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
Melvin
August 14th, 2009
11:42 am
Hoops,
I think Joe Smith is an after thought as well. I don’t agree with those that say we shouldn’t bid against ourselves only b/c we are in need of his talents and vet savvy then any other playoff team.
Ken Strickland
August 14th, 2009
11:48 am
DOC-after taking that trip down memory lane, I realized just how talented that team was when it came to Atlanta. Jumping Joe Caldwell, Zelmo Beatty, Lenny Wilkins, Bill Bridges, Paul Silas, and then we added LHudson, and do you remember Walt Hazzard. The whole team fell apart when we signed Pistol Pete Maravich. The vets couldn’t deal with the Hawks willingness to pay an unproven rookie so much more money than they were paying them. They also couldn’t adjust to Pete’s wide open style of play, so they bolted.
ANAKIN JOE-Mo Evans also has an expiring contract, so where’s the advantage? We already know what we have with Evans, and we won’t have to deal with any possible adjustment or chemistry problems, or the WOODY FACTOR, if we retain him.
dap01
August 14th, 2009
12:03 pm
Having David Anderson would be better than a future #2 at this point. Maybe Sund has a plan.
The Truth
August 14th, 2009
12:07 pm
Ken Strickland
Mo Evans contract includes this upcoming season and a player option year for 2010. That Player Option gives Mo the right to invoke the option year and play through 2010 which is also the year JJ extension kicks end if they can work it out.
kwooden1
August 14th, 2009
12:09 pm
I hope that report about Joe Smith is none sense, watching the second to last regular season game of the Hawks vs Cleveland again showed me Joe’s value! Joe, can play inside and out. He’s not a true banger, buts he’s willing to mix it up. Which is fine because Zaza can be the real banger and Joe can concentrate on scoring. Personally I don’t want to go into the season with Morris and ??Siler as our backup PF/C.
Earlier this summer I thought we should upgrade Mo, but after re-watching games my opinion has changed. Mo is tweener, but he was asked to guard the other teams best player all the time, whether they were PG/SG or SF. He got beat a lot, but everyone gets beat a lot against great players, but Mo makes defenses adjust because of his ability to shoot the 3. I have a better appreciation for his toughness and his athleticism watching the games again. We need to add another big, not trade a productive player for an unknown commodity.
I still believe that SUND is going to get it done with Joe Smith and then we can wait until training camp to see what we really have!
GO HAWKS!!
darrell starks
August 14th, 2009
12:16 pm
What is all this talk about non productive wash up 34 year old joe smith can some 1 explain 2 me what have he done thru out his nba career.
GO HAWKS!!!!!!!!!!!
Daniel
August 14th, 2009
12:56 pm
darrell- Joe Smith is not a washed up non-productive player. Is he an All-Star? no, but that is not what we need or are looking for. He is a savvy vet who keeps in great shape (very few injuries) who is comfortable coming off the bench. He would provide leadership and depth to this team. Remember how important having a veteran bench was last year with the difference that Flip and Mo had on the team. Don’t you want a front court player like Flip? (not that he plays like Flip)
Daniel
August 14th, 2009
12:57 pm
A bench of Crawford, Teague, Mo, Joe Smith and Za would be a pretty nice 2cd unit.
doc
August 14th, 2009
1:48 pm
right ken, couldnt remember jumpin joe, it wasnt just the pistol but a new league to contend with. cost us a few great players including thompson from nc state? it was a very good team and maybe the best ever if kept together. maybe this crew we have now will meet those expectations now that the nucleus is kept. good work sund.
The Truth
August 14th, 2009
2:06 pm
To some, Vick represented more then just a Falcon Player; he represented a movement, a protest statement. I can easily envision all kinds of twisted anti-type Vick Jerseys that would sell like hot-cakes.
I got the impression from Sekou last comment that Sund is 100% working on the JJ extension these days. One could wonder has negotiation ended between the Hawks and Joe Smith or have talks subsided. Has a final offer been made would be my question? If so, then the outcome maybe resting in Joe Smith hands.
I MUS WRITE
August 14th, 2009
2:39 pm
I hope we are’nt serious about Mark Blount…. I would have rather kept Solo. Blount is a 7ft jump shooter =he will not help with defending the paint and post scoring – If we are now at the bottom of the barrel then Petro would be my choice……..
Should have signed Hollins IMO
Hoops =We have like minds I swear…. Turiaf would be a great fit for us,I love his hustle and gritty play. Brandon Wright is intriguing to me, He has a nice game -I just think he’s in the wrong system……….
I wonder if GS would take R.Morris for Wright -probably not but I want that stiff off our bench along with Gardner and Hunter. Can we get some guys that can actually play to fill out the bench…….
Gerald Green comes to mind as well as Craig Smith -they wont play alot anyway and we upgrade for roughly the same money.
Congrats to Vick….glad he didnt sign in our division-i thought he was going to the Panthers….. Whew !!!
Anakin Joe
August 14th, 2009
2:46 pm
I can’t believe I’m about to write this, but, if Mark Blount is waived (which is being speculated), the Hawks should give Joe Smith an ultimatum and if he doesn’t get off the pot, get a deal done with Blount. I think that I have decided that a back-up big who can defend pick-and-roll is more important than a big who can defend the post. And Blount, if nothing else, is agile for a big guy and can “get in the way”. And I’m fearful that we truly may end up with someone like Loren “Gulp” Woods or Sene Saer or some other walking and breathing disaster. Lastly, Blount & Zaza seem like they could coexist on the floor together better than Zaza and Jason Collins (IMO).
Talk about deciding between the lesser of impossibly ugly evils… WHEW!
Melvin
August 14th, 2009
2:50 pm
Imus, at this point I would welcome Blount with open arms. As for Vick, the Panthers missed a golden opportunity. He would have brought excitement and fans to the stadium in Carolina. What the heck kind of incriminating evidence that Jake Delhomme have on the franchise is what I want to know. Not only did they not sign a replacement for Delhomme (after his dismal 5 interceptions in a playoff game), they rewarded him with a contract extension….DAH
niremetal
August 14th, 2009
2:54 pm
I MUS,
1) Blount is a 7ft jump shooter =he will not help with defending the paint and post scoring…
2) Should have signed Hollins IMO
Care trying to square 1 and 2? Hollins is a 7-footer who can’t even shoot jumpers. He’s athletic but he weighs less than Dennis Scott’s big toe and gets backed down with sickening ease by even mediocre big men. He wouldn’t have helped our defense one damned bit.
I’m not picking on you specifically. But I’ve gotten tired of all the “we need someone to help with interior D” posts that include suggestions of signing people who wouldn’t have done jack to help with our interior D (Hollins, Warrick, Channing Frye, etc).
Besides, we’re looking to sign a 10th man, not a top-8 rotation player. And frankly, I’d rather have Joe Smith for 1 year at $1.5M than Hollins for 3 years at $7M. After a year, everyone would be slamming Sund for signing a scrub playing 12 minutes a game to a 3-year contract and calling for us to trade Hollins for yet another mediocre big man. Hell, people are already doing that for Mo, and he plays 23 quality minutes per game.
Anakin Joe
August 14th, 2009
2:58 pm
nire, I think people (at least me) are thinking that Mo is less effective at SF and with 4 guards likely earning consistent minutes (3 for sure and hopefully Teague), it feels like Evans is “expendable” and could be used to bring in a comparable player who has the size to make a different type of contribution. Plus, in the case of Craig Smith, we get the benefit of an expiring contract, which as you know, is something that we likely need next summer.
Ken Strickland
August 14th, 2009
3:05 pm
THE TRUTH-thanks for the update on Mo Rvans contract. I guess that can be an advantage in the trade suggested by ANAKIN JOE.
DOC-don’t forget, in addition to losing Joe Caldwell and David Thompson to the ABA, we also lost Marvin “THE HUMAN ERASER” Webster. We actually had Julius Erving under contract that same yr, but chickened out when the ABA threatened to sue the Hawks for doing what they had already done to the Hawks, as well as other NBA teams. Man, imagine a roster comprised of JErving, LHudson, DThompson, MWebster, JDrew, THenderson, DMeminger, TVArsdale, Connie Hawkins and BWilloughby. Three of these players were listed in the NBA’s alltime top 50 players.
doc
August 14th, 2009
3:09 pm
ken, didnt we lose zelmo too to the aba, like to denver?
Melvin
August 14th, 2009
3:13 pm
Anakin,
Agreed with your last post.
Nire,
Are you going to discredit every big man that’s suggested with the simple reason that the Hawks have their top 8 rotational players? If you believe our top 8 are championship caliber than I can understand your logic but if not, than why shouldn’t the BASG/Sund not look to explore ways of improving the team (top 8 included)?
gwite
August 14th, 2009
3:16 pm
To Utah. Gee, even back then we couldn’t get, or keep players.
Must have been the “Woodson factor”. lol
doc
August 14th, 2009
3:20 pm
yup gwite, knew it was west. should have remembered (mis-remembereing comes with old age and roids) because i can still see him in that uniform. i think he had a pretty good career there, solid if not great.
newkid
August 14th, 2009
3:28 pm
doc, what do you make of the national debate we’re having on health care reform?
Yahoo
August 14th, 2009
3:50 pm
Melvin
Nire is just upset because he didn’t think of the idea first. If he doesn’t control the flow of this blog, then he pouts like a spoil child.
Daniel
August 14th, 2009
4:03 pm
gwite- that 3:16 post is hilarious. good one.
Well, guys I got nothing to add to the conversation at this point. Oh, these August days. Maybe the Joes will get done this weekend?!?
got the Phils and Braves to watch.
Everyone be safe. Catch you on the flip side.
BrittishAnger
August 14th, 2009
4:45 pm
Losing Andersen for a future number two is once again the Ricky Sund “If All Else Fails” strategy we’re seeing in action. I’ve stated before picking up Crawford is as much a hedge bet against losing JJ next season as it is to reduce his playing time to deter mid-season fatigue, just like resigning Bibby was an insurance policy for Teague if things weren’t to work out with him. We run risk of losing JJ, Mo Evans, and Randolph Morris next season (and maybe even Horford), so coming into next years draft with enough picks to reduce some of those losses (preferably just Evans and Morris) is a wise move on Sund’s part, especially since 2nd round picks can be signed to deals without having to break the bank on a few replacement back-ups, considering the assumed drop in Salary Cap next year. I’d agree to having Andersen backing us up rather than that insurance policy, but considering the profit-centric thought process from those above ol’ Ricky Sundries, and the lack of interest Andersen had in playing with us to begin with, so long as we don’t blow those picks we’ll walk away from next summer with a few sighs of relief….
BrittishAnger
August 14th, 2009
4:47 pm
Speaking of Aussies and Atlanta, who was the kid who used to play with Ga. Tech, the red headed lanky guy they had a few seasons back?
Ken Strickland
August 14th, 2009
4:54 pm
DOC-we must have lost him to the NBA because I don’t remember him playing for any other NBA team and he definitely didn’t play for us any longer.
People, I think we can forget all of this talk about trading this player for that player. Unless we lose out on signing JSmith, we can probably forget about any further significant moves. If we carry only 13 players, like most teams, and since we already have 10 players under contract, there will be only 3 open roster spots available. Also, if we sign Siler, like most of us have suggested, there will be only 2 roster spots available.
O'Brien
August 14th, 2009
5:01 pm
BrittishAnger,
I think you’re talking about Luke Schensher.
I agree with AJ. Mo Evans is the most expendable, because he is most effective as backup SG, which is the role that Crawford will fill. Plus Evans is too small (6′5″) to be effective as a backup SF. And, JJ can provide some backup minutes at SF when he and Crawford are on the court together.
It bothers me that the Hawks only have 10 men signed so far, because it looks more and more like they will sign minimum wage guys (Siler, Hunter etc) to fill out the roster. And when Cleveland, Orlando and Boston have deep frontcourts, Siler and RandMo are not going to cut it.
Big Ray
August 14th, 2009
5:20 pm
Sssnnzzzzzzz…..
Astro Joe is right about Evans…
Snnzzzzzzzz……..
Doug
August 14th, 2009
6:52 pm
ESPN saying Hawks have signed Joe Smith!!!
JSS
August 14th, 2009
6:52 pm
Midnight here in the German Capital, thanks ILL… the website for Canadian Broadcasting is http://www.cbcsports.ca and the BBC is http://www.bbc.co.uk. Please remember that there is a 6 hour time difference. Day one will have some local interest with Reese Hoffa and Adam Nelson dueling in the Shot…Heats for the men 100M will start at 6AM Atlanta… The Quarterfinals commence at 11:50AM Atlanta time… Another local 400IM hurdler Angelo Taylor hits the track in the evening session at around 2:20PM Atlanta time. For any middle and long distance running fans, 1500M heats for men open the evening session. If the American men are going to advance and be a factor, we’ll find out early, The Women’s 10K will start around 3:25Pm Atlanta. There is a chance 6 to 10 women may run below 30 minutes!
Well I hope that helps, we get to see Bolt, Gay, Powell, and all the biggies on Day 1 twice… The time get some sleep…
hawksfan
August 14th, 2009
7:01 pm
Joe Smith signed with the Hawks…you heard it here first!
niremetal
August 14th, 2009
7:02 pm
Doug,
Link? Or is it on TV?
Doug
August 14th, 2009
7:03 pm
Ric Bucher ESPN news TV
niremetal
August 14th, 2009
7:06 pm
And my point is simply that as long as the Hawks sign Joe Smith, Brian Skinner, Adonal Foyle, or someone of that ilk, we’ll be fine, and we’ll be fine without having tied up millions of dollars in multi-year contracts that everyone will be bitching about come next summer when we realize that signing those players makes it impossible to keep JJ and/or trade for another marquee player without going into the luxury tax.
I’d rather have Joe Smith or Adonal Foyle and $2M more in flexibility next summer than a signing a multiyear-contract for someone who will be no better than Solo.
Doug
August 14th, 2009
7:07 pm
Hopefully Bucher is correct…good, quality professional. Then , let Siler-Morris battle….sign either a 3rd point guard (Hart) or a quality swing (Carney)…add a couple developmental types and you have a good roster…probably a 4 seed roster in the East!
niremetal
August 14th, 2009
7:12 pm
And that SI article is trash. Al Horford’s strength is in deficit? Since when? He can outmuscle all but 3-4 of the starting centers in the league.
Doug
August 14th, 2009
7:12 pm
Running out for evening…niremetal…hopeully again story is correst..check later!
Mystikal
August 14th, 2009
7:46 pm
Where is this news about Joe Smith coming from?? a website, espn ticker?
Please do not even joke about Mark Blount, he has wasted so much time and money over the years. May appease now, but we’d be pissed down the road.
Mystikal
August 14th, 2009
7:54 pm
Ok, just seen it on espn ticker that Hawks have signed Joe Smith. Guessing we’re gonna have to wait til Monday to get some real confirmation. OH SEKOU…
Melvin
August 14th, 2009
7:58 pm
I just saw the on ESPN new that Joe Smith signed a 1yr deal with the Hawks…. Couldn’t help but laugh as the news anchor (don’t know his name) said this signing just put the Hawks over the top… I hope its true…LOL
niremetal
August 14th, 2009
8:07 pm
Until I hear it from a source other than ESPN (which bats about .200 when it comes to Hawks transactions), I will assume it’s not true.
Melvin
August 14th, 2009
8:09 pm
Mystikal,
If its true, I’m sure Sekou will write an article and blog about the signing…
Anakin Joe
August 14th, 2009
8:12 pm
From Sekou’s Twitter page: sekousmith01Spoke w/2 Hawks sources about Joe Smith: looks good, but nothing concrete yet. Final process begins Monday. Another Hawks’ score. Stay tuned
2 minutes ago from web
Anakin Joe
August 14th, 2009
8:14 pm
The link for those who like to see it for themselves.
http://twitter.com/sekousmith01
Anakin Joe
August 14th, 2009
8:16 pm
This could be BIG, BIG, BIG. But Portland thought that they had Hedo all locked up, so I’ll wait before popping open the champagne. But I’ve got it chilling in the ice bucket.
niremetal
August 14th, 2009
8:18 pm
Well let’s keep our fingers crossed. Sund has a pretty long track record of making solid August signings, so I wouldn’t be surprised. But until Sekou says something more than “the process will be finalized,” I’ll hold back my enthusiasm.
The Truth
August 14th, 2009
8:28 pm
nire
Where is this SI article you mentioned
niremetal
August 14th, 2009
8:34 pm
The Truth,
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2009/writers/steve_aschburner/08/14/hawks/
I mean it’s no surprise that the press still hates on the Hawks. But that doesn’t make it much less annoying to read it.
Ariose
August 14th, 2009
8:44 pm
Hopefully we can get Joe Signed.
……ALL These other NFL fans better lay off vick this season. We Falcon fans are the ONLY one with the right to boo his arse. He let us down. Do you know how hard it is to watch his highlight reel on ESPN??? I’m having vick withdrawel symptoms. I love Matt Ryan, I even Followed him when he was at BC, but it’s MV7 man…..It’ll pass as soon as they stop freaking showing his clips on ESPN…..
tale of woe
August 14th, 2009
8:45 pm
Just announced Joe has signed with the HAWKS!