The Mega Super Rumor Thread (Part 2)

[nathan2331]

Just now, GameTime said:

In all seriously though that is why the trade up for Daniels makes no sense to me. While he is a really good technical defender similar to Hunter, he lacks that goon in him. Eason and Sochan more fit that "Ivan the Terrible" mold.

We shouldn't be looking for goons in the lottery. We can get that guy in free agency.

[kg01]

2 minutes ago, nathan2331 said:

We shouldn't be looking for goons in the lottery. We can get that guy in free agency.

Or from the bus station. 

[thecampster]

11 minutes ago, KB21 said:

I can't imagine 16 and future assets getting a "big fish".  

Oh no...that was "added to player(s)".

[sturt]

32 minutes ago, thecampster said:

kept getting a "we don't talk about fight club" answer

That's going in my "fun phrases" portfolio immediately for future use. hehe

[GameTime]

8 minutes ago, thecampster said:

Oh no...that was "added to player(s)".

[theheroatl]

Random thought.. Pursuing Ayton over Gobert to stay on Trae’s timeline? Maybe it’s a top-3 factor in potential trades.

Edited June 22, 2022 by theheroatl

[JTB]

@thecampster latest post explains why we just saw rumors about the hawks interested in PJ Tucker.

actually explains it a lot and it wasn’t hard to see that this team doesn’t have any grit in them. Completely different from last season.

[KB21]

1 minute ago, theheroatl said:

Random thought.. Pursuing Ayton over Gobert to stay on Trae’s timeline?

Better fit offensively.  Ayton can space the floor.  Gobert is an around the rim guy only.

[theheroatl]

3 minutes ago, JTB said:

@thecampster latest post explains why we just saw rumors about the hawks interested in PJ Tucker.

actually explains it a lot and it wasn’t hard to see that this team doesn’t have any grit in them. Completely different from last season.

Tucker’s agent linking him to every playoff team to con some desperate team to spend more than MLE deal on him

[Diesel]

 

Travis is Calling!!

[sturt]

37 minutes ago, thecampster said:

The general feeling is the team played soft, played scared. That is the driving force behind their offseason plan. To get tougher.

First reaction:

I believe I launched a thread in this vein, calling for more Dieng minutes, knowing Gorgui had had a history of not putting up with crap. But really, it's true, it's not enough to have him or a Solo, you really need to have that personality on the floor somewhere with regularity if not constantly.

Second reaction:

Cowboys fans like me really get it. This is groundhog day stuff. The 49er game reportedly left everyone in The Star from Jerry down to the waterboys believing the team got manhandled, and something had to be done to get some attitude on the roster.

 

[Diesel]

 

Mr. Portis,   Travis would like a word...

[Sothron]

42 minutes ago, thecampster said:

Breaking some radio silence on something you've heard some of us talking about.

 

On June 9th I bounced the following off the other insiders in the insider thread. I was on a strict don't talk about this publicly until the draft but I don't see the point in holding it any further.  My post to the other guys on June 9th, slightly truncated.

"

Just had a very interesting conversation that I thought I'd bounce off of you guys. It is quite possible that anything we've heard, anything you are hearing in the media is false right now.

I talked with the old source who is still being fed info even though he's out of his old job but that info is now 2nd/3rd hand.  He states the Hawks are engaged in a major obfuscation campaign right now in order to hide their actual offseason activities. Per my guy, the org has been more active than in any other year past in spreading false information. Per the source, they do have a major fish lined up and they don't want anything to ruin it. So they and their partners are actively pushing false narratives out through their media leak partners and even unaware journalists. Even he isn't aware who the big fish is.  Says its being kept very hush hush. Closed door phone calls only. 

My guy says it could drop around draft night and would involve 16 and future assets. I spoke with my only remaining full time source by chat who said, no...nuh uh...oh man that would make some sense and asked if he could get back to me. That was a while ago, no word. He went from "no way" to "holy crap" in about 8 prolonged seconds..... There might be something secret brewing."

 

This was back on June 9th and discussions were had. I won't speak for the other guys.  I tried checking in with whoever I could talk to over the ensuring days, every few days and kept getting a "we don't talk about fight club" answer.  Up until June 9th, the only "big fish" we'd heard about were either Gobert or Ayton and something that had legs for a day or two about Simmons.  The Hawks had continued to push the idea they were looking for a trade partner for Gallo so they didn't have to waive him. There was no other noise coming out of the org, just the constant dribble of rumors about swapping Clint for another big man.

A week+ in to this, Travis went on the radio and stated we weren't making wholesale changes, everything was overblown. There was really no reason to say this publicly and immediately there after, the rumors about JC began to surface.  My guy (guys) stopped returning calls until the primary guy today (not the guy feeding me this) when he said, something will drop tonight, I don't have details (stated earlier today). Since June 9th, he's confirmed something is up but hasn't brought forward anything new.

 

In my years of being on the board and for many years hoarding info only for myself, I've never been shut out of info like this or been told something secret squirrel is going on for this long without details.

 

One thing I gleaned, the desire to move on from JC is mutual but not combative or beyond repair.  JC's fit with Clint is easily questioned but the proposed trades are mostly centered around John's desire to be in a more mature situation and the Hawks regretting all of the spending last year. The team was in a rebuilding phase since John arrived. Its been more unstable than he's comfortable with. The Hawks feel hamstrung. John is the 2nd highest paid player on the team, holds the most trade value and is arguably the easiest to replace with a free agent (like Portis), a year more of Gallo or a move to JJ. Neither party is happy with the potential split but both feel it may be the easiest path to their goals.  Both would be happy if he doesn't move on by Thursday. It would be the least happy divorce in history. John loves Atlanta, Atlanta loves John. Its a matter of fit from both perspectives. It isn't a sure thing he's moved. They've shopped him aggressively to gauge his value against what they've already been offered for him.

 

The original thinking was the best way to keep John was to pair him with a different center. That is no longer the only path forward.

 

One thing driving the Hawks thinking is the Miami series. Its not that they lost but a number of things that happened in that series outlined below.

1. Trae being grabbed, manhandled by Butler.  Nobody got in Butler's face. Hunter stepped in and separated them, pushed them both back but went straight at Trae talking to him.  Bogi and Gallo meandered about but nobody got in Butler's face. What I'm being told is team executives, ownership watched that over and over and that no one took the tech to give Butler a shove, take the heat from the Heat bothered them and questioned their team psychological makeup. Mentioned was the shoulder chuck given by Solo the previous year to Taj. We lacked that moment.

2. The dirty play of the Heat targeting Young and Hunter repeatedly in the series was a further focus of the lack of an enforcer on the floor. Remembering that Clint was out the first 3 games and JC was hurt throughout the series. The lack of both a star who could bait a call and a goon to give a hard foul. Leadership has talked about the psychology of winning a championship and the effect the goon tactics of Draymond Green had for GS. They're aware.

3. That the Hawks 3 point shooters clenched during the Miami series was on notice. Leadership noticed the lack of clutch.

 

The general feeling is the team played soft, played scared. That is the driving force behind their offseason plan. To get tougher.

 

I can confirm this was in the insider thread. I do not have the okay to say more than that.

[Spud2nique]

1 hour ago, Wretch said:

Careful now...that's how rumors get started.

 

Honestly I am stereotyping based off his build. I feel like he’s gonna bull in china shop foos but passing and IQ lack. I’m kidding from what I’ve heard he’s the next @kg01 fav player Ja! 

[sturt]

33 minutes ago, Q45T said:

Damn don’t wanna see Collins go… he sacrificed a lot for this franchise but it’s a business so

Not sure that was the right takeaway... but maybe I'm just reading what I wanted to read... seemed at the end @thecampster left us with reason to believe there is another alternative that's been explored that allows JC to stay on... this is what I'm referencing...

 

45 minutes ago, thecampster said:

The original thinking was the best way to keep John was to pair him with a different center. That is no longer the only path forward.

 

[kg01]

3 minutes ago, Sothron said:

I can confirm this was in the insider thread. I do not have the okay to say more than that.

Good enough?

[sturt]

3 minutes ago, Sothron said:

I can confirm this was in the insider thread. I do not have the okay to say more than that.

I'm just glad Glenn Greenwald isn't a Hawks fan.... or is he.

[kg01]

4 minutes ago, Spud2nique said:

Honestly I am stereotyping based off his build. I feel like he’s gonna bull in china shop foos but passing and IQ lack. I’m kidding from what I’ve heard he’s the next @kg01 fav player Ja! 

Aye ... keep callin me a Morant fan and ....

[Spud2nique]

8 minutes ago, Diesel said:

 

Mr. Portis,   Travis would like a word...

I was kidding about us landing him but who the hell knows now  

Just now, kg01 said:

Aye ... keep callin me a Morant fan and ....

Leggggooooo aaaaaaa spuuuudddd

[REHawksFan]

7 minutes ago, Sothron said:

I can confirm this was in the insider thread. I do not have the okay to say more than that.

Curious if you can answer this.. 

IF the Hawks get whomever they are targeting with this plan, would YOU consider them to be contender status going into next season?