BS Analysis: Atlanta Hawks

[benji]

BenjiStats Analysis: Atlanta Hawks

Team Analysis

After finishing 35-47 last season the Atlanta Hawks are even worse this year. Expected to go 24-58 this year and currently on pace to finish 23-59. So, what's gone wrong? Let's look.

Last year the Hawks Offensive Efficiency was 100.3, this year it has dropped all the way to 96.2. This we can easily figure out, the Hawks replaced a good scorer and two poor scorers with a good scorer (who's not AS good) and two worse scorers in dumping Glenn Robinson, Darvin Ham and Ira Newble and picking up Stephen Jackson, Travis Hansen and Boris Diaw.

Luckily the Hawks have improved their defense from 103.4 to 102.6 or they might be even worse. That's still not very good but an improvement. Last year they defended Starting Centers the best, and were strong at the two forward slots. While the best way to find this is to find the GSM for all 29 starters at the position, I'd rather not do that yet since a lot of guys have played only one game against teams. Right now I suspect that Abdur-Rahim and Ratliff have recommitted to defense after basically taking a year off, since Diaw is pretty much a replacement for Newble (though he might be better), Jackson and Robinson is a wash since Ham hasn't been replaced on the defensive end.

The Hawks have joined the rest of the league in slowing the game down even more, but not too much, they've only dropped their Pace from 93.0 to 92.4. One interesting thing is that the Hawks are almost dead even with their opponents on the glass (grabbing 50% of rebounds), and at shooting the ball from the field (.435 to .432) and the line (.767 to .764). However there are some big differences, Hawks opponents get about two more assists a game (22.3 to 19.9) and shoot 30 points higher from three (.340 to .310). This would account for the extra 6 points Hawks opponents put up on them. What I found even more interesting is that the Hawks allow their opponents to get a shot off 87% of the time, meaning they only force a turnover 13% of the time. On the other side of the coin the Hawks only get a shot off 78% of the time, meaning they lose the ball without shooting 22% of the time. The league average is 82% (and has been for the last two years), so the Hawks are being held under that, while allowing their opponents to get quite a bit higher. Is it any wonder they Hawks are having problems keeping up with their opponents offensively?

Player Analysis - Starters
Shareef Abdur-Rahim - 19.8ppg 9.6rpg 2.6apg .491FG% .858FT% On-Court Time: 74.5% PRO: 108.09
Abdur-Rahim is the Hawks best overall player and posts a PRO that's All-Star caliber and just short of making him an All-NBA candidate. He tops in the Hawks in a number of other categories. He's the best player on the Hawks at creating his own shot posting a 40.1 usage rate, he also makes the most of his shots, scoring 1.13 points per shot (and hitting 49% of his shots) highest on the Hawks by .08 points. He's second on the team getting to the line 0.39 times for every field goal attempt, which is good since he shoots .858 from the line. He's not too shabby on the glass either, grabbing 14.8% of rebounds second to Nazr Mohammed and is also second in turnover ratio turning the ball over only 10.4 times per 100 scoring possessions. That's quite good since Abdur-Rahim gets the second most scoring possessions on the team and is fourth per 48. Abdur-Rahim's biggest flaw is he doesn't create baskets for his teammates, while his Assist Ratio and Pure Point Rating are tops for big men on his team at 11.4 and -1.74 that says he's not creating points for his teammates. The fact that he scores so well on his own does balance this out though as he provides 1.11 points per scoring possession, third on the team after the two point guards Jason Terry and Jacque Vaughn and is first by a mile in the rating Mike Davis developed getting 55% of the points he attempts. Abdur-Rahim is a solid defensive player but does tend to drift on that end as his team performs poorly.

Jason Terry - 16.2ppg 4.0rpg 5.0apg .435FG% .822FT% On-Court Time: 70.4% PRO: 89.86
Terry falls just short of earing the star PRO rating of 90 but it's close enough we can call him one. Terry is the second best player the Hawks have at creating his own shot posting a 37.1 usage rate, he also posts a 16.8 offensive production stat again second on the team. He yanks down 6.4% of rebounds, which isn't bad for a point guard, but it isn't good either. His turnover ratio is the lowest of the guards on the team at 12.5, he's second in both points per shot (1.05) and points per scoring possession (1.12) meaning he can make his own shots as well as create points for his teammates. This last point is reinforced by a PPR of 1.20 though his assists are once again very low for a point guard with only a 21.4 Assist Ratio. Terry gets the most scoring possessions on the team probably due to playing point guard but also due to the fact he can score on his own. He perhaps settles for jumpers too much, only getting to the line 0.24 times for every field goal, while this is second for guards on the team he hits 82% from the line and he might be better served driving more as that would solidify him as a star despite his low assist ratio. Terry is average defensively but could be better.

Dion Glover - 11.9ppg 4.9rpg 2.2apg .390FG% .787FT% On-Court Time: 59.9% PRO: 76.99
Dion Glover has the third highest PRO on the team (since Nailon got waived) but he's more than likely only the fourth best player on the team. His defense is simply horrible, he let's his man do whatever he wants to. He's probably the largest reason the Hawks defense is so poor, Terry's lack of defensive effort doesn't help, but the Hawks backcourt is icky on that end mainly due to Glover. But Glover stays in the league simply because he's terrific on the offensive end. His ability to create his own shot and almost never turn the ball over puts him 3rd in Usage Rate and 1st in Turnover Rate on the team. He only gets 0.96 points per shot, but bumps it up to 1.01 points per scoring possession. His assist ratio is low but aside from Diaw it's the best they have on the wing and his PPR IS the best they have on the wing. Glover's also the fourth best on the team at getting to the line where he hits 79% and best on the team hitting 38% of his three pointers. Despite his defensive shortcomings he's still one of the best guards in the league on the glass grabbing 9.1% of rebounds. If he had a better shot selection and improved his defense to be merely below average he might be a bonified starter in the league but for now he's simply top reserve quality.

Stephen Jackson - 13.4ppg 3.9rpg 2.5apg .404FG% .768FT% On-Court Time: 65.3% PRO: 73.26
Jackson might be overrated after last year with the Spurs, but he's still a solid player. His defense is leagues better than Glover's and is an upgrade over Robinsons. However it looks like Jackson was getting help from what I call The Duncan Factor, his three point shooting has fallen under 30% after shooting 35% in San Antonio. Jackson can create his own shot fairly well (29.3), but he's better off having someone else set him up. His turnover ratio isn't too bad (12.0) but his assist ratio and PPR aren't blowing anyone away at 13.1 and -1.85. He gets 0.95 points per shot but doesn't even produce a point per scoring possession, while he's close at 0.98 it shows why Atlanta is struggling offensively when it's third option can't produce a point per scoring possession. Jackson almost never gets to the line (0.12 FTA/FGA) which hurts because he shoots 77% from there. He also needs to work on his shot selection, as he's only bagging 41% of the points he's attempting.

Theo Ratliff - 7.7ppg 6.9rpg 0.9apg .448FG% .619FT% On-Court Time: 62.2% PRO: 55.69
Ratliff's injury problems have probably killed a career that looked to be turning him into one of the best centers in the league. While Ratliff is still pretty good in the middle, that's more because of the lack of quality centers it doesn't help that he's a misplaced power forward. His PRO is slightly deceptive because he is clearly more valuable on the defensive end where he is still damn good. Ratliff is third on the team on the glass, grabbing 12.7% of rebounds, and he swats 4.82 blocks per 48 minutes. However offensively Ratliff is near the bottom in everything, only Nazr Mohammed is worse at passing the ball and creating opportunites for his teammates. Ratliff doesn't turn the ball too much (14.4) but his ability to create shots for himself isn't more than average (22.7 usage rate, 0.97 points per shot) and if he's not creating for kist himself he's actually drops to 0.92 points per scoring possession. If there's a few things Theo does right offensively that's get to the line (0.40, first on the team) and doesn't take too many bad shots (getting 47% of attempted points). Unfortunately he only shoots 62% from the line which negates his ability to get there and probably means teams are less reluctant to foul him and often scores on putbacks which lowers his bad-shot percentage.

Player Analysis - Key Reserves
Nazr Mohammed - 6.4ppg 5.1rpg 0.4apg .467FG% .657FT% On-Court Time: 37.9% PRO: 68.38
Mohammed like Ratliff is a misplaced power forward, but Mohammed has managed to fair better in recent years, especially on offense. While he's simply a hideous passer and won't create anything for his teammates (5.2 Assist Ratio, -5.00 PPR, 1.01 points per shot drops to 0.91 points per possession) he can score quite well by himself. He posts a 28.8 usage rate, fifth on the team, hits 47% from the floor, gets 50% of his attempted points and gets to the line very well (0.35) though that might again be attributed to the poor percentage (66%) he shoots. He also grabs 15.4% of rebounds, tops on the team. If he does all of this so well (aside from passing) why doesn't he start? Well, he's horrible defensively and with the poor defenders on the wing they need Ratliff to protect the basket. But, in a couple years he probably will supplant Ratliff in the starting lineup for more often than when Ratliff is hurt.

Jacque Vaughn - 5.1ppg 2.2rpg 3.6apg .426FG% .780FT% On-Court Time: 47.8% PRO: 52.61
Vaughn is another guy with a PRO that underrates him, though in his case it isn't too much. He is tops on the team in setting up his teammates (34.2 AR, 3.84 PPR) and despite not being able to create too many shots for himself (23.9 UR, 0.95 PPS) he manages to lead the team, creating 1.17 points per possession because of that passing ability. Vaughn is the worst rebounder on the team grabbing 5.3% of rebounds but that'll suffice for a backup point guard. He gets to the line well enough (0.23 FTA/FGA) but like Terry he could serve to boost that since he shoots 78% there. He doesn't take too many bad shots getting 46% of the points he attempts though most of those attempts come when he really doesn't want to shoot but has to. Vaughn's saving grace is his defense, he's one of the better defenders at the point position and can handle some shooting guards which allows him to spend some time next to Terry.

Boris Diaw - 3.6ppg 4.1apg 2.4apg .426FG% .550FT% On-Court Time: 38.2% PRO: 41.97
Diaw is an oddity. The rookie from France can't score by himself (23.2 UR, 0.92 PPS) but sets up his teammates for baskets like nobodies business (28.6 AR, 1.01 points per possession). He also hits the glass very well grabbing 10.3% of rebounds and finds his way to the line at the rate of 0.40 free throws per field goal, too bad he only shoots 55% from there. He doesn't have the best jump shot so he only nails 43% of the points he attempts and he turns the ball over quite a bit picking up a 23.7 turnover ratio. But he's a real life defensive stopper, in three years if he's not on the All-Defense team I'll be very disappointed. The pre-draft comparison of French Magic, in my opinion applies. Magic couldn't shoot anything more than a layup his first few years in the league, neither can Diaw but both could set up their teammates and play some nasty defense using their size.

Travis Hansen - 2.0ppg 1.2rpg 0.3apg .392FG% 1.000FT% On-Court Time: 12.4% PRO: 34.51
Hansen is similar to Diaw in that he hasn't figured out how to score so he spends most of his time working hard on defense. Unfortunately Hansen can't set up people like Diaw (10.0 AR, -2.92PPR, 0.83 points per possession) and can't set himself up either (16.1 UR, 0.85 PPS) and isn't too stellar on the glass either grabbing only 6.9% of rebounds. Hansen almost never gets to the line (0.04) which is why he's shooting 100% from there. He can't shoot and/or takes bad shots because he only gathers 38% of his attempted points.

Chris Crawford - 2.3ppg 1.7rpg 0.3apg .306FG% .833FT% On-Court Time: 7.2% PRO: 54.56*
Dan Dickau - 1.7ppg 0.9rpg 1.0apg .345FG% .750FT% On-Court Time: 4.0% PRO: 64.22*
Neither of these guys play enough minutes to really be evaluated by their PRO. However Dickau distributes the ball pretty well (26.0 AR) and makes up for his inability to score (0.78 PPS becomes 0.97 points per possession). He also rebounds very well (9.5%) for a point guard. Crawford doesn't do much of anything, though he gets to the line (0.33) and hits 83% there, he's the worst player the Hawks have on offense creating only 0.81 points per possession.

Rankings
PRO
1. Shareef Abdur-Rahim (108.09)
2. Jason Terry (89.86)
3. Dion Glover (76.99)
4. Stephen Jackson (73.26)
5. Nazr Mohammed (68.38)
6. Theo Ratliff (55.69)
7. Jacque Vaughn (52.61)
8. Boris Diaw (41.97)
9. Travis Hansen (34.51)

Rebound Rate
1. Nazr Mohammed (15.4)
2. Shareef Abdur-Rahim (14.8)
3. Theo Ratliff (12.7)
4. Boris Diaw (10.3)
5. Dion Glover (9.1)
6. Travis Hansen (6.9)
7. Stephen Jackson (6.6)
8. Jason Terry (6.4)
9. Jacque Vaughn (5.3)

Assist Ratio, PPR
1. Jacque Vaughn (34.2, +3.84)
2. Boris Diaw (28.6, -1.75)
3. Jason Terry (21.4, +1.20)
4. Dion Glover (13.5, -0.22)
5. Stephen Jackson (13.1, -1.85)
6. Shareef Abdur-Rahim (11.4, -1.74)
7. Travis Hansen (10.0, -2.92)
8. Theo Ratliff (8.4, -2.98)
9. Nazr Mohammed (5.2, -5.00)

Points Per Shot
1. Shareef Abdur-Rahim (1.13)
2. Jason Terry (1.05)
3. Nazr Mohammed (1.01)
4. Theo Ratliff (0.97)
5. Dion Glover (0.96)
6. Stephen Jackson (0.95)
6. Jacque Vaughn (0.95)
8. Boris Diaw (0.92)
9. Travis Hansen (0.85)

Points Created Per Scoring Possession
1. Jacque Vaughn (1.17)
2. Jason Terry (1.12)
3. Shareef Abdur-Rahim (1.11)
4. Dion Glover (1.01)
4. Boris Diaw (1.01)
6. Stephen Jackson (0.98)
7. Theo Ratliff (0.92)
8. Nazr Mohammed (0.91)
9. Travis Hansen (0.83)

Next up, The Boston Celtics!

[Vins15]

nice...but i don't rili care bout the Hawks so..

[Bill Russell]

Amazing, amazing, amazing... Please keep doin' this as it's very interesting to see who's underrated and who's overrated...

[Drex]

Good post. I'm looking for the Cavs (LeBron), Sixers and Lakers.

[Nick]

As i say at nbalive.org... these are awesome. Denver will be an interesting story, do them!

[Jackal]

Great read, like I said before, this should be fun, for the first time, all teams will be analysed fully.

Nick- I think he is doing all teams, alphabettically...he started with Atlanta, I'm guessing the Celtics are next.

[LegoSHAQ]

Nick- I think he is doing all teams, alphabettically...he started with Atlanta, I'm guessing the Celtics are next.

Next up, The Boston Celtics!

Great guess Psycho...

like I said before, this should be fun

It should be... but it won't.. when was the last time this site was fun?

for the first time, all teams will be analysed fully.

I thought Andrew analysed them...

[maltre]

It should be... but it won't.. when was the last time this site was fun?

Then why come back ?
Nobody forced you to come here, right ?

[LegoSHAQ]

come back?

Sorry I didn't realise I had left maltre..

wow you wasted your rare 39th post... posting so much these days cause the NLSC is sooooo.. fun!

[Bourbon]

thought Andrew analysed them..

Does Andrew analyze teams like Ben does? I'm not sure that he does, which I suppose is okay. Anyway, if you want the Number One reason Ben's rosters are the best, this thread sums up why.

[Jackal]

Sorry, I overlooked the Boston part. My bad, I posted what I posted becuz I asked Ben, and thats what he said, again, apologies.

Your second comment, true in a way, I think it's because of the "head of bulls ass licking society". Thanx to Tales, some humour is back though.

I should start typing what I am trying to say...

What I meant was, during the season, I haven't seen someone analyse all teams so efficiently. Andrew's analysis was before the season and was more of a prediction thing. Many sites did the same thing.

I havent seen it during the season, forgive me if you have.

[LegoSHAQ]

Andrew's analysis was before the season and was more of a prediction thing. Many sites did the same thing.

I havent seen it during the season, forgive me if you have.

Yeah.. I guess it was a prediction more than an analysis.. I haven't seen any analysis like this thrue the season .. true.. I can't see Ben getting though all the teams before the playoffs though...

Anyway, if you want the Number One reason Ben's rosters are the best, this thread sums up why.

For sure....

[Stevan]

What's up David, .orgy down? Would you like some cheese?

Psycho Jackal: What's with the Bulls asslicking thing man? There's me, Andrew and Crawford4MIP4sure. There's not many Bulls threads, not every discussion turns into "Bulls this and Bulls that" and we're generally quick to point out how sucky the Bulls are. As for Limp's new nick, it's obvious that he's just trying to be funny, and not actually stroking Jamal's cock

[benji]

BenjiStats Historical Analysis: Atlanta Hawks

A lot of people consider Dominique Wilkins a "second-tier" star. So, I took a look at his numbers in Atlanta.

Averages:
PRO: 127.55 (Best: 149.79; Worst: 97.04 (Rookie Year))
Rebound Rate: 13.8 (Best: 15.2; Worst: 12.5)
Assist Ratio, PPR: 8.9, -2.21 (Best: 11.2, -0.66; Worst: 6.3, -4.42)
Turnover Ratio: 8.7 (Best: 7.6; Worst: 10.8)
Points Per Shot, Possession: 1.08, 1.07 (Best: 1.14, 1.13; Worst: 1.03, 1.01)
Usage Rate: 50.0 (Best: 57.4; Worst: 37.9 (Rookie Year))
Free Thows Per Field Goal: 0.35 (Best: 0.42; Worst: 0.28 (Rookie Year))
Points Scored/Points Attempted: 51% (Best: 52%; Worst: 50%)

I can break this down year by year if someone would like (since I have it all easy to access in Excel) but to me...Dominique Wilkins was a superstar. Not just a "second-tier" star.

[TheBob]

BenjiStats Historical Analysis: Atlanta Hawks

A lot of people consider Dominique Wilkins a "second-tier" star. So, I took a look at his numbers in Atlanta.

Averages:
PRO: 127.55 (Best: 149.79; Worst: 97.04 (Rookie Year))
Rebound Rate: 13.8 (Best: 15.2; Worst: 12.5)
Assist Ratio, PPR: 8.9, -2.21 (Best: 11.2, -0.66; Worst: 6.3, -4.42)
Turnover Ratio: 8.7 (Best: 7.6; Worst: 10.8)
Points Per Shot, Possession: 1.08, 1.07 (Best: 1.14, 1.13; Worst: 1.03, 1.01)
Usage Rate: 50.0 (Best: 57.4; Worst: 37.9 (Rookie Year))
Free Thows Per Field Goal: 0.35 (Best: 0.42; Worst: 0.28 (Rookie Year))
Points Scored/Points Attempted: 51% (Best: 52%; Worst: 50%)

I can break this down year by year if someone would like (since I have it all easy to access in Excel) but to me...Dominique Wilkins was a superstar. Not just a "second-tier" star.

I'm not convinced.

[air gordon]

Psycho Jackal: What's with the Bulls asslicking thing man? There's me, Andrew and Crawford4MIP4sure. There's not many Bulls threads, not every discussion turns into "Bulls this and Bulls that" and we're generally quick to point out how sucky the Bulls are. As for Limp's new nick, it's obvious that he's just trying to be funny, and not actually stroking Jamal's cock

[Jackal]

Occupation: head of bulls ass licking society

That's with the asslicking comment, in no way was it directed towards you or Andrew, or other Bull fans (Matthew, Redbulls).

The points I brought up in the locked thread, were to make my point clear.

I've spoken to Andrew about it, and he understood what is I tried to do. I think it's very clear.

How is it you assume his name is meant to be funny, but someone like Kobe4mvp's name is not? Maybe, he is trying to be "funny" too. It's an assumption, nothing we can be sure of.

Anyways, that thread is locked, it's over, points that needed to be made, were made. You asked me something in this one, thus I replied. I no longer want to talk about that thread, since all it will do is have this one locked.

That's all you'll hear from me, if you still feel the need to say something to me about the whole thing, feel free to add me to MSN or something.

[EGarrett]

thought Andrew analysed them..

Does Andrew analyze teams like Ben does? I'm not sure that he does, which I suppose is okay. Anyway, if you want the Number One reason Ben's rosters are the best, this thread sums up why.

Bourbon...stop sulking.

And everyone else...Ben posted an excellent analysis of the Hawks. Discuss that instead of engaging in site wars, flaming or anything else.

[Stevan]

How is it you assume his name is meant to be funny, but someone like Kobe4mvp's name is not? Maybe, he is trying to be "funny" too. It's an assumption, nothing we can be sure of.

Dude, don't take it personally. I'm not about to get into a flame with you, I was just pointing out that we're not all ass lickers, but I see now what you were trying to do. I assume Limps name is supposed to be funny simply because he's a funny guy, and before he did that there were several usernames with variations of Kobe in them. No biggie, let's all move on

[Jackal]

It's not taken personally Stevan, me and you haven't had any differences, you do your thing, I do mine. Nothing is taken personally with you. (That's what showerfun does to you. ).

I didn't say all of the bulls fans are ass lickers, which is equivelent to Laker fans, not all of them are cock strokers.

I said this to Andrew, and I'm saying it to you. What I said in that thread, was said to prove a point. If he will call others cockstrokers, for being a Laker fan, I will call him a Bull cockstroker, becuz it is the same thing he is doing, but the only difference is, he's a bull fan, others are Laker fans.

I have no problem whatsoever with Bulls fans, I enjoyed Bulls basketball, and am very glad I got to see those Bulls teams play.

However, I cannot say the same for Limpy, since he hates the lakers, and this is pretty obvious.

Again, I never said all of you are ass lickers, and I dont even mean anything with the ass lickers comment, I used that term since it is in his profile.

I didn't try to flame you, or any other bulls fans. I tried to prove a point, the point I tried to prove, is that:

He does things, when others do the same things he does, he says its cockstroking. Thus, making the person he's talking about feel bad. He doesnt see that he is doing the same exact thing, only difference is, he does it for the Bulls.

I'm not the only one who agrees that he is a hypocrite, others have mentioned this to me. Some have even told me, that he makes those lame comments about people's nickname out of sheer boredom. I agree with the latter. All it does is lead to one big flame, yet he does it. It's not the first time, is it?

Yes, let's all move on, let's stop making fun of fans of other teams, lets not call them cockstrokers, for liking a team, you dont.

[benji]

Earlier I gave a bunch of team stats for the Hawks, but I forgot to give their ranking in the league

Pace: 92.2 (14th; Last Season: 93.0, 15th)
Offense: 96.2 (25th; Last Season: 100.3, 22nd)
Defense: 102.6 (24th; Last Season: 103.4, 21st)
Difference: -6.4 (27th; Last Season: -3.1, 22nd)

I'll be back with the position rankings and breakdown on Dominique along with Boston and Chicago sometime this week.

[Bourbon]

Bourbon...stop sulking.

If I said Andrew's rosters were better than Ben's, you wouldn't have a problem. Maybe you should re-read the Forum rules before errantly waiving a big stick at what the Administration considers unpopular speech.

[Boyk]

It's not taken personally Stevan, me and you haven't had any differences, you do your thing, I do mine. Nothing is taken personally with you. (That's what showerfun does to you. ).

I didn't say all of the bulls fans are ass lickers, which is equivelent to Laker fans, not all of them are cock strokers.

I said this to Andrew, and I'm saying it to you. What I said in that thread, was said to prove a point. If he will call others cockstrokers, for being a Laker fan, I will call him a Bull cockstroker, becuz it is the same thing he is doing, but the only difference is, he's a bull fan, others are Laker fans.

I have no problem whatsoever with Bulls fans, I enjoyed Bulls basketball, and am very glad I got to see those Bulls teams play.

However, I cannot say the same for Limpy, since he hates the lakers, and this is pretty obvious.

Again, I never said all of you are ass lickers, and I dont even mean anything with the ass lickers comment, I used that term since it is in his profile.

I didn't try to flame you, or any other bulls fans. I tried to prove a point, the point I tried to prove, is that:

He does things, when others do the same things he does, he says its cockstroking. Thus, making the person he's talking about feel bad. He doesnt see that he is doing the same exact thing, only difference is, he does it for the Bulls.

I'm not the only one who agrees that he is a hypocrite, others have mentioned this to me. Some have even told me, that he makes those lame comments about people's nickname out of sheer boredom. I agree with the latter. All it does is lead to one big flame, yet he does it. It's not the first time, is it?

Yes, let's all move on, let's stop making fun of fans of other teams, lets not call them cockstrokers, for liking a team, you dont.

AMEN!!
someone has finally said what ive been thinking.
well said Jack, well said (Y)(Y)