Now I'm Thoroughly Befuddled
by Hoopinion on Dec 3, 2008 10:13 AM EST
20 comments
This morning's blog post from Sekou Smith (partially) addresses the issue of Zaza Pachulia's playing time last weekend. Yes, this morning is December 3rd. The game referenced took place November 29th. These are the first words published regarding Zaza's DNP in that game:
Lost in the euphoria of the Hawks’ finally snapping that five-game road losing streak in Washington the other night was Zaza Pachulia’s absence from the playing rotation.
With rebounding games of 18 and 17 sandwiching three subpart efforts, a few of our of most loyal FOBs (Friends of the Blog) suggested that our favorite Georgian big man might be in the process of being phased out of the rotation.
Nothing could be further from the truth. Young JaVale McGee is the reason. With the Wizards going with their nimble rookie big man exclusively, and not bruiser Etan Thomas, Hawks coach Mike Woodson said he decided to play the matchup game and try and beat the Wizards with his smaller group.
There is still a sum total of zero words published regarding what now, one must assume, was a coach's decision to sit Pachulia for the final 15 minutes of the November 28th game in Toronto. To recap:
With 3:32 left in the third quarter, Zaza Pachulia went to the bench. The Hawks were up 2, in no small part thanks to the 8 offensive and 9 defensive rebounds Pachulia had already grabbed. By the end of the third quarter, the Hawks would be down by 4 points. In the fourth quarter, the Hawks would never regain the lead. As a team they would grab, in the fourth quarter, just 7 defensive rebounds. Toronto would grab 15 fourth quarter rebounds, 4 of them offensive. Pachulia would never leave the bench.
I've been thinking a lot recently about the relationship between bloggers and the teams they cover. Specifically in terms of how access to players and coaches* could improve what I do here. I'm still uncertain. There are unquestionably skills that proper journalists possess which I do not. Unfortunately one of those skills does not seem to be a curiosity as to why certain, specific decisions are made by a head coach during a game. I say this with full empathy for the time pressure to file a game story on deadline. Still, if there's time to half-address the most significant coaching decisions of the prior weekend in a blog post, why not address the decisions in full?
There are questions I want to ask Mike Woodson after almost every game. I don't wish to ask them to be confrontational. I'm a native Kansan. I was raised to feel a pathological need to act politely. I want to ask these questions so I don't have to make assumptions about his decisions. I don't want my biases to unduly influence my description of the game. I'm going to have opinions about his decisions. I want them to be based on the truth.
*Practically, the Toronto game is an admittedly poor example. Circumstances would have to be radically different for me to cover a road game in person.
There's a significant difference between getting out-rebounded 15 to 7 in the fourth quarter of a game you lose by 5 points because your starting center is unable to play or getting out-rebounded 15 to 7 in the fourth quarter of a game you lose by 5 points because you choose not to play your starting center despite him having grabbed 17 rebounds in 24 minutes through three-and-three-quarters quarters.
Unfortunately, no one with the means to ask which of these scenarios is relevant has done so. Or, if they have asked, they have not deemed the response worthy of sharing. I'm frustrated.
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great post sir
I have only seen the Hawks dictate the style of game based on lineup, scheme, etc. one time since Mike Woodson has been coach. and on the exit interview Josh Smith went out of his way to credit an assistant for the plan. Woodson only knows how to react. React to foul totals, react to opponent line up changes, it all borders on absurd.
On your other issue of access, blogging, the media, etc, it is such a worthy issue i plan to respond on it over at zaza’s playground where people will only be bothered with the length if they choose to go there.
Team Access
Have you applied for media credentials? I’m pretty sure that Blazer’s Edge covers the Blazers with credentials.
I have not.
It’s only recently that I’ve begun to lean toward thinking that credentials would be useful for me.
You should try to get a credential
Although I’m sure they won’t invite you to many games considering you might ask Mike Woodson a tough question, like why he insists on sticking with lineups that do not work, then calls a timeout once the opposing team makes a run, then brings at least 4 of the 5 players who lost the lead or dug a deeper whole back on the floor after said timeout.
I think that's a fair concern
from their point of view. I know that I wouldn’t (if given the opportunity) ask Woodson 35 times a season why he doesn’t play his best players with after they’ve committed to fouls in the first half but I can understand that someone could get that impression from reading me.
I think I’m capable of asking “Why didn’t Zaza play in the fourth quarter tonight, coach?” in a sober and respectful fashion. I have no interest in starting an argument or making anyone look bad. I understand that I would have to prove this over time for presence to be tolerated.
And
I felt much better thinking Za Za’s bum shoulder was the reason Woody didn’t play him in Toronto. I’m not necessarily befuddled because I expect these things now.
Interesting
I did miss much of the Wizard’s game, but I’m pretty sure that Javale McGee didn’t play the whole game. And honestly, I’ve never thought that matching up against an opposing meant giving any one particular player the night off. I believe that you can exploit a smaller team by using your size advantage to wear them down, and you can always shift your line-up if they’re beating you down the floor. At any rate, for every hustle point they earn by scooting down the floor, Zaza probably could have provided with his offensive rebounding.
Etan Thomas eventually found his way into the game against the Hawks. Woodson didn’t reciprocate with Zaza…and apologies to Etan, but Zaza has proven to be a more useful, effective big during his career, despite his failings.
I posted this in Hawksquawk yesterday, but Zaza’s rebound rate this season is higher than Marcus Camby’s. If he were among eligible leaders (via 82games.com-not certain what their criteria is at this point for qualification) he’d be 7th in the NBA in rebound rate-and has had a bum shoulder for much of the year.
You Know The Answer
Mike Woodson doesn’t know why he did it. Maybe he forgot that Zaza was on the bench, or that he was having a great game. Woodson is terrible at managing lineups and minutes. If you were there and asked him, he would say something nonsensical like “in hindsight I probably should have played Zaza, but at the time it seemed like the right call.”
I think that you absolutely could get press credentials, but it’s going to be pretty hard to walk the line of “news” vs. WTF questions.
To give a counter-example
where I would have difficulty asking a WTF question: last year’s Warriors game wherein Austin Croshere, guarded by Al Horford, makes a three-pointer on a pick-and-pop. Woodson immediately removes Horford from the game, matches up small against Nellie’s lineups, and surrenders Atlanta’s advantage on the glass.
Any question I can think regarding that decision contains an inherent criticism that may or may not be appropriate and, if it is appropriate, I may or may not have the natural or learned ability to finesse the asking of the question in a useful manner.
The reason
Suck-o Smith gets his credential is because he’s the beat guy that doesn’t ruffle the feathers too much. I like to thnk it’s because he is too incompetent to ask the tough questions, but it very well could be that he just doesn’t care so long as he gets enough access to keep his job with the AJC.
That said, every team wants a beat write that’s going to be on their side of things and to not stir things up when they are losing or having obvious problems. It’s part of the unwritten agreement, the team gives somewhat unlimited access to the writer and the write doesn’t take them to task for anything. In some cases, there might even be a little PR proof reading before being sent to press.
Jesse28
If you can honestly tell me that you’ve never gotten insight from Sekou’s posts, I’ll believe you aren’t an arrogant jerk that knows just enough to be dangerous
Um, ok
Not really sure how I came off as being an arrogant jerk. I obviously offended you in some way that was not intended. Maybe you are related to Sekou or something, I don’t know. Either way, I never said that the guy doesn’t write well or never writes anything interesting. Personally, I don’t agree with him that often so my opinion is based on that.
My overall point isn’t directed at Sekou, but more at the relationship between sports franchises and the beat writes that cover them, how there is a form of buddy program there. So, I apologize for you inferring something that wasn’t there.
It's not so much that I was offended
It’s just that I think that he’s an excellent beat writer, and his blog is one of the most informative sources of information run by a beat writer on any team.
Funny how when you call someone Suck-O, or suggest that they are either incompetent, lazy, or apathetic about their job, people take it that you are attacking the guy.
These aren’t’ things that I “inferred”, they are things that you wrote.
I think the fact that so little has been written about ZaZa’s absence says that he was available. However, I hope that Woodson didn’t want to play him because he was so banged up. Similar to how managers rest baseball players for a couple of games. The NBA season is a grind.
Call me crazy, but maybe it isn’t the best long term decision to play an important rotation player, on a team that’s main weakness is depth, that is too injured to correctly shoot a free throw.
I can’t be sure about that, but it’s the exact kind of question that Hoopinion could answer if he had access to the team. I think it’s a great idea to try to get media credentials. The worst they could say is no, but if they are smart they’ll say yes. There is a small group of passionate fans that read this blog, and it would be good for the Hawks to move closer to it
Do you remember last season
When the Hawks pushed Sekou to the brink of insanity and he was just railing on the team? I gave him a hug and told him it would be okay and we had a good laugh. I think Sekou does fine work, but I would like answers to the simple questions that no one likes to ask.
Poor Sekou
has spent so many years as a beat writer for a small/apathetic fanbase. Despite this, he does a pretty good job, and for a beat writer, he manages to combine optimism with a good sense of reality, at least compared to some other beat writers. And he puts a lot of extra time in to maintain a good blog, which he actually keeps updated-most beat writers would balk at such a task.
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