Atlanta Hawks: Hawks caught in ‘Melo drama
As far as I can tell, the speculation connecting Carmelo Anthony to the Hawks is based solely on a line from Alan Hahn’s story in Newsday (H/T to Hawksquawk.net for the link):
“Other teams, such as the Trail Blazers and Hawks, have been in touch in preliminary terms, according to a person with knowledge of the situation.”
Rick Sund didn’t want to comment on the item yesterday. But knowing how he operates, “preliminary terms” means the Hawks reached out to the Nuggets to see what they are thinking regarding Melo. Sund always stresses that teams constantly make such calls to see if there are deals that make sense but that it doesn’t mean anything will get done or that it ever reaches the level of negotiations.
Once such talks reach the public domain, though, folks get in a frenzy. Before you run too far with Melo and the Hawks, first thing’s first: In an interview with Benjamin Hochman of the Denver Post, Melo didn’t include Atlanta on the list of cities where he’d be willing to sign an extension:
I Asked: Are the options strictly New Jersey, New York, Chicago, Denver?
Melo said, “Yeah. But I really can’t say it’s just those, because I don’t really know (what could happen).”
This, of course, is in reference to the reality that Denver could trade Melo to a team he doesn’t want to play for long-term. If that happens, then he might not sign the three-year, $65 million contract extension to play for that team. Instead, he’d opt out of his current contract and be a free agent this summer, likely signing with the Knicks. But – he would take a significant pay cut, due to the new collective bargaining agreement.
Furthermore, the Hawks don’t have the kind of assets the Nets were offering the Nuggets for Melo.. I also doubt the Hawks would be willing to give up a part of their proverbial “core” for a short-term rental of Melo since they still don’t know what this group can do (and such a swap could significantly weaken the Hawks in other areas even as they add Melo). I do think ASG might be willing to pay the luxury tax for Melo because, if you recall, in those comments that got Michael Gearon Jr. fined by the league, he said there are only a few players worth the tax in this market because of the revenues they’d bring in. Melo might–emphasis on might–be a guy who could do that here.
Of course this whole Melo saga could end (it will end, won’t it?) with him signing Denver’s extension offer or rolling the dice and becoming a free agent despite the CBA uncertainty.
Michael Cunningham, Hawks beat
Tell us what you think about the site
Customer Care »
Vacation stops, manage subscriptions and more
AJC Services
Sections
Other Editions
Visitor Agreement | Privacy Statement
© 2013 The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
130 comments Add your comment
Bird
January 26th, 2011
5:43 pm
Billups is washed up, rather keep Bibby.
tony
January 26th, 2011
5:59 pm
Send JJ, JS and JT to Denver for Carmelo and Ty Lawson. With this trade we now have a true pg(Lawson). All we need now is a true center.
Draft Keith Benson.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ekNfbYNNswU
FLAsucks
January 26th, 2011
6:09 pm
Give them Bibby, Marvin, and a draft pick for Melo
Einsteindawg
January 26th, 2011
6:11 pm
A Carmello trade to the Hawks would have the same effect as Marbury to the Nicks.
Poopie Head
January 26th, 2011
6:11 pm
I am laughing my tooshie off over the comments on here. I especially like the people defending “JSmoove’s” Defense. Since when has there been any Defense in the NBA? The NBA sucks badly.
Does anyone really think the Hawks have a chance in the next 5 years? Seriously? They should trade for draft picks ASAP. Do you want a decent team for the next five years just to get trounced in the 2nd round of the playoffs every year OR do you want a young nucleus built through the draft playing together for the next ten years playing for championships. The goal is to win it all, and this team sure as hell won’t!
nba= no defense= poopie
Poopie Head
January 26th, 2011
6:14 pm
also, nice job management.
Carmelo’s $20million > Joe Johnson’s $20million.
Seriously, thats the Hawks go to guy?
slimjr
January 26th, 2011
6:15 pm
Melo would be crazy to come to Atlanta. He aint……….
Air Zaza
January 26th, 2011
6:16 pm
Melo/Nene/Harrington for Smoove/Jamal/Marvin
terrell
January 26th, 2011
7:05 pm
JWill released by Orlando. Could he help us?
terrell
January 26th, 2011
7:06 pm
“Melo would be crazy to come to Atlanta”. He’d be even crazier if he went to NJ.
terrell
January 26th, 2011
7:07 pm
If he wants to win, that is.
Thomas
January 26th, 2011
7:12 pm
Not enough basketballs to go around for both Joe and Melo…. bad idea
TRADE 4 NASH
January 26th, 2011
7:17 pm
http://games.espn.go.com/nba/tradeMachine?tradeId=4l4z4vu
terrell
January 26th, 2011
7:23 pm
Thomas, people said the same thing about Lebron and Wade.
terrell
January 26th, 2011
7:31 pm
Bucks sign guard Garrett Temple to a 10 day contract. Must no Bibby’s coming to town. lol!
Dion
January 26th, 2011
8:17 pm
No trades…Hawks will be swept again in the 2nd round. If the Hawks are serious and want to compete or just maintain the status quo i.e., have to sell tickets for 7.50 and market/promo/beg folks to attend games! They MUST make a big trade! Bring in Melo; everyone else, except JJ, Horford, and Jamaal or Smith(pick one) should be subject to trade including a future first round pick. I read people talking about get rid of JJ, no elite player would come to play with the hawks without JJ as a core player.
bill
January 26th, 2011
9:13 pm
Anybody on this blog that thinks the ASG would get Melo without trading JJ, Al or Josh in a package is drinking the Kool-Aid…get real.
superiorblogman
January 26th, 2011
10:39 pm
A. Larry Drew is as inconsistent as the Hawks players are. He does not understand gameflow.
B. Josh Smith takes too many shots.
C. Al Horford does not get enough shots.
D. The Hawks will never win anything worthy of noting until they get another legit starting PG and C.
slimjr
January 26th, 2011
11:43 pm
With 4 mins left on the clock in the 4th qtr, hawks scored 3 pts!!! That will you some playoff games!! NOT..JOSH WHY ARE YOU SHOOTING 3’s in the 4th??YOU CANT SHOOT DUDE!!!!!
Publix
January 27th, 2011
12:47 am
We need to send Marvin, Crawford, and Zaza to Denver for Mello and Birdman.
Then we need to send Evans to Phoenix for Garret Siler.
Bring Pape Sy back to the team and resign Mario West.
PG- Teague
SG- Johnson
SF- Mello
PF- Smith
C- Horford
PG-Bibby (new instant offense off the bench to replace JC1)
SG-Crawoford
SF-Wilkins
PF-Powell
C-Siler
Sy and Collins are still there together with West to complete the team.
Alsandair Barnes
January 27th, 2011
1:58 am
Anything to get Joe Johnson off the Hawks hands !!!!
EmirS.
January 27th, 2011
3:24 am
Smoove’s defense replaceable? Go look at available free agents and tell me who you can get to replace his defense. And whiel your at it, see if that free agent can replace his offense as well. If there was anyone, Mark Cuban would have already snatched them up. Point is Smoove is hard to replace. Only person you could honestly replace him with, would be a younger Tayshaun Prince.
Let’s be realistic here. You cant move Smoove. I’ve bashed him for his shot selection and attitude, but you move him and you lose to much. Mr.Melo wont bring you defense. He is an elite scorer. We all know that. But I would not put Smoove in any trade talks involving Melo. Extension or not. We are’nt the Heat or the Magic, that will go out and fill in the missing pieces. Do you honestly beleive that if we somehow got Melo in a trade that involved Smith, that Mr.Sund would go out and look for some defense!?
And dont anyone of you dare and mention Chris “Birdman” Andersen. I think after the ‘05 All-Star weekend he should retire that whole “Birdman” thing.
ANYWAYS, back to topic. I think we need to move Al Horford. That dude is a beast. But I dont think he’s at his full potential with the Hawks. I’d hate to lose him, but If I’m able to keep JJ and Smoove while adding Melo (w/ extension) I’m all for it. And would the Nuggets NOT want to build around a young, strong, smart, beastly power forward?
Now ofcourse the problem with that is how well would Smoove do as a full-time 4. I don’t know which position he perfers. Anyone know?
ATown Vet
January 27th, 2011
9:35 am
http://games.espn.go.com/nba/tradeMachine?tradeId=4stzy6q
This is how you get Melo to the ATL and compete for a championship this year and the next.
HWJ
January 27th, 2011
10:20 am
Marvin is garbage we need to trade him asap… Also we have no shot at Carmelo Anthony
HWJ
January 27th, 2011
10:22 am
PUBLIX wait wait wait please no Mario West talk…. wow he is so bad
Ennis W.
January 27th, 2011
10:25 am
Enter your comments here
shake&break
January 27th, 2011
10:50 am
I know see why JJ called some of the Hawks fans out. You complain about JJ and Jamal using Iso’s over and over. But, Carmelo is just as much a ISO player as JJ or Jamal ever have been. Some will say he scores in different ways. Well, JJ scores in the post, on ISO’s, on three’s, on mid range.
Plus, if you look at Carmelo’s numbers he currently averages about four more points than JJ does and two or so rebounds more. Yet, he averages less assists than JJ (so goes your motion offense). However, some of you believe trading JJ and Jamal (or some similar tandem) for Carmelo would make the Hawks so much better. You take JJ and Jamal off the floor and you lose about 40 points a night, plus two guys that can break the defense down and one guy (JJ) that is a solid defensive player, a ample ball handler and usually has a mismatch ever night.
shake&break
January 27th, 2011
11:30 am
The NBA is a game of non-self made men. There are few self-made men (Steve Nash come to mind) in the NBA, but very few. The NBA either rides the coattails of a big time player (Jordan, Magic, Bird, Kobe, Wade, Shaq, Lebron) or relies on the NBA financial coffins to hype a player (Carmelo, B. Roy, Ginobili, Arenas, R. Allen, V. Carter, Iggy, B. Davis) to push them into a level where they really are not. If JJ had ever received the NBA promo and media packages the last group of guys have received in their careers he would likely be more highly thought of in the fan’s eyes. However, I bet you ask most NBA teams and coaches they will tell you JJ is a stud.
Point is, If you compare JJ’s numbers over the past five or so years (points, assists, rebounds, defense) then the only other players that can attest to the same numbers are Kobe, Lebron and Wade. Although, you never hear his name in mainstream media. Is he worth $120 million, I don’t know, but, I can guarantee you that if JJ had the same numbers in a better market than Atlanta and a little NBA promo then the $120 million would not be such a big issue. Some will say it is not JJ’s personality to be a NBA promo player, but I say look at D. Rose, B. Roy, Greg Oden, B. Griffin, and even L. Bird. Those players were forced to become NBA media stars even though they are not the most camera friendly.
Dale
January 27th, 2011
4:18 pm
After watching the Hwks last night against Milwaukee and seeing how they blew the lead 9again) and how this team relaxes as if they are up 25 points and seeing how Josh Smith repeatedly took bad shots and how he barely played defense…I say…H*ll yeah trade Josh, marvin and Bibby for Melo, and Billups……we have no crunch players and Bibby cannot run a team and control the pace as a starter any longer.. Ship them out. Last night prove why I cannot simply invest my money into a team that will play an entire game……Losing to Milwaukee…come on…Milwaukee who had their three best players (Redd, Jennings & Salmons) not on the flor..Give me a break!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
jason
January 27th, 2011
6:47 pm
http://www.hoopsnotes.com/teams/atlanta/hawks-in-touch-with-nuggets-about-melo/