The cobbled together, stuff we held on to during the playoffs mega super rumor and team direction thread.

[GThawks3]

29 minutes ago, terrell said:

"He deseves better".. 

Hawks fans get so attatched to average players.. Good grief..

Yeah bc average players are averaging close to 19/9 on elite efficiency last 4 years like Collins is. Nba is littered with them.

Edited May 24, 2022 by GThawks3

[GThawks3]

8 hours ago, Diesel said:

That's from NBADraft.Net

That's from SI

LA Times.

 

This might have been his last moments as a Sun...

What do you see?   
It's internal...

 

Here's my thoughts.  He played with the best PG possibly in the History of Basketball.... and so what we saw from him over the last few years is probably the best that we will ever see from him.  We can say the same of Clint when he played with CP3.

Ayton is a great offensive C but nobody talks about his lack of defense.   He's mediocre on defense (at best). 

 

This is not what we need. 

 

 

Ayton is a really good defender. Certainly not average at best.

[REHawksFan]

7 minutes ago, theheroatl said:

Exactly, I'm not attached to any particular player but I believe Trae is a superstar (yeah yeah debatable by main stream media). 

Fans need to decide whether they want to win or like players personally because many times that clashes.

One thing is becoming clear.. we have some injury prone players.

I think you hit on something that is a fair point.  This idea that a fan is more a fan of a player than the team.  I get accused of that with Trae, but I've always been a Hawks fan first.  And if Trae were to leave, I'd still be a Hawks fan and certainly not a fan of whatever team he played for.  For me, I just look at it as until and unless he goes somewhere else, he's a HAWK and he's my superstar.  So I'm going to support him til the very end. 

I'll support the rest of the guys too, but I think it's a normal thing to gravitate to certain players who establish themselves as the face of the organization.  That's Trae. 

As for winning or supporting players, I don't think these two are mutually exclusive.  I want to win while supporting Trae which means creating a roster around Trae that accentuates his strengths and mitigates his weaknesses.    

[Peoriabird]

2 minutes ago, REHawksFan said:

I think you hit on something that is a fair point.  This idea that a fan is more a fan of a player than the team.  I get accused of that with Trae, but I've always been a Hawks fan first.  And if Trae were to leave, I'd still be a Hawks fan and certainly not a fan of whatever team he played for.  For me, I just look at it as until and unless he goes somewhere else, he's a HAWK and he's my superstar.  So I'm going to support him til the very end. 

I'll support the rest of the guys too, but I think it's a normal thing to gravitate to certain players who establish themselves as the face of the organization.  That's Trae. 

As for winning or supporting players, I don't think these two are mutually exclusive.  I want to win while supporting Trae which means creating a roster around Trae that accentuates his strengths and mitigates his weaknesses.    

Homer!

[REHawksFan]

10 minutes ago, Peoriabird said:

Homer!

No argument from me.  I'm a Hawks homer til I die!

If I didn't think Trae could lead the Atlanta Hawks to a NBA title I wouldn't be such a big defender of him.  I just see him as our superstar that isn't going anywhere so I'm going to support him as long as he's here.  And it's up to the FO to put players around him to help get us there.  That's my take.  

[sturt]

33 minutes ago, theheroatl said:

One thing is becoming clear.. we have some injury prone players.

We agree on that much.

And unfortunately for BogBog, with a player option on the horizon after this season, it could very well signal that he'll be moved.

33 minutes ago, theheroatl said:

Fans need to decide whether they want to win or like players personally because many times that clashes.

Yes, that's always a consideration... and it goes both ways... sometimes they have to decide if they want to win, or if they dislike players... am I wrong? There are people who think highly of JC, there are people who don't. But what does the trajectory tell you... what do others w/o any affection for the Hawks say.

Does it tell you anything that JC was among the most popular names being pushed as a desired trade asset by other teams' fans, if not the most popular, prior to his signing his new contract? (It should.)

Does it tell you anything that JC is routinely discussed by national and other teams' media writers as a borderline All-Star? (It should.)

Does it tell you anything that, in terms of trajectory, his current closest contemporary comparison is... well, just see for yourself...

We're not fools to look at JC and see a 24 yr old who is very, very plausibly on the cusp of distinguishing himself in these next 2-3 years as among the NBAs best big men. We could be wrong. We absolutely could be wrong. It's not easy to get to that level, and JC isn't quite there. But few non-Hawks fans... and at least some of us who are... will be all that surprised if he does get that.

 

[georgia]

Check out the Jake Fischer article.    He’s got a clue.    We are a top suitor for Ayton and Lavine (which is all mentioned here)

[georgia]

I mean if we have a group of:

Ayton

Free agent PF

Hunter

Lavine

Trae

Wow!

[Spud2nique]

3 minutes ago, georgia said:

I mean if we have a group of:

Ayton

Free agent PF

Hunter

Lavine

Trae

Wow!

Wow could play PF! 

Edited May 24, 2022 by Spud2nique

[sturt]

On 5/21/2022 at 10:19 AM, NBASupes said:

5.      All of these players have been offered to Atlanta.

Atlantic: Knicks: Evan Fournier, Julius Randle, Sixers: Tobias Harris. Atlanta has some interest in Thybulle but Philly wasn’t interested in Atlanta’s offer. No one from Toronto but they had interest in Capela but nothing to note over. Celtics: Smart was offered to Atlanta before the trade deadline but the price was exceptionally high and they didn’t make an agreement. This was a deal centered around Kevin Huerter. Nets offered Joe Harris and Sharpe for Capela is quickly declined.

Atlantic teams Atlanta had interest in from NBA circles for the summer. Knicks: Fournier. They made serious progress in trade talks for Evan. I am told this is centered around Gallo’s contract. Evan is not the priority fish but he’s one of them. Celtics and Toronto – none. Sixers – Thybulle but Atlanta and Philly are far from Philly’s perceptive. Brooklyn – Atlanta reached out about Ben Simmons. Was told he’s a part of their future. He’s not available right now.

 

Pondering this. And no, I've never been much of a Julius Randle fan.

But, the Knicks have gotten themselves into a pickle. They've committed significant money to a player following his career season, and though his stats remained stout, they irrefutably took a step back this past season.

Do you like what Julius Randle could be to a championship team?... getting minutes at SF, PF and as a small-ball C?... a player with some legitimate defensive chops,.. one with some size and/but who also is a consistent dime maker... a player with some grit and attitude.

I know, I know... but the salary. And not just the salary, but the length of the contract.

 

Then I think of it this way... that's exactly what I've been saying about Ben Simmons... his contract is that of a top-tier player in the league, but most wonder if that's a realistic hope for someone who has always been plagued by shooting woes.

It's not exactly the same, but Julius Randle does check some of the same boxes as Simmons... doesn't guard as many positions, but he does guard multiple ones... doesn't guard as effectively as Simmons, but he's still pretty well regarded... doesn't throw the rock around as proficiently as Simmons, but he makes more and better passes than most who are his size...

 

And as I think about it, then, Randle constitutes a lower-ceiling of production, but also represents a lower-risk, being about 20-25% cheaper. And this is a contract that extends through, for most players, what should be expected to be Randle's prime years... 27-30.

 

And. He's very possibly much more available for a much cheaper price if the general sentiment is accurate that the Knicks FO is now having severe buyer's remorse.

 

"Hi, Scott? Scott Perry? I'm calling for our mutual good friend Travis Schlenk down here in Atlanta. How ya doin?.... Hey, Travis and I've been bouncing a thought around the room, and he dared me to call you up and see what you thought... hope you don't mind... ya see, we hate to lose Gallo, but as you might know, we're having to give that some serious thought just because of the structure of the contract. That $21,450,000 is hard to justify, of course. Think you might be able to relate. That $26,136,000 is probably about as jarring for you. But wanted to gauge your interest in a what-if... what if we were to guarantee all of Gallo's money for this season, and send him to you in exchange for the four-year contract you gave Julius Randle... would you give that some thought? We know it's risky, but as you're aware, we feel like we need to swing for the fences as our young core gets into their mid-20s these next few years, and we're thinking maybe Julius would be a fit for us. Of course, Julius has that trade kicker, as we know, so that would be a deal breaker if he wouldn't waive that... we're prepared to do a straight-up flip of one year of Gallo for four years of Randle. Appreciate your time, Scott. Give it some thought in the next 24, and let us know. Thanks. Take care!"

 

 

[Sothron]

I would sacrifice everyone on this board, myself included, to see the Hawks finally win just one championship. That's all. Just one. I'm not greedy. 

There are no untouchable players on this roster except for Trae. Frankly if we had another top five player offered to us for Trae and it made sense to do it I would trade him out too. But that's pure fantasy land.

[Dean Walker]

 

[NBASupes]

23 minutes ago, Sothron said:

I would sacrifice everyone on this board, myself included, to see the Hawks finally win just one championship. That's all. Just one. I'm not greedy. 

There are no untouchable players on this roster except for Trae. Frankly if we had another top five player offered to us for Trae and it made sense to do it I would trade him out too. But that's pure fantasy land.

I wouldn't sacrifice no one or nothing. This is a skill, team building is a skill and I hope Travis and Landry have the chops to get it done.

[StonedDogs]

3 hours ago, nathan2331 said:

Is this a joke? You just named two guards that haven't even made the playoffs yet. 

No it's not a joke. You guys are in denial. Too caught up with the playoffs. A team that barely made it. Few years ago would have missed it. Garland is 2nd year (all star) who led a team that was top 4 majority of season until injuries. Hawks barely escaped them to even get in. Pistons were led by a rookie who cooked the Hawks and held Trae in check being a last place team. You don't have to build to your teams strengths around them they add attributes to their teammates. Hunter here is talking about he needs touches. Collins complained as well. Reddish complained. Bazemore would drop his head on a Trae 30 footer. 

I'm a huge Hawks fan but you have to be real with yourself. This team is in shambles trying to find the right pieces defensively and offensively play with a liability on defense, shoot first pg. That's not good. You can't win a championship that way. 

Players numbers should go up with a good point guard not down. 

[macdaddy]

I'm hoping for Lavine.   It's interesting to me though that Mitchell is younger, more durable, and been #1 on a proven winner his whole career but everyone likes Lavine better because he's taller.   But i can go with that too but just concerned he'll be another injury prone Hawks wing.  

[StonedDogs]

3 hours ago, JTB said:

Annnnndddd here’s Exhibit B….

 

Buddy you have a Trae Oklahoma avy so I must have offended you in some way. Sorry.

[ShooterSays]

A couple of years ago when there were rumors on the Squawk of a major trade about to happen, I was driving the bus for that player to be Zach LaVine. I'm excited to see that we are pursuing him now. Dude is a bucket. 

I'm not buying that we have to give up a major piece for him in a S&T. Hoping we just have to part with Bogi and fillers/picks to get it done.

If LaVine was our only big splash this offseason, I'm good running it back with Trae/LaVine/Hunter/JC/Cap with OO, Kev, JJ, Wright off the bench. That team is SOLID.

[thecampster]

26 minutes ago, Dean Walker said:

 

The devil is in the details. The claim there is "league sources", meaning not just message boards, rumors, chatter.

 

I always find it interesting when things shared in these threads hit a media source and the usual naysayers and critics turn to crickets.

[theheroatl]

I think a shooting guard that plays above the rim would be a valuable upgrade due to the slashing holes that Trae can create.

Mitchell is a great player that should probably stay on the Jazz like Lillard has stayed with Portland.

LaVine and Ayton on the Hawks next season is probably my top preference. It’s probably the best combination that can happen due to the ridiculous over 2 limitation on rookie max contracts per team as discussed here.
 

Also, to add on… I’m always a hawks team guy first whether it’s Shareef, Josh, Joe, Mookie, Jeff, Kyle, Trae, John, Rasheed (LOL) or the many other faces of the franchise.

Edited May 24, 2022 by theheroatl

[Diesel]

2 hours ago, REHawksFan said:

I think you hit on something that is a fair point.  This idea that a fan is more a fan of a player than the team.  I get accused of that with Trae, but I've always been a Hawks fan first.  And if Trae were to leave, I'd still be a Hawks fan and certainly not a fan of whatever team he played for.  For me, I just look at it as until and unless he goes somewhere else, he's a HAWK and he's my superstar.  So I'm going to support him til the very end. 

I'll support the rest of the guys too, but I think it's a normal thing to gravitate to certain players who establish themselves as the face of the organization.  That's Trae. 

As for winning or supporting players, I don't think these two are mutually exclusive.  I want to win while supporting Trae which means creating a roster around Trae that accentuates his strengths and mitigates his weaknesses.    

This speaks to the Nature of Homers.

When Star players show up, they become "our" Star.

I didn't think about Joe Johnson when he played in Phoenix.. when we picked him up, he became Our Joe..

When he left, he went back to being Iso Joe.