Wretch

Yup and I've said over and over again... To get something you have to give something Potential has an expiration date Timing is EVERYTHING At some point, you need to have some things figured out or you need to sell high. There's no evaluation. Not really. It's just rolling the dice on depreciation because if we see them as expendable after a full evaluation then so does everybody else. This isn't such a big deal in year 1 or 2. We typically see these guys as just needing time and room to grow. Where players like OO and Hunter are, that's a different story....and a questionable oversight in the case of JJ.

Wow........

I actually agree with you @sturt. Double-O, OO, Yeka, OK (that's what I'd call him...and I'd say it like Lil' Jon. lol)... That's all good. He's way before my time, but you gotta respect the game man. Not going to root against him, but I'm not calling him Big O.

Like most, I suspect that our offense is going to look 100% better. I think there's going to be a huge improvement in shot selection from Trae. Not to sound negative, but despite the offensive improvement...i think the theme of missed long distance opportunities against the zone will continue. I've seen enough Dre, DJM, and Bogi not to expect anything drastic so I'm going with JJ, Bey, and to a lesser extent AJ as Xfactors here. Someone has to give us a consistent long distance option opposite Trae. I'm quietly hoping that OO has more in the bag offensively and not just the jumper that most are hoping for. I'd like to see what this dude can do with his back to the basket or facing up - I'm very much encouraged by how fluid he spins and rolls in traffic to the basket. I don't know what to expect on the defensive end. On the plus side, DJM is solid, Trae showed improvement under Quinn, and CC/OO are consistently reliable. On the flip side, we'll be plugging in a new starting PF and we don't know which version of Dre will show up any given night. I honestly don't know what to expect from these guys.

Not a stretch to think any two teammates have the same birthday. I wouldn't imagine the odds of having any two pillars (all-stars/highly productive) in their prime (under 30) on the same team, starting in the backcourt together are very high - particularly after trading for one to be exactly that. ...or maybe this kind of thing just happens all willy-nilly because apparently, at one point the Mavericks had three point guards with the same birthday IN THE SAME YEAR.

I hate that it happens in the EC, but I love it for what it is. I love Giannis and I can't hate the Bucks. Dame is my favorite non-Hawk so I'm happy for him. I'll be rooting for them all the way...except for when they play the Hawks obv.

This was the case for me. Especially as my kids got older and stopped watching syndicated programming. Literally the only thing that I watch on broadcast TV is Hawks Basketball and pro wrestling. My wife watches one show that is now streaming on HBO Max because of the Discovery merger, but otherwise she's watching gardening/homesteading videos on YouTube. I have no use for the ridiculous number of channels on Cable. It's a sh!tty business model where these companies use "bundles" to force us into forking over money and streaming TV providers are now doing the same.

I don't know how valid his mental health issues are and I usually take care to avoid the "mob mentality" when criticizing players...but that last bit resonates with me. Since the beginning of the Ben Saga, I was pretty much on the fence...eaning "he's still a very gifted player." But you're absolutely right. There are quite a few guys that couldn't get right after a mental breakdown - some of them being positively elite players. There's also players who have come back from worse and gained all the respect in the world.

This will always blow my mind... What are the odds?!

Herro Ball...? If I owned the Hornets, I'd make this trade just for gits and shiggles.

He's posted a couple of videos showing he can do it, but he knows he ain't got it like that. There's a ~40% chance he's gonna bonk it in game. lol I think it'll be like Shaq's 3 pointer highlight reel:

He's easily top 15.

I never thought I'd say this, but I just hope they have commercials. ANYTHING as long as I don't have to watch the opps arena video stream... It's like being a spy behind enemy lines listening to them prepare for war against your country. EFF THEM ENEMY FANS! This is Hawks TV dammit! LOL

I'm excited for the season to start now. I expect Trae to be better under Quin as it's more of a conscious decision how he plays. DJM and his shooting is what I'm most interested in seeing improve. I think that's going to be key.

I'm not disappointed at all. There is a big part of me that wants to see what Quin can do with this team. I'm also excited to hear that we understand the need to shoot the ball well. I'm particularly keen on seeing improvement from DJM in this area...especially if we're not bringing shooters in.

Ok...but don't you say nothing when Capela bangs a step back three and points at the camera. "That's for you JEFF! "

Like @TheNorthCydeRises, I'm only listing players that I watched. I know there are likely to be better players, but I don't like to speak to things that I have no direct exposure to. Top 10 - NBA MJ Kobe Magic Bird LeBron Duncan Curry Olajuwon Shaq Chuck Top 5 - Hawks Trae Nique Deke JJ Smitty Top 5 - Favorite Non-Hawks Allen Iverson Rip Hamilton Ben Wallace DWade Mark Jackson Top 5 - Favorite Hawks Mookie Trae Nique Deke Grant Long Top 5 - NBA most underrated Rip Hamilton Nique Larry Bird (by the new generation's standards) John Stockton (As a scorer) Trae Top 5 most overrated Karl Malone Pippen Kyrie Irving Paul Pierce Steph Curry (As a "point guard." He's not) Top 5ish least favorite players... LeBron James Kevin Garnett Bird LeBron Bron This joker... King James LeFlop Le3-6 Bill Lambier This punk BronBron The fart face on the far right LBJ Paul Pierce This pretentious clown This freaking guy

KAT doesn't have to be a leader here. On the court, we have DJM who's attitude and leadership is unquestionable and infectious. On the sidelines we have Quin Snyder who is quite literally the best leader money can buy in the NBA. Moreover, the leader of the team is not always the highest paid player or the "toughest." Steph isn't tough. Neither is Durant. Paul Pierce wasn't "tough." These are just really good players. KAT is also really good and that's what you pay him for. He wouldn't be coming here to lead us to a championship. His responsibility would be just to create problems for the defense. In the post, he is 100% gravity and a 39% shooter behind the arc. Combine that with Trae who has an equal amount of gravy as soon as he steps over the half-court line and Quin directing traffic. That is a nightmare to defend and will be nothing short of a miraculous get if we can secure him - especially with the packages that have been discussed. Not only that, but you can guarantee that Snyder is sitting at the table when they're having that discussion. If he's signed off on it, that's more than good enough for me. On a final note, I also would put money on Snyder getting Trae to the next level. We've had a lot of conversations about his maturity and how it's held him back, but Trae is a solid veteran now and he can't say enough about how much he's learning from our new coach. He and DJM will hold down leadership.

AJ is my guy, but you have to give to get. If we need a 3rd star, and someone is legit offering one up for AJ. I'm listening. I would be hard pressed to do it, but I'll say it again...everything is negotiable. The only difference with AJ is that I'd gamble a little longer than I would with the others. All bets are off once it looks like they're about to make the "leap."

It's because they don't really watch him. They watch highlight reels and they catch him when he's in a nationally televised game. People that DO watch him and talk like the national media either don't understand basketball or they have an agenda.

LOL, and keep saving them! I still think you misunderstand my feelings on him.

You damn right. lol I've said this over and over again: everything is negotiable. I'm not disagreeing with anyone that believes JJ is the one or that OO is going to be special. They all have great qualities and we all see different things. We all have our favorites and AJ is mine. That doesn't mean I won't trade him or that I wouldn't dangle him. I absolutely would if the deal shifts the landscape. There are those who won't trade either of the other two (some probably all three). I would say that I'm more willing to gamble on AJ than either of the other two and with a gun to my head, OO is the one that I'd trade.

The part in bold is the only disagreement I have. Actively sell, yes. What ever the best offer is, absolutely not. It may sound like I'm eager to trade him, but I'm not. Now, we all have our favorites. If I had to rank the three young guys always coming up in our conversations it would be AJ, JJ, OO for me. The way people are on edge about OO's name coming up in anything, that's how I am with AJ. The difference is, I'm eager to deal ANYBODY, yes even AJ, if it means a blockbuster move that shifts the landscape. If the best we can do for OO is a lateral move for equivalent talent at a different position, I'm not interested. I would rather keep him and hope that he is indeed an all-world defender and grows into the kind of player that (as I've said over and over again) tends to be my favorite. Worst case, if we're not (significantly) moving the needle by trading him, then I'd rather keep him and find that front court compliment that he would fit seamlessly with. Ultimately, this is FAR more of an issue with holding onto players too long vs. "I don't like OO" or "I want to trade OO because his stock is high." I maintain that timing of when deals are made is far more impactful in shaping a contender than simply making a deal because you can. We are not a contender, so for me everything is on the table except for the one piece that I know is championship material.

I mean...that's how that works with things that fluctuate in value right?

It's interesting how we as fans tend to always default to polarized groups. It's either you like player or you don't. You think he's a terrible shooter or you don't. In the case of making moves, this case, it's either you want to trade a player or you don't. If it's unclear, when I say dangle I don't mean trade him. @kg01 is more or less correct in his assumption that I'm saying sell high. That doesn't mean "trade him now!" (even though I've said those exact words lol). More than it means make the sale, it means I'd put him up for sale while his stock is high. Which I'm sure he currently is, whether publicly or not, and I'm sure that price is indeed high. If there were negative indicators to want to move OO, his stock would be lower and we wouldn't be able to move him. Much like Collins. Where I'm more concerned though, as usual, is with the "expiration date" on player potential. There are people who would hold onto him at all costs, and I don't know that I feel that way about anybody on this roster not named Trae. That's how "receipt keepers" sound with any given trade scenario or even the mere mentioning of availability. "Remember when you wanted to trade Okongwu!? Huh! Here's the receipt." "No, I was unsure about his peak value...but his value back then was high. I wonder what we value we could have brought back for him."