Dejay

That was a great game. Barring anymore injuries, I expect them to return to the tournament...

Vinnie from Boston: 'Now hold up, Celtic Nation. My sources tell me that Danny is finalizing a deal to bring in Giannis, John Collins, Bradley Beal, and Anthony Davis in a sign and trade in exchange for three 2nd round picks starting in 2055, Marcus Smart, and a pair of Larry Bird's shoelaces he wore in Game 6 of the '84 Finals. It's all but a done deal, folks...'

Happy Thanksgiving to everyone. Be safe out there...

I'm being conservative and factoring in time to gel and health. That 'rona is a mf'er..

I can see 35 as the floor and 44 as the ceiling if all goes right...

Lol, let him had gotten to the Lakers. The national folks would've had the entire planet thinking that he was better than Drazen Petrovic (look him up, newbies). But since he signed with the Hawks, he's just a lighter version of Shelvin Mack...

Agreed. But he's not alone. As was sung in Hamilton (can't you tell my girls had me watching that all summer long?), history has its eyes on you, Lloyd Pierce...

That's going to be a tough team to defend against. And that's before factoring in the maturation process of Hunter, Reddish, and Huerter. For the first time since the Korver days, they can literally shoot an opponent out of a gym. And for the first time since Nique's heyday, they can also run an opponent out of a gym as well. Good luck defending this squad if any of their perimeter guys get hot, especially with the rim runners and cutters they have at their disposal...

I lived through all of that in the late-'70s, '80s, and '90s so my Father's Hawks go a little further back (pre-John Drew, Rollins, Fast Eddie, Hubie Brown, and Roundfield). With the exception of Nique's prime years ('86-89), the depth of those teams were as shallow as a kiddie pool. That goes double for the Mookie, Smith, and Mutombo years where guys like Eldridge Recasner and Henri James were seen as key players on the bench. And don't get me started on guys from the Notorious ASG (see Guerin, Michael) blaming the fans on not selling out the building every night for a product that the entire planet knew had no shot of seriously contending for anything of worth. That ownership group, front office, let alone the style of play from those teams damn near lost an entire generation of fans in this town. Thankfully, all of them are now in the dustpans of Hawks history; where they should've been all along...

That's what I've been saying all along, which is why I was so thrilled about what Schlenk did with the 3rd year of Gallinari's deal. By the time they're ready to make a decision on guaranteeing him, we should all know what Reddish and Hunter brings to the table. Same for Huerter backing up Bogdan, especially with a veteran like Snell who can push him as well. In other words, these aren't the BK, Sund, or Babcock days anymore. The chief reason why we never saw that big payoff from drafting Marvin and the two Joshes was because there was literally NO ONE ON THE ROSTER who could challenge them for minutes, especially after their rookie year; same with Rumeal Robinson and Stacey Augmon back in the day. Those guys all knew that despite Woodson's utter hatred of young players, their spots in the lineup and minutes were as secure as a newborn baby in his/her mother's arms. Ergo, there was no incentive for them to really work on their craft in the offseason, which could explain why most of them looked and played the exact same way as they did entering the league. Think Josh Childress wouldn't have changed the mechanics on that 3rd grade jump shot or Augmon had found a right hand if they actually had to fight for minutes every night? Iron sharpens iron, folks. I'm digging it...

Literally all of the checkmarks were filled out. I'm normally one of the first to pile on them for not bringing in REAL players (with the posts to prove it) but I have zero complaints about this offseason. Travis and the gang hit it into the 3rd deck, flipped the bat, took their time rounding the bases, then took a selfie after touching home plate with the umpire and catcher because they were also impressed. Chemistry and health notwithstanding (a big issue nowadays), this became one of the deepest teams in the league overnight. Gone are the days when we're banking on the likes of Shelvin Mack, Mario West, Mo Evans, or Willie Green to hold the fort while the starters got a break. And Lord help the league if/when Reddish or Hunter get their sea legs underneath them. Schlenk told us all that he was going to address the key issues with this roster. Most of us brushed it aside because we all heard the same rhetoric from his predecessors for years, only for them to cower behind the salary cap and run for cover once the tough questions started being asked. He talked the talk and walked it...

I was hoping that that final year was a team option or partially guaranteed and oh boy. We finally have a Hawks GM who actually knows what to do on a chess board. Not only does he partially guarantees the third year but convinces him to be the 6th man off the bench as well? Soak it in, everyone. These aren't our Father's Hawks anymore...

In Superfriends vernacular, maybe Green Lantern or Apache Chief?

Agreed. I vividly remember the days when the Hawks had tons of cap space and talked tough about being 'aggressive' in free agency, only to be relegated to signing the same batch of scrubs they always do. That's because the REAL players would laugh the Hawks' front office out of the room before an offer was even made. At best, they'd just use whatever offer Sund or BK would throw at them as leverage to get better deals with their existing teams or elsewhere. It was almost embarrassing hearing from national beat writers about they couldn't even get (insert viable free agent here) or any of their representatives on the phone; as if Hawks HQ was made up of telemarketers cold calling folks on Christmas Day. And please don't get me started on the Notorious ASG and the unspeakable damage they did to the team's reputation; which wasn't all that great to begin with. Some of us are still bitter about the loss of a certain NHL team, whom I refuse to name, the BK error (spelled correctly), WLOC-Sund, not vetting the pizza guy before trying to sell the team, the big lawsuit, David McDavid, and everything else in between. Having them no longer in the picture to royally eff things up is absolutely huge. Along with that, I'll go with the Trae effect helping matters as well. Do they even get two of these guys signed with Schröder and Taurean Prince as the focal points of the team? Think about it like this; before Trae, Al Horford and Jeff Teague were the only All-Star players the Hawks drafted since Reagan's first term. And neither put up the numbers in their second year as Trae did, especially with the entire planet knowing who was going to get the ball late. Guys can smell a star from a mile away and he's the first one we've had in awhile...

Got that right. Guys like Mario West, Malcolm Delaney, Randolph Morris, Jim Les, and John Bagley wouldn't make this team's G-League roster...

I was a little kid watching in horror as my Dad and Uncle nearly was arrested for trying to storm the cage that night...

Forgot about him, he was closest to that mark. But Malone to Mutombo to Millsap. That's three viable free agents over a 30-year period...

Exactly. How many years did we watch them sit on cap space, only to bring in scrubs and castoffs that no one else wants, while deferring to next year, then the next year, then the next? The last RFA they managed to sign to an offer sheet was Joe Johnson. The last unrestricted free agent they signed who managed to hang up more than 15 a night the previous year was...maybe Moses Malone? That's a whole lot of time being spent sifting through the recycle bin...

I wish that you could record the conversation and download it here for us to listen to for kicks. Hayward turned heel on the Celtics like Ole Anderson did Dusty Rhodes at the old Omni. Ain't it cool to see our team FOR ONCE go after (and actually sign) REAL players in the offseason? No more using Google to look up who Jim Les or Malcolm Delaney is or hope against hope that old Jerry Stackhouse, old John Bagley, or old Joe Smith got a little more tread left on the tires. IMHO, this offseason sends a clear message to the guys here, the fans, and the rest of the league that this isn't the Babcock, BK, or Rick Sund-era Hawks anymore. The years we spent on this board hearing them cry 'salary cap' while the East passed them by? Watching 1st round picks of theirs not working harder on their craft because their place in the lineup was etched in concrete? No more. Feels good, doesn't it?

Post of the week right here. It's been a long time since young draftees here have had to actually work hard to earn PT. Marvin Williams, Josh Childress, and Osh Smith never had to worry about Flip Murray, Mario West, or Mo Evans taking their court time away. Hell, even in the Babcock years, Rumeal Robinson and Stacey Augmon never lost sleep over what old Mo Cheeks, old Sidney Moncrief, or Snoop Graham was doing in practice, either. Let them sort it out in the next few weeks. Depth is never a bad thing, especially in times like this...

I'm here till Thanksgiving, folks. Please tip your waiter...

If there are enough minutes to keep them happy, I'm game. Schlenk must have listened to TLC because he's bringing in no more scrubs...

Why?

Vinnie from Boston chimes in: 'Now wait a minute. Danny told us that we was getting John Collins, their 6th pick, Oladipo, Cam Reddish, five unprotected draft picks, and Anthony Davis as a throw-in for Marcus Smart and a pair of second rounders in 2038. What's the deal here???'