Handing off . . .
Whenever I’m asked why I call my blog people “my blog people” I always think back to something I wrote when I started the Hawks beat for the AJC.
“I care that you care. It’s my job to give you your Hawks fix and I take that responsibility seriously, but I hope we can have some fun along the way. My aim is to be informative, entertaining, fair, interesting and, above all else, honest.”
Now that I’m (sort of) moving on my hope is that, on balance, I’ve met those goals more often than not.
I’ve moved to a new role as a general assignment sports reporter for the AJC. Chris Vivlamore is now the AJC’s Hawks beat writer. He’s a real pro and I’m sure he will do good work giving you your Hawks fix.
In my new role I will be covering all of the teams we follow at the AJC. That means you’ll still see my byline on Hawks stories and on the blog, but you’ll also see it lots of other places in the newspaper and at ajc.com.
I sincerely appreciate my blog people for giving me an audience for the past 900-odd blog posts and who-knows-how-many tweets. When fellow beat hacks disparage Atlanta fans for not supporting the Hawks, I often remind them that there is a smart and passionate group of fans who love the team and the game.
Hopefully, I’ve enhanced your ability to do both.
Michael Cunningham
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106 comments Add your comment
KevinM
September 25th, 2012
10:40 am
I see Lou Williams starting. There is no one in front of him who is better. Why bring him off the bench? So he can play with other backups? Lou is quite possibly our leading scorer this year. He knows how to get buckets.
Jenkins may eventually get minutes, but he isn’t starting over Korver or Lou IMO.
I do expect Josh to start at the 3 if Zaza is fully healthy. He proved his worth last year.
Astro Joe
September 25th, 2012
10:44 am
My guess is that Benson will be avaialble to add to the roster next summer. We’re weeks from the start of camps across the league and it appears that he has yet to sign a contract.
vava, I think Horford finding his inner dog is more related to astehtics than to actual production. I also prefer a tough-minded banger in the 2 “big” positions… but I struggle to find anything that suggests that Horford is lesser performer because of his new found mid-range jumper. And honestly, I still think his voyage to the perimeter has more to do with LD than anything else. His defensive rebounding has not changed since LD arrived, only his offensive rebounding numbers 9just like Josh) and his inclination to shoot open 15 footers.
swatguy
September 25th, 2012
10:57 am
Following Sekou is undeserving. ‘Precate MC.
swatguy
September 25th, 2012
11:06 am
I believe Teague and Lou would be too small a backcourt. That means Lou at the two would need Harris at the point. Harris and Lou off the bench is overwhelming against any and every 2nd unit in the league. Because we have not a strong backup center, Zaza cannot start he has to backup Al. Ivan and Zaza off the bench with Lou and Harris is just bully. Initially I start Morrow at the 2 and Stevenson at the 3 completely creating matchup problems for our bst two players(Al & Josh).
vava74
September 25th, 2012
11:10 am
AJ,
Horford was PUNKED (completely out-hustled) by Bass, Anderson, Gibson, Noah and Boozer (and stayed as away from Howard as possible) during the 2010-11 playoffs.
That was not aesthetics, that is the cold blooded truth. We need Horford to get back into the paint to fight for rebounds and loose balls instead of backing away from contact, which was what I saw.
That was not related to LD asking us to protect the transition D. What I saw was Horford wide eyed being completely lost in the shuffle down low, which is something that DID NOT HAPPEN before when he was hungry for buckets and tried to get them the only way he could when he entered the league, which was in the paint.
Last year’s playoffs give me some hope that he got his fighting spirit back, but I need to see that again and consistently in order to believe in him again.
Homer
September 25th, 2012
11:19 am
Teague Devin Lou
Stevenson Morrow Jenkins
James Korver Anderson
Josh Ivan Scott
Al Zaza Petro
Astro Joe
September 25th, 2012
11:28 am
vava, if the only thing that you are considering is Al’s playoff performances, then let’s discuss further when, oh, I don’t know, maybe when the playoffs start again in 8 months? Meanwhile, I’ll discuss the 82 regular season games which have a bearing on things like playoff seeding (and subsequently chances for playoff advancement). But yes, I think it is fair to conclude that when the Hawks faced one of the elite defensive teams in the 2011 playoffs (the Bulls) that the vast majority of players struggled mightily. And my guess, that will be true when this team of non-elite offensive players face off against elite defensive squads. For some strange reason, elite defensive teams have an ability to impact individual player performance. Bizarre, huh?
The Truth
September 25th, 2012
11:50 am
“We’re weeks from the start of camps across the league and it appears that he has yet to sign a contract” – AJ
It is conceivable that Benson could come to camp while still under his summer contract. According to the CBA:
“A summer contract is typically used for training camp invites, because the player’s salary is not included in team salary until the first day of the regular season. In other words, it is a “make-good” contract — the player must make the team’s opening day roster in order to receive his salary and for his contract to be included in team salary.”
Accordingly, in this scenario, Benson must impress in camp before his salary and contract is included in the team salary. earning him a roster spot at the start of the regular season.
Khao$
September 25th, 2012
11:54 am
Great job MC. You will be missed on the blog. Honestly, you never sugar coated the news…regardless of how fans or the Hawks organization felt about what you were saying. Keep up the good work.
vava74
September 25th, 2012
12:03 pm
AJ,
You are king of dodge ball:
“And my guess, that will be true when this team of non-elite offensive players face off against elite defensive squads. For some strange reason, elite defensive teams have an ability to impact individual player performance. Bizarre, huh?”
Horford’s non-elite offensive skills must be compensated by extra-hustle/banging.
That is precisely my point. Al went through the whole 2010/11 season reconfiguring himself as a midrange, supposedly face up post player when in fact his game is not polished enough to be effective in the playoffs.
We need Horford to realize that – hopefully he did – and use his mid-range range as a complement to his (past?) hustle based game.
Is that such a difficult concept to accept and acknowledge?
Just Joe
September 25th, 2012
12:06 pm
Punked by Anderson & Bass?
Horford – 39 mins, 12 pts, 10 rebs, 3.7 assists, 1.3 turnovers, 40% shooting
Bass – 23 mins, 7 pts, 4 rebs, .3 assists, 1.2 turnovers, 42% shooting
Anderson – 24 mins, 4 pts, 4 rebs, .5 assists, .2 turnovers, 26% shooting
Matched, maybe? Horford could have obviously played better, but punked is a little strong.
DS
September 25th, 2012
12:39 pm
Chris Thomasson reporting that Tolliver is coming to Atlanta for the vet min for 1 year
glw
September 25th, 2012
12:41 pm
Looks like Tolliver is headed here.
Anthony Tolliver tells FOX Sports Florida it will be a one-year minimum deal with Atlanta. Salary will be $915,852.
Read more: http://hoopshype.com/twitter/media.html#ixzz27V5qeFNE
UGA
September 25th, 2012
12:43 pm
I really think its a good sign. For example, vs the Knicks, Smith guards Melo and he guards Amare best he can.
Ken Strickland
September 25th, 2012
12:44 pm
KEVENM-As quiet as it’s kept, starting Josh at SF just might be the backup plan if James or Anderson don’t stand out during training camp. If that’s the case, we might end up needing an additional backup PF like Benson, who can also be utilized@ OC, the way Ivan was used last yr.
After all is said and done, I firmly believe that a lineup of SF-JSmith, PF-AHorford, OC-ZPachulia, SG-JJenkins, and PG-JTeague, would be by far our biggest and most productive starting lineup on both ends of the court. In turn, it would also give us a very versatile and productive bench, with DHarris, LWilliams, AMorrow, JAnderson, DJames, IJohnson, JPetro, with maybe DStevenson, MScott and KKorver on the inactive roster. Substituting KBenson for Korver or Stevenson would make it an even more versatile bench.
Whether Jenkins gets a chance to start will depend on Ferry more so than Drew. If Jenkins can stick that deadly jumper during training camp and preseason, and average anywhere near the 15.3PPG he averaged during his Summer league play, he could very easily get the starting nod. With Ferry running the show, the days of allowing our HC to play vets, just because they are vets, regardless of their production or liabilities, are over.
Also, the days of our GM doing nothing while our HC refuses to develop or play rookies or less experienced players just because they are rookies or less experienced, like Woodson and Drew did Teague, are also over. LWilliams and JJenkins are the only SGs with starting potential that are not on 1yr contracts, so the starting SG battle could very well come down to those 2.
glw
September 25th, 2012
12:46 pm
Here’s a link with quotes.
http://sulia.com/channel/basketball/f/47659be4-a8de-4c2f-818f-c252778eadb5/?source=twitter
Finds it interesting that he says he fits here because he is a big man that can shoot something we dont have.
Really?
What is Al? And he implies he is a big man, which I would relate to him playing the 4. Does this mean Josh will get more action at the 3?
Ken Strickland
September 25th, 2012
12:52 pm
Signing Toliver makes me believe Ferry is bringing aboard a stretch 4 to give us what the Spurs have with Bonner. This could be why we haven’t heard anything about KBenson, you never know.
Ken Strickland
September 25th, 2012
12:54 pm
VALVA74-I hope you know that my comment was meant in fun and not in a sarcastic way.
Just Joe
September 25th, 2012
12:56 pm
I think Tolliver means a big man that can shoot (threes), something we don’t have. This definitely spells d-league for Mike Scott. Getting crowded in the ATL:
Teague / Harris
Jenkins / LouWill / Stevenson / Anderson
Morrow / Korver / James
Smith / Ivan / Tolliver / Scott
Horford / Pachulia / Petro
It’s still funny that between the PG & C positions, we’ll have just one guy under contract at season’s end, and we can’t even all agree that he’s a center!
Ken Strickland
September 25th, 2012
12:58 pm
In addition to what we’ve already added by way of trades, we’ve now added 2 definite starting SF candidates(James and Anderson) and a stretch 4 candidate(Toliver) through FA. Again, this is shaping up to be an interesting training camp, preseason, and final roster.
ag
September 25th, 2012
1:01 pm
MC – thank you for giving the readers what we were looking for over the last year. Good luck
Najeh Davenpoop
September 25th, 2012
1:09 pm
The Hawks have already waived one player with a guaranteed deal, so Tolliver’s deal may not necessarily mean he makes the roster. I don’t really like the idea of adding another big man who likes shooting jumpers, though. Seems to me that in a transition type of year, that roster spot is better used on a developmental player like Keith Benson than a mediocre veteran with little upside.
MsDee
September 25th, 2012
1:17 pm
vava74,
“That is precisely my point. Al went through the whole 2010/11 season reconfiguring himself as a midrange, supposedly face up post player when in fact his game is not polished enough to be effective in the playoffs.”
“reconfiguring himself as a midrange, supposedly face up post player”
By adding this great offensive trait to his game, he improved GREATLY from the 2009/2010 REGULAR SEASON.
“in fact his game is not polished enough to be effective in the playoffs.”
By adding this great offensive trait to his game, he improved GREATLY from the 2009/2010 PLAYOFFS (frm 42% to 52%, FG%,)( frm 66% to 83.9% FT%)(, frm 5.8 to 9 reb%,)( frm .7 to 1.7 BK%,)( and frm 6.9 to 14.6 PPG%)
Astro Joe
September 25th, 2012
1:18 pm
vava, I struggle with two things… ignoring an 82 game regular season as a way to evaluate a player. And secondly, suggesting that if a player finds it hard to score against a Thibs team, they need to bang and hustle more.
One more thing, was it the 2011 playoffs when LD lost a game because he sat Horford on the bench for much too long in what was not really foul trouble? Didn’t Hollinger wax poetic about that during the ‘11 playoffs. So if my boss sits me down when I get in foul trouble AND is the master-mind behind a jump-shot frined offense… what should employee #15 do? Bang relentlessly with his still developing low post skills and spend a lot of time sitting next to Lester Connor?
Astro Joe
September 25th, 2012
1:28 pm
The Tolliver signing may suggest that Josh could split his on-court time at SF and PF. But, again, hard to get too wound up about a late September free agent signing.
Astro Joe
September 25th, 2012
1:31 pm
OK, so this was in reference to the Orlando series in 2011.
http://blogs.ajc.com/mark-bradley-blog/2011/04/21/espns-hollinger-larry-drew-blew-game-2-for-the-hawks/
Astro Joe
September 25th, 2012
1:34 pm
Another account from that same season of how LD “protected” Horford against anything resembling foul trouble.
http://www.hoopinionblog.com/2010/12/horford-treatment-catalogue.html
Just Joe
September 25th, 2012
1:42 pm
Najeh…Waiving a guy that was forced in to a deal as trade-filler is one thing (Williams). Waiving a guy that you signed as a free agent 45 days earlier is totally different (Tolliver).
Very similar to how someone suggested that Korver might get waived since his deal is only partially gauranteed. That would be a huge waste since we gave up a valuable trade exception to acquire him.
Those are the kinds of deals that would make our tight wad owners start sticking their noses in the GM’s books again.
I like to believe that Ferry has a plan. Korver will eventually be traded for a late 1st rd pick or a young player off of a contender’s roster. Tolliver will knock down 40%+ of his 3’s in LD’s motion offense, and will be flipped at the deadline for an early 2nd rd pick in next year’s draft.
Melvin
September 25th, 2012
1:52 pm
Not a big fan of Tolliver but hopefully he will make me a fan of his…. He seem to be a duplicate of the bigs the Hawks already have with Josh, Horford and Scott… More of a finesse jumpshooter than a post banger player…. For the money, I would rather Blatche….
cp
September 25th, 2012
1:57 pm
Congrats on your new job MC. Loved the work you did here. I’m sure CV will also do a good job.
Tolliver hasn’t been very good since he left the Warriors. Maybe he can find his shot again, if so then it will be a solid signing.
MsDee
September 25th, 2012
2:04 pm
With Tolliver being added to the team, this is how I see Drew subbing players in and out this season:
Starting: PG Teague,
SG Jenkins (YES Jenkins),
SF Josh
PF Horford
C Zaza
Harris in for Teague, Lou in for Jenkins, Morrow replaces Josh while Ivan plays PF moving Horford down to play Center for Zaza..Looks like this:
PG Harris
SG Lou
SF Morrow
PF Ivan
C Horford
Teague comes back in to play PG and moves Harris to SG. Tolliver comes in to play SF, Josh comes back in to play PF and Zaza in at center all right b4 halftime. Looks like this:
PG Teague
SG Harris
SF Tolliver
PF Josh
C Zaza
The starters begin 3rd quarter but the closers will be:
PG Harris
SG Lou
SF Josh
PF Horford
C Zaza
With your fill-in’s and/or garbage time going to Korver, Stevenson, Scott, Petro with James or Anderson getting the boot being that we can only have 15 players.
Any comments with my line-up?
Buddy Grizzard
September 25th, 2012
2:05 pm
Great run, MC. Even with all your defensive reactions to my posts, I always respected your game. Your finest hour was in the playoffs when you relentlessly dogged the gutless wonder Joe Johnson. Your last tweet about how you were sure he was mobbed with fans in central park was the icing on the cake. We all know Joe wasn’t mobbed with fans. Joe doesn’t have fans. And that was the central mistake of the ASG era. They put all their marbles in the non-superstar basket. Thanks for calling them on it. I can’t help but think it moved the process along.
The Truth
September 25th, 2012
2:22 pm
With this Tolliver addition, I have no earthly idea what Danny is thinking given the log jam at PF and specialty players with an over abundance of duplication.
It seem like Tolliver is just a bigger version (mostly wingspan and weight) of players like Korver and Morrow. But since his contract is assumed to be non-guaranteed, the so-called “Danny plan” is shaping-up to be more of experimentation than anything definitive at this point.
The final roster will auto-adjust
Buddy Grizzard
September 25th, 2012
2:27 pm
“Tolliver believes he will fit in well with the Hawks because he’s a big man who can step out and shoot the ball, something Atlanta doesn’t have.”
This is funny to me. We have Al Horford, the best shooting big man in the NBA not named Dirk.
DS
September 25th, 2012
2:41 pm
Buddy: Horford doesn’t shoot the 3
Ra'mon
September 25th, 2012
2:44 pm
While I’m not sure of Tolliver being a starting SF. I must say though Ferry has done what he stated and added players with a proven SKILL. Every guaranteed deal on this roster is a player who has an undeniable skill of some sort. Last season, I still wasn’t certain what was Marvin’s, Dampier’s, and at times Kirk’s SKILL. Even with James and Anderson, I don’t see why they will not be at least as serviceable as Mo Evans was during his time here.
Grandad
September 25th, 2012
2:45 pm
May God bless you and yours MC.
northcyde
September 25th, 2012
2:47 pm
Props to MC, and good luck in your next assignment. You’ll probably do “some” articles on the Hawks in the future ( I guess like how Mark Bradley does with the Hawks on occasion ), so I’ll look forward to those write-ups ( if they come about ).
I always appreciated MC’s professionalism and “matter of fact” type of writing style. With no true ties to the team or the city, he did give an unbiased account of the team for the most part.
I personally liked MC better than Sekou, who was also very good.
C-Viv . . with this being your blog now, I hope you develop your own unique style. And most important, don’t be afraid to interact with the blog. The (AP) style of writing that you’ve normally blessed the blog with is OK. But don’t be afraid to express your true opinion on the team ( while not alienating the team in the process ).
glw
September 25th, 2012
2:47 pm
@ Ms Dee
Not sure about your rotations there. A few things I disagree with:
1. I think Korver will be in the rotation. I dont have much faith in Jenkins seeing much playing time at first. I think a wing will be eventually traded and maybe that will free up Jenkins some minutes.
2. As far as ended the game….Josh, Al and Lou will definitely be there. Devin or Teague will be at the point, I wouldnt say for sure its Devin. If Teauge is going good then he will be out there. Zaza being out there will depend on matchups. If its Miami, Zaza isnt out there, more than likely Tolliver/James/Ivan or more apt to be out there. While i do see Josh playing on the wing some, at crunch time, Josh will be at PF for his shot blocking abilities.
Ra'mon
September 25th, 2012
2:53 pm
ANYONE who looks at this roster and doesn’t see a playoff team (barring injury), is someone who is fooling themselves. Josh, Al, Lou, Teague, Zaza, Harris, and the shooters on the bench, as well as Ivan, will WORK to make sure there is playoff basketball in Atlanta. Also remember, EVERYONE, excluding Lou and Al, is playing for a new contract in 2013! So everyone will be at their best in their respective contract years.
By the way, am I the only one who thinks Teague watches Martin 8 hours a day? Half of his tweets are about Martin, lol.
northcyde
September 25th, 2012
2:53 pm
Buddy Grizzard
September 25th, 2012
2:05 pm
Great run, MC. Even with all your defensive reactions to my posts, I always respected your game. Your finest hour was in the playoffs when you relentlessly dogged the gutless wonder Joe Johnson. Your last tweet about how you were sure he was mobbed with fans in central park was the icing on the cake. We all know Joe wasn’t mobbed with fans. Joe doesn’t have fans. And that was the central mistake of the ASG era. They put all their marbles in the non-superstar basket. Thanks for calling them on it. I can’t help but think it moved the process along.
***********************
Which is why people need to stop talking about Joe Johnson altogether. I mean, if he doesn’t have any fans, why continue to talk about dude when he’s gone?
But I have a funny feeling that Joe Johnson is going to be a hot topic around here. If he falls off, people like yourself will bring up how the Hawks made a good decision. But if he becomes highly efficient with Deron by his side, others will cite how the Hawks could’ve had the best backcourt in ATL for the past 5 years, had we drafted Deron.
It is what it is though. We’ll see if the loss of JJ truly affects the team.
MsDee
September 25th, 2012
2:56 pm
New Blog up
northcyde
September 25th, 2012
3:00 pm
Ra’Mon . . . the problem with this team is that the NBA is full of DOMINANT and athletic 2’s and 3s. The East is especially strong at the 3 spot. While the Hawks may make the playoffs, they’re also probably a 38 – 42 win type team as well.
Miami, Boston, and Indiana are not taking a step back. Chicago, once Rose comes back, will be a problem as well. Philly now has a dominant big man and a bunch of tall gunners around him. The Knicks are going to be a playoff level team, unless Amare REALLY falls off.
And no matter how many people want to dismiss it, Brooklyn will be a playoff team as well.
It’s going to be extremely difficult for this team to get in the playoffs higher than a 7th seed.
Ra'mon
September 25th, 2012
3:03 pm
G’D, close your eyes for 4 seconds and dream about Hubie Brown having this team, with this number of shooters (Korver, Morrow, Al, Tolliver, Harris, and Jenkins) and athletes (Josh, Teague, James, Anderson).
northcyde
September 25th, 2012
3:09 pm
FACT: Josh Smith shot a higher percentage from 3 point range AND on his jumpshot, than Anthony Tolliver last year.
I guess Ferry is hoping that Tolliver’s shooting last year was more of an anomaly, than of the norm. Maybe Tolliver can shoot like he did in 2010 – 11, in which he made over 40% of his threes.
But last year, his shot was COMPLETELY broken. 25% FG shooting on his jumpshot. And that was his favorite shot 72% of the time. Even Josh Smith at 32% FG shooting on his jumpshot last year would say . . . “Daaaaaaaammmnn Anthony. You can’t shoot man.”
northcyde
September 25th, 2012
3:12 pm
LOL Ra’Mon
And then tell Grandad to open his eyes, and watch Hubie tear his hair out, when he tries to get those guys to play defense.
Even San Antonio, a team that perennially shoot the ball very well, also plays great team and individual defense more times than not.
Poor Josh Smith may have to defend every SF in the league this year, along with trying to protect the rim and the paint at PF.
Ra'mon
September 25th, 2012
3:13 pm
Northcyde, I just don’t see it like that. Over half of the league are sub .500 teams. Most veteran teams in 82 game seasons, lose sleeper games to some of those young teams in the middle of the season. Boston is a playoff team, but they don’t care if they’re a 3 seed or a 7 seed, because they know they can win. Boston mainly cares about being healthy in the playoffs. Indiana will not be as good as they were last season. And I still see the Hawks having a better record than New Jersey and New York. Philly will struggle even to make the playoffs this season. Remember while this was Bynum first season playing this amount of games, he still have games where he checks out mentally. You take away Brand, AI, and Lou, and I feel much of that team’s heart is gone. You’re not going to have me believe that a backcourt of Turner, Holliday, and Meeks is better than Teague, Lou, Harris, and Morrow. And while Bynum is dominant, I’ll take Josh, Al, Zaza, and Ivan over Thaddeus, Bynum, and their backups collectively.
This is the deepest roster of TALENTED PLAYERS, not potential the Hawks have had since Lenny Wilkins walked the side line.
MsDee
September 25th, 2012
3:14 pm
NEW BLOG UP PEOPLE!!!
Ra'mon
September 25th, 2012
3:24 pm
Northcyde, Josh, Teague, Zaza, Ivan, Anderson/James, and Al will be committed to a good team defense. I see this team running A LOT and ATTACKING a lot. That will be the greatest defensive scheme because it will keep a lot of players in foul trouble.
Also you smoke about the dominant 2 and 3’s in the East. However, two of them play on the same team. And Pierce is still in Boston. I don’t see these great wings you’re speaking of. I guess because I feel if that was the case, after falling off so much, Joe wouldn’t have still been a top five wing player if there was so much depth at those positions. Also, when Al is at the C and Josh at the PF, they’re arguably the best starting front court in the EAST. And to go along with that, they have the best back up big in the league (Zaza).
Also the Bulls have already stated they will not rush Rose back. Remember, without Rose, they weren’t any better than the 8th seed in the playoffs. So playing 40-60 games without Rose, why would we believe that a team with NO proven scorers, Boozer doesn’t count, will be better than an average team?
ECF or Bust!
September 25th, 2012
3:33 pm
Tolliver is a good pick up. way to be on the ball Hawks.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OAE2jIAQsKA
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