Showing posts with label larry drew. Show all posts
Showing posts with label larry drew. Show all posts
Friday, June 01, 2012
Once More, With Feeling: Reviewing Larry Drew's Season
With a couple of exceptions, Larry Drew had a very good regular season. With a couple of exceptions, Larry Drew had a very poor playoff series. There are some commonalities between these disparate results.
Larry Drew really trusts his bench and likes to use them a lot. In addition to giving Jannero Pargo and Willie Green credit for making shots this season, one has to give Drew credit for consistently putting them in situations to succeed, to the extent they can. If you're going to play Pargo and Green, you can't get too upset about the things they do (or don't do) that made them freely available talent in the first place. Sure, injuries played a role, but Drew's instinct to look for additional players he could use also gave us Ivan Johnson's delightful regular season.
Johnson was something of an exception as Drew's trust typically extends to veterans. The career years from Pargo and Green were off-set (not so much on the court but at a franchise level) by the absurdity of the team going over the luxury tax line to have Jerry Stackhouse and Erick Dampier sit at the end of the bench.
Tracy McGrady was something of an exception to the rule as well though the reluctance to extend the trust inherent in a regular rotation role to a player physically unable to play both ends of a back-to-back during a compressed season, a player physically unable to finish every game in which he did play more isn't so mysterious.
Certainly not as mysterious as Drew fundamentally underestimating the difference between regular season and playoff basketball. Though not an especially good professional basketball team at this point, the Celtics are a clear cut above the non-playoff teams in the Eastern Conference, against whom the Hawks ably padded their regular season record by winning 22 of 25 games. Furthermore, Doc Rivers made every effort to highlight his team's remaining strengths while mitigating their numerous limitations.
One trait of Drew's benefited the Hawks in the playoffs. He's a players' coach. In the regular season that trait manifested itself in such ugly ways as letting Kirk Hinrich come back from shoulder surgery weeks before he was ready, letting Joe Johnson play on one leg for a stretch in February, and letting Josh Smith shoot 500 jumpers with an eFG% below 37%. In the playoffs, the trait manifested itself in letting Smith and, especially, Al Horford play significant minutes while injured. Both were clearly limited by their injuries, but they were also easily the team's two most productive players and central in extending the series to the final seconds of Game 6 despite Drew's self-sabotage over the first three games.
To be sure, Larry Drew drew a bad hand for the playoff series but he played that hand poorly. He willingly rested his few above average and healthy players en masse for the first three games of the series, with disastrous results. He too often tried to defend Kevin Garnett with either Jason Collins or Marvin Williams. The former (from Game 2 onward) couldn't cover Garnett in space, the latter couldn't handle him on the post. He repeatedly allowed the team to go away from what was working (usually Jeff Teague in a two-man game with either Smith or Horford) to Joe Johnson dribbling toward an empty possession.
The series was there for the taking. One flawed team made a concerted, unified effort to take it. The other team did not.
Depending on where the breakeven point on home playoff games is exactly, the franchise is probably getting good value on their investment in Drew but not so much to make up for the money wasted on other people or to push the team significantly closer to contending for a championship.
Friday, May 11, 2012
Quote of the Day -- May 11, 2012
Larry Drew:
"That [Josh Smith's missed corner two with nine seconds left] wasn’t [the play]. We were in our wrong spots. We did not execute what we had drawn up in the huddle. We can’t have that type of mental breakdown at the end of a game. You just can’t have it. That play is not designed to be at the elbow shooting a jump shot. We did not execute it."The Hawks sorted it out in their final huddle of the game, a collaborative masterpiece:
Thursday, May 03, 2012
Quote of the Day -- May 3, 2012
Larry Drew:
Rest your hope on those two words.
"I want to make sure if I can get guys proper amount of rest. I do want to ride my starters but I don’t want to wear them out. It’s going to be a long series. I could probably stagger them a little bit more but I have to make sure I don’t wear guys down and run them in the ground. I have all the confidence in the world in my bench. They’ve been good for us all season and I’m not going to give up on them now."Could. Probably.
Rest your hope on those two words.
Wednesday, May 02, 2012
Oh, Yes, It's Been Bad
The drop-off from Josh Smith, Joe Johnson, and Jeff Teague to the rest of the healthy Hawks has been noticeable. BasketballValue helps make that drop-off measurable. Here's the on/off numbers (per 100 possessions) for the trio through two games against the Celtics:
For some reason (rest for games that aren't guaranteed to take place?) Drew has seen fit to use more than 10 of the series' 96 minutes to see what would happen if none of Smith, Johnson, or Teague were on the floor. I ask anyone under the age of 18 or with a delicate constitution to stop reading immediately. Smith, Johnson, and Teague have joined Drew on the sideline for 17 possessions of this series during which the Hawks have been outscored 19-7.
The makeshift starting lineup? +20 over 71 offensive and 68 defensive possessions.
Swap in Marvin Williams for Jason Collins? The Hawks are still +1 over 12 offensive and 15 defensive possessions.
Remove all your above average players from the floor at once? Disaster, not so surprisingly, strikes.
At this point, Larry Drew might run out of good players to rest, making a lesson learned practically impossible in the short term. Which makes the choice to handcuff himself with what turn out to be most talented and complete roster he had at his disposal in the playoffs so disappointing.
Doc Rivers has not yet rested Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett simultaneously in this series.
| Player | On Court | Off Court |
| Smith | +14.2 | -59.7 |
| Johnson | +13.2 | -50.3 |
| Teague | +7.8 | -22.5 |
For some reason (rest for games that aren't guaranteed to take place?) Drew has seen fit to use more than 10 of the series' 96 minutes to see what would happen if none of Smith, Johnson, or Teague were on the floor. I ask anyone under the age of 18 or with a delicate constitution to stop reading immediately. Smith, Johnson, and Teague have joined Drew on the sideline for 17 possessions of this series during which the Hawks have been outscored 19-7.
The makeshift starting lineup? +20 over 71 offensive and 68 defensive possessions.
Swap in Marvin Williams for Jason Collins? The Hawks are still +1 over 12 offensive and 15 defensive possessions.
Remove all your above average players from the floor at once? Disaster, not so surprisingly, strikes.
At this point, Larry Drew might run out of good players to rest, making a lesson learned practically impossible in the short term. Which makes the choice to handcuff himself with what turn out to be most talented and complete roster he had at his disposal in the playoffs so disappointing.
Doc Rivers has not yet rested Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett simultaneously in this series.
Monday, April 30, 2012
Quote of the Day -- April 30. 2012
Larry Drew:
"We knew we had to win the energy game. We had to win the hustle game. I think we did that."And so it was.
Sunday, April 29, 2012
Larry Drew: Lessons Learned From His First Post-Season
By Buddy Grizzard
Larry Drew has only coached two playoff series but he already built a catalogue of highly-scrutinized postseason moves. As the Hawks prepare to face the Celtics and well-regarded coach Doc Rivers, here's a list of five of Drew's rookie playoff miscues. If coaching in the playoffs is a process of trial and error, Drew certainly has a wealth of research material.
5. Josh Powell, first big man off the bench
In Game 2 of the Atlanta-Orlando series, Al Horford picked up his second foul with 9:49 to play in the first quarter. The first big man off the bench for the Hawks was...Josh Powell. Remember Powell? He played in China earlier this year before HoopsHype.com reported that he had signed to play in Switzerland, then Puerto Rico. He is not presently on an NBA playoff roster. Surprised?
As previously noted, Zaza Pachulia is one of only 5 players to rank in the top 10 in playoff rebounding rate in 2 of the last 3 postseasons. Josh Powell (surprise!) is not on that list. Meanwhile, in Horford's absence, Pachulia has made a significant contribution to the team's success (which I speculated was possible in January).
Wrote John Hollinger of ESPN.com after the Hawks loss:
In Game 4 of the second round series against the Bulls, Drew tweaked his starting lineup by moving Marvin Williams to the bench, starting Jason Collins at center and moving Horford to power forward. This move seemed initially successful as the Hawks outscored the Bulls during Collins' 1st and 3rd quarter appearances on the way to a 2-2 series tie.
In Game 6, however, Drew stayed with the same substitution pattern for the third consecutive game and Bulls coach Thom Thibodeau made him pay. The Bulls clearly game planned to attack Collins' defense. Carlos Boozer pulled Collins away from the basket and hit jumpers until the Hawks were forced to switch defenders. With Horford guarding Boozer, the Bulls isolated Joakim Noah at the top of the key on Collins. Noah drove around the slow-footed Collins for a layup and a 19-11 Bulls lead en route to the series-clinching win.
Powell may have been named the worst player in the NBA by multiple NBA front-office types, according to Hollinger. But as I have noted, statistically, Collins has been one of the worst players in the NBA for the last 7 seasons.
3. Jamal Crawford, point guard
Just before Noah's layup, with the Hawks trailing 17-11, Drew sent Jamal Crawford in to replace Jeff Teague. The Bulls then outscored the Hawks 10-6 to close the first quarter with a 27-17 lead. The Hawks never recovered. The Portland Trailblazers, with Crawford playing significant minutes at point guard this year, missed the playoffs entirely.
2. Riding the cold hand
In Game 4 as the Hawks tied the series, Crawford shot 5-for-11 (1-for-5 from 3-point range) for 12 points in 29 minutes off the bench. Zaza Pachulia played 26 minutes, scoring 5 and pulling down 9 rebounds. It would be Crawford's last decent shooting game as a Hawk. In Game 5, Crawford played 27 minutes, shot 1-for-9 and scored 2 points with 4 assists and 2 turnovers. Pachulia scored 13 in 23 minutes on 5-for-6 shooting and added 4 rebounds.
Finally, in Game 6, Crawford shot 2-for-10 for 8 points in 25 minutes. Pachulia played 23 minutes, scored only 1 point but led the team with 13 rebounds. Crawford made a driving layup with 5:41 to play before halftime. It would be his last field goal as a Hawk. It's hard not to think that more minutes for Pachulia, who led the team in +/- for the postseason, or allowing Crawford to play off the ball and focus on making shots, might have made a difference in this series.
1. The Horford Treatment
After Horford, as mentioned above, picked up his second foul 2 minutes into Game 2 against Orlando, Drew left him on the bench for the rest of the half. The Hawks led 32-22 with 9 minutes to play before halftime, but the Magic closed the half on a 26-10 run as Horford, the team's most efficient offensive player, sat the entire second quarter.
Horford never picked up his third foul as the Hawks lost to even the series 1-1. Hollinger wrote:
One of the unintended consequences of losing Game 2 was that the Hawks, winners of 3 of the first 4 games in the series, missed a chance to sweep Orlando and gain valuable rest before the Chicago series. Instead, the series went 6 games and Kirk Hinrich was lost for the second round after suffering an injury with just over 3 minutes remaining in Game 6.
A further consequence of Hinrich's injury was Jeff Teague's breakout series as the starting point guard in the Chicago series. However, this fortunate circumstance cannot be used to justify bad coaching. Indeed, the belated discovery of Teague's value stands as a further indictment of Drew.
Lessons learned
Looking ahead to the series against the Celtics, the following are lessons that I hope Drew has learned from the 2011 playoffs. Firstly, Drew must stop giving significant minutes to scrubs and washed up veterans. This means that Collins, Erick Dampier, Jerry Stackhouse and Vladimir Radmanovic should only see spot or emergency minutes.
Second, Drew must trust Teague and let him be himself. He's not going to morph into Steve Nash or Rajon Rondo any time soon, but the Hawks cannot succeed if Teague sacrifices his offense so Joe Johnson and Josh Smith can launch more jumpers.
And finally, Drew needs to realize that Ivan Johnson, not Collins, is the only hope at center. Johnson, the reigning Eastern Conference Rookie of the Month for April, has outplayed or held his own against Andrew Bogut, Marc Gasol and Roy Hibbert this season. Collins hasn't come close to playing at that level, and if Drew thinks he's the answer, then he hasn't learned anything.
Larry Drew has only coached two playoff series but he already built a catalogue of highly-scrutinized postseason moves. As the Hawks prepare to face the Celtics and well-regarded coach Doc Rivers, here's a list of five of Drew's rookie playoff miscues. If coaching in the playoffs is a process of trial and error, Drew certainly has a wealth of research material.
5. Josh Powell, first big man off the bench
In Game 2 of the Atlanta-Orlando series, Al Horford picked up his second foul with 9:49 to play in the first quarter. The first big man off the bench for the Hawks was...Josh Powell. Remember Powell? He played in China earlier this year before HoopsHype.com reported that he had signed to play in Switzerland, then Puerto Rico. He is not presently on an NBA playoff roster. Surprised?
As previously noted, Zaza Pachulia is one of only 5 players to rank in the top 10 in playoff rebounding rate in 2 of the last 3 postseasons. Josh Powell (surprise!) is not on that list. Meanwhile, in Horford's absence, Pachulia has made a significant contribution to the team's success (which I speculated was possible in January).
Wrote John Hollinger of ESPN.com after the Hawks loss:
I was talking to two NBA front-office types before a game this month and we were trying to come up with the worst player in the league. Without any prodding from me, both of them nominated Powell.4. Jason Collins, over-utilized
In Game 4 of the second round series against the Bulls, Drew tweaked his starting lineup by moving Marvin Williams to the bench, starting Jason Collins at center and moving Horford to power forward. This move seemed initially successful as the Hawks outscored the Bulls during Collins' 1st and 3rd quarter appearances on the way to a 2-2 series tie.
In Game 6, however, Drew stayed with the same substitution pattern for the third consecutive game and Bulls coach Thom Thibodeau made him pay. The Bulls clearly game planned to attack Collins' defense. Carlos Boozer pulled Collins away from the basket and hit jumpers until the Hawks were forced to switch defenders. With Horford guarding Boozer, the Bulls isolated Joakim Noah at the top of the key on Collins. Noah drove around the slow-footed Collins for a layup and a 19-11 Bulls lead en route to the series-clinching win.
Powell may have been named the worst player in the NBA by multiple NBA front-office types, according to Hollinger. But as I have noted, statistically, Collins has been one of the worst players in the NBA for the last 7 seasons.
3. Jamal Crawford, point guard
Just before Noah's layup, with the Hawks trailing 17-11, Drew sent Jamal Crawford in to replace Jeff Teague. The Bulls then outscored the Hawks 10-6 to close the first quarter with a 27-17 lead. The Hawks never recovered. The Portland Trailblazers, with Crawford playing significant minutes at point guard this year, missed the playoffs entirely.
2. Riding the cold hand
In Game 4 as the Hawks tied the series, Crawford shot 5-for-11 (1-for-5 from 3-point range) for 12 points in 29 minutes off the bench. Zaza Pachulia played 26 minutes, scoring 5 and pulling down 9 rebounds. It would be Crawford's last decent shooting game as a Hawk. In Game 5, Crawford played 27 minutes, shot 1-for-9 and scored 2 points with 4 assists and 2 turnovers. Pachulia scored 13 in 23 minutes on 5-for-6 shooting and added 4 rebounds.
Finally, in Game 6, Crawford shot 2-for-10 for 8 points in 25 minutes. Pachulia played 23 minutes, scored only 1 point but led the team with 13 rebounds. Crawford made a driving layup with 5:41 to play before halftime. It would be his last field goal as a Hawk. It's hard not to think that more minutes for Pachulia, who led the team in +/- for the postseason, or allowing Crawford to play off the ball and focus on making shots, might have made a difference in this series.
1. The Horford Treatment
After Horford, as mentioned above, picked up his second foul 2 minutes into Game 2 against Orlando, Drew left him on the bench for the rest of the half. The Hawks led 32-22 with 9 minutes to play before halftime, but the Magic closed the half on a 26-10 run as Horford, the team's most efficient offensive player, sat the entire second quarter.
Horford never picked up his third foul as the Hawks lost to even the series 1-1. Hollinger wrote:
There is no way to sugarcoat it: This is the most indefensible coaching decision I’ve seen this season.He further noted that Horford, who has one of the lowest foul rates in the league at his position, was never in any danger of fouling out.
One of the unintended consequences of losing Game 2 was that the Hawks, winners of 3 of the first 4 games in the series, missed a chance to sweep Orlando and gain valuable rest before the Chicago series. Instead, the series went 6 games and Kirk Hinrich was lost for the second round after suffering an injury with just over 3 minutes remaining in Game 6.
A further consequence of Hinrich's injury was Jeff Teague's breakout series as the starting point guard in the Chicago series. However, this fortunate circumstance cannot be used to justify bad coaching. Indeed, the belated discovery of Teague's value stands as a further indictment of Drew.
Lessons learned
Looking ahead to the series against the Celtics, the following are lessons that I hope Drew has learned from the 2011 playoffs. Firstly, Drew must stop giving significant minutes to scrubs and washed up veterans. This means that Collins, Erick Dampier, Jerry Stackhouse and Vladimir Radmanovic should only see spot or emergency minutes.
Second, Drew must trust Teague and let him be himself. He's not going to morph into Steve Nash or Rajon Rondo any time soon, but the Hawks cannot succeed if Teague sacrifices his offense so Joe Johnson and Josh Smith can launch more jumpers.
And finally, Drew needs to realize that Ivan Johnson, not Collins, is the only hope at center. Johnson, the reigning Eastern Conference Rookie of the Month for April, has outplayed or held his own against Andrew Bogut, Marc Gasol and Roy Hibbert this season. Collins hasn't come close to playing at that level, and if Drew thinks he's the answer, then he hasn't learned anything.
Friday, April 13, 2012
Hickory-High: Atlanta Hawks: Go Small. Go Far.
At Hickory-High, Matt Cianfrone looks at 5-man units and wonders if playing Marvin Williams at the four alongside Jeff Teague, Kirk Hinrich, Joe Johnson, and Josh Smith might help with that pesky problem the Hawks have scoring against teams with winning records, a problem they will be forced to overcome in the playoffs:
The inability to score has been particularly striking against the teams in the playoffs at the moment: New York, Orlando, Oklahoma City, Indiana, Miami, the Los Angeles Clippers and Lakers, Boston, Chicago, Memphis, San Antonio and Philadelphia. In the 19 games the Hawks have played against those opponents since Horford’s injury the they have scored over ninety points 4 times; twice against Indiana, once against the Thunder, and once against the Knicks. In only two games did the Hawks score 100 points or more, one of two matchups with the Pacers, and one of two with the Knicks . Meanwhile in seven of those games the Hawks have scored less than 80 points, and in one game against the Magic, the Hawks needed overtime to score 89 points.Cianfrone uses this as a jumping off point to examine how the offense functions:
Plenty of this offensive problem is centered on how the Hawks offense is built. Atlanta runs isolation plays on 12.0% of their possessions according to mySynergySports.com, a number that is comparable to other isolation heavy teams such as the Thunder (13.7%) and Lakers (12.8%). Unfortunately for the Hawks they do not have a Kobe Bryant, Russell Westbrook, or Kevin Durant on their roster. What they do have is Joe Johnson; who is pretty good in isolation situations scoring 0.85 points per possession, only 0.02 points less than Bryant. The biggest problem for the Hawks is where the ball goes when a Johnson isolation does not work. So far this year that answer has been to Josh Smith. This season Smith has 161 isolation possessions more than anyone on the Hawks outside of Johnson’s 212. In fact the two, combined, account for about 53% of the Hawks 703 team isolation possessions. Smith though does not use his portion to produce anything near that of Johnson, scoring 0.75 points per possession in these situations, shooting only 35.3% from the field, and turning the ball over 6.2% of the time. In total, Smith only scores on 39.1 percent of his isolation attempts. There has to be a better option for a struggling offense.There are four good paragraphs (too good to pick just one to excerpt) about the pick-and-roll offense and a consideration of the defensive consequences of a small lineup. There is no consideration of Marvin Williams' playoff history which, admittedly, might render the whole value of getting him more minutes at the expense of the rest of the bench moot.
Friday, February 17, 2012
Smoove Criminal: Who's to Blame for the Faulty Jumpers?
By Bo Churney
[Ed. note -- Bo Churney writes for Hawks blog SoaringDownSouth, and can be reached @bochurney on Twitter]
Few plays in basketball can influence an entire crowd to express a joint emotion: a thunderous dunk can cause an uproar of elation and awe. A bad foul call can incite the collective chanting of obscenities. And an opposing team's three-pointer can force absolutely silence upon 20,000 people.
Meanwhile, Josh Smith's three-pointers have sent an entire metropolis into panic, prompting screams of, "NOOOOO!!!"
I'll start off by saying this: I think Josh Smith is the best player on the Hawks. His defense is outstanding (top five DRtg), he's a marketable figure, and he has the ability to dominate the offensive end in several facets like few others can in this league. But why does it seem like that last one has become so absent from his performances on the court?
The stats don't lie. Over the past two years, Josh Smith has expanded on his game from outside 15 feet, also meaning that his shots from around the basket have dwindled from a career high 549 in 2009-10. Gee, what happened before the 2010-11 season that could have caused Josh to field his best Larry Bird impersonations? Anything at all? Oh, wait a minute...
Larry Drew.
Can all of the blame be pinned on Drew? Of course not; Josh still has to take those ill-advised shots that leave you scratching your head. But to act like there is not an underlying issue here by placing all of the blame on Josh (like Atlanta loves to do) is borderline ignorant.
So, what is the case against Larry Drew? Let's start with the Hawks' recent 89-87 OT win over the Magic. Coming fresh off of another All-Star snub, Josh was playing out of his mind; he was grabbing every rebound, making all of the hustle plays, and was playing well enough on offense despite taking a few of those objectionable long two-point jumpers. Late in the game, Larry Drew kept calling for Josh in a post-up against Ryan Anderson. And guess what? It was working! Josh was either getting a good look close to the rim, or he initiated a pass-heavy sequence that led to an open shot. The Hawks were up eight with a little over three minutes left in the game. Then, Orlando went on an 8-0 run to send the game into overtime. What happened?
Iso-Joe happened. The Hawks tried to rely too much on their $120 million man, leading to a stagnant offense and bad shots. Is it Joe's fault that Drew keeps calling the same play that won't work, even though Joe often had a small defender on him? Is it then Josh's (or some other player's) fault that they have to try to get up a shot with little time remaining on the shot clock?
Need another example? Look at Wednesday's game against the Suns. The Hawks were running some sort of "offense" early that clearly wasn't working and allowed the Suns to get out on the break. At several times throughout the game, the team started resorting to Josh in a high-iso, where he was then able to find open shooters after being double-teamed. Each time the Hawks did this, they were about to either close or expand the lead. What happened on offense for the rest of the game? Well, as some of my fellow bloggers said, "Are we even running any plays right now?"
This is something that completely falls on Drew as the Head Coach. It's the same thing that helped lead to the ouster of his old boss, Mike Woodson; relying on isolation plays, and hope that someone can get up a shot if the isolated player can't beat his man. The difference this time, though, is that Larry Drew has shown that the team can function well when it keeps the ball moving. Even though Horford is out, Drew now has the benefit of a deeper bench than Woodson ever had. There is no reason this team should still have the offensive problems that it exhibited under the now Knicks assistant.
For the last three years under Woodson, the Hawks ranked 9th, 22nd, and 6th in shots from 16-23 ft. Under Drew, the Hawks are 2nd and 3rd so far this season, with the worst percentage under either coach. (36.1%) The team is taking more attempts from that range this year (24.6), despite the fact that Al Horford, the most efficient shooter from that distance last year, is out for the season. To keep it simple, that is completely unacceptable.
Now, back to Smoove; some still go as far as to call Smith "uncoachable", "lazy", and "dumb", asserting that he has a "low basketball-IQ." However, both Drew and newcomer Tracy McGrady have stated that Josh knows the offense better than any other player on the team. To simply put this to rest, one cannot attain such praise from two different people by being "uncoachable", "lazy", or "dumb." Are some of Josh's jumpers bad shots? Yes, but to act as if he should carry all of the blame is absurd. This is a problem that I think Larry Drew can easily fix by continuing his preaching of his motion offense. By letting the offense get stagnant, he is only fueling the same problems that led to Atlanta's quick departures from the 2nd round in previous years. With the Eastern Conference Finals sitting with a reachable distance, this is not something that Larry Drew should scoff at.
[Ed. note -- Bo Churney writes for Hawks blog SoaringDownSouth, and can be reached @bochurney on Twitter]
Few plays in basketball can influence an entire crowd to express a joint emotion: a thunderous dunk can cause an uproar of elation and awe. A bad foul call can incite the collective chanting of obscenities. And an opposing team's three-pointer can force absolutely silence upon 20,000 people.
Meanwhile, Josh Smith's three-pointers have sent an entire metropolis into panic, prompting screams of, "NOOOOO!!!"
I'll start off by saying this: I think Josh Smith is the best player on the Hawks. His defense is outstanding (top five DRtg), he's a marketable figure, and he has the ability to dominate the offensive end in several facets like few others can in this league. But why does it seem like that last one has become so absent from his performances on the court?
The stats don't lie. Over the past two years, Josh Smith has expanded on his game from outside 15 feet, also meaning that his shots from around the basket have dwindled from a career high 549 in 2009-10. Gee, what happened before the 2010-11 season that could have caused Josh to field his best Larry Bird impersonations? Anything at all? Oh, wait a minute...
Larry Drew.
Can all of the blame be pinned on Drew? Of course not; Josh still has to take those ill-advised shots that leave you scratching your head. But to act like there is not an underlying issue here by placing all of the blame on Josh (like Atlanta loves to do) is borderline ignorant.
So, what is the case against Larry Drew? Let's start with the Hawks' recent 89-87 OT win over the Magic. Coming fresh off of another All-Star snub, Josh was playing out of his mind; he was grabbing every rebound, making all of the hustle plays, and was playing well enough on offense despite taking a few of those objectionable long two-point jumpers. Late in the game, Larry Drew kept calling for Josh in a post-up against Ryan Anderson. And guess what? It was working! Josh was either getting a good look close to the rim, or he initiated a pass-heavy sequence that led to an open shot. The Hawks were up eight with a little over three minutes left in the game. Then, Orlando went on an 8-0 run to send the game into overtime. What happened?
Iso-Joe happened. The Hawks tried to rely too much on their $120 million man, leading to a stagnant offense and bad shots. Is it Joe's fault that Drew keeps calling the same play that won't work, even though Joe often had a small defender on him? Is it then Josh's (or some other player's) fault that they have to try to get up a shot with little time remaining on the shot clock?
Need another example? Look at Wednesday's game against the Suns. The Hawks were running some sort of "offense" early that clearly wasn't working and allowed the Suns to get out on the break. At several times throughout the game, the team started resorting to Josh in a high-iso, where he was then able to find open shooters after being double-teamed. Each time the Hawks did this, they were about to either close or expand the lead. What happened on offense for the rest of the game? Well, as some of my fellow bloggers said, "Are we even running any plays right now?"
This is something that completely falls on Drew as the Head Coach. It's the same thing that helped lead to the ouster of his old boss, Mike Woodson; relying on isolation plays, and hope that someone can get up a shot if the isolated player can't beat his man. The difference this time, though, is that Larry Drew has shown that the team can function well when it keeps the ball moving. Even though Horford is out, Drew now has the benefit of a deeper bench than Woodson ever had. There is no reason this team should still have the offensive problems that it exhibited under the now Knicks assistant.
For the last three years under Woodson, the Hawks ranked 9th, 22nd, and 6th in shots from 16-23 ft. Under Drew, the Hawks are 2nd and 3rd so far this season, with the worst percentage under either coach. (36.1%) The team is taking more attempts from that range this year (24.6), despite the fact that Al Horford, the most efficient shooter from that distance last year, is out for the season. To keep it simple, that is completely unacceptable.
Now, back to Smoove; some still go as far as to call Smith "uncoachable", "lazy", and "dumb", asserting that he has a "low basketball-IQ." However, both Drew and newcomer Tracy McGrady have stated that Josh knows the offense better than any other player on the team. To simply put this to rest, one cannot attain such praise from two different people by being "uncoachable", "lazy", or "dumb." Are some of Josh's jumpers bad shots? Yes, but to act as if he should carry all of the blame is absurd. This is a problem that I think Larry Drew can easily fix by continuing his preaching of his motion offense. By letting the offense get stagnant, he is only fueling the same problems that led to Atlanta's quick departures from the 2nd round in previous years. With the Eastern Conference Finals sitting with a reachable distance, this is not something that Larry Drew should scoff at.
Thursday, February 09, 2012
On Energy
Some thoughts while trying not to fixate on the notion that the Miami Heat preferred Eddy Curry to Erick Dampier...
Larry Drew's predilection for bringing everything back to "energy" or some variant thereof isn't satisfying. Nor is it indicative of a lack of intelligence on his part. It's very indicative of a disinterest in saying anything interesting to the media which may, in fact, be a pretty strong indication of intelligence on his part.
The Atlanta Hawks may not receive the absolute least media scrutiny of any NBA team but they're surely close to the bottom. There's no incentive for Drew to make his job more difficult (and remember that his contract isn't guaranteed for next season) by talking publicly about why his team really beat a decent Pacers team a couple days after losing to a pretty poor Suns team. What does Drew gain by saying the Hawks beat the Pacers because, unlike the Suns, they couldn't exploit Atlanta's inability to defend the pick-and-roll?
It would be more entertaining for the small community of Hawks fans who watch every game, every season to have a sarcastic, insightful head coach like Stan Van Gundy or Scott Skiles delivering the post-game verdict but, given Drew's inexperience and contract situation, he'd be recklessly courageous to follow that path even were it in his nature to do so.
The Hawks win by turning defensive rebounds into transition buckets against a below average offensive team? Larry Drew can say:
Plus, being validated isn't all that it's cracked up to be. I'd much rather be pleasantly surprised than be proven right.
Larry Drew's predilection for bringing everything back to "energy" or some variant thereof isn't satisfying. Nor is it indicative of a lack of intelligence on his part. It's very indicative of a disinterest in saying anything interesting to the media which may, in fact, be a pretty strong indication of intelligence on his part.
The Atlanta Hawks may not receive the absolute least media scrutiny of any NBA team but they're surely close to the bottom. There's no incentive for Drew to make his job more difficult (and remember that his contract isn't guaranteed for next season) by talking publicly about why his team really beat a decent Pacers team a couple days after losing to a pretty poor Suns team. What does Drew gain by saying the Hawks beat the Pacers because, unlike the Suns, they couldn't exploit Atlanta's inability to defend the pick-and-roll?
It would be more entertaining for the small community of Hawks fans who watch every game, every season to have a sarcastic, insightful head coach like Stan Van Gundy or Scott Skiles delivering the post-game verdict but, given Drew's inexperience and contract situation, he'd be recklessly courageous to follow that path even were it in his nature to do so.
The Hawks win by turning defensive rebounds into transition buckets against a below average offensive team? Larry Drew can say:
"Energy. That was the difference. We are like night and day when we play with energy. We were able to sustain it. We came out and played energized basketball."on a continuous loop and it won't change the game's outcome. That's fine with me. I don't particularly need Larry Drew's implicit validation as to why the team won or lost. The team wins or loses. That's the important event.
Plus, being validated isn't all that it's cracked up to be. I'd much rather be pleasantly surprised than be proven right.
Monday, January 23, 2012
Fun With a Small Sample of On/Off Numbers
Everything courtesy BasketballValue.com
The Hawks are almost 11 points better per 100 defensive possessions with Jason Collins on the court so far this season (96 minutes, 188 possessions). Which would be great were the Hawks not a hair more than 17 points worse offensively with Collins on the court.
Putting that latter number into context covering Collins' time as a Hawk:
Tracy McGrady and Marvin Williams have shared the court for two offensive and two defensive possessions so far this season. The Hawks outscored opponents 6-3 over those four possessions. Yes, the Hawks are +150 points per 100 possessions with McGrady and Williams both on the court. Greatest duo ever? Let's give it a shot and see what happens.
The Hawks are almost 11 points better per 100 defensive possessions with Jason Collins on the court so far this season (96 minutes, 188 possessions). Which would be great were the Hawks not a hair more than 17 points worse offensively with Collins on the court.
Putting that latter number into context covering Collins' time as a Hawk:
| Collins | Off +/- | Off Poss |
| 2011-12 | -17.26 | 184 |
| 2011 playoffs | -12.05 | 278 |
| 2010-11 | -1.72 | 1095 |
| 2009-10 | -16.8 | 226 |
Tracy McGrady and Marvin Williams have shared the court for two offensive and two defensive possessions so far this season. The Hawks outscored opponents 6-3 over those four possessions. Yes, the Hawks are +150 points per 100 possessions with McGrady and Williams both on the court. Greatest duo ever? Let's give it a shot and see what happens.
Saturday, January 21, 2012
Larry Drew Bandwagon Update: The Wheels Fall Off
By Buddy Grizzard
In Wednesday's home win over Portland, Jamal Crawford tried to put on a show and steal one from his former team. The Hawks built several leads down the stretch but Crawford kept shooting the Blazers back into it. I was at Phillips and I kept expecting the Hawks to fold in the face of challenge after challenge.
It didn't happen.
Josh Smith and Joe Johnson played with a tremendous amount of heart. Smith was involved in a brutal trench war with LaMarcus Aldridge the whole game, prompting the Western Conference All-Star candidate to say, "I definitely didn't play big down the stretch." Johnson picked Wesley Matthews' pocket and set up Jeff Teague for an alley-oop that put the Hawks ahead 86-80 with 1:25 to play in one of the biggest plays of the game. They seemed to be saying to Crawford, "This isn't your house anymore. This is our house."
I honestly was expecting a letdown against the first quality opponent the team had faced since Al Horford's injury. Instead I watched the Hawks move to 7-1 at home and momentarily take over first place in the Southeast Division and second in the Eastern Conference behind the Bulls. That set up a meeting of division leaders Friday night as the Hawks traveled to face the 76ers, a team that has absolutely had their number in recent history.
I suspect that the 76ers play so hard against the Hawks, not only because many of them have Atlanta ties (Jodie Meeks and Lou Williams won high school championships in Georgia; Thaddeus Young played at Georgia Tech), but also because the Hawks passed over opportunities to draft some of them. In 2005, the Hawks owned the first pick of the second round and spent it on Salim Stoudamire, leaving Williams and Monta Ellis on the board. In 2007, after selecting Horford with the third pick, the Hawks took Acie Law with the 11th pick. Young went 12th to the 76ers. Can you imagine if the Hawks had selected Horford and Young in the same draft?
So Friday in Philly the Hawks faced a motivated, fast, athletic and statistically brilliant team on the road, where Atlanta has accumulated the bulk of its losses. They also faced Doug Collins, who enters the conversation with a guy like Tom Thibodeau when discussing the best coaches in the NBA. Let's just say Larry Drew doesn't enter that conversation. Let's just say Larry Drew is in the conversation about coaches who may not have their contract extended past this season, especially after what he said following the loss.
After a solid first half for the Hawks, the 76ers came out of halftime, where coaches have their best opportunity to make adjustments, and ran the Hawks off the floor. Did Drew do anything to counter Collins' strategy of packing the paint and daring Smith to shoot jumpers? Did he send Ivan Johnson in to counter quickness with quickness on a night when Jason Collins and Zaza Pachulia were ineffective? No. He watched the 76ers put on a brilliant display of shot making as the Hawks went ice cold, then threw his players under the bus, telling media after the game that they quit in the 3rd quarter.
Let's get something straight. There is absolutely no shame in losing on the road to one of the best teams in the league, a team that has shown the ability to run the Hawks off the floor prior to this season, especially when you are missing your third-team All-NBA center. There is absolutly no shame in Joe Johnson, after a string of strong performances, having an off night against possibly the greatest wing defender alive, Andre Iguodala. The Hawks at 11-5 are sitting a half game back of division leader Orlando and have far exceeded expectations.
The Atlanta Hawks did not quit. But Larry Drew needs to stop and re-evaluate where he's at in his career. Coaches who are truly successful in this league, such as Phil Jackson (and I daresay Thibodeau and Collins), are coaches who both respect and earn the respect of their players.
Somebody tell Jeff Schultz the bandwagon needs a tow to the shop.
In Wednesday's home win over Portland, Jamal Crawford tried to put on a show and steal one from his former team. The Hawks built several leads down the stretch but Crawford kept shooting the Blazers back into it. I was at Phillips and I kept expecting the Hawks to fold in the face of challenge after challenge.
It didn't happen.
Josh Smith and Joe Johnson played with a tremendous amount of heart. Smith was involved in a brutal trench war with LaMarcus Aldridge the whole game, prompting the Western Conference All-Star candidate to say, "I definitely didn't play big down the stretch." Johnson picked Wesley Matthews' pocket and set up Jeff Teague for an alley-oop that put the Hawks ahead 86-80 with 1:25 to play in one of the biggest plays of the game. They seemed to be saying to Crawford, "This isn't your house anymore. This is our house."
I honestly was expecting a letdown against the first quality opponent the team had faced since Al Horford's injury. Instead I watched the Hawks move to 7-1 at home and momentarily take over first place in the Southeast Division and second in the Eastern Conference behind the Bulls. That set up a meeting of division leaders Friday night as the Hawks traveled to face the 76ers, a team that has absolutely had their number in recent history.
I suspect that the 76ers play so hard against the Hawks, not only because many of them have Atlanta ties (Jodie Meeks and Lou Williams won high school championships in Georgia; Thaddeus Young played at Georgia Tech), but also because the Hawks passed over opportunities to draft some of them. In 2005, the Hawks owned the first pick of the second round and spent it on Salim Stoudamire, leaving Williams and Monta Ellis on the board. In 2007, after selecting Horford with the third pick, the Hawks took Acie Law with the 11th pick. Young went 12th to the 76ers. Can you imagine if the Hawks had selected Horford and Young in the same draft?
So Friday in Philly the Hawks faced a motivated, fast, athletic and statistically brilliant team on the road, where Atlanta has accumulated the bulk of its losses. They also faced Doug Collins, who enters the conversation with a guy like Tom Thibodeau when discussing the best coaches in the NBA. Let's just say Larry Drew doesn't enter that conversation. Let's just say Larry Drew is in the conversation about coaches who may not have their contract extended past this season, especially after what he said following the loss.
After a solid first half for the Hawks, the 76ers came out of halftime, where coaches have their best opportunity to make adjustments, and ran the Hawks off the floor. Did Drew do anything to counter Collins' strategy of packing the paint and daring Smith to shoot jumpers? Did he send Ivan Johnson in to counter quickness with quickness on a night when Jason Collins and Zaza Pachulia were ineffective? No. He watched the 76ers put on a brilliant display of shot making as the Hawks went ice cold, then threw his players under the bus, telling media after the game that they quit in the 3rd quarter.
Let's get something straight. There is absolutely no shame in losing on the road to one of the best teams in the league, a team that has shown the ability to run the Hawks off the floor prior to this season, especially when you are missing your third-team All-NBA center. There is absolutly no shame in Joe Johnson, after a string of strong performances, having an off night against possibly the greatest wing defender alive, Andre Iguodala. The Hawks at 11-5 are sitting a half game back of division leader Orlando and have far exceeded expectations.
The Atlanta Hawks did not quit. But Larry Drew needs to stop and re-evaluate where he's at in his career. Coaches who are truly successful in this league, such as Phil Jackson (and I daresay Thibodeau and Collins), are coaches who both respect and earn the respect of their players.
Somebody tell Jeff Schultz the bandwagon needs a tow to the shop.
Quote of the Day -- January 21, 2012
Larry Drew:
With Al Horford out, Marvin Williams is clearly the team's third-best rebounder. Either Tracy McGrady or Vladimir Radmanovic is the fourth-best rebounder. And the team is again near the top of the league in long, two-point jump shots attempted per game. That's not accounting for pace.
If you're going to have fewer than 90 offensive possessions a game and you're going to use 26 of those possessions on long, two-point jump shots, then you're going to have nights where you struggle to score and put tremendous pressure on your performance in the other three factors.
"It got tough for us in the third quarter and we quit. That’s what happened."Strong words following a game where your team allowed just a point per possession on the road against a team that ranks in the top five in the league in offensive efficiency. The Hawks shot the ball poorly and rebounded worse (or vice-versa, I wouldn't argue the particulars) but those are both single-game risks inherent with this roster, built around jump shooters and reflecting a long-held, institutional belief that rebounding is not a skill.
With Al Horford out, Marvin Williams is clearly the team's third-best rebounder. Either Tracy McGrady or Vladimir Radmanovic is the fourth-best rebounder. And the team is again near the top of the league in long, two-point jump shots attempted per game. That's not accounting for pace.
If you're going to have fewer than 90 offensive possessions a game and you're going to use 26 of those possessions on long, two-point jump shots, then you're going to have nights where you struggle to score and put tremendous pressure on your performance in the other three factors.
Friday, January 20, 2012
Bad Wheel on the Bandwagon: A Look At Larry Drew's Asset Management
By Buddy Grizzard
Last season’s trade of Mike Bibby, Jordan Crawford, Maurice Evans and the Hawks’ 2011 first round draft pick to the Washington Wizards for Kirk Hinrich and Hilton Armstrong has been the subject of much controversy and speculation. One side of the discussion holds that trading consecutive first round draft picks (Jordan Crawford and the 2011 pick the Wizards used on Chris Singleton) for a season-and-a-half rental of Kirk Hinrich mortgaged too much of the franchise’s future for too little potential gain.
My side of the discussion holds that this trade, along with the previously-discussed selection of Jeff Teague in a draft rich with other point guard options, was the masterpiece of Rick Sund’s tenure as Hawks GM. I would maintain this opinion even if Hinrich never played another game for the Hawks because of the way the trade transformed the culture and identity of the franchise, and because of the way Sund used it to save Larry Drew from himself.
As previously noted by Bret Lagree, Drew does not appear to have been Sund’s choice to replace Mike Woodson as coach. Despite speculation that Woodson was fired in part because of his refusal to develop Jeff Teague, Drew continued to play Teague sporadic minutes, following promising appearances with prolonged stretches on the bench. This provides the backdrop for Feb. 23rd of last year, when the five-player trade was executed as the Hawks sought to hold on to the 5th seed in the Eastern Conference playoff picture.
That night, Zaza Pachulia was held out of the Suns game due to ongoing trade discussions. Days later, as the trade deadline passed and Pachulia remained on the team, he expressed to AJC beat writer Michael Cunningham that he was unhappy about his playing time. In the same article, Cunningham quoted Drew saying that he was considering moving Josh Powell ahead of Pachulia in the lineup, the same Josh Powell that ESPN’s John Hollinger claimed multiple front-office types felt was the single worst player in the NBA.
For those of you still trying to decide if the Hawks are better off with Pachulia still on the roster, consider this remarkable statistic. The following is the list of players who ranked in the top 10 in rebounding rate in at least two of the last three postseasons.
Pachulia wasn’t the only player struggling for consistent minutes. In the 8 games the Hawks played in February leading up to the trade, Teague’s minutes looked like this: 11, 6, DNP, 21, DNP, 1, 4, 13. Teague started the next 4 games, scoring 10 points in 19 minutes in the loss to the Suns, then contributing 6 points and 6 assists in 26 minutes in a win over Golden State. In a victory over Portland on Feb. 27th he played only 13 minutes as Hinrich joined the team and played 29. He then scored 7 points with 6 rebounds and 2 assists in a loss to Denver on Feb. 28th as Hinrich sat with a calf injury.
Starting with the Hawks home win against Chicago on March 2nd, Hinrich took over the starting point guard role and Teague’s minutes looked like this: 7, 14, 11, 9, 3. On March 12th, with Al Horford out due to a sprained ankle, Drew started a 3-guard lineup. Teague played 44 minutes and matched a career-high with 24 points to go along with 4 rebounds, 3 assists and 5 steals as the Hawks snapped a 4-game losing streak. His minutes remained inconsistent for the remainder of the season, and we all know what happened when he was thrust into a starting role in the playoffs against Chicago after Hinrich’s season-ending injury in Game 6 vs. Orlando.
Fast forward to this year and Teague has comfortably settled into the starting role thanks to Hinrich’s continued absence due to injury. The contrast between this year’s Hawks and the Hawks of Bibby and Jamal Crawford is startling. The latter two were widely considered among the worst defenders in the league, and both rank at the bottom of the league in rebound rate. For Bibby, this is obviously due to diminished ability, as evidenced by his collapse in the playoffs last year. For Crawford, who is listed at 6-5 and noted for his quickness, this is obviously a matter of effort. Once Hinrich returns, the transformation from switching-by-necessity to defensive-effort-at-all-positions will be complete.
And it wouldn’t have happened if Sund hadn’t made a calculated move to get rid of Bibby. Is there any doubt in anybody’s mind that if Bibby remained with the team after the trade deadline that he would have started against the Magic and the Hawks would have been out after one series? Meanwhile Jordan Crawford is shooting .268 from 3-point range for the Wizards, Singleton is averaging 4.8 points and both look years away from being contributors on a winning team.
As soon as Hinrich is able to go full speed, I have no doubt he will once again replace Teague as the starting point guard, even though he has trouble guarding quick point guards and has a very pedestrian assist-to-turnover ratio. I feel Hinrich would help the Hawks more as a backup at both guard positions but I’m not concerned… it will be a good problem to have. Zaza’s situation remains unsettled even with the huge need at center created by Horford’s injury. He sat the final 7 minutes of Wednesday’s win over Portland, despite contributing 5 points and 11 rebounds in 27 minutes, in favor of Ivan Johnson. The latter sparked the Hawks to a win over the T-Wolves but didn’t show much in 13 minutes against the Blazers.
Another good problem to have is the sudden log jam at small forward. Marvin Williams may be in the process of having a career year but his minutes have been severely cut into by contributions from Ivan Johnson, Tracy McGrady and Vladimir Radmanovic. Marvin will just have to keep playing well and get his when and where he can. I’m less inclined to criticize Drew for under-utilizing a player when there isn’t an obvious, glaring need at the position as there was at point guard last year with Bibby and at center this year without Horford.
Last season’s trade of Mike Bibby, Jordan Crawford, Maurice Evans and the Hawks’ 2011 first round draft pick to the Washington Wizards for Kirk Hinrich and Hilton Armstrong has been the subject of much controversy and speculation. One side of the discussion holds that trading consecutive first round draft picks (Jordan Crawford and the 2011 pick the Wizards used on Chris Singleton) for a season-and-a-half rental of Kirk Hinrich mortgaged too much of the franchise’s future for too little potential gain.
My side of the discussion holds that this trade, along with the previously-discussed selection of Jeff Teague in a draft rich with other point guard options, was the masterpiece of Rick Sund’s tenure as Hawks GM. I would maintain this opinion even if Hinrich never played another game for the Hawks because of the way the trade transformed the culture and identity of the franchise, and because of the way Sund used it to save Larry Drew from himself.
As previously noted by Bret Lagree, Drew does not appear to have been Sund’s choice to replace Mike Woodson as coach. Despite speculation that Woodson was fired in part because of his refusal to develop Jeff Teague, Drew continued to play Teague sporadic minutes, following promising appearances with prolonged stretches on the bench. This provides the backdrop for Feb. 23rd of last year, when the five-player trade was executed as the Hawks sought to hold on to the 5th seed in the Eastern Conference playoff picture.
That night, Zaza Pachulia was held out of the Suns game due to ongoing trade discussions. Days later, as the trade deadline passed and Pachulia remained on the team, he expressed to AJC beat writer Michael Cunningham that he was unhappy about his playing time. In the same article, Cunningham quoted Drew saying that he was considering moving Josh Powell ahead of Pachulia in the lineup, the same Josh Powell that ESPN’s John Hollinger claimed multiple front-office types felt was the single worst player in the NBA.
For those of you still trying to decide if the Hawks are better off with Pachulia still on the roster, consider this remarkable statistic. The following is the list of players who ranked in the top 10 in rebounding rate in at least two of the last three postseasons.
| Player | Rank: | 2011 | 2010 | 2009 | Salary |
| Marcus Camby | 1st | 4th | NR | $9,256,500 | |
| Dwight Howard | 2nd | 7th | 1st | $17,885,400 | |
| Joakim Noah | 4th | 5th | 5th | $10,000,000 | |
| Carlos Boozer | 6th | 8th | 4rd | $13,500,000 | |
| Zaza Pachulia | 9th | NR | 8th | $4,750,000 |
Pachulia wasn’t the only player struggling for consistent minutes. In the 8 games the Hawks played in February leading up to the trade, Teague’s minutes looked like this: 11, 6, DNP, 21, DNP, 1, 4, 13. Teague started the next 4 games, scoring 10 points in 19 minutes in the loss to the Suns, then contributing 6 points and 6 assists in 26 minutes in a win over Golden State. In a victory over Portland on Feb. 27th he played only 13 minutes as Hinrich joined the team and played 29. He then scored 7 points with 6 rebounds and 2 assists in a loss to Denver on Feb. 28th as Hinrich sat with a calf injury.
Starting with the Hawks home win against Chicago on March 2nd, Hinrich took over the starting point guard role and Teague’s minutes looked like this: 7, 14, 11, 9, 3. On March 12th, with Al Horford out due to a sprained ankle, Drew started a 3-guard lineup. Teague played 44 minutes and matched a career-high with 24 points to go along with 4 rebounds, 3 assists and 5 steals as the Hawks snapped a 4-game losing streak. His minutes remained inconsistent for the remainder of the season, and we all know what happened when he was thrust into a starting role in the playoffs against Chicago after Hinrich’s season-ending injury in Game 6 vs. Orlando.
Fast forward to this year and Teague has comfortably settled into the starting role thanks to Hinrich’s continued absence due to injury. The contrast between this year’s Hawks and the Hawks of Bibby and Jamal Crawford is startling. The latter two were widely considered among the worst defenders in the league, and both rank at the bottom of the league in rebound rate. For Bibby, this is obviously due to diminished ability, as evidenced by his collapse in the playoffs last year. For Crawford, who is listed at 6-5 and noted for his quickness, this is obviously a matter of effort. Once Hinrich returns, the transformation from switching-by-necessity to defensive-effort-at-all-positions will be complete.
And it wouldn’t have happened if Sund hadn’t made a calculated move to get rid of Bibby. Is there any doubt in anybody’s mind that if Bibby remained with the team after the trade deadline that he would have started against the Magic and the Hawks would have been out after one series? Meanwhile Jordan Crawford is shooting .268 from 3-point range for the Wizards, Singleton is averaging 4.8 points and both look years away from being contributors on a winning team.
As soon as Hinrich is able to go full speed, I have no doubt he will once again replace Teague as the starting point guard, even though he has trouble guarding quick point guards and has a very pedestrian assist-to-turnover ratio. I feel Hinrich would help the Hawks more as a backup at both guard positions but I’m not concerned… it will be a good problem to have. Zaza’s situation remains unsettled even with the huge need at center created by Horford’s injury. He sat the final 7 minutes of Wednesday’s win over Portland, despite contributing 5 points and 11 rebounds in 27 minutes, in favor of Ivan Johnson. The latter sparked the Hawks to a win over the T-Wolves but didn’t show much in 13 minutes against the Blazers.
Another good problem to have is the sudden log jam at small forward. Marvin Williams may be in the process of having a career year but his minutes have been severely cut into by contributions from Ivan Johnson, Tracy McGrady and Vladimir Radmanovic. Marvin will just have to keep playing well and get his when and where he can. I’m less inclined to criticize Drew for under-utilizing a player when there isn’t an obvious, glaring need at the position as there was at point guard last year with Bibby and at center this year without Horford.
Thursday, January 12, 2012
Friday, January 06, 2012
Hawks Find Themselves in the Moment, and Don't Like What They Find
Ed. note -- I'm glad to publish another piece by Buddy Grizzard, who previously wrote the initial feedback to Wednesday's game against the Bulls.
You know that Eminem song "Lose Yourself" from the 8 Mile soundtrack? The chorus:
A foul prior to Fisher's shot would have put the Lakers at the line for two free throws, giving Orlando the ball back with at least a one-point lead and precious seconds run off the clock. It would have meant almost certain victory and brought Orlando within two victories of an elusive championship. Instead, with Dwight Howard's career seemingly winding down in Orlando, those 10 seconds likely cemented Van Gundy's legacy as the coach who failed to win a championship with either of the two best centers of consecutive generations (you will recall that Pat Riley replaced Van Gundy on the Heat bench and coached Shaq and D-Wade to the 2006 NBA championship). Those 10 seconds come once in a lifetime.
As an interested observer of the Atlanta Hawks since Randy Whittman poster night at the Omni with my Cub Scout pack, I find myself wondering, as I have since Dominique Wilkens came up short in his second-round duel with an aging Larry Bird, if this current Hawks iteration has reached its high-water mark. Did it happen during the Eastern Conference semifinals last season, when the Hawks fell in Game 2, missing a chance to go up 2-0 as third-team All-NBA center Al Horford sat almost an entire half in phantom foul trouble? Did it happen Tuesday night, again in Chicago, when the Hawks were on the verge of following up a resounding win at Miami with a rout of last season's Eastern Conference runner-up?
During the TNT pre-game show for last night's Hawks-Heat rematch at Phillips Arena, studio analyst Chris Webber had an interesting take. He mystified Ernie Johnson by predicting a Miami victory, despite the absence of LeBron and D-Wade from the lineup due to injuries. He stated that the Heat have title aspirations, and if Chris Bosh wants to be considered one of the Big 3, and not just a complimentary player to the Heat's pair of top-5 NBA talents, then he should step forward in this situation and lead his team. How smart does C-Webb look right now?
It got me wondering, do the Hawks have title aspirations? Let's ask that question of some of the key actors in this unfolding drama.
1. Josh Smith
Can Joshua Smith be fairly said to have title aspirations when he eschews the inside game that many doubt but that he flashes whenever so motivated in favor of low-percentage jumpers? I was convinced at the start of this season that Josh would finally make an All-Star team. He returned from the lockout in prime condition, having shed weight that hurt his quickness last season, and appeared ready to break through to the next level. But he will never win enough fan votes to be an All-Star starter as long as his errant J's are filling Phillips with groans instead of cheers. And he will never be selected as a reserve by any Eastern Conference coach who watches him try to be something he's not and let his elite talents go to waste.
2. Jeff Teague
No Hawk has wilted in the spotlight this season more than Teague. After taking it to Deron Williams and taking it into Chris Bosh's chest as the Hawks capped a 4-1 start to the season with a dramatic win at Miami, Teague failed to show up the next night at Chicago. I've speculated that his poor body language and failure to fight through picks (now two games in a row) resulted from Larry Drew's refusal to endorse his strong early start by proclaiming that Teague will continue to start at point guard even after Kirk Hinrich returns to the lineup (Hinrich is recovering from off-season surgery). Teague seems like he's waiting to be given credit. But Michael Jordan was never given anything. You have to take it. If Teague has title aspirations, the stage is his. A rematch with Chicago looms on Saturday, and he can decide to resume giving the same type of effort he gave in the playoffs last year any time he so chooses.
3. Larry Drew
Can any NBA coach be said to have title aspirations if that coach sits his most efficient player for half of a critical playoff game? Can any NBA head coach be said to have title aspirations if that coach allows the league MVP to isolate and go one-one-one against his point guard and basically says, "we only win if Teague can stop Derek Rose one-on-one, something nobody on the planet can do?"
When I first saw the Hawks' schedule and noted this brutal week with two games each against Chicago and Miami, I immediately though a split of those four games would be very respectable. It would represent an excellent start to the season, provided the team took care of business against lesser opponents. Last night, despite the collapse against Chicago and despite all the team's struggles against a depleted Miami squad, the Hawks found themselves up by 3 with 5 seconds to go. The opportunity to earn that split of the four games was there for the taking. With a foul to give, the Hawks could have burned a few seconds then made the Heat take the ball out of bounds again. Then they could have fouled prior to the shot and sent the Heat to the line for two free throws.
Instead, Drew pulled a Van Gundy. He instructed his team not to foul. He said he trusted his defense, the same defense that gave up two layups in the final minute of regulation. His trust was rewarded by Marvin Williams' soft defense on Bosh who nailed a three, sent the game into overtime, and sent the Hawks on their way to yet another disaster. Those 5 seconds come once in a lifetime. How many more chances will the Hawks have to seize the moment?
Buddy Grizzard formerly toiled as the sports editor for several small, local newspapers, has been a producer for CBS and Clear Channel radio and worked as a videographer for CBS Sports website MaxPreps.com
You know that Eminem song "Lose Yourself" from the 8 Mile soundtrack? The chorus:
"You better lose yourself in the music, the moment, you own it, you better never let it goThere are moments like this in NBA basketball that come to define entire careers for players and coaches. A good example of this is Game 4 of the 2009 NBA Finals. The Lakers lead the series 2-1 over the Magic, but Orlando carried a 3 point lead into the game's final 10 seconds. Stan Van Gundy instructed his team not to foul, Jameer Nelson played off Derek Fisher like he was anticipating a drive, Fisher nailed a three and the Lakers won in overtime to take a commanding 3-1 series lead en route to the NBA title.
You only get one shot, do not miss your chance to blow (as in blow up, become huge)
This opportunity comes once in a lifetime."
A foul prior to Fisher's shot would have put the Lakers at the line for two free throws, giving Orlando the ball back with at least a one-point lead and precious seconds run off the clock. It would have meant almost certain victory and brought Orlando within two victories of an elusive championship. Instead, with Dwight Howard's career seemingly winding down in Orlando, those 10 seconds likely cemented Van Gundy's legacy as the coach who failed to win a championship with either of the two best centers of consecutive generations (you will recall that Pat Riley replaced Van Gundy on the Heat bench and coached Shaq and D-Wade to the 2006 NBA championship). Those 10 seconds come once in a lifetime.
As an interested observer of the Atlanta Hawks since Randy Whittman poster night at the Omni with my Cub Scout pack, I find myself wondering, as I have since Dominique Wilkens came up short in his second-round duel with an aging Larry Bird, if this current Hawks iteration has reached its high-water mark. Did it happen during the Eastern Conference semifinals last season, when the Hawks fell in Game 2, missing a chance to go up 2-0 as third-team All-NBA center Al Horford sat almost an entire half in phantom foul trouble? Did it happen Tuesday night, again in Chicago, when the Hawks were on the verge of following up a resounding win at Miami with a rout of last season's Eastern Conference runner-up?
During the TNT pre-game show for last night's Hawks-Heat rematch at Phillips Arena, studio analyst Chris Webber had an interesting take. He mystified Ernie Johnson by predicting a Miami victory, despite the absence of LeBron and D-Wade from the lineup due to injuries. He stated that the Heat have title aspirations, and if Chris Bosh wants to be considered one of the Big 3, and not just a complimentary player to the Heat's pair of top-5 NBA talents, then he should step forward in this situation and lead his team. How smart does C-Webb look right now?
It got me wondering, do the Hawks have title aspirations? Let's ask that question of some of the key actors in this unfolding drama.
1. Josh Smith
Can Joshua Smith be fairly said to have title aspirations when he eschews the inside game that many doubt but that he flashes whenever so motivated in favor of low-percentage jumpers? I was convinced at the start of this season that Josh would finally make an All-Star team. He returned from the lockout in prime condition, having shed weight that hurt his quickness last season, and appeared ready to break through to the next level. But he will never win enough fan votes to be an All-Star starter as long as his errant J's are filling Phillips with groans instead of cheers. And he will never be selected as a reserve by any Eastern Conference coach who watches him try to be something he's not and let his elite talents go to waste.
2. Jeff Teague
No Hawk has wilted in the spotlight this season more than Teague. After taking it to Deron Williams and taking it into Chris Bosh's chest as the Hawks capped a 4-1 start to the season with a dramatic win at Miami, Teague failed to show up the next night at Chicago. I've speculated that his poor body language and failure to fight through picks (now two games in a row) resulted from Larry Drew's refusal to endorse his strong early start by proclaiming that Teague will continue to start at point guard even after Kirk Hinrich returns to the lineup (Hinrich is recovering from off-season surgery). Teague seems like he's waiting to be given credit. But Michael Jordan was never given anything. You have to take it. If Teague has title aspirations, the stage is his. A rematch with Chicago looms on Saturday, and he can decide to resume giving the same type of effort he gave in the playoffs last year any time he so chooses.
3. Larry Drew
Can any NBA coach be said to have title aspirations if that coach sits his most efficient player for half of a critical playoff game? Can any NBA head coach be said to have title aspirations if that coach allows the league MVP to isolate and go one-one-one against his point guard and basically says, "we only win if Teague can stop Derek Rose one-on-one, something nobody on the planet can do?"
When I first saw the Hawks' schedule and noted this brutal week with two games each against Chicago and Miami, I immediately though a split of those four games would be very respectable. It would represent an excellent start to the season, provided the team took care of business against lesser opponents. Last night, despite the collapse against Chicago and despite all the team's struggles against a depleted Miami squad, the Hawks found themselves up by 3 with 5 seconds to go. The opportunity to earn that split of the four games was there for the taking. With a foul to give, the Hawks could have burned a few seconds then made the Heat take the ball out of bounds again. Then they could have fouled prior to the shot and sent the Heat to the line for two free throws.
Instead, Drew pulled a Van Gundy. He instructed his team not to foul. He said he trusted his defense, the same defense that gave up two layups in the final minute of regulation. His trust was rewarded by Marvin Williams' soft defense on Bosh who nailed a three, sent the game into overtime, and sent the Hawks on their way to yet another disaster. Those 5 seconds come once in a lifetime. How many more chances will the Hawks have to seize the moment?
Buddy Grizzard formerly toiled as the sports editor for several small, local newspapers, has been a producer for CBS and Clear Channel radio and worked as a videographer for CBS Sports website MaxPreps.com
Thursday, January 05, 2012
ESPN.com: Hollinger: Coaching dilemma: Rest or play?
John Hollinger is surprised that more coaches aren't resting their best players (link is Insider) given the compressed nature of the schedule:
Through the season's first week and a half, I've already heard a lot of complaints about the schedule, but I've seen precious little in the way of adjustments to it.Larry Drew joins Rick Carlisle, George Karl, Mike D'Antoni, and Gregg Popovich as the coaches managing their benches well:
This point was driven home watching the Clippers play the Bulls last Friday. Chicago, despite being on a back-to-back, played both Derrick Rose and Luol Deng 42 minutes. The Clippers did the Bulls one better; Caron Butler played 39 minutes, Blake Griffin played 42 and Chris Paul played 44. Did I mention all three players have had serious knee problems in the past two years?
And in looking at the early-season minutes trends, it's clear there's plenty of this going around. Despite a paucity of overtime games (which, of necessity, tend to skew the minutes numbers higher), the leaderboard in minutes per game doesn't look terribly different from how it did a year ago.
Seventeen players average at least 36 minutes per game; yes it's early and some of these numbers will drop due to foul trouble or other situations, but even at this early juncture I'm surprised.
Larry Drew's Atlanta team lost the battle Tuesday night, but the Hawks may be winning the war. Joe Johnson averages 34.5 minutes and no other Hawk is above 32.2. An early blowout of New Jersey helped skew those numbers down, but the Hawks have overused Johnson in particular in recent seasons and have managed him much better this season. As long as Tracy McGrady stays upright -- he left Tuesday's game with a knee problem -- Atlanta may be in good shape come May.
Tuesday, January 03, 2012
Heat Index: Windhorst: Heat suffer first loss on Hawks' changeup
Brian Windhorst:
*As opposed to last season's use of zone defense as a way to play Mike Bibby, Jamal Crawford, and Joe Johnson all at the same time.
[M]ostly the Hawks beat the Heat with their scouting report. That left the Heat with more than just a loss but with a headache. Like a hitter who can’t lay off the curve in the dirt, the Heat know they’re probably about to face a steady diet of what finally beat them for the first time in six games.First, Jason Collins. Now, an opponent-specific* zone. Like his predecessor, Larry Drew's strengths may be on the opposite end of the floor as was advertised.
The season is now a little more than a week old and the book on the Heat has started to get around. The advance scouts have filed their reports. The assistant coaches have a catalog of games to watch to make suggestions. Head coaches have a huge bullet point for their game plan.
Right now, the Heat have a problem with zone defense and the whole league is about to realize it.
*As opposed to last season's use of zone defense as a way to play Mike Bibby, Jamal Crawford, and Joe Johnson all at the same time.
Sunday, January 01, 2012
Quote of the Day -- January 1, 2012
Larry Drew:
"We reverted back to short closeouts and not getting out there with a sense of urgency. With our theory as far as closeouts you have got to make them put the ball on the floor. We did not do that."Ironically, short closeouts may be the best way to defend the Heat on Monday night.
Thursday, August 04, 2011
A Possible Solution to The Horford Treatment
From Jason Walker at Peachtree Hoops, Al Horford wants to eliminate the disqualification:
Also expect me to take another run at getting "The D'Antoni/Woodson Nexus" to catch on. Said nexus being the point where, regardless of pace, a coach demonstrates a significant preference for his team missing a shot rather than turning the ball over.
"I'd eliminate fouling out. You'd have to have some sort of penalty, because otherwise the game would become too aggressive; you don't want guys fouling whenever they want. I don't know if you make every foul after six worth two free throws and the fouled team gets the ball, but we could come up with something. Maybe you have a penalty box like in hockey. Or you get more free throws after a certain number of fouls. But it's crazy that a team is unable to play its best players the entire game if that's what the coach wants to do."After a fashion, Larry Drew has already eliminated fouling out. As Walker aptly points out, there have been consequences to the ad hoc solution Drew and his predecessor favored:
Even in his earlier years, you could see where the early foul trouble was impacting Horford's play. His initially aggressive style of defensive play was visibly toned down in order to avoid so-called "foul trouble". Nobody wants to miss, as Horford did this past spring, up to (22) minutes of game time due to a couple of perhaps touchy fouls or have his playing time determined by too quick a whistle.Speaking of Larry Drew's predecessor, Mike Woodson is apparently a candidate to become Mike D'Antoni's defensive coordinator in New York. If hired, expect one (and only one) clearly motivated defensive strategy designed to mitigate the glaring weaknesses of individual defenders which, in turn, creates other glaring defensive weaknesses which good teams can easily and repeatedly exploit. Which isn't to say that Woodson couldn't get the Knicks to become a slightly above average defensive team. Nor that such an achievement wouldn't hold significant value for the Knicks.
So the adjustment for players who don't want to miss the entire first half with foul trouble is to simply over-adjust to the fear of not fouling. Now you have players who aren't thinking about defending as earnestly as possible, but rather calculating how they can stay on the floor. It's not fault, it's nature, and clearly, even at this stage in his career, the notion of fouling out still haunts Horford and clearly he feels this is impeding how much he plays.
This isn't some hack out there who can't control himself either, this is a guy who averaged 2.9 fouls per 40 minutes, well below the 4.2 fouls per 40 average among NBA centers playing more than 20 minutes per game. Horford simply shouldn't be worrying about such things, but he has to because of the overly cautious approach his head coaches have taken in this regard.
Also expect me to take another run at getting "The D'Antoni/Woodson Nexus" to catch on. Said nexus being the point where, regardless of pace, a coach demonstrates a significant preference for his team missing a shot rather than turning the ball over.
Monday, May 30, 2011
2010-11 Season Review: Larry Drew
Larry Drew entered his rookie head coaching season with modest, realistic expectations and, over the course of the regular season, largely failed to meet them. Though no one should have expected the Hawks to win 53 games again, neither should anyone have expected the Hawks to get outscored over 82 games. No one expected the Hawks to finish second in the league in offensive efficiency again, but neither did anyone expect the Hawks to finish in the bottom third of the league offensively. Despite Drew's generally effective deployment of Jason Collins as a defensive stopper in the post and Rick Sund jettisoning Mike Bibby three-quarters of the way into the season, the Hawks showed no ordinal improvement defensively, ranking 13th in the league for the second-straight season.
One can't dismiss the adverse effects of the Horford Treatment, Josh Smith's 482 jump shots, or Drew's bizarre and destructive infatuation with Josh Powell. But the central failure of Drew's regular season as a head coach was an over-reliance on shotmakers who, largely, weren't making shots and offered little else of value while on the court.
Joe Johnson, Jamal Crawford, and Mike Bibby played 6525 regular season minutes for the Hawks. As a point of comparison, Al Horford, Josh Smith, and Zaza Pachulia played 6593 regular season minutes. Another point of comparison: collectively, the veteran trio was essentially Toney Douglas offensively and achieved that personification of averageness (in just one aspect of the game) largely on the back of the fourteen-game stretch* in January and February wherein Joe Johnson scored more than 28% of his points for the season.
*His opponents: Clippers, Kings (twice), Jazz, Pacers, Raptors (twice), Rockets, Heat, Hornets, Bobcats, Bucks, Knicks, Mavericks.
Offense is all that those three have going for them. None of them are average rebounders. Individually, none of them are average defenders. Crawford is comically (or, depending on your perspective, tragically) poor at both. Thus, collectively, they don't complement each other at all when the other team has the ball. Yet, even as they contributed to so many empty offensive trips and asked so much of their teammates to cover for them defensively, for most of the season, Drew stubbornly ran two or three of them out there at a time while Jeff Teague and Marvin Williams and Damien Wilkins, each of whom combine some elements of what the Hawks lacked for most of the season, be it defense, rebounding, getting to the foul line, or not dribbling for a long time before taking a bad shot, sat and watched.
There's no rational explanation for Drew's refusal to de-emphasize his overlapping and ineffective veteran backcourt pieces. There's no tactical explanation. In fact, his uncreative use of his perimeter players pointedly contradicts the good work he did with the frontcourt: spotting quality minutes for Collins, getting effective play from Josh Smith at the 3, and, finally, using Zaza Pachulia as the third big man in the post rotation.
Joe Johnson's minutes can be explained away by the organization's massive delusion regarding his abilities. Drew owes his opportunity to be a head coach to that organization and it would take a very strong head coach to limit the minutes of his team's highest paid when said player wants to play through an injury. But who could watch Crawford* and Bibby play for any length of time and not run straight into the arms of any reasonable alternative?
Maybe a head coach who was himself, in his best years in Kansas City, an average (or slightly above) offensive player who didn't defend or rebound much. I'll admit it's not an especially convincing thesis but, then, why it's a bad defensive idea to play the Bibby/Crawford or Crawford/Johnson backcourt shouldn't really be a season-long puzzler for a head coach.
*Though I fully expected (and still expect) the Hawks to try to re-sign Crawford, I am a bit taken aback by the external debate being over whether or not the Hawks should re-sign Crawford rather than how grateful the Hawks should be to get out from under his contract.
Larry Drew did a better job in the playoffs. Jason Collins made a positive difference in a playoff series. Few people would have given him the opportunity to do so. Twice in six games, the Hawks scored easily against the Chicago Bulls. Drew deserves credit for both of those things. On the other hand, he gave away the second game of the Orlando series through one of the most creative and elaborately bad series of decisions we may ever see at this level. Given a choice, he presumably would not (as he did not all year) have played Jeff Teague regularly in the Chicago series. And, in an otherwise pleasant post-season, Drew brought all of his regular season weaknesses back out to make an appearance in Atlanta's elimination game.
Larry Drew's not to blame for the bad contracts on the books. He's not to blame (though he furthered the appearance of) the team's lack of depth. He's not to blame for (though he must be held accountable for his role in perpetuating) an organization-wide disinterest in rebounding and defense as skills or the relative value of shots by location or the effects of player aging. But the Atlanta Hawks played 82 regular season games and got outscored by 67 points. Then they played 12 playoff games (six at home and six away) and got outscored by 53 points. Neither is indicative of a successful season and any improvements Drew makes as a head coach may only be enough to offset further institutional decline.
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