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Monday, November 7, 2005
They’ve got to stop meeting like this
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Jeff Schultz
Only three games into this season and there have already been three starting lineups, a players-only meeting with complimentary flared tempers, benched draft picks and a “heartbreaking” loss, which followed a heart-deficient loss, which followed, well, just a loss.
Your new Atlanta Hawks come home tonight with a 0-3 record. If you expected better, then you probably have been living off of one too many Josh Smith dunk highlights, which, come to think of it, would put you in good company with Josh Smith.
The Hawks are young. When a team is this young — eight first and second-year players on a roster of 13 — talent tends to get drowned out by overdeveloped egos and underdeveloped perspective.
When a team is this young, hard working and well-meaning coaches like Mike Woodson don’t make playoff proclamations. “Can young guys win at this level with consistency? I don’t know that yet,” Woodson said Monday.
“They don’t understand the force of the game. These guys have no idea that on every night, at any given position, you can be handed your [rear] if you don’t come ready to play.”
The Hawks were blown out the other night by the Los Angeles Clippers, which is considered an NBA felony. Al Harrington, one of the few Hawks players who can see beyond a mirror, was moved to captain a team meeting. And he didn’t even play in the game because of an injury.
“We have to stop the bleeding early,” he said. “Maybe we’ll have to have another meeting after game four, but we have to figure this thing out. We have to earn some respect this year, and the only way to do that is win basketball games. We can’t just take moral victories out of every game. We did that last year. We had 69 moral victories.”
Also, 13 real ones.
The Hawks currently are on a pace for zero wins. Let’s assume that goes up.
But a team that relies on so much youth is asking for problems. Young players believe talent will carry them because that’s what worked in the playground, or high school, even college. Young players try to do too much during losing streaks, either because they feel pressured to do live up their billing or because they don’t trust the player next to them on the court. Or both.
Young players blame teammates because, well, it couldn’t be their own fault. Never has been, never will be. Just ask their agent.
Then there are cases like Josh Smith. He won the Slam Dunk contest as a rookie and the Hawks did the worst thing possible — they made him the centerpiece of a marketing campaign. That probably planted the I’ve-got-it-made seed in Smith’s head.
Now Woodson is fighting to get Smith’s attention, break him down and start over. He started the first two games, but began game three in Portland on the bench.
The Hawks lost to the Trail Blazers after a last-second disputed foul led to a tie-breaking free throw. But bad teams shouldn’t waste time complaining about foul calls because it’s just as likely the game was decided by something earlier.
“Good teams find a way to win that game,” Woodson said.
Maybe that reality sinks in. Maybe not. Or maybe it gets to the point where a second-year player has to be traded for a veteran with some accountability.
“The biggest thing [young players] don’t realize is how the little things beat you,” Harrington said. “It’s always, ‘Well, I just missed one rebound’ or ‘It was just one free throw or one assignment.’ But that one assignment can cost you the game. In college you can get by with that mistake because nine times out of 10 they were on great teams. When you’re on a great team, you can mess up. Unfortunately, we’re not that kind of team.”
No, they’re not. They are somewhere between nowhere and a work in progress, depending on how you package it. When player meetings outnumber the win total, it’s never a good sign.
Permalink | Comments (14) | Categories: Hawks / NBA, Jeff Schultz
Blue Devils have reasons to feel superior
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Mark Bradley
It will be another long winter for the growing legion of Duke-haters. The Blue Devils figure to win another NCAA championship and generate another national player of the year — either J.J. Redick or Shelden Williams — and their famous coach will doubtless film another round of American Express commercials, timed for maximum March exposure.
It’s not that Duke keeps getting better. It’s that the Devils simply have weathered the NBA exodus of young players better than any other program. North Carolina, Duke’s hated neighbor, is actually the reigning NCAA titlist, but the Tar Heels lost every player of note from that star-spangled team, four of whom had eligibility remaining.
Beyond Duke, what else is there? Well, Michigan State, which ousted the Devils in the Sweet 16, will be quite good, and Texas and Oklahoma look strong in the Big 12. And Louisville and Kentucky will stage their usual battle for Bluegrass supremacy. But the story of the 2005-06 season figures to be written by the men based in Cameron Indoor Stadium, which should make the rest of college basketball more than a little crazy.
Onto the Top 25 …
1. Duke. At a time when the average fan can’t identify 10 collegiate players, the Devils have two household names — J.J. Redick and Shelden Williams — plus a passel of prized recruits. Plus a coach of some distinction.
2. Michigan State. The Spartans capped an indifferent regular season with a Final Four run. Most of the notables — Paul Davis, Maurice Ager, Shannon Brown — return. At issue is whether these guys are really as good as they looked in March.
3. Texas. Lots of talent here, plus the nation’s best point guard in Daniel Gibson. But the Longhorns have had talent all along — T.J. Ford was the nation’s best point guard in 2003 — and somehow haven’t produced a national championship.
4. Boston College. The Eagles enter the ACC at the right time. With every other major program save Duke in retooling mode, they come in loaded. The players who propelled BC to a 20-0 start last season are back, Craig Smith chief among them.
5. Connecticut. The UConn guards had a wretched summer. Freshman A.J. Price has been suspended for the season, and junior Marvin Williams won’t play until after New Year’s. But Rudy Gay is the nation’s most talented player, and Rashad Anderson is a splendid shooter.
6. Louisville. Rick Pitino has it rolling again, and the Cardinals’ arrival in the Big East should only enhance the man’s massive reputation. Player to watch: David Padgett, who transferred from Kansas and who’s a remarkably skilled big man.
7. Oklahoma. The Sooners figure to give Texas a run in the Big 12. Taj Gray and Kevin Bookout are the nation’s best frontcourt tandem, and Terrell Everett is a gifted guard. But Oklahoma has a way of fizzling in March.
8. Gonzaga. The little school with the funny name has become a basketball staple, and not just in March. Here’s proof you don’t have to play in a power conference to attract attention — or to lure a big-time talent like Adam Morrison.
9. Kentucky. The status of Randolph Morris, who tried to leave for the NBA but went undrafted, remains unresolved. The Wildcats expect him back at some point but aren’t sure when. No matter. They’ll win the SEC with their usual ease.
10. Villanova. The Wildcats would have been five spots higher, but forward Curtis Sumpter has a bad knee and might not play at all. Center Jason Fraser has two bad knees, and nobody’s sure how long he’ll hold up.
11. UCLA. Arizona is the pick to win the Pac-10, as usual, but Ben Howland is about to propel the Bruins upward. Point guard Jordan Farmar could be the league’s player of the year, and Cedric Bozeman returns after a knee injury.
12. Wake Forest. Justin Gray isn’t really a point guard, but he’ll try his hand in the absence of Chris Paul. Eric Williams isn’t really a center, but he plays like one. Still in question is whether Wake will ever make a commitment to defense.
13. George Washington. Pops Mensah-Bonsu pulled out of the NBA draft, and for that we should all be grateful. Mensah-Bonsu is a great leaper who can really run, and his presence should make GW the East Coast version of Gonzaga.
14. Ohio State. Two teams beat Illinois last season — North Carolina in the NCAA title game, and Ohio State, which was ineligible for the Big Dance. The Buckeyes are eligible now, and they’ll be a top-five team when their touted recruits arrive next season.
15. Alabama. Kennedy Winston and Earnest Shelton are gone, but freshman Richard Hendrix figures to be better than either. Chuck Davis blocks shots and Ronald Steele runs the offense. The Tide is the class of a lackluster SEC West.
16. Nevada. The mid-major Wolf Pack is another of those Gonzaga wannabes, and this could be the year Nevada actually outdoes the higher-profile Zags. Nick Fazekas is among the nation’s best centers, and point guard Ramon Sessions can run a team.
17. Arizona. The Wildcats lost Channing Frye and Salim Stoudamire to the NBA, but Hassan Adams and Mustafa Shakur will keep them competitive. But the Pac-10 is rising again, and the guess is that Arizona will be overtaken.
18. Charlotte. Under-the-radar program posts impressive results every season while drawing no attention from the locals. Curtis Withers is the best player you’ve never heard of, and four transfers should keep the 49ers in fighting shape.
19. Memphis. With Louisville, Cincinnati and Marquette gone to the Big East, somebody has to win Conference USA. Memphis is the pick. The Tigers are led by Darius Washington, whose missed free throws kept them out of the NCAA tournament last season.
20. Illinois. Dee Brown and James Augustine are nice building blocks. They were 40 percent of the nation’s best passing team, but this season they’ll need to do much more shooting. They figure to welcome the opportunity.
21. Stanford. The question here regards the health of Dan Grunfeld, son of Ernie, who wrecked his knee and essentially dashed the Cardinal’s chances last season. A fit Grunfeld would mesh nicely with point guard Chris Hernandez.
22. Syracuse. Gerry McNamara is still around, and so is Jim Boeheim. Those are two compelling reasons to like the Orange, which is without the estimable Harrick Warrick. A third reson: freshman shooter Eric Devendorf.
23. Washington. Mini-guard Nate Robinson left for the NBA, but last season’s surprise No. 1 seed isn’t about to fade into the Western woods. Freshman Jon Brockman should be a force underneath, and Brandon Roy is an effective wing.
24. West Virginia. The Mountaineers probably overachieved during their run to the Elite Eight and could be exposed in the beefed-up Big East. But shooting center Kevin Pittsnogle seems reason enough to include WVU in the Top 25.
25. Maryland. The Terps missed the NCAA and were among last season’s most disappointing teams. Gary Williams doesn’t like to be disappointed. Look for the Terps to be re-energized, or for their coach to be even madder than usual.
Permalink | Comments (7) | Categories: Mark Bradley, Tech / ACC, UGA / SEC
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