FanPost

My Roster Speculation


Well here we are in September and it is just a terrible time for us basketball fans. There are no games going on and we aren't even close to any of the training camps opening up. The only thing that we can do at the moment is talk and speculate of how the roster is going to shape up if games were going to start today.

Well this off-season has been a busy one for us in Atlanta. We celebrated Hawks independence day on July 2nd and traded away 2 players from the core in Joe Johnson and Marvin Williams. In return we received alot of new faces to this Hawks locker room and here is my speculation of how the roster and rotation for this season will turn out.

Possibility 1

(PG) Teague, Harris

(Sg) Morrow, Lou Williams, Jenkins

(Sf) Stevenson, Korver/Anderson

(PF) Josh, (Al if Josh in Foul trouble) J Williams, Scott

(C) Al, Zaza, Petro

This first lineup is a lineup that I fully expect Larry Drew to use when the season opens. Let’s start with the easiest position which happens to be point guard.

(PG) I expect Teague to start like last year and Harris to back him up since he only has 1 year left on the contract. With these two at the Pg, I expect whoever is in the game to constantly push the pace.

(SG) Now here even if Lou is a better player at Sg, I think Morrow might start just because of the length and that his incredibly high 3 point rate and percentage. Plus, Harris and Lou Williams coming off the bench would just be too overwhelming for pretty much every team in the NBA.

(SF) At the Sf, I expect (even if I may not agree) for Larry Drew to start Stevenson simply because of his defense and energy. But when the second unit comes in, I think that Korver will be the shooter on this second team unless if they need that extra energy on defense and on the wing then I think Anderson may get a shot.

(PF) Now for the Pf, this is a given Josh and that’s that.

(C) So this leaves the center position and who else but the 2 time all-star will start here. With Josh and Al starting at C and Pf, I expect there to be a lot of running and fast break points.

Possibility 2

(PG) Teague, Harris

(Sg) Morrow, L. Williams, Jenkins

(Sf) Josh, Korver/Anderson, Stevenson

(PF) Al, J. Williams, Scott

(C) Zaza, Petro

(Pg) Same as before Teague then Harris pushing the pace

(Sg) Morrow gets the start in this scenario because I could imagine the hawks wanting a shooter on the floor at all times.

(Sf) Now this is where it gets interesting. I give Josh the nod here because if the goal is to get a good center next year, why not start him a year early at the position that he "will" be playing in a year. In addition, Zaza came off a huge year last year and has proved to me and others that he can start at center in this league. Zaza starting will obviously move josh to the 3 where he can finally use size as an advantage plus with the weight he lost last year, he should have an easier time keeping up with opponents on the defensive end. Also as before, I think that depending on the game this is where you will decide whether you want a shooter in Korver coming off the bench or the athleticism on the wing in Anderson

(Pf) Now with Zaza starting, Al can finally go to his natural position and wreak havock on the other players that are smaller than him. He has a GREAT midrange shot and good speed for his size. He also is a really good defender on and off the ball. Al Horford playing at this position would be a huge advantage for this team next year.

(C) Now last but not least we have Zaza starting. Zaza had a huge year last year and he just took up a lot of space underneath the basket. The good thing about his space and being physical is that he was always there for the rebound, something that Al never really did since he was looking to score most of the time.

Possibility 3 is pretty much the previous choices but you will have Teague at the 1 and Harris at the 2. This would mean that we will give up size in the backcourt but will have a lot of speed. I’m sure a lot of fans would agree with this because many believe these are the best 2 backcourt players. The front court would just be either of the choices that I have listed above.

One other thought that I would have is that Jenkins will get the start at the 2 just to get the experience of playing that positions against the starters. But anyway with how this team is set up, I expect there to be a "shooter" on the floor at all times whether it is Korver, Morrow, or Jenkins. I’m also expecting the defense to go down since there we don’t have as many wing players but with an athletic Pf and C we will probably try to get out and run more than we have these past couple of years. My thoughts are to expect a lot of 3 point shots this year but my eye will be on Coach Larry Drew to see how he manages the backcourt and our surplus of shooters on this roster.

Well here are my thoughts on the current roster and how I imagine things will shape up this year. As always, if anyone has any thoughts on my writing or on the team, be sure to write it in the comment section. I am very eager to hear the thoughts on fans opinions of this team and what their predicted lineup will be.

A FanPost expresses the opinion of the community member who wrote it and not that of the blog management.