Super Tuesday
The Hawks are the midst of trying to negotiate deals for both Marvin Williams (left) and Zaza Pachulia (center), two key free agents needed to help the Hawks keep pace in the constantly improving (and I mean by the day) Eastern Conference.
HAWKSVILLE - NBA free agents can put pen to paper Wednesday, consummating deals that have been in the works for days (and perhaps even longer for some).
The heavy lifting for the Hawks, however, comes a day early.
Hawks general manager Rick Sund is on his way to Washington D.C., where he will sit down with the representatives for three of the Hawks’ key free agents (Marvin Williams, Zaza Pachulia and Josh Childress) to hammer out the details of at least a couple of potential deals.
With Mike Bibby’s new deal needing only signatures, the Hawks can devote all the attention and resources necessary to the aforementioned players, and yes, that includes Childress (whose saga might not play out until after the July 15 deadline he has to either opt out of his contract with Olympiakos to return home and to the NBA. David Andersen, another player on the Hawks’ shopping list, has the same clause in his Spanish contract).
Folks keep asking what’s the latest on (All THE HAWKS’ SUMMER TARGETS)? So here’s a rundown, early on a day I’m dubbing Super Tuesday, of where things stand with the key players (and for a sobering look at just how crazy free agency is working this summer, check out this dagger from ESPN Insider and Alpharetta’s own John Hollinger):
MARVIN WILLIAMS: Using Charlie Villanueva’s deal in Detroit (5 years, $40 million-range) as your guide, things should get much easier to decipher in the curious case of Marvin Williams. With a qualifying offer of $7.5 million, we’re not talking about anything out of the ordinary her for a guy that’s proved to be a valuable starter the past three years. Finding another 6-9 starting small forward that fits the way he does on this team will not be easy, despite all of the suggestions around here to the contrary. Respected and prolific colleague Mark Bradley has suggested many times that if any of the Hawks’ remaining building blocks was expendable it was Marvin. But as I look across the free agent landscape, I cannot co-sign that theory. Not with the free agent moves/trades that have gone on in the Eastern Conference since draft night. Not with Hedo Turkoglu in Toronto now and Vince Carter in his old spot in Orlando. And not with Villanueva in Detroit and the addition of Rasheed Wallace in Boston. The length the Hawks used to their advantage across the frontline with Williams, Josh Smith and Al Horford is more critical than ever. Even in one of the many proposed sign-and-trade deals offered up around these parts, I don’t see the Hawks adding the piece that could take Marvin’s place on this roster (in fit, size and temperament … three crucial factors that Marvin brings that go largely unnoticed by the public). The Hawks have made clear their preference for Marvin to remain a part of the core of this team and I see no reason why that shouldn’t happen. I can’t see any scenario where he is not a part of this team in the future.
ZAZA PACHULIA: Much has been made in the past 72 hours about Zaza’s impending departure and his being replaced by Andersen, or a combination of players that includes the Australian big man. Slow down with that one. Sources tell me that while initially things didn’t look too good with the offer that was presented to him by the Hawks, the sides are working their way toward more agreeable terms (we’re talking slightly north of the $16 million over four years he signed for the last time he was a free agent but decidedly south of the $33 million over five years Marcin Gortat is expected to receive from Dallas). And in an Eastern Conference littered with bigs like Dwight Howard in Orlando, Shaquille O’Neal in Cleveland and now Wallace, Kevin Garnett and Kendrick Perkins in Boston (and that’s just on the teams that finished ahead of the Hawks in the standings last season), that’s a good thing. Because the Hawks can ill-afford to lose a player like Zaza. He’s the only real bruiser on the roster. He’ll set a hard pick and has shown he’s not afraid to mix it up with the likes of Garnett and Howard. And while I’m not heavy into the stats that seem to guide so many people’s opinions about players, I do believe that some numbers tell a far different story than what the heart and mind can. There were six regular season games and three playoff games during the 2008-2009 season where Zaza played 30-plus minutes. He averaged 9.8 points, 10.1 rebounds (and 4.1 offensive rebounds) in those games. That means when he was needed to play above and beyond his pay grade, Pachulia delivered.
JOSH CHILDRESS: Like Andersen, Childress would do better financially (at least in the next year or two) by returning to Greece for another season with Olympiakos. But if he’s intent on returning to the NBA this summer, and there are indications that he would indeed love to return, things could get tricky. Childress has already visited Milwaukee. And the Bucks could present him with an offer sheet and gamble that the Hawks might not match it (fat chance). The obvious solution for both sides would be a sign-and-trade deal (the starting salary for Childress wouldn’t even be the full mid-level of $5.6 million, though the total contract would be nearly $31 million over five years). The Bucks have all the necessary tools to make something like that happen. Whatever happens, the Hawks need to close the door on the Childress saga that began last summer during his first round of restricted free agency. His jersey number was given away last summer (to Mo Evans) in a way that should have signaled the end of his time with the Hawks to all of us. I know I’ve spent much of the last year plotting hypothetical scenarios in which he could return to the Hawks. I realize now, finally, it’s just not going to happen. So if there is any way to salvage a player (Bruce Bowen has been mentioned) and a possible second-round draft pick out of the deal, the Hawks could finally walk away from the entire mess with some measure of satisfaction.
Resolve two of the three issues above by July 15 and the Hawks will have made some serious headway into a summer that’s long from over. The roster still needs filling out. And that might not come until much later in the summer and possibly even training camp, where a hungry free agent pickup like Mario West won roster spots in each of the past two camps.
The Hawks will still have the resources to chase down another big man (or possibly two) to fill out the rotation, which is still in need of fortification. But the heavy lifting starts today in D.C.
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636 comments Add your comment
Ernest
July 8th, 2009
7:21 pm
The Truth said, >>aren’t we really saying, Solo is ineffective and we need an upgrade?<<. There is a LOT of truth to that statement. Solo is the 2nd big man off the bench and becomes the first if one of our big men gets injured (which is bound to happen for a few games over the 82 game schedule). It seems as though fans are saying they want either a defensive stopper or another offensive option. Regardless, this position gets about 8-12 minutes a game. How much do you want to spend on this spot in the rotation?
niremetal
July 8th, 2009
7:29 pm
Not saying that Billy necessarily deserves another job, btw. He seems to be great at “stockpiling talent” – he basically turned perennial losers into 45/50 win squads in both Memphis and Atlanta. But he seems like a good guy to have only for “Phase One” of a rebuilding plan.
Neki
July 8th, 2009
7:31 pm
I think many people has been too hard on Billy choice of players during his time as GM. Sure, he didnt get the players that we all want but I think he saw that there was ppl like Lebron who was coming into NBA, with a Body Size like a PF but also can bring the ball up the court and passing it like a PG (being a Point Forward), and Centers that isnt 7ft+ anymore except few teams who got them, they are 6′10 or 6′11 right now and much more active.
With all the moves Hawks has been doing, I think the next couple of days is going to be very important because of both Andersen and Chill deadlines and what would Marvin do. I think Andersen will sign here, but Chill/Marvin situation is much more complex.
Anakin Joe
July 8th, 2009
7:31 pm
Here I go with my NFL-analogies again. Very few defensive-oriented coaches are anxious to play a run-and-gun offense. I’d ay that unless you’re the Patriots, you’d rather not see your QB throwing 35 times a game. So I think that between Kirk’s observation that our rebounding and field goal percentage defense is far too inconsistent to run and Woody’s likely inclination to run an offense that doesn’t increase the oppsoing team’s possessions, we’re not likely going to be that type of club. Even before we acquired Bibby, I thought that an offense like what Adelman ran in Sacramento would have been perfect for our roster. A lot of quick cuts, constant movement and smart passing. I wonder if he will try that next season with his Yao-less Rockets?
Hoops
July 8th, 2009
7:34 pm
Blast,
The way I have it figured is we will sign Marvin & sign Andersen. After that we will have around 2.5M left under the L. tax. What big can you get for 2.5M without making a trade using Chills/Marvin/Evans/Morris?
Anakin Joe
July 8th, 2009
7:37 pm
nire, I think BK may end up as Walsh’s assistant in NYC eventually. I think he would be a worth-while voice to have in the draft room, just don’t want him to have the final say.
Ken Strickland
July 8th, 2009
7:46 pm
Well, we finally got Zaza back in the fold, very good. Woodson should have the starting lineup he prefers, along with Zaza, his #1 Big off the bench, and that’s good also. It’s obvious that Teague and Crawford meet with his approval, and he’s now ridded himself of 2 players he didn’t want on the team, Speedy and Acie. He should be comfortable with this yrs roster and will have less pressure to play or ignore any particular player or players.
It’s obvious we’ll sign another Big, but will it be Solo or an outside Big. As of now, we’ll have Crawford, Teague, Evans, Zaza and Morris coming off the bench, which leaves 2 roster spots open. I’d really like to see Anderson brought in as the other Big.
I couldn’t care less how much we’ll offer Marvin, or how much we’re paying Zaza or Crawford, as long as we have them signed. I’ll leave financial issues up to Sund. After all, isn’t that his responsibility?
MITCH-It’s hard for me to rate Woodson over the course of his 5yrs as Hawks HC. I think he did a good job overall his 1st 3yrs when the team was raw, inexperienced and needed his brand of control and discipline. Over the last 2yrs the team and it’s players have outgrown the need for his brand of control and discipline.
Anakin Joe
July 8th, 2009
7:58 pm
In one of his Insider articles, Chad Ford is saying Zaza agreed to 4 years/$19M. That doesn’t seem to fit with Sekou’s report of a “significant” increase. Although close to 25% would be more than significant in my world.
Make it better
July 8th, 2009
8:01 pm
What is with this sudden fascination with Przybilla? (You do recall we cut/released him ~5yrs ago.)
Anakin Joe
July 8th, 2009
8:32 pm
http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/columns/story?columnist=broussard_chris&page=fanotes-090708
Surely Philly won’t play Holliday and Lou Williams at PG next season, will they?
Zach Randolph and AI on the same team? OJ Mayo and Rudy Gay should demand trades.
The Truth
July 8th, 2009
8:38 pm
PS. The sentiment on this blog seems to suggest that it is OK to stockpile “Bigs” but some have a problem with signing Flip. Why is that? What is the message here, you only want the minumum amount of guards that will actually play (forget about injuries), but a boat load of centers? Al, Zaza, Solo, plus 1 more Big for the center position. If I’m adding correctly, that’s 4 players for 1 positions. Yet some would whine if we have more then 2 PGs.
jhan
July 8th, 2009
8:49 pm
AJ – only in pro sports is a 25% raise not seen as significant!! Many are forced to take a 25% paycut or lose their jobs right now.
I’m sure Sund wanted to upgrade the rebounding & defense this year but didn’t see anything he liked for value. Upgrading the offensive production without losing any assets seems like a value move. Maybe he offered GS a package for Biedrens & they said no chance BUT we will give you Crawford for your spare parts. I really can’t find any fault with that deal.
Sund said last year that he needed a season to evaluate the team before making any deals. Seems like a man of his word. Gotta respect that.
drmaryb
July 8th, 2009
8:49 pm
What the HAWKS are doin? as Tyler Perry’s Mr. Brown would say – “I Like it…I Lke it!”
Go My-Hawks …Let’s Go! BTW – Sign Childress (Afro-Man!) Yeah!
Najeh Davenpoop
July 8th, 2009
8:55 pm
“The sentiment on this blog seems to suggest that it is OK to stockpile “Bigs” but some have a problem with signing Flip. Why is that?”
Because Jamal Crawford does the exact same thing as Flip better than him.
The Hawks don’t currently have a “stockpile” of bigs. In fact they really only have two players — Horford and Zaza — who even have the body types to guard true post up players, since the other front court player (Josh Smith) is a tweener. On the flip side they have four guards — Bibby, Johnson, Crawford, Teague — under contract in the backcourt. Clearly the balance of power so to speak is on the side of the guards.
Personally I have no problem with Flip the player — he did a solid job for the Hawks last year. But if the Hawks have a few million dollars left to throw at free agents, it makes no sense to sign Flip (whose role is already being performed by Crawford) over a big man who would strengthen the Hawks’ front court depth.
Najeh Davenpoop
July 8th, 2009
8:56 pm
If Zaza really got $19 million over 4 years, chalk that up as another win for Rick Sund. Gortat got more years and more money despite having proven nothing in the NBA yet.
Clyde
July 8th, 2009
9:01 pm
I wonder if Zaza will contest the shot when Lebron James comes down the lane instead of moving out the way.
glw
July 8th, 2009
9:07 pm
Ernest,
I agree with you considering what the cap/luxury tax is next year, why go spend money to get a big who realistically will only play 10 minutes a game. Actually think we are ok with Solo. He is still growing as a player and was pretty raw coming into the league.
I guess we did sign Zaza just in time, I saw where the league just gave the Rockets and injury exception for Yao.
Anakin Joe
July 8th, 2009
9:12 pm
jhan, I’m still waiting for proof that his evaluation suggested something more than maintaining the same basic formula. But maybe he will use the MLE to duct tape these pot holes. I am thrilled with how he is handling our UFAs… I hope he does a better job this year with our RFA. Speaking of which, anyone heard peep about Solo? Maybe he is near the bottom of Sund’s “To Do” list. Right after “Call Robert Swift at Ink R Us Parlor”.
Sekou Smith
July 8th, 2009
9:13 pm
I don’t know what you consider significant Joe, but if I got a $3 million raise on my next deal, I wouldn’t complain.
Yupperz
July 8th, 2009
9:14 pm
I wonder if Clyde will ever grow a brain. No?? Ah that’s what I thought
Anakin Joe
July 8th, 2009
9:18 pm
Sekou, I hear ya. I’d settle for a $3 raise so that I could treat myself to the USAToday once a week. I’m still ticked off that they raise the price to a $1.
Anakin Joe
July 8th, 2009
9:22 pm
Once a month, not once a week. Once a week would cut into my Popeye’s budget.
niremetal
July 8th, 2009
9:22 pm
I owe Zaza two pairs of shoes, so make that a $3,000,300 raise.
Ernest
July 8th, 2009
9:25 pm
If we got ZaZa @ 4.5 million/year for 4 years, we got a bargain! By my calculations, that is a 12.5% increase over his last contract. Hats off to Sund and management for being ‘fiscally responsible’ and giving the team flexibility for Marvin and next years free agents.
glw, you are right about Houston with the injury exception. I’m sure they would have come after ZaZa if we didn’t have an agreement in place. Hopefully he signs quickly.
Based on how negotiations are going, I will speculate that Marvin will be offered a 5 year contract between 8-9 million/year. I also believe some ’salary slotting’ will be used for the 2nd big man off the bench, which was occupied by Solo. If someone like Wilcox or an older veteran is willing to take that money, knowing they’d get spot minutes, we may go that route. As Sekou suggested earlier, RandMo may be ‘bench fodder’ unless he really shows something in workouts.
Anakin Joe
July 8th, 2009
9:27 pm
ESPN’s news article on Zaza.
http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=4315036
jhan
July 8th, 2009
9:27 pm
Clyde certainly has a brain & knows what he wants from the Hawks – a solid center that blocks shots. He couldn’t tell you WHO that player might be, how the Hawks could pull off that deal, or how the salary situation would be handled.
At least you know what you’ll get from him.
Anakin Joe
July 8th, 2009
9:31 pm
jhan, are you kidding me? Clyde knows EXACTLY who that player is… Sean Williams. He just doesn’t know which jail to find him, that’s the problem.
jhan
July 8th, 2009
9:32 pm
AI supposedly accepting a 1yr/$5M offer. Many here wanted us to build around him a couple of years ago. Glad nobody from the Hawks listened.
niremetal
July 8th, 2009
9:32 pm
ESPN’s fact-checking hit parade continues:
[Marvin] Williams made $7.4 million last season.
Except, as multiple sources – including ESPN’s own page on Marvin – show, Marvin made $5.6M last year:
http://espn.go.com/nba/players/profile?playerId=2797
Marvin’s QO is $7.4M. That’s a pretty big distinction that ESPN missed there.
jhan
July 8th, 2009
9:33 pm
LOL!!
Anakin Joe
July 8th, 2009
9:34 pm
jhan, did AI sign with Memphis?
Melvin
July 8th, 2009
9:46 pm
Nire,
I can’t determine who you hate worst, ESPN or Mark Bradley…LOL
The Truth
July 8th, 2009
9:48 pm
Najeh Davenpoop
The Hawks have elected to tender an offer to Solo making it likely that he will resign as another “big”. Not to mention Siler on the radar schedule to report to training camp (whether that pans out we shall see). So the appearance of 2 Bigs is just an appearance.
John
July 8th, 2009
9:58 pm
This is the first time in along time that I have been up-beat about the Hawks. The last time I was up-beat was when the got the guy Moses Molone. I like that they got Bibby agian, ZaZa, and they are rebuliding again. I may go and pay and see them next season. Looks like for a change they will spend some $ to keep some folks. In the past I feel like they tried to re invent a team after each season.
O'Brien
July 8th, 2009
9:59 pm
I do agree that the Hawks need another experienced PG. Because if Bibby gets hurt, then what?
However, I just dont know if Flip is the right fit, because he is a SG in a PG’s body. And we would not want to play Flip and Crawford at the same time. We need a 3rd guard who is not a ball hog (like Flip, or Crawford at times). Also, Flip needs his consistent minutes to be effective, and I dont know if we will be able to provide that.
Wabe
July 8th, 2009
10:02 pm
Wow, 4 yrs/19 million is a B A R G A I N.
Is that official?
John
July 8th, 2009
10:03 pm
I would like to see another guy added that can rebound. ZaZa and Al can, but…after that who???
niremetal
July 8th, 2009
10:10 pm
Well, there’s this young fella named Josh Smith…
Jody
July 8th, 2009
10:14 pm
Going forward, I think the Hawks need to be careful. I think they’ve done a good job of negotiating contracts thus far with actual production being a heavier factor than potential in determining the price they pay out. They need to continue to do so in future negotiations. The absolute last thing they need to do is to tie themselves down with a contract that could become difficult to move in the future.
John
July 8th, 2009
10:28 pm
Josh is not a banger, that mixes it up. He is a free style player, good don’t get me wrong. but yes a young fellow. Look at our confernce. Hawks need a rebounder.
thanks, you must be a small guy.
kwooden1
July 8th, 2009
10:33 pm
Clyde, I agree but with the guys that are available it’s a very good deal. From what I’ve read and seen at games Zaza is a good guy and teammate, but we need a shot blocker. Offensively, we need a center with some moves. Zaza is a better athlete than I think most people give him credit for, (I’ve seen him soccer dribble the basketball during a game), but he can’t jump! Which means we’re really need to sign Bass or Wilcox and hope they can fit the bill. So far I think all of Sund’s moves have been solid at the very least. (Crawford deal was excellent!)
Truth, if your right about the tender to Solo, than the HAWKS might as well save the rest of the MLE. Have the same team as last year, accept switching Acie for Teague and Flip for Crawford.
GO HAWKS!
Najeh Davenpoop
July 8th, 2009
10:34 pm
“The Hawks have elected to tender an offer to Solo making it likely that he will resign as another “big”. Not to mention Siler on the radar schedule to report to training camp (whether that pans out we shall see). So the appearance of 2 Bigs is just an appearance.”
Solo has still not proven he can do much more than foul out quickly and block the occasional shot. He doesn’t have the body type to defend opposing PF/Cs, and at this point I doubt he ever will. As for Siler, you’re talking about an undrafted free agent from a weak draft — maybe he turns out to be a good player, but you can’t go into the upcoming season banking on that. The Hawks need a big man who has proven he can be physical in the post, and neither one of them fit the bill.
EJH
July 8th, 2009
10:42 pm
The hawks have really made significant strides here in free agency retaining there own. Now it is time to deal with the childress fiasco. Package Chills and Mo Evans and Randolph Morris to the Portland Trailblazers for Channing Frye, Travis outlaw and there 2nd round pick in next years draft. That would then get rid of josh childress finally and bring back another sf in return along with a rotation big
John
July 8th, 2009
10:43 pm
Guys, the Spirit has choosen to spen money and not be a laughing stock of the NBA. They have retained certian guys. Great, but they are # 4 in the division. They need a rebounder to compete w/ Boston and Orlando. We do not have that. We need a banger and sorry experts, Josh smith is not the guy. He is as they say a scorer. The guy from ATL on the bench can not do it. If we take the next step, we need a rebounder….
mrH
July 8th, 2009
10:46 pm
Sekou,
The Orlando Sentinel is reporting $26M over four years. Can you confirm the $19M?
Skid
July 8th, 2009
10:48 pm
I would much rather have Drew Gooden, Jamaal Magloire, Chris Wilcox, or Channing Frye before I want Solo back. He brings nothing off the bench at all. He can’t play D and he can’t score. Whats the point?
darrell starks
July 8th, 2009
10:49 pm
Excellent sign with zaza now we need flip, and marvin.
GO HAWKS!!!!!!!!!!!
darrell starks
July 8th, 2009
11:00 pm
Chill and Horford for Amar’e right now would put us in the top 3 in the east.
GO HAWKS!!!!!!!!!
niremetal
July 8th, 2009
11:00 pm
John,
Not sure why my height matters…but I’m 6′2/200 and when I play ball, my only two skills are rebounding and post moves.
If Josh set his mind to it, he could grab 11 boards per game easy. He’s strong enough and sure as hell can jump high enough. He might not be a “banger” but neither is Marcus Camby, who has been at or near the top of the NBA in rebounds for 4 straight years. My theory about why Josh doesn’t grab more boards is that it’s 40% focus and 60% positioning (ie Woodson often doesn’t put him in position to crash the glass).
I’m not disagreeing that we could use another rebounder off the bench. I was just pointing out that it was amusing that you omitted the man who is probably our most naturally gifted rebounder.
niremetal
July 8th, 2009
11:02 pm
Darrell,
Salary cap, man. Salary cap.