ATL_BALLER

Thanks much!

Dolf - I'm sure it's been explained 1,000 times before, so my apologies.

And I'm sure you're pulling the quality of Candace Parker.

What was that about the new mature you?

Dolf may be the admin, and AHF the moderator, but I'm the self-appointed anti-bully chair. It's never nice to make fun of someone's looks. Imagine if Shelden came here and saw some of the horrible remarks. Is that how you'd teach your children? And the Down Syndrome comments? Let's have some respect for that community. Bullying typically comes from a place of insecurity - mocking other people to make yourself feel better. It's easy to dish it out from behind the keyboard. At ESPN.com, all comments now must come through a Facebook account - and not suprisingly, once the anonyminty was removed it took most of the viciousness with it. Next time you're ready to bash someone, first look in the mirror and think about healthier ways to boost your confidence.

Good stuff from Mamba, and I'm with you on this one, D. Not sure Teague will ever have that consistent killer in him, though. Holding out hope that Bud can miraculously awaken the demon-

Haha. Genius.

Right in line with Ferry's (apparent) approach to compete and maintain flexibility. Also, I'll say it again: Coach Bud is a huge X factor and could prove to be as a significant a move as was made this summer by any team. If Drew was still at the helm I'd be right in line with the naysayers, but an entirely new voice and system just might work wonders.

You mean like the way you greeted Millsap, with a big fat 'YUCK'?

Could a complete change in coaching style and philosophy, though, make more of a difference than people realize?

True, just not sure what's out there at this point. Daly seems like a lock for Dallas. Not sure what we could offer for Asik if Houston changes its stance. Overall, the roster seems pretty set at this point. Could be a totally unforeseen scenario out there, but tough to see any real difference makers on the FA or trade front.

...assuming we don't add another major piece, the only significant personnel difference between last year's squad and this one is the Millsap-Josh swap. Of course, there's the maturation of JJ plus a heart-and-hustle guy like DMC, but overall, we're looking at a very similar team. What it mostly comes down to, then, is coaching. It's gonna be fascinating to see how things differ under Coach Bud.

D - I'm curious, like many things with you, how the draft is rigged? I'm guessing you've already presented your case along the way, so if you wouldn't mind please copy and paste here. Either way, I'd love to read it.

Except that Sap and K2 won't get traded. They're part of DF's new culture, and he'd lose credibility with future free agents.

You mean like your Al for Diaw/Bonner/Neal swap? Sorry, I just can't let that one go. Danny chose the anti-tank path the second he signed Sap and K2 - this thread is irrelevant.

This is what I've been saying to Big D all along, yet he somehow KNOWS the real truth.

I'll concede your earlier point about the way Jeff has been handled. It is a little disconcerting, from a player respect perspective, to see his initial excitement to play for Coach Bud to now wanting completely out due to any kind of communication (at least according to Jeff). Whatever Danny's plans - and especially if he knew wasn't intending to match Jeff - extend him the courtesy of a conversation (aside from the QO offer). For the most part, though, I'm willing to give Danny the benefit of the doubt. I thought he handled the Drew situation well, and it's been confirmed that he had a sitdown with Josh where they decided to go separate ways. Side note: Again, I'll ask: how does anyone know what Danny's pitch style is? Sure, we can assume by his understated demeanor, but we don't know what his sales process looks or sounds like. Regardless, he's missed on one (unrealistic) player thus far, and has gotten all other guys he's pursued.

On a positive note, I've never seen an insult dished with such eloquence. "Dripping with such acidic contemptuousness" = gorgeous-turn-of-phrase.

We should still be in asset collecting mode, and Teague is that, especially at a very reasonable 8 per. He may not fetch a star, but could secure another piece to get that star. Plus, I may be crazy, but if Jeff sticks around, and we add a couple of more solid piece, I think this team might surprise. If we're not in all-out tank mode, might as well be competitive.

As much as we want to deny it, we both know that H-ellis is on his way.

I guess it's safe to say then that you didn't like the Ferry hiring from the outset, right?

They're certainly tradeable assets, but, based on what Danny's said re: culture, I really think he signed them to keep them. Plus, what kind of message does that send to other prospective free agents that they could immediately be flipped? Perhaps that's not a real concern - just saying.

So far, Danny has missed on a total of one guy that we know of, who was never coming here anyway. Whether you like Millsap (or what he represents) or not, he called him the minute free agency started and landed him immediately thereafter, and on a very favorable contract no less. How do you know his recruiting approach anyway? Even if you were right, whose to say a more matter-of-fact approach isn't better than a bells-and-whistles video presentation? If anything, it speaks to a position of confidence. I know, you're going to say our tradition hasn't earned that confidence, but we're establishing a new culture here. It has to start somewhere.

And I'll add: the roster has not been completed, not a single minute has been played, and our new coach has not assumed his spot on the sidelines (which, BTW, is a huge X factor that's being ignored). Yet, you're already claiming epic failure. Truth is: you have no clue what's coming this season, on the court or off.

Perfectly put. Diesel - bookmark this before your next diatribe.