thecampster

Alex Len per 36 tonight was 20 rebounds and 10 blocks.....roll that around your head for a minute.

What follows is the list of the top 15 PF's last year in the West. Just so Luka D will know what he'll have to guard night in night out. I'm super looking forward to that Anthony Davis, Luka Doncic matchup....and they think Trae is undersized. Oh ya...I'm thinking you can take Randle and Kuzma off that list because James will be playing substantial minutes at the 4 in LA. 1 Anthony Davis, PF NO 75 36.4 28.1 10.4-19.5 .534 0.7-2.2 .340 6.6-8.0 .828 2 LaMarcus Aldridge, PF SA 75 33.5 23.1 9.2-18.0 .510 0.4-1.2 .293 4.5-5.3 .837 3 Carmelo Anthony, PF OKC 78 32.1 16.2 6.1-15.0 .404 2.2-6.1 .357 1.9-2.5 .767 4 Julius Randle, PF LAL 82 26.7 16.1 6.1-11.0 .558 0.1-0.5 .222 3.7-5.2 .718 Kyle Kuzma, PF LAL 77 31.2 16.1 6.1-13.5 .450 2.1-5.6 .366 1.9-2.7 .707 6 Zach Randolph, PF SAC 59 25.6 14.5 6.1-12.9 .473 0.9-2.5 .347 1.4-1.8 .785 7 Derrick Favors, PF UTAH 77 28.0 12.3 5.1-9.1 .563 0.2-0.8 .222 1.8-2.8 .651 8 Taj Gibson, PF MIN 82 33.3 12.2 5.2-9.0 .577 0.1-0.4 .200 1.7-2.3 .768 9 Draymond Green, PF GS 70 32.7 11.0 4.0-8.8 .454 1.1-3.7 .301 1.9-2.5 .775 Montrezl Harrell, PF LAC 76 17.0 11.0 4.6-7.2 .635 0.0-0.1 .143 1.8-2.9 .626 RK PLAYER TEAM GP MPG PTS FGM-FGA FG% 3PM-3PA 3P% FTM-FTA FT% 11 Trey Lyles, PF DEN 73 19.1 9.9 3.7-7.5 .491 1.1-3.0 .381 1.4-2.0 .706 12 Ryan Anderson, PF HOU 66 26.1 9.3 3.1-7.3 .431 2.0-5.1 .386 1.1-1.4 .774 Al-Farouq Aminu, PF POR 69 30.0 9.3 3.3-8.4 .395 1.8-4.9 .369 0.9-1.2 .738

Larry also played SF, not the point.

You guys really are going g to be surprised how slow footed he is the first time he tries to guard Baze or Taurean.

Prince shot 30% form 3 in Dec/Jan over 30 games. He shot over 42% the rest of the year. Shot 41.6% for March/April. During that stretch he was 19.2, 4.8, 3.4 with 2.7 T/O per game as the Hawks main option. That's pretty stellar for a second year player.

My guess is he got in the gym and they said...holy crap, this guy is slow...there is no way he guards PG/SG on the perimeter.

I said since well before the draft there is no way he'll play PG in the nba but would be playing SG/SF and I'm assuming SF is where he ends up.

I'm sorry but I love Elton Brand, loved his time with the Hawks and I greatly prefer basketball people making basketball decisions. Congrats Elton.

That was my favorite show for years growing up (until I realized it was reruns and there would be no new episodes). "I'm coming Elizabeth!"

https://www.yahoo.com/sports/hawks-center-dewayne-dedmon-suffers-180302765.html

Westbrook = 4.8 TO/game last year, Harden = 4.4 TO/game. With usage comes turnovers. The goal is eliminating the unnecessary turnovers.

Well someone isn't taking her meds....party pooper.

Alex Len is an intriguing player and you really shouldn't sleep on him. Phoenix was not a good fit for him last year. He would have been much better under Woody.

Trae - Yes Heurter - No (he really needs to build strength) and this position will need someone practiced as an NBA defender on the wing. Prince - Yes Collins - Yes Len - 90% sure on this one.

Not necessarily. Word is he worked on himself while in Russia (personal habits, etc). His failure in the NBA was due as much to his motor/work ethic. He could no longer dominate based solely on size and he couldn't adjust. His high energy just translated to fouls. Possible scenario is the Hawks package a 2 for 1 in training camp and then keep him long term as the backup to Collins. A possible scenario is that if Bembry/Dorsey or Anderson take the step forward, then a Baze + 1 of those 3 players type of trade to take back salary and a pick. This could be the manifestation of the Houston trade or NO. Could easily see Baze and Bembry to Houston for Anderson + future picks and the Hawks keep Robinson.

I don't necessarily agree. I think Alex Len was brought in to compete for the Center spot and is a quality defender as well. Specifically, Len is far superior to Mike Muscala on defense (at the very least) and should be an upgrade defensively at the backup. Collins is a year older, a year bigger and should be "better" than he was last year at the PF spot. If we assume Young is the day one starter (with Lin still hobbled), then the comparison is Young to Dennis and Lin to Delaney. The problem with Dennis last year wasn't ability but effort. If you compare (size), Young and Dennis are the same size (height and weight). I don't see Young as a downgrade defensively based purely on potential effort. Remembering Center PER is inflated due to rebounding. Dennis' Opponent PER per 48 last year was 18.5 (which almost matched his own 19.7. You can't look at Lin's last year (one partial game) so going back to 16-17 Lin posted a 21.5 PER per 48 which his opponent posted 20.3 while playing for a terrible Nets team. The previous year on Charlotte he allowed his opponent only a 15.4. Muscala allowed a 26,4 last year, Dedmon allowed a 19.4, Len allowed a 22.9 (on a terrible Suns second team). Just an eyeball test shows Young really can't be worse defensively and Len/Dedmon are both an upgrade defensively over Muscala.

The common theme in NBA circles is Bud is on another level as a coach. He gets credit for 1/2 the wins last year. This reaction is directly related to Pierce being a rookie coach and not being Bud.

and on the same note https://www.sbnation.com/2018/8/21/17764020/luka-doncic-no-zero-votes-nba-rookie-survey-best-career-nba-draft-2018-mavericks No NBA player voted Doncic as having the best NBA career.

hustle player who really really really about 100 hours of gym time with Kyle Korver. Like most "muscular" players, his shot is very stiff.

https://www.yahoo.com/sports/nba-rookies-agree-little-trae-162424690.html NBA rookies show most agreement when talking about Trae Young.

I can't remember a year when a team added more players that I have coveted. Here's to hoping Anderson sticks on the Hawks and Hawks fans give him a chance.

Nobody (except KB) is saying these guys will be getting 18 minutes a game. But offensively, Huerter is NBA ready. Defensively, he has to learn the scheme and add a bit of weight. It would be a huge loss at this point to put him on the floor defensively. It is nonsense to believe Huerter would get minutes this early over Dorsey or Bembry unless we are full on tanking. I'm not sure how often I have to say this but the number one jump in going from college to the pros is learning the defensive rotation when not playing zone. It's a mess, ask John Collins. Muscala never figured it out. There is a reason we added Justin Anderson, teams value Baze and Dorsey has been gym ratting all summer. The NBA defensive game is light years different than college. No amount of Spellman hustle or Huerter's surprising athleticism can make up for 18 years of playing zone. It takes time. Let the rooks learn in practice until ready.

Always scares me when national writers echo pretty much everything I said about "young players to consider". https://www.peachtreehoops.com/2018/8/14/17679756/atlanta-hawks-roundtable-young-players-tyler-dorsey-kevin-huerter-omari-spellman-justin-anderson

All apples are fruits, but not all fruits are apples. All sentences contain words but not all words are sentences. Dennis' actions made him look like a thug, but not all thugs look like Dennis (because some look just like my young thug white nephews). I'm hoping you meant "grew up soft" because if you meant group up soft then grouping up to jump someone is a very "thug" thing to do.