Archives For Bo Churney

Futures of Harris, Tolliver, and Pachulia

Bo Churney —  May 21, 2013 — 1 Comment

The Hawks have a lot of decisions to make this offseason. From choosing a new coach to attempting to lure Chris Paul or Dwight Howard, GM Danny Ferry has a lot of stuff on his desk to tackle.

However, what’s to become of the lesser free agents that are currently still on Atlanta’s roster? While many are focusing on the big names, the Hawks will still need a group of solid bench players to fill out next season’s roster.

So who should they keep?

It’s already well known that the team wants Kyle Korver, so I will skip over him. It’s also likely that the Hawks will let go of DeShawn Stevenson, as he showed severe signs of decline this year and has a non-guaranteed contract. Ivan Johnson can still be tendered with a qualifying offer. Mike Scott and Shelvin Mack will be on Atlanta’s Summer League squad, and figure to be in the mix as cheap sign-ees over the summer.

The players I am most interested in are Devin Harris, Anthony Tolliver, and Zaza Pachulia. Not only are these guys still productive, but they are also likely to attract attention from other teams.

Starting with Harris, I think he’s still got a lot left in him if he can stay relatively healthy. (i.e. 60+ games a season) Despite battling injuries this year, he was still able to put up 10 points and three assists a game on good enough shooting percentages. He’s also a plus-defender and was one of the most important players on the Hawks in terms of on/off efficiency. With this class of free agents and the importance of having a serviceable back up point guard, Devin is likely in the market for a decent chuck of cash, around $5 million per season. Continue Reading…

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HawksHoop Hangout: The Offseason

Bo Churney —  May 19, 2013 — 3 Comments

We will be going live at 1PM to discuss the last series against the Pacers, the current search for a head coach, and of course, free agency!

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Keeping Drew?

Bo Churney —  May 16, 2013 — 4 Comments

It has been almost two weeks since the Hawks’ season ended… and Larry Drew is still under contract. To me, this is a huge surprise.

Now, I think Drew is a good coach, but with his contract coming to an end, I figured the Hawks would have gotten rid of him already. It seemed like GM Danny Ferry would want to hire his own guy and would have sent Drew on his way by now. However, Drew is still under contract, even though the Hawks are looking at other candidates. To be fair, the Hawks have allowed Drew to interview for any job he may want.

I still don’t think Larry will be back in Atlanta next year, but his odds have increased (to me, at least) purely from the fact that he’s still around. And to be honest, if Josh Smith is gone, I think Drew could work for this team. The two clearly can’t seem to agree on shot selection, meaning that they would probably be better off in different cities next season.

The Hawks have talked with Nate McMillan. Two words: bad idea? McMillan has the same M.O. as Mike Woodson: isolation offense and is supposedly a great defensive coach, despite team defensive efficiency not being reflective of that. Now, McMillan may have learned some things since he was fired from the Trail Blazers, but hiring an isolation-heavy playcaller when you don’t have a dominant wing player would leave me scratching my head. I’d rather have Drew, regardless of the Josh Smith situation.

Of course, I still believe Stan Van Gundy is the best option as coach. He’s a proven winner and has a system that is fun to watch. The Hawks should do everything they can to get him or Brian Shaw, who is probably the best assistant coach in the Association right now.

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Why Al Horford Should Start Shooting 3s

Bo Churney —  May 14, 2013 — 7 Comments

I understand your skepticism.

Josh Smith comes to mind immediately. The screams of “NOOOOO!” from a harassed Philips Arena crowd are probably still ringing through your ears. Why on earth would the Hawks want another “mid-range shawty” jacking up three-pointers?

Because Horford needs to start shooting threes.

Al’s a good shooter; there’s no denying that. This season, he shot 45% on long-twos longer than 15 feet. The two seasons before that (excluding the injury shortened 2011-12 season), Horford shot 48% (!) and 53% (!!!) from that distance.

Recently, it seems that Horford has been working to expand his shooting range. He took six threes this season, the most of his career, and a few of those weren’t just late-clock situations; they were plays specifically set up for Horford to shoot the three. In his pre-game warmups, part of his routine was hitting a three from five spots on the floor. He always ended his warmups by hitting a corner three.

Horford expressed to the media earlier this year that the three-ball is something that he wants to add to his repertoire. While it is still a work in progress, coach Larry Drew did have plays drawn up that had Al set up behind the arc. Continue Reading…

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Who Should the Hawks Target in Free Agency?

Bo Churney —  May 6, 2013 — 11 Comments

The Hawks could have anywhere from $30-40 million in cap space this summer. While this class doesn’t exactly have the strength of the 2014 class (ahem, the LeBron class), there are some good pickups the Hawks could make to become a contender.

Here’s the top ten potential free agents in order of priority I would have if I was general manager Danny Ferry.

1. Chris Paul
In my opinion, the best free agent of the class by far. Paul finished third this season in win shares (per Basketball-Reference) and Player Efficiency Rating (PER), behind only LeBron and Kevin Durant in both. CP3′s season is already over after the Clippers lost to Memphis in the first round, which slightly piqued my interest in how available he may be to leave Los Angeles. However, I still believe that the Clippers are going to give him too much power in pure roster decisions and too much money for the Hawks to be able to match. Atlanta will be able to offer around four years, $80 million, which is almost $30 million less than what the Clippers can give. In the end, it will likely come down to which team Paul feels has a better chance at winning a title.

2. Dwight Howard
I don’t think there is a chance that Dwight comes to Atlanta, but Ferry might as well try, right? Despite playing all season with a myriad of injuries, Dwight still managed to average 17.1 points and a league-leading 12.4 rebounds per game. For the entire season, he wasn’t the defender that we all remember him being, but he did start to look like his former self towards the end of the year. The number one issue most Hawks fans would have with this would be Dwight’s enigmatic personality, but for me, it is more of an issue of cap space; the Hawks would likely have to re-sign Josh Smith to have Howard sign here, which would likely use all of the team’s cap. As strong as a Smith-Horford-Howard frontcourt would be, they would still need some money to fill out the roster with capable players in order to challenge Miami.

3. Andre Iguodala, ETO
Iggy has an opt-out with the Nuggets, which is something that most believe he will exercise; Continue Reading…

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GRADES: Pacers 81, Hawks 73

Bo Churney —  May 4, 2013 — Leave a comment

FINAL
Pacers win series, 4-2

IND(4-2) 81 – 73 (2-4)ATL

Key Performers:
G. Hill (IND): 21 pts, 2 reb, 7 ast
A. Horford (ATL): 15 pts, 7 reb, 3 ast
[FULL BOX SCORE]

Robby’s last grades started with “that was pitiful”, and I really wanted to keep that as the first sentence. The Hawks looked like they had given up at one point, going 1-for-15 in what was probably the ugliest quarter of basketball that I’ve ever seen. They ended up rallying back behind the cheers of the fans, but the team wasn’t able to overcome the Josh Smith jumper frenzy.

Reaction Grades: [assessed 0-10]

Al Horford: He was the leader of the rally at the end, scoring seven points in the fourth quarter. However, he was pretty awful before that point. He couldn’t get post position, was missing open jumpers, and at times was completely out of offensive sets. That’s not really his fault, but I think he needs to assert himself more to the next head coach of this team so something like that doesn’t happen. 6/10

Josh Smith: This was the ultimate Josh Smith game. He was taking silly jumpers, throwing extremely risky passes, and making a habit out of unnecessary dribbles. He did make all of his free throws, though! The conclusion to the Smoove era in Atlanta was scripted beautifully, though. Down five with about 40 seconds left, Smith took matters into his own hands. Instead of going with the play Larry Drew had drawn up, Smith hoisted a contested 3-pointer, which was blocked by David West. Atlanta wasn’t able to recover. With Smoove’s history of shot selection, this ending was just too perfect. 2/10

Johan Petro: Hibbert was getting position on him all night, which really opened up the floor for George Hill to operate. On offense, he was awful, unless you count him hitting one of the most awkward looking floaters you’ll ever see as a “success”. 3/10

Jeff Teague: As bad as Josh has been this series, at least he plays defense. Jeff, though? Not so much. He was as passive as ever, and really played the role of Josh Smith’s enabler by constantly passing the ball to Smoove out on the perimeter. Teague looked like he had no intentions of attacking at all tonight, meaning that Atlanta was left without a fastbreak point until the second half. Would have been cool if Jeff had decided to show up for games 2-6 this series; the Hawks probably could have won under those circumstances. 2/10

Devin Harris: With Jeff essentially doing nothing out there, Devin tried to take some of that responsibility. He wasn’t exactly successful at it, but hell, at least he was trying. That’s worth something. 4/10 Continue Reading…

In 2012-13 Season, Game Recap, Playoffs
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Hawks’ Season Ends in First Round

Bo Churney —  May 3, 2013 — 1 Comment

The Hawks had a chance. The series was tied at two games each and it looked like Larry Drew made an adjustment in the lineup that the Pacers might not be able to counter.

That chance was clanked away.

Losing game five was a blow to the Hawks, but one the team could have managed. The whole series had been determined by homecourt to that point, and it was thought that the Hawks would continue to hold serve and force a game seven. However, the Hawks didn’t get to seven; neither in number of games, nor in second quarter shooting percentage. (6.7%)

The Pacers, to their credit, played extremely strong defense. George Hill took the task of keeping the Atlanta ball handlers out of the paint, and even with they got through, Roy Hibbert and David West proved more than capable of cleaning up the mess. Indy’s offensive game was weak and Paul George was limited to four points, but the efforts of Hill (21 points on 14 shots) and Hibbert (17 points on 14 shots) were enough to help the Pacers climb into the second round of the playoffs.

This loss isn’t new ground for the Hawks; they’ve failed to win a game in the second round for the fifth time in the last six years, despite making the playoffs each season. However, this defeat is unique in that the future is now an unknown. Only three players (Horford, Williams, and Jenkins) have guaranteed contracts next season. Josh Smith appears to be heading out the door and not coming back, and Danny Ferry will have over $33 million in cap space to work with in creating a new team.

Even with how poorly this game played out, we still have a positive thought to take from this 2012-13 season. With the odds against them all season, these Hawks never quit. After losing Zaza Pachulia and Lou Williams to season-ending injuries, the Hawks still managed to grab the sixth seed. Despite falling 2-0 in the series, they fought back to even it up and give themselves an opportunity. And even after being down 17 points in the fourth quarter facing elimination, the crowd was electric, cheering on their team, who managed to cut the Pacer lead to three.

Yes, the Hawks lost, but as Al Horford noted in his postgame presser, the team didn’t quit like they have in the past. Moral victories aren’t always the greatest, but at least we know that Larry Drew left the players of this team with an attitude that they will always have a chance to win.

With Horford likely playing the role of franchise player for the next three, hopefully that persona continues to exist in Philips Arena atmosphere for the coming seasons.

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Hawks After Game Three Win

Bo Churney —  April 28, 2013 — 1 Comment

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Hawks Backed Against the Wall

Bo Churney —  April 27, 2013 — 1 Comment

No NBA team has ever come back from a 3-0 deficit. That’s the fate that faces the Atlanta Hawks if they lose this game.

The Indiana Pacers come to Atlanta having won the previous two games with offensive dominance. Paul George has been spectacular, scoring 20 plus in each game, while playing 83 of a possible 96 minutes. Indiana’s usually great defense, however, has not been as strong so far; Atlanta is shooting almost 50% from the field and 40% from the line, both better marks than the Pacers.

Indiana, however, has been marching through the lane and getting to the free throw line, something the Hawks have not been able to do. For Atlanta to win this game three, they will have to change that.

How? Well, the Hawks have tried multiple defenders on Paul George already. Kyle Korver didn’t exactly work. Devin Harris and DeShawn Stevenson did better, but George was still able to tear the Hawks about.

It is time for Josh Smith’s turn.

Larry Drew has elected to go big for game three, starting Johan Petro at center, moving Smith to the small forward position. Smoove may be hobbled a bit by an ankle injury, but he’s still the best overall defender Atlanta has. According to mySynergySports, Smith is giving up only 0.67 points per possession in isolation, good enough for 43rd in the league. (which is extremely good, by the way) Considering that Smith has already had turns guarding LeBron James, DeMarcus Cousins, and Monta Ellis, I don’t think Josh will balk at the challenges that Paul George will bring.

Other keys for the Hawks? Running the offense through Al Horford. Now matched up against David West, Horford should be able to work more down low than he was able to against Roy Hibbert. He should still have a good speed advantage, but Coach Drew should attempt to get his star big man established down low early.

One final key: please Larry, sub Ivan in for Petro as soon as you can. Please…

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GRADES: Pacers 113, Hawks 98

Bo Churney —  April 24, 2013 — Leave a comment

FINAL
Pacers lead series, 2-0

IND(2-0) 113 – 98 (0-2)ATL

Key Performers:
P. George (IND): 27 pts, 8 reb, 4 stl
D. Harris (ATL): 17 pts, 4 reb, 4 ast
[FULL BOX SCORE]

Summary of tonight’s game: Pacers got ahead, Hawks tried to make a comeback, and were often within striking distance. Then, something always happened to keep the Hawks out of it, whether it be a “foul” (looking at you, Malloy), or a defensive breakdown in transition. In the end, the Hawks couldn’t overcome Indy’s three-point shooting and timely baskets.

Reaction Grades: [assessed 0-10]

Al Horford: Larry Drew let Al play 38 minutes tonight, but it wasn’t exactly that much of a plus for the Hawks. Al missed a bunch of easy shots in the lane and really seemed to be forcing some of his shots. Of course, he never really seemed the same after he unfairly got a technical in the 2nd quarter. Horford’s ejection-worthy reaction was just a testament to how weak the tech call really was. 6/10

Josh Smith: Josh picked up two fouls in the first two minutes, and picked up his third soon after he got back into the game in the second quarter. When he was on the floor, though, he was playing well, as he made his jumpers, had some strong moves to the basket, and was playing aggressive defense. He seemed really inspired in the second half with his play, but he cannot be in that kind of foul trouble in order to be an asset to the team. 7.5/10

Kyle Korver: Kyle, Kyle, Kyle… you had so many opportunities to keep the Hawks in the game. He fared better on defense not having to guard Paul George, but he was set up too perfectly on several threes that could have been momentum builders to miss. 4/10

Jeff Teague: Zero points after halftime is not going to cut it, regardless of how good your first half was. Teague looked completely out of it in the second half, and was hardly getting into the lane like he was in the first. Part of this should be credited to an improved defensive effort by the Pacers, but a lot of it had to do with Jeff turning into the passive character that we have seen him become too often this season. 6/10

Devin Harris: Devin took some head-scratching shots, but he was the only ATL starter that appeared engaged for the entire game. He tried guarding Paul George, and was effective at times, but George’s physical skill set proved too much. Harris was also one of three Hawks to receive a technical foul on the night. 7.5/10 Continue Reading…

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