Atlanta Hawks: Free agent James Anderson gets camp invite
Hawks GM Danny Ferry says Spurs free agent James Anderson has been invited to join the team’s veterans camp. Anderson apparently will accept, according to a tweet by former teammate Danny Green.
Anderson, 23, likely will join the Hawks on a summer contract. If it proves to be a good fit for team and player, Anderson would be signed to the roster on a non-guaranteed contract to fill the defensive-minded wing role Ferry is seeking (though it’s notable that Anderson has played most of his minutes at shooting guard).
Anderson, San Antonio’s first-round pick in the 2010 draft, has played just 889 total minutes in two seasons. During that limited time his offensive production and efficiency have been bad. Anderson’s defensive on-court, off-court and opponent PER have been positive but his Synergy defensive stats have been poor, especially in isolation.
All of that comes with the usual Small Sample Size Disclaimer. Obviously Ferry, who saw Anderson up close as a Spurs executive, believes Anderson has potential. Anderson was a very good offensive player at Oklahoma State, as Michael Kamalsky noted at DraftExpress.com before the 2010 draft:
James Anderson was nothing short of spectacular last season, and it shows here. His 1.07 overall PPP ranks second amongst all players, as do his 20 possessions used per-game. He was above the PPP every in every situation except for guarded catch and shoot situations, and has more experience running the pick and roll (2.9 Pos/G) than any other player on our rankings. High usage/high-efficiency players are extremely difficult to come by, and NBA teams may want to ponder if they’re missing the boat on Anderson due to the fact that he has not been spectacular in workouts. The same thing happened last year with Marcus Thornton.
Michael A. De Leon, writing for Project Spurs, says Anderson is a good pick up for Ferry:
The Hawks, who could use some help at shooting guard with the loss of Joe Johnson, could be making quite the sleeper move here. Anderson is a capable scorer and slasher and at times showed signs of improving on the defensive end, but he lost his confidence with the Spurs after he failed to make an impression on the coaching staff when he stepped in for Manu [Ginobili] against Golden State last season.
Anderson had been the sixth or seventh man off the bench and when the Spurs started Green after Anderson’s [disappointing] performance, Anderson’s time on the floor began going downhill and at times didn’t come off the bench at all.
Clearly the Hawks could use more help at small forward than at shooting guard. If Anderson can play the wing and prove to be a competent offensive player and reliable defender, he could earn a job and a role with the Hawks.
Michael Cunningham, Hawks beat
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194 comments Add your comment
Ra'mon
August 27th, 2012
4:40 pm
AJ, thank you! Would rather have a 6′4 SF who can produce, than a 6′8 SF who’s just 6′8.
One thing people aren’t considering is, if the Hawks every went with Teague – Harris – Williams in the backcourt to close the game, how hard would it be for a SF to guard Williams or Harris? There’s no way any SF not named Lebron or AI could stay in front of either of those guys. That leads to more driving and dishing like Captain D’s.
Buddy Grizzard
August 27th, 2012
5:00 pm
If we sign Tolliver, does that make Josh a full-time SF?
Melvin
August 27th, 2012
5:07 pm
O’Brien,
The SG and SF positions are basically interchangeable. They are basically played from the perimeter (Wing). It all depends on match up and personnel.
UGA
August 27th, 2012
5:13 pm
I just watched some tape of Tolliver vs the Thunder and Heat this season. He guarded both LeBron and Durant.
Ken Strickland
August 27th, 2012
5:22 pm
If Anderson has a good enough training camp and preseason, him making the team could make it a lot easier for us to include AMorrow or KKorver in a trade for a starting SF. He would appear to be a better option as a SF/SG combo than Korver or Morrow, assuming he can recover his confidence.
The Truth
August 27th, 2012
5:23 pm
Maybe this article will also shed on the typical duties of the SF. Just being a “shooter” is not enough:
http://espn.go.com/blog/truehoop/post/_/id/48187/no-such-thing-as-a-tweener-anymore
“First consider what small forwards do. A great way to start this exercise is to spend a few minutes watching small forward Andre Iguodala play defense. A typical possession starts with him sprinting through and around screens. Then, his man may end up as the screener in a pick-and-roll with the point guard. Iguodala then must swallow up a point guard, then dig down to stop a pass to the post with his long arms, and then use his quickness to recover to the perimeter. Yes, Iguodala is strong, smart, and long — but most of all he’s lightning quick and moving all over the place.”
steven a smith
August 27th, 2012
6:01 pm
If we could trade Al Horford for a starting 3, we could then utilize Josh more effectively at the 4.
doc
August 27th, 2012
6:23 pm
o’b, not sure but did you leave off the guy i think tops them all, chandler in new york?
i would take a 6′6″ guy who plays bigger at that position than a 6′8″ guy who played a lot smaller. i dont suspect this guy to take over the position but if he does it will remind me of a younger and better mo evans if that happens. this isnt costing us more than a look which is what aj does for his kicks whenever he goes to the mall is my guess. eh aj?
Slimjr
August 27th, 2012
7:00 pm
steven a smith
August 27th, 2012
6:01 pm
“If we could trade Al Horford for a starting 3, we could then utilize Josh more effectively at the 4.”
WHo did you have in mind Steven A? Wait Till he meets Bynum..That will be classic..Maybe not..
“Hater (slang), a person who expresses intense feelings of hatred or spite” -Wikipedia-
Abuse of this word [Hater] is rampant on this Hawks blog for sure. Just my two cent…Hmmmm
Slimjr
August 27th, 2012
7:08 pm
Scottie Pippen= bench mark 3 for sure..
A lock down defender who had the size and skill set to defend the opposition’s best scorer.. And on some nights would be a leading scorer himself..Could dish out assists, could shoot well. Just an all around great basketball player at the 3. One of my of all time favorites..Wish he had played for the Knicks! LOL!
FYI, Scottie makes Andre look like a “D” League player…
brigadierjerry
August 27th, 2012
7:10 pm
slimjr,
do u think jefferson is better than horford?
where do u rank horford as a center?as a pf?
vava74
August 27th, 2012
7:14 pm
We are not building a roster to compete for the title this year.
This year is “test mode”.
First test is Josh as the main cog. As #1.
If Ferry does not like what he sees, he will trade Josh too for assets.
Test and development mode.
We don’t need to discuss who will guard Durant, Lebron, …
That’s not this year’s fight.
Grimey
August 27th, 2012
7:20 pm
I rank horford as a PF
Smith loses weight and gains quickness like his rookie year slashing and dunking. he plays SF the al PF
Slimjr
August 27th, 2012
7:27 pm
Jefferson has more God given talent than AL but Al appears to be more mature. Give Al credit.. He comes to play every night! He maximizes his limitations…
Some blogger said he maybe the best center in the East? Bynum and KG may have something to say about that..
I like that 7′1″ Center in NewYork who is obviously better at protecting the rim by meters…
vava74
August 27th, 2012
7:31 pm
Slimjr,
Din’t you have a Knick blog where to go and type gibberish?
Or did they ban you because you didn’t like Kurt Thomas?
coachroy
August 27th, 2012
7:33 pm
anthony t. will be a backup pf for the hawks if he signs
Slimjr
August 27th, 2012
7:34 pm
I have not seen Al play enough at the 4? But in my minds eye comparing his skills to say LaMarcus Aldridge, I’d say let him continue to play the 5 in the Weak azz East and regain his Allstar status from a couple of coaches again….
Slimjr
August 27th, 2012
7:55 pm
Bjerry lets hope the Knicks and Hawks meet in the 1st round..It will be crazy like that 98 series..
brigadierjerry
August 27th, 2012
7:59 pm
slimjr that is a fair answer. i dont mind when u give concrete answers.
vava,
i agree with ur post in regards to this year evaluation mode for the hawks team. i think he will feature josh smith as number one guy and go from there
steven a smith
August 27th, 2012
8:01 pm
Slimjr
August 27th, 2012
7:00 pm
Loul Deng would be a great fit for the Hawks. He is a better defender, rebounder, and scorer than Al.
brigadierjerry
August 27th, 2012
8:01 pm
slimjr,
that was not a competitve series and u mean 1999.
hawks in better shape long term than knicks are and had a better last decade than knicks
brigadierjerry
August 27th, 2012
8:05 pm
stephen a smith,
why r u comparing deng a sf to horford a center in abilities?
also curious how far do u go back with hawks or nba in general?do u live in ga?
also how would hawks get deng?trading horford?u said horford not good so how hawks getting deng?
steven a smith
August 27th, 2012
8:17 pm
brigadierjerry
August 27th, 2012
8:05 pm
The money matches, Bulls may decide he is too expensive to keep along with Boozer. Addition by subtraction. Taj Gibson may be someone the will not want to part with.
I was born and raised in LaGrange Georgia, now i live in Florida. I watched the Hawks when Lou Hudson and Pistol Pete played, however, i was more of a Washington Bullets fan back then.
Mike is Back
August 27th, 2012
8:23 pm
Good move Danny, however, if this move includes IVAN coming back…then I’m coooooooooool.
steven a smith
August 27th, 2012
8:26 pm
DraftExpress.com–Al Horford is listed 6″8″.75(without shoes) Anthony Tolliver listed as 6″7″.75(without shoes). Both were in the 2004 NBA Draft.
Steve
August 27th, 2012
8:37 pm
Let’s just run Horford, Smith, Teague and two SG’s continually. At least we will be more entertaining. Sub in Zaza for Al, Ivan for Smith, Devin for Teague and continue with the 2 SG’s.
Korver, Morrow, Williams, and Jenkins all all basically SG’s than can shoot well enough to cause major problems for the defense.
Steve
August 27th, 2012
8:46 pm
“Loul Deng would be a great fit for the Hawks. He is a better defender, rebounder, and scorer than Al.”
LMAO. Now that’s funny. I don’t care who you are!
Horford per/36 minute numbers dwarf Deng’s. Heck, even if you look at per game numbers Deng is less in RPG. Also, only a fool would talk smack on last years numbers given how little Al played. Compare the 2010 numbers for Horford and Dung wouldn’t even qualify to be on the same court. The defense is questionable as Deng is a decent man-up defender that get’s lost in rotations because he is trying to get the sneaky blocks.
Horford is also under contract for three more years at a team friendly price, whereas Deng only has one more year.
No thanks. Anyone who thinks Deng for Horford would be a good trade for Atlanta just doesn’t know basketball.
brigadierjerry
August 27th, 2012
8:55 pm
stepehn a,
why would bulls do that?they have gibson noah boozer?so u tell me hawks are better with deng minus horford?i dont see it.
brigadierjerry
August 27th, 2012
8:58 pm
stephen a smith,
on top of that deng has a bad hand. i think u treat horford as a player the way most treated marvin williams
Ken Strickland
August 27th, 2012
9:31 pm
Do you remember that ESPN commercial that had people who didn’t subscribe to ESPN talking out of their A$$ES? Well, these HORFORD HATERS definitely fall into that category. How else would you classify anyone that’s stupid enough to claim LDeng is a better rebounder and fit for the Hawks than Horford. STUPID IS AS STUPID DOES.
Slimjr
August 27th, 2012
9:42 pm
Shaq going for 61pts tonight on NBA Classics[March 6,2000] at the Clippers!
Big Ray
August 27th, 2012
9:46 pm
The Anderson camp invite likely ends the Pape Sy era once and for all.
There was a Pape Sy era?
Slimjr
August 27th, 2012
9:49 pm
LAMAR ODOM is playing in this game..He looks 15! Heh heh heh
Big Ray
August 27th, 2012
9:54 pm
No thanks. Anyone who thinks Deng for Horford would be a good trade for Atlanta just doesn’t know basketball.
LOL…you have to remember who you’re dealing with. Some guys on here want Horford gone in the worst way, and are willing to isolate Josh Smith down low to get it done. Not only that, but the geniuses would love to make Chicago even stronger than they are already.
By all means, lets trade them somebody who will allow them to unload the defensively challenged, oft-injured, inconsistent, and overpaid Carlos Boozer.
Absolute brilliance. I guess some folks want to be beaten even WORSE by Chicago.
After all, Luol Deng or some other starting SF who isn’t a star (much less an all-star) is how you win in the NBA.
Big Ray
August 27th, 2012
9:55 pm
That 7′1″ guy sure showed those Miami Heat that they couldn’t score at the basket in the playoffs last season….oh wait….the Heat scored inside at will….OOOPS!
Big Ray
August 27th, 2012
9:59 pm
Knicks can’t win for 4 reasons:
1) Dolan = moron.
2) Mike Woodson with a bigger ISO option than Joe Johnson was (Carmelo Anthony) and a team that will NOT listen to his defensive ideas (starting with Carmelo).
3) Can’t ever figure out the PG position.
4) Carmelo “I will score 30 but do nothing else to help the team and I’m not a leader by any stretch of the imagination” Anthony. He’s a hell of a talent. But not a guy you build around unless you have a brilliant GM and an equally brilliant coach. Even then, you might not ever make it. Ask Denver…
Big Ray
August 27th, 2012
10:00 pm
Now back to Slimjr and his youtubing…or whatever he’s doing…
MaxxHawk
August 27th, 2012
10:13 pm
Wow, no risk and potentially huge reward here. Great move to get this guy into camp.
Slimjr
August 27th, 2012
10:14 pm
Gentlemen: [That includes all of you..]
I present Mr. Anderson:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L_nIxpxDDtE
Slimjr
August 27th, 2012
10:21 pm
Shoot BRay what are you a freaking psychic? ha ha ha
How bout them Fal-cons..Bradley predicts 12-4… What say you?
The real Chuck Norris
August 27th, 2012
10:26 pm
I wish you could write about us getting a new hawks beat writers. The one we got is awful.
The real Chuck Norris
August 27th, 2012
10:32 pm
“I have not seen Al play enough at the 4? But in my minds eye comparing his skills to say LaMarcus Aldridge, ” – Idiot
I was thinking more like Koncak or Zaza with out the heart or fight. Yea Al is more like Koncak. As a power forward he be more like a bench player or trade bait. I really hope Zaza is the starting center and Josh at his regular power forward. Let Al come of the bench or if he really wants to be traded like he has said more than once then go ahead and trade him.
The real Chuck Norris
August 27th, 2012
10:35 pm
Deng>Al
Slimjr
August 27th, 2012
10:35 pm
He forgot Woody coached the Knicks to an 18-6 run during the toughest part of their schedule all season losing one of his AllStars [Amare] and his 3 point guards….
Yea OOOPS….
MaxxHawk
August 27th, 2012
10:37 pm
Trade Al for a real center and impact down low. Then the hawks can get better “)
Slimjr
August 27th, 2012
10:38 pm
“I have not seen Al play enough at the 4? But in my minds eye comparing his skills to say LaMarcus Aldridge, ” – Idiot
You quoted out of context…………………. Genius
doc
August 27th, 2012
11:00 pm
slimj, you forgot in the same season of woody’s good fortune and that is possibly all it was and a shortened one at that, LD took us to the same number of games over .500 that woody got us too with a more decimated and older roster than woody did for a full season of 82 games. maybe you ought to dream of what LD could do with that roster. heh heh, so let us sit back and see it woody can catch lightening in a bottle that lasts 82 games instead of 24. how much did woody’s playoff nimbers improve? also, didnt we start about 18-6 last year slimj?
BR, amen to number one on the knicks list of impediments to success. he probably ought to be one through five then follow with other issues.
Melvin
August 27th, 2012
11:00 pm
Paul George dunk is sick….
http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nba-ball-dont-lie/paul-george-dunk-video-360-legs-windmill-shanghai-145901012–nba.html
Slimjr
August 27th, 2012
11:01 pm
“Knicks can’t win for 4 reasons:” -Mr. Crystal Ball-
He has spoken: Kneel……………………………………………………..
How bout those 3 beautiful under throws by you favorite QB the other day….
SuperBowl or Bust..
Rusty
August 27th, 2012
11:06 pm
After watching Anderson on utube it is easy to see why he went in the first round,good looking jumper & great athletic ability.