ATLANTA HAWKS... Now and coming years

[tbhawksfan]

Our best player is Horford. He's on one of the NBA's best contracts and is a near top 20 player and can play PF/C. He's signed for 3 more years and id 27 years old.Millsap is a nice player on a nice but short contract. He's a PF signed for 2 years and he's 28.JT, Lou Will, Korver are all on OK contracts and have value as starters or top back ups. Only JT still offers upside, but probably not much Not a top PG.Then we have a few young players; Schro, Nog, JJ, Scott, Cunningham and Carroll. Can we expect a top 5 player at their position from any of these guys in the future? Maybe Schröder, almost impossible for the rest. How many starter worthy?We have our picks and cap flexibility.The question is...can Ferry bring in the additional players that might give us a championship contender in the next 3 years? Would Asik, Carmelo, Horford, JT, Korver, Lou and the young guys be a contender in 2-3 years. Lebron will still be on top of his game, OKC should still be a contender and we might mention a couple of other teams that look good in the next 2-3 years. Can the Hawks climb to the top with in the 3 year window of Horford's deal and youth?I don't see it. No way, no how. Last summers FAcy with DH and CP3 was very likely the best chance we had at a sniff at the top in the next 3 years.Got to bite it and rebuild. Can't let moree assets walk for nothing...Smith. We were tired of him, but he got his deal so he must have had some value. We just hung on to him too long.We are in a perect rebuild situation with the contracts and talent we have. A nice draft coming up. It's time. It's the only viable path to the top. It'll take 3-5 years but we ain't getting there earlier anyway.

Edited October 26, 2013 by tbhawksfan

[Gray Mule]

Does our GM and our coach know what it takes to have a championship

team? Does our GM have a plan, and, if so, is he, even now, working on

that plan?

Yoga Bear has the expression, "Smarter than the average bear!" Is Ferry

smarter than your average poster here on the Squawk? Does he know

more about how everything works and how to do it?

Does Bud and his staff know what it takes to build a winner? Are he and Ferry

smart enough to work together to reach this goal?

Shedding the contracts of three starters, Marvin, JJ & J. Smoove means we no

longer have some of the players that has carried us to the playoffs. Also, don't

forget Crawford, that 6th man of the year who was here.

We don't hear much from Marvin now. Crawford and JJ are trying to lead their

new teams to those high places. Recently, Josh went 2-3 from behind the arch

for his new team and last night, with 3 seconds left, he hit the winning three

for Detroit.

Our beloved Hawks are no longer tied down to those giant contracts that kept

them from doing any thing big. That part of our life is over. If you have found

it necessary to wear clothing or especially shoes that are too tight, you know how

painful that this can be. That's how our Hawk franchise was.

We have wiggle room. We have desireable trade pieces, should the occasion

ever arise. We have some desireable draft picks coming next season and we

hope, a new, young center, waiting overseas for this season.

Depending on our health, which is always a factor, most of us expect this team

to win about the same amount of games as we did last season. Yes, we're

that good, even if we did have a bad losing pre season.

[batfanjordanv]

We will win about as many games this season as we did last season (I see a five-six finish for us in the conference). However, because of our year of playing in the Spurs system, when it comes playoff time, I could definitely see us making the ECF. We have our own version of the Spurs:

Jeff Teague -> Tony Parker

Kyle Korver -> Danny Green

Paul Millsap -> Kawhi Leonard

Al Horford -> Tim Duncan

Gustavo Ayón -> Tiago Splitter

Lou Williams -> Manu Ginobili

Does this not resemble the Spurs to anyone else? The only reason we wouldn't be second in the East in the regular season is due to Lou and Gustavo being injured to start the year and our inexperience playing in San Antonio's system. An ECF appearance this season AND A FINALS APPERANCE next season is what I see in store for this squad. Trust in DF!!!

[GrimeyKidd]

I believe we can replicate the spurs, plus Gustavo Ayón already doing non contact practice drills

[tbhawksfan]

Nothing wrong with a little optimism but, I'm looking more for an analytical breakdown of realistic senario's to take the Hawks to the top. For example; Vegas has us at 150 to 1 with more than half the NBA's teams ahead of us. Most people put the Hawks at 5-8 seed. I'll say 7th.I think trying to keep this "core" together and hoping to contend is so unlikely that Ferry would never be banking on that. So, he's either playing mediocre ball with the hope of landing someone to edge up a little higher or, he's going for a championship contender.If he wants a contender, the route is through the rebuild and wait getting in position to build a young team that can capture a window opening in a few years.Horford is my favorite Atlanta Hawk of all time, but we vcan't build him a contender. Got to move him .Millsap was signed to a trade contract.I say Ferry already has his sights set on the rebuild. He's not settleing for mediocrity

[Mdizzle5]

We will win about as many games this season as we did last season (I see a five-six finish for us in the conference). However, because of our year of playing in the Spurs system, when it comes playoff time, I could definitely see us making the ECF. We have our own version of the Spurs:

Jeff Teague -> Tony Parker

Kyle Korver -> Danny Green

Paul Millsap -> Kawhi Leonard

Al Horford -> Tim Duncan

Gustavo Ayón -> Tiago Splitter

Lou Williams -> Manu Ginobili

Does this not resemble the Spurs to anyone else? The only reason we wouldn't be second in the East in the regular season is due to Lou and Gustavo being injured to start the year and our inexperience playing in San Antonio's system. An ECF appearance this season AND A FINALS APPERANCE next season is what I see in store for this squad. Trust in DF!!!

I admire your optimism, but not quite.

The Spurs system has a guaranteed HOF big, one of the best EVER, in Tim Duncan and Al Horford is not nor will EVER be on Tim Duncan's level. Let me reiterate, NEVER EVER! THAT is one of the biggest reasons why they have been successful. Teague could possibly become a lite version of Tony Parker one day. Maybe. I wouldn't say Korver/Danny Green, Gus/Tiago are quite the same either. You might be able to make a case for Lou/Manu though. And let's not forget that Bud isn't Gregg Popovich and we have no idea if he'll become a great coach yet.

Oh and we still need an elite first option. Which is no one on our current roster and I'm not sure if we even have the pieces to get one unless picks and Horford and/orTeague are given in the deal.

Edited October 26, 2013 by Mdizzle5

[Bonkers]

We will win about as many games this season as we did last season (I see a five-six finish for us in the conference). However, because of our year of playing in the Spurs system, when it comes playoff time, I could definitely see us making the ECF. We have our own version of the Spurs:

Jeff Teague -> Tony Parker

Kyle Korver -> Danny Green

Paul Millsap -> Kawhi Leonard

Al Horford -> Tim Duncan

Gustavo Ayón -> Tiago Splitter

Lou Williams -> Manu Ginobili

Does this not resemble the Spurs to anyone else? The only reason we wouldn't be second in the East in the regular season is due to Lou and Gustavo being injured to start the year and our inexperience playing in San Antonio's system. An ECF appearance this season AND A FINALS APPERANCE next season is what I see in store for this squad. Trust in DF!!!

Whatever you've been smoking must be stroooong!

Edited October 26, 2013 by Bonkers

[Gray Mule]

We have both optimists and pessimists here on the squawk. I'm reminded of one

of my dad's favorite sayings when I was just a small boy:

"Blessed is he who expecteth nothing for he shall not be disappointed."

I'd rather expect something and not have it happen, then be disappointed rather than

to expect nothing then go around saying, "I told you so."

We may not get "there," wherever that is, but I'm looking forward to our Hawks striving

and doing their best to arrive. Sometimes the destination is the only thing. Sometimes,

the journey can be more exciting than where you're going.

Every game is part of our journey and I look forward to each and every one of them!

GO HAWKS !!

[tbhawksfan]

I've been along for the ride for a long time. I want the Hawks to win. Don't care if it takes 2 years, 5 years...whatever, but I want to see the Hawks with a C that shuts it down. A man among...eh smaller men. Dominant on O and D. I want wings that are just unstoppable. When they want it, they get it. I want a PG that is the leader on the court. he's not only leading his team, but anticipating every move the opposition will make, before they do. I want a coach that knows how to make it all work and a defense that is OPPRESSIVE. I want a dynasty wearing the Hawks uniform.

[ATLHawks3]

I've been along for the ride for a long time. I want the Hawks to win. Don't care if it takes 2 years, 5 years...whatever, but I want to see the Hawks with a C that shuts it down. A man among...eh smaller men. Dominant on O and D. I want wings that are just unstoppable. When they want it, they get it. I want a PG that is the leader on the court. he's not only leading his team, but anticipating every move the opposition will make, before they do. I want a coach that knows how to make it all work and a defense that is OPPRESSIVE. I want a dynasty wearing the Hawks uniform.

Post of the year nomination. Very well said.

[Jody23]

Alot, and I mean ALOT rides on our ability to secure VALUABLE assets. You can only build a quality product if you have valuable assets to work with. That's why I will continue to beat the drum for getting a high first round pick. In this draft, that will hold alot of value. Not some mid-first rounder. This "we have to be competitive" mindset is extremely shortsighted and will only result in a first round exit. We need a franchise guy. The most likely way for the Hawks to get one is at the top of the draft.

[Randy]

I think this team will be respectable this year and have a fair amount of wiggle room. We had no wiggle room in the past and that hindered us a lot and the management never did anything anyway. At least Ferry has a track record of doing something. So this team's future may be better than its present. The problem we have now is we have some good complimentary players with no one to compliment.

Edited October 27, 2013 by Randy

[DrReality]

Goes back to culture. Spurs have it and they expect to win. We don't have that yet. This year could be pivotal in laying the foundation for the future

[tbhawksfan]

It's both. We made a run with our last rebuilding and we have Horf and Jt to show for it. Will adding pieces take us to contendership? Or is it time to reload? I just don't see a path to top contender during Horford's contract. Where do we get the pieces. if we can't build a contender under Horf's contract, then we should trade him. The earlier we trade, the better the return.As I said, Horford is my favorite Hawk ever, but I want a great team.