Early (but not too early) 2023 off-season wishlist

[AHF]

5 minutes ago, JayBirdHawk said:

Me?  I think you meant AHF.

If I am answering, the biggest reason I might not do it as a free agent is if it means that Quin would bench AJ next year.  I believe in that kid and think he has a special future ahead of him.  

But if we did a deal, for example, like Murray and JC and a first for some star player then I'd be up for signing Brooks as a free agent for the reasons I stated above.  

[REHawksFan]

18 minutes ago, JayBirdHawk said:

Me?  I think you meant AHF.

I thought you said NO in the Diesel thread when he proposed Hunter for Brooks and a 1st.    

[JayBirdHawk]

6 minutes ago, REHawksFan said:

I thought you said NO in the Diesel thread when he proposed Hunter for Brooks and a 1st.    

I said no...I didn't say anything regarding FAcy, I just listed the CBA MLE values.

[JayBirdHawk]

32 minutes ago, REHawksFan said:

You said NO to a trade for Brooks, would you still say NO to signing him as a FA?  Was it the cost or the player that you were against?  Just curious. I think the Hawks would benefit from that type of player.  Ya know, like these dudes....

 

 

 

 

These dudes backed up their toughness, then faced the music (they didn't run and hide) and most importantly UNDERTSOOD THEIR ROLE!

[AHF]

2 minutes ago, JayBirdHawk said:

These dudes backed up their toughness, then faced the music (they didn't run and hide) and most importantly UNDERTSOOD THEIR ROLE!

Brooks is someone you would absolutely have to meet with and feel out before making an offer.  You do not want to sign him with him thinking he will be scoring 20 ppg and then ask him to play a role that will have him giving you 24 minutes of tough D and around 10 a game.

[REHawksFan]

42 minutes ago, JayBirdHawk said:

I said no...I didn't say anything regarding FAcy, I just listed the CBA MLE values.

I know.  And then I asked if your NO was due to the trade or the player.  As in, would you welcome Brooks in FA or do you not want him on the Hawks at all?  I was just trying to gauge the 'why' of you saying no to the trade.   

[JayBirdHawk]

 

Agree or Disagree:

 

1. Convincing Themselves the Roster is Fine

2. Not Trading John Collins

3. Fracturing the Quin Snyder and Trae Young Relationship

4. Breaking up Trae Young and Dejounte Murray

5. Not Acquiring Defensive-Minded Free Agents

[AHF]

12 minutes ago, JayBirdHawk said:

 

Agree or Disagree:

 

1. Convincing Themselves the Roster is Fine

2. Not Trading John Collins

3. Fracturing the Quin Snyder and Trae Young Relationship

4. Breaking up Trae Young and Dejounte Murray

5. Not Acquiring Defensive-Minded Free Agents

1 - Correct.

2 - Depends on the trade.  There are trades that would be worse than nothing.

3 - Agree.  100%.  Their relationship needs to be fantastic.  Buy in from Trae and turn him into a better player on a better team.

4 - It depends why you do it.  I assume if they break them up it will be to bring in a stud.  So depends on the deal.  I do wonder if they can work as a defensive pair.  DM's size and on-ball defense was more of a problem than I expected and I do think that a plus perimeter shooter could be a better fit on offense if it is a player who is capable of self-creating.  So I don't think this is necessarily something to avoid.

 

[Final_quest]

Agree or Disagree:

 

1. Convincing Themselves the Roster is Fine

2. Not Trading John Collins

3. Fracturing the Quin Snyder and Trae Young Relationship

4. Breaking up Trae Young and Dejounte Murray

5. Not Acquiring Defensive-Minded Free Agents

**************************************************

1. Agree, and I don't think the FO wants to run it back anyways.  

2. I see scenarios where it makes sense to keep Collins.  His value is at an all time low for one.

3. I think any disagreements between Snyder and Trae are media hype.  

4. It seems like Snyder wants to run with both Trae and DJM so they will stay together for now.  

5. You get the best players you can on the free agent market.  Bey improved our team significantly and he's not a defensive guy.  

[JayBirdHawk]

 

 

[Wretch]

19 hours ago, JayBirdHawk said:

 

Agree or Disagree:

 

1. Convincing Themselves the Roster is Fine

2. Not Trading John Collins

3. Fracturing the Quin Snyder and Trae Young Relationship

4. Breaking up Trae Young and Dejounte Murray

5. Not Acquiring Defensive-Minded Free Agents

1. Convincing Themselves the Roster is Fine
Agreed.  It's never ok to sit on your hands.  Some form of change is always going to happen, even if it's only minor/incremental.  A first round loss though...means we have work to do with this roster.

2. Not Trading John Collins
Neutral. I am a Collins fan and there is only one thing more pressing than getting decent shooters around Trae.  That is cleaning up our front court.  Period.  We can't hope, year after year that somehow Collins/Capela is going to work.  They are both really good guys and outstanding supporting players in their own right.  I hate it, but they are not the ideal fit together - now throw OO in there for more rim-running, non-stretch, redundancy.  This. Must. Be. Solved. 

3. Fracturing the Quin Snyder and Trae Young Relationship
Agreed.  This is a given and if I'm 100% honest, this is on Trae.  We know Snyder can coach and we know what this team needs to compete.  As long as we have the coach and the supporting players around him, it's up to Trae to buy in.  It's a partnership for sure, but Quin is good and he was brought here for a reason.  We have to "let him cook" as the kids say today.

4. Breaking up Trae Young and Dejounte Murray
Neutral.  Murray can't be our 1B starting SG and shoot 34% from 3.  We need player movement, ball movement, and Murray must improve his 3 point shooting for them to work.  They are not a great fit if we create the same kind of problem our front court has.  Murray and Trae need better synergy and it starts with his shot.

5. Not Acquiring Defensive-Minded Free Agents
Disagree.  We have to stop crying about defense.  Yeah.  We get it.  Teams have to play good defense.  We need to be focused on our commitment to playing better defense.  A narrowly focused search for defensive minded free agents isn't a priority. This is just a holdover from our days without a star trying to figure out "the one thing" that's going to make us a contenders.  It's not just defense.  It's not just offense.  It's not just coaching.  It's not just bench depth.  It's a mixture of these things combined with a core of All-NBA caliber talent operating at peak efficiency.

[HawkingAwesome]

Would you trade trae clint and john for Giannis and whoever makes the money work? That would leave devonta aj jj perogi and okongwu 

Would you trade trae clint and john for Giannis and whoever makes the money work? That would leave devonta aj jj perogi and okongwu 

[Diesel]

You have roamed into my question of the day terroritory.  It was actually my next question so I will ask it here... Open Ended to anybody with an opinion so I guess that's everybody. 

 

Does management consider how Trae feels about DJ when they will and deal during the offseason?

So let's go with the notion that this is Trae's team.  He has the name and game that rings out.   Last year, we went out and got DJ.   Maybe that was Travis' call.   Trae was excited for the pairing.   It was so heavily Trae influenced that some believed that Trae had major say in how the team moves.   But now we believe that he doesn't.   SO the big question is... with his value being probably as high as it will get, do the FO considers how Trae feels about DJ or any other player as we wheel and deal or do they capitalize on value?  And where does Quin's say fall in all of this?

 

[Final_quest]

5 minutes ago, Diesel said:

You have roamed into my question of the day terroritory.  It was actually my next question so I will ask it here... Open Ended to anybody with an opinion so I guess that's everybody. 

 

Does management consider how Trae feels about DJ when they will and deal during the offseason?

So let's go with the notion that this is Trae's team.  He has the name and game that rings out.   Last year, we went out and got DJ.   Maybe that was Travis' call.   Trae was excited for the pairing.   It was so heavily Trae influenced that some believed that Trae had major say in how the team moves.   But now we believe that he doesn't.   SO the big question is... with his value being probably as high as it will get, do the FO considers how Trae feels about DJ or any other player as we wheel and deal or do they capitalize on value?  And where does Quin's say fall in all of this?

 

I think they are gonna stick with Murray a bit longer.  He is talented.  He was scoring 40 points a couple times, and I remember hearing Quin likes him.  The only way we move him is if a bigger talent becomes available.  Personally I've cooled on the Murray and Trae pairing, but there is still a lot to like with them.  

[Spud2nique]

6 hours ago, JayBirdHawk said:

 

 

@kg01 and @marco102 loved that dude while I thought he would bust off the face of the universe.  #confusingfolkscuzujustdontgiveafckanymore

 

[sturt]

On 5/4/2023 at 4:11 PM, JayBirdHawk said:

Agree or Disagree:

 

1. Convincing Themselves the Roster is in Need of Significant Change

It almost never happens that 15 players return from one year to the next.

So, it's not a question of "convincing themselves the roster is fine," but a question of degrees... how fine is it... or... how badly in need of significant change is it?

 

I start here.

I'm not going to give a rat's anus what any given fan believes, including those whose opinions are so very compelling that they write for a blogger site for minimal if any pay.

I'm going to be satisfied this off-season with any degree of change that Quin Snyder considers important to make. Period, end of sentence.

My confidence in his diagnosis/prognosis is far greater than my confidence in Tyler Hurst, any other Soaring writer, any of you reading this, and even... yes... even my confidence in me.

 

That said, if our head coach decides to make no major changes, this might be why... my completely unpopular post from a week or so ago...

 

--------------------------------

I did the math with a little help from Excel.

Comparing the first 8 players in the BOS rotation with the first 8 for ATL, BOS is older by an average of slightly more than 2 years of age (804 days).

When we remove their oldest and our oldest from that equation, they're older by a margin of slightly less than 2 years of age (636 days).

When we remove their two oldest and ours, they're still older by a margin of slightly less than 2 years of age (655 days).

 

Whatever you think of your Hawks today... they're two years behind what they will be.

And two years ago, where was BOS?

They were sitting at home, feeling like underachievers, and watching your Hawks go to war against the eventual NBA champions from MIL.

 

I'm one of those who believe chemistry/continuity is, more typically than not, underrated by fans--ours or anyone else's. It's less important in Manfredball (what used to be "baseball") or football because basketball is a game of continuous movement... ballet on hardwood, as it's sometimes called.

I'm one of those who also believe that maturity is, more typically than not, underrated by fans--ours or anyone else's. And that's pretty much a constant of professional sports. Theoretically if you could magically endow a random selection of 40 year-old NBA players with the physical bodies of 20 year-olds, and played them in a series against a random selection of 28 year-olds (ie, the average age of BOS' first 8), the 40 year-olds would win the vast majority of games b/c of their wisdom and experience.

 

All that to say, I've watched all the exit interviews, and it's my perception that this team is mentally poised to take a significant jump next season.

Look. No one can argue that the 2022-23 season has been a season of significant upheaval and complication in ATL: (1) Injecting a new key element into the starting line-up, (2) missing a key element on the bench for the first 1/3 of the season, and (3) relying on substantial youth on the bench with not one, not two, but three 2nd unit players who, in an earlier generation, would have still been playing at USC or Duke.

Oh yeah. Add to that changes in the lead dog of basketball ops office.

Oh yeah. Add to that change in the head coach office.

 

The analogy that comes to mind is that there's been a hard rain that beat up what we've planted... but having endured that now and with some sunny days and relative calm for awhile, and in light of recent results showing some spunk and some whiff of reason for swagger...

the futures market is looking... dare I say...

So there is reason to think the hardest part of the chemistry learning curve is past us now, and that road is straightening out considerably.

There is a building maturity.

There is reason to believe most have not yet reached their physical/talent ceiling, so there's capacity for internal improvement still.

 

I'm on record about the changes I'd most like to see (ie, "wishlist" thread). The roster can be improved, as most any roster can, even that of whatever team wins the trophy this year.

But reason persuades me that the main ingredients in the recipe are already here, and just need time to marinate and simmer.

 

( EDIT: Sounds like Landry's similarly inclined: https://www.ajc.com/sports/atlanta-hawks/hawks-landry-fields-qa-we-are-a-different-team/UZT3T3D5W5ASREK7V7J3XGQ7LM/ )

 

[sturt]

On 4/28/2023 at 10:20 AM, sturt said:

1. There's more than one approach to this, so I'm not going to specify a favored trade proposal... but Tari Eason is at the top of that list. No, I don't think HOU wants to part with him, but yes, I do think there are reasons that they might.

The underlying premise here is that I'm hunting for the best young player I think could, as we continue down this path the next few years, become our version of Michael Cooper or Bruce Bowen... a Jayson Tatum neutralizer, you might say, formidable both on the wing and in the post.

2. I'll continue to pound the table for a legitimate 6th big, and even better, one who we can easily project to fill Capela's role eventually, if not sooner. Because I subscribe to the idea that Yeka's increasingly going to be both a C and a PF asset, I believe even if Bruno remains and continues on a ZaZa-like track, there's ample reason to add someone with legit rim protection skills and some regard for his defense.

So, you have to look for teams likely prepared to make significant moves b/c of their lackluster 2022-23 results first. Then, there's the question, "Is this a replacement for Clint, or an addition to Clint?"

For now, I'm content to think in terms of the latter, and surveying the field, I believe a deal with IND for Daniel Theis isn't hard to envision. He meets the qualifications indicated, but he's coming off an injury, he's nearing 30, and in his last year on his current contract... playing for a team that's likely not expecting to contend for another couple of years. Those are reasons they would part with him seemingly on the cheap.

More realistically--because Theis' $9m salary is a considerable monkey wrench--we use the 15th pick for Dereck Lively.

 

 

Given some time to begin to survey the field and contemplate what's realistic, I'm tending to think Darius Bazley is the better option over Eason... he's more mature, more experienced guarding other teams' primary scorers, and it's seeming more and more likely that he's going to be cut loose by his high tax bracket current employer.

Bazley could be the neutralizer that can come into the game to give Dre a breather, able to better contain the Tatums of the NBA world than most. He's been compared to Mikal Bridges on that end of the floor (see link below).

Between adding him and Lively @ #15, would really put us in a position for a significant uptick on defense.

Full (well-researched) article: https://www.gophnx.com/2023/02/10/darius-bazley-expectations-phoenix-suns-trade-arrival/

[Diesel]

2 hours ago, Final_quest said:

I think they are gonna stick with Murray a bit longer.  He is talented.  He was scoring 40 points a couple times, and I remember hearing Quin likes him.  The only way we move him is if a bigger talent becomes available.  Personally I've cooled on the Murray and Trae pairing, but there is still a lot to like with them.  

I have dreams of Murray + JC + Picks getting us Antman... and having an Antman and Trae backcourt... but again.. in the words of RUN-DMC... It was a dream...

I too like Murray and wish that he would put on those 15- 20 lbs of muscle this summer.   JC needs about 10 good pounds of muscle. 

 

 

[theheroatl]

We need a better supporting cast around DJM and Trae. 

Bog, OO, AJ are staying for sure.

That leaves us with these spots:

1. Trae, ?

2. DJM, Bogi, AJ

3. ?, ?

4. ?, ?

5. OO, ??

Here’s who I would replace and with what…

1. Trae, Delon Wright or Similar

2. DJM,’Bogi, AJ

3. OG Anunoby or Similar

4. Siakam or Similar

5. OO, Steven Adam’s type BU center

 

[JTB]

9 minutes ago, theheroatl said:

We need a better supporting cast around DJM and Trae. 

Bog, OO, AJ are staying for sure.

That leaves us with these spots:

1. Trae, ?

2. DJM, Bogi, AJ

3. ?, ?

4. ?, ?

5. OO, ??

Here’s who I would replace and with what…

1. Trae, Delon Wright or Similar

2. DJM,’Bogi, AJ

3. OG Anunoby or Similar

4. Siakam or Similar

5. OO, Steven Adam’s type BU center

 

I thought about Siakam but honestly he can’t really spread the floor either at the 4 just like Collins can’t but Siakam is better with the ball in his hands .

it just depends on if siakam catch and shoot 3pt ability is rock solid for him. If he’s good at catch and shoot then we can somewhat ignore his low 3pt%

OG would be great here.