Dejay

If only I could load my Price is Right loser sound effect right now. On that note... I fully expect the Pacers to be fighting for their lives tomorrow. If they lose to Nate Dogg and the gang in their crib, oh boy...

While the finish didn't have the style of Nique in his prime, that sequence had the same effect of... 'This game is officially over. Please grab your belongings and make your way to the nearest exit at your earliest convenience. Thank you for attending, good night...'

That Knight sequence literally got all of us off the couch here. I'm looking forward to seeing the replay of this. Rest up for tomorrow...

I said pretty much the same thing in the PMs. With Larry Brown on the other sideline instead of riding him like that jockey did Secretariat at the Belmont Stakes when he was at Kansas, Manning had the same 'deer in headlights' look on his face as the rest of the team when the Pacers were undressing them in the Eastern semis. There was no 'this BS stops right here' alpha dog on the Hawks' roster who could give an answer when Reggie Miller, Smits, Byron Scott, or the Davis boys started going nuts in Indianapolis. Nique, for better or for worse, was one of the few in that era who was capable of doing just that; even at age 34. That alone is worth keeping him over making a trade for Manning. And as I've stated a million times, had someone far more competent been running the show, Nique would've had way more help riding shotgun with him than the stiffs that Lenny brought to the party that postseason. Losing teams like the Sixers or Clippers back then didn't have geniuses running the show, so why not call to see what it would've taken to get a Jeff Hornacek or Ron Harper here as opposed to going to battle with Stacey Augmon or Adam Keefe?

I've stated this for nearly 30 years now. The trade was so hysterically bad that no contending team has attempted to make such a deal in midseason since. Nique was an icon here and should've been given every opportunity to win a ring in the twilight of a HOF career. For his thanks, not only did they ship him out in the midst of a championship run but sent him away to NBA-Siberia. And to add more stank to this septic tank-flavored popsicle, they brought in a guy who when first approached after arriving in town instantly brought up that the Hawks were not one of the teams he remotely thought of signing with after becoming a free agent. If any move should've been made at the trade deadline, it should've been to bring in more perimeter firepower (Mr. Augmon, I'm looking at you!!!) or better frontcourt talent off the bench (ditto for you, Mr. Keefe), not a guy who was hurt and mostly unmotivated unless Larry Brown was there to insert a foot up his hindparts. It was no secret that although the Hawks were still winning games after the trade, they were a shell of what they were before. It became obvious once the playoffs started and it took five games to beat a one-legged Steve Smith and Glen Rice-led Heat team. And the Pacer series, good grief. NBC had a ball blasting the Hawks for not competing as a fully healthy #1 seed should on national TV. I could all but guarantee that those wipeout losses wouldn't have happened had Nique been here on his last legit shot at a title. Malfeasance is what this trade was. Game. Set. Match...

You win. Couldn't have said it better myself...

Someone's speaking my language right here. Those three teams at the top of the East had better pray that the Knicks or Celtics find a way to get by them in the first round. I've been saying this for the last two weeks...

Agreed, but imagine having that much tied into two players, being all but forced to let a guy like him go, only to be sitting nearly 10 games under .500 anyway?

I hate to savage another organization (well, no I don't) but yeah. King fans deserve a lot better than what they've been given. Not bringing Bogdanovic back after that run he had in the bubble last postseason alone should've been a fireable offense...

All I want is four wins in the first round, regardless of who they play. As for the matchups, all of them would give an assortment of problems for the Hawks. Tatum can carry a team through a series if he's on. Both the Heat and Knicks have guys in the paint to match up with Collins and Capela. And the Hornets have that 'how the eff are we losing to these guys' feel all over them, especially if they can get Ball and Haywood back. The M.A.S.H. unit the Hawks have wearing suits need to be uniform and contributing for them to have a fair shot at winning. On primetime, I'd also love to see them take down the Celtics, Knicks, and Heat in that order. Boston is top dog on my hit list for obvious reasons, followed by NYC and Miami just to hear Stephen A. and the gang cry incessantly about how the basketball world was screwed out of a historic, majestic (insert anyone but the Hawks) vs. Sixers matchup in the Eastern semis. And I agree with RedDawg, beating the Hornets would be like beating McNair High School; no one would notice or the least bit care outside of us. They'd have every game on the RFD Network or Viceland because NBA-TV would be too busy slurping on the Heat or Mavericks...

I'm thinking more about the first round than the second because IMHO, that will be the roughest hurdle they need to cross over. Not just for the team but Nate as well. Miami and Boston both possess playoff experience and the Horcats are just the kind of team who would give anyone who doesn't have a 'this is the part where you fall down' guy like Durant a hard time, especially if Hayward comes back strong... As I've stated before, if they get past the first round, oh boy.

The way this move is panning out, Rocket fans and their entire organization would kill someone in broad daylight just to get those bag of peanuts compared to what they actually got for trading Capela. And his contract is good for what, two more years at a very reasonable price compared to what he'd get in the open market if he was a free agent now? I'm going to go on the limb by saying that Houston's front office will not be answering any more phone calls with a 404 prefix showing on the caller ID going forward; not as long as Travis Schlenk is still calling the shots here. If I was their owner, I'd make that a company policy...

And Houston only got Brooklyn's first rounder from last year for Capela? That's all they got from the Hawks? That's like handing over a used toaster in exchange for an 80" flatscreen that only needs a new remote that can be ordered from Amazon. And just for kicks, he agrees to mount the thing on your wall for free...

Just think that a couple of years ago, Dedmon and Len was our 1-2 punch in the paint. Would either of those guys even get on the court if this team was at full strength, other than garbage time? Once again, if remotely healthy, which one of those top three teams are perfectly fine with this squad pulling into the parking lot come Round 2? IMHO, having our guys not only return but eventually become effective on the court will NOT be a good thing for the East in a few weeks...

This is easy. Whoever gave Buddy Hield that extension while not bringing back Bogdanovic gets it...

They hung tough with Brooklyn and blew them away in their house with LP running the show. The Sixers had trouble with the Hawks when Trae was a rookie. And the way Bud coaches scared in the playoffs, would any Buck fan feel safe with this squad pulling up in the parking lot come Round 2?

Bogdanovic. Capela. Lou Williams. These are the type of guys we usually watch other teams get before making playoff runs while our front office sit on their hands and make excuses. For the first time in many years, we have a slew of depth featuring guys who can actually PLAY. Just how many do they lose this kind of game by last year without Trae, Collins, Cam, and Hunter? 18? 26? If it wasn't for injuries and some questionable coaching, you could forget about the 4th seed; we would be talking about homecourt advantage in the East and placing bets on how soon would they clinch the division. Great team win on the road. Toronto is next, keep that energy...

More like Fahrenheit 451, the Human Gas Can, or Match Light. No lighter fluid needed...

I'll say this and ride on out. Someone had better knock them off in the first round and early. Because if they somehow get to the Eastern semis and close to full strength, there are going to be a lot of uneasy moments for national experts having to explain themselves. Even opposing team commentators are taking note that no one wants any part of this squad in a 7-game series; not even the so-called Big-3 in Philly, Brooklyn, and Milwaukee...

I could go with you on their potential loss of resiliency with not having to overcome from the crater they had to dig themselves out of. That being said, one cannot ignore the fact that they'd very likely be fighting for homecourt advantage and laughing their way to winning the SE for the first time in six years right now had Nate had the con from the beginning of the season. The close losses and blown leads in the 4th alone justifies my case here. If they had won even a portion of those games, they'd be what, 35-16? Sure, ESPN would still have them behind the Heat and Celtics in their power rankings even if they had such a record but still...

No doubt about that; the defense will never be as good while they're still on the sidelines injured. But eventually (more like prayerfully) a good number of them will return. And whether that happens in a couple of weeks or next season, that day of reckoning is not going to be a good thing for a lot of teams in this league and especially in the East...

You're not kidding. Regardless of their won-loss records, if you think the Bucks, Sixers, or Nets aren't paying some really close attention to what's going on down here, I have some swampland in Florida that I'd love to sell to you at a discount. All three believe that they are teams of destiny and they know that a squad coming in hot like Atlanta has all the capabilities of royally effin up an entire season for one of them...

As I stated in a FB page, this team is going to be a major problem for whoever is unfortunate enough to draw them in the playoffs. I shudder to think of what they're capable of when at full strength, which hasn't even been realized yet. While the defense is still a work in progress, the offense has a NOS button attached to the throttle as the Pelicans painfully found out last night. When going right, very few teams have the firepower to stay around that long with them, especially if their defense continues to improve. That's not hyperbole or me being a homer, them's are the facts. As Jill Scott would say, slowly...surely...

Damn, beat me to it...

I don't see Trae only playing 30 mpg, star players are normally in their mid-upper 30s; especially when they're as young as he is. Lou is going to be on the court when Trae isn't and also team up with Dunn, Bogdanovich, Huerter, and Reddish...