RedDawg#8

Yes, Atlanta's Tuesday night party scene on a gloomy day that looked like a wet trashbag all day long. Im sure they had a blast lol. If anything, them flying in late and having to get up early this morning for their Covid tests would throw a huge wrench in their getting a good nights sleep.

I think the top 10 is locked for the East, just finalizing positioning. Washington is in 10 now but I truly believe will finish at 9 or higher and capture the 8 seed after the play in tourney. Indy will fall to 10th and get bounced in the play in. Charlotte needs to watch over their shoulder too. I still believe the 4-5 belongs to NY and ATL. Miami and Boston are going to fight for 6. Bucks are making a late move on Brooklyn but I think they can hold them off. What I want to happen is: 1. Brooklyn (beats Boston, loses to Hawks in rd 2) 2. Phiily (Beats Was, beats Miami, loses to Hawks) 3. Milwaukee (Rematch against Miami and get bounced) 4. Atlanta (Wins a tough series in 6 games on the Garden floor, Spike Lee goes on mindless rant to the media about Trae drawing fouls) 5. NY 6. Miami (Bounce the Bucks again) 7.Boston (Loses to Washington but beats Charlotte and earns 8th, loses to Bklyn) 8. Washington (Washington beats Boston and secures 7th seed, loses to Philly) 9. Charlotte (Beats Indy, loses to Boston) 10. Indy (eliminated after losing in play in) What I think WILL happen 1. Philly (Beats Washington, Beats Hawks, Beats Milwaukee, loses in finals 2. Bklyn (Beats, Boston, loses in 7 to Milwaukee) 3. Milwaukee (Beats Miami, beats Brooklyn) 4. Atlanta (Beats Knicks, loses to Philly) 5. NY 6. Miami (Loses to Mil in 7 games) 7. Boston (Charlotte, eliminated by Brooklyn) 8. Charlotte (loses to Boston and Washington) 9. Washington (wins play in games, gets 8th, loses to Philly) 10. Indy ( loses in play in game 1)

I'm not naïve, I know Cam is a commodity that we are going to bend over backwards to see develop for a number of reasons. 1) is just his true potential that he holds, 2) is the need to surround Trae with elite talent, and a potential 2nd star player, and 3) to validate the Luka trade and protect Schlenk's reputation in these streets. Fact is, and I said this a while ago, this season is a wash for Cam. I thought that even when he was supposed to come back before the end of the year. But especially now that he likely will miss weeks in to the postseason, I just don't see a scenario where it benefits the coaches or his teammates to be worried about him coming back and contributing a month from now (he will get another 2 week timetable at his next update on the 16th, book it) I believe that from a psychological perspective alone, you want guys to be able to know who they are going in to battle with and be able to prioritize building that chemistry and rhythm together and not looking over their shoulder expecting a body to be there that may not be in game form jumping in to the rotation in the middle of a playoff series. Especially when he has missed the entire portion of the season that the team has been playing it's best without him. Dre is toting that same line as well right now. At some point, you have to move forward and game plan with the guys you have, not the ones you hope you get back. You know, hope for the best, plan for the worst type deal. Cam is not in the picture, the earliest he would likely come back is the end of May, but very possibly later than that, the way they are going. If you need a stopper with a broken jumpshot you have Dunn available on the bench. Deandre has a couple more weeks before he gets left behind too

Exactly, Bogi and Kev offer similar skillsets and have accepted their roles. The payroll could be used elsewhere. Snell will be cheaper and a more reliable open shooter game to game.

I like Tim, I was on board with keeping him instead of Baze. However, I dont think we need him with Bogi on the roster. Tim is more athletic but Bogi has shown every bit of the firepower, with more playmaking and defensive IQ. Obviously I want as much talent as possible but just from a roster construction standpoint (moneyball?) I think you pay Snell a fraction of Tims pricetag to be a rotational piece/knockdown shooter with a little more size and versatility for you as G/F vs just a Guard in Tim. Especially if he is coming off the bench for us.

Yup, exactly how I feel

Shout out to Cleveland for making the Suns work tonight. Tire their legs out for us.

Where is the flop warning against Covington for the phantom elbow he took from JC?

Sturt, we have our positions but I will say this, if Nate chose to stay with a 10 man rotation and NOT play Dunn on a night when Dame, CJ, and Powell were getting all they could eat against us, then you best accept that Cam would find himself in a similar position after being out so long. Clearly Nate does not put his eggs in one basket defensively. He'd rather Kev Huerter grow a pair and guard the toughest matchup than force a stopper who is a liability on to the court.

Dre already came back to court and was medically cleared. This isn't about his surgery anymore. Our staff would have never cleared him if it was. This is about him sitting back out due to swelling that they all said was normal and expected. Schlenk just (probably accidentally) dimed him out that it's in Dre's hands at this point. He was and has been cleared from the medical staff. At this point he is behind schedule even if it was a vague one to begin with. Schlenk would not have said Dre would return last weekend if he didn't actually receive information that supported that news.

The thing about coaching is that is has to be a two way street. Coaches and organizations have to want each other. It's nice to assume a guy will accept a promotion from within, but that's not a guarantee. It's the same as if you applied for a job you really wanted and got the position versus working at a new place for 3 months, havent even decided if you would move closer to that side of town yet, and they promote you out of necessity of having fired your boss and friend who gave you the job. That shit is hella stressful if its ever happened to you and that's without the pressure of millions of people tracking your every move. Nate did not come to Atlanta with the goal of coaching the Hawks. He came here to stay involved with coaching while laying low for a year and seeing what opportunities would open up later that he would apply for. This was not his plan. He may decide its the best move for him and stay long term, but that's as much his choice to weigh out as it is Schlenk's.

Tonight's games that are relevant to us Hornets vs Pistons, Charlotte likely wins Phoenix vs Cavs, Im looking to see if Cavs can make them work and use their starters for a full game ahead of playing us tomorrow. If they blowout the Cavs, then they get to rest and the B2B advantage becomes weaker. Bucks v Nets, obvious reasons Mavs vs Heat, let me see, I hate Luka, but I really need the Heat to fall back. Side note: Washington is making a strong push to catch and pass Indy and potentially Charlotte. Look out for them, if they make the 7/8 game, they are sending somebody home.

Im loving all of this from coach. If they play the 4th quarter of the season the way they play the 4th quarter of games under Nate, then we will be in good shape. Love what he says about guys may play less minutes, but that they can go harder in those fewer minutes. This is a great take on something that could otherwise be a negative. Saw a peek last night, in the 2nd half, Kevin straight turned up the heat on the court. Pushing the ball, be active and aggressive defensively, and dare I say it, getting a DUNK on the fast break. He looked like he was going harder than normal which reflects Nates message.

Oh I see, I just read the whole response. Ok, that makes it seem more like an issue of practice time vs game time. Especially after last week, we did not have a ton of practice time. But we will have a bunch of rest opportunities after we play the Pacers. 3 days off, then 2 days off between the last 2 games. And if we avoid the play in, then 5 more days off before the playoffs start. There will be much more of a chance for everyone to not just rest, but get real practices in where guys can play 5-5, which they already mentioned was not happening much due to lack of days off. With that in mind. If he can run full court a handful of times before the play offs, he will have enough opportunities to decide if he can go or not.

I wonder if Hunter pulled himself after his return if that's the case. He took a pretty hard fall in one of those 2 games and it crossed my mind at the time that his knee would be tender afterwards. He also did not look the same, which is expected, but I wonder if he himself was gearing down a little bit because of hesitation, and realized afterwards that if he can't go 100% then he didn't want to go at all. Interesting stuff. Sounds like, if he is physically ok but not mentally ready, then he may continue to sit himself out. If they are leaving if it up to him and he wanted to return, he would have come back when everyone else did last weekend. You see Kev out there with the shoulder taped. BG came back after on a bum ankle. They wanted to go. Dre would be out there if it was just a matter of playing through some soreness. He doesn't want to risk it *cough Kawhi cough* so we wont push him. If we can stay healthy, then I don't care anymore. But any more injuries to our wings and frontcourt and Im looking at Dre with the side eye.

Add to that Bruno and his DNP-CD's, and the 2019 draft class is really having a tough year overall

Clearly I want us to win and do well but Im just being honest. We looked better against Brooklyn than the Knicks. Even better against Milwaukee. Knicks are my least favorite playoff matchup for us. Not because they are unbeatable, but because they are just a bad matchup. Plain and simple. Without Dre, I dont feel confident in our ability to guard Randle. Solo is the next best option, but do we want him playing 30 mins just to matchup with him? We have been much better under Nate, but we aren't perfect. We can still be beat too.

TOUGHEST not BEST semantics. I think they are the toughest team physically. They will make anybody work. Philly would be next on that list. That doesnt mean I think they are the best. That's easily Brooklyn if healthy, and Philly who honestly should be favored right now until Harden gets back. Even the Bucks are turning it up a notch down the stretch. I know all these things. But guess what, as of right now its the Knicks who will be standing in OUR way in round one. Not the other three. So my focus is on them right now. Im trying to figure out how we could get past them after being swept. And no, homecourt advantage wont matter against them.

They wont sweep but they got something for LA, that's for sure. They are hot as ball right now. They are looking like last years Heat. And Randle is looking like a bigger Jimmy Buckets.

Knicks aint no joke. They mentally and physically broke Memphis tonight. Folks better stop looking at names and start realizing those dudes aint playing around. They have found a defensive identity, a hard nosed style of play, and a leader with no conscience when he is rolling. They are the toughest team in the East, and we do not fare well against tough teams.

Damn, if I wasn't on baby duty I would leap at this offer, dang

Korver couldn't get off his shot unless he was open or coming off screens. Bogi does that well too, but he can create his own shot off the bounce unlike Korver. And to top it off, Bogi will notoriously bust a three right in a defenders grill with no hesitation. These factors contribute to his higher volume of 3's. Korver may still have the edge in percentage tho simply due to shooting a better quality of shot (uncontested) than Bogi.

They filpped Hunter and Dunn. I thought I'd see one of them and not the other. Didn't know it was Hunter who would mysteriously disappear

It's not worth it to save him now, when he needs to get in game shape and build chemistry. He must actually be hurt.

Keep an eye on Miami too. Lost in all this is them suddenly tied with us record wise.