Atlanta Hawks at Pistons: Game thread
Auburn Hills, Mich.–Hawks will use same lineup as last game with Zaza Pachulia at center. “It’s not set in stone,” Larry Drew said. “We will stay with it for right now.”
- Drew said Kirk Hinrich had no issues after his first game back from shoulder surgery. “We are going to ease him back into it,” Drew said. “He still has to get into that playing shape where he can play on a nightly basis. I don’t want to pile too many minutes on him.”
- Drew said “for right now we will keep [Hinrich] at the one. He could play off the ball some. There are a couple of things I possibly want to experiment with as we move forward: him at some two, Joe [Johnson] at some three, that type of thing.”
- ESPN.com’s Marc Stein runs down a list of teams who will compete with the Hawks for Kenyon Martin’s services and says K-Mart is looking for a major role on a contender.
- Drew on the Pistons: “They play a very physical style. That has always been a problem or us in the past. They really bang the boards. I told the guys by no means can we come in here and think these guys are going to lay down. They’ve had some close ballgames that they could have won. Looking back at their last game against Miami they were in perfect position to win.”
- Damien Wilkins is starting for the Pistons tonight. “Our effort has been a lot better, our fight has been a lot better,” he said. “To me, that’s what we had been lacking the most. We had kind of a glass jaw. Now we have a lot more effort, a lot more fight.”
- Wilkins on not getting an offer from the Hawks: “It was disappointing. They basically told me they weren’t bringing in anymore perimeter guy and I’d have to fight [for a spot] with Pape Sy and [Jerry] Stackhouse. And then I look up and here they are with Willie Green and two other wings, and I’m like, ‘Wow.’ It was fun. I appreciate the opportunity they gave me initially. But I miss the guys.”
- The rec center in northwest Detroit Willie Green came up is now called the Willie Green Center for Physical Fitness. Green attended a ceremony yesterday. “My uncle [Gary Green] was coaching a team up there,” Green said. “He used to open up the gym for us, so we were going up there every day. That’s where I first started playing basketball. It was awesome when I walked in the place. I couldn’t believe the gym was so little. I came from humble beginnings like a lot of us.”
Michael Cunningham, Hawks beat
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662 comments Add your comment
Section 212
January 27th, 2012
9:45 pm
Hawks, if you score 88 points you will win. Pistons about to hit a scoring wall
Section 212
January 27th, 2012
9:45 pm
Hinrich just cost us the game
Spyro
January 27th, 2012
9:45 pm
Section 303 has never seen JR Smith, Michael Beasley, or Toney Douglas play of he thinks Josh is the dumbest player ever.
J.J.M.
January 27th, 2012
9:45 pm
hawks just suck…joe is not a superstar to keep going iso
Buddy Grizzard
January 27th, 2012
9:46 pm
Zaza Pachulia 10 points 6 boards definitely best backup center in the NBA don’t hate.
Luke Cage
January 27th, 2012
9:46 pm
Magic & Hawks are playing like crap
DSGB
January 27th, 2012
9:46 pm
Why is this dumb azz coach playing Hinrich in the 4th qtr???
Grandmaster JeJe
January 27th, 2012
9:46 pm
HEY LD HOW ABOUT U HACK MAXIELL EVERY PLAY AND MAKE HIM BEAT US?
OH WAIT U NEVER THOUGHT OF THAT
WORST COACH IN THE NBA
Melvin
January 27th, 2012
9:47 pm
LD couldn’t wait to give Hinrich extended mins. Teague better be unable to comeback in this game..
Section 212
January 27th, 2012
9:47 pm
Now it is biting Drew in the butt for not playing Green or Pargo…..They cannot help now
Mark
January 27th, 2012
9:47 pm
Pargo Dissed Again!
Section 303
January 27th, 2012
9:47 pm
Terrible loss. Team just not winners. They were in halfass mode from the tip. Just will never change.
Najeh Davenpoop
January 27th, 2012
9:47 pm
“rather see Josh shooting from 18? ill pass.”
Nah, rather see Teague breaking the defense down and drawing defensive attention, and rather see Joe getting the ball in positions where he can score. Those contested 18-23 foot shots Joe occasionally makes are fools’ gold.
ntrigue
January 27th, 2012
9:47 pm
Whats the point in Joe always bringing the ball up? Can somebody explain!
bigdave
January 27th, 2012
9:48 pm
id like to know how many times Joe scored from isolation clear outs this 2nd half..
sure he’s hit a couple step backs, but ive seen him in the post.. of curls.. and that last floater off a guard/guard pick and pop..
but he hasnt just shot the ball from his looks, he’s moved it around..
Hawks shouldve stayed w/ it.. we wasted 2 possessions under 3 mins.
MattP
January 27th, 2012
9:48 pm
How long do yall think until Hinrich is a starter?
northcyde
January 27th, 2012
9:48 pm
Josh Smith 2 – 9 FG on his jumper. At least he’s 4 – 4 FT
To win this game, the Hawks almost have to shut out the Pistons from here on out.
Unless someone is going to knock down a 3, the Hawks need to be almost perfect offensively and defensively.
Reggie
January 27th, 2012
9:48 pm
Man, go get Robín Lopez…Marvin and Kirk to Pheonix. Cut Collins
Bob Weiss
January 27th, 2012
9:48 pm
You know I really cant understand why I wasnt considered for the Job. I am just as good if not better than Drew…
Section 303
January 27th, 2012
9:48 pm
Spyro, I have seen all those guys. Josh is dumber.
Spyro
January 27th, 2012
9:48 pm
Wow Joe, that wasn’t even close.
northcyde
January 27th, 2012
9:49 pm
Garbage possession right there. NO one sure of anything.
Najeh Davenpoop
January 27th, 2012
9:49 pm
I see you Marvin. Solid game for him.
Big Ray
January 27th, 2012
9:49 pm
Not gonna be enough. Too many dumb jumpers and bad defense.
DSGB
January 27th, 2012
9:49 pm
Point blank: the hawks will never be sh*t until we get a real f**king coach
Bob Weiss
January 27th, 2012
9:49 pm
yea stupid azz josh has 14pts 7rbs and 6assist. Fck him
J.J.M.
January 27th, 2012
9:50 pm
horrible
Najeh Davenpoop
January 27th, 2012
9:50 pm
MARVIN!
northcyde
January 27th, 2012
9:50 pm
And Marvin makes the play going to the rim. Good job man, because that was going to be another garbage possession.
Grandmaster JeJe
January 27th, 2012
9:50 pm
FOUL MAXIELL AND MAKE HIM BEAT US AT THE FT LINE
LD WAKE UP
GOOD GOD
Section 212
January 27th, 2012
9:50 pm
Hinrich costing us on defense
yodaddybrother
January 27th, 2012
9:50 pm
MARVIN! still a loss though
Spyro
January 27th, 2012
9:50 pm
No Section 303, you haven’t. JR Smith is the consensus “WTF was he thinking?” player in the league.
Section 303
January 27th, 2012
9:51 pm
Have a good rest of the night, guys. I’m putting in a movie. Hawks are a complete fraud organization. Born f’ing losers.
Grandmaster JeJe
January 27th, 2012
9:51 pm
NICE.
LET THEM GET WIDE OPEN JUMPSHOTS
FIRE LD AFTER THIS GAME
MAXIELL IS ONE OF THE WORST FT SHOOTERS
FOUL HIM
J.J.M.
January 27th, 2012
9:51 pm
too bad hawks dont have a 1st round pick for a lottery pick
yodaddybrother
January 27th, 2012
9:51 pm
yeah gotta Hack a Maxiell to win this game
northcyde
January 27th, 2012
9:51 pm
There you go Marvin. Tell your critics, including Drew, to kiss your azz and play you more when you’re balling.
Section 212
January 27th, 2012
9:51 pm
foul early!
Bob Weiss
January 27th, 2012
9:51 pm
I could still pull this game out better than Drew. We are down 3 with 33 seconds…
bigdave
January 27th, 2012
9:52 pm
“Nah, rather see Teague breaking the defense down and drawing defensive attention, and rather see Joe getting the ball in positions where he can score. Those contested 18-23 foot shots Joe occasionally makes are fools’ gold.”
when Teague gets in the paint he’s looking to do one thing, score.. im not impressed enough w/ consistency to take the ball out of Joe’s hands and go with that game long. especially when you can get positive results from Joe from so many areas on the floor. now if he was getting 8-9 assist.. you’d be on to something..
Grandmaster JeJe
January 27th, 2012
9:52 pm
STOP LETTING THEM TAKE OPEN SHOTS
FOUL MAXIELL
SHOULD’VE HACKED HIM ALL 2ND HALF
LD YOU ARE A DISGUSTINGLY AWFUL HEAD COACH.
ANY BLOGGER ON HERE COULD’VE COACHED THIS 4TH QUARTER BETTER THAN YOUR PATHETIC SELF
Spyro
January 27th, 2012
9:52 pm
Should probably add Gilbert Arenas to that list as well. There is a reason no one has signed him.
Najeh Davenpoop
January 27th, 2012
9:52 pm
“id like to know how many times Joe scored from isolation clear outs this 2nd half..
sure he’s hit a couple step backs, but ive seen him in the post.. of curls.. and that last floater off a guard/guard pick and pop..”
I’m mainly talking about that 2nd quarter, when the Hawks ran a bunch of isolations for him in a row and saw the deficit balloon from 2 to 11. Without that sequence, the Hawks probably win this game.
It’s not Joe getting shots I have a problem with, it’s the idea that he should do all the work to get those shots. The Hawks have other players who are good and can draw defensive attention to make it a lot easier for him.
Section 212
January 27th, 2012
9:52 pm
What???
Section 212
January 27th, 2012
9:52 pm
Game tied!
Najeh Davenpoop
January 27th, 2012
9:52 pm
WOW
bigdave
January 27th, 2012
9:52 pm
Jigga Man get off him!
Spyro
January 27th, 2012
9:52 pm
HOLY JESUS!!!!
Melvin
January 27th, 2012
9:53 pm
Big 3 by Joe……