Who Are The Keepers: Atlanta Hawks

[Jamaaliver]

Great article on the Hawks over at Basketball Insiders. Basically they ask who are the building blocks on the team, and whom we shouldn't get too attached to.

For my money, only Dennis and Horford are are long term candidates. DS because of his potential upside and Horford because of his production, contract and value.

With only an outside chance of luring a marquee free agent, Atlanta’s options are to 1) continue signing value free agents and hope to unearth a star drafting in the teens, or 2) blow up the roster entirely and accumulate future assets while Philips Arena lies fallow for a few years of losing.

http://www.basketballinsiders.com/who-are-the-keepers-atlanta-hawks/

Surprisingly, they consider Korver, Demarre, JT and DS as only maybe worth keeping around.
Horford's a keeper (of course). EVERYONE else they say is gone or not worth keeping around.

As far as I am concerned, no one is untouchable. But Horfy and Dennis could be major pieces on a great team.

Who do you guys view as building blocks, based on age, skillset, contract status, etc? Thoughts on the article?

[Jamaaliver]

Buy His Jersey
Al Horford
Age: 27
Contract: 2 years, $24 million
Projected New Contract: 3-5 years, $10-13 million Average Annual Value (AAV)
Horford’s second pectoral injury in three season is a bit concerning, but he remains the franchise cornerstone. Aside from shooting midrangers he does nothing spectacularly, but everything well. His contract remains a solid value for a versatile lower-level All-Star player. The Hawks would be unlikely to get fair trade on a value or talent basis were he shipped out.
That said, Horford is very clearly a complementary player who in turn requires his own special complement, all the more so now that Smith toils in Detroit. Horford really needs a jumping jack center beside him to boost the Atlanta defense to championship levels. It is possible that 2013 16th pick Lucas Nogueira and his 7’5 wingspan could be that player in time, but he is raw, skinny, and missed most of the year for his Spanish league team with severe knee tendinitis.
Horford’s lonely status in the Buy His Jersey category highlights the problem for Atlanta. He remains the Hawks’ best player by a considerable margin, but he is also the team’s best asset. If Ferry concludes contention is unlikely in the next few years, Horford may be traded before his contract expires in 2016.

Maybe, It Depends
Kyle Korver
Age: 32
Contract: 3 years, $17.2 million
The relative hype of Korver’s NBA record three-point streak has highlighted his best season at age 32. While his shooting should contribute to far more graceful aging than most players, it is hard to see Korver as a part of the next Atlanta contender. Korver would very likely glean a first-rounder or decent developmental prospect this offseason.
Ferry...should also consider he is unlikely to quite repeat this performance and a high sell may be in order.

Read more at http://www.basketballinsiders.com/who-a ... MBbb9rU.99

[Rip2137]

Dennis Schroder's upside...do you think it will ever be better than 17-8? I personally think he could be a 14-10 guy maybe...but I honestly think that's the guys ceiling.

To me, Horford is the keeper, it will take a HELL of a deal to part with Teague for me and everyone else is expendable. Demarre is the closest to the "keeper" group than anyone else as he will always be high production at a low cost.

[SBM]

There are no individual keepers on this team. Dennis is extremely overvalued at the moment simply because some so-called experts compared him to Rondo and claim he is a pure PG. Dennis really does not look like he has great extincts for the game. We usually lose ground with him in the game meaning he really is not controlling pace, tempo, stopping runs, etc. Horford being out for 2 years really makes me sour on him. Teague is a fringe starter that can win you a few games a season. Kyle really is important but he is already in his 30's, we need a upgrade and or a replacement for him. Millsap and Horford are best suited for the same position. Al going down has exposed some stuff about Millsap I don't like.

All that said give me the following:

Embiid/Muscula/Bebe
Horford/Millsap/Scott
Afflalo/Carroll
Korver/2nd rd pick/Jenkins
Teague/Dennis/Shelvin

Let's go battle

Point being the right player added to this team could make a lot of people seem like keepers.

[PandaKidd]

Ok, you sitting down?




























Nobody.

yeah I said it. Hear me out.

Horford, 2 torn pectorals in 3 years. If someone offered us another All Star Caliber player for him, who isnt injury prone, SEE YA. Want to trade a top 10 pick for him? SEE YA. Want to trade Asik and Lin for Horford straight up? SEE YA. (Except i dont like the salary cap hits of Lin and Asik).

Teague, I think hes going to be the closest to a must keep IMO, because his contract isnt terrible, and hes capable of being ELITE IMO. He can be a top 10 PG. Look at his numbers based on what he has to work with this season? I sometimes question his motor, but lets give him some shooters and see what happens.

Millsap, hate to see him go, but this may be a sell high moment, hes 29, great contract, would be a great contender piece. we must get back great value IMO for him.

Everyone else is expendable. I will say this though, we have some pieces that every team needs:
Great wing defender (DMC)
3 Point Specialist (Korver)
Euro Big who can shoot and commit 6 fouls (Antic)

[Jamaaliver]

Reassessing after the playoffs, the draft and early returns this season.

Who are the keepers?

I said Horford and Dennis were the only keepers and I largely stand by that assessment 8 months later.

I acknowledge that based on age, injury history and contract situation...it might be time to move Horford.

But for me, they are cornerstones.

Demarre might be the only other player I consider a long term building block. But he's about to see a major salary increase next summer. He might no longer be the incredible value moving forward.

[Hawk Eye]

I don't feel that we have any keepers or "cornerstone" guys on our roster. When I hear keeper or cornerstone I aoutomatically think of guys like Paul George, Anthony Davis, Russell Westbrook, Stephen Curry, James Harden, ect.

So unless my interpretation of "keeper" or "cornerstone" player is off, we definitely don't have a player of that caliber. Horford would be a 2nd option out in the west maybe even a 3rd option on serious west contenders. Same goes for Teague.

I just don't believe we have a single player on our roster of that caliber. Maybe Dennis could prove me wrong but only time as well as starting minutes time will tell.

[King Ken]

1-3 are the keepers. Highly valued is Sap and Korver.

1. Dennis
2. Horford
3. Jeff
4. Sap
5. Korver

[azuresou1]

I don't think we have any guys who are must-keeps on the roster.

If I'm honest I'd say Dennis and Mike Muscala are our best keepers since they're going to have the biggest discrepancy in potential vs. trade value.

[Hawk Eye]

I don't think we have any guys who are must-keeps on the roster.

If I'm honest I'd say Dennis and Mike Muscala are our best keepers since they're going to have the biggest discrepancy in potential vs. trade value.

This would be my analysis as well. I said in a post earlier that we (meaning our current HC/GM Bud) should seriously evaluate our roster around the trade deadline. If we haven't suffered any major injuries and are hovering below .500 then I will be the first to step on board the re-build boat. However, I'd probably include Payne a long with Dennis and Mike as keepers. Until I can actually make an accurate prediction of him at least, the dude needs to be seeing some sort of minutes before to long.

[Jamaaliver]

As far as I am concerned, no one is untouchable. But Horfy and Dennis could be major pieces on a great team.

Who do you guys view as building blocks, based on age, skillset, contract status, etc? Thoughts on the article?

Been just over a year since I posed this question to the board. Since then, the teams' fortunes have been up and down like a roller coaster. 2015 has been pretty fantastic to us as we are (for all intents and purposes) the best team in the East.

So, just to get a feel for where everyone stands...who are the keepers at this point?

I stated Dennis and AL last year and I stand by that. Most of the team has played incredibly well this season. But most everyone else could be replaced, right?

Any young talent impressed themselves upon you enough to make them a cornerstone?

[azuresou1]

Again, no one on this roster is a must-keep, other than maybe Muscala (we probably don't get even a high 2nd for him). The rest can all fetch some sort of value on the trade market, so of which may be good options.

Going down the roster:
- Jeff Teague has improved enough that at his current contract I'd be hard pressed to trade him
- DeMarre is a FA; I'd love to resign him to a reasonable deal but I suspect that there will be a surprising bidding war for him among start teams
- Korver is a stud at what he does but I'd move him for the right young asset
- Millsap is a FA; he's very integral to what we do and I want to resign him but TBH I'd want a team discount
- Horford is an all-around stud on a good contract who I'd nonetheless be willing to move for a young potential superstar like Wiggins
- I like Dennis' potential but if I can get a Top 4 pick for him I'm moving him
- Thabo, Mack, Scott and Bazemore are all a good value pieces that I'd be willing to move for a talent upgrade
- Brand and Antic are old and servicable - I'd be okay with them back on the team but I'm not carving out a spot specifically for them if talent comes along
- I'm rooting for Jenkins as a success story but I don't particularly care if he signs somewhere else
- Mike Muscala can be a $6M-value rotation guy for under $1M in salary. Teams are sleeping on him.
- Holding out on Tavares until I see what he can be.

[Hawk Eye]

As far as I am concerned, no one is untouchable. But Horfy and Dennis could be major pieces on a great team.

Who do you guys view as building blocks, based on age, skillset, contract status, etc? Thoughts on the article?

Been just over a year since I posed this question to the board. Since then, the teams' fortunes have been up and down like a roller coaster. 2015 has been pretty fantastic to us as we are (for all intents and purposes) the best team in the East.

So, just to get a feel for where everyone stands...who are the keepers at this point.

I stated Dennis and AL last year and I stand by that. Most of the team has played incredibly well this season. But could most eceryone else be replaced?

Any young talent impressed themselves upon you enough to make them a cornerstone?

Since it has been made very obvious that this team is no where near rebuild mode after such a successful season I have to say that our entire starting 5 should be keepers. If I had to pick one that we could afford to lose (even though I want him back next season) it would be DeMarre Carroll. Our defense wouldn't miss a beat eith thabo as the starting SF and could perhaps be even better but the offense could potentially take a plunge. DeMarre has been shooting the 3 ball at a great clip this season.

I might be the only one on this board but if the opurtinity presented itself on draft night I would pull the trigger on this deal

Schröder, BRK pick, MIN pick from payne trade

For

NYK pick IF it's #1 or #2 MAYBE even #3

I strongly believe that Okafor, Towns, and Russell are going to be franchise players in this league in due time. It would be wonderful to bring another "Dominque Wilkins-type" player to this franchise. (Not saying any of those three guys play like Nique just referring to the star factor" now I'm not saying Dennis doesn't have that star potential...I'm just saying that Towns, Okafor, and Russell have that super-star potential.

Anyways, The starting 5 should all be keepers. Thabo & Dennis should be as well. Everyone else should be expandable for upgrades if the opurtinity arises this offseason.

[Jamaaliver]

Again, no one on this roster is a must-keep, other than maybe Muscala (we probably don't get even a high 2nd for him). The rest can all fetch some sort of value on the trade market, so of which may be good options.

Going down the roster:

Your assessments seem fairly spot on. Outside of the Muscala valuation (you rate him slightly higher than I), I'd agree pretty wholeheartedly with this.

DeMarre Carroll. Our defense wouldn't miss a beat eith thabo as the starting SF and could perhaps be even better but the offense could potentially take a plunge. DeMarre has been shooting the 3 ball at a great clip this season.

Interesting assertion that the offense would take the biggest hit minus Demarre. I do fear, as Azure does, that he could get a huge offer that he simply can't refuse. You definitely have more faith in Thabo moving forward than I. As a guy closer to 40 than 30, I fear he's going to get drastically slower the next couple of years. But time will tell.

I might be the only one on this board but if the opportunity presented itself on draft night I would pull the trigger on this deal Schröder, BRK pick, MIN pick

For NYK pick IF it's #1 or #2 MAYBE even #3

This would be a hard trade to turn down for ATL. We clear up the jam at PG and get a long term solution at center or SG.

I fear NYK would never go for it. But as Dennis' self appointed #1 fan...I'd HAVE to go through with it. It could alter the franchise's talent level for the next decade+.

[theatlfan]

DeMarre Carroll. Our defense wouldn't miss a beat eith thabo as the starting SF and could perhaps be even better but the offense could potentially take a plunge. DeMarre has been shooting the 3 ball at a great clip this season.

Interesting assertion that the offense would take the biggest hit minus Demarre. I do fear, as Azure does, that he could get a huge offer that he simply can't refuse. You definitely have more faith in Thabo moving forward than I. As a guy closer to 40 than 30, I fear he's going to get drastically slower the next couple of years. But time will tell.

Not sure who you're referencing here. Thabo doesn't turn 31 for another month while Demarre turns 29 in just shy of 4 months...

[Jamaaliver]

DeMarre Carroll. Our defense wouldn't miss a beat eith thabo as the starting SF and could perhaps be even better but the offense could potentially take a plunge. DeMarre has been shooting the 3 ball at a great clip this season.

Interesting assertion that the offense would take the biggest hit minus Demarre. I do fear, as Azure does, that he could get a huge offer that he simply can't refuse. You definitely have more faith in Thabo moving forward than I. As a guy closer to 40 than 30, I fear...

Not sure who you're referencing here. Thabo doesn't turn 31 for another month while Demarre turns 29 in just shy of 4 months...

Poorly worded on my part. I'm closer to 40 and have lost all my lateral speed and jumping ability. I also struggle with calf and quad strains and take weeks to recover from the slightest injury. I've seen what Thabo is in store for. It's not pretty. I don't think he'll have the quickness to guard Lebron, Butler, Derozan, P George, Beal a year from now. Lateral quickness is the first thing to go.

[ATLHawksfan21]

Is there any concrete evidence that proves that players rapidly deteriorate at 30?

Comparing 40 and 30 is quite the stretch

[dpaulh]

I think the only keeper is Coach Bud. Everyone else has been valuable and I would like to see the core return next year, but I feel confident that there are many guys who can over perform in Bud's system.

[Jamaaliver]

I think the only keeper is Coach Bud. Everyone else has been valuable and I would like to see the core return next year, but I feel confident that there are many guys who can over perform in Bud's system.

This sentiment absolutely has merit. I have a strong suspicion that many players could come into this system and have a career year just so long as they have those basic skills needed to run it: shooting, passing, unselfishness.

I suspect Pero & Shelvin would have difficulty succeeding on any other NBA team. but here both have played big roles on playoff teams.

[ATLHawksfan21]

I think the only keeper is Coach Bud. Everyone else has been valuable and I would like to see the core return next year, but I feel confident that there are many guys who can over perform in Bud's system.

I have to disagree some. I think Bud does a great job of getting the role players to perform above expectations. There is also something to be said for players performing better when they are constantly involved in the game. It's just human tendency to give more effort when you feel like you are worth more. Bud makes players feel like they are all even. It's a lot easier to give that extra hustle when you are involved on offense vs standing in a corner watching a "star" force bad shots.

With that said, we do have talent on this team.

Korver is the best catch and shoot 3 pt shooter in the league.

Millsap is one of the most dynamic PFs in the league. His ability to score in every of the court while being able to defend several positions is invaluable.

Horford is an elite midrange shooter for his position.

Teague has elite athleticism and strength at his position.

They all also are willing to sacrifice for the team instead of letting their ego get the best of them. This trait should not be taken for granted.