Game Thread: Hawks in Brooklyn -- 12/16

[Jamaaliver]

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[ducler]

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[lethalweapon3]

Our intrepid Atlanta Hawks lick their wounds after a lambasting in Boston, finishing off their road trip with a Sunday matinee in Brooklyn against the Nets (3:00 PM Eastern, Fox Sports Southeast and 92.9 FM in ATL, YES Network in the BK). Two longtime assistants who patiently awaited their teams’ breakouts to earn opportunities to become a head coach meet today, with Hawks coach Lloyd Pierce following in former Hawks assistant Kenny Atkinson’s footsteps.

Atkinson is in his third season at the helm of Brooklyn’s patient rebuild. Things are looking up for the Nets (12-18), who seek to win their fifth straight. They’ve got young talent beginning to emerge, from the unfortunately injured Caris LeVert, and the high -and-rising Jarrett Allen, to the bag-securing Spencer Dinwiddie.

The sharp-shooting Joe Harris (45.3 3FG%), at age 27, is the oldest person aside from DeMarre Carroll and Jared Dudley in Coach Kenny's rotation. 20-year-old Latvian forward Rodi Kurucs has been instrumental during the Nets' latest streak, which includes wins over the Raptors and Sixers.

Even in the preceding 8-game losing skid, Brooklyn suffered close-shave losses at the hands of Jimmy Butler and Paul George, showing signs of enhanced competitiveness throughout. Under GM Sean Marks’ watch, they’ll continue to build with their own 2019 draft pick plus the one that came attached with former Nuggets forward Kenneth Faried.

Beyond that? Much like Trae Young wide open above the arc for the Hawks (6-22), I got nothing! Well, just some random thoughts. Including the most burning question that’s been eating at me all week.

Where the heck are Kent Bazemore’s and Vince Carter’s invites… NASA???

Whose podcast was this, anyway? Stephen Curry was a guest, who kicked off the lunar lunacy by segueing from banter about questionable dinosaur voices to ask the hosts, “We (homo sapiens, in general, not any of us personally) ever been to the Moon?” Baze and VC could’ve offered up the boringly obvious response. But this is a podcast, and why would you waste people’s time if you’re not gonna get cheeky on it? Is Elvis still alive and hanging out in disguise at shopping malls? YES! On a podcast, the answer is YES!

Getting the “No” reactions out of Baze and Vince that he absolutely anticipated, given at least two of them have likely had this breeze-shooting convo before, Curry responded with, “They’re going to come get us!”, referring to the folks that run around all day sizing up people for straitjackets. “Sorry, I don’t want to start any conspiracies,” Curry added, immediately before Bazemore starts a conspiracy on his behalf.

Old Dominion’s Finest asked Annie Finberg, the Hawks’ digital media guru and podcast producer/host, to go “do the research” on “Clockwork Orange” director Stanley Kubrick, who Moon-truthers suggest used his Hollywood pull to create fake footage of that one giant leap for mankind, Vince over Weis notwithstanding. The telltale sign someone is blowing smoke up your patootie about some truthy “fact” they claim they know? “Do some research!”, they’ll say. Anyone who has spent more than two minutes arguing on the Internet knows it’s a dead giveaway.

None of the blowback for Curry happens without his old pal inviting him and Andre Iguodala on his show, a program which sorely misses the input of Mike Muscala. It was Baze who got the ball rolling by questioning what we can really know about how dinosaurs sounded. Confucius say, “a BONE don’t tell you what the sound is!”

Heck, in the first place, it was a much more youthful Bazemore who first encouraged Steph to be unafraid of defying convention. Otherwise, he’d still be “Steven Curry”, just one more horse in Nike’s oversized stable of rubbery-shoe ambassadors. Ditching mighty Nike for Under Armour? Lobbing up Moon landing conspiracies? It’s Not Crazy, Until You Do It.

Bazemore running his mouth, by his lonesome, would’ve simply died on the online vine, as his thoughts typically do. Honestly, over years of watching him with the basketball in his hands during a live game, there’s been plenty of times where I’ve wanted to make Kent the next (okay, fine, “first”) man on the Moon, with a one-way ticket.

But, no, now that the Baby-Faced Assassin is playing along, just for the lulz, now we’ve got an international crisis on our hands! Scientists, historians, thinkpiece bloggers, everybody is stepping on each other’s toes to save Stephen Curry from himself.
I didn’t even know the lights were still on at NASA. But they found a spokesman, who is all to eager to “prove” the conspiracy wrong. Well, to one basketball player, in particular. Sorry, Baze, Vince, and Dre, go on and stay ig’nant if you wish, no one cares.

“We’d love for Mr. Curry to tour the lunar lab at our Johnson Space Center,” says the spokesperson. First of all, Mr. Spokesman Spaceman, does the town you hail from not already have a pro basketball team… I think called the “Rockets…” whose fans are so demonstrably not fond of Golden State that they ruined an intown restaurant grand opening by Steph’s wife? And yet, you’d love to have this Warriors icon swing by for, what, a spot of tea and some selfies?

“During his visit, he can see firsthand what we did 50 years ago, as well as what we’re doing now to go back to the Moon in the coming years, but this time to stay.” So, it takes Stephen Curry to get people amped up about kickstarting the American space program? Alright, sure. One of these days, Alice!

Don’t nobody give me that slop about, “Oh, but Curry is looked up to by millions of impressionable children around the world, and we’d hate for these poor tykes to be led astray by misinformation.” Have you even seen children these days? The least gullible crumb-snatchers ever created. Doubt it? Show me one child proudly rocking the UA Chef Curry nursing shoes. Exactly.

“Eat your peas, there are children starving in Africa.” “Well, why can’t I just send the peas there?” Sigh. The twerps stroll right past Curry on the “healthy” Wheaties boxes to get to the Chocolate Frosted Sugar Bombs in the cereal aisles every time. Why would they fall for some moonshot of a scientific opinion from him, or any pro athlete, in 2018?

Besides, if anyone’s being sincere with the “Won’t anyone think of the children?” claptrap, they would start by at least getting Bazemore (6+ assists in 3 of past 4 games; 1 game in prior 24) some free passes to Fernbank or something, never mind NASA. Who do they think looks up to Baze, exactly? Sane adults? I think not!

Alright, that’s enough mindless musing for the day. Let’s just hope the Hawks don’t put up another one of “those quarters” where we start pondering about stuffing them all in a time capsule for NASA’s next (or “first”, if you prefer) excursion to the Moon which, as everyone should know by now, is entirely made of scrumptious head cheese from NYC’s Meatpacking District. Don’t believe me? Do some research. Wake up, sheeple!

Let’s Go Hawks!
~lw3

[Jamaaliver]

If we can upgrade the SG position through the draft from Bazemore to one of RJ Barrett, Cam Reddish or Jarrett Culver, then we might really have something moving forward:

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[benhillboy]

Damn, Russell has a 30% usage? Never cared for him but Napier may get on the good foot tonight. Hopefully Bembry is matched on Dinwiddie for a fun matchup. We have a chance today, take us home Johnny and Velvet.

[benhillboy]

Dominique’s insightful keys to the game: “Have a good first quarter.”

[Jamaaliver]

We're getting run off the floor in Brooklyn. Damn. They're simply a better team.

Kudos to Kung Fu Kenny Atkinson...

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[benhillboy]

At first glance Allen and Dinwiddie both look like the last guys you’d ever select in a pick up game. Then they mop you.

[benhillboy]

Oh sh@t Demarre still alive.

[benhillboy]

We're getting run off the floor in Brooklyn. Damn. They're simply a better team.

Kudos to Kung Fu Kenny Atkinson...

A little late for this question but who were you in “The Old Country?”

[benhillboy]

If Bembry shoot another airball layup man I’m telling you

[benhillboy]

Ed Davis still alive too? Brooklyn got a life support machine in the locker room.

[benhillboy]

Jared Dudley bruh?!?! Drazen Petrovic at the scores table wtf.

[Jamaaliver]

Nets started pressing full court after made baskets.

In the first quarter.

With a 20 point lead.




Hawks promptly go on an 8 point run.

[Jamaaliver]

A little late for this question but who were you in “The Old Country?”

Never been to HawkSquawk.

[Jamaaliver]

Hawks bench has stepped in, played tough and gotten the deficit to single digits.

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[Jamaaliver]

Kent Bazemore plays so hard...but he's just terrible.

[Jamaaliver]

These Nets play like a Budenholzer coached team. All scoring from putbacks, fast breaks or three pointers. (Limit those opportunities and they can't buy a bucket.)

Watching the first half, it's really difficult to discern who their primary offensive player is.