Without Hinrich, Hawks need Teague

That’s a lot to think about for a 22-year-old who has yet to even establish himself as an NBA regular, so Teague is trying to put it all out of his mind.

“When I start thinking too much, that’s when things start going wrong,” Teague said Saturday. “I am going to go out there and play has hard as I can and do what I can do.”

Teague played only nine minutes as the Hawks beat the Magic four games to two, but he now is one of the more indispensable players for the Hawks as they open the series at Chicago on Monday.

Kirk Hinrich is unlikely to play in the series after he suffered a severely strained hamstring injury Thursday. Hawks coach Larry Drew said Saturday he hadn’t decided on the starters for Game 1, but chances are Teague will replace Hinrich at point guard.

Teague is the only other true point guard. Drew’s other options, Jamal Crawford and Joe Johnson, are not as appealing for various reasons.

Teague is the Hawks’ only healthy player who can come close to matching Rose’s quickness. Of course, Rose is much better than Teague in every other way.

“At this point of the playoffs, everybody is going to be good,” Teague said. “I just happened to get matched up against the MVP.”

It’s an opportunity for Teague, a first-round draft pick in 2009, to prove that he can be a productive regular for the Hawks. It’s a tough spot for Teague to get his chance, but that’s the way it happened.

His teammates are urging him to take advantage.

“He knows that his opportunity has come right now,” Johnson said. “We all are looking forward to him delivering. When a guy goes down, another guy has to step up and fill that void. He has to be that man this series.”

Teague couldn’t do it in the regular season. It’s telling that even after the Hawks became convinced that Mike Bibby’s poor defense could no longer be overlooked, Teague played sparingly, though he’s the better defender.

The Hawks would face opponents with explosive point guards, but Teague seldom played. His productive and efficient games sometimes were followed by long stints on the bench, and his mistakes seemed to keep him there.

Coaches and teammates believed Teague’s confidence was damaged, but he insists that wasn’t the case.

“I’m fine,” he said. “I am always going to stay confident. If you lose your confidence in this league, you will be out soon.”

Drew said a lack of consistency prevented Teague from joining the rotation.

“That being said, I will never give up on him,” Drew said. “I still believe in his ability. I know that when he plays with consistency, he’s a totally different player and we’re a totally different team. I see something in him that I really like.”

There was a time when Drew seemed pleased with Teague’s consistency. It came right after the Hawks traded for Hinrich and Teague started four games as Hinrich got acclimated to his new team.

In games against Phoenix, Golden State, Portland and Denver, Teague was the pacesetter and defensive nuisance the Hawks needed.

“I saw a Jeff Teague that I had been waiting to see,” Drew said. “He played with a little bit of a chip on his shoulder.”

Soon, though, Hinrich was the starter and Teague was back to spot duty. But he said he learned from those games that he needed to play loose and free without thinking too much.

“When he called my name out west, I did pretty good,” Teague said.

Drew is calling on Teague again. It won’t be easy, but the Hawks need him.