JETSET

Demarre averaged 11 pts per game on 8.8 shots not 11/12.

So many inconsistencies in this post. Dallas has had all kinds of trouble in signing big names and they have struck out for the past 3 years in a row. Cuban disbanded the 2011 title team in an effort to go after big stars and he has landed none. What big FA has Chicago landed recently? Gasol is the first one they have had in a while. Cleveland? Only because Lebron was born in Ohio and his only out from Miami was Cleveland. He would have caught so much hell if he left Miami for a different team. What FA's have Phoenix signed? Kyle Lowry was traded to Toronto and then resigned with Toronto. Millsap is an equal player to him and we were able to land him outright in FA.

I would say most of them as long as Bud and the current staff had a chance to begin grooming them early in their careers. It would be interesting to see how Josh's career path would have went if our current staff was there from day one.

I think tuner was referring to ball movement when he said that he could see Thabo getting to the rim and getting FT's. Our movement oriented style of play will open up cutting lanes for him and he's big enough to be a solid finisher once he gets to the rim. I don't think any one expects Thabo to suddenly be a creator off of the dribble.

Of course Marvin didn't fail miserably. He wouldn't have just landed a 2 yr 14 mil contract if he did. Just look at players who have been given an opportunity to play 20ish minutes per game and were out of the league in 1-3 years. I'm not talking Hawks specific here. Increased playing time doesn't guarantee that a player is going to improve. I agree that increased PT helps a player to a point since they have more rhythm, but it doesn't guarantee a player to perform better. We saw Bazemore's 3 pt shooting increase by a pretty solid margin when he got more PT with the Lakers. I think we will see the potential of his whole game increase after working with our staff for a full year combined with more steady PT.

I get it. So increased playing time means a player automatically improves? Oh wait, no it really doesn't. Plenty of players have failed miserably with increased playing time while every single one of ours improved with their increase in PT last season.

Thabo's offensive game is certainly limited, but he has been playing in an offense dominated by 2 iso players. He will be more of an offensive threat in our system than he ever was in okc. I could see him putting up around 10 per game depending on his minutes.

Exactly. And I've never had so much fun watching the hawks as I did at the beginning of this season when horford was playing. Our offense was unstoppable in december with Al. Averaging 112 per game. 1st in assists and assist/turnover ratio. 1st in 3pt percentage. Not sure how any bball-head couldnt be excited about this team, but then again many on here like to complain about nothing.

I would say they did a pretty damn good job in their first year. Carroll, scott and mack all showed great improvement. Muscala looks to be much improved from his first summer league. Development doesn't happen overnight, but our staff have proven and will continue to prove to be great developers of talent. Watch what happens with bazemore over these next two years if you want proof.

Lol. Did you just say that the bebe trade means that our front office and staff do not know about player development? You're going to need to engage your inspector gadget powers for that big of a reach.

Im sorry but this sounds like the worst reasoning ever. So we are incapable of having success in the future since we have failed to in the past? Im not buying it.

I agree. Losing game 6 after being up by 5 with 3 minutes left really set the Hawks progress back in winning over new fans in Atlanta.

No sir. You read it perfectly clear. 54-48 is our win range. Bud's system and player development is transformative in itself.

I think this teams win range is more like 54-48

I dont see monroe as having star potential since he is a liability on the defensive end. I dont mind having a guard that is weak on defense. Giving big money to a C that is a weak defender and provides no rim protection is a different story.

You sure sound like a fun person to be around.

I completely disagree with your we're still below the 2nd round ceiling assumption. I dont see a single team in the east that is guaranteed to be better than us and I like our chances against any of them in a 7 game series. Im just ready for the season to start so this squad can start proving doubters wrong.

All of you doomsday posters are going to eat so much crow this season. I cant wait to see what your responses look like when we finish in the top 4.

#ourfanssuck

I could see the Pistons possibly finishing ahead of Brooklyn if they can move Smith for a SF that can contribute now. Adding Van Gundy at coach, another year of progression by Drummond and Augustin/Meeks in the backcourt should allow them to take a step forward.

Why on earth would we do that when we can sign him outright?

Let me add a little more optimism regarding Thabo. I don't think his shot was as broke as his season 3 pt. % of 31.6% looks. Thabo started the season off in a terrible slump over the first 7 games going 3/21 from 3. He shot well through the middle part of the season and continued to get better from 3 as the season progressed. He then gets hurt against Memphis on Feb 28 and doesn't return until April 8. He struggled to find his 3 pt shot after returning from injury and went 1/13 in the final 6 games of the regular season. Take away the slump in the first 7 games of the season and his struggles in the last 6 of regular season when coming back from injury and Thabo shot 37.3% from 3 over the other 48 games that he played in the regular season.

What a dumb post. The real bright side is we have the option to swap picks with brooklyn and it's looking more and more like they may be in the lottery.

I agree with this and I would like to see Mack and Dennis get near equal time as the backup and keep Mack around for specific circumstances. I don't mind even giving Dennis more time that Mack at times. There will be times when Mack is needed though. We are a team that is trying to win now and he will help.

You can rely on Mack to be consistent and to make the smart play. Schröder looks amazing but he can't be relied for either of those right now.