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http://offthedribble.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/12/02/give-teague-a-chance/?emc=eta1
Throughout the 2010-2011 season, Atlanta Hawks Coach Larry Drew demonstrated a startling lack of faith in the second-year guard Jeff Teague. Initially, Drew preferred Mike Bibby over Teague for most of the minutes at point guard, despite Bibby’s defensive failings and limitations as a creator.
Later, the Hawks traded Bibby, the 2010 first-round pick Jordan Crawford, Maurice Evans and a future first-rounder just to acquire Kirk Hinrich from the Wizards, which kept Teague in a minimal role. He was left with just 13.8 minutes per game in 70 contests, a far cry from the substantial investment in playing time that Drew and the Hawks should have made.
It all turned out to be pretty silly, as Bibby and Hinrich both had underwhelming partial campaigns in Atlanta, and Teague went on – by way of an unfortunate postseason injury to Hinrich – to be one of the Hawks’ most effective playoff weapons. Desperation forced Drew to compromise his lineup, and now it looks as though desperation may do so yet again.
According to Ken Berger and Ben Golliver of CBS Sports, Hinrich recently had surgery on his left shoulder, and could be out of the picture until early January. That eliminates the only real roster obstacle between Teague and more substantial playing time, lest Drew conjure a hurdle merely for the sake of keeping Teague in a smaller role. Barring a surprising free-agent signing, Teague should be playing the majority of the Hawks’ minutes at point guard to start the season. And it should stay that way, even after Hinrich’s return.
Hinrich is a competent N.B.A. rotation player, but Teague gives the Hawks a completely different on-court look – and a chance to grow as a team. Atlanta has made it to the second round of the playoffs three straight times, and the product has unfortunately been as stagnant as those results suggest. There’s little reason to expect much internal improvement from last season’s regulars; Josh Smith and Al Horford will see incremental gains, but Joe Johnson – who uses more possessions than any other Hawk – is who he is, and clogs up Atlanta’s cap picture in the process. The Hawks may bring back Jamal Crawford in free agency or sign other peripheral players, but next year looks to be more of the same.
Increasing the minutes for Jeff Teague is one of the few low-cost, high-reward propositions the Hawks have for boosting their performance. He isn’t an All-Star caliber player by any means, but Teague presents Atlanta with a more dynamic scoring guard to accentuate the roster’s offensive versatility. In his one playoff series with operational freedom, Teague led the Hawks in scoring in three out of six games – topping 20 points on each occasion in slow-paced games played against the best defense in the league.
On a Hawks team that is committed to the inefficiency of long 2-pointers and tough pull-up jumpers out of isolation, Teague brought a .514 playoff field goal percentage while committing few turnovers. He went from playing marginal minutes to doing 40 a night, and led the Hawks in playoff P.E.R. (Player Efficiency Rating) in the process. If you’re looking for a compelling reason Atlanta was able to play effectively against Chicago in the postseason, I see few more valid explanations than Teague’s performance.
This coming year is Teague’s chance to build on that success, but he can only do so with Drew’s approval.
It is not uncommon for coaches to trust veterans over young players, but the basis for that perspective in Teague’s case is now gone. Teague has produced as a meaningful member of Atlanta’s lineup in a way that Hinrich never could, and if Drew is finally willing to let Teague continue to explore his optimal role, the Hawks will be all the better for it.
Throughout the 2010-2011 season, Atlanta Hawks Coach Larry Drew demonstrated a startling lack of faith in the second-year guard Jeff Teague. Initially, Drew preferred Mike Bibby over Teague for most of the minutes at point guard, despite Bibby’s defensive failings and limitations as a creator.
Later, the Hawks traded Bibby, the 2010 first-round pick Jordan Crawford, Maurice Evans and a future first-rounder just to acquire Kirk Hinrich from the Wizards, which kept Teague in a minimal role. He was left with just 13.8 minutes per game in 70 contests, a far cry from the substantial investment in playing time that Drew and the Hawks should have made.
It all turned out to be pretty silly, as Bibby and Hinrich both had underwhelming partial campaigns in Atlanta, and Teague went on – by way of an unfortunate postseason injury to Hinrich – to be one of the Hawks’ most effective playoff weapons. Desperation forced Drew to compromise his lineup, and now it looks as though desperation may do so yet again.
According to Ken Berger and Ben Golliver of CBS Sports, Hinrich recently had surgery on his left shoulder, and could be out of the picture until early January. That eliminates the only real roster obstacle between Teague and more substantial playing time, lest Drew conjure a hurdle merely for the sake of keeping Teague in a smaller role. Barring a surprising free-agent signing, Teague should be playing the majority of the Hawks’ minutes at point guard to start the season. And it should stay that way, even after Hinrich’s return.
Hinrich is a competent N.B.A. rotation player, but Teague gives the Hawks a completely different on-court look – and a chance to grow as a team. Atlanta has made it to the second round of the playoffs three straight times, and the product has unfortunately been as stagnant as those results suggest. There’s little reason to expect much internal improvement from last season’s regulars; Josh Smith and Al Horford will see incremental gains, but Joe Johnson – who uses more possessions than any other Hawk – is who he is, and clogs up Atlanta’s cap picture in the process. The Hawks may bring back Jamal Crawford in free agency or sign other peripheral players, but next year looks to be more of the same.
Increasing the minutes for Jeff Teague is one of the few low-cost, high-reward propositions the Hawks have for boosting their performance. He isn’t an All-Star caliber player by any means, but Teague presents Atlanta with a more dynamic scoring guard to accentuate the roster’s offensive versatility. In his one playoff series with operational freedom, Teague led the Hawks in scoring in three out of six games – topping 20 points on each occasion in slow-paced games played against the best defense in the league.
On a Hawks team that is committed to the inefficiency of long 2-pointers and tough pull-up jumpers out of isolation, Teague brought a .514 playoff field goal percentage while committing few turnovers. He went from playing marginal minutes to doing 40 a night, and led the Hawks in playoff P.E.R. (Player Efficiency Rating) in the process. If you’re looking for a compelling reason Atlanta was able to play effectively against Chicago in the postseason, I see few more valid explanations than Teague’s performance.
This coming year is Teague’s chance to build on that success, but he can only do so with Drew’s approval.
It is not uncommon for coaches to trust veterans over young players, but the basis for that perspective in Teague’s case is now gone. Teague has produced as a meaningful member of Atlanta’s lineup in a way that Hinrich never could, and if Drew is finally willing to let Teague continue to explore his optimal role, the Hawks will be all the better for it.
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