Peachtree Hoops: FanPosts

Dwight Howard and Chris Paul Planning Atlanta Rendezvous

2013-05-21T21:52:41Z

Dwight Howard and Chris Paul Planning Atlanta Rendezvous

In any case, a league source says Paul will check out other teams, as Howard is expected to do. If Paul leaves, it could could pose a problem for the Lakers, who had enough already, if he and Dwight Howard decide to create a new option, joining up in Atlanta. Howard and Paul are pals. The Hawks can open up two maximum slots. They mused about Atlanta (D12’s from there, CP3 from North Carolina) years ago, before fate led them in other directions.

Dwight Howard and Chris Paul Planning Atlanta Rendezvous

In any case, a league source says Paul will check out other teams, as Howard is expected to do. If Paul leaves, it could could pose a problem for the Lakers, who had enough already, if he and Dwight Howard decide to create a new option, joining up in Atlanta. Howard and Paul are pals. The Hawks can open up two maximum slots. They mused about Atlanta (D12’s from there, CP3 from North Carolina) years ago, before fate led them in other directions.

The Decision on Jeff Teague

2013-05-21T04:58:00Z

I'm going to take back a comment I made in another thread about Jeff Teague and his decision making. I said in that thread that Jeff still has the same decision making issues that he had when he came out of Wake Forest. After watching film and reading various breakdowns of Jeff's game from this past season, as well as looking at his efficiency stats compared to other point guards, it is beyond obvious that I was wrong. Jeff Teague still has decision making issues at times, but he has improved tremendously since he was a sophomore early entry into the 2009 NBA draft out of Wake Forest.

At Wake Forest, Jeff Teague was a guy who got by on his athleticism. He was a tremendous penetrating lead guard that dominated the ball. The extent of his playmaking ability was his ability to drive and kick. Of the guards that came out of that draft, Jeff lead them all in FTA/40 that season, and that was a testament to his ability to attack the lane aggressively. Jeff was a relatively poor perimeter shooter coming out. His biggest issue though was his decision making. He held a 1:1 assist-to-turnover ratio while at Wake Forest.

In his early time with the Hawks, Jeff had the same issues. He was sub par on the pick and roll. He lacked confidence in his ability to penetrate into the lane at will. He was very passive and deferred too much to his teammates. The playoff series against Chicago in 2011 was the first hint of what Jeff could eventually become. Going into his third season, Jeff improved in several aspects of his game, but his decision making was still lacking. He improved his efficiency numbers as a scorer in that season, but his AST% and TOV% were relatively stagnant from his first two seasons.

In 2012-2013 though, what we saw out of Jeff was a lot more consistency and definitive improvement in his decision making ability. He improved his AST% from around 24% to almost 37%. His USG% increased by over 3 points, yet was was able to maintain his shooting efficiency overall. Both of these are very good signs.

Here is a good link on Jeff's improvement as a playmaker as detailed the the author of the Hickory High blog:

http://www.hickory-high.com/?p=5781

I won't go into any details that are already in that post. Essentially, Jeff Teague has gone from a player who was completely clueless on the pick and roll as a young player to a player that has become above average in his ability to recognize things off the pick and roll. The potential of Jeff Teague and Al Horford as a pick and roll tandem going forward is immense, IMO.

The decision the Hawks have to make on Jeff this offseason is whether they go ahead and sign him to an extension, or if they sign him to his qualifying offer to hedge their bets on whether he will continue to show his upward trajectory. To look at what kind of contract Jeff could be looking at if he signs an extension, I decided to look at two players whose numbers were very close to Jeff's from this past season. Denver's Ty Lawson and Memphis's Mike Conley:

Mike Conley 0.549 TS%, 0.497 eFG%, 0.295 AST%, 0.151 TOV%, 0.30 FTA/FGA, 0.210 USG%

Ty Lawson 0.549 TS%, 0.505 eFG%, 0.302 AST%, 0.141 TOV%, 0.32 FTA/FGA, 0.222 USG%

Jeff Teague 0.543 TS%, 0.496 eFG%, 0.361 AST%, 0.176 TOV%, 0.23 FTA/FGA, 0.230 USG%

Ty Lawson signed a 4 year, $48 million extension recently. Mike Conley signed a 5 year, $40 million deal last year.

Here is a good link on Jeff's improvement as a playmaker as detailed the the author of the Hickory High blog:

http://www.hickory-high.com/?p=5781

Mike Conley 0.549 TS%, 0.497 eFG%, 0.295 AST%, 0.151 TOV%, 0.30 FTA/FGA, 0.210 USG%

Ty Lawson 0.549 TS%, 0.505 eFG%, 0.302 AST%, 0.141 TOV%, 0.32 FTA/FGA, 0.222 USG%

Jeff Teague 0.543 TS%, 0.496 eFG%, 0.361 AST%, 0.176 TOV%, 0.23 FTA/FGA, 0.230 USG%

Ty Lawson signed a 4 year, $48 million extension recently. Mike Conley signed a 5 year, $40 million deal last year.

Kelvin Sampson has apparently talked with the Hawks

2013-05-21T01:42:53Z

http://probasketballtalk.nbcsports.com/2013/05/20/coaching-search-rumor-roundup-everyone-talks-to-kelvin-sampson/

The Suns are going to interview Rockets assistant coach Kelvin Sampson for their head coaching spot,reports CBSSports. For those of you scoring at home Sampson has also spoken to the Sixers, Bobcats, Bucks and Hawks.

What are your thoughts on Kelvin Sampson? Does his history of blatantly breaking the rules at both Oklahoma and Indiana deter your from considering him?

http://probasketballtalk.nbcsports.com/2013/05/20/coaching-search-rumor-roundup-everyone-talks-to-kelvin-sampson/

The Suns are going to interview Rockets assistant coach Kelvin Sampson for their head coaching spot,reports CBSSports. For those of you scoring at home Sampson has also spoken to the Sixers, Bobcats, Bucks and Hawks.

What are your thoughts on Kelvin Sampson? Does his history of blatantly breaking the rules at both Oklahoma and Indiana deter your from considering him?

Georgia fan's thoughts on Kentavious Caldwell-Pope

2013-05-20T07:20:16Z

To the Bulldogs fans who watched their games last year, just wondering what their thoughts are on Kentavious Caldwell-Pope? Having a look at his scouting report on Draft Express, the one word that comes to mind about his game (for me at least) is 'potential'. From the scouting video, it looks like he has the ability to hit the big shot, and well and truly has NBA 3-point range. His ability to finish in transition is also impressive, as well is his anticipation in the passing lanes. On the negative side, he seems to make poor decisions offensively, and his lack of ball handling skills seems to limit his ability to get to the bucket. Defensively, it seems the decision making comes into play again, with gambling in playing the passing lanes leading to blown assignments. Also, his lack of effort in fighting through screens was a bit disappointing.

Personally, I think if he can improve his decision making and ball handling, and stay in front of his man at the defensive end that he could be a a starter in the NBA and someone with the ability to create his own shot. Right now, he looks like a poor man's Andre Iguodala. Would like to gather people's thoughts on his game, and see if anyone thinks he might be worth investing a 1st round pick on.

DeMarcus Cousins, would you?

2013-05-18T18:13:48Z

I just read an article that advocated it was time the Kings moved on from Cousins and his problems and traded him away. Do you think it is a worthwhile gamble to trade for Cousins? That would mean thinking that Atlanta can get beyond his attitude and behavior problems and that he is good enough to endure the risk that they may not. I'm not suggesting trading Al Horford, but I am suggesting both our 1st round picks in this year's draft. It's likely that those picks would have at least landed a prospect big. It is important to note that you'd have just 1 year of rookie contract time with DeMarcus before you'd have to decide whether he's worthy of a big contract.

This is a hypothetical exercise. Don't get hung up if you think that the 2 mid-round firsts aren't enough to get the trade done. Just assume they are for the sake of this discussion.

Also, what coaching hire would be best to get a talented, but messed up big guy to fly right and reach his potential?

This is a hypothetical exercise. Don't get hung up if you think that the 2 mid-round firsts aren't enough to get the trade done. Just assume they are for the sake of this discussion.

Also, what coaching hire would be best to get a talented, but messed up big guy to fly right and reach his potential?

Glen Rice Jr. Scouting Video

2013-05-14T01:07:05Z

Give credit to Draftexpress. They have taken their draft coverage up a notch with the scouting video's they have put on their site, courtesy of Michael Schmidt. Here is a scouting video on Glen Rice Jr, who is a player I have become somewhat enamored with.

Glen Rice Scouting Video

In my opinion, the only reason for this guy to be available to the Hawks will be character concerns. Hopefully, his play in the NBDL shows that he is maturing. He was much better as a NBDL player than he was a college player. He really improved on a lot of things, one of which is his shot selection.

Glen Rice Scouting Video

Broussard ranks available coaching jobs: Hawks #3

2013-05-10T03:24:38Z

He has the nets and clippers ahead, but has Atlanta as number three out if 11 potentially available head coaching jobs. I'd personally rank Brooklyn lower because they're stuck in luxury tax land forever, but it's hard to argue against the clippers job if Chris Paul signs with them.

http://m.espn.go.com/nba/story?storyId=9258927

It's a really tough and awkward situation when the coaching decisions happen and draft picks are locked down in June before free agency starts in July. So many possibilities this summer.

http://m.espn.go.com/nba/story?storyId=9258927

It's a really tough and awkward situation when the coaching decisions happen and draft picks are locked down in June before free agency starts in July. So many possibilities this summer.

Characteristics of a Strong Head Coach; Coaches Danny Ferry May Pursue

2013-05-08T02:28:44Z

With the Hawks likely starting the 2013 off season with a search for a new head coach, I thought it would be a good time to discuss what characteristics you would look for in a head coach. This comes with the caveat that some of these characteristics are hard to determine unless the coach has actually run a team before. A lot of the evaluation will be done by talking to other coaches, executives, and players about how they interact with coaches. To the media, these guys will give the PC answer as a whole. In private, they are likely to tell you the truth about certain coaches.

Characteristics of a Strong Head Coach

1. A strong head coach has to have the ability to get the team to buy into what he's trying to do. It's one thing to go along with it when you first get started. It's another thing to convince players to stick with the plan when adversity hits.

2. A strong head coach has to be able to communicate. You have to be able to communicate what you expect out of your players to the players, but you also have to be able to communicate to the media. The latter is the part that shapes the outside view of your team.

3. A strong head coach has to be a teacher. There is not one player in this league that knows everything there is to know about basketball. As a coach, you have to be able to teach the player certain things such as fundamentals, game situations, and certain skills the player needs to execute. The teaching aspect of coaching is where you get your player development from.

4. A strong head coach has to be rigid and flexible at the same time. You need a coach to be rigid in his general philosophy on doing things, but he needs to be flexible enough to make changes in his scheme to suit the talents his players currently have. Part of that flexibility also includes changing with the times. In today's NBA, analytics are something that can be used to your advantage as a coach, and you need to be willing to use them and not just trust what your eyes tell you.

5. A strong head coach has to be knowledgeable about the game. He doesn't have to be the best x's and o's coach from a schematic and game planning standpoint, but he does need to be able to teach and communicate his philosophy to his assistants so they can come up with the x's and o's if that is a weak spot for the head coach.

6. A strong head coach has to be able to manage several different personalities on the team. What works in motivating one player may not work on the next. A coach has to understand that he will get a different response from each player based on how he approaches that player. Sometimes, you have to be able to stroke an ego to keep that ego in line. Some players respond well to getting yelled at. Others will go into a shell if you do that. Some players respond well when you talk to them about what they are doing well, not the things they aren't doing so well.

7. This probably shouldn't be this low on the list, but a strong head coach has to be able to get the most out of his players.

How would you rate Larry Drew in each of those characteristics?

Here is a link that I found while looking for potential coaches:

Who's ready to be an NBA head coach?

Give Erik Spoelstra the slightest opening and he’ll gush about the impact Fizdale has had as a stabilizing force, teacher and communicator in the circus environment that’s enveloped the Heat over the past three seasons. Fizdale has been instrumental in the evolution of LeBron James’ post game, as well as the feeding and caring of the Heat’s superstar core. When there are new schemes to be implemented or skills to be refined, Fizdale takes it upon himself to make sure the work gets done.

Dave Fizdale is definitely a guy that interests me. There is no way of knowing for sure, but if he is truly a great teacher, communicator, and has been able to help hold the egos together in Miami, then he deserves a shot.

Joerger loves to problem-solve and grapple with game theory, and he has an appreciation of analytics. He knows which NBA point guards, in descending order, reject screens most frequently and understands how to impart that information to players. Most of all, Joerger has an acute awareness of what each player on the roster can and can't do. Randolph won't be asked to perform Joakim Noah tasks, and a unit's collective shortcomings are priced into coverage schemes.

David Joerger is also a guy that interests me. I like his appreciation for analytics, and if the above is true, he probably understands how to read the strengths and weaknesses of his team and structure things around those aspects.

Steve Kerr is an interesting name though. I admit that I thought of him briefly last year but never really considered it. Danny Ferry and Steve Kerr are reportedly great friends, and to be honest, they are probably too close of friends to work with one another. They were teammates in San Antonio at one point though and both understand Gregg Popovich's philosophy.

Characteristics of a Strong Head Coach

7. This probably shouldn't be this low on the list, but a strong head coach has to be able to get the most out of his players.

How would you rate Larry Drew in each of those characteristics?

Here is a link that I found while looking for potential coaches:

Who's ready to be an NBA head coach?

Give Erik Spoelstra the slightest opening and he’ll gush about the impact Fizdale has had as a stabilizing force, teacher and communicator in the circus environment that’s enveloped the Heat over the past three seasons. Fizdale has been instrumental in the evolution of LeBron James’ post game, as well as the feeding and caring of the Heat’s superstar core. When there are new schemes to be implemented or skills to be refined, Fizdale takes it upon himself to make sure the work gets done.

Joerger loves to problem-solve and grapple with game theory, and he has an appreciation of analytics. He knows which NBA point guards, in descending order, reject screens most frequently and understands how to impart that information to players. Most of all, Joerger has an acute awareness of what each player on the roster can and can't do. Randolph won't be asked to perform Joakim Noah tasks, and a unit's collective shortcomings are priced into coverage schemes.

Jason Collins Crosses the Rubicon

2013-04-30T00:35:15Z

I think everyone knew that sooner or later this day was going to come. The day where a male athlete in a major team sport came out of the closet. Still, I have to admit that today's news from Jason Collins was shocking to me.

Overall I was impressed with the way the League, quite a few players and several teams (including the Hawks) greeted the news. Clearly the League knew this announcement was coming and they were prepared. So kudos to Jason for giving the League advance notice - it paid dividends at the end of the day.

But the League reaction to Jason's announcement is not what I want to talk about. It's an open post to my fellow Hawk, NBA and sports fans.

As a gay sports fan, I understand there's a profound level of discomfort surrounding homosexuality in team sports - especially male team sports. For many fans and no doubt quite a few professional basketball players, today's news changes the paradigm. (And it goes without saying this news will ripple throughout all team sports, not just the NBA.)

"In theory" became "in reality" today. Once you come out in such a public way, there's no going back to the way things were. The team sports landscape has been forever altered.

Fan reaction has been predictably split between acceptance and understanding, condemnation for religious reasons, and a tremendous amount of reaction along the lines of "who cares?"

In addition to fans, some athletes are no doubt going to have an issue with this for a variety of reasons. But I firmly believe that the day is coming when it won't much matter in a team concept.

The movie "42" offers insight as to why this is the case. An idea that at first is shocking - a black player joining MLB - after a while becomes old hat.

And high drama such as "how can blacks and whites possibly shower together?" in the 1940s came with an easy enough answer - "with individual bars of soap and by looking straight ahead." But it took a while for everyone to get there. I'm highly confident the answer is the same here in 2013 with gays and straights - but it would be silly to assume that everyone is going to be comfortable with it right off the bat.

That's how we humans work - we resist change until it's forced upon us. We struggle with the change. And then after a while we wonder what the fuss was all about.

As with the arc of "42" and Jackie Robinson's story, I don't presume that the conversation will be easy - for obvious reasons. But it's a conversation that's necessary and hopefully can be had with grace and sensitivity on both sides.

For those of you who say you don't care - please understand that there a lot of people who certainly do on both sides of this issue. I would encourage you to view Jason's announcement today as moving us closer to your stated ideal rather than further away. We just need as a society to talk it through first.

For those of you who have religious disagreements about homosexuality - I don't agree with your perspective but I celebrate your right to believe differently. I hope you are able to extend the same courtesy. It is my hope that both sides will engage in a robust and respectful dialogue. After all, I don't want you get called a "bigot" any more than I want get called a "faggot".

So I salute Jason Collins for courageously embracing this mantle and initiating the dialogue. It took guts to do so in ways that we fans will never be able to fully understand.

Collins has given is a gracious and thoughtful starting point. Where we take the conversation, as well as the quality of the dialogue, is up to us individually and collectively.