Potential Off-Season Acquisitions

[Geaux_Hawks]

Potential Centers to look at:

*Bargnani- Offensive specialist(21+ PPG) - With 4 other great defenders,Hawks would have a consistent 17-20 PPG guy at the 5.Not to mention Bargs is a decent post defender.

*Marc Gasol- Young Center - Zach Randolph is the key reason Memphis is doing so well and Marc is benefiting from that(almost like Amare did for Robin Lopez),but can Memphis really keep Zach,Marc, and Battier.Not the defensive guy his brother is,but still a good team defender and can score. I think ultimately Memphis just lets Battier walk since Rudy Gay is the actual SF and Battier will be looking for a ring.(unlikely to get him)

*Spencer Hawes-Young Center w/ alot of Potential - Guy can really shoot the ball,but hasn't learned to take on contact despite having some low post moves in his arsenal. Fortunately at age 22 he can still learn to take on contact. Defensively, is better than Gasol, but still needs to add some muscle.

*Andris Biedrins- Needs a New Look - Biedrins needs a player like Horford and Smith to take the defensive pressure off of him, like pretty much all the other centers on this list. A pretty good ball handler, who flourishes on pick and rolls and possibly the best defender on the list.Needs muscle.

*Lopez Brothers- Pick your Poison - One is offense,the other is defense. Both can improve on the other end.Brook is the more expensive and productive one, but Robin could become Brook with the right team, which I would prefer. Once again,pick your poison.

*Greg Oden- High Risk-High Reward - Like I say,High Risk-High Reward guy.Injuries play a big role as to how effective he can be.I think he can still rebound, which the Hawks need and bring his presence defensively. At 7'0 285 with his athleticism, he can overpower and dominate the low post even with his low skill set.Don't overpay unless for sure he can do as needed.

*Andrew Bogut- All Star Defensive Center - Enough said.

***Don't overpay Dalembert or Deandre Jordan salary wise
**Okur and Kaman asset wise

Fill positions:

Marco Belinelli- He is a back up SG but still try to bring Crawford back,but sign this guy regardless. Played point a few games for the Hornets, but really wasn't able to be a creator on his own,but distributes the ball to others well. Heard he isn't the best defender, but stays active with hands and is pesky.

Joe Alexander- Could take over the 3 or be a solid back-up 3/4 tweener if we can slide Josh to the 3.

Yi Jinlian- I just like his size and think he can be effective as a back-up 4/5 guy

Resign:

Damien Wilkins- We already know what he can do.Solid back-up and should start the rest of the season.

Hilton Armstrong- Athletic guy who can bring something once he gets some minutes.

*Marvin and Zaza are hopefully traded for the Center.

Draft:

potentially two 2nds, could land a guy like PF/C Jordan Williams, PF/C Tyler Zeller, PG/SG Iman Shumpert, the kid from Oakland who plays Center and many others.All assuming if they declare.

NEW COACH!/GM/Owner

[parson]

Saying Bargnani's "a decent post defender" is like saying a blind date has a really good personality.

He has a negative 4.7 PER at Center, allowing the opposing Centers to have a 21.1 PER. League average is 15.
He has an iFG of 19%, which is pititful and allows 61%, which would make us all very sad if he played for us.
He only blocks 0.7/game.

His problem is that he's too weak for the position and doesn't know how to fight for position down low. Look at his 5.6 rebounds/game, even though he logs 36.2 min/game.

We need defenders at EVERY position -- but at no position is it more necessary than Center.

[Geaux_Hawks]

Bargnani doesn't have help defenders. Stats are always a good thing to throw at somebody but sometimes those stats are there for a reason.Look at Toronto situation and that they have no one to help Bargnani neither do they play defense. Hawks have 4 defenders who can help out in the starting lineup. Hawks have one guy that can score 20 a night and his shooting is off lately,but he still has other weapons. The point is there isn't many Centers who plays great defense, can shoot, score, rebound, etc. The few out there(Pau, Dwight, Bogut,Duncan,Nene,Jefferson) are vital to their team and are possibly not going anywhere.

I know Bargs isn't no where near being a defensive thwart, but he does have decent post defense and with our help defenders, who covered up for Bibby's poor D,Bargs would help us alot. The Celtics don't play the best individual D (besides KG and Rondo)but as a unit they are elite, so it covers up the individual flaws.

Marvin or Bargnani you pick.

[myrak433]

Bargnani doesn't have help defenders. Stats are always a good thing to throw at somebody but sometimes those stats are there for a reason.Look at Toronto situation and that they have no one to help Bargnani neither do they play defense. Hawks have 4 defenders who can help out in the starting lineup. Hawks have one guy that can score 20 a night and his shooting is off lately,but he still has other weapons. The point is there isn't many Centers who plays great defense, can shoot, score, rebound, etc. The few out there(Pau, Dwight, Bogut,Duncan,Nene,Jefferson) are vital to their team and are possibly not going anywhere.

I know Bargs isn't no where near being a defensive thwart, but he does have decent post defense and with our help defenders, who covered up for Bibby's poor D,Bargs would help us alot. The Celtics don't play the best individual D (besides KG and Rondo)but as a unit they are elite, so it covers up the individual flaws.

Marvin or Bargnani you pick.

Bargnani hands down, all day any day!

[azuresou1]

Bargnani would let us play Smoove full time at the three though, as a slasher. Not saying it'd be a good idea, just putting it out there.

Anyways... we don't have the money for really any of those guys on the 'potential Centers' list since we'd only have the MLE and a ~3 million TPE, and most of them would be worth more than Marvin/Zaza.

Belinelli is average, and we don't really need him.
Joe Alexander is horri-awful.
Hilton Armstrong is horri-awful.
I like Yi, but we don't have enough team BBIQ/leadership to stop him from shooting long jumpshots... like the rest of our team.

[Geaux_Hawks]

Robin, Biedrins, Okur, Kaman,Hawes,& Oden could be had. Bargnani could be traded for if we had a creative enough GM.

[parson]

If Bargnani doesn't have any help, then he's doubly at fault for only rebounding at a 5.6 clip. Come on, you know that's inexcusable.

As for saying Bargnani would "let" us play Smoove at the 3 and Horford at the 4, Zaza would "let" us do it, as long as you don't mind a lousy center starting for you. Bargnani is a small forward who happens to be 7 feet tall. His inside game is a joke -- he's a perimeter player.

At best, he might be - one day - able to play PF.

Look, I've advocated trying for Robin Lopez. I'd LOVE Brook but forget about that. Pryzbilla would only be able - at best - to play off the bench but that would be fine. Oden is a gamble I'd love to make. I think POR hurt him by bulking him up. Now that he's announced he plans to return to his college weight, maybe he'll be healthy. But if POR wants him, we don't stand much of a chance. Marc Gasol would be great but I really don't think MEM will let him go. Hawes is too slow, too unathletic. He's bench fodder.

Bogut's the one I'd overpay for, but no one else, apparently, here would.

[Geaux_Hawks]

Bargnani just isn't a rebounder now that is something I do realize he fails at besides being an average defender at times..lol but hey, when the Hawks don't score they get blowed out by 15-20. We could use another 20 PPG guy.Al and Josh are more 16-18 PPG guys..

[parson]

Then just start Jamal at the 5. Come on, there's a reason we want a big man and points alone won't cut it. He needs to rebound, block at least SOME shots, score inside and defend the post.

That aint Bargnani.

I don't get your love for the guy. Other than being 7 feet tall and scoring 21 pts/game, he has nothing to recommend him for the post.

[theatlfan]

Nix B Lopez and Gasol - I couldn't see either NJN or MEM allowing either to walk. Nix Hawes as well - he just isn't any good.

After that, I could see taking the chance on Bargnani. His size precludes him from being an ideal fit (you need size to be a good post defender), but he would make us a matchup nightmare on O. He's a 20 ppg scorer and a 3PT threat. Not a round peg for us, but if he could be had on the cheap, then he may be worth the risk.

I'm not high on Biedrins and would prefer Bargnani over him. Beans has the same size issue on post D, and there's some significant off the court baggage. Considering the athletes we've already got, I'm really not sure that Biedrins would bring much that we don't have (outside of rebounds). If Bargnani is more expensive than TOR fans are postulating, then Biedrins could be the next target, but I get the feeling that we'd be shopping him as soon as we could.

I can't see R Lopez either. He'll be overvalued since he's still on a rookie contract, but he gets less rebounds than Bargnani. I don't think he'll ever be anything more than a 20 min/night backup guy and he's still got some development to do to get there. Basically, I'd take him as a token in a dump, but I don't view him as much more than that.

Do we have enough to snag Bogut? We'd literally have to take on $20M to get him (Bogut @ $12M + a bad contract... say Maggette) and we don't have that lying around in expiring contracts. Plus I'm sure they'd want a replacement C for the short term and we wouldn't be having this discussion if we had one of those.

Couldn't see us having the assets for Oden either. In FA, we could offer the MLE at best, and I think POR would match that (the QO alone would be around 3/4 of the 1st 2 years of the MLE). As far as a SNT, what could we really interest POR with? JC1 in the mythical 2x SNT? Would we do that?

Hence, in terms of trades, I think our best options would be Okur or Kaman who are both vastly overrated by posters here. I don't think the actual GM for either UTH or LAC would ask for the moon for either guy. Okur is an injury risk (back) and I couldn't see UTH seeing him as much more than salary filler. Unfortunately, that also means that prying him out would involve a bigger deal. Something along the lines of Smoove for Okur + Hayward? Or JC1 in a SNT straight up for Okur? The problem here is that I've got absolutely 0 idea what would attract UTH since they're in the midst of a regime change.

LAC just gave an unprotected 1st to dump 2/3 of Baron's salary, and Kaman isn't much better. No, they won't give as much sweetener to get out from under Kaman's contract, but I doubt that LAC is looking for much more than expirings, minor futures, and maybe a short term backup C type. He's another injury risk and his BBIQ isn't great. He can be a decent #2 big though, since he can rebound, hit a mid-range shot, and is at least willing on D. They may take Marvin back as a centerpiece, but we'd still need to get a 3rd team involved to finish the nuts and bolts of any deal. I doubt they'd value Teague since they've got Bledsoe and Mo and we don't have much else that could attract LAC. Still, it's doable, but I'm just not seeing what the pieces are yet.

Honestly, the most realistic options @ C would be MLE (or below) FA's in the Nazr / Przybilla (if healthy) mold. They're out there and we're really only upgrading Twin so it's not like the $$ wouldn't be well spent. After that, concentrate on dumping Marvin to resign JC1 and a replacement SF. H3ll, the new CBA might even do the 1st 2 for us...

[myrak433]

^^^^^ what about Dalembert or Haywood?

[theatlfan]

^^^^^ what about Dalembert or Haywood?

Can't see us going after either - albeit for vastly different reasons.

1st, I don't want someone who we can hang the title of C on and call it a day. I want someone who adds something we're missing. Sure, we missing size, but it has to be more than that - otherwise, Hilton Armstrong would be fine. The #1 thing we need is post D - not a lane clogging shot blocker, but someone who'll push Dwight Howard 5 extra feet from the rim. After that, rebounding and the willingness to set a hard pick are next on my list. I'd like some low block scoring, but if you're getting that, then you're paying for it, so it's an easy cut for now.

Understanding this, what does Dalembert bring us outside of someone we can hang a C tag on? We've got shot blockers, we need man-to-man D on the low block. Can he push Dwight Howard out from the rim on D? Maybe, but I can't see it. Also, how would he help on O? We've got plenty of guys who can hit a jumper. So, does he have enough low post skills to make opponent's sag on him? Can he set a hard pick? I haven't seen either from him. Not to say he isn't worth at least an MLE contract, I'm sure someone has needs that he can bring. But is he really a great fit for us? I don't see it.

Haywood's talent, OTOH, would be ideal for us. He can man the low post on D, can set a decent pick, and would even add some rebounding to boot... but I can't see us taking on his contract. Looking @ it, I think that Cuban gave him an MLE contract, but pushed a bunch of $$ up front to buy the "dust chip" at the end (IOW, Haywood is getting 6 years worth of MLE $$ in the 1st 5 years but has to deal with being cut right before TC and scrambling for a vet mini contract, if he can even get that, in year 6). Hence, the difference between him having a decent contract and him wildly overpaid is the probability that the team paying him would take advantage of that dust chip at the end of his contract. Now, would we actually take advantage of that chip? I doubt it, so we would need a little more incentive to take him on. DAL, OTOH, would be more likely to use his dust chip so they wouldn't see him as overpaid (at least not "wildly") and therefore, wouldn't be as likely to give us that incentive. This disparity makes him a hard target to go after.

Speaking of Haywood though, Chandler is also a FA this off-season. If the CBA breaks right, then DAL might be hesitant to be paying both him and Haywood premium $$ to man their C position. If this is the case, then maybe we could pick up Chandler on the cheap. He wouldn't be a bad fit either...

[CALPURNIA]

I would also overpay for Bogut. I would assume Redd's contract, Salmon's or any other one in order to get Bogut in exchange for Smith, Pachulia, Teague, Marvin or, in my best dreams, JJ.

An inside pair of Bogut-Horford with the help of Powell, Zaza and a good rookie would be great. Especially because Powell can give much more than what LD is getting out of him, which is a pity.

I would not like to see Bargnani around even if we would be getting Calderon and DeRozan for JJ together for him. Bargnani is a white hole in offense and a black hole in defense. Seeing him play makes me angry because so much wasted cms.

Being a little bit more realistic, may be we can get Dalembert, Biedrins or whoever center is finishing a contract and is around or over 30. They will sleep here until the end of their careers...
Kaman could be the only one who still has something to prove. Okur is a good player, but he has no inside presence.

[myrak433]

Redd is a free agent, so there is no contract to assume.

[Cutter]

Hawks just aren't getting it done with their current roster. An offseason shake-up is needed.

What about this trade:

Suns: Steve Nash / Marcin Gortat
Hawks: Josh Smith / Filler

Hawks get the main piece which is a very good Center in Gortat. He has really emerged since coming out from Dwight Howards shadow. Plus he is on a very reasonable $6million salary. Excellent rebounder, excellent defensively and very good PnR with Nash.

Hawks get an elite but slowly fading (very slowly) PG. Nash is a pass first PG averaging 16 ppg, 11.8 assists. Another plus is that Nash is an expiring contract in 2012.

Financially I don't see how the Hawks can sign Smoove, Horford, and JJ to huge contracts, plus have enough left over for an elite PG and good supporting bench. Letting Jamal Crawford walk really hollows out the bench. Just not enough money under the cap for that.

[myrak433]

Hawks just aren't getting it done with their current roster. An offseason shake-up is needed.

What about this trade:

Suns: Steve Nash / Marcin Gortat
Hawks: Josh Smith / Filler

Hawks get the main piece which is a very good Center in Gortat. He has really emerged since coming out from Dwight Howards shadow. Plus he is on a very reasonable $6million salary. Excellent rebounder, excellent defensively and very good PnR with Nash.

Hawks get an elite but slowly fading (very slowly) PG. Nash is a pass first PG averaging 16 ppg, 11.8 assists. Another plus is that Nash is an expiring contract in 2012.

Financially I don't see how the Hawks can sign Smoove, Horford, and JJ to huge contracts, plus have enough left over for an elite PG and good supporting bench. Letting Jamal Crawford walk really hollows out the bench. Just not enough money under the cap for that.

I don't think the Suns would do that, maybe Nash and Lopez

[Cutter]

I don't think the Suns would do that, maybe Nash and Lopez

You're probably right.

In the basketball fantasy world I dwell in, I have the Suns signing Nene to a big contract this summer. Gortat is probably the most desirable trade chip we have and paired with Nash might be a tempting trade offer for Smoove.

Chances are highly unlikely though.

[Geaux_Hawks]

Then just start Jamal at the 5. Come on, there's a reason we want a big man and points alone won't cut it. He needs to rebound, block at least SOME shots, score inside and defend the post.

That aint Bargnani.

I don't get your love for the guy. Other than being 7 feet tall and scoring 21 pts/game, he has nothing to recommend him for the post.

I mean really, do you think the "Hawks" will be getting Howard,who has expressed himself in saying he really doesn't won't to leave Orlando, or do you think MIL will move Bogut without asking for Horford? I mean be real, unless you buy(which is impossible right now) or draft(No pick for this year) a guy you are talking about, then there isn't no one available. I think Atlanta does better trading someone else trash for our trash.

The only thing I'm pushing for Bargnani is the fact that the Hawks don't have a consistent 20+ PPG guy,which puts a load on Joe to score every night.Marvin doesn't give much if anything. You can still move Horford to 4 and Josh to 3, while Bargnani would spread the floor, for guys like Teague,Joe,Jamal, and Hinrich to drive the lanes easier for an easy assist to Horford or smith. I don't think defense is the problem as a team,but offensively we lack scoring. There is alot of games, where the Hawks score in the 70- low 90s and lose games by only giving up 80- low 90s to opposing teams. Yeah the Hawks need a defensive big,but they still need more offense. Hawks give up 95(7th), but only score 95(26th). And regardless of what everyone says, the guy is still a decent team defender.

[myrak433]

Then just start Jamal at the 5. Come on, there's a reason we want a big man and points alone won't cut it. He needs to rebound, block at least SOME shots, score inside and defend the post.

That aint Bargnani.

I don't get your love for the guy. Other than being 7 feet tall and scoring 21 pts/game, he has nothing to recommend him for the post.

I mean really, do you think the "Hawks" will be getting Howard,who has expressed himself in saying he really doesn't won't to leave Orlando, or do you think MIL will move Bogut without asking for Horford? I mean be real, unless you buy(which is impossible right now) or draft(No pick for this year) a guy you are talking about, then there isn't no one available. I think Atlanta does better trading someone else trash for our trash.The only thing I'm pushing for Bargnani is the fact that the Hawks don't have a consistent 20+ PPG guy,which puts a load on Joe to score every night.Marvin doesn't give much if anything. You can still move Horford to 4 and Josh to 3, while Bargnani would spread the floor, for guys like Teague,Joe,Jamal, and Hinrich to drive the lanes easier for an easy assist to Horford or smith. I don't think defense is the problem as a team,but offensively we lack scoring. There is alot of games, where the Hawks score in the 70- low 90s and lose games by only giving up 80- low 90s to opposing teams. Yeah the Hawks need a defensive big,but they still need more offense. Hawks give up 95(7th), but only score 95(26th). And regardless of what everyone says, the guy is still a decent team defender.

Amen brother. I would take Bargnani in a heartbeat for Marvin. anyway you slice it, that is a upgrade for our team. Marvin has more potential than Bargnani, but for what ever reason he is not developing into much. maybe he needs a new environment, maybe he needs to feel like he is the man on a team. but we should be in win now mode, and Bargani gives us a better opportunity to win now.