Atlanta Hawks: Shaq and their summer struggles
Las Vegas–First the Shaq scuttlebutt, then the game. . .
The Marvin for Shaq sign-and-trade appears to be a non-starter. The Hawks have consistently said they like their core, and that includes Marvin. So they are not looking to move Marvin for Shaq when he’s playing under what they consider to be a reasonable contract for a starting 3 whom they still believe can blossom under L.D.
Shaq is pushing for the sign-and-trade because he wants to be paid above the mid-level exception–a person familiar with his thinking said Shaq wants something like $16 million for two years after seeing other free agent centers sign lucrative deals. Shaq also wants to start but it doesn’t look like he will get that or the money from Atlanta. In fact, after post-J.J. indications that the Hawks were willing to push their payroll above the luxury-tax threshold of $70.3 million, it’s becoming increasingly clear ASG wants to avoid paying the tax.
With their payroll at roughly $65 million, the Hawks aren’t likely to use the full mid-level exception of $5.8 million to add the minimum of three players they need to get to 13. So the challenge for GM Rick Sund is to add veteran impact players to the roster under those financial constraints. That means Brad Miller likely is out of Atlanta’s price range and they’ll have to wait and see which veteran centers are still around when the dust settles.
Unless Sund can somehow find an impact player at a bargain, Atlanta’s rotation in 2010-11 figures to look a lot like 2009-10. If that’s the case, Atlanta’s belief in its core group figures to be tested.
Spurs 89, Hawks 84
– This wasn’t a good effort for the Hawks. They got off to a slow start again and Lester Conner said he might change the lineup against Milwaukee tomorrow. Turnovers were the problem this time: seven in the first quarter, 15 at the half and 22 for the game. San Antonio recorded 17 steals, which is crazy even for Summer League.
– A rough outing for Teague, who had nine turnovers and once again rushed things at winning time. He just didn’t look all that into it at times, particularly when D-Leaguer Carldell “Squeaky” Johnson picked his pocket for a layup and blew by him for an assist on consecutive plays. “He didn’t take care of the ball and he didn’t run the team the way we’d like,” Conner said.
– It’s one thing for raw rookie Pape Sy to be bothered by ball pressure, another for Teague to look unnerved by it. “Just one of those games,” Teague said. “I think I am just going to start passing the ball up to the wings instead of bringing it up. It takes too long into the shot clock for to get the offense going . That’s how it’s going to be when I play with Joe and those guys, anyway.”
– In defense of Teague and the Hawks, they haven’t had much time to build any kind of cohesion. Conner said L.D.’s offense “might be too sophisticated for this group” because they keep abandoning the calls and freelancing. Then again, this wasn’t an opponent sending out NBAers like the Grizz did Monday. The Spurs sent out D-League free agents and led 52-36 at the half.
– The Hawks rallied again after halftime. They cut down on the turnovers and Teague, JC2 and Trey Gilder got going on offense. But the game got away from the Hawks when Teague jacked up a bricked 3-pointer, the Hawks fell asleep on D and allowed a James Gist dunk and then the Spurs got an offensive rebound on a missed free throw.
– It was another overall positive effort for Crawford., who scored 20 points while shooting 6 of 11. He didn’t draw many fouls at Xavier but earned seven free-throw attempts against San Antonio. Crawford spent some time at point guard and again showed good vision but also had a couple turnovers while forcing cross-court passes into traffic.
– Crawford’s talent is obvious. The Hawks just have to harness it. “He can score the basketball but he doesn’t know about shot selection yet,” Conner said. “That’s expected. We put him at point guard and they got into him.”
– Gilder looked pretty good on the wing. He’s got a slight build but he’s long, quick and smooth.
– The Hawks like Richard Hendrix’s physical game. He was strong on the block and also showed some pretty good footwork.
– After doing little against Memphis, RandMo came back with a strong effort.
– Sy was scratched with a sore right Achilles’. He said he injured it during the game Monday and most likely would sit out tomorrow vs. Milwaukee. James Augustine left the game due to a sprained ankle.
– I’m out, blog people.
MC
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334 comments Add your comment
Khao$
July 15th, 2010
11:40 am
MC, any truth to Stephen A’s tweets?
doc
July 15th, 2010
11:44 am
astro, what you said:
Oh, yeah, and all of those who said that Joe should have taken less money so that the team had more flexibility…the ONLY way you do that is if you have complete confidence that the money you leave on the table would be used on a player. So tell me, why would Joe think that if he left money on the table, the ASG would put it towards upgrading the talent on the roster? because they said so?
bears repeating.
heh heh
northcyde, no, fans dont get better teams by showing up and giving away their only tangible point to keep a team accountable, the dollars spent. if they spend i spend, if they dont and falter down the stretch and i am spending money on them then shame on me. any fan who boos thinking more is going to come of an inferior product after spending and after a declaration that they are going to man up and make this a truly better team it is their lack of discernment with their entertainment dollar, their stupidity. that is all it is, no obligation on my part or entitlement for them which at times you make it sound like. sorry, i disagree on the entitlement part. remember it has been their words not mine, that set any expectation for improvement northcyde. follow the money to know where these guys hearts lie.
♥Mz. Hawkdafied♥
July 15th, 2010
11:46 am
I have never said Teague should start. I just thought that he should get more playing time. Honestly I was still thinking of Mike Bibby as part of the core. Does it really matter who starts? As a fan I just want what works best for the team.
So from this point forward I’m like whatever. Work it out then Hawks organization.
♥Go Hawks!♥
northcyde
July 15th, 2010
11:49 am
Doc . . the product has improved tremendously. 34 home wins last year . . .90 home wins in the last 3 years. The concern this year is that all of the teams above and around us are upgrading, so we fans feel like we should be upgrading too. But I be damn if I bail out on this team right now. NO way. Not after watching all of those sub .500 teams we had to endure for 8 years straight. I’m not bailing on them now, when they’re actually a good ( but not great ) team.
That would be like U. of Georgia football fans not supporting the Bulldogs, simply because they can’t get into the SEC title game, but still put a pretty good product out on the field.
Najeh Davenpoop
July 15th, 2010
12:07 pm
I am also worried about Teague’s mentality based on his comments, but he would have to have a nervous breakdown for me to consider Bibby a better starting option than him. Hopefully Larry Drew can get that straightened out.
jeff
July 15th, 2010
12:08 pm
Gotcha- Did the legalize weed yet? If not you need to stop smoking it.
northcyde
July 15th, 2010
12:15 pm
The other thing about the Shaq situation is that if we don’t get him, one of the East contenders may get him. So we may have to still deal with this dude, whether he’s with us . .or against us. Don’t blink ASG.
As Detective Alonzo Harris ( Denzel Washington in Training Day ) once said. . .
“The ish’s CHESS . . it ain’t CHECKERS!!”
David Crockett
July 15th, 2010
12:16 pm
Ok if we trade marvin for shaq. Then we are looking at
shaq zaza
al
josh evans
joe crawford
teague bibby
how come we didnt try to trade evans to sign chill marvin makes about what 7 million shaq wants 8 so its only a million more. chill got 5 year 34 million minus evans contract its only about 4,5 million more. Had they not given joes so damn much we could of had a very deep line up
5 shaq zaza
4 al vet
3 josh chill
2 joe crawford
1 teague bbby
ICECOLD
July 15th, 2010
12:17 pm
Man…. if the hawks lose in the second round again… they need to go back, retire woody…. and then fire woody !!!!!
Lol.
But seriously. If he would have gave teague some minutes, we wouldn’t be second guessing if he can play point guard. So even though u are gon woody. All this is still blamed on u!! This is all your fault. Because if u would have had a better offense , we wouldn’t still have to wonder if Marvin could play!!!
So still. It’s
FIRE WOODY !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
David Crockett
July 15th, 2010
12:19 pm
im sure we could trade bibby…they should of done that and went after some one like rdnour or duhon….cheaper and around the same production if not more
terrell
July 15th, 2010
12:22 pm
Just read that Jo Crawford used to play some pg. Interesting.
TheAntiMe
July 15th, 2010
12:26 pm
It’s easy to think that the reason that the ASG isn’t spending any money this offseason is due to the Joe Johnson contract. Personally, I don’t think that they would be spending any money even if Joe had signed elsewhere.
I remember reading a quote somewhere during the 2nd round of this year’s playoffs that the Hawks were the only team left in either conference who wasn’t currently paying the luxury tax. If that is true then it really appears that the lame ASG has no real desire to provide the means to make the Hawks a title contender.
I suppose that it was foolish of me to believe that they would actually follow through on all of their talk about paying the tax and doing whatever else it takes to get the team past the 2nd round of the playoffs.
In fairness to the ASG, there still is time for them to follow through on making meaningful upgrades to the Hawks but, as many of you good folks out there have probably already figured out before now, it appears that the ASG is just going to go with what they got and hope to get lucky and have a good player fall into their lap on the cheap either through free agency or via a lucky trade. That, as well as, hoping that the new coaching regime can provide most of the improvement to get them out of round 2.
It looks like the ASG is going with the just cross your fingers, think happy thoughts and hope for the best approach as it doesn’t appear that they are planning to invest any tangible assets into the Hawks anytime in the near future. Very much a buzzkill.
At least I do have high hopes that Jordan Crawford and Jeff Teague will help improve the Hawks this coming season. (Being that Teague was rarely, if ever, utilized in a meaningful way this past season, it’s almost like having two new 1st round draft picks join the team.) At least, to me, it seems that the potential is there in the youngest Hawks.
David Crockett
July 15th, 2010
12:26 pm
I think Jo crawford could play some pg…he is basically a rookie version of Jamal…which makes now the time to groom him into what jamal isnt
northcyde
July 15th, 2010
12:27 pm
Icecold . . . is it possible that Woody already thought that?
People have to start looking at these players as individuals, and stop believing that a coach can control all of their actions, like he has an X-Box controller. Teague has the ability. But does he have the mentality? That’s what people are concerned about now. The ability has always been there, but he has to BELIEVE in himself that he can do it.
Summer league scrubs can’t frustrate him to the point in which he’s willing to give the ball up.
terrell
July 15th, 2010
12:29 pm
Ryan, if Amare wouldn’t of left the Suns, they would’nt have Childress and Turk.
tidog
July 15th, 2010
12:31 pm
Whinedog and your 85% of nba teams came from ?
moboman
July 15th, 2010
12:33 pm
Teague has the ball handling and driving tools, if he gets the mentality of the posn, and most importantly, if he can shoot, he will be fine. A PG with no jumper will set us back to the Chillz days when we played 4 against 5 on offense while the defense slacked away from him. Our improvement with Bibby the past coupla years, despite his defensive falloff, is based on his ability to nail the three at a high percentage. That alone completely changes the defensive strategy. Shaq down low and Bibby out on the perimeter would make a nice combo IMO.
drmaryb
July 15th, 2010
12:40 pm
doc
Yes Sirrr! Tell Em’ Bruh. That was worth repeating. Dang! I forgot what you were repeating? I got so fired up when I read your last post!
Doc, can you believe this ISH? What are they doing over there?
Shopping for pig – tails & hot sauce to go with these collard greens?
Go – Figure!
KevinM
July 15th, 2010
12:44 pm
Let me ask a dumb question: I know all these guys get guarantees, but why can’t we offer Shaq incentives for wins/minutes/all-star appearance that gives him the $$ he is looking for…what’s wrong with that? I know he shouldn’t have to prove himself, but its up to Sund to make the numbers work.
So far
- we have saved $$ on pick 31 which could have been Gani Lawal
- we get a TPE from the Childress giveaway
- we are told the ASG will do what it takes to move us to the next level.
So far, Reality Check has said it best…no changes appears to be the consensus so far….yes, its still early to form a roster, and we probably promote the bench changes going forward, but man, watching player after player with some game siging elsewhere is frustrating. Sund isn’t outbidding anyone for an employee.
Getting specific now….
Jeff-I know you didn’t promote any of those minimum salary centers, but that is our picking order and I can show you how to save the ASG 1M for each of those guys.
Freshmaker – These Hawks with LD will be lucky to be 3rd in our division as we watch Orlando and Miami move further ahead of us. No doubt in my mind if we don’t bring in a big factor.
Samuel – LD’s philosophy is apparently different than Woody’s. Other than that, all of us would just be guessing.
Astro Joe – I haven’t given up on Teague just yet. And that name, Marcus Williams conjurs up what I thought about him, and that he was a can’t miss. I still thinks he is better than he shows,but I guess that is why we keep Marvin here as well.
NorthCyde – I don’t blame Joe one dollar, I would not have taken that long to sign that offer. I just think neither side considers the long term ramifications that this does to this team. GIve me Joe and 4 years, I am fine. Those extra 2…no thx. But really, Joe should just not talk and play. For all of us looking to save his energy for the playoffs….forget him….make him play every minute if that is the only way for us to win.
jeff
July 15th, 2010
12:46 pm
We didn’t sign Chills for $30 million because he isn’t worth it. He was a bench player that wasn’t an all-star when he was. Chills isn’t the answer for us and never was. Look at his stats for the proof
Michael Cunningham
July 15th, 2010
12:47 pm
@N-Trigue: “Is it any chance that we go after Scola from Houston?”
he’s RFA. the Rockets have said they will match any offers and the Hawks can’t make one large enough, anyway, if they are really intent on avoiding the tax. Rockets were asking for a lot in sign-and-trade scenarios including Scola so i doubt that’s a possibility.
tidog
July 15th, 2010
12:52 pm
Truth-Serum, bull expeletive. The AJC and everyone in Fulton County thought signing Joe Smith last summer was the 2nd coming of the messiah and he was just what was needed off the bench/role player.
David Crockett
July 15th, 2010
12:52 pm
chill is better than marvin..plays hard and give effort…..i bet you he has more highlights than marvin in the 4 he was here than the 6 of marvin plus a career 500 plus scorer and his career 3 pt% is pretty good. You dont have to run plays for him. he gets garbage point lol but hey thats the problem..hawks dont get easy baskets
Jay Dubu
July 15th, 2010
12:54 pm
I guess some of the real issues are coming to light. Woody knew that he had to win, or be out, (should have left with Billy “can’t draft” Knight) thus he stayed with the veteran players to the demise of developing rookies.
As you see, ASG is not going is not going to bring in any players that can help propell the Hawks to a higher level, they’re only filling out the roster.
I just don’t see where improvement is coming from with almost the identical coaching staff, and the same group of players.
David Crockett
July 15th, 2010
12:56 pm
@ truth serum….if he come to atl then throw him in the line up…move josh to the 3 Al to the 4. I know no one wants to see a shaq kick out to josh smith for the 3 lol but josh does not have to play the 3 the whole game. just while Shaq is in
tidog
July 15th, 2010
12:58 pm
Truth-Serum, unable to do any of that, but I know what I read and you should know what you read.
Michael Cunningham
July 15th, 2010
12:58 pm
@northcyde: “Like I said. . . the 60% iFG he gives up is pretty high. But the 16.5 Defensive PER he has at center, makes him one of the better overall defending centers in the NBA. So there’s 2 sides to his defense”
there’s also Al’s Synergy numbers, which are excellent: .72 PPP allowed in the post while not fouling much (9 pct of possessions) and forcing a lot of turnovers (14.5 pct of possessions). putting all of the numbers together–the iFG, PER, PPP, etc.–they suggest Al is a smart position defender who causes problems with his quickness and makes his opponents work hard to get inside. but once they do get to the rim he has a tough time stopping them. i think that pretty much matches up with that we see.
Marcus
July 15th, 2010
1:00 pm
I see that MIN acquisition of Luke Ridnour has PG Ramon Sessions on thin ice. Full disclosure: some of us kinda like Mr. Sessions as a FA last summer before Bibby re-upped ans Sessions eventually fell into the laps (and apparently out of favor) of the MIN coaching staff.
just sayin..(.filling up cyberspace)….. not that the ASG has the means or desire to spend the money or make a trade.
drmaryb
July 15th, 2010
1:00 pm
He IS the most Interesting MAN in the World!
He IS the most Intelligent MAN in the World!
He IS Joe Johnson!
He is NOT the Orator of the obvious: (aaah ..Where is my #1& my #5?)
He IS NOT a Chest – Thumper: (aaah … Can a brotha’ get a direct deposit slip?)
He is NOT an Emotional – Guy: (aaah … Anybody know where’s my pillow? Yawning.)
Call Joe whatever you want … (Brotha’ Got Paid more than the Super-Friends combined!)
While The ASG are fighting in the Courts – of – Law?
Joe is playing on the Court – of – Basketball!
Ring or NOT – Joe is a WINNER!
ASG Effed’ him – So he Effed’ them back!
KevinM
July 15th, 2010
1:01 pm
Truth,
I really didn’t want to focus on the all-star thing, but like Jordan, he does have an opportunity to get there. And I think he should start if he comes here as well as long as we are successful.
My point was adding incentives to the MLE to entice him to work for the number he thinks he is worth. Is he worth the number he is asking for? Sure, if you can get someone to pay you and yes, he should be paid accordingly. But come to some agreement and get him in our mix.
Me, I think a lineup of Al or Smoove and Shaq as our backline makes us better on the defensive AND offensive end.
With the little progress we have made this offseason, a spark of hope is needed. As a fan of this team, who wouldn’t tune in to see how Shaq does with ‘THE CORE’?
David Crockett
July 15th, 2010
1:02 pm
bottom like for all the troubles……Billy Knight screwed us. ha drafted chill a 2/3 and smith a 3/4
then he takes ,marvin a 3…ok so i guess he figures we got a nice core of josh marvin and chill. Then we sign joe…which automatically sends chill to the bench making our #6 pick a bench player. Then we take sheldon @ #5. He drafted with the #5 pick a player to come off the bench…did he think sheldon was gonna start @ center idk maybe he didnt think Howard would be a problem lol
Michael Cunningham
July 15th, 2010
1:03 pm
@ tls: “Wait a minute, I thought payroll was at 65 mil before we traded Chills for nothing?”
Chills was never officially on the payroll so it didn’t change.
“If in fact they aren’t going to spend more than 5 mil more, does that mean there could be a trade? It would not break my heart to see MArvin traded but not for Shaq- must be someone younger with more upside. Jamal could go to but that would require a hafty return since he is so valuable. Any thoughts, MC?”
sure, there can always be a trade. i see all the speculation about the Hawks being motivated to trade Marvin, but when i talk to Hawks people i don’t hear the same enthusiasm for moving him. of course no team wants it out there that they are looking to move a guy so maybe they are just trying to downplay it but i just don’t sense that the Hawks are really shopping him as hard as other reports suggest.
GeeMack
July 15th, 2010
1:07 pm
Khao$
Remember Stephen A. Smith broke the Miami story 2 weeks before ESPN & Chris Brossauard.
Michael Cunningham
July 15th, 2010
1:09 pm
@ Samuel: “I haven’t heard LD say too much about defense. MC, what’s his philosophy? I know he said he “would hold everybody accountable” but what’s his philosophy? Does he expect the guys to pressure, zone, what? Will he expect them to play pressure man and still work that hard on offense?”
the most i’ve gotten out of him on that is he wants guys to “take the individual challenge” on defense. in other words, stay in front of your man and don’t always rely on switches or help.
Khao$
July 15th, 2010
1:12 pm
GeeMack,
Yes, I remember that Stephen A was on top of it. So much so he just about put his name on the line (”I’m only as good as my sources”). So, it is what it is. I guess it’s in Shaq’s court.
drmaryb
July 15th, 2010
1:12 pm
Blog – Ness Monster got me!
FYI don’t trash the ASG! And, I was a – Man on Fire too! SMH
David Crockett
July 15th, 2010
1:12 pm
josh is good…but not great….i wouldnt say one of the best….versitile or a jack of all trades but being good at many things means your not great @ anything joshes athletic ability would allow him to flourish…..you dont see josh chasing guys down( which is what he did till lebron make it cool) because he is stuck in the paint let him play the 3…o yeah and stick josh @ the 5 and lets see how many blocks he gets
Michael Cunningham
July 15th, 2010
1:17 pm
@ Mista Gamer: “M.C. Be sure to ask Joe why he was selfish enough to eat up all the financial capacity of the team when other REAL superstars were leaving money on the table to help bring in others?”
i see what you are saying and in understand why fans might feel that way. but i think that’s an oversimplified analysis.
i saw where the SuperFriends have opt outs in their deals after four years. so they are all still young (and good) enough where they can still expect to get another rich deal when these deals end (and if not, they just opt-in). J.J. won’t see another big contract. plus, the SuperFriends know that the team already is so good with them on it they can sacrifice a little cash and make it great, then make up the cash through all the off-court money that’s coming their way. neither scenario is the case with J.J.
so i think the “sacrifice” angle is being overplayed with the SuperFriends (but not with Haslem and others who really are sacrificing to join them).
Michael Cunningham
July 15th, 2010
1:20 pm
@Khaos: “MC, any truth to Stephen A’s tweets?”
well, i’m not sure if JJ called him. if by “his call” SAS means Shaq has to decide if he will take less cash and a bench role, then yes that’s accurate. but the $16 million is out of the question.
Dan23
July 15th, 2010
1:20 pm
@MC: Interesting post on Steven A Smith’s Twitter page. He seems to be a reliable source in the NBA circles. Did JJ reach out to Shaq?
doc
July 15th, 2010
1:27 pm
northcyde no i am not bailing out on them, just not all in, yet. sorry, they have to prove their product is worthy and competitive and not taking a step back ala warriors, clippers and other teams with similar track records to our lowly hawks franchise. you remember what happened to those storied franchises recently dont you? one or two seasons does not make an organization of fulfillment.
dude, they are blinking so much they probably think there is a strobe light somewhere.
doc
July 15th, 2010
1:29 pm
mc @ 1:15, see astro’s coments above on the matter. it bears repeating. why does anyone think the asg is going to spend?
newkid
July 15th, 2010
1:29 pm
So I’ll get on with it then with the Rx.
Mounting a challenge to the Heat for the next 6-8 years, or other teams built on the Garnett/Allen/Pierce Boston model, will require the ASG (or some subsequent ownership group) attract at least one ‘tier one’ player to combine with perhaps two of the current talents, and additional reasonably priced complementary pieces. Failing to do so will almost surely mean purgatory for more than the next half a decade, and one doesn’t need to be a Mensa member to come to that conclusion. Even George Karl – a nice Carolina guy – recognized it last night in his ESPN interview.
So how does one do it? First, if we assume a new CBA similar to the current, then JJ’s contract – if not already finalized – needs to be structured in the most cap-friendly manner possibile for the 2nd and 3rd years (years we’re likely to try and attract at least one of the MEGA players needed to help build the side that will compete in the East going forward). Gosh that contract could really become an albatross.
Second, gotta be proactive in signing Al, and his contract needs to be front-end loaded in the first year (the allowable 17% 1st bonus would be quite helpful in this regard). If Sund repeats the stunt he pulled with Smoove a couple years back, or for that matter the stunt he pulled with Chills two years ago, then we’ll for sure wind up with some side offering Al a deal structured that’ll further restrict our ability to gain the cap circumstances needed to absorb the salary of a FA MEGA player either during the summer of ‘11 or summer of ‘12.
Third, I don’t like this at all but there’s likely to be the need to move Josh before the start of the last year of his current deal, and must get picks and TPE in exchange. Unless we’re getting a CP3 in the deal, don’t take guaranteed contracts for Smoove.
Fourth, gotta clear Marvin’s salary, and may need to clear Zaza’s as well. If we do this early, than those coming back need to expire at the end of the 11/12 season, or be non-guaranteed.
Fifth, gotta somehow get a couple excellent rookie contract players on the roster over next couple years. MEGA FAs need to know that they’re not coming into a complete re-build situation. They must see the real prospect for competing for the O’Brien tropy, otherwise not likely to return Sund’s call from his rotary phone. Hopefully Jordan Crawford will begin to fit the bill (don’t know about Teague); a competent scouting department would have identified a piece at 31 to develop (either here or in Europe) for use as a cheap, contributing piece in a couple years.
Sixth, gotta do all the above while making moves that’ll allow the side to remain reasonably competitive over the next two years. Unless one or more of the 8 heads of the ASG monster suddenly becomes a Paul Allen, they’ll need to continue to grow Hawks revenue to afford to take the foregoing steps. Significant retrogressing over the next couple years won’t produce the needed funds. Unlike the Knicks owners, these cats can’t afford the financial consequences of a couple of back-to-back 25 wins seasons and still harbor notions of building a contender in the next half decade.
So if these are the sorts of considerations Sund is weighing, maybe I (we) should give him a bit of a break, right? If only they’d give us a few reasons to hope, maybe we wouldn’t be so persnicketdy.
This is the sort of ‘gambling’ that’ll likely be required to assemble the pieces required to compete at the highest levels of this emerging new NBA. Unfortunately (see Knicks, et al) there’s no guarantee the gamble will pay dividends.
Sorry for the long-windedness. Where’s HB Ando?
Michael Cunningham
July 15th, 2010
1:34 pm
@ Truth: not “dressing up” anything. those are the numbers. you choose to select the numbers that make your point and ignore those that don’t, which doesn’t make for a complete (or fair and honest) analysis. that’s “dressing up” an argument. by contrast, my analysis acknowledged that Al has trouble stopping guys once they get to the rim but also points out that he as strengths as a defender.
as for fouls, according to Synergy Al committed a shooting foul on 9 percent of defensive possessions in the post and forced turnovers on 14.5 percent of possessions. but i don’t expect you to give those numbers much notice since they don’t fit your narrative.
“We all agree 60% of the guys who try and score on horford in the paint succeed, And we all agree thats a high number.”
you do know that’s not what 60% iFG means, right?
PRESTONI
July 15th, 2010
1:51 pm
MC–You certainly can’t take a Vacation until this Situation is resolved (at least finish out the Week of Summer League Basketball–maybe you’ll Win some Money at the Blackjack Table).
I guess that James Naismith is rolling over in his Grave saying “If I knew the ASG would own an NBA Team, I wouldn’t have invented Basketball”. Seriously though, I am still holding out Hope for the ASG to follow through with Their Promise to Improve the Team. So if you are reading this (and I’m sure at least someone in Your Organization reads this Blog)–DON’T LET THE LOYAL HAWK FANS DOWN. It doesn’t make sense to Own a Team and not really Try to Win.
Too many people put their Hearts and Souls into this, so hopefully you will do the right thing.
As far as Basketball Matters–the Hawks were really Lucky last Season on the Injury Front. This so-called Core Group was really exposed in the Playoffs. Stick with this Group and we will be 10 Games Out of First Place in Our Division by Dec. 15th and then you will feel like Trading Everybody. There are ALWAYS ways to improve the Team by making Trades and shifting the Salary Burden. Right now it looks like we will need a Point Guard to go along with that Big Man. I really like Jeff Teague, but he is still not ready to be Our Starting Point Guard and his Personality may not allow him to ever be a True Leader (Chris Paul could be a Player/Coach because he has the Mentality to do so). So if our best recourse is a Deal with Cleveland, it should be for the acquisition of Shaq and Mo Williams. You can find a way to make the Salaries Work by giving up Marvin Williams, Pachulia (he should have some value for the Cavs), Bibby and if necessary Mo Evans. I think Cleveland really does want Marvin Williams to be their Starting Small Forward (and perhaps he will flourish on a New Team); I also think the Cavs are eventually going to Trade Mo Williams anyway. So if there is a True Will, there is a way to make this Trade work. If not, I would look to Golden State as a Trading Partner–there are really Many Possibilities here.
If Shaq still wants more money, start Shopping Harry the Hawk (sorry Harry) and give Shaq the Job (and Money) that the Mascot makes. If that does not suffice then give Shaq the Naming Rights to Philips Arena–calling it The ShaqTorium. At any rate, you get my point–this Team Needs A Personality perhaps more than any Other Team in Professional Sports and we just can’t bypass this opportunity to Gain One of the Biggest Personalities around. Shaq loves attention and I can’t see him passing up this opportunity to garner perhaps More Attention and Love from the Starving Hawk Fans than he could ever imagine.
Life is Short–ASG don’t let us down!!!
macaroni tony
July 15th, 2010
1:54 pm
Already been called by Joe Johnson, telling him to stop playing games and to get his big self to Atlanta. It’s on Shaq now. His call.
Samuel
July 15th, 2010
1:55 pm
Thanks MC,
So that basically means that he won’t be spending a lot of time on it. Kinda like my boy Woody felt about offense. His philosophy worked enough to get 53 wins. Again, when we are at our best is when we pressure the ball and deny. I’m not sure (LD) can pull it off.(Moving so much on both ends).
Next interview, please ask him how he plans to pull off all that running with a bench like we have. Also, try to get him to be a little more technical about his defensive philosophy.
Truth. Al Horford to the bench. That’s funny. These people believe in some Al Horford but you are absolutely right, Shaq at 38 is a better center. I would love for one of my all time favorites to come here but Josh cannot play the 3 period. He can’t handle or shoot the ball well enough. We all know Shaq is a 2 year rental but so what. That’s what the league has come to so if we want to be serious, we have to adapt. Personally, i’m sick of “UPSIDE”. Upside never won a dam_ thing.
I’m trying to think. Has there ever been a Hawks player with a ring on the roster?
Grandad
July 15th, 2010
1:58 pm
Michael Cunningham:
Dallas was reported to be shopping Alex Ajinca.
Any interest? Hawks? Fits their protocol = cheap!
jeff
July 15th, 2010
1:59 pm
Mc is this a logical roster?
I think our bench could be like this if we play our cards right. And I would be ok with it. I know most of you would/will disagree.
Jamal. Crawford
J. Crawford
Bibby
Allen Iverson (cheap and can score)
ZaZa
Brad Miller
A. Aminu
Mo Evans
Starters as we all know will be
Teague
JJ
Smoove
Horford
M.Williams
Grandad
July 15th, 2010
1:59 pm
*is reported / *was reported, prolly shoulda gone with “is”.