Zach Lowe names Hawks as a Top 5 Realistic Destination for LeBron James

[GameTime]

Atlanta Hawks

Go ahead, laugh it up. The Hawks might be the most consistently successful punch line in sports. People mock their dead crowds, their hallowed tradition of playing first-round games on NBA TV, and their uncanny ability to peak at “pretty good” during high times.

But Atlanta could clear about $17 million for LeBron if it salary-dumps Lou Williams onto one of many, many teams slated to have enough space to soak up his deal. That’s not LeBron’s max, but it’s close. If LeBron is willing to take a haircut, he’s going to do it in Miami, but this is a fun roster to contemplate.

Good freaking luck trying to guard a starting lineup of Jeff Teague, LeBron, Kyle Korver, Paul Millsap, and Al Horford. That is a ton of shooting and creativity, and if you play stretches with Pero Antić in Horford’s spot, the degree of 3-point shooting reaches scary levels.

There’s enough defense among the LeBron-Millsap-Horford trio for the Hawks to survive on that end, and Mike Budenholzer would have them playing a sound system.

The Hawks under Budenholzer and Danny Ferry are trying to build the Spurs East, only with more 3-point shooting. (Budenholzer is a shooting zealot, and was known as Matt Bonner’s strongest backer on the Spurs’ coaching staff.) They want high-IQ players who keep the machine moving, share the ball, and shoot from range. Ball-stoppers need not apply. You think LeBron fits that vision? Duh.

Atlanta’s cap sheet is lean enough that it could ink LeBron to a big long-term deal and still have plenty of flexibility to continue building the roster around him.

http://grantland.com/the-triangle/surveying-the-lebron-landscape/

[Guest]

I love dreaming. I just got a giddy feeling inside. Thanks Zach.

[HawkItus]

I and other Squawkers have been saying this. From a pure basketball stand point we should be on his short list.

[supermariowest]

Got to think it's either Miami or Cleveland for LeBron, but maybe getting completely handled by the Spurs in the finals changes the game.

[Dnice]

Some may have already said, but I can't see him going back to Cleveland with Gilbert still in place.

[vdunkndunk]

I've been saying this as well: we're not Miami, L.A., Chicago, or NY, so usually no one considers us - but man, our roster would be ridiculous with Lebron:

Compare Haws vs. Heat this year:

*PG: Teague v. Chalmers - Advantage Teague by far

*C: Horford v. Bosh - Tie, and I think Horford would be great with Lebron (great shooting, better defense, strength, and rebounding than Bosh)

*PF: Millsap v. Whoever - Advantage Millsap

*Lebron v. Lebron - Tie

*Wade v. Korver or Carroll - Advantage Wade, but....Wade's breaking down, plus he's not a better shooter than Korver, nor is a better defender or 3-point shooter than Carroll, and in a way I think Lebron would be better at least as well off with an elite specialist on the wing who can either defend or rebound, depending on the matchups, instead of a guy who mostly scores off the dribble or on 2-point jumpshots like Wade.

Finally, we have the cap space to sign Lebron without giving up a major piece, we'll get a nice draft pick this year, we've got a good coach, and a bench consisting of a top 15 draft pick / Korver or Carroll / Schröder or Mack / Scott, Jenkins, Muscala, Bebe and Pero wouldn't be all that bad. I really don't think he could join a better roster to fit his skill set from a pure basketball perspective.

[Hairydawgz]

I doubt he leaves Miami. And of he does, it will be for Cleveland

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[DrReality]

Don't think he goes back to Cleveland....the mistake by the Lake......but its a whole new level of attention to the Hawks for this to even by written.

[JTB]

Nbasupe made a post just last week and I agreed strongly. If we couldn't surround lebron with players like horford, sap, Teague I wouldn't even entertain this or feel that lebron should have the hawks on his short list but damn the dude fits well with horford and sap!...add Teague as a lighting quick attacking point guard and this team is deep as hell.

But it's a dream topic no arguing there but the same time the dream makes sense for lebron. Can you imagine lebron in a spurs like system!....damn! And I can't stand lebron but would love if he's a hawk.

CAUTION:

no need to keep this dream alive too long. Even though lebron is a good fit here that doesn't seem to mean anything in the stars of the nba today.

[Q45T]

I highly doubt this... but I do hope this report makes other marquee FA's turn their attention towards the Hawks.

[Sothron]

I'd have to swallow some bile at first but I would love to see him here. With the roster we have in place if he came here...whoo. That would be a championship team.

[JTB]

I've been saying this as well: we're not Miami, L.A., Chicago, or NY, so usually no one considers us - but man, our roster would be ridiculous with Lebron:

Compare Haws vs. Heat this year:

*PG: Teague v. Chalmers - Advantage Teague by far

*C: Horford v. Bosh - Tie, and I think Horford would be great with Lebron (great shooting, better defense, strength, and rebounding than Bosh)

*PF: Millsap v. Whoever - Advantage Millsap

*Lebron v. Lebron - Tie

*Wade v. Korver or Carroll - Advantage Wade, but....Wade's breaking down, plus he's not a better shooter than Korver, nor is a better defender or 3-point shooter than Carroll, and in a way I think Lebron would be better at least as well off with an elite specialist on the wing who can either defend or rebound, depending on the matchups, instead of a guy who mostly scores off the dribble or on 2-point jumpshots like Wade.

Finally, we have the cap space to sign Lebron without giving up a major piece, we'll get a nice draft pick this year, we've got a good coach, and a bench consisting of a top 15 draft pick / Korver or Carroll / Schröder or Mack / Scott, Jenkins, Muscala, Bebe and Pero wouldn't be all that bad. I really don't think he could join a better roster to fit his skill set from a pure basketball perspective.

Yeah I agree and not because I'm a hawks fan but we just happen to be the best team that fits his specific skill set that could afford him.

He's being rumored to the following:

Bulls- not enough team offense for him to win a title unless rosé comes back and that's too risky.

Clippers- not enough team defense for lebron and the west is very challenging.

Cavs- I just can't see lebron relying on kyrie who has never played a playoff game and a potential superstar rookie even if he is the first draft pick to win a championship with. Plus Gilbert really said some harsh shit to the guy after "the decision".

Heat- very possible for a return but I think wade is going to screw the heat and take a very small paycut. Also I think bosh is going to opt in because he doesn't have the endorsements like lebron and wade. Heat just aren't going to get enough actual cap space to really improve on my opinion. They need wade and bosh to take 13m deals at the most and that may be pushing it to those two guys.

Long post as usual but just my two cents.

[Sothron]

The biggest knock the Cavs have against them IMO is their front office instability and the fact Irving simply can't stay healthy.

[Plainview1981]

I've been saying this as well: we're not Miami, L.A., Chicago, or NY, so usually no one considers us - but man, our roster would be ridiculous with Lebron:

Compare Haws vs. Heat this year:

*PG: Teague v. Chalmers - Advantage Teague by far

*C: Horford v. Bosh - Tie, and I think Horford would be great with Lebron (great shooting, better defense, strength, and rebounding than Bosh)

*PF: Millsap v. Whoever - Advantage Millsap

*Lebron v. Lebron - Tie

*Wade v. Korver or Carroll - Advantage Wade, but....Wade's breaking down, plus he's not a better shooter than Korver, nor is a better defender or 3-point shooter than Carroll, and in a way I think Lebron would be better at least as well off with an elite specialist on the wing who can either defend or rebound, depending on the matchups, instead of a guy who mostly scores off the dribble or on 2-point jumpshots like Wade.

Finally, we have the cap space to sign Lebron without giving up a major piece, we'll get a nice draft pick this year, we've got a good coach, and a bench consisting of a top 15 draft pick / Korver or Carroll / Schröder or Mack / Scott, Jenkins, Muscala, Bebe and Pero wouldn't be all that bad. I really don't think he could join a better roster to fit his skill set from a pure basketball perspective.

Bosh is not Al's equal.

[cam1218]

If every NBA team played in the same city we might very well be the obvious choice because of how our roster is currently constructed.

However, that isn't the case and the Hawks play in Atlanta. It's going to be a tough sell to convince him that he should play basketball in ATL.

I don't think it's a far fetched as some but I don't think it's that likely. We do have a few things going for us though. Our roster is talented, he just got beat by a team that runs a similar system, and he could redeem "the decision" somewhat by bringing a championship to Atlanta. There wouldn't be a person out there that thought he took the easy route to winning it all if he does it here.

[ATLHawks3]

Yeah I agree and not because I'm a hawks fan but we just happen to be the best team that fits his specific skill set that could afford him.

He's being rumored to the following:

Bulls- not enough team offense for him to win a title unless rosé comes back and that's too risky.

Clippers- not enough team defense for lebron and the west is very challenging.

Cavs- I just can't see lebron relying on kyrie who has never played a playoff game and a potential superstar rookie even if he is the first draft pick to win a championship with. Plus Gilbert really said some harsh shit to the guy after "the decision".

Heat- very possible for a return but I think wade is going to screw the heat and take a very small paycut. Also I think bosh is going to opt in because he doesn't have the endorsements like lebron and wade. Heat just aren't going to get enough actual cap space to really improve on my opinion. They need wade and bosh to take 13m deals at the most and that may be pushing it to those two guys.

Long post as usual but just my two cents.

Don't forget the Rockets are making a push to acquire King James as well...

Tweet Added - Refresh Page to see it live!

If you don't see the Tweet here AFTER REFRESHING PAGE, then it wasn't entered correctly. Please edit and try again.

Important: If the Tweet doesn't load, please refresh the page before editing the Tweet as it may need to refresh to parse properly

Edited June 20, 2014 by ATLHawks3

[uga2006]

My thing is with Bron being considered the greatest talent since MJ he may not want to keep switching teams while in his prime. I think he will only consider Miami and Clevland though Wade is a shell of his former self and Bosh just isn't worth that type of contract.

[PSSSHHHRRR87]

I and other Squawkers have been saying this. From a pure basketball stand point we should be on his short list.

Yep. From a pure basketball decision, we're a no-brainer top 3. We play the Spurs system that just embarrassed the Heat in the Finals, we have one of the best coaching staffs in the league, and we already have a great roster to put around LeBron. It's also a roster that fits him. LeBron thrives in attacking the paint. Our system is primarily attacking the rim to open up the 3pt line. We don't have a Hibbert or Dwight taking up space in the paint. Horford prefers the mid-range and so does Millsap. LeBron knows all about Paul Millsap:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HCiHOpNJXnc

And the Hawks have been a throne in LeBron's side on more than a few occasions.

The only thing I worry about is rebounding. If Horford can stay healthy (which seems to be a huge IF), we would be in the top half of the league in defense. We would also be a team that if we won a championship with LeBron, it'd would be one for his legacy that wouldn't tarnished by teaming up with other superstars.

But unfortunately, basketball isn't the only thing that this decision is based on. LeBron is a business and he has to do what is best for the business. Can LeBron sell himself in Atlanta? Is Atlanta a marketable city for a superstar athlete?

My guess is that LeBron will either stay with Miami for one more season or he'll jump ship for LA, DAL, NY, or CHI. Go Hawks.

[DatWerkk]

Say what you will about Atlanta not supporting its teams, but all bets are off when a legit superstar is involved. Where do you think Michael Vick and Deion Sanders got famous?

[bird_dirt]

Other headline that was nixed for this article: "Zach Lowe admits he's high on crack!"

I would only give this a .001% chance of happening if Ferry and Bron gave each other a big hug and kiss behind closed doors with a little wink*wink* "I'll see you on the flip side" kind of goodbye when they parted ways in Cleveland. "I'll be back Bron! I'll build you a REAL team from scratch this time, and I'll be back to pick you up later! Wait for me King!"