We are winning but I'm anxious to see Hardaway Jr. play..

[wolvetigers]

Still curious why Hardaway Jr. hasn't seen the floor yet, his defense definitely has to improve, but it's hard to believe that he can't beat out Patterson (who i like), and Holiday...

One thing is for sure...The Hawks are deep at the SG position.....GO HAWKS

[High5]

There are only so many minutes available and I think Bud is happy to get a more reliable defensive presence from his reserves while the team works out the early season kinks. I expect THJ to see some minutes before too long. The good news is he seems to be taking it extraordinarily well. He always seems to be really happy for his teammates. It must be exciting going from a team that won 17 games in a season to a team that just won 5 in a week. Of course, some might say he's a bit too happy for someone who isn't playing, but I'll give him the benefit of the doubt. 

[bumpyphish1]

Hardaway not being an immediate rotation player mystifies me.  Did we make a bad trade?  Is it Bud marching to the sound of another (better) drummer and just taking his time?  Is it a product of Hardaway's lack of familiarity with our system compared to Holiday?

Who knows.  At this point, who cares.  We are winning.  We look like a top flight franchise right now.  So deep.  I just want to enjoy it.

[LucastheThird]

You have to realize what THJ hopefully realized. When he came here in the trade, even though he most likely has better talent than Patterson,  Lamar is ahead of him because of knowledge of the system and expectations. Unlike the past two season where we had to play some guys who were most likely d-leaguers and guys who shouldn't have been in the league, this team is deep with talent and guys who know what to do. THJ is gonna have to climb the hill that keeps growing because the guys in front of him don't want to lose their minutes.

[Guest]

Per Coach Bud:

“There is real competition,” Budenholzer said. “Those guys are competing for minutes, competing for opportunities. … Right now, those other two guys (Patterson and Holiday) have shown a little bit more and have been given that position and opportunity. Tim is going to have to earn his way into his opportunity. We feel that he will.”

 

[nitte]

My feeling is that they are preparing Hardaway to eventually take over Korver's spot on the starting lineup. I still don't think it was a good trade though.

[yardbird]

It might be a bad trade, one I questioned from the beginning, but I applaud Bud for making THJr earn playing time instead of compounding a possible mistake by playing someone who apparently doesn't complement the overall team as well as others, at least at this point.  Still hope he develops into an asset, though.

[capstone21]

He will get his chance eventually ...Holiday and Patterson have just been playing better D.  

[frosgrim]

I really applaud the entire coaching staff for not playing a guy they don't think is ready. They've put a lot on the line by making that trade, but by not playing THJr, they certainly are sending a clear message to the whole team: Minutes are earned.

I think the reason he's not playing is more to do with how he moves without the ball than issues on defense. Even in the preseason Hardaway was too much 1:1 work instead of moving the ball the way Bud wants it to move.

[AHF]

15 minutes ago, frosgrim said:

I really applaud the entire coaching staff for not playing a guy they don't think is ready. They've put a lot on the line by making that trade, but by not playing THJr, they certainly are sending a clear message to the whole team: Minutes are earned.

I think the reason he's not playing is more to do with how he moves without the ball than issues on defense. Even in the preseason Hardaway was too much 1:1 work instead of moving the ball the way Bud wants it to move.

That is plausible.  They knew he would struggle defensively but still highly desired him so it is unlikely that it is the fact that Holiday and Patterson are playing better D that is the explanation.  They had to know that would be the case before they pulled the trigger on the trade (i.e., that they could land a variety of guys who would be better defenders at a de minimus cost) but struggles to fit in on offense would prevent him from doing what they expected him to do - score the ball efficiently.  

[Atlantaholic]

Taking our time with THJR is an interesting move. I will say that observing the bench reactions it doesn't seem like Hardaway is at all bothered by the decision seeing as he is consistently the first one off the bench fist pumping and congratulating players from the sideline. Coming from a cesspool that was last year Knicks into a well oiled machine probably requires a fair share of detox. Also, let's not forget we are still not even a tenth into the season; ThJR will get his chance eventually, and I have no doubt that when he is in there he will be playing with a hunger he hasn't shown yet in his career on both ends of the floor. My expectation is that in a month or two he will take Lamar Patterson's spot in the rotation. 

Edited November 9, 2015 by Atlantaholic

[macdaddy]

I like Patterson but so far i don't see him as a permanent part of the rotation.  

[AUhawksfan]

Coming from the Knicks triangle, he's had to come in and learn a completely different offense.  We've seen it can take some time to pick things up, but he seems to have the right attitude so I think he'll pick it up eventually.  I think they're bringing him along slower, since they can afford to with the depth.

Maybe the trade to get him is actually making Bud more cautious than normal, and he's wanting to groom him a little bit before throwing him out there.

After a good start, Patterson has cooled off some so I think it's only a matter of time before he starts eating into his minutes.

 

[capstone21]

Right now the best think for Tim Jr is probably to send him down to the d-league ... he can work on his D and gain some confidence .... 

[ATLHawks3]

47 minutes ago, capstone21 said:

Right now the best think for Tim Jr is probably to send him down to the d-league ... he can work on his D and gain some confidence .... 

Do we even have a D-League team yet?

[capstone21]

35 minutes ago, ATLHawks3 said:

Do we even have a D-League team yet?

Nope

[sturt]

I'm inclined to think he makes his debut tonight at some point... that it was just a matter of playing the "right" opponent for Bud, ie, one that he has some extra room for error.

[Guest]

13 minutes ago, sturt said:

I'm inclined to think he makes his debut tonight at some point... that it was just a matter of playing the "right" opponent for Bud, ie, one that he has some extra room for error.

I hope you're right. As long as it doesn't stop the flow and success of our team, I wouldn't mind seeing Timmy Jr. out there stirring it up for a few minutes.

[Guest]

3 hours ago, sturt said:

I'm inclined to think he makes his debut tonight at some point... 

Nope......

✔@CVivlamoreAJC

Normal Hawks starters: Teague, Korver, Bazemore, Millsap and Horford. Hardaway Jr. and Tavares inactive.