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Posted by: Micah Hart at 5:43PM EST on October 3, 2007
Another day of practice, and another three-plus hour marathon for the Hawks.
I saw most of the same stuff today as I saw on Tuesday, with more up-tempo work
to get the team accustomed to that style of play.
Continuing on another thread from yesterday, Joe Johnson was once again very
vocal.
I spoke with
himafter practice about increasing his leadership within the team, and
he definitely sounds like someone who is intent on asserting himself within the
locker room for the coming season.
In watching them run today, I saw another
thing that interested me: Josh Smith shooting (and making) a turnaround jumper
from the baseline. I don't know that I've seen him take (or make) many of those
in his career, and I know he spent his summer working out with Hakeen Olajuwon
on post moves, so perhaps this is a product of that. Either way, a turnaround J
would be a lethal addition to Smoove's offensive repertoire, as there is pretty
much no one in the league who would be able to block it.
We'll have to keep an
eye on it as the preseason progresses...
Catching their breath between drills
Shelden Williams shows off his free throw shooting touch
Hawks video coordinator John Beckett looks on with Tyrone Hill
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Posted by: Micah Hart at 2:01PM EST on September 17, 2007
With summer league play over (job well done Shelden and Acie, nabbing All-RMR
honors - and Al Horford might have if he hadn't hurt his ankle), and
nothing else really going on until the start of training camp in October, I
thought this would be a good time to take a look at the Hawks roster and check
out everyone's status on the team. It should be a good way to kill some time
over the next few weeks and help bridge the gap until the season starts!
Today we continue the series
with All-Star SG
Joe Johnson. How do you
think these players will do?
Leave your answers in the
comments!
2007 Highlights: Pretty tough to pick out Joe's best games in any
year, given his consistently excellent play. There was the Hawks-record
seven-straight games with 25+ points to start a season, that was pretty nice.
There was also a stretch of five straight games with 30+ points from November 28
- December 5. But my choice for his best game is the 39 points he dropped on
Orlando in a 93-90 road winon January 26, followed closely by a 37-point performance in another road
victory for the Hawks, the 101-99 OT
thriller at New Jersey on Feb. 4. Of course, it's also hard to forget
the 12 points he scored as a participant in the 2007 NBA
All-Star game, the first appearance of his career (but hopefully not the
last).
What he needs to work on this summer: Joe's game is pretty much above
reproach at this point. He does everything well - defends his man, shoots for a
high percentage, and is able to score in a variety of ways. If there is one
thing I'd like to see Joe do more, it's get to the foul line and make more free
throws once he gets there. For a guy who is as good a shooter as JJ is, he only
shot 75% from the line in 2006-07. Joe only averaged 5.5 FTs per game, whereas a
player like Dwyane Wade, got to the line 10+ time a game, and you can see where
Joe could improve his scoring average by 2-3 points a game if he drew a few more
whistles.
Otherwise, Joe just needs to continue to develop his arsenal. All the great
players continue to adapt their game, adding new wrinkles every year to keep
their opponents off-balance. It will be interesting to see what, if anything, JJ
added in his spare time this offseason.
Outlook for 2007-08: Clearly, Joe is the most important piece to the
puzzle for the Hawks. Last season he suffered through a rash of injuries
for the first time in his career, perhaps due to his Team USA duties throughout
the previous off-season. This summer he was able to take it easy, which
hopefully will keep him healthier. Teams know that stopping Joe is the key to
stopping Atlanta, so he will once again have to deal with a steady diet of
double- and sometimes triple-teams.
Joe's teammates developed some confidence in his absence towards the end of
last season, especially Josh Smith. Hopefully, their play also instilled some
confidence in JJ as well, who at times went it alone late in games to try to win
games for the Hawks. That's a lot of pressure for one player to deal with, and
not a great recipe for success if other teams know exactly what you are going to
do when you need buckets. If the other Hawks can continue to produce at a high
enough level to take some of the heat off, Joe can become even more dangerous to
opponents and the team could really take a step forward this year.
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Posted by: Micah Hart at 11:18AM EST on July 19, 2007
Joe Johnson has had a pretty quiet summer so far, taking care of his body
after missing significant time with an injury for the first time in his career
this past season. He is sitting out national team duty (certainly a potential
cause for his breakdown a little bit last year, it seems to happen to many of
the guys who play for their national team and don't get the summer off) to get
healthy, and in the meantime, he is doing what I'm sure we'd all like to do with
our time off - playing a little golf and a little poker. Ok, maybe that's just
me.
Recently JJ took part in Memphis Grizzlies F Mike Miller's charity
event in Tunica, Mississippi, participating in a poker tournament and sponsoring
a putting contest to help benefit the Boys and Girls Clubs of America.
Check out some pictures below from the event, which raised $25,000 for the
Mike Miller Foundation (photos courtesy of
Joe Murphy Photography).
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Posted by: Micah Hart at 4:46PM EST on May 23, 2007
USA Basketball announced some roster changes for this summer's Olympic
qualifying competitions.
The
biggest news first - Joe Johnson is
off the team for the time being due to injury. This is probably a good
thing, as the Hawks' team captain suffered from injuries last season for the
first time in his career and getting the summer off to get healthy is selfishly
very good for us.
He is not the only one taking the summer off - Chris Paul, Gilbert Arenas, Brad
Miller, Lamar Odom, Paul Pierce, and Dwyane Wade will also be inactive for the
national team.
In their place, eight players were added: Carlos Boozer, Tyson Chandler, Kevin
Durant, Jason Kidd, Mike Miller, Greg Oden, Tayshaun Prince, and Deron Williams.
What this means for Joe's long-term future on the team is unknown, but I imagine
he will always be in the mix for a spot so long as he is healthy.
In the meantime, use the time well Joe and get some rest - we need you for 2007-08!
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Posted by: Micah Hart at 3:20PM EST on May 3, 2007
Well,
Luol Deng won the NBA's Sportsmanship Award today, beating out our own
Joe Johnson amongst others. For being selected a finalist, the NBA will still
donate $10,000 to the charity of Joe's choice.
Personally, I'd love it if Joe reacted to losing this award by trashing a
hotel room or disparaging Deng, I suppose that would go against the spirit of
the whole thing.
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Posted by: Micah Hart at 4:18PM EST on April 20, 2007
Well, I suppose a valedictory of the season is warranted before we truly move
on to the business at hand of figuring out just where the ping-pong balls are
going to put us for the NBA Draft.
I look at the past season as a four-act play.
Act One - Hangin In:
This comprised most of the first quarter of the
season, where we battled through injuries (a recurring theme) to stand 8-9 after
an improbable 98-96 win at Denver on December 6. Things were looking up - we
were set to get Marvin Williams back from his broken finger, Joe Johnson was one
of the leading scorers in the NBA, and Tyronn Lue was playing the best
basketball of his career.
Act Two - Die Hard:
It began the next game out, as JJ hurt his calf
against the Lakers and things started to trend in the wrong direction. The
tipping point came in two games, as the Hawks failed to hold onto two late-game
leads (including a 21-point fourth quarter spread) against the Bulls and Jazz.
Those losses were devastating. I don't think I've ever felt two losses affect my
physical well-being as those games did, and I just work on the website. You can
imagine what it did to the team's confidence.
At this point, a perfect storm of circumstances caused the season to spiral
downward at an almost dizzying pace. T-Lue hurt his groin. Josh Smith had to
have surgery for a hernia. Speedy continued to deal with knee problems that
limited his effectivess. Joe's calf. Marvin's finger. Shelden's shoulder.
Childress's foot. It went on and on, and all while the team dealt with a brutal
schedule that saw the team face seven playoff teams in eight games (with the
eighth being Indiana, a team that was comfortably in the playoff picture at that
point).
Predictably, the team lost all eight games, and now, sitting at 9-21, hope
appeared lost.
Act
Three - The Resurrection: A surprising thing happened at that point. Act
Three saw the team begin to play better, starting with an 86-74 home win over
the Clippers on January 6. Despite a few bad losses (including consecutive
blowouts to Charlotte on back-to-back nights), the Hawks strung together some
impressive wins, including a home victory over Detroit,
on the road
at Minnesota, and home-and-away wins
against Orlando to take the season series. The Hawks finished January with a
winning record, the first time the team had achieved such a feat over a full
month since a 9-7 March back in 2002. February started off well too - the team
won three of four on a West Coast road trip going into the All-Star break
(including an all-but-inconceivable win at Phoenix), and things were looking up.
Even with all the injuries and the big losing streak, the team was just a few
games out of a playoff spot to start the second half and to top it off, Joe made
the Eastern Conference All-Star team (yeah yeah, I know it was as a replacement,
but we all know he was deserving, so shut it).
Unfortunately, that led to:
Act Four - the Deluge:
Another brutal stretch of scheduling (at
Chicago, home to Houston, Phoenix, and San Antonio, and at Dallas), saw the team
fall further back, and then the bottom dropped out when Joe Johnson was lost for
the season after suffering a calf injury at Miami
on March 5. The team responded
well at first, winning four straight, but eventually the loss of their best
player was too much to overcome. Further injuries continued to compound the
problem, and soon the playoffs faded from sight. Fans began rooting for the team
to lose (Commies) to protect the draft pick that heads to Phoenix if not in the
top three, and the team obliged, albeit unwillingly.
There were positives even in the free fall, as Josh Smith continued to show
off the game that leads many to predict All-Star game appearances in his future,
and both Marvin and Shelden Williams had strong finishes with increased playing
time.
Now, as we get ready to begin working on the script for 2007-08, it's time to
say thanks to all the fans who stuck with the team through a true roller-coaster
of a season. It was great at times and excruciating at times, but hopefully in
the end the team takes with them the necessary lessons to build towards
tomorrow.
Despite the season's finish, I find myself very optimistic about the future.
Yes, we finished with the 4th worst record in the league. But I refuse to
believe we couldn't have competed for a playoff spot, if not earned one
outright, if we had ever gotten the chance to play with a full deck. We didn't
and that's on us - every team deals with injuries, so you can't play the poor me
card too much. But I'm not ready to give up on this roster, and I think we are
set up to make some interesting moves this summer to improve.
So again - thanks to all the fans for your support this season. Good times
are around the corner, I can feel it. Stick with us.
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Posted by: Micah Hart at 2:48PM EST on March 21, 2007
Josh Smith was one agonizing point shy of his first career
triple-double on Monday, and for today's trivia question we asked who
was the last Hawks player to accomplish the feat.
The answer is Joe Johnson,
who rang up his first career tripadub (is that street lingo for it? it
should be if it's not) last Feb. 1 at Charlotte, finishing the game
with 15 points, 11 assists, and 10 rebounds. Congrats to Ying-Ju H., who wins tonight's tickets.
Incidentally, the last Hawks opponent to record a t/d was none other than Miami Heat PG Gary Payton,
who the Hawks will face tonight. Payton did it as a member of the
Lakers during the 2003-04 season, scoring 23 points to go with 10
assists and 10 rebounds.
Back with more in a bit to preview
tonight's game, which, if I didn't mention before (or this is the first
time you are reading the blog today), I will be doing a live-blog for.
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Posted by: Micah Hart at 4:23PM EST on March 7, 2007
Tonight is going to be a tough one, no doubt. Joe Johnson and Marvin Williams
will be joining Speedy Claxton on the sidelines, courtesy of injuries they
sustained Monday night in the loss at Miami.
Washington has been a particularly frustrating opponent so far this season,
as we have played well enough to beat them twice on the road, only to lose by a
single point each time.
What do we need to do tonight to get off the schneid? I spoke to Assistant
Coach HerbBrown earlier today for our Breaking Down the
Wizards segment, and he says the key to their offense is F AntawnJamison. I
was surprised to hear that, considering how many points Gilbert "Hibachi!"
Arenas is capable of scoring, but Brown says the Wiz can be had if Arenas gets
his 40 but they limit Jamison and CaronButler to ten apiece.
If we are going to win, we are going to need big-time scoring contributions
across the board, but particularly along the perimeter as that is where Marvin
and JJ get a lot of their points. Personally, I'd like to see more Josh
Childress after his performance on Monday, as he had a few very impressive
forays into the lane for points.
We are on a six-game slide, and yes, breaking that would be a lot easier if
we had two of our best scorers, but let's not feel sorry for ourselves. If
anything, this will give some of our younger players a chance to show if they
can contribute on a meaningful basis. To whit, Sekou Smith is reporting that
SolomonJones will be in the starting lineup tonight.
Come out tonight to support our guys - a win without Joe would be a huge
confidence boost.
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Posted by: Micah Hart at 11:23AM EST on February 28, 2007
Here at the Basketblog we are always looking for new and different ways to entertain you. Fortunately, we aren't the only website out there looking to do the same.
Jim Eichenhofer of Hornets.com emailed me the other day looking to see if I wanted to participate in a cross-site Q&A, and I was like, "Smurf yeah!". Ok, I didn't actually say that, because that would have been creepy, but I did think it was a terrific idea, and so we swapped a few questions for each other, and presto! A cool little back-and-forth.
Here is the link to the one Jim did for us about the Hornets. When they post the one I did, I will link to that as well.
In other news, Joe Johnson did a little Q&A of his own with Hoopsworld.com - check it out.
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Posted by: Micah Hart at 5:24PM EST on February 26, 2007
Last night's loss to Phoenix was a tough one, because the Hawks really played quite well in defeat. Tonight they take on the other title favorite, the Dallas Mavericks, in another game that will require the team's absolute best effort to come away victorious.
In playing the Suns and Mavs on back-to-back nights, the Hawks become only the second team to have to run that gauntlet this season. Houston played the two on consecutive nights back in mid-January, losing both. It's very, very possible that will happen to Atlanta as well, as Dallas is currently on an 11-game winning streak and is 46-5 since starting the season 0-4.
To win tonight, the team will have to get a great performance from
Joe Johnson - there is just no other way it's going to happen.
I am not knocking Joe by any means - some days you have the touch, and some days you don't. Most days, Joe has it. Yesterday, unfortunately, he didn't, and because of that we fell just shy of a major, major win. Three or four times against the Suns we got the ball to Joe for a wide-open shot that would have taken the lead or tied it up, and it just never fell. What can you do? It happens.
The Hawks video staff put together a
little montage of highlights
from yesterday's game if you care to check them out. For those who didn't make it, it really was one of the most entertaining games we've seen at Philips this year.
Check it out!
To win tonight, we basically just need to play like we did yesterday, but have Joe shoot better. Fortunately, the Mavs don't have a 7-foot inside dominator like
Amare Stoudemire. Unfortunately, they do have a 7-foot perimeter dominator in
Dirk Nowitzki, so we can't exactly breathe a sigh of relief.
Either way it goes down tonight, I am just hoping for good effort, and hopefully, if just a few (ok, maybe several) things go our way, maybe we can shock the world.
Tune in tonight on FSN South at 8:30 ET to catch all the action!
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Posted by: Micah Hart at 12:23AM EST on February 19, 2007
The game is over, and the West has won. Bully for them. I wouldn't say this game stood out in any particular way, except for getting to see Joe play, which was the highlight for me. JJ ended up playing the entire fourth quarter, which was exciting. He finished the game with 12 points, third-best on the Eastern Conference team, which though it doesn't mean a whole lot I think it helps him continue to edge his way into the American basketball conscious.
I joined the fray to talk to him after the game, and to be honest, he said all the things you'd expect him to say: he was happy to be here, he enjoyed being in the game and spending time with the other players over the course of the weekend, etc. But I wanted to ask him one thing, and so I did. I wanted to know about his dunk.
Well, that about wraps it up for me from Vegas. I had a blast, I hope you all enjoyed reading along with me as well. And, wouldn't you know it, I actually have a ticket into a party tonight after all, courtesy of Hawks CMO Lou DePaoli, a stand-up guy if there ever was one. Everything works out in the end! Yay Vegas!
I leave you with a few more pics from tonight, mostly of a few pre-game shots and some post-game interview shots. If I am able to chat up any celebrities (please let it be Chappelle!) later tonight, I will post something about it tomorrow.
Good night!
Louis Gossett, Jr!
Sir Charles signs something for Greg Anthony's son (I assume)
Las Vegas Mayor Oscar Goldman addresses the media. It's good to be the king.
ESPN's Stephen A. Smith listens in to questions asked to Dwyane Wade before probably shouting something to someone
D-Wade had a quiet night with 10 points and 3 assists
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Posted by: Micah Hart at 10:48PM EST on February 18, 2007
10:45 - As if to show they mean business, Eddie Jordan has put JJ back in the game to help get the East back into the game. His faith is rewarded as Joe immediately hits a three from the elbow. Mehmet Okur answers for the West, and now its 123-94. Okur hasn't played much today, but he is the first NBA All-Star from a country pronounced like a food. Chile, hang in there, you'll get one someday.
10:48 - Does it sound like I have a man-crush on Shaq? It just may. Amazingly, despite all the action on the court, it appears he found time to sneak away to a computer and see that I advocated he try to take someone off the dribble. Never one to disappoint me, Shaq just dribbled the ball up the court and tried to take Okur with a few crossover moves at the top of the key. Sadly, his jumper was off target, or this place would have really erupted.
10:50 - Joe down the lane for two more, cutting the deficit to 27 with 8 minutes to go. They just showed Dave Chappelle again on the jumbotron. Please let me end up at whatever party he is at tonight. Or let me end up at any party.
10:53 - MVP update. Kobe just scored five straight, he now has his jersey number, 24. But Stoudemire just returned to the lineup. It's pretty much between the two of them at this point. Also, Caron Butler comes in to replace Joe (thanks coach!). With 6:20 left to play, that may have been the last we see of JJ, who I think acquitted himself well in his limited minutes. He'll be back for more of these.
10:56 - Whoops! Spoke too soon. JJ is still in the game, and just dribbled between most of the Western "defense" for a nifty left-handed reverse. He is now 4-5 from the field for 10 points. Huzzah!
11:00 - I am enjoying doing this blog, but it has been hard to follow the action every now and then when I have been staring at the computer. Apparently, I just missed perhaps the highlight of the night, as during the break the Flying Elvises (possibly not their real name) performed a trampoline dunk routine. I wasn't watching, but at the very end, Gilbert Arenas came out and jumped off the trampoline, put the ball between his legs, and rammed it home. Please, please let that be on Sportscenter later or something, it sounded really cool.
11:07 - Just over two minutes left to play, and the West leads 147-123. I'm just going to go ahead and say it - LeBron is being a ballhog. Boooooooo.
11:09 - OH MY GOD. JOE DUNKED! Sorry for the caps there, but it's just not something he does very often. This is probably as good a time as any to mention this:
I think we all agree that Joe is heavily underrated by the general public, witness his lack of support in the All-Star voting. Well, I figured out how we can get him more notoriety - he needs to grow an old school, Dr. J-style chin goatee, like three inches long or so. It would be so tight. I decided to explain my plan to him at practice last week before they left for the road trip, and I am sad to say it's a no go. Not because he didn't like the idea, but because he can't grow the facial hair required! Dooop!
I won't give up though - he is only 25, he may still be able to pull it off if he starts shaving more.
11:12 - And that's your ballgame! The West wins 153-132 over the East, let by Kobe's 31 points. I will assume he gets the MVP award. Joe ends up with 12 points, and he played for most of (if not the entirety of) the fourth quarter. Just for that, I won't prank call Eddie Jordan's hotel room later on tonight.
Ok kids, it's been fun. I hope you enjoyed the game - it was fun from here (and they are now announcing Kobe as the MVP. The crowd is reacting much more favorably to it than the Philly crowd did in 2002, but I guess that's not much of a surprise. George Bush probably gets a better reception in the Middle East than most people get in Philly.
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Posted by: Micah Hart at 1:11AM EST on February 18, 2007
Wrapping up for Saturday night in Las Vegas...
The All-Star Saturday night festivities were really fun to see live for the first time ever. The dunk contest was very entertaining and I appreciated the contestants creativity, but it still feels like the show has run it's course.
Here are all the interviews I promised you from earlier today:
All in all, a pretty fun day. I was hoping to show you hilarious video of Shaq, LeBron James, and Dwight Howard breakdancing after practice, but the files were too big for youtube. Booooo.
I saw a little of it on Sportscenter, so I am sure a lot of people know about it by now, but I promise when I get back to the ATL I will post what I got in its entirety, and lacking that, will find a longer version of it somewhere, because you must see it. It was as funny as Barkley vs Bavetta.
Ok, that's it for me today. It's been real. I leave you with some pictures of the interviews after practice today, and I will be back tomorrow for a live blog of the All-Star game itself. Go Joe!
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Posted by: Micah Hart at 9:19PM EST on February 17, 2007
Coming at you live now from NBA All-Star Saturday Night. Right now the Haier Shooting Stars competition is going on, which I have to say, I am enjoying more than I thought I would. Maybe it's because I just watched Michael Cooper miss, oh I don't know, 14-15 three-pointers in a row. Sorry, I grew up a Hawks fan, so I never liked the Lakers. The Pistons just won it because the Bulls shot out of turn. Cheaters. Bill Laimbeer was one of the participants for Detroit (each team consists of a WNBA player, an NBA player, and an alum from the team's past), and I swear, I don't know how he ever made a shot with his form. Of course, he didn't make that many tonight either, but at least now he can use age as an excuse.
Today was a good time. I overcame a credential crisis to make it to the practice session earlier, where I got a chance to talk to Joe Johnson about making the All-Star team, which I promised I would get to you. Well, I am a man of my word, so here it is. I don't know if you can tell from listening to it because Joe is so understated, but he really seems excited to be here.
The Eastern Conference practiced from 11:00 - 11:45, and following that they were available for interviews. I don't think I've seen Joe talk to this many people in his life, but he handled it pretty well.
The media crush was ridiculous, with everyone clamoring to talk to the NBA's cream of the crop. I used the opportunity to get some feedback from some of the guys about Joe's performance this year, in particular some of his former co-workers in Phoenix. I also got a chance to talk to TNT's Kenny Smith (a former Hawk) about Johnson, as the TNT crew all left JJ off their picks for the Eastern Conference squad originally. I won't say I held his feet to the fire too bad, but I at least asked him to explain himself. I suppose I will let it slide.
I will post all of those interviews shortly. But right now I have to stop salivating over the computer - Charles Barkley is about to race Dick Bavetta. If you haven't been following this, it is really one of the funniest things ever. Basically, Barkley claimed on a TNT broadcast that no 67-year old man could ever beat him in a race, and now we are about to find out if that is true or not. I can't imagine Barkley is in shape enough to beat Bavetta (I'm not even sure he is in shape to finish the race period), but he is a fierce competitor, and who knows what he is capable of when his adrenaline is pumping.
Back with more in a bit, unless I have passed out on the floor from laughter.
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Posted by: Micah Hart at 2:14PM EST on February 15, 2007
We here at the Hawks website could not be happier for Joe Johnson, who, as you may have heard, has been vindicated and added to the Eastern Conference All-Star team (I think we may have mentioned it in passing at some point in the last day or so). Joe was a deserving choice, as all Hawks fans know. But, in the interest of full disclosure, I had selfish reasons for wanting Joe to make it to Vegas as well.
For awhile now, we on the website have been planning on making the trek cross-country to the City of Sin in the event that
Joe
Johnson
The
biggest news first - 
Act One - Hangin In:
Act Four - the Deluge:
10:48 - Does it sound like I have a man-crush on Shaq? It just may. Amazingly, despite all the action on the court, it appears he found time to sneak away to a computer and see that I advocated he try to take someone off the dribble. Never one to disappoint me, Shaq just dribbled the ball up the court and tried to take Okur with a few crossover moves at the top of the key. Sadly, his jumper was off target, or this place would have really erupted. 
Wrapping up for Saturday night in Las Vegas...
Coming at you live now from NBA All-Star Saturday Night. Right now the Haier Shooting Stars competition is going on, which I have to say, I am enjoying more than I thought I would. Maybe it's because I just watched Michael Cooper miss, oh I don't know, 14-15 three-pointers in a row. Sorry, I grew up a Hawks fan, so I never liked the Lakers. The Pistons just won it because the Bulls shot out of turn. Cheaters. Bill Laimbeer was one of the participants for Detroit (each team consists of a WNBA player, an NBA player, and an alum from the team's past), and I swear, I don't know how he ever made a shot with his form. Of course, he didn't make that many tonight either, but at least now he can use age as an excuse.
For awhile now, we on the website have been planning on making the trek cross-country to the City of Sin in the event that