Preseason Game #3: Hawks vs Thunder 10/07/18

[JayBirdHawk]

 

[JCDBaptist]

11 hours ago, Vol4ever said:

And this bunch is contenders?  Haha.   I've been around a while and seen rebuilds.  There is one time in 40 years and that was Nique.  Unless we get a Lebron, David Robinson, Jordan, Nique,  or Kobe white were stars right away you are just going in a circle. 

So I guess staying status quo with the core of Horf, JS, JJ and Teague and then Horf, Sap, Teague, KK, and DMC was not going in a circle?

1st rd, barely 2nd rd exits? Never was a contender, even in the 60 win season proven by the embarrassing sweep by the Cavs. 

[JayBirdHawk]

 

 

Quote

Trae Young is not intimidated

Trae Young will be playing under as bright a spotlight as any Hawks’ rookie has in years. He is a high profile player and the fact the Hawks essentially traded down from the Luka Doncic pick in favor of Young makes the glare of that spotlight even more powerful. This reality was evident even in summer league when the national media seemed to micro-analyze every play he did or did not make. Given the circumstances, it may be understandable if Young were to enter the season feeling a little overwhelmed or intimidated. Thus far, he has shown no sign of this.

 

John Collins is a power forward

For much of his rookie season, John Collins played center. Later in the season, Collins started spending time on the floor with traditional centers. Still, throughout his first season, there were many indications the Hawks viewed Collins as a player who could play four or five but with strong indications he would be developed as a five.

 

The door is wide open for Alex Len

Alex Len was signed rather late in the summer. After five seasons with the Suns, the former 5th overall pick clearly found himself with his career off track and looking for an NBA home. Late in the summer, with most teams sporting mostly full rosters and little cap space, Len found a home with the Hawks.

As Dewayne Dedmon works his way back from injury, Len is playing with the starting unit and working to make the most of his opportunity. While many teams have to go to a smaller lineup to play fast, the Hawks have been able to play fast with Len on the floor.

 

The Hawks are playing lightning fast

Throughout his five year tenure with the Hawks, Mike Budenholzer consistently implored his team to play faster. His teams ranked as high as 8th and as low as 15th in pace. It is interesting to note that it was the 60-win season in 2014-15 when the Hawks ranked 15th with a pace of 94.6. Last season, the Hawks’ pace of 98.9 ranked 8th fastest in the NBA.

Through three preseason games, the Hawks have played at a pace of 113.2, which ranks second, only behind the Pelicans. Even after an opponents’ score, the Hawks are clearly making the effort to inbound and advance the ball as quickly as possible.

 

The Hawks are playing aggressively

In another contrast with the Budenholzer era, the Hawks are playing unfettered basketball on the offensive end of the court. While Bud wanted the Hawks to play fast, he stressed flawless decision making and execution on offense. His lack of patience with young players and the mistakes they make while learning the game resulted in a strong preference for veteran players.

Young players under Budenholzer clearly played with yellow light and red light shooting restrictions in some situations. In a stark difference, Lloyd Pierce has the team playing in attack mode with the goal of getting the ball to the paint, breaking down the defense, getting a layup or dunk or finding the open shooters on the perimeter.

 

[NBASupes]

The Hawks really don't have a lot of rebuilds in the last 40 years. We have a lot of mediocrity though 

[JayBirdHawk]

Through 3 preseason games, Hawks are 2nd in pace:

 

 

 

 

[Spud2nique]

7 minutes ago, JayBirdHawk said:

Through 3 preseason games, Hawks are 2nd in pace:

 

 

 

 

 

[Spud2nique]

8 minutes ago, JayBirdHawk said:

Through 3 preseason games, Hawks are 2nd in pace:

 

 

 

 

It’s ironic how it says NOP/ATL game has a BONKERS pace... ? our very own squawker gets a shout out!

[kg01]

23 minutes ago, JayBirdHawk said:

Through 3 preseason games, Hawks are 2nd in pace:

 

 

 

 

Any way to know how this "pace" is quantified?  I recall Pierce saying it wasn't necessarily how quickly they got the ball up court, he was more so looking for how quickly they run the offense.

14 minutes ago, Spud2nique said:

It’s ironic how it says NOP/ATL game has a BONKERS pace... ? our very own squawker gets a shout out!

Dang, bro.  No @ mention for @Bonkers?

[Vol4ever]

We were a contender with Nique and that is the only time in history I can remember.  None of the players on this roster are star level.  

[AHF]

7 minutes ago, kg01 said:

Any way to know how this "pace" is quantified? 

Number of possessions per 48 minutes is my guess.

[kg01]

25 minutes ago, Vol4ever said:

We were a contender with Nique and that is the only time in history I can remember.  None of the players on this roster are star level.  

We were never contenders with Nique as evidenced by the fact that we never made it to the ECF.  And, before anyone throws the 60-win season into this, an ECF isn't necessarily evidence that you're a contender but it certainly is a minimum threshold.

We don't know yet who is/isn't a star.

[Spud2nique]

1 hour ago, kg01 said:

Any way to know how this "pace" is quantified?  I recall Pierce saying it wasn't necessarily how quickly they got the ball up court, he was more so looking for how quickly they run the offense.

Dang, bro.  No @ mention for @Bonkers?

I know I almost missed it! Use @ 

 

 

folks!

[AHF]

1 hour ago, kg01 said:

We were never contenders with Nique as evidenced by the fact that we never made it to the ECF.  And, before anyone throws the 60-win season into this, an ECF isn't necessarily evidence that you're a contender but it certainly is a minimum threshold.

We don't know yet who is/isn't a star.

That is what makes his trade so sad.  We were finally set up in a position where we could legit win the East and we piss it away so we can watch Danny Manning walk out the door.  Ugh.

[Spud2nique]

2 minutes ago, AHF said:

That is what makes his trade so sad.  We were finally set up in a position where we could legit win the East and we piss it away so we can watch Danny Manning walk out the door.  Ugh.

Hey, we went 20-9 the rest of the way with no muscle Danny Manning so don’t knock him...

 

jk This event and trade emotionally hurt ? and still does...

[AHF]

3 hours ago, Spud2nique said:

Hey, we went 20-9 the rest of the way with no muscle Danny Manning so don’t knock him...

 

jk This event and trade emotionally hurt ? and still does...

It might have worked out the same but....the Hawks get like one season a decade to legit challenge for the top and making a change to a non-superstar like Manning in the middle of that season just hurts.

[KB21]

So, has it sunk in yet that this is going to be a very bad season?

[Spud2nique]

26 minutes ago, AHF said:

It might have worked out the same but....the Hawks get like one season a decade to legit challenge for the top and making a change to a non-superstar like Manning in the middle of that season just hurts.

That was our season and chance with MJ out! It would and should have been Nique vs Hakeem in the finals! I still twitch when thinking of that. Ugh.

Yup once a decade sounds about right ?‍♂️ 

[AHF]

1 hour ago, KB21 said:

So, has it sunk in yet that this is going to be a very bad season?

I am expecting lots of losses but hoping for development from our youngsters.  That won't qualify as a "very bad" season for me anymore than someone shooting a lower % while they break down their shot to fix the fundamentals.  It will be a good season for me if we develop our young guys the right way and add a few more to that pool with our upcoming draft picks and with our projected cap room.

[Peoriabird]

1 hour ago, KB21 said:

So, has it sunk in yet that this is going to be a very bad season?

Based on what? Practice games without starters in the front court?

[KB21]

1 hour ago, Peoriabird said:

Based on what? Practice games without starters in the front court?

It's practice for the other teams as well.  This is what happens when you tank.  The suckitude is never ending.