Atlanta Hawks: Better health, easier schedule to finish season
The Hawks’ spirits were noticeably high at practice today, and that was true even before rookie Ivan Johnson (belatedly) sang “Happy Birthday” (badly) to Larry Drew.
Jannero Pargo was back at practice 17 days after his appendectomy. Al Horford participated in non-contact team drills for the first time since his Jan. 17 pectoral surgery. Everyone seemed refreshed and rejuvenated after two days off–even Tracy McGrady was laughing, joking and engaged.
Maybe it was the convergence of rest, better health and the easing of the schedule that had the Hawks (mostly) ditching the “one game at a time” mantra and actually casting an eye on the East standings to contemplate where they might finish.
“Everybody is right there,” Drew said. “As I told the coaches, this thing is going to jump around from now until the end the way we are all bunched up. Some schedules are favorable, some guys are out on the road quite a bit. Some are home. Some are half and half. It’s going to be interesting how this thing shakes loose.”
Joe Johnson, normally among his team’s toughest critics, allowed that he “feels pretty good” about their chances.
“We’ve managed to hold our own,” he said.
In fact, Joe went so far as to declare the Hawks have the easiest path to a strong finish among the teams vying for playoff positioning behind the Bulls and Heat.
“I think we are in favor coming down the stretch as far as other teams we are competing with,” he said. “We just have to come out and take care of business.”
He’s probably right about that. A breakdown of the finishing schedules for the top eight in the East:
| Team (record) | Games left (home) | Opponent win % |
|---|---|---|
| Bulls (42-13) | 11 (6) | .516 |
| Heat (37-14) | 15 (10) | .486 |
| Magic (32-21) | 13 (5) | .491 |
| Celtics (30-22) | 14 (6) | .545 |
| Pacers (31-21) | 14 (10) | .482 |
| Hawks (31-23) | 12 (8) | .429 |
| Sixers (29-23) | 13 (4) | .471 |
| Knicks (27-26) | 13 (5) | .521 |
The Hawks might finally be in relatively good health the rest of the way.
Pargo said he expects to play against Charlotte tomorrow. Vladimir Radmanovic (back) is doubtful tomorrow after participating in a portion of practice today but Drew reports: “I spoke to him said this is the best back has felt in a while.” Jerry Stackhouse (personal) is expected to be available tomorrow.
Pargo was relentlessly cheery as always even a couple days after his emergency surgery so you can imagine his mood today. He said he’d been working out on his own the last three days.
“I’m trying to get my legs underneath me and get my wind back,” he said. “It will probably take a couple games to get my rhythm back and into the flow of the game. I think the main thing is to get back into playing shape.”
With both Pargo and Willie Green back in the fold, Drew can stabilize the backcourt rotation.
“It gives us a little bit more flexibility,” Drew said. “I don’t have to pile up the minutes on both Kirk [Hinrich] and Jeff [Teague]. We are really happy we get [Pargo] back.”
There’s no change in Horford’s status from what he said a few days ago: He won’t return until the playoffs, if that, and he doubts he would be at full strength if he does play.
Horford was watching practice from the sidelines by the time media types were allowed in and later had ice on the surgically-repaired area. But his presence, along with Pargo’s return and the days off, seemed to contribute to the overall positive vibe.
“It feels great, man,” Joe said. “To see Al out here competing and having fun, I think it gives everybody some energy and some hope and hopefully we can get him back.”
Michael Cunningham, Hawks beat
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118 comments Add your comment
Melvin
April 4th, 2012
4:01 pm
SteveW,
You didn’t get the sarcasm in my statement…
AstroJoe,
Maybe the spirit of being 0-45 (that’s constantly repeated on this blog) is starting too rubbed off on some of the Hawks fans. Atlanta Hawks fans shouldn’t be blogging about anything relevant to NBA Basketball b/c they never won a championship….
Sautee
April 4th, 2012
4:06 pm
“Any success will be welcomed but it is a shame that it would also would mean success for LD.”
Now there is the very definition of hater-ade. It’s a shame when the coach of your favorite team succeeds?
Rusty, you are a hopeless hater.
ahawk
April 4th, 2012
4:29 pm
Hope Horford gets back for the playoffs it will help some. Problem is he will be out of rhythm, not in game shape in other words he will be lucky to at 50% no matter how deep they go in the playoffs…
Grandad
April 4th, 2012
4:31 pm
Tony Wroten is not a bad kid.
‘`needs to be a little less meringue and alot more pie`’
He would be the perfect backcout mate for Teague;
as he is a combo guard who is likely to become a pg in time.
Wroten`s size 6-5.5 w/o shoes will translate to 6-7.
Alongside Teague he would eventually become the *playmaker,
*[old school for lead guard], able to defend the [two] position.
He plays with a relentless ‘`balls to the wall`’ mentality
which leads to some mistakes on both ends of the floor.
A one & done player – translated = young & inexperienced.
Many think he should have stayed in school.
*note – He is not a floor general – such as Kendall Marshall.
**2nd note – a much Bigger version of Sebastion Telfair.
It has been reported that the Hawks are enamored with this kid.
***additional note – very, very *’`left handed`’*
____________________________________________________
Rufus1
‘`with Zaza’s development we no longer need a center`’
I must disagree with this statement:
It is true – Zaza has been a blessing – but we still need
a low post scorer.
We need another rim defender; not Zaza`z forte.
Please Understand;
my disagreement with above statement had nothing to do with Zaza.
However, my wish would be that a tag team partner for zaza
that would compliment him to augment his weak points would be ideal.
____________________________________________________
My inclination for our pick [between 18 & 22] remains Andrew Nicholson.
Buddy Grizzard
April 4th, 2012
4:34 pm
It looks like I’m not the only one who has been riddled speechless by some of the wacky opinions offered today- AJ
LOL
Grandad
April 4th, 2012
4:39 pm
Sautee
_________________________________________
“Any success will be welcomed but it is a shame
that it would also would mean success for LD”
_________________________________________
I`m glad you beat me to it.
Much more eloquent than I.
Sad … really.
SteveW
April 4th, 2012
4:46 pm
Melvin – Sorry, I blew it. Missed the sarcasm. Oh well – Hope the Hawks win tonite! I don’t care if it’s by 1 in triple OT – still counts the same in the standings.
But I would prefer a 30+ pt blowout by the Hawks of course…But a win is a win.
Buddy Grizzard
April 4th, 2012
5:11 pm
“In Chicago, there’s much angst as to why the Bulls have yet to extend Tom Thibodeau, the NBA’s reigning coach of the year who took his team to the Eastern final last spring before losing to Miami. In Toronto, there’s no chatter about Casey’s extension when there should be as Casey continues to prove his worth and his impact on a team that is more D-league than NBA-ready against an equally inept Bobcats side. In fact, he’s making such a case that the Raptors should lock him up well beyond next season as more legitimate pieces are assembled. Stability has been so fleeting in Raptorland in what seems like an eternity that a known commodity in Casey simply must be locked up for good. Give him a five-year deal and send a message that a culture that demands defence will always be adhered to and enforced. In Casey, the Raptors have finally found a guy players league-wide respect.”
http://www.torontosun.com/2012/04/03/raptors-hold-off-bobcats
Anybody feeling any angst about losing LD to another NBA team?
Rev in Tampa
April 4th, 2012
6:05 pm
My daughter is going to the Hawks game tonight with a group of friends from college.
If any of you are at the game and see a group of students with Covenant College shirts/sweats tell them that Rev in Tampa said he has his eyes everywhere. Especially let the boys in the group know that the comments are directed toward them.
doc
April 4th, 2012
6:11 pm
gdad, wroten sounds like another iman shumpert who folks said about thie time of year wasnt ready and he has been huge.
Hugo
April 4th, 2012
6:14 pm
Hey James, why would you mention about Josh gaining on JJ. All that it’s going to do now is swell Josh’s head. He might start shooting 3’s from half court. DaMMN
Rufus1
April 4th, 2012
6:16 pm
Grandad,
I still think we need a “Big Man”, but I think we need a Wing playmaker more….We need a little more creativity on the Wing, and his natural talent is through the ROOF.
PS. I agree about Zaza, but I think Sund thinks Zaza/Al/Josh is enough or There will be a number a serviceable big in free agency(Ian Mahami)
Dept. of Unintended Irony
April 4th, 2012
6:24 pm
SteveW
“Northcyde – But on 82games.com it says that Joe Johnson has the highest total of winshares of people with 3 first names as part of their names. That proves right there that JJ and Marvin are considered to be 2 of the greatest SG/SF combos drafted in ‘01 and ‘06.”
Marvin Williams was drafted in 2006? You are an idiot.
The Pulse on the East Playoff Push | All New York Knicks News
April 4th, 2012
7:06 pm
[...] Atlanta HawksSeed: SixthRecord: 31-23The Latest: The Hawks’ spirits were so high at practice on Wednesday that power forward Ivan Johnson even sang “Happy Birthday” to head coach Larry Drew. There’s a big reason why. Their upcoming schedule is the easiest one out of all the teams currently in the East playoff picture. Their overall opponents’ win percentage is .429. Here’s a complete breakdown entering Tuesday’s play (from the AJC): [...]
Astro Joe
April 4th, 2012
7:10 pm
Rev, you’re asking guys on this blog to watch out for your daughter and her friends? Wow, you ARE a man of faith… much bigger than a mustard seed, too.
The Pulse on the East Playoff Push | All New York Sports
April 4th, 2012
7:23 pm
[...] Atlanta HawksSeed: SixthRecord: 31-23The Latest: The Hawks’ spirits were so high at practice on Wednesday that power forward Ivan Johnson even sang “Happy Birthday” to head coach Larry Drew. There’s a big reason why. Their upcoming schedule is the easiest one out of all the teams currently in the East playoff picture. Their overall opponents’ win percentage is .429. Here’s a complete breakdown entering Tuesday’s play (from the AJC): [...]
NoGiver
April 4th, 2012
11:40 pm
There’s one thing about T-Mac which some of you probably know already. Although he’s never played to the second round of the playoffs, he is a totally different player there. He increases his efficiency level and plays his best in every facet of his game. A hobbled T-Mac with his knees about to fall apart in 2008 playoffs scored 40 points (against the Jazz). We hope he plays better come playoff time. He’s really my x factor.
Luke Cage
April 6th, 2012
7:12 pm
new thread please