Hawks Offseason Grades Start Rolling In

[Jamaaliver]

Handful of sites offering evaluations of each franchise's efforts to improve this summer:

ESPN’s Pelton gives the Hawks offseason a flat ‘C’

Pelton stipulates that the Hawks couldn’t afford to keep both Paul Millsap and DeMarre Carroll and gives them a pass on losing Carroll. Here’s his assessment of what else they’ve done:

Atlanta tried to find the next Carroll by signing (Justin) Holiday, whose skill set is a 3-and-D starter kit. The Hawks used the money they saved to add (Tiago) Splitter, who gives their frontcourt an entirely different look. But trading a first-round pick for (Tim) Hardaway (Jr.), a poor defender whose shooting hasn’t been as good as advertised in the NBA, looks like a bad gamble.

Bleacher Report hands out a B- on Hawks Offseason

Millsap shunned a bigger offer from the Orlando Magic, returning to the Hawks on a three-year, $59 million deal...Carroll's exit to the Toronto Raptors means Atlanta must now turn to Thabo Sefolosha for its wing-defense needs, unless Kent Bazemore or Justin Holiday take steps forward. Retaining Millsap makes sense; he's got the longer track record of success. But losing Carroll is going to hurt.

...the Hawks should get stronger up front by replacing Pero Antic in the rotation with Tiago Splitter, Splitter's injury history is significant. But he's a strong defensive player who can guard both power forwards and centers.

...the Hawks feel a little weaker than they were last season. But because they handled their toughest decision well and shored up their depth in other ways, they still grade out above average.

[Geaux_Hawks]

How can you give us a "C" after giving us a pass on Carroll? The THJ trade couldn't have been that bad.

B- to B is about where our off-season stood. We lost Carroll, but he could be replaced imo by a guy like Holiday, or Thabo to a certain extent. Then we added some much needed size and depth at the center position. Carroll came to us as a no name much like a few of these recent guys we signed. Somebody can replace him.

[atlantabbq99]

Didn't people give the Hawks an "F" after last year's offseason, and then end up winning 60 games. Who really cares about grades?

[ATL Boy]

Didn't people give the Hawks an "F" after last year's offseason, and then end up winning 60 games. Who really cares about grades?

Basically this. Grades are just offseason fodder used by columnists so that they have something to write while waiting for the season.


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[atlantabbq99]

Also, aren't these also the same guys who gave the Hornets an "A" grade in 2014 and had them finishing 4th or 5th in the east. So ya, take it as seriously as you want it....

[Jamaaliver]

Didn't people give the Hawks an "F" after last year's offseason, and then end up winning 60 games. Who really cares about grades?

Didn't people give the Hawks an "F" after last year's offseason, and then end up winning 60 games. Who really cares about grades?

Basically this. Grades are just offseason fodder used by columnists so that they have something to write while waiting for the season.

This is a fair question. A very reasonable sentiment.

A response is slightly more difficult to put into words. I guess, primarily, it's about perspective. A way to address how outside organizations view our dealings. Also a way to look back and accurately recall the prevailing opinions of the fan base and the league for each of these deals.

It also serves as a predictor of what our strengths and weaknesses might be moving forward based on the personnel. Last year we were criticized for not addressing our front court depth. All season long we struggled with defending opposing bigs and rebounding the basketball effectively.

Last year, critics derided us for being unable to acquire a top 'star player'. All season long we dominated the standings without a star player. Proving those same critics wrong. So...it goes both ways.

But Last off-season...was a train wreck. You can look at the two off-seasons and see a clear, concrete shift in approach from one year to the next:

Last Year: We use our highest first round draft pick in years (15) on a low ceiling player we gave up on a few months later.
This Year: We refuse to even select in the 1st round... trading that same pick (15) for future 2nd rounders and a vet.

Last Year: We gamble on shipping out a young defensive Center in a salary dump and get nothing in return.
This YEAR: We focus on bringing in a defensive Center in for nothing.

Last Year: We clear cap space, but strike out on all top Free Agents for the second year in a row
This year: We eschew all attempts on big name FAs. Focusing on retaining our own (Millsap) and acquiring other pieces through trade.

Last Year: Our GM/Pres makes inappropriate statements about Africans and majority owner makes inflammatory comments about blacks
This Year: As a result, we get a new owner, new GM and new Pres. The President (and HC) will be serving as Asst Coach for Team Africa.

I don't think it's a coincidence we did an about face in the way we build our roster after two straight disappointing summers.

I'd say, reading analysis/predictions/assessments and saving them here is a chance to gain perspective on how the outside world views our team. Hopefully, one day...we'll be so highly revered we can actually convince top Free Agents to come here and propel us into that upper echelon of great teams. It's also a way for our new owner to gauge how his top employees are operating. A HC can be judged easily by on the court results. Judging a GM is slightly more difficult to do without the larger perspective given by a number of outside voices. (Just ask Frank Wren and Thomas Dimitroff)

It'll take us winning the regular season/post season and off-seasons to really change the way we are viewed.

[atlantabbq99]

Also, these are the same people who gave the Warriors a grade of "C" for their 2014 offseason, and they ended up winning the championship!

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2134864-report-card-grades-for-golden-state-warriors-2014-offseason-so-far
http://hoopshabit.com/2014/08/05/golden-state-warriors-offseason-grades/
http://www.cbssports.com/nba/eye-on-basketball/24664179/offseason-report-golden-state-warriors

[Mr Gametime]

Do you guys wish your team went for Veterans like Gilbert Arenas, JR Smith or Ray Allen?

[Jamaaliver]

Something called VAVEL, an international publication, has released their evaluation of the Hawks Offseason Grading the Hawks Offseason as an overall C:

The offseason started during the 2015 NBA draft for Atlanta when they traded their first-round pick a couple of times and eventually landed Tim Hardaway Jr....He may not have the best defense, but Hardaway Jr. makes it up with his streaky three-point shooting. He should be a solid addition

The Hawks also added a big man this summer, trading for San Antonio Spurs’ Tiago Splitter...The Splitter deal was initially a backup plan for Atlanta in case their highly coveted free agent Paul Millsap departed. Fortunately for the Hawks, Millsap opted to re-sign. With Splitter, the Hawks finally have a true big man off the bench who could score down low and supply length on defense.

The most important move of the summer for the Hawks was re-signing Paul Millsap. Keeping Millsap was without doubt crucial since he has been the heart and soul of the team the past two years.

The loss of Carroll could hurt the Hawks, mainly on the defensive end, but the aforementioned additions may possibly make up for it. They simply replaced DeMarre Carroll with a couple of role players and kept the rest of the core together. Now it’s time for them to prove that last year’s successful regular season wasn’t a fluke.

Off-Season Grade: C

[Jamaaliver]

Here's the REALGM Review

They offer a Grade of B:

The Hawks entered the offseason with a good amount of cap space and some key free agents. The Hawks chose to re-sign Paul Millsap. Millsap has a longer track record of success and has proven to be a perfect fit for the systems Atlanta runs. Millsap is likely going to be asked to play more small forward this year than he has in the past couple of seasons. His transition to this position is going to be the key for the Hawks continuing as a contender versus falling back to the middle of the pack in the Eastern Conference.

The reason Millsap may be playing some SF is because the Hawks acquired Tiago Splitter in trade with the Spurs.

At the Draft, the Hawks made one of the more surprising moves of the offseason. The Hawks ended up with Tim Hardaway Jr. and two future second round picks. How Hardaway Jr. fits the Atlanta system is a major question mark.

The players moving on won’t really be missed, minus Carroll.

The Hawks basically had to choose between re-signing Millsap and Carroll and they did so while acquiring Splitter. The difference in the roster from last season is Splitter in and Carroll out. The Hawks are now bigger, but perhaps a bit less versatile.

The writer here surmises that Splitter, Horford and Millsap will all start. But most Hawk fans see one of the three (likely Splitter) coming off the bench. A good way to keep Horford fresh and Tiago injury free.