The Hawks make a trade, but it’s not the trade they needed
Kirk Hinrich: He's a solid pro, not a savior. (AJC photo by Curtis Compton)
The Hawks needed to make a trade in the worst way, and the trade they made wasn’t the worst ever. It was OK. Not great, not awful. Just OK.
They shipped Mike Bibby, who was too old and not really a point guard anymore and imported Kirk Hinrich, who’s a good player but who hasn’t been exclusively a point guard himself. They shed Mo Evans, who was expendable, and Jordan Crawford, about whose promise they’d raved only last summer, and acquired Hilton Armstrong, who’s averaging 1.9 points and 2.8 rebounds.
Best-case scenario: Hinrich does his hybrid-guard act — he used to be quite good at it, but his numbers haven’t been anything special the past four seasons — and puts the other Hawks in the right position and this team manages to win a first-round series.
Worst-case scenario: Hinrich fails to mesh with Joe Johnson — say what you want about Bibby, but he and Johnson made a nice tandem — and the Hawks, who have bombed out in Round 2 the past two seasons, bomb out in Round 1 this spring.
Either way, the addition of Hinrich and Armstrong is no cause for re-calibration of this team’s ceiling. The Hawks aren’t much different today than they’ve been for the past three years. They’re a pretty good team in an Eastern Conference that keeps getting more competitive at the top.
If the notion was to find a galvanizing talent at this deadline, they failed. The man that would have remade the local club just got traded to New Jersey, and he was, fittingly enough, one of the two famous men on whom general manager Billy Knight passed to draft Marvin Williams in 2005. Utah moved to trade Deron Williams, and the Hawks apparently weren’t in the bidding. (Deron Williams was picked one spot ahead of Chris Paul, and the two have long ranked, to the Hawks’ lasting chagrin, among the NBA’s five best point guards.)
Instead the Hawks landed Hinrich, who’s a solid pro but not an All-Star, and Armstrong, who’s a younger Jason Collins. And it’s clear the Hawks were the desperate party here: Why else trade three players for two and throw in a first-round pick to boot? That’s a high price to pay for a hybrid guard who was made superfluous in Chicago by Derrick Rose and who isn’t needed in Washington because of John Wall.
Say this, though, for Rick Sund: At least he did something. At least he acknowledged what had become blatant: This team as constituted had reached its peak and was on the descent. It hasn’t fallen to pieces yet — it’s still fifth in the East — and it’s surely too talent to collapse utterly, but the talent that had been compiled and nurtured by both Knight and Sund has topped out. It needs something else, even if the something else is little more than change for change’s sake.
Two NBA teams had had the same starting lineup since February 2008: One is the Celtics, who’ve won a title and graced another NBA final; the other was the Hawks, who hadn’t managed to win a game beyond the first round. Bibby was the last of that starting five to arrive — he came by way of a February deal with Sacramento — and he wasn’t the Bibby of old at any time in his Atlanta stay. But he was a solid pro who knew how to play, and without him these Hawks might never have made the playoffs at all.
Now he’s gone, and it was past time for him to leave. This trade is probably enough to keep the Hawks ahead of the Knicks in the East, probably not enough to elevate them above Orlando for fourth place. It gives them hope in the sense that something has been done, but the right something again eluded this franchise. Deron Williams, the guy they needed back in 2005 and needed today, got traded on Wednesday, and it wasn’t to the Hawks.
By Mark Bradley
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272 comments Add your comment
RA
February 24th, 2011
6:58 am
I think this may be the prelude to something a little more cunning. I think that this move might be part of a more comprehensive summer campaign. Unless, he’s stupid, and he’s not, Sund see’s that this team is fundamentally flawed. I think this is the first in a series of steps that he’s going to take. I hope I’m right.
Body Art ?
February 24th, 2011
6:58 am
`
Tattoos are Trashy `
Twomuch
February 24th, 2011
7:00 am
Everyone in the Hawks organization knows that a big man is needed but there’s not many big men available in the league. The ones that teams will give up aren’t good so the easiest fix is a point guard. A point guard that plays great defense at that. And if you look at the future draft for next year there’s not much out there. So the Hawks are saving money they don’t have (thanks to Joe Johnson) by trading away that first round pick.
Dawggy Style
February 24th, 2011
7:03 am
Go ahead, blame Coach Woodson … or maybe it’s George Bush’s fault!!! This “team of the future” has lost its way and no one is to blame except for the players themselves! Joe Johnson, Josh Smith, et al. need to start earning their millions instead of expecting the second team to win every game for them!
Phillips Arena is a Hunk of Junk
February 24th, 2011
7:04 am
The Hawks organization has never been organized.
Twomuch
February 24th, 2011
7:08 am
@Larry if you don’t like basketball then why even comment on a basketball related post. Also the stuff you’re saying about basketball players you should say about others as well. There are a lot of people that have tattoos all over there body with illegitimate children and have bad grammar all over the world. The difference with sports players is a lot of them got a free education and are now millionaires. What they do with their personal life is their business. You probably don’t like sports because you were not good at it and picked last in every game you played as a child.
Some things are more important than money
February 24th, 2011
7:12 am
and basketball.
HAIRYBALLSINMYMOUTH
February 24th, 2011
7:24 am
sad. We need new owners.
El Bravo
February 24th, 2011
7:39 am
Most bloggers here are just having a visceral reaction to this trade instead of really analyzing it to determine its merit. When you look at it closer this is a pretty good trade. There are really two parts to this trade when you sit to negotiate: First, what do we have to give to get Kirk Hinrich? That is the first round we gave up. Now we need to figure out what else they get in order to make the salaries match (because we are just not going to take on luxury tax)? That is when we send Bibby and Evans. But there is no way that the Wizards take on these two dead-weights without incentive, hence, we include JC2 to make it palatable to the Wizards. There is no way that any team (other than the Hawks) would take on Bibby’s contract without a significant incentive…
freeeman
February 24th, 2011
7:52 am
Who Cares the NBA is pointless and the worse sport
We all know that it will come down to 2 teams from each conference (Lakers/Spurs vs Celtics/Heat)
THe Hawks could win 55+ games but they are NOT beating the Top 4 teams in the EAST.
gt
February 24th, 2011
7:55 am
The Hawk are into the body type more than the player. Even with this trade it was a long point guard as opposed to the shorter play maker. They skipped over those guards in the draft looking for that body type. One thing they do is out perform the predictions. I think as long as the press keeps them off the radar they are dangerous. Putting a hard nose white guard in the picture is going to be very interesting. This chemistry will either be better or their will be huge tension making the team worse. Not to mention losing a popular team member in Bibby who mixed in perfectly. Lets see how much the Hawks have matured, this will be a very good test. If they decide to let this happen in a mature manner this will be a better team.
Wendell
February 24th, 2011
8:00 am
I thought the Hawks were moving to Canada…
Larry
February 24th, 2011
8:00 am
“Twomuch,”
Change your user name to “Toolittle,” as in too little brains!
You wrote: “There are a lot of people that have tattoos all over there body…” The correct term is “their” body.
I rest my case!
jfreak13713
February 24th, 2011
8:03 am
They once again gave too much for the wrong player! I’m not opposed to Hinrich at all but as usual the Hawks were dealing from a position of weakness and gave up too much for a player who is far less than he use to be. Some things never change.
JSS
February 24th, 2011
8:04 am
Twomuch
February 24th, 2011
7:08 am
“@Larry if you don’t like basketball then why even comment on a basketball related post?”
Because he’s “Larry Bedford Forrest!” That’s his thing! He suckles at the nipple of John Kincade and hides away like Eric Robert Rudolph…
tony
February 24th, 2011
8:07 am
The people in this state bring misfortune to these teams…….BELIEVE IT OR NOT! Most of the comments I read from these blogs are racist and derogatory. Nothing good will never come out of that. That’s why get bad sports owners and bad gms.
Even when you get a good owner(MR Blank) your bad spirit will ceate malediction and blunders that will eventually ruin his efforts. Galatian 6:7and 8. Stop talking bad about God’s creation(people). Adam and Eve put all of us in this sinful imperfect state of mind. That’s why Jesus gave up his life in order for all of us to have a better life. Stop letting the devil use you as an instrument to further destroy mankind.
Jim
February 24th, 2011
8:10 am
When I evaluate a trade I ask myself one question. What other team wanted this guy? The answer for Hinrich is the LA LAKERS wanted this guy. Enough said, that’s all the affirmation I need, when the best organization in my lifetime of 40 years want the guy, he must be a good player.
Let it go people, if he is good enough for the 16 time champs, well you know the rest.
Peter
February 24th, 2011
8:10 am
Mark….This only shows how bad the Hawk management is giving up a first round pick, and not getting any better.
By the way how many 5 for 13 games with 13 points is Joe Johnson our ” ALL-STAR ” are we going to watch. He has been over paid, and this again proves management is Clueless.
The only way the Hawks get better, is when the team is sold period !
Milledgeville Dawg
February 24th, 2011
8:14 am
MB is an expert at all sports. The problem is all he does is cut down every coach in Georgia. Go back to Kentucky please.
MJC
February 24th, 2011
8:15 am
Two weeks ago: We need to trade Bibby and Evans
Hawks do that.
Now: But, but…they were important to our team! Plus, we traded a guy who has played a total of 66 minutes this year. We’re gonna miss him! AND a first-round pick? We always use our picks so wisely, though!
Seriously, this a good trade for both teams. Atlanta gets rid of Bibby’s contract and lack of defense, the worst player on the team in Mo Evans, and a player we weren’t playing anyways. Acting like we were going to do something with a first round pick in the 20s is absurd. And, out of all this, we now have a point guard that can play defense, drive in the lane, AND still be able to shoot. You guys are on crack if you think this is a bad deal.
tim
February 24th, 2011
8:17 am
I don’t get it…….The Hawks traded two 1st round draft choices & two players for one player who’s not all that. Armstrong is a wash.
Am I missing something??
JROLL1
February 24th, 2011
8:17 am
WHY IN THE WORLD WOULD WE HAVE TO INCLUDE OUR FIRST ROUND PICK IN THIS TRADE? MAKES NO SENSE AT ALL!
Yellow Jacket
February 24th, 2011
8:17 am
Comon Mark, gimmee a dig on Peeeuwitt and the latest Tech loss…..
KevinM
February 24th, 2011
8:19 am
MillegeDawg, you haven’t read Bradley lately…he has been slurping up Mark Fox. MB loves everything non-Hewitt and non-Cal.
And Kentucky doesn’t want him back…he can stay down here and bemoan the folks here just fine. Got Tipton?
JSS
February 24th, 2011
8:23 am
JROLL1
February 24th, 2011
8:17 am
“WHY IN THE WORLD WOULD WE HAVE TO INCLUDE OUR FIRST ROUND PICK IN THIS TRADE? MAKES NO SENSE AT ALL!”
Salary cap equalization…
And considering that Horford is the only pick whose panned out, and it is late 1st round…
KevinM
February 24th, 2011
8:25 am
The crying about our draft picks doesn’t make sense….please, show me the draft picks that we can brag about the last 10 years…..
Ready? Al Horford……..Josh Smith……………..anyone got anymore?
Draft picks are a waste here; they don’t develop players here….the let the players develop themselves. That’s why you see Josh shooting outside jumpers that shouldn’t be in his arsenal. Good thing Al had top talent before he came here…they weren’t going to bring in a big man coach to teach him anything…
So 2 #1s from us is like to lottery tickets to Mega Millions….you mean there’s a chance?
And Mike Bibby was abysmal; you don’t trade him straight up and get value in return….he is Kenshin Kawakami….a 1 trick pony.
Do you guys crying for draft picks and Bibby even watch the Hawks?
JSS
February 24th, 2011
8:27 am
Larry, your continued Erick Erickson homophobic slurs show how “intellectually” aware you’ve never been!
You still couldn’t “bust a grape!” Not in classroom, not on a athletic field, not in a sheep paddock!
HGN
February 24th, 2011
8:27 am
Heinrich is a upgrade over Bibby defensively. And is a better shooter on the move, and has more foot speed. The problem as I see it is The Hawks gave up far too much in Crawford AND a No.1…Maybe one or the other , but NOT both.
However, the one thing Rick Sund did not do, which is really the Hawks achilles heel, is he did not upgrade our bench. We have NO bench. Our first 5 can hang with most teams on any given night, but we lose games because we have no point production out of anyone except Jamal Crawford. If we ever get a solid productive bench we will be a force in the East.
Yoyo
February 24th, 2011
8:28 am
hawks are still twenty seven players from a good team. Last.
Yoyo
February 24th, 2011
8:29 am
Can the hawks please trade for Bieon Banders?
JSS
February 24th, 2011
8:30 am
And I “use my real name” everyday… You are just too knotted up in your small dark corner to realize it!
KevinM
February 24th, 2011
8:30 am
I never said I relish this trade…and its either Hindrich or JC1 that won’t be here next year.
But, Bibby is the last ranked PG in the league, and this gives Teague a slimmer of hope to show if he can handle the role. Hindrich will be the stability and provide ’some’ defense…so now when JC1 is on the court, there will still be 4 others defending.
Marvin, Zaza…only 2 more to go before 3pm ET today.
Yoyo
February 24th, 2011
8:31 am
Can the hawks trade for Beion Banders?
Larry
February 24th, 2011
8:34 am
KevinM,
Touché!
JSS
February 24th, 2011
8:35 am
Oh yeah, 1-9-6-6 still = zero! Now go buy some more antibiotic creme, another box of Band Aids, and open your copy of ‘Mein Kampf’ and lick your wounds from January 14th…
Yoyo
February 24th, 2011
8:37 am
Can the hawks trade for Huka Budu Zuka Sudo? She averages about 200 games a year for the last 75 years. Yes, that is 15,000 games and yes, she had 1 rebound and no points. Why? Because the hawks play like girls.
JSS
February 24th, 2011
8:39 am
Ha ha!!! You are hilarious!!!
Who’s
Who’s is a contraction of who is or, less commonly, who has.
Who’s watching TV?
Do you know who’s going to speak?
Who’s ready to go?
Who’s in the kitchen?
Who’s this?
Who’s already eaten?
Whose
Whose is the possessive of who or, somewhat controversially, which.
Whose book is this?
Do you know whose car this is?
I know a woman whose kids study there.
Whose side are you on?
An idea whose time has come.
“who’s” = “who has”
More band aids please…
Yoyo
February 24th, 2011
8:42 am
[L] [_] [S] [E] [R] [S]
Vanna, the hawks would like to buy an O.
Yoyo
February 24th, 2011
8:45 am
Look, the hawks can spell but they can’t play.
RB
February 24th, 2011
8:52 am
The Hawks by signing JJ to the max made a major mistake. Now they are scrambling to do anything. This Hawks team will not compete in the east for years to come. I no longer watch or attend Hawks games.
Kelvin
February 24th, 2011
8:58 am
Trade or no trade this team (The Hawks) will be a first round playoff exit.
UGASlobberknocker
February 24th, 2011
9:01 am
Hubie Brown spoke positively about the trade last night…I respect his opinion so I feel a little better..but Mark is right..this is not a standings or playoff result changer..The Knicks may not catch us for 5th seed, but we are now officially the 6th best team in the East and the Nets are closing fast.
JSS
February 24th, 2011
9:04 am
Someone must have run back to the “safety of Snarky Central?”
Won't get past 2nd round
February 24th, 2011
9:12 am
JSS, future draft picks don’t have a salary cap number associated with them. The Hawks got a better player. The Wiz wanted the pick and Jordan Crawford. Bibby’s the one who makes the salary cap math work – the Wiz have no use for him.
coolio
February 24th, 2011
9:14 am
Why didnt they get mo williams?
DMR
February 24th, 2011
9:17 am
Hawks make trade so they can say “We made a trade”. This does almost nothing for the Hawks. It does nothing to excite the fan base. It will surely not lead to an elevated status in the East; and you gave away a 1st round pick…not that the Hawks know what to do with those.
Brandon Carter
February 24th, 2011
9:20 am
At least Hinrich can play defense, Bibby couldn’t check anybody’s point guard in the NBA
Mark Bradley
February 24th, 2011
9:22 am
I think there’s a chance the Hawks could make another move before 4 o’clock.
It was not bad pick
February 24th, 2011
9:26 am
Nice trade but Pg is not Hawks problem…We need a big man..maybe ZaZa and Jamal can bring one here..i almost want Marvin to be traded..So he can come back and roast the Hawks with his sweet jumper, strong driving skills and monster post game that the hawks refuse to unleash…
It was not bad pick
February 24th, 2011
9:27 am
@ Mark bradley
No Hewitt bashing in 4 days…Are you ok….Hewitt fan