3 Reasons we are watching the beginning of a Dynasty

[Gray Mule]

On 5/21/2021 at 9:36 AM, Gray Mule said:

ONE STEP AT A TIME

You learn to crawl.  You learn to walk.  You learn to run.

Step 1 - Make the playoffs.  Check.

Step 2 - Miss the play in.  Check.

Step 3 - Make a good showing in the playoffs.

Step 4 - Win the 1st playoff series.

Hawks have completed steps one and two.  Dynasty could be in our future.  We've started and are living in hopes of taking more steps.  Our coach just got fined for telling the truth.  Imagine that!  If we get shafted in the 1st round by poor officiating, will the league refund the fine?  Don't hold your breath.

For any team to become a dynasty they must begin somewhere.  We may or may not get there but we've already started to make baby steps in that direction!!

GO ATL HAWKS !!

Step 3- Check.

Step 4 - Check.

Now, Hawks must face another 1st round winner, the #1 team in the east.  We've overcome some serious concerns to be this far.  Getting healthy has been great.  In fact, we may have a big bonus here!!

GO ATL HAWKS !!

[sillent]

Now that the picture is a little bit clearer I'll explain further what I see/saw.

One of the hardest things about having/keeping a dynasty let alone winning a championship is the ability to keep your core at their peak for a long time. 

The smart contracts/drafting by Travis has given us an advantage over most teams. The fact that our core is deep and young gives us an even bigger edge.

Teams like Milwaukee are only getting older and don't have cap space to make extra changes. Actually most playoff contenders find themselves in this situation. 

Phoenix is young but not as deep as us in the youth department and one of their main players only has so much left in the tank.

Other top teams in the playoffs this yr besides Memphis will have to revamp their teams in order to compete or go further. Anytime you have to revamp your team you have chemistry that must be built. No matter the talent chemistry is needed and the more chemistry the better. 

Brooklyn has their big 3 at their peaks but 2 out of the 3 do not play on the side of the ball that wins championships (defense). They also don't have too many other options to make their roster better because their big 3 takes up massive cap.

Even if we make no big changes and just keep most of our core together (23 and under club) that leaves us about a 3-5 yr span for them to reach their primes and another 3 - 5yr span in their primes. Believe it or not we are way ahead of schedule and positioned to be very good for a very long time and I believe we'll get our 1st chip within these next 2yrs.

 

[sillent]

On 12/11/2020 at 1:49 PM, sillent said:

We now have all the makings of an up and coming dynasty. Championships have been won in the past decade or so either by teams being deep or having LeBron or extra stars to get them over the hump. Most teams don't have LeBron but teams like the Mavericks, Power in Numbers Warriors and even the Raptors won because they were sneaky deep with a Kawhi. 

It's funny how analysts were so baffled by the move we made for Gallo to come off the bench or just concerned about how deep we are in general especially during a season as uncertain as this. Not trying to jinx anyone but what if a key player like a LeBron caught Covid right before the finals. The whole storyline would change and in an uncertain season especially you don't want to derail your momentum.

So of course reason Number 1: is we're deep at every position. We can handle alot of obstacles thrown at us and we have a coach in Lloyd Pierce who believes in actually using his bench. Now that we got one that might actually come in handy and we can smother other teams relentlessly because we have so many good pieces to throw at them all thru out the game. With our core 5 intact and getting better thru out the years and other pieces we've added that we now have for atleast 2yrs, gives us time to continue building on something special and adding correct pieces accordingly.

Number 2: Travis Shlenk's vision and understanding of how to put a team together, manage cap and overall be an outstanding GM is another reason. It doesn't help to have good draft picks we can't keep or be deep but our star/key players aren't buying in. Travis has stuck to his guns brought in good character skilled guys via draft, free agency and trade and we don't look incompetent in any of those areas.

Number 3: Might be a head turner but coach Lloyd Pierce and his coaching staff. I know coach so far hasn't proven much but I'm very observing and look into all accounts. Lloyd's 1st yr coaching was dang near perfect when it came to substitutions & calling timeouts. Not only have our players grown and developed with him but other players and coaches around the league are taking notice as well. His 2nd yr wasn't his best coaching wise but I think we all knew especially after John went down that this team was more about the future than then and he coached it accordingly. One thing I did notice last year specifically was how we run our offense and how many open 3's we were able to get and take although many of those players weren't capable of making those shots or just did not play like themselves (Allen Crabbe) in order to take advantage. Now we have a team more suited for Lloyd's coaching style preference and I believe we will see the difference. Another thing I've noticed thru out Lloyd's 2yrs with the team is although we've been bad, blowouts have been far and few. Of course the Grizzlies got us last yr and the Knicks made us look pitiful a time or two but for the most part we were competitive. Adding a guy like Nate McMillan shows alot of confidence in Lloyd's capabilities and confidence in himself as well. You have to be in order to add a guy that could be your possible replacement if you weren't up to par.

With competence from ownership on down to GM, coaching and players this is the makings of a true dynasty. Believe it or not it's very difficult for some reason for all these things to be in play at the same time. Ask Milwaukee, New York, Chicago, Brooklyn, Houston, Philly, Cleveland and a multitude of other teams. Even the Warriors now will tell you how difficult it is to have, keep and maintain but it is a key factors in having a dynasty.

Besides the Heat, Nuggets and the Lakers finally there aren't many teams prepped for longevity from top to bottom. The Celtics have made alot of questionable draft picks see Romeo Langford, Young and company or else I'd include them plus key guys keep leaving for nothing in return. (Players don't like leaving dynasties they're more interested in joining them). 

I know it's early and we haven't even played our preseason games yet but this is what a dynasty looks like. We should all be super excited as fans to be on the forefront and I can't wait to ride it out with y'all shotgun as we continue to extend our vehicle for all those that are about to hop on the bandwagon!!

 

Obviously the 3rd point seems mute at this point but not really if we realize we kept the same coaching staff and many schemes that LP already had in place. Also coach Nate was apart of that coaching staff lol

[TheNorthCydeRises]

8 hours ago, sillent said:

Now that the picture is a little bit clearer I'll explain further what I see/saw.

One of the hardest things about having/keeping a dynasty let alone winning a championship is the ability to keep your core at their peak for a long time. 

The smart contracts/drafting by Travis has given us an advantage over most teams. The fact that our core is deep and young gives us an even bigger edge.

Teams like Milwaukee are only getting older and don't have cap space to make extra changes. Actually most playoff contenders find themselves in this situation. 

Phoenix is young but not as deep as us in the youth department and one of their main players only has so much left in the tank.

Other top teams in the playoffs this yr besides Memphis will have to revamp their teams in order to compete or go further. Anytime you have to revamp your team you have chemistry that must be built. No matter the talent chemistry is needed and the more chemistry the better. 

Brooklyn has their big 3 at their peaks but 2 out of the 3 do not play on the side of the ball that wins championships (defense). They also don't have too many other options to make their roster better because their big 3 takes up massive cap.

Even if we make no big changes and just keep most of our core together (23 and under club) that leaves us about a 3-5 yr span for them to reach their primes and another 3 - 5yr span in their primes. Believe it or not we are way ahead of schedule and positioned to be very good for a very long time and I believe we'll get our 1st chip within these next 2yrs.

 

 

The wild card in all of this is how much is Tony Ressler willing to spend, to keep our core talent together?

People should not be shocked one bit if John Collins receives a contract that is a lot bigger than what people think he's currently worth.   I think Travis may go ahead and give him that 5th year, and present him with a 5 / 125 - 140 mil contract, which will pretty much guarantee that Collins re-signs with us . . UNLESS . . he think he is good enough to be "The Man" at this point in his career.  He'll only get that opportunity in OKC and San Antonio, among the teams with the most cap space.

Betting on Collins to improve his skill level, while also being the one guy that Trae definitely wants to keep on this team, will be the right investment, in my opinion.  Plus he's a guy that will be VERY GOOD for the Hawks, from a public relations standpoint. While Trae may be the on the court face of the Hawks, Collins could very well be the media face of the Hawks, much like how Draymond functions at Golden State.  Collins will be the one who is the guest on Inside the NBA, talking about and breaking down games, not Trae.

But to me, the Collins deal is easy.

What is going to be difficult is when:

• A team offers Kevin Huerter 4 yrs / 80 million to get a guy who can not only shoot the 3, but can also create his own shot in the midrange. 
• Or when a losing team offers De'Andre a 4 year max deal to try to steal him away from us ( similar to what we did with Joe Johnson when Phoenix tried to low ball him ).   
• Or when Cam, if he continues to improve and show consistent play, is wooed by a huge money deal as well. 

And Trae is going to get a supermax deal. more than likely.  I say more than likely, because I can still see the sportswriters screwing Trae out of some of these All-NBA teams, unless the Hawks are a top 2 team in the East, winning close to or above 60 games.

Those are going to be the big challenges that lie ahead for Ressler and Schlenk in these next few years.  The Golden State response, since they won pretty early in the process, was to pay EVERYBODY, and even bring in a max superstar in Kevin Durant.

So how far is Ressler willing to go into the Luxury Tax to keep the "Core 5" together for the next 3 - 5 years?  And which one of our vets are we going to lose, or have them take less money, as their deals expire?

The good thing about these questions, are that we don't have a "little money" conglomerate ownership that has a good chunk of the pie together, and has to make decisions as a group.   

No, we have "Big Tony", who can either give Travis unlimited cash resources to re-sign whomever, or he can tell Travis that he's willing to spend "X amount of Luxury Tax dollars", which will give him at least a ceiling on what our payroll will be.

[JayBirdHawk]

On 12/14/2020 at 6:22 PM, JayBirdHawk said:

They have potential but we need one of them to take that next level jump like Trae to make it to Dynasty Level.

I'll repeat what I said 6 months ago, still stands.

[Spud2nique]

1 hour ago, JayBirdHawk said:

I'll repeat what I said 6 months ago, still stands.

Who you got? Stepping up to be that guy? I’m going Cam, picked him to be the guy in 2019, bought his jersey and now just waiting. He’s got it all just putting it together is key.

Every time I say I got Cam I think of how awesome Hunter can be as well. Baby Kawhi. 
 

Most likely one of them.

Darkhorses:

Collins

Okongwu

I love Bogi and Huerter but I’m going to say it won’t be either of them… or Capela.

2 man race for the job: Cam or Hunt

[JayBirdHawk]

34 minutes ago, Spud2nique said:

Who you got? Stepping up to be that guy? I’m going Cam, picked him to be the guy in 2019, bought his jersey and now just waiting. He’s got it all just putting it together is key.

Every time I say I got Cam I think of how awesome Hunter can be as well. Baby Kawhi. 
 

Most likely one of them.

Darkhorses:

Collins

Okongwu

I love Bogi and Huerter but I’m going to say it won’t be either of them… or Capela.

2 man race for the job: Cam or Hunt

Too soon to tell. 

Hunter's 2 knee surgeries are a bit concerning, but if he can replicate his 1st quarter of 2020 that will be huge. Cam has to gain some level of consistency on offense, he still can't finish on drives. I want to see ECF Cam more often than not. Both has to stay on the court to reach our expectations and their potential.

Huerter has to maintain an aggressive offensive approach and learn to absorb contact and finish and draw fouls. His defense under Nate was eye popping. Can he get to Klay level long range shooting. He has a more diverse offensive repertoire than Klay and can handle the ball, so increasing his 3pt efficiency will be huge. I want to see G7 vs Sixers Huerter more often than not.

Collins and Trae will always have that synergy, question will be is if Collins can get enough touches and plays run for him to make use of his high level efficiency. What will he add to his game to keep improving. Each year he's returned with something added.

Okongwu has to play at least 20mpg next season. I have not seen enough offensive variation to place him in that conversation as #2 to Trae as yet.

Bogi is the wild card - will he be around long enough for that to happen?

 

[RedDawg#8]

8 hours ago, JayBirdHawk said:

Too soon to tell. 

Hunter's 2 knee surgeries are a bit concerning, but if he can replicate his 1st quarter of 2020 that will be huge. Cam has to gain some level of consistency on offense, he still can't finish on drives. I want to see ECF Cam more often than not. Both has to stay on the court to reach our expectations and their potential.

Huerter has to maintain an aggressive offensive approach and learn to absorb contact and finish and draw fouls. His defense under Nate was eye popping. Can he get to Klay level long range shooting. He has a more diverse offensive repertoire than Klay and can handle the ball, so increasing his 3pt efficiency will be huge. I want to see G7 vs Sixers Huerter more often than not.

Collins and Trae will always have that synergy, question will be is if Collins can get enough touches and plays run for him to make use of his high level efficiency. What will he add to his game to keep improving. Each year he's returned with something added.

Okongwu has to play at least 20mpg next season. I have not seen enough offensive variation to place him in that conversation as #2 to Trae as yet.

Bogi is the wild card - will he be around long enough for that to happen?

 

Depends on the definition of #2.

To me, Hunter (before injury) had the kind of game that best suited him as an "opener" of sorts. He just had easy smooth offense that was consistent right off the bat.

We know Trae is our closer. I also think Cam's game translates really well down the stretch, as he has a clutch gene in him too.

I think JC's best role has to be as an energy guy. He has to be that player who sets the tone for us with activity and picks us up throughout the game. Dre is steady Eddy, JC has to be the "Aries" of the group.

I think Bogi has the ability to be number 2 until Dre and/or Cam assume that role

Opening games it's Dre and Bogi, Closing games it's Cam and Trae.

The hot hand supersedes everything.  

[Spud2nique]

2 hours ago, RedDawg#8 said:

I think JC's best role has to be as an energy guy.

Okongwu for me on the energy guy but JC too but more than just energy guy is needed from JC max or not.

[sillent]

We only have one roster spot with a couple options to do with it but either way I think it's safe for me to double down. 

If this is the dynasty I believe it to be we will be top 3 in the East next season. I honestly expect us to dominate and wouldn't be surprised at all if we were #1.

This is the year we show that we are for real and that the rest of the league has a problem. Even after all the off season moves no team stepped up as a clear favorite. The only team I can see being in our way from a chip is the Lakers. The only way I can see the Lakers getting past us is because of pride and LeBron's will for another ring. 

Even then that is a big if because the only way we meet is if the Lakers are in the finals. Even then I like our chances.

The East got better but they're still steps behind us. The closest team I can see to catching us as currently constructed is the Hornets (their youth movement) but they still have a ways and a few yrs to go.

We should dominate the East this yr. We may even be a year ahead of schedule and win it all. We owe the Bucks and the Nets should be our biggest competition but they don't have the defense or depth to withstand.

Get ready to see greatness for awhile in the A with this Squad. Not only are we very young/talented but what we have done is sustainable and leaves us miles ahead of the rest. We may not be able to hold on to Gallo, Bogi and Clint pass their contracts but with Dre, Cam, Kevin, OO, Coop and JJ around the corner we will be more than able to sustain greatness.

We are going to be the next model and dynasty to follow when it comes to building teams and I can see us winning atleast 5 rings within the next 10yrs.

Much credit to Travis for what he has done and I'm proud to be a fan!!

[RedDawg#8]

What gives me the most optimism about our group is that we have yet to see the full potential because of injuries and coaching.

When we first set out to start last season, we were among the best teams from the jump. Then we gradually succumbed to circumstances and stumbled downward and put ourselves in a 6 game hole. We turned it around and finished just 5 games behind 3rd place.

Now, imagine if we had Nate from the jump. Imagine if we didn't drop so many winnable games. The narrative is that we overachieved in the playoffs, but in reality we UNDERachieved in the regular season. 

Under Nate, we had the record of a top 5 team in the league. You saw that on display in the playoffs. We played the postseason the way we played the 2nd half of the regular season.

Looking at next year and beyond, we aren't some middle of the pack Eastern conference team. If the injury bug can relax a little and we perform the way we have under Nate, you are looking at a scary team. A finals contender.

When the pundits say that teams will be ready for us and we wont sneak up on anyone, Im led to believe that they have it backwards. If you look at this team and think for one second that you saw our best and finished product, then we will continue to surprise people. We have a total of ZERO games played with Nate and the entire core healthy, let alone the entire team.

That's 6 paragraphs and I didn't even bring up the natural growth and potential that will take place.

JC, Trae, Kev, Dre, and Cam have not even entered their primes yet. JC and Dre are closest by age and still a couple of years off.

OO, JJ, and Cooper will be key role players by the time the original core are in their primes and the vets move on.

The talent keeps coming at you.

As long as they stay hungry, next season we should wake up a lot of people who think we are a one hit wonder. When we dust off their darling Heat and Bulls, they will make excuses. We have to send the Nets or Bucks home. Hopefully both. That's how you take control of the East.

[sillent]

16 minutes ago, RedDawg#8 said:

What gives me the most optimism about our group is that we have yet to see the full potential because of injuries and coaching.

When we first set out to start last season, we were among the best teams from the jump. Then we gradually succumbed to circumstances and stumbled downward and put ourselves in a 6 game hole. We turned it around and finished just 5 games behind 3rd place.

Now, imagine if we had Nate from the jump. Imagine if we didn't drop so many winnable games. The narrative is that we overachieved in the playoffs, but in reality we UNDERachieved in the regular season. 

Under Nate, we had the record of a top 5 team in the league. You saw that on display in the playoffs. We played the postseason the way we played the 2nd half of the regular season.

Looking at next year and beyond, we aren't some middle of the pack Eastern conference team. If the injury bug can relax a little and we perform the way we have under Nate, you are looking at a scary team. A finals contender.

When the pundits say that teams will be ready for us and we wont sneak up on anyone, Im led to believe that they have it backwards. If you look at this team and think for one second that you saw our best and finished product, then we will continue to surprise people. We have a total of ZERO games played with Nate and the entire core healthy, let alone the entire team.

That's 6 paragraphs and I didn't even bring up the natural growth and potential that will take place.

JC, Trae, Kev, Dre, and Cam have not even entered their primes yet. JC and Dre are closest by age and still a couple of years off.

OO, JJ, and Cooper will be key role players by the time the original core are in their primes and the vets move on.

The talent keeps coming at you.

As long as they stay hungry, next season we should wake up a lot of people who think we are a one hit wonder. When we dust off their darling Heat and Bulls, they will make excuses. We have to send the Nets or Bucks home. Hopefully both. That's how you take control of the East.

Exactly!!!

For some reason I also see us facing the Knicks again as a 1 vs 8th squad. Their fans will think they're coming for revenge but we'll givem the same story.

I'm super excited about this next season for all of the reasons you said. Last season we definitely were nowhere near our best/peak or even healthy. We were deep last year and this yr we're even deeper from top to bottom. It's laughable that they think we're a fluke but we will get the last laugh.

[sillent]

Summer league is over (for us) and the nba landscape is shaped. Barring serious injuries, get ready to see our 1st nba title in the Atl. The only thing that can stop us is us.

We have the deepest roster (in house competition), chemistry (continuity), experience/hunger. We also have the most potential breakouts and in my opinion we are the best team currently constructed. 

Last year was the foundation to set this dynasty in motion.

This yr we should be holding up the 1st trophy of many.

Can't wait to see this movie play out!!

[sillent]

On 12/14/2020 at 4:05 PM, bleachkit said:

What's your definition of dynasty? Usually that means 3 rings.

3 minimum. I expect 5 and if we supercede expectations possibly 7.

[bleachkit]

7 hours ago, sillent said:

3 minimum. I expect 5 and if we supercede expectations possibly 7.

I'll take the under. I think you grossly underestimate how difficult that is, and how much luck you need for something like that to happen. 

[REHawksFan]

34 minutes ago, bleachkit said:

I'll take the under. I think you grossly underestimate how difficult that is, and how much luck you need for something like that to happen. 

Yeaaah.  This dude has gone off the rails at some point.  I love the passion and excitement and I agree that the young Hawks have a ton of potential.  I can even agree that I *THINK* they will have a chance to win a title at some point.  But to predict a dynasty for a team that is filled with under 26 players that have not even approached their ceilings seems naively foolish to me.   

Edited August 17, 2021 by REHawksFan

[JayBirdHawk]

8 hours ago, sillent said:

3 minimum. I expect 5 and if we supercede expectations possibly 7.

[sillent]

I hate to take money from fellow fans but we can make a pool $$$... 

I'll call out every title yr I see. My only stipulations is if we lose Travis, he loses his mind or ownership crumbles.

The more I understand the game the more I see just how lacking and behind so many GM's are in the league for whatever reason. For some it's not all their faults it starts with ownership.

When you're lacking it's not an easy catch up overnight situation. People thought I was overly optimistic when I made this post. Things happen obviously like LP not working out with the team. That's life and in life I look at the bigger overall picture. Either way I wasn't surprised at all when we did what we did and want be surprised when we do what we do next season top 3 seed.

At this point I may have to treat some fans like I do outsiders and take their money. If you're willing to bet against me let's start a pool. It may even just be a bet to donate a certain amount to Hawksquawk if you lose.