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
BRAVES FAN SINCE BIRTH!!
June 24th, 2009
9:08 pm
THE ONLY REASON I MEANT IN THAT LAST STATEMENT
LEA
June 24th, 2009
9:09 pm
I would trade up, especially if Brandon Jennings slips…
Brian
June 24th, 2009
9:22 pm
Chad Ford @ ESPN.COM has us taking Brandon Jennings @ 19 in his mock draft 6.2 … I would love that pick but we still have Woodson so Brandon would probably get no PT ala Acie… dayum shame coaches won’t let the kids play their game.
Mark Bradley
June 24th, 2009
9:24 pm
Brandon Jennings is a talent but a project. I think I’d rather have a college guy.
StatsMan
June 24th, 2009
9:28 pm
I understand GA Bulldawg. But if the Hawks are acquiring him to play the point, his passing is lacking. He HAS had opportuntities to start at point guard. And in those situations he has had low assist per 48 minutes figures for that role. Part of the problem is people fixate on per game numbers. For ALL players, per 48 minutes metrics provide more insight. Crawford plays high minutes, which make his per game numbers look artificially good.
Get rid of Josh Smith
June 24th, 2009
9:29 pm
In my dreams Tyreke Evans or Stephen Curry would fall to us or we would make a move to go up and get one of them…nope I get to settle for Jamal Crawford and read your columns trying to convince me this is a good move…but I know Crawford plays no defense and without defense you don’t win in the league…
gdg73
June 24th, 2009
9:29 pm
Toney Douglas and Gortat from Orlando. Let Zaza kick dirt. I also say sign Marvin Williams.
AB
June 24th, 2009
9:35 pm
BREAKING NEWS: The Hawks and the Warriors have agreed to trade Jamal Crawford to Atlanta for Acie Law and Speedy Claxton. But, the deal won’t be finalized until July 1st.
Hms
June 24th, 2009
9:41 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.”
This wins the award for Most Ridiculously Stupid Post of the Week, solely for the “Josh Smith takes 5 stupid jump shots for every block and dunk he gets.” If that were true, there would be NO WAY he shot 49% on the season. Hate to call names, but if it weren’t for idiots, the rest of us might not feel normal….
chuck
June 24th, 2009
9:41 pm
Bravedawg I agree with you it is foolish that all of the good that comes from our draft choices help other teams.even when we land a really good f/a we fail can anyone remember we had kenny jet smith at one time before he went on with to be the rockets b/c leader and look at him now anilizing these hawks with the iso joe offence our teams don’t no when to let the coaches go and it’s time too let go of the mike. cmon man
ProudTechFan
June 24th, 2009
9:44 pm
I like this but this has Hansborough being drafted tomorrow written all over it. They want Crawford to play point, and want Hansborough to play PF/C with him and Al switching position depending on matchups. I really dont have a problem with Hansborough, he has a knack for finding the ball for offensive rebounds and stays at the foul line. His energy is unbelievable and he plays harder than any player i have ever seen in college and im not exagerating. I just hope we can find a true point guard through the circus tomorrow, Lawson, maynor, whoever, just afford to pass on another point guarg. They also seem high on Ellington, I love Ellington too, but we dont need him, Joe, Crawford and Flip all basically playing the same position unless you truly want to play ten deep throughout the season and in the playoffs. i love my hawks are making moves and not riding the fence, Still interested in what happens with Bibby. I just have a feeling we wont be seeing him nor Marvin in a Hawks jersey next season… just my opinion..
Go Hawks!!!
RealSquawk
June 24th, 2009
9:45 pm
Mark,
He is a project. and there is no telling how his game improved overseas, but he is still a great pick for a point guard.
Brian,
I don’t have insider, but you must be joking. I can’t see how he falls to us at 19.
JMar
June 24th, 2009
9:45 pm
Crawford is a one-dimensional player who is too small to play SG and not talented enough to play PG. For any team but the Hawks that is, who only need a guy who can bring it down the court and dish to Joe. Clearly Sund sees Woody’s limitations and is willing to cater to them rather than attempt to plug round holds with square pegs.
Big Ray
June 24th, 2009
9:47 pm
I like this move. Crawford has his flaws, but no one can deny the fact that this guy can score. He can get his own shot, and doesn’t necessarily have to be sitting around wide open somewhere. No, his shooting percentage wasn’t great this past season (41%), but it’s only two percentage points less than JJ or Bibby.
A true scorer like this adds firepower, and that’s the point. But that’s not all you get from this deal. He’s also a much more useable asset if we decide to make another move. Like Mark Bradley says, he’s good insurance.
Don’t look at this as a Jamaal for Bibby move. That’s short-sightedness. Bibby may or may not re-sign, and we knew that coin flip was coming.
As for Woody holding up the deal (as reported by ESPN), does he have that kind of autonomy? I think not. Woody is not the guy who brokers deals, nor does he deal with contracts. It’s not his job. Sund will keep him in the loop information-wise and have him around for decision-making conversations, but he and his assistant Pendergraft will be doing the real work.
I say this is a good deal, and it’s not the last one we’ll do before the offseason is over.
Mark,
More than ever we may yet see our latest “point guard of the future.” I’m looking forward to it.
NekiEcko
June 24th, 2009
9:50 pm
Well, first of all I think that the trade was a good idea by the Hawks, even know that everybody will be harping on the Hawks about it. I think that Brandon Jennings would be a nice piece to the puzzle at PG, sure he is project but if he works with Mark Price over the summer, then he will be good PG and with Smith, Johnson, Horford, and now Crawford running a High Paced O, then Jennings can excel here, I think.
But I know that Jennings wont drop that far.
ant banks
June 24th, 2009
9:51 pm
does the addition of jamal crawford make us an appreciably better team? we play orlando, miami, washington, and charlotte 4 times each. we probably play clev, boston, indy, chicago twice. how will we fair against these teams? not to mention the powerhouse from the west.
i am cautiously optimistic. we are goin’ to need more than jamal crawford, though
Get Rid of Josh Smith
June 24th, 2009
9:53 pm
I am a raving, slobbering idiot lunatic.
Hms
June 24th, 2009
9:55 pm
Oh yes, without playing defense you don’t win in this league. So let’s get rid of josh smith who is the most dynamic defender we have. Brilliant. Can somebody pass the can of anti-stupid? We seem to have an infestation here.
alsim
June 24th, 2009
9:59 pm
Why doesn’t Spirit have this team building attitude with the Thrashers?!
.
Big Ray
June 24th, 2009
9:59 pm
Ant Banks,
I see this as an initial move. It isn’t the end of what will be accomplished before the offseason is over with. Sund and his crew have the draft and free agency to deal with, although I doubt we’ll see that pick moved now. For a while there, I was all about moving that pick along with Speedy’s contract to get a veteran pg (though a YOUNG veteran pg).
Now, I look for us to draft a pg, then get started on what to do with Bibby, Flip, Zaza, and Marvin, plus any other free agents out there that we might want to sign. This should just be the beginning of a summer that will prove more momentous than last summer, where we thought the whole world hung on the Joshes.
AB
June 24th, 2009
10:03 pm
Yeah, getting Crawford makes us better, but does it make us championship contenders?
niremetal
June 24th, 2009
10:03 pm
How did I know Bradley would love this trade. He’s ballhog who’s played for losing teams his entire career. He’s only shot better than 41% from the floor twice since he left high school; his career average is 40%. He doesn’t know the meaning of the words “win” or “pass.”
BUT AT LEAST HE’S…ASSERTIVE!!!
Ken Strickland
June 24th, 2009
10:07 pm
All of the JCrawford distractors keep saying he shoots too much, or he doesn’t pass enough, well so what. Woodson prefers jumpshooting PG’s, and his limited OFF system doesn’t require passing, penetrating PG’s. He’s established a guard dominated jumpshooting OFF, and as long as he’s the HC, our frontline players aren’t going to get a lot of touches, compared to JJ, Bibby, Crawford and/or Flip.
What’s interesting to me is seeing if ballhogs like Crawford and Flip can coexist in the same backcourt, assuming we resign Flip. Also, if we resign both Flip and Bibby, I hope we don’t draft a PG just to see him sit at the end of the bench and be subjected to the same lack of opportunity as Acie and Salim. What’s more interesting than the possible resigning of Bibby or Flip is what we’ll do if we can’t resign Zaza or Solo. Does anyone really think RMorris can fill anyones shoes but his own?
O'Brien
June 24th, 2009
10:10 pm
Mark, I like the trade for the reasons you mentioned.
Flip was more an undersized SG, so now we have a better SG. That gives us the option to bring him off the bench. Plus Woody can go small sometimes, with PG, Crawford, and JJ on the floor at the same time. (I recommend Jarret Jack).
And Crawford can give JJ a break (no more 41 mpg for JJ).
Plus we can always trade Crawford next year assuming he doesnt opt out of his deal.
And what if JJ does not resign with the Hawks next offseason? Then at least we have a serviceable SG to replace him. And he can play point, similar to how JJ handles the ball sometimes.
If I’m not mistaken, We can still resign Zaza, draft a PG, sign Jack, and still have the midlevel to find a big man.
BRAVES FAN SINCE BIRTH!!
June 24th, 2009
10:13 pm
well mayb we can come up with a package 2 send sum guys 2 charlotte for raymond felton..the bobcats seem high on DJ AUGUSTIN
AB
June 24th, 2009
10:21 pm
First Joe Johnson, then Mike Bibby, and now Jamal Crawford. Yay, another dissapointment waiting to happen. Hawks fans totally don’t deserve this dammit! Rick Sund has become an “Mike Woodson a– kisser”, YUCK! Is this guy stupid or is he just being “sly”? LOL! Man, I wish I could do my job badly at work AND have my boss kissing my a–, too! Woody has it MADE!
MyView
June 24th, 2009
10:22 pm
Those of you dogging Acie Law must have just begun to watch the Hawks. I was guilty of this a few years back with Boris Diaw, and I was dead wrong then. Diaw left woodson and became an asset. I am not a Woodson basher, but sometimes you have to wonder. If Acie turns into a good pro, my voice may get louder though.
Ariose
June 24th, 2009
10:39 pm
ummm…we STILL need Mike Bibby. Crawford+Johnson=05′ Hawks (Joe/Harringotn) if we don’t resign Bibby. I hate to admit it but he stabilizes everything. He may be useless in the playoffs, but he’ll get us in a playoff position that’s for sure.
LEA
June 24th, 2009
10:42 pm
we don’t NEED Mike Bibby.. he did NOTHING in the playoffs… Hid lack of defense is one of the main reasons our bigs were in foul trouble a lot..
willie
June 24th, 2009
10:45 pm
The Hawks need more players and this gives them one without losing any important pieces….great deal. I am sure we will go after a PG in the draft but if not, I would love to bring Sam Young from Pitt here. He is an older guy that can flat out play and contribute right away.
jeffrey d
June 24th, 2009
10:48 pm
Can someone explain why Acie Law didn’t work well with Woodson?
jeffrey d
June 24th, 2009
10:48 pm
In more words than “because Woodson is an idiot”?
KB
June 24th, 2009
10:48 pm
I like the trade, but I have one question: If your team is not going to develop the players you draft, then why get them? It it hi time to get rid of M. Woodson. You guys wanted a coach to lead you to playoffs, but not a coach to lead a franchise out of the doldrums. You guys laughed at me when I said you guys should have pick Paul Silas as your coach instead of M. Woodson, Chris Paul over Marvin Milliams, and keep Al Harington when he was still here. But who is laughing now?
Big Ray
June 24th, 2009
10:50 pm
O’brien,
Agreed with your whole post. Good points.
Jay
June 24th, 2009
11:00 pm
Props for using the term “iso-Joe” again. Keep throwing it in their face until something is done about it. Power to the press.
reedeak
June 24th, 2009
11:03 pm
I have a feeling the hawks are going to have to make a choice: Josh or Joe? It was clear in the playoffs that there was some chemistry issues on the team. Is it Josh’s team or Joe’s team. Can they work together? I don’t know. I would love for them to. I seems to me that Josh needs to mature…a lot…realize his strengths are in the paint and not get pissed if someone calls him out for taking dumb shots on the outside. That is not his game. AND if he does not mature, we DO NOT need him. I would rather have someone that does not have the attitude and is coachable. OR a coach who has the balls to send JSmoove a message and bench him till he gets the picture. That is the only way he will learn….Thoughts?
TRUTH-SERUM
June 24th, 2009
11:07 pm
AB
June 24th, 2009
10:03 pm
YOU ARE ABSOLUTELY RIGHT. FLIP IS A GREAT PLAY AND IS AS GOOD OR BETTER THAN CRAWFORD. IF ANY BODY SHOULD GO IT SHOULD BE DEFENSELESS BIBBY. BUT THE BOTTOM LINE IS THE HAWKS WONT CONTEND FOR A CHAMPIONSHIP WITH OUT A CENTER. HORFORD IS NOT THE ANSWER AT THE POST. HES A POWERFORWARD AND THE HAWKS NEED A CENTER TO BE CONTENDER.
reedeak
June 24th, 2009
11:08 pm
TRUTH-SERUM,
YES! Bosh!
TRUTH-SERUM
June 24th, 2009
11:10 pm
MyView
June 24th, 2009
10:22 pm
ACIE IS NOT BETTER THAN JJ,BIBBY,FLIP OR MARVIN. IF HE GETS BETTER ITS BECAUSE HELL GET MORE TIME TO DEVELOP. HE WONT GET THAT BEHIND BIBBY FLIP,JJ AND MARVIN.
Mark Bradley
June 24th, 2009
11:11 pm
Woodson is like a lot of coaches: He prefers veterans to rookies. Acie never gained his trust.
reedeak
June 24th, 2009
11:14 pm
Bradley, What do you think of my assesment of Joe and Josh in my post above?
Ernest
June 24th, 2009
11:19 pm
I saw a lot of potential with Acie but felt he never got a chance, especially after he got injured during the Charlotte game his first season. I wish him the best with his career.
By the same token, I think JCrawford will bring a new dimension to the team. He brings length to the defensive perimeter. He has never had a chance to play on a playoff contender. He’s got a chance to be a major contributor to the team. He will also provide much needed rest for JJ.
blue hawk
June 24th, 2009
11:24 pm
bring in Darko!!!
Herschel Talker
June 24th, 2009
11:38 pm
Who cares? The Hawks are irrelevant.
bravesfalconhawk
June 24th, 2009
11:38 pm
what about going after free agent marcin gortat(Magic) to play center and move horfy back to his natural position?? he(gortat)played well in the playoffs,when givin a chance,he can run the floor for a big man…just a thought??
Mark Bradley
June 24th, 2009
11:40 pm
I think you’re right in a sense, Reedeak. Joe is going to have to share more of the scoring load. He has too many good players around him to be the only option.
Mark Bradley
June 24th, 2009
11:40 pm
Gortat’s not a starter for a reason. He’s not that good. Horford is a better center than he is.
Simpdawg
June 24th, 2009
11:40 pm
Let me know when the trade is complete.
reedeak
June 24th, 2009
11:48 pm
I think working a trade for Bosh or an established big man is the only way for the hawks to be a serious contender…if not then we will just be settling for a second round exit at the most.
The Bullhorn
June 24th, 2009
11:51 pm
Lets take a look at the Hawks draft picks the last few years:
1) Josh Childress left for Greece.
2) Josh Smith can’t get along with Woody.
3) Sheldon Williams was traded.
4) Soloman Jones rides the bench 95% of the time.
5) Salim Stoudamire was not re-signed.
6) Al Horford didn’t improve much from his rookie season.
7) Marvin Williams hasn’t improved over the last two seasons.
Now, name the one constant that each of these players encountered.
WOODSON.
Did any of these players improve each season under Woodson? NO.
Now, manyy of us wished that Billy Nightmare had drafted better, me included.
But given Woodson’s track record with our draft picks, do you think Chris Paul and Brandon Roy would have become stars under Woodson?
Woodson is the problem. Woodson can’t develop young players. Woodson willn’t give the young players a chance to develop. Woodson wants players that other coaches have taught how to play at the NBA level.
So what purpose does Woodson serve? Why was Woodson coaching a team that WAS loaded with young players?
What can Woodson do well? The Hawks do run three different plays on offense, I guess he calls 1,2, or 3.