OFFICIAL 2016-17 SEASON PREDICTION THREAD

[sillent]

On 10/22/2016 at 0:14 AM, sturt said:

Having some fun with this...

1. Regular season record = Hawksquawk Master Nostradamus Title 2017

2. Playoff seed # = Tiebreaker A

3. How far we'll go in the playoffs = Tiebreaker B

4. Tiago Splitter season (reg + post) total minutes = Tiebreaker C

================================================================

1. 47-35

2. #5

3. EC Finals

4. 600

1.) 56-24

2.)# 2

3.)Finals

4.) 4.2

[TheNorthCydeRises]

7 hours ago, thecampster said:

I'll be the one to step out there.  Bunch of pansy predictions is what you all have.

62 wins

1 seed

NBA Finals

1100 minutes.

 

Reasoning

Dwight Defense > Horford

Dennis Defense > Teague

Prince, Dwight, Hump (for full year) = greater rebounding, easy put backs

Cleveland lost their Aussie mascot and knee breaker

Cleveland is a year older

Toronto is cold....really cold

God loves us more and finally

Pink Fluffy Unicorns dance on rainbows.

 

You should all be ashamed of yourselves.....predicting win totals in the 40's? 7th seeds?  It is 3 nights to opening night...this is a time for optimism, not realism. Screw you hippies.

I like it.

What I'm looking at, is for the rookies to really crack this rotation and do special things in the 10 - 18 minutes a game they may get after January.  Bud will be forced to reduce the minutes of a guy like Sefolosha and even Korver, to give these kids time.   Don't be surprised if Prince becomes a key cog in the Hawks "small ball" lineup, because he can play the 4, if they run him with Millsap at the 5.

Dwight is Batman.  His presence will immensely help this team play any type of style they want.  Combined with Sap, teams will no longer be able to punk us.

57 - 25

#2 seed

ECF (  7 games . . . Schröder pulls a John Starks,  after having a fantastic playoffs, and goes 2 - 18 FG in Game 7 )

Splitter gets hurt, officially becoming Speedy Claxton, and opens the door for Edy to play spot minutes . . . 642 minutes for Tiago

[lethalweapon3]

Whoops! I miscalculated on the Lethalputer... Here's my final answer...

Not ranked 47, just the number of wins.

While coming down from my earlier prediction sucks a little bit, the good news is that it's accompanied by...

* Getting back the meaningless Southeast Division banner we let Miami borrow last season.

* A #3 seed (Hawks sit atop the fray, but an even bigger logjam that last year, with #3 and #9 separated by just 4 games).

* Tail-whooping of an overhyped sacred cow in the first round (Celtics/Bulls/Knicks, take your pick).

* Maybe a Most Improved Player honor for Dennis.

* A gritty semifinal effort that falls just short in Toronto (this prediction is tentative, based on what shows up at power forward for the Raptors in April)

* Oh, I forgot Tiago's minutes. I'm just gonna Price is Right that thing and go with "Pi".

~lw3

[benhillboy]

I'm trying to cut down on the long-winded posts.  I cant help myself though.

To determine where my Hawks gonna be the whole East has to be taken into account, as well as the 4-26 record the conference will have versus the Warriors and Spurs. Quick glimpse of the rosters:

Al has no toughness around him in the frontcourt.  The only thing he desperately needs.

Does the Nets payroll meet the required salary cap floor?  If so, how?

Hornets roster looks nice until you get to starting 4 and 5.  Geez.

I envy the Bulls' depth at the 4.  Yet, the easiest development to predict this year are Houston setting defense back 40 years and the Bulls locker room being a  zoo under Hoiberg.

LeBron is LeBron, I got egg on my face doubting him last season.  Here's to hoping a very small C corps and even worse backup PG option wears him down.

I'm bullish on the Pistons.  If healthy they can do some damage.

The Pacers have nice C depth, but I don't think Paul George trusts the direction and all their guards average like 6'1".

The Heat, lol.

Milwaukee will be decent as they slowly realize their PG situation isn't gonna work.

Not seeing the hype with the Knicks.  Jennings backing up Rose?  For real?  I can't wait to see both on the floor together for gut-busting laughs.
 
I wouldn't sleep on Orlando.  Vogel should make Payton an even better defender and they go 11 deep.

Where Okafor and Noel are shipped to will be the most interesting thing in Philly with Simmons' injury.  Again, are they spending the cap floor?

The Raptors gotta take a step back after overachieving 2 years straight.  They basically swapped Vasquez and Biyombo for Sullinger.  Net loss.

The Wizards roster is depressing.  Between Wall and Burke, a backboard glass will be shattered from constant bricking.  And how Otto Porter isn't a Kings benchwarmer on a bullet train out the league is beyond me.

So here's my bid:

46-36

3rd seed.

Second round, 6 games.

Not that I care anymore, but 663.

Of course there are dozens of moving parts to every team, but to dumb it down I've always felt Bud's whole campaign was built around Kyle being a True Shooting King, above names like James, Durant, Curry, and Thompson.  The defense even had to compensate for him, strengthening itself.  

If he gets back to that, the sky's the limit and all the chips fall where they're supposed to, even in the face of a signifigant injury or two.  If not, they'll find a way to be dominant defensively but still won't inspire many fans, as evidenced by the precipitous drop in attendance from '14-'15 to '15-'16.  I haven't noticed a buzz around Dwight in the city at all.

It's crazy that the Hawks are getting some nationwide publicity now for being the most unpredictable team in the league, not something you'd exactly associate with Bud and his attention to order and routine. The only two commodities I can bank on are Sap stuffing the sheet and Hump being an above-average utility Big.  I can't hang my hat on anything else, not even Thabo maintaining elite defender status.  It's nerve-racking for sure.  

This is such a work-in-progress, every trip up and down the damn floor is gonna shape our opinion of this team (chat room is gonna be lit as the kids say).  I'm very anxious as I prepare for the worst.  Hawks Fan, here.  Hey.

Edited October 25, 2016 by benhillboy

[High5]

I have a feeling with the new faces and the ups and downs of trying to figure this thing out we're probably going to end up right where we were last season: 48 wins. Maybe that's a hint of pessimism brought on by the Falcons on Sunday (and everything else that has ever happened). Maybe that's not pessimistic enough with some injury and backcourt concerns. Just what I'm feeling right now on opening night for those other stupid teams.

I could honestly go as high as 56 or as low as 42 (so much remains to be seen), but for the sake of this thread I'll stick with 48-34. 4th seed. Competitive 2nd round. 850 minutes.

[sturt]

As it stands for now, here's the tally. Let's say the submission window closes at tip-off Thursday night. Don't miss this chance to gain instant credibility with anything you post for the next year based on your exceptional predictive abilities

(... You believe that, right?)

 

[Peoriabird]

Korver on summer mindset: ‘My best basketball is still to be played’

 

Basketball

By Chris Vivlamore - The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

0



 

Posted: 4:40 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 25, 2016

---

Kyle Korver wasn’t himself.

The fact that the Hawks’ sharpshooter did not perform to his lofty standard last season nagged at him. How long did the somewhat down year bother him? Only “all … summer … long” he said as he dragged out each word for emphasis.

The fix went so far as to involve the installation of a mirror in the garage of his offseason home.

Last summer, Korver spent his offseason recovering from two significant surgeries. His season ended in the Eastern Conference finals when he suffered ligament damage in his right ankle. A month later, he had loose bodies removed from his right elbow.

Instead of his rigorous workout regime, Korver spent his down time in recovery and rehabilitation.

+

Hawks’ Kyle Korver prepares to play the Celtics in Game 5 of an NBA basketball first-round playoff series at Philips Arena ... read more

New season. New Korver.

“I’m in a whole other place,” Korver told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution on Tuesday. “I think with anything in life, when you feel prepared you are ready for it. Last year, I felt like I was working like crazy, but it was just to get back on the court in time for the season to start. We did. But I didn’t feel like me. I felt like I was thinking through things too much. Still trying to put things together even though I was healthy enough to be on the court.”

In 2014-15, Korver shot .492 (221-of-449) from 3-point range. It was the second consecutive season he led the NBA in 3-point percentage. Last season, he shot .398 (158-of-397) from long distance. Korver got better as the season progressed. His 3-point percentage went from .386 before to .423 after the All-Star break. Still, not the norm for the player with the eighth-best career 3-point percentage in NBA history.

“I got to work this summer,” Korver said. “I worked out two and three times a day all summer league. And I feel great. I feel ready and I feel prepared. I operated all summer with the mindset of my best basketball is in front of me. It wasn’t a couple of years ago. My best basketball is still to be played. Whether or not that happens, we’ll see.

“That’s why you play the games. That was my mindset going into the offseason. Fortunately, I had a wife that allowed me to be out of the house that much. I just feel prepared this year. I didn’t necessarily feel that way last year.”

Several Hawks assistants spent the beginning of the summer in California with Korver to set his path. His workouts involved five-day-a-week sessions at the P3 facility. He did six-day-a-week sessions on court with his personal skills coach. And then there was that mirror. Korver installed it to work on his ballhandling skills nearly every day.

“I’m not going to be (point guard) Dennis (Schröder) out there, but I feel a lot more confident about being able to expand my game a little bit and add a few more dribbles here and there,” Korver said.

Korver, who turns 36 this season, played in five of the Hawks’ seven exhibition games this preseason. He shot .586 (17-of-29) from the field and .500 (11-of-22) from 3-point range. He also made all six of his free-throw attempts.

Thabo Sefolosha also spent his last summer recovering from a broken right leg and ligament damage. He and Korver have shown this preseason what can be done in a healthy summer.

“It is amazing to think about how different these last three or four weeks have been for those two guys,” Hawks coach Mike Budenholzer said. “There were times when they couldn’t do a quarter of a first practice. We were constantly monitoring them. I remember they weren’t playing back-to-backs. They are both hard workers and had great summers of training. You can see the fruits of the labor. It’s a big difference.”

Korver enters his 14th NBA season. He is determined to prove that last year was not the beginning of the end of his career and that even better days could be ahead.

“I set a standard for myself in a lot of ways,” Korver said. “It wasn’t a bad year. I feel like under the circumstances I did the best that I could. But it was not the way that I want to play, not the way I want to shoot. …

“With me, I know where my path can go if I work. I see what is still possible for me to incorporate into my game. I love evolving.”

[Watchman]

On 10/22/2016 at 0:14 AM, sturt said:

Having some fun with this...

1. Regular season record = Hawksquawk Master Nostradamus Title 2017

2. Playoff seed # = Tiebreaker A

3. How far we'll go in the playoffs = Tiebreaker B

4. Tiago Splitter season (reg + post) total minutes = Tiebreaker C

================================================================

1. 47-35

2. #5

3. EC Finals

4. 600

1.         50-32

2.         #4

3.        EC Finals

4.        680

[Thomas]

8 minutes ago, Peoriabird said:

Korver on summer mindset: ‘My best basketball is still to be played’

 

Basketball

By Chris Vivlamore - The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

0



 

Posted: 4:40 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 25, 2016

---

Kyle Korver wasn’t himself.

The fact that the Hawks’ sharpshooter did not perform to his lofty standard last season nagged at him. How long did the somewhat down year bother him? Only “all … summer … long” he said as he dragged out each word for emphasis.

The fix went so far as to involve the installation of a mirror in the garage of his offseason home.

Last summer, Korver spent his offseason recovering from two significant surgeries. His season ended in the Eastern Conference finals when he suffered ligament damage in his right ankle. A month later, he had loose bodies removed from his right elbow.

Instead of his rigorous workout regime, Korver spent his down time in recovery and rehabilitation.

+

Hawks’ Kyle Korver prepares to play the Celtics in Game 5 of an NBA basketball first-round playoff series at Philips Arena ... read more

New season. New Korver.

“I’m in a whole other place,” Korver told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution on Tuesday. “I think with anything in life, when you feel prepared you are ready for it. Last year, I felt like I was working like crazy, but it was just to get back on the court in time for the season to start. We did. But I didn’t feel like me. I felt like I was thinking through things too much. Still trying to put things together even though I was healthy enough to be on the court.”

In 2014-15, Korver shot .492 (221-of-449) from 3-point range. It was the second consecutive season he led the NBA in 3-point percentage. Last season, he shot .398 (158-of-397) from long distance. Korver got better as the season progressed. His 3-point percentage went from .386 before to .423 after the All-Star break. Still, not the norm for the player with the eighth-best career 3-point percentage in NBA history.

“I got to work this summer,” Korver said. “I worked out two and three times a day all summer league. And I feel great. I feel ready and I feel prepared. I operated all summer with the mindset of my best basketball is in front of me. It wasn’t a couple of years ago. My best basketball is still to be played. Whether or not that happens, we’ll see.

“That’s why you play the games. That was my mindset going into the offseason. Fortunately, I had a wife that allowed me to be out of the house that much. I just feel prepared this year. I didn’t necessarily feel that way last year.”

Several Hawks assistants spent the beginning of the summer in California with Korver to set his path. His workouts involved five-day-a-week sessions at the P3 facility. He did six-day-a-week sessions on court with his personal skills coach. And then there was that mirror. Korver installed it to work on his ballhandling skills nearly every day.

“I’m not going to be (point guard) Dennis (Schröder) out there, but I feel a lot more confident about being able to expand my game a little bit and add a few more dribbles here and there,” Korver said.

Korver, who turns 36 this season, played in five of the Hawks’ seven exhibition games this preseason. He shot .586 (17-of-29) from the field and .500 (11-of-22) from 3-point range. He also made all six of his free-throw attempts.

Thabo Sefolosha also spent his last summer recovering from a broken right leg and ligament damage. He and Korver have shown this preseason what can be done in a healthy summer.

“It is amazing to think about how different these last three or four weeks have been for those two guys,” Hawks coach Mike Budenholzer said. “There were times when they couldn’t do a quarter of a first practice. We were constantly monitoring them. I remember they weren’t playing back-to-backs. They are both hard workers and had great summers of training. You can see the fruits of the labor. It’s a big difference.”

Korver enters his 14th NBA season. He is determined to prove that last year was not the beginning of the end of his career and that even better days could be ahead.

“I set a standard for myself in a lot of ways,” Korver said. “It wasn’t a bad year. I feel like under the circumstances I did the best that I could. But it was not the way that I want to play, not the way I want to shoot. …

“With me, I know where my path can go if I work. I see what is still possible for me to incorporate into my game. I love evolving.”

Thanks for that article. Its hard not to listen whenever Kyle talks roundball. E.F .Hutton anyone? Expecting he will have more open shots with Dwight onboard and he will do well with that. His coaching future may indeed have to wait awhile. Good for us. 

[sturt]

12 minutes ago, Peoriabird said:

Korver on summer mindset: ‘My best basketball is still to be played’

 

Basketball

By Chris Vivlamore - The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

0



 

Posted: 4:40 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 25, 2016

---

Kyle Korver wasn’t himself.

The fact that the Hawks’ sharpshooter did not perform to his lofty standard last season nagged at him. How long did the somewhat down year bother him? Only “all … summer … long” he said as he dragged out each word for emphasis.

The fix went so far as to involve the installation of a mirror in the garage of his offseason home.

Last summer, Korver spent his offseason recovering from two significant surgeries. His season ended in the Eastern Conference finals when he suffered ligament damage in his right ankle. A month later, he had loose bodies removed from his right elbow.

Instead of his rigorous workout regime, Korver spent his down time in recovery and rehabilitation.

+

Hawks’ Kyle Korver prepares to play the Celtics in Game 5 of an NBA basketball first-round playoff series at Philips Arena ... read more

New season. New Korver.

“I’m in a whole other place,” Korver told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution on Tuesday. “I think with anything in life, when you feel prepared you are ready for it. Last year, I felt like I was working like crazy, but it was just to get back on the court in time for the season to start. We did. But I didn’t feel like me. I felt like I was thinking through things too much. Still trying to put things together even though I was healthy enough to be on the court.”

In 2014-15, Korver shot .492 (221-of-449) from 3-point range. It was the second consecutive season he led the NBA in 3-point percentage. Last season, he shot .398 (158-of-397) from long distance. Korver got better as the season progressed. His 3-point percentage went from .386 before to .423 after the All-Star break. Still, not the norm for the player with the eighth-best career 3-point percentage in NBA history.

“I got to work this summer,” Korver said. “I worked out two and three times a day all summer league. And I feel great. I feel ready and I feel prepared. I operated all summer with the mindset of my best basketball is in front of me. It wasn’t a couple of years ago. My best basketball is still to be played. Whether or not that happens, we’ll see.

“That’s why you play the games. That was my mindset going into the offseason. Fortunately, I had a wife that allowed me to be out of the house that much. I just feel prepared this year. I didn’t necessarily feel that way last year.”

Several Hawks assistants spent the beginning of the summer in California with Korver to set his path. His workouts involved five-day-a-week sessions at the P3 facility. He did six-day-a-week sessions on court with his personal skills coach. And then there was that mirror. Korver installed it to work on his ballhandling skills nearly every day.

“I’m not going to be (point guard) Dennis (Schröder) out there, but I feel a lot more confident about being able to expand my game a little bit and add a few more dribbles here and there,” Korver said.

Korver, who turns 36 this season, played in five of the Hawks’ seven exhibition games this preseason. He shot .586 (17-of-29) from the field and .500 (11-of-22) from 3-point range. He also made all six of his free-throw attempts.

Thabo Sefolosha also spent his last summer recovering from a broken right leg and ligament damage. He and Korver have shown this preseason what can be done in a healthy summer.

“It is amazing to think about how different these last three or four weeks have been for those two guys,” Hawks coach Mike Budenholzer said. “There were times when they couldn’t do a quarter of a first practice. We were constantly monitoring them. I remember they weren’t playing back-to-backs. They are both hard workers and had great summers of training. You can see the fruits of the labor. It’s a big difference.”

Korver enters his 14th NBA season. He is determined to prove that last year was not the beginning of the end of his career and that even better days could be ahead.

“I set a standard for myself in a lot of ways,” Korver said. “It wasn’t a bad year. I feel like under the circumstances I did the best that I could. But it was not the way that I want to play, not the way I want to shoot. …

“With me, I know where my path can go if I work. I see what is still possible for me to incorporate into my game. I love evolving.”

After reading that, I'm ready to bump up my win total by about 10.  ;)

 

[DUrce1]

52-30

3 seed

EC Finals

950 mins

#1 defense

[sturt]

Just now getting around to the final board.

At the moment, @thecampster is putting us all to shame. (Dish me out all that kind of shame you want.)

 

[TheFuzz]

Missed me! I think I predicted 53, let me check...

Also, lol at the two lowest predictions...

[TheFuzz]

On 10/24/2016 at 10:36 PM, TheFuzz said:

Aight, aight.

53-29 (slow start but we start steamrolling towards the end of the season)

2nd seed

ECF in 7

3 minutes. It'll be very sad.

Here we are. I'm still hanging on to that Splitter prediction!

[thecampster]

11 hours ago, sturt said:

Just now getting around to the final board.

At the moment, @thecampster is putting us all to shame. (Dish me out all that kind of shame you want.)

 

Thanks for the props but if Dwight / Dennis or Sap gets hurt....life gets difficult really quick.  For now, I'll stand on top and say Neener neener neener.

[hazer]

Thought I posted my guess, can't find it, maybe it was another thread, lemme jump in here, hope I'm not too late:

 

52-30, 3rd, ECFs, 755

[sturt]

Okay, has this got it?

 

[TheNorthCydeRises]

Dang.  With the new news on Splitter, there's no way he gets to 600 minutes.  Lethalweapon may be right with his prediction of 3 minutes.

[Watchman]

On 10/25/2016 at 5:29 PM, Watchman said:

1.         50-32

2.         #4

3.        EC Finals

4.        680

Change #4 to zero.

[benhillboy]

On 11/13/2016 at 10:50 AM, sturt said:

Okay, has this got it?

 

This chart shows why Hawksquawk is the best, even if our team isn't worthy of such an involved message board right now.  Hots is the front runner (although @NBASupes did have a floor of 38). Let that sink in.  With the schedule only getting tougher let's crown their ass right now lol.  I'm happy/sad to say I'm not too far behind. 

Goddamn, man.  I would usually do a light analysis the first quarter of the season but why go in depth about the picture of mediocrity?  I never felt good about a Dennis/Dwight 1-5 combo and frankly don't care to watch it much more with inept starting wings.  As a Hawks fan I'll just sit back and foolishly wait for things to change (Bud!!!!!!!!!). 

I think more than anything on the floor, Bud has just been overwhelmed with all the job titles.  He's slacking, point blank period.  Castaway players and poor fits haven't stopped him from limiting mistakes and maximizing strengths before.

Edited December 3, 2016 by benhillboy