How KD will come to Atlanta

[aali34]

Its a known fact that KD is a big fan of Greg Popovich. If the spurs demoralize the thunder and KD is serious about leaving than the only option he has is Atlanta. People say that he'll go elsewhere, that might be true but the hawks have someone who no other team has, Mike Budenholzer. Although we didn't win as much games a last year. I have no doubt in my mind that Mike Budenholzer is one of the best coaches in the nba. He changed the culture of Atlanta and has made a name for himself around the nba as one of the best new coaches around. One of the reasons why he is so similar to Popovich is how he changes the identity of the team he coaches. Popovich has had diffrent players during his tenure running his offense and has adjusted  it as such. - 

 

Mike Budenholzer did a similar thing this year by changing the identuty of the team from an offensive minded team to a defensive one. How many coaches can make a team lead in either category without having a an elite offensive talent or shutdown defender.

He has shown that he can make a team excel in both ways, and he has shown what happens when players buy in the system -

Paul Millsap - Three Allstar spots in a row

Kyle Korver - nearly 50-50-90

Demarre Carrol - $$$

Tim Hardaway Jr. - Went from being an offensive threat and a joke on defense to being a good defender, but still inconsistent( waiting on next year) Even this year when Al Horford started shooting threes, many people including myself were skeptical, but it has worked out well and he is currently shooting 40% from there.

Alot of people question his decisions, myself included, but now I'm just going to sit back and watch because everything he has done is way better than what I would have come up with. Like in the begining of the year when he traded Kelly Oubre for Tim Hardaway jr, if you think about it, no player from the 15 pick down has done anything this season, and when I heard that the team was going for Devin Booker the whole time, and were able to manufacture a trade that still got them someone of value made me see that Coach Bud knows what he is doing.

Obviouslu he isn't free of crtiticism and he still makes headscratching in game decsions some times, but coaches grow just like players do( as seen above). I have no doubt that Coach Budenholzer is the best thing that has happened to the city of Atlanta regarding pro sports and the only thing holding us back is not having the talent that most other teams have, and i think he will be a huge reason why KD would want to come here.

[hawkzlova123]

Here's the man himself...

Durant will be a free agent in the offseason.“No matter how many moving parts they have on the team, he always stays consistent with what he does,” Durant said.“Having a coach, a really good coach is probably the most important thing in this league. Because you can have all the great players you want, but if you have someone to orchestrate it, that’s what they have. They’ve got great players, but they also have a great coach to put them in positions that utilizes all their strengths as individuals and make it come together as a team.

List the top5 coaches and pick which wouldDurant rather play for

[JTB]

1 hour ago, aali34 said:

Its a known fact that KD is a big fan of Greg Popovich. If the spurs demoralize the thunder and KD is serious about leaving than the only option he has is Atlanta. People say that he'll go elsewhere, that might be true but the hawks have someone who no other team has, Mike Budenholzer. Although we didn't win as much games a last year. I have no doubt in my mind that Mike Budenholzer is one of the best coaches in the nba. He changed the culture of Atlanta and has made a name for himself around the nba as one of the best new coaches around. One of the reasons why he is so similar to Popovich is how he changes the identity of the team he coaches. Popovich has had diffrent players during his tenure running his offense and has adjusted  it as such. - 

 

Mike Budenholzer did a similar thing this year by changing the identuty of the team from an offensive minded team to a defensive one. How many coaches can make a team lead in either category without having a an elite offensive talent or shutdown defender.

He has shown that he can make a team excel in both ways, and he has shown what happens when players buy in the system -

Paul Millsap - Three Allstar spots in a row

Kyle Korver - nearly 50-50-90

Demarre Carrol - $$$

Tim Hardaway Jr. - Went from being an offensive threat and a joke on defense to being a good defender, but still inconsistent( waiting on next year) Even this year when Al Horford started shooting threes, many people including myself were skeptical, but it has worked out well and he is currently shooting 40% from there.

Alot of people question his decisions, myself included, but now I'm just going to sit back and watch because everything he has done is way better than what I would have come up with. Like in the begining of the year when he traded Kelly Oubre for Tim Hardaway jr, if you think about it, no player from the 15 pick down has done anything this season, and when I heard that the team was going for Devin Booker the whole time, and were able to manufacture a trade that still got them someone of value made me see that Coach Bud knows what he is doing.

Obviouslu he isn't free of crtiticism and he still makes headscratching in game decsions some times, but coaches grow just like players do( as seen above). I have no doubt that Coach Budenholzer is the best thing that has happened to the city of Atlanta regarding pro sports and the only thing holding us back is not having the talent that most other teams have, and i think he will be a huge reason why KD would want to come here.

Love your thought process here and I would say you are completely right on every thing  but KD has to be smart enough to want to come to an actual TEAM over playing with another star talented individual! and that's where the problem comes in at.

Bud is going to go hard after KD perhaps all while trying to keep Horford and Bazemore. But it's up to KD to be smart about his decision and though he has stated that he loves the Spurs system let's not forget that he criticized Leonard calling him good only because of pops system...,it was kind of a jealousy thing sounds like.

[aali34]

50 minutes ago, hawkzlova123 said:

Here's the man himself...

Durant will be a free agent in the offseason.“No matter how many moving parts they have on the team, he always stays consistent with what he does,” Durant said.“Having a coach, a really good coach is probably the most important thing in this league. Because you can have all the great players you want, but if you have someone to orchestrate it, that’s what they have. They’ve got great players, but they also have a great coach to put them in positions that utilizes all their strengths as individuals and make it come together as a team.

List the top5 coaches and pick which wouldDurant rather play for

Gregg Popovich - best coach, but can't afford it

Steve Kerr- Another good coach who cant afford it

Rick Carlisle- Good coach, but Mark Cuban might have ruined any chance they had

Mike Budenholzer- no comment neccesary

Eric Spoelstra- Has shown that he can coach a good team without Lebron, but can they afford KD, a maxed out Whiteside, and Dwade?

Brad Stevens- very good coach and very young, is going to be top 3 for a very long time.

Aside from Popovich and maybe Steve Kerr, I think Coach bud is better than all of them, except for maybe at drawing out of bounds plays late in the game.

[JTB]

Another point is that the Boston Celtics have a great coach as well and even though they aren't as talented as we are they do have good young players along with Isaiah who is now an all star in the eyes of the media. 

So to me Durants best landing spots are Boston and Atlanta or and hopefully this won't happen but golden state. 

Boston runs a very similar system to ours, they have a better team history, and a high draft pick...that doesn't mean Boston can compete instantly but it depends on if durant is willing to wait for that team to improve or not. If kd wants to try to win right off the back he will choose Atlanta or he will go to golden state to be currys robin.

[Hawkmoor]

The fit would be too perfect

Edited May 1, 2016 by Hawkmoor

[Duff_Man]

I really opened this expecting the OP to simply say "On a layover at the airport".

[Guest]

2 hours ago, JTB said:

Another point is that the Boston Celtics have a great coach as well and even though they aren't as talented as we are they do have good young players along with Isaiah who is now an all star in the eyes of the media. 

So to me Durants best landing spots are Boston and Atlanta or and hopefully this won't happen but golden state. 

Boston runs a very similar system to ours, they have a better team history, and a high draft pick...that doesn't mean Boston can compete instantly but it depends on if durant is willing to wait for that team to improve or not. If kd wants to try to win right off the back he will choose Atlanta or he will go to golden state to be currys robin.

BOS is not a good fit.  That's a mirage.  They do not have good young talent and in order to obtain collective talent even on our level, they have to trade that high pick and Thomas.

Remember folks assume BOS's proposal to Durant is that he'd walk into a contender.  That includes moves like trading for Butler and signing Al via free agency.  IOW, BOS has a LONG way to go.

Meanwhile, all we'd have to do is jettison some fringe pieces and re-sign Al.  Big difference.

Coach-wise,  it's a wash at worse.

[Trout7]

It is always comical to watch Hawks fans come up with these scenarios of getting star players to come to Atlanta.  None of these scenarios ever even come close to seeing the light of day. LOL.

Edited May 1, 2016 by Trout7

[TheNorthCydeRises]

1 hour ago, Trout7 said:

It is always comical to watch Hawks fans come up with these scenarios of getting star players to come to Atlanta.  None of these scenarios ever even come close to seeing the light of day. LOL.

Very true.

 

[aali34]

1 hour ago, Trout7 said:

It is always comical to watch Hawks fans come up with these scenarios of getting star players to come to Atlanta.  None of these scenarios ever even come close to seeing the light of day. LOL.

This hawks team isn't like the ones before it. No hawks team ever won 60 games, no hawks team ever had 4 all stars, no other Hawks team in years past has made bench players into starting caliber players that can get 12 mill contracts. Just like you can't compare GSW to the past teams that hadn't won in 40 years, you can't, compare this hawks team to those other ones.

 

[Mdizzle5]

I think there's a good argument on Bud vs Stevens. What he [Stevens] was able to do with less was pretty outstanding. Bud is a bit too stubborn at times to change the game plan. 

 

Which brings me to this: OP said that KD is a fan of Pop but thing is, Bud isnt anywhere near Pop as an overall coach. One day? Maybe but he's gonna have to be more flexible and adapt based on the roster and/or gameplan by game, half or quarter. 

And since Bud isnt Pop... Idk if KD would come. I feel like he'd go to one of the legacy teams if he actually left.

Edited May 1, 2016 by Mdizzle5

[Sothron]

There's as much chances as Kevin Durant playing for the Hawks as there is of my winning the Publisher Clearing House grand prize. These pipe dream threads need to stop. This is not going to happen. And when it does not happen all we'll see is ZOMG HAWKS OWNERSHIP IS BAD!

[TheNorthCydeRises]

You know how you get Durant to ATL?

BEAT CLEVELAND!

Because a superstar like Durant is only going to a team or an area in which he may have an emotional connection to, or to a team who is a legit championship contender, or to one of the historical storied NBA franchises.

That means that Durant is more likely to go to Washington, Golden State, New York, and even Boston, before he sets one foot in Atlanta.

People want the Hawks to attract 1st rate talent, while being a 2nd class team and franchise.  The "game" doesn't work like that.

 

 

[bumpyphish1]

It may not happen, but ATL would be a very sensible choice for KD.  

Only have to worry about beating LeBron to get to the Finals.  We need to show him we're almost to that point and that with him, we could.

[BigDog90]

On 5/1/2016 at 9:02 AM, aali34 said:

Gregg Popovich - best coach, but can't afford it

Steve Kerr- Another good coach who cant afford it

Rick Carlisle- Good coach, but Mark Cuban might have ruined any chance they had

Mike Budenholzer- no comment neccesary

Eric Spoelstra- Has shown that he can coach a good team without Lebron, but can they afford KD, a maxed out Whiteside, and Dwade?

Brad Stevens- very good coach and very young, is going to be top 3 for a very long time.

Aside from Popovich and maybe Steve Kerr, I think Coach bud is better than all of them, except for maybe at drawing out of bounds plays late in the game.

GS can afford KD.  MIA can afford KD, their players always take paycuts. 

[BigDog90]

On 5/1/2016 at 1:34 PM, Trout7 said:

It is always comical to watch Hawks fans come up with these scenarios of getting star players to come to Atlanta.  None of these scenarios ever even come close to seeing the light of day. LOL.

Yeah Atlanta would have to make some moves to impress KD. Teague, Millsap and Horford are nice but it's not like KD is friends with any of the Hawks All-Stars and they aren't young.

[Atlantaholic]

1 hour ago, BigDog90 said:

Yeah Atlanta would have to make some moves to impress KD. Teague, Millsap and Horford are nice but it's not like KD is friends with any of the Hawks All-Stars and they aren't young.

They aren't old either... Teague Millsap and Horf are all plainly in their prime. Let's not forget Durant isn't exactly a young player either, he wants to win NOW.

[Guest]

2 minutes ago, Atlantaholic said:

They aren't old either... Teague Millsap and Horf are all plainly in their prime. Let's not forget Durant isn't exactly a young player either, he wants to win NOW.

True, Durant isn't going to a young team to wait for them to be ready to win at a high level.  That's why I don't seen BOS/WAS as viable landing spots.  They have fancy new pieces but none of them have ever done anything in the playoffs.  And speaking of WAS, if Beal had any sense he'd look to get outta there.  I know a team in their division that has a nice medical staff that could do wonders for him, but I digress.

The thing that hurts us is the lack of history.  It's why I could see MIA being a likely spot for him simply based on Pat Riley's track record.  MIA has some moves to make but that history is a big draw.  They're essentially the new Lakers in that regard.  Guys just feel confident Riley will build a winner.  We have a win-now roster but a few shrewd moves would be needed.  We don't have the track record that inspires confidence that we'll actually make the right moves.

[AHF]

1 minute ago, kg01 said:

And speaking of WAS, if Beal had any sense he'd look to get outta there.  I know a team in their division that has a nice medical staff that could do wonders for him, but I digress.

RFA pretty much ensures that won't happen.