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He said the P word.......Playoffs for 2020-2021!


JayBirdHawk

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Just now, Buzzard said:

Do you agree with the coach then. Direct quote from Pierce three days ago.

He still does not know where Hunter should play.

https://hoopshype.com/team/atlanta-hawks/

There's no question he's wrong there. I think he's a combo forward in which the work should focus on transitioning him to mainly being a 3. I think he's a 4 in small lineups for matchup purposes, not full time, but a lot of this forum will fully disagree with ANY 4 time, so it's not really worth a serious discussion, period.

I don't think he's a 2, and the argument I've seen about playing him at the 2 earlier this year is silly. He's a 3/4 and I've even seen others describe him as the same.

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17 minutes ago, Lurker said:

There's no question he's wrong there. I think he's a combo forward in which the work should focus on transitioning him to mainly being a 3. I think he's a 4 in small lineups for matchup purposes, not full time, but a lot of this forum will fully disagree with ANY 4 time, so it's not really worth a serious discussion, period.

I don't think he's a 2, and the argument I've seen about playing him at the 2 earlier this year is silly. He's a 3/4 and I've even seen others describe him as the same.

That statement by Pierce is the problem. He is confused about how to play his players.

Does he bench Huerter and play Reddish, Hunter, Collins?

Does he bench Reddish and play Huerter, Hunter, Collins?

Does he bench Hunter and play Huerter, Reddish, Collins?

Does he not bench anyone and play Huerter, Reddish, Hunter, Collins?

Not knowing and being confused is a detriment and I think his lineups and rotations have been a detriment all season. Two very old sayings come to mind.

Lead, follow, or get the hell out of my way.

Do something, even if its wrong.

This young team needs stability every practice and every game. Not mass chaos every other practice and game with a lineup or rotation change. Pierce needs to lead this team and be decisive. This not knowing BS is for the birds.

Edited by Buzzard
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29 minutes ago, macdaddy said:

Young, Heurter, Cam, Hunter, Collins played twice as many minutes as any other 5 man lineup and was a very effective one.   LP knows who the future is.  Y'all just don't like it.

LP does not have the guts or mental awareness to bench Huerter yet. Huerter getting 30 minutes a game as our sharp shooting 6th man is where he needs to be. Reddish being one of our starting defensive stoppers along with Capela is where he needs to be.

There is no such thing as to much talent until you cannot afford to pay them all. LP needs to get unconfused about his lineups and the sooner the better. For our team and his job security.

 

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We will see Young/Reddish/Hunter/Collins/Capela the majority of minutes this year. Huerter will be 6th man. Huerter/Reddish/Hunter small-ball when matchup allows. Pretty clear to me

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1 hour ago, hazer said:

We will see Young/Reddish/Hunter/Collins/Capela the majority of minutes this year. Huerter will be 6th man. Huerter/Reddish/Hunter small-ball when matchup allows. Pretty clear to me

Clear to me as well, on our bench we could have:

Teague, Huerter, Skal, Dedmon, free agent, free agent, draft pick

Travis has to do a good job in free agency because this draft class is iffy at best with the holes we have to fill.

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4 hours ago, Buzzard said:

Clear to me as well, on our bench we could have:

Teague, Huerter, Skal, Dedmon, free agent, free agent, draft pick

Travis has to do a good job in free agency because this draft class is iffy at best with the holes we have to fill.

Teague?

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6 hours ago, hazer said:

We will see Young/Reddish/Hunter/Collins/Capela the majority of minutes this year. Huerter will be 6th man. Huerter/Reddish/Hunter small-ball when matchup allows. Pretty clear to me

Hopefully...

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2 hours ago, terrell said:

Teague?

We need a BU PG and the pickings are slim in free agency. I don't expect he will have to play more than 20 - 25 minutes a night provided Trae stays healthy. I like his experience, he is unselfish ( not about getting his ), and he takes care of the ball pretty well.

Teague will be looked at by other teams; especially playoff contenders who have a MLE to give out. So retaining him is not a lock.

Edited by Buzzard
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  • 5 months later...
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Quote

Dating back to early March, head coach Lloyd Pierce hasn’t been shy about discussing the playoffs for the 2020-21 campaign. While next season will have a delayed start, Huerter didn’t back away from that goal, saying it is actually the “whole focus” of the team.

“I think we’re finally allowed to say publicly, I know Lloyd (Pierce) said it, but our whole focus, as a team, is making the playoffs,” Huerter said. “We looked at definitely some of the teams that were in it from the Eastern Conference this year and I know there’s definitely teams that we think we can jump ahead of going into next year. We’re trying to make the playoffs. That’s really kinda the main focus for us.”

Overall, it certainly wasn’t a surprise to hear a core piece talking about the playoffs but, with a positive tone set up and down the organization during the team’s mini-camp, it is noteworthy to take away a clear and plain goal to reach the postseason in 2021.

“It’s something we’ve talked about, even at the beginning of this training camp,” Huerter said. “A lot of individual stats and individual accolades have to be put aside, and we have to really try to come together as a team. For the most part, we felt like, even though the last three years have been a growing process, a rebuild, whatever you want to call it, we felt in some areas we’ve underachieved... we want to change that around and we want to make the playoffs.”

 

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On 4/9/2020 at 5:03 PM, Buzzard said:

Clear to me as well, on our bench we could have:

Teague, Huerter, Skal, Dedmon, free agent, free agent, draft pick

Travis has to do a good job in free agency because this draft class is iffy at best with the holes we have to fill.

You missed Bruno.  I believe he will be back for another season.  Add draft pick & 1 free agent.

:sun:

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Way-Too-Soon 2020-21 NBA Power Rankings: 

Quote

21. Atlanta Hawks

The Hawks have the third-fewest wins since 2017-18, so some might argue I'm giving credit where it isn't due. But how many other rebuilders have an offensive superpower like Trae Young? And an absurdly productive sidekick like John Collins? And an interior anchor like Clint Capela? And an intriguing collection of young wings, plus the sixth overall pick in the upcoming draft?

That's a long-winded way of saying I'm buying what Atlanta is selling. The Hawks need to keep rebuffing inquiries for Collins, find a way for him to co-exist with Capela, ace the No. 6 pick and further the development of this young core. That's a decent number of ifs, sure, but there isn't an outlandish goal among them.

    https://bleacherreport.com/articles/2912906-way-too-soon-2020-21-nba-power-rankings-are-lakers-just-getting-started

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    Well, dang!

    Hawks told Trae, "Don't panic.  Help is on the way."

    Seems that the Hawks weren't kidding!  We, the doubting fans, can now say, with real feeling, "Playoffs, here we come." 

    Another topic says, "Do you know how hard it's going to be to make the eastern playoffs?"  Yep.  We know.  Having missed out for a while, Hawks missed this past season's bubble playoffs.  Trae said he felt bad about missing out and didn't want that to happen again.  Now, we gotta believe.

    How deep?  Depends on this group of very good players becoming a team.  There is a difference.  Atlanta must now become a team.  Blended together.  Everyone has the other Hawks back.   Striving for the victory.

    We have the parts to build something special.  Here's hoping we do.

    GO ATL HAWKS !!

    :smug:

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    Quote

    Lloyd Pierce suddenly has a roomful of toys. The Hawks, by his own analysis, “hit a home run in free agency.” He has veteran players who won’t require nearly as much direction or hand-holding as he has been accustomed to. He has 3-point shooters, defenders and rim protectors to go with a nice core of recent draft picks. This was a desperately needed successful offseason for a franchise that went 49-100 the past two years and needs to take the next step, free of players’ shoelaces unknowingly having being tied to the desk chair. Expectations are raised. So, it follows, is the focus on the Hawks’ coach.

    Pierce has been admired for being a calming and positive voice during these two rebuilding seasons and for the kind of person he is, as illustrated by his passionate comments on social justice and helping drive the vote in Atlanta. He was the right hire at the right time after Mike Budenholzer bailed one year into the roster kaboom.

    But this season, Pierce is going to be judged on wins and probably whether or not the Hawks make the playoffs. He’s more than OK with that. When asked if his mindset or the way he goes about his job changes this season with more veterans, a deeper roster and elevated expectations, the Hawks’ coach responded: “It’s a really good question, and my simple answer is no. This is a necessary step for us. You weren’t going to draft top-five picks for 10 straight years. You’re going to move forward, and we moved forward...... My job is to make sure we’re more organized and we’re constantly getting better.”

     

    Quote

    But ultimately, this gets back to Pierce. As smart and as likable as he is, now needs to prove he can win. Here’s one illustration of the varying perceptions: He’s listed near the top among two disparate sets of odds. One has him at 12-1 to be the first NBA coach to get fired this season. Another has him at 20-1 to win NBA Coach of the Year honors.....This isn’t the type of thing anybody wants to focus on two weeks before the season. But it’s notable that Pierce signed a contract for three years plus a team option. This is this third year. Owner Tony Ressler committed the funds to make his team a playoff contender. General manager Travis Schlenk orchestrated a seemingly great series of moves. Now it’s up to Pierce to provide validation.

    Winning means quickly pulling together a roster with up to nine new players and amid the complicating factor of a virus that likely will sideline players at various points of the season.

    “We’re going to miss people at times this year,” Pierce said. “But I don’t think that undermines or undercuts our expectations to be as competitive as we can. We didn’t go into free agency to take this next step to not put pressure on ourselves, to not really try to advance. And advancing is postseason. We’re not going to sugarcoat it.”

     

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