With Bibby slowed, Hawks should hand offense to rookie (really!)

By Bud L. Ellis

Mike Bibby’s sprained ankle could turn out to be a good thing.

No, I’m not advocating the Atlanta Hawks are better off without their veteran point guard. Far from it.

But when the Hawks drafted Jeff Teague out of Wake Forest in the first round of this summer’s NBA draft, the thought was Teague would be molded to wear that label which sank Acie Law IV:

“Point guard of the future.”

Teague showed in preseason he could play – and play well – at the NBA level. But playing in October games before 5,000 people and playing on Thanksgiving in a showdown of two teams at the top of the Eastern Conference standings are two different things.

And yet, Teague very well could be in the starting lineup Thursday at Philips Arena when the Hawks play host to Orlando, in a meeting of two teams with 11 wins already this season.

The double-edge sword with any young player designed to become a key cog in a team’s rotation is the kid needs experience, but the only way to get said experience is to play. To play a young kid means dealing with the inevitable mistakes inexperience causes, mistakes that can cost you a game or two along the way.

No matter. No worry. The Hawks’ future is bright. So too is Teague’s. If Bibby can’t go, leave Jamal Crawford in his role as super-scorer off the bench. Put the kid into the starting lineup and start the experience-gaining process.

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Tuesday, November 24, 2009 at 8:11 pm by bud

Tags: Acie Law IV, Atlanta Hawks, Jamal Crawford, Jeff Teague, Mike Bibby, Orlando Magic, Philips Arena, Wake Forest

Teague continues to impress as Hawks top Charlotte

By Bud L. Ellis

For some rookies, the middle days of October are when their NBA dreams expire.

For others — like Jeff Teague — it’s when those fantasties take flight for real.

Teague, the Atlanta Hawks‘ first-round draft pick this summer, continued to show why the organization thought so highly of the former Wake Forest star on Monday, leading Atlanta with 17 points in a 107-90 preseason victory over Charlotte at Philips Arena.

Teague needed just 29 minutes to score his 17, dish out seven assists, and continue to make an impression on his new teammates and coaching staff.

“It was a fun game,” Teague told Hawks.com. “I think I’m learning on the fly, learning quickly, trying to understand the game.”

That understanding is coming quickly for a player who gives Atlanta a young point guard to spell Mike Bibby this season. Teague leads the Hawks in scoring through three preseason games at 16.0 per contest

Coming off a loss Sunday night in Detroit, the Hawks showed plenty of bounce. Atlanta led by as many as 17 in the first half, hitting 53 percent from the floor in building an early eight-point advantage.

“We did a lot of good things tonight, which we didn’t do (Sunday) night in Detroit,” Hawks coach Mike Woodson told Hawks.com. “So it’s nice to see us bounce back.’

Joe Johnson, Zaza Pachulia and Juan Dixon each scored 14. Josh Smith and Marvin Williams added 11 for Atlanta, who plays Wednesday at Memphis.

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Wednesday, October 14, 2009 at 5:43 am by bud

Tags: Atlanta Hawks, Charlotte Bobcats, Detroit Pistons, Jeff Teague, Joe Johnson, Josh Smith, Juan Dixon, Marvin Williams, Memphis Grizzles, Mike Bibby, Mike Woodson, National Basketball Association, Philips Arena, Wake Forest, Zaza Pachulia

Balanced attack paces Hawks to win in preseason opener

By Bud L. Ellis

It’s not the type of game that will foster dreams of playing in June. Quite the contrary: the preseason opener, held in the opening days of October, is merely a time to return to the court against competition, the first step of a long journey toward next spring.

 

But the Atlanta Hawks made the most of it nonetheless, running out to a big first-half lead en route to a 101-84 win over New Orleans on Wednesday, in the preseason lidlifter at Philips Arena.

 

Plenty of optimism surround these Hawks, following consecutive playoff berths and the franchise’s first postseason series victory in a decade last spring.

 

Wednesday, Atlanta rode a balanced attack to earn the victory in the preseason debut. Joe Johnson and Zaza Pachulia led five scorers in double figures with 17 points each, Johnson knocking down 7-of-10 shots from the floor in 19 minutes. Jeff Teague, the team’s first-round draft pick from Wake Forest, added 15 points in 26 minutes.

 

Josh Smith scored 14 and pulled down seven rebounds. Al Horford added 11 points on 5-of-6 shooting. Reserve Mario West pulled down a team-high nine rebounds.

 

Again, one cannot read too much into a victory to open the preseason, but there were plenty of positives for the Hawks on this night. Atlanta shot 50 percent (35-for-70) from the floor, committed just 11 turnovers, and used a withering 30-12 second quarter to build a 62-36 lead at intermission.

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Wednesday, October 7, 2009 at 9:41 pm by bud

Tags: Al Horford, Atlanta Hawks, Jeff Teague, Joe Johnson, Josh Smith, Mario West, National Basketball Association, New Orleans Hornets, Philips Arena, Wake Forest, Zaza Pachulia