RedDawg#8

I dont know what secret ingredients Schlenk put in the Kool Aid but everyone in the building is drinking it right now.

The focus and messaging is clear. Winning is all that matters. If its your night its your night. Matchups/hot hand over everything. From the little they say I think Trae JC and Clint are guaranteed starters. Bogi and Hunter are the LIKELY other starters. The competition is really with Hunter and Cam it appears.

Everything I see from the interviews there is a sense of urgency and accountability in the locker room right now. That really bodes well

How TF did we land this guy?! His enthusiasm and perspective is on another level I see no lies in anything he said

I mean its the NBA. When is the last time someone got suspended for weed? Dudes have admitted to openly playing high before. I think the testing is more to appease board of trustees and corporate partners, but its more formality than anything. There are no real image issues so no need to make a big fuss about it. At least not publicly. Waiting for the NFL to catch up

They make it seem like its just a temporary thing because of corona. Not because they dont want to test for it anymore, but they just want less interactions between players and staff overall. I agree, they should discontinue testing for it. But thats not what this is it seems.

Just for reference, LP mentioned how Solo spoke up in the team meeting and dropped some great insight that really resonated. He is already making an impact

One thing I didn't really think of until LP alluded to it, was Rondo isn't the only player we added that was in the Finals this year. Solomon Hill was too. And I think his perspective of being on an underdog team that was tough and scrappy but lost, is just as valuable as Rondo being on the team that won. By all accounts, Rondo was a key piece of both his championship teams, but they were expected to win before the season even started because of the Hall of Famers on the roster. The Heat were not supposed to do what they did to Milwaukee, to Boston. The grit and heart in their locker room was on another level. Solomon Hill is an underrated pick up from that perspective because he can double down on the things Rondo says, while also offering a different angle. A less glamorous, more ugly truth side to the journey of success. Such a smart move to add guys from BOTH teams in the Finals.

So if Cam is taller, do we think he is closer to 6'9 now? Kid is kind of a freak of nature if so.

Schlenk is a cold MFer. He basically was going to flip Dedmon for Bogi. Dedmon netted us Snell and Thomas. Cut Thomas, offered up Snell to land Bogi knowing they wouldnt take back Dedmon in a trade. Schlenk is playing chess making moves.

But best believe, we have to win and Trae has to play well, just to keep pace with the Luka hype machine

That and they just want to be able to bring up the trade as much as possible in front of as many viewers as possible. Narrative alert: Luka is the "face", Trae is the "heel" for my wrestling fans. They only want to beat up on Trae and will paint the matchup as such. If the Mavs lose they will still praise Luka. If we lose but Trae has a great game, we still lost the trade to them. Even if Luka has a bad game, wont matter. We lost the trade. We can't win to them, even if we win on the court.

Also, can we start Trolling the Mavs and Luka now? Let them know he ran like a scared little girl last season, and Trae is back to take his lunch money in 20-21

It's BUTT-WHOOPING time!!! If we can ball TF out early, maybe they wise TF up when they release the 2nd half schedule and get us some more National games. If not, Eff em!!! They will be forced to watch us in the playoffs no matter what lol

https://basketball.realgm.com/wiretap/260706/Hawks-Offered-2022-First-Round-Pick-From-Thunder-To-Kings-For-Bogdan-Bogdanovic We already knew about this right?

Damn that's messed up. Take it easy ok them haha

The modern NBA is exciting and all, but its also pretty sad how stars can force their way out of dodge and basically decimate entire franchises on their way out. Kawhi/PG basically destroyed an OKC franchise, forcing them to rebuild and jettison Russ. Now Houston (despite their most optimistic statements, is likely to lose their franchise guy sooner than later. I bet Harden ends up in Brooklyn after all is said and done. Silas really seems like he is afraid to upset Harden right now. Wants to give him "space". What are they, a HS couple?

The Rondo interview was really really good. It made me truly appreciate the signing and his mentality. Some key statements Whats like going from a championship to a team that missed the playoffs 3 straight years? "I mean, When I first went to LA they missed the playoffs 7 years in a row so it's not new for me, Im here to build this thing back up and be apart of the upswing for the franchise" What did you learn from your time in LA? "Nothing" Did they tell you about what your role will be? "Not really but Ive been doing this for a while, I know Im not here to start or play 30 mins a night. That's not what they brought me here for. Im going to come off the bench, help be a mentor to the young guys and an extension of the coach on the floor off the bench" Do you know anything about the city? "Y'all already know my brother, Josh Smith, lives here. I've been staying with him every night until I find my own place. Atlanta is a great city. I remember during the 08 playoffs being here and the energy in the city, the fans. I want to bring that back." Good Stuff. Rondo is very self aware and yet optimistic about this team too. I expect good things this year

I agree but I also think management matters as well. Fox got that deal from the Kings, doesn't mean Schlenk is going to play keep up with the Jones'. Plus Fox is like Trae to them. A no brainer type Max guy. Collins is not the centerpiece for us, therefore being more strategic is important .

Correct. Supes has been pushing that number for a while but thats just HIS preferred deal. I think its easily north of that when it happens. My reference to Supes was because he recently said that the 2 sides were close on a deal. My opinion is that being close means it happens before or during the season and that makes it less likely to be a max deal. Because a) it means Johns camp is actually negotiating and not just posturing or making idol threats for more money. And b) to max out his value JC would need to lead us to a playoff berth at the very least (If Im Schlenk ). The full max would be an overpay today, but not in 7 months if we accomplish what we are planning on this season. But an offer just barely under the Max would be more than fair for now.

That's a nice backcourt in Washington. I'm surprised at the move. The last 2 offseasons have been pretty crazy with the amount of STAR player movement.

I think Supes source said something about them being pretty close to a deal. I believe that if they agree to terms before this season starts, no way John gets maxed out. The winning thing has to affect the numbers. For instance if we make the playoffs John has more leverage to ask for a max deal because he is now an important piece of a winning team. As of right now he is still just a great young talented player that hasnt proven much in the win loss column (if im the Hawks brass). I think John really wants to stay here and wants his people to work it out. I believe they get a deal done sooner than later, and like the rest of Schlenk's moves it will be a very fair offer to JC that also leaves us the flexibility we need to continue to build this thing. He will get paid his value, he will get shown love for being a great ambassador to the franchise and city, but he will not be overpaid by any means. My guess

Sounds like a Eastern European mobster. I dig it!

Long read but worth it. 100% spot on. I have no where to start, all facts, every point.

I've always thought LP's calling card was player development. He seemed way more enthused about installing his fast pace offense than he ever has about defensive schemes. We shall see. The one time he put any effort in to defensive game planning, we looked like a different team on the court.