EC Finals 09-10 = realistic goal for Hawks?
Posted: Wed May 13, 2009 5:54 pm
IMHO, I think that we can get to the EC Finals or be serious title contenders if these things are done this summer (offseason):
Key Players Improve:
[ Joe Johnson ] - AGGRESSIVENESS? Is it me or did Joe Johnson show more aggression in the 2 minutes that followed the the mix with Delonte West in game 3 than anytime during the playoffs this year? He demanded the ball in the post, he drove hard and aggressive, and stroke a 3pt shot effortlessly without thinking! He literally lit West azz up 1-on-1 for about 2 minutes straight. When Joe has played like that, he's shown that he could be unguardable. Just like the game he took over vs BOS in ATL last year. WHERE IS THAT JOE ALL YEAR? WHY doesn't he played with that AGGRESSIVENESS and Killer instinct all year long? He has to have that "we will not lose this game" attitude every night to lead this team the way they look for him to.
[ Josh Smith ] - SHOT SELECTION? His stats across the board were career lows except for (guess what?) his FG%...So, what is the problem? Can Josh develop a consistent mid range (13-16ft) jumper? With a few months of solid work, look at Glen "Big Baby" Davis mid range game now? Can Josh finally realize that boxing out better on the defensive end will give him another 1.5 to 2 rebounds per game?
[ Al Horford ] - POST OFFENSE? Horford has the strength, tough, and footwork fundamentals to be very solid in the low post...BUT he has no feel and goes to the same move and hand too often. Imagine if he went with Smoove to work out with Hakeem Olajuwon this summer? If Horford can can get more comfortable and consistent in the low post, he would easily avg 14-15ppg.
Decisions:
[] Mike Bibby - Re-sign him? For how much and how long? I think if he wants more than $7MIL per than we should look to Free Agency. Best case scenario to put us in the Finals: Sign Iverson (who lives here and has been all over the Hawks msg boards for months) but would he take $8-10M to win? No other team accommodates his style/need to be #1 option more than ATL, CHA, TOR, and maybe IND? Hawks are the only ones that could put up the money but would Iverson = Bye, Bye Chillz rights?
[] Marvin & Childress - How much will Marvin cost? Will it come down to keeping Marvin or Chillz? Will Marvin improve and put it all together or continue to take small steps?
[] Zaza & Flip - Must resign both. We only went as far as bench would extend us with Woody's deficiencies. I think Zaza is realistically worth around Varejao's $5-6M at the most. Flip is should be offered somewhere around $4M per year.
[] Gooden, B.Bass, Milsap, Varejao, "Birdman", or even Sheed? - Must add a veteran big man to come off the bench with Zaza. He must be known and respected for either: A. shotblocking/interior defense, B. hustle/rebounds, or C. scoring in the post/drawing double teams.
Key Players Improve:
[ Joe Johnson ] - AGGRESSIVENESS? Is it me or did Joe Johnson show more aggression in the 2 minutes that followed the the mix with Delonte West in game 3 than anytime during the playoffs this year? He demanded the ball in the post, he drove hard and aggressive, and stroke a 3pt shot effortlessly without thinking! He literally lit West azz up 1-on-1 for about 2 minutes straight. When Joe has played like that, he's shown that he could be unguardable. Just like the game he took over vs BOS in ATL last year. WHERE IS THAT JOE ALL YEAR? WHY doesn't he played with that AGGRESSIVENESS and Killer instinct all year long? He has to have that "we will not lose this game" attitude every night to lead this team the way they look for him to.
[ Josh Smith ] - SHOT SELECTION? His stats across the board were career lows except for (guess what?) his FG%...So, what is the problem? Can Josh develop a consistent mid range (13-16ft) jumper? With a few months of solid work, look at Glen "Big Baby" Davis mid range game now? Can Josh finally realize that boxing out better on the defensive end will give him another 1.5 to 2 rebounds per game?
[ Al Horford ] - POST OFFENSE? Horford has the strength, tough, and footwork fundamentals to be very solid in the low post...BUT he has no feel and goes to the same move and hand too often. Imagine if he went with Smoove to work out with Hakeem Olajuwon this summer? If Horford can can get more comfortable and consistent in the low post, he would easily avg 14-15ppg.
Decisions:
[] Mike Bibby - Re-sign him? For how much and how long? I think if he wants more than $7MIL per than we should look to Free Agency. Best case scenario to put us in the Finals: Sign Iverson (who lives here and has been all over the Hawks msg boards for months) but would he take $8-10M to win? No other team accommodates his style/need to be #1 option more than ATL, CHA, TOR, and maybe IND? Hawks are the only ones that could put up the money but would Iverson = Bye, Bye Chillz rights?
[] Marvin & Childress - How much will Marvin cost? Will it come down to keeping Marvin or Chillz? Will Marvin improve and put it all together or continue to take small steps?
[] Zaza & Flip - Must resign both. We only went as far as bench would extend us with Woody's deficiencies. I think Zaza is realistically worth around Varejao's $5-6M at the most. Flip is should be offered somewhere around $4M per year.
[] Gooden, B.Bass, Milsap, Varejao, "Birdman", or even Sheed? - Must add a veteran big man to come off the bench with Zaza. He must be known and respected for either: A. shotblocking/interior defense, B. hustle/rebounds, or C. scoring in the post/drawing double teams.