyde
December 31st, 2011
10:57 am
Big Ray . . you pay MAX for both and see if you can win a title within a year or two with those two guys as your centerpieces.
Remember, we still have the amnesty in our back pocket to use on JJ, just in case he goes into decline, or the team needs to be shaken up big time.
Smith and Horford last night combined numbers
21 points . . ( 8 – 18 FG )
11 rebs
5 asst
4 blks
2 stls
Dwight Howard by himself
20 points ( 7 – 16 FG . .. missed 8 FTs )
24 rebs
4 asst
4 blks
1 stl
Now to be fair to Smith and Horford, on an average night, we’re probably getting 30 – 34 pts a game and 16 – 20 rebounds from them. While Dwight will go for 20 points and 13 or so rebounds. So the question is like I posed last night. Can we insert a guy at PF who can get us 10 – 12 points and 6 – 8 rebounds a night in a starting role?
If we can, then Smith and Horford become expendable.
As for the actual numbers go, Howard will make significantly less money in his 1st year deal with the Hawks, than what Smith and Horford would make combined in 2012 – 13 ( which will be 25 million ). Just a rough guess and say that Dwight’s new deal will start somewhere around 16 – 17 million in this new CBA.
Basically, if you trade Smith + Horford for Dwight, he’s almost as good as those two combined ( all around ). The question then becomes what type of role playing PF do you put beside Dwight?
- a rebounder?
- a defender?
- a shooter?
- a slasher?
Ryan Anderson gets a ton of open looks because people are scared to death of Dwight.
If Teague keeps playing this well, the Teague – Johnson backcourt becomes a top 5 backcourt in the league. If you keep that along with adding Howard in place of Smith and Horford, this team becomes very dangerous.
Despite JJ being paid more than Dwight ( if he were to sign an extension ), we all will know who the superstar is. And Gearon/Sund would still have that amnesty to use on JJ if need be in the future.
northcyde
December 31st, 2011
10:59 am
Big Ray
December 31st, 2011
10:56 am
I don’t know who has the top PER, but I can probably tell you who the top three Hawks are in efficiency rating.
Marvin
Teague
Pachulia
Now to go check and see if I’m right…
*****************
Paying Big Ray $5
darrell starks
December 31st, 2011
11:00 am
northcyde i agree with you totally but on defense Joe and Josh are beasting.
GO HAWKS!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Big Ray
December 31st, 2011
11:01 am
I was wrong. Marvin has the highest EFF, followed by Teague, followed by Horford.
Big Ray
December 31st, 2011
11:04 am
Paying Northcyde $3, I’ll keep the other two ……lol
northcyde
December 31st, 2011
11:04 am
no Big Ray
you were probably looking at a non-updated section of stats on the Hawks.
This is the updated section.
Marvin is 1st . . Zaza is 2nd . . Teague and Horford are tied for 3rd.
http://espn.go.com/nba/team/stats/_/name/atl/cat/PER/atlanta-hawks
Hawks Blog Legend Worldwide Clyde
December 31st, 2011
11:08 am
Hey Drew when Hinrich comes back please don’t send Teague to the bench. He has earned the starting job.
Big Ray
December 31st, 2011
11:13 am
Northcyde ,
I agree with you. That’s what any good owner and his front office would do. However, Gearon and Co don’t have the stones to play hardball with Otis Smith, even though he’s no master GM. Again, I agree with your reasoning. Some questions bouncing around in my head….
1) Would Otis Smith insist on Joe Johnson being part of the deal? If this is negotiable, would he take the rejuvenated Marvin instead?
2) Is Josh Smith part of this deal? I mean, I would be willing to give him and Horford up for Dwight, but would Dwight be ok with this, or is it a deal breaker like some writers suggest? I’m wondering if Dwight would rather play with an outside guy like Joe…
3) Good question on what kind of PF do you put next to Dwight. I say anything but a Rashard Lewis type, or he’ll break out in hives. I like Ryan Anderson, dude has game. But Dwight also needs somebody to “go to war” with him down low. The Magic kinda went that route with Big Baby Davis, but he’s foul prone and not as effective on the glass as they need him to be.
If we traded Smith and Horford, that might actually allow Marvin to play some 4, and we could add another guy like a Reggie Evans or something. Hell, we have Ivan Johnson, but he’s not a headliner. We’d need another guy. And if Marvin played the 4 a lot more, then we need a 3. Or we let Joe play 3 and then we need a 2.
I think I’m confusing myself.
Big Ray
December 31st, 2011
11:14 am
Dang…You’re right, I was looking at nba.com, which doesn’t update quickly enough. I can’t believe I got that one right…lol…
northcyde
December 31st, 2011
11:15 am
LOL Clyde . . . the fan base would protest outside of Philips Arena if Hinrich came back and took Jeff’s spot. Matter of fact, when we do get Hinrich back, I’d probably cut either Pargo or Green right away.
DHunt
December 31st, 2011
11:16 am
So far there is a lot to like about this incarnation of Atlanta’s Jr. Birds. The starters are as good as anyone in the league.
Jeff Teague can no longer just be called a pleasant surprise. DWill (twice) and JWall to start the season and quite simply he outplayed them. JT’s biggest problem is that he hasn’t had enough playing time. He is still fighting to get the team to do what he tells them, still building that b-ball IQ, and still a little bit antsy about getting the hook from his coaches (both Woodson and Drew are complicit in this particular gunshy-ness). Reminds me of Rondo in his first year as a starter. JT can be as tenacious a defender as any point in the league. And once he stops worrying about missing a shot, he will likely become a better shooter. I read complaints about him penetrating and not looking for to pass. Every one of his drives last night was intended to get to the rim because he recognized that the offense was stagnant, and he knew he could get to the rim any time he wanted to. Didn’t even attempt a jumper last night. Will be key to Hawks improvement this year, must stay healthy.
JJ, Josh, and Al continue to play well. Neither of them appears to have gotten better, and that’s a bit of a concern. But it is early, and the sample size is small because they haven’t had to play much. Joe is getting a lot less touches these days. I wonder how long that will last; I also wonder if it’s a better formula for Hawks success. Josh should never be given the ball and asked to create his own shot. He’s just not capable of doing it. He has to be a one dribble and go guy. Or get a good pass to go straight at the basket or even take a rhythm jumper. Anything but bouncing the ball off his and every other foot on the floor. It’s not too late to develop some moves, but until he does when the ball stops at Josh on offense, it’s going to be a problem. Al is just Mr. Consistent. And I wasn’t as big a fan when he first got here; didn’t really like his game. But he has grown on me because I know what I’m gonna get from Al. Must show he can be Consistent in big games and against high level opponents.
Marvin has been a the pleasant surprise. He doesn’t even walk as much like a duck as he did, which makes me believe that he has been dealing with that back injury for a long time. WTH is going on with the training staff that he played almost two years like he had a stick up his butt and we are just now finding out he had a bad disc in his back?! I like this new Marvin, and will like him even more if he shoots the long range jumper a little better. He’s going to get those open looks and he needs to make them. Look for him to be a better defender as well, which will be a key to the Hawks competing with Miami. A healthy Marvin may be able to clamp down on Bron-Bron.
Astro Joe
December 31st, 2011
11:31 am
I get that TMac has a ceiling in terms of his minutes per game (~20) but what does that have to do with Marvin’s playing time and substitution pattern? Hopefully, LD will begin to make the transition and mix-match the second unit with the starters.
Al looked good in those possessions when he was abusing Okur in the post. It was good to see him return as a viable low post option in the half-court sets. Also good to see Joe close out the game last night.
I said that I was optimistic about this team because of the balance across the roster. More players that could at least be good (if not very good) on both sides of the floor and guys who could bring a variety of skills to the team. I’m still hopeful that Willie Green will improve and that Vlad will get a few more opportunities (I think he is under-utilized on the 2nd unit). Both players will be much better when Hinrich returns, as Pargo seems intent to shoot every other offensive possession.
Rockets aren’t starting Dalembert (yet) but he and Scola will be formidable when they are on the floor together. They will certainly be the best big man combo the Hawks have faced this season. And Lowry is tough as nails, Teague needs to make sure that he is ready for some contact-basketball tonight.
Big Ray
December 31st, 2011
11:37 am
Astro ,
Rockets have historically beaten our tails on the boards. If Horford and Smith don’t get on the glass HARD tonight, or if either one gets into foul trouble, look for us to be in trouble, with our only safety valve on the glass being Pachulia.
Rockets will use Dalembert to keep Horford from scoring down low, and I don’t know that Horford will give much resistance. Scola will beat Josh Smith from the outside with that 18 footer if Josh doesn’t close out on him.
We’re going to need Marvin. The Rockets don’t have an answer for the new Marv, from what I can see. Also going to need a good night out of Joe.
Good call on the Teague/Lowery matchup.
Astro Joe
December 31st, 2011
11:38 am
Just say “no” to Howard. Especially if Joe is included in the trade. If you’re serious about competing for a title, you need a closer and Howard is the farthest thing from a closer as any superstar in the league. Howard and Josh are completely redundant… elite weakside defenders who ideally will operate in the post on offense. IMO, it leaves us in a comparable position as having Joe & Jamal on the same team.
Ken Strickland
December 31st, 2011
11:39 am
Having a guard rotation of JJ, Teague, Pargo and Green has really solidified our perimeter DEF. And has anyone noticed the vast improvement in our interior DEF, and the direct correlation between it and the improvement of our interior DEF. Have you also noticed that we’ve abandoned that SWITCHING DEF, which was used to compensate for our 2 former DEF liabilities. I’ve been preaching this would happen for sometime now.
Big Ray
December 31st, 2011
11:40 am
I think Willie Green will be alright but Pargo should be a sacrificial goat the very MINUTE Hinrich can come back and play at least 10 minutes per game.
Vlad’s up/down opportunities are another example of the sideshow joke that Larry Drew seems to be when it comes to utitlizing his bench properly.
Maybe that’s harsh, but I don’t get how he can screw things up with Marvin playing this well. We need that guy on the floor, and that’s been clear through 3 games. T-Mac serves a different purpose altogether.
Big Ray
December 31st, 2011
11:41 am
Yeah Ken, you’ve definitely been preaching…..
Astro Joe
December 31st, 2011
11:42 am
Ray, we all know that Kevin Martin can just as easily score 30 as he could go 4-17 with 11 points. So yeah, Joe and Marvin need to do the do tonight. I have faith in Horford, though. He showed me last night that the reliable low-post scorer is still there.
Astro Joe
December 31st, 2011
11:48 am
Ken, I’ll feel better about our defense when we’re playing teams not named the Wizards or the Nets. I do think that the scrambling/gambling defense is better. They are clearly going after more steals and being far more aggressive in the passing lanes. That is both an outcome of Teague playing as well as a fundamental change in coaching philosophy. Like anything else, it is a double-edge sword as guys will be left open when an attempt at a steal is unsuccessful. But my guess is that Lester Connor spent some time looking at how the Grizzlies defended during the playoffs (didn’t they average around 40 steals a game?) and decided to try some of those concepts with the Hawks. Nothing wrong with borrowing effective tactics from other teams. But again, when the only big men you’ve faced includes Kris humphries, Johan Petro, Javale McGee and Aundray Blatche, it may be a little early to trumpet how well your post defense is operating.
Big Ray
December 31st, 2011
11:54 am
Astro ,
So you wouldn’t trade Josh and Al for Dwight?
Or do you just wanna stick with what we got, knowing that we’re not going to add any necessary extra pieces because it gets us over the dreaded luxury tax? Does this team have what it takes (coach included) to contend for a title?
Smith.Leuer.Bogut
December 31st, 2011
11:55 am
“I have faith in Horford, though. He showed me last night that the reliable low-post scorer is still there.”
3 words: “Old @ss Okur.”
Now some more words: those post moves are uglier than Dwights. He just bumps and jumps. You can see where someone with length offers minimal resistance that he’ll short arms everything.
We’ll see how many post ups he manages against MIA’s length. We’ll see what Horford does to HOU with no Chuck Hayes.
Smith.Leuer.Bogut
December 31st, 2011
11:58 am
So you wouldn’t trade Josh and Al for Dwight?
Unless you win the title… Dwight is not comfortable taking one of his childhood’s friends spot in their hometown. Also does he like the ATL spotlight?
Josh would forever be belittled in comparison to Dwight. lol That’d be the ultimate betrayal.
Big Ray
December 31st, 2011
11:59 am
Reason I ask this is, how does this team get better?
As currently constructed, if you aren’t convinced by going 3-0 against the East’s worst teams (and who can blame you), then what about this team screams “leave it alone?”
I’m not suggesting that Dwight is the only guy we can get….but then, where do we see other openings or opportunities?
This team will continue to play well enough to avoid getting a decent first round pick, and our picks at those points are either traded for money, cast aside, traded away, or never really made the team (or overseas). So any real changes come via free agency or trade.
Free agency – we have improved the bench some, but maybe not enough. Starting lineup still has issues, we know what they are.
So again – if Gearon fears the luxury tax and will only pay it for big time players, then adding a big-time player is the only answer.
Grandmaster JeJe
December 31st, 2011
12:02 pm
For those who have forgotten, Joe Johnson is one damn good defender. He shut everyone down last night. Now I know the Nets aren’t the most talented team, but this guy gets it.
Jeff Teague made it look damn easy getting to the hoop yesterday.
Tonight’s game @Houston is one we NEVER USUALLY WIN. We SUCK vs. the state of Texas. But our starters have not played big minutes this year. We need to use our starters and put these guys away. They got killed last night but I’m looking for Houston to rebound.
FIRE GEARON
Ray
December 31st, 2011
12:11 pm
I’d rather keep what we have right now to be honest giving up Josh and Al is too much and if what is said to be true ASG just wants to give up Horford because they know of the Josh/Dwight buddy childhood friend crap.
I think tonight we are more likely to see what we are dealing with going forward for what it’s worth Marvin has done great it use to be he’d disappear on us by now.
Still buzzing over that half court 3 pt shot yesterday.