Trade season in full swing
The only place Josh Smith will have to worry about guarding Jamal Crawford next season is in practice, now that it appears Crawford is headed for the Hawks via trade.
HAWKSVILLE - One by one the texts and phone calls started coming in late Wednesday afternoon.
Hawks players wanted to know if what they were hearing was true. So did other team’s players, scouts, coaches and an assortment of other people.
“Are we really going to get Jamal Crawford?” one player asked via text. “Is this serious?”
“You really think this is going to happen?” another asked. “Man, he gets buckets. Major buckets. We could be explosive with him and all our other cats coming back.”
“This is a crucial move for them,” a Western Conference scout told me, “because it was obvious in the playoffs that they needed another scorer with some size that could create a shot.”
Not a single player, coach or executive from anywhere that I communicated with Wednesday objected to the move for the Hawks. Not one person.
Truth be told, they were going crazy about it, with one guy calling is a “master stroke” since the Hawks moved two for one without sacrificing draft picks now or in the future.
For years folks have complained around here about the Hawks not being active enough during trade season (the time before the draft through the start of training camp when all the league’s best wheeling and dealing is done). Well, you’ve got your wish.
And you can dissect it every which way now that it appears that Crawford will join the Hawks in exchange for Acie Law IV and Speedy Claxton being sent to Golden State (the only detail left is for Crawford to sign an agreement saying he won’t exercise the opt-out clause in his contract).
Of course, the Hawks aren’t the only team working the trade season to their advantage. Deals are to be had for teams looking to add and subtract players and salaries in an effort to retool for the coming season. LeBron James and Shaq appear to be headed for a whirlwind season in Cleveland. Mike Miller and Randy Foye will bolster the playing rotation for Flip Saunders in Washington after the Wizards pawned off a lottery pick and some spare parts for real players in a deal with Minnesota. And Richard Jefferson’s arrival from Milwaukee (for scraps) breathes new life into a San Antonio team that seemed headed for an eternal ice bath in the playoffs.
There will surely be more craziness to come, perhaps even during tonight’s draft. But make no mistake about it, the teams moving and shaking now are the ones positioning themselves for the future (immediately for teams like the Hawks, Spurs, Wizards and Cavaliers and not-so-immediately for the Timberwolves and Warriors).
I’m an advocate of bold moves. I’m a fan of bold moves that produce immediate results. And for a franchise that for the longest time was immune to them, the Hawks have a decent track record on their most recent deals of that nature.
In the summer of 2005 they went after Joe Johnson, then a restricted free agent in Phoenix, and immediately changed their fortunes (it didn’t happen overnight but going from 13 wins to 47 in four years started with that bold stroke). 1-for-1.
They swung for the warning track with Claxton the following summer, hoping like crazy that he could solve their point guard quagmire and deliver them to playoff contention faster than a rookie or youngster only to have that plan blow up in their face after Claxton’s knee’s gave out. 1-for-2.
They gambled on Mike Bibby being able to get them over the proverbial hump and into the playoffs at the trade deadline two years ago and cashed in with back-to-back trips to the playoffs, including home court advantage this season en route to a trip to the Eastern Conference semifinals. 2-for-3.
The Hawks' point guard of the future could be Wake Forest star Jeff Teague.
The played roulette last summer with their own free agents, Josh Smith and Josh Childress, allowing the market to set the price on what they should be paid and lost one (Childress to Greece) and hung on to the other one (Smith, who signed an offer sheet from Memphis that the Hawks matched before the ink dried), and then followed that up by adding veterans Flip Murray and Mo Evans to help fill the void. Murray finished in the same spot in the Sixth-Man voting that Childress did the year before and Evans stabilize things late in the year when Marvin Williams went down with a severe back injury for the final month and half of the regular season. 3-for-4.
This deal for Crawford makes sense for so many reasons, as the digital tag-team duo of Mark Bradley and Jeff Schultz have already pointed out in separate takes on this latest roll of the red, white and blue dice.
Crawford certainly sounds like he’s pleased with the move, especially when you consider the situation he’s coming from in Golden State. And just like when the Hawks acquired Bibby and the skeptics wondered how he’d fit, things worked out because Bibby was a seasoned pro that knew what was expected of him when he came here and he delivered. I suspect Crawford’s situation will be similar in that he’ll come here realizing that this is his chance to shut up his doubters and prove that he can be a part of a winning operation.
Much like Bibby was when he arrived, Crawford might be a short term solution to a problem in need of a long-term answer. There’s no doubt the Hawks are still in need of their “point guard of the future.” And that’s where the true beauty of this deal for Crawford has been a bit overlooked. The Hawks didn’t have to include the 19th pick in the draft to get the backcourt insurance needed if unrestricted free agents Bibby and Murray aren’t re-signed this summer (and Crawford’s arrival doesn’t necessarily signal the departure of either guy. In fact, the Hawks would be best suited to find a way to keep them all in the fold if they want to solidify their ranks).
They still have that draft chip to snag the guy they want and need. They have studied all their point guard options up close and personal the past two months. They’ve seen Jeff Teague, Ty Lawson, Toney Douglas and Eric Maynor in person, had them all in for workouts at Philips Arena and had a chance to ponder what each one would look like alongside Johnson, Smith, Al Horford and the rest of the gang.
Whatever happens, they won’t go into next week’s open of free agency from a position of weakness where Bibby and Murray are concerned. They’ll operate from a position of strength with a chance to nail down the present and future at the position all at once.
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1,267 comments Add your comment
Anakin Joe
June 25th, 2009
11:44 pm
Good luck Ray. I can’t believe I stayed up this late to watch Sund draft another guard.
That man needs Jesus.
Night all.
JSS
June 25th, 2009
11:44 pm
http://www.draftexpress.com/profile/Sergey-Gladyr-5702/
RaJaH
June 25th, 2009
11:45 pm
Houston is on the ball tonight!
niremetal
June 25th, 2009
11:45 pm
Well, the folks at DraftExpress liked him, and he is only 19.
http://www.draftexpress.com/profile/Sergey-Gladyr-5702/
We were never, ever gonna get a rotation player at 49 anyway, so it’s no-harm no-foul. Keep in mind that unlike with Americans (who either must be signed by training camp close or else cut) we can keep the rights to international players forever. We weren’t gonna get a rotation player at 49 anyway (far, far from it), so this hardly was a “wasted pick.” At this stage in the draft, you might as well take an international guy, because you’re just as well off signing an undrafted FA as you are with spending your late 2nd round pick on a fish-or-cut-bait basis…
mykhalc
June 25th, 2009
11:46 pm
well at least the 2nd pick is obvious…in name only..req’d by the CBA!!
Ariose
June 25th, 2009
11:46 pm
We picked some Ukryanian scrub over Patrick Mills? WOW….
Big Ray
June 25th, 2009
11:46 pm
Thanks guys. Sund is beyond Jesus with that pick, Joe.
O'Brien
June 25th, 2009
11:46 pm
San Antonio gets Blair, Portland gets Pattie Mills. Good value for both teams.
MannyT
June 25th, 2009
11:47 pm
I suspect the Sund dialing will continue tonight to get a few 61st picks in the fold. I’d expect at least 2 of them to be big space eaters like the big fella, Siler, they brought in last week. After all isn’t he one of those TV Heroes?
I am cracking up that the only drafted player that has no comments on NBA.COM is Sergey Gladyr.
BWAF
mykhalc
June 25th, 2009
11:47 pm
JOE, the OAKTOWN cheerleaders say hello!!!LOL
mykhalc
June 25th, 2009
11:47 pm
Enter your comments here
Najeh Davenpoop
June 25th, 2009
11:48 pm
Are y’all really stressing over a 2nd round pick? I’m actually disappointed they didn’t just sell the pick for cash. Would have probably made it easier to re-sign Bibby. Outside of Mills, who would have been 3rd string at best, I don’t see anyone they would have taken who had any shot at getting minutes this season.
Blast
June 25th, 2009
11:48 pm
Wow! Mad activity on the blog tonight. Lot’s of new bloggers too.
Just wanna say I love the way Sekou started the blog tonight. Hawks players all excited about Crawford coming in to the fold? Their reaction is simply hysterical. If current Hawks players are this excited, it could only mean that free agents would be more willing to resign with the Hawks. “He gets buckets.” Sekou said Hawks players were saying. “Major buckets. Is he really coming to the Hawks?”
Folks say he has never played on a playoff team. So? How many playoff teams has he been unfortunate enough to be signed up or traded to? New York? Golden State? Were those his faults? Dude has beaten the Hawks all by himself almost every time we played his team, be it New York or Golden State!
And welcome to Atlanta, point guard Teague!
Go Hawks, Go!
Ariose
June 25th, 2009
11:48 pm
G-Man: HE’S A SCRUB!!!!!! HAVE YOU HEARD OF HIM BEFORE…..SAY IT WITH ME SCRUB!!!!!! MILLS IS A BEAST!!!! WHAT A STUPD GM MOVE BY RICK…..JUST WOW!!!!!1
RaJaH
June 25th, 2009
11:48 pm
That’s why the went to commercial on our @sses!
JSS
June 25th, 2009
11:49 pm
There’s no way all of these bigs are going to survive to pick#60
bigdave
June 25th, 2009
11:49 pm
David Kahn GM of the T’Wolves has no idea what he’s talking about or doing…
mykhalc
June 25th, 2009
11:49 pm
Jesus saved ACIE LAW!!LOL
kirkinga
June 25th, 2009
11:50 pm
Well doc, I think restructuring might not be correct either. How about restockingthe guard position?
This pick makes zero sense.
Perhaps we got a rid of a GM with a forward fetish for one with a guard fetish?
Good Luck Ray!
Go Hawks!!
niremetal
June 25th, 2009
11:50 pm
And again, people are slamming Sund, while Portland, Thunder–>Mavs, and Cavs spent FIRST round pick on a guy who won’t see the other side of the Atlantic for a couple years either. And the Nuggets–>Rockets, Pistons, Lakers, and T’Wolves all spent higher 2nd round picks on the same.
But hey. I guess all those GMs are just idiots too.
Wabe
June 25th, 2009
11:50 pm
Portland is starting to look scary.
They just solidified there point gaurd problems with the 55th pick in the draft..
niremetal
June 25th, 2009
11:51 pm
Oh, add the Spurs to that list at #53…
Ariose
June 25th, 2009
11:51 pm
SUND TRULY MESSED THAT UP…..FREAKING IDIOT!!!!! UGH!!!! AT LEAST MILLS WELL GET PT THERE….
Anakin Joe
June 25th, 2009
11:51 pm
Najeh, we have NO BIG MAN DEPTH. Alade Aminu could have at least used his 6 fouls on all of those PGs who will parade into the painted area as they blow by Crawford and Teague.
Here’s the profile on Teague:
http://www.draftexpress.com/profile/Jeff-Teague-5293/
mykhalc
June 25th, 2009
11:51 pm
oh the pick makes sense…req’d by the Collective Bargaining Agreement
Ariose
June 25th, 2009
11:52 pm
NIRE, DON’T GO THERE……..S.C.R.U.B!!!!!!! SUND IS DONE MAN….WOW I DON’T CARE…..HOW DO YOU SCREW THAT UP!!!!!!
Anakin Joe
June 25th, 2009
11:52 pm
Nire, those teams likely have a few more players on their roster. We have RandSlo.
doc
June 25th, 2009
11:53 pm
ricky rubio is a poor man’s pistol pete.
now sund needs to get some players. they were never going to draft a big in this draft as they needed to get a player to play and they knew it. said it in so many words during an interview on 680.
J-MAN
June 25th, 2009
11:53 pm
lets buy just B.J. Mullens like
ny will do
Ariose
June 25th, 2009
11:54 pm
SYGEY BLADDER=SCRUB!!!!
O'Brien
June 25th, 2009
11:54 pm
AJ,
I am not a fan of the pick either. But Sund will probably say that some of these guys will go undrafted, so we could bring them in for tryouts. Siler, Aminu for eg.
I wonder if we will resign Solo? And can somebody tell me why we signed RandMo for 2 years?
Wabe
June 25th, 2009
11:55 pm
LOOK OUT FOR THE BENCH!
YOU WANT GUYS THAT’LL AT THE LEAST PROVIDE MINUTES!
Reggie
June 25th, 2009
11:57 pm
Ariose: Mills would have gotten zero playing time. I do agree with Najeh and Nire. Have you seen Sergiy play? So why do you think he’s a scrub? Just for clearification the Reggie saying we should have just forfitted the pick wasn’t me so you don’t think I’m suddenly changing my mind. From what I’ve seen he can fill it up from deep and is very athletic. We can maybe send him over to Europe a few years and let him develop. It’s kinda like a MLB draft. Not a bad night but I was EXTREMELY disappointed when I saw the Wolves take Lawson. I really thought he was right there for us when Philly didn’t take him. I really wasn’t expecting the Wolves to grab him. I think Lawson could have really been big for us. I think Teague is solid but he won’t help out a lot thisd year.
niremetal
June 25th, 2009
11:58 pm
Add the Suns to the “wasted pick” list too.
Come on, Ariose/Joe/whoever. We’d already picked a young PG in the first round, so Mills made no sense. You actually think that any of the guys we could pick there would be a cut above Othello Hunter or Thomas Gardner? Or a “61st pick” as MannyT put it?
This is the bottom of the second round. Most of these guys get cut in training camp. It’s frankly laughable to criticize ANY GM for a pick made at that stage in the draft.
Hawk n the Ham
June 25th, 2009
11:58 pm
And with the 49th pick in the draft, the Atlanta Hawks pick ‘Hawk n the Ham’. The Hawks will keep ‘Hawk n the Ham’ where he currently lives in Birmingham for the next few years, so he can continue to develop in the local corporate after work league. Where he will work on his pick and roll and bench warming technique.
niremetal
June 26th, 2009
12:00 am
Lakers waste their pick! Oh no!
Reggie
June 26th, 2009
12:00 am
Wabe: Portland didn’t just solidfy there PG situation with the 55th pick of the draft. Come on now.
Ariose: Man chill out. Did you expect that much with a 49th pick? Mills would have been a non factor who might not have made the team.
A Tribe Called Quest
June 26th, 2009
12:03 am
I think Sund took this Ukranian guy because he didn’t want another pick. Maybe no one wanted the pick (lol?) and he just wasted it on a guy who he knew he’d never bring here. Just like we know David Anderson and Cenk Aykol will never come here.
Now the work starts. He must find some bigs to come fill this bench. I’d look at Stromile, Wilcox, Gortat, resign ZaZa, maybe resign Solomon
Wabe
June 26th, 2009
12:06 am
Reggie, you don’t think a backcourt with Mills/Roy is better than Blake/Roy?
In no way am i trying to bash Blake, because I know he’s capable of dishing out 10+ dimes on any given night…
But I think they bolstered there backcourt with the addition of Mills.
Wabe
June 26th, 2009
12:08 am
Remember, many thought Mills was capable of landing with a team from 20-30 in earlier mock drafts.
JSS
June 26th, 2009
12:09 am
And with the final pick
niremetal
June 26th, 2009
12:12 am
NBADraft.net had Gladyr going at 44 to the Pistons, FYI. And the ESPN analysis was pretty favorable.
Siler and Heytvelt go undrafted. Those were the two guys I’d have wanted with that pick anyway, so I’m a happy man
Ariose
June 26th, 2009
12:12 am
I KNOW DARNIT, BUT I DON’T CARE. WE COULDA TRADED HIM TO PORTLAND FO SOMETHING……I’M JUST BEING SELFISH B/C HE WAY MY GUY……AND THE STUPID AZZ CAVS TOOK DANNY GREEN…..I HATE CLEVELAND
ANYWAY, I’VE LOOKED UP SYRGWEY BLADDER AND HE SEEMS LEGIT SO I’M NOT MAD.
IS HE NOT COMING OVER? HE WAS HERE TONIGHT SO?
KevinA
June 26th, 2009
12:13 am
Well the last minute trade of crawford a pick didn’t materilize. After the draft we have added yet another pea to the pod. Teague, Flip, Bibby, Crawford – all can play/no history of defense. We got to dump three of these 4 and sign Chills.
Reggie
June 26th, 2009
12:13 am
Wabe: No not for this season. He struggled in workouts and that’s why his stock went down. I think he will be a solid PG in the future nut he won’t do much this year for Portland. He defnitely wouldn’t do much for us with how many guards we have now.
Ariose
June 26th, 2009
12:13 am
TYRESE RICE WASN’T DRAFTED. WE SHOULD BRING HIM INTO CAMP…..SILER TOO…
niremetal
June 26th, 2009
12:14 am
Wabe,
Come on, now. If Patrick Mills was ready to be an improvement over Steve Blake, he wouldn’t have slid into the 50s on the draft board. If the Blazers could get a starting PG in him, they’d have spent their FIRST round pick or at least their earlier second round pick on him instead of on a guy who (gasp!) will be playing overseas for at least a couple years.
As it is, Mills will probably get cut in training camp or else will play third string behind Blake and Bayless.
JSS
June 26th, 2009
12:14 am
Thank God!!! Miami had a brain lock
No free throw shooting Dozier
A Tribe Called Quest
June 26th, 2009
12:15 am
I’m a little confused…
Woodson loves Bibby and wants him to end his career here. If we bring Bibby back, there’s no way Flip is back, right? Teague is “the point guard of the future” so he better be getting minutes and it doesn’t seem he’s too injury prone.
Sund must get some quality backup bigs and we must figure out this point guard situation. If Crawford doesn’t play PG for us, we can resign Bibby and develop Teague, but if Bibby gets a 3 yr deal, that’s 3 years that Teague will not get major minutes.
ughhh
MannyT
June 26th, 2009
12:15 am
If only I had a superstar brother, then I could get drafted by the Suns.
61, 61, 61, 61, 61, 61, 61…Sund–go get those big dudes.
BWAF