nathan2331

I think this team is built Rio capitalize on another teams failure/mistake. With the NBA's cap space and luxury tax, it makes it hard for a team to keep 3 star players. A quick look at the league and I see teams that won't be sustainable any longer. Just like how OKC lost Harden, the Rockets may lose Parsons, the Warriors may have a hard time keeping Barnes, Kevin Love and LaMarcus Aldridge are 2 players I could see force move if they don't do well. Not saying any of these moves are guarantees, but I think it's reasonable to believe they occur and we'll be in the right position to make a deal.

I feel a bit different. Even though this has been the best Hawks team I've ever seen (since 2005) I can't wait for this season to end. One reason why is that I can't wait to see Ferry's next move. This team has gotten significantly better since he's been here and I don't think he's done yet. Although it's a shot in the dark, the Nets may actually be tanking for us. Another reason why I can't wait for this season to end is that I know we can't realistically contend for anything unless the defense improves, which I think will have to come via trade. I don't know why but I'm more excited for next season than this one.

What about Lou Williams &Jared Cunningham for Aaron Afflalo? It's not that I dislike Lou but we need size at SG next to Teague. Afflalo's contact is reasonable and I think he would do well not having to be the number option, even if his numbers take a dip. I'll be the first to admit though that this trade wouldn't make much sense for the magic.

I would ask for a pick if not this year the next to offset the loss of Schröder, otherwise a great idea

So you're telling me we can get another lottery pick after we win the Finals with Wiggins next year? Ferry is the greatest!

The only thing that has changed in my eyes is that he is much more confident in leading this team with Al. I think this has to be attributed to the coach pushing him to play like this game in and game out even if he's struggling. Either way, both are fair assessments

This should be another good game for the Hawks. I'm surprised Bargnani managed to do so well against Houston's bigs

I'm looking forward to how Coach Bud decides to defend Melo. Millsap did a good job last time but I think it drained hours energy offensively. If Millsap gets involved in that end I think we get a win comfortably.

His play has been amazing especially when you consider his shooting has been a bit down this season. Once he picks up his 3pt percentage, he may win All-NBA considerations this year. Just like it was previously said, it's a shame he isn't getting more attention from the media

He may not have had a great game but he did do a good job of containing Melo. He may not be winning a MVP award anytime soon, but give the guy credit for what he is doing.

Great Smith-esque play from MillsapSent from my EVO using Tapatalk 4

You're right I haven't factored all that in, but I still have a hunch Barnes or Thompson will be traded. Another player I could see being traded is Kevin Love. These are players who I could see being traded under market value that could help us towards winning a championship.

Maybe so, and I'm not pretending to have insider information or anything, but if they throw money at Curry and Thompson they may have to make a decision between Barnes and Lee. And considering they just signed Igoudala, that may not be an easy decision to make.

I think Harrison Barnes/Klay Thompson will be the next start to get traded. The Warriors core of Curry, Lee, Thompson/and Barnes cannot all get paid (not without going into luxury tax).

It's good to see that everyone still appreciates what Smith did for us. I would like to say that while he was no defensive stopper, he was very versatile in how we used him, being able to guard even Kobe in some stretches due to our shortcomings as a team. Not to many players can be asked to do that.

So does Marvin no longer get regular minutes? JK but Beasley has only gotten worse. Then again, we do have a void at the irrational player/knucklehead position now that Josh has left.

You're missing my point. When you have a team that you know will make the playoffs, but will not contend, because the front office is reluctant to mess with the "core" you have accomplished nothing. The front office has failed the fans for years and that is why they won't be supported. This team is/has been a joke because we haven't been relevant in years. The NBA isn't a league where making the playoffs gives you a chance at the championship. If you aren't a powerhouse, you're not winning anything. I don't mind being a treadmill playoff team so long as I know that we're moving in the right direction, making smart decisions in the things we do control (draft, player development) and being active in the things we don't control (trades, free agency). But this playoff streak we have is a glorified participation medal.

When's the last time we've been a "winning" team? We've been losers for more than a decade. Our record and playoff appearances may not suggest it but we haven't been an up trending team in a while. After our first playoff series with the Celtics, the magic has been gone ever since. Atlanta is a great market for basketball but you can only expect fans to support a mediocre ownership for so long.

Management is probably waiting for us to become contenders before they use the Pacman jerseys. At least I think that would make sense from a marketing standpoint. Too bad they'll be waiting for a while.

You know this whole tanking argument is very interesting and is very relevant to the direction our franchise may nee headed in. But after everyone's comments I think it's best if we don't tank for multiple reasons. First and foremost many teams will also be vying for this lottery talent and rightly so. Now say we do get a top pick, who knows whowe will actually end up with. The biggest issue facing the Hawks is our perception not just the talent we have. If we tank and draft a player who isn't what we thought he was, we will be stuck in the lottery for more years to come. If this draft is supposed to be as good as the 03'draft then how good will it be to us. We can get Wiggins but if we don't have anybody on the team to help him, and we can't attract a decent free agent, we will have The Decision 2 on our hands. Plus I look at teams like Cleveland and Washington whoi don't think will be successful not because they lack talent, but because they lack a winning culture.

I think because there assets that can be held until another move is made. We gain nothing at the moment by renouncing them so we might as well keep their cap holds.

We may be a better city for athletes to come to but we're still seen as a loser organization. Our ownership has been mediocre for too long and that's a challenge Ferry is going to have to overcome. At the end if the day I will judge Ferry based on his draft selections and trades. The free agency part is largely out of his hands. So far he has impressed me by keeping us a playoff team that's one key trade away from being something serious. There's a few players who I think may be available in the future (one of which is Harrison Barnes, if he and Thompson grow into the players I think he can, the Warriors won't be able to afford 3 max contracts).

I think management is waiting till we're legitimate contenders before they bring them back so they can reap the full profit of the rebranding from a marketing standpoint.

I think Ferry deserves at least 3 more years before we can really assess how good he is as a gm. I do think he's done a great job so far. Jenkins and Scott can become useful role players which is just about as much as you can ask for given the position they were taken.

You also have to think Ferry had just taken over the Hawks, so making the Harden deal would be more difficult to negotiate than for Morey who had been in place for 6 years. And even though we traded Joe and Marvin for cap space, we really didn't lose a step but gained flexibility for the future. You have to give him credit for at least keeping us a playoff team.