2020 - 2nd half Hawks: Chase for the 8th seed

[Peoriabird]

1 minute ago, AHF said:

My personal take is that I think he thought he would get more from those veterans (add Collins, Parker and Len to the list of guys who missed serious time or underperformed at times to add to the underperformance).  He clearly designed the team to be back in the lottery with the team projected to win 30 games this year.

I believe Schlenk has fully owned screwing up on his evaluation of those vets and is comfortable we will be in the mix for a good pick this year.  His focus is now on giving the guys a good environment for development the rest of the season with a goal of making the playoffs next season. 

The guy seems erratic to me.  Someone must be forcing his hand as of late because many of those moves made no sense at the time.  I'm assuming he knew players like Jones, Parson and Turner weren't going be good for this team.  The Vince signing still baffles me.  But It seems like our philosophy is changing which is a good thing.

[Thomas]

17 minutes ago, Peoriabird said:

The question is why did Schlenk start the season with that horrible roster which included the likes of Parson, Crabbe, Jones, and Turner with no starting center or back up point guard and is now trying to correct the sins of last summer after the team's atrocious start to the season?  It looked like a tank roster from the start and now he wants to win?  Can someone explain?

My very limited take on two of those is TS and staff were flat out pissed at Omari for the obvious reason and we basically got a second rounder out of it (not gonna give much measure to the balancing the roster quote by TS so much) and believe TS listened to LP too much about Turner and so went ahead and did the favor for Baze. Poor decisions in hindsight.  

[Thomas]

8 hours ago, bleachkit said:

Our chances of making the playoffs are around 4%.

I won't even waste your time with a Jim Carrey gif. "There's still a chance".

[Peoriabird]

2 minutes ago, Thomas said:

My very limited take on two of those is TS and staff were flat out pissed at Omari for the obvious reason and we basically got a second rounder out of it (not gonna give much measure to the balancing the roster quote by TS so much) and believe TS listened to LP too much about Turner and so went ahead and did the favor for Baze. Poor decisions in hindsight.  

This makes sense but i hope he gets better at team building than what he has displayed thus far.

[AHF]

6 minutes ago, Peoriabird said:

The guy seems erratic to me.  Someone must be forcing his hand as of late because many of those moves made no sense at the time.  I'm assuming he knew players like Jones, Parson and Turner weren't going be good for this team.  The Vince signing still baffles me.  But It seems like our philosophy is changing which is a good thing.

I get all the moves except thinking we were going to be remotely functional at center.  Turner was supposed to provide 12 minutes of backup PG play - for a vet with his experience that shouldn't be hard.  

Collins and Parker were supposed to be there the whole time meaning Vince was supposed to play muuuuch less.    Vince was a positive voice in the lockerroom who still had enough left in the tank to show up every once in a while in very limited minutes.

Huerter was supposed to be there to let our rookies ease in to their roles more gently.  Between Huerter, Crabbe, Bembry, Cam and Hunter that was supposed to be enough to cover 96 minutes at the wings.

And all of that wasn't supposed to be playoff worthy - just good enough to win 30 games and let our youngsters develop.

We are definitely turning a corner right now to try to actually maximize wins while still building smartly (i.e., don't take on terrible contracts that clog up your long-term cap space).

[JayBirdHawk]

8 hours ago, bleachkit said:

Our chances of making the playoffs are around 4%. Not great odds, but crazier things have happened. Guys have to stay healthy so the team can gel.

2 minutes ago, Thomas said:

I won't even waste your time with a Jim Carrey gif. "There's still a chance".

'Gif' giving is not a waste of time, lol.

[Thomas]

5 minutes ago, Peoriabird said:

This makes sense but i hope he gets better at team building than what he has displayed thus far.

Yesterday was an extremely good start but see what your saying about the time lapse. Its been pretty rough. Keep in mind though a huge suspension and so many key injuries....but yeah I get it.

[Peoriabird]

I hope we continue this trend and draft a big in the up coming draft.  We can use potential starting center or a back up power forward.  I want real power players!  I am so tired of the J Parker or Vince Carter power forward that LD loves so much who rarely contribute to winning because of lack of defense and rebounding.  We have enough wing players on this team already so let focus on the front court for a change.  

[Thomas]

1 hour ago, Peoriabird said:

I hope we continue this trend and draft a big in the up coming draft.  We can use potential starting center or a back up power forward.  I want real power players!  I am so tired of the J Parker or Vince Carter power forward that LD loves so much who rarely contribute to winning because of lack of defense and rebounding.  We have enough wing players on this team already so let focus on the front court for a change.  

In referencing a healthy ten man rotation (if there is such a thing) center is Clint and Dedmon and power forward is JC and Bruno in my mind. This is for at least a couple of years with all those guys together. Just stating this because it can easily go power player or a wing with a stroke early in the draft to me. 

[Spud2nique]

44 minutes ago, Peoriabird said:

The question is why

You haven’t changed your avatar yet! Comon brotha you lost! 

[Thomas]

4 minutes ago, Spud2nique said:

You haven’t changed your avatar yet! Comon brotha you lost! 

Figure those odds....

[Spud2nique]

1 minute ago, Thomas said:

Figure those odds....

Never understand the dudes who talk big and then hide behind the women and children when it’s time to pay the piper. Don’t even read dude’s posts anymore. Lost respect  

[Thomas]

5 minutes ago, Spud2nique said:

Never understand the dudes who talk big and then hide behind the women and children when it’s time to pay the piper. Don’t even read dude’s posts anymore. Lost respect  

Remember that scene from the Dead Zone movie where Martin Sheen held up a baby so he wouldn't get snipered out? Seems apt.

[REHawksFan]

19 minutes ago, AHF said:

Vince was a positive voice in the lockerroom who still had enough left in the tank to show up every once in a while in very limited minutes.

I've actually been *relatively* pleased with Vince this year. Considering his age and what they've asked him to do, I think he's fared better than I would have expected if you had told me this was his role coming into the season. 

20 minutes ago, AHF said:

And all of that wasn't supposed to be playoff worthy - just good enough to win 30 games and let our youngsters develop.

Said it before, but I think Schlenk's philosophical concept of this season was off on two fronts. First, he underestimated the improvement in Trae from Year 1 to Year 2. Had he known Trae would be All Star Starter, Top 5 Assist and Points in the NBA in Year 2, I HIGHLY doubt his horizon would have been 30-31 wins. He thought - incorrectly - that Trae would be better but not yet elite in Year 2. He was (as we all were) sorely mistaken in that thought. I can't really fault him for that. 

BUT secondly, as you and others (including TS) have mentioned, he MASSIVELY overrated the construction of the supporting, veteran pieces that he put on this club. Crabbe, Turner, Jones, Len, and even Parker to an extent were FAR worse than he anticipated them being, imo. Combine that with the lack of JC and Kevin early on, Trae's prominence, and rookies that really needed development, and it just highlighted the complete dud of a roster construction he implemented. 

 

[KB21]

1 hour ago, AHF said:

@KB21 - another trade. Bet still on or have we now made that major move?  (All praise to Travis).

There has been no major move.

[macdaddy]

[KB21]

Travis made two good deals at this deadline, but that doesn’t absolve him from the bad decisions he has made up to this point, starting with the decision to bottom the team out.  

[macdaddy]

3 minutes ago, KB21 said:

Travis made two good deals at this deadline, but that doesn’t absolve him from the bad decisions he has made up to this point, starting with the decision to bottom the team out.  

Just go ahead and admit that in your opinion nothing with will absolve him of that. 

[JayBirdHawk]

A major move is trading our 1st round pick for Jakob Poeltl. Or trading our young guys for vets. Got it!

[KB21]

4 minutes ago, macdaddy said:

Just go ahead and admit that in your opinion nothing with will absolve him of that. 

The only thing that will absolve him is the Hawks becoming a championship contender by year 5.  Not just a playoff team.  A championship contender.