09-10 Wrap Up: Grades, Memories

[benhillboy]

Congrats on a great season for the young Hawks. They are now a 50+ win tram A.K.A. A Team of Respect. Just wanted to see what the board thought as to each guy's performance and what they'll take from the 09-10 campaign, but I know the real basketball starts this weekend.

What I take form this year:

1. Al and Josh coming into their own.

2. Jamal Crawford's season-long perimeter game exhibition.

3. Marvin setting new standards for Starting 3 futility.

Bibs C-: Wasn't asked to do much, didn't do much

Joe B: Simply not my style of player, but I salute and totally respect 21-5-5 on a 50+ win team who never slacks defensively

Marvin F: Size was, is valuable. Otherwise, awful, underachieving, disappointing, lost.

Josh A-: Matured and Smartened to Maximize World-Class athleticism, played 81, had spectacular 2 week run, but still shooting jumpers

Al: A: Leaugewide +/- Heavywieght, played 81, developed automatic short jumper, double-double average. Has arrived.

Craw: A+: Subtract his worst 2 weeks, and he was flawless.

Z: C: Reduced minutes but produced okay when needed, coming on strong at perfect time

Mo: C-: Pretty much sleep-walked through first 3 quarters of the season, at least shot 34% from 3 and defense always solid

Woody and Staff: B: Won 53, kept team healthy, fresh, and clicking for playoffs, dominant at home with Iso-Joe/Crawford and defensive focus

Rook, Joe Smith, Randolph Morris, Mario West, and Jason Collins all saw less than 10 minutes, so they get an Incomplete, even though they provided their fair share of laughs and flashes during garbage time. Honorable mention for Rio's obscene dunk in Chicago.

We have a Real NBA team. If we don't slack on the boards, force above-average turnovers, and metaphysically help Bibby drain his threes, in bunches, I can peacefully live with the results this postseason. Let's F*^kin' Go.

Edited April 15, 2010 by benhillboy

[Plainview1981]

Mike Bibby: D-

While a dip in his production this season due to the addition of Jamal Crawford was expected I was shocked by Bibby's crappy play in the middle of the season. He somewhat rebounded in March and April on the offensive end, but his lack his assists and passing has become below average for a PG and his defense is worse than ever.

Joe Johnson:A-

Joe rebounded from two mediocre shooting seasons to shoot 46% this year and although you don't really notice it on the stat sheet, I thought he played a fair bit better this season than the last two seasons. Still, he hasn't shown the explosiveness he had a few years ago when he averaged a career high 25PPG.

Marvin Williams:D-

His production seemed to drop almost all across the board this season. It's looking more and more like he's not starter material. The progression he supposed to have made from 3pt land last season did not carry over to this season and he saw his rebounding in the month of April drop to 4.4 rebounds per game. He also failed to average 12PPG in any month this season. More and more is looking like a near bust in addition to being overpaid.

Josh Smith:A

I thought Josh has best season in the NBA. His scoring, passing, and rebounding were all better than in years past and I felt that he took less games off this season. It was good to see him rebound after a fairly poor season last year in which his blocks and boards fell way off.

Al Horford:A-

Al Horford took a step in develop after basically being idle last season. Al is basically the poor man's Elton Brand and it will be interesting to see if he can take another step next season. He also became the first player drafted by the Hawks to make the all star team since Kevin Willis back in 1991.

Jamal Crawford:B+

Jamal proved me wrong by easily fitting in with the team and becoming the teams 2nd leading scorer from off the bench. Despite some dips in play in the 2nd half of the season that annoyed me I must say he had a great overall season. If only he wasn't a liability on the defensive end. The question is will he be able to match this seasons production next year and in the playoffs.

Mo Evans:C-

It's good that Mo rebounded from a terrible Jan in March and April, but November and Jan were so terrible that I can't possibly give him a better rating than this. Truthfully, his value to the team is basically the same as Marvin Williams. Not completely useless, but pretty expendable in the overall scheme.

ZaZa Pachula:C-

He also had a good April, but his play was mediocre this season and I thought he was a big disappointment over all. He didn't make close to the impact he made last season, but hopefully he will make up for it with quality play in the playoffs.

Jeff Teague:C-

I'm cutting him a bit of a break since he didn't get any real minutes until April, but he really needs to improve over all as a player and hopefully he will cut into Bibby's minutes

Joe Smith:D-

I know he didn't play much this year, but he made almost no impact at all. Given minutes Randmo probably would have had a better season. Joe has been around a long time, but he clearly needs to retire now.

As for the rest... Who cares?

Edited April 15, 2010 by Hotlanta1981

[NineOhTheRino]

JJ / Crawford - A

Smoove - A-

He tapered off a bit towards the end

Joe Smith / Marvin - F

Bibby / Zaza - C-

Been improving of late

Acie - C

Played his butt off in Chi once he got some decent mins

Woody - C

Woody is what he is.

[tremor]

You give note to Acie but don't rate Horford?

Smoove, JJ, Horf: A

Crawford: B (doesn't play D)

Zaza, Teague: C+

Mo: C

Bibby, Marvin: C-

Joe Smith: D

[NineOhTheRino]

You give note to Acie but don't rate Horford?

Smoove, JJ, Horf: A

Crawford: B (doesn't play D)

Zaza, Teague: C+

Mo: C

Bibby, Marvin: C-

Joe Smith: D

my bad...

Horf A+

His jumper is 10x better

[lethalweapon3]

Mike Bibby (C-): Lobs to Smoove have been fun to watch. Guarding anybody with a pulse? Ehhh, not so much. He’s dangerously close to making the No-Fly List since if you listen real close, you can hear his body going “TICK TICK TICK TICK TICK…” Still solid with ball control, though (around 3.5:1 assists-to-turnover ratio), and provides a sense of stability on one side of the floor, most especially when his shot is falling. May be quietly grooming himself for a future coaching gig, but is Woody the guy he should be seeking as a mentor?

Jason Collins (F): Well, on the bright side, he did shoot almost 40 percent, and close to a couple of rebounds per game aren’t too much to complain about when you… wait, what’s that? Oh, snap, that’s JARRON Collins. Jason’s total minutes would barely you through an episode of Dancing with the Stars. Before last night’s 5-for-9 bonanza, JaCo was 3-for-14 shooting when he was available, including that “oh-no-he-di’nt!” jumper versus the Lakers a week ago. To recap: for the season, 21 Fouls, 16 Points, 14 Rebounds, 8 Field Goals, 5 Turnovers, 4 Assists, 3 Steals, 2 Blocks… and not even a Partridge in a friggin’ Pear Tree. Not even useful for trade filler. Why is he here again?

Jamal Crawford (A): Freed from the burden of having to jack up every other shot for sucky teams, Jamal found exactly what he needed in the Hawks. Freed from years of no reliable bench scoring, the Hawks found exactly what they needed in Jamal. He comes out on the floor like he’s in his den with bedroom slippers on, he’s just so comfortable with his shot selection… unconscious at times. He’s proven capable of both filling in briefly for Iso-Joe AND making the big shots when Iso-Joe has to kick out. Rick Sund out-thought an awful lot of Hawks fans (myself included) with this addition.

Mo Evans (D): Mo’s noteworthy contributions off the bench were, like a table of elements, periodic. With at least half the effort as his fellow reserves Zaza and Crawford, Mo could have snatched a few victories from the jaws of defeat, and at least given Marvin a reason to be a bit less lackadaisical at the small forward position. Mo regressed in terms of long-range shooting and free throws. He bulked up in the offseason with the intent to become a Kobe-stopper type, but we got to see more of that role out of Mario and Marvin.

Al Horford (A-): Probably would drop the minus if it weren’t for the post-All-Star swoon that dragged on for a couple weeks… plus, he and Josh seemed to be regressing in terms of defensive positioning for blocks and boards as the season wore on. Besides that, what’s not to like? Outside of Orlando, few teams in the East were getting better overall contributions at the five-spot (shooting percentages included). Ended the season nailing his free throws (no misses in his last nine games). 15-and-10 should be the floor for his game next season.

Joe Johnson (B+): Was not the night-in-night-out shooting superstar many dream of him to become… and that was okay, because on a team like this, he really shouldn’t have to be. Has never had to be the dunk-on-your-head highlight reel to get his 20+ points, either, and again it’s okay, he shouldn’t have to be. The Hawks can have 3-for-14 from Joe and still win because he consistently contributes in other ways. Passing (2.6 assists-to-turnovers) remains at the top among wing players, despite defenses collapsing around the increasingly predictable Iso offense. Snuck in his best rebounding and lowest turnover numbers since he left the Valley of the Sun. And as with everything else folks take for granted, he remains an unheralded defender. Whether Joe “deserves” whatever salary he amasses this summer may be in question. Whether he has done everything possible to put himself in position for a sweet payday is not.

Randolph Morris ©: We didn’t ask for much from the Human Victory Cigar, and we didn’t get much. Sure, you could quibble over three blocks in 28 games from a 6-11 guy, including none since Christmas. But let’s face it, the Hawks were 23-5 whenever RandMo checked in at the scorer’s table, and he genuinely tried to make a nice bucket or two to keep Hawks fans humored. Who wouldn’t want this job? He was the Russell Simmons to the Hawks’ Def Basketball Jam. “Thank you, and good night.” The season that Zaza gets this role is the year we’re parading down Peachtree with the Larry O’Brien Trophy.

Zaza Pachulia ©: Yes, ZP, we get it… we can’t see you! Especially when your minutes went down, as did many other things this season, like rebounding, points, free throws, and assists. But when there was an assist… whoo-hoo! Zaza and Joe Smith would make a great Odd Couple skit; they’re comedy gold on the floor together. The reduced stats I think have less to do with deterioration than the appearance that Zaza is finally learning to play within himself and calm the heck down. He’s accepted that if a team is relying on him to be a 30+minute option at center, then that team’s not terribly good. Zaza will continue to be a difference maker without trying so hard to be the Whole F’n Show.

Joe Smith (C-): He just keeps rolling. HE KEEPS ON ROLLI—oh, excuse me, I almost got carried away. The good thing is Joe was a veteran upgrade to Solomon Jones, and wound up approximating Solo’s production at almost half the price. Still, surely there were more productive free agent options available, particularly those that don’t rely on outside jumpers for their offense? I guess not at the pittance of vet-minimum salary Joe commanded. On the whole, he was probably a bit more of a comfort for the team when the starting bigs got in foul trouble, relative to prior-year options. Not sure if the Hawks are just resting him, but Joe amassed five or more rebounds in 10 games before the All-Star break, then not again until the season finale.

Josh Smith (A-): Sooner or later, we expected a return above the Mendoza line of 60.0 FT%, and a return to two-block-a-night dominance as well. But, honestly, over four dimes per game… second only to King James among forwards? Who saw that coming? Ever-grimacing around the refs, Smoove managed to keep the technical fouls (10) and ejections down, despite absorbing ridiculously uncalled fouls so bad his opponents should be granted those whack-a-mole batons in the paint. Falls short of the “A+” since he and Al struggled to keep up the defensive rebounding percentage later in the season, and since he seems to have replaced his 3-point shots with 2.75-point ones (indeed, his two-point FG percentage actually fell from last year). The national accolades he deserved this season should arrive later in his career if he keeps improving and the Hawks keep climbing.

Jeff Teague (C-): Yes, he looks closer to being the next Tevin Campbell than the next Mookie Blaylock. But in notoriously limited minutes, the young blur has turned in the quintessential rookie season: glimpses of future brilliance immersed in moments of OMFG-did-he-go-to-Wake-WTF-is-he-doing. I was hoping for a takeover at the PG spot by the Ides of March, but despite Bibby’s shortcomings it was painfully obvious Teague isn’t ready-for-prime-time quality… not yet. Missed assignments, awkward decisions in the paint, absurdly silly fouls – yep, sounds like a lower-first-round rookie the way they used to make ‘em. The offense as it’s currently constructed doesn’t quite fit Teague’s capacities, but there’s no guarantee this team will remain constructed this way, particularly at guard spots, so he remains a good asset for the future. Whether it was Jason Terry, Josh Smith, or Jeff Teague, Hawks fans are known to be a little hard on the Beav when it appears that somewhere, under all that crap, there’s a diamond waiting to shine. It’s premature to toss out Jazzy Jeff the way they used to do in Bel Air.

Mario West (C+): To opponents, he’s the Human Jock Itch. That fly that lands on your plate, that you swat at vigorously only to have him appear moments later, again, at the exact same spot. He’ll show up on both the right and wrong end of highlight films after less than two minutes on the court. You see what an annoyance he is, then you check the box score and somehow find all goose eggs on his line. He had been away for awhile before rejoining the team in January, but I haven’t detected a single improvement to his, umm, game. Okay, the quality of his dunks are better, but beyond that…

Marvin Williams (D+): You’re kidding, right? Our anatomically awkward small forward is STILL the second-youngest guy on the team? Regardless, Hawks fans are not willing to give 23-year old Marvin the clueless-youngin’ pass, not after four seasons on the books. Unlike his wet-behind-the-ear peers on the roster, he hasn’t exhibited noticeable improvement in any one area this season. He IS destroying Rubik’s Cubes left and right, though, for whatever that’s worth. Duck is kind of like the inverse view of Bibby on offense: if Marvin’s NOT bringing you defensive effort (and he usually does a decent job in this area), what exactly is he doing out there? For a team that excels when it has many weapons firing at all cylinders, Marvin seems wayyyyy too content in accepting a “backseat” role on offense, even a “clinging-to-the-tailpipe” role. He has the skills to become somebody’s second-banana on offense, if he would just try.

~lw3

[exodus]

The one thing i know i will never forget is Crawford's 9 four point plays. I can't get over that.

For perspective the Celtics have a total of 17 four point plays in the history of the franchise.

[jerrywest]

The one thing i know i will never forget is Crawford's 9 four point plays. I can't get over that.

For perspective the Celtics have a total of 17 four point plays in the history of the franchise.

Wow! Thanks for the perspective.

[APE]

Jason Collins (F): Well, on the bright side, he did shoot almost 40 percent, and close to a couple of rebounds per game aren’t too much to complain about when you… wait, what’s that? Oh, snap, that’s JARRON Collins. Jason’s total minutes would barely you through an episode of Dancing with the Stars. Before last night’s 5-for-9 bonanza, JaCo was 3-for-14 shooting when he was available, including that “oh-no-he-di’nt!” jumper versus the Lakers a week ago. To recap: for the season, 21 Fouls, 16 Points, 14 Rebounds, 8 Field Goals, 5 Turnovers, 4 Assists, 3 Steals, 2 Blocks… and not even a Partridge in a friggin’ Pear Tree. Not even useful for trade filler. Why is he here again?

You didn't see him own Shaq?

[HawksFan87]

Smoove , Al, Jamal, and Joe= A

Mike Bibby and Marvin= F

Teague= C-, just because of the last game lol. I was really impressed

Mo, Za-Za , Joe= D

[lethalweapon3]

You didn't see him own Shaq?

Doggone, I forgot all about that mastery! I'm changing my grade.

F+ :)

~lw3

[TruJerz]

You give note to Acie but don't rate Horford?

Smoove, JJ, Horf: A

Crawford: B (doesn't play D)

Zaza, Teague: C+

Mo: C

Bibby, Marvin: C-

Joe Smith: D

the only ranking I agree with for the most part. Crawford's D wasnt even that bad at all this year, surprisingly

[Colin]

You guys are being too hard on Zaza. He definitely turned it on at the end of the year.

You guys do know that Zaza shot 61% in March, and 64% in April, right?