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
3:46 pm
Hey, how about Bo Outlaw’s energy in Udonis Haslem’s body?
Anakin Joe
June 25th, 2009
3:50 pm
Melvin, talk about opposite sides of the same coin. One can defend and the other can’t shoot. But they could probably both wear the number 40… there approximate career field goal percentage.
And Jeff Foster has one more year left on his Pacers contract.
KevinA
June 25th, 2009
3:50 pm
I could be wrong but I think this team is ready for players to thrive with good ball rotation. With Chills, Marvin, Al and Josh I just don’t want to see the back court dominating the offense like it has the past few years. JJ is to good to lose, to me the rest is trade bait to get defense and passing skills. The rest being Flip, Crawford and Bibby. If you lo0 k at shot attempts and shooting% maybe you will see what I am thinking about.
JJ going into a contract year is going to get his. I just don’t think having Crawford, Flip and Bibby will get the ball down low where we need it. We need to pick one of these three and let two of the go. I prefer to keep Flip off the bench and find a defense, passing pg vet.
We have to solve the problem of great pg’s tourching us. Ocassionaly our frount court gets tourched, but not nearly as often.
Anakin Joe
June 25th, 2009
3:51 pm
One won’t defend and the other can’t shoot (to be more accurate).
G-Man
June 25th, 2009
3:54 pm
Do yall think Brandon Jennings personality could be similar to Starbury?
Spirit the Hawk
June 25th, 2009
3:56 pm
Chad Ford: I just updated my mock draft to version 7.1 a few minutes ago. Here are the key changes:
– Sources say the Bucks are now leaning strongly toward Brandon Jennings at No. 10. Over the past 48 hours the Bucks have really fallen in love with Jennings, and it’s possible they would take him even if Jonny Flynn were still on the board.
– I pushed Jrue Holiday to No. 13 at Indiana. The Pacers have been eyeing Ty Lawson, but I doubt Larry Bird can pass on the upside of Holiday. Not only is he one of the most talented players in the draft, he also has great size and defensive ability — two things the Pacers lack in their backcourt if Jarrett Jack leaves.
– With Lawson pushed out of Indiana’s spot, I have him falling all the way to Atlanta at No. 19. Lawson would get a long look in Philly, but from what I’m hearing they are leaning toward Eric Maynor right now.
– And with the Knicks buying the Lakers’ pick at 29, I have them taking Florida State’s Toney Douglas. GM Donnie Walsh is a big fan of Douglas, who is a great shooter and a terrific defender — sort of a poor man’s Ben Gordon. DaJuan Summers and Derrick Brown are other potential targets for the Knicks there.
Melvin
June 25th, 2009
3:57 pm
G-Man,
Assuming you’re saying that Starbury has a bad pesonality, I would say its too early to tell with Jennings. He does have a kool-aid smile along with a flashy style of play (the Dwight Howard effect) that could make him a franchise type player.
jhan
June 25th, 2009
3:58 pm
We have to solve the problem of great pg’s tourching us – not possible. The great pg’s are going to torch whoever they play. That’s why they are “great”.
kirkinga
June 25th, 2009
4:00 pm
You have to love Draft time. It reminds me of baseball Spring Training where hope springs eternal.
I think we should all be mindful that only a handful of these guys are going to go on to have solid NBA careers. So many of the names thrown out with certainty today are going to fail.
Many of the same people telling us how great Teague, Maynor, Lawson, et.al are going to be are the same people who told us Mike Conley Jr and Acie Law IV were going to be great too!
The hard reality is the Hawks, as presently built, are vulnerable to teams with big strong frontcourts. Drafting a PG will not change this fact. The addition of Crawford and one of these prospects will not be enough to get the Hawks past the Magic, Celtics, and Cavaliers, maybe not even past a healthy Sixers team. That is the truth whether Bibby return or not.
With the Hawks possibly losing ZaZa, the need to address the frontcourt is more urgent than adding another guard. The Hawks should draft for need. If a big is available at 19, the Hawks should take him. If not, then try to swing a trade for a big. Only after exhausting these avenues should they take another guard.
I am under no illusions about Tyler Hansbrough, but if he’s there at 19, I take him. Having a Kurt Rambis type will not hurt the Hawks. It is also protection against losing ZaZa.
Failure to significantly improve the frontcourt will result in the same outcome as this season, at best.
Volman
June 25th, 2009
4:01 pm
Tyler Hansbrough= Eduardo Najera.
JM
June 25th, 2009
4:01 pm
It’s been a minute since I posted (work sometimes gets in the way of my visits to Hawksville) but I had to get in on this one. Crawford can be a beast. When I was in law school in Chicago I saw Crawford play a lot, and dude can light it up. It just takes a few shots to go down for him to get on role. That’s why he should come off the bench and be given the green light by Woody to just do his thing. That way you keep him happy and you get the most out of him, points.
Go Hawks! Damn, I cannot wait until the season starts.
Wabe
June 25th, 2009
4:01 pm
Point taken SB.
I’ll go ahead and say this – and some of you might think I’m stupid for saying this – I WOULD RATHER HAVE GORAN SUTON > TYLER HANSBOROUGH.
By no means am I suggesting we take Suton at pick 19, but what I am saying is Suton is a much more versatile player than Hansborough – and is not as raw inside the post. He has some range, and honestly I don’t see Hansborough as being that much better in the NBA game than Suton. To be honest, I think Suton will have a better NBA career than Hansborough. Suton played extremely well in the NCAA tourney and shows that he has the skill set/ability to have a decent NBA career.
I mean, by what most of you are saying, no matter who the BIG we draft, he’ll be coming off the bench. Instead of wasting our pick at 19, maybe try to acquire a pick later in the draft and take a BIG like Suton to come off the bench instead of taking Hansborough at 19…?
Just throwing that out there.
But if you ask me, Hansborough’s not THAT MUCH BETTER than Suton.
My point, we have alternatives. Maybe free agency?
Sautee
June 25th, 2009
4:01 pm
AJ,
You said this to doc: “And I won’t apologize that I wasn’t pointing out every wart on the team along that magic ride. (I know that you weren’t but many of the regulars seemed to enjoy our failings as much as our successes).”
Straw man alert!!!! OK Joe, tell us again just how MANY of these “regulars” ENJOYED our failures as much as our successes?
I couldn’t name a soul, not a single soul, whom I thought actually ENJOYED our failures? Not even Ando, who had money riding on the failures, truly ENJOYED any loss we had.
Not one blogger I could name, but maybe you have some psychic ability that I don’t have?
To my knowledge all Hawks bloggers are actually ROOTING for their team to succeed. But, hey, as I said, maybe I need more psychic ability.
Or maybe it should have read “hay” instead of “hey”.
I understand your need to rant, but let’s keep it at least semi-real.
Melvin
June 25th, 2009
4:03 pm
Good point Jhan.
There’s no defense against Great offense. I would take a great offensive player (Crawford) over a good defensive player (Mario,Bowen) any day. The great offensive players are going to score their points…
Anakin Joe
June 25th, 2009
4:09 pm
Sautee, OK, I will do a better job of keeping it semi-real. And I am sure that you will challenge ALL who also are prone to statements of hyperbole on this blog (which is certainly the wrong place for hyperbole).
Rumor Mill:
June 25th, 2009
4:09 pm
Rumor: Milwaukee is making salary cap space to sign Carlos Boozer. They are set on picking Tyler Hansbrough with the #10 pick in the draft. The Hawks will be picking Ty Lawson or Brandon Jennings with the 19th pick for Milwaukee.
The Hawks and Bucks have agreed to do a sign and trade of Charlie V. for the 19th pick (Lawson or Jennings) and Mo Evans.
Cowa
June 25th, 2009
4:10 pm
Perfect draft tonight: #19 – Jennings/Lawson/Blair/Hansborough in that order. #49 – Thornton/Meeks. Then invite Siler & Paul Harris to suumer league.
KevinA
June 25th, 2009
4:15 pm
Wow – nice rumor
Anakin Joe
June 25th, 2009
4:16 pm
Rumor Mill, thanks for the information. Good stuff. Before Crawford’s arrival, I would have been thrilled to have Charlie on the team. But if Villanueva wants to get any shot attempts now, he will have to become a combo guard.
Anakin Joe
June 25th, 2009
4:18 pm
Cowa, I like either Aminu or Siler in the second round. I think someone will draft Siler around 55-60 if he’s still there.
Ariose
June 25th, 2009
4:19 pm
From Hoopsworld:
Bibby’s Camp Dislikes Crawford Trade?
Yesterday we learned that the Atlanta Hawks have reached an agreement in principle with the Golden State Warriors to send Acie Law and Speedy Claxton to the Warriors for Jamal Crawford. Initially we wondered if that meant the Hawks were planning to trade Joe Johnson this summer rather than risk losing him to free agency next summer. Today, however, things got a little more interesting . . .and a little more bizarre.
ESPN’s Chad Ford reports that Mike Bibby’s camp feels like the acquisition of Crawford means the team won’t look to re-sign Bibby. A source close to Bibby says Bibby feels like this trade is a sign that the team won’t look to re-sign their starting point guard.
HOOPSWORLD has speculated for weeks that the Hawks would take a point guard at 19, though you’re not getting a player who’s ready to start for a playoff team at 19. Our thinking was that Law wasn’t going to work out and Claxton wasn’t going to get healthy, so you draft a player who could fill in behind Bibby and maybe evolve into a starter.
It’s a stretch to say Crawford will somehow impact Bibby, other than probably taking some of his shots. Crawford is not a point guard by any stretch of the imagination. If the Hawks do plan to let Bibby walk away, they almost certainly would have to acquire a starting point guard before training camp. The net gain for Atlanta might be that they don’t have to pay a 31-year-old what he’s likely to ask for – somewhere in the $10 million per season range for the next five years. Adding Crawford gives them additional scoring and more options if Bibby gets too expensive, but it seems logical that the Hawks would still want to re-sign Bibby if possible.
Expect a lot more on this in the coming days.
Pen
June 25th, 2009
4:20 pm
Where is the link for that rumor? :\
G-Man
June 25th, 2009
4:22 pm
Pen,
That would be at http://www.doesnotexist.com
Cowa
June 25th, 2009
4:24 pm
AJ, I like Aminu as well. Just thought we could use another shooter, as they are more rare.
Ariose
June 25th, 2009
4:27 pm
Lang Whitaker Reports that the Crawford deal is official now…
niremetal
June 25th, 2009
4:28 pm
“Rumor mill” is feeding us a load of BS. Charlie V is a free agent. He can’t be signed or traded until July 8 at the earliest and discussing a deal involving him at this point would probably be tampering. Even if all that weren’t true, Charlie V’s status as a BYC player and the fact that he almost certainly will be getting a significant raise mean that the salary numbers on that trade wouldn’t come close to matching up.
Wabe
June 25th, 2009
4:29 pm
NETS/MAGIC CLOSE TO DEAL TO SEND VINCE CARTER TO THE MAGIC FOR RAFER ALSTON, TONY BATTIE, AND COURTNEY LEE.
Sautee
June 25th, 2009
4:29 pm
AJ,
LOL, like I have the TIME to do THAT! That would be a full time job for a staff of several folks.
Best I can do is joust with the folks I otherwise give some credibility to. Consider it a compliment of sorts. If I didn’t consider you to be otherwise credible, I wouldn’t care enough to point out that particular foible.
But don’t HOLD me to that standard, ’cause PLENTY of times I’m just weak enough to get pulled in by someone’s BS comments.
I guess we all do that at times. eh?
niremetal
June 25th, 2009
4:30 pm
Believe it or not, I agree with Hoopsworld. They’re not bad when they stick to analysis of players’ abilities rather than to speculating on what NBA front offices will do.
Chad Ford, on the other hand, is just a joke. Anyone who still buys into anything he says about the Hawks should be slapped across the face. He’s batting about 0 for his last 2 billion at this point when it comes to Hawks front office stuff.
bigdave
June 25th, 2009
4:31 pm
this would be ugly if it goes through:
“The New Jersey Nets are in serious talks with the Magic about a deal that will send Vince Carter and Ryan Anderson to Orlando for Rafer Alston, Tony Battie and Courtney Lee”
http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=4287197
KevinA
June 25th, 2009
4:35 pm
Our winning streaks at home was much more inclusive and a more balanced effort to involve the front court. Even when JJ was out Marvin got 20 pts from the line by driving to the hole. Chills had no plays set up for him. He took it to the hole and scored many by offense rebounding. Bibby and Crawford are not inclusive.
Childress and Marvin shoot a good %. Why? Shot selection. Josh and Al shoot a high shooting% Why? they finish aroud the basket well. We need bk court players who finish around the basket. Trade Bibby and Crawford and picks for a couple of pg’s that think pass first.
Wabe
June 25th, 2009
4:35 pm
I don’t know, the Magic are pretty deep. They have Nelson at the point already with A.Johnson to back him up. They have Turkoglu, Lewis, Pietrus, and add Carter to that. They would look solid.
bigdave
June 25th, 2009
4:37 pm
exactly Wabe… ugyly for us…
our division alone will be tough…
bigdave
June 25th, 2009
4:38 pm
*ugly
niremetal
June 25th, 2009
4:39 pm
The Orlando trade sounds good in theory. But man…I would hate to have to be in that locker room next year. Someone’s gonna have to be willing to give up a LOT of touches if VC comes to town.
Melvin
June 25th, 2009
4:40 pm
Wabe,
I thought the Magic was trying to trim payroll. That deal along with resigning Turk would definite put them in the luxury tax land…
Anakin Joe
June 25th, 2009
4:41 pm
bigdave, that would be funny. because Cleveland just traded for Shaq to help them defeat the Magic and then the Magic go off and change their dynamic by adding Vince (with no one on the cavs able to defend Vince). They move Pietrus to Hedu’s SF spot and rock and roll from there. I do think that they will miss Hedu, because of his ability to create for himself and others off the dribble… but I guess Vince can do that too. And I guess NJ gets some cap space relief unless they think Lee will become a star next to Devin (certainly would create a lightening quick backcourt).
Melvin
June 25th, 2009
4:41 pm
Sorry Wabe, just saw Bigdave link… Man, I can’t keep up with these post…
Anakin Joe
June 25th, 2009
4:43 pm
Sautee, it’s all good in the Highlight Factory neighborhood. We all do a good job of policing each other. Although I did forget to remind Ray that he seemingly compared Crawford’s career with Bibby’s team success with Sacramento. WOW!
STRETCH
June 25th, 2009
4:44 pm
I really like this guy Crawford. He really torched the Hawks last year i think. But at the same time Atlanta needs think about that FRONT COURT!
Anakin Joe
June 25th, 2009
4:45 pm
Melvin, you’re reading these posts like Crawford moves his feet on defense. LOL!
niremetal
June 25th, 2009
4:47 pm
Melvin,
Luxury tax? My goodness, they’ll be spending $60M-$65M on just 4 players if they trade for VC and re-sign Hedo. Add in the salaries of Pietrus and Nelson, and they’ll be close to $75M. Their payroll will scare off Rich Uncle Pennybags.
Melvin
June 25th, 2009
4:48 pm
Anakin,
“And I guess NJ gets some cap space relief unless they think Lee will become a star next to Devin (certainly would create a lightening quick backcourt).”
Did you just seim-compliment a rookie that was pick #22 on a 60 win finals team? Maybe it was Astro that was on the darkside about Lee….lol
Melvin
June 25th, 2009
4:49 pm
Anakin,
Where is my weakside (Speedy) Reader when I need him…lol
Volman
June 25th, 2009
4:50 pm
AJ, I have a quick question.
Do you like Jamal Crawford on this Hawks team?
LOL.
bigdave
June 25th, 2009
4:51 pm
AJ…
yep.. its like everyone is playing chess.. and its not like all the moves are being made by bottom feeders… the playoff teams are in action…
as a Hawk im still not satisfied… we still need a block game, easy buckets… and our perimeter d has to be addressed…
Melvin
June 25th, 2009
4:51 pm
Nire,
Maybe the Magic are going to spend some of that David Stern Bailout money on their Luxury Tax…lol
KevinA
June 25th, 2009
4:53 pm
Jack from the outside, long rebounds feed to fast break points. Inside shooting, lead ot offense rebounds and higher shooting %.
cp
June 25th, 2009
4:55 pm
Well no Foster then lol. I thought he was a free agent my bad. It is going to be a crazy night.
Anakin Joe
June 25th, 2009
5:00 pm
Melvin, don’t start. I still say that dude (lee) got that playing time because of the early season injury to Pietrus. I never denied that he had an effective rookie season, just the circumstances that allowed him to take full advantage of the opening.
bigdave, what I like about the movement is that some teams are going for it now and not doing the “summer of 2010 free agent thing”. I hated hearing/reading about all of those teams screwing the fans by focusing on the unlikely chance of securing a franchise-changing player. It’s as if the seasons don’t count until LeBron and Wade choose a long-term home. Meanwhile, fans are paying thousands of dollars to look at expiring contracts run up and down the floor. Oops, I can only rant about one thing at a time.
Crawford’s defense sucks. Now, that’s better.