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
A Tribe Called Quest
June 27th, 2009
4:43 pm
And J-MAN, Marvin will never make the jump to 20 ppg. He is too timid, and every year is supposed to be his breakout year. Enough of this guy
Ariose
June 27th, 2009
4:47 pm
Amare got owned like thee little Bi#@h he is when PHX played boston this year. It was on TNT too. He AND shaq both got the B!#%ch treatment…..no thanks I like Smoove just fine. I thought Okur or Boozer was going to opt out, but I guess not.
I wonder if we could convince Rasheed to sign for the MLE???
Clyde
June 27th, 2009
4:51 pm
Thank you tribe called quest.
niremetal
June 27th, 2009
5:01 pm
Marvin has proven that he can and will score when his number gets called. But Woody’s offense has always been backcourt-focused, as was proved when Tyronn freakin’ Lue was our second scoring option behind JJ back in ‘06 before he got hurt, despite the fact that all our forwards were better offensive options (as they proved once Lue got hurt).
With JJ and Bibby both being capable scorers, there was no way Marvin was getting any touches except off bail-out passes. What’s Marvin supposed to do, run and pry the ball from Joe and Bibby’s hands? Remember that JJ didn’t score 20ppg until he left Phoenix, folks. D’Antoni’s system did something eerily similar with JJ as we do with Marvin – it left him out on the perimeter, and his number was never called unless Nash was out of the game.
reedeak
June 27th, 2009
5:31 pm
Tribe Called Quest,
I totally agree that we have too many trading pieces to not do anything. If we do not trade for a center of Bosh’s caliber than we are going to be stuck in mediocrity. I like the roster we have but it is just a tease of what could be. Bosh could bump us up into the 3 spot in the east ahead of Boston. Say we trade Smoove/Mo for Bosh.
Starting line up: Bibby, Crawford, Joe, AL, Bosh
Bench: Marvin, Flip, Teague, Zaza, Solo
That is pretty solid. If there are no more moves we will know if the Hawks organization is committed to becomming a contender.
cp
June 27th, 2009
5:34 pm
I think Law will get even fewer minutes now than what he got here. I like the kid so I hope he gets a chance to succeed somewhere….I would stay away from Chandler. I read somewhere that he might never be completely healthy after his last injury. I have had enough with injury prone players. I like Amare but as others have said, he is injury prone and does not play defense plus he can leave after one year here. I would rather get Marcus Camby. He only has one year left but he is a lot cheaper plus the Clippers might not want a lot for him since they are tring to make room for Blake to get pt. Fyre is available but he is soft but would add depth to the bench and he can knock down the jumper. I wouldn’t be shocked if Sund brought in Robert Swift. He is still young and will be cheap. I guess he can come in for a few minutes grab some boards and block a shot or two.
Sautee
June 27th, 2009
5:52 pm
“We have way too many trading pieces to work with to stick with this current roster.”
Really?
OK let’s count them.
Chills? not unless he renounces his Greek contract and even then we’d have to do a sign and trade, giving us less return.
Marvin? Once again, he’s a RFA so sign and trade only. Do-able but what will you get? Even value? Doubtful.
Josh? Well maybe, but he has that $7.2M trade kicker that complicates things.
JJ? OK maybe there’s one IF you want to trade our one All Star.
Mo Evans? OK there’s a part we could use. Now, who wants him?
RandMo? enough said.
That’s IT unless we turn around and trade Crawford. Not too many pieces, I’d say, but y’all can disagree.
BTW, have y’all been scrolling past niremetal’s posts for the last three days?
He explained all of this rather well. Used more words, but, hey, he’s a lawyer-in-training.
Sautee
June 27th, 2009
5:56 pm
Oops, forgot Horford, who likely gives us the biggest bang for the buck, since he’s still on his rookie contract.
Big Ray
June 27th, 2009
5:58 pm
Sautee,
Surely by now you know how I feel about the Acie/Woody thing. I know precisely how many times Law got good minutes, no minutes, very few minutes, and was injured. Been illustrated and argued a few million times.
However, Woody is not what Nellie is. He has issues, and I’ll buy the clueless part. What it really is about is patience. Woody wants it “right now.” That’s one of his main issues.
With Nellie, you could be giving him exactly what he asks for “right now”, and I’m talking consistently (Law wasn’t consistent due to inconsistent minutes, as well as injuries), with consistent minutes, and he will STILL turn on you. Ask Jamal Crawford. And he’s not the first prominent player to say so.
Having said all that, I’m not defending Woody. He is the same guy who, in trying to get Bibby brought back, vehemently claims that all this winning and success is basically due to Mike Bibby. “We don’t make the playoffs in 2008 without Bibby. We don’t win 47 games without Bibby.”
Dude, you telling on y’self. Say that Bibby has been a major key or component. Don’t say he is THE REASON. Makes you look bad. Makes you look like your coaching is not making a difference. It’s like saying you need certain kinds of players, and that they are responsible for what happens…then turning around and saying that it’s up to you to push the right buttons. It’s not truth or lies. It’s mixed signals. Confusion. Cluelessness.
Big Ray
June 27th, 2009
6:00 pm
CP,
I don’t think Sund brings in Swift. It’s never good to make a mistake, then TRY to repeat that mistake. If Swift hasn’t shown himself yet to be both a player and somebody who can be counted on to stay healthy, then there is no reason to sign him AGAIN. Ok, I’m giving him the benefit of the doubt here, but I really think he’d rather not remember Swift if he can help it….
heh…maybe that’s why he didn’t draft Mullens…heh heh heh..
reedeak
June 27th, 2009
6:03 pm
Sautee,
We could make a pretty attractive package for someone like Bosh if we wanted to make the trade. Sign and trade Marvin(like you said is do-able) plus JSmoove( or Al and Mo).
Toronto is going to want to get something for Bosh because they know he will walk in 2010 if they dont. So why not do all we can to put a package together for him.
Nookah
June 27th, 2009
6:12 pm
reedeak, my sentiments exactly. I’d much rather having Bosh than Amare. Amare is too injury prone and he’s 3 years younger than Amare. The only problem is can we resign him in 2010 with JJ and Horford on the table? That could be a problem.
GO Hawks
niremetal
June 27th, 2009
6:30 pm
I’m with Nookah. Bosh’s contract is sufficiently large that we could trade Marvin and Josh for him…but no way I give up that much for Bosh, ESPECIALLY if he’s just a one year rental. That would leave us open to sitting here a year from now with JJ, Bosh, Josh, and Marvin all gone…
cp
June 27th, 2009
6:48 pm
Trust me ray I feel you. I only brought him up because Sund knows him, he is cheap. still very young, and is a big. I’m sure he could be more useful than say a RandyMo.
Nookah
June 27th, 2009
7:09 pm
I too am not sold on this ESPN rumour from Broussard. Sometimes I wonder how these guys get paid. Obviously not on performance. I am convinced they dream up all kinds of possibilities and report sometimes. Anyway that’s noting new for Josh. He’s being traded every year. Not to worry Josh will be here next year.
cp, you may have a point but I looked at both players numbers (yes I really have nothing more to do right now). Swift averages 4.3PPG, 3.9RPB (1.3OF, 2.6DF), .8 BPG for his career. Those numbers are by no means overwhelming in any stretch of the imagination but certainly better than 1.7/1.4/0.00….yes folks those are RandMo’s numbers.
However, you may argue that RandMo averages 6.8 MPG and Swift 15.5 MPG. Therefore if you extrapolate and are comparing apples to apples then RandMo’s numbers would equate to 3.9 PPG/3.2 RPG/0 BPG.
Folks I tried to make a case for RandMo but to no avail. I must really be bored.
cp, I have to side with you on Swift.
Go Hawks
Nookah
June 27th, 2009
7:18 pm
Oh by the way, I’m not for one moment suggesting we go after Swift. I’m only supporting cp’s suggestion for Swift vs RandMo. I am also sure cp is not saying we go after Swift either but he is also suggesting him relative to RandMo.
I am very excited to see what our offense can do. However, I am anticipating some solid FA aquisition(s) to bolster our defense. That is what I am concerned about, both on the perimeter and on the interior, especially with the centers that are now in the east and the probability of Rasheed going to Orlando, we will need some size in the paint. You can’t win consistently in the playoffs shooting from the perimeter. Orlando proved that to us.
Go Hawks!!!
G-Man
June 27th, 2009
7:21 pm
I was bored so I checked out some Crawford videos. Check out this insane behind the back maneuver that he possess to get to the rack.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IGqZnBmMkuc
G-Man
June 27th, 2009
7:24 pm
Here is a question I asked Yannis on Hoopsworld about Amare.
I just heard on espn that chris broussard said the hawks are willing to part with josh smith for amare stoudemire. Is this true? Is this a good idea for the hawks?
Yannis Koutroupis:
Too bad I can’t get Amar’e on the phone right now, because he undoubtedly loves Atlanta just like he does just about every other NBA city. I think the Suns are really focused in on Golden State because of Curry right now, but the Hawks could come in and get a deal done with Smith as the main piece. I like it for them, as long as no concerns come from some serious health evaluations of Amar’e.
Nookah
June 27th, 2009
7:32 pm
G-Man, you the man!!! That move is sick!!! Phillips will belong to Jamal this season if he plays like that!!!
Booyaka!!!!!
Go Hawks
niremetal
June 27th, 2009
7:33 pm
They never call it, but 90% of those clips were traveling…
Nookah
June 27th, 2009
7:43 pm
niremental, you have to admit though they are some sick moves. Who cares if he travelled? I bet even the refs were enjoying those. Heck, DWade, Shaq and all the stars get away with much more than that anyway.
Go Hawks!!!
Anakin Joe
June 27th, 2009
8:34 pm
I just don’t see how Sund could continue to make trades where we send one more than one and get one back. At some point, dude needs to get 13 players on this roster. If he could trade one signed player and add either Chill or the rights to Andersen, then that would be much better than trading two “real” roster players for one guy.
O'Brien
June 27th, 2009
8:43 pm
I really dont think Chills wants to come back to ATL this season. Why would he? With Crawford and Mo Evans, he wont get as many minutes. And clearly Sund does not value him that highly.
Lets put our GM caps on. Who might be willing to do a sign and trade for Chills? (Phoenix will try to resign Grant Hill, so I think they’re out of it). And what might we expect for him?
Anakin Joe
June 27th, 2009
8:43 pm
send more than one and get one back.
ant banks
June 27th, 2009
9:01 pm
G-MAN,
thanks for sharin’ that video. that “tish” was sick!! oh my god. he will bring down phillips arena on a packed night.
ant banks
June 27th, 2009
9:12 pm
we need to get gortat from orlando. even if we bring back ALL of our FA, we will still won’t have anythin’ to compete with the big 3 Clev., Boston, and Orlando. Even with everyone back and Crawford, i still have us pegged in a 4 way tie for 4th place. 4. Atlanta, Philly, Miami, Chicago and don’t sleep on Indy and Washington this yr. We will be in a dog fight all yr.
terrell barron
June 27th, 2009
9:42 pm
How bout a new blog, Sekou?
O'Brien
June 27th, 2009
10:02 pm
Ant,
I dont think we can afford both Zaza and Gortat, so we would probably have to choose one. Gortat is a better defensive player, but Zaza is the better scorer and offensive rebounder.
good point tb.
Sekou,
we’re on page 12 (with almost 1200 comments). We need a new blog. Talk about the draft, free agency coming up, anything…
ant banks
June 27th, 2009
10:05 pm
TB AND OBRIEN,
we need to do somethin’ to get out of the 4th spot. do you all see it the way that i do as far as the hawks and bein’ in a 4way tie for the 4th seed?
Ed
June 28th, 2009
12:49 am
Jeff Teague will be given every chance to succeed and will be handled w/ a different attitude than Acie was. Woody didn’t want to draft Acie but BK did it anyway. This time he gets his man so he will show more patience and will be more encouraging / nurturning in Teague’s developement.
Ariose
June 28th, 2009
12:59 am
LOL @ all of you who think we will be in a 4-way tie. We already have the jump on all those teams b/c we got Crawford and Teauge. What has miami don this off-season? And who wants to play there? Philly can’t figure themselves out with brand, and Washington has no front line.
niremetal
June 28th, 2009
1:55 am
Ariose,
Agreed. I don’t know where the people get the idea that Miami and Washington somehow look like they’ll take a step forward this offseason. Same with Philly – if they lose Andre Miller, who will run the offense? Louis Williams is most definitely not a point guard. The only team that’s truly on the rise is Chicago, assuming Ben Gordon sticks around.
ant banks
June 28th, 2009
3:51 am
ARIOSE AND ‘MENTAL,
all of the prognosticators are pickin’ washington to finish second in the division. philly was on fire, without brand. most bloggers didnot want to see philly in the 1st rnd of this yr. remember? as long as dwade is with miami, they are always dangerous.
i hope y’all are right.
hawks will def make playoffs next yr. and woody will get a 3yr extension, after takin’ hawks to playoffs 3yrs in a row.
ant banks
June 28th, 2009
3:59 am
also, assumin’ that we are “not in a 4way tie for 4th seed”, i don’t think that teague and crawford and all of our FA will help us get by the big 3, clev, boston, and orlando.
we need zaza and gortat to battle the bigs in the east
Big Ray
June 28th, 2009
6:49 am
ATLANTA (AP) — Jeff Teague posed in the Hawks’ 18th-floor conference room, proudly holding up his new jersey with a number that hasn’t been seen very often in Atlanta.
Zero.
Less than 24 hours after going to the Hawks with the 19th pick of the NBA draft, Teague flew into Atlanta for a photo op and news conference, accompanied by his mother, father and agent.
He plans to wear No. 0 in the NBA, just as he did at Wake Forest. It’s his tribute to Gilbert Arenas, who adopted the number after being told he would never make it to the pros. “Agent Zero” shrugged off his detractors to become one of the league’s top players.
Teague has heard that he’s too small to be a big-time player. He wasn’t highly recruited out of high school, and arrived at Wake Forest weighing only 155 pounds.
“I started wearing zero my freshman year of college,” said Teague, who’ll be only the third player to wear zero for the Hawks. “I wasn’t highly recruited. I was kind of like the Gilbert Arenas story. He kind of reminded me of myself.”
Teague broke into the Wake Forest lineup as a freshman and led the Demon Deacons in scoring and assists this past season, proving that size wasn’t a detriment at all. If anything, all the talk spurred him on.
“It was a lot of motivation,” he said. “When I got there, people were telling me I probably wouldn’t play a lot because I was a smaller guy and they had a lot of great players there already. But when I got my opportunity to play, I did pretty well. Now, to be in this situation, I feel like all the hard work has paid off.”
The 6-foot-2 Teague is still just 178 pounds, which undoubtedly caused some teams to shy away from him in the draft. Seven other point guards went before his name was called Thursday night.
He’s not complaining.
“It really didn’t matter to me,” Teague said. “I just wanted to have an opportunity to play in the NBA.”
The Hawks plan to bring him along slowly, knowing that Teague must hit the weight room before he becomes a major contributor. The team bulked up in the backcourt just hours before the draft, trading for Jamal Crawford, and general manager Rick Sund hopes to re-sign free agent guards Mike Bibby and Flip Murray, both major contributors in Atlanta’s run to the second round of the playoffs.
If just one of those players returns, Teague won’t have to play major minutes as a rookie.
“I think that would be good for me,” he said. “It would give me the opportunity to learn from these great players. Just to be in practice and have to work every day and see what takes to be on floor, I think that would help me a lot, make me work harder so I can get my opportunity to play.”
Coach Mike Woodson is eager to get a look at his newest player.
“This was an easy pick for us,” Woodson said. “When we ranked all the guys, we just thought this young man fits in with how we want to play basketball here in Atlanta. He’s a point guard who can score with the ball and distribute the ball. When you watch him on tape, he looks like he’s NBA ready.
“Yes, he’s got to fill out, and there’s a major learning curve for any young player who comes into our league. But I think he has the ability to learn, pick up quickly and be a big part of what we’re trying to do.”
Teague is ready to get to work.
He’s ready to be the next “Agent Zero.”
“They’ve always told me, ‘You’re small guy. You can jump, you can do this, but you’re so small,”‘ Teague said. “It’s not the size of the guy, it’s the size of the heart. That’s the biggest thing. If you play with a lot of heart and passion, you can exceed any expectations.”
I think that Ed has it nailed.
Woody likes Teague (even if his publicist doesn’t
). There is definitely a difference in how he has reacted to this draft pick than how he reacted to Law as a draft pick. He’s more positive and more candid. I like to see that, and the part of the credit goes to Rick Sund, who included him in the process and decision-making, instead of excluding him.
Now off with the rose-colored glasses. Rubber hits the road later on (starting with summer league), and the new “Agent 0″ needs to hit the weight room even before that. He has work to do, but I look forward to some true development this time around.
Stay healthy and ready, kid. You have work to do.
Think about this: if Teague does really well, he will be the second lower-mid round pick to become a very pivotal player on this team. Josh Smith is the other one. With the exception of Al Horford, our higher/lottery pick guys haven’t been nearly as dynamic…
HariKari
June 28th, 2009
6:52 am
Washington Wizards stink like doo doo.
No way they rise in southeast.
Enter comments here
Najeh Davenpoop
June 28th, 2009
7:01 am
How many playoff series has Agent Zero won?
It doesn’t exactly reassure me to know that Teague wants to resemble Gilbert Arenas. Arenas is a great player but not a great point guard, and his style of play hasn’t worked very often in the NBA, as far as wins are concerned.
Of course, I hope I’m wrong and Teague actually turns out to be a great point guard and not just a great player. Right now, he’s got a long way to go to get there.
Najeh Davenpoop
June 28th, 2009
7:08 am
I’m a little puzzled by Sekou’s draft winners and losers article… the Hawks are winners for trading unused players for Crawford, but the Cavs are losers for trading unused players for Shaq? Aren’t both moves equally risky as far as salary is concerned?
And as far as I’m concerned the Magic are bigger winners than anyone… unlike the Hawks, who may be replacing Bibby with a less effective player and the Cavs who may be getting the good Shaq or the bad Shaq, the Magic are essentially putting themselves in a position to replace Turkoglu with a guy who is more athletic, more talented, and has surprisingly shed the injury-prone tag he carried early in his career. I have a hard time envisioning a situation where Carter can’t handle the same offensive role Turkoglu had this year. If anything, a lineup that starts Carter and Pietrus is more dangerous than one that starts Lee and Turkoglu.
Anakin Joe
June 28th, 2009
9:08 am
I think I weighed 155 pounds in Kindergarten.
Big Ray
June 28th, 2009
9:33 am
Uh, Joe….
I know you meant that to be an insult to the guy your hero inexplicably likes…
But you DO realize that this was more like trying to assassinate somebody by shooting yourself in the foot….
Najeh,
What I got from that article was that he wants to prove people wrong, just as Arenas did when people told him HE wouldn’t be any good. Of course, that would be the “glass half full” interpretation. As with nearly all things, it is a matter of perspective and attitude. People see what they want to see, and we are no exceptions, though we saw different things. I’m sure Joe would agree with you…
As for the Magic replacing Hedo with Carter, I don’t see where they play the same role. I love Vinsanity, but he doesn’t and can’t play the same role Hedo does. The Magic ran so much of their offense through Hedo, which took the pressure off of the pg (which made Jameer look like an all-star before he got hurt, something I don’t completely agree with). Carter is a more accomplished and dangerous scorer.
They might be better with this change, or they might not. I happen to think they’ll be just fine, as Carter is harder to defend than Hedo is in some situations. But they are not nearly the same kind of player. Hedo is one of those rare point forwards. Carter is a scoring machine SG. Still a good move, as the Magic knew Hedo might want more than they could pay anywhow.
What so many don’t realize is that the Hawks did the same thing by trading for Crawford. He brings a lot in (the ability to score on his own, plus make plays for others every now and then), but make no mistake…he’s an upgraded insurance policy if things don’t work out with Bibby. While some may still complain, that’s a better insurance policy than Flip, who was brought in for the very same reason.
Billy Nite
June 28th, 2009
10:00 am
any word on who we sign for the summer league
Anakin Joe
June 28th, 2009
10:27 am
Ray, you know wrong. I meant it to be an insult to myself. I’m glad Woody likes Teague. He needs to. Dude is likely getting major minutes this year… assuming that he beats out guys like Cedric Bozeman, Mike Wilks and the other NBDL players that are headed for our roster.
Anakin Joe
June 28th, 2009
10:36 am
Darn Ray, you’re into all kinds of “Joe interpretation today, huh? I lik that he is entering his career with a chip on his shoulder. That’s tha way I read his quote. At the same time, it feels artificial to me. But I’ll take it.
Arenas was picked in the secound round. Teague made the top 20 in the first round. I don’t that that is an equal level of “disrespect”. Arenas was drafted by a bad team, Teague drafted by a playoff team. Again, seems like Teague is entering a far better situation.
But guys often find ways to motivate themselves. The fact that he has found something to push himself is all good with me.
I have never watched Teague play a minute of ball, so I have no beef with him. I have beef with Sund for choosing him. But it looks like Sund is building a west-cost team. Especially if he trades a potential DPOY winner for Amare (on the heels of acquiring Crawford and Teague). I’m pretty sure how that will work… coach gets fired, team looks good every third game, team wins 35 games, fan interest is fairly stable because we score. But I hope Teague reaches all of his stated goals.
niremetal
June 28th, 2009
11:04 am
Najeh,
I think Cleveland was freaking retarded for picking Shaq. Oh, don’t get me wrong. Dude can ball every other game these days. And there’s still no one in the NBA who can check him on the post when he’s on. But he’s so, so slow these days (which is why Phoenix dumped him), to the point where he’s more of a liability than an asset on D.
He only averaged 8.4 rebounds per game this past year, and I highly doubt he avoids the injury bug again. Not with how physical the Cavs play.
Varejao is expected to opt out this summer, and Ilgauskas probably will exercise his option and stay. Assuming that’s the case, I honestly only see Shaq/Ilgauskas as a slight upgrade to the Ilgauskas/Varejao platoon that the Cavs went with this past year, at least on D. On offense, he’s certainly an upgrade if he stays healthy. The most frightening thing is that the Cavs have no one under contract next year to back up their old tandem of centers. If/when one gets hurt, they’re pretty much screwed. And even if both stay healthy, they leave the Cavs far more vulnerable up the middle on D than most people realized simply because the giants are so slow.
Add to that the fact that the Cavs picked three guys who probably won’t see the floor in the NBA anytime soon, and I would categorize them as losers too.
niremetal
June 28th, 2009
11:16 am
What I actually disagree with is that the Spurs were winners on draft night I agree that the Jefferson trade was a coup. But their draft? Color me underwhelmed:
They grabbed the steal of the draft and an unquestioned first-round talent in Blair. They grabbed one of the draft’s most underrated players and shooters in the second round in McClinton.
Well, Blair is NOT unquestioned first round talent. Not to be snide, but if he were unquestioned first round talent, he wouldn’t have been taken mid-second round. Blair won’t be able to outmuscle people in the NBA like he was able to in college. There’s a reason thirty-something guys were picked ahead of him. The list of 6′5, unathletic power forwards who’ve succeeded in the NBA since the 1970’s can be counted on zero hands. Add his knee concerns to that, and I honestly wouldn’t have drafted him even where he fell. I would lay odds that he’s out of the league two years from now. But hey, I also said Derrick Rose wouldn’t be an upgrade over Duhon during his rookie year for Chicago, so I’ve definitely been wrong about rookies before.
As for McClinton, I laugh at the people who call him a potential Eddie House clone. First off, House is significantly more athletic than McClinton (which isn’t saying much). Second, if Eddie House is your ceiling, I don’t think that speaks too highly of the player. Eddie House was a scrub until he was asked to play 19 minutes a night alongside 3 Hall of Famers. Everyone remember how good James Posey looked before he left Boston? And how’s he looking now?
McClinton is short, fat, and slow for a 2-guard. So I don’t think he’s underrated at all. I think he’s rated exactly where he should be – a late second round pick who will be the Spurs’ 12th man, assuming he even survives training camp. Salim didn’t make the Spurs’ roster last year after being invited to training camp, and McClinton isn’t even as good as Salim.
Then again, these are second round picks. Who cares?
Anakin Joe
June 28th, 2009
11:16 am
nire, I think Danny Ferry did what Sund did, he upgraded a strength as opposed to addressing a weakness. I don’t see how Shaq helps the Cavs defend the pick and roll with Lewis (or Vince) and Howard. But he’s better than Z. Crawford is better than Flip but doesn’t address any weaknesses. But, like I said the other day, we’re still early in the off-season team makeover phase.
Carter, IMO, does bring a different dimension to the Magic as he is better at creating his own shot and getting to the free throw line. Their offense either required that guys could make open jumpers or deliver the ball to Howard in the post. Now, they have someone who they can isolate on several possessions throughout the game. They now join a short list of teams with the ability to play pretty much every style of offensive basketball.
doc
June 28th, 2009
11:40 am
of most of the players i saw this year in the playoffs, hedo was the biggest surprise on the big stage and was as much the reason orlando went as far as it did as was howard’s influence. i dont think just by making the trade they have improved their status. he was the straw that stirred the drink this year. if carter brings more stability to their offense over time then it will be a good trade and thus far vince the second coming has not brought stability to any team he has played on. would love to see hedo on our team and marvin elsewhere, but will take marvin back for 8 mil a year as i dont think hedo will come for less than 12 mil or sot. marvin may be the better team player but obviously hedo much more explosive.
hedo, jamal and jj together might be a very interesting show to say the least. it would also open up some serious lanes for our two guys that do not get the ball often, al and josh, to just plain do a lot of dunks and play into their strengths than weakness. throw in to bigs like zaza and a drew g facsimile and i would be happy even against the top three in the east if i could afford it or find a way to get a lawyer to nimbly get me over any hump nire wants to throw in my way. hedo would be the missing link the lakers found in gasol.
terrell barron
June 28th, 2009
12:36 pm
Ant Banks, everbody said the same thing last year. Hawks are still the 4 seed. IMO
A Tribe Called Quest
June 28th, 2009
12:53 pm
Not too worried about CLE getting Shaq. That article about Chad Ford claiming that the team is full of veterans with no room to grow is right on point. Sam Presti is building the ideal team in OKC, with very talented core players and pieces around them.
Cleveland has LeBron and a bunch of old players who will all rot out in the next 2-3 years
And Sund sooner or later has to address this big man issue, Clyde. We need Bosh or Amare to compete.
This current roster CANNOT win a title in the next 2 years. I don’t care who we resign–if we resign Bibby and Flip for 500K/yr each–we are not winning a title with this team. Our rebuilding stage is done. We are the 4th best team in the East.
The next big trade will get us over the hump.
Until then, we are the exciting, athletic, tweener-filled team without a big man presence in the post and no big man to facilitate the offense
A Tribe Called Quest
June 28th, 2009
12:57 pm
Not too worried about CLE getting Shaq. That article about Chad Ford claiming that the team is full of veterans with no room to grow is right on point. Sam Presti is building the ideal team in OKC, with very talented core players and pieces around them.
Cleveland has LeBron and a bunch of old players who will all rot out in the next 2-3 years.
And Sund sooner or later has to address this big man issue, Clyde. We need Bosh or Amare to compete.
This current roster CANNOT win a title in the next 2 years. I don’t care who we resign–if we resign Bibby and Flip for 500K/yr each–we are not winning a title with this team. Our rebuilding stage is done. We are the 4th best team in the East.
The next big trade will get us over the hump.
Until then, we are the exciting, athletic, tweener-filled team without a big man presence in the post and no big man to facilitate the offense