Why the Atlanta Hawks’ future is, in a word, questionable
Kirk Hinrich waves goodbye to the first-round draft pick that became Chris Singleton. (AJC photo by Curtis Compton)
The NBA draft is behind us, and all the Hawks have to show for it is Keith Benson, a skinny center of some promise who might not play a significant minute next season. But there are greater issues facing this team. To wit:
1. Having all but admitted they’d like to trade Josh Smith, don’t the Hawks now HAVE to trade Josh Smith?
Yes. Some players could shrug off being shopped as the price of business. Smith isn’t so thick-skinned. He really wants to be appreciated as a great player, and he can’t understand why Atlanta fans cringe when he rises to shoot a 20-footer. If the Hawks were willing to dangle Smith in the attempt to land the draft’s No. 2 pick and the Turkish center Enes Kanter, they shouldn’t pull back now. A disgruntled Smoove would be a greater distraction than he already is.
2. Does the Kirk Hinrich trade look even worse with time?
Yes. It’s one thing to deal away a draft pick, quite another to realize that pick could have yielded Chris Singleton, the forward from Florida State who’s an Atlanta native and who could have stepped into the Hawks’ rotation on defensive prowess alone. The Washington Wizards now have a shooting guard (Jordan Crawford, also included in the Hinrich deal) and a swing forward (Singleton) who came gift-wrapped from the Hawks, who — and this is the real kick in the head — might not have needed Hinrich at all.
3. Speaking of whom … is Jeff Teague the real deal?
He was terrific against Chicago as an emergency starter, but it bears repeating that he worked just under 10 minutes in the Round 1 series against Orlando. The Hawks went to training camp last fall hoping that Teague would show enough that Mike Bibby could be phased out, and that didn’t happen. If you’re counting, that makes two Hawks coaches — first Mike Woodson, then Larry Drew — who have praised Teague’s talent but haven’t trusted him enough to put him on the floor.
4. We’ve been told all along that the Hawks are “athletic.” Why did they turn into a bunch of jump shooters?
Actions have consequences. By giving Al Horford more minutes at power forward, Smith was pushed to the perimeter. The shifts turned two of the league’s more dynamic talents into standstill shooters. The damning numbers, courtesy of Hoopdata: The Hawks took fewer shots at the rim than any NBA team but hoisted more from 16 to 23 than any club save the Wizards. This is simply a poor bit of asset allocation.
5. Can Jamal Crawford be retained?
It’s hard to see how. The Hawks have nearly $67 million committed for next season, and Crawford is going to command upwards of $10 million as an unrestricted free agent. There’s also this: Of that $67 million, almost $30 million will go to guards Hinrich, Teague and Joe Johnson. Do you really want to pay $40 million for your backcourt?
6. Is Joe Johnson’s contract worse than Jon Koncak’s notorious deal?
Yes. Koncak re-upped for $13 million over six seasons, which was big money in 1989. Johnson stayed for $123 million over six seasons, which is huge money now. Koncak was 26 when he signed his new contract; Johnson had just turned 29. The Hawks will have little wiggle room so long as Johnson is a Hawk, and he’s under contract through 2016. Whoa.
7. Is there any hope here?
Sure. Horford and Smith and Johnson are good-to-excellent players, and Teague shows promise. If the Hawks make the right trade involving Smith, they could remain one of the better teams in the East. But the core, which has existed since 2007, needs to change. They didn’t sink from 53 victories in 2009-2010 to 44 last season because a bunch of guys got hurt; they got worse because the guys on hand stopped playing as well together. It’s up to general manager Rick Sund to rearrange the elements.
8. Is Sund capable of such alchemy?
Good question.
By Mark Bradley
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177 comments Add your comment
Senor Smoke
June 27th, 2011
3:44 pm
First
Mark Bradley
June 27th, 2011
3:44 pm
Kudos, Senor.
Fish Bisch
June 27th, 2011
3:46 pm
Second!
Fish Bisch
June 27th, 2011
3:48 pm
It bears repeating that the Hawks should have drafted Chris Paul and kept Pau Gasol. The Hawks have been making questionable moves for 10+ years.
Bryan G.
June 27th, 2011
3:50 pm
Mark – I still think the deal Marvin got was worse than the one JJ got.
HawksFaninVR
June 27th, 2011
3:51 pm
Nothing will change as long as ASG is in charge.
Mark Bradley
June 27th, 2011
3:52 pm
Well, there’s no question Joe Johnson is at least a good player, Bryan G.
da' boomer
June 27th, 2011
3:53 pm
i hope these idiots leave, too. the nba blows.
STRETCH
June 27th, 2011
3:57 pm
Chris Paul, Deron Williams, Pau Gasol, Jordan Crawford
but they still have
JJ, JS and Marvin the Duck
Boy do the hits keep comin!
ThrasherFan
June 27th, 2011
3:58 pm
Screw the Hawks and the ASG. It’s good to see they haven’t a clue about basketball either. Maybe we can ship this worthless franchise to Canaduh as well.
Aardvark Base
June 27th, 2011
4:00 pm
Third. Sund needs to pull the trigger on a Smith deal. There are players & expiring contracts to be had. I do think Teague is the real deal. Obviously we need a CENTER. I agree that ball movement and shot selection suffered with Horford at 4 and Smith at 3. Smoove is NOT a small forward. He’s such an awesome PF though, that someone is going to be happy to get him in a deal. I almost would suggest to trade Horford if we can’t move Smoove, but he’s just too good, physically and mentally. Kirk Hinrich is an awesome defensive and passing PG/SG, so it’s not that terrible a trade, although losing the pick hurt. He is a good 3rd man in the back court with Teague/Johnson. Jamal Crawford definitely needs to go, no question. Johnson’s deal is pretty putrid, but at the time we didn’t think it was too bad, because what would the Hawks have done without him? I don’t think he’s ever going to be worth a max contract, but he can play better than he did in 2010-11, and be a solid All-Star caliber SG in thie NBA for the life of his contract. To conclude, I think there’s a LOT of hope here, and the future looks bright.
dap01
June 27th, 2011
4:03 pm
Good points MB. There is little hope that any of your questions would be address by the poor Hawks management properly.
Joe’s salary is horrible.
LD’s coaching is wrong for the team (or any team)
Sund is not a dynamic GM.
There is little reason for optimism.
UGA
June 27th, 2011
4:03 pm
I thought the Hinrich trade was good. We would never beat the Magic without him, and if he was healthy………well the Bulls may have had a tougher time. But we see what Teague can do now, so good. Hinrich is also a better trade piece than Bibby would have been.
CJ
June 27th, 2011
4:04 pm
Wasn’t the purpose of drafting Jordan Crawford because we knew that Jamal was on his way out?
Also, it’s hard to say that Teague didn’t show LD and Woody enough to get the starting gig. I think they just flat out don’t trust rookies. Teague got an opportunity because of injury and succeeded, Jordan got an opportunity thanks to a trade and succeeded. That shows me that our coaches don’t know how to evaluate talent or coach it. Also, look at Boris Diaw for another example.
jon
June 27th, 2011
4:08 pm
I said it then… Trading Jordon crawford was bad… why do you think they drafted him, they knew jamal was a free agent and had jordan in case he left… now what… idiots!
Hawk StrtTalk
June 27th, 2011
4:09 pm
I don’t disagree about any of this, but I would say that if it wasn’t for ASG – I wouldn’t have been quoted in ESPN.com for the team’s ineptitude, so there’s that as my selfish reason for why things can stay the same. I mean – they aren’t going to call me to say – the Hawks are making great moves. Now, if we can just shift some of the heat onto Sund who has done nothing (and yes, I’m including attaining Jamal Crawford b/c what if he used those assets to get us a BETTER fit for the team instead of a $10M backup shooting guard who didn’t play defense) to make our team better since he’s been here.
J.J.M.
June 27th, 2011
4:10 pm
I asked joe johnson at lenox mall would he re-construct his contract to make the team better he gave me a smirk and said “you’re a fan of jordan too huh” I guess because of the shoes I had on
Trade Josh Smith
June 27th, 2011
4:12 pm
Josh Smith should be traded at any cost. I’m sick of his whiny attitude and inconsistent play. I personally think Joe Johnson should not have been resigned at all. He will never win a championship with his brand of play (isolation 1-on-5) and now the Hawks are stuck with him for 5 more years.
jdewayneatl
June 27th, 2011
4:16 pm
1) Josh isn’t going anywhere. All of the rumors were created because people assumed that Josh wanted out, which as Michael C. has reported is not the case according to Smith. And don’t the ASG “gauge” Smoove’s trade value every year.
2) Kirk Hinrich for Singleton and JC2 is a good deal. Hinrich is proven, savvy, defensive-minded, great shooter and will be a very good fit as a back up to Teague and JJ. A full season with this squad will show his true value.
3) Teague has been sheltered. Release the Teague!
4) The Hawks athleticism has not been exploited because they have not had a PG to push the tempo (but now we have Teague) and LD tried to go from ISO Joe to a “flex” offense. Thing is the Hawks and their athleticism are best utilized in the open court.
5) Sign-and-trade Jamal… better to get assets for his overrated “hot streaks”
6) Konkac was never the Hawks best player, didn’t rescue a drowning franchise from the depths of the abyss, he wasn’t a 5-time all-star or 1-time all-nba player
7). Yes. Teague is the key I believe. This team needed an impact floor general and Teague is a game-changer. I have hope in Teague.
THRASHERS Season Ticket Holder
June 27th, 2011
4:18 pm
As long as the Atlanta Spirit Group still exists, anything they possess or even touch turns into manure.
Just as the THRASHERS.
THRASHERS Season Ticket Holder
June 27th, 2011
4:19 pm
ASK the THRASHERS.
Deal with THIS, Levenson, You *#$(@#$@#$$@ Son of @ $#$$%@#$@# !!!!!
James
June 27th, 2011
4:19 pm
Mark,
Why would the Hawks sign Joe Johnson to such a crazy deal?
dap01
June 27th, 2011
4:21 pm
Hey, let’s sign JJ to a contract that is $25 million more than anyone else is allow to offer him.
RK
June 27th, 2011
4:22 pm
So far Sund has been worse than Billy Knight. How is that even possible.
Paddy
June 27th, 2011
4:23 pm
Mark…..all things being eaual, you are probably correct on each point. But nobody asked you about the ownership. ASG is still a major factor in this teams future! I don’t believe the Hawks can get better with the “Keystone Kops” at the helm.
a1andonly
June 27th, 2011
4:23 pm
I think we should still have faith in this team. Even though we are stuck with the same roster, if and when the team decides to play together for 48 min, i believe we can be better than we’ve been the past 5 years. But….its all up to them.
jdewayneatl
June 27th, 2011
4:24 pm
Does anyone remember the 01′ – 02′ season?
or the 02′ – 03′ season? What about 03′ – 04′? 04′ – 05′ or )5′ – 06′?
Its sad how people can be ungrateful sometimes!
Mike
June 27th, 2011
4:25 pm
i think the reason why they didnt trade Josh because of the upcoming sale (what I am reading Ian Thomsen article today, its looks like it has been done) and i think that it will be better to keep him then have him torment the Hawks about + years.
Worldwide Clyde
June 27th, 2011
4:26 pm
The Moors (Black Africans) ruled Spain for 700 years and introduced alchemy to the Europeans.
Sund is the worst GM in the league and Drew is the worst coach in the league.
Malcolm Reynolds
June 27th, 2011
4:27 pm
Why don’t you guys have any faith in the Atlanta Spirit?
Malcolm Reynolds
June 27th, 2011
4:28 pm
LOL
steve brown
June 27th, 2011
4:30 pm
Boycott, boycott, boycott until sold!!!
Mike
June 27th, 2011
4:31 pm
@steve brown
You havent been reading that Hawks might be sold before too long.
Zing
June 27th, 2011
4:32 pm
Any chance at all that Joe Johnson could be traded? The longer the Hawks wait to try to trade him, the worse it gets, because at least right now, you’ll have a 30-year old JJ… in a couple of years, who the hell is going to pick up a huge contract on an early 30s shooting guard? (It’s hard to even imagine it now).
God, WHY did they have to re-sign him? If the Hawks had any kind of front office acumen, they would have worked a sign-and-trade last summer. Bleagh. Makes me sick.
bro
June 27th, 2011
4:35 pm
The Hawks will never get better until the get rid of the non-basketball talent at the following positions: Owners, GN, and Coach. Only a fool makes or someone who knows nothing about basketball or a combination thereof, would have made the trade the Hawks make. Any junior high or high school player could have told you this was a bad deal. Only s— for brains management would have made a trade like that. Borrowing a player only works when he is not really needed. Again somethings go together like: PEANUT BUTTER AND JELLY and ATLANTA HAWKS AND THE CARTOON NETWORK. End of story.
Chris
June 27th, 2011
4:38 pm
Marvin Williams for Greg Oden
Chris
June 27th, 2011
4:39 pm
Marvin Williams for Greg Oden will be a nice trade
Chris
June 27th, 2011
4:39 pm
Greg Oden
GT Alum
June 27th, 2011
4:42 pm
1 point, MB. The NBA requires the salaries match if the teams don’t have cap space. A team that has cap space could take Josh without the Hawks having to take back even salary. The question is would any team that has cap space want to spend it on Smoove? And what would be the Hawks’ incentive to do such a trade? The only way is if they were getting a cheap good young player in return, in which case, why would a team want to trade a cheap young player for a more expensive older player?
ryan
June 27th, 2011
4:43 pm
Not drafting Chris Paul will always come back to haunt ASG and also be there down fall the guy wanted to be Atlanta and its looks like he will end up in New York its sucks city of Atlanta can not get rid of this cancer ASG .
KBP
June 27th, 2011
4:45 pm
ASG/General Manager is the problem. I am a JJ fan, he is not a max deal player. Not a JJ problem, ASG/GM problem. Hinrich for JC and 1st round pick, ASG/GM problem. Two coaches not playing Teague early, not a Teague problem, a coaching problem. Leads me to this: AN ORGANIZATIONAL PROBLEM!
Mystikal
June 27th, 2011
4:48 pm
ASG, RIck Sund & Co, whomever need to hire a “NO” man. Someone simply to act as a conscience when there is a big decision to be made. Should we resign this 30 yr old guy for all this money? “NO”
Should we give up all these 1st rd picks just to complete a minor trade? “NO” If we just make a bunch of moves to give the impression we know what we’re doing people will be convinced right? “NNNOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!”
DHD
June 27th, 2011
4:48 pm
The Hawks would have blown the first pick anyway. That is their history.
Jamaaliver
June 27th, 2011
4:53 pm
Mark, another questionable move from LAST year’s draft. We actually had traded our initial 1st round pick to NJ for the draft rights to Jordan Crawford (presumably saving a few hundred thousand dollars). We then obtained the first pick of last year’s 2nd round. With a few moderately rated big men left on the board, we traded THAT pick to OKC for cash considerations and gave the roster spot to Etan Thomas.
We could have drfated a young, cheap big with upside at the 31st pick of last year’s draft. Now we’re stuck scraping the barrel with the 48th pick of this draft.
Etan Thomas actually got deactivated in the playoffs for being terrible. His career is very possibly over. And he made more than any 2nd round pick would have last year. Pathetic allocation of assets.
Octavius
June 27th, 2011
4:56 pm
MAYBE WINNIPEG WILL TAKE THE HAWKS TOO.
Presham from Port Arthur
June 27th, 2011
4:57 pm
i knew the hawks wasnt gonna make any moves in the draft…they really dont want to trade josh although they say they do. If josh ever gets on a team with a pure point gaurd(jason kidd) he’s an instant allstar. Somebody has got to step up and get josh head in the game. When in the paint he’s gonna fill up the sheet. when out the paint he needs to be covered up with a sheet cause we dead. With that said i really think Jeff Teague is the key to next year, if he works on his shot.
OldMonty
June 27th, 2011
5:00 pm
Strange as it may sound, I think there might be another way for the Hawks to have hope (regulars help me out, here). If I understand correctly, one of the main talking points in the labor negotiations is the ability of teams to cut or drop one contract, irrespective of the team’s relation to the salary cap. If this were to come to pass (and who knows what kind of labor deal we are going to see or if we will even get a season), we might be able to rid ourselves of Joe’s contract and have some flexibility. I say this not to bad mouth Joe or Joe’s play, but until that contract is dealt with, we will not see much movement in the makeup of this team.
Has anyone else heard of this possibility?
Bobby Knight
June 27th, 2011
5:02 pm
Can’t call ‘em a team. I’d call ‘em five guys that wander around on the court for a while and then on a completely random basis…somone shoots.
PD
June 27th, 2011
5:07 pm
Rick Sund is not a good GM. You guys complain about Billy Knight for passing up picks. I am not sure he would have screwed the team’s salary cap in one season…….Oh and blow draft picks season after season. All that work BK put in to clear the books Sund has ruined in 2 seasons. He has done nothing better than his predecessor other than tow the line into the deep end.
Josh Smith shouldn’t be traded they need to figure out how to get Marvin’s contract covered by insurance to clear his 8 million dollar salary and re-sign Crawford or get JR Smith Al Thornton or Samuel Dalembert.
You should have known he was bad when he re-signed Joe Johnson and confirmed it when he traded Bibby one of the worst moves of this past season.
kudzu
June 27th, 2011
5:07 pm
Trade Josh Smith for next year First Rounder, then throw (sneak) in Joe Johnson, too… Start over…
Gary
June 27th, 2011
5:08 pm
1. Yes they have to trade Smith and I bet they will. Sund said going into the season that he wanted to give the core group one more chance to move forward and, although they did better in the playoffs by winning two games in the 2nd round, they did not succeed. Smith will be the guy to go because Sund has to figure out who is going to score opposite Joe Johnson (unless he decides to keep Crawford and trade Smith for a few role players). Another reason is once the CBA issues are hammered out (lockout or not) then the Hawks will have to figure out how to better the team with even more limited cap space. Smith and his contract and Marvin and his albatross of a contract will be the likely two candidates to go……opposite of Crawfords free agency of course.
Rufus1
June 27th, 2011
5:09 pm
The Trade…and the pyschics
Lets see what the 18th pick and “Bubba Chuck” becomes before we say this was a bad trade. The NBA is the biggest “CRAP SHOT” of ant sport. As a playoff team I would prefer a PROVEN PLAYOFF performer over an 18yr rookie and Mike “The worst defender in the NBA” Bibby. We saw Kirks Value in the Magic series and effect on the teams defense.
PS.. If Bibby would have taken a 1mil buyout, we wouldn’t have needed to make that trade.
Hawks fan.... not
June 27th, 2011
5:11 pm
I not paying these guys salaries, especially Joe’s.
ASG’s problem.
Wonder if Joe will be worth 20 mil/yr in his thirties when he is not worth it now?
No one is going to buy this team.
Joe’s contract makes a league title impossible.
PD
June 27th, 2011
5:12 pm
OldMonty , You’re right but it has to be agreed upon by the teams. It is called an amnesty in 2005 when the soon to be expired CBA was extended all of the teams were allowed to waive one player for cap relief. In the Hawks’ case waiving Joe Johnson would make them a lottery team. I guess they could just waive Marvin for the 8 Million bucks
PD
June 27th, 2011
5:17 pm
Rufus1, They could have just started Teague. Stopped being wishy washy about his play. The Hawks would have been a deeper vs the Bulls. They killed the depth of the team with trade. Also, I just think they gave up way too much as always
Gary
June 27th, 2011
5:17 pm
2. No….Kirk is the reason why this team beat Orlando. His defense was refreshing and allowed the team to take advantage. Had he been in the Chicago series I have no doubt it would have went 7 games.
3. Speaking of Chicago….yes Teague is the real deal. He went up against one of the best defensive teams in the league and was the only player able to make any kind of offense consistently. The problem with the coaches is they really had no choice this time to let him play and he proved them wrong.
4. They have always been jump shooters with speed.
5. No……unless see #1 in previous comment.
6. No it is not. While it is against better judgment, Koncak was only an All-Star in his own and Pete Babcock’s mind. Joe Johnson – while never the consistent star – is All-Star caliber and can rise up to the occasion when he wants too.
7. Sure there’s hope……if the rumored sale goes through and our third laughingstock of a franchise has a rebirth similar to that of it’s other two downtown occupants (Braves and Falcons) once they got ownership that cared.
8. I’m sure he could do it…..if he had an ownership with some direction.
NEW CARS
June 27th, 2011
5:19 pm
I love Hinrich to death, but we could be looking at Jordan Crawford, Chris Singleton and Josh Selby on this roster. That would have allowed us to trade Josh or Marvin, Jordan could fill Jamal’s role and Selby could come in a compete with Teague for the PG spot. I just don’t get the thinking of either of the last two GM’s. I just wish I could either to the poker table, because I’d be rich after taking them to the cleaners.
Tyler McWebb
June 27th, 2011
5:19 pm
They need a real NBA center! ASAP! Get him from Europe, anywhere! Trade whoever you want, just keep Horford!
JIMMYMACK
June 27th, 2011
5:20 pm
Jeff Teague and Josh Smith needs to spend the entire summer and fall(if there is a lockout) bonding and playing basketball together. They can take each other to another level. Personally I think Holford is overated because he don’t have the physical toughness you need in a power forward or center. Josh is the closest to having the alpha male personality to play in the NBA. The problem is his teamates look as though they resent him. WE NEED MORE ALPHA DOGS WITH SOME TALENT AND LEADERSHIP ABILITY(ETHAN THOMAS WITH TALENT).
Mystikal
June 27th, 2011
5:22 pm
Does anyone on this list make sense for hawks to go after?
jamal crawford
glen davis
kwame brown
joel przybilla
caron butler
tyson chandler
jr smith
tayshaun prince
al thornton
shane battier
aaron gray
carl landry
david west
earl clark
jason richardson
samuel dalembert
francisco elson
earl watson
Mark Bradley
June 27th, 2011
5:25 pm
I’ve always liked Caron Butler, Mystikal. But he’s a free agent coming off an injury.
PD
June 27th, 2011
5:25 pm
Mystikal you have to take some of these guys off this list Kwame Brown and Earl Clark. I like the rest of those dudes.
PD
June 27th, 2011
5:27 pm
Mark do a comparison of the present and prior GM’s. I think Sund is quickly moving up the list for the Hawks.
PD
June 27th, 2011
5:27 pm
of Bad GM’s
4 Jacks
June 27th, 2011
5:28 pm
Anyones’s future would be questionable if their owners were the Aholes from the Atlanta Spirit Group. They are all pathetic LOSERS and little girls that have already cost us hockey…Screw all of them. I hope they all go bankrupt.
Mark Bradley
June 27th, 2011
5:28 pm
Past GMs, in my tenure here, include Stan Kasten, Pete Babcock and Billy Knight.
O'Brien
June 27th, 2011
5:30 pm
Mark,
Maybe Rick should have traded for Caron Butler, like you suggested last offseason.
decriz
June 27th, 2011
5:31 pm
a whole new better team with one move that doesn’t even go against the cap:
hire Rick Adelman.
he’s gonna change this team and take it to the next level much better than any free agent, draft pick or trade will ever do.
he’s gonna give you a better team, using your current team.
the idiots in Atlanta refuse to see it.
the Highlight Factory + Rick Adelman = $$$ (attendance, play-offs, sales, etc.)
an absolutely recoverable cost, and worthwhile investment.
no need to rack the brains out trying to get the next best addition via free agency or trade to the team.
this is the only addition that was only ever needed.
Mark Bradley
June 27th, 2011
5:31 pm
I think I suggested that back in 2009, O’Brien. But thanks for remembering.
jdewayneatl
June 27th, 2011
5:36 pm
This is one of the best Hawks teams in Atlanta Hawks history. Be grateful!
CONservative Johnson
June 27th, 2011
5:38 pm
David Aldridge of NBA.com says the Hawks are close to being sold:
http://www.nba.com/2011/news/features/david_aldridge/06/27/morning.tip/index.html
I guess the lying ass Spirit Group will say he’s wrong too . . .
Mike
June 27th, 2011
5:39 pm
Never let it be said that Rick Sund is just a “Yes man “. If the Atlanta Spirit say no, so does Rick.
Paul in RDU
June 27th, 2011
5:47 pm
Jon Koncak! – Now there was a misplaced draft pick. There were 3 Hall of Fame players taken AFTER him in that draft. One of them also turned out to be a good GM for the team that drafted him. I am pretty sure that most Hawks fans would swap Sund for Dumars straight up.
worse2first
June 27th, 2011
5:47 pm
Casual fans are calling for Smoove to be traded. This guy is still a work in progress, a dynamic stat stuffer and 2 time runner up Defensive player of the year. Oh yeah and the best value on the team. Much of fan dissent lies in a near disastrous experiment playing him as a 3 and questionable placement of him on the wing, as well as immaturity. JJ, Josh, Al and even JCrawford seemed ill suited to the motion offense as it was instituted in LD’s rookie year for long stretches. I look for a rebound from these players and the coach next year. The sky is not falling, better days are ahead. Go Hawks!
Dukester
June 27th, 2011
5:56 pm
We are wasting time as long as ASG owns this team Sund will be the doo boy GM to hold this team over until its sold. The plan is to have a doo boy coach with no experience just to keep the team from falling apart. They will stay under the cap which makes the team attractive to any buyer. The money they gave to Joe is long term they are not worrying about is contract in 5 years. If you look at his salary early in this new deal they are about the same as they were at the end of his old contract. The new GM and owners will have to deal with the back end.
I know Rick Sund is a better GM than that he knows the 3 year plan ASG discussed it with him when they hired him. We are playing around with a bunch of journeymen and teams around us getting better every year. Some of the moves going back to resigning Marvin, Bibby, Zaza, the lack of finding a real center and a real coach!! All let you know this is hoax.
Will
June 27th, 2011
6:00 pm
Two things: 1st-I believe Sund should do a sign and trade deal for Jamaal Crawford. Should get decent talent in return.
2nd-I think it is definitely time that Josh should be traded that is unless he can assure the Hawks that for the first time in his career that he is willing to listen and play to his potential and not to his supposed potential. He could be devastating if he would only play in support of the team at all times and learn to either take ball to basket or recognize open men.
I lied. there is a third thing: Joe Johnson needs to forget about playing his brand of iso ball when the chips are down. He too needs to learn to recognize open men and feed them the ball in crunch situations.
Will
June 27th, 2011
6:02 pm
worse2first: For all his accomplishments to date he is still a detriment when he refuses to play within the confines of his talent. As he progresses maybe he could do more things but right now he makes unwise decisions too much of the time. I like Josh and hope he would decide to fit in rather than rock the boat. He could be great but that is all up to him.
Najeh Davenpoop
June 27th, 2011
6:07 pm
The two biggest proponents of trading Smoove in Atlanta are Mark Bradley and Jeff Schultz. So what if the Hawks shopped Smoove? They have shopped Marvin too; that doesn’t mean he can’t show up for work like a professional anymore. Better players than Smoove (Kobe, anyone?) have been the subject of serious trade discussion before and have come back to their original team and played well.
Every argument Bradley and Schultz have put forth in regards to trading Smoove have been weak at best, and this one is weaker than all the previous ones. “They should trade him because they said they were going to trade him before.” Give me a break.
Whopper Dawg
June 27th, 2011
6:08 pm
I was going to weigh in with a lengthy post, but it has all been said before. I echo KBP and Jamaaliver’s comments.
Really, really poor decision making both in the head office and coaching bench.
They had their shot with all of the high draft choices but crapped the bed.
mountain_jim
June 27th, 2011
6:14 pm
Thanks for pointing out how bad that Hinrich deal was, Mark.
I am so disgusted with Sund’s bad contracts and trading away 2 number 1 picks for a Hinrich rental while the PG we needed rotted on the bench.
I so hope ASG finds a buyer, who immeditely FIRES SUND and upgrades the coach. With the cap blown I don’t know how much else the new GM can do though, unless they can somehow trade Joe.
Go Falcons! (if we even have a season)
Mays Raider C/O 10'
June 27th, 2011
6:20 pm
I think Marvin Williams CAN be good. He was being overshadowed by everyone else we had.
With a lineup like this:
5. Somebody from JS trade/ Zaza Pachulia/ Keith Benson
4. Al Horford/ Keith Benson
3. Joe Johnson/ Marvin Williams
2. Kirk Hinrich
1. Jeff Teague
Once we round out the roster I think we can have a better team than we did last year. We take stress off of JJ by moving him to SF so he doesnt have to play speedy guards and put Hinrich there to sure up the defense in the back-court. We have a good offense with JJ being the first option followed by Horford as the second who is an excellent post player who can get better by being moved to PF.
Im very excited to see what Teague can do with this offense. I also believe that Drew can be a good coach but he was in a difficult situation; he had an out of position center (Horford) and an out of position perimeter player (JS) and had to play sub-par centers when he did move Horford to PF. With Smith gone I KNOW we can be a better team!
wcj
June 27th, 2011
6:29 pm
MB, two trades that might work out:
Joe Johnson to Dallas for B.Haywood, Shawn Marion, and R.Fernandez
M.Williams and the 2012 second round pick to L.A. Clippers for Ryan Gromes and Eric Gordon
IT WORKS ON PAPER!!!!!
Paddy
June 27th, 2011
6:34 pm
Greg Oden….fans could see him at rehab but not in a game!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Is there a doctor in the house?
Captain America
June 27th, 2011
6:36 pm
Josh Smith for Andrew Bogut. I hear the bucks are looking to move him because of his injury and I can’t see them doing better then Smith
@Mark
June 27th, 2011
6:46 pm
Hawks are top heavy. Al Horford was the best player on this team at 10 Shared Wins out of our 44!
Only guys playing harder/longer than Al.
1. LeBron James-MIA 15.6
2. Pau Gasol-LAL 14.7
3. Dwight Howard-ORL 14.4
4. Chris Paul-NOH 13.9
5. Derrick Rose-CHI 13.1
6. Dwyane Wade-MIA 12.8
7. Kevin Durant-OKC 12.0
8. Paul Pierce-BOS 11.6
9. Kevin Love-MIN 11.4
10. Dirk Nowitzki-DAL 11.1
11. LaMarcus Aldridge-POR 11.1
12. Zach Randolph-MEM 10.5
13. Kobe Bryant-LAL 10.3 – 33mpg+injuries+ OLD= Al production= noncontender
14. Chris Bosh-MIA 10.3
15. Lamar Odom-LAL 10.1
16. Al Horford-ATL 10.1
17. Ray Allen-BOS 10.0
18. Luol Deng-CHI 9.9
19. Manu Ginobili-SAS 9.9
20. Blake Griffin-LAC 9.8
But is his game suited to win it all? What are the chances
Our only chance to win and improve instead of lateral is to divest Al’s contract and 2600 minutes into 4 players who can play center, power forward and center.
We have some great pieces for a “Depth model”.
By virtue of win Shares and 10 players on the court at a time an average team full of average players would win 41-41 games.
The fact that we won 44 despite having good players= we had utility/gimmick players ie Jamal Crawford and Joe.
Josh Smith won 6 games, Marvin 4, Joe 4. How do we trade those pieces and double the wins they produced?
We can’t trade potential and centers who usually win 6 games in 26mpg a season for you don’t usually come in 2.
We have to maximize talent and I said to divest Al’s minutes into Motiejunas+ Hash(4-5)+Hill(2wins).
Maybe people thought I was joking when I said 7′1 Troy Murphy (8WS in ~08), Kukoc, Love, and Zach Randolph’s and Griffin’s shooting proportions.
Well those are the list of how many wins they created and if we could get a taller Troy Murphy who spaces the 3 and can dribble and more minutes to Hash+ Hill for 14 wins then I’d go for it.
The fact that Motiejunas is taller means he may win 11 games one day. Playing with Joe and Josh would do the same they did with Horford to Zach Randolph or Kevin Love.
The fact that Blake Griffin is knocking on Horford’s door as a rookie very well means this top heavy team will never compete.
Malcolm Thomas is a great place to start with Depth to the roster. He moves Marvin to a 2 where he was better than JJ last year. If you can tell Sund this we’d all appreciate this.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vrXiRh5i56c
@Mark
June 27th, 2011
6:46 pm
Hawks are top heavy. Al Horford was the best player on this team at 10 Shared Wins out of our 44!
Only guys playing harder/longer than Al.
1. LeBron James-MIA 15.6
2. Pau Gasol-LAL 14.7
3. Dwight Howard-ORL 14.4
4. Chris Paul-NOH 13.9
5. Derrick Rose-CHI 13.1
6. Dwyane Wade-MIA 12.8
7. Kevin Durant-OKC 12.0
8. Paul Pierce-BOS 11.6
9. Kevin Love-MIN 11.4
10. Dirk Nowitzki-DAL 11.1
11. LaMarcus Aldridge-POR 11.1
12. Zach Randolph-MEM 10.5
13. Kobe Bryant-LAL 10.3 – 33mpg+injuries+ OLD= Al production= noncontender
14. Chris Bosh-MIA 10.3
15. Lamar Odom-LAL 10.1
16. Al Horford-ATL 10.1
17. Ray Allen-BOS 10.0
18. Luol Deng-CHI 9.9
19. Manu Ginobili-SAS 9.9
20. Blake Griffin-LAC 9.8
But is his game suited to win it all? What are the chances
Our only chance to win and improve instead of lateral is to divest Al’s contract and 2600 minutes into 4 players who can play center, power forward and center.
We have some great pieces for a “Depth model”.
By virtue of win Shares and 10 players on the court at a time an average team full of average players would win 41-41 games.
The fact that we won 44 despite having good players= we had utility/gimmick players ie Jamal Crawford and Joe.
Josh Smith won 6 games, Marvin 4, Joe 4. How do we trade those pieces and double the wins they produced?
We can’t trade potential and centers who usually win 6 games in 26mpg a season for you don’t usually come in 2.
We have to maximize talent and I said to divest Al’s minutes into Motiejunas+ Hash(4-5)+Hill(2wins).
Maybe people thought I was joking when I said 7′1 Troy Murphy (8WS in ~08), Kukoc, Love, and Zach Randolph’s and Griffin’s shooting proportions.
Well those are the list of how many wins they created and if we could get a taller Troy Murphy who spaces the 3 and can dribble and more minutes to Hash+ Hill for 14 wins then I’d go for it.
The fact that Motiejunas is taller means he may win 11 games one day. Playing with Joe and Josh would do the same they did with Horford to Zach Randolph or Kevin Love.
The fact that Blake Griffin is knocking on Horford’s door as a rookie very well means this top heavy team will never compete.
Malcolm Thomas is a great place to start with Depth to the roster. He moves Marvin to a 2 where he was better than JJ last year. If you can tell Sund this we’d all appreciate this.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vrXiRh5i56c
decriz
June 27th, 2011
6:53 pm
Hey Adrian Dantley just became available. One of the best small forwards and highest bball IQs ever.
We need to bring him over so he can teach our boys some offense and low post moves. Al, Smoove, Marv, Kito, Magnum, etc. even the BIG guard Joe Johnson (who could play like a power post up guard like Mitch Richmond, whom he is even larger than, if he had the decency and motivation to earn his every penny of salary) will all benefit from his tutelage.
Ray
June 27th, 2011
7:01 pm
SMH at anybody wanting to trade Josh Smith
How many times must it be said that he is the face of the franchise. No one wants to see Joe Maxx(boring) or All NBA Al jack up J’s he’s better than Joe, but no where near Josh. We won’t ever get another player that puts butts in the seats if we trade Josh Smith.
If anything you dump off Marvin, Jamal, Armstrong, Thomas, and Powell this offseason. Then get rid of JJ next year or something SMH.
O'Brien
June 27th, 2011
7:02 pm
decriz,
Before the Hawks trade Josh or Al, I would like to see them play for a legit head coach to see what he could do for them. And I think Adelman would be a good choice.
However, this is the ASG we are talking about. IMO, the main reason they hired LD was because he was more than willing to accept the lowest HC salalry in the league.
Mark jackson has no coaching experience whatsoever, but yet he is making more money than LD, and has an extra year on his contract.
O'Brien
June 27th, 2011
7:03 pm
Ray,
If Josh is the one who puts butts in the seat, then why do most of the butts in the seat cringe and yell “noooo” when Josh takes a jumper?
decriz
June 27th, 2011
7:04 pm
Rick Adelman.
my dream Hawks…the same guys, our dear Highlight Factory led at the helm by the masterful Rick Adelman….how I wish the guys at the top get it.
We don’t need to make any trades, wheel and deal. Just get this coach and watch everything and everyone improve.
The increase in ticket sales will be more than enough to cover any incremental costs resulting from this hire. And it doesn’t count against the cap.
A whole new better team that simply, and ironically you don’t need to move any of the ball players.
I love this bunch. I just wish they played a different way. Consistently play, the best I’ve seen them play. And the right coach is the way to get that done.
Come on guys, help me clamor for Rick Adelman!
Sage of Bluesland
June 27th, 2011
7:07 pm
As others have opined, the problem with the Hawks lies at the very top: ownership. Throw in historically inept management, then you have the Hawks. I’ve never seen such repeating incompetence at the GM position in one organization without the ability of the blind squirrel to find even the random acorn…
Unbelievable.
Whoever subsidizes this utter incompetence is nothing but a sheep. What do you think, that this team–as constructed–will actually compete to win a title?!
Please.
Nope–my money stays in my pocket until a real team–with a real chance–is fielded…and that management is held accountable for their incompetence…
Adios, ASG. You reap what you sow.
clark kent
June 27th, 2011
7:08 pm
may everything that ASG touches wither and die a most horrible and painful death.
The Hawks can go to hell as long as they own them.
Dawg 1
June 27th, 2011
7:08 pm
This group goes down as the dumbest management group in the history of Atlanta Professional Sports – now thats saying something…
Cost Atlanta the Thrashers. Are the Hawks far behind?
@Mark
June 27th, 2011
7:14 pm
Shared Wins; I dont see how Bogut and his 66 games is anything but lateral
10-11: 6.4 09-10: 9.3
10-11: 5.4 09-10: 7.5
are you expecting Al to leap frog into Derrick Rose, Dwyane Wade territory? He has peaked guys we need to trade Al’s 10 wins for more immediate Impact pieces.
The video, statistics, math games, production is staring us in the face. If we can’t get Motiejunas’ $2 million contract, Jordan Hill and the 7′1 center.
we’re screwed certain things have value in this league and if Horford is tradeable then good if not we will never win a title with him and will play musical chairs like the we used to do.
Backups can only do so much in limited minutes. Formulas and common sense You give below average players minutes you’ll be a below (.500) team.
We are top heavy and Al will never be as active as these guys:
5. Derrick Rose-CHI 13.1
6. Dwyane Wade-MIA 12.8
7. Kevin Durant-OKC 12.0
8. Paul Pierce-BOS 11.6
9. Kevin Love-MIN 11.4
10. Dirk Nowitzki-DAL 11.1
11. LaMarcus Aldridge-POR 11.1
12. Zach Randolph-MEM 10.5
13. Kobe Bryant-LAL 10.3
14. Chris Bosh-MIA 10.3
15. Lamar Odom-LAL 10.1
16. Al Horford-ATL 10.1
I knew they were similar but Chris Bosh territory? If I told you we could trade Bosh for a 7′1 version of him with 3 point territory, a 7% shot blocking center (Tyson and Josh block 4%) who blocked a higher % of shots than Mutombo and would equal 5 wins if we played him 26 minutes per game?
And then add Jordan Hill who when motivated after the trade was on pace for 4.0 wins in 16 minutes per game.
He played his ass off.
Marreese Speights: .146 1260 minutes
Amare Stoudemire: .116 2570 minutes
Jordan Hill: .109 600 minutes
Jordan is from Atlanta and when motivated played better than a rookie Stoudemire. Even if he reaches that level and stays there never improves.
Rookie Stoudemire 16mpg off the bench against other bench players??
Jason won 1/2 of a game last season, 593 minutes!
We’re holding/held ourselves back.
@Mark
June 27th, 2011
7:14 pm
Shared Wins; I dont see how Bogut and his 66 games is anything but lateral movement
10-11: 6.4 09-10: 9.3 – Josh
10-11: 5.4 09-10: 7.5 -Bogut
are you expecting Al to leap frog into Derrick Rose, Dwyane Wade territory? He has peaked guys we need to trade Al’s 10 wins for more immediate Impact pieces.
view from the east
June 27th, 2011
7:16 pm
The folks in charge have already embarassed the city with the Hockey Team and now look what they can do with Basketball. Hopefully the team is for sale and the new owner can bite the bullet to get rid of the contract mistakes here.
Players on this team seem to wear out their welcome and the managemtn needs to know when to pull the trigger.
Kirk Hinrich
June 27th, 2011
7:19 pm
Kirk Hinrich is a 6′4 guard and played against 6′0 Jameer Nelson. His Defensive Rating shows we improved 1 mere point on Atlanta.
maybe cuz Hinrich at 6′4 and 190 lbs shouldnt be guarding 2 guards. Both he and Jamal were below average during the season.
How many 2 guards do we really want a post surgery Hinrich to score and defend on? Theres a reason we lost in the regular season.
Mike Bibby> Kirk Hinrich in the regular season. Jameer Nelson doesnt change the fact, just stop the 3 guard scheming revisionist history.
Kirk Hinrich
June 27th, 2011
7:19 pm
Kirk Hinrich is a 6′4 guard and played against 6′0 Jameer Nelson. His Defensive Rating shows we improved 1 mere point on Atlanta.
maybe cuz Hinrich at 6′4 and 190 lbs shouldnt be guarding 2 guards. Both he and Jamal were below average during the season.
How many 2 guards do we really want a post surgery Hinrich to score and defend on? Theres a reason we lost in the regular season.
Mike Bibby> Kirk Hinrich in the regular season. Jameer Nelson doesnt change the fact, just stop the 3 guard scheming revisionist history.
dekalbfootball1
June 27th, 2011
7:34 pm
Please someone tell WHY trade? Is it a personal or professional? Name ten better PF in the league under 26? Give him another year in this offensive system, along with Teague at the PG. He and the Hawks will approove! There are only 2/3 teams (Miami, Chicago maybe Boston) will be better next year.
superiorblogman
June 27th, 2011
7:36 pm
There are 2 trades that make sense involving Josh Smith
http://games.espn.go.com/nba/tradeMachine?tradeId=3ekvgdx
Hawks get : Andrew Bogut
Bucks get: Marcin Gortat and Pietrus
Phoenix gets: Josh Smith and Zaza
PG Teague
SG Joe
SF Marvin
PF Al
C Bogut
decriz
June 27th, 2011
7:37 pm
the Highlight Factory + Rick Adelman as coach = i smell fear in the East….they are afraid..hehehe
the Highlight Factory + Rick Adelman as coach = I’m watching the games, I’m buying tickets, buying merchandise…i’m seriously following the team just like everybody else in Atlanta and with fans all over…
the Highlight Factory + Rick Adelman as coach = everybody finds their mojo back, everybody is playing the best bball of their lives…
when he was at:
at Portland – championship caliber
at Sacramento – championship caliber
at Houston – over achieving bunch, you couldn’t deal with adversity any better way, surprised many in the playoffs as well
at Atlanta (if ever)- championship caliber once again
he knows how to use the available offensive talent.
he knows how to utilize gifted passing bigs like Al and Smoove.
a coach that players will play for. he respects the guys, knows how to effectively commuicate. the guys respect him and embrace his philosophy whole heartedly…
Come on ASG. You know it’s the right thing to do. Hire Rick Adelman.
Let’s not allow this great collection of talent in one team to never play for a top notch coach.
Let’s get Rick Adelman and let’s rock and roll!! Let’s be the beasts in the East that we really are!
dub366
June 27th, 2011
7:38 pm
Lets look at the real picture here. It is not Josh Smith’s fault that he’s open to take the shot; especially when you have him playing small forward. The coach should make the change. His shots were no better than Joe Johnson’s or any one else’s shots. When the ball is moving we’re a different team; but when the ball stop in Joe’s hands, that’s when we’re in trouble. There is nothing wrong with Marvin’s game; however, he doesn’t get a lot of touches.
When Joe gets hurt you see a different Marvin, he averages @ 20 points a game until Joe returns. If Teague is the point guard then put the ball in his hands; that would solve a lot of problems. Larry Drew, run your offense, even if you have to put your foot down. The bottom line is, Joe has to learn to play with everyone else.
superiorblogman
June 27th, 2011
7:39 pm
http://games.espn.go.com/nba/tradeMachine?tradeId=3opsl5n
Hawks get: Monta Ellis, Biedrins, and Dorell Wright
Golden State gets: Josh Smith, Marvin Williams, and Zaza
PG Monta/Teague
SG Joe/Hinrich
SF Dorell Wright
PF Al
C Biedrins
superiorblogman
June 27th, 2011
7:49 pm
At the end of the day there will be no trades and with the way Sund does business I am not sure he has the ability to get value for Josh Smith. Giving up 2 1st round picks for Hinrich remains one of the worse trades I have ever seen.
This should be our lineup
PG Teague/Bibby/Demetri McCamey
SG Joe/Jordan/Pape
SF Josh/Chris Singleton/Marvin
PF Al/Keith Benson/Magnum Rolle
C Jason Collins/Zaza/ Fesenko
Jordan Crawford, Chris Singleton, and Mike Bibby for Kirk Hinrich that’s 3 potential rotation players for 1. Horrible
How about trading Kirk Hinrich’s expiring for some depth and future cap relief.
Notso Fast
June 27th, 2011
7:56 pm
I think the Hinrich trade will come back as one of the worst made. . I still thing the Crawford will turn our to be a very good player Better than any of the players involved in the deal. The Hawks just are not very smart in their decisions such as Johnson’s contract and this deal.
DP
June 27th, 2011
7:58 pm
Mark, in the future every time you write that Joe Johnson’s contract is a terrible one, please note that a year ago you said the Hawks had to resign him to a long term deal, over the vehement protests of many here. That came on the heels of his horrible performance during the record 4 game first round sweep at the hands of the Magic. With the money they have tied up in that ballhog it frankly doesn’t matter what other moves the Hawks make for the duration of Johnson’s contract, they’ve hit their peak with a second round exit.
ASG Buffoons
June 27th, 2011
8:00 pm
Wishing for nothing but the status quo for the Hawks until Atlanta is rid of the ASG. As long as the ASG owns even a one dollar stake in the team, I will revel in the misery that is the Hawks. Those buffoons could not run a pee-wee team successfully. They neglected the Thrashers and ran them out of town, yet they LOVE the Hawks and are running them into the ground. Sweet irony……
Badgerina
June 27th, 2011
8:03 pm
Sund ruined the Sonics and now the Hawks. Where’s Pete Babcock?
superiorblogman
June 27th, 2011
8:03 pm
Trading Kirk Hinrich for depth and or cap space.
Marvin and Kirk to the Cavs for Jamison and Sessions
http://games.espn.go.com/nba/tradeMachine?tradeId=3p7btca
Since Kirk supporters swear he makes young PG’s better let him go make Kyrie Irving better, take Marvin which you and give us some cap space.
Kirk, Marvin, and Zaza to the Clippers for Chris Kaman, Mo Williams, and Travis Leslie or Trey Thompkins
http://games.espn.go.com/nba/tradeMachine?tradeId=6b7dgko
Kirk to the Twolves to trade Rubio for Anthony Randolph, Anthony Tolliver, and Wayne Ellington
http://games.espn.go.com/nba/tradeMachine?tradeId=3u6tw6n
Badgerina
June 27th, 2011
8:04 pm
Sund needs to go. As long as he’s around, why bother.
superiorblogman
June 27th, 2011
8:05 pm
Oops I meant Kirk to the Twolves to train Rubio.
Jay
June 27th, 2011
8:05 pm
I’ll take a Smoove+Marvin for Ellis+Biedrins any day of the week. We could slide JJ to small forward and start Ellis and Teague or Ellis and Heinrich based on defensive matchups. Ellis would cover for the drop in points that we’ve going to have when Crawford leaves, his speed element matched with Teague would run other backcourts out of the gym.
Hubie Green
June 27th, 2011
8:09 pm
Trade Smith for Tyson Chandler; bring in a shooter at the three; start Teague; trade Crawford to a contender in the West for for on of portland’s young guns; then do not allow any jump shots in the 4th quarter; everything at the rim.
Why the Atlanta Hawks' future is, in a word, questionable | Mark … | | The Hawks StoreThe Hawks Store
June 27th, 2011
8:57 pm
[...] is the original post: Why the Atlanta Hawks' future is, in a word, questionable | Mark … This entry was posted in Hawks, Uncategorized and tagged a-few-answers, ajc, and-even, bradley, [...]
The Hawks
June 27th, 2011
9:03 pm
You ungrateful fans don’t know how lucky you are to witness us playing basketball. After all, we carry the burden of having to play basketball for a two bit hick town like Atlanta.
SteveW
June 27th, 2011
9:27 pm
Bogut just had another surgery on his elbow. He’s not sure if he’ll ever be 100%. He also suffers from terrible migraines.
That’s why the Bucks offered he and the #10 pick for the #2 pick and were rejected. Bogut is making people nervous with his health related issues.
CONservative Johnson
June 27th, 2011
9:27 pm
Hubie Green
June 27th, 2011
8:09 pm
That’s a lot of trading of free agents . . .
SteveW
June 27th, 2011
9:29 pm
A healthy Bogut I take all day long if the the trade is right however.
And Marvin and a 2nd pick is not going to get you any where near Eric Gorden. Marvin and 2 1st picks won’t get you close to Eric Gorden.
superiorblogman
June 27th, 2011
9:52 pm
I hate to post so much but I forgot to mention we dont have to trade Josh Smith. When you put yourself into a position where you feel you have to do something you end up looking desperate and acting that way, way too often. There are only a few moves in which we can get value for Josh Smith and like I posted Bogut and Monta +Biedrins and Wright are probably the most reasonable ones. You have to get a borderline all star if you trade Josh because that is what Josh is.
The new owners need to fire Sund and Drew to make a splash. Give Kirk, Marvin, and Zaza away to get under the cap to teams that are way under the cap then go out and sign some free agents such as Dalembert and Tayshaun Prince.
I am patiently awaiting the new owners the firing of Sund and Drew and getting rid of the dead weight players so we can get some healthy pieces. Josh Smith and Al Horford are too good and too young to trade away. Teague has too much potential to give away without even knowing what he is like you did Jordan. Joe Johnson is the 3rd best shooting guard in the league, and unless you are getting the 3rd best player at some position back then you don’t need to be trading the guy just because you signed him to a bad contract.
BYE BYE HAWKS....
June 27th, 2011
10:03 pm
Does anybody really care about any of this????? Amazing…..
Joe D.
June 27th, 2011
10:08 pm
People will you stop the whinning about JJ; he is NOT the problem. The main problem besides ASG and Sund is Marvin has NOT given the Hawks anything of value since he has been here. He needs to go because is blocking the development of the team by not producing or growing into a real player. Next, don’t trade Al or Josh until they have an opportunately to play with a Real Point Guard. Now that you have a confidence Teague and Hinrich; there’s solid PG rotation. Get Josh to down 15 lbs and works on his handles and move to the 3. Package Marvin with a 2nd round pick for cap relief a la Beasley form Miami to Minny. There’s hope!
chuck
June 27th, 2011
10:09 pm
The return for Josh is only going to get worse so it is time to cut the cord and take the best offer. Al needs to stay at PF and we need to find guys or a guy to play center.
Teedub
June 27th, 2011
10:44 pm
Horford’s the trade. His rep exceeds his performance,, which means the Hawks get more in return.
Uncle Fester
June 27th, 2011
11:02 pm
Bring Billy Knight back. What a bafoon.
Tryin' to fill the Hockey Void
June 27th, 2011
11:27 pm
I’m doubt Chris Singleton would have flourished here (or will flourish anywhere).
I’d like to see Josh Smith stay around, but as was mentioned that might not happen, I just don’t see the Hawks getting back a good enough talent to make any trade worth it. And I don”t want to see them downgrade the overall team talent only for salary considerations (although improving overall team chemistry is a legit reason).
Let’s keep Hinrich too.
Marvin “donk” Williams is by far the most overpayed player on the team (not much we can do about that though is there)
I might miss Jamal’s clutch jumpshots, but if he must go, maybe we could put in someone who plays when the other team has the ball too
-Justin
_sturt_
June 27th, 2011
11:41 pm
You’re paid to write your opinion, so kudos to you that you have that gig and that you get some cred as a result. However, I find nothing in this piece to indicate that your insight is any better than any other Joe Fan’s.
I believe you’re misguided or straight-up wrong about #1, #2 and #6.
You apparently didn’t catch it, and worse, neither did the editors… there is no answer given for #3, and there is only a vague insight given to #4.
I agree with #5 and #7.
Just for the record.
And if AJC wants to know more, I’ll be happy to provide that at a steep discount from what the paid guy is getting.
mark louis
June 27th, 2011
11:56 pm
There’s another report that the Hawks are on the verge of being sold, this one from David Aldridge at NBA.com. That’s 2 reliable sources now. And Aldridge has a price-around $300 million. He says ASG will remain minority owners.
get dwight
June 28th, 2011
12:24 am
trade horford and josh smith for dwight howard, dump some more deadwood and things will be ok.
ICECOLD
June 28th, 2011
1:55 am
LLet Crawford go and add Allen iverson with the mid level contract .. let him be 6 man.. or a true back up shooting guard.. he lives in Atlanta , his son lives here.. he would do it.. at least AI can still get to the free throw line. And he might put people in the seats !! We should not even try to resign Crawford , or sign and trade him with Marvin , zaza, cash , and next year 1st round pick for hopefully dwight Howard or a true starting center… Or a good 3 guard like Danny granger or Paul peirce .. its worth a shot.
P. Bull Terrier
June 28th, 2011
1:57 am
At least when the Hawks signed Koncak, they were reacting to another team (Pistons?) that was supposedly ready to sign him to a big money deal. When they signed JJ, they were only bidding against themselves.
ICECOLD
June 28th, 2011
2:06 am
Trading josh is the dumbest move u can make.. because your still need to find a starting center and small forward.. so you better off trying him for another year.. along with al.. we have the same conversations every year.. and nothin happens. So I’m not trippin.. I’m just ready to watch some more basketball.. we as fans forget.. it suppose to be fun for us.. we not coaches or GM’s .. let them handle it.. we been in the play offs the last 4 or 5 years, when we don’t make the play offs.. then panic. Trade Marvin for cash. And go from their. That’s it.
G. Tampa Bedwetter
June 28th, 2011
2:18 am
It’s NBA basketball ………………… who gives a sh1t?
Tim
June 28th, 2011
2:25 am
No way Jamal commands $10 million a year. Especially with the new CBA.
James
June 28th, 2011
2:28 am
Trade the whole team except Al Horford.
Buddy Grizzard
June 28th, 2011
3:59 am
Don’t trade J-BALLS. He’s the only Hawk with any.
KevinM
June 28th, 2011
4:11 am
Yes, bring that AI guy in here who’s known as a team player….he looked old in his 2nd stint in Philly…can you imagine his attitude now?
JJ not the problem….how about not the solution! You get rid of him, you gain flexibility and start to remold this team.
I keep Josh and Teague. Move our ‘all-stars’ who have the be the least perfoming all-stars of all time….
That JJ encounter about returning salary is classic! Joe jumped on that one quick….now he’s out there still negotiating and bringing in other FAs to help us.
So all Sund has done is resign journeymen to exorbitant contracts. He has stifled any progress to be made going forward.
To say Sund is average is a reach…..his team is the king of teams who play less than .500 basketball.
Mark, had there ever been anything significant Sund has been quoted?
One of the worse interviews in basketball today.
In a year or 2 from now, 1/2 of this roster will be out of basketball and Larry and Sund will be gone as well. What a wasteland we continue to be.
Please Mark, dig in and find out who our new potential owner might be. This fan base is in dire need of an uptick. Anyone who is holding hope to Marvin Williams being a factor has absolutely resigned themselves to mediocrity.
KevinM
June 28th, 2011
4:14 am
“Tim
June 28th, 2011
2:25 am
No way Jamal commands $10 million a year. Especially with the new CBA”
Wanna bet that Sund brings this guy back for more than he gets anywhere else or before he gets a competing offer? Sund has a way of doing that.
KevinM
June 28th, 2011
4:22 am
The Hawks have 7 FAs: Crawford, Collins, Thomas, Armstrong, Rolle, Powell, Sy, and Damien.
The Mavs have 6 FAs: Chandler, Butler, Stevenson, Barea, Cardinal, Stojakovic
Which group would you choose from?
dmr
June 28th, 2011
6:03 am
Stick with simplicity. It’s the OWNERSHIP STUPID! The ASG is like President Obama. Great new shine at the beginning and superior at the podium at first. However, when it comes down to decision making, these guys are more destructive than constructive.
Steve Belkin is like Ron Paul. His talk is background chatter, until you realize he was right about every move he was against with regard to this team.
The Hawks are what they are. There is an attempt to generate enough revenue to keep this team afloat. However, if you think that the ASG, other than selling the team, will do anything to really make this team a Championship contender; well then you are “SMOKIN’ AND INHALING.”
Atlanta Fan
June 28th, 2011
6:24 am
The only hope here is new ownership then Sund and Drew would have a early exit. Bring in a new young gm and get a proven coach fellow what the falcons have done.
Paddy
June 28th, 2011
6:41 am
decriz………you predicted more ticket sales for the Hawks this coming season?????????? How? Why?? It is true they have nowhere to go but up. They are at the bottom of the league in attendance. Maybe you are inspired by the ASG’s ability to rally the fan base here in ATL?
Willie Coyote
June 28th, 2011
7:30 am
#4 – I don’t understand why people say that Josh playing the 3 makes him have to take jumpers. There are plenty of 3s that don’t jack up jumpers everytime they catch the ball outside of 18 feet. Also, he shot those same shots as a 4 so I just don’t get that argument.
Furthermore, you say that Al playing the 4 made him a jump shooter but playing Josh at the 4 will make him play inside?
Winnipeg Jets the Thrashers
June 28th, 2011
8:05 am
Boycott Philips Arena and the Atlanta Spirit Group.
John
June 28th, 2011
8:32 am
Saying Belkin was right about Joe is 100% wrong. If we had not brought Joe in, we are looking at a team that just now may be making the playoffs. The Hawks can be frustrating but I think the people complaining so much about them have only been watching since they have been good (fairwether fans) and did not suffer with them through all of the terrible losing seasons. Also, Joe Johnson is not worth the money he is paid, but don’t ever compare him to John Koncak again. If we had not resigned Joe, Chicago or NY would have signed him to a max deal as well. I think he will bounce back and have a much better year. I think he and Marvin will both benefit from Jamal signing elsewhere.
GTT
June 28th, 2011
8:45 am
Re: No. 3
Yeah, but those coaches were Mike Woodson and Larry Drew. ‘Nuff said.
Sage of Bluesland
June 28th, 2011
8:59 am
“Mark, in the future every time you write that Joe Johnson’s contract is a terrible one, please note that a year ago you said the Hawks had to resign him to a long term deal, over the vehement protests of many here….”
Hahaha….Isn’t that the truth?! Bradley changes with the wind–and is now starting to tell us how inept the Hawks are from top to bottom….Real swift, there….
(and, to think, he defended Pete Babcock to the bitter end….oh, yeah, same with Don Waddell…See a pattern here, folks?)
Dirk Pitt
June 28th, 2011
9:35 am
Who cares? N.B.A. stands for Noisy Boring Activity.
Navigator
June 28th, 2011
9:41 am
As one great American Forest Gump once said; “Stupid is as stupid does”. It’s obvious the Hawks management was who he was talking about.
GeorgiaDuck
June 28th, 2011
10:02 am
There won’t be an NBA season in 2011-2012.
mountain_jim
June 28th, 2011
10:02 am
I the team sold yet? Is Sund gone yet?
Because I would not allow Sund to trade Josh, he will underperform just as badly as he did getting Hinrich.
I bet he loses his shirt playing poker too.
KevinM
June 28th, 2011
10:06 am
Let me understand this….we have in this town an ‘all-star’ center…..yet, we have to have a 4-5 rotation at that same position….Zaza, Collins, Thomas, Armstrong and now Benson. Does anyone else see the hypocrisy in all this? Now we have 6 centers for a max 15 slots? What is this, a Guiness Record Book contest to see how many 7 rooters fit on one roster?
Label Al what he is, a PF who doesnt want to or won’t defend the other team’s best interior player.
2 years ago, Josh Smith took how many 3 pointers? How many last year? Now tell me where the best position is for Josh? Is it Larry or are the players able to dictate where they play? It’s hard to
tell….
So here we are with one, maybe 2 outside shooters for the current roster…Kirk and Joe.
We have a PG and a half, Kirk being the half.
Our agenda this off season is to fill slots behind these guys? If we sign JC1, we kiss any smidgen of flexibility we have. Sund plays coy, saying we will do our best to sign JC1 when you know he doesnt have the cash…..
Someone from another blog was impressed at the mini camp roster we put together, but truly, how many playoff teams find contributors from a mini-camp? And with no summer camp, less time to impress the Hawks’ brass. We have to get vets, we have to upgrade 1 or even 2 starting positions from the opening roster last year.
How will Larry justify giving Teague limited minutes without Bibby as his rock? That decision right there should have had him fired after one season……he’s at best a #2, but if you ask Woody, you apparently can’t trust him in that role.
Get another coach in here before Drew II decides to apply for the draft. We are finished at that point.
KevinM
June 28th, 2011
10:09 am
If Sund had any guts, he would have cleaned house after that 2nd disaster against Orlando..instead, he shows his average skillset still waiting on Marvin, Joe, and Al to earn their salaries in the playoffs.
Astro Joe
June 28th, 2011
11:25 am
KevinM, Collins, Armstrong and Thomas are all free agents and only one of those guys will likely return.
I wonder why Sund is wishy-washy about Damien?
Malcolm Thomas- Granger
June 28th, 2011
11:54 am
Wow does anybody else buy the Danny Granger-Malcolm Thomas comparison?
I did not know those guys were all that big. 6′8.5
Another guy that tall at the 3 is Richard Jefferson. How has no one ever notice the similarities?
If Granger is 6′8.5 that explains why he can shoot so many shots that easily. The Malcolm Thomas kid is the same way.
Has anyone seen this guy. He moves exactly like Granger.
I did the draftexpress research:
6′ 8.5″ + 220
arm size
Malcolm Thomas 7′2
Danny Granger 7′1.5 size
Richard Jefferson 7′0.5 size
Tracy McGrady 7′2 size, 6′7.75
Can you picture Kyle Korver trying to guard any of these guys on the Hawks? Rick Sund finally has an easy choice to make.
If teams would have seen this kid as a small forward who can block shots then he wouldn’t have slipped out of the draft.
Can’t blame teams for wanting younger players and guards.
But if we sign Thomas we can rectify Williams inability to get a shot by playing him with Malcolm Thomas. His perimeter shot blocking will dominate second units as will Marvin when faced with 2 guards and not having to defer to his starter caliber teammates.
Opinions?
Eric
June 28th, 2011
12:02 pm
Trade, Mark Bradley he’s an idiot!!! The two players I would’ve traded Josh for are both in New York. Bradley probably thinks the Jason Terry for Antoine Walker trade was good, or how about Nique for Danny Manning, and lastly Steve Smith for Isiah Rider really good trades for Atlanta.
DinasaurFenton
June 28th, 2011
2:29 pm
The Hawks future is indeed questionable, but they can adjust their future status from QUESTIONABLE to GREAT if they go ahead and do the right thing and hire JERRY SLOAN for their head coach. I take nothing away from Larry Drew but Larry Drew is an IDIOT for SITTING Jeff Teague when Teague was discovered to be the SECOND BEST POINT GUARD IN THE LEAGUE after he managed to get some playing time after Hinrichs injury. HAD HINRICH STAYED HEALTHY, TEAGUE WOULDNT HAVE GOTTEN ONE MINUTE OF PLAYING TIME and that can be attributed to the ineptness of Larry Drew. Larry Drew is a BAFOON and should be replaced immediately by the legendary hall of fame coach Jerry Sloan. Jerry Sloan knows how to deal with the modern day problem athletes such as Joe Johnson, Jamal Crawford and Josh Smith. Jerry Sloan can handle punks like them and will not tolerate anything less than WINNING AT THE HIGHEST LEVEL. Jerry Sloans Jazz teams made the playoffs for a record of eighteen (18) consecutive seasons in a row. Jerry Sloan will go down in history as the greatest coach of all times if he could just get the missed coveted chhampionship ring that he is desparate for. Bring Sloan in and watch him thrive in Atlanta and deliver to the Hawks a world championship title.
Submariner683
June 28th, 2011
2:46 pm
Face it, this has been one of the worst run franchises period over the last 25 years, especially when it comes to personnel decisions.
Over the last quarter of a century, I can only think of two trades the Hawks have made that were really good and made Atlanta a better team. Mookie Blalock for Rumeal Robinson. The Hawks got real solid PG for the better part of a decade for a player who as a 2G trying to be a PG. Steve Smith and Grant Long for Kevin Willis. With Steve Smith they had an excellent 2G with that was a miss-match in the post for most guards and a serviceable replacement at the PF for Kevin Willis.
Outside of those two, it’s been a nightmare of trades and draft picks. Take out Horford, Smith, and Jason Terry (of which goes part of the nightmare trades), name another draft pick of note for the Hawks. I’ll admit that Al Henderson was a decent pro, but was a good bench guy at best. Without the successes of Horford and Smith, Henderson is the Hawks valedictorian of summer school for draft picks. 1st round picks like Dallys Comegys, Ed Gray, Roy Marble, Priest Lauderdale, Reshown Mccleod, Douglas Edwards, Adam Keefe, the list goes on and on. At least those picks have some reprieve since they weren’t very high picks and usually the talent can seem slimmer, although other teams drafted players after those that turned out to be NBA-caliber players. The worst of the worst is Marvin Williams with all the talent that was available at the 2nd pick. Especially when the Hawks seemed to have plenty of players at the 2G/SF position with the Joshes and JJ.
The exact same could be said of the Shelden Williams pick. A high pick with lots of real talent around and the hawks pick that.
Giving up Gasol for Sharrif Abdur Rahim, while also throwing in Lorenzen Wright (rest his soul), who by the way, the Hawks gave up a 1st round pick to pick up Wright from the clippers, and the Hawks threw in another 1st player, so three 1st rounders, two lottery picks, one of which a super star for Rahim. Granted, at the time, Rahim was becoming one of the 6-7 best players in the league, but even if he’d remained on the level he was with the Grizzilies, which he didn’t, that was too expensive a trade.
And Joe Johnson, love the guy, but didn’t the Hawks have to send two first round picks to Phoenix to get him because they were afraid that the Suns were going to match the over-the-top elite restricted free agent offer? At the time they still had Amare and Shawn Marion and were presumed to actually want to keep those players with Nash, so how were they going to afford Johnson? They weren’t, and as it turns out, don’t mind letting high dollar players go unless their name is Steve Nash.
Face it, when you go 25 years and can only name a 2-3 picks that were good NBA-caliber players, one of which earned a ring for another team, the Atlanta fan base should be delighted that they’ve ever had a competitive team.
B.O.B
June 28th, 2011
3:56 pm
You HAVE to make a run at Dwight Howard, and do it in a trade that does NOT include Josh Smith. Since they are already friends and they wanna play together. Send a package with Al Horford and some other pieces, maybe Hinrich’s expiring contract and Marvin/Zaza would be enough. If Howard is gonna walk away like they think he will, what better replacement to Howard than an ALLSTAR in Horford. Makes sense to me…
Malcolm Thomas- Richard Jefferson
June 28th, 2011
4:46 pm
Wow does anybody else buy the Danny Granger-Malcolm Thomas comparison?
I did not know those guys were all that big. 6′8.5
Another guy that tall at the 3 is Richard Jefferson. How has no one ever notice the similarities?
If Granger is 6′8.5 that explains why he can shoot so many shots that easily. The Malcolm Thomas kid is the same way.
Has anyone seen this guy. He moves exactly like Granger.
I did the draftexpress research:
6′ 8.5″ + 220
arm size
Malcolm Thomas 7′2
Danny Granger 7′1.5 size
Richard Jefferson 7′0.5 size
Tracy McGrady 7′2 size, 6′7.75
Can you picture Kyle Korver trying to guard any of these guys on the Hawks? Rick Sund finally has an easy choice to make.
If teams would have seen this kid as a small forward who can block shots then he wouldn’t have slipped out of the draft.
Can’t blame teams for wanting younger players and guards.
But if we sign Thomas we can rectify Williams inability to get a shot by playing him with Malcolm Thomas. His perimeter shot blocking will dominate second units as will Marvin when faced with 2 guards and not having to defer to his starter caliber teammates.
Opinions?
If anyone disagrees I’d like to see because the video evidence is pretty compelling that we may have found a diamond to rectify Williams
tdub
June 28th, 2011
5:07 pm
some of u guys need to get off Joe Johnson’s back. Yes, he had a bad year, yes he got a major deal, and yes he is probably overpaid. What yall fell to realize is where would this Atlanta Hawk team be if we did not have him for the last 5 years. This guy might not be a number 1 option but he surely can’t do it by himself. Lebron couldn’t in clev, Wade couldn’t in miami, and I could go on and on. He plays pretty good defense and he can still help you with his overall game when he is struggling. The bottom line is this: He will make less money than Gilbert Arenas, Tim Duncan, Kevin Garnett, Rashard Lewis, Zach Randolph, and many more and will make 2 to 3.5 million more than Lebron and Wade. Guys give me a break. People in general always focus more on what they don’t have then what they do have. Joe Johnson has given this city a reason to be proud in his on quiet way. Give this man some help, a true number 1 option.
FlashGordon
June 28th, 2011
5:31 pm
I agree that you have to make a run at ATLANTA NATIVE Dwight Howard. Superman might want to come back home to atlanta and he would make the hawks DOWNRIGHT LETHAL. Howard can easily be obtained by trading Kurt Hinrich, Marvin Williams and Josh Smith. I know that is giving up a lot because Smith has the potential to be BETTER THAN LABRON JAMES, but the old adage is you must give up something to get something. We no longer need Hinrich because we have our point guard of the future in Teague. This trade would allow us to dispose of some excess baggage in Williams who really doesnt contribute much of anything. That trade would make the Hawks an elite team.
yodaddy
June 28th, 2011
5:47 pm
Josh Smith will not be getting traded. You bloggers and journalists need to quit trying to run him out of town. Josh Smith is a great player.
Boo hoo we traded our first round pick in a weak draft. Next year the draft will be stronger and we will still have a pick and an opportunity to choose a better player.
Yes Kirk Hinrich was needed because his rugged style rubbed off on the team, particularly the backcourt. Even Jamal Crawford looked inspired to play defense in stretches (even though he doesn’t have the ability). Kirk Hinrich is also efficient and can shoot.
With Mike “The Hobble” Bibby we would have been bounced in the first round because he plays no defense, lost his shooting ability, and can’t even run the ball up the court.
Kirk Hinrich is a proven elite NBA defender (not saying Singleton can’t get there but he’s a rookie and he can’t score) and is on record that he seriously bothers Dwayne Wade on defense and can make it hard on Derrick Rose.
Jordan Crawford was redundant FOR THIS TEAM because obviously had JC1 (reigning 6th Man of the Year) and perennial All Star Joe Johnson. He wasn’t going to play much. In essence you have to give up something to get something else. Remember Kirk Hinrich was a lottery pick and has had a worthwhile career thus far.
yodaddy
June 28th, 2011
6:03 pm
Jeff Teague is the real deal….I don’t know what else you need to see from him.
On the biggest stage, under dire circumstances and through adversity Jeff Teague delivered. He didn’t deliver in one game…..he delivered in 6 games against the league MVP and the #1 ranked defense in the league. He gave Derrick Rose all he ever wanted to handle on both ends of the floor. He remained focused and ready even though Larry Drew couldn’t see what every Atlanta fan and outside commentator could see. He didn’t pout or cry….he patiently waited.
The only thing the Hawks need to do is add another SG to replace Jamal Crawford (preferably J.R. Smith bc at least he will play some defense) and a SF better than Marvin (which is pretty much anyone currently available).
Hell J.R. Smith could start. Teague, Johnson, Smith, Smith, Horford. We’d REALLY be the highlight factory then.
nique
June 28th, 2011
7:31 pm
You forgot to mention Larry Drew as to why the Hawks present and future are questionable….
Baby Mamma Drama of J-Stupid
June 28th, 2011
9:54 pm
They have to trade J-Stupid. His babies mommas keep coming to the home games and distracting him. He either has to stop having so many kids with multiple partners, get a restraining order on the ones showing up, or get outta town.
E43
June 29th, 2011
12:04 am
Joe wasnt paid 120 million to be a superstar. Joe was paid that money but i dont think it was because of his skills as a ball player. IT was probably to keep him long enough to build a stronger market over the years. Possibly become a free agency haven based on the success they had with him. Joe has done alot over the years but i refuse to believe that the money they gave Joe was based on Joes success as a player but the fear of letting him go and have the team on a downward spiral similar to when Nique left.
Mark, you're just a little off here
June 29th, 2011
9:53 am
1. until he matures a lot, Josh Smith will ALWAYS be a malcontent 2. Hinrich was the difference in the Orlando series and could have been in the Chicago series 3. despite the ugly stroke, Jeff Teague is the real deal 4. coaching, or a lack thereof 5. conventional wisdom says it will cost too much to retain Jamal (we traded away his heir apparent, but he has a son here and who knows what the new CBA will glean) 6. Joe is a stud and once we get squared away at the 1 and the 5, it will become glaringly apparent 7 and
see my responses to 1 thru 6
DinasaurFenton
June 29th, 2011
10:16 am
Mark, you’re a little off here: I DISAGREE WITH YOU COMPLETELY. JOSH SMITH WILL NOT ALWAYS BE A MALCONTENT. IF YOU HAVE THE RIGHT COACH WHO CAN GET IN JOSH’S GRILL AND MOTIVATE JOSH TO GREATNESS. THERE IS ONLY ONE COACH OUT THERE WHO I KNOW WHO IS EQUAL TO THE TASK. I HAVE BEEN REPEATING IT FOR THE LAST TWO WEEKS AND NO ONE WILL CHALLENGE ME ON IT. THE ONLY COACH (who incidentally is a HALL-OF-FAME coach) who I KNOW WHO CAN GET JOSH TO PERFORM BETTER THAN LABRON JAMES IS FORMER JAZZ GREAT AND LEGENDARY HALL-OF-FAME COACH JERRY SLOAN. YOU SEE, JOSH SMITH IS A PUNK, AND PUNKS NEED SOMEONE TO STAND UP TO THEM OR THEY WILL CONTINUE TO RUN ROUGHSHOD OVER THEM. NO ONE CAN RUN OVER SLOAN. YOU SAW WHAT HAPPENED WHEN DERON WILLIAMS AND SLOAN HAD THEIR DISAGREEMENTS. SLOAN WOULD RATHER STEP DOWN THAN TO BE EMBARRASSED BY ANOTHER PLAYER. SLOAN IS, IN MY OPINION, THE GREATEST COACH IN THE HISTORY OF THE NBA. JERRY SLOAN SHOULD BE THE NEXT COACH OF THE ATLANTA HAWKS. IF THAT HAPPENS, JOSH SMITH WILL BECOME THE BEST PLAYER IN THE NBA, UNDER SLOANS TUTORING, MENTORSHIP AND STERLING TEACHING. SLOANS RESUME INCLUDES GUIDING KARL MALONE (THE MAILMAN AND ARGUABLY THE GREATEST POWER FORWARD TO PLAY IN THE NBA) AND JOHN STOCKTON (PERHAPS THE BEST POINT GUARD TO EVER PLAY IN THE GAME). SLOAN COULD TAKE SMITH AND TURN HIM INTO A BEAST IN THE PAINT AND A DEDICATED PROFESSIONAL WHO WILL BRING HIS LUNCH PAIL TO WORK EVERY DAY AND PERFORM WITH EXCELLENCE. JERRY SLOAN SHOULD REPLACE LARRY DREW AS QUICKLY AS POSSIBLE.
FriendlyFreddie
June 29th, 2011
2:07 pm
Everybody keeps referring to Josh Smith as J-Stupid. However, when Josh had his mammoth game in the playoffs (game 4) against the Bulls where Josh was the leading scorer for the Hawks (26 points) with 14 rebounds 3 steals, 8 assists and 4 blocked shots–there is only 1 guy in the league who can have a comparable stat line [LABRON JAMES]. When Josh’s game is on–JOSH SMITH IS AS GOOD AS LaBron James. When Josh is reverting to his old habits–Josh doesnt even look as good as a high-school player. When Josh is playing his “A” game–Josh Smith is an all-star in the NBA. When Josh is playing his “F” game–Josh doesnt even look good enough to make an NBA roster. Its either feast or famine with josh smith. Either he is dominant or he looks even worse than Marvin Williams. JOSH SMITH HAS THE POTENTIAL TO BE THE GREATEST NBA PLAYER OF ALL TIMES.
JewelNelson
June 29th, 2011
2:48 pm
Josh Smith IS A COMPLETE MORON. But he wouldnt be that if Jerry Sloan challenged josh to a fight in the locker room. Slaon would do that if he had to to tame josh smith and get him playing beyond his potential. Of course, eight years into the league you would think that josh shouldnt still be a project and joshs skills should be more polished than they have been. But that is because there is no JERRY SLOAN out there to punch out josh smith and keep josh in his place. JERRY SLOAN SHOULD BE THE NEXT COACH OF THE HAWKS FOR TWO REASONS. #1:LARRY DREW IS SO BAD AS A COACH THAT HE WILL GET THE HAWKS SOLD AND MOVED OUT OF TOWN AND WE WILL LOSE THE FRANCHISE.#2:JERRY SLOAN IS THE GREATEST TEACHER AS A BENCH COACH IN THE HISTORY OF THE NBA. HIS TWO STAR PUPILS–MALONE AND STOCKTON WERE THE BEST EVER AT RUNNING THE PICK-AND-ROLL, AND THOSE TWO GREAT PLAYERS WERE THE GREATEST EVER AT THEIR POSITION. That is a direct result of having an awesome coach at the helm. JERRY SLOAN SHOULD BE GIVEN A CHANCE IN ATLANTA TO SEE IF HE CAN MAKE JOSH SMITH, JAMAL CRAWFORD, AL HORFORD AND JOE JOHNSON FUTURE HALL OF FAMERS. I THINK SLOAN CAN MAKE ALL FOUR OF THOSE PLAYERS FUTURE HOF’ERS IF SLOAN GETS THE CHANCE TO COACH IN THE ATL. ENOUGH SAID. FIRE DREW AND SIGN SLOAN TO A CONTRACT TODAY.
Thunderdoom
June 29th, 2011
3:43 pm
Don’t think Sloan would work. Good friend told me Smith doesn’t like taking orders from white people.
DinasaurFenton
June 30th, 2011
10:07 am
Sloan’s hiring to head coach of the atlanta hawks would literally GUARANTEE THE HAWKS A WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP. Here’s why: (Sloan)
HALL OF FAME COACH + best talent in the league = gold ball
VernFlemming
June 30th, 2011
12:05 pm
If the Hawks dont get a qualified, high-profile coach like a JERRY SLOAN, the current group of hawks misfits: joe johnson, jamal crawford and josh smith will continue to TRAMPLE ALL OVER LARRY DREW. Al Horford has nevere had a problem with authority, but most of the others have no regard for Drew or anyone else for that matter. JERRY SLOAN WILL NOT PUT UP WITH THE CRAP FROM THE HAWKS PLAYERS.
FerrociousTiger
June 30th, 2011
12:07 pm
Josh Smith doesnt realize it, but he has the POTENTIAL TO BE THE BEST PLAYER IN THE LEAGUE. KOBE will be retiring soon, as well as Dirk and Josh Smith should take over the reins as top player in the league, provided Smith will work hard to realize his potential every night. Smith is capable, but he will have to work extremely hard to pull it off.
POTENTIAL
June 30th, 2011
2:56 pm
Malcolm THomas + Josh Smith
JewelNelson
July 1st, 2011
11:26 am
I really dont know why the Hawks brass havent contacted the GREATEST BASKETBALL COACH IN THE HISTORY OF PROFESSIONAL SPORTS–JERRY SLOAN. SLOAN WAS INSTRUMENTAL IN DEVELOPING FUTURE HALL OF FAME STARS DERON WILLIAMS, KARL MALONE AND JOHN STOCKTON. Sloan can do the same thing for Jamal Crawford, Joe Johnson, Josh Smith, Jeff Teague and Al Horford and can develop all 5 of those guys into sure-fire hall of famers. THAT IS WHAT JERRY SLOAN CAN DO FOR THE HAWKS, NOT TO MENTION COACH THEM TO AN NBA TITLE.