Atlanta Hawks: Drew says Teague ‘has got to earn’ Bibby’s spot
Teague will have to go all out for gig.
You might have noticed Bob Bender stood in for Bibby during Camp Drew and figured that means Bibby, not Teague, heads into 2010-11 as the starting point guard.
And you’d be right.
When Hawks camp opens on Sept. 28, Bibby will be the incumbent at point guard. Rook’ is going to have to take the job from him.
“He’s got to earn that,” L.D. said. “It’s not just going to be handed to him. If he proves it, he has an opportunity. I will come back with the starting lineup we’ve had in the past. Unless somebody clearly, clearly beats somebody out, [then] that’s something I would have to take a look at. But I am going with the normal guys [to start].”
That’s not surprising since Hawks coaches spent much of Summer League saying they’d like to see Teague be more assertive. Plus, Teague has yet to do anything to show that he deserves the job. There’s a chicken/egg element to it–did he never really get the chance to prove he’s ready to be lead dog, or did he never really get the chance to be lead dog because he’s just not ready? Now he gets a real shot to show he deserves the gig, and it probably wouldn’t be good for L.D. or the team to bench a popular vet like Bibby until that happens (if it does).
Also remember Bibby still has value as a good spot-up shooter with a low turnover percentage. That’s two areas where Teague needs work. On the flip side Teague is a better defender, can push the pace and should be able to set up baskets as he learns to play under control (he actually posted a higher assist percentage than Bibby).
It’s probably best not to get too caught up in which guy starts, anyway. Bibby played a career-low in minutes last season and didn’t always finish games. Those trends should continue. L.D. is going to give Teague an opportunity to run with the starters and he’s said he will be patient. The rest is up to Teague.
– Steve Rosenberry officially joined the Blazers as an assistant GM to Rich Cho. It’s a promotion for Rosenberry, who was director of pro personnel/college scouting for the Hawks.
Hawks assistant GM Dave Pendergraft is a candidate for GM jobs in Denver and Phoenix.
– For those who have asked, Josh Powell has picked jersey No. 12.
MC
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383 comments Add your comment
wordsmithtom
August 14th, 2010
10:38 am
Terrell,
RE: Marvin earning his 3 slot…..note Ken S’s comments about JJ playing some 3 where matchups work. Indeed, I see Drew rotating people into positions where matchups matter. Some days you’ll see Marvin the first guy off the bench instead of JC, with JC starting 2 and JJ starting 3. You never saw this with Woody. Marvin then can swing to 4 to releave Horf. or Smoove…whichever. The thing is, end the “entitlements” and make players accountable. From what I’ve seen of Marvin, he’ll buy into whatever coach asks him to do. And motion offence is perfect for his and JT’s games. Instead of fixed 6-8 player rotations, intermix 9-10 men into various circumstances according to matchups. Woody was either too stubborn, or too ignorant to do this. Drew obviously gets it.
This also contributes to bench morale while leaving starters fresher come end of the season. I don’t think they were so much dispirited as worn out…..
JAY
August 14th, 2010
11:05 am
I think it was real crazy to hire Larry Drew to be head coach——-He can not do more than Mike Woodson did–all they need was a little more help for Coach Woodson—Now Larry Drew have the same Team Coach Woodson had lets see how much he gets done—-NOTHING–MARK MY WORDS
Ramon
August 14th, 2010
11:38 am
Did I really just see someone say we should trade Bibby for Brook Lopez? Really?
Ramon
August 14th, 2010
11:40 am
If Denver senses that they may lose Carmelo in the middle of the year, I wonder if they would consider a JC, Marvin, and 2nd Rounder for Billups.
drmaryb ^•^
August 14th, 2010
12:49 pm
Empty Feelings!
To the sad blogger:
“This team can’t make you happy – And, This team can’t make you sad”
-drmaryb-
Don’t worry – Be happy
Melvin
August 14th, 2010
1:30 pm
For the last time. Childress makes it clear that he didn’t have a problem coming off the bench for the Hawks (so it must be another issue why he’s not with the Hawks). He specially said he got a decent amount of playing time and finished many games on the court. Just like I think it’s a non-issue with Teague.
He’s comes on around the 30-min mark.
http://hangtime.blogs.nba.com/2010/08/10/hang-time-podcast-episode-21/
Najeh Davenpoop
August 14th, 2010
2:30 pm
“Does Marvin have to earn his starting spot too?”
I think if there was another player on the roster whose best position was SF he would. Blame the DASG for that, not Drew. I would have loved to see Childress and Marvin battle it out for that spot in this new offense.
Najeh Davenpoop
August 14th, 2010
2:34 pm
“If he had any concerns about Teague or Bibby’s ability to run his OFF, he’d certainly have more 2 PG’s on the active roster.”
Sund controls personnel decisions, not Drew. The fact that there are only two point guards on the roster is either because Sund thinks the two they have are sufficient or because the DASG is too cheap to add another one. Sure, Drew may have been consulted, but generally coaches don’t have a ton of say on personnel unless they specifically ask for it when they are signed like Avery Johnson.
Najeh Davenpoop
August 14th, 2010
2:36 pm
Beyond that, though, I agree — stating that Teague has to earn it from Bibby is more of a way of lighting a fire under Teague and not p-ssing of Bibby than it is an indication that he actually wants Bibby to start the whole season.
Najeh Davenpoop
August 14th, 2010
2:43 pm
“It should be blatantly obvious from the off season approach of RSund and the ASG, they felt the majority of our team and player problems were the result of what MWoodson did or didn’t do, not a lack of oveall talent.”
This is true, but at the same time it’s not necessarily a smart move. Sure, Drew could come in and completely change the culture of the team and take the exact same roster much further than Woody, but the odds of the team improving are much greater if the personnel issues (of which there are several) are addressed IN ADDITION TO hiring Drew. The DASG and Sund, in their effort to prioritize saving money over improving the team, have put all their eggs in one basket. Maybe — hopefully — that one move works, but you can’t tell me the Hawks wouldn’t have been better off giving Drew a little more roster depth with which to work.
And signing two guys who would have a hard time making the D-League All Stars to the same amount that other teams were signing infinitely more productive players doesn’t count.
Grandad
August 14th, 2010
2:45 pm
Big Ray
“Larry Brown once said Ajinca wasn’t even trying to be worth the bother of playing time. Think that was Larry being Larry, or was Ajinca not motivated?”
Most probably, the latter.
However,
referencing your 10:45 pm post, #(5),
perhaps LD would / could be that right coach,
who had the right vision, on the right team.
northcyde
August 14th, 2010
3:10 pm
@ JeJe . . . I don’t know if you’re a member of Hawksquawk or not. But that whole Jamal Crawford possibly holding out story, was started on there in this thread. It was first spoken about it there, then Yahoo commented on it.
Everything that is reported on these NBA websites isn’t gospel. Remember the whole Shaq drama? It was first reported that the Hawks offered Shaq the full MLE for 2 years. At the end, we find out that the Hawks didn’t offer more than around the vet minimum for Shaq. And who was the guy that was telling us all along that the Hawks didn’t offer anything over that amount?
Michael Cunningham.
But those NBA blogs were either going off of something said off the record about Shaq, or they got their idea from reading THIS BLOG or some other Hawk-related blog talking about Shaq.
In this world of “sources say” reporting, anybody can make up just about any story. And if it sounds realistic, people may believe it.
The guy on Hawksquawk claims to have directly talked to Sekou at Kroger, and had a convo with him in which Sekou revealed that information to him. So take the Crawford story with a grain of salt. All I know is that Michael Cunningham has been right more times than not, even if he didn’t report on a story first.
O'Brien
August 14th, 2010
3:17 pm
For those who think Teague is a SG asked to play PG, keep in mind what MC said. Teague has a higher assist % than Bibby last season.
Ramon,
Even if Carmelo does not sign an extension, the Nuggets will not trade him. Because even if he wants to leave as a free agent, chances are they would work out a sign and trade.
terrell,
Marvin will keep his SF spot, because Sund did not bring in any other SFs. I lobbied for Matt Barnes (who signed with the Lakers for the vet minimum), and I lobbied for Chills.
Both guys would have forced Marvin to earn his starting spot.
northcyde
August 14th, 2010
3:36 pm
Good interview between Sekou and Chill. He directly addresses that Hawks situation at 38:30 in that podcast.
@ Najeh . . . exactly.
I mean, forget Shaq for a minute. They could’ve gone out and try to get ANY player that could be a good rotational player, had they committed to spend more than the vet minimum on a player. Even if the only thing they did, was find a way to add Chill to this roster, people would be a lot less apathetic and/or negative about our offseason.
If people believe ( or want to believe ) that Jason Collins and Josh Powell will be good rotational players, then go right ahead. But don’t expect knowledgeable NBA fans to be cool with two scrubs like that. They are no more than bench fillers.
Grandad
August 14th, 2010
3:57 pm
Najeh – [shows his potential]
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MlcfmCclMtk
Ken Strickland
August 14th, 2010
4:42 pm
NAJEH-Rather than delve into the FA market like they said they’d do, the ASG has obviously decided to wait until they see what they have in HC LDrew and PG JTeague. Who knows, by the trade deadline we might find out we need a PG and/or SF more than a backup center. I just don’t think they’re going to try and resolve all of our roster issues all at once, especially this far ahead of the season opener.
A lot of us might not like their strategy, but there’s certainly nothing wrong with it. If anyone is concerned about the contracts of MBibby, Zaza and MWilliams, remember who insisted on them being resigned(MWoodson). In fact, Woodson was pretty much given everything he wanted. BK and RSund resigned every player he wanted back, traded for the vet PG’s he wanted, got rid of every player he didn’t want, and didn’t draft the PG’s he didn’t want(CP3/DWilliams).
They gave him what he said he wanted/needed to meet their primary expectations, which was to improve in the playoffs, and he still failed. I see no reason they won’t be just as accommodating for LDrew, but not until everyone gets a feel and knowledge of what we have. Only then can we determine exactly what we need.
We could find out that Zaza and JCollins are a far more productive combo at center than JTeague and Bibby are at PG.
hawkfan335
August 14th, 2010
5:41 pm
If Teague has a solid training camp and wins the pg job, Bibby could be moved for a center since
Jamal and JJ could see some minutes at pg depending on the matchup situation.
Najeh Davenpoop
August 14th, 2010
6:01 pm
“We could find out that Zaza and JCollins are a far more productive combo at center than JTeague and Bibby are at PG.”
We “could” also find out that Joe Johnson is a better player than LeBron James. We “could” find out that President Obama is actually half Chinese. We “could” also find out that Osama bin Laden is actually Santa Claus and hijacks planes to deliver Christmas presents to children. I try to talk about what is likely, whereas you are talking about what is possible. Anything is possible; not everything is likely. A team that wants to win has to increase the likelihood of success to as high as it can possibly be, instead of relying on possibilities that cannot be counted on to come true. This is why even the champion Lakers made a significant trade to swap Ariza for Artest instead of hoping that Ariza develops into a more physical defender who can pose problems for players like Kevin Durant. This is why the Eastern Conference champion Celtics go out and sign Shaq instead of hoping that Luke Harangody can step into the void left by Kendrick Perkins. This is why the steadily improving Bulls and Bucks go out and make significant acquisitions instead of hoping that Taj Gibson can develop into Carlos Boozer or Ersan Ilyasova can develop into Corey Maggette. These teams don’t sit on their hands and hope for the possibility that scrubs at the end of their bench suddenly become productive. They go out and do what they can to increase the likelihood of winning a title. In short, they approach free agency like they want a championship, while the Hawks approach free agency like they want to merely be good while saving money.
Based on what he has done throughout his career and in the last three years in particular, the likelihood of Jason Collins doing anything useful in the NBA ever again is basically nonexistent, and yet he’s being paid roughly the same amount of money as Shaq, Jermaine O’Neal, T-Mac, Matt Barnes, and a host of other players who are actually useful. As much as I’d like to, it’s hard to be “GLASS HALF FULL” when the ownership not only doesn’t spend money on quality players, but does spend money on garbage. I’ll repeat what I’ve said many, many times already this offseason — it’s not just that the DASG doesn’t spend money, it’s that when they do, they spend it unwisely.
Najeh Davenpoop
August 14th, 2010
6:08 pm
And of course, all those high-profile acquisitions could fall on their faces and Jason Collins could make the All-Defense team. But again, it’s about what is likely and what is not likely. The likelihood of the Hawks improving beyond the level of the teams ahead of them, based on the moves everyone has made this offseason, is next to zero, and it would completely defy the odds for that to happen.
Najeh Davenpoop
August 14th, 2010
6:32 pm
“If anyone is concerned about the contracts of MBibby, Zaza and MWilliams, remember who insisted on them being resigned(MWoodson).”
Full disclosure before I respond — I had no problem with the deals those three players signed in the summer of 2009, but that was based on the idea that all three players would maintain or improve their production at the time. The fact of the matter is all three have gotten significantly worse, which makes each one of them wildly overpaid right now. I think it is fair to hold Sund responsible for these decisions, seeing as how he is the guy getting paid the big bucks to make them.
That said, let’s say for the sake of argument that it is solely Woody’s fault those three were re-signed. (I don’t entirely agree with this; Sund is higher on the chain of command than Woody and had no prior ties to Woody, so there’s no reason he couldn’t have overridden Woody and brought in better players with that money.) Even if Sund’s hands were tied and he had to re-sign them, nobody forced him to give them the money and years that he did. There’s no reason he couldn’t have taken the same approach with Marvin that he did with Smoove — wait for someone else to make him an offer and match. There’s no reason he had to give Bibby a 3rd year when Andre Miller took a two-year deal. There weren’t any other serious suitors for Zaza at the time he re-upped; there was no reason the Hawks had to offer him a four-year deal off the bat.
A creative GM would have found a way to either re-sign these players for significantly less money or replace them with players who are getting paid comparable money right now. Instead, the risk-averse style of the Hawks’ management led them to overpay their own mediocre players. The Hawks repeatedly demonstrate that they are satisfied with simply being good instead of trying to be great.
Najeh Davenpoop
August 14th, 2010
6:34 pm
^^ That last paragraph should have said “BETTER players who are getting paid comparable money”.
drmaryb ^•^
August 14th, 2010
6:44 pm
A Ring of Truth!
re: Najeh
Well, man … You done done-it again. Spitting that ill grammar that’s
leaving the ball park like a Grand-Slam!
Not, only do I feel the reality and passion and heat (heat – check Dominique!)
of your words, but there is an element of sound truthfulness.
Possibilities versus Likelihood is reality!
O'Brien
August 14th, 2010
6:51 pm
@Najeh,
Cosign your 6:32 pm post. But JO makes the midlevel.
The Lakers are the 2 time defending NBA champions. And it is possible that they could repeat with the same team.
But what did they do? They let farmar go, tried to sign raja bell (an upgrade in their mind) and they settled for Steve Blake.
Also, they signed Matt Barnes to backup ron artest. But yet we don’t think we need a better backup for Marvin?
So while I do think drew will be an upgrade over woody, I don’t Think it will be enough to win an NBA title, which should be the goal.
But the ASG goal is to be a top 4 seed and stay under the luxury tax.
The Truth
August 14th, 2010
7:32 pm
Najeh,
It is “possible” and “likely” that you have won “The Truth” award for today. The recipient of this most esteem and honorable award has demonstrated telling “The Whole” Truth (not half) and nothin but
Congratulation!
D.S.G.B.
August 14th, 2010
7:52 pm
I still think that the best lineup is this:
1=teague/bibby
2=jordan/jamal
3=jj/marvin
4=smoove/powell
5=horford/zaza
this would be the most offensively dynamic squad we could put on the floor with the personell that we have. just look at production that we would get off the bench.
Rod from College Park
August 14th, 2010
7:59 pm
Just in case you all forgot. Wish he would teach Marvin how to go to the hole strong.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gJhMNPuiwyI&feature=player_embedded
Ken Strickland
August 14th, 2010
8:13 pm
NAJAH-A lot of what you say makes sense, but you can’t go overboard over what we didn’t do, or who we didn’t sign. A lot of players on the down side of their careers, that haven’t won a ring, often look to sign with a team they feel gives them the best chance to get that elusive ring. So, you can’t blame the Hawks because a player signs with another team for the same, or less money than the Hawks were offering.
In the Hawks pursuit of FA’s, many fans forget, or ignore, the fact that FA’s like Shaq, JChildress, MBarnes etc, are the ones with the final say on who they sign with. We can’t insist that a player sign with us just because we feel we want or need him. And as fans, we can’t continue whining and complaining about not overpaying for bench players, or none impact players, while at the same time continuing to whine and cry about how much we paid for an impact player that’s a 4 time All Star.
So you don’t like what the Hawks have done in building a team you feel would be able to win an NBA title right now, and that’s fine. But, it DIDN’T happen, it HASN’T happened, and it LIKELY won’t happen, at least not before the trade deadline, so get over your frustration and disappointment and move on.
northcyde
August 14th, 2010
8:54 pm
Ken . . people could’ve easily told you that last season, when the Hawks were still a top 3 team in the East, yet, you were complaining about Bibby and Woody every chance you got.
It cuts both ways man. We were the same 53 win team that you are praising now . . but had a major problem with all throughout last year. You were one of the main guys on this blog that was always framing the Hawks 2nd half of the season in the most negative light,along with Jell Schultz. I was the one trying to frame it positive all the time, citing that the Hawks were nowhere near as bad as people were making them out to be.
Funny how the roles have changed You’re “Mr. Optimist” now, simply based off of the coaching change being enough to satisfy you . . . and I’m “Mr. Pessimist”, because this front office and ownership did nothing to address our roster issues, and could’ve added pieces to make us a legit NBA contender.
I’m more disappointed in the front office, than I am in the actual makeup of the team. The team will be fine. But this front office is garbage.
Najeh Davenpoop
August 14th, 2010
8:59 pm
“In the Hawks pursuit of FA’s, many fans forget, or ignore, the fact that FA’s like Shaq, JChildress, MBarnes etc, are the ones with the final say on who they sign with. We can’t insist that a player sign with us just because we feel we want or need him. And as fans, we can’t continue whining and complaining about not overpaying for bench players, or none impact players, while at the same time continuing to whine and cry about how much we paid for an impact player that’s a 4 time All Star.”
Yeah, but if you don’t even formally offer any of those free agents a contract, you can’t say you did all you could to bring them here. It’s not like the Hawks made a full-out effort to sign any of those guys (or any other useful players for that matter). Shaq is the only one they pretended to pursue and we all found out soon enough that they weren’t all that serious about it anyway. As far as I know, Childress wasn’t even offered a long term contract by Atlanta. If they had sincerely pursued them and just didn’t succeed, I don’t think the fan base would be as disappointed.
For the record, I have no problem with Joe getting his max contract. Yeah, in a perfect world max contracts would only go to players who are capable of leading their team to a title — which Joe probably isn’t — but the NBA is not a perfect world and there are far worse contracts than Joe’s in the NBA relative to production. Unless they could have found a way to sign-and-trade Joe for an equal or better player (which admittedly would be almost impossible to do) or they could be confident that they could either sign or draft a franchise player next summer (a scenario where the risk outweighs the reward) re-signing Joe was the only real choice they had.
Of course, if they hadn’t handcuffed themselves by burning $20 million of cap room on Marvin/Zaza/Bibby, maybe they could have gone into this offseason with more options.
drmaryb ^•^
August 14th, 2010
9:29 pm
Najeh
I agree, it doesn’t appear the Hawks set the table to be active in this season’s FA, beyond the resigning of Mr. Johnson.
O'Brien
August 14th, 2010
10:09 pm
I’m surprise the hawks did not trade mo Evans and his expiring contract for a legit backup SF or for another big.
SteveW
August 14th, 2010
10:14 pm
JC2 was a PG at IU – SG @ Xavier
We signed vet minimum FA’s because you have to have 13 guys on your roster per NBA rules –
The sad fact is we could have had Barnes and Shaq for less than 2m per year each – maybe we think Mo’ is better? Mo’ is certainly making more money – and I like Mo’ so don’t get me wrong, based more on 08-09 than last year.
The only way we could have come out cheaper this off season after re-signing JJ – and the 894,000.00 per year or so on our 1st 2 of the last 3 remaining Free Agent signings (after the League rebate) would be to sign late 2nd round picks for about $475,000.00 or D-Leaguer types for the NBA min. of $450,000.00.
So technically it is correct maybe that Sund is spending a portion of that 3m from draft day on vets – we could have signed Alade Aminu, Richard Dixon, and Trey Gilder let’s say for about 1.3m less than 3 vet minimum contracts on those last 3 spots.
But I have decided to take Rev in Tampa’s position – I don’t want to misrepresent you, so forgive me in advance if I do – that Maybe Sund is going to use the 3m on a trade between now and the trade deadline. Sund, as I like to say, is a vulture.
SteveW
August 14th, 2010
10:20 pm
The John Wooden attention to detail in me won’t let me get past this 13th guy (or more) on the bench.
Hope it’s Josh Boone if he’s got his head on straight – Kwame and Skinner may be ok also.
Wouldn’t be terribly opposed to Alade Aminu as well – looks like he has alot of potential – He just looked so disinterested in Summer League, kind of drifting thru games at times.
Chipper Jones’ injury should remind us, we are one twinge in the knee away from having ZaZa and Collins rotating at C basically (I am aware Josh and Powell could play some C as well).
I’m not comfortable with that at all…..I’m interested in the other big.
SteveW
August 14th, 2010
10:33 pm
2 other things:
- ZaZa’s stats from last year – Joe Smith had equal stats basically if you morph his 9.3mpg up to ZaZa’s 14 mpg – ugh.
- ZaZa’s best stat (besides his hard fouls and athleticism for a guy his size), He was the 10th best Offensive rebounder in the league in that stat per minute.
- Next – we’re fine on the cap next year, depending on how the CBA goes.
If Horford get’s the 13.3m for next year – we have 56+m committed to payroll for next year. We would have about 14m to fill 5 roster spots – Jamal, Mo’, Josh, Jason, and player #13
This is all assuming no trade are forthcoming, we don’t re-sign Jamal etc. (P.S. I’m not against re-signing Jamal – we just need to look long and hard at it – he’ll be 31 at the end of this season. Guys with his skill set tend to decline pretty dramatically after that).
I’m comfortable heading into this off season with 14m to spend on 5 roster spots.
You can use your MLE of 5.8m (I know the numbers fluctuate – this is all things being equal – the Luxury tax may be different or not even exist next year etc.).
2 year vet min. – 4.3m for 2 years
Then sign 3 vet min. guys and still be 3.6+mill. under the luxury tax if you wanted to trade or something.
P.S. Jamal wants to be here – I wouldn’t be opposed as a fan giving him some, or maybe even all of that MLE, depending on how he performs this year.
I just think that NJ, NY may have major dollars to spend, and may overpay for an aging Jamal – like 3 year 30m guranteed or something.
SteveW
August 14th, 2010
10:36 pm
I think if Marvin comes in here and stinks up the place for about 20 games – he’ll be gone. I get the feeling this may be his last chance to shine. We’ll see.
Wink
August 14th, 2010
10:52 pm
@Najeh Davenpoop
cosign the 6:32pm post
ASG is satisfied with the CORE group.
Signing JJ was a necessity, but it put a strangle hold on the franchise. Along with the Sund signing of Marvin, ZaZa, & Bibby.
How can they think waiting til training camp, up to the trading deadline, to see what we got, before making any changes to upgrade this team.
They have had a minimum of 4 years to KNOW what they got, clearly they believe in the CORE….we as fans know exactly what we got and that some upgrade in talent to aid the CORE is needed.
ASG’s whole strategy is dependent upon a coaching change and staying under the luxury tax. LD unique system want change the internal makeup of our CORE players…raise aggressiveness, increase basketball IQ, make us taller, quicker, change internal personality, make skill sets better…many of us know the short comings regarding this CORE’s makeup.
Does LD approach make us a better ROAD team? This is the area the team must improve in while not losing any ground at home. I suspect LD’s approach has to be better than Woodson’s offensive approach…at least ASG thinks so.
Our CORE won 53 games last year; but, it seems the ASG is not comprehending that this CORE group is not facing the same Celtics,Bucks,Knicks,Bulls,Heat,Bobcats teams; they all have made significant upgrades. Outside of Cleveland getting worse,Orlando stood pat with their CORE, but as we know they kicked our CORE’s rearend.
I don’t believe the addition of Powell & Collins has inspired the fan base; unlike the other Eastern Conference teams who have significantly improved their team talent level, while providing that ray of hope this off season to their fans!!!
Ramon
August 14th, 2010
11:08 pm
O’brien, I wasn’t saying trade for Melo, I was saying trade for Billups!
jason
August 14th, 2010
11:09 pm
u know there are still good free agents like allen iverson, jerry stackhouse, josh boone, etc. these guys are cheap and good. u already know allen can beat out all the point guards we have. jerry can beat out marvin, heck i can even beat out marvin. and josh boone will give us REBOUNDS off the bench. he will be our back up center. we arent going to be the number one seed but we would have defenently secured the 3rd or 4th seed.
Rev in Tampa
August 14th, 2010
11:28 pm
The Memphis Grizzlies only have one point guard listed on their depth chart, but three centers. They drafted Thabeet #2 overall. After Rudy Gay they are very inexperienced at small forward. For those of you who know more about the ins & outs of trades, is there any way we could pry Marc Gasol away from them?
Rev in Tampa
August 14th, 2010
11:36 pm
Actually I have just read that the Grizzlies signed Acie Law
jason
August 14th, 2010
11:40 pm
i hate when people say that our gaurd situation is good. first off our best guards are jamal and joe. if we want a point guard that can shoot, find people, and was an mvp sign allen iverson to a 2 years 10.5 mill deal. we arent over paying and we arent under paying. second we should clear cap space by trading marvin and mo to milwuakee for jerry stackhouse. second josh boone to a 1 year 2.2 mill deal. If im making sense say yes. if im not whats rong with you! then we should look in to signing flip murray again to vet minimum. the reason why is becuase he can back up joe and jamal without us running out of sg. then we should trade zaza to new jersey for cash considerations. that way in 2011 we can look into signing melo,tim duncan,and mikeal peitrus.
JSS
August 14th, 2010
11:43 pm
@ Najeh D…
Your latter point made the most sense and has always tempered my expectations regarding the Hawks. You’ve got to have a partner who is willing to even contemplate dancing with you (probable unrestricted free agents). Unfortunately, the Hawks have become like a man with bad credit. No matter how good of job he may have, there will always be the matter of a “perception problem.” The ASG and subsequently the Hawks and especially the Thrashers try as they might are swimming against a rip current in a way…
@ Michael Cunningham…
I certainly understand why you took that position. I saw the meltdown just like most bloggers. Not a matter where I’m trying to take a contrary position at all. I just think there are more dangerous elements blogging most of the time. But he went there, you know what they say about making one’s bed. Do it care and forethought (making one’s bed), then you can blame no one for how you sleep or not…
JSS
August 14th, 2010
11:47 pm
Yeah I forgot a preposition “Do it with care and forethought.”
Grandad
August 14th, 2010
11:57 pm
It’s not as if ASG, Sund, or even LD are
*satisfied with the core. They *like the core.
That does not translate to satisfaction. When
ASG / Sund changed coaches, they also were
changing the culture. The “core” remains
the same in personnel, but, in fact there will
be change. That’s what ASG, Sund, Ken Stickland,
and myself among others are banking on.
Do I think that is enough? No.
But midlin’ players (FA’s) & 13th men on rosters
will mean significantly less than LD’s new approach.
Some folks have said;
“LD is certainly saying all the right things”
-&-
“It’s nice to have a coach who, when quoted,
seems to have common sense” [paraphrase].
I agree, LD seemingly has a handle on what it
takes to win in the NBA. Plus, he has paid his
dues. (22 years)
Once again, all who say we need roster up-grades,
you are spot on. Can Sund make them materialize
overnight? That’s obvious.
(if not, the answer is…..No)
I continue to think patience will be rewarded
by way of a trade. I feel as if one more solid
roster tweak is in store. Later or sooner?
Either way, the season approaches, slowly.
jason
August 15th, 2010
12:17 am
i just saw jerry stackhouse, allen iverson, flip murray, and josh boone’s salarys and we have enough and more to sign them and sign some major players in 2011
truthspitter
August 15th, 2010
2:55 am
I just looked at the Suns schedule for next year. I can see them starting off 3-14 in the months of October and November. They could possibly decide that Nash deserves to play on a playoff team. They probably would not want to trade him to a team in the West. So, maybe we could pick him up. They could get some youth and a 1st rd pick and we could get a MVP caliber PG.
Suns get: Marvin Williams, Zaza, Jeff Teague and our 1st rd pick
Hawks get: Steve Nash and Robin Lopez
http://games.espn.go.com/nba/tradeMachine?tradeId=29yvmh8
Truthfully, there are very trades that will come available during season that will be any better than what we could do now. So, those counting on something around trade deadline are misguided
wordsmithtom
August 15th, 2010
6:38 am
truthspitter,
Nash feeding Horf would be sick. JJ plays 3 and develop Jo Craw at point. Not a bad trade idea.
D.S.G.B. echo your 7PM post on best lineup as current roster is formed. Marvin becomes first man of bench, resting 3 or 4, whichever is needed. Gives more outside shooting in motion. Provides opportunity to see if Jo Craw is “the real deal”. If he is, then midseason trade exemption + JC1 adds up to filling whattever imbalance we have at that time.
Plus, this lineup is not “cut in stone”. Adjust depending upon who we’re playing. Marvin starts against Lebron…Collins against Shaq, more heavy minutes against Orlando, etc. Bottom line, use the talent more flexibly with an eye for creating matchups instead of always reacting to what the other guy sets up.
Woody’s 7-8 man rotations wore down the starters and ingrained poor work habits. That was then; this is now…more flexibility, more motion….better play. IMHO
Easy to speculate on horses in someone else’s barn, but I have to ride the ones we have now.
JoJo the Godfather
August 15th, 2010
7:10 am
I still think the best value for the 13th spot would be Erick Dampier…Charlotte will have to cut him to get below the luxury tax threshold, or they will trade him to a team that will definitely cut him…Charlotte has expressed a desire to re-sign him once cut, but they spent a good portion of their MLE on Shaun Livingston ($3.5M I think)…I don’t know many teams out there that need Damp AND can offer him $2.5M or more in salary…He just turned 35, and is very consistent as a defender, rebounder…Any salary below what ZaZa makes ($4M) is a solid deal and the ASG should not worry about the luxury tax to take advantage of such a deal…I’d even go as far as to say lock him up for 2 years at that rate…Luxury tax is calculated at the end of the year, you can always make a trade to get under later in the year…Even Sund has to see the value of having two backup centers the quality of ZaZa & Dampier, making considerably less than the MLE…Posts a higher but similar rebound rate per 40 to Shaq, less points but shoots a higher %, and is 3 years younger.
drmaryb ^•^
August 15th, 2010
7:32 am
I seriously doubt if the Suns new GM would:
Ship out the great 2X MVP – PG & promising Center w/o Amare up front?
IDK? But, stranger things have happened.
Besides the ASG like their Core …. (Yawn).
Samuel
August 15th, 2010
8:36 am
If he had any concerns about Teague or Bibby’s ability to run his OFF, he’d certainly have more 2 PG’s on the active roster. I think it’s just his way of impressing upon his players, especially Bibby and Teague, that the old culture of entitlement for some and deprivation for others is a thing of the past.
We do have more than 2 PGs. Jamahl and JJ can play PG and im sure will again at some point this year so why go out and get another one.
Ken, the way you’ve been commenting lately it looked like you are pretty much the one that “penciled” Teague in as a starter. It is refreshing to know that LD said somebody has to “take” a position away from the starter. Not in summer league either but in practice. Again, what player has proven that Woody deprived him of anything? Acie, Salim, who?