Coach Bud talks Free Agency and Hawks can’t continue to have top free agents ignore them

[Guest]

Quote

Tampering rules prevented Budenholzer on Tuesday from publicly discussing targeted players (and he wouldn’t even if he could). But he agreed to speak in generalities and proceeded to sell Atlanta like a convention planner.

“I can just speak for my three years and I think our organization is in a really good place right now,” he said. “I always think of free agency in terms of keeping your own players first and then hopefully attracting players of significance. But (building) a practice facility, all of the things happening around our team, the way we play, the unselfishness and the way our group gets along, I think people would want to be a part of what we’re doing.”

OK. But in the actual/hypothetical world where the Hawks want the same player (read: Durant) that Oklahoma City, Golden State, San Antonio, Boston and Miami want, what is there to sell about the Hawks?

“Everybody’s going to have choices and every team has something to offer,” Budenholzer said. “It’s never going to be easy. We just feel like we have a hell of a roster and a hell of an opportunity when you look at everything in total. Do we want to get better and do we need to get better? Yes. But when you look at everything, we feel like we’re in a very good situation.

 

Quote

Budenholzer, when asked if Horford has inquired about the team’s summer plans: “It’s important to keep those conversations private. I’ll just say Al’s very interested in being on a winning team and in a winning environment. We’ve always known that. We have similar missions.”

 

http://www.myajc.com/news/sports/basketball/hawks-cant-continue-to-have-top-free-agents-ignore/nrpYC/?icmp=myajc_internallink_megamenu_link

[Jody23]

"We just feel like we have a hell of a roster "-Coach Bud

[Guest]

8 minutes ago, Jody23 said:

"We just feel like we have a hell of a roster "-Coach Bud

He also said

Quote

Do we want to get better and do we need to get better? Yes.

 

[Jody23]

And then followed it up with...

"But when you look at everything, we feel like we’re in a very good situation."

We'll see how this plays out, but if re-upping Horford and Bazemore are the significant moves, then it's going to be a long and dissapointing summer.

[sturt]

I know we haven't won anything yet. And, I don't drink. But I'm still a Bud man. I also think his players really appreciate the environment he has built--and how he has set boundaries in keeping private things private.

[Guest]

2 minutes ago, Jody23 said:

And then followed it up with...

"But when you look at everything, we feel like we’re in a very good situation."

We'll see how this plays out, but if re-upping Horford and Bazemore are the significant moves, then it's going to be a long and dissapointing summer.

Since he's talking free agency, the way  I took it was, we are in  a good situation roster wise to  ADD something to this team

[NBASupes]

I agree with everything he said. We do have a hell of a roster. With the way we played in the 2nd half of the season, 50 wins is very possible with this crew but it's just 50 wins. We need more if we are going to truly contend. We got 23+ million in cap space. We already have 13 men on our roster locked in. We need to get one big move, resign Al and Bazemore back. 

 

If we sign Durant. That's enough. If it's Dwight, we need to move Splitter and Scott to get Bazemore. 

[sturt]

20 minutes ago, Jody23 said:

"We just feel like we have a hell of a roster "-Coach Bud

I get it that you don't want us to re-sign Horford and/or Baze, but face facts.... this team philosophy is what it is. They value continuity and they value player development. It's a free world, you can voice frustration with that. But it's not without some logic.

[Jody23]

10 minutes ago, sturt said:

I get it that you don't want us to re-sign Horford and/or Baze, but face facts.... this team philosophy is what it is. They value continuity and they value player development. It's a free world, you can voice frustration with that. But it's not without some logic.

Never said that I didn't want them re-signed.

[Jody23]

18 minutes ago, JayBirdHawk said:

Since he's talking free agency, the way  I took it was, we are in  a good situation roster wise to  ADD something to this team

After looking at his comment about the current roster, I don't know.  For the sake of seeing this team advance, I hope you're right.  Thanks for posting the article.

[sturt]

Okay. What do  you want, then?

[Guest]

2 minutes ago, Jody23 said:

After looking at his comment about the current roster, I don't know.  For the sake of seeing this team advance, I hope you're right.  Thanks for posting the article.

I'm not sure what Bud is supoosed to say? We don't like our roster?

[cam1218]

26 minutes ago, Jody23 said:

And then followed it up with...

"But when you look at everything, we feel like we’re in a very good situation."

We'll see how this plays out, but if re-upping Horford and Bazemore are the significant moves, then it's going to be a long and dissapointing summer.

When you look at everything (which is the key word)--meaning our cap flexibility, players we can resign, player development, etc. 

[Jody23]

1 minute ago, sturt said:

Okay. What do  you want, then?

My response was to what he said about the current roster.  I fully realize that this team won't be fixed in one off season.

[Thomas]

Well we have been as close to the finals as the Hawks have ever been in Atlanta so I'm giving some latitude to our existing head coach and our philosophy. Happy or not with the PR rhetoric about our core it has been working  better than anything in the past for us. Don't know how we get past LeBron but no one anywhere did this year, including the assumedly undefeateble  Warriors but we keep hating on our FO/staff just the same. They are not our big problem, that is is on the Cavs roster.    

[sturt]

55 minutes ago, Jody23 said:

We'll see how this plays out, but if re-upping Horford and Bazemore are the significant moves, then it's going to be a long and dissapointing summer.

Sorry if I misinterpreted.

[NBASupes]

Resigning Horford means we had a solid off-season NO MATTER WHAT. But just him and Bazemore is just that, solid. We need to have an epic off-season. That means we need to address the SF position unless Bud thinks Bazemore is the SF. We need to address #3 big and we need to address the backup PG. We also need more than anything a superstar. Splitter is a good backup center but he's not a legit #3 NBA big. He's an off the bench solid backup like Zaza was for us. 

Hawks needs: 

1. Superstar

2. Starting SF

3. A legit good #3 big like Pau Gasol, Joakim Noah or Dwight Howard who can play 30-33 MPG. 

4. Of course, a backup PG which shouldn't be for more than the MLE. 

[Germantor]

"I like our core "

[Alex]

Reading between the lines here.  I think it's safe to assume that with Bud's comments we aren't making any splash (again).  They are happy and content with bringing back their own players and somehow expecting the team to get better when they opposite happened this past season.

[Diesel]

Ok...

Let me throw in two cents right here.  I'm surprised nobody has talked about this:

Quote

 Al’s very interested in being on a winning team and in a winning environment.

Let's understand this clearly.  First, I have a few questions for Hawksquawk..

Over the Budcox (even Bud with Ferry) time here... How often did they feel a need to talk to the media about their plans?  Previously in the drafts and in FAcy, the Hawks never made any mention  about how they planned on proceeding and what they needed... right?  They are normally a tightlipped bunch.. right?

Well don't you find it funny that over the past few days we have had the FO leak that they will go after Durant and if that fails D12... and then Bud comes out and talks about our need to bring in FAs... and to say that Al is interested in being on a winning team??

I find it funny that I have heard Al's name circulated saying that he will draw offers from GS, San Antonio, Lakers the Celtics, and the Rockets.

Just imagine...  GS and San Antonio have a better winning environment than us.   Moreover,  The Celtics could possibly shoot the moon and bring in both Durant and Horford.

SO... IS this last talking point offered by the Hawks a way to get us ready for the loss of Horf in Free Agency??