Hawks being too passive in free agent market
Listen up: Rick Sund wants you to know he thinks the Hawks are going to be just fine.
When the Miami Heat went shopping in this NBA offseason, they chose to bypass the markdowns at the strip malls, the polo shirts from Old Navy that morph into dust rags after two washings and the lime green shorts with a broken zipper from the $1 table at the neighborhood yard sale . They cruised Rodeo Drive. Why? Because they could. Maybe they also have some strange desire to win.
The Hawks are still in the midst of their shopping this offseason. It has been quiet, even as they roam the aisles of Value City. There’s still a chance they will come home with something other than used Play-Doh and a bag of defective socks. But don’t count on it. They have made it clear that their heads are bumping up against the ceiling of their budget. They won’t add a player if it means having to pay a luxury tax. They won’t add a player if it means trading a perceived player of significance. It doesn’t matter if the new player can actually make them better, or if he would ignite a fan base that’s just looking for a reason to walk through a turnstile.
Loading ...Maybe this passive approach works. There was that whole tortoise-and-the-hare thing. Maybe drafting Jordan Crawford, giving more playing time to Jeff Teague and getting Joe Johnson to share the ball will make a difference. But after going 0-8 in the second in the last two years, is this the mindset an NBA franchise should have?
General manager Rick Sund said what he often says: “I like our team.”
He is hesitant to trade a perceived core player, disrupt chemistry or blow the budget. Let’s put aside for a moment that the organization recently overpaid to keep Johnson, who has fizzled in the postseason and doesn’t quite unite the fan base. Sund still sees the Hawks are trending upward.
He states his case: “Our goal is to continue to put an elite caliber ballclub on the floor and stay within the model [owner] Bill Davidson had when the Pistons were winning championships and what San Antonio did with their spending and the way they stayed under the luxury tax.”
Not every team can sign Dwyane Wade, LeBron James and Chris Bosh. Most can’t even sign one. But sorry. The idea should be to aim higher. Bringing back Jason Collins, just because he lost weight in Europe and comes cheap, doesn’t cut it.
Replacing Solomon Jones and Randolph Morris with Solomon Jones and Randolph Morris clones is not what aggressive teams do. It’s like painting over a water stain on the ceiling without fixing the leak.
Strange. Sund’s analysis of the roster actually jibes with everybody else’s.
“We need two bigs – a center and a power forward,” he said.
But after some negotiations, the Hawks bailed on signing free agent center Brad Miller because he got too expensive. (Miller ultimately signed with Houston.) They’ve played footsy with Shaquille O’Neal, but they believe the would-be Big Peach’s asking price is too high (for now) and he seems unwilling to take a bench role (for now).
The problem: Shaq is the best player left in the depleted free agent market. It’s not even close.
Here’s the question Sund and ownership should be asking themselves: Who makes us better? They’ve convinced themselves that a center-by-committee (Al Horford, Zaza Pachulia, Collins and maybe you if can get a resume in) will be enough to challenge Orlando, Boston and Miami in the Eastern Conference.
Maybe Sund really believes this. Maybe his hands are tied. Maybe he just likes playing it safe, and if it doesn’t work out, well, he’s near retirement anyway. But can you feel comfortable with the status quo?
Sund again: “I think we’re pointed in the right direction. I’m hopeful we’ll improve with some changes to our offense and our young players getting older, and we can stay among the top four teams in the Eastern Conference.”
It doesn’t make much of a rallying cry.
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369 comments Add your comment
tony
July 20th, 2010
7:13 pm
I agree with WR and Sick&Tire of Being Sick&Tired. We need a new owner if we’re ever going to turn this franchise around. Like WR said, we need a owner like Mr.Blank who cares about the fans.He also is willing to do what ever it takes to build a championship caliber team. When Mora failed to get the job done he replaced him. When Mckay failed to get the job done he replaced him to. Mr.Blank did something that I’ve been preaching for along time-he hire a championship GM and coach. Dimitroff came from Patriots organization and M.Smith came from the champion Ravens organization.
We need a GM similar to Dimitroff who has the insight to evaluate players with good work ethics and a high basketball IQ. Mr.Sund has failed twice already to draft those type of players. Darren Collison should have been a hawk but since Sund has poor evaluation skills we are stuck with a sg(JT) who is trying to learn how to be a facilitator. In this last draft we should of drafted Dominique Jones and Omar Samhan. Dominique has a high basketball IQ and more importantly he is a team player. That young man is one of the best defender….. if not the best defender to get drafted. Omar Samhan is going to be a good center in this league just wait and see.
nside hawkfan
July 20th, 2010
7:19 pm
Sund pulled a rabitt out of the hat last year with the acquisition of JC. With Melo and CP3 wanting out, lets hope he can work a deal for one of them by moving smoove and marvin. bloggers saying that cant happen need to remember that teams losing superstars would usually prefer to get something for them. Hopefully Mr. Sund is calling New Orleans and Denver Every day. LD has to be effective though for this team to do anything. Chicago definitely moved up, but Boston is a year older. It feels like the Hawks are the 4 seed….
Reid Adair
July 20th, 2010
7:20 pm
Jeff, you aren’t really surprised by this, are you? They gave Joe Johnson a max contract, and despite what they siad about pursuing other free agents, they’re doing nothing.
SteveW
July 20th, 2010
7:20 pm
Joe’s contract is way too much in the future, but this year his salary is only 15th in the league, so he’s not the problem this year. ASG said they would spend the 3 mill. they made on draft day on vet bigs – they need to do it!
Shaq or Kwame and Anthony Tolliver would improve us – not sure about Josh Powell or any of the guys from the Summer League.
We may end up with Shaq after all – Knicks and Nets want him, but they look like losers, and he wants to go out a winner – maybe the Mavs get in the sweepstakes also, who knows
I Told You So....
July 20th, 2010
7:22 pm
What do you guys expect from a guy that basically could not find a “floor sweeping” job with any team in the league…….but those genuises over at the ASG give him a GM job. This is the same guy that hire Bob Wiess to coach the Seattle Supersonics after what the Hawks fired him……….What did you really think he was going to be or do here?
I Told You So....
July 20th, 2010
7:26 pm
They probably are trying to sign FA’s, but they too damn cheap………….besides they got JJ, not D. Wade, L, James and C. Bosh………….Chit, the ASG and Rick Sund are only stupid asses that think JJ is a SUPERSTAR……………
SteveW
July 20th, 2010
7:27 pm
Actually, we look decent contract wise for the future – Crawford’s 10.8m and Evans 2.5 mill. come off the books after this year when we need to sign Horford.
Bibbs comes off the books the next year, as does Shaq if we were to sign him to a 2 year deal, and the next yr. ZaZa’s 4.75m comes off the books and maybe Marvin’s 7.5m (player option), just in time to sign Josh and Teague. Sund really is sharp aa a tack.
Sund has Sy, Gladyr, and our 1st pick next year to take up the slack for Jamal and Mo’ – unless Jamal was to sign a 3yr. 14m contract or so. I really like jamal, but he is getting old for his style game in the NBA.
Sund – spend the 3m. and get 2bigs! Tolliver better than Joe Smith? Yes – so get him
Kwame better than RandMo? Yes, so if Shaq doesn’t sign – get him! Instant upgrades – spend the money!
ClassicHawks
July 20th, 2010
7:40 pm
I Don’t Think The Celtics Or The Bulls Are Better Than The Hawks, I Do Think Miami is Slightly Better and Orlando Has Our Number Because Of D. Howard. Atlanta Fans Kill Me When They Say We Are Gonna Suck Next Year. Two Words….Not Happening! Our Core Is Young and I Would Love To Add Shaq, But Only For The MLE! Sund and ASG Are Doing The Best They Can. You Can Squeeze Lemonade From Oranges. Trading Marvin For Shaq Would Of Been Stupid. Marvin Is Still Only 24, If We Trade Him It Has To Be For The Right Value. Period!!!! I Think Miller Got Overpaid…There Is No Way In The Hell He Was Going To Defend Dwight Howard and For 5 Million a Season for 3 Seasons, Man He Robbed HOUSTON!! LOL! SHAQ IS THE ONLY PLAYER THE HAWKS NEED TO SIGN FOR 5.8MIL. ANYTHING OVER THE MLE IS WASTE OF TIME OF SHAQ O’NEAL. If We Get Him For The MLE Then Fine. If Not Lets Fight With What We Got And At The Trade Deadline, See Where We Stand!!! Love What The Hawks Are Doing!! STAY PATIENT!! GOOOOOOOOOO HAWKS!!
I Told You So....
July 20th, 2010
7:47 pm
Classic………Better than the celts and the Bulls…………….What kind of crack you smoking? I bet you think they going trade for Melo too……………lolololololol
I Told You So....
July 20th, 2010
7:49 pm
Forget Shaq……………..he don’t want to play for the Hawks…….especially for the MLE. If they sign him for the MLE…………….remember you get what you pay for!
ClassicHawks
July 20th, 2010
7:56 pm
We Drubbed The Celtics Last Year Bruh. Boozer Sucks Defensivley, Is the Chicago Team This Year On Paper, Better Than The Utah Team From A Year Ago? I’d Say NO! We Drubbed UTAH Twice Last Season. Know What Ur Talking About Before You Start Talking. The Bulls Still Don’t Have An Answer For Josh and Joe Johnson. We Match Up Very Well With Boston and Are Very Confident That We Can Beat Them At Will, and Boston Knows That! Wake Up Atlanta Fans! U Guys Sound Like The National Media…STOOOOOOPID!! PAPER DON’T MAKE TEAMS! CHEMISTRY, COACHING, AND INJURIES MAKE THEM!!
ClassicHawks
July 20th, 2010
7:58 pm
I TOLD YOU SO…STOOOOOOOOOOPID ATLANTA FANS!! LOL!
Jaded BooMeister
July 20th, 2010
8:10 pm
We’ll see, but I’m not holding my breath. Too many years of mediocrity and downright embarrasing seasons. Why should I bother paying money to see a product that I know is going to end up right where they have always been…mired in budget constraints, wishy washy management and players you want to believe in but just can’t.
will
July 20th, 2010
8:15 pm
I totally disagree with jeff, that the hawks are 4th in east conf. The hawks current roster will not beat Milwauke or Chicago, in the playoffs. They would struggle with even Charlotte.
jerrywest
July 20th, 2010
8:15 pm
We can get Shaq for MLE & then trade away Mo Evans for cap space anytime until February and go under the luxury threshold. We could throw in a 2nd rounder to sweeten the deal. I think Clips would take him.
truly1
July 20th, 2010
8:15 pm
classichawks i agree but to bad we will be in the 5th spot in the playoffs because division winners are top 4 unless we can beat out miami or orlando we will be 5th
Hawks Fan
July 20th, 2010
8:36 pm
The Hawks have needed a true center for a few years now and don’t seem to care about getting one anytime soon. This is really annoying. Let’s not forget taking Marvin Williams instead of Chris Paul. So why not trade Marvin Williams? I just don’t get Hawks Management. The Hawks will make the playoffs again but will lose in first round. This team has done nothing to improve themselves so far this summer. Why settle for anything but a contender?
shannon1776
July 20th, 2010
8:41 pm
There is the damn problem from this idiot: he aims to be one of the 4 best in the east. The Lakers/Celtics/Spurs/Heat aim to be #1 in the NBA. My 4 games a year are DONE. Screw this ownership.
Sluggo
July 20th, 2010
8:47 pm
The Hawks are built to do exactly what they’ve been doing. Get to the playoffs and maybe win an opening round series but not good enough to challenge for the Eastern Conference title.
K-Dogg
July 20th, 2010
8:52 pm
Just pay Shaq you cheap bas****! I mean he is the only true big left dont miss out b/c we have missed out on all of them this summer!! We still need someone for the magic and lakers and move Al to the 4! He still puts the casual fan in the seats and if 50 people come to 40 home games during the year b/c of Shaq at an average of $50 a pop you make your money back. If i were Shaq and know this i would want more moeny too! I mean thats Economics 101!! Where did our owners go to college at again was it Morehouse??????
K-Dogg
July 20th, 2010
8:57 pm
If rumors were true that Joe only resigned with the Hawks are true b/c they promised they would get a true center to start and move Big AL to the 4 this summer!! Joe buddy looks like you got feed crap like they feed us fans every year about us having a good Champinoship calibar team!!! Only thing is they paid you 120 million and we pay them $150 a game so i guess you get the last laugh!!
K-Dogg
July 20th, 2010
9:00 pm
I just tried to give my Josh Smith jersey to a homeless man and he told me he did not want it!!!!
K-Dogg
July 20th, 2010
9:03 pm
Hey truly1 the Hawks will be the 5th seed next year behind the Bulls, Magic, C’s, Heat
Real Talk
July 20th, 2010
9:12 pm
This team will get destroyed next year. The Atlanta Dream has a better chance of winning a Championship than the Atlanta Hawks
Wally
July 20th, 2010
9:14 pm
Milwuakee could have a VERY good team, I saw Saunders play the other night and he is lights out defensively. I guess everyone coming back for ATL will have to increase all averages across the board by 15% at least, for us to even MAKE the playoffs in what was once the awful East, but no longer.
K-Dogg
July 20th, 2010
9:20 pm
Yeah i agree about the east! OUr division is going to be murder and we may not have a winnig record in our division!!!!! We not a bad team but i would not put $1 down for us to win it all i would rather go buy a double chesse burger from Micky D’s!!!
P. Bull Terrier
July 20th, 2010
9:21 pm
We’re number 4! We’re number 4!
K-Dogg
July 20th, 2010
9:27 pm
loll in the east you forgot!!! Were #4 in the east! Were number#4! Our owners are going to look real stupid when we go back to losing again and they look back on this and say we had the peices in place to make a run at a chip!! Oh well when does SEC football start agian???
Jeff Schultz
July 20th, 2010
9:34 pm
MaxxHawk — Don’t let that get around
Jeff Schultz
July 20th, 2010
9:35 pm
WR — My dad used to spend a ton on advertising in his business and that’s what he always said.
Jeff Schultz
July 20th, 2010
9:36 pm
Reid Adair — Only mildly surprised. Like I said earlier, I was deluded into thinking they’d get Shaq or Miller.
Jeff Schultz
July 20th, 2010
9:37 pm
K-Dogg — First I’ve heard of that. Joe signed because of the money, in my opinion.
Chuck
July 20th, 2010
9:50 pm
Rick Sund…”I think we are still in the top four”.
I’d really like to believe our GM would not be satisfied with his team until he could say, “I think we are the best team in the NBA”…
He has a LOSER attitude. He beleives an above average and immature team will mature into winners.
KevinM
July 20th, 2010
9:52 pm
Delusional should describe all of us. We were spoofed by Joe and his recruiting abilities. We are being told by Gearon that we will pay what it takes to get better. We are being told that Sund likes the core and we hope to attain Top 4 status.
Did I miss anything?
Going forward, we lose Jamal Crawford this year. We are stuck for now with Bibby and Zaza. Marvin is in the lower tier for fantasy small forwards and probably lower than some teams’ reserves.
Our bench has not improved one iota. There aren’t any minutes available for hotshot Jordan Crawford, who isn’t in any shape to compete right now.
It is tough to think that the majority of us are ignorant and don’t know the needs of this team. The only thing we have missed this offseason is for the GM to come out and tell us he is the basketball expert of this organization.
Frankly, like Joe, he has said enough to drive a lot of us away from coming to the arena.
D Hawks
July 20th, 2010
9:57 pm
We’re a sixth seed at best next season. So far we have ZERO significant signings of NEW personnel to the freshen up the look of the roster. We’re being sold the line that the team is going in the right direction. Tell me, ASG, what have you done to make anyone want to buy tickets next season?
D Hawks
July 20th, 2010
10:00 pm
P-Bull Terrier and K-Dogg – You guys are optimists. LOL.
SteveW
July 20th, 2010
10:16 pm
ESPN says tonite – lead story on the ‘net NBA that we are in the lead for Shaq’s services – but he wants more than 5.8m and we want to give 2m or less. I think it is just posturing by the Hawks to get the big guy to take less. They actually say we are the only team currently with live interest in Shaq.
Hot Err
July 20th, 2010
10:34 pm
They gave all their money to Joe Johnson
Hoops
July 20th, 2010
10:36 pm
Rick Sund,
It has been reported that the Kings are not pleased with their guards. The Cavs are also looking for a SF and we all know that the Hawks need a center. Look into this three way trade that could help the Hawks, Cavs, and the Kings:
Kings get-M. Bibby (5.5M)PG
Cavs get-F. Garcia (5.5M)SF
Hawks get in a S&T-Shaq (5.5M)C
All three teams could benefit from this trade. The Hawks could send a second round draft pick to either team if need be.
Then the Hawks could trade M. Evans and 1.4M TPE to the Timberwolves for R. Sessions.
Then the Hawks could trade 2M TPE to the Warriors for A. Tolliver.
Hawks line up:
PG-Sessions/Teague
SG-Crawford/Crawford2
SF-JJ/Marvin/Sy
PF-Josh/Zaza/Tolliver
C-Horford/Shaq/Collins
Delbert D.
July 20th, 2010
10:51 pm
Has Sund made his round of the Goodwill places yet? There may be an old-timer hanging on the rack. Matt Geiger has marked his mansion in Tarpon Springs down from $25 million to 14, so I’m guessing he might need a job. Maybe he can still wander around on a basketball court?
fayncdawg
July 20th, 2010
10:54 pm
Good news, Hawks fans! They are still a top-4 team in the East! Boozer going to the Bulls does not make them any better than sixth. A healthy Bogut and Redd along with their other additions does not make the Bucks better than fifth. The Bucks looked promising because the Hawks were screwed up at that point in the season, thanks mainly to the erosion in the relationship between Josh and CMW (which led to a greater magnification of the Hawks flaws). CMW is gone and Josh should be aware that he will lose A LOT of money down the road if he doesn’t shed that poison image. Hawks were still among the very best in the league in turnovers, offensive rebounding and field goal percentage. Maintain those positive trends and get Josh to play and think the game correctly and we definitely have home court in the first round. NOW THE BAD NEWS!! The Hawks still lose round two mainly because defense has not improved enough and turnovers will be more of an issue with Jeff Teague at the point. Worse (beyond acquiring CP3) neither of these issues really could have been adressed this off-season.
JeJe
July 20th, 2010
11:07 pm
Sund again: “I think we’re pointed in the right direction. I’m hopeful we’ll improve with some changes to our offense and our young players getting older, and we can stay among the top four teams in the Eastern Conference.””
LOL! The guy doesn’t care about winning rings. He just wants to win regular season games. He even said it himself: The blowouts vs. ORL didn’t matter because other teams got blown out.
Worst GM in the NBA.
The guy said our only goal 2 years ago was to make the Playoffs with a winning record (LOL!).
KWAME BROWN IS OUT THERE. WE HAVE A TRADE EXCEPTION, THE MLE, AND 3M CASH FROM SELLING THE PICK. IF U CAN SIGN JOE’S UNDERACHIEVING @$$ FOR $125M, HOW CAN U NOT AFFORD FREAKING KWAME BROWN?
THIS IS BULLSH!T..
Jerry McGuire
July 20th, 2010
11:12 pm
Why all the love for Kwame Brown, isn’t he Darko Milechek long lost twin.
James
July 20th, 2010
11:12 pm
The Hawks should sign Tracy McGrady, Shaq and Allen Iverson.
jon
July 20th, 2010
11:16 pm
Rick Sund may be fine with this team, but I’m not. We went through the rebuilding process – massive losses and all – and got a few young starters. But we seem to have stopped there. We are not trying to win – just be competitive. Soon the team will start to come apart – Horford might leave, we’ll trade Marvin and Bibby. So we’ll end up with JJ and Smoove and some roll players – then start the rebuilding again.
ASG, if you aren’t even going to TRY to win a championship, just sell the team.
D.S.G.B.
July 20th, 2010
11:58 pm
D.S.G.B.
July 20th, 2010
11:57 pm
please, please have this lineup. it would be so explosive, and offensively dynamic. especially with this new LD offense i keep hearing about.
1=teague/bibby
2=jordan/jamal
3=jj/marvin
4=smoove/augustine or davidson or aminu
5=horford/hopefully shaq
could your imagine the firepower that will just overwhelm opposing defenses, generated from this starting lineup. Oh and picture our bench scoring 30 a night posssibly with bibby, jamal, and marvin coming off of it. we would be much too much depth-wise for any team to handle. I LIKE IT ALOT! please try it out in training camp
Jeff
July 21st, 2010
12:28 am
I agree with James,
get Iverson, Shaq, and T-Mac in the same room, and tell them all to sign the veteran’s minimum and we will go after a championship, pull a miami
D.S.G.B.
July 21st, 2010
12:31 am
the hawks are doing the right thing. its not like we are at the bottom of a well and wont do any to try and get out. we are balancing at the top of the well and are just a move away from getting out. the strategy is to keep our footing where we know it is firm, until that move reveals itself, so that we don’t slip further down into the well. as is, we are eastern conference playoff contenders and the longer we can stay in that position the better. sooner or later well make that last jump to the title, but it needs to be perfect, and not a gamble that puts at risk all the ground we made to get to the top of the well. just be patient. as long as were in the playoffs every year, we’ll get our chance. just be happy were not some team that is not even thinking about the playoffs… so ungrateful.
James
July 21st, 2010
12:36 am
@Jeff
Yeah they might as well sign T-Mac, Shaq & A.I. atleast they can bring some excitement to Atlanta and provide some leadership on the team.
max deal
July 21st, 2010
1:18 am
Giving $124 million to joe johnson to run isos is being passive?? Get real–the hawk management is on top of it. With JJ, they will win the NBA title—he’s a one man team baby—get out of his way!!!