SalvorMallow

I agree he's huge on defense, but it's almost to the point where he is a liability on offense. He misses layups, airballs 3s, and fumbles every time he puts the ball on the floor. He does make some nice passes, but other than that he has been struggling too much to ignore. I expected the suffocating defense, I didnt expect a 12% 3p%

Although Thabo has been pretty bad on offense (to say the least), he has made some huge plays on defense. It's easy to see how much he flusters the guy he's guarding. I definitely agree he's probably the most disappointing player on our squad though.

Agreed. What happened to his free throw shooting? He's at a career low.

When the shots stop falling, Paul Millsap starts grinding. That's what I love about him. Horford just isn't there yet. I think the most obvious difference tonight is that Paul shot 10 free throws while Horford shot none. Rather than try and force the issue in the paint like Millsap, Horford just keeps shooting that jumper hoping it will fall. Every great team needs a Millsap type for when the game slows down.

We have a lot of guys on here who think they understand the Hawks personnel better than our potential coach of the year. If Pero didn't contribute on a nightly basis, why would Bud put him on the floor? Also, why are there advanced stats and film analysis that clearly show how valuable Pero is to this team that plenty seem to ignore?

Orlandos pregame commentators just said they think Paul Millsap will be an Allstar this year.

I feel like JJ would be a tremendous match for our team right now at the 3. He is fairly good at catch-and-shoot, can work smaller players in the post, and plays decent defense. We also don't really have a closer right now. I would rather see ISO Joe on a final possession than some of the terrible plays that coach Bud has been drawing up. The big question is whether he would buy into the offense. BUUUUUT not for 23 million!

Uh oh, here we go with the "Eye test" again. P.S. Andrew Bogut is rank 1 in defensive rating in the league.

In your opinion is right. Millsap's defense this year has been very solid to say the least.. Trillsap leads the league in steals, is ranked 11th in the league in defensive rating (right behind tony allen), 12th in the league in DWS, and 11th in the league in defensive +/-. While Horford's raw offensive numbers look good, Paul is the guy who scores when the defense tightens the thumb screws and shots stop falling. The team will put the ball in Millsaps hands in the post, the high block, or the baseline and let him go to work. Until the game against Pacers, Horford looked timid in the post both on offense and defense. I hope Horford continues to improve, but for now, a very strong case can be made that Paul is the best player on our team, especially when you account for durability. Nobody could make that argument for Horford.

Our entire front court is being out-rebounded by their point guard. How pathetic.

I wonder if that was why Brand replaced his minutes in the game against the Hornets.

CViv has a special talent. He can write a whole paragraph without saying anything.

I'm glad you and your eye test know how to keep it civil. Last time I got in a fight with my eye test, I got a domestic violence charge. Now I can't be within 20 yards of my eye test because it got a restraining order!

You bring up a great point. Someone as old as Sap and who already has that diverse of a skillset is tough to develop. It really takes a hard-working, perfectionist coaching staff to continue to diversify and improve the game of guys like him.

Paul Millsap is so skilled. It is a pleasure to watch his game.

I'd love to see that party trick!

Yeah, like when he insisted that the Spurs draft that third string scrub Kawhi Leonard.

Back with numbers please.

Wow, we're getting serious in this thread.

Now you got me paranoid! Freakin Thabo!! I knew you were too good to be true!

So true. Kyle has been BEASTING this year. That signing looks better and better every game.

You're right. Stats, game analysis, and coach opinion means nothing. We should be taking your word for it.

I do think they will be. I'm sure GMs do whatever they can to persuade players to sign with their team rather than a rival team. The efficacy of this tactic is what I question.

It's my understanding that Ferry ranted for 5 minutes about how great of a basketball player and person Deng was prior to making this statement. Removing that from the audio and from the letter that he released is, by definition, taking the statement out of context. In my opinion, the type of job has no bearing on what comments should or shouldn't be made. Ferry was ABSOLUTELY wrong in making those comments, and would have been wrong making those comments even if he was associated with NASCAR rather than the NBA, and in either case, punishment and sensitivity training should be required. If he wanted to reference those comments from the scouting report, he should have heavily paraphrased, abstracting all racial context from the report. Listening to the audio, it sounds like he had not pre-read the report, and so was not prepared to redact the inappropriate statements. I agree with the meaning of your last paragraph whole-heartedly. If Ferry is unable to put a quality product on the floor because his reputation is tarnished, then we terminate for a lack of job performance, not because of the comments themselves. It is entirely too early to make that assessment right now, which is why I feel Ferry should be retained.

This isn't a demographic issue, it's an ideology issue. I'm a 28 year old black male who feels like Ferry's comment was taken out of context by the snake Gearon. While punishment and sensitivity training should be necessary, I am very against Ferry's termination for such a minor offense. I agree with Dolfan that this thing will blow over by the middle of the season. Of course, it's obvious that you are biased and wanted Ferry gone before this event even occurred, so I'm sure it is no trouble at all for you to jump onto the "FIRE FERRY!" bandwagon.