ATL Offseason: Bosh Returns
Posted: Wed May 19, 2010 7:38 pm
Posted this in the Trades and Transactions forum, posting it here too.
1. Hire Dwane Casey as Head Coach
· First order of business is hiring a good coach. Casey is a solid X’s and O’s coach who spent several years in Europe studying the game. Cost-effective, as he is a rare assistant with head coaching experience (in both NBA and Japan). Has worked under good coaches in George Karl, Nate McMillan and Rick Carlisle.
Casey got shafted in Minnesota - he had the team overachieving and was replaced by ownership-chosen Randy Wittman. Had the support of his players (Mark Madsen wrote a blog about the team’s respect and admiration for Casey after learning of his firing). It would be a good idea to surround Casey with former head coaches as assistants (Del Harris, Sam Vincent, etc.) Dean Demopolous and Avery Johnson would also be solid hires.
2. Re-sign Joe Johnson to a 5 year, $80 million deal
· Joe turned down a 4 year, $60 million dollar deal last year and is reportedly looking for $17 million a year. The Hawks meet him in the middle at $16 million a year, realizing how important the 3rd Team All-NBA guard is to their team.
It’s true he flamed out in the playoffs, but this was influenced by several factors. Woodson had a habit of running his starters into the ground (especially Johnson), which led to fatigue in the playoffs. The Hawks are confident that when Joe is placed in an actual offensive system without the burden of creating his own shot every play, both his regular season and playoff numbers will improve.
This deal comes with risk, as the track record for over-30 guards isn’t good, but Johnson is a gym rat and has remained healthy throughout his career. Work ethic and durability are not concerns.
3. Sign Josh Childress to a 3 year deal for the full MLE
· Childress finally comes back to Atlanta, lured by the chance to play a significant role on a 50+ win team (and the state of chaos in Greece right now).
4. Acquire Chris Bosh via sign & trade (max deal) for Josh Smith, Marvin Williams (would have to be done after June 1st due to Marvin's BYC status) and the Hawks 1st round pick (#24)
· Why for Hawks? Chris Bosh sees the Hawks’ commitment to winning by re-signing Johnson and Childress. He returns to Atlanta, where he starred at Georgia Tech, to be the piece that puts a 53 win team over the top. Atlanta is a great fit for Bosh for many reasons. First, they are the most competitive team available to him. The Knicks and Nets haven’t been close to the playoffs in recent years. The Bulls have been stuck at .500 the past 2 seasons, with 2 first round playoff exits. The Mavericks are a close second to the Hawks, but the Mavs lost in the first round again while the Hawks have made the playoffs 3 straight seasons and made it to the 2nd round in 2 straight seasons. Atlanta is missing 1 key piece to put them over the top - Bosh is that piece. His post scoring and rebounding are exactly what the Hawks need to take the next step. USA Olympic teammates Johnson and Bosh would form one of the best inside-outside tandems in the league. Johnson and Bosh have both faced questions about their ability to be #1 options. Together, they can be 1A and 1B and not have to worry about carrying their teams alone.
· Why for Raps? It’s not 100% that Bosh wants to leave Toronto, but the signs are there (changing his Twitter account from Toronto to “everywhere,” asking fans where he should go, only 2 trips to the playoffs in 7 years, etc.) If it becomes clear that Bosh wants to leave, the Raptors get an excellent return with this trade. Two athletic forwards, both under the age of 24, in Smith and Williams who can come in and start right away (or Williams can return to the 6th man role that he played in college). Smith was a major All-Star snub this year, but still got 2nd-Team All-Defense honors and is the only player taller than 6’8 averaging 4+ assists. Smith’s excellent defense and rebounding make him an ideal fit next to Bargnani. He is also signed to a reasonable contract, making about $11 million a year. William’s production is down this year from his good 08-09 season (14 pts, 6 rebs, 46% from the field and 36% from 3), but much of this is due to the addition of Jamal Crawford, who took a lot of Marvin’s shots. Marvin became the 5th option on offense. With more of an opportunity in a more open system, he can reach the potential that made him the #2 overall pick in 2005. The 1st round pick is icing on the cake.
5. Sign Damien Wilkins, Craig Smith, Mario West and Jason Collins to small/minimum contracts to fill out the bench.
Bibby (26) / Teague (14) / Crawford (8)
Johnson (26) / Crawford (22) / West
Childress (28) / Johnson (10) / D. Wilkins (10)
Bosh (36) / C. Smith (12)
Horford (36) / Pachulia (12) / Collins
These moves make the Hawks a 60-win team and a legit championship contender, imo.
So?
1. Hire Dwane Casey as Head Coach
· First order of business is hiring a good coach. Casey is a solid X’s and O’s coach who spent several years in Europe studying the game. Cost-effective, as he is a rare assistant with head coaching experience (in both NBA and Japan). Has worked under good coaches in George Karl, Nate McMillan and Rick Carlisle.
Casey got shafted in Minnesota - he had the team overachieving and was replaced by ownership-chosen Randy Wittman. Had the support of his players (Mark Madsen wrote a blog about the team’s respect and admiration for Casey after learning of his firing). It would be a good idea to surround Casey with former head coaches as assistants (Del Harris, Sam Vincent, etc.) Dean Demopolous and Avery Johnson would also be solid hires.
2. Re-sign Joe Johnson to a 5 year, $80 million deal
· Joe turned down a 4 year, $60 million dollar deal last year and is reportedly looking for $17 million a year. The Hawks meet him in the middle at $16 million a year, realizing how important the 3rd Team All-NBA guard is to their team.
It’s true he flamed out in the playoffs, but this was influenced by several factors. Woodson had a habit of running his starters into the ground (especially Johnson), which led to fatigue in the playoffs. The Hawks are confident that when Joe is placed in an actual offensive system without the burden of creating his own shot every play, both his regular season and playoff numbers will improve.
This deal comes with risk, as the track record for over-30 guards isn’t good, but Johnson is a gym rat and has remained healthy throughout his career. Work ethic and durability are not concerns.
3. Sign Josh Childress to a 3 year deal for the full MLE
· Childress finally comes back to Atlanta, lured by the chance to play a significant role on a 50+ win team (and the state of chaos in Greece right now).
4. Acquire Chris Bosh via sign & trade (max deal) for Josh Smith, Marvin Williams (would have to be done after June 1st due to Marvin's BYC status) and the Hawks 1st round pick (#24)
· Why for Hawks? Chris Bosh sees the Hawks’ commitment to winning by re-signing Johnson and Childress. He returns to Atlanta, where he starred at Georgia Tech, to be the piece that puts a 53 win team over the top. Atlanta is a great fit for Bosh for many reasons. First, they are the most competitive team available to him. The Knicks and Nets haven’t been close to the playoffs in recent years. The Bulls have been stuck at .500 the past 2 seasons, with 2 first round playoff exits. The Mavericks are a close second to the Hawks, but the Mavs lost in the first round again while the Hawks have made the playoffs 3 straight seasons and made it to the 2nd round in 2 straight seasons. Atlanta is missing 1 key piece to put them over the top - Bosh is that piece. His post scoring and rebounding are exactly what the Hawks need to take the next step. USA Olympic teammates Johnson and Bosh would form one of the best inside-outside tandems in the league. Johnson and Bosh have both faced questions about their ability to be #1 options. Together, they can be 1A and 1B and not have to worry about carrying their teams alone.
· Why for Raps? It’s not 100% that Bosh wants to leave Toronto, but the signs are there (changing his Twitter account from Toronto to “everywhere,” asking fans where he should go, only 2 trips to the playoffs in 7 years, etc.) If it becomes clear that Bosh wants to leave, the Raptors get an excellent return with this trade. Two athletic forwards, both under the age of 24, in Smith and Williams who can come in and start right away (or Williams can return to the 6th man role that he played in college). Smith was a major All-Star snub this year, but still got 2nd-Team All-Defense honors and is the only player taller than 6’8 averaging 4+ assists. Smith’s excellent defense and rebounding make him an ideal fit next to Bargnani. He is also signed to a reasonable contract, making about $11 million a year. William’s production is down this year from his good 08-09 season (14 pts, 6 rebs, 46% from the field and 36% from 3), but much of this is due to the addition of Jamal Crawford, who took a lot of Marvin’s shots. Marvin became the 5th option on offense. With more of an opportunity in a more open system, he can reach the potential that made him the #2 overall pick in 2005. The 1st round pick is icing on the cake.
5. Sign Damien Wilkins, Craig Smith, Mario West and Jason Collins to small/minimum contracts to fill out the bench.
Bibby (26) / Teague (14) / Crawford (8)
Johnson (26) / Crawford (22) / West
Childress (28) / Johnson (10) / D. Wilkins (10)
Bosh (36) / C. Smith (12)
Horford (36) / Pachulia (12) / Collins
These moves make the Hawks a 60-win team and a legit championship contender, imo.
So?
