Hey folks, so it has been 10 games since my last post so its time for an update on all things Hawks. Last time we chatted the Hawks were finishing up a quick home stand and about to embark on the longest road trip of the season. While the home stand ended on a very good note with quality victories against both the Bucks and Thunder, the road trip was quite tough! We went a combined 2-4 on the road trip, but were in contention at the end of each game. The quality of play over the road trip excited me and I think has our Hawks headed towards the right direction. Overall our Atlanta Hawks went 6-4 over the past 10 games which is a win with our continued health issues. Lets get to some of the main points.....
-The New Lineup- Go back to my first Hawks blog post of the year and you will see the evidence of my genius regarding the Hawks lineup. I always felt that a starting lineup consisting of Teague/Hinrich/Joe/Smoove/Zaza would yield better results than Marv at the 3 position. With this lineup it gives the Hawks an ability to come out with an aggressive style of play while also letting Joe play off the ball even more than usual. I know everyone is not the biggest Marvin fan, but I think when he is coming off the bench he is more potent. Not only can he see how the game is playing out, but he is also going against the opponents second squad while being the teams #1 scoring option. Don't believe me about the benefits of the whole team with this lineup??? Just look to Joe's scoring average and efficiency since being in our new lineup. He is averaging close to 26 points/game while shooting 50% from the field and an astonishing 50% from behind the arc. This is the Joe Johnson we need to make a run at this thing. He is able to get his points in an efficient manner, while also getting wide open looks because of Teague&Hinrich's penetration. Good lineup Larry Drew, I'll tip my cap to ya this time.
-Health- In years past the Hawks have been one of the healthiest clubs in the NBA. This year, eh not so much. Yes we all know about Horford, but in recent games Marvin, Pargo, Green, Radmonovic, Collins, and Ivan Johnson have been hit by injury. Not to mention TMac's inconsistent minutes per game. Given all this I think the Hawks can only go up from here. As long as we keep playing with the consistent effort in every game, I think if we get everybody back together we can make a strong playoff push. Yes folks I still have faith even against Miami and Chi-Town. No matter the amount of players, the Hawks have been playing together as a team instead of sulking about the team. Hopefully Joe and his knee won't have any problems the rest of the year and we can continue our push to complete health, including Horford.
-J-Smoove- Last but oh most certainly not least is my man JSmoove. Okay, I can kind of understand why Smoove was snubbed again for an All-Star spot given his perceived malcontent. Honestly people this man has matured and his game is taking a change that many Hawks fans have been hoping for in past years. Yes the shots are still being taken, but they beginning to fall on a very consistent basis. His defense is one of the most underrated aspects of his game. Everyone knows about the blocks but they forget that Smith is literally controlling our paint defensively by himself as an undersized power forward. He should be up for Defensive POY. Take the Cleveland game as an example. Smith was struggling through a rare off shooting night, but continued to be effective with his assists(9) and rebounds(8). Combine the emergence of Smoove into a bonafide star mixed with Joe's hot shooting and the hopeful return of Horfod......Excitement!
-We have a combined 7 homes games out the next 10 Hawks games. This is the point in the season where we need to continue to improve on our play. We can make a strong push for a higher seed if we play up to our capabilities at the Highlight Factory. A strong string of games will give the Hawks fanatics some hope for the season and also help us in our playoff positioning. I hope you all enjoy the next 10 as much as I will. Let's keep our Hawks going as they have shown us they will not quit on this season no matter what the case!!! #Hawksfaithful see y'all in 10 games.
Monday, March 19, 2012
Thursday, March 1, 2012
2md Half of 2012: Playoff Position Battle
The All-Star break came to a close with not much excitement for our Atlanta Hawks. Joe was unable to play/participate in anything, Smoove was snubbed again, and Horford was unable to represent us due to injury. Maybe thats exactly what we needed though. Rest and some time apart after a difficult 1st half to the season. With Wednesday's loss to the Warriors minus Stephen Curry, Hawks faithful are left scratching their heads a little bit. Here is a look into some of the things that need to be improved upon for us to not only make the playoffs, but make some serious noise.
Key Problems:
-Free throw shooting is one of our biggest weaknesses. The last couple of years this has not been an issue at all, but for some reason this year we are unable to knock down FREE throws. Smoove has taken an unexpected plunge from about 70% to a horrid 50%???? Time after time the Hawks have missed early free throws and shrugging them off with the thought that they will make them up later. In most scenarios these same missed attempts come back in the end and prove to be the sole reason for a loss. At this point in our players careers it's not about practicing more, rather focusing on the attempts when they do come. I would list rebounding as a major area for improvement, but with the loss of Horford&Collins I can't complain too much. There does need to be more of an emphasis on gang rebounding. I'm sorry but Joe is too tall of a 2 guard to not get more than 5 boards a game.
-Getting back to the distribution and running game will be crucial to our increasing lack of a cohesive offense. If there is one thing that we have over many teams it is our athleticism. In the earlier stages of the season, even when Horford went down, everybody was making the right passes. They did not care who was scoring as long as they were getting open looks in a rhythm shot. Down the stretch we started to see Joe revert to Iso-Joe and Smoove do whatever it is that he thinks he's doing out there. I love Smoove but seriously those out of rhythm shots and Carmelo-esque ball stoppage needs to stop. The lack of any real offense needs to be blamed on Larry Drew and him only! When he was hired he spoke of a fluid, pass happy offense that would feature cuts to the hoop. We have been devoid of any real type of offense except for excessive screens, and the new play of guard screens! Please dude, its like watching church league ball sometimes. If Joe is being guarded by tiny Monta Ellis then post him up and dominate him all night. In summary, get back to the cohesive team we were at the beginning of the season.
Key Players:
-Kirk Hinrich. At this point I don't think there is one person that is very happy with Hinrich. We traded away a lot for him and at a certain point it looked like a good deal last year, especially in the playoffs. His return from shoulder surgery has proved to be more difficult than originally thought. He looks out of shape, sync, rhythm, and lost. And that's being nice. His high salary, around 8 million, and Drew's obsession with playing him large minutes means that when he is not effective it shows. I thought a lineup of Teague, Hinrich, and Joe at the 3 should be a mismatch on all accounts. His deep ball and overall shooting touch needs to improve for us to have a strong 2nd unit.
-Marvin Williams. He started off with a bang and has since faded into obscurity. The 3 ball he showed earlier has escaped him and as always his inability to dribble with any effectiveness is maddening!! What we need from him on a nightly basis is 7-8 rebounds along with knocking down his threes when he is open. I have come to not expect much from Marv so in all honesty I will take any type of improvement.
-Joe&Smoove. This isn't necessarily about their play but about their overall attitude towards the rest of the season. Don't get me wrong, Smoove needs to improve his shot selection and ball dominance. Joe needs to do a little more driving and posting up in certain situations. With Horford out we need Joe&Smoove to take the reins and lead this team into the playoffs. When we get down by some points instead of hanging both of your heads, yell and get your teammates focused back into the game. That is all I really ask for as a fan. If you are going to be the ones representing Atlanta as a basketball team, then please do so with appreciation and gratitude. Become vocal leaders and hold down the team until Horford is able to return.
That is all for now folks, it won't be this long usually just had to blow off some steem. I will actually be sticking to my goal of a blog update every 10 games. That gives us 9 games until the next update after our loss at home to GSW. Y'all keep being true to the ATL because if my anger management ass can get through this season, so can you! Also, Atlanta was officially ranked as #1 Worst Sports City by Forbes......uuuummmm Forbes can Suck It. ATLien till I die.
Key Problems:
-Free throw shooting is one of our biggest weaknesses. The last couple of years this has not been an issue at all, but for some reason this year we are unable to knock down FREE throws. Smoove has taken an unexpected plunge from about 70% to a horrid 50%???? Time after time the Hawks have missed early free throws and shrugging them off with the thought that they will make them up later. In most scenarios these same missed attempts come back in the end and prove to be the sole reason for a loss. At this point in our players careers it's not about practicing more, rather focusing on the attempts when they do come. I would list rebounding as a major area for improvement, but with the loss of Horford&Collins I can't complain too much. There does need to be more of an emphasis on gang rebounding. I'm sorry but Joe is too tall of a 2 guard to not get more than 5 boards a game.
-Getting back to the distribution and running game will be crucial to our increasing lack of a cohesive offense. If there is one thing that we have over many teams it is our athleticism. In the earlier stages of the season, even when Horford went down, everybody was making the right passes. They did not care who was scoring as long as they were getting open looks in a rhythm shot. Down the stretch we started to see Joe revert to Iso-Joe and Smoove do whatever it is that he thinks he's doing out there. I love Smoove but seriously those out of rhythm shots and Carmelo-esque ball stoppage needs to stop. The lack of any real offense needs to be blamed on Larry Drew and him only! When he was hired he spoke of a fluid, pass happy offense that would feature cuts to the hoop. We have been devoid of any real type of offense except for excessive screens, and the new play of guard screens! Please dude, its like watching church league ball sometimes. If Joe is being guarded by tiny Monta Ellis then post him up and dominate him all night. In summary, get back to the cohesive team we were at the beginning of the season.
Key Players:
-Kirk Hinrich. At this point I don't think there is one person that is very happy with Hinrich. We traded away a lot for him and at a certain point it looked like a good deal last year, especially in the playoffs. His return from shoulder surgery has proved to be more difficult than originally thought. He looks out of shape, sync, rhythm, and lost. And that's being nice. His high salary, around 8 million, and Drew's obsession with playing him large minutes means that when he is not effective it shows. I thought a lineup of Teague, Hinrich, and Joe at the 3 should be a mismatch on all accounts. His deep ball and overall shooting touch needs to improve for us to have a strong 2nd unit.
-Marvin Williams. He started off with a bang and has since faded into obscurity. The 3 ball he showed earlier has escaped him and as always his inability to dribble with any effectiveness is maddening!! What we need from him on a nightly basis is 7-8 rebounds along with knocking down his threes when he is open. I have come to not expect much from Marv so in all honesty I will take any type of improvement.
-Joe&Smoove. This isn't necessarily about their play but about their overall attitude towards the rest of the season. Don't get me wrong, Smoove needs to improve his shot selection and ball dominance. Joe needs to do a little more driving and posting up in certain situations. With Horford out we need Joe&Smoove to take the reins and lead this team into the playoffs. When we get down by some points instead of hanging both of your heads, yell and get your teammates focused back into the game. That is all I really ask for as a fan. If you are going to be the ones representing Atlanta as a basketball team, then please do so with appreciation and gratitude. Become vocal leaders and hold down the team until Horford is able to return.
That is all for now folks, it won't be this long usually just had to blow off some steem. I will actually be sticking to my goal of a blog update every 10 games. That gives us 9 games until the next update after our loss at home to GSW. Y'all keep being true to the ATL because if my anger management ass can get through this season, so can you! Also, Atlanta was officially ranked as #1 Worst Sports City by Forbes......uuuummmm Forbes can Suck It. ATLien till I die.
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