RandomFan

Here is another good little article with some numbers that will make Hotlanta's head continue to explode. http://www.peachtreehoops.com/2015/2/20/8070939/nba-stats-atlanta-hawks-success How did this team tear up the first half of the season? It's pretty simple, and during this slow week before starting back tonight, the Stat Geek Five will give you the overview of just how. In Atlanta, first and foremost, there is one philosophy: 1. Defend! "Defense wins champsionships." In the NBA and with the Hawks, it all starts with great D. Sadly, I hear a lot of detracting around the frontcourt, but that is one of Atlanta's strengths. Don't bother with your "Al Horford isn't a center" comments. He is, and he's one of the best in the league. Don't bother with your "The Hawks could never have a defensive wall like Memphis does inside." Not true! In defensive win shares, the Hawks have the player at #2 (Millsap) and #19 (Horford), one above the Grizzlies' pair at #3 (Gasol) and #20 (Randolph). Which brings me to another criticism of the Hawks, which is actually a strength: 2. A lack of rebounding That's right: a lack of rebounding is Atlanta's strength. That stat is by design in Bud's system. The Hawks are more concerned with getting back to prevent easy transition buckets than grabbing offensive rebounds, and it has worked. Only Milwaukee allows fewer transition points per game. Don't worry about the rebounding stat. It is overrated in today's NBA game. In the past three seasons, the team with the worst rebounding per game won their conference, won the championship, and went to the conference finals, respectively (thanks to my buddy Nate for pointing that one out). Even if the Hawks were to finish last, they'd be in some pretty good company. They aren't last, though - Atlanta occasionally grabs a rebound, and when they do, it starts up the offense, which for the Hawks means: 3. Crazy good passing It is well documented by the Stat Geek Five as well as plenty of others: the Hawks can move the ball. Only the Warriors have better assist per 48 minutes numbers and Jeff Teague is fifth in points created by an assist per 48 minutes (minimum 20 games). All that passing leads to great opportunities for the Atlanta shooters ... 4. And holy crap are they good at shooting off of those passes! The Hawks dominate the league in catch-and-shoot scoring. Pick a category off of catch-and-shoot instances: points per game, field goal percentage, three point percentage, effective field goal percentage, etc - the Hawks lead them all, and by a reasonably wide margin. Horford and Korver are in the top 20 in field goal percentage. Korver and Carroll are in the top 20 true shooting percentage. Korver, Carroll, and Horford are in the top 20 in effective field goal percentage. How do they get such great looks? 5. Running! Lots of running! Per the NBA's SportVU cameras, the Hawks are seventh in total miles run throughout the season. Korver is seventh in that category for one player at 126.9 miles, and every player above him averages more minutes than he does. The whole team averages between 3.1 and 3.6 miles per 48 minutes. Perhaps most importantly to all of this, I'd like to point out that while I mentioned all five starters in the top 20 players of some category, none of the Hawks are in the top 20 in scoring. Not one. The constant ball movement rewards all players in the system and it was great to see four of the five starters selected to the All-star game as well as all five starters recognized as co-players of the month. Both of those awards really acknowledged the team play behind the Hawks' fantastic season.

Thank you, and yes. I've read the boards for years, just don't post much. I do the same on a lot of boards. I'll end up posting a while, then move on to other things and stop posting. Then maybe post more later on. My focus switches at the drop of a hat, unfortunately.

Good article. One thing it fails to take into account though is how having good mobile bigs in Horford, Sap, and Pero step out and hedge the opposing PG on the pick and roll helps give our defender time to fight through the screen. Just another of the underappreciated nuances of what our bigs actually contribute, while some complain for more rebounds and/or to bench Antić.

Do you mean the lack of importance of rebounding to winning teams? Since that is what the data shows. Looking forward to it.

http://www.foxsports.com/south/story/atlanta-hawks-face-tough-stretch-rebounding-concerns-after-all-star-break-021915 ATLANTA -- There's no easing their way back from the All-Star break for the Hawks. Fresh off a weekend in New York that seemed more like a takeover -- Atlanta had eight representatives take part in five different events -- the Eastern Conference leaders face a stretch that includes six of seven games against teams in playoff position. "I think it's great for us. I think any time we're challenged or tested, I think our group looks forward to that," said Hawks coach Mike Budenholzer after Thursday's practice. It starts Friday night at Philips Arena against the Raptors, who sit second in the East and are winners of nine of their last 11. They're also the only team to beat the Hawks twice this season, as the Raptors won the season opener 109-102 in Toronto, then beat Atlanta again 126-115 on Nov. 26 in Philips Arena. After the Raptors, Atlanta heads to Milwaukee, (sixth in East) then hosts Dallas (fifth in West), and after a respite vs. the 17-win Magic, heads to Miami (eighth in East) before back-to-back home games vs. the Rockets (fourth in West) and Cavaliers (fifth in East) to open March. The Heat retooled, adding Goran Dragic before Thursday's trade deadline and the Bucks landed Michael Carter-Willliams, Miles Plumlee and Tyler Ennis in a three-team deal that cost them Brandon Knight. "We want to get another 19-game win streak going," said All-Star forward Paul Millsap. "We know the level of focus that takes. It's going to be tough but we feel like we're capable of doing that." While the Hawks have already beaten each of those teams, including going 2-0 against the Heat and 2-1 against Cleveland, that group is responsible for five of Atlanta's 11 losses. Along with the two defeats as the hands of the Raptors, the Hawks fell to the Cavaliers 127-94 on Nov. 15, the Magic 100-99 Dec. 13 and the Bucks 90-85 on Dec. 27 in the game that preceded their 19-game winning streak. But three of those losses came on the road and the Hawks are winners of their last 12 home games Atlanta boasts the NBA's best record on their floor at 25-3, though this upcoming run does include a team that is tied for the most road victories with the Mavericks, who have 19. "That's what we signed up for," said shooting guard Kent Bazemore said. "Thankfully, we did our work early and created a little space for ourselves. That's no excuse to slack off any." With 28 games to go, losing the East's top seed would require a collapse. Conceivably, Atlanta could play .500 the rest of the way and even if the Raptors won at their current pace (they'd go 19-9), the Hawks would still claim the home-court advantage throughout the playoffs by a game. Not that the Hawks are thinking mediocrity after having already eclipsed last season's 38-win total. The pursuit of the franchise's first division title since 1994 and its only 60-win season is about regaining consistency and getting off to a fast start after the layoff. "It has to be this game, it can't be the next two game or three games" Millsap said. "We have to find our rhythm early. We've got to get our chemistry going back early." After the franchise-record streak, they went 3-3, culminating in an 89-88 loss at Boston, a team that has one of the league's worst defenses. Only five clubs have given up more points a game than the Celtics' 102.3. "We know what we did wrong," said Millsap. "Our mental focus just wasn't there. Now that the All-Star break is over with we've got newfound life." But where the Hawks truly need a boost is on the boards, where Millsap leads the way with 7.8 per game, with Al Horford just behind him at 7.4. Those figures rank 28th and 32nd in the league, respectively. They were outgained 305-233 in that stretch, besting only the Wizards 46-41, and allowed 56 to Boston, 55 by the Grizzlies, 52 via the Pelicans, 51 by the Warriors and 50 to the Timberwolves. "That explains rebounding drills today," Bazemore said. "That's definitely a priority of ours to hit the glass a little harder." Averaging 40.9 rebounds a game (27th), the Hawks have a minus-2.7 differential. They didn't address the area before the trade deadline, but it hasn't hurt them that much as they've have been able to overcome their rebounding deficiency by shooting an NBA-best 38.9 percent on 3-pointers and 47.1 overall (third). "That's one area that we need work on," said Millsap, Atlanta's top rebounder at 7.9 per game. "We don't want to be last in rebounding. It's kind of tough to be on top in everything. You're going to have some weaknesses and you have some strengths. We can't let our weaknesses hurt us though." But Budenholzer stresses he also don't want to overemphasize the need to get better to the point where it's taking away from what's been the recipe for the Hawks' success: ball movement, shooting and defense. "We can find ways to compete and win and be successful without making this rebounding thing into some monster," he said.

That's ridiculous. Wait and see how much money gets thrown at him this offseason if that's what you really think. You're gonna be shocked.

I think you might be forgetting one important issue trying to put that team together: the salary cap. It's a 100% certainty that it will not be possible to put that team together and stay under the salary cap. We are under the cap right now, yes; but Sap and DMC are both due for very sizeable raises. And we aren't under the cap by that much. The post hawksfanatic did a while back about Sap's early Bird max contract is likely an accurate number for what it will take to get him. That number was around $17m per year. We might be able to get a little bit of a discount since everything is working so well for him here; but don't count on paying him less than $14m per year. And DMC is going to get his salary bumped up to at least the $6m per year range that Korver is currently getting, and maybe more than that. As much as I would love to have Kawhi here, I think it's pretty obvious the days of us being able to put DMC in a backup role are long gone. He'll be a starter somewhere; and somewhere else if not here. The question is, do we really want to mess with our chemistry and somehow find a way to pay another max contract for someone like Kawhi to take his place? And the max contract will only happen if the new owners will approve going over the cap and paying a sizeable luxury tax. But we aren't going to be able to sign another starting SF and expect to keep DMC. That's not gonna happen. And remember, we have to keep some cap space to reward Horford with a new contract after the 2016 season is finished. Oh, and also Schröder will be up for more money that same year. Same with Bazemore. And another thing, Kawhi is only a restricted free agent this coming offseason: meaning SAS can match any offer he gets, and you can bet they will too. I think it's time we start considering this is most likely the core of our team going forward for the next handful of years. Paying the good guys we have is going to be hard enough as it is. Much less adding another high quality player. That seems pretty much impossible, to me at least. We'll most likely have a good high pick from BKN this year. But after that, our future roster will probably be us trying to keep as much of our core together as possible, continuing to develop our current young players, drafting high 20's draft picks and developing them, and possibly snagging some Bazemore or Carroll type steals as free agents here and there. Kawhi or any other big name free agent is a pipe-dream, as long as we are able to resign Millsap this coming offseason. If we aren't able to do that, then all bets are off and obviously we'll need a new PF to take his place, or a C to bump Horford down to PF.

You say that like it's a given, though. And therein lies the rub. I disagree completely that it is a guarantee that it doesn't hurt. If we are already having trouble getting playing time for the bigs Bud is trying to develop, exactly how is putting another player in front of them not a bad thing? Big man vet insurance is exactly what Elton Brand is already on the roster for, if needed. If a young developmental player wouldn't be in front of Muscala, then why would we want him? And if a vet wouldn't be in front of Brand, why would we want him either? And if he's going to be buried on the bench, then why would we waste the money on him when the team has repeatedly said they are very happy with Muscala and Tavares in the developmental pipeline? Putting a player in front of Muscala and/or Tavares only hinders their development. And putting a player behind them all hurts by taking up a roster spot, roster flexibility, and salary that could better be used on the wing/guard we need more than another big. I think it continues to be less about "adding another big" and more about people that still undervalue Pero and can't understand why Pero is a favorite of Bud and why he's the top backup big man.

People still can't take Bud at his word that he likes our bigs? I wonder what it will take to get people to finally believe him.

What about Texas?

Haters gonna hate.

This is correct. Except for the part about Wilcox doing the wheeling and dealing and that Bud simply has to sign off on it. Like most sports organizations these days, it's a collaborative effort. The Coach, the GM, the personnel guys, the salary cap guys, they all debate these players and possible moves until they get on the same page and reach a unified group decision. If push ever came to shove, then yes Bud (or Ferry before he was exiled) would have the final say-so. But this is something that from all reports from many different organizations that simply never happens. If they can't get on the same page, they debate until they do. This is why during Bud's recent interview on 92.9 when asked what has changed since he's been promoted to the acting president in Ferry's absence? His response was not much has changed at all. He was already sitting in on all the meetings and discussions before Ferry left. He said there were a few minor more additions to his time requirements handling some things; but for the most part his participation level hasn't changed much because he was already a full participant to begin with. The extra responsibilities Wilcox has taken on are simply doing a lot of the legwork that Ferry was doing and the administrative roles required of a G.M.

Agree. He'd be one of the top backup PGs in the NBA on most other teams. It's unfortunate for him that he has Teague and Schröder in front of him here. I do wish he could get more playing time, but oh well. At least we have some amazing injury insurance.

No, it most definitely is not. A person is not the same thing as an idea or a comment. This is a very, very big problem in this country where people are unable to grasp the distiction between criticism of their idea and criticism of them as a person. People are entitled to courtesy and consideration. Ideas are not. Ideas either stand up to criticism, or they are eschewed. Calling an idea a half thought out pile of bs does not equate to calling the person that said the idea a half-thinking bs artist, as you wrongly imply. If, for example, I tell you that you're political conclusions are silly for reasons X, Y, and Z, I am not criticizing you and calling you silly, I'm criticizing your political conclusions and calling them silly. Why would I not be comfortable in that worldview? It's the only worldview that people should be comfortable in...

I didn't see another thread that this seemed appropriate in, so just dumping it in here. It's not worthy of its own thread, but I thought it was an interesting little nugget, especially with the continued Pero bashing.

Moe Harkless is on the block apparently, and not for a lot in return. He'd be less an impactful player for us this year, but more of another young developmental wing player. 6'8" with great athleticism and some defensive ability. Needs to be taught how to shoot much better (hello Bud) and play less reckless (he's a 3 inch taller version of Baze minus a little athleticism and defense). Still just 21. http://fansided.com/2015/02/17/orlando-magic-will-trade-maurice-harkless-minimal-return/

Then allow me to rephrase. It was a smart-ass, half thought out, pile of b.s - that was written. That's not a personal attack; it's an attack on the substance written (or lack thereof). Deepity is a phrase coined by the philosopher Dan Dennett. It's probably the wrong context if you want to get technical, but I haven't been able to use the word in far too long!

Remind me again how many NBA Champions over the last 10 years were even in the top 10 in rebounds per game? The 06 Heat and the 09 Lakers, that's who. 2 out of 10. Allow me to point out the obvious: 8 of the last 10 NBA Champs have not been in the top 10 in rebounding. Do you care to revise that first statement? If it really mattered to you who was holding up trophies, you wouldn't still be banging your head against a wall soapboxing for a stat that is one of the least important indicators of championship pedigree. How do you continue to miss the obvious that the team is sacrificing rebounds in order to be better in other areas?

We can agree to disagree. And while some things in basketball don't change, that doesn't mean rebounding importance is one of them. Most of the relevant data suggest exactly the oppostie. I'm not questioning anyone's right to disagree; simply taking the time to point out where I think those disagreements are illogical or unfounded. You question our playoff credentials, that is your right. We'll agree to disagree, because I don't. One of us will be proven right in a few months. I guess it's easier for some to forget the Indy series last year than others? I seem to remember our game translating to the playoffs pretty well, even in the 1st year of the system, missing our best player, and missing a few new wing defenders. But we'll definitely find out.

Wow, even ESPN wrote an article about it and it's the top story on their NBA page. http://espn.go.com/nba/story/_/id/12339721/former-mayor-andrew-young-says-let-general-manager-danny-ferry-rejoin-atlanta-hawks ATLANTA -- Civil rights leader and former Atlanta mayor Andrew Young on Tuesday told an Atlanta television station that Danny Ferry should be allowed to rejoin the Hawks organization in his capacity as general manager. Asked by WSB TV's sports director Zach Klein whether Ferry should lose his job, Young responded, "Hell no." Hawks GM Danny Ferry took a leave of absence in September, but former Atlanta mayor and civil rights activist Andrew Young wants to see him return. Ferry took a leave of absence from the Hawks on Sept. 12 after a recording of him making insulting comments about Luol Deng on a conference call was made public. Since Ferry's departure, Hawks coach Mike Budenholzer has presided as the head of basketball operations, with assistant general manager Wes Wilcox also active in day-to-day proceedings. On the call, Ferry characterized Deng as a player who "has a little African in him," and added, "He's like a guy who would have a nice store out front and sell you counterfeit stuff out of the back." Young said that were he the decision-maker in the Hawks executive offices, he would've encouraged Ferry to stay on. He added that he doesn't believe Ferry is a racist. "No more than I am," Young said. "That's a word that you cannot define, 'You are a racist.' You can't grow up white in America without having some problems. You can't grow up black in America without having some subtle feelings." The Hawks did not weigh in on Ferry's status on Tuesday. "The Hawks don't comment on individual stories," said Garin Narain, Hawks' vice president of public relations. Days before the recording of Ferry became public, an email written by Hawks owner Bruce Levenson in 2012 surfaced that expressed concern that the sizeable presence of African-American spectators at Hawks games was problematic for the franchise. "My theory is that the black crowd scared away the whites and there are simply not enough affluent black fans to build a significant season ticket base," Levenson wrote. The Hawks' ownership group, led by Levenson, has put the franchise up for sale. NBA commissioner Adam Silver said on Saturday that the process "is moving along on course." Since the controversy, the Hawks have been one of the NBA's nicest surprises, compiling a record of 43-11 prior to the All-Star break, including a 19-game winning streak and a perfect January. They lead the Eastern Conference by 6 ½ games over the Toronto Raptors. Four members of the Hawks' starting five were selected to last Sunday's All-Star Game. Young has been a prominent presence in Atlanta for more than 50 years and was a close confidante of Martin Luther King Jr. In 1972, Young became the first black congressman elected to the U.S. House of Representatives since Reconstruction. President Jimmy Carter appointed Young as the nation's Ambassador to the United Nations in 1977, after which Young was elected as Atlanta's mayor in 1981 and again in 1985.

http://espn.go.com/nba/story/_/id/12273986/how-golden-state-warriors-built-nba-best-defense This is a really good read about our likely Finals opponent if we can make it that far. It talks a lot about defense and some things that pertain to a lot of the discussions we've been having around here. Such as: They have a lot of similarities to us, so as I was reading this article I kept thinking of how it could be talking about the Hawks too.

Ha, never thought of it like that but it is amusing. Next statue should just be "Hawks starting 5." =D

Gonna chalk this one up to the old parable about leading a horse to water, but can't make them drink. It's obvious that some people refuse to see the truth until a championship trophy is being waved in their face. So be it.

And if this wasn't comparing apples to oranges, that might seem amusing. But as it stands, thats only a snarky half-wit deepity.

And I could counter that Pero was the difference in us even making the playoffs to begin with, and allowing us to take Indy to 7 games. We can play these hypothetical games forever.