On the eve of the frenzy!!
Joe Johnson's already fired up the season. The Hawks' free agency season, that is.
CHOCOLATE CITY -Joe Johnson learned a long time ago the value of a good poker face.
But when I asked him what he thought of all the trades before, on and during NBA draft day, his smile turned into a an eyebrow-raised stare.
“People aren’t playing around right now,” he told me Friday in a hallway outside of a conference room at the Hawks’ downtown headquarters. “I don’t know what’s gotten into everybody.”
Johnson better hope that the spirit to move has hit the Hawks as well with free agency just a couple of days away. Because life in the Eastern Conference playoff chase is going to be tougher than it was a year ago.
(Oh, and sorry for the delay on the new blog boys and girls, but I had a previously planned family gathering here in D.C. that could not be avoided.)
“I’ve been keeping up with every move that’s been made,” Johnson said. “The Eastern Conference has gotten a lot better before free agency even started. We’ve just got to do whatever we have to do whatever we can do to try and take ourselves to another level. Right now we’re making footsteps in the right direction and we just have to keep moving forward.”
Johnson said he’s heard about all the rumors involving the Hawks (Josh Smith’s latest is that he’s going to be sent to the Phoenix in some sort of package exchange for Amare Stoudemire, Mike Bibby’s not coming back according to all the experts now that Jamal Crawford and Jeff Teague have been added, etc.). And he’s not buying any of it.
“I understand we don’t really know what’s going to happen in free agency,” Johnson said. “We never do. But this is a business, man. And this is the tough part, the rumors and all the talk. It’s just something we have to deal with. But this is the important thing people need to remember, we’ve gotten better every year with this group. That’s not easy to do. So that means by the time training camp rolls around we need to have hung out, worked out and done everything else it takes prepare ourselves. It’s all business when training camp comes around, because we have to be ready to not only match what we did last year but do better than that. And it’s going to be tough.”
MORE TO THE POINT, and that’s really the one question people have been asking me over and over again since draft night, in it’s various manifestations. Do we keep Bibby? What about Flip? Do we need that many point guard, and won’t they stunt the growth of the young fella?
Ramon Sessions doesn't appear to be on the Hawks' free agent radar anymore.
Before the draft I had a short list of potential point guards (starters or backups depending on what happens with Bibby). By Friday morning I started rethinking the need for the list, what with two new bodies at the position in Crawford and Teague.
Then something crazy happened.
And I expected to see some crazy stuff during my trip here to Obama City, and of course, I did exactly that. From people watching on my way out of Reagan Airport to the hordes of tourists making their way in and out of the monuments and other venues, there’s never a shortage of interesting things to see.
So Saturday afternoon while my Pops and I were cutting through a backdoor to the Renaissance Washington DC Hotel (on 9th near C’town and my favorite spot to stay in this city) we saw Milwaukee Bucks restricted free agent point guard Ramon Sessions relaxing while talking on a cell phone on a patio. Had he not been in the middle of a conversation and had we not been trying to hustle off to where we were going, I’d have interrupted him and checked with him his future plans.
It ate me up the rest of the day. I wondered if this was a sign or something. What are the chances I’d see Sessions (or any of the other young point guards that highlighted my short list) during my first 12 hours here?
For a half-second, just a half, i thought someone was pulling a prank on me. I try and escape from the frenzy for a few days with the fam and who do I see on the patio outside of the Starbucks in the hotel but a restricted free agent NBA point guard that we’ve been talking about around here for weeks now (fine, I admit that’s a bit melodramatic, but … well, you had to be there).
AS FOR A POINT GUARD CERTAIN TO BE ON THE HAWKS’ ROSTER in training camp, Teague will be an interesting cat to cover.
For a guy that swore he was nervous on his first face-to-face dealing with the local press, it didn’t show. Teague’s got the perfect temperament for his new job.
He’s also looking forward to one of the perks of living life on a NBA salary. Teague said he’s looking foward to getting a car. “I’ve never really had my own car,” he said. “It was like a 1988 Toyota Camry. The rest of my friends had cars in the 2000s. I went to Wake Forest and there I am riding around in my ‘88 Camry that’s not looking to good.”
Teague’s car search will be easier than most. He won’t need a ride to the Range Rover lot either.
“I’m a cheap guy, so I’ll try and go with one of those [Dodge] Challengers or something like that,” he said, ” That’s one of those that looks good but doesn’t cost too much.”
The bigger question for the Hawks is how much is too much to pay for Bibby?
That’s also a question that we can only speculate about between now and Wednesday.
FINDING THE RIGHT ANSWERS IN THE FRONTCOURT WON’T BE NEARLY AS EASY. Restricted free agent bit men aren’t allowed to disappear from the roster as easily as they might a player at another position.
There are only a handful of quality big men on the open market (free of restrictions. The Marcus Camby deal and others like it for quality big men, requires the Hawks pulling off a sweet deal with precious few tradable assets to work with).
Put the "Birdman" on the Hawks' pursuit list for this summer.
Since my point guard short list was shredded on draft day, I figured now was as good a time as any to toss this out there (listed alphabetically and keep in mind that all four of these guys are unrestricted free agents):
Chris Andersen, Denver, PF/C – Size, check. Energy, check. Shot-blocking ability, check. I know this isn’t the Andersen you might have been thinking of adding to the roster (from what I’m hearing, David doesn’t seem likely to be on the Hawks’ roster when training camp opens). But the Birdman is a specialist the like of which the Hawks haven’t had in quite some time. He’s probably going to cost a little bit more than the Hawks are used to spending on specialists, but he might be worth the financial sacrifice.
Antonio McDyess, Detroit, PF – McDyess is still chasing that elusive NBA championship ring. Maybe he’s changed and is ready to tackle the task of helping a team like the Hawks reach for that big trophy. Adding intrigue to his summer is his relationship with Hawks coach Mike Woodson.
Joe Smith, Cleveland, PF – This isn’t exactly a home run move, but if you’re in need of a quality big, a veteran big, Smith would have to be vetted for the job. He’s become one of the league’s more reliable journeyman bigs. And not only will he play physically, he’ll knock down shots and sacrifice his body for as long as it takes.
Rasheed Wallace, Detroit, PF/C – The toughest sell on the list, Wallace isn’t going to come for cheap. He wants a sizable contract, one that the Hawks might not be interested in giving to an aged talent whose desire has been questioned by some. But he, too, has a good relationship with Woodson, which could potentially open the door long enough for the Hawks to get in the mix.
TWITTER ME THIS, TWITTER ME THAT …
We’ve officially set up an after hours spot for this blog on Twitter (where the free agency updates will be shorter and more frequent, depending on what’s going on). Dig in for free agency folks, it should be bonkers.
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456 comments Add your comment
niremetal
June 29th, 2009
3:02 pm
And seriously…I don’t know why y’all think Bibby is gonna cost $10M a year. Aging point guards rarely pull down even close to that much unless their name is Nash or Kidd. The range for a veteran PG who is a borderline starter is $5M-6.5M (heck, Mike James pulls down $6M). It’ll be a bit higher for a guy like Bibby – if this were a better year for free agents, he’d probably command $8M or more. But it’s a recession, and he’s not. And when you’re Bibby’s age, you don’t take a one-year deal and pray you don’t get hurt.
So we can probably get Bibby for 3 years at $7M or maybe even less. And if I’m right about the price, I’d pay it in a heartbeat. Bibby’s a winner, and even if he is a defensive liability, he’s a glue guy who can knock down big shots. This team went from 20 games under .500 without him to 10 games over .500 with him. You don’t dismiss that and replace him with a younger PG. And if you don’t believe me, just ask Sacramento how Beno Udrih is doing…
Melvin
June 29th, 2009
3:04 pm
Wow, bad luck for the Rockets….
http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/news;_ylt=AgeBiObBRqmOL90XddKpYUG8vLYF?slug=aw-yaorockets062909&prov=yhoo&type=lgns
niremetal
June 29th, 2009
3:07 pm
Wabe,
I’ll give you a chance to take back your comment that you think Gortat is more polished than Dwight Howard on the offensive end…but you’d better take it back pretty damned quickly
Wabe
June 29th, 2009
3:15 pm
No.
Honestly, Howard is too damn predictable.
I think it’s up for debate!
And I wouldn’t mind having Gortat in my frontcourt!
Anakin Joe
June 29th, 2009
3:19 pm
I keep reading posts that suggest that “Bibby is not worth the money that he is demanding”. Did I miss the article that included his contract demands?
Here’s my question, who sets the market for older guards? Kidd? Bibby? Miller? Iversen?
My guess, it won’t be Bibby. Sund is far too experienced to jump out there and negotiate with himself. He will wait for some other 30+ year-old to sign a deal before he gets serious with an offer. At least, the way he handled the Joshes last year suggests that will be his strategy. If dude wasn’t proactive with two players entering their prime, I can’t imagine that he will show his hand with an aging Bibby. But I do hope that he moves quickly to secure a big (Foyle, Ratliff and Magloire come to mind). Gortat is about to get the James Posey prize and will likely land a contract close to $6M/year (which we can’t afford).
rms
June 29th, 2009
3:19 pm
Howard may be predictable but he is good! Gotta be a reason why Gortat is a backup and dont get a whole lot of minutes
Anakin Joe
June 29th, 2009
3:21 pm
Wow, Houston may play next season without T-Mac (supposedly they are shopping him), Artest (UFA) and Yao (injury). Sounds like Scola just became a 2nd round pick in the fantasy draft.
Anakin Joe
June 29th, 2009
3:21 pm
Jabbar was predictable too. It didn’t seem to make him any less successful.
Joe's place Joe speaking
June 29th, 2009
3:22 pm
I say trade Josh Smith for Amare Stoudamire! Then pick up the Bird Man to take the place of Josh Smith! Their defense is about the same. And resign Marvin ( strong SF who can guard the bigger SF in the league like Pierce, LBJ, etc. ), resign Bibby ( let’s be honest he is the reason why we took that next step toward the elite! ) , resign Zaza ( he us one of the best offensive rebounders in the league ), and there you have it.
Pg: Bibby, teague, crawford
Sg: Joe, Crawford
Sf: Marvin, Evans, Joe
Pf: Horford, Birdman, Solo
C: Amare, Zaza
Extended Bench: Mario, Hunter, Gardner, Randmo.
What do you guys think? Nire, Big Ray, Sekou, I know you guys can break it down for me do please let me know if this is at all possible with the salary cap and all. Thanks!
Meidzo in Decatur
June 29th, 2009
3:22 pm
Gortat is not the player that Dwight is, but he was the more agressive of the 2 in the Finals. Bad Coach Van Gundy did not play him enough, his rotations were not great and the Lakers scored too many easy baskets!
I love Gortat!
Wabe
June 29th, 2009
3:27 pm
Man you guys think I’m suggesting I’d take Gortat > Howard.
I simply said that at this point in their careers, you could debate whose offensive game is more polished…
Personally, I don’t think it’s as lopsided as you guys suggest.
As for Anakin Joe, I’m guessing you’re talking about me saying Bibby’s not worth the money he’s asking for. I HEARD he along with ANDRE MILLER are asking for around 10 mil. a year. And personally, if that is true, HE’S NOT WORTH THE MONEY HE’S ASKING FOR.
I may be wrong, I’m not GM, I may not know as much bout hoops as you guys, but honestly, signing Bibby for that kind of money would handicap our chances at getting any quality FA’s – therefore – he’s not worth it.
niremetal
June 29th, 2009
3:28 pm
Agreed, Joe.
I’m sorry, but anyone who thinks that Gortat has a leg up on Howard in any skill except committing dumb fouls has just lost it. Dwight’s too predictable? Gortat was more aggressive???? Ok. Not even gonna dignify this any further.
niremetal
June 29th, 2009
3:29 pm
Ok, I will, just to say this – people who are the backups to superstars always look better than they actually are, because the opposing team lets their guard down a little when the big kahuna is on the bench. Give me Zaza over Gortat eight days a week. That’s all.
Wabe
June 29th, 2009
3:29 pm
You guys see Bibby as the solution to the Hawks problems?
I simply viewed Bibby as a stop-gap measure. I never really thought he had a long-term role on this team – which is what I would assume he’s going to attempt to get in this next contract (a long term deal). This may be Bibby’s last chance at a long-term deal, if you resign Bibby longterm, you essentially are having him COMPETE with Jeff Teague rather than bringin Teague up…
I don’t know, I don’t see why you’d resign Bibby. He seems rather replaceable.
Wabe
June 29th, 2009
3:30 pm
Nire, are you kidding me?
I bet Gortat would’ve made 1 of 2 FREE THROWS…
Wabe
June 29th, 2009
3:31 pm
I bet Gortat wouldn’t have been sitting there arguing about a no-call on a foul with 30 secs left in the game while his team is already UP 5…
mgar
June 29th, 2009
3:40 pm
to me Crawford and Flip are the same player. Both drive and cut to the basket, Crawford shoots better from the arc, but basically the same player. The offense relies on a high percentage 3-point shot and thats what Bibby provides. Resign Bibby, ZaZa & M.Williams and look @ sending next to nothing to the Clips for Kaman. Serving as a back-up should provide him enough rest to stay healthy. Then we could be a really deep team.
Paddy
June 29th, 2009
3:41 pm
4th place in the East no matter what the Hawks do. But they have a nice little team.
Wabe
June 29th, 2009
3:42 pm
Guess I’m a noob.
You guys say to me “there’s a reason one’s a starter and one’s a backup”.
Let’s see how many teams will be bidding for the backup…
bigdave
June 29th, 2009
3:44 pm
Sautee… no i read what you said.. and we agreed on that.. we definitely need help. however,
you continued to state that maybe we are expecting too much from such young defenders. your argument based on age implies that we should wait on them to grow and develop before we can expect the results we desire hence, the partial quote you singled out and questioned… i was only challenging the age/expectations argument.. help in addition to Al and Josh would be ideal.. someone who could groom them into nightly contributers.. SHHHHHHHHHHHEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEED!!
Anakin Joe
June 29th, 2009
3:46 pm
Wabe, $10M is much too much. No debating that, I just had not heard that before. In fact, I had not heard anything about what he was looking to receive. But in reality, nothing wrong with asking for $10M. When we go to buy a car, we don’t lead with our best offer. So if Bibby is floating $10M, it may mean that the real number is closer to $7M-8M. But again, there are too many comparable PGs in free agency and Sund won’t allow Bibby to set the market rate for that group of players. Or, I should say, I would be shocked if Sund jumps out there first.
mgar
June 29th, 2009
3:47 pm
wabe- i think Bibby will settle for a 2-year offer from the Hawks to help groom Teague, then he moves on to sign w/ a team as a backup to compete for a ring. That seems to be the protocol for aging point guards
STRETCH
June 29th, 2009
3:48 pm
From SI.com, word is Mehmet Okur is leaning toward opting out of his contract with the Jazz. I would go after that guy, he’s 6′ 11″ and shoots the 3 really well!
Anakin Joe
June 29th, 2009
3:48 pm
One of many lists of available free agents this summer.
http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?page=FreeAgents-09-10
fudd21
June 29th, 2009
3:51 pm
Wabe, And what exactly is Bibby asking for?
Eric, What about Josh’s game makes you feel he is a natural SF
Joe's place Joe speaking
June 29th, 2009
3:59 pm
I say trade Josh Smith for Amare Stoudamire! Then pick up the Bird Man to take the place of Josh Smith! Their defense is about the same. And resign Marvin ( strong SF who can guard the bigger SF in the league like Pierce, LBJ, etc. ), resign Bibby ( let’s be honest he is the reason why we took that next step toward the elite! ) , resign Zaza ( he us one of the best offensive rebounders in the league ), and there you have it.
Pg: Bibby, teague, crawford
Sg: Joe, Crawford
Sf: Marvin, Evans, Joe
Pf: Horford, Birdman, Solo
C: Amare, Zaza
Extended Bench: Mario, Hunter, Gardner, Randmo.
What do you guys think? Nire, Big Ray, Sekou, I know you guys can break it down for me do please let me know if this is at all possible with the salary cap and all. Thanks!
Wabe
June 29th, 2009
4:00 pm
If you guys read through my posts carefully, I DID SAY I WOULD LOVE HAVING BIBBY BACK – BUT NOT FOR THE MONEY HE’S COMMANDING (which I thought was around $10 Mil).
I completely agree with you guys, if we could get him for a bit cheaper and he agrees to, lets say a 2 year deal, I’m not against re-signing him. But if re-signing him alone would kill the cap room we have to pursue other FA’s, I honestly don’t see it as being worth it.
WE NEED BIGS!
And honestly, do you think Bibby’s gonna agree to come back here to groom a rookie? I would assume HE THINKS he has some good years left in his career, and I would think he would try and get a long-term deal if he can. Let’s be honest about something else, if Bibby comes back, do you honestly see Woody treating Teague any different from how he treated Law in respect to minutes? I would see a repeat of what we saw out of Acie Law. I would think his minutes would be limited, but that’s just me…
Finally, I’m not a 100% sure about this, so I’ll just ask: if we resign Bibby – what are the chances we resign Marvin? At this point, I would say resigning Marvin is a higher priority than resigning Bibby. Much higher…
Wabe
June 29th, 2009
4:05 pm
And again, after judging the moves the Hawks have made thus far into the off-season, what direction do you assume they’re moving in with Bibby?
I’m guessing Sund has had some contact with Bibby/Bibby’s agent, and knows something we don’t…
Why else would he have pursued Crawford – and drafted a PG with the 19th pick?
Just trying to be real here. Logically, it doesn’t seem like he’ll be back…
At least to me.
If you resign Bibby, what’s it looking like at gaurds?
Bibby, JJ, Crawford, Teague, Flip (if he resigns which i would guess he won’t if Bibby returns). Who do you see being the odd man out?
I would honestly say if you resign Bibby, this team will not look ANY DIFFERENT from how it looked last year. Instead of Flip coming off the bench, you’ll have a slightly upgraded Crawford. Instead of Law sitting on the bench, you’ll have Teague sitting on the bench…
It’ll basically be a re-run. But again, what do I know…
Joe's place Joe speaking
June 29th, 2009
4:05 pm
Niremetal, Big Ray , Sekou , someone anyone answer my question please instead of arguing ( the dumbest debate I’ve ever heard , gortat better than Howard? Yeah f***** right!!!!! ) about nonsense please answer my question!!
Meidzo in Decatur
June 29th, 2009
4:06 pm
Nire…the sire (I guess):
1. I love DH and I think he is the best all around C in the league.
2. I know “we” tend to fall in love with backups in limited minutes but the fact remains that:
Gortat has by Dwight’s own admission a more polished offensive game at this point from being in the European training system.
I do like Za Za but I would not take him over Gortat if I had to choose. I don’t think that is realistic…but I would prefer even an advanced age Camby over both guys!
Stating the Obvious
June 29th, 2009
4:10 pm
Wabe the idiot,
Dwight shot a better percentage from the line than Gortat during both the regular season and the playoffs.
Meidzo in Decatur
June 29th, 2009
4:11 pm
Wabe,
I actually think Bibby held us back in the playoffs. We needed a spark and Joe for all of his flaws was being “High School” double teamed (meaning not shading but aggressive two men on the ball to make him give it up.
If we had a decent PG that atrategy would have meant a dunk fest on a CLE team that has no Shotblockers at the glass. Orlando destroyed CLE rotations and dunked time and time again. If we had a penetrator we would have made CLE or MIA for that matter change the notion that just getting the ball out of Joe’s hands equals a victory.
We need a different kind of PG..Thanx Bibby for helping us get over the hump, but I don’t want him back at ANY price!
Wabe
June 29th, 2009
4:15 pm
THAT FT % IS PRETTY DAMN USELESS IF HE WENT 0-2 TO ICE THE DAMN GAME KID…
GORTAT COULDN’T DONE ANY WORSE…
AND I BET MONEY GORTAT WOULD’VE GOT BACK DOWN THE COURT WHEN THE MAGIC WERE UP 5 AGAINST LA WITH 30 SECS LEFT AND NOT HAVE GIVEN UP AN EASY DUNK TO PAU GASOL TO CUT THE LEAD TO 3. INSTEAD, HOWARD SITS THERE (WHILE UP 5) ARGUING WITH THE OFFICIAL ABOUT A NO-CALL…
THAT’S ONE THING I KNOW GORTAT DOES BETTER THAN HOWARD – GET UP AND DOWN THE COURT…
Joe's place Joe speaking
June 29th, 2009
4:16 pm
Where’s Niremetal, Big Ray, and Sekou when you need them!?
Wabe
June 29th, 2009
4:18 pm
I STATED MY OPINION,
And I got bums grilling me for it.
IT’S JUST MY OPINION!
BASH ME IF YOU WANNA, BUT ASIDE FROM THE ONE 40 PT GAME, HOWARD DIDN’T BEAST ON THE OFFENSIVE END THROUGHOUT THE PLAYOFFS…
I SIMPLY SAID IT WAS UP FOR DEBATE…
BUM HATER$…
ACTIN LIKE I SAID I’D TAKE GORTAT > HOWARD.
Joe's place Joe speaking
June 29th, 2009
4:18 pm
I say trade Josh Smith for Amare Stoudamire! Then pick up the Bird Man to take the place of Josh Smith! Their defense is about the same. And resign Marvin ( strong SF who can guard the bigger SF in the league like Pierce, LBJ, etc. ), resign Bibby ( let’s be honest he is the reason why we took that next step toward the elite! ) , resign Zaza ( he us one of the best offensive rebounders in the league ), and there you have it.
Pg: Bibby, teague, crawford
Sg: Joe, Crawford
Sf: Marvin, Evans, Joe
Pf: Horford, Birdman, Solo
C: Amare, Zaza
Extended Bench: Mario, Hunter, Gardner, Randmo.
What do you guys think? NireMetal, Big Ray, Sekou, I know you guys can break it down for me so please let me know if this is at all possible with the salary cap and all. Thanks!
Wabe
June 29th, 2009
4:19 pm
You guys are quick to forget how the Hawks played with Bibby and JJ. Bibby didn’t do enough on the offensive end to take any pressure off of JJ. It simply turned into ISO-JOES.
I don’t know why you guys are actin like we can’t survive without him…
He was just a stop-gap measure.
Anakin Joe
June 29th, 2009
4:21 pm
Joe’s place, I’m pretty sure that we could technically make the moves that you propose. Re-sign Bibby, Marvin, Zaza and Solo and offer Birdman our MLE. Of course, that assumes the ASG is willing to pay the sizeable price tag for those moves.
niremetal
June 29th, 2009
4:23 pm
Joe’s place,
The only way to get the numbers to work in an Amare-for-Josh deal would be to package both Josh and Crawford or Josh and Horford. Josh’s trade kicker throws the numbers off in any trade, just as the BYC rules would throw off any package including Marvin or Chills. Amare’s salary is big enough that Josh’s trade kicker isn’t a disqualifier, though – but we’d have to throw in either Crawford or Horford to make the numbers work.
The only trades that would seemingly work salary-wise are:
Option 1
Hawks get: Amare
Suns get: Smith, Horford
Option 2
Hawks get: Amare + Barbosa
Suns get: Smith + Crawford
Option 3
Hawks get: Amare + Pavlovic + Dragic or R. Lopez
Suns get: Smith + Crawford
Of those, the only one that appeals to me is Option 2. The Suns might even go for it, since Crawford’s contract comes off the books before Barbosa’s does.
Option 3 has some appeal – Dragic or Lopez would give us young talent at one of the two toughest positions to find it (and I have a feeling Robin Lopez will do better with more PT). And Pavlovic is a good defender who can guard both wing spots.
Option 1? No way. I actually floated that idea a few months ago, but now I honestly think that Horford should be well-nigh onto untouchable.
It would be risky, but I still think that Amare is the type of guy who could put us over the top. He is a guaranteed 25ppg, and is less-bad at defense than people think. But I’d still have to think long and hard about it.
Big Ray
June 29th, 2009
4:24 pm
Joe’s Place/Joe Speaking,
That lineup looks kinda nice on paper. Sekou says the “Josh for Amare” trade stuff is baseless. Since he knows a lot more than I do, I take him for his word. As for Birdman, I’d take him. He may not be my first choice, but my opinion counts for nothing. Bottom line, he can help. He’s a hustler, and on the court that’s a good thing.
Wabe,
Yes, Dwight is definitely more predictable. He will predictably drop 20 points, 14 rebounds, and 3 blocks on you every night. God help you when he does better than average. Gortat is less predictable. Why? Because he has no go-to moves (that I recall seeing, that is). I’ll take the predictability, and more important, the reliability/stability.
Niremetal,
Philly has a chance to be better. I think the biggest factors there will be how well they’re able to use Elton Brand, how well he and Iguodala mesh and play off each other, and what Eddie Jordan can do with those guys. Miami may not be as good as they were this past season. The bigger keys for them will be whether or not they can get help down low, and whether or not sophomore players Beasely and Chalmers are able to take big steps.
Chicago worries me, but Del Negro won’t have the wisdom and steadying hand of Del Harris this year, it seems. Charlotte may sneak into an 8th seed, but they’re not scary per se.
Beyond that…
Meidzo in Decatur
June 29th, 2009
4:25 pm
Stupid MIL just made Villanueva an UFA…..who needs a 24 y/o avg 16 and 7 off the bench? Not a great fit for us, but it will help us because there is one more Big on the market!
niremetal
June 29th, 2009
4:26 pm
All that being said, I seriously doubt that Sund is even considering trading Smoove for Amare, so this is all just mental masturbation.
Big Ray
June 29th, 2009
4:26 pm
Wabe,
Grow another layer of skin, it’ll be alright. On a blog, rendering an opinion is consent to grilling.
Nookah
June 29th, 2009
4:28 pm
Guys, stay easy, Josh is going nowhere. Question is, can Sund hoodwink another franchise to get a serviceable big? Perhaps it can be dejavue…..turning bench warmers into a productive member of the roster.
Let’s go Sund!!!
Go Hawks!!!!
niremetal
June 29th, 2009
4:28 pm
Wow…Charlie V is unrestricted. Man. I hope the Hawks make a run at him, but I think at least 10 teams might offer him the full mid-level now, so it’ll all come down to where HE wants to go…
Melvin
June 29th, 2009
4:28 pm
I noticed Crawford holding up a #11 jersey in the photo on Bradley blog. I guess the Hawks are going to resign Mario….lol
Nookah
June 29th, 2009
4:30 pm
Jamal Crawford on 790 the Zone!!!
Wabe
June 29th, 2009
4:30 pm
I’m kool Big Ray.
I just can’t stand being grilled for an opinion.
Wabe
June 29th, 2009
4:31 pm
Since Ray’s here, let’s ask him.
Who would you rather have? Zaza? Or Gortat?
Nookah
June 29th, 2009
4:33 pm
They asked Jamal what he thought about when he was first traded for Acie and Speedy. He said “I look at it like the Pau Gasol to Lakers deal”. He then laughed and said, “I’m just joking”!!
Was he?
Go Hawks!!!!