Prediction: Hawks go nuts to end it

[Spud2nique]

We go on a run .. playing near .600 ball and above  

 

Then everybody and their moms will want to trade Trae…

 

Nope. 
 

Let’s get one thing straight for those who may not know what’s going on here..

We are plain and simply showcasing Dejounte for a trade involving him this summer. Bank on it. Just raising his value, dude is gonna be a monster on the stat sheet.

 

Trae will remain in Atlanta, this is my promise to you.  

[Diesel]

Funny thing...  The stat the other night said that we were the best second half team in the League for the past few years.  I couldn't find anything to validate that post allstar break record but I can imagine.

It would be fun to see us circle the wagons down the stretch. 

 

 

[kg01]

I do think we'll go on a run tho.  The uninitiated will think it's a sign they're better without Trae.  

The reality?  It's just that losing one of Trae or Murray allows them to have a simpler plan.  

Either way, doesn't change the focus of our offseason being upgrade the frontcourt.  

[macdaddy]

I think we'll be ok.  We play some lottery teams and frankly we're going to play some teams that choose to rest their stars against us.

[JayBirdHawk]

15 minutes ago, macdaddy said:

I think we'll be ok.  We play some lottery teams and frankly we're going to play some teams that choose to rest their stars against us.

You say that with a straight face or with a smirk? We have not been a team that plays well when other teams stars are missing. 

[macdaddy]

2 minutes ago, JayBirdHawk said:

You say that with a straight face or with a smirk? We have not been a team that plays well when other teams stars are missing. 

Well that's true but we haven't been that great when other teams stars are playing either.  

[RedDawg#8]

I do not think we have enough to sustain missing Trae AND OO.

Frontcourt depth has been an issue all season. Thankfully we have Bruno for depth whereas we truly didn’t have another forward with size to fill in for JJ.

But again, CC/Bruno are the type of centers that need a Trae to feed them easy buckets at the rim. DJM is a good PG, but the 1/5 PnR does not hit the same without Trae. Is the offense better for everyone else? Probably. But I also attribute that to Bogi being in the starting 5 for Trae and Dre coming off the bench as of late.

Im getting sidetracked. Point is, I think we are very vulnerable at Center right now, and the one guy who can make any center playable is out too.

[JayBirdHawk]

8 minutes ago, RedDawg#8 said:

I do not think we have enough to sustain missing Trae AND OO.

 

We didn't have enough to sustain missing JJ.

We didn't have enough to sustain missing Dre.

So yeah missing Trae AND OO will be an even bigger hurdle.

DJ and JJ (since he's also playing center) played 39 minutes each last game. That's not sustainable for the long haul.

[macdaddy]

Well this is fun and depressing.

 

 

[Diesel]

4 hours ago, JayBirdHawk said:

We didn't have enough to sustain missing JJ.

We didn't have enough to sustain missing Dre.

So yeah missing Trae AND OO will be an even bigger hurdle.

DJ and JJ (since he's also playing center) played 39 minutes each last game. That's not sustainable for the long haul.

It's a good point, but a challengable one. 

For the lost of JJ and Hunter and Clint for that matter...  We're so thin in our front court that there is no way back.   Are we thin in the backcourt...  A little.  But now we're talking about playing Bogi and Bufkin more vs. Playing Mathews and Matthews out of position. 

I think it comes down to just having better depth in the backcourt. 

 

[Spud2nique]

Going nuts sounds about right if tonight was any indication. We are on the same page as a team. Keep rollin!

[macdaddy]

 

This shows the kind of team we could have been not only with Jalen but if we had actually started the season with a backup PF on the roster. 

 

[REHawksFan]

46 minutes ago, macdaddy said:

 

This shows the kind of team we could have been not only with Jalen but if we had actually started the season with a backup PF on the roster. 

 

Despite the "mis-fitting" roster, it's not a stretch at all, imo, to think this team could be over .500 IF they simply had NBA quality depth OR had been extraordinarily lucky with the injuries.  You can't go into an NBA season with 8 legit NBA players and expect to have success unless you just get super lucky injury wise.  

Looking at the standings now, I could see them in that 5-8 logjam IF they either had adequate depth OR had been healthy all year.  Of course, no team is healthy all year which certainly begs the question what they heck Landry, Kyle, and Ressy were thinking coming into the season with 8 quality NBA players.  

[AHF]

1 hour ago, REHawksFan said:

Despite the "mis-fitting" roster, it's not a stretch at all, imo, to think this team could be over .500 IF they simply had NBA quality depth OR had been extraordinarily lucky with the injuries.  You can't go into an NBA season with 8 legit NBA players and expect to have success unless you just get super lucky injury wise.  

Looking at the standings now, I could see them in that 5-8 logjam IF they either had adequate depth OR had been healthy all year.  Of course, no team is healthy all year which certainly begs the question what they heck Landry, Kyle, and Ressy were thinking coming into the season with 8 quality NBA players.  

I personally was hoping AJ and Kobe would make it 10 legit NBA players but neither has had the minutes and performance to be called that yet.  Kobe is giving me confidence with his last couple games so I expect him to be a regular in the rotation going forward.  

Part of the challenge there, though, is that both are backcourt players and the frontcourt is where we have the biggest weaknesses on the roster.  Hunter being the only big wing defender and missing almost half the season before he returned.  JJ being the only real PF and missing a chunk of time.  CC and OO both missing time and showing a reluctance to give Bruno minutes even when one of them was out.  That frontcourt has been shallow as ****.

[REHawksFan]

22 minutes ago, AHF said:

I personally was hoping AJ and Kobe would make it 10 legit NBA players but neither has had the minutes and performance to be called that yet.  Kobe is giving me confidence with his last couple games so I expect him to be a regular in the rotation going forward.  

Part of the challenge there, though, is that both are backcourt players and the frontcourt is where we have the biggest weaknesses on the roster.  Hunter being the only big wing defender and missing almost half the season before he returned.  JJ being the only real PF and missing a chunk of time.  CC and OO both missing time and showing a reluctance to give Bruno minutes even when one of them was out.  That frontcourt has been shallow as ****.

The problem woth that of course is that AJ and Kobe were 14th and 15th rather than 9th and 10th. We apparently came onto the season with some combination of the Matthews Duo, Bruno, Forrest, and Mills as the 9-13 roster spots. That's untenable. 

[AHF]

1 hour ago, REHawksFan said:

The problem woth that of course is that AJ and Kobe were 14th and 15th rather than 9th and 10th. We apparently came onto the season with some combination of the Matthews Duo, Bruno, Forrest, and Mills as the 9-13 roster spots. That's untenable. 

I have to think the plan was for them to be higher in the rotation.  What worked out in practice is that they were the 14th and 15th guys.  But I have to think the plan was for them to have a more prominent role.

If Landry really planned for those guys to be the 9-13 then that is simply incompetence.

[macdaddy]

My issue is just that when Siakam didn't pan out we needed a PF backup of some kind.  Didn't have to be anything great but just a vet who knows what they are doing.   I mean Dario Saric signed with the Warriors for $2m.  Maybe we tried i don't know. 

[sturt]

On 2/29/2024 at 5:03 PM, AHF said:

If Landry really planned for those guys to be the 9-13 then that is simply incompetence.

Landry's?

Or his boss'?

Hard to say.

[AHF]

6 hours ago, sturt said:

Landry's?

Or his boss'?

Hard to say.

Both.  The Boss limited the money that could be spent,  Landry used the money he had on sub-NBA players where other teams have useful veteran minimum contracts, etc.

[sturt]

3 hours ago, AHF said:

Both.  The Boss limited the money that could be spent,  Landry used the money he had on sub-NBA players where other teams have useful veteran minimum contracts, etc.

In Parcells terms, if you're going to restrict what parts of the grocery store I can visit to fill my cart, well... are you really going to hold me as accountable for how the meal turns out?

Landry gets a pass, from where I sit. One cannot prove himself in the ecology Landry occupies conventionally speaking, and apart from Landry being a generational GM talent.