1 minute ago, kg01 said:

This loss is dedicated to the world's biggest Knic fan, @Peoriabird

(hehe)

LOL!  He wanted us to lose so bad.

8 minutes ago, Hotlanta1981 said:

The rebounding is good, but watching him atempt to score in the low post is painful. He just never developed the skills. This is hy he was getting less shot attempts in Houston.

His only move is that ugly baby hook.

Not having Thabo hurt us big tonight.  He could have come in and disrupted Batum in the first.  The size differential between Batum and Baze was very apparent.

Why did Korver play 29 minutes when he was completely ineffective?

4 minutes ago, JayBirdHawk said:

It's god to have a bench that can pick them up when that happens.

So true.  I thought Delaney looked fantastic tonight.  I was really shocked with his confidence.

Thabo is playing out of his mind.  He's breaking down defenses off the dribble, playing tough D, hitting 3s.  

8 points 2 steals in 4 mins in the first.

3 minutes ago, kg01 said:

My 9yo daughter's ramblings ...

- That guy with the bun in his hair shldnt wear white tights  (Musc)

- That guy with the long braids kinda sucks (Nene)

She actually has some great insight.  Good teachings @kg01!!!

Here is a postgame interview with Dennis talking about where he thinks the team can get better.  He specifically addresses the 1-5 PnR.  Great to know that Dennis sees that as the future of the offense.

4 hours ago, Thomas said:

I know this is beating a dead horse but Dwight's free throws are not one smooth motion. He stops once he pulls the ball up for too long. Believe its called a hitch. Anyway he still put a ton of pressure on the Kings and Bob Rathbun made the comment the Kings were running out of lead keeping up with the foul count. Clever. 

That was because David Joerger said it to the refs :)

Holy hell, Rudy Gay was a FORCE last night.  Watch this play for a summary if you didn't catch the game

59 minutes ago, JayBirdHawk said:

Dwight has to do his part to initiate the PnR. Sometimes he's too reluctant to step out and set a high screen. 

Don't think I've seen him screen, fake to rim, rescreen etc. He needs to be more active. This is new to him.

Good point.  I hate the little hip screens he has been doing.  Wish we had Pero on staff to give him a lesson about setting a real screen.

8 minutes ago, Spud2Nique said:

I think Malone was with the Bullets in 85-86...thought we got Moses in 88. I could be wrong. I think it might have been a mistake by Bob. We didn't have a dominating rebounder making a debut in 86.  I think we had like Tree, Willis, Koncak, Levingston and Carr I'm guessing. Maybe Levingston? I could look it up too lazy lol

http://www.basketball-reference.com/boxscores/198510250ATL.html
 

Doesn't look like it happened in that season opener.

Quote

Before the 2016-17 season tipped off, Boston Celtics big man Amir Johnson was asked how the team might take its defense to the next level.

"Rebounding is definitely a key that we need to focus on," Johnson said. "It just needs to be a team effort on the glass. Once we get that down pat, we will definitely be an elite defensive team."

Two games into the regular season, the Celtics have been exposed on the glass and their inability to snatch rebounds is an obvious reason why their defense has looked subpar.

Boston finished tied for fourth in defensive rating last season and that was before they signed Al Horford. Throughout training camp, players were peppered with questions about whether the Celtics could emerge as the league's best defense.

What's obvious through the first two games is that they need to be better on the glass and, while Horford was an obvious upgrade in the Celtics' frontcourt, the team does miss the rebounding efforts of the likes of Jared Sullinger.

While certainly a small sample, it's a concern for Boston that the team has hauled in a mere 67.3 percent of available defensive rebounds over its first two games. For context, the Houston Rockets finished in the basement of the NBA in defensive rebound percentage last season at 72.8 percent.

The Celtics knew rebounding might be an issue. Boston is the shortest team in the NBA with an average height of 78.2 inches. The Celtics are more than a full inch shorter than the league average of 79.3 inches. Celtics coach Brad Stevens often leans on small-ball lineups, so it's not unusual for Boston to give up size on the court.

But a size deficiency doesn't explain how the Celtics have given up a whopping 33 offensive rebounds leading to 41 second-chance points in the first two games. That includes giving up 18 offensive rebounds and 18 second-chance points to the Chicago Bulls during Thursday's 105-99 loss at the United Center.

There were other factors that contributed to the loss -- especially Dwyane Wade's out-of-nowhere 3-point shooting -- but the Celtics put themselves in an early hole thanks in large part to their rebounding woes.

Stevens said after Thursday's game that the key for Boston comes down to putting bodies on defenders and letting perimeter guys help clean up the glass. Stevens pointed to instances when Avery Bradley swooped in for a rebound while Boston's big men boxed out.

Blame tired legs on the second night of a back-to-back, but Boston got manhandled on the glass as the Bulls outrebounded the Celtics 55-36. There was one sequence in the first quarter in which both Horford and Johnson were under the basket on a shot attempt and both were haphazard with trying to box out Robin Lopez, who simply muscled his way between the two and tipped home a miss.

Boston isn't going to get much bigger. The Celtics leaned heavily on Tyler Zelleron Thursday, but he's a fringe rotation player when the team is at full strength. Boston has been playing without 7-footer Kelly Olynyk, who is rehabbing from offseason shoulder surgery, but he's a below-average rebounder even when he is on the floor.

It's condemning that, through two games, the player with the best defensive rebound percentage on Boston's roster is Gerald Green at 19.4 percent. Horford (16.7 percent) and Zeller (16.2) are the next closest but both need to be better because of Boston's lack of size. Johnson, who got moved to a bench role in the second half on Thursday's game in part because of his rebounding struggles, also needs to be better, having pulled down only 11.8 percent of available defensive rebounds through two games.

For the Celtics, it's as simple as this: It doesn't matter how good your defense is if you routinely give teams easy second-chance opportunities. Boston must make rebounding a priority for all five players on the floor.

http://www.espn.com/blog/boston/celtics/post/_/id/4724259/celtics-have-a-small-problem-and-it-shows-in-rebound-numbers

Enjoy your "Superstar center" who only got 7 rebounds in their loss to Chicago tonight.  Ours pulled down 19!!!! 

Let's show these doubters how we do it in the A!!!

GO HAWKS!!!

Could someone with ESPN insider please post this article?

http://insider.espn.com/nba/insider/story/_/id/17815008/atlanta-hawks-5-5-preview-dwight-howard-paul-millsap-dennis-Schröder-more-nba

Thanks!

Is it just me, or is Zach Lowe becoming less and less comprehensible as the years go on? 

He rated hawks 25th on his "watchability" index.

Quote

25. ATLANTA HAWKS (25)

Oh my god. I might have to recalibrate any system that drops Team Cognoscenti15 spots in a single season. Do Dwight Howard's farts carry that devastating a stench? Perhaps the ratings are skeptical about mixing Howard's slowing interior game with Budenholzer's pass-happy, outside-in machine. The Hawks built their team around the idea that defenses couldn't keep up with two big men -- Al Horford and Paul Millsap -- comfortable popping, dishing, and screening 25 feet from the hoop. On defense, Horford and Millsap harassed ball-handlers 30 feet from the rim, arms spread into passing lanes, forming a hydra that swiped a ton of turnovers.

What do they do now? On offense, they want to use the Dennis Schröder-Howard pick-and-roll to batter the rim -- a fine style, but also one that robs the Hawks of what made them the Hawks.

Schröder's slithery recklessness on the pick-and-roll is magnetic, even if he struggles to finish wild flails at the rim. Millsap is one of the league's finest all-around players, but some of his best work is the stuff you miss on first watch -- not exactly "change the channel!" material.

There is something a little stale about the arena and television experience. The new court, with its shaded, feathery pattern in the paint, is a little too busy for my taste.

http://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/17681632/the-annual-nba-league-pass-rankings-part-1

Quote

Kelly answered Hawks calls to battle for roster spot

When the Hawks kept calling, Ryan Kelly kept answering the phone.

Kelly was an unrestricted free agent this summer after his first three seasons with the Lakers when the team declined to make him a qualifying offer. He had interest from other teams but he kept coming back to the Hawks even for a non-guaranteed training camp invitation.

The odds are long as the Hawks already have 16 guaranteed or substantially guaranteed contracts.

“I thought it was a really good fit in terms of the style of play,” Ryan said. “They are a team that has been calling me all summer because I think they value what I do. I needed a change, that’s for sure. Where I was, was just not working. I’m excited about this whole thing, a new home, a new opportunity and not to mention being on the east coast and a little closer to family.”

Kelly, who went to high school in North Carolina, played four years at Duke before the Lakers selected the 6-foot-11 forward in the second round (No. 48) of the 2013 NBA Draft. He started all 23 games as a senior at Duke and averaged 12.9 points and 5.3 rebounds.

+

Ryan Kelly (4) of the Los Angeles Lakers drives with the ball against Danilo Gallinari (8) and Randy Foye (4) of ... Read More

In his career with the Lakers, Kelly appeared in 147 games, included 59 starts, and averaged 6.5 points and 3.3 rebounds. He did several stints in the NBA Development League.

Kelly said he watched the Hawks from afar and believed his style of play fit the ball-movement team. Once he signed, he watched video to get an even better idea of what he could do in the system.

“They think I’m a good player and they see that I can fit into their system,” Kelly said. “To go in and fight. No matter what, there is always a possibility for opportunity if you can play yourself into it. That’s how I look at it. I love competition. I love competing against some of the best players in the NBA and the world. I’m trying to take advantage of that.”

Kelly said he is encouraged by how he has performed early in training camp – especially in scrimmage situations where he can show his ability to shoot and pass.

“He is a really smart basketball player,” Hawks coach Mike Budenholzer said. “That stood out when we had our optional open gym workouts. He is a guy when you have a pickup game, when you go to the park or the YMCA, you pick him. He’s going to make the right pass, the right shot. He can obviously shoot it. He showed a little bit of athleticism that maybe would be a little bit of a surprise. He’s a very good fit. When you talk about somebody who fits us, Ryan is one of those types of guys.”

Kelly, whose father-in-law is former NFL player and head coach Bill Cowher, hopes to get more opportunity to showcase his skills – for the Hawks and perhaps other NBA teams - during exhibition games that begin next week.

“My last couple years have been rough, both individually and as a team,” Kelly said. “It was good for a change. I’m excited about the future. I learned a lot from my experience there, I don’t want to say never because you never know where you are going to end up, but this is a great opportunity for me and I want to take advantage of it.

“It’s going to be a fight. It’s going to be a battle. I’m going to try to take advantage of every opportunity. One, show the Hawks what I can do and that I’ve gotten better. And also, get an opportunity to show everybody in the league that I deserve to be here.”

http://www.myajc.com/news/sports/basketball/kelly-answered-hawks-calls-to-battle-for-roster-sp/nshjZ/

Quote

Josh Smith remains unsigned this offseason as executives believe his disposition and not his talent is keeping him from receiving an offer.

Smith received interest last offseason from the Golden State Warriors and Cleveland Cavaliers but ultimately decided to sign with the Los Angeles Clippers. Smith was expected to be the Clippers' third big man but the experiment didn't work and he was traded back to the Houston Rockets.

“I’m not a guy that is oblivious to my surroundings, I know that changes need to be made,” Smith told The Vertical. “It’s something that I have done wrong to now be figuring out my next move and figuring out what I need to do to be better. Even yoga this summer has helped me become one with my spirit, body and mind. I’ve done things to take steps toward bettering myself, having patience.

“I have a lot left to give to this game. I’m ready to go now. I feel like I’m in the best shape, and I’ve worked extremely hard this offseason. I’m ready.”

Smith was waived by the Detroit Pistons in December of 2014 just one season into a four-year, $58 million deal.

“The perception of me seemed to start early on with Atlanta, but after Detroit, it left people completely puzzled,” Smith said. “People didn’t understand how it happened, how I was let go. It just didn’t fit. But wherever I have gone in development situations, I have been able to be on winning teams.

“When I came to Atlanta, we were at the bottom. Al Horford came, and we made it a consistent playoff team. When I went to Houston [in 2015] after Detroit, we made it to the Western Conference finals, something that they hadn’t done since the ’90s. I played impactful minutes for us to get to those platforms.”

Smith has received interest from teams in China but he wants to remain in the NBA.

“My main goal is that I am an NBA player,” Smith said. “Being able to go overseas, people are professional, but the NBA is what I have built myself to do. I’m still hungry. If I jumped to leave my NBA chances behind, I feel it would’ve been an act of desperation.

“I’m not a guy who feels like I have to start or play 30 minutes a night anymore. I wish for an opportunity to be able to contribute, to be a positive guy around the locker room. It has been missing from me. I’m not doubting it. I felt I have always showed support for my teammates, cheering for them, but I have to do a better job.

“I feel I have something to give the NBA, period.”

19 minutes ago, kg01 said:

You're not wrong but I think there's no "reasonable" (i.e. league "approved") doctor that will go against the Heat's guy.

Also agree his contract's not bad.  However, if you're the Heat and you don't see a future in Bosh, you want capspace more than that contract.

I'll direct the next comment to @JayBirdHawk since it kinda disputes my argument against AHF (and of course nobody wants to lose an argument to AHF) ...

 I think Brandoy Roy is another example of a guy that came back against another team doctor's wishes.  He was supposedly told he risked never walking pain-free if he played again and dumbarse Kahn at MN signed him.  I seem to recall a lot of people here wanting to sign that version of Roy instead of JoeJohn.  

Yikes talk about the hindsight mistake of the century.  Joe Johnson dragged our franchise into "relevance" by getting us to the playoffs every year.  Imagine where we'd be had we taken Roy instead.

6 hours ago, lethalweapon3 said:

I'm pulling for "Dunke Schoen."

~lw3

Are you a writer for Bob's Burgers?

1 hour ago, Lurker said:

I mean American society can get interested in what athletes are doing outside of sports, but if they aren't actually committing the crime they don't care about what the athlete is doing. They can take a million selfies with criminals but if they aren't committing a major crime, no one cares.

Uhh, do you remember how upset @AHF was when those Hawks hooligans were out LATE AT NIGHT!!!!  Screw breaking the law, if you break middle school curfew, you'll have an army of crotchety old men calling for your job.

3 minutes ago, macdaddy said:

2:10

*HORFCLAP

This is a very well made video by a guy who does a lot of compilations on youtube.  I'm actually a bit impressed with Dwight's athleticism on many of these.  Can't wait to see him rocking the rims at the highlight factory!!!

Edit:  As I watch more of this, I also really like how I see D8 running the floor in transition.  Exciting times to be a Hawks fan.

Editx2: LOL there was one stretch showing a Houston game against Atlanta.  He had like 8 dunks in that game!!!  Thanks Alice!!