TheNorthCydeRises

Euro guards tend to be tough minded. Euro big men tend to be soft. Two of the greatest Euro big men ( Dirk and Pau Gasol ), have been called "soft" their entire career, despite their very good offensive abilities. The problem with the Hawks isn't that we have too many Euros. The problem is that we have too many marginal bench level players. So to that, it's like I always say . . . Blame the GM.

Ferry has bleeped up more than that. It's just that fans don't want to admit it yet.

Hilarous . . . but he'll never be as great as Diesel. And I think he knows this.

You mean . . . thank you Josh for not signing the 3 yr - 45 million extension that Ferry offered him at the beginning of last season. People forget that though.

Mace . . . I don't know about that Boston bottomed out, and drafted Bird Lakers didn't bottom out, but acquired Magic via a trade . . and had acquired Kareem in a trade Detroit bottomed out to get Isaiah Chicago bottomed out to get Jordan Houston was bad in consecutive years, and got Ralph Sampson and Hakeem Olajuwon San Antonio was horrible both times in which they got David Robinson and Tim Duncan Lakers used their appeal to land Shaq in free agency, and then put themselves in position to get Kobe Detroit brought in a collection of good but not great journeymen type players + Larry Brown Dallas traded for Dirk, stayed in the middle, then traded and spent tons of money, before winning their title Lakers took advantage of a team willing to give up its star player for expirings and picks, to get Pau Gasol Miami completely bottomed out, sold off everybody, then brought in Lebron and Bosh, and re-signed Wade I think what Vol was alluding to, is that history definitely shows that if you want to win a championship, you MUST acquire a superstar player . . some way . . some how. And most of the time, you have to be really bad to do this. I listed all of the teams who have won championships since the Bird-Magic era. And even some of the contenders who have won titles, bottomed out first . . . then built championship caliber teams ( OKC, Orlando, LA Clippers, etc ). Ferry chased after Dwight, which would follow this formula. The problem was, everybody knew that he virtually had no shot to get him. At that point, Ferry had 3 options - build the best team possible - keep us in the middle - tank I still say that a Al Jefferson - Al Horford frontline would've been a PROBLEM for the Eastern Conference. You're talking about two high quality big men who can both score and rebound. Add to the fact that both guys can play center, we could've kept one of them on the court at all times. So at that point, all we needed was a 3rd piece to the puzzle. Could've gone after Iguodala. Or could've made a serious play for Monta Ellis. Or could've even brought on Paul Millsap, to REALLY solidify this frontline, by maybe starting Millsap at SF, but giving him the bulk of his minutes at PF with the 2nd unit. Ferry is playing the middle, hoping that "flexibility" will save him in the future. Meanwhile, we have no legit 2nd guy to play alongside Horford. We have no true center. And we don't have a legit shot to get one of those top 5, possibly franchise changing, players in this year's draft. That's why people are doubting the "genius" of Ferry. All he's done is trade JJ for cap space. That's his signature move as GM. Meanwhile, all most fans see for the immediate future, is .500 basketball at best. Until he does something to change that, he will have his critics.

LOL . . a move to the suburbs will not increase Hawks attendance. You'll see that firsthand with the Braves. They'll post big numbers in their first 2 years. But if the Braves are the "same ol Braves", attendance will go back to what it was on Turner Field. If the Hawks played their games at the current Gwinnett Center, they still wouldn't sell the games out. We couldn't even consistently sell out when the Hawks played at Georgia Tech ( when Philips was being built ).

Like I had to tell a poster on Peachtree Hoops recently . . . The Hawks are currently 4 - 18 when Korver scores less than 10 points in a game. And they are 1 - 12 when Korver does this, since Al Horford has gotten hurt. We've lost 11 straight games when Kyle scores less than 10 points, and the one game we did win, was the Charlotte game . . . thanks to Antić's one-legged lucky 3. The truth about Korver is that he more often than not gets outproduced by whomever he's going against at the SG or SF positions. The other thing, is that Kyle is playing a ton of minutes ( 34 min a game ), which makes his lack of production even worse when his shot is off, or can't get open looks. He's just to one-dimensional. He's a difference maker ONLY when his shot is falling.

I agree. The criticism that Teague receives in ATL would be child's play compared to the NY fans and media being all over him. On the flip side, if he played good, they would love him unconditionally and accept his flaws . . . kind of like how Brooklyn fans do with Joe Johnson.

I agree with your assessment of the All-Star game. The first 3 quarters are meant to put on the type of show that everyone wants to see. I think they purposely keep the games kind of close, then tell the guys to play forreal once the 4th quarter starts. While I don't set my schedule to make sure I'm watching the game, I'm not real bothered by the lack of competitiveness from the opening tip either. I see the All-Star game the same way I see a Harlem Globetrotters game. There is entertainment value in it. But like you said, those guys get serious in the 4th quarter. And it usually turns into a very good finish.

Heck . . he went for 43 points -- 19 rebounds vs us ( and also went 17 - 18 FTs ). I was at that game vs Minnesota when we played them. And what impressed me the most about Love, is how he almost knew exactly where the ball was going to come off. And when it comes to shooting, he needs very little space to get his shot off, whether it be around the rim, or out to the 3 point line. Offensively, he has the total package for a big man.

LOL . . . if you say so man. And I've maybe posted on the AJC maybe 10 times total in the last 2 years, and I took about a 5 month ( semi-forced ) break from this place. You don't check for my post and have no opinion of me, but I annoy you when I'm on here? Hahahahaha . . . hilarious. I'm just saying. I don't know how a person like yourself can talk bad about Diesel, when you're one of the few regulars in this forum's history that has actually gotten banned from this site. Dolfan is a good great mod, because he allowed you to come back, even when he and some of the others here knew what some of your alises were. This is why we need a Squawk Hall of Fame. If you're as great as you say you are, you'll may get a few votes from the members. The bottom line is everybody plays a role on here. If people don't like the role that you, or I, or Diesel, or anybody else plays on here, that's fine. But it's the differing opinions and personalities on here that easily makes this one of the best sports forums I've ever seen. We have everything from doctors and lawyers, to teenage schoolkids on here, giving opinions about the team we all care about . . . the Atlanta Hawks. And like him or not, Diesel always gave his opinions about this team, whether it be popular or unpopular. And he was right far more than he was wrong. This thread is definitely an instant Hawksquawk Classic.

Do you honestly believe that others would put in the same category as the "polarizing" usernames you mentioned? I think you see yourself as much more important, than other members on here do. So are you a "Hall of Fame" Hawksquawk poster? Honestly . . . this would be a very good topic for the members to vote on. Dolfan should create a Hall of Fame thread, and let the members nominate current and past members. Let's say we get to choose 4 people we would nominate for the Hall of Fame. The top 4 vote getting members automatically get into the Hall of Fame . . IF . . they accumulate 10 votes or more. Get less than 10 votes, and you don't get in. Maybe do this at the start of each season. Limit the voting to members who have 500 posts or more, to prevent the "stuffing" of the "ballot box" by new users. Plus it would make it harder for people to get into the HHoF

No poster is perfect. I thought for sure that Acie Law would be our PG for the next 10 years. Others on here wanted to choose Mike Conley over Al Horford. And God only knows how many people on here defended Josh Smith to the death, even up until the very end. To me, Diesel's role in the forum was to simply spark conversation on a wide array of topics. You need those types of people in forums, because most posters simply respond to the thoughts of others, and not try to spark convos themselves with their own thoughts. If Hawksquawk had a Hall of Fame . . . he would be a first ballot Hall of Famer. He's been the most recognizable, thought-provoking, and polarizing poster in this forum . . bar none.

Diesel is a Hawksquaqwk legend. When you look back at all of his 932,472,053,284,885,208,001 posts . . . he was right, or proven right about 75% of the time. I specifically remember him saying that Marvin would be the next Derrick McKey, and got blasted for it. Career numbers for Marvin 29.3 minutes 10.9 ppg 5.1 rebs 1.3 asst 0.8 stls 0.5 blks 45% FG 34% 3FG 80% FT 13.6 PER Derrick McKey's career numbers 29.1 minutes 11.0 ppg 4.7 rebs 2.4 asst 1.1 stls 0.7 blks 49% FG 32% 3FG 78% FT 13.9 PER And I didn't look these numbers up before I posted this thread. I looked them up while I was posting them, to see how close or far apart they were. Diesel Math wins again.

Wrong. Millsap is the all star . . only because of the injury to Horford. But he deserves his spot. Jefferson is the snub . . . who is averaging 20 points and almost 11 rebounds . . . and averaging 23 points and over 11 rebounds since Horford got hurt. I like Millsap . . but he's nowhere near as consistent of an offensive scorer as Jefferson is. And Jefferson is the better rebounder. Heck, we had enough cap room to add Jefferson AND Millsap, if need be. Just start Millsap at the 3, but play him mainly with the reserves at the 4. Then if one of them got hurt, we'd still have 2 quality frontcourt players.

The same Chris Kaman sleeping on benches? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mfk9w4G2rdE Jefferson just had his 5th 30 point game in 7 games. Kaman has NEVER had a 30 point game in his career. He got close the other night though.

What we need to do . . . is travel back in time and sign Al Jefferson as our first free agent.

Never. Knicks lose again.

And what killed us in the Memphis game . . . . . . . . ?

The only guy that MIGHT come here . . . is Carmelo Anthony. But most fans don't appreciate his game enough to embrace him. And Ferry definitely doesn't appreciate Melo types of players. I think it's funny that when we lose a few games, that fans finally see how deficient this team really is across the board. They scrap and play hard, but they don't have a guy who can take them over the top in games. Melo would be a box office smash in Atlanta . . at least initially.

Too late now sir. The teams below us aren't nearly good enough to win at a rate to elevate them over us, unless we just gut the team right now. We are 4.5 games ahead of Detroit for 9th in the East. So say we just win 10 more games this year ( 10 - 21 record ). That puts us at 35 - 47. For the Pistons to go 35 - 47, they would have to go 14 - 18 the rest of the way. The 10th place team ( NY Knicks ) would have to go 15 - 17. Neither team has shown any capability that they can basically play .500 ball for more than a 20 game stretch in the season. Detroit just fired their coach today, and Woody may be fired by the All Star break. Then you look at our overall position, if we DO happen to get in to the lottery. The Hawks need to be at least 8th or higher to have a shot at a top 3 pick. There are currently 8 teams that haven't even won 20 games yet this season. None of them have any incentive to win any game out on the road, and maybe a few home games to appease the crowd. That's why Utah can beat the Heat last night, but may drop their next 7 road games, to keep a hold on their lottery position. If the Hawks wanted to tank, they should've done it last month. Instead, they basically play .500 basketball and hold their ground as the 3rd seed ( now 4th ). Outside of trading Millsap ( or a Millsap injury ), there's no way the Hawks can lose enough games to get them out of the playoffs.

1.5 years to rebuild huh? I've been saying all along that Ferry's rebuild needs to be in full force in those first few years, because this team needs to be good enough to keep Al Horford around. There can't be a 5 year plan in this rebuild. It has to take place much sooner than that.

NBA history speaks against everything you talk about here. Look at your top 6 teams in the league right now ( as far as standings go ) INDIANA - A collection of good 2-way players that pride themselves on being the best defensive team in the league. They're as close to the 2003 - 04 "Detroit Model" as you're going to find. History may show them to be one of the top 10 best defensive teams of all time. But the reason why they may win 60 - 65 games this year, has to do with Paul George possessing the ability to play like a superstar at times, and in critical moments He has made the jump to All-Star status, while knocking on the door to becoming a superstar. They're built to take out Miami, because both George and Stevenson can somewhat limit what Lebron and Wade can do on offense. The only things the Pacers need, is for guys like West, Hill, or Grainger to step up offensively . . . while Hibbert controls the paint. If Hibbert was a good rebounder, that team would be unstoppable. OKLAHOMA CITY - Durant and Westbrook, when healthy, may be the best 1 - 2 combo in the league. Durant is a legit superstar in any era. Westbrook is an All-Star that has the ability to play even above Durant's level at times. The thing with him is that he can also shoot you right out of a game. His consistency on offense is key to OKC winning a title this year . . when he comes back. They have the right collection of role players around those two. Sefalosha is the defensive stopper. Ibaka is the rim protector who can also score. Fisher is the steady and still clutch shooter off the bench. And young guys like Jeremy Lamb and Reggie Jackson have stepped up big time to contribute on offense. But these players need an "engine" to work around. Durant provides that engine, while Westbrook will drive the car. MIAMI - What's to say about them that isn't already known. They're the 2 time World Champs and have been in the last 3 NBA Finals. They have the undisputed best player in the world in Lebron James. Dwyane Wade is still an All-Star caliber player who is highly efficient. They have the best 3rd guy in the league in Chris Bosh.. And they have solid role players across the board. The killer for them, may be the lack of a legit big man in the middle. SAN ANTONIO - Duncan and Parker are still All-Star caliber players who can elevate their games to Superstar level at a drop of a hat. They get slept on because they don't produce the great raw numbers. But when it comes times to make "money plays" at the end of games, those two can almost always make them. The Spurs system purposely tries to get production out of as many guys as possible ( as we've seen here in Atlanta ). But make no mistake. The difference is that they have Duncan and Parker, and sometimes even Ginobli, who can make superstar plays to win games. PORTLAND - The young guns. Aldridge has raised his game to a legit All-Star level, showing the ability to play like a superstar on most nights. Lilliard is already a top 7 PG in the league ( arguably top 5 ). The success of Portland will depend on if 1) if they can become a top 10 defensive team . . which they're not even close to being . . . and 2) if Wesley Matthews can continue to be a consistent 3rd scorer. They're the best offensive team in the league, but their defense will doom them come playoff time. LA CLIPPERS - Blake Griffin is on the cusp of becoming a superstar on the floor. He's finally developed a decent midrange jumper, while doing major damage in the post. Chris Paul is the superstar that runs the show at all times. And they have enough scoring weapons in Jamal Crawford and JJ Redick to do serious damage to people. Doc Rivers has them playing at a top 10 level defensively, which will be key for them come playoff time. He's getting the maximum out of Deandre Jordan, who has gone from a weak rebounding big man, to the best rebounder in the league ( due to Doc's defensive system and by instructing Deandre to crash the offensive boards ). The only question with them, is if Paul or Griffin can make superstar plays at the end of games. When you look at our Hawks, we need so many things to even be at the level of these teams, it isn't even funny. Millsap, while good, doesn't possess the ability to be the lead dog on a nightly basis. And you really can say the same about Horford. We're getting a lot out of our role players on offense, but we're a schizophrenic team on offense as well, because of all of the turnovers. We're currently 2nd in assists and 7th in FG% . . . but we're a woeful 29th in Offensive Rebounds and 17th in turnovers. That means we're not getting too many 2nd possessions, and turning the ball over a little too much. So despite the great shooting and ball movement, we give away too many possessions and don't create enough extra possessions. Add that to being 26th in Free Throw Attempts, and you have the blueprint for a .500 team. We not only have to improve our top level talent, we need to improve our role players, to even be in smelling range of being a "contender". That's why Ferry can't waste seasons on building this team. The rest of the league is not going to decline anytime soon.

And for the record . . . I don't think Ferry is going to do a dang thing at the trade deadline. You'll hear rumors, like last year. But he won't do anything.

Should've traded Josh Smith for Gasol 2 years ago . . but that's water under the bridge now.