Report: Marvin to stay a Hawk, and that’s more good news
Marvin Williams will remain a Hawk, according to a report by Marc Spears on Yahoo! Sports. Hawks general manager Rick Sund would not confirm a deal had been reached Wednesday night, but the sides seem very close to a signed contract.
(Indeed, that’s the word Williams used in a text message to AJC colleague Sekou Smith on Wednesday — “close.” And Williams told Sekou via text he’s hopeful something works out.)
The proposed contract, Spears reported, is for “about $40 million over five seasons,” although that $40 million is believed to include incentives. As a restricted free agent, Williams could have accepted the Hawks’ qualifying offer of $7.5 million and become an unrestricted free agent in July 2010. A long-term agreement would mean the Hawks have locked up a 23-year-old who averaged 13.9 points last season and is still regarded as a developing talent — and have done for essentially the qualifying offer times five.
If Williams does stay, the Hawks will have retained three of their four key free agents — Mike Bibby and Zaza Pachulia have re-signed, and Flip Murray now seems surplus to requirements — and added guard Jamal Crawford in the same offseason. And that would make this just about the greatest summer in Hawks history.
Assuming Williams re-signs, the Hawks would enter the 2009-2010 season having kept seven of their top eight players from a team that won 47 games and finished fourth in the NBA East. At a time when the three teams that finished above the Hawks — Cleveland, Boston and Orlando — have made major offseason acquisitions, Sund had to hold his core together if the Hawks were to stand any chance of moving upward. And it appears he has.
The belief here was that the Hawks would consider this summer a success if they re-upped two of the four free agents and a windfall if they could keep three. They’re close to doing that now, and this city is that much closer to having a NBA team that we can view as a team capable of reaching the Eastern Conference finals, something the Hawks have never done.
The work doesn’t end here. Joe Johnson will become an unrestricted free agent and Al Horford a restricted free agent next summer. But Sund, who was hired 13 months ago, is within one signature of having not just passed a difficult test but aced it. And when last could we say that about any Hawks GM? Like, ever?
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156 comments Add your comment
JC
July 29th, 2009
6:52 pm
Good to hear! We need to go ahead and fill the big man void. Get Joe Smith on board and at Othello Hunter and Garret Siler. I will like our chances to improve on this past year’s win total.
Hawk Str8Talk
July 29th, 2009
6:56 pm
Mark, I know you have to sell papers and get eyeballs online, but greatest summer ever! One that doesn’t project to add one single win more than last season. Either that statement screams that we’ve never had even a ‘good’ offseason in Hawks history OR that you’ve taken this re-signing our core players to an extreme. I’d say that acing the test would have been improving ANY of the areas that were the biggest issues for us last season. Until I see a signing that fixes our rebounding, interior depth, leadership, toughness, and backup point guard issues OR until you tell me we convinced an elite coach to join this organization – I think saying ‘greatest summer ever’ is taking things a little far. http://www.hawkstr8talk.com
J.J.M.
July 29th, 2009
6:57 pm
good news
James
July 29th, 2009
6:57 pm
I played in the Association and the Hawks just threw 40 million dollars down the drain.
niremetal
July 29th, 2009
6:59 pm
Wait…how can Bradley think this is a good thing. I thought Marvin wasn’t…ASSERTIVE.
Steven DD
July 29th, 2009
7:00 pm
Thats awesome! Now who is that ‘big’ going to be that everyone keeps talking about?
BrittishAnger
July 29th, 2009
7:02 pm
Seventh
bob
July 29th, 2009
7:04 pm
Crowning moment of the offseason. Hallelujah!
This kid will be a steal in 1 year +
BrittishAnger
July 29th, 2009
7:05 pm
G-g-g-gangsta! The core is maintained…now to strengthen the bench with one final big man beyond RandMo and we’re beautiful!….SIGN SILER….DO IT!!!!
thirdfalcon
July 29th, 2009
7:06 pm
HAHAHAHAHAHAHA Hawksstr8talk
Jon Kontract
July 29th, 2009
7:06 pm
How about the summer we ended up with Moses Malone and Reggie Theus. That was a pretty sweet summer. Unfortunately we need to win in June, not July and August.
A Tribe Called Quest
July 29th, 2009
7:08 pm
LOL @ this. You are the same guy who said we don’t need him back — now you are praising this move
Reid Adair
July 29th, 2009
7:08 pm
This is good news, but in fairness, while Orlando did make a “major offseason acquisition,” they also lost a critical player.
Dan
July 29th, 2009
7:15 pm
Nice!! Sund is doing a great job! Add Joe Smith and let’s roll…
brad
July 29th, 2009
7:16 pm
Why does everyone keep saying that Orlando improved? They lost 3 starters from a team that made to Finals (Hedo, Courtney Lee, and Alston) and have added Vince Carter. Carter can score, but is he a huge upgrade over Hedo? Who replaces Courtney Lee and Rafer Alston?
buddy c
July 29th, 2009
7:17 pm
are the hawks still pursuing flip? our backcourt could be incredibly deep if so. comments?
The Grinch
July 29th, 2009
7:23 pm
Getting a coach will be more important than signing Marvin.
GT Falcon
July 29th, 2009
7:30 pm
Hope this really happens. Good news. I like Marv
Mash
July 29th, 2009
7:31 pm
Mark, this is great news for the 2009-2010 season. However, I do question willingness to spend so freely knowing the cap will go down this year, not to mention go way down the next year. This is why the Crawford deal isn’t as great as the soft local media make it out to be. Golden State did a classic salary dump in that deal. Sund will be in the same position next summer.
Will there be any money left over to re-sign Joe Johnson next year?
Mr. A
July 29th, 2009
7:36 pm
I am with you The Grinch!!!!! now that firing would have been the greatest summer ever! I guess we will have to wait until next summer! Because until this happens .. this rest won’t matter!!!!
mike
July 29th, 2009
7:43 pm
great news.. anyone that follows the hawks and knows their strengths and weaknesses knows this is a good move.. marvin has gotten better every year…you guys so how much we struggled without him in the playoffs… now lets hope he is fully healed..
BrittishAnger
July 29th, 2009
7:51 pm
Salary cap won’t matter depending on how we build around what we’ve got in regards to getting Joe back. While we won’t be a fifteen deep team anytime soon (which is a result of cost-minded management more than actual economic problems), that will probably be the major reason Joe would resign with us, the flexibility we’ve got right now puts us in good contention to resign him with the age factored in and the possible losses of Mo Evans and Randolph Morris included. Even considering we might lose him, I would not be sad at that prospect given the opportunity to try and sneak a few deals in during next years “free-agent frenzy”. Joe does amazing things, granted, but his leadership has been an issue for me since I started following the team in earnest again last season. I’m also very tired of the infamous “Iso-Joe” idea, and feel we need a better offensive scheme which is team oriented and not player oriented, and losing Joe to implement that is a cost worth amortizing. Sure, he averages the best numbers of any of our players during the regular season, but will it always be that way, and considering his age will he be that same player two or three years from now as well? Plus, what happens if he has another of those “minor injuries” that limit his numbers the way they did after mid-season? Don’t let the numbers fool you, we’re in a plenty good position to maintain this core for at least a couple more seasons before somebody does what they did in Detroit and implodes the team and rebuilds, but losing Joe to see Marvin, Josh, and Al improve their numbers, and to give us flexibility to build the deepest young Darkhorse team in the East, I’d take that with a grain of salt and a shot of Jager…..
BrittishAnger
July 29th, 2009
7:54 pm
Oh, and Mark, you’re a poof for Indian giving on Marvin…the “Handsome Bob” kinda poof….
niremetal
July 29th, 2009
7:59 pm
Lol…I didn’t even know people used the term “Indian giver” anymore.
Mark Bradley
July 29th, 2009
8:05 pm
I’m not the biggest Marvin fan, as you know. But I would consider it remarkable if the Hawks do indeed keep seven of their top eight players when four of the eight were free agents.
BrittishAnger
July 29th, 2009
8:08 pm
It seemed like the only vocabulary word worth using in the situation…I’m surprised nobody noticed my use of the word “Amortize”…..
BrittishAnger
July 29th, 2009
8:09 pm
Alright Bradley, I’ll leave you alone for now…for “now”….
Mitun
July 29th, 2009
8:10 pm
whats plan B if the Hawks are unable to sign a big man in the free agent market?
bsure
July 29th, 2009
8:10 pm
Marvin is a good signing. If he can avoid the injuries that keep him out for an extended time, I think he is capable of being an all-star.
Braindawg
July 29th, 2009
8:11 pm
Good move Hawks, but we still, need a big man to match up with Lebron…..
howie
July 29th, 2009
8:17 pm
This is very good news…..50 wins seems very reasonable and given the way the Hawks have stepped up and signed these 3 guys and added Crawford, I have confidence that they will add one more big body. Before this off season, we would not have any reason to think this would all happen.
Marvin, Josh, Al and Zaza are all young enough to keep getting better as they mature and play together…I think it will be a good season that will be fun.
We need to add a little more depth…playing rotation of 10 instead of 8…and run more….but what do I know?
Mark Bradley
July 29th, 2009
8:22 pm
Does Joe Smith count as a big man? Because he’s about the best the Hawks are apt to find — a jump shooter who’ll play 10 or 12 minutes per game.
James
July 29th, 2009
8:33 pm
The Hawks hasn’t really gotten better this offseason to me they basically re-signed the same players who was the reason why they got swept in the second round by the cavs and the same team that barely got passed a young miami heat team.
The hawks could had went after Tyson Chandler but noooooooo they let Charlotte get him.
I like what the hawks did in advancing this past season but I think this upcoming season they will have a lower seed probably 7th or 8th or maybe not even make the playoffs. Alot of the bad teams that were in the east have gotten better and that is going to push the hawks back in the standings.
mudcat47
July 29th, 2009
8:34 pm
Sund is doing great. No crazy trades or questionable free agent signings. These young Hawks are fun to watch and that’s what helps put butts in the seats. That plus winning. Looks like I’ll be seeing more live games this year and that’s what the community needs to do, support this team with actions, not just words.
BrittishAnger
July 29th, 2009
8:36 pm
If Marvin were to become a defensive oriented SF in the style of what Tayshaun does, but with the muscle to go with the length, LeBronnington wouldn’t be as problematic as he makes himself out to be. Besides, the way you beat Charles LeBronson isn’t in beating him, it’s in beating his teammates. Schise, use the old Philly design with AI and you’ll get what I mean; Lebron can go off for forty or fifty points in a game, sure, but you restrict the other players on the team to 20 or less, and you’re offense can break down their walls to put up a solid 80 on them, the game is yours. This is exactly what didn’t happen during the Hawks blow out game against Orlando last season, you know, the one where the Magic set a franchise and NBA record for 3-Point FG’s made in a half, and made us look as deplorable as we did during the 13 and whatever season we had when Woody arrived? The star on a team is only as good as his teammates, Iverson’s lack of a title in Philly proves that, as does Clevelands departure against Orlando when nobody else stepped up beyond Lebronenstein. The guys a monster, but if you make the monster squad look like a bunch of Marty Feldman’s, nobody’s gonna care which side your hump is on…..
BosnianBaller
July 29th, 2009
8:41 pm
Well this news just ruined my night
ILL-logical
July 29th, 2009
8:44 pm
Marvin’s signing was delayed because he had to fight his way past all of the FA lining up outside Mr. Sund’s office eagerly trying to join the Hawks.
Seriously, a good move because with all of the players signed , they all can be dealt without major issues and when the Woodson era ends. Players like Bibby, Marvin and Joe become less valuable to the Hawks if a new coach utilizes an offense built around the speed and athleticism.
The aforementioned players provide management with the means to acquire the suitable replacements who will fit into that type of offense.
Atl Resident
July 29th, 2009
8:54 pm
I’m not big Marv fan, but it’s good for chemistry of the team he’s coming back. Let’s go Hawks!
Aceballa
July 29th, 2009
9:04 pm
This is wonderful, Marvin coming back was the biggest move this season. He is 23 years old jus think how good he will be in 5 years. All the hawks need to do now is sign flip, joe smith and siler or another big and the hawks will be in contention 4 the eastern conference finals
rick berry
July 29th, 2009
9:10 pm
Bad move by the Hawks. His butt is too big. He’s probably worth $2 million/year. He’s definitely not worth the number 2 pick in a great draft which included Chris Paul and Deron Williams. We should’ve let the idiot go and go after Gortat or Brandon bass……..someone who will give the front line toughness.
Coach D
July 29th, 2009
9:12 pm
Player vs. scout: Two different things.
If given the ball more, and if he becomes more assertive/aggressive with the ball he could average 18-20 pts. a game. Woodson’s offense- “Iso. Joe” won’t let that happen. I just hope he’s totally healthy and stays healthy all year.
Coach D
July 29th, 2009
9:14 pm
Admitting the above “IF’s” are big.
The Truth
July 29th, 2009
10:23 pm
I mean seriously, did anybody doubt that Marvin would not resign as a Hawk? The headliner, if true, should be that it is a multi-year deal instead of the 1-year qualifying offer. In that regard, it is good news for Hawksville. The Hawks yield another long-term player from a first-round draft instead of a wasted pick. My enthusiasm is still on hold pending the signings of some bench frontline help. I am about to declare Sund the FA “garbage collector” at this point based on his success rate in the FA market since joining the organization. Last year, he produced Flip, Mo Evans and Morris. Flip was a good pick-up but it should have been a multi-year deal even after Flip fell in his lap. Let’s call his batting average 1-3. Since those deals happened late, similarly to this year, near the end of the FA period after all the gravy was taken; this “garbage collector” title seems to be appropriate. True, I give him some credit, he did acquire Crawford, but that was via a trade and not through FA. Most of our own FA has been retained, so he gets more credit. However, there has not been a big demand for high-price aging point guards regarding Bibby and Zaza was not the front-running “Big” in a down market in hindsight. So those in-house FA signings, though successful, may not have been as challenging. Let’s just say, as an analogy to a basketball player, Sund’s FA negotiation game still needs some work. I’m still waiting on Sund to prove me wrong.
gcs
July 29th, 2009
10:25 pm
Save some money for the Thrashers!!
.
RCD
July 29th, 2009
10:25 pm
I think signing Marvin was a necessary move for political reasons (not necessarily player reasons) since the SF position could be filled by Josh Smith, Mo Evans, Joe Johnson, etc. particularly with the signing of Jamal Crawford. However, after passing on Chris Paul CP3, letting Marvin go would be an acknowledgment to everyone that he was a wasted pick of years past and a surrender of a 23-year talent that has not fully realized his potential. The Hawks are not much closer to winning the East or a Championship (unless Crawford and Teague surprise everyone), and the conference will definitely be tougher. Even signing Joe Johnson in the future, the team is now committed to this line-up and must hope that Joe Johnson, Josh Smith, and Marvin Williams all develop their games for prime time. At this juncture in time, I would have preferred signing a Brandon Bass, a Boozer, a Millsap. Millsap is getting $32M for 4 years from Utah, and now we are giving $40M to Marvin for 5 years. Based on the team’s needs, Millsap may have been a great “dirt” guy who would have been a solution to the Hawks’ ongoing big man issue. Bibby, J. Johnson, J. Smith, Millsap, & Horford with Pachulia, Crawford, Evans, Teague off the bench. Not too shabby, and then you would have no problem letting Jamal Crawford jacking up shots. Let’s hope Marvin really puts the pressure on himself to get much better. Otherwise, not picking CP3 in the draft will continue to haunt the Hawks for the next decade.
willie
July 29th, 2009
10:47 pm
Great offseason…..now get Joe signed! He is an all-star caliber player (every year) in his prime at just 28. He needs to be priority number 1 now!
Doug
July 29th, 2009
10:52 pm
Marvin is much better than many on this site give him credit for. He has improved dramatically on the defensive end to the point that he is actually their best 1-on-1 perimeter defender. He is an excellent shooter…to the 3 pt line…has a developing post up game…is excellent from the FT line and is a great teammate. Now…he does need to get better off the dribble…he does need to be more assertive…he walks funny…has a big butt…but could EASILY be a 18-20 ppg guy if given that type of freedom and opportunity!
st simons
July 29th, 2009
11:12 pm
45-42 hahahahahahahaha!
michael
July 29th, 2009
11:12 pm
marvin needs to sign that contract…his back will give out way before the contract is up!
Native Son
July 29th, 2009
11:34 pm
Dear Hawks & Supporters
Please don’t sign Joe Smith. You talk about Marvin being a bust as a #2 pick. Joe Smith was definitely a bust as a #1 pick.
Thanks for listening.
barney strickland
July 30th, 2009
12:12 am
Hey, I thought we made the east conference finals in the 80’s against Boston……….. Marvin sucks and ain’t worth that kind of money.Easy. Bring back Kevin Willis & Antoine Carr. Both those guys only retired a couple of years back and still could play better than Randolph Morris? Kevin Willis was darn good. Anyone remember how much heart Grant Long use to play with… I wish Marvin showed the same kind of energy…..!!
A Thinking Fan
July 30th, 2009
12:17 am
Good for MW!
BarkingBulldawg
July 30th, 2009
12:34 am
Mark, please tell me when Joe Smith became a “jump shooter”.
It is becoming clearer and clearer that no one at the AJC outside of Sekou has a CLUE about NBA basketball.
niremetal
July 30th, 2009
12:51 am
BarkingBulldawg,
Your question runs on the assumption that Bradley watched NBA basketball at some this year besides during the Cavs-Hawks series. It’s an easy mistake to mistake…
Mitun
July 30th, 2009
12:52 am
Joe Smith does not count as a big man, imo. I believe we should get Siler or get someone thru a trade.
nes
July 30th, 2009
12:57 am
Just b/c MW went no.2 over paul and utah pg doesn’t mean he’s not a quality player. He has upside and 15-20 points, good defense, solid rebounding, and so on is good production. Plus Smith can’t play sm forward defensively and guard athletic 3’s on the perimeter like MW. Power forward is Smoove’s best slot. Obviously we’d like a do over for CP, but losing Marvin would be compounding the problem.
The Hawks will have improved if MW, JS, and AH don’t miss double digit games again. Crawford can play the 2 and rest JJ so he’ll be fresher. Plus 3/5 of our starters were playing hurt in the playoffs which prevented a win or two vs. CLE. We have a young nucleus whereas the 3 teams above us are getting old.
larry B
July 30th, 2009
1:01 am
Great to have him back…we need him and he’s still young and improving
Korndawg
July 30th, 2009
1:33 am
Nice solid moves Sund. 2010 will be our year. We will surpass Orlando- Vince Carter vs. Hedo, Lee, Alston…bad move Orlando. They will trade Gorat by mid season (Rockets) Sorry but you guys peaked out in the finals…nice run though. Cavs- How well will Lebron do when he has to drive around Shaq’s big ass to score everytime Orlando figured out how to beat them. and giving a ton of money to side show Varajo was a mistake as well. Boston-They will be tough…for this year only and then it’s nite-nite.
I have watched this team grow for six years. We only need to fine tune our machine and we will have a kick ass group of team players. I hope that Steve Smith has added a little of his polished game to JSmooth maybe that is what it will take for his light to turn on…and when it finally does go on watch out… QUADRAPULE/DOUBLE Yes that’s what I said
chris o bomb
July 30th, 2009
1:59 am
with the veteran bibby, all around crawford, THE STEAL OF THE DRAFT teague, i hope we can utilize our skills on offense and even push further on a fast pace ball team too! go hawks and d. wilkins for life!
Ron Roberts
July 30th, 2009
2:33 am
Anybody who thinks re-signing what we already had WEREN’T positive moves is out of their mind. Marvin’s steadily improved each season, and his not being able to play in round 2 when it mattered cost us dearly. At full strength, we had the talent to take the Cavs to a Game 6, and with that level of talent, we add Jamal Crawford.
The Cavs picking up Shaq is a gamble; O’Neal COULD be what he was last season, but more likely he COULD be the banged up also-ran he was a few seasons before last year.
The Magic have NOT improved; if anything, they’ve given us a shot to win the division and snag the 3 seed. The Heat have been waiting on this offseason’s big tease – Lamar Odom, and as long as they don’t get him, we’re still up on them, too.
What the Hawks have, though, that nobody else in the East does is a TALENTED AND YOUNG CORE – and now we’ve locked ‘em up for a few more years. They’ll continue to improve, whether we keep Joe Johnson or not. Josh Smith was pretty darn good, and should be SPECIAL next year and beyond; Al Horford’s game is at an elite level, and Joe Johnson has been the engine that runs us. Now, he’s not going to be depended upon so much to be the team’s catalyst, and I think that’s a positive step.
The future is VERY bright in Atlanta.
Tbones
July 30th, 2009
3:32 am
Let me address Orlando first, for the people who can’t see they got considerably better. First, Alston was a stop-gap for Nelson because he was injured. Alston was not going to accept coming off the bench for less minutes behind Nelson. Alston had to go, and Nelson is a better PG anyway. Second, they didn’t just add Vince Carter, but Brandon Bass, Matt Barnes,and Ryan Anderson. There additions made them so versatile and better. They have bulk and power with Howard, Gortat, and Bass. They have a closer in Vince Carter, good defenders and shooters in Barnes and Pietris, and long guys who can shoot in Lewis and Anderson. These guys are loaded, and will be a mathup nightmare for a lot of teams, and can pretty much play any style with their team. To addrees the Marvin Williams signing, I don’t like it. I never understood why they drafted Williams, when at best he would be about equal to the guy they had at the time which was Al Harrington. Williams is still not better than Harrington. I thought they should have package Williams and try to get Chris Kaman from the Clippers. As for the Hawks, it seems like they are trying to stay competitve, but that’s it. All they did was upgradde from Flip Murray to Jamal Crawford. Cleveland, Orlando, and Boston who were better than ATL already got better with their additions, Washington gets Arenas and Haywood back from injuries so they will be a playoff team now, Toronto added Hedo and Jarrret Jack so they will be better, as well. We will make the playoffs, but we do not have a team for a championship and reluctant to make the necessary BIG moves to do so.
tbhawksfan
July 30th, 2009
4:00 am
For the moment, all Sund has done is to bring in Crawford in a very nice trade for us. He’s done 0 to upgrade our two biggest problems; C and PG. Bringing back the same is status quo. Do some of you guys think we would lose Bibby, Zaza and MW without replaceing them?
To have a team quite close to contending and not be willing to spend an extra million or two is flawed strategy.
One more quality BIG puts us in contention.
Niremental
July 30th, 2009
6:54 am
Is is possible for NIREMENTAL to get off Bradleys jock
truth-serum
July 30th, 2009
6:57 am
The belief here was that the Hawks would consider this summer a success if they re-upped two of the four free agents and a windfall if they could keep three. They’re close to doing that now, and this city is that much closer to having a NBA team that we can view as a team capable of reaching the Eastern Conference finals, something the Hawks have never done.
I dont know why they let you guys out of a cage! You cant win with out a center. Your brainless strategy is why the Hawks have never nor will never get to the final. Before the Shaq and Olajuwan era, 22 out of 23 MVPs were centers. You cant win with out one. The Hawks will make the playoffs then watch the serious contenders(they have a center) compete for the finals.
Mo dumb Bradley, I cant change your or your redneck bubba crew stupidity.
hard to figure out
July 30th, 2009
8:22 am
How is Sund doing such a terrific job?? Besieds Crawford, he is basically resigning players Billy Knight signed or traded for. But everyone in the city called Knight an idiot. What gives?? Sund must be an idiot also, if he is resigning all of Billy’s players. We are still a 4-6 seed in the east, with no inside muscle, but I do like Marvin. If Woodson doesn’t learn to put Josh Smith in his place, we will never be any better.
All World
July 30th, 2009
8:39 am
I’d rather have Joe Smith and Flip, rather than Joe and two big men that are nothing but BIG. when Hawks needed Flip to come through last year, he did. Flip may be best defensive guard Hawks have compared to Bibby, Teague and Crawford.
Bleu_Bayou42
July 30th, 2009
8:41 am
Don’t give up on Flip. We need to get him signed too. He is excellent change of pace guy and scored a boat load points off the bench. He was a much larger part of the Hawks success last year than most people realize.
All I'm Saying Is...
July 30th, 2009
8:42 am
hard to figure out: You nailed, brother. All of sudden, everybody loves Rick for keeping players Billy Knight drafted — but Billy, oh man, he needed to go and he gets no credit only blame for taking Marvin and not Chris Paul or Deron Williams. My belief is that Billy was lousy at public relations and terrible at explaining himself to the press. Rick is the master of the chit chat whether its sports radio or the AJ/C guys.
Speaking of AJ/C guys, why is Marc Spears of Yahoo! Sports breaking this story and not Sekou Smith or Mark Bradley or Jeff Schultz? I mean we are talking about the ATLANTA Hawks. Isn’t Yahoo based in California? Bradley, you have only been in this town 25 years. Are your contacts that weak? Sekou can at least say he’s only been the beat reporter for the Hawks the past, what, five or so years? I mean, do you guys ever ask yourself why the AJ/C is so irrelevant for most Atlantans because its things like this that make it clear.
Mark Bradley
July 30th, 2009
8:50 am
Show me the big man out there who would instantly upgrade the Hawks and is available and then — but only then — will I fault this team for not acquiring one.
Oh, and I guess I messed up: Joe Smith is a back-to-the-basket player on the order of Shaquille O’Neal and Wilt Chamberlain. (Come on, guys. He’s a power forward. He’s 6-10, 225. He’s the same thing you rip Al Horford for being. Only Horford is stronger and younger.)
All I'm Saying Is...
July 30th, 2009
8:50 am
If Rick signs Siler for his bulk, Joe Smith for his experience and game, and figures out a way to keep Flip, then I’ll be impressed. Doing all three will enable us to compete for an Eastern Conference Finals birth.
All I'm Saying Is...
July 30th, 2009
8:55 am
Bradley: I have hree big men for you:
1) Tyson Chandler was, apparently, available and was what we needed at Center.
2) Theo Ratcliff [sp] was, apparently, available and was what we needed at Center.
3) Even signing Nestorvic [sp] with Indiana would be an upgrade.
Rick Sund could have done a deal for either of the above but he didn’t so he get’s no credit from me. What he is left with due to not making a move is signing Siler and Joe Smith.
Think about it.....
July 30th, 2009
9:20 am
I like Marvin, but not the best move for the Hawks. We need a POWER guy like Bozier that would instantly upgrade the Hawks.
Harry Mitchell
July 30th, 2009
9:24 am
Please let joe johnson go.
I MUS WRITE
July 30th, 2009
9:34 am
Dan… Dont forget orlando picked up Brandon Bass,Ryan Anderson(good young shooter)Resigned Gortat,and picked up Matt Barnes to go along with VC….So yeah they will be better IMO.
Good to have Marvn back in the fold….Who else do we have to man the SF position-absolutely nobody so this was important for our team-MO EVANS is not a SF…….
Bring in Ryan Hollins- and lets go to work
BRAD
July 30th, 2009
10:16 am
Chandler has had injury issues. Hornets tried to trade him to Thunder, but he didnt pass the physical.
» Rewrite-Reprint (7/30)
July 30th, 2009
10:18 am
[...] Kenny Britt isn’t a holdout … Ravens sign Michael Oher … Hawks, Marvin Williams close to 5-year, $40m deal … Matt Garza admits he plunked Mark Teixeira … Surprise, surprise: USC football [...]
STRETCH
July 30th, 2009
10:20 am
Anybody know if they even concidered Carlos Boozer?
STRETCH
July 30th, 2009
10:26 am
Uh, that should have been CONSIDERED Carlos Boozer!
HGN
July 30th, 2009
10:28 am
Joe Smith is a power forward, at best. More like a small forward. But not the Big Man the Hawks are looking for. If the Hawks keep Siler , just for the size, and he can get some experince over the season, that will help us in the playoffs. Keeping Za Za was huge.
Keeping Marvin will be good, though he needs to improve defensively. And I liked what Flip Murray added, but he will not get any PT with Jamal Crawford, JJ, and Bibby on the roster, and will be too expensive to keep otherwise. But if we can find a way to do it, GREAT.
Shawks
July 30th, 2009
10:56 am
Chandler is owed $12M this year. We could not have had him on the team without getting rid of some of our key players in the trade. Boozer also has about $12M coming to him and would have to be traded for. Both are injury prone and have played an average of about 60 games per year. We would have been ripping the GM next year at this time for those crippling would be trades.
Also, I do think it is a success to keep our core intact. If we had not signed Bibby, Zaza and Williams, what other players were out there for us to replace them at a relatively similar price? And we would have destroyed the chemistry of the team. I agree that we need another big man, but baby steps. 3 years ago we would have died to be talking about a team that could potentially win 50 games.
Turd Ferguson
July 30th, 2009
11:17 am
Hawks are yet another toilet-crap team like the Braves, Falcons and that STUPID WNBA loser team.
cdog
July 30th, 2009
11:26 am
mark, jermaine o’neal and joe smith will upgrade the hawks. although o’neal has had injury problems in the past, being with this cast will motivate him to play. what do you think?
All I'm Saying Is...
July 30th, 2009
11:38 am
BRAD: Wake up and smell the coffee because the Bobcats (coached by Larry Brown who knows a thing or two about players) just traded Emeka for Tyson. Guess their doctor’s were satisfied with Chandler’s health and I guess their salary cap-ologists are smarter than the Hawks. So I disagree: The Hawks could have obtained Tyson if they wanted to and had the pieces — starting with Marvin — to make it work.
It’s called knowing what your team needs and going out and getting it. Apparently, Sund et. al. have drunk the ‘Al Horford is a Center’ kool-aid despite the rest of the bigs among the eight teams making the semis in the East and West (Dwight Howard, Ilgauskas now Shaq, Powe/Big Baby in East and Nene, Bynum, Yao Ming, and Erick Dampier ) all being bigger and stronger than Al.
All I'm Saying Is...
July 30th, 2009
11:43 am
And Theo Ratcliff [sp] was an UFA and just the defensive specialist we needed. I wonder if we even talked to him or his representatives.
And here’s a Top 5 list the Hawks did not want to make. Note that even this guy faults us for the logic of playing Al at Center.
http://www.nba.com/2009/news/features/john_schuhmann/07/29/072909schumann.fiveteams/index.html
Don’t get me wrong: I love Al Horford — as a PF not C.
earldaddy
July 30th, 2009
11:49 am
Face it. Flip terrorized other teams’ guards off the bench. And he plays decent defense. He NEEDS to be resigned to back up Bibby. Crawford backs up Joe, although he has the handle to play some point. Teague plays the Acie Law role (maybe better, maybe not). We really need Flip back.
And we wiffed on a player like Brandon Bass. We need a strong guy like that off the bench to back up Smoove. Unfortunate.
earldaddy
July 30th, 2009
11:50 am
By the way. there ARE no big centers out there (available) who can play D and rebound. None.
slim
July 30th, 2009
11:50 am
as far as orlando goes, they still have a bum coach, he never makes good decisions under pressure, orlando would be good but great and that’s because of the coach, however it’s going to very interesting to see how vince plays with a big man. The Hawks in my opinion are better b/c you have the same core of guys growing together, it doesn’t get any better than that. They should be better b/c they’ve grown together for the last few yrs, and anyone dogging Marvin is super crazy, what are you watching black and white television. The guy clearly has skills and is getting better each year, he could easily be the second scoring option.
All I'm Saying Is...
July 30th, 2009
12:02 pm
Shawks: Baby steps don’t get you to the NBA Finals or get you back there. Look at what other teams did: the GM in Orlando, Otis Smith, is bold and did not rest on his laurels or keeps his team intact despite many reasons to have done so including making it to the Finals. Cleveland’s Danny Ferry didn’t remain content with having the best regular season record and took a big chance with signing Shaq. L.A. despite winning it all took on the Artest risk and let Ariza walk. Boston said yes to Rasheed. Even Detroit made a splash in signing Villaneuva and Gordon.
And the Hawks? Our philosophy is that we would have defeated Cleveland if Joe, Marvin, and Al were healthy and all we needed was to keep our pieces and add a point guard in the draft to go with the veteran Crawford. Looks like we’re prepared to let Flip walk. That approach would be a good one if all the other teams in the East had kept their rosters the same but they didn’t—even lowly Charlotte made a move by unloading Emeka for Tyson so they could man-up in the Center position.
As I typed, Hawks could have pushed to sign Theo Ratliff or even Nestorvic to add a legit center to our roster and neither would have disrupted our ‘chemistry’ or budget. And we could have added Joe Smith too, I think.
As we stand, we have to add Joe Smith AND, in my opinion, keep Flip and play to our new found strength which would be at the guard positions to try and counter the strength down low that the other teams in the East now have with Shaq at Cleveland, Howard at Orlando, Powe/Big Baby/Sheed in Boston, and even Tyson with Charlotte.
earldaddy
July 30th, 2009
12:06 pm
To: All I’m saying is…
Horford will be ok if he continues to get stronger. Al has the game of a center with better ball handling. He needs to work on his post up moves, but he really is an undersized center, not a 4. You can’t go by height. Remember Wes Unseld? 6 foot 7 but freakishly strong. If Al can bulk up some, like say 20-25 pounds over the next year or so, he could be like a Ben Wallace with an offensive game. Maybe just as dominant defensively.
Mark Bradley
July 30th, 2009
12:08 pm
Theo Ratliff has nothing left. Tyson Chandler wouldn’t be an upgrade on Al Horford. And Nesterovic? Really?
And here’s the other part of Horford-as-PF nobody ever discusses: If he moves, where does Josh Smith play? Small forward? You want Josh farther from the basket, do you?
earldaddy
July 30th, 2009
12:08 pm
….and nobody is gonna match up with Shaq and Howard
All I'm Saying Is...
July 30th, 2009
12:14 pm
Theo Ratliff has nothing left. Apparently the Spurs think otherwise and since their G.M. and Coach have 4 rings, I will go with their opinion over yours, Bradley.
Tyson Chandler would not be an upgrade over Al? Larry Brown has an NCAA Championship and an NBA Championship (as well as getting three teams to the NBA Finals) so I will take his opinion over yours, Bradley.
And apparently Indiana is set to resign Nesterovic so apparently Larry Bird et. al. think he has some skills.
All of the above would enable Al to dominate the PF. Just because Josh on paper and in your brain would be a SF doesn’t mean he would play farther from the hoop. L.A. had Bynum, Gasol, and Odom on the floor often and that worked well for them and I didn’t see Odom taking jump shots.
Bradley, you show your lack of knowledge with every pitiful response to someone who challenges you.
All I'm Saying Is...
July 30th, 2009
12:19 pm
earlydaddy: Al has to get stronger: quick, fast, and in a hurry because we have no choice thanks to Rick Sund (who Bradley appears to love). What you all appear to miss is we offered no defensive resistance to folks driving the lane in both the Miami and Cleveland series even when Al was healthy. What makes you all think things will be different in the playoffs next year? We don’t need someone to match up with Shaq and Howard as their teams obviously did not win it all. Heck, all we need at center is an Erick Dampier type or (as I mentioned) Theo Ratliff: either someone who can score a basket or two (like Damp) or with a defensive presence (Theo). And we didn’t need them to play major minutes especially if sign Siler giving us a rotation of Siler, ZaZa and, say, Ratliff.
Eric
July 30th, 2009
12:41 pm
I don’t understand why the Hawks don’t take that 2nd round pick they got from Houston and go get Marcus Camby??? Move Al and Josh to there natural positions 4 and 3. All this Joe Smith talk is killing me, he’s washed up!!!
Freshmaker
July 30th, 2009
12:54 pm
Dude you have no idea what you’re talking about. Theo Ratliff? Really? He’s slower than dirt now, and isn’t nearly the defensive presence he was 10 years ago. The “folks” you refer to were mostly LeBron and Wade. Those guys drive to the lane on any team. Even Howard couldn’t slow LeBron down in the finals. Dampier? Ugh. Get that @#$^ out of here. Bradley’s right and you’re an idiot.
Shawks
July 30th, 2009
1:09 pm
All I’m Saying: I understand that baby steps won’t get us to the Finals this year, but look at the common theme of the team that you have mentioned that got significantly better: they are all waaaaayyyyy over the luxury tax threshold. Sund probably did not have any ability to go over this as a directive from the ASG.
All of those teams are likely to implode in the next couple of years while we are better positioned for several years. I would like to see the Hawks in the Finals, but I don’t now if I am willing to mortgage the future entirely and then go through another putrid stretch of 10 years on non-playoff basketball.
Shawks
July 30th, 2009
1:18 pm
Eric: Camby is owed something like $10M and we would have to trade some players with roughly equal contract values to get him. Plus do you trade for someone and pay them $10M to play 10 – 12 minutes a night?
Eric
July 30th, 2009
1:27 pm
Shawks you don’t know what you’re talking about. Marcus Camby averaged 31 minutes per game in a starting role last year. He also added 11.1 rebounds per game and was tops in block shots as always with 2.1 per game. Might I also add that he was the DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR in 2007-2008. He would and should be the starting Center for these Atlanta Hawks.
All I'm Saying Is...
July 30th, 2009
1:48 pm
I agree with Eric. Camby would make a difference.
Freshmaker: I find it dull that you agree with Bradley. As I posted before, I give more credit to the decision making (meaning they put their money where their mouth was) of people with rings (Spurs GM and Coach who chose to sign Theo, Larry Brown who chose to trade for Tyson, etc.), than to people like you. And last time I checked, Mark Cuban (who chose to sign Dampier) and Erick Dampier have been to one more NBA Final than the Atlanta Hawks have.
And what do you mean even Howard could not slow LeBron down in the finals. Last time I checked Cleveland was lucky to win any of the games they did in the Eastern Conference Finals considering one win was due to an answered prayer from practically half court by LeBron (who did not and could not drive the lane).
Shawks: I appreciate your thoughtful reply. You may be right that the Atlanta Spirit limited what Sund could do due to the luxury tax impact. But that proves my point: if after making it to the top 8 level the Hawks want to make the next step to the elite level (top 4 teams in NBA), then bolder steps may be necessary. This season will tell us a great deal. Making the playoffs, securing a #4 seed, and winning a first round series is the minimum expected for 2009-2010. Getting beyond that is what I’m focused on in advocated a more powerful presence at the center position and pointing out steps and moves not made to make that leap.
Mike
July 30th, 2009
1:49 pm
Exactly guys…we do not need Theo…1999 yes but not 2009. And Lamar Odom does shoot 3’s. We do not want Josh anywhere near the 3 point line. I think him shooting only inside the paint could get us a few extra wins next year. This would give Marvin more space to hit open jumpers. Lets get a veteran PF like Joe Smith and our 10 man rotation is set.
Shawks
July 30th, 2009
1:52 pm
Eric, who are you going to trade for him? For him to get 31 minutes on the Hawks, that means you are getting rid of either Horford, Smoove or Zaza (i.e. getting rid of some of our young core to replace them with an oft injured 30 something player) in addition to another player to make salaries match. You can’t move Smoove to the 3 as he will get eaten alive by other 3s and his shooting % will drop drastically.
Not saying that Camby isn’t any good. Just don’t see how it works for this year and the long haul.
Shawks
July 30th, 2009
1:54 pm
If Hawks were going to make the trade for Camby, they would have had to do it before the Crawford trade for the same spare parts we sent to the Warriors. Don’t know if even the Clips are that stupid.
All I'm Saying Is...
July 30th, 2009
1:55 pm
Furthermore, essentially what the Hawks are saying at this point in the free agency process is we will at a minimum secure a #4 seed or better, win our first round series, and challenge Boston, Cleveland and Orlando for the NBA Eastern Conference Crown by simply resigning Bibby, ZaZa, and Marvin, adding Crawford and Teague, and maybe Joe Smith and by having everyone healthy come play off time.
I for one hope they at least add the Siler kid (and play him) and play the Randolph kid especially since he is in the last year of his deal. If we at least do those two things (which is what we are stuck with at this point), then we would have some big bodies to rotate in at center giving Al some relief and the team another option besides ZaZa because the way things stand, unless we step it up and run the ball (which Al at center would allow us to do), regularly then our centers are going to have a tough time handling the other bigs in the East and we will need several of them so we can use our full complement of six fouls per person.
I also think we need to find a way to keep Flip and play to our (I think) strength at the guard positions.
All I'm Saying Is...
July 30th, 2009
2:01 pm
Mike: You are dead wrong about Odom shooting threes. Maybe he did with the Heat but not under Phil Jackson and the Lakers. Ariza was the one shooting threes consistently and doing it well. In any case, it doesn’t matter because the Hawks are committed to having Al play center regularly so let’s all hope it works.
I don’t know who typed it but comparing Al to Wes Unseld makes no sense because when Wes Unseld was playing (1970s), there were very few 7′ centers that he had to deal with regularly or even in the playoffs. So Washington could make it work because mis-matches were few in occurrence (and despite that, they made it to the Finals twice, I think, and only won one title so it was a challenge for them.)
Eric
July 30th, 2009
2:02 pm
Shawks once again you don’t know what you’re talking about. Josh is a natural 3, he started his first 2 seasons at 3. Al Harrington was the starter at 4 and Marvin came off the bench until Al was traded. Basketball experts have already mentioned that the Clippers are willing to let Camby go for cheap to make room for the kid they drafted number 1, they’ll take that 2nd round pick the Hawks are holding. Like I said before move Al to 4, Josh to 3, and Marcus Camby is your big you were looking for.
All I'm Saying Is...
July 30th, 2009
2:15 pm
Everyone on this blog needs to stop focusing on who is playing the 3 or the 4, okay. The NBA is about match-ups and if your coach is worth a darn (open question for the Hawks), then they will make moves and put players on the floor irrespective of the so-called who is a PF or SF nonsense.
L.A. played Bynum and Gasol on the floor together, okay? They didn’t get caught up in the nonsense of they are both centers so I can’t put them on the floor together. Why do I type this? Because, just for kicks, let’s say the Hawks finessed a way to get Camby without giving up their core. Then we could easily have Camby, Horford, and Josh Smith out there with JJ and Crawford at point. The coach would simply tell Josh’s stubborn self that his game has not changed one bit, play athletic defense, and do not take any threes. Many scenarios on offense could play out: Camby could stay out high and let Josh and Al have the right and left posts (or whatever side they wanted) or Camby could focus on one side of the lane and then have Josh and Al play the pick and roll on the other side of the lane. In other words, the coaching staff could easily make it work (I mean, that’s their job, okay?)
Eric
July 30th, 2009
2:26 pm
If they add Camby, you would argubly have the two best shot blockers in the game on one team. Josh and Camby finished 1st and 2nd in block shots in 07 and 08, and Al ain’t bad at blocking shots either.
chaz
July 30th, 2009
2:28 pm
if we could get camby, i would start josh and camby and bring horford and zaza off the bench. we would start two of the league’s best shot-blockers at 4 and 5, and horford and zaza would be the best backup big man tandem in the league. also horford’s offensive game would likely develop faster and better as a backup PF, as he would get a lot more scoring opportunities and he would be going against a lot of backups.
same goes for marvin – coming off the bench would be the best thing for his offensive development, being the 2nd unit’s primary scoring option and being guarded by backups. someday he might develop into being more than just a spot-up jump shooter when jj gets doubled. also jj and crawford in the starting unit would be more explosive and harder for most opposing teams to defend than jj and marvin.
The Truth
July 30th, 2009
2:55 pm
This pipe dream about us acquiring Camby is nonsense; it’s not going to happen. The Clippers are not in the luxury tax @ 53.5M including the Blake signing and they have a good center rotation with Camby, Kaman and Jordon. They are making the budget work because they got Al Thornton on the cheap for 2 more years plus 1 qualifying offer year.
Officer Dangle
July 30th, 2009
3:00 pm
What a shock that the AJC and their Hawks beat writer, Suckou, get scooped again on a Hawks story by a national news outlet. YahooSports has more Hawks insight than Suckou. Same thing happened last summer on the Josh Childress-is-going-to-Greece story. Suckou puts the “beat” in beat writer.
Mike
July 30th, 2009
3:13 pm
Actually Lamar shot over 100 3’s this past season. But I think we all agree that if we are forcing Al to play center and Josh play PF then he needs to stay around the paint and not shoot jumpers. Its the only way we can be successful. Josh takes up too much space around the perimeter…he needs to use his athleticism to get offensive boards and put backs and let Joe, Bibby, Marvin and Jamal jack up 3’s.
Spud Webb
July 30th, 2009
3:39 pm
A LOT of money for a bit player. But hey, I guess by NOT signing him it would acknowledge that we F’ed up by drafting Marvin. Good for him I guess.
I would love to see this Siler kid bang out on the floor next year. But along with Solo, Hunter and Morris, that would require woody to play them and HELP DEVELOP THEM. ahhaahaha, classic, even the most diehard woody supporter would have to admit that woody doesnt develop players. HE will whistle, call for a clearout for JJ and then consider himself a good coach!! Sorry, I know, same old story but I’m ready for woody to be gone and Avery to be here. Thats the ONLY way this team improves, no matter who we sign!
Someone else blogged it, I would’ve LOVED TO HAVE tyson chandler here, I love that guy, selfless, plays hard and would allow J.Smith to just worry about scoring. All my opinion of course!
All I'm Saying Is...
July 30th, 2009
4:04 pm
Mike: Derek Fisher shot 300 3s and made 120; Sasha Vujacic shot 223 3s and made 81; Ariza shot 191 3s and made 61; and Odom shot 103 and made 33. So you are right that he shot over 100 3s but that’s barely more than one per game in an 82 game season so not sure that’s a lot or that it matters as it only came up if by some crazy happening the Hawks obtained a legit big man to play center moving Al to PF and JS to SF with some people thinking that automatically means JSmoove would play further from the basket and my point in response was that Gasol, Bynum, and Odom were on the floor together and that did not turn Odom into a jump shooter and I stand by that.
In any case, Sekou says (in a story he first reported or tweeted) that Solo is headed to Indiana so we can cross him off the Hawks roster which only further means that we need to sign Siler and play him and Morris more often. Sign Joe Smith too given where we are now as he will provide some quality minutes in the rotation.
I said it before and I’ll type it again, we should have figured out a way to make the trade for Tyson Chandler or sign Theo. Since those ships have sailed, we now need to sign Siler to be a big developing body in the middle and commit to playing Randolph as Al/ZaZa cannot handle the middle by themselves unless we commit to running the ball and trying to outsprint all the other elite bigs in the East (with the exception of Howard).
All I'm Saying Is...
July 30th, 2009
4:07 pm
By the way, no one is suggesting that we can easily get Camby. The idea was to look into it given our need for frontline bodies. I don’t think LAC are looking to move him anyway, as someone else mentioned.
One thing for sure, however, is that time is running out to do anything and most of the key players are gone.
With Marvin signed and Solo leaving, what now Rick Sund?
ILL-logical
July 30th, 2009
4:30 pm
After checking out his bio, Ryan Hollins could be a poor man’s Marcus Camby for the Hawks.He is an excellent athlete,he high jumped and long jumped at UCLA, and he has a reliable 15 footer according to the bio. He could be a solid 15-20 minute guy and he is only 24 and is a 7 footer, with the right development…. . However, it would have to be in the post Woodson era.
Hawksgirl
July 30th, 2009
4:52 pm
Okay……..If flip is signed how are teague and flip gonna have efficient minutes? Problem # 1. If we sign camby we have to bench someone, problem #2(smoove and horford wont like coming off the bench so im guessing marvin), and how can we be sure that randolph is ready for this action? I mean yea we seen him in the camp but you really never know. So someone will be doubling minutes like last year(bad idea again).
Im thinking we need garret siler and just work him in. I know al isnt a natural center but to find a really good one we would have to give up half of our bench which isnt negotiable.
Hawksgirl
July 30th, 2009
4:54 pm
And we all know how woody is so if flip stays we wouldnt want teague to be another acie law
drewscrilla
July 30th, 2009
5:20 pm
Tyson Chandler Sucks
Make It Better
July 30th, 2009
6:06 pm
All I’m Saying Is… take a break already! What would you trade for Camby? What would you have proposed we trade for Chandler? …and don’t give me the generic mamby pamby oft repeated “Morris, Evans, & a 2nd round pick”.
Camby: I am not looking to rip apart a team that is “finally” being built for the now-future to temporarily shore up the interior defense. No disrespect to Camby, but he is 35 years old and will not be getting better in the next couple of years; 5-years ago this would have been interesting (too bad we didn’t benefit from the Nuggets’ dump), but today I wouldn’t give up any of my top 7 or future 1st rounders. (Now, if the Clippers are looking to give him away, then that’s another story, and that’s all I’m saying on that.)
Chandler: I would have been interested in him too, but what big would you have swapped to the Hornets? (LOL if you say Anderson, Morris and a 2.) The Hornets wanted big for big; as I’m sure you recall their failed trade last year with the Thunder would have delivered Wilcox and Smith (yes, Joe). They got Okafor as starting center; were you looking to give up Horford….? Please – elaborate – what would you have done GM All I’m Saying Is…? I’m longing to hear something brilliant!
Make It Better
July 30th, 2009
6:25 pm
All I’m Saying Is… I didn’t intend my comments as a personal attack; my apologies for that… I’m just getting tired of negative comments without logical proposals, especially when we’re experiencing our first positive summer of this century. This team is getting better, will continue to improve, and is in need of another solid big man. No doubt, inspite of the improvement the big man situation needs to be addressed as it limits our ceiling.
BTW, Wes Unseld, all 6-6 or 6-7 of him was a 245 beast; he routinely out-hustled and out-played centers 3-4 inches taller.
BrittishAnger
July 30th, 2009
6:26 pm
Hey Mark, who have I been clamoring for since it became horrible obvious we weren’t going to draft BJ Mullens with the 19th pick? Garret Siler, who is as close to a real center the Hawks are going to find this season at a bargain rate, and while it was obvious Mullens was going to need a season or two to adjust, and the salary for that growth quotient would be impossible to defend short of an amazing break-out season (i.e. top three in ROY voting), Siler provides that sort of option at a lesser cost with a greater upside in terms of his abillity to bang inside right off the bat plus he’s got size that needs minor refining to make him a troublemaker in the paint. At this point I’d be happy to hear that ASG were seeking out Free Agents from Brazil or even Italy or Greece who would be willing to take that Solo-styled role and run with it, rather than somebody who might get overpaid to do the same thing. Besides which, if all this talk about trying to resign Joe next summer or extend Al’s contract as well, picking up a budget project player who provides the same characteristics we’re looking for in a back-up big will also provide the financial freedom to resign both of those guys without a ton of hassle (Al will have a bigger contract, and Joe a smaller one….it’s my prediction, roll wit’ it). I’m not impressed with the idea of bringing in Joe Smith for any reason except stealing some of Cleveland’s plays in response and giving us a minor mental edge on that level. Also, if we’re serious about creating some freedom to do this next summer, rescind ‘Rio’s Q/O, use half of it to sign Siler for the next two years guaranteed with a Team Option on the third, and let’s continue to be one of the youngest teams on the block. Boo-yah….Praise Cyborg…and Praise “Bob”…..
Deep
July 30th, 2009
7:12 pm
Every one keeps downing Woody for not”developing players” but the fact of the matter is you can’t develop a piece of crap into gold. I know everyone wants to dream that AC Law, Solo, Morris, Salaim, etc. are all Lebron, Howard, Kobe caliber players or even second rate players but they’re not. They can barely stay in the NBA and Woody has nothing to do with that. I’m not saying he’s a great coach, but at least he recognizes when someone sucks. Everyone keeps yelling about we’re not good enough but then they want Solo and AC Law in there??? WHAT? Everyone gets mad at Bobby Cox because that’s exactly what he does do (Francour, Kelly Johnson, Etc.) Look he’s let Josh, Marvin, Chills, and Horford play because they don’t suck. And Teague will play too because he’s a baller. So lets wait and see before we go down this road again.
Deep
July 30th, 2009
7:44 pm
I know someone will bring up Diaw, but we used him to get Joe and anyone that can complain about that is crazy. Johnson changed this organization. If you’re going to down Woody make real points. Make it about coaching mistakes not that he won’t play crappy players more.
Time
July 30th, 2009
7:54 pm
Great, great news they are close to a deal with Marvin. Who in my mind, is the most talented player on the team. I expect to see him continue to grow into his game.
Now pick up Joe Smith and hopefully get Flip back on the cheap and this team will be set. Yes, they will have made no major big name additions while the other teams have. But, this is a young core of players, still getting better each year. No reason to think the young core (Smith/Williams/Horford) won’t continue to develop and get better.
Great time to be a Atlanta fan. The Hawks are up and coming loaded with young talent. The Falcons are poised to have a few championship runs the next few years. And even the Braves seem to have reloaded the vaunted pitching staff and sit in nice position to make a run at the wildcard. If they do add a bat before the deadline, then watch out.
Ken
July 30th, 2009
9:05 pm
Tyson Chandler, Theo Ratliff, Rado Nesterovic, all legit centers who could help us, but none of which is going to get us a championship, eastern finals birth, or whatever BS is being said. Look, I’m as big a hawks fan as anyone on here, but the hawks are not championship contenders, even if they do sign Joe Smith or whoever. They will be competitive, maybe go to 5,6 games in the second round. If they make it beyond that I’d be thrilled, but it would be a miracle. This summer wasn’t about gearing up for a championship, their weren’t any players out there that could take us to that level. This was about not falling back in to mediocrity and irrelevancy(is that a word), which everyone seems to have forgotten have plagued us for the past few decades. Hawks are making the correct moves for the long-term benefit of the organization.
Ken
July 30th, 2009
9:11 pm
By the way, Al Horford does not get enough love. Sure he is out of position and could do more at power forward, but even as a center he gets it done. He has modist numbers, but he is the one the does the little things that go unnoticed. He has a very high basketball IQ and is a winner, which is why he never leaves us wanting more. For all those wackjobs talking about trading him, be happy to have him. He’s the best big man this franchise has seen since…. Mutombo, Koncack, Danny Manning, yeah you get the point.
All I'm saying is.....
July 30th, 2009
9:45 pm
…. I think I’m smarter than the Hawks GM and I have a major hard-on for Mark Bradley because he got the job as columnist, and I did not…..
Truth be told....
July 30th, 2009
9:46 pm
…..I don’t know squat and can’t accept the fact that Al Horford is a center….
As it stands.....
July 30th, 2009
9:47 pm
……I want Smoove traded because he doesn’t fit my idea of basketball…..
For what it's worth.....
July 30th, 2009
9:48 pm
……I should shut the heck up and go elsewhere…..
Needless to say.....
July 30th, 2009
9:51 pm
…….my scenarrios and ideas are better than anybody else’s so I should be blogging all by myself…
All I'm saying is....
July 30th, 2009
9:52 pm
blue hawk
July 30th, 2009
10:05 pm
ken, how ’bout kevin willis or dikembe?
anyway, i think we overpaid marvin. dumars just paid charlie villanueva 35mil for the same length, 5 yrs and the guy is taller, and averaged better numbers in lesser minutes.
man, marvin better deliver. like what i keep saying, i’d like to see him play his size. he’s got a 9 foot standing reach plus great hops but he plays small. i hope he’s not too dumb to use his size to his advantage.
cdog
July 30th, 2009
10:42 pm
HERE’S SOME BIG MEN TO CONSIDER ALONG WITH JOE SMITH. JERMAINE O’NEAL, MARCUS CAMBY, EDDIE CURRY AND RYAN HOLLINS. TWO OR THREE WOULD BE A BIG HELP.REMEMBER THE JOB BEN WALLACE DID ON SHAQ DURING THE CHAMPIONSHIP YEARS WITH DETROIT? HE SHOULD BE THROWN IN THE MIX ALSO.SIGNING TWO OF THESE ALONE WITH SILLER WOULD DEFINITELY GIVE US SOMETHING TO LOOK FOR THIS SEASON
blue hawk
July 30th, 2009
10:48 pm
can i mak a suggestion? can we trade Marvin for Michael Beasley?
Ben
July 31st, 2009
9:07 am
blue hawk-
Marvin is a pretty good defender, while Charlie V. plays very little D.
Marvin is a better player than Charlie V. and has MUCH more upside. We have seen Charlie V’s ceiling and we better not have seen Marvin’s. He added the 3 ball last year. I hope he drives to the hole more this year and gets more free throws.
Hawksgirl
July 31st, 2009
10:25 am
Just keep the damn team as is…………………..Unless we get siler and resign flip. Other than thast we cant afford to ship the whole bench for one center
Spud Webb
July 31st, 2009
11:24 am
Deep, I can kind of see your point. That said, Woody doesn’t develop folks. You can’t tell me AC didn’t/doesn’t have talent, Solo has talent, Salem has talent. I’m not asking him to make them into Lebron. I’m asking him to take a talented player with specific strengths and USE them. Solo can defend and block shots, salem could shoot 3’s, AC could’ve & i’m sure will be a decent player in the NBA. My point is this, USE your bench, don’t wear this team down. Woody should be able mix and match a decent combination of players at certain times, he doesn’t. I’ll be the first to say I don’t like the way Woody coaches. I want Avery Johnson, so I am biased. I hope that Teague turns into a player!
lexluther
July 31st, 2009
1:40 pm
I really believe that keeping the core of this team together was a major improvement from previous seasons. But if we don’t add a quality big man than I believe we’ll be treading the same water as before. (Considering last year, that may be a good thing). Good Centers are hard to find, like 4 leaf clovers but there are some out there. Marvin will be an all star this year!! MARK MY WORDS!
lexluther
July 31st, 2009
1:47 pm
Webb, I agree.
Woody is not a good coach. He hasn’t use guys properly. Guys get paid handsomely to sit on the bench for the hawks. WHY??? Man the only way you get better in this league is by playing. Not in practice. Put the guys on the floor. Acie will become another Jason Terry for some team. If he don’t utilize the bench properly we should all picket for his dismissal. (Damit, Demand it)!!!
bluffton
July 31st, 2009
1:58 pm
Marvin is a nice piece, yes he is. But the Hawks will never go deep in the playoffs until they put a monster rebounder inside to protect the paint. Mr Sund – go get a couple of grown men, or teach Randolph a new attitude!
Duval Hawks Fan
July 31st, 2009
2:31 pm
has it really come to Ryan Hollins or Rasho Nesterovic(in Stephen A Smith voice)?
Deep
July 31st, 2009
4:59 pm
Spud- Yeah I know what you’re saying, Joe and Marvin got worn out last year. I wonder how much of that was coaching choices by Woody or the lack of confidence he had in his bench players. That’s why I said lets see what happens this year with Teague, Hunter, and Siler. We’ve all heard that Teague can play so lets see if he has a chance to. Hopefully we add Joe Smith and Woody has the confidence to play him. I will admit Josh Smith seems to be out of position a lot, but maybe that’s what he fights with Woody about.. I just don’t know. All I’m saying is that if we continue to improve our record again this year, then what can we really say. I know we won’t be satisfied unless we win it all, but only the Lakers did that last year and they aren’t going anywhere. i would like to compete but we need our players to step up and be clutch to do that. We have to win on the road. So lets see if Woody can adapt and use his bench more with better players. ALSO, BRING BACK FLIP! FIND TIME TO PLAY HIM AT SF, SG, or PG!
Deep
July 31st, 2009
5:04 pm
One more thing….. if Woody fails to adjust and improve then yeah, he’s gotta go. I also like Avery Johnson too but I’m willing to give Woody another chance to see if this bench thing improves. Hopefully Crawford, Teague (someone who Woody seems to like), and Joe Smith will help.
Deep
July 31st, 2009
5:07 pm
HEY BRADLEY OR SEKOU…… HEARD ANYMORE ON JOE SMITH???
Deep
July 31st, 2009
5:45 pm
MY POINT-
Milwaukee Bucks waive Salim Stoudamire
July 31, 2009 · Filed Under Atlanta Hawks, Milwaukee Bucks, News
The Milwaukee Bucks have requested waivers on guard Salim Stoudamire, General Manager John Hammond announced today.
Stoudamire, 26, was signed as a free agent on April 3, but did not appear in a game with Milwaukee. He appeared in 157 games with Atlanta from 2005-08 with career averages of 8.0 points, 1.4 rebounds and 1.0 assist. Stoudamire was selected by the Hawks with the 31st pick in the 2005 NBA Draft.
testing
July 31st, 2009
8:46 pm
mr huff
August 1st, 2009
9:27 pm
sign flip, siler, solo, and another big and you good
Mystikal
August 1st, 2009
9:31 pm
Wow, wonder what happened that people finally took a break from the blogging. Guess everyone is breathing sigh of relief now that Marv has resigned.
Ken Strickland
August 1st, 2009
11:56 pm
Reading some of the opinions about the signing of MWilliams reveals a lot about the overall basketball IQ of some of our fans. Personally, I think it was not only a good signing, but a critical one. First, he’s developed into a solid and versatile defender, one of our best. Secondly, he’s become one of our most versatile OFF players. He drives to the basket and draws fouls as well as anyone, certianly better than MBibby, our PG. He’s also one of our better outside shooters, including 3pt range, and he’s a good rebounder for a SF. HOW MANY OTHER HAWKS, BESIDES JJOHNSON, CAN MATCH HIS OVERALL DEF AND OFF VERSATILITY? AND SOME OF YOU WANT TO GET RID OF A PLAYER LIKE THIS.
Some of you don’t like him because he won’t add to the selfishness that was too often displayed by JJ, Bibby and Flip, Who’s ball hogging far too often shut down ball movement and stiffled the OFF flow. IF YOU WANT MORE OFF OUT OF MARVIN, TELL WOODSON TO ADD AND/OR CALL MORE PLAYS FOR HIM. BUT DON’T BE STUPID ENOUGH TO EXPECT HIM TO BE MORE AGGRESSIVE AND ADD TO THE ISO JOE AND BIBBY SHOW.
cdog
August 2nd, 2009
7:02 pm
CAN WE HAVE FRANK WREN AS OUR GM FOR THE HAWKS AT LEAST HE WILL TRY TO IMPROVE THE TEAM.
Mystikal
August 2nd, 2009
7:17 pm
Yeah Ken, I agree Marv deserves more credit than he gets. Kind of ironic how people love Smoove cause he’s the highlight guy and puts up good numbers even though his talent level suggests he could do so much more if he increased his skill level. While Marvin is a better ball handler (not great, jus better than Josh), a much better shooter, and plays perimeter D as well as in the paint. Plus, Marv has a much better attitude and has put in the work to get better (even though took a while) while Smoove sometimes makes us think he is satisfied with where he is. Hopefully they both will take their games to another level this year along with Big Al and we can get an inside game to balance all our perimeter scorers.
Chip
August 2nd, 2009
8:39 pm
Absolutely a very good signing. Marvin might not be a Chris Paul or D-Will-like player yet, but he’s getting there. He seems to be developing into a Rashard Lewis type player. Already very athletic, can cut his way to the basketball, has very good shot selection, and now developing some very good 3-point range that can only get better, since Marvin is only 23. Not to mention he can give LeBron James and Paul Pierce, etc. some trouble on the defensive end, which no other Hawks player can do. And he’s been clutch a few times in his career. I hope he gets more of those opportunities in the future.
For example, not to discredit Trevor Ariza at all, but he gets a lot of hype all of a sudden because he won a championship with the Lakers, which he was a crucial part out. However, if you take him out and put Marvin in, I bet you the Lakers would’ve still won the championship. Just like Ariza knocked down big threes when given the chance, Marvin would have too.
Like Mystikal said, a lot of people automatically say Smoove is better because of his dunks and shotblocking. I like Smoove, and he makes being at Hawks games a lot of fun, but he has not shown the type of improvement that Marvin has, and if he doesn’t get his head on straight, likely won’t. None of us can fast forward 2-3 years into the future, but I bet you other fans would want Marvin on their team, depending on what role he could fulfill.
Deep
August 3rd, 2009
2:54 am
I too think signing Marvin was a good move. A- Who else was out there that we could get for this price level and talent level at the same time…. B- This team has started to mold together and chemistry is very important. Marvin knows his teammates and this system very well… C- He’s still so young. He only had a year at UNC and didn’t even get that much playing time then. A “normal\ average” ball player wouldn’t be starting for the fourth seed in the East with so little experience. I think he’ll keep improving over the next couple of years. Overall I think it was a good sign. Mike Bibby too. I think Bibby might be old and not the same Sac-town Bibby, but he is the leader and driving force on this team. Yeah Jack is younger, Sessions has some up side, blah, blah but we need a vet like Bibby to help these kids keep their head on straight and keep them in games they might otherwise fall apart in.
WHERE ARE YOU SEKOU????
Mystikal
August 3rd, 2009
1:35 pm
Timberwolves just signed Ryan Hollins to offer sheet and Cleveland made offer to Leon Powe. Hope Hawks come thru with Joe Smith cause the market is drying up quickly. From Twitter account saw Sekou is supposed to be back soon, can’t wait for the real deal!
High As The Sky...
August 4th, 2009
1:08 am
We should sign Rodney Carney as our backup big man, trade Al Horford and Josh Smith to the Jazz for Kyle Korver and CJ Miles, and trade Joe Johnson to the Kings for Kenny Thomas and Francisco Garcia.
That should make us championship contenders!