Official Game Thread: Hawks at Bulls -- Play-In Game 1 of X!

[terrell]

3 hours ago, Spud2nique said:

Hunter sucks is not an example of this.

He sucked before last night. He sucks on a big stage that’s not college. He ain’t the one. 
 

Trae .. JJ… maybe Bogi and OO .. the rest is on the table, everyone.

Nah Gueye is definitely off the table..

Too much upside

 

Edited April 18 by terrell

[kg01]

3 hours ago, AHF said:

If you want to trade for a vet, do you think we do better trading one of our starters plus the #15 pick or that starter plus the #1 pick?  

Higher is better for drafting or trading.  Even in a weak draft at the top.

I'm not letting you and your logical thought processes talk me off the ledge, AH.

F all them picks!!!!!  All of emmmmmm!!!! 

[Nash]

Some guys here wanted an experiment on D with Gueye in this game lol. The experiment lasted 2 mins and literally sealed the game. The guy didn't touch the ball and recorded -9 in 2.4 minutes. Had he stayed he'd be -20 in 4 minutes

[deester11]

4 hours ago, AHF said:

Hunter sucked last night but he is a fine rotation piece.  He isn't a star.  His role is to play good D and contribute on offense.  I fully expect he will be back and think he would be hard to replace.  He is part of my mental model for this team going forward.

Break your mental.  For the love of all that's good (left) on earth please. Let it go.  Hunter is a 10th man. Yuck.  Mental? Mental?

[AHF]

12 minutes ago, deester11 said:

Break your mental.  For the love of all that's good (left) on earth please. Let it go.  Hunter is a 10th man. Yuck.  Mental? Mental?

I don't think Hunter is garbage because of his stinker against the Bulls anymore than I think Trae is terrible because of his game.  Trae looked uncomfortable shooting the ball (with his injury likely factoring in as he removed the wrap during the game which showed he felt soomething wasn't right with it on) and Hunter had a terrible night offensively.  For a guy like Hunter that happens.  He isn't a first or second option.  His health remains my biggest concern with him, and I think he had the best season of his career this year when he was healthy.

[deester11]

28 minutes ago, AHF said:

I don't think Hunter is garbage because of his stinker against the Bulls anymore than I think Trae is terrible because of his game.  Trae looked uncomfortable shooting the ball (with his injury likely factoring in as he removed the wrap during the game which showed he felt soomething wasn't right with it on) and Hunter had a terrible night offensively.  For a guy like Hunter that happens.  He isn't a first or second option.  His health remains my biggest concern with him, and I think he had the best season of his career this year when he was healthy.

I'm not using one game. This was his best year probably. But it's not what I've expected him to be. Still waiting? Not me. He played with heart in a few games.  I applauded him.  But I'm not willing to keep waiting on average.  He's that.

[deester11]

The topic of Hunter....

 

[Jody23]

2 hours ago, kg01 said:

I'm not letting you and your logical thought processes talk me off the ledge, AH.

F all them picks!!!!!  All of emmmmmm!!!! 

I just want take this opportunity to say I see your avatar and it is awesome!

[Jody23]

7 hours ago, Mikey said:

You guys still trying to make murray and trae working is one of the funniest things ever. all the information is right in front of you on how that pairing doesn't work yet people still saying keep them because they don't understand what they gave up for murray doesn't matter anymore. It is the worst two man lineup on the team. They have a better win percentage and better net rating when one sits. Murray is gone

!!!

I agree that the pairing doesn't work and the likely outcome this offseason is one is traded.  It will likely be Murray as that is what they've already tried to do.  Murray absolutely increased his value after the deadline for everyone to see.  So, hopefully the Hawks don't get anymore spam sammich offers.

[JayBirdHawk]

What happened to Atlanta?

The Hawks made it a game for a half, but they ran out of players and, as ever, their defense wasn’t anywhere nearly good enough.

Without Saddiq Bey, Jalen Johnson and Onyeka Okongwu, and with late-season rotation addition Vit Krejčí bizarrely not signed to the playoff roster, Atlanta was short-handed from the opening tip. Disastrous stints from bench units at the end of the first and third quarters helped move the game out of hand, including an odd cameo from little-used rookie Mouhamed Gueye.

With Young still limited by a left finger injury and De’Andre Hunter having his worst game of the season, the Hawks didn’t have enough firepower to offset their awful defense. Even after a momentary burst of luck when Bulls teammates Andre Drummond and Alex Caruso collided and knocked Caruso — by far Chicago’s best defender — out of the game, Atlanta didn’t have the juice to respond.

In the end, the league’s 27th-ranked defense gave up 131 points on 57 percent shooting to one of the league’s most vanilla offensive teams, a fitting capstone to an occasionally entertaining but ultimately unserious season. — John Hollinger, NBA senior writer

 

 

What’s next for the Hawks?

After a year of front-office paralysis where Murray trades (and others) were courted but never completed, the attention this offseason will likely turn to Young’s future.

The logic is simple: Atlanta’s guards don’t fit together, despite the multiple unprotected picks the Hawks sent out to get Murray to join forces with Young, and if they had an offer they liked for Murray they would have taken it by now. Look for Lakers rumors, especially, to heat up if L.A. can’t get past its first-round series against Denver. The other thing Atlanta can’t do is tank, however, because of those same picks they gave the San Antonio Spurs in the Murray deal.

The Hawks have other moves to ponder this offseason as well. Can they afford to keep paying both Capela and Okongwu, now that Okongwu is starting a four-year, $63 million extension? Is there enough money to bring back Bey, a restricted free agent they acquired at the 2023 trade deadline? And can they nail the draft, one where they are likely to pick 10th and could also land a pick at 15th if Sacramento wins its play-in game with New Orleans on Friday?

Johnson, who had a breakout year that was the best story of an otherwise forgettable season, is likely due an extension ahead of his 2025 free agency, and the Hawks will also have to find more ways to get 2023 first-rounder Kobe Bufkin into the mix.

Hanging over this is an inexperienced, gun-shy front office and ownership that has been unwilling to pay into the luxury tax. The Hawks enter the summer an estimated $5 million from that line, depending on where their draft pick falls and if another one is coming from the Kings, and will have some hard decisions to make. — Hollinger

What stood out in Bulls’ Play-In win over Hawks: Coby White shines as Atlanta lacks firepower to keep up - The Athletic

[kg01]

30 minutes ago, Jody23 said:

I just want take this opportunity to say I see your avatar and it is awesome!

@lethalweapon3 deserves credit as I stole it from him.  Inspired by GT's bball coach. 

1 minute ago, JayBirdHawk said:

What happened to Atlanta?

The Hawks made it a game for a half, but they ran out of players and, as ever, their defense wasn’t anywhere nearly good enough.

Without Saddiq Bey, Jalen Johnson and Onyeka Okongwu, and with late-season rotation addition Vit Krejčí bizarrely not signed to the playoff roster, Atlanta was short-handed from the opening tip. Disastrous stints from bench units at the end of the first and third quarters helped move the game out of hand, including an odd cameo from little-used rookie Mouhamed Gueye.

With Young still limited by a left finger injury and De’Andre Hunter having his worst game of the season, the Hawks didn’t have enough firepower to offset their awful defense. Even after a momentary burst of luck when Bulls teammates Andre Drummond and Alex Caruso collided and knocked Caruso — by far Chicago’s best defender — out of the game, Atlanta didn’t have the juice to respond.

In the end, the league’s 27th-ranked defense gave up 131 points on 57 percent shooting to one of the league’s most vanilla offensive teams, a fitting capstone to an occasionally entertaining but ultimately unserious season. — John Hollinger, NBA senior writer

 

 

What’s next for the Hawks?

After a year of front-office paralysis where Murray trades (and others) were courted but never completed, the attention this offseason will likely turn to Young’s future.

The logic is simple: Atlanta’s guards don’t fit together, despite the multiple unprotected picks the Hawks sent out to get Murray to join forces with Young, and if they had an offer they liked for Murray they would have taken it by now. Look for Lakers rumors, especially, to heat up if L.A. can’t get past its first-round series against Denver. The other thing Atlanta can’t do is tank, however, because of those same picks they gave the San Antonio Spurs in the Murray deal.

The Hawks have other moves to ponder this offseason as well. Can they afford to keep paying both Capela and Okongwu, now that Okongwu is starting a four-year, $63 million extension? Is there enough money to bring back Bey, a restricted free agent they acquired at the 2023 trade deadline? And can they nail the draft, one where they are likely to pick 10th and could also land a pick at 15th if Sacramento wins its play-in game with New Orleans on Friday?

Johnson, who had a breakout year that was the best story of an otherwise forgettable season, is likely due an extension ahead of his 2025 free agency, and the Hawks will also have to find more ways to get 2023 first-rounder Kobe Bufkin into the mix.

Hanging over this is an inexperienced, gun-shy front office and ownership that has been unwilling to pay into the luxury tax. The Hawks enter the summer an estimated $5 million from that line, depending on where their draft pick falls and if another one is coming from the Kings, and will have some hard decisions to make. — Hollinger

What stood out in Bulls’ Play-In win over Hawks: Coby White shines as Atlanta lacks firepower to keep up - The Athletic

Worst part of that game is it made people forget that Coby White has a mortal fear of Trae.

[Packfill]

15 hours ago, kg01 said:

@lethalweapon3 deserves credit as I stole it from him.  Inspired by GT's bball coach. 

Worst part of that game is it made people forget that Coby White has a mortal fear of Trae.

Coby White sure seemed to forget that. He had no fear shooting from distance or going right to the cup. 

[kg01]

11 hours ago, Packfill said:

Coby White sure seemed to forget that. He had no fear shooting from distance or going right to the cup. 

Back 2 life, back 2 reality for Mr. Coby so far. 

[Packfill]

3 minutes ago, kg01 said:

Back 2 life, back 2 reality for Mr. Coby so far. 

Big difference playing against a team that plays defense versus whatever it is the Hawks do. Hawks have an uncanny ability to allow average players have career days.