Still too-early roster projections

[_s_t_u_r_t_]

(And with this, for what anyone would or should care, I'll begin ratcheting back from my nagging and tortured participation here, and taking most of my clown act to another circus tent, or as it were, a place of much squawking.)

[Ball4life32]

Starters by the end of the year

Young
Huerter
Reddish
Hunter
Collins

Hunter defensively can guard multiple positions but I think offensively he’s best at the 4.

[hawks_fan25]

I think Reddish or Huerter will be the 6th man. My predictions:
Start of year: Trae,Huerter,Hunter,Collins,Len (rotation: Cam,Bruno,Omari,Baze,Crabbe)
End of year: Trae,Cam,Hunter,Collins,Bruno (rotation: Huerter,Len,Omari,Bembry,fillers)

I believe Hill is bought out immediately and Baze/Crabbe bought out or traded by deadline. Plumlee just going to keep sitting at the end of the bench making sure everyone is hydrated.

[_s_t_u_r_t_]

Starters by the end of the year

Young
Huerter
Reddish
Hunter
Collins

Hunter defensively can guard multiple positions but I think offensively he’s best at the 4.

He's purty fantastic at staying in front of his man and at close-outs. So, can't join you in that assessment, not because he isn't capable guarding bigger guys, but because he's just so exceptional at the 3.

And... you sure don't want Collins guarding 5s to the degree that you can avoid that... ie, unless some vast improvement is coming.

[_s_t_u_r_t_]

I think Reddish or Huerter will be the 6th man. My predictions:
Start of year: Trae,Huerter,Hunter,Collins,Len (rotation: Cam,Bruno,Omari,Baze,Crabbe)
End of year: Trae,Cam,Hunter,Collins,Bruno (rotation: Huerter,Len,Omari,Bembry,fillers)

I believe Hill is bought out immediately and Baze/Crabbe bought out or traded by deadline. Plumlee just going to keep sitting at the end of the bench making sure everyone is hydrated.

All of that is reasonable.

I just think of Crabbe and Baze, Crabbe is the most reasonable buyout because (a) there's reportedly some market out there for Baze somewhere, and (b) Baze is our guy and has been for a long time now.

I don't see the point in cutting Hill. He's fine as your 3rd SF, and you have that slot in the depth chart to fill, and you're paying him regardless.

[DS5]

I'd rather cut Hill and bring Vince back. We need some veteran leadership. I'd be OK with Lin back too and Back up PG is probably the biggest (only?) hole in the roster right now.

[_s_t_u_r_t_]

Vince is historically a better SG than he is a SF.

But it is a legit question, are you better with Crabbe on the roster or better with Hill.

I could go either way, I suppose.

[lethalweapon3]

As for our Skyhawks... "You're a Good Man..."

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~lw3

[Ball4life32]

Starters by the end of the year

Young
Huerter
Reddish
Hunter
Collins

Hunter defensively can guard multiple positions but I think offensively he’s best at the 4.

He's purty fantastic at staying in front of his man and at close-outs. So, can't join you in that assessment, not because he isn't capable guarding bigger guys, but because he's just so exceptional at the 3.

And... you sure don't want Collins guarding 5s to the degree that you can avoid that... ie, unless some vast improvement is coming.

Hunter mostly played the 4 at UVA though. I’ve said before Collins may be better suited as a small ball 5...he struggles guarding quicker PF’s. Yes he doesn’t have the ideal wingspan of a 5 but I thought he played well defensively guarding Towns/Jokic last year.

Collins had 24 blocks in his last 14 games (1.5 per game) and Pierce has said they want to play him at the 5 as long as they had the right PF next to him...we didn’t have a guy like that on the roster last year. He’ll still get minutes at PF as well don’t get more wrong.

[_s_t_u_r_t_]

Acknowledged. It's one of the five-man options.

[jayu70]

Starters by the end of the year

Young
Huerter
Reddish
Hunter
Collins

Hunter defensively can guard multiple positions but I think offensively he’s best at the 4.

He's purty fantastic at staying in front of his man and at close-outs. So, can't join you in that assessment, not because he isn't capable guarding bigger guys, but because he's just so exceptional at the 3.

And... you sure don't want Collins guarding 5s to the degree that you can avoid that... ie, unless some vast improvement is coming.

Hunter mostly played the 4 at UVA though. I’ve said before Collins may be better suited as a small ball 5...he struggles guarding quicker PF’s. Yes he doesn’t have the ideal wingspan of a 5 but I thought he played well defensively guarding Towns/Jokic last year.

Collins had 24 blocks in his last 14 games (1.5 per game) and Pierce has said they want to play him at the 5 as long as they had the right PF next to him...we didn’t have a guy like that on the roster last year. He’ll still get minutes at PF as well don’t get more wrong.

i don't want Hunter (6'-7" 225) and Collins as the full time PF/C tandem. At least not yet. As a small ball lineup in spurts, sure.
Yes Collins had 24 blocks last 14 but those were mostly weakside blocks from the PF position.

[Ball4life32]

He's purty fantastic at staying in front of his man and at close-outs. So, can't join you in that assessment, not because he isn't capable guarding bigger guys, but because he's just so exceptional at the 3.

And... you sure don't want Collins guarding 5s to the degree that you can avoid that... ie, unless some vast improvement is coming.

Hunter mostly played the 4 at UVA though. I’ve said before Collins may be better suited as a small ball 5...he struggles guarding quicker PF’s. Yes he doesn’t have the ideal wingspan of a 5 but I thought he played well defensively guarding Towns/Jokic last year.

Collins had 24 blocks in his last 14 games (1.5 per game) and Pierce has said they want to play him at the 5 as long as they had the right PF next to him...we didn’t have a guy like that on the roster last year. He’ll still get minutes at PF as well don’t get more wrong.

i don't want Hunter (6'-7" 225) and Collins as the full time PF/C tandem. At least not yet. As a small ball lineup in spurts, sure.
Yes Collins had 24 blocks last 14 but those were mostly weakside blocks from the PF position.

Oh yeah I’m not saying they will start like that day 1. To me (and these are not exact comparisons) but Hunter is more of a Millsap / Green / Gordon type player that fits much better offensively at the 4 then the 3. And maybe getting ahead of myself with playoff talk but comparing him in terms of height/length/weight to some of the starting PF’s on the best teams in the league this past year:

De’Andre Hunter - 6’7 225 (7’2 wingspan)
Paul Millsap - 6’8 245 (7’1 wingspan)
Draymond Green 6’7 230 (7’1 wingspan)
PJ Tucker 6’6 245 (7 foot wingspan)
Pascal Siakam 6’9 230 (7’3 wingspan)
Tobias Harris 6’8 235 (6’11 wingspan)

Celtics played Morris / Hayward at PF. Size wize he isn’t that undersized at PF in today’s NBA but can he rebound well enough at the 4?

[Jamaaliver]

[_s_t_u_r_t_]

(Liver, are you Rowland after all? I thought Spud was joshing me, but now I'm not so sure.)

Technically, Anderson is still on the roster. Probably not for long, but he is our property until we decline to give him a QO by 6/29.

[CP War Hawks]

Starters by the end of the year

Young
Huerter
Reddish
Hunter
Collins

Hunter defensively can guard multiple positions but I think offensively he’s best at the 4.

He's purty fantastic at staying in front of his man and at close-outs. So, can't join you in that assessment, not because he isn't capable guarding bigger guys, but because he's just so exceptional at the 3.

And... you sure don't want Collins guarding 5s to the degree that you can avoid that... ie, unless some vast improvement is coming.

Hunter mostly played the 4 at UVA though. I’ve said before Collins may be better suited as a small ball 5...he struggles guarding quicker PF’s. Yes he doesn’t have the ideal wingspan of a 5 but I thought he played well defensively guarding Towns/Jokic last year.

Collins had 24 blocks in his last 14 games (1.5 per game) and Pierce has said they want to play him at the 5 as long as they had the right PF next to him...we didn’t have a guy like that on the roster last year. He’ll still get minutes at PF as well don’t get more wrong.

You'd definitely want Collins more at 4 than 5. 12 or so min a game is fine. All that mass consistently banging on him only wears down those knees, and you will want that bounce come playoffs. Might as well bring Dedmon back or start Len, you'd be able to afford it with like 90 mill coming off soon.

Ramba stays the 2 guard. His combo of scoring ability, ball handling, vision, passing, shooting, size, etc. is too good at the 2.

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Hunter is the starter at 3, he's seasoned and you can't bench a guy you gave up multiple 1sts for. Cam will just have to earn minutes behind DH and KH as it stands.

[Ball4life32]

He's purty fantastic at staying in front of his man and at close-outs. So, can't join you in that assessment, not because he isn't capable guarding bigger guys, but because he's just so exceptional at the 3.

And... you sure don't want Collins guarding 5s to the degree that you can avoid that... ie, unless some vast improvement is coming.

Hunter mostly played the 4 at UVA though. I’ve said before Collins may be better suited as a small ball 5...he struggles guarding quicker PF’s. Yes he doesn’t have the ideal wingspan of a 5 but I thought he played well defensively guarding Towns/Jokic last year.

Collins had 24 blocks in his last 14 games (1.5 per game) and Pierce has said they want to play him at the 5 as long as they had the right PF next to him...we didn’t have a guy like that on the roster last year. He’ll still get minutes at PF as well don’t get more wrong.

You'd definitely want Collins more at 4 than 5. 12 or so min a game is fine. All that mass consistently banging on him only wears down those knees, and you will want that bounce come playoffs. Might as well bring Dedmon back or start Len, you'd be able to afford it with like 90 mill coming off soon.

Ramba stays the 2 guard. His combo of scoring ability, ball handling, vision, passing, shooting, size, etc. is too good at the 2.

Watch on YouTube

Hunter is the starter at 3, he's seasoned and you can't bench a guy you gave up multiple 1sts for. Cam will just have to earn minutes behind DH and KH as it stands.

Collins at the 5 will still be playing a lot of the perimeter and P&R with Trae. His role offensively doesn’t change much. He will still get plenty of minutes at the 4.

Yes I have Huerter as the long term SG next to Trae. I just have Hunter starting at PF not SF. Basically the same role Hunter played at UVA.

Plus that lineup was a guess towards what the it would look like at the end of the year.

[jayu70]

Hunter mostly played the 4 at UVA though. I’ve said before Collins may be better suited as a small ball 5...he struggles guarding quicker PF’s. Yes he doesn’t have the ideal wingspan of a 5 but I thought he played well defensively guarding Towns/Jokic last year.

Collins had 24 blocks in his last 14 games (1.5 per game) and Pierce has said they want to play him at the 5 as long as they had the right PF next to him...we didn’t have a guy like that on the roster last year. He’ll still get minutes at PF as well don’t get more wrong.

i don't want Hunter (6'-7" 225) and Collins as the full time PF/C tandem. At least not yet. As a small ball lineup in spurts, sure.
Yes Collins had 24 blocks last 14 but those were mostly weakside blocks from the PF position.

Oh yeah I’m not saying they will start like that day 1. To me (and these are not exact comparisons) but Hunter is more of a Millsap / Green / Gordon type player that fits much better offensively at the 4 then the 3. And maybe getting ahead of myself with playoff talk but comparing him in terms of height/length/weight to some of the starting PF’s on the best teams in the league this past year:

De’Andre Hunter - 6’7 225 (7’2 wingspan)
Paul Millsap - 6’8 245 (7’1 wingspan)
Draymond Green 6’7 230 (7’1 wingspan)
PJ Tucker 6’6 245 (7 foot wingspan)
Pascal Siakam 6’9 230 (7’3 wingspan)
Tobias Harris 6’8 235 (6’11 wingspan)

Celtics played Morris / Hayward at PF. Size wize he isn’t that undersized at PF in today’s NBA but can he rebound well enough at the 4?

Collins remains as PF per CLP. Good.

Atlanta’s head coach weighs in on the third-year big man.

The focus of Monday’s press conference was introducing the No. 10 overall pick in last Thursday’s draft, Cam Reddish, but it was a pair of comments from Atlanta Hawks head coach Lloyd Pierce that caught the eye, particularly as it relates to all-around big man John Collins. When asked about the team’s wing depth and whether the team would look to play Collins at the 5, Pierce was unequivocal in his statement.

“John is our 4,” Pierce said. “So we won’t play too small.”

Read on Twitter

[Ball4life32]

i don't want Hunter (6'-7" 225) and Collins as the full time PF/C tandem. At least not yet. As a small ball lineup in spurts, sure.
Yes Collins had 24 blocks last 14 but those were mostly weakside blocks from the PF position.

Oh yeah I’m not saying they will start like that day 1. To me (and these are not exact comparisons) but Hunter is more of a Millsap / Green / Gordon type player that fits much better offensively at the 4 then the 3. And maybe getting ahead of myself with playoff talk but comparing him in terms of height/length/weight to some of the starting PF’s on the best teams in the league this past year:

De’Andre Hunter - 6’7 225 (7’2 wingspan)
Paul Millsap - 6’8 245 (7’1 wingspan)
Draymond Green 6’7 230 (7’1 wingspan)
PJ Tucker 6’6 245 (7 foot wingspan)
Pascal Siakam 6’9 230 (7’3 wingspan)
Tobias Harris 6’8 235 (6’11 wingspan)

Celtics played Morris / Hayward at PF. Size wize he isn’t that undersized at PF in today’s NBA but can he rebound well enough at the 4?

Collins remains as PF per CLP. Good.

Atlanta’s head coach weighs in on the third-year big man.

The focus of Monday’s press conference was introducing the No. 10 overall pick in last Thursday’s draft, Cam Reddish, but it was a pair of comments from Atlanta Hawks head coach Lloyd Pierce that caught the eye, particularly as it relates to all-around big man John Collins. When asked about the team’s wing depth and whether the team would look to play Collins at the 5, Pierce was unequivocal in his statement.

“John is our 4,” Pierce said. “So we won’t play too small.”

Read on Twitter

Not saying he won’t start out at the 4 but he also said today he feels better with more ball handlers and facilitators on the floor.

Read on Twitter

Also Collins said one thing he’s really working on this offseason is his defensive IQ. We’ll see if he can improve in that area and that will go a long way towards if he can play the 5 defensively long term imo.

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[Jamaaliver]

Examining Atlanta’s backup point guard situation after the acquisition of Evan Turner

The acquisition of Evan Turner may be the final big move the Atlanta Hawks make in their offseason and free agency hasn’t even started yet. Backup point guard was the team’s clearest need after the draft...Turner’s play-making will push him into the backup point guard role on a bench unit that’s going to be very interesting to watch, depending on how head coach Lloyd Pierce runs his rotation.

Lineups with Turner at the 1 offensively and the 4 defensively could be a (very) poor man’s version of what the Philadelphia 76ers, Pierce’s former employer, execute with Ben Simmons. Simmons is the team’s primary play-maker whenever he’s on the floor but doesn’t always defend opposing point guards; his size creates all sorts of match-up problems for Philadelphia’s opponents. Turner’s similar size and skill set, though much more muted compared to Simmons, could give Atlanta an opportunity to mimic some of the same advantages the 76ers enjoy.

Turner’s arrival solidifies the backup point guard spot in an unconventional way, but the team may still want to sign a traditional point guard to either play with or instead of Turner in certain alignments. Young, Turner, and Adams is a fine trio at the position and there’s a clear hierarchy there, with Young playing the lion’s share of the minutes, Turner in a backup role, and Adams in more of an emergency role.

Given that they already have Turner and have gone out of their way to ensure the message is out there that he’s their backup point guard going into the season, it appears unlikely that the Hawks will go with another point guard with what remains of their cap space or their Room Exception.

Peachtree Hoops

[Jamaaliver]

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