Hawks, Suns, Bulls... No more tanking?

[Jamaaliver]

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"I wholeheartedly believe you can find talent anywhere in the draft," Schlenk reiterated. He goes on to say that it's important for the future of the team that they experience success.

"It gives them positive reinforcement for all the hard work they're putting in is paying off."

Now, does Schlenk get mad when his Hawks team loses?

"The answer to that is an easy 'no, I don't.' I go into every game hoping that we win, but I also have the understanding that there's going to be sometimes that we're not going to win...This process will get us to where we want to go."

92.9 The Game

[Jamaaliver]

The 2019 NBA No-Power Rankings

Join Jim Boylen, Ernie Grunfeld, and all of the Phoenix Suns in the race to the bottom



6. Atlanta Hawks (19-38)

The Hawks don’t belong here. They’ve been playing too well, as evidenced by Tuesday’s impressive win over the Lakers, which puts them 8.5 games ahead of the worst record in the league. Atlanta is a riddle. How do a bottom-six offense and a bottom-five defense make up one of the most enjoyable League Pass teams? The simple answer is their system, which is modeled on the Golden State system of putting a slew of shooters on the floor and playing at a lightning-fast pace. Combine it all with a core of recent draft picks—from Trae Young to Kevin Huerter to John Collins—and the Hawks are a joy to watch. The downside of their surprise success is that they may already be out of range for pole position in the Zion sweepstakes. But on the bright side, Atlanta is only good enough for fifth-to-last place, meaning it may still end up with a top-five pick and a 10.5 percent chance at the no. 1 pick, and it will get a second lottery pick from the Luka Doncic trade.

The Ringer

[kg01]

The 2019 NBA No-Power Rankings

Join Jim Boylen, Ernie Grunfeld, and all of the Phoenix Suns in the race to the bottom



6. Atlanta Hawks (19-38)

The Hawks don’t belong here. They’ve been playing too well, as evidenced by Tuesday’s impressive win over the Lakers, which puts them 8.5 games ahead of the worst record in the league. Atlanta is a riddle. How do a bottom-six offense and a bottom-five defense make up one of the most enjoyable League Pass teams? The simple answer is their system, which is modeled on the Golden State system of putting a slew of shooters on the floor and playing at a lightning-fast pace. Combine it all with a core of recent draft picks—from Trae Young to Kevin Huerter to John Collins—and the Hawks are a joy to watch. The downside of their surprise success is that they may already be out of range for pole position in the Zion sweepstakes. But on the bright side, Atlanta is only good enough for fifth-to-last place, meaning it may still end up with a top-five pick and a 10.5 percent chance at the no. 1 pick, and it will get a second lottery pick from the Luka Doncic trade.

The Ringer

He got it right. The Hawks don't belong there.

Also, can we put Booker on the list of guys probably gonna demand a trade soon? Actually, probably not. He's perfectly comfortable losing as long he gets paid and gets shots. #Melo3000

[Spud2nique]

The 2019 NBA No-Power Rankings

Join Jim Boylen, Ernie Grunfeld, and all of the Phoenix Suns in the race to the bottom



6. Atlanta Hawks (19-38)

The Hawks don’t belong here. They’ve been playing too well, as evidenced by Tuesday’s impressive win over the Lakers, which puts them 8.5 games ahead of the worst record in the league. Atlanta is a riddle. How do a bottom-six offense and a bottom-five defense make up one of the most enjoyable League Pass teams? The simple answer is their system, which is modeled on the Golden State system of putting a slew of shooters on the floor and playing at a lightning-fast pace. Combine it all with a core of recent draft picks—from Trae Young to Kevin Huerter to John Collins—and the Hawks are a joy to watch. The downside of their surprise success is that they may already be out of range for pole position in the Zion sweepstakes. But on the bright side, Atlanta is only good enough for fifth-to-last place, meaning it may still end up with a top-five pick and a 10.5 percent chance at the no. 1 pick, and it will get a second lottery pick from the Luka Doncic trade.

The Ringer

He got it right. The Hawks don't belong there.

Also, can we put Booker on the list of guys probably gonna demand a trade soon? Actually, probably not. He's perfectly comfortable losing as long he gets paid and gets shots. #Melo3000

I’m sorry how are the Suns this bad? The Cavs and Knicks I understand but comon...have some pride for yourself. I actually used to like watching the Suns back in the day with kj horny marjerle chambers ej and company, they rollin over right now..poor Eddie has to watch every night.

[Atlanta Hawk Fan]

The Ringer

He got it right. The Hawks don't belong there.

Also, can we put Booker on the list of guys probably gonna demand a trade soon? Actually, probably not. He's perfectly comfortable losing as long he gets paid and gets shots. #Melo3000

I’m sorry how are the Suns this bad? The Cavs and Knicks I understand but comon...have some pride for yourself. I actually used to like watching the Suns back in the day with kj horny marjerle chambers ej and company, they rollin over right now..poor Eddie has to watch every night.

It is hilariously ironic that the Suns went from too many PGs to not having any.

[Spud2nique]

He got it right. The Hawks don't belong there.

Also, can we put Booker on the list of guys probably gonna demand a trade soon? Actually, probably not. He's perfectly comfortable losing as long he gets paid and gets shots. #Melo3000

I’m sorry how are the Suns this bad? The Cavs and Knicks I understand but comon...have some pride for yourself. I actually used to like watching the Suns back in the day with kj horny marjerle chambers ej and company, they rollin over right now..poor Eddie has to watch every night.

It is hilariously ironic that the Suns went from too many PGs to not having any.

Kinda like us with Billy Knight and the wings 10 years ago. Now we could use some wings.

[Spud2nique]

He got it right. The Hawks don't belong there.

Also, can we put Booker on the list of guys probably gonna demand a trade soon? Actually, probably not. He's perfectly comfortable losing as long he gets paid and gets shots. #Melo3000

I’m sorry how are the Suns this bad? The Cavs and Knicks I understand but comon...have some pride for yourself. I actually used to like watching the Suns back in the day with kj horny marjerle chambers ej and company, they rollin over right now..poor Eddie has to watch every night.

It is hilariously ironic that the Suns went from too many PGs to not having any.

Greg Grant giggled too..

Ps I loved that dude he was west coast small sample Spuddish!

[Jamaaliver]

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Taking a snapshot of the bottom seven teams in the standings as we get ready for the final 20 games of the NBA season shows the stakes for each of Williamson’s suitors and whether all of them are truly Cryin’ for Zion. While many believe Williamson is the best NBA prospect in at least seven years, franchises’ math doesn’t always compute that way.

Atlanta Hawks: 20-40, No. 5 in reverse standings

Own future first-rounders from Dallas and Cleveland and all their own; maximum of $41.7 million in cap space this summer

Atlanta is in prime position to add two more solid young building blocks in this summer's draft. Now, after starting 6-23, the Hawks are 14-17 over the past two months and look ready to take flight.

Should they tank? The Hawks are already winning with young players, so no. Of their regular rotation, only Dewayne Dedmon is older than 26. Instead, Atlanta has played through John Collins, Trae Young, Taurean Prince and Kevin Huerter and it’s paid off. The Hawks take a ton of 3s, allow very few, move the ball, create turnovers and play well together. What more could you ask for from a young team under a first-year head coach? Things are going swimmingly in Atlanta.

Will they tank? We may see the Hawks pull the plug on someone like Kevin Huerter late in the year if lingering ankle issues threaten his health. But overall, it will be hard for the Hawks to tank. They are already very young but they play with discipline and chemistry, making it nearly impossible to lose on purpose. No, tanking at this point would be to throw caution to the wind and build bad habits. Atlanta is doing things the right way.

[saloonyk8]

I still want a top 3 pick and hopefully Zion. Maybe Trae can take some games off! There's zero upside in moving down in draft odds. Anthony Davis is playing 20 minutes a game, crazy!

[observer1995]

I'm really not sure much is going to need to be done to only end up winning 5 games the rest of the season, because watching this game, the offense does not look like a competent NBA offense when you take Trae off the floor now. I'm dubious that Adams is a legitimate NBA PG.

[DirtybirdGA]

Bulls on a tear, lol. I doubt we swap.

[saloonyk8]

Bulls on a tear, lol. I doubt we swap.

Yeah I don't think we can move up to 4 at all. I'm just hoping not to lose the 5 spot. Memphis and NOLA super motivated to lose

[Jamaaliver]

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