Don't want Dwight.

[Seano]

Boy this thread is getting out of control. Emotions are high. I just think its funny that if anyone presents another opinion that defers from the other they don't know anything. Apparently you either hate Dwight or ride his D!@#.

Well, the only personal insults I've seen in this thread have come from Leadership and JETSET, IE calling people with different opinions 'ignorant'. Personally, I'd put an immediate stop to that type of behavior, but at any rate, it seems like the vast majority of people (including the OP) are being respectful of each other and simply wish to talk about the issue.

And for those getting so emotionally heated such they feel the insult others, wow. If it's truly gotten to that point of emotionalism, then why not just do everyone a favor and step away from the keyboard until you're better able to maintain composure.

[NBASupes]

Well, the only personal insults I've seen in this thread have come from Leadership and JETSET, IE calling people with different opinions 'ignorant'. Personally, I'd put an immediate stop to that type of behavior, but at any rate, it seems like the vast majority of people (including the OP) are being respectful of each other and simply wish to talk about the issue.

And for those getting so emotionally heated such they feel the insult others, wow. If it's truly gotten to that point of emotionalism, then why not just do everyone a favor and step away from the keyboard until you're better able to maintain composure.

You are completely looking at it from the Dwight naysayer pov. I will have to say, all of us were hositle to a degree from the first three pages. All of us. Maybe one or two exceptions like Neki who was level headed.

[Seano]

You are completely looking at it from the Dwight naysayer pov. I will have to say, all of us were hositle to a degree from the first three pages. All of us. Maybe one or two exceptions like Neki who was level headed.

Well I would hardly consider myself a Dwight 'naysayer', as the man did once use to absolute beast, but I dunno that iteration of Dwight will ever be back, and so I would not choose to hitch my wagon (and max $$$) to that particular star.

Anyhow, it's fine you disagree with that, as your opinion is just as equally valid as mine, and such is adult and respectful discourse made. We are all fans of the same team.

[Diesel]

Here's my take on the matter. If you isolate Dwight and talk about championships with D12, you're wasting breath. However, the NBA is a big man's league.... don't let anybody tell you different. Only Jordan and Lebron+Refs have won a championship without a Big man who can be a major factor either offensively or defensively.

So for us to have the opportunity to have a Dwight/Horf combo would put us in such a good position that we should not pass it up.If that comes with a side of CP3, all of our fortunes will turn. We'd have the best PG and Frontcourt in the game and possible a top 5 in history. Nobody here can deny that. I think D12 came back slowly from back surgery but he did come back. He is an automatic fit next to Al Horf who is a High post PNR PF. He's an automatic fit next to CP3 who is a floor general. Unfortunately, I believe that the only way that D12 comes is with CP3. That being the case, we should be after them as a tandem.

[tbhawksfan]

If Ferry can land them; go for it. If that's not the case, move on very quickly and draft for a plausible, positive future for the team, bring in the best possible FA's and we'll build from there.Ignorance is lacking info, stupidity is rejecting info. With this in mind it's easy to know who to engage in a little friendly argument... and who not to

[mattlanta]

Fellas, we walked into a rant thread with some Dwight haters. Let's sign Al Jefferson and some other mid tier players and be 1st round and done forever. They will be happy. mattlanta said he wants the team to play like the Spurs. No team can play like the Spurs because they aren't the Spurs. Remember when Woody tried to make us like like the Detroit Pistons. That's how you lose games and lots of them. You build a culture, bring in great coaches who can adjust to their personnel, and you add the needed talent or no coach will be good enough. Some of these posters are shameful in their spite of Howard. The OP put up a video from first take of all shows with Howard in LA to continue his full blown rant. This thread is a joke.

So you don't want us to be like the Spurs?

Leadership -- it's ironic you constantly mock this thread for being a joke yet you've been one of the most active members in it (just saying). And I honestly like this thread, there's been some great points brought up and we've got a pretty decent discussion going on. As for the "Dwight naysayers", I think you're going a little too far with those comments. No one here has flat out said they don't want Dwight at all. They simply acknowledge the red flags that comes with him is all. Others believe those flags weigh more heavily than others...

And might I just add that I also think it's funny you think Howard would actually read through this entire thread to come upon your posts convincing him to come to Atlanta. If he was to make up his decision, I honestly don't think Dwight Howard would make his mind up based on what some member on a message board has to say. :)

[Guest]

My OPINION: The days of D12 as the focal point of an offense like his Orlando days are over. His decision to join forces with other stars comes at a price. Wether it's in Houston, Dallas, Either LA team. Can he adjust his game to accommodate those changes and focus on defense and rebounding if he is not seeing the ball? The LA experiment I don't think is a true picture of where he is: coming off surgery, adjusting to 2 different coaching philosophies etc. but was it An aberration or is this how his game will become playing with stars? A lot of this falls on D12 - get your head out of your ass and just play ball. Stop trying to please everyone, make everyone happy, make everyone laugh - just play ball and for crying out loud fix your free throw shooting.

[JETSET]

Here's my take on the matter. If you isolate Dwight and talk about championships with D12, you're wasting breath. However, the NBA is a big man's league.... don't let anybody tell you different. Only Jordan and Lebron+Refs have won a championship without a Big man who can be a major factor either offensively or defensively.

So for us to have the opportunity to have a Dwight/Horf combo would put us in such a good position that we should not pass it up.If that comes with a side of CP3, all of our fortunes will turn. We'd have the best PG and Frontcourt in the game and possible a top 5 in history. Nobody here can deny that. I think D12 came back slowly from back surgery but he did come back. He is an automatic fit next to Al Horf who is a High post PNR PF. He's an automatic fit next to CP3 who is a floor general. Unfortunately, I believe that the only way that D12 comes is with CP3. That being the case, we should be after them as a tandem.

I don't mean to be "hostile" or criticize anyone's opinion as I feel everyone is entitled to an opinion and all opinions should be treated equally, BUT I find it crazy for people to say that they do not want Dwight and would rather have a guy like Jefferson. When it comes down to winning championships, choosing Jefferson (or any other big in the league) over Dwight is ignorant. No one here can provide an argument for why one of the other available bigs would be a better fit for a Paul/Horford combo than Dwight. Hell, there's no other big in the NBA period that would be a better fit.

Diesel is spot on with this entire post. Paul/Horford/Howard are literally the perfect threesome. They fit seamlessly together. In my opinion, we would be the clear favorites to win the title, assuming we get solid production from the wings, with this trio. No other Center in this league makes us the clear favorite when matched with Paul/Horford.

[NBASupes]

So you don't want us to be like the Spurs?

Leadership -- it's ironic you constantly mock this thread for being a joke yet you've been one of the most active members in it (just saying). And I honestly like this thread, there's been some great points brought up and we've got a pretty decent discussion going on. As for the "Dwight naysayers", I think you're going a little too far with those comments. No one here has flat out said they don't want Dwight at all. They simply acknowledge the red flags that comes with him is all. Others believe those flags weigh more heavily than others...

And might I just add that I also think it's funny you think Howard would actually read through this entire thread to come upon your posts convincing him to come to Atlanta. If he was to make up his decision, I honestly don't think Dwight Howard would make his mind up based on what some member on a message board has to say.

There is a difference to not playing like the Spurs and wanting to play like the Spurs. I want high player and ball movement, an inside-outside game, great team defense, and great coaching.

What I don't want to do mimick the Spurs. The Spurs system works for the Spurs. I want a system to work for the Hawks. We don't have Duncan or Parker so the Spurs system would be pointless for us. But I do want to create a Hawks way of doing it with excellent ball and player movement especially from everyone other than CP3 or whoever the PG is. I want to see high BBIQ Basketball. I want to see a true inside-out game. The Spurs play isn't perfect but it's highly efficient and it adjust to their personnel. That's all I want. I want great team Basketball with great talent. You can't play great team Basketball without great talent. Not possible. We tried it with Deke, Mookie, and Smitty.

Edited June 17, 2013 by Leadership

[Watchman]

I don't mean to be "hostile" or criticize anyone's opinion as I feel everyone is entitled to an opinion and all opinions should be treated equally, BUT I find it crazy for people to say that they do not want Dwight and would rather have a guy like Jefferson. When it comes down to winning championships, choosing Jefferson (or any other big in the league) over Dwight is ignorant. No one here can provide an argument for why one of the other available bigs would be a better fit for a Paul/Horford combo than Dwight. Hell, there's no other big in the NBA period that would be a better fit.

Diesel is spot on with this entire post. Paul/Horford/Howard are literally the perfect threesome. They fit seamlessly together. In my opinion, we would be the clear favorites to win the title, assuming we get solid production from the wings, with this trio. No other Center in this league makes us the clear favorite when matched with Paul/Horford.

I don't recall anyone stating a desire to have Jefferson over Dwight. Who posted that?

[JETSET]

I don't recall anyone stating a desire to have Jefferson over Dwight. Who posted that?

It has been posted several times on this forum as well as on others. Sure Dwight has some character issues, which I think are over-exaggerated, but his play overrules all of that. SVG speaks very highly of Dwight and calls him the smartest defensive player that he has ever coached. I also think the injury concerns are a bit over-exaggerated considering he was back to his usual dominate self over the last 30 games of last year all while being in an offense that doesn't suit him.

[NekiEcko]

"This is a great time to be a Atlanta Hawks fans right now."

Leadership, thanks for that comment, i learned that something been level headed can make you see things from both side of the issue. Diesel has a point about this, CP3/D12/Horford would be a better combination then a CP3/D12/Harden (close) or CP3/D12/Dirk because they can fit into their roles perfectly to be a team like the Heat or Spurs. Al Horford is a old school type of PF that has a very good mid-range game and very good in the PnP and PnR. CP3 can be the floor general and created his own offense (Harden can do the same thing but both of them need the ball in their hands) and Dwight can be the Rebounder and Shot Blocker on this team plus he can do work on the low blocks. Combine that with couple of wings that can shoot the 3 and you got a very complete team that has all the basic down.

My stance is like this, with CP3 and Horford plus his family here, Dwight should calm down and just play basketball to his best ability. I know that he hates coming home but I can tell you this as somebody that left home when he was 16 that Home is where your heart want the most.

[Watchman]

It has been posted several times on this forum as well as on others. Sure Dwight has some character issues, which I think are over-exaggerated, but his play overrules all of that. SVG speaks very highly of Dwight and calls him the smartest defensive player that he has ever coached. I also think the injury concerns are a bit over-exaggerated considering he was back to his usual dominate self over the last 30 games of last year all while being in an offense that doesn't suit him.

My point was, if you're going to insult people by calling them "ignorant" or "crazy", don't put words in their mouths that they didn't say and then criticize them for it.

[Admin]

Guys there's been far too many personal remarks in this thread. Keep the responses about the post, not the poster. Any more personal responses and I'm gonna lock this thread.

[JETSET]

My point was, if you're going to insult people by calling them "ignorant" or "crazy", don't put words in their mouths that they didn't say and then criticize them for it.

I would post quotes of what I was referring to, but I'm just going to move on from it. Either way, people should realize that the media overblows things to an extreme point. I will take the media's bias and comments against Dwight with a grain of salt compared to the positive remarks that he has received from SVG even after he had a part in SVG's firing. Dwight wants to win and I think he proved that this year. He was in a terrible situation in LAL and he tried to make the best of it. The year started off bumpy for him but he ended up out-producing every other big in the game over the last 30 games of the season. He played through injuries that would have kept many players out of the lineup. He is the only 20/10 guy left in the league and he does it efficiently on 60% shooting while dominating the paint on defense.

There was an interview posted on here a few weeks ago where Howard and SVG were on with one of the ESPN guys. That interview went a long way in convincing me that the Howard situation has been blown out of proportion by the media. Does anyone have a link to this interview? It's the ESPN guy that has the show with his crazy dad.

[TheNorthCydeRises]

Possible options on the frontline, if we don't convince Dwight to come here

a) Re-sign Josh

b) Sign Al Jefferson to at contract at least at Horford's level

c) Try to convince Nikola Pekovic to come to ATL, and possibly overpay him to do it

d) Keep Horford at center, and make a run at JJ Hickson and maybe a guy like Paul Millsap

e) Keep Horford at center, but add multiple low cost players ( re-sign Ivan, sign Chris Kaman, sign Dejuan Blair, etc )

f) Move Horford to PF, but sign an offensive ( Andray Blatche ) and defensive ( Samuel Dalembert ) center

Pick an option, or create your own.

[AHawks89]

Possible options on the frontline, if we don't convince Dwight to come here

a) Re-sign Josh

b) Sign Al Jefferson to at contract at least at Horford's level

c) Try to convince Nikola Pekovic to come to ATL, and possibly overpay him to do it

d) Keep Horford at center, and make a run at JJ Hickson and maybe a guy like Paul Millsap

e) Keep Horford at center, but add multiple low cost players ( re-sign Ivan, sign Chris Kaman, sign Dejuan Blair, etc )

f) Move Horford to PF, but sign an offensive ( Andray Blatche ) and defensive ( Samuel Dalembert ) center

Pick an option, or create your own.

And be out in the 1st or 2nd round again? No thanks.

[Admin]

Possible options on the frontline, if we don't convince Dwight to come here

a) Re-sign Josh

b) Sign Al Jefferson to at contract at least at Horford's level

c) Try to convince Nikola Pekovic to come to ATL, and possibly overpay him to do it

d) Keep Horford at center, and make a run at JJ Hickson and maybe a guy like Paul Millsap

e) Keep Horford at center, but add multiple low cost players ( re-sign Ivan, sign Chris Kaman, sign Dejuan Blair, etc )

f) Move Horford to PF, but sign an offensive ( Andray Blatche ) and defensive ( Samuel Dalembert ) center

Pick an option, or create your own.

I have a feeling that it will be none of the above. I believe Ferry will trade for someone who can play now and he'll try and draft his C of the future.

[TheNorthCydeRises]

And be out in the 1st or 2nd round again? No thanks.

Well this is why you pretty much go all out to get Dwight here.

[Diesel]

It's that welfare mentality all over again. The Hawks need to be making every promise imaginable to get CP3/D12. In modern times, we have not played for a championship. We have not played for a conference finals. I think every other team in the league save Charlotte & Toronto has played for a conference final. That's poor.