Official Game Thread: Hawks at Pacers

[TheTruth]

32 minutes ago, terrell said:

Dallas Wins!! 

Don't look now, but they are now 7-8, and Doncic had another pretty good game.

[deester11]

11 hours ago, terrell said:

I knew you'd show up tonight. lol

Like clockwork..Smh.  

In any case, CLP hasn't endured himself at the moment.  I don't know if it's rotation, offense, defense...there are times this system is..no system...and I don't know if he's the best teacher for Trae.  Could be the losing streak talking.  

[TheNorthCydeRises]

13 hours ago, KB21 said:

I seem to remember someone mentioning that the pace they will play at is by design, and what their goal for that pace actually was.  I also remember saying that Trae's poor shot selection would be promoted and not inhibited for the team to achieve its goal this year.

Yep. You did.

And I mentioned how that pace of play resembled how the Denver Nuggets of the late 1980s - early 1990s used to play.  The pace was designed to play to their offensive strengths, but also to mask just how bad defensively they were.

Unfortunately, we lack offensive talented players. Someone pointed out earlier this week that the Hawks only look halfway decent when Trae, Baze, and Taurean are all playing well at the same time.  We'll see if Collins will help this group look a lot better in the coming weeks.

[KB21]

4 minutes ago, TheNorthCydeRises said:

Yep. You did.

And I mentioned how that pace of play resembled how the Denver Nuggets of the late 1980s - early 1990s used to play.  The pace was designed to play to their offensive strengths, but also to mask just how bad defensively they were.

Unfortunately, we lack offensive talented players. Someone pointed out earlier this week that the Hawks only look halfway decent when Trae, Baze, and Taurean are all playing well at the same time.  We'll see if Collins will help this group look a lot better in the coming weeks.

The Hawks pace is actually making their defense worse, because they are giving the opposition more possessions.  If Pierce is a good coach, he will slow their pace down in an attempt to help their defense.  

[TheNorthCydeRises]

14 hours ago, benhillboy said:

We should’ve given up all these wack ass picks for Butler.

 

Or at least got rid of Baze and/or Taurean.

Having Jimmy play in ATL for one year may have helped a guy like Trae out more, than playing alongside both Baze and Taurean.

 

PG - Trae

G - Bembry

F - Butler

F - Collins

C - Len

 

Defensively, that's a much better lineup than anything we can throw out today.  Trae would be the 2nd, possibly even 3rd option in the offense.  Everything would ( or should ) flow through Jimmy, giving him a chance to put up big numbers to attract free agency.  Most of all, it would've protected Trae from feeling that he has to do it all right away.

[benhillboy]

33 minutes ago, KB21 said:

If Pierce is a good coach, he will slow their pace down in an attempt to help their defense.  

If he were he would’ve already known this.

It’s not uncommon for young teams (OKC’s first years) or talent-starved teams (Pop regularly sitting multiple starters a few years ago) to compete nightly in the NBA.  It’s pretty simple.  To paraphrase Brendan Haywood last night, “defense and protecting the ball” cures a host of ills.  Sure it’s easy to say many of these guys have questionable IQs necessary to do these two things consistently but that’s where the coach’s practice skills and teaching come into play.  

Besides defensive rebounding (driven by Prince, Bembry, and Ded) and stealing (driven by Baze, Prince, and Bembry) this team falls flat on both fronts.  Sitting here amazed that Prince is top 3 on our team in both categories.  Vince, Omari, and Huerter seem like the most conscious ball protectors.

[TheNorthCydeRises]

1 hour ago, KB21 said:

The Hawks pace is actually making their defense worse, because they are giving the opposition more possessions.  If Pierce is a good coach, he will slow their pace down in an attempt to help their defense.  

I can agree with this also.  The pace + turnovers are a big driver in the amount of easy baskets our opponents get.

If we had better shot creators on the team, we could pull the air completely out of the ball, and play at a "snails" pace, like Memphis does.  This keeps them in most games, regardless if they have it going offensively or not.

[Lurker]

I'm going to keep pounding on this, but anybody expecting Trae to be good most of this year was kidding themselves. Pretty much every year 1 PG is going to suck out loud and it's not being selective. Remember Schröder's rookie year? People were thinking bust after that year.

It's the year after, and maybe the last half of this year that will tell the truth on him...not 3 years later. You're going to know if he's going to be great sooner rather than later as the good ones at PG are going to take a leap forward in year 2. And I gotta tell the truth, with how high profile the trade swap was, if it turns out that Trae Young actually IS a bust, it's going to probably get Schlenk fired. If Trae Young does not make that leap that I'm talking about in 19/20, I'm going to go ahead and make a call here, Schlenk gets fired in 2021.

[JayBirdHawk]

16 hours ago, terrell said:

Is Trae Young really our "SuperStar" of the future? Or do we find him the next draft?  Im getting worried already. lol. Kid cant throw it in the ocean of late..Im Not jumping ship but damn...

I've already said, the players on the roster are guys we are building with, not around.  All pieces to the puzzle.

[benhillboy]

31 minutes ago, Lurker said:

Pretty much every year 1 PG is going to suck out loud and it's not being selective. Remember Schröder's rookie year? People were thinking bust after that year.

You and @KB21 are too knowledgeable to make these type of blanket statements.  Rookies Brogdon (4 WS), Rose and Steph (5 WS) Simmons (9) and CP3 (10) disagree with you.  All wildly different backgrounds, skill sets, team situations, injury situations, draft spots, college competition, etc etc. so don’t try to explain why each one succeeded (or even worse, didn’t). I’m not feeling these excuses for Trae’s ineptitude.  A #3 pick who led the country in points and assists in the SEC is supposed to ball out the gate, point blank.  Not blaming him of course, he can’t grow longer arms or a gritty edge, I’m looking at Schlenky.  Who has time to hope he develops under a bargain bin coaching staff?

I gotta get off here before I turn into a Nancy lol.  I was just led to believe this kid was a range shooter.  Jokes on me.

[Watchman]

18 hours ago, terrell said:

Is Trae Young really our "SuperStar" of the future? Or do we find him the next draft?  Im getting worried already. lol. Kid cant throw it in the ocean of late..Im Not jumping ship but damn...

Art thou he that should come? or look we for another?

[EazyRoc]

1 hour ago, benhillboy said:

You and @KB21 are too knowledgeable to make these type of blanket statements.  Rookies Brogdon (4 WS), Rose and Steph (5 WS) Simmons (9) and CP3 (10) disagree with you.  All wildly different backgrounds, skill sets, team situations, injury situations, draft spots, college competition, etc etc. so don’t try to explain why each one succeeded (or even worse, didn’t). I’m not feeling these excuses for Trae’s ineptitude.  A #3 pick who led the country in points and assists in the SEC is supposed to ball out the gate, point blank.  Not blaming him of course, he can’t grow longer arms or a gritty edge, I’m looking at Schlenky.  Who has time to hope he develops under a bargain bin coaching staff?

I gotta get off here before I turn into a Nancy lol.  I was just led to believe this kid was a range shooter.  Jokes on me.

15 games in ? This what we’re doing now ? Like every shooter doesn’t have slumps ? Like CP3 didn’t 28% ? 

You cherry pick the few rookie PGs who did well, but what about the many other All Star PGs that didn’t ?

[Gray Mule]

1 hour ago, Watchman said:

Art thou he that should come? or look we for another?

Matthew 11:3

[Watchman]

1 hour ago, Gray Mule said:

Matthew 11:3

Luke 7:19-20 also.

[JayBirdHawk]

 

 

[Dnice]

2 hours ago, Gray Mule said:

Matthew 11:3

I see what you did there, Deacon.. lol

[KB21]

5 hours ago, Lurker said:

I'm going to keep pounding on this, but anybody expecting Trae to be good most of this year was kidding themselves. Pretty much every year 1 PG is going to suck out loud and it's not being selective. Remember Schröder's rookie year? People were thinking bust after that year.

It's the year after, and maybe the last half of this year that will tell the truth on him...not 3 years later. You're going to know if he's going to be great sooner rather than later as the good ones at PG are going to take a leap forward in year 2. And I gotta tell the truth, with how high profile the trade swap was, if it turns out that Trae Young actually IS a bust, it's going to probably get Schlenk fired. If Trae Young does not make that leap that I'm talking about in 19/20, I'm going to go ahead and make a call here, Schlenk gets fired in 2021.

That's going to happen anyway, regardless of how Trae turns out.  This isn't going to end well for Travis.  Tony Ressler will get antsy.  

[Royjr9]

8 hours ago, EazyRoc said:

15 games in ? This what we’re doing now ? Like every shooter doesn’t have slumps ? Like CP3 didn’t 28% ? 

You cherry pick the few rookie PGs who did well, but what about the many other All Star PGs that didn’t ?

It’s funny people are freaking out over Trae and pierce. They both are learning on the job. I thought it was a good job by pierce the other night when he pulled Trae after the two long threes. Teaching moment. That said many of us mentioned that he wasn’t a curry clone.  He’s finding his way and pierce is allowing him to also it’s just 15 games in. 

[Spud2nique]

Tough game but young teams on the road will struggle. Keep fighting and everything will be ok. How do we shoot 35% and only lose by single digits. Throw the tape out. Nice to see John Collins back with 12 points in 12 minutes. Lin had a nice line with 16-4-4. Hopefully we fetch something nice for him come trade time.

GO HAWKS!!! 

[JayBirdHawk]