Alex

Wonder what kind of trade market and value Westbrook has. Maybe reunite him and Harden down in Houston?

Okay the scrap heap is officially open for business. Time for the Hawks to swoop in on some bargain bin deals...again.

It’s hardcore collusion and cowardice is what it is. I like that Kawhi hurt the Lakers and in so doing hurt James too. This is a page out his the LeBron playbook though. It began when he cried his way out of San Antonio and now has ended by conspiring with a player under contract to a different team. It’s out of control now.

Inmates running the asylum. This is pretty stupid.

Kawhi is a typical greedy athlete. Just wants all the spotlight on him for as long as he can. People want to say he’s different, but at the end of the day he’s not. Just self absorbed and grossly overpaid like everyone else.

Well define success for this season or any in the future. If you measure a successful season on winning 35 games then sure you don’t “need” veterans around. If you measure success by making the playoffs and getting eliminated in round 1 you might need some experienced players who can actually play. If you take a step further and measure success by winning in the playoffs you are definitely needing some older players to help out.

The fact that anyone is upset about losing Vince Carter tells you just how bad this team is. I agree you need some sort of veteran presence with a team this young, but you also need experienced players who can’t play at this level too. Hawks have none except Len.

How many teams have not signed a single player?

Free up that coveted roster spot because the Hawks are signing so many players... Schlenk continues to play checkers.

Each hour that passes and Kosta isn’t signed means he’s that much closer to a Hawks contract.

Strong argument.

I have written out two longish replies to this and they didn’t go through. So cliff notes shortened version. Ward is an excellent finisher at the basket. His left hand his very very good. He could benefit with being able to finish with his right as well. Defensively he isn’t great. He isn’t agile enough and his foot speed is lacking. Constantly put in a PnR situation and rarely was able to recover. I don’t think his defense is bad, but when you need to be able guard multiple spots on the floor a guy like that hinders you. Decent shot blocker. You can find a worse rim protector and you can find a better one. He did begin to develop a little bit of a jumper this past year. 12-15 feet is the cap. He broke his wrist later in the season and never fully recovered. It’s a shame for him because he was having a very good season. He trimmed down a lot and turned fat into muscle. He’s imposing and isn’t afraid to play physical. He’s very adept at simply beating his opponent down the floor. He isn’t fast, but so many times he would sprint down the floor after a made basket or rebound and basically become a fast break option. Teams knew this and he still was able to get down before everyone else and get an easy bucket. He isn’t a very good rebounder. He had some good games on the glass, but a lot of that was simply being bigger and stronger than other people. You don’t have that luxury often enough in the NBA. He isn’t a great jumper either so he really relied on being in position and out muscling his opponent. He was horrendous when he saw a double team early in his career. Like he was not ever passing it back. He would either force a stupid shot or end to creating an ill advised turnover. That went out on for more than two seasons. He finally began to understand he couldn’t always score, but his decision making needs refining. He had moments where he would make the right and quick decisions, but they didn’t happen enough. The kid is coachable and contrary to what some have said he’s a hard worker. I think he’s nothing more than a Euro player or a perennial developmental player. He simply doesn’t have enough versatility right now. He’s under sized, not quick enough, and doesn’t have the ability to score outside the paint consistently enough. I mean surround him with shooters who defenses can’t leave open and he can feast. I really like him in a lot of one on one match ups. He’s a load in the paint and could do damage when given the chance. I just can’t see him adding a skill set he simply doesn’t have. My expectations of Nick Ward are some moments in summer ball and a camp invite, but it won’t materialize.

Why are there so many doormat teams in the league? Like so many teams do things to only benefit their competition.

2 years 10 million total for Kanter is a steal. Probably the best contact given out. Defensively he’s bad, but his offense more than makes up for it.

How do the Hawks have so little cap space and do not have a legit good player? I know Collins is young and on a rookie deal. Same with everyone’s ROY Young. It’s just interesting that the teams two best players make next to nothing in salary.

Kosta Koufos just sounds like the newest Atlanta Hawks player. 3/30 million is my guess.

Philly roster on paper is nice. Outside of Josh Richardson nobody can shoot the ball from the outside.

Capela only looks good because he had two good playmakers getting him those buckets. He wouldn’t have that here.

At some point they need to stop the “next year” talk. It’s not wise to overspend for free agents, but at some point you need to take a chance. Reach down between your legs and are there testicles there or not? Not saying this needs to happen this weekend or even this summer, but at some point you need to stop trying to outsmart the league and go after someone. There have been good things done, but if the Hawks are pulling this wait and see approach this time in 2020 then it’s time for another reboot. Don’t sit on your hands too long.

More proof the league is helping its big market team out. Trade makes no sense for the Wizards. My guess is Washington gets the first pick next draft as a “thank you” from the league office.

lol so your out is out teams player tougher defense on Young than Luca?

That’s a hard number to figure out. I could see them hitting 34, falling short, or going just north. They are very young and have no veterans that do anything. Is Len the elder statesman?

Notable critic, pessimistic, and not a big Hawks fan. I liked what they did in the draft last season save for Young. I liked Huerter a lot and he surprised me the little bit I saw last season. He’s ahead of where I thought he would be. Spellman was another good pick who applauded as well. I like Hunter’s size and ability to be a plus on the defensive end from day one. I think he is a Jimmy Butler -esque type of player. Hunter is better offensively now than second year Jimmy Butler on the Bulls. I would say their defensive levels are similar as well. Does he move the needle for me? He does over what would have been there if they selected at 8, 10, and 17. Reddish to me is more raw, but has star potential along with measurables which you can’t teach. I think he will need some more refining and needs to benefit from more floor spacing. I don’t know if the Hawks are loaded with shooters, but Young at least makes the defense consider guarding him and Huerter can stroke it. Obviously surrounding this team with more floor spacers will help open things up for a guy like Cam. To me there were three realistic guys I wanted for the Hawks. The one they didn’t draft was Culver. There was no way they were getting all three. There was no way they were getting Hunter and Cam as the picks stacked up before the trade. I am glad they traded up and got these 2 kids versus 1 of them and then 2 others. Good draft.

Not my fault if you choose to be ignorant. It isn’t far fetched to think rich, greedy, and powerful people want certain things to happen. Conversely it’s not unwarranted to think these same people can sway things in their favor either.

Yes. Get more eyes on the games and tap into another segment (Toronto and Canada as whole). Outright rigged? I don’t necessarily think that. With all sports industries though the powers that be and Las Vegas have results they want to see happen. League offices can definitely nudge referees towards the desired result.