Would trading one of our guys make any team a contender?

[HawkItus]

1st- Like our team and players

2nd-Not sure we are title worthy yet

3rd-Nothing wrong with being good, but not great

4th-Forget the 3rd point, if you are not chasing titles your nothing

So with those 4 points out of the way, is anybody on our team good enough to swing another team into instant title contention? My thinking is if we have a player like that then that's who I'm keeping an eye on to get out of a mediocre ville if we ever feel the need to.

[Diesel]

1st- Like our team and players

2nd-Not sure we are title worthy yet

3rd-Nothing wrong with being good, but not great

4th-Forget the 3rd point, if you are not chasing titles your nothing

So with those 4 points out of the way, is anybody on our team good enough to swing another team into instant title contention? My thinking is if we have a player like that then that's who I'm keeping an eye on to get out of a mediocre ville if we ever feel the need to.

That's not the same.

We don't know what another team may need. And what they may need to be contenders may not be what we need. In other words, some team may be stronger where we are weak and weaker where we are strong. So a team that has a very good C and PG will not have the same needs as we do.

[macdaddy]

I don't know how we'd swing a trade that would make us better but I know that if Dallas had Joe Johnson they'd be a strong contender. The Knicks could use him too but i'm not sure they are a real contender just by adding him.

[Wretch]

I think JJ or Smoove would be enough to put quite a few teams over the top. Josh Smith in Dallas would be beastly. If Cleveland had signed Joe Johnson instead of Hughes back in 05, they would have won at least one.

Honestly... Our problem is that we have a bunch of complimentary pieces. They are VERY VERY VERY VERY VERY good complimentary pieces, but we don't have that 1-2 punch that every championship team has. We have a bunch of 2-2-2-2-2 punches. lol The closest thing we have to a 1-2 punch is JJ and Crawford. Despite having them both, the isolation offense essentially turned us into a 1 punch team and further served to reduce the role of everyone else on the court. Which is why I love this new philosophy and why we've looked much better.

I also like how we look. I look forward to a strong 2nd round showing, but honestly, I feel like we've peaked talent-wise. I'd really just like to see us in the ECF. At least that would give me hope that a championship is obtainable. It's hard to have that though when deep down, you know we need something else to get us over the hump. Horford or Smoove would get us the piece we need.

People are scared to say it, but that's the truth. It'd be great to not blow up JJ, Josh, and Horf and add something like a CP3 or Carmelo - that is a championship. But the assets to get it done aren't there. Much as I hate to say it, we shouldn't have drafted Marvin or we should have moved him LONG ago before people realized that he would forever be a passive, reluctant, non-factor.

[HawkItus]

I think JJ or Smoove would be enough to put quite a few teams over the top. Josh Smith in Dallas would be beastly. If Cleveland had signed Joe Johnson instead of Hughes back in 05, they would have won at least one.

Honestly... Our problem is that we have a bunch of complimentary pieces. They are VERY VERY VERY VERY VERY good complimentary pieces, but we don't have that 1-2 punch that every championship team has. We have a bunch of 2-2-2-2-2 punches. lol The closest thing we have to a 1-2 punch is JJ and Crawford. Despite having them both, the isolation offense essentially turned us into a 1 punch team and further served to reduce the role of everyone else on the court. Which is why I love this new philosophy and why we've looked much better.

I also like how we look. I look forward to a strong 2nd round showing, but honestly, I feel like we've peaked talent-wise. I'd really just like to see us in the ECF. At least that would give me hope that a championship is obtainable. It's hard to have that though when deep down, you know we need something else to get us over the hump. Horford or Smoove would get us the piece we need.

People are scared to say it, but that's the truth. It'd be great to not blow up JJ, Josh, and Horf and add something like a CP3 or Carmelo - that is a championship. But the assets to get it done aren't there. Much as I hate to say it, we shouldn't have drafted Marvin or we should have moved him LONG ago before people realized that he would forever be a passive, reluctant, non-factor.

I think you underestimate Horford. No way has he peaked. I think Smoove is the one, but for who? I don't know. To steal a line from Friday we never seem to have the right players to match at the same time.

[Wretch]

I think you underestimate Horford. No way has he peaked. I think Smoove is the one, but for who? I don't know. To steal a line from Friday we never seem to have the right players to match at the same time.

You might be right about Horford. Maybe I'm just used to our lottery picks not becoming anything like the player this city needs.

Jason Terry

Adam Keefe

Stacy Augmon

Rumeal Robinson

DerMarr Johnson (lol, what an odd draft year)

Josh Childress

Marvin Williams

Shelden Williams

Acie Law

All these guys...either we were waiting for them to develop "something" or we were looking for that piece to compliment them. None of them went on to be the kind of presence that Nique was - which is the thing that has kept us out of contention for anything since he left. I also have to admit that the popular opinion on him pre-draft still sticks with me - that he has the tools to be a very good but not great player. They'd use words like solid, big, strong, etc., and that he needed to work on his offensive game. What I do see in Al though is the potential to be a true #2 guy. No question. His jumper is very reliable, he's very fast, and should be very effective in the post. Those things are going to get better, even though they're very good right now.

So yeah...I might be selling Al a bit short. I want to hope that he's the player we have been looking for - because his game is solid and he has that "championship fire" about him. Even in the worst losses you can see it. But man...I've used that word "hope" so much in the time I have watched this team. Kinda scared to throw it out there...

Edited December 14, 2010 by Wretch

[Joker]

Smith and Horford are still getting better but he have peaked as a team. We will probably get the 2nd round, win two or three games and then we are eliminated.

[benhillboy]

There isn't a coach in the league who couldn't find great use out of The Boss at either 4 or 5. Carlisle and Popovich could probably take anybody off our team and take their game up a notch.

[Joker]

Trading them to Boston or Orlando would without question but to an average team, no.

[Plainview1981]

I've basically abandoned this season and the NBA for the near future unless I get extremely bored or a move is made.

No, there is nothing this team can do. It's too late..... JJ is pretty much not movable, and who wants Marvin???

Yeah, they'll lose JC.... But with the extension of Al can they really afford to sign anyone else? Even if they traded JC they would still have no bench.

Simply put, ownership hasn't gotten the bang for their buck and IMO they've built a team with no future and not much of a present. We've already seen the best this team has to offer. Were over 1/4th of the way through the season and they've beaten one good team. That's really damn sad. That should have got the coach fired already because that is simply unreasonable.

[Sothron]

Now see, this is a time where I actually agree with Hotlanta. This team as currently built is nothing but a second round fodder for the elite EC teams like Boston, Miami and Orlando. Unless we can trade Old Craw for an elite PG or SF this team just doesn't have the talent to beat a better team in a seven game series.

And quite honestly to touch on the attendance issues it is very obvious the rest of the ticket buying Atlanta population has come to the same conclusion. We don't have an exciting player and before anyone says Josh Smith let me point to our attendance figures to show that he's not THAT exciting to bring out casual fans.

This team should be on the phone begging Melo to sign an extension here and giving the Nuggets whatever is required to make that trade as that is the one legit superstar player that is actually on the trading block. But that won't happen.

[99PROBL3MS]

If JJ was traded to the Bulls or signed with them this summer, I think they would have been a contender. If ATL gets a Center who can play defense in the post and rebound as well as a consistent PG I think that we could be a contender as well.

[Joker]

If JJ was traded to the Bulls or signed with them this summer, I think they would have been a contender. If ATL gets a Center who can play defense in the post and rebound as well as a consistent PG I think that we could be a contender as well.

"NO!"

They need a superstar and a Center.

[sasuke]

"NO!"

They need a superstar and a Center.

This team needs a Nash to be a contender. He will turn Horford /Smith in to the Amare/Marion back then. If anyone can turn Marvin in to a 2nd overall draft pick worth of a player is Nash.

If he becomes available Sund better offer the house. I' don't care how many draft picks or youngsters he has to give up, he better do it.

PS: I don't think CP3 will be available this season.

[Duff_Man]

Trading Josh Smith would help get the Hawks closer to contending. Just saying.

[HawksBalla]

Trading Josh Smith also costs us our only shot blocker.