Atlanta Hawks: Grizzlies 96, Hawks 77
Here is the new game story on the Hawks’ loss to the Grizzlies Thursday night with post-game quotes:
Larry Drew was afraid it would happen.
The Hawks coach issued a warning to his team. It didn’t help
Drew feared a letdown against the Grizzlies after his team’s recently completed 4-1 road trip had them tied for first in the Southeast Division and second in the Eastern Conference.
The letdown came in a big way Thursday night in a 96-77 loss to the Grizzlies at Philips Arena.
“When you come off a road trip like that the tendency is to have a letdown,” Drew said. “I was afraid today would happen. We weren’t sharp tonight. I’m not going to blame it on the road trip. Everybody else has to do it. They go off on long road trips and come back and play. We can’t use that as an excuse. The start of the first quarter that team just manhandled us. They played with physicality and we were a step slow in everything we did.”
The Hawks held a seven-point lead early in the first quarter. It was gone before the end of the opening period. By halftime, the Hawks trailed by 10, 53-43.
The culprit was turnovers. The Hawks committed eight in the first half which led to 14 points. The Grizzlies lead the NBA in steals at 10.48 per game, nearly matching that total in the opening 24 minutes. Rudy Gay became the Grizzlies’ all-time leader in steals with three steals in the first half as he surpassed Shane Battier (523).
The Hawks finished with 15 turnovers leading to 19 Grizzlies points.
“They are a team that is very active,” Drew said. “They are aggressive. They play good help defense and they gamble a lot. It’s nothing that we had not talked about. We didn’t do a good job of handling the pressure. We were very casual with the ball. We just weren’t sharp offensively. We got behind and then we started trying to do it ourselves. We fell even further behind.”
The Hawks (16-7) had a three-game win streak snapped and lost for only the second time at home this season. After winning their previous two games by 22 and 23 points respectively, they were on the losing end of a blowout.
Gay led the Grizzlies (12-10) with a game-high 21 points. Tony Allen (18), O.J. Mayo (18), Mike Conley (15) and Marc Gasol (11) all finished in double figures.
Smith finished with 11 points for the Hawks, which lost to the Grizzlies for the first time in five meetings. Joe Johnson added 10.
The Hawks have held opponents to an NBA-low 19.5 points per game in the first quarter this season. The Grizzlies surpassed that by taking a 21-19 lead. They went on an 18-7 run to end the second quarter and took the double-digit lead into intermission.
The Grizzlies scored the first four points of the second half, the last two on a steal and layup by Mike Conley that had the Hawks Zaza Pachulia and Josh Smith exchanging words during a timeout. The start was part of a 24-8 Grizzlies run, as the Hawks missed their first seven shots, to grow the lead to 26 points at 77-51.
“It was obvious,” Pachulia said. “They had a better effort than us, talking about offensive rebounds and steals. That was the story. We gave the momentum to them. Any team gets a steal and a layup, they get more energized and they get the momentum.”
It would get worse as the Grizzlies led by as many as 30 points.
“They came out and out-played us,” Willie Green said. “We know we are a better team than that. … Once they made a run, it just seemed like we couldn’t get off our heals.”
The Hawks lost center Jason Collins to a left elbow injury in the first quarter. Collins was injured diving for a loose ball when his arm was pinned by the Grizzlies’ Dante Cunningham. He went to the locker room and following an X-ray was diagnosed with a sprained elbow.
The Hawks had to play Grizzlies center Gasol with Pachulia, who picked up two early fouls, and Ivan Johnson. The Grizzlies finished with 58 points in the paint.
“We look at the game and let’s be real about what happened,” Drew said. “I could have talked about plays that hurt us or strategy that didn’t work. I just told them ‘Guys, we got out-toughed.’ That’s something I haven’t seen in a while, where a team comes out and from a physical standpoint plays with more physicality.”
The Hawks’ four-game homestand continues Saturday night against the 76ers.
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185 comments Add your comment
Rusty
February 2nd, 2012
10:42 pm
The idiot should warn himself about being stupid.
Rusty
February 2nd, 2012
10:46 pm
Yeah coach we all agree with you KH should be starting,not sure if JT should be in the NBA.
ntrigue
February 2nd, 2012
10:51 pm
He messes up rhythm of the gm with bad subs! I sure hope K-MART signs w us!
Mitchell
February 2nd, 2012
10:59 pm
Rusty please tell me youre being sarcastic
Hawks Fan Down Under
February 2nd, 2012
11:03 pm
Can hardly blame LD on this one. This loss is squarely on the players. Total lack of effort on the defensive end. Gifting the Grizz over and over, poor transition defence, horrible blocking out. Thats not the coaches fault. As much as LD pisses me off this one’s on the guys on the floor…simply not good enough.
As usual just when this team gives you reason to get excited they suck the life out of you.
Hawks Fan Down Under
February 2nd, 2012
11:06 pm
For once I’d like to see a Hawks player come out and say “I didnt work hard enough tonight.” Almost all of them could be saying that right now but……
Rusty
February 2nd, 2012
11:08 pm
You got to have a decent coach to be consistent in this league.
Kontract
February 2nd, 2012
11:09 pm
That just a home dud tonight?
Rusty
February 2nd, 2012
11:16 pm
I love every thing about Ivan Johnson. I really want to see him succeed in the NBA.
NUNNA!!
February 2nd, 2012
11:30 pm
This team hardly plays for LD..They are more buddy buddy than coach-player in their relationship with him..Well,buddy-buddy may not be the right term but i think you all know what im saying..
They have no fear in this coach..
They have no fear that if they’re not playing hard or showing up that he will sit them or get on them about poor play..
LD has no fire in him and if he does he lets it burn inside of him and he even holds his breath to hold in the smoke..
I like LD..I think he is a good coach..But,he is more of an assistant than he is a Head Coach..
HIgh School,College,maybe even semi-pro players will give him a better response than NBA players,especially on this team..
And maybe the reason the players wanted him to coach them is because they knew they could go to him and he would listen and put into play their ideas..But mostly,they knew he would,EXCUSE THEIR MISTAKES AND CONTINUE TO PLAY THEM WITHOUT THE FEAR OF BEING BENCHED OR SCOLDED AT..
I agree that they win in spite of him based on talent alone..
And i would say that he has lost this team,as far as them listening to him and respecting what he asks them to do..
But,i really doubt that he even had them from Day 1..
Slimjr
February 2nd, 2012
11:31 pm
RESPECT????????????????
Hey section 303 no since in being annoyed at the national media for ignoring these pretenders..Huh????
Their best player out with an injury and the Hawks were still destroyed!
Hey Marvin you were called out on ESPN for giving up on Rudy Gays reverse dunk! You cant hide Marvina..Your so soft!!!
Another Western Conference team owns these Atlanta Hawks…..
Contenders? More like reality beatdown at home…….Oh well back to the drawing board…
Hey ISO what happened? You put on the cloak of invisibility tonight too….Toast!
Slimjr
February 2nd, 2012
11:33 pm
One and done…
Slimjr
February 2nd, 2012
11:41 pm
“i dont think the sixers have a tony allen on their side. he ruined jj tonight.”
Hey doc, you have way with words.. “he ruined jj tonight”
Slimjr
February 2nd, 2012
11:43 pm
Lost another big Sund! Get help in here yesterday!
Grandmaster JeJe (GM)
February 2nd, 2012
11:48 pm
SSDS
FIRE LD.
PLAYERS DONT LISTEN TO YOU
MARVIN 3 BOARDS IN 21 MIN
Rasputin
February 3rd, 2012
12:01 am
I think he did the right thing with Tmac. The game was gone by the first few minutes of the third so he decided there is no point risking him in a loss. Granted tmac had 4 assists in 12 minutes and probaly should have had a few more if his teammates werent trying to build a city with their bricks.
Tmac is pacing himself for the playoffs. e is not everting himself to much right now on offense and is picking his spots right now.
GERRAD
February 3rd, 2012
12:05 am
Marvin is a tease. Has the talent but lacks the fortitude and the will power to be anything worthwhile.By the playoffs i wanna see tmac playing more minutes then him. I think rasputin is right that McGrady is coasting to keep himself in check till the playoffs arrive
Tim
February 3rd, 2012
12:10 am
The Hawks are a much better team than that.You can’t come out and get manhandled like that on your own floor.If you want to be a really good team you can’t let that happen tonight.You have to validate yourself against teams with winning records.This team has the talent do just that,just cant have letdowns like that.Erase this game tonight from your systems and get ready for the sixers on saturday and get a win as expected.
Rusty
February 3rd, 2012
12:13 am
Tmac is in ld’s doghouse.
Walt Frazier
February 3rd, 2012
12:14 am
At least the Hawks weren’t like tonight’s Knicks. They kept the fans out of it by giving up the game early and gave me an excuse to watch the Knicks, who were mostly in it and even got the crowd excited throughout this lethargic game, only to lose. Back in my Knicks days, better was expected and better was gotten-the fans had their say. Now a days, it’s a cess-pool of egomanic bottom of the sewer-underachievers that would get booed all the way to Delancy street to Coney Island. After 30 something odd years-is this what the “Big Apple” is all about-B? Maybe I should get my seats in Brooklyn.
Slimjr
February 3rd, 2012
12:15 am
Its tradition in Atlanta for sports teams to have losing records against the winners..
Braves,Falcons,Hawks….Something in the water?
Buddy Grizzard
February 3rd, 2012
12:15 am
Let’s talk about the final 5 minutes of the first half when the Hawks played with Josh Smith at Center and the Grizzlies went on 17-8 run. Prior to that, with Collins injured and Zaza on the bench getting the Horford Treatment with two fouls, Ivan Johnson was doing a very credible job of bodying Gasol and keeping him from getting deep post position. WTF happened?
Slimjr
February 3rd, 2012
12:17 am
The brutal February schedule has begun!
Slimjr
February 3rd, 2012
12:18 am
out scored 26-12 in the 3rd quarter? Game over…..
Slimjr
February 3rd, 2012
12:20 am
The Hawks would be a 10th seed out west!
JaeEvolution
February 3rd, 2012
12:30 am
Mozgov killing the Clippers, but what do I know.
Rusty
February 3rd, 2012
12:47 am
Rose=2x the player jj is
Rusty
February 3rd, 2012
12:52 am
Tom thibodeau = 100x the coach ld is
High-Tech Lynching
February 3rd, 2012
1:02 am
It looks like another All-Star for Josh Smith.
http://www.nba.com/2012/allstar/2012/02/02/east-reserves/index.html?ls=iref:nbahpt1
High-Tech Lynching
February 3rd, 2012
1:04 am
^That should be…”It looks like another All-Star [snub] for Josh Smith.”
http://www.nba.com/2012/allstar/2012/02/02/east-reserves/index.html?ls=iref:nbahpt1
Rusty
February 3rd, 2012
1:04 am
JT=5x the pg KH is
Rusty
February 3rd, 2012
1:06 am
Woody= 7x the coach LD is
doc
February 3rd, 2012
1:06 am
northcyde havnt read all written about this game so some may be out of context however in response to your posts from the last blog:
“The minute that Josh feels that no matter what he does, he’ll always be criticized or blamed for the mistakes he makes, that’s when he’ll say that he wants out of Atlanta.”
number one, you cant cosach scared someone wont be back beacuse you dont treat him like an entitled child instead of a man who can accept criticism when it is appropriate like they did queen in cleveland.
second, i was at the game, josh threw one away and seemed to start yelling at teague who he had thrown it away, though it was his bad, real bad and he should have been kicking himself. he and zaza seemed to get into it and that was the last seen of josh.
basically the griz had it from the 13-6 lead of the hawks on. we were lucky to have been as close as we were in the first quarter. every player sucked tonight and they have to come back big after looking themselves in the mirror. if not, it is going to be a long saturday night too and a long home stand.
rusty rose is 2x the player josh, jj and jeff are combined, mvp dude.
doc
February 3rd, 2012
1:13 am
well slimjr, he did. allen flat out took all the air around him and sucked it away. jj could not breathe. that is intensity and was really fun to watch even if it was the other team’s guy. conley got game and healthy swagger, gasol is a load, gay can bring it with a few other solid complimentary pieces. now they are over the blow of losing randolph and gay has a lot of confidence after his injury which was very hard to overcome. good little team put together in a lot shorter time than these hawks.
now philly. no 8-5 or 9-4 on this string like this. 6-7 and i will be happy for the last half of the season.
High-Tech Lynching
February 3rd, 2012
1:15 am
Carmelo Anthony should give his All-Star invitation to [Danny] Granger or Josh [Smith]. The Knicks should not have any All-Star players representing the Eastern Conference.
Slimjr
February 3rd, 2012
1:23 am
Agreed doc, Memphis has done a good job putting together a really good club much very fast!!
Its amazing to watch these Western Conference teams just dismantle and dominate the Hawks time and again..
Thats how I measure the Hawks..How the play against the West! They are light years away from
Championship material……..
leear1n
February 3rd, 2012
1:23 am
They will do it every time play a team over 500 and they stink up the joint that is why i do not go see them anymore.Hawk people and news people don’t say anything about the fans not showing up to watch we know what will happen if a team is over 500 comes in .I for one will not pay my hard earn cash to see a team with no guts,no smarts.They had a day off to plan and look at the afford they displayed.Message To the Hawks players don’t get mad if none of you get picked for the ALLSTAR game You have earn it.
Slimjr
February 3rd, 2012
1:25 am
Najeh and I knew jj was in trouble..Allen is a beast!
I’d take him over Jamal every day of the week for sure……
WoefulHawkfan
February 3rd, 2012
1:26 am
Is nobody else tired of seeing Josh complain all the time? And it seems like it is always directed at Teague. Teague is a good young point guard and Josh is tearing the kid down and always ripping him apart. Josh accepts no responsibility for his poor shot selection or trying to bring the ball up the court and making a dumb or bad pass 8 out of 10 times. Highlight dunks and 2 blocks per game are not worth the headache this guy causes LD or the way he complains about everything and yells at teammates. About time Hawks fans start calling it like it is.
Slimjr
February 3rd, 2012
1:27 am
OKC will destroy the Hawks…..
doc
February 3rd, 2012
1:28 am
slimj i too thought allen would be a factor and mentioned it in a post a few days ago. i like this little griz team
Slimjr
February 3rd, 2012
1:33 am
Yes you did Sir..I like rooting for the Griz too! Lionel Hollins is doing a great job up there!
I may have to keep a closer eye on those guys! lol
doc
February 3rd, 2012
1:34 am
yeah slimj, the west is the marker. the okc are the team that is playing best against all comers, they are tough on the road and just eat up east competition like it isnt there. okc and bulls in the finals with no queen is what would do me well. however, usually top teams fom the season dont match it up in the finals.
Slimjr
February 3rd, 2012
1:34 am
Im getting tired of the Hawks failing to deliver against the winners sorta like those Falcons…
Its getting old fast…..
doc
February 3rd, 2012
1:37 am
still want to know what zaza and josh were talking. it wasnt whether bbq russian ga ribs were better than bbq southern ga ribs.
MC did you catch any of this?
Slimjr
February 3rd, 2012
1:38 am
goodnight doc I cant keep my eyes open….lol
doc
February 3rd, 2012
2:04 am
ah youth.
northcyde
February 3rd, 2012
2:10 am
Hawks Fan Down Under
February 2nd, 2012
11:03 pm
Can hardly blame LD on this one. This loss is squarely on the players. Total lack of effort on the defensive end. Gifting the Grizz over and over, poor transition defence, horrible blocking out. Thats not the coaches fault. As much as LD pisses me off this one’s on the guys on the floor…simply not good enough.
As usual just when this team gives you reason to get excited they suck the life out of you.
**************************
Ivan Johnson exits the game, and Vladimir Radmanovic comes on the floor at the 4:43 mark. Hawks are up 36 – 35.
3 minutes later, Hawks are down 8, and are about to go down 10 on the next possession.
The lineup Drew had on the floor during that 3 minute stretch:
- Teague
- Johnson
- Marvin
- Vlad
- Smith
A lineup that hasn’t played together ALL YEAR. But Drew, in all of his infinite wisdom, expects that lineup to work.
Forget about putting back in Zaza, who has been on the bench with 2 fouls since the 5:20 mark of the 1st quarter. Heck, even disregard the fact that he could’ve let Ivan play with 2 fouls the rest of the Half.
Nope, let’s go super small, and put in Vlad at the 4, and Smith at the 5, and see if that works.
tom
February 3rd, 2012
2:25 am
i treated my relatives from california to this piece of !@#@$%………what an embarassment. Thanks hawks. Thanks.
Rusty
February 3rd, 2012
2:30 am
I keep telling everyone he is an idiot,should never be a head coach.talked a good game at first but lacks any real sense & blames everyone else but is never ro blame.
Rusty
February 3rd, 2012
2:34 am
Of all our losses he played a big part with his decisions never mind his inability to prepare this team against the better teams in the league,oh I forgot he said they lacked energy,I think the players have tuned him out a long time ago.
Grandad
February 3rd, 2012
2:52 am
If anyone is still awake;
I just finished watching the tape,
unable to watch it live, [too many women in the house]
however, everyone ought not jump ship just yet.
I must admit that I stopped watching midway through the 3rd.
Then I perused the stats.
Having coached all those yrs taught me one thing, if nothing else,
every now & then, a stinker happens.
This was one from the git go.
There are other games (recognizable) that your team
either mails it in or worse …..quits !
Those losses are unaccepable.
Tonight – LD called it. – Now, move on.
____________________________________________
Josh Smith:
stats had Josh with 3 TOs.
I’m certain I counted 6 before LD yanked his tail.
Josh was not the only one turning the ball over.
My point is that the stat guys mis-interpret
who gets the TO sometimes.
The stat keepers must think, on occasion,
that all passes should be caught ;;; I reckon ?
Also, I think our team had more than 14 turnovers.
MEM had 13 steals ….. hmmmmmm ?
So, I guess we only had 1:
3 sec, off foul, pass o of b, dou drib, 24 sec violation,
or any other ballhandling violation of any kind.
Me-thinks we really had 20+ TOs
___________________________________________
V-Rad not shooting enough.
We need to get him back in the groove.
High-Tech Lynching
February 3rd, 2012
3:01 am
This blowout loss to the Grizzlies demonstrates that the Hawks are just coming back to Earth. Now, if LD could just get Marvin [Williams] and Vlad-Rad to break free [or shake loose] from their “subterranean” play and come up to Earth, then everyone on the team might be in sync[hronization].
Subterranean and sync[hronization] are terms from #HighTechLynchingsEnglishClass.
Grandad
February 3rd, 2012
3:03 am
C’mon;
he had to give Ivan a breather.
The kid is not used to playin’ long stretches.
Sund, dealt LD these cards.
*[no depth at Center]
This group shoud have done fine:
- Teague
- Johnson
- Marvin
- Vlad
- Smith
Size was not the only problem / turnovers were also a problem.
*** not to mention;
If V-Rad is in the game – then utilize his strength !
He took only one shot in the 2nd qtr (not a 3 ptr).
____________________________________________
Teague, Joe, & Josh – Played Poorly !
How do you blame the coach.
____________________________________________
Certainly – there are times when one needs to question the coaching.
Tonight is a poor example.
Buddy Grizzard
February 3rd, 2012
3:11 am
“Even without those things they would have struggled to win this game because of the Grizzlies’ advantage at center.” – Najeh
So much hate for Zaza. Gasol didn’t exactly light the Hawks up with 10 points and 11 boards in 35 minutes. Maybe Drew should have played Zaza more than 21 minutes if he had any intention of trying to win this game.
Grandad
February 3rd, 2012
3:12 am
Rusty
When we went 4 & 1 on the road trip;
I suppose Josh coached them in all the games, except San Antone ?
____________________________________________
road trip:
Smoove = 4 & 0
LD = 0 & 1
____________________________________________
overall:
Smoove = 16 & 0
LD = 0 & 7
____________________________________________
Don’t you have homeroom in the morning – Rusty ?
northcyde
February 3rd, 2012
3:49 am
@ Grandad . . . matchups were a problem too during that stretch.
The Griz had went to what was essentially a 3 guard lineup, along with Rudy ( who is a forward with guard-like skills ), and Gasol in the middle.
So these were your matchups:
PG: Conley – Teague
G: Allen – JJ
F: Mayo – Vlad
PF: Gay – Marvin ( who was still guarding Rudy I believe at that time )
C: Gasol – Smith
The lineup they had on the floor was way too quick. That’s why every time we had a turnover or missed a shot, they raced down the floor for quick offense.
Putting Vlad out on the floor when the Griz essentially had 4 guards on the floor, was a major blunder by Drew. The flurry happened so fast, that Drew barely had time to get Vlad out the game and put T-Mac back in. LOL . . but that was still the wrong move.
Smith did play bad in stretches, but he also was one of the only ones who could effectively score against that defense. As a coach, Drew must know when to pick and choose his spots to discipline or correct his players.
This is not college. This is the NBA. Drew also has a responsibility to the ticket buying home crowd to do all he can to win games. It’s the responsibility of the coach to put players in the best position to win games . . and the job of the players to go out and win that game.
And even if Drew was right in what he did with Smith, that still doesn’t excuse what he did with Teague. Teague misses a few shots and blew one assignment on Conley, and Drew pulls him? Drew is acting like he can trust Kirk Hinrich, when the reality is that Teague is light years ahead of him as a PG right now.
The players may have laid down, but the coach laid down too in my opinion.
Grandad
February 3rd, 2012
3:50 am
Buddy Grizzard
*disclaimer / I have total respect for Zaza; just as I did for Al.
We need a Center for two reasons:
(1) Defensive Rebounding:
Even though a power forward could help in this area, we have Ivan
who is a terrific rebounder at the [4] position.
Memphis killed us tonight with Off. Rebs. This is and will
continue to be a problem as it has for ;;; I don’t know ;;;
how many years now ? But, the fact remains, we are small.
Kenyon Martin is not the answer in my opinion as his career numbers
do not suggest he is the answer.
Plus, as previously mentioned, we have Ivan and do not need to cut his min.
We need a Legit 7 ftr that [to borrow a quote] ‘`inhales Rebounds`’ !
(2) We need a Rim Defender
Josh is overrated as a rim defender.
He can leap if he has time to get a running go.
But;
If not, he’s just 6-7.
We need a guy with a 9 ft + standing reach
A player with a long standing reach doesn’t need the …
reaction time to defend a shot at the rim because he
can merely raise up as opposed to loading & leaping.
Josh & Al both below 9 ft stnd. rch. / Zaza can’t jump a lick.
____________________________________________
All these guys are 9-2 or 9-3 +
Mullens, Frye, Benson [Keith], Kaman, Aldrich,
just to name the few I looked up.
All the 7 ft Euros are legit 9-3 +.
___________________________________________
Anyway – a Legit Center can do both – Rebound & Defend the Rim !
Grandad
February 3rd, 2012
4:26 am
nc
I’m not going to quibble over every little match-up.
I was responding to whoever said we should not have pulled Ivan.
Had we not turned the ball over;
we would not have needed to race back down the court.
Small line-up should have been fine vs small line-up.
Now, if you have a problem with V-Rad,
just say so.
I never said a word about disciplining players.
But, I do not give a rat’s ass about people buying tickets.
Crap – folks buy tickets to HS and college games.
Whats the point and or the difference.
If a player is not performing up to expectations;
sit his hind on the pine !
-C.M. Newton-
Plus, how in heck did you think Josh was going to be the one to
carry the team offensively ?
Now, if he took Teague out for some sort of punishment;
which I missed or did not see,
then I will take him [LD] to task for that.
However, Teaguer, Kirk, Josh, Joe, et al the whole bunch played
well below expectations.
enough below expectations to get their ass beat.
Why is that LD’s fault ?
Bitch and moan about rotations all you wish;
but it would not have mattered tonight.
Case in point:
Jeff gets beat off a screen … Conley goes down the lane …
Joe on one side, Josh on the other, one or both must come to the ball.
Both stand and watch Conley lay it in.
I reckon that was V-Rad’s fault as well ! *[though he wasn't in]
In your scenario …^…above…^… there were 5 guys on the floor;
yet you boiled it down to only one V-Rad that was unable
to get back on defense.
Even though Josh threw it away a half doz. times.
Perhaps LD shoud have anticipated Josh was going to
turn it over every time so he should have put in Pargo
to stand at half ct. so he could defend the fast break.
Now that would have been smart coaching.
The fans would have gotten their money’s worth;
getting to watch Josh throw it all over the place.
Since that’s what they came to see – Josh Smith / Highlight Factory !
Hawks Fan Down Under
February 3rd, 2012
4:41 am
My point is that LD’s coaching didnt affect the result. These players were as soft as butter. How many times did a Grizz player beat their man and waltz down the lane for an uncontested lay up or dunk? Thats the players not working/thinking hard enough to help out. Really, really poor effort. Our defense has been elite this season but last night was completely lacklustre….thats on the players.
Having said that I’m no supporter of LD. He’s proven time and time again he can’t read games well.
Either way these Hawks (coaches and players) really s**t me sometimes!
kiss the hawks rears
February 3rd, 2012
5:04 am
Josh smith and Joe johnson the why hell u want them on NBA all stars they not they like that fellow of washington wizards who took gun to arena got suspended for good…Hawks should get him join despair and gloom……we be out in 1st round 4-0 again…and ASG will regroup pick nose and raise the ticket prices by 30.00 next season!
kiss the hawks rears
February 3rd, 2012
5:11 am
Top of the Mornin from atlanta base camp…………we have lift off of another No show of Josh smith and son Johnson are Joe what ever he is….I seen better games at a david letterman show all comedy no action…and u all wonder why Dwight Howard will never play here Two words……Atlanta sprit group and friends.Now so we 16-7 big thrills if we played like a NBA team not like brady bunch and worry about you nose bein hit…Nope we play raggy as Ann and dumb as a doorknob….We drop are jock cups and strings and played like New jersey Nets who will be New York Nets next season……To all Hawks fans why not wearin thrashers uniforms now its time!
kiss the hawks rears
February 3rd, 2012
5:14 am
why yall release donald sloan i hope another team gets and he comes back here and drops 45pts on sorry ass now!
Just Joe
February 3rd, 2012
5:54 am
In the last 4 min+ of the first half, Josh and Joe each had a turnover that turned in to a layup, and Rudy Gay had an offensive rebound and put-back over Marvin. That’s three possessions ATL lost and three quick buckets for MEM. It was all effort tonight, or should I say a lack of effort. Too many turnovers. Too many offensive rebounds allowed. Too few second chance points of our own. We had six offensive rebounds. The worst offensive rebounding team in the league averages 8.6 per game. The combined offensive rebounding and turnover differential suggests 11 extra possessions for MEM. They attempted 10 more field goals and 10 more free throws than we did.
Just Joe
February 3rd, 2012
6:09 am
Defenses are now giving Josh more attention. His last 5 games? 11 pts, 7 rebs, 39% shooting, and just as many turnovers as assists, in just under 30 minutes per game. It’s going to take a conscious effort from Teague to set Josh up and get him some easy baskets.
tyger
February 3rd, 2012
7:08 am
Ooops….
- Jason Collins out with sprained elbow…
- ZaZa only true Center on team..
- Did Memphis expose the Hawks?…
- Hawks cant play BIG if they wanted to…
-Hawks soft? Hawks mentally weak?
-Hawks quitters??
- Going gets tough, Hawks get going?…
Dawg
February 3rd, 2012
7:48 am
Our only center has 2 rebounds. Now our 3 minute, no rebounds per game backup center is hurt. Sund, we need help at the CENTER position.
justahawkfan
February 3rd, 2012
7:57 am
I chaulk it up to a bad night. Did any of you ever have a bad night? There was enough bad for everyone to get a slice. Turn your attention to Philly, see what happens. I know some of you think there is power in complaining about that which is above your control. It do not help or hurt the hawks, it is just noise. Believe that!!!
Scoop
February 3rd, 2012
8:10 am
The players should forfeit their game checks for that kind of effort, especially being at home and having the full day off yesterday.
Props to LD for going to the bench early in the 2nd half to try to get a spark. But he shouldn’t have taken Zaza out in the first half when he had 2 fouls and sat him the whole half. I’m a big fan of 9-5 but Ivan was over matched last night. He struggled against Gasol and was terrible on switches against their wings. Couple that with our poor rebounding and carelessness with the basketball and you have a recipe for a blowout.
This was a game we would have won with Horford, but the biggest surprise to me so far has been Zaza and his defense in Horford’s absence. He has been very impressive.
I’ll say this about SMoove, he looks like he’s been hitting the weights lately AND working on his post game. He was more decisive on the block last night and had a couple of strong moves. Worth noting, most of his touches came on the left side of the floor. Smoove will need a counter move with his right hand or teams will force him off his left.
Is it just me or his their a negative correlation between SMoove’s shot attempts and the Hawks offensive output? The more shots Smoove takes the worse our offense is……..
O'Brien
February 3rd, 2012
8:17 am
From ajc’s C-Viv.
The Hawks met Thursday with a representative of Kenyon Martin, according to a person with knowledge of the team’s thinking.
The 11-year veteran center is playing in China and can return to the NBA following the season in several weeks..
C’mon Chris. Everybody knows Martin is not a center. Just because the Hawks may want him to play that position doesn’t mean you have to write it up that way.
We Need A Big Man ASAP
February 3rd, 2012
8:19 am
This one is on Sund. During the off season, our top three players (Joe, Al & Josh) asked for more front court help and what does Sund do, load up this team with nothing but guards. Sund needs to make a move for a center now, trade Hinrich ASAP and force LD to play Pargo.
Ray
February 3rd, 2012
8:21 am
Okay let’s all be realistic here we are 16-7 I was not happy with the game we had last night no one was, but all this complaining won’t help, and some of you guys complaining don’t even know what you’re complaining about it seems.
I’ll agree we do need help now because all we got at C is Zaza so basically it’s K-mart or bust or we need to go pick up Keith Benson from the D-league he might be undersized weight wise, but I think he would still have helped us last night.
Okay about last night’s game really what more did you expect this was one of those bound to happen type of things you try traveling so many miles in 10 days wouldn’t you not feel right also? Even LD himself admitted that this game may be one of those letdowns I give him a lot of credit for at least owning up to it instead of trying to find a scapegoat.
We can blame the players and the coach all day, but this game was just one of those destined to happen type situations. In fact I think that’s why he snubbed nearly any starter/heavy bench players out. We do need to regroup for this Philly game. I honestly think that game will tell us more about what is going on, and always remember it’s one lost not the end of the world.
Ray
February 3rd, 2012
8:33 am
Right now I’d take any of the center’s from the D-league like Benson it’s a long season at least their younger some of them at least.
They’ll learn by the time we reach post-season.
O'Brien
February 3rd, 2012
8:37 am
doc,
The Hawks are 13-0 against teams that under .500, and 3-7 against teams above .500.
And I dont mind losing to good teams, but as Najeh pointed out, when we lose, we lose by double digits. 5 of our 7 losses are by double digits, and our average margin of defeat is 12.5 points.
I know we’re not going to win them all, but we need to be more competitive in those games.
O'Brien
February 3rd, 2012
8:39 am
Ray,
You said all we have at Center is Zaza. And I agree. So how does signing K-Mart help? Last night, Josh and Ivan both saw minutes at Center. So are you ok with Kenyon playing minutes at Center?
Buddy Grizzard
February 3rd, 2012
9:00 am
Guys, let’s look at the numbers at the center position:
Gasol 35 MIN 5-8 10 REB (7 DEF) 11 PTS
Zaza 21 MIN 3-3 2 REB (2 DEF) 7 PTS
Ivan 29 MIN (team high) 4-11 9 REB (7 DEF) 10 PTS
Gasol didn’t beat the Hawks. Ivan matched his production in fewer minutes and played credible defense against him. G-Dad I’d love for the Hawks to add a legit 7-footer… you got one in your pocket?
But you guys keep screaming we need a center we need a center… sure we do but where do we find one?
Meanwhile I keep screaming WE NEED A COACH WE NEED A COACH.
Ray
February 3rd, 2012
9:04 am
I wouldn’t play him at center actually and the more I think of it the more I don’t like the K-mart deal at all. Still though in this shorten season help is scarce so basically who should we get.
I say we go after someone and wait till the offseason or at least nearer the trade deadline to make any deals.
The whole giving Kirk away for Kaman we can do 10x better than that honestly we could get Dalemebert for Kirk if that’s the case just saying.
If I were Sund I’d go looking through the D-league to acquire someone anyone WE NEED HELP DA**IT
Just Joe
February 3rd, 2012
9:45 am
I think Keith Benson on a 10-day contract would do some good at this point. One more injury, and we can’t even dress a full 12-man roster. The kid was in camp, and should be the best option to contribute over a 4 or 5 game stretch.
Najeh Davenpoop
February 3rd, 2012
9:49 am
“So much hate for Zaza. Gasol didn’t exactly light the Hawks up with 10 points and 11 boards in 35 minutes. Maybe Drew should have played Zaza more than 21 minutes if he had any intention of trying to win this game.”
I was referring more to the backups than to Zaza, but it’s not like Zaza played well in the minutes he did play. Maybe he wouldn’t have been in foul trouble if he defended Gasol better.
Najeh Davenpoop
February 3rd, 2012
9:53 am
Hawks dropped from 6th to 7th in Hollinger’s power rankings. Not that it matters, but all but one of their losses have come to teams in Hollinger’s top 10.
Najeh Davenpoop
February 3rd, 2012
9:59 am
“Ivan Johnson exits the game, and Vladimir Radmanovic comes on the floor at the 4:43 mark. Hawks are up 36 – 35.
3 minutes later, Hawks are down 8, and are about to go down 10 on the next possession.”
You are right that this was the key segment of the game that turned it from a close game to a blowout. LD screwed up big time by invoking his two-foul rule and going small there, and it predictably resulted in the Hawks getting dominated on the glass during that stretch.
With that said, if LD had a competent backup center, he wouldn’t have been playing Ivan at center for 9 minutes in the first half anyway. The problem still traces back to personnel. The Hawks cannot expect to defeat good teams consistently if all they have at center is Zaza, Twin, and Ivan. They need another big man who can crash the boards. This is essential. And I’m not sure 6′8″ Kenyon Martin would have done a whole lot to help against 7′1″ Marc Gasol, either.
In this particular game, they were going to lose anyway because they got out-hustled for pretty much the entire game. But going forward, they are going to lose a lot of winnable games if they don’t have another quality player at center.
Najeh Davenpoop
February 3rd, 2012
10:06 am
In related news, Kirk played 19 wholly unspectacular minutes, missed a couple of bad shots, had the ball stolen from him, didn’t make much of a defensive impact… in other words, exactly what Pargo would have done in the same amount of playing time. Seems like the Hawks revert back to their overreliance on long 2’s every time Teague goes out of the game and Kirk comes in.
The Hawks have two backup point guards whose contributions are not that different from each other. They do not have a viable backup center. The obvious move is to trade one of those point guards for a center. Kirk has an $8 million expiring contract. The Lakers have an $8 million trade exception. Y’all know where I’m going with this.
LT
February 3rd, 2012
10:13 am
Grandad, I was at the game and I know for sure that Josh had more than 3 turnovers… He had 3 probably in the first quarter. I hate the way LD subs…. as a head coach, he has a lot of growing/learning to do. He never gives guys a chance to get into rhythm, except Joe. And why was Teague and Pargo in the game at the same time?! smh. And Josh, all he do is complain and whine. duing a timeout, he sat on the bench and complained to a guy that was sitting behind him while his teammates were listening to LD’s game plan. What a joke! I watched him allow a guy to go straight to the goal without even attempting to defend.
Najeh Davenpoop
February 3rd, 2012
10:26 am
All this said, if they can convincingly beat Philly on Saturday, I’ll be much more willing to chalk this up to just a post-road trip letdown and move on. Philly is only 4-4 on the road and they start a tough stretch today.
Slimjr
February 3rd, 2012
10:27 am
Captian Kirk has got to go for a Big yesterday…
3-7 against the winners with more beatdowns coming = disaster playoff run coming
But we’re use to it….Look at the excuses coming from the fans, staff and players…
Wish the Hawks could play 80% percent against the West..Cause it would expose how weak a team Gearon and Sund has assembled….Light years from Championship product…These beatdowns against the West are not Flukes…There’s history that keeps repeating….
This team is garbage…..Soft like a wet noodle!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Played like bunch of girls!!!!!!!!
Waste of time to go down there and see Marvin allow a player to reverse dunk on him while he stands there and watch without any effort given what so ever…
PRETENDERS JUST LIKE THEIR BUDDIES THE FAL-CONS………………….
LT
February 3rd, 2012
10:31 am
Oh, and good job by Ivan last night!
doc
February 3rd, 2012
10:34 am
o’b i dont think you expect me to disagree with that? i have been saying all along this was a crucible month. it is the fire. it is what tells us what we are really looking at as we hit quality where it has ben trash. no good effort losses needed here much less sorry blow outs like i witnessed last night at the phillips. plain and simple it was awful, effort wasnt there, timing wasnt there for anyone, the griz flat out embarrasses us as i predicted they could, everyone shared in the blame and there was a melt down on court and a shouting match as josh seemed to want to make it out to be someone else fault and was called on it. in no way did i try to frame it as a good loss. it may hopefully be one of those type games where everything caves in and everyone is off and dont have the mental resolve to put it back right. all teams will suffer from this in the year of the delayed start. i hope it is not a true measure of how good we are if we were able to beat the heat and bulls early on … but it may. we havent done much since to quality teams, we may have major flaws that come out against good teams, we may miss al after all, in the long run. i hope it was just a stinker of a game that is inexplicable but really good teams dont get blown out on their home court by 30 or has this been a story seen and discussed before?
Slimjr
February 3rd, 2012
10:35 am
Game over when ISO gets Shut down! We had the legendary scoring legend JC1 and still got blown out like last night!
Bring him back, no change…Still would get dismantle…
National media knows whats up….Section303 dont get annoyed with the media, focus on your ownership who put this underachieving product on the floor last night with a sorry azz coach…
Najeh Davenpoop
February 3rd, 2012
10:37 am
The Pacers are apparently the front runners for Kaman right now.
According to that article, the restriction on trading Kaman until February 14 only applies if he’s packaged with another player. If he is traded by himself, he can be traded at any time.
Ray
February 3rd, 2012
10:40 am
I’m not ready to say Coach LD is that bad he’s gotten better over this year vs. last year, but we will see come playoff time, but I do agree his subbing methods leave a lot to be desired.
The clock is still ticking it’s basically ECF or bust for this group of hawks that could be a good thing for us as fans, or bad if the ASKG is running the show when the playoffs are said and done.
Rev in Tampa
February 3rd, 2012
10:43 am
It is entirely possible that the 76ers could come into Atl and give Hawks a beatdown, but I have a feeling that the Hawks will take care of business since they are still smarting over the loss in Philadelpha a couple of weeks back.
With the CORE being together so long you can almost tell how they are going to react to various challenges that are placed before them. For instance, several of us predicted that the Hawks would have a let-down game last night.
Slimjr
February 3rd, 2012
10:43 am
Last night was statement game for the Hawks..
They were supposed to win by at least 10 points!! The National media were going to start to say hey this Hawks team maybe legit?
Naw…………………………BUSTERS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1
Slimjr
February 3rd, 2012
10:43 am
Philly by 12……..
Walt Frazier
February 3rd, 2012
10:44 am
I agree that Drew has a responsibility to the ticket buying crowd, because I could barely tolerate the game going the way it did-but the one thing I can control is my vote with the remote. The paying crowd has no choice. They are stuck in the Phillips, with Marta and the downtown crowd. They have to feel like they were biach slapped with a powered pink glove-courtesy of your Atlanta Hawks and Co.
Slimjr
February 3rd, 2012
10:45 am
If the Hawks played the Griz 10 games, they lose 8 out of 10!
Slimjr
February 3rd, 2012
10:46 am
Doug Collins 2x>then Leisure Suit….
Slimjr
February 3rd, 2012
10:48 am
My remote will be ready….
lil Neek
February 3rd, 2012
10:50 am
nobody is going to trade a big for a small you idgits unless the small is an all star. get over these moronic trade scenarios. NBA needed to do away with guaranteed contracts and made these guys earn their keep.
Slimjr
February 3rd, 2012
10:50 am
I’m offically done with MARVINA!!!! The weakest, shortest 6′9″ dufuss……..
Slimjr
February 3rd, 2012
10:51 am
U package him Genius!
Rev in Tampa
February 3rd, 2012
10:53 am
BLOG-MONSTER!
Slimjr
February 3rd, 2012
10:55 am
The streak will continue,0-47 ECF visits……Unbelievable…………………..
Slimjr
February 3rd, 2012
10:58 am
Im 6′3″ and Gay aint makin that Dunk on me..I will hammer his azz! In my house too?
joey
February 3rd, 2012
11:01 am
come on guys… we lose one game.. nothing went right for us at all and we got our butt kicked…
even the best teams it happens too. we are a good team lacking one more piece to compete for championships(exspecially with horford out) we need to sign kenyon martin. he would give us another rim protector and more toughness. we dont need offense .. we need better defense
kwooden
February 3rd, 2012
11:04 am
northcyde I saw exactly what your where talking about. Add to the fact that LD tried to go zone, which really didn’t work because MEM was hitting their jumpers. I think LD’s problem with the team is they didn’t cut into the lead in the 3rd quarter, which I do understand. But my problem with LD is his substitution of Hinich and Ivan, for Josh and Jeff made things even worse. LD tried to get away without having a center on the floor and he failed, I would appreciate him admitting that. The 3rd quarter meltdown wasn’t his fault, but I do blame him for not running plays that get guys going to the basket. They should stop the weave and post-up Josh, then start the weave. It seems to me that either the message isn’t getting to the players or the coaches don’t understand. I will also say that losing Collins hurt because he could have made the post area a lot tougher for Memphis.
GO HAWKS!!
Slimjr
February 3rd, 2012
11:05 am
Like AllNBA plays Stellar defense? He and Marvin are essentially twins on the defensive end…..LOL
Rev in Tampa
February 3rd, 2012
11:09 am
“Im 6′3″ and Gay aint makin that Dunk on me..I will hammer his azz! In my house too?”
Slimjr, you might want to re-word this post. What’s that term you guys use from the urban dictionary?
lil Neek
February 3rd, 2012
11:10 am
ok then package Kirk with smoove and tell me what big you can get.
O'Brien
February 3rd, 2012
11:12 am
Last year, Philly came to town and beat the Hawks by 30+, so Hawks better be ready.
I think Josh and JJ will have to lead/play by example. Earlier in the season (in Philly), Iggy did a very good job on JJ, who was only 3-8 from the field, 4 assists, 4 rebs in 31 minutes. JJ did not even make it double figures, finishing with 8 points. 8!
And in that game, bad Josh showed up, and went 5-15 (including 3-12 on jumpers outside the paint). We need more from Josh and JJ on Saturday. I think everybody else will follow.
Blodus
February 3rd, 2012
11:13 am
Oh yea, the Hawks don’t need a center right?
Astro Joe
February 3rd, 2012
11:14 am
I try not to be one of those reactionary bloggers who jump between the Hawks as ECF contenders after a few good wins and Hawks as lottery-bound clowns after a few bad losses. Likewise, I have decided that questionning every LD decision is silly when the team’s overall record is very good (especially when considering Horford’s absence).
However, LD does annoy me to no end with his continued “smarter than the average bear” comments. If a player performs well, LD is good for claiming responsibility, e.g. “I told him that he needed to …”. But when the team takes a step backwards, he is good for denying any culpability. “I told them that there could be a letdown”. That ish could get really aggravating as a fan and likely more than aggravating if your an employee of that type of boss. I guess it is good to be clairvoyant but it is better to be the kind of leader that can re-direct the team from falling off the cliff.
Anyway, we all knew that February would be a tough month. so no need to act shocked when that comes to fruition.
O'Brien
February 3rd, 2012
11:15 am
Ray,
Hawks are not trading for Dalembert, because he will add ~$7 mil to next year’s payroll. I dont think the Hawks want to add any salary, so whichever big they sign will be either vet min, expiring contract, or both.
Also, Houston is looking for “big” help, and is not looking to trade Dalembert.
What’s funny to me is all these teams have their starting centers in tact, but as looking for help, whereas the Hawks lost their starting center, but seemed ok with ZaZa and Twin handling it.
kwooden
February 3rd, 2012
11:16 am
I will definitely watch how Jeff and Josh perform from this game out, because that will tell us something about how well LD knows his guys. I thought LD should have benched Joe also because the poor play came with Joe out there, but maybe LD is blaming Jeff and Josh for poor performance more than Joe and is banking on this to motivate them. He’s definitely right about needed them to really perform against Philly, because if Jeff doesn’t attack and play solid defense then we’re in real trouble. And Josh needs an All-Star level performance for us to even stay in the game. Joe, just needs to stay with Iggy and draw double teams.
Blodus
February 3rd, 2012
11:22 am
Hey Sund….go get Sheldon Williams back!!!! he can play center too!!! and you can get him for a min.!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Rev in Tampa
February 3rd, 2012
11:24 am
When it the trade deadline? Isn’t it within two or three weeks. I remember how exciting it was last year as the hours and minutes rolled by with new rumors flying around everywhere. But what a let-down.
With Collins going down, but not contributing anything prior to his injury and Pargo and Hinrich being redundant pieces of the roster we have some needs and chips to do something. Will we?
The Truth
February 3rd, 2012
11:36 am
“The culprit was turnovers. The Hawks committed eight in the first half which led to 14 points. The Grizzlies lead the NBA in steals at 10.48 per game, nearly matching that total in the opening 24 minutes. Rudy Gay became the Grizzlies’ all-time leader in steals with three steals in the first half as he surpassed Shane Battier (523)”
I was at the game and can bear witness that MC statement is “The Truth”. But the spin here seem to be more about how good the Grizzlies are with steals (leading to TO) instead of how bad the Hawks play against good defensive teams in general. Hawks blowout defeats to Philly and Indy with similar defensive styles are other examples to this emerging problem. The “real” culprit may be the Hawks predictable offense featuring the all too familiar core. The book around the league on “how to beat the Hawks” has been a best seller for years. So game planning against them by good defensive teams is easy and has been leading to easy wins lately. Coupled that with mental lapses from the Hawk players with poor execution, many spectators (including myself) saw this blowout coming after halftime.
1) JJ gets crowded and trap in corners, makes ill-advised plays and passes
2) Josh telegraphs passes before he releases the ball, TO prone
3) Josh continued infatuation with the 3-point line always baited to shoot
4) Josh continued infatuation with becoming a PG is a TO waiting to happen
5) Josh temper tantrum with refs, players and coach, easily discouraged
6) Marvin on-again off-again defense/offense, easily discouraged
7) Zaza overall physical limitations
Just a few examples of what’s commonly known about the Hawks.
However, Jeff Teague is the juggernaut player on the team that is the most unpredictable. When he is in attack mode and breaking down defenses, he becomes problematic against any team because he gives the Hawks unpublished looks. He is the Hawks bellwether player. So goes Jeff Teague, so goes the Hawks. Unfortunately, Jeff didn’t play that way last night. He was not aggressive, played timid and looked unsure of his intentions; appeared to just facilitate, nothing more.
That brought the Hawks back down to earth and made them a predictable team again. Tony Allen feasted and had a field day. It was like playing 6 against 5; he guarded an uninspired JJ while shadowing every Hawk passer. He got into the passing lane often and converted the TO’s into easy layups. With that, he broke the Hawks will and dominated the game with his defense, the blueprint to beating the Hawks.
Except to see Philly use a similar blueprint
The Truth
February 3rd, 2012
11:40 am
“Expect to see Philly use a similar blueprint”
Dawg
February 3rd, 2012
11:45 am
The Truth: Great post.
O'Brien
February 3rd, 2012
11:48 am
This is the Hawks first 11 shots in the 3rd quarter of the last Philly game.
10:56 – Josh misses 25-foot three point jumper
10:30 – Josh misses 16 foot jumper
10:02 – JJ misses 29 foot three point jumper
9:48 – Josh Smith dunks
9:13 – Josh misses 16 foot jumper.
8:52 – Joe Johnson makes 19-foot two point shot
7:41 – Joe Johnson misses 15-foot jumper
6:54 – Josh Smith misses 8-foot jumper
6:37 – Marvin Williams misses jumper
6:13 – Jeff Teague misses 25-foot three point jumper
5:43 – Josh Smith misses 21-foot jumper
LD did not take a timeout until 5:31. So he sat there and saw 11 bad shots before he takes a timeout? And he did not sub for Marvin and Twin (who were struggling) until the timeout was called.
Really? Terrible coaching in my opinion. And the first shot after the timeout? Jeff Teague misses 26-foot three point jumper.
In Last night’s 3rd quarter, the game got really out of hand when LD subbed for Josh and Teague. And kept them on the bench.
In these games against good teams, I have not been impressed by LD’s coaching. If the team is struggling, he seems powerless to do anything about it. He doesn’t have a strategic adjustment, and he doesn’t have a good feel for substitution, so his players will continue to fall off the cliff (and when it does happen, LD will continue to say they should have listened to him).
drmaryb.[*_*].
February 3rd, 2012
12:10 pm
A Loser’s Mentality!
“When you come off a road trip like that the tendency is to have a letdown,” Drew said. “I was afraid today would happen. We weren’t sharp tonight. I’m not going to blame it on the road trip. Everybody else has to do it. They go off on long road trips and come back and play. We can’t use that as an excuse. The start of the first quarter that team just manhandled us. They played with physicality and we were a step slow in everything we did.” -Larry Frew-
___________
Why not tell your team, ignore the statistics. We are going to IMPOSE our WILL on this team in OUR house, blacked out scoreboards and all.”
“If you want to beat a man, you attack his weakness, (in this case offense) – If, you want to annihilate a man, you attack his strength, (in this case defense).” -arthur unknown-
___________
The grizzlies did just that. They attacked Mr. Johnson with smothering defense from one player, Tony Allen, who is known to be a jump shooter. Tony scores 18 points from outside – inside. In that order. In turn we made some awfully lazy passes from everyone, repeatedly.
We did not have to lose to this struggling team – WE QUIT!
End of story, and until we fix this, we will continue to lose to better teams, that play on a string and know their roles.
Oh yeah! And, we need a big man.
drmaryb.[*_*].
February 3rd, 2012
12:15 pm
* Tony Allen, who is NOT known to be a jump shooter.
___________
One more thing … Our defense was horrible from top to bottom. No effort whatsoever, from anyone.
LT
February 3rd, 2012
12:16 pm
I agree with The Truth.
LT
February 3rd, 2012
12:19 pm
Agree with drmaryB
drmaryb.[*_*].
February 3rd, 2012
12:25 pm
Correction!
Twin and Vlad?, were in that scrum where Jason stuck is extended arm into the pile. So, A+ for Twin & Vlad for effort defense. Just sorry Twin got hurt, he should get an MRI today to assess if he tore a ligament or not. Sure hope not, he may be out a while? (1,2,3 weeks?) We won’t know until we hear what Grade [1234] sprain?
Now do we get a big? The Bambino is waiting.
Rusty
February 3rd, 2012
12:25 pm
Grandad. Don’t tell me that ld didn’t mail it in. He took jt out in the first quarter 5 min in. Jt was playing good ,playing great defense ,0 turnovers,some points & some assists,put KH in who does nothing,then benches the first team almost the whole second half,oh I forgot plays Josh at center.this man has an agenda against jt. I guess you are getting old,can’t see anymore or your mind isn’t all there. By the way I am 72.
doc
February 3rd, 2012
12:33 pm
many flaws last night as everyone was out of synch, everyone played awful.
STRETCH
February 3rd, 2012
12:37 pm
I still cant believe they drafted Marvin Williams before:
Deron Williams, Chris Paul, Andrew Bynum, Danny Granger, and David Lee??
And Sheldon Williams before:
Brandon Roy, Rudy Gay, J.J. Redick, Rajon Rondo???
DeMarr Johnson before:
Jamal Crawford, Hedo Turkoglu, Quentin Richardson, Jamaal Magloire, Michael Redd
But i think the worse was Jon “Contract” Koncak over:
Chris Mullin, Detlef Schrempf, Charles Oakley, Karl Malone, Joe Dumars, A.C. Green, Terry Porter, Michael Adams
Atlanta has not really had any BB savvy GM’s or management over the years.
One day they will get it right!
Rusty
February 3rd, 2012
12:39 pm
Ray we could not get Dalembert or kamem for KH. I am quite sure his days of starting for any team is over.
Section 303
February 3rd, 2012
12:40 pm
I think some of you are making more out of this game than should be made. The Hawks were tired. You could see that from that opening tip. It happens. They were a step slow all night, shots would not fall, and no one (except Ivan) hit the boards. Hawks were clearly a tired team. Anyone at the game could see that.
Take last night’s game and throw it in the trash. No sense worrying about it, talking about, or cyring about it. Means nothing. Hawks will play much better on Saturday night.
ryan
February 3rd, 2012
12:41 pm
Need to get K Mart but looks like the only thing standing in the way is China .
Section 303
February 3rd, 2012
12:42 pm
Slimjr, that’s your stance. The Hawks are not contenders based on last night? Come on….
Anyone who has watched the Hawks play knows that team was just gassed last night. Larry Drew even hinted that in the blog (though he will not let the players use that excuse, but…..you know what he means).
Talk to me about whether they’re a contender or not after Saturday night. The Hawks are going to play a lot better.
Geemack
February 3rd, 2012
12:46 pm
The Hawks lost last night had nothing to do with being out of sync
It has everything to with effort. If the Hawks were out of sync they would not have been up by 7 late in the 1st quarter.
Once the Memphis started to fight back, that’s when the punk in the Hawks started to show.
Just when I thought it was safe to start trusting the Hawks again.
Section 303
February 3rd, 2012
12:49 pm
I always thought I was a manic fan. I am prone to have severe ups and downs when following my teams (Hawks and Michigan State football/basketball). But, after reading some of the posts on here, I see I’m not alone.
Guys, there is no “blueprint” for Phily to take from the Memphis game last night. That Hawks team you saw, is not the real Hawks team. The guys were sucking wind after five minutes. The Hawks looked like they were running up hill from the start.
Chill out. God! If they look that bad the rest of the homestand, then worry. Right now, makes no sense. That game last night was a complete abberation.
By the way, games like last night are one of the downers of being an NBA season ticket holder. You pay for games like last night where your team is just gassed from the start and has nothing to offer.
drmaryb.[*_*].
February 3rd, 2012
12:50 pm
@Section, yeah, you’re right they looked very tired, esp. Josh and Joe. The 2ND UNIT should have played more with Teague at PG the whole way. He young and he good.
Ms. Jones
February 3rd, 2012
12:51 pm
Great posts “The Truth” and “drmaryb.[*_*]‘. MC will you inquire from LD why does he permit his players to continually shoot long jumpers and miss repeatedly without a timeout to address the issue? He appears dumbfounded on the sidelines. We need leadership on the floor. Somebody should put JS “in check” with his attitude toward referees, team members, coaches. It’s getting old now.
ClassicHawks
February 3rd, 2012
12:57 pm
Yall are the WACKEST Fans On Earth! We were on the road for 10 days for Gods Sake! Wait till the guys get there legs up under them! Was at Philips Last Night, and It just wasn’t our night! Memphis is a very good team. Cmon Yall, like the sky is falling. We are one loss behind Miami for the conference championship. Yall need to stop with the WACKNESS!!!!! Hate Atlanta Fans. Like Girls and too Fickle!
O'Brien
February 3rd, 2012
12:57 pm
303,
I agree that fans shouldn’t get too low after last night’s game. But you do realize the Hawks are 3-7 against teams above .500, right?
And 5 of those 7 losses have been by double digits, with the average margin of defeat being 12.5 pts. For a team what wants to get to the ECF, those are not good numbers.
Section 303
February 3rd, 2012
1:02 pm
Ms.Jones, I tend to agree with you. Josh acted like an idiot last night. He threw the lazy pass to Teague, at the top of three point line. The Memphis player (I forget who), takes the ball down for a dunk, Hawks call timeout. Josh is literally standing at halfcourt, by himself, flailing his arms and pouting. He looked like a 3rd grader in the middle of a tantrum.
Then, on the way back to the bench, he yells at Zaza, who, at the time of the turnover, was on the opposite block, setting a pick. What? Then, he yells at Larry Drew, when Drew in the other coaches were hudding up before talking to the players. Just stupid…
I’ll give the entire team a pass on being tired last night. They were. It happens. But, Josh has to stop this crap. His behavior is one of the reasons why I have such a hard time accepting him. And, it is not because he is “a great competitor” as some claim. It’s because he is a spoiled brat.
Everytime he has one of his outbursts, he proves Jay Bilas right.
Section 303
February 3rd, 2012
1:05 pm
O’Brien, I hear you. But, I know what I saw last night. They were tired. Again, if the rest of the homestand is as bad as the Memphis game, then we should all find traffic to throw ourselves in front of. I’m not there, yet. Not after last night.
I have no doubt the Hawks will play better on Saturday.
kwooden
February 3rd, 2012
1:15 pm
O’Brien, very nice sequence of events post. I will add the one score came off a Josh post-up if I remember correctly. The coaches need to post-up Josh on at least half of their possessions and the other half they can run the high post offensive. If Josh starts in the post, I guarantee he won’t shoot a 20 footer, and he will be in rebound position if someone else shoots from the outside.
kwooden
February 3rd, 2012
1:18 pm
Looks like we’re going to lose out on Kenyon, he’s taking the Clippers offer. That shouldn’t surprise anyone, the Clippers looked like a better fit for him.
drebaby
February 3rd, 2012
1:20 pm
I don’t know why most teams don’t use the same blueprint vs the hawks.Crowd and trap JJ,take him out of the game and force him to pass the ball to teammates who are not making themselves available.The offense becomes stagnant,while his teammates are ball watching.LD was out coached by far.Lionel Hollins made a great move when he subbed in Cunningham for Speights.LD tried to counter that by taking Smoove and Teague out the game early in the 3rd and it backfired.Tony Allen s d was superb but i did not expect for him to play that well on the offensive end.The Grizzles out played the Hawks plain and simple,in every category.We need front court help bad,i would settle for K-MART,or even Benson at this point.
Hollywould
February 3rd, 2012
1:21 pm
I agree on Smith/ he should know by now that berating refs and everyone else is a loser mentality/ of course some of you want Rasheed Wallace/ guess you can’t get enuf. Philly is going to run the Hawks out of the gym. Bank on it.
Section 303
February 3rd, 2012
1:27 pm
Hollywould, if it were possible, I would be willing to bet you that the Hawks win on Saturday.
jay
February 3rd, 2012
1:28 pm
You guys can blame whoever you want for last night, but the fact of the matter is we don’t have the talent on the front court to compete with the good teams. Rick Sund is the one to blame for thinking Collins is ok to be a back up. Either that or the owners are to blame for forcing him to be OK with Collins as the back up center. The sad thing is I keep seeing young big men that aren’t making a lot of money, but have size and skill being traded to teams we play, yet we made no attempt to get these guys. One was the Speath(sp) kid on the Griz team. Another is on the Bobcats squad(tall white dude, forget his name). Screw Kenyon Martin. He’d help our club, but you’re in a bidding war for a guy on the downside of his career.
Ray
February 3rd, 2012
1:30 pm
Okay let me make myself clear Kirk is not the only person being traded here it would be a package deal, but I’m just saying we can do better than just getting someone like Kaman.
I got to agree with other people this isn’t the end of the world without All-NBA Al the hawks are 9-3 and honestly factor in the season itself being so shortened. It takes a toll on most of these guys especially the older one’s that have been here longer than say 6 years.
ryan
February 3rd, 2012
1:30 pm
So much for getting K Mart he will sign with Clippers the ASG is going the be the problem i think Dwight Howard will end up out in LA also Atlanta sports is a joke no one wants to sign here .
mountain_jim
February 3rd, 2012
1:30 pm
FIRE SUND! (I wish the owners could be fired..)
drebaby
February 3rd, 2012
1:30 pm
I don’t think so Hollywould,i think the Hawks will bounce back and Josh and Jeff will have a big impact on tomorrows game.Bank on it.
Hollywould
February 3rd, 2012
1:31 pm
Section 303/ loser comes back sat nite on the blog and claims victory. By the way, why do you give the Hawks a pass last nite on being tired? Memphis in the last 10 days played 6 games.
Ray
February 3rd, 2012
1:32 pm
@ Ryan
I think that’s a good thing for us not to have K-mart he wanted the money more than anything.
We need to be after those D-leaguers darnit especially Benson. I’m not saying their the best, but they are probably better than Collins at least.
Hollywould
February 3rd, 2012
1:33 pm
Winner comes back/ my bad
drebaby
February 3rd, 2012
1:34 pm
Me too mountain-jim,the ASG sucks,maybe Tyler Perry is interested in buying the Hawks,lol.
ryan
February 3rd, 2012
1:35 pm
Clippers are the it team seems Hollywood is were the bigtime superstars want to go i know D12 wants to get into acting its only madder of time when he ends up out there the Hawks are screwed .
ryan
February 3rd, 2012
1:41 pm
I believe the guy owns DreamWorks owns the Clippers he has done a hell of a job in turning that once laughing stock of franchise into one of most exciting teams to watch it sucks we have ASG .
Greg
February 3rd, 2012
1:46 pm
And why wouldn’t the Hawks come back overconfident after their glorious 4-1 road trip? After all, their 4 victims had an aggregate record of 24-62 and the one good team they played punched them in the mouth and the Hawks curled up in the fetal position as usual.
Nothing has changed here. The Hawks are still one of the biggest frauds in pro sports. No one will ever take them seriously with “leaders” like Joe Johnson, Josh Smith and Jeff Teague.
EmirS.
February 3rd, 2012
1:47 pm
I didn’t get to watch the game. I was enjoying a very good nap. But I’ve read the comments and two things caught my attention.
1. A few people mentioned it was not Drew’s fault.
2. The Hawks were up at 35 – 36 (I believe) and Drew inserted a lineup that Included Smith at Center and Radman at PF…
After that it was obvious enough as to why we lost the game, so I simply decided to post this comment and go on with the bitter taste in my mouth.
Also….the Nuggets…..are BEASTING. my goodness.
drebaby
February 3rd, 2012
1:53 pm
DreamWorks =Illuminati,Chris Paul,Dwight Howard,soon to be Blake Griffin=Illuminati Puppets.Do the math,connect the dots.Thats why the Clippers are the new L.a. Lakers.
Dawg
February 3rd, 2012
1:59 pm
Heck yeah, DLeagers are better than Collins. Collins adds nothing except he plays one player well. Other than that, he has horrible numbers and very little effect on a game. He is at best a 4th string center in the NBA. A very limited role player.
Come on Sund, Sheldon Williams would be more help than nobody.
Melvin
February 3rd, 2012
2:03 pm
K-Mart agreed to sign with the Clippers. I guess the Hawks better bring back Benson…. SMH
Astro Joe
February 3rd, 2012
2:05 pm
303, I agree with you. Hawks will win against the 76ers because that’s what they do… they follow a horrific performance with a solid outing. As soon as you think they have provided some trend, they flip the script.
terrell
February 3rd, 2012
2:10 pm
Getting tired of LD always blaming the players. Talk about yourself for a change. You looked just as disinterested in the game as the players did.
terrell
February 3rd, 2012
2:11 pm
Vlad a t the 4 and Josh at the 5? Ru serious Uncle Larry?
Buddy Grizzard
February 3rd, 2012
2:13 pm
K-Mart signs with Clippers
http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/sports_blog/2012/02/clippers-kenyon-martin-agree-on-a-deal.html
Ray
February 3rd, 2012
2:17 pm
Even if Benson is Undersized he’s better than nothing at all you know.
FIRE SUND!
FIRE ASKG!
FIRE LD!
FIRE AJC!(just kidding or am I?)
Lil' Rob
February 3rd, 2012
2:21 pm
You folks who didn’t want K-Mart: Now what? Where’s this magically big you expect them to acquire?
Lil' Rob
February 3rd, 2012
2:26 pm
Local franchise owned by Tyler Perry. Well this fanbase does remind me of a bunch of Madeas.
Ray
February 3rd, 2012
2:29 pm
@ Lil’ Rob
In the D-league somewhere Sund GET BENSON HERE 2 Months ago.
MattP
February 3rd, 2012
2:39 pm
I am about 80% sure they will bring back in Benson after seeing they can’t get Kmart now. I am disappointed they let him go because of the thin centers they had even if he was not ready for the NBA level. Benson is looking good in the D League and he has not been with that team for long.
I still do not see this team going much of anywhere with this coach. Yes, I like his defense but you can’t win a game with defense if you keep your best guys for that night on the bench. He needs to learn to find the people that are shooting hot and stick with them, they do not shoot hot the whole game so ride them for a period. I don’t think anyone understand his rotations, one game a guy will play 20+ minutes and the next game he will not play. He writes everything out in game and stick to those rotations for the night weather the work or not. Yes, they do work for him on some teams but whenever they don’t work they look like one of the worst teams in the NBA.
Crazy_88
February 3rd, 2012
2:59 pm
I said it once, twice, three times, four, five….The Hawks as an organization are not invested in winning a ring this season. They thought they would find a suitable buyer for the team…didn’t happen…they thought this season would be cancelled…didn’t happen…they couldn’t make up their mind on whether or not they wanted to keep or trade Josh Smith….they will probably look to amnesty Joe Johnson in the off season because nobody is going to trade for his contract…nobody is trading for Marvin Williams…and nobody is trading for Kirk Hinrich……this team only option is to trade Josh Smith for some future draft picks…and to amnesty Joe Johnson…and rebuild around Al Horford..Jeff Teague…
They are going to ride the season out with this roster for better or worse…All these fantasy trades for Kaman..Martin…is fiction….Nobody wants to go to a team that has no $$$..no strong ownership…and no HOF coach..
Dept. Of Unintended Irony
February 3rd, 2012
3:05 pm
“He writes everything out in game and stick to those rotations for the night weather the work or not.”
Night weather? Would that be “dark”?
MattP
February 3rd, 2012
3:11 pm
I meant, Whether they work or not.
Still a little tired,
Slimjr
February 3rd, 2012
3:12 pm
Hey Sund are ya counting? Now you need two BIGS smart azz!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1
Slimjr
February 3rd, 2012
3:14 pm
Hawks= write off for this regime..It was never they’re intent to win a Championship…
Sorry Grasshopper!
Slimjr
February 3rd, 2012
3:16 pm
Two reason why:
Hiring Sund
Hiring Leisure Suit….
Doug Collins over Larry Drew by 10-15pts…
Slimjr
February 3rd, 2012
3:17 pm
{their intent} ^^^^
Slimjr
February 3rd, 2012
3:21 pm
Told ya yesterday that K-Mart would go with the Clippers.. He’s got a better shot with them…
No shot with this sorry organization….He was using the Hawks as leverage…….Hahaha…..Dream on Grasshoppers……
Slimjr
February 3rd, 2012
3:24 pm
Defeat the pretenders Blueprint: get the ball out of ISO hands, game, set, and match!!
I said 9-4 in February? I put the pipe down now 5-8….
Slimjr
February 3rd, 2012
3:28 pm
LD=Ice Melt, they never blame themselves..It always the other guys?
What does a true Leader say in front of the public? Hmmmmmmmm….
Sautee
February 3rd, 2012
3:28 pm
Slim,
Coming back down to my reality, eh?
I said, and still say 5-8 unless Sund gets help.
Mike
February 3rd, 2012
3:29 pm
Slimjr,
Calm down alittle bit, it is just one lose but Sund needs to get his head out of his butt and realize that we need center and if dont get one, this team is going to get beat up on the boards and lose more games like that. Even if you have to trade Al, they need help yesterday.
Najeh Davenpoop
February 3rd, 2012
3:37 pm
New blog up. K-Mart is a Clipper.
MattP
February 3rd, 2012
3:49 pm
“it is just one lose”- Mike
That is what people say every time we lose, when will yall figure out that means nothing. Just a way to let go of a terrible loss like everyone has been. If I’m correct none of our losses were even close games, does that mean anything to yall? Ya, we had losses that were good the first half but we fell apart in the 2nd half. It’s not just one lose, it is just another terrible lose.
Soullrenaissance
February 3rd, 2012
4:59 pm
K Mart dissed us again and takes his talents to ’slob city’ – I hate rejection.
I was listening to the 1st half of the game on the way to the Planetarium with the my family. This felt like a loss when Twin went down – not mention all the careless turnovers.
I will be at the Philly Game – Lord willing – with the expectations that we show some heart and pull out a victory – no excuses…..Every time we get on a semi-roll and garner a semi buzz, Gearon makes a plea for the hometown to support the team – only to choke up big time or get routed
TMACfan
February 3rd, 2012
5:50 pm
TMAC has the third highest average for PPG (ALL-TIME) in the playoffs with 28.5. Will he keep scoring like that…? No, but I wouldn’t be surprised if he averages around 15 in the post season. He’s saving it for the doubters.