Tanking is the best option for the Hawks right now.

[Final_quest]

After they changed the lotto odds, I see the opportunity to get a top 3 pick.  That's my dream scenario.  

I have seen tanking work.  Ha.

[NBASupes]

1 hour ago, KB21 said:

For the pro tankers, who are you wanting to tank to get in this draft?  Are you wanting to ensure that the Hawks get someone like Ron Holland, who is talented but probably 3 years away from being a meaningful contributor on a winning team?

I don't believe it's for a player. I want the best possible asset. Helps us for trade purposes. 

[Gray Mule]

This tanking Hawk team is dangerous.  Beware, all NBA teams.  Here's why:

While Trae and Big 00 are out with injuries, Bruno has stepped in and played well!

Kobe Bufkin has brought his defense, which Squawk posters very much approve of, up from the Skyhawks.  He's up because of Trae's injury and he's shining like a new coin!

This Hawk team isn't likely to move up or down.  They are a solid 10th place team.  They are 3.5 games ahead of the 11th place team and 2 games below the 9th place team.

Comfortable where they are, they can relax, have fun and bury their opponent.

[macdaddy]

There's just not much option to tank.  We're probably stuck in the 10th slot no matter what and we can't just bench guys who are young themselves in favor of G leaguers.  That would destroy morale.

Best we can do is find minutes for Kobe and AJ.  Might have to shut Capela down at some point.  

[AHF]

1 hour ago, JeffS17 said:

I understand the "short term tank" strategy on paper, but the more I've thought about this, the less sense it really makes to me.  Not only do we need to build a winning culture, we need to build player value with the guys on our roster if we want to make any significant moves in this offseason.  Tanking for a top 6-8 pick instead of a top 10-12 pick is not going to make a difference.

All the more reason to play the young guys and let the chips fall where they may.  No one is trading anything of value for our bench veterans.  The only place to build value is with our good players and our young players.

[JayBirdHawk]

4 hours ago, macdaddy said:

Nets are 6-17 in 2024.   I imagine Kevin Ollie has strict orders to 'play the young guys'

Not that the rest of them were putting in a ton of effort.  i think i saw where the entire Nets team had drawn fewer charges than Trae has this season.  don't quote me on that.

Nets don't own their pick this year so they have no incentive to play the young guys, same with Toronto.

[givemesome1ce1]

3 hours ago, JeffS17 said:

I understand the "short term tank" strategy on paper, but the more I've thought about this, the less sense it really makes to me.  Not only do we need to build a winning culture, we need to build player value with the guys on our roster if we want to make any significant moves in this offseason.

We aren’t gonna build a “winning culture” with a team that’s gonna be most likely .500. We’ve been on a bunch of losing streaks this seasons. There is no winning culture to build right now. A bunch of the players aren’t gonna be able to build their value because they are either A. Old or B. Constantly injured. The only players that have actual value on this roster are Trae, Bogi, Dejounte, Onyeka, Jalen, and Kobe. Everyone else has basically no value or the same value when we got them. Hunter is too injury prone that nobody wants him. Capela’s contract is terrible and his age is catching up with him. Bey wants starter money and there’s no chance of that happening. AJ’s entire second season has been cooked and probably made some people think he’s a fluke. We have to keep our young players in order to make those roster better, so it’s just better for this team to get worse now in order to get better next season. 

[Spud2nique]

HE(CK)  NO WE WON’T TANK!  

 

Go Hawks!!!!

[KB21]

On 2/26/2024 at 5:47 PM, givemesome1ce1 said:

We aren’t gonna build a “winning culture” with a team that’s gonna be most likely .500. We’ve been on a bunch of losing streaks this seasons. There is no winning culture to build right now. A bunch of the players aren’t gonna be able to build their value because they are either A. Old or B. Constantly injured. The only players that have actual value on this roster are Trae, Bogi, Dejounte, Onyeka, Jalen, and Kobe. Everyone else has basically no value or the same value when we got them. Hunter is too injury prone that nobody wants him. Capela’s contract is terrible and his age is catching up with him. Bey wants starter money and there’s no chance of that happening. AJ’s entire second season has been cooked and probably made some people think he’s a fluke. We have to keep our young players in order to make those roster better, so it’s just better for this team to get worse now in order to get better next season. 

It's about the process over the results.  While the Hawks don't have a winning record, they aren't intentionally doing things that will lose them games.  Such as playing young players before they are ready to actually contribute to winning basketball.  From a developmental standpoint, they are still developing habits that lead to a winning culture.  It will pay off in the end if they stay the course.  It's much better for this team to get a chance to earn a playoff spot than for it to get a high draft pick in a draft that lacks great talent at the top.  That would be the case even if the draft had great talent at the top.  

Which player projected to go in the top 3 at this time can come in and make this a better team in 2024-2025?  IMO, not a single one.  Yeah.  I'd love to get Cody Williams as a developmental wing.  I'd love to get Alex Sarr as a developmental big.  Neither player helps us in 2024-2025.  Regardless of what anyone actually thinks about this team, this is a team where it's going to be tough for any young player to get minutes early on anyway.  That's why I don't have any issues towards taking a developmental guy with the two picks we will likely end up with in the mid to late teens when it is all said and done.  I'm not even sure a seasoned guy like Dalton Knecht would get a lot of minutes in Atlanta next season.  

[GameTime]

 

[sturt]

Can't help but think Travis is feeling good that he's in a place where his employer is both proven (see Washington Capitals) and sufficiently respectful of his lead dogs (aka, hands-off) that he's gotten the better end of the "mutual" decision to divorce from the Hawks.

And and... to the topic of this here thread... plausibly to be a year or two or three ahead of his old franchise in terms of progress toward hanging a real banner, given the satisfaction in ATL to ride the wheel.... ie, the hamster wheel.

[AHF]

6 hours ago, sturt said:

Can't help but think Travis is feeling good that he's in a place where his employer is both proven (see Washington Capitals) and sufficiently respectful of his lead dogs (aka, hands-off) that he's gotten the better end of the "mutual" decision to divorce from the Hawks.

And and... to the topic of this here thread... plausibly to be a year or two or three ahead of his old franchise in terms of progress toward hanging a real banner, given the satisfaction in ATL to ride the wheel.... ie, the hamster wheel.

Washington basically sobered up.  The next meaningful step they take towards a ring will be their first.  Their current roster is guys who won’t be there when the winning starts.

[Packfill]

On 2/28/2024 at 10:27 AM, KB21 said:

It's about the process over the results.  While the Hawks don't have a winning record, they aren't intentionally doing things that will lose them games.  Such as playing young players before they are ready to actually contribute to winning basketball.  From a developmental standpoint, they are still developing habits that lead to a winning culture.  It will pay off in the end if they stay the course.  It's much better for this team to get a chance to earn a playoff spot than for it to get a high draft pick in a draft that lacks great talent at the top.  That would be the case even if the draft had great talent at the top.  

Which player projected to go in the top 3 at this time can come in and make this a better team in 2024-2025?  IMO, not a single one.  Yeah.  I'd love to get Cody Williams as a developmental wing.  I'd love to get Alex Sarr as a developmental big.  Neither player helps us in 2024-2025.  Regardless of what anyone actually thinks about this team, this is a team where it's going to be tough for any young player to get minutes early on anyway.  That's why I don't have any issues towards taking a developmental guy with the two picks we will likely end up with in the mid to late teens when it is all said and done.  I'm not even sure a seasoned guy like Dalton Knecht would get a lot of minutes in Atlanta next season.  

If the Hawks are just going to roll back the same roster as this season, perhaps minus Bey (and even if he is resigned), I do not see a reason to expect different results.  The team needs to make a meaningful change in the off-season to reverse a steady trend of declining mediocrity.  

[sturt]

3 hours ago, AHF said:

Washington basically sobered up.  The next meaningful step they take towards a ring will be their first.  Their current roster is guys who won’t be there when the winning starts.

Right. And to my point... that still would seem to be ahead of where the Atlanta Hamsters are located on the road to significance.

[Final_quest]

 

Imagine this projection with either keeping Collins at $27M or adding Thybulle @ 4 years $14M.  We’re a few million away from the second apron without those guys.  

The solutions you guys present for this year actually do create roster questions that are hard to manage for next year.

The funny thing is everyone wants to play Kobe, AJ, and I’m sure whoever we draft in 2024, but if we cut guys like Bey, Capela, and Bogi you guys will complain they are salary dumps and we’re not trying to add talent.

Apart from spend more money, I never hear a legitimate idea.  Signing Thybulle or keeping Collins pushes your cap allocations to $198M or higher for next year.  

So the proposal I hear is play 4 draft picks as much as possible while also keeping guys like Bey, Thybulle/Niang, and Bogi for the bench.  Not to mention the issue with what do with Capela/Okongwu.  

Looking for real answers going forward.  It’s not an easy fix.  

[Packfill]

1 hour ago, Final_quest said:

 

Imagine this projection with either keeping Collins at $27M or adding Thybulle @ 4 years $14M.  We’re a few million away from the second apron without those guys.  

The solutions you guys present for this year actually do create roster questions that are hard to manage for next year.

The funny thing is everyone wants to play Kobe, AJ, and I’m sure whoever we draft in 2024, but if we cut guys like Bey, Capela, and Bogi you guys will complain they are salary dumps and we’re not trying to add talent.

Apart from spend more money, I never hear a legitimate idea.  Signing Thybulle or keeping Collins pushes your cap allocations to $198M or higher for next year.  

So the proposal I hear is play 4 draft picks as much as possible while also keeping guys like Bey, Thybulle/Niang, and Bogi for the bench.  Not to mention the issue with what do with Capela/Okongwu.  

Looking for real answers going forward.  It’s not an easy fix.  

The team may need to take a step back before it can take two steps forward. I would trade Murray and whomever else it takes to find better fits (and that has to include more defense) around Trae and JJ (I would even trade JJ in the right deal) and then hope to get some hits in the draft. Will take at least two years of development and roster tweaking from there to know if those moves paid off. 

[Final_quest]

3 hours ago, Packfill said:

The team may need to take a step back before it can take two steps forward. I would trade Murray and whomever else it takes to find better fits (and that has to include more defense) around Trae and JJ (I would even trade JJ in the right deal) and then hope to get some hits in the draft. Will take at least two years of development and roster tweaking from there to know if those moves paid off. 

As hard as it is to say, trading Jalen might be what we need to do.  But we’re gonna need to make a hard choice like that or we will be limited on how we can improve.  You can package Jalen with Capela, Bogi, or Hunter and hopefully get a KAT type of player.  

Murray is the other hope for a return.  

[AHF]

11 hours ago, Final_quest said:

 

Imagine this projection with either keeping Collins at $27M or adding Thybulle @ 4 years $14M.  We’re a few million away from the second apron without those guys.  

The solutions you guys present for this year actually do create roster questions that are hard to manage for next year.

The funny thing is everyone wants to play Kobe, AJ, and I’m sure whoever we draft in 2024, but if we cut guys like Bey, Capela, and Bogi you guys will complain they are salary dumps and we’re not trying to add talent.

Apart from spend more money, I never hear a legitimate idea.  Signing Thybulle or keeping Collins pushes your cap allocations to $198M or higher for next year.  

So the proposal I hear is play 4 draft picks as much as possible while also keeping guys like Bey, Thybulle/Niang, and Bogi for the bench.  Not to mention the issue with what do with Capela/Okongwu.  

Looking for real answers going forward.  It’s not an easy fix.  

Holy *** we might not have a bottom third payroll next year?  Don’t worry.  The offseason will take care of that and we’ll be back in our rightful spot with the league’s 21st highest payroll or whatever we end up with.

Cant tell you if that is just letting Bey walk or dumping salary when we move players, but that is my baseline expectation for next season.  Up to Ressler to prove me wrong.

[AHF]

11 hours ago, sturt said:

Right. And to my point... that still would seem to be ahead of where the Atlanta Hamsters are located on the road to significance.

Having Trae puts us several steps closer.  If we refuse to do what is needed to move beyond borderline playoff status that is on our management and owner.  We’ve already got something Washington is praying they can find in the next couple years.

[NBASupes]

2 hours ago, AHF said:

Holy *** we might not have a bottom third payroll next year?  Don’t worry.  The offseason will take care of that and we’ll be back in our rightful spot with the league’s 21st highest payroll or whatever we end up with.

Cant tell you if that is just letting Bey walk or dumping salary when we move players, but that is my baseline expectation for next season.  Up to Ressler to prove me wrong.

Not having a 2025 1st will force our owner to finally pay the LT.