Atlanta Hawks: Good fit for Fesenko?
The Hawks plan to sign a center and it almost certainly will be a guy on a 10-day contract rather than a permanent addition. They’ve discussed Kyrylo Fesenko, Erick Dampier and Dan Gadzuric but, as far as I know, they haven’t inquired with those guys yet to gauge their interest in a short-term gig in Atlanta.
(Ravell Call, Deseret News)
I’ve always thought Fesenko, the massive 7-foot Ukranian, is probably the best item in the Big Man Bargain Bin (excluding Joel Przybilla, who has eyes for the Heat or Bulls). But you figured something was up when the Warriors reportedly had an agreement with Fesenko in December but balked at signing him and then passed on him again after Kwame Brown went down last month. Word is the knee injury Fesenko suffered playing for the Ukraine last summer remains a concern; his conditioning and work ethic were suspect before he got hurt and so you have to wonder how much he can give.
But it might be worth it for the Hawks to find out on a 10-day because if Fesenko can give them 8-10 minutes a night he’s a good fit (and he’s only 24-years old, too, so Hawks could get a jump on looking ahead). Fesenko recorded amazing on-court, off-court defensive numbers in Utah: The Jazz allowed 11.91 fewer points per 100 possessions in 2010-11 with Fesenko and 8.68 points fewer in 2009-10 according to basketballvalue.com. Synergy Sports Technology ranked Fesenko ninth in the league in 2010-11 with .71 points per possession allowed (on just 93 possessions used in 53 games, but still). And 82games. com had Fesenko’s opposing PER at 10.4 last season and 12.9 in 2009-10.
In other words, Fesenko has provided an even better Twin Effect than Jason Collins with better rebound and blocks rates (and, to be sure, lots and lots of fouls). Fesenko offers next to nothing offensively but he’s got Twin beat there, too, in large part because he can score on putbacks–1 point per possession on offensive rebounds last season, according to Synergy.
Finally, from my selfish perspective, bringing in Fesenko would at least add some intrigue for the Hawks. Don’t get me wrong: It’s been fun to see Ivan Johnson defying the odds to become a bona fide rotation player. But wouldn’t it be even cooler to see a giant Ukranian taking on Roy Hibbert and Dwight Howard this week?
Michael Cunningham, Hawks beat
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271 comments Add your comment
Blodus
February 5th, 2012
4:08 pm
it’s the hawks, they’re not gonna sign him. They’ll go find a 6-10 PF and call him a center.
northcyde
February 5th, 2012
4:09 pm
Grandad
February 5th, 2012
1:48 pm
The other evening northcyde even suggested;
Ld had a responsibility to the paying customer;
that he should not yank a player for “discipline” [Josh]
due to the fact that people had paid to come see him play;
Further suggesting that this was not HS nor college.
Later, nc, suggests LD was coaching scared ?
disclaimer – This is not a rip northcyde post !
I’m only using this as an example of the incongruity of perceptions
people have of coaches and their decisions.
*******************************
That’s not exactly what I said Grandad.
When Drew took out Josh, it was because of his questionable play in the 1st half of that game, and subsequent shaky start in the 3rd quarter. What Drew did was try to discipline Josh in that game, and leave him out for the entire half, thus, eliminating any chance we had to come back in that game.
At that point, the customer was deprived of having one of its best players on the court to see if we had a chance to get back in the game. It was obvious almost right away that the strategy of pulling Josh and Teague in favor of Ivan and Kirk was NOT going to work. At the most, those two guys should’ve sat out 4 – 5 minutes, then get them back in the game.
In last night’s game, the same thing basically happened . . this time, with Josh killing us offensively. Had Drew done the same thing he did in the Memphis game, the Hawks may have lost by 30 – 35 points. Instead, Drew leaves him in the game, and while Smith still struggled offensively, he was excellent with his help defense and deterring an even greater Sixer offensive barrage.
His defense in the 3rd quarter actually had us in striking distance. Had we been able to make some open shots, we could’ve cut that lead down to single digits. Instead, a late run ballooned that lead back to 19 points.
As for the other point, coaching scared means that you leave key people out of the game, in fear of them fouling out, even if you need them at that point in time. You see coaches battle all the time with this dilemma. Some coaches will automatically take a player out if he’s in foul trouble, while others will give a player an opportunity to play through that foul trouble.
My issue with Drew right now, is that he seems ( at times ) to not know his personnel. Case in point, why is Marvin STILL only getting 20 or so minutes a night, when he’s EASILY our most efficient SF? Why he opted to go with Vlad for the entire 4th quarter, instead of bringing Marvin back in, is beyond me.
Marvin has become the best open 3 point shooter on the team, one of our best rebounders, and a guy who can put the ball on the floor and draw a foul to get to the free throw line. Yet Marvin can’t get extended minutes when he’s giving a solid contribution? He has to take a backseat to Radmanovic?
Drew is definitely “learning on the job”. The problem is, we’re supposed to have an “elite” or close to “elite” team. And at times, it seems as if he has no clue how to manage the personnel. And even the “learning on the job” element for Drew is going to be overlooked, seeing that he’s been around “the core” and the fringe of the core for years now.
Last night was simply a situation in which the Sixers exploited just about every matchup they had. We had no one who could guard Hawes on the low block, and he did a good job in scoring on post up situations. They seem to make every jumpshot they took in the 2nd and 3rd quarters, when the ball was swung to an open man. And when they had to create a shot, we couldn’t stop that either, especially if Lou Williams had the ball in his hands.
doc
February 5th, 2012
4:22 pm
yes look out the celts have avoided the early obit and resuscitated themselves.
northcyde, osh was out of control in the memphis game. he did not have any part of his game and fell into the trap of his mind blaiming everyone else. as a fan there payig money that night i had seen enough of osh. i bet a few others were glad to see him sit that night. he was flat out awful against memphis and he embarassed himself. kg he aint and he cant act like him when things go wrong becayse what went wrong that night was osh.
northcyde
February 5th, 2012
4:22 pm
Know your personnel Larry. And I’ll put this on the assistant coaches too.
Ivan Johnson was BY FAR our best player last night. He was all over the boards and made plays on the defensive end. Yet, he only played 25 minutes last night, despite being in the starting lineup in the 2nd half.
Meanwhile, Zaza just didn’t have it last night, but played 23 minutes.
People have been complaining a lot about Drew not rewarding guys for playing well. From not deviating from his set rotations, regardless of how a player is playing. It’s simply a situation in which he has to know his team a little better.
If you have a guy who is making plays, and he doesn’t get the minutes to affect the game, that’s all on the coach. If you have a guy who isn’t making plays, and the guy behind him isn’t making plays either, the coach can’t do much about that, and should opt to play the guy who is consistently the better player.
Buddy Grizzard
February 5th, 2012
4:25 pm
“Buddy, none of that Shizz matters. What matters is the Hawks were playing better with Pargo as the backup pg, than they are with an out of shape Hinrich. Thats all that counts” – terrell
Oh you mean when the Hawks were racking up all those wins against sub 500 competition? LMAO… PARGO IS HORRIBLE… HE WILL BE CUT…. HE WILL NOT GET ANOTHER CONTRACT OFFER
LET ME SPELL IT OUT FOR YOU
P A R G O I S H O R R I B L E
Runner-
February 5th, 2012
4:28 pm
Fesenko might be a good fit, even if he is just there to take up space. Our offense isn’t lacking, it’s our defense. Concerns about his fitness can be examined in the 10 day contract, but only if LD isn’t stupid enough to play him only 2 minutes a night. Also, please no Gadzuric!! That dude is plain awful, so as long as it’s not him, I’ll be happy.
Melvin
February 5th, 2012
4:32 pm
At least he (Fesenko) finished around the rim with dunks. That’s better than Collins and ZaZa to extend. I say signed the Big Fella and cut Stack or Pargo if we need to….
But the Hawks other BIG problem is the lack of a consistent 2nd (or 1st) scorer. We need someone to take pressure off of Joe. Teague has become a treat but he’s not quite there yet. Josh has his moments. Marvin, no comment. I don’t think TMac could bring it for a course of a season. Especially this season. I wonder if the Bucks would be interested in sending us Stephen Jackson for Marvin or Hinrich. Jackson is a reliable scoring option, good defender and better offensive player than Marvin. He plays hard and would bring so leadership on the court/locker room.
Michael Cunningham
February 5th, 2012
4:37 pm
@O’Brien: “Considering the fact that Twin doesnt play much, why didnt the Hawks start bringing in guys for 10 day contracts when Horford went down?”
tomorrow is first day they are allowed.
Michael Cunningham
February 5th, 2012
4:37 pm
@bird: “MC, Where’s the Benson kid playing at now?”
Sioux Falls, D-League.
Michael Cunningham
February 5th, 2012
4:46 pm
@prison mike: “I’m on the Fesenko movement but MC the onus is on you to get Sund “enlightened”.”
you think he gives an ish what i think?
Buddy Grizzard
February 5th, 2012
4:49 pm
I’ll tell you why Pargo’s minutes have gone to Hinrich. It’s because Pargo is no threat to move ahead of Teague in the rotation. Hinrich, once he’s in playing shap, is.
northcyde
February 5th, 2012
4:57 pm
Doc . . I don’t question sitting Josh at that time. I question sitting him for the rest of the game. You just don’t do that ( or can’t afford to do that ), unless the guy who replaced Josh is flat out balling.
Drew made his point by pulling Josh early. Why he also pulled Teague early, and didn’t put him back in until the 4th quarter, is another mystery in that game.
On most nights, this team does not have the talent to win without Josh and Teague giving major contributions. So why leave them out an entire quarter, and in Smith’s case, an entire half, just to try to prove a point?
He wouldn’t DARE do that with Joe Johnson, if he were playing bad. Regardless of how JJ is playing, he’s going to get him back into that game, because he knows that JJ ( even if he’s ice cold ), can string together enough good plays to pull out a game. Josh is too important to this team defensively to just be arbitrarily taking out of games like that.
Sit him to calm him down. Don’t sit him for an entire half, and virtually eliminate your team having a chance to win a game.
Grandmaster JeJe (GM)
February 5th, 2012
4:57 pm
Why would we want Teague not starting? He is actually playing well.
Shop Hinrich around and get rid of Stackhouse. He should be an assistant.
We have way too many guards
northcyde
February 5th, 2012
5:01 pm
Michael Cunningham
February 5th, 2012
4:37 pm
@O’Brien: “Considering the fact that Twin doesnt play much, why didnt the Hawks start bringing in guys for 10 day contracts when Horford went down?”
tomorrow is first day they are allowed.
*********************
Thanks for clearing that up MC. I knew it had to be a particular reason as to why this hasn’t been done yet. Sund didn’t want to bring in a guy that we might have to commit to for the rest of the season. So we were going to try to go with what we had for as long as possible.
northcyde
February 5th, 2012
5:10 pm
And yes folks . . . even Fessenko has a youtube highlight mix.
Take this with a grain of salt, seeing how youtube makes every guy look like a viable NBA player.
Hawks Blog Legend Worldwide Clyde
February 5th, 2012
5:11 pm
Bring back Pig Miller
Grandmaster JeJe (GM)
February 5th, 2012
5:12 pm
I see Sund at every game. If anyone gets a chance to talk to him, please ask him WTF he is doing right now. Or ask him WTF he ISN’T doing rit now.
Runner-
February 5th, 2012
5:13 pm
Norhcyde,
Youtube can have the opposite effect as well, there are many videos showing Fesenko getting dunked on as well lol
Ron
February 5th, 2012
5:24 pm
I’m not very excited at all about the potential centers that the Hawks could sign to 10 day contracts. None of them are what I could categorize as “impact players” or even “rotation players”. But, at this point, the team so desperately needs a center that I suppose they should try to acquire what they can. Guys like Fesenko have the physical tools to be effective, but typically, when guys can’t stick to an nba roster and can’t even find minutes with a 7′+ frame, it is for a reason. Maybe I’ll be wrong, and one of the potential bigs that we sign will be a pleasant suprise. However, it seems like a lot of wishful thinking to me. If the team wants to really acquire an effective center, they are going to have to do so by making a trade, not just signing people from the bargain bin.
Ray
February 5th, 2012
5:29 pm
This is one of those reasons why it’s so tough and frustrating to be a hawk’s fan. Because of things like this.
Tick Tock Tick Tock the clock is still running out on this sacred core of players JJ, Horford, Josh-Soft, and Marvin the Duck.
You know it’s funny people criticize the bench, but honestly it’s hard to do so with the way the starters play. I mean Joe hasn’t been the same since the debacle of him and the fans plus signing that max contract.
Allen
February 5th, 2012
5:37 pm
If the Hawks ever want to solidify their front line and have size against all teams, they are going to have to part ways with either Smith or Horford. Both guys are essentially at their most effective at the PF position, and both cannot play the same position at the same time. You can’t move Horford to the PF full time, since Smith cannot play the 3 full time and is much less effective at the 3 vs. the 4. Similarly, you can’t play Horford at the 5 full time without making him less effective than he could be at his natural position.
Some may say otherwise, but I feel like Horford and Smith play better without eachother. Horford has had some of his best games when Smith was out. For example, last season against the Bulls at home when Josh was out, Al put up 31 points and 16 rebounds and flat out dominated every big man on the floor. Smith has had a few big games without Horford as well. I think Horford would play a lot better if he had a true center to play alongside that he knew had his back. If that was the case, he wouldn’t be so hesitant to leave his man and help on defense (he was playing better help defense this year anyway, but I don’t know if he would have continued that long term alongside smith).
Don’t get me wrong, Horford and Smith have some skills that complement one another, but I think they’d be better off apart. Horford, obviously, would prefer to be playing the 4, which is not going to happen while he plays alongside Smith, and even though Smith loves to hang out on the perimeter and play like he’s a SF, he’s much more effective when he’s at the PF position. If you want to get the most out of Horford and Smith and acquire a big “impact” center, we need to trade either Horford or Smith. If it were me, I would have been shopping Smith for a center a long time ago.
drmaryb .(*_*).
February 5th, 2012
5:40 pm
I hear that Ukrainians are some BIG OL’ MEN!! Bring one home to us, Sund-baby!!
STRETCH
February 5th, 2012
6:07 pm
Go for it. But they way Sund thinks, he’ll sign another forward!
doc
February 5th, 2012
6:14 pm
northcyde i think the game was gone and even josh couldnt have brought them back. since ish was playing that night no chance.
this team works hard to get closer then tries to be heroes and win it wuth one shot. man if one goes id try the next one when coming back; if it doesnt then gribd to get a foul and put them on the defensive. we just play so dumb sometimes. it makes a run then changes what is working.
prison mike
February 5th, 2012
6:21 pm
“you think he gives an ish what i think?”
Point taken, but Sund cannot be counted on acquiring a Big. During his Seattle days his best acquisition was probably older than dirt Pat Ewing.
KevinM
February 5th, 2012
6:23 pm
The ASG still playing the discount card not bringing in anyone else because 10 day contracts were’nt allowed. What a load of mush! They thought they had enough to compete with until they were exposed, AGAIN, by a over .500 team time and time again.
So let me get this straight; we haven’t signed anyone because of the 10 day contract regulation. So no need to go out and ‘try’ to get someone else to fill the void. And just in time, Sund will have another big man seconds prior to having PHX, IND, and ORL up immediately. Where does this make sense? It took a Collins injury to alert Sund that hey, we need a guy who can manage those 13mpg we are in void of….amazing.
Bloggers, we can go ahead and acknowledge that we are ’stuck’ with what we have because we have little value to offer any team because we value our roster so much. Kirk has yet to play a good game since he has come back, Marvin is outplayed by every other SF, and Josh simply wants to be that elite superstar that we don’t have. (to clear that up, Joe is a star, but not a superstar).
And since we are now 1-4 against teams over .500, does that mean we are better against +.500 teams with Al in the lineup since we are 2-4 with him? Ugh….
KevinM
February 5th, 2012
6:25 pm
prison mike, Sund is good for one good move each team he runs. Seattle had Ray Allen for Gary Payton, and we got Jeff Teague as the 9th best PG in the draft. Doesn’t say much about his 32 years in the league, does it?
prison mike
February 5th, 2012
6:33 pm
Kev, Sund has done a fine job with the acquisitions of Tmac, Green, Vlad, and even Pargo. We all know Levenson and Gearon run the show which might be a good thing with Sund and his inability to acquire solid Bigs.
They need to put Hinrich on the block as he’s not a core player and won’t be re-upped.
prison mike
February 5th, 2012
6:37 pm
I hate to get on a tangent but why in the hell is Twin on the roster. Dwight is no longer a threat to us per se. His value is that he works well with Josh and Al. The latter is out for the season…
Cut Stack and/or Twin and sign Fasenko, easy moves imo.
Slimjr
February 5th, 2012
6:44 pm
Theres a chemistry issue with the 2nd unit…I’m just say. If the guy had green skin some fool would say you hate GREEN SKIN people…WTF……
Its 2012 people,not 1812….Catch the fluck up!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1
KevinM
February 5th, 2012
6:45 pm
There are plenty of supporters here for Collins, but I truly haven’t seen much of anything he does for us other than being a big body. He has limited plusses, but more minuses.
His magic from last year hasn’t returned, if you can call him that successful last year.
And on Fresenko, its a perfect signing for Sund. Not even Golden State saw enough to sign him. So Sund has no competition….perfect fit for this management group.
Slimjr
February 5th, 2012
6:53 pm
Larry is clueless….
Ivan should at least 36-42 mins per night! This dude is that good..Let him play LARRY!
Slimjr
February 5th, 2012
6:54 pm
{play}^^
Slimjr
February 5th, 2012
6:55 pm
Giants win and beat Bill Bellacheat!
bfatt
February 5th, 2012
7:21 pm
Trade Al to sac for Demarcus Cousin
Slimjr
February 5th, 2012
7:28 pm
Another Stiff? Awesome…..
Drewcat
February 5th, 2012
7:29 pm
SUND GET A DAMN BIG MAN!
Drewcat
February 5th, 2012
7:31 pm
Hawks are really watching their wallets i see…accounting for every penny, trying to ensure they do not exceed luxury tax.
Bring in the Ukraine Big if we must, but don’t hesitate to sign a player outright for the remainder of season
Reality
February 5th, 2012
7:33 pm
I DONT CARE ANY MORE. WE WONT GO FAR THIS YEAR NEXT YEAR THE YEAR AFTER, OR THE 3 YEARS BEFORE THIS ONE. I GIVE UP THIS TEAM IS A ZERO. WE HAVE A MAJOR PROBLEM AT CENTER, HAVE HAD IT FOR YEARS AND YOU TRY AND FIX IT WITH A BAND AID.
GOOD BY AND GOOD RIDDANCE !!
HawkFan
February 5th, 2012
8:08 pm
it might be they are showcasing Kirk to get him in shape for a trade.
Ray
February 5th, 2012
8:08 pm
For the record I’d rather watch a team lose with people like Ivan Johnson on the floor then one that gives up so easily.
For crying out loud Marvin during that Memphis game when Rudy Gay dunked on him he didn’t even try that pretty much sums up the last couple of years no Heart or Pride.
O'Brien
February 5th, 2012
8:31 pm
KevinM,
Exactly. Because the ASG is cheap, they didn’t want to commit to somebody for the rest of the season. Therefore, they wanted to wait until they could give out 10 day contracts.
What they should have done is bring in guys to audition (after Horford’s injury). And whichever one looks the best, give them a roster spot (and release Stack or whoever). That way, that player would have a chance to practice, and get in game shape, and learn LD’s system.
You don’t see the Bulls or Heat talking about bringing in guys for 10 day contracts. But here we are desperate for another center (regardless of what LD and Rick thinks, we will struggle against the above .500 teams with Zaza and Twin as our only centers), and we are going to sign a guy for 10 days, and then go from there?
O'Brien
February 5th, 2012
8:32 pm
Ray,
The Hawks are soft. They give up a lot of dunks, layups, and1’s etc, instead of giving a hard foul .
Fundamentals
February 5th, 2012
8:36 pm
Joe Pryzbilla, Kyrylo Fesenko, Erick Dampier and Dan Gadzuric are just the type of bargin bin replacements we need right now. Sign them to 10-days or nonguaranteed contracts tomorrow to see who’ll fit. Promote Stack to assistant coach and bring two in.
Benson would be nice for a try as well, though there are more Ivan’s in the D-League with size just waiting for a call up to join in.
We need defense, rebounding and maybe a little shot blocking. They don’t need to score, just fill the lane. That was half the rub before….too many “All-Stars” and 6th men not enough balls to go around. The chemistry improved when roles became clearly defined. That’s a coaching issue, the players shouldn’t be fighting it out IMHO.
Fundamentals
February 5th, 2012
8:43 pm
Dampier is my least favorite in the bargain bin. Dan G seemed like a great role player in the series with the Bucks a few years back. Joel P should’ve never left town. Fesenko could be a nice Asik if groomed properly….who am I kidding? Have we groomed a player yet?
Bring in some D-League hustle. Josh is worn down. He needs a heart pick me up. Ivan V2 is out there. Get the XXL version this time.
Melvin
February 5th, 2012
8:55 pm
My trade of the day. Marvin/Kirk for John Salmons/Jason Thompson… Kings are one of the few teams that are under the salary cap.
Joe
February 5th, 2012
9:07 pm
I go to a lot of games. Love the excitement of a great game with the crowd going wild and Hawks having a chance to win. Hopefully that will continue but watching these last two games, this team gets to the playoffs and then they are done.
JJ is a good player but he ain’t getting any better, and to think in the last year of his contract when he’s 37 or 38, will command 24M in salary. This franchise has put there own cojones in a vice grip and just keeps on squeezing tighter.
Osh is a complete loser that needs a tough azz coach to bring out his potential. That ain’t happening here.
Other than that I love the lady at the Jack D bar, she takes good care of me.
Just Joe
February 5th, 2012
9:09 pm
Not a fan of Salmon’s contract or his current performance. 7.9 pts, 3.5 rebs, 37% shooting, 28% from 3 in 30 minutes per game is just ugly.
Joe
February 5th, 2012
9:11 pm
Oh yeah and next week Mike G. is going to speak to all the new season ticket holders. Can’t wait to hear that can of bulls$$$.
The core
February 5th, 2012
9:27 pm
Desperate times. . . Suit up asst coach ty hill. Used to bang with best of em back in the day