aali34

I think that Jaylen Brown or Timothe Luwawu have all star potential

Trade Teague for a top 10 pick, and draft an athletic defensive wing( Jaylen Bown, Timothe Luwawu) both are 6'7 Jimmy Butler types Sign a vet backup pg who isn't trash but is willing to come off the bench - Ramon Sessions Start Tim Hardaway Jr, mostly by default and potential Resign Al Get some tough David West like players that will motivate the team Before i thought we had a chance of getting KD, but in light of recent events, not anymore.

i know that people often say that, but to me lebron and KD are the best point forwards in the nba and they still have good point gaurds. It also depends on what they value more, his scoring or his play-making because even if he does play as a primary ball handler, he still would need to be set up in his best spots to score from.

The bucks don't need any more young talent, what they need is an established point guard since MCW can't get it done. We can use that pick to draft either Timothe Luwawu or Jaylen Brown, both are athletic 6'7 small forwards that play good defense.

This hawks team isn't like the ones before it. No hawks team ever won 60 games, no hawks team ever had 4 all stars, no other Hawks team in years past has made bench players into starting caliber players that can get 12 mill contracts. Just like you can't compare GSW to the past teams that hadn't won in 40 years, you can't, compare this hawks team to those other ones.

Gregg Popovich - best coach, but can't afford it Steve Kerr- Another good coach who cant afford it Rick Carlisle- Good coach, but Mark Cuban might have ruined any chance they had Mike Budenholzer- no comment neccesary Eric Spoelstra- Has shown that he can coach a good team without Lebron, but can they afford KD, a maxed out Whiteside, and Dwade? Brad Stevens- very good coach and very young, is going to be top 3 for a very long time. Aside from Popovich and maybe Steve Kerr, I think Coach bud is better than all of them, except for maybe at drawing out of bounds plays late in the game.

Its a known fact that KD is a big fan of Greg Popovich. If the spurs demoralize the thunder and KD is serious about leaving than the only option he has is Atlanta. People say that he'll go elsewhere, that might be true but the hawks have someone who no other team has, Mike Budenholzer. Although we didn't win as much games a last year. I have no doubt in my mind that Mike Budenholzer is one of the best coaches in the nba. He changed the culture of Atlanta and has made a name for himself around the nba as one of the best new coaches around. One of the reasons why he is so similar to Popovich is how he changes the identity of the team he coaches. Popovich has had diffrent players during his tenure running his offense and has adjusted it as such. - Mike Budenholzer did a similar thing this year by changing the identuty of the team from an offensive minded team to a defensive one. How many coaches can make a team lead in either category without having a an elite offensive talent or shutdown defender. He has shown that he can make a team excel in both ways, and he has shown what happens when players buy in the system - Paul Millsap - Three Allstar spots in a row Kyle Korver - nearly 50-50-90 Demarre Carrol - $$$ Tim Hardaway Jr. - Went from being an offensive threat and a joke on defense to being a good defender, but still inconsistent( waiting on next year) Even this year when Al Horford started shooting threes, many people including myself were skeptical, but it has worked out well and he is currently shooting 40% from there. Alot of people question his decisions, myself included, but now I'm just going to sit back and watch because everything he has done is way better than what I would have come up with. Like in the begining of the year when he traded Kelly Oubre for Tim Hardaway jr, if you think about it, no player from the 15 pick down has done anything this season, and when I heard that the team was going for Devin Booker the whole time, and were able to manufacture a trade that still got them someone of value made me see that Coach Bud knows what he is doing. Obviouslu he isn't free of crtiticism and he still makes headscratching in game decsions some times, but coaches grow just like players do( as seen above). I have no doubt that Coach Budenholzer is the best thing that has happened to the city of Atlanta regarding pro sports and the only thing holding us back is not having the talent that most other teams have, and i think he will be a huge reason why KD would want to come here.

Atlanta runs a similar system to San Antonio. If OKC loses in a convincing fashion to a well coached team who are all in sync where do you think he would want to go? And which team in the nba lacks a superstar, is the second best defense behind San Antonio, and in a top 10 market. KD needs to get his ass to Spurs East

But at the same time, most teams aren't loyal to the players. One of the reasons Tyson Chandler was pissed after he was traded again from Dallas was because they told him that he was there long term, but when they went after DeAndre Jordan, they didn't think twice. Look what Boston did with Paul Pierce, he was there for almost his entire career and they got rid of him too. Same thing with Danny Granger in Indiana. It even happened here with Dominique. San Antonio is probably the only team that stays loyal to their aging players. So my question is, if most teams are willing to throw you out when you aren't worth as much as you once was, why take pay-cuts in the part of your career where its your best chance to get a max contract?

Thats not a fair comparison, plus Tim Duncan had one of the biggest contracts in the nba for a few seasons. Star players who can sign multiple endorsements and pIay many years in the league should be thinking about taking pay cuts, not role players who haven't made as much. I don't blame Demarre for leaving for money since he didn't get as much as other players in his career, but Horford has made a lot of money so not too sure about him. I wouldn't lower my salary and so shouldn't bazemore.

if Thomas has to score 40+ to win, then this series is already over.

quick fun fact - no team down 3-0 has ever come back and won a playoff series.

A mark of a good coach isn't only how they gets players to buy in to their system, it is also how well a coach makes a system that highlights the strength of their players. KD can do everything Kawhi Leonard can offensively(I watch the spurs alot by the way) - Both can shoot the midrange and the three very well -Both can post up -Both are long athletic players What sets them apart is Kawhi Leonard's defense V. KD's ball handling and facilitating ability. Not to mention that KD is dominating on a team that surrounds him with no shooters and he gets doubled more often than not.

isn't shit like this the reason David Stern boycotted Chris Paul to the Lakers? This is way worse.

http://espn.go.com/blog/boston/celtics/post/_/id/4717114/copy-machine-cs-want-to-soar-like-hawks The end.

What pisses me off is that analysts aren't even thinking about it. Its not freakin rocket science- Good offense/2nd best defensive team in nba + 2nd best offensive player in the nba = Top offensive/defensive team overall Nobody even respects Coach Bud as an elite coach. http://www.basketballinsiders.com/video-does-scott-brooks-bring-durant-too/ How the f*ck is this even a question?

I want us to win as much games as possible so we can sign KD

my bad, simple mistake

Competition is a strong motivator, a few games on the bench might motivate Kris enough for us to see the version of him that we had in April averaging 8 points and 4 rebounds in 16 minutes, it be nice to see him come back with a vengeance especially in the second round.

Thats not all, I think that the constant ball and player movement would result in meaningful isos like with him on a point or shooting gaurd in the low block. KD is actually a very good post player for a wing and we can run multiple sets for him like the way the spurs run them for kawhi leonard.-

To be completley honest, I think Al Horfod and Paul Millsap are good enough to spike interest, but thats not it. If you observe OKC's starting 5 aside from Durant himself, the best shooter is ibaka at 32% There is no spacing whatsoever and the fact that he is shooting so well and that his team is 3rd makes me believe that he is better than lebron already. Why its simple. Since his miami days, lebron always fills the floor with 3 point shooting big men- Chris Bosh, Rashard Lewis, Kevin Love, Channing Frye. And has alos had good shooters ta the gaurd positions as well - Chalmers, Mike Miller, Shane Battier, Ray Allen, Kyrie, and Jr smith. All KD has is Ibaka ( Kanter shoots 47% percent but took around 20 threes this season so he doesn't count) The fact that he dominates so well regardless of what he little space he has is amazing, and i think that if he came to Atlanta he would erupt just like Steph Curry did. Here is an iso of KD - a few years ago- note that even though Perkins is playing he nor Adams can shoot. Here is an iso of kawhi leonard- note that aldridge and west are both midrange shooters space the floor better for him- Here is lebron in an iso with Love and Mozgov who is an okay midrange shooter spacing the floor- Here is another of KD with good spacing - Isolating is not all bad if the floor is spread out with respectable shooters, Kd hardly has more than one above average shooter on the court with him, the fact that our worst 3 point shooter in the staring 5 is as good as thier BEST is a big staement. I think that a big three of Horford, Millsap, and KD would probably be the best frontcourt in the nba

I agree that OKC is his most likely option, but i don't see how the warriors could sign him without losing so many valuable players that made them so good, plus WHY? They just won 73 games. The only way that does'nt happen is if Harrison Barnes leaves, and if he does we could snag him too. But the main reason I don't think San Antonio or GSW is a valid option is that KD is a competitor and he would most likely be second fiddle to curry. Pat Riley may be a genius, but I don't think any star at the small forward position would willingly put themselves in Lebron's shadow, plus its not like they can sign him anyway. Whiteside is getting a max, wade is getting his money, lots of role players are getting thier money, they have to decide to keep Dieng and/or Joe johnson I think that if we do get a meeting than we have a 45% chance.

I get that, but i want to know a weakness or a logical reason as to why he would not come here. He by himself fixes every problem the Hawks have- shooting- over 40% from 3 star power/facilitator(one of the best pnr ball handlers in the nba) rebounding - 8 per game plus he is a very underrated defender - defensive rating - 82.1

Even though we have to go through the cavs, playing Boston in the first round may have been helpful in a way to the hawks this upcoming off season. It is common knowledge that many analysts say that Boston is a prime FA target this off season, but by watching how they are falling apart against us in the playoffs (knock on wood), many players may end up being dissuaded from going there. If we steal a game or two in a convincing fashion and try to make it a competitive series, then it no brainer that ECF contender with no star + top 5 player in nba = Finals contender. Also KD is a big fan of Gregg Popovich, and his former right hand man is our freakin' head coach. To be frank, the only clear advantage Boston has against us is money, but as last season showed us, players are leaning towards winning more than money nowadays. Ex- Lamarcus Aldridge, Greg Monroe( backfired on him) Here is the cap for each team- Atlanta is in the middle of the pack compared to Boston, but to me the only way KD goes to Boston is if another max player joins him which i don't see happening as of today. And just for kicks here is a list of every nba team and why he wont go to them; I hope you all agree with my reasoning. Lakers - lol Philly- lol Boston - lack of talent/too young Dallas - possibility, but they kind of already have Parsons Washington - screwed it for themselves by not making the playoffs Portland - lack of talent/too young Houston - Idc who you are, there is no way any rational person leaves Westbrook for Harden Charlotte - too many wings (lamb, mkg, batum) plus they already have Batum Brooklyn- lol Memphis- too old Detroit - recent beef, plus they have Caldwell-Pope and Stanley Johnson Miami -lebron's shadow, Dwade's knees, Chris Bosh's health, Hassan Whiteside leaving possibility, plus they have 9 free agents Atlanta - Leave in the comments ( and i don't want too hear "free agents don't come hear", valid reasoning please Toronto - same iso system as OKC, plus is Derozan staying or not? Utah - growing team, but not there yet. Plus they have Hood, and Hayward Denver - lol New York - lol Indiana - possibility, but not likely, plus PG Minnesota - lol Phoenix - lol Orlando - lol Sacramento -lol Milwaukee - lol, plus Giannis New Orleans - not a lot of cap space available OKC - most likely Chicago - no money, but very intriguing ( Jimmy Butler plus KD would be very interesting) San Antonio - no money, plus why would he sign with the team that may knock him out of the second round this year Golden State - would look like a total p*ssy, plus he would be second to curry Clippers - no money If KD chooses any team other than OKC over the hawks, than the man is a complete moron and that kind of stupidity would not be welcomed here anyway. One last question, I know that the hawks haven't made any splashes in free agency in years past, but that's because the old front office was filled with complete idiots. This new management has done way more than in 2-3 years than the old one ever has in a business and competitive fashion. - Elite coach - Player development that we never had -Improved training staff - Emory/P3 training center -Trying to make a d'league team - Having actual plans - Adding Steve Koonin ( the hawks seem way more marketable ever since he came, Fresher court, nice logo, 3d projector, the overall fan experience is way better) Any reason the hawks did not get anyone was in the past, I'm not saying we will get KD ( who knows if the Front office is even considering it?), but if we tried to without losing key players and he goes to any other team, than he's just plain dumb.

I have been very impressed with the teams rebounding as of late and decided to do some poking around courtesy of nba.com/stats Before the all star break the hawks were the 3rd worst rebounding team in the NBA at - 41.2 overall. The OREB was last at - 8.5, and DREB was 20th ( or the 11th worst) After the all star break, the hawks have moved up to 6th worst in the nba. However in games played only after the allstar break the hawks are top 15 in rebounding, and second in DREB. They remain dead last in OREB, but that is so they can prevent points scored in transition. FYI, they tie the cavaliers in rebounds per game, and out rebound them on the defensive boards, but not the offensive ones.