Atlanta Hawks: Harris could make debut Tuesday
Vivlamore reporting.
Sorry folks. Took Sunday off since I didn’t travel to Memphis for the 110-102 exhibition loss to the Grizzlies. With no practice today, team went straight to Indiana for tomorrow night’s game against the Pacers, I spent most of my day getting a new company-issued laptop. (Let’s see if this one writes better stories!)
Devin Harris is traveling with the team. Although he did not play in the loss to the Grizzlies, I’m told there is a good chance he could play Tuesday as he has been battling knee issues. I will have a bigger story on Harris tomorrow.
In other notes from the game:
* Damion James was in the starting lineup for the second straight game. It’s obvious that Larry Drew and his staff are taking a long look at him for one of the available spots.
* Zaza Pachulia made his debut after suffering with a groin injury. He started and had nine points and nine rebounds in 22 minutes.
* Other starters were Ivan Johnson, Kyle Korver and Jeff Teague.
* The following players did not play: James Anderson, Carldell Johnson, Johan Petro, DeShawn Stevenson (knee) and Harris.
* The Hawks shot 43.8 percent from the field, their best shooting performance in a 1-2 preseason.
* The Grizzlies shot 47.7 percent from the field. The Hawks look to hold the opposition to around 41 percent, however all three opponents – The Heat (45.1), the Spurs (51.9) and the Grizzlies have surpassed that number. The past two opponents have scored more than 100 points. Defense has been a concern before and, now, during training camp. That is something to watch.
Thanks for understanding. I will report back tomorrow.
- Chris Vivlamore
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70 comments Add your comment
Najeh Davenpoop
October 16th, 2012
12:30 am
“The Hawks look to hold the opposition to around 41 percent, however all three opponents – The Heat (45.1), the Spurs (51.9) and the Grizzlies have surpassed that number. ”
The worst shooting team in the league last year, the Charlotte Bobcats, shot 41.4% for the season. Might want to shoot for a more realistic goal.
Grandad
October 16th, 2012
1:10 am
doc
Did Bill Fralic ever make All-Pro ?
Regardless, he was a good one !
Grandad
October 16th, 2012
1:16 am
Najeh
On a night in and night out basis;
I agree with setting one`s defensive objectives very high.
*[or low in the case of shooting %]
As a coach I wanted my players to strive for something
not easily attainable.
As a yearly goal;
perhaps one needs to be somewhat more realistic.
If not, then as the goal becomes un-attainable,
the players will stop trying.
Najeh Davenpoop
October 16th, 2012
1:16 am
Yahoo’s Ball Don’t Lie blog has an awful lot of nice things to say about the Hawks, many of which this blog probably won’t agree with (LD gets a ton of love from them).
Grandad
October 16th, 2012
1:26 am
Rev
If you have not been following;
I have not predicted 30 wins, but 30 games;
when DFerry will make a coaching change.
My logic – he will not put up with nonsense;
even if we are winning a modest amount.
I actually think this is a play-off team … even with LD.
I also think DFerry will not see discernible progress
in basic rudimentary basketball, therefore causing LD`s dismissal.
vava74
October 16th, 2012
1:33 am
Ken,
Hold your horses.
DeShawn starting at the SG has nothing to do with him being the player who logs more minutes there.
It’s just to start the game and set the tone defensively.
Also, you mention that DeShawn is yet to accomplish anything during this training camp.
Well, you seem so enthralled in your rants that you missed DeShawn’s production in the game against the Heat, as a starter:
G 18:01 FG4-7 3pt3-6 FT0-0 (±) +7 oReb0 dReb2 Reb2 As1 PF1 St2 TO0 Blk0 BA0 11 PTS
I’m not saying that we will get that from him every night, but if can come in, be physical and establish a good defensive tone whilst hitting .380 from 3 point land, I think he can log minutes as a starter.
Don’t forget that at the SG slot we already have a gunner coming in as a sub who will consume ± 30 minutes per game (Lou Williams) so the rotation at that spot – unless LD makes the same mistake he did with Jamal and plays Lou at the PG slot for extended periods – will be mostly Lou and someone else.
Just Joe
October 16th, 2012
5:59 am
I don’t have a problem with Lou getting PG minutes on this team. Truth is, we don’t have a pass-first guard on the roster. Just a bunch of scorers.
Lou has slightly better per-minute assist and turnover stats than Jamal. Numbers also suggest that he defends the PG position better than Jamal (compared last year for Lou with Jamal’s last year in Atlanta). These two players are similar, but shouldn’t be talked about as if they are the same player.
doc
October 16th, 2012
8:11 am
gdad fralic was probably better than good but a relatively short time on the landscaoe for an interior lineman to be considered great. about seven years with atlanta and his he was pretty done with achievements by his fifth year as a pro again kind of short lived for an offensive lineman who are sometimes just getting in their groove.
i was deep in the bowels of grady hospital doing residency those years so it may not be accurate but probably he had some bad teams to play on. i think the swamp fox might have been brought back by the clan for another mop up. fralic was probably the most consistent thing there those years. just the same he isnt in the same conversation as kenn and van note.
to bball, my take on the sf position is it is going to be handled much as it has during the marvin years. it is going to be one of management by committee. simple conclusion. again, it doesnt go against the grain of what has preceded during the marvin years. marvin was long a starter and not a finisher. he then became the sixth or seventh man up for portions of last year. often jj was our three going back even when slow footed bibby was around “playing point” setting up on the wing while jj and jc1 did their thing.
this is nothing new. for a long time we have been undersized and deficient defensively and survived tp be sixth best in the league and mid range on offense last year though blog perception is? of course, ld is only interested in offense and doesnt care about defense. guess perceptions are not reality. it isnt about luck either folks after two years on the job but go on in your reality even if it isnt supported by the truth in numbers. guess everyone out there is a millionaire in there minds, though saving and deposits might not match.
so, i dont think this is going to be that much different at three this year as even josh, instead of jj will man the position if it begins to get out of hand and a stronger force is needed there. maybe if things hold together this year we will have to say our front court might have been stouter during the woody then ld years than we ever thought nor given credit to. that may be a bitter pill to swallow for either of the josh vs al camps to swallow that they are both good, capable, work well together and complimentary. however, i am sure even if the two are successful thereby the hawks successful, the ocd behaviors and discussions will continue.
if that happens and we are successful this year? we will even have to say ld is a pretty good head coach. it will be, despite perception, to get over it and look at his record. funny, my perception is if this blog has to watch a successful run this year by the hawks there will be many bitter pills to swallow. sad to say that about my fellow hawks fans here on the blog. my perception.
hottrod
October 16th, 2012
8:20 am
Why didn’t AJC send anyone out to travel with the Hawks… Seems kinda bitter since the Hawks fired Arthur Triche and Michael Cunningham went over to AJC Editor.. Pretty bitter to take your anger out on an organization that refuses to coddle to you
doc
October 16th, 2012
8:23 am
greatest franchise in sports histoy without a doubt:
http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/news?slug=lalakerspost
quick review:
lakers since ‘49:
38 of 63 conf finals
(what we all crave and strive for here on the blog i might add)
since ‘80:
17 finals
15 championships
holy sh!t batman
anyone thinking the deck isnt stacked? wwf awaits you.
amazing!
doc
October 16th, 2012
8:24 am
hottrod, do you buy your paper or read it free?
nuff said, eh?
budgets are a biatch.
O'Brien
October 16th, 2012
8:29 am
Slim, doc,
I heard that Cowboys stat too. If I’m not mistaken, they said since winning their last SB, their overall record is .500 since. And I think Jerry Jones is to blame. He is the GM and wants to be an assistant coach as well. As a result, none of the good established coaches want to work for him.
O'Brien
October 16th, 2012
8:37 am
Ken S,
Do you remember when Royal Ivey was our starting PG? He started 66 games for us in the 2005 season, and do you know how many minutes per game he averaged that season? 13.4 mpg.
My point is, Stevenson starting for us does not automatically mean he will play more than 15 – 20 mpg (which is what I think he will average, unless he proves otherwise), so don’t get hung up on whether or not he is starting.
I don’t think Jenkins will start because I don’t think he has impressed enough to be elevated as a starter over Morrow and Stevenson. Plus LD will want to start the game with his veterans, and I think if Stevenson shows be can play better defense than Morrow and Jenkins, then he will start (imo).
Astro Joe
October 16th, 2012
9:48 am
My bad, saying that Damion is as good as Joe in the passing arena after 2-3 preseason games is so much better than what I accused you of saying. HA!
Buddy, sorry, I guess I interpreted your comments about “if Josh gets this team to the ECF” as a suggestion that you consider a plausible outcome, I didn’t realize you were engaging in your own version of fantasy blogging.
Runner-
October 16th, 2012
10:02 am
“I heard that Cowboys stat too. If I’m not mistaken, they said since winning their last SB, their overall record is .500 since. And I think Jerry Jones is to blame. He is the GM and wants to be an assistant coach as well. As a result, none of the good established coaches want to work for him.”
I think its the opposite. Jerry Jones doesn’t want to hire one of the established coaches because he KNOWS they wouldnt get along together. I mean, why do you think the passive coach Jason Garrett still has his job?
doc
October 16th, 2012
10:23 am
again the sf will be by committee, who starts doesnt mean anything in the long run.
well jerry has hired some established coaches that have won for him. what he wants most for his ego is to hire a nobody and that person wins with the personnel that jerry chooses not the other way around to establish how much a “football man” he is.
jerry is this generations dan rooney sr, w mara and the senile developing al davis. these were all guys with plenty of power and money but little to show for it on the field because of their incompetence. the steelers were an atrocity when i was young, giants under acheivers, raiders crazy good then crazy bad. when jerry hires someone again with a football mind to combine with his marketing mind and gets out of the footballers way, america’s team’s star will rise again and not before. all because of jerry’s powerful ego.
doc
October 16th, 2012
10:24 am
can you tell me what our record was when royal ivey was starting? so much for that plan, eh?
Astro Joe
October 16th, 2012
10:32 am
I do think LD will start one defensive miinded wing, either James at SF or Stevenson at SG. I doubt that he will go with two less-than-stellar defenders to start a game at those key spots. Otherwise, the Hawks may be trying to overcome a double-digit lead at the end of most 1st quarters.
Supreme Grand Poobah
October 16th, 2012
11:03 am
Lopez is averaging 18.5 ppg and 9.5 rpg so far this pre-season. The Nets may really be good this year. Wallace is a good rebounder for an SF. Humphries is a good rebounder. Plus, they added Blatche. I think they’ll be ok on the boards this year. I think they might give Miami some interesting competition.
Hawkfan
October 16th, 2012
11:14 am
Thanks Chris–keep info coming..