Damn Damn Damn Damn

[tmac13]

Watching Jason Terry play so well at the point for Dallas, and watching Borris Diaw very effectively play the 5 for Phoenix is giving me headaches....What 2 positions do we need again????????? I can't remember..My head is hurting too bad..

I know, I know, someone is about to tell me the Boston pick we ended up with for Terry and Diaw are the only reasons we have JJ..I say I wish we had traded them Chillz and next years pick instead and still had Terry and Diaw..(Of course we would also need a coach smart enough to play Diaw inside)

[Lascar78]

Yeah it's frustrating, but oh well. This is the first offseason that we've gone into in a while where it's at least POSSIBLE to put together a team that can try to make the playoffs next year and is extremely well positionned for the long term future. Drafting a young big will do us a ton of good.

We've made mistakes, but we've made a lot of right moves too.

Also, in all honesty, Phoenix is losing 3-1 to the 7 seed lakers because they have Diaw as a center. Not him in particular but their general lack of inside toughness, i.e. Amare and Kurt Thomas. A guy like Diaw can't handle 4-5s in playoff style ball. And he wouldn't be doing anything here, not enough flat out scorers around him, and no european system.

Not having JT is frustrating, but that's life

I'd rather have this happen than be sitting here wondering why we couldn't trade someone to get a pick to draft an exciting young player like Josh Smith, and why we never have and never will sign a young free agent star.

Our present isn't that great, but there's plenty of promise in our future.

[WraithSentinel]

Looking back on it. Why did we trade JT again? That trade made no sense.

[f_town]

youre joking right?

the first step of any rebuilding here was to dump JT pronto

i liked him as much as anyone, but his public sulking to the press and downbeat attitude got to the point where he had to go...no question about it

The situation got even worse after we matched Utah's contract offer...he had been all over the press begging the Hawks not to match...

The fact that he is on a team with enough good players to mask his glaring defensive deficiencies doesnt mean that he was/is a good fit for the Hawks during their rebuilding phase...

Go Hawks!

[CBAreject]

I'm not too worried about JT, because I just don't see how we could've built around him. I do wish we had Diaw. I thought he would be a valuable role player, but I had no idea how good he would be this year. I question whether he would've ever been successful in our system, though.

[swolehawk2]

That is all Diaw is, a valuable role player...that is all he will ever be....nothing wrong with that. He has a good all around game...he had the same skills when he was here.

JJ would be a lot more valuable to Phoenix right now though....but he is a Hawk....suckas!!!!!

[Lascar78]

good point. How badly do you think Phoenix fans wish they had JJ right now?

[tmac13]

You guys are missing my point..No JT or Diaw aren't guys you build around, they are guys that are pieces of the puzzle..You NEED role players..You need guys that compliment your stars..Thats one of my grips with BK..We have traded away or just let go of useful players for very little in return and left gaping holes that have yet to be filled..JT, Diaw, Nazr and Pryz to name a few..

[Diesel]

Before you blame BK too much..

I think you have to understand that Bk's marching orders were to cut costs...

Belk wanted to keep this team cheap and in the lottery. BK's first order of business were to get rid of all big contracts and long term contracts.

BK got us into the lottery so that he could pick his team.

Also realize that the big blowout between Belk and the other owners took place over JJ. It was because he didn't want to spend money on JJ. BK realized that in order to go to the next level, we had to bring in a player with more than just potential.

So. I'm not blaming BK... I see the circumstances. Mainly the owners had to make some money to pay off some debts and the only way they could do that was to keep the team cheap.

[tmac13]

I disagree..They are struggling because of injuries..Raja Bell replaced JJ and averages about 15 points and 3 assists a game this year..JJ gave them 17 points and 3 assists last year..So they only lose 2 points for MUCH less cost and have Diaw and 2 picks from us..Bell is also a much better defender than JJ, so I think Phoenix would do that deal all over again.

[swolehawk2]

Man, JT and Diaw wanted to leave...Pryz chose to sign with Portland....I would have kept Nazr. First and foremost we need guys that want to play here, not guys that are held captive..u don't win that way.

Before u go loading up on role players to support your stars you have to figure out if you have stars...I think JJ is a star..not sure how good he will be...but that is the only star on this team...our youngins are developing..we are not sure what they will be just yet...hell they might all be role players...then we we have to go out abd get another "star" to help JJ carry the load.

[swolehawk2]

U r missing the point...in the playoffs teams force teams like Dallas and Phoenix to play a little halfcourt offense...Phoenix's halfcourt O consists of Nash dribbling around looking for holes...when defenses don't leave to help on Nash he has no open shooters to kick to, so he has to finish...he is really the only player they have that creates....wouldn't they love JJ getting in the lane shooting that tear drop in the last three minutes of the game....of course they would.

[Lascar78]

JJ's impact wasn't measured in stats. When it came to a close game down the stretch, nash was option 1a and JJ was 1b. Right now it's Nash all on his own. Marion disappears in big games / clutch situations, and Bell just isn't that kind of a guy. He'll hit open shots, but he's not taking over or creating.

There's no doubt that injuries to their only two "playoff" interior guys (amare, kurt) are killing them though. With amare and kurt they win easily. And diaw barely plays

As for losing the role players, you have to remember how bad our reputation was as a franchise. No one wanted to come here. It took a complete clearout to convince the league that we were a brand new franchise, new players, new owners, to get free agents to even listen to us. That's how you land a guy like JJ.

[Diesel]

Yep.

In the playoffs.. You need clutch performers and JJ is that. I haven't seen Raja Bell stepping up to do anything.

[DJlaysitup]

I'm just happy for Diaw. I don't think he's a legit 5 or will be able to stay at the 5 longterm, but he's pretty much proven this year that he has a place in the league as a competitive player. Something he probably couldn't of done here for multiple reasons.

He's shown some nice inside moves against LA and has mostly held his own and challenged shots in the paint. Way to go Boris.

[Lascar78]

Diaw's stats this year:

13.3 ppg

6.9 rpg

6.2 apg

1.05 bpg

.72 spg

Last year stat's projected to this year's minutes:

9.36 ppg

5.07 rpg

4.37 apg

.53 bpg

1.1 spg

He hasn't improved that much, he just got more minutes, and is in a perfect system for him, surrounded with scorers.

Even Diaw admits it:

Quote:

---

"That's why I have no hard feelings [toward anyone in Atlanta]. I should thank them for sending me to [Phoenix] because

this is the perfect fit for me."

Diaw has some company in that department. Of the Suns new additions, and that includes Raja Bell and James Jones, all posted career scoring numbers during the regular season.

"Playing in this system and with [league MVP] Steve [Nash] makes the world of difference," said Jones, a third-year player like Diaw, who has raised his scoring average five points from his sophomore season in Indiana.

"People think you've become some brand new player when all that's really happened is that you're in a brand new situation. I think Boris is in the same boat."

Diaw insists he's the same player today as he was when he left for Phoenix.

So as much as everyone would like to assume that Diaw's personality and attitude have changed like his fortunes on the floor, the Suns center and runaway winner Monday of the NBA's Most Improved Award, is more than happy to squash that idea.

"I'm playing the same way I've always played," Diaw said with a smile. "I'm doing the exact same things. I'm always trying to create something for my teammates and just do what I can to make sure my team has a chance to win games. I haven't changed at all."

...

"Obviously, we thought he was talented and a player who could do some [different] things," D'Antoni said. "The difference is that we had the luxury of playing him at [forward and center], something that not a lot teams do. So

it was nothing that Atlanta did or didn't do, because they felt strongly enough to draft him. It just turned out that he fit into our situation really well.

Better than even we imagined."

Diaw fit in with the Suns better than he imagined. He swears he never doubted himself during his Hawks tenure, that his confidence in what he had done and what he could accomplish couldn't have been stronger.

"You can't ever get worried about your situation or get down on yourself," he said. "You just have to keep working and wait until you get your chance to prove yourself."

---

(from the AJC)

[swolehawk2]

Yeah basically the media and some fans saying stuff like Boris was the worst player in the league. If you watched Boris you could see in had a ton of skills..just beacuse he could not play the point here, he was labled a bust...just ignorant fans mostly following what the media says.

Boris is a good basketball player...always has been, why he won't be a star...just not assertive enough.

[Nicholasp27]

Quote:

---

You NEED role players..You need guys that compliment your stars

---

yet you want to trade away chill...

[tmac13]

Chillz vs Diaw and 2 1sts..yeah

[AHF]

Quote:

---

Diaw's stats this year:

13.3 ppg

42% more than projected

6.9 rpg

36% more than projected

6.2 apg

41% more than projected

1.05 bpg

98% more than projected

.72 spg

35% less than projected

Last year stat's projected to this year's minutes:

9.36 ppg

5.07 rpg

4.37 apg

.53 bpg

1.1 spg

---

Other than steals those ARE big improvements from what he did last year. It isn't just about more minutes, despite what he says.