benhillboy

@TheNorthCydeRises the Hawks lead the league in games with 4 players posting double doubles in the same game, most in 22 years. Is that not a measure of above-average talent?

No way they include Jaquez he’s a stud, his shooting and impact metrics are better than DJ already, the hell the heat look like adding a first?! Hawks had the chance to draft him but the Hawks gonna Hawk. And who is Dior Washburn? I don’t see any credible content on the net from him/ her, Twitter doesn’t count with me at all. I don’t believe for a second the heat are serious about Murray just as the Lilliard talk was always a joke. True Kyle is on his last leg but Murray isn’t a heat type player let alone a distribution first guard and if you’ve seen Herro lately DJ is arguably a downgrade at the 2. I’ll gladly eat crow if a deal gets done but it’s highly unlikely. The talent is tantalizing but Spo will have a lot of work to do to get him to cut and pressure the ball like everyone has to on that team. No one in their right mind would take Jimmy off the ball for Murray just based off FT attempts alone let alone playmaking ability.

Good GMs value high end role players almost like centerpieces when building a sustainable contender. As amazing as Tatum is, Derrick White is the soul of the Celtics. Slo Mo took ownership of being a leader, this is a large reason why Ant and the Wolves have made a huge leap. OKC wouldn’t be stomping mud holes in folks had they traded Dort the many times he’s been rumored to be. These Siakam, Towns types that Hawks fans covet will only pout when their touches decrease here and it carries over to worse screening and defensive effort. I mean, we’ve done this already. Look at DJ. Fresh off an AS selection. He never screens or cuts and is useless at the POA. This front office simply isn’t shrewd enough to know how to fit players together based on ball needs and defense strengths and weaknesses, Traes profile only exacerbates that significantly.

I don’t care for VORP, it’s just a simple culmination of stat points, minutes, and usage. These metrics go into far more depth describing his impact this season: Trae’s True Shooting is the same as Taurean Prince’s (.577). Effective field goal % the same as Caris LeVert (.503) His WS/48 is the same as Lou Dort (.118). His defensive rating (123) and box (-2.3) are the same as Cade Cunningham His assist to turnover ratio is the same as Devin Booker, Kelly Olynk, Malik Monk, and Slo Mo (2.6) His on,on/off net profile is most similar to Spencer Dinwiddie and Jordan Clarkson (-2, -1 range) The Hawks’ offensive rating is now a half point better with him off the floor (119.4 to 118.9) The only metric he has always excelled in is offensive box plus minus, closest to LeBron (5.3) All I’m saying is talent doesn’t mean much in the absence of efficiency. All of the top 10-20 players that Hawks fans want to pair or even triple Trae with either don’t care to play with him or are fine building something where they are. Then the second tier of players who aren’t two-way capable aren’t compatible with Trae at all. You have to admit, a change of scenery would be good for both he and the Hawks. It’s time.

Mark the day when I’m giving Trae more credit than you are lol. With his dribble/ pass/ shoot profile he’s one of the most talented players ever, aren’t his fans always posting these awesome historical statistical distinctions including Jordan, Magic, and Oscar? That’s a pretty good starting point (note I make a huge distinction between “talents” and “players” but I digress). Defensive talent is important but the lack of it can be mitigated somewhat by good scheme and actual want-to from the players. Hawks are poor on both fronts. Go back and look at DJ’s statline from his last SA campaign, it screams talent. Take account of Jalen’s rising stock around the league, and realize Bogi is still wrestling Tim Jr for highest bench scorer amidst a slump. The talent on this team is top heavy and horrible at the bottom, granted, but still slightly above average, especially for the 20th ranked payroll. You don’t have to shortchange it to prop up or make excuses for anyone. You’re old enough to know that just amassing talent doesn’t guarantee better play at all. At times it worsens it (see Phoenix) while the subtraction improves it (see Philly) What’s the deal with our bet if Trae is traded? It’ll probably stay a push anyway but we need to get those stipulations together.

Looking at the remaining schedule, best case scenario the Hawks are looking at 37 wins assuming no one is out for an extended period going forward. That’s actually acceptable considering how inept the basketball operations are and how softly the team is coached. They still have more talent than about half the league and are in an ideal average age range. That will always keep them hovering around .500 but they simply aren’t equipped from an IQ, chemistry, and toughness standpoint to handle an above average strength of schedule (currently 11th). We all know no significant moves to improve the team are coming: teams that actually understand impact and metrics and have valuable assets don’t want DJ. They have 7 games left versus bottom feeders, who they’ve gone 5-2 against so far so that’s something I guess

I’ve been saying this for years. The remarkably low floor he showed as a rookie made it evident to me. He would have great metrics and actually affect the score tremendously off the pine versus lower IQ players, specialists, and tweeners. 24 minutes tho, nothing more. I was highest on Trae early in his career when he was pulling 5+ boards and isolating Bigs on switches for drives to the rim. But it was a short time and so long ago.

Fixed.

They have no idea how to identify those type of players. Quin lucked up in Utah with vets like Ingles and Conley, two super high IQ guys and Gobert, a defensive metrics titan. He can’t make a tangible difference outside of being an assistant. Look how much better Don Mitchell got once he split.

I can’t even expect the Hawks to have the best player on the floor versus tanking teams now. We gotta worry about the Cade Cunninghams, Anfernee Simons’, Kyle Kuzmas, and Devin Vassells playing their best and controlling the outcome of the game because our players don’t impact winning at all. The Hawks have simply been lapped by most of the league’s young players since the Conference Finals run. The only player the Hawks have on a steady improvement incline is Jalen. Everyone else hit a hard ceiling. Bogi’s being guarded too closely on and off ball now. Or free-falling like AJ who has been properly ruined and Clint who is clearly exhausted here. Or been stagnant since last season which is everyone else. OO’s overall effort has been infected by the gross coaching disregard for defense. Murray is a headless chicken as a team player and the league has fully unlocked the plethora of iadvantages that accompany Trae’s lack of size, poor makeup, and downright zany minutes share and workload. I do appreciate the hell outta Bey’s offensive boarding though, the Hawks’ record would surely be even worse without it.

That was a great board, phantom foul though. How often do you feel a player can improve his foot speed/ inital slide step defending screens on defense once in the league? He’ll have to but again I can’t knock his defensive rating at all. He just had another great offensive board on a transition block, a lot of NBA players wouldn’t have followed the play. Very nice feel I’ve seen so far. This game got some wacky ass officiating for sure lol.

Oh sh*t Reed is on now. Just banged a cold blooded three to tie Texas AM with 5 minutes left. Missed the pull up three right after tho, questionable shot.

Never seen Reed Sheppard play in my life but his ratings versus Kentucky are eye popping like a mfer I might have to sit down and watch Kentucky someday. A +26 net over a 6th ranked team tells me immediately his floor is crazy high off that stat alone. Looks like he’ll fill out nicely at 6’3” too. Of course he’s a better future option than Trae who was a paltry +3 over a bad Oklahoma team. For comparison SGA was +15 over a good Kentucky team, Haliburton +22 over a bad Iowa squad, and Brunson was +5 over a dominant national championship team. No surprise all three are excelling at winning floor raising skills that Trae doesn’t even understand. I would say having to grind their ways off the bench and spot starting early on gave them an advantage in learning NBA off ball play and hunger over Trae but that’s a cop out, they’re just better basketball players and always have been. That boy DJ was -6 for a team that was never ranked Some of these one-and-dones boy I can’t.

I’m gladly eating crow on Banchero. His second year leap is crazy on both ends. You gotta deal with shawty every night. He’s too f&@kin big to move like a tweener wing.

That poster has more value than our entire scouting department. They all need a pink slip. Every night I watch Jaquez shaking my head. IQ, toughness, and feel higher than any Hawk old or young. Why these kids don’t stay in college at least 2 years is beyond me. Well I do know they don’t give a damn about actually knowing how to play just want some shiny chains and loose women lol. I thought Quin would bring some college coaching sensibilities but naw.

He spends too much time in the mirror checking out his ill-fitting watches, creepy dye job, ridiculous 80’s librarian eyeglasses, and expensive plaque belts for jacka$$es that played out years ago. No time for critical thinking-based coaching that highlight the strengths and minimize the weaknesses of his players.

I’m so surprised Nique praises McConnell so much. I wouldn’t expect him to understand his impact at all.

I know better than to blame these players. Most of them are helpless victims of horrible ownership and now a green, useless front office. They actually passed on a guy in the draft who Jimmy Butler is grooming to replace him. Un-f&@kin-real. But this Quinn guy. He simply ain’t it. No advantage to be had with him at the helm on most nights. His defensive administration is about as lazy and embarrassing as D’Antoni. He may be responsible for like 1 win since he’s been here.

Trae ranks 68th in the league in assist to turnover ratio and shoots two pointers well below league average (-11%). Two of the numerous reasons why he lags so far behind Bogi and Bey in on/off team offensive rating difference : Bogi’s gravity and Bey’s timely offensive rebounding actually helps the team create separation. Trae’s impact has and will always amount to about a point per game give or take (cool return on a max deal). The team’s total on/off per 100 checks out very accurately with the tape save for OO who’s off value is inflated by Clint who clearly doesn’t want to be here anymore: This is the company Trae keeps in terms of on/off: There are only 3 proven playoff players here in Bam, Klay (who’s been cooked), and Steph. Five other players I would welcome on my team in Okoro, Caruso, Cam Johnson, Brogdon, and Bridges. Scottie Barnes and Mathurin are just alright. The rest of this list is filler including the Hawks’ $58 million backcourt. I wish yall would stop reaching with the trade proposals and blaming role players. Hawks have done as admirable a job as they could surrounding him with the lob threats (at one point John, OO, and Clint were all in the top 7 or so in lob finishes) and shooting (4 players currently shooting threes above league average) that is required to supplement him. Of course there isn’t any cap space left for a mid market team to acquire high end defenders. There simply was never a sound build to be had around this kid on a max deal. With so many East players like Banchero, White, Tatum, Maxey, Mitchell, Brunson, and Haliburton making huge leaps in their game as teams have figured out Trae’s PNR tendencies and limiting cheap fouls, it’s hopeless. The common denominator in all of these dreadful defensive ratings since ‘18-‘19 is HIM. stats courtesy of the historical authority on NBA statistics BB Ref.

A draft pick they’re gonna f@&k up royally no question. Hawks had 2 instant impact players with size staring them in the face on draft night. Jaime Jaquez Jr is only leading the entire NBA in fourth quarter minutes for a team 5 games over .500 and here is where Brandin Podziemski ranks in the Warriors’ on/off: Hawks said nah give us a guard with no size who we know isn’t gonna play. Brilliance.

DJ’s scoring impact is so tepid. Opposing teams don’t mind his little flurries at all because they don’t feel any physicality from him and his points come with everyone else standing around disengaged.

Hawks lose to a team who’s about 2 years younger based on average age, with over $26 million less in payroll, and a depth chart that looks like this: The ‘23-‘24 campaign looking more and more like a trainwreck. Hawks rarely have the best player on the floor these days. Always behind the 8 ball when that’s the case.

Well damn. I’m mad at the overturn but the explanation was excellent.

OO beating everybody not named Paolo lol

OO doing a good job on Banchero, still not enough.