Atlanta Hawks: Rick Sund Q-and-A

I wonder if we had lost to Chicago in 6 games in 2011 with Rose averaging more in that series than he did during his MVP regular season, if Hinrich’s value would have been perceived differently?

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Uh oh, MC pressed him on Josh’s trending inefficiency?!

Time to get my popcorn and…. observe.

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“MC: But his offensive efficiency fell off, and a large part of that is because he’s taking more shots away from the basket and not shooting–

Sund: You have to ask those questions to Larry.

MC: But from a personnel standpoint, do you think he fits with what Larry is trying to do offensively?

Sund: Yes.

MC: Does that mean the migration away from the basket–

Sund: Those are questions you have to ask Larry.”

This is outstanding. It reveals everything you need to know about all three of them actually.

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Why would you not have had an exit interview with one of the top players? Who cares about Damp, Stack, etc – as far as exit interviews. I want to know exactly from our best player and his opinions.

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The way he’s spinning things makes it sound like Sund is posturing himself for a return. Great. Parlayed JC2 into Hinrich?

Q: Is a role player ever worth one starter* and two first round picks?

Sund: Don’t forget we got Hilton Armstrong in that deal!

This guy hasn’t a clue.

*Grandpa Bibby

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FTPB

“2nd;
It`s like someone said the other day:
[apologies to the source]
HOF in basketball includes College & international.”

Good point. I said that. And you’re right, based on his international and Olympic accomplishments, Gasol has a pretty good shot at the Hall of Fame.

With that said, I stand by what I said earlier. The only thing separating Gasol from Stoudemire and Bosh are the rings he won as a supporting player. He has won zero career playoff games as the best player on his team. If the Heat win a championship this year, Bosh has as good of a Hall of Fame case as Gasol does if not better.

If you only take NBA accomplishments into consideration, I don’t think any of those three are Hall of Famers.

I am not a huge fan of basketball-reference’s Hall of Fame probability since it seems somewhat arbitrary to me (Nash should be much higher on that list, for one), but they have Bosh actually ranked higher than Gasol right now.

“3rd;
One can make the case, PG is the 2nd best Euro
to play in the NBA.”

Yeah, and Yao is the best Chinese player to play in the NBA. Does that make him a Hall of Famer?

“4th;
Since when did Kobe win the Title by himself.
Most people recognize that Kobe woul not have won
his last two rings w/o Gasol.”

Well, he wouldn’t have won them without Bynum either, but that doesn’t make Bynum a Hall of Famer.

“5th;
What is potential anyway ?
PG has been a very productive player.
Holds most career records for Memphis franshise.”

Gerald Wallace holds most career records for the Bobcats and has been a very productive player. Doesn’t make him a Hall of Famer.

“the Kobe propaganda machine places blame on Pau
to take the responsibilty, blame, accountability from Kobe;
yet Kobe gets all the credit when LAL wins a championship.”

That is how it works for the best player on the team. The best player is usually the primary reason why a team wins a championship. Shaq was the best player on the three-peat Kobe-Shaq Lakers, so he gets the majority of the credit for those rings (from me anyway). Kobe was the best player on the last two Lakers championship teams, so he gets the majority of the credit for those.

Pau is good. At his peak, he was very good. But it is the Hall of Fame, not the Hall of Very Good.

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^One edit to the post above: based on international accomplishments Yao will almost certainly make it to the Hall of Fame, but the question was really whether he would make it based on NBA accomplishments. I was a big fan of Yao but it would be a close call solely based on what he did in the NBA.

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He will be back!!!!!!!!! What a load of bullcrap.

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I would have asked Sund why Marvin, who was almost the #1 pick in the draft has never been used right

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“I thought we had an unbelievably great first season: 40 wins,”

Although we lostt to most of the above 500 teams we played. This guy is clueless. No chance in hell we have of winning a championship with Sund and Drew.

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ENTER YOUR COMMENTS HERE!

The best part about the MC Hammer -vs- GM Sund – Dance Academy Award Winner interviews are:

The Najeh Daven-Poop responses.

They are the best rebuttals of all time!
Hands down HOBF (Hall of Bloggers Fame) material. – Four Thumbs Up! – (if you like toe fkg),
- drmaryeb – The Entertainment Reporter
___________

Hey Sund! Eat … S h y t & D y e.

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drmaryb.,

I already know the answer, but there is no chance of my guy Paul (The Punisher) Williams, from Aiken, SC walking again is there?

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But Rick, THEY’VE NEVER BEEN TO THE CONFERENCE FINALS.

My gosh it’s like they still don’t get that they are not good enough at anything in any position.

The regular season doesn’t even matter. We don’t start paying attention to the NBA until APRIL!

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It’s amazing people in this city ever even walk through the doors of a professional arena.

There are no winners in the front offices of this city period. No one apparently has a clue.

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The Eastern Confrence has proven to be terrible this year with the exception of Miami, and we couldn’t compete in that playoff environment.

This team has done absolutely nothing of consequence since the team was blown up and rebuilt (poorly under Knight and Woody.

Nothing. Make the ECF ONE TIME, just once. then we can talk about great seasons.

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#1 RICKY SUND FAN!!

So long, blog babies! All I care about now is BEEFCAKES!

*smooches*

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Rod,

Najeh also posted some stats about Marvin’s 3pt %. If you take away 3 games in which he shot very well from 3, his % was really closer to 34%. And if I’m not mistaken, his 3-pt % against playoff teams were not that great either.

Same thing with JJ. Rick referenced his crunch time and 4th quarter numbers, but most of those numbers came against bad teams.

Rick also said “many people picked Orlando to win the conference”. last year. Like who? Everybody still had Miami #1, and then Orlando/Chicago fighting for the #2 spot. But I doubt people were picking Orlando to go to the NBA finals, especially after the GM made the moves he did.

And he mentioned going into LT. What he didn’t mention was we had to sell a 2nd round pick to pay for it SMH.

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I could fix that spine, after someone bends mine out for a while *wink wink*

Someone hose me off!!

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Kevin Everett fractured and dislocated his spinal cord and is now walking again. I don’t know if that is the same thing as “severed” though.

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The Brown Bomber! (RIP)

Joe Louis: Born: May 13, 1914
Lexington, Alabama
Died: April 12, 1981
Las Vegas, Nevada
African American boxer

African American boxer Joe Louis was world heavyweight champion from 1937 to 1948. He defended his title twenty times in four years.

Early years

Joseph Louis Barrow, born on May 13, 1914, was the seventh of eight children of Munroe Barrow and Lily Reese. His father was an Alabama sharecropper and died when Joe was four. His mother took in washing to support her family. Joe was close to his large family, particularly to his mother, from whom he inherited a deep religious sentiment. His mother married Patrick Brooks, with children of his own, when Joe was seven, and the family moved to Detroit, Michigan, in 1926.

After Brooks lost his job, Joe and his brothers shined shoes, ran errands, and sold newspapers before and after school to help out the family. Joe also worked as an assistant to an ice-wagon driver. He later said that carrying heavy ice helped him to develop his big shoulder muscles.

Final years

Unfortunately, drugs took a toll on the once indomitable (not able to be beaten) champion in his final years. In 1969, he was hospitalized after collapsing on a New York City street. While the incident was at first credited to “physical breakdown,” Louis later admitted to cocaine use and fears of a plot against his life. The following year, Louis spent five months in the hospital suffering from paranoid delusions (irrational anxiety and fear toward others). Strokes and heart ailments caused his condition to worsen. He had surgery to correct an aortic aneurysm (abnormal widening of a blood vessel) in 1977 and was thereafter confined to a wheelchair.

Despite failing health, Louis still found time to attend major boxing events. On April 12, 1981, he sat ringside at the Larry Holmes and Trevor Berbick heavyweight championship bout at Caesar’s Palace. Hours after the fight, Louis went into cardiac arrest (a heart failure) and died at the age of sixty-six.

In 1994, the bronzed boxing glove that Louis used to defeat Max Schmeling was donated to the city of Detroit by the Michigan Jewish Sports Hall of Fame. Dubbed “The Glove That Floored Nazi Germany,” it was enshrined in a plexiglass case at the city’s Cobo Center, a monument to Louis’s enduring legacy.
______

Read more: Joe Louis Biography – life, family, children, name, school, mother, information, born, drugs, contract http://www.notablebiographies.com/Lo-Ma/Louis-Joe.html#b#ixzz1wSob2Yn0
______

My Father, Eddie at age 5 would hang out at the local barber shops in NYC and shine shoes for a nickel. He was moved to Aiken, SC and attended high school with my Mother (Private School for Blacks – Catholic). As a kid, my Dad would cut hair on the side and, eventually became a licensed barber in 1961. Joe Louis and he were very close and ironically, when I moved to Atlanta, GA in 1986. I started a business as a “shoe shine girl” in Buckhead where, I lived.

I could not find work right away, so instinctively I began this SHOE SHINE Business and, landed a corporate contract to “pick up and drop off shoes in office buildings. I hired 30 some odd girls to do the physical work and, we made 50K in my first month at age 21. We had shoe shine stands also at the World Congress Center Downtown- Omni, The Airport, The Marriott Marquis, Windy Hill & Marriott Airport – where I met Bobby Brown & many other celebrities.

My Mother was appalled that I was in Atlanta and, shining shoes? – But, no job was beneath me, ( i also delivered pizzas & cleaned toilets) – failure was not an option! I guess the entrepreneurial spirit was in my blood lines – hugh?

Too bad, my Mother died when I was 24 years old and, never lived to see me become a doctor. (RIP Myrtle James). Here’s my point: I never knew that Joe Louis shined shoes too and, I didn’t do it because my Father started out shining shoes – it never once crossed my mind as to why I chose to do that – Grand Hustle!

Like all women – I just love shiny shoes! I own about 3,00 pairs of Italian leather shoes. The most I’ve paid for a pair of shoes is $2,100.00 Dolce Gabana. Yikes!
________

I hope my story of “The Climb” inspires someone on the blog or, their children. Unemployment is a fallacy – I you can’t find a job – CREATE ONE!

“If your job is to sweep the streets – then, become the best street sweeper that ever lived.”
- drmaryeb -

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A first order chump. Couldn’t have happened to a more deserving group of owners.

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Strange that Sund hasn’t talked to Josh yet. No wonder Josh doesn’t feel valued.

Golden State wanting a forward: Rudy Gay, Iguodala, Granger, Batum, Josh….

I guess their plan is to offer Richard Jefferson, Dorell Wright & the 7th pick. They don’t have cap space. They’re not trading Bogut. Noone wants Lee’s contract. Noone wants Biedrin’s contract. Not sure how they’re pulling this one off. They own the 7th, 30th, 35th, and 52nd picks.

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NEVER HEAT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ICE!

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Its no reason to even interview Sund anymore. This front office is just pathetic. I guess the Hawks will be trading down now and picking up some cash considerations.

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FalCans said this:

“First things first WE MUST GET A PASSING PG!!! That would end all our offensive woes. We have the personnel to space the floor but Teague CAMT PASS. he can’t run the pick and roll so Josh has to stay on the perimeter. Think what could be if we had a point guard to dish on multiple pick n rolls with Al and Josh. WERE IN THE ECF if we had a true point guard. Keep Teague maybe even as the starter but his minutes must b limited unless he learns to get others involved”
_____________

N I C E!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! FalCans, so, would you take a PG with that first pick @ #23, MOVE UP to #17, or take: Andrew Nicholson @ 6′9″ PF/C who has the size of Lamar Odom and the skills of Melo … to play SF here?

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Mary, Sund talking to Mr. Smith suggests to me that Josh wasn’t around and that Mr. Smith has a significant role in where Josh signs his next contract. I kind of doubt that the NJ GM is talking to Deron Williams’ parents, but who knows? Lastly, they must have felt like they already knew Josh’s thoughts regarding LD’s return.

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Hawks were in the same situation in the 90s … we had mookie and steve smith and we were getting to the playoffs and just couldnt get past the bulls… we blew up the team and we were bottom dwellers for the next ten years or so… So what makes you all think its going to be any different this time? We get rid of Joe .. and Josh.. or any combination and we will be a lottery team for another ten years! I atleast have false hope every year .. its better than knowing you will never win!

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The Hawks should keep the 23rd pick and draft Fab Melo if he is available the guy is 7′0 250 and he is a great defensive player already but he needs work on his offensive game.

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I got a question, was Rick Sund on Seattle when they traded Ray Allen to Boston? And also, his answers seemed like he has read this blog, because I have never heard anyone from management mention championship in a sentence.

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The problem with bringing in a 7 footer (unless hes on the bench) is what to do with Josh and Al? Josh has no business at the 3 as a starter. and he is more valuable at the 4 than Al (better scorer more upside rebounds shots blocked!) But Al at the 5 is a mismatch offensively against anybody!!. he is essential in clearing the lane for LD motion offense. Our best bet is to aqcuiere a passing pg. Teagur cant score consistently like a werstbrook so his scoring prowess doesnt ov3r ride his inept passing. How bout teagues brother in the 2nd round. Not as quick as big brother but more level headed better mid range juper better passer

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Jeff Teague $2,433,076
Joe Johnson $19,752,645
Josh Smith $13,200,000
Al Horford $12,000,000
Zaza Pachulia $5,248,750
Kirk Hinrich – $3.5 million annually for 3 years. Pretty sure you could get Jason Kidd for that much.
Orlando Johnson (buy/trade into this pick) or Alex Young – rookie deal = $473,604 (42nd from Suns)
Marvin Williams $8,287,500
Ivan Johnson – minimum – $880K?
Fab Melo – rookie Deal
Janero Pargo – vet min – $880K?
Al Thornton – vet min – $880K?
Erick Dampier – vet min – only if in shape.2012-2013
1st unit
Jeff Teague | Joe Johnson | Josh Smith | Al Horford |Zaza Pachulia |
2nd unit
Kirk Hinrich| Alex Young | Marvin Williams | Ivan Johnson | Fab Melo |
reserves
Al Thornton; Janero Pargo ; trimmed down Erick Dampier

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Thinking about a GSW / Josh trade….Josh Smith, #43 & future 2nd for Biedrins, #7, #30 & #35???

The 7th pick (I think its 7th)…you know that Davis, MKG, Beal & Robinson will be gone. So you’d have a shot at one of Drummand, Lamb, Barnes, Henson or Jones.

The 30th & 35th picks…Kevin Murphy & Orlando Johnson (Isn’t that the kid’s last name from UCSB???). He just measured out at about 6′5″ with a 6′11″ wingspan. 34″ vertical. Nice jumper.

Harrison Barnes, Tony Wroten, Kevin Murphy & Orlando Johnson.

J. Teague / T. Wroten
J. Johnson / K. Murphy / O. Johnson
H. Barnes / M. Williams
A. Horford / I. Johnson
Z. Pachulia / A. Biedrins

I think this is getting closer to what LD wants to see. You’ve got good size & shooting ability on the wings with Johnson, Murphy, Johnson, Barnes & Marvin….fast, athletic PG’s (Wroten needs to work on that right hand)…and some size up front with the MLE still to use on a center.

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If we are to get to the championship level of competition instead of the backwards progress since Mike Woodson left 4 things must happen.

1)Sund has got to go

2) Michael Cunningham has got to go

3)Al Horford has got to go

4) The hawks have got to get a true center to complement Josh and JJ

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“Josh has no business at the 3 as a starter. and he is more valuable at the 4 than Al (better scorer more upside rebounds shots blocked!) But Al at the 5 is a mismatch offensively against anybody!!. he is essential in clearing the lane for LD motion offense. Our best bet is to aqcuiere a passing pg. Teagur cant score consistently like a werstbrook so his scoring prowess doesnt ov3r ride his inept passing. How bout teagues brother in the 2nd round.” – quote of the day.

Everybody and his brother knows this is the truth. Al is the weak link and Josh is a strength on the front line.

Time for Al to go. Hell Its been time.

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Najeh,

Nicely summed up!

What kind of idiots do we have running this organization, and more importantly, what kind of idiots do they take the paying customer for?

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If we are to get to the championship level of competition instead of the backwards progress since Mike Woodson left 4 things must happen.

1)Sund has got to go.

2) Michael Cunningham has got to go.

3)Al Horford has got to go.

4) The hawks have got to get a true center to complement Josh and JJ.

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Barnes is way more skilled than Marvin. He handles the rock better and is capable of creating his shot a lot better than Marvin. The whole Sports Talk Radio is amazed at the No Call on the Rondo ’s layup at the end of the game. They also seem amazed that Lebron goes to the line 29 times and the Celtics go 24. Ray Allen whining about the no call in an interview. Welcome the the Hawks World.

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There’s a long athletic center out of Gonzaga, Robert “something or another” could be a nice fit.

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“And if Smith turns into a 14ppg defensive rebounder and playmaker like Iguodala. Then the Hawks are elite with that” – Idiot

Smith career?
8rbs 2blks 15pts 3ast

This year?
9.6rbs,2blk 18.8pts 3ast

Why would we want to take backwards steps to appease some idiot.

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Rod from College Park

May 31st, 2012
11:17 am

“Marvin [Williams] shot the 3-pointer pretty good.”

Take a look at his numbers against playoff teams Mr. Sund. It might surprise you. SMH

****************************

Marvin was 17 – 46 from 3 vs Eastern Conference playoff teams ( 37% )

Marvin was 6 – 16 from 3 vs Western Conference playoff teams ( 38% )

Marvin was 23 – 62 total from 3 vs NBA playoff teams ( 37% )

(( shrug ))

Not great, but not nearly as bad as people would want to believe.

Having said that, Sund is incredible with his spin doctoring.

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Al is the laziest defender on the team and his offense isnt good either. You actually have to stop the motion of the offense to run plays to help Al score. Pick and rolls are for players who cant create, Like Al. Al has 1 shot and thats iffy. Thats why he averages 12pts a game. (almost all his life). He just doesnt have the tools.

College career average 12pts
Pro career average 12pts
All star (LOL) 5pts
Playoffs 10pts

Al Just doesnt have what it takes to help the hawks offensively and is too lazy and soft defensively

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Non Partial Thats true. there is no way we get better with Al on the front Line. I easily trade Al for a high draft pick or a real center. Al brings nothing but arguments to the team.

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Gasol is no big upgrade over JS
@ falcans I don’t think you have watched many hawk games. You probably think KH is better than JT. Put any PG into this hawk’s team. He would have major problems running this team with JJ & JS in the lineup & with LD as the coach.

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Dr. Mary, is there anything on the horizon with stem cell and spinal rejuvenation? I ride as well and everytime there is a story like William’s, my wife (one of those physcians that calls people like me organ donors) get on my case about giving it up.

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@falcans and Non Partial

Okay, I bite since I am a nice guy, say that the Hawks did trade Al away, do you think that Josh will stay? Answer No, because some team will overpay Josh no matter what and if we did signed him, it is going to be at max, that means you are going two players with max contacts, not going to happen.

Right now, i think this team is going try to get sold again (lack of commitment, alot of contacts (Zsa and Teague) is up next year, Marvin and his option, this is straight out caretaker mode.

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Slimpg

May 31st, 2012
2:27 pm

RE: falcans
“Josh Smith has no business as a starter at SF”

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uzOzVSsifCo

Then the Hawks have no business fronting like they are an NBA team. Thats the game with OKC Smith mixed in SF to counter Durant, and its been employed against the major teams.

It shoouldve been employed vs the Celtics but there was no depth (Zaza)

It brings toughness, it brings rebounding, and it brings a taller consistent shooter (Horford) to the elbow.

Smith will never be a consistent superstar PF, and he lives and dies by that elbow PF jumper.

So its no reason to set his position in stone. SFs come in all shapes sizes and styles.

And if Smith turns into a 14ppg defensive rebounder and playmaker like Iguodala. Then the Hawks are elite with that

***********************

????????

In the vid that you posted, Josh Smith is playing the 4 the vast majority of the time, and was far more effective playing the 4 than when he played the 3. And it’s not even close.

Josh Smith played the 3 in that game for about a grand total of 4 minutes. Yet, you’re trying to pass that off as if he could play the 3 full time at the level he plays the 4?

The only way I want to see Josh Smith playing the 3 on this team, is if we have another C or PF who is highly efficient at that spot.

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nice attempt there mc to get some depth.

has anyone ever known people that just seem coated with teflon, no matter what is thrown at them nothing sticks and made of pure plastic? he has got it down. likeable yes, probably pretty much fun talking about the old days and someone who you could have along conversation with but walk away knowing you have learned nothing. my boy rick has it.

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SUND: “I think Larry and the team did a great job.”

A Round 1 exit in the playoffs is a “great job”? Please!

Until this city’s pro teams can obliterate that manner of thinking, there will be NO championships here (95 Braves notwithstanding).

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Gasol > Al
Bynum>Al
D12 >Al
Josh> AL
Zaza> Al
Ivan >AL

Al > collins
Al > Dampier

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DMB,

I think Ra’mon Sessions has a player option for $4.5 mil, so he could decide to become a FA.

As for Rick talking to Mr. Smith, I think Josh will listen closely to what his Dad has to say when its time to sign another contract. To me, it is surprising that Josh and other players have not had their exit interviews yet, since their season ended on 5/10 (almost 3 weeks ago).

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@brigadier

brigadier
May 31st, 2012
12:39 pm

high-sider,

are u more of a jamal crawford fan than a hawks fan or no?
———————————————————————-

For the sake of political correctness, I am a Hawks fan, first, and a Jamal Crawford fan, second.

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“Marvin was 17 – 46 from 3 vs Eastern Conference playoff teams ( 37% )

Marvin was 6 – 16 from 3 vs Western Conference playoff teams ( 38% )

Marvin was 23 – 62 total from 3 vs NBA playoff teams ( 37% )

(( shrug ))

Not great, but not nearly as bad as people would want to believe.

Having said that, Sund is incredible with his spin doctoring.”

My Calculations say 17-50 vs. Eastern conference playoff teams for 34%

6-16 vs western confernce playoff teams for 38%

23-66 for 34.8 % vs playoffs teams all while being left wide open. I agree not great.

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Falcan you say that PG should just takeover the leadership of the team,hell, Woody & LD wouldn’t even let him play for 2 years. LD would rather let a washed up MB play who couldn’t defend against his grandmother. If JT tried to stand up against LD he would never see the floor,look what happen to TMac & Ivan.

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Josh and JJ did well running the offense. Teague will never be a star quality Point Guard and cant quarterback this team

Package him and Al and lets get a center and a point guard. !.

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How stupid JT had a good year but idiots like white man talk bullcrap.

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This Q&A is about as bad as the one with Gearon Jr. MC asked great questions.

My only takeaway is that the players think they should still be playing. So does every other team in the league. STFU and be real. You are the worst GM. You talk about being a final 2 team in the conference. Have you EVER accomplished this in your 32 years?

If Hinrich had played in that Chicago series, Teague wouldn’t have played at all. Last time I checked, Teague had a coming out party in that series – no homo. We would’ve gotten murdered with or without Hinrich. SMH

I’m surprised Sund didn’t just say:

“The goal is to win 50 games. Because if you win 50 games, you are most likely going to make the playoffs. If you make the playoffs, you have a chance of winning round 1. If you win round 1, you have a chance of going to round 2. If you win round 2, you have a chance of going to the ECF. If you win the ECF, you have a chance of going to the Finals.”

In my mock offseason, I had Gearon answering that question about Smoove and said Gearon would circumvent it. Just as Sund does here:

MC: Is it your perception Josh is still happy being here with the Hawks?
Sund: I’m going to have his exit interview sometime this week. But, yeah, when you read the things of him saying . . . He’s such a competitor. I was talking to his dad the other day, and he mentioned we all think we should be playing, and that’s great. And [Josh] is one of them.

Does Sund even answer the question MC asked? No.

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northcyde,

It’s hard for Sund to answer those questions when he may not be the GM next year.

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falcans

May 31st, 2012
2:40 pm

slimpg@ josh career avg 16 ppg 8rpg 4asst 2blks…. he is iguadala without the publicity. 2nd I have no idea why everybody is so hard on Josh with the jumpers… he has a better average than kobe (this year) and the reason he is on the perimeter is #1 we cant run a pick n roll. #2 he is able to blow by defenders if HE CAN GET THE BALL BEFORE THE SHOT CLOCK IS EXPIRING #3 because LD uses him as a 3 to appease Al and give him the illusion he is a 4. put smith at the 4 and let him play like a 4 he is a top 5 PF. How many times have u seen a play called for Josh in the post… high or low??? @ facts baby facts, Horford can ball he is just overrated and needs to take a back seat to Josh ,JJ , and Teague if can learn to consistently hit those floaters lol nevermind Trade AL

______________________________________________________________________________

Smdh. Its going to be a long offseason if there are more post like this on the blog.

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Rod, you’re right. He was 17 – 50.

OK . . so he shot the 3 more like Jamal Crawford.

(( shrugs ))

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“I’m surprised Sund didn’t just say:

“The goal is to win 50 games. Because if you win 50 games, you are most likely going to make the playoffs. If you make the playoffs, you have a chance of winning round 1. If you win round 1, you have a chance of going to round 2. If you win round 2, you have a chance of going to the ECF. If you win the ECF, you have a chance of going to the Finals.””

The goal is to play basketball. If you play basketball, you have a chance to win 50 games, make the playoffs, win Round 1, win Round 2, win the ECF and win the Finals.

Mission accomplished.

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O’Brien, would you be for trading Al for Cousins and Sac’s number 1 pick?

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Hey DUI, were you at? Why don’t you chime in with your take on this blog? Do you have an opinion?

No?

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Melo #23 is a must for the Hawks.

GO HAWKS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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STARTER TEAGUE, JOE, JOSH, HORFORD, ZAZA

BENCH PARGO, TMAC, MARVIN, IVAN, MELO

RESERVE GREEN, ?, ?

GO HAWKS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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You Guys and me and Horford, Josh have been screaming for the past 5 years, all of these guys are projects nothing more, take a chance on a 7′0 Melo who is tough defensively in the paint and also final get a legit 7′0 on the this team.

Every year Hawks are drafting guy’s between 6′4 and 6′10 this is getting old now, and not one player have made the team.

GO HAWKS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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The last 7′0 drafted by the Hawks Paul Gasol in 2001 and then traded, that’s 11years now.

GO HAWKS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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high-sider,

did u follow hawks before crawford came to team and do u follow since he left?what is the euphoria with him since u said u fav players were mark price and mullin?

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Nevermind that was 2000, and Milwaukee drafted him.

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@ CP What about Smooves production do you not agree with?? That LD keeps him on the perimeter?? That we cant run the pick n roll or Josh career stats?? exactly

@Rusty Hinrich gets the nod because he is willing to be unpopular in the locker room. Obviously he is older now but he still commands respect as a proven VET. I guess I prefer my PG to DEMAND AND COMMAND. Seeing how neither one of us can speak on what LD is saying behind closed doors I can only go by what I see. It is plausible that LD is holding him back but its also possible he sees what I see on the court. Im talking intangibles. He has no presence. whose fault it is doesnt matter really. With that said I am not willing to trade Teague for at least another 2 years. He can gain confidence but im not so sure bout his horrendous floor vision. I mean u must admit Teague NEVER DISHES ON FAST BREAKS….. Even with Wilkins reincarnated (lol) Josh waiting for a alley oop

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This team is like Groundhog day its keeps doing the same thing over and over Gearon really is the one that’s the GM not Sund its sucks that it seems nothing will change in our life time with the Hawks .

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@brigadier

brigadier
May 31st, 2012
4:46 pm

high-sider,

did u follow hawks before crawford came to team and do u follow since he left?what is the euphoria with him since u said u fav players were mark price and mullin?
————————————————————

I followed the Hawks prior to Jamal Crawford coming to the team but I followed the Hawks more after Crawford became a team member of the Hawks. Crawford has a “smooth,” finesse offensive game with a very good to “pure” shooting touch. Crawford is a hybrid [cross] between a “pure” shooter and “pure” scorer who has the propensity to make difficult or “clutch” shots with a certain of amount regularity which the opposition has [come] to respect and must account [for].

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dmb, you sure all those girls wee doing is shining shoes baby. it is good to share in the profits but of what? maybe that is what chilled mom’s affection to your plan.

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Obviously my previous post did not format properly. I hope it is readable.

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this is so sad to read. Just do a Billy Knight if you’re not going to answer questions.

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Just do a Billy Knight if you’re not going to answer guestions.

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All bull crap….I can say a million questions that I wanted asked but it really doesn’t matter because he would have gave a dumb answer. Like Larry drew with his substitution patterns or his lack of presence defending his team against bad calls by refs or running ISO plays for Joe when the regular offense is working fine and then ISO plays just kill any momentum we had

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“Once the gray matter inside the cord is cut – the body does not repair or replace those neural cells.”- drmaryb-

drmaryb, maybe there is a way to repair the cord? The healthy body operates at a voltage between -25millivolts and -20millivolts.. Why not apply that voltage to the cord so those cells get a “jump start”, start to regenerate and possibly repair/restore the cord? I bet our military is already doing this?

There’s a book that’s been around since 1998 that I have to get my hands on..Its called:

“The Body Electric: Electromagnetism And The Foundation Of Life by Robert Becker and Gary Selden (Jul 22, 1998)”

“The Body Electric tells the fascinating story of our bioelectric selves. Robert O. Becker, a pioneer in the filed of regeneration and its relationship to electrical currents in living things, challenges the established mechanistic understanding of the body. He found clues to the healing process in the long-discarded theory that electricity is vital to life. But as exciting as Becker’s discoveries are, pointing to the day when human limbs, spinal cords, and organs may be regenerated after they have been damaged, equally fascinating is the story of Becker’s struggle to do such original work. The Body Electric explores new pathways in our understanding of evolution, acupuncture, psychic phenomena, and healing.”

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High-Sider,

So you really arent a fan of the Hawks team per se, but more a fan of individual players, correct?

Also, which is more important to you to be a fan of a player or a fan of a team??

Do you reside in Ga or some other state?Also, did you become a fan of the Trailblazers when Jamal got on the team?

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doc,

The problem is the ASG want a ‘yes man’ for their GM.

If it was up to me, my list would of possibleGM replacements would include Thunder vice president and assistant general manager Troy Weaver, Spurs assistant GM Dennis Lindsey, and Oklahoma City’s assistant GM Rob Hennigan, who came into the league with the Spurs.

It is interesting to note that Portland wanted to talk to Rick Sund (who still has a home in the NW), and the ASG told them no. I remember when 2 of our assistant coaches (including LD) wanted to go somewhere else, and they were told no.

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QUESTION OF ALL IS… WHEN WILL YOU BE IN SEATTLE OR SOMEWHERE ELSE ?

IT IS WAY PAST TIME THIS FRANCHISE MOVED OUT OF ATLANTA, THEY ARE A COMPLETE WASTE OF EVERYONE’S TIME !!!!

GO AWAY hawks, ONCE AND FOR ALL !!!!

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Not sure why Sund granted the interview. I could have given answers just as enlightening and believe me, I have no particular insights into the NBA. What a joke!

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Billy Knight tried to FIRE WOODY and the Spirit Group would not let him so it doesn’t matter who’s the GM. Gearon and his boys just want a puppet in place.

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PREACH!

“Billy Knight tried to FIRE WOODY and the Spirit Group would not let him so it doesn’t matter who’s the GM. Gearon and his boys just want a puppet in place.” – Wolrdwide Clyde -
__________

SERMON!!! PULPIT!!! TABERNACLE!!!! PLATE PASSING NOW!!!!

You and me both hit on the BTK – BILLY KNIGHT & I didn’t even see your post there. This franchise has been attacked by a serial killer for decades: CP3, RONDO, DERON, IGUADOLLAR (see Nique’), etc

Bind
Torture
Kill

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You guys do know that Sac is not going to trade Cousins for Josh or Al straight up in all probability, and forget the lottery pick.

Last year in a weak draft it was reported Boston shopped Rondo for a lottery pick. No takers.

Most NBA teams highly over value lottery picks. So Cousins and a lottery pick for Josh or Al is not going to be happening anytime soon in all probability.

And another drawback of Josh/Marvin for Gasol is salary in 2013/14 – if you keep Teague and Zaza your looking at about 65 mill realistically for 5 players, not including 1st picks etc.

It gums up your cap space to bad

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Sessions I really like, but he looked like garbage in the Thunder series. He’s a backup on a good team, nothing more.

Sund wanting to trade down? Can we ever trade up to get talent? Does everything have to be predicated on selling picks to make money? Don’t trade down, trade up!

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SteveW, Sac are trying to get a new stadium somewhere. And they know an all star or borderline all star would clearly bring fans out to support the team, and have a greater financial outlook for their franchise in terms of a fan base. For what its worth, Al and Josh both have NBAtv commercials, while Cousins doesn’t even have a local tv commercial in Sacramento.

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SteveW, I think Sund meant trading up, because he said if the scouts find a talent they really like that they can trade down to get. I would think if they’re targeting someone its to trade up to assure they get that player.

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This is still Billy Knight’s team.

Look at the roster.

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PNS

Slim-juice,jr – 0ne more thing.

Peripheral Nervous System begins where the nerve roots exit the CNS on each side of the spinal column. The PNS (matrix of nerves) that innervates cells, organs, muscles may regenerate to a limited degree if surgically repaired but, only if they are not completely severed and, under extreme medical urgency and conditions (like fingers, toes, maybe an ankle) but, man you’re talking pure luck. A perfect storm of sorts.

CNS – Gray Matter indicates neural tracts, man that’s the gray horn area inside the cord. Untouchable stuff there.

Peripheral nerves are encased in a conduit of schwann cells that form a myelin sheath (like the outer plastic of live cable wires on your TV cable) if, you severe that plastic coating you can either put electrical tape around it or, splice it and put a splitter device to reconnect the live wires.

But, in the body you can’t really to that surgically. That is a procedure for a neuro-vascular surgeon. Maybe doc can help us here with PNS repair. But, the CNS for the most part (some brain lobes, non-central gyrus is operable) is beyond the scope of human ability. Inoperable and untouchable stuff there.

e.g. MS (Multiple Sclerosis) is an auto-immune disease where the brain attacks itself and de-myleinates the peripheral nerves, by destroying that sheath (that which insulates/protects/encases the live nerves) there are gaps along the long peripheral nerves where there is no sheath called “nodes of ranvier” this is where the electricity re-charges like a lightening bolt to jump and pop down the line to travel at the speed of light to control the organs, muscles and cells.

The body truly is electricity and 98% water. Amazing stuff that dis-spells the Theory of Evolution (man’s attempt to ignore God as the creator) and, explain away his awesomeness.

Buying or Selling?

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@brigadierjerry

brigadierjerry
May 31st, 2012
9:54 pm

High-Sider,

So you really arent a fan of the Hawks team per se, but more a fan of individual players, correct?

Also, which is more important to you to be a fan of a player or a fan of a team??

Do you reside in Ga or some other state?Also, did you become a fan of the Trailblazers when Jamal got on the team?
——————————————————————————————-

I am a fan of the Hawks as well as individual players. I’m not a fan of those poor and questionable Hawks management personnel and contract decisions.

Why can’t I be both a fan of individual players and [individual] teams? In the words of Bobby Brown, it’s “My Prerogative.”

I do not reside in [the U.S. state of] Georgia. I did become somewhat of a fan of the Blazers when Crawford joined the team but I still remained a fan of the Hawks, first.

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“He suggests that Wroten’s jump shot is broken and he isn;t a good teammate. Yep, that sounds like a Hawk draft pick.” – AJ

Oh, Wroten is the pick, go ahead and book it.

“3) Trading Bibby and 2 first round picks for Hinrich” – O’Brien

“Sund: That question should be to Coach.”

LD: That question should be to Owner.

Gearon: That question should be to GM.” – Najeh

Classic.

“Get a HANDLE – Troll!” – drmaryb

I thought that was you being sacastic!

“The Sund-Dance Kid…” – drmaryb

LOL too much good stuff!

“Teague CAN’T PASS. he can’t run the pick and roll..”

Calling BS here. Teague could run the p ‘n r like a champ if LD had ever heard of it. I mean, this is the most fundamental play in the NBA. And we don’t run it.

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Sund mentioning the possibility the team might trade down in the draft tells me they’re not wanting to pay to add talent. The team needs to be thinking of moving up, not down.

His BS about paying tax this season ignored the fact he’s already sold a pick to pay for the luxury tax. The only way this team will contend for a title is to fall backwards into talent.

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“Barnes is another Marvin Williams. And this is coming from a UNC fan.” – Ra’mon

Co-sign

“JT is not the problem with this team,it’s LD.” – Rusty

Co-sign

Hawks trading down to take Wroten and his broke jumper! Projected as a second round pick by nbadraft.net!

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drmaryb! and
I worked a trade on ESPN trade machine:
Marvin (@ 7 mill) for HOU PG Kyle Lowery (~5 mill) + PF Patrick Patterson (~ 1.9 mill). It went through.

K. Lowery apparently is having gettng along issues w/coach Kevin McHale. Snag is convincing ASG to let go of Marvin and convincing HOU that they NEED Marvin. LOL.
We get another proven PG to push Jeff or back up Jeff, and another young body as backup for PF/SF.

After doing that deal, I would draft SF Jeff Taylor (Vandy), or Moe Harkless (St. Johns),then maybe work some vet. min deals to fill in voids @ SG.

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Great Job on the interview MC…jeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeez…on SUND responses. SAME OLE HAWKS!

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Dear Rick Sund,

This is how you improve the Atlanta Hawks give Joe Johnson a contract extension, where he makes less per year and a little more over the life time of the contract, and make the contract more “performance based”!! Also, Give Jeff Teague, Al Horford, and Josh Smith contract extensions w/ more money to keep our core group together, then go out and a “True Star Player”, and strengthen our bench.

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OB, Zaza is a free agent in 13 months. So if you trade Al this summer for a non-big, you could easily have 0 quality bigs on your roster in 13 months. That seems just plain stupid to me.

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@Melvin. The problem with playing Joe at the sf is that he does not rebound.

@Buddy. I read like a month ago that the Hawks really like Wroten. Im not a big fan of his. He cant shoot and he turns the ball over way too much. Its a great video breakdown of his game on youtube.. I would not be shocked if the Hawks selected him.

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^Correction[s]:

1. “…Joe Johnson*: -11; avg. ~18-19ppg as a starter in Hawks-Magic playoff series…”

2. “…As you can see, the three best Hawks players [J. Crawford, J. Johnson and A. Horford]* in that 2011 Hawks-Magic playoff series…”

3. “…while arguably the two worst players [M. Williams and J. Collins]* in that same playoff series had the best individual aggregate +/- statistics [net points]…”

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Melvin, the one and only way I move Al is AFTER Josh signs an extension. That whole “one in the hand” thing.

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SteveW

May 31st, 2012
11:09 pm

You guys do know that Sac is not going to trade Cousins for Josh or Al straight up in all probability, and forget the lottery pick.

Last year in a weak draft it was reported Boston shopped Rondo for a lottery pick. No takers.

Most NBA teams highly over value lottery picks. So Cousins and a lottery pick for Josh or Al is not going to be happening anytime soon in all probability.

And another drawback of Josh/Marvin for Gasol is salary in 2013/14 – if you keep Teague and Zaza your looking at about 65 mill realistically for 5 players, not including 1st picks etc.

It gums up your cap space to bad

****************

If you have Gasol in the mix, Zaza is expendable. That’s actually another reason why to do a Gasol for Josh/Marvin trade. Not only does that somewhat protect you from the loss of Josh, it protects you from the loss of Zaza as well.

The most overpaid people in the NBA are mediocre centers.

In a Gasol – Horford – Zaza – Ivan frontline, I could see the minutes going something like this

PF – Horford ( 24 ) – Gasol ( 12 ) – Ivan ( 12 )
C – Gasol ( 22 ) – Zaza ( 16 ) – Horford ( 10 )

You lose Zaza, and you still have Horford and Gasol who can man the 5 spot. At that point, you’d need another center to at least give you size in the middle. Or you increase the minutes of a guy like Ivan.

PF – Horford ( 24 ) – Ivan ( 24 )
C – Gasol ( 36 ) – Horford ( 12 )

or

PF – Horford ( 22 ) – Ivan ( 16 ) – Gasol ( 10 )
C – Gasol ( 24 ) – Horford ( 14 ) – free agent/young center ( 10 )

No way should the potential loss of Zaza prevent the Hawks from doing a Gasol for Smith/Marvin deal. Zaza is definitely replaceable.

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^Correction: “…FYI, Jamal Crawford [at 0.927] led the NBA in FT% this 2011-2012 [regular season*]…”

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Slim-Juice,Jr

“BTW, In the book “The1 minute cure” by Madison Cavanaugh, she talks about curing MS and a host of other diseases using food grade 35% Hydrogen Peroxide! Fascinating read too!

Hydrogen Peroxide= H2O2, that extra molecule of Oxygen[donor of electrons] is so powerful, NASA
used it to send rockets to the moon and beyond….Imagine what it can do for the Human[energize] Body?”
________

I just ordered this book online at Amazon. I can’t wait for it to get here. You have all the mental mappings of a health care provider. The world of medicine could use a forward thinker like yourself. I feel lucky to have met you.

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Slim-Juice,Jr

you can also visit my website @: optimalkeys.com

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High-sider

June 1st, 2012
12:03 pm

^Correction: “…FYI, Jamal Crawford [at 0.927] led the NBA in FT% this 2011-2012 [regular season*]…”

*******************

. . . . while only averaging 3.4 attempts per game.

It’s like I said about JJ earlier in the week. What good is it to be a great FT shooter, if you don’t get to the line nearly enough for that to be a factor?.

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time for a change. it’s time for rick sund to go.the hawks will be stuck in failure as long as he’s GM

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Maybe they saw a ranking of the most long 2s in the NBA, and decided that Josh must be playing SF.

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Listen Yawl:

we do not need a player for player trade [Josh].
* r.e.; Rudy Gay

This yr [2012] is the deepest draft since 2003. LBJ, Melo, Wade; et al

In the `03 draft there were:
*58 players drafted
*28 players are still in the league – *(have had a 9 yr career)
*18 of those players are / were on play-off teams ” this ‘ yr [2012]
*9 of those players are playing on teams that are still alive / play-offs

My point:
trade Josh to Houston for the diminished trade value of Kyle Lowry !
-Plus-
Both Houston`s two first round picks.
Addendum;
add Teaguer to the trade
-also-
attempt to add Scola.

The objective – coup de gras – is to receive the *’`two picks`’*

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BIG DOG,

I could get behind a Josh for B. Lopez trade if Lopez signed for no more than $8-$10M a year and Brooklyn threw in a future pick of some sort. There are worse trades to be made. Lopez has more of a post game than Josh or Al. Unfortunately, he can’t rebound a lick & his defense is very average. Heck, use Pachulia is a S&T for his brother. Draft Nicholson at #23. That’s a very young front line with good size. Hire a big man coach (Patrick Ewing???) to teach them Lopez boys how to rebound & defend.

1st team:
A. Horford $12M (high post) / B. Lopez $10M (low post)

2nd team:
A. Nicholson $1M (low post) / R. Lopez $5M (high post)

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What do you guys think about drafting Royce White or Quincy Miller?
Royce a 6′8 270 pound sf who is good at everything and Quincy a 6′10 sf.

or even Fab Melo or M.Teague and move J.Teague to the 2 spot?

any opinions?

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msc…R. White’s anxiety issues & jumper worry me. Miller’s knees worry me. Both have high upside though.

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If White didnt have those anxiety issues I think he would go in the teens in this draft. Miller will be a steal if he can get back some of that lift and quickness he lost with the injury in High School. From the workout reports Ive read he looks to be moving a lot better than he did this past season at Baylor. I think after the Chicago camp and the measurements come out a lot of guys will start rising while others fall. Miller could be one that rises if he does have a crazy wingspan and test out well athletically. I read somewhere he has like a 7′4 wingspan. I dont know if that measurment is correct or not.

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^Correction: “…Crawford’s NBA free throw rankings for the 2011-2012 [regular season*] are…”

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ESPNU will be showing the draft combine June 7-8 for those who want to check it out

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^Correction: “…Crawford’s rankings in FTM Average [43rd] and FTM Totals [42nd] [are*] better than many, if not most, starting guards in the NBA…”

I’m making too many mistakes. LOL

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Hawks are on the right path. Stay the course, grasshopper.
good things come to those who wait.
2013 NBA Champion Atl Hawks!!!
ya gotta believe, if ya wanna achieve.

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Pau Gasol:
‘` I think that we had a good season,
*-but- it could have been *[way better]
*-since- we didn’t achieve our *[goal] of
*[winning the championship].`’
_____________________________________________

This is how Champions;
with a Champion mentality;
who have been cultivated within a Winning Culture;
think, speak, and answer questions.

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Astro Joe / Just Joe / northcyde

two scenarios:

1st:
Lowry starts at pg …
Teague @ the [2] if he`s not inserted into the deal.
*[subsequent JoeJ trades in the works as well]
Lowry player for player Josh (besides the picks)
*50% chance = 2 picks / Harkless or A.Nicholson 1 will pan out
* for Astro Joe
* for Just Joe Intelligent bench player / low post scorer /
trade bait when he goes into his final contract yr
I see Harkless `though 19 yrs old as a defensive stopper yr one.
I also see him as a [2] guard / wing defender:
Battier / Kawhi Leonard = dynamic offense by yr 3 !
A.Nicholson could start yr one:
However; I would not due to Zaza, has earned the starters job.
Coaching psychology:
let A. Nich come off bench play starters min at three pos. [3, 4, 5]
Both these kids are legit.
I`ve seen one scouting report that has M.harkless above kidd Gilchrist.
Scott Machado will be a true pg;
if we have to give up Teaguer, then Lowrey is no slouch with Machado
backing him up.

We become deeper, more well rounded, better defensively;
*Lowry = tenacious
*Harkless = defensive stopper … think Gerald Wallace [def only]
*Nicholson = Rim Defender [length] will measure 6-9 or 6-10 ?

Josh does not wish to be here.

2nd possible scenario:
Flip Lowry & Joe for Gasol !
-then-
sign Steve Nash !
-also-
make a run @ Gerald Wallace !
[dependent on unloading Joe`s salary] !

Yes – I understand forward thinking.
Yes – I understand the industry !

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*Scola

* for Just Joe Intelligent bench player / low post scorer /
trade bait when he goes into his final contract yr

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Josh Wants Out!
June 1st, 2012
3:47 pm

Hawks are on the right path. Stay the course, grasshopper.
good things come to those who wait.
2013 NBA Champion Atl Hawks!!!
ya gotta believe, if ya wanna achieve.
______________________________

“Good things come to those who wait.”

Wait how long?

After 44 years of waiting, you suggest we “stay the course”?

What an insult.

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“Hawks’ Summer 2012:

June 22: Rick Sund accepts job as GM of Portland Trailblazers. David Pendergraft is named the Atlanta Hawks GM.
Michael Gearon Jr: “We want to thank Rick Sund for his contributions to the Atlanta Hawks franchise. He is a very savvy and professional executive who really helped this team mature and grow through the years. We wish him nothing but the best”

June 24: Hawks pick up Larry Drew’s option.

July 3: A list of teams interested in JaVale McGee is reported, with the Hawks among them. The Hawks do not end up signing JaVale McGee.

July 5: A list of teams interested in Jason Terry is reported, including the Hawks. The Hawks ideally want Terry in a 6th Man role, but he shuns the Hawks, given how his prior stint with the franchise occurred.

July 6: Hawks sign Kirk Hinrich to $12 million/3 year contract.
David Pendergraft: “Kirk Hinrich has been an integral part of this franchise since we traded for him in February 2011. He has taken Jeff Teague under his wing and shown him the ropes of the game”

July 12: Joe Johnson on whether moves need to be made: “Nah man. What we got here is good. We just need to sign a few vets. We really kept our resolve this year, given all the injuries we had to endure.

July 14: Marvin Williams on his summer:
“Man I’ve just been at Chapel Hill. I just got a few semesters left until I get this African Studies Degree.
**MC: What aspects of your game are you working on this summer?
-Marvin: Just perimeter shooting in general. I need to become more reliable as a 3 point shooter also. I’m still working out with Sean May, and I even saw Raymond Felton drop by a few days ago

July 18: Michael Gearon Jr. interview with Michael Cunningham
**MC: What do you think about Joe’s performance on his contract so far?
-Gearon: I think he is still an elite shooting guard. Most people don’t know this, but Joe has had knee issues the last few years, and the fact he has insisted on playing shows he is a true warrior. That’s the funny thing about the NBA. Going into summer 2010, we had about 8 million in cap space if we let Joe go. So who do we go sign and still maintain our status as the 3 seed in the East if Joe leaves? Do we sign Bubba Jones off the street [Gearon laughs while MC looks at him curiously]?
**MC: What do you have to say to those who claim the team has taken a step back from last year?
-Gearon: That’s the funny thing about the NBA. You can overachieve in the regular season given what you have, and in the Playoffs, it’s a whole different animal. You look at the Dallas Mavericks. They won the Championship last year. They lost Tyson Chandler. They added the NBA’s 6th Man from last year. This year, they got swept by the Oklahoma City Thunder. We lost in 6 games to a team that has been elite for 5 years. We were the most injured Playoff team in the league this year. You cannot judge this team based off one Playoff series. We had a two-time All-Star who missed almost the entire regular season.
**MC: A lot of fans have the feeling that it’s the same drill every season and the ownership isn’t dedicated to winning – that this core has hit its ceiling
-Gearon: [Laughs]. Michael, you look at the Detroit Pistons, the San Antonio Spurs, and the Boston Celtics. Those main cores have been together for years. Have they been to the Finals every single year that their core has been together? An analogy I like to use is that you have to crawl before you walk. Josh and Al are just now entering their prime ages, and Joe is a 6x NBA All Star. You look at our Playoffs series against Boston. Going against 4 future Hall of Famers and a Hall of Fame coach, we played tremendous defense. We are always looking to build on what we did well and address what didn’t. Like, if I go to the same restaurant, let’s say ZaZa’s, and the service is lousy each time (God Bless ZaZa [chuckles]!), do I just quietly take the bad service every time I go? Let’s say the restaurant allows the patrons to fill out anonymous surveys. The key, Michael, is you always have to evaluate the situation and try to improve what’s good and address what’s bad. [MC thinks: "What the hell does that story have to do with anything?]
-Gearon: I know a lot of fans are upset about not winning a Championship this year, but so are 28 other teams. You look at Sacramento and Golden State. Those teams were last relevant when I HAD hair [chuckles]!
**MC: It’s been widely reported Josh Smith wants out. How do you plan on dealing with the situation?
-Gearon: I’ve known Josh and his family for so many years and it’s been incredible watching him grow up from a skinny high school kid all the way to a star in the NBA. He is the engine that keeps this team moving, especially with the injuries to several key guys this year. You look at LeBron James and you look at Josh Smith, and these are two very special players……[**notice how the question isn't actually addressed]

July 24: Larry Drew interview with Michael Cunningham
**MC: What changes do you hope to bring to this roster in terms of coaching this season?
-LD: We need to approach this season with a certain physicality. I noticed at times these last two seasons we did not display a certain sense of urgency, and if you do that in the NBA, it will be a long season.
**MC: Many people say that Josh Smith’s jumpshooting has been out of control, moreso than it was when Woodson was here. How do you plan to address this for the coming season?
-LD: ………um, well Josh has to recognize his role in the offense. He is so important to this team.
**MC: Do you have anything to say about Marvin or Horford? Marvin, one can say, had a dreadful first 4 games in the Boston series, and Joe really looked uninspiring at time in the regular season and playoffs.
-LD: No. Those guys are not allowed to be called out. It is clear that Teague and Josh Smith are the scapegoats for every problem this team has.

August 2: Hawks offer Ivan Johnson 1 year contract for the smallest possible amount. Ivan, seeing Pendergraft at the Hawks gym one morning, curses him out and has to be restrained by Anthony Johnson.

August 5: Hawks sign veteran guard Mike James to 1-year veteran minimum contract

August 11: Hawks sign veteran forward Darius Miles to 1-year veteran minimum contract

October 14: Hawks sign Matt Harpring as player development coach

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I would like to get Gerald Green but I think some teams are going to throw decent money at him after how improved he looked this past season. You know the Hawks want all bargain bin players. They will be looking at vet min contracts again this year to fill out the roster. Probably one or two guys from the summer league team make the roster too.

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Terrance Jones in beast mode

http://youtu.be/aszTWWSwRC4

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KevinM,

Hey Slim, what was LD’s record in Year 1 vs. teams over .500?.

This year, LD and the Hawks were 14-21 (40%) against teams over .500. Last year, they were 14-26 (35%), so they improved slightly this season. And they did not have as many blowout losses as they had last year.

I think LD is an average coach,but when you have a top 10 payroll, you need more than an average coach (imo).

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I make this trade ASAP if im the Hawks.

Josh for Lopez

http://youtu.be/DLO47cOU6Xc

BIG DOG IN THE HOUSE

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“BIG DOG

June 1st, 2012
8:23 pm
Terrance Jones in beast mode”

Dog, let me put a scare into you….do you know who TJ is being compared to at the NBA level? Do we really want to go this route? None other than Marvin…I don’t see it and I don’t see the other ones in him as well….Rashard Lewis and Jason Thompson. None of these guys are as powerful as TJ.

Me being a UK guy. I liken TJ to more of a power player who has moves in the post and can face the basket. BD, if he comes here, he is not going to get any development benefit. He needs a coach who can push him to achieve greatness….LD is no such coach. He would rather let him languish on the bench until he is forced to play him.

Now, you keep Josh and Al and Ivan…there is no room for TJ.

And if Josh is intent on being a SF here, move him. I don’t want him as my 3. I want him on the inside where he is one of the best IMO. He’s as good as Zach Randolph and that cat is a handful when he gets it going.

But we need a guy who can shoot the long jumper and a guy who can run the team should something happen to JT.

I will pine one more time for Doron Lamb. You can have Waiters. I don’t think he is a natural shooter. I see him more of a Afflalo than a scorer.

I might accept a draft pick of Draymond Green, being that he was elite at MSU. But if Josh is here, you’re wasting that pick like you did with JC2. All Crawford did was slow down the development of JT and he isn’t a PG. But LD thought he was…..like Woody thought Diaw was….ugh.

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BIG DOG, not only is Sullinger not 6′10″, I have my doubts that he is 6′8″. And no way he will be on the draft board past pick 18.

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If you are hoping Dion Waiters drops to 23, you are wanting a defensive type guard. He has that Marvin Williams in that he was a key bench contributor but couldn’t crack the starting lineup.

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0`B

If I played Teaguer alongside a true pg;
say Nash or even Lowry,
I would play Jeff at the [2] on offense and match the other one
[whichever] on the weakest link – opponent guard.
Usually the quicker guard being the opponent`s pg.
Therefore JT would [most times] defend the point.
On some occasions Lowry, even though only 6-0,
is very strong, a great rebounding pg,
so he could handle himself vs most [2] guards.
KL was considered a combo guard for too long.
Now a true pg. / Still defensive match-ups would be accordingly.

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cp

We will have to trade up to get either Harkless, Nicholson, or both.

Which is why;
I am wishing for a trade / trades for Xtra picks.
All the while keeping our 23;
because Machado is moving up as well.
and we would need to use 23 to get him.

However I would not select Machado;
if there were not prelininary choices.

That is why we need a GM -NOW- !
As J.Shultz said:
This is preparation time … Right Now !

‘`Proper Planning Prevents Piss Poor Performance`’

The 6 “Ps” of success;
an old Army Sgt. told me that one a long time ago.

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Duncan = Great / Russell = GREATER !

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‘Most closer’ I know is terrible grammar, lol.

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This interview is embarrassing, good grief he sounds like a guy who once out of here

Boston whips Miami tonight with a lineup that included Marquis Daniels and Keyon Dooling

The last two teams in the East are playing without Chris Bosh, Avery Bradley and Jeff Green- and I have yet to hear Pat Riley and Danny Ainge whine about their circumstances

If ISO Joe is really worth the money then he should be able to carry this team like Lebron and Rondo do

But we all know the reality is that Joe is more of a complimentary piece than a superstar

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Now we just need to get Malcolm Thomas in here for mini camp and summer league. That kid is way too athletic to not be in the league. 6′9″ PF with a 7′2″ wingspan. First rookie team in d league. First team in d league. First defensive team in d league. In playoffs, 18 pts, 12 rebs, 2 assists, 1 block, on 61% shooting over 34 minutes per game. He was over 2 blocks per game in the regular season.

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Draft express, in their mock, has us taking a guy that we haven’t talked about much, Arnett Moultrie from Mississippi St. I like his rebounding, but for a big guy, he doesn’t block many shots. Not too sure about his motor either. Does he want to be great, or does he want a check?

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@Grandad. Yea you’re right. We would have to trade up to get either guy. After the combine we should get a good feel about who will be rising and falling.

@Just Joe. If im not mistaken Moultrie actually played the sf positin for a while. He is very versitile but like you I dont like the lack of shot blocking for a guy so long and athletic.

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“D. Caracter from the Lakers will be playing the Hawks Summer League this season. He’s a 6′9 PF from UTEP. Don’t know any more about him.”

Supposedly he had offers overseas and the Lakers offered him a guaranteed contract as a second round pick, something that’s practically unheard of. I saw him play his rookie season with the Lakers and he didn’t look terrible, just a bit overweight. Not surprised he didn’t stick there because the Lakers power rotation is hard to crack. If he can get his conditioning right, he could join Ivan as a low-cost rotation big man.

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Rick Sund, does not have a glue of what is going on!!!

First off the core of the team was build by Billy Knight, and nothing has really changed.
Billy Knight was a dam fool for quitting, his job as gm. He let these people run him out of town.

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““Sund is the only GM in the history of the NBA that would trade 2 #1 picks, an expiring contract for KH.” – dap01

If LD had never played Green or Pargo a single minute in the Celtics series and had given all those minutes at PG and SG to Teague, Kirk, T-Mac and Joe, the Hawks might still be playing. Hard to judge the Hinrich trade when LD decided to play minimum salary vets that no other team wanted rather than the player we gave up two first round picks to get.” – Buddy Grizzard @12:57pm, 6/2/2012

The “Hinrich trade” isn’t hard for me to judge at all; it [the trade] proved to be a failure, a flop, and a complete disaster. In the 2011-2012 regular season, Hinrich averaged 6.6ppg, 2.1rpg and 2.8apg. In the 2012 playoffs, Hinrich averaged 5.7ppg, 2.0rpg and 1.0apg vs. the Celtics. In the playoffs this year vs. the Celtics, Kirk Hinrich went scoreless from the beginning of the 3rd quarter of Game 2 to the end of the 4th quarter and overtime of Game 3. In other words, Kirk Hinrich went scoreless for 6+ quarters [78 minutes] of playoff basketball. Kirk Hinrich scored a combined total of two points from the beginning of the 3rd quarter of Game 2 to the end of the 4th quarter of Game 4 vs. the Celtics in the 2012 playoffs. This time Kirk Hinrich scored only two points during 10+ quarters [125 minutes] of playoff basketball. From Game 2 to Game 4, Hinrich accumulated [approximately] 85 minutes and 17 seconds of playing time. This [amount of playing] shows [that] Hinrich had an ample opportunity to score the basketball. Hinrich attempted a total of 30 field goals [shots] in six playoff games vs. the Celtics; that calculates [out] to six field goal attempts per game [6 FGA's/game]. Hinrich showed himself to be a “shooting guard” who didn’t “shoot.” Finally, for those enamored with +/- statistics, Hinrich finished the 2012 playoffs with an aggregate +/- statistic [number] of -17, which was tied for [the] 4th worst on the Hawks [team]. What is your assessment of that “Hinrich trade” now?

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Over the next few weeks, don’t be surprised if a large number of teams outside of the lottery try to trade their first-round pick. Multiple sources have told HOOPSWORLD that a lot of teams are trying to get rid their pick, which could make for an interesting draft night. “Almost everyone wants to get out of their pick in this draft,” said one Western Conference executive. “For some teams, it’s hard to take on money for multiple years in this economic climate, especially if the player would not make an impact and help the team win immediately.” HoopsWorld

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AJ, thankfully the Hawks can not trade out of this years first round.

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Astro Joe

June 2nd, 2012
9:16 pm

Over the next few weeks, don’t be surprised if a large number of teams outside of the lottery try to trade their first-round pick. Multiple sources have told HOOPSWORLD that a lot of teams are trying to get rid their pick, which could make for an interesting draft night. “Almost everyone wants to get out of their pick in this draft,” said one Western Conference executive. “For some teams, it’s hard to take on money for multiple years in this economic climate, especially if the player would not make an impact and help the team win immediately.” HoopsWorld

**********************

Translation: This draft isn’t nearly as good as people think it is. Hawks actually NEED to use their pick though. Glad those idiots can’t trade it, as Ra’mon said.

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Rick Sund good moves were:
-Trading for Jamal Crawford
-Re-signing Zaza for what now seems to be a reasonable contract for back up center
- Drafting Jeff Teague
- Extending Al Horford
- Not re-signing Josh Childress
- Signing Flip and Mo the first season

Sunds moves that were terrible
- Re-signing Mike Bibby for longer than a 1 or 2 year deal, when there were no other offers
- Re-signing Marvin Williams for anything more than $6 mil a season annually and longer than 3 year max
- Trading Jordan Crawford, a draft pick, Mo Evans, and a contract that should’ve never been offered (Bibby) for injured prone Kirk and a journeyman bean pole in Armstrong.
- Re-signing Collins

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Good to see OKC tie it up at 2. Its amazing what can happen when you get your draft picks right (Durant, Westbrook, Harden and Ibaka).

I am guilty of bringing up the Marvin over CP3 and Deron draft, so I cant help but wonder if Portland fans are wondering “what-if” they had drafted Durant.

Hopefully Boston can win tomorrow and tie up their series at 2-2

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“…Sunds moves that were terrible
- Re-signing Mike Bibby for longer than a 1 or 2 year deal, when there were no other offers
- Re-signing Marvin Williams for anything more than $6 mil a season annually and longer than 3 year max
- Trading Jordan Crawford, a draft pick, Mo Evans, and a contract that should’ve never been offered (Bibby) for injured prone Kirk and a journeyman bean pole in Armstrong.
- Re-signing Collins.” – Ra’mon

What about [the bad "moves" of] initially offering and signing Joe Johnson to a max[imum] contract and “squandering” [not re-signing] Jamal Crawford?

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O’B, BK traded for Bibby, not Sund.

G’Dad, I truly believe the draft pick and JC2 were all in one, so they go together. And if Sund hadn’t re-signed Bibby to that deal, then we wouldn’t have needed to deal for Kirk, because would’ve had flexibility to add a mid level guy.

High-sider, Sund didn’t sign Joe. There’s no way he did THAT deal. That was all Gearon. Gearon is always concerned with luxury tax, so I know he would be the only one who has the say so on giving a very top max deal to any player.

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northcyde

This is a *’`deep`’* draft !

Teems that are wishing to get out;
are those with decisions, from 4 – 8, 9, 10.

Those carry the Big rookie contract nimbers and
the likelihood of getting a plyr just as good from
15 – 25 are about the same.

Projected lottery picks such as:
Bradley Beal … John Jenkins or Kevin Murphy may be better.
*[for less $]

same;
Perry Jones, Arnett Moultrie;
Andrew Nicholson will be better

Kidd Gilchrist some say Moe Harkless will turn out to be = or better ?

Why pick Drummond @ # 3 when some have Sullinger
-now- going @ #17.
Who`s to say Sully will not be better ?
last yr or yr before “Sullinger was Drummond” a top 3 projection.

Jeremy Lamb – high lottery – see Bradley Beal !

Damian Lillard @ pg, why would you want to waste a #6 pick [Prtlnd]
when Kendall Marshall will be available after him at 10 or below ?

Thomas Robinson; considered the 2nd or 3rd best player
in the draft;
but he is going to be a workmanlike player,
not a Star. [ probably a 16 & 12 guy] @ best.

Then there is Harrison Barnes ?
He is the ultimate gamble ” All ” or ” Bust ” ?
____________________________________________

nc
This is where a Team like our Hawks must make Hay.
Teams wanting to get out of the 1st round.
Josh wants out of ATL.
What better scenario ?
Lowry wants out of Houston – Houston has two 1st round picks.
‘`Let`s Make a Deal`’ … -Monty Hall-

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One of many:

http://www.nba.com/2012/news/features/scott_howard_cooper/05/30/mock-draft/index.html?ls=iref:nbahpt1

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Sund could break a hip, tap-dancing like that at his age.

I like how he defers stuff to the head coach, who has no clue….and MC knows this, so don’t be looking too hard for an LD Q&A.

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I do find it funny that scoring is our team’s problem, as evidenced against Boston. Jordan Crawford would seem like the bench solution to that, no?

Not so, and for a number of reasons. Larry Drew is reason number one, as he does not know how to develop young guards (or anything else for that matter) and had the gall to say that he felt Crawford didn’t know the difference between good and bad shots….while showing he didn’t have the ability to teach Josh Smith the same lesson. Moron.

From a paper standpoint, keeping JC2 would have solved a lot for us, at a much cheaper rate than what we were paying for JC1.

Here’s the good news – Hinrich’s contract is expiring.

Here’s the bad news – he could be retained by this farce of an organization, and used in exactly the same fashion.

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The hawks owners needs to let R. Sund, go on back to Seatte, or wherever he’s from
he has no business being a gm, of any team in the nba. He’s scared to give tv interviews, I
don’t see him at hawks games, he admitts he does not know who in the draft that the team may be
looking at, or who are any of the college player are. he says that’s not my job.

It may not be your job directly, but you are the gm, and all of these people work for you. “you must
have forgotten”.

If any other gm in the nba, are asked what does your team needs out of the up coming draft or free
agency to get to the next level, they could easily explain the type of players they are looking for and
what steps they are taking to achieve these goals. NOT R. SUND

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Someone said the Hawks need a pasing PG. I disagree, teams with non-tradition PGs have won the title. What matters is the Hawks need is for their players to PLAY TO THEIR STRENGTHS and their coach to emphasize it every day, in practice and during games. Will it happen? Well you have some people (fans and those who gets paid by ASG) making excuses for certain players who refuse to play to their strengths, so they obviously don’t expect it. Bottom line, it doesn’t matter what you run, if you execute properly, you will be great.

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@ Sugar Ray

Got to agree with that a passing PG won’t do us any good even if we had Rajon Rondo in the lineup I don’t think we would still win a National Championship.

The real question which position is in the greatest need is C now the most needed still because with the way Zaza has played up until that injury say what you want, but he plays his heart out may have stone hands and what not, but you can’t rely on people like Zaza to win you games he’s not the suppose superstars that’s Al Horford, Joe Johnson, and Josh Smith for the team I’m saying.

I say we get a SF or SG the SG is in case Joe Johnson is gone soon and the SF if Josh leaves.

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Just Joe, Josh demanded a double team on the post all of last season. How do you think Joe got so many wide open looks for the corner three or weakside wing three.

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I disagree that Josh consistently demanded a double team in the post. He did show the ability to beat his man off the dribble and force other defenders to slide over to help. I’m talking more about having to send the extra defender before the first defender is beaten (forcing the offensive player to either give up the ball or try to beat the double team).

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G’dad, maybe so. But Josh’s trade value diminishes without him agreeing to an extension with the new team he would go to. So no team will be willing to give up their draft picks, plus proven talent for a one year rental in Josh.

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Just Joe, majority of the times, Josh on the block brought a double team. That’s why Josh’s touches improved half way through the season when Joe got hurt, because he showed the ability to pass out of the double team, better than any one on the team not named McGrady.

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Josh is only wishing to leave only because he sees how we see ASKG their cheap.

I don’t mean cheap as in they don’t spend money they do but not wisely this past season was probably the best in terms of pickups from Free Agents, but not by much.

When your Center lineup consists of Al Horford(Not a real C, but can play), Zaza, Jason Collins, and Dampier(way past anything).

Basically Zaza is the guy you fall back on when Horford went down and he rose to the occasion this past season, but after Zaza you got Damp and Collins. Those two all they are truthfully right now are just two bodies on the floor they can score, but I’m certain Josh looks at them like just bodies that won’t do much on the floor.

So if Josh does see that then that’s probably why he wishes to leave.

If ASKG wants us the fans to be more fair to them first get rid of Joe Max Johnson he’s Konkack II. dump off Marvin Williams he doesn’t really do much on the court plus he’s in the Top 5 of all time busts. maybe Top 10 at the max.

Get us a Real Coach L.D can be a coach, but I’d rather get someone from a championship contending team not one from the back yard.

Look what happened when Chicago did that they probably would have been contending had not rose gotten hurt and also Noah as well.

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Lol, nope. It’s Rah’moan

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Just Joe, I respect that.

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Ray Josh has made it clear he doesnt want to leave. That rumor is being concocted by the Al houdini supporters like Mike Cunningham.

Here’s what Josh is on record saying :

By Associated Press

DENVER — The Atlanta Hawks have no plans to deal Josh Smith before Thursday’s deadline, according to their co-owner.

“The likelihood of us trading Josh at the trade deadline is as close to zero as you can get,” Bruce Levenson told The Associated Press on Tuesday.

“There were a bunch of guys in the All-Star game that I wouldn’t trade for Josh, given what he brings not only to our team but to the community. He’s from Atlanta. He’s made terrific contributions to the community. It’s really hard, particularly in the middle of the season, to find that caliber player for Josh.”

Numerous reports have stated Smith wants out of Atlanta. But Levenson said those rumors are unfounded and that Smith has told him they aren’t coming from the player.

“I don’t know where the rumors are coming from and neither does Josh,” Levenson said. “Josh said to me, `They’re not coming from me, Bruce. They’re not coming from my agent.”’

Levenson said the Hawks have been contacted by other teams and wouldn’t definitely rule out any deal before Thursday’s 3 p.m. EDT deadline.

“Two days is a long time, at least in the trade world,” Levenson said. “Josh is a very smart guy. He understands the game, he understands the business, and he understands how highly we value him. The likelihood, at this point in the year, of us receiving anywhere remotely close to equal value for Josh Smith is very, very close to zero.

Read more here: http://www.ledger-enquirer.com/2012/03/14/1971223/atlanta-hawks-co-owner-bruce-levenson.html#storylink=cpy

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Al houdini Horford’s career playoff history. 2012 numbers only represent 2 games after he rested the entire season.

Play off average? 11pts agm @42 games and very little impact. In fact his playoff average is worst than his career average. We can get equal or near number from Ivan or Zaza if given the same minutes. Al is a waste of a 16million dollars.

Year Team G GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% OFF DEF RPG APG SPG BPG TO PF PPG

07-08 ATL 7 7 39.6 0.472 0.000 0.741 3.1 7.3 10.4 3.6 0.4 1.0 2.14 3.71 12.6
08-09 ATL 9 9 28.0 0.424 0.000 0.667 1.3 4.4 5.8 2.0 0.7 0.7 0.44 2.89 6.9
09-10 ATL 11 11 35.3 0.523 1.000 0.839 2.5 6.5 9.0 1.8 0.7 1.7 1.36 3.18 14.6
10-11 ATL 12 12 39.0 0.423 0.000 0.769 2.1 7.5 9.6 3.5 0.4 1.0 1.42 2.75 11.3

11-12 ATL 3 2 36.0 0.588 0.000 0.750 1.7 6.7 8.3 2.7 1.3 1.3 4.00 3.67 15.3

Career – 42 41 35.5 0.474 0.250 0.764 2.2 6.5 8.7 2.7 0.6 1.1 1.50 3.12 11.7

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Ra`mon

I agree, Josh doesnt want to leave, It was Al horford who said ” I think that will be very interesting” when told that he would be moving back to florida if the D12 trade is made to put Howard and Josh together.

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Derek,

Are you a mind reader? What if Horford meant Josh and Howard together would be interesting? And are you even sure Al said “It will be interesting”, and not “interesting”.

And if that was Al’s exact words, since when does “it will be interesting” means he wants to leave?

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Sugar Ray Robinson

June 3rd, 2012
4:51 pm

It next to impossible to up grade Josh because he is one of the best power forwards in the game. A top 4 at the position easily. Not the case with Al who as a center is mediocre as a scorer and poor as a defender, ranking some where between 12-17 amongst centers and amongst power forward hed rank some where between 28 -35.

Its very funny that Al starts drama about playing Josh position, which wouldnt be funny if he could play the position better than Josh. Clearly hes not in Josh’s league as a power forward and is only average as a center.

Dump the Chump.

******************

Josh Smith Player 48-minute production by position @ PF in 2012

25.7 ppg ( on 23 shots )
12.7 rebs
5.2 asst
2.2 blks
47% eFG%
20.2 PER

Al Horford Player 48-minuted production by position @ PF in 2011

21.2 ppg ( on 18 shots )
11.5 rebs
4.8 asst
1.0 blks
54% eFG%
19.6 PER

********************

You make it sound like there’s some tremendous dropoff in talent from Smith to Horford. The truth is that Smith is a better rim protector. Other than that, he really doesn’t do anything better than Horford.

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Funny how expiring contracts usally bring added trade value, except in the case of someone like Josh, huh? I am still of the belief that finding quality bigs with another 3-5 years of prime ball ahead of them is not very easy. So trading Al without locking up Josh could easily mean that you lose 2 such talented and and in-their-prime bigs within 12 months of each other. That would be beyond stupid.

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O’Brien. The point is that people are trying to make like Horford is a complete scrub, and that is far from the case.

I, along with everyone else, was disappointed with how he played in last year’s playoffs, when he played PF a good deal of the time. Those same people, however, act like Josh and his 39% FG shooting in the playoffs was some tremendous upgrade over what Horford could give us at PF.

Give Horford 17 shots a game, and he could average 19 points as well, just like Josh did. He can definitely rebound at the same rate or higher. He just won’t block as many shots.

Josh Smith is an extremely important cog to this team. During those times in which he plays to his strengths, he’s an All-Star talent. It’s just funny how people think Al couldn’t do the same thing that Josh did, if his usage dramatically increased.

If we don’t replace Josh with a similar or greater talent, Horford will forced to take on the role that Josh did last year. People act like if he took 17 shots a game, that he’d score 14 points. That’s BS. He’d be better than Josh offensively, just not as good defensively with weak side defense.

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First order of business, trade Marvin to Cleveland for their 2nd round pick. This is a straight money dump similiar to Miami trading Beasley to the TWolves for a 2nd round pick. Cleveland has a ton of cap space and still for some ungodly reason they convert Marvin. Even if the Hawks have to take back a garbage player for a year; it is salary dump which is the point.
Next, sign Ivan and Zaza (extension)!
If Josh does not resign by the end of the summer, trade hm for the best available 5. If he signs, draft or sign the best available SG or PG.
This is not rocket science. Just draft and sign FAs using COMMON SENSE!

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0`B

My 1st wish [Right Now] is to obtain [1st round] draft choices.
Josh is the – Best means to obtain those – I do believe.

2nd;
would be a means to trade Joe. [sorry nc]

3rd;
Keep Al

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“Cleveland has a ton of cap space and still for some ungodly reason they convert Marvin.”

No they don’t. No team is going to take Marvin and his 8 mil per year salary with a player option unless they can move another terrible contract. Nobody in Cleveland wants Marvin Williams.

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“Still playing fantasy basketball huh. Guess what. Horford won’t get 17 shots a game because he has no moves in the post, and he can’t create his own shot. Unless he works on his game, he is not a 17 shot a game player.”

Co-sign.

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Rod from c.p,

Man you are so right, I dont know why some of these people keep talking about someone trading Marvin. Aint nobody giving nothing for Marvin unless you take a bad contract in return back or send them a 1st rd draft pick for taking him off your hands. And it still might not happen even then.

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There is quite a bit of similarity between Joe Johnson’s per-36 numbers and Gerald Henderson’s per-36 numbers, except that Joe takes more shots and shoots better from 3. I’m pretty sure nobody is about to suggest that Henderson would adequately replace most of what Joe does, though, nor should they.

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For those who discuss Al`s lack of presence in the play-offs;
Here are some numbers:
Al shoots 59% from the field during the play-offs
Whereas Josh shoots 39% during the play-offs

Josh in virtually the same amount of games;
Has attempted approx 200 more shots [635]
Compared with Al`s [430]

They rebound at near exactly the same clip – 8.6 (Josh); 8.7 (Al)

As one would guess;
Josh avgs Two blks per – to Al`s one blk per.

*note – reflects career play-off records:
Josh (46) // Al (42)
__________________________________________

The reason I bring this up:

The erroneous perception that Al does not show up
For the post-season.
Also the negative propaganda the young man receives
On this here board.

My aim is not to discredit Josh;
Merely to show that Al is not the bum,
many of you perceive him to be.

`Tis not that if Josh is bad = Al is good;
-or-
If Al is bad Josh is good.
Tit for tat.

It`s okay to have two talented youngsters of near equal ability,
Though completely different in personality and style of play.
_______________________________________________

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*note – reflects career play-off records:
Josh (46) // Al (42) … games

** GAMES **

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If Josh is traded for someone who isn’t better than Joe and Al, this is what will happen. Joe will revert to his ball-dominating 2009-10 habits, LD will do nothing to stop it, Teague and Al will continue to not receive nearly enough touches, and when Al does receive post touches, he will not convert them at a high enough rate to justify doubling him and opening up looks for others. The only way this changes is if Al goes to the Hakeem camp and learns how to create shots for himself and others in the post this summer.

Unfortunately, there is no stat that backs this up. Stats are nice when placed in context and used to supplement good observations. They are not the end-all be-all of everything that happens on a basketball court.

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Najeh Davenpoop

June 4th, 2012
1:42 am

If Josh is traded for someone who isn’t better than Joe and Al, this is what will happen. Joe will revert to his ball-dominating 2009-10 habits, LD will do nothing to stop it, Teague and Al will continue to not receive nearly enough touches, and when Al does receive post touches, he will not convert them at a high enough rate to justify doubling him and opening up looks for others. The only way this changes is if Al goes to the Hakeem camp and learns how to create shots for himself and others in the post this summer.

Unfortunately, there is no stat that backs this up. Stats are nice when placed in context and used to supplement good observations. They are not the end-all be-all of everything that happens on a basketball court.

*****************

Complete BS Najeh.

Because someone on this team would have to elevate their game if a player not of Josh’s caliber came to the Hawks. It’s not like JJ is going to start taking 20 shots a game if Josh wasn’t here. He’s only done that once in his career, when the best offensive person he played with was Tyronn Lue.

If JJ still has Teague and Al Horford beside him, all three of those guys are going to be heavily involved in the offense. Teague and Horford’s contributions will increase, because it would have to.

Unlike 2009 – 10, there would be no Josh Smith and no Jamal Crawford to provide offense, so Teague and Horford would have to do more by default. Marvin as well, if he were still here.

Shots per game in the 2009 – 10 season that you cite

Johnson: 18.2
Crawford: 14
Smith: 12.3
Horford: 10.5
Marvin: 8.2

Shots per game if Josh was replaced by a weaker player, especially if he was weaker offensively

Johnson: 17
Horford: 15
Teague: 12
Marvin: 10

But God forbid that our overpaid SG takes enough shots per game to possibly average 20 ppg again. And if he handled the ball more, maybe he even gets back to 5 assists per game. Nope . . no way would we want him to get more usage again.

Horford and Teague would answer the bell. Teague especially.

I’m surprised you don’t think that Teague as the PG wouldn’t get a chance to shine more without Josh in the mix. The fact that he’d get to bring the ball up the court almost full time, would increase his touches and shots by default.
With the lack of scoring threats on the team, Horford, Teague, and Marvin would have to do more. JJ isn’t going to turn into Kobe, and start jacking up 23 shots per game.

And even if JJ did play more ISO ball while holding the ball, he now has a better option in Al to pass the ball to at the end of the clock, if Al is 18 feet away from the basket playing PF.

Haha @ citing a season about JJ in which he made 3rd team All-NBA by averaging 21 ppg, average almost 5 rebounds and 5 assists, and shot 46% FG and 37% 3FG.

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A Hawks “crunch time” lineup that could’ve beaten the Celtics in the 2012 playoffs:

SG – Jamal Crawford
SG – Joe Johnson
Pnt. Frwd. [Point Forward] – Tracy McGrady
PF – Josh Smith, barring injury or Ivan Johnson, if Jo. Smith is injured
C – Al Horford, barring injury or Zaza Pachulia/Erick Dampier/Jason Collins, if Horford is injured

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Josh defenders can only use the “post moves” argument because that’s all they have. I mean, he trashed the fans (which includes YOU), he’s inefficient yet takes a lot of shots, he whines about Al Star games, he’s clearly losing explosiveness, yet these people believe he is the one to keep around.

Once again, the Hawks offense has been their downfall in every playoff loss and a HUGE reason for that is because their least efficient players are doing all the shooting. I don’t care if they can get their own shot if they are BAD shots clanging off the rim lol. Here’s the bottom line, the people want Josh to stay around because he’s the hometown guy and they like his dunks. That’s it. His basketball IQ is simply not high enough to lead this team anywhere because experienced teams like Boston and Chicago will bait him into his bad habits and his defenders will point the finger at someone else each time.

Notice the same people are trashing efficient players (Ginobilli, Gasol, etc), the players who are playing championship bball and winning rings…. yet you love these ISO heavy players who always have some excuse as to why their teams aren’t meeting expectations. It’s hilarious actually. A few years ago, ASG tied their future to two inefficient players Josh and Joe, just like you fans wanted but now you are complaining about the teams mediocrity? Why? This is what you wanted! Lol

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Golden State is looking for a SF to add to their starting 5 of Curry, Thompson, ???, Lee, Bogut. They are targeting Iggy, Josh, Granger, and Rudy Gay using the 7th pick plus Richard Jefferson and Dorrell Wright.

I would offer them Joe Johnson and the 43rd pick for A. Biedrins, R. Jefferson, and the 30th & 35th picks.

It would give GS an incredible talented offensive team with the shooting of Curry, Thompson, and Joe surrounding the interior games of Lee and Bogut, plus they keep the 7th pick. They have to make free agent decisions on Bogut and Curry in 2 years, but they would control Thompson and this year’s 7th pick for the life of Joe’s and Lee’s contracts.

Hawks new GM would have his hands full next offseason trying to negotiate out of the $27M in player options to Marvin, Biedrins, and Jefferson. Otherwise, these guys are roster filler, no worse than Collins, Stackhouse, and Vlad.

Hawks would hold the 23rd, 30th, and 35th picks, and would need a lot of guard help.

Teague / ??? / ??? (Sund likes 3 PG’s)
??? / ???
Jefferson / Marvin
Smith / ???
Horford / Pachulia / Biedrins

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northcyde,

Give Teague the dang ball, and see if he can handle the increased responsibility of running the team more..

This I agree with. Watching Boston play, it’s amazing how after the defensive rebound, they give the ball up to Rondo or Ray Allen almost every single time. What a concept.

But LD lets Josh run the break time and time again, despite being the “kamikaze” (LD’s quote) that he is.

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“So Josh Smith can take 7 – 8 long range jumpers a game and reach 17 shots a game, but Al couldn’t?”

Al Horford two seasons ago LED THE LEAGUE in shooting percentage on long two’s. Not only COULD HE put up 7-8 long jumpers per game, but if your coach can’t come up with better offensive plays, that’s obviously THE GUY you want taking those shots.

“And this team should be running more pick and roll with Teague + whomever anyway. Let him run it with Horford and see what the results are.”

This is the most fundamental play in NBA basketball. The fact that the Hawks don’t run the pick and roll when you have a point guard with elite quickness who is elite attacking the basket is completely absurd. Yes, Teague’s jumper and passing ability are suspect. But when you’ve got a target like Al Horford who led the league in shooting percentage on long 2’s, that’s a BIG TARGET.

The Hawks’ inability to run the pick and roll is a coaching failure plain and simple. Larry Drew is not capable of teaching the pick and roll any more than he is capable of teaching Jeff Teague pick and roll defense. The two go hand in hand. If he could teach one, he could teach the other. This is why the Hawks don’t run the pick and roll.

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Najeh you are correct that Horford doesn’t command a double team but I see upside there. I think Josh has plateaued as a player. The fact that Drew hasn’t been able to reach Josh AND THE HAWKS RETAINED DREW means that nobody in the Hawks organization will EVER reach Josh. That ship has sailed. It could not have been more evident in the series against the Celtics that Josh doesn’t want to be a Hawk. Witness all of his bad passes, quitting on plays and the way he made a complete fool of himself trying to push the fast break.

So we know what we’re losing with Josh. Although he only averages 1 block per game more than Horford, the eye test shows me that Josh impacts the game far more by virtue of the intimidation factor. By trading Josh, the Hawks end a long standing redundancy with two big me who like to shoot jump shots. The good news is that Horford SHOULD shoot jump shots. The bad news is that Horford doesn’t intimidate anybody at the rim.

As far as Horford’s ability to set up teammates, Al has a carreer average of 2.4 assists vs. 3.1 for Josh. There’s not a huge difference in passing ability there. Al just needs to develop a go-to move, as you say, and then he can approach Josh’s effectiveness in setting up teammates out of the post. The good news is that I don’t think Al has plateaued as a player and that he WILL develop a post game. Meanwhile I also believe Josh focuses on his outside game because he is trying to preserve his knee. Josh is a ticking time bomb, and as Bret Lagree noted, the team that signs him to a near max contract is going to regret it.

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Nash has said he will listen to any offer. If the Hawks want to counter the perception that they are not committed to pursuing an NBA title, they should at least make a pitch and get themselves mentioned in the Nash recruiting stories this summer.

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Pick & roll? Pick & roll? We have Professor Drew at the helm. Pick & roll is for high school coaches. Our head coach is running schemes so complex it requires a special camp just to teach the players how it’s done. Pick & roll… you really want to go back to the stone ages when we have a highly sophisticated and special offense that excited this blog community about 2 summers ago. Pick & roll? That is what a head coach uses who doesn’t give a dang about offense. Pick & roll? That’s like asking the guys to wear tight shorts and shoot into a peach basket. Pick & roll? Baby, please.

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OB, other teams run pick & roll because they don’t have an offensive genius like Drew on the sideline. Pick & roll involves a 2-man attack, we have a 5-man attack offense.

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“Al Horford two seasons ago LED THE LEAGUE in shooting percentage on long two’s. Not only COULD HE put up 7-8 long jumpers per game, but if your coach can’t come up with better offensive plays, that’s obviously THE GUY you want taking those shots.”

That’s like saying Marvin Williams is a great shooter because he shoots at a high percentage. If you did not notice, Al led the league in shooting percentage because he was playing center, and guys like Hibbert, Shaq, Lopez, and Bogut would not come out of the paint and defend the 15 foot jump shot in the regular season. He was getting open looks against centers outside of the paint, because of Josh Smith and Joe Johnson. Remember Al does not want to be a center, he wants to be a power forward. Those guys will be able to close out on his jumper, and play his right hand, and his offensive game will be useless. See the Chicago series last year. I am in no way hating on Al. I like him, but right now he has a nice set shot, no left hand, and a very weak post game. Very easy for teams to take him out of the game offensively. Can he work on his game and get better? Yes, but he is very robotic and easy to take out of the game offensively if he became a focal point.

Another thing you need to realize is that no matter what the numbers say, people think twice about driving when Josh is in the paint. They don’t with Horford. Josh affects way more shots than he blocks. Guards go at Horford like he does not even exist. See Brandon Jennings and Jameer Nelson in the playoffs against us. I am in no way saying don’t trade Josh. You better get scoring and defense if you do, because if not the layup line will begin.

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Other teams are working out players. The Hawks are busy trying to find the least expensive combination of GM and coach.

MC: What has the Hawks organization done to inspire any confidence at all for the fans? The are a 2nd rate organization and that is not even open to debate.

Do you think the heat would have had a broken scoreboard all season? Do you think the Mavericks would have a GM with out the internet?

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From hoopshype;

There is an excitement and buzz around the Sacramento Kings right now following the recent announcement of DeMarcus Cousins making Team USA’s Select Team..

Ra’mon,

I don’t think they will give up on Cousins. Melvin proposed Tyreke Evans and #5 for Al, but I only make that deal if I know that Josh will re-up.

Did anyone see Rondo’s interview at the end of the first half? Doris Burke asked Rondo what Boston is exploiting. His response: “They’re complaining and crying to the referees in transition”. I think Josh is guilty of that at times, so hopefully that will be out of his system for this season.

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Ra’mon, I thought the Hawks were the same before/after the All-Star break. And you may recall that Josh played better after his All-Star selection snub. I think they were +6 wins on both sides of that milestone.

Josh is more of a one-man machine than Al, but that doesn’t mean thet TEAM is better. In fact, I’d argue that Teague would be better with Al than with Josh (if it came down to those two guys), because Al would be more willing to let Teague do crazy things like lead a fast break, develop his facilitiation skills and even use some of his natural scoring skills. I’m fairly sure that when Teague made the childish mistake of not shooting the ball in a game last season (or maybe it was a half, I’m not sure), it was related to Josh making some off-hand comment about the PG needing to pass more.

Josh will always be a better fantasy player than Al, but I;m not sure that Josh is always a better teammate for a team looking to make it to the ECF.

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Issues!

The iSSUES with this teams composure and dynamics has always been succumbing to ONE constant:

Coaching Prowess. The true concept of team leadership just has not been there. The roles for the players of this team has never been enforced therefore, never realized consistently. I may have personally witnessed five perfectly played games in seven years – imho.

I wont even address the ownership boonked over the 4×4x4 cardboard bargain bin @ the local Dollar Tree Stores, scrounging for all those [ 2 for $1.00 ] player deals.

Pfffttt …

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“If you did not notice, Al led the league in shooting percentage because he was playing center, and guys like Hibbert, Shaq, Lopez, and Bogut would not come out of the paint and defend the 15 foot jump shot in the regular season.”

The whole league leaves Josh open. Would you rather have the guy who shoots 37% from outside taking that shot, or the guy who led the league two seasons ago?

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Ra’mon, Josh is playing with an All-Star center and a perennial All-Star wing who are both locked up to long-term contracts. If Josh has an issue with a lack of talent on the roster, hopefully it is related to the non-captains.

Of course, I think his issues are more related to Josh Smith and not his teammates. Issues about contracts, support for All-Star games, post-season accolades, fans that make audible sounds when he shoots jumpers, etc. Again, all issues that are very specific about Josh. IMO, Josh needs a hug, a very public hug from the ASG. I guess that could come in the form of trading away one of more of the captains and declaring him the “King of Philips Arena”.

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Ra’mon, Al does lead the fast break, but not nearly as often as Josh. While I personally hate the idea, the head coach likes the idea (of a big leading the break). Josh likely commits more TOs than Al when leading the fast break AND (as important) Josh is a top 5 fast break finisher who sub-optimizes the team’s odds of converting the opportunity by not filling the lane. And on this team, Josh is head and shoulders better than anyone at finishing the fast break. Lastly, when Josh runs the break, too often, we see him pass to the wing because he views Joe as a better scoring option in those situations. Joe shooting an open 3 is NEVER as good of an option as Josh filling the lane on a faast break. LD obviously feels differently, but my humble opinion is that Josh leading a fast break becomes a 50/50 proposition, and a fast break should represent better odds than flipping a coin.

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AJ, two seasons ago Josh played with that and a 6th man of the year. This season Josh only played with an all star who was injured majority of the season. As I said before, Zaza replaced Al in the starting lineup for majority of the season, and the Hawks STILL manage to get the same seed for the playoffs. You say you think Josh just need a hug. But then you were ANAKIN’ JOE for how long? So you saw as well that this team couldn’t win a title or compete for anything. So why is it wrong if Josh sees that this team as constructed can’t compete for an ECF title and a Finals appearance. Josh wants to play with D12, or reportedly goto Boston. In BOTH scenarios, he’s not the Alpha Dog on those teams, yet you say he wants to be “King of Philips Arena”. That doesn’t add up. Josh isn’t asking to go to Charlotte or Cleveland where he can shoot as much as he likes. I love that Josh wants to play basketball in the month of June. And if Josh doesn’t feel like he can do that in Atlanta, he will go somewhere else where he can. I love that about him. I want 12 guys on my team who have that same mentality.

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And this is Pau Gasol vs the Celtics back in February.

Three things stand out in this clip

- the passing
- the offensive rebounding
- the playing 15 feet and in

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LOL . . . or we’ll just do it like this and see if it works

Gasol vs the Celtics back in February

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kJ-8BOuqJy8

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“The whole league leaves Josh open. Would you rather have the guy who shoots 37% from outside taking that shot, or the guy who led the league two seasons ago?”

Precisely, they leave him open because they realize that is one of his weaknesses. So now that the league realizes that if you stay up on Horford to prevent the open jump shot, and play his right hand then what will he do? He will do what he did in the playoffs against Chicago unless he improves. Same difference. 42% in the playoffs. Looks kind of like Josh’s #’s huh. LOL

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Rod from College Park

June 4th, 2012
2:42 pm

“The whole league leaves Josh open. Would you rather have the guy who shoots 37% from outside taking that shot, or the guy who led the league two seasons ago?”

Precisely, they leave him open because they realize that is one of his weaknesses. So now that the league realizes that if you stay up on Horford to prevent the open jump shot, and play his right hand then what will he do? He will do what he did in the playoffs against Chicago unless he improves. Same difference. 42% in the playoffs. Looks kind of like Josh’s #’s huh. LOL

**********************

This is funny coming from you. Because when people bring up Jamal’s 33% FG shooting in the Bulls series, you break your neck trying to cite what he did in the Orlando series. Chicago neutralized Horford, and they damn sure neutralized Jamal.

Just like every team in the league isn’t going to hold Jamal to 33% FG, every team in the league isn’t going to hold Horford to 42% FG shooting. The difference though, is that the 33% Jamal shot is closer to his norm, than 42% is to Horford’s norm.

Increase Horford’s usage, and he probably doesn’t shoot 55%. He’ll be in the 48 – 50% range.

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Its funny, though asked NUMEROUS times by many different people, Josh has never SAID he wanted out. In the day of so many media outlets, I don’t remember the last guy who wanted to be traded for so long, but done it so quietly. Josh has only said he will not extend yet, and that he’s not been offered an extension thus far.

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I can’t get into basketball without the Hawks playing…. boring

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KevinM . . I wouldn’t have a problem moving Joe for him. But Joe isn’t the one who wants out of Atlanta. Josh is.

So why is everybody trying to trade everyone BUT Josh Smith?

And the Hawks can afford to pay Gasol’s 19 million . . if Josh’s 13 million and Marvin’s 8 million go west. That’s actually a 2 million savings.

Heck, a lot of people believed that T-Mac on a 1 million contract was a better player than Josh Smith. If that’s the case, all the Hawks have to do is find a cheap veteran free agent that can replace Marvin’s production

Gasol + vet minimum player = 20 million

Josh + Marvin = 21 million

If Marvin is such a garbage player, he can easily be replaced by a vet minimum guy.

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“This is funny coming from you. Because when people bring up Jamal’s 33% FG shooting in the Bulls series, you break your neck trying to cite what he did in the Orlando series. Chicago neutralized Horford, and they damn sure neutralized Jamal.”

Those numbers were not just from the Chicago series. He was neutralized in the Orlando series also, when they put Brrandon Bass on him, and he did not ever guard Howard. When teams focused on his strengths in the playoffs, he came up short. Thats what happens when good teams focus on you. Al has never been a guy that teams really had to focus on stopping offensively. That’s not and never has been his game. You are trying to make him something he is not.

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“Sund: There are two seasons. Once you become a real playoff team, there are two seasons.”

Ummm, what’s Sund’s definition of a real playoff team? One that goes but doesn’t produce? We’ve seen it for how many years now Atlanta fans?

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“So Rod . . answer O’brien’s question from earlier in the blog.

If there is no Josh Smith here, what are Horford’s numbers, if he has to assume a larger role in the offense?”

I have no idea. He has not proven that he has the offensive ability to carry a team. He has never had to do that in his college or professional career. He could step up like Josh did, or he could regress like Marvin has. I can only comment on his skillset offensively. He has a jumpshot, he is active on the glass, but his defense is questionable, he has no left hand, limited post moves, and he is very robotic. Josh is not. Simple as that. No hate, just truth. Al plays more controlled than Josh, but he does not have the physical tools, or the natural ability that Josh has. I’m not the only one who agrees. Barkley said as much also. He said Josh is the best player on the team, followed by Al. I feel it is Josh, followed by Joe, and Al is right on Joe’s heels.

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“He said Josh is the best player on the team, followed by Al. I feel it is Josh, followed by Joe, and Al is right on Joe’s heels.”

And you put all three together, and you get what playoff results?

Move 2 or 3 of them, but Sund is a chicken to do anything that dramatic.

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Here’s the thing about this whole “trading your best player” thing that I read about constantly. If your best player is only able to get you to a certain ceiling, then you should trade him. It isn’t about keeping your best player, it’s about assembling the best team. IMO, the best player on the Pacers won’t get them far… same for the 76ers. Should the Pacers keep Granger just because of his status on a team that maxes out at the 2nd round? That’s silly. Once you have identified the ceiling, it is time to make changes. And if your best player wants to be traded from a team that maxes out in the 2nd round… then you give him what he wants. A trade. The Hawks won’t break their ceiling with Josh SMith as their best player. And you can’t trade some combination of Marvin, Teague and Zaza and get back a player better than one of the captains. If I had my choice (as I’ve said ad nauseum), Josh & Joe leave within a few days of each other. But since I think Josh is easier to move, wants to move (or at least refuses to publicly deny that he wants to move) and has the ability to take his talents elsewhere in 13 months while leaving the Hawks with dreams of Hilton Armstrong, well, the choice is pretty obvious.

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“If there is no Josh Smith here, what are Horford’s numbers, if he has to assume a larger role in the offense?”

At his current talent level: 18 ppg, 10 rpg, 48% FG, 4 FTA/game, 3.5 assists, 1.5 blocks.

Those are really good numbers, but they say nothing about his ability to command double teams and create shots for teammates. That is something he’s not going to be able to do until he develops reliable post moves and makes quicker decisions with the ball (a problem he shares with Joe).

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“And both are good enough on defense to not make the paint a “lay up line”.”

No.

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Another reason to have Josh prioritized on the trade list first:

1) Al’s contract is very favorable to this organization. It’s a shame we can’t have 5 10-12M guys in the starting lineup.

San Antonio might come closest to this type of model next year.

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If Josh is the best player on any team they have issues!

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@ Grandad

If people were actually smart they’d realize Josh and Al are the key to moving this team forward the only problem is we need a PG like Nash to come in here Jeff Teague is good, but he could be better I don’t want Nash to take the starting spot cause Teague has more than deserved it.

Joe and Marvin are the fat that needs to be cut out for us to get moving in the right direction just got to be smart in how your trim the fat that is.

Also I would also go so far to say John Wall isn’t a PG on NBA level I said this before to my dad that I though John Wall was going to wind up a bust because he’s out of position he rubs off even worse than Westbrook as a legit SG and not a PG at all.

In fact I went so far to say that the best player out of Kentucky that year would be Demarcus Cousins even though he has maturity issues those can be ironed out depending on the coach.

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Gone Bye – Bye!

Richard Dwason “The Family Fued” Host died today @ age 79 (RIP). Well ladies, no more family kisses?

Mubarak (the ousted President of Egypt) gets life in prison today.
______________________

Will Sund be the next in line to exit stage left? (fingers crossed)

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Pink Slime!

Who do you guys think is the “pink slime” (the floor scrappings in a meat warehouse, which is gathered, liquefied and, injected into meats @ Wal-mart, et.al) ) on this team?
____________

The ASKG
Rick Sund
Jason Collins
Eric Dampieer (he snubbed us when Deke left)
Marvin Williams
…..

Am I right?

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From Hoopsworld:

Now, after a disappointing first-round exit to the Los Angeles Clippers in this year’s postseason, the likelihood of a trade involving Gay is much higher. League sources expect Memphis to shop Gay, who is owed $53,666,790 over the next three years. Gay is no longer considered untouchable, and he could be on the move in the next few months if the right offer comes along.

Several executives believe that Memphis could to trade Gay in a cost-cutting move since the team wants to re-sign restricted free agents O.J. Mayo, Marreese Speights and Darrell Arthur after already giving long-term deals to Marc Gasol, Zach Randolph and Mike Conley..

A scoring SF would really help our offense, but Gay is out of our price range (imo).

Its funny how you hear rumors of teams open to trading what could be considered “core” players, but you never hear anything out of the Hawks despite never getting past game 6 in the second round in the 5-6 years the core has been together (I dont count Marvin and Zaza).

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The Hawks, one of the worst sports franchises in history, and we are concerned that the general
manager who is part of this debacle is leaving. Don’t let the door hit you in the a$$. Replace him with Daffy Duck, who cares. Get out of town losers.

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O”Brien
June 4th, 2012
8:24 pm

Its funny how you hear rumors of teams open to trading what could be considered “core” players, but you never hear anything out of the Hawks despite never getting past game 6 in the second round in the 5-6 years the core has been together (I dont count Marvin and Zaza).
________________________

How about “never getting past” Round 2 PERIOD in the 44 years the organization has been in ATL?

It (never hearing anything out of the Hawks when QUALITY players are available) is part of what losers are all about.

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O’Brien, I’ve only mentioned Horford in trades for either a big or draft picks. If Horford was traded to Houston for those two draft picks and Lowery, the Hawks should use two picks one for Nicholson (is that his name?) the talented PF/C who can score from anywhere, and the other for the best big available at that slot. You draft two bigs this season, with the other pick going for a wing player or Marshall (hopefully). And then you have a strong back court for the next 4-5 seasons guaranteed. And if Josh leaves (which I don’t think he would), you still are already in position with two bigs that are learning the ropes, and producing, along with Zaza. If Josh extends, you have a deep backcourt with a deep talented front court. If Houston would take Josh, I would do the same trade for Josh also.

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JJ for Gay makes too much sense for both team. So the deal won’t get done.

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What we need is new coach whos system dosent include Josh Smith taking 10 million outside jumpers!

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Just Joe, all of Memphis free agents are locked up. Remember Zach, Conley, and Gasol have signed their deals. Mayo and Gay are both free agent. Memphis needs a closer for some games. And JJ is great at that. The injuries that Memphis had this season will help them re-sign Arthur for a cheaper price when its time.

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$3M more than Gay that is.

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“Are you ok with blowing the team up if it sets them back 2 or 3 years?”

Yes, emphatically. Much better than trying to make lateral moves. Either trade multiple pieces for someone of Dwight Howard’s caliber, or blow it up and build with high lottery picks.

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Sautee, I’m saying if Al moves to the PF, then his trade value will go down. The very things that make Horford productive as a center, are the very things that will become less reliant at the PF position for him.

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