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Five questions for Hawks after preseason

Posted: Mon Oct 25, 2010 1:27 am
by HMFFL
Five questions for Hawks after preseason

1. Will they respond to Larry Drew and his message?

Drew is in his first season as head coach after six years as an Atlanta assistant. He's trying to change the team's approach to offense, and he's also looking to alter its attitude, particularly on defense.

Yet only once in seven preseason games (Thursday against the Heat) did Drew acknowledge he saw all-out effort and intensity on defense for four quarters. Opponents shot 46.6 percent against the Hawks during the preseason, fifth worst in the league, and their -4.6 rebounding margin was third worst.

2. Can Drew get his offensive system installed before the regular season?

After the first week of practice Drew said he was ahead of schedule in implementing his motion offense. Several key players next suffered nagging injuries, setting back the progress.

Still, the early signs are positive for Atlanta's offense, and this is a drastic departure from the isolation-heavy sets of past years. Johnson, who had dominated the ball, so far seems willing to share it, and Atlanta has gotten lots of open shots from the motion.

3. Will the sting of last spring motivate them during summer two-a-days?

The Hawks were embarrassed by their series loss to Orlando in the Eastern Conference semifinals last May. The Magic's 101-point winning margin in the four games set an NBA record, and Atlanta players said the memory of that debacle is motivating them this season.

The Hawks said they wanted to let the Magic know they are a different team when they played each other last Monday. Instead Orlando, which has won eight of the last nine meetings in the regular season and playoffs, dominated the Hawks again in a 102-73 victory at Philips Arena.

4. Can Drew run the Hawks into shape?

Drew set the tone on the first day of camp when he had Hawks players run timed miles. The Hawks never really stopped running, with sprints as a regular part of practice and constant motion during drills and games.

Injuries also affected the Hawks in this area, but it's hard to think they aren't in shape after so much running.

5. Can Teague take over the point?

Mike Bibby will start the opener, which means Jeff Teague didn't unseat him as the starter. Teague suffered an ankle injury after the first preseason game and didn't return until Thursday, and his performance was uneven in the two games he played.

Drew wants Teague to play a major role because the guard can shore up Atlanta's shaky perimeter defense and push the pace on offense. However, he'll have to be more aggressive to win the job from Bibby.


#3 concerns me because if Orlando and Miami sweep us during the regular our motivation could very well go out the window. I'm very concerned about this happening.

Re: Five questions for Hawks after preseason

Posted: Mon Oct 25, 2010 1:37 am
by azuresou1
I'm 100% sure Miami won't sweep us. We have them I believe the second to last game of regular season, when they'll probably be resting their starters.