Can the Hawks emulate Phoenix's style of play?

[jones32]

When Coach Woodson was first named head coach of the Hawks, I thought this team was going to be a run and gun type team, but it hasn't worked out that way...Phoenix had a bunch of athletes, not necessarily great shooters , but confident finishers and they are the best team in the NBA..

We don't have the personnel to pull this off at the moment, but I hope the draft gives the ATL a chance to draft they type of players we need for this 'run and gun system':

Players who don't fit:

1. Peja

2. Jason Collier

3. Antione Walker

4. Kenny Anderson

Players who can excel if we had a Steve Nash type guard:

1. Josh Smith

2. Josh Childress

3. Donta Smith

This team needs athletic players with height: whether its Stromile Swift, Dalmert or BOTH... or Tyson Chandler or Kwame Brown... From the guard position, I would like to see the ATL draft Miami's Guillermo Diaz (he will declare most likely) and Rashad McCants... and if JJ Reddick declares..he would be good choice as well..

[Employee8]

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When Coach Woodson was first named head coach of the Hawks, I thought this team was going to be a run and gun type team

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What made you think THAT? Woodson came from a team that excelled in the HALF-COURT OFFENSE and DEFENSE....

[Lascar78]

Quote:

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Quote:

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When Coach Woodson was first named head coach of the Hawks, I thought this team was going to be a run and gun type team

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What made you think THAT? Woodson came from a team that excelled in the HALF-COURT OFFENSE and DEFENSE....

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What are you talking about? The Woody model is the same as the pistons model, and that's intense defense leading to fast break offense. He is building this team to be run and gun, but that can't happen until the defense gels and produces alot of stops. You can't run after a made basket in the NBA.

[Iman]

I think all of our younger players fit the athlete kinda mold. Harrington is a good PF on a running team, whereas he's small at the position in a halfcourt game. Ivey and Diaw work OK too. The main problem is you have to have outside shooters also. We have none. Pryzbilla and Swift would be good centers to pick up, assuming Chandler and Brown arent available. To fit that mold I'd still probably draft Marvin Williams, he's an excellent outside shooting athlete. I'd like to get the tiny PG Nate Robinson outta Washington in the second round if he lasted that long. Not as a starter. Hopefully trading a non-fitting piece or two would get us a pick for a starting PG just as Jeron Williams or whoever fell to that pick.

[jones32]

I like to see Nate Robinson get drafted by the ATL.. The guy plays with a heart and can make plays...

Robinson being 5'9 can pe a little problematic, but I think he can "play a role" on a NBA team...

[smithrules]

nm

[chillzatl]

That style of ball isn't going to win them a championship. It may look good, it may get them lots of national TV games next year, but it's not championship ball. It's smoke and mirrors basketball and not a style that will get you a ring.

[macdaddy]

Well said Chillzatl. Detroit may have the ability to push but they are really just old fashioned eastern conference defensive oriented team that knows how to run an offense. That's what Woody is going to try to do.

[Diesel]

This is true...

Phoenix won't win anything important.

I think however, that there is a staple that we need from that model and the San Antonio Model.

We need three point shooters...

We need a PG that can create offense.

Having a swingman that can score or run is not that important... But having a two guard that can shoot the lights out and a Pf that can rebound and score is important for any model.

I say if you want to mimick somebody Mimick San Antonio....

I say we need a SG who can hit the outside shot. If this is Chills or if not, we need this. I would even trade Harrington for Peja in order to have this.

Secondly, we need a PG that can create his own offense.

The frenchman and the Canadian are able to create their own offense and able to get their team involved.... I think we have that possibility with Chris Paul.

Lastly, a dominant Pf. That's hard to find. A guy that can rebound and can score inside... Harrington haven't struck me as a guy who can rebound but he can score inside. Walker is a guy who can rebound, but most of his scores come outside or midrange. Swift would still have to do some transforming before he becomes an inside scorer/rebounder. Smoove has the potential but he doesnt have the size yet.

Neither San Antonio or Phoenix have a C that you can name. I think Drobs can be our C if we have a good rebounding PF/Sf combo...

The difference is defense. Detroit dominated the Lakers last season because they had good defense at every position. Even to the point where they forfeited some offense...

I think that that would be a very hard proposition for us coming from where we are now...Smoove is by far our best defensive player...

In order to be a defensive team, we would have to trade Walker for Dalembert, Sign Swift, Then trade Harrington for Peja...And draft Chris Paul...

What that would leave would be:

Paul/Peja/Smoove/Swift/Dalembert...

very defensive but lacking offense. We would be the Detroit Pistons with less frontcourt offense...

[Diesel]

If you want to be like the Pistons... Don't look at this group... Look at the bad boys...

Isiah, Dumars, Aguire, Salley, & Lambeer.. with Johnson, Edwards, Rodman, off the bench...

What works with this team is that you have your scoring at the 1,2,and 3 position. You have a C that can shoot from outside. You have toughness/meanness at every position... Every guy is technically sound.

Well, how do you get that with where we are?

Paul, Chillz, Harrington, Smoove, Drobs...

It means that Chillz will have to become a much better shooter. It means that Paul will have to be all that he is advertised to be and more. It means that Harrington is going to have to become a better defensive player and that Drobs will have to be tougher on defense.

Right now, we are a long way away..... But this is more possible than some of the other things I have heard..

[chillzatl]

Sure it would nice to be able to play this style or play like a certain team. but we are way too young of a team to try and say they need to play this way, or we need these kinds of players. Most of our young core, the guys that are going to lead us to success of we are to find it, don't even know what kind of players they are yet.

Trying to build a specific system around undeveloped players is like trying to fit a large square peg into a hole of unknown size and shape.

Right now I think we're best suited by letting our players develop and let them determine what our "style" of play is. We may learn that a team loaded with 3pt shooters isn't what fits best with this group of players. We may learn that smooth is such a good defender that he defines our style. We just don't know yet and it's way too early to pigeon-hole them in a certain ideal that was set by a different teams with far different players.

[falc82]

I'm just not sold on Paul right now, he hasn't proved it to me yet. He still struggles when facing PGs who are both stronger and taller than he is.

[emeans]

I concur!! I am not sold on Paul either. He hasn't truly impressed me as the 1st or 2nd pick in the draft. Since this draft is so PG heavy. If there is no clear cut big man, I would trade down and pick up a point guard like Felton or Jack.

Paul just haven't proven his worthiness of the top pick yet.

[Diesel]

While I agree that emulation of a system is not the answer... I will say that it's not too early for these young players to tell them what you expect from them and to try a system...

I think that Woodson was totally correct in telling Diaw that he needs to be more aggressive.

From your point of view, Maybe DIaw is a young player and maybe he won't be an agressive player... However, if Diaw can't do it, we need to find somebody that can and not neccessarily try to fit Diaw into the mold. By that same token... We can't take Diaw and try to build around him... Like I said last year.. Diaw was a bad pick because he was brought in to compliment one player. What happens when that player is gone.. We find that his usefulness is gone too...

I say that we should expect better outside shooting from chillz. I know Chillz have other skills that are important.. but those skills don't change our need for a shooter... So that is something that he has to work on to make him a better player and BETTER for our team...