What’s the big idea? Shaq as a Hawk wouldn’t work

It’s believed the Hawks have interest in signing Shaquille O’Neal, and it’s believed he’s interested in playing here. This is, from the Hawks’ side, a terrible idea. The reasons why:

1. Shaq has almost nothing left. He’s 38. He weighs 750 pounds, give or take. Two seasons ago his team — the Phoenix Suns — didn’t make the playoffs. Last season he joined Cleveland, which promptly got worse: It declined from 66-16 in 2008-2009 to 61-21 in 2009-2010 and lost in Round 2 of the playoffs after reaching the Eastern Conference finals the year before. He averaged 12 points and 6.7 rebounds last season — approximately half his career averages.

2. At this stage of his career, Shaq isn’t as good a center as Al Horford. Yes, Shaq is bigger than Horfy. Shaq, as noted, is bigger than Stone Mountain. But bigger isn’t necessarily better. Horford averaged 14.2 points and 9.9 rebounds and made the All-Star team. Shaq has seen his last All-Star roster.

3. If they add Shaq, the Hawks would weaken themselves at THREE positions. I know a slew of folks insist Horford’s “true” position is power forward, but those folks are, and have always been, flat-out wrong. As gifted as Horford is, he would not be an All-Star at power forward. And if Horford moves to power forward, Josh Smith must play on the perimeter. And nobody in his right mind wants that. A small forward has to shoot (and make) jump shots. Do you really want to grant Smith that license? Thought not.

4. Even if he says he’s willing to take a lesser role, he’s still Shaquille O’Neal. Meaning: He’s an outsize presence with outsize cachet. A NBA man swears the Cavs underperformed because Shaq drove a wedge between coach Mike Brown and LeBron James. Let the record reflect that Brown had led the Cavs to the 2007 NBA finals and was the league’s coach of the year in 2008-2009. Let the record also reflect that Brown is out of work. Now imagine what Shaq might do to a rookie head coach, meaning Larry Drew.

5. This has Moses Malone written all over it. For late tuners-in: The Hawks won 50 games in 1987-88 and nearly upset the Boston Celtics in Round 2 of the playoffs. Desperate to go further, they traded for Reggie Theus and signed Moses Malone. They wound up winning only two more regular-season games and being eliminated by the undermanned Milwaukee Bucks in Round 1 in 1988-89, essentially ending the Hawks’ dreams of contention. And Moses, we should note, was 33 when he arrived here and much closer to his Hall of Fame prime than Shaq is today.

310 comments Add your comment

MrHughes

July 6th, 2010
1:50 pm

We really need to keep exploring the idea of getting CP3 over here in Atlanta if they want to be in title contention. We passed him up once, We don’t need to pass him up again while he is in discussion to get traded.

Timmy

July 6th, 2010
1:50 pm

Trade proposal: Ship Childress, Mo Evans and Zaza to Denver for Melo. Trade Melo for a 2nd round pick. Trade the pick for financial considerations.

Hawks Rule

July 6th, 2010
1:51 pm

With Joe Johnson and Shaq, the hawks will be hard to beat next year—look for a deep playoff run.

1Hater

July 6th, 2010
1:52 pm

Eh. It’s not a bad move. He’s a big and just as serviceable (if not moreso) than ZaZa. Plus…he’s Shaq. lol Honestly though, I wish the big guy would just retire. I hate seeing him as the complimentary pickle on the side of everyone’s Burger & Fries combo…it’s depressing.

:0(

ReddJonn68

July 6th, 2010
1:53 pm

As for the detractors who say ” The Hawks need to move faster, not slower ” Thats fine in the regular season for wins & profits, but it won’t get it done in the playoffs. The only 2 teams that had an uptempo game was OKC and Phoenix. Phoenix even played more pick n roll, the deeper they advanced. Running the ball sells season tickets, post play & making open shots wins rings.

northcyde

July 6th, 2010
1:57 pm

cdog . . . exactly ( your post at 1:31 ).

Moses wasn’t the damn problem. He was still a 20 point – 10 rebs guy in in those first 2 years in ATL. But those late 80s Hawk teams lost their commitment to defense. The loss of Tree Rollins took away a defensive presence in the middle that was never replaced. Moses was ALWAYS known as an offensive center. And he did his job well in those first 2 years.

But we were not a tough enough team defensively to win games in that fashion ( much like what you see out of the current Hawks ). The Milwaukee team that year, was one of the best defensive teams in the league. And they took it to us and ended up pulling of the upset, although it was only a mild upset.

And it didn’t help us one bit that Kevin Willis missed the entire 88 – 89 season that Bradley refers to, because of injury.

Chef Mentuer

July 6th, 2010
2:03 pm

Who cares what you do with SOOOOOOOOOOOOVE. JJ is gonna take all the shots anyway. LETS GO ISO JOE!

bill

July 6th, 2010
2:05 pm

What’s the worry? JJ is going to bring the FAs to the ATL…uh???

ReddJonn68

July 6th, 2010
2:10 pm

@ northcyde Moses was never the problem. True we played some tough teams during Fratello tenure Bird in 87′ Isiah 88′ & then the Bucks. The problem is none of those talented teams ever had an identity. Can anyone tell me what the Hawks identity was under Fratello.

northcyde

July 6th, 2010
2:14 pm

2. At this stage of his career, Shaq isn’t as good a center as Al Horford.

SHAQ’S PER 36 MINUTE numbers last year

18.5 ppg
10.3 rebs
1.8 blks
2.3 asst

57% FG
50% FT ( 6.6 attempts . . made 3.3 of them )

HORFORD’S PER 36 MINUTE numbers last year

14.5 ppg
10.1 rebs
1.2 blks
2.4 asst

55% FG
79% FT ( 3.4 attempts . . made 2.7 of them )

************************

SHAQ’S DEFENSIVE PER 48 MINUTE numbers

opponents eFG%: 46.8%
opponents iFG%: 47% ( iFG = inside FG percentage . . i.e. – defense around the rim )

opponents PPG: 15.5
opponents PER: 14.2

HORFORD’S DEFENSIVE PER 48 MINUTE numbers

opponents eFG%: 50.6%
opponents iFG%: 60% ( this is the reason why people complain about Horford’s defense . . the 60% number is about as high of a number that you’ll see out of all centers for the iFG% )

opponents PPG: 16.3
opponents PER: 16.5

20-30 Per Game

July 6th, 2010
2:15 pm

as part of his max contract, Joe Johnson has likely a guarantee that he gets a kobe bryant type role in the offense and 20-30 shots per game. That will limit the need to bring in shaq, since the whole offense will basically be isos for joe j.

northcyde

July 6th, 2010
2:20 pm

Redd . . I agree. Moses wasn’t the problem. I guess you could call the Hawks a “running team”, especially with the change of pace that Spud brought into a game.

But that should be proof that running has never won a team a damn thing, unless they had a 6-9 Hall of Fame PG and a Hall of Fame C with an unstoppable hook shot ( who was still one of the best centers in the league at age 39 . . even though he wasn’t the focal point of his team anymore. )

People want the Hawks to run so bad around here. But running ( historically ) does not = championships.

Defense = championships, for the most part.

And even that team with the 6-9 Hall of Fame PG . . and the old Hall of Fame C, was a top 10 defensive team during that era, which fueled their running game.

ASHCAN.

July 6th, 2010
2:32 pm

Ok all this negative talk about what shaq cant do then why don’t the hawks and its complaining fans don’t get shaq and still lose.This team is not championship caliber with or without shaq(but a tad bit better with him)so whats all the negative fuss about adding shaq?

Peter

July 6th, 2010
2:33 pm

Mark there is little doubt the Hawks need a legit center, and turn Al back to his real position, Power Forward…….the playoffs proved that.

I agree Shaq is a waste of time and money, but hey JJ was a waste of money at the signing price, but we must still live with it…….I don’t see the Hawks getting better without getting rid of Bibby, Marvin, and getting a real center.

T.J.

July 6th, 2010
2:37 pm

I know LD is a rookie coach but didn’t he assistant coach with the Lakers when Shaq played for them way back?

Drew

July 6th, 2010
2:38 pm

I disagree. Shaq has some injuries last year so his minutes per game were down, thus so was his productivity. Compare his previous years to last year you will see he had more minutes when he had more production. Even with his numbers last year he is still better than most NBA players. Also, to argue he is too old is senseless as he was in his mid-30’s already when he won an NBA championship with the Heat merely 4 years ago. We can say no to switching Horford’s position and keeping the same formula for the Hawks and continue to settle for being second round jokes or we can ATTEMPT to change for the better. Signing O`Neal would be a smart move.

Ace

July 6th, 2010
2:48 pm

Mark

Why should the Hawks take a chance on Shaq, when they can just put the same team on the floor as last year, right? . . .

Tony Parker is getting old. Hawks should stay way the hell away from him too.

Let’s just stick with the status quo at Center and PG

Ace

July 6th, 2010
2:50 pm

Troy Glaus is washed up – what were the Braves thinking for signing him for $2 million?

Shaquille

July 6th, 2010
2:54 pm

That Mark Bradley guy was good back in the day, but I don’t think he’s got much left in the tank. The AJC should steer clear of signing that guy to a long-term contract.

gcs

July 6th, 2010
2:55 pm

Hawks should trade Joe Johnson…and Larry Drew.

.

Timmy

July 6th, 2010
2:59 pm

New trade proposal: Marvin to the Celtics or Lakers for a championship ring. Who says you can’t buy a championship?

northcyde

July 6th, 2010
2:59 pm

3. If they add Shaq, the Hawks would weaken themselves at THREE positions

With Shaq on the team, you do one of two things:

1) you ask Shaq to come off the bench, to solidify the 2nd team . . . and to play a little more minutes in games vs bigger centers.

If Shaq does this, you can essentially play him against the other team’s 2nd string center for a good chunk of the game. The bench last year, outside of Jamal Crawford, was inconsistent and bordered on being flat out horrible the entire year. If Jamal’s shot was off, the entire bench looked like garbage.

Add Shaq to the mix, along with some of the additions and re-shuffling that we could do, and your 2nd team could look like this:

PG: Bibby ( assuming that Teague is the starter )
G: Crawford
F: Evans
PF: Zaza
C: Shaq

That’s a veteran 2nd unit that you could throw at teams, that could be very effective in those minutes that you need JJ, Smoove, and Horford to rest. Shaq would instantly become our best low post scorer, and a guy who could pick up fouls on frontline people. His presence would also open up the perimeter for our shooters. You’d still have Crawford being the scoring threat, but Shaq would give the 2nd unit a legit post presence. And Zaza would still be the energy/garbage man. We’d go from having one of the worst benches in the league, to one of the best.

***********************

2) you ask Josh Smith to come off the bench, and play a Lamar Odom like role on the frontline, while still playing him major minutes.

While some may not like this, including Smoove, this would instantly balance out the team in those first few minutes of the 1st and 3rd quarters. Smoove is the guy out of position, because he’s such a hybrid player, that you really can’t play him at SF, and he doesn’t play PF tough enough at times. But add Shaq on the team, and you could essentially put a conventional, balanced lineup on the floor to start each half.

PG – Teague
G – Johnson
F – Marvin
PF – Horford
C – Shaq

With that lineup to start games, you’d have complete balance across the board, from the potential penetrating and dishing PG in Teague . . to the all-around, do it all guy in JJ . . to the hopefully good spot up shooter in Marvin . . to the solid offensively and defensively guy in Horford . . to the imposing physical presence in the middle in Shaq.

Play that group together until the 1st timeout of the 1st and 3rd quarters . . and make the sub for Smoove and Jamal.

PG – Teague
G – JAMAL
F – Johnson
PF – SMOOVE
C – Horford

You give Shaq his rest . . and now you accelerate the pace of the game instantly by putting 2 extremely fast players into the game in Smoove and Jamal. Adding Shaq would give us the flexibility to play any style of basketball we wanted.

By the start of the 2nd quarter, you could have this lineup into the game.

PG – Bibby
G – Crawford
F – Evans
PF – Smoove
C – Shaq

Instead of Zaza being the “energy guy”, it now is Smoove that’s the energy guy, alongside Shaq.

And at the end of games, you can still put this lineup on the floor if it’s in the best interest of the Hawks to do so:

PG – Teague
G – Crawford
F – Johnson
PF – Smoove
C – Horford

If that’s the group that ends up being the best lineup to close out games, then you could do that.

*********************

The fact is that Al Horford and Josh Smith tend to struggle against bigger frontlines. This is a FACT . . not FICTION. It’s not a coincidence that Horford only averaged 11 pts and 8 rebs and shot a horrible 43% FG vs Cleveland. It’s not a coincidence that Smoove averaged a decent 14 pts and 8 rebs, but only shot a horrible 40% FG against Orlando.

Horford’s 5 worst FG% performances this season:

Dallas: 34.6%
San Antonio: 40%
Minnesota: 41.4%
Cleveland: 42.9%
Miami: 48.5%

Smoove’s 5 worst FG% performances this season:

San Antonio: 32%
Oklahoma City: 39.6%
Toronto: 39.2%
Orlando: 39.6%
LA Lakers: 40.9%

And with Shaq here, all you would be asking him nto do, is give us 20 – 25 solid minutes a game in the middle. Your minutes at the PF and C position could easily look like this:

PF: Horford ( 15 ) – Smith ( 33 )
C: Shaq ( 22 ) – Horford ( 18 ) – Zaza ( 8 )

This would still give Horford minutes at center, while also allowing him to play PF. And there would be NO NEED TO EVER PLAY JOSH SMITH AT THE 3. EVER.

Whether if Smith started the game, or came off the bench, he could still log 30+ minutes a game, just like Jamal Crawford did last year.

Weaken the Hawks at 3 positons? Ish . . it may STRENGTHEN 3 positions.

ReddJonn68

July 6th, 2010
3:07 pm

Right on it @northcyde. As stated in my earlier post MB’s saying we should get faster rather than slower well hello, Phoenix & Dallas has been running like olympic sprinters for years. Every single year in the playoffs they get exposed for what they really are ” non-defensive teams “. The only good thing that comes out of running is ticket sales. I feel for Dirk & Nash, running will eventually catch up to them, body wise. Just because a team is young doesn’t mean they’re greyhounds, like I said if you have the right coaching in place Horford’s defensive game will round itself into shape. I already know about his season’s defensive stats, but season stats can’t teach playoff intensity or know how. Which is the whole point about Shaq we are not looking for pie in the sky stats like 20 ppg &12 rpg we are hoping that Kobe’s new jewelry & a chance to contribute to a young team on the verge, will kinder the fire that needs to be lit under this directionless team !!!!

northcyde

July 6th, 2010
3:11 pm

4. Even if he says he’s willing to take a lesser role, he’s still Shaquille O’Neal.

Maybe the ONLY valid concern that Bradley has. There’s little doubt that Shaq is an imposing personality, and might intimidate a 1st year coach in Larry Drew. But if Drew can get through to him, and use him effectively, this won’t be a concern.

You’d also have to wonder what kind of effect Shaq would have on the locker room from a leadership standpoint. Oh I forgot . . . our leader is seen to be Al Horford. So the question is . . . do you want Horford to emerge as the leader of the Hawks . . . or a 5-time champion that will end up being in the Hall of Fame being it?

Also, with his experience, what could Shaq teach a young guy like Horford about playing center? And does going up against Shaq in practice make Horford a much better, and more importantly, a much TOUGHER player in the long run? Going up against Shaq would force Horford to elevate his game, you would think.

From a public relations standpoint, adding Shaq would be an instant box office success . . at least initially. Everybody on these blogs know my distaste for about 30% – 40% of the Atlanta fan base who are nothing but bandwaggoners. How they routinely complain about the team, but make a plethora of excuses as to why they don’t go to the games ( even when the team is playing well ) . . unless a superstar rolls into town.

Well if you add one of the most popular players in the league to the squad, maybe those bandwaggoners would come out to more Hawk games, and actually cheer for US . . instead of the OTHER TEAM. You would have to expect that the initial excitement of seeing Shaq in a Hawks uniform would see an instant spike in ticket sales ( both season and walk-up ).

People are indifferent about Joe Johnson ( I’m not ), but the majority of ATL fans are. Some of them flat out don’t like him at all. They like Josh Smith, but his immaturity drives them crazy. They love Al Horford, but he doesn’t have a superstar-like offensive game yet.

So why not add Shaq to the mix, if not for anything, but to increase exposure and revenue.

SkyWalker

July 6th, 2010
3:13 pm

I am appauled at the folks who think the Hawks need Shaq. Think of this. Al Horford is playing his center position just as good as Wilt Chamberlain did when Wilt was Al’s age. That is how good Al Horford has improved in my opinion. When I look at Al Horford, he reminds me of a youthful Wilt Chamberlain and Big “Al” is playing equally as good as Wilt did when wilt was Al’s age. To the surprise of many people, Al Horford is destined to become a hall of famer as long as he continues to improve and continues to be as ambitious as he always has. The sky is the limit for Al Horford in terms of where he ends up. I cant say the same for many other Hawks but Big Al is a keeper and a great centerpiece for the Hawks.

Status quo

July 6th, 2010
3:15 pm

Try to imagine the Hawks in game 7 of the nba finals. Who’s taking that last shot to win the game with everything on the line – who’s our Jordan/Kobe/Bird – our clutch player? Joe Johnson? Jamal Crawford? J-Smoove? I can’t see it.

Who’s going to fill up the lane and get that blocked shot or huge rebound in the final minute that wraps up the championship? Sure, Horford is capable, but what if he gets blocked out? Who else is going to have that intensity to provide a game-stopper on someone like Pau Gasol, or Dwight Howard? ZaZa? I don’t think so.

I’m just saying, it’s hard to imagine this team as a championship-caliber team. The status quo is not good enough. Sund needs to make moves to get this team some proven winners, or the Hawks are just going to remain a second-tier team.

I say take a chance on Shaq. Can it really hurt? I’d rather see them take a chance and fail than watch another second-round playoff beating.

Status quo

July 6th, 2010
3:17 pm

Here’s another thing. By the Hawks staying the same, they will be worse relative to the rest of the Eastern Conference as teams like the Knicks, Bulls, Heat, Nets of even maybe the Cavs making moves to better their teams.

Roger

July 6th, 2010
3:18 pm

It comes down to this: Can Shaq guard Howard one on one for 20 min a game. If not, forget him. If so, Horford will be fine at PF. His inside game, especially, the little floating hooks and turnarounds improved last year and he is only getting better. Trade JSmith for a true SF (someone will take him for his D-fence, and we’ll throw Marvin in as a bonus), or just tell him he will become the 7th man of the year if he ever takes a three pointer.

ReddJonn68

July 6th, 2010
3:18 pm

@Skywalker WTF Comparing Al to one of the greatest centers of all time. Hey I’m an Al & Hawks fan do or die, but I’m also drug-free

Daddy Long Long

July 6th, 2010
3:20 pm

Mark I don’t think Big Al wanted to guard Dwight “Da Beast” Howard by himself…LOLOLOL

Just rewind some of those playoff games vs. the Magic on Tivo, and remind ourselves why this team needs a Center. It’s on game tape, we got RAPED!!

northcyde

July 6th, 2010
3:23 pm

5. This has Moses Malone written all over it.

As has been noted earlier in this thread, the Hawks not winning with Moses Malone, had very little to do with Moses Malone being on the team. Moses did his dang job. The other guys didn’t.

And the injury to Kevin Willis ( I think in pre-season ) that sidelined him for the entire year, was a major blow to the frontline depth of the Hawks. Instead of being able to start Kevin Willis, they had to start Cliff Levingston or Antoine Carr. And without Tree Rollins in the mix to play center, the Hawks essentially had to rely on Jon Koncak to play backup center, instead of Tree . . or Kevin Willis ( who could also play center ). Carr would end up being our backup C for most of the year.

Losing the 7 foot Kevin Willis was a significant blow to the Hawks championship aspirations. Yet, the Hawks still managed to win 52 games . . mainly because Moses stepped up and played like a MAN

20.2 ppg
11.8 rebs
1.2 blks
1.4 asst

49% FG
79% FT

LOL . . . but Bradley would lead you to believe that the addition of Moses didn’t help the Hawks . . and even hurt the Hawks. Not even close.

It was the fact that this team was a somewhat inconsistent defensive team that killed them. And the loss of a major rebounder like Willis didn’t help one bit.

Ted Striker

July 6th, 2010
3:25 pm

Mark — On all points, I absolutely agree.

northcyde

July 6th, 2010
3:28 pm

Writers like Bradley write like casual fans . . . instead of a hardcore journalist who could at least do a LITTLE RESEARCH into a situation, before writing off the top of his head. How he could mention “this could have Moses Malone written all over it”, without telling any of you guys about the injury to a key projected starter like Kevin Willis, is just sloppy writing/blogging.

But this is not the first time he’s done this . . . and it won’t be the last.

ATL MUSIC SCENE

July 6th, 2010
3:38 pm

if we get shaq we may get interest from multi-millionaire musicians to buy the team and hire a real GM , that enough is reason to roll out the red carpet for the BIG HAWKTUS

Mystikal

July 6th, 2010
3:41 pm

AL HORFORD IS BETTER THAN JOSH SMITH! Both are good players that produce, but ppl get caught up with the highlight reel with Josh. Smoove is prob top 5 in the league talent wise, problem though is that 90% of what he does is off of talent. He’s seriously lacking in the skill departement. In 6 yrs, he still cannot shoot, dribble, guard on perimeter or make post moves. Because he is such a talent with his length and hops (and he has Big Al backing him up) he still gets good numbers.
Now when Horford came he automatically put hawks over the top into the playoffs. He has a winner’s mentality and even playing out of position is a top 10 center in the league. Al is a great passer, defender, team guy, mid-range shooter, and has post moves when he gets the opportunity. Even considering both are undersized for their positions, If Al and Josh switched positions Al would still be successful whereas Josh would be in foul trouble often.
Believe it or not, i’m not trying to hate on Josh and I like him for us, but if we’re serious about winning Al has what it takes; while we may be waiting many more years for Josh to put it all together.

Big Guy

July 6th, 2010
3:45 pm

Possible nicknames for Shaq if he becomes an Atlanta Hawk:

Stone Mountain
Martin Luther Dunk
Round Mound of Scattered-Smothered-Covered
Krispy King
The Big Peanut
The Big Peach
The Georgia Dome
Shaq-lanta
Shaq de Leon
The Terminal
MARTA Bus
The Package (sponsored by UPS)

JoD

July 6th, 2010
3:47 pm

Mark, your comment no. 5 about Moses Malone…that was the year Kevin Willis broke his foot playing pick up basketball at Morehouse. This was the reason the Hawks didn’t advance not Moses Malone…Can somebody names three, two centers available via free agency that’s a better upgrade at the five position than Shaq? I thought not.

Unleaded

July 6th, 2010
3:48 pm

Come on….Is anyone really surprised that the Hawks are really considering bringing Shaq in. Hello….these are the same people who offered Joe- No-Show-Johnson a MAX contract. Give them a few days….. they will probavbly call Jon Koncak and offer him a deal.

TONE

July 6th, 2010
3:53 pm

I vote for
The big peanut

TONE

July 6th, 2010
3:54 pm

koncak was the man remember that game when he scored a basket and almost got a rebound

Time Out

July 6th, 2010
3:57 pm

And Joe Johnson does? Work as a Hawk?

Fonz

July 6th, 2010
3:58 pm

Round Mound of Scattered-Smothered-Covered is the best, but too long to really stick

Fonz

July 6th, 2010
4:01 pm

5 reasons Shaq would work:
1. The Hawks need a center, and he’s among the best available.
2. He will sell tickets
3. He will bring a fun atmosphere to the locker room (unlike Joe the stiff)
4. He’s a proven winner
5. He’s mentally tough and can get in other players heads (like Dwight Howard)

iCECOLD

July 6th, 2010
4:03 pm

Man… every center in the world think they a power forward. But on the hawks team. They both to the same exact thing. Except on defense. But the hawks switched defensively so much. That didn’t matter either. Bibby was guarding centers sometimes on defense. So… horford. Stay where u at. We keep sayin we need a center, we need a pour guard, but really, we need a small forward. The only true week link on the hawks starting five. Cuz Marvin is not getting it. If we get rudy gay in a trade for Marvin bobby and childress, we would have one of the best starting five ans thats a true championship contending team !!

Fire woody…. lol

oil salesman

July 6th, 2010
4:03 pm

The big IR !!!!!!! injured reserve he is 78 years old you know

Mario

July 6th, 2010
4:08 pm

you all are forgetting that shaq is only interested because the hawks need someone to guard Dwight Howard!… losing josh would hurt defensively but we could bring in a all star point guard….. imagine,
1. Chris Paul
2. Joe Johnson
3. Marvin Williams
4. Al Horford
5. Big Diesel
6 Man. Jamal Crawford

aaron

July 6th, 2010
4:12 pm

mark you said that horford does not think hes a 4? he has said repeatedly in interviews that he does want another big man so that he can move over to the 4- his more natural position- we bring in brendan haywood/ tyson chandler/ andris biedrins- move al to 4- trade josh smith for a small forward

Old School

July 6th, 2010
4:14 pm

I heard Charles Barkley’s interested in coming back—he can pound the boards. Also, what about Artis Gilmore? He’s 7-2 and has a great afro!!!

ReddJonn68

July 6th, 2010
4:19 pm

Just another AJC blog, writer posts it, & doesn’t stick around when it gets ripped to shreds !!!!!

Mr. Phil

July 6th, 2010
4:19 pm

Can everyone get off this CP3 kick. New Orleans has stated (according to ESPN and Yahoo) that they will not trade Paul under any conceivable circumstances. Please stop offering useless “let’s explore getting CP3″ comments. I wish it could happen, but it just won’t PERIOD.