Really wish him and Trae weren’t both undersized because they would be fun together. Unfortunately for Cooper his ceiling is probably when Trae isn’t on the court or the perfect guy to step in if Trae gets injured. Which is great for us to have a guy that can cover Trae’s minutes pretty well if disaster happens. Hopefully he balls out a few years in his limited role and then we trade him and he can go lead his own team.
I just clicked on the link to subscribe and it said it wasn't available in my region. I'm in Alabama. I guess I'm a little confused by that. I didn't think there would be any restrictions.
Go ask in the Braves thread. Think they figured something out. There's some other streaming platform that works for nba too.
https://sportsurge.net/#/groups/0 I used this for Braves games this season and didnt miss a single game. Once nba games are on you click nba and all the games on will show up. You click the game you want and a ton of streams show up to select from. When the Hawks start I will point out which streams were the best for Braves games. There were two I thought were better than the rest.
I watched almost every game last year on some sketchy stream. If that's what it take then that's what it takes.
Direct TV Stream (formally branded as AT&T TV) has Bally. To my knowledge they are the only real streamer that carries it. I had it all baseball season and switched to YTTV for NFL Redzone. Now i'm at a crossroads where I will most likely just purchase NBA League Pass. Because no way i'm going back to Direct TV Stream, it is such an inferior product relative to YTTV.
Bogdan Bogdanovic knew there was something different about Trae Young two years ago when they played on opposite teams in the Rising Stars Challenge at All-Star Weekend. Bogdanovic, then on the Kings, realized Young was actually taking a meaningless showcase semi-seriously when most of the competition in a game like that is glorified pickup basketball where the objective is to just come up with the flashiest highlight and call it a day. Young will be damned if he’s not trying to win any game he’s involved in, and that includes a Rising Stars Challenge that almost no one can remember who wins or loses the following week. “I saw it in him then,” Bogdanovic recalled. “I saw what he could do that night. I was watching him since then, and I’ve always liked him. I always liked the way he was playing because he’s the ultimate competitor. He never just shows up to do the job and just leaves. That’s what I like about him.” The narrative that surrounded Young before he lifted the Hawks to the Eastern Conference finals this past season was that he was just looking to fill the box score and accumulate as many individual stats as possible, and winning was secondary. He was labeled as a “bad teammate” who would only pass the ball when it was clear he could get an assist. If it were actually true, Kevin Huerterwould not have just signed a four-year, $65 million extension — a number that likely would’ve been significantly less if he waited until next offseason to sign. John Collinscould have made it known to the front office this offseason that he would prefer to go to a team where he’d be a focal point of an offense every night and be a No. 1 or No. 2 option. Bogdanovic would not have signed with Atlanta last offseason if he didn’t think his own competitiveness was a perfect match with Young’s. The only players who’ve wanted to leave Atlanta have been veterans who knew their roles were going to be supplanted by better, younger players. The Hawks’ level of winning this past season showed everyone in the organization that the run they had, being two wins away from the NBA Finals, was just the start of what they believe is an inevitable title, and the team knows Young will be one of the main reasons why it might happen. “He’s in a position to be a franchise player,” Bogdanovic said. “Sometimes he gets a lot of critics. Everyone wants to see top picks winning and scoring and being the best and performing and not missing. Every mistake is a big mistake when you’re a top pick. It’s normal. I think he’s proved everyone wrong. He’s a great teammate, and I enjoy playing with him.” The expectations for Young and the Hawks are the highest they’ve been since he arrived in Atlanta in 2018. It’s arguably the most-anticipated season since the team relocated to Atlanta. The Hawks have never been as close to winning a title in this city as they were last season, and this year’s version should be better if they can stay healthy. Nate McMillan said he hasn’t heard any outside noise that considers the Hawks to be contenders, but FiveThirtyEight gives them the ninth-best odds to win it all this season. The Athletic’s John Hollingerprojects the Hawks to win 50 games. While it could be debated whether or not the Hawks should be the third-best team in the East or if they should be fourth or even fifth, regardless, no one was predicting the Hawks to be this good at the start of last season. The team’s own front office was hopeful it would be good enough for a spot in the Play-In Tournament and could show the league it could make it an interesting, tough series for its first-round matchup. There’s external belief in this team now. Internally, last season wasn’t good enough. “I’m not satisfied. I know my teammates aren’t satisfied,” Young said. “We’re very happy and humble to do what we have done and to achieve what we have achieved so far, but that’s only making it to the conference finals. That’s not the end goal for anybody. For us, we’re not satisfied. We want more.” The Hawks started last season 14-20 and fired Lloyd Pierce before the All-Star break. They realize that to accomplish all of their goals, they can’t start off as flat as they did last season, when they blew numerous games in the fourth quarter. How often it happened in the first half of the season shouldn’t happen anymore. They know what it takes to win now. McMillan said the team’s goal is to win 30-plus games in State Farm Arena this season. They were 25-11 last season. If they could win 30 home games and finish around .500 on the road, we’re talking about a 50-win team. That should be good enough to gain home court in at least the first round of the playoffs, which has also been a stated goal for the organization. Those are both realistic, obtainable goals for the Hawks, but there’s been a vibe around this team all season long that while those should be marks they check off along the way, there’s only one goal they all have. They were too close not to believe it’s possible. That’s why Collins said it would be a failure in his eyes if the Hawks aren’t holding the Larry O’Brien trophy at the end of the year. “With the players we have, I think we’re building something special here,” Bogdanovic said. “We’re not motivating ourselves with the things we’ve done in the past. I really believe we can win a championship one day, if it’s this season or it’s the next one. We’re locked in on this year. We saw what it is like to be on that stage. It’s nice to be there. It’s nice to be a part of NBA history. That’s what everyone remembers. In 10 or 20 years, no one will remember we were in the Eastern Conference finals. You need to win to be remembered.” Bogdanovic is right. Teams are mostly remembered for the titles they win and not by their conference finals appearances. That shouldn’t diminish what this group achieved last season with a mostly inexperienced roster that many doubted. There should be fewer doubters in the Hawks, especially in Young, this season. He embarrassed the Knicks in Madison Square Garden in Round 1, as he quieted the crowd after they cursed his name and then bid them farewell as he bowed in their faces, cementing himself alongside Reggie Miller and Michael Jordan as visiting players who are hated by the franchise. He then helped send the Sixers franchise into a tailspin. He shimmied, nearly scored 50 points and threw alley-oop passes off the glass in the conference finals. But those kinds of performances weren’t surprising to those who’ve watched since the beginning. What was the bigger sign of growth for Young last year was the trust he showed in his teammates. He didn’t have to put up monster performances anymore to have a chance to win. He showed everyone in the locker room that if he could sacrifice, everyone else could, too. This coming season may also be the year we see Young develop a side of his game that’s been talked about since his rookie season that could unleash an even deadlier version of himself. “I think that’s something that Trae is starting to get comfortable with is playing off the ball, allowing Bogi to handle, allowing De’Andre (Hunter) to handle, allowing Kevin, those guys to handle the ball,” McMillan said. “He can play off the ball, especially with how teams are guarding him. Last year, in the second half of the season, he started to see teams box-and-one to take the ball out of his hands. We had to find different ways to get him involved. I think it’s good. We have guys who are capable of initiating the offense, and I think Trae is getting comfortable allowing them to initiate it. He’s playing off the ball, which can be really good for us. “We have some guys we feel with matchups that we feel we can take advantage of with them handling the ball as opposed to Trae having to do the majority of the action.” In addition to the off-ball movement the Hawks would like to see more of, they also want Young to continue developing his voice. Despite his game being flashy, Young is naturally reserved. He has a small circle of friends with whom he hangs out and otherwise likes to lay low. He says he turns into “somebody different” when he’s on the court. Collins might be the emotional leader of the Hawks, but everyone knows they need Young to continue his ascension as one of the top players in the league. And, for Young, he won’t ever stop chasing for greatness. It’s all he wants. Last season showed him everyone around him wants it just as badly, too. “My expectations are always high, but I think in the whole building, it’s a lot higher. It’s more intense,” Young said.
Spoiler Bogdan Bogdanovic knew there was something different about Trae Youngtwo years ago when they played on opposite teams in the Rising Stars Challenge at All-Star Weekend. Bogdanovic, then on the Kings, realized Young was actually taking a meaningless showcase semi-seriously when most of the competition in a game like that is glorified pickup basketball where the objective is to just come up with the flashiest highlight and call it a day. Young will be damned if he’s not trying to win any game he’s involved in, and that includes a Rising Stars Challenge that almost no one can remember who wins or loses the following week. “I saw it in him then,” Bogdanovic recalled. “I saw what he could do that night. I was watching him since then, and I’ve always liked him. I always liked the way he was playing because he’s the ultimate competitor. He never just shows up to do the job and just leaves. That’s what I like about him.” The narrative that surrounded Young before he lifted the Hawks to the Eastern Conference finals this past season was that he was just looking to fill the box score and accumulate as many individual stats as possible, and winning was secondary. He was labeled as a “bad teammate” who would only pass the ball when it was clear he could get an assist. If it were actually true, Kevin Huerterwould not have just signed a four-year, $65 million extension — a number that likely would’ve been significantly less if he waited until next offseason to sign. John Collins could have made it known to the front office this offseason that he would prefer to go to a team where he’d be a focal point of an offense every night and be a No. 1 or No. 2 option. Bogdanovic would not have signed with Atlanta last offseason if he didn’t think his own competitiveness was a perfect match with Young’s. The only players who’ve wanted to leave Atlanta have been veterans who knew their roles were going to be supplanted by better, younger players. The Hawks’ level of winning this past season showed everyone in the organization that the run they had, being two wins away from the NBA Finals, was just the start of what they believe is an inevitable title, and the team knows Young will be one of the main reasons why it might happen. “He’s in a position to be a franchise player,” Bogdanovic said. “Sometimes he gets a lot of critics. Everyone wants to see top picks winning and scoring and being the best and performing and not missing. Every mistake is a big mistake when you’re a top pick. It’s normal. I think he’s proved everyone wrong. He’s a great teammate, and I enjoy playing with him.” The expectations for Young and the Hawks are the highest they’ve been since he arrived in Atlanta in 2018. It’s arguably the most-anticipated season since the team relocated to Atlanta. The Hawks have never been as close to winning a title in this city as they were last season, and this year’s version should be better if they can stay healthy. Nate McMillan said he hasn’t heard any outside noise that considers the Hawks to be contenders, but FiveThirtyEightgives them the ninth-best odds to win it all this season. The Athletic’s John Hollinger projects the Hawks to win 50 games. While it could be debated whether or not the Hawks should be the third-best team in the East or if they should be fourth or even fifth, regardless, no one was predicting the Hawks to be this good at the start of last season. The team’s own front office was hopeful it would be good enough for a spot in the Play-In Tournament and could show the league it could make it an interesting, tough series for its first-round matchup. There’s external belief in this team now. Internally, last season wasn’t good enough. “I’m not satisfied. I know my teammates aren’t satisfied,” Young said. “We’re very happy and humble to do what we have done and to achieve what we have achieved so far, but that’s only making it to the conference finals. That’s not the end goal for anybody. For us, we’re not satisfied. We want more.” The Hawks started last season 14-20 and fired Lloyd Pierce before the All-Star break. They realize that to accomplish all of their goals, they can’t start off as flat as they did last season, when they blew numerous games in the fourth quarter. How often it happened in the first half of the season shouldn’t happen anymore. They know what it takes to win now. McMillan said the team’s goal is to win 30-plus games in State Farm Arena this season. They were 25-11 last season. If they could win 30 home games and finish around .500 on the road, we’re talking about a 50-win team. That should be good enough to gain home court in at least the first round of the playoffs, which has also been a stated goal for the organization. Those are both realistic, obtainable goals for the Hawks, but there’s been a vibe around this team all season long that while those should be marks they check off along the way, there’s only one goal they all have. They were too close not to believe it’s possible. That’s why Collins said it would be a failure in his eyes if the Hawks aren’t holding the Larry O’Brien trophy at the end of the year. “With the players we have, I think we’re building something special here,” Bogdanovic said. “We’re not motivating ourselves with the things we’ve done in the past. I really believe we can win a championship one day, if it’s this season or it’s the next one. We’re locked in on this year. We saw what it is like to be on that stage. It’s nice to be there. It’s nice to be a part of NBA history. That’s what everyone remembers. In 10 or 20 years, no one will remember we were in the Eastern Conference finals. You need to win to be remembered.” Bogdanovic is right. Teams are mostly remembered for the titles they win and not by their conference finals appearances. That shouldn’t diminish what this group achieved last season with a mostly inexperienced roster that many doubted. There should be fewer doubters in the Hawks, especially in Young, this season. He embarrassed the Knicks in Madison Square Garden in Round 1, as he quieted the crowd after they cursed his name and then bid them farewell as he bowed in their faces, cementing himself alongside Reggie Miller and Michael Jordan as visiting players who are hated by the franchise. He then helped send the Sixersfranchise into a tailspin. He shimmied, nearly scored 50 points and threw alley-oop passes off the glass in the conference finals. But those kinds of performances weren’t surprising to those who’ve watched since the beginning. What was the bigger sign of growth for Young last year was the trust he showed in his teammates. He didn’t have to put up monster performances anymore to have a chance to win. He showed everyone in the locker room that if he could sacrifice, everyone else could, too. This coming season may also be the year we see Young develop a side of his game that’s been talked about since his rookie season that could unleash an even deadlier version of himself. “I think that’s something that Trae is starting to get comfortable with is playing off the ball, allowing Bogi to handle, allowing De’Andre (Hunter) to handle, allowing Kevin, those guys to handle the ball,” McMillan said. “He can play off the ball, especially with how teams are guarding him. Last year, in the second half of the season, he started to see teams box-and-one to take the ball out of his hands. We had to find different ways to get him involved. I think it’s good. We have guys who are capable of initiating the offense, and I think Trae is getting comfortable allowing them to initiate it. He’s playing off the ball, which can be really good for us. “We have some guys we feel with matchups that we feel we can take advantage of with them handling the ball as opposed to Trae having to do the majority of the action.” In addition to the off-ball movement the Hawks would like to see more of, they also want Young to continue developing his voice. Despite his game being flashy, Young is naturally reserved. He has a small circle of friends with whom he hangs out and otherwise likes to lay low. He says he turns into “somebody different” when he’s on the court. Collins might be the emotional leader of the Hawks, but everyone knows they need Young to continue his ascension as one of the top players in the league. And, for Young, he won’t ever stop chasing for greatness. It’s all he wants. Last season showed him everyone around him wants it just as badly, too. “My expectations are always high, but I think in the whole building, it’s a lot higher. It’s more intense,” Young said.
Something that got lost in my Cam and Dre excitement is Dieng looked good as a back up center. Dude was doing it all in his limited minutes.
John Collins was really, really fn good defensively. He guarded Porzingas and Brunson with no sweat. Delonn looked so steady out there, nothing flashy but long, can switch on D and knows how to run an O. we didn’t even have Gallo or O and we chose not to play Lou. That’s insane considering a few years ago we were giving real minutes to Deandre Bembry and Alex Len
We may be able to let Trae cherry pick when John, Cam, Deandre, and Clint are on the court. John has grown so much on that end.