Atlanta Hawks 2015 Off-Season Thread

[PandaKidd]

Was tweeting back and forth with Kris Willis over at Peachtree Hoops, if all the FO talk coming out is CONTINUITY, they its hard to envision them making any MAJOR moves. I think first priority for them is Millsap, and to find serviceable bigs to rotate through that are just athletically and talent wise , vastly superior over Pero and Brand.

So that gets you into all the Tier 2/3 Bigs, like
Jason Smith
T-Rob
Robin Lopez
Tyson Chandler
Speights
Asik
Biyombo
Seraphin

ETCETCETC not saying THOSE are the only guys, just saying that it may be easier to do little moves like:
Korver to Bench > New Starting SG
Thabo is back healthy so you have him start if DMC is gone, or they become a lethal tandem again
Rest of Starters remain intact, get 1-2 good BIGS that rebound, you now have scoring in the bench with Korver/DS.

I just have a feeling in the end it will be a bunch of minor moves, which is what Ferry/Bud do .

[Rip2137]

Do people realized that we really got killed on the boards by the 3 position? I mean we only go outrebounded on the offensive glass by 2 against the Wizards and that was pretty much just Otto Porter. Lebron was feasting in the ECF and we out rebounded Brooklyn. Sadly, Thabo was one of our best rebounders and him not being there contributed. This isn't an excuse, it does point out that we should have rebounding from other positions as well, but there was some reasoning behind that board work teams were getting.

[Rip2137]

I think we also might have to be prepared for Tavares and Muscala being our bench bigs next year. Not sure if that's a good thing or a bad thing. But Indo believe depth at the 2/3 is going to be key. We are in the East. All roads will go through the best 3 man in the game. Stacking up bigs and not being able to stop Lebron is a losing prospect.

[PandaKidd]

Absolutely, you could watch how there was literally zero offensive rebounding vs the Cavs, everyone just got back and didnt even try. Some of that was prob DMC hobbled, etc.

Still, its MUCH EASIER IMO to get rebounding from the big men than your 3 position. Especially when we dont even know who our 3 position is this year coming up.

Lebron feasted because we had zero bigs in the paint to challenge him on offense and to rebound on both ends. Period.

[PandaKidd]

I think we also might have to be prepared for Tavares and Muscala being our bench bigs next year. Not sure if that's a good thing or a bad thing. But Indo believe depth at the 2/3 is going to be key. We are in the East. All roads will go through the best 3 man in the game. Stacking up bigs and not being able to stop Lebron is a losing prospect.

Tavares will prob be the Muscala of last year (rides the pine for a year).

Muscala is the backup of Millsap (hopefully)
Robin Lopez (or other FA Center)backs up Al Horford
DMC/Thabo SF position
FA SG / Korver / Bazemore
Teague/DS/Mack

Still have 3 spots open so I would assume Tavares (if he comes) is the Elton Brand / doesnt play just there to learn and for depth and D League assignments, so you really need a backup SF/SG combo probably from the draft, and a backup PF.

Beauty is that you have several combo players that can play multiple positions. AH can play 2, Korver CAN combo SF if he has to (in short spurts), Muscala can play C or PF, Millsap can play SF if he has to in small spurts.

[Jamaaliver]

I would love to give Anthony Bennett a look.

On this I would agree. One big reason lottery draftees sometimes struggle is that they are thrown on young, undisciplined teams without real structure. We have the perfect environment to take a flier on a young guy like that and see what he can do surrounded by vets and a strong coaching staff.

Bud's player development record is spotty. (He's had success with Dennis, Mack and Muscala. But we've also seen Jenkins and Adreian ride the pine and be sent on their way accordingly.) But a modest investment in a talented young player like Bennett could be a low risk-high reward type of venture. Buy a stock at its lowest...and Bennett's is pretty low.

Tavares will prob be the Muscala of last year (rides the pine for a year).

PRECISELY!!!! Bud's record with playing rookies has been fairly consistent since eh got here. he clearly prefers vets and keeps young guys on a short leash. Considering Tavares's limited exposure to high level ball, English-speaking limitations, I doubt he sees much PT at all his first year here.

[Hawks champs]

I would love to give Anthony Bennett a look.

On this I would agree. One big reason lottery draftees sometimes struggle is that they are thrown on young, undisciplined teams without real structure. We have the perfect environment to take a flier on a young guy like that and see what he can do surrounded by vets and a strong coaching staff.

Bud's player development record is spotty. (He's had success with Dennis, Mack and Muscala. But we've also seen Jenkins and Adreian ride the pine and be sent on their way accordingly.) But a modest investment in a talented young player like Bennett could be a low risk-high reward type of venture. Buy a stock at its lowest...and Bennett's is pretty low.

Tavares will prob be the Muscala of last year (rides the pine for a year).

PRECISELY!!!! Bud's record with playing rookies has been fairly consistent since eh got here. he clearly prefers vets and keeps young guys on a short leash. Considering Tavares's limited exposure to high level ball, English-speaking limitations, I doubt he sees much PT at all his first year here.

To be fair about bud playing rookies, I think there has generally been good reasons for them not to play. Dennis was terrible last year and we were pushing to make the post season, muscala weighed about 125lbs last year, Payne appears to have just been too dumb to play the system (my guess). I think that Tavares and whoever we draft this year will probably get their try for the first two dozen games and if they don't suck and are smart they should be able to work their way up the rotation.

[Jamaaliver]

To be fair about bud playing rookies, I think there has generally been good reasons for them not to play....I think that Tavares and whoever we draft this year will probably get their try for the first two dozen games and if they don't suck and are smart they should be able to work their way up the rotation.

Make sure you're still posting in December. We'll come back to this and see how accurate you are. (I know you're fairly new here, so be warned. I am part bloodhound. And part elephant. I never forget and I often dig up old posts and predictions.)

I have serious doubts about Tavares's ability to contribute in the short term.

I also wonder how we're going to find minutes for rookies on a veteran team that just made a run to the Conf Finals. I just can't see a coach coming off the regular season we just had spending weeks at season's start teaching Walter Tavares how to play basketball through an interpreter. H3ll, Edy Tavares has never even been in a league that plays more than once a week. His learning curve is going to be huuuuge.

But, time will tell. Maybe Bud makes him a regular rotation player at the very start of his career.

Officially sticking a pin in it.

[Hawks champs]

To be fair about bud playing rookies, I think there has generally been good reasons for them not to play....I think that Tavares and whoever we draft this year will probably get their try for the first two dozen games and if they don't suck and are smart they should be able to work their way up the rotation.

Make sure you're still posting in December. We'll come back to this and see how accurate you are. (I know you're fairly new here, so be warned. I am part bloodhound. And part elephant. I never forget and I often dig up old posts and predictions.)

I have serious doubts about Tavares's ability to contribute in the short term.

I also wonder how we're going to find minutes for rookies on a veteran team that just made a run to the Conf Finals. I just can't see a coach coming off the regular season we just had spending weeks at season's start teaching Walter Tavares how to play basketball through an interpreter. H3ll, Edy Tavares has never even been in a league that plays more than once a week. His learning curve is going to be huuuuge.

But, time will tell. Maybe Bud makes him a regular rotation player at the very start of his career.

Officially sticking a pin in it.

Not saying they'll play a lot, but if they don't suck in preseason/summer league, they should be getting a couple minutes as subs in games we should win plus garbage time which should end up as some solid pt for rookies on the best team in the NBA.


If they don't shock early on they'll probably get ~5 DNP-CDs before the 25 game mark.

[PandaKidd]

Tavares looks , to me, WAY too raw to even think of playing next year. I always thought he was a 2 year stash at minimum. But lots of people insist that hawks plan to bring him over this year. I just don't see it unless its to watch and learn from the Elton Brand spot.

[Rip2137]

I think it was bud bringing him up as part of the future that has people thinking he will be a piece. Then he went out and had a solid year overseas.

[Rip2137]

But don't get me wrong...he is raw in my eyes. What he did in the summer league last year impresses more than the overseas stuff though

[td00]

Talking about Anthony Bennett, if he's not getting any time in Minny, and making strides, then he's not going to get there IMO. His contract is Marvin Williams-esque; there is no help from him with the salary cap.
I think he is average at best, and undersized to be a big contributor. He is Derrick Williams or Michael Beasley all over again.

[Hawk Eye]

Watching LeBron go off for 40+ and Kerr choosing not to double him and send the help defender his way makes me wonder if we could have been more successful doing that. Bud would always send someone to double team him in ISO's and LeBron would find the open man 99.99% of the time.

[atlantabbq99]

Watching LeBron go off for 40+ and Kerr choosing not to double him and send the help defender his way makes me wonder if we could have been more successful doing that. Bud would always send someone to double team him in ISO's and LeBron would find the open man 99.99% of the time.

I was saying this throughout the whole cavs series!!!! Hawks should have put the Dwight rules on Lebron. No double and stop the 3pt shooting, because i wasn't Lebron that killed the Hawks, it was JR Smith's 3pt shooting that killed the Hawks. I don't care if Lebron scores 50, the Hawks just have to keep the cavs at 30% from three.

Just like in the Dwight Orlando series when Dwight was dominating the Hawks but Jameer and Hedo were being contested all series long from three.

[Hawkeyes]

Agree with both of you. But I still think our biggest issue was our inability to find easy offense.We had so many droughts on offense and our poor 3 pt shooting would have still made it hard for us to win more than a game even with that strategy.

[Hawks champs]

Plus jr was getting buckets that you couldn't possibly attribute to anyone but him. Doubled with three hands in his face, six feet back? Nothing but net....

[hawkschop1]

what do you think about adding luis scola?

[atlantabbq99]

Agree with both of you. But I still think our biggest issue was our inability to find easy offense.We had so many droughts on offense and our poor 3 pt shooting would have still made it hard for us to win more than a game even with that strategy.

I blame that on Teague. it might be unfair for me to blame Teague because maybe he had a bad ankle and didn't let anyone know how really bad it was, but Teague was doing nothing from single coverage.

Teague was dominating George Hill last year in the playoffs and he wasn't doing that against the Cavs. Either Teague was playing hurt and didn't tell anyone or Teague really just failed his team. either way the Spurs win when Tony Parker is slashing and getting to the basket, same goes for the Hawks, our PG needs to be getting to the basket and converting.

[my2bits]

Agree with both of you. But I still think our biggest issue was our inability to find easy offense.We had so many droughts on offense and our poor 3 pt shooting would have still made it hard for us to win more than a game even with that strategy.

I blame that on Teague. it might be unfair for me to blame Teague because maybe he had a bad ankle and didn't let anyone know how really bad it was, but Teague was doing nothing from single coverage.

Teague was dominating George Hill last year in the playoffs and he wasn't doing that against the Cavs. Either Teague was playing hurt and didn't tell anyone or Teague really just failed his team. either way the Spurs win when Tony Parker is slashing and getting to the basket, same goes for the Hawks, our PG needs to be getting to the basket and converting.

Dude, how can you put the blame on Teague when he was clearly our best player in that series? He got to the lane repeatedly, was bodied up and did not get many calls. If Milsapp had played better, or if shooters made more open 3's Teague could have dominated. You do realize that the series high in assists in a single game was 7 by Jeff? Poor shooting will do that for you. 25% from 3 pt land will shut down all driving lanes for a smallish PG.