Hawks vs Rockets GM 1: 2012-13

[MrMeltdown]

Maybe this is not the correct place for this but if it is here we have it. Looking forward to the game A.

[Admin]

Were else would a game thread go?? LOL

[HawksFan87]

So ready for the season to finally start tonight! GO HAWKS!!!

[hawkrule152]

Official starting lineup

Chris Vivlamore ‏@ajchawks

Hawks starters: Teague, Harris, Korver, Smith and Horford. Drew could go bigger at 2. #ATLHawks

[lethalweapon3]

So, capacity crowd tonight at the Highlight Factory, eh? If there is, I’m sorry to say, we won’t have Larry Drew’s newfangled run-and-gun-and-fun offense to thank for it. A lot of the extra eyeballs will be directed at the toast of Palo Alto, Cambridge, Taipei… and until a few months ago, Manhattan. Not even seven months passed between the time the Rockets offered up a backloaded, three-year, $25 million contract to Jeremy Lin and the time they dispatched him in the preseason via waivers, sending him on his way to a magical carpet ride through Madison Square Garden (by way of Erie). Tonight will be his first game playing as an NBA starter on the Philips Arena floor. You’ll recall that last March, the “Insani-Teague” hype (http://assets.sbnation.com/assets/1031196/insaniteague_medium.jpg) the Hawks PR crew conjured up as a feeble counter to “Lin-sanity” was thwarted when Lin could not play due to injury. In the one matchup with Lin at the Garden in February, he scored 17 points (second-lowest of the Linsanity Era to that point, w/ Melo and Amare back), but shot 55% and managed 9 assists as the Knicks stifled Atlanta early and withheld a second-half run. Lin leads the charge for a terribly young and highly unexpected roster -- only 3 players return from last year’s lockout-shortened campaign. In a New York State of Mind, some attendees will be at the arena hoping to see Lin falter. Many more are likely to be in the house wildly cheering him on. Which contingent goes home happier depends on what pressure Jeff Teague and Devin Harris provide. They’ll need to deny Lin his preferred shooting spots on the floor (middle-to-right side of the perimeter) and cut off his preferred dribbling direction (driving to his right). Forcing Lin to give up the ball and make his other teammates become playmakers can work to the Hawks’ advantage. Of course, there’s now another reason for a packed house tonight. Will the burden of Houston’s offense fall entirely upon Lin? Well, not by the hair of James Harden’s chinny-chin-chin! (I heard that snickering. Cut it out, that rhyme took me an hour!) Houston’s hirsute hero arrived right on time for the kick off of the season, as he went buckwild with 37 points and 12 assists in the season opener at Detroit. The addition of the reigning “Sixth Man of the Year” not only provides the spark the Rockets needed, it also neatly concludes the icy relationship between coach Kevin McHale and Kevin Martin, the team’s leading scorer from last season. When the frontcourt offensive options for Houston are slim, Atlanta will need Josh Smith to find his way over to help deal with Harden. It was hard to avoid writing off the Rockets as a playoff contender in the über-competitive West, even when considering last year’s overlooked edition needed an April collapse to miss out on the postseason. Now, they’re not even writing themselves off. Back before the draft, McHale told anyone who’d listen he had no intentions of bringing four drafted rookies to the roster on opening day. Houston’s selections were made by GM Daryl Morey with someone else in mind. They rolled the dice in this summer’s Dwight Howard Sweepstakes and came up craps. Fortunately, though, they didn’t come up WITH crap. Versatile forwards Terrence Jones and Royce White (along with Jeremy Lamb, jettisoned in that Harden trade) showed promise in the summer league, and they’re in an almost ideal situation to develop. None of the Rockets’ rookies will be pressed into the starting lineup until their limited performances demand it. Also in that rookie mix is Donatas Motiejunas, a 2011 draftee who had a successful run in Poland. Just a factoid to make some of you feel old: the Lithuanian began playing his youth basketball at “The Arvydas Sabonis School.” None of the rooks played on Wednesday, but a couple may get some burn tonight in the first of a back-to-back for Houston (their home opener is tomorrow night against Portland). Houston was bottom-five among 2011-12 teams in free throw rate, as even notorious foul-seekers like Martin couldn’t find their way to the line. They’ll need new fulltime starter Patrick Patterson, who missed the Detroit opener due to a quad injury but is expected to play tonight, to step into Luis Scola’s shoes and become more of a banger on offense. As a sub last year, Patterson averaged less than one foul attempt over 23 minutes of action per game. Houston was also bottom-five in getting assisted buckets at the rim. They’ll look to Lin and maybe rookie Scott Machado to create connections with a new bevy of bigs, led by former Bulls Bench mob stalwart Omer Asik (bless you). He can be a ferocious finisher when he can get his hands-of-stone around the ball for “gimme” baskets, so Hawks plugging the passing lanes and causing disruption will be the order of the day. Hack-Asik, if necessary, will also be a good idea as he hits on about half his freebies. It’s more likely the Hawks will get a lot of Chandler Parsons and Patterson cutting to the rim for roll-man shots and putbacks. Boxing out will be critical with these two on the floor. The point guards now also have more options for pick-and-pop action. Arriving with Harden was former Three-Point Shoutout champ Daequan Cook. He and free agent acquisition Carlos Delfino will be seeking quick catch-and-shoot opportunities wherever they can find them. Rocket opponents scored with regularity at the rim last season (top five in most field goals made within two-feet), largely unassisted (bottom five in assisted-basket percentage). It appears there was a lot of posting-up and blown defensive assignments going on, although Sam Dalembert may have gotten some help from late-season acquisition Marcus Camby in plugging the leaks. Both are gone, but Asik, new acquisition Cole Aldrich, and rookie Greg Smith will be pressured to stay out of foul trouble and cut back on the bunnies Rocket foes became accustomed to. Houston was called for the fewest fouls in preseason, so if that trend holds there may be few free throw opportunities for the Hawks tonight. Where Houston’s opponents did struggle last year was at the three-point line (bottom-five in FG%). Kyle Lowry had quite a bit to do with that, as did, apparently, McHale replacing Martin in the starting lineup with Courtney Lee. Like Camby and Dalembert, both Lee and Lowry have moved on, and it’s now incumbent upon the new arrivals to tighten up their focus defensively on the perimeter. For his part, Lin was third in the NBA preseason for steals. If the three-point defense turns into a sieve for Houston, look for a boost in minutes tonight for former Knicks defensive standout and Jonesboro, Ga. resident Toney Douglas. Asik was the preseason’s leading rebounder, and was top ten in the NBA for total rebounding rate last season. On defense, he and Aldrich are likely to pack themselves under the basket, leaving capable big-man shooters Al Horford, Anthony Tolliver, and even Ivan Johnson open for copious mid-range shots as the Hawks’ guards draw attention in the lane (no, not you, Josh. But you can crash the boards instead, if you like!) This will be a great test for the Hawks against a team that can throw a little height, if not much more, at them. Nine Rocket players are 6’8” or higher, and before the recent cut of Shaun Livingston, they theoretically could put out any number of lineups without falling below 6’7” anywhere on the floor. The trick is to get transition and fastbreak opportunities by forcing the Rockets with defensive pressure to keep putting the ball on the floor. In the preseason, the Hawks topped the league in turnovers created on defense, and were next-to-last in turnovers on offense. Winning the turnover margin battle will help give Atlanta the edge tonight. Let's Go Hawks! ~lw3

[PSSSHHHRRR87]

Ready for Nique to give us the season's first "Heat check!!!". lol

[MrMeltdown]

I missed most of first half only saw like last 8 minutes and I will tell you that I don't like what I saw. No rebounding or defense at all

[TheTruth]

I missed most of first half only saw like last 8 minutes and I will tell you that I don't like what I saw. No rebounding or defense at all

That was the recurring theme in the first half. Get ready to witness it for 82 games with this personnel.

[MrMeltdown]

Sad, I can see us going 0-6 to start the season.Issues:Teague has to play defense all the time. He did well in the 2nd half.Al is simply overrated.Josh is not that good or smart.LD has bad rotations, meaning he leaves guys in too long and takes guys out too soon.0-6 will be good for us if we start making moves.

[lethalweapon3]

...and Willie Green just tomahawk dunked on the Lakers. Okay, ex-Hawks, don't start trolling, now!~lw3

[lethalweapon3]

Boxing out will be critical...

~lw3

[Duff_Man]

Anatomy of a Josh Smith fast break from last night:-Get defensive rebound-No outlet. Proceeds to bring the ball up himself.-Leaves feet to make a pass.-Makes one-handed bounce pass.-Ball never gets to recipient, but Hawks ball.-Hawks Turnover. Zero points.He broke FOUR basic fundamental rules in 8 seconds. Truly amazing.