Atlanta Hawks: Shaq open to joining Hawks (UPDATE: Shaq hasn’t heard from Hawks)
Shaq provides muscle but also potential headaches.
Tim Povtak of FanHouse reports that the Hawks have offered Shaquille O’Neal a two-year contact starting at the full mid-level exception. That figure is pegged to the league average salary and won’t be known until the league completes its audit this week but should come in at about $5.5 million for the first season.
I can confirm at least the Shaq half of this story: He’d be interesting in playing for the Hawks, according to a person with knowledge of his free-agent desires. But a person familiar with Atlanta’s plans said it’s doubtful the team has made such an offer this early in the free-agent process. (UPDATE: Shaq’s agent, Perry Rogers, says he hasn’t heard from the Hawks.) The Hawks are seeking a bulky center, and ASG is said to be willing to use the mid-level exception and pay some luxury tax if necessary to do so, but so far it doesn’t appear the Hawks have decided whom else to target after re-signing J.J.
Shaq, 38, just finished the least productive of his 18 seasons. He’s certainly a more physical deterrent in the post than anyone the Hawks have now, and his blocks and rebounds numbers are still pretty good. But Zaza’s production actually compares decently when adjusted for minutes and when accounting for Shaq’s much higher usage rate. And if Shaq were to play a major role for the Hawks it would mean less minutes in the lineup for Al and/or Smoove, who are more effective players.
If the Hawks are looking to make a buzz as Potvak suggests (”They also could use O’Neal’s star appeal to help create some much needed interest in the franchise,” he writes) then Shaq can still do that. But they should be careful what they wish for in that regard. The Hawks are looking to create a more serious and dedicated culture for the team with a first-year coach, and I can tell you from firsthand experience that Shaq probably isn’t going to help that effort. His approach is that of an 18-year vet with four rings and a nonchalant view of the regular season.
If Shaq came to Atlanta, it wouldn’t be long before he’s telling teammates and media that the Hawks simply need to be dominant at home and .500 on the road and everything will be OK. When L.D. says the Hawks need to play with more energy and effort every night to make it a habit, Shaq at some point would suggest the Hawks don’t really need to worry until March. When the Hawks lose games they shouldn’t and slide down the standings, Shaq would shrug and say they just need to hold onto homecourt advantage for the first round and everything will be cool. And if Shaq becomes unhappy with his playing time, then I don’t need to tell you Shaq is not going to be quiet about it.
If the Hawks signed Shaq, he would instantly become the biggest presence in the locker room, the guy with the most cred and the biggest voice. In addition to deciding if Shaq could still help them on the floor, the Hawks would have to be sure this team is ready to handle his off-court influence.
MC
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656 comments Add your comment
Knowledge Quest
July 6th, 2010
12:26 am
I for one am glad there is no sleaze tonight and we are all back on subject….the Hawks!
I like what you are saying mshawkdefied but the only problem is the PF position is not big enough for two starters. Either Al Or Josh will have to go in the long run. I guess JJ will have to decide since its his team.
You will still have to switch if Al’s charged with protecting the rim because we have to rotate to help him because he cant defend the rack.
Tony
July 6th, 2010
12:27 am
MC…all of the talk about Shaq in the locker room may have been true from your standpoint, and furthermore, it could have been legitimate. Shaq has rings and he is a future hall of famer with lots to bring to the Hawks. At first people were talking about JJ not being vocal, now we are interested in Shaq and he would be too vocal. The hypocrisy continues. Shaq is the absolute prototype center for the ages. He is a ballplayer first, and will undoubtedly use his professionalism to blend in with this team and help them reach their ultimate goal. Sign him now, or you’ll regret his “services” this year.
PD
July 6th, 2010
12:28 am
That’s too much!
Obama
July 6th, 2010
12:29 am
An you wonder why the hawks suk and will lose again this year.
macaroni tony
July 6th, 2010
12:31 am
MW, Bibby and Mo Evans for Carmelo that would be great for the Hawks. @ MC would their pay add up to make that trade work?
that would make our line up
Teague
JJ
Carmelo
JS
Al
or
Teague
JJ
Carmelo
Al
Shaq
@ Josh that’s giving up too much for CP3, that would be a very bad trade. And by the way why can’t we see what Teague can do before we give all that up? I’m hyped about whats going in the FA now
Tony
July 6th, 2010
12:32 am
…just had a thought…who, who could stop the Hawks low post game with Shaq, Horford, and J-Smoove…wow! JJ, Crawford and Crawford, Evans, Bibby (if still around) would be lights out on the perimeter with such a low post. Where are the BB minds?
northcyde
July 6th, 2010
12:32 am
Emir . . I believe Najeh pointed this out earlier. But you could still start Shaq here, just as long as Josh Smith is playing more minutes off the bench.
You could still easily get Smoove his 30 – 34 minutes a game, even if he’s not a starter, ala what Jamal Crawford did last year. You’d start Shaq at the beginning of the 1st and 3rd quarters. Play him spot minutes in the 2nd and 4th quarters. If he’s playing well, or if the matchup determines it . . let Shaq end the game at center. But as you saw in Cleveland, he wasn’t always on the floor at the end of the game.
But it would be up to Josh Smith to accept a Lamar Odom-esque role, in which he serves as the change of pace off the bench.
To me, being the starter isn’t as important as who is finishing the game. Against teams like the Lakers and Orlando though, Shaq would definitely be my choice as a starter.
LOL @ Stephen A. . . saying that Shaq would love ATL, but we’d have to pay more than the mid-level to get him. Did he even consider that we may give him a multi-year contract?
But as I think of this . . I’m sure the Russian in New Jersey may go way over the top of the MLE to acquire Shaq, especially if the Nets get shut out in free agency.
James
July 6th, 2010
12:35 am
The Hawks should trade Josh Smith and sign Tyrus Thomas.
Not N-Trigue
July 6th, 2010
12:37 am
Did James pose as N-trigue?
True Atlanta Fan
July 6th, 2010
12:38 am
I do not understand why people actually think ASG would give up the two players that are top 10 in their position (Al and Josh). The way it looks both the Nuggets and Hornets presidents have made statements that Melo and CP3 will be with the organization for at least the next year. If we’re not trading for those two why is their even a possibility that we would trade away the core of our team?
macaroni tony
July 6th, 2010
12:38 am
@ James look at TT stats and look at JS stats. The only player to have 100 steals & blocks last year. TT is on the bench in Charlotte.
macaroni tony
July 6th, 2010
12:43 am
The Hawks also do not want to mess too much with a team that won 53 games in the regular season, even though Atlanta was taken apart by Orlando in the second round. There have been murmurs that the Hawks are shopping forward Josh Smith, who had one of his best seasons last year. However, a source with knowledge of the Hawks’ thinking said that the team would only contemplate moving Smith for a major, star player at power forward.
Now that Johnson is back in the fold, Atlanta’s major change for next season will be getting more playing time for second-year point guard Jeff Teague, who will likely take up many of the minutes from veteran Mike Bibby.
Wink
July 6th, 2010
12:45 am
@MC
Again I will say that speculation on your part, recent history aside. There is no way that you or anyone else who may have knowledge of recent history can say it will perpetuate to the Hawks locker room.
Often times the truth is too hard to take, thus it may appear to be a disruption. I believe it was reported that Horford himself considers himself a PF not a Center, would this make Horford a disruptive force in the locker room, since we count on him to play Center (at an All Star level)….hmmm. Speculate on that!
Tony
July 6th, 2010
12:47 am
Northclyde so true…and Boston did same with their bigs…people underestimate the value of a Shaq. The Hawks were beaten this year because the middle was an open door. Atlanta with Shaq seals the door shut, which would allow people to see how good JJ really is. He has been limited to being the playmaker without a distraction in the middle. Also by acquiring another playmaker (Crawford, in the draft), Atlanta is getting deeper with shooters, playmakers. Start Shaq, Horford, JSmoove, JJ, and Bibby, Crawford, or Teague (must play more).
nash
July 6th, 2010
12:49 am
I know that Al Jefferson is on the market but dudes lives on the IR list. Has anyone else considerred that maybe Jamal Crawford is the odd guard out because there are 6 on the roster. Or maybe the hawks are looking to move Marvin and bring Chills back, or keep Marvin and move Chills and Crawford. Shaq is not going to give the Hawks what they need at this point in his career because of his slow feet, lack of hustle, and over all build up body. Years of hack a Shaq have taken their toll, and I am surprised he still wants to play. Is Shaq going broke or something?
Dr. Warren
July 6th, 2010
12:54 am
Let’s hope this isn’t true.
Terrell
July 6th, 2010
12:54 am
If we get Shaq then Al will be the starting PF with Smoove either learing how to shoot and move him to the 3 or we trade him. Al has a better jumper, is just as good a rebounder, a better one-on-one defender, and just an overall better player. I love Josh Smith but if I have to chose flashy dunks and roover defense over man-to-man defense, leadership, and consistency I’ll take the latter and that’s Big Al. I would like to keep both but if we get a true Center I don’t see it.
Dink
July 6th, 2010
1:09 am
Sign Shaq period….we all sat at the games with power centers and watched us get dominated in the pint. In case anyone missed it, Shaq DID help the CAVS.
J.J.M.
July 6th, 2010
1:13 am
hawks are not going to move horford to PF this a known fact they said on nbatv that they want to keep horford at center and let shaq come off the bench…this was said on nba gametime earlier…I just dont get the hawks at all. why are they trying to trade for? isnt he our best player? shouldnt we be trying to trade marvin even though we might not get much for him? why are they still looking for point guards? do they not believe in teague? if not what was the reason for drafting him? hawks have wasted so many draft picks it doesnt make any sense what so ever..if they trade josh I will be fan but will not attend any games anymore
Ken Strickland
July 6th, 2010
1:16 am
Why would anyone even think of trading JSmith for CAnthony? DEF, not OFF, was our major problem, even with MBibby and MWilliams having a sub par yr. While CAnthony is a far better OFF player than Josh, he plays little DEF and doesn’t measure up to JSmith in a single remaining category.
With HC LDrew dumping Woodson’s beloved switching DEF for a more traditional DEF, which keeps our front court players near the basket instead of on the perimeter, our rebounding issues will automatically improve. And let’s not over emphasize this DHoward issue. He’s very ineffective beyond the 6-8ft range, so pressuring the ball and making him come out of his range to get the entry pass will help neutralize his effectiveness.
If we effectively pressure the ball and the entry passes, it makes it more difficult for their players to hang out at the 3pt line waiting for Dwight to kick it out to them. Orlando didn’t kill us with their 3pt shooting, they killed us with pick and rolls and lobs by JNelson to DHoward after slipping off his pick.
Some of you simply have to face the fact that MWoodson didn’t know, understand, and/or couldn’t teach OFF or DEF fundamentals. That’s why he made no changes or adjustments for either, and simply blamed the teams OFF and DEF failures on the players lack of effort, rather than his lack of preparation.
And for those negative minded individuals who want to make an issue of LDrews so called experimental OFF, which no one else is running, answer this. How many NBA titles have been won by the Bulls and Lakers while running the TRIANGLE OFF, which was also an experimental OFF that no one else in the NBA was running at the time?
Najeh Davenpoop
July 6th, 2010
1:17 am
What exactly is this blog’s infatuation with Tyrus Thomas? He’s like a more inconsistent, less talented version of Smoove. How exactly will he help the Hawks?
Najeh Davenpoop
July 6th, 2010
1:21 am
Al Jefferson is no more of a center than Al Horford.
northcyde
July 6th, 2010
1:36 am
LOL @ ESPN . . . mentioning that Shaq potentially a Celtic, before talking about the Hawks. The entire rumor was about us . . but their “source” says that he could be a Celtic.
Hatin azz network.
bootsey
July 6th, 2010
1:41 am
lets see any guys that doesnt want Shaq in Atl just have to be Shaq haters, how in the hell could you not want one of the greatest centers there has ever been in the NBA, not a one of you cannot name a better often for the Hawks, the do not have a damn center point blank even an old Shaq will be better than anything the Hawks can put on the floor and hell for 5.5 million dollars give me a break that is a steal, if you would have give Woodsen a true center who knows where the Hawks could be right now, now you are stuck with a new no name coach
and for the other half of you guys who are mad for the Hawks signing Joe Johnson get real where in the hell else do you think you will get athat caliibur of a player to come here, JJ is this teams best player and damn right he took the money the Hawks had no other option if he left then you would be sitting there looking stupid and not making the playoff for damn sure so stop crying and sign Shaq
Najeh Davenpoop
July 6th, 2010
1:42 am
If the Hawks want Shaq, though, they better act quickly before LeBron decides where he wants to go. If he chooses to stay in Cleveland, the Cavs would have the inside track on signing Shaq, since they can go over the mid-level to keep him in a Cavs uniform.
andrew
July 6th, 2010
1:43 am
how about signing shaq, trading josh smith for chris kaman, and trading marvin williams for turkoglu
u cant tell me the hawks wouldnt be better for thet
get rid of the bust and the immature, all of a sudden the hawks look better
other names the hawks need to look into include shane battier, tayshaun prince, nene, cp3 (worth a try)
i also dont want to see jason collins or joe smith back next season either
bottom line here is the hawks need a legitimate center OR 2 as in shaq and kaman/nene!!!! and a small forward who can actually change the complexion of a game like a turkoglu or battier
horford needs to play at the 4
we need some actual centers and a small forward
i say ditching marvin and smith and picking up 2 centers and a small forward would make the hawks close to a 60 win team and a definite contender for reaching the nba finals next season
Knowledge Quest
July 6th, 2010
1:45 am
Actually if Al can get his ego out of the way and realize he’ll never be the playmaker or power forward that josh is accept his bench role backing up Josh then he may be able to stay after next year. Other wise trade his sorry 12pt career allowing 60% of the guys who drive on him to score azzzs! We dont need his 12 pts agame anyway. Why do we need Al anyway?
~~MAC-ToWN~~ (Area Code 478)
July 6th, 2010
1:45 am
You can find most of ESPN’s sources about the same place you can find those grilled burgers you ate from the 4th of July a little while afterwards
ReddJonn68
July 6th, 2010
1:46 am
This whole blog is crazy. If any true Hawk fan who doesn’t think we could use another BIG is madd. ZaZa is a wasted contract, if we can get any productive BIG – whether Shaq, Al , or whoever we have a spot waiting for them. Come one come all BIGS ” Help Wanted in ATL” this should not even be debatable. Goodnight Hawks Fans !!!
andrew
July 6th, 2010
1:47 am
i think we all agree marvin williams needs to go
josh smiths trade value is high, so we can get a solid player for him
if this all starts with signing shaq, we know we will need another center as shaq can only play half a game and bringing in another center like nene or kaman would make us great
look at the lakers, they got gasol, bynum, and odom
we could have shaq, kaman/nene, and horford oh yeah
our backcourt is fine
the last piece would be to pick up a nice scorer/defender at the wing and we would be ready to kick everyones arse
Knowledge Quest
July 6th, 2010
1:48 am
I keep hearing you horford worshipers saying horford needs to play the 4. Excuse me. Hes not better than Josh. So tell me why should the second best forward on the team take the place of the best forward on the team?
andrew
July 6th, 2010
1:49 am
we could take a big risk also and trade josh smith for andrew bynum
Knowledge Quest
July 6th, 2010
1:50 am
We dont need a big, we need a center. A position player not a big body.
Knowledge Quest
July 6th, 2010
1:50 am
Or we could trade Al horford, marvin william and zaza for andrew bynum.
andrew
July 6th, 2010
1:51 am
i think shaq and bynum (healthy of course) would be devastating on the same team
trade marvin for somebody while you can and i dont see why turkoglu would not be into coming to the ATL to get back at the magic for trading him and leaving the dump of toronto
Knowledge Quest
July 6th, 2010
1:54 am
The triangle doesnt win ball games Kobe and Michael Jordan win ball games regardless of the name you want to give the offense. The bottom line is give the ball to mike or kobe. Its not really complicated.
Emir S.
July 6th, 2010
1:55 am
@KQ
Giving Horford for Bynum….along with Zaza and Marvin? I think thats like Golden State giving us Jamal Crawford for whatever we gave them. Acie Law and someone else, I can’t remember.
Awful trade.
andrew
July 6th, 2010
1:55 am
i think marvin williams and josh smith need to go in a trade
sign that fat shaq too
the one thing this tells me, is that lebron is not going back to cleveland
if he were, shaq wouldnt be strongly considering leaving for the hawks
Emir S.
July 6th, 2010
1:58 am
@andrew
From what I’ve understood, Shaq is’nt intrested in us. But we’re intrested in Shaq. Not saying that he isnt intrested, just saying I think we broke out first and admitted it.
theight
July 6th, 2010
2:01 am
Its simple and perfect. Same starting line up except put Bibby on the bench and start Teague. Shaq first center off the bench and ZaZa first power foward. Thats a hell of a second line up considering everybody are vets who has been starters most of their careers exlcuding Mo Evans.
andrew
July 6th, 2010
2:02 am
if the hawk do anything, i hope marvin williams and josh smith are shopped until they cant be shopped anymore
time to rid of the dead weight while we can
we need a legitimate center and josh smith could give us that in a trade for bynum or kaman or nene
marvin could allow us to bring in a vet who comes thru in the clutch like turkoglu
all im saying is a team with this starting 5 would kick ass
pg bibby
sg johnson
sf turkoglu
pf horford
c kaman
bench
zaza
mo evans
j crawford
j crawford
j teague
+ a signing of shaq
Ken Strickland
July 6th, 2010
2:03 am
It’s amazing to see some of the same people that are so upset at signing JJ to a max contract making a pitch for us to trade JSmith for AJefferson. Here’s what we’d end up with.
AJefferson PPG-17.1, RPG-9.3, APG-1.8, BPG-1.29, SALARY-$12.0m
AHorford PPG-14.2, RPG-9.9, APG-2.3, BPG-1.12 ” – 4.3m
JSmith PPG-15.7, RPG-8.7, APG-4.2, BPG-2.14 ” -$10.8m
As you can see, it would be financially disadvantagous to replace C AHorford($4.3M)with AJefferson($12M), as well as production wise(see above). Even if AHorford could match JSmith’s overall production, and we resigned him for $12M, we would be paying more for Jefferson and Horford, but not getting any more, if as much. You can’t reasonably expect AJefferson to score as much as the team #2 or #3 option.
andrew
July 6th, 2010
2:05 am
tukoglu would have to accept marvins contract of 7.5 million instead of the 9 mill he is making in toronto
kaman for smith is almost an even contract swap
also, teams over the salary cap can sign one mid-level exception once a year (shaqtus)
make it happen atlanta
if the hawks had ridded of joe johnson, could we have signed a max contract player?
Jay Dubu
July 6th, 2010
2:07 am
The very last thing that J Smooth needs is a vet like Shaq with a laid back attitude.
andrew
July 6th, 2010
2:08 am
my final say: the hawks are close to being a title contender
if we actually sign shaq, we better go after another center as well
marvin needs to be traded for a scorer/defender which is what most wing players are good for
draftin marvin over cp3 makes we want to puke
Truth-Serum
July 6th, 2010
2:10 am
I guess IP addresses dont lie like bloggers do. Thank you AJC for stopping the filth!
knowledge Quest
July 6th, 2010
2:15 am
Emir S.
July 6th, 2010
1:55 am
I think it was speedy claxton. Yea that worked well for us. Love to see more trades like that so yea. If they will take it go for it.
Mr. Boombastic
July 6th, 2010
2:24 am
I hope the rumors of the Hawks offering Shaq a deal aren’t true. I have the utmost respect for Shaq on the basketball court. He had an amazing career and is easily one of the greatest big men to ever play the game, but his best years are far, far behind him. I honestly think that Shaq should be considering retirement at this point. He has nothing left to prove. No one would take anything away form him if he retired at 38 years old.
Also, I really don’t see him fitting in with the Hawks at all. The Hawks benefit most from an uptempo style, and if what LD says is true, that’s the style they’ll be playing at next year. Shaq, at this point, would be terrible in that scenario, and I don’t think that his presence would be very effective on the defensive end anymore. You can post his per-36 or per48 minute stats, but you have to keep in mind that those are not accurate. There’s a reason that Shaq doesn’t play big minutes anymore, and his production wouldn’t be much higher at 40 minutes than it is at 26 minutes these days, but his body just isn’t as young as it used to be.
By the way, I’m all for getting a nice backup big for our bench, but lets face it, we’re not going to find anyone in this free agency who is a starting caliber center, or who is nearly as good as Al Horford. Big Al was named an all-star center this year for a reason, and the coaches who selected him know a lot more about the game of basketball and how effective a player is than just about everyone who cares to post on any basketball blog. So, it is safe to trust their decision.
With that being said, I don’t think there should be a huge concern over getting a high-quality back-up center at this point, when that is not the biggest need of the team. It would help, but I don’t think it’s the most critical factor right now. One more thing, I’ve heard a few arguments that the only big men Al really “struggles” against are Dwight Howard and Shaq. Shaq will be out of the league in a couple of years, and is in decline, so I don’t think we need to worry about him much, but in terms of Dwight Howard, lets come to grips with reality here….everyone “struggles” with Dwight Howard. And, that is not because Dwight is an exceptionally skilled offensive player. In fact, he has an extremely limited offensive game in terms of post moves and jump shots (he has no jump shots). The main problem with Dwight is his knack to hang around the basket for quick dunks, put-backs, and lobs. Those aspects can be tough to defend against when the referees give you free reign around the basket to be as physical as possible. Aside from Dwight, the only other legitimate center that would pose a significant problem would be Yao Ming, and he (obviously) is a problem for any human being to guard at 7′6″.So, really, there’s not much of a reason to spend massive resources to attempt to guard two players, which you are only going to face in limited match-ups during the years, and possibly not at all in the players. It’s nice to have a trick in your back pocket to throw at the competition when you are placed in one of those situations, but you don’t want to spend an abundance of money and jeopardize your team chemistry to have that opportunity.
tjhook
July 6th, 2010
2:25 am
If Shaq comes with the idea that the Hawks need a spark up their butt, I think he could be the voice they need to handle the ups and downs of the regular and postseason. Shaq will want to be seen as relevant (if not still dominant) and because he is still injury-prone you keep everyone else to see what improvement they make while he is here. If he’s willing to come, Shaq is a worthwhile risk. At the worst, we can bring in Siler as a project that can learn from Shaq during the year or two years he’d be on the team. Besides, I think Shaq would be the post threat that the team needs to show up occasionally.
pinoy hawk
July 6th, 2010
2:26 am
i don’t think shaq and bibby would get along … http://basketbawful.blogspot.com/2009/03/mike-bibby-in-shaqs-armpit-its-happened.html