A great move by Sund, another step upward for the Hawks
Are we believing this? The Atlanta Hawks, acting boldly? Acting smartly?
We should be believing. Because this long-tormented franchise just took another step up in class.
They won 47 games and a playoff series last season. They should break 50 next time. Trading for Jamal Crawford — assuming the deal goes through, and there seems no reason it shouldn’t — gives them more flexibility than the Hawks have had … well, since Bob Pettit and Cliff Hagan were hoisting hook shots back in St. Louis.
Crawford doesn’t mean Mike Bibby is necessarily a gone goose — obviously the Hawks can’t keep both him and Flip Murray now — but it means the Hawks enter the 2009 draft and the even-more-important summer free agency bazaar knowing they have cover. Crawford isn’t a true point, but he can play the point. And he can score.
He has averaged 15.7 points over the nine seasons since he left Michigan, and he averaged 19.7 for Golden State last season. Think of him as an upgrade on Flip, and think of Crawford as the guy who keeps Joe Johnson from having to scored 25 every night and, even more important, having to work 45 minutes every night. Think of Crawford as the next piece in a team that was already pretty darned good.
To move onward and upward, the Hawks had to get away from having Johnson do everything and their iso-Joe offense. Because, to be frank, Joe can’t do everything. He’s good, but he’s not LeBron, not Kobe, not D-Wade. Crawford will help balance the backcourt scales, and if the Hawks can keep Bibby then Crawford would make an ideal third guard — capable of running the team for six minutes at a time, capable of scoring 10 points while Joe sits.
Best of all, the Hawks got him for nothing. Acie Law was never going to co-exist with Mike Woodson — that ship had not only sailed but sunk — and Speedy Claxton had become the white elephant on the payroll. In one swoop Rick Sund dumped two players who wouldn’t have helped for one who’ll help immensely.
Loading ...This isn’t to say the work is done, or even halfway completed. There’s still the issue of a backup center — Zaza Pachulia is a free agent — and still the greater issue of what to do with Marvin Williams. (A sign-and-trade seems possible, but a one-year qualifying offer, which would enable him to stay a Hawk for the upcoming season but leave as an unrestricted free agent next summer, is more probable.)
And the great Bibby riddle is no longer so great. If he wants to take more money to play for a worse team, the Hawks can manage without him. The belief — always strong — that the Hawks will take a point guard in Round 1 is now stronger. If Bibby’s here, the rookie can back him up. If Bibby’s not, the rookie can apprentice under Crawford.
Soon the Hawks will need a new guard. Bibby is 32, Crawford 29 and under contract for two seasons more. Eric Maynor or Ty Lawson and maybe even Jeff Teague would fit nicely into this new rotation, but the greater point (pun intended) is this: The team that looked forever for a lead guard now has options galore at one of basketball’s two most important positions.
There was a time — not so long ago, as a matter of fact — we expected the Hawks to go splat come the draft. (OK, so Billy Knight did take Al Horford in 2007.) This first Sund move of a hugely important offseason isn’t a splat or anything of the kind. It’s a bull’s eye.
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191 comments Add your comment
Tyger
June 24th, 2009
7:28 pm
Please take at least one of Sunds balls out of your mouth when you type.
GA Bulldawg
June 24th, 2009
7:30 pm
Apparently Woodson doesn’t like the early opt-out clause in his contract…
GA Bulldawg
June 24th, 2009
7:32 pm
*In Crawford’s contract
Myrak43
June 24th, 2009
7:35 pm
Mullens is not more athletic than Thabeet. It is the other way around. and Mullens is 7′0 Thabeet is 7′3″ and can run faster and jump higher than Mullens.
Dawg A
June 24th, 2009
7:37 pm
Watch Acie and you will see what good coaching will do for a player. I wander how long it will take for Woody to mess up Crawford’s play?
Gumbo
June 24th, 2009
7:37 pm
Perfect – another self-absorbed underachiever on the Hawks. Look up Josh Smith and Marvin Williams when you get TO THE ATL.
Woodson, I don;t think you’re very good, but you can’t want this guy to run the point. PUHLeeezzzzeee…….
RealSquawk
June 24th, 2009
7:38 pm
Mark,
I was in complete agreement with you and then I read your comments.
Laughing*
I don’t think Thabeet and Horford would have problems, but I actually see why you would think that.
O and then you Mo is a good defender… ugh well… i think Mo gives a Mario West type attempt at defense, which is better than most players in the league, but his anticipation is off and his tenaciousness is used to against him as he is beat off the dribble.
Marvin however is the teams best on the ball defender. please refer to his work on carmelo, lebron, kobe, and dwade for references, but you can’t look at box score you have to watch the film.
And Al I would say is a great defender.
O and you are right about the acquirement of ballplayers. Said the same thing when we got Flip. getting somebody who can play and letting him play will not backfire.
Sund & Bradley Seperated @ Birth (NOT A COMPLIMENT) LOL
June 24th, 2009
7:43 pm
ACIE IS A STAR. ITS SAD THAT PLAYERS HAVE TO GET THE SHORT END OF THE STICK JUST SO COACH WOODY CAN KEEP HIS JOB. ATLANTA WILL NEVER GET A RING AND WOODY IS GONE AFTER NEXT SEASON AND I HOPES BRADLEY GOES WITH HIM!
Bubba
June 24th, 2009
7:44 pm
First off, kudos to Billy Knight for providing such utile ammunition with which to improve the team. Second, kudos to Rick Sund for landing on the mountain and moving up, not down.
Is he done? No. IMHO, he’s off to a good start.
Dawg A
June 24th, 2009
7:44 pm
What………… Woody doesn’t want Crawford. He has certainly earned the right to say what is a good player and not. Sund please spend your time getting another coach !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
BRAVES FAN SINCE BIRTH!!
June 24th, 2009
7:45 pm
first off, i think crawford would b a great addition (we jus got rid of 2 bench warmers) so he has 2 have better value then those 2 guys. lets jus hope step curry falls 2 us!!!
GA Bulldawg
June 24th, 2009
7:47 pm
LOL at Acie being a star…he had his chance but I think its time to move on. He might have talent but he was injury prone anyway.
Bottom line is we basically got a STEAL people!
AB
June 24th, 2009
7:47 pm
When is the deal going to be finalized?
Good Grief
June 24th, 2009
7:54 pm
Im feeling this move. I’d personally want to keep Flip a bit more than I would Bibby right about now. I like having that explosive guy coming off the bench, but this move will make things a lot more interesting (as if they weren’t) for this off season because we now have a few more options on which way we want to move. Taking Ty Lawson will probably signal the days of Bibby being in Atlanta over – if we don’t take Ty than who knows
GA Bulldawg
June 24th, 2009
7:56 pm
@ ILL-logical:
Crawford has the handles, the size to be a productive player in the league but he just chucks most of the time at a 40% clip. Oh and he’s a TERRIBLE defender. Not a starting quality player on a team that wants to get out of the 2nd round!! His contract is midlevel anyways…look at Kirilenko in Utah and Kirk Hinrich in Chicago…both are getting paid more than Crawford to come off the bench so whats your point??
rms
June 24th, 2009
7:58 pm
Draft a PG not BJ Mullens. Crawford is not a PG!!! Dont blow this Sund, Draft a PG!!!!
RealSquawk
June 24th, 2009
7:59 pm
Joe dribbles down the clock to 8 seconds there are three defenders looking his way. Jamal comes off a screen set by Marvin who then sprints out to the three point line. Joe passes to Jamal who admittedly breaks down the last defender for lay-up.
hmmm. sounds good. even in Woodys offense.
Mark Bradley
June 24th, 2009
7:59 pm
It will be instructive to follow Acie Law under another coach. I’ve always liked the guy and wished he’d gotten a real look.
GA Bulldawg
June 24th, 2009
7:59 pm
Same with Maggette in Golden State…
Something tells me the Hawks are gonna convince Bibby to resign for a vet min, after all he said he wants to stay here in their exit interviews
Then the Hawks will let Flip sign with another team and draft a point guard to develop under Bibby.
southgadawg88
June 24th, 2009
8:00 pm
Nice pickup..Crawford is explosive he has a couple of 50 pt games under his belt.Anybody think we could get a decent big man for Williams?
GA Bulldawg
June 24th, 2009
8:00 pm
I just don’t wanna see Bibby go…but I want him to stay for a HUGE paycut
Sherewshevsky
June 24th, 2009
8:02 pm
i know, everyone loves this trade for Jamal Crawford. I wondered why the Hawks did it at first, then I read Bradley’s column and understand. If he comes off bench with Flip, then MAYBE OK.
BUT he plays little defense, has a career fg% at 40.5%, 3pt fg% at 35%. he scores a lot only because he shoots a lot. He shot poorly even with run-and-gun GS: fg% 40.4% and 3 pt fg% 34%!!! Guess he never got a layup. He’ll shoot the Hawks out of winning. Watch the other teams fast-break on us more with Crawford in the game.
Biddy’s numbers are much better offensively and assists-wise.
Flip’s numbers are better, too, except for assists.
If Flip or Biddy leave, then we have trouble.
StatsMan
June 24th, 2009
8:03 pm
Crawford can score, but he’s not a good passer for a point guard. He also shoots a poor percentage, is limited on defense and provides little rebounding for his position. I don’t see this as a good move.
GA Bulldawg
June 24th, 2009
8:06 pm
StatsMan that’s cause he isn’t a point guard…he’s a natural undersized 2 that can play the point if needed.
Bishop
June 24th, 2009
8:07 pm
I think this opens the door for us to draft Tyler Hansbrough. Got to get those Gwinnetians to come downtown.
JustAThought
June 24th, 2009
8:08 pm
I wonder what the going rate for a “buy-out” clauses………..and from a players stand point a very nice trump card to have.
This deal may not get done.
Crawdad is a real nice player, and he knows it and the league knows it. So tell me again why should he give-up that option to come play for a defensive minded coach (especially if he don’t/can’t play D).
JustAThought
June 24th, 2009
8:11 pm
Hey Bishop!
It’s going to take a whole lot more than Tyler to move the Gwinnetians my man.
RealSquawk
June 24th, 2009
8:13 pm
He plays little defense, but he plays better defense then bibby right?
Right?
JustAThought
June 24th, 2009
8:13 pm
I meant “OPT-OUT” clause……………
JustAThought
June 24th, 2009
8:14 pm
RealSquawk you play better D than Bibby!
LEA
June 24th, 2009
8:14 pm
actually it doesn’t open the door for us to draft tyler( which would be a HUGE mistake).. Crawford is NOT a pg.. And we have no back up for bibby.. This means we have to draft Ty Lawson IF he is still there..
JEWELL ROLLEN
June 24th, 2009
8:18 pm
THIS WOULD BE GREAT. HOWEVER, IF SOME GM TRADES FOR SPEEDY, HE WILL BE LOSING HIS JOB SOON, SO GET IT DONE RICK BEFORE THEY FIND OUT……
mountain_jim
June 24th, 2009
8:19 pm
Use Bibby’s money to get a defensive C and I agree with ‘Hawks need Jack’ above that that is the PG to replace Bibby with.
Mark Bradley
June 24th, 2009
8:29 pm
Think of Flip Murray as a Class AAA Jamal Crawford. Crawford might pass it a little more than Flip, though.
Get rid of Josh Smith
June 24th, 2009
8:31 pm
Enter your comments here
Get rid of Josh Smith
June 24th, 2009
8:32 pm
This would be aterrible trade, just like keeping Mike Bibby would be a terrible move to. Crawford is nothing but a gunner like Mo Williams who will frustrate Joe Johnson even more…The Hawks just continue to make bad moves…
AB
June 24th, 2009
8:36 pm
*Sniffing*, does anyone smile a Sign-and-Trade in the oven?
Sund & Bradley Seperated @ Birth (NOT A COMPLIMENT) LOL
June 24th, 2009
8:41 pm
WOW FOR THE FIRST TIME EVER IN AJC HISTORY BRADLEY SAYS SOMETHING NICE ABOUT ACIE LAW!!
“It will be instructive to follow Acie Law under another coach. I’ve always liked the guy and wished he’d gotten a real look”
WOW JUST WOW THIS WORLD IS NOW A BETTER PLACE. NOT
RealSquawk
June 24th, 2009
8:43 pm
I hope everyone here actually buys the AJC newspaper cause I do.
RealSquawk
June 24th, 2009
8:46 pm
Mark is your middle Adam cause i think you just posted as AB.
BosnianBaller
June 24th, 2009
8:47 pm
GREAT TRADE
LEA
June 24th, 2009
8:48 pm
a person with the name get rid of josh smith, should be IGNORED at all times…..
Good Grief
June 24th, 2009
8:50 pm
So there’s a good chance we’ll be going into next season without any of our PGs from this year…never would have thought it – tomorrow’s going to be interesting because I think more than anything we HAVE to get a PG. Do we let a guy fall to us or trade up and snatch one?
Gilley
June 24th, 2009
8:55 pm
Good Move! Can’t wait to see what the Hawks will do in the draft and in free agency. I will keep NBATV to watch the summer league games if we draft someone good. Mike Bibby should be resigned for a lower price and if we can’t keep flip, I will take Crawford over Flip as a replacement.
Jesse
June 24th, 2009
8:55 pm
Good move. He’s a better Flip. I hope they keep Bibby and let Flip walk.
Get rid of Josh Smith
June 24th, 2009
8:57 pm
LOL…Josh Smith is the worst player we got…What else does he do besides block shots and dunk? I’ll tell you what he does, for every block and dunk he gets, he takes 5 stupid jump shots and refuses to post up making you forget about the exciting block or dunk he just made. Man if we get Crawford and keep Bibby, we just throwing defense out the window. I guess we’re going for the Mike D’Antonio style of basketball…score alot of points and be exciting, but lose to a team that can score and play defense. I’m shaking my head at this one.
jdewayneatl
June 24th, 2009
8:59 pm
This is a good start to the off season. If nothing else this move provides cover for the Hawks if something goes wrong with acquiring a point guard to replace Bibby. Two restricted free agent point guards that were on the Hawks radar look like they’re gonna stay put this summer. The Bucks freed up money to keep both Charlie V and Ramon Sessions. Charlotte wasted no time placing the restricted tag on Raymond Felton and have expressed their intentions to resign him.
Bibby is gone. Crawford and Bibby are pretty much the same players offensively. Neither are good on defense. The Hawks even having Bibby as a defensive liability were still a good defensive team. Crawford is just a little more explosive and younger. Bibby is not coming back.
Hoops
June 24th, 2009
9:00 pm
Crawford is a good pick up if the Hawks are going to sign a starting PG like J. Jack. If not, we just threw away our trading pieces. I believe this trade says that they will not re-sign Flip, but they will draft a PG.
Bravedawg
June 24th, 2009
9:04 pm
MARK – What bothers me about this is everyone is taking a large leap here, saying some variation of “Acie wasn’t ever going to do anything.” Really? How do we know that? It’s not a bad trade, but I am thoroughly disappointed in the way that Woodson has (or hasn’t) developed guys. Josh Smith is the same player he was 3-4 years ago, just with more experience. He still plays defense when he chooses (he’s superb when he does), still hoists 18 foot jump shots at will, and still hasn’t developed much of a low-post game.
Acie Law didn’t even see the floor. There is no reason why he shouldn’t have apprenticed under Bibby for the last year and a half, and then looked to take over next season. Yeah, if Woodson refuses to play him (because Woodson is a stubborn idiot), then I guess get rid of him. Call me crazy, but I like to see guys that we drafted in the lottery less than two years ago get some actual playing time.
BRAVES FAN SINCE BIRTH!!
June 24th, 2009
9:08 pm
BRAVE DAWG I AGREE..THE ONLY THE KID DIDNT SEE THE FLOOR IS BECAUSE WOODSON TRIED TO SALVAGE HIS JOB..IT APPARENTLY WORKED