Lineup changes could be coming after three-game slide
Vivlamore at practice on Tuesday. Here is your report:
No real news on the Hawks continued search for a big man to help their depleted corp – but changes could be on the way in light of the current three-game losing streak.
In talking with Larry Drew following this morning’s practice, the coach said he is considering a number of changes to get the team’s energy back. It’s something he said has been lacking in the past three games.
“We are not going to panic,” Drew said. “This is not a time to panic. Is it a time for concern? Yes. My biggest concern is our energy. The energy I saw on that road trip, since we’ve been home I just don’t see that type of energy. That is my biggest concern.
“When you get in these types of situations, you’ve got to do something to generate some type of energy. You’ve got to find our mojo back. How we do it, we possibly have to look at some things a little differently and maybe shake some things up. As a staff, we are still talking it. I’m still looking at possibly doing that. We’ll see what happens.”
Like lineup changes?, I asked.
“That is always a possibility,” Drew said. “It’s not just losing the three games, it’s the way we are playing. It’s the energy. It’s the urgency. It’s the combination of players who are out on the floor, starters versus guys who come off the bench. I’ve got to try to find that combination. I’ve got to find whatever it’s going to take in order for us to get that swagger back.”
Stay tuned on that front. We’ll check in Wednesday morning before the game against the Pacers.
* I asked Jerry Stackhouse, who had his contract guaranteed after close of business Tuesday, whether there had been a team meeting to address the current slide.
“We’ve met,” Stackhouse said. “It’s kind of overdue, having a meeting and some sessions about what is going on. The fact that guys might think that they know, but might still have to be prodded and told what to do daily or even on a possession-to-possession basis sometimes. It’s not that guys don’t want to do it, it just has to be reinforced. We have to reinforce some things as far as our principles. I thought there were stretches [in Monday’s loss to the Suns] where we were better in some of those principles but as the game wore on we reverted back to not helping each other, not trusting each other and that’s where we go wrong. Once we find that and get a win, winning is always a cure-all when you are in the midst of a losing streak.”
* On the search for a big man, Drew once again acknowledged the team needs some help at the center position with Al Horford out and Jason Collins on the shelf for two weeks. Drew said there would be another meeting Tuesday to discuss the situation.
“There is a list and we’ve talked about the list but nothing has really materialized as far as a name that really gets us excited,” Drew said. “We are going to talk today, as a matter of fact, and go over some more names. Try to find a name that makes more sense for us, whether it’s a 10-day [contract], whether it’s a player like a Kenyon Martin that is still available, which I don’t think there is. Right now we are looking at the list and see what makes sense for us so we can get some help at the five spot.”
Columnist Jeff Schultz gives his take on the need for a big man.
* Look for my feature on guard Willie Green on ajc.com a little later and in Wednesday’s print edition.
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335 comments Add your comment
KevinM
February 8th, 2012
2:30 pm
Walt, Indy is good, but not that good.
Teague vs. Collison tonight is an excellent matchup.
Joe vs George since Hill is out….interesting matchup but I think Joe has the adv
Zaza vs. Hibbert- Zaza has to improve his output as a starter…get this Cat in foul trouble
Marvin vs Granger – can Marvelous become a bigger part of the offense?
Josh vs West – stay inside Josh and apply pressure on this All-Star, who makes their team so much better.
I see us giving up a bunch of PITP in this one. LD has to have a better plan this time after watching the last 2 games. He should have held a big man camp yesterday, but we always seem to be a bit behind the curve huh?
yoursporthouse dot com
February 8th, 2012
2:34 pm
yoursporthouse dot com
February 8th, 2012
2:22 pm
New lineup should be:
Teague
Hinrich
Joe
Josh
Zaza
Bench:
Pargo
Green
McGrady
Marvin
Ivan
Case closed
You have to get Pargo on the floor.
ConcernF
February 8th, 2012
2:35 pm
benching Josh would be great start. he’s bringing the team down with his bad selection of shots, holding the ball too long, not getting down the floor on his bad shots. he’s draining all of the energy out of the team. making the whole look bad. he can get away with that stuff when playing sub 500 teams, but again good team. start the change with Josh on the bench until he learns to play team ball.
yoursporthouse dot com
February 8th, 2012
2:37 pm
Concern F,
If you start with Josh on the bench, you must want to see layups and dunks all day. Nobody is patrolling the paint with Josh out.
Jay Dubu
February 8th, 2012
2:39 pm
No lineup changes are coming…we heard this last year, and nothing happened.
Just get a center in here that can actually play, and not have to be used as a fouling machine.
KevinM
February 8th, 2012
2:40 pm
Give me T-Mac in Marvin’s slot and let’s see how cohesive this unit is before LD starts yanking chains.
Just Joe
February 8th, 2012
2:41 pm
KevinM…Don’t you think Indy puts Granger on Joe, and George gaurds the disappearing Marvin?
I’d go big with the lineup: Teague on Collison, Joe on George, Josh on Granger, Ivan on West, and ZaZa on Hibbert. Josh attacks Granger in the post, while Joe does the same to George.
Marvin subs in as ZaZa or Ivan rests. McGrady subs in as Marvin goes to the PF spot while Josh rests. ZaZa or Ivan back in while the other rests.
Najeh Davenpoop
February 8th, 2012
2:43 pm
Based on the way the Hawks played the last three games, I honestly can’t see them winning tonight.
Zaza and Ivan are going to get owned by Hibbert on the glass, since Hibbert is taller and has longer arms than them. Joe is going to have a hard time scoring against either George or Granger, who are both taller with longer arms than him. Josh has a decent matchup against West, but he had a terrific matchup against Memphis and failed to take advantage, in part because he wasn’t aggressive enough looking for his shot in the low post. Teague likewise has a decent matchup against Collison, but if he’s not going to be on the floor long enough early in games to get into the flow of the game, he’s not going to consistently use his speed to attack the interior of the defense.
The Pacers also have decent interior players coming off the bench in Hansbrough and Foster who will likely kill the Hawks’ bench on the glass, especially if the Hawks insist on continuing to play Vlad at PF and/or Josh at C.
If they couldn’t beat Phoenix, they are not going to beat Indiana.
Slimjr
February 8th, 2012
2:47 pm
JT gets benched @ the 6:30 mark, game,set,and match…….
Hollywould
February 8th, 2012
2:53 pm
I am with you Najeh/ Pacers by 12 Bank on it
Slimjr
February 8th, 2012
2:57 pm
Granger will prove once again that he should have been the #2 pick not that buster Marvin….
Hawks maybe able to beat the Magic on the road Friday night? Miami and the Lakers? Naw….
0-7 or 1-6 by next week …..
Slimjr
February 8th, 2012
2:58 pm
Pacers will pull away in the 3rd and go up by at least 20-25…
Hollywould
February 8th, 2012
2:59 pm
I am taking Pacers plus 31/2 under 187 Cheese it for easy money. What say yall?
keepinitreal
February 8th, 2012
3:02 pm
All this talk of lineup changes is nothing more than putting lipstick on a pig/rearranging deck chairs on the Titanic/whatever idiom you prefer to use. The Hawks are severely undermanned inside, and no amount of lineup shuffling is going to change.
The Hawks have to beef up inside or this team is finished. Garret Siler would be a good stopgap pickup, but more proven reinforcements are needed. Someone mentioned Rasheed Wallace the other day. It wouldn’t hurt anything to try to coax him out of retirement. Eric Dampier and Dan Gadzuric are also veteran bigs who can eat up minutes. We need no fewer than two of the aforementioend players, or two other guys of comparable size and ability.
The Hawks were already a weak interior team even when Horford was healthy. Without him, we’re hands down the worst in the league.
Section 303
February 8th, 2012
3:11 pm
O’Brien, I just think Josh is what he is. He will always be a wannabe jump shooter who pouts and yells at teammates/coaches when it is himself he should be yelling at.
It is a shame…I really thought Josh was turning the proverbial corner. Right after Al went down, he was fantastic. He was going to the rim, his jumpers were good shots, rebounding, playing great D. Seems to me that he reverted back to being the Josh Smith that I know and hate during the Piston game. Ever since, he has taken bad shots, yelled at coaches/teammates, played spotty D….Josh has all the tools. He just will never put it together mentally. Not in a Hawks uniform, at least. Maybe a change in cities would do him good?
Section 303
February 8th, 2012
3:13 pm
Hollywould, if I were a betting man, I would make that bet. Go for it! I have no idea how the Hawks are a 3.5 pt favorite in this game.
Section 303
February 8th, 2012
3:14 pm
Either Najeh has gone crazy, or someone is using his tag name. I betting someone is using his name.
Hollywould
February 8th, 2012
3:15 pm
Think I will throw a little on it. Problem is believe it or not I am a Hawks fan. Just tired of the same…..
Grandad
February 8th, 2012
3:16 pm
bigdave -&- Jay Dubu
Yes;
LD said the same thing a year ago.
His hedge:
“well, I said, I was only *[thinking] about changing the line-up”
Slimjr
February 8th, 2012
3:17 pm
Najeh has an admirer…. Hahaha.
Section 303
February 8th, 2012
3:19 pm
Hollywould, we all love the Hawks. But, they are in a stupid funk right now. We’ve seen this before. They’re going to get pasted tonight. Vegas just does not know this team like we do. There are a lot more losses ahead before they get things figured out.
Besides, the Pacers are a terrible matchup for the Hawks. Forget the X’s and O’s. The Pacers play hard and tough the entire game. They attack. The Hawks play that way for a little while and then fall off. The Hawks are going to get run over tonight.
I will be there to watch it, though. Me and about 2,000 other people. Crowds have been pathetic this season.
yoursporthouse dot com
February 8th, 2012
3:24 pm
Vegas banks on idiots betting against teams based on past performances. You can’t do it. It’s about matchups. The Hawks can run with the Pacers.
Astro Joe
February 8th, 2012
3:26 pm
Grandad, whatever works, LD thought of it and whatever doesn’t work (e.g. poor energy or execution), LD warned them about it and the players failed to listen.
O'Brien
February 8th, 2012
3:27 pm
AJ,
Players don’t know what’s best for them and the team sometimes. I am tired of seeing JJ drive to the rim, and then pass to Josh who is standing right inside the 3-pt line for the jumper. And of course, there are those times when JJ passes to Josh with 5 seconds left on the shot clock. So yeah, his teamates are not helping.
I admire Josh’s confidence (and the players confidence in him), but they all need to wake up.
yoursporthouse dot com
February 8th, 2012
3:28 pm
Najeh,
having fun?
O'Brien
February 8th, 2012
3:31 pm
I wonder if the players take LD seriously though. Because he talks and talks (and takes forever to make a move), and despite his many lectures, the players don’t respond. Last year, he threatened lineup changes for a while, and nothing changed. Eventually, he made the switch to benching Marvin, but that was oly a minor move.
This year, he has warned them about the first home game after the road trip, or the other team making a run in the 3rd etc. You name it, he has talked about it with them. But they have tuned him out at times (imo), and he doesn’t know how to push the right buttons.
O'Brien
February 8th, 2012
3:33 pm
And for the record, I think the Hawks will win tonight.
They have looked terrible the last 3 games, but the Indy game was the game in which Horford went down (I think it should have been a foul), and for whatever reason, I think the Hawks will play with more energy, and pull out the victory.
I hope I’m right.
terrell
February 8th, 2012
3:34 pm
Whatever. I love me some Hawks, but I’m to the point where I really dont care anymore. Sure I’ll root for the team, but if they lose, I’m not going to pull my hair out about it. They know this group has maxed, yet they make NO CHANGES. And LD is full of you know what. Betcha $100 we see the same starting 5. Some of the guys should have been benched long ago for not having “energy” ,OR GAME, for that matter, (cough,cough, Marv), but yet he’s still startin after 7 years. And not just Marvin, Josh shoulda been pulled from certain games on numerous accasions. Joe too. LD just writing checks his a.. wont cash.
terrell
February 8th, 2012
3:35 pm
“occasions”
Hollywould
February 8th, 2012
3:39 pm
Section 303/ I am with u 100% I just get so pis_ed when I see them moping around.
hawkfan
February 8th, 2012
3:44 pm
if we don’t get another big man real soon before friday’s game with magic, look to see Dwight Howard have another slam dunk contest
Sun
February 8th, 2012
3:58 pm
I say start
teague
Joe Johnson
Tracy McGrady
Josh Smith
zaza or change up the center during games
joe is a lay back player and let teague handle the point and set up the offence and tracy has alot of knowledge and hes a great passs reader and shooter … and josh what he does best block shots and slam the ball for a power dunk!!
doc
February 8th, 2012
4:00 pm
when are some of the al detractors going to give the w/l without al numbers?
those folks are gone for good like slimj and rev optimism
Grandad
February 8th, 2012
4:00 pm
AJ
In case you were refering to me:
” PC – police ”
I detest the whole political correctness movement.
Being a “cracker” who was born into a mixed marriage:
my dead-beat dad was a red neck
-while-
I was raised by my single [divorced] mother (bless her soul)
who was a renaissance lady, ahead of her time, and most progressive.
Then I became a Coach;
I’ve coached rich kids, white kids, Asians, Mexicans,
Arabs, *(southern pronounciation)
city kids, red necks, country kids, retards, thug wannebes,
Tennesseeans, yankees, a 350 lb half Panamanian,
black kids, brown kids, what they call light skin kids, (think Kidd)
and a drunk Irishman’s kid. (my favorite) sue me.
I do believe in balance.
Not the fair & balanced fox crap.
But the treat everyone the same differently; balance;
from the wisdom of John Wooden.
nah – I’m not PC – I’m just an ol’ Jack-ass.
Dawg
February 8th, 2012
4:01 pm
Everyone should realize that our players are not perfect but our biggest problem is a poorly constructed roster. Only on center on the roster. If Al and Collins were healthy, the Hawks are still poorly constructed.
There are minimum salary type centers who are unemployed yet we have not even tried to get one.
We guarantee backup guards salaries for the rest of the year, yet we have but one backup center on the roster.
What does Sund get paid for?
Grandad
February 8th, 2012
4:06 pm
Najeh
You made me laugh out loud -twice-
then I did it again !
doc
February 8th, 2012
4:11 pm
ld is woody in a different coat. what does play with more energy sound like?
maybe we got to work harder?
yoursporthouse dot com
February 8th, 2012
4:13 pm
doc,
It doesn’t matter, Horford is still a one-dimensional offensive player.
Time
February 8th, 2012
4:15 pm
I don’t even know why I read this junk. You people who sit around posting hate for Josh here have it all figured out. You should be the GM.
Plain and simple, Josh is, and has been for a while, the best player on this team. Not that I’d expect most of you (who are Yankee carpetbaggers that aren’t real Hawks fans anyways) to get that. You’re the same people who thought Carmello and Amare were going to win championships back home.
Bad stretch of games is all it is. Crazy season and schedule. Astute basketball people know that ever team is going to have stretches of bad play this year because of that. They’ll get past it. Not that any of you fake Hawks fans will ever give them any credit when they do.
Another GM
February 8th, 2012
4:15 pm
Lets see, the Hawks want respect and they pull bonehead moves like being down to one and a backup at that, Center, and refuse to sign or make a deal to get one. I will give it takes time to make trades happen, but this team is not going to make a trade. Its a mystery that they wont pickup a FA for a 10 day contract. They can tell the season ticket holders all they want that they are not cheap………..your shallow if you believe them.
flash
February 8th, 2012
4:19 pm
Najeh
You make it sound like Josh is Chuck Norris or something
doc
February 8th, 2012
4:20 pm
the only thing stack could bring us is help as filler in a trade to make up salary on an expiring contract.
doc
February 8th, 2012
4:26 pm
yoursport is there any other kind of offensive player on the hawks who has more than one strength on offense?
if no whay was your point? before you say jj he folds like a walmart portable chair. with no al he gets doubled easily or worse when he is guarded by the likes of iggy or tony allen he disappears and the tail spin is even worse.
Rufus1
February 8th, 2012
4:33 pm
Josh Smith is a BAAAAAD Mother$%%##@@$$%
doc
February 8th, 2012
4:35 pm
since the start of this ride with the basg we have never found a guy who can make the easy bucket when things start grinding. that s the flaw of this 6′8″ model. when it runs well if purrs when iy doesnt it chokes and expels noxious fumes. though it is no pinto it is like an xke jag that cant make it out of the carport more than seven days in a row. fundamentally it is flawed and growing older not better. the team in 09 that competed so hard with the cavs in reg season is gone.
yoursporthouse dot com
February 8th, 2012
4:35 pm
Joe can post and shoot from the outside. Al only has that set shot. The problem with the Hawks is the guy starting at the 3. That’s the problem. Every team has a decent guy at the 3.
yoursporthouse dot com
February 8th, 2012
4:37 pm
Doc,
The reason why you said before you say jj, because you know he can score in different ways. Teague has been developing into a multi-dimensional offensive threat. Josh has better post moves than Horford.
RICK SUND
February 8th, 2012
4:40 pm
I know a lot of you have been asking yourselves, ” why in the hell doesnt Rick trade Al and Jeff?”
Now that’s a very good and obvious question. Believe me I wish it were that simple. There is just not a demand for A whining center who argues with his teammates about who plays what position and who is reluctant to play defense. I wish I could tell you something else but it is what it is. We were almost able to trick the Magic into taking Al but he pulled that stunt where he self-destructed on the court to keep from getting traded. Now no one else is interested because he injury prone, like that time he ripped a ankle out of socket to keep from playing defense in the playoffs. Al just leaves me shaking my head.
Same with Jeff Teague, No body wants to give us anything worth while. which is a shame after putting in 3 years of developing his sorry azs. It seem the word has got out that hes a ball hog who doesn’t know how to run an offense. They admit hes fast but turn away when they see Teague’s IQ test results.
Nothing I can do. I cant give them away nor build around either of the two. I guess I’ll have a 2 for 1 sale. Call it the Tin man and Scarecrow sale. Al has no heart and Teague has no brain.
Oh well whats a GM to do?
Melvin
February 8th, 2012
4:40 pm
Rufus1,
Have you been posting under Najeh name today….LOL
doc
February 8th, 2012
4:41 pm
o’b as predictably unprdictable these guys are i agree they will probably win. as i walked i was thinkng the same thing about ld, are they tuned out?