AJC > Sports > Hawks > Blog > Archives > 2006 > October > 12 > Entry
DEL.ICIO.USTone more impressive than win
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
The score honestly wouldn’t have mattered to me, since it was an exhibition game and teams often run up big leads and then let the training camp invitees and reserves decide the final outcome. I was looking for something more last night at FedEx Forum. I wanted to see if the little things had changed.
(Anyone worrying about world domination against that Grizzlies team last night needs to readjust their priorities anyway, since the exhibition season is only a dress rehearsal for the real thing. As Lorenzen Wright likes to say, “We’ll see what happens when the popcorn starts popping.”)
It was the tone of things that I was monitoring. I wanted to see if the Hawks had some bite to back up their cautiously optimistic bark from an offseason and first 10 days of training camp that certainly struck many as being more intense than the past two years.
All that said, it’s not like the Grizzlies wanted to get run out of their own building. No team with any pride does, whether it’s exhibition season or the playoffs. And sure, Pau Gasol was in street clothes, as was Stromile Swift. But the Grizzlies couldn’t have stopped the bleeding against that Hawks first unit even if they wanted to. They were overwhelmed at the point of attack.
There are signs that this whole thing could finally be taking the shape the Hawks have hoped for. Granted, they are just signs at this point (the much-improved offensive flow; the belief from 1-to-18 that defense is their only salvation; the understanding of roles and how integral each one is to the collective success; and the faith in each other that things will get done the right way if everyone does his job). But the alternative would be clear indications the that the ills of the Hawks’ recent past have not been cured. And nothing could have been worse than that.
When Eddie Jones headed across the court at the end of the game to shake hands with Hawks players and coaches, he walked up to Josh Smith and gave him a nod approval and said a few words (I’m no expert lip reader but the rough translation was something about, “That’s how you have to bring it every night young, fella”). To borrow a phrase, “game recognize game.”
I think there was some acknowledgment late last season that if this same young Hawks team put in work over the summer and came back with the right attitude, there was a chance they could move up the league’s food chain. They might not be in store for a quantum leap (I still stand by my prediction that this is a 36-40 win team), but any movement up is a positive one.
Make what you will from the individual performances — Shelden, the Big Greek and Ced Bozeman all made good first impressions, as did the entire returning regular rotation of players. Just don’t get caught up in the numbers. It was evident late last season that the numbers for this team, particularly on the offensive end, will be respectable.
It was the defensive focus and the recognition of things that they’ve been coached on that struck me. The role-playing, of sorts, that kept my head on a swivel as I watched the floor and then the bench reaction to what was transpiring.
Making sure they maintain the type of intensity and flow for the next eight months is the real charge of this Hawks team (from the coaching staff on down). That’s where the true measure of this team and their growth will show itself.
In the meantime, we’ll continue to dissect the details.
Comments
By G-Money
October 12, 2006 03:57 PM | Link to this
Sekou, great stuff…keep it coming. It seems as though the entire team is getting out of the blocks really fast and well. The beauty of this team is that the parts are interchangeable and most are seasoned. Without fail there are going to be injuries, fatigue and lethargy at different points for different players. With the exception of JJ (who is irreplaceable), BK and Woody have constructed a team that shouldn’t bog down with a man going down here or there. How would you have graded JChill’s play?
By Swatguy
October 12, 2006 04:05 PM | Link to this
Considering the lineups of the scrimmage last week, I was surprised by the starting lineup last night (Marvin for Shelden). This tells me Woody and the gang (coaches) are not in a box. I guesse that follows from BK down. It tells me Woody is and will be comfortable adjusting before as well as during games. I will follow the players development as coach pulls strings and pushes buttons driving this team to the playoffs. Listening to the radio, the defensive effort was evident, apparently the team is buyimg into Woody’s philosophy. I am very encouraged. Sekou in your opinion, will different starting lineups be occasioned or will we see “A” Lineup.
By Cedric
October 12, 2006 04:12 PM | Link to this
Yeah that was great Sekou. I was wondering about how many available roster spots are for the taking this training camp and who do you think is going to take those spots.
By Cedric
October 12, 2006 04:17 PM | Link to this
Yeah that was great Sekou. I was wondering about how many available roster spots are for the taking this training camp and who do you think is going to take those spots.
By Steve B
October 12, 2006 04:29 PM | Link to this
Whatz up guys it’s been a while. Although I don’t agree with the win-loss total you posted, You right about the attitude toward defense. It sounds like they are willing to put the effort in to be winners. It’s pre-season and we shouldn’t put to much into this game because Paul and Stro were both on the bench. But a wins a win and we need the boost in confidence. I’ll stick with my 40 or more win total for the Hawks and hope the defensive intensity will be their. They won’t have any problems on O.
By Gutz
October 12, 2006 04:36 PM | Link to this
Thanks for the continued updates Sekou! I know its only one preseason game but its obvious Smoove and Marvelous are different players this year. Shelden will help a lot more than people give him credit for. This team should win at least 35 games hands down and push for a playoff spot. A good test will be tomorrow against the Rockets but the funny thing is the Grizzlies just beat Houston the night before we blew them out of their own gym. Hawks are on the rise!
By G-Money
October 12, 2006 04:37 PM | Link to this
Steve B, what makes you think that they won’t have any problems on offense?
By Steve B.
October 12, 2006 05:25 PM | Link to this
G-Money, the Hawks have three players in the starting line-up capeable of giving you at least 15 every night(Johnson,Smith, and Williams. They have two others plus two off the bench that should be good for 10(ZaZa,Speedy,Chill’s and Salim). The offensive talent is their. All last year I watched the Hawks and screamed Defense on this site. I did that because they didn’t have any problems putting points up it was giving points up that killed them. With another year under Smith,Chills,Salim and Marvin they will be less selfish and more aware of the O, and how to steel easy buckets by just being more experienced(Vetren tricks). Add to that they now have a true point gaurd and better D to jump start the fastbreak game and this team shouldn’t have any problems putting the ball in the hoop. Smith’s improved Jumper won’t allow teams to back off of him and Marvin’s improved going to the hoop so teams can’t just play him for the jump shot. Phx south is what I’m thinking( just kidding). But put up points they will.
By Clyde
October 12, 2006 05:31 PM | Link to this
I think Sekou needs his own talk show or something. None of the reporters on television or radio give us any good insight on the Hawks. And don’t let Terrance Moore start talking bout the Hawks. Seeing him on Sports Final on Sunday makes me wanna rob somebody. Eventhough I don’t like the way he Hawks are ran, I like the repots we get from this blog. Its sad this is the only place we can get in depth Hawks coverage year round.
FIRE BILLY AND WOODY
By Kappy
October 12, 2006 05:58 PM | Link to this
Agreed. Without sounding too kiss-a ss, you do a wonderful job Sekou. There are a few of us on here who truly appreciate your contributions. It amazes me the amount of garbage that most newspaper staffs fill us with, not just the ajc, but around the country. Sekou, your style of beat reporting is exactly the future of sports reporting. Not that I need to tell you, but thank you and keep up the good work.
By mavid
October 12, 2006 06:06 PM | Link to this
yeah, sekou is the man! keep em comin
By honest_abe
October 12, 2006 06:32 PM | Link to this
sekou sucks! heh j/k seriously though…hope you don’t have any hard feelings for my immaturity a year ago… i still am just a little punk that loves his hawks…but i think you do a great job…and good lord this might just be the sappiest group of bloggers EVER! LOL
By Lacsho
October 12, 2006 06:43 PM | Link to this
Great reporting, Are they going to show any preseason game on TV? I like the feeling on this blog….
By LL Cool Scott
October 12, 2006 06:50 PM | Link to this
Steve B. - 1. A lot of the reason the Hawks had no trouble putting up points last year is because few teams brought their “A” games when they were facing the Hawks. It’s hard to ratchet up defensive intensity for a team that’s won 39 games the last two years.
Despite all that, it’s very encouraging to see the defense pick it up this preseason. I am not nearly as excited about the offense of this team yet. We still lack an offensive post presence, and a point guard who can/will create shots for our 25 wingmen. Perhaps we can package one or two of those wingmen for a decent point or center…
By Steve B
October 12, 2006 07:14 PM | Link to this
LL Cool Scott, 1 Like it’s been said time and time again good teams bring it every night. So yes teams with good D play good D against the Hawks also even if they have only won 39 games over the last two years(GOOD TEAMS BRING IT EVERY NIGHT). 2 Speedy came in the NBA as a shoot first gaurd(one of the reasons he’ll be very helpful to Salim), but if you’ve watched him over the last 2 seasons in G.S. and N.O. he has become A true point gaurd. Speedy was traded from G.S. in the Baron Davis deal, N.O. let him go because the HAWKS payed him a lot more than they wanted to, They already had a starting point gaurd(Chris Paul). LL i’m not acting as if Speedy’s Nash, Paul, Kidd,or even Kirk but he’s the best point gaurd we have had since Mookie. I’ll give you the last one he dose get hurt alot!!!
By 1 + 2 = 4
October 12, 2006 07:14 PM | Link to this
LL Cool Scott, what are you talking about packaging guys?!?!?! The team that has been assembled is the team that will open the season. I believe the East is relatively weak and the Hawks will have a legit chance to make a playoff push. However, this will depend on the D. As for Speedy, he will make some noise. I can’t wait to be in the house as this young team matures before our eyes.
By RAMON
October 12, 2006 10:12 PM | Link to this
LL. LOOK AT ALL THE TEAMS PG SITUATION… IF YOU REMEMBER AS I ALWAYS SAY CHAUNCEY BILLUPS WAS A JOURNEYMAN WHO SHOT FIRST, AND NO ONE WANTED, JASON WILLIAMS WAS WILD AT BEST YET STILL WON A CHAMPIONSHIP, SPEEDY WAS NEVER TRULY IN A SITUATION WHERE HE COULD SHOW HIS FULL GAME FOR AN EXTENDED PERIOD OF TIME, YET I WOULD TAKE HIM OVER 40% OF THE LEAGUE, B/C OF HIS ABILITY TO PUSH AND PRESSURE… THE NBA IS MADE UP OF JOURNEYMAN WHO FOUNDT THE RIGHT SITUATION FOR THEM… MAYBE THIS IS THE RIGHT SITUATION..
By ray
October 12, 2006 11:29 PM | Link to this
Actually, I think a lot of us really appreciate what Sekou does. So add one more thankyou from this blogger.
Here’s a few things I noticed when I read up on the Hawks/Grizzlies game and box score. First, we seem to be doing a good job of team rebounding. Six guys had four or more rebounds with Shelden leading the way with nine. That’s better than last year where it tended to be one or two guys with 6-8 rebounds and everyone else with 2 or so, or maybe none. And, the rebounding was a little more level: 44 total with 17 of those being offensive. Another thing was defense. JSmoove didn’t block a shot all night and neither did Shelden, although Marvin swatted 2. But our field goal percentage was nearly 12 points higher. While you could argue that this was poor shooting by the Grizz, I’m thinking more along the lines of contested shots as being the main cause. Like some have already said, stats don’t always define effective defense. We even had 24 turnovers to their 19. Evidently we capitalized on their turnovers and they didn’t capitalize on ours. Which attributes to solid defense. I did notice a lot of fouls, but that will happen. As these guys become smarter on defense and maintain their intensity, it will get better. I think the main things to look for will be a season-long continuation of what happened in this first exhibition game, improvement upon that effort (always room for improvement), and avoidance of resting on our laurels. We can’t be satisfied, gotta keep working. And then there’s another big one: finding ways to win when things aren’t going the right way. JJ’s leadership and ability to take over a game will be challenged, as well as his strength of will-to-win. But he can’t be the only guy to step up and tell these guys to keep their heads up. Other guys have to do it. Such versatility will often determine a win from a loss in a tough situation. So we’ll see how that goes.
I have to say this again. We need to retain Chalmers. If not, then Bozeman if he’s as good at both guard spots as some say. Royal and Salim are weak links at opposite ends of the court and we just have to have a better option at pg if Speedy has injury issues throughout the season. I’m not saying he will, but insurance is a good thing. At least keep these guys’ phone number really close by. Salim and Ivey are turning it over and fouling like crazy in the first game. Gotta pick it up. Sam may be right, these guys may hurt more than help. Then again, as everybody has already said, this is just the first exhibition game. Still….
By Swatguy
October 13, 2006 09:54 AM | Link to this
Ray, I disagree about Ivey and Salim. Royal does not hurt you on the court. He provides good defense and steady ballhandling on offense. Ivey as a third year vet brings more every year in skills and experience. As far as Salim, he is simply one of the best shooters in All of basketball. Salims conditioning, attitude and willingness to learn show indications of star qualities. I say again, He is a shooter in the 5 percentile.
By G-Money
October 13, 2006 09:58 AM | Link to this
Ray, I’m with you. I’d like to see us retain Chalmers or Bozeman (along with the Greek guy). However, he must be a proficient defender and be able to hit the open jumper. I like Bozeman’s height. I like Chalmers experience. I have no idea who has fared better in camp so far. If Chalmers can go tonight or tomorrow, perhaps we’ll know better which way mgmt is leaning.
On another note…from everything that I’m reading, it seems that there are quite a few teams who feel as though they have improved over last year. It will be interesting to see how the Celtics, Knicks, Magic, Trailblazers, Sonics, Bobcats and Warriors have done. I was looking at those teams as teams the Hawks should be able to beat along with the Jazz, Bucks and possibly the Grizz. News clips tend to indicate that most of them have also made changes/improvements over the summer. Nonetheless, I still believe that the Hawks have the players and the right concept to handle their business. Tonight we’ll have another indicator as to how far we’ve come.
By newkid
October 13, 2006 10:20 AM | Link to this
On the popularity of the current NBA…
Some of you may find interesting the article at this link.
http://www.esquire.com/features/articles/2006/061005mfeNovember06NBA.html
By honest_abe
October 13, 2006 11:14 AM | Link to this
bleh i’ve been an ivey defender…but i’m starting to lose my patience…so i agree with ray on this.. ivey tries to move his feet(so kudos there)…but otherwise is a avg defender.. he doesn’t have the quicks to keep other pg’s in front of him… his biggest strength is that mid range jumper… which he can hit with some consistency…but he’s a horrible finisher..and he rarely creates opportunities for others..
salim would be a perfect fit for the suns.. his strength is instant offense..but when we’re trying to relay the message of defensive pressure and intensity…i just don’t see how he fits into the future of this team…. all teams can use shooters so he will have a role…but i don’t see him being a regular contributor…
keep chalmers..!
By The Flash
October 13, 2006 12:28 PM | Link to this
An offense that flows, solid defense is enhanced, I’m likin what I’m hearin. But, who’s interested in hearin that.
I have a question, basektball related. Does the new ball make it harder to dunk? If so, I think that that will greatly improve the watchability of the game, not to mention the wear and tear on players. Too much interior dunking puts the game out of integrity, because the predicates often are walking and charging or shoving that ain’t called. Also, dunks on finishing drives are dangerous and unnecessary and to my mind, in many instances, take away from skillful finishes, opportunities for real defensive plays, etc. If the ball change was directed towards these objectives, I applaud it. I’d be interested to know what the boyz in the know know, and what the rest of us think. Later.
By G-Money
October 13, 2006 01:02 PM | Link to this
Haven’t seen the ball, but from what I’ve read, everyone except the NBA is using the composite. So, if you feel like they dunk less in college because of the ball, then perhaps there will be a few less dunks. However, if you’ve ever played on the playground, no one really cares about anything except if the ball will fit in the hole. Creative minds will find ways to dunk whatever. Sorry, I don’t think what you might want to pass will occur and frankly Flash, I don’t really agree with your assessment.
By Swatguy
October 13, 2006 01:29 PM | Link to this
The Flash, the dunk is the highest percentage shot in basketball. It is the momentum changer (as is the block). It is a strong strong part of basketball, as much as the jump shot. The Dunk stays, watch under 14 rec games.
By Astro Joe
October 13, 2006 03:16 PM | Link to this
Flash, I read that the new ball makes it easier for guys to palm it (when it is dry). So that may mean more dunks if guys have better control of it with one hand. Of course, the problem is that when the ball gets sweaty, it becomes too slippery. The ultimate test will be when a team needs to make that big play at the end of the game and a superstar (let’s call him LeBron or Kobe or D Wade) has the ball slip out of his hands for a gaming-losing turnover.
By ray
October 13, 2006 11:57 PM | Link to this
The dunk is a statement, much like an emphatic block. It can let your opponent know something: I will dominate you, don’t get in my way again. Ask Dominique about that…
By Neil
October 16, 2006 12:36 PM | Link to this
I’ve been waiting for years for the Hawks to do something and I think this year they finally have a chance to make some noise. Speedy ought to really help them out at the point and with Lorenzen and Zaza they should be able to hold their own in the paint. Hopefully they keep this Greek guy also to improve their size even more. Josh Smith should start at Power Forward because of his blocking ability and Marvin at Small Forward. And we all know about JJ. The bench is looking pretty good too. We’ll see what happens.
By The Flash
October 17, 2006 04:06 PM | Link to this
LeBron, Kolbe, Garnett, if they have room, and are swooping in, by all means. I didn’t say outlaw the thing. Seeing some big lug shuffle his feet to get off a rim hanger (does he pull the rim down to dunk, or does the dunk pull the rim down), please, show me Kevin McKale type moves, Vlade type moves, much preferred. As to the need to push and shove on defense to stop these dunks, they are fouls and should be called; same with backing in. To me, they are all of one piece.
Prettiest shot in the game, the hook shot; now, a few jump hooks, whatever the heck they are, cannot approach the repetability, grace, and defense opening quality of the good old hook shot. Somebody tries to block one of those, and a man with moves, well he can move; just ask McKale.
Much rather see Nash finish than some high flying A.I. move, except when A.I. swoops and finishes off the glass, as he often does, or looks like he is going to and then scoops under the extended defender. That, my boyz, is basketball. Ever see Earl dunk; me neither. Nobody was a better finisher, not Pete, not MJ, not Dr. J, nobody. Just an old man’s nostalgic view. Stern, I’m talking about. I happen to share it too (who you calling old, Thinkgman).