The Chicago Bulls embarrassed the Hawks.
There's no two ways around it. Putting up 150 points should nearly always result in a check mark in the win column. This time, it didn't.
The very first question in the postgame press conference directed towards Quin Snyder was exactly that - how the coach felt about spearheading such an elite offensive performance while managing to lose the game.
Quin, throughout his six and a half minutes in front of the press, appeared completely downtrodden. After commanding a beautiful offensive attack, drawing up beautiful after-timeout plays (a counter to a criticism of his of late), and managing rotations to the best of his abilities, losing a game like this certainly looked like it took a toll on him.
Honestly, who can blame the coach? Not many Hawks fans would've expected the squad to sit perfectly at .500 around the holidays, and no doubt it's an unwelcome sight from the front office as well.
The one extenuating factor for Coach Snyder is his lack of personnel – and he made that much clear in his press conference.
The Kristaps Porzingis void has to be filled one of two ways
Coach Snyder was later asked at the conference how his squad managed the Bulls' relentless paint attack. His response? "[Onyeka Okongwu] is working his tail off at 6'8... we have a 6'8 center."
Coach is calling it how it is. Without size on the interior, there's only so much scheming that the team can do to counteract such an inherent weakness. He's more or less begging Onsi Saleh for some help down low – be it in the form of a healthy Porzingis, or a healthy replacement in KP's stead.
Quin clearly has a great deal of respect for the Chino Hills product, but playing him extensive minutes at the five seems more of a mandatory response rather than an elective decision. If Kristaps Porzingis were healthy, Okongwu could slide into a more comfortable role, guarding smaller bench 5's while playing a bulky four role in the starting lineup, if needed.
Unfortunately, this hasn't been the grace afforded to Okongwu to start the year. Porzingis' ailments continue to weigh heavily on him, and they've forced Okongwu into a lofty role he simply isn't excelling in. To make matters worse, KP's beefy $30M contract isn't allowing the team to add to this size void without flipping the big man himself.
One thing is certain – if the Hawks don't have a healthy KP or a KP replacement by February, they make it very far in the playoffs. If that's what Onsi wants to do, so be it, but don't blame Coach Snyder for simply playing the subpar hand he's been dealt.