Atlanta Hawks: Hawks 100, Wizards 95 OT (updated)
Vivlamore reporting.
WASHINGTON, D.C. – It wasn’t supposed to be this close. But was it ever.
DeShawn Stevenson, who the Hawks hoped not to play, hit a key 3-pointer with 2:07 remaining in overtime to help the Hawks to a 100-95 victory over the lowly Wizards Tuesday night at the Verizon Center.
The Hawks could have sealed the game at the free-throw line in the final two minutes. However, Stevenson and Al Horford each hit only one of two free throws. After a Jordan Crawford basket and a missed Hawks shot, the Wizards trailed 98-95 and had the ball with 24 seconds remaining. The Wizards’ Nene missed a shot in the paint and Kyle Korver sank two free throws with 7.7 remaining to clinch the victory.
The Hawks ordinarily don’t play the veteran Stevenson in back-to-back games and wanted to save him for Wednesday’s game against the Thunder. However, with Anthony Morrow out and Devin Harris injured during the game, coach Larry Drew had no option. When Harris couldn’t return for the second half, Stevenson got his ankles taped during the intermission.
“We were a little short-handed and I got in a situation where I was running out of bodies particularly on the perimeter and we had guys in foul trouble,” Drew said. “So I had to choice put the play DeShawn and he really stepped it up big time for me. He came in and did a great job defensively, knocked a 3 down, got a tip-in follow on a fast break.”
The Hawks (15-7) defeated the Wizards for the third time this season and sixth straight overall. It was the Hawks’ 18th victory over Washington in the past 19 games between the teams. The only game Atlanta has lost came when Josh Smith was out with an injury April 9, 2011.
The Hawks held the Wizards to five overtime points.
“It was tough,” Stevenson said of his late entrance. “I’ve been through so much in my career, getting played in the fourth quarter for two minutes and two seconds. I’m just mentally strong. We needed that win and we got it.
The Hawks have won 12 of their past 15 games. They play the second of four games in five days Wednesday at home against the Thunder.
Lou Williams led the Hawks with 24 points, including a basket and free throw in overtime. Josh Smith had 17 points and 13 rebounds and Korver finished with 16 points.
“I continued to play and stay aggressive,” Williams said. “Any time that I thought I saw a crease I was able to take it. Tonight was one of those games we didn’t play with a lot of energy so I just wanted to be aggressive any time I had the ball.”
The Wizards (3-19) lost for their fourth straight game. They were led by the former Hawk Crawford with a game-high 27 points. Crawford did a lot of talking during the game, to Jeff Teague and the Hawks bench. Teague was called for a foul after hitting Crawford in the face and it got under the skin of the guard, who hit five 3-pointers.
“That’s my homeboy,” Teague said. “We played together for half a season so we are really good friends. We were just talking a little bit – bragging rights for the summer. … We joked about it after the game. I said ‘You finally made some shots against us.’ He laughed about it.”
With the Hawks holding a one-point lead, 87-86, Smith was fouled going to the basket with 1:05 remaining. However, he missed both free throws and opened the door for the Wizards.
After a Bradley Beal floater gave the Wizards the lead, Williams answered with a 3-pointer with 43.8 seconds remaining. Back came the Wizards on a jumper from Emeka Okafor that tied the game, 90-90, with 23 seconds remaining.
Playing for the final shot, Teague drove to basket but was called for a charge with 2.7 remaining setting up overtime. Crawford missed at the buzzer to force the extra session.
“Coach told me to make a play at the rim and put it on the officials,” Teague said of the final play of regulation. “I guess they made a good play.”
When asked if he thought it was a charge, Teague said “No, but it was the call that was made.”
In three games against the Wizards this season, Smith has averaged 21.7 points and 13 rebounds.
The Hawks led by as many as eight points in the first half and took a 52-46 lead into intermission. Korver had 10 first half points, including three 3-pointers.
Coach and players pointed to the team’s defensive effort in the overtime as the reason for the victory. However, the effort will have to be there again Wednesday.
“We locked down and played solid defense,” said Al Horford, who had five points and 11 rebounds. “We need to be more consistent in that end. Tomorrow that has to be a point of emphasis because Oklahoma is probably the best team in the NBA right now. We are going to have our hands full.”
Notes
* Harris left the game in the second quarter and did not return with what the team described as a sore left foot. The guard had eight first-half points before leaving with the injury.
* Ivan Johnson left the game in the second quarter with a cut on his right hand that required four stitches. The cut was between the fourth finger and pinkie. He returned following halftime.
* Morrow missed his second straight game with a sore back. The guard practiced Monday and participated in the shoot-around Tuesday but was declared out prior to the game. Drew said the team was being cautious with the injury by giving Morrow extra rest. The team is still listing Morrow as day-to-day and his status for Wednesday’s home game against the Thunder is uncertain.
- Chris Vivlamore
LATEST NEWS
* Morrow out, Stevenson questionable vs. Wizards
* A look at the Hawks at the season’s quarter mark
* Hawks look to put worst loss behind them
* A share of first place on the line vs. Bobcats
* Morrow to start vs. Magic, Pachulia warned for flop
* Smith on Smith: Steve says ‘travesty’ Josh never All-Star
* Video: Hawks look to sustain winning ways
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157 comments Add your comment
brigadierjerry
December 19th, 2012
6:35 am
slimjr,
This article for you. I dont post here really that much anymore just articles and post once in awhile.
http://nymag.com/news/sports/mike-woodson-2012-11/
vava74
December 19th, 2012
7:15 am
brigadier,
I’ve just glanced the article but immediately I saw it fall short of consistent (as you would expect about a NY reporter, “reporting” on the Knicks”):
“For all his madness and kaleidoscopically inventive profanity, Knight is one of the greatest basketball coaches of all time. The hallmarks of his style—the motion offense, man-to-man defense, focus on the fundamentals, devotion to discipline—have spread throughout basketball for the past five decades at every level.”
The reporter fails to point out that of Knight’s style hallmarks, Woody only copied the “devotion to discipline” and – eventually – the “focus on the fundamentals”* and completely skips the “motion offense” and the “man to man D”, precisely what our Hawks most lacked whilst Woody was coaching us…
* which could explain why he does not play rookies.
vava74
December 19th, 2012
7:18 am
brigadier,
One note: I like Woody. He seemed a stand up and honest guy.
It’s a shame that his view on offense was solely ISO-play and on D was switch-switch-switch.
Perhaps he is changing now.
Admiral SnAckbar
December 19th, 2012
7:45 am
how did Ivan cut his finger? was that when he went into the photogs under the basket?
Orin
December 19th, 2012
8:05 am
Can we please just go ahead and trade “JSmooth”? Smith is never going to get any better than what he is today. Look at his numbers. For the past 7 seasons he has averaged between 15 to 18 pts a game and 6 – 8 rebounds. Last night he was awful. At the end of the game he misses a layup, but got bailed out by the refs. So then he misses BOTH freethrows. And then to top it off, he switches off his man leaving him open to make the game tying basket. He isnt worth a MAX deal folks. Danny Ferry we beg you. TRADE JOSH!!!!!
Gary
December 19th, 2012
8:32 am
I’m going to chime in here. High-sider, per minute or per 36 minute stats are obviously useful. To find out how productive someone is while he is on the floor compared to someone else, you have to look at per minute stats. You might not get the same stats if someone gets more or less minutes, but it’s still a measure of what they actually do on the floor.
Trust me, you’re the one who is off here. You are clearly trolling if you say anything else about it.
Rod from College Park
December 19th, 2012
8:48 am
High-sider,
You are correct. Najeh is just being stubborn. He is one of those fantasy guys also. PER is a fantasy stat. What would someone do if……. I don’t live in that world. You are what you are. Jamal plays more minutes because he is more explosive. Neither guy plays defense, so if you are not scoring on the offensive end, you have to come out. Marvin Williams always had good PER numbers, and he is a bum. Ivan would be a star if Drew played him 40 minutes a game, but guess what Drew won’t do that because Ivan is not better than Josh or Al. The two guys are similar, and I like both guys, but Jamal is clearly the better player even in his older age.
vava74
December 19th, 2012
9:27 am
Rod,
You must have a reading impairment since that would explain a bunch of cr@p you post around here.
No one was talking about “PER” (a useless Hollinger stat IMO).
Najeh was talking about “per/36min” which, as he correctly pointed out CAN be used to compare the production of players who log somewhat SIMILAR minutes and have SIMILAR roles by “levelling” the scale under which the players are compared.
I know that you and High-sider must be having wet dreams with Jamal’s fantastic season, but it’s kind of sad that he only realized that he had to WORK ON HIS GAME DURING THE OFF SEASON (rather than just playing pick up games) after 12 years in the NBA… basically validating all that I said about him: incredibly talented, unwilling to harness that talent and put it at work.
Why does the image of Pacquiao with his hands neatly tucked under his belly right now spring to mind???…
hfc95
December 19th, 2012
9:32 am
If anybody know dominique personally or happens to run into him and can remeber this, please tell nique to stop saying “thats gona be the dagger right there” with 1:20 left in the game when we are only up 5!!! He is trying to put the announcers curse on his team!
I will devote some time today to looking into plausible trades that could help the hawks this year, because there is no way to flunk out and get a high lottery pick as we are a top 5 east team and will make the playoffs. why not make a push to get to the 2nd rd or maybe ecf if the roster move makes sense for this year as well as next.
If Teague doesnt put up 15pts 7ast and keep russell under 25pts 10ast we will lose tonight. Another big indicator tonight will be stevenson and korver need to both score 10+pts for us to win as well.
Ken Strickland
December 19th, 2012
9:33 am
The Wizards are a team we’ve dominated over the yrs, even though we’ve struggled of late to do so. We were also missing a guard(AMorrow)and we lost one to injury(DHarris). Add to these fact to Drew’s intention to save DStevenson for tomorrows gm, and you’d think this was a perfect time to play rookie SG JJenkins.
But no, there’s no way in hell Drew is going to help this team by overcome his stupid bias against rookies, especially rookie guards. I wonder if his unwillingness to play Jenkins has anything to due with him having the same issues with DFerry that Woodson had with BK.
BK wanted to play an uptempo fast breaking style of OFF that required a quick fast penetrating PG. Woodson wanted to play a halfcourt ISO dominant style of OFF, and wanted a nontraditional jumpshooting PG. BK insisted on drafting ALaw and JTeague, neither of whom fit what Woodson wanted, so he refused to play or try to develop either.
It looks to me as if Drew doesn’t particularly like the draft picks or younger FAs Ferry favors, like MScott, JJenkins, KBenson or MJames, who he either cut or won’t play. Has anyone wondered why we haven’t heard anything about JPetro and his condition or progress, or seen him on the active roster? AFter all, we’ve completed a quarter of the season already and he has yet to scratch.
At least KBenson would be healthy enough to play if Drew had retained him and allowed him to play. We certainly could have used a rebounding SF to help our other frontline players last night.
ATMAN
December 19th, 2012
9:33 am
Teague needs to come out with a chip on his shoulder, he turned it up when Crawford started getting under his skin. Should have dished to Josh at the end as soon as Nene broke towards him. Hindsight, 20-20. Josh can’t shoot, Al is struggling shooting. Better play D against OKC. Drew has got to quit giving Ivan only a couple mins at end of 1st/3rd and a little time at the start of 2nd/4th. This guy has the best instincts of the big men, let him play COACH!
Just Joe
December 19th, 2012
9:36 am
I like Jeff Teague as a young player, but IMO, the “next step” for the Hawks will come from consistent PG play. Whether Jeff gets there, or we make a trade, we’ll just have to wait & see. Playing through the high post with Josh & Al is a good change of pace for the offense, but I still believe that the ball should be in the PG’s hands.
CP3 this summer? Any Jose Calderon fans out there? Will Tony Parker be available?
Alex
December 19th, 2012
9:46 am
Ivan didn’t play a lot of minutes because off injured fingers requiring stitches. listen what basketball world saying (s. smith on NBA TV) “hawks continuing to winning because josh,al and lt”. agree 100%. i think nobody will do better with this roster than lt.
vava74
December 19th, 2012
9:48 am
Ken,
Petro’s medical condition is irreversible. It’s called “Hecantplayjacksh!tis”
Astro Joe
December 19th, 2012
10:18 am
Just Joe, I agree. Teague reminds me of the Braves starting pitching staff. Above average, but not elite. Good enough to be sucessful but not good enough to have ultimate success. While Braves focus on offense, I’d love to see them get a bonafide ace (I like Medlin but don’t believe his run last year is sustainable). Teague has become a nice guard with a few really good skills. But when watching him play game after game, you simply don’t know if he has brought his “big boy pants” to the arena. He seems to thrive best against other elite PGs (excluding Lawson) while coasting against non-brand named PGs (like Jeremy Pargo, George Hill and Kemba Walker). I expect him to look really good tonight against Westbrook (as an example).
No doubt, I’d take CP3 all day long over Dwight Howard or any other free agent on the market. The PG position has become too important in today’s NBA not to have someone who brings it each and every night. I’d offer Teague the QO next summer (if we can’t land CP3) but probably not a long-term deal. I’m not sure that he has the fire to become a top 10 PG.
Astro Joe
December 19th, 2012
10:22 am
I’d like to see the Hawks bring in Bassy Telfair as the back-up PG next year.
Astro Joe
December 19th, 2012
10:44 am
Raise your hand if you thought DeShawn would bring more value to the Hawks in ~21 games than TMac did last year in 66.
northcyde
December 19th, 2012
10:52 am
But I thought Jordan Crawford couldn’t play the PG position?
SMH @ Larry Drew.
He’s a much better coach than he is a talent evaluator. This is why Ivan’s minutes yo-yo so much.
Last night’s game officially ends the “Easy” part of our schedule. While we still have bad teams coming up, we’re going to start getting a plethora of average to good teams for about the next month.
Hawks are 8 – 2 vs the SE Division, feasting on the Wiz and the Bobcats . . . and 7 – 5 vs everyone else. If we can continue to win at a 55% – 60% clip, this team will win 50 games.
Reality Check
December 19th, 2012
10:59 am
That game a fight!! But we came off on top. LD does not evaluate talent, ie Jeff Teague. I think it the same scenario with Jenkins and Scott. He should have given them playing time, as we were short, and we have a bigger game tonight. He ran his starters into the ground and does not manage the rotation well. If we do not start getting our rookies in the rotation, our starters will eventually burn out at some point.
Rod from College Park
December 19th, 2012
11:03 am
Vava,
Nothing you have ever debated with me has ever been validated. you have never won an argument. You have been wrong on every point.
PER, per 36 minutes…. All the same to me. I don’t play fantasy basketaball. Never been in a locker room or played for a coachl or heard a coach who ever spoke of any of that nonsense. Because that is what it is. A fantasy stat. If my aunt was a man, she would be my uncle. If it did not really happen, it’s not real. If I was 5 inches taller, I’d would have been in the NBA. If…….
Rod from College Park
December 19th, 2012
11:09 am
“Last night’s game officially ends the “Easy” part of our schedule. While we still have bad teams coming up, we’re going to start getting a plethora of average to good teams for about the next month.”
After the next month is when all you guys who want to talk about how great the Hawks are defensively and how great the team is. Let’s see how they perform against more quality opposition on a regular basis.
I have held my tounge on Teague, but his game is starting to worry me. Not sure whether would should spend that money it will take to keep him yet. He needs to really step it upd and become more consistent.
High-sider
December 19th, 2012
11:14 am
Najeh Davenpoop (and vava74),
The topic of (our) debate basically centered two themes/concepts/ideas/questions.
1. Which player “gets to the FT line” better – Jamal Crawford or Lou Williams?
2. Actual Stats vs. Per 36 Minutes Stats: Are “Per 36 Minutes” stats actual (real-world) stats?
I have conceded the point that Lou Williams “gets to the FT line” at a better rate than Jamal Crawford does but I also pointed out (that) the “actual” difference is very marginal. Case in point, Lou Williams has averaged 3.7 FTA per game throughout his NBA career while Jamal Crawford has averaged 3.4 FTA per game throughout his NBA career; that’s a(n actual) difference of 0.3 FTA per game. It’s ironic that both players have averaged 2.9 FTM (free throw makes) per game throughout their respective NBA careers. I have said it earlier that it all washes/cancels itself out because Jamal Crawford (career 85.5% NBA FT shooter) is a better FT shooter than Louis Williams (career 80.2% NBA FT shooter) is.
I have explained that there is a difference between actual stats and “Per 36 Minutes” stats. “Per 36 Minutes” are projected stats based on actual stats and “Per 36 Minutes” are also an “assumption” of what a player would “produce” (statistically) if that player averaged (or logged) 36 minutes per game. If a player gets the opportunity to play or log more minutes per game, that does not (or may not) necessarily mean that player will produce more (statistically) per game. This concept/idea involves “the law of diminishing returns.”
“In economics, diminishing returns (also called diminishing marginal returns) is the decrease in the marginal (per-unit) output of a production process as the amount of a single factor of production is increased, while the amounts of all other factors of production stay constant.
The law of diminishing returns (also law of diminishing marginal returns or law of increasing relative cost) states that in all productive processes, adding more of one factor of production, while holding all others constant (”ceteris paribus”), will at some point yield lower per-unit returns.[1] The law of diminishing returns does not imply that adding more of a factor will decrease the total production, a condition known as negative returns, though in fact this is common.
For example, the use of fertilizer improves crop production on farms and in gardens; but at some point, adding more and more fertilizer improves the yield less per unit of fertilizer, and excessive quantities can even reduce the yield. A common sort of example is adding more workers to a job, such as assembling a car on a factory floor. At some point, adding more workers causes problems such as getting in each other’s way, or workers frequently find themselves waiting for access to a part. In all of these processes, producing one more unit of output per unit of time will eventually cost increasingly more, due to inputs being used less and less effectively.
The law of diminishing returns is a fundamental principle of economics.[1] It plays a central role in production theory.”
Al Horford scored 5 points in 44:05 of game time last night vs. the Wizards. Horford’s increased level of point production was minimal over time because Horford scored his first two points with 7:07 left in the first quarter and he scored his 5th point on a FT make with 1:29 left in overtime. Did Horford’s level of point production in last night’s game demonstrate “significant increase” over (his increased playing) time? I say no.
Zaza Pachulia scored zero (0) points in 14:57 last night vs. the Wizards. I hope you realize that Pachulia’s “Per 36 Minutes” scoring stat(s) for last night’s game would be zero (0) points (per 36 minutes).
High-sider
December 19th, 2012
11:16 am
^Correction: “The topic of (our) debate basically centered [around*] two themes/concepts/ideas/questions.”
Mr Mojo
December 19th, 2012
11:18 am
Orin go root for another team. The Josh haters need a life. The team is winning and he is our best player root for him and the team instead of bashing them everytime they miss a shot. its pathetic already. There is a reason everyone says Atlanta has the worst sports fans.
O'Brien
December 19th, 2012
11:23 am
A northcyde sighting. I was beginning to wonder if you were now rooting for the Nets and Jazz
darrell starks
December 19th, 2012
11:27 am
Zaza must starte and play more, the Hawks can be and will also continue to get better with Zaza starting, when coming off the bench his game is noneffective with second unit, playing him with first unit he become more of and enforcer and defesively this team is better.
STARTE ZAZA
GO HAWKS!!!!!!!!!!!
darrell starks
December 19th, 2012
11:30 am
STARTER TEAGUE, KORVER, JOSH, HORFORD, ZAZA
BENCH DEVIN, LOU, DESHON, IVAN, PETRO
RESERVE MPRROW, JENKINS, SCOTT
GO HAWKS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
High-sider
December 19th, 2012
11:33 am
Najeh Davenpoop, vava74 and Gary,
That’s the problem with you (three bloggers); you (three) are suffering from “Paralysis of Analysis.” You are over-analyzing [the] minutiae.
vava74
December 19th, 2012
11:34 am
Rod,
Yeah, right “Mayweather”!
vava74
December 19th, 2012
11:36 am
High-sider,
http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nba-ball-dont-lie/jamal-crawford-only-started-practicing-shooting-232948543–nba.html
Ken Strickland
December 19th, 2012
11:45 am
We haven’t heard much from DFerry concerning his feels about the success of the Hawks so far. We certainly haven’t heard him offer an opinion on the job he thinks Drew has done coaching this team so far.
Could that be an indication that he’s far more concerned with Drew’s mishandling of his player rotations, and his refusal to give any attention or mins to his rookies, than he is with our successful won/loss record?
After all, he wouldn’t want to give praise, especially so early in the season, to a HC he could be looking to let go of after the season ends. Like I said earlier, Drew has rejected all of Ferry’s draft picks, and most of his younger FA signees.
Consider how Drew has kept Ivan anchored to the bench this season, especially after the successful season he had last yr. Doesn’t it make you wonder if he would have given him any meaningful mins as a rookie if Horford hadn’t been lost for the season, leaving Zaza to start with no meaningful backup.
Ferry wants a HC that’s committed to the future, and to the development of his draft picks and young FAs. So far, Drew’s approach has been to ignore draft picks(JTeague, MScott, JJenkins,), or cut them(KBenson), along with young FAs(JAnderson, DJames, KBenson).
When you have a 1st rd pick that’s been favorably compared to certain 1st ballot HOFer Reggie Miller, you find ways to get him mins and experience, rather than looking for ways to keep his firmly anchored to the bench. That’s the same BS approach he and Woodson used with JTeague, who’s certainly become a major factor on this team, once he was afforded a chance to play.
If it had been left up to LDrew, and KHinrich hadn’t suffered his injury, it’s very likely Teague would still be anchored to the bench.
Melvin
December 19th, 2012
11:53 am
” It was the Hawks’ 18th victory over Washington in the past 19 games between the teams. The only game Atlanta has lost came when Josh Smith was out with an injury April 9, 2011.”
Hmmmm….
Melvin
December 19th, 2012
11:55 am
“However, with Anthony Morrow out and Devin Harris injured during the game, coach Larry Drew had no option”
He could have played John Jenkins
O'Brien
December 19th, 2012
12:05 pm
I think one of LD’s strengths is designing a play out of a timeout. So with a chance to win, I am surprised he did not call a play.
Instead, “Coach told me to make a play at the rim and put it on the officials,”. Teague said of the final play of regulation.
Is that LD’s subtle way of telling Teague that he believes in him? Because it’s not like Teague was having a great game. I am a big fan of Jeff, but I did not like the way LD handled it, and I didn’t like the way Teague waited until 9 seconds were left before making his move.
Also, I agree with others that Teague needs to bring it (intensity, energy etc) every night, because he seems up and down.
Ken S,
I think the only reason Petro is still on the team is because they don’t want to eat $3.5 mil that he is owed. Also, I wouldn’t read too much into the fact we haven’t heard much from Ferry. The Hawks are currently 3rd in the East, but the hard part of the schedule is yet to come. Therefore, I think Ferry is in evaluation mode.
O'Brien
December 19th, 2012
12:08 pm
From the Jamal article; “This summer was actually the first summer I worked on my game. I usually just play off of raw talent,” he said Thursday after the Clippers’ practice..
I was very surprised to read this. I thought all players worked on their game over the summer, except Marvin of course, who went back to school and played pickup basketball with Sean May
hfc95
December 19th, 2012
12:08 pm
After a nba trade machine excursion there arent many trade possibilities that would immediatley benefit this hawks roster or going forward. At the moment our roster is constructed nicely with role players and shooters and the minutes are shared all around pretty nicely.
PG-Teague with Devin and Lou getting minutes is a great rotation
SG-Devin and Deshawn starting w/Morrow getting mins(korver w/ big lineup too)
SF-Kyle here mostly and sometime Josh can start here, we have flexibility
PF-Mostly Josh here unless we go big, AL and Ivan rotation is nice
C-AL or ZaZa based on matchup, this is the only position we may need another guy at
Basically the only trade that could make us better would be if we could get a younger guy that can score for devin harris, but that may leave us with a new need at PG to backup Jeff. So as we are now is likely to be how we end up unless we can trade Petro for a big that can actually give us a few mins here and there.
As i’ve stated before and everyone knows we dont use our draft picks anyway so I see no value in our 1st rd picks. Unless GM DF is going to make a coaching change after the season we should trade those picks as LD will not play rookies anyway.
Devin Harris Johan Petro and our two 1sts to MIL for Monta Ellis and Larry Sanders
PG-Teague rotate Lou and Monta Ellis
SG-Monta Ellis rotate Lou/Deshawn/Morrow
SF-Korver rotate Deshawn/Morrow/Josh/Ivan
PF-Smith rotate Ivan/Horford/Larry Sanders
C-Horford rotate ZaZa/Larry Sanders
High-sider
December 19th, 2012
12:16 pm
vava74 (and other bloggers),
I now see another problem when debating on this blog. Instead of admitting (when) you are wrong, you (and other bloggers) will bring up points or topics that are (totally) irrelevant to “the debate” at hand. That article about Jamal Crawford’s training and shooting practice(s) during this past offseason have nothing to do with the “original debate” at hand. I hope going forward that, if I find myself to be wrong (or incorrect) on this blog, I will be honest (and humble) enough to admit my mistake(s). The “truth” is what should “win” (out) when debating – not your ego, pride, and/or arrogance.
High-sider
December 19th, 2012
12:19 pm
I hear ya, Rod from CP.
Rod from College Park
December 19th, 2012
12:23 pm
“From the Jamal article; “This summer was actually the first summer I worked on my game. I usually just play off of raw talent,” he said Thursday after the Clippers’ practice..
I was very surprised to read this. I thought all players worked on their game over the summer, except Marvin of course, who went back to school and played pickup basketball with Sean May”
Nothing new OB. There are numerous players who don’t work on their game over the summer. Steven Jackson is another. I posted a video a while back with him stating that he never works on his game in the off season. Has nothing to do with the players skill level. These guys have been working on their game all their life, a couple of months of rest won’t hurt. Guys like Marvin, who have no game and have not perfected any part of their game should be working on their game. Guys like Jamal and Steven Jackson’s games are already there. Also don’t take it literally. Of course they play the game, they just don’t work like they do in the season. Funny that both guys admit that and neither has ever had a major injury in their career. Your body always needs time to rest.
Rod from College Park
December 19th, 2012
12:26 pm
Vava,
Answer this question for me. Do you possibly think, that I guy who never works on his game can be the best free throw shooter in the NBA (last year)?
vava74
December 19th, 2012
12:28 pm
Rod,
BOTH Jamal and Captain Jack are UNDERACHIEVERS.
If it wasn’t for Pop (who seems to know who to harness and motivate hard heads), Captain Jack would be in China by now.
Rod from College Park
December 19th, 2012
12:32 pm
Josh = best player on team
Josh is the best shooter on the team
Josh is the best free throw shooter on the team. What the heck is Basketball IQ? None of you have played basketball before. Basketball IQ doesn’t exist.
Jamal should win DPOTY, MVP, 6th Man, and make the All-NBA First Team
Horford is the worst player on the team. He can’t score, he can’t rebound. We should amnesty him yesterday.
We should offer everyone on the team not named Josh Smith for Jamal Crawford.
All we need is a 2 man roster: Josh and Jamal. They can play 2-on-5 and still win by 30 a game.
Astro Joe
December 19th, 2012
12:38 pm
OB, I’m not sure I agree with your concern about LD giving Teague that last shot. Teague and JC2 are good friends and clearly, JC2 had a very, very good night. LD allowerd Jeff a chance to “win”, both from a team standpoint as well as from a “I made the winning shot” standpoint. He trusted him and gave him a chance to walk out of that arena as the hero.
The downside, IMO, is running a play with the intent to have the ref bail someone out.
Part of Teague’s personal “player development path” MUST be his ability to make winning plays at the close of tight games. Whether that is making a perfect pass or making the big shot. He has not always had great success in those situations… but we need our PG to feel good about running the play in the closing seconds of a one possession game.
If that isn’t the manifestation of REAL player development, I guess I don’t understand the concept.
kwooden
December 19th, 2012
12:44 pm
Last night’s game was very interesting, we definitely don’t play well if Horford isn’t scoring inside. I think the guys were still feeling the loss against Golden State and just didn’t have their confidence. Josh played a lot better, but Al just didn’t have it. Nene is a tough matchup for Al and Zaza, and it showed. Overall though, I’m happy with this team. I think the upcoming schedule should put the team back in the standings, but we’re in a weak division so I don’t see any reason why we can’t make the Playoffs when everything is said and done. Hopefully we can get a trade that brings us some help at the SF position.
GO HAWKS!!
bfred
December 19th, 2012
12:45 pm
Hey Viv, can you get some color on what the plan is with Jenkins? The Hawks seemingly brought him back to the big team just to sit him; wouldn’t he be better off putting up 20+/night back in the D-league getting minutes, reps and game conditioning? This guy was the best 3-point shooter in all of the NCAA last year, and hung 30+ on Kentucky in Vandy’s SEC championship win (against an all-NBA roster). I know not everyone was thrilled with picking him in the first round, but that doesn’t mean he can’t play at all. We’ve had plenty of opportunities where the game was already decided to at least run him for three or four minutes in garbage time.
vava74
December 19th, 2012
12:46 pm
Rod,
Yes. Jamal is supremely talented and shooting standing still is for him as easy as breathing so I don’t think he ever works on his FT shooting.
Also, you are neglecting a major point:
During shooting drills, a good NBA shooter will easily hit .800 of his shots and probably about .950 of their FTs).
Why do they end up hitting only .450 and .800 during games?
PRESSURE
Jamal has an irrational confidence in himself, so FTs, standing still, no opposition, is nothing for him.
As for normal shots, Jamal would be a career .500 shooter IF he did not take one or two really bad shots that he always launches per game and if he, like he did this year, had worked on his game to keep his shooting sharp.
cp
December 19th, 2012
12:56 pm
Teague has to play a lot better. He started the season strong then his play dipped a little. Then he had a stretch where he looked like he was going through the motions. After LD sat him on the bench in that Denver game he seemed to play better but the past few games he has been bad on both sides of the ball. Like others have mentioned, he has to play with better consistency and energy night in and night out. Im a fan of Teague but if he keeps having nights where he just goes through the motions then we might need to see if we can find a better option. I really want him to succeed but dude has to learn to bring it every night not just when he plays against the elite pg’s.
Hawks Blog Legend Worldwide Clyde
December 19th, 2012
1:07 pm
FREE JENKINS
With the injuries we have let the rookie go in and show what he can do. Let him get the experience early and save the veterans for the playoffs.
Rod from College Park
December 19th, 2012
1:21 pm
“Yes. Jamal is supremely talented and shooting standing still is for him as easy as breathing so I don’t think he ever works on his FT shooting.”
If you think a guy can shoot 95% from the Free throw line and not practice on his game, you are truly dumber than you appear on this blog.
“As for normal shots, Jamal would be a career .500 shooter IF he did not take one or two really bad shots that he always launches per game and if he, like he did this year, had worked on his game to keep his shooting sharp.”
Do me a favor, please show me a shooting guard who shoots over 50% from the field for a career. LOL. Even the great Micheal Jordan could not accomplish that feat.
MattP
December 19th, 2012
1:25 pm
Drew had no excuse to not play Jenkins last night. He should have atleast been tried out for a few minutes before Stevenson was brought in. Jenkins could have filled in as a 2 guard when the Hawks lost Harris. Now Stevenson will probably be limited on minutes or out against the Thunder.