Hawks Offseason Reviews - 2017 edition

[jayu70]

The real problem with the Hawks offseason is acquiring Miles Plumlee.

The NBA shot its wad last offseason and overpaid for free agents and the cap increase went up by less than expectations.

That leaves cap space at a premium as many free agents (particularly RFA) can't find a team who wants them at an agreeable price.

It also leaves low ceiling, luxury type folks, or teams deep in the repeater tax looking to dump out of the rotation guys.

These present opportunities for rebuilding teams or teams with cap space to acquire picks/prospects in exchange for offloading big deals.

Dwight Howard had 3 nice qualities:

1) Big contract dollars
2) Small number of years remaining
3) Still a productive player (Not an all-star, but productive)


Many teams should have been thrilled to throw a bad contract with a number of years the Hawks way. Even if they thought of Dwight as just a soon to be expiring deal, or someone who could be flipped at the deadline.

If anything I would have held him all year, let him rest and get healthy, and traded him in the offseason. Then he's a huge expiring deal with the motivation to play well in a contract year. Who wouldn't be interested in dumping a bad contract off for that?

Atlanta has no salary issues.
Dwight around our young players is not conducive to winning. How do we trade Dwight's $23 mil without taking on some bad salary. Motivated Dwight....riiiiight!! Dwight still thinks he's Orlando Dwight.
He doesn't fit what Coach Bud does, it was a bad signing to begin with - cut losses and move on.
Belinelli seems to be the forgotten piece in this trade. He fits what Bud wants, spreads the floor for Dennis.

[HoopsMalone]

I think you misread my post.

And bellinelli is TERRIBLE

[jayu70]

I think you misread my post.

And bellinelli is TERRIBLE

He can't be any worse than what the Hawks rolled out last season ahooting 3s. In Bud's offense he'll have his shots.

[MaceCase]

I think you misread my post.

And bellinelli is TERRIBLE

I don't think they did. It's harder to move 23 million than it is 12.5 particularly when the biggest draw of that 23 million is taking on 23 million worth of bad contracts. Dwight demonstrated displeasure over his role on a playoff team, it's hard to imagine his attitude being any better on an obviously rebuilding squad which isn't conducive for young players particularly Schroder whom Dwight already stylistically and verbally clashed with. Holding onto and sitting a healthy Dwight out for the year isn't improving his trade value either. Belinelli even at a pedestrian 36 3FG% would rank him first on the team amongst players with over 2 attempts a game so that's an improvement, his contract is also easy expiring filler to move.

[Spud2nique]

Belinelli is twice the player he actually is under Bud. I don't want him to rack up too many unnecessary wins late in the season.

[Jamaaliver]

Read on Twitter

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New General Manager Travis Schlenk blew up the team and is starting over. Schlenk was an integral part of building the Golden State Warriors juggernaut and will now look to do the same with the Hawks. After yet another first round exit, he determined what they had wasn’t good enough.


Offseason Grade: C. Losing Millsap will cost the Hawks several wins in the short-term, but it was probably time for both sides to move on. Howard is less of a concern, given the fit just didn’t seem right. In that 10-year run of postseasons, the Hawks advanced to one conference finals, and were eliminated in the opening round five times. Many question if simply making the playoffs year over year is better than bottoming out. After trying it one way for a decade, Atlanta is now trying the other approach. All the new signings were short deals and all are tradable, which is key in a rebuild.

Long-term Grade: C+. Collins looks like a steal. If Schroder can grow into a team leader, his contract is team friendly as well. Taurean Prince came on late last year and looks like a keeper. Plumlee and Kent Bazemore are deals you’d probably rather not have, but they aren’t so bad they can’t be worked around. Atlanta is taking a major step back this year, but with a relatively clean cap sheet and a clear direction from the new front office, they could quickly be back in the postseason.

[Jamaaliver]

Read on Twitter

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Salary cap situation:
•Operating under the cap, but over the salary floor. Can create $4MM+ in cap room. Carrying approximately $94.2MM in guaranteed salaries. Room exception ($4.328MM) still available.



After waffling on the idea of a full-on rebuild for at least a season, the Hawks finally dove in and accepted their fate. The franchise also shook up their front office, relieving head coach Mike Budenholzer of his executive duties and appointing Travis Schlenk the new general manager of the squad.

The Hawks saw the writing on the wall and made the decision to shed salaries and fully embrace a rebuild. After going back and forth on whether to trade Millsap, ultimately hanging onto him and squandering any opportunity to ship him out as a rental last season, the club has very little to work with heading forward.

That’s not the end of the world for Schlenk as he gets his feet wet in his new position and crafts something of his own design.

The Hawks deserve credit for being diligent financially and will have significant cap room for the 2018 free agent class. Still, a roster mostly devoid of redeeming qualities will be a difficult sell to the ’18 class when the moratorium on signings lifts next July.

It’ll be a while before Atlanta returns to relevance, even in the East, but the fact that the Hawks have managed to survive some miscues without major damage to their financial flexibility will serve them well. It’s better to start at zero than it is to start in the red.

[graymule]

"BULLFEATHERS!"
"The club has very little to work with heading forward."
"It will be a while before Atlanta returns to relevance, even in the east."

Guess we know where we stand in their eyes, don't we. Are the Hawks really that bad? These writers believe.
They are sure Atlanta will go no where. They thing that the east is very weak and the Hawks are weaker.

Can't wait to show these Dodo brains that the Atlanta Hawks will win more than 20 games this season ! Hah!
Take that you so wise ones, the seers of the NBA's 2017-18 season!

I'm going to enjoy every win, pre season or regular season, no matter who we're playing!

GO ATL HAWKS !!