Atlanta Hawks: Hawks 106, Kings 99
Sacramento–The Hawks engaged the Kings in a smallball, free-wheeling game, kept them off the offensive glass and won. All of that overshadows the lax closeouts and careless turnovers that allowed the Kings to hang around longer than they should have.
- Larry Drew went with Kirk Hinrich at shooting guard, Joe Johnson at small forward and Marvin Williams on the bench. I’ve long favored that alignment and Drew has said he’s considered using it regularly but never has committed to it and still isn’t.
- “Possibly,” Drew said. “I’m big on matchups. Coming into this game, one of my fears was they started three guards. I didn’t want to put our club at a disadvantage having Marvin chasing guards. It has some value for us in playing Kirk in that starting spot. We bring in a guy who gives us a toughness. We are a little bit more defensive-minded with him in there. When Marvin comes off the bench, he comes in more as being a first, second or third option.”
- Marvin was in attack mode while bulling his way to the basket and dunking on people. Could it be that coming off the bench might offer him some advantages? “I don’t know about advantages,” he said. “I guess it gives you a chance to see how the game is going to be called and how its’ going to be played. I think that’s really the only thing. I just wanted to come out and be aggressive coming off the bench. [Drew] told me earlier in the day and it was no big deal.”
- The potential weakness for this starting lineup is rebounding but not tonight because Zaza Pachulia was beasting on the boards. He could have had an even bigger night if not for a suspect call on his fourth foul. “He was playing his butt off,” Josh Smith said. “Whenever he’s able to be active like that on the glass, he’s that much more effective.”
- Small ball became even smaller for the Hawks with Zaza in foul trouble. It worked because Josh had more success handling DeMarcus Cousins’ skill around the basket, Vladimir Radmanovic suddenly grabbed rebounds like he’s 6-10 and Jeff Teague and Joe got it going offensively.
- “I had to make a decision whether to bring [Erick] Dampier back in the game or move Josh to the five spot,” Drew said. “I made the decision to go small on Cousins. He was having a good game. I didn’t want to start double-teaming him and opening up the 3-point line. It worked to our favor offensively because we were able to do some things differently and it was a bad matchup for them.”
- The Hawks had some good offensive possessions in the fourth quarter because Josh and Joe made good decisions out of double teams. “We missed some shots out of the double team but we made the right play,” Drew said.
- “When Josh was posting I tried to get weak side,” Joe said. “I knew he would find me. We played off of him. He had it going. ”
- “Normally that diagonal pass is open to the other swing but he was definitely open,” Josh said. “I was able to get him some easy looks, some open jump shots. I was able to knock down some jumpers and score on the block. They were drawn to me and I was able to make plays out of the double team and out of the dribble drive.”
- Josh had his jumper working early so the Kings were forced to respect it. “Offensively, he’s a tough cover,” Keith Smart said. “He’s too big for a small forward and too quick sometimes for a power forward. He chases the ball to the shot clock. Anything that he sees going to the basket, he’s going to chase that and going to try and control the basket, control the paint. His jump shot was working tonight.”
- Clearly the trade request isn’t affecting Josh’s play. A Sacto media guy asked Josh if he wants to be a “Hawk for life”: “I’m here. I have one more left on my deal. We have to see what happens. I just have to keep playing the way I’m capable of playing and keep doing what I’m doing and not worry about any outside distractions.”
- Another Sacto media guy, who apparently doesn’t have an Internet connection, asked Josh if there were “rumors or something about you being traded.” Josh: “”Can you ask me another question?”
- Another efficient scoring night for Joe (21 points on 13 shots, 9-for-9 on free throws). This time he actually looked better in the second half than the first. But Joe has never been great at getting around defenders and you can see that losing even just a little bit of quickness makes that task nearly impossible.
- Joe said he’s back in the lineup for good and doesn’t plan on sitting on the second night of back-to-backs or doing any other modifications for the knee. “It feels good,” he said. “The strength is about 85-90 percent. It’s way better than I was two weeks ago.”
- Teague (16 points on 11 shots, seven assists, three steals) had a strong effort. He was in control while weaving through Sacto’s defense. Teague seemed to get fired up once Isaiah Thomas got him a couple times.
- Hinrich’s jumper is looking better. He did good work against Tyreke Evans and Marcus Thornton.
- Another ineffective stint for Jannero Pargo, which was surprising since this figured to be his kind of game.
- Tracy McGrady got a DNP-CD. “This was a game where I’m looking at the matchups,” Drew said. “This Sacramento team, they are young and get up the floor. From a matchup standpoint it made sense to shorten the rotation to go with more speed.”
Michael Cunningham, Hawks beat
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342 comments Add your comment
Mark
March 12th, 2012
9:08 am
Whether we keep Josh or trade him it doesn’t matter. This team has so many problems that it won’t be fixed. Pathetic Owners, Scared GM, Clueless Coach, Overpaid Player who Dominique calls a “SUPERSTAR”. If they keep Josh, they might get to the second round. If they get rid of him they might make the playoffs, but lose in the first round. It’s all about winning a CHAMPIONSHIP, which the hawks will never win. If you are a fan of JUST BEING COMPETITIVE, hey watch the hawks.
Grandad
March 12th, 2012
9:20 am
* Question ?
Yawl think Josh is a SuperDuperStar ?
Can Josh Lead a Team – any team- to a Championship ?
Is he that good ?
Curious Mind ?
Grandad
March 12th, 2012
9:29 am
After watching much more college basketball,
[at least in a concentrated amount of time]
this past week than I have all season;
I have altered my opinion,
I now believe that Kendall Marshall will / would help the Hawks
even more than thomas Robinson.
I have not lessened my admiration of T.R.;
only come to the realization that K.Marshall is such a true pg
that comes along once in a blue moon, we should not
pass him over.
KevinM
March 12th, 2012
9:32 am
Joe at the 3, yeah, that might work.
It leaves a hole at the 2, like we had at the 3.
Which one is easier to fill? I think the 3 slot.
For one thing, Joe is not a rebounder, so that leaves us vulnerable as we have been since Marvin has been in that role.
I think a Gerald Wallace would make us a better all around team and keep Josh off the perimeter. He’s simply better around the basket instead of us being non-existant of the offensive rebounding category.
How nice would this team look with a SF in the lineup with Al out?
JT/Joe/Wallace/Josh/Zaza sure looks like a good band-aid to me.
You worry about next year NEXT YEAR ASG.
STRONGHAWK
March 12th, 2012
9:35 am
Ra’mon u need to stop drinking!!!!!!!!!!
2012 NBA Trade Deadline Tracker | Hoops Addict
March 12th, 2012
9:37 am
[...] on Young but Crawford is a possibility. * The Lakers and Hawks have interest in Ramon Sessions. * Josh Smith on his recent trade demand: “I’m here. I have one more left on my deal. We have to see what happens. I just have to [...]
Grandad
March 12th, 2012
9:40 am
Kendall Marshall:
Heres what he’s not:
*athletic
*great shooter
*great defender
*great finisher
Here`s what he is:
* Smart as a whip
* High B-ball IQ
* Natural / Pure point guard
* Sees the floor two plays ahead
* Makes his Teammates better ** 2 stars for that one
* Knows when, where & how to get the ball to his Bigs
* Smoooooooooth
* Self Assured
* Poised & Confident
* a Winner
* ACC All-Time asst leader
* 6-4; 190
* his teammate love him;
which means players would want to come play *’`with`’* him
Grandad
March 12th, 2012
9:43 am
***post script on Kendall Marshall:
*’`Left Handed`’*
Ray
March 12th, 2012
9:45 am
We talking about drafting kids when the CB season isn’t even over nor have they even been taken to a draft combine.
@ Grandad
I’m not saying Josh is a superstar(least not yet), but Josh is a better player than Joe and Al put together in fact I still say if it’s not for what Josh does on both ends we’re not even that great of a team. We’d be that team that gets stomped out the first round every year. Basically we’d be the Miami Heat right after Shaq and before Lebron got there.
Before we even start talking about drafting people need to get past a few things first Trade Deadline, College Basketball season, The Finals, and a Draft Combine. Oh yeah also who we might lose in free agency btw.
Ray
March 12th, 2012
9:47 am
I hope when Josh leaves you really don’t expect Joe to carry the Hawks like he should cause the reality is Joe is a look at me type of player. He’s really got the benefit of the doubt when it comes to the All-star selection of SG’s in the east cause the crop is so weak.
Besides D-wade and him who else is that great of a SG be honest with yourself.
Oh yeah and I also hope people aren’t expecting Horford to carry us on Defense like people think he will LOL! That will be the day.
BIG DOG
March 12th, 2012
10:00 am
Marvin plays better coming of the bench has more fire to his game, I must give props to Marvin for playing hard.
Good win by the Hawks, Josh was beasting.
BIG DOG IN THE HOUSE
BIG DOG
March 12th, 2012
10:03 am
Josh and Joe are playing to there strength more and more, post up in the paint and not shooting so many long difficult jumpshot ISO Joe.
BIG DOG IN THE HOUSE
doc
March 12th, 2012
11:10 am
ra’mon
check this link
http://www.pbministries.org/mobile/mobileresults.php?recordID=13
it looks like the tirch has been passed. i had said it earlier that jj will help josh be more effective or vice versa whichever sword the defense chooses to die from. either they leave josh alone and he becomes a bwtter post playee or they double him leaving jj or someobe ooen for a pass. for better or worse at this stage of the game josh is both quicker and more apt to be drcusive on making a play instead if the sluggish way jj approaches it.
go josh
better ye,t go hawks!, in every game of this tough trip. steal one more guys. cudis as i think there are already as many wins in march than all of february.
O'Brien
March 12th, 2012
11:23 am
From ajc;
“I like our team,” Hinrich said before the Hawks played the Kings late Sunday. “I feel like we can be a dangerous team come playoff time. I want to be a part of that.”.
I wonder if there was a smirk (or tongue in cheek) when he said it…
Ra'mon
March 12th, 2012
11:30 am
Grandad, Marshall is the best traditional passing point guard I’ve seen since Kidd came out. The only difference is he’s not as great of a defender as Kidd was. But when Lidd was in Dallas the first time, he couldn’t shoot any better than Mario West. But now Kidd is in top five for 3 pt shots made. Marshall would be the first Hawk since Rivers that you KNOW will be a head coach one day. As you said, he’s not super athletic, but neither was Nash or Stockton. Granted they both can shoot better than Marshall, but he will average 10 assists a game in no time with low turnover ratio. That’s why we HAVE to attempt to trade Kirk for the Lakers draft pick. So then we can package the two first round picks to move up and draft Marshall.
Ra'mon
March 12th, 2012
11:31 am
Doc thanks for the link.
drmaryb.[*_*].
March 12th, 2012
11:32 am
The Walkers!
“drmaryb
I think that the infection might be airborn now, since–not only Shane–the guy who was chained got his neck broken; yet he still turned into a walker. Shane never got bitten or scratched, so it was crazy when he got stabbed to death and came back alive right after. Dude was acting really weird before he died, too–like an animal with smashing his own face into a tree. Yet, they only turn to one if they are killed… or so I wonder.
Next week is going to be crazy! Did you see those hordes of zombies coming for the farm? Holy crap. Can’t wait for next week!” -Big Lou-
___________
Big Lou baby! I never considered the possibility of an air borne infection. I knew Shane broke the kid’s neck and beat his head on that tree to make it look like they were fighting and he had to kill him. But, you think maybe the guy got infected from being in that barn where the other walkers were? Or, maybe … The walkers found that guy while his body was still freshly dead to eat his flesh and that made him walk … Or, man this stuff is riveting. LOL
Big Lou, about month ago, I stumbled on an all day marathon of The Walking Dead and got hooked. Great story lines! Hugh? If this is air borne though, that will take the fun out of it, no need to fight then.
Ra'mon
March 12th, 2012
11:35 am
O’brien, I hear you on the three point attempts. But one was at the buzzer right before half time. And the three he shot in The fourth quarter I can understand cause his jumper had started falling. I don’t mind Josh shooting jumpers. IF. He establishes his rhythm in the paint first.
KevinM
March 12th, 2012
11:42 am
G-Dad, this organization doesn’t want draft picks or have to deal with kids learning. They want vets they can throw out there and contribute without a lot of teaching.
LD’s not so hot on decision making and he definitely has no clue how to develop young talent. But, he will be back next year, and so will his boss. I love the Marvin move to the bench a month after he threatened it prior to the ORL road game.
What you see now if what we will see until they are gone. Our playoff potential is limited at best. We will need to see ORL in Round 1 AND Round 2.
Ask the fanbase…if they told you to fire LD and Sund, the ASG’s arrogance ignores the paying fanbase and says screw you, we know what we’re doing.
And they do, as long as you want to ‘pretend-2-contend’.
Ra'mon
March 12th, 2012
11:45 am
KevinM, they will not extend LD contract. Because this is still regression compared to what Woody did. And I doubt they extend Sund. They probably will just find two people cheaper to hire lol. Or Lester will be next head coach.
Rod from College Park
March 12th, 2012
11:45 am
“Tracy McGrady got a DNP-CD. “This was a game where I’m looking at the matchups,” Drew said. “This Sacramento team, they are young and get up the floor. From a matchup standpoint it made sense to shorten the rotation to go with more speed.””
So McGrady is not fast enough to play against the Sacramento Kings, but earlier in hte year, he was mainly reponsible for us beating the Miami Heat. LD would do better, if he just comes out and admits that he does not like TMac. The guy should be the starting small forward on this team, especially with our lack of playmakers.
KevinM
March 12th, 2012
11:46 am
Who doesn’t cringe when Josh fires up his long range missile? I pray every shot attempt and my prayer quota is met easily.
ag
March 12th, 2012
11:49 am
The only trade they should make is Melo for JJ
KevinM
March 12th, 2012
11:49 am
Ra’mon, they extend LD and Sund one more year..I mean, seriously, who is going to take either of them away? There’s no market for either, so this will be the norm again next year with the promise of Al making the big difference.
It would not surprise me to see Kirk make it through the year with us as well, because Sund isn’t getting a #1 for him and that is only 1/2 of what he gave up for him prior……
KevinM
March 12th, 2012
11:59 am
This coming from DA on nba.com:
“The Hornets remain determined to move Kaman by Thursday, according to a source involved in the discussions. His expiring contract is manna for any number of teams who could use a top-10 center with a chip on his shoulder. Atlanta would make sense, even as a two-month rental; the Hawks need a center with Al Horford out at least until the end of the regular season, and they have their own expiring contract in guard Kirk Hinrich. They would make more sense if the Hawks had no intention of re-signing Kaman in July; Atlanta is terrified of getting anywhere close to the tax threshold.”
No words spoken have ever been so true…..renting Kaman and the ASG afraid of some extra tax. Like a few playoff games wouldn’t offset the costs?
So incompetent as an ownership group. The fans show options and the ASG/Sund just doesn’t even consider ideas out of their realm.
Ra'mon
March 12th, 2012
12:01 pm
Rod, McGrady should be starting not Kirk or Marvin. LD seems to have a buddy system. The same way Ivan Johnson disappeared out of playing time for 4-5 games.
kwooden
March 12th, 2012
12:03 pm
It was a good win last night, even though the Kings are a bad team. JJ shot poorly again, but Josh, Jeff and Zaza played well. I think Josh is really improving his game, even though his free-throw shooting has been very poor. I personally don’t look forward to trading Josh or Josh leaving because of his talent and potential.
GO HAWKS!!
drmaryb.[*_*].
March 12th, 2012
12:05 pm
Big Lou baby, why didn’t Dale walk after he was attacked and gutted? It seems like the walkers put an alien in his guts or, ripped his tummy open or, something.
I can’t wait till Sunday. AMC is blowing up now. I wouldn’t let the kids watch this though. They might get some crazy ideas. LOL
STRETCH
March 12th, 2012
12:06 pm
Rod from College Park
Ive been screaming the same thing! T-Mac is what, 6-8? The dude doesnt even see the court last night and they could have used him on the offensive end because of his size. Im wondering why did they even bring the guy in, and why dont they just package him.
I dont understand Drew, this is a talented team, but he will continue to hold them back. And i cant understand why he gets so much hype, the guy is the worse coach for this type of team.
At time he shows some brillance and just when you think he’s got it, he flips the script.
The lineup he used last night, he probably wont ever use it again.
Big Lou
March 12th, 2012
12:07 pm
drmaryb
” Or, maybe … The walkers found that guy while his body was still freshly dead to eat his flesh and that made him walk … ”
That couldn’t have happened because Darrel said he had no bite marks or scratches when they(him and Glen) discovered the body. Im thinking that it’s airborne, but they only turn if they are killed naturally. So, they should try to live, but not fall off a cliff or something. Lol As far as the airborn, I’m thinking that they are hinting that it’s a virus and it could be cured.
Also, I wonder how Shane got infected, too. All I know is that some ominous sh!t is happening right now. Next episodes look like people are going to die.
Big Lou
March 12th, 2012
12:09 pm
“Big Lou baby, why didn’t Dale walk after he was attacked and gutted? It seems like the walkers put an alien in his guts or, ripped his tummy open or, something.” – drmaryb
Darrel ended that dude’s miserable suffering with a gun shot to the head. That’s probably why he didn’t turn.
Big Lou
March 12th, 2012
12:12 pm
“Ask the fanbase…if they told you to fire LD and Sund, the ASG’s arrogance ignores the paying fanbase and says screw you, we know what we’re doing.
And they do, as long as you want to ‘pretend-2-contend’.” -KevinM
Co-freakin-sign!
Hawks are a big man away from winning the whole thing. All they care about is profits. Down with the ownership! Get Authur Blank to buy them up. At least he will spend the money on big names.
terrell
March 12th, 2012
12:29 pm
Kirk 42 min? TMac and Ivan dnp’s? Pargo 6 min? Wow. LD at his finest.
Real Tmac fan
March 12th, 2012
12:34 pm
Did LARRY DREW just call TRACY MCGRADY OLD & SLOW &.UNABLE TO CONTROL THE TEMPO? BUT USED NICIER WORDS?
STRETCH THIS YO
March 12th, 2012
12:35 pm
Best move is to never let Marvin Williams start a game. He has no game.
STRETCH THIS YO
March 12th, 2012
12:38 pm
I think Drew & T-Mac are like oil & water….
Ray
March 12th, 2012
12:38 pm
People keep saying we are a Center away from contending I beg to differ that we need a bit more than just that.
We need a C and to dump off a little bit of weight I might add plus pick up muscle in other areas.
In simpler terms we need to get a C along the lines of a brook lopez and Dwight Howard. Dump off players like Marvin Williams and Joe(Joe only plays big against sorry teams seen it all year.)
STRETCH THIS YO
March 12th, 2012
12:40 pm
Go get Chris Kaman and when Horford returns you would be good defensively against the bigger Heat & Bulls.
Walt Frazier
March 12th, 2012
12:42 pm
If the Hawks stand pat and do nothing, which they seem to do alot, then keep Josh until next year, then they may miss out on getting something for him. Why not do all you can to get Dwight? But they won’t, and then next year Josh is a free agent-and teams bid for him, and the Hawks bite the bait, and viola, you’ve just baked yourself an iso-Joe the sequel. The Hawks are talented enough to make the playoffs in the east without Josh. You trade Josh now before the deadline-and go for the big fish (Dwight), give up a few supporting players (Josh & AL) will get the trade done-and then fill in the gaps. The Hawks trade Al Horford, Josh Smith, and Marvin Williams to Orlando for Dwight Howard, H. Turkoglu, and R. Anderson. That will put the Hawks over the hump plus 14 wins. As for the Magic-it will only cost a minus 1 win.
http://espn.go.com/nba/tradeMachine?tradeId=7cs4t7r
Micheal
March 12th, 2012
12:45 pm
I think that they are all infected, and doesnt goes active until they died and they brain functions stops working completely, besides you see how fast that Shane turned into a walker and all the visions that he was seeing before he died.
But back to subject at hand,
Hawks did well but its the Kings and they still need to make a move to atleast contend againist the Heat and Bulls
Big Lou
March 12th, 2012
12:45 pm
“People keep saying we are a Center away from contending I beg to differ that we need a bit more than just that.
We need a C and to dump off a little bit of weight I might add plus pick up muscle in other areas.” -Ray
Did you forget the beginning of the season? Where the Hawks beat the Heat and Bulls? Also, trading for that center drops off some of the unecessary weight in the process. With the surge of Josh Smith, all this team needs is a shot blocker opposite of him to make this the best defensive team in the league. They are already 4th in points allowed.
vava74
March 12th, 2012
12:46 pm
“I think Drew & T-Mac are like oil & water….”
Notwithstanding all his shortcomings – I strongly believe that at least a substantial chunk of his physical ailments were originated on poor conditioning – T-Mac sees LD exactly as he is:
An assistant coach with very limited ability to run a ball club.
Hence the clash from side to side.
T-Mac on the floor makes LD frequently look as stupid as he is.
Walt Frazier
March 12th, 2012
12:47 pm
LD and Sund is kept for the remaining season with Dwight, Turkoglu, and Anderson added to the mix. Then the Hawks make it past the second round of the playoffs-then they get a new coach and GM in the offseason and are able to compete against the big three in the east for next year in the eastern conference finals. A draft pick may be included in the mix.
hawksfancents95
March 12th, 2012
12:48 pm
*bold statement*
i think ASG is partially accurate in their business approach; i dont think an NBA team needs to be paying the luxury tax to win an NBA championship(i dont think ASG is trying to win one though) all it takes is mangaing your money properly with signing/extending/declining the right contracts and getting the most value for your money. ill give Sund credit for assembling a pretty good bench of veterans wanting to prove they arent finished. i dont like the fact we didnt have a guy we drafted and can let him progress along throughout the year.
as for the trade deadline ASG has to ask what do they want? do they want the “now” typical 1st or maybe 2nd round exit with 0% chance to challenge for the eastern conference championship or do they wana play MIA or CHI in the eastern finals and get the city’s interest into the Hawks franchise.
my solutions: ive said it before and ill mention it till thursday, al horford for monta ellis;GSW can also give us a 1st or a 2nd and jeremy tyler. also trade kirk to LA for their exception and a 1st(if LA doesnt get felton-POR) if these trades happen our team is now
starters: teague ellis johnson smith zaza bench: pargo wgreen tmac williams IJohnson dampier (tylerGSW)
Astro Joe
March 12th, 2012
12:48 pm
Ask the fanbase…if they told you to fire LD and Sund, the ASG’s arrogance ignores the paying fanbase and says screw you, we know what we’re doing.
Kevin, out of curiosity, how would you handle the situation if you were a team owner? Take a poll? Would you expect fans to offer a consensus opinion on the team’s front office or even roster? Would you ask the fan base once a year and be willing to make changes every 12 months to the team’s GM/coaching tandem? If not every year, how often?
I read all of these comments that suggest that the fanbase that has a bottom 10 home attendance should have more influence on ownership that is spending top 10 money (creating a lopsided economic model). I’d be interested in how to practically integrate the wishes of the fans in the way a team is operated… since you seem to think the fans are in a better position to manage this club than the actual owners.
hawksfancents95
March 12th, 2012
12:50 pm
i think with teague and ellis being able to drive easily joe can get good open shots and our offense will be more fluid.
just one mans opinion
joeygt1
March 12th, 2012
12:50 pm
i was impressed with marvin williams..it seems bringing him off the bench he has a chip on his shoulders…josh is straight balling the years.. we need to trade k hinrich for kaman or m beasley…taht would fill a big need of ours
vava74
March 12th, 2012
12:51 pm
Good grief…
This blog is becoming the “Walkers’ blog” ??
How can you be so caught up on that??
How can you explain that a bunch of slow moving meat sacks could not be wiped out by the army? An army who apparently was armed to the teeth as the abandoned arsenal hinted?
I only watched half of the first or second episode and disregarded that show all together…
I certainly haven’t watched enough to know what idiotic explanation was found for that but… helicopters, hummers and the likes could not control those snails??
KevinM
March 12th, 2012
12:54 pm
Is it me misidentifying someone or was LD in the Magic documentary this weekend moving Magic in and out of the party scene?
Yes, LD did play in the league, but you couldn’t tell he uses it in his coaching theories.
He’s big on matchups…what else you got LD?
MattP
March 12th, 2012
12:59 pm
I am tired of hearing Drew talk about not playing a guy because of matchup. I can see if it was a Center like Dampier or Collins but McGrady come on. McGrady should have atleast been giving a few minutes to see if he works with the matchup, would not have hurt the way the 2nd unit was and no Green.