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.
Tell us what you think about the site
Customer Care »
Vacation stops, manage subscriptions and more
AJC Services
Sections
Other Editions
Visitor Agreement | Privacy Statement
© 2013 The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
636 comments Add your comment
willie
July 7th, 2009
6:43 pm
We badly need a solid big. I’m hoping Sund can pull a miracle and move a couple of pieces (Marvin or Josh and next year 1st?) for Bosh (if he agrees to extension). If not, maybe something a bit less for Boozer in sign-and-trade.
KevinA
July 7th, 2009
6:49 pm
Sautee, the trade was awesome no matter what happens. If by chance JJ goes I would assume that Crawford would go to, freeing up 24 million for a FA. And who knows, Chills may be an option next year also. Did you see the video of the gym that Chills was playing in? Looked like grade school sized. And then there was the fires lol. That is why is he looking around.
KevinA
July 7th, 2009
6:55 pm
Bibby playing for 6 mil is another great deal. Maybe Bibby will work out hard and kick it up a knotch. He is fun to watch and seems like glue to keep the players happy. He likes playing for Woody, not to many players say it out loud. So far Sund is having a good year.
MAC-TOWN
July 7th, 2009
7:05 pm
I have a feeling teague is gonna out perform bibby this year.
Anakin Joe
July 7th, 2009
7:06 pm
Sautee, sorry that I wasn’t more pristinely specific when I offerd up a general statement like bigs make more. If you don’t agree with that fundamental theroy, then there truly is nothing to debate.
I don’t like the Crawford trade, I believe that there are many comparable players that could provide his value for a lesser price.
And yes, the Blogotomist was wonderfully accurate.
Sautee
July 7th, 2009
7:18 pm
AJ,
Here’s what I was arguing about: “Comparing Joe to Flip is kind of silly, again, IMO. Comparing Joe to Erik Dampier makes no sense. But Flip and Crawford, why not?”
Most of Flip’s minutes were at the 2, though he DID play considerable minutes at the 1.
Most of JJ minutes were ALSO at the the 2.
Crawford, too, played most of his minutes at the 2.
So if you can compare Crawford and Flip (both playing mostly 2), why not compare Flip and JJ (both playing mostly at the 2) what’s silly about the comparison? Other than the fact that it weakens your argument?
Neki
July 7th, 2009
7:24 pm
First of all, I think that Bibby resigning was a good idea and less amount, so we can get more players if we need it plus he can be a great teacher to Teague, since we got Bibby, JJ, Crawford, Teague and maybe Flip, JJ and Bibby wont have to play heavy minutes anymore (unless Coach Woodson wants to keep them in).
MannyT
July 7th, 2009
7:26 pm
Melvin–If you go back in the history banks, I am a Chills fan. However, I am willing to let him go if we can get better. In the time that he has been gone almost all of our acquisitions have been guys that chip away at his minutes. (It would be nice if we could collect a big man upgrade in there instead of all perimeter all the time.)
I don’t know how much Chills wants to return to the NBA, but it is easy to imagine that he does not want to come back here to a smaller role, lower pay, and a perceived lack of respect/appreciation. Can he force Sund to move him, no. Can he delay the situation if he doesn’t get an agreement that he likes–easily for the next 2 years.
Ariose–don’t push for Flip too hard yet. Did you ever back into Woody’s car or cut in front of him in line? When you start backing a guy hard, he becomes the poster child for Woody’s dog house
Dos Hawquis (aka TMIHFITW) Bibby’s deal has no impact on other free agents. The only fiscal impact of reupping anyone except Flip is how much closer it pushes you to the luxury tax. The exceptions Biannual & Mid level are available without regard for how much you pay your Bird rights guys.
kirknga–we worked through that Chills thing in more detail this offseason. He is locked into the Hawks as a RFA as long as they make the qualifying offer.Sucks for him, but protects the league. His only chance for a loophole is the next collective bargaining deal. An unlikely option as it would help a bunch of Euroleagers and we know Samuel, er, Stern has little reason to help the Euros.
doc–in the land of ALTA, how can you take pokes at tennis? Now that there is Universal Sports on TV, I can get my fix of real Olympic sports in non Olympic years. I’ll send them a note that you want them to start a blog and link it to the AJC
Will we get your take on Tyson Gay’s ability to come back from the injury last season and challenge Usain Bolt…or would you prefer the impact of motherhood on Kerri Walsh. Will she reunite with Misty May Treanor before the next Olympics or are they done because Misty will lose anoher year if she follows Kerri to motherhood?
http://www.universalsports.com
That’s 11-3 for those that went the DTV route!
Yes, I am a MOMS boy…i.e. Man Of Man(n)y Sports
Johnny Hazeltine
July 7th, 2009
7:26 pm
HERE’S THE QUESTION:
Would resigning Marvin mean that the Hawks wouldn’t have enough money to extend Joe Johnson next summer? If so, would it be worth it? Is that another reason why Sund acquired Jamal Crawford?
Johnny Hazeltine
July 7th, 2009
7:28 pm
HERE’S THE QUESTION:
If the Hawks extend Marvin Williams, would that mean they don’t have enough money to resign Joe Johnson next summer? Is that, really, why Sund acquired Jamal Crawford?
Johnny Hazeltine
July 7th, 2009
7:28 pm
Whoops, thought my post didn’t go through. Now, I just sound redundant.
Anakin Joe
July 7th, 2009
7:36 pm
Sautee, that’s certainly one way to view it. But I personally wouldn’t compare Szerbiak to Vince Carter… they have different roles for their respective teams. I don’t think a fair comparison stops at the 5 basic positions. Comparing Chris Anderson as the energetic defender to Varejao makes far more sense to me than comparing him to Bynum. That’s why I tend to compare Crawford’s role as 6th man scorer to Flip and choose not to put Joe in that category.
If Sund is paying Crawford to replicate Joe, then this is as bad a move as when he paid Earl Watson a comparable salary to mimic what Ridnour was paid to provide to the Sonics. I guess we’ll find out if stacking up makes a better team than filling gaps across.
MannyT
July 7th, 2009
7:36 pm
If all the guards are going to shoot first, we need to pick up a point forward. Where is Paul Pressey when we need him?
Johnny H–I doubt that Marvin is getting money that is planned for Joe. Joe cannot get much of a raise initially. If he comes back, the impact of a big contract shows up in the later years, not the first few.
BWAF
jcwfalcon
July 7th, 2009
7:40 pm
Thanks to Bibby to signing a very reasonable contract!
Ariose
July 7th, 2009
7:45 pm
Firm Nire’s Twitter Feed(he’s talking to Zaza):
“Come back to the ATL!!!!!!!!!!! I’ll buy you two pairs of shoes from Friedman’s if you do – your pick.”
Hehehehe….sorry nire, it was just too funny to pass up lol. Can’t say I won’t join you in bribing Zaza in the coming hours though ha!
Ariose
July 7th, 2009
7:48 pm
MannyT, LOl I wasn’t even backing Acie all that much. That way Ray lol. I think Woodson was just biased against lefthanded ballplayers. I’m rooting for Flip, but As soon as he’s signed i’m joing the Jeff Teauge Bandwagon in full force
Ariose
July 7th, 2009
7:56 pm
Twitter: From Sekou To Zaza:
“you better call me first. Ha.”
Sekou said ha, but YOU KNOW he’s not joking lol.
Ariose
July 7th, 2009
8:01 pm
From My Twitter Feed:
“@zaza27 Hey when you get those two pairs of shoes form @niremetal i’ll shine them for the whole year if you come back to tha ATL!!!”
niremetal
July 7th, 2009
8:03 pm
Hey, I’ll buy The Real Big Z more than a pair of shoes if he comes back at the right price. I honestly think he should have been our #1 priority going into the summer because 1) Marvin’s restricted, 2) Flip’s expendable (sorry, Ariose!), and 3) it’s even harder to replace a decent-priced big man than it is to replace a decent-priced PG like Bibby.
So I’ll buy him shoes, give him a portion of my salary after I pay off my loans, or represent him for free next time he comes up for free agency. We need Zaza back.
sam in atlanta
July 7th, 2009
8:14 pm
we need to keep the team together they have learn to fight better together each year
Blast
July 7th, 2009
8:14 pm
R. I. P. Michael Jackson.
Welcome back, Mike Bibby!
Go Hawks!
Ariose
July 7th, 2009
8:16 pm
From Sekou’s Twitter Feed”
“On my way to Adamsville Rec for Pro Am game. Who needs summer league when you can go to Adamsville, Shawty?”
“Green Team is stacked. J. Smith, V. Wafer, M. West, Donta Smith, Devendorf, and more. This ought to be somebody’s summer league team.”
Nire, I agree, Filp is certainly expendable. I just wuld much rather have too much talent on a roster, rather than having too little. It backfired on NYC a couple of years back but other than Crawford, most of those gys were just there for the check. Besides, we have chemistry on theis roster, and flip fit right into the mix.
I would hope, that if flip came back, that teauge would absorb most of his minutes(at least until the playoffs) until Filp is really neede(injuries). But le’t point the finger where it really should be pointed. Woodson has to do a better job of time management.
SWAT Native
July 7th, 2009
8:16 pm
Sekou,
Stepping away from the Hawks for a moment, I wanted to ask a question again I asked last summer. Why won’t the Pistons make Bill Laimbeer their coach? He comes from their winning tradition and he’s won several championships with the Detroit WNBA team. Why won’t they hire him and Rick Mahorn?
O'Brien
July 7th, 2009
8:16 pm
Could the Hawks sign Anderson Varejo (sp?) for the full mid-level? He provides good defense and rebounding as our backup PF…
Sekou,
Do you know if the Hawks have any intentions of signing another PG? (They can use their bi-annual exception to sign another PG, in case Bibby/Teague gets injured).
Ariose
July 7th, 2009
8:17 pm
nire, a little probono work never hurt anybody lol!!
Ariose
July 7th, 2009
8:28 pm
O’Brien, Flip maybe???
Sautee
July 7th, 2009
8:34 pm
AJ,
You know that we don’t have to agree and we’re still ok.
You said this: “But I personally wouldn’t compare Szerbiak to Vince Carter… they have different roles for their respective teams.”
Neither would I. And I agree that Carter and Szerbiak have far different roles.
That’s an extreme example and I just don’t think it applies to our discussion.
But for JJ, Crawford, and Flip, the role is (or has been) “be the primary scorer (or one of them) while you are on the floor”.
Yes, JJ does more distributing as a scorer than the other two, but in my mind the roles are similar enough to allow comparison. And actually, Crawford dished 4.4 dimes a game last year (to Joe’s 5.8) but didn’t handle it every time down like someone we know and love.
Anyway, that was my justification for the comparison.
Ken Strickland
July 7th, 2009
8:49 pm
It appears we have Bibby back on board. However, I just can’t see us improving with him starting and averaging 34.7mins and taking 1005 shots(2nd most on the team)like he did last yr. We need our starting PG to be more than a 3pt shooter and DEF liability. Bibby’s skills, at this stage in his career, would be more useful coming off the bench. Also, with Teague(6′2″) and JCrawford’s(6′4″)size and PG skills, Bibby could be used very effectively at SG, much like the combination of ESnow and AIverson were used in Philly.
SEKOU-what have you heard concerning the Hawks intention concerning RFA Solomon Jones?
For those advocating we resign Zaza, Anderson and another Big, consider this. We all know Woodson has refused to consistently use more than one Big off our bench(Zaza). I don’t see him changing his act, expecially in a contract yr with his job on the line.
darrell starks
July 7th, 2009
8:54 pm
Bad sign for the hawks, i cant see where this improve the team at all but this is what the fans want mediocrity.
GO HAWKS!!!!!!!!!
Anakin Joe
July 7th, 2009
8:56 pm
Sautee, Szerbiak to Vince is no more extreme than Joe to Flip (if you use your salary metric as a measure). But I digress.
Like I said a few days ago, I’m willing to consider a perspective that giving a defensive-minded coach a collection of scorers may provide a balanced approach. It tends to work in the NFL. SVG is more defensive oriented but he took guys like Rashard, Hedo and Jameer and turned them into an impressive defensive team anchored by Howard (and aided by Pietrus). Assuming Marvin and Mo return, with the addition of a legit low-post defender, maybe we have enough pieces to establish a strong defensive unit, anchored by Smith/Horford. If this is his approach, then go all out and bring on Andersen as a pick and roll expert. Add 2 ultra-cheap bigs like Theo/Foyle/Jason Collins and Stromile/Ruffin and let’s get the season started.
darrell starks
July 7th, 2009
8:56 pm
Ken strickland i agree with you 100percent.
GO HAWKS!!!!!!!!
niremetal
July 7th, 2009
9:08 pm
Ken,
I never thought I’d say these next four words but…in fairness to Woodson, he never had much to work with in terms of big men off the bench. I know there were some people who thought Solo could be something. Heck, I was one of those people. But something tells me that Solo is not going to catch on as a rotation player anywhere else. Other than that, who’ve we had? RandMo (who never got minutes in the godawful Knicks rotation)? Shelden (who got traded and cut this year)? Lorenzen (who actually DID get a decent number of minutes before we traded him)?
My guess is that if we re-sign Zaza and bring in a McDyess or anyone with the last name Andersen, Woody will use at least a 4-man frontcourt rotation. I can’t say I’m sure (this is Woody, after all), but that’s my guess.
darrell starks
July 7th, 2009
9:08 pm
Jamal starting at point would have been a difference maker for the hawks with his ability to create his on shot, now since we sign bibby i dont understand whats his position on the team specially if we are try to develop teague at point.
GO HAWKS!!!!!!!
darrell starks
July 7th, 2009
9:14 pm
If woody wants to be a defensive mind coach it would have made better sense to starte jamal at point and bring in teague behind him.
GO HAWKS!!!!!!!!!
niremetal
July 7th, 2009
9:19 pm
*ding*
darrell starks
July 7th, 2009
9:23 pm
How can we not even consider bringing back flip when he was your most important piece on the team.
GO HAWKS!!!!!!!!
darrell starks
July 7th, 2009
9:24 pm
NIRE I NO DING.
GO HAWKS!!!!!!!!
cdog
July 7th, 2009
9:26 pm
one name i haven’t heard mention as a possible big man. what about jermaine o’neal. he would be a force to deal with than pachulia. let pachulia go.he’s a loser. how many offensive rebounds does he give up simply by standing around, slow footed and fails box out? o’neal would be a fit way better than za za(zsa zsa). we should be trying bring in talents to win championships like the celtics, cavs, and majic are doing instead of worrying about money like atlanta always do.if rick sund sits around taking a whole week and a half to sign our own free agents one at a time,the quality ones will be gone but i quess thats what sund wants. the ole atlantaism way, refusing to spend money on winning players
niremetal
July 7th, 2009
9:30 pm
cdog,
Remind me, how did getting Jermaine O’Neal work out for Miami? As I recall, Zaza dominated him on the boards.
niremetal
July 7th, 2009
9:32 pm
And anyone else here want to pay $23M for Jermaine O’Neal this season?
cdog
July 7th, 2009
9:33 pm
while sund is sitting around mcydess is about to go to the spurs. another winning organization who don”t mind spending money to win championships also another big who could have helped the hawks better than za za. you spend, you win, youwin you gain money. too hard for sund to figure that out.
CaliHawks
July 7th, 2009
9:34 pm
Hell no .. he is still weak sauce… who would pay that for a old weak power forword………
CaliHawks
July 7th, 2009
9:36 pm
forward…..dam kush
cdog
July 7th, 2009
9:38 pm
niremetal with the players we have he would fit in and perform better with the hawks than the heat.i don’t recall za za dominating anyone in the heat playoffs. he might have had an average in the fifth game
doc
July 7th, 2009
9:40 pm
manny t two things, is she blond, does she have good legs and does she grunt when she hits the balls, ok three questions and i dont care what her name is. that stuff is manufactured tv at its worst. it is golf silly season all year round. soccer is universal on the big screen, tennis? uh not anymore.
gee i just realized what a difference a tear makes on the old blog for a good atmosphere. i thought of many changed perspectives, camps and relationships. well ultimately i saw the real difference to the raised cosmos here, ariose has finally let go of salim and then acie as quick as he picked him up. nary a word about salim in months. feels good to have such animosity off the blog,
nire he as been negotiating the hawks way by going out and coming up with his market value.
darrell starks
July 7th, 2009
9:46 pm
6TH SEED at best this year woody gone here come avery to turn this 80rank franchise around in to a winner.
GO HAWKS!!!!!!!
ant banks
July 7th, 2009
9:55 pm
R.I.P. steve “air mcnair” mcnair.
jus’ watched some old alcorn st. games, this dude shoulda won the heisman over rashawn “salami”. mcnair was the truff.
doc
July 7th, 2009
9:56 pm
nire the only decent minutes lorens got was at the popcorn machine. it was the only thing he grabbed in the realm of hawks those two years. i wonder what his max was on rebounds in a game. 6 mil wasted over two years. just glad he didnt get a ring to show for his time with cleveland.
ken
July 7th, 2009
9:58 pm
Okay, nothing much else to be said or done until midnight. When these guys actually put the pen to some paper, we’ll see how the chips fall!
O'Brien
July 7th, 2009
10:08 pm
Ariose,
The problem with Flip is he needs consistent minutes. The Hawks have 96 minutes to spread in the backcourt. How would that play out? I would say JJ gets 34 mins, Bibby gets 30 minutes, Crawford gets 20 mins, which would leave 6 minutes for Teague.
Ken,
One of my problems with Woody is that he played Bibby 35 minutes every game, regardless of the matchup and how he was playing. I agree with you. There is no way Bibby should average that many minutes. I would say give Bibby 26-30 minutes (unless he is on fire).
I also blame Woody for not running some plays through the front court. Bibby and JJ took too many shots (compared to the front court). How many coaches play outside in (except Woody)? We need to play inside out, and give Al and Josh more shots.