AJC > Sports > Hawks > Blog > Archives > 2006 > November > 02 > Entry
DEL.ICIO.USAPB for Speedy, Smith and Shelden
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
If the Hawks have any chance of winning games this season, they’ll have to get more out of Speedy Claxton, Josh Smith and Shelden Williams than they got in the season opener. They were a combined 2-for-17 from the floor and finished with just eight points. But more importantly, they were hardly a factor in a game that was still in the balance with 10 minutes to play.
Claxton, obviously still rusty after just four live practices, never got into a flow. He knows better than anyone that his play is vital to the Hawks’ chances of knocking off teams like the 76ers, who certainly didn’t play a great game Wednesday night. He knows that performances from three starters like the ones Wednesday night will keep these Hawks from doing anything other than struggling.
“There’s no question it was frustrating,” he said after Thursday’s workout at Philips Arena. “Defensively we played a good enough game to win. But offensively we were [terribly]. And I’ve definitely got to put that on myself. I can do a whole lot more for this team. A whole lot more.”
Smith said Thursday morning’s film session was a rather enlightening. Sure, he lived through the struggles against the 76ers. But seeing them played back the morning after drove home the point the coaching staff has tried to make to him for weeks.
“I promise you I’ll be going to work inside from now on,” he said. “The inside game has to open up the outside game for me. And that’s just the way it has to be. We got some great open looks and just didn’t knock them down. But those aren’t high percentage shots. A lot of times it’s the easier shot to take and you get lulled into taking them. But you have to learn from your struggles and I promise you I have.”
Williams struggled mightily after playing so well in the exhibition season. Some of his problems Wednesday night can be traced to the typical opening night jitters for a rookie. But his ability to get into a good flow most nights will depend on how guys like Claxton and Joe Johnson play, mostly because he’ll be dependent on their play to find his niche.
“We came out as a team and didn’t shoot the ball as well as we normally do,” he said. “But we bounced back a bit in the second half. So it’s all really a learning experience. I just have to make sure and get better every game and learn from the mistakes that have been made. But it’s a process, you know, and I’m not going to sweat it anymore than that. It’s one game and one you have to learn from and move on.”
Comments
By Gutz
November 2, 2006 07:39 PM | Link to this
Please show up tomorrow night Speedy, Smoove and The Landlord!! We need you guys to step up in Marvin’s abscence on both ends of the floor especially offensively. Our defense was solid for the most part last night. We HAVE to win the game tomorrow night at home. No doubt! They know what they have to do so lets hope they come out on fire tomorrow night. I’m still behind ya Hawks. GO Hawks!!!!!!!!
By Clyde
November 2, 2006 08:10 PM | Link to this
Hey I like this site. http://firemikewoodson.blogspot.com/
Eventhough I’m the one that started the revolution, I still support it. FIRE BILLY AND WOODY t-shirts are still available too.
Ken Strickland where are you man???
FIRE BILLY AND WOODY
By Tyger
November 2, 2006 08:29 PM | Link to this
Hopefully, Josh Smith learned his lesson. When in doubt, drive to the hole, he has no future as a jumpshooter.
Speedy is a waste, an appeasment of the critics for not taking Paul. He wont hurt much, but he wont help either. (see Wed. game.)
Shelden is not an NBA BIG, he cant play center at all. Shouldve stuck to the formula and taken Rudy Gay.
This season is going to quickly turn into a disaster and both Woody and BK are going to be history. They better right this ship immediately.
I give’m two weeks to put up a decent record, normally more, but they looked like such garbage Wed. that I’m afraid to givem anymore time. Anything worse than 4-6 and we dump Woody. We got to light a fire under these guys, there jobs are on the line.
The Knicks arent the same saps of last year, they are going to play hard for Isiah and our youngins dont seem to understand that level of intensity yet. Hopefully, the homecrowd will be the difference.
I’m routing for them, always have and always will, but if it aint working it aint working. Yes, time is running out.
By michael m.
November 2, 2006 08:32 PM | Link to this
how long before josh smith has to learn the same lesson over and over? does he have ADD or something that prohibits him from remember what was learned previously? pathetic. these guys need to stop making the same excuses.
if they cannot find the fire to come out playing with emotion, heart and hustle EVERY SINGLE GAME, it is on them although the coaching staff must not be getting their message across in a way that sinks in. all coaches at the pro level can pretty much diagnose the problem, but getting through to the players effectively is what separates the wheat from the chaff. and hearing them say they performed better in the second half is a joke. philly just played worse, down to the hawks level, and the hawks refused to take the game even while philly was trying to hand it to them. and that announcer rathburn is annoying. someone take away his happy drugs. what a schmoe. he’s the kind of yes man that gets ahead in a bureacratic corporation with his bot-like disconnect with reality.
that game was so frustrating i am rethinking my nba league pass purchase. it’s more than just one game. it represents a continued hawk demeanor that revels in inconsistency, only stepping up to the plate after laying a big fat egg. that’s not the kind of team chemistry that will lift us above the many other equally talented teams figthing for the 8th playoff spot. i don’t even care if they win so much as what they show on the court. and they showed nothing.
i am a positive person by nature who tries to find the silver lining in our management’s decisions. i often disagree with what they do, but find a way to get over it since you can’t go back and change the past. however games such as our opener make it extremely difficult to persevere and not dwell on what could have been. there are enough people around here who discuss all that endlessly that i find myself being the devil’s advocate. but what a disappointment. i mean, really. being a hawks fan calls for a brand of temporary amnesia in order not to send one’s blood pressure skyhigh. they better come out friday and whip the knicks. this team should be ashamed of their performances.
i know marvin is being looked as the second scorer who should lighten the load of losing harrington. but if speedy is so speedy, he will get the ball in transition more. let ‘em run, woodsen! and could someone ask zaza to play defense in the first quarter? these guys act like they just met 30 minutes before tipoff. back to josh smith, it seems he only gets motivated after first being ineffective, like how losing the slam dunk contest last year woke him up in the second half of the season. i know he’s only 20, but if you want to be a pro, act like it. otherwise you are just wasting your immense talent.
By michael m.
November 2, 2006 08:48 PM | Link to this
we cant fire anybody this year. the belkin fiasco has to be resolved in the courts before we can legally fire anybody. not that anyone respectable would enter such an uncertain, tenuous situation anyway.
hope these guys get their act together and the other night was an aberration we don’t see again. that doesn’t seem likely however.
By GuyFromUruguay
November 2, 2006 08:56 PM | Link to this
I really, really hope they can beat the Knicks next game. Philly is an underrated team and was playing at home, but still, the underwhelming performance left me cold.
The Knicks, OTOH, barely beat a Memphis team that was lacking their best player, and don’t have an overpowering big (not that Philly’s are that good), if the Hawks can’t at least compete it’s going to be a looong season (at least I might get to see Batista on court).
BTW, Rudy Gay posted really good numbers (21 pts & 4 blocks!), while Speedy & Shelden didn’t play up to my expectations. I really hope they do better, and I know they can (also, as some stated, bigs start up slow).
After seeing what Phil Jackson is doing without Kobe in LA, and from what I saw in the Hawks games last year, part of the problem really might be Woodson. Though, please don’t replace him with Larry Brown :)
By hazer
November 2, 2006 09:05 PM | Link to this
People, people, PEOPLE! It’s ONE frigin game! Speedy just got back, Lozo was sittin’, Marvin’s out. Good LORD, chill. We’re only gonna win 35-40 this year, not 60……….
By ray
November 2, 2006 09:20 PM | Link to this
I’ll say again what I said on the last blog: Speedy can penetrate and dish all day long, but if these guys aren’t converting, it is to no avail. If you saw the game, you could see that nobody on Philly’s squad could really keep up with him…except when they are playing zone and all the other Hawks are standing around! We will better know what this squad is capable of, as well as what Woodson’s adjustment and decision-making ability consist of after 10 games. And even more so after 20. Smoove better learn quickly that going to the hole is what you do to get yourself going when the outside shot is not falling. And the reason he was open on all those jumpshots? He wasn’t making them and never gave the defense a reason to defend him. You gotta play inside-outside, it keeps the defense guessing.
By michael m.
November 2, 2006 09:23 PM | Link to this
cant have it both ways guys. everyone said last year if we draft another swing player like rudy gay, it will be ridiculous. and you are right. it would have been.
the year before we drafted what experts considered to be the top talent and the guy who would be the best pro in 5 years instead of the guy who fit best at a position of need.
even though some of us wanted differently at the time these choices were made, it is what it is. gotta let it go.
and to suggest philly is an underrated team is just making another excuse for our hawks. NO MORE EXCUSES! they need to stand up and play their butts off. if they do that and still lose, well, at least they can hold their heads high. however, that isn’t what occurred the other night. philly tried to give the hawks the game in the fourth but atlanta didnt want it. someone needs to light a spark under their a*. maybe joe johnson (who was atrocious himself) could go on hbo’s inside the nfl and do an interview with carter, calling out the coaches and players and saying we need to open it up. worked for the falcons.
By Fan01
November 2, 2006 09:28 PM | Link to this
Sekou you forgot to mention Joe who took 25 shots and only made 9. He had 25 points but he really did’nt play any better than the 3 guys you named. And I agree it is only one game and totally unfar to start judging players. Claxton was not a waste this is his 2nd game back he will get better with time. I’m not worried we will have Lo Wright back so that will help us in the post.
By michael m.
November 2, 2006 09:31 PM | Link to this
it’s not the loss hazer, it’s the way they played. it was a statement game where they needed to set the tone for their season. they know that themselves. and the tone they set was one of confusion and befuddlement. if they were going to be greatly improved this year, they would have brought it. instead they just brought a red cape like some pathetic matador and waved it aimlessly on their way to a 4-21 deficit. i hope i’m overreacting, but i just want them to stop acting like losers. why must they insist on making the chad fords and the basketball national tv schedulers look like such genuises?!
By Swatguy
November 2, 2006 10:48 PM | Link to this
Learn and go forward. We got 81+ more to go. With Lorenzo ready to war and Josh’s enlightenment we shall play better tonight (Friday). Let me be the first to say, Chillz was Trillz in Philly. Josh Childress and Ty Lue are players no matter who else is on the court.
By JB
November 2, 2006 11:02 PM | Link to this
People need to calm down. It’s one game, and we all knew Speedy is nowhere near where he needs to be nor where he’s eventually GOING to be, conditioning-wise as well as in meshing with his teammates. That’s factor #1. Lorenzen being out is factor #1A. He’s really the only one with cojones in the paint until Shelden gets his rookie legs under him better.
So, pause, breathe deeply, and let it go, ya’ll. We’ll be fine (well, as fine as any 30-40 win team is ever gonna be). I never answered Sekou’s call on predictions, but that parentheses is as close as I’m gonna get to making one.
By HB Ando
November 2, 2006 11:06 PM | Link to this
MM, it’s really not a matter of Ford, or the TV folks, or, me, as a consistently vocal critic, being made to look like geniui (is that how you spell it?). It’s simply that most of the fans that post here have trouble be objective. We’re just not that good. And in fairness to the team, as Sekou reminded everyone, we are the youngest team in the league. So the reality is that folks here need to get real (as that blathering idiot, Dr. Phil, would say). We’re not ready for prime time. We’re not a playoff contender. And we have a front office that has made repeated, avoidable mistakes, from a personnel perspective.
People here have misconstrued over a year of criticism, on my part, as some type of ego-stroking effort. The truth is that, in pointing out alternative decisions, before or while they were occurring, it’s never been as much about being right, as documenting that a layman, any man, can, arguably, have a better idea of how to reconstruct this roster, than the professional that gets paid to do it.
In my opinion, that’s in MY opinion, Billy Knight’s performance has been reprehensible. We’re not nearly as advanced in our rebuilding as we should be, ownership issues not withstanding. There are a multitude of alternate variations on decision-making, that have been documented before the fact, not as hindsight, that would have seen this team much farther along, much better.
At some point you have to acknowledge that the Atlanta Hawks are in bad hands, whether that’s ownership, the front office, or most likely, a combination of the two. It’s not about being negative. It’s about have your eyes open, and having a good feel for the NBA game. I’m not taking one loss and calling for a 10 win season. I’m just sticking with my consistent, and unwavering, opinion that this is still, again, a bottom-five franchise. And that different leadership could have better positioned us, at this point. Atlanta deserves better. I, as a fan of basketball, expect and demand better.
By CJ
November 3, 2006 12:35 AM | Link to this
This is Deja Vu … people have made the exact same comments, exact same lackluster play from the Hawks, same excuses…just that the roster is a bit different and it’s a year later. It is one game..but the fact that this sounds so familiar I can only imagine how many more games will turn out the same. If these guys don’t get out in the open court and run they are cooked, but then again that requires defense and rebounds. When did Tyger convert?
By Ken Strickland
November 3, 2006 01:40 AM | Link to this
Personally, I think putting SWilliams in the starting lineup instead of Childress is a mistake. Putting anyone other than Childress requires lineup adjustments. JSmith was moved to the 3, to accommodate Shelden, and he’ll move to the 4 when Marvin returns. From an experience standpoint, Childress is a better choice than Shelden to be a starter.
By Samuel
November 3, 2006 06:27 AM | Link to this
Ken,
I agree. Looking at last game. We definately need to start Childress. We’re gonna get “beat down” on the boards anyways,wheather its Sheldon, ZaZa, Lorenzen or any SCRUB big we got. We might as well play small ball and see what happens.
Somebody here said that drafting Gay would be a mistake. Are you serious, you can never go wrong drafting the best available player, never. Gay is better, right now, than any player on our team with the exception of JJ. Too bad people paid to make these type of descisions can’t see that.
By jack
November 3, 2006 08:41 AM | Link to this
Some posters fuss at others saying they do not understand B-Ball. Well, It is not my favorite sport either but, Spud Webb knew to drive the basket and dish off as other successful small guards before Speedy came along knew. If Speedy is speedy and will drive inside and if Smith will join Childers inside and Joe will keep defenders honest from the outside and if we will use our youth to run the other teams tongues out…..etc, etc. Foul someone HARD who comes inside. We have enough height to subsitute for anyone in foul trouble. Let Sheldon make people pay for coming inside…6 times. If we are going to lose, at least let opponents know they will pay a price to play us. We are too tentative. Come on Woody, turn our guys loose and stop worrying about loseing and I bet we will start winning…at the least, the fans will have more fun watching…
By honest_abe
November 3, 2006 10:21 AM | Link to this
ken on the flip side…why not throw shelden into the fire…if we drafted him with our 5th pick and the main reason being he was ready to make immediate contributions…it would only make sense to start a true PF.. and if you didn’t notice… j-smith still doesn’t like getting physical… but yes i wouldn’t mind seeing chills based on sheldon’s performance…he had better start showing me something… or i’m going to be the first one off of BK’s bandwagon!
By chris
November 3, 2006 10:23 AM | Link to this
I agree with Jack. Remember the Bad Boys of Detroit? Why not play that kind of basketball? Why not make other teams pay for coming inside? I mentioned on the last blog i wanted to see some nasty from Sheldon. Bring it. If there is a loose ball, we have to get it. When there is a rebound coming down, we have to get. I love the Hawks, and i want to see them take the ball, fight with pride, and take the win!!!!
By jack
November 3, 2006 10:46 AM | Link to this
Sorry. I meant—Childress. But, another thing. I hope the Hawks do not dress like some Chirstmas decorations this year. For example,when not wearing Red go to Black, or some other challenging shade, not some embrassing spaz look.
By Fan01
November 3, 2006 10:51 AM | Link to this
Samuel you have been smoking some serious stuff, Gay is not better than any player on our roster period and he never will be. Marvin, Smoove and Chill are all better and so is Shelden once he get’s used to starting .
By HB Ando
November 3, 2006 10:57 AM | Link to this
Actually, Chris, the league has evolved the rules and officiating in such a way that the level of contact that occurred back in those days cannot play again. They’ve taken much of the physicality of the game away from the players. Fans like to see offense. A few years back there were too many low scoring games, as guys just held each other. Now they call the hand check on the perimeter, and defensive 3 seconds for camping in the lane. You better find another way to hope this team gets good than calling for a return of the Bad Boys. They’re going to have to use skill and coaching if they want to compete in this NBA.
By HB Ando
November 3, 2006 10:59 AM | Link to this
Sam, how funny is this guy telling you that Shelden will be better than Gay? We get all the sharp knives here at the Hawks’ blog. Too much…….
Fan, why don’t you quit wasting time here and get back to working the phones for season-ticket sales……….
By Ricardo
November 3, 2006 11:01 AM | Link to this
You don’t want to read too much into just 1 game, but these guys looked bad. It seemed like they were all waiting on someone else to do something first. Kind of typical for a young team with out strong (and productive) vet leadership. Missing Al Harrington is going to hurt this team all year. It’s important for a young team like this to get off strong and it can spell disaster quickly if they don’t. Need to look a LOT better against NY.
By honest_abe
November 3, 2006 11:01 AM | Link to this
i love it how on this blog…i can always expect to hear either some comment or discussion about the hawks jerseys! LOL… hey folks… i could care less if they wore a jersey that was dookie brown with bright purple stripes…and orange trim… give me a team that wins….when you’ve had 7 straight losing seasons…. JERSEYS SHOULD BE THE LAST THING ON YOUR MIND! i wonder how many other franchises have long time suffering fans talkin jersey colors…GIVE ME A BREAK.. either this is a good indication of the intelligence level of hawks fans…or we have some serious blokes on this blog!
By Shane
November 3, 2006 11:33 AM | Link to this
Do The Hawks have a first round draft pick in 2007 ? I know they traded it away for Johnson , but I think if it is in the top 3 they get to keep it? Is this correct? Yall set me straight.
By Remembering Roundfield
November 3, 2006 11:36 AM | Link to this
Hey guys, let’s just chalk that one off as a wasted chance to show everyone what the new Hawks are about! Let’s not waste a lot of blog bytes hashing over who we personally may have wanted the Hawks to draft. We’ve got what we’ve got and now we just have to hope that what BK envisioned can come together and play to the best of their abilities! I still think we can be pretty good this year if the coach would intervene when things begin to go south and get the team back on track. (Come to think of it, isn’t that what a coach is supposed to do?)
By Chris
November 3, 2006 11:41 AM | Link to this
HB Ando,
It is very commendable how you are not afraid to lay it on the line when the bad decisions are made and say would you would do at the time instead of after the fact. Thanks for keeping it real. As with myself the thing that bothered me so much about the first game was how it solidified what me the layman knew. Sheldon Williams never appeared to me to be an exceptional athlete. The NBA is built on speed. He was drafted on the word of the the DUKE coaching staff. Are you kidding me. I said I would give the Hawks the benefit of the doubt until I saw game action. Benefit has been removed and full force doubt is now in affect.
I will be at the Clippers game in LA on Monday. I will look to them as an inspiration for the Hawks to one day turn it around. I will also compliment Sam Cassell on making a good decision for himself and staying in LA. “Sam I am” would not have been our missing piece.
Curious if we get the 1 or 2 pick next year and get a dominating big man will there be any point guards available next year with our second pick?
By Chris
November 3, 2006 11:48 AM | Link to this
Shane,
If the Hawks keep their pick in the top three in 2007, the Suns get our 1st round pick in 08’. The Hawks have a first round pick from the Pacers next year that is lottery protected. The Hawks could have 0,1 or 2 picks next year in the first round. The craziest would be if the Pacers barely missed the playoffs and the Hawks have the worst record. The Pacers pull off the ping pong ball miracle and get the number one pick and the Hawks get the fourth which goes to Phoenix. Then for the next five years the Suns and the Pacers would meet in the NBA finals and Billy Knight would get lots of corn and cactus every year for Christmas.
By Clyde
November 3, 2006 12:32 PM | Link to this
That’s the problem wit this team. They are all chracter guys. Soft as a baby. You can’t expect a team to get tougher over the summer. We need Dennis Rodman at PF.
FIRE BILLY AND WOODY
By HB Ando
November 3, 2006 12:54 PM | Link to this
Add this name to watch for next years’ top-3 (since some of you have mentioned that Durant’s small forward status would preclude us from wanting him-which I think is bunk, as he’s a combination of Dirk and KG in my book):
“Chinese forward Yi Jianlian, a 19-year-old rising star touted by many as the next Yao Ming, has received permission from his club to enter the 2007 NBA draft.
Yi, who lead the Guangdong Tigers to three straight national championships, was given the backing of his club to enter the draft, the China Daily reported Friday.”
6’11” sounds good to me……..Been wondering when this kid was coming over for the last year or two. Next years’ draft is going to be sick. What the hell was Billy thinking………
By redhawk
November 3, 2006 02:10 PM | Link to this
I can overlook one bad game, but we’ve got to win in November, cause Dec. schedule is brutal—8 road games against the West. Nice work by ZaZa and Chill, but Sekou is dead right that the team’s going nowhere without Claxton and Smith making an impact.
By michael m.
November 3, 2006 02:25 PM | Link to this
hb ando, there’s also a 7’3 center for connecticut who apparently resembles dikembe. his name is something like Thabeet. cant remember exactly.
chris, the pacers pick isnt wholly lotto protected. it is just protected 1-10. so if the pacers just miss the playoffs it would actually be good for us since we get the pick if it is #11 or worse. and regarding cassell, i can actually tell you for a fact that he never was considering atlanta. he and his agent just used bk to drive up the price to something they were comfortable accepting. sterling wanted to let the market set sam i am’s price.
By michael m.
November 3, 2006 02:31 PM | Link to this
ando, there is definitel no excuse for bk not insisting on better protection for this years pick. if last years was lotto protected, he should have insisted this years was at least protected through the top 8 picks. he was already giving them more than they seemed to initally be asking for. essentially he did the opposite of what his supposed mentor walsh did to him this past summer. neither walsh nor bk wanted to blink and both were entrenched in fighting for every scrap. perhaps bk realized he screwed up in not having the forethought to do as much in the jj trade. i have been worried about this 2007 pick of ours since the day the trade was announced as it always struck me that this could truly come back to haunt the franchise more than some of the other seemingly boneheaded past mistakes made by both bk and babcock.
By HB Ando
November 3, 2006 03:46 PM | Link to this
MM, thank you. That’s what I’ve been saying since last summer. I’ll still never believe that Sarver was going to cap lock his team by paying his fourth option, Johnson, $70 million. Especially after Johnson publicly stated he did not want to play for the Suns. Sarver is reportedly an ego-maniac. What ego-maniac pays a guy that kind of money after he’s publicly indicated a lack of interest in being part of the company? Billy got took. I love Johnson, but he should have come here for the price of his contract. Period.
By honest_abe
November 3, 2006 04:00 PM | Link to this
5 reasons why the hawks will win tonight:
the hawks now play in the new, aptly named “highlight factory” LOL
the “landlord” basically strengthened “the guy we all love to hate“‘s argument… and he can’t be right all the time can he?
if there is a gm that is even worse than our own… it’s that knucklehead from ny.
jj is not going to have another 9 for 23 performance.
this just might be the only team that cares about playing defense less than the hawks.
have a great weekend everybody!
By HB Ando
November 4, 2006 12:25 AM | Link to this
Abe, good call. I didn’t think the Hawks would win tonight, so it’s official that I cannot be right all of the time (though Shelden’s line was still pretty suspect). I can’t say I’m impressed with the way Josh has started this season. Looks suspiciously like the way he started last season. And I just overpaid for him in one of my fantasy leagues, on the expectation that he would step it up. Come on, Josh. I’ll take AK47 numbers, now that you’re on a couple of my squads. Where’s the pride?
Good response after a lackluster road loss. It’s a long season, so these guys will have to play with this level of sense of urgency every night to prove their critics wrong.
Y’all be careful out there.