Atlanta Hawks: Jamal Crawford’s free-agent journey
According to Frank Isola of the Daily News in New York, Jamal prefers “returning to the New York area if he does not re-sign with the Atlanta Hawks.” Isola suggests that Jamal’s chances of signing with New York or New Jersey increased when he signed with agent Andy Miller, who “has close ties to both the Knicks’ and Nets’ organizations.”
As a proponent of the popular “players almost always take more money” school of thought, I’ve never followed the “agent-likes-the-team-so-player-will-sign-there” angle. The same dots were connected for J.J. to the Knicks even before last summer (“Done deal”) . The same kind of thinking also had J.J. going to Chicago (“dead set on joining the Bulls”).
We know how all that turned out once the Hawks flashed more cash at J.J. So let’s be real: That’s what Jamal is looking for, too, as he seeks out his last big contract. How do I know this? Because Jamal is a human being who responds to financial incentives. Also, I follow him on Twitter.
For weeks, fans from everywhere have queried Jamal on whether he likes their favorite team. He likes Atlanta, Chicago, Portland, New Jersey and New York. I’d also add Indiana, Sacamento, and any of those other teams that have lots of cap space just waiting to be used.
Jamal succinctly summed it up with this great tweet: “I have interest in who has interest in me.”
Ah, to be a scoring shooting guard in a free-agent market that should prove favorable to such a player. How favorable? I don’t know, but ESPN.com’s 5-on-5 took a shot at setting the value for Jamal and other top free agents.
Among the four guys on the panel to offer an opinion, the low offer for Jamal was the tax-payer mid-level exception of two years and $5 million and the high was three years and $22 million. The Hawks can’t swing either of those amounts unless they pay the luxury tax or amnesty someone (love using that as a verb) and then pay Jamal.
AJC wise guy Jeff Schultz thinks it would be a big blow to the Hawks to lose Jamal’s bench scoring. I think the impact could be mitigated with more possessions used by Teague, Hinrich and Al plus signing a replacement for Jamal who scores more efficiently and defends and rebounds. As always, I could be wrong.
(Before you ask, I don’t know who that player could be. First I need to figure out the Hawks’ plans regarding the tax and amnesty, and then see what the market looks like. Heck, for that matter, we still need to wait and see what provisions make it into the final, final CBA.)
Etc.
- Teams are expected to play two home-and-home preseason games against opponents in their geographical area. It looks like the Hawks will draw Charlotte.
- Mark Murphy of the Boston Herald says the Hawks are on Big Baby’s wish list. Murphy also speculates on the Hawks trading Smoove and amnestying Marvin (yeah, I’m going to use it as a verb all the time).
- Howard Beck of the New York Times reports that the amnesty clause won’t be used much this season. Beck also offers up “five bad contracts worth expunging.”
- Hoopinion’s Bret LaGree opines that the new modified waiver process for amnestied guys will influence Atlanta’s decision on whether to amnesty Marvin: “If a bunch of teams use the amnesty provision immediately, then it’s less likely Williams would draw sufficient interest under the third part of the amnesty provision wherein another team currently under the cap would defray some of the money Atlanta owes him.”
- Shaq says he would have played for the Hawks but Rick Sund “wanted to give all that money to Joe Johnson last year.” You might remember Shaq decided he couldn’t accept less than the full MLE or a bench role with the Hawks and then signed with the Celtics. You may also remember this proved to be the right call for the Hawks after Twin’s emergence and Shaq’s fade.
- Oakland (Mich.) University will retire Keith “Kito” Benson’s jersey at halftime of its game tonight vs. Tennessee. The game is on ESPNU at 9 p.m.
Michael Cunningham, Hawks beat
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319 comments Add your comment
Astro Joe
November 29th, 2011
10:50 am
Anyone who suggests using the amnesty on Marvin is either very short-sided or too much of a hater to be rational. In the next 4-5 years, Joe’s contract will be far more punitive to the Hawks salary cap than Marvin’s will ever be. So the Hawks need to maintain the option of using the amnesty on Joe when his production goes into major decline (I’m guessing after year 4 of his contract). The other option is to trade Joe to Portland for Roy and then amnesty Roy. But it is unlikely that Portland would make that trade.
No thanks to Iverson. If we keep Hinrich & Teague, we don’t need a guard who will sulk if he doesn’t get a bunch of FGAs and 24+ minutes/game. Give me Roger Mason (we need a deep threat) or even Marquis Daniel to fill the role. I’d like to see the Hawks try a more balanced approach to bench scoring next year. If we must go for the Vinnie Johnson option, bring back Flip… he’s very cheap (and doesn’t fall in love with his jumper).
Astro Joe
November 29th, 2011
10:56 am
One more thing, while the owners didn’t get unguaranteed contracts, they are able to waive players with less financial penalties. So if Marvin truly becomes such a waste that he needs to go quickly, they could waive him and spread his salary over 2X+1 the number of years left on his deal. So that would probably give them around $4M in cap relief. The Hawks won’t have significant cap space until Hinrich’s salary expires and/or Josh’s salary expires. Doing anything before one of those things happens really won’t free up enough cap space to make a significant improvement.
Of course, some teams trade members of their their core to improve.
Daniel
November 29th, 2011
11:23 am
Once again basketball is back and all we can talk about in Atlanta is who we can get to fill out the 12/13 spot on the roster. AI? really? Is this 2001? I love the Hawks but NOTHING will make us better until we get new ownership…
I hate to rain on everyones parade, but until we get a single owner with a REAL commitment to winning
kwooden
November 29th, 2011
11:27 am
I would take CP3 for Marvin and Jeff anytime of the day and as quickly as possible!! I really think the Hornets could do better though.
I hope the HAWKS are putting every combination of players they have to get Dwight. We know the Lakers are are offering Bynum, but not much else. We can offer any combination of JJ, Horford, Smoove and Marvin.
GO HAWKS!
The Revisionist
November 29th, 2011
11:27 am
FIRE RICK SUND!
Anyone with half a brain knew LAST SEASON that Jamal Crawford was going to bolt for greener pastures after the season. So for the life of me, why on earth would Rick Sund trade away JORDAN Crawford! You had your future sixth-man/ scoring machine sitting there on the bench for literal peanuts, and you throw him in a trade for an aging journeyman that will not even start this upcoming season.
FIRE RICK SUND!
STRETCH
November 29th, 2011
12:02 pm
Im with you Revisionist.
Sund knew last season that there would be a strong possibility that they wouldnt have the money for Crawford this year and he still let Jordan Crawford walk basically.
And every year, the Hawks face the same situation and it has not changed this season. When are they going to go after a legit center? The Hawks played tough against the Bulls, but they were NOT tough enough especially in the paint.
So, once again Atlanta, you are stuck with a team that plays well enough to get into the playoffs, but not good enough to make a real push.
PG – Teague is a young guy that needs a chance, might be the guy.
– Hinrich, too much money spent on him. Good guy, good player, but aging.
SG – JJ – Still waiting you on to recruit “Big Game” players Joe.
SF – MW – I dont even want to talk about him..next!
PF – JS – NBA Star, close to being a Superstar, but boneheadedness and in game temper tantrums coupled with low BB IQ holds him and team back.
C – AH – Undersized. (how many times have we said that?)
Bench – Needs scorers and brawlers.
Coach – New season at the helm. Might be better.
Management – Until they are removed, ATL will never win anything.
Astro Joe
November 29th, 2011
12:06 pm
STRETCH, waiting for Joe to recruit players who will get paid minimum dollars for the ASG? Is that a Joe problem or an ASG problem?
STRETCH
November 29th, 2011
12:14 pm
Just talking about Joe’s comments after signing that contract when he said “Im gonna recruit” players to come here.
heat check
November 29th, 2011
12:29 pm
100% agreed, Revisionist.
That trade made me want to put my head through a wall.
Sund: “We’ll desperately need cheap bench scoring (Jordan Crawford) and rebounding (Kenneth Faried) help within 9 months, but DAMN that Kirk Hinrich is a once-in-a-generation talent. Name your price, Washington! Go ahead and load up, anything you want. Fleece us, I insist! Deal. Suckers! Jordan Crawford’s gonna give you nuthin! We should know, he’s played 40 or so minutes over 18 games and simply hasn’t produced. That draft pick, like EVERY non-lottery pick, is useless! HA! 31yr old Kirk’s 12p/5a is just the championship piece we were missing and he will be our PG of the future (for 2 months or so), since that Jeff what’s-his-face is obviously worthless.”
Pretty sure that’s how it went down. Now we’re contemplating AI and Jeff Foster signings. Thanks, Rick and BASG and LD.
For the record, I’d be against the amnestificationizing of Marvin. That should be reserved for Joe someday.
cp
November 29th, 2011
12:30 pm
I would stay away from Big Baby. Dude doesn’t rebound and we need a big who rebounds. Foster and Reggie Evans are the two guys we should be looking at. Evans and Josh are good friends maybe Josh can convince him to come here. I had forgot all about Roger Mason but he would definitely be that shooter we need off the bench. I like Daniels but he seems to be a bit injury prone the past few seasons. He would come cheap so he could be a good option. I wouldn’t mind seeing Flip back if what we want is a scorer off the bench. The one thing Flip did that i loved was attack the rim. He wouldn’t settle for the jumper like so many on this team do. Teague attacks the rim but I have no idea what LD will do with Teague this year. I would take Flip over Iverson. When A.I. went back to the Sixers he looked like his tank was on empty. Maybe he has his personal life straightened out and is ready to play but it might be too risky. Like I said in another post, Rashard McCants would also be a cheap young option for scoring off the be bench.
J
November 29th, 2011
12:37 pm
I keep reading about the owners and how they aren’t for winning … i mean, i know people hate them for losing the Thrashers but didn’t we just make the playoffs 4 years in a row? I mean, come on, if you’re trying make business sense of this, they’ve built from the ground up (instead of going out and just buying a Championship team) and are approving on it. Yeah, i think we need one more great bench player & a better PG (hopefully Teague fills that spot), along with a better small forward but i have seen progress. If you want to harp on the negative, you can talk about how we didn’t make the playoffs for 10 years in a row prior to the 0708 season. Then again, i know we all are excited that the Hawks are relevant again but you have to give some credit where credit is due.
drmaryb .[*_*].
November 29th, 2011
1:11 pm
Words!
“STRETCH
Just talking about Joe’s comments after signing that contract when he said “Im gonna recruit” players to come here” -Stretch-
_________________
Stretch, can you post the link where Mr. Johnson said this? I believe it was his agent who spoke those words.
Astro Joe
November 29th, 2011
1:27 pm
Mary, I agree, I;m fairly certain that was also his agent. And I recall that the statement was made around the same time that either the ASG or Sund said that they would use the MLE on “the right player”. Meanwhile, they have NEVER used their MLE and have ONLY signed “external” FAs to minimum deals since they signed Mo Evans 3 years ago. Said differently, the ONLY FA signed to more than a minimum deal in the Rick Sund era was Mo Evans and he signed for a whopping $2.5M per year. So any discussions about recruiting FAs needs to start with the ASG and their willingness to spend a little coin.
STRETCH
November 29th, 2011
1:36 pm
So it was his agent. I stand corrected. But one thing i do know is that Joe Jejejejeje Johnson aint worth the money!
drmaryb .[*_*].
November 29th, 2011
1:36 pm
A Real GM!
Astro Joe, Baby! Thank You Sir, I’m just tired of people who bump gums with false information all the time on here. We all make mistakes, but some people take it to a whole ‘nother level!
Besides, it is NOT Joe Johnson’s job to build this roster nor recruit anyone. All I want Joe to do is get better And make better decisions for his teammates, when playing games.
Aye Sund! Build your damned team & stop passing the buck.
Realist
November 29th, 2011
1:43 pm
“(Laughs). We have to go out and see what is out there. Honestly, I think we have the team now we can win with. That’s no question. The last two years we have averaged 50 wins. We all know it’s time to step up and take it to the next level. I think with the team we’ve got right now we can do that.”
Does Joe still think this team can win as is?
STRETCH
November 29th, 2011
1:51 pm
“Astro Joe, Baby! Thank You Sir, I’m just tired of people who bump gums with false information all the time on here. We all make mistakes, but some people take it to a whole ‘nother level!”
byramrd,
its also JJ’s job to step it up if he wants to be considered as an elite player. Something he has yet to do. So get off his j-strap and quit dangling from other peoples tassels. LOL!
Realist
November 29th, 2011
2:13 pm
Amen.
ASG has never used the MLE once
vava74
November 29th, 2011
2:44 pm
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=puBcHqdfm7c
I think this qualifies.
It’s not his fault that LD let Game 2 slip out of our hands with his idiotic rotation scheme.
vava74
November 29th, 2011
2:46 pm
And it was not JJ’s fault that our other All Star was in diapers during the whole CHI series and…
that Jamal also spent the rest of the series cr*pping his pants after game 1.
Without anyone aiding him, WTF do you want? When he had a massive game from another guy (Josh) HE held the fort in the 4th quarter (10 points) and we got the second win.
vava74
November 29th, 2011
2:47 pm
And at the same time we are talking about a guy who actually plays D.
Grandad
November 29th, 2011
2:48 pm
This post is mainly for * vava * … HOWEVER …
PLEASE:
Mary Ellen,Sautee,Big Ray,Rev,GrandJeJe,SteveW,O’B,
SuperB,WWClyde,Hatter,Sect303,AJ,Najeh,Nire,BFiAtl,
Marv’s Granny,Emir,doc,Ra’mon,Stretch,MC,heck,,,,, et al !
- – - – (it’s for all my buddies) – - – - !!
___________________________________________
vava
I hate to keep disagreeing with you,
but this minor tweak is a major point
that -magnifies- your -greater- message.
(I hope)
___________________________________________
Basketball is * NOT * (50 % offense & 50 %) defense per se
Basketball is 10 % on the ball, & 90 % away from the ball
broken down further;
.05 % the ball & 95 % other
continued;
95% man with ball = offense / okay
[most people only watch him]
next = .05 man guarding ball
occasionally = .05 man setting screen
[which brings 3 men into focus] = 15% watching the ball
* note – passer receiver is exception
** then sometimes only on replay.
My overall point !
And My Greater Point !
*** 80 % of the game of Basketball is played * OFF * the Ball !
[SteveW will back me up on this]
(it’s something one learns as a coach)
{}I’m not being condecending when I say that{}
That is why I preach -for- players such as Battier; (Rodman)
and am less enamored with players -like- Joe !
Joe sleeps away from the ball…..thats a fact !
Therefore the Hawks are paying the Highest salary to a player
who play 20 % of the game.
He plays well with the ball in his hands;
and defends well on the ball.
IRMC / G-dad !
vava74
November 29th, 2011
2:54 pm
Grandad,
JJ is not perfect and yes, he sometime sleeps on plays.
BUT he is a sound defensive player: very good on the ball and better than average off-the-ball.
He is a top 15 NBA player and the #3 SG in the league.
People only watch HALF of the game, which is not even off-the-ball, on-the-ball stuff: THEY SIMPLY DON’T WATCH DEFENSE, they just way for the next possession.
ONLY exception? Blocks and the occasional swipe in the passing lane: defense is MUCH MUCH more than blocks and there are many players who block shots BUT allow a bunch of points under their noses.
Smoove blocks shots, sometimes incredible plays – momentum changing plays – but his on-the-ball D is mostly weak and his close outs to shooters is horrible (poor rotations to cover outside players).
vava74
November 29th, 2011
2:56 pm
major typos. Main one: “they just wait for the next possession”
Grandad
November 29th, 2011
3:11 pm
G-dad’s Trade O’the Day
(perfect timing O’ B) with your earlier post !
*especially after I announced that I was gonna post this last eve*
____________________________________________
Going To New Orleans:
*Josh Smith
*Jeff Teague
*Zaza Pachulia
Coming to the ATL:
Mr Chris Paul himself !
____________________________________________
The Biggest Winner in this Trade !
Marvin Williams !
The Burden is lifted from Marv,
as having been drafted ahead of Paul,
and CP3 becomes Marvin’s savior of sorts
raising his game to:
double / double pts, rebs, he becomes a def stalwart,
& 6th man of the yr !
Atl has their SuperDuperStar !!
____________________________________________
Can or Does N.O. get a better offer than that !
Also it works on Trade Machine.
It should work on the new CBA.
Stern / NBA (ownership) would be foolish,
not to accept.
Chris Paul may / might just go for it ?
Win Win Baby !
Get out’a my way Sund.
vava74
November 29th, 2011
3:20 pm
Swap Josh for Al Horford on that trade and I would be up for it.
Josh played in the playoffs. Al… ummm where was he?
Realist
November 29th, 2011
3:28 pm
I have to agree with Vava here. Joe has no help on this team.
FreshFromATL
November 29th, 2011
3:41 pm
Looks like Nene wants out of Denver: http://ken-berger.blogs.cbssports.com/mcc/blogs/entry/11838893/33584531
Rufus1
November 29th, 2011
4:05 pm
Trade Al for Nene… sign and trade? Al is younger and a strong rebounder, but Nene has better offensive game…
I would do it..I don’t think Nene is going to get more than 12mil a year.
bigcalidawg
November 29th, 2011
4:15 pm
The best thing about the nba returning is seeing Najeh Devenpoop once again. Funny, as it is an NFL reference, yet he post so much on the Hawks.
The nucleus is set. I figured that by letting Jordan go, that meant we would retain Jamaal. Not necessarily.
If we let that cat go, we need a physical big.
I like the kid that was bangin Kardashian. I like the kid Caracter (sp) from the Lakers. We need support for Zha Zha. We need an “Oakley Like” presence in the front court.
vava74
November 29th, 2011
4:19 pm
Realist,
Most people have been looking away and simply ignoring the fact that Horford has consistently folded under pressure.
Two years ago he could/should have done a lot more against Howard.
The harsh reality is that after he got that elbow to his mouth midway the 09-10 season and got decked without a foul being called against Howard he stopped trying to put his body against him.
He may be smaller, but we are not talking about a 6′0 guard against a 6′11” powerhouse. We are talking about a guy who is 6′9”/610” and only 20/25lbs lighter.
Fundamentals
November 29th, 2011
4:24 pm
I have liked Nene at times, but if he is our key…giving up Al for him, why haven’t the Nuggets progressed any farther with their superstars? We dream of their assets and yet he didn’t help them get it done. We need a player committed to TEAM rebounding and defense. I wouldn’t give Al up for Nene IMHO
Fundamentals
November 29th, 2011
4:25 pm
I’d like to see a MLE used this season on anyone, just to say we actually did it for once ASG.
Folks, quit with the Iverson garbage. He’s a virus. Look at Memphis and his return trips to Philly. Dude’s done. We need rising talent…not fallen talent.
Fundamentals
November 29th, 2011
4:29 pm
vava – Horford just isn’t the Boss anymore. He got the title, the cash and then got soft. I think he’ll rebound to old form someday, but dude doesn’t seem to have the tenacity of folks like the Charles Oakley reference. We need toughness, and it’s available cheap at times. Look at what Kurt Thomas did to Al? Dude just doesn’t have real toughness in his DNA.
brigadierjerry
November 29th, 2011
4:34 pm
D12 to Atl = Howard, Turkgolu for Horford, Hinrich, Pachulia, Williams, Draft Picks
D12 with JJ, Teague, Smith with the right pieces could become something
Also if you had the opportunity to get Chris Paul even if you have to give up Teague, would you do it?Also I think D Howard value’s is more than Chris Paul value for the Hawks since he is a big man
Rod from College Park
November 29th, 2011
4:41 pm
vava74,
“Most people have been looking away and simply ignoring the fact that Horford has consistently folded under pressure.”
Not me. This is where I agree with you. Behind Marvin, Horford is the biggest disappointment for me on this team. His numbers look good in the regular season, but he has not stepped up in the playoffs in the last two seasons. He has rebounded well, but thats about it. His defense is the playoffs has been worse than Jamal’s, and his offense is non-existent.
O'Brien
November 29th, 2011
4:41 pm
G’dad,
I’m ok with that trade.
Since David West is a free agent, and Josh Smith has 2 years left at a very reasonable salary, N.O. would like Josh (imo). And they could start Jarrett Jack at PG, and make Teague his backup.
However, I don’t know if they would want ZaZa. They are already paying Okafor $13+ mil per year, so I don’t know if they want to spend $4.5 mil on his backup. That’s almost $18 mil tied up in one position. Center.
I would trade JJ for CP3 straight up, but I don’t think the Hornets want any part of JJ’s contract.
vava,
I would trade Horford for CP3, but I am not giving up Horford AND ZaZa. How about Horford, Hinrich and Teague for CP3 and Jarrett Jack.
N.O. could play Al at PF, which is where he wants to be (or they could interchange him and Okafor). Hinrich could start at PG, and play backup minutes at SG while Teague backs up the PG position.
FreshFromATL
November 29th, 2011
5:00 pm
O’Brien,
Don’t you think that’s a bit much for CP3? I don’t see how trading Horford, Hinrich and Teague for CP3 helps us. Unless you’re guaranteeing that we will get D12 at some point or some other half-decent Center.
Grandmaster JeJe
November 29th, 2011
5:20 pm
FIRE LD
Air Zaza
November 29th, 2011
5:22 pm
Horford is much better with CP3 than without him. Both are PnR players and Horford needs an elite PG to take him to the next level.
Horford in the playoffs issue is the movement STOPS and the lack of PnR, PnP, and what not and Horford become useless on offense. If teams know how to shut down our player because of our personnel and lack of movement, of course he will struggle. Since Wade struggled v. Chicago does that mean Wade is worst than Bosh. Or James v. Dallas, is Bosh superior is James now?
Stop acting like clowns. Horford>>>Smith especially if we are landing CP3 and that’s easy as 2+2. Smith is a very good player but Horford is much better if the personnel fits which it doesn’t right now.
Air Zaza
November 29th, 2011
5:24 pm
The best trade for both teams:
http://espn.go.com/nba/tradeMachine?tradeId=782sc4j
Rod from College Park
November 29th, 2011
5:45 pm
Air Zaza,
“Stop acting like clowns. Horford>>>Smith especially if we are landing CP3 and that’s easy as 2+2. Smith is a very good player but Horford is much better if the personnel fits which it doesn’t right now.”
Based on what? Stats? Stats would say Josh is better. Josh is a better scorer, low post player, defensive player. Horford has a better mid range game, a slightly better rebounder, and has a better basketball IQ. Not sure where you get the Horford is a much better player from. Josh has a much bigger impact on the team positively and negatively than Horford does.
Michael Cunningham
November 29th, 2011
5:47 pm
@Fundamentals: “MC – What staff changes are being made this year in terms of LD’s staff? Anything of note?”
none that i know about. when i went to charity events over the summer it was the same coaches.
“What free agents are we planning to drop and replace?”
do you mean which of their free agents they won’t attempt to re-sign? Josh Powell and Hilton Armstrong are overseas with no opt-outs. i doubt there is interest in Etan Thomas. i think they will try to re-sign Jason Collins, Jamal Crawford, and Damien Wilkins.
“What players are honestly being marketed?”
do you mean shopped for a trade? i don’t know of anyone right now. a Hawks person swore to me there was nothing to the speculation about Josh Smith being shopped around the time of the draft. the person specifically denied there was anything to the Josh for Bogut story. other teams called the Hawks when they heard Josh was unhappy but this person says the Hawks weren’t trying to get rid of him. so, there are conflicting reports on that.
Jabba Fett
November 29th, 2011
5:54 pm
The Hawks still have the trade exception from the Josh Childress deal to add another player, either say a Caron Butler or Tayshaun Prince.
Air Zaza
November 29th, 2011
6:09 pm
Based on what? Stats? Stats would say Josh is better. Josh is a better scorer, low post player, defensive player. Horford has a better mid range game, a slightly better rebounder, and has a better basketball IQ. Not sure where you get the Horford is a much better player from. Josh has a much bigger impact on the team positively and negatively than Horford does.
@Rod
Stats say Horford is better. Stats say Smith has a lot of skills, moreso than Horford. Josh is a better scorer and defensive player. Both aren’t great in the low post. Smith has more moves but Horford is better around the basket.
Horford is one the best mid range shooters in the game. He is one of best rebounding PF/C along with Smith. He is a much better movement player like it matter with our current personnel but with CP3 would be night and day, and Horford is far more consistent than Smith who doesn’t have a clue on shot selection.
Horford is a PnR PF. He is based on movement, athletic finishing, screens, dives, PnR, PnP, and what not. That’s his offense. Like Reggie Miller was a movement based SG. He wasn’t someone that was going to create his shot using Iso.
Smith is an talented uptempo PF. He excels at full court, uptempo basketball where he doesn’t have to create his own shot or forced into movement and what not. He is the opposite of Horford. The best fit for Smith would be with Nash. Teague is also a solid fit for Smith but Teague can’t create for others so it will never be more than a solid fit. Horford and Teague don’t fit. Teague is terrible at movement. He uses screens and picks for his own offense. He only has good vision when he is slashing to the basket or running a fast break.
So where did I get Horford is much better than Smith? When I put CP3 into the equation. It’s that simple. Now you have the perfect fit for Horford. His touches goes up greatly and his quality touches will now actually exist. I can count on one hand the quality touches Horford has gotten from Bibby, Hinrich and Teague. He still never got a quality touch from Hinrich or Teague yet.
justahawkfan
November 29th, 2011
6:26 pm
“MAGNUM ROLLE” chicka bom chicka bom bommm
Rod from College Park
November 29th, 2011
6:45 pm
Air Zaza,
While I understand what you are trying to say, I still disagree. Josh Smith would be a much better player with a Chris Paul type point guard than he is now. He probaly would average 6 to 8 points a game just in ally oops alone if he played with Paul off of the pick and Roll, or on the break (See Tyson Chandler in New Orleans, and Kenyon Martin in NJ with Jason Kidd). No point guard with the pentrating ability of Chris Paul would be passing the ball to Josh standing behind the 3 point line. These things alone would help his game tremendously. Stats do not say Horford is better. Career stats for both show that Horford shoots a higher % from the field, from the free throw line, and is a better rebounder, but thats about it. Josh has also been considered one of the premier defensive players in the league for most of his career, and has intimidated and changed numerous shots in the paint. I saw Brandon Jennings attack the rim with Horford standing in the paint numerous times, and never be stopped in that Milw. playoff series. While we all on this blog like to nitpick and talk about our players weaknesses and faults, I don’t think there are many of us who will not agree that Josh Smith has been one of the better defensive players in the league since he has been a Hawk, except for a few haters.
Fundamentalss
November 29th, 2011
6:54 pm
Thanks MC
So we have 1 slot to fill if damien, twin, sy, benson & rolle filling slots.
The Monger
November 29th, 2011
6:55 pm
I have shouted from the mountains for years, that all we needed was a solid point guard and tough, big center to be among the elites. And we are almost there. We have finally found our pg, and teague thoroughly proved that in the Eastern Semis, not just hanging with derrick rose MVP, but even outplaying him at times. I think teague can honestly be a 15 pt., 10 assist, 2-3 steals type of guy, that can really lift this offense and accelerate an already fast offensive squad. Just imagine last year, except now add about 100 plays with teague leading the break, or penetrating the lane and dishing to Josh, Joe, and Al. Now we need a big, hard-nosed Center like Ben Wallace. If we can get Big Baby of DeAndre Jordan in Free Agency. East finals lock, and maybe more. That is all we are missing folks….ONE BIG BANGER!!!
Fundamentals
November 29th, 2011
6:55 pm
PRAY WE USE OUR MLE FOR THAT ONE SLOT.