Moderators: dms269, HMFFL, Jamaaliver
Jamaaliver wrote:I just don't think we need to fall in love and commit to every halfway decent player that comes through these doors.
We're 6 months into a massive rebuild.
And Dedmon is opting out this summer. He'd be foolish not to.
October 2017Dewayne Dedmon earns highest mark for Atlanta Hawks in ESPN’s RPM projections
ESPN’s individual projections emerged this week and it was not point guard Dennis Schröder sitting atop the heap for Atlanta. In fact, it was center Dewayne Dedmon (No. 91 overall) with a sizable lead over the rest of the roster and only Ersan Ilyasova (No. 103 overall) joined him in ranking as a positive overall contributor.
Dedmon’s strong rating relies on his defensive aptitude while Ilyasova earns slightly above-average marks on both ends of the floor. As for Schröder, the best player on Atlanta’s roster does not appear until No. 190 overall and, in short, his defensive issues from a season ago are likely reflected violently in this ranking.
myAJCDewayne Dedmon shows he can be more than NBA backup
By now it’s obvious that Dewayne Dedmon is a legitimate NBA center. He established himself as a rotation player at Orlando and San Antonio, but given a bigger role with the Hawks, he’s shown that he can be more than that.
Dedmon’s signing last summer gave the Hawks a respectable veteran big man for their transition to rebuilding. It provided Dedmon the chance to show he’s more than just a backup big and possibly cash in as a free agent this summer.
Dedmon has hit the trifecta of dramatically increasing his offensive usage and production while also maintaining his high efficiency. He’s added a jump shot to go with his strong pick-and-roll game. Dedmon’s rim protection has been somewhat disappointing based on his track record, but the Hawks have been a better defensive team with him on the floor.
I’d argue that Dedmon would be the most attractive trade piece for the Hawks if not for the injury and his $6.3 million contract option for next season. Those circumstances probably make Ersan Ilyasova the more valuable trade target, but certainly teams will be interested in Dedmon as a free agent if he finishes the season with the Hawks and opts out of his player option.
Dedmon has played well for the Hawks. But it’s notable that when coach Mike Budenholzer is asked about Dedmon’s performance, he often segues to Dedmon’s impact on the team’s culture.
Dedmon said it’s “tough” to keeps spirits high on a team with the worst record in the NBA.
