Van Gundy: Hawks’ Hinrich deal better than Carmelo trade
Here's Kirk Hinrich knocking the ball away from Dwight Howard in game one Saturday.
ORLANDO — I think Stan Van Gundy just said Kirk Hinrich is better than Carmelo Anthony.
OK, not quite. But the Orlando Magic coach did declare the Hawks’ trade for Hinrich was the best deal any team made at the NBA trade deadline, including the New York Knicks’ acquisition of Anthony from Denver.
Whether you think Van Gundy is telling the truth or just trying to sweet talk the Magic’s opponent between games of their playoff series, here’s the quote on Hinrich: “He’s always been one of the best defensive guards in the league. Going back to when I was in Miami and he was in Chicago, I’ve always thought he was one of the best guys guarding [Dwyane] Wade. He can guard at both guard positions. He’s got good size. He’s extremely tough. He’s smart and a great competitor. Up until this year he had been a real up-and-down shooter. That was his main flaw. But he’s shot extremely well this year.”
And now, Van Gundy’s big finish: “Long before the playoffs got here, I thought of all the moves made at the trade deadline — and I know everybody got jacked up with the New York thing because of the names involved, and I’m not saying that was a bad move — I thought [the Hawks’ move was the best of all the moves. It was great. It was only one guy. They didn’t make the changes that New York did late in the year. What they did was take a smart tough guy and incorporate him.”
The Hinrich trade has been a matter of debate in Atlanta since it was a made. It was a five-player deal with Washington: Hinrich and Hilton Armstrong for Mike Bibby (who never played there), Jordan Crawford, Maurice Evans and a first-round pick.
There’s little question Hinrich improved the Hawks at point guard and gave them a better starting five. He did a good job defending Jameer Nelson early in the Hawks’ 103-93 win Saturday. (Nelson had 27 points but he was held to one point at halftime and didn’t start scoring until Hinrich went to the bench.)
The difficult part of the trade was the Hawks’ decision to part with rookie Jordan Crawford (who went on play in 26 games, start 18, average 16.3 points, 3.9 assists and had a 39-point game) and the draft pick.
Given Van Gundy’s comment, I thought it would be worth throwing it out there again. What are your thoughts on the Hinrich deal?
By Jeff Schultz
Last few Hawks blogs
– Playoff win shows Hawks haven’t quit on Larry Drew
– Hawks surprise us again — this time by stunning Magic
– Like magic, Jameer Nelson suddenly not talking about Hawks
– This would be good time for Hawks to knock somebody down
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81 comments Add your comment
BravesFan79
April 18th, 2011
2:53 pm
I think Kurt was the best Pickup.. but not the best trade. We gave up to much to get him.
Its a shame how Melo has tried to change the Knicks from Amares team to his team, and they are paying the price for Carmellos selfishness! The Knicks were better off BEFORE melo!
ICECOLD
April 18th, 2011
2:54 pm
JJosh smith is going to be the major factor for the next game…I’m still holding my breath on this serious… i always said they are going to win the series… remember what shaq said.. van gundy is a master of panic… if The hawks win next game .. expect them to panic… the next game.. Howard will be in early foul trouble, nelson will try to do to much, and it might even be a fight between Collins and dwight ….a small one. I’m sure instead of passing down low so much in the game tuesday… they are going to jack up shots more, force shots…. and if they not hitting. This game could get ugly too…
I just don’t want the hawks to get over confident and only jack up shots instead of taking it to the basket !!!! We will see..
Like i said. To me , josh smith is the best all around player on this team. So I think game two will be on h8 shoulders and his energy !!!
KevinM
April 18th, 2011
2:55 pm
LD sure has some weird rotations doesn’t he? No room for Teague and Wilkins in Game 1? They are a huge piece of our success going forward IMO.
Seems like LD isn’t making anyone but the core comfortable with minutes.
Wink
April 18th, 2011
2:56 pm
If it was about defense we had Teague on the bench who could provide that. Bibby could not guard opposing point guards, but he could hit the 3 ball (47% avg) and could have been a spot up shooter. Now if the trade was for Bibby & Mo Evans for Hinrich & Armstrong, I am not sold but okay. Now when you throw in Jordan Crawford another scorer ( who is our 2010 first rounder & insurance when JC1 leaves) and our 2011 pick, that’s to much for a journeyman point guard, who allowed not one but two rookies to take his job…way to much!!!!
But you got to like the Van Gundy spin on the Hinrich trade!
DC
April 18th, 2011
2:57 pm
The coach came out with this b/c the Hawks are playing with an edge and a chip on their shoulder due to all this smack talk the magic players have been saying…ie..”see you in the second round *hug*..and the Dwight howard comments after the game he lost. I’m not buying this for one sec.
GT Alum
April 18th, 2011
3:01 pm
It’s hard to form an opinion on anything this team does because they blow so hot and cold. Yes, Hinrich makes them better now. But, it’s not like their record post-trade is better than before the trade, or they improved their playoff positioning. In the end, results are what matter. I think we’ll figure out the value of this trade in the coming weeks.
If we just beat Orlando, was it really worth it? Yeah, the Hawks will have beaten the team that dismantled them in the playoffs last year, but, if they can’t get out of the second round, they’re really in the same position they were last year. Can they make it to the conference finals? Is that really enough, given that they gave away their 2010 and 2011 draft picks? Of course, these are Atlanta Hawks draft picks, which somewhat lessens their value, considering the Hawks’ history of drafting and developing young talent.
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April 18th, 2011
3:02 pm
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superiorblogman
April 18th, 2011
3:03 pm
Kirk is a lateral move at best, with the ability to go backwards. I personally contend that it has already went backwards because we took on more salary, with fewer guys on next years roster, and gave up essentially two 1st round picks and we are not getting to the ECF’s.
In addition, he is also in the way of Teague getting the minutes needed to grow, let’s be clear as long as there are vets on the team that have made a name for themselves they will be trusted over Teague. We are gonna end up giving Teague away just like we did Jordan.
Lastly, Kirk has had 2 to 3 good games since coming to ATL. He reminds me a lot of Marvin on these boards, and the way LD treats Jamal, when Marvin has a good game his supporters use that for the next month to tell everyone of his great potential as he takes the rest of the month off. When Jamal makes a shot it seems to buy him another 4 minutes on the court even though he is giving up double the points with his horrible defense. We can not win in the longrun with this blind allegiance to players rather than the franchise or organization. We made it to the 2nd round two years in a row with Bibby people. We win 1 game against a team that has messed there team up worse than ours, and some guy SVG, who is known for panicking and blowing things out of proportion makes another disproportionate statement and here we go with this same discussion again.
ICECOLD
April 18th, 2011
3:04 pm
Oh.. and the kirk trade was the best defensive trade…. but not the best offensive trade!!! But I will say when kirk is actually looking for his shot, he shoots it at the right time and gives a lot of energy… when mike bibby use to shoot… it was bail outs.. now the hawks are forced to put up better shots before the shot clock wines down to far because that bail out three is not really their no more .. and Jordan Crawford is a player.. a baller.. he is good.. but he needed to go some where , where he could play… I doubt he would have got time on the lakers, the bulls, Tue celtics, the heat, or even the nuggets… he could easily score even more for Toronto , Cleveland , timbeewolves, maybe even golden state… so I’m not too mad..
And for people that think it was too much for one player…
We had a trade that was very lopsided , acie law , speedy claxton for jamal Crawford… all those scrubbs for bibby… the hawks got away with a lot of trades that shouldn’t have happened.. this trade is not as bad as being on the other end of the trades we did… and kirk is a decent starter, great defender… acie law and speedy claxton was terrible… speedy was injured , acie law sucked !!! And still do…
It’s just business !!!
Go HAWKS !!!
Joey
April 18th, 2011
3:08 pm
I always thought we would have to see what Hinrich could do in the playoffs before we could judge the deal. If he (and the Hawks) do well in the next couple of weeks, then Teague emerges next season, it will have been a good deal.
I did like Jordan Crawford though . . .
Sleepy
April 18th, 2011
3:24 pm
Jordan Crawford sucks and Teague is not a pure PG nor can he shoot well enough to mesh with our starters . Stop hyping these two guys up like a bunch of losers.
Once we resigned Joe what good is Jordan Crawford ? Where would he have played ? We get rid of two top 15 sg’s simply so we could play this guy ? Are some of you simply insane ?
Could Teague somehow develop into a better pro than Hinrich in the future ? Could Jordan Crawford somehow develop into a better pros than Joe and Jamal in the future ? YES THEY COULD ANYTHING IS POSSIBLE but once we resigned AL and Joe its no longer about 3-4 years from now its about the next two years ?
Some of Hawks fans are simply delusional these late first rd picks means nothing to teams who are trying to win .
You dont think Bulls would give up a late first this year and next to get someone like Vince carter into that sg position ? Playoffs teams dont sweat late picks to fill positions of need with proven nba players .
Rufus1
April 18th, 2011
3:33 pm
Judge Kirk by the playoffs…So far his is 1-0.
Shadowman_no9
April 18th, 2011
3:34 pm
Sleepy, you’re wrong….Teague doesn’t have to be a good shooter to mesh, Horford and Johnson are good enough, Teague problem is bad TOs that could be easily remedied (I think) with more PT and experience. I would also argue that Jordan Crawford is just as good RIGHT NOW, as Jamal Crawford. Obviously Joe is starting SG, but he needs a backup, and he can play SF, another good, long-term SG (like Jordan Crawford) fits in Hawks system just fine.
MaxxHawk
April 18th, 2011
3:43 pm
HORRIBLE TRADE. I mean you’re telling me we had to give up essentially 2 1st round picks for Hinrich? Sund got hosed on that deal, and it will set us back YEARS, as JC2 will be one of the most prolific scorers in the NBA, and we have no draft pick this upcoming year. We shouldn’t have resigned Mike Bibby in the first place. These kinds of decisions have a chain reaction. We could have traded Marvin BUST Williams and a 6″ Cold Cut Combo from Subway for Hinrich gimme a break we got SCREWED on that trade, Washington made out like bandits.
doc
April 18th, 2011
3:44 pm
it depends on the perspective as the nuggets liked what they did and were the best team donw the stretch from the all star game on. from which direction is svg loooking?
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tremaine
April 18th, 2011
3:56 pm
Sleepy
April 18th, 2011
3:24 pm
Jordan Crawford sucks and Teague is not a pure PG nor can he shoot well enough to mesh with our starters . Stop hyping these two guys up like a bunch of losers.
Once we resigned Joe what good is Jordan Crawford ? Where would he have played ? We get rid of two top 15 sg’s simply so we could play this guy ? Are some of you simply insane ?
Could Teague somehow develop into a better pro than Hinrich in the future ? Could Jordan Crawford somehow develop into a better pros than Joe and Jamal in the future ? YES THEY COULD ANYTHING IS POSSIBLE but once we resigned AL and Joe its no longer about 3-4 years from now its about the next two years ?
Some of Hawks fans are simply delusional these late first rd picks means nothing to teams who are trying to win .
You dont think Bulls would give up a late first this year and next to get someone like Vince carter into that sg position ? Playoffs teams dont sweat late picks to fill positions of need with proven nba players .
You are right some of Hawks fans are simply delusional and you are one of them.
James on Pharr Rd
April 18th, 2011
4:23 pm
Superiorblogman
Thats right, it is frustrating to see LD ignore the easy baskets JC gives up on D and continue playing him based on his out of sync jumpers. JC epitomizes why we are considered lackluster-when things are going well-like JC’s fade away jumpers, we can beat anyone, but when the game gets tight and offensive is hard to come by, JC becomes a liability on both ends and we cave in to our opponents.
mountain_jim
April 18th, 2011
4:27 pm
Anyone see how good Jarrett Jack looked last night? Hawks could have had him several times last few years, or longer and for much less given away than this trade.
If they win 2 series it was probably worth it, otherwise, gave up too much. And no I don’t think they will win this series, much less 2.
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April 18th, 2011
4:29 pm
[...] – Van Gundy: Hawks’ Hinrich deal better than Carmelo trade [...]
Astro Joe
April 18th, 2011
4:36 pm
SVG likes to poke his finger in the eye of the “big dog”, rather that be the Heat, the Knicks or some other media-darling. The Hinrich trade was a good one because Jordan was the team’s 3rd SG and his greatest value was as a tradeable asset. The biggest downside to the Hinrich deal is if the ASG are somehow convinced that this team doesn’t need to lose at least 3 of the current top 6 players because Hinrich helps them deliver some heroic (short-term) effort.
KevinM
April 18th, 2011
4:41 pm
One game doesn’t make a series, but enjoy the ability to parlay it into a Hawk advantage. Melo vs. Hindrich? Makes no sense to even compare.
The Knicks weren’t going anywhere with their previous lineup and I don’t see them doing much now.
Teague needs some minutes to help KH. I would think JT could keep Jameer in check in small increments.
Jeff Schultz
April 18th, 2011
6:17 pm
MJC — That just means Hinrich has only one season left on contract.
Jeff Schultz
April 18th, 2011
6:19 pm
Wxwax — Jordan Crawford was not going to get minutes this season. Next season possibly, depending on whether Jamal Crawford is/was re-signed.
Jeff Schultz
April 18th, 2011
6:38 pm
JSS — “Everyone knows that the Hawks tried to move 3 players at the deadline (Bibby, Marvin, and Zaza). The Bibby /Hinrich deal is only questioned because of the cost (JC2 and the upcoming 1st round pick). I was happy to see Evans go. I hated that he had an option year in the first place. The question of just how good Jordan Crawford will be is a big if. He would only get that kind of shot volume as he is getting in Washington after Jamal leaves. The Hawks were in a panic to do something about that perimeter d… And we know they don’t trust Teague to run the team…”
…. I can’t believe it. Every single sentence is dead-on accurate. I’m writing this date down. (Hah!)
Boooo!
April 18th, 2011
7:02 pm
Smh….SVG is just playing mind games with Jameer. Trying to motivate him(taking a page right out of the Zen masters book). The magic won’t survive if Jameer only has 1 point at halftime again.
yodaddy
April 18th, 2011
8:30 pm
can’t believe yall are crying about a draft pick most likely in the 20’s in a year where everyone agrees is an extremely weak draft.
Hawks got rid of Bibby….we should throw a parade even if we don’t win the championship. Bibby at this point in his career is a bonafide scrub. He’s only 32 yet he can’t run, his perimeter defense is the worst in the league, he can’t shoot free throws, he doesn’t get to the line, he doesn’t drop dimes and has no lateral movement or sense of urgency whatsoever.
So in essence we gave up a draft pick scrub that wasn’t going to even play, Bibby who nobody wanted, Mo Evans (who cares about him?) and the one gem Jordan Crawford.
We got rid of the logjam at guard – More defined roles and less useless pieces
We got a starting PG that plays defense and plays with passion and heart.
We picked up Damien Wilkins off the street.
We got rid of Bibby’s contract.
We got rid of Bibby
drmondo
April 18th, 2011
9:33 pm
The draft pick they gave up only has value if it’s a different front office/coaching staff picking in the draft. The current group just traded away their likely high-priced flop they’d usually reach for. BTW, what’s up with the team having 5 centers on the active roster? It makes a little sense in this playoff series (fouls to give guarding Howard), but they played most of the season that way…
On a positive note the game Sat was great. I’m really glad to see they came out and played like they should every night. Watching Howard steam about the score was priceless. I really hope they go deep in the playoffs but ASG’s played Lucy to my Charlie Brown too many times to place a whole lot of trust in them yet.
yurgus
April 18th, 2011
10:07 pm
Impossible to gauge this trade before the playoffs, because Hinrich is a player built for the playoffs – he meets the ball at the point-of-attack, helps to slow the game down, and can be a go-to perimeter shooter in the clutch.This is how playoff games and series are won, and this is what happened to the Magic in Game 1 of this series. If the Hawks win this series, the proof of Hinrich will be right there, particularly in trade for a talented player who has basically been a head case and a low-end first round pick.
Willy
April 19th, 2011
6:38 am
I need someone to help me guard my feelings for the Hawks because I think I’m falling in love (again).
Notso Fast
April 23rd, 2011
7:37 pm
I ALWAYS LIKED CRAWFORED AND STILL THINK IN 2 YEARS YOU COULDN’T TRADE FOR HIM BY OFFERING ALL THE OTHERS PLAYERS INVOLVED IN THE TRADE. HE CAN SCORE AND SHOWED IMPROVEMENT IN HANDLING THE BALL. WILL GO DOWN AS A BAD TRADE UNLESS THE HAWKS CAN GO ALL THE WAY THIS YEAR.