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
niremetal
June 26th, 2009
2:11 pm
Ariose,
Thanks for the FAQ bit, but I don’t think it was so important that it needed to be said THREE TIMES
STRETCH
June 26th, 2009
2:12 pm
Here’s the scoop on the 2nd rounder:
Sergiy Gladyr
MBC Mykolaiv (Ukraine)
6-5 shooting guard
19 Years Old
On Tuesday we took a detailed look at Euro prospect Jonas Jerebko, today we take a look at another Euro, Ukraine’s Sergiy Gladyr. Gladyr is a 6-5 shooting guard with nice athletic ability, who was the second leading scorer on MBC Mykolaiv of the Ukrainian League. Sergiy averaged 15.4 ppg, 4.3 rpg, 2.4 apg, & 1.5 spg in 29 mins. a game in the Ukraine.
Sergiy is currently projected as a 2nd round prospect, and possibly could have been a 1st-rounder if he had more exposure. Didn’t get to see Gladyr play quite as much as I did with Jerebko, so realize this analysis is based on a small sample size.
What makes Gladyr intriguing is his shooting–he’s one of the better pure shooters in the draft. His shooting numbers are not overwhelming (36% from 3pt), but he clearly has a sweet-shooting stroke. As opposed to Jerebko, does a great job getting his legs into the shot and shows great balance on his jumper.
Only 19 years old but already shows the ability to drill shots coming off screens. A few times where he pulled the trigger in triple-threat position with a defender in his grill. Overall quick release on his shot. Seems pretty confident in his abilities.
He’s not strictly a shooter thanks to his athleticism and good ball-handling. Pretty nice handle where he loves to use his left hand, and has an effective crossover dribble. Looked comfortable playing off the dribble, and showcased solid finishing ability.
Did have some issues when trapped on pick/rolls which led to a handful of turnovers; had some issues in general when a second defender approached him. Seemed to be a little careless with the ball sometimes. Solid rebounder for a 2-guard.
Sergiy is a pretty good athlete by Ukrainian League standards, but how he rates as a NBA athlete is hard to gauge. If he was a Top 10 scorer in the ACB (Spain) or Italy then I’d feel more assured of his potential. But the Ukrainian League is a considerable step down from those domestic leagues. Though, Draft Express said Gladyr’s athleticism appears pretty good at the Euro Reebok Camp, so that’s encouraging for his NBA future.
Could very well turn into a 2nd-round steal if his athleticism can transfer over, because he might have the most polished offensive skill-set of any 2-guard in the Draft after James Harden.
doc
June 26th, 2009
2:15 pm
ok nire you are a lawyer, in theory, where are the loop holes we can maneuver around to get the deal done? next question is who out there fits this description and do we renounce someone to make room and is that important to do now vs. later? who gets us there quickest to renounce and are they a true asset?
Ariose
June 26th, 2009
2:29 pm
oops, lol
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ayUlagns6f8
Here’s Syrgwey Bladder….If he comes over, does that mean we’ll be trading Mo+Randolph for a big?
niremetal
June 26th, 2009
2:33 pm
Doc,
Give it up. There’s no loopholes that would enable to clear the cap space necessary to get Hedo. I gave you all the reasons why in my last few posts. If you can’t accept that, sorry.
Ariose
June 26th, 2009
2:35 pm
This was posted by a ukyanina person on the Hawks official website blog. They say he’s very good and should be a good player for the Hawks.
Hoops
June 26th, 2009
2:39 pm
Gladyr would be a good back up for Marvin. Why not bring him over now and give him a chance to make the team?
bigdave
June 26th, 2009
3:20 pm
lets just pray Turk doesnt end up in Cleveland… they need one more piece… someone who can guard the PF’s who stretch the floor…
STRETCH
June 26th, 2009
3:24 pm
Wow…wouldnt that be something if Turk ended up in Cleveland?!! Lets hope that doesnt happen.
But the main thing that bothers me is NO big man! I know that bigs are hard to come by these days but what even more troubling is that I have NOT even heard any rumors or offers/deals coming from the front office.
Horford is a really good player and he’s going to get better but, he can NOT do it ALONE down in the trenches….where’s the help????
niremetal
June 26th, 2009
3:26 pm
bigdave,
Cleveland can’t sign Turk either, unless it was in a sign-and-trade – like us, they don’t have any cap space to play with. And since Turk is unrestricted, a sign-and-trade involving him is highly unlikely.
J-MAN
June 26th, 2009
3:38 pm
Al horford is a POWER FORWARD!!! get him a center to help him out
G-Man
June 26th, 2009
3:43 pm
Im pretty sure this is a stupid question, but can you bring over a european player you just drafted?
niremetal
June 26th, 2009
3:52 pm
G-Man,
Yes. But teams rarely do unless they’re sure that they’ll make the playing rotation right away, since it usually stunts their development to have them riding the pine in the NBA instead of being a featured player overseas.
Melvin
June 26th, 2009
3:55 pm
Ok, wishful thinking but I will throw this idea out there.
Consider the GS/Phx trade goes thru: Amare for Stephen Curry, Andris Biedrins, Brandan Wright and Marco Belinelli.
I wonder if we could package Chills/Mo/Randmo/etc for Biedrins. Keep in mind, Phx was one of the teams that wanted Chills and there’s talk Phx may send Big Ben to the Hornets for Tyson. So maybe they prefer not to pay $20 mil on two centers… Just a thought. What do yall think???
Ariose
June 26th, 2009
4:02 pm
i’m sayin’ though, Bladder wouldn’t have made the trip all the way out here if he wanted to go back and play overseas. Besides the Ukryane leauge???? He’s not gonna get any better playing against that competition over there. We might as well bring him over now……unless Sund doesn’t want him exposed to Woodson(toxic) because he won’t be our Head Coach after next season….Aha!!!!!
Anakin Joe
June 26th, 2009
4:03 pm
I know that we would have to wait, but, would you trade Crawford, Evans and RandMo (to help the salaries match) for 1 year of Ilgauskas and Delonte West? It would give the Cavs a 2-headed SG combo with good size when playing against Vince and Ray Allen.
If Sund could make thathappen (I know, just a fantasy), it would be like trading Speedy, Law and Evans for a starting center and PG.
Ariose
June 26th, 2009
4:06 pm
Melvin, yeah. That may just work. Grant Hill is an Unrestricted Free Agent and he’s chasing a title….
Anakin Joe
June 26th, 2009
4:07 pm
Melvin, your trade is far better than my trade. And I would do the same trade for Chandler (and honestly, Phoenix would likely trade Chandler before moving Biedrins).
Melvin
June 26th, 2009
4:10 pm
Either (Chandler or Biedrins) would be find with me Anakin…
Melvin
June 26th, 2009
4:12 pm
Ariose,
Maybe they let the 2nd round guy (who will need a nickname once in a Hawk uni) play in the summmer league before shipping him back across seas….lol
Melvin
June 26th, 2009
4:13 pm
Anakin,
Give it up. Crawford is here to stay. Tell Mario to give that #6 jersey up….
M45
June 26th, 2009
4:22 pm
Starting lineup
1.Mike Bibby PG – needs to be resigned because Jamal Crawford is not the traditional PG.
2.Jamal Crawford SG – He is a scorer not the Pg we need for runing our running offence.
3.Joe Johnson SF
4.Josh Smith PF
5.Al Horford C
Bench Key players
1.Marvin Williams – if resigned will help off bench.
2.Flip Murray – if resign
3.Mo Evans
4.Jeff teague
Needs another big man
O'Brien
June 26th, 2009
4:23 pm
Why did the Hawks sign RandMo to a 2 year deal? He is never going to play any significant minutes anyway.
The Hawks should send their 2nd round pick back overseas, because would he be any better than Thomas Gardner? i dont think so. Gardner is a good shooter too (6′5″, 220), and he has already been exposed to Woody’s system. Although since we have Crawford, we probably dont even need Gardner anymore.
Lets get Jack, and then spend the remaining money on Zaza and another big.
Chills would be good coming off the bench because he doesnt need the ball. However, we need PF more.
Ariose
June 26th, 2009
4:39 pm
melvin, lol. That makes sense too hehehe…
Ariose
June 26th, 2009
4:43 pm
b/c Mo(sort of…) sucks; besides Bladder is 19 and has already beasted all over that league in the ukryane. How much more significant development can be had for him over there? Get him over here so he can become a beast……besides, we have roster spots to fill….oh yeah Gerald Green!!! lol…
Ariose
June 26th, 2009
4:47 pm
Thats no different from Gardner, or Acie Averaging 18ppg in college(or pre-season/summer leauge)…..gotta get him some prime time action!!!!
south ga boy
June 26th, 2009
5:06 pm
have a ? for u cap-ologist. if u take bibby & marvin off the books ur removing 18-19 mil of salary. (stay with me) if marvin, & a future pick if neccesary, could be traded for a starting (not an all star but servicable) 5 that would cost 10 mil a yr, then use some of the extra to re-sign flip (with a nice raise, who was the biggest bargain in the nba at 1.5 mil per), and za za. Leaving a little left over to put toward a long term deal for joe. I believe we have our pg of the future now, and flip or crawford could be a decent pg for the near future. i know that would not be perfect, but we must have a true 5 to compete with clev, orl, & boston, especially with shaq coming back east. with a true 5, al & jsmoove at both forwards we would have the post presence to compete with those teams, and the outside shooters, also. experts, what do u think. help a white brotha out.
RealSquawk
June 26th, 2009
5:11 pm
I don’t think Sund was done with Sene. Maybe we are going to trade Morris and Mo for Sene and swap of our first round picks.
I MUS.WRITE
June 26th, 2009
5:11 pm
Nir- you dont work in the front office – so stop……. If the guy wants 10 milli it would be wise to get him at that price. HMMMMM Bibby made 15 zaza 4mil thats 19 milli -I dont know all the rules but thats a difference of 9 mill
Besides with all the player swappn for cash considerations ” ANYTHING IS POSSIBLE” Gasol to the lakers for a snickers and a coke.
Sign and Trade Marvin for Bedrinis
bigdave
June 26th, 2009
5:11 pm
i doubt Amare is going to GS now… they are not looking to trade Curry… and PHX wants Curry in that deal… Beidrins and Curry is a lot to give up for Amare for 1yr. however, Monta/Curry/Jacko/Beidrins is something to work with… Curry will be in paradise out there in 3 pt happy Oakland… that deal hit a wall after Curry got past the dummies in Minny…
Amare definitely is on the move but the destination is still unclear…
RealSquawk
June 26th, 2009
5:16 pm
We could always trade Joe Johnson
For Kevin durant, Earl Watson, and Nenad Kristic. We would probably have to throw in some first round picks. but the Thunder would be down they get bird years and cap space 2010 and draft picks.
niremetal
June 26th, 2009
6:12 pm
I MUS,
We were $10M over the cap this past year, and the cap hold rules mean that we’ll be over the cap for free agent/trade purposes this summer. You don’t have to work in the front office to understand that we don’t have cap space, man.
A Tribe Called Quest
June 26th, 2009
6:25 pm
Why do my posts never go through?
Basically, I said that Jamal solidifies us as the #4, but we need to make another move in order to compete with the top 3.
So I propose trading Smoove, Chillz’s rights, and a protected 1st rder for Bosh or Amare. PHX sucks, they have an awful owner, awful GM, so let’s take advantage and put this nice offer together. Smoove is an athletic specimen, but CANNOT shoot, dribble (OMG), post moves suck (he is out of control and can’t get off a hook shot), and his MAN DEFENSE is greatly overrated.
We all love the hometown hero, but have got to get Bosh or Amare (legit superstars & post presences) if we are to compete these next few years
MannyT
June 26th, 2009
6:31 pm
It’s not the perfect analogy, but here is a way for all the un-cap folks to think about the cap.
You have a household budget of about 58 mil for your players. If you go over that, there are lots of bankers, league officials, union folks, and lawyers, etc that get involved with how you spend your money.
If you go over 71 mil, the judge comes in and has additional laws.
When you say we are under the 58 mil, that is true, but your household doesn’t have the basics required by the league. You cannot spend 55 mil on beer and not have a place to put it. The league makes sure that you put the money in basic buckets. The minimum you must spend, how many buckets (players), and things like that.
Just because you overspent on Bibby last year, they will not allow you to overspend on anyone new this year. Yes you can overspend on your real peeps (i.e. guys that have been with you for 3 years or more), but no wild spending on guys you have not been hanging with unless you show you have fiscal responsibility.
The Turkoglu thing is not impossible, just extremely unlikely.
BWAF
MannyT
June 26th, 2009
6:33 pm
I saw a rumor last night that Amare is likely to go to Golden State. Not that we cannot get in that mix, but I don’t know that it is an easy party to crash when you have few players under contract to use as trade options.
BWAF
Ariose
June 26th, 2009
6:34 pm
http://www.nba.com/video/teams/hawks/2009/06/26/JeffTeagueInterview.nba/
Ariose
June 26th, 2009
6:49 pm
One thing is for sure, Mike Bibby will be the LAST guy signed. i’ll list this from order of importance:
1) Zaza- we’d be scrwed without him
2) Marvin- we don’t have another TRUE SF(Danny Green…dammit!)on the roster…..Gerald Green??? 800K????
3) Solo-cheap insurance policy + there are no good “centers” on the market. Always delivers when called upon and given the oppourtunity.
4) Flip- Perfict fit in this system. Can play AND DEFEND both guard spots ulike bibby. Can create off the dirbble( VERY important in this offence and against tough defensive squads like Boston). And he ALWAYS knows when to push the tempo…very good finisher on the break too.
5) Bibby-Can’t Dribble or Create his own shot, and he’s not a good defender…..but dammit he’s a winner and his squads win…..don’t know how but he makes teams better….as long as it’s not over 5mill per i’m fine with him.
Hoops
June 26th, 2009
6:52 pm
Manny T,
Good anology! There are alot of things that I would like to have in my life, but I have to stay within my budget and be happy with what I have and also, make the most of what I have. I may be able to get those things later, but I can’t afford them right now.
The Hawks are the same. There are alot of players that we would like to have, but we have to be able to afford what we sign.
hhmmm
June 26th, 2009
6:54 pm
sign your free agents, add Camby and Childress and this is the deepest team in the league. The possibilities are mind blowing.
doc
June 26th, 2009
7:13 pm
melvin if your trade proposal includes crawford i think there is a rule that says you have to keep him a certain amount of time … like into december.
thanks nire, just seeing if someone cold come up with a devious way to get more credit as that is how this nation works on debt er i meant credit.
G-Man
June 26th, 2009
7:26 pm
doc,
how come oberto got shipped for amir johnson right after the spurs and bucks trade went down?
Anakin Joe
June 26th, 2009
7:38 pm
G-Man, you can trade a single player who was recently acquired but you can’t package that player with another in a move. So Milwaukee was not able to trade Oberto AND someone like Ridnour for a player. They could only move Oberto by himself or Bowen by himself or Kurt Thomas by himself. I don’t remember how many days they need to rest before they can be combined with other players. I think it is 30 days, but I’m not sure.
Anakin Joe
June 26th, 2009
7:42 pm
It looks like it is 60 days before they can be combined.
Ariose
June 26th, 2009
8:40 pm
Somthing tells me that Tayshaun Prince is going to be involved in a s&t deal with Chicago for Ben Gordon so he can get the kind of money he wants. That would explain the pistons drafting THREE small forwards last night. Could this spell the end for Leuol Deng? or just an insurance policy since he’s constantly injured???
Anakin Joe
June 26th, 2009
8:52 pm
Ariose, but I thought the Pistons are under (way under) the salary cap. I think they should be able to secure Gordon, of course, that assumes they can close the negotiations. I doubt that Dumars will give him $15M, even if he can afford to do so. Rumor has it that Rip and Michael Curry clashed during the season… so he may be the next to go (before or with Tayshaun).
Anakin Joe
June 26th, 2009
9:12 pm
Congratulations to Josh Smith for being selected to participate with the USA Basketball team. Hopefully this will propel him to another level after having a chance to spend time with the league’s elite young players.
http://www.nba.com/hawks/news/Josh_Smith_To_Participate_In_Team_USA_062509.html
I was a little surprised to see Tyrone Corbin on the staff. That’s great. Hopefully this will put him on some short lists for coaching jobs in the next year or two.
Anakin Joe
June 26th, 2009
9:45 pm
Nice job Joe Johnson.
http://www.ajc.com/sports/content/sports/hawks/stories/2009/06/26/hawks_jeff_teague.html
MannyT
June 26th, 2009
9:52 pm
doc, there is always a loophole. The problem that the Hawks face is the small number of players that are actually under contract.
In the Crawford deal, we picked up a 2 mil increase in total salary. You can do deals like that as long as you have players to move. That’s part of how the Knicks got so far over the cap a few years back.
Give Bibby a large enough salary on a 1 year deal that he can be traded for Zach Randolph. The Clips would take that deal in a minute even if Bibby decided that he only wanted to be a professional eater this summer instead of a NBA player. Your salary line keeps moving up. The bad news is that you end up in luxury tax land. The good news is that you have contracts to work at almost every level for a deal.
BWAF
G-Man
June 26th, 2009
10:02 pm
“I’m not knocking Acie Law in any way shape or form,” Woodson said. “But this kid [Teague] is what I’d call a true point guard. I gave Acie some opportunities, and it just didn’t work. That’s no knock on him as a player or me as a coach. Injuries probably hurt Acie the two years he was here, and honestly we just didn’t have the luxury of waiting on him when he first got here. We had to win.
This tells me there were personal conflicts b/w law and woodson. It also tells woody has no idea what a pg is b/c teague is not a pg yet anyway.
MannyT
June 26th, 2009
10:02 pm
AJ, that’s the kind of leadership that Joe can provide. I would rather he create a positive culture while being himself, than try to be someone else, barking out instructions on the court.
You have to lead with your strong skills, not somebody else’s strong skills.
Funny to see Woody gently place AC under the bus as he brings Teague into the fold. I hope AC shows his NBA skills next year in the west.
And here is the list of rules on when you cannot trade a player. It includes the detail on how long you have to hold on to a player that a team has recently picked up.
http://members.cox.net/lmcoon/salarycap.htm#Q85
BWAF