The gang’s all here!
With the starting five (plus a few more) back and under contract for the foreseeable future, the Hawks have at least given themselves a fighting chance to compete with the big boys (photo courtesy of my main man and former AJC photographer Pouya Dianat).
HAWKSVILLE - If continuity means anything in the NBA these days, the Hawks have done right by their own this summer.
Marvin Williams touched on it last week during a conversation we had the day before he signed his new contract, and again this afternoon in a teleconference with the media to discuss his new deal. A day after my initial talk with Williams, Al Horford and I discussed continuity briefly while he took a break from his work with the Basketball Without Borders program.
Dating back to last summer and extending all the way through training camp this year, the Hawks (if they can come to terms with captain and All-Star Joe Johnson on an extension) will have spent millions to keep their core in place for the foreseeable future.
“I think management is making the commitment to keep us together,” Williams said Tuesday. “And each year we’ve gotten better.”
Josh Smith’s $58 million deal was the first domino, albeit an offer sheet from Memphis to the restricted free agent power forward last summer that the Hawks matched before the ink was dry on the offer sheet. That swift move was followed up this summer with deals for Mike Bibby (3-years, $18 million), Zaza Pachulia (4-years, $19 million) and Williams (5-years, $37.5 million-base). Johnson’s 4-year extension, if signed, would be in the $64 million-range.
Full disclosure, math was never my strongest subject in school. But that’s a lot of cash spent, rightfully, on the heart, soul and guts of your team. Any team dreaming of winning big at the NBA level has to invest in its core or risk vanishing into the ether.
When Hawks center Al Horord talks,in English or Spanish, people tend to listen.
What the Hawks have done is neither groundbreaking nor extraordinary in the world of professional sports. But for a franchise mired in a malaise of mediocrity for the better part of a decade prior to the last 13 months, it’s a pretty impressive feat. ”Obviously, I think it’s pretty important to build on to what we’ve started,” Horford said during our phone conversation last week. And he would know, having played on successful teams every year of his college and professional career to date. “I’m glad Marv got his deal done, because we’re going to need all our guys back and ready to go this season.”
By no means does this excuse the Hawks from the responsibility of filling out the roster with quality players capable of supporting that core group. But it certainly helps that the core is in place right now – a nucleus with three wildly talented youngsters in Horford, Williams and Smith. That would be a heck of a core group by itself. So to have JJ, Bibby, Zaza, rookie Jeff Teague and even Jamal Crawford to add to the list makes the list that much more impressive. It’ll look even better with the addition of a name like Joe Smith, still in the works according to some well-placed sources that insist the Hawks won’t give up until someone pries Smith from their dead claws.
Will it win a championship in a league where the defending champion Los Angeles Lakers have stockpiled elite talent to go around Kobe Bryant and the Boston Celtics have assembled a star-studded army to battle the Lakers, Cleveland and Orlando for supremacy? No way. But the same can be said for solid young teams in places like Portland and Chicago as well. That’s just the reality of the situation.
What a rock-solid core does is give the Hawks a fighting chance to be relevant now and into the future. And despite cries for titles (things, mind you, that Hawks fans have never experienced) relevancy is the tangible goal that all teams must focus on before moving into championship mode.
Having witnessed my favorite team’s lone championship season of my lifetime (scroll down to the bottom, it’s there, I swear), I can sympathize with the desire to shed the middle ground for the higher ground. Having witnessed that championship season also made it painfully clear to me just how rare those occasions are, even when you have seemingly all the resources in the world at your disposal, that your squad actually cashes in on the big prize.
Would I trade 40 years of rooting for a a competitive or even upper-tier team for one title? Absolutely. But if I can get both, even if the titles only come once every 50 years, I’m not turning that down either. Back to my original point, and I apologize for swerving off course a bit but it is football season (and I smell a comeback season cooking in Ann Arbor), it all comes down to perspective for me.
Is it more important to be relevant and potentially a true player or not? I say stay relevant (given whatever constraints might be in place, and it’s no secret the Hawks have many) as long as you can. We’ve all seen the flip side and it’s ugly, real ugly.
Where the Hawks fit in the grand scheme of things depends on your perspective, as well. If being the fourth team in a three-team Eastern Conference race doesn’t strike you, that’s understandable. And they will have challenger for that fourth spot. But they certainly seems sure of themselves.
“I feel like people are obviously starting to respect our ball club,” Williams said during his teleconference. “People realize they are not going to come into Atlanta and get an easy win. I don’t think anybody in the league is doing that anymore. We’ve shown the last few years we can compete with anybody in the league. We certainly feel like we can compete with anybody in the league.”
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488 comments Add your comment
Ariose
August 14th, 2009
8:50 pm
….anyhoo, I havve a feeling were taking the NFC south this season. Gonzo+Ice+Turner+Norwood+White=Nasteh Offense
I’m just not so sure about our defense…
I don’t understand why rick wouldn’t sign Joe Smith to a two year deal? That way, we could trade him next offseason. Now he just gets to walk after this season…..ugh…..
……and Flips camp is talking to the Heat(per Hoopsworld). Mimai and Philly were the two teams I DIDN’T want him talking to. Talk about a nightmare. Those teams give us enough trouble as it is…
The Truth
August 14th, 2009
8:50 pm
nire
Agreed. This guy sounds like he’s done nothing more than been an anonymous blog reader who has been eavesdropping in our blogging conversation and forming an opinion. Who ever is paying his salary is wasting their money.
Ariose
August 14th, 2009
9:07 pm
The nuggets re-signed Anthony Carter… thats three PG’s now AND a rookie (Lawson) who needs time.
The Jazz re-signed Ronnie Price….to Go along with Deron Williams……the Rookie Eric Maynor still needs time
The Lakers have three PG’s
You KNOW where i’m going with this….
Ariose
August 14th, 2009
9:09 pm
Nire, Agreed.
Anakin Joe
August 14th, 2009
9:42 pm
Trade Jamal Crawford for Salim Stoudemire!
I MUS WRITE
August 14th, 2009
9:45 pm
Yeah Melvin…Delhome was a mess in that playoff game one of the worst performances I’ve seen. Meltdown- he was awful but got a nice fat extension. Must be some kind of voo doo….Wish i could get the recipe to sprinkle in my bosses coffee.
Nir- We keep say’n it becuz its true!… I mean the guy signed for 1 mill -Hell why not? Young athletic rangey guy with nice athleticism….Why not? The way i see it Morris makes 800k and Hollins would be a big upgrade for pennies on the dollar.
So what if he’s thin,so is KG. THAT WAS ONLY A COMPARISON OF BODY TYPES NOT ACTUAL GAME.He played well for Dallas the second half of last year. I actually saw the guy give Tim Duncan some problems in the post. Active around the rim….Blocks a good bit of shots too.
I would take him over Solo Hunter Blount Boone Morris ETC… I think he’s just as good as Tyson Chandler who will get exposed this year without Paul…Met both of them and they are roughly the same height and weight so ???
KWOODEN1 where are you watching those games?
I MUS WRITE
August 14th, 2009
10:00 pm
Sekou is at Strokers making it rain….Dam Beat writers LOL
Carney would be a nice pick up -he actually has the size to guard most SF’s.
Jacksonville should have signed Vick …He’s like a faster more athletic version of Gerrard- O better arm too
I MUS WRITE
August 14th, 2009
10:03 pm
Salim….hahahahahaha Salim LOL I heard he signed with the Ft Wayne Red Antz Well Dam!!!
Ariose is resonding in 4.3.2.1. Salim hahaha
kwooden1
August 14th, 2009
10:22 pm
I MUS send me your email address: kwooden1@yahoo.com
O'Brien
August 14th, 2009
10:37 pm
Ariose,
I also think the Hawks need a 3rd PG. But not Flip. We need a pass first PG.
I hope the Hawks really did sign Joe Smith. To fill out the roster, I would sign Gerald Green, Siler, and 1 more PG, which would give us 14 guys. And that would give us some very good depth.
PG – Bibby/Teague/3rd PG
SG – JJ/Crawford/Mo Evans
SF – Marvin/Gerald Green
PF – Josh/Joe Smith
C – Al/ZaZa/RandMo/Siler
kwooden1
August 14th, 2009
10:39 pm
Sounds like we’re moving in the right direction with Joe Smith, I really think he’s making the right decision if he’s coming with us. Woody really likes vets and Josh Smith can have an actual live mentor to help him along. I’m a Maryland U. guy and remember seeing Joe Smith well before anyone knew who he was. He was definitely over-hyped when he came out, I never really believed his go-to moves would work in the NBA. But I’ve been happy to see him have a solid career in the NBA and realistically get the most out of his potential.
GO HAWKS!!!
cp
August 15th, 2009
12:06 am
Great signing. Now if we can get Gerald Green in here to back up Marvin I would be pretty happy with this roster. I guess we finish it off with Siler and Hunter or Siler and 3rd pg I have no idea at this point.
Melvin
August 15th, 2009
12:13 am
I would be happy if the Hawks signed Joe Smith. I would be ecstatic if they sign Gerald Green and Mark Blount (if available) along with Siler and West to roundout the bench….
Reggie
August 15th, 2009
12:33 am
Hawks signed Joe Smith……. http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=4400517&campaign=rss&source=NBAHeadlines
Najeh Davenpoop
August 15th, 2009
12:48 am
Please get this Joe Smith thing done already. Yeah I know ESPN says it’s a done deal, but Sekou tweeted less than five hours ago that they are still working on it. I tend to believe Sekou in these situations.
I’m happy for Vick that he got signed and that he can now work towards paying off his debts, but honestly I would have rather seen him sign with a team that would give him a chance to play quarterback full time. Apparently he turned down two other teams to sign with Philly — I’d like to know who those teams were. I am worried that although he may get to be “eased” into the NFL, he may also be “eased” away from being a full-time quarterback. Vick as a quarterback was a unique talent the likes of which the league has never seen. Vick as a wide receiver/punt returner/running back is just another fast guy who can’t break tackles, run routes, or catch passes — things he has never done before and probably can’t learn how to do at an NFL level at this point in his career. The last thing I want to see is Vick turned into a glorified Devin Hester. What an absolute waste of his cannon arm that would be.
Ken Strickland
August 15th, 2009
12:55 am
Assuming we’ve actually signed Joe Smith, what would be the point in signing Gerald Green? You know Zaza, Crawford and Joe Smith will get their mins, which would create an 8 man rotation. There’s also SF MEvans and backup rookie PG JTeague to consider for mins. With Woodson’s limited rotations, where would mins for Gerald Green, or any other addition, fit in?
Face the facts, if we’ve really signed Joe Smith as reported, that would give us 11 players already under contract. Beyond that, filler like Siler is all we’ll get.
JSS
August 15th, 2009
12:56 am
Co-sign Najeh!!!
Just waking up and getting ready to head to Olympic Stadium. Checking in to see if there was any real news on the Joe Smith signing not being reported by ESPWrong… Keep up the good work folks… I know it will be early there (3:45AM), but there’s going to be some good action on day one… Peace!!!
niremetal
August 15th, 2009
1:02 am
Co-sign Ken Strickland. And anyway, I’d rather have Othello than Gerald “defense…what’s that?” Green. Even at (800k!!!!!!). When you’re the 12th man, effort and pushing the players above you during practice is more important than athleticism.
niremetal
August 15th, 2009
1:14 am
If the Joe Smith rumor turns out to be true, the Hawks would have 11 guys under contract – Bibby, Teague, JJ, Crawford, Mo, Marvin, Josh Smith, Joe Smith, Horford, Zaza, and RandMo. I’ll also throw Siler on the roster for good measure (he seems the most likely of the mini-camp folks to be offered a contract). That’s 12.
I’d honestly say the biggest remaining need would be a combo forward who could step up and provide some mop-up minutes if Marvin and/or Josh get injured. That points to guys like Hunter or Korolev.
The other need arguably is for a 3rd point guard, since the Hawks have at least 3 guys under contract who can play and have played at every other position. I would prefer a PG that is pass-first, and also a veteran who could tutor Hart and help with some of the “pure PG” skills that Bibby lacks. Jason Hart actually fits that profile pretty well, and Bibby played with him in Sac, so presumably Sund will ask for Bibby’s take on him if there are indeed negotiations going on with him (and who knows – maybe it was Bibby who suggest Hart in the first place).
In any case, let’s hope that Joe Smith gets locked up. Assuming that happens, we can all sit back until training camp, because the Hawks finally can field a 10-deep squad.
niremetal
August 15th, 2009
1:20 am
PS – if Joe Smith signs, let’s just be thankful that Josh Childress isn’t here anymore. Getting the names straight will already be confusing enough…
KevinA
August 15th, 2009
1:48 am
Day by day we are getting closer to the day we can trade Crawford for cash/trade for a center/pf that will free up cash. I say give him a chance and if he plays well he provide valuable trade bait.
KevinA
August 15th, 2009
1:52 am
The chance to trade Crawford for an oppornututy to get Chills would be outstanding.
KevinA
August 15th, 2009
1:56 am
Throw in a Flip for the same money and the Hawks would be in tall growing conditions.
KevinA
August 15th, 2009
2:00 am
Maybe a Crawford trade would allow us to keep Flip and find something defensive like even Chills next year.
Mike is back
August 15th, 2009
9:51 am
Just like to say that if the Joe signing is true great job Sund…if it is a one deal than I hope it is because Sund is close to resigning Joe.
I’m some what confused about all the Crawford trade talks without seeing how well he messes with the team. He will be a great addition to this team.
Melvin
August 15th, 2009
9:51 am
KevinA,
Are you gonna let Crawford try on his Hawks uniform before you trade him.
I would like to see a backup SF sign such as Green, Carney or Korolev. Mo Evans is tough but he lack the size to play SF.
Mike
August 15th, 2009
10:04 am
Exactly…please stop with this talk of trading Crawford. We no whave a 6th man who averaged 19 a game last year. That is instant offense and as much as I loved Flip, Crawford is an upgrade. Now our 10 man rotation is set…nice job Sund. We will see how the other 3 or 4 spots take shape. We should leave a spot open for in season moves…no need to have 15 guys under contract to start the season.
Question is: who will be 11-14. Morris, Siler, Hunter, West, Hart, Korolev. 4 of those 6.
Ariose
August 15th, 2009
10:16 am
Who in the Hell is Heart????? Seriously. I DON’T HAVE ANY CLUE WHO HE IS!!!! I EVEN LOOKED THE GUY UP!!!!!!
I.Mus, I plead the 5th….
Why would’t Sund sign Joe Smith to a 2yr deal? That way he could be a tradebale asset next summer…
O’Brien, don’t give me that. you know good and well it has nothing to do with being a pass first guard. Rick Sund will not sign ANY PG that is going to be a threat to Teagues Playing Time.
Jason Williams, Jamaal Tinsley, Ramon Sessions, Carlos Arroyo, Flip Murray…non of them will be signed by us…..not that i’m mad about that, BUT Flip is still the best Guard on that list period.
This is why I wanted us to Draft Patrick Mills in the 2nd. Woody Wouldn’t play him over Teague, but Mills would be a gerat Backup to Teauge in the Future.
Ariose
August 15th, 2009
10:17 am
Falcons pre-seaon game at 4pm….
Ariose
August 15th, 2009
10:26 am
1. Orlando
2. Boston
3. Cleveland
4. Atlanta
5. Miami
6. Washington
7. chicago
8. toronto
2nd round
Orlando / Atlanta
Boston / Washington
ECF
Orlando / Boston
Hmmm….CAVS out in 1st Rd next season? I LIKE IT!!!!!
BTWbsome guy on ESPN POSTED that…
Ariose
August 15th, 2009
10:29 am
I’ll admit the players they added are better than the super scrubs they had last year, but they are still pretenders.
Shaq = old and fat
Moon = crap
Parker = old
powe = decent but injured.
I like the way this guy thinks Hahahaha!!!!
Ken Strickland
August 15th, 2009
10:30 am
NIREMETAL-I don’t see us signing another PG. We already have Bibby and Teague as our primary PG’s, with Crawford and JJ having PG skills. Woodson’s OFF is more dependent on a PG with good shooting skills, not traditional PG skills. So Crawford will serve as our 3rd PG with JJ backing him up.
At this point in our teams development, our success this season will depend more on how we utilize our talent, and our style of play, rather than who we add to our bench.
niremetal
August 15th, 2009
10:39 am
Ken,
I agree. I never said Hart would or should get minutes. I said we should add him as a “just-in-case” for depth (and as a PG tutor for Teague) and because there have already been a couple stories linking him to the Hawks. I don’t think whether we add him will affect the team’s success this year, except to the extent that he helps Teague and/or pushes Teague and Bibby in practice (a la Adonal Foyle in Orlando last year)
The Truth
August 15th, 2009
11:07 am
It looks like Sund has finally gotten a base hit, nice job (if true). As I read ESPN report that this is just a 1-year deal at minimum salary. It’s hard to imagine Joe Smith would go through this much drama only to settle for such a small deal. I got to believe there is more to the story.
So, now the impact of a Joe Smith on the Hawks takes center stage. Obliviously, Josh will be the most affected by the backup vet, let’s hope in a positive way. Since Joe Smith is considered a jump-shooting PF, he could cause Josh to emulate and do what we REALLY don’t want Josh to do which is SHOOT MORE JUMPERS. Also, Woody will be more inclined to pull Josh earlier when he takes those nights off since he knows he got a reliable backup. If Josh has still not reached that level of maturity with his ego, it could cause a riff between Josh and Woody, we shall see. Woody coaching will be severely tested. However on the positive side, Joe Smith will certainly cause match-up problem if Woody uses him correctly with Crawford, JJ and Teague on the court at the same time as one many scenarios.
Sekou Smith
August 15th, 2009
11:25 am
Bucher beat me to the punch on Joe Smith. I’ll take my lumps on that one. Ha. But I was out last night at Chef Rob’s place in Sandy Springs and sometimes you get lost in that caribbean vibe. New blog is up. Grade the Hawks’ summer. And nothing final yet on Joe. Monday will start the final process. But pencil him into the rotation.
Melvin
August 15th, 2009
11:30 am
Sekou, enjoy your vacation. You still Da Man.
Dashizz357
August 20th, 2009
10:50 am
I can’t understand why half of you guys aren’t coaching, you guys know it all. Wow! This ain’t playstation……
The Flash
September 25th, 2009
5:01 pm
I don’t mean to get all scientific on you all, but anybody ever notice that there is a section of MW’s back that always has been like ram-rod straight. Well, there is, and I think that he needs to work on that, and not on no 3 point shooting or dribbling. He needs to go and get him some flexion in that part of his spine, and those other things will take care of themselves, if you ask me, which no one here is no more but that will not stop me from offering up my opinion. Nope, its still just about summer, and I got my feet up, and I’m speculatin about ball on a Friday afternoon. Now, what can be better than that.
I bet I could help MW learn to use that back of his better, you know with my Feldenkrais stuff and all, and the rest will follow. Problem is I couldn’t get a chance when my boy was on the in. I suppose MW is just gonna have to struggle along with that frozen part of his back some more, and you all along with him, fussin about how he needs to work on his dribble or 3 point shot, like he ain’t been doing that all his life.