RealGM

There are a couple of basketball-related sites I'm loving more and more. One of them is Peachtree Hoops. Jayson Walker's is doing a great job covering the Hawks. The other is HoopsHype, even though their move has messed up my computer's automated address choices.

Anyway, there's this little bit of news about our Muscala:

Javier Maestro wrote:See if the ACB stands up to the NBA to certain abuses:
Atlanta Hawks want to Muscala Obradoiro already said no to 2 deals Euroleague

Link: http://encestando.es/a-ver-si-la-acb-pl ... ando.es%29

Essentially, Google Translate leads me to believe that we're in negotiations to get Muscala here NOW, and that there's some drama attached to the talks. The price seems to be (emotionally, for the writer) the sticking point.

Pittman, Muscala - looks like we're going to be auditioning Centers for the remainder of this year.

Jayson Walker is great, follow him on Twitter, I play in his Fantasy Football league too

Man, I used to post over on HoopsHype several years ago... that forum wasn't what I'd call highly active but it has gone downhill since I was a member though. There were 6 total threads that had activity since the beginning of the year and one of them was the announcement post of the new Rules and Regs video that viktorfrankle posted here. Good luck to those that post over there though - I failed in getting more posters there, hopefully y'all are more successful. I do wish that every forum has an active Hawks community to foment more ideas and develop more "board knowledge" to that be shared.

About that, I didn't mean to say I have anything to do with either of those sites. Matter-of-fact, I may very well be the least-connected poster on this board. I just remember Jayson Walker from his Hawksquawk days.

I really meant to talk about Muscala coming over.

The deal has been closed this night (CET). He is at the SCQ Airport taking his flight to Atlanta.

He was the top player of OBRADOIRO and was averaging 15p 8reb in 27 minutes.

Take care of him. He is a great guy.

^We will! Thanks.


Dude does not look like he's added any weight/muscle mass at all.

Quote of the day:

This season has gone downhill fast
From 3 seed a few weeks ago to being excited about a picture of our 2nd round pick boarding a flight from Spain.

Per Walker of PeachtreeHoops

Believe that any contract with Muscala would be a minimum of two years, including this year, to give Hawks Early Bird rights

I don't like him coming over right now and what it does with the contract: two months of play will take away a full year from his contract, I'd rather play out this year and get him back over the summer with two years left rather than one.

Hope he plans on rebounding but I doubt it

SBM wrote:Hope he plans on rebounding but I doubt it

He led the Patriot League in rebounding and led the Spanish league in rebounding (8.2 is impressive in Euro ball) so I think he will do fine in that department.

Eleqtrique wrote:

SBM wrote:Hope he plans on rebounding but I doubt it

He led the Patriot League in rebounding and led the Spanish league in rebounding (8.2 is impressive in Euro ball) so I think he will do fine in that department.

Depends on how many minutes he had to play to get those 8.2. I looked it up and his rebound rates were respectable in Spain. Hope he rebounds here

Rebounding is supposed to be a talent that projects well from one level to another. No matter how we look at it - leading your league in rebounding is impressive.

SBM wrote:

Eleqtrique wrote:

SBM wrote:Hope he plans on rebounding but I doubt it

He led the Patriot League in rebounding and led the Spanish league in rebounding (8.2 is impressive in Euro ball) so I think he will do fine in that department.

Depends on how many minutes he had to play to get those 8.2. I looked it up and his rebound rates were respectable in Spain. Hope he rebounds here

8 rpg in 27 mpg. Pretty solid.

SBM wrote:Hope he plans on rebounding but I doubt it

NOTE: It's comments like these that lead to your reputation as cynical, negative, whiny, insufferable, etc.

Call me crazy, but I think he's going to be a starter in this league.

His rebounding WILL translate and he can score from anywhere on the floor while making most of his trips to the line. Double-double type of guy, he just needs to get stronger to be able to score efficiently inside while being able to defend the post. He's smart enough and is a hard worker so I'm sure he'll improve on his weaknesses.

So we just hit the lottery...before the Lottery, right!

Pittman didn't even break a sweat, could've played in street clothes.

DirtybirdGA wrote:Pittman didn't even break a sweat, could've played in street clothes.

This is my biggest concern with Coach Bud. In a season going nowhere, he continuously bypasses young players with potential and often overburns his veterans.

I'd have liked to see Pittman, as well as Nunnally and Cunningham, get more PT just to see what they are capable of in big moments.

I agree with Nunnally at least. Pittman, they knew he was going to be cut anyway. I personally don't understand why they would call up a underperforming big from the D League.

Gotta trust a coach's instincts, at least until he proves himself faulty. Fact is, Budenholzer saw Pittman in practice and on the court and still chose to dump him. Maybe he preferred Muscala or maybe he just didn't like Pittman.

I'm grateful for the 2 moments - the ONLY 2 moments this season - when an Atlanta Hawk was bigger, stronger and longer than the other team's front line and won a rebound. It's not just that he beat Noah, Boozer and ... some other guy ... for a rebound, it's that he was the biggest man on the court. Thanks, Dexter.