Hawks sign SF Luke Babbitt

[JTB]

8 hours ago, Lurker said:

You're not talking about potential with Dedmon's defense.

You're talking about results. And he didn't have Duncan to help him on defense either, guys like Aldridge and Pau are stiffs on defense.

I understand being depressed about having a potentially bad team but I think guys are starting to get a little irrational, you have not lost prime, DPOY version Dwight. However, you can see how this team will be bad. It fits a lot better than 15/16 in that it makes much more sense but the starting lineup will be bad offense, good defense and the bench will be really bad defense with good offense.

100% agree 

[benhillboy]

Like Bellinelli, I have no emotional or mental response to signing Luke Babbitt.  Subconsciously I'm thinking he and Josh McRoberts are the same guy.  I noticed how soft his shot contacts the rim, likely giving a few more opportunities to Collins for ORs.  If he ends up shooting .400 from 3 on the season for his paltry salary, gold star for Schlank The Tank.

[TheNorthCydeRises]

On 8/4/2017 at 5:43 PM, KB21 said:

It's a move that added a shooter and floor spacing, which is something the Hawks severely lacked last year.  With Babbitt, Belinelli, Ilyasova, Muscala, and possibly Brussino, the Hawks have added guys that can make shots from beyond the arc.  That ability has a tremendous impact on the game.  Now, that group won't stop anyone from scoring, but they will make shots.

 Plus we got Magette to run the point for that squad.

"The Lightskin Posse" . .  TLP for short

[TheNorthCydeRises]

On 8/4/2017 at 7:08 PM, Buzzard said:

My quote:

"We may be the worse defensive team in Hawks history. Who knows, maybe one of the worse in NBA history. "

Other than Dennis, we have no proven stoppers. Not saying Prince, Bembry, and Dedmon could not turn out to be solid. But my statement "may be" is based on what I have seen so far.

Teams are going to eat our lunches and score at will unless a couple of very inexperienced players really step up.

That's what the tankers wanted, and probably the GM too.

As long as we can score a lot of points, but can't stop anybody, that will satisfy those who want the Hawks to be horrible next year.  

I just hope the potential losing doesn't backfire, and impact the play of Dennis.

[Packfill]

On 8/4/2017 at 8:12 PM, Peoriabird said:

So Bazemore isn't a good defender?  Prince Defensive metrics from last year show that he is a good defender already So does Dedmon's metrics.  So I don't understand how you reached your conclusions.

In fact, Dedmon was #1 in the entire league in defensive ratings

https://basketball.realgm.com/nba/stats/2017/Advanced_Stats/Qualified/per/All/desc/1/Regular_Season

That defensive stat is interesting.  Places 6 San Antonio Spurs in the top 25.  I am not surprised Kawhi is there, but Paul Gasol, Kyle Anderson and David Lee are surprising.  Dwight and Millsap were also in the top 25.

Will be interesting to see if Dedmon can play enough minutes to really make a difference.

[Sothron]

Why is anyone surprised about Gasol being on that list? He's been a very good defender almost his entire career. He's not an elite shot blocker any more but he can still deflect shots.

[AHF]

A lot of those defensive metrics are based on team success while the player is on the floor so a team with a strong defense will have lots of highly rated players and will inflate some of the mediocre defenders who get into those well oiled defensive machines.  The reverse happens as well.

[Watchman]

46 minutes ago, Sothron said:

Why is anyone surprised about Gasol being on that list? He's been a very good defender almost his entire career. He's not an elite shot blocker any more but he can still deflect shots.

No.  Lurker hath spoken.  Gasol is terrible on defense.  Lurker said so. 

[Watchman]

On 8/4/2017 at 8:08 PM, Buzzard said:

My quote:

"We may be the worse defensive team in Hawks history. Who knows, maybe one of the worse in NBA history. "

Other than Dennis, we have no proven stoppers. Not saying Prince, Bembry, and Dedmon could not turn out to be solid. But my statement "may be" is based on what I have seen so far.

Teams are going to eat our lunches and score at will unless a couple of very inexperienced players really step up.

Dennis is not a stopper.  People blew by him at will last season.

[High5]

1 hour ago, Watchman said:

No.  Lurker hath spoken.  Gasol is terrible on defense.  Lurker said so. 

I mean, we went 6-1 against the Gasol Bulls, and I think his defense might be the #1 reason why. He was really, really bad in most or all of those games. Can't say much about how he did last season since I barely saw him. 

[DBac]

Dedmon was one of the best rim protectors in the NBA last year. He tends to get in foul trouble though so it's kind of a double edged sword.

[Lurker]

I mean if you want to think that Gasol=Duncan impact wise on defense NOW (even old Duncan was elite), be my guest, but you're badly wrong.

Explain to me why Pop eventually put him on the bench if he's so good on defense, huh?

[Sothron]

Who said Gasol was on Duncan's level? There's a huge difference between being bad on defense and All NBA level. Gasol was consistently one of the best defensive big men in the NBA.

[Sothron]

19 hours ago, Lurker said:

I mean if you want to think that Gasol=Duncan impact wise on defense NOW (even old Duncan was elite), be my guest, but you're badly wrong.

Explain to me why Pop eventually put him on the bench if he's so good on defense, huh?

He's pushing 40 for crying out loud in  a league that went from all big man focus to all little guard three point focus. What's he supposed to do? That doesn't take away the almost twenty year great defensive career Gasol has had. You do realize he's a first ballot HOF player, right?

[benhillboy]

The paint was still en vogue during the start of Gasol's career yet he didn't scare anyone in Memphis.  

Then he played with a bevy of good to great perimeter defenders in LA with Kobe, Ariza, Odom, Fox(?) and Fish not to mention beside another 7 footer in Bynum.  

His individual defense never stood out to me, and this was before the three point explosion forcing Bigs out of the paint more.  He's been a liability since Chicago.  The man is as tall as an oak, he'd better defend a few shots just by accident.  It's clear to tell when advanced defensive numbers are propped up.  Outside of pace, I see Ben Wallace and Tim as the standard on judging Cs.

Edited August 8, 2017 by benhillboy

[Lurker]

45 minutes ago, Sothron said:

He's pushing 40 for crying out loud in  a league that went from all big man focus to all little guard three point focus. What's he supposed to do? That doesn't take away the almost twenty year great defensive career Gasol has had. You do realize he's a first ballot HOF player, right?

Just like with Dwight, I don't care.

They are HOF players. But I don't care.

[benhillboy]

4 minutes ago, Lurker said:

Just like with Dwight, I don't care.

They are HOF players. But I don't care.

Jimmy cracked corn.

[Lurker]

The Pau of likely the last few years is an awful defender.

He's a first ballot HOFer and the last few years doesn't change my opinion on this.

[AHF]

My $.02 fwiw.  Pau was a solid defender in his prime and an adequate one the few years - not truly awful, IMO.  He has never been close to elite on that end but his offense was so good that his defense was perfectly fine in his prime.  Until recently, he has never been a liability on defense.

[hazer]

1 hour ago, AHF said:

My $.02 fwiw.  Pau was a solid defender in his prime and an adequate one the few years - not truly awful, IMO.  He has never been close to elite on that end but his offense was so good that his defense was perfectly fine in his prime.  Until recently, he has never been a liability on defense.

Still painful to think the Hawks could've had Pau and CP3 on the same team...