Official Game Thread: Hawks at Hornets

[lethalweapon3]

“Hawk Box (2022)”

 

Is there an NBA League “Thanks, But I’ll” Pass option?

Badsketball can still be worthy of your attention when it’s entertaining, on a team bereft of talent. But when there is but a shred of competitive teamwork and collective will on the floor, you wind up with The Association’s most unwatchable team.

The Charlotte Hornets used to be that team, with all respect due to the Washington Wizards. But now, it pains me to say, our Atlanta Hawks have blown past them all. Avert! Your! Eyes!

It’s unfair to say that the Hornets, hosting the Hawks today in Uptown (7 PM Eastern, Bally Sports Southeast and 92.9 FM in ATL… If you dare!... BS SE in CLT, too) while wearing those signature eye-popping uni colors, deserved that label. It’s not like they were trying to be the worst watch.

LaMelo Ball missed the first 13 games of the season, then the franchise face returned for three more before stepping on a sideline fan’s foot and missing another 11. Ball’s absence has allowed Kelly Oubre and Terry Rozier to take turns ballin’ outta control. MJ pops by every so often. Rozier’s got that rhyming nickname still working for him. Mason Plumlee is good for some comic relief. There’s a kid on the team with teal hair! I said, teal! Eat your heart out, Marcus Smart.

Not even the sole NBA coaching strategist more crumpled-brown-paper-bag than Nate McMillan, Steve Clifford, can dullen the vibe around that team. Coach Cliff has had to endure Miles Bridges allegedly going Wayne Brady on certain people, James Bouknight trying to star on Live PD, and Gordon Hayward’s wife going Full Metal Karen on the conditioning staff.

Even at 7-21, on a six-game skid that’s their second-longest of the season, the Hornets put the L’s in Lively. And every once in a while, if their opponent isn’t on their P’s and Q’s, they’ve got an extra L to hang on them.

McMillan’s Hawks (14-15; minus-6.4 Net Rating in last 15 games, ahead of only the Hornets and, for now, the Magic) were among the first to learn this, back when the team thought they were all that and a bag of Rap Snacks. Oubre and Nick Richards went on scoring binges while rebounding circles around Clint Capela, John Collins and Onyeka Okongwu, and while Dennis Smith (out, sprained ankle) held serve with Trae Young, in a 126-109 laugher (who gives up 45 points in a quarter?), on October 23 in Atlanta, that was a certified Hawk Harbinger.

Now the Hornets won’t have Capela (out for at least a week, strained calf), or Collins or even Dejounte Murray (out, matching left ankle sprains) to kick around. Oh, and now LaMelo is back, too. Further, Hayward (questionable, bruised shoulder) witnessed the record-breaking opening quarter of Wednesday’s Hawks’ 135-124 loss in Orlando and now thinks he’s ready to go for this evening.

How can your All-Star player churn out a season-high 16 assists, contributing to the second-most double-doubles in the league, your All-Rookie First Team nominee sink three of four three-point shots, your remaining 2019 lotto pick go off for a career-best 20 points in a single quarter, and still leave fans doing poor Steve Holman like this?

 

They're not even listenable right now!

It’s uncanny that a team that features (when healthy) two Top-20 assist-makers hover around the basement of the league in assist percentage (55.1%, 28^th in NBA). Keeping turnovers down used to be a hallmark of teams that were at least trying to stay in contention on a nightly basis, but currently the Hawks (13.2 TO%, 3^rd-lowest in NBA) and the Hornets are among seven teams with losing records within the “top” nine of that possession-percentage category.

So much of that “efficiency” was tied to the tried-and-true 1-5 P&R engineered by Young and Capela (74.2% score frequency as the roll-man, 1^st among NBA’ers with 2+ plays/game). Okongwu (62.2% score frequency, a shade above Collins’ 61.8%) and De’Andre Hunter will have to double their pleasure on roll plays, but they must not gum up the offense with hesitation-oriented turnovers.

Number one in the league by far in P&R ball-handler possessions, Trae’s 44.7 eFG% is ahead of only the very watchable League Pass darling, Ja Morant, and Jalen Green among the NBA’s top ten. Meanwhile, Young’s 14.9 TO% is behind only the arguably watchable Luka Doncic and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. Among 11 NBA’ers with four or more Iso-plays per game, Trae’s 42.5 eFG% is twelfth-to-none.

Diversifying beyond Young P&Rs and Iso-Trae would make the Atlanta offense (108.5 O-Rating in last 15 games, 28^th in NBA and behind CHA’s 109.2) less predictable, less defensible, and more of a feast for the eyes. Capela and Collins’ joint absences give Young and the Hawks’ staff, opportunities to open things up, if Trae is indeed willing to work with his coaches for the betterment of his teammates.

Initially, the Hawks could get by on pedestrian performances by Okongwu and Jalen Johnson, and on the occasional breakout quarter from Hunter, so long as Dejountrae could gin up enough big shots for themselves. But now Atlanta’s active bigs need to punch above their weight, at both ends, with greater urgency and frequency, just to avoid getting run off the court by even the league’s worst on-paper opponents. “I thought you had him!” paint patrol, and stationary positioning on offense, subjugates Hawks games to the status of Musty TV.

Defying Coach Mac’s heed, Atlanta hasn’t been respecting the game, nor their opponents, in a minute. But mimicking the great RuPaul, with a dash of Aretha thrown in, to taste: if you can’t respect yourselves, how in the Dellavedova can you respect somebody else? Can I get an amen in here? Until the team figures it out, when it comes to Hawks Badsketball right now, Ethel doesn’t even need Ray Stevens to warn her not to look.

 

Let’s Go Hawks!

~lw3

[lethalweapon3]

"People don't defense no mo'. All they do is dis..."

~Cl1ff1eM0b

[lethalweapon3]

Meanwhile, Cody Martin continues to join Mark Williams and Dennis Smith (all out) in this epidemic of left ankle sprains that's raging right now.

~lw3

[JayBirdHawk]

1 hour ago, lethalweapon3 said:

Badsketball

Indeed. 

[JayBirdHawk]

 

 

[JayBirdHawk]

Here's a thought - I think I'd prefer we play small and run JJ at Center for some minutes (he did play lots of C last year in GL) in lieu of playing Frank Kaminsky one minute.

Play small and fast.

[Gray Mule]

What are the chances of victory tonight?  ESPN have their odds up:

Hornets ---- 64.9%

Hawks ------35.1%

I suppose, if I am to believe this, Atlanta is a doomed team.  

Capela - - Out.  Collins - - Out.  Murray - - Out.

With three starters unable to go and this Hawk team on a losing streak, I see where the odds are coming from.  The problem is, these three aren't coming back any time soon.

Put on a big smile.  Make like you know what you're doing.  Strange things sometimes happen.  Not saying it will.  Hornets have players coming back.  Hawks have young players to help our two starters.  Perhaps all is not lost.  

GO ATL HAWKS !!

[terrell]

30 minutes ago, Gray Mule said:

What are the chances of victory tonight?  ESPN have their odds up:

Hornets ---- 64.9%

Hawks ------35.1%

I suppose, if I am to believe this, Atlanta is a doomed team.  

Capela - - Out.  Collins - - Out.  Murray - - Out.

With three starters unable to go and this Hawk team on a losing streak, I see where the odds are coming from.  The problem is, these three aren't coming back any time soon.

Put on a big smile.  Make like you know what you're doing.  Strange things sometimes happen.  Not saying it will.  Hornets have players coming back.  Hawks have young players to help our two starters.  Perhaps all is not lost.  

GO ATL HAWKS !!

Against the team with the worst record in the League... Geez...

[macdaddy]

1 hour ago, JayBirdHawk said:

Here's a thought - I think I'd prefer we play small and run JJ at Center for some minutes (he did play lots of C last year in GL) in lieu of playing Frank Kaminsky one minute.

Play small and fast.

You had me at "in lieu of playing Frank Kaminsky".  Well i was in at play small actually but not as funny. 

[Diesel]

I'm almost considering watching Orlando beat Boston tonight.   But I'm going to throw on the mitchell and ness and root for my hometown Hawks!!!

Can we keep Mason Plumlee below 15 rebounds?

 

[Guest]

I have a feeling tonight's game is going to be like watching a car wreck.  You feel sorry for whomever is involved... but you just have to look to see if there's any blood or bodies.  

[lethalweapon3]

1 minute ago, LongTimeFan said:

I have a feeling tonight's game is going to be like watching a car wreck.  You feel sorry for whomever is involved... but you just have to look to see if there's any blood or bodies.  

I'm just gonna go ahead and pre-emptively call THE STRONG ARM. 

~0neca11thatsa11

[lethalweapon3]

Frank the Tank Revenge Game on deck? Safe to say he's past due. This would be Kaminsky's third appearance against his draft team. Over 45 minutes of play versus the Hornets, he's 7-for-17 from the field (1-for-6 on threes), and the next steal he logs against them would be his first.

I can't find the stat on Twitter, but aren't teams like 80% or something in the paint or around the rim when he's on the floor?

EDIT: As per NBA stats, among players with 10 or more games played and minimum four shots "defended" per game, Frank's 61.2 Defended FG% ranks second-highest in the league. Miami rookie Nikola Jovic (62.8 DFG%) ranks first, while Friend of the Program Gorgui Dieng is right behind the Tank (61.0 DFG%).

EDIT x2: It looks like I was being kind with my recollection. Among players averaging at least 5.0 opponent FGAs per game around the rim, Kaminsky's 83.9 FG% allowed is the highest in the league. There is really not a close second unless one is willing to count the Warrior neophytes Patrick Baldwin and Ryan Rollins.

~lw3

[terrell]

15 minutes ago, LongTimeFan said:

I have a feeling tonight's game is going to be like watching a car wreck.  You feel sorry for whomever is involved... but you just have to look to see if there's any blood or bodies.  

We’re playing the team with the worse record in basketball.

Stop acting like there is a chance that we can lose when we’re the squad with 1 Super Max megastar, and 2 top 6 picks in the starting 5.....

 

But seriously,  the starters need to come out on Fire..

Not feeling the Forrest, Kaminski, Holiday's, Bogi  2nd unit lineup at all tonight. Unless Bogi is scorchin..

LP was fired at 14-20

We lose tonight and we're 14-16 and counting..

 

 

Edited December 16, 2022 by terrell

[Alf]

We here!

 

Lets' go boys!

[gurpilo]

We are starting Bogi and Forest, AJ and JJ to the bench.

[TheNorthCydeRises]

18 minutes ago, gurpilo said:

We are starting Bogi and Forest, AJ and JJ to the bench.

Honestly, that's a good call.

Put your most talented group out on the floor, and let's see if the kids can handle the lesser players.

But this means Dre is at the 4.  Please rebound the basketball sir.  Go in there and battle.

[terrell]

21 minutes ago, gurpilo said:

We are starting Bogi and Forest, AJ and JJ to the bench.

We Need to try something..

[willthepureshooter]

Look at Okongwu out of position again. Oh, and another boneheaded foul because he was out of position. Why did we draft him again?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[terrell]

1 minute ago, willthepureshooter said:

Look at Okongwu out of position again. Oh, and another boneheaded foul because he was out of position. Why did we draft him again?