Atlanta Hawks: Why J.J. may be worth more to the Hawks than you think
If J.J. walks, the Hawks won't be able to replace him with a comparable free agent. (Curtis Compton/ccompton@ajc.com)
Hawks GM Rick Sund said the team will do whatever it takes to re-sign Joe Johnson but he’s not writing the checks. One guy who is, ASG’s Michael Gearon Jr., said the Hawks would “react” once Johnson hits the free-agent market on July 1.
Gearon didn’t want to talk about J.J. this week but on the day after the Hawks’ season ended he offered some insight into his view on max contracts:
“The biggest problem most teams make is they sign a contract and it ends up being a bad contract. You look at the Miami Heat, Jermaine O’Neal makes $23 million a year. Is he a player that is worth $23 million a year? I would say probably not. If you look at our team, we’ve assembled a team where we try to stay away from bad contracts.
“That said, there isn’t a move we haven’t made. We thought it made sense to get Jamal Crawford here and increase the payroll, so we did that. With the salary cap, the only way go above that is trade players you have or you re-sign players you have where the payroll goes up. Since we bought the team the payroll has increased [by] $24 million What we haven’t done is make a mistake with a bad contract. Well, I shouldn’t say that, Speedy’s contract wasn’t very good, but we turned it into something [in the Crawford trade].”
The obvious counter to Gearon’s argument is getting players like O’Neal often requires signing (or trading for) deals that carry some risk on the back end. But clearly that’s not ASG’s philosophy and, as I’ve said before, it’s hard to blame them since there are only a few max-salary players who would excite fans to the point of offering a reasonable chance of a return on investment in this market. Gearon again:
“If somebody came to us tomorrow and said you can have LeBron for max money and it puts you in the luxury tax, I’d do it in a a heartbeat. But am I going to do that for Ilgauskas? Am I going to do it for Jermaine O’Neal? I don’t think so. . . .
“We have piled tens of millions of dollars into this product to make it good. But it’s also up to fans to show up and see your team and support your team. I think we’ve given them a product as exciting as any in the league. You want people to be there, you want them to support your team and be proud of it. I think we have a team that deserves that.”
No one knows for sure what J.J. can get on the market and/or at what point Sund’s “whatever it takes” is trumped by ASG’s fiscal restraint. But chances are if the Hawks are going to sign a major free agent this summer, it’s going to be J.J. Otherwise, due to salary-cap rules they don’t have many options for signing a comparable replacement.
You can either trust me on that, slog through the following detailed explanation (which could possibly make your head hurt and your eyeballs bleed) or skip down the paragraph that starts with “All of those moves technically would leave the Hawks with $8.1 million in cap room”. . . .
I’ve checked all of the following against info posted by cap expert Larry Coon. I also exchanged e-mails with Coon, who after years of providing friendly help for helpless hacks like me now is writing a blog at the New York Times Web site, among other places. I also corresponded with blog reader Robert Dinterman, who says he’s just a fan with a lot of CBA knowledge. I can tell you this is true, so Ps and thanks to Robert.
I’ve included the appropriate links if you are interested in how I came up with the numbers or are some kind of masochist (I don’t judge). I’m pretty confident it’s all accurate but I don’t claim to be a cap expert or any better than competent at simple arithmetic. If you think there are any errors in math or cap interpretation, please send me an email–mcunningham at ajc.com–and I will check it out and update where necessary.
As it stands, the Hawks have roughly $47.6 million committed to eight players next season when including Mo Evans’ $2.5 million. Let’s say Evans opts out and then J.J. and Josh Childress and all their other free agents signs elsewhere and/or the Hawks renounce all their free agents.
If all of that happens, then the following would come off the Hawks’ books for their total offseason salary of approximately $78.9 million, which includes committed salaries and cap holds for their free agents and the No. 24 draft pick (assuming they keep it):
Joe Johnson’s $15.8 million cap hold
As a Bird Free Agent, Johnson’s offseason salary figure is based on 150 % of previous salary, which is about $22.5 million, but the figure can’t exceed the maximum salary for a nine-year player, which hasn’t been determined yet but that Coon estimates will be about $15.8 million.
Josh Childress’ $10.9 million cap hold
Childress is a Bird Free Agent coming off the fourth year of his rookie-scale contract. According to the 2004-05 rookie scale, Childress’ fourth-year salary as the No. 6 pick was 26.8 percent more than his third-year salary of $2.86 million, or $3.6 million. (The higher salary is because Childress made about 120 percent more than the scale, which is allowable.) The $3.6 million is less than the league-defined average salary of $4.9 million in 2004-05. Therefore, Childress’ cap hold is 300 percent more than $3.6 million, or roughly $10.9 million.
Mo Evans’ $2.5 million salary
If Mo opts out, his salary is wiped out.
Mario West’s $1.06 million cap hold
As a three-year veteran who has been previously waived, West is a non-bird, restricted free agent. As such, his team salary is calculated as the greater of 120 percent of his previous salary ($572,344) or his qualifying offer. For West, the qualifying offer is the greater of 125 percent of his previous salary ($596,191) or the three-year vet minimum ($885,120) plus $175,000, which is $1.06 million.
Joe Smith’s $854,389 cap hold
Smith is a 12-year veteran with a minimum 2010-11 salary of $1.352 million, but since he’s played more than seasons any salary in excess of the two-year veteran minimum salary in 2010-11 ($854,389) is reimbursed by the league and not counted as part of team salary.
Jason Collins’ $854,389 cap hold
Collins is a nine-year veteran with a minimum 2010-11 salary of $1.229 million, but since he’s played more than three seasons any salary in excess of the two-year veteran minimum salary in 2010-11 ($854,389) is reimbursed by the league and not counted as part of team salary.
Randolph Morris $854,389 cap hold
Morris is a four-year veteran with a minimum 2010-11 salary of $992,680, but since he’s played more than three seasons any salary in excess of the two-year veteran minimum salary in 2010-11 ($854,389) is reimbursed by the league and not counted as part of the team salary.
Subtracting Evans’ option plus the free-agent holds would leave the Hawks’ salaries at about $46.1 million (committed salaries for seven players at $45.1 million plus the rookie scale amount of $964,000 for the 24th pick).
But other salary charges apply since the Hawks then would be under the salary cap (estimated by the league will be $56.1 million in 2010-11) and have only eight players when counting the players under contract plus the first-round pick. The roster charge for the four empty spots below 12 are based on the 2010-11 rookie minimum salary of $473,604, for a total of $1.89 million. That would increase the Hawks’ salary total to about $48 million ($46.1 million plus $1.9 million).
All of those moves technically would leave the Hawks with roughly $8.1 million in cap room, but they would be subject to holds for the mid-level and bi-annual exceptions. Those holds apply if adding them would put the Hawks over the cap. It’s hard to say if that will happen now because while the amount for the 2010-11 bi-annual exception is known ($2.08 million) the mid-level amount hasn’t yet been set (Coon is estimating it will be $5.73 million this season). Also, all these salary numbers are estimates while the league calculates them down to dollars and cents. No, really.
If the Hawks are subject to cap holds for the mid-level and bi-annual exceptions, they could renounce those exceptions to gain cap room. Either way, they would be looking at adding players by using either the mid-level and bi-annual exceptions or roughly $8 million in cap room plus minimum-salaried players. So even if Evans opts out, Johnson walks, Childress returns to Greece and/or the Hawks renounce those two and all of their other free agents, there’s still not much flexibility for the Hawks.
As for the Hawks using Johnson in a sign-and-trade to get more value in return, the best way for that to happen is trading him to a team that is over the salary cap. Teams with enough cap room can just sign Johnson straight up and, as everyone knows, there are lots of those teams this summer. Already the Heat are reported to have interest in Johnson, who has said he likes them, too.
If Johnson wants a maximum deal under the Bird rules and his new team agrees, he could go back to the Hawks and ask for a sign-and-trade (he can get six years instead of five and up to about $30 million more that way). But the Hawks wouldn’t have much leverage in that situation, especially if Johnson’s new team is offering him the non-bird max and the Hawks don’t want to go that high. In that case if the Hawks say no to a sign-and-trade, then J.J. could just sign with the new team for the non-bird max.
If the Hawks agreed to a sign-and-trade with Johnson’s new team, they could expect to get back something similar to what Seattle acquired in similar circumstances when Rashard Lewis bolted as a free agent for Orlando in 2007: a conditional second-rick pick and a trade exception.
All of this is a long, painful, mind-numbing way of saying Johnson’s value to the Hawks is enhanced not only because he’s their best player, but also because should he leave they won’t have the flexibility to sign a comparable player. The Hawks could try to get better through trades, but then the problem becomes their reluctance to break up their core group (and possibly weaken the roster in other areas) and the difficulty with trading bad contracts for better players. That’s not to mention ASG’s aversion to taking on large, long-term deals and paying the luxury tax (expected to be about $70 million in 2010-11).
So after three straight years in the playoffs and consecutive trips to the East semis, the Hawks would be hard-pressed to be as good or better next season if J.J. leaves. There could potentially be more flexibility the next season, with Jamal off the books and Bibby’s contract more tradeable, but who the heck knows what will happen between now and then.
Now excuse me while I go place bandages over my bleeding eyeballs.
MC
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475 comments Add your comment
O'Brien
May 21st, 2010
11:06 am
@ Ramon,
Good Question. Here is another one. Why hasn’t Joe Dumars been feeling more heat? He drafted Darko instead of some other guys who are perennial all stars, he traded away Chauncey Billups for Allen Iverson, and then he used up all his cap space to sign Ben Gordon and Charlie Villanueva. And he’s on his third coach in 3 years.
I know they won a ring, but that was a long time ago.
bigdave
May 21st, 2010
11:18 am
Dwane Casey the Frontrunner for Hawks?
Posted: 5/21/2010 8:43:00 AM
Source: Ken Berger of CBSSports.com
Former Timberwolves coach Dwane Casey has the inside track for the Atlanta Hawks’ job, three sources familiar with the situation told CBSSports.com Thursday.
Casey, an assistant for Rick Carlisle on the Dallas bench who’s attracted interest from several teams in the market for a coach, has a strong relationship with Hawks GM Rick Sund from their days in Seattle together. Plus, considering the likelihood that Casey would fit under the Hawks’ $2 million annual budget for a head coach, it looks like “his job to lose,” one of the sources said. Casey and the Hawks’ brass were planning to discuss the opening in Chicago during the pre-draft camp this week.
Read more NBA news and insight: http://www.hoopsworld.com/HeadlineStories.asp?lc=NBA&c=1&TEAM_ID=&PLAYER_ID=&hd=20100521#STORY_26191#ixzz0oZrg9GYe
darrell starks
May 21st, 2010
11:37 am
Asg can just keep it simple and still build a good team, i was wondering how much in there budget are ASG willing 2 spend, but at the same time there no doubt luxury tax can’t be and issue.
GO HAWKS!!!!!!!!!
WTF
May 21st, 2010
11:39 am
Why hasn’t Elston Turner been interviewed for the Head Coaching Job yet? He’s been with rick Adleman for over 9 years. He uses Rick’s Read and React offense and desings the defesive schemes for Rick as well. RICK YOU BETTER INTERVIEW THIS GUY!
Turner and Merjle should be the front runners. Along with Marc Jackson.
We Need OFFENSE BABY!!!
WTF
May 21st, 2010
11:41 am
Dwayne who? Yeah because Carlisle has had TONS of post season success.I’m sure Casey would LOVE to run JJ ISO’s just like the guy he was under in seattle Nate McMillan. UGH!
NEXT!!!
WTF
May 21st, 2010
11:43 am
Tom Thibideau??? Guess we have to wait till they finish in the ECF. They get a week off befor the finals so thet’ll be a good time to interview him. He should also be a frontrunner for the job.
darrell starks
May 21st, 2010
11:45 am
Casey in my opinion is not the answer but sometime people opinion could be a tap over board when it come 2 valuing the ability of a coach, but like i have always said AVERY woul be my first choice.
GO HAWKS!!!!!!!!
The Flash
May 21st, 2010
11:45 am
Gearon’s ambivolence about resigning JJ proves what I’ve been saying all along–he created a false crisis by insisting that Phoenix would match unless they got the two one-picks in order to pick a fight with Belkin. Now that Belkin is gone, and even after JJ delivered, Gearon doesn’t want to pay him? Laughable.
Only, I don’t think that JJ is going to be all that attractive to other teams in the open market and here’s why. Actually, for those of you who were around when I used to be, this is no news. JJ kills offense in the half court because he occupies the ball and does nothing meaningful to help anyone else when he doesn’t have it. The next time he clears space, or simply gives it up easily without looking first for “his” will be the first.
No offenses can function optimally when the ball stops and stays in one guy’s hands so often, with the possible exception of break-dwon guards like Paul and Williams, but I do not think that even they occupy ball as much as JJ. So who will want to bring in a guy who is going to make everyone else on his team step back two or three steps in order to play with him? Not a team on the cusp of making a move, is my guess, and they are the ones who would pay the big bucks.
Nope, I don’t think that JJ is going to be particularly attractive in the off season. I just don’t see the team, the coach, who will want to build its offense around a ball occupier, no matter how good a scorer.
I might be surprised but I doubt that JJ’s old coach would be particularly interested in him for precisely the reason that Phoenix let him go in the first place which is the reason that I’ve just stated.
So, there will be a real temptation to resign JJ because the upward salary pressure will not be there. I would resist that pressure if I were the Hawks, and should not be surprised if Gearon does. Nor will I be surprised if no one from the Atlanta media questions Gearon about why he went out and literally gave away the farm for this guy during Atlanta’s building years, gave it away unnecessarily, and now that he is a proven scorer and All Star he doesn’t want to pay him.
Gearon would probably recite some drivel about how he needed JJ hear to attrack other signees, one would have to ask exactly who those signees might be of course but the media will never ask, and might even say something really disingenuous like JJ was at his best in Woodson’s system and now that Woodson is gone, we are looking to run more, yadayadayada.
The reality is that Gearon is likely not to resign JJ because he, JJ, has served his purpose, he got Gearon the team, and it is now time to make a straight up business decision, unlike at the beginning when the decision was filled with intrigue. Now that Atlanta has a real life and talented GM, in contrast to the puppet they had when the false drama around the JJ deal went down, the GM will prevail and JJ will be cut loose.
Even if Atlanta were to take a step back for a year in the immediate wake of JJ’s absence, depending who they sign that might very well not happen, its longterm success will be best served, in my view. They cannot win with the constraints that JJ imposes on the half court game and cannot run with him on the floor either.
By the way, if JJ is gone, I think that Williams immediately becomes a much more effective offensive weapon. He is precisely the type of forward that with or without the ball creates space and opportunities for others. Without JJ around, he will get many more touches in rhythm and be a much more effective scorer and creator for others.
If they let JJ go, look for them to keep Williams. Both together would be good moves.
By the way, if they had followed my advice on this board, they’d have had Steve Blake at lead guard for nothing the past years, Roy at shooting guard for a fraction of what they paid JJ, and Big Baby as anything he says. You add those guys to this team and you’d still be playing, right. I advocated for all three moves on this very board. Later.
Mike is Back
May 21st, 2010
11:49 am
MC, well we can write AJohnson off the list…he wants more than we can offer. I see where he is seeking dual roles…no chance of that happening here…I guess it will be Casey.
V
May 21st, 2010
11:50 am
The Hawks should trade Joe Johnson straight up for Dirk Norwinski provided Mark Cubin will approve that trade. That would make the Hawks instant contenders to make it to either the Eastern Conference Finals or the NBA Finals. Since Joe is so anxious to leave, let him leave but make damn sure you are getting at least equal value in return.
Todd
May 21st, 2010
11:55 am
Of all the potential candidates out there, I think the Hawks management should seriously take a look to Columbus native, former Mercer stand-out and NBA Coach of the year, Sam Mitchell. He’s a role model in terms of hustle, commitment and character.
PaulWinchester
May 21st, 2010
12:00 pm
Of all the potential candidates out there, I think the Hawks management should seriously take a look at Isiah Rider. Enough Said.
WTF
May 21st, 2010
12:05 pm
I think we should bring Sam Mitchell in as a Top assistant coach to either Elston Turner or Tom Thibedeau. Mitchell isn’t a great X’s and O’s guy but he’s great with players and has a no nonsese attitude and holds his players accountable. What have the Raptors done since he’s left? Calderon and T.J Ford look lost now. I also love his no layup policy, nothing pi$$ed him off more than his players giving up luyups lol.
da investigator
May 21st, 2010
12:07 pm
Bob, Bob Weiss, thats the ticket
WTF
May 21st, 2010
12:10 pm
Contrary to everything that’s out there, the Hawks are not looking to low-ball their new coach. If that were true, why would Avery Johnson (coming off a $4.5 million per Mavericks contract) agree to be interviewed? Why go through the process if he knows Atlanta won’t go any higher than the $2 million bogus number being circulated?
Maybe Dwane Casey and other assistants/start-up coaches (Dean Demopoulos /Mark Jackson) can’t command more than $2 million, but there’s probably another million or more on tap for someone like Johnson, who has been to the Finals.
According to fountains of misinformation, Casey is favored to fill vacancies with the Clippers and Hawks before even interviewing for either. L.A. continues to wait for Larry Brown to pick up one and leave the other behind (Bobcats or Paper Clips) now that it appears Doug Collins and the 76ers have reached an agreement.
Read more: http://www.nypost.com/p/sports/more_sports/abusing_amar_EWi6bwXq2q8aUcONz84WqL#ixzz0oa541jh4
Najeh Davenpoop
May 21st, 2010
12:17 pm
When they trade for Norwinski, should they ask for Karen Butler too?
darrell starks
May 21st, 2010
12:19 pm
MY CHOICE OF COACH IN ORDER
1.AVERY JOHNSON
2.BRYON SCOTT
3.BILL LAIMBEER
4.SAM MITCHELL
5.MICHAEL COOPER
GO HAWKS!!!!!!!!
Najeh Davenpoop
May 21st, 2010
12:21 pm
Out of all the names that have been thrown around, Thibodeau and Turner are the ones that impress me the most… of course, in true Hawks form, neither one even seems to be on the interview list.
Najeh Davenpoop
May 21st, 2010
12:26 pm
Dumars and Bird should both be on the hot seat. I wonder, looking at them, Kevin McHale, Elgin Baylor, and Isiah Thomas — all former superstars who were ineffective as GMs (although Dumars was great for his first five years on the job) — whether team owners have a tendency to give longer leashes to players with better resumes on the court.
O'Brien
May 21st, 2010
12:43 pm
Najeh,
I’ve been on the ‘Thibodeau deserves an interview” badwagon for a while, and I’m open to Turner too (he spent 9 years with Rick Adelman, who I think is a really good coach).
Brandon Roy was drafted by Portland, and he signed a 5 year $82 mil extension. JJ was signed by the Hawks and given 5 years, $70 mil, after we traded 2 first round picks, and Boris Diaw, and our ownership is in a fight because of the JJ signing.
Although JJ is healthier than Roy, Roy is younger, and I think Roy is the fourth best SG in the league, behind Kobe, Wade, and JJ.
So if I’m the Hawks, I’m making an offer to JJ at 12:01 July 1 in the 5 years, $85 – $90 mil range. But I would not offer him the max that the Hawks can offer (I think its 6 years, $119 mil with raises taken into account).
GonzoPalmeter
May 21st, 2010
12:46 pm
The Hawks should hire Mike Brown, currently coach of the Cleveland Cavs as their next head coach. Brown over the last 2 seasons has records of 66-16, and 61-21 respectively, tops in the league. No coach can boast of comparable records over a 2 game stretch including Phil Jackson, Greg Popovich and Lenny Wilkins. BROWN WILL BE FIRED BEFORE THE END OF THE WEEKEND, SO THE HAWKS SHOULD FLY HIM INTO ATLANTA, INTERVIEW HIM AND OFFER HIM THE JOB BEFORE SOMEONE ELSE TAKES HIM.
Navigator
May 21st, 2010
1:08 pm
Mike Brown is probably the best candidate out there (if he gets released). He was able to get Cleveland to play together as a team, already one step up from where the Hawks are now. J.J. is what he was when he came here, a player that won’t be on a championship team for his whole career. There are J. J.’s spread all over the league, and every 2-4 years they change teams, because the new team thinks they can change the personality and attitude, but that never happens. Ball hogs will now and forever be ball hogs, period.
Big Ray
May 21st, 2010
1:10 pm
I see somebody let the village muck raker loose on the blog this morning…
Grandad
May 21st, 2010
1:13 pm
da investigator: [alias / ' 'Hatter' ']
“Grandad do you have pokey’s Charlie Pride Greatest Hits?”
Naw, but I have ‘ Conway Twitty’s ‘ – ”greatest hits” !
I do have Charlie Pride’s single [45] wax,
” kiss an Angel Good Mornin’ ”
thanks for askin’.
Grandad
May 21st, 2010
1:19 pm
Big Ray:
I have a mental image:
He’s blogging away while three guys
are chasing him with butterfly nets.
MadHatter
May 21st, 2010
1:19 pm
I know this is going to sound silly but MARVIN WILLIAMS SHOULD BE OFFERED THE COACHING JOB OF THE ATLANTA HAWKS. MARVIN IS DOING ABSOLUTELY NOTHING IN BALL GAMES AND IM SURE HE IS BORED TO DEATH. Put Marvin in the front office and get Marvin to make himself useful as the next head coach for the Atlanta Hawks.
Big Ray
May 21st, 2010
2:01 pm
The Flash ,
Been a long time since I’ve heard that voice. You still speakin’ the truth…
Grandad ,
That is too funny…
Grandad
May 21st, 2010
2:03 pm
I’ve tried to post about Ryan Richards @ the combine
6 or 8 times. The ‘Blog Gobbler’ is eating everything
I post. He’s interesting.
nique
May 21st, 2010
2:07 pm
great analysis actually backed up by the objective. pretty hard to conclude that the hawks would be better off in the short term without jj. makes the coaching selection critical to the hawks chances of taking it to the next level. sure hope they pick someone who can motivate these guys and teach them to play d.
Grandad
May 21st, 2010
2:14 pm
Why in the crap do they let manure on here
all the time and I can’t post simple info
about Ryan Richards?
Grandad
May 21st, 2010
2:16 pm
RR
6-11
euro from England
tremendous wingspan
lefty
Afro – English
Grandad
May 21st, 2010
2:18 pm
AH Ha !!!
Got it on.
Illiterate
but
sneaked it through
succinct.
dap01
May 21st, 2010
2:20 pm
If Woody had LeBron, he would be a good of a coach as Mike Brown.
MadHatter
May 21st, 2010
2:45 pm
I remember when the playoffs started everybody in the media was IMPRESSED with the Orlando Magic saying they were much improved from last year because they now that Vince “the Price”; “Half Man Half Amazing” Carter and therefore their team is better than it was last year. My response to that was any team that has Vince Carter on it will be dragged down into the gutter. I was right! Vince was on the line the other night and forgot how to make free throws as he hoisted up his two BRICK shots missing badly. Shades of Nick Anderson blowing a finals series for the Magic decades ago. The Magic are a much better team with Heidu Turkelu and Rafer Alsten instead of Vince Carter. Vince is one of the most pathetic, underachieving, wannabe basketball players Ive ever seen. His legacy will be that he comes up small in the big games and ALWAYS CHOKES IN CRUCH TIME. Heidu Turkelu, on the other hand, will make the Hall of Fame as a first ballot hall of famer. The Magic made it to the finals last year primarily because of one man: Heidu Turkelu. Without Turkelu this year, the MAGIC WONT MAKE IT TO THE FINALS. Heidu, according to very reliable basketball sources, including myself, is one of the TOP FIVE SKILLED BASKETBALL PLAYERS IN THE NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION. The Magic were too cheap to give Heidu a decent contract and therefore they will miss the finals this year because they were too stingy with their money to continue progressing and getting better. The Magic front office was too dumb and stupid to recognize Turkelu’s value and now the Magic are missing the Magic that Turkelu brought to their team.
Michael Cunningham
May 21st, 2010
2:48 pm
@Grandad: online folks tell me you had trouble posting a comment. i couldn’t find it in the filter, so not sure what happened. all of your other comments seem to be posting fine. anyway, wanted to let you know i did try.
Grandad
May 21st, 2010
2:50 pm
Joe Mama = ”Hatter”
I never said:
Of whom I was speaking.
Also, I never said:
”LMAO”
CajunStorm
May 21st, 2010
2:52 pm
PG – Teague/Bibby
SG – Joe Johnson
SF – LeBron James
PF – Josh Smith
C – Al Horford
Bench
PG – Teague/Bibby
SF – Maurice Evans
PF/C – Zaza Pachulia
PF/C – Zydrunas Illgaskus (mid-level exception)
This = NBA Championship! why is this not discudssed. The Hawks have the pieces to make this work. Jamal Crawford (20pts/game and expiring contract), Marvin Williams and a draft pick in a sign and trade for LBJ. LeBron, if leaving, is not going to a team that traded their A pieces in order to get him and he wouldn’t want to leave Cleveland with nothing. NO OTHER TEAM can offer this to Cleveland and LeBron couldn’t find a better scenario than this still young team. We would still be under the dang luxury tax until Al resigns and then everyone is locked up for 5+ years to try to get 2-4 rings.
ASG…Phillips would be packed every night AND most importantly ya’ll would actually make MONEY!!! Push this folks!!! It SHOULD happen!!!
BigCaliDawg
May 21st, 2010
2:52 pm
JJ let his mouth write a check his a*s couldn’t cash. Both he and Woody helped get us to where we are today, but I feel that JJ will have a career similar to that of Jamaal, in that he will produce within the midst of mediocrity. We need to get him up out with the quickness.
We need a banger. We need a banger. Not Joe Smith, Not Collins, we need a big body who ain’t scerd. He need only rebound, bloody noses, and not become incarcerated. That is all.
Grandad
May 21st, 2010
2:55 pm
Measurements are in – TS you’ll enjoy this:
Aldrich only 6-9…6-11+ (shoes) [lifts]
Stanley Robinson only 6-6+
Luke Babbitt only 6-4+
Their draft stock just went South.
Still perusing / back later !
Grandad
May 21st, 2010
3:02 pm
Thanks Michael / I snuck it thru ! (dif. wording, sorta)
Keep up the good work, I don’t blame you.
Hey, see if Mr. Sund has any interest in Tom Thibodeau?
mario
May 21st, 2010
3:07 pm
hey cunningham…if sund said he would sign lebron and go over kuxury tax..why no sign DWade..he wanted to leave miami. and the hawks w/o joe are better than the heat.so Wade would love toplay here… .so put wade on the hawks and we become legit title contenders wit a new coach ..(avery johnson).
mario
May 21st, 2010
3:10 pm
also get rid of mo evans..every time he is on the break in a big game…he either misses the layin or gets blocked…we can get more out 2.5 million…
Grandad
May 21st, 2010
3:12 pm
Joe Mama – You who?
Ramon
May 21st, 2010
3:24 pm
Am I the only one who thinks Channing Frye will be overrated and overpaid this summer when he’s a free agent? I truly hope its not Atlanta who overpays for him.
O'Brien
May 21st, 2010
3:31 pm
Grandad,
SF is the position I would look at first, and the hawks may need to look at SGs too, just in case they lose jj or trade Crawford. I wonder if ‘big game’sJames Anderson will be an option at 224.
the good thing is there are free agent options for the hawks to look at. Rick sund jut has to make the right signing.
Grandad
May 21st, 2010
3:31 pm
Luke Babbitt amended – 6-7.5 (socks) / almost 6-9(shoes)
Ramon:
I’m sure he stays with PHX.
He’s found a home. [Frye]
Dexter Pittman’s brother shot to death,
last eve. (Houston, Tx) Prayers everyone.
northcyde
May 21st, 2010
3:40 pm
mario
May 21st, 2010
3:07 pm
hey cunningham…if sund said he would sign lebron and go over kuxury tax..why no sign DWade..he wanted to leave miami. and the hawks w/o joe are better than the heat.so Wade would love toplay here… .so put wade on the hawks and we become legit title contenders wit a new coach ..(avery johnson).
********************
Mario . . he said IF he could sign Lebron, he’d go over the Luxury Tax. We can only get one of those big named stars if we sign and traded for them, And any sign and trade for a big star would mean the immediate trade of Josh Smith and at least one other high salary player. And we would have to hope that the big star WANTS TO COME TO ATLANTA, instead of those other places.
Any team involved in a sign and trade with us, would probably want both Josh Smith and Al Horford. If we did that, why would Lebron want to come to ATL, when he could go to Chicago and play with a better team?
JoJo the Godfather
May 21st, 2010
3:43 pm
Is Cousins impressive enough for the Hawks to trade Josh Smith for Yi Jianlian and the 3rd pick in the draft? It would save the Hawks $4M in salary, would move Horford to PF, would give us a 7-ft finesse PF off the bench in Yi, and Cousins could back up Pachulia with someone like Johan Petro signed for depth.
Teague / Bibby / #24 Pick
Johnson / Crawford
Williams / Childress
Horford / Jianlian
Pachulia / Cousins / Petro
newkid
May 21st, 2010
3:44 pm
A cameo by ‘The Flash’? Still keeping it real I see. Flash, what’s the sentiment in DC with respect to Agent Zero’s departure with the anticipated arrival of The Great Wall? Any insight on who Ernie might entice (Mark Cuban?) to take on that huge contract and bad pub?
Big Ray
May 21st, 2010
3:55 pm
What is the Red District, and why is they attaching my name to it? Whoever is asking me clearly knows more about it than I do…
Newkid ,
I say “good luck” to Grunfield where Arenas is concerned. That’s a lose-lose situation all the way around, but they stand to lose worse if he sticks around. Better get ready to bite the bullet.
Who is suggesting we must rebuild? Even if we lose Joe, we’re not rebuilding (though re-tooling will not be easy). Dang, all we did is change coaches. Personally, I see that as a positive…