How would you grade the Hawks past two days?

[BraveSeminole]

I will confess that I was pretty depressed after the Hawks draft (I was hoping the Hawks could move up or if they stayed put select either Kaminsky, Dekker or Portis)! I will admit that I was not real excited about the Tim Hardaway trade at the time but I am starting to feel better about it the more information I get on him! Then, I felt a little better after getting Splitter (I think he will be a Huge Asset to the Hawks!)!  But, then I was elated after the Hawks were able to sign Tavares (I kept reading that he was getting ready to sign a deal overseas and the Hawks wouldn't be in his plans for a very long time if at all!) to a contract and bring him to Atlanta!  I don't know what the Hawks are going to do for an encore but I am thrilled with the additions of Tavares, Splitter and Hardaway AND the re-signing of Milsap (Although, a very expensive contract I think the Hawks really needed to keep him if they want to progress next season!)!

 

Personally, I would give the Hawks a A+ for the past couple of days (Wild Days at that!)!  I am very, very impressed what Coach Bud has accomplished over these past couple of days and this is coming from a huge Danny Ferry fan!

 

 

 

 

 

[pachoo5]

A solid A. Tiago Is an upgrade for our team over Demarre, though they obviously play different positions. Tiago was a much bigger need for us, a true defensive minded center. I think we are going to see Horford playing PF, Sap SF and Tiago C quite a bit this year. I don't think Bud brought Tiago in as only a backup rotational guy...Tiago is more talented than that role.

I believe in the Hawks system and think Hardaway can flourish with this team. And I am super pumped that Tavares will be a Hawk and not a lost Euro player. I don't think we will see him much this season but we now know that he will be a big part of this Franchise going forward.

Great offseason so far. I expect us to trade for one last piece to replace Demarre. If not, Thabo will not be much of a downgrade from Demarre given similar minutes. I loved Carroll but he simply is NOT worth $15M a year...that is a huge overpayment.

Edited July 3, 2015 by pachoo5

[benhillboy]

I'm almost cautious about all the optimism I have. There is a clear plan for flexibility and long-term contention that is simply new to me.

We've added depth, size, and were fiscally responsible doing it. Can't give nothing but an A. Bud and Wes will be on the Dean's List if they can somehow finagle a starting-caliber 3.

[BrazilianHawk]

[Guest]

What was our biggest problem last season?

Size and Rebounding.

Was that addressed?

Yes.

We've lost DMC but I think we'll be having SF by committee.

So with that said I'm giving a solid A.

[frosgrim]

The team has made some good moves so far. I do think there is one more coming to clean up some of the duplication on the roster and get a little more length, youth, and health at the SF position. 

 

Overall I give the Budcox a solid B. Nothing spectacular but very solid moves. 

[Nicholasp27]

It's been a good offseason considering DMC wanted 15M and Millsap wouldn't take a 2M paycut to get EB contract instead

Would have been better if those 2 guys would have helped out BUD, but since they wouldn't this was about as good as it could go

I still hold out hope that we find a killer wing and Millsap agrees to drop down to eb since he is opting out in 2 years anyway, but if not then I'll hope for health from our wings

[Dejay]

A- for me. They've added size but still need a wing player. I'm confident that they'll add one, though...

[Flight]

A-

They're one wing away from addressing every single problem we had depth wise in the playoffs. THJ is growing on me, Tiago is a SOLID pick up for us. Edy could definitely develop a lot more here with us than overseas so I'm all for his addition. Just waiting on summer league and U.S. To figure out this wing situation

[Guard]

B- . The Hawks got bigger but I'm not sure if Splitter is enough against Cleveland. Golden State is a better rebounding team and they still got worked on the boards against them. I'm crossing my fingers and hoping that Eddy plays next season because there is a chance he'll be in the D-League. We have a wing scorer in Tim Hardaway Jr who should improve like many players under Bud. The problem is that we don't have a clear, concrete starter at the 2.. Korver should be coming off the bench. Unless an improved Hardaway starts, I don't know if I like the SG situation. And we have a clear need at the 3 spot. Demarre was our best player in the playoffs and one of our best wing defenders. Without him, our wing defense goes from having three good defenders to two. In comparison, Golden State has FOUR defenders(Thompson, Iguodala, Barnes, and Green) they were able to throw at teams last season. The NBA is a perimeter player driven league and being able to defend the perimeter is a MUST if you want to win a championship.

[lethalweapon3]

I give BudCox a solid C+!

 

I'd have preferred they had given DMC's agent some better signals leading up to July 1, so the PR impact (Marc Lamont Hill? Seriously? Was Arianna Huffington unavailable?) could have been moderated. Bud and Wes were both scrambling to deal with some personnel paperwork of their own leading up to June 30. So it seems to me JYD's eventual disappointment with ATL's limited bargaining was merely a secondary effect of the league taking too darn long to approve the ownership deal.

 

While Sap did not jump the gun at the first wow-factor offer(s) tossed his way, DMC could have tapped his toe for one more day to see if the Hawks would have moved some pieces to make accommodations for him. But it felt quite a bit like Chillz '08, when his unstroked ego wouldn't let him wait any longer for Smoove's RFA deal to come first. DMC wanted to feel wanted, and some better overtures from the Hawks' brass might have given the team some buying time to offer up a Sap-flexible competing deal.

 

In any case, the Hawks weren't going to pay DMC an option-free average of $15 million, and long-term security was more vital for him than it was for Sap. Becoming the Richest Paid NBA Player in Canada is indeed too hard to pass up, and I'm sure Masai and the Raps gave him the take-it-or-leave-it ultimatum while they were visiting the JunkYardDawghouse. For his sake, I hope he doesn't become a rich-man's James Johnson, or a middle-class-man's Hedo Turkoglu, up there. Toronto's an uncomfortable place for free agent flops.

 

The Magic's offer was a blessing in disguise. Without it, people would have freaked out (more than some already are, and were going to, anyway) over the shorter-term deal Sap settled for to stay here. Instead, it allowed fans to see what kind of tax-free deals the Hawks were up against. Anybody who worried about a 34-year-old Sap making over $20 million guaranteed will now only have to fret over the possibility a 32-year-old Sap chooses sticking around for that salary for one more year rather than cashing in for a more lucrative long-term deal. If Paul stays reasonably healthy and productive through 2017, it's a good guess that he'll do the latter.

 

The Splitter deal works out just fine, and if we're punished by losing out to LMA and Timmy in The Finals, then that's cool, too. I find a healthy Tiago plus whatever we get out of Edy >>> what Pero and Elton contributed last season. And Tiago's got a short-term and declining contract, so his addition helps in terms of both roster and salary flexibility. Just like last season with Pero's nagging foot, the conditioning staff has to do a good job in minimizing the chances for flare-ups in Splitter's calf, while the coaching staff must remain mindful of his minutes and usage.

 

If Edy has to thrive in the D-League at the outset of the season, I'd rather it be in Augusta or Savannah, and not Fort Wayne or Austin or some far-away locale. I hope we get some D-League affiliate news coming soon.

 

~lw3

[Twinblade]

Hawks really didn't improve so D.

[Nicholasp27]

Why should Korver come off the bench? Our whole team does better when he is on the floor, even if he is missing, because of the spacing he gives us, how he allows us to go 4 on 4 bc his man can't help off him and how he takes so much of the defense's focus

Edited July 3, 2015 by Nicholasp27

[Guest]

Solid B-

 

I think we ended up ok, but I tend to agree with @lethalweapon3.  They could've handled the initial wave of FAgency process better.  Let's see how they do with finding a SF.  A shrewd deal is probably out there to be had.  Let's see if they can get it done.

 

I'm fine with how the 1st round draft ended up although I do think we shoudl've gotten more for the 15.

Edited July 3, 2015 by kg01

[Guest]

B+

We addressed our rebounding/post play with Splitter and size with Edy. We got a young player in THJ with lots of room to be molded and grow over a rookie who would have been a few years away. We did every "the Hawks way".. Meaning not sexy but effective. If we had a decent SF soon my grade will change from B+ to A- or A depending on the player and the fit.

[Guard]

Why should Korver come off the bench? Our whole team does better when he is on the floor, even if he is missing, because of the spacing he gives us, how he allows us to go 4 on 4 bc his man can't help off him and how he takes so much of the defense's focus

Korver has a history of not showing up in the playoffs. I remember Bulls fans saying the exact same thing when he was coming off the bench for them. Despite the fact that Korver has played the best he's ever played as a Hawk, the trend continues.

 

And Korver ultimately became a liability too many times in the playoffs. The opposing teams did a great job taking him out of his game offensively and his defense wasn't good enough to justify him being on the court. Some teams can afford to have a starter not score well in the playoffs because they have guaranteed offense from at least two other positions. OKC for example has had Thabo and Roberson in their starting line ups in the past and would be OK because Durant, Westbrook, and later Ibaka would pick up the slack offensively. Atlanta doesn't have that luxury.

[NBASupes]

B+, a starting SF is still a need. Hell a developing SF is as well. Maybe Terrance Pettaway is the developing SF.

[Nicholasp27]

Korver has a history of not showing up in the playoffs. I remember Bulls fans saying the exact same thing when he was coming off the bench for them. Despite the fact that Korver has played the best he's ever played as a Hawk, the trend continues.

And Korver ultimately became a liability too many times in the playoffs. The opposing teams did a great job taking him out of his game offensively and his defense wasn't good enough to justify him being on the court. Some teams can afford to have a starter not score well in the playoffs because they have guaranteed offense from at least two other positions. OKC for example has had Thabo and Roberson in their starting line ups in the past and would be OK because Durant, Westbrook, and later Ibaka would pick up the slack offensively. Atlanta doesn't have that luxury.

Too bad we outscored opponents when he was on court in playoffs but got outscored when he wasn't

There is more to playing good/bad than box score stats

[hazer]

A- so far because of the hole at SF. But it's early still, and that can easily move to a solid A with the shrewd ($) acquisition of someone like a Richard Jefferson or Jeremy Evans. A+ was reserved for Gasol or LMA.

[AHF]

B.

 

We made the right decision to keep Sap over DMC.  I like the Splitter trade assuming we aren't giving anything up.  I love that we are bringing Edy over on a 3 year deal (which will give us Bird rights).  

 

None of these were super creative moves but all of them were good ones.  The obvious remaining move is getting more depth at SF, hopefully someone who can play at or near Thabo's level.  Whether we have some other creative move coming this offseason remains to be seen.