Atlanta Hawks: Hawks 116, Pistons 84
Vivlamore reporting from Philips Arena. Here is my updated game story, with quotes, for those who would like to comment.
No letdown, only a smackdown.
The Hawks erased any concern they would fall to an inferior opponent minutes into a 116-84 utter dismantling of the Pistons at Philips Arena Wednesday night. They set season-highs for points in a quarter (39) and points in a half (72) in building an early lead the Pistons had no hope of overcoming.
Consider:
- The Hawks led 39-20 after the first quarter as nine different players scored.
- They led 72-42 at the half as all 12 available players entered the scoring column. The .622 shooting percentage was the best of the first half all season. The Hawks led by as many as 37 points in the second quarter. The lead eventually reached 41 in the fourth quarter.
- Joe Johnson logged the most first-half minutes of any starter with just 12. Many starters jumped to their feet and waved towels as the reserves continued to pour it on.
- The Pistons made only 15 of 44 shots (.341) in the first half. The Pistons ended the first half with 42 points, a total the Hawks had reached with 11:28 remaining in the second quarter.
- The Philips Arena crowd even attempted the wave in the third quarter.
The Hawks (37-25) were guarding against a letdown similar to the one suffered against the Raptors on Sunday, a loss they rebounded from the following night in Toronto. They led by 10 points with 7:33 remaining in the first quarter, by 20 with 11:44 left in the second quarter and by 30 with 4:42 left in the first half.
“That’s two games in a row we came out with a lot of energy,” Hawks coach Larry Drew said. “After a poor start against Toronto as far as our energy was concerned, we came out tonight and we got off to a good start really getting up and down the floor, moving the ball well and once we started going to the bench they energy was there as well.”
The Hawks kept pace with the Celtics (37-26), Friday night’s opponent, who defeated the Magic Wednesday. On the line over the final four games is the right to host a first-round playoff series. The Hawks, currently fifth in the Eastern Conference, will try to avenge two earlier season losses to the Celtics, who currently would be their first-round playoff opponent.
“I’m not sure what happened Sunday, but we are ahead now,” Joe Johnson said. “We control our own destiny. We just have to win out and everything else will take care of itself. Every game from here on out is important. We knew we let one get away our last home game so we wanted to come out and really set the tone.”
With four home games remaining in the regular season, the Hawks are searching for consistency and momentum going into the postseason.
The Hawks have won two consecutive and six of their past eight. They won the season series with the Pistons, 3-1, and ran their home winning streak against them to eight games.
The Hawks had six players in double-figures scoring, led by Tracy McGrady with a season-high 17 points. The others were Ivan Johnson (16), Joe Johnson (13), Josh Smith (12), Marvin Williams (10) and Willie Green (10). The team also recorded a season-high 72 bench points.
“With the guys we have coming off the bench, some of them could be starters on other teams, we’ve got veteran guys that know how to play and we provide great energy on both ends,” McGrady said.
The Pistons (23-39) lost for the sixth time in eight games. They were led by Greg Monroe with 17 points. They closed the game on an 11-2 run, as they Hawks went on a stretch of 4:21 without scoring, and still lost by 32 points. They prevented the Hawks from surpassing their largest margin of victory of the season (36 points versus the Nets on Dec. 27).
“It was very important considering these last few ball games we are still playing for something,” Joe Johnson said of the fast start. “The starters came out and set the tone and the bench came in and maintained and went a little higher. That meant a lot. That means everybody was very focused and aware of what we need to accomplish.”
Mission accomplished on this night.
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121 comments Add your comment
SteveW
April 18th, 2012
11:04 pm
Good win!!
SteveW
April 18th, 2012
11:05 pm
Northcyde – I think Parker, Nash, Ellis, or DeRon get those last two spots. If they do the 1 PG, 1 SG thing for 3rd team All NBA – JJ has a slight chance, or maybe better than slight, against Monta.
SteveW
April 18th, 2012
11:06 pm
Boy that Orlando/Boston game was a playoff atmoshpere.
SteveW
April 18th, 2012
11:07 pm
Last 4 will tell it all. Win out, and Homecourt is ours. We’ll need it against Boston.
And the Bucks are sure imploding
KevinM
April 18th, 2012
11:10 pm
Collins must be the reason since he started at C.
i wanted to see if he could log 20 minutes.
SteveW
April 18th, 2012
11:17 pm
ESPN Boston is reporting that Rondo, Allen, and Pietrus may miss Friday’s game as well. That would be good news for us of course.
Grandmaster JeJe (GM)
April 18th, 2012
11:19 pm
““We have to take care of home,” said Johnson of all five remaining games at Philips Arena. “We’ve shown we can be a great team.”
Pretty sure I’ve seen Joe or another player say this exact same thing every year for the last 4 seasons
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Grandmaster JeJe (GM)
April 18th, 2012
10:46 pm
T-Mac and Ivan tonight:
Just wow. Incredible job by both gentlemen.
LinkReport this comment
Grandmaster JeJe (GM)
April 18th, 2012
10:58 pm
SMH @ Smoove throwing 2 horrendous full-court passes which weren’t even close to his teammates and then acting afterwards like it wasn’t his fault
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Grandmaster JeJe (GM)
April 18th, 2012
11:00 pm
How many And-1s does Marvin have in his career? Can’t be over 10. The guy cannot finish a play at the rim if there’s the slightest bit of contact
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Grandmaster JeJe (GM)
April 18th, 2012
11:22 pm
Can someone at AJC PLEASE LINK THE MOST RECENT BLOG TO THE TOP OF THE AJC HAWKS page? The Raptors game was 2 freaking days ago
Melvin
April 18th, 2012
11:24 pm
According to this site, the Hawks has two of the top 25 worst draft picks in the last decade. The shocking thing is Marvin did not make the list. And I lost count with how many of those picks were made by Rick Sund…
http://bleacherreport.com/articles/937861-25-worst-nba-draft-picks-of-the-last-decade/page/13
Grandmaster JeJe (GM)
April 18th, 2012
11:32 pm
Bibby got lit up by Sundiata
TMACfan
April 18th, 2012
11:41 pm
From NBA.com
McGrady continued playing well. His season-high 17 points came on 6-for-10 shooting and he added four rebounds, four assists, a steal, a blocked shot and a turnover in just 17:24. In his past three games, he has averaged 13 points, 4.7 rebounds, 3.3 assists and a steal while shooting 14-for-24 and 3-for-7 from distance. … Ditto Johnson. In his past three games, he has averaged 17 points, 8.3 rebounds with 19-for-32 shooting.
Grandmaster JeJe (GM)
April 18th, 2012
11:42 pm
Ajc Hawks page is mess. Put most recent BLOG AND NEWS AT TOP OF PAGE
Slimjr
April 18th, 2012
11:43 pm
The Vent
Vents from a slightly irrational Hawks fan
Monday, April 16, 2012
Rick Sund, We’re Over You
“So Rick Sund has reportedly been offered a new deal to remain Atlanta’s GM. This makes me sad. What has he done that leads anyone to believe he’s going to make the necessary moves to put this team over the top? Nothing. Not a damn thing. Many people like to point to the belief that he’s hamstrung by the owners, well be that as it may, he’s sticking around taking all the credit/blame for these decisions so he must be fine with them. When he’s filling out his resume, the years with the Hawks are not going to have an asterisk beside them. All of the moves or lack thereof are going to be attributed to him. So, that’s how I choose to evaluate him. He’s not a good GM. There’s plenty of evidence to support this theory. We could discuss the Joe Johnson contract, but why beat a dead horse? Let’s talk about his inability to turn expiring contracts into assets for this team. What is the point of keeping talented guys on your roster that you know damn well you’re not going to re-sign? Why was Jamal Crawford on the roster after the trade deadline last season? Why is Kirk Hinrich still on the roster right now? Speaking of Kirk Hinrich, why did it take so much to get him? Why is the Hawks bench consistently filled with NBA artifacts as opposed to young talent? These are questions that Rick Sund should have to answer, but he keeps getting a pass because ownership is so inept. Well, I’m not willing to give him a pass. He’s the GM, and no matter what’s going on with ownership, he’s accountable for these decisions. He cashes those checks bi-weekly, or however often they get paid. It’s all on him. He brought Eric Dampier here for crying out loud! They need to go in a different direction, and it sounds like he may not want to GM anymore anyway. I’m keeping my fingers crossed that he doesn’t. It’s obviously going to have to be up to him to decide when his tenure with the Hawks is over since ownership is clearly okay with the job he’s done. For what it’s worth, I’m over the Rick Sund era. If you’re a Hawks fan, you should be too.”
RETIRE SUND!!!!!!!!!!!!!
jamal crawford fan
April 18th, 2012
11:45 pm
It might not have been a blessing in disguise the tmac benching throughout the season. He is now fresh and looking like a weapon. I think his body feels good because of the extra rest and should be a devestating weapon off the bench . Scoring with his playmaking ,rebounding , vet leadershp and expierence not many teams in the playoffs will have a guy with his all round packiage coming off the bench.
Slimjr
April 18th, 2012
11:47 pm
SteveW
April 18th, 2012
11:17 pm
“ESPN Boston is reporting that Rondo, Allen, and Pietrus may miss Friday’s game as well. That would be good news for us of course.”
Those guys will be ready come playoff time and we know that Pietrus is an ISO shutdown specialist….sigh……..
Joe Piskepo
April 18th, 2012
11:47 pm
will horford be available 4 playoffs
SteveW
April 18th, 2012
11:48 pm
Clips Tickets are as low as $10.00 for next weeks game at stubhub
Mavs $12.00
Playoff tix starting at $18.00 – I know it’s the bleeds man, but if you ain’t got much cash you can still maybe afford a game.
Go Hawks!
Slimjr
April 18th, 2012
11:48 pm
32 lackluster years..GET OUT OF THE GAME AND GO FISHING!
TMACfan
April 18th, 2012
11:51 pm
I’m calling it, TMAC gonna take a dump on the Dallas Mavericks.
He hates that team.
SteveW
April 18th, 2012
11:52 pm
Slim – I know. And Boston has like 4 days off after they play us, so they’ll bring it Friday even without those guys.
And the way Bradley’s been playing, and he’s only 21, I’m not sure he doesn’t get added to that list of up and coming SG’s being talked about earlier today. He’s only Teague’s size, but plays good D and starting to light it up on O. 10-14 tonite.
And Paul Pierce has been playing awesome the last couple of nites. That’s why he’s a superstar, and JJ’s a star.
Pierce is one of those guys that folks on this blog can pick apart his numbers etc., but in a tough game, and at crunch time, I want him on my team.
sebastian
April 18th, 2012
11:56 pm
Will drew admit his mistake regarding tmac?
SteveW
April 18th, 2012
11:56 pm
JJ, Josh, Teague, ZaZa, TMac, and Ivan can do some damage in the playoffs.
Kirk, Marvin, Green, and Pargo are decent time fillers, who may give you something on occasion.
Vlad, Collins, Stack – not so much.
Where’s Dampier?? Maybe he got on LD’s bad side also. A 40 point blowout in the 4th, and he still doesn’t touch the floor? Wow.
Rev in Tampa
April 18th, 2012
11:56 pm
This is off-subject but well worth two minutes of your time. I was flabbergasted, horrified, and amused all at the same time. I sent it to some of my church members.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=HLXW_Y0S4-c
Rev in Tampa
April 18th, 2012
11:57 pm
I sent it to my church members with a sense of humor. Otherwise I might be fired.
SteveW
April 18th, 2012
11:58 pm
I know we want ZaZa healthy, but who would have thought that maybe TMac and Ivan were the keys to our Postseason, ZaZa and Al or not?
And props to Teague and Josh – Every game this compressed season, they’ve played. Good job.
Slimjr
April 18th, 2012
11:58 pm
SteveW, Paul Pierce is Mr Clutch forever! Love his game! Wish we had him too!
I’d take him over ISO every day all day. This guy shows up for the big games. The other guy not so much anymore……
SteveW
April 19th, 2012
12:00 am
Teague, TMac, JJ, and Josh on the floor at the same time is a tough guard for any team. Now who for the 5th guy – Ivan, ZaZa, Marvin, Kirk, Willie, Pargo?
Slimjr
April 19th, 2012
12:02 am
“Where’s Dampier?? Maybe he got on LD’s bad side also. A 40 point blowout in the 4th, and he still doesn’t touch the floor? Wow.”
Oh you did not get the memo? Dampier is hurt.He hurt his calf lifting a Jersey Mike Sub…Sheesh…….
Its Ivan and Collins at the 5 now.. Good luck!
Rev in Tampa
April 19th, 2012
12:08 am
Iol at the fakericksund twitter:
“We just beat the Pistons by 37 points. They just beat the Cavs by 39 points. Therefore we will beat the Cavs by 76 points”
Slimjr
April 19th, 2012
12:08 am
“The Grace Factor – FU (Forgive You!)”
Awesome Rev!!!!!!!!! LOL! I need to FU some of my people!
I FU Big Lou too…..
SteveW
April 19th, 2012
12:13 am
Pierce is 34. We can only hope JJ ages that well. Pierce has actually upped his game this season over the past 2.
And on back to backs against two playoff teams, he gets to the Line – 30 times in two games!! And makes 28 of them. And it’s not all on the refs either, come on, give me a break.
Shoots 20-33 from the field – including 4-6 from trey line last nite.
And dishes for 14 assists tonite with Rondo down.
The dude is a beast, especially in clutch time. Marvin, Kirk and a 1st pick – I wonder if the C’s would have taken that deal at the deadline? I doubt it.
But it would’ve been nice having him in the playoffs. Teague, JJ, PP, Josh, and ZaZa, with Ivan and TMac off the bench – it woulda been sweet.
Oh well, maybe TMac will blow our minds – and Ivan also. TMac certainly looks fluid out there.
fluke cage
April 19th, 2012
12:16 am
aye man ivan 9 to 5 ras kass mr mean johnson is a cot damn beast he needs to play like he played tonight every time he steps on the court.
doc
April 19th, 2012
12:23 am
rev, loved it and i say f u to you bro. all of y’all even the haters. heh heh
High-sider
April 19th, 2012
12:37 am
jamal crawford fan
April 18th, 2012
11:45 pm
It might not have been a blessing in disguise the tmac benching throughout the season. He is now fresh and looking like a weapon. I think his body feels good because of the extra rest and should be a devestating weapon off the bench . Scoring with his playmaking ,rebounding , vet leadershp and expierence not many teams in the playoffs will have a guy with his all round packiage coming off the bench.
——————————————————————————–
@jamal crawford fan
Is that you, Rod from College Park? [LOL]
High-sider
April 19th, 2012
12:39 am
@jamal crawford fan
You can run but you can’t hide. [LOL]
Najeh Davenpoop
April 19th, 2012
12:40 am
“Teague, TMac, JJ, and Josh on the floor at the same time is a tough guard for any team. Now who for the 5th guy – Ivan, ZaZa, Marvin, Kirk, Willie, Pargo?”
To be honest, the way Zaza has played this year, I would have framed that question by saying Teague/Joe/Josh/Zaza gives you 4 quality players on the floor, so look for a 5th guy to join them. At this point I really have no idea how much of T-Mac’s sporadic playing time is related to injuries, how much is related to poor practice habits, and how much is related to LD’s incompetence. But if he is capable of playing every game like he played this one — and he has generally played well when given more than spot minutes — then there’s no reason why he can’t be that 5th guy.
The problem is that he is so instrumental in the bench’s ability to score that moving him into the starting 5 might not benefit the team as a whole.
There is no perfect solution to this problem, because this roster is unbalanced with respect to positions (too many guards, not enough big men). At least in the playoffs, though, I would start Ivan, bring T-Mac off the bench, and let T-Mac finish games with the starters (like he did in the early season road win at Miami). Against Boston, going with this bigger lineup allows the Hawks to dictate matchups rather than vice versa. Joe will be matched up on someone he can post up, the Celtics will pay on the glass if they put KG on Josh, and since Ray Allen comes off the bench now, the Hawks should bring Kirk off the bench since he is the Hawks player most comfortable chasing players around screens.
Starters Teague-Joe-Josh-Ivan-Zaza
Bench Pargo-Green-Kirk-TMac-Marvin (not all playing at the same time)
Finishers Teague-Joe-TMac-Josh-(whoever between Ivan and Zaza has played better or matches up better in any given game)
Spectators Collins, Dampier, Vlad
Najeh Davenpoop
April 19th, 2012
12:41 am
^And if Al can give the Hawks anything at all in the playoffs, that bench becomes so much better even if all Al does is stand around knocking down mid range jumpers coming off the bench.
sebastian
April 19th, 2012
12:45 am
Not one comment of praise for McGrady by Drew in his press conference. not one. What a bitter ass clown
Rod from College Park
April 19th, 2012
12:52 am
Not me High-sider. I’m not that big a fan of his, Just a realist.
sam
April 19th, 2012
1:10 am
I was at the game, so I didn’t see postgame, but Sebastian’s comment that Drew didn’t mention TMac in his press conference is extremely disappointing and, unfortunately, I agree that he is a classless, bitter ass clown. He’s done the same thing to Teague most of the season, acting like he plays well occasionally, when he’s done a terrific job all season. Too bad he can’t be up for rookie of the year, since, like I’ve said in the past, that’s really what he has been this season. TMac has done a heck of a job for us as well and looked GREAT tonight. It’s a shame we seem to have some weirdo, classless coach who has been very lucky his players have risen above him this year for a terrific season, even without Al. Most people thought we would go nowhere without Al, and look what they’ve, with the constant help of our true ALLSTAR – JOSH SMITH, accomplished. Had he and our management showed any class at all, they would have pushed for his ALLSTAR status to finally be validated after three years of getting screwed. The guys all seemed pretty together tonight, cheering for one another. A real camaraderie – and, I agree with you, Sebastian, Tracy is key to this run. The players know this. Maybe Drew needs to be hit over the head with it. I don’t think he realizes how “lucky” he’s been to have players to rise above him. They also encourage Teague and Ivan – where are you Larry? What are you doing?
drmaryb.[*_*].
April 19th, 2012
1:11 am
Najeh
I love your game plan, problem is IDK if zaza is a go. We are not hearing any information from the beat writers and, the org is keeping his true level of injury under wraps for some reason.
The foot has basically no muscles in it. 27 bones, a gazillion ligaments which encapsulates those 13 bone joints and 5 tendons which meshes the muscles into the small bones. truly a complex/matrix of 13,14 intersections coming together. The hind foot is attached to the distal tibia and fibula and achilles tendon.
Zaza has been laboring with the calf muscle, which has been very weak since returning from playing in Georgia this summer all year. His achilles tendon has been swollen and sore all year, which is probably what caused his foot to be susceptible to this sprain. They should have MRI-ed him already and, put him in a walking boot and ice baths, no muscle stim should be used. Ultra-Sound may return him to us in weeks. If they have not done this, then the medical staff should be fired too.
I’m very concerned about zaza’s return najeh. I can not pencil him in as of yet. What is your plan B, because I loved your plan A. should we waive Eric and pick up a D-leaguer to back up Ivan and Collins? Because, IMHO, zaza has waned under the brutal schedule. He may be ready for round 2 if the medical staff do their job and, we get lucky. zaza should not be walking bare foot right now at all. Get him booted.
TMACfan
April 19th, 2012
1:15 am
LD in the post game talked about JJ being explosive and Jeff and Josh playing well.
Not a word about TMAC….
Slimjr
April 19th, 2012
1:18 am
MEMO TO LARRY DREW, PLAY THE MAN!!!!!! PUT YOUR ISH aside and play T-Mac 25-30 mins per game in the Playoffs..ISO will be targeted to be neutralized..He will need help offensively big time!!
GO FU(Forgive You) WOODY AND T-Mac! You’ll feel better….
drmaryb.(*_*).
April 19th, 2012
1:19 am
Tucsan Sam!
You ever hear of paragraphs? Break that post up man so, the old people can read it on a smart phone … looks like a runaway train got loose and jumped the tracks.
I’d love to read what you had to say, but I can’t. (smile)
Slimjr
April 19th, 2012
1:20 am
TMACfan
April 19th, 2012
1:15 am
“LD in the post game talked about JJ being explosive and Jeff and Josh playing well.
Not a word about TMAC…”
Kinda like how he treats Woody…Not a word..Sad little man….
drmaryb.[*_*].
April 19th, 2012
1:25 am
The main foot muscle is basically the plantar padding. Does anyone know what happened to zaza’s foot? The MOI, (mechanism of injury) did someone step on his planted foot and he rolled his ankle. I never saw/heard what happened.
Slimjr
April 19th, 2012
1:28 am
When I heard the reason why he suspended Ivan, I almost hit the roof! This dude is extremely insecure…
Slimjr
April 19th, 2012
1:35 am
I did not see the play ZaZa hurt his foot..I’m afraid it maybe a lot worse the injury..Why else would they keep it such a secret around these parts?
Sund really screwed up with his lack of quality big men acquisitions…He should have known this compressed season would take its toll on the players..Especially the bigs…..
damienwilko
April 19th, 2012
1:51 am
It’s quiet a shame if he had(Drew) the intelligence requierd as a head to put you’re personal feelings aside and concentratye of the big picture and played Tmac earlier, our win count would surly be higher meaning better position and playoff matchup then what we probaly will get.
drmaryb.(*_*).
April 19th, 2012
1:53 am
Barkley’s Rant!
SlimJr, I just wanna’ give Sir Charles a shout out for turning our season around with his TNT rant! He called out everybody on national TV and threw “no clue drew” under the Ivan Greyhound bus for saying something stupid:
“I need to find some minutes for Ivan.”
WTH? Find some minutes, when the whole team was playing like a soft boiled egg? Drew is so weak, he posted Barkley’s comments on the white board to embarrass them into playing harder. That old dog had run outa’ trix?
So yeah, Barkley lit a fire under this team and Ivan gets suspended for yelling at his team mates about their effort. No clue drew should have sent himself home, like 11 secret service men in Colombia who can’t srape up $60 between two guys to pay one TRIX. Busted!
Ladies! Collect your fees up front and ‘Bite Em off if they don’t pay. Who on here likes a “cheap azz” or, should I ask, a “cheap piece of azz”?
Dimes cost about 1K – 2K per hour for full service, last I checked. LOL!
____________
Aye Drew! Stop mind-fkg the players and:
LEAVE TMAC ALONE!
LEAVE IVAN ALONE!
LEAVE TEAGUE ALONE!
drmaryb.(*_*).
April 19th, 2012
2:18 am
Swimming Pool!
I would alson put zaza in a swimming pool, on his belly, hands on the side walls and, let him paddle his feet three sessions per day for about 300 total reps @ 100 ea.
Warm dead sea salts foot soaks. Bio-Freeze analgesic rubbing gel for pain. Anti-InflammatorY (NSAIDS) for pain after pool work, RICE (rest, ice, compression, elevate).
Mommy hugs and, Ben & Jerry’s (Chunkey Monkey) Ice Cream. LOL. I’m sure SlimJr would throw in a couple of “shoe models” to add to that.
Better yet, just send zaza to the Phoenix Suns training room, they got a 50K cryotherapy chamber. They’ll just freese his azz and use some rubber bands. LOL!
________
Nique’s “ole girl” works for The Dream front office, she gave me her card and has the hook up on “Hawks Tickets” I’ll check on the play offs tickets availability and, let yawl know wassup for premium seating options.
Peace Out.
Grandad
April 19th, 2012
3:06 am
T-Mac
Low post Scorer
Secret Weapon for the play-offs
High-sider
April 19th, 2012
3:08 am
The Atlanta Hawks Franchise and its fans should push/lobby for Jeff Teague to be [voted as] MIP [Most Improved Player] of the Year. FU [Forget you] Ryan Anderson.
BTW, the Hawks are [currently] last in attendance. [smh]
http://www.basketball-reference.com/teams/ATL/2012.html
clay
April 19th, 2012
3:39 am
These guys are looking pretty deep. All of the injuries over the season might be a blessing in disguise, since it gave the bench guys a lot of minutes.
Big Lou
April 19th, 2012
5:06 am
If LD had half a brain for the game against Boston, this would be the starting lineup(the could be a test lineup in case they don’t have Zaza for the playoffs):
Teague
JJ
Tmac
Marvin(Gaurds Pierce very well)
Josh
Have Kirk come off the bench to gaurd Ray Allen. The rest is plug in play. Since Doc likes to take out KG at the five minute mark, LD can put Ivan on him off the bench.
Josh can handle KG on the outside to prevent that long jumper, and since KG isn’t that big, can handle him on the post. He just has to be physical on him off the ball to prevent a post under the basket. Zaza is a horrible option on him anyways, since he doesn’t like to gaurd the outside shot. Collins is too slow, as well.
I know I can hear the collective grunts with Marvin starting, but he would add length and defense to the starting unit.
That would be my ‘plan B’ without Zaza.
Big Lou
April 19th, 2012
5:06 am
this could be*
Big Lou
April 19th, 2012
5:34 am
“To be honest, the way Zaza has played this year, I would have framed that question by saying Teague/Joe/Josh/Zaza gives you 4 quality players on the floor, so look for a 5th guy to join them. At this point I really have no idea how much of T-Mac’s sporadic playing time is related to injuries, how much is related to poor practice habits, and how much is related to LD’s incompetence. But if he is capable of playing every game like he played this one — and he has generally played well when given more than spot minutes — then there’s no reason why he can’t be that 5th guy.”
I agree Tmac should start over Kirk, especially since he can gaurd Ray Allen off the bench; but is Zaza truly the answer to KG? Zaza is horrible guarding the outside shot, so maybe having Marvin on Pierce/Josh on KG would be better. They had to switch to that the previous game because Zaza was getting owned, remember? That’s how they stopped the Celtics a ton of times in a row.
“The problem is that he is so instrumental in the bench’s ability to score that moving him into the starting 5 might not benefit the team as a whole.”
In the playoffs(thinking ahead here) the rotations are small, anyways. So, I don’t think the bench scoring would be an issue without Tmac. The main priority is to prevent the main five from scoring.
“There is no perfect solution to this problem, because this roster is unbalanced with respect to positions (too many guards, not enough big men). At least in the playoffs, though, I would start Ivan, bring T-Mac off the bench, and let T-Mac finish games with the starters (like he did in the early season road win at Miami). Against Boston, going with this bigger lineup allows the Hawks to dictate matchups rather than vice versa. Joe will be matched up on someone he can post up, the Celtics will pay on the glass if they put KG on Josh, and since Ray Allen comes off the bench now, the Hawks should bring Kirk off the bench since he is the Hawks player most comfortable chasing players around screens.”
Is there really a problem? Maybe the C position issue the Hawks are having is a blessing in disguise. Look at my starting line up and tell me that wouldn’t work. You still have length to rebound, plus defense that can shut down their starters.
“Starters Teague-Joe-Josh-Ivan-Zaza
Bench Pargo-Green-Kirk-TMac-Marvin (not all playing at the same time)
Finishers Teague-Joe-TMac-Josh-(whoever between Ivan and Zaza has played better or matches up better in any given game)
Spectators Collins, Dampier, Vlad”
Starters: Teague, JJ, Tmac, Marvin, Josh
Bench: Kirk, Ivan, Zaza, Green, Pargo
If it’s an eight man rotation, it shouldn’t be an issue. The starting five are what truly matters.
Big Lou
April 19th, 2012
5:35 am
Of course, this lineup will only work against the Celts.
drmaryb.(*_*).
April 19th, 2012
5:50 am
Najeh and Biggie Lou!
I love Najeh’s game plan A and the reasons for it.
I love Biggie Lou’s comments to that and his rationale too for plan B.
Great posts. The caveat is a healthy Zaza, my fingers are crossed. I’m just concerned because no one elaborate on the details and level of severity.
Did anyone see what happened to him? That concerns m$e most, because something could have just popped loose in that foot without any contact ore MOI.
Sort of like saying, I was chewing gum and my disc blew out in my back when I went to spit it out. Oh well.
drmaryb.(*_*).
April 19th, 2012
5:53 am
* because no one has elaborated on …
Big Daddy
April 19th, 2012
6:11 am
Great win for the guys over an inferior opponent. They did a good job of passing the ball and attacking the rim.
Dr. Mary B, on Zaza. Marvin fell down as Zaza had turned to run down court and fell on his lower leg twisting his ankle. Bizarre, unfortunate incident.
brigadierjerry
April 19th, 2012
6:22 am
Well barring anything crazy, it will be Celtics Hawks in the playoff series only thing is to determine who gets homecourt. I actually like the Hawks bench better than the Celtics bench. It is interesting to see the extent of zaza injury.
Big Lou
April 19th, 2012
6:31 am
I think Zaza is just being held out for the playoffs. I doubt the injury is THAT serious. Yet, it does give an opportunity for LD to use the bench more, which can help in the long run.
Buddy Grizzard
April 19th, 2012
6:37 am
Has anybody heard any follow up since I posted about the Toronto color analyst revealing the reason behind Ivan’s suspension? Has anyone with the Hawks or the AJC addressed it?
BIG DOG
April 19th, 2012
6:50 am
Great win by the Hawks.
BIG DOG IN THE HOUSE
BIG DOG
April 19th, 2012
6:57 am
LD has the best bench in the NBA, don’t change up come playoffs keep the same 10man rotation.
For all you Collins hater’s him in middle on defense making it more difficult for teams to score so easy in the paint as he become more healthy, who care’s about his offense.
BIG DOG IN THE HOUSE
drmaryb.(*_*).
April 19th, 2012
6:58 am
Big Daddy
Thank you so much. Well that about sums up Marvin’s carrer …. Falling down in the paint and taking out something so valuable to his team.
I feel better about the fact that there was a MOI. Shall we say: friendly fire? So, like I was thinking, his foot was planted and, a force was applied as zaza was making a basketball move.
This is bad because it is a closed kinetic chain. Had the foot been in space, (an open kinetic chain) there would have been no injury here.
Ship that clumsy Marvin outa’ here. Both he and zaza are so uncoordinated, sort of like the three stooges:
There is always enough blame to go around, in this case however, at least Zaza never falls down. Boy! This makes me dislike Marvin’s game in the paint even more.
The NBA Draft has Hawks taking Terrwnce Jones and, the negative that stood out to me was his awkward gait and loss of explosion with any contact in the paint. We sure don’t want to see that again.
When will we stop drafting tweener forwards and, go get that big man project? Or, is it gonna be zaza and Al at center as twin towers and go get those two a back up center, like Kaman off the bench while we keep trying to get that big man scoring small forward?
Grandmaster JeJe (GM)
April 19th, 2012
7:18 am
Even with those guys possibly out for BOS, it’ll still be tough.
And MAN, Willie needs to hit those shots
Big Lou
April 19th, 2012
7:42 am
“Even with those guys possibly out for BOS, it’ll still be tough.”
I say the Hawks win by ten without those players in the lineup. No Rondo = No chance for Boston against ATL. Rondo was the only reason why they won last time(20 dimes). Marvin locks down Pierce very well.
drmaryb.(*_*).
April 19th, 2012
7:45 am
Shooting Blanks!
GM-JeJe .. Ha Ha, Willie ain’t shooting no blanks back at the crib. 6LB baby boy need shoes, he better find his pea shooter quick if, he wants a return gig next season.
Conversely, Ivan playing like “baby debo” is hungry. His kid was probably born with a full set of teeth, cause (9 to 5) iS ballin’!
_________
So, wassup with Rondo and Allen? They hurt or, just resting? Looks like Dwight has shut it down till next year, he’ll be back when SVG is gone looks like. Those two have never gotten along, SVG is intense and serious minded and Howard loves to do his “Get Silly” thang.
Meanwhile, give Drew credit for having his team chemistry on point and even keel.
Grandad
April 19th, 2012
7:54 am
Buddy G
‘` Has anybody heard any follow up
since I posted about the Toronto color analyst
revealing the reason behind Ivan’s suspension?
Has anyone with the Hawks or the AJC addressed it? `’
I missed your post.
What was said ?
Please repost or give the date & time of original
-&-
I`ll go back and read what you had to say.
doc
April 19th, 2012
7:57 am
a bit on bibby:
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/04/19/sports/basketball/knicks-mike-bibby-makes-contribution-at-point-guard.html?_r=1&nl=todaysheadlines&emc=edit_th_20120419
Mike is Back
April 19th, 2012
8:04 am
TREMENDOUS EFFORT by the Hawks!
WOW, what can U say about the way the bench turn it on in the second quarter. I know it was the Pistons…BUT it was still a thing of beauty.
GO HAWK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
doc
April 19th, 2012
8:07 am
bg, their actins speakswords for them. let the menbe ken and handle it like a manshould one ione not like a gssipy old woman. od has been slmost fwaturing him with zaza out and ivan has delivered at an even highee level. your motives are disngenuous at best and mire about “repoirting” andnot about cohesin of the team. if ivan is barking while a coach is caching and out of order then it needed to be done as both men that lived through it have shown by their behavior. do what they did and move on as they say it is irrelevant.
doc
April 19th, 2012
8:09 am
wow mike is back is back.
DawgNole
April 19th, 2012
9:20 am
HUGE credibility game Friday night–and on national TV (espn).
Yeah, we go to the playoffs win or lose, but need to start RIGHT NOW shaking that rep of not being able to take The Big One.
EARN that playoff berth, Hawks. Earn it by showing up tomorrow night!
Astro Joe
April 19th, 2012
9:42 am
Al’s comments during the game telecast last night didn’t inspire much confidence that he will be back for the first playoff game. he talked about not being comfortable with his shoulder. I took it as meaning that he is still learning his body after the injury. it reminded me of how sometimes a player overcompensates another set of muscles while trying to avoid doing something that doesn’t feel right. I’m sure all of this will come across to some as Al being soft. All I know is that dude is still a young and very good player and I don;t want him to do more damage in hopes that the Hawks can lose better. I hope that it all comes together (especially since Zaza’s return is not known), but I’m not convinced that a one-armed Horford would provide much value to the squad.
Najeh Davenpoop
April 19th, 2012
9:48 am
Dwight Howard may be out for the playoffs. That 3 seed sure would have been nice.
O'brien
April 19th, 2012
9:49 am
Good win for the Hawks.
Steve W,
One thing that makes Pierce so tough despite his age is he knows to get to the FT line. That has never been part of JJ’s game. And nobody wants Marvin, Kirk and a 1st round pick that will be well outside the lottery.
Najeh Davenpoop
April 19th, 2012
9:52 am
“I’m very concerned about zaza’s return najeh. I can not pencil him in as of yet. What is your plan B, because I loved your plan A. should we waive Eric and pick up a D-leaguer to back up Ivan and Collins?”
First of all I love how we get inside medical information from you and doc every time someone gets hurt.
If Zaza is out and Al isn’t ready to go (I am assuming he won’t be) there really isn’t a good plan B. I guess they could go get someone like Keith Benson, but at this point in the season, any big man who can play would have been picked up by someone on a 10 day contract. Also, it is too late to sign players to add to the postseason roster (although there may be some kind of injury exception, who knows).
I think Ivan has to start at C in that situation (Teague-Kirk-Joe-Josh-Ivan), the bench has to go small (possibly Josh or even Marvin at C from time to time) and we will have to hold our noses and put up with Collins or Dampier whenever the small lineup isn’t getting it done. I don’t think they can beat Boston with that lineup, though.
O'brien
April 19th, 2012
9:53 am
FTPB,
Najeh,
I don’t understand how Dumars still has a job. He spent all the cap space on Ben Gordon and Villanueva, and has made some bad draft picks.
As for Dwight being out, I never understood why he picked up his 1 year option. I think he should have kept his mouth shut like Lebron did (during the season), and then make his decision over the summer.
Najeh Davenpoop
April 19th, 2012
9:58 am
“BTW, the Hawks are [currently] last in attendance. [smh]”
That link shows aggregate attendance. The Hawks have played the fewest home games in the league, so they are being compared to other teams that have played more home games.
With that said they are still not going to finish higher than, say, 22nd, even though they have at least 2 more sellouts coming (I’d be surprised if the Knicks and Clippers games didn’t sell out).
Najeh Davenpoop
April 19th, 2012
10:00 am
“but is Zaza truly the answer to KG? Zaza is horrible guarding the outside shot, so maybe having Marvin on Pierce/Josh on KG would be better. ”
That may work, but Marvin is so much better off the bench that I was trying to keep him there.
If Zaza is not available, they may have no choice but to start Marvin at SF and Josh at C, which may not be so bad since Josh guards KG anyway.
Najeh Davenpoop
April 19th, 2012
10:04 am
“I don’t understand how Dumars still has a job. He spent all the cap space on Ben Gordon and Villanueva, and has made some bad draft picks.
As for Dwight being out, I never understood why he picked up his 1 year option. I think he should have kept his mouth shut like Lebron did (during the season), and then make his decision over the summer.”
Winning a championship evidently gets you a really long leash up in Detroit.
The thing is, one impact move can completely change a GM’s fortunes around. If Dumars gets the #1 pick and drafts Davis this summer, he’ll probably get an extension in a couple of years.
Dwight reminds me of a kindergartener in the candy aisle who has to decide what candy he likes most. I don’t think he has a clue what he wants to do.
Big Lou
April 19th, 2012
10:27 am
“That may work, but Marvin is so much better off the bench that I was trying to keep him there.”
NBA is about matchups. I think he would be more useful guarding Pierce than guarding scrubs off the bench. He did close the game out last time they played on him. Pierce missed a lot of contested shots at first, but ATL couldn’t close it out and eventually Pierce made an attempt.
Rod from College Park
April 19th, 2012
10:42 am
“MEMO TO LARRY DREW, PLAY THE MAN!!!!!! PUT YOUR ISH aside and play T-Mac 25-30 mins per game in the Playoffs..ISO will be targeted to be neutralized..He will need help offensively big time!!”
Could not have said it better myself. TMac is the only way we advance out of the first round (unless we play Orlando), particularly if we play Boston.
Slimjr
April 19th, 2012
11:30 am
Figures Marvin took out his own man…
Greyhound is ready!
it was a “turrible” pick……wow
Slimjr
April 19th, 2012
11:32 am
Pierce will absolutely destroy Marvin…
Slimjr
April 19th, 2012
11:35 am
Paul is in a zone right now in case you haven’t been watching. Heck he posted 43 pts. against the Knicks and everything he put up was contested!
Slimjr
April 19th, 2012
11:44 am
Pierce looks for contact, ISO does not..Big difference. Its just the way they are wired..
That is what makes Paul’s game so dangerous in the playoffs and why at times Joe struggles in the big games when his jumper is off because he is under constant stress being harassed out on the perimeter by superior playoff defenders..
Big Lou
April 19th, 2012
11:48 am
Slimjr
Instead of talking out of your @ss, how about you back it up with true stats.
Paul Pierce was 6-19 with Marvin gaurding him last game. He was 4-14 the first game we played them. He didn’t even break 18 points both times they played.
That’s called backing up what I am saying with proof. Marvin locks down Pierce VERY well.
Marvin might be offensively challenged, but he has always been a good defender against bigger(not as quick) gaurds like Pierce.
Big Lou
April 19th, 2012
11:52 am
“Heck he posted 43 pts. against the Knicks and everything he put up was contested!”
He had 18 FT attempts. You better score 43 with that many shots.
TMACfan
April 19th, 2012
11:53 am
Give credit where credit is due.
Marvin has played Peirce well.
Slimjr
April 19th, 2012
11:54 am
Celtics 2-0, Hawks 0-2. Here’s a stat azz talker….
Slimjr
April 19th, 2012
11:55 am
Thats why Pierce will eat Marvin alive in the playoffs…He will generate contact and get the calls Genius..
TMACfan
April 19th, 2012
11:56 am
The most previous game had terrible refs… so that doesn’t count.
Big Lou
April 19th, 2012
11:56 am
Both games the Hawks and Celts played didn’t even break 90 points. That’s because the Hawks play better defense than the Knicks. That’s why the Hawks beat NY last game. And now with Amare coming back, I garuntee that the Hawks will have an easier chance beating them.
The old azz Celtics put up 110 points in four quarters against the Knicks. That’s pretty sh!tty defense.
Big Lou
April 19th, 2012
12:00 pm
Slimjr
So you are going by what ifs? Why didn’t he generate calls the past two games?
Also, I’m not talking about wins and losses. I’m talking about putting Marvin in the starting lineup to gaurd Pierce to give the Hawks a better chance to win.
By the way, they’ve only won by one shot both games, and the Hawks gave the second game away from the poor play of JJ.
Big Lou
April 19th, 2012
12:02 pm
TMACfan
You can’t please trolls. They don’t look at things objectively. I’m out. The ignorance is outstanding.
PS
I know you are happy to see Tmac lighting it up. I hope you saw my previous post where I want him to start.
northcyde
April 19th, 2012
12:20 pm
Playoff rotation ( with Zaza )
PG: Teague ( 36 ) – Pargo ( 12 )
G: Hinrich ( 20 ) – Johnson ( 18 ) – McGrady ( 10 )
F: Johnson ( 22 ) – Marvin ( 16 ) – McGrady ( 10 )
PF: Smith ( 32 ) – Ivan ( 8 ) – Marvin ( 8 )
C: Zaza ( 28 ) – Ivan ( 12 ) – Smith ( 8 )
Total minutes
Johnson – 40
Smith – 40
Teague – 36
Zaza – 28
Marvin – 24
Ivan – 20
McGrady – 20
Hinrich – 20
Pargo – 12
Willie Green only plays if Hinrich and/or Pargo are struggling . . or if the team needs an offensive boost because no one can hit a shot. Green and/or Marvin’s time may increase, depending on how McGrady plays. Vlad, Collins dress out . . Dampier in street clothes
******************
Playoff rotation ( without Zaza )
PG: Teague ( 36 ) – Pargo ( 12 )
G: Hinrich ( 22 ) – Johnson ( 16 ) – McGrady ( 10 )
F: Johnson ( 24 ) – McGrady ( 16 ) – Marvin ( 8 )
PF: Smith ( 28 ) – Marvin ( 20 )
C: Collins ( 10 ) – Ivan ( 26 ) – Smith ( 12 )
Total minutes
Johnson – 40
Smith – 40
Teague – 36
Ivan – 28
Marvin – 28
McGrady – 26
Hinrich – 22
Pargo – 12
Collins – 10
Green plays if Hinrich or Pargo are struggling. Dampier plays under emergency ( since he’s not in shape ) . Vlad plays if the frontline is in foul trouble. Vlad, Green, and Marvin may get extended minutes depending on how McGrady plays
northcyde
April 19th, 2012
12:31 pm
Slimjr . . stop your Marvin bias and just admit that Marvin can defend Pierce probably better than anyone on the team. Marvin has always been a good on the ball defender, especially against guys who aren’t superfreaks athletically.
Marvin isn’t going to lock down Pierce by any stretch of the imagination, but he is the best option to defend them, with JJ being the next best option.
Eric T
April 19th, 2012
12:43 pm
If Josh attacks the rim consistently aganist any team the Hawks could win the NBA Title
Bravesfan79
April 19th, 2012
12:50 pm
I think the Hawks GM has done a hell of alot better than the Celtics GM the past 3 or so seasons! Bringing in Jamal Crawford was a great move. So was bringing in Mcgrady, Pargo, VladRad and Green.
On the other side, the Celtics traded Perkins for pretty much nothing, messed up by counting on Shaq, and then brought in Wilcox, who has such a low basketball IQ it brought down the whole team when he was on the court!
I kinda hate that its gonna be my 2 favorite teams facing off in the 1st round. If only the Hawks could play the Magic instead.
Bravesfan79
April 19th, 2012
12:53 pm
Our worst move this season was bringing in Dampier. We should of went after that big white dude who played for the Jazz instead.
DawgNole
April 19th, 2012
12:54 pm
jamal crawford fan
April 18th, 2012
11:45 pm
It might not have been a blessing in disguise the tmac benching throughout the season. He is now fresh and looking like a weapon.
____________________
“It might NOT have been a blessing . . . “???
Is is safe to assume that you mean “It might HAVE been a blessing . . .”???
DawgNole
April 19th, 2012
12:57 pm
Slimjr
April 18th, 2012
11:48 pm
32 lackluster years..GET OUT OF THE GAME AND GO FISHING!
________________
45 lackluster years
DawgNole
April 19th, 2012
12:58 pm
sebastian
April 18th, 2012
11:56 pm
Will drew admit his mistake regarding tmac?
______________________
Doubtful.
SteveW
April 19th, 2012
1:01 pm
Now I do agree if Josh plays in that “zone” where he gets in the post, attacks, and passes out on occasion, the Hawks look as good as any team on the planet.
He just doesn’t stay in that zone very often.
And I’ve always wanted us to try the Marvin-Theo Ratliff experiment. Ratliff was built like Marvin; thin, long arms, maybe an inch or two taller.
Stick Marvin in the low post, especially in the middle of a zone, and tell him to attack the ball and shooter when it comes in the lane. He’s quicker than most C’s would be in responding to a pass off the attack also.
I know he’s been a failure as a #2 pick, and a 40 mill. contract. But I’ve often wondered if Marvin could be Theo. Then at least your getting an athletic shot blocker in the middle. And if he added a little bulk, he wouldn’t get pushed around by the bigger guys that bad. The NBA is short on Centers right now, so there’s not that many bigger guys to push him around really.
I would try Marvin as backup C during training camp, just to see what he could do.
SteveW
April 19th, 2012
1:07 pm
Najeh – I guess I’m not as sold as you are on having ZaZa on the floor at crunch time. Maybe the Denver loss lingers a little to close.
If Ivan was a little more mature and careful with the ball, I would say our closing team should be Teague, JJ, Josh, TMac and Ivan. A big C could possibly push Ivan around, but not to many of them could. But Ivan can get careless with the ball a little to much sometimes, and on occasion makes poor decisions again just a little to much for my taste.
I do think TMac, Ivan, and Josh could rebound just fine.
I hate to see Marvin closing out games. Too many clanked wide open jumpers at clutch time for me throughout his career. Sigh
SteveW
April 19th, 2012
1:10 pm
Our biggest mismatch against Boston. Doc vs LD
I think that alone may cost us the series.
And if you gave Doc the Hawks, and LD the Celtics, I still think Doc’s team wins.
But here’s hoping…. 4 straight trips to the Semi’s would be nice in a win starved city.
Hawks postseason way better than the Falcons postseasons recently.
Big Lou
April 19th, 2012
1:11 pm
“I hate to see Marvin closing out games. Too many clanked wide open jumpers at clutch time for me throughout his career. Sigh”
Why are they shooting jump-shots in the first place? If Marvin doesn’t close out the game, Pierce will win it himself. I just don’t trust JJ’s defense compared to Marvin’s proven past. There is a simple solution to your dilemma. DONT PASS THE DANG BALL TO MARVIN ON THE PERIMETER!
Big Lou
April 19th, 2012
1:15 pm
“Our biggest mismatch against Boston. Doc vs LD”
This is the thread winner. I want to see if LD can make adjustments this post season. Last one was his first, so I’ll give him a pass on being stubborn with CHI.
“Hawks postseason way better than the Falcons postseasons recently.”
That’s like saying one team doesn’t suck as much, but they both suck in the end. One just makes it one step further into mediocrity.
STRETCH
April 19th, 2012
1:17 pm
Magic center Dwight Howard has called team owner Rich DeVos to tell him that he won’t play for coach Stan Van Gundy anymore, WKMG in Orlando is reporting.
Howard missed his sixth straight game with a back injury Wednesday against the Celtics, and Van Gundy has already said that he is preparing for his big man to miss the rest of the season and the playoffs.
Howard is still upset that Van Gundy publicly said this month that Howard asked management to have him fired, sources told WKMG. According to the report, the 86-year-old DeVos took Howard’s call in his suite at the Amway Center sometime during Friday’s game against the Hawks.
Uncertainty has dogged the Magic for quite some time. Howard asked management for a trade in the preseason, but after months of speculation he signed a waiver of the opt-out clause in his contract, meaning that he would remain under contract to Orlando at least through next season.
Man it appears that marriage is over. Come on Sund, even if he doesnt want to be in ATL, atleast go after him. Seems to me he is pretty desperate now!
Slimjr
April 19th, 2012
1:55 pm
Man you keep using troll..It’s tire dude..Next
Slimjr
April 19th, 2012
1:58 pm
The Hawks dont need that drama queen.They got one in the head coach.. lol
Slimjr
April 19th, 2012
1:58 pm
*tired^^^
Slimjr
April 19th, 2012
2:10 pm
“Marvin isn’t going to lock down Pierce by any stretch of the imagination, but he is the best option to defend them, with JJ being the next best option.”
That’s what Mr. know it all has not figured out. Marvin is not going to lock down Paul in the Playoffs man..His game is geared for the playoffs..He has switched his game into playoff mode this past week..Just nailing it! Marvin will get a taste of it this Friday more than likely…
So be it, if that’s all they got…
Slimjr
April 19th, 2012
2:13 pm
“I would try Marvin as backup C during training camp, just to see what he could do.”
The only way Marvin should ever see the 5 spot, is in a pickup game in his neighborhood.. LMBO!
vava74
April 19th, 2012
2:39 pm
Marvin can’t post up 6′2” guards, how can he play the C position?
It’s completely different to use Marvin as a stretch/offensive PF coming of the bench than to think he can be used at the C spot.
The C and PF are more different than people think. A center HAS to be a physical guy and Marvin is ZERO physical.
Marvin’s limited attributes are:
- good FT shooter;
- good standstill shooter (not in crunch time);
- good positional defender (disciplined, moves his feet / laterally well);
- decent/good touch around the rim when he catches and does not need to put the rock on the floor.
- decent/good rebounder at the SF slot / passable rebounder as backup PF.
And that’s it.
Najeh Davenpoop
April 19th, 2012
2:43 pm
Shot blocking is an instinct. A lot of athletic players were/are never great shot blockers because they didn’t have the instinct or timing — see Tyson Chandler and Blake Griffin. Marvin may have the body type of Theo Ratliff (I think this is debatable, but that’s beside the point) but he has never consistently shown the shot blocking instincts to where he could fill such a role.
Najeh Davenpoop
April 19th, 2012
2:44 pm
New blog up.