Archive for July, 2012

Hawks GM Danny Ferry gained some more of the financial flexibility he covets by sending Willie Green to the Clippers in a sign-and-trade for the rights to Greek center Sofoklis Schortsanitis.

Schortsanitis signed a three-year contract with Athens club Panathinaikos earlier this month so chances are he won’t be joining Atlanta’s roster. The value for the Hawks in the deal is gaining a trade exception in the amount of Green’s first-year salary with the Clippers, which wasn’t immediately known.

Update: According to ESPN.com’s John Hollinger, the exception is worth between $1.65 million and $2.75 million.

A trade exception works as a sort of credit that would allow the Hawks to make a trade while over the salary cap without meeting the usual salary-matching requirements. The credit expires one year from the date of the trade.

The Clippers selected Schortsanitis in the second round of the 2003 draft. He was listed at 6-9 and 345 pounds while playing for the Clippers’ summer league …

Continue reading Atlanta Hawks: Hawks trade Willie Green for rights to Greek center Schortsanitis »

Vivlamore filling in for MC.

The Hawks 2012-13 regular-season schedule was released Thursday and fans will get an opportunity to see two former key members of their team – Joe Johnson and Marvin Williams – return to Philips Arena in a five-day span.

The schedule also includes games against the Eastern and Western Conference champions, the Heat and Thunder, in a five-day span in the first month of the season.

Here are several other notables about the schedule:

Lin-sane start: The Hawks open the regular-season at home against the Rockets on Friday, Nov. 2. That will be Jeremy Lin’s first game with Houston after leaving the Knicks as a free agent this month. The season ends in New York against the Knicks and the Hawks old head coach Mike Woodson. Five of the eight games in April to end the season are at home.

Welcome back: Williams will return to Atlanta on Friday, Jan. 11 with the Jazz, exactly six months after he was traded. Johnson returns on Wednesday, Jan. 16 as …

Continue reading Updated: Hawks schedule released »

Vivlamore filling in for M.C.

Kyle Korver is the latest shooter being stockpiled on an ever-changing Hawks’ roster.

A trade for Korver, a guard known for his 3-point shooting, was completed Monday. The Hawks  acquired the veteran from the Bulls for cash considerations.

“I appreciate the toughness and the competitive energy Kyle brings to the game every night, and we’re very excited to add

him to our team.” Danny Ferry, Hawks President of Basketball Operations/GM, said in a statement released by the team.  “Adding him makes shooting an even greater strength for our club.”

The deal was several days in the making. Korver was in Atlanta for a physical on Saturday.

Korver was owed a $500,000 guarantee of his $5 million non-guaranteed salary for 2012-13 by the Bulls by Sunday.

“We led the NBA in wins two years in a row, and (I) loved the personalities and chemistry we had,” Korver told the Chicago Tribune Friday when news of the potential trade first surfaced. …

Continue reading Updated: Hawks acquire Korver »

As expected, the Hawks  requested waivers on guard Jordan Farmar Monday.

Farmar was acquired from the Nets  on July 11, along with Anthony Morrow, DeShawn Stevenson, Johan Petro, Jordan Williams,

a first- and second-round pick and other draft considerations, in the  Joe Johnson trade. The move saves the Hawks $2.5 million in salary cap space.

Farmar has indicted he intends to play in Turkey.

- Chris Vivlamore

Continue reading Hawks request waivers on Farmar »

Vivlamore filling in for MC.

The Hawks are in “serious discussions” with the Bulls to acquire guard Kyle Korver, according to a person familiar with the negotiations. While talks continue, no deal has been completed.

The Chicago Tribune reported that a deal is done, via the Timberwolves, pending Korver passing a physical. However, the person familar with the situation said the talks have not progressed to that point.

The Bulls had to either guarantee Korver’s $5 million option for the 2012-13 season or waive him and pay $500,000 by Sunday.

In 65 games for the Bulls last season, Korver averaged 8.1 points in 22.6 minutes per game. Kover, 31, was a second-round pick (No. 51) by the Nets in the 2003 draft. He was traded to the 76ers, where he spent his first four-plus seasons. He also played for Jazz before playing the past two seasons with the Bulls.

Continue reading Updated: Hawks in talks about Korver »

I’m headed for a few days of R&R. C-Viv is on the beat to keep you updated while I’m away.

The plan is to maintain a space here for your to discuss the Hawks. Be cool, keep it clean and and the forum stays open.

Michael Cunningham, Hawks beat

Continue reading On hiatus »

“We would be good, but not good enough.”

When Danny Ferry said it, I felt like Micheal Keaton in “The Paper” (underrated flick, by the way).

“He said the headline! The guy actually said the headline!”

Ferry succinctly summed up the frustrations I’ve heard expressed so many times by my blog people. That’s why the reaction has been overwhelmingly positive to Ferry’s decision to extract the franchise from two burdensome contracts.

But already I sense some anxiety among you about the next step. No doubt that feeling is heightened by Ferry’s failed (for now) pursuit of a trade for Dwight Howard, who’s status is in limbo. I’ve seen Hawks fans already fretting that no superstar would ever actually choose to sign with this franchise.

None of this surprises me, of course. It didn’t take me long in this job to learn that a sense of insecurity and pending dread appears to be a common symptom of your affection for the Hawks.

But, more than that, these concerns are reasonable. You …

Continue reading Atlanta Hawks: New era begins »

Notes gathered before nearly crashing my car while taking a call on Louis Williams deal and then trying to tweet the news on my freakin’ phone. . . .

• Pape Sy is back, baby! That’s exciting enough on its own but Sy got me really hyped by showing up looking ripped. Seriously, dude is muscled-up. “I tried to work on my body to get stronger on the court,” he said. “Now I feel great.”
• Larry Drew on Sy: “He’s been in that weight room. He’s gotten stronger. When he goes to the basket, you can see when he takes contact he can still get his shot off. That’s a pro move to take contact and get your shot off.”
• As mentioned a few weeks ago, the Hawks finally have abandoned their plan to try to make Sy a point guard. It was pretty obvious after his first couple of summer games in 2010 that his NBA future is not at the point. “I feel good as a two guard,” Sy said. “I am trying to get to the hoop and I work on my shot. I feel better now. Playing the two may be more easier for me.”
• The …

Continue reading Atlanta Hawks: Camp report »

The Hawks and free-agent guard Lou Williams have agreed to a multiyear contract, according to a person with knowledge of the agreement.

Terms of the deal were not immediately known but the Hawks likely will sign Williams by using part of their mid-level salary-cap exception. The person with knowledge of the deal said the contract would allow the Hawks to maintain the salary-cap flexibility they gained by recently agreeing to trade Joe Johnson and Marvin Williams.

Williams opted out of the final year of his contract with Philadelphia, which was to pay him $5.4 million in 2012-13.

The deal can’t become official until the NBA’s moratorium on most transactions ends Wednesday.

Williams, 25, is a former star at South Gwinnett High school, where he was a two-time Mr. Basketball winner and a McDonald’s All-American. After committing to Georgia, he decided to declare for the 2005 draft and was selected by Philadelphia in the second round. He played in 455 games with Philadelphia, …

Continue reading Atlanta Hawks: Hawks agree to terms with free-agent guard Louis Williams »

The Hawks today released the roster for the three-day minicamp this week and their entry in the Las Vegas Summer League starting Friday.

The roster includes 2012 draft picks John Jenkins (No. 23 overall) and Mike Scott (No. 43) in addition to 2010 second-round pick Pape Sy and 2011 second-round pick Keith Benson.

Sy, Benson, Derrick Caracter and Jerry Smith are the players on the roster with NBA experience. The Hawks are also expected to add Jordan Williams to the roster after he officially joins the team as part of the Joe Johnson trade with the Nets.

The Hawks open summer league play July 12 at the Cox Pavilion vs. Washington. Their other scheduled games are July 15 (vs. San Antonio), July 16 (Boston), July 18 (Dallas) and July 19 (Portland).

Hawks Summer Roster

Player name
Position
Height
Weight
DOB
Prior to Hawks

Keith Benson
C/F
6-11
230
08/13/88

NBDL/GSW/Oakland U.

Brian Butch
C
6-11
240
12/22/84
NBDL/Wisconsin

Derrick …

Continue reading Atlanta Hawks: Summer roster set »