RedDawg#8

Those are his highest totals across his 3 seasons. He was able to play 30+ mins a game the past 2 seasons, which may not happen again due to the depth of the roster. That's why I don't think his averages will change much going forward. Does he have the talent to average more, sure. But will we ever get to see it so long as his minutes stay the same or even lessen on a healthy roster? I doubt it. Kev is skilled, but his lack of aggression will always keep his numbers down. A 20 point performance sandwiched between games in the single digits. That's been his M.O. He is a high level role player/ utility starter. You can't take one breakout performance and ignore the larger resume that shows he will score in the single digits 3x as often as he will score 20+, true in the both regular season and playoffs

At his best, Kev is a 12, 4 and 4 guy. Take that how you want

To me that's always been the nature of a true SF. Even in the old days. SF's are thee most versatile position on the court and routinely guard up and down a position. I think of Scottie Pippen when I see Dre. His outside shooting and ball handling are strong enough to be a wing, his length and strength are good enough to defend down low. But what sells it for me is his mobility to defend guards. Most cats that get moved to PF cannot keep up with smaller players. Dre stayed with Kyrie about as well as anyone I've seen do it. That's Kawhi/Pippen esque when you talk about defensive versatility.

Off topic, but I just don't see anything about his game that says he needs to be a PF. This man is as prototypical as it gets as a SF

Yup. I think at guard we are fine waiting on Wright. It's at center where we want those guys back sooner than later, unless we have a plan for Hamilton to step in. Rife can give us good minutes at backup PG while we wait on DW.

This bodes well. Even if they don't play Clint or Dre in the last preseason game, it shows they are on the right track. I'd guess Dre and Clint are both probable for the opener after hearing this. Generally I feel good about everyone besides OO at this point.

Of the list Im still only expecting OO to miss significant time. Young, Bogi, and Kev I expect to play on opening night. Wright and Dieng I don't know enough about the severity but I think they will also be good to go by the opener, if not very soon after the opener. Dre and Capela. These are chronic issues they are having. Capela sounds like he can play right now if he needed to, but that they may be a little conservative since it's "finally" healing properly. His can go both ways. Either way, he's been dealing with this since we got him. It's probably never going away. They may just have to load manage him. Dre, this knee thing is worrisome. Who knows how serious this is or if it's just a step of the healing process. Either way, he seems likely to be load managed this season as well unless they decide to shut him down for an extended period of time. Anyone's guess. We can only hope it's mild pain and it goes away with rest. If I had to give them official designations my prediction would be: Probable: Trae, Bogi, Kevin Questionable: Wright, Dieng Doubtful: Dre, Clint Out: OO

Is anyone else tired of the Grizzles always out hustling us when we play them? Seems like its always sloppy game with 50/50 balls going their way,

Yeah size really shouldn't be the issue. It's more of an anticipation and balance thing. If you aren't practicing with contact then you will never get used to it. Even a tiny guy like Sharife can run in to defenders 3x his size and not get bulldozed. He will manage to stay upright through his gather and finish before falling to the ground. Guys like him and Trae know how use their size and the defenders momentum to their advantage. This is where the savviness worries me with Cam. His balance is Marvin like. His momentum always takes him downward and he loses vertical explosion with contact. He somehow manages to be towered over by defenders. Year 3. No more excuses for the kid, he has to make improvements.

I agree with this, but I also feel like this can be said for far too many of our guys. JC and Kev are right up there with Cam as far as not getting plays run for them. Dre got plenty of action pre injury, Bogi post injury. Gallo had a role off the bench that saw him get a lot of post action. I think this is something that needs to be a focus going forward. It's a lot of mouths to feed, but the talent is there, so we should not have so many possessions where we can't get someone a clean look or favorable one on one opportunities. As Nate continues to get comfortable with the lineup, we should ideally see this improve.

This is true, but the issue with Cam throughout his career has been the size of the valley in between the peaks. He finished last game 7-17 from the field and 4-8 from 3 in 27:34 min. During his red hot stretch in the 3rd from 4:30 to the 1:08 mark, he was 4/5 and 3/3 respectively. That means that his shooting the other 24 mins he was out there was 3-12 and 1-5. My point. Cam will go ice cold for as long or longer stretches than he will go hot. That has been the problem since day 1. Every now and then he can put a full game together. During the end of his rookie year he was able to string full games together. He may be the most exciting Hawk not named Trae when is ON. But when he is off, he is OFF, and that needs to change. Kevin is a streaky shooter too. He has times where he can't hit. But he has learned how to tighten the gap, and not just fire away. He found out how to work his mid range and get to the line. He doesn't shoot us in to holes anymore. If Cam can find or create easier shots to get him going, that would help eliminate the extended cold spells that plummet his shooting percentages. Get closer to the basket, try and get to the line. Just don't settle for 3's when you don't have it going.

It's not just you, he totally got smaller. Was thinking the same thing. Makes wonder if the extra weight wasn't clean weight.

Rife is going to excel next to the vets. He has "it". The scattered play of Summer League his just how mature his game is. He is a lot closer than I thought to contributing to the main roster. If he keeps hitting his outside shots, his case becomes undeniable.

Wright is also better than I thought. He gives us something extra that we have been missing. He will have a big learning curve as he gets comfortable playing with both units on and off the ball. He has to learn an entire new roster as a playmaker, and learn how to play off of them when they creating. There will be growing pains but I like that he is smart and doesn't overdo it.

Dieng is a better perimeter player than I thought. His movement, passing, ability to play in space, and active hands are pretty good. However he is not the rugged interior player that I thought. Plays pretty finesse. Uses his length but not his size. Would rather tip rebounds than grab. Has some decent moves and fakes on the block, and reminds of Gallo with how he finishes. He can post but he isn't a post presence. Clint and OO will still be our defensive anchors, I don't see Dieng doing anything with Embiid and Giannis. He can move with them outside-in and contest, but all they have to do is back him in to the paint and it's a wrap. Their bulk would move him easily.

Decent game without Trae, Bogi, Clint, Gallo, Lou, or OO available. Feels like I been waiting since 2019 to see the full roster in uniform. Oh well. But seriously, ever since the Clint trade I have been patiently waiting to see all the pieces come together. Starting to get old

Cavs are the older kids from the neighborhood who never left and have nothing to lose, so they wanna ruin everyone else life too lol

That dunk was worth 25 mil lol New T-Shirt anyone?

Our present AND future look bright.

I was today years old when I realized that Kobe and AI came out of the same draft

Damn that statement jersey is SWEET. They really hit that out one of the park. It's becoming one of our most recognized and iconic jerseys.

I just hope we can play better than we did the other night. I already can't watch Falcons games, I don't need the Hawks putting up stinkers too. Preseason or not, I need to be entertained and not agitated when I watch lol

Not to mention that was a mean travel that didn't get called. Curry took seven steps after his last dribble. Both feet repeatedly coming off the ground as he was trying to figure out what he wanted to do.

Curry on the other hand, must've thought the new rules didn't apply to him.

Good stuff