HOW THE HAWKS WILL WIN THE 2017 FINALS

[aali34]

This upcoming free agency can stamp the Hawks as a legitimate NBA finals favorite for years to come. The key is free agent to be Kevin Durant

Many squawkers openly write about how Atlanta is not a free agent destination. I think that the past few years have changed that perception, and as Greg Monroe displayed this past summer, players that are serious about winning do not care about large markets as much as in years past.

Why ATL is the best location for KD

Out of all the potential suitors for KD aside from OKC, the hawks make the most sense. Think about it, the most realistic ones based on winning potential and cap space are- Boston, Toronto, Miami, Dallas, and us.

The main categories are coaching and talent.

Boston – Great organization/coach/market but lackluster talent.

Toronto- Good Gm, good talent, but average coach/system

Miami- Great Gm/coach/roster

Dallas- Great Gm/coach, roster complications, in western conference

Atlanta- Great coach/system/market, Great roster

Based on these 2 categories we can knock out Boston, Toronto, and Dallas. Boston is a good young team with a good coach, but they don’t have the necessary talent to help Durant win a championship. Toronto on the other hand, has talent, but doesn’t have a coach that can help maximize Durant. Dallas is ruled out based on the fact that they are in the western conference, and they have aging core players in Dirk and Deron Williams, making a leave from OKC to Dallas a bad move.

That leaves the competition between Miami and Atlanta.

Miami poses a good environment with championship experience and some talent with a proven coach.
However...
After taking a look at their cap space for the upcoming year, signing Hassan Whiteside, Dwyane wade, Joe Johnson would be a tough move, as well as the uncertainty of Chris bosh’s health. It would just be too much of a risk to sign a contract with Miami not to mention the constant comparisons between him and LeBron James during his tenure with the heat.

On to the hawks…
Market wise, Atlanta is in the top 10 as well as being the hip hop capitol of the world. KD would have a lot of opportunities in increasing his brand here. Cap wise, we will be able to sign KD and Horford while having most of our Roster intact. 
Team wise, the hawks without KD are an eastern conference contender, and have a proven head coach fresh off a coach of the year award. They have a talented roster with an all-star frontcourt of Al Horford and Paul Millsap and a deep bench with plenty of cap space to improve.
Atlanta has an excellent system predicated on good looks and ball movement, as well as a strong effort on the defensive end.
Kd is the missing piece to this roster. He would instantly correct all of the constant criticisms which are rebounding (he averages 8 rebounds) and star power. Not to mention that there has been a correlation between top talent, elite coaches, and historic winning percentages this past season. I am convinced that KD joining forces with Mike Budenholzer would have a similar effect as the pairings between Curry/Kerr and Aldridge/Popovich.

I challenge anyone to come up with a viable reason as to why the Hawks would not be a smart decision for where KD should sign. If you can’t think of any, than help spread the word of KD possibly coming to ATL

P.S. Leave a catchy KD and Atlanta Hawks related hashtag in the thread. Ex- #KDtoATL and maybe a photoshopped pic of him in a 2016 Hawks jersey

 

 

Edited March 19, 2016 by aali34

[Atlantaholic]

of course we all want KD, but the truth is, odds are he is staying in OKC. Despite Russel Westbrook's emergence there isn't a rift between the two stars, in fact they are good friends, and they have shown this year that they can both play together at an MVP level. OKC is only missing some depth and they would be as good as any team in the League including the Spurs and Warriors. 

[hawkzlova123]

Lets be serious and real no way kd is winning Anything in the west until and unless warriors and suprs team hotels burn down in a fire while they are  sleeping 

[Atlantaholic]

35 minutes ago, hawkzlova123 said:

Lets be serious and real no way kd is winning Anything in the west until and unless warriors and suprs team hotels burn down in a fire while they are  sleeping 

lol, and what makes you think he would win in the East? Don't you still have to beat GS or SA to win the trophy???

Edited March 19, 2016 by Atlantaholic

[nathan2331]

lol, and what makes you think he would win in the East? Don't you still have to beat GS or SA to win the trophy???

If Durant replaced Bazemore on this team, we could beat the Spurs or the Warriors in the Finals.

[aali34]

5 hours ago, Atlantaholic said:

lol, and what makes you think he would win in the East? Don't you still have to beat GS or SA to win the trophy???

If KD was in the east, he would automatically be in the finals, and would only have to see one of those teams when he gets there. Not to mention i feel Bud would more adequately prepare him to match up with any of those teams when they play, or at least better than Billy Donavon would.

[Diesel]

8 hours ago, Atlantaholic said:

of course we all want KD, but the truth is, odds are he is staying in OKC. Despite Russel Westbrook's emergence there isn't a rift between the two stars, in fact they are good friends, and they have shown this year that they can both play together at an MVP level. OKC is only missing some depth and they would be as good as any team in the League including the Spurs and Warriors. 

I don't know if he wants to lose every year.  I think he would move to GS if they would have him?

 

[Hawkmoor]

Edited March 19, 2016 by Hawkmoor

[capstone21]

Kd is not coming here ... A main reason he would even consider would be playing with Al but We would not be able to afford both. 

Taking out the reason that he is just not coming to Atlanta ... He is not coming here to a team that has splitter as its starting center.  

[benhillboy]

I've never been a fan of KD defensively and LeBron usually runs him.  He's is mediocre off the ball and rarely ever sets screens.  He's got brittle feet too.  

14 hours ago, aali34 said:

Toronto- Good Gm, good talent, but average coach/system

 

I'd beg to differ here.  Those guys run through a wall for Casey.  Many teams fold under a Celtics surge, they casually kept them at arms' length last night.   

Their system is multi-isolation yet all of their guys play with energy.   The mark of a great coach is winning despite starters being missing for long periods without an MVP candidate to pick up slack.  Casey has done so, same as Spoelstra without (insert name) and Bud without Al.  I would give Doc credit for doing so but I hate their style of play so I won't.

[TheFuzz]

4 hours ago, capstone21 said:

Kd is not coming here ... A main reason he would even consider would be playing with Al but We would not be able to afford both. 

Taking out the reason that he is just not coming to Atlanta ... He is not coming here to a team that has splitter as its starting center.  

Not quite. If we resign Horford with bird rights and ditch Baze, we're only like $3-5M away from signing Durant. Cut Scott and we got him

[aali34]

2 hours ago, benhillboy said:

I've never been a fan of KD defensively and LeBron usually runs him.  He's is mediocre off the ball and rarely ever sets screens.  He's got brittle feet too.  

I'd beg to differ here.  Those guys run through a wall for Casey.  Many teams fold under a Celtics surge, they casually kept them at arms' length last night.   

Their system is multi-isolation yet all of their guys play with energy.   The mark of a great coach is winning despite starters being missing for long periods without an MVP candidate to pick up slack.  Casey has done so, same as Spoelstra without (insert name) and Bud without Al.  I would give Doc credit for doing so but I hate their style of play so I won't.

Looking past all of KD's flaws, are you saying you wouldn't want one of the best players in the nba because his defense isn't as good as you like? Because lebron ruins him?

BTW, KD is actually a very underrated defender, and lebron's teams are always a good match-up to those of KD. He is also a good off ball player, but like i said, he doesnt have a coach who can give him more opportunities in this area of his game. One reason stephen curry exploded was because steve kerr doubled the amount of off ball three pointers he took and decreased his ball handling duty slightly.
 

Also, casey may be a good coach, but when it comes to Xs and Os , he is not on coach buds level. Also, why would KD leave an Isolation team to go to another one?

 

[aali34]

46 minutes ago, TheFuzz said:

Not quite. If we resign Horford with bird rights and ditch Baze, we're only like $3-5M away from signing Durant. Cut Scott and we got him

Exactly

[hazer]

Highly unlikely, but good LAWD Teague/Korver/KD/Sap/Horf would utterly slaughter everything in their path.....

[Hawkmoor]

1 hour ago, hazer said:

Highly unlikely, but good LAWD Teague/Korver/KD/Sap/Horf would utterly slaughter everything in their path.....

 KD HAD Westbrook, Harden, and Ibaka , a better bench than the Hawks, and couldnt get it done.  I dont think trying to outscore people is gonna win a championship for the Hawks. I think that lineup IS VERY CLOSE though because the Hawks have a good defense. Humphries and Splitter would have to step up, and thats if they have the loot to keep Splitter after signing KD and Horford. They definitely would be in the running, but i dont think it is as clear cut as you say.

Edited March 19, 2016 by Hawkmoor

[Guest]

1 hour ago, Hawkmoor said:

 KD HAD Westbrook, Harden, and Ibaka , a better bench than the Hawks, and couldnt get it done.  

Do you understand how young that group of players were in terms of basketball experience and age in 2012 when they made it to the Finals? They weren't beating a more experienced Miami team. They just weren't ready then and then they traded Harden and it's been  up n down ever since.

[hazer]

3 hours ago, Hawkmoor said:

 KD HAD Westbrook, Harden, and Ibaka , a better bench than the Hawks, and couldnt get it done.  I dont think trying to outscore people is gonna win a championship for the Hawks. I think that lineup IS VERY CLOSE though because the Hawks have a good defense. Humphries and Splitter would have to step up, and thats if they have the loot to keep Splitter after signing KD and Horford. They definitely would be in the running, but i dont think it is as clear cut as you say.

Different coach, different system, plug KD in Atlanta and it's lights out.....

[Hawkmoor]

22 minutes ago, hazer said:

Different coach, different system, plug KD in Atlanta and it's lights out.....

Hawks wouldnt try and sign him anyway. Thats whats frustrating about the team. The team is shaping up just like it did last year, ONE player away, and its frustrating that they dont make a knock out move to win a championship.

Edited March 20, 2016 by Hawkmoor

[Alex]

Is this for serious?  Come on man.

[hazer]

1 hour ago, Alex said:

Is this for serious?  Come on man.

Dead serious. If Hawks make ECFs 2 years in a row, KD would be a fool not to at least consider Atlanta. Any star for that matter. That's top 4 team in the league since 2014, why wouldn't we be in the running? To waltz in and be THAT guy to put us over the top. This ain't San Antonio. ATL is Y'allywood, Hip-Hop/Civil Rights Capital, #1 airport on Earth, great weather, incredible bang for the buck real estate, good ownership, top 10 market, TNT/NBATV right around the corner from Phillips, only 90 minute flight from his hometown of DC. When teams play the Hawks, you realize they notice their play, system, success, and their coaching. And most importantly, Hawks can max KD while keeping Bawse and Sap by simply cutting someone like Scott. You come on man...