Hawks sign C Alex Len

[Plainview1981]

4 hours ago, KB21 said:

Rasmussen was ahead of his time.  That guy could shoot the three point shot.  He couldn't do anything else, but he could do that.  So, you started in the early '90s, huh?  Wasn't Tim McCormick's son a prospect for the draft a year or two ago?  And did Dominique never have a son that played basketball?

 

4 hours ago, Dejay said:

If I spent most of my prime years with Koncak, Blair Rasmussen, and Tim McCormick riding shotgun in the paint with me, I'd be apprehensive too.. 

 

People need to back off Blair a little bit... he had game!

[Dejay]

1 hour ago, Plainview1981 said:

 

 

People need to back off Blair a little bit... he had game!

He also had a helluva agent, who duped Denver's GM in handing him a fat contract. That GM eventually moved on somewhere. Hmm...

Anyway, Rasmussen had far more offensive prowess than Koncak ever did. Just didn't do all that much once he arrived here...

[benhillboy]

Rarely seen Len play.  All I know is he’s a True C and we’re paying him peanut shells so I’m with it.

[GrimeyKidd]

53 minutes ago, benhillboy said:

Rarely seen Len play.  All I know is he’s a True C and we’re paying him peanut shells so I’m with it.

Double double PnR machine. Great backup C

[marco102]

At least he's working on his shot.

If he can shoot 37%+ from three this season, I'd say it's an excellent signing.   I already believe it is.

[AHF]

Nice that he is working on it but practice footage doesn't mean much.  I like the signing and look forward to seeing what he can do on the court.

[nathan2331]

Is anyone concerned about the length of the deal? With only two years on it, if Len outplays his contract it may be difficult to retain him without having his full Bird Rights, similar to what happened with Demarre and Millsap's two-year deals. I really like the signing, I just wish it would've came with a team option on the third year. Would've paid extra (if possible) for that.

[KB21]

10 minutes ago, nathan2331 said:

Is anyone concerned about the length of the deal? With only two years on it, if Len outplays his contract it may be difficult to retain him without having his full Bird Rights, similar to what happened with Demarre and Millsap's two-year deals. I really like the signing, I just wish it would've came with a team option on the third year. Would've paid extra (if possible) for that.

The Hawks will be able to resign him with cap space if he blows up unless you are actually expecting free agents to flock to a tanking team over the next two off seasons.

[nathan2331]

The Hawks will be able to resign him with cap space if he blows up unless you are actually expecting free agents to flock to a tanking team over the next two off seasons.

If Schlenk is good at his job (and I don't know that he is) he should've put the cap space to use by then whether in free agency or a trade. We'll be in position to make a move when the next star switches teams. We have assets now teams will actually want.

[JayBirdHawk]

It's official..

 

[mrhonline]

And should be officially over the cap now.

[Gray Mule]

Hawks saved $2.4 million on Melo buy out so maybe we're good on the cap.

Sure, it's a lot different shooting in a game.  But, the ball is the same size, as is the goal and the distance.  He knows he can hit from there.  We now know.  His foes will know this too, therefore they must adjust for this.

Dedmon, it seems, now has a more than adequate back up and someone who could press him for a start, here and there. 

Maybe, as some believe, none of the current Hawks except maybe two or three, are any good and we won't win 20.  Then, again, we may surprise!!

[thecampster]

4 hours ago, Gray Mule said:

Hawks saved $2.4 million on Melo buy out so maybe we're good on the cap.

Sure, it's a lot different shooting in a game.  But, the ball is the same size, as is the goal and the distance.  He knows he can hit from there.  We now know.  His foes will know this too, therefore they must adjust for this.

Dedmon, it seems, now has a more than adequate back up and someone who could press him for a start, here and there. 

Maybe, as some believe, none of the current Hawks except maybe two or three, are any good and we won't win 20.  Then, again, we may surprise!!

Dedmon gets the nod in that he is much better at stepping out to guard a stretch 5.  Len is much more of a traditional center. Offensively and rebounding Len is the better player, though Dedmon can step out beyond 15 feet effectively and that gives him the nod.  Were Len more dominant offensively in the post, I'd play Len.

[PSSSHHHRRR87]

So we have Lin, Len, and Vin... Sounds like an 80's sitcom.

[macdaddy]

53 minutes ago, PSSSHHHRRR87 said:

So we have Lin, Len, and Vin... Sounds like an 80's sitcom.

That Vin grew up watching.

[gurpilo]

On Sat Aug 04 2018 at 20:03, thecampster dijo:

Dedmon gets the nod in that he is much better at stepping out to guard a stretch 5.  Len is much more of a traditional center. Offensively and rebounding Len is the better player, though Dedmon can step out beyond 15 feet effectively and that gives him the nod.  Were Len more dominant offensively in the post, I'd play Len.

I like Dedmon but I think Len is a better player. With a true PG his PNR game will show up more, I think we got a steal. His stats are already better than Dedmon on 36 min sample. Only question mark is his durability. I think we could have got a steal as Demarre Carroll.

[JayBirdHawk]

 

[JayBirdHawk]

 

Quote

Hawks fans should anticipate Len being a focal point of the team's pick-and-roll offense, someone who does the often unheralded work of making space for teammates. 

"The most important part is to set your feet and to make sure that you don't get calls for moving screens," Len said. "This league right now is about the shooting guards and you've got to get your teammates open. And if you get your teammate open, you're going to be open too. Screens are a big, big part of the game."

When asked what Hawks fans could expect from him this season, Len hinted at the fact that he dunked 95 times (the 21st-best mark in the league). He also noted that he may unveilling a new part of his game soon.

"They can expect a lot of intensity, a lot of dunking," he said. "I'm trying to expand my game and shoot more threes. I can shoot. The last couple of years I didn't have a chance to show it to the fans, but I'm looking to expand that way. Just a lot of intensity, work hard, discipline.”

 

I hope this really works.

[KB21]

If Bud were still here, I could buy into Len being able to expand his game and becoming a capable starter.  With the current coaching staff, not so much.

[nathan2331]

If Bud were still here, I could buy into Len being able to expand his game and becoming a capable starter.  With the current coaching staff, not so much.

I mean, most of the work is going to have to come from Len regardless of who's coaching. You have a point, but I think Len will be looking to prove himself.