The Hawks greatest opponent = Inertia.

[MaceCase]

with Al, we barely knew what system we were playing. It's silly to think that the Hawks wouldn't get real good post AS break.

People always point out that it was the "soft" part of the schedule but overlook the fact only 3 rotation players returned from the year before, we had starters other than Al miss games over that beginning stretch, new faces, new coach and new system. Fully healthy would you expect any new team to come out the gate batting .800? Even the Big 3 were barely above .500 over their first 20 games but hey let's keep hearing those references to early part of the season.

[macdaddy]

Don't get me wrong. I totally believe things are in Lebron's favor in general and that makes it near impossible to beat the heat. But you can't call a foul on this play. Ray slaps the ball away and there is just some incidental contact at that point but its a loose ball. There isn't a call here in preseason much less the end of the game.

This is a great example though. Even though i don't think there is a foul does Ray even try to reach in if he's not on a team that is allowed to foul with impunity and not get called.

[AHF]

People always point out that it was the "soft" part of the schedule but overlook the fact only 3 rotation players returned from the year before, we had starters other than Al miss games over that beginning stretch, new faces, new coach and new system. Fully healthy would you expect any new team to come out the gate batting .800? Even the Big 3 were barely above .500 over their first 20 games but hey let's keep hearing those references to early part of the season.

I find it tough to get past. I thought we were a first/second round and out team coming into the year. We had all our stars to start the year and were mediocre. We were significantly worse the rest of the year. We put up a better than expected fight in our first round exit.

If we return the same team, I definitely don't see us as championship contenders just because we are healthy. Ferry does have the draft, FA and trade levers to push so while I am skeptical there is a short-term road to contender status I will cross my fingers and hope to be surprised.

[MaceCase]

I find it tough to get past. I thought we were a first/second round and out team coming into the year. We had all our stars to start the year and were mediocre. We were significantly worse the rest of the year. We put up a better than expected fight in our first round exit.

If we return the same team, I definitely don't see us as championship contenders just because we are healthy. Ferry does have the draft, FA and trade levers to push so while I am skeptical there is a short-term road to contender status I will cross my fingers and hope to be surprised.

Then take a step back or take a step forward and look at the picture in front of you rather than the "big picture". Your thinking is based on an idea rather than the facts that unfolded before you. This team as it was was 3rd in the East, there are no if, ands or buts on that. This team as it is had one of the only two contenders in the East on the brink of elimination in the playoffs, there's no sugarcoating that either.

I've already brought up that the Heat themselves when they first formed the Big 3 were only 4 games above .500 through their first 20 games. They had chemistry issues and growing pains that they had to work through but the difference is that everyone expected that they'd get through it and they did. Everyone and their mama knew that the Heat that they saw early in that season were not going to be the Heat that they saw at the end but the thinking with the Hawks is the opposite.

Apparently there were no chemistry issues, there were no growing pains, no kinks to work out with a brand new rookie coach and all the new faces that were around. That the team somehow started the season at their peak form and thus had no room to grow. Because of this they therefore had no chance of stringing together more quality wins or even maintaining a top seed as the season progressed and the schedule toughened.

Do you see where I'm going with this? People are dismissive of the early record because "oh it wasn't that impressive and the schedule was weak" without taking into account anything else and people are even trying to be dismissive with the post season performance. From where I'm sitting, despite it all the team proved that they can be in the conversation for tops in the conference between their regular season and post season play. That says to me that there is a decent base already in place to build upon and as you mentioned Ferry still has cap space, trades and picks of which he can work with.

This is the difference between the "inertia" of the past and now. In the past more work was put in just to maintain the current velocity due to the limited resources of being above the cap, kissing the lux tax and having our picks being selected by other teams. With this current squad it looks like there are far more avenues to build upon our current velocity and health is only one of them.

[Buzzard]

This is the difference between the "inertia" of the past and now. In the past more work was put in just to maintain the current velocity due to the limited resources of being above the cap, kissing the lux tax and having our picks being selected by other teams. With this current squad it looks like there are far more avenues to build upon our current velocity and health is only one of them.

This all day long!

[AHF]

I think we were lucky to be the third seed - no ifs ands or buts about it. NJ fell off the map before recovering; Chicago was obviously better before they lost their best player to injury; etc. 3rd to 6th seed was always our range - 3rd if we got lucky and things broke right and 6th if we were unlucky but not wrecked by season long injury. Now I do think we could do better than our winning % with Horford last season but that was the winning % of a 5 or 6 seed (maybe lower than that in the West last year) so I see improvement with familiarity but not a huge leap.

If people are using the sad state of the 2014 Easyern Conference and the injuries of guys like Lopez and Rose to set a new "Championship Contender" status on this team then I have to disagree. We remain an also ran until we significantly upgrade our talent.

[Diesel]

People always point out that it was the "soft" part of the schedule but overlook the fact only 3 rotation players returned from the year before, we had starters other than Al miss games over that beginning stretch, new faces, new coach and new system. Fully healthy would you expect any new team to come out the gate batting .800? Even the Big 3 were barely above .500 over their first 20 games but hey let's keep hearing those references to early part of the season.

I don't expect us to automatically improve to championship contender just because we get healthier. In fact, our new found strength will probably nullify the strength that we found over the season. PNR JT/AH... what does Millsap do for points now? Offensively, Al does not give us a goto guy. Al gives us another guy who can score assisted. Our problem still remains that when we need points, everybody is high post or on the perimeter and we are taking lower FG% shots. IN what championship team have you seen that work?? For once, let's do our due dilligence and get what we need to be championship quality instead of settling for a team that we believe will be good!

[Guest]

I don't expect us to automatically improve to championship contender just because we get healthier. In fact, our new found strength will probably nullify the strength that we found over the season. PNR JT/AH... what does Millsap do for points now? Offensively, Al does not give us a goto guy. Al gives us another guy who can score assisted. Our problem still remains that when we need points, everybody is high post or on the perimeter and we are taking lower FG% shots. IN what championship team have you seen that work?? For once, let's do our due dilligence and get what we need to be championship quality instead of settling for a team that we believe will be good!

When we need points - what we are lacking is a wing scorer who can break the defense, create for himself or someone else.

What we need is more athleticism on the wing and another bonafide ball handler.

Edited May 15, 2014 by JayBirdHawk

[MaceCase]

If people are using the sad state of the 2014 Easyern Conference and the injuries of guys like Lopez and Rose to set a new "Championship Contender" status on this team then I have to disagree. We remain an also ran until we significantly upgrade our talent.

Do you see those players likely improving or even having the same level of success after having the same reoccurring injury happen to them for what, the 3rd or 4th time? The East has always been terrible and is still likely to be terrible. I know every year people like to believe that the level of competition is going to jump up to the Western Conference levels while the Hawks for some reason will remain stagnant but I've yet to see either happen. Perhaps this is the year!

I don't expect us to automatically improve to championship contender just because we get healthier. In fact, our new found strength will probably nullify the strength that we found over the season. PNR JT/AH... what does Millsap do for points now? Offensively, Al does not give us a goto guy. Al gives us another guy who can score assisted. Our problem still remains that when we need points, everybody is high post or on the perimeter and we are taking lower FG% shots. IN what championship team have you seen that work?? For once, let's do our due dilligence and get what we need to be championship quality instead of settling for a team that we believe will be good!

You wouldn't but then again at 38 wins the Hawks still made the playoffs and nearly completely embarrassed the only other contender in the conference besides Miami. That sort of spells that the road to the conference finals isn't as difficult as it should be, that you can almost just luck into it, right? And for the thousandth time, there is no cause to believe that the team is going to settle. Is the ownership fighting each other in court? No. Is the team near the luxury tax? No. Are they over the cap? No. Do they have untradable contracts? No. Does the team owe their first rounders to some other team because of a trade for a mediocre veteran? No. Do they have any irreplaceable free agents up for massive new contracts? No. So the whole inertia comparison is moot. The team is not in a position where maintaining is the only positive option and that they need to break the bank to do so, they can achieve that by doing absolutely nothing.

[Guest]

It amazes me that when talking about how bad the East was as it pertains to our record - it's well BKN, CHI etc had an injured player out - but Al's injury seems to be discounted. Or it was Brooklyn struggled because of new coach, players,systems etc - same can be said for us. I just don't get it.

[Buzzard]

I think we were lucky to be the third seed - no ifs ands or buts about it. NJ fell off the map before recovering; Chicago was obviously better before they lost their best player to injury; etc. 3rd to 6th seed was always our range - 3rd if we got lucky and things broke right and 6th if we were unlucky but not wrecked by season long injury. Now I do think we could do better than our winning % with Horford last season but that was the winning % of a 5 or 6 seed (maybe lower than that in the West last year) so I see improvement with familiarity but not a huge leap.

If people are using the sad state of the 2014 Easyern Conference and the injuries of guys like Lopez and Rose to set a new "Championship Contender" status on this team then I have to disagree. We remain an also ran until we significantly upgrade our talent.

I don't think anyone believes this team is championship caliber as it stands. But no doubt about it, we are much better with Horford than without. Just as the Bulls are much better with a healthy Rose than without.

Mace's point about using the draft and our cap is, barring a blockbuster trade, the way to get there. Before when were under BK/Sund, we had no cap and were locked into late draft picks only. I just don't see Danny getting us into a situation with bad contracts.

In other words, being like the Knicks under Thomas or the Pistons under Dumars....every time they had money they spent it or traded for long term contracts on less than all star caliber players...

[AHF]

It amazes me that when talking about how bad the East was as it pertains to our record - it's well BKN, CHI etc had an injured player out - but Al's injury seems to be discounted. Or it was Brooklyn struggled because of new coach, players,systems etc - same can be said for us. I just don't get it.

I was taking it into account. I felt like other people were taking Horford's injury into account while ignoring the fact that when we were the "no doubt" 3rd seed that other teams had major injuries to players like Rose, Deron and Lopez that derailed those teams. Looking forward, if we discount the Bulls because Rose is damaged goods we should apply some kind of discount to Horford since there is the risk of recurring injury with him as well. Heck, hawks fanatic is a smart poster and controversially wants to amnesty him because he thinks he is done.

I see us today being the same also ran we were coming into last season but I recognize the offseason could bring something transformative. I just see all those roads as low probability:

* 15th pick is low % for a star

* FA market is not that promising and we have limited cap room if we plan to return Scott, etc.

* we have some trade assets but are missing the lottery assets that usually are involved in the biggest trades.

Get to work, Danny, and surprise me!

[Guest]

Regarding teams like:

Toronto - they have to decide if they will resign Lowry, they said they are interested in resigning him (but remember he was almost traded, he will have a lot of suiters, what if he bolts to say LAL)

Washington - they also have to decide if they will resign both Ariza and Gortat long term. They already have 14 mil each tied up in Nene and Wall, would they want to then have Ariza and Gortat at 8-10 million? (Beware of guys in contract years)

Charlotte - Which Free agent will follow Al Jefferson's lead and head to Charlotte

They all have question marks.

And so it begins:

If the Wiz have to choose between Gortat and Ariza in free agency, who stays? Gortat. The Polish Hammer is undoubtedly the priority. The Wiz, remember, surrendered a first-round pick to Phoenix mere days before the start of the season to acquire Gortat from the Suns in what was seen a desperate move by a playoff-starved franchise. ESPN.com - See more at: http://hoopshype.com/rumors.htm#sthash.BOSbamQM.dpuf

It's a vow, though, that they can't make as readily when it comes to Ariza. The presence of Martell Webster on the roster -- even though he's coming off a sub-par season and can't do all the things Ariza can do -- gives the Wiz some semblance of Ariza insurance if the offers he gets are deemed too steep. ESPN.com

Washington Wizards, Free Agency, Marcin Gortat, Trevor Ariza

The early word is the Wizards will try to retain both of their top free agents as opposed to letting them go to make some sort of fantasy run at the likes of Baltimore's own Carmelo Anthony or seemingly gettable restricted free agent Greg Monroe. ESPN.com

Washington Wizards, Free Agency, Marcin Gortat, Trevor Ariza

Yet there are legit fears that signing both might prove too expensive for the Wizards, who have to keep in the mind the sort of money Beal will command when it's his turn for an extension. ESPN.com

- See more at: http://hoopshype.com/rumors.htm#sthash.BOSbamQM.dpuf

Edited May 16, 2014 by JayBirdHawk

[Vol4ever]

I pretty much feel that way too especially when joey crawford is on the floor. But the truth is that Joe was not fouled on that last play. He blew it.

LeBron had his hand on Joe's back the whole play........

[Duff_Man]

This is an example of trying too hard.