Mike Budenholzer acknowledged having tunnel vision when it comes to life without Al Horford.
The Hawks coach pointed to his team’s locker room when asked if he is involved in discussions with general manager Danny Ferry on how the team might replace Horford.
“That is my focus,” Budenholzer said Thursday. “Danny and I talk all the time about if there is a way to get better. To say we can replace Al, or to say he is irreplaceable, is almost silly. If we can get better, let’s get better. We are not going to have Al for the rest of the year. I like the guys we’ve got.
“If Danny can bring us something better, I’m always interested in talking about that. Mentally, my approach is this is our group, and we have to figure it out with them.”
The Hawks are 2-1 since the season-ending loss of Horford, the team’s leading scorer and rebounder, to a torn right pectoral muscle. The wins were at home in overtime against the Bobcats and on the road against the Celtics — both five games under .500. They lost at the Magic — 11 games under .500. The Hawks also played without starter DeMarre Carroll against the Magic and Celtics.
The Hawks (18-14) play host to the Warriors on Friday in the latest challenge without Horford.
Kyle Korver knows about moving on after the season-ending loss of a star player. He was in Chicago when Derrick Rose went down with a torn ACL in his left knee in 2012. According to Korver, getting over the loss mentally is the first step.
“You understand you have to make it up with effort and attention to detail when you don’t have as much talent as you had,” Korver said. “There is a bit of a mental letdown. You are just bummed. I think that is the first step. Al is out; what are we going to do? We have 50 games left. I think we are about through that now. That is a good thing. Now we get back to more X’s and O’s.”
Paul Millsap has put up big numbers without Horford. The forward averaged 28 points and 11.7 rebounds in the past three games. He averaged 38 minutes per game in those three, up substantially from the 33 minutes he averaged before the loss of Horford.
Budenholzer said he has pushed Millsap “pretty good” of late, but won’t go much higher, if at all, with his minutes.
That Millsap has stepped up does not come to a surprise to his teammates, Carroll in particular. They were together with the Jazz before signing with the Hawks.
“He is playing like an All-Star,” Carroll said. “I always saw that from Paul in Utah. With the right opportunity and right situation, I knew he could be one of those superstars. He had the opportunity to be a star. He just never had that opportunity to be a superstar. A lot of people are seeing what he can really do. In Utah we had Al Jefferson and Mo Williams, and he didn’t really have an opportunity. He is turning into a beast now, and that’s what we need him to be.”
Etc.: Carroll, who missed the past two games with a sprained right thumb, practiced Thursday and said he will play Friday. John Jenkins did not practice and remains out with nerve pain in his left leg related to a lower back injury. … Budenholzer was a nominee for the NBA's Eastern Conference Coach of the Month for December award won by the Raptors' Dwane Casey. … Jared Cunningham was re-assigned to the D-League on Wednesday.
