Teague to discuss his playing time with Drew

[Wurider05]

Name of external link

Hawks guard Jeff Teague says that coach Larry Drew hasn't spoken to him about his reduced minutes.

Teague plans to have a conversation with the coach when the Hawks return to Atlanta.

The young guard's playing time has been up-and-down and he didn't play in a game for the first time this season in New York on Saturday night.

"It is part of coaching; it is part of the game," he said. "I thought he was doing what is best for the team. We are on a winning streak, so I'm happy the team is winning.

"I've got to be a professional. You've always got to be ready."

Via Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Read more: http://www.realgm.com/src_wiretap_archives/70305/20101129/teague_plans_to_discuss_minutes_with_drew/#ixzz16g8OGAmg

Is this something appropriate to be out there like this. Why tell the media this instead of just talking to the coach in private. I don't think that Teague is trying to cause a problem but LD might like the fact that he went to the media first. We don't need this kid in the doghouse right now.

[Vol4ever]

Name of external link

Is this something appropriate to be out there like this. Why tell the media this instead of just talking to the coach in private. I don't think that Teague is trying to cause a problem but LD might like the fact that he went to the media first. We don't need this kid in the doghouse right now.

I remember all of you Drew huggers when he was hired said he would have Teague as the starting point guard. I am certainly not a coach but I believe that Drew has decided that Teague cannot play significant minutes in this league. I personally like to see Teague out there because I know the tempo would step up.

[macdaddy]

I remember all of you Drew huggers when he was hired said he would have Teague as the starting point guard. I am certainly not a coach but I believe that Drew has decided that Teague cannot play significant minutes in this league. I personally like to see Teague out there because I know the tempo would step up.

I guess you aren't happy with Drew? Anyway. Drew said from the beginning that guys had to earn their minutes. I don't think Drew has decided anyone's future fate. He's only decided that Teague has't earned his minutes with the way he's played so far. If you just throw guys out there for the exact same minutes every game regardless of how they play then they have little motivation to step up their game. Isn't this coaching 101?

[Sothron]

I remember all of you Drew huggers when he was hired said he would have Teague as the starting point guard. I am certainly not a coach but I believe that Drew has decided that Teague cannot play significant minutes in this league. I personally like to see Teague out there because I know the tempo would step up.

Teague has looked horribad on offense this year. Why would any coach just feed him minutes just to say they gave him minutes? This is the Association. You have to earn playing time.

[spotatl]

He hasn't done enough to earn playing time this season. Thats great that he isn't content to just collect a paycheck and he wants to talk to the coach about what he can do to earn more minutes. I still can't believe that there are people that want to see Teague starting.

[exodus]

If he could actually score he might get more minutes.

[JohnnyCASH]

if he didnt suck on offense he would get more mins the scouting on him gotta say dribble drive floater 80% miss

[terrell]

I remember all of you Drew huggers when he was hired said he would have Teague as the starting point guard. I am certainly not a coach but I believe that Drew has decided that Teague cannot play significant minutes in this league. I personally like to see Teague out there because I know the tempo would step up.

At least Drew has giving the kid some opportunities. Woody NEVER did that. Teague just hasnt taken advantage of it. He still seems timid out there. Signs of the Woodson effect on young players.

[pimp]

Name of external link

Is this something appropriate to be out there like this. Why tell the media this instead of just talking to the coach in private. I don't think that Teague is trying to cause a problem but LD might like the fact that he went to the media first. We don't need this kid in the doghouse right now.

It's not like he went out of his way to talk to the media about this

He was likely asked by a reporter and just gave an honest answer.

[ATLSmith]

This is a good thing. The coach can't always take the initiative to have these conversation. I'm glad Teague is taking the initiative.

[spotatl]

Signs of the Woodson effect on young players.

Its truly impressive how much creativity people are using to still blame Woodson for the failings of this team. When we look back on it, Woodson has had a pretty good trackrecord judging young talent. People though he was misusing Salim and now Salim is out of the league because no coach wanted him. People thought he misused Acie but now Acie has been discarded by 3 more teams since leaving the Hawks and the Grizzlies have been working out undrafted free agents to take his roster spot. Shelden Williams is now on his 4th team since leaving the Hawks and is making the minimum salary. We now have a lot of evidence that it wasn't Woodson's fault he couldn't get these guys to produce, they were just bad draftpicks.

So now we have Teague- and early on Woodson thought he wasn't good enough to help a playoff team. But with a young player its tough to know if the coach is just being too hard on them or if the player was a bad pick. The only way to really find out is to see what another coach can do with the player. And to this point I haven't seen anything to make me think that Woodson was wrong about Teague. I just think its funny that when Teague plays poorly for a new coach you still blame Woodson instead of thinking that Teague might not be ready to help a playoff team.

[macdaddy]

Its truly impressive how much creativity people are using to still blame Woodson for the failings of this team. When we look back on it, Woodson has had a pretty good trackrecord judging young talent. People though he was misusing Salim and now Salim is out of the league because no coach wanted him. People thought he misused Acie but now Acie has been discarded by 3 more teams since leaving the Hawks and the Grizzlies have been working out undrafted free agents to take his roster spot. Shelden Williams is now on his 4th team since leaving the Hawks and is making the minimum salary. We now have a lot of evidence that it wasn't Woodson's fault he couldn't get these guys to produce, they were just bad draftpicks.

So now we have Teague- and early on Woodson thought he wasn't good enough to help a playoff team. But with a young player its tough to know if the coach is just being too hard on them or if the player was a bad pick. The only way to really find out is to see what another coach can do with the player. And to this point I haven't seen anything to make me think that Woodson was wrong about Teague. I just think its funny that when Teague plays poorly for a new coach you still blame Woodson instead of thinking that Teague might not be ready to help a playoff team.

You're right about this except that some of these guys need development. Its one thing to ask a vet to 'be ready when i call you'. Its another to ask a guy who's logged 50 minutes of nba basketball. Even if they screw up you have to give these guys minutes when the games don't mean as much. If only to not wear down your starters. 53 wins is great but we saw what it meant when we ran out of gas in the playoffs.

Sheldon is actually having his best year now with Denver. Its not that anyone expected him to be a starter here. We just expected that he could play a role and spell the starters some minutes. Even with the Celtics he played meaningful minutes.

[spotatl]

macdaddy- to me the question is what you do as a coach if you think that a guy was just a poor pick and doesn't have what it takes to make it in the league. Do you throw them out for 20 minutes a name no matter what? To me the proper way is to pick and choose their spots where you think that they can be successful, and once they show that they can handle that then you slowly start to expand out their role. But if someone doesn't get it done in your cherrypicked spots, then I think its pretty reasonable to make them show more in practice before just handing them minutes.

[WraithSentinel]

LD has given Teague plenty of chances to prove himself this year. Hawks were basically giving Teague the starting job and begging him to take it. He had all offseason,TC and preseason to win that job. He still couldn't beat out Bibby. From his play so far this season he isn't showing any progress. Teague doesn't need to bother talking to LD about playing time. He need to have a long talk with himself here.

[capstone21]

His jump shot needs a lot of work and his playmaking needs to improve

A pg has to run the offense and I don't see enough of that from him yet.

I see signs of it here and there. He just needs to put it all togother

[frosgrim]

I just don't think Teague has what it takes to be a successful PG in the NBA. His lack of shooting wouldn't be a problem if he had the leadership skills to run the point. Unfortunately, he doesn't have the shoot or the leadership to be a PG. Teague was drafted off or raw talent and the hope he'd develop. I think we've seen the "if he could develop" scenario here enough to realize it isn't going to happen.

[macdaddy]

macdaddy- to me the question is what you do as a coach if you think that a guy was just a poor pick and doesn't have what it takes to make it in the league. Do you throw them out for 20 minutes a name no matter what? To me the proper way is to pick and choose their spots where you think that they can be successful, and once they show that they can handle that then you slowly start to expand out their role. But if someone doesn't get it done in your cherrypicked spots, then I think its pretty reasonable to make them show more in practice before just handing them minutes.

That's exactly right which i think is what LD is doing. In my opinion after the first week of the year Woody never pick any spots for guys outside the 7 player rotation other than absolute garbage time. Which really isn't experience. The thing about Woody is he either lied to the press delibrately or was unable to heed his own advice. He's the one who talked about not running Joe into the ground and "I've got to find ways to get the bench involved" etc. and so on. He just never could do it.

When Sheldon went to Boston the stats showed he only averaged 10 minutes a game but he wasn't just loggin garbage time. He was substituting to give the starters rest and he was hustling, rebounding when the games mattered.

[JackB1]

Teague doesn't show any confidence out there to run the point. Many times he will dribble the ball up and immediately pass off to Joe or Bibby and go run in the corner.

How does that help? He needs to stay on the point and look for plays to develop or be more aggressive driving the ball to the lane like we all know he can do. He just

doesn't seem to want this enough and it's a shame because we need him badly. JC2 shows more to me than Teague and he's not even a real PG. I think Drew has given

Teague ample minutes to show us something and he plays scared and unaggressive most of the time. He has to look at every minute as an oppotunity to show what he

can do and take charge. Obviously Drew is seeing the same things we all are and feels it's not enough to warrant the minutes.

[WraithSentinel]

Teague doesn't show any confidence out there to run the point. Many times he will dribble the ball up and immediately pass off to Joe or Bibby and go run in the corner.

How does that help? He needs to stay on the point and look for plays to develop or be more aggressive driving the ball to the lane like we all know he can do. He just

doesn't seem to want this enough and it's a shame because we need him badly. JC2 shows more to me than Teague and he's not even a real PG. I think Drew has given

Teague ample minutes to show us something and he plays scared and unaggressive most of the time. He has to look at every minute as an oppotunity to show what he

can do and take charge. Obviously Drew is seeing the same things we all are and feels it's not enough to warrant the minutes.

You just describe Acie Law which is who Teague is reminding me of with every game that passes.

[exodus]

You just describe Acie Law which is who Teague is reminding me of with every game that passes.

Relative to Acie he is doing a much better job of finishing inside. The form on his jumpshot is a major problem though. If he isn't shooting a wide open standstill shot it seems like he has virtually no chance of making it. It is fugly.

I think the Wizards game bothered him. They were up 30 and he still couldn't get in.