Hawks 81, Magic 72
By Michael Cunningham
There was a real sense of relief among the Hawks when they got off the road and away from the virus that swept through the team on the four-game trip.
After seven days away, most of them spent trying to fend off the bug, the Hawks figured they’d find a safe haven at Philips Arena tonight. The Hawks were healthier but the effects of that West Coast voyage still lingered.
The Hawks eventually shook off a sluggish start and overcame a lackluster finish to pull out an 81-72 victory against the Magic.
“That was a really tough game for us to play,” Hawks coach Larry Drew said. “I could tell guys were still weary from the West Coast. We didn’t have our legs early. I could see guys gasping for air in the first four minutes. This game was going to have to fight from beginning to end. This Orlando team plays hard and when they are down they just keep coming. I’m very happy that we gutted it out.”
The Magic (3-7) had lost four of five road games but the Hawks (5-4) didn’t expect an easy game. Orlando has adopted a scrappy, spirited style in the wake of All-Star center Dwight Howard’s departure to the Lakers over the summer.
The Magic engaged Atlanta in their kind of game to stay close in the first half. The Hawks came out of halftime playing at a faster pace with crisper passing.
They opened the third period with an 18-8 run, led 65-49 at the end of the quarter and were up by as many as 24 points in the fourth period.
“We definitely picked up the energy,” Hawks center Zaza Pachulia said. “We were able to get stops and run. Josh [Smith] got involved, Al [Horford] got involved and we got fast-break points.”
But after building the big lead the Hawks couldn’t sustain the effort.
Atlanta’s starters were set to watch the final quarter from the bench until Orlando cut the lead to 78-66. That prompted Drew to send Teague, Horford and Kyle Korver back in to finish off the victory.
Horford had 15 points and nine rebounds, reserve guard Lou Williams had 14 points and Teague added nine points and seven assists. Atlanta shot 38 percent from the field but held Orlando to the same mark while collecting 12 steals and scoring 24 points off 19 turnovers.
In the the third quarter the Hawks made 11 of 21 shots, held Orlando to 27 percent shooting and recorded four steals. Harris had three steals and Teague had three assists during the quarter.
“I thought Jeff and Devin did a really good job picking up the tempo,” Drew said. “I told both of those guys at the start of the third quarter, ‘You guys have got to set the tempo for the rest of the game and get out and run and make the rest of these guys run with you.’”
The Hawks started sluggishly with three turnovers in their first five possessions, setting the tone for the half. Atlanta trailed 23-21 after shooting just 38 percent in the first quarter with four misses close to the basket. The Hawks shot even worse in the second quarter (33 percent) but held Orlando to 14 points in the period to lead 41-37 at halftime.
“It’s always like that after a trip,” Pachulia said. “It’s normal, I think, to be tired. But we did a good job of turning things around. We needed this win. No more excuses.”
The Hawks are not scheduled to practice tomorrow, allowing them extra time to catch up on rest before facing the Wizards on Wednesday at Philips Arena.
“We have the rest of this week to kind of settle back in,” Williams said.
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88 comments Add your comment
Macaroni Tony
November 19th, 2012
10:42 pm
first
Rusty
November 19th, 2012
10:48 pm
Anyone on this blog who doesn’t think that JT is the best pg we have had here in years is stupid,anyone who thinks Lou Williams is a pg is stupid,anyone who thinks LD treats JT fairly is stupid,anyone who thinks LD really knows what he is doing is beyond stupid.
Smokey
November 19th, 2012
10:48 pm
I only caught a few mins of second half, looked like an ugly game.
keith
November 19th, 2012
11:05 pm
Al Jefferson stat line 2-night= (14 points 16 rebounds 1 Block). This is what we need to close the deal moving forward. Jefferson minus Josh puts us in the Eastern Conference Finals. Anyone who does not think so mist be STUPID! Anyone who thinks that we should not trade Josh must be STUPID!
tyger
November 19th, 2012
11:12 pm
The Magic (3-7) had lost four of five road games but the Hawks (5-4) didn’t expect an easy game.
1. The Magic are scrubs…
2. The Wizards are scrubs…
3. The Cavs are scrubs…
4. The schedule is kind…
Josh – 3-10, 3 reb ???
Korver – 2-11, 3 reb ???
Stevenson – 0-3, 0 reb???
5. Luckily, they were playing scrubs…
Brian N Smyrna
November 19th, 2012
11:15 pm
I was hoping Josh was going to come out a monster this year with it being a contract year. At this point I could careless if they trade him right now. I still can’t get a grasp of this team. Hard for me to watch them.
roertg
November 19th, 2012
11:31 pm
Jefferson
Smoove
Krover
Willams
Harris
roertg
November 19th, 2012
11:32 pm
I agree with the 1 troll using 4 different names above. Al horford needs to be traded if this team has a hope or prayer. and Al horford for Al Jefferson trade is the right one for the hawks.
Common Sense ???
November 19th, 2012
11:32 pm
Hawks reserve guard Lou Williams scored a team-high 14 points, Horford had 15 points and nine rebounds and Teague added nine points and seven assists.
Team-high? hmmmmm….. is 15 still more than 14? Guess not.
T Bone
November 19th, 2012
11:36 pm
Teague is a brainless idiot and Al is a heartless coward. both are the reason the hawks are boring and are going no where. Trade Al’s sorry as s and throw in teague.. lets somebody else try to get something out of these space cadets.
Its time for that change. The hawks chemistry sucks with Al on the team The hawks are a much better team with out Al
TRADE AL TODAY.. may be then the fans will come back and start to believe.
doc
November 19th, 2012
11:42 pm
excellent win for the hawks. essentially madeita three quarter game, second in a row to be up by twenty late in the game. also encouraged to see oppositions total points that suggests some tenacity on defense.
2 FOR JOHN DREW
November 19th, 2012
11:54 pm
A win …. is a win
Is winning good , or does losing help make DF’s decisions a bite clearer … I’d rather always win & let the chips fall where they may
I MUS WRITE
November 20th, 2012
12:57 am
Well Dam T Bone……..
Mike
November 20th, 2012
12:58 am
I agree with everything Rusty said in that second post. And anyone who disagrees is stupid.
2 FOR JOHN DREW
November 20th, 2012
2:12 am
What’s a superstar ? ….. I don’t think there are that many superstars in the NBA
Buddy G
November 20th, 2012
3:13 am
“I’d rather always win & let the chips fall where they may.”
Co-sign.
Just Joe
November 20th, 2012
6:45 am
Cleveland, with Irving out a month, keeps coming up in my mind as a good landing spot for Devin Harris. I could see a deal similar to Harris for Luke Walton (to be released), Omri Casspi, and Miami’s 1st rd pick getting done. Cavs also own what projects to be two early second rd picks (their own and Orlando’s). They have a protected first belonging to Sactown, but I don’t see them moving that pick, or their own 1st rounder.
Hawks would have to go out and find a PG for the bench, but that could be done. The goal in my mind is to turn as many of these expiring contracts in to first rd picks as possible.
ag
November 20th, 2012
7:01 am
I agree with Just Joe. I think we should trade D. Harris for a pick or a SF.
T- Bone, outside of a couple of games every year, moving Horford and Teague will not bring fans back. They were never there. Even when we had a superstar, the Omni was not always full.
I was very surprised to see how many fans were at the game yesterday. I did not expect no more than 7,000. If I had to guess it was about 12,000. Looking at the attendance, we had 15,000+ ( although that certainly does not seem right).
tim
November 20th, 2012
7:03 am
I went to the game..
But, NEVER AGAIN.
I watched 2 “professional” teams shoot 38%.
High school can do better.
A bad product in a bad league with a bunch of “me first’ employees.
Josh Smith is the worst. Trade the loser.
ag
November 20th, 2012
7:07 am
Josh clearly had his worse game of the year. Like I said earlier, LD usually gets it. He finally stopped playing Tolliver and now Ivan is stepping up. Ivan had a really good game. I posted before, the Hawks have a very soft schedule outside of the game Saturday night.
sam'l
November 20th, 2012
7:07 am
I think some of you are missing the point. The Hawks were up by 20 points tonight. Maybe we can build on this rather than dismantling the team. To beat the top teams……smarts and all out hustle and great teamwork will be required.. Could this group do it? Tonight they looked very good at times.
Big Baby
November 20th, 2012
7:32 am
trade OSH for Vucivic. That guy took osh’s lunch momey every time they played.
Peter
November 20th, 2012
7:33 am
Good defense I guess.. 16 points an awful 4th quarter for the Hawks..
No TV… so the Atlanta Spirit Group getting what they deserve. Yawn !
Big Daddy
November 20th, 2012
8:04 am
This is a win. The team did what it had to do to come out on top. Coming back from a long west coast trip is always draining. The time change plays havoc with your body, plus the flu seemed to be running rampant through the team. The fans will come back when the team wins consistently.
I think the team has done much better than I thought they would with such a small lineup. Hopefully, Ferry has some plan we don’t know about in getting the team more competitive.
Using a fake name
November 20th, 2012
8:31 am
Glad some of you guys aren’t GM’s
Trading Josh Smith for Vucivic is the silliest thing I’ve ever seen.
Trading Horford for Jefferson is stupid because they are basically the same player.
Trying to blow the team up because they played terrible last night MIND YOU THEY JUST CAME FROM A WEST COAST TRIP(LONG). Yeah this blog is stupid is what really is the problem.
Big Baby
November 20th, 2012
8:37 am
not as stupid as trading Marvin for a broke leg small fry.
Edgewood Adam
November 20th, 2012
9:11 am
Any explanation as to why it was not televised? I can not remember the last time a game was not televised. It would be nice to get an explanation of C-VIV. Oh wait, hes on vacation….. in the middle of the season. Hook us up MC.
Terrell
November 20th, 2012
9:12 am
Big Baby,
Marvin isn’t doing anything in Utah and Devin comes off our books next year so if anything he could be traded for a better role player or just not re-signed next year and the money be used elsewhere.
Najeh Davenpoop
November 20th, 2012
9:14 am
” I could see a deal similar to Harris for Luke Walton (to be released), Omri Casspi, and Miami’s 1st rd pick getting done. Cavs also own what projects to be two early second rd picks (their own and Orlando’s).”
I have a hard time seeing anyone trade a first round pick for a guy who just got traded straight up for Marvin Williams. I think a 2nd rounder is the best case scenario for Devin, unless the Hawks are willing to take on long-term salary (which they are not). And regardless (or irregardless), with only 3 PGs on the roster (and Lou isn’t really a PG), the Hawks may opt to just keep Devin around. I don’t think he’s a bad backup PG, but he just shouldn’t be starting.
www.KissYounger.com
November 20th, 2012
9:16 am
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gees
November 20th, 2012
9:27 am
Why don’t you guys chill out and let Ferry do work. If you expected a better team than last year you need to reset your expectations now. We are going to have tons of cap room next year, we have some good pieces in place. Josh is a top 5 defender in the league and it shows, the hawks defense is one of the best in the league with a bunch of guards on this squad. JT is a solid and continues to develop and Al ain’t too shabby either.
gees
November 20th, 2012
9:29 am
Great news about this website too! I had no idea!
Harpie
November 20th, 2012
9:30 am
Get Rid of Drew!!!!!
drmaryb.(""_*).
November 20th, 2012
9:52 am
On The Edge!
“Hook us up MC.” -Edgewood Adam-
_______________
Uhhh … When has MC ever hooked you up?
*********************************
Peter Cotton Tail!
“No TV… so the Atlanta Spirit Group getting what they deserve. Yawn !” – Peter -
______________
This game was televised on NBA TV. I watched it on [ f i r s t r o w s p o r t s (dot) eu ].
MsDee
November 20th, 2012
10:04 am
B4 letting any player go, DREW MUST BE REPLACED!! We wont truly know what we have til our head coach is history. And NOT just any NEW coach, but a SEASONED coach. Someone with experience!! I still want Jerry Sloan.
Hawkeye
November 20th, 2012
10:07 am
Hee,hee,heeeeeeeeeeeeeeee !!!!!!!!!!
Ditokushatl
November 20th, 2012
10:07 am
Trade Jeff Teague yeah right……….
DS
November 20th, 2012
10:09 am
Wait…did someone here suggest trading Smoove for Vucevic? Wow…this blog has really gone to the crapper…
DS
November 20th, 2012
10:10 am
And someone also said Teague was the reason this team is boring???? He’s been the only exciting player this year. You people should watch at least 1 Hawks game before posting on a Hawks blog.
Just Joe
November 20th, 2012
10:11 am
Najeh…Miami’s 1st rd pick is all but assured to be one of the last 3 or 4 in the first round. Some teams consider an early 2nd rd pick to be more valuable than a late 1st since the 2nd rounder doesn’t come with a guaranteed salary structure. I have no idea if Harris can bring back a 1st rd pick, but that would be a goal of mine even if it left us short-handed at PG.
Veteran point guards (that have been starters recently) on expiring contracts that are available by trade are few and far between. Devin Harris & Jose Calderon ($10M+ salary) are the first two that come to mind. Mo Williams (if the Jazz struggle)???
There’s a half-dozen or so PG’s on 2 & 3-yr deals that could be had though.
MsDee
November 20th, 2012
10:14 am
Our team isnt bad, looking on paper. We have some great quality players on our team. Drew just doesnt know how to use them properly. What coach cant keep a consistent starting unit? What coach doesnt have the smarts to ride the HOT hand til he either starts missing or appears to be tired?? What coach allows a SG(Lou) to become a PG when you already have 2 point guards on the team ALREADY in Teague and Harris??? What coach CUTS a rebounding specialist (one that this team NEEDED badly in Damion James) to keep a player(Tolliver) with skills we already have commitment to on the team(Harris, Korver,Ivan)???? What coach ALLOWS their forwards and centers to grab a rebound THAN run the floor like a PG INSTEAD of MAKING THEIR BUTTS give it up to a PG or guard PERIOD????? And last but not least, what coach allows their “STAR” player to consistently jack up jumpers after jumpers after jumpers after jumpers after jumpers after jumpers after jumpers after jumpers after jumpers………..u’er…tired…..after jumpers after jumpers after jumpers…well, u get the point by now!!
Astro Joe
November 20th, 2012
10:23 am
Just Joe, a player’s value is based on the team who wants him. I think Devin could bring us the Heat draft pick. But I certainly would want to know that there is a quality PG who has given us a hand-shake agreement before I trade Devin. If Teague lands wrong and twists his ankle, the season is doomed (which wouldn’t be the worse thing IMO).
9 games into the All-Star Election campaign and Josh Smith is looking more like Ron Paul than anyone else in the recent GOP field (devoted followers with little chance for victory).
wordsmithtom
November 20th, 2012
10:38 am
Ron Paul…sheesh, more like Ru Paul….
hot.trod.87
November 20th, 2012
10:54 am
Lost 2 players w/ MORE playoff experience, but picked up 3 (possibly 4) players with ADVANCED playoff experience. We should actually be doing better than what we have. Having Marv, JJ, AL, Josh, & PG is no easy task, but at least make improvement. Lou Williams & Kyle Korver have been the MOST consistent. Morrow as well when he gets minutes. Gotta get Josh, AL & Zaza more touches INSIDE. Teague & Stevenson can not start together. Tolliver, Jenkins, & Scott should NEVER be on the court together as two are inexperienced and one is just not good. Lou, Morrow, & Teague are small, BUT they get out and run.
Just Joe
November 20th, 2012
11:02 am
AJ…This is a very average team IMO (currently tied for 7th in the East), and I would hope that Ferry will not become short-sighted by trying to keep the team competitive for “this” year. I still believe guys like Morrow, Korver, and Harris will best serve the future of this team through trades. Korver is the guy that I would have the hardest time letting go of, because I think he provides a perfect example for how John Jenkins should build his game, and he’s capable of playing either wing position.
With the Hawks’ plans to have cap space next summer, if any of these players make it to the end of the season, then the Hawks’ bird rights to them as free agents will likely be renounced as each will carry a cap hold equal to 150% of their current salary (Morrow $6M, Korver $7.5M, Harris $12M+).
Slim
November 20th, 2012
11:08 am
Why trade al hour ford for al Jefferson, essentially the same player, however al is a better defender.
hot.trod.87
November 20th, 2012
11:10 am
Still don’t see solid production out of our returning guys on a night in and night out basis. Teague is too streaky… Not enough assists out of him to dictate his teammates’ offense. More of his offense, he dictates. Teague is a point guard acting in the capacity of a shooting guard whereas Lou is a shooting guard acting in the capacity of a point guard. Still leads Teague in assists.
doc
November 20th, 2012
11:24 am
najeh the kid was very impressive last night. he was stud. was even more surprised at the caoch’s deviation from the usual starter doesnt lose the job due to a injury. might be seeing a reenactment of the bledsoe/brady transition a decade or more ago in new england. the kid beat up on a very good defense.
meanwhile on the other side of the ball there may be a worse line than philly. if cutler had been there he would be pinch drunk and dinished from the head up. glad they have finally stopped covering up the
concussion scam. felt sorry for campbell. he is a hurtin dude today and worse tomorrow.
doc
November 20th, 2012
11:27 am
meanwhile when does the 2011-2012 version of josh show up? tired of the man with no j in osh.
doc
November 20th, 2012
11:35 am
when can we admit a mistake and bring damian jones back, make ivan a rotation guy and jettison tolliver. we need crusty grinders ballers more than another tweener not doing either well. jones could have been this years version of ivan to back fill on cheap depth.
really few complaints on few expectations. much prefer watching this team than the last two versions with jj and marvin. once they figure out each other they may be trouble and the next month is perfect to do that with a lot of home games against the dregs of the league.
go hawks!
O'Brien
November 20th, 2012
12:02 pm
Good win for the Hawks, coming off a long road trip.
And I’m glad LD has cut Tolliver’s minutes. He is shooting 28% from the field, 18% from the 3. 3 pts, 2 rebs in 13.4 mpg. Would James be any worse? I think if nothing else, he would rebound more.
Doc,
SF’s backup looked good last night, but its still only one game. I need at least a 3 game sample. But if I’m a Bears fan, I’m upset that they cant find O-line men to protect my QB. Cutler has consistently been one of the most sacked QB since he went to Chicago (even if he does hold the ball a little too long). .
Ken Strickland
November 20th, 2012
12:04 pm
Let’s face it fans, Josh has lost his confidence. His FT shooting has gotten so bad that he’s afraid of getting fouled, so he resorts to shooting more jumpers. His lack of aggressiveness has also started to affect his DEF and rebounding. It’s revealing how a certain ANAL MINDED MORON continues to blame Horford for everything wrong while not once mentioning Josh’s major struggles.
Once again, STUPID IS AS STUPID DOES. I paid close attention to LWilliams as he was running the point, and his PG skills are definitely below average at best. It took LDrew 9gms to realize IJohnson is a far more productive player overall than ATolliver. How many more gms will it take for him to realize DHarris and JTeague are far better at playing the point than LWilliams?
I’ve noticed how he pounds the ball and settles for jumpshots too much, and seldom takes it to the hole when at the point. He’s much more aggressive and effective when playing the 2. Drew should have Teague and Harris at the 1, Morrow and Williams at the 2, and Korver at the 3.
If Josh doesn’t start playing with some sort of consistency on both ends of the court, and stop settling for so doggone many jumpers, he needs to be sent to the bench and replaced by IJohnson. Both he and his delusional Josh loving fans need to come to the realization that he’s not capable of carrying a team as a #1 option. He’s just not skilled or mature enough for that responsibility.
In fact, he seems to be crumbling under the pressure of trying to carry that load.
Sam
November 20th, 2012
12:08 pm
Only Atlanta Hawks fans are dumb enough to want Damian James on their team. Signing James (and people of his skill level) is exactly why the Hawks are stuck in mediocrity every single year. If he was so good, other teams would want to sign him…yet THAT ISN’T HAPPENING!
Sam
November 20th, 2012
12:14 pm
The Hawks need a real small forward, not Josh Smith masquerading around as one. Wonder if the Spurs would be interested in Smith? Ferry could call up his old team about Kawhi Leonard and Gary Neal. Someone like Boris Diaw could be tossed in to make the salaries work. The Spurs have enough room under the cap to offer him a good contract at the end of the year.
Sam
November 20th, 2012
12:16 pm
*to offer Josh Smith a good contract at the end of the year.
Tiago Splitter is also interesting, but I doubt they would trade him.
drmaryb.(""_*).
November 20th, 2012
1:10 pm
Is it getting HOT in here, or is it just Big Ray’s breath?
MsDee
November 20th, 2012
1:11 pm
KenS,
Im SO not jumping on the Josh Smith fan club, but dont cha think we should replace Drew? Maybe JUST maybe Josh NEEDS an experienced captain to lead this Hawks ship and to guide Josh in the way he should go? Yes, Josh confidence is slowing disappearing and I blame Drew FOR IT ALL!! U cant coach someone like Josh and allow him time after time after time to just basically do WHATEVER he wants to do without some consequences. Cause he will eventually create the Josh we have today, someone who has lost his mojo!! Ferry PLEASE release Drew of his duties and replace his RIGHT, QUICK, AND IN A HURRY!!
NUNNA!!
November 20th, 2012
1:12 pm
These hawks have been competitive all year long..There has only been one game that we played that we were not in it or had gotten blown out all year!!
Im proud of how we’re playiing. We would have been blown out in at least 3-4 of the 9 games that we played this year, if we had the same lineup that we had last year..
LD needs to go..We are better and winning in spite of LD..
cdog
November 20th, 2012
1:16 pm
I DON”T UNDERSTAND THE HAWKS FANS.WHEN THE HAWKS PLAY A HOME GAME, THE CROWD ARE NO FACTOR. PHILLPIS SHOULD BE LOUD AND ROCKING NO MATTER WHO THE HAWKS PLAY.FANS NEED TO CREAT AN ELECTRIC ATMOSPHERE FOR THE HAWKS AND THEY WILL FIND THAT THE HAWKS PLAYERS WILL RISE TO ANOTHER PLAYING LEVEL JUST LIKE THE MIAMI, BOSTON AND NEW YORK CROWD DOES.
cdog
November 20th, 2012
1:19 pm
THATS WHY THE HAWKS PLAY SLUGGEST AT HOME.THEY LOOK MORE LIKE A WINNING TEAM WHEN THEY PLAY ON THE ROAD BECAUSE OF THE DEAD FAN SUPPORT THEY DON”T GET PLAYING AT HOME
Astro Joe
November 20th, 2012
1:26 pm
Just Joe, I agree completely, right down to your comment about Korver. I tried to watch Korver on defense during the Magic game. He isn’t going to lock down anyone but he is mostly where he is supposed to be, is close enough to challeneg shots and does little things like slightly bumps a player who appears to be slashing through the lane just enough to disrupt the timing of the play. i think we could do far worse than finsih the year with him as the SF (even when he isn’t making 50% of his 3s).
GoHawks
November 20th, 2012
1:32 pm
Hawks are a very respectable team this yr.. I have a feeling they are going to gel soon and be a real threat this yr.
doc
November 20th, 2012
1:49 pm
o.’b no doubt on what you say but he was impressive. it was also a shock to hear the coach not down play it into, he had a lot of help, we kept it simple so he had to only execute etc., not, we have two qb’s now with a hot hand.
in green bay they know what they had when they finally got favre out of there. they speak of how the back up, shredded the packer first team defense during practice time. it may be the same scenario.
Melvin
November 20th, 2012
2:10 pm
Astro,
Just for you. An unbaise opinion….lol
“The Nets have some ground to cover, but the way that Andray Blatche has responded to Avery Johnson and the impact he has made on the team is undeniable. Joe Johnson needs to give more than he is, but some of that is the fact that there are so many mouths to feed offensively. Brook Lopez and Kris Humphries combine for a formidable rebounding presence and Blatche has become that in-the-paint scorer the Nets desperately needed.”
Melvin
November 20th, 2012
2:16 pm
Uh, I meant. Unbias opinion from Hoopsworld…
tjhook
November 20th, 2012
2:17 pm
@Sam,
I think you miss the possibilities a marginal player like Damien James offers. You get a player who can move the ball on offense, make plays in the halfcourt without the ball on offense, and play strong perimeter defense. I think his strength allows players like Josh and Al to be more aggressive on offense because they have a guy (James) who doesn’t constantly need help on defense (Korver) or can get the team second chances with offensive rebounds. By the way, I think he is not marginal – only unproven. He could become more of an offensive threat because he would be around the goal for junk baskets.
tjhook
November 20th, 2012
2:26 pm
Your trade suggestion about Josh to the Spurs is interesting because they are looking to send Duncan and Ginobelli out with a title. Popovich likes Leonard but Smith really helps a squad trying to get to the championship this year. They also have Stephen Jackson as a SF. Trying to see what combo would go well with Leonard and Teague. But I would also ask for the Red Rocket (Matt Bonner).
Melvin
November 20th, 2012
2:28 pm
tjhook,
I think you hit the nail on the head with Damion. Already good at defense and rebounding. I think he’s a little unproven as a offensive player. Not sure what his strong suit on offense but he would have at least been a slasher and hustler on that end. Which are too attributes I think this team could use.
Astro Joe
November 20th, 2012
2:37 pm
Melvin, too bad the Hawks don’t have Avery Johnson.
Positive Thinker
November 20th, 2012
2:40 pm
Why is it that fans on this blog always want the players we don’t have?
Melvin
November 20th, 2012
2:40 pm
Astro,
Are you saying that your boy LD couldn’t have instill discipline in him by playing him inconsistent mins….
Astro Joe
November 20th, 2012
2:52 pm
Melvin, my boy? Just because I was okay with him sitting a player in one game, he is my boy? Now that’s funny. I wonder if I go back to LD’s first 3-6 months, if you were flapping all kind of good vibes about LD?
Sam
November 20th, 2012
3:04 pm
@ tjhook
My original question still stands – If he can do all that stuff, why hasn’t someone else signed him?
Sam
November 20th, 2012
3:08 pm
All anyone wants to do is talk about why we shouldn’t have cut him/why we should resign him. I have yet to hear from a single person why he hasn’t gotten picked up by another team.
Slimjr
November 20th, 2012
3:11 pm
Josh needs a shooting coach to work with him all season and in the off season..Playing at the small forward is really exposing his broke jumper big time..
Ken S. is on point that Josh is losing confidence and that’s what happens when you are continually misfiring around the perimeter.. Now the misses are affecting his free throw shooting too? Oh boy..
This is more than Larry can manage unfortunately…Why not delegate? Hmmmmm
9-1? The falls come harder…
Melvin
November 20th, 2012
3:12 pm
Astro,
LD never gotten my endorsement for nothing…
doc
November 20th, 2012
3:55 pm
9-1 leaves faux fans desperate to find fault so they make up concerns.
enjoy the novelty as we have never acheived this before. 12-4? would still beat my expectations which havent changed. if they keep grinding they may exceed mine even more.
bfred
November 20th, 2012
3:59 pm
An organization like the Spurs wants no part of an undisciplined, unpredictable player like Josh. How long do you think Duncan would put up with his antics?
Sautee
November 20th, 2012
4:03 pm
doc,
Yeah, 12-4 is what I see and that’s more than I thought before the season. But I STILL think they are at best the 3rd or 4th best team in the NFC.They DO have a favorable schedule this year.
Niners, Packers, Bears (with Cutler), and maybe the Giants look as good or better to me today. And that’s not counting the Saints, OR the Bucs.
Still, I’ll enjoy every game, win or lose.
The playoffs will tell us a lot. So will this week at Tampa.
MsDee
November 20th, 2012
4:16 pm
Marc Stein: With Kawhi Leonard & Stephen Jackson ailing, Spurs in process of calling up Spurs alumnus James Anderson from D-League’s Rio Grande Vipers. Twitter @ESPNSteinLine
After reading this tweet, u would THINK Sam had a point about Damion James
doc
November 20th, 2012
4:16 pm
would love it if we take down the saints finally and do pay back to the giants.
the bears ate humble pie last night. better believe oc’s for the remaining teams they play against will go over that one in detail.
Melvin
November 20th, 2012
4:25 pm
MsDee,
Not necessary. Keep in mind that Spurs James Anderson was a (2009, i think) 1st round draft pick of the Spurs
Sam
November 20th, 2012
4:27 pm
bfred,
Duncan is able to put up with Stephen Jackson. Smith and Jackson are both headcases. He also is able to co-exist with Tony Parker – who got in trouble for fighting in NYC and has allegedly had problems with another player’s wife.
Duncan just wants to win.
MsDee
November 20th, 2012
4:50 pm
Melvin,
True but it’s CLEARLY that Damion James out played James Anderson BIG TIME!!
Melvin
November 20th, 2012
5:03 pm
MsDee,
When both were member of the Hawks, I agree but I think the Spurs are considering Anderson b/c he’s familiar with the organization.
hawksordie
November 21st, 2012
12:55 am
yall crazy …this is basically a new team they have to GEL AND BECOME USED TO ONE ANOTHER ANDDDD WE WILL WIN PLENTY OF GAMES ..WE ARE A STEP.ABOVE LAST YEARS HAWKS SO THE HATERS NEED TO CHILL …..
Ken Strickland
November 21st, 2012
9:36 am
SLIMJR-It looks like Knicks HC MWoodson has the veteran ladened team he’s always wanted, especially at PG, and an ISO capable player in CAnthony. It’s been his history to have very good regular season results, only to have his team fizzle out come playoff time.
His ISO dominant OFF approach hasn’t worked very well in the playoffs, and he’s never been one to have a backup plan, other than blaming the players for whatever fails.
Ken Strickland
November 21st, 2012
10:20 am
MSDEE-LDrew isn’t a bad HC, he’s just not championship caliber. He’s definitely not the right HC for the Hawks at this point, considering we have so many younger players. He’s consistently hurt the team with his OFF over DEF and experienced over less experienced no matter what approach.
These are some of the same issues that gave Woodson so many problems and caused both he and his teams to underachieve. After 9yrs of dealing with the same issues and bad habits, at this point it’s up to Josh, not any HC, to turn things around. However, there are some things Drew can do to expedite the process.
He can bench Josh whenever he losses control or refuses to do what’s need or what’s best for the team, rather than what’s easiest for him. He can give him a big slice of humble pie by starting Ivan in his place, rather than continuing to play underachieving one dimensional role players like ATolliver and DStevenson.
And I’m sick and tired of the lame excuses he and some of our fans have offered for not playing AMorrow or JJenkins more. After ignoring all else while insisting on relying on 2 total DEF liabilities in JCrawford and MBibby, pretending to use DEF, in the case of Morrow and Jenkins, is a sorry excuse for not playing these 2 young players.
When it’s a player, or players, he likes, especially veteran players, he’ll totally ignore DEF or rebounding if they possess an OFF trait that he likes. But when it comes to rookies or less experienced and often more talented players, he uses DEF as his excuse for not playing them.
When it came down to the SF position, Drew had Tolliver, Stevenson, Korver and DJames to choose from. And as most of us already know, by cutting James he basically left this team without a viable SF by choosing OFF, particularly 3pt shooting, over DEF, rebounding, and long term potential. I do want drew out of here at the end of the season, if not sooner.
KKorver has proven throughout his career that he can be very effective at what he does best coming off the bench, and doesn’t have to start. DJames out rebounded, out played, our defended, and I believed he out scored every other SF candidate during exhibition season. Plus, he gave us a combination of size, strength, height, rebounding and DEF ability we don’t currently have at SF.