It is about to get interesting in Atlanta.
There is a new look Atlanta Hawks team; stars have moved around, Jeff Teague and Al Horford have found new homes while Dwight Howard has moved in. But what can Hawks fans expect from their team with the loss of two former all-stars and the addition of one of the biggest question marks in the league, Dwight Howard? There is uncertainty with this team, and while some of that uncertainty is associated with Howard’s health and physical abilities, the Hawks still have one of the most respected coaches in the league in Mike Budenholzer, and an elite defensive team. Howard will fit in with this team defensively – it might possibly be one of the best teams defensively that Howard has ever been apart of. With Kent Bazemore resigning with the team, Thabo Sefolosha, and Paul Millsap coming off his All-Defensive Second Team nod, this team that was second last year in defensive rating has potential to match and even surpass that. Dwight might not be the physical presence he once was in Orlando – back injuries and lingering knee issues has changed the physical presence Dwight is – but he is still an intelligent and productive player defensively. Dwight should fit in well right beside Millsap, one of the most talented 4’s he has ever played with. Dwight’s strengths lie in his rebounding and shot blocking, and while not as elite as it was in previous years, it will prove to be significant with regards to Atlanta’s future success. Dwight should be able to immediately help Atlanta’s rebounding woes, who ranked 24th in the league in total rebounds last year. Offensively, this will be a different Atlanta Hawks team compared to what we were used to in the Budenholzer era. The addition of Dwight, and Dennis Schroder now taking over point-guard duties full time, will prove to be a change for the Hawks. The Hawks are now less spaced out compared to what they were in the previous 2 years. Some of the lineups on the floor for the Hawks the past 2 years would consist of 5 players who can all shoot the ball respectably from mid to long range (Teague, Bazemore/Carroll, Korver, Millsap, Horford). Exchanging Horford for Howard is a big change, especially considering that Dwight demands touches in the post, stopping ball movement. Coach Budenholzer - learning from the Popovich system - excels at creating an efficient offensive system, so there is a belief that Budenholzer will get Dwight the easy looks he needs to succeed. If Budenholzer can get Dwight to play the pick-and-roll with Schroder effectively, they can be a formidable threat as Dwight is an excellent roller scoring 1.1 points per possession shooting 63%. The only problem is that Dwight despises the pick-and-roll; he would rather stay stagnant in the paint. Dwight has to be engaged and focused. Easier said then done as many coaches have tried, but if Budenholzer can sell Dwight on playing the pick and roll, the Hawks will be in good shape offensively. This will help Dwight return to being a more formidable offensive threat. Defenses will crowd Dwight more often, which would then open space for others. Houston, in my opinion, was a misrepresentation of Dwight’s abilities. Dwight joined Houston as a star. 2 years later, after a coaching change that saw a young J.B. Bickerstaff take the helm, Dwight regressed offensively and looked less engaged. Whether this was because of the physical toll of injuries and 11 years in the league, different coaching philosophies or because of internal issues, Dwight seemed unable to accept and adapt to the new reality of his lesser role. If there is a team where Dwight can adjust, I think Atlanta is this team. Dwight needs a fresh start, and under a Budenholzer system, Howard has a real chance to turn around his career. Dwight is saying all the right things with regards to the media, him and his new coach seem eager to show the league what they can do together. This might be Dwight’s best chance to succeed since Orlando; it will be interesting to see how this chapter in Dwight’s career unfolds.
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Vince Staples is a West Coast artist hailing from Long Beach, California. Vince, not known for a party-style of music, creates an extremely dark atmosphere with his rap music. It seems as if Vince aims for this frightening picture he creates as many of his singles and mixtapes revolve around the use of minimalistic beats and dark, violent lyrics to illustrate his story. While the beats he uses are minimalistic, the way Vince raps in correlation to the beats creates a certain melodic groove to what he projects, especially the dark imagery that he portrays, which in turn becomes addicting and memorable.
Vince is slated for a 50-minute performance on Osheaga Friday. I was first introduced to Vince through his involvement on the Rocky and Tyler tour. A$AP Rocky and Tyler, The Creator headlined a tour together last fall, along with special guests Vince Staples and Danny Brown, which made a stop in Toronto at TD Echo Beach. In preparation for the Toronto show, I listened to each artist extensively, including Vince Staples and his debut album Summertime ‘06. I played the album on shuffle, and the first song I listened to was Summertime, a song that played with emotions of love; it instantly became one of my favourite songs. As I kept listening to Summertime ‘06, the deep bass of songs like Norf Norf and Jump Off The Roof, in conjunction with Vince’s rhymes seamlessly and beautifully creates a visual of the underdog story of Vince’s summertime in Long Beach during the year of 2006. My appreciation for Vince does not stop at his Summertime ‘06 album. When I got the chance to see Vince live at the Rocky and Tyler tour, one thing that stood out for me was his energy and ability to control the audience. Even though at the time I was not religiously familiar with much of his material, Vince’s energy had everyone in the audience moving with excitement. Summertime ‘06 does not do Vince’s performance and stage presence justice; the connection Vince creates with the crowd is remarkable. Vince is also more comedic than you could imagine, in between songs he would joke with the crowd and make them laugh, there was never a dull moment in his performance. Vince’s set at Osheaga will be a unique one; the anticipation of Vince’s performance grows with every listen of his songs. Some of my favourite Vince Staples tracks include: Like It Is, 3230, Summertime, Jump Off The Roof, Norf Norf, Street Punks. This year, I will be attending my first music festival, Osheaga, located in Montreal, Quebec. While this festival is not as popular as other more renowned festivals such as Lollapalooza, Made in America and Coachella, I am genuinely excited as in a span of a weekend I will be seeing many of my favourite musicians and artists. My aim in the next few weeks leading to the festival is to highlight some of the artists I will be seeing in anticipation for Osheaga 2016.
Montreal’s own KAYTRANADA is one of the artists slated for a set on the Saturday of Osheaga weekend. KAYTRANADA is a musician, producer and DJ. I came about KAYTRANADA from his work on The Internet’s Girl – a song that captivates you with its smooth composition and love trance lyrics. After enjoying his production on Girl, I later found remixes to Rihanna’s Kiss It Better, Crucial by K-OS and Danny Brown’s Lie4, all which made me further appreciate his abilities as a producer and DJ. His ability to take a song and reinvent it – and make you love it through a different lens - by remixing is amazing. His remixing abilities are top notch; his performance at Osheaga is a set that I am excited to see. KAYTRANADA has recently released his debut album 99.9%, which I enjoyed entirely. KAYTRANADA’s talent can be seen as he caters to a wide range of genres. Gathering artists from R&B, Rap, Jazz and neo soul, KAYTRANADA’s features are from different genres, giving them all a platform to coexist. His versatility and seamless transitions exemplified on most songs is what makes this project stand out for me. Features on 99.9% include: Craig David, AlunaGeorge, Vic Mensa, BadBadNotGood, Anderson .Paak, SYD, and many more. Illustrating his versatility, KAYTRANADA’s production, along with his unique use of percussive instruments, creates a dreamy listen for the audience. A feature that cannot be avoided in discussion of this album: Anderson .Paak on GLOWED UP. Anderson .Paak and KAYTRANADA create a soulful and futuristic track which quickly became one of my favourite songs from 99.9%. What I love about this track is that it is basically two songs in one. Anderson .Paak starts the song with charismatic verses boasting, “lately I’ve been glowed up, paper finally showed up.” Anderson .Paak then transitions to more soulful excerpts, “In the hands of love, just like I wanna be.” GlOWED UP not only illustrates Anderson Paak’s versatility, but KAYTRANADA’s ability to create two different spacey beats filled with synths and drums that seamlessly transitions well together. |
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