Does Atlanta still think Trae for Luka was a good deal?

[Nb1]

You guys think Atlanta is still happy about the trade they made?

[insight]

You guys think Atlanta is still happy about the trade they made?

1000%
Atlanta has already been to the ECF, with a less impressive roster. You weren't asking the question last playoffs were you?

[John8204]

They likely feel a lot better than the Sixers trading Bridges for Zhaire Smith

[dirkdiggler41]

You guys think Atlanta is still happy about the trade they made?

Everybody last year said that the Hawks got the better roster. They are younger and generally just more skilled.

Capela >>> Powell
Collins > Finney-Smith
D.Hunter > Bullock
Bogdan < Brunson


Bench is a tie


The Hawks where lucky they got Sixers in the second round. Simmons was not there.

26 points on 46 effective fg %, 3rpg, 9apg, 1spg

vs.

32 points on 52 effect fg %, 9rpg, 8.5 apg 1.5spg

Who you got?

[iamgine]

I don't think they still think about it so they're neither happy nor sad.

[GimmeThat]

with Nate McMillan the Hawks are actually running a pretty good amount of Jerry Sloan's offense with Trae, only he gets the green light to shoot. Had they had kept Luka, he'd probably run him like Paul Pierce.

only Nate wasn't even the coach when the trade occurred.

Kidd is really trying to turn this Mavs team into the 01-02 Nets, only that team did not have enough offense, and you can tell Kidd wasn't the mastermind behind that teams defense, as the Suns have actually outscored the Mavs so far in this series.

[k0kakw0rld]

Trae reached a conference final before Luka. He has yet to play in one.

[Bronbron23]

You guys think Atlanta is still happy about the trade they made?

They might pretend they are but deep down they know they done f*cked up. Little gaurds in general don't win chips as the teams best player. Bigger stronger longer players are always gonna have a bigger impact on the game.

[GOBB]

I personally like Luka over Trae. I can’t imagine Luka in Atlanta tho. Imagine migos hanging out with him. Hilarious.


They might pretend they are but deep down they know they done f*cked up. Little gaurds in general don't win chips as the teams best player. Bigger stronger longer players are always gonna have a bigger impact on the game.

That’s retarded logic.

[FultzNationRISE]

I personally like Luka over Trae. I can’t imagine Luka in Atlanta tho. Imagine migos hanging out with him. Hilarious.



That’s retarded logic.


Yup. Love me some Trae, but size matters.


Learned that from Lebron :pimp:

[dirkdiggler41]

Trae reached a conference final before Luka. He has yet to play in one.

That did not age like a fine wine :oldlol:

[Nb1]

Come on, the circumstances were a bit different and it depends who you play etc.If Trae played the Bucks in the first round he wouldn’t have made the conf finals. Luka didn’t make it before him, but that doesn’t take away the fact that he’s clearly the better player.

[insight]

Everybody last year said that the Hawks got the better roster. They are younger and generally just more skilled.

Capela >>> Powell
Collins > Finney-Smith
D.Hunter > Bullock
Bogdan < Brunson


Bench is a tie


The Hawks where lucky they got Sixers in the second round. Simmons was not there.

26 points on 46 effective fg %, 3rpg, 9apg, 1spg



vs.

32 points on 52 effect fg %, 9rpg, 8.5 apg 1.5spg

Who you got?

It's obvious you didn't even watch the Hawks because Deandre was injured last year, only played a couple games in the NY series. Bogdan was injured and had no impact. Plus you are forgetting the fact that Dallas basically beat UTAH without LUKA, if everybody was such scrubs they wouldn't have got out of the first round. The Hawks could never win win without TRAE.
Did you see what Miami did to Trae? They put a least two defenders on his ALL SERIES, they literally picked him up full court all series. The Suns didn't even double Luka that much they allowed he to go one on one the majority of the series.

[insight]

They might pretend they are but deep down they know they done f*cked up. Little gaurds in general don't win chips as the teams best player. Bigger stronger longer players are always gonna have a bigger impact on the game.

No, Hawks fans love how Trae represents the city. Luka is a tremendous player and fits well in Dallas where they prefer European players. Let's not forget Luka got his head coach and GM who drafted him fired. He struggled to work with another All-Star player in Porzingis and started the season in horrible shape.
He has looked great in the 2nd half of the season but stop acting like it's been all sunshine and roses. If things are going well Luka beats his chest and shows out, when things start getting tough watch him limp around like he is injured. He definitely got some CP3 in him.

[ImKobe]

1000%
Atlanta has already been to the ECF, with a less impressive roster. You weren't asking the question last playoffs were you?

Lol.

Hawks would have been in the Finals last year with Luka.

Doncic elevates mediocre teams to contenders, Trae doesn't really move the needle as he's very limited in what he can do as a small guard, so he's like '17 IT with not much room to grow as a player, he's not going to have a long 15+ year career as the best player on his team (unless he's putting up numbers on losing teams that are tanking) for obvious reasons while Doncic is a generational talent. It's a huge L for Atlanta.

[insight]

Lol.

Hawks would have been in the Finals last year with Luka.

Doncic elevates mediocre teams to contenders, Trae doesn't really move the needle as he's very limited in what he can do as a small guard, so he's like '17 IT with not much room to grow as a player, he's not going to have a long 15+ year career as the best player on his team (unless he's putting up numbers on losing teams that are tanking) for obvious reasons while Doncic is a generational talent. It's a huge L for Atlanta.

You clearly are a LOW IQ POSTER! Luka and Trae are both generational players, they impact the game in different ways.
How many All-Stars does Atlanta have? You mad because Trae already lead his team to the ECF, the only team that beat them was the future champions when he got hurt. Your claim Luka could have done it with the Hawks roster is CORNY! Dallas traded away half their roster, if Luka elevates people WHY ALL THE ROSTER CHANGES MID SEASON?

This is the first time Luka made it out of the 1st round and he barely contributed in the UTAH series but you claim he ELEVATES more than Trae. LOL

[ImKobe]

You clearly are a LOW IQ POSTER! Luka and Trae are both generational players, they impact the game in different ways.
How many All-Stars does Atlanta have? You mad because Trae already lead his team to the ECF, the only team that beat them was the future champions when he got hurt. Your claim Luka could have done is CORNY, Dallas traded away half their roster, if Luka elevates people WHY ALL THE ROSTER CHANGES?

We've seen plenty of small scoring guards who fall off drastically in their late 20s/early 30s as their athleticism fades. Trae's also a much worse defensive player and can be schemed out of a series like we just saw. I don't think there's a world in which Doncic can't adapt and overcome whatever scheme you throw at him. Bridges was a DPOY candidate and he had no chance containing Luka. We saw the same thing with Kawhi and the Clippers trying to stop Luka, whether they went to a zone or man, there's just little you can do with a guy who has the ISO and passing skills that Doncic does at his size & strength.

Trae is a great player in his own right and the Hawks will be really good with him at some point if they can get the talent around him, but I feel like it's easier to build a winning team around Luka as we're seeing right now, and he's more likely to still be an elite player in his 30s when looking at other forwards or guards at his size with his skillset.

They had to trade KP because he's a liability health and locker room wise. He wanted to be a star and get his post-ups but that's not winning basketball in today's era. He also gets hurt a lot and is a 7-footer with serious knee injuries and is on a horrible contract. Mavs got 2 bench players for him and it made them better because at least those guys fit into their scheme won't get in the way in the locker room. Bertans might only give you 10-15 mpg in the POs and Dinwiddie is a 6th man off the bench, but it makes a lot more sense stylistically and it gives the Mavs the depth that they were lacking last season.

Every team makes changes around the edges with their role players, Seth Curry was a great offensive player for their system but you could hunt him on the defensive end, Josh Richardson gave them more athleticism and defense on the wing but he wasn't a reliable scorer in the POs. THJ is a great fit next to Luka but he's injured, so the Mavs needed to get another guard and more shooting to make up for it to have a chance in the POs.

[insight]

We've seen plenty of small scoring guards who fall off drastically in their late 20s/early 30s as their athleticism fades. Trae's also a much worse defensive player and can be schemed out of a series like we just saw. I don't think there's a world in which Doncic can't adapt and overcome whatever scheme you throw at him. Bridges was a DPOY candidate and he had no chance containing Luka. We saw the same thing with Kawhi and the Clippers trying to stop Luka, whether they went to a zone or man, there's just little you can do with a guy who has the ISO and passing skills that Doncic does at his size & strength.

Trae is a great player in his own right and the Hawks will be really good with him at some point if they can get the talent around him, but I feel like it's easier to build a winning team around Luka as we're seeing right now, and he's more likely to still be an elite player in his 30s when looking at other forwards or guards at his size with his skillset.

They had to trade KP because he's a liability health and locker room wise. He wanted to be a star and get his post-ups but that's not winning basketball in today's era. He also gets hurt a lot and is a 7-footer with serious knee injuries and is on a horrible contract. Mavs got 2 bench players for him and it made them better because at least those guys fit into their scheme won't get in the way in the locker room. Bertans might only give you 10-15 mpg in the POs and Dinwiddie is a 6th man off the bench, but it makes a lot more sense stylistically and it gives the Mavs the depth that they were lacking last season.

Every team makes changes around the edges with their role players, Seth Curry was a great offensive player for their system but you could hunt him on the defensive end, Josh Richardson gave them more athleticism and defense on the wing but he wasn't a reliable scorer in the POs. THJ is a great fit next to Luka but he's injured, so the Mavs needed to get another guard and more shooting to make up for it to have a chance in the POs.

Trae has his limitations no doubt, Luka's size and strength and footwork at his size are tremendous strengths that Trae simply never will have. He will also be more of a liability on defense because of his size, that is true too. I think Trae is better in pick n roll, better shooter/free throw shooter and can run the team as a true point guard controlling the tempo of the game.
Last season Trae destroyed the top defenses in the league in the playoffs, credit to Miami for watching tape and coming up with a game plan basically saying we are not going to let that happen. The only player to receive similar treatment in the playoffs so far was the Celtics on Durant. Would it work on Luka too, I don't know. I think Dallas has the same advantage the Hawks had last year having a new coach and new players that teams didn't have much tape on to make adjustments. Phoenix strategy was to let Luka eat, playing him one on one the majority of the game attempting to lock down the other players. The problem was Dinwiddie, Brunson, Dorian and Bertans were hitting shots too and Dallas was better defensively.
I think both players have the ability to win championships in the future, it's going to boil down to who has the best supporting cast and avoids injuries.

I would have drafted Luka over Trae, I don't think you can teach size and Luka was the more polished player. However after watching the Hawks play during the last few years, I realized how truly special Trae is and I am absolutely thrilled the Hawks chose him over Luka. The Miami series was really the first time I saw a team shut down Trae, the key is how will he adapt and grow from the situation. I think he will come back better and stronger and that's why I,m rolling with Ice Trae.

[hold this L]

No, Hawks fans love how Trae represents the city. Luka is a tremendous player and fits well in Dallas where they prefer European players. Let's not forget Luka got his head coach and GM who drafted him fired. He struggled to work with another All-Star player in Porzingis and started the season in horrible shape.
He has looked great in the 2nd half of the season but stop acting like it's been all sunshine and roses. If things are going well Luka beats his chest and shows out, when things start getting tough watch him limp around like he is injured. He definitely got some CP3 in him.
This is delusional, but I imagine this is the coping step when it comes to regret. Luka is on a top 10 all time trajectory, Trae is.. an elite guard. Luka is currently posting up the highest PPG averages ever in playoffs, ahead of MJ. Trae just had one of the worst series performances we have ever seen from an all star.

Luka is a massive diva, but you take that presuming he stays with the team considering his talent.

[insight]

This is delusional, but I imagine this is the coping step when it comes to regret. Luka is on a top 10 all time trajectory, Trae is.. an elite guard. Luka is currently posting up the highest PPG averages ever in playoffs, ahead of MJ. Trae just had one of the worst series performances we have ever seen from an all star.

Luka is a massive diva, but you take that presuming he stays with the team considering his talent.

You really can tell who watches game vs who watches highlights and listens to talking heads.
1. Trae is only the 2nd player in NBA to lead the league in total points and total assist.
2. If a Miami played Trae with 1 defender he would scre 40+ a game too. You didn't watch the Miami series or you would know they had two and 3 guys on Trae all game.
Luka didn't even play the majority of the Utah series and guess what Dallas didn'tmiss a beat. If Luka's teammates didn't save him he would have been out in the 1st round so please stop with the MJ comparisons.
Brunson was scoring 40 points a game so if Luka didn't play would Brunson have a higher PPG average than Jordan? If you haven't noticed everybody scores in this era!
Phoenix didn't even try to take the ball out of Luka's hands. Dallas had not won in Phoenix since 2019 and they were overconfident and under prepared. Dallas won game 7 because they were holding Phoenix to under 20 points a quarter. Now casuals like you want to create a narrative like it was all Luka.

[CelticBaller]

Atlanta will be fine, the bigger losers are the Kings

[Kblaze8855]

. Doncic elevates mediocre teams to contenders, Trae doesn't really move the needle as he's very limited in what he can do as a small guard


Teams?

Luka is the pick between them but I don’t know why we have to pretend Dallas has been contending or that the Hawks weren’t in the exact same position last year.

The mavs have won 2 playoff series in 4 years and one of them Luka missed 3 games and they won 2.

I just feel like “Makes teams contend” should take longer to establish. That’s something you say after a long period of playoff success I think.

[ImKobe]

You really can tell who watches game vs who watches highlights and listens to talking heads.
1. Trae is only the 2nd player in NBA to lead the league in total points and total assist.
2. If a Miami played Trae with 1 defender he would scre 40+ a game too. You didn't watch the Miami series or you would know they had two and 3 guys on Trae all game.
Luka didn't even play the majority of the Utah series and guess what Dallas didn'tmiss a beat. If Luka's teammates didn't save him he would have been out in the 1st round so please stop with the MJ comparisons.
Brunson was scoring 40 points a game so if Luka didn't play would Brunson have a higher PPG average than Jordan? If you haven't noticed everybody scores in this era!
Phoenix didn't even try to take the ball out of Luka's hands. Dallas had not won in Phoenix since 2019 and they were overconfident and under prepared. Dallas won game 7 because they were holding Phoenix to under 20 points a quarter. Now casuals like you want to create a narrative like it was all Luka.

Luka's the most ball-dominant player in the league. Teams have tried everything to stop him but he makes the right plays in most cases. It was better for Phoenix to have him play against man and live with the results than give up wide open corner 3s. I think what saved the Mavs in this series is that none of these games came down the wire, so the Suns didn't really have the opportunity to double him at the end of games to force someone else to beat them. He's just bigger, stronger & more skilled than Trae. There's a reason why only two small guards in NBA history have led teams to championships as the best players (Zeke, Steph). Small guards can't handle the physicality of the opposing defenses.

[ImKobe]

Teams?

Luka is the pick between them but I don’t know why we have to pretend Dallas has been contending or that the Hawks weren’t in the exact same position last year.

The mavs have won 2 playoff series in 4 years and one of them Luka missed 3 games and they won 2.

I just feel like “Makes teams contend” should take longer to establish. That’s something you say after a long period of playoff success I think.

Hawks did make the ECF last year and in a similar kind of fashion with the Sixers melting down at the end of the semis, but he's not beating a team as good as the Suns with that roster. There's a size & strength component to Luka's game that Trae will never have, and only 2 small guards in NBA history have led teams to championships as the undisputed #1 guy. And even then Steph has decent amount of size & weight on Trae. You just saw how the Mavs wore out Chris Paul by picking him up all game and attacking him on the defensive side, that's exactly what Miami did to Trae and what teams have done to Steph as well.

Luka has a +18.2 Net Rating in these Playoffs, the Mavs defense has been 13 points per 100 worse without him on the court and he obviously impacts their offensive production by 5 points as well. The Hawks will always be at a serious disadvantage defensively with Trae on the court, you can't really fix that at his size. You can get a scoring guard like Brunson, who's capable of matching 75-90% of what Trae does for half the price. So if you're building a team from scratch and you get to choose your point guard (who's also going to be your #1 player), you should never go with the small guy that can't rebound nor play defense.

[insight]

Hawks did make the ECF last year and in a similar kind of fashion with the Sixers melting down at the end of the semis, but he's not beating a team as good as the Suns with that roster. There's a size & strength component to Luka's game that Trae will never have, and only 2 small guards in NBA history have led teams to championships as the undisputed #1 guy. And even then Steph has decent amount of size & weight on Trae. You just saw how the Mavs wore out Chris Paul by picking him up all game and attacking him on the defensive side, that's exactly what Miami did to Trae and what teams have done to Steph as well.

Luka has a +18.2 Net Rating in these Playoffs, the Mavs defense has been 13 points per 100 worse without him on the court and he obviously impacts their offensive production by 5 points as well. The Hawks will always be at a serious disadvantage defensively with Trae on the court, you can't really fix that at his size. You can get a scoring guard like Brunson, who's capable of matching 75-90% of what Trae does for half the price. So if you're building a team from scratch and you get to choose your point guard (who's also going to be your #1 player), you should never go with the small guy that can't rebound nor play defense.

Another very casual take, Atlanta beat Phoenix handily in the regular season not sure what you are talking about match wise. John Collins, Capela and Bogie all played with major injuries in the Miami series. This limited the Hawks most lethal play, the pick n roll and Atlanta does not have another player who can create their own shot like Trae.
If you think Brunson is close to Trae you are delusional, don't know basketball or both.
If Trae is just another small guy WHY did he receive more defensive attention than Luka? Why did Miami sell out to stop him if he is the limited player you suggest he is?
Defensive ratings, LOL Luka didn't even play the majority of the 1st round.

[dirkdiggler41]

No, Hawks fans love how Trae represents the city. Luka is a tremendous player and fits well in Dallas where they prefer European players. Let's not forget Luka got his head coach and GM who drafted him fired. He struggled to work with another All-Star player in Porzingis and started the season in horrible shape.
He has looked great in the 2nd half of the season but stop acting like it's been all sunshine and roses. If things are going well Luka beats his chest and shows out, when things start getting tough watch him limp around like he is injured. He definitely got some CP3 in him.

What preference for Europen players? Luka, Dirk and KP? If that is a preference I would say every team in the NBA got a preference for Europen players. Hell, Hawks got Bogdan and Gallinari.

[ImKobe]

Another very casual take, Atlanta beat Phoenix handily in the regular season not sure what you are talking about match wise. John Collins, Capela and Bogie all played with major injuries in the Miami series. This limited the Hawks most lethal play, the pick n roll and Atlanta does not have another player who can create their own shot like Trae.
If you think Brunson is close to Trae you are delusional, don't know basketball or both.
If Trae is just another small guy WHY did he receive more defensive attention than Luka? Why did Miami sell out to stop him if he is the limited player you suggest he is?
Defensive ratings, LOL Luka didn't even play the majority of the 1st round.

Phoenix also beat the Mavs 6x in a row or whatever in the RS and got bounced in the Playoffs. RS is not the Playoffs. That's a casual take.

There are plenty of scoring guards in the league, do you want to be paying 50-60 million a year for Trae when you can get Brunson for 25-30?

He received more defensive attention than Luka because he's worse at dealing with doubles/traps than Luka and doesn't have enough perimeter shooting around him to make them pay with them playing non-shooters like Capela and Okongwu, who clearly shouldn't have been out there against Miami in the first place. You couldn't play the same defense on Luka because the Mavs went away from Powell and had 5 shooters out there, thus it gives them better spacing and forces the other team to play man.

Heat sat out Jimmy and Lowry and still shut down Trae and beat the Hawks. It's not all 100% on Trae but you gotta look at him differently after a series like that.

[insight]

Phoenix also beat the Mavs 6x in a row or whatever in the RS and got bounced in the Playoffs. RS is not the Playoffs. That's a casual take.

There are plenty of scoring guards in the league, do you want to be paying 50-60 million a year for Trae when you can get Brunson for 25-30?

He received more defensive attention than Luka because he's worse at dealing with doubles/traps than Luka and doesn't have enough perimeter shooting around him to make them pay with them playing non-shooters like Capela and Okongwu, who clearly shouldn't have been out there against Miami in the first place. You couldn't play the same defense on Luka because the Mavs went away from Powell and had 5 shooters out there, thus it gives them better spacing and forces the other team to play man.

Heat sat out Jimmy and Lowry and still shut down Trae and beat the Hawks. It's not all 100% on Trae but you gotta look at him differently after a series like that.

Trae is probably the best passer in the league, finished in top 5 in scoring and assist. Brunson is a good player but he ain't that type of player. Trae see's all types of defenses all the time, they trapped him in last years playoffs too. Luka is not better out of traps the difference is Dallas always has a primary ball handler on the floor like Brunson and Dinwiddie to take the ball the up the court and take pressure of Luka Trae doesn't have that luxury how the Hawks are currently constructed.
Atlanta was using wings like Bogi, Hunter and Huerter as secondary ball handlers and they are not good ball handlers or passers. Atlanta could fix this weakness with a player like Siakam who dribble and create offense from a wing position or and secondary scoring guard. Last year they used Lou Williams in this role but he wasn't available, this year when they tried to use Delon Wright is wasn't enough of an offensive weapon.
Trae had a bad series but I know Trae plays through injuries and doesn't always talk about them publicly. He looked injured to me, if you watched the series, he never was the same after Lowry undercut him but he kept playing. I wouldn't bet on Trae to have another bad series like that again but we will see.


https://youtube.com/shorts/AGy5iysOtJg?feature=share

[ImKobe]

Trae is probably the best passer in the league, finished in top 5 in scoring and assist. Brunson is a good player but he ain't that type of player. Trae see's all types of defenses all the time, they trapped him in last years playoffs too. Luka is not better out of traps the difference is Dallas always has a primary ball handler on the floor like Brunson and Dinwiddie to take the ball the up the court and take pressure of Luka Trae doesn't have that luxury how the Hawks are currently constructed.
Atlanta was using wings like Bogi, Hunter and Huerter as secondary ball handlers and they are not good ball handlers or passers. Atlanta could fix this weakness with a player like Siakam who dribble and create offense from a wing position or and secondary scoring guard. Last year they used Lou Williams in this role but he wasn't available, this year when they tried to use Delon Wright is wasn't enough of an offensive weapon.
Trae had a bad series but I know Trae plays through injuries and doesn't always talk about them publicly. He looked injured to me, if you watched the series, he never was the same after Lowry undercut him but he kept playing. I wouldn't bet on Trae to have another bad series like that again but we will see.


https://youtube.com/shorts/AGy5iysOtJg?feature=share

Yes, but Luka also didn't have a player like Brunson (he wasn't in that role and couldn't stay on the court in the POs) in years past or Dinwiddie when he went up against the Clippers and still dominated, even with KP, WCS, Powell and Boban out there playing major minutes with worse spacing.

Trae does need more help to compete out East. I'd like to see them have the ability to go smaller with a player like Siakam at the 5. I don't think their defense will ever be elite, but right now they're basically the EC version of Utah with their roster except they're worse on D. Gobert could help them get to 50-ish wins but I'm not sure that's good enough to contend. They'd have the same flaws.

[Mask the Embiid]

Fan base just reeks of insecurity :oldlol:. “PLEASE LIKE HIM!” “Is he good enough yet? Please say yes!!!”


Caaaaaringe….

[insight]

Yes, but Luka also didn't have a player like Brunson (he wasn't in that role and couldn't stay on the court in the POs) in years past or Dinwiddie when he went up against the Clippers and still dominated, even with KP, WCS, Powell and Boban out there playing major minutes with worse spacing.

Trae does need more help to compete out East. I'd like to see them have the ability to go smaller with a player like Siakam at the 5. I don't think their defense will ever be elite, but right now they're basically the EC version of Utah with their roster except they're worse on D. Gobert could help them get to 50-ish wins but I'm not sure that's good enough to contend. They'd have the same flaws.

In years past Dallas used Tim Hardaway, JJ Berea and Seth in that role. Delon Wright also played there early in Luka's career. There are some similarities with UTAH but Trae is a much better passer and creator than anybody on UTAH. They are similar because they don't have many players who can create their won shot and defensively they funnel everything to the big man.

I don't think the Hawks are that far off, they need another shot creator, a legit #2 scoring threat and some player with toughness sprinkled in with what they already have and they will be fine.
Miami lost in the 1st round after making the finals and made a few changes and are contending again. I think Atlanta will do the same thing if they acquire the right pieces.

I didn't think Dallas would get out of the 2nd round, Luka showed why he is one of the best players in the game. I do think the teams in the East like the Celtics and Heat are capable of shutting down the best players in the league if they want too. Luka hasn't seen that yet.

[Mask the Embiid]

This is delusional, but I imagine this is the coping step when it comes to regret. Luka is on a top 10 all time trajectory, Trae is.. an elite guard. Luka is currently posting up the highest PPG averages ever in playoffs, ahead of MJ. Trae just had one of the worst series performances we have ever seen from an all star.

Luka is a massive diva, but you take that presuming he stays with the team considering his talent.

Top 10 trajectory all time? :oldlol: no he’s on a harden trajectory…fk outta here :oldlol:

[insight]

Fan base just reeks of insecurity :oldlol:. “PLEASE LIKE HIM!” “Is he good enough yet? Please say yes!!!”


Caaaaaringe….

Stay on topic, we are not talking about the 76rs. Embiid should have won MVP, but he was so distracted by a meaningless award he got bounced out in the 2nd round again. Can't blame Simmons this year, oh wait they will just throw Harden under the bus.

[Bronbron23]

I personally like Luka over Trae. I can’t imagine Luka in Atlanta tho. Imagine migos hanging out with him. Hilarious.



That’s retarded logic.

What? Just look at the history of the game dummy. Bigger longer players have always dominated the NBA. Calling facts retarded is actually retarded.

[GOBB]

What? Just look at the history of the game dummy. Bigger longer players have always dominated the NBA. Calling facts retarded is actually retarded.

You’re not bright

[insight]

What preference for Europen players? Luka, Dirk and KP? If that is a preference I would say every team in the NBA got a preference for Europen players. Hell, Hawks got Bogdan and Gallinari.

I,m talking about to be the face of the franchise. Atlanta loves Bogi, Gallo and Capella but Trae came in and fully embraced Atlanta's culture and really tried to make it his 2nd home. Luka represents Solvenia, first and Dallas second. I think that works for Dallas since they won a championship with Dirk but Atlanta doesn't want a player who has no allegiance to the city.

[fsvr54]

Not even worth debating, my fellow Hawks fan.

Let's just let Trae do the talking with his continued growth.

[kentatm]

Top 10 trajectory all time? :oldlol: no he’s on a harden trajectory…fk outta here :oldlol:

:facepalm

Luka doesn't give up and quit the way Harden does and he isn't wasting his life away at strip clubs.

[Charlie Sheen]

Both franchises are still laughing at the Kings.

[hold this L]

You really can tell who watches game vs who watches highlights and listens to talking heads.
1. Trae is only the 2nd player in NBA to lead the league in total points and total assist.
2. If a Miami played Trae with 1 defender he would scre 40+ a game too. You didn't watch the Miami series or you would know they had two and 3 guys on Trae all game.
Luka didn't even play the majority of the Utah series and guess what Dallas didn'tmiss a beat. If Luka's teammates didn't save him he would have been out in the 1st round so please stop with the MJ comparisons.
Brunson was scoring 40 points a game so if Luka didn't play would Brunson have a higher PPG average than Jordan? If you haven't noticed everybody scores in this era!
Phoenix didn't even try to take the ball out of Luka's hands. Dallas had not won in Phoenix since 2019 and they were overconfident and under prepared. Dallas won game 7 because they were holding Phoenix to under 20 points a quarter. Now casuals like you want to create a narrative like it was all Luka.
You are way too deep into this. Trae got treated how Steph gets treated every single PS run. Hard traps, doubles. That's not going to happen as much to taller players like Luka who can pass to an open net purely due to their physical attributes. I'm not putting him in MJ category, I'm saying he has a similar PPG to MJ which shows how dominant he is in the PS, significantly more than Trae.

Suns can't take the ball out of Luka, dude is too big, too fat, and too strong. You can't bully him physically unlike smaller guards. That's why there's been only 2 truly superstars players that are not 6 5 and above in the playoffs. It's significantly harder to dominate. People are going to look 5-10 years from now and laugh their ass off at Trae ever being compared to Luka. One guy's ceiling is a level that Trae can't ever dream of getting to.

[insight]

You are way too deep into this. Trae got treated how Steph gets treated every single PS run. Hard traps, doubles. That's not going to happen as much to taller players like Luka who can pass to an open net purely due to their physical attributes. I'm not putting him in MJ category, I'm saying he has a similar PPG to MJ which shows how dominant he is in the PS, significantly more than Trae.

Suns can't take the ball out of Luka, dude is too big, too fat, and too strong. You can't bully him physically unlike smaller guards. That's why there's been only 2 truly superstars players that are not 6 5 and above in the playoffs. It's significantly harder to dominate. People are going to look 5-10 years from now and laugh their ass off at Trae ever being compared to Luka. One guy's ceiling is a level that Trae can't ever dream of getting to.

Luka is NOT a point guard, he is a shooting guard / small forward, stop acting like he is Magic Johnson. His usage is tied to ISO in the half court. Steph is not a point guard either, teams would double him, and try to deny him the ball but he is coming off screens and pin downs he is not running the offense.
Michael Jordan was not a point guard either, he rarely took the ball up the court unless it was a fast break. Dallas didn't even need Luka to beat UTAH, they don't need him to run their offense either.

You don't understand Phoenix strategy was to allow Luka to score but not let him set up others to beat them. Luka dances at the top of the key and either drives or does a step back three. He is not calling and running plays for everyone on the team like Trae does.

The big difference is
When Trae has a bad game or series, it's magnified because he creates the majority of the offense for the Hawks, you shut him down the Hawks don't have players who can create for themselves.

[kawhileonard2]

1000%
Atlanta has already been to the ECF, with a less impressive roster. You weren't asking the question last playoffs were you?

For a run or two but long run no. Maybe it is like the Deron vs CP3 draft and decision.

[insight]

You are way too deep into this. Trae got treated how Steph gets treated every single PS run. Hard traps, doubles. That's not going to happen as much to taller players like Luka who can pass to an open net purely due to their physical attributes. I'm not putting him in MJ category, I'm saying he has a similar PPG to MJ which shows how dominant he is in the PS, significantly more than Trae.

Suns can't take the ball out of Luka, dude is too big, too fat, and too strong. You can't bully him physically unlike smaller guards. That's why there's been only 2 truly superstars players that are not 6 5 and above in the playoffs. It's significantly harder to dominate. People are going to look 5-10 years from now and laugh their ass off at Trae ever being compared to Luka. One guy's ceiling is a level that Trae can't ever dream of getting to.

LOL! Such a prisoner of the moment! I guess Wiggins is the new Scottie Pippens or Gary Payton because Luka isn't even beating single coverage!!!!

[k0kakw0rld]

That did not age like a fine wine :oldlol:
Trae won 2 games in his first ECF appearance and 49 in his fist ECF game.

[hold this L]

Luka is NOT a point guard, he is a shooting guard / small forward, stop acting like he is Magic Johnson. His usage is tied to ISO in the half court. Steph is not a point guard either, teams would double him, and try to deny him the ball but he is coming off screens and pin downs he is not running the offense.
Michael Jordan was not a point guard either, he rarely took the ball up the court unless it was a fast break. Dallas didn't even need Luka to beat UTAH, they don't need him to run their offense either.

You don't understand Phoenix strategy was to allow Luka to score but not let him set up others to beat them. Luka dances at the top of the key and either drives or does a step back three. He is not calling and running plays for everyone on the team like Trae does.

The big difference is
When Trae has a bad game or series, it's magnified because he creates the majority of the offense for the Hawks, you shut him down the Hawks don't have players who can create for themselves.

Calling Luka a shooting guard has to be up there as one of the dumbest posts of the year. And add another person who doesn't call Steph a PG because he doesn't play like traditional PGs. You make a lot of excuses. Enjoy never seeing the ECF for the next 5 years unless Boston, Bucks, Nets & Heat are all in one side of the bracket.

[insight]

Calling Luka a shooting guard has to be up there as one of the dumbest posts of the year. And add another person who doesn't call Steph a PG because he doesn't play like traditional PGs. You make a lot of excuses. Enjoy never seeing the ECF for the next 5 years unless Boston, Bucks, Nets & Heat are all in one side of the bracket.

Luka is NOT a point guard!!!! You can call him a shooting guard, small forward, wing player or hybrid but he is not a point guard. The fact that you are arguing this fact is silly. Steph played point guard when he first entered the league under Mark Jackson, he really became an impactful player when he moved to shooting guard. These are facts, not excuses.
The Heat and Celtics didn't even make it out of the 1st round last season. The Nets have failed to advance past the 2nd round for several seasons and the Bucks didn't advance this year after winning a championship. The Hawks are a contender, but keep pretending they are not because you are just going to look dumb when they advance in the future.

[tontoz]

Luka is NOT a point guard!!!! You can call him a shooting guard, small forward, wing player or hybrid but he is not a point guard. The fact that you are arguing this fact is silly. Steph played point guard when he first entered the league under Mark Jackson, he really became an impactful player when he moved to shooting guard. These are facts, not excuses.
The Heat and Celtics didn't even make it out of the 1st round last season. The Nets have failed to advance past the 2nd round for several seasons and the Bucks didn't advance this year after winning a championship. The Hawks are a contender, but keep pretending they are not because you are just going to look dumb when they advance in the future.


So who is the primary playmaker on the Mavs?

[insight]

So who is the primary playmaker on the Mavs?

The offense usually runs through Luka but he receives the ball top of the key extended and usually plays ISO ball. He usually dribbles the ball through his legs, and either drives to the basket or pulls up for a step back 3.
Trae brings the ball up and calls the sets for the entire team. On defensive rebounds 95% of the time the ball goes Trae. Miami was able to effectively disrupt Atlanta's offense because they put 2 and sometimes 3 players on Trae taking him completely out of the offensive flow.
You can't do that to Dallas because Dinwiddle and Brunson share the load of creating shots for others with Luka.

[j3lademaster]

Harden was listed a pg in 19 and a sg in 20 and he was pretty much the same player putting up the same numbers. It honestly doesn't matter what position they're listed at.

[tontoz]

The offense usually runs through Luka but he receives the ball top of the key extended and usually plays ISO ball. He usually dribbles the ball through his legs, and either drives to the basket or pulls up for a step back 3.
Trae brings the ball up and calls the sets for the entire team. On defensive rebounds 95% of the time the ball goes Trae. Miami was able to effectively disrupt Atlanta's offense because they put 2 and sometimes 3 players on Trae taking him completely out of the offensive flow.
You can't do that to Dallas because Dinwiddle and Brunson share the load of creating shots for others with Luka.

Luka's assist rate is nearly double that of brunson and dinwiddie.

Doubling Luka wouldn't be as effective as.doubling Trae because of Luka's size.

[hold this L]

Luka is NOT a point guard!!!! You can call him a shooting guard, small forward, wing player or hybrid but he is not a point guard. The fact that you are arguing this fact is silly. Steph played point guard when he first entered the league under Mark Jackson, he really became an impactful player when he moved to shooting guard. These are facts, not excuses.
The Heat and Celtics didn't even make it out of the 1st round last season. The Nets have failed to advance past the 2nd round for several seasons and the Bucks didn't advance this year after winning a championship. The Hawks are a contender, but keep pretending they are not because you are just going to look dumb when they advance in the future.

It's not a fact, it's a shit opinion you have that has no base on reality. The one that sets the control of how a team plays is the PG. Steph runs the offense both on and off the ball which is why no team can play that type of offense. Including.. the Warriors themselves whenever he's been off the court, even when Kerr had Dray, Andre, Klay, KD, and Zaza running around trying to pass 100 times. It never came close to playing at the tempo that was set.

Same with Luka, he sets the tempo. Yeah he essentially has 4-5 moves he does in terms of running the offense, but it's still a hell lot better than a PG that got sent to Azkaban by the Heat this post season. Such a good PG that he had more TO than assists from the supposed super elite playmaker. At least he had the most assists during regular season though!! You sound like some dinosaur that has 1 or 2 ways of seeing how an offense should be run, which is why you look only players that play those specific ways to run an offense. Enjoy watching your undersized PG get his shit pushed in repeatedly as he can't make plays to get out of any round any time he plays an elite team.

[insight]

It's not a fact, it's a shit opinion you have that has no base on reality. The one that sets the control of how a team plays is the PG. Steph runs the offense both on and off the ball which is why no team can play that type of offense. Including.. the Warriors themselves whenever he's been off the court, even when Kerr had Dray, Andre, Klay, KD, and Zaza running around trying to pass 100 times. It never came close to playing at the tempo that was set.

Same with Luka, he sets the tempo. Yeah he essentially has 4-5 moves he does in terms of running the offense, but it's still a hell lot better than a PG that got sent to Azkaban by the Heat this post season. Such a good PG that he had more TO than assists from the supposed super elite playmaker. At least he had the most assists during regular season though!! You sound like some dinosaur that has 1 or 2 ways of seeing how an offense should be run, which is why you look only players that play those specific ways to run an offense. Enjoy watching your undersized PG get his shit pushed in repeatedly as he can't make plays to get out of any round any time he plays an elite team.

Draymond controls the flow of Golden State's offense. He is the key screen setter and facilitator to open shooters and cutters. You really don't even understand what you are watching. Golden State runs a flex offense which relies on this screen action. It is nothing like the Heliocentric offenses that Dallas and Atlanta runs which are offenses geared to run through a star player. Again you don't even know what you are watching.

I watch all the teams and players, I enjoy basketball I am not fixated on ONE PLAYER attempting to prove he is better than everyone else. You hate the fact that everything Luka is doing right now, Trae already did last year.

[insight]

Luka's assist rate is nearly double that of brunson and dinwiddie.

Doubling Luka wouldn't be as effective as.doubling Trae because of Luka's size.

If you watched how teams defend Trae you would see that they attempt to defend him with FULL COURT PRESSURE. They will start with a defender or double full court disrupting his ability to dribble the ball up the court. Teams last year started trapping and doubling Trae when he came over half court which allowed him to survey the entire floor and see where the defenders were coming from to pass out of it. It has nothing to do with size.
This year teams attempted to completely take Trae out of the offense by apply FULL COURT PRESSURE and bringing the doubles before half court. Trae destroyed the top rated defenses in the playoffs last when they attempted to double and trap him so clearly there is more to it than size it's how defenses changed the way they defend against him and Atlanta's current roster.

Teams are allowing Luka to get his points and focusing on preventing open look for his teammates. Wiggins basically guarded Luka 1 on 1 but Golden State deployed different help strategies to make Luka's reads more difficult.

[insight]

Harden was listed a pg in 19 and a sg in 20 and he was pretty much the same player putting up the same numbers. It honestly doesn't matter what position they're listed at.

Harden's role with the Nets and 76rs was to be a facilitator 1st, In Houston his was the 1st scoring option, in OKC he was the primary scorer coming of the bench. His roles with the Nets and 76rs were closer to a point guards responsibility than shooting guard. There are very few true point guards in the modern NBA, CP3 and Trae fall in that category.

[tontoz]

If you watched how teams defend Trae you would see that they attempt to defend him with FULL COURT PRESSURE. They will start with a defender or double full court disrupting his ability to dribble the ball up the court. Teams last year started trapping and doubling Trae when he came over half court which allowed him to survey the entire floor and see where the defenders were coming from to pass out of it. It has nothing to do with size.
This year teams attempted to completely take Trae out of the offense by apply FULL COURT PRESSURE and bringing the doubles before half court. Trae destroyed the top rated defenses in the playoffs last when they attempted to double and trap him so clearly there is more to it than size it's how defenses changed the way they defend against him and Atlanta's current roster.

Teams are allowing Luka to get his points and focusing on preventing open look for his teammates. Wiggins basically guarded Luka 1 on 1 but Golden State deployed different help strategies to make Luka's reads more difficult.


Luka can simply pass over double team. Trae can't. Not that hard to grasp. Luka can see over the defenders and pass over them just like Lebron and Magic.

Still waiting to hear your logic explaining why Luka isn't the pg when he is the primary ball handler and playmaker, by far.

[GimmeThat]

Draymond controls the flow of Golden State's offense. He is the key screen setter and facilitator to open shooters and cutters. You really don't even understand what you are watching. Golden State runs a flex offense which relies on this screen action. It is nothing like the Heliocentric offenses that Dallas and Atlanta runs which are offenses geared to run through a star player. Again you don't even know what you are watching.

I watch all the teams and players, I enjoy basketball I am not fixated on ONE PLAYER attempting to prove he is better than everyone else. You hate the fact that everything Luka is doing right now, Trae already did last year.

actually, both teams run near identical offenses, one where opportunity always presents itself to those with the ball, it's up to them to make the decision. Which is why Poole has flourished so well under the Warriors offense, as well as why Porter Jr. will have those monster games once in a while.

the Mavs players would also appear to be much better passers if Luka wasn't overweight and can't get open off the ball as frequent as he should, however, those extra weights have been paying off for the Mavs at the FT line.

It'll be interesting to see if Brunson gets the green light to push the pace and get rid of the set offense the way Poole does when he's the smallest player on the floor.

[GimmeThat]

Still waiting to hear your logic explaining why Luka isn't the pg when he is the primary ball handler and playmaker, by far.

fair, and based on the amount of shots attempted between 0-10 feet, Brunson is the Center of the Mavs.

[insight]

Luka can simply pass over double team. Trae can't. Not that hard to grasp. Luka can see over the defenders and pass over them just like Lebron and Magic.

Still waiting to hear your logic explaining why Luka isn't the pg when he is the primary ball handler and playmaker, by far.

Luka does not take the ball up every time and start the offense sets for other players. In fact Dallas was playin WITH 3 GUARDS!!!!!!!!
Did you watch what CP3 did, that is a point guard if you can't tell the difference I don't know what to tell you.
Did you watch the playoffs last season, the Knicks, 76rs with Ben Simmons, and the Bucks all trapped and double teamed Trae with NO SUCCESS! He found the open man and carved them up. Do you understand the Hawks went to the ECF last season and Trae faced the #! defenses in the league and they could not stop him.

Height isn't the only factor, Trae is faster, quicker, has better handles and can pass with either hand. Here is a trivia question for you, in the regular season which team had the lowest turnover margin?

[insight]

fair, and based on the amount of shots attempted between 0-10 feet, Brunson is the Center of the Mavs.

If Luka is a point guard so is Durant and Giannis and Tatum.

[GimmeThat]

Luka does not take the ball up every time and start the offense sets for other players. In fact Dallas was playin WITH 3 GUARDS!!!!!!!!
Did you watch what CP3 did, that is a point guard if you can't tell the difference I don't know what to tell you.
Did you watch the playoffs last season, the Knicks, 76rs with Ben Simmons, and the Bucks all trapped and double teamed Trae with NO SUCCESS! He found the open man and carved them up. Do you understand the Hawks went to the ECF last season and Trae faced the #! defenses in the league and they could not stop him.

Height isn't the only factor, Trae is faster, quicker, has better handles and can pass with either hand. Here is a trivia question for you, in the regular season which team had the lowest turnover margin?

you're thinking about all the players playing at the same pace, which isn't always true.

[GimmeThat]

If Luka is a point guard so is Durant and Giannis and Tatum.

if the defense is based on stopping everyone from having the ball, but your main scorer, that statement holds true. particularly when it's combined with we'd rather give up the 3 point shot then getting beaten by player posting up.

[insight]

Lol.

Hawks would have been in the Finals last year with Luka.

Doncic elevates mediocre teams to contenders, Trae doesn't really move the needle as he's very limited in what he can do as a small guard, so he's like '17 IT with not much room to grow as a player, he's not going to have a long 15+ year career as the best player on his team (unless he's putting up numbers on losing teams that are tanking) for obvious reasons while Doncic is a generational talent. It's a huge L for Atlanta.

LOL!
Now Luka would have taken the Hawks to the ECF.
Golden State finally threw a few double teams and box in 1's into the defensive scheme and Doncic wets the bed.

[Spurs m8]

LOL!
Now Luka would have taken the Hawks to the ECF.
Golden State finally threw a few double teams and box in 1's into the defensive scheme and Doncic wets the bed.

Luka is easily going to have the better career

4th has just started, he has 25 points on 43% shooting but apparently he's wetting the bed.

Luka has an average - at best supporting cast and he's taken them to the WCF...including beating the #1 seed and last years finalists, also without HCA

Give it a rest, champ, the Warriors are stacked

[Gohan]

Luka is easily going to have the better career

4th has just started, he has 25 points on 43% shooting but apparently he's wetting the bed.

Luka has an average - at best supporting cast and he's taken them to the WCF...including beating the #1 seed and last years finalists, also without HCA

Give it a rest, champ, the Warriors are stacked

brunson is outplaying luka, luka is just hogging the ball

[SouBeachTalents]

This dude trashing Luka after Trae just literally had the worst series of all time :lol

[insight]

This dude trashing Luka after Trae just literally had the worst series of all time :lol

First off Trae already made it to the ECF and the Hawks won games against the eventually champions and who knows what would have happened if Trae didn't get hurt.
There is a reason why he had a bad series against Miami.
Miami trapped, doubled, played full court box in 1 defense against Trae the entire series. Some in this threat claimed that Luka would be able pass out of the pressure because he is bigger and we saw that when Golden State applied some pressure on Luka he wasn't very good.
Golden State wants Luka to score all the points, so the rest of the players stay uninvolved in the game. It's sad when casuals look at a box score and highlights but don't understand the game.

I never trashed Luka, stop the slander.

[Taurus]

Don't let this Luka vs Trae debate distract you from the fact that the Kings could have had either but instead got Bagley