Packfill

I have been to Denver and did not experience any effects from the altitude when exercising (60 mile bike ride less then 24 hours after arriving) so I think the effects of the altitude on professional athletes is a little overstated.

Quote: Quote: The only guy with any value the Hawks could trade is Salim, so a midseason trade is unlikely unless they want to ship out Lue to a contender before the deadline. trading Lue would be counterproductive at this juncture. it's decision time for the Hawks. either make some bold moves to shore up the roster or commit to a lottery run. the lottery run is far riskier with that top 3 protection. that and i can't stand another 2-13 stretch I agree, you only trade Lue at the deadline if management has determined that the playoffs are not going to happen. If some combination of Lue, Salim or the Indy pick can net a prospect like Rondo, Farmer, Williams then the team needs to consider it once it concedes the playoffs. If they remain in the playoff hunt then it would be unlikely they make a move.

The only guy with any value the Hawks could trade is Salim, so a midseason trade is unlikely unless they want to ship out Lue to a contender before the deadline.

I think Carmelo is the MVP at this point. JJ is in the conversation, but Carmelo has better or equal numbers across the board and his team has a much better record. Boozer may get some votes if the Jazz continue to win and I think Dwight Howard may emerge as a candidate if the Magic maintain their place in the standings.

I can't believe the Hawks lost to the Sonics without Ray Allen. That is bad.

I don't understand why McRoberts is considered a lottery candidate either. I think with Hansbrough people are saying he isn't athletic or big enough to play at the next level but I haven't seen enough of him to confirm.

Quote: Off the top of my head the only midseason trade i can think of that would make sense would be for Jordan Farmar. I would do that trade. Farmar has some potential.

Quote: But I digress...K sucks. The results suggest otherwise.

Quote: Shelden Williams, Craig Smith, and Paul Millsap are playing very well, and I think a lot of that is because these guys came in as polished players whose game translated to the NBA. I believe that if Woody would start going to Shelden more offensively, we'd have ourselves a power forward that averages a double double. In fairness to Woody, it took Coach K a while to run plays for Sheldon as well. Sheldon was a 4 year college starter at an elite program so you would expect that his transition to the pros would be alot smoother then most other draftees.

Quote: That's why we have been so turnover prone. And it's forcing Zaza and Smoove to create shots or force up bad ones, which in turn causes turnovers. In the past we at least had JJ and Al or Al and Walker to go to. We're better without them but that's why Smoove was less turnover prone. It's also why Lue has become such an important part of our team. Marvin HAS to become a goto guy. I mean someone other than JJ HAS to shoot when those players are in the game. What would everyone say if Speedy was jacking up those shots? Or Shelden? It's why Smoove is getting bashed so much. He essentially IS a rookie season, because he's never been looked at to be a goto guy, and with all the injuries he is forced to do that now. I think the Hawks need a point guard or other playmaker who can make passes that put the team's offensively challenged players in position to score without having to make any moves with the ball. I think Speedy has show flashes of that type of playmaking ability but it is impossible to rely on him at this point. BK needs to bring in a real point guard soon to take advantage of the athletes the team has.

Quote: Quote: The Hawks need one of those guys to emerge as a legit star if they hope to be a championship contender down the road. Can we please see what we have first? These guys are 19-22 year of age. Maybe we should wait atleast a year or 2. What in heck is the rush? Um, what in my post suggested there is a rush? That said, the team should have a pretty good idea of what they have by the middle of next year.

Quote: I don't think it's a foregone conclusion all of our main guys can get at least 27mpg pretty easily and they are all on rookie contracts so that's pretty good minutes we MIGHT need a trade in a year or two, but not now, and it's definitely not a foregone conclusion if chill is fine with 30mpg as 6th/7th man for the future and wants to stay and one of smoove/shelden/zaza is fine with 30mpg off the bench as 6th/7th man and wants to stay, then we may not need to trade any of our main pieces also, as everyone improves, jj can lower his mins to 36 or so instead of 40+ I think we should all hope that we either make a trade for a Gasol like player or one of the 4 young forwards emerges such that they, like JJ, need to play 36+ minutes per game (i.e., because they are that good). If neither of those two events occur, then it is likely the Hawks will be nothing more then first round playoff fodder with good depth at forward. The Hawks need one of those guys to emerge as a legit star if they hope to be a championship contender down the road.

Take it easy there partner. I was purposefully stating the obvious so as to demonstrate that even if the team were 11-0 there are always things to complain about. Even the very best constantly scrutinize their performances so it natural for fans to point out areas where the team needs to improve - whether that improvement is due to experience, health, coaching, roster additions, execution, etc. Did you not notice the smiley face?

Look at it this way, last year at this time we were talking about whether the Hawks would go down in history as one of the worst teams of all time. This year people are bitching about needing a healthy point guard. Sounds like improvement to me! That said, the Hawks will need a healthy Speedy Claxton if they hope to make a run a the playoffs this year.

Speedy's injuries just show how important it is that the Hawks get a point guard that can play some defense at the very least, but ideally also someone who can drive to the hoop and hit an occassional outside shot. I would not be opposed to a very minor trade to get someone like Jason Hart. I wouldn't give up more then a second round pick. I would also consider trading Salim while he still has some trade value since Lue provides the same skillset to the Hawks.

Quote: Quote: Include me in the "JJ would have signed with us regardless of whether he was going to play PG or SG" crowd. That's what i think too. Me three.

Quote: I like this bad move by BK. Zaza weights 280?

Quote: Getting Marvin back will also make Smoove better. Smoove player some of his best and smartest B-Ball with Marvin. Smoove has said countless time he enjoys playing with Marvin and their games compliment each other. Instead of seeing Marvin as threat to your favorite player Smoove. Learn to embrace him as a part of this team. When, last year?

Quote: Our team is the youngest in the league by more than THREE years. Last year we were the youngest team in NBA HISTORY. How can you say we are designed for mediocrity when have nothing but cap space and young, very attractive and tradable assets (if we decide to go that route). How do you know Marvin will not become a star? Smoove? Shelden could become a force. Zaza's pretty damn good for a 22 year old center. Solomon could break out. Childress is getting better EVERY game. We are a few missed free throws away from being 7-1 (the REAL reason we've lost 3 straight). Pretty much every good team starts with a bunch of young players until someone breaks out and they make the playoffs. And when they are ready make a big signing or big trade, and we DEFINATELY have the assets for one. I would argue that most of the really good teams are built around one young star and usually a veteran all-star with veteran supporting players. Looking at some recent champions: Miami - young star Wade surrounded by veterans like Shaq, Walker, Payton, Williams, Mourning, etc. Detroit - I guess Prince is the young buy, but the rest were vets. San Antonio - Young guns Parker and Ginobili put veterans Duncan, Bowen, etc. Lakers - Young star Kobe coupled with vets Shaq, Fischer, etc.

I wasn't saying one was better then the other - I rather have JJ too - just that I thought it was interesting that they had identical stats.

Weird coincidence, after 7 games JJ and Vince are each averaging 28.86 points, 5.57 rebounds, 4.14 assists and are shooting 49% from the floor.

I think they can handle the minutes from a physical standpoint. Both have averaged right around 30 per game the past two years so an additional 5 minutes a night should not be that big a difference. Plus, with only 7 games played, one overtime game can through the numbers off.

Quote: Man, I miss the old days of Ted Turner ownership. Me too.

Quote: Quote: Is combining Marvin and Chill into one person an option? Would be great if it was. Marvosh Chilliams would be a great player. Personally, I think Jovin Willdress would be an even better player, but I see your point.

Is combining Marvin and Chill into one person an option? Would be great if it was.