Atlanta Hawks at Sixers: Game thread
Philadelphia–The Hawks are using the “big” lineup with Jason Collins at center. Larry Drew said that before Spencer Hawes (Achilles) so it could change before tip off.
- Then again, maybe it won’t change since the “big” lineup apparently has become the standard lineup. “That’s the regular lineup,” Drew said. “For right now that will be pretty much how we go. That was basically the lineup last year when we went bigger. Right now that will be the starting lineup.”
- Why does Drew like that lineup? “With Jason, we really are able to play a lot more at home in the post, particularly against big guys who do have a strong low-post presence,” Drew said. “We play them head up. He gives us a little bit more size, a little bit more physicality at that position. Jason, he is a smart pro. He knows how to play his position. He does a good job playing individual and team defense. We all know with him in the lineup it’s defense-first with him. ”
- Drew on the fluctuating minutes for his reserves: “That is something I do have to manage. Given what our schedule is, guys are going to be in a situation where maybe one night they play more than others. One thing I don’t want to do is wear guys out given what our schedule is. [Vladimir Radmanaovic] hasn’t played a lot the last couple games, I’ve spoken with him, and that could be a plus for him now with this stretch coming up he will be a little bit more rested. Minutes will vary particularly with the way our schedule is. ”
- Vlad Rad: “It all depends on how you look at it. Knowing that we have such a compressed schedule, it can be a positive thing if you look at it that way. But we are all competitors here. We like to be on the court and contribute but obviously not everybody can play. It is up to the coaches to make decisions. We have to fit in that system.”
- Vlad Rad on players preferring consistency in playing time and roles: “It’s easier when you know when you are going to play and how long you are going to play. When you have certain pattern, it’s easier to prepare. You just sometimes have to deal with different things. Fortunately for me I’ve been in different situations through the course of my game. I know how to deal with it and take positive things out of it.”
- Drew on how he decides who finishes games: “I look at the matchups. If we have a group that is in a rhythm I will try to ride that, but I look at the matchups and how the game is flowing. We are a team that, at times, we get stagnant with the starters and the reserves. What I’ve tried to focus on a lot more is focus on matchups that are in there in the fourth quarter just to make sure we don’t leave ourselves open to where they have an advantage on us. We have to make sure start of fourth quarter we get off to a good start.”
- Drew on All-Star consideration for Josh Smith: “I can’t see why he wouldn’t be. He’s impacting both ends of the floor. His numbers are up offensively but defensively he’s done a good job guarding bigs and guarding smalls. He is playing with a high energy. The level he’s playing, he should be considered as an All-Star. His discipline he’s shown over the summer with losing the weight, you can see his energy level has gone up since losing that weight.”
- Tracy McGrady left the Blazers game because of cramping. He’s good to go tonight. Drew on T-Mac’s impact: “You put him in his sweet spot, he can still make plays. He’s a phenomenal passer and still with his length he causes problem. We have been trying to use him in different places on the floor, put the ball in his hands and take advantage of the matchup problems teams have against him because of his size.”
Michael Cunningham, Hawks beat
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704 comments Add your comment
northcyde
January 20th, 2012
9:31 pm
JeJe . . that’s my point about Collins.
He was ONLY a factor in that series because his specialty is to guard a low post playing big man. And it’s not like he stopped Dwight, because he didn’t. He did frustrate Dwight enough to enable our other 4 guys to stay on their shooters.
Going into this game, Marvin had the highest win score per 48 minute number amongst all of the regular rotation guys ( .208 ).
Collins win score per 48 minute number?
( -0.03 )
That means that Collins is statistically a non-factor in the vast majority of the games he plays in. It’s almost impossible to post a negative win score number. But Collins manages to do it.
There’s no way that Sund and Drew can continue to count on that dude on a nightly basis. He’s a spot player at best.
Slimjr
January 20th, 2012
9:32 pm
Hey Clyde, you bring a winner in here and the people will flock dude….
Najeh Davenpoop
January 20th, 2012
9:33 pm
Basically if the Hawks trade Kirk into the Lakers’ trade exception, they can get pretty much anyone they want from a 3rd team. As long as the Lakers are willing to throw a pick to that 3rd team — in the case of players like Turiaf, this may not even need to be a first round pick — the Hawks can pull off a trade.
Considering Kirk’s currently nonexistent role on the team, the Lakers’ need for a defensive-minded point guard who can knock down shots, the Hawks’ desire to get under the cap, and the Hawks’ need for a big man, this is a no-brainer move. Kirk for the Lakers’ trade exception, a big man from a 3rd team to the Hawks, and a pick (preferably from the Lakers) to that 3rd team for their trouble. MAKE A DAMN TRADE SUND
bigdave
January 20th, 2012
9:33 pm
hate to admit it but Jeff Teague cant stay in front of anyone.. we go back to switching when we face talented PG’s
JSS
January 20th, 2012
9:34 pm
When does Hinrich come off the IR?
Slimjr
January 20th, 2012
9:34 pm
Its not the fans fault this organization has never partaken in an ECF!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! WTF??
kwooden
January 20th, 2012
9:34 pm
Also, if Marvin is struggle to stand-up, LD needs to bring Green in and switch JJ to the SF. Clearly Willie had the J going so why not ride him. LD reminded me of Woody this game, but NOT AS BAD!
GO HAWKS!!
Scrooge McDuck
January 20th, 2012
9:35 pm
“I don’t think the Hawks are sh-tty, but the minute you think they are taking a step forward they play a game like this to show that nothing has changed. You can’t blame average fans for choosing not to buy tickets to see that product.”
Knicks and Warriors fans have done it for a long time. 5 million people in this city.
Najeh Davenpoop
January 20th, 2012
9:35 pm
” I won’t spend $100 to take my kid to a game ”
I agree with your position about only being willing to pay for a good product, but it does not cost anywhere near $100 to take your kid to a Hawks game. Take MARTA and don’t eat terrible arena food and you should easily be able to pull that off for under $50.
bigdave
January 20th, 2012
9:35 pm
20 from Joe.. 20 from Josh and at least 13 from Jeff..
otherwise, no chance.
Najeh Davenpoop
January 20th, 2012
9:38 pm
“Knicks and Warriors fans have done it for a long time. 5 million people in this city.”
The Warriors attendance only jumped into the top 5 in the league six years ago. Before that they were at the bottom of the barrel.
And in any case, do you really think a good fan is one who mindlessly continues to line the pockets of the team owners regardless of how poor the product is? Maybe that is a good fan to you, but that is a sheep to me. A smart consumer votes with his wallet. Lots of entertainment opportunities in Atlanta, even if you leave out Onyx and Magic City.
MattP
January 20th, 2012
9:40 pm
Is that really why LD never calls a timeout when he should because it gets tough and he quits.
northcyde
January 20th, 2012
9:40 pm
Well I’m glad you’re going to the games Fred. If I lived in ATL, I would’ve at least gone to 4 games, if not more.
But this is the problem with ATL fans in general. You just can’t “give up” on the Hawks because they played one bad game. You’re seriously going to use this game vs one of the best teams in the East, as justification for not going to the Cleveland game . . . for fear that the Hawks will play the same way?
Is this what ATL fandom has come down to? The Hawks have won their last 4 games, but they play one bad game, and you throw in the towel?
That’s why outsiders of ATL always talk about our fan base. When 10K show up to home games, even though the team is good ( but not great ), the clowning will come about.
So do what you have to do Fred. If this bad game will prevent you from seeing us beat Cleveland tomorrow night, then so be it.
Najeh Davenpoop
January 20th, 2012
9:40 pm
Not to mention, it’s 5 million people in this METRO AREA. 600,000 in the city. A lot of that 5 million lives in suburban sh-tholes like Loganville and Cumming and would rather kill themselves than go anywhere near Philips Arena (I’d rather not go into the reasons why, but I think they are pretty obvious).
Slimjr
January 20th, 2012
9:41 pm
It not the fans fault he’s a midget amongst ballers at 6′10″!
kwooden
January 20th, 2012
9:41 pm
Najeh, one of the few sensible things I’ve hear on the Blog!
kwooden
January 20th, 2012
9:42 pm
Najeh, about the trade to the Lakers
Cwebb
January 20th, 2012
9:42 pm
The 2nd half was difficult to watch. I guess the haters will show up tonight after such a loss.
YES !
Josh sucked and wasn’t focused
Joe sucked. He wasn’t in the game
Marv has bad hands
etc…
BUT
Josh is having a solid year doesn’t always suck
Joe is having a solid year, will be more aggressive tomorrow
I can understand the frustration, but what do you expect ? We can’t win every single game…
OKC lost in Wdc…
LA lost a lot of games too
Clippers are not that good etc…
Heat are behind us
S**t happens
Relax a little…
justahawkfan
January 20th, 2012
9:42 pm
You guys are calling for everyone tonight; i want hindrich, give me roundfield, call lou hudson, where is tree rollins, let trade them all,. Yall are some poor ass fans. Hawks should be calling for different fans. One game, one loss. Pathetic! We’re are 11-5 celebrate the record. It beeter than any of you thought it would be
Slimjr
January 20th, 2012
9:43 pm
The Fans?????
This guy had one too many tonight…….
Najeh Davenpoop
January 20th, 2012
9:44 pm
People think Philly fans are so passionate because they buy tickets to their teams even when they are in last place just to go boo them. I think that is the height of stupidity. The owners don’t give a sh-t if you are cheering or booing. If the gate receipts are high, they will go home laughing all the way to the bank.
So-called “good fans” is why owners like James Dolan and Donald Sterling exist all over sports. Vote with your wallet.
MattP
January 20th, 2012
9:44 pm
Cwebb,
What do you expect, them to play strong on crappy teams but terrible on good teams?
Grandmaster JeJe
January 20th, 2012
9:44 pm
I ***GUARANTEE*** ANYONE here that we would’ve lost tonight with Horford
Scrooge McDuck
January 20th, 2012
9:45 pm
“And in any case, do you really think a good fan is one who mindlessly continues to line the pockets of the team owners regardless of how poor the product is? Maybe that is a good fan to you, but that is a sheep to me. A smart consumer votes with his wallet.”
I am from here, and to be honest, I believe this city has a lot of whiining fans. Too often Atlanta simply fans do not appreciate what they have. Not going to games does not help, Pittsburgh Pirates fans are doing that now and it’s doing them no good. The teams who force big changes are the ones who go in heavy numbers. Look at the difference between how the Red Sox and Braves handled their collapses last season. I don’t think enough Atlanta appreciate that we have a good team in this city just because it’s not the Lakers, Knicks or Celtics. But if we had more passionate fans who raised hell, we would get BIG changes, instead another year with this same “core.”
doc
January 20th, 2012
9:45 pm
venom night, lol at the comments. gueron ought to read it as it is very entertaining; better than his team.
northcyde
January 20th, 2012
9:45 pm
Najeh Davenpoop
January 20th, 2012
9:29 pm
I don’t think the Hawks are sh-tty, but the minute you think they are taking a step forward they play a game like this to show that nothing has changed. You can’t blame average fans for choosing not to buy tickets to see that product.
**************
And as long as this mentality exists in metro ATL, the talking heads and outsiders of that city will continue to talk bad about ATL fans. The fan base just can’t expect to get props, if they’re wishy-washy about even the good teams in that city.
The Hawks organization doesn’t market the team well . . and the fans in general won’t support a decent product.
Top 10 team in the league . . . but 22nd in attendance.
It is what it is.
prison mike
January 20th, 2012
9:45 pm
Why are people arguing over attendance during an away game. People are not going to support a lame duck ownership.
They didn’t do it during the Falcons years under the Smiths reign and Georgia is a football state through and through.
You don’t sell the team while introducing the new owner, renege and state the franchise is not going being sold in less than 7 month period. It’s trolling at it’s finest.
How can fans have faith in a franchise with decades of Time Warner and ASG ownership???
Slimjr
January 20th, 2012
9:45 pm
Yea lets celebrate when the Hawks get their azzes handed to them in the playoffs like those pathetic Falcons continue to do….
Just Joe
January 20th, 2012
9:46 pm
Marvin, Sloan & 2nd rd pick to Detroit for Prince & Big Ben.
Detroit gets a SF that’s 6 years younger and on a little cheaper contract (3 yrs $24M compared to Prince’s new 4 yrs $27M).
Hawks get some veteran leadership. Prince is heating up too. Last 5 games, 17 pts on 48% shooting including hitting 50% of his threes.
It’s actually better for the Hawks too, to have Prince’s contract which is for similar $, but is spread out over an extra year.
Grandmaster JeJe
January 20th, 2012
9:47 pm
TEAGUE VS. LD?
NO LEADERS
LD SHOW THESE GUYS BARKLEY’S TIRADE AGAIN
NO LEADERS
QUIET GUYS
SOFT
MENTALLY FRAGILE
REACHED CEILING
northcyde
January 20th, 2012
9:47 pm
Philly fans are notorious bandwagon fans. When their teams don’t win, they don’t show up . . . period.
But when their teams do show signs of life, they show up in droves.
MattP
January 20th, 2012
9:47 pm
This is funny watching the Magic-Lakers game. Lakers fans really think they can trade Bynum for Howard. Stats don’t lie, lol.
Najeh Davenpoop
January 20th, 2012
9:48 pm
Kirk for Jermaine O’Neal (not a huge fan of him, but probably wouldn’t require more than a 2nd round pick to Boston)
Just Joe
January 20th, 2012
9:48 pm
This loss is not that big of a deal as long as Sund recognizes that we need some changes, and we come out an destroy Cleveland tomorrow night. It’s early. Plenty of time for trades.
TOM
January 20th, 2012
9:49 pm
Philly fans are not “good fans.” That’s another lie perpetuated by the media. Philly only supports winners, the Sixers have been struggling with home attendance. The Phillies didn’t start selling out until the they put a winning product on the field.
nbsb
January 20th, 2012
9:51 pm
Sixers fan here. Yall have a nice team, but halftime killed to the Hawks. They were controlling the game until the half, then they get punked 51- 29 in the 2nd half. WOW. The Sixers are legit, a finals darkhorse out of the East. We have at least 7 guys, depending on matchups, who can get you 20 pts on any given night. No stars, big three or any of that crap. Just a young, athletic group of guys who look like they like playing together and believe in each other. The Hawks were lucky they didn’t get blown out tonight, the Sixers shot under 30% FG in the first half and turned it over like 10+ times. This is the scary part: of the Sixers 11 wins this year, 9 have been by double digits(7 by 20+ pts). The four losses have been by a COMBINED 17 PTS, 3 on the road. I like the direction we are going in, lets show up in South Beach to win. SHOUT OUT TO S PHILLY W 112 & YARNELL ST
Najeh Davenpoop
January 20th, 2012
9:51 pm
“The fan base just can’t expect to get props, if they’re wishy-washy about even the good teams in that city.”
To be clear, I am one of these “good fans”, since I’ve been to every Hawks home playoff game since 2008 and went to a TON of games back when they were starting players like Peja Drobnjak. But with that said, the reason I defend the fans who don’t show up is because I’d rather have money in my pocket than get props from idiots like Rob Parker whose idea of a “good fan” is one who dutifully shows up and hands over their hard earned cash to crooks like Gearon who are too cheap to even fix the scoreboards in the rafters.
ATL fans are smart. Better to throw that $50 bucks at LaStarya’s ass in Magic City than throw it at Michael Gearon. LaStarya’s ass > Michael Gearon’s face.
Scrooge McDuck
January 20th, 2012
9:51 pm
“Josh Smith re Drew: “If he felt that way, that’s his opinion. In times of adversity, everybody has to stick together. Everybody.”
“Jeff Teague: “I don’t think nobody out there is trying to quit. They just made good plays. We don’t have no quitters on this team. ”
UH OH! LOL
Cwebb
January 20th, 2012
9:52 pm
MattP,
We haven’t been bad against top opponents this year. Won against CHICAGO, MIAMI, PORTLAND
nbsb
January 20th, 2012
9:53 pm
PHI @ MIA tomorrow night
Grandmaster JeJe
January 20th, 2012
9:53 pm
Season is about to get very ugly.
Najeh Davenpoop
January 20th, 2012
9:53 pm
“The Sixers are legit, a finals darkhorse out of the East.”
I agree with this. They need a shooter, but they are a legit contender. I don’t have a problem with the Hawks losing to them. I only have a problem with the way the Hawks lost. The way they lost is too typical of this mental toughness lacking team that we have seen for several years now.
Slimjr
January 20th, 2012
9:54 pm
Philly lose by 20 tomorrow…
Slimjr
January 20th, 2012
9:55 pm
Hey coach call yourself out! YOU QUIT!
Apple
January 20th, 2012
9:56 pm
Honestly, the fact that this city is still divided, mostly along racial lines, about the Falcons because of the last two starting QBs is proof that Atlanta is a terrible sports town.
Slimjr
January 20th, 2012
9:56 pm
. LaStarya’s ass > U got link?
northcyde
January 20th, 2012
9:56 pm
Prison . . . i’m a Bengals fan as well, and about 30% of the fans in that city called itself “boycotting” the Bengals, because we have horrible ownership in the form of Mike Brown.
All that boycott did, was make us look REAL BAD every time we played a home game. 20 – 30 thousand empty seats for some games. Fans of other teams buying up those seats in droves, cheering loudly for their team on OUR home field when the stadium was full.
Here was a young team that was supposed to be one of the worst in the league, playing its azz off all year without Ochocinco and Carson Palmer, and fans chose THIS season to vent about ownership?
It was simply bad timing.
I just get tired of fans jumping on and off the “Hawks bandwagon” every time we have a bad loss ever two or three weeks. Either stay on, or get the hell off. (( Bleep )) the ownership, and support the team.
Just stop with the excuse making about a team that we KNOW isn’t championship material . . . yet.
doc
January 20th, 2012
9:56 pm
gjeje it could be three wins for february.
Najeh Davenpoop
January 20th, 2012
9:57 pm
“Philly fans are notorious bandwagon fans. When their teams don’t win, they don’t show up . . . period.”
Eh… they don’t show up to Sixers games, but they are pretty die-hard about the Eagles (and the Flyers from what I hear). When the Eagles (and maybe Flyers) are struggling, they show up and boo them. Same thing Knicks fans did all through the 90s. Show up and boo the Marburys and Eddy Currys that inept management decided to overpay, all while James Dolan laughed all the way to the bank.
MattP
January 20th, 2012
9:57 pm
nbsb,
I wouldn’t talk that great about the Sixers but yall did a good job adjusting to LD’s offense over the Half. The Problem for the Hawk was the coaching, yall adjusted to the offense but LD did nothing about it in game. Basically he did just what he said the team did, “It got tough for us in the third quarter and we quit. That’s what happened.” He quit when yall started to take over in the 3rd. So his team had no clue what to do when it god though.
Jeff Teague: “I don’t think nobody out there is trying to quit. They just made good plays. We don’t have no quitters on this team. ”
Josh Smith re Drew: “If he felt that way, that’s his opinion. In times of adversity, everybody has to stick together. Everybody.”
There is the proof behind Drew quitting on the team.