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Demonjoe93
The Hawks make me emo
Well, this disappointing. I knew we were not going to beat Daddy (i.e., the Cavaliers), but I was not expecting another sweep. We have lost eleven, yes, eleven, games consecutively against these guys. The Hawks are never going to win a championship unless we fix the inherent issues with this lineup; that is, our lack of a go-to guy and leader, and the lack of mental toughness. A lot of changes need to be made. As always, let's start with the starters:
Kevin Durant - This guy would be our first true superstar at forward since Dominique Wilkins. If we trade Teague (not necessarily for anything good, just to save money, as we might not be able to afford another starting quality player here) and Splitter, we may be able to sign Durant. After doing that, if I understand the rules correctly, we can then re-sign Horford and pay whatever the applicable luxury tax would be, and this would be legal because Horford is currently on our roster. Someone correct me if I am wrong. If this can happen, then the starting roster would be Schroeder, Korver (or whoever), Durant, Millsap, and Horford. If Schroeder pans out, that's a nasty team.
Hassan Whiteside - I think this is the easiest one to pull off. Trade Teague and Splitter, let Horford walk, and sign Whiteside. That would give us a lineup of Schroeder, (whoever we get for Teague at SG, if applicable, as I think you can go over the cap in a trade too), some SF (maybe they re-sign Bazemore in this situation), Millsap, and Whiteside. I don't think that team is quite as good as a Durant lead one, but is a very good team nonetheless.
Regardless, I think two things are certain at this point:
- Jeff Teague - PG - Needs to go. Over the last year, as Dennis Schroeder has developed and Teague has stagnated and maybe even arguably regressed, I have expressed some doubts about Teague and his viability as our guard for the future. Near the trade deadline, I was pretty sure he was going to be shipped. It's time to move on. Jeff Teague is a decent point guard. Probably borderline top ten in the league. But the Hawks simply need more than that if they're going to win a championship. Teague needs to be traded. What for? Well, I'll get to that in a second.
- Kyle Korver - SG - Been saying it for a while now: not a starting caliber shooting guard. Probably a great sixth man to have, but not a starter. This is where the Teague trade comes in. I want to see Teague get traded for a starting quality SG.
- Kent Bazemore - SG/SF (but mostly SF) - Would like to bring him back, but that really all depends on how much money he is going to ask for. He really disappeared against Daddy the last two games in the series, but I think he's growing into a quality starter. Not All-Star, but someone nice to have nonetheless.
- Paul Millsap - PF - Great player. Love him. Keep him. Not much else really to say.
- Al Horford - PF/C (but mostly center) - Al Horford is a solid player, but I'm hearing he's expecting $25 million to $33 million a year throughout his next contract. No thanks. He has played himself out of being a max player, and this franchise will doom itself by giving him that kind of money. He simply does not deserve it. Let's learn from the Joe Johnson contract from several years back.
- Dennis Schroeder - PG - His game is sometimes shaky, but he shows a lot of flashes of greatness, heart, and leadership. I think he has serious potential. He needs to be the starter. Next season is his contract season. If he turns out to be something special, then we have a star point guard. If he sucks or is no better than Teague is right now, we can just let him walk. We have nothing to lose giving Schroeder the go-ahead besides deferring rebuilding mode a little longer, a concept I don't care to do anyhow if I know we don't have a chance at winning a title with the current roster.
- Kirk Hinrich - SG/PG - Eh. No opinion. Decent third option that will make for good depth assuming we trade Teague. Won't be sad if he walks.
- Tim Hardaway Jr. - SG - When we traded for him, I thought he could potentially be a starter ahead of Kyle, but I'd rather just see what we can get for Teague. I think he'll make for good depth, or maybe good trade bait.
- LaMar Patterson - SG - No opinion. Didn't see enough of him to form one.
- Thabo Sefolosha - SG/SF (but mostly SF) - I like Thabo. Always have. If Bazemore walks and we don't sign a suitable replacement, he'll make for a decent starter, although I would rather him come off the bench.
- Kris Humphries - PF/C (but mostly C as far as this team is concerned) - Man, was this guy a find. He's not the greatest player in the world and I really don't want him starting, but he is a luxury at backup from what I saw. No idea why he was on waivers. Maybe our system just suits him well. I will be angry if we let him walk after all the heart and hustle he showed, especially on the glass.
- Mike Muscala - PF/C - Eh, he's cheap, still on contract, and he's okay for depth. Keep him.
- Mike Scott - PF - Solid backup. Would not want him starting ever, but he's good for bench depth. Let's keep him.
- Tiago Splitter - C - I like Humphries more, so let's just trade Splitter. We're gonna be paying this guy $10 million next season, so he's only a drain on our salary cap.
- Walter Tavares - C - Did not see enough to form a good opinion.
Kevin Durant - This guy would be our first true superstar at forward since Dominique Wilkins. If we trade Teague (not necessarily for anything good, just to save money, as we might not be able to afford another starting quality player here) and Splitter, we may be able to sign Durant. After doing that, if I understand the rules correctly, we can then re-sign Horford and pay whatever the applicable luxury tax would be, and this would be legal because Horford is currently on our roster. Someone correct me if I am wrong. If this can happen, then the starting roster would be Schroeder, Korver (or whoever), Durant, Millsap, and Horford. If Schroeder pans out, that's a nasty team.
Hassan Whiteside - I think this is the easiest one to pull off. Trade Teague and Splitter, let Horford walk, and sign Whiteside. That would give us a lineup of Schroeder, (whoever we get for Teague at SG, if applicable, as I think you can go over the cap in a trade too), some SF (maybe they re-sign Bazemore in this situation), Millsap, and Whiteside. I don't think that team is quite as good as a Durant lead one, but is a very good team nonetheless.
Regardless, I think two things are certain at this point:
- Teague is done in Atlanta.
- Horford should not get a max deal unless we get Durant, in which case I am all for it if it means winning a title.