SB Nation - Randolph Morris

Truly great men are not bound by a single name

hawksdawgs — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 20:39:59 -0000

Real nicknames come out of necessity. They are not cavalier prognosticating or backhanded compliments. No, nicknames are sometimes just needed. No mother can predict what their son will become, and in certain instances, that hospital room declaration ceases to articulate the reality that is. Randolph Morris and Jason Collins are there. We know this.

We voted once. Too close to call. We casted ballots in a run off. Another back and forth battle. The masses remain deeply divided. Three names still seem to hold some truth. So maybe, just maybe this is a duo that cannot be bound by one single renaming. Maybe these are men layered so deceptively deep they need more.

In cases like this, no man can speak for another, but ground rules must be made. Randolph Morris and Jason Collins can be called one of three names The Happy Meal, The Victory Cigar, or Jandolph.

The Happy Meal- One must use this name when both men are seen in a single camera shot not actually playing. There are no exceptions. If the duo enters the game with the Hawks down big, one can continue to refer them as such, but sarcasm must be thick. First person to find a picture of these two hugging and puts this caption on it, will win my affection for life.

The Victory Cigar- Any appearance in a blowout win will garner this reference. As a side note, if I am ever at Phillips and hear someone shout this out, I will buy you a beer. I don't care if you are 12.

Jandolph- Camera shots or references to one of these men on the bench can bring out the use of this phrase. Especially if it involves Randolph smiling.

Sometimes partisan passion needs to be to the side. Sometimes men are bigger than one side. In the case of of our third string front court, this is clearly the case. So let us come together, embrace the renaming and get excited for the the Happy Meal, the Victory Cigar, and Jandolph's next appearance.

Thanks for voting. You are true Americans.

Orlando Magic 123, Atlanta Hawks 86

erivera7 — Sat, 24 Oct 2009 07:28:30 -0000

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Complete.

That's one of the first words that comes to mind after the Orlando Magic defeated - or annihilated, to put it more bluntly - the Atlanta Hawks (who, granted, were coming off a back-to-back against the Miami Heat) by a score of 123-86 to finish the pre-season with a record of 8-0. It was a complete effort by a team, as Vince Carter put it after the game, that wants to put fear into the opponents that they play night in and night out. With that type of killer instinct, one has to wonder who in his or her right mind would have the gall to pick the Washington Wizards before the Magic in a season preview. The Wizards are a fine team and deserve respect, but it's becoming increasingly difficult to slight an Orlando team looking more impressive with each game. Yes, it's pre-season and the games should be taken with a grain of salt but the Magic aren't just beating teams, they're pummeling them into submission. Something has to be said about Orlando finishing exhibition play with a point differential of +17.8 - a mind-boggling statistic. The second-best point differential? +7.8, courtesy of the Boston Celtics. There are a number of variables that need to be taken into account when looking at the numbers during the pre-season, but those aforementioned stats are hard to ignore. But enough about opinions and previews, it was about the stars for the Magic last night. Vince Carter and Dwight Howard put on a performance that will surely have Orlando fans giddy - 26 points (9-10 FG) (5-5 3PT) for Carter and 25 points (9-10 FG) (7-10 FT),13 rebounds, & 3 blocks for Howard. For the first time in a Magic uniform, Vince had the right to call himself Half-Man/Half-Amazing. He was that good.

Team	Pace	Efficiency	eFG%	FT Rate	OReb%	TO Rate
Hawks	89	96.6	39.4%	28.8	21.3	15.7
Magic	89	138.9	67.5%	18.8	29.0	13.6

When one talks about Carter, however, one can't forget about Ryan Anderson. You know, the "throw-in". Anderson played magnificently, specifically in the first quarter, where he and his former New Jersey Nets counterpart put on a show in front of the home crowd.

FIRST QUARTER

- [10:50] Anderson, three-point 25' jump shot

- [9:30] Anderson, lay-up

- [9:02] Anderson, three-point 23' jump shot

- [7:20] Carter, 18' fast break jump shot

- [6:39] Anderson, three point 22' jump shot

- [5:08] Anderson, reverse layup

Ryan subs out

- [4:38] Carter, three-point 24' jump shot

- [2:10] Carter, 17' fadeaway jump shot

- [:33.5] Carter, dunk

Free-throws notwithstanding in the play-by-play, Ryan had 14 points in almost exactly seven minutes of action. That's two points per minute. Carter had 13 points in the entire quarter and none were better than when he cut into the lane for a monstrous up-and-under dunk off a fantastic pass from J.J. Redick off the dribble that blew the roof off the Amway Arena. For a few seconds, Orlando fans were treated to "vintage" Vince; the one that made his name as Air Canada jumping over seven-footers. The first quarter was a tremendous display of offense and defense for the Magic. For example, Anderson did a great job of exploiting a mismatch against Jamal Crawford for the reverse layup on a play. As head coach Stan Van Gundy noted in the presser, Howard did a great job of passing out of double-teams as he did in one possession in particular, where Carter was a recipient of a pass and nailed the three. Even Vince got into the action passing-wise, dishing a no-look pass to Brandon Bass, who made a reverse layup.

Defensively, the players did a great job of playing help-side defense (Dwight, in particular) and rotating to the ball when necessary.

In the second quarter, the bench did a good job of keeping the lead steady while the starters were resting. Jason Williams continued his strong play, nailing a three off a 1/5 pick & roll with Marcin Gortat. The aforementioned Poland native got into the thick of things, making a nifty hook shot off the dribble. Brandon Bass nailed a mid-range jumper (what else is new?). These are just a few of the positive plays the reserves made to keep things going for Orlando.

When the first unit came back into the game, Jameer Nelson stood out because of his ability to dribble penetrate into the basket, force the Atlanta defense to collapse, and either make the layup (which he did, twice, in the quarter) or pass it off to Carter for another three. Nelson is at his best when he's probing opposing defenses.

Even though Dwight got off to a slow start, in the third quarter he took over. After the Magic torched the Hawks in the first half as head coach Mike Woodson made the decision to double-team Howard in the post at almost every opportunity, Dwight finally got some one-on-one situations against Al Horford or Zaza Pachulia or Randolph Morris and made the most of them.

THIRD QUARTER

- [10:18] Howard, jump hook shot

- [8:12] Howard, jump hook shot

- [5:49] Howard, dunk

- [5:25] Howard, lay-up

- [4:55] Howard, dunk

- [1:42] Howard, lay-up

- [:03.8] Howard, dunk

Fairly simply, no? Howard's points came in a variety of ways: 4-out/1-in offensive sets, 1/5 pick & roll with Nelson, and more. Dwight played with his back to the basket, faced up his man, it made no difference. Howard scored in bunches (off of spin moves, for example), finishing with 20 points in the quarter after it was all said and done. It was a dominant performance by a dominant player.

The "crazy" second unit, as Gortat likes to say, came back in the fourth quarter to finish things off and did relatively well. Bass nailed his lay-ups and jumpers. Williams had TWO signature highlights off fast breaks, where he made a pretty behind-the-back pass to Barnes for the lay-up and sank his own lay-up off his classic fake behind-the-back pass. Even Marcin did his best Dwight impression, scoring a bucket off a lefty hook (Gortat's offensive game has improved, by the way). All in all, it was another solid performance from the reserves, who had the benefit of playing lengthy minutes with the sizable lead.

When a team shoots 61% and holds their opponent to 38% from the field, this is the type of result you get.

For Orlando, it was a great way to end the pre-season on a high note by beating a divisional rival without Rashard Lewis. One has to feel pretty confident that the team will do just fine without its All-Star for the first 10 games of the regular season. Magic fans will find out next Wednesday whether to keep the faith or not, when Orlando opens up its last season opener at the O-Rena against the Philadelphia 76ers. For the two squads, it'll be a rematch of the first round of the 2009 NBA Playoffs. A lot has changed since then, so it'll be interesting to see how the Magic and Sixers match up.

Until then.

72 reasons to be excited about the Atlanta Hawks: #32 Randolph "McSmiles" Morris contest

hawksdawgs — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 23:36:15 -0000

Many people have been looking for an upside to guaranteeing Randolph Morris a second year in his contract. Look no further. Because I am proud to announce the Randolph "McSmiles" Morris contest is back.

The contest is complicated (a lot ins, a lot of outs, a lot of what have yous), but it centers around desperately trying to spot Randolph Morris smiling. Last year there were only two winners. MLT and Bronn. That is it. Two smiles all season. McSmiles only known weakness is kiss cam, but I am sure Morris is coming back strong. He has lost weight. He is fitter. More prepared. Knows what to expect from the ingame entertainment. And he lacks the leisure of that second year guarenteed. McSmiles is going to be all business, and I am a little nervous about it.

So get your glasses subscription up to date. Drill your DVR pausing skills. And save up for seats across from the Hawks bench. Our very own Walter Sobchack with a Donny personality is back and that means only one thing, the McSmiles Morris contest is about to begin. Good luck and Godspeed.

We Want YOU... To Care About the NBA D-League

Scott Schroeder — Thu, 13 Aug 2009 13:00:11 -0000

Will Conroy

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I know, I know. This is probably exactly what you expected out of me: Puff pieces talking about how sweet the D-League is and how you all should become a fan. Well, I would have written this even if I was still good ol' Ridiculous Scott, with non-stop scoops and girls throwing their proverbial panties (do people still use this word?) at me as I traveled from city to city on the information superhighway, covering the beat of the D-League. There's even a precedent to this historic event, as DJ Turtleface recently tried telling the world to love the Memphis Grizzlies. Without further adieu, the reasons you should love the D-League, even if you're a fan of ~~the Orlando Magic~~ a team that hates the D-League.

[Editor's Note: I'll do the rest of the teams later, unless this epically flops as I expect.. Essentially this is filler until the D-League schedule comes out this afternoon.]

Atlanta Hawks: Well, I guess we're going to get off to a bit of a rough start, because Atlanta is one of those teams that hasn't properly used the D-League. Wait! That's a great reason to care about the D-League. Atlanta, you should care about the D-League so that your team decides to use it. Wouldn't you have felt better if Othello Hunter, Thomas Gardner and Mario West would have spent a bit of time the last couple of seasons playing (and developing) in the D-League as opposed to learning from Mike Woodson and listening to Speedy Claxton complain about playing time?

Boston Celtics: Boston fans should love the D-League because it's pure (unlike the baseball alternative in Boston) and the young guns have actually been able to show some talent when playing in the D-League. Plus, this season, Danny Ainge's son is the coach! Isn't that exciting? Austin Ainge: D-League head coach! He coaches the Maine Red Claws. Who's running the team? None other than the lovable Jon Jennings, former Celtics assistant/coach (and he sat next to Larry Legend)! Watching JR Giddens, Bill(y) Walker and (hopefully) Lester Hudson be coached by lil' Ainge oughtta get you excited - this could be your team in 5 years once KG and crew retire. True, you'll probably reload with old vets, but whatevz.

Charlotte Bobcats: Bobcats fans probably need more to be excited about and the D-League gives them plenty to be excited about. When Dontell Jefferson explodes as a defensive stopper for you next season, you'll be sorry you weren't more familiar with his D-League career. When the Bobcats send Alexis Ajinca and Derrick Brown to develop with the Red Claws, they'll be joining a team that could probably compete with the actual Bobcats. You'll want to check the D-League team out on Futurecast as soon the inevitable Tyson Chandler injury happens, because, unlike New Orleans, maybe you'll want to find a D-League replacement for him.

Chicago Bulls: You shouldn't be interested, because the NBA won't allow you to assign Vinny Del Negro to the D-League - and that's unfair, because the Iowa Energy's (your D-League affiliate) head coach, Nick Nurse, would do a solid job in running ~~with~~ the Bulls. Actually, this just in - you should care about the D-League because according to my favorite Chicagonow.com writer Mark Deeks (Shamsports FTW), you're in the market for a league minimum player. Deeks does a good job of giving you a breakdown of who you should be interested in, but he won't be there to hold your hand forever. Watch the D-League and know as much about fringe NBA talent as Deeks and myself (because isn't that the ultimate goal?).

Cleveland Cavaliers: Love the D-League because it seems like the Cavs do, albeit awkwardly (think More to Love). They don't really need the D-League, but they seem to like using it anyway - in moderation. Billy Thomas, Lance Allred, Kaniel Dickens, Trey Johnson and Jawad Williams were all D-League call-up's in the last two seasons and even though you probably don't remember them, they were Cavs. I'm the type of fan that likes the under-appreciated, and if you're like me (or want to be "hip"), you should love these guys... and watch the D-League, on the lookout for the next Kaniel Dickens, or something like that.

Dallas Mavericks: Mav's fans should love the D-League because Donnie Nelson owns a D-League team! Well, not quite yet, but he will next season. The Frisco somethings, and you can be a part of it. Back when the Fort Worth Flyer's were around, they were good... because of JJ Barea, Pops Mensah-Bonsu and about 22 other players Dallas seemingly filtered through to get some playing time. Now that Donnie actually owns his own team, I expect his D-League team will feature Ahmad Nivins, Shan Foster, Rodrigue Beaubois and Nate Jawai. Why not start scouting the opponents this season?

Denver Nuggets: You should care about the D-League because the Nuggets love the D-League. Heck, they even have a Minor League Coordinator - love me some Ben Tenzer! Chris Andersen and Dahntay Jones were the best defensive players on the team last season, and not coincidentally, both played in the D-League, so love the D-League for the D-Fense. Plus, one time I e-mailed Mark Warkentien for an interview request with RU and he replied "Sure. We are D-League fans..." Love the D: because the NBA's Executive of the Year is a fan.

Detroit Pistons: My first answer would have been to care about it because the D-League helped Amir Johnson turn into what he is today, but that apparently wasn't what you were looking for now that he's no longer a Piston. So, fans, care about the D-League because the Fort Wayne Mad Ants care about you. The Mad Ants have the most NBA affiliates of any team in the D-League, but you're probably their favorite because you're close, and the Pistons used to live in Fort Wayne. Your Mad Ants also have a blogging salesperson, Garrett "Ain't Nothin' but a G-Thang" Martz. He's not good at blogging, or volleyball, but he seemingly tries hard at both, except blogging. And he's balding.

Golden State Warriors: Let me count the ways. Actually, check out Golden State of Mind where some dude (probably ridiculously attractive) named Ridiculous Scott did a three (one, two, THREE baby!) part miniseries chronicling all of the reasons. It'll make you laugh, cry and be so excited about the D-League, you won't be able hide it.

Houston Rockets: Because you own the basketball operations of the Rio Grande Valley Vipers. Why yes, that is the team that Rockets starting point guard Aaron Brooks played for (two games) during the 2007-08 season. Also, they've been having Moses Malone sign autographs lately. Gotta love Moses.

Indiana Pacers: I'm not sure why you should care about the D-League. You do have a ready and willing affiliate in Fort Wayne, Indiana, so that's nice. Their mascot is the Mad Ant, an angry ant that occasionally kidnaps children. If I were you, I'd recommend sending AJ Price to the D-League, as a sort of make good deal so Larry Bird doesn't suffer the same fate as this kid. Thanx.

Los Angeles Clippers: For starters, care because you cared about Mike Taylor. He was released earlier this Summer, but before that, he wasn't terrible. Know where he came from? The D-League. Also, former assistant Rory White is now a head coach for the Dakota Wizards. If you're not a fan of Dunleavy (and who still is?), live vicariously through White, who was with the Clippers for six seasons.

Los Angeles Lakers: SUN YUE! (formerly)

Memphis Grizzlies: For starters, one of your up-and-coming assistants is Dave Joerger, a former D-League champion head coach with the Dakota Wizards. Hamed Haddadi will hopefully be a welcome addition in Dakota this season, along with Sam Young and DeMarre Carroll, so at least Dakota will be worth watching - a sort of "these guys, May and Gay are 5/8 of your future rotation!" Really, the D-League could be just as fun as your own team to follow this season!

Miami Heat: Remember back in 2007-08, when the Heat started signing every D-League player it could find and you had to search the google to find out who Blake Ahearn, Kasib Powell and Stephane Lasme were? Well, if you just follow the D-League a little bit, you'll never have to worry about that again. As a bonus, you'll more than likely get addicted to this site as well, which is always fun.

Milwaukee Bucks: Joe Wolf. Before he became your assistant coach, he was on the losing end of the greatest game in D-League history (now with Youtube!).

Minnesota Timberwolves: The Timberwolves fans should care because they're close enough to their affiliate to actually attend Sioux Falls Skyforce games, David Kahn once owned for D-League teams so your GM is obviously a fan, and perhaps the most important reason, we have 2-guards and you're going to need another in case Wayne Ellington goes down.

New Jersey Nets: The Nets haven't had the best of luck with the D-League, but at least Sean Williams was humbled after his trip to Colorado last season. Now that the Nets have a closer affiliate in Springfield, Massachusetts, maybe the affiliate will be more friendly. Plus, now that Vince Carter's gone, Springfield Armor coach Dee Brown would probably be able to win a dunk contest against anyone on the parent club, so at least there'll be excitement nearby.

New Orleans Hornets: I'm not sure how the depth chart looks, but I'm assuming either Darren Collison or Marcus Thornton will be able to get some playing time in the D-League, so why not follow them to Albuquerque - "the New Orleans of New Mexico".

New York Knicks: After calling up Joe Crawford, Chris Hunter, Mo Sene, Courtney Sims and Demetris Nichols from the D-League last season, who knows what will happen this season!? Well, you will if you pay attention to the best players in the D-League, because that's who the Knicks signed toward the end of the season. Plus, you never know if Patrick Ewing Jr. will end up back in Reno.

Oklahoma City Thunder: Well, you own the Tulsa 66ers and they have two of the best up-and-coming coaches in the D-League. Assign some players and watch them excel. If not, keep an eye on the transactions list because you never know when the next Shaun Livingston ends up in Tulsa.

Orlando Magic: Currently the Magic only have 11 players on their roster, two short of the 13 player minimum. If they're not able to get a deal done with former D-Leaguer CJ Watson, I'm expecting at least one cheap D-League player on the roster, if not two. Somebody's gotta make Anthony Johnson look bad.

Philadelphia 76ers: The Sixers still need three players to round out the roster. Like the Magic, odds are at least one will come from the D-League. Blake Ahearn, anybody?

Phoenix Suns: Lou Amundson = D-League success story. Plus, according to my old (no offense, Stan) pal Phoenix Stan, Taylor Griffin will probably see some considerable time in the D-League with the Iowa Energy. Aside from those two reasons, you never know when they'll have their next point guard tryout!

An Offseason Guide to Fixing the Holes in the Hawks' Game

jrauch — Sat, 01 Aug 2009 21:54:21 -0000

More photos » by John Bazemore - AP

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While the NBA offseason continues to slog on (also known as we're all waiting for LeBron in 2010 and the economy sucks so we're not spending squat), I'd like to offer up my quasi-serious review of what every Hawks player will need to improve this off-season if the team expects to that next step up the Championship Ladder.

Just in case you're curious, we'd be moving up from Marginally Interesting to Legitimately Spunky. Still a few rungs away from Team that Nobody Wants to Play. We'll break it down into two categories Keep on Keepin' On - what the player needs to continue to do - and Stop Me Before I Shoot Again - what needs to get fixed, now. (Note: this includes only players returning from last year's squad, and those with an NBA track record. Jeff Teague gets a pass.)

Without further ado, after the jump:

Backcourt

Joe Johnson

KOKO: Great at backing down a smaller defender. Creates well in traffic, and I'm particularly in love with that little floater he loves to chuck up when he gets a head of steam in the paint. Probably the most athletic below-the-rim, 6'7" player I've seen.

SMBISA: When two or more opposing defenders begin to collapse on you, get rid of it. Work it around the perimeter. Two guys on one player means somebody's open. Stop dribbling the air out of the ball and hucking up 20 footers with 4 seconds left on the clock.
Most importantly, stop being mute. Speak. Yell. Get in someone's face. We need a leader, and you're supposed to be that guy. Slap Josh Smith with a clipboard in a huddle, I don't know any fan that would complain about seeing more fire from our supposed Alpha Dog.

Jamal Crawford

KOKO: If his prior stints are any indication, he's like a homeless man's Joe Johnson. Can create his own shot, especially with a decent mid-range game. Hasn't shot anyone.

SMBISA: Crawford is a hybrid player, combining all of the worst attributes of Josh Smith and Joe Johnson into one player. So maybe a personality transplant would help him stop the ball-hogging and a consistent whining to the refs/coaches/fellow teammates, and maybe playing defense for once in his life.
Seriously, Mike Bibby is incapable of guarding a tree at this point. Crawford just chooses not to, which I consider a far bigger failing. As bad as Bibby was on the defensive end, you could always tell he was at least trying to stay in front of the lawn chair he had to guard.

via cache.boston.com

Mike Bibby KOKO: Continue shooting threes at a career rate. Keep telling Mike Woodson about his stupid play-calling and game management (see here). More alley-oops to our streaking wing and frontcourt players. I like the eternal internal debate he has about going with or without a headband. (Definitely with Mike, definitely.)
SMBISA: As I mentioned with Jamal Crawford, somehow rediscovering the ability to defend anything. Sadly, Bibby was never the best defender in the league, but miles upon miles have made him no more than a doormat for the better perimeter players. Woody was forced to try to hide him at various points during the season by covering the other team's small forward, only to get abused in the post. Outside the rare, good defensive play (a key steal here or there), its like the Hawks largely play 4 on 5 on the defensive end against a good point guard. His only saving grace are two decent shot blockers, Horford and Smith, who can attempt to bail him out. Never a guarantee though (see Tony Parker's game against the Hawks at Philips this year as evidence).

Frontcourt

via fouledout.files.wordpress.com

Al Horford KOKO: How in the world you maintain a sunny disposition is beyond me when all you get are garbage buckets and a coach who fails to realize you have some offensive talent. Keep that, and your exceptional rebounding skills, going.
SMBISA: Injuries. So far, nothing major, just the nagging sort that come from playing basketball for a living. But we really do, as Hawks fans, miss having you in the line-up night in and night out. I'd argue more about what you need to improve, but I feel like we're only seeing the tip of what you're capable of, driven in large part by the Iso-Joe offense's inherent limitations.

via www.washingtonpost.com

Marvin Williams (this presumes Marvin will return to the Hawks.) KOKO: Your duck butt is truly something to behold. I now understand where your crazy hops come from. As you showed when Joe was injured this year, you've got the skills to go to the rack. Do that, a lot. Keep stroking threes with one of the prettier jump shots around.
SMBISA: Like J-J-J-Joe Johnson, get some fire in that belly. Yell. Push an opponent. Show some fire. From that aggression should come greater production, both in rebounding and scoring.
Mo Evans KOKO: He's not horrible at any one thing, yet can't think of any distinct moments Mo had in the last year. Just avoid total embarassment while making spot three's and the occasional rebound or mild defensive effort.
SMBISA: Again, completely unremarkable. The only complaint I have about the guy is his faux interviews on the Jumbotron during timeouts (What person would you most like to eat dinner with?) were mildly annoying and nowhere near as fun as Zaza.

via www1.pictures.gi.zimbio.com

Mario West Greasy (Same situation as Marvin.) KOKO: Keep on smilin' and having a generally nice personality. Showing up to Hawks community events is a nice plus. The nickname Greasy is the best thing I've heard in a long time.
SMBISA: Basically everything related to being on an NBA arena floor at game time. He is, without question, the worst NBA player I've ever seen. I could probably write 5,000 words on what's wrong with Mario West being on an NBA roster, but I'll mention three examples on things he should avoid doing in the future. First, don't, on an uncontested dunk attempt, create: 1) A turnover to the other team. 2) A technical foul on yourself. 3) A missed dunk. Second, don't commit six personal fouls in eight minutes of play. Third, don't get posterized on a LeBron James 45-footer in the playoffs. I wish I could make those things up. Two of those things I've seen in person. The other I got pleasure of seeing on national TV as LeBron torched the Hawks.

via www1.pictures.gi.zimbio.com

Zaza Pachulia KOKO: Being a prodigous rebounder off the bench. That 10-15 foot set shot you have can be smooth. Would be nice if our coach ran a few pick and rolls with you once in a while. Keep getting in Garnett's face, it makes me giggle. You've got passion that few players on the Hawks have. And you rock those ridiculous in-game Jumbotron videos.
SMBISA: The backne. Seriously, see a dermatologist. You can afford it with your new contract. Thank Zombie Jesus I sit in the third deck at games so I don't have to see too much of it. Find something of a more reliable back-to-the-basket move. The face-up stuff is fine, but pulling you 12 feet from the basket to shoot also pulls one of our few decent rebounders from under the rack. Two years ago, this entry would have been 1,200 words about how you collapsed as a player, but I really was surprised by his game last year.

via lowposts.com

Randolph Morris KOKO: Keep being a 7 footer, because...
SMBISA: That's likely the only way you'll stick anywhere for any length of time. Seriously, why did we sign a guy who notified his college team he was leaving by fax machine to a multi-year deal? This is a guy who Isiah Thomas thought would be the Knicks answer in the post. Really? We're taking Isiah Thomas' cast-offs now? I could go on about how he needs to work harder on this or that, but really, all I want to see is Randolph look like he cares for one game. Seriously, every photo is exactly the same blank expression, whether he's in the game, on the bench or unconscious on Marietta St. Seriously, look at that photo above. That's his expression AT THE PRESS CONFERENCE ANNOUNCING HE'S JOINING THE TEAM. If you can't get stoked then, when will you? I can only figure they signed him because Woodson can't reach certain things on high shelves, and needs someone on the roster to reach up there.

via thestartingfive.net

Josh Smith

KOKO: Being an electrifying player when you want to be. The blocks, the dunks, the playing to the crowd. We get it. We like you, mostly...

SMBISA: Turn that "when you want to be" into "all the time." We love you, except when you: Take a jump shot, try to get in a defensive stance, sit on the scorer's table during timeouts and not listen to your coach, whine to the refs about every call or non-call, pretend you're Magic Johnson leading a fast break and dribble the ball off your foot or throw a wild pass into the third row, become too friendly with the other team.

Basically, your game outside of dunking and blocking shots is a trainwreck.

You're a power forward who thinks he's everything but that. Stick to dunks and blocks, try to learn to defend and work on that nice turnaround hook you showed a bit in the playoffs. And hit a free throw every now and again. That plays well in the cheap seats.

You're essentially the most talented player on the roster, who uses those gifts about 5 percent of the time. As Jeff Van Gundy so astutely pointed out on the telecast of the Cavaliers/Hawks series, you've been in the league going on six years now. We're only going to talk about giving you time to put it together for so long.

Poll

Who's game needs to improve the most this offseason for the Hawks to progress?

Joe Johnson

18 votes

Josh Smith

242 votes

Al Horford

47 votes

Marvin Williams

95 votes

Zaza

12 votes

414 votes | Poll has closed

Identifying Potential Late Season Pickups

JakeTheSnake — Thu, 16 Jul 2009 16:00:40 -0000

More photos » by Paul Sancya - AP

Though he didn't help them to a championship, Joe Smith was a great late season addition for the Cavs last season after having his contract bought out with the Thunder.

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If you're looking for an evidence to support your claim that the NBA is a league where the rich get richer, look no further than the trend of veteran players signing with elite contenders after having their contracts bought out. Just last year we saw as Joe Smith, Drew Gooden, Stephon Marbury and Mikki Moore among others sign with contenders after their cellar-dwelling teams bought out the end of their contracts.

With the cap going down and plenty of free agents hitting the open market, it's safe to assume that several teams will be looking to negotiate buyouts with players. Obviously, there won't be as many players available in the late-season market as there are right now, but there's a good chance that there will be some better talent available to sign for the veteran's minimum in February than there is right now to sign to the low level exemption. Of course, signing someone is contingent on being a contender before they sign. Otherwise, they'll just sign with a team that has a better chance of getting a ring.

After the jump, we'll narrow down the options and see what players could hit the open market later this season.

Beofre we begin, here's a list of all the free agents for the 2010. This is where the pool for our buyout candidates will come from, since there probably won't be any owners looking to buyout more than the last half of a season off of any player's contract. Just to be safe, we'll exclude restricted free agents and players who have options on their contracts. We'll also exclude guards and wings who might be nice additions, but don't address any critical needs in what's already a very deep backcourt.

Now that we've taken care of all the disclaimers, let's start paring down who's left to see what's available.

Step 1: Eliminate anyone on a contending team

Players already on contenders are already doing enough to make their teams good which gives the team no reason to want to get rid of him and the player no reason to hop ship for a team with a shot of winning it all. I'm only including Boston, Cleveland, Orlando, the Lakers, San Antonio, and Denver as true contenders at this point, though other teams could always insert their name into the discussion as the season goes along.

This eliminates: Brian Scalabrine, Shaquille O'Neal, Zydrunas Ilgauskas, Steven Hunter, Brian Cook, Chuck Hayes, DJ Mbenga, Josh Powell, and Matt Bonner.

Step 2: Eliminate anyone who wouldn't be desirable even if they become available

Needless to say, there would probably be some venom spewed if these players were brough in as the final piece of the puzzle.

This eliminates: Randolph Morris, Jerome James, Mark Blount, Francisco Elson, Malik Allen, Brian Cardinal, Mark Madsen, Etan Thomas, Mouhamed Sene, Kenny Thomas, Patrick O'Bryant

Step 3: Eliminate anyone who won't be bought out because they're just too good

Even if the player has a 100% chance of walking away in free agency, the negative PR backlash of buying out these players would just be too much to bear.

This eliminates: Carlos Boozer

Step 4: Eliminate all young players

You won't see any of these players bought out because their age still makes them valuable. Besides, do you think the veterans already on the team want to deal with another young player after last year's debacle?

This eliminates: Craig Smith, Amir Johnson, Louis Amundson

So who's left?

A mish-mash of veterans who can give the team something if they think the Wizards have a shot of giving them what they want: a championship. First, let's take a look at the guys with an outside chance of being buyout material if their respective team's find themselves in an unexpectedly down year.

Brad Miller
Kwame Brown (not that he'd come to D.C., but I had to throw it out there...)
Udonis Haslem
Jermaine O'Neal
Al Harrington
Darko Milicic

The chances of seeing any of these fine men bought out are extremely, extremely low. They'd have to be out of the playoff hunt very early and more than likely burn a few bridges with their current team. But in uncertain times, anything is possible so it would be premature to eliminate any of these possibilites.

Then there are the respectable players stuck on floundering teams who have the best shot of being buyout material. Since they have the most realistic shot of winding up on a contender, they deserve the most focus. So after a few hundred words of talking about who won't be bought out, let's take a look at the players with the best shots of being contributors to a contender one by one.

Marcus Camby: Camby is on tap to make nearly $10 million this season from one of the more tight-fisted owners in the league in Donald Sterling. On top of that, his presence (together with Chris Kaman's) creates a logjam in the low post where Blake Griffin and Deandre Jordan need minutes to develop. He'll be beneficial at the start of the year as he helps the young guys to understand the league better, but the reality is that the team likely isn't going to go anywhere this season and Griffin & Jordan have to be given the chance to sprout their wings at some point.

The Spurs nearly made a deal for Camby at the deadline last season and it wouldn't be the least bit surprising to see teams inquire about making a trade for him this season as well. The Clippers will probably do all they can to boost his trade value in order to get something useful in return, but it's hard to see anyone giving up a prospect and swallowing the rest of Camby's contract for what amounts to a rental. If Camby doesn't get traded, it probably won't take long for both sides to start talking about a buyout.

Kurt Thomas: San Antonio saved Kurt from lottery land in 2008 when they traded Brent Barry's expiring contract to Seattle for his services. Of course, Barry ended up having the rest of his contract bought out and he returned to San Antonio just in time for their final push last year. Now Thomas finds himself on the other side of the deal, sent to Milwaukee as part of the Richard Jefferson deal. His contract isn't terrible, (he's due to make $3.8 million) which makes it much easier for Milwaukee for the Bucks to work out a buyout without breaking the bank, but it also makes him much easier to trade for than Camby.

Tony Battie: Like Thomas, Tony Battie went from a great situation with a contender to finding himself on a lottery team after being included as part of the Vince Carter deal. He'll be a nice addition to a shallow frontcourt, but I don't think anyone is kidding themselves into thinking that they'll be contenders next season or that the 33 year old Battie has any kind of long-term future with the team. As is the case with Camby and Thomas, I wouldn't be shocked to see the Nets do everything they can to boost his value and get prospect for a late season rental, but in this market, I don't see many teams looking to buy at Battie's price (just over $6 million). Of the thee players listed, Battie probably has the most buyout potential

It will be interesting to see if these players do get bought out where they will land. Camby seems like a natural fit for San Antonio and the Spurs have a knack of getting the players they want. If he hits the open market, I don't think it will take long at all for him to end up in the Alamo, but you never know who might make a push to sign him. Thomas and Battie are much more interesting. If the Spurs do end up getting Camby, his presence along with the addition of Antonio McDyess would eat up most, if not all of his minutes. Likewise, it would be hard to see Battie returning to Orlando now that they have Ryan Anderson, Brandon Bass at their disposal, and they still have Marcin Gortat.

If the Wizards can stay healthy and show that they're an elite Eastern Conference squad next season like they think they can be, it might make sense to wait and see who has their contract bought out after the trade deadline. Not only will the players available at that point likely be better than the ones available for the LLE right now, but they'll come at a cheaper price.

Suns 107 Hawks 102

Hoopinion — Wed, 14 Jan 2009 16:43:59 -0000

Boxscore

Gameflow

Team	Poss	Off Eff	eFG%	FT Rate	OR%	TO%
ATL	91.5	1.11	43.8	27	33.3	8.7
PHX	91.5	1.17	58.8	27	20.6	17.5

There are a number of points of interest regarding last night's game: Flip Murray's (offensive*) excellence, Marvin Williams' health**, Acie Law IV's aggressive five minutes of play to open the second quarter, the possibility that Randolph Morris could pass Solomon Jones in the rotation, Zaza Pachulia's worthy effort against Shaquille O'Neal, Mike Bibby's strong fourth quarter, Joe Johnson's poor start, and Johnson's worse finish but there is a single defining moment.

*I do have a concern that Flip couldn't pick Leandro Barbosa out of a lineup but I'll chalk that up to Flip's standard disinterest in sound team defense rather than a specific inability to recognize that Barbosa deserved special attention last night.

**It'll be tough to get much information on this as the Hawks appear to be traveling again without an accompanying beat reporter.

Atlanta ball, down 101-98, 1:13 left in the game. The Hawks run a stagnant, slow developing* set in an effort to get the ball to Joe Johnson in the vicinity of the left block. Once Johnson gets the ball, the Phoenix double-team arrives and he (to his credit) finds the open man on the opposite wing. Phoenix not being a collection of complete imbeciles though, the open man is Josh Smith 22 feet from the basket. Smith catches the ball with four seconds left on the shot clock. He shoots with three seconds left on the shot clock. He does not appear to consider not shooting from there. I don't know whether that's because the shot clock is winding down or because he's one of two people** who don't seem to recognize his inability to make jump shots should preclude him from attempting them.

*though not atypically so

**I assume you can guess the other person.

The shot misses. Grant Hill rebounds. Phoenix heads to the other end and scores on their third consecutive possession to take a five point lead. That score doesn't kill the game off though as, on Atlanta's next possession, Josh Smith doesn't stand on the perimeter for 20 seconds before attempting to do something with less than a thirty-percent chance of succeeding. He gets to the paint and works hard to tap in Joe Johnson's missed shot. This effort doesn't end up changing the outcome of the game but, had Smith put in such a good, useful effort on the earlier, more important possession perhaps things would have played out differently in the final minute.

Again, though, the fault does not lie with Smith alone. On that possession that begins with 1:13 left in the game, I ask, which Hawks players are put in a position to succeed?

Joe Johnson? Everyone knows he's getting the ball and can probably guess where he's going to get the ball.

Mike Bibby? He's got to force the ball where the defense knows it's going because he does not appear to have a second option in that set.

Marvin Williams? He's asked to space the floor by standing in the opposite corner but because he shares the weak side of the court with Josh Smith, there's no reason for Marvin's defender to leave him. Ever.

Josh Smith? Asking Josh Smith to stand 22 feet from the basket cannot produce anything positive for an offense. Plus, I get the impression on terrible, unproductive possessions like this one that he's encouraged if not instructed not to make a hard cut into the paint when his defender leaves him to double Johnson.

Randolph Morris? I'm not entirely sure that the previous 46 minutes he'd played with the Hawks over the last ten weeks adequately prepared him to make a positive and aggressive contribution to that possession.

From a distance, Sekou Smith tackles the issue of Joe Johnson's poor shooting night:

But I’m going to say what Joe Johnson won’t. “Gimme a break.” And I don’t mean an extended stretch of days when he doesn’t have to play or practice, but more like an extended stretch of a game where he doesn’t have to be the first, second and third option for the Hawks on offense.

The Hawks made their best run against the Suns with a motley crew of characters on the floor and Johnson resting, deservedly so, on the sidelines. And it’s okay some nights for the star player to watch his supporting cast take care of things, especially when that star player averages 41 minutes a night and carries a load as large as the one the Hawks have asked Johnson to carry the past few years.

Now I also realize that a player’s pride precludes him from admitting that he’s gassed and that he might need a break from the constant pressure of toting the heaviest load.

That’s fine. We’ve all got raging pride that colors our decisions sometimes. But that doesn’t mean someone else can’t step in and notice the obvious and do something to alleviate the problem.

Sekou's a hell of a blogger.

76ers 109 Hawks 94

Hoopinion — Mon, 12 Jan 2009 16:40:23 -0000

Boxscore

Gameflow

Team	Poss	Off Eff	eFG%	FT Rate	OR%	TO%
PHI	92	1.18	60.7	24	36.7	22.8
ATL	92	1.02	52.9	28.6	15.2	17.4

Let's see...a terrible defensive performance, certainly as bad as it can get when you force a turnover on more than one out of every five of your opponent's possessions, an embarrassing rebounding performance* and a near-total offensive meltdown in the fourth quarter. Did I leave anything out? Oh yeah, Al Horford isn't making the roadtrip and I'm not convinced that Marvin Williams** is completely healthy either.

*I would not be surprised (though I'm also not going to check two-fifths of a season's worth of boxscores) if that 15.2/63.3 OR%/DR% posted by the Hawks yesterday afternoon was the worst in the NBA this season. That looks like the rebounding performance of a low-major college team against a good rebounding high-major team. Or Michigan State against Kansas on Saturday.

**Marvin's fourth quarter line: 8 trillion.

Sekou adds detail to the ugliness of the day:

A light smattering of boos accompanied the Hawks as they left the floor for the locker room at the end of Sunday’s ugly 109-94 whipping at the hands of the Philadelphia 76ers.

Joe Johnson:

"I don’t think we’re playing together on either end of the floor. We’re just not helping one another. We’re not playing with any energy, and really, you have to put it on the starting five because we’re not doing [expletive] at the start of these games."

Mike Woodson:

"Orlando took some starch out of us that last game. We’re not competing defensively like we have been. And that’s on me. I have to get them back playing defense because that’s the only [way] we’re going to have a chance to win."

Check the opponent's offensive efficiency at the top of the game recap of each of the last four games the Hawks have won and tell me again that playing defense is the only way the Hawks are going to have a chance to win.

Maurice Evans (emphasis mine):

"We’re just not playing with any intensity, and it’s coming from the way we’re starting these games. You saw Philly jump on us at the start. And then at the end of the game, they were still outrebounding us and getting to all the loose balls when we’re the team that needs to be playing with a sense of urgency. In my opinion, there seems like a complacency on our team right now, like we already clinched a playoff seed or home court advantage or something and we’re barely out of the starting gate of this season."

Marvin Williams:

"All I can tell you is we’re not going to shake this off one man at a time. It has to be us doing it together."

76ers coach Tony DiLeo:

"We controlled the pace of the game for most of the game. Right from the beginning we got out on the break, and I thought we established that.''

Andre Miller:

"I think both teams were a little tired. We were able to fight through it and get some easy baskets off their turnovers. That was a big part of the game.''

Woodson on Al Horford's injury:

"We’re looking at anywhere from five to 10 days. So it puts some extra pressure on Zaza, Solomon [Jones] and Randolph [Morris]. And we’re probably going to have to look at playing a little more small ball with Josh Smith playing some at center."

At Hawks Str8Talk, Larry asks a relevant question:

How do you get embarrassed TWICE by Orlando, then come home, get some Chunky soup, and ...get embarrassed again at home by the Sixers? Yeah, I know the Sixers were coming in playing well, but sorry - but this is not about missing players (sorry Al), this is about effort.

and provides a plausible answer:

As I understand it, the coach is responsible for the playing style, rotations, in-game adjustments, and motivating the players to play their best.

Jason Walker at The Human Highlight Blog takes a look at Josh Smith:

Josh Smith when winning: Takes the ball hard to the basket and finishes while making his presence felt on defense.

Josh Smith when losing: Takes the ball and stands outside to launch a jump shot and is nowhere to be seen defensively.

Any guesses as to what we have been seeing more of lately?

Did you realize?: Smith is shooting a career low from the free throw line (64 percent). Earn your right to shoot those bombs, Josh----still bricking from long range and then taking your free points to an all-time low is not a good way to start.

Kelly Dwyer goes behind the boxscore:

Gut-check time for the Hawks. They won six straight to close out 2008, but have lost four of five in the new year, and the lone win was a close three-point victory over a T-Mac'less Rockets team playing on the second night of a back-to-back. After this, Atlanta hits the road for six of its next nine, and Horford is set to miss at least three more contests.

The Hawks did succeed in one area yesterday. They lifted spirits at Liberty Ballers:

Ladies and Gentlemen, I just witnessed the best Sixers game I've watched all season. They went into Atlanta, which isn't an easy place to win these days, and out-played and out-hustled the Hawks en route to a 15-point victory. This was our first blowout win without Elton Brand and it was just magical to watch. Great win, plus entertaining basketball equals a very happy Sixers blogger.

The Pacific Time Zone beckons.

Looking Forward/Looking Back

Hoopinion — Tue, 25 Nov 2008 21:35:39 -0000

You can as much or as little as you wish from this comparison between team stats from 100% of last season's and team stats from 15.85% of this season's games.

all stats from Knickerblogger.net

PACE

Season	Poss	Rank
2007-08	91.1	18th
2008-09	90.5	22nd

2007-08 TEAM OFFENSE

	Off Eff	eFG%	FT Rate	OR%	TO%
	106.9	48.3	26.2	29.7	16.2
Rank	16th	21st	6th	4th	26th

2008-09 TEAM OFFENSE

	Off Eff	eFG%	FT Rate	OR%	TO%
	108.9	50.2	23	28.4	15.1
Rank	6th	T-8th	19th	9th	13th

Last year the Hawks were good at getting to the free throw line and rebounding their (frequent) own missed shots. This year, the aren't getting to the line/making free throws* nearly as often or grabbing offensive rebounds as often (though they're still in the top third of the league in that regard) but their much improved offensively because they're attempting more three-point shots and making a higher percentage of their shots from beyond the arc.

*07-08 FT%: 77.2

08-09 FT%: 73.3

FIELD GOAL SHOOTING

Season	2PT%	3PT%
2007-08	47.3	35.6
2008-09	45.1	42.7

The Hawks are actually shooting much worse on two-point attempts (This may be a concern as their three-point percentage inevitably declines.) this season but that's more than made for by attempting more than 21 three-point shots a game and making almost 43% of those threes.

3PT FIELD GOAL ATTEMPTS

Season	3PTA/G	3PTA/2PTA
2007-08	13.1	16.4%
2008-09	21.6	27.1%

2007-08 TEAM DEFENSE

	Off Eff	eFG%	FT Rate	OR%	TO%
	108.9	50.1	21.7	28.3	14.9
Rank	18th	15th	13th	26th	15th

2008-09 TEAM DEFENSE

	Off Eff	eFG%	FT Rate	OR%	TO%
	107.7	48.4	23.3	28.4	15.3
Rank	25th	14th	13th	21st	18th

The opponents' eFG% and FT Rate should go down some once Josh Smith returns and their TO% should go up. Josh Smith makes it difficult to make shots, he creates turnovers, and he doesn't foul as often a the guys who have taken his minutes, be it Zaza Pachulia, Solomon Jones, Randolph Morris, or whoever's taking a turn as an undersized power forward. He probably won't make much of a difference on the defensive glass. The Hawks just aren't a very good defensive rebounding team.

Pacers 113 Hawks 96

Hoopinion — Wed, 19 Nov 2008 15:13:57 -0000

Boxscore

Gameflow

Team	Poss	Off Eff	eFG%	FT Rate	OR%	TO%
ATL	93.6	1.03	46.5	20	24	10.7
IND	93.6	1.21	60	21.3	21.6	15.0

Without both Josh Smith and (for the final 41 minutes) Al Horford, Atlanta's primary defensive deficiencies shifted from limiting dribble penetration to keeping any Pacer over 6' 8" from doing whatever he wanted. Rasho Nesterovic scored 21 points. Troy Murphy had 19 rebounds. Jeff Foster had 12 points (5-6 FGA) and 5 rebounds in 22 minutes. Fox Sports South must have chosen not to show Roy Hibbert begging Jim O'Brien to put him in the game.

Joe Johnson and Mike Bibby did what they could offensively* but they barely combined to match Danny Granger's production. Acie Law IV took advantage of his late introduction to the game and fueled a run that got the Hawks within 7 with 7:59 to play. Atlanta had three chances to cut the lead further (four if you count Maurice Evans' missed tip on Joe Johnson's three-pointer) but could only muster an off-balance Marvin Williams jump shot, a Joe Johnson runner, and a Joe Johnson three-point attempt.

*36 Hawks field goals, just 13 assists. Offensively, it wasn't a pretty night as you might expect with a frontcourt rotation decimated by injuries and five-man units that likely made their debut last night: Law/Johnson/Evans/Hunter/Pachulia to finish the 3rd and open the 4th quarter for example.

On Indiana's possession following Johnson's missed three-pointer, the Hawks forced another missed shot but couldn't control the defensive rebound. Marquis Daniels eventually made a jumper on Indiana's second chance and the Hawks never again got closer than 9 points.

In what is becoming a common occurrence, an Atlanta player was asked after the game to comment on the opposing player who did whatever he wanted against the Hawks "defense." Here's Joe Johnson on Danny Granger:

"He's a pretty good player, I can't take nothing away from him. He made a lot of good shots tonight, so give him credit."

I think there's a small, subconscious part of Joe Johnson that wonders on nights like Tuesday, "How many points could I score if I got to play against our own defense?"

Johnson on his team:

"We haven't been playing together, playing with any energy, like we were in those first six games. I think we've gotten real complacent and we haven't been playing team basketball."

Can't wait for tonight's game to tip-off. Neither can Joe:

"We can’t beat anybody like this."

It took a couple of weeks but this is starting to resemble a Hawks team.

Excuse while I beat my head against a hard surface for a moment.

Okay, I'm back.

In better news, Sekou reports that Horford will try to play tonight:

After his injury, Horford limped to the locker room and never returned, staying in the locker room to soak his ankle in ice. He walked out of the locker room on his own after the game and said he would begin treatment this morning with the hope of playing against the Wizards.

Maurice Evans doesn't want to make excuses:

"I don’t want to use it as an excuse..."

But can't help himself:

"...but we’re just not at full strength right now. We’ve been hobbling since that Boston game."

You've also played New Jersey (without Josh Boone) twice and Indiana (without Mike Dunleavy, Jr.) once. Boone and Dunleavy aren't josh Smith but if you can take the Celtics to the final half-second in Boston without Smith, I don't think it's unreasonable to expect the team to compete against short-handed Net and Pacer teams. Unless, of course, the Hawks' bench is, once again, terrible.

While Randolph Morris runs his personal foul to minutes played ratio up to 10:23 and Mario West warms our hearts, Nick Fazekas is playing in Belgium and Anthony Morrow is demonstrating that there's at least one undrafted free agent from Georgia Tech that can contribute in tangible, positive ways for an NBA team.

Cornrows had so many compliments for Pacers that he had to bust out the bullet points.
Winning six straight to open the season then losing four straight is a rare feat according to the Elias Sports Bureau:

With a loss to the Pacers on Tuesday, the Hawks have lost four straight after starting the season 6-0. The only other team in NBA history to win at least six in a row to start a season immediately followed by a losing streak of four or more games was the Philadelphia Warriors in 1960. They won their first nine games and then lost four straight.

I'm worried about CoCo.

Updating yesterday's post...

TEAM DEFENSE GAMES 1-5

Team	Poss	Def Eff	eFG%	FT Rate	OR%	TO%
ATL	91.6	0.94	43.2	18.0	27.6	16.7

Before and after now include an equal number of games.

TEAM DEFENSE GAMES 6-10

Team	Poss	Def Eff	eFG%	FT Rate	OR%	TO%
ATL	92.9	1.20	53.4	33.1	32.7	14.4

Ouch.

Last night, the Hawks contrived to hit their four-game average of allowing 1.2 points per possession on the nose despite improving in three of the four factors relative to their recent defensive collapse. Lesson learned: Allowing your opponent to shoot 60% from the floor is destructive in and of itself.