MarylandHawk

45 minutes ago, REHawksFan said:

This is where they desperately need Dre back.  He's shown flashes of being a guy who could score and be dynamic WITHOUT needing Trae to spoon feed him.  Clint and JC aren't like that.  They both NEED Trae to feed them to be most effective.  

I believe John can create his own shot if he has a couple of set plays to get him a mismatch. If this was explored more, they wouldn't be entirely dependent on Trae creating a shot for John.  

1 hour ago, Peoriabird said:

Like the last game?

Yep. 

8 minutes ago, TheNorthCydeRises said:

 

Hawks are only 4 - 11 when Trae has 10 or more assists.   

Out of that 4 - 11, they're only 1 - 5 when Trae gets 14 or more assists.  And he's had five 25+ point scoring games in the 6 games in which he had 14+ assists.

Meanwhile, the Hawks are 7 - 3 when Trae has 7 or less assists.  The difference?  He had five 33+ point scoring games.

 

All of the data points toward the Hawks winning ONLY when Trae plays great.  Until we become a much better defensive team, this is probably the best formula for winning.   

 

 

 

This has a lot of truth to it and it appears that way when you watch the games. I think another reason he has to shoulder so much offensive weight is because the team has not designated a second option. John Collins is the clear choice for this but they don’t commit to him and run plays for him down the stretch. He, Clint and Dre just get their shots through running the offense and they never really know when they are going to get the ball. There have been a couple of games where John was unstoppable all game long and then the 4 quarter came and he barley touched the ball. Not Trae’s fault though. 

2 minutes ago, JayBirdHawk said:

Bol Bol is tall, he isn't a big though.

I don’t why coaches aren't giving this guy a chance. He was blocking 4 shots a game in college. Being big doesn't count for anything in this league anymore on defense because the nba wont let you touch anybody with out a foul being called.  On offense he has guard like skills and a very good jump shot. 

23 minutes ago, JayBirdHawk said:

With Gallo at the 4 a Defensive backup big.

I would Trade Bruno for Bol Bol. 

2 hours ago, Peoriabird said:

But if you don't even try an alternative while remain stubbornly forcing Trae to dictate play, you really don't know what other possibilities are and whether they would be  better alternatives under certain scenarios.  Other coaching staffs would have figured this out by now.

Spot on. When Dallas decided to trap Trae in the back court, it took a whole half for them to adjust. After the second time they did it, they should have let someone else bring the ball up to start the offense and set a half court pick to get Trae the ball in his hands going downhill. What makes it especially frustrating is that I believe they played the Spurs before that who use the same trap effectively against the Hawks and they did not learn from it. 

6 hours ago, TheNorthCydeRises said:

So let's review the facts about Trae and the Hawks.   He's missed 2 games this year.

• He's currently averaging 18.2 FGA and 6.5 3FGA
• He's only taken 25 or more shots in 2 games this season
• The Hawks are 5 - 9 when Trae takes 18 shots or less
• The Hawks are 9 - 8 when he takes more than 18 shots
  • Of that 9 - 8 record . . the Hawks are 4 - 2 when he's taken at least 23 shots
• And once again, when Trae scores 33 points or more, the Hawks are 9 - 0
• When he scores 25 points or less, we are 2 - 11

 

So the narrative of Trae needing to score less or take less shots, for the team to be more successful, has to make sense.  Just because it sounds great in theory, doesn't mean that it'll lead to more winning.  The data proves that the opposite is true.  You still have to have guys who are capable of scoring the basketball on a consistent basis, in order for this to happen.

The one thing about Trae's data set that you can say is this.  40% FG shooting in a game, is the REAL barometer number that determines if the Hawks win or lose games.

• 12 - 6 if Trae shoots 40%+ FG
• 2 - 11 if Trae shoots less than 40% FG

Also, if this dude is on from 3 point range, we're not losing.   11 - 2 if Trae shoots 40%+ from 3.  

So is the TRUE NARRATIVE that we should all be discussing, is how can we get Trae better and easier looks at the basket, so that he can be more efficient shooting the basketball? 

He's our most lethal scorer.  We should NOT be reducing the shots from our most lethal scorer, unless other's increasing their production, leads to winning.

Nice work. I think his teammates need to make open shots when they get the ball. Too many of his teammates are watching him play and are surprised when he pulls a deep one or he finds them wide open when he is not even looking at them. They just need to continuously look to get open and be ready to knock it down.   My other issue is, when he pulls up for long 3 pointers his teammates just stand there and watch, nobody is crashing the boards. Dre was starting to do that before he got hurt and his rebound numbers went up. Everyone except Capella is out there watching Trae. 
Trae is playing the exact right way including defensive effort. 

42 minutes ago, AUhawksfan said:

That 5 game stretch after the ASB are all winnable games before it gets real tough. That to me will be the make or break for LP. I don’t think they’ll let him go mid season but if they don’t fare well in that stretch that could be what seals his fate. 
 

Winning all or almost all of those games is what I think it’ll take for us to make the playoffs. Including one against Miami and Orlando coming up. 

I agree wholeheartedly. He has to dig way down in his coaching bag to pull out some wins over the next 5 games.  The is the most significant stretch is his professional career yet. 

2 hours ago, bleachkit said:

Disagree. Keep your head down and stay humble. Playing the disrespected card is so old and tired.

Thats the thing. He is humble and is a great kid. But nobody is out there disrespecting Luka so he doesn't have to defend himself. It is easy to be humble when you are compared to Larry Bird. Trae has rejected the comparison to him and Steph a thousand times humbly.  Trae put up better more efficient numbers this year and they say he is the 11th best guard in the east?  Come on man.  Check Trae’s response, super humble. Atlanta doesn't have the luxury of laying low because no one outside of Atlanta will know what we have here. 

26 minutes ago, bleachkit said:

https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/30977477/james-harden-sings-praises-luka-doncic-mavs-got-specal-one

I have noticed that Doncic gets praise from peers, but Trae doesn't. Personality has to be part of it too. Luka never toots his own horn. During his rookie year, Luka never publicly campaigned for rookie of the year, but Trae openly said he felt he deserved it. When Luka struggles he admits he struggles, when the team wins he praises the team, not himself. Trae seems to be more prickly and not willing to admit faults as readily. He plays the "I'm being disrespected card" instead of the "how can i be better" card. Other players notice these things. Quite frankly, it's not easy for a White Euro to win over American Black players, but he is because of his game of course, but also his personality and approach. 

That’s a good point. But it is also the reason why I think Trae is the perfect fit for Atlanta. This team has been overlooked, underestimated, and has never really won anything of significance. Nobody is going to heap praises on a team or a player who hasn't done that.  But Trae has the guts to stand up for himself and the city until we can win it all. I love it. 

Smoove at SF

I agree whole heartedly. We as fans need to get to the bottom of this. You also see this stuff during the regular season from the TNT crew.