2016 Hawks Offseason Review

[Jamaaliver]

An annual collection I pull together of pundits, insiders and sportswriters as they assess how well we played the offseason...and what to expect from the new collection of players.

2015 Offseason Review


They have slowly started rolling in thus far...

Yahoo Sports:

The trade of Jeff Teague to Indiana in late June signaled a changing of the guard for the Hawks. Teague became replaceable because of the continued development of the 22-year-old Dennis Schroder.

Schroder has shown flashes of ability but consistency is a concern. Veteran Jarrett Jack will provide depth as backup.

The Hawks’ goal this offseason was to bring back free agent Kent Bazemore while also keeping an eye on the future. The focus on the future started in late June with draft picks Taurean Prince and DeAndre Bembry. With veterans Kyle Korver and Thabo Sefolosha in the last year of their contracts, Prince and Bembry could be groomed as eventual successors.

The Howard addition signals a change of philosophy for Atlanta [transitioning from] a hybrid center who can stretch the floor to the down-low presence of Howard, who is looking to regain the form that made him dominant inside.


KEEP AN EYE ON: Paul Millsap

Millsap could be headed to another summer of free agency next July and will likely command top dollar.

After Millsap’s name was mentioned in trade conversations as Atlanta attempted to re-sign Horford earlier this summer, trade dialogue could pick up again as the season nears.

Here

[Jamaaliver]

David Aldridge rates our Offseason as middle of the pack (14 our of 30):

THE KEY MAN: G Dennis Schroder. It's his show now, after the Hawks moved Teague. Still just 23, it only seems like Schroder's been in the league a decade. Inconsistent production has been his bugaboo in three seasons. That can't happen any more if Atlanta is going to remain in the upper echelon in the Conference.

THE SKINNY:...the Hawks are in a transitional period. They were overmatched against the Cavs, going 0-8 in their last two postseason series with Cleveland. They wanted to keep Horford, but he walked to the Celtics. Atlanta had already hedged its bet by signing Howard, looking to re-establish himself as a dominant big man in his hometown. The bet here is Howard still has enough tread left on the tires to give the Hawks defense and rebounding. The issue is the team's transition (that word again) on offense. Teague was second on the team in scoring, and Atlanta ran so much through Horford, things that Howard is not good at. But if there's one thing coach Mike Budenholzer and his staff are great at, it's finding out ways to utilize what they have.

So Atlanta will no doubt develop some quick hitters and post-ups for Howard, who will have room to operate with All-Star Paul Millsap able to stretch the floor and Bazemore able to run the baseline. The Hawks will also [have] the Kyle Korver of the last two months of the regular season and not the one who struggled through the first two months recovering from two offseason surgeries. Here

[Jamaaliver]

Sports Illustrated finally drops their Offseason Grades:

Atlanta Hawks
Grade: B–

Best move: Giving Dennis Schröder the keys. For better or worse, the most important player on the Hawks’ roster is Dennis Schröder. Though he can be tough to rein in at times, the 22-year-old German guard has shown jaw-dropping flashes off Atlanta’s bench the last couple of years...Frankly, the organization needs to see exactly what it has here. Dealing Jeff Teague to pave the way for Schröder​ came out of necessity as the Hawks chart their future.

Worst move: Replacing Al Horford with one person. I don’t hate the Dwight Howard signing for Atlanta...If Howard commits to the pick-and-roll, Atlanta should not have a huge drop-off from last season. But counting on an older Howard to change his ways seems risky. Atlanta could have offered Horford a fifth year much earlier and possibly stopped him from ever leaving.

The Skinny: Let’s not confuse activity with accomplishment when gauging Atlanta’s summer: they traded away an All-Star, lost an All-Star in free agency, and signed an All-Star in free agency, while also reportedly dangling another All-Star in trade rumors (Paul Millsap).

Did the sum total of those moves amount to much of anything? Probably not.

The indirect Horford-for-Howard swap is a loss in terms of fit but a win in terms of money.

...it would be going too far to say that Howard represents a major upgrade, given Horford’s skill level, Howard’s injury history and the work that will need to be done to integrate Howard into an offense built around space and ball movement.

Treading water doesn’t make for a winning summer. Atlanta’s other moves—paying Bazemore, shipping out Teague, using two first-round picks to add wing depth—look better in the long-term than the short-term. Atlanta has set itself up for significant flexibility next summer, when Millsap can opt out and numerous other veterans come off the books.

For now, though, one wonders whether Atlanta has enough...it’s hard to truly celebrate an off-season that will likely produce some transition pains and that didn’t pull the Hawks meaningfully closer to the Cavaliers.

Here

[simon24]

I give ATL a C. ATL didn't really get worse but they didn't get better. Best case they can make ECF if they avoid CLE in the first/second round.

[Jamaaliver]

The folks here at RealGM offer their own analysis on our summer moves...and they do not pull punches.

Atlanta Hawks

Analysis: The Atlanta Hawks are in the midst of the most successful stretch in franchise history...[making] the postseason in nine straight seasons. To continue their run of playoff appearances the Hawks will need to re-make their identity once again in an improved Eastern Conference.

2016-17 Grade: D+. After developing an offensive system [requiring] all five players to shoot, the Hawks are making a major departure this season. Dwight Howard and Dennis Schroder are downgrades offensively from Al Horford and Jeff Teague. Atlanta could offset the drop in offense by having an improved defense, but large gains seem unlikely on that end. Also, by retaining Bazemore, the Hawks lost the ability to add other pieces to upgrade the team. The Hawks should still be good, but they are likely to drop off towards the lower half of the playoff picture...

Long-term Grade: D-. The long term future doesn’t look any better...Paul Millsap is almost certain to opt out of his contract at year-end. Kyle Korver is free agent...with much of the Atlanta previous offensive system has been built around him. Having Howard locked up for over $70 million dollars for the next three seasons is questionable given his troublesome [injury history]...Beyond that, the Hawks have no young players who seem a sure thing to blossom. The hope is that Schroder can be a top end point guard, but he’s unproven...One plus for the Hawks is that beyond Howard and Bazemore they have no significant money tied up, leaving them with good cap flexibility.

WOW. Even for an old cynic like me...that's a rotten prognosis.

[HMFFL]

Thank you for providing all the information.
I will now spend the night reading..lol

[MaceCase]

Boston forum mod gives the Hawks a D, who would have guessed?

[jayu70]

Nothing to see here.

[ATL Boy]

Lol

[Jamaaliver]

The folks here at RealGM offer their own analysis on our summer moves...and they do not pull punches.

Atlanta Hawks

Analysis: The Atlanta Hawks are in the midst of the most successful stretch in franchise history...[making] the postseason in nine straight seasons. To continue their run of playoff appearances the Hawks will need to re-make their identity once again in an improved Eastern Conference.

2016-17 Grade: D+. After developing an offensive system [requiring] all five players to shoot, the Hawks are making a major departure this season. Dwight Howard and Dennis Schroder are downgrades offensively from Al Horford and Jeff Teague. Atlanta could offset the drop in offense by having an improved defense, but large gains seem unlikely on that end. Also, by retaining Bazemore, the Hawks lost the ability to add other pieces to upgrade the team. The Hawks should still be good, but they are likely to drop off towards the lower half of the playoff picture...

Long-term Grade: D-. The long term future doesn’t look any better...Paul Millsap is almost certain to opt out of his contract at year-end. Kyle Korver is free agent...with much of the Atlanta previous offensive system has been built around him. Having Howard locked up for over $70 million dollars for the next three seasons is questionable given his troublesome [injury history]...Beyond that, the Hawks have no young players who seem a sure thing to blossom. The hope is that Schroder can be a top end point guard, but he’s unproven...One plus for the Hawks is that beyond Howard and Bazemore they have no significant money tied up, leaving them with good cap flexibility.

WOW. Even for an old cynic like me...that's a rotten prognosis.

So, I'm reviewing analysis and insight from summers past to determine how we ended up in this sorry state...

This prognosis is probably more spot on than any other I saw last summer...

Uncanny how accurate this turned out to be.