AJC > Sports > Hawks > Blog > Archives > 2007 > October > 11
Thursday, October 11, 2007
Where’s the beef? (The remix)
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Miami - One of the two or three most hilarious things I’ve seen this year has to be the sight of poor Solomon Jones trying to guard Shaquille O’Neal Wednesday night at American Airlines Arena without a hammer in one hand.
Shaq backed him down (with Jones bouncing off of him like he was chest-bumping a trampoline) and got rag-dolled around by the Big (whatever Shaq is calling himself these days). I hate if for Solomon. It’s not his fault he’s only 235 pounds, or roughly 120 pounds lighter than Shaq (who by the way appears to be in pristine shape).
But that’s where the Hawks’ problems will begin on defense this year. Even with their upgrades in the post, they’re still going to too light to handle the league’s remaining battleships (Shaq, Dwight Howard, etc.). It’s clear after watching these first two preseason games that another big man added to the mix (a veteran big man, a real vet and a real big man) is not only needed but a necessity.
Zaza Pachulia is the Hawks’ biggest guy and he’s not big enough for either of those battleships mentioned. Shelden Williams and Al Horford certainly aren’t bulky enough to handle those guys if Zaza isn’t. And poor Solomon.
By the way, the Hawks rallied from a 14-point deficit to take a 50-48 lead into the locker room at halftime here against the Heat. When they run, they compete. When they don’t, just like Monday night, they get taken to pieces in the paint.
The Hawks did end up winning the game, 106-100 in OT. Some quick observations:
If Josh Childress can play anywhere close to this level every night (25 points off the bench on 7-for-11 shooting and 11-for-12 from the line) he’s going to do damage. He worked the baseline with ease and wasted very little motion on the offensive end. He also had a monster block on a Devin Green dunk attempt.
Whatever ailed Joe Johnson in last week’s public scrimmage has been fixed. He was back to his usual form on Wednesday night, scoring 21 points (in just over 25 minutes) on 6-for-10 shooting, while also grabbing five rebounds and dishing out three assists. When he’s in a comfort zone, JJ makes it look so easy. He didn’t even play when the game was on the line, resting the way a superstar is supposed to during the preseason.
Marvin Williams was solid again, knocking down shots (6-for-13) and being aggressive (5-for-6 from the line) and rebounded decently (six). He also had two assists and three turnovers. This is the type of line they need from Marvin nightly.
Josh Smith struggled from the floor (0-for-5) but made up for it with 15 rebounds, seven assists (they listed him with four but he had seven by my courtside count). It’s a good sign that he knows that when his shot isn’t falling he needs to do all the other things to stay effective. When he recognizes that he can go inside and do damage on nights like these, when the outside shot isn’t falling or when he’s in early foul trouble.
Shelden Williams was extremely efficient (4-for-4 from the floor in just under 14 minutes) and battled Alonzo Mourning in the post. He has to play well in limited minutes this season if the Hawks’ second unit is going to be effective.
The last guy I’ll mention is Mario West, my new favorite player on the planet. He only played nine minutes. But it was the highest-octane nine minutes you’ve never seen (sorry, I know the games aren’t on TV right now). He was all over the place. He blocked a shot (that the stat crew didn’t give him credit for), scored three quick points, caused two turnovers, had a steal and totally changed the tenor of the game with just his presence on the floor. Even the players and coaches on the Heat bench acknowledged his impact.
Three stats that stuck out: the 22 turnovers (resulting in 25 points) are brutal. The Hawks have to take much better care of the ball if they want to develop any type of offensive flow. And the 51-38 rebounding edge for the Hawks really jumps out at you when you consider what type of emphasis Pat Riley puts on that category with his crew (and the Heat, in all their disheveled roster glory, did play really hard until the whistle last night). The Hawks 34-for-48 showing from the free throw line is putrid. But they did get to the line 48 times, which is sort of a backhanded victory.
