Childress is headed back to Greece
Former Hawks swingman Josh Childress is headed back to Greece for a second season.
Josh Childress is going back to Greece.
The former Hawks swingman said he is returning to Olympiakos for the 2009-10 season and will not opt out of his contract and return to the NBA.
“I still have some unfinished business to tend to,” Childress said by phone early Tuesday morning. “I definitely have unfinished business in Greece.”
Childress had a Wednesday deadline to notify Olympiakos of his intentions to either come back for a second season overseas or return to the NBA.
A restricted free agent this summer, Childress said his representatives spent the past two weeks in discussions with the Hawks and several other teams about potential sign-and-trade deals that would have allowed him to return to the NBA this season, but could never get the Hawks to sign off on any of the proposed deals.
“At the end of the day it’s a business,” Childress said. “I was in basically the same situation last summer. Again, it’s a business and you have to treat it as such.”
Childress, 26, left for Greece last summer in a groundbreaking move for a restricted free agent of his stature. He signed a three-year, $20 million deal with Olympiakos, a deal that included an opt-out clause at the end of each season that would allow him to return to the NBA.
The sixth pick in the 2004 NBA draft, Childress spent his first four seasons with the Hawks. He averaged 11.1 points and 5.6 rebounds 285 career games with the Hawks, including 67 games as a starter. He finished sixth in the voting for the NBA’s sixth-man award in his final season with the Hawks two years ago, the franchise’s first playoff season in decade.
The Hawks own his NBA rights and will continue to do so, provided they extend him a qualifying offer again next summer. His status as a restricted free agent allows the Hawks to match any offers made to him by other NBA teams.
Milwaukee and Charlotte made strong plays for Childress. He made a visit to Milwaukee the first week of the free agent negotiating period. But in the end, none of the deals worked out.
“When I left Greece to come back [here to the U.S.], I had it in my head that was going back to Greece no mater what,” Childress said. “Then when I got home and had my feet on the ground for a couple of days, I really wanted to explore my options and see what was out there. It was 50-50 from there.”
Now that he knows he’s going back to Greece, Childress said he can finish what he started. A sports hernia injury sidelined him for a long stretch of Olympiakos’ season. Still, he returned in time to help his team to a spot in the Euroleague Final Four and a spot in the Greek League championship series.
“My team did well, but there’s no question, I didn’t have the year I wanted to have,” Childress said. “And with that being said, I have some serious work left to do in Athens. That was part of my decision to go back, as well.”
It helped, he said, that Olympiakos made it clear that they wanted him back for another year.
“They let me know as soon as the season was over that they waned me back,” he said. “With me not having the best year I could have, it says a lot about the commitment they made to me that they didn’t hesitate to let me know that. It shows me they have a lot of respect for their players.”
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160 comments Add your comment
If Greece is the word, what does that say about Childress? | Jeff Schultz
July 14th, 2009
10:45 am
[...] Josh Childress told our Sekou Smith that he is going back to Greece for another season. Why? Because, “I still have l some unfinished business to tend to.” [...]
niremetal
July 14th, 2009
10:59 am
Good man, Anakin. Just remember what the Sith do to people who fail…
doc
July 14th, 2009
11:27 am
escaping reality mountain jim?
thanks tim. ever hear of the projected self?
Myrak43
July 14th, 2009
11:28 am
Wilcox, Gooden, Tim Thomas, Petro, Melvin Ely, Theo Ratliff, Jamaal Magloire, Robert Swift, or other?
I would like anyone of these. I have them in order to which I like better. what do you think? seems like we have a few more options than I though.
Sautee
July 14th, 2009
11:30 am
So do we need to put KevinA on suicide watch?
You doin’ ok Kev?
Anakin Joe
July 14th, 2009
11:37 am
Myrak47, I don’t think that Tim Thomas is a free agent.
Sautee
July 14th, 2009
11:46 am
Well at least this will cut the inane trade proposals by a good margin.
Less scrolling. I was getting carpal tunnel!
doc
July 14th, 2009
11:49 am
jim there have been folks slandering chills and using the crap of it is un-american and he is a disgrace to our armed forces. just providing a balanced polar view.
btw, never had much offense to what you have to say usually think the points are relevant and on target when speaking of basketball of baseball. really dont care what you say to me especially if you try to personalize it with direct comments when you dont know some of the context it is given. your right, dont mind it a bit but as in the past i suggest to others in the past you dont like it you are free to scroll anything here, including my comments.
terrell barron
July 14th, 2009
11:54 am
“Marvin Williams is a taller, less accurate Steve Kerr”. Horrible comparison. When was the last time Steve Kerr took the ball to the hole? You must’ve meant Mike Bibby, not Marvin Williams.
Cowa
July 14th, 2009
11:54 am
AJ, Thomas was bought out last night, as well as Big Ben Wallace and his 41% FT. Thomas should definitely be in the mix, though he still doesn’t play D. And we shouldn’t consider Wallace unless he is strictly mentoring on D to Horford and Zaza. His D doesn’t make up for his O.
And if it really has to come down between Petro and Moore, PLEASE let it be Petro!
mountain_jim
July 14th, 2009
11:57 am
Hey Doc – I was the first person to call out RA for doing that – so I do know the context of the Chill bashing – maybe I misunderstood your post but by invoking Obama you raised my issue – I prefer these blogs to not get off on any pro/against Obama sidetracks. That is not escaping reality – I participate on political blogs but I don’t bring that here – except to call out RA for his tripe about Chills lack of service to Hawks and their fans and comparing that to our servicemen abroad.
Reggie
July 14th, 2009
12:00 pm
Sekou
How about the thought of Ben Wallace signing with the hawks?
Myrak43
July 14th, 2009
12:04 pm
don’t like the Ben Wallace idea…. he doesn’t even want to play anymore. he is not what I would want the hawks to do. I like Drew Gooden to back up Smoove and third Center behind ZaZa. and take a chance on Garret Siler.
doc
July 14th, 2009
12:04 pm
cool mountian, i was speaking of a president not a black man. any president would do in the example i was trying to make, freedom to make money and pay taxes in times like this any president would like it.
look not arguing for or against chills at this point only to make the point it is two sided. if the hawks didnt want to keep their strings attached to him or anderson for that matter then they could throw them on the side of the road, no? seems there is some value to hold the players. it is a business first for any of these guys. we are the pawns if we dont see it the way it really is. do you want to be a sheep?
Myrak43
July 14th, 2009
12:06 pm
I like Drew Gooden to back up Smoove and to be the third Center. and also take a chance with Garret Siler…
Sautee
July 14th, 2009
12:08 pm
Speaking of RA, he seems to have disappeared. Haven’t heard a word in days now. And while there are times when I disappear from the blog, it’s not usually right after I’ve been slammed for something I posted.
So, with that in mind, I’ll repost something RA said, because the irony is just too delicious:
Here’s what he said on Bradley’s blog:
These are the words of RA:
“Here’s the thing, the great thing about American culture is the ability to express and defend your own opinion, even if it’s dead wrong. (And for the record, I never claimed to be completely right.) And for that reason, it always irks me when someone puts up a post and then runs away instead of defending it or even sticking around for a rebuttle. Downright cowardly if you ask me.”
Speaks for itself, does it not?
Mike
July 14th, 2009
12:14 pm
Please, no Drew Gooden. And let’s not get too excited about Garret Siler. There’s a reason a 7-foot-tall guy did not get drafted even in the second round. Here’s the Draft Express summary on him from the PIT camp:
Siler is an average rebounder and a poor defender because of his obvious physical limitations—he doesn’t move very well and can barely get off the ground. He’ll grab rebounds in his area thanks to his length and hands, but won’t go get many loose balls himself. No one is going to post him up inside the paint, but he’s completely unable to step out and guard players on the perimeter, rendering him effectively useless defending the pick and roll.
The NBA doesn’t look like a very realistic option for Siler, but he was still more than interesting enough to bring to a setting like this for us to see with our own eyes, which is what makes Portsmouth a great place to watch players. He’ll likely make a good living on a half-court team in Europe or in the increasingly lucrative leagues of China or Korea.
Myrak43
July 14th, 2009
12:17 pm
here is my 2009/2010 hawks roster.
Guards: Bibby, J. Crawford, Teague, J. Johnson,West
Fowards: M.Williams,Evans,Smoove,Gardner,Gooden or Wilcox or any of the above mentioned
Center: Horford?(really a PF), ZaZa, Siler
That is 13 leaving two open roster spots to fill if someone gets injuried.
Whats your roster look like?
Ernest
July 14th, 2009
12:25 pm
I believe this comment said it best,
>>Again I say give Sund his due. He will not overpay for overvalued assets nor will he give away assets at a discount. Now that’s a prudent business man.<<
I don’t believe the Hawks can compete for the championship next season but Sund has the team well positioned, financially and having players with reasonable contract, for 2011 and beyond.
In Sund We Trust!!!
wordsmithtom
July 14th, 2009
12:34 pm
Kerr??!! LMFAO
Try Chris Webber. Marvin’s the same age Webber was when he entered the NBA yet Marvin’s got experience. And he can get physical. Remember that hard foul at the end of 2007 Boston series? Marvin’s had injuries, so you haven’t seen his potential. But, rest assured: he’s got HUGE UPSIDE if he can beat the injury bug. Chills, while I like him and his game, is NEVER going to be any better. Marvin, if he stays healthy, will be an All STAR. Mind my words.
And I’ve been around since before Antoine Carr was a Hawk. Marvin reminds me of Antoine. Awkward in his youth but a stud when he matured. Just watch.
niremetal
July 14th, 2009
12:42 pm
Here’s my proposed Eleventh Commandment:
Thou shalt not write about Hawks basketball if thou worketh for AJC unless thy name is Sekou.
jhan
July 14th, 2009
1:19 pm
mark – what has Jarret Jack or the Raptors ever won?
Stinger – if Chills was that good some team would have offered the Hawks a S&T deal they couldn’t refuse OR offered Chills a contract the Hawks couldn’t afford to match.
Samuel – you’re on fire lately. I haven’t agreed with much you’ve said in the past but lately I can’t disagree. Maybe I’m changing?
doc
July 14th, 2009
1:26 pm
maybe like the team jhan we are coming together. agree with your sentiments.
Anakin Joe
July 14th, 2009
1:34 pm
Cowa, thanks, I read the Big Ben report but not the one on Tim Thomas. I could see the Lakers trying to plug him into the “Robert Horry” role (on offense at least). My issue with Ben Wallace is that he was talking about retiring a few weeks ago. I’d be fearful that his heart isn’t into the 12-15 minutes that he would be asked to play. Maybe he was just too banged up at the end of the season and may feel differently when/if he feels healthy again. Even if he has lost some of his strength and explosiveness, if his mind and heart are right, I’d sign him in a millisecond because of the linebacker-mentality that he brings to the court (something that we desperately lack).
nire, you are on Bradley like Sautee is on hyperbole. Let the man earn his living.
Najeh Davenpoop
July 14th, 2009
1:57 pm
All this hate for a guy looking out for his best interests, something every single one of you would do if put in the same situation.
Good luck to Childress as he goes after that Euroleague title. The Hawks are doing well without him, and he’s doing well without the Hawks. Sounds like those of you whining about his decision are the ones who really have unmet emotional needs. Like Sekou said, this decision makes sense for both parties involved.
And who knows? Maybe he comes back next year and the Hawks can find a much better sign-and-trade option out there than they could this year.
doc
July 14th, 2009
2:01 pm
nire only one man i know who has it so hot for bradley and that is none other than the andro man. whew!
JR
July 14th, 2009
2:13 pm
If the Hawks were serious about having a Childress type player to breing off the bench, they should have worked a deal to get Danny Green in the second round. Childress should have been a second rounder to begin with, not a 6th pick. Green is a mirror-image and will be a better NBA player off the bench.
niremetal
July 14th, 2009
2:17 pm
I can’t stand the man, doc. I really can’t.
Ken
July 14th, 2009
2:22 pm
I actually am a supporter of Marvin Williams, but how long are we going to have to wait for this “potential” to show up. I like him but also am to the point I wouldn’t be mad if we got something for him. All the talk about “POTENTIAL” and “UPSIDE” is what has diminished the skill level of the game.
Anakin Joe
July 14th, 2009
2:25 pm
If I had a choice between Petro or Moore, I think I’d have to choose Adonal Foyle.
I wonder why Sund didn’t try to get another team to “adopt” Teague for the Summer League? Gerald Henderson (Charlotte drafted player) is playing for another team. Surely someone would have been willing to give the young guy 20 minutes at the PG position. Heck, maybe we could have asked him to play for GS and then compared his performance to Acie. Oh well.
The Truth
July 14th, 2009
2:38 pm
No summer league suggests Teague may not see 10 mins a game
rainman
July 14th, 2009
2:40 pm
Sekou, I thought I had heard that Marvin wanted a deal around 5yr./40 mil. and that the Hawks were offering around 37.5 mil. — was this inaccurate or have things changed? It doesn’t seem like there should be much delay in getting the deal done if the sides are this close.
cp
July 14th, 2009
2:45 pm
When did Jarrett Jack become so good? Dude is a solid player but lets not get carried away here. He wasn’t going to put us over the top. He has become overrated on this board….I was reading the Warriors board and they already want Law out of town. Man I hope the kid gets it together but right now he is looking like a bust.
Officer Dangle
July 14th, 2009
2:58 pm
Can you remember the last time you saw Marvin “Steve Kerr” Williams take the ball to the rim and finish? Me either.
Ken
July 14th, 2009
2:59 pm
Hey Sekou,
I believe the hawks were close to getting somthing done with Marvin or they weren’t that far off. You think the hold up was them waiting to see how Chills and Andersons’ scenario played out? Hope we aren’t headed toward another Josh Smith/Childress game of chicken, again.
And have you heard anything about this Garret Siler? Does he look like he could be something after spending time working out in an “NBA facility” and does it sound like he’s in their plans at all? Or any other news to the wire about what big men we’re looking at?
dap01
July 14th, 2009
3:01 pm
I am as tired of reading what Chills said as I am tired of Smoltz articles.
If the NBA thought as much of Chills as Chills does, then he would be over here being paid. I like Chills but he was a lottery pick that turned out to be a very good role player. Tha’s it! He needs to stay in Greece until he can come back to the NBA, perhaps he will then not have Sund to blame for him not playing in the real league.
Anakin Joe
July 14th, 2009
3:02 pm
cp, has he played more than 2 summer league games? Surely the Warriors’ fans are going to give him more time than that.
O'Brien
July 14th, 2009
3:02 pm
cp,
Let me start by saying I am a GT and Jarrett Jack fan. He wont put us over the top, but I was very open to the idea of signing him instead of Bibby, for these reasons:
1) He has size, and is able to defend the PG position (which Bibby does very poorly). With Jack defending the PG position, JJ wouldnt have to guard all the quick PG’s, and maybe Woody would ease up off his switch everything on defense.
2) Jack is also big enough to play off guard.
3) Although his assist numbers are not better than Bibby, he is a better penetrator (in my opinion)
4) He is younger and cheaper. (I think his offer was 4 years, $20 mil).
That being said, Bibby is a better shot maker with swagger, and he fits Woody’s system (whatever that might be) so I am okay with Bibby for $6 mil per year.
I really liked Law too, so I hope he is able to get it going. I wonder if he just sucks, or has he lost all his confidence/swagger that he had at A&M?
Nookah
July 14th, 2009
3:09 pm
wordsmithtom your prediction is making Ken impatient…lol. Write me down as one who agrees with you wordsmith’. Patience Ken and you’ll have your All Star very soon. (What’s that sound is it Rod from College Park?….lol)
I like Marvin regardless of what the opinions on this blog are and I to believe he will prove his worth soon. In the long run he will realize a good ROI. Because of where he was picked (#2), I can understand the anxiety. However, when we lock him up this offseason, in a year or 2 Hawk-history will be very kind to Ric Sund. He will go down as the man who re-signed Marvin and finally Billy Knight will be vindicated although it is taking a while.
The Hawks however, in the meanwhile will be competitive but without some real inside toughness and more power in the paint on both ends of the floor, we will continue to be bridesmaids and as we all know too well, nobody remembers the bridesmaids.
I therefore await Mr. Sund’s 2009 offeason coup de gras!!!
Go Hawks!!
niremetal
July 14th, 2009
3:14 pm
Jarret Jack is not a floor general. That’s why Portland traded him right before they made a playoff run.
I agree that I like Jack’s size and skill set. But he doesn’t seem to have “it” – that ephemeral quality that makes an above average PG into a PG for a winning squad. Bibby has “it.” While not at all a perfect indicator (because there is no such thing in basketball), the “Wins Produced” metric does a pretty good job of tracking the guys who “make things click” on their team:
http://www.wagesofwins.com/AllTeamMid0809.html
Anyway, I’m not at all sad that we re-signed Bibby and let Jack go elsewhere.
KevinA
July 14th, 2009
3:30 pm
Sautee
July 14th, 2009
11:30 am
So do we need to put KevinA on suicide watch?
You doin’ ok Kev?
Sautee, thanks for your concern. I will drink beer tonight in memory of what it could have been for this season. On the other hand I may have drank beer any way.
Sure, sure sure disappointment is always part of life, but all is not lost. We’ll have a shot at Chills next year. I am sure Chills was not offered the 6 mil a year he deserves. The only reason Marvin is being offered more is because he was picked 2 on draft day. I believe Marvin/Chills are worth close to the same.
The idea of fielding one more smart team player was delayed another year. Now we need to focus on signing Flip in case Crawford becomes a defense sieve and continues to shoot at his normal .404 shooting% Yes we will miss the most efficient swing player the Hawks had in many years, shooting a .573 (among NBA leaders). Sund did not drop Chills and left him on the cap for a reason.
If Crawford does great – fantastic. If not look for Crawford to be gone to sign JJ/Chills next year.
doc
July 14th, 2009
3:38 pm
nire, chuckle …. i got it.
cp
July 14th, 2009
3:46 pm
lol Anakin it does not look like it. They are already saying he is not a player and probably wont see any minutes in Nellie’s system anyway. I have a link to the summer league games for free. I’m going to watch the Warriors and see if Law is playing as bad as they say. O’Brien I think it might be a confidence thing with Law at this point. I just don’t see the Warriors being a great fit. He has to be able to shoot in that system and he has not shown he can knock down a jumper. Don Nelson will put a player in the dog house quicker than Woody. Law might not get much time to prove himself. Might be another Marcus Williams situation over there.
Sautee
July 14th, 2009
3:47 pm
“Sautee, thanks for your concern. I will drink beer tonight in memory of what it could have been for this season. On the other hand I may have drank beer any way.”
A man after my own heart. I’ll tip a Newcastle in your honor this evening!
And what we have never replaced was the offensive boards and general hustle he gave us. Not to mention 11 points with ZERO plays called for him.
But I feared all along, as I mentioned to you earlier, that in this economy, he’d have a hard time making it fly. Maybe a year from now some of his anger / scorned feeling, or whatever will be assuaged. There’s still got to be a reversal of feelings before he’ll come back here and I’m not certain of that EVER happening. I’d say a sign-and-trade is the most likely scenario.
But you can still wish!
O'Brien
July 14th, 2009
4:30 pm
Sekou,
Any news on the coaching staff? Will Woody have the same assistants next year?
Sautee
July 14th, 2009
4:32 pm
Officer Dangle,
You said this: “Can you remember the last time you saw Marvin “Steve Kerr” Williams take the ball to the rim and finish? Me either.”
Maybe you missed this excellent post by Traceman. Here the part that answers your question:
Traceman
July 13th, 2009
1:43 pm
“Many of you guys are funny with your criticisms of Marvin. All he has done is listen to his coach, get better every year and play his role without complaints. I wish everyone on the team would take that approach.”
“When was the last time you saw Marvin finish a play with an ‘and 1.’”
Marvin had 19 “and 1’s” last year in 61 games. JJ had 22 in 79 games. Ron Artest had 17 in 69 games. Stephen Jackson had 14 in 59 games. Jason Richardson had 20 in 72 games. Kirilenko had 18 in 67 games. Heck Garnett only had 16 in 57 games. Marvin can improve his ability to finish but he is not nearly as bad as many would have you believe.
So Officer Dangle, why aren’t you all over Joe Johnson for not finishing since he had FEWER “and 1’s” per game than Marvin?
Maybe you just didn’t watch many games. THAT would explain it.
And I’d have to say that as long as Marvin is keeping pace with KG, he’s not doing too badly for an ever improving 23 year old.
Anakin Joe
July 14th, 2009
5:02 pm
cp, the funny thing is that Marcus Williams had 12+ assists the other day in a summer league game (I think it was 14 but I’m sure that it was more than 12). I said the other day that I don’t expect Acie to have much success in Nellie’s system, but I did think that he would play better in the Summer League (before interacting with Crazy Nellie). I talked ad nausuem about how impressed I was in Acie’s first NBA game against Dallas. Very unfortunate that he is headed down that “Shelden path” of having his rookie contract cut short. But hey, I think Patrick O’Bryant was cut loose after only 2 seasons… and he is a BIG MAN.
mountain_jim
July 14th, 2009
5:04 pm
Can you still get to Sekou’s blog from the main sports page, or is that link gone? I can’t find it there, and they still have links to fan blogs there, seems kinda strange to me….
Clyde
July 14th, 2009
5:51 pm
Anakin Joe Marcus Williams is another one of my boys. Who did we draft ahead of him?
Sautee
July 14th, 2009
5:57 pm
Astro Joe said this:
“nire, you are on Bradley like Sautee is on hyperbole. Let the man earn his living.”
Hey nire, I’d say it was a compliment to BOTH of us!