Archives For Atlanta Hawks

Reading Between the Lines on Ferry’s Contact with SVG

Buddy Grizzard —  May 13, 2013 — 15 Comments

Atlanta Journal-Constitution Hawks beat writer Chris Vivlamore has a funny way of debunking the reports of other writers. After Yahoo! Sports’ Adrian Wojnarowski reported that the Hawks are “aggressively” pursuing former Orlando Magic coach Stan Van Gundy, Vivlamore published a pair of reports questioning Wojnarowski’s accuracy. Wrote Vivlamore:

A report that the Hawks are “aggressively” pursing Stan Van Gundy for the yet-to-be vacant head coach position is inaccurate.

But in the same breath, Vivlamore confirms that Van Gundy is a candidate and that Hawks GM Danny Ferry has already contacted him. I would have to say that communicating with another candidate when Ferry has yet to terminate his current head coach is pretty aggressive. But however you characterize it, Ferry’s actions are sending a clear and calculated message to Dwight Howard. That message is, “if you want to influence who our next coach is going to be, we’re all ears.”

Over the summer, I speculated that Van Gundy lacked perspective regarding Orlando’s organizational dysfunction when he lashed out at Howard, but gained it once the damage was done. The fact that Van Gundy has since exonerated Howard and the two have remained in touch bears this out. If Ferry wanted to solicit an outside opinion on Howard’s thinking as he approaches free agency, Van Gundy seems like an obvious place to start. Continue Reading…

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Inexperienced in Mediocrity: Brian Shaw as Next Hawks Coach?

Buddy Grizzard —  May 8, 2013 — 6 Comments

I’m not a fan of the Cleveland Cavaliers organization, which squandered its chance to win a championship during the LeBron James era through a series of incompetent personnel decisions. I also don’t like the fact that owner Dan Gilbert first attempted to placate James by firing coach Mike Brown, then threw a gigantic tantrum once “The Decision” was made.

However, I did find a great quote from Gilbert from 2005 when he hired Danny Ferry to pick up the pieces in the wake of the scorched earth campaign that was Jim Paxson’s tenure as GM. Gilbert said that, although he was taking a risk turning his franchise over to a young executive with no experience at the GM level, Ferry’s championship experience was more important.

I actually think it is even more risky to turn over a team to a person who has a lot of experience but has never won anything. Give me a passionate, smart, hungry, young guy who is out to prove something over experienced mediocrity any day of the week.

Continue Reading…

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I’m Confused: Which Team is Fragile and Shaky?

Buddy Grizzard —  April 30, 2013 — 7 Comments

Prior to Game 2, I took issue with Indianapolis Star beat writer Mike Wells’ characterization of the Hawks as fragile and easily-shaken. I argued that, “if [Larry] Drew plays his best players the most minutes, the national perception of the Hawks could change.”

It took three games for Drew to reach the same conclusion, but now the whole complexion of the series has changed. And there seems to be some confusion now within the Star’s staff about which team is the fragile, shaky one. Yesterday, in previewing tonight’s Game 4, Star columnist Bob Kravitz had this to say:

A mature, focused team wins Game 4 and closes it out Wednesday back in Indianapolis. That’s the call here, anyway.

A fragile, shaky team loses tonight and lets the Hawks right back into this series.

Continue Reading…

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GRADES: Hawks 102, Pacers 91

Raj Prashad —  April 29, 2013 — Leave a comment

FINAL
Series tied, 2-2

IND(2-2) 91 – 102 (2-2)ATL

Key Performers:
P. George (IND): 21 pts, 12 reb, 2 ast
J. Smith (ATL): 29 pts, 11 reb, 4 ast
[FULL BOX SCORE]

Indiana came out playing aggressively on both ends of the court to finish a pretty even first quarter. The Hawks took a 17-point lead into the half, only to watch it disappear behind shooting just 15 percent for the third quarter. Behind Josh Smith and Al Horford’s 17-fourth quarter points, Atlanta hung on to tie the series and send it back to Indiana with a chance to go up 3-2 and close out at home.

Reaction Grades: [assessed 0-10]

Al Horford: Horford got in foul trouble early, which seemed to plague him for most of the night. He did, however, get under David West’s skin yet again, holding the forward to 5-of-14 from the field. After sitting out much of the third quarter, Big Al dominated the fourth with 10 points and eight free throw attempts. 7/10

Josh Smith: One of the more emotional night for Smith led to an up-and-down game. In a supremely efficient first half, Smith had 16 points, six rebounds and played stout defense on Paul George, yet again. A dreadful third quarter in which Smith shot 0-for-6 from the field was just a precursor for his fourth-quarter rebirth. Smith took the game over, scoring seven points, dishing three assists and snagged two rebounds. Smoove’s offensive rebound and dish for a Kyle trey with 2:33 left in the contest, sealed the game. 8/10

Jeff Teague: It was a pretty nonchalant game for Teague, who matched opposing guard George Hill almost point-for-point and assist-for-assist. He held onto the ball throughout the night and knocked down 5-of-6 free throws in the fourth to close out the night. 6/10

Devin Harris: Harris had another game that can only be explained in offensive spurts. He hit a buzzer-beating layup to close the half and knocked down a few shots, but wasn’t anything special. Harris’ defensive tenacity was lacking as he almost allowed a Lance Stephenson triple-double. 5/10

Johan Petro: Petro flew back to Atlanta after the birth of his son today and played 22 quality minutes in which he controlled Roy Hibbert for much of the night and he grabbed eight rebounds. 7/10

Continue Reading…

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GRADES: Hawks 90, Pacers 69

Raj Prashad —  April 27, 2013 — Leave a comment

FINAL
Pacers lead series, 2-1

IND(2-1) 69 – 90 (1-2)ATL

Key Performers:
D. West (IND): 18 pts, 6 reb, 2 ast
A. Horford (ATL): 28 pts, 16 reb, 2 blk
[FULL BOX SCORE]

Indiana got out to an 8-1 lead early, but head coach Larry Drew called the first timeout, let the fans back into the game and succeeded in pushing a 42-10 Hawks run to give Atlanta a massive cushion in the second half. The Hawks used transition buckets, physicality in the paint and fantastic perimeter defense on George Hill and Paul George to get back into the series, now trailing just 2-1.

Reaction Grades: [assessed 0-10]

Al Horford: Horford had just six points when David West shoved him to the ground on a fast break, earning a flagrant foul for his trouble. Big Al responded with a massive 26-point, 16-rebound effort as he dominated the paint and led a few transition buckets. Having Horford matched up with West on both ends of floor allowed him the size advantage to work with, leading to a career night. 9.5/10

Josh Smith: It was a heck of an efficient night from Josh on both ends of the court as well. He played excellent defense on George, frustrating the forward whom Atlanta didn’t seem to have an answer for in the first two games of the series. Only three of his 13 attempts came from behind the 3-point arc and he consistently utilized his mismatch in the post over George. 9/10

Jeff Teague: Despite making only 4-of-15 shots, Teague was aggressive from the tip and had spurts of scoring Atlanta needed to push toward the big win. He finished with 13 points, six rebounds and five assists while turning the ball over only twice. He also played great defense on Hill, cutting off his driving lanes and forcing bad passes. 6/10

Devin Harris: Devin didn’t have a great night for the second consecutive game as he was virtually nonexistent on offense. He played well enough on the other end of the court to where his nonproductive night was matched by Lance Stephenson’s four-point effort. 5/10

Johan Petro: Petro only played 14 minutes, as LD preferred Ivan Johnson over the towering center, but he did have six points and four rebounds in the small chunk of minutes he played. 6/10

He also did this:

Continue Reading…

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Hawks’ defensive struggles at root of Game 2 loss

Daniel Christian —  April 25, 2013 — Leave a comment

The Hawks can’t get out of their own way.

Every run seems punctuated with defensive ineptitude, every quarter seems closed with a sluggish submission, every game seems lost by the fourth quarter– the Hawks just can’t stop themselves from tripping over their own feet.

Game 2 against Indiana was more of the same.

The issue is not the ability to score points, it is getting stops. In the second quarter of Wednesday night’s game, the Hawks starters returned (with the abysmal bench lineup returning to their seats), and the offense was a buzz saw. Indiana could not contain Teague in transition or stop Smith from making plays in the halfcourt. Smith’s foul trouble quickly turned the tables on Atlanta, but the Hawks were and have been successful against the NBA’s top defense, an accomplishment worth noting. But, something you’d rather go unnoticed is the fact that Atlanta’s depth and inability to field a respectable lineup for 48 minutes has harpooned their chances of stealing home court advantage.

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Hawks Dismissed as ‘Fragile’

Buddy Grizzard —  April 24, 2013 — 1 Comment

After the Bulls and Warriors evened their respective series’ on the road, you would think writers would be hesitant to dismiss the chances of any of the mid-tier playoff teams. Indianapolis Star beat writer Mike Wells has no such compunction, characterizing the Hawks as fragile and easily-shaken in the lead for yesterday’s Game 2 preview:

The Indiana Pacers know the opportunity is there. They know the Atlanta Hawks are a fragile team that can be shook easily.

What’s the opposite of burying the lead? Unearthing the lead? With the Nets and Nuggets reeling from the loss of home court advantage, Wells’ opinion is that the Hawks are ripe for the picking. The reality is that, as much deserved criticism as Larry Drew endured after limiting Al Horford to 28 minutes in Game 1, should the Hawks win Game 2, we will be having a different conversation about Drew.

Yesterday Yahoo!’s Adrian Wojnarowski wrote breathlessly of Tom Thibodeau’s coaching performance in the Bulls’ Game 2 victory, labeling it, “one of Thibs’ masterpieces, a Mona Lisa born of a crushing Game 1 loss, a beaten and broken-down roster getting buried in an avalanche of criticism and overnight obits.”

Now it is Continue Reading…

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Seasonal Recap: Southeast Division

Chris Barnewall —  April 19, 2013 — Leave a comment

Another season comes to a close. I’d like to say this division was a thrilling race the entire season, but no, we can’t have nice things when the Magic and Bobcats are in a division. To end the season we have the Heat’s dominance, the Hawks injuries, what could have been with the Wizards, the Bobcats “fail?” at tanking, and the Magic’s success of tanking.

 

Miami Heat, 1st, 66-16, 3-0 for the week, 1st seed in the EastMIA

What a season for the Heat. The Heat came off their title season with no sight of a championship hangover, as they dominated everybody the entire season. The scary part was how the entire season the Heat have never once looked like they were giving 100% effort. There wasn’t a single game that I can think of where I said, “Yeah, they really gave a full effort out there.” Constantly, they were playing with a relaxed attitude and they were STILL blowing everybody away. I think the perfect three stats to show the Heat’s dominance this season is that they shot 55% eFG%, 58% TS%, and they had a net rating of plus-9.9. I’ll be shocked if the Heat don’t end this season with another championship.

 

Atlanta Hawks, 2nd, 44-38, 0-2 for the week, 6th seed in the EastATL

The Hawks started off the season playing better than most people expected. They were third in the East and looked like they might be able to make a little bit of noise in the Eastern Conference. Then the injuries started; the Hawks haven’t been fully healthy since the first two months of the season and that has largely weighed down on the team. The biggest losses of the season were definitely Lou Williams and Zaza Pachulia. Pachulia and Williams were such huge parts of the eight-man rotation and without them I don’t see how the Hawks can possibly get past the first round. Continue Reading…

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Hawks’ First Round Playoff Schedule

Bo Churney —  April 18, 2013 — Leave a comment

Here is the current schedule for the first round against the Indiana Pacers:

GAME 1: Sunday, April 21 – Hawks @ Pacers, 1:00 PM (TNT)
GAME 2: Wednesday, April 24 – Hawks @ Pacers, 7:30 PM (NBA TV)
GAME 3: Saturday, April 27 – Pacers @ Hawks, 7:00 PM (ESPN)
GAME 4: Monday, April 29 – Pacers @ Hawks, TBA (TBA)
GAME 5: Wednesday, May 1 – Hawks @ Pacers, TBA (TBA)*
GAME 6: Friday, May 3 – Pacers @ Hawks, TBA (TBA)*
GAME 7: Sunday, May 5 – Hawks @ Pacers, TBA (TBA)*
*if necessary

This page will be updated as games progress and times/networks are announced.

For more, you can check out the series page on ESPN.com

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RECAP: Hawks 109, Bucks 104

Raj Prashad —  April 13, 2013 — Leave a comment

FINAL

MIL  (37-42) 104 – 109 (44-36) ATL

Key Performers:
J. Smith (ATL): 24 pts, 6 reb, 3 ast, 4 stl
M. Ellis (MIL): 27 pts, 8 reb, 17 ast, 5 stl
[FULL BOX SCORE]

With just over a week before the playoffs, Atlanta showed heart battling back from a 19-point deficit. They played collective, team basketball in the second half after a porous defensive effort over the first two quarters. In the win, Atlanta clinched at least the 6 seed in the playoffs and currently hold the 5 seed over the Chicago Bulls.

Reaction Grades: [assessed 0-10]

Josh Smith: Smith was tuned in offensively, leading the team with 24 points, but it was his first half defense that he really struggled with. Smith couldn’t stick with Ersan Ilyasova on pick-and-pops, giving up a career-high five treys in the first half and 25 points overall. But in the second half, Smith played fantastic on both ends and showed his ability to defend any position. 8/10

Al Horford: Horford nearly had a 20-20 game, scoring 18 points and grabbing 17 boards. It helped not having Larry Sanders in the lineup as Horford really controlled the glass and the paint. 8.5/10

Kyle Korver: He pushed his 3-pointer streak to 72 games, but had a rather disappointing performance on both ends of the court. Korver had eight points and was decent defensively. 5/10

Devin Harris: Following a dreadful 0-for-7 first half performance, Harris came storming out of the half, scoring 19 in the second half and played a decent night defensively. He played off of Ish Smith for much of the night and went under screens, giving him open looks and couldn’t find Monta Ellis in transition. 6/10

Jeff Teague: You’ve gotta take the good with the bad when it comes to aggressive Jeff Teague. While he shot 10-of-15 from the field and scored 24 points, he did have five turnovers, with four of those coming in the first half. Teague did match up well with Ellis and and dominated JJ Redick up and down the court. The point guard really controlled the pace of the second half and attacked at will for the Hawks. 8/10 Continue Reading…

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