Atlanta Hawks: Hawks 101, Suns 99
Phoenix–I’ll let Willie Green sum it up: “First half we allowed them to dictate the tempo of the game. They pretty much got anything they wanted. They just controlled the game. The second half we threw that zone at them, threw them off rhythm a little bit, got our hands up on their shots, got some fastbreak points. We got right back in the game.”
- The Suns shredded the Hawks through three quarters. The Hawks hung around because Willie Green, Jeff Teague and Josh Smith made 3s, Smith controlled the boards and they collected 11 steals.
- The Hawks started to pull away to win in the fourth quarter because the zone slowed Phoenix’s screen-roll game and the Suns couldn’t make enough shots or pry away misses from Smith. “I thought the turning point was we couldn’t seem to get anything going against their zone,” Alvin Gentry said.
- In the fourth quarter Smith scored 10 points and rebounded six of Phoenix’s eight misses. Green and Vladimir Radmanovic each made a timely 3. It also helped that Steve Nash (!) and Ronnie Price picked up some ill-timed technical fouls.
- It wasn’t always pretty for the Hawks. They had some bumbling plays, like Vlad Rad and Kirk Hinrich fumbling away a simple handoff exchange and Josh stepping out of the bounds while setting up for a 3. Josh couldn’t quite kick his jumper habit.
- But the Hawks won and now get two days without a game for the first time all season. “I thought it was a typo on my schedule,” Larry Drew said. “We need it in the worst way. I told the guys I don’t even want to see them tomorrow, just get away.”
- “I don’t want to see him either,” Josh said. “I want to see the bed, the pillow, the cover.”
- Smith deserves some sleep. He played the entire fourth quarter and alternated between scoring on Js and by attacking the basket. He was a beast on the boards, had two steals and was a menace patrolling the middle of the zone in the small lineup.
- “I just wanted to be aggressive,” Josh said. “I knew they were keying in on Joe [Johnson] and we needed some offense somewhere else. Me and Willie definitely picked up the slack. We played like we were supposed to be playing throughout the game.”
- Josh almost didn’t get his chance to carry the Hawks late. “I was going to pull Josh out early in fourth, but Joe said, ‘Leave him out there. He’s young.’ I’m glad he did because he just played a phenomenal game inside and out and defensively he was all over the place.”
- Joe: “When you’ve got a guy rolling like that. . . . He can handle it. He’s only 24, 25 (actually 26). He’s got some mileage left. Ride him until the wheels fall off. We’ve got two days off. He can rest tomorrow. I definitely wasn’t going to let coach take him out of the game, whether I had to sit down or not.”
- Josh’s final line in 45 minutes: 30 points on 23 shots, 17 rebounds, seven assists, four steals, three blocked shots, four turnovers.
- After Josh got off on a steady diet of post-ups during a stretch of the fourth quarter, Drew put the ball in Joe’s hands. It didn’t go well. His deliberate style slowed what had been a crisp offensive rhythm. That’s not a big problem when he’s creating and making good shots but he wasn’t doing that at winning time. “Credit guys like Willie and Vlad for coming off the bench and being ready,” Joe said.
- Most of Drew’s other moves worked out. The zone could have backfired if the Suns made shots and the Hawks couldn’t rebound but, really, it was the only hope of preventing Nash from carving them up.
- “We was having trouble guarding those guys man-to-man,” Green said. “Steve Nash is so good with the ball, if you don’t pick him up and get your hands in his vision he is hitting guys diving down at the basket for pinpoint shots. Second half we were keeping them under control, kept them on the perimeter and making them shoot over us.”
- I also can’t really fault Drew for closing with Green, Hinrich and Vlad Rad over Jeff Teague, Marvin Williams and Zaza Pachulia. And that’s not just with the benefit of hindsight.
- Teague was having a good offensive game but, when the Hawks did play man on a couple possessions, Hinrich was much better than Teague with crowding Nash and fighting over screens. Marvin was rebounding but Green was making shots (and six free throws). Zaza was having a strong game but the small lineup worked with Vlad Rad as a threat to make 3s.
- “In this kind of game you try to find the right combination of guys out there that can get you in some kind of rhythm,” Drew said. “Josh at five, Vlad at the four, it seemed to work out. We had the defense spread pretty good and we had shooters all over the place.”
- After a rough night checking Andrew Bynum, which happens, Zaza (two blocks, two steals) again more than held his own against an opponent with more accolades and a bigger paycheck. He’s never going to be nimble enough to defend a screen-roll attack this good. But he fills a valuable role on a team where driving to the basket and earning free throws and defense at the rim are scarce commodities.
- Tracy McGrady said it was his decision to sit: “Just resting”
- The Hawks still had to sweat it out at the end. After Channing Frye’s putback, Josh took the ball out from under the Suns’ basket. He sailed a long pass into the backcourt, which was a good idea because Green was breaking free. However, the pass was way too long and bounced away a few feet in front of Green.
- If Green didn’t at least touch it, it’s Phoenix ball under its basket with 2.1 seconds left. “Whatever it took, I was going to dive at it,” Green said. “I knew I just had to touch it.”
- Josh: “He’s athletic enough to run it down. He said he was definitely going to get a hand on it. I’m glad that he did. I’m really happy that he did.”
Michael Cunningham, Hawks beat
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422 comments Add your comment
Najeh Davenpoop
February 17th, 2012
2:11 am
Yeah, I don’t buy JR Smith making the Knicks worse. I try not to base my basketball opinions on the psychology of people that I have never met and don’t know. JR Smith for all his faults is a great scorer and will provide that team with even more firepower. They may not be good defensively or on the glass, but they will be really tough to guard if he signs there. That may be enough to beat a team like the Hawks who don’t always show up for every game.
Rod from College Park
February 17th, 2012
2:11 am
“Check out my post @ 12:07am regarding Jahii Carson, if you haven’t already.”
Yeah, cat looks like the next Derrick Rose.
vava74
February 17th, 2012
2:12 am
JR would definitively help us.
IMO, he is substantially better than Jamal simply because unlike his rep, JR plays good D when motivated.
Before Afflalo’s emerge, he was actually Denver’s designated perimeter defender.
The issue here is that we would need to dump salary in a hurry because we will NOT be in luxury tax territory come the deadline (meaning that Dampier will not be re-signed).
Anyhow, I would much rather have Wilson Chandler than JR and I would break the bank for him.
Rod from College Park
February 17th, 2012
2:17 am
Forgot about Wilson Chandler. That would be a huge upgrade as well.
Rod from College Park
February 17th, 2012
2:20 am
“You know your favorite Hawk is going to be matched up on Gerald Wallace in that game, right? That’s not going to be pretty…”
I think they will put Josh on Gerald Wallace, and that other bum on Batum. Either way, advantage Portland.
vava74
February 17th, 2012
2:30 am
Najeh,
I don’t care if Smoove put up those numbers against Frye and the Suns and I know that Josh has flaws in his game.
The issue is not that it is guaranteed that Smoove would excel as the chief cog, the issue is that we need to give him a chance, a make or break chance.
That gamble only has upside.
I do believe that I have pin pointed Smoove’s mental status regarding all facets of his Hawks’ life:
1. We reacts badly to criticism, trying too hard to prove doubters wrong and overthinking too much when he shoots;
2. He does not consider JJ worthy of chief cog status because he sees how he struggles in that position now that the Hawks are a playoff team;
3. He feels – and feeling has nothing to do with effectively being able to – that he should be the Hawks’ #1 guy.
IMO, the gamble is worthwhile since I really believe that Josh himself would realize what is perfect role would be.
He has earned that opportunity and since a lot of people now are willing to trade him it befuddles me that they are not willing to gamble 4 or 5 wins less giving him this opportunity (I am not talking about LD and Sund who want wins at any cost to preserve their jobs).
Even if Josh failed as the #1 guy, I think that experience would take a lot of unhappiness and tension from him and that we would be the beneficiaries.
Just give him 25 games of #1 status, with clear instructions for JJ to follow suit (I am convinced that JJ would perfectly respect that).
The guy deserves a chance to make or break.
Since 1973 only he and Lebron put up a stat line like that. It’s not a mere chance.
JJ is shooting .42 and he keeps getting terrible ISO opportunities in which it seems that he himself no longer believes in and we all harp Josh because of his jumpers?
Yes, they are untimely but remove the criticism and the pressure. Give him freedom and he will have the opportunity to, in 25 games, find his comfort zone and stop trying to go against critics.
Josh’s shooting woes are mental and like many things mental there is small chance that you can solve them if you remove some stress factors.
Give him the status and see what happens.
Buddy Grizzard
February 17th, 2012
2:31 am
“Wolves are begging LA to do a Derrick Williams for Pau Gasol swap. Maybe Williams isn’t as good as advertised?” – SteveW
He’s looked good in the few highlights I’ve seen, but I think they just have too many players at his position. Not a good sign they’re looking to dump him though, even though they desperately need a center. Darko experiment didn’t work out.
“JR Smith is close to a deal with the Knicks.”
Could be a disaster for them. Melo has learned his lesson w/ NY fans. JR Smith hasn’t. One of the biggest ways Lin’s emergence has helped the Knicks is Landry Fields getting his game back. JR Smith can only disrupt the chemistry Lin and Fields have.
“Well, as some of us said long before Buddy Grizzard came along – LD was the pick of the players as HC…” – Big Ray
I used this as the basis of my initial support for LD. I thought the players must see something in him and he should be able to get the best out of them since they supported him so strongly. I was wrong. Players don’t know what’s best for them. I’ll be writing a piece for Hoopinion soon entitled “Bob Weiss, Part II.”
“Zaza – 14 Blocks this Year – John Wall – 31 Blocks this Year.”
How many All-Star centers has John Wall competently defended this year?
vava74
February 17th, 2012
2:33 am
Gerald Wallace just put up 7 points and 4 boards in 42 minutes.
Smoove is faster this year and matches up better with Wallace.
If Smoove brings his A game he can easily win the match up.
JJ can shut down Batum and Marvin can be the Gatorade boy from the second quarter onwards.
vava74
February 17th, 2012
2:35 am
correction, 7 points 3 rebounds and 4 assists
vava74
February 17th, 2012
3:02 am
Big Ray,
comments please:
http://www.ajc.com/news/georgia-government/bill-proposes-massive-overhaul-1351904.html
Ra'mon
February 17th, 2012
3:08 am
Rod I wasn’t in the room, but I do trust the reports of Karl being unhappy with JR. And this after all of the amount of players who love Karl, although they had questionable character. Also Karl benched JR regularly. And I’m not saying being a better offensive player is bad. But when four of your five best players are known for being bad or lazy defenders, that is a problem! Melo, Amare, Lin, an then JR would be too many players who care about scoring more than defense or rebounding. Its about team balance. Every championship team needs three scorers and three great defenders. The Knicks only have two. Of course Jr could help the hawks because anyone would be better than Marvin!
hawks fan down under
February 17th, 2012
3:56 am
beating Phoenix means jack. they’re sub 500 so big deal. Hawks will lose the next 3.
LD continues reinforcing just how bad his subs are. taking out a red hot Teague in the first and leaving in an ice cold JJ was possibly the dumbest sub of the season so farand there’s been a few)!
josh played bad and good yet again. I wonder if u got in a good coach who made Josh attack the rim and not lead the break, I reckon he’d easily be an all-star (if he listened that is).
Just Joe
February 17th, 2012
5:18 am
Marvin actually plays well against Portland. 12 & 8 in 21 minutes last game.
Samuel
February 17th, 2012
7:09 am
Let’s be real here no matter what the Hawks do, they are not going to beat the 76’s, Chicago Bulls or the Miami Heat in the playoffs. Their inability to not land a good center has hurt this team, coupled with Joe Johnson not being able to elevate his game against stiff competition. This guy Johnson simply doesn’t show up in big games…..
Ms. Jones
February 17th, 2012
7:16 am
Well lets send MW back to Portland.
O'Brien
February 17th, 2012
8:14 am
Najeh,
With D-Rose out, Deng had 23 pts, 10 assists in a win against the Celtics.
Ra’mon,
Despite being a scorer, guys need to be benched sometimes (depending on game flow, shot selection, and performance), and I think that is what Karl was doing to JR. Has he had some off the court issues? Sure. But I would love to have him on my team.
Good game for Jamal last night. 7-18 from the field, 19 points. But Blazers only score 11 in the 4th, and lost.
Rod,
The Hawks were not going to go into luxury tax for Jamal (or anybody for that matter). And they painted themselves into a corner this season by keeping Stackhouse (and even Twin to a lesser extent). So now, we can’t even offer the pro-rated vet min to anybody w/o going into luxury tax at the end of the year.
High-sider
February 17th, 2012
8:38 am
Marvin Williams, my man, you are really bringing down the “legacy” of the following recent Seattle born and/or area raised current (and former*) NBA players:
1. Aaron Brooks – First Round (26th pick), 2007 NBA Draft; ‘09-’10 Most Improved Player; ‘09-’10 NBA leader in 3pt. field goals made (209)
2. Jamal Crawford – First Round (8th pick), 2000 NBA Draft; ‘09-’10 Sixth Man of the Year; current all-time leader in 4pt. play conversions (36; 34 in regular season and two in post-season); scored 50+ points for three different NBA teams (Chicago Bulls, New York Knicks and Golden State Warriors)
3. Spencer Hawes – First Round (10th pick), 2007 NBA Draft
4. Luke Ridnour – First Round (14th pick), 2003 NBA Draft
5. Nate Robinson – First Round (21st pick), 2005 NBA Draft; 3 time NBA Slam Dunk Champion; listed at 5′9″, one of few players under 6′0″ to make the NBA
6. Brandon Roy* – First Round (6th pick), 2006 NBA Draft; ‘06-’07 NBA Rookie of the Year; 3 time All-Star (2008-2010); 3 time Western Conference Rookie of the Month (Jan. ‘07, Feb. ‘07 and Mar. ‘07); Retired (Medical)
7. Jason Terry – First Round (10th pick), 1999 NBA Draft; ‘08-09 NBA Sixth Man of the Year; team member of 2011 NBA Champion Dallas Mavericks; currently 4th all-time leader in 3pt. field goals made; cousin of Martell Webster
8. Isaiah Thomas – Second Round (30th pick), 2011 NBA Draft; listed at 5′9″, one of few players under 6′0″ to make the NBA
9. Martell Webster – First Round (6th pick), 2005 NBA Draft; drafted to the NBA from high school (Seattle Preparatory School in Seattle, WA); cousin of Jason Terry
10. Marvin Williams – First Round (2nd pick), 2005 NBA Draft
11. Terrence Williams – First Round (11th pick), 2009 NBA Draft; Eastern Conference Rookie of the Month (Apr. 2010)
Jon Brockman and Avery Bradley were excluded from the above list.
vava74
February 17th, 2012
8:43 am
http://popcornmachine.net/cgi-bin/gameflow.cgi?date=20120216&game=LACPOR
Rod,
Jamal on the floor from mid 3rd quarter until the buzzer, playing AT the PG (Felton came in for a short stint in the 4th).
This proves 2 things:
1. McMillan is just as idiot as LD was last year;
2. With Jamal on the floor it is not guaranteed that a team will score more points (in particular if he plays the point).
drmaryb.[*_*].
February 17th, 2012
8:50 am
5 Tools!
“Melo would be Batman to Joe’s Robin;
forming a better dynamic.” -GDaddy-
___________
But, who will protect the rim and pass the ball for the Hawks then?
vava74
February 17th, 2012
8:51 am
High-sider
February 17th, 2012
8:38 am
Half of that list is comparable with Marvin.
Martel and Terence are two major busts.
Nate is basically an entertaining but unreliable player.
Aaron is questionable as a bona fide starter in the NBA.
Hawes seems to be making his mark now but its too early to tell.
Ridnour is a solid backup.
Crawford is a major individual talent but not a top grade NBA player (second tier).
Roy is a major shame.
Terry had a fine career with the ring and his clutch performance in the finals validating it (maybe Jamal will find a place before he ends his career and where he can be used within a good structure and also get his – BUT I doubt it).
Isiah is the only unquestionable of the list.
darrell starks
February 17th, 2012
8:53 am
If the Knicks sign Jr. Smith they win the NBA title hands down.
GO HAWKS!!!!!!!!!!!
darrell starks
February 17th, 2012
9:00 am
STARTERS LIN, JR, CARMELO, AMAR’E, CHANDLER
BENCH SHUMPERT, FIELD, BILL WALKER, JEFFREIS, JORDON
NBA TITLE FOR THE KNICKS
GO HAWKS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
JM
February 17th, 2012
9:01 am
“Wolves are begging LA to do a Derrick Williams for Pau Gasol swap. Maybe Williams isn’t as good as advertised?”
Why would Minnesota do this? Would they play Pau at the 5 spot? They already have Pekovic, who is proving to be a lot more capable than Darko. Why would they trade away a young rook who has the potential to be a very good 3? Minny needs a SG, not a another PF.
vava74
February 17th, 2012
9:02 am
darrell,
please, re-start taking your medicine.
the Knicks will – no doubt – be a much more dangerous team but they will not have neither the mind set, nor the coaching to succeed at that level.
their ceiling – with luck – is the ECF.
my preview? first round exit.
E43
February 17th, 2012
9:16 am
E43- I find it interesting how people say the reason Teague wont be great is because of Larry Drew holding him back. That’s despite the fact that everyone from Josh Smith to Bob Rathbun expect him to be aggressive. I mean… Isn’t Larry Drew the one that wants him to play that way? The problem certainly isn’t Teague trying and missing. It’s when he goes stretches without any stats whatsoever and then forces things untimely. How is it that an entire team agrees on one thing but Drew gets blamed whenever Teague is being passive? Nothing stops Josh Smith from taking questionable shots. I don’t see why Teague would be pulled if he took it upon himself to get to the paint.
darrell starks
February 17th, 2012
9:16 am
VAVA74 WHO WILL BEAT THEM THE HAWKS ? SMDH LOL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
GO HAWKS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
richbrave
February 17th, 2012
9:17 am
HAWKS keep winning. I’m down with that.
SteveW
February 17th, 2012
9:20 am
JM – In the reports, which appear credible, unlike 90%+ of the trade rumors out there – It has something to do with he being from Spain to go along with Rubio. Maybe Rubio needs help adapting to culture or something, but that’s what the reports are saying.
Or this being the USA, maybe it would have something to do with marketing, we are a commercial culture aren’t we!
I will tell you Rubio and Gasol on the same team would cause somebody some problems.
Maybe the ‘Wolves would move KLove to SF? Who knows with that dysfunctional franchise. They’ve been so bad for so long, they’re about to draft their way into a pretty good team in spite of themselves.
darrell starks
February 17th, 2012
9:20 am
Heat and Bulls will not beat the Knicks if they sign JR, watch the rest of the season including the playoffs and get back to me VAVA74.
GO HAWKS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
richbrave
February 17th, 2012
9:22 am
vava74/darrell starks:
D’Antoni might not be the sharpest tool in the shed for saying out loud that LIN was a stroke of luck and that neither he nor the org had anything to do with it. But he was honest enough to say that LIN was pure luck……for what it’s worth.
darrell starks
February 17th, 2012
9:32 am
I will never give the Hawks there props when you have a coach who is blind as a bat continue to starte the worst SF in the NBA.
GO HAWKS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
High-sider
February 17th, 2012
9:33 am
@vava74
“Jamal on the floor from mid 3rd quarter until the buzzer, playing AT the PG (Felton came in for a short stint in the 4th).
Blazers lose the lead and the game, scoring only 11 points in the 4th.
This proves 2 things:
1. McMillan is just as idiot as LD was last year;
2. With Jamal on the floor it is not guaranteed that a team will score more points (in particular if he plays the point).” – vava74
RE-POST:
High-sider
February 17th, 2012
1:36 am
“Clippers sail past Blazers 74-71.
Raymond Felton officially sucks; 0-7 from the field, 0-1 from the 3pt. arc, 0-0 from the FT line, 2rebs., 2asts., 1stl., 5tos. [turnovers] and 0pts.
Former Atlanta Hawk, Jamal Crawford had a [Blazers] team[-tying] high 19pts. to go along with 3asts.” – High-sider
Vava74, read the stat line for Raymond Felton [or Fatton or Fat ton or Fat one] in my re-post regarding last night’s Clippers-Blazers game. It’s “official”; Felton sucks. Are you telling me that Felton should have continued to play in last night’s game based on his performance from the first three quarters? Felton was basically giving the Blazers nothing. Jamal had to come in and handle the point guard duties. Jamal scored 13 of his 19 points in the second half. Gerald Wallace, who scored only seven points, had an off-night and LaMarcus Aldridge was out with [an ankle] injury. The Blazers had no [low-]post [scoring] presence. You can’t possibly [in your right mind] blame the Blazers’ loss to the Clippers last night entirely on Jamal Crawford.
Najeh Davenpoop
February 17th, 2012
10:01 am
Samuel
February 17th, 2012
7:09 am
Let’s be real here no matter what the Hawks do, they are not going to beat the 76’s, Chicago Bulls or the Miami Heat in the playoffs. Their inability to not land a good center has hurt this team, coupled with Joe Johnson not being able to elevate his game against stiff competition. This guy Johnson simply doesn’t show up in big games…..
Are you the same Samuel who is the blog’s #1 Woody fan? Haven’t seen you around much ever since LD proved that he is clearly better than Woody…
Najeh Davenpoop
February 17th, 2012
10:02 am
“They’ve been so bad for so long, they’re about to draft their way into a pretty good team in spite of themselves.”
So in other words they are the Western Conference version of the Hawks?
Just Joe
February 17th, 2012
10:02 am
Minnesota doesn’t need Gasol. They need Joe Johnson. Veteran 2-guard that can space the floor for Rubio & Love.
I’ll gladly take Derrick Williams, Martell Webster (team option), and Brad Miller (partially guaranteed).
Joe would be good for Wes Johnson too. Teach him how to play the big-SG role.
honest_abe
February 17th, 2012
10:23 am
Are you the same Samuel who is the blog’s #1 Woody fan? Haven’t seen you around much ever since LD proved that he is clearly better than Woody…
that’s cold man. heh
High-sider
February 17th, 2012
10:25 am
test
honest_abe
February 17th, 2012
10:39 am
Najeh, I figured that Samuel wasn’t coming around because a “Europunk” won the title, AND Finals MVP last spring.
even more cold. heh
honest_abe
February 17th, 2012
10:40 am
kinda hard to give an opinion when everything you say is wrong!
northcyde
February 17th, 2012
10:52 am
Drew a better coach than Woody? I don’t know about all of that.
The Truth
February 17th, 2012
10:54 am
The Suns and the Hawks, a very similar story
Here’s Paola Boivin with the lowdown, from the Arizona Republic:
The organization has no interest in a full-scale “blowing up” of the team, because its research shows that process can take from eight to 10 years and it has no interest in waiting that long.
It believes a return to being an elite team will come from better drafting, wise personnel moves via trades and free agency, and taking advantage of the significant amount of salary-cap space it will have available next season.
“Our goal is to transition back to elite status,” [Suns owner Robert] Sarver said, “and to get there sooner than later.”
The Truth
February 17th, 2012
11:11 am
More from the link:
“Anyone who has ever enjoyed an NBA game in their entire life, save for those who don’t currently rank the Phoenix Suns as their favorite team, would prefer the Suns trade their impressive group of nice guys and incredibly intelligent basketball minds to various teams in order to enrich the league as a whole. That is to say, “please trade Steve Nash, Grant Hill, and Jared Dudley”
http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/blog/ball_dont_lie/post/the-phoenix-suns-refuse-to-dismantle-their-team-because-of-we-cant-tell?urn=nba,wp14598
The perception of the Suns as “nice” guys who will never win a title is similar to Barkley label of the Hawks. But is Suns management reactions to this perception any different than the Hawks?
“To which the Suns reply, “We’re good, thanks.” Citing the fact that “blowing up” (their phrase) a team can go terribly wrong if luck and the wrong hands are at the helm, the Suns are going to rest on their laurels as the 13th seed in the Western Conference, on pace for what would typically be a 33-win season.”
High-sider
February 17th, 2012
11:20 am
My comment[s] didn’t post! Dang!
High-sider
February 17th, 2012
11:36 am
vava74,
Marvin Williams’ “legacy” is that he [Marvin Williams] was “the player taken [drafted] ahead of Chris Paul” in the 2005 NBA Draft.
Slimjr
February 17th, 2012
11:47 am
Here’s our answer for the 3 spot woe’s! Get this rook in here YESTERDAY!
DERRICK WILLIAMS! THIS YEARS #2 LOTTERY PICK! IT WAS A GOOD PICK!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q9wo1×17SjI
vava74
February 17th, 2012
11:47 am
High-sider,
Close to half of the guys you listed are on or around – both above and below – Marvin’s level in terms of NBA Value.
They may even have more skill but don’t have anything to show for either.
vava74
February 17th, 2012
11:59 am
High-sider,
On Jamal:
Saying that Jamal could not provide scoring (enough) does not imply that Felton would do better.
Felton is overweight and struggling since day 1, however, the fact is that with him on the floor at the PG slot the Blazers were winning even without Lamarcus and with Wallace having a bad night.
Playing Jamal at the point is DUMB since it negates his only positive facet of the game which is scoring.
LD proved that last year and McMillan is making the same mistake.
Also, you know that Jamal only shot .388 from the floor, don’t you?
And that he had ZERO assists in 15.5 minutes playing the point?
Perhaps its should cross your mind that the Blazers only scored 11 points in the 4th quarter – just like the Hawks did last year many times – because Jamal CAN’T play the PG position.
At least Rod knows about basketball (not as much as he likes to think, but hey, who does?) whilst you… you only live in Jamal’s jock
vava74
February 17th, 2012
12:03 pm
Also, I don’t give a damn if Jamal goes ballistic and scores 40 points on us tomorrow.
It simply does not change anything. He is a roller-coaster, all offense, no conscience, no team ball type of player.
I never negated his talented. Merely framed him within the boundaries of the game of basketball – which, you should learn – is a team sport.
Jamal is a fine gunslinger, capable of incredible moves. A true wonder to watch if you are not too interested in the result of the game.
But as a fan of a team which completely miss used him on year 2, I know that he is just like crack to coaches.
20 minutes on average per game TOPS. And that’s it.
Slimjr
February 17th, 2012
12:04 pm
JC1 will be looking for a new team as soon as his contracts up…He a journey man..His 1 dimensional game gets old real quick with coaches and eventually most fans……Yawn…..
Rod from College Park
February 17th, 2012
12:05 pm
vava74,
“Rod,
Jamal on the floor from mid 3rd quarter until the buzzer, playing AT the PG (Felton came in for a short stint in the 4th).
Blazers lose the lead and the game, scoring only 11 points in the 4th.
This proves 2 things:
1. McMillan is just as idiot as LD was last year;
2. With Jamal on the floor it is not guaranteed that a team will score more points (in particular if he plays the point).”
Somehow I knew either you or northcyde was going to post something stupid like this. This is a prime example of looking at stats, and coming to an incorrect conclusion. Both of you guys should seriously start actually looking at the games. If you watched that Portland game, you will realize that Jamal was actually the only guy on the team, in the second half that could score. They scored a total of 28 points in the second half, and Jamal scored 13 of those. If it were not for him, they lose by 30. Jamal was the sole offensive threat on the team yesterday, the Clippers knew that and defended accordingly. Felton was terrible. Nate McMillian had no choice, but to play Jamal at the point. The stats will also tell you that Jamal outplayed Chris Paul last night, but you failed to mention that. I watched the game, so I know what really happened, obviously you don’t.