Atlanta Hawks: How much have injuries really hurt them?
Jerry Stackhouse figures he’s probably been on a team that’s had as many injuries, though he can’t recall exactly. “Over 17 years I’m sure it happened somewhere along the line,” he said, chuckling.
But Stackhouse says the bad run of injuries isn’t really a topic of conversation among Hawks players: “We say there’s more room over there on the bench. We aren’t all on top of each other. But other than that, we don’t really talk about it. This is the NBA.”
That’s what you expect players to say, especially with a team that’s as veteran as the Hawks. Injuries are a part of the game, no one feels sorry for a team that’s riddled with them and so the Hawks have to keep on grinding. They are professional athletes, supremely confident, and so they believe they can win anyway.
The circumstances are different for coach Larry Drew and general manager Rick Sund. Ask them to evaluate the team so far and they are sure to talk about the injuries. It makes sense because neither Sund nor Drew has a guaranteed contract for next season (Drew has an option) and their future with the team could depend how this season plays out. Can’t blame Drew and Sund for making sure the team’s injuries are part of that evaluation, like any of us would make sure our bosses know when circumstances outside of our control impacted our job performance. The process is just a lot more public for Drew and Sund.
Both men are always sure to note they are not making excuses, but of course that’s how some will take it. Most people don’t want to hear about how injuries contribute to a team not meeting expectations. That’s especially true for fans, who expect their team to win anyway.
My take has been that the Hawks have been pretty good in spite of the injuries especially with their intangibles. I think there’s little question the Hawks have shown some real growth in that area, from the 101-point beatdown from Orlando, to showing more moxie in the last year’s playoffs, to staying competitive this year in spite of the injuries. That’s not to give them too much credit for competing under trying circumstance but I don’t have to tell my blog people that’s not always been a given.
It’s difficult to objectively evaluate a team that’s had this many injuries. How much have the Hawks really been impacted by injuries? Do they have it any worse than the other teams in their peer group? I tried to find out in a way that goes beyond the “x amount of players have missed y amount of games,” an exercise that brings to mind that the Hawks included Pape Sy (never forget) in that count two seasons ago.
Inspired by a Basketball Proespectus blog post by Kevin Pelton last season, my goal was to quantify Atlanta’s injuries in a meaningful way and compare them to the other playoff teams in the Eastern Conference. (Pelton, ambitious as ever, evaluated all 30 teams in his analysis.)
Like Pelton, I looked at the games missed by players and also multiplied that number by their average minutes. To further measure the quality of players lost to injury, Pelton used WARP, a linear-weights formula he developed. I went with Basketball Reference creator Justin Kubato’s Win Shares to make a “Win Shares lost” projection based on average minutes played multiplied by win-shares per minute and games missed.
(Follow the links if you are interested in the details of how WARP and WS are calculated.)
“Win shares lost” is not the same thins as saying the injured players’ teams would win that many more games if they’d never missed time because obviously their minutes were replaced by players of varying quality. But it gives a sense of the quality of the players that have missed games with injuries. Also, this analysis doesn’t take into account players who remain in the lineup but are less effective because of injuries, the impact of having multiple injuries at one position, etc.
(Chart includes games through last Thursday.)
| Team | Players | Games | Minutes+ | Win shares^ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hawks | 8 | 107 | 20,287 | 5.54 |
| Bulls | 7 | 78 | 14,531 | 5.678 |
| Heat | 5 | 29 | 4,066 | 2.82 |
| Magic | 6 | 29 | 4,396 | 1.30 |
| Sixers | 5 | 38 | 4,788 | 3.54 |
| Pacers | 3 | 49 | 3,459 | 1.34 |
| Celtics | 10 | 84 | 21,386 | 3.76 |
| Knicks# | 6 | 50 | 8,395 | 2.55 |
+ Minutes per game when healthy * games missed
^ Win shares per minute * minutes per game when healthy * games missed
# Does not include Baron Davis’ injury before he played for the team.
You can see the Hawks have lost more games to injuries than any other East playoff team. They’ve also “lost” among the most minutes and win shares to injuries. Using these criteria, you could argue that only the Bulls have been hurt more by injuries than Atlanta among East playoff teams, which makes Chicago’s season even more impressive.
Again, these numbers can’t measure all of the factors that determine how much injuries affect these teams. But I think this analysis makes it clear the Hawks’ injuries have been significant in relation to their peer group.
Michael Cunningham, Hawks beat
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316 comments Add your comment
Grandad
March 27th, 2012
2:49 am
doc thanks … normally I`m a pretty good speller.
disc … much better … got it … thanks.
Grandad
March 27th, 2012
2:55 am
You know how a person can tell the difference
between a doctor and a farmer ?
A doctor misspells dics as in the vertabrae.
A farmer misspells disk as in a plow.
Reckon I an ol` farmboy.
Grandad
March 27th, 2012
2:58 am
I swear I did not do that on purpose.
Freudian slip !
Seriously, I made a real typo.
I`m so ashamed.
vava74
March 27th, 2012
3:12 am
And finally, POOR COACHING.
Come the playoffs and LD will sit and watch as other teams make adjustments and he fails to respond.
It took him 9 full minutes in the 3rd quarter against UTA for him to go into zone D to disrupt their rhythm and he reacted only after we lost a 15 point lead altogether.
He only put in Green because Hinrich was hurt not because he realized that with Josh out he needed another scorer on the court (and there you are right Rod, yes, teams need some scorers, however, Jamal neutralizes his scoring by being a disaster on all other aspects of the game – for instance, JR Smith had a bad shooting night today but he snatched 10 rebounds).
Grandmaster JeJe (GM)
March 27th, 2012
7:12 am
“No matter if the Hawks won the NBA Championship this season, some would still complain.”
No
Dawg
March 27th, 2012
7:39 am
Sund seals his fate every time he sells a draft pick for cash. What a loser organization. I feel for the players who play their hearts out in spite of horrible management.
Instead of selling the 2nd rounder for cash, Sund could have bundled it with the other 2nd rounder and moved up a couple of slots.
He is pathetic.
Slimjr
March 27th, 2012
7:50 am
“No matter if the Hawks won the NBA Championship this season, some would still complain.”
Well unfortunately for Hawks fans that theory will not be tested anytime soon…
Maybe in 10-20-30 years perhaps?
Slimjr
March 27th, 2012
8:10 am
John Schuhmann @johnschuhmann
Amar’e Stoudemire is out indefinitely with a bulging disc in his back
vava74
March 27th, 2012
8:10 am
On the upcoming games:
I think we will lose all 4 games or maybe go 1-3.
Just 1 day to rest after three nights and 4 OTs and traveling again.
MIL are now a faster team with Ellis – although he is struggling a bit – so they will probably try to go fast tempo and our legs will probably falter.
Look for Delfino to be subbed rather quickly by Luc Mbah a Moute who is a notoriously effective defender on JJ.
Ilyasova seems to ALWAYS cause us problems.
Also, MIL already laid an egg last night against NYK with a putrid game. Usually teams bounce back.
Next in line, on a back to back: CHI (even without Rose they have been beating competitive teams, although last night the varnish came out).
Then NYK and PHI… very complicated stretch to play with tired legs.
We will need J-Smoove at his best level (25-12-5-2-2) on .500 shooting and JJ at the same pace he is now which is probably a bit too much to hope for against CHI and PHI’s D.
vava74
March 27th, 2012
8:13 am
My preview of the whole stretch until the playoffs: 9 W – 7 L
vava74
March 27th, 2012
8:14 am
Which would give us 39-27 – equivalent to 48/49 wins on a normal season.
doc
March 27th, 2012
8:47 am
so vava if we get ten more victories we are back to 50 win equivalent elite status eastern conf style. that is back to the territory woody took the team there were few injuries and the east was a lot weaker. well someone should have some credit. is it jj and josh along with the present starters, the bench or sund for piecing together one or ld for managing all the tumult including his frank errors that cost us games? go figure, we as fans sound worse here than when we won less than 20
games. of course the blog was a lot snaller then, seems winning has broight out even more critics and can only hope occasionally they put there money where their mouths are and spend a few dollars on their improvement to help the cause, the true fan they are.
Slimjr
March 27th, 2012
8:53 am
doc, the ownership spent 2milion on a steak house?
Maybe they should have spent that on players to help them get to a finals?
Slimjr
March 27th, 2012
9:03 am
March 26, 2012
bracket
BATTLE FOR L.A.
The Clippers are challenging the Lakers for supremacy in the City of Angels.
Man behind the mic
Observing the closing minutes of the Lakers’ 102-96 loss to Memphis on Sunday night, it was hard to figure out.
Why was Kobe Bryant anchored to the bench with the outcome still in doubt?
A healthy Kobe sitting on the sideline in crunch time is pretty much unthinkable.
Not on Sunday night, though.
Coach Mike Brown pulled Bryant with 5:45 left during a timeout he called after watching his superstar miss a jumper, then stand around looking for a call while the Grizzlies raced down for an easy bucket and a 93-79 lead.
_____________________________________________________________-
Now that takes big balls to pull that off as a 1st year head coach with the Lakers….
drmaryb.[*_*].
March 27th, 2012
9:08 am
The War of Attrition!
Typically head coaches shorten their rotations to 8 – 9 players, for the play off championship quest. That is the general flawed consensus. But really deep teams like those of the ”80’s always had sniper, rebounders, and defensive specialist buried from 10-13. These guys would come in on que and remedy the starters and deliver the wins and thus the rings.
Look at what Doc Rivers Did in Boston with Big Baby and Lil” Nate just a few championships ago. It worked for them as it did those great teams back in the day.
It literally becomes a war of attrition, the healthiest, deepest and most skilled team has the best chance to win it this year as well. Some teams, like the Suns made a surprising run to the WCF and almost upset The Lakers for the championship game, but came up short. The mistake their GM and owner made was: they saw their glass as half full when, in reality it was half empty. They should have made a substantial upgrade to stay in the championship hunt, instead they low balled Amare’ and digressed from there.
Here’s my point: The Hawks, albeit without Al Horford, has the deepest bench of reserves in recent memory. However, the glaring hole is the 5 spot. The GM and owner has refused to address this issue and will be sent home for it. Unless Ivan can emulate Big Baby and, without Horford, we can not do what the recent Celtics did and grab that ring.
Bottom line is the ASKG have not supplied the groceries. The only we have a shot is other contender lose key players to injury at the 5 spot. Either way, the injuries have uncovered what our bench is capable of: the question is will coach Drew push the right buttons and extend the rotation to 10-12 players deep. It is a war of attrition: the last man standing and, the survival of the fittest.
Slimjr
March 27th, 2012
9:23 am
Shortened rotations= shorten playoff runs? Hmmmmmmmmmmmmm
drmaryb, that maybe the main reason why only 6 or 7 teams in the past 30 NBA seasons have won the those 30 Championships? drmaryb on top of her game..Its a shame that the ownership is not on top of theirs..
If Larry goes to a 8-9 man rotation, he’ll be gone in the 1st rd for sure…
Yep, I believe its a flawed concept too, imho..
vava74
March 27th, 2012
9:27 am
drmaryb.[*_*].
Nate was not involved in the championship run.
BOS’ bench did count on several veteran players and bench specialists. Most notably Powe, PJ Brown, Cassell, Eddie House, Posey, Tony Allen, … that 11 men deep.
doc
March 27th, 2012
9:31 am
slimjr that is the cost of two 2nd round draft picks. steak houses are a “dime a dozen” in the nba.
look slimj i will never defend anything about the actions of the broken atlanta spirit group aka my name for the sorry azzzes, BASG. however, there is a difference in how they approach their business and what happens on the court. it is clear and simple nor do i have to decry any positive actions by the folks in the heat of the battle because of how these owners have raped the city, fans and taxpayers for their own greed and financial successes. got it? i think i, as a fan, can see the difference between the two entities and continue to be a fan of the team doing its best, against many obstacles, for the ultimate success of fan bases going forward.
slimj, it is like blaming a farmer for how monsanto and the government, our elected officials, have placed the gmo groceries in front of us where we have little choice but to eat it and poison our children and ourselves along with the ecology, while hiding behind lobbyists dollars for their greed and i might add avarice because they know it is wrong. that is what i really get upset about.
the famers have no choice what so ever other than to close the farm and die in debt. (y)our congressman has the choice to make sure we at least get a chance to make a choice and if a farmer’s seeds are tainted by monsanto seeds, monsato has to pay, rather than the other way around. simple rules of life would help us in the long run. but like aj says follow the money and eat steak … heh heh
doc
March 27th, 2012
9:36 am
actually dmb, it was not nate who was on the knicks bench but the brother in law of bibby that used to come off the bench as a sniper, residing in heat land last year, in their championship year. lil nate only lasted one shaq season in boston. not sure but i dont think he even made it to their post season roster.
doc
March 27th, 2012
9:39 am
oops see vava already supplied the info specifically eddie house the lefty sharp shooter related in marriage to mike bibby. the guys i hated to see of the bench were powe, posey and tony allen as much as house or big baby. they were destroyers.
drmaryb.[*_*].
March 27th, 2012
9:39 am
Seeing RED!
“doc, the ownership spent 2milion on a steak house?” -slimjr-
_____
Beat that drum slimjr until a hole appears. This is the type of non basketball related revenue that irks the hard core fans! We don’t go to the Arena to eat over priced, poisoned steaks – we don’t want none!
Give uS some real beef – a bonafide big man. How long must we cry out in pain?
Slimjr
March 27th, 2012
9:41 am
“slimj, it is like blaming a farmer for how monsanto and the government, our elected officials, have placed the gmo groceries in front of us where we have little choice but to eat it and poison our children and ourselves along with the ecology, while hiding behind lobbyists dollars for their greed and i might add avarice because they know it is wrong. that is what i really get upset about.”
And thats what so evil about it doc..The leaders are purposely poisoning the environment to control the population and gain riches while at it…They worship their devils on Saturday and then go to church on Sunday.. What a sad joke…
BTW, Fluoridation of water does not lower cavities in teeth, but does low IQ’s….Hmmmmmm
drmaryb.[*_*].
March 27th, 2012
9:45 am
Thanks doc, I totally forgot about Eddie House.
Melvin from yesterday, also thanks for the Doc Rivers correction, I forgot he coached for The Magic and was fired and landed in Boston before the big three revealed the NEW MODEL to the trophy case.
You guys are awesome. We keep each other on point, that’s good for everyone.
Keep it coming fellas! We finally got a decent bench, then a key starter goes down! Tough luck!
Slimjr
March 27th, 2012
9:46 am
The Hawks need a destroyer in the middle not a pretty boy….
Najeh Davenpoop
March 27th, 2012
9:49 am
Grandad, you are not the only one talking about bulging… disks.
Slimjr
March 27th, 2012
9:49 am
lower^^
doc
March 27th, 2012
9:51 am
yeah slimj, i know and i bought into it for years. the man who did the research to get fluoridation in immediately realized his error and spent the rest of his life trying to undo what he had wrought. fluoride deposits in your pineal glands affect sleep as well. yup calcified. now, think products with phosphorus is going to save bones? another hoax for the malady of “osteoporosis”, that exercise and good bone soups wont cure, served by fosamax and similar drugs that only poison good cells and make the bone brittle for worse fractures, dont change fracture rates significantly and the phosphorus integrates into the bone to make it look better and more dense. uh dont get me started, but i think you did. heh heh
vava74
March 27th, 2012
9:52 am
drmaryb,
Correction: counting with Big Baby, BOS had 12 live bodies*, not 11.
* I think Casell was already dead by the time they reached the post season, so “live” has to be taken lightly.
doc
March 27th, 2012
9:57 am
way too funny najeh.
DawgNole
March 27th, 2012
9:59 am
doc: “i dont think the team is who should be taken to task over the trips to the finals, which for the record hasnt occurred since 69-70 season . . . .”
_______________________
Don’t know where your info is coming from, but it’s wrong. For the record, the team hasn’t been to the NBA finals since 1961 (St Louis), when they lost to the Celtics 4 games to 1. And they haven’t been past the second round of the playoffs since arriving in ATL in 1968. A record of futility matched by very, very few.
doc
March 27th, 2012
10:02 am
with the advent of the tech world disc’s became disk’s i guess. back in the old days of school i think it was a disc out of alignment could give pain to the lower back and extremities. maybe there was a freudian reason.
doc
March 27th, 2012
10:04 am
dawgnole, maybe they got it wrong here:
http://www.nbauniverse.com/teams/records_atlanta_hawks.htm
my source.
horkheimer
March 27th, 2012
10:05 am
Back to MC’s topic: I actually think injuries have helped the Hawks in some ways. Losing Al has brought Zaza to the fore, and while he’s not perfect, he has definitely stepped up his game. Losing Joe for 6 games made Smoove the center of the offense, and I believe that’s what brought Kirk and Teague together as starters–a lineup that seems to work quite well. And Joe’s return has pushed Marvin to the bench, hopefully for the rest of the season, because he does seem much more consistent coming off the bench (we saw some of that last year, but then LD put him back in the starting lineup.)
Also, there was a quote from Joe where he said he thought being out helped him see his team and his role on the team better–and if his performance since his return is any indication, then maybe it did. (Also, I don’t think Ivan would have emerged so rapidly if not for injuries.)
And I think LD is a better coach than he was before all this. He seems more willing to stick with what works (eg the Teague-Hinrich lineup, Marvin on the bench) and less prone to lapse back into ISO Joe.
Of course, it would be nice to have Al back, or at least have someone more useful than Twin or Dampier at backup center. But all in all, I’d say the players and head coach have grown a lot through this adversity.
doc
March 27th, 2012
10:10 am
dawgnole, you spoke conference finals and i was assuming you meant ecf or wcf. maybe i misunderstood the context then. yes, i know it has been a long time coming. and with the basg it will last a long time further.
btw, i will repeat again and folks here for years know i cant stand the basg. laugh at their gaffs and their asinine marketing of entertainment and second round for three years. at least after last year they had to stop the we continue to improve in wins each year. basg suck, the efforts of this years hawks may be special.
vava74
March 27th, 2012
10:12 am
Najeh,
The deadliest sniper in the blog
doc
March 27th, 2012
10:13 am
i call the “finals” the championship finals between conference champions for the record not conference finals, okay? i may have thought you had referred to it as conference finals.
anyway, until 70 for 15 years the hawks were among the best, maybe they resembled the braves run but they were a good franchise until they came to atl and were raped by the aba.
Najeh Davenpoop
March 27th, 2012
10:15 am
“My preview of the whole stretch until the playoffs: 9 W – 7 L”
I will go 10-6.
7 of the remaining 16 games, including tonight’s game, are against below-.500 teams. Six of those are against some of the league’s worst teams — CHA, DET, and TOR twice each. Two more of those games are against the .500 Knicks likely without Amare, and one more is against Orlando who the Hawks have owned under LD. I realize they already lost at Detroit and the Knicks give this team problems, but on paper those are 10 games that the Hawks should win.
I wouldn’t put it past this team to drop one of those winnable games — likely one game to the Knicks — but I also wouldn’t put it past them to beat at least one of the above-.500 teams they play (PHI, CHI, BOS x2, LAC, DAL). 10 of the remaining 16 games are at home. More importantly, out of the 9 games against teams .500 and above, 6 are at home, and one of the road games is the game at Orlando.
I am guessing they will beat all the below .500 teams, split with the Knicks, beat Philly, and lose to all the other above .500 teams. Really I think they have a good chance at splitting with Boston and beating the Clippers, but I’ll keep my expectations reasonable.
10-6 would make them 40-26 on the season, which would be their second best regular season record with this group of players (after the 53 win 2009-10 season).
Najeh Davenpoop
March 27th, 2012
10:16 am
^I meant they will beat Philly and Orlando among the above-.500 teams.
Slimjr
March 27th, 2012
10:18 am
well as everyone knows the playoff is a whole other animal.. The Defense on the perimeter steps up big time, you’ll have a easier time finding a needle in a haystack than finding a wide open jumpshot!
Ask Joe about playoff perimeter defense.. Josh will have a horrific time out there on the perimeter..Stay tuned…
DawgNole
March 27th, 2012
10:19 am
My response to SteveW is apparently stuck in your filter, MC. No obvious reason for it. Would appreciate it if you could check. Thanks.
drmaryb.[*_*].
March 27th, 2012
10:23 am
Najeh man! How do you continuously find this stuff? Hilarious link … I guess we know what was on this guys mind. LMBO
DawgNole
March 27th, 2012
10:24 am
doc
March 27th, 2012
10:04 am
dawgnole, maybe they got it wrong here:
http://www.nbauniverse.com/teams/records_atlanta_hawks.htm
my source.
______________________
Nothing wrong with your source, but that references the Western DIVISION finals. I’m talking about the NBA finals–the one that really counts.
Fact remains that the Hawks have not made it out of the second round of the playoffs since coming to ATL, and that will hang over their heads unless and until they win a league championship.
Slimjr
March 27th, 2012
10:24 am
doc: for you,
“Fluoride is produced as a toxic waste by product of many types of industries such as aluminum, glass, steel, fertilizers, and cement. Fluoride was regarded as an environmental pollutant before 1945. At that time fluoride was responsible for any lawsuits against the aluminum industry and the phosphate fertilizer industry. Fluoride destroyed crops and killed animals. It was found that fluoride was a toxic environmental pollutant that had to be reduced or eliminated from the environment. It had to be disposed of but manufacturers would have had to pay millions to dispose of it properly. So what did they decide to do to get rid of fluoride? Why, put it in the drinking water of course.
Make no mistake about it fluoride is a poison. As early as the 1984 issue of Clinical Toxicology of Commercial Products listed fluoride as being more poisonous than lead and only slightly less poisonous than arsenic. It had been used as a pesticide for rats and mice yet Andrew Mellon who was Secretary of the U.S. Treasury with jurisdiction over Public Health Services and founder of ALCOA. promoted it as being good for teeth in small amounts. The family owned, Mellon Institute had Dr. Gerald Cox on the staff had researched the effects of fluoride on human physiology. The company was under contract with major corporations that produced fluoride and soon promotionally skewed data about fluoride reducing tooth decay was published. Dr. Cox convinced a Wisconsin dentist, J. J. Frisch, to promote fluoridated water. This was the beginning of the big lie about fluoride”.
Slimjr
March 27th, 2012
10:29 am
They targeted big Cities with minority populations……Hmmmm
DawgNole
March 27th, 2012
10:32 am
Najeh: “. . . but on paper those are 10 games that the Hawks should win . . . .”
_____________________
I sure am glad you italicized that “should,” Najeh.
doc
March 27th, 2012
10:33 am
MC, not sure if the stats dont suggest there are hidden nuggets on the bench and depth rather than that of true losses. it is only manpower loss that is made up by efforts, unearthed talents and guile. teague got his start because of a hammy or would still be buried instead of thought of as a player that might be able to hold the fort while hinrich healed his shoulder. the panic button might have been pressed otherwise to force an untimely trade.
as many have pointed out, it may have forced ld to rearrange the players into a configuration that best suited them all along, jj at the three, teague with more time to develop into the flow of a game, hinrich more at the two spot, instead of forcing his game to be that of a point guard, getting lost in the lane trying to penetrate as he used to but cant anymore. it put marvin on the bench! ld had to play ivan more and zaza was getting required minutes to relax and play a total game instead of looking for the hook or being more of a single role player rather than a complete player.
in our case injuries have helped round the team out into strengths rather than weaknesses. fortunately, there isnt an over matched mo evans at either of his position to put into the game or a woody to only see very narrow opportunities and try to reach with a player.
Rod from College Park
March 27th, 2012
10:41 am
“well as everyone knows the playoff is a whole other animal.. The Defense on the perimeter steps up big time, you’ll have a easier time finding a needle in a haystack than finding a wide open jumpshot!
Ask Joe about playoff perimeter defense.. Josh will have a horrific time out there on the perimeter..Stay tuned…”
Cosign.
vava74
March 27th, 2012
10:47 am
Rod from College Park
March 27th, 2012
10:41 am
You can co-sign that as well for Jamal’s performance against CHI last year
drmaryb.[*_*].
March 27th, 2012
10:48 am
Chicken George!
There is a man in Roswell, GA that lives Near my practice. He has a high value property nestled amongst hand clipped lawns and sprawling landscapes.
For over 20 years the neighbors without an Association has filed grievances to shut this man down. His property is riddles with nasty, filthy, clucking, stinking chickens and makes The Beverly Hillbillies look respectable. Yesterday, the Marshalls arrived to usher an eviction warrant.
When they approached the front door, the “chicken man”, (as he was called) set off a TNT Explosion and not only blew up his home, his chickens and his own azz – I think he tried to blow up the Marshall’s too.
Here’s my point: Coach Drew reminds me of the late “chicken man” (who died yesterday). I would like to see coach play Horford and Zaza beside one another next year on a stater’s level, game in and game out and give us that size in the paint we yearn for. Like Gasol and Bynum in LA. We all cried for this before Al went down, but that would force the ASKG to get a back up for zaza and, they won’t spend the money as we know. Marvin rides the bench, Josh moves to SF, Joe at SG and Teague can grow at the point. That would be the biggest team in the NBA at all 5 positions and very long and athletic. Kirk could back up Joe and Pargo for Teague.
Before Drew does this? He would rather plant the TNT! That is why I would like to see him exit after this season. We need a strategist in that first chair, not an attritional activist.
Oh well … There’s always next year, or is there? I remember John Smoltz saying after their last exit from the World Series saying, “We’ll be back next year!”. Well, next year never came. Glavine, Maddox and Smoltz were done forever and, we’re still waiting for the elusive Braves next year that never came around again. Their window of opportunity had slammed shut and, they didn’t even realize it. Tragic! Just Tragic!
hawkville
March 27th, 2012
10:53 am
3-1 over the next four games, stop underestimating the Hawks.