Packfill

No one is debating that there are legions of two-star teams that have not won a championship. No one. The fact that there are legions of such teams does not obviate the fact that the overwhelming majority of championships teams over the past couple decades have had two stars.

Milwaukee and Dallas (though Kidd is definitely a HOFer, but past his prime at that point; Marion and Peja as well) are the only teams in recent memory that have won a title with one true star. The other teams you have mentioned are or have been contenders, but have not gotten across the finish line. And of course having two stars is no guarantee of a championship either - it is just one of the traits most common across title teams over the past couple of decades. The other thing to look at is most title teams are veteran heavy. So the Hawks could consider a near term run by stockpiling some veterans in exchange for young assets. Maybe that fails but Trae is still young enough you could retool and take another shot after a rebuild.

The fact that each of Jordan (Pippen), Lebron (Kyrie/Wade/AD), Durant (Curry) needed another HOF caliber player to win a championship (and going back further - Shaq/Kope; Bird/McHale; Magic/Worthy; etc.) is not a screaming endorsement of the Hawks current roster if the goal is to win a championship. Maybe you can squint and dream on Hunter becoming that guy, but no one else on the roster in my view has that type of potential. Hope I am wrong on that of course. How or if the Hawks acquire that second guy will be Schlenk's legacy.

The two will be compared against each other for their entire careers. Still too early to say who won that trade but there is nothing wrong with people having an opinion on which player is better. Trae is great but as a Hawks fan on draft night and sitting here today I would still rather have Doncic.

Why would Memphis even consider this trade. Bogi is too small to start at SF and Memphis has Bane at SG. Plus Bogi is more expensive than Brooks. Hawks should likely aim bigger and do some type of consolidation trade and should also be looking at senior/junior 3 and D draft prospects who will slip in the draft due to their age but may be more ready to play immediately. Prospects with profiles similar to Bane, Herbert Jones, etc.

Miami did make it to the finals pretty recently (2020) so any narrative that they are not built to succeed in the playoffs seems a little unfair given their recent history.

Nothing wrong with trying something new but none of the Hawks front court guys are as dynamic defenders as Mobley and thus I don't see how this could work. Also, at this point in his career, Gallo can't handle the minutes that Markkanen plays (plus if you really wanted to copy Cleveland Gallo is a better fit for the Love veteran bench role). The Hawks played so well in the second half last year because Bogi stepped up and performed as a proper number 2 scorer and secondary ball handler. He has not played at that level this year of course and that coupled with a slightly down year from Capela shows just how thin the Hawks winning margin was last year (that is true for most teams though, so not a unique critique of the Hawks).

I am sorry, and I mean this in the nicest way possible, but predicting 39 wins for this team is laughable. This team is constructed, by design, to finish with a record similar to last season. Given the stage of roster construction, winning 39 games would probably be bad for the long-term health of the franchise given the reduction in draft capital.

Trae and Dennis playing together would be fun to watch offensively (although the offense will surely be wildly inefficient) but will be cringe worthy on the defensive end.

I can't imagine Schlenk made the trade to get Young with the idea of him sitting on the bench. I have to imagine they are planning on getting him close to 30 minutes a night.

The Hawks do not need to worry about beating the Warriors. By the time the Hawks are ready to compete the Warriors' core will likely be dismantled/retired. I really dislike the Doncic trade but am hoping for the best.

I agree. Given the situation the team is in, they need to be thinking about maximizing draft capital for the next two drafts and then figuring out what they have and what they need to add. Obviously if they hit a home run in this draft that might move the timing up a year, but that is unlikely.

Hawks have really dialed in their tank. Not easy to lose a game to those Bulls.

I agree. Ayton seems similar to Towns in regards to defense. Shame because Ayton seems like a compelling piece for a rebuilding team like the Hawks - and definitely a better fit then someone like Bagley or Porter.

Good thread. To me Collins is the only building block on the roster (assuming he can make a jump in play next season). The rest are flawed assets. Dennis is talented enough to start but lacks the consistency one would expect from someone with his level of experience. Baze and Prince would be better with reduced roles of the bench. Dedmon I expect to walk at seasons end and the rest will be lucky to carve out careers as bench pieces. Depressing. Anyone think Ayton and Collins together long term is potentially a bad combo?

Too much competition for a top 2 pick this year!

Cleveland sure is getting a lot of shooters to go with LeBron for this season at least.

In fairness, Stanley Johnson is two years younger than Prince. That said, I doubt Johnson ever turns into a reliable rotation player. Given that Prince is on a rookie contract and the Hawks are not looking to win now, there is no reason not to give him heavy minutes until a better option emerges. Prince will likely settle in as a useful bench player on a better team.

Babbitt played due to the lack of other warm bodies. I am certain they would love to trade Plumlee, Baze, Belinelli and/or Ersan if it nests them some future assets, and I am willing to bet they would agree to take on some bad contracts to do so (particularly in trading the rental guys).

Right now it appears the Hawks main focus is to showcase tradeable assets. Once the trade deadlines passes my guess is Collins and others younger players get more burn.

Hawks currently have the worst record in the league and are in the pole position for the #1 pick.

The take away is not so much the number of picks, it is getting that foundational guy and then building a team around him in a manner, and on a time line, that fits with that foundational players peak career output. So if you draft a 19 year old you need to evaluate for a year or two to see if he has cornerstone player potential and then spend the next three years building a team around him with the idea of peaking beginning in that cornerstone players 4th or 5th season. To be clear, once the Hawks let their vet big-men walk I don't think they had any choice but to follow this path, but it is a long road to be certain, even assuming they do it right.

The Hawks are going nowhere fast until they get a foundational player, and assuming that guy is an 18/19 year they draft in 2018, that foundational player is going to need a minimum of two years of seasoning.

Agree or disagree with Nets taking a look at Okafor?

I don't think it is size (particularly given that both have long wingspans relative to their height) that is holding back either Prince or Bazemore . . . The Hawks need someone other than Dennis who can create shots efficiently plus they need a defensive anchor.