With all the rebuilding topics let's think about this....

[ViewsFromTheSquawk]

This is undoubtedly, since the Nique era, the best basketball us Hawks fans have watched. Bud has turned this team into a top 4 candidate and arguably top 2 in the Eastern conference for the forseeable future. With that in mind let's not go nuts with worry about how we're gonna be a finals team now. Instead let's just worry about being the best team in the conference, and work towards that. Because if you ask me we're not that far off. With this in mind tho how would y'all go about dethroning Cleveland? 

[ViewsFromTheSquawk]

My first thought when I watch us play Cleveland is get rid of the timid guys on our squad and the ones who'll eat up cap space for little consistent production. By this I mean Teague,Splitter,Muscala,and even tho I love him to death Bazemore. You find a way to let them guys go in the offseason you have a TON of more cap to go get a guy like Barnes or *Insert Inforcer at Center* that you need to compete better with Lebron an his bunch of goons. 

[Jody23]

38 minutes ago, ViewsFromTheSquawk said:

This is undoubtedly, since the Nique era, the best basketball us Hawks fans have watched. Bud has turned this team into a top 4 candidate and arguably top 2 in the Eastern conference for the forseeable future. With that in mind let's not go nuts with worry about how we're gonna be a finals team now. Instead let's just worry about being the best team in the conference, and work towards that. Because if you ask me we're not that far off. With this in mind tho how would y'all go about dethroning Cleveland? 

No the Hawks are not a top two seed in the Eastern Conference.  They are a mediocre team who's best players are in there 30s and will continue to regress if kept together.

And as far as competing for titles, not to mention being the best team in the conference, it will never happen with the current roster.

[ViewsFromTheSquawk]

24 minutes ago, Jody23 said:

No the Hawks are not a top two seed in the Eastern Conference.  They are a mediocre team who's best players are in there 30s and will continue to regress if kept together.

And as far as competing for titles, not to mention being the best team in the conference, it will never happen with the current roster.

And who exactly would you think is the next team up behind Cleveland. I mean I can see it being Miami, but with Bosh an his health issues and Whiteside possibly leaving we are the next team up. And let's not forget basketball is nothing like football. This isn't a game where guys are done after their 30's we have guys like Tim Duncan,Steve Nash,Dirk,Ray Allen,Zach Randolph,etc. all playing well beyond their 30s. Now granted I can understand us being worried about the ceiling this team has but that's the point about this system and the younger players in it. It brings out the best of them. So we must focus on bringing in some talent even though it might not be elite and making the best of it. 

[AmishBoy]

1 hour ago, ViewsFromTheSquawk said:

With this in mind tho how would y'all go about dethroning Cleveland? 

I need to post this before the game lol.  The more I get out of my feelings the more I actually feel like we are headed in the right direction.  I still believe we need a superstar and upgrades at the wing.  Would be nice if we could get a wing to fill both even at the expense of a lopsided trade. 

The Al Horford max problem may not be a problem at all.  If Al gets the max this year at this cap and the cap goes up the following year by 20 mil, Al's raises don't keep peace.  I'm not a cap expert so don't quote me on this, but if true, by the second year his contract becomes very tradeable, even team friendly.

[Dnice]

2nd place takes turns Indiana, Atlanta, Toronto, they are usually in and out, and somebody else may get in next year.

[Thomas]

Crazy NBA world we will be living in when Al at the age of 35  makes 30 mil and it seems like a bargain. Apparently that is the future norm.

[Hawkmoor]

58 minutes ago, Jody23 said:

No the Hawks are not a top two seed in the Eastern Conference.  They are a mediocre team who's best players are in there 30s and will continue to regress if kept together.

And as far as competing for titles, not to mention being the best team in the conference, it will never happen with the current roster.

I agree. The Hawks were NEVER a 60 win team. The current hot shooting that Cleveland is displaying, the same thing the Hawks did during their winning streak before the allstar break.  A market correction brought them back down to who they really are, which is a 45-50 win team.  They are a solid 4 or 5 seed.   If you go back to the allstar break last year, they are a slightly better than .500 ball club.

Edited May 8, 2016 by Hawkmoor

[ViewsFromTheSquawk]

The first thing we need ASAP is one better wing player. If we could find a way to get Butler from Chicago or sign a guy like Beal we'd be in some major business. It's all about building blocks with this system. It was until just this season that SAS has reached their full potential and that's with Duncan,Parker,and Manu being past their primes. So we must copy that ideology into our team and find those pieces that makes SAS so great. And before y'all say they have superstars I understand that, but that's the thing we have Schröder who has his times where he seems unstoppable and then if you add onto that with a guy like I said above (Beal or Butler) alongside the most versatile bigs in the NBA with one of the best 3 point shooters in NBA history. That's a solid lineup and a massive step in the right direction 

[ViewsFromTheSquawk]

2 minutes ago, Hawkmoor said:

I agree. The Hawks were NEVER a 60 win team. The current hot shooting that Cleveland is displaying, the same thing the Hawks did during their winning streak before the allstar break.  A market correction brought them back down to who they really are, which is a 45-50 win team.  They are a solid 4 or 5 seed.   If you go back to the allstar break last year, they are a slightly better than .500 ball club.

I'm not saying they are a 60 win team. What I am saying is that we are and could easily be a legitimate contender in the east with this roster and a few tweaks to it. 

[Hawkmoor]

1 minute ago, ViewsFromTheSquawk said:

I'm not saying they are a 60 win team. What I am saying is that we are and could easily be a legitimate contender in the east with this roster and a few tweaks to it. 

I agree with that. Problem is, management hasnt been inclined to add to it. I dont believe they will next season either. 

[ViewsFromTheSquawk]

4 minutes ago, Hawkmoor said:

I agree with that. Problem is, management hasnt been inclined to add to it. I dont believe they will next season either. 

One name that comes to mind that I'd love to have is Marcin Gortat. Good scorer, elite when it comes to the pick and roll game, and also is a solid rebounder and paint defender. Idk what Washington is looking for, but if they're looking to start fresh then he'd be a guy I'd love to target that I feel like could be obtained. 

[TrollMaster]

Who cares about the regular season win total. Where did it get the Hawks last year?? I see someone above agrees you need like a Marcin Gortat to bolster your lineup.  Hawks next year with no changes would finish 6-7th in the Eastern Conference. Boston is young and getting better, not to mention they have a CRAP LOAD of picks in the upcoming draft. What Hawks could and should do, is trade Millsap or Holford to Boston for Olynk  and say one of Bostons  4 first round picks this upcoming draft.

Hawks are a great regular season TEAM, but horrible playoff team.

[thescout5]

Playoffs are a whole different animal vs the regular season. The way I look at the East conference someone as to finish 2nd and 3rd etc etc. you could pull the teams out of a hat. Remember also teams like San Antonio, Golden State and Cavs their probably not 100% focused on blowing out the other team the whole game so they let up. I think this happens to the Hawks giving us a false sense the Hawks are not that far off to beating the Cavs for one game out of the series. Laughable at best there needs to be huge improvement to compete and win. Whether management makes moves tells you how dedicated it is to winning championships. My feeling is Hawks management just wants to make the playoffs and make the money teams get. They are satisfied but if your a fan and want championships this doesn't seem to be the team to root for. Since new hawk management as been here a short time we shall see how serious they are to winning and competing for a championship. We get rapped up way to much hoping for our teams to win but management knows what it is doing and could care less what fans think. As long as they make the money that comes with making the playoffs their satisfied.

[TrollMaster]

1 hour ago, ViewsFromTheSquawk said:

Schröder who has his times where he seems unstoppable and then if you add onto that with a guy like I said above (Beal or Butler)

Are you kidding??? He is undersized...a poor outside shooter...bad passer and average defender. TRADE him...get a rookie to fill in as back up to Teague. In all honesty TEAGUE is the only player that the Hawks should keep and the rest need to be moved.

No way Horford deserves max money. TRADE.

Millsap is soft and not even mildly consistent.  TRADE.

Korver is old, one-dimensional. TRADE.

Bazemore a bench player 6 man at best. Go to the gym and work on your shot kid. KEEP/BACKUP

The rest are not even worth mentioning....bench players.

Spend big money on a Free Agent.

So your roster is Teague, Rookie Shooting Guard, Free-Agent, Whoever you get from Millsap/Horford Deal, and someone stepping up from the rest of the bag of balls aka Hawks.

 

 

[Flight]

We should make a run at getting jimmy butler or Paul George. We have to strengthen our wing positions in the same light that the Warriors did tbh. 

[TrollMaster]

4 minutes ago, Flight said:

We should make a run at getting jimmy butler or Paul George.

Are either free agents at the end of this season? If so then it would be a huge upgrade to the Hawks. Indiana is really only a player away from making some noise, Chicago DONE...so you might be able to snaggle Butler away.  Other wise need to just blow the Hawks up, or sit at the back of the draft each year only to make the playoffs and  a series victory here and there.

Hawks remind me of the Dallas Mavericks...just good enough to get there, no where near the talent to contend.

 

 

[Flight]

20 minutes ago, TrollMaster said:

Are either free agents at the end of this season? If so then it would be a huge upgrade to the Hawks. Indiana is really only a player away from making some noise, Chicago DONE...so you might be able to snaggle Butler away.  Other wise need to just blow the Hawks up, or sit at the back of the draft each year only to make the playoffs and  a series victory here and there.

Hawks remind me of the Dallas Mavericks...just good enough to get there, no where near the talent to contend.

 

 

 I don't think so but both could be traded, at this point I'd pay any price lol. 

 

We we also could try our hand in the KD sweepstakes 

[ViewsFromTheSquawk]

24 minutes ago, TrollMaster said:

Are you kidding??? He is undersized...a poor outside shooter...bad passer and average defender. TRADE him...get a rookie to fill in as back up to Teague. In all honesty TEAGUE is the only player that the Hawks should keep and the rest need to be moved.

No way Horford deserves max money. TRADE.

Millsap is soft and not even mildly consistent.  TRADE.

Korver is old, one-dimensional. TRADE.

Bazemore a bench player 6 man at best. Go to the gym and work on your shot kid. KEEP/BACKUP

The rest are not even worth mentioning....bench players.

Spend big money on a Free Agent.

So your roster is Teague, Rookie Shooting Guard, Free-Agent, Whoever you get from Millsap/Horford Deal, and someone stepping up from the rest of the bag of balls aka Hawks.

 

 

Wow man real bummer reading that. Atlanta's must've really tore you a new one in all your years of fandom. But actually you're looking at it from the eyes of a pessimist. Objectively looking at it....

 

Horford is an all star player who multiple teams lined up to get during the trade deadline and I'm sure will bid for in FA. Plus he is only 29. 

 

Millsap is yet another all star and even though he's approaching his later 30's he's still a great starting caliber forward to have on the team. 

 

Korver even though he is old still provides value with his 3 point shooting alone and would be a very solid contributed off the bench as proven vs Cleveland the other night. And don't discredit his defensive ability. He is very solid on that end of the floor. 

 

Baze can be sloppy at times: I completely understand, but if we can bring him back on a reasonable deal would be fine by me because I love the energy he brings. 

 

Another guy I personally like is Scott. He Is a good spark off the bench when it comes to scoring and he's really evolved over time as a solid defender. He's a good piece that I could see contributing for us for a long time as a bench guy. 

 

And lastly Schröder is actually like it or not our most valued player. His youth and ability to take over games with his quickness and scoring ability have been exceptional in many games this season. And in a recent poll with every NBA analysis said that if they could choose any point guard to backup their Favorite NBA teams Dennis was the guy that was most chosen. 

 

 

[ViewsFromTheSquawk]

27 minutes ago, TrollMaster said:

Are either free agents at the end of this season? If so then it would be a huge upgrade to the Hawks. Indiana is really only a player away from making some noise, Chicago DONE...so you might be able to snaggle Butler away.  Other wise need to just blow the Hawks up, or sit at the back of the draft each year only to make the playoffs and  a series victory here and there.

Hawks remind me of the Dallas Mavericks...just good enough to get there, no where near the talent to contend.

 

 

I see us more of a Memphis type of deal. However we could definitely change that "treadmill" role with one wing addition