Atlanta Hawks: Team holds meeting to air issues after loss to Celtics
Vivlamore reporting.
The Hawks, who were supposed to have an off day Sunday, held a workout (for younger players) and video session following last night’s loss to the Celtics. The Hawks held a 19-point second-quarter lead but it was gone after the Celtics outscored them 33-9 in the third quarter.
Following the video session, players and coaches held a meeting to discuss the loss, which is not the first time this season the Hawks have failed to hold a big lead. I spoke to coach Larry Drew following the meeting. Here are a series of quotes from him. I will just let you read what he said in most of it’s entirety.
* “We just watched film today. As painful as it was to watch, it was very, very productive. After we watched, we had some very good dialog amongst the group. I mean really good. I’m a firm believer that things happen for a reason. I wish we could have won the game last night because we played well the first half and then we didn’t play well the second half and came away with a loss. But that brought this meeting today. … The guys had a chance to talk about some things and air some things. It was very productive.”
* “I think we have (an identity). I think what we are struggling with right now are situations that when it gets a little tough mentally we don’t push through it. We don’t push through it. That was a big part of our discussion this morning of dealing with adversity and being able to persevere through adversity. You can’t expect to play well every game. This game is a game of runs. But when you do go through stretches where things aren’t going well you pull together. You don’t fragment. Last night, we fragmented. That was very discouraging. When you fragment, you start looking like a soft team and you start pointing figures and you start making up excuses. We fragmented last night. That is something we talked about today because it’s going to happen again. It’s understanding and it’s learning how to push through it. Those are the situations that make you a better ball club because you know how to handle it. You can deal with it.”
* “Paul Pierce had an interesting quote when asked about the difference between the first half and the second half. They realized that they were fighting each other instead of fighting the opponent. Lo and behold, that’s what we did the second half. We started fighting amongst ourselves instead of the Celtics.”
* “It was everybody, the coaching staff and all the players. We sat and we watched film and we pointed some things out. We pointed individuals out. At the end of the meeting, we had group dialog about certain things: slow starts, slow starts in the third quarter, not coming out with energy at the start of the third quarter. We’ve had issues with those things throughout the season. Last night was really, really glaring. After playing so energized that first half and then coming out in the second half and the energy was sapped from our bodies, particularly when they climbed up in us a little bit. We discussed all of those things. The players had some very interesting things to say and they talked amongst themselves, which is very healthy for a team. They did it in such a way where nobody was degraded. … It was just ‘Let’s talk about this first guys because it’s about the team. It’s team first. This is what we need to do moving from this point forward.’”
* “In the past this type meeting would have resulted in some tempers flaring in there. It was very professional. I’ve got a very mature group. Guys said what they felt. There was no bickering. There were no hard feelings. Everybody was shaking their head in agreement. It was very, very professional. … Sometimes it takes a game like that to humble you a little bit. They voiced their opinions about different things. I was very professional. It was unfortunate that we had take an L to bring us together like that. But like I said, things happen for a reason and maybe that was the reason.”
- Chris Vivlamore
LATEST NEWS
* Stevenson needs medical clearance to play back-t0-back
* Hawks wary of Pistons’ bench
* Williams to remain in starting lineup
* Behind the scenes photo gallery
* Drew named Eastern Conference Coach of the Month
* Drew looking for more minutes for Jenkins
* Drew concerned Hawks settling for 3-pointers in transition
FOLLOW ME ON TWITTER @AJCHAWKS
Tell us what you think about the site
Customer Care »
Vacation stops, manage subscriptions and more
AJC Services
Sections
Other Editions
Visitor Agreement | Privacy Statement
© 2013 The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
187 comments Add your comment
k.jdf
January 7th, 2013
7:22 am
when you stand around on offense, take crappy shots and nobody hangs around to try to get a rebound, YOU LOSE!
O'Brien
January 7th, 2013
8:45 am
Sam Amick; DeMarcus Cousins is not going to the Celtics. Teams continue to be told that he’s not available. That is all..
I don’t blame the Kings for holding onto him, especially with the way he has been playing. Hawks can explore the possibility of trading for him in the offseason.
KevinM
January 7th, 2013
8:46 am
The one player who needs to lead us is JT. He needs to set the table a la Rondo.
Josh and Al are not leaders, not at any of the other levels they played at. Al had a good leader in Billy Donovan, and hasn’t had one since.
While LD treats these guys like men, he has decided to put all his chips in on Josh and Al.
And if there’s anyone that has earned a starting role on this team, its Zaza. He is our unofficial tough guy. Put him, Ivan and Deshawn in there, choose Al or Josh because they both bring the same talent.
Throw a lot of Lou in, and you have our best chance to win games.
Hawks back-2-back this week, and should manage wins in both as neither team is at full strength.
O'Brien
January 7th, 2013
8:49 am
From the boston herald;
Word is, however, that the Kings are asking for a high draft pick and people who can help them now. So, forgetting the fact the Celts’ first-round pick will be middle of the road at best, would you want to part with a young starter (and more) for someone as uncertain as Cousins?
Which is not to say Cousins isn’t an emergency call waiting to happen. Watching him up close last Sunday in Sacramento, two words continually came to mind: train wreck.
Said one prominent league executive: “That is a seriously troubled kid. There are problems there that go beyond basketball. That’s not something a coach can fix. He can play when he wants to, but how could you ever count on that? And what would you have to give up to get him?”
The bottom line is that DeMarcus Cousins may certainly be worth a shot if he can be had in a low-risk transaction, which is why clubs will throw offers at the Kings that reflect his baggage. But until Sacramento alters its asking price — or an opposing club gets desperate (or as unstable as Cousins) — there may not be anything to see here for some time..
O'Brien
January 7th, 2013
8:54 am
Duluth Joe,
Apparently Lou came here because of Josh (one of the reasons)..
That maybe so, but lets not forget that Lou played at South Gwinnett HS, and wanted to be closer to home. Plus the Hawks were willing to pay him.
When was last time you heard of locker room problems with Atlanta?.
Winning takes care of a lot of locker room problems, and even though the Hawks have bad stretches, they have been to the playoffs 5 straight years. And it’s not like we have any malcontent players (with history) on the team. As a matter of fact, I think ownership has specifically stayed away from guys like that (except for Ivan).
Also, how many teams do you hear of with locker room problems? Very few. imo, the absence of locker room problems does not mean leadership is present.
KevinM
January 7th, 2013
8:57 am
OB, call me crazy, but going forward I take Cousins over D12 at this stage in their careers.
But our leadership needs to improve in the management ranks for any major team improvement to occur. Cost is a factor and Cousins IMO is a very good contributor to a team. Sacramento is alot like us. They have only had one coach in their history who has made them a contender. All players need someone to lead them.
Looking back to Chicago, they have only had one guy who truly made them winners. And how does MJ fair without Phil? Not so good.
SteveW
January 7th, 2013
9:01 am
OB – damion James just put up 27 and 11 in DLeague. I hope we’re keeping the kid on the radar screen.
SteveW
January 7th, 2013
9:04 am
Then he puts up 5 and 8 last nite on 2-18 shooting…never mind
Mike is Back
January 7th, 2013
9:09 am
Wow, I read some really great comments on the Hawks recent swoon…I can’t imagine why LD wouldn’t match Zaza up against KG…and would match Korver up against Pierce…with an unbalance…undersize roster like the Hawks.
I don’t get to watch the Hawks as much as I did in past…However, I still enjoy a lot of my favorite blogger’s comments. It’s therapy for me!
LD is a nice guy with good X and O skills…but his lineup and rotations leaves you scratching head…and that’s putting it mildly.
The Hawks loose too much fire power from the second unit with Lou starting. Lou use to be a terror in the third and fourth quarter of the game…I don’t think you get the same pop…with Lou starting with Teague. Hopefully that came out in film session too.
TIME TO BOUNCE BACK… U R STILL 3RD IN THE EC…GO HAWKS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Rev in Tampa
January 7th, 2013
9:15 am
So what is more important for the Hawks to aquire:
A hometown superstar to play center, but will add to leadership vaccume?
OR
A superstar who will provide true leadership?
vava74
January 7th, 2013
10:14 am
Question:
Which notable NBA player in the playoffs, against the Celtics, notoriously under-coached, started launching bricks from outside, frustrated with the lack of contribution from Colleagues when the things got tough and then sulked and played like cr@p?
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
… Lebron F&%$ing James
vava74
January 7th, 2013
10:21 am
I am not comparing Lebron and Josh’s talents.
Simply showing that, UNDER POOR COACHING and WITH LACK OF SUPPORT, even the most incredible physical and technical specimen in the NBA right now STOPPED PLAYING TO HIS STRENGTHS AND STARTED TO MAKE FRUSTRATING MISTAKES.
If Al passes every %&$# ball he gets his hands on when the things get tough, if Teague still has confidence issues, Lou is put away from the game by lengthy defenders, your 3 point marksman is saddled with a defensive assignment which he can’t possible win in 3000 moons AND YOUR %$&#$%& coach is such an imbecile that he does not change strategy and only knows to talk about “energy”, Josh will obviously make poor decisions when he gets the rock on his hands.
Stop pointing your fingers at Josh. Josh has terrible defects, but cowardice and lack of heart is not one of them.
He needs GUIDANCE, he needs PROPER COACHING to harness his off balance talents, which is something he NEVER HAD.
SteveW
January 7th, 2013
10:24 am
Dwight with the shoulder MRI, after grabbing 26 boards. Possible rotator cuff injury
SteveW
January 7th, 2013
10:25 am
Right now Dwight’s just a bigger Kenneth faried, not quite as intense.
Astro Joe
January 7th, 2013
10:27 am
vava, so Josh will be the league MVP, Finals MVP and Olympic gold medal winner in a few more years? COOL!!!
MsDee
January 7th, 2013
10:31 am
Im late on most of this but Im just reading back thru some and these posts and its funny yet sad that folks like Rod from CP, northcyde, & slimjr are taking blame on Horford passes the ball out to Josh when Josh just needs to use SOME SMARTS and do the same thing by passing to the next available player who is in a better position to receive the ball. Horford KNOWS he’s a great mid-range shooter. He ALSO knows if he’s not comfortable in taking a shot!! He then uses his B-BALL IQ and give the ball up to the next or closes player on our team…unfortunately, its Josh ALWAYS standing next to the guy with the ball cause he KNOWS he would be the one next to receive it. Horford doesnt have to stoop to Josh’s level by jacking up dumb shots just so he wont pass it to a WIDE OPEN TEAMMATE. Josh just needs to STOP playing dumb and use some good b-ball IQ and drive to the basket to draw fouls!! Yeah, he is horrible at the line and Im sure Josh knows it, thats why he probably shoot more than taking the ball in but again, common sense would be to STILL go in and draw fouls to hopefully have guys like KG in foul trouble come the 4th q!!
Astro Joe
January 7th, 2013
10:32 am
Not taking contested shots in favor of passing to open 3-point shooters who have been the biggest reason the Hawks have enjoyed early season success is equal to cowardice?
WOW!
vava74
January 7th, 2013
11:09 am
AJ,
Stop the nonsense, I started by emphasising the talent differential, which, in this case, actually plays in Josh’s favour.
A guy more talented and nearly untouchable and unstoppable going to the rim (with 100000000x better handles than Josh) jacked up and bricked jumpshot after jumpshot against the Celtics for the EXACT SAME reasons that Josh did.
Undercoaching and lack of support.
vava74
January 7th, 2013
11:10 am
Talking about Al:
If the only wide open team mate is Josh, probably due to strategy by the opposing team, then YES, passing him the rock is either cowardice or lack of basketball IQ.
If you know that by passing the ball to Josh you are actually executing your opponents’ defensive strategy, then what the &%$# can you conclude about the decision to continue to make that pass??
vava74
January 7th, 2013
11:11 am
Al does not want to share the responsibility of missing tough shots.
Josh can’t make them but he tries. Is this missguided and wrong? Yes, but that’s on LD to stop and find solutions.
Rod from College Park
January 7th, 2013
11:17 am
“Not taking contested shots in favor of passing to open 3-point shooters who have been the biggest reason the Hawks have enjoyed early season success is equal to cowardice?”
His shots are not contested he is wide open or he is in the paint, and he is not kicking to a good open 3 point shooter, he is kicking to Josh Smith behind the 3 point line, or for a long jumper which is playing into the defenses hands.
Astro Joe
January 7th, 2013
11:17 am
vava, okay, so acting desparate in a lose-or-go-home playoff game is comparable to acting desparate in a regular season game. And clearly, Josh’s teammates should fully expect him to hoist the team on his ample shoulders because his scoring skills are clearly on par with a guy who usually finishes in the top 5 in scoring year-after-year.
Thank goodness we have had Josh all these years to enjoy this phenomenal team success during his playing career. I hope the success continues during his next 5 year contract… how else could we miss the conference finals without him?
MsDee
January 7th, 2013
11:19 am
vava74,
“If you know that by passing the ball to Josh you are actually executing your opponents’ defensive strategy, then what the &%$# can you conclude about the decision to continue to make that pass??”
vava74, u are simply making NO SENSE NON WHATS SO EVA!! So u mean to tell me, Horford should avoid passing the ball to a WIDE OPEN TEAMMATE and try maybe throwing a pass clean across the court JUST to avoid a pass to Josh??? Which could end up as a TO?? AND would truly look OBVIOUS that Josh is being overlooked by Horford IF players should avoid passing the rock to Josh all together as well…am I right on this, is this what u suggest Horford and others to start doing????? REALLY????
Astro Joe
January 7th, 2013
11:19 am
Rod, sometimes that happens. If it were happening all the time, then Josh would be averaging 8+ 3 FGAs. I don’t think he is.
vava74
January 7th, 2013
11:24 am
AJ,
Basketball is basketball. The situations are akin in the sense that BOS baited Lebron into taking long jumpers, his team mates leaned on him to bail them out and CLE’s coach was as inept as LD is (as the LAL experience also proved).
Like it or not, when Teague says that “I have confidence in Josh” and passes him the rock for a long jumper and Al avoids shooting and SHARING the load and also passes him the rock, the problem is does not lie solely, not even by a mile, on Josh.
Rev in Tampa
January 7th, 2013
11:25 am
It is incredible how one half of basketball can expose so many weaknesses. Most everything being said about Al, Josh, and Larry Drew are true.
Most of these issues lie at none other than Larry Drew’s feet.
Someone said a few blogs ago that a person’s physical limitations are what they are. Agreed. But the mental attitues of Al and Josh that lead to what we witnessed on Saturday night should have been addressed years ago. Woody demonstrated that Josh can be coached to stop shooting 3pt.
shots.
The lack of rebounding is as inexcusable as it is maddening. Ditto regarding the lack of free throw attempts.
I have never heard Larry Drew address Horford’s unwillingness to take contested shots. I have never heard him call Horford out by name for lack of effort in boxing out or scrapping for rebounds.
I hope the disaster/debacle/trainwreck/fiasco/humiliation we witnessed during the 2nd half of the Boston game illustrates to Danny Ferry the wide gulf between a real NBA coach and what we have in Atlanta.
Rod from College Park
January 7th, 2013
11:28 am
MsDee,
“Im late on most of this but Im just reading back thru some and these posts and its funny yet sad that folks like Rod from CP, northcyde, & slimjr are taking blame on Horford passes the ball out to Josh when Josh just needs to use SOME SMARTS and do the same thing by passing to the next available player who is in a better position to receive the ball.”
So out of everthing I posted, you only saw the part where I talked about your beloved Horford. Guess you missed the part where I talked about Josh and Teague. LOL. May I ask you who the next available player might be. Remember Teague and Horford are playing scared, and don’t want to take tough shots, so that leaves Korver who Boston made sure kept a defender on and Lou Williams who destroyed them in the first half and they adjusted to him in the second half. You do realize that there are only 5 players on the court at one time for each team correct. Love to know who that wide open available player you are speking of is.
MsDee
January 7th, 2013
11:29 am
Horford is throwing the ball to Josh cause HE supposed to be the face of the team!!!! Now, if u turn the rights to Horford, then u guys may have an argument but then again, u might not cause Horford would then play like he IS THE FACE of this team!! We dont know what goes on during the time-outs, what Drew draws up. What I DO see tho is more plays being run thru Josh more than Horford!! Even when Josh sits, Horford very seldom get plays run thru him on a regular basis. Heck, the ONLY game I saw the ball go thru Horford was when we won in OKC w/o Josh. Now WHAT DOES THAT TELL U?? It tells me that Drew doent use his players correctly..he is too busy trying to make the wrong players happy!! Grandad’s post said it best how Josh THINKS he is better than he really is and Drew is basically pacifying him. Horford is just smart enough to NOT let that petty stuff get to him. HE’S A TEAM PLAYER!!
Astro Joe
January 7th, 2013
11:31 am
vava, I did NOT blame Josh for the Celtics lost nor do I believe that he is solely responsible for taking the bail out 3 pointers. But I also am not of the opinion that he is blameless.
Rod from College Park
January 7th, 2013
11:38 am
“Rod, sometimes that happens. If it were happening all the time, then Josh would be averaging 8+ 3 FGAs. I don’t think he is.”
It’s not just 3’s it’s long two’s also. I would much rather see Horford go up strong under the basket, or shoot an uncontested mid-range jumper, than kicking to Josh for a long two or a 3 pointer. It’s not just Horford, it’s the team in general. Kicking to Josh on the perimeter with the shot clock draining is probably the worse possible shot for the Hawks, but yet we continue to see it again and again. Then we hear people say Josh settles instead of driving the ball when the defense is obviously playing off of him and giving him the jump shot. Very hard to drive by NBA players, and get to the rim when they are playing off you, unless you are Chris Paul guys of that stature.
Astro Joe
January 7th, 2013
11:39 am
Rev, fans can look at a roster composition and then predict XX number of wins during a season. And then with every loss, they act shocked and surprised, while none of them predicted an 82 win season. How does an unbalanced roster show itself during actual games? When a team can exploit an obvious weakness and the Hawks have no rebuttal to the way they are being defended because they lack “balance”. So we knew going in the team would rely on quickness and 3-point shooting to win games. So when an opposing team is able to defend those tings, logic would dictate the Hawks will struggle. Then we act shocked and surprised when that happens.
We can look at the roster and see their is a void of on-court leadership. Yet when we watch the team deal with in-game adversity and they shrink in the heat, we act shocked and surprised and start blaming individual players and the head coach. Well, what did you think would happen with a lack of lclear on-court leadership?
The Celtics game (2nd half) only confirmed what we already knew. I’m not sure that anything new was exposed. Teams that are able to exploit the known weaknesses will win games against us.
ag
January 7th, 2013
11:41 am
I have been hoping that today I would see AT released and D. James back. I guess I did not get my wish. The last two games have exposed a lot of weaknesses. Although I love Lou starting, our bench now sucks.
I do like JJ, but the biggest difference between he and Korver is he just doesn’t move. He goes to one end of the court. Only about 30% do I see him cutting or trying to get open.
harpie
January 7th, 2013
11:41 am
Larry Drew should persue a career in Hollywood; because he spends all of his efforts trying to ACT like an NBA coach. But, he’s far from it, and doesn’t know the first thing about how to coach winning basketball. This team could be so good, if they got a coach…
Chris Vivlamore
January 7th, 2013
11:44 am
Fair warning: New blog will be posted soon.
Astro Joe
January 7th, 2013
11:46 am
Rod, but we also see Josh turn down shots at the rim in favor of a long distance shot by a teammate. It is the make-up of the team. It is one of the biggest reasons this undersized, unbalanced team with a middling head coach has gotten off to such a start that folk are talking about using cap space to acquire Richard Jefferson because of their position in the conference. I don’t like it either but it isn’t isolated to a single player and Josh by NO means is the only recipient of those “from deep in the paint to outside the 3-point line” passes. And he is actually one of the guys who makes those passes. It is in the paybook, in their DNA. And it is a big part of their 20 wins.
W.R.Terrell
January 7th, 2013
11:49 am
LD cannot learn, talent and a weak schedule along with a few games of focus and cohesion with the absence of the “Smoove” in those games has propelled the HAWKS to their present standings. The schedule will become increasingly more difficult and succeeding in that atmosphere with the mindset of some core players are bad meals on a game by game basis. Patience to endure this year and welcome the off season acquisitions is the challenge to fans. Reaching out too quickly will only bring disaster to an already weak-minded team. DF is a true B. Ball man and I trust that he is evaluating the HAWKS player by player as in who will benefit the HAWKS next year. He is looking for intelligence, B. Ball IQ, skill level, players who are willing to bring it every night along with the ability to be unselfish and team oriented, oh yeah, he is willing to add a SUPERSTAR if one is available. The first thing any player has to recognize are their strengths along with their weaknesses, when an individual cannot do that then he functions on talent alone and in the NBA that will not get it done on a nightly basis, it is a prelude to failure.
Looking to Get Back On Track, Hawks Head To Minny | COS- Charles Olson Sports
January 8th, 2013
8:01 am
[...] train back on the tracks Tuesday night against the Minnesota Timberwolves (15-15). According to the AJC’s Chris Vivlamore, the Hawks held a team meeting Sunday, just a day after choking away a 20-point lead against the struggling Boston [...]