sillent

2 minutes ago, hawkman said:

Kobe's middy game is tough.

& it looks like all of our rookies are throwing block parties  so far no one showed up to Mo G's yet but you know he got an invite ready.

All our rookies look good! Lundy playing volleyball on defense

2 hours ago, bird_dirt said:

I think only one player per team can be selected in an expansion draft. 
Sometimes teams will get out in front of it and preemptively trade a player to an expansion team with an agreement in place that they wouldn’t take one of their players in the draft, that way they aren’t surprised by who is taken and they can come away with an asset like a draft pick. 

If that's the case I definitely remembered that wrong and @Gray Mulewas right.

I still wouldn't leave Clint out there because he would probably be the only starter available and easy picking but it would definitely give us a better chance at retaining most of our players.

38 minutes ago, Diesel said:

I don't know if we saw this chemistry yet. 

AJ had a hard second half slump.  Some say it's because he cut the hair.   However, the truth is that he's 19 and haven't played this much basketball at this level before. JJ and OO looked good but that was in limited minutes.   My problem is that everyone is so gung ho about making a trade that essentially, it looks like trading just to trade.   We haven't looked at how it will effect the team.  Moreover, we don't really know what we have.  I will say it again..  A Quin led team should be far different than a Nate led team... if not, we fired Nate for nothing. 

 

I saw it. Plus I recorded a lot of games so I'm still watching some of last year's games. I haven't even got to the play in yet but I have been getting thorough observations.

27 minutes ago, JTB said:

I’m going to have to say 6th seed is the best and anything higher would be tremendously good.

I say Synder is good enough to keep us out of play in games (in a good way) and actually making the playoffs. The only reason I wouldn’t shoot higher than a 6th seed with this roster is because we have to be realistic with how quickly these young guys can develop throughout the season.
 

One thing that is starting to really intrigue me is Jalen Johnson’s development. He’s a really good young passer who can play the 3 or 4 depending on the matchup. We didn’t have that in Cam, Hunter, or Collins…so that one skill set could make an absolutely huge difference in outcome of games next season if Jalen gets minutes. Jalen should be cutting into minutes at the 3 and 4 next season regardless of a trade for a vet starter or if he starts.

Ironically the main reason I'm so high on the team even with the roster being as young as it is is because of the chemistry. AJ, JJ and OO really play well together.

You could tell they really like playing with each other and they all really want to win.

Bogi and Bey were great off the bench last year and should only be more aligned.

DejounTrae will be a yr older and grow up to be what we thought they would. Hunter knows Bey/AJ can start over him if he doesn't step up and Bey knows JJ is on his and same for Clint and OO.

Healthy competition, chemistry, continuity, comradary, coaching and connectivity go a long way and we have the talent to make it go even further.

Heat had this combination last year and we saw how far they went because of it.

All about the C's, ,   to get us to the ship ask the Nuggets

14 hours ago, JayBirdHawk said:

Happy Saturday Squawkers!  Have a laugh.

 

 

I guess he thought he was stealing the ball. Unfortunately it was from his teammate. Talk about brain farts

If you really want some insight to these other teams start seeing what they're fan based are saying about them.

If I closed my eyes and replaced some names I would think I was listening to some squawkers.

Some are going thru way more internal turmoil than we are for staying pat like Toronto for instance. 

Check them out though and you will have a lot better perspective for us and what we've been doing with our team.

Although we might've saw the depth of Denver not many expected them to go all the way because they didn't change must and didn't seem to have the grit to put them over the hump. 

What a difference a yr makes!!

5 hours ago, gurpilo said:

Miami got the finals, they added Josh Richardson and Thomas Bryant, that are real quality pieces, to an already deep team, you think we are better than them? Why? Because we won one game? If they avoid injuries and If they add Lillard... Orlando Robinson is growing a lot too...

Charlotte had a injury depleted roster last year. Lamelo is back and also Hayward and Miles Bridges. Mark Williams and Nick Richards will give them an improvement, they might be fighting with us.

Toronto, they added Portal that is a real upgrade, sure they lost Van Vleet but they still have Barnes, Trent, Anunoby Siakam, Boucher,  Achiuwa, Portal, they are really a good team.

And I forgot about Chicago.

We barely made the playoffs last year, we lost Collins and added nothing, why you think we should be ahead of those teams this year?

If Miami adds Lillard that means they would be losing depth to an already depleted team.

I get what you're saying about Charlotte their young and should improve. Sounds like another team I know that should have improved chemistry from continuity as well as a better system with a new coach having a year to actually implement his system. We've seen a small glimpse of it with our summer league team winning games even when their best pick isn't playing well and we've been down double digits in a few games if not most.

Toronto has been in shambles last year and are only continuing to fall apart which is why Fred Van Fleet left and Siakam is the next foot out the door.

You forgot about Chicago because they are forgettable. A young team staying pat and growing from within is understandable. An older team doing that is a cry for mediocrity.

Funny how you got 2 - 4 teams on here that have lost players or have stood pat but now they're better than us when they weren't even better than us record wise then Great logic (grass always greener).

8 hours ago, TheNorthCydeRises said:

 

For what their roles are on the team, here would be the grades I'd give out for last season

 

Trae: ( projected = A . . . . grade = B )

DJ:  ( projected = B+ . . . grade = B )

Hunter:  ( projected = B . . . grade = C+ )

Collins:  ( projected = B . . . grade = D+ )

Capela:  ( projected = B . . . grade = B- )

 

Bogi:  ( projected = B . . . grade = B- )

AJ:  ( projected = C- . . . grade = B- )

JJ:  ( projected = C . . . grade = C+ )

OO:  ( projected = C+ . . . grade = A- )

Bey:  ( projected = B- . . . grade = B- )

 

So we need those C+ / B- students to really be outstanding this year, for the team to rapidly improve.

I agree with every single grade here for last year except JJ. He should at least be a B-.

Either way I bet all those grades go up after this season which means there definitely won't be any C students by the end of the yr unless someone horribly starts to regress. 

Bogi and Clint have been too much of vets to fall that fast so I'll rock with a B - A squad with good coaching and good chemistry.

9 hours ago, Diesel said:

At what age do you say Marvin Williams hit his peak?

You may be the second biggest Hunter fan, but you're not going to guilt trip us out of the eye test.   He doesn't make an impact.  He doesn't seem to want to improve that.   He has been in the league this long and this was a contract year and we didn't see much improvement.

Has he hit his peak?  Who knows.  But what we can see is that he's not making large leaps. 

Tell me.. what has changed over the 4 years since this write up?

This is the same eye test that we see now.. 4 years later.  Has he hit his peak?  Who knows.  Be we can see that he's not making large leaps. 

Ok.. so who do we blame now..

I've heard it is Trae's fault.

I've heard it is Lloyd's fault.

I've heard it is Nate's fault.

It's probably Cam's fault. 

Here's the thing.  He has his money now.   His first interaction with Quin didn't go so well.  Let's see what will become of his play.

 

 

Honestly I couldn't read past the bold statement in your comments because you've already pegged me wrong. I didn't ever say I was a Hunter fan.

Cam fan yes probably one of the biggest.

Only thing I said about Hunter is he continues to prove me wrong. Meaning I've bet against him since day one. Maybe y'all are so down on him because y'all had greater expectations.

I just attempt to call it like I see it and try to look beyond what we can physically now but also the potential in the future. So I stand pat in saying I see where he can go and this summer is great fuel for him to breakout.

ps didn't mean for all of this to be bold but just rolled with it.

7 hours ago, Hawkish said:

Trae/Bufkin

DJ/Griffin/Bogi

Hunter/Bey

JJ/Gueye

OO

As others have said, trade value, potential, and/or reasonable contracts are the reasoning.  I’d just have to hope Capela/Lundy survive. I’d hate to lose Terrell Patrick-Evans (TPE). He had potential to become an important piece.

I'll be honest Capela is probably gone as a good starter piece for an up and coming team. If you're doing it for salary like @JayBirdHawk I understand but when building an expansion team you look for bargain pieces like that to give your build a head start.

Unfortunately @Gray Mule I don't think it works that way as far as 1 player per team but that would seem fair I suppose. I think how they actually do it is build their team from the 30 teams available best on players available and salary. On a 15 man roster if 10 were spared they could choose 5 players from 1 team if they like which is why most teams attempt to strategize and leave the least bait possible.

I could be wrong but I do remember it used to be like this. They may have/create different rules now though.

1 minute ago, TheNorthCydeRises said:

We're going to stand pat, hoping that C+ students turn into A- students.

You know what that means . . .

 

 

Who are these C+ students that you're referring to Name some names so they can get some final report cards at the end of this season.

1 hour ago, Hawkish said:

Why not try to upgrade the top end of the roster with 2-for-1 or 3-for-1 deals to get it to 10 strong where you aren’t concerned about veterans 11-15 being taken?

Trae/Bufkin/Mills

DJ/Bogi/Griffin/Lundy

Hunter/Bey

JJ/Gueye

Capela/OO

That’s thirteen right there.  A 3-for-1 deal would get us to eleven (assuming our FO just cannot proceed without a third “name” player added).  I’m not a proponent of Towns (nor do I want to trade Mills), but I’ll use him for example.

Trae/Bufkin

DJ/Griffin/Lundy

JJ/Bey

KAT/Gueye

OO

There is ten. Bogi would have to be the one “risked” with the hope an expansion team wouldn’t want him.

 

However, we have the TPE to use, so that may require another 2-for-1 trade or making Lundy available.

I get where you're going. You didn't quite solve the problem in your example but I get where you're going.

I'd still stick with what I got (which was a leech off of @thecampster idea) because I think that strategy would work. They might not even look our way as far as players to grab out of what's available so I wouldn't want to make moves out of fear but if it made sense and was worthwhile I wouldn't oppose.

So from what I'm hearing about Hunter is he's reached his peak at 25.

That's sad if that's the case because most players don't even touch their prime until 26 and that can usually run to about 30/32 before they reach their peak.

All I'm saying if I'm wrong and y'all are right then that's sad for Hunter and he'd be who I thought he was when we originally drafted him.

So far Hunter has surprised me at every turn of my expectations and at this point I don't doubt that he will continue.

Believe me I get what y'all see. I'm sure Hunter knows what he needs/needed to work on as well.

I'd be highly surprised if he comes back the exact same player that we saw last yr especially going into the off season healthy but we'll see.

14 hours ago, JayBirdHawk said:

OO at Summer League, Love it!

 

 

I've been wondering all that game who is the guy to the right of OO with the glasses between him and Trae. Not Bey of course for the fools out there but the other guy.

Is he a Hawks player?

38 minutes ago, gurpilo said:

Miami, Boston, Celeveland, Milwaukee and Philly are better than us.

We are a tier below with New York, Toronto, Brooklin, Charlotte fighting for the playoffs.

For Atlanta to go for next tier we need a step forward from Hunter, JJ and OO and to be lucky with injuries

What was our record against Milwaukee last year? And that was against a 41 - 41 team. We are better than the team we were last year and that record and we have the right orchestrator in Quinn to prove it.

Does Philly really believe what you're saying or do you think ultimately in their hearts there's some worry there?

People have been putting Cleveland on top of us for the past 2 seasons and we've been climbing that mountain and standing on top of it. They have to prove it before I believe it although I do think they've made some improvements every change needs an adjusting period.

Miami even if they get Dame are not the team they were last year. I like seeing Quinn and Spoelstra go head to head but overall we have the pieces to prevail as was shown in the play in. We're only going to take that blue print and dig further into it.

Honestly Boston is the biggest wild card to me. On one hand we've seen them deep before (Tatum, Brown, Hayward, Horford, Smart, Marcus Morris, Robert Williams, Terry Rozier, Kyrie Irving) and it didn't work. On paper they definitely have the squad but it will all depend on the fit between Porzingis and the 2 other stars.

Either way right now I only see Boston as the clear team ahead of us. Every other picture looks a little cloudy.

1 hour ago, thecampster said:

I'll start -

Protected - Trae Young, Dejounte Murray, Okongwu, AJ, JJ, Gueye, Bey, Capela, Lundy, Hunter.

Unprotected - Bogi, Mills, Bufkin, Fernando, Matthews, Krejci, Martin, Norris, Mills

 

Strategy, of all of our higher priced players, I'm betting Bogi is least likely to get drafted at his salary. I'm betting Bruno is taken because he's a bargain, Probably Vit, Maybe Bufkin and Norris.

 

I see the Bufkin pick as a huge blunder and wish we would have drafted Cam Whitmore on draft night (I was disappointed and early results show me to be right). I have no problem if he's lost in the expansion draft. My only players in this exposure I would regret are Norris and Vit.  I'd honestly expose Bruno because I think he's grown and deserves a chance at minutes.

 

Only waiver was to expose Capela or not.  I can't be 100% sure he wouldn't be lost to an expansion draft and if losing him, I'd prefer to get an asset for it.

Play fair, give your reasoning/strategy.

I was with you almost all the way except for protecting Lundy over Bufkin.

As much as I love Lundy I think he will go under the radar and not get picked.

Kobe Bufkin on the other hand will be a star (in my opinion) and even if he was someone we traded later on because of redundancy or whatever he would have more value.

Mock my words about Kobe but watch what I say. Trae's summer league was surprisingly more trash than Bufkin's but the intangibles are there.

Other than that I agree with all your strategies including the Bogi one. I honestly think they may reach for a Bogi before Lundy but even then we have a replacement in AJ. Unfortunately that would be the risk of an expansion draft but like you said they may look elsewhere for their choices before spending that money on an aging Bogi.

6 minutes ago, Diesel said:

We don't really need Hunter.   That's the problem on the books.  We have paid Hunter and his impactless play doesn't bode well for our future.  Every other player brings some form of impact.   With Hunter, we call him a good positional defender but we gain nothing from that.  He doesn't turn the ball over.  He doesn't rebound.. so while he may effect his opponents overall FG%, we give up the 2nd chance scoring opportunity and we end up losing.

You think SacTown would go for a Hunter for Barnes Trade?

It would save us money and bring in another player with Championship pedigree. 

 

 

You're talking about last year's Hunter I guess where yes true the impact was less seen/felt.

Still we discredit some of the things Hunter has already brought us like his defense on the elite wings (Luka, Tatum, Durant)

You haven't seen this yrs Hunter. Let's see what a silent summer Hunter looks like this coming season and then we'll see if we have those same sentiments.

I believe this will be Hunter's breakout season. I'm sure people have probably said that before but I'm saying it now. 

This will be Hunter's breakout season and I for one would rather have him then go against him when he breaks out.

On 7/8/2023 at 8:14 PM, JayBirdHawk said:

 

Speaking of reasons this is the main reason I'm so hyped about the season. Trae Young now has a reason to get excited about the regular season! Finally a reason to play to win all season long. Everyone gets motivated differently but I know this definitely motivates Trae!!

 

40 minutes ago, Spud2nique said:

Ya I had trouble with this too. We need a 1-10 scale, this one is too broad.

To me stars are perennial all stars that most people know even casual fans or non fans.

Giannis, LBJ, Kawhi, AD, Durant, Kyrie, Tatum, Embiid, Jokic, Westbrook, PG, Luka, DMitch, CP3, Harden, Dame, Curry, Ja Morant, Trae....

People that can change a franchise instantly (game changer), best at what they do (leader in multiple categories). People who others know who you're talking about instantly without using their full name or real name at all.

People that all 30 teams in the league would give great offers for or would happily take if they're available.

Zion for all his off court "troubles" is still a star which is why no matter how much trouble he's given New Orleans they'd risk hanging on to him before just giving him away.

Stars whether hated or loved usually both their talent and game is undeniable and game changing. Wemby for instance is one walking in the nba door. Now he just has to prove it on the floor to keep that title.

If we have to put a number on it (1 - 10) than they probably aren't true stars. 

25 minutes ago, TheNorthCydeRises said:

 

But all of those guys were high lottery picks, outside of Ibaka.

We're talking about our mid to low 1st round picks becoming stars . . . which has about an 85% chance of NOT happening.

If any of our guys turn out to be solid starters, that would be fantastic.  We've at least had that over the years.

Just looking back over the past 30 years of Hawks drafted 10 or below, these were the guys who became solid starters or contributors

• Kevin Huerter
• John Collins
• Dennis Schröder
• Jeff Teague ( All-Star ) . . . but only because the team was winning at a very high level
• Josh Smith
• Jason Terry
• Alan Henderson
• Mike Scott?

That's the list.  That's it. 

So when you talk about "Stars" . . we need a definition of what a "star" is.  Especially if there is a difference between a "star" and an "all-star".

 

Jimmy Butler, Nikola Jokic, Draymond Green (to an extent), shoot SGA, Donovan Mitchell, Paul George and Pierce, Devin Booker, Kawhi Leonard. A lot of these players could be considered franchise players and none of them were top 3. Saying that to say it doesn't necessarily matter where players are picked it matters how good they become and where they land in many cases so they can develop properly.

In bold are a few picks that I loved off bat. Most of them came from Travis (you excluded Trae but I get it). Meaning a competent GM/scout gives us a better chance at successful picks than GM's that aren't so competent.

Landry Field's has shown he's learned from Travis and in my opinion is even taking it a step further by the character of guys he's added to our already skilled/great character group.

One thing I've learned in life is many struggle to see greatness when its right in front of them. Doesn't mean it's not there and it's usually always revealed in time.

So we'll

14 minutes ago, Diesel said:

While I don't disagree with you.  I think even from here, we can still be good.  Having a refreshed JC would be great but our FO brought a lot of stress to the team with their handling of him.  It's hard to be productive and collegial if you know that at any moment they would trade you for a bag of chips. 

We were totally wrong in our handling of JC and I don't fault him for saying anything he wants to say about our organization. 

• They asked him to sacrifice when we brought in Clint. 
• They made him prove his worth after that. 
• They gave him a contract and then spent years trying to openly trade him. 
• They made schemes with him out of position.
• They criticized him when he was injured. 
• They put him in the worst positions on offense and then criticized him for not being who they wanted him to be. 

I suspect he will have a resurgence in Utah and we will regret what we have done. 

 

I think both parties will be better for it. Still I'll say it again I'm glad we atleast moved him to the West because I'm sure he'll inflict some revenge.

5 minutes ago, Spud2nique said:

No I was kidding my stand pat was from like 2 years ago. We are really either moving or standing pat so it comes up every 6 months anyways. Plus I didn’t Stand Pat 

I just got thru rewatching game of zones and it reminds me of the part when every year someone would claim the new king of the East against LeBron before he went to the Lakers

I admire your honesty although I do remember that stand pat war cry like it was yesterday so I guess I forgot too

With Quinn, Bey, Trae/DJ chemistry actually become the DejounTrae we originally hoped for, a step forward from all of our youth and solid play from our vets (sounds like a lot but natural progressions so not too much to ask) and Patty Mills bringing that championship mindset/pedigree we have exactly what we need to do great things.

Let's just say it was before it's time but great timing now. Hopefully we didn't rub Hunter the way JC was rubbed or that he approaches it differently and destroys the league in his coming out party.

2 minutes ago, thecampster said:

NY took a step back, Toronto step back, Miami/Chicago step back. Philly step back maybe more.

 

Cleveland better, Brooklyn, better.  Washington got a ton of shooting and might actually be a lot better in a clumsy way.  They may win/lose a lot of games 130-129.

I agree. Although Washington can be better than expected I've seen that movie before. Our old friend Travis is at it again (as a master rebuilder) and if Washington doesn't do bad enough they will lose their pick for this next draft and I'm sure he's not having that

3 minutes ago, Diesel said:

I agree with you on Cleveland.   I think they will be a problem.  As I look at them, it's hard to find a weakness. 

Right in the gut is where there weakness is... Similar to Portland they've struggled to get that wing player that puts them over the top.

2 minutes ago, bleachkit said:

Well at least youre not predicting multiple championships like you were before. 

Oh it's coming We honestly weren't far off when I did the 1st time we made it to the ECF with real potential to go further but I digress. I think the new core we have/built is even better.