RollWithEm

Did you like Danny Ferry's first two deals? (Joe Johnson and Marvin Williams)

What are your feelings on the job Larry Drew did last season?

Who would you consider the Hawks' core players at this time?

Did you like the John Jenkins and Mike Scott picks?

Would you consider trading Jeff Teague and Al Horford for Dwight Howard with no guarantee he resigns?

What free agents would you sign in light of trying to retain cap space for next offseason?

Is this team still too good to tank with Harris, Farmar, Stevenson, Smith, Morrow, and Horford?

http://hoopshype.com/salaries/atlanta.htm

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But that's just me.

Ben

Did you like Danny Ferry's first two deals? (Joe Johnson and Marvin Williams)
I loved them. You've got to respect getting a first round pick and expirings out of trading the worst contract in the league.

What are your feelings on the job Larry Drew did last season?
Not bad. They did pretty much what I expected of them, and if they hadn't traded JJ they'd do the same thing for the next 3 or 4 years. Now they actually have a chance at a future.

Who would you consider the Hawks' core players at this time?
Josh, Horford, maybe Teague.

Did you like the John Jenkins and Mike Scott picks?
No idea.

Would you consider trading Jeff Teague and Al Horford for Dwight Howard with no guarantee he resigns?
Yes. I dare Dwight to leave his hometown and one of his good friends in Josh Smith.

What free agents would you sign in light of trying to retain cap space for next offseason?
Just a few veterans. I'd probably tank this year if you don't trade for Dwight.

Is this team still too good to tank with Harris, Farmar, Stevenson, Smith, Morrow, and Horford?
No. Smith and Horford are really good players but one year of tanking could improve their future tenfold. They could really use some starpower.

JonMatrix

Did you like Danny Ferry's first two deals? (Joe Johnson and Marvin Williams)
I did. Joe's a good player, but that contract almost made him impossible to trade. Ferry lucked out and found a team desperate enough to take on that salary. If the Nets didn't come along, Joe wouldn't have been traded until he was an expiring. He also did what Knight and Sund didn't have the cajones to do, admit that the Marvin pick was a bust by trading him.

What are your feelings on the job Larry Drew did last season?
For what he gets paid, he's a bargain. He got them to maintain their level of play in spite of Horford missing significant time. We'll see how he fares next season though, for as much shit as he got, JJ covered a lot of flaws on this team.

Who would you consider the Hawks' core players at this time?
Josh Smith, Al Horford, Jeff Teague

Did you like the John Jenkins and Mike Scott picks?
Never saw them play, although both should get the opportunity to play big minutes this year if a Dwight trade isn't completed AND the team decides to tank.

Would you consider trading Jeff Teague and Al Horford for Dwight Howard with no guarantee he resigns?
What Ben said, dare him to leave his hometown. Definitely high risk, as Smith and Dwight could both leave, depending on who has cap space/assets for trade next summer.

What free agents would you sign in light of trying to retain cap space for next offseason?
A few solid vets if the Dwight trade goes down. If not, get some older vets (end of the bench types) who don't mind mentoring young players. Not always the same thing.

Is this team still too good to tank with Harris, Farmar, Stevenson, Smith, Morrow, and Horford?
If everyone is healthy, the team could still make a run at the 7th-8th seed. Depending on who they would give up in a possible Dwight trade, they could be a 3-4 seed.

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"I'm from America,our names don't mean ---- here"-Bruce Willis in Pulp Fiction

Never underestimate the ability of stupid people in large groups.

ATLien

Did you like Danny Ferry's first two deals? (Joe Johnson and Marvin Williams)
Absolutely. I kind of figured we would amnesty Marvin at some point, but getting rid of Joe Johnson for expiring contracts was a stroke of luck. Brooklyn was desperate for an all-star to satisfy their new fan base with a playoff appearance, and Atlanta was ready to shake it up. Good fit.

What are your feelings on the job Larry Drew did last season?
Considering the injuries, how he kept the team together and competitive the team exceeded my expectations. I'm not ready to say LD is a good NBA head coach though.

Who would you consider the Hawks' core players at this time?
Josh and Horford.

Did you like the John Jenkins and Mike Scott picks?
At the time, yeah. But Jenkins and Morrow are kind of similar players now. Knowing what we know now, I would have picked a different position.

Would you consider trading Jeff Teague and Al Horford for Dwight Howard with no guarantee he resigns?
Easily. Worst case scenario, Dwight Howard leaves and we would be bad enough to win 10-15 games with no Teague, Horford, Howard, or Smith and we'd still have no crippling contracts. Either way, we get what we want.

What free agents would you sign in light of trying to retain cap space for next offseason?
Not sure.

Is this team still too good to tank with Harris, Farmar, Stevenson, Smith, Morrow, and Horford?
Depends on your definition of tank. I think that team is still too good to be in the Charlotte Bobcats territory. If you look back at the Boston series, Joe Johnson was our 3rd best player in that series. He may make us 5-10 wins worse, but nothing more. We're going to win 30-something games probably and still make the playoffs.

ATLien

Before we hold a fire sale, we better scout the **** out of the next draft class. You would really upset your fans if you give away three borderline all-stars and only get another Kwame Brown or Andrea Bargnani out of it.

BlakeJesus

Did you like Danny Ferry's first two deals? (Joe Johnson and Marvin Williams)

Very excited to see the Marvin Williams era finally come to a stop, it was brutally and unnecessarily long. To manage to nab a rotation player in return is about all you could have asked for (supposing nobody was silly enough to pony up a 1st rounder for him, which I'd say they clearly were not). Joe Johnson gets a lot of hate because of his contract, but he's still an impactful regular season player. I can absolutely see the logic in getting rid of him, and I have no issues with it. I thought that trade made a lot of sense for both parties.

What are your feelings on the job Larry Drew did last season?

Somebody here mentioned it, but for how cheap he is, he's a pretty good coach. I thought he did an admirable job last season, and I'm glad he'll be coaching the team next season.

Who would you consider the Hawks' core players at this time?

Smith, Horford, and Teague.

Did you like the John Jenkins and Mike Scott picks?

I like them both as players, and think both should be able to get rotation minutes going forwards. That being said I do think it would have been worth a shot to take a stab at somebody like Perry Jones instead of Jenkins, and then draft a deep threat shooting guard (Kim English, Doron Lamb, etc) in the 2nd round. Nothing to really get worked up about, because Perry Jones probably would have flopped here anyways, but the value there seemed too good to pass up in my eyes.

Would you consider trading Jeff Teague and Al Horford for Dwight Howard with no guarantee he resigns?

If there was even a 50/50 chance we could keep Howard I would be all in. Because if we keep Howard, we would also be able to keep Josh Smith. If we lose Howard, we'll likely lose Smith (which we're poised to do as is). So in all actuality, either we would be able to resign and lock up the single most dynamic frontcourt pairing in the league, or we'll have 30+ million expire off the books after the front office swung for a homerun (which all the fans would love, even if Dwight left). Like I mentioned, unless something big like that is happening, we are probably losing Smoove anyways. Not to mention Teague is going to be a RFA next offseason, so who knows what kind of contract he's going to get...especially if he has a nice season. Seems like a no brainer to get Howard if you can get Howard.

What free agents would you sign in light of trying to retain cap space for next offseason?

Team options and one year deals are all I'd be looking at. Not always easy to find guys like that, so it's tough to really spit out names because it's hard to tell at this point.

Is this team still too good to tank with Harris, Farmar, Stevenson, Smith, Morrow, and Horford?

In terms of competing for a top 5 pick, yes. I could see a scenario where this grouping as constructed could barely miss out on the playoffs, but I don't see them being one of the 5 worst teams in the league next season barring any unforeseen locker room problems.

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ATLien

I am guessing we weren't ready to put Horford on the block, because the proposal Orlando is getting is hot garbage.

RollWithEm

That has to be the case, right? Can't imagine Horford/Teague and a pick or two not being significantly better than this Nets package.

__________________
But that's just me.

ATLien

Even with Dwight Howard, we aren't a championship contender. We would have to sign another max next summer to do that. Probably our best chance at the future is to be in that 6-10 lottery range and jump a bunch of teams while still having talent on the roster.

BlakeJesus

With Dwight we are definitely a contender. East is weak.

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LeBronFederer

New to the forum. I live in Atlanta but I am not a Hawks fan.

Did you like Danny Ferry's first two deals? (Joe Johnson and Marvin Williams)

Amazing moves. As a previous poster said, to get a first rounder for the worst contract in the league is a major scalp. Hawks management two years ago panicked and resigned Joe Johnson probably knowing that it wouldn't really help them contend. They were ok with just being mediocre and getting bounced in the first/second round of the playoffs while maintaining attendance levels. The 2011 roster with a few tweaks may have been able to compete in the Eastern Conference prior to the formation of the big 3 in South Beach but after that they had no chance. Much credit for Danny Ferry for taking the risk to blow up a primary cog from a team that won 45-50 games every year in order to try to go for something bigger. There was no way that roster was going to give any kind of a threat to Miami.


What are your feelings on the job Larry Drew did last season?

I'm not a Larry Drew fan. The Hawks blew a major chance to take advantage of Rondo's suspension with the chance to be easily up 2-0 going into Boston. After that, Avery Bradley got injured. Up 2-0 would have made the Hawks pretty nice favorites to win that series. Follow that up with the chance to get a series against the Sixers with home court and the Hawks were staring at the possibility of playing the Heat without Chris Bosh with a pretty massive chance at pulling the upset. Instead, they blew a double digit lead in game 2 against the Celtics and Boston never looked back. Larry Drew is doing exactly what Mike Woodson did for many years before that. I give Woodson a B- for his tenure in Atlanta and I give Drew a C. He got them into the second round in 2011, but never did much after that and its not like he helped develop any young guys along the way. He also still never convinced Josh Smith to quit shooting 20 footers.

Who would you consider the Hawks' core players at this time?

No one. When you make the decision to trade your best (or second best) player who has been an all star 6 times (albeit unwarranted at least half of those appearances), you're making it pretty clear that everyone is expendable. If the Hawks don't get Howard, EVERYONE will be expendable and we're going to see some big time changes.

Did you like the John Jenkins and Mike Scott picks?

This is something I don't really understand. If you're planning on rebuilding then why spend your draft picks on a couple of 4 year college seniors? Maybe that answers the question on if Ferry is planning on rebuilding or not. Maybe he has something in mind.

Would you consider trading Jeff Teague and Al Horford for Dwight Howard with no guarantee he resigns?

Absolutely, and here's why. After the Nets inked Brook Lopez to a long term deal, as many of you know, they can't trade Lopez till the deadline. The Nets did what they had to do. They weren't going to lose Lopez while waiting on Howard. Here's what I don't understand. I really don't think teams can sweeten their offers for Howard at this point. I'm just not sure what Orlando GM Rob Henigan is thinking. As time passes, I believe Howard's value goes down. Every game he plays with Orlando means that he's not playing that game with his potential suitor which means that thats fewer ticket sales and jersey sales for the team thats taking him on. I think the good news for the Hawks is that they're one of the 4 remaining teams in the Howard sweepstakes at this point. Houston, Atlanta, Golden State, and Lakers. We know what Houston and the Lakers are offering. Golden State might be prepared to part ways Curry, Bogut and a first rounder. The most important thing in this equation for Atlanta though is the fact that even if Howard doesn't resign with them by the trade deadline New Jersey will DEFINITELY be ready to give them Lopez and Brooks in exchange for him. That means that the Hawks will get a half season with Howard playing in his hometown with 2 of his friends since childhood in Lou Williams and Josh Smith. By then, you may convince him to sign an extension. If you don't, you know for a fact that New Jersey will give you Lopez and Brooks (another guy is a native of a suburb of Atlanta) for him. That may actually end up being a better combo than Horford and Teague. The only caveat in this situation is that its possible Orlando doesn't want that package from Atlanta and may just wait till the deadline to move him to New Jersey but the Horford/Teague package is a lot sexier than Bynum without a long term guarantee and a bunch of average 1st/2nd year draft picks that Houston has to offer. The best deal is Curry/Bogut/ and the first rounder but I'm not sure if Golden State is still offering that.

What free agents would you sign in light of trying to retain cap space for next offseason?

None. If you don't get to trade for Dwight Howard you rebuild. That means that you get full value for Josh while you can and also consider moving Hoford. There aren't many equations that are going to help teams knock off the Heat in the east. Taking 2-3 years to rebuild is the best play. Get value for your players and then go from there. By then, Wade will be 33 and Lebron will be 30+.


Is this team still too good to tank with Harris, Farmar, Stevenson, Smith, Morrow, and Horford?

If the Hawks don't move Horford and Smith they'll be almost as good as they were last year which equals another first round exit and a future mired in mediocrity.

RollWithEm

So what's the ceiling for this team this year?

PG Devin Harris/Jeff Teague
SG DeShawn Stevenson/Louis Williams/John Jenkins
SF Kyle Korver/Anthony Morrow
PF Josh Smith/Ivan Johnson
C Al Horford/Zaza Pachulia/Johan Petro

I fully admit I have no idea what the rotation is going to look like for this team. Will Zaza start at center? Will Teague, Morrow or Lou wind up starting? What does the crunchtime 5 look like? Teague/Harris/Korver/Smoove/Al???

__________________
But that's just me.

ATLien

Who are you asking? I'm the only one here, and I won't be watching a game until after the Super Bowl.

The ceiling would be the same as last year's result except it would probably be viewed as more of an accomplishment if they can do it.

jericho

I can't see this team winning more than 30 games, and if Smith or Horford lose significant time to injury it could be a lot less than that. Maybe they'll be more cohesive than I expect and Devin Harris will heat up, but this looks like a team that probably needs to get worse so it can better unless they get hugely lucky in the next lottery.

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Favorite players: Hakeem Olajuwon, Moses Malone, Bill Russell, Alex English, Kiki Vandeweghe, Sidney Moncrief, Lafayette Lever, Dan Issel, Bobby Jones, Julius Erving, Rick Barry, John Havlicek, Oscar Robertson, Jerry West...and Brooks Thompson

LEGENDS DRAFT:

C - Dwight Howard / Mel Daniels
PF - Dennis Rodman / Buck Williams
SF - Larry Bird / Connie Hawkins
SG - David Thompson / Shane Battier
PG - Chris Paul / Fat Lever

E.H. Munro

I would fix the Hawks by working out a midseason trade where Al Horford goes to Boston, salary to Cleveland, and Melo/Sullinger/draft picks to Atnalta.

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