We Will Be The Next Squad Teams Attempt To Model

[sillent]

I think Schlenk has calculated his moves years in advance and the league has messed up and let us build a young all-star team that's only going to get better for yrs to come. 

Starters by the end of this year or two.

PG Trae Young is a Steve Nash/Steph Curry hybrid.

SG Cam Reddish ceiling so far is very comparable to Paul George

SF DeAndre Hunter ceiling is looking like a Kawhi Leonard/Dennis Rodman hybrid

PF John Collins ceiling could be an Amari Stoudamire/Paul Millsap hybrid

C Damian Jones (harder to compare) but for now I'll go with a younger Dewayne Dedmon who also didn't shoot 3's till he joined us

PG DeAndre Bembry his style is best compared to an old school player. I'm not going to go as far as saying Dr. J but his game & style definitely takes me back

SG Kevin Huerter is a Klay Thompson that is even more multidimensional. (Especially once he gets better on defense)

SF Jabari Parker is a Carmelo Anthony that can play his role & pass the ball.

PF Bruno Fernando reminds me of DeAndre Ayton just a bit smaller & more polished on defense than offense.

C Alex Len is a 3/D & Re big that has gotten a chance to revive his career with us and may eventually become one of the high tier European big man if he continues to improve.

 

I predict a 50 win season this year (even with a slow start) & the league looking at us & taking us serious. I'm not going to go as far to say we may even win a ring for Vince Carter but that should be the goal. I'm sure the teams in L.A will have something to say about that as well as the Bucks & 76ers in our own conference but it would be fun to watch us try.

On top of the core we already have I would not be surprised if Schlenk ended up getting Giannis Antetokounmpo when he becomes a free agent.

If I told you we have a squad with Steve Nash/Steph Curry, Paul George, Kawhi Leonard, Amar'e Stat, George Gervin ish, Klay Thompson, Carmelo Anthony, DeAndre Ayton(#1 pick over Luka, Bagley & Trae) & a good Euro Big it's hard not to see us as an all-star squad in the making.

Giannis Antetokounmpo would be our Kevin Durant making an unfair squad a little more unfair & the closest young squads Kings, Pelicans, Bulls, Magic, Grizzlies aren't really that close when it comes to player comparisons. Sure on paper can always differ from actuality but with most of our squads undeniable talent if the chemistry continues to grow in the right direction the league will have to beware. Mutombo may have a hard time rooting because I can see alot of Hawks vs Nuggets in the finals & a couple of Hawks/Pelicans battles in a couple years.

The rest of the league"s good teams are filled with players already in their primes (Both L.A teams, Warriors, Rockets), young teams still trying to figure it out Suns, Griz, Bulls, Wolves or teams that may be very good but not great like Utah, Boston, Pacers who have good pieces but not enough to have longevity for a 5yr run as they currently stand.

We went from following the Warriors mold(In just a yrs time) to surpassing the build of the Warriors. Get excited Hawks fans & be prepared to root for a team full of bandwagon fans because we will no longer be an underdog. Atleast we'll have some history of the Hawks under our belt & should be able to top the "new" fans when it comes to who's been a fan. Either way let's get ready for new days in Atlanta & I think they will come as early as this yr when we surprise the league by not only making the playoffs but being a high seed with 50 wins!!

 

[NBASupes]

I can't say I agree with everything you wrote but I think we play a lot like Philly with Moreyball 2.0 elements. We just play a lot faster than those two teams for the obvious personnel reasons. 

[Thomas]

7 hours ago, sillent said:

I predict a 50 win season this year (even with a slow start) & the league looking at us & taking us serious. I'm not going to go as far to say we may even win a ring for Vince Carter but that should be the goal. I'm sure the teams in L.A will have something to say about that as well as the Bucks & 76ers in our own conference but it would be fun to watch us try.

Your whole post is very studious there guy. I am not quite that optimistic about the win total part this upcoming season but do believe teams have to notice us when we consistently score over 110 points on them. A ton of pressure on them to score 111 and most teams will seriously struggle with that night in and out. Do believe we will win in the forties somewhere this year. Maybe Vince will be with us in some other capacity when we do take it all, say a trophy about three years from now, more or less. Think VC would definitely enjoy that and also he would be a great addition to our staff. His broadcasting career could easily be started anywhere down the road.

[Peoriabird]

7 hours ago, sillent said:

SF DeAndre Hunter ceiling is looking like a Kawhi Leonard/Dennis Rodman hybrid

PF John Collins ceiling could be an Amari Stoudamire/Paul Millsap hybrid

C Damian Jones (harder to compare) but for now I'll go with a younger Dewayne Dedmon who also didn't shoot 3's till he joined us

 

 

You may have to explain these 3 comparisons because I see no Rodman in Hunter, no Millsap in Collins, No Dedmon in Jones.

[TheNorthCydeRises]

The success of this team will depend on how quickly they can become a better defensive team.  If the projected defensive impact of Hunter, Cam, and Bruno can quickly translate to the pro game, you'll should see this team rapidly improve.   Jones' defensive impact in limited minutes in Golden State, also needs to translate to the Hawks.

Honestly, that's not how the league works, seeing that rookies normally struggle mightily on defense in their first year in the league.  If the rookies have legitimate defensive impacts right away, we may have something here.

 

Then you look at the additions via free agency or trade:

- Evan Turner:  Traditionally a plus defender

- Jabari Parker:  Traditionally a minus defender

- Allen Crabbe:  Traditionally a minus defender

- Chandler Parsons:  Has been a minus defender 4 of the last 5 seasons

- Vince Carter:  Had a bad year last season, but traditionally an even defender

 

The key to EVERYTHING defensively, may be John Collins.  Can he get back to how he was playing defense in his rookie year ( from a rim protection standpoint )?  We honestly need to have Collins start to be an impact defender, if this team is going to rapidly improve.  Can he slow down his man from scoring in bunches?  Can he make game changing defensive plays?  He'll have to start doing that more and more, if the Hawks look to improve on that end of the floor.

Edited September 22, 2019 by TheNorthCydeRises

[hazer]

A lil’ too optimistic for me, but I agree Hawks will make playoffs this year and that we’re creating the “Hawks Model” other teams will be emulating in the future

[enrique]

7 hours ago, Peoriabird said:

You may have to explain these 3 comparisons because I see no Rodman in Hunter, no Millsap in Collins, No Dedmon in Jones.

I will take a stab at the Millsap comparison and assume it is only because Collins added some higher percentage 3s into his arsenal.

I am with you on the Rodman and Demon remarks. 

 

[sillent]

8 hours ago, Peoriabird said:

You may have to explain these 3 comparisons because I see no Rodman in Hunter, no Millsap in Collins, No Dedmon in Jones.

Glad you asked! Hunter has the sort of raw activity, hustle & aggression that Rodman has along with skillsets in the mold of Kawhi.

Millsap is/was fundamental but versatile 3 level scorer & savy defender. Collins has a way to go on the defensive side but his athleticism helps or can help curb or quicken the growth on that end. Also Millsap was solid & dependable meaning we could count on him to do what he does night in & night out.

The Dedmon in Jones is slightly trickier but the Dedmon comparison in a nutshell was more based on Damian Jones being a pleasant surprise. Dedmon joined our squad as kind of a mystery & mainly known for his defense. Once we got to see him in action it was hard not to fall in love with what he brought to the team. Also I'm not sure if Damian will all of a sudden start hitting 3's especially at Dedmon's clip but he will also surprise with his shooting stroke & versatility.

[Diesel]

I love the enthusiasm. 

Just remember.... Defense wins games. 

[Diesel]

Instead of starting a new thread... I'll work here. 

Honestly, we're going to be a team with No Defensive anchor. In fact, I don't know if we have a player that will be better than average on defense.  I know it's a different NBA.  So the question is... can a weakly defensive team make the playoffs??

[sillent]

6 hours ago, TheNorthCydeRises said:

The success of this team will depend on how quickly they can become a better defensive team.  If the projected defensive impact of Hunter, Cam, and Bruno can quickly translate to the pro game, you'll should see this team rapidly improve.   Jones' defensive impact in limited minutes in Golden State, also needs to translate to the Hawks.

Honestly, that's not how the league works, seeing that rookies normally struggle mightily on defense in their first year in the league.  If the rookies have legitimate defensive impacts right away, we may have something here.

 

Then you look at the additions via free agency or trade:

- Evan Turner:  Traditionally a plus defender

- Jabari Parker:  Traditionally a minus defender

- Allen Crabbe:  Traditionally a minus defender

- Chandler Parsons:  Has been a minus defender 4 of the last 5 seasons

- Vince Carter:  Had a bad year last season, but traditionally an even defender

 

The key to EVERYTHING defensively, may be John Collins.  Can he get back to how he was playing defense in his rookie year ( from a rim protection standpoint )?  We honestly need to have Collins start to be an impact defender, if this team is going to rapidly improve.  Can he slow down his man from scoring in bunches?  Can he make game changing defensive plays?  He'll have to start doing that more and more, if the Hawks look to improve on that end of the floor.

I agree with your beginning paragraph completely. In normal circumstances I may have agreed with your complete analysis but I don't think there's anything normal about our current construction. Especially in a "two" year span. Our key rookie didn't come in with the normal demeanor of a rookie even when he was struggling. Most of our young core are ahead of schedule compared to most.

One of our biggest secret weapons has not even come close to unleashing his full potential. Again when I say Schlenk has seen things so far in advance, I mean in every aspect. Coach Lloyd Pierce has yet to implement any of his primary defensive schemes. This alone will increase the collective group as a whole on how they approach the game defensively. Last year we choose youth that had more offensive fire power than defense. This year our main picks still have offensive fire power but are more defensively focused. 

Coach Pierce had the 76ers running on all cylinders defensively the 1st year they returned to the playoffs. A team that consisted of J.J Reddick being a mainstay starter & opponents still not able to capitalize or pick him apart because of the defensive schemes. Robert Covington might've been their best defender at the time although of course Embiid & Simmons could hold their own because of their length.

Point being Trae is our only player that may lack the actual physical capability to be a top notch defender. He can still be an exceptable defender once he learns better schemes.  We have enough fire power up & down the roster to play who is putting forth the best defensive efforts. Our rookies Hunter, Reddish & Fernando are willing defenders but they can also score.

I believe effort will determine playing time this year. That along with some actual defensive schemes from a highly toted defensive coach & we should be able to improve on that end by miles. 

There is a reason coach Pop choose Pierce to be apart of his coaching staff this summer. Insiders have a little more insight than us fans on who's who & what they're actually capable of.. All I'm saying is don't be surprised if we grow leaps & bounds on that end of the floor sooner than later.

[Diesel]

26 minutes ago, sillent said:

I agree with your beginning paragraph completely. In normal circumstances I may have agreed with your complete analysis but I don't think there's anything normal about our current construction. Especially in a "two" year span. Our key rookie didn't come in with the normal demeanor of a rookie even when he was struggling. Most of our young core are ahead of schedule compared to most.

One of our biggest secret weapons has not even come close to unleashing his full potential. Again when I say Schlenk has seen things so far in advance, I mean in every aspect. Coach Lloyd Pierce has yet to implement any of his primary defensive schemes. This alone will increase the collective group as a whole on how they approach the game defensively. Last year we choose youth that had more offensive fire power than defense. This year our main picks still have offensive fire power but are more defensively focused. 

Coach Pierce had the 76ers running on all cylinders defensively the 1st year they returned to the playoffs. A team that consisted of J.J Reddick being a mainstay starter & opponents still not able to capitalize or pick him apart because of the defensive schemes. Robert Covington might've been their best defender at the time although of course Embiid & Simmons could hold their own because of their length.

Point being Trae is our only player that may lack the actual physical capability to be a top notch defender. He can still be an exceptable defender once he learns better schemes.  We have enough fire power up & down the roster to play who is putting forth the best defensive efforts. Our rookies Hunter, Reddish & Fernando are willing defenders but they can also score.

I believe effort will determine playing time this year. That along with some actual defensive schemes from a highly toted defensive coach & we should be able to improve on that end by miles. 

There is a reason coach Pop choose Pierce to be apart of his coaching staff this summer. Insiders have a little more insight than us fans on who's who & what they're actually capable of.. All I'm saying is don't be surprised if we grow leaps & bounds on that end of the floor sooner than later.

Saw that.  

Problem is the 1 and 2 are nondefensive and won't get much better.   That means that when teams want to hurt us, they just load up on our backcourt.  Defensive schemes can help but personnel makes the biggest difference.   I really wanted Trae and Klay for this problem.  

[Peoriabird]

3 hours ago, sillent said:

Glad you asked! Hunter has the sort of raw activity, hustle & aggression that Rodman

The Knock on Hunter in college was that he wasn't aggressive enough.  He isn't a rebounder like Rodman and is way more skilled than Rodman on offense.   Rodman wasn't an outside shooter let alone a 44% shooter from 3. 

Millsap is/was fundamental but versatile 3 level scorer & savy defender. Collins has a way to go on the defensive side but his athleticism helps or can help curb or quicken the growth on that end. Also Millsap was solid & dependable meaning we could count on him to do what he does night in & night out.

Millsap was a below the rim player with great hands and defensive instincts. Collins is the exact opposite.  John is one of the best pick and roll players in the league.  Millsap is an Iso-player 

The Dedmon in Jones is slightly trickier but the Dedmon comparison in a nutshell was more based on Damian Jones being a pleasant surprise. Dedmon joined our squad as kind of a mystery & mainly known for his defense. Once we got to see him in action it was hard not to fall in love with what he brought to the team. Also I'm not sure if Damian will all of a sudden start hitting 3's especially at Dedmon's clip but he will also surprise with his shooting stroke & versatility.

Dedmon is a shooter plain and simple.  He can shoot 3's on the move with the best 3 point shooting centers in the NBA.  Damien Jones has never taken a 3.

 

[AHF]

I don’t see any of the resemblance but Rodman shot more 3’s than Isiah Thomas in the 1991-92 season.

[Peoriabird]

12 minutes ago, AHF said:

I don’t see any of the resemblance but Rodman shot more 3’s than Isiah Thomas in the 1991-92 season.

Rodman was a 23% 3 point shooter for his career. 

[AHF]

3 minutes ago, Peoriabird said:

Rodman was a 23% 3 point shooter for his career. 

Just saying he shot way more 3’s then you’d think during a portion of his career.  The only guy who shot more than him was Joe Dumars that year.  Almost 1 out of 5 shots for him were from 3 over the 92 and 93 seasons.

[Peoriabird]

Just now, AHF said:

Just saying he shot way more 3’s then you’d think during a portion of his career.  The only guy who shot more than him was Joe Dumars that year.

I didn't say he didn't shoot them, I said he wasn't a 44% shooter from 3

[AHF]

2 minutes ago, Peoriabird said:

I didn't say he didn't shoot them, I said he wasn't a 44% shooter from 3

You said he wasn’t an outside shooter as the primary statement and then added the 44% bit as additional commentary. It was a significant part of his game for a few years.

I agree he wasn’t that good at it, though.

[Peoriabird]

1 minute ago, AHF said:

You said he wasn’t an outside shooter and then added the 44% but as additional commentary. It was a significant part of his game for a few years.

I agree he wasn’t that good at it, though.

So 23% shooting from 3 qualifies you as an outside shooter?

[Peoriabird]

I guess Bembry and Evan Turner are outside shooter too!