[Wojnarowski] John Collins is suspended 25 games for violating NBA's Anti-Drug policy.

[jayu70]

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[HMFFL]

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Some news would be nice.
I expect the 25 games to remain.

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[jayu70]

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[Jamaaliver]

Hawks are going to destroy the Cavaliers that Monday night...

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[HMFFL]

Hawks are going to destroy the Cavaliers that Monday night...

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The entire team will be motivated.
Collins returning will be a good Christmas gift for me and make me more excited for 2020.

[Jamaaliver]

Big Pieces Returning For Hawks And Suns

Deandre Ayton and John Collins are getting close to returning to the floor as they serve their 25 game suspensions. The Suns and Hawks have had opposite seasons thus far, but will that change with these two back in the mix?



Within the span of two weeks, two of the premier young talents in the NBA were suspended for violating the terms of the NBA/NBPA Anti-Drug Program. Phoenix Suns center Deandre Ayton tested positive for a diuretic, and Atlanta Hawks power forward John Collins tested positive for Growth hormone-releasing peptide known as pralmorelin.

Each player received a 25-game suspension, but the direct effect on their respective teams has been very different.

The Hawks were crippled by the loss of their second-best player, who was expected to have a breakout year. The dynamic duo of Collins and Trae Young were off to a terrific start before the suspension was handed out. Five games into his third season, Collins was averaging 17 points, 9 rebounds, two assists and two blocks per game.

Both players are due back before Christmas — Ayton eligible to return on Tuesday against the Los Angeles Clippers and Collins on Dec. 23. After being absent for most of the season to date, how will their returns immediately affect their teams? Do their long-term plans change?

Spoiler:

There were hefty expectations for the Hawks heading into this season for good reason. They have an outstanding head coach in Lloyd Pierce, the roster is oozing with young talent like rookies De’Andre Hunter and Cam Reddish. With progression from Young and Kevin Huerter, Atlanta had every reason in the world to pursue a return to the playoffs.

After winning their first two games, Atlanta began to fall. They have two wins in their last 16 games, coming against Golden State and Charlotte. One of the biggest areas of concern for Atlanta is their defense. They rank 28th in opponent scoring and have the second-worst defensive rating in the league. Collins should be able to make a significant difference in this area. His shot-blocking skills are elite, and he is able to defend on the perimeter fairly well for his size. Should that translate to more fast-break opportunities for the Hawks, they’ll be in good hands with Young at the controls.

Collins will definitely have an impact on their defense, but even more so with their offense. He had been the second-leading scorer and should continue to be so once he is inserted back into the lineup.

Ultimately, getting these two talented big men back on the floor will benefit both teams tremendously. Their poor decision making and lack of awareness is a cause for concern, but neither of these two tried to deny or downplay what happened. They have owned up to what they did, apologized and served their time. They are ready to put this behind them and get back on the floor — so are the two organizations that are aiming to turn things around at the start of the new year.

Basketball Insiders

[kg01]

I will only accept Collins back if he returns with his hair grown back out.

[hawkmanreturns]

He can't come back soon enough. The Hawks' bigs have been a huge disappointment so far. He can make up for this colossal screwup by hitting the ground running. No rust, no slow starts.

[HMFFL]

Big Pieces Returning For Hawks And Suns

Deandre Ayton and John Collins are getting close to returning to the floor as they serve their 25 game suspensions. The Suns and Hawks have had opposite seasons thus far, but will that change with these two back in the mix?



Within the span of two weeks, two of the premier young talents in the NBA were suspended for violating the terms of the NBA/NBPA Anti-Drug Program. Phoenix Suns center Deandre Ayton tested positive for a diuretic, and Atlanta Hawks power forward John Collins tested positive for Growth hormone-releasing peptide known as pralmorelin.

Each player received a 25-game suspension, but the direct effect on their respective teams has been very different.

The Hawks were crippled by the loss of their second-best player, who was expected to have a breakout year. The dynamic duo of Collins and Trae Young were off to a terrific start before the suspension was handed out. Five games into his third season, Collins was averaging 17 points, 9 rebounds, two assists and two blocks per game.

Both players are due back before Christmas — Ayton eligible to return on Tuesday against the Los Angeles Clippers and Collins on Dec. 23. After being absent for most of the season to date, how will their returns immediately affect their teams? Do their long-term plans change?

Spoiler:

There were hefty expectations for the Hawks heading into this season for good reason. They have an outstanding head coach in Lloyd Pierce, the roster is oozing with young talent like rookies De’Andre Hunter and Cam Reddish. With progression from Young and Kevin Huerter, Atlanta had every reason in the world to pursue a return to the playoffs.

After winning their first two games, Atlanta began to fall. They have two wins in their last 16 games, coming against Golden State and Charlotte. One of the biggest areas of concern for Atlanta is their defense. They rank 28th in opponent scoring and have the second-worst defensive rating in the league. Collins should be able to make a significant difference in this area. His shot-blocking skills are elite, and he is able to defend on the perimeter fairly well for his size. Should that translate to more fast-break opportunities for the Hawks, they’ll be in good hands with Young at the controls.

Collins will definitely have an impact on their defense, but even more so with their offense. He had been the second-leading scorer and should continue to be so once he is inserted back into the lineup.

Ultimately, getting these two talented big men back on the floor will benefit both teams tremendously. Their poor decision making and lack of awareness is a cause for concern, but neither of these two tried to deny or downplay what happened. They have owned up to what they did, apologized and served their time. They are ready to put this behind them and get back on the floor — so are the two organizations that are aiming to turn things around at the start of the new year.

Basketball Insiders

I'm excited that both will be back. I hope both have immediate success.

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[Jamaaliver]

He can make up for this colossal screwup by hitting the ground running. No rust, no slow starts.

IIRC, he was traveling/practicing with the team as recently as late November. The assumption being that he's been with the team the whole time.

Hopefully that makes his transition back much easier and means his timing with Trae & the boys is still pretty solid.

[jayu70]

He's Baaack!!!

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NEW YORK — DeAndre’ Bembry didn’t know what to say to John Collins when he first saw him after hearing the news of Collins’ 25-game suspension for performance-enhancing drugs. It was awkward. So to lighten the mood, Bembry joked that Collins should get either a countdown clock or a calendar and cross off the days leading up to Dec. 23, the first day he’s able to fully return to the team.

“We’ve just been joking around with him to keep his mind right,” Bembry said. “I’ve already had a really good relationship with John. We’re brothers. I’m ready for him to come back.

“True ****, he’s going to help us get some wins.”

Spoiler:

The only “game” action Collins saw since early November came in post-practice scrimmages against assistant coaches and various end-of-bench players such as Evan Turner, Chandler Parsons and Tyrone Wallace before he was waived. Head coach Lloyd Pierce joked that all of his assistants had to get back into shape and become players themselves again because the better conditioned they were, the more they could push Collins in practice.

Pierce said earlier this week that he doesn’t think there’s going to be a major minutes restriction for Collins and didn’t want to hear any sort of excuse for him regarding his conditioning because he’s arguably the freshest body on the roster, although Pierce expects a moderate restriction on Monday night against Cleveland.

“I would like to punish him and play him 48 minutes,” Pierce joked.Barring an injury Monday, it’ll be the first game all season that the Hawks have played with all of their main contributors.

“We want to keep it that way, especially with us not being at full strength all season,” Huerter said. “In a way, we see the light at the end of the tunnel, and just getting through the end of these 25 games and trying to put a little run together because we do have a bit easier schedule. We’re still confident in what we can do. This season can be salvaged, regardless of what our record is. We found a way last year to turn our record around in the second half of the year and got a lot of good wins. We’re looking forward to doing the same thing this year.”

One player is not going to change the entire season, but he will provide stability for Pierce and the Hawks. Parker can return to being the sixth man full-time, and Carter’s minutes can be limited. It was a small sample size, but in the five games Collins played this season, he was a force on the defensive end, which is much-needed for the Hawks. The power forward position, defensively, has been horrific in Collins’ absence between Parker and Carter.

“John is still a growing defender himself,” Pierce said. “He struggled at the start defensively last season and had a great finish to the season defensively. He was having a great start to (this) season defensively, which we were encouraged by. The rhythm of defending and him learning how to be a solid defender is still an ongoing thing. By no means is he going to come in and be Rudy Gobert right off the start, but I am encouraged with what he showed us in the first five games. What he presents for us is an active body and a guy who can protect at the rim. He was engaged in those first five games and he was at the end of last year.

[Radioblacktive1]

Tempering my expectations for his first game back. I know he’s not coming off injury but he might as well be after missing that much time. Yeah he’s been practicing with the team but gametime is a different monster.

[HMFFL]

Tempering my expectations for his first game back. I know he’s not coming off injury but he might as well be after missing that much time. Yeah he’s been practicing with the team but gametime is a different monster.

My only concern is his conditioning for the speed of the game but he will get use to that quickly. I look forward to see how he uplifts the team with his return.

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[jayu70]

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“I don’t want to put John in a position where when he comes back, he solves our communication, our energy, our everything,” Pierce said after the Hawks gave up 143 points in a Dec. 17 loss to the Knicks. “John’s a great, energetic player, but he’s still a young player. He communicates and he’s bouncy and he gives us a pop, but it’s a total (team) thing. It’s everybody.”