My case for signing Millsap and moving him to small forward...

[BigDog90]

Millsap isn't a SF. He's an above average PF. 

[Bamalawdawg]

Sap is hardly a dream 3, but if your 4/5 is Aldridge and Horf or Gasol and Horf you make that move and just realize that when you play an elite offensive 3 like Lebron or Carmelo you will need to make some special arrangements. 90% of the time this would lead to a dominant front line that can also step out and shoot, to go with Kover and Teague's outside work. You also might find rotations of the players that can maximize their potential. If you squeeze 48 minutes of 4 play out of Aldridge and Sap and play Sap at the 3 when both play, you own an advantage over almost every 4 in the league. Perhaps you officially use Sap as a 6th man who will average starter minutes.

[atlhawks1]

Since we are talking about a scenario where Demarre signs elsewhere, let's just talk about it like we renounce him. Before renouncing players we are basically at the cap. At least there is less than 1 mil wiggle room. Dumping Carroll gives us $3.2 mil. Dumping Ayón's rights, Brand, and Jenkins clears $7.1 mil per the wonderful Peachtreehoops article. There's the easy way to signing a "big" free agent, sign them for about $11 mil. Everything else after that starts to sting a little.

We can renounce Antić for another $1.6 mil. Now we're closing in on $13 mil. Still not nearly enough for Gasol or Aldridge.

We trade Mike Scott to a team under the cap for a future 2nd. If you factor in a roster hold that gets us to about $15.5 mil.

Trade Mack and a 2nd to a team under the cap for the rights to a 40 old Swede. Now we are around $17.5 factoring in roaster holds. Still not enough for Gasol or Aldridge (and this assumes Sap signed a for his Bird #).

Good news, we saved like $200k on our pick. So throw that on the pile. We can dump Daye and Muscala and replace them with minimum players for another 600k total. Maybe we are closing in on $18.5 mil. It's a heck of a roster overhaul, but maybe we can get Gasol or Aldridge in at $18.5 then sign 5 minimum players.

 

As long as they keep Moose and Scott, im ok with what you said.........

[Bamalawdawg]

As long as they keep Moose and Scott, im ok with what you said.........

I can't imagine we would ever move Moose. His contract is good for ATL, and we'd only save like 400k replacing him with whatever. He's a guy we can Bird next year apparently

[JTB]

Sap is not and will never be a full time SF.

Aging SGs move to SF, aging SF move to PF. There is no moving an aging PF to SF particularly when he hasn't ever been one.

I agree but sometimes I feel like we need to take some risk on certain projects.

I use to say we need to put smith at the 3....being that he could defend the perimeter but most were too scared he would take too many shots which did happen in Detroit when they tried putting him there....but the difference between sap and smith is all brains.

To me sap is smart enough to make an adjustment to play SF...the biggest problem would be defense...offensively sap can play the 3 since he's versatile scorer he would own the paint and he can still get off his shots.

Besides the league is changing so much bigs are being forced to defend the perimeter anyhow.

I'm just sick of choosing between good players on the market and good players we already have. When are we going to start adding great talent instead of just replacing it or doing nothing?...this sap at SF is a project worth all the risk anyone can think of....but I do doubt it happens

[JTB]

Since we are talking about a scenario where Demarre signs elsewhere, let's just talk about it like we renounce him. Before renouncing players we are basically at the cap. At least there is less than 1 mil wiggle room. Dumping Carroll gives us $3.2 mil. Dumping Ayón's rights, Brand, and Jenkins clears $7.1 mil per the wonderful Peachtreehoops article. There's the easy way to signing a "big" free agent, sign them for about $11 mil. Everything else after that starts to sting a little.

We can renounce Antić for another $1.6 mil. Now we're closing in on $13 mil. Still not nearly enough for Gasol or Aldridge.

We trade Mike Scott to a team under the cap for a future 2nd. If you factor in a roster hold that gets us to about $15.5 mil.

Trade Mack and a 2nd to a team under the cap for the rights to a 40 old Swede. Now we are around $17.5 factoring in roaster holds. Still not enough for Gasol or Aldridge (and this assumes Sap signed a for his Bird #).

Good news, we saved like $200k on our pick. So throw that on the pile. We can dump Daye and Muscala and replace them with minimum players for another 600k total. Maybe we are closing in on $18.5 mil. It's a heck of a roster overhaul, but maybe we can get Gasol or Aldridge in at $18.5 then sign 5 minimum players.

Good idea...like this alot

[yungsta]

Millsap main strengths is being a highly versatile PF who can blow by slow, stiff PFs, take his big man assignment out to the 3 point line, and score around the basket.

 

AT SF you take away his dribble game, he will have less opportunities to get off his jumpshot, he will have less room to operate around the basket, and he is not providing that extra spacing to our offense.

 

The reason why millsap is so valuable is because he brings that unique skillset to the PF position. At SF you arent getting that All star skill set at the big man position, you are getting a mediocre SF who isnt going to be worth the 15 mill+ that he is going to be paid.

 

Asking millsap to be SF is similiar to asking a player like draymond green to be a SF. He probably can be decent at SF but arent going to get that full DPOY runner up value that you are going to get from him when you play him at PF/C.

[JTB]

Millsap main strengths is being a highly versatile PF who can blow by slow, stiff PFs, take his big man assignment out to the 3 point line, and score around the basket.

AT SF you take away his dribble game, he will have less opportunities to get off his jumpshot, he will have less room to operate around the basket, and he is not providing that extra spacing to our offense.

The reason why millsap is so valuable is because he brings that unique skillset to the PF position. At SF you arent getting that All star skill set at the big man position, you are getting a mediocre SF who isnt going to be worth the 15 mill+ that he is going to be paid.

Asking millsap to be SF is similiar to asking a player like draymond green to be a SF. He probably can be decent at SF but arent going to get that full DPOY runner up value that you are going to get from him when you play him at PF/C.

Green was very overrated and he fouled like crazy around the goal. But anyways what Sap loses in thus situation is the ball handling but not against every 3....so that I will give you but what you didn't mention is that sap gains advantage in the low post against nearly every 3....it's like having a low post option at the 3 almost every game and still being able to spread the floor.

I call this a win win situation!

-we keep our all star

-we get a huge if not the best front court in the NBA

-we get much needed low post scoring (sap is our verision of Shaun Livingston)

-we get a bigger 3 for perimeter defense which is highly needed for players like lebron and melo

-rebounding issues are fixed

I say Hawks try this....We have nothing to lose when we get back to the Cavs in the ECF. I love DMC but he doesn't have the strength to keep lebron out the post like kawhi and Diaw does...not to mention lebron won't be stopped anyways but the mindset need to be "beat lebron James" for this off season.

Everything we do need to be related to doing our best to beat lebron next playoffs. You can bring demarre back and expect him not to get backed down easily like he did this year. I mean my belief is that Sap will force lebron to shoot and if he makes it we can live with that better than him posting up demarre help coming over damn near every play and he gets his team involved because we all know he's going to find the open man.

Guess I just feel....like hey we can bring back demarre but what's the plan when we face lebron? Is Sap going to be asked to play the 3 anyways?....will we run into melo next playoffs who can also over power DMC?....again who are we calling on? Millsap right?

Yes thabo is there but he can limit us offensively... plus we don't know what's going on with that leg. No need to put all the marbles in on Thabo right now just wouldn't be smart.

I think our coaching staff and Sap is smart enough to make adjustments to pull this off.

Edited June 29, 2015 by JTB

[JTB]

I think you could do that if you have a stocked bench of swingman that can defend and shoot the 3.

I actually think Bud would take Millsap over LMA if he had to choose between the two.

Millsap fits Bud's scheme better... Although he is not a great one on one defender he gets steals like a guard (and even blocks a few shots) and that's very important to a scheme that aims to harass and create turnovers.

I would try Sap at the 3 along with Gasol too!

[atlhawks1]

Welp, i said Sap could play small forward...............lmao Hawks must think the same thing..........

[DJlaysitup]

Sap will primarily play PF - where he is most comfortable.  Let's remember he lead the NCAA in rebounding 3 years as a PF and he is most skilled in that spot.

 

He is strong enough for the position and maybe 1 inch shorter than the proto-typical PF.  That doesn't matter much (an inch)...Leonard "Truck" Robinson was a dominating PF in the day at 6-7...as was Charles Barkley.

 

Not saying Sap will now dominate - just that an inch in height doesn't matter to a real NBA veteran.

[nitte]

It would be reminiscent of Josh Smith as SF in Detroit.  We need a true SF.