Official Game Thread: Hawks at Grizzlies

[theheroatl]

29 minutes ago, TheNorthCydeRises said:

 

Keep them together.  They are NOT the issue with this team.

I tend to agree. I'd like to see the defensive ratings over the rest of the season. 

There are some factors other than Trae vs. Murray to that. So we will see.

[TheNorthCydeRises]

2 minutes ago, theheroatl said:

I tend to agree. I'd like to see the defensive ratings over the rest of the season. 

There are some factors other than Trae vs. Murray to that. So we will see.

Good to great defensive teams are NOT defined by the defense of the backcourt.  They're defined by the defense of their frontcourt.

[AHF]

48 minutes ago, TheNorthCydeRises said:

 

Keep them together.  They are NOT the issue with this team.

I think if you can move Murray for a better fit you do it.  The fit is anti-synergy on both ends.  They are talented enough to be effective but if you can get a comparable talent I’m on board with that.  (Tough to envision how to upgrade the frontcourt without a move like that.)

[TheNorthCydeRises]

3 minutes ago, AHF said:

I think if you can move Murray for a better fit you do it.  The fit is anti-synergy on both ends.  They are talented enough to be effective but if you can get a comparable talent I’m on board with that.  (Tough to envision how to upgrade the frontcourt without a move like that.)

 

It has to be superstar fit, not a role playing fit, if you're moving Murray. 

The Hawks made the right move in acquiring DJ, in my opinion.  But they can't be reluctant to trade away the so-called important complimentary players, even if they're young.

Giving all of those role players those long deals was ridiculous.  Roster construction is obvious not a strong suit of this front office, whether it was Landry of Schlenk.

[AHF]

5 minutes ago, TheNorthCydeRises said:

 

It has to be superstar fit, not a role playing fit, if you're moving Murray. 

The Hawks made the right move in acquiring DJ, in my opinion.  But they can't be reluctant to trade away the so-called important complimentary players, even if they're young.

Giving all of those role players those long deals was ridiculous.  Roster construction is obvious not a strong suit of this front office, whether it was Landry of Schlenk.

Murray isn’t a superstar so that isn’t reasonable but I agree about looking to trade him for a comparable talent or include other assets to get an upgrade.  You can’t trade him for a role player.

[terrell]

14 hours ago, NBASupes said:

Murray is legit man

At the 1..

[terrell]

1 hour ago, TheNorthCydeRises said:

Good to great defensive teams are NOT defined by the defense of the backcourt.  They're defined by the defense of their frontcourt.

How many games did we hold teams under 100 with Trae this year? We played a bunch of bad teams with him in the lineup

[terrell]

12 hours ago, bleachkit said:

17-25 from the field. That's how you do it. 

Murray is 25, 8 and 6 without Trae this year.  He can obviously put up numbers with more usage...  But we really do miss Trae’s ball handling and passing on Offense... 

We'll never miss Trae defensively.. lol

 

[terrell]

15 hours ago, NBASupes said:

Lmao, we played a Gleague team 

The same group that recently beat the 76ers, Nets and Bucks (without JJJ.) Just sayin

[Spud2nique]

2 hours ago, AHF said:

I think if you can move Murray for a better fit you do it.

If you were offered KAT for DJ, Hunter, AJ and picks would you do it this summer?

[TheNorthCydeRises]

42 minutes ago, terrell said:

How many games did we hold teams under 100 with Trae this year? We played a bunch of bad teams with him in the lineup

Only did it once this year, vs San Antonio on MLK Day. 

We've done it 3 times since Trae has been out.  We've also held the Knicks to 100 and Cleveland to 101 points.  So let's make that 5 times we've had great defensive games since Trae has been out.

So the easy correlation is that with Trae out, the defense is better.

Once again though, it's not our guards that are stopping people.  It's our frontline defense that has gotten better.  And it helps that we're not playing the offensive engine + main shooters on some of these squads.

But we all know the narrative that people want to believe.  I've always contended that it's our frontcourt that is the problem.

If you go back to most of those games that we lost to a depleted team, it was mainly our frontcourt / wing defense that failed us.  Not defense at the point.

 

And the one thing I've always said is . . . if Trae is the biggest problem on defense, why wasn't our defense significantly better with him out of the lineup?

I'll even go so far as to say that Hunter moving to the bench, has helped our entire defense overall.  He doesn't have to solely worry about defending and going up against the main offensive threats on the other team, until the final 6 minutes of the 2nd and 4th quarters.  This may be preserving him a lot more and able him to be more effective.  But on the 2nd unit, his defense may be good enough to slow people down.

The absence of Trae alone isn't making a 20 point difference on defense.  A lot of factors are going into this.

 

[Spud2nique]

1 minute ago, TheNorthCydeRises said:

A lot of factors are going into this.

Ya folks are trying to fill the gap in his an absence but are just playing harder. Coach is going deeper into his rotation and Hunter has taken a leap in the last couple weeks. He looks like a different dude out there. It’s kind of freakin me out I love it.  

Agreed though Trae and DJ can work it’s just taking the players longer to learn Quin’s system and scheme but they seem to be understanding their roles and learning where each other’s comfy spots are on the floor.

 

[NBASupes]

45 minutes ago, TheNorthCydeRises said:

Only did it once this year, vs San Antonio on MLK Day. 

We've done it 3 times since Trae has been out.  We've also held the Knicks to 100 and Cleveland to 101 points.  So let's make that 5 times we've had great defensive games since Trae has been out.

So the easy correlation is that with Trae out, the defense is better.

Once again though, it's not our guards that are stopping people.  It's our frontline defense that has gotten better.  And it helps that we're not playing the offensive engine + main shooters on some of these squads.

But we all know the narrative that people want to believe.  I've always contended that it's our frontcourt that is the problem.

If you go back to most of those games that we lost to a depleted team, it was mainly our frontcourt / wing defense that failed us.  Not defense at the point.

 

And the one thing I've always said is . . . if Trae is the biggest problem on defense, why wasn't our defense significantly better with him out of the lineup?

I'll even go so far as to say that Hunter moving to the bench, has helped our entire defense overall.  He doesn't have to solely worry about defending and going up against the main offensive threats on the other team, until the final 6 minutes of the 2nd and 4th quarters.  This may be preserving him a lot more and able him to be more effective.  But on the 2nd unit, his defense may be good enough to slow people down.

The absence of Trae alone isn't making a 20 point difference on defense.  A lot of factors are going into this.

 

Our defense is better without Trae. It's a lot easier to defend when your PG is a good defender. It's a lot harder when he's an awful one by no fault of his own. Trae just lacks the measurements and athleticism. He can't fix that. 

[cam1218]

12 minutes ago, NBASupes said:

Our defense is better without Trae. It's a lot easier to defend when your PG is a good defender. It's a lot harder when he's an awful one by no fault of his own. Trae just lacks the measurements and athleticism. He can't fix that. 

This is all very true. The one thing he can fix his effort, and at least he has done that since QS has been here.

[NBASupes]

1 hour ago, cam1218 said:

This is all very true. The one thing he can fix his effort, and at least he has done that since QS has been here.

Absolutely  

[Watchman]

12 hours ago, AHF said:

I think if you can move Murray for a better fit you do it.  The fit is anti-synergy on both ends.  They are talented enough to be effective but if you can get a comparable talent I’m on board with that.  (Tough to envision how to upgrade the frontcourt without a move like that.)

Why not make the obvious solution and put Trae in the Iverson role?  The minute things go back to what they were, we go  back to losing 140 to 120.

[Watchman]

12 hours ago, AHF said:

Murray isn’t a superstar so that isn’t reasonable but I agree about looking to trade him for a comparable talent or include other assets to get an upgrade.  You can’t trade him for a role player

We haven't had a superstar in decades. it is an irrelevant issue.

[Watchman]

10 hours ago, Spud2nique said:

If you were offered KAT for DJ, Hunter, AJ and picks would you do it this summer?

No.

[Watchman]

On 3/8/2024 at 10:26 PM, NBASupes said:

It's gonna take a lot to get him from us. 

Don't hold your breath.

[Watchman]

On 3/8/2024 at 10:22 PM, NBASupes said:

Lmao, we played a Gleague team 

We have as many, if not more injuries than Memphis does.  Wouldn't that make us a G league team too?