tmac13

My pleasure.

1. Miami

2. New Jersey

3.Charlotte

4. Chicago

5. Milwaukee

6. Indiana

7. New York

8. Washington

9. Toronto

I can explain if necessary...

Toronto was better than us last year without JO. If he gives them anything at all they will be improved. Washington was also better and has a healthy Arenas this year. Two years ago Chicago was an up and coming playoff team and now they have added Rose and could easily regain form. Miami is also a team that could make a huge leap but I don't think they are better than the Hawks. Milwaukee has improved and Charlotte with Larry Brown is another team to look out for.

I appreciate your enthusiasm but to say we are "considerably" better than any of the teams I mentioned is just not true. We may be a little better than a few but we have done nothing to catch up to Washington and Toronto.

I could care less what they say. ESPN has proven pretty much they know nothing as far as making predictions. Who cares?

We are considerably better than at least nine teams in the East IMO.

Please name the 9 eastern teams that the Hawks are considerably better than.

Just to clarify...

Sund mucked up the deal for Chillz.

All the players we have we could have gotten with Chillz here.

I'm going to have to be impressed by Flip.

I'm not mad at Hunter or Morris, but I was hoping for a vet big.

If we had resigned Chillz I seriously doubt we add Evans and maybe even Flip. Its true we could have technically afforded them but I doubt the ASG would have freely spent money to back up the same positions.

How could we have had Chilz at a "bargain" rate ? I thought Sund offered him close to $6.5 mill per year on the first day of free agency and Chillz declined it. $6.5 mill per year for Chillz sounds fair but is definately not a bargain to pay for a 6th man.......Is it ?

Please enlighten me. I have been out of commission for a while due to a surgery and may have missed some info if it came out within the last 2 weeks.

Supposedly Chillz was ready to sign the Hawks original offer but they wanted him to wait until they handled other business. He didn't like waiting so he went and found another offer. Its mostly he said she said stuff.

As the offseason draws near its close I was looking at the positives and negatives and I have to admit I think the Hawks are a better team now than they were at the end of last year. We all got very frustrated at how the Hawks played hardball with Chillz and Smoove but in the end I think we did pretty well. The Chillz situation was a unforseen error on Sunds part. I simply don't think any GM would have imagined a Greek team stepping in and throwing so much cash around. After that point I think Sund has done everything right. We resigned Smoove for a song. We signed 2 veteran backups in Evans and Flip that can contribute. We signed 2 young bigs in free agency that have nice potential that are the equivalent of late 1st or early 2nd round picks in Morris and Othello.

We have a solid starting 5. We are one of a handfull of NBA teams where it is reasonable to expect double digit scoring from all 5 starters. We have nice rebounders and shotblocking from our bigs. We have veterans who know how to win in our backcourt. We have a 3 that has progressed every year and should turn in 17 or 18 a game this year even though some here consider him a bust. Our bench is the deepest that it has been in years. Flip and Evans provide scoring and good defense. Both of them are capable of lighting it up from time to time. Zaza takes alot of knocks here but he is very capable. Two years ago he was a 12/7 starting center. If he accepts his role he can get alot of minutes and give us a nice 3 man rotation up front. I think Hunter may be the steal of the offseason. He played in the slow it down system at Ohio State and really couldn't show his entire game. In both Orlando and in the summer leagues he has been practically the best looking rookie around. I think he can be solid in backing up the 3, 4 and possibly even a little 5 if we are in a pinch. Morris is coming home and may finally get a chance to live up to his talent. I think he can be a Nazr Muhammed type player. All and all I am impressed by Sund so far. Thoughts?

I've never seen Al compared to Bosh or Howard, both are unique athletes. The Amare comparisons come from when we almost Al's pick for Amare. I was glad we didn't, thinking Al could be a cheaper alternative to Amare and I still feel that way. For sure even after knee surgery, Amare is much more fluid and athletic.

However, I do think the proper Al comparison are to Boozer, Brand, and moreso a young Karl Malone if he didn't have Stockton. All are similar sized and skilled to me, it's just a matter of how much Al improves. My dream would be to hear about Al working with Karl one of these offseasons.

I don't think AL is nearly as offensively skilled as any of the guys you mentioned. I think Al at the top of his game will be a 15/12 type of player who plays solid defense. He reminds me physically of a young Dale Davis.

I agree. That 10-game stretch where Anthony Johnson was solid proved vital to keeping this team within reach of the 8th spot.

My concerns about the PG were alleviated by the Flip Murray signing, which should be enough. I still wish the Hawks had a more solid defensive presence at the 5. I'd still love to nab Jeff Foster from the Pacers.

I agree completely about Foster. His per 36 numbers are almost allstar level. I have always wondered why the Pacers didn't use O'Neil at the 4 and start Foster at the 5.

You just cherrypicked four guys out of total of, what, 90 players?

Spare me.

I think it should be reasonable to think in all of BK's drafts that he would pick one useful player with all the high 2nd rounders we had. I know this is beating a dead horse but considering where BK drafted in both the 1st and 2nd rounds he has to be considered one of the worst talent evaluators ever to be a GM.

Same here, but in defense of eternal optimism -

He's a legit 7 footer (7'1 according to some sites) with a strong base and long arms. Reportedly, his game has improved, and he's a solid post defender. He'd be one of the bigger guys in the NBA from day one.

Also, can he be worse than a Lo Wright or Jake Voskuhl?

I guess he can't be worse than those guys. I really thought we needed a backup 4 with a little beef.

Wow..A backup euro center who has already been a bust in the NBA..Not too impressed by this.

Actually, the Hawks invited Hunter to summer league, so I wouldn't call it 'luck' if it works out.

With the history in Atlanta any good break the Hawks get would be luck in my book. Or maybe its karma finally starting to favor the Hawks after so many years.

My big reservation about Hunter is that he just isn't very strong. He is probably stronger than Solo but i would say he will definitely have trouble holding position on defense.

I agree that Hunter will need to get stronger. What I like about him is that he seems to have real skills as opposed to raw athletic ability like Solo. He excelled in the Orlando pre draft camps as well as the summer league and appears to be a late bloomer as a player. I think the Hawks may have got lucky and stumbled accross a guy that can play.

http://www.ajc.com/wireless/content/sports...ard_center.html

It's a huge leap to go from undrafted rookie summer league contributor to right behind Smoove on the depth chart.

Hunter was good, but I think he still has to earn that spot. Solo might have decided to skip summer league, but he's been good enough to stick on the roster for a couple of years and to log some meaningful minutes from time to time.

Not saying that Hunter is not capable, but I think Sekou's presumed too much. I can't think that it's likely that Hunter will outplay Jones at this stage.

Also, I'm not certain that West even has a place on the team any longer. The SF position has evolved over the years so that a 6-5 guy is just not going to compete for a job at SF. I remain skeptical that Evans, the annointed Chilz successor, will log very many minutes at that slot. When Marvelous is out, I think it's more reasonable to see Smoove, Horford, and ZaZa as the front line.

This article is another example of Sekou really not knowing the team he covers. What is likely is a 3 man rotation at the 2/3 of JJ ,,Marvin, and Mo Evans with JJ logging minutes at the 3. What is likely at the 4/5 spots is a 3 man rotation of Smoove , Horf, and Zaza with Horf logging minutes at the 4. Smoove will also see a few minutes at the 3 at some points. The other guys will fill the gaps but probably not play any major role at least early in the season.

We've got no one i'd be willing to trade that would bring back anyone better than we have.

I'd love to have Foster though.

A trade that works is Bibby for Foster and Tinsley. Indy might jump at the deal since Tinsley has 2 years left and they want to get rid of him. When healthy Tinsley is pretty good but his attitude leaves alot to be desired.

So speaking logictikally, how zaza have chip on shoulder? His large head make him mad too, if this tomorrow roster!@

What commin in have these?

Dave Corzine

Steve Bardo

Alaa Abdelnaby

Heinrick Rodl

Hanno Mottola

Tyrone Nesby

Boniface N'Dong

Art "The Horse Puncher" Long

Randy Breuer

Pig Miller

Then you have list #235, aka the dream team:

Jamie Feick

Khalid El-Amin

Granville Waiters

Acie Earl

Uwe Blab

Sixth Men: Chris Gatling

This post is brought to you by Tonto, Tarzan, and Frankenstein

Whats your point. Noone here disagrees that Marvin was drafted too high. Everyone here wishes we had taken Deron or Paul. Whats your point???? We are not apologists because we want Marvin to become a better player. We are Hawks fans who want the team to improve. If Marvin improves the Hawks will be better. Its that damn simple..

When did you become such an a** Walter? You didn't use to throw insults at everyone like you do now. At least when Diesel rants about Marvin he keeps it civil. You sound like a pissed off 14 year old.

Well since you guys are so slow I'll tell it.

These guys collectively have some chips on their shoulders. All have been dissed on some level, all should have a burning desire to have career type seasons.Only Mo and Al have momentum of surity with respect of last season.

This should be a fired up squad. Even the coach has to feel the need to redeem himself against the naysayers. So our identity should be inspired and with wins early they may have a surly swagger of a winner.

It is my hope.

As Scooby would say...Huh??????

Lol, I thought the point of being tall is that you don't have to jump, Frank!

Seriously though, Fazekas posted great college numbers (albeit in a weak conference) and once he caught on in LA he averaged nearly 5 ppg on 57% shooting and snagged nearly 4 rpg in just under 12 mpg. He doesn't have the bulk yet, only 235. I'd love to see him get 10-15 minutes a game in Atlanta's big rotation and see what he can bring. I'm always intrigued by a guy who has good shot selection and hits the glass (especially at the low price that Fazekas will fetch). Childress was the only player on Atlanta's bench with those skills last year.

I think he could be a player in the mold of NY's David Lee, not flashy but effective. Whichever team gives him an opportunity will be making a low-risk investment that could pay off handsomely in on-court production. I wish the Hawks would take that risk.

I agree..His numbers in far fewer minutes a game are better than alot of the bigs people seem to favor. He is not a horrible defensive player at all and I think we could use a big that can shoot in certain matchups. Having a guy like him on the court would allow Smoove to get a few minutes at the 3 if needed.

A lot of people have an unexplainable beef with Marvin Williams.

The beef people have with Marvin is not his fault. Its simply because far better players like Paul, Deron Williams and even Bynum were drafted behind him. As long as Marvin continues to progress his crtics will have less and less to talk about.

Well, they can be. I think it's good to hold on to a little bit of cap space. Just enough to go after a FA in case something goes arie.

If you take a look at depth chart...

I would like for us to give Morris and Solo a chance to play some (early in the season). When you think about it, we have 6 bigs between C and PF.

I think another thing is the versatility of our roster. JJ can play both SG and SF (Classic swingman). I wouldn't be surprise to see him play more Sf in relief of Marvin with Mo Evans and Flip playing more OG. The only real queston mark will be what will happen with Bibby and what will happen with Speedy. Even with Bibby, Speedy, and Law... We have one of the shakiest backcourts in the game. Speedy can't be counted on. Law may be fragile? and Bibby is fragile. I think that's the reason why there are rumors of us going after Pargo and ultimately the reason we signed a usable OG like Flip.I wouldn't mind seeing us get one more prospect if Speedy is shaky... The guy I have in mind is Will Conroy. I think he'd be a pretty good BU on this team and he might prove to be better than that.

Bibby has been very durable with the exception of last season. He should be good to go this year. Unless Speedy breaks down early I expect we either add another big or possibly a wing to back up Marvin.

I think we will add another backup power forward type unless Sund really thinks Othello Hunter can be that guy.

2 reasons to keep DJ instead of Harrington.

1) Harrington has proven beyond all reasonable doubt he simply can't play in the NFL. If he were not such a high draft choice he would have been out of the league long ago. DJ cannot be any worse.

2) If we get down to our 3rd QB it is likely because the o-line is bad. At least DJ brings some mobility to the game to scramble around and find a receiver.

He is so very slow. He will always be trailing the floor. I can't see him having any success in the NBA at all.

http://www.davidnaylor.co.uk/georgia-bigfoot-found.html

Wow..7'7" and over 500lbs. I thought maybe it was Priest Lauderdale taking a nap..Wonder if he has any brothers that would like to play backup center for the Hawks. After all he is a local bigfoot and we all know how we love local guys..

FYI, the RealGM trade checker gives the impression that Flip's deal is ~$1.5M for one year...and that would mean the Hawks used approximately half of their remaining MLE.

Is there any chance we used the LLE instead of the MLE? I was hoping we still had the 3.3 available for the right big if a deal came along.