Thabo was a starter....

[Dragitoff]

With all the talk of disappointment in this offseason so far, I thought it might be best to be the eternal optimist of the board, even if that means I get pegged as a die-hard fan only seeing things through rose colored glasses. 

 

While we all wanted improvement in our wing position, I think it is really important to remember that Thabo has been the starter for one of the best Western Conference teams for a few years now at SG.  He has the size to play SG or SF so I see him as a starter this season for the Hawks if nothing else significant changes with the roster between now and opening night.  He struggled mightily with his shot last season, but he's been a top notch 3 and D guy and yes, he was starting alongside superstars Westbrook and Durant, but he was a starter nonetheless.  While I had hopes of a superstar or at least Deng, I am resolved to say this season is not a disaster in the making simply because we didn't net LeBron, Melo or Deng, especially in this Eastern Conference.  Anything can happen and I still look at the fact that we can have DeMarre and Thabo hounding the other teams' best perimeter players for 48 minutes now. 

 

I'm ready to see what this team can do in it's second season under Coach Bud and definitely with a healthy Al back. 

[macdaddy]

With all the talk of disappointment in this offseason so far, I thought it might be best to be the eternal optimist of the board, even if that means I get pegged as a die-hard fan only seeing things through rose colored glasses. 

 

While we all wanted improvement in our wing position, I think it is really important to remember that Thabo has been the starter for one of the best Western Conference teams for a few years now at SG.  He has the size to play SG or SF so I see him as a starter this season for the Hawks if nothing else significant changes with the roster between now and opening night.  He struggled mightily with his shot last season, but he's been a top notch 3 and D guy and yes, he was starting alongside superstars Westbrook and Durant, but he was a starter nonetheless.  While I had hopes of a superstar or at least Deng, I am resolved to say this season is not a disaster in the making simply because we didn't net LeBron, Melo or Deng, especially in this Eastern Conference.  Anything can happen and I still look at the fact that we can have DeMarre and Thabo hounding the other teams' best perimeter players for 48 minutes now. 

 

I'm ready to see what this team can do in it's second season under Coach Bud and definitely with a healthy Al back. 

 

I can't believe you'd post something like this.   This kind of level headed optimism has no place on the internet. LOL.  

 

Thabo and Bazemore are not flashy additions but they are really important ones.    We're basically bringing everyone back from a pretty solid team and adding these two guys who, as you point out with Thabo, can be starters.   We also have guys who could possibly make the jump into solid rotation guys like Dennis, Jenkins, Mike Scott, Payne.    This is a pretty good team and so far we just didn't have a chance at a real star.   We can argue why that is or we can live in the reality that Lebron, Bosh, Melo, Deng didn't want to play for the Hawks.   But i'm happy with this team right now.

[NBASupes]

Thabo was a weaklink. That's nothing to brag about. 

[Dragitoff]

Thabo was a weaklink. That's nothing to brag about. 

 

I knew you'd be the first to try to piss on my positivity, but you don't start on a NBA championship contending team for years if you're a weak link.  They find a way to replace you sooner rather than later.  He is what he is.  A 3 and D guy.  Honestly, that fits into our scheme if he regains his shooting form.  It'll be ok.  One day, we'll sign Allen Iverson, Shaquille O'Neal, and every other washed up player you've lobbied for simply so we can have our "superstar".  I'll continue to be happy to root for my team and think to myself, "at least we're not the ________ (insert over 1/2 the teams in the NBA here)."

[DrReality]

Heard C Viv on radio and he made the point a couple times that Ferry and Bud really like this team. I take that to mean guys who can play their role on the team and make the system work. The system helped us get further than anyone thought possible against Indy. Here's hoping our new guys continue to do the same

[Afro]

Heard C Viv on radio and he made the point a couple times that Ferry and Bud really like this team. I take that to mean guys who can play their role on the team and make the system work. The system helped us get further than anyone thought possible against Indy. Here's hoping our new guys continue to do the same

 

 

Ohhhh so were not trying to get anymore primetime players so when we win, Ferry and Bud will get all the credit lol. 

 

Horford was your best player? DAMN YALL ARE GENIUSES lol

[macdaddy]

I knew you'd be the first to try to piss on my positivity, but you don't start on a NBA championship contending team for years if you're a weak link.  They find a way to replace you sooner rather than later.  He is what he is.  A 3 and D guy.  Honestly, that fits into our scheme if he regains his shooting form.  It'll be ok.  One day, we'll sign Allen Iverson, Shaquille O'Neal, and every other washed up player you've lobbied for simply so we can have our "superstar".  I'll continue to be happy to root for my team and think to myself, "at least we're not the ________ (insert over 1/2 the teams in the NBA here)."

 

Cleveland is going to be good of course but it may not come together immediately.   Heat, Chicago, Knicks, Indy all have major issues to deal with.   I'm not sold on the wiz or bobcats and bkn and bucks should be crap.   As dysfunctional as the pistons have been i wouldn't sleep on SVG.   He is the guy to do something with the flawed talent they have.   Point is, we're as solid as anyone in the east right now.

[JETSET]

Let me add a little more optimism regarding Thabo.  I don't think his shot was as broke as his season 3 pt. % of 31.6% looks. Thabo started the season off in a terrible slump over the first 7 games going 3/21 from 3.  He shot well through the middle part of the season and continued to get better from 3 as the season progressed.  He then gets hurt against Memphis on Feb 28 and doesn't return until April 8.  He struggled to find his 3 pt shot after returning from injury and went 1/13 in the final 6 games of the regular season.

 

Take away the slump in the first 7 games of the season and his struggles in the last 6 of regular season when coming back from injury and Thabo shot 37.3% from 3 over the other 48 games that he played in the regular season.

[DatWerkk]

I think it's also important to note that Scott Brooks is quite possibly the worst coach of an elite basketball team in NBA history. He has no offensive scheme. None. He just rolls the ball out and expects Durant and Westbrook to carry the team on EVERY SINGLE PLAY. That works out okay for guys like Westbrook and Durant who are preposterously gifted, but for mere mortals (if you can call the average NBA starter a mere mortal) that goes over horribly. Put a guy like Sefolosha into an ACTUAL offensive system and he's going to flourish. Just watch.

[NBASupes]

I knew you'd be the first to try to piss on my positivity, but you don't start on a NBA championship contending team for years if you're a weak link.  They find a way to replace you sooner rather than later.  He is what he is.  A 3 and D guy.  Honestly, that fits into our scheme if he regains his shooting form.  It'll be ok.  One day, we'll sign Allen Iverson, Shaquille O'Neal, and every other washed up player you've lobbied for simply so we can have our "superstar".  I'll continue to be happy to root for my team and think to myself, "at least we're not the ________ (insert over 1/2 the teams in the NBA here)."

I don't lobby for washed up superstars. I lobby for superstars in their prime. Sadly, we don't have a shot of them.

[Diesel]

I say that Thabo will contend with DMC for starter minutes next to Korver.  If we make no trade, i can see us starting with:

 

Horf, Sap, DMC, Korver, and Teague...  and our reserves being:  Payne, Mac, Thabo, and Bazemore.

 

I don't think we should be disappointed with that.

 

I think the main disappointment comes from the lack of us doing anything with flexibility..... WELCOME TO ATLANTA!

[turnermx]

Found this:

 

On Demarre -

 

In 32.1 minutes per game, Carroll averaged 11.1 points, 5.5 rebounds, 1.8 assists, and 1.5 steals per game. On defense, Carroll was the Hawks top perimeter defender, drawing the assignment of the opposing team’s best wing player -- whether they were at the two or the three. Going against the opponent’s best offensive wing night in and night out, Carroll held opponents to 40.9 percent shooting (36.8% three-point) for the season, per Synergy Sports.

His tenacious approach made him one of the league’s better defenders against screening action. Carroll fought through screens -- on and off the ball -- consistently to rank 40th against off-ball screens allowing opponents just 0.8 points per possession, and he 76th in the league against pick-and-roll ball handlers allowing just 0.75 PPP -- again per Synergy Sports. Like many of the Hawks, his defensive numbers take a hit on spot-up attempts, allowing 1.04 PPP, because the Hawks system commits heavily to protecting the paint first, which opens up opportunities for open spot-up shots.

Even still, Carroll had by most any account a very productive and effective season defensively. The Hawks' defense relied on Carroll’s length and strength to disrupt opponents on the perimeter and he took that challenge and succeeded. His 2.6 defensive win shares were second to Paul Millsap’s 4.0 for the Hawks on the season. Carroll’s 101.8 defensive rating (per NBA.com/stats) was the best for any perimeter player and 4th on the team, and his +3.4 net rating was third on the team only to Pero Antić and Al Horford.

 

 

http://www.nba.com/hawks/features/season-review-demarre-carroll

 

And Thabo:

 

"So ask yourself another question:  How many of the players in this tournament have been contributors to top defenses over their last few years?  From sixteen, your list just burned down to two players:  Danny Granger and Thabo Sefolosha.  Two players.  We’ll of course focus on Thabo here, and not the broken down Granger. (Underhanded Zing!)

Quite frankly, you won’t find a better defender available on the open market this off-season.  Last year, he posted a Defensive Win shares of 2.1 – which is better than anyone on the Pelicans other than Davis.  It’s 25% better than the second best Pelican (Aminu) and in 30% fewer minutes.

Per Synergy Stats, despite taking on the most capable wing players, Thabo was the 70th best defender of isolations, and the 49th best when defending the Pick and Roll Ballhandler.  When working on the pick and roll, his long arms resulted in a staggering turnover rate of 30.3% for opposing players. 30.3!  Combine that with solid numbers defending screen plays and dribble hand-offs, and already Sefolosha is clearly a defensive upgrade to the bumbling attempts of Aminu – who posted worse defensive scores in every category tracked by Synergy but spot-up shooting defense."

 

http://www.bourbonstreetshots.com/2014/06/11/new-orleans-pelicans-mle-tournament-caron-butler-vs-thabo-sefolosha/

 

These guys are gonna be a nightmare for our opponents next year, allowing us to bring 3 and D on the wing for 48 minutes, and totally lock down the opponent wing while they are on the floor together.

[turnermx]

on Sefolosha : Quite frankly, you won’t find a better defender available on the open market this off-season.

 

So DF sucks at his job, he got us the best defensive player available to us on the market. For a team that quite frankly sucked at defense last year. Offense wasn't our problem last year. With more perimeter D (along with a healthy Horford) we would have had a better regular season record as well as advanced in the playoffs. And we got more defense with Sef AND Baze! Not only that these guys can stretch the floor as well! win-win!

[ATLSmith]

I've always liked Sefolosha and Bazemore looks like he could be a stud.

 

Disappointed that we didn't get Deng. I feel the Hawks would have easily made the ECF with him and think he made a poor personal decision going to Miami. Only time will tell.

[turnermx]

I've always liked Sefolosha and Bazemore looks like he could be a stud.

 

Disappointed that we didn't get Deng. I feel the Hawks would have easily made the ECF with him and think he made a poor personal decision going to Miami. Only time will tell.

 

I agree - actually I think it could very easily be the case that both Gasol AND Deng made poor personal decisions.  If health permits we could still make ECF and have better regular season record than both Bulls and Heat (unless Rose bounces back)

[RedDawg#8]

We went from Cartier and Lou Will on the wings for the 2nd unit to Thabo and Bazemore.

We have to see how it plays out but defensively thats a better 2nd unit by far. Offensively the potential is there for sure its just hard to say since Lou Will could put up serious numbers when hot

[macdaddy]

We went from Cartier and Lou Will on the wings for the 2nd unit to Thabo and Bazemore.

We have to see how it plays out but defensively thats a better 2nd unit by far. Offensively the potential is there for sure its just hard to say since Lou Will could put up serious numbers when hot

 

That's exactly how i see it.   Those are big upgrades.   It wouldn't suprise me to see Thabo and DMC as the starting 2/3 sometimes.   Korver off the bench playing against backup 2s will probably get him a lot of open shots and lighten his load on the defensive end too.   

[ViperXX79]

Sure is a lot of grasping at straws in this thread trying to make this putrid offseason look better.  The ASG loves that our fans have become complacent with this brand of mediocrity.

[RWF]

I predict he is this year's Dahntay Jones.

Edited July 14, 2014 by RWF

[Sothron]

Sure is a lot of grasping at straws in this thread trying to make this putrid offseason look better.  The ASG loves that our fans have become complacent with this brand of mediocrity.

 

The fact some people are this happy with a carer 5 point a game player is just....sad. Truly sad. Talk about embracing mediocrity to its fullest.