Danny Ferry interview this morning on 680 AM

[TheFuzz]

I agree with most of that AHawks89, but I don't think he's a robin on offense, and I don't think Josh is much better than Horford, if at all. Having said that, you don't just give away Josh's talents on the defensive end. If you have to make a choice between the two, it comes down to contracts and what we're getting in return. I personally don't think Josh will ask for a max contract, and I think it's possible to add a 3, 4, or 5 that can complement both Josh and Horf and take us to that next level.

[AHawks89]

I agree with most of that AHawks89, but I don't think he's a robin on offense, and I don't think Josh is much better than Horford, if at all. Having said that, you don't just give away Josh's talents on the defensive end. If you have to make a choice between the two, it comes down to contracts and what we're getting in return. I personally don't think Josh will ask for a max contract, and I think it's possible to add a 3, 4, or 5 that can complement both Josh and Horf and take us to that next level.

He does not have to be an offensive player to be the Robin. He could be the defensive player who makes it easier for the superstar, and everyone else. And don't get me wrong, I would love to keep Horford and Smoove and add.. let's say Dwight? Smoove/Horford/Dwight would be the best 3,4,5 in the league. We would be dominant.

[TheFuzz]

For sure. But we could also use some offensive help.

[BrazilianHawk]

Yes, yes...

[AHawks89]

Yeah, true. I have no clue who we could bring in for that. Tyreke Evans? I don't watch much of him, but he seems pretty ideal for this team.

[Wretch]

I agree that Ferry is talking about the core of the team and not the role players. Josh, Al, Jeff, Lou, and Korver are normally going to be the ones who determine if we win or lose on a nightly basis. Zaza and Ivan COULD be included in this group, but they don't play nearly enough to dramatically affect games one way or another ( on a nightly basis ). And guys like Harris, Morrow, and Stevenson stay hurt so much, that they can't be counted on one way or the other. Tolliver and Petro are non-factors. The rookies get a pass . . period.Where I disagree, is that Ferry is JUST talking about Josh with most of his statements. I think he's specifically talking about Josh, Al, and Teague . . and Zaza to an extent/Keep in mind that Korver and Lou are Ferry's choices to be on this team. I guess you could add John Jenkins and Mike Scott to that mix as well, seeing that he was hired a few days before the 2012 Draft. The guys that came over in the JJ trade are simply expendable fillers that will be gone by the trade deadline, or by season's end.But Horford, Smith, Teague, and Zaza are NOT his choices. They were chosen by someone else. So there isn't any emotional attachment to these guys.Look at it like this.Re-signing Smith, Teague and Zaza may take a total of 75 - 100 million over the next 3 - 4 years, with about 20 - 25 million a year being needed to pay just those 3 guys alone. Then he has to see if retaining any or all of these guys will have the Hawks in a position to at least challenge for an East title within the next 2 - 3 years. People talk about a 5 year plan, but the seeds of a championship caliber team have to be in place way before then.I think Ferry needs to decide these things, and in this particular order1) Can a Horford - Smith frontline challenge for an East title? ( If Yes, then you stay the course and move to Question #3. If no, go to Questions #2 and #2a )2) Do we need to pull the trigger on a Josh Smith trade right now, to get the type of impact player(s) we want?2a) Do we need to pull the trigger on an Al Horford trade right now, to get the type of impact players(s) we want?3) Can we get a decent player(s) for our expiring contracts before the trade deadline to help Al and Josh, or do we let them expire and make our move with cap room in the summer?4) Is Teague the PG of the future? ( If yes, move to Question #5. If no, move to Question #5a ).5a) How much do we pay to retain Teague?5b ) Who do we get to replace Teague and how do we going about doing it?6) Should we retain Zaza, and at what price?I think all of Ferry's major decisions not only have to do with Josh, but with the other guys who are either hitting the FA market, or guys that Ferry didn't pick himself.

I might should have clarified, but I believe everybody on this team is in play as far as moves are concerned and I agree with everything that you've said there. LOL, I've actually been saying that since the beginning of this season... To be honest, I was there many moons ago when we were saying that one of those guys would have to be dealt to make room for the other at the 4.

What I was talking about was the the play on the court and how the team needed to play to their strengths. I do believe that he's addressing the way that Smoove plays outside of his game (specifically with all those jumpers - everybody in the league has to know how awful he is at it).

As far as whether or not he's our best player and whether or not he's a Robin... Smoove isn't a Robin. He's a strange...X-factor. To me, he's like Alfred the butler. Whose role, if you read the comic, is more important to the entire bat family than most people realize.

[Ruckus]

Someone please explain how Dwight would be successful here considering he hasn't been with Kobe, Pau, and Nash. Ferry has been pretty steady about having a team that is fast. This isn't Dwight's game. Add the fact that we would have 2 of the worst free throw shooters in the league on the floor for the majority of the game. I'm less confident that this would be a winning combination than most of you. We would sell some more tix and merch and I understand that but please, in all seriousness, explain how Dwight would fit from a basketball perspective.

[ryandauwalker]

We can all throw around theories, but nobody has any idea about what Ferry will do. Because of the way our team is structured, he will have lots to do. However, he is keeping this close to the vest and as another poster said, many are projecting what we want or think will happen.The silver lining is that he sounds as though he's processing everything in a very systematic way. Time will tell whether those decisions will pay off.

[TheFuzz]

Someone please explain how Dwight would be successful here considering he hasn't been with Kobe, Pau, and Nash. Ferry has been pretty steady about having a team that is fast. This isn't Dwight's game. Add the fact that we would have 2 of the worst free throw shooters in the league on the floor for the majority of the game. I'm less confident that this would be a winning combination than most of you. We would sell some more tix and merch and I understand that but please, in all seriousness, explain how Dwight would fit from a basketball perspective.

I disagree that Howard can't play fast. He's hurt this year, but if healthy he's an athletic monster. The injuries are a concern though.

However, I agree that Josh and Howard don't fit well on the court. Like, at all.

Also, Howard has been fine in LA. Not great, but solid, especially considering the injuries. Pau has been beyond awful out there, Nash is 80 and Kobe shoots 80 times a game.

[Kimsey]

I want Josh and Al to play with a pure point before Ferry makes huge decisions on "who needs to go". Drew has always preferred a jump shooting offense and that definitely fits Al better. A penetrator that can drive and dish/finish is a best friend to Josh. He can finish among the best in the league.

[willthepureshooter]

Someone please explain how Dwight would be successful here considering he hasn't been with Kobe, Pau, and Nash. Ferry has been pretty steady about having a team that is fast. This isn't Dwight's game. Add the fact that we would have 2 of the worst free throw shooters in the league on the floor for the majority of the game. I'm less confident that this would be a winning combination than most of you. We would sell some more tix and merch and I understand that but please, in all seriousness, explain how Dwight would fit from a basketball perspective.

Simply due to the amount of outside shooters Ferry has surrounded our big men with this season. The Lakers don't have many consistent shooters for their offense to be successful enough with Howard. Lanes are always cluttered because NO ONE respects their shooters, except for Kobe.. Doesn't take much of a rocket scientist to figure out the terrible personnel D'Antoni has inherited. Just think about it, the assembled team the Lakers have on the floor is probably D'Antoni's worst team as far as shooting talent... Our pick'n roll-kick game would be extremely deadly with Dwight in the mix...

[macdaddy]

Simply due to the amount of outside shooters Ferry has surrounded our big men with this season. The Lakers don't have many consistent shooters for their offense to be successful enough with Howard. Lanes are always cluttered because NO ONE respects their shooters, except for Kobe.. Doesn't take much of a rocket scientist to figure out the terrible personnel D'Antoni has inherited. Just think about it, the assembled team the Lakers have on the floor is probably D'Antoni's worst team as far as shooting talent... Our pick'n roll-kick game would be extremely deadly with Dwight in the mix...

Plus there is a lot of drama, egos, and lack of enough basket balls going on there. Not to mention D'antoni (IMO) trys to run the same system regardless of whether he has the personnel to do it. Even so i think this is all a setup for a dramatic Laker turnaround provided Dwight can get healthy.

The other reason Dwight would work here its the eastern conference.

[AHF]

I think it is a matter of system and personnel. Dwight surrounded by great perimeter shooters is a classic strategy which leaves him lots of room to operate, gives him lots of touches, and produces great floor spacing. Other than Jodie Meeks, the Lakers really don't have any floor spacers and we have 3 guys who are better spacers than Meeks.

On top of the personnel, the Lakers' system de-emphasizes interior scorers and post play which is a problem for the Lakers. I'm not sure why they aren't running a system that would let them take full advantage of two of the best post scorers in the game but they seem to have zero interest in that. Dwight has taken fewer than 10 shots in 5 of his last 7 games. That is crazy. Pau took fewer than 10 shots in 3 of his last 4 games and a majority of the last 13. Again -- this is crazy. Sane or crazy, though, it is clearly a product of an offensive design.