Brandon Jennings says he has no confidence in his shot

As a NBA player you have to exhibit confidence. If you don't the game will eat you up.

Detroit Pistons point guard Brandon Jennings has always been a confident player but has struggled with the game recently. It's to the point where Jennings says he has no confidence in his shot.

“I’m just going to tell it like it is,” Jennings said. “I think that’s why my shot isn’t where it is right now,” he said. “I don’t have any confidence in my shot right now. That’s the reason I’m missing, because there’s just no confidence there.”

Jennings went 4-16 in Friday night's loss to the Atlanta Hawks. He missed four three pointers and committed four turnovers in the fourth quarter.

“I feel like I’m just shooting when people are telling me it’s time for me to shoot,” he said. “I gotta want to shoot. I’m so into passing that I kind of forget I can score sometimes.

“My confidence level isn’t high.”

Here's a solution for Jennings. Help the team in other areas of the game, like on defense. The Pistons could definitely use an improved effort.

It's still early in the season and at some point Jennings will get his groove back. He never was the best shooter in the game so it doesn't surprise me when he has moments of being an inefficient chucker.

He needs to get his head back in the game because the Pistons really need him to put forth his best effort.

Hawks rookie Lucas Nogueira will stay in Spain

Atlanta Hawks first round pick Lucas Nogueira will be spending next season in Spain so he can get some meaningful minutes and develop his game with Asefa Estudiantes Madrid.

The seven foot center was taken by the Boston Celtics with the 16th pick in the first round of the 2013 NBA Draft and quickly traded to the Hawks.

Nogueira would've found it hard to get minutes in a crowded frontcourt that includes Al Horford, Elton Brand, and Paul Millsap.

“We are very encouraged by what we’ve seen from Lucas this summer,” general manager Danny Ferry told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution Monday. “Going back to Estudiantes will allow him to continue develop while also playing meaningful minutes against very good competition. We will closely monitor his progress as he works towards his goals as a basketball player.”

Nogueira doesn't seem to mind, but last month he stated that he hoped to stay with the Hawks.

“If I stay here, I’m happy,” he said. “But if I need to go back I’m happy too because in Spain everybody believes in me. I’ve lived … in Spain and I know my club and everybody knows me. I’m happy. I know I can improve my game in Spain. I improved so much this year from last year. Right now, the most important thing is my body. I can’t improve my body in Spain. I’m perfect to stay here because the most important thing is to improve my body.”

Knowing that Danny Ferry cut his teeth in the San Antonio Spurs front office I'd have to say this is a Spurs type of move and could pay off for the  Hawks in the long run.

Pistons sign Josh Smith to a four year deal

The Detroit Pistons have landed their first free agent of the offseason as Josh Smith has agreed to a four-year deal that will pay him $56 million, a source has confirmed to ESPN.com.

Smith was one of the first players the Pistons targeted when they were able to begin speaking with free agents this week.

The 6-foot-9 Smith will join Greg Monroe and Andre Drummond in Detroit's front court and is expected to add a little bit of everything to the Pistons' lineup while providing some much-needed scoring punch.

In nine seasons with the Atlanta Hawks, Smith averaged 15.3 points, 8.0 rebounds, 3.2 assists and 2.1 blocks.  He's a career 46-percent shooter.

Last season, Smith averaged 17.5 points 8.4 rebounds, 4.2 assists and 1.8 blocks.

Smith, 27, was the 17th overall pick in the 2004 NBA Draft. He was a second-team selection to the 2004-05 NBA All-Rookie team and made the All-Defensive second team in 2009-10.

Smith explored other options but there didn't seem to be too much of a market for him.

I have my reservations about the signing since Smith has a tendency to want to take too many jumpers, but I'll let it play out before saying it won't work out

Teams can't sign free agents until July 10.

Pacers' Jeff Pendergraph first player fined in the playoffs for flopping

Jeff Pendergraph of the Indiana Pacers has been the first player to be fined under the NBA's anti- flopping rules. The league fined Pendergraph $5,000.

Pendergraph was fined for his Game 5 flop while defending the Atlanta Hawks' Josh Smith. In the regular season players get a warning for flopping. In the playoffs there is no warning given. Players automatically receive a $5,000 fine and the amount goes up for each offense.

Odds are Pendergraph won't be trying that again.

Josh Smith wants out of Atlanta

The Atlanta Hawks have watched Josh Smith grow from a teenage headache to a reliable player. Smith is having his best season as a pro and should've been recognized as an All-Star this season. Despite all the good the team has done this year, with injuries to Al Horford and Joe Johnson, Smith wants out of Atlanta. If not by the March 15 trade deadline then he could possibly walk in free agency.

That puts the Hawks in the unenviable position of trying to find themselves the best deal or just outright losing Smith for nothing. The reasons Smith wants to be traded are that he thinks he needs a fresh start elsewhere and believes the Hawks aren't committed to winning a championship. I would have to agree with Smith on the latter opinion. Smith also has said that he could reach his potential on and off the court by playing for another team.

Let me translate that last sentence. I want to play for a winning franchise and get some of the endorsement money being handed out.

Smith has been the subject of trade rumors before and he brushes all of it aside when asked about it.

“I really don’t pay any attention to it,” he said. “I just go out there and play the way I play and not worry about anything else. I know this is a business. Whatever happens, happens in the long run. But I know as long as I’m with the Hawks, I have to put my best foot forward.”  


If Smith is unhappy, he's not showing it and is giving his best effort which should help him on the open market if he doesn't sign an extension.

Teammate Jerry Stackhouse believes it would be a mistake if the Hawks trade Smith.


“His talent, that’s what you can’t give up on with Josh,” Stackhouse said. “It’s easy to say, ‘All right, let’s just move him.’ And then he goes and clicks at the next stop and you’ve got to look at that every night and you had it in house. That’s kind of the dilemma with Josh. You know you are going to get some uneasy moments from time to time but, for the most part, he’s really about winning. He wants to win. He’s competitive. I relate to that.


“How he handles his emotions and frustrations, sometimes he rubs people the wrong way and bruises them. But I think he’s happy-go-lucky. He thinks, ‘It was just heat of the moment’ and we can move on from it but he can bruise people. I think he’s learning that. He is learning to control his emotions a little better and it’s good for our team. The better Josh Smith is, the better the Atlanta Hawks are.”


If Smith is traded it would hurt the Hawks in the short term. It all depends on who they get in return. If they can get a good haul for Smith they might be better off for it, but all in all this is a risk that I think Hawks management doesn't really want to take.

McGrady Set To Fly With The Hawks

Let the NBA free agent frenzy begin. Well kind of.

 According to a report on ESPN, Tracy McGrady has signed a one year deal with the Atlanta Hawks. McGrady played last season with the Detroit Pistons and had a pretty good season for someone considered nearly done. He averaged 8.0 points per game in 23.4 minutes. Not bad for someone that was thrown on the NBA scrap heap.

McGrady can't officially sign with the team until Friday when free agency actually begins. But teams have been allowed to speak to agents for more than a week and could negotiate directly with players as of Monday.


More than likely he'll be backing up Joe Johnson and will be the primary scoring option off the bench since Jamal Crawford will more than likely wearing another uniform this season.

If McGrady still has something left in the tank without getting hurt, it could be a bargain for the Hawks.