Atlanta Hawks: Wings are the thing
The Hawks are interested in free agent forward Anthony Randolph, as reported today by Marc Spears of Yahoo! Sports. The Hawks also remain in contact with the Magic about trade possibilities for Dwight Howard.
But the more pressing concern for the Hawks is signing a small forward after they agreed to trade away Marvin Williams and Joe Johnson.
“We have to look at the wing area to bring somebody in that can help us,” Drew said. “With having the six spots filled [including] the two draft picks on the roster, solidifying on the wing becomes more of a priority than a ‘big.’ We could add another big but, right now, certainly the priority is strengthening the wing area and then possibly adding another big.”
As things stand now, Atlanta’s options include playing one of Josh Smith, Anthony Morrow or DeShawn Stevenson at small forward. Smith was able to play the wing effectively in certain matchups last season but neither he nor Morrow or Stevenson is a natural for the position.
The Hawks are interested in Rashard Lewis and Courtney Lee. They’ve also reportedly inquired about O.J. Mayo.
Other free-agent wings still on the board include Matt Barnes, Grant Hill, Carlos Delfino, Antawn Jamison, Mickael Pietrus, C.J. Miles and Tracy McGrady.
The Hawks can offer a contract that starts as high as the non-taxpayer mid-level exception maximum of $5 million. It appears that the first wave of free-agent signings isn’t quite over as players look for money and/or contending teams to join. The Hawks could still be a pretty good team next season but clearly no longer are as attractive to free agents as they were last season, when they could sell the possibility of a strong postseason run.
With that in mind, expect the Hawks to zero in on free agents to sign once the market settles.
“There’s been some surprising things that have happened with free agents,” Drew said. “Our stand is just to continue to look at possibilities that can help our ball club. There are still some interesting names out there. We’ve had contact with a number of free agents and we want to bring in guys that can play right away, whether they start or come off the bench.”
Michael Cunningham, Hawks beat
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779 comments Add your comment
drmaryb.(""_*).
July 8th, 2012
2:38 pm
Bad Newz Kennels!
MC … is like a rabid dog owner that only shows up at feeding time and, throws a pound of raw beef into our one cage and, then just walks away. There is no sweet talking nor, head patting going on around here. We alpha dogs are just left to duke it out amongst ourselves, beat back the user ID hijacking, pain in the azz resident troll … and, surf multiple websites for in-between snacks & treats.
Im just sayin’ … we ain’t such lucky dogs, even though the pound of beef is prime choice grade.
________________
chew on that. letz go hawks!!!
earthQuake
July 8th, 2012
2:43 pm
At 6′9 and 225 this past year he’s similar to Durants height, weight, and frame for that matter.
Its not the size of the dog in the fight, its the size of the fight in the dog. Al horford is a lap dog and Josh is a guard dog.
A lap dog is not intended to defend the house a guard dog is . 6′ 10 1/2 ” 265lbs center Al horford is perhaps the weakest rim defender on the team. Which proves. Its not the size of the dog in the fight, its the size of the fight in the dog. Al horford is a lap dog and Josh is a guard dog.
Clarification
July 8th, 2012
2:43 pm
High-Sider,
When will you ever learn? If Kirk’s job was to score why was he only given the 6th most FGA?
Please give me an answer to this:
Hinrich took an average of 5 shots per game in the playoffs. How many points do you think is reasonable for him to score, only taking 5 shots per game? Remember that the entire league shoots a lower % during the playoffs. So what’s your best guess of what he should produce shooting 5 shots per game?
Bullwinkle
July 8th, 2012
2:47 pm
Mary why dont you start cussing and swearing like you like to do, before you start your preaching.
snoopy
July 8th, 2012
2:49 pm
Yea mary do your anger management thingy so they will know you are rabid.
Huckleberry Hound Dog
July 8th, 2012
2:52 pm
Mary is a Dog.
You are a B!tch Dog Mary. quit whelping.
SuckerFree
July 8th, 2012
2:53 pm
lmao @ Johan Petro starting….WTF is wrong with you people. That boy is a scrub….he won’t play at all
Dog Catcher
July 8th, 2012
2:55 pm
Well they say a hit dog will hollar
Just Joe
July 8th, 2012
2:57 pm
Orlando doing S&T with Anderson going to New Orleans. Making room for Humphries?
Just Joe
July 8th, 2012
3:01 pm
Hawks have shown some interest in Randy Foye.
Raybud
July 8th, 2012
3:01 pm
Let’s go Hawks. I support all the moves they have made so far. The got rid of a big contract as well as what i would consider a worthless player.
Just Joe
July 8th, 2012
3:03 pm
CJ Watson an unrestricted free agent.
Clarification
July 8th, 2012
3:07 pm
“Kirk is a phenomenal player,” Bulls forward Taj Gibson said Friday, after Day 1 of Team USA training where Gibson is a member of the national select team. “I played with Kirk my rookie year. He was phenomenal in helping me grow as a player. He was a phenomenal leader. He was one of those tough-minded players that doesn’t really care about much (besides) getting wins”.
http://espn.go.com/chicago/nba/story/_/id/8140669/2012-nba-free-agency-kirk-hinrich-commits-chicago-bulls-source-says
Well, let’s see now, whom would I rather believe, a respected player in the NBA, or an immature blogger with a racial bias? Hmmmm, that’s a tough one, LOL.
myrak43
July 8th, 2012
3:13 pm
brigadierjerry
I feel that hawks are some where between 9th and 7th seed if we do not make anymore moves…. but we could easily move up to top 5 with a few more moves. i.e. add a real center Kaman would be nice as a one year rental and add a good defender at the wing that can make an open shot, Mickael Pietrus would be ideal.
brittishanger
July 8th, 2012
3:14 pm
So…could Teague, if the team chose to, play in the summer league?
ryan
July 8th, 2012
3:16 pm
So is D12 heading to the Nets or do the Hawks have a shot its hard to tell which way Orlando is leaning .
Slimjr
July 8th, 2012
3:16 pm
KevinM
July 8th, 2012
2:36 pm
If anyone is interested, Al and the DR team have one more shot to make the Olympics today if they beat Nigeria. Al ran into foul trouble yesterday against Lithuania, so that curtailed their comeback.
No news there. If Tito Jr is the Star[Best Player] than lower your expectations, because your not winning anything…
ryan
July 8th, 2012
3:18 pm
Geeeeez man if Nets pull this off and get D12 they will be dangerous Heat and the Nets would be favorite in the East .
Slimjr
July 8th, 2012
3:22 pm
Matt Barnes would be a nice addition for these bunch of Nice Guys..
Terrific perimeter defender against 2’s and 3’s..Just knows how to shut down ISO JOE every time..
GAboy!
July 8th, 2012
3:37 pm
I think so far so good for Ferry..I think adding Andre Miller and Marcus Camby to our team should be next..Miller can give Teague the guidance he needs and Camby in my opinion should have been here two years ago is an obvious perfect fit..athletic rebounder and blocks shoots…also OJ Mayo is another perfect fit..fills the stats that Joe had and a familiar name for us fans…by adding these players if Howard doesnt come we’ll still 4th-5th best in east..with Howard..BEST!…
Clarification
July 8th, 2012
3:50 pm
Another accolade for High-Sider’s boy JC1:
Second team NBA on the All-Floppers team.
http://espn.go.com/blog/truehoop/post/_/id/39096/the-2012-all-flop-teams
High-Sider must be so proud.
Buddy Grizzard
July 8th, 2012
3:52 pm
Hawks need to look into a sign-and-trade with Houston for Courtney Lee, whom they renounced. Hawks could send HOU back their pick obtained in the Joe Johnson trade. This pick is lottery protected for the next two years, then becomes a second round pick. Houston is not likely to make the playoffs the next two years with the way they have blown up their roster, but they would still probably like to have their pick back just in case.
Right now Boston is pushing to sign Lee with the bi-annual exception. This would be a low payday for Lee but it’s been speculated that he might be swayed by potential playing time on a contender with Avery Bradley having surgery again. Wasn’t Lee close with Dwight Howard when he was in Orlando? Make this happen Ferry.
Buddy Grizzard
July 8th, 2012
3:53 pm
Co-sign Matt Barnes would be a killer addition. He could step right into a starting role here.
FRESH
July 8th, 2012
3:54 pm
Zaza Pachulia-Al Horford-Devin Harris to ORLANDO Marvin Williams to UTAH Dwight Howard- Hedo Turkoglu to ATLANTA or Dwight Howard-Jason Richardson-Chris Duhon to ATLANTA plus two or three picks to ORLANDO
Just Joe
July 8th, 2012
3:55 pm
Buddy, how different are the games of C. Lee, A. Morrow, and J. Jenkins? I honestly don’t know. They seem like very similar players, and all seem too small to play significant minutes at SF.
Ray
July 8th, 2012
4:04 pm
@ Just Joe
We need to look into bringing in actually SF you’re trying to make SG’s play SF which is not a good idea.
Like what was the fascination about playing Joe at SF when his SF skills were terrible at best he was a SG not a SF.
Josh Smith at SF and R.Lewis at SF would be a nice start for that spot if I’m not mistaken isn’t Mike Scott more SF than PF?
Buddy Grizzard
July 8th, 2012
4:06 pm
Valid observation, Just Joe. All are offense-first, defensively challenged players. Keep in mind when you read my posts that I’m of the opinion that Jenkins would have been better as a second round pick on a non-guaranteed contract. I’m not confident he makes an NBA roster if the Hawks hadn’t burned a first round pick on him.
So Jenkins I see as this year’s Pargo, an end of the bench reserve. Morrow is a one-dimensional shooting specialist. Lee is a very athletic player who gets to the basket, draws fouls and is a good shooter. He’s also a poor defender, but his overall game has more to it by far than Morrow and Jenkins. I would like to see the Hawks execute a sign-and-trade with Houston that sends them their first round pick and spare parts to make the salaries work, and brings back Lee to be our starting shooting guard and backup small forward.
Just Joe
July 8th, 2012
4:09 pm
Ray, I was questioning Buddy on his desire to S&T for Lee.
I think Lewis is going to a contender. We’re not that anymore (as currently constructed).
Mike Scott is a PF only based on comments made by the Hawks.
I want to trade the Joe Johnson trade exception to Denver for Corey Brewer, who is on an expiring $3.4M contract.
GAboy!
July 8th, 2012
4:14 pm
So i was thinkin of a possible roster..what do yall think ??
pg-Teague
sg-Mayo
sf-J.Smith
pf-Hartford
c-Camby
bench
pg-andre miller
sg-matt barnes
sf-tracy mcgrady
pf-ivan johnson
c-Pachulia
g-pargo
c-tony battie?
f-c-ben wallace?
2 draft picks.. that team is 4th best easy in east…maybe 3rd..lol
Just Joe
July 8th, 2012
4:18 pm
Buddy, I understand. We have slightly different views on Jenkins. I think he is more than capable of giving what Morrow does. I see them as the same player, one with just more experience.
I prefer a better ball handler at the 2. OJ Mayo would be my choice. He’d also serve as the 3rd string PG. I think it takes a sign and trade with Morrow to get Mayo.
See above. I like Brewer at the SF position.
Ray
July 8th, 2012
4:19 pm
@ Just Joe
Okay never mind sorry.
Grandad
July 8th, 2012
4:21 pm
Slimjr
I very much respect your input and dialogue.
But, c`mon man, your constant belittlement of Al Horford disturbs me.
It`s perfectly fine if you dislike the man.
However, the constant petty nicknames and derogatory statements
toward Al reduce you to the level of other “B-list commentariots”
who continually spew inane bloggeral onto this here board.
I consider you one of our Hoops Intelligentsia.
Remember – We are all Hawks fans;
Al is a very good and valued Hawk, plus he`s a really good kid.
Respectfully,
G-dad
Just Joe
July 8th, 2012
4:25 pm
Teague, Mayo, Brewer, Smith, and Horford starting.
Harris, Jenkins, Stevenson, Ivan, and Pachulia off the bench.
Scott and Butch in the last two active roster spots.
Jordan Taylor and Jordan Williams enrolled in the Danny Ferry player development program.
Petro bought out.
vava74
July 8th, 2012
5:05 pm
Grandad,
Slimjr is a Knicks’ fan and only incidentally has an interest for the Hawks.
He even confessed a few commentaries back that he was supporting the Knicks at the Omni a few years ago.
That disqualifies him to provide any input over here.
Just Joe
July 8th, 2012
5:06 pm
Hawks would be smart to offer the Bulls a sign and trade of Hinrich for CJ Watson, who the Bulls are releasing anyway. It preserves the exception for Chicago. Ronnie Brewer would be an option as well, although the Bulls have not made a decision on him yet.
Sautee
July 8th, 2012
5:17 pm
“I want to trade the Joe Johnson trade exception to Denver for Corey Brewer, who is on an expiring $3.4M contract.” – Just Joe
I like Brewer as well. Of all the possibilities at SF, he’s the one I keep coming back to. And if we are weak defensively at the 2, then we certainly need a wing defender at the 3.
Rusty
July 8th, 2012
5:18 pm
Hey grandpa still liking your boy LD,still defending him or so much I guess
Rusty
July 8th, 2012
5:19 pm
Not so much
Just Joe
July 8th, 2012
5:45 pm
Nets closer to getting Dwight? Humphries to Cleveland in S&T?
High-sider
July 8th, 2012
6:11 pm
@Clarification
Clarification
July 8th, 2012
2:43 pm
High-Sider,
When will you ever learn? If Kirk’s job was to score why was he only given the 6th most FGA?
Please give me an answer to this:
Hinrich took an average of 5 shots per game in the playoffs. How many points do you think is reasonable for him to score, only taking 5 shots per game? Remember that the entire league shoots a lower % during the playoffs. So what’s your best guess of what he should produce shooting 5 shots per game?
————————————————————————
Kirk Hinrich wasn’t given the sixth most FGA for the Hawks. Hinrich chose to be unaggressive/unassertive on the offensive end. Hinrich chose not to or refused to shoot/score the basketball. That lack of offensive aggressiveness/assertiveness is on Kirk Hinrich and no one else. Because he (Hinrich) didn’t score was Kirk Hinrich’s fault – not the coach, not his teammates and, hell, not even the opposing defense. Dude (Hinrich) just refused to shoot/score (the basketball).
steven a smith
July 8th, 2012
6:14 pm
Understand this “GIRLS, ” Al Horford is not an untouchable player. I would even consider amnestying Al “SCRUB” Horford if Josh were to re-sign and play SF.
Sautee
July 8th, 2012
6:18 pm
High-Sider,
So what’s your best guess of what he should produce shooting 5 shots per game?
steven a smith
July 8th, 2012
6:18 pm
I am “sick ans tired” of hearing you nerds use the phrase “score the Basketball” Most overused phrase on NBA-TV……
Sautee
July 8th, 2012
6:20 pm
Don’t get me wrong, I don’t have a dog in this fight, but I was curious as to your answer.
KevinM
July 8th, 2012
6:23 pm
“Just Joe
July 8th, 2012
4:09 pm
Ray, I was questioning Buddy on his desire to S&T for Lee.
I think Lewis is going to a contender. We’re not that anymore (as currently constructed)”
JJ, we weren’t a contender as previous constructed either, despite what LD and the ASG have thought.
No brainer to blow up this team….how many years do you expect different results for the same players?
A lot ot talk here about adding guys who are role players, when we need to substantially improve the starting 5. Our starters right now:
Teague / Stevenson / Zaza / Al / Josh
Who’s going to get us points in this group when we need them? Teague?
Josh? There’s simply not enough firepower there.
We need a shooter and need to find a main guy to lead us. Looking at younger guys who might be able to fill a starting role here:
Tyreke Evans – Sac
Wesley Johnson – Min
Derrick Williams – Min
Eric Bledsoe – LAC
Could Vince Carter or Tayshaun Prince help our starting lineup?
Word is Bynum will not agree to any extension if sent to the Magic, so we are still in this thing.
High-sider
July 8th, 2012
6:24 pm
@Clarification
Clarification
July 8th, 2012
3:50 pm
Another accolade for High-Sider’s boy JC1:
Second team NBA on the All-Floppers team.
http://espn.go.com/blog/truehoop/post/_/id/39096/the-2012-all-flop-teams
High-Sider must be so proud.
————————————————————–
I am proud. There are some impressive names mentioned on that (All-Flop) list such as Chris Paul, Paul Pierce, Rajon Rondo, Dwayne Wade, Kobe Bryant, Dirk Nowitzki, Manu Ginobili, Tim Duncan, Tony Parker, Chauncey Billups, Deron Williams, Blake Griffin, Ben Wallace, etc. That’s a lot of “championship pedigree” among that group of players discussed in that (All-Flop) article.
I’m surprised that JJ Barea wasn’t mentioned in the article.
Thanks for the article, Clarification.
Neki
July 8th, 2012
6:26 pm
Oh well, parity in the NBA does not exist period. MC, do you think that Josh will be on the move since its looks like Atlanta is out of the Dwight race?
O'Brien
July 8th, 2012
6:33 pm
From espn.com;
Sources with knowledge of the talks told ESPN.com on Sunday that the Hornets and Orlando Magic reached agreement on a sign-and-trade deal that will send Magic forward Ryan Anderson to New Orleans to play alongside prized rookie Anthony Davis.
The Magic will receive young Hornets center Gustavo Ayon in the deal.
The Hornets were in talks to sign Anderson, a restricted free agent, to an offer sheet, but sources say that trade talks with the Magic have progressed quickly once Orlando officials decided they would not want to match an offer to Anderson.
NBA.com is reporting that Anderson will sign a four-year deal worth between $34-36 million..
With the loss of Anderson, maybe Orlando would be more open to Kris Humphries now.
High-sider
July 8th, 2012
6:35 pm
@Sautee
Sautee
July 8th, 2012
6:18 pm
High-Sider,
So what’s your best guess of what he should produce shooting 5 shots per game?
—————————————————————————
If Hinrich is only going to shoot five shots per game, then he (Hinrich) should average between nine and ten points per game. Scoring five points on five shots (FGA’s) is not (exactly) what I would call being (offensively) efficient.
O'Brien
July 8th, 2012
6:35 pm
High-sider,
I wa surprised that Jamal got a multi-year deal, especially at his age, and coming off a disappointing year in Portland.
Hopefully he will rebound to form, and playing with CP3 and Blake Griffin should help.