Official Game Thread: Kings at Hawks

[lethalweapon3]

“You know the rules. And so do I!”

 

It’s that season again, and I’m not talking pumpkin spice! This go-round, we’ve got at least one NBA Front Office that ought to be offering an abundance of thanks to the good, giving people at the Atlanta Hawks Basketball Club.

Tom Thibodeau might have been on the outs already, and who knows who else up in Gotham, had he not finally come around to figuring out Cameron Reddish should have a spot somewhere in the starting lineup of the Knickerbockers. Before exiting the lineup due to a groin injury sustained while chasing Steph around a few days ago, Cam was scoring regularly in double-digits (16.5 PPG, 2.3 SPG) while being the defensive rover, when motivated, that we grew accustomed to here in the ATL.

Shortly after his team’s how-the-turn-tables 112-99 loss to the Hawks at MSG, Thibs plugged in Reddish, in lieu of Evan Fournier and Quentin Grimes. The Knicks knocked off Utah and Denver to help secure a winning five-game road trip, charting a path back to .500 territory. Thibs, you’re safe.

Reddish, plus the apparition of Solomon Hill, essentially cost New York Kevin Knox’s expiring rookie deal and a flip-able future Hornets pick. You’re welcome, Leon Rose!

The Celtics’ historically good offensive efficiency is second-to-none… at least once more, after last night… and who knows what record-shattering heights it could have reached with an upright Danilo Gallinari? Sorry, Brad Stevens, we did what we could on our end to have Gallo ripe for the picking. Boston will just have to wrangle with a new top contender for O-Rating, if not much more.

The prior owner of the top-spot in that category arrived in town early this morning, after a tilt last night in Memphis. And, goodness, these Sacramento Kings (117.7 O-Rating, behind the Celts’ 118.2) are over the moon. Light The Beam! And whatnot.

It has been a week since Al Horford’s Celtics offense ran relentlessly roughshod over Atlanta. Now, another familiar face returns to State Farm Arena as the Hawks and Kings square off (7:30 PM Eastern, Bally Sports Southeast and 92.9 FM, NBC Sports Network California).

Kevin Huerter is enjoying a green-light enlightenment under coach Mike Brown’s watch, and neither he nor his new playoff-starved team can escape notice. “He’s playing like Klay, Steph,” effused a fellow Kevin, Mr. Durant, on his Boardroom podcast thingy. “If you’re not a basketball fan and locked in on the league, you gotta watch how Kevin Huerter is shooting the ball right now.” Or even if you are one, I imagine KD was trying to say.

Huerter is giving Sacramento (NBA-high 49.8 team FG%) around 16 PPG, which is swell. But he is getting there while shooting a velvety-smooth 50.0 percent on his threes, an ideal supplement for point guard De’Aaron Fox (career-highs 62.6 FG% and 40.8 3FG%), ex-Pacer All-Star center Domantas Sabonis, and rookie forward Keegan Murray. Thanks in part to the Hawks, Huerter is rivaled only by Cleveland’s Donovan Mitchell (4-for-8 3FGs, Cavs-high +14 vs. ATL in Monday’s 114-102 win) with his positive 6.1 plus/minus average, fourth-highest among any NBA snipers (Mitchell, Curry, Desmond Bane) taking seven or more three-point shots per game.

Being compared to vintage versions of Thompson is precisely what many Hawks fans dreamed about, when envisioning the 2018 mid-first-rounder’s ceiling as a sweet-shooting, high-energy starter alongside draft mate Trae Young. Right now, Klay is probably among the last people Huerter wants to hear about.

Against the woeful Warriors defense on November 7, Huerter managed to find himself open along the left wing for a game-tying shot in the closing seconds. Kloseout Klay fouled Kevin as many times as Lionel Richie loved his lady, yet the referees missed all three contacts. Brown and the Kings would, once again, have to find solace in the league’s subsequent Last Two Minute Report.

The week prior, Tyler Herro made like a Flintstones-car-starter before jumping to hit a game-winner for Miami against the Kings with seconds to spare. “It’s tough being a Sacramento King,” the coach told postgame media in strong disagreement with Mel Brooks, after the Dubs game. “I feel bad, because our guys fought. And they didn’t get an opportunity in overtime.”

The Kings (10-6, coming off last night’s 113-109 win in Memphis, still averaging over 120 PPG) try to impart on their players the importance of keeping dangerous opponents off the three-point line and playing fullcourt for 48 minutes, lest they be subject to playing 5-on-8 against the league’s darlings with game outcomes on the line. That should be a tough task coming off a game last night.

Atlanta’s offense will have to be firing at all cylinders. Sacramento played in October at Golden State one night after losing at home to the Clippers, and while they gave up 130 points, they did hang 125 on the Warriors to make it interesting.

The Kings eventually swooned to 0-4 before this 10-2 run, including a landmark seven-game winning streak. But the team’s other five losses had them held below 115 points in each game. The return of De’Andre Hunter (probable, non-COVID illness) as an extra on-ball defender will aid Atlanta in exploiting what was once intended to be a schedule loss on paper.

Huerter’s addition cost Sacramento a conditional future first-rounder and Justin Holiday. That’s shaping up to be quite the Black Friday sale, although that deal, and even Sabonis (career-high 6.0 APG to go with his double-double average), may not be enough to make folks in Cali’s capital city forget to wonder what life would be like with Tyrese Haliburton still around town.

Much like Huerter, Haliburton is benefitting from a better NBA fit and team-wide commitment. In the spirit of helping fans misremember last season’s Haliburton deal, Kings GM Monte McNair is thankful to the Hawks, who pried Bogdan Bogdanovic (still out, injury recovery) from their grasp back in 2020 to embark on their triumphant return to playoff status.

The NBA’s general managers are freshly tantalized by the talent Atlanta’s Landry Fields and Travis Schlenk may one day part with, on the heels of Huerter and Reddish’s respective rises. The departed Hawks’ successes to-date add value to up-and-coming prospects Onyeka Okongwu, Jalen Johnson, and AJ Griffin.

While the rumors about the Hawks’ ownership growing gun-shy about the luxury tax abound, Fields and Schlenk may look to attach one of the rookie-scale contracts to a John Collins, a Bogi, or a Clint Capela, in hopes of providing Dejounte Murray and Young a steadier, All-Star-quality third-wheel.

We won’t know for a while whether Huerter will cool off, Reddish reverts, or if the Hawks’ front office has sound designs for building the roster to a championship level around their two current All-Stars. But for now, opposing GMs like McNair are grateful for the opportunity to talk turkey with Atlanta, no longer worried if they’re the ones being taken as turkeys at the table.

 

Happy Thanksgiving to You and Yours. Let’s Go Hawks!

~lw3

[Spud2nique]

21 minutes ago, lethalweapon3 said:

on his Boardroom podcast thingy.

 Or whatchamacallit! 

 

22 minutes ago, lethalweapon3 said:

Domantas Sabonis,

One of my fav non Hawks.

 

23 minutes ago, lethalweapon3 said:

yet the referees missed all three contacts.

 Ya that was really bad by the zebras.

 

24 minutes ago, lethalweapon3 said:

“It’s tough being a Sacramento King,”

 

27 minutes ago, lethalweapon3 said:

Onyeka Okongwu, Jalen Johnson, and AJ Griffin.

While the rumors about the Hawks’ ownership growing gun-shy about the luxury tax abound, Fields and Schlenk may look to attach one of the rookie-scale contracts to a John Collins, a Bogi, or a Clint Capela, in hopes of providing Dejounte Murray and Young a steadier, All-Star-quality third-wheel.

 @lethalweapon3 you are a source I know it!!! 

 

28 minutes ago, lethalweapon3 said:

Happy Thanksgiving to You and Yours.

And yours lw3! You are the man. Thanks for the early edition!!!

 

Vegas has Hawks -6

 

GO HAWKS!!!

ps CITY PEACH JERSEYS!!!  

[lethalweapon3]

In Sactown, or in A-Town, he's no stranger to love.

~lw3

[Gray Mule]

As I read this wonderful report, I kept asking myself, "Is this the result of the GM for trades that these two are gone and doing so well?  Or should we blame Nate and his assistants for not being able to bring out the best in these young players?"

Perhaps we can blame the front office.  They made the trades and they hired Nate. 

Seems that, here of late, all the teams that we meet are top NBA teams.  The lowly, door mat, Sacremento Kings of old, are only 1/2 game out of first place in the west.

Hawks have a hard game tonight.  Odds are not in their favor.  We must hope that some Hawk goes off and carries the team.

[Dnice]

Ressler better be in a suite, Kevin gets hot and he goes with a Reggie Miller death stare.. lol

[JTB]

I have a very bad feeling that Huerter is going to destroy us tonight!

doesn’t make it good that we can’t shoot the 3 ball.

 

it may get ugly folks. I typically have a good gut feeling about these things. 
 

Doesn’t  that comment from KD burn your inside???? Especially being that Klay was Huerters comp coming into the nba???

 

 

[StonedDogs]

Durant knows basketball more than Schlenk and Nate. 

Schlenk has more strikeouts than hits 

[marco102]

2 hours ago, StonedDogs said:

Durant knows basketball more than Schlenk and Nate. 

Schlenk has more strikeouts than hits 

Generally everyone does, but list out the strikeouts? 

John Collins - Hit

Trae Young - Hit

Kevin Huerter - Hit

Omari - bust

DeAndre Hunter - remains to be seen, but def not a bust.

Cam Reddish - Not a hit

OO - Hit IMO

Jalen Johnson - remains to be seen

AJ Griffin - Hit so far.

 

Looks like Travis has more hits than busts.

 

[Alf]

I do not have a good feeling about this game at all. Do not think we will get destroyed mind, but can just see Huerter putting up 40 plus and us getting lost in transition if you will on the defensive end again. We have more talent than them, but of course that doesn't always equal into a win.Hopefully Trae finds his shooting touch a bit from behind the arc tonight.

We shall see.

Today is my 36th birthday, so going to a local bar for my party and will be drunk win or lose anyway haha.

[JayBirdHawk]

 

 

[REHawksFan]

5 hours ago, JTB said:

I have a very bad feeling that Huerter is going to destroy us tonight!

doesn’t make it good that we can’t shoot the 3 ball.

 

it may get ugly folks. I typically have a good gut feeling about these things. 
 

Doesn’t  that comment from KD burn your inside???? Especially being that Klay was Huerters comp coming into the nba???

 

 

Who has more 3s tonight?  Hawks or K'Von?  

I'm tempted to say Kev.  Damn I HATE that trade.  

[terrell]

10 hours ago, Gray Mule said:

As I read this wonderful report, I kept asking myself, "Is this the result of the GM for trades that these two are gone and doing so well?  Or should we blame Nate and his assistants for not being able to bring out the best in these young players?"

Perhaps we can blame the front office.  They made the trades and they hired Nate. 

Seems that, here of late, all the teams that we meet are top NBA teams.  The lowly, door mat, Sacremento Kings of old, are only 1/2 game out of first place in the west.

Hawks have a hard game tonight.  Odds are not in their favor.  We must hope that some Hawk goes off and carries the team.

We need an offense that uses more player movement, and lots of off ball screening to free cutters for Trae to find. To do less than this is, in my view,  is wasting Trae's best talent.

 

Lots of folks compared him to Steve Nash, but Nash had cutters. I don't get all the standing still on offense.

Edited November 23, 2022 by terrell

[terrell]

1 hour ago, REHawksFan said:

Who has more 3s tonight?  Hawks or K'Von?  

I'm tempted to say Kev.  Damn I HATE that trade.  

Prediction. Huerter scores 14 or fewer tonight.

[MarylandHawk]

6 hours ago, StonedDogs said:

Durant knows basketball more than Schlenk and Nate. 

Schlenk has more strikeouts than hits 

Yeah that’s why he is a great defacto GM. 

[Spud2nique]

Hawks by 15 in 2K.

Collins kicks a$$ !!!

OO breaks out

Trae was Trae.

Oh ya, and DM had 42.

[terrell]

Who do we hide Trae on tonight defensively?

Fox? Hell no. He's all yours DJM. Good luck.....

Huerter? 

Murrray?

Barnes?

 

3 minutes ago, Spud2nique said:

Hawks by 15 in 2K.

Collins kicks a$$ !!!

OO breaks out

Trae was Trae.

Oh ya, and DM had 42.

That would be sweet...

[terrell]

Hopefully Ressler/Sclenk are in the lockeroom telling the players that we'll never hear the end of this if Huerter goes off and they win..... lol

Edited November 23, 2022 by terrell

[JayBirdHawk]

 

 

[Guest]

44 minutes ago, Spud2nique said:

Hawks by 15 in 2K.

Collins kicks a$$ !!!

OO breaks out

Trae was Trae.

Oh ya, and DM had 42.

Just curious... what is your record against the Hawks actual record in these games?
No agenda, just kinda' wondering how your game compares to the real games.
Thanks. 

[terrell]

Hawks need to be 12-7 after Friday.. No excuses.. Lets go!