Carmelo Anthony goes to New York — will Hawks respond?
The Hawks will see Carmelo Anthony more often now that he's with the New York Knicks. (AJC file photo)
Now that Carmelo Anthony is in Manhattan, what will the Hawks do? And are they on the verge of sinking in the Eastern Conference standings?
We’ll soon find out about the first question, as general manager Rick Sund has spoken to Cleveland about Ramon Sessions and New Jersey about Devin Harris, according to our Michael Cunningham. But the fact is, Sund was pursuing a deal, anyway. The trade of Anthony to the New York Knicks doesn’t necessarily increase the sense of urgency for this season, even if it dramatically changes the big picture for future seasons.
Consider: The Hawks entered Tuesday at 34-21 and fifth overall in the East, 5½ games ahead of the Knicks (28-26). If they go 16-11 in their final 27 games, which seems reasonable, the Knicks would need to go 22-6 just to pull even. That’s not likely to happen — not with this New York team.
There’s a little too much early euphoria in Gotham. The fact is, the Knicks aren’t great yet. They have two great players (Anthony and Amar’e Stoudemire) but they just gave up a boatload of the present and the future: six players, including Raymond Felton and Wilson Chandler, a first-round pick and $3 million.
The Hawks’ biggest potential problem comes this offseason, when New York is expected to add either Chris Paul or Deron Williams at point guard. (You remember Paul and Williams, don’t you, Hawks’ fans? They represent the oil stain former general manager Billy Knight left in the driveway.)
If the Knicks acquire Paul or Williams, and the Hawks don’t do something significant to improve their core, they’ll drop like a brick in the East.
The Hawks obviously need point guard help. But to make a huge-impact trade would likely mean dealing a major piece, like which probably won’t happen right now. Josh Smith is the most obvious candidate but ownership has been resistant to moving him.
Where the Hawks are fading in the East is with their three-player core (Smith-Joe Johnson-Al Horford). The blueprint for success of teams seeking a title is to have three stars to build around. Boston was the first to this a few years ago. Take a look at these conference six teams, listed in order of record:
♦ BOSTON: Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce, Ray Allen.
♦ MIAMI: Dwyane Wade, LeBron James, Chris Bosh.
♦ CHICAGO: Derrick Rose, Carlos Boozer, Luol Deng or Joakim Noah.
♦ ORLANDO: Dwight Howard, Jameer Nelson, Jason Richardson.
♦ ATLANTA: Johnson, Horford, Smith.
♦ NEW YORK: Anthony, Stoudemire, Chauncey Billups (with Paul or Williams possibly replacing him next year).
This gets back to what we discussed the other day. If the Johnson-Horford-Smith core doesn’t make significant progress in the playoffs, it will be time to make a significant change, because the Hawks have ridden this bunch long enough. And they’ve got nothing to match Carmelo Anthony.
By Jeff Schultz
♦
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153 comments Add your comment
Tech Stinger
February 22nd, 2011
10:33 am
Get rid of Jamal Crawford because the hawks can’t afford to resign him anyway and our first round pick for a top 10 pick and draft Kyrie Irving. Then maybe if we draft smart we can find a center
Najeh Davenpoop
February 22nd, 2011
10:33 am
And yeah, Vince Carter has played for Phoenix for a couple of months.
Paul in RDU
February 22nd, 2011
10:36 am
Tech Stinger
Trading for a pick to take Irving is reasonable – but you make that trade at the draft not 6 months before hand on the hope that you will be in position to take him.
JeJe
February 22nd, 2011
10:38 am
How exactly will CP3 or Deron go to the Knicks? They are not eligible to be Free Agents till next Summer.
Wow,…
Tech Stinger
February 22nd, 2011
10:39 am
Paul in RDU
February 22nd, 2011
10:36 am
Tech Stinger
Trading for a pick to take Irving is reasonable – but you make that trade at the draft not 6 months before hand on the hope that you will be in position to take him.
I realize that but who will the hawks have to trade when the draft comes? Minnesota just took Eddie Curry’s expiring contract so why not strike while the fire is hot with a team that will be in the lottery. We all know the hawks won’t resign Jamal so package a deal around him, while he is valuable and make a trade because we have missed out on to many good point guards.
JeJe
February 22nd, 2011
10:39 am
Watch Vince drop 35 tomorrow night. Against the Hawks and Toronto are the only times Vince ever plays like Michael Jordan
Najeh Davenpoop
February 22nd, 2011
10:43 am
“Melo plays no defense and is not clutch”
Melo is actually the most clutch player to play in the NBA over the last ten years, if you look at shooting percentages in close situations with under 10 seconds left in a game.
Dr. Warren
February 22nd, 2011
10:48 am
The Hawks will be who we think they are. They will bring in a 2nd to 3rd tier point guard who helps them remain at the 50–52 win mark. I think the Spirit, with its hapless Hawks teams in the past and with the current Thrasher financial trouble, see being 4 or 5 in the Conference as a positive.
Jeff Schultz
February 22nd, 2011
10:49 am
Beone (and others) — A thousand pardons. Blanked out on December trade. Fix made.
Jeff Schultz
February 22nd, 2011
10:53 am
Stephen — Just looking for a third player on Chicago. I’m giving you a choice of Deng (who’s Chicago third-leading scorer) or Noah (who’s leading rebounder). No reason to get testy.
Tremaine
February 22nd, 2011
10:53 am
RambleOn84, we have two power forwards. So why not trade one? Al Horford is the only player on the team that has seem to improve from last year.
bigeasy830
February 22nd, 2011
10:56 am
I don’t care who is on the Knicks team,they won’t play any defense, they will try to outscore their opponent and that won’y work in the play-offs. The Hawks need a big man and to use Joe as more of a playmaker for them, quite bring Jamaal off the bench, start Jamaal and Joe at guard Move Smooth to the 3 get a decent big man and move AL to the 4.
Jeff Schultz
February 22nd, 2011
10:57 am
RambleOn84 — The answer is that Josh Smith is the best at a lot of things when he wants to be, which isn’t always the case.
matt
February 22nd, 2011
10:57 am
Beone- way to slam somebody and then be wrong yourself.
Jeff Schultz
February 22nd, 2011
10:57 am
JeJe — Did you just see Carmelo force a trade?
RambleOn84
February 22nd, 2011
11:00 am
Agreed, Schultzie, but I think he has definitely matured. I just don’t think we will get value equal to his skill.
Re-signing Joe Johnson to a max deal will be the nail in the coffin of this nice little run we’ve had.
Jeff Schultz
February 22nd, 2011
11:01 am
Tremaine — “Give Teague A Chance” … What have you seen that leads you to believe he’s a starting NBA point guard?
Tremaine
February 22nd, 2011
11:01 am
Jeff do you see this team beating Orlando or Chicago in the first round even if they bring in Sessions or Harris?
EW
February 22nd, 2011
11:06 am
This just in, good teams have good players….SHOCKER!!!!!!!!!!!!
Mike
February 22nd, 2011
11:10 am
It is a league of 3 star teams. The problem is Horford and Johnson are borderline stars. Josh Smith is no where close. Hawks need another major piece to compete come playoff time.
DHD
February 22nd, 2011
11:11 am
Even if we HAD drafted Paul, he would still be on our bench waiting on Bibby to retire.
G.Rhone
February 22nd, 2011
11:12 am
Okay, so why don’t the Hawks wait and get either Paul or Deron? Remind me why in the world did the sign JJ for the max again? JJ? While Josh Smith does whatever he pleases…I don’t understand the ASG’s level of committment. I’m proving from 13 wins, to 37 to 52 is okay, but look at what the rest of the east is doing. The Bulls are all of a sudden a team thats looking better than the Hawks….and the Knicks will as well if they get one of these two mentioned.
Tremaine
February 22nd, 2011
11:13 am
Jeff, I don’t know if Teague is a starting point guard but I do know that Mike Bibby is not one. I don’t see how the hawks expect Teague to learn how to be a starting point guard when he doesn’t get playing time. I think they should let him start now to see what he can do and learn from his mistakes. That will also give old man Bibby a chance to rest and be useful in the playoffs.
Jeff Schultz
February 22nd, 2011
11:13 am
RambleOn84 — I agree that if the Hawks trade Josh, they won’t get equal value to his “potential.”
Tremaine
February 22nd, 2011
11:14 am
Mike, the problem is 2 of our so called stars play the same position.
Jeff Schultz
February 22nd, 2011
11:15 am
Tremaine — Orlando’s not that great. Dwight Howard is the obvious X-factor. Probably wouldn’t beat Chicago but not sure. Bulls have been a great reg. season team but have to do it in playoffs.
jfreak13713
February 22nd, 2011
11:17 am
Assuming the Hawks do land Harris which is a long shot if recent history tells us anything will Harris make this team that much better? Yes and No I think. Yes because he solid PG but No when you compare the Hawks core to Miami, Chicago, and Boston. They can not beat either of these three teams in a 7 game playoff series. But the trade would be a good start and would show fans that they do want to win not just now but next season and on!
I hope the can pull this trade off but fear it will be Session not Harris??
Jeff Schultz
February 22nd, 2011
11:17 am
Tremaine (on Bibby-Teague): We agree Bibby is done. But I think most expected more from Teague and he hasn’t shown it yet. Trust me, the Hawks/ Drew have WANTED Teague to win that job.
Tremaine
February 22nd, 2011
11:21 am
Orlando is not that great now because guys are still trying to adjust but they have 27 or 28 games to get better. As far as Chicago I don’t see anybody the hawks get stopping Derrick Rose.
Tremaine
February 22nd, 2011
11:23 am
Jeff, We can’t stop Earl Boykins or Shaun Livingston but we are suppose to stop Derrick Rose and Jamier Nelson?
Jeff Schultz
February 22nd, 2011
11:24 am
They’re not stopping any point guard right now.
nobody
February 22nd, 2011
11:27 am
Jamaal, Collins, Marvin,Teague to Nuggets for Nene and Felton. They dont seem to need Felton and ESPN said NeNe maybe available. Nuggets get proven vet talent with Jamaal and get projects Marvin and Teague that could help them replace the talent of Melo(I think marvin and teague are good. Just not here) Hawks get good PG in Felton and much needed Center in Nene.
Hot err
February 22nd, 2011
11:27 am
And they wonder why newspapers are dying
Tech Tard
February 22nd, 2011
11:31 am
Until you dump and rebuild, the Hawks will continue to make the playoffs and lose in the first or second round. I thought the goal was to win a championship? This “team” (use very, very loosely) has no shot of winning it all with the big 3 ahead of them.
Congrats on 5th place Sund.
NBA is a joke.
nobody
February 22nd, 2011
11:34 am
On Tech Tard’s point- We will never win a championship with the way the NBA is. Its almost turning into the MLB. The teams with the highest population and therefore the highest available payroll will dominate the league. Hmmm lets see. Boston, LA, Miami, NY, Chicago are the good teams. All huge cities with huge cashflow. The only team that is able to combat this is San Antonio and we are not San Antonio unfortunately.
RambleOn84
February 22nd, 2011
11:36 am
nobody,
That’s a trade that actually MIGHT work…I would be pleased with that trade.
Gwalk34
February 22nd, 2011
11:36 am
Any news on a Hawks trade yet?? If they don’t make some move this current team is not going far. Our regular season record is already set to take a 4-6 game slide if not more!
nobody
February 22nd, 2011
11:38 am
Ramble- The nuggets have definitely given up for the next few years. That is evident. However, they still need someone that sells tickets and jamaal would do that for them. Plus they dont need felton cause they have ty lawson. Ty and Teague could be a good 1-2 PG punch down the road when theyre ready to compete.
AG
February 22nd, 2011
11:42 am
Schultz, I don’t know about the coaching staff, but what I see of Teague I think he deserves an opportunity. Look at his stats in the games that he has played 20+ minutes. He averages over 10 ppg. Also, last year against the Lakers, he scored 12 pts in 17 minutes and had 6 assist. Then Woody benched him the next game..WTF???????
Friends
February 22nd, 2011
11:43 am
Does anyone else think D.Howard might want to come home and play with his good friend J.Smoove when he (#12) becomes a FA. That alone should be enough reason to keep the man who is a premier defensive presence (most of the time) and really is the only exciting player to watch in a Hawks uniform.
nobody
February 22nd, 2011
11:44 am
2nd option. Jamaal for Devin Harris. Nets get scorer with an expiring contract. They then can use that freed money to get whichever superstar doesnt go to the Knicks( Paul or Williams). The Hawks get a scorer/distributor PG that is young and is what we are missing. Also, I love Jamaal and he says he wants to play for Atlanta. Are we allowed to sign him in the offseason after trading him?
Braves' Heyward, Freeman make S.I. cover (uh, danger?) | Jeff Schultz
February 22nd, 2011
11:45 am
[...] – Carmelo Anthony goes to New York — will Hawks respond? [...]
nobody
February 22nd, 2011
11:46 am
Friends- Unfortunately I dont think there is ANY way we can afford Dwight. He definitely will get a max contract
Najeh Davenpoop
February 22nd, 2011
11:50 am
Joe Johnson’s contract pretty much ensures that the Hawks won’t have a shot at Dwight Howard unless the new CBA rules are radically different. Unless the Hawks find a way to unload Joe or restructure his deal in such a way that they gain additional cap room, signing Dwight probably isn’t going to happen.
Friends
February 22nd, 2011
11:56 am
Probably will get a max. But maybe he will pull a Lebron/Bosh thing and take a pay cut for the chance to be on a team with other good players plus a chance to play in his Home town. I mean most superstar players make more off the court than on. So maybe I can dream.
nobody
February 22nd, 2011
11:59 am
haha we all can dream. I think any hawks fan would give up half the team if we could have Dwight. He’s my favorite non-hawk because he played here. But with that said I dont even think we have the cap room to give him a Bosh type deal. Hed have to take like 13 million which I dont see
Reporting on Par with Play
February 22nd, 2011
12:00 pm
Can we trade Schultz to The Orlando Sentinel for a pair of rookies and an intern who actually follow the game?
nobody
February 22nd, 2011
12:02 pm
Reporting- Im a college student. Ill be the intern
Marcus
February 22nd, 2011
12:03 pm
I would match our big 3 vs. anyone listed above on any given night … our problems haven’t really changed the last 4 years : PG play and bench strength. We got Bibby as a short-term fix (3 years and 1 GM ago) and still applying band-aids.
Tremaine
February 22nd, 2011
12:07 pm
How come all the players like to visit or live here in the offseason but don’t want to play in Atlanta?