Coach Pierce Interview

[kg01]

23 minutes ago, AHF said:

Pierce has been really impressive both with his development of our guys on the floor and the maturity he has shown in a variety of contexts off the floor.  Gives you a lot of confidence every time you see him interviewed.

Give you that same warm, fuzzy feeling you get when you read my posts, huh?

You don't have to say it.  I already know, bro.

[Buzzard]

On 7/9/2019 at 8:37 AM, sturt said:

Chewin on that over the last 12 hours or so, I'm wondering if maybe he's made a point to pump up Huerter given that the one guy who most likely perceives his playing time has diminished even before training camp is Huerter.

That said and even so, I don't think he's wrong to say what he said about his future.

He also said in almost the same breath something to this effect " the guy who comes in and gives you 14 - 16 points a night". I also think he expects Huerter to take a nice jump. Prince had a similar jump his second season but then regressed the next. 14 to 16 would be impressive and I am hoping Huerter can do that this season. Especially if he adds to his efficiency and defense.

Making up for Prince's and Bazemore's minutes is where the bulk of Hunter and Cam will be getting theirs from. Then you can feed them a few more in a small ball lineup as well. If anything, I see Huerter's minutes going up. He is the 2nd best passer on our team and his turnover per one hundred possessions was outstanding at 2.5. The kid ain't going anywhere near being benched with the 2nd unit and his minutes should be 30 or more.

[sturt]

11 minutes ago, Buzzard said:

Prince had a similar jump his second season but then regressed the next.

Aside... Prince had a weird 3 years by any assessment... Bud, being Bud, he didn't play Prince much until after the AS break in that first year... then he got on the floor for 82-ish games in his second... and then, in year 3 under a new coach and a new system and surrounded by rookies also finding their way, he was sidelined by injury almost at the exact moment of the season that the team started gelling, and then returned after 25-ish games, only to find himself in a situation where he was playing catch-up and trying to gel with the guys who had gelled in his absence and simultaneously starting to be marginalized by Hawks bloggers as dispensable.

So I suppose there might be evidence that he "regressed," but like a lot of things, there is some context there that has to be recognized in fairness to Taurean.

Further, I for one won't be surprised if he's brought back, assuming he ends up a UFA in off-season 2021.

 

[Buzzard]

1 minute ago, sturt said:

Aside... Prince had a weird 3 years by any assessment... Bud, being Bud, he didn't play Prince much until after the AS break in that first year... then he got on the floor for 82-ish games in his second... and then, in year 3 under a new coach and a new system and surrounded by rookies also finding their way, he was sidelined by injury almost at the exact moment of the season that the team started gelling, and then returned after 25-ish games, only to find himself in a situation where he was playing catch-up and trying to gel with the guys who had gelled in his absence and simultaneously starting to be marginalized by Hawks bloggers as dispensable.

So I suppose there might be evidence that he "regressed," but like a lot of things, there is some context there that has to be recognized in fairness to Taurean.

Further, I for one won't be surprised if he's brought back, assuming he ends up a UFA in off-season 2021.

 

Don't get me wrong, I loved Prince's efficiency. He was rock solid in that category; and the two rooks have their work cut for them to fill his shoes this season on the offensive end. Where he regressed in my opinion is on D/Rebounding. New coach, new teammates, everyone had some growing pains.

Go Hawks!

[enrique]

1 hour ago, Buzzard said:

He also said in almost the same breath something to this effect " the guy who comes in and gives you 14 - 16 points a night". I also think he expects Huerter to take a nice jump. Prince had a similar jump his second season but then regressed the next. 14 to 16 would be impressive and I am hoping Huerter can do that this season. Especially if he adds to his efficiency and defense.

Making up for Prince's and Bazemore's minutes is where the bulk of Hunter and Cam will be getting theirs from. Then you can feed them a few more in a small ball lineup as well. If anything, I see Huerter's minutes going up. He is the 2nd best passer on our team and his turnover per one hundred possessions was outstanding at 2.5. The kid ain't going anywhere near being benched with the 2nd unit and his minutes should be 30 or more.

I think statistically TP was much more efficient last season than even his second season. I agree that TP definitely bumped up performance in 2017-18. His offense was a bit better/more efficient last year though. It was his defense last year that seemed to slump some IMO. I will miss TP but also knew that with his pay hike right around the corner, it was better to get something from him.

[enrique]

1 hour ago, Buzzard said:

Don't get me wrong, I loved Prince's efficiency. He was rock solid in that category; and the two rooks have their work cut for them to fill his shoes this season on the offensive end. Where he regressed in my opinion is on D/Rebounding. New coach, new teammates, everyone had some growing pains.

Go Hawks!

Just saw your reply...I agree with your assessment 100%. So do the stats:)

[JayBirdHawk]

 

Quote

“Consistency is a keyword, and we’ll use that, and the approach is important for all our guys,” Pierce said. “I don’t want any of our guys thinking we’ve accomplished anything just yet. And so yes, defense is at the forefront of this training camp, but we have to maintain the same mentality we went into last year with. It’s easy for any young player offensively to buy in and to play at the effort they want. We have a lot of versatile and skilled offensive players. But for us, to make any steps, it’s going to be on the defensive end, and it’s definitely going to be with our effort on both sides of the basketball.” 

 

[sillent]

On 7/9/2019 at 8:18 AM, kg01 said:

Why would NOP trade their he's player ....

Why would OKC trade their best player....

Why would BOS trade their best player ...

Why would CHA trade their best player ....

You need me to go on?

He didn't say they wouldn't he just said WHY? More importantly to your credit though who would we give up in order to get him and would that be worth it? I think not and for that reason I see us taking Bud's player no trade but via free agency with Jabari being an ex factor on persuading Giannis choice to join our team. In this positionless basketball era Giannis could slide right in even at center and they way we manage and attack the court with a lineup of Trae, Cam, Hunter, Collins and Giannis and Bembry, Huerter, Parker, Fernando and Damian Jones coming off the bench would be a young core we could grow with and run the league for atleast a century. With Schlenk having that long of a head start who knows how long we can/will be great once we get there.

[JayBirdHawk]

 

Quote

How the Hawks can get better on defense?

The Hawks established an offensive identity last season......It was the total opposite on defense. The Hawks were a disaster on the defensive end. 
At the end of the season, Justin Anderson told the Athletic that Pierce hadn’t implemented many of his defensive schemes. Pierce agreed with Anderson’s assessment of the situation, but it’s a much different situation in Atlanta than Philadelphia.
“We’re not a playoff team. We’re not a championship-caliber team,” Pierce said. “You saw Toronto in the playoffs go box-and-one. They brought that out of nowhere. They can do that in the Finals because they’ve already shown Golden State the mid-pick-and-roll, switches and the blitzes. P
Pierce said the team hasn’t touched pick-and-roll defense and has only taught a little transition defense. It’s a long process, but Pierce said he has to teach the basics, reteach the basics and give the players an opportunity for success and failure before they can move on to step two.

“If I give these guys three different game plans for the same game, they will be like, ‘Coach, which one are we doing?'” Pierce said. “Now I’ve lost credibility because they don’t know what to do. We are going to play young guys, and we have to live through their mistakes. Timeframes don’t work.”

Mastering defense is going to take time with this group, and it sounds like a major improvement on that end of the floor is still far away from happening.

Well, what about De’Andre Hunter’s defense? 

Hunter’s defense has been as good as advertised in practices so far. 
Pierce doesn’t think it’s as simple as Young and Collins are making it out to be. Hunter is coming from a defensive-oriented program in Virginia, but he still needs to understand the spacing, personnel and some of the terms and concepts Pierce uses are different than UVA coach Tony Bennett.

“(De’Andre) was a great defensive player at Virginia, but when I say, ‘Red,’ he has to know what it means, communicate it and not think about it,” Pierce said. “It’s got to be a reaction. These are the progressions they have to go through. The advancement of our sport and the advancement of the rookies takes a while because they have to do it first. 

“Those are the different nuances you have to learn when you’re in the NBA. 

 

[JayBirdHawk]

On 9/28/2019 at 10:32 AM, JayBirdHawk said:

 

 

 

On 10/4/2019 at 6:18 PM, JayBirdHawk said:

How the Hawks can get better on defense?

The Hawks established an offensive identity last season......It was the total opposite on defense. The Hawks were a disaster on the defensive end. 
At the end of the season, Justin Anderson told the Athletic that Pierce hadn’t implemented many of his defensive schemes. Pierce agreed with Anderson’s assessment of the situation, but it’s a much different situation in Atlanta than Philadelphia.
“We’re not a playoff team. We’re not a championship-caliber team,” Pierce said. “You saw Toronto in the playoffs go box-and-one. They brought that out of nowhere. They can do that in the Finals because they’ve already shown Golden State the mid-pick-and-roll, switches and the blitzes. P
Pierce said the team hasn’t touched pick-and-roll defense and has only taught a little transition defense. It’s a long process, but Pierce said he has to teach the basics, reteach the basics and give the players an opportunity for success and failure before they can move on to step two.

I guess CLP was unto something last season where his focus wasn't on defense and implementing schemes. Through the 1st 5 games some defensive stats to chew on:

 It's early, but.....Baby steps!