Atlanta Hawks: Many to fill the role at small forward
Vivlamore reporting from Hawks practice.
The search is nearing an end.
Or is it?
As the Hawks wind down training camp, the revamped roster has taken shape over the course of six exhibition games. One of the biggest questions entering the preseason was what coach Larry Drew would do at the small forward position. Or call it the 3-guard, if you prefer.
The answer is Drew has options – and plenty of them. He likes it that way.
DeShawn Stevenson, Kyle Korver, Damion James, Anthony Tolliver and Josh Smith have played at the 3 during exhibitions. Stevenson and Korver are guards.
“As I’ve said going into this preseason, my main focus was to really see what kind of combinations we can put out there and be effective,” Drew said. “We’ve gone with DeShawn at 3. I like that. We’ve gone with Kyle at the 3. I like that. We’ve gone with Josh at some 3. I like that.
“That gives us some flexibility from the standpoint that if we need to adapt and make some minor adjustments with our lineup we have the ability to do that. To say it’s a lock on any guy who is going to be starting at that position every single night, I won’t say that’s the case. I love the flexibility to be able to move guys around and experiment a little bit and to be able to make adjustments depending on who we play.”
The Hawks have a smaller team following their numerous offseason changes. The loss of 6-foot-7 Joe Johnson and the 6-9 Marvin Williams were the most notable. How they will defend the small forward position is at issue.
Drew has the ability to play Zaza Pachulia at center, move Al Horford to power forward and Smith to the small forward. Smith drew much of the assignment to guard LeBron James in the exhibition opener against the Heat.
“The 3, night in and night out, you are playing a beast at that position,” Smith said. “It’s definitely going to be a challenging position for us but at the same time we are a team. The 3 is just one position. Last time I checked there were five positions. We have to be able to help each other collectively. One guy is not going to get it done.”
Stevenson has started several of the exhibition games and said he is quite comfortable with the defensive responsibilities. The veteran points to his time with Dallas when he and Shawn Marion were assigned the opposition’s top scoring threat.
“I guard the Carmelos, the LeBrons,” Stevenson said. “On defense, I’m basically a 3 guard. I’m getting used to it. In this offense, the 3-guard is basically a 2-guard, the 2-guard is basically a 3-guard. They are interchangeable.”
The 6-8 Tolliver is an option when the Hawks go against a bigger lineup. Tolliver said he learned to play small forward last season with Minnesota and is now comfortable in the role.
While the Hawks could be undersized at the small forward position, their lineup allows them to get another shooter on the floor. With a depth of long-range shooters, they will be able to take advantage of their speed guard with Devin Harris, Lou Williams and Jeff Teague. Drew thinks the Hawks can exploit those matchups.
“We could go into this thing and the mindset be to go with the guy who we think is going to be at that position,” Drew said. “Or we can change it up. What has been good to us in the past is our ability to make adjustments during the game, whether we want to go with a small 3 or go with a big 3. As I said before, I embrace having that ability to do that. It allows you not only to adapt but we feel with our lineup, with our personnel, if we are small we can play a certain way; if we are big we can play a certain way. Our guys are very comfortable with either way. It’s been a strength of ours. I want to continue to use it.”
Practice update: The Hawks held an open practice Sunday at Philips Arena in front of a crowd of nearly 2,000. … Lou Hudson, whose No. 23 is retired by the Hawks organization, was in attendance. … Teague (sprained left ankle), Pachulia (sprained left ankle) and John Jenkins (left hand contusion) did not participate.Horford (right calf) was limited. He expects to play in the final exhibition game Friday at Detroit.
- Chris Vivlamore
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95 comments Add your comment
skyhawk1
October 21st, 2012
8:38 pm
Marvin sucks. Dude’s got no ball handling skills, no post up ability, not a great shooter, but above it all, he’s as dumb as one can be. I can’t stand men with no pride that are content in being average. If you’re in it, be in it to do and be your best. I’m glad the Hawks organization got rid of that loser. As a player and as a man, he simply sucks!
Slimjr
October 21st, 2012
8:46 pm
Josh lacks the skill to stop and pop. He cant shoot on the move either…
Wish I could work with this guy..I see two or three major technical issues with his jumper that I believe can be fixed. Maybe? But he would have to “relearn” how to shoot and I’m afraid because of his age it maybe too late…..
terrell
October 21st, 2012
8:46 pm
Marvin mustve had a good preseason game recently. I see it was not a bad pick has came out of his closet. lol. I dont miss Marvin whatsoever. lol
terrell
October 21st, 2012
8:49 pm
Dont know about Marvin sucking as a man, but whatever.
Slimjr
October 21st, 2012
8:52 pm
Big Ray, passing up CP3 and DWill for Marvin was not his worst drafting job..
IMO, his passing up RUDY GAY or RONDO for SHELDON WILLIAMS WAS the ultimate fail as a Lottery pick at the 5 slot….Word on the street he was so sure Sheldon was such a sure bet that he would not take any offers or engage in talks with other GM’s..
Imagine Rudy Gay as our #3? OMG!
Ken Strickland
October 21st, 2012
8:54 pm
HORFORD HATERS like to claim he doesn’t like to bang and be physical. Because most of them tend to be Josh lovers, they refuse to accept the fact that Josh is the one that shys away from contact.
Nite Owl
October 21st, 2012
8:57 pm
@terrell:
He just got 18 points, 8 rebounds, 4 steals against the Clippers yesterday. It must be the end of the Mayan calendar. Scheduled to happen again on October 13, 4772.
Debating a Marvin supporter is like playing dodgeball against toddlers. You really don’t want to do it, and it just doesn’t seem a fair fight.
Didn’t Marvin get his big chance to step up last year when Josh and Joe were out, and he scored exactly zero points? I’m pretty sure that happened.
But yeah, I wouldn’t challenge him as a man, necessarily. I think he was doing his best; it’s just that his ceiling ended up being much lower than projected out of college.
Melvin
October 21st, 2012
8:57 pm
Marvins looks his best in any uniform other than the Hawks….
Jerry Glanville
October 21st, 2012
8:57 pm
Josh Smith takes too many jumpers. he needs to attack the rim more. he should have learned a lot from horford by now.
Jerry Glanville
October 21st, 2012
8:59 pm
I hated to see joe johnson go. with joe we had a top 5 shooter to go along side a top 5 center. Joe will be missed.
Big Crimson 75
October 21st, 2012
9:11 pm
We’ll find out early just how much Stevenson wants to be here.
Still think this Team can get a low seed in the Playoffs.
Slimjr
October 21st, 2012
9:18 pm
Big Ray
October 21st, 2012
8:08 pm
“Slim ,
I remember a LOT of things Knight did…including saying that he had to laugh when asked about the importance of the PG position…which he clearly did not believe in.
There’s a reason why dude doesn’t have a GM job these days. Hell, does he even HAVE an NBA job? Wikipedia doesn’t seem to think so…”
LOL!
Maybe in 20 years his theory [a professional] [basketball team] able to compete at a very high level with just a bunch of 6′8″ forwards ala [King James] may work?
Maybe he is a [VISIONARY]?
I don’t want to wait 20 years.. Do you? heh heh heh…
Slimjr
October 21st, 2012
9:28 pm
The Lakers are trying implement the [Princeton] offense? Have we seen this B4?
soullrenaissance
October 21st, 2012
9:46 pm
Welcome back Mrs. Williams. Ty Corbin may make a beast out of Marvin just yet!
Maybe LD is not tipping his hand or perhaps he really is clueless as to what to do in regards to the small forward position. Stevenson is “ehhhh” and in no way should he be in the top of the pecking order. Not Korver either. It should be either Smoove or James – but we shall see.
terrell
October 21st, 2012
9:54 pm
Marvin is just too clumsy to be a “beast”. I dont care who the coach is.
Nite Owl
October 21st, 2012
9:56 pm
I may be Mr. Obvious here, but I don’t think there’s going to be any “one guy” at small forward. I think LD likes flexibility, so he’ll rotate Teague, Harris, and Lou between the 1 and the 2; he’ll rotate Morrow, Korver, and Stephenson between the 2 and the 3; he’ll rotate Josh between 3 and 4, and Al between 4 and 5, etc.
When none of those guys is playing the 3, it will be Tolliver or James probably. Maybe they’ll start, or maybe they’ll just fill in here and there.
That said, I’m pretty interested to see how LD is going to juggle all that, but I just think they’ll go by matchups. Sometimes the big lineup with Zaza at the 5, Al at 4, and Smoove at 3 if they play Indiana. And so on. Stay with the hot hand. Run multiple guys at LeBron. That sort of thing. We should be able to match up against pretty much any kind of lineup.
brigadierjerry
October 21st, 2012
10:07 pm
slimjr,
just an fyi in regards to amare just revealed today:
http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/basketball/knicks/ouch-amar-expected-start-regular-season-article-1.1188683
brigadierjerry
October 21st, 2012
10:10 pm
slimjr,
melo will probably play the 4 at times as well as kurt thomas depending on matchups, ny will play better overall but they as well as other teams have problems as well as no brewer camby, shumpert and jr smith all are hurt. I will be at the brooklyn game against ny
brigadierjerry
October 21st, 2012
10:12 pm
I am sure doc can expound upon this type of injury amare has as far as the cyst but
Reaction to Stoudemire’s injury
October, 21, 2012
OCT 21
9:43
PM ET
By Jared Zwerling | ESPNNewYork.com
“Here we go again.” That’s all some Knicks fans could think about Sunday afternoon when word broke that Amare Stoudemire would miss 2-3 weeks with a cyst in his knee.
After dealing with lower back issues on and off since 2011, the focus has turned to his left knee, which underwent microfracture surgery in October 2005. He suffered a bone bruise on that same knee during practice on Oct. 10, and then an MRI revealed the ruptured popliteal cyst in its joint area.
After consulting with ESPN injury analyst Stephania Bell for more insights, here’s what the injury means to STAT’s health, as well as the team:
THE INJURY
1. A popliteal cyst, or Baker’s cyst, is not uncommon and it’s not a serious injury. However, it can sometimes reoccur from additional irritation in the joint, which is what happened with Stoudemire. What’s more important is the long-term health of his left knee.
2. Rest and Stoudemire’s conditioning level will help. Because he was dealing with a recent bone bruise, the rest from the cyst recovery will help his knee — and the timing of it is still early enough for additional precautionary measures to be taken. In addition, Stoudemire is in great shape, and the more fit an athlete is, the better he is in terms of healing, maintenance and staving off the recurrence of any new symptoms.
THE TEAM
1. Kurt Thomas will likely start at power forward. Thomas can knock down the 15-foot-jumper, and even at 40 years old, he has the size and smarts to defend post-up players. While Thomas will have a harder time guarding quicker stretch fours, like the Andrea Bargnanis of the NBA, those assignments could go to Carmelo Anthony or Tyson Chandler to allow Stoudemire to stay on the opposing team’s traditional big man.
2. Anthony will play more four. This has been the most talked about item since the news of Stoudemire’s injury, and here’s why: When STAT was out with a bulging disc in his lower back from March 26 to April 18 last season, Melo was arguably the best stretch four in the league. He averaged 30.6 points, 7.7 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 1.4 steals per game, while shooting 50.5 percent from the field and 42.6 percent from downtown. During that span, the Knicks went 9-4.
3. Expect Chris Copeland to make the team, and possibly be part of the rotation. Before Stoudemire’s injury, the 28-year-old rookie was nearing a guaranteed roster spot, punctuated by his 34-point performance Saturday night against the Celtics. Now that STAT’s out, the power forward position is wide open. Mike Woodson could go with Thomas, Marcus Camby for defense or even Steve Novak for offense to help spread the floor. It would depend on the opponent, but Copeland can play. As for Rasheed Wallace, he’s still a question mark.
Fortunately for the Knicks, Stoudemire’s injury only keeps him sidelined through the first week of the season. That could actually be a good measuring stick for the team to see what they’re working with, and where Stoudemire could best fill in the cracks.”
Najeh Davenpoop
October 21st, 2012
10:36 pm
It may take a while for these Lakers to build up their team chemistry, but damn, they look really good in spurts in this game.
Slimjr
October 21st, 2012
10:40 pm
Wow Bjerry!
That News just stinks! This guys body is breaking down.. He needs to lay off the soda…
Hopefully he’ll only be gone no longer than 3 weeks? And can hang in there..But its a long season..
Man that Nets vs. Knicks game up in Brooklyn is going to be a blast! You have got to tell us about the experience..
Slimjr
October 21st, 2012
11:06 pm
Thomas Robinson jumped over D12 for that put back dunk like Nique used to do! Impressive!
Slimjr
October 21st, 2012
11:08 pm
Bjerry,
Melo shot lights out from beyond the arc in the Summer Olympics! What an exhibition he put on! He is one gifted player…
Hawks Blog Legend Worldwide Clyde
October 21st, 2012
11:26 pm
Options everywhere except center. We better hope Horford or Zaza doesn’t go down this season.
Ken Strickland
October 21st, 2012
11:39 pm
SLIMJR- How long have you been a Knicks fan? I loved them back in the days of WReed, DDebusher, BBradly, WFrazier, and Earl the Pearl, along with CRussell, DStallworth, JLucas, and PJackson. Man, that team had class, professionism, talent, heart, and star power. Believe it or not, but their best postup player was Earl the Pearl Monroe, a guard.
Also, the Knicks actually improved last yr when Amare went down. He and Melo just don’t play well together. Amare excesl in the pick and roll when he’s paired up with a quality pass 1st PG. Melo is the perfect candidate for Woodson’s ISO dominant OFF.
The Knicks will be victimized by Woodson’s obsession for relying heavily on older veteran players who’ll fade as the season progresses under his short rotations.
Slimjr
October 21st, 2012
11:39 pm
double double for D12 with 7:43 left in the 4th!
Slimjr
October 22nd, 2012
12:16 am
Been following the Knicks for a while Ken..They introduced me to the NBA game growing up in the Bronx and have been hooked ever since..I used to dream about playing in the NBA like most young pups coming out of the play grounds of New York.. The Pearl is hardly ever mentioned as one of the greats.. I heard he and Walt Frazier used to go at it when Earl played for the Bullets.. Didn’t he once drop 56 on Walt in a playoff game? Wow. Then came the Ewing years..He came within a finger roll of winning a Championship! Its so hard to win one!
I agree with your assessment that the Knicks execution improved once Amare went down. What was compelling they also lost their 3 pt. guards and still went 18-6 to make the playoffs..Melo should try to become a more [complete] basketball player if he ever wants to help his team reach a finals. I think he can play with Amare but he needs to make the adjustments.He can focus on other parts of his game when Amare is on the floor with him. He does not have to try and score 45 a night..Share the ball and get wins.. Right?
Woody is going to be under a microscope up there for a whole season..Lets see how he handles it.
I almost forgot he’s got Jason Kid playing the point up there.. Should be interesting to see how they gel? Hmmm
Slimjr
October 22nd, 2012
12:20 am
FYI, the Lakers are 0-6 so far?
Oh the Humanity……
Gators vs. Dawgs
Oh the Humanity…..lol
doc
October 22nd, 2012
12:23 am
slimj the monster ate the response about woody. however, i dont think he will be seen at grand central station this year unless they really crash and contend for a lottery ticket to the dance. his contract assures him another year for sure.
brig ill check it out. late now and i am about done thinking as i was at a conference in dc area for the past five days and tired of medicine talk. good flight back though tonight.
doc
October 22nd, 2012
12:27 am
not me slimj, pearl was a great player and why the knicks ever got to the promised land. without him, i dont think they ever get a ring. he was the final fit for those guys. but pearl and clyde? man that was hot nyc stuff, along with broadway joe. good years for new yorkers as the yanks went into a funk there for a while until the straw that stirred the drink arrived …. reggie.
Slimjr
October 22nd, 2012
12:33 am
Demarcus Cousins is a beast!
Slimjr
October 22nd, 2012
12:42 am
doc, guess those Brooklyn-nites are wishing [Spot Up Joe] will stir their drinks! LOL!
Good luck with that one!
Trez
October 22nd, 2012
12:49 am
Damion James!! Damion James!! should start at small foward this kid can play he didnt have his chance with nj because of injuries now he’s healthy and o ya he’s jus 25 yrs old.
doc
October 22nd, 2012
1:09 am
how is spot up doing?
hawksordie
October 22nd, 2012
1:47 am
Man would u pleaseeeeee move to utah n get an al jefferson jerzee.n set beside ty corbin ..im sickkkkkk of hearin bout that dude sheeshhhh…meantime in between time LETS GO HAww
KKSSSSSS
hawksordie
October 22nd, 2012
2:04 am
Mickael pietrusss??? Are you f……..n looney or just missing the obvious?? Anthony tolliver or damion james both fit in wayy better with this squad than that douche…
brigadierjerry
October 22nd, 2012
7:42 am
slimjr, doc, ken,
earl monroe is one of the most underrated players. i saw him towards end of his career. very good player who was better when u played him with contac
brigadierjerry
October 22nd, 2012
7:45 am
Enter your comments here
brigadierjerry
October 22nd, 2012
7:50 am
slimjr,
since u are from bx, u remember kyrie irvings father?dederick irving?i remember him when he played in bx. very good high school player played at boston university. irvings godfather is rod stricklad
Buddy Grizzard
October 22nd, 2012
8:23 am
“If you’re in it, be in it to do and be your best.”
Co-sign! But keep in mind that Marvin and Joe’s contentment with mediocrity was an expression of the organizational culture. You notice how Joe is all of a sudden talking about winning a championship? When did he ever do that in Atlanta? That’s because the expectations are different. Joe knew he could get bounced in the first round in Atlanta and Rick Sund would call it “success.”
Buddy Grizzard
October 22nd, 2012
8:26 am
“Demarcus Cousins is a beast!”
Slimjr how would you like to be the GM that drafted Evan Turner or Wes Johnson ahead of him?
vava74
October 22nd, 2012
8:42 am
Buddy,
Co-sign. And nothing speaks more about mediocrity than having a pretty solid group coached first by Woody and then by LD.
Woody’s tenure is, in my opinion, excusable, but hiring LD (and then re-upping) was a total catastrophe.
I will do my “mea culpa” since I – romantically – thought LD’s hiring was a good idea at the start, but it took me only a few weeks to think otherwise.
Buddy G
October 22nd, 2012
8:53 am
Check PJ3 at the 2:00 mark:
http://www.nba.com/games/20121021/DENOKC/gameinfo.html?ls=iref:nbahpgt0011200087
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