2024-25 Insider Thread

[ATLBob]

1 hour ago, Gray Mule said:

And you can prove this?  Or is this just your own personal thought?

C’mon GM. This was so wild it got me to stop lurking and actually post for the first time this summer.
 

It’s OBVIOUS that Ressler is unwilling to pay the tax. His own son couldn’t even talk him into it.

Why did he buy the team? We can speculate on that if you want, but it certainly wasn’t to field a championship-caliber club. That’s as obvious as the sky being blue.
 

For all Soth’s posturing, even he knows the truth: Ressler will NEVER pay the tax. He isn’t better than Widow Benson; he IS widow Benson.

37 minutes ago, gurpilo said:

The rotation still needs to be finished but is looking good for now.

Gurp, this is just wild wild optimism. 

If you want to argue that the roster didn’t backslide, fine.

Is the future slightly more interesting? You can argue that if you want.

 But the rotation is “looking good”?

 In what universe is this good? 

SO much caping for Landry and the FO in this forum the past few days. Ressler is a cancer, and we all *should* know it by now. 

Kinda makes me nostalgic for the Spirit days.

This team quite literally CANNOT blow it up and start a youth movement for the next few years without its own picks (no, a pick in the teens and another in the 20s don’t replace that).

But hey, Hawks got another huge TPE that they will most certainly not use.

The only viable direction is reconfiguring the whole thing with real, legitimate changes.

And what actually happens?

Cody Zeller come on down!

You’re right, the rotation is “looking good.”

Let’s throw a party  

[gurpilo]

hace 6 minutos, ATLBob dijo:

C’mon GM. This was so wild it got me to stop lurking and actually post for the first time this summer.
 

It’s OBVIOUS that Ressler is unwilling to pay the tax. His own son couldn’t even talk him into it.

Why did he buy the team? We can speculate on that if you want, but it certainly wasn’t to field a championship-caliber club. That’s as obvious as the sky being blue.
 

For all Soth’s posturing, even he knows the truth: Ressler will NEVER pay the tax. He isn’t better than Widow Benson; he IS widow Benson.

Gurp, this is just wild wild optimism. 

If you want to argue that the roster didn’t backslide, fine.

Is the future slightly more interesting? You can argue that if you want.

 But the rotation is “looking good”?

 In what universe is this good? 

SO much caping for Landry and the FO in this forum the past few days. Ressler is a cancer, and we all *should* know it by now. 

Kinda makes me nostalgic for the Spirit days.

This team quite literally CANNOT blow it up and start a youth movement for the next few years without its own picks (no, a pick in the teens and another in the 20s don’t replace that).

But hey, Hawks got another huge TPE that they will most certainly not use.

The only viable direction is reconfiguring the whole thing with real, legitimate changes.

And what actually happens?

Cody Zeller come on down!

You’re right, the rotation is “looking good.”

Let’s throw a party  

Well we can disagree I think the rotation is more balanced than last year. We might have less talent, I agree, but the team is much more balanced and fits better. 
On offense everything will depend on Trae as always, DJM might have more talent but it was an issue of Trae doing his thing or DJM doing his thing but they would not compliment each other, shooters and an offensive big is what fits this team and we added a shooter on Risacher and also added shooting at backup PF while improving our defense, team is better. The starting C is still an improvement area and I think chances are we stay the same.

The wild card is DD and Risacher, if they can live to their potential we might be top 6 on the east.

[TheNorthCydeRises]

7 hours ago, Afro said:

I said yesterday that it was a disappointment that our big "win now" move from the biggest offseason ever was.... Ayton. 

Now we're on Vucevic????? 

And people still think this is a functioning FO that can even come close to a championship roster? WHAT? 

Am I in wonderland? Is a giant bunny about to pop out like Ashton Kutcher and tell me I've been punked? 

 

It's always an excuse with this franchise.  That's why I refused to get emotionally invested in this offseason.

The only thing I'm looking forward to now is Summer League, to see how our youngsters look.

[h4wkfan]

If we trade Capela for Vuc this front office will have officially lost me. 
 

Sigh. 

[TheNorthCydeRises]

6 hours ago, ShayD said:

Why were the Hawks forced to take Zeller without getting an asset back?

 

Zeller IS the asset!!!

 

[JayBirdHawk]

3 hours ago, Sothron said:

I mean, I feel like some of you guys are getting upset with us for just sharing what we are hearing

No one's upset with you.

For me,  this offseason feels like it's  unfolding similarly to the last though. We knew we were trading DJ to reorganize the team, we knew we had a draft pick.

 

[deester11]

3 hours ago, Sothron said:

You are wrong about salary dumps with those two. If they can't get back something of value they both stay here. We have until the trade deadline to move Capela or they could just keep him and let him walk for nothing like they did with Millsap and Horford. 

I mean, I feel like some of you guys are getting upset with us for just sharing what we are hearing. We're not the Hawks FO. Trust me. If I could force Tony Ressler to pay the LT that two wins from the Finals team would have been a hell of a lot better that summer. 

For all the snark about why we helped the Pels make that trade...they can't make the trade unless we did that. I mentioned this before: the pelicans owner, the widow, refuses point blank to pay the LT. Ressler at least pretends he will pay it. Widow Benson will not let them pay it ever. 

Nah Soth….we ain’t doing this. Just about every “mad” post is a reflection of the moves or non-moves this FO makes. The history keeps repeating itself and that’s the frustration. You got long time fans since the moon landing shaking their heads. 
 

We are not privy to discussions and rumors “insiders” are. However, positive vibes don’t permeate from this organization on a consistent basis. We still have to be satisfied with, “we like our team,” “if ….. improves,” “if it weren’t for injuries,” yada, and more yada. It’s old af. There are those who blindly embrace the suck. I don’t. I want to see a solid vision, a consistent winner, and the owner not yucking it up with Quavo because we made the play in.  -Rant over.  (Not really). 
 

 

[Megaloxali]

IF we could get Brook Lopez for Bogi, Matisse Thybulle for OO, and Kuzma for Hunter, we could have the A.T.L. ‘All Team Light-skinned’ team we didnt know we needed.

[TheNorthCydeRises]

3 hours ago, Sothron said:

You are wrong about salary dumps with those two. If they can't get back something of value they both stay here. We have until the trade deadline to move Capela or they could just keep him and let him walk for nothing like they did with Millsap and Horford. 

I mean, I feel like some of you guys are getting upset with us for just sharing what we are hearing. We're not the Hawks FO. Trust me. If I could force Tony Ressler to pay the LT that two wins from the Finals team would have been a hell of a lot better that summer. 

For all the snark about why we helped the Pels make that trade...they can't make the trade unless we did that. I mentioned this before: the pelicans owner, the widow, refuses point blank to pay the LT. Ressler at least pretends he will pay it. Widow Benson will not let them pay it ever. 

And yet, the Pelicans now have 4 potential All-Star level players in DJ, Ingram, Zion, and a guy who occasionally plays at All-Star level in McCollum.

 

 

A very nice mix of veteran talent that can drive offense and young talent who impacts the defensive side of the ball.  If the group stays healthy, this could be a very dangerous team in the West.

Meanwhile, this is us . . .

 

 

A team that is also infused with vet and young talent, but unlike NOLA, our roster is full of question marks and hope

• Can Jalen Johnson get to that next level as a player, and become at least a guy that is considered to be an All-Star?
• Can Okongwu FINALLY overtake Capela, man the center spot, and become the solid all-around talent we think he can be?
• Can Hunter be a CONSISTENT impact player on BOTH ends of the floor?
• Can Risacher provide the shooting and defense on the wing right away in his rookie year?
• Can Dyson Daniels be a competent enough 3 point shooter to compliment his potential defensive impact on the floor?
• Can Kobe Bufkin man the backup PG position?
• Can Bogi provide 6MOY type scoring for another year?
• Can Trae continue to improve defensively to become less of a liability on the court?

 

8 questions. 

If the top 3 questions are NO . . . we may be right back to square 1.  At that point, Risacher MUST come out looking like a future star, while Trae has to be All-NBA level, just to keep us in the mix.

 

The problem with our front office ( and the coach ), is that they truly believe that they're the smartest people in the room.

Meanwhile, the rest of the league just laughs at us and tries to screw us over any way possible.

[TheNorthCydeRises]

And no @Sothron, no one here is mad at the info that you provide.  We just want the front office to come through on some of these rumors.  Hell, at least one of these big rumors.

[JayBirdHawk]

1 minute ago, TheNorthCydeRises said:

And no @Sothron, no one here is mad at the info that you provide.  We just want the front office to come through on some of these rumors.  Hell, at least one of these big rumors.

It is the INTENT. 

They had no intention of being real FA players. They had a $12 mil TPE and a $23 mil JC TPE to use in any SnT trade FA deal if they wanted to.......but as Landry said it was about 'REGAINING ASSETS' - now we know what the deal is and look forward to a REBUILDING year, cause that's what this is.

[NBASupes]

24 minutes ago, TheNorthCydeRises said:

And yet, the Pelicans now have 4 potential All-Star level players in DJ, Ingram, Zion, and a guy who occasionally plays at All-Star level in McCollum.

 

 

A very nice mix of veteran talent that can drive offense and young talent who impacts the defensive side of the ball.  If the group stays healthy, this could be a very dangerous team in the West.

Meanwhile, this is us . . .

 

 

A team that is also infused with vet and young talent, but unlike NOLA, our roster is full of question marks and hope

• Can Jalen Johnson get to that next level as a player, and become at least a guy that is considered to be an All-Star?
• Can Okongwu FINALLY overtake Capela, man the center spot, and become the solid all-around talent we think he can be?
• Can Hunter be a CONSISTENT impact player on BOTH ends of the floor?
• Can Risacher provide the shooting and defense on the wing right away in his rookie year?
• Can Dyson Daniels be a competent enough 3 point shooter to compliment his potential defensive impact on the floor?
• Can Kobe Bufkin man the backup PG position?
• Can Bogi provide 6MOY type scoring for another year?
• Can Trae continue to improve defensively to become less of a liability on the court?

 

8 questions. 

If the top 3 questions are NO . . . we may be right back to square 1.  At that point, Risacher MUST come out looking like a future star, while Trae has to be All-NBA level, just to keep us in the mix.

 

The problem with our front office ( and the coach ), is that they truly believe that they're the smartest people in the room.

Meanwhile, the rest of the league just laughs at us and tries to screw us over any way possible.

There is no question, we got better but look at the East. Outside of Cleveland who believes they got better with a change to coaching, everyone in the top 8 got better outside of Boston who's already the best. The Bucks didn't get better either but once again, they are going to have a full year with Doc this year. So the real question is, did we get much better. I don't believe we did. That said, I'll wait and see how this all develops, we aren't in a bad financial situation. The books for the 1st time in awhile look clean. Dre and Trae are overpaid for their grade around the league but putting the right fit around Trae may take him to that next level, I believe it may help a bit but we gotta truly upgrade the center position which to me was the most critical thing we needed to fix. 

The holes I still see are, starting center needs to be more offensive minded than what we have

It seems like Atlanta is going all in on Kobe being the backup PG but I still need time before I believe this. Summer league should help ease the concerns if he plays well.

I like our 2-4 situation, both depth and starting. I like the starting PG and the backup 5. 

I even like the 3rd string this year. 

 

Hard for me to see this team jumping Orlando or Cleveland. 

Miami might be the only team, I think the Hawks could overtake and that's due to their injury concerns as usual 

No way, Atlanta is jumping the big 4 in the East. Philly, Boston, NY, and Indy.

Milwaukee just needs to be healthy but I still see them as a 5-8 seed. 

Edited July 7 by NBASupes

[JayBirdHawk]

9 hours ago, terrell said:

How did we create another TPE @JayBirdHawk?

Missed this ^ - from DJ's salary.

Since we took all the players from NOP into the JC TPE.

[ABH]

3 hours ago, Gray Mule said:

And you can prove this?  Or is this just your own personal thought?

When have they want over?

[ABH]

22 minutes ago, NBASupes said:

There is no question, we got better but look at the East. Outside of Cleveland who believes they got better with a change to coaching, everyone in the top 8 got better outside of Boston who's already the best. The Bucks didn't get better either but once again, they are going to have a full year with Doc this year. So the real question is, did we get much better. I don't believe we did. That said, I'll wait and see how this all develops, we aren't in a bad financial situation. The books for the 1st time in awhile look clean. Dre and Trae are overpaid for their grade around the league but putting the right fit around Trae may take him to that next level, I believe it may help a bit but we gotta truly upgrade the center position which to me was the most critical thing we needed to fix. 

The holes I still see are, starting center needs to be more offensive minded than what we have

It seems like Atlanta is going all in on Kobe being the backup PG but I still need time before I believe this. Summer league should help ease the concerns if he plays well.

I like our 2-4 situation, both depth and starting. I like the starting PG and the backup 5. 

I even like the 3rd string this year. 

 

Hard for me to see this team jumping Orlando or Cleveland. 

Miami might be the only team, I think the Hawks could overtake and that's due to their injury concerns as usual 

No way, Atlanta is jumping the big 4 in the East. Philly, Boston, NY, and Indy.

Milwaukee just needs to be healthy but I still see them as a 5-8 seed. 

We are 10 or 12..depends on injuries on our team and others..u can't depend on rookies or players 2 or 3 years..

[timebomb]

We’re not going to be very good at this point so we need to play ZR starter minutes like we did with Hunter and Trae. We need to give Dyson Bufkin Gueye maybe even Durisic minutes and let them take their lumps and grow. Maybe start OO. And at this point I’d just keep CC and let the contract expire at the end of the year. Our only hope is the young guys growing. 

[kg01]

40 minutes ago, TheNorthCydeRises said:

.....

The problem with our front office ( and the coach ), is that they truly believe that they're the smartest people in the room.

Meanwhile, the rest of the league just laughs at us and tries to screw us over any way possible.

Say this again for the people in the back.

Explain how "Hawks DNA" is a thing when the team ain't won nothin'.  Imagine what actual winning teams are saying when they hear a wet-behind-the-ears GM (in name only) touting that concept while losing every trade he makes.  And everybody knows (a) he got that job from being boys with the owner's son and (b) they snatched the rug from under a respected guy in that field.  Not that Schlenk was great shakes, but that transition was slimy at best. 

Mark my words, when he's gone, all the stories about how much of a laughingstock he is will start to come out.

31 minutes ago, TheNorthCydeRises said:

And no @Sothron, no one here is mad at the info that you provide.  We just want the front office to come through on some of these rumors.  Hell, at least one of these big rumors.

Speak for yourself.  I got beef with @Sothron from his questionable jersey collection.  I'm sure he's got a Laettner away jersey in his closet somewheres. 

[ABH]

25 minutes ago, NBASupes said:

There is no question, we got better but look at the East. Outside of Cleveland who believes they got better with a change to coaching, everyone in the top 8 got better outside of Boston who's already the best. The Bucks didn't get better either but once again, they are going to have a full year with Doc this year. So the real question is, did we get much better. I don't believe we did. That said, I'll wait and see how this all develops, we aren't in a bad financial situation. The books for the 1st time in awhile look clean. Dre and Trae are overpaid for their grade around the league but putting the right fit around Trae may take him to that next level, I believe it may help a bit but we gotta truly upgrade the center position which to me was the most critical thing we needed to fix. 

The holes I still see are, starting center needs to be more offensive minded than what we have

It seems like Atlanta is going all in on Kobe being the backup PG but I still need time before I believe this. Summer league should help ease the concerns if he plays well.

I like our 2-4 situation, both depth and starting. I like the starting PG and the backup 5. 

I even like the 3rd string this year. 

 

Hard for me to see this team jumping Orlando or Cleveland. 

Miami might be the only team, I think the Hawks could overtake and that's due to their injury concerns as usual 

No way, Atlanta is jumping the big 4 in the East. Philly, Boston, NY, and Indy.

Milwaukee just needs to be healthy but I still see them as a 5-8 seed. 

We definitely didn't get better..maybe on the books..Orlando going to alot better..we around 10 or 12

[NBASupes]

Just now, ABH said:

We definitely didn't get better..maybe on the books..Orlando going to alot better..we around 10 or 12

Look after 8, everyone else really did nothing or got worse. Most teams behind us or the Bulls are tanking for 2025. 

[kg01]

1 minute ago, ABH said:

We are 10 or 12..depends on injuries on our team and others..u can't depend on rookies or players 2 or 3 years..

Despite my rantings and protestations, I do still think there's a path to us actually having gotten better overall.

Granted, the path is decorated with sprinkles and unicorn dust, but when I squint real hard I can see it.

Mainly because i don't think the east is as great as most think.  There are question marks with every team except BOS.  If we can just play solid, we'll see fewer inexplicable losses.  Even with our dysfunction, we were basically a .500 team.  Any improvement on that actually elevates us.