Official Game Thread: Hawks at Spurs

[lethalweapon3]

The Old Man and The C

 

Somewhere not far from Bucket of Blood Street, Mike Budenholzer is relaxing at his humble Holbrook, Arizona abode. Probably, the former NBA championship coach is a little less than amused over Adrian Griffin’s Bucks locking down the IST top-seed in the NBA East without him. Mere months after his not-a-failure postseason came to an abrupt end, though, Milwaukee’s deposed head coach can take solace in watching two of his prior employers running in mud.

Coach Bud is just biding his time, and it’s likely he isn’t answering any calls. Not until one rings from the 210 area code, with “Coach Pop” in the descriptor on his cellie.

I used to theorize, loudly, that Gregg Popovich was Budenholzer’s seat warmer, until Popovich came down from the highs of putting Timmy, Manu and Tony in rocking chairs and rafters. Further, once Bud tired of his odyssey practicing head-honcho with the Atlanta Hawks.

As we know, some not-so-funny things happened along the merry path to the Hawks’ rebuild, and Bud’s detour landed him an upgrade, from the likes of Al Horford and Dwight Howard and Jeff Teague and Dennis Schröder, to Giannis Antetokounmpo and Jrue Holiday. Now his gold-ball coaching in 2021 has earned him some desirable PTO in 2023. There are several NBA orgs, right this minute, that would love for Bud to return their calls. Alas, I resume arguing, he’s holding out for one.

A few months after a fresh-faced Budenholzer shocked San Antonio by accepting his pal Danny Ferry and Atlanta Sprit Group’s offer in the summer of 2013, bringing their D-League coach Quin Snyder along as his trusty lead assistant, the processing 76ers couldn’t wait to pluck another promising prospect from the Pop-lar coaching tree. The terminally affable Brett Brown surfed his way through seven seasons in Philly, until a first-round Bubble sweep at the hands of their despised Celtic rivals finally did him in.

Rather than hop back on the horse somewhere else, Brown took two years Outside The NBA. Can you guess where Brett Brown is today? You can see him tonight as the Hawks and Spurs face off (8 PM Eastern, Bally Sports Southeast and 92.9 FM in ATL, BS Southwest in SATX). He’ll be sitting right by ol’ Coach Pop. Right back where he belongs.

You cannot convince me otherwise, Popovich is bringing the band back together. Old Edition! Ferry? He’s been Zooming in as a consultant for Spurs, Inc. since 2020 and, unlike some teams, they know how to keep opinions about basketball players, fan demographics, and continental origins in-house. Whenever Pop persuades his buddy Bud to eventually take the reins, they’ll know the Spurs already got at least one New Kid on the Low Block.

Poor Jabari Smith, Houston’s top lotto prize from 2022, found himself caught up in Victor Wembanyama’s torture chamber, at both ends of the floor. Multiple shots blocked on the same possession, blow-bys, acrobatic and-ones, dipsy-doo-dunk-a-roos. Smith’s Rockets nearly prevailed anyway, but for a tough mid-ranger from the rangy 7-foot-4 Spurs rookie that forced overtime.

The 126-122 win over their in-state rivals, led by 2023’s #1 overall pick, had Spurs Country abuzz in a frenzy. The future… is already here!

That victory came on October 27. Well over a month later, fans of the Spurs (3-14, last in NBA West, 12 straight Ls) are parched, desperate to imbibe just the second home win on the young season. The Hawks (8-9, 11^th in NBA East) need to do what they can to make those fans wait, at least, until the Bulls saunter into town eight days from now.

San Antonio isn’t the only team that knows they can rest players against Atlanta and still have a decent shot at victory. With a trip to New Orleans for a game tomorrow pending, Wemby’s conveniently listed as questionable with a tight hip. Jeremy Sochan is probable, despite a reportedly sore knee.

When you see a team, like the Hawks in Cleveland, loft 8 more shots (incl. 8 more 3FGAs), get granted 7 more free throw attempts, and even commit six fewer turnovers, yet still get doubled up on paint points (64-32) along the way to getting blown out by 23, you’d be tempted to put your prized unicorn in mothballs, too. When a team like Atlanta is competing as if they, not Boston, are down two starters, you, too, would be eager to give your Dalano Blanton-level reserves some time to shine.

Wemby’s highlight-worthy exploits aside, the Spurs cannot shoot (55.3 team TS%, 25^th in NBA), their professed stars struggle to create their own offense (NBA-high 69.5 assist percentage; 106.3 O-Reb, 3^rd-worst in NBA), and, by Popovich’s and formerly Budenholzer’s design (26.5 team O-Reb%, 24^th in NBA), they are religious about prioritizing transition defense over hunting for second-chance points.

Further, if Wemby (2.6 BPG, 1.3 SPG) isn’t making fans ooh-la-la with swats and steals, and Keldon Johnson and Zach Collins can’t bail him out by boxing out, they can’t seem to get stops (119.0 D-Rating, 27^th in NBA; only team with a double-digit negative Net Rating at minus-12.7), particularly when it comes down to closing out on perimeter shooters (39.8 opponent 3FG%, 2^nd-highest in NBA, incl. 43.6% from corners). Especially when you’re playing the rudder-less Hawks, though, why would any of this make Coach Pop complain? Besides, it’s not as if anybody these days pays him any mind.

Kawhi Leonard received the kind of frosty reception from the Frost Bank Center crowd last week once reserved for Zaza Pachulia. Protecting his former pupil, Coach Pop couldn’t resist grabbing the scorer’s table microphone to yell at the cloud, er, crowd.

“Can we stop all the bull and let these guys play?”, Popovich groveled, eliciting even more jeers as Kawhi took his free throws. “It’s got no class! That’s not who we are!” Perhaps he forgot to add, “This isn’t Dallas!”

The thing is, the fans are getting a bit restless, while Popovich turns grumpy-cat about literally every other issue on the planet aside from his roster construction. Why else would he announce at the start of the season that he’s turning point guard duties over to Sochan, which was news not only to Tre Jones (team-high 5.1 APG, zero starts) but to Sochan himself?

“I don’t think he understood, or maybe I didn’t do a good enough job of relaying to him, all the responsibilities therein,” shrugged Pop about Sochan (last five starts: 3.6 APG, 2.0 TOs/game) to the Express-News over the weekend. Indeed, the local paper titled the article, “What’s the Point?” That’s precisely Pop’s point.

The days of impatience ended for Popovich, then in his late 40s as the then GM of the 3-15 Spurs, shortly after he shoved Bob Hill off the team bus, telling Dominique Wilkins and the San Antonio players that, look at him, he’s the captain now. Lottery prize Tim Duncan arrived just in time for former lotto-prize David Robinson’s return from a season-ending injury. The rest was history, up until now.

With their new meal ticket in tow, San Antonio can simply cruise through the first half of seasons until a bottom-four lotto-spot is secure, then drill down on actually winning games. Former Austin Spurs GM Snyder’s Hawks learned this the hard way last season, when the 14-47 Spurs went on a 8-13 tear, Johnson and Devin Vassell matching each other’s 29 points in a 126-118 win last March that spoiled what was billed to be Dejounte Murray’s triumphant return to South Texas. The pride of Peachtree Ridge, Vassell's recent return from injury (last 3 games: 20.3 PPG, 40.0% on 8.3 3FGAs/game) has at least narrowed the losing margins of late.

Pop’s Spurs also have a top-6-protected pick from Toronto (thanks, NBA FG% leader Jakob Poeltl!) likely heading their way next summer. But for LaMelo Ball’s untimely injury du jour, they might have been able to tack on a lotto-protected pick from Charlotte via Atlanta. That and some future picks could come courtesy of the Hawks’ 2022 acquisition of Murray (last 3 games: 30.7 MPG, 10.0 PPG, 31.8 2FG%, 21.1 3FG%, 4-for-4 FTs; 4 assists and 6 TOs in last two losses), who, like Coach Bud, knows how to get his money’s worth when taking the initiative to physically chide a referee.

With so much draft capital, the Spurs could choose to double their pleasure and go Twin Eiffel Tower with 7-foot-1 Frenchman Alexandre Sarr next season. They could replace any of the Spurs clogging the other forward spot with Zaccahrie Risacher. Perhaps Sochan’s dithering is really a ploy to keep the seat warm for either of the genuine ATL-trained point guards, Isaiah Collier or Stephon Castle, at the top of most draft boards.

In any case, Popovich is stacking the deck to make his eventual plea to Budenholzer, finally offering up a team worthy of building from the ground up without being weighted down by inherited hand-me-down vet contracts, irresistible. Heck, at this pace, maybe Coach Quin will be freed up in a year or so, too. Whereupon Pop can shift to the front office as a shadow coach, as R.C. Buford currently does as shadow-GM behind Brian Wright, and just ride it out. The hand-wringing win-now Spurs fans are simply left to grin and bear it. What else are you gonna do, Spurs faithful, fire all these guys? You got H-E-B money?

C’mon, Coach Bud, you know you’re enjoying all this a little, from afar. There’s no need to hide it. Go ahead and show off that winning smirk!

 

Let’s Go Hawks!

~lw3

[lethalweapon3]

It's the third back-to-back this month for the Spurs, who are 0-4 in the first two sets, including a 152-111 loss traveling to Indiana the day after a seven-point home loss to Toronto. They'll catch a break when the calendar turns to December, as their next B2B are a pair of games at Portland at the end of the month.

No changes to the Boo-Boo Report on the Hawks' side of the ledger, as of 12:30 PM Eastern. Sochan for now remains Probable while Wemby remains Questionable. G-League star and Summer League standout Dominick Barlow is the sole two-way player available for the Spurs. 

In case these high-paced clubs get a little frisky, according to Spurs' GameNotes, the high-watermark in the second half was 87 Hawks points back in November 1979, racking up the most points, FGs and assists in a second-half by any Spurs opponent. Atlanta actually bothered to win that game, too, John Drew outdueling George Gervin, 40-39, to help the Hawks win, 143-120. Good work, Hubie!

 

~lw3

[lethalweapon3]

Right on cue, in Lottoland. Make room, Wemby!

https://www.hoopsrumors.com/2023/11/and-ones-collier-mock-draft-in-season-tournament-ferrell.html

Quote

 

USC freshman guard Isaiah Collier has moved into the top spot in the latest mock draft from Jonathan Givony and Jeremy Woo of ESPN...

French center Alexandre Sarr drops to second in the mock draft, as his defense has been more developed than his offense in Australia’s National Basketball League... French forward Zaccharie Risacher, Baylor guard Ja’Kobe Walter and G League Ignite forward Ron Holland round out the top five for Givony and Woo.

 

 

~lw3

[HawksNWaffles]

 

Let's get it 

Edited November 30, 2023 by HawksNWaffles

[Dnice]

Some of Waffles pics are frightening .. lol

[JayBirdHawk]

5 minutes ago, Dnice said:

Some of Waffles pics are frightening .. lol

Yes....yes they are! 

I'm afraid to open the game thread now...I stand at the ready  ....

[Spud2nique]

1 hour ago, Dnice said:

Some of Waffles pics are frightening .. lol

[Spud2nique]

1 hour ago, JayBirdHawk said:

Yes....yes they are! 

I'm afraid to open the game thread now...I stand at the ready  ....

Nothing surprises me anymore from waffles .. I’m still gonna hide a bit tho.. it’s a different kind of fear, he’s going through the back tunnel of my scardy cat zone and it’s working.

[Spud2nique]

Thanks as always lw3! First look at the franchise.
 

Go Hawks!

Ps Trae dove left n right Hawks by 8!

[benhillboy]

They’re both GTD but I actually hope Wembanyama (I cringe every time I hear “Wemby”) and Sochan play (a player Spurs fans discuss and debate way too much like Hawks fans with Deandre James Hunter).  
 

Both them dudes have a negative Win Share starting all 17 games.  I been following that stat for years, pretty sure I’ve never seen that.  You almost have to try to be that awful (oh yeah…they are).   I figured the hype around that kid was fraudulent based on the hack pundits who fawned over him.  If the Hawks lose this game and break the Spurs’ losing streak and defy the Mighty Flirtin’ .500 Phenomenon I’ll be speechless.

Edited November 30, 2023 by benhillboy

[lethalweapon3]

(^No McBuckets, though, so, there's that.)

~lw3

[Spud2nique]

24 minutes ago, lethalweapon3 said:

(^No McBuckets, though, so, there's that.)

~lw3

I wanna know the specifics of Dougie illness? If it’s a cold then we can get him some hot soup , if more serious well than .. nevermind and I apologize. He’s just got a sweet stroke it’s fun to watch I won’t lie.

[terrell]

Only qtr that matters is the 4th....

It doesnt matter what we look like in the 1st 3 qtrs..Ive learned my lesson...

See yall in the 4th.. lol

Go Hawks!

 

Edited December 1, 2023 by terrell

[Carmine]

"Another Day, Another Opportunity" to skip a Hawks game.

[Peoriabird]

Capela is getting abused

[JeffS17]

Ugh, our defense being as bad as it is makes us vulnerable to even the worst teams.

[Vol4ever]

One on one by the Hawks smh

[Jody23]

10 minutes ago, Vol4ever said:

One on one by the Hawks smh

You can feel this one might be a blowout.  The Spurs are playing disciplined and together while the Hawks are not.

[Peoriabird]

The Spurs started showing their young down the stretch of the 1st jacking up 3 after 3 letting the Hawks back in the game

[Peoriabird]

Twin towers