And it’s a flying start to this pivotal Hawks’ offseason
I’d have preferred Eric Maynor, but I’m not going to gripe. The Hawks took the guy they liked at the position of greatest short- and long-term need, and at this point I’m disposed to give Rick Sund and his chief aide Dave Pendergraft the benefit of every doubt.
The Hawks greeted the week not knowing if they’d have anyone to handle the ball next season. They’re covered now. If Mike Bibby and/or Flip Murray signs somewhere else, they’ll be OK. If Bibby stays, they’ll be better than OK. Heck, if they handle Marvin Williams properly, they just might catch and pass Boston as the third-best team in the NBA East.
Jamal Crawford was an inspired acquisition, one of those there-has-to-be-a-catch coups: A guy who scored almost 20 points a game last season for two guys who barely played. And Jeff Teague was only the slightest of reaches with the draft’s 19th pick.
Maynor, who went one spot later, is older and more refined and a truer point guard, but Teague is the greater talent. He spent two years under Dino Gaudio at Wake Forest, meaning he was only lightly coached. Teague has, as they say in the trade, an upside.
There was no big man in the draft apt to offer immediate help at No. 19. B.J. Mullens of Ohio State is at least two years away. He averaged 8.8 points and 4.7 rebounds in a so-so Big Ten. To borrow a description once made of Mean Joe Greene vis-a-vis a lesser defensive tackle: Al Horford would knock B.J. Mullens down and stand on him.
The Hawks loaded up at the place they could conceivably have been understaffed, and now the emphasis shifts: Marvin Williams becomes a greater priority than Bibby (or Flip), and that’s another bit of good fortune/great planning. Because Marvin is a restricted free agent. The Hawks can keep him by matching any offer. Bibby and Flip — and Zaza Pachulia — are unrestricted. They can just up and leave.
Loading ...But they should — “should,” I say — get something for Marvin. (Let’s not forget they should have gotten something for Josh Childress last July and didn’t, but I’m thinking that was a one-off.) The worst that should happen is a sign-and-trade. The more likely outcome is that Williams signs a one-year qualifying offer to remain a Hawk and then becomes an unrestricted free agent next summer, and that wouldn’t be bad, either.
Retaining Marvin would mean five of the top seven players off a 47-win squad will stay together, and then factor in Crawford and Teague. And let’s assume the Hawks find the means to keep either Bibby or Flip. That’s not just stability. That’s a clear upgrade. And there was, given the looming personnel issue, no guarantee headed into the summer that the 2009-2010 Hawks would be nearly as good as their immediate predecessor.
And we’re seeing now that the best move the Hawks have made over the past 13 months had nothing to do with a player. Hiring Sund as general manager was generally viewed as a safe choice — not bad, but not brilliant. He started badly by letting Childress flit off to Greece, but every move since has been expertly handled. (Even the Hawks’ Round 2 pick — Sergiy Gladyr, a 19-year-old shooting guard from the Ukraine — could hit big in a couple of years.)
I’ve lived in Atlanta a quarter of a century, and much of that time I’ve devoted to tweaking the Hawks. But I’m not carping now, not even about the choice of Teague over Maynor. I’ve been given reason to believe this franchise is in capable hands. I’ve been given reason to believe in the Atlanta Hawks.
Yes, it feels a bit weird. But it also feels … nice.
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201 comments Add your comment
Tech sucks
June 26th, 2009
10:20 am
WPinAZ – Your PG argument doesn’t work. Salim and Acie are not point guards. They are little 2 guards. Huge difference.
nola hawk fan
June 26th, 2009
10:21 am
Nice work as usual MB.
Agree w/ your point that this draft allowed them to address one of their 2 needs. But I still contend we need BIGs more than guards. If Al was allowed to play his true position, imagine how good he could be. Remember all those offensive rebounds the Cavs had? The hawks need a energy, athletic big (see Verajo, Perkins, etc…)
Any Zaza leaves, anybody know any F.A. “The Rick” will go after?
Jfreak
June 26th, 2009
10:21 am
So far so good for this offseason, but let’s not get too far ahead of ourselves. Remember, Cavs just got Shaq and Orlando just got Carter which I think makes both teams that much better. Also, let’s not forget that the Hawks will have am much harder schedule next season as well.
I’m not concerned about the Hawks winning 50 games. I want to see the Hawks advance further in the playoffs. I know the more games you win the better position you are in the playoffs but I bet the Cavs would have traded a few of their regular season wins for a few more playoff wins??
We need Bibby and or Murray for sure. Too much to ask of a 19th selected rookie to run an offense and Crawford is not a pure point guard. We also need help up front. Horford can’t do it alone! I would like to see maybe a trade of Williams for some inside help if we can get equal value? Williams has in my opinion a huge upside. He really played well last year so giving up his stats would difficult to overcome. Overall, the Hawks are improved and that’s a reflection on the GM. Nice Job!
Tech sucks
June 26th, 2009
10:21 am
Just FYI Lavin said Teague will end up being the best PG taken in this draft.
jeffrey d
June 26th, 2009
10:28 am
Mark – in a blog discussion you said that Law didn’t have a chance to do well under Woodson (or something similar). What’s going to keep the same thing from happening with Teague? Do you think Teague has a chance to be better than Acie?
Mark Bradley
June 26th, 2009
10:32 am
I don’t know what’s going to keep it from recurring, Jeffrey, except that Teague might not get as down on himself as Acie did. (Teague’s pretty confident, but Acie was, too — before he got here. And Acie was the 11th pick overall in 2007, as opposed to the 19th in 2009.)
And thanks, Nola. I haven’t heard any names yet, other than the usual speculation on here — Gortat, Camby, McDyess, Big Z. I wouldn’t mind seeing Anderson Varejao here as a backup, but I don’t think that’s what Varejao has in mind.
Thomas P.
June 26th, 2009
10:33 am
Jeff Teague will be a complete bust. He lacks the ball handling skills and an understanding of the fundamentals to be effective in the NBA. All in all, looks like another whiff for the Hawks in the draft.
mountain_jim
June 26th, 2009
10:36 am
Still hoping for a Jack signing and let no-D Bibby walk.
casey
June 26th, 2009
10:36 am
Sorry for the noob question, but what determines if a player is a restricted or unrestricted free agent?
RealSquawk
June 26th, 2009
10:43 am
The Hawks played horrible outside of Games 1 and Games 7, and if you want to go off playoff performances then Joe Johnson should be gone and Josh Smith the dubbed the King. Based off of the playoffs there is no way in the world Al Horford makes it in the league as a center. And based off of the teams pass behavior Marvin was injured so he automatically gets a pass.
And I know you don’t believe this, but I am pretty sure Mike Woodson without specifically stating said having his players healthy (Marvin Williams, Al Horford) would have actually won some games against Cleveland.
I just hope that Acie doesn’t make us look bad for Jamal Crawford trade man that would be horrible, right?
RealSquawk
June 26th, 2009
10:45 am
Has Woody made any promises towards giving Teague minutes?
Ryder
June 26th, 2009
10:46 am
I think the Hawks aren’t done tweaking the roster yet. Bibby is obviously a goner, and in this draft it was difficult to find that big man inside that would immediately help the Hawks. Atlanta still has to absolutely bring back Zaza and obtain some help like Villanueva or Gooden to come off the bench. As for Marvin, if he signs a major offer sheet elsewhere, let him go. He’s not worth a max contract deal IMO and has yet to prove he can be the aggressive offensive force.
All I'm Saying Is...
June 26th, 2009
10:49 am
Bradley you have drunk the kool-aid and obviously are convinced that the Hawks don’t need a more sizable center.
I hope I’m wrong but Al Horford cannot match up with any of the centers for the top eight NBA playoff teams—and never will unless we become a run and gun team which still won’t suffice as you have to have a half-court game in the playoffs. I love Al but he cannot go toe-to-toe with the elite teams and their centers: LA-Bynum, Denver-Nene, Spurs-Duncan/Bonner, Orlando-Howard, Cavs-Shaq & Ilgauskas and Boston-Perkins or even with the playoff teams and their centers: Mavs-Dampier (with BJ Mullens as his successor in training), Rockets-Yao, New Orleans-Tyson Chandler, and 76ers-Dalembert with the exception of the Miami Heat-Magloire/O’Neal (which isn’t saying much and only further serves to illustrate my point—we won’t breakthrough without a center who can D-up versus the big burly guys (Perkins, Shaq/Ilgauskas) and prevent teams from driving down the lane at will (like D-Wade did and LeBron) or be a consistent scoring threat versus the other guys making them work on both ends of the floor (Howard, Bynum).
Mullens may not have been the answer but we need more than Al and ZaZa. I say trade Marvin and get Tyson Chandler. Have you any thoughts, Bradley?
PD
June 26th, 2009
10:50 am
Casey Restricted are usually players in the 3rd year of their rookie contracts. It is a provision added to their contracts to prevent them from bolting to another team and leaving the drafting team empty-handed. They can test the free agent market and sign an offer which the drafting would have 7-days to match.
van
June 26th, 2009
10:51 am
Granted Mike Bibby and Flip should’ve been ahead of him on the depth chart. But, there’s no way he should’ve been behind Tyronn Lue and Anthony Johnson before the Bibby trade.
Did anyone see when they flashed the graphic with his 3.5 assists that led the team? I literally laughed at that. My laughter turned to madness when I looked up his other stats and saw 3.4 turnovers. We may as well let Josh Smith play point forward.
Scott
June 26th, 2009
10:53 am
Sorry Mark, I have watched the Hawks for 25 years and was as disappointed as I have ever been with this draft. Teague is not a true point. He seems to be able to handle the ball, but he has lacks inspiration on the defensive side of the ball and is not a pass-first point guard. I feel they should have traded up to get one of the true PGs that went earlier or taken Ohio St. center BJ Mullens. Sund says he likes guys that can shoot, but he passed on Miami guard Jack McClinton in the second round as well as St. Mary’s PG Patrick Mills. Mills isn’t as good from the 3 as Teague, but Sund could have shored up the post in the 1st round knowing there were still plenty of quality guards in this draft.
Mark Bradley
June 26th, 2009
10:53 am
Flip’s arrival took minutes from Acie, absolutely. You can’t really play three point guards, and Flip was usually the lead guard on the second unit.
Mark Bradley
June 26th, 2009
10:54 am
I’ll say it again: I’d prefer Horford/Josh at 5/4 to Chandler/Horford.
Chris
June 26th, 2009
10:55 am
Mark, Is the plan for Gladyr to be on the Hawks roster next season, or will he be in Europe for a few more years, any idea?
As much as I like Mike Bibby as a scoring threat, he really isn’t much more of a point guard than Crawford is. I remember last year seeing Flip or Joe taking the ball up the court more often than Bibby it seemed. At this point I don’t see a burning desire to keep either of them given we have added a scoring combo guard. I will say I think Flip Murray was the MVP of the Hawks last season an have much love for the guy. I’d like to see us find one more quality bench shooter and lock up ZaZa and Marvin. Unfortunately, there’s not much we can do to catch the Cavs or Magic this season.
Mark Bradley
June 26th, 2009
11:02 am
I’m thinking he’ll be in Europe next season, Chris, though I haven’t heard for sure.
nola hawk fan
June 26th, 2009
11:09 am
shockingly agree w/ you on most things mark, but not on Al/Josh vs Chandler/Al.
Living down here in NOLA and watching the Hornets on cable some, when Tyson is right, he is what I think the hawks REALLY need as far as D and rebounding. We don’t need bigtime scoring on the post (Al, praying Josh will do that). We need what a Verajo, Chandler would bring.
Hamad Meander
June 26th, 2009
11:12 am
Looks like the Hawks are finally coming around on the idea that having someone capable of handling the ball is more important than going 4 deep at the forward position. However, I question the seeming lack of enthusiam for resigning Mike Bibby. Since Bibby came on board, the on-the-court chemistry of the team has been so much more positive. That being said, players move around a lot in the NBA, so it’s good to have a rookie PG ready to go in case you lose your starter.
I haven’t read where the Hawks stand with ZaZa, but I think having him and Horford up top with good talent at the 1 & 2 position allows them to play a lot of different looks with the forwards.
RealSquawk
June 26th, 2009
11:14 am
If we trade Marvin who is going to guard the teams best perimeter players?
Mo Evans can’t.
Joe Johnson can, but he is only getting older and caring the scoring burden and the defense burden burns him out by mid season.
We said Jamal Crawford can’t play defense not that he has every played for a defensive minded coach.
Josh Smith can’t play defense on perimeter players and why should he have to he is a power forward.
Jeff Teague is to small.
So in a conference with Lebron James, Paul Pierce, Andre Iguadalo, Danny Granger,
And with a division of Dwayne Wade, and gasp the hawks killer vince carter who do we get to guard those guys?
Mark Bradley
June 26th, 2009
11:18 am
Joe’s not a bad defender.
And I have to say Vince Carter doesn’t impress me anymore. He’s just a guy.
Matty Ice-man
June 26th, 2009
11:21 am
Mark, what was your thought of what Kahn did for the Timberwolves? very odd taking two point guards at #6 & #7 and the GM says his intent is on keeping both. From reports, Rubio is very unhappy with Minnesota right now – if he walks and stays in Spain then Kahn/Minnesota look like idiots…..
truhawkfangababy
June 26th, 2009
11:23 am
Teague will work out let’s keep flip and try a sign and trade with bibby but who really needs a pg after this draft.and the obvious of all is js or woody somebody has to pack it up it ain’t gonna work.js for a dominate big sounds good to me.if u haven’t heard amare wants out of d desert
Johnny Hazeltine
June 26th, 2009
11:28 am
There’s no way we can let Bibby walk after drafting a 6′1″ shooting guard.
Volman
June 26th, 2009
11:33 am
Carter doesn’t impress you? I remember him BY HIMSELF beating the Hawks twice (buzzer beater and going off from the 3 point line in Atlanta)
I don’t think he’s the missing piece for Orlando..I like Turkoglu SO MUCH MORE than Carter, but hey… When you’re that close you’re going to reach for whatever you can get (see the Cavs—with Shaq “I’m still in the league” O’neal
RealSquawk
June 26th, 2009
11:34 am
What’s the difference between Amare and Josh?
Sounder offensive game and a little girth. I think I would keep Josh at this point if that trade presented itself.
However if the clippers said Josh Smith for Chris Kaman and one/some first round picks I might have to say yes. might. If i was keeping Woodson.
If woodson is gone then I probably don’t trade Josh.
“Joe Johnson can.”- realsquawk 11:14 a.m.
Mark,
what’s going on with the Timberwolves. Flynn and Rubio?
AB
June 26th, 2009
11:41 am
Mark Bradley,
With Horford staying at C, is there a chance J-Smoove moves back to SF and the Hawks get a scoring PF down low.
RealSquawk
June 26th, 2009
11:53 am
Volman,
I am pretty sure Mark was occupied during those games. It wasn’t the playoffs, it wasn’t Lebron, Kobe, Wade, or Howard so why should he care.
Can the magic still sign Hedo?
Nelson, Carter, Hedo Lewis, Dwight? Peitrus now that is line up.
Speaking of line up
Teague/Bibby, Joe, Marvin, Josh, Al? Crawford, Mo, Josh, Zaza. With enough defense and running you could see them in the finals.
Right by the way Everyone is saying bye Bibby, but i think it might be bye flip. I think.
AB
June 26th, 2009
11:53 am
Johnny Hazeltine,
Actually Johnny, Teague is a 6′2 PG, not a 6′1 SG.
brokenarrow
June 26th, 2009
11:56 am
Bravedawg – Who has said Crawford was a me-first player ? certainly not his coaches or teammates.Hes always been considered one of the best lockeroom guys and one of the most coachable players ? The beef with the Warriors was not about his attitude or play it was about Nelson feeling Crawford and Ellis playing the same position and there not being enough minutes to go around .
Do you believe Kevin Durants numbers are inflated by being the only option on a horrible team ? I hate to break it to you you dont get to average 20 points in the nba unless you can play . There is no type of number inflater that gets you 20 and 5 for a season on a bad team simply because when teams lock onto you defensively you are either sink or swim quite fast.
He didnt average those numbers on chicago but on the knicks who didnt play uptempo in 20007-08 now that was a team in disarray because of Marbury and Isiah thomas . But here is the real catch Crawford averaged 20 and 5 on that knicks team but the very next season under a very good coach in Mike D’antoni he was averaging nearly the same thing but with better shooting percentages . That tells me that in a stable enviornment Crawford can be a real asset and his numbers are not as hollow as they may look.
Volman
June 26th, 2009
12:01 pm
Realsquawk, I know what you’re saying. The media comes out when the “big dogs” come to play. I wouldn’t expect Bradley or Schultz to know that Carter torched the Hawks twice this year. I mean, he was on the NETS….the NETS.
We do have to give Bradley some credit for the effort he has put forth towards the Hawks as of late. (He must be realizing that this actually IS a pretty good team)
The Truth
June 26th, 2009
12:05 pm
Since I have been one of Mr. Sund worst critics, I most say I am pleased with his performance (so far) and will give am a one-thumb up at this point. It’s ironic; it was on a previous Mark Blog that I recommended pursuing Crawford when he was stuck in Nellie’s dog house. It was beyond my wildest dreams that Sund was able to acquire a prolific scorer for so little. The Teague pick was nice and as expected. The one-thumb up is to suggest that Sund’s work is far from over. I will caution Sund to pay attention to Defense. As much as I like Crawford and what he brings to the Hawks, we are very weak on the defense side of the ball. As it was also last year, Marvin William is the wild-card of this team. He brings balance to our tweener frontline with his rebounding ability and his style of play is a nice compliment to our mix of players. We don’t need all scorers; somebody has to do the dirty work like a junk-yard dog. Marvin can bring such intangibles not to mention his 3-pt threat. We have fallen in love with Chill, because he also brought complimentary intangibles that the Hawks needed. We all know that offense sells tickets but defense (and rebounding) wins games. Yes we celebrate the addition of Crawford and Teague, but we don’t want to be the team that scores 150 points and lose by 19. This suggests that we cannot just stack the team with ball hogging offense minded players. WE MUST HAVE A BALANCE TO WIN!! It has been mentioned that we should pursue Hedo. I disagree. Yes he brings mismatches and offense but he plays no defense; Orlando loss the series because of defense not offense, plain and simple. If we had a lineup of Bibby, Hedo Crawford, Josh and Al, it would be a recipe for disaster on the defense side of the ball. In a nutshell, WE MUST THINK OF TEAM CHEMISTRY WHEN WE START ADDING PLAYERS. Mr. Sund, you will earn my other thumb-up if you get this done.
AB
June 26th, 2009
12:05 pm
Acie Law always looked to me he could play SG too. I wonder if Don Nelson would let him play some SG? Mike Woodson was too dumb to think about that.
Nuff Said
June 26th, 2009
12:12 pm
MB. Good read but let’s be real here. We have another year with Woody and that stinks. Let’s hope he does not damage the confidence of another good player like Teague.
We need to sign and trade Marvin, sign Flip and ZP and let Bibby go. Go after Gortat or some big man to help in the paint. It is obvious that Woody can not develop young players. He is sad.
RealSquawk
June 26th, 2009
12:17 pm
Volman,
you are absolutely correct man. And I do appreciate Bradley and his efforts to update us on everything Hawk related recently. Even though I have never said that publicly.
Mark Bradley,
The only reason I am on this blog is because I read your statements enjoy them and then decide to comment. You have a great perspective. I appreciate that perspective. Even though we disagree about Marvin, many of your other comments and statements I agree with completely or at least understand.
So here is to Mark Bradley and his great blogs and articles and insights and responsiveness to blogs.
Go Hawks! go Bradley!
I hope everyone on this blog is subscribed to the AJC newspaper.
Volman
June 26th, 2009
12:24 pm
Realsquawk, do I see you on the Hawksquawk site? I think I remember seeing you from there. I rarely post on there, but I’m a regular on there reading posts. I’m “Volman” on there.
Nookah
June 26th, 2009
12:30 pm
I agree with the sentiments being expressed on this blog. Teague may be an excellent prospect with loads of potential. However, I have a few questions:
1) Will he be allowed to develop or more appropriately do we have the personnel in place to help with his development? If not who will be his mentor? Crawford?
2) Does he have the work ethic to improve his own game? How hungry is he?
3) Is there any corelation between the dramatic end of season collapse of The Deamon Deacons last year and Teague’s leadership? Was it an abberation? After all he was the “General” of that team.
4) So we now have Crawford, Teague and may re-sign Bibby. Based on their tendencies they all play very poor defense……can Woody change their mindset or is it what it is? I guess the philosophy will then have to be if you score 100 we’ll score 101 somewhat like Brazilian Soccer philosphy in the 80’s.
I will agree that we upgraded on the offensive end but I am a little concerned with our defense. That is why we have to re-sign Marvin and get some interior presence. With the re-loading (pun intended) of the Cavs with Shaq, Perkins in Boston, Dwight in Orlando and even Jermaine Oneal from Miami, we need some serious help on the inside. Horford will not be able to handle the centre position effectively against bigger, stronger opposition. I also hope he is working on his offensive game because quite simply it sucks.
I am waiting anxiously to see what we do in FAgency. I hope we get an enforcer with a fair amount of offense. ‘Sheed would be nice but he may want too much money. Drew Gooden or Verajao may be decent additions. Verajao shoots 50% from the field and averages about 7 RPG with 2+ being offensive. He needs to improve his FT %age however, but he adds energy and will be lively on the boards.
Mr. Sund, you have a pretty decent job so far but one thing I would ask you to explore before this offseason is over….Please try to get Chills back, please!!! Now with Chills and the other pending FA’s who we will sign, that would make us a very very dangerous team.
Go Hawks everytime!!!
Hedo Fan
June 26th, 2009
12:34 pm
The Truth: Hedo is not a bad defender (see swat of Kobe in finals) and his offense/size/versatility far outweigh whatever perceived defensive weakness there may be. Josh, Al and Joe can defend … what we need most is someone to take the heat off Joe on the offensive side of the ball, so we don’t stand around watching Joe try to go 1-on-1 with 8 seconds left on the shot clock. With Hedo, Jamal and Joe, we’ve got 3 great shooters (just like Orlando had in the playoffs) and that will force Josh to go to the post where he belongs. With Joe and Al on the blocks and 3 shooters, we can play with anyone.
tohellwithgeorgia
June 26th, 2009
12:38 pm
trade joe for a big man. go out there and get ben gordon if he’s available. problem solved. and maybe marvin for caron butler. and now we present the nba champions THE ATLANTA HAWKS
GM
June 26th, 2009
12:47 pm
Zaza is a beast on the glass and must be resigned. We already have a hole in the paint with him on the team, so you can only image how things would be without him. If we were competing for the high jump competition, I would be opposed to trading J.Smith, but we’re not, so if we could get a solid big man for him, we should. His heart and low Basketball IQ is a dangerous combination. I can’t count how many times he’s turned the ball over bringing the ball up the court where he has two guards alongside him with open arms. Not mention the long ball airballs, and the fact that he doesn’t play hard and is easily shaken on the court off of one or two misses. The reason why Horford is so good is because he knows what he can and can’t do and he has a high Basketball IQ. Those are the type of players I would like to see this franchise built around. Marvin has developed more than anyone on the team in spite of the comparisons to CP3 and Deron, and he just added a deadly 3 to his game so I think it’s a priority to resign him. I would like to see Flip resigned, but I don’t mind if Bibby goes. They both have no conscience which is great, but if Bibby wants what I expect him to want, he’s not worth the money. Do you know what the status of JChills is? Bringing him back would be a huge step in the right direction with a more scrappy, hustling, defensive minded team, because that’s what this team lacks. Crawford was a huge pick up and as much as I’m upset to see Law go, we came out on top in that trade, and I’m glad they were able to dump an overpaid, injury-prone Claxton. And as for my comments about Smith, I like the guy and he has a ton of potential which only adds to his trade value. But he’s also overpaid, and I don’t believe he will live up to his potential, which is why I woudn’t mind letting him go. Plus, I always found it odd that he is one of the few players who doesn’t get along with Woody, and since Woody’s record as head coach has improved, I don’t think Woody is going anywhere. It would also clear up some cap space to make an attempt to resign JJ next year. I still believe this team should be built around him, as he is our best all around player. What is the likeliness of a sign and trade with Mike Bibby? Would anyone be interested, and would his value be high enough to get a solid big man?
GM
June 26th, 2009
12:59 pm
Also, does anyone believe the pick up of Crawford is more of a future replacement of JJ when he becomes a free agent next year than it is a move to upgrade our backcourt or bench?
The Truth
June 26th, 2009
1:03 pm
Hedo Fan
I see where you are coming from about Hedo. I will tone down my criticism of Hedo somewhat because I do also like his offense game. But it is clear to me that Orlando loss the series because of defense not offense. Yes Hedo made a nice defense play against Kobe but he had numerous defense lapses at critical times that negated his fine offense performance. My bone I am picking is more about our team chemistry then Hedo offense game. Somebody has to do the intangible things more than AL. Josh is proving not to be interested in rebounding but scoring and occasional blocking shots. Al can’t carry the rebounding load by himself. I just think from a chemistry prospective, Marvin is a better fit. No disrespect to Hedo.
pete
June 26th, 2009
1:09 pm
Mark,
What do you mean Sund started badly by letting Childress go to Greece? They picked up Murray and Evans for less money than Childress wanted. Don’t you think they were a better team with Murray and Evans than they would have been with Childress? Sund clearly made the right decision by not paying Childress the money he wanted.
RealSquawk
June 26th, 2009
1:09 pm
Volman,
I won’t lie. I registered for the site and have probably been on there once or twice, but I have found it to be really confusing to use at times so I don’t really go there often.
Joe Johnson, Mike Bibby, Flip Murray, Jamal Crawford, Jeff Teague, Josh Childress
Marvin Williams, Mo Evans
Al Horford, Josh Smith Zaza Pachulia, David Anderson
that right there ladies and gentleman is a championship contending team and a 12 man rotation where everyone deserves at least ten minutes.
That roster is financially impossible, but not really if the pockets of our owners were really really deep it would be possible, but financially irresponsible.
that list is organized in player positions Guard, forwards, and big forward/centers. The guards can’t be forwards and such.
Organize as you like it, but I believe those are the most feasible players for pick up. We have relationships or rights with all of those players.
Unlike in the past we have a playoff team which means we could attract more free agents than usual.
all this is all so random.
Mark Bradley
June 26th, 2009
1:14 pm
Thanks, RealSquawk.
I think the Hawks — I know, actually — the Hawks prefer Horfy and Josh to stay where they are, at 5 and 4.
And I was surprised by Minnesota. But Minnesota often has that effect on me.
niremetal
June 26th, 2009
1:15 pm
RealSquawk,
Bradley always seems to pay attention to the Hawks on draft nights, at the beginning of the season, and during the playoffs. My problem – and please, Bradley, correct me if I’m wrong – is that he doesn’t seem to pay much attention to them during the 82 games that comprise the regular season. It’s tough to take a guy’s impression of Marvin Williams seriously when he only watched him during the playoffs, when he was playing through two injuries. It also makes it tough to take his impression of Josh vs. Joe seriously for the same reason.
So Mark, if you’ll admit that you’re basing your impressions of the Hawks almost entirely on the playoffs – when Marvin, Joe, and Al were all playing through injuries – then I’ll shut up about this. But don’t talk like you watched the Hawks all year if you haven’t. It’s insulting to those of us who spend significant amounts of money to watch every game we can.
hawks & thrash
June 26th, 2009
1:18 pm
so how is the lineup looking to form next year now the the guards?
are we looking at: C Horford
PF Smith
SF Johnson
SG Crawford
PG Bibby/Teague depending on bibby being resigned
it looks good to me but i think we have a bit of a guard logjam where none of them can afford to miss time.