Atlanta Hawks: Hawks 93, Raptors 84
Here is a link to Chris Vivlamore’s AJC game story, in which Josh Smith explains his “different state of mind” this season and Larry Drew says Tracy McGrady’s back tightened up after he played eight first-half minutes.
Michael Cunningham, Hawks beat
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284 comments Add your comment
KevinM
January 17th, 2012
12:43 pm
“vava74
January 17th, 2012
12:08 pm
KevinM,
Quit dicing Collins”
Obviously, I need a verb lesson here……..but in that time ’stint’, I give the credit to Ivan more than Collins….Collins can’t keep up with many players, especially Love.
What I asked is what did Toronto have that Collins needed to start? Shoot, I don’t see anything that warrants Collins being a starter…if it works for you, no prob. I see Ivan as a much bigger contributor than he and Zaza combined, but Ivan does lose in fouls huh?
Hey, LD and Sund are the only guys keeping Collins employed…I’m convinced of it.
Slimjr
January 17th, 2012
12:45 pm
Priceless is you Sir^^^^..lol!
drmaryb.[*_*].
January 17th, 2012
12:45 pm
Cuisinart!
“KevinM,
Quit dicing Collins.” -vava74-
_________
Dice, Chop and Slice … Better go get a food processor. LOL
After all, last year Twin lost 25 lbs, this year he added muscles. Any news of working on basketball skills? Perhaps some pilates to add some “spring”?
Then Jason would be “sprung”. Ladies?
______________
My Falcons got some “werk” to do. Start with waiving all that dead weight on the lines, then look at them corners and work your way back into the secondary. Start with DeCoud.
O'Brien
January 17th, 2012
12:46 pm
Check out jeff schultz article;
Larry Drew deserves credit for holding Hawks together..
Slimjr
January 17th, 2012
12:47 pm
Marvin is playing like he’s worth about 500k!
Sund is getting his azz handed to him on that one…….
O'Brien
January 17th, 2012
12:49 pm
“It helps that he has been here for a while and he knows everybody in this locker room,” said Smith, referencing Drew’s days as an assistant under Woodson. “It would’ve been hard for a guy who wasn’t familiar with the team to pull this together. But I think he knew exactly what to say and how to act when [Horford's injury] happened.”
KevinM
January 17th, 2012
12:50 pm
Collins > Speights or Mullens huh? Yikes, my ‘dicing’ is over now.
Slimjr
January 17th, 2012
12:51 pm
Hey Arthur,
you out did yourself this time! Your new hire had the 32nd ranked(LAST)offense this past season?
Are you kidding?…..Awesome….
April fools came early to Atlanta…
Keep this up, and your Dome will start to look like Phillips……..
Rev in Tampa
January 17th, 2012
12:51 pm
Has anybody posted this news about Mutombo being involved in selling gold illegally?
http://www.wtsp.com/news/local/story.aspx?storyid=232653
KevinM
January 17th, 2012
12:53 pm
DMB, what do you know about Mangini as a DC? Is he an option since it might be Spagnola or bust (Del Rio)?
Slimjr
January 17th, 2012
12:56 pm
Screw the UN! Its owned by one family that wants to rule the whole planet and its resources.. Everybody else eat leaves….
Mutombo is the man! one the best rim protectors of ALL TIMES!
doc
January 17th, 2012
12:58 pm
l.s.b, what language are you talking …. redacted?
or retracted?
dmb does your doc measure your height with heels or without though it might help body mass indexes of our nation to do it that way. yup, that is right, cure obesity with risers in shoes. silly stuff.
Slimjr
January 17th, 2012
1:04 pm
NFL Coaching Ranks:
“It’s not what you know. It’s who you know” Dan Reeves
Expect the same results people!
Leuer.Smith.Bogut
January 17th, 2012
1:05 pm
Yo I’m gonna make a video of Marvin every time he touched the ball from yesterday.
I missed the whole game but I know he started and I just started watching and in 10 seconds I’ve seen him A) not even square up in time to shoot so he passes. His loadup time is too long for his height. Too slow and average height means his shooting pocket is easily bothered.
Then he misses a rebound. Imagine if he was taller and quicker he’d get that board. Taller and had a quicker loadup time and quicker shot release. Thats Leuer! Its so simple.
But I think I need to show everyone what Marvin’s touches look like. He is no threat at all. And starting a tall stretch PF in combination with Marvin off the bench has made too much sense for years now.
Smith.Leuer.Bogut
January 17th, 2012
1:08 pm
Wow, Mutombo selling gold, I need to see the proof… but Stern did say “I know where the bodies are buried” iirc.
Astro Joe
January 17th, 2012
1:10 pm
While it is fairly obvious that a guy who has been with the team for almost 8 years would be able to “say the right things” because the sacred core has been together for about that long (regeretably), Josh’s statement assumes that if a newbie had been hired in July, 2010, that he would not have learned “the right thing to say” in the past 18 months. IMO, too early to hand out kudos because the Hawks have defeated sub-par teams since Horford went down. If Bargnani is out for an extended period of time, my guess is that Casey will find a way despite knowing that group of players for less than 9 months.
Astro Joe
January 17th, 2012
1:17 pm
TMONEY, fair enough. He probably won’t submit his papers until he has a handshake agreeemnt and he probably won’t get a handshake agreement until a GM knows for sure that he can play 20 minutes a game in consecutive games (due to the compressed schedule). If he isn’t fit and ready for the rigors of this specific season, then he may not be worth the roster spot. Dude wasn’t exactly known for his work ethic pre-retirement.
Slimjr
January 17th, 2012
1:19 pm
A legit Western Conference team is coming in here tomorrow. For these Hawks it will be a real test..Portland are no pushover like the last 3 contestants for sure….
Git your popcorn ready!
KevinM
January 17th, 2012
1:23 pm
Slim, I hope the ‘Highlight Factory’ has more life in it than last night……that was NBDL quiet.
Slimjr
January 17th, 2012
1:28 pm
I hear ya KevinM. Wish LD would bench Marvin. Cant afford to get behind by double digits against this team in the 1st 5-6 mins…
Start Vlad! Bench Marvin…..
kwooden
January 17th, 2012
1:31 pm
Very tough game tomorrow night, because of the matchups. We don’t have any really favorable match-ups on offensive and several guys to worry about on defensive. It might be prudent to go zone often to cut down on the penetration from Wallace and Matthews, but that opens up rebound lanes for Camby. Hopefully our bench brings it, because that might be our only advantage. (even though they have Crawford) Josh and Marvin are going to have their hands full with Aldridge and Wallace, so Joe better bring his J with him. We’re going to need his scoring!
GO HAWKS!!
Astro Joe
January 17th, 2012
1:33 pm
Another reason why Sund/LD may have wanted to wait a minute before bringing in a big is to allow the other two captains some time to step up. I don’t care which one of the 3 were to go down, this team has had significant leadership issues in the past and a scenario that demands that 2 of the 3 step up can only be good for the front office. If they do step up, then when you add the serviceable backfill, then you hope that the team continues to push forward. And if the two fail to step up (in the absence of the third) then you have that important data point to help shape the future of the team. With the soft schedule that was immediately in front of them, showing some restraint to watch how the two captains responded offered fairly little risk. Of course, that assumes that before February (when the schedule is no longer soft), Sund comes through with another big body to help out.
ryan
January 17th, 2012
1:41 pm
I know this miss may sound crazy but does anyone think maybe its not a good idea to trade for D12 i mean we have to half our team away the core is doing doing pretty well right now .
KevinM
January 17th, 2012
1:45 pm
Why should it take a captain to go down for the 2 others to step up? Shouldn’t they have enough pride to bring it every night?
Apparently not, but if this team goes into a tailspin, and none of us know what team shows up on any given night, then Sund will be more pressed to make a deal and it definitely won’t be one where he can trump another GM. The longer he waits IMO, the worse off this team is.
I like their efforts without Al, but it still is not enough come playoff time.
STRETCH
January 17th, 2012
1:45 pm
According to Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte of Observer, the versatile Boris Diaw has been put on the chopping block by the Charlotte Bobcats.
The Bobcats are unwilling to take on a bad contract in return, and they may not have to, given Diaw’s contract is up at the end of this season. It doesn’t hurt they he can play all five positions either.
The Phoenix Suns could come into play for the 29-year-old, as may the Atlanta Hawks in their search to add some size to fill the void left by Al Horford.
Diaw’s conditioning is of major concern, but he is unselfish and runs the threat of exploding on the offensive end at any time.
He is an efficient long range shooter, but can also put up some points fro the inside. Given Charlotte’s current direction, Diaw’s greatest contribution will come from being moved elsewhere.
Prediction: The Bobcats move Diaw; potential destinations include Phoenix Suns and Atlanta Hawks.
Deron Williams of New Jersey Nets
Christian Petersen/Getty Images According to Marc Stein of ESPN, the New Jersey Nets are prepared to shop Deron Williams should Dwight Howard land with the Los Angeles Lakers before the deadline.
Williams’ status should be a major concern for the team, but New Jersey should take solace in knowing that while the Lakers remain a potential trade destination for Howard, the likelihood of him landing there is thinning by the day.
Andrew Bynum’s emergence has put Los Angeles in the driver’s seat with regard to Howard. They are no longer desperate or obligated to give up both the 24-year-old center and Pau Gasol.
Even though Bynum is arguably the most dominant big man the Orlando Magic will get in return for Howard, they are likely to want more, which the Lakers don’t have, nor are they willing to give up.
The Nets are more likely to get burned by Williams over the summer than they are to move him before the deadline.
Prediction: Nets hold on to Williams.
Dwight Howard of Orlando Magic
Brett Deering/Getty Images Dwight Howard has a list of preferred destinations, one that he has expanded to include the Los Angeles Clippers and has already requested a trade to the New Jersey Nets. All signs point to him leaving the Orlando Magic, the only question is when.
The Magic can hold out hope that Howard re-signs with the team this summer, but the risk is not worth taking. As impressive as Orlando as been, this core is not championship material, and the organization is restricted in what it can do to reach such a level.
Should the Magic allow free agency to decide Howard’s fate, there is a possibility he decides to sign with a team like the Dallas Mavericks even though Orlando can offer him more.
In such a scenario, the Magic would feel obligated to engage in a sign-and-trade so they don’t walk away empty handed. At that point though, any team’s offer won’t include any substantial assets as the center would have already shown a willingness to ink a deal.
If Orlando wants to maximize the return they get on Howard’s inevitable departure, he will be shipped out by the deadline.
Prediction: Magic deal Howard; potential destinations include Los Angeles Lakers, Golden State Warriors and New Jersey Nets.
Follow @Dan_Favale
Slimjr
January 17th, 2012
2:05 pm
I would not be shocked if the Hawks are down by 20 @ the half….
Astro Joe
January 17th, 2012
2:06 pm
Kevin, to ask that question, you MUST be a two-week long fan of this team.
When has Boris Diaw “exploded on the offensive end”? The Hawks need another mildly interested player like they need another below average halftime act.
Slimjr
January 17th, 2012
2:06 pm
Think of tomorrow as a stimulated playoff game.. Ouch!
KevinM
January 17th, 2012
2:10 pm
Yep, AJ, two weeks is about how long this team has shown more urgency than at any other time……seriously, I like this team more than I have in a long time, and LD deserves credit for putting combinations together that have worked…he has shown not to be so stubborn and set in his ways.
Rev in Tampa
January 17th, 2012
2:17 pm
“I know this miss may sound crazy but does anyone think maybe its not a good idea to trade for D12 i mean we have to half our team away the core is doing doing pretty well right now”
Your lack of punctuation makes your thoughts difficult to decipher, but, as I understand it, you don’t the Hawks to break up the core since they are doing pretty well.
We are happy that the core is doing pretty well right now, but most people on this blog want to see the Hawks win a CHAMPIONSHIP. It is this desire for a championship that fuels the zeal we express on this blog.
Rev in Tampa
January 17th, 2012
2:19 pm
^^…you don’t WANT the Hawks…
Smith.Leuer.Bogut
January 17th, 2012
2:20 pm
Don’t bring that Diaw bullsh*t in here. We need size and rebounding not another guy who shoots 10-15 feet jumpers and is soft and undersized.
From whiny PG to fat lazy center. How this guy never has knee injuries is beyond me.
“Why should it take a captain to go down for the 2 others to step up? Shouldn’t they have enough pride to bring it every night?”
Horford takes us out of our game. Joe Johnson shoots and bricks, Zaza keeps it alive. Tip out. Joe shoots again and hits. Zaza does not get or ask for many touches.
Josh Smith plays inside and out and point forward.
What is Horford’s role. Same as Josh’s. Their skills overlap and so Smith’s potential is minimized.
Horford is not a good fit for the team. We need Okafor, Pachulia, Bogut, Chandler. Defending rebound and dunk. Keep bricked shots alive. And lay it in.
No one needs a mid range shot. Horford has killed us for so long we’ve been trying to accomodate too many tweeners.
Josh,Horford, Marvin. All redundant flaws (isolation wise). Just go with Smith + shooter (upgrade Vlad) + big defensive center (upgrade Collins/Pachulia). And strengthen the bench,
I dont care that 2 other coaches voted a guy as an All Star center. GMs say Pachulia is the toughest guy on the team. Give me more of that.
Its like Wade and Lebron on the same team. Lebron + Shooters took a team to the Finals. Lebron + slasher is redundant.
Offensive Roles are now defined and proper. A Center without iso moves is supposed to crash and help teammates. Go through the list of what Horford does right and what Smith does right and compare.
Horford: bad iso player, iffy jumper off the dribble. Point forward. Limited range.
Smith: bad iso player, iffy jumper off the dribble. Point forward. Limited range.
What do you come up with? Redundancy. Smith and Al are almost the same player. I like Smith because its hard to find an SF and you can put Smith at SF and find a big rebounding 3 point shooter.
Smith+Big shooter+Big Center
Smith can’t step up splitting his role with Horford. Horf would have no impact averaging 8 and 8. Bogut would. Tyson Chandler would etc.
We need a true center. We need a big shooter to replace Marvin in the corner (Leuer).
Smith.Leuer.Bogut
January 17th, 2012
2:21 pm
Marvin, airball. I got the 1st quarter.
Astro Joe
January 17th, 2012
2:28 pm
Aldridge needs to eat his Wheaties before he goes in the post against Ivan.
JaeEvolution
January 17th, 2012
2:31 pm
Would do a trade for Diaw if it involved us also trading Al and getting their first round pick.
Marvin + Al for Diaw(expiring) + Thomas + 2012 1st rounder.
Get a chance to get a high value pick Drummond/Davis/MKG/Robinson we probably would have to trade our 1st rounder to them but could make it 2013. I would say Joe is involved but you can’t trade him not because his contract is too big, but because the amnesty is a blessing in disguise anytime he underperforms just snipe that bad contract out and clear up massive space to sign some people and laugh at ASG for still having to pay him for their idiotic mistakes.
Smith.Leuer.Bogut
January 17th, 2012
2:33 pm
Watching the game right now JJ and Josh PnSlip the screen. Nasty.
Smith.Leuer.Bogut
January 17th, 2012
2:35 pm
Hey Josh did the same thing 2 times in a row. This time he noticed someone in the place he was gonna roll and told the guy to clear out cuz he knew the guys effing up spacing.
He must read the ajc Comments section. 1st option in semi transition semi halfcourt is JJ and Josh PnR Clear out 1 side.
lets go. I am going to post Smiths touches after Marv’s (yuck).
Astro Joe
January 17th, 2012
2:36 pm
Kevin, yes, this season is strange and different likely for most teams. The list of injured players is fairly long and will likely stay that long (with guys not having much time to heal small problems so they balloon into bigger problems). And that likely means that more backend-of-the-bench stories will emerge (like Ivan for the Hawks). I’m not convinced that the early story of the Hawks (i.e., injury to prominent player(s), surprising success from relative unknowns, head coaches find unexpected results from bizarre player rotations, maybe even a fountain of youth story for the previous close-to-dead careers of older vets, etc.) won’t be repeated throughout the league.
JaeEvolution
January 17th, 2012
2:43 pm
S.L.B do you have a youtube account named PointGuardSlim? Just wondering…
Smith.Leuer.Bogut
January 17th, 2012
2:49 pm
Teams Begin Calling Celtics On Pierce
With the Celtics struggling to begin the 11-12 season, several teams have inquired about the availability of Paul Pierce.
One Eastern Conference official said, there are “lots of calls asking if [Boston] will blow it up.”
Pierce has two years and $32 million left on his contract through the 13-14 season. Trading Pierce would allow the Celtics to become players in free agency.
——–
Swoop down Hawks. They took Bill Russell from us.
Hinrich + Marvin for Pierce?
Smith.Leuer.Bogut
January 17th, 2012
2:52 pm
S.L.B do you have a youtube account named PointGuardSlim? Just wondering…
yeah why? You think it was some other Hawks fan that goes thru hours of Hawks games (good and bad) and I’m just another Hawks fan who just HAPPENs to find them and post them for everyone to see?
Najeh Davenpoop
January 17th, 2012
2:54 pm
“Hinrich + Marvin for Pierce?”
That would be an incredible trade, but I doubt that the Celtics are going to trade Pierce for anything other than picks and young talent.
Dept. Of Redundancy Dept.
January 17th, 2012
2:55 pm
“What do you come up with? Redundancy.”
Geez, it’s like shooting fish in a barrel. Once again (and again, and again,and…) if any poster on this blog knows about redundancy it would be you.
Again. Geez.
Smith.Leuer.Bogut
January 17th, 2012
3:05 pm
All Marvin Williams Touches: 1st Quarter (Atlanta vs Toronto MLK Day)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Wzi_IlEQBo
Smith.Leuer.Bogut
January 17th, 2012
3:13 pm
Joe Johnson with a .168 Win Share %. Career best defensive rating so far. but wow. WTF? Must be the low turnover % and decent assists.
Great. Just need to weed out the bad players. Marvin is playing like Garbage imho. I need to get the game again and I’ll post the rest of Marvin.
But damn Raptors are small. at one point they had Linas Kleiza on Jason Collins. Not that Collins scored off a putback or got anything easy. He saw over the defense a bit but come on.
Time to upgrade and leave Horford for some toughness.
#tradeHorfordforBogut,Leuer
Smith.Leuer.Bogut
January 17th, 2012
3:18 pm
How could a team have picks and give them up for Pierce?
Scenario being that they suck so bad that Celtics want the picks BUT Pierce can’t win it all by going to a sucky team. Young talent? I dont know… Pierce for Brook Lopez?
Does not seem likely
Smith.Leuer.Bogut
January 17th, 2012
3:19 pm
…Celts are not getting much for Pierce. You’d have to sell him at a discount.
Grandad
January 17th, 2012
3:26 pm
I have long been a JaVale McGee proponent.
I have long known of his supposed lack of B-ball IQ.
After this incident JMc was quoted as saying:
* “he would do it again”
* “he was trying to inspire his team”
[Houston immediately went on a 19-6 run]
“With the now 1-12 Wizards trailing by six in the third quarter, JaVale McGee found himself all alone for a breakaway dunk. And what did he choose to do? Throw it off the backboard and oop himself.
Now, McGee made it. But that doesn’t make it any less bonehead. Really, nothing sums up the hapless Wizards more than this play. It’s just immature, stupid and pointless. Points are at a premium for Washington at all times and you can’t risk blowing two easy ones.
I like McGee. I don’t think he’s a total knucklehead. I think he plays hard, tries to get better and wants to win. But he, along with some of his teammates, continue to do dumb things. It’s a culture thing. You can’t continue to think about yourself or highlights. You have to think about the team and what’s most important. If McGee had blown the dunk, that would’ve told you everything you needed to know about the Wizards. Again, he made it and got the two points, but the point remains. As soon as I saw it I thought, “That was so Washington Wizards. They know they’re 1-12, right?”
Remember last season how McGee basically sold his soul to try and get a triple-double? That’s the type of recurring issue you see within a troubled, dysfunctional team. Putting stats and self before team. At some point, you’ve just got to grow up. You can’t continue to waste talent and opportunity. Be a professional. An NBA game isn’t your own personal playground. It’s about the final score. It’s about winning and losing, the latter of which you know plenty about.
And like me, coach Flip Saunders was not impressed or amused by this and actually benched McGee for the final nine minutes of the Wizards’ eventual loss to the Rockets.
“Apparently, if you get a fastbreak and throw it off backboard in the third quarter and you’re 1-11, you’re not supposed to do stuff like that,” McGee said after the game.
Yeah, apparently. The fact you didn’t think about that beforehand really says it all.”
_____________________________________________
Sometimes blocked shots just are not worth it.
“Winners win games”
` G-dad ‘
PEDRO EL GITANO
January 17th, 2012
3:38 pm
JJ y Josh Smith estuvieron a un nivel altisimo,pero Teague no entiende el juego(a pesar de lo cual puede marcar diferencias)y no es mejor base que Hinrich.Recomiendo dar minutos a Sloan,Pargo es una broma como segundo base.
Quiero ver a Ivan de titular.Y para terminar:Necesitamos un center.Yo creo en Rasheed o en Omar Samham.GO HAWKS!!!
vava74
January 17th, 2012
3:44 pm
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