Popular Post Gray Mule Posted August 9, 2019 Popular Post Report Share Posted August 9, 2019 We, the Atlanta Hawks fans, sometimes need those who attempt to keep us in line. Otherwise, some of us will go off the deep end. We look at our beloved team and somehow believe. They are darned near perfect. Then, someone chimes in to remind us, "No, they are not!" We resent their intrusion into our fantasy of their perfection. We must be reminded, over and over. No matter how great we believe our three draft picks may be, they are still green rookies. They will make mistakes. Yes, more than one. And, those players returning are still growing. Vince, our elder statesman, who we adore, isn't perfect. Even he will have an error or two along the way. Fans of the other NBA teams have much the same dreams. They get their hopes boosted a lot when Vegas has them up high in their eyes. All this, like the Hawks fans, have them riding high in their thinking. Yet, great as our opponents may be or believe that they are, perfection is a fleeing goal, never to be reached. Somehow we all believe. Realty only comes when the regular season begins. Until then, every NBA team is undefeated. Tied for first place in our division and in the entire league! No matter how good our team may be, sooner or later, defeat rears it's ugly head and we are reminded by those who have attempted to keep us sane, "I told you so!" But, on the bright side, some NBA teams will be better than the odds showed during off season. This thought keeps us who are super enthusiastic, living in the hope that our beloved team falls into this category. Hopefully, our veterans come through for us. All our rookies live up to their potential. Keeping it all real and keeping us all in line - - What a terribly hard job in the off season. Keeping us from believing too much. Knowing, deep in our heart, our beloved Hawks are not great. We're still growing. The fruit we see on the trees is not ripe - not yet. Yet, we have the hopes of tomorrow. We will survive and improve and ripen. 11 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Member Peoriabird Posted August 9, 2019 Premium Member Report Share Posted August 9, 2019 The biggest problem I have is that this team was deliberately sabotaged by upper management. Don't know who made the call but hopefully it wasn't Schlenk. They knew we needed help in the front court but chose not to address the need at all in free agency when they clearly could have. When your only 2 free agent signings are Jabari Parker and Vince Carter while being under the salary cap, you are not trying to win. I can accept losing in spite doing every thing possible to win but this isn't the case with the 2019-20 Hawks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Member JayBirdHawk Posted August 9, 2019 Premium Member Report Share Posted August 9, 2019 50 minutes ago, Peoriabird said: The biggest problem I have is that this team was deliberately sabotaged by upper management. Don't know who made the call but hopefully it wasn't Schlenk. They knew we needed help in the front court but chose not to address the need at all in free agency when they clearly could have. When your only 2 free agent signings are Jabari Parker and Vince Carter while being under the salary cap, you are not trying to win. I can accept losing in spite doing every thing possible to win but this isn't the case with the 2019-20 Hawks Who else would it be. Schlenk has been bery clear about his intentions especially in how his approach to FA would be. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators AHF Posted August 9, 2019 Moderators Report Share Posted August 9, 2019 49 minutes ago, Peoriabird said: The biggest problem I have is that this team was deliberately sabotaged by upper management. Don't know who made the call but hopefully it wasn't Schlenk. They knew we needed help in the front court but chose not to address the need at all in free agency when they clearly could have. When your only 2 free agent signings are Jabari Parker and Vince Carter while being under the salary cap, you are not trying to win. I can accept losing in spite doing every thing possible to win but this isn't the case with the 2019-20 Hawks Schlenk hasn't tried to win since he has been here. I really hope it is him because he deserves to have the authority to make the call when we are ready to turn that corner. I'm legit worried if he wants to spend all our FA money on competitive players and someone in ownership is overruling him and telling him to go slow because that is a dysfunctional way to run a franchise. You hire your architect and let them see their vision through. Fire them if you don't think they have the right vision but don't hamstring them and compromise their strategy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Member cam1218 Posted August 9, 2019 Premium Member Report Share Posted August 9, 2019 1 hour ago, Peoriabird said: The biggest problem I have is that this team was deliberately sabotaged by upper management. Don't know who made the call but hopefully it wasn't Schlenk. They knew we needed help in the front court but chose not to address the need at all in free agency when they clearly could have. When your only 2 free agent signings are Jabari Parker and Vince Carter while being under the salary cap, you are not trying to win. I can accept losing in spite doing every thing possible to win but this isn't the case with the 2019-20 Hawks There wasn’t a realistic move that we could have made that would have made us championship contenders this year. The point isn’t spending money to only be a tough out in the first round. 3 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Member Peoriabird Posted August 9, 2019 Premium Member Report Share Posted August 9, 2019 23 minutes ago, JayBirdHawk said: Schlenk has been bery clear about his intentions especially in how his approach to FA would be. Many weren't clear on this because I was challenged several times early in free agency when I accurately predicted that Schlenk had no plans on fixing the front court. Or at the very least improving the depth. When I exposed the bargain basement approach to free agency, It enraged everyone so maybe some knew but not a whole lot of us knew. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Member Peoriabird Posted August 9, 2019 Premium Member Report Share Posted August 9, 2019 17 minutes ago, cam1218 said: There wasn’t a realistic move that we could have made that would have made us championship contenders this year. The point isn’t spending money to only be a tough out in the first round. So we are the only smart ones while teams like golden state just waste its money on players like Willie Cauley Stein for 4.5 Mil while we sit back and say to them...you should have saved your money Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Member Popular Post JayBirdHawk Posted August 9, 2019 Premium Member Popular Post Report Share Posted August 9, 2019 From Schlenk and Pierce: Quote March 15th, 2019 at 3:16pm CST • By Luke Adams A report from Sam Amick of The Athletic last month indicated that the Hawks intend to be aggressive in free agency this summer, pursuing meetings with “everyone from Kevin Durant on down.” However, head coach Lloyd Pierce and general manager Travis Schlenk tell Robby Kalland of Dime Magazine that the team has no plans to force the issue or spend its cap room irresponsibly. “I think what’s really important is a lot of times mistakes are made when teams go, ‘We have this cap space, we need to use it,'” Schlenk said. “You can’t spend it on the wrong guy. Right? I say all the time, if you make a mistake in a draft, it doesn’t kill your franchise. Obviously you don’t want to make mistakes, but you’re talking about a two-year guaranteed contract with a small dollar amount. You make mistakes and free agents, and now you’re talking, to today’s world, a four-year contract at $25-30MM. Those can be [killers].” Schlenk suggested that the Hawks will most likely target players who slip through the cracks and are available on shorter-term or team-friendly deals. He tells us the plan every time. 3 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Member Peoriabird Posted August 9, 2019 Premium Member Report Share Posted August 9, 2019 11 minutes ago, AHF said: Schlenk hasn't tried to win since he has been here. I really hope it is him because he deserves to have the authority to make the call when we are ready to turn that corner. I'm legit worried if he wants to spend all our FA money on competitive players and someone in ownership is overruling him and telling him to go slow because that is a dysfunctional way to run a franchise. You hire your architect and let them see their vision through. Fire them if you don't think they have the right vision but don't hamstring them and compromise their strategy. So who are we waiting for this time? What lottery pick are we coveting now? Trae/Huerter/Cam/Hunter/Collins ain't enough? I'm not frustrated with you but with the organization. I defended Schlenk while @KB21 lunched his 1 man assault. Now I'm not so sure is wasn't right all along. I see no reason to deliberately lose now...None! We can easily finish building this team through the free agent market. Losers accept losing period. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators AHF Posted August 9, 2019 Moderators Report Share Posted August 9, 2019 9 minutes ago, Peoriabird said: So we are the only smart ones while teams like golden state just waste its money on players like Willie Cauley Stein for 4.5 Mil we sit back and say to them...you should have saved your money Apples to oranges. They are over the cap with no ability to add big free agents so spending on a short-term deal for WCS is a no brainer. More to the point, they are contenders fighting for rings. Even this year they have an MVP and a repeat AS in the lineup with some other talented players. Someone like WCS who wants to play for a team that will have him definitely in the playoffs will find them attractive on a short-term deal like that. We are at best shooting for a low playoffs seed and are in no sense contending. Schlenk seems to have made the decision to keep the money as dry powder for trades and big impact free agents while continuing to collect assets and develop our young players. Those are all goals he has prioritized over winning right now. Golden State can't save dollars for the future and can't collect assets. They have to win now. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Member Peoriabird Posted August 9, 2019 Premium Member Report Share Posted August 9, 2019 12 minutes ago, JayBirdHawk said: From Schlenk and Pierce: He tells us the plan every time. So how do we win then if we can't even spend the money on a bargain basement center like Robin Lopez or Willy Cualey Stein? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Member Peoriabird Posted August 9, 2019 Premium Member Report Share Posted August 9, 2019 6 minutes ago, AHF said: Apples to oranges. They are over the cap with no ability to add big free agents so spending on a short-term deal for WCS is a no brainer. More to the point, they are contenders fighting for rings. Even this year they have an MVP and a repeat AS in the lineup with some other talented players. Someone like WCS who wants to play for a team that will have him definitely in the playoffs will find them attractive on a short-term deal like that. We are at best shooting for a low playoffs seed and are in no sense contending. Schlenk seems to have made the decision to keep the money as dry powder for trades and big impact free agents while continuing to collect assets and develop our young players. Those are all goals he has prioritized over winning right now. Golden State can't save dollars for the future and can't collect assets. They have to win now. Man I thought we were going to shut that KB21 up by making the playoffs this year but in the end he may have the last laugh. Especially if we trade John Collins to avoid paying him too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators AHF Posted August 9, 2019 Moderators Report Share Posted August 9, 2019 15 minutes ago, Peoriabird said: Man I thought we were going to shut that KB21 up by making the playoffs this year but in the end he may have the last laugh. Especially if we trade John Collins to avoid paying him too. He already swung and missed so badly I can't see that happening. I don't think we will be reluctant to keep our players or that we won't be eventually willing to spend. My guess is that Schlenk will want to go in hard when he goes in - not to make incremental moves while our guys are still in the fairly early development phases (especially all our wings). 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Member Peoriabird Posted August 9, 2019 Premium Member Report Share Posted August 9, 2019 1 minute ago, AHF said: He already swung and missed so badly I can't see that happening. I don't think we will be reluctant to keep our players or that we won't be eventually willing to spend. My guess is that Schlenk will want to go in hard when he goes in - not to make incremental moves while our guys are still in the fairly early development phases (especially all our wings). How does playing with inexperienced or less skilled players help with development. For example, If Trae continues his wizardry and make great passes to say Bruno and he either drops them leading to turnovers or can't finish...Would that cause Trae to develop the bad habit of not looking for that options even when it is the obvious best choice? I remember Denise once saying something about Howards hands which prompted him to be a little bit more selfish as a point guard. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gray Mule Posted August 9, 2019 Author Report Share Posted August 9, 2019 1 hour ago, Peoriabird said: So how do we win then if we can't even spend the money on a bargain basement center like Robin Lopez or Willy Cualey Stein? We traded for a center. Age 24, 7' and was a part time starting center last season. Have we forgotten about Damian Jones? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Member Peoriabird Posted August 9, 2019 Premium Member Report Share Posted August 9, 2019 43 minutes ago, Gray Mule said: We traded for a center. Age 24, 7' and was a part time starting center last season. Have we forgotten about Damian Jones? The guy is sorry! What is it about you Hawk fans??? The guy has done absolutely nothing in the NBA but be tall but as soon as he become a Hawk, he suddenly transforms in the Hawk Savior. Meanwhile we just continue to lose and lose and nobody cares! Danien Jones was in a perfect situation in Golden State and not only did they prefer 3 centers over him but Spellman as well, a Hawk reject. Wake up guys! Our front court is a mess and Schlenk knows it. Trae and John will get the majority of the blame for the team's defensive woes which will be unfair to them but the main problem is no defensive center on the team period. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gray Mule Posted August 9, 2019 Author Report Share Posted August 9, 2019 Well, we did trade for him. So, you don't like him. Fine. I know nothing about him except I know that he is now a Hawk. That doesn't make him better. But, it doesn't necessarily make him total trash either. If he is as good or bad as you believe, maybe they will buy him out or simply release him. You are not a big fan of any of our centers, I believe. Perhaps you are correct. If so, we will all be ready to sign that great center for next season. We expect to have enough $$$$ room. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thomas Posted August 10, 2019 Report Share Posted August 10, 2019 2 hours ago, Peoriabird said: What is it about you Hawk fans??? Yeah...OK...we get it. 1 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post thecampster Posted August 10, 2019 Popular Post Report Share Posted August 10, 2019 So I walked a house a few days ago and decided to make an offer despite the fact the owners had a serious pineapple fetish. Pineapple salt shakers, pineapple cookie jars, pineapple yard statues, even pineapple yellow walls in the kitchen. The house is gorgeous all things considered. After making the offer, a friend of mine (yes I have friends and yes they know they're my friends) mentioned to me that pineapples are a symbol used by swingers to announce if they're open or closed to swinging. https://www.eyespyinvestigations.com/blog/2018/02/pineapples/ . Now I'm not saying they're swingers but I am saying I'm planning on having professionals out to clean and having zerorez do the carpets before I move in regardless. We will be sanitizing all hard surfaces. Now you're probably wondering what this all has to do with the Hawks. Nothing really, just like 90% of the content in these posts. They're just as much fantasy as believing the people you're buying the house from are into swinging and just as realistic as pineapple yellow is as a kitchen choice. Just keeping things real, like Gray Mule said. 2 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators AHF Posted August 10, 2019 Moderators Report Share Posted August 10, 2019 4 hours ago, Peoriabird said: How does playing with inexperienced or less skilled players help with development. For example, If Trae continues his wizardry and make great passes to say Bruno and he either drops them leading to turnovers or can't finish...Would that cause Trae to develop the bad habit of not looking for that options even when it is the obvious best choice? I remember Denise once saying something about Howards hands which prompted him to be a little bit more selfish as a point guard. Development phase for a team is: 1 - Lots of minutes to your young players, 2 - Trading players and using cap space to acquire additional picks, 3 - Losing so you get good young players with your own picks, 4 - Maintaining future cap flexibility so you can spend big when you are ready to transition from development phase to competing phase. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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