Atlanta Hawks: Camp Report Day 6
Could Jerry Stackhouse be the Hawks’ Alonzo Mourning?.
Normally, I’d say there are two things working against him: I’m not sure if Stack’s role would be very significant if he does make the roster, and he’s the new guy on a team whose main cogs have been together for a while.
But Stack has two other things working for him that could help him overcome those hurdles: His familiarity with Hawks players from summer workouts over the last few years, and the sheer force of his personality.
In fact, Al Horford said Stack has wasted no time making his mark.
“Stack is already doing it, just kind of taking over and pulling guys to the side and talking to them,” he said. “We respect him. I’m happy when he does it because he sees things a different way. You might not see them that way but then they make sense [when he points them out]. I’m happy he’s on the team and I think he’s going to be a big help for us this year with the locker room and keeping people on the same page.”
I get the feeling Larry Drew wants Stackhouse around just for that. It may not happen on a team with a payroll that’s creeping up to the luxury-tax line and needs all the useful guards it can get–Stackhouse’s production and efficiency have generally been on a steady decline since 2007, though he didn’t get to show what he has left in a cameo with the Heat last season.
Here’s a transcript of an interview with Stack on the subject of leadership.
L.D. says he values your leadership, but how do you approach being a leader when you are the new guy on a team that’s been together?
I don’t look at as a new guy on the team. Ain’t nothing about me new. [Laughs] I enjoy it, man, because I know these guys and I’ve been around them a lot in the summer and watched them from afar for two or three years and just felt like they were right there. Even when I went to Milwaukee [in 2009-10], this was a team that I felt I could bring some intangibles to it. They’ve got all the pieces, and sometimes it’s just in between the ears. Sometimes it’s not always about the young guys taking another step, it’s about the veterans taking another step with their leadership. So I’m just trying to stay in Joe’s ear, stay in Josh’s ear, and that is where the value is.
I love to get on the court and do some things but I’m realistic about that, especially with a short season and so many games and trying to manage that. [So] a lot of it is just talking. You are not going to be able to do a lot of on the court once the season gets going. It’s more about how you approach the mental side of it. I’ve been on a lot of good teams and a few bad teams, and I know what the makeup of those are and some of those warning signs. When I see some slippage and we can bring it and address it, and that is one key to a championship team is feedback and not being afraid of feedback, from coaches and players. Everybody accept the feedback from the players and understand it because these are guys on the court getting it done and if they are not cohesive then it’s not going to get done no matter how good a game plan the coaches have. That’s where it’s at. It’s been great so far.
You talked about accepting feedback. When I talk to coaches who played in the league and some older vets, a lot of them say one way the league has changed is it’s gotten a lot younger and players are too sensitive to criticism. Have you seen some of that?
Not with this group. Everybody’s ears are wide open. That’s refreshing. You get some of these guys . . . I have my summer league in North Carolina and I get a lot of those young guys from John Wall to all of them and, believe me, not everybody is as open to it. They feel like once they get drafted, they have arrived, and that is so far from reality. I still feel like right now there are areas I can get better in, even maybe with my leadership. My plan is to coach. I’m always reading up on things. I picked up things from here where, if it all ends today I look at as a positive experience because I can take it back to my AAU team. That’s where I’m at with it.
You said you like to read. Do you mean about leadership?
Yeah, a lot of leadership and self-help.
Anything in particular?
It’s called The Power of Intention. Dr. [Wayne W.] Dwyer. Some people are so finicky on religion, so he just says it’s ‘The Source.’ Well, my ‘Source’ is the Man above. There’s a lot of good principles in there and the ways of winning [as a] team. There is no secret to it. When you have these successful teams and successful businesses there are a lot of parallels you see with those groups, and when teams and businesses that don’t do well there are a lot of parallels between what happens in those groups, too. Hopefully I can take those little nuances and gradually slip little notes to these guys, just something to think about. Because I still want to win a championship. I’m a little selfish, too. As much as I want to give, I want to contribute to putting one [ring] on my finger. It’s a win-win for everybody.
What do you see as your value as a player at this point in your career?
I still can’t be guarded. [Laughs]. I can still get my shot off and do what I do. It’s amazing how it goes. [Holds one hand above the other]: When you lack the knowledge you got all this athleticism. And then right in your prime they kind of equal out. [Brings hands together]. And then you lose the athleticism but this [holds opposite hand high] is real high right now. I am able to use my smarts to get to my spots and do the things I know. These coaches and everything have been around me and they know the spots that I like best.
Cap report
During the Jamal Crawford drama last weekend, I heard Rick Sund was desperately looking for ways to shed salary so the Hawks could gain some relief under the tax line and add a vet free agent or do a sign-and-trade using Jamal. There are two main ways for teams to dump salary: 1. Use the amnesty clause, which the Hawks have ruled out (likely because of cash flow concerns as much as anything else) or 2. Send out more salary in a trade than they take back.
No. 2 is more easily accomplished if the trading partner has a trade exception to to help with the salary matching. Then a team can send away a big salary and take back a small one or a draft pick (plus earn its own trade exception)–see the Lamar Odom trade to Dallas.
But that kind of trade doesn’t happen often, and it works best when a team has a productive players with a reasonable salary they are looking to dump. The Hawks, of course, don’t have any of those kind of players beyond the ones they want to keep, so that probably explains why Sund ultimately wasn’t able to find a way to shed salary. I’m not certain if he’s still trying to do it but it’s going to be tough without using the amnesty.
In any event, ShamSports.com has a list of teams with trade exceptions, though it doesn’t look to have been updated since the summer.
Camp report
- Word is Brad Wanamaker has stood out among the young camp invitees. John Hollinger likes Wanamaker, whom came in at No. 37 in his draft rater (Insider).
- The Hawks updated some weights on their official roster. Jason Collins is 255, down from 265; Horford is 250, up from 245; Josh is 225, down from 250; and Marvin Williams is 245, up from 240.
- I haven’t heard anything on the Hawks and Gilbert Arenas. Arenas reportedly is waiting to see what happens with Dwight Howard. The latest news is that Howard will stay in Orlando for now. Or maybe not.
- Howard was reportedly upset that the Orlando amnestied (verb!) Arenas and also because the Magic haven’t made moves to his liking. Of course, there would be no way for the Magic to make any significant moves if they hadn’t amnestied Arenas. This just goes to show you that a lot of players don’t really understand even the broad outlines of how the CBA works and how their own contracts make it more difficult to get them help.
Michael Cunningham, Hawks beat
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223 comments Add your comment
Slimjr
December 15th, 2011
12:30 am
Marvin is going to be a beast @245! stay tuned!!!
He’s gonna eat up those little 3’s in the post! Go get’em!
SteveW
December 15th, 2011
12:34 am
So if we cut Rolle, we can sign Stack and Wanamaker and be right around the LT line. Interesting…
SteveW
December 15th, 2011
12:36 am
We could cut Kito and Rolle, sign Stack, Wanamaker and another 2nd round/undrafted FA type…Interesting possibilities. Ivan Johnson perhaps?
Ra'mon
December 15th, 2011
12:39 am
SteveW, I’d rather sign Humphries than Stack, Wanamaker and anyone else first.
Najeh Davenpoop
December 15th, 2011
12:41 am
I don’t get why they signed Magnum Rolle in the first place, other than he has a cool name. I am pretty sure Benson fills the rail-thin shot blocking scrub big man role for this team. Cut Rolle and use that roster spot on a big man who can hold his position in the post on defense.
Vlad+Smith+ horford for Bogut + Leuer + Smith
December 15th, 2011
12:43 am
you can be as heavy as you want but 245 is nothing special Post play is about coordination and quickness. He let BRandon Bass cover him from the perimeter last year. thus MArvin sucks.
Slimjr
December 15th, 2011
12:46 am
“you can be as heavy as you want but 245 is nothing special Post play is about coordination and quickness. He let BRandon Bass cover him from the perimeter last year. thus MArvin sucks.”
Point taken…
FreshFromATL
December 15th, 2011
12:49 am
bigeasy830,
By the looks of it, those five pounds Marvin gained during the offseason came in the form of muscle.
Grandad
December 15th, 2011
12:50 am
All the folks on here lampooning AA;
I challenge the fact that you’ve watched the tape
on the guy that I have.
[..lighter skinned ?..]
perhaps some of you have watched some game video
or you tube clips … I know not ?
But he is surely not a a stiff,
as he shows guard and perimeter skills
which would make him actually skilled enough
to play the [3].
He needs confidence and some meanness plus exp.
But the talent is there.
So, if you have not viewed hours of Euro tape, workout video, etc
then don’t come on here giving contradictory appraisal.
Yes, I have a trained eye; and I’m high on this kid.
PD
December 15th, 2011
12:58 am
No Ever talks about the restructuring possibility. The New CBA allows for the restructuring of deals to reduce salary.
http://espn.go.com/nba/story/_/id/7329408/new-items-added-nba-collective-bargaining-agreement.
The Hawks could adjust Joe Johnson contract a little to make room to keep Jamal Crawford or get Dalembert or Josh Howard or Al Thornton.
Grandad
December 15th, 2011
1:06 am
Michael
I know one thing abot Wanamaker.
He’s a tough kid, like all the guys that come from Pitt.
Grandad
December 15th, 2011
1:08 am
Zaza may be our most marketable trade commodity.
At least one that we would consider dealing.
*(to cut salary)
Ra'mon
December 15th, 2011
1:11 am
Grandad, believe it or not though, Zaza may be the one we can LEAST afford to trade. In this season, if Josh or Al goes down for a week or two, then Zaza value comes up even greater!
Grandad
December 15th, 2011
1:19 am
Ra’mon
Therein lies the dilemma.
Bronn
December 15th, 2011
1:26 am
Great interview with Stackhouse. When I heard he’d been signed, I kind of rolled my eyes at it, and worried he might end up with a role on this team befitting his name rather than his ability to contribute. But if he’s willing to jump in and be a leader, I’m all for it-this team can use all the leaders they can get. If they respect him, by all means, keep him around.
drmaryb.[*_*].
December 15th, 2011
1:31 am
I Wanna’ Be Like Lenny!
No, not like Lenny kravitz – like Lenny Wilkens! I see Stackhouse in the role of Lenny Wilkens.
The only player-coach to win a championship (see Seattle Supersonics). So, fire Drew and hire Stackhouse. He can both play and coach as far as I’m concerned.
Get rid of Magnum Rolle and Kito Benson. Add Ishmael Smith or Wannamaker and, just go for it.
What else we got to do? I’m starting to feel like that Cosby Show. I might just pull the plug on my stuff, (in my prime) because, I have said everything there is to say about this topic.
Barry Sanders walked away with less than, ( what 100 yards?) to surpass “Sweetness” Walter Payton.
Why? Because – he could.
I’m no where near that great – but, I could too.
reese
December 15th, 2011
1:49 am
OK Sund, its time to be creative to bring in a center. How about trading for Jason Thompson from Sacramento. Dalembert and Ajinca are still out there. Move Kirk, Marvin and/or zaza to clear up salaries.
Big Ray
December 15th, 2011
2:07 am
So…..today’s good news is that:
1) We’re looking for leadership from a guy we probably won’t be able to hire because we’re scared to death of luxury level. What ever happened to those 3 captains? Aren’t they supposed to be leaders?
2) Trying to shed salary. It’s Sund’s main goal, which means it’s the ASG’s main goal. Sorry folks, but these guys just realized that they paid Joe too much money, Marvin too much money, and now they have to try and convince a team to take Kirk….whom many of y’all can’t wait to get rid of anyway.
3) Jamal’s gone. As if you didn’t see that one coming. He’s torn between the desolation that is Sac-Town, and the desecration which is now Portland. Oh dear. Either team is desperate for his gunslinger ways. Have fun, Jamal….was nice watching your gawdawful defense and your freakin’ awesome crossover.
4) Uncle Larry says he wants the team to run the fast break more and for Joe and Marvin to rebound more. Yeah, I thought that was funny, too.
Big Ray
December 15th, 2011
2:08 am
Yeah, we could trade Zaza. But you’re going to be hating life on the days that Josh is in a funky mood and Al is feeling dainty. Those are the days Zaza goes out and gets you 18 boards. You think anybody else is gonna do it?
MsDee
December 15th, 2011
2:12 am
MC,
if u are still up, how has T-Mac looked thus far?
Grandad
December 15th, 2011
2:13 am
Big Ray
We could amnesty Joe right now.
Of course doing it 10 days ago would have been more shrewd.
Dlew
December 15th, 2011
2:17 am
Would a back up center like Ryan Hollins be too much cap for the Hawks, Are there any talks of signing another big man at all?
Grandad
December 15th, 2011
2:19 am
PHX has a $5+ mil TPE
They really like Hinrich. (or so I hear)
That might work ?
Be that as it may – I like kirk & how would we replace him ?
EmirS.
December 15th, 2011
2:20 am
“Sometimes it’s not always about the young guys taking another step, it’s about the veterans taking another step with their leadership. So I’m just trying to stay in Joe’s ear, stay in Josh’s ear, and that is where the value is.”
“When I see some slippage and we can bring it and address it, and that is one key to a [championship] team is feedback and not being afraid of feedback, from coaches and players”
“Because I still want to win a [championship]. I’m a little selfish, too. As much as I want to give, I want to contribute to putting one [ring] on my finger. It’s a win-win for everybody.”
Are you kidding me!? This sounds so refreshing! Sign Jerry Stackhouse.
If I remember correctly, on the previous blog northcyde posted a quote about the Grizzlies owner talking about championship. And he stated that not one person on the Hawks squad (management, players, etc) ever even mentions anything about winning the title. The funny thing is he was completely right.
But look at Mr. Stackhouse. This guy is talking about a championship WITH the …wait for it….HAWKS! And I’m loving his attitude and mindset right now. It would be a complete shame if we don’t sign him. He maybe on a steady decline…but I think he has the balls to do what Drew has not been able to.
doc
December 15th, 2011
2:25 am
dont know what was done but shoulders are the toughest joint to heal after surgery. kirk might be out a bit longer than three months. one month after surgery he still cant lift his arm which is not unheard of. he will have limited motion if he does come back is my guess. i think it is being very optimistic to see him back for any significant role this season unless he heals real fast. because of that i hope these guys get a real guard that has experience to be in the mix rather than a skinny jacket for the second row of the bench to join sy.
Buddy Grizzard
December 15th, 2011
2:30 am
FTPB:
“It would be stupid for us to pay luxury taxes in order to take back in trade what would amount to no more than filler, or bench warming material.” – Ken S.
“I can remain openminded enough to realize how much we accomplished while overcoming 2 extreme DEF liabilities and an extremely exploitable perimeter DEF.” – Ken S.
“Our frontline players will finally be able to provide interior help DEF for each other, rather than for 2 defensively challenged PGs. This yrs team finally has a legimate chance to get past the 2nd rd.” – Ken S.
Ken S. on FIRE peeps. In regards to people who want us to spend into the luxury tax or use trade exceptions just to say ownership is “doing something,” you have to understand we are waiting for the trade deadline in good position to pick up a significant player. If Marvin returns to his pre-JC1 15ppg form, as I’ve been saying he will, he becomes a tradeable asset. Marvin’s contract + Kirk’s contract could be swapped for a max player, i.e. somebody worth paying the tax to obtain.
“Sign Troy Murphy or Craig Smith…. Comeon Sund…” – Melvin
/co-sign on Craig Smith. I think he’s a better NBA player than Marvin and could be had for the vet’s minimum. He has had some injuries though.
“Kirk and Zaza for Kaman” – superiorblogtroll
Funny… you tried to say I was an idiot for claiming Zaza is the best backup center in the NBA since Kaman backed up DeAndre. Problem with that is Kaman was made expendable by DeAndre, who has similar stats to Kwame Brown except he’s a worse defender and free throw shooter and commits more fouls. Zaza would make a better STARTER than Kaman, who is old, slow and washed up, or DeAndre, who got his contract because the Clippers are trying to placate his best friend Blake Griffin. Trading Zaza and Kirk, two legitimate rotation players, for a washed up Kaman would be like having a Ferrari, hitching a trailer to it and using it to haul compost.
“A person like Reggie Evans hawks could offer full MLE which would be a wise move.” – brigadierjerry
This is the one player still available that I would encourage the Hawks to go into the luxury tax to obtain. I would do it because he is an enforcer and would instantly change the culture of the Hawks, making the team tougher.
It won’t happen, however, because Evans plays our deepest position. We have Al, Smoove and Zaza all capable of playing 4, and two of those three will play in the All-Star game this year.
Buddy Grizzard
December 15th, 2011
2:35 am
“Where are those guys wanting to see more of Armstrong” – AJ
Right here. He’s playing overseas without an NBA opt-out clause so he won’t be available late in the season. He’s comparable to Kwame in that he’s athletic but has a horrible basketball IQ and horrible hands. But he won me over in the ORL series by being an extra body on Dwight, which we will definitely need again.
“Were set on keeping Horford around when he does nothing elite.” – superiorblogtroll
Al Horford lead the league in field goal percentage from 16 to 23 feet last year. Keep trying. Study up. Eventually you will be able to come into a basketball conversation with some knowledge instead of proving your ignorance over and over again.
http://espn.go.com/nba/story/_/page/5-on-5-111206/atlanta-hawks-roster-questions
“Is billups pleased about going to the 2 spot?” – doc
Doubt it. I’m really surprised that NO got Gordon AND Minnesota’s unprotected first round draft pick. But the Clippers kept Eric Bledsoe which means they’ve got 4 point guards. Billups can’t be happy about that.
Buddy Grizzard
December 15th, 2011
2:36 am
wont be available *UNTIL* late in the season…
atl dominique
December 15th, 2011
2:39 am
The hawks can amnesty kirk hinrich and other team can claim him off waivers and the hawks don’t have to pay his salary
vava74
December 15th, 2011
2:56 am
Slimjr:
“He’s gonna eat up those little 3’s in the post! Go get’em!”
Lay off the pipe man! I am not a Marvin basher like Rod but you cannot ignore that Marvin has zero post up moves.
His only discernible skills in the paint is that he has a decent touch when he receives on the move – without putting it on the floor – and launches those awkward off balance semi-hook shots.
If he has to put on the floor, the forget it: his dribble is too high and he has NO knowledge on how to use that huge butt.
Ra'mon
December 15th, 2011
3:00 am
Amnestying Kirk would mean you traded two first round picks and Bibby for a player who you cut, who was going to be a free agent at the end of the year anyway. Amnesty is for a player who has 3-4 years left on their contract, and you don’t want their contract to handicap you for seasons to come.
Najeh Davenpoop
December 15th, 2011
3:15 am
“Yeah, we could trade Zaza. But you’re going to be hating life on the days that Josh is in a funky mood and Al is feeling dainty. Those are the days Zaza goes out and gets you 18 boards. You think anybody else is gonna do it?”
Or worse, the days that either Josh or Al is injured.
As inconsistent as Zaza can be, the lack of big man depth on this team means that he is the only player who can be relied upon to provide semi-quality minutes off the bench inside.
vava74
December 15th, 2011
3:22 am
About the roster moves:
Hinrich and Zaza are essential if you want to talk about contending.
The only acceptable arrangement would be to get a “legit C”. On that category, only Okafor and Kaman seem viable trade wise due to NO’s situation, however, NO would not trade an expiring deal like Kaman’s if we do not bundle up picks since there are plenty of other suitors with better combos of players and picks.
Rolle seems perfectly dispensable since we got Benson, who I gather, is cheaper as the string bean shotblocker of the group.
Rolle’s experience is only marginally bigger than Benson and Benson seems to have more upside since he made a sub-par bball program competitive carrying his team on his back whilst putting better numbers than Rolle.
Rolle should be kept on our radar but should be sent back to some international league to develop, thus clearing cap space.
Stack seems to be saying the right stuff and probably he can still contribute every other day in such a crammed up schedule.
We will need fresh – albeit old – legs to come in and give us some instant offense on those tough back-to back-to back nights.
vava74
December 15th, 2011
3:32 am
Basically, I 100% certain that Rolle will be waived and that he is just training camp filler since draft day.
Once this happens, I think that there is a pretty good chance that we sign Stack.
As for Troy Murphy, I agree that it would have been a much better signing: he is a poor defender and also a stretch PF, but he rebounds really well, whilst V-Rad is strictly a “no contact” player and only size wise can be considered a PF since he plays like a SF (but without any quickness nor handles).
superiorblogman
December 15th, 2011
4:00 am
So, let me get this straight again. Sactown is reportedly offering Jamal $6.5 mill for this year and reportedly has not offered Dalembert a penny. Dalembert was a name I threw around last year wanting the Hawks to trade Jamal for so we could have his bird rights this offseason and re-sign him. It’s funny how people like to shoot others ideas down on boards like this. Then you turn around and see that the idea made even more sense than you initially thought and was even more feasible than you initially thought. Maybe just maybe Sactown has a thing for Jamal more than Dalembert, but whatever too late now unless they have a thing for Marvin or Zaza it will not happen, but it just shows you Sund and crew are just incompetent and really don’t use assets well.
Buddy Grizzard
December 15th, 2011
4:06 am
“I try to give you some feel good stuff and you stay mad, haha. . . .”
Not me… I’m with Ken S… Hawks gonna CONTEND this yr!
“I don’t get why they signed Magnum Rolle in the first place, other than he has a cool name.” – Najeh
Pretty sure he’s just a non-gauranteed, sub-vet’s-minimum contract to play with for salary cap/roster minimum purposes. You can read about the sort of 10-day contract games Sund is likely to play this year here:
http://www.hoopinionblog.com/2011/12/thinking-out-loud-about-roster-and.html
“Grandad, believe it or not though, Zaza may be the one we can LEAST afford to trade.” – Ra’mon
He’s also the player on the Hawks, besides Josh Smif, whom we are LEAST likely to get equal value for if we were to trade him. We almost traded him last year because Vegas had a problem with him, but Sund came to his senses just in time.
ntrigue
December 15th, 2011
4:06 am
My friend Aj Moye who played for Indiana in college and is a legend overseas says that Pape Sy will be a beast if he get playing time……he played with him a couple of times and says the kid is raww! Let him play LD don’t do the Teague on him!
vava74
December 15th, 2011
5:04 am
Maybe someone should send this link to Chris Paul:
http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/story?page=simmons/090624&sportCat=nba
Shortly after this “open letter to Blake Griffin”, Blake blew his knee and lost a whole season… next in line for an ACL tear? Chris Paul!!!!
vava74
December 15th, 2011
5:08 am
For the ones too lazy to click on the link, amongst other bad fortune events that the Clippers have been famous for we have:
“Our final tally of post-1976 injuries to marquee Clippers players: five career-altering knee injuries (Scott Livingston, Danny Manning, Ron Harper, Charles Smith, Norm Nixon), one career-ending ruptured disc (Marques Johnson), one career-altering back surgery (Loy Vaught), three season-ending torn Achilles (Elton Brand, Nate Archibald, Norm Nixon), one heart arrithymia (Terry Cummings) and multiple foot stress fractures (Bill Walton). Every one of those guys was a top-three player on the team or headed that way.”
vava74
December 15th, 2011
5:09 am
And we need to add to the list, Blake, as mentioned above.
vava74
December 15th, 2011
5:13 am
For the guys who don’t read the piece, Simmons says that the Clippers are cursed because its owner, whilst still in Buffalo, messed up with the Indians (Poltergeist-style).
Now, we need to think about, which Native American tribe was also messed up by the Blazers???
Walton, Bowie, Oden and Roy is already a pretty decent tally…
And who said around here that the problem in Portland could be lack of sunlight? What about the Clippers resume as knee/career busters? Excessive sunlight?
vava74
December 15th, 2011
5:19 am
Simmons again. Nice anlysis on Howard:
http://www.grantland.com/story/_/id/7352957/the-ninth-day-nba-christmas
vava74
December 15th, 2011
5:31 am
And I have a feeling that Ishmael Smith could be a decent pick up.
I checked his game log and every single game in which he had some minutes he racked up assists.
Also, having played along side Teague, it’s highly probably that they would be comfortable together in the roster.
Teague has more upside, but a 6′0” speedster with play making ability is a good commodity (see Barea).
vava74
December 15th, 2011
5:31 am
http://espn.go.com/nba/player/gamelog/_/id/4305/ishmael-smith
vava74
December 15th, 2011
5:35 am
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wgUqtcpREY4
Grandmaster JeJe
December 15th, 2011
5:49 am
FIRE SUND
Dukester
December 15th, 2011
6:07 am
Well superiorblogman your ideas about using Jamal to get a center has always been my thoughts. Dont feel bad I said we should have used Marvin’s expiring contract to get Tyson Chandler from New Orleans when they gave him to Charlotte for a couple of basketballs a couple of years ago. But we resigned Marvin to the tune of 35 million Charlotte sent Chandler to Dallas for talcum powder. His rebounding and tough interior defense won Dallas a title.
I will say this again folks look at the sports that has a goal and a net. Hockey, Soccer THEY ALL HAVE A PLAYER WHO’S SOLE RESPONISIBILTY IS TO PROTECT AND DEFEND THE GOAL!!!! Basketball is the same!! Only one team have ever won the NBA title without a dominate center. The Pistons. Now either we are not serious about winning or we are to stupid to understand that fact. Yes its hard to find centers thats why when opportunities come like this off season you have to go out and spend they are not falling out of the sky! Go out sign one of those centers then work hard to shave salary. Its easy to sign journeymen and the Pape Sys of the world fill a roster. But we go out and sign them first. Why are we having conversations about Wanamaker’s, Collins its sickening. Im 6′5″ in high school I remember my coach telling me that if I would be consistent in the paint rebounding and blocking shots I would get a scholarship. He didnt say which college because little did I know that North Carolina didnt give scholarships to guys who was 6′5″ with a centers mentality. LOL But anyway my point is tough rebounding and paint defense is the most important part of a team. Have a good day. Go hawks!!!
superiorblogman
December 15th, 2011
6:19 am
Dukester: That thing you said about protecting the goal in every sport that has one is one of the smarter things I ever heard a poster around here say, but I am sure some of these clowns would argue Josh Smith is our rim protector. He is a rim protector but we need another bigger one also. I give up though. I see it everywhere, anyone with a mind knows that Kaman and Okafor are available and that Dalembert has not been signed but we have no excuses. As long as that is the motto the ASG, Sund, and Drew can blame the players instead of themselves for not putting them in the best situation to win. They are killing my passion at this point.
STRETCH
December 15th, 2011
6:45 am
superiorblogman,
Its been what…4 years in a row and they still havent got it. I give up too. ASG and Sund are like that relative that shows up every year with the same awful potato salad that nobody eats. But every year, they bring it anyway and you hope they would get the picture.
I just cant understand, why they go into the season with the same problems. And they continue ton bargian shop for bigs. Its like shopping at a thrift store, you find something for a couple of bucks, you buy it, take it home and it sits in the garage for a year or more. NEWS FLASH TO ASG/SUND…IF YOU BOUGHT IT IN A THRIFT STORE, IT WAS THEIR FOR A REASON!
Like i said before, i like that bench better than Hilton, Damien, Etan and Josh Powell, but the main issue for the Hawks is another big man. Al will once again be worn out by playoff time, that is if they make it.
Just Joe
December 15th, 2011
6:50 am
Marvin & Hinrich for Okafor and a second round pick would make some sense (a little at least). It would free up roughly three million to go after one or two more free agents. Gives New Orleans another big expiring contract.