Atlanta Hawks: Hawks release rookie guard Donald Sloan

Rookie Donald Sloan ended up being the odd man out with Kirk Hinrich’s return from shoulder surgery.

The Hawks waived Sloan today, well in advance of the Feb. 10 deadline for all contracts to be come guaranteed. The Hawks now have 14 players on the roster and, by my accounting, releasing Sloan gets them comfortably below the luxury-tax line so they won’t need to waive anyone else for that reason. Signing a veteran free agent this season without releasing a player by Feb. 10 would push Atlanta’s payroll back above the tax line.

The Hawks opted to keep Jerry Stackhouse and Jannero Pargo, who both also are on non-guaranteed contracts. Pargo provides veteran insurance at point guard behind Jeff Teague and Hinrich, while Stackhouse has played a total of 38 minutes in seven games.

Clearly Sloan wasn’t going to earn a regular role for the Hawks this season. His salary for next season would have increased by about $280,000; under salary-cap rules, signing a veteran with three or more years experience would cost the Hawks roughly $90,000 more than a second-year player like Sloan.

Michael Cunningham, Hawks beat

158 comments Add your comment

Rufus1

January 26th, 2012
10:55 pm

The Magic were at home and lost a 27pts lead.

doc

January 26th, 2012
11:26 pm

magic scoring 25 points in the second half. wow.

Najeh Davenpoop

January 26th, 2012
11:46 pm

That Magic meltdown was a lot worse than the Hawks’ meltdowns at Chicago or Philly, seeing as how it was at home.

Doesn’t mean anything with respect to the Hawks’ status as contenders or pretenders though.

W.R. Terrell

January 26th, 2012
11:48 pm

I saw an earlier comment about not riding Josh because of his defense and scoring. Ohhhhhhhhh K…..Last eve after whatever his name is hitting 3 pointers like he was drinking good wine. He had no quicknes, no speed and was not going to put the ball on the floor.

I was like, is anyone gonna guard him…ahh…where was Josh?..Joe and Josh gotta keep the ball moving, that holding the ball chit is gonna be the death of em. The Hawks do have a prob that should be fixed by now and it’s still call selfishness. San Antome was and is a team the HAWKS can beat. Lotta dumbaz play and that’s a reality, just too much dumbazz play.

Tomorrow it’s Detroit and one still will ride pins and needles hoping they play basketball. They have been together too long not to have some serious cohesion. They don’t need any slack, they need to play. They are 13 and 6 when they should be 16 and 3. That’s a fact and excuses no longer works. You saw the game and the sore that spread. Right there within 2 points and then a bad shot and 3 pointer by San Antone and then another dumb play and it was over…That quick, damn shame.

Buddy Grizzard

January 26th, 2012
11:49 pm

Gotta love from the AP game story, “Atlanta’s few losses this season included a triple-overtime heartbreaker to LeBron James and Miami.” Nice to know that the newspaper business is doing so badly that they need to syndicate content from the AP, which hires writers who don’t actually pay attention to the NBA to write about it.

Grandmaster JeJe

January 27th, 2012
12:00 am

“I think we have a really good club, and I think our players accept responsibility that the goal is still to make the playoffs,” Sund said. “You don’t replace a player like Al, but we also have a lot of [other] good players on the team.”

^^^^
that has been Sund’s only goal since coming here- making the playoffs.
SMGDMFH

Slimjr

January 27th, 2012
12:10 am

Ra’mon

January 26th, 2012
4:18 pm


“Sautee, first Horford wouldn’t have been in the lane to receive the pass from Teague.

Secondly, Horford NEVER got 9 offensive rebounds against the Spurs last season. He got 1 offensive rebounds in one game, and four in another. And that game he got 4, he wasn’t even the starting center that night, because LD went with the big lineup.

The fact remains, the Hawks haven’t beat SAS in Texas with or without Al, so I don’t see where he would’ve made a huge difference.”

Hey Ra’mon you realize he’s All NBA’s #1 fan on these blogs! Nice manip. of the nimbers? LMAO!!

Slimjr

January 27th, 2012
12:17 am

would have made no difference! ^^^^^^

Marvin looks lost out there especially on defense…Sad, so Sad…

vava74

January 27th, 2012
3:36 am

I know he is small and is close to dead these days but he would be cheap and could help if motivated:

Maxiell anyone?

Buddy Grizzard

January 27th, 2012
4:31 am

“All those minutes where Vlad played PF and/or Ivan played C and the Hawks got killed by Splitter would have been minutes where Al or Zaza (who wasn’t special but was at least serviceable) would have been manning the middle.” – Najeh

Only bad thing for the Hawks about Zaza moving into a starting role… the Hawks no longer have the best backup center in the NBA. We have Ivan.

“The guy simply messed up with Joe, Zaza and Marvin and now can’t recover from it.” – KevinM

http://www.hoopinionblog.com/2012/01/bad-wheel-on-bandwagon-look-at-larry.html

Wait… what? He messed up with Zaza? You need to check that link and understand that Zaza Pachulia is one of the best values in the NBA.

tyger

January 27th, 2012
7:02 am

Hawks 1Q Report:

Hawks still the Hawks…good but not great…
Horford injury hampers progression, evaluation…
Win streak a mirage, no contenders there…
Wins are wins and LDs done a great job perservering…

Feb schedule will trim some fat…
Spurs gave an early look…
Hawks showing wear after traditional fast start…
Second unit has lost its “punch” post-Tmac injury…

Neither, Marvin nor Vladi has “stepped up” in Al/TMac absence…
Teague’s growing a pair…steals, aggression compensate for shortcomings…
Ivan is regressing…this aint the D-league!!!
Hinrich looked good in debut, a boost to second unit…

Hawks cant win w/o JJ/Smoove playing 35+min…
Not a good sign, with deeper bench and compressed schedule..
LD got to figure way to get Marvin/Vladi going…start Vladi???
Marvin has had good production off bench in past…more freedom
Has Pargo learned plays yet???

Hawks didnt take advantage of slow start by other contenders…
Have slipped to 5/6 spot already…
Miami, NYK, Boston too talented to write-off so early…
Indy, Philly, Orlando leading pack with young legs, balance…
Even Bucks, Cavs could make it interesting…
How bout Otis Smith? Thought he was dead man walking…

Trojan

January 27th, 2012
7:47 am

Cheap, Cheap, Cheap, Cheap. The Hawks are a cheap organization. Sund is as creative as he looks.

O'Brien

January 27th, 2012
7:51 am

Najeh,

Earlier in the week, Orlando lost in Boston, and scored only 58 points. Last night, they were leading Boston by as many as 27, and ended up losing. Ouch.

At the end of the game, Boston fans were cheering loudly….despite the fact that the game was IN Orlando. So ATL is not the only arena that has all these out of towners cheering for the Celtics, Lakers etc.

As for SVG, he has to be on the hot seat (along with the GM). That team has a very high payroll, a disgruntled star, and the team isn’t going anywhere.

vava74

January 27th, 2012
8:13 am

tyger,

If we win the next 3 games – which should be withing our reach, although I am pretty sure that we will go 2-1 – we will be 16-6.

It’s obvious that February will be tough but if we finish the month’s schedule on or around .500 (achievable), then we will be sitting pretty for the final stretch.

Overall we have fairly young legs and a reasonable roster and in shortened compressed season it’s impossible to know who will reach the finish line in good enough shape to win it.

JM

January 27th, 2012
8:13 am

@Buddy

Yeah, I don’t think people understand that we actually have a good deal with Zaza. Likely the best backup C in the game for a price under $5 milli. Most teams would kill to have Zaza at that price.

O'Brien

January 27th, 2012
8:20 am

From nola.com;

New Orleans Hornets backup forward-center Chris Kaman’s playing time could decrease because Coach Monty Williams said he wants to give his younger frontcourt players more of a chance to develop.

“I don’t want to get too in-depth, but I think for us going forward I think Goose (Gustavo Ayon), Jason (Smith) and Carl (Landry) need a chance to develop their games a little more,’’ Williams said. “I think it’s important for Emeka to get more minutes to get his rhythm and get in shape. We’ve been trying to play five bigs and that’s hard to do.’’

After playing 26 minutes last week against Houston, Kaman played just seven minutes last Saturday against Dallas and 14 against San Antonio this past Monday. Kaman dressed quickly and could not be reached for comment after Wednesday night’s game in Oklahoma City. The Hornets did not practice on Thursday..

I’m starting to think Najeh’s trade proposal might be very possible after all. Hornets want to give their other bigs more PT (and they already have Okafor). At PG, they have Jarrett Jack and Grevis Vasquez, and their SGs behind Eric Gordon are Xavier Henry and Marco Belinelli.

Hinrich could back up Jarrett Jack, and play spot minutes at backup SG too.

Hinrich and ZaZa for Kaman is a deal I would make. My only concern is will Kaman stay healthy (ZaZa usually is).

And it would give us more financial flexibility for next year (losing Zaza). Hornets will still have plenty of room to offer Eric Gordon a max entension this offseason.

vava74

January 27th, 2012
8:23 am

OB,

That Bass for Baby trade was yet another stinker.

Otis Smith is BY FAR the worst GM in the league. It’s a no contest IMO.

Grandad

January 27th, 2012
8:41 am

O’B
If N.O. is looking to play their younger Bigs
why would they trade for Zaza ?

drmaryb.[*_*].

January 27th, 2012
8:48 am

Ninja turtle!

“Starting with the Hawks home win against Chicago on March 2nd, Hinrich took over the starting point guard role and Teague’s minutes looked like this: 7, 14, 11, 9, 3. On March 12th, with Al Horford out due to a sprained ankle, Drew started a 3-guard lineup. Teague played 44 minutes and matched a career-high with 24 points to go along with 4 rebounds, 3 assists and 5 steals as the Hawks snapped a 4-game losing streak. His minutes remained inconsistent for the remainder of the season, and we all know what happened when he was thrust into a starting role in the playoffs against Chicago after Hinrich’s season-ending injury in Game 6 vs. Orlando.
” -Buddy Grizzard- Hooponion article
_________________

When Teague first emerged under Drew, I was shocked and thrilled at how “Ninja” quick he was. I gave him that monicker then, but it never stuck as I was a rare and explosive player in him. I began to wonder why he couldn’t see the floor as many others opined on here incessantly.

That jeff was kung-Fu-Fighting!

My grandmother always told me, “If you see a turtle on the fence, you know he didn’t get there all by himself.” For some reason, his coaches put him there.

drmaryb.[*_*].

January 27th, 2012
8:50 am

* as I SAW a rare and …

drmaryb.[*_*].

January 27th, 2012
8:56 am

OB, why would NO take zaza if, they already have too many centers? See if they would take marvin and give us filler or picks instead? We need zaza for the playoffs and to back up kaman, (injury prone). Besides, zaza’s salary is cap friendly. Send Twin or something else?

Unfortunately, based on MC’s article, nothing will happen here.

KevinM

January 27th, 2012
8:58 am

Guys, Zaza isn’t making this team better; he is keeping us in the status quo. He is a backup who sometimes shows he can play, then other nights, he looks like he has never touched the ball on the offensive end. You call it value for a backup C; I call it status quo. Zaza, 26 min…5/5…and we complain about Marvin when he posts those numbers? Marvin was 8/8 in 27 min, but based on comments here, you’d think he Melo’d his way to 1 pt for the entire game.
Zaza brings as much to a team as a minimum vet; why can’t he just take over the role while Al is out?
He’s competing with Collins, who is good for 1/4 of a game.

What we have is talent that keeps us at this level; if Ivan can come in and take your minutes?

I understand they all help in small spurts, but it’s not going to be enough to go beyond the ceiling we are at now. I’m willing to let this thing play out until the end with what we have, but we all know where this is ending.

I guess you have to guarantee LT deals to be competitive even if those players sometimes come to play their best.

Kelvin

January 27th, 2012
8:59 am

Doesn’t matter, the Hawks will make the playoffs and get eliminated in the first or second round as usual. This team has reached its ceiling, but in this town Hawks fans are content with mediocrity. I’m sure come playoff time we’ll all convince ourselves that the Hawks stand a chance to beat a team like Miami in a seven game series and then act disappointed when it doesn’t happen. If you want to know how the Hawks will do come playoff time just look at how they fair against upper echelon teams in the league.

[...] Rookie Donald Sloan ended up being the odd man out with Kirk Hinrich’s return from shoulder surger…. The Hawks waived Sloan today, well in advance of the Feb. 10 deadline for all contracts to be come guaranteed. The Hawks now have 14 players on the roster and, by my accounting, releasing Sloan gets them comfortably below the luxury-tax line so they won’t need to waive anyone else for that reason. Signing a veteran free agent this season without releasing a player by Feb. 10 would push Atlanta’s payroll back above the tax line. Atlanta Journal-Constitution Atlanta Hawks, Donald Sloan  [...]

STRETCH

January 27th, 2012
9:10 am

Ditto Grandad. Why trade a center for a center when they are thin at that position. The only way i would do that is sending Hinrich and Collins cause he is pretty much a foul machine anyway.

Potential Eastern Conference playoffs opponents with the size to give Hawks problems include Orlando, Indiana, Philadelphia, and Chicago. Sund counters that teams such as Miami also don’t have an abundance of size in the front court, and Philadelphia and Chicago often deploy small lineups.

“Some teams you’ve got to be able to match up big, and some you’ve got to be able to match up small,” Sund said.

What worries me about Sund is he sounds like Frank Wren which translates to “we dont have money.”

And did he just bring up the Miami Heat not having size? The he is right about but look at this:

LBJ+Wade+Bosh > JJ+JS+AH

And they dont even now if Al is going to come back healthy enough or not.

Jase

January 27th, 2012
9:19 am

Enter your comments here

Buddy Grizzard

January 27th, 2012
9:20 am

“Hinrich and ZaZa for Kaman is a deal I would make. My only concern is will Kaman stay healthy (ZaZa usually is).” – O’Brien

Sure, trade the only healthy, mobile big man we have. Kaman gets hurt we’re in the lottery.

Grandad

January 27th, 2012
9:26 am

I have looked at this big man thang ’til my head hurts.
I wish Sund would put in half the thought as we on the blog.
_____________________________________________

Here’s what I think are the `five’ best options: (no particular order)

(1) Cap’n Kirk to Golden state for Biedrins / A B;; rebnds & blks shots

(2) Marv to Toronto for Amir Johnson / Johnson (has grown) 6-11.5

(3) Marv to PHX for Channing Frye / PHX wishes to dump Frye’s contract
*Frye not much on def. end – but an upgrade on off. over all our [5's]

(4) Cap’n Kirk & Marv to Utah for Al Jefferson / Utah needs a [1]
Marv is still only 25 yrs old / he fits the Jazz rebuilding format /
Gordon Hayward has been a bust; can’t guard anyone
*(Jefferson is actually 2 yrs older than Marv)

(5) Josh + Cap’n Kirk for Pau Gasol / assuming LAL thinks
getting Josh will help them acquire D.Howard /
plus LAL needs a pg / I’ve seen kirk’s name referenced,
while reading conjecture about the Lakers
____________________________________________

* I do not think Sund has or will consider any of these.

* All would help us in one way or another.

* Consideration for the other team was taken in each case.

* All worked on the -new- trade machine.

Astro Joe

January 27th, 2012
9:33 am

vava, supposedly, Big baby was a player that D12 wanted the GM to sign as a FA. So that trade may have been to appease their franchise center.

Still no word about SVG being fired or 2-3 of the Magic’s top players being traded after the loss last night. I wonder if it is possible that a bad loss shouldn’t reasult in mass hysteria? Probably not.

Jarrett Jack is havingone of those classic “someone has to score on a really bad team” seasons. I hope it doesn’t hurt his career in the long-run.

Kamen is a good big man with an expiring contract. That is a doubly-good situation. Wouldn’t the NBA owned Hornets expect an extra special offer in return? Trading away a bigger expiring deal for a smaller expiring deal doesn’t quite feel all that special to me. And if they think they have all of this emerging young big talent that needs time and development, what would Zaza provide them?

Najeh Davenpoop

January 27th, 2012
9:55 am

“the Hawks no longer have the best backup center in the NBA.”

This needs to stop. The Hawks just lost by 20+ to a team with a backup center who is better than Zaza.

Zaza is a good player at times. He also costs the Hawks about 6 points per game because of his clumsiness. In 8 minutes in the first quarter alone, he had two missed layups and a turnover under the basket, costing Teague 3 assists.

Let’s turn those into per-36 stats: that is 9 missed layups and 4.5 turnovers per 36 minutes. That more than offsets the benefits of his rebounding rate, especially considering that his off the ball defense leaves much to be desired (he let his man cut to the hoop for a layup during that same 1st quarter stretch).

Small sample size? Of course, but unfortunately I don’t have accurate data regarding his chronic layup-missing and fumbling. Maybe I should start keeping track. All I know is this is not a one-time thing.

Zaza is an above average backup center who, at times, is a beast on the boards and who, at times, does a good job in man to man defense. Nothing more.

O'Brien

January 27th, 2012
9:56 am

Why would N.O trade for a center when the one they have will get less PT anyway?

1) The key to the deal is Hinrich. Hornets starting PG is Jarrett Jack, and they don’t have a legit backup. The argument can be made that Kirk is as good a player as Jarrett Jack, and if he plays well, maybe they offer him a contract for next season.

2) Kaman is making $14 mil this year. ZaZa is making $4.75 mil. If you’re the Hornets, would you rather have $14 mil sitting on your bench (and possibly inactive) or would you rather have $4.75 mil sitting on the bench (with little PT).

Plus ZaZa only has 1 year left after this, so they could trade him next offseason depending on the development of their younger bigs. If the younger bigs don’t develop enough, ZaZa is a good backup for Okafor.

Why would the Hawks trade a center for a center?

Based solely on their play on the court answer this question. Who do you think is a better Center? Kaman or ZaZa? Take their salaries out of it.

I haven’t seen Kaman play in a while, but imo, Kaman is a better player over Zaza. And one benefit for the Hawks is they get a $14 mil expiring contract.

Najeh Davenpoop

January 27th, 2012
9:57 am

“At the end of the game, Boston fans were cheering loudly….despite the fact that the game was IN Orlando. So ATL is not the only arena that has all these out of towners cheering for the Celtics, Lakers etc.”

Haha exactly. EVERY warm-weather city has this problem. Boston fans even drowned out Heat fans last year when the Celtics came to town. I guess Rob Parker must have been jacking off during that game and wasn’t paying attention.

O'Brien

January 27th, 2012
10:00 am

AJ,

The Magic just scored 58 points in a game against the Celtics earlier in the week. And then they blow a 27 point lead at home against the Celtics.

This is the same team that has one of the highest payrolls in the league, and lost in the first round last year. And their star player is disgruntled.

I agree there is no need for mass hysteria or immediate firings in Orlando, but…if I was a Magic fan, I would be disappointed if significant changes (on and off the court) are not made this offseason (and I am assuming at best, Orlando loses in the second round this year).

Najeh Davenpoop

January 27th, 2012
10:02 am

“Hinrich and ZaZa for Kaman is a deal I would make. My only concern is will Kaman stay healthy (ZaZa usually is).”

My only concern is that the Hawks’ main problem up front is depth, and while I will continue to maintain that Kaman is better than Zaza in every respect, he is still only one guy. The Hawks would still be left with the problem of Ivan or Collins playing backup center minutes.

Maybe the Hawks can find a way to get Kaman and another serviceable center (Semih Erden for a 2nd rounder?)

Wish the Hawks had the foresight to go after Gustavo Ayon, though. He’s the “younger front court player” who has taken Kaman’s minutes. I haven’t seen him play but his stat lines are really impressive.

Astro Joe

January 27th, 2012
10:06 am

OB, there is also something to be said for a team that can compete with 25-27 teams around the league but has problems with 2-5. Kind of the whole 80/20 thing… don’t mess up the 80 while chasing the 20.

Najeh Davenpoop

January 27th, 2012
10:07 am

“* I do not think Sund has or will consider any of these.

* All would help us in one way or another.

* Consideration for the other team was taken in each case.

* All worked on the -new- trade machine.”

The big problem with those first three trades (the last two are unrealistic for the other team in my opinion) is that they add a ton of long term salary obligation for players who don’t make the team better by enough to justify it. Make any of those trades and you can bet on the Hawks dumping either Josh or Al next year to stay under the cap.

STRETCH

January 27th, 2012
10:08 am

Jorge Sierra: Free agent center Francisco Elson has signed with the Sixers, one source told HoopsHype. Twitter

Mike

January 27th, 2012
10:09 am

I think that Hawks needs to stop being so passive about upgrading this squad. There is a very why they were ranked #28 out of 30 in Forbes’ annual team valuations. The only teams that makes less is the Grizz and Bucks.

Teams like Nets, Wiz, Kings and other bottom feeders has more value than the Hawks that has been in the playoffs consistaly. I believe that this should hurt ASG pride alot. I think this team needs a center and a superstar on this team. Or we might be contracted(IMO)

DS

January 27th, 2012
10:09 am

An alternative to sending Zaza to NO would be Kaman/Aminu for Kirk/Marvin. Salaries match, and those two players don’t have a definite role in their rotation.

Astro Joe

January 27th, 2012
10:17 am

Also keep in mind that the Hornets are using live games to develop their young players. This schedule doesn’t allow for a normal practice schedule, so with Eric Gordon injured, they seem to be taking a “the season is already lost” approach. The Hawks had the foresight to acquire two young bigs, Rolle and Benson. But due to the practicality of true practice time in this crazy season, they opted for a collection of old heads. heck, Ivan is 27 YO. I just don’t know that you can compare how a team that is looking at a top 5 lottery pick manages their roster vs. one that is competing for a top 5 seeding in their conference. Two very different strategies.

Najeh Davenpoop

January 27th, 2012
10:18 am

To be clear, while I think Kaman is an upgrade over Zaza, I’d still probably prefer to just trade Kirk for a big man and keep Zaza on the roster. Depth is important, and 2 serviceable centers is better than one.

Rufus1

January 27th, 2012
10:20 am

Najeh Davenpoop

January 27th, 2012
10:22 am

This one is a real long shot, but it gets Kaman to the Hawks without giving up Zaza.

http://games.espn.go.com/nba/tradeMachine?tradeId=7bllhmh

Kirk and Marvin to the Lakers
Kaman and Matt Barnes to the Hawks
Luke Walton and 2 first round picks (one each from Los Angeles and Atlanta) to the Hornets

Rufus1

January 27th, 2012
10:26 am

Prizbilla is going to want 5-8mil to play for any team.

Slimjr

January 27th, 2012
10:27 am

Kelvin

January 27th, 2012
8:59 am

“Doesn’t matter, the Hawks will make the playoffs and get eliminated in the first or second round as usual. This team has reached its ceiling, but in this town Hawks fans are content with mediocrity. I’m sure come playoff time we’ll all convince ourselves that the Hawks stand a chance to beat a team like Miami in a seven game series and then act disappointed when it doesn’t happen. If you want to know how the Hawks will do come playoff time just look at how they fair against upper echelon teams in the league.”

Ditto, same old Script?

After 47 years its about time to write a new one? Ya thinks?

Grandad

January 27th, 2012
10:27 am

For O’B:

Kaman is a more athletic player than Zaza with better hands.
Kaman is a very skilled low post player;;
Zaza has a good low post game, he just cannot finish;
Kaman can finish.
This season Kaman’s FG % is low comparitive to career numbers.
The biggest difference is Kaman can blk some shots.
This yr and career -over- 1.0 per game.
Overall – Kaman is better.

Zaza does what he does ! Plus he’s Rugged, Tough, & Durable.

Astro Joe

January 27th, 2012
10:29 am

Rufus, there aren’t but maybe 2-3 teams who are sitting on even $5M in cap space right now and they are most likely door mat teams who need a telescope to see the playoffs. And chances are, those kind of teams need to be playing young guys and not beat-up vets.

Mike

January 27th, 2012
10:30 am

Najeh,

I think we cant give up the 1st round pick this year(Danny Manning rule?) but i dont think that ASG would do that deal. Besides they might go over the LT and they dont want that.

Najeh Davenpoop

January 27th, 2012
10:34 am

Coming off a knee injury and not having played in a year, no way Ghostface Przybilla gets more than the veterans’ minimum.

Najeh Davenpoop

January 27th, 2012
10:42 am

“I think we cant give up the 1st round pick this year(Danny Manning rule?) ”

My understanding of the Danny Manning rule is that you can’t trade two consecutive first round picks in advance, not that you can’t trade your pick one year and then trade your pick again the next year. I may be wrong but I think that’s how it works. In other words the Hawks couldn’t have traded their 2011 and 2012 picks in the Hinrich deal, but their having traded their 2011 pick last year doesn’t impact their ability to trade their 2012 pick this year.

As far as luxury tax is concerned, that trade only adds $300,000 to the Hawks’ team salary, which may not put them over the tax line (and even if it does it can probably be offset by cutting Stackhouse).