Atlanta Hawks 2015 Off-Season Thread

[Jamaaliver]

From Eric Pincus over at Basketball Insiders:

Whether it’s due to age, injury, role change or coaching shift, some players are primed for a decline this season. Each season some guys, while still productive, decline a bit. Here are some situations to watch as we approach training camp:

Kyle Korver, Shooting Guard, Atlanta Hawks

Not many guys become an All-Star after twelve seasons in the league. Korver, 34, has found new life in his three seasons with the Atlanta Hawks and became an All-Star in 2015. But you have to wonder when Father Time will come calling. The Hawks spent the summer strengthening their shooting guard position by acquiring Tim Hardaway Jr. from New York and signing veteran Jason Richardson in free agency, possibly in preparation for a potential decline from Korver

HERE

Man. Re-reading this pre-season scouting report on what to expect from Korver this year, the folks at Basketball Insiders were spot on.

I completely forgot about the Jason Richardson signing as well. We did put a lot of effort into softening the blow from a KK decline. How effective those moves are remains to be seen.

Will Justin Holliday be a breakout star for ATL next season as the replacement for Baze?

[Jamaaliver]

We need wings, but lets not just go to "any wing will do"

I think that ship sailed when we traded a top 20 pick for Tim Hardaway, Jr.

You can quote me on this one...THJ will be more productive than any other player we could have drafted at that spot next season.

So...running the numbers. THJ is avg fewer points than Bobby Portis, Jerian Grant, or Kelly Oubre. He's avg fewer per 36 avg in scoring. He has a worse Off Rating, worse DEF Rating. He has the a worse FG%, TS%, PER than them. He's also played in far fewer games despite having years more experience as a pro.


We were both wrong on this one. He's been massively less productive than the two kids we did draft and the one player we should've drafted.


Hopefully, THJ picks things up in the second half of the season.

He is shooting 35% from the field and 33% from 3-pt range in his last 5 games. Both are improvements on his season numbers.

So he's trending upwards at least.

[Rip2137]

Yep. Wrong as hell so far. But who SHOULD we have drafted(just for clarity) we need a two. None of those guys are a two. RJ Hunter looks closer to the miss for me, but lets be clear, while Hardaway jr has not panned out, those other guys wouldn't have cracked the rotation either. Portis would have had the best shot but we would still have a massive hole as the backup 2.

[Jamaaliver]

Yep. Wrong as hell so far. But who SHOULD we have drafted(just for clarity) we need a two...Portis would have had the best shot but we would still have a massive hole as the backup 2.

Yeah, I don't believe in reaching in the draft for need in the NBA. You get the best talent available and develop or trade it. Portis was the best pick. Though Justin Anderson or RHJ have good potential as 3 and D players in our develop program.

SG was definitely an issue and remains so.

Wes Mathews was my choice over the summer. But, admittedly, it was unclear how he'd recover from that Achilles injury.

Gary Harris in 2014 could have manned the SG spot moving forward.

Even drafting Rodney Hood in 2014 and moving Bazemore to SG could have helped.

We've missed so often in the first round of the draft the last few years...

[Jamaaliver]

Our team fits Kevin Love perfectly, he gets to not go back out West where he never made the playoffs, we can offer him the same amount of money as anyone else. If he doesn't want to sign to a 60 win team that fits him perfectly and can pay him the max, he is a moron.

Sounds like Kevin Love might be coming available sooner or later:

Kevin Love just isn’t working with the CavaliersHere

The grumbling has begun behind the scenes...

[ATL Boy]

Our team fits Kevin Love perfectly, he gets to not go back out West where he never made the playoffs, we can offer him the same amount of money as anyone else. If he doesn't want to sign to a 60 win team that fits him perfectly and can pay him the max, he is a moron.

Sounds like Kevin Love might be coming available sooner or later:

Kevin Love just isn’t working with the CavaliersHere

The grumbling has begun behind the scenes...

I'd love to get Love on the cheap. When he was actually used correctly, and allowed to play on the elbow he was the 3rd most efficient player in the entire league. He's also a ferocious rebounder. Cavs aren't doing him a justice just planting him at the 3 point line and saying shoot.

[Rip2137]

Thing is though, I am not sure I would give up Millsap for Love right now. Milsap is simply playing like a superstar. Especially when you take this system in consideration. No player is going to have monster numbers in this system, but what he is doing...man.

Love would have to be okay with playing the Center position(which honestly I think he could). But then again, Horford on the Cavs would make them MONSTERS.

[Jamaaliver]

Thing is though, I am not sure I would give up Millsap for Love right now. Milsap is simply playing like a superstar. Especially when you take this system in consideration. No player is going to have monster numbers in this system, but what he is doing...man.

Love would have to be okay with playing the Center position(which honestly I think he could). But then again, Horford on the Cavs would make them MONSTERS.

Agreed. the teams that Horford or Millsap could put over the top, either don't need them or don't have the currency to obtain them.

I'd expect the world back for Millsap, but only a contender benefits from a 32 year old Millsap playing this well. And no contender has the value I'd want back from Millsap.

The closest trades for Millsap I can even imagine are:

Millsap to HOU for Motiejunas and Clint Capela

Millsap to MIA for Justise Winslow (with Expiring Luol and Whiteside to balance the contracts)

neither of those can really be justified to our fan base.

(Though I'd give anything for justice Winslow at this point.)

[MaceCase]

Thing is though, I am not sure I would give up Millsap for Love right now. Milsap is simply playing like a superstar. Especially when you take this system in consideration. No player is going to have monster numbers in this system, but what he is doing...man.

Love would have to be okay with playing the Center position(which honestly I think he could). But then again, Horford on the Cavs would make them MONSTERS.

Love is a downgrade from Sap in this system because he can't initiate offense in the variety of ways that Sap can and needs to be fed in his sweet spots to be effective thus his struggles in Cleveland with Kyrie and LeBron hogging the ball. You're putting far more pressure on Teague and Dennis to be the dominant playmakers on the squad which with their clockwork waxes and wanes will surely impact Love.

Love can work at center if you want your defense to be amongst the worst in the league. Undersized, poor length, no foot speed, say what we will about Al but he's an underrated rim protector that can rotate out to the perimeter on switches and pick and rolls with ease. We'd have to abandon both Sap and Al then pursue Drummond/Dwight/Whiteside as defensive centers to pair next to Love plus go after Batum as a secondary wing playmaker if you're seriously looking to build the best team around Love.

[Jamaaliver]

Milsap is simply playing like a superstar. Especially when you take this system in consideration. No player is going to have monster numbers in this system, but what he is doing...man.

Yes. Yes indeed. easily our best player this year.

I've mentioned a few times about turning 2nd tier assets into a 1st tier asset. This is the kind of thing I've been hoping for/considering/advocating.

Adding Millsap (and Teague?) to a team desperate to overpay and get back to Contender status (like MIA) could put them over the top toward being a true title contender.

And as well as he is playing now...

I'd strongly consider selling high for the right price. Bosh, Millsap, Wade and Dragic might have an outside shot at getting back to the Finals. And MIA had enough assets to make it worth it to us...I'd be all over it.


It was, ultimately, what I wanted us to do with Josh Smith. When a guy IN HIS PRIME*** is playing this well but you are still not a contender as a result...move him for a king's ransom.


Indy, MIA, HOU, Clippers could all benefit from adding Millsap...but NONE of them have anything to offer us worthwhile.

***Edited 1/27/16

[Jamaaliver]

Hawks let go long-time athletic trainers. http://t.co/1kkfat2I6S

Wow, no more Wally blase??? Complete shake up of the coaching/conditioning staff

Don't know what it means...but Teague's ankles were never this shaky under the old training staff.

How ironic would it be if this minor, unrelated move led to a massive change in roster make-up...all due to Jeff's continued injury concerns?

[jayu70]

Hawks let go long-time athletic trainers. http://t.co/1kkfat2I6S

Wow, no more Wally blase??? Complete shake up of the coaching/conditioning staff

Don't know what it means...but Teague's ankles were never this shaky under the old training staff.

How ironic would it be if this minor, unrelated move led to a massive change in roster make-up...all due to Jeff's continued injury concerns?

Yes they were, Jeff has had ankle injuries before this season. Anytime Jeff has missed games it's mostly because of his ankle except the time he had that major ear wax build up. Last season when he had ankle injuries under Wally Blaze, Korver warned him against wearing low cuts.