2023-24 Insider Information Thread

[LucastheThird]

3 minutes ago, Jody23 said:

Still so many questions.  How does Quin feel about this pick?  I saw Landry and Kyle's excitement, but I didn't see Quin or Tony in the War room.  Also, is there any truth to Reed Sheppard being the other option for the pick?  If so, that can't sit well with Trae.

Quin was in the war room and was just as jovial. 

[JayBirdHawk]

4 minutes ago, Jody23 said:

Still so many questions.  How does Quin feel about this pick?  I saw Landry and Kyle's excitement, but I didn't see Quin or Tony in the War room.  Also, is there any truth to Reed Sheppard being the other option for the pick?  If so, that can't sit well with Trae.

 

[djjob23]

45 minutes ago, ShooterSays said:

Trade watch time. 

Where will Murray, Hunter, Capela, and maybe even OO end up?

One thing’s for sure - no matter what happens, there will be lots of complaining

I agree there will likely be lots of complaining. LF has been great at contract negotiations, but LF/Ressler brain trust have been straight up TERRIBLE in trade negotiations. Since TS has left, Hawks have done the following trades over the past ~18 months…

• Frank, JHoliday & picks for Garrison Mathews & Bruno 
• 5 2nds for Saddiq Bey
• John Collins for Patty Mills (oh and a $23m TE). 

 

That’s it… and it’s not like we don’t have players that we’re trying to move. We’ve sent picks whenever we bought, but we haven’t seen great returns so far when selling talent. As much as I don’t want to compare the return MIkal Bridges got the Nets, it’s possible that this trade made us up the offers on our talent, which likely killed any trades on the table since other teams were looking to fleece us. 

Edited Thursday at 03:19 AM by djjob23

[Sothron]

38 minutes ago, Jody23 said:

Still so many questions.  How does Quin feel about this pick?  I saw Landry and Kyle's excitement, but I didn't see Quin or Tony in the War room.  Also, is there any truth to Reed Sheppard being the other option for the pick?  If so, that can't sit well with Trae.

Yes it's true.  I reported that earlier before the draft. 

[NBASupes]

Keep a lookout on this guy being traded to the Hawks

 

 

[Hawkish]

11 minutes ago, NBASupes said:

Keep a lookout on this guy being traded to the Hawks

 

 

Which guy and for what?

[Sothron]

He's talking about Ayton.  Portland has to move him after taking Clingan 

[Hawkish]

3 minutes ago, Sothron said:

He's talking about Ayton.  Portland has to move him after taking Clingan 

Hmmm… His reputation seems to have diminished his value.  What would we send back?  Capela/Hunter seems like too much.  
 

I thought we would make a play for the 7th pick once Clingan fell.

Edited Thursday at 05:29 AM by Hawkish

[Sothron]

We tried several times to get back into the draft but the price wasn't what we were willing to pay.

So now that the first round is over I can share some things:

Why we didn't pick Sarr: It had nothing to do with his refusing to work out. I want to get out in front of this because the last thing this FO needs is yet more doubts in the national mind about them.

Sarr has motor issues. Sarr has problems on where he fits on offense. Sarr does not see himself as a center. He barely sees himself as a 4. He thinks he can be a SF hence why his offense is very heavy on face up shooting. He is shy about physical contact. He doesn't screen well. He doesn't rebound well. He doesn't box out. Some of that is from scheme because in the NBL they just wanted him to roam like a free safety and contest shots or switch out.

The worst thing for him in the Hawks eyes was he kept saying in private interviews and in workouts with other teams that got back to the Hawks (folks talk around the league) that Sarr was always talking about "me" and never "we".

I know most of you turn your nose up at "Hawks DNA" but I swear on a stack of bibles as an Orthodox Christian they really stand by that. They want "we" first players that will play whatever role the team needs and are willing to sacrifice stats for the team. In all the interviews the team had with ZR and also, I have to add, Reed and Clingan, those guys screamed "Hawks DNA" to the Hawks...and Sarr came across as "Anti Hawks DNA".

In addition, for those who want to know why we didn't play hardball with the Wizards: the Wizards would have just taken ZR. Seriously. You can't pull a power play like that unless you know 100% it won't backfire. If we had taken Sarr who the FO and especially Quin was sour on ...we are stuck with him. The Wizards take ZR who almost EVERY TEAM in the NBA had as the #1 best prospect in the draft.

We did not do the Spurs trade because the Spurs saw the difference between 4 and 1 as almost the same value. They were willing to move up but not worth, to the Hawks, the difference between going from 1 to 4 and taking a massive PR hit on top of not getting back enough value.

When I was saying in the draft thread about wait for the Spurs...it was up to that moment that we knew the Spurs were just going to stand put and take Castle at 4 and not trade with us. 

We now start to focus on offloading contracts. ZR can play both 2 and 3. DJM and Hunter are ready to be moved. For all the talk about Capela...well, there's one team already reaching out to us and has been talking to us already.

The Blazers have to unload Ayton because they can't afford him and Clingan and Time Lord. They want to send us Ayton.

I have...serious concerns about Ayton. In the past I was high on him because he has a lot of tools but remember the "Anti Hawks DNA"? Yeah...Ayton is that cat. I have major concerns about his motor and his wanting to get stats. He has real talent. I just don't know if he can be coached up like how Quin reached Hunter. Not that Hunter was that selfish or had a bad motor but he was set in his ways and Quin had to coach it out of him.

 

[Threezus]

1 hour ago, Sothron said:

Sarr has motor issues. Sarr has problems on where he fits on offense. Sarr does not see himself as a center. He barely sees himself as a 4. He thinks he can be a SF hence why his offense is very heavy on face up shooting. He is shy about physical contact. He doesn't screen well. He doesn't rebound well. He doesn't box out. Some of that is from scheme because in the NBL they just wanted him to roam like a free safety and contest shots or switch out.

 

 

It's crazy how i never seen this until literally yesterday evening and it wasn't from watching a Sarr video.  It was from watching a Risacher video and focusing on Sarr when he wasn't the focal point of what was going on.   I went from wanting him badly to almost not wanting him at all within a 10 minute video.   I kept seeing over and over again him lacking any hustle on fast breaks in that video when his teammates were already on their side of the court and Sarr not even take off running at times or if he did it was a light jog.   Not everytime but more often than i wanted to see and then also seeing guys smaller than him boxing him out of position for a rebound.   

I've never really thought about looking at other peoples highlight videos and watching a player not meant to be watched in that video before like i did then.  But i might start doing this much more often as it shows you the type of player someone might really be when it's not all about them.     But again that leads right back into being a me type player as you said if he wasn't getting his or the focal he gave piss poor effort far to often in that video.  In the NBA the big dogs will eat you alive doing that crap.

[NekiEcko]

Reflecting on the draft, it's common to initially react strongly to the picks and then gradually process the information and gauge public opinion.

Initially, I doubted his potential, but the success of Boston's skilled wings and the Knicks' demonstration of their high value have underscored their importance. At 19, he has plenty of time to grow, and given that he doesn't dominate the ball, he should mesh seamlessly into an offense orchestrated by Trae Young.

However, three concerns arise:

1. The future of DJM, Hunter, and others is uncertain. Discussions with NOLA about trading DJM are ongoing, but the return remains unclear. With Hunter potentially moving to the bench or being replaced, the impact on the team's dynamic is a question mark.

2.  The frontcourt requires additional size. A more substantial presence is needed at the center position, despite valuing OO's contributions. There is no guarantee that we can acquire someone like Ayton for our team.

3. Trae Young's mindset is crucial. Despite his desire to win, will he be content with a team hovering around the 8-10th position, especially with no draft improvement options or cap space, as we're already in the first apron? Moreover, with the possibility of opting out of his contract next year, the team's progress in the playoffs becomes even more critical to avoid perpetual play-in scenarios.

Ultimately, this young player has a promising future and the potential to excel, but whether that will be sufficient to surpass teams like Boston, New York, Miami, or Milwaukee remains to be seen. This uncertainty is why many, including myself, are disappointed with the pick. Nonetheless, my support for the team is unwavering.

 

[JTB]

5 hours ago, Sothron said:

He's talking about Ayton.  Portland has to move him after taking Clingan 

Awwww shit! Y’all know that’s my boy!