Vacation visions
Might a Smith family reunion (of sorts) be in the works for Joe and Josh (no relation) this season with the Hawks? Time will tell. The Hawks are working on it, though.
THE OPEN ROAD - I’m not supposed to be here right now.
Seriously. I looked it up. Vacation is meant to be “leisure time away from work, devoted to rest or pleasure.”
But the phone doesn’t stop ringing because you want it to (next time, we all need to go on vacation together … or at least at the same time).
After being off the grid (mostly) for an entire family reunion weekend, I’ll admit that I’m a bit foggy on some of the details about what went on in Las Vegas for Josh Smith at the USA Basketball mini-camp and just about any other hot debate that’s gone on around here the past few days (and for the record, I’m told that despite a tepid performance in Saturday’s scrimmage, his time with the USA B’ball folks was a rousing success because it allowed quite a few people that weren’t familiar with him other than what they’ve seen, heard and read to get a much better for feel for him as a person and player).
But I do have some thoughts about a few other things, namely the Hawks’ mini-camp from last week, the state of negotiations with Marvin Williams and the Hawks’ continued pursuit of Joe Smith. So if you’ll forgive your host for leaving the party for a few days (technically, I’m on vacation until August – just in case Wifey decides to check the blog and see what we’ve got going on), here are some of my vacation visions:
JOE SMITH probably didn’t realize he had multiple stalkers until he left Atlanta Friday. That’s when the Hawks’ full court press for the veteran free agent’s signature shifted from face-to-face to long distance. Well, mostly long distance. The Hawks do have a secret weapon in Smith’s Phoenix backyard. Mike Bibby’s basketball royalty in the Valley. And he’s one of several Hawks working hard on the recruiting trail to bring Smith into the fold. Zaza Pachulia knows Smith well from their time together in Milwaukee and said he would use all his Euro-charm (at lunch Friday and beyond) to make sure Smith was aware of just how much he is wanted and needed by the Hawks. All that said, major work must be done to secure Smith’s signature on a contract. It’s not secret the Hawks aren’t paying the same rate for backup bigs that some other teams are (for example, Chris Wilcox got cash – $6 million over two years – in Detroit that he never could have from the Hawks. Same goes for Drew Gooden and the reported $4.5 mil he’ll bring in on a one-year deal with the Spurs). So they have to find ways (PLAYING TIME!!!!!!!!!!) to lure the kind of players they need to help bolster their cause. It probably helps that, in a summer marked by taking care of in-house business (home grown free agents), Smith is the first player outside of the family that the Hawks actually courted. Again, there is major work still to be done on this front.
YOU WERE WARNED THAT THINGS between the Hawks and Marvin Williams would drag out this summer. I wasn’t joking. Nothing has changed. The sides remain on opposite sides of the restricted free agent street right now. I know that other outlets reported that the sides were “close” and all that, but it’s just not true. The sides are talking. And they’ll be back at it this week. Anyone that sees an end in sight has X-ray vision, because I wouldn’t be surprised if things lasted deep into next month. Look back at the Hawks’ dealings with many of their own players in the past (I know Mike Bibby and Zaza coming back as quickly as they did had you juiced but that was out of the ordinary for the Hawks). It usually takes time, especially for restricted free agents.
JEFF TEAGUE is going to make a lot of people forget about the disappointing saga that was Acie Law IV’s tenure with the Hawks. Teague did more than just turn heads during the Hawks’ mini-camp last week. He sparked conversation about point guard play I hadn’t heard in my time covering the Hawks before last week. “He did some things as a young point guard that we hadn’t seen on our practice floor since Chris Paul and Deron Williams were here for predraft workouts,” one Hawks assistant coach told me last week. That’s as strong a statement as I’ve heard from anyone in the Hawks’ camp regarding a young point guard. While they all agree that Teague has plenty of polish that can be applied to his game, there is no debate about who or what the Hawks expect him to become. “I can’t wait to see him in training camp,” Randolph Morris said. “I think he’s going to give people fits with his quickness and his ability to get to the rim whenever he wants to. That’s going to be fun to watch.”
OBSERVATIONS ABOUT A FEW OTHER GUYS that stood out (for various reasons) during mini-camp:
- Othello Hunter was more impressive than any other player in camp, after Teague. His range on his jumper has improved dramatically. But we all know that his chance at making a dent in the Hawks’ roster and playing rotation depends on his ability rebound, defend and provide the hustle plays required of frontcourt journeymen in the NBA. The improved shot is an added bonus. I’d have him locked up on a two-year deal right now. If he keeps improving, someone is going to get a steal.
- Garret Siler’s stock with fans and media types can’t get much higher. He’s become something of a phenomenon around these parts, thanks to some serious hype and the big fella backing it up with strong performances in the Las Vegas summer league and last week. Siler’s raw and would be a super-sized Lunchable for superstars like Dwight Howard, Shaq and Pau Gasol, not to mention brutes like Kendrick Perkins and Brook Lopez. I know you want to believe that he’s the he’s the answer to the Hawks’ big-man problems … but that would mean all 30 teams missed on the guy, twice for some teams, on draft night.
- Randolph Morris has shed the kind of weight all of us “bigger” guys would love to be able to shed. And he did it organically, which makes it particularly impressive. He had his moments during mini-camp but I’m not sure he blew anyone (in charge) away with the work he did. I don’t know what he has to do to make a move up the Hawks’ rotational food chain, though he is under contract for this season, which has to help. But the fact is, even with all the work Morris has done, the Hawks are still hunting reserve bigs.
- Frank Robinson did it again. He showed up. Played his guts out, literally. And his reward, like that of most guys in his predicament, will probably be an invite to training camp. Robinson is the kind of guy that will always make training camp interesting because he’s fearless and is skilled enough to make you wonder why he’s not on someone’s NBA team? He won’t make the Hawks’ roster this season. But I certainly wouldn’t be surprised to see him in the middle of the action during training camp.
- Yoroslav Korolev was supposed to be a bust. When he crashed and burned with the Los Angeles Clippers (they made him the 12th pick of the 2005 draft), he joined the ranks of Darko Milicic, Nickoloz Tskitishvili and Fran Vasquez on the list of worst ever Euro-lottery busts. Korolev was just a kid when the Clippers drafted him but he looked grown up last week. He was much better than I expected him to be and showed off a nice shooting touch from long distance. He’d be worth keeping an eye on for the future.
- Brian Hamilton surprised me as much or more than any player in camp. I honestly wasn’t aware of him at all before last week. But mini-camp is a showcase for under the radar players like Hamilton, a smooth 6-6 swingman that impressed on both ends of the floor. His defense is what made him stand out. Yet he showed plenty of offensive ability and a nose for the ball on both ends of the floor that would make Mario West jealous. He’s another guy that will surely be in someone’s training camp pushing someone under contract to the limit.
Those were just some of the guys that made lasting impressions on me. Hawks coach Mike Woodson remarked several times that it was by far the best (rookie/free-agent) camp conducted during his tenure with the Hawks and I have to agree that it was the best I’ve seen in my time dealing with the Hawks (I missed his first one, when Josh Smith and Josh Childress were rookies). But there wasn’t a single player in town last week that didn’t belong on that floor.
IN CLOSING, I’d be remiss if I didn’t give my man Solomon “Solo” Jones a proper send off here. One of the truly unique characters to grace us with his presence the past three years, Jones is moving on this week to a two-year deal with the Indiana Pacers. Solo is moving on at a time when the Hawks could use a big or two like him, which makes his departure for Indiana all the more perplexing. After all, he was a restricted free agent, due close to a $1 million if he had signed his qualifying offer (the QO was rescinded so he would be allowed to sign with the Pacers without any interruption). I needed an explanation and Solo provided one last week. “The Hawks kept it real with me,” he said. “They told me that my role was going to be pretty much the same as it was last year, and that I wouldn’t have a chance to move up and get more time unless somebody got hurt like last year. And I realize that’s just the way it’s going to be with Josh and Al [Horford] and Zaza already in place. It’s cool. I get a chance to go somewhere else and try and start over and see if there’s a chance to have a bigger role. The Pacers want me up there right away to get to work and that’s a good thing. I’m looking forward to the opportunity. But I appreciate the Hawks keeping it straight with me and not trying to sell me something that they couldn’t deliver in terms of playing time and opportunity.”
If it’s good enough for Solo, it’s good enough for me.
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712 comments Add your comment
Sam from the Swats
July 28th, 2009
10:13 pm
Wow, we are at odds with Marvin…funny how there are no other teams making offers for Marvin. Because he’s a clown that’s why. He should do like Childress and go overseas to play. Maybe a team overseas would want him.
Hoops
July 28th, 2009
10:14 pm
Ken,
I think all we need to do to get Hollins is just make him an offer. The Mavs already have 15 players on their roster. They do not need another player on their roster. They will not match. His QO is $1,215,726.00. Offer him $1.3M. We can cover that with our biannual.
Oh no! Sam's back! Someone give Rod his medication!
July 28th, 2009
10:20 pm
Too late…
Rod/Sam's vocabulary
July 28th, 2009
10:23 pm
It apparently consists of two words – “Marvin” and “clown.”
Yupperz
July 28th, 2009
10:29 pm
Marv’s restricted and wants to return to ATL that’s why no other teams are bothering to make offers, same as no one bothered to make serious offers to Bibs or Zaza. Also he’s restricted and restricted FAs arent getting offers this offseason, just look at Kleiza, Lee etc
BrittishAnger
July 28th, 2009
10:44 pm
Thanks Hoops…larger number than anticipated, which (assuming we were to grab Marvin for his Q/O) leaves us about 6 Mil’ to work with in securing somebody legit in the 12th spot and maybe a couple of reserves in case of injury (assuming ASG wants to keep the roster to a minimum due to stingy economics or some multi-player trade they have hidden in the cards for the regular season).
KevinA
July 28th, 2009
10:44 pm
Big Ray
3:16 pm
Meant to say a promotion without a raise…..
One other thing that just keeps sticking out to me. Why are we assuming that there was a plethora of easy-to-make deals out there for good or decent big men? Given Sund’s history elsewhere, why would we think that he passed up a wealth of such opportunities just to sign a backup guard? Spin it how you want, but I’m just not going for that.
The big dog finally took point.
Ariose
3:57 pm
Looks like Flip won’t be going to Philly. We should give him a 3yr 6mill deal…..And I don’t Give a F@#$^! who’s on the roster dammit. Talent is talent, and, I wanna win.
I agree 100% and that is why I have been so disappointed to lose Chills for 2 years in a row.
cp
4:53 pm
Look I like what Flip did for us last year but it was so many games where he would come in chucking and turning the ball over that I would just want to scream.
OMG, So Crawford will lessen your discomfort while shooting .402 while Flip shot .447. Are you on performance enhancing expectations?
Ken at kgussports
July 28th, 2009
10:59 pm
Sekou, great to meet you a tK&G today. Mike Woodson needs to use his bench more. Bibby was getting warn out last year. finaly we drafted a quality point guard in Jeff Teague. That should spell Bibby. I’m not sure Acie Law ever got a real opportunity with the Hawks. He was not a natural point guard anyway.
Hoops
July 28th, 2009
11:16 pm
BrittishAnger,
I don’t see Mario West signing his QO. I think the Hawks may pull it soon. Assuming that Marvin and Joe Smith sign with the Hawks, that will make 11 players under contract. I think the Hawks will only sign 14 players this year. I don’t know who the Hawks will invite to training camp, sign as a FA, or trade for, but I would think this list will cover most of the possibilities that are not under contract:
M. West
G. Siler
O. Hunter
Y. Korolev
R. Hollins
Flip Murray
I just don’t see Mario being one of those three that make the cut. Just my opinion.
KevinA
July 28th, 2009
11:18 pm
Ray,
We have more than one obvious problem within this franchise. A thin frontcourt is just one problem. A largely one-dimensional backcourt-heavy offense is another. An inability to exploit mismatches through offensive design is yet another. Add to that a defensive hitch that eliminates one problem while exposing another
In your past posts you seemed to like the idea of Crawford. You getting worried?
cp
July 28th, 2009
11:43 pm
KevinA you sound like a scorned girlfriend when it comes to Crawford. Flips turnovers and little to no assist were the main problem so why don’t you look at that stat and come back to me. Did you catch the guy with your wife or something? Dude get over it because its becoming pathetic.
doc
July 28th, 2009
11:44 pm
8-0
doc
July 28th, 2009
11:45 pm
where is the remedial course?
Mystikal
July 28th, 2009
11:48 pm
Players we’re still looking at out there:
Joe Smith, Ryan Hollins, Hakim Warrick (Big men)
Garret Siler, Othello Hunter, Korolev, Flip (our guys)
Okay, I get owners not wanting to go over the luxury tax for a team not contending for a championship, makes sense. Believe I also heard they wanted to stay a certain amount under the cap for flexibility later on or to set themselves up to be players in next years FA market. Whatever the case, know they have to lock Marvin up before they can get other guys. Just want to know what (range 4$,7$ mil) we are working with as far as trying to finish out the roster. Aside from Dallas/Portland believe contending teams are about out of money to lure all the bigs. Not saying players wouldn’t go to a lesser team for more money, but that has not been the problem as of yet. Question is depending on how long Marv’s situation drags out, what names will be left out there? Who can we hope to still be available and what is just unrealistic. Also, I wouldn’t mind us looking at sign and trade options with Evans, Randmo, future 2nd rders, or even Cenk Akyol n’ that other guy we drafted. If it can help free some money to get some combination of Joe Smith/Hollins
Warrick than so be it. I’m just anxious to see what happens like everyone else and hopefully the results will be worth the wait.
Anyone know how the Bi-annual exception works and does that effect the luxury tax?
I’ll say this much, come next year when Randmo and Evans come off the books use that $$ to help re-sign Chillz or get a 1st rder!!
Mystikal
July 28th, 2009
11:51 pm
By the way, my choice would be: Joe Smith, Hollins, Siler & Korolev
O'Brien
July 28th, 2009
11:56 pm
Give me Ryan Hollins and Joe Smith, resign Marvin, and sign a 3rd string PG, and the Hawks will be ready to rumble.
PG – Bibby/Teague/3rd string PG
SG – JJ/Crawfor
SF – Marvin/Mo Evans
PF – Josh/Joe Smith/RandMo
C – Al/ZaZa/Ryan Hollins
Thats 13 players right there (and they could even add one more, whether thats Siler, Hunter, etc). But to me, that would make an A+ offseason.
Yupperz
July 29th, 2009
12:07 am
cp, i was about to ask the same thing about “Sam” and Marvin…
MannyT
July 29th, 2009
12:23 am
@doc–it’s a capital letter o, not a zero.
Ariose
July 29th, 2009
12:43 am
Lol@ ALL of us! Sekou shoulda had a remedial course as soon as he swithced over to word press hehehe!
Ariose
July 29th, 2009
12:57 am
Hmmm, like this?
Ariose
July 29th, 2009
1:01 am
Nice!!! I got it!!! All those Computer apps/business/ans multimedia classes have made me a quick learner lol. Even with rays “Clear as Muddy Water” explanation
Ariose
July 29th, 2009
1:02 am
That’s my favorite hands down hehehehe!!!
kgbsfinst
July 29th, 2009
2:01 am
I would love to get Joe Smith and Warrick, I don’t know if there’s enough minutes to go around, but I think they would be good additions.
J.J.M.
July 29th, 2009
2:20 am
team usa camp josh smith dunks on kevin love
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o5lVUZMZetg
Deep
July 29th, 2009
4:07 am
Pg- Bibby, Teague,
Sg- Johnson, Crawford, Flip (can play pg, sf, sg)
Sf- Williams, Evans
Pf- Josh Smith, Joe Smith, Hunter
C- Horford, ZaZa, Hollins
Developmental League- Siler, Korolev,
Deep
July 29th, 2009
4:08 am
Plug Siler if Hollins is out and Korolev if Flip is out
blue hawk
July 29th, 2009
6:00 am
mini camp guys i like:
1. siler – a smart coach can use a guy like this to do his damage in the paint occasionally and develop him to serviceabilty eventually. don’t count on woodson being capable of doing that though, he’s lousy at developing or using talent.
2. hunter – i imagine him to be someone like a poor man’s dennis rodman or ben wallace, don’t know about his defensive IQ but he sure is athletic and energetic, would like to see him develop into some kind of clone of the above mentioned players.
3. korolev – this guy has undeniable talent and giant upside, the team that will take a risk on him will be amply rewarded
4. brian hamilton – i like great defenders at the swing spots. so many opposing scoring threats at those spots that you will definitely need to be able to put stoppers on them as well. hamilton has a decent all around game overall aside from his defensive skill.
doc
July 29th, 2009
7:36 am
doc
July 29th, 2009
7:38 am
heh heh thanks manny t. lot to learn here. need a lot of remedial computer work, glad it works on a mac.
Myrak43
July 29th, 2009
8:41 am
:good morning Atlanta:
Myrak43
July 29th, 2009
8:42 am
go “hawks”
Daniel
July 29th, 2009
9:08 am
Ryan Hollins?
Anakin Joe
July 29th, 2009
9:17 am
By the way, cn anyone explain why the Hornets traded Chandler for Okafor, because I don’t understand it
Sure, Okafor is a better offensive player but he has another 2-3 years on his contract and he isn’t exactly the second coming of Patrick Ewing as an offensive force. Also, Charlotte gets to keep a legit defensive center in the game at all times between Chandler and Diop.
Meanwhile, the Joe Smith watch continues.
clint
July 29th, 2009
9:26 am
warrick, hollins, or joe smith. Please tell me we get at least one if not two of them. We need the quality depth mr. sund
Ken Strickland
July 29th, 2009
10:20 am
ANAKIN JOE-I give Sund credit for any deal that we make. Gearon only gets credit for approving the deal, not putting the package together or making it happen after it’s approved. Remember the JJohnson trade situation? Belkin, who was in charge of approving or rejecting deals, rejected the trade. Gearon, who wanted to be in Belkin’s position, got together with the other owners, booted Belkin out, and the legal infighting and power struggle began.
Money is an issue, but not a major one with the SAASG. The real problem is you have a HC that’s successfully outed his former GM, BKnight, for the same thing our owners are fighting over, “CONTROL”. He wants CONTROL over the FA’s signed, who gets drafted or traded, and how they are to be utilized. Sund is trying to be more inclusive with Woodson and that might be part of the problem as well. Until someone shows me proof to the contrary, I believe Woodson was the reason we didn’t draft CPaul, BRoy or DWilliams. I remember distinctly Woodson echoing the same knocks as the so called experts about CPauls lack of size/height and DWilliams being overweight and rather soft.
Sund is trying to effectively do his job while being caught between a HC that’s a power hungry control freak and an ownership that’s been fighting both individually and collectively over power and control issues. I THINK MONEY IS SECONDARY TO THESE ISSUES. Isn’t it ironic that Sund would leave Seattle partly because of a cheap controlling owner and ends up working for a collection of what he left, the SAASG plus Belkin.
Kevin M
July 29th, 2009
10:27 am
All those big man names above? Scrap ‘em as they aren’t going to give us much help. They are a roster slot. We might as well pick up someone from the D-League if the frontline becomes thin. None of those guys are going to contribute any more than Kevin Willis did in his swan song.
Go find someone that you are going to make a part of this rotation for a couple of years or more. Find a Big Baby or a Hickson…see if you can create another Crawford like deal. Not expecting anyone to go over the luxury cap, but I do expect us to say nothing other than we are contending for a championship. If we don’t have the coach to do that, go find him.
Could Portland offer Marvin enough to make us flinch? Could Woodson get an extension once the season starts to prove we are headed in the right direction?
And Flip should be a no-brainer based on what he gave us last year alone.
Teague will not fill the PG shoes should Bibby become uneffective down the stretch. Woody won’t have the confidence in him.
Big Ray
July 29th, 2009
10:42 am
Ariose,
I had to e-mail Niremetal to get the scoop on how to do single or multiple words separated in bold or italics. I’m just trying to pass on the knowledge. Unfortunately, you can’t pass it on nearly as effectively on here, because if you type how you want it, the wordpress thing automatically does it, basically keeping your symbols invisible…
Astro Joe,
The Charlotte/New Orleans thing has me snookered as well. And bothered that we have to deal with two shot-challenging/rebounding centers in Charlotte. Ugh….
KevinA ,
I still like the Crawford deal. I’m not worried about that part, and I’m not sure why you think I am. I just feel that while that deal solved certain issues, we still have other issues that need resolving. Look, I know you’re keyed into the Crawford trade, and you don’t like it. Oh well. I’m not going to judge the guy for what he’s done as a Warrior. I’m interested in what he does as a Hawk. And until he shoots 40% as a Hawk, I’m not complaining about having another pure scorer who can finally take the pressure off of an offense that has relied too heavily on JJ.
Big Ray
July 29th, 2009
10:50 am
Ken Strickland,
Agreed on a lot of points. However, Billy Knight wasn’t exactly a point guard afficionado. Remember, he was the guy who said he laughed when people said we needed a pg. He and Woody agreed on CP3 and Deron. That was back when they were still “friends.” One thing you CAN hit Woody for is the desire to have a veteran pg. He does not have the patience it takes to develop a young pg…. unless he has a decent veteran pg that he can play while the rookie develops .
In Teague, he has found a young pg who is not only quick, but can shoot the ball from the outside. That’s what Woody likes. However, I don’t think he’d be nearly as enthusiastic about it if he didn’t have Bibby or Crawford to play in front of him. Or even Flip. Woody is happy as long as he has an experienced lead guard out there that he can trust. He just can’t handle the developmental period.
I think the only time a coach like Woody would be happy with a young pg as his main option at that position is if the guy is a near instant start. Strange that he might have had his pick of those in 2005, though I’m not sure Billy Knight would have gone for it.
Big Ray
July 29th, 2009
10:54 am
KevinM,
If Bibby becomes effective down the stretch, Crawford will most likely fill that role. Hiring Flip back is not necessarily a no-brainer, as Crawford is an upgrade of him who will also pass more (and do so more effectively….Flip is a black hole…a decent scorer, but a black hole nonetheless).
This won’t be Teague’s problem, and unless he starts playing some incredibly good ball, well ahead of the typical learning curve, my guess is we won’t see big doses of him until 2010-2011. Unless of course Crawford gets traded (
@ AJ)….
Anakin Joe
July 29th, 2009
10:57 am
Trade Crawford for Kevin Willis!
Hoops
July 29th, 2009
11:27 am
Kevin M,
I agree with you. I just don’t know what all the rules are, from all of the involved parties, that Sund is having to abide by. It’s one thing to have to abide by the crazy CBA rules, then your owners want this or that, and then your HC wants this. I guess a great GM has to be really good at listening and then be able to bring together all of those ideas into a plan that satisfies all of the involved parties, while building toward the ultimate goal. Sund has his hands full!
Not knowing the rules from ownership and Woodson, this is probably what I would try to do:
1. Set aside Marvin’s QO money and continue to try to sign him ASAP. I would not pay more than the QO per year. Pull Mario West’s QO.
2. Contact the Timberwolves about this trade possibility-after August 11 send Josh, Morris, and Evans to the Timberwolves for Al Jefferson and Corey Brewer (ownership would not allow me to make this trade without getting Josh to waive the trade kicker). If the Timberwolves go for it, that solves a lot of problems for the Hawks. If they won’t make the trade, then continue on a plan with Josh being the PF instead of being able to move Horford to the PF position.
3. Assuming that the Timberwolves won’t make the trade, then offer Joe Smith a 2 year contract for 3M per.
4. Offer Flip the biannual (1.9M).
5. Sign Siler, Hunter, and Korolev for 1M each.
This is your lineup with the Timberwolves trade:
PG-Bibby, Teague
SG-Crawford, Flip
SF-JJ, Marvin, Korolev
PF-Horford, Joe Smith, Hunter
C-Jefferson, Zaza, Siler
This is your line up without the Timberwolves trade:
PG-Bibby, Teague
SG-Crawford, Flip
SF-JJ, Marvin, Evans
PF-Josh Smith, Joe Smith, Hunter
C-Horford, Zaza, Morris, Siler
That would be my plan.
Myrak43
July 29th, 2009
11:46 am
I can’t believe i am saying this
by rak1974 on Wed Jul 29, 2009 8:16 am
But I am looking at the avilable big men and what I believe the Hawks can spend on one. I think we should bring back Sheldon Williams. I am almost ashamed to say it. but I think we would get the most bang for our bucks with what left. I think he would do well as a back up PF/C bang get some rebounds, get you some fouls, block a few shoots, and be a body on the roster justin Case,LOL.
So I roster would be
Bibby/Teague
JJ/Crawford
MW/Evans
Smoove/Sheldon Williams
Horford/ZaZa/Petro or Siler
(DPN) RandMo
(DPN) Three Point defensive wing or maybe Flip, maybe
Sautee
July 29th, 2009
12:37 pm
Myrak43,
We can’t believe you are saying it either.
I FIRMLY believe that Hunter could give us MUCH MORE bang for the buck than Sheldon. For much less money too, if Woody would just give him minutes.
Sautee
July 29th, 2009
12:39 pm
Hoops,
Why would the Timberwolves do that trade? They would be insane!
wordsmithtom
July 29th, 2009
1:01 pm
Hunter would give more bang for the buck, no doubt; Sheldon’s wife would probably give more bang for the buck. Pun intended.
Anakin Joe
July 29th, 2009
1:15 pm
It is trulu sad that we are even in a position to have to consider between guys like Shelden, Skinner & Stromile.
I thought that finishing in the top 8 of the league was supposed to provide some cache during free agency. Oh well.
Make it so, Joe (Smith). Sign with the Hawks!
Big Ray
July 29th, 2009
1:30 pm
Astro Joe,
You’d think so.
Myrak43,
I don’t want Sheldon back. For any kind of money. We already have our pick of guys who can only produce in the garbage time of a season that is already lost.
Sautee,
At this point, I’d take Siler or RandMo over Sheldon. Ugh.
Big Ray
July 29th, 2009
1:31 pm
Hoops,
No way does Minnesota make that trade. Kevin McHale is no longer the GM, so there went that chance.
Cowa
July 29th, 2009
1:53 pm
AJ & Ray, I actually like the NO trade for Okafor. NO saves about $2M/year for this season and next due to the luxury tax deal, plus they keep a center who won’t hurt you in your line-up. All the other deals they’ve been mentioning wasn’t returning them a starting caliber center. And Okafor is certainly moveable, so they may be able to keep moving down the food chain while keepain a viable starting center. The Peja contract is killing them, but that will go away when they sign West to an extension. Okafor isn’t great, but he’s certainly better than a lot of the crap they could have taken back. If they didn’t get a starting center back, it would be the Hilton Armstrong show!
doc
July 29th, 2009
1:55 pm
!-O