OT GM Challange, Turn the hawks into a contender

[Spin Move]

Hawks fans dont take this the wrong way, this is not meant to be disrespectful you guys have alot of good pieces and could be a much better team in a year or two, however as currently configured (all wing no beef outside of Horfard) your not going to get to the championship game.

We just watched the hawks for 7 games who needs to stay and who needs to go, here is a link to the cap situation

http://hoopshype.com/salaries/atlanta.htm

For me its about using the assets they have to improve the 1 and 5 spots.

If it were me I look at the wing situation, they have Smith (who should be playing as a 3) Marvin Williams, Joe Johnson, Josh Childress. They cannot afford to keep them all.

IMOP smith is a keeper he is young and has unique talents if his 3 ever comes around he will be unstopable. Sign him now to a 5 year 50 million dollar deal instead of waiting till after next season to have to pay him the max.

The real question is whether Joe Johnson is worth his contract, he is a very good player and looked very clutch in this series he is owed an average of 14.5 million over the next 2 seasons. I am going to come down on the side of keeping him which means either childress or williams has to go.

If you are going to keep Smith you need your 3rd wing to have 3 point range an childress is a better shooter from long range then Williams (at least for now) furthermore I think that williams has alot of potential he may or may not fulfull and is less a known qaunity then childress, hence I belive he has more trade value.

Bibby is a stopgap at point gaurd, i dont really belive the answer is acie law. Where they get a quality point gaurd is a really good question perhaps TJ ford from toronto.

Bibby (max) ZaZa (4 millions) solomon jones (750k) are all expiring contracts.

They dont have a first round pick this year, but they have the means to try and get one.

If I hold on to bibby and wait for the best disgruntaled max contract player to trade him for since after singing smith they will be over the cap in the future and focus on finding a good defensive center through free agency.

[Pogue Mahone]

Here is what I would do.

Trades

1. Claxton and Horford -> (DEN) Nene + 2008 1st (#20)
2. Bibby -> (IND) Daniels, Foster + 2008 2nd (#41)
3. S+T Smith ($60M/5 Yrs) -> (MEM) Miller, Lowry + Collins
4. Pachulia + Law -> (POR) Przybilla, Rodriguez + three 2008 2nd (#s 33, 36 + 55)
5. 2008 1st (#20) -> (SEA) 2008 1st (#24) and two 2008 2nd (#50 + 56)

Draft

#24 - Richard Hendrix, PF - Alabama
#33 - Bill Walker, SF, Kansas State
#36 - DeVon Hardin, PF/C - California
#41 - Jamont Gordon, PG/SG - Mississippi State
#50 - Pat Calathes, SF/PF - St Joe's
#55 - Rodrigue Beaubois, PG - France (Guadeloupe)
#56 - Keith Brumbaugh, SG/SF - Hillsborough County Community College (FL)

*Beaubois and Brumbaugh to matriculate overseas

Free Agency

Re-sign Childress - $38M/5 Yrs

Offer Walker, Hardin, Gordon and Calathes three year contracts using the MLE (1st year guaranteed at $600K, two remaing years team option at league minimum.)

Additional Moves

If Baron Davis enacts his player option, attempt to low-ball GSW with a package of Solomon Jones, Marquis Daniels, Jason Collins and two future 1st RD'ers. I would be willing to give up Marvin Williams but would limit it to one future 1st RD'er.

The Line-Up

PG - Kyle Lowry
SG - Joe Johnson
SF - Mike Miller
PF - Nene
C - Jeff Foster

Key Reserves - Jamont Gordon, Josh Childress, Marvin Williams, Richard Hendrix, Joel Pryzbilla

Developmentals - Bill Walker, Pat Calathes, Sergio Rodriguez, Solomon Jones, Devon Hardin

Trade Bait - Jason Collins (expiring) and Marquis Daniels (2009 T.O)

=================

Ok, here is the deal. Despite what they accomplished in the last series, I am not overly impressed with Atlanta's roster. Sure, I do like some of their players but I just don't think the roster can be successful long-term.

I think paying Smith the money he is going to want is just silly. Sure, he blocks shots and makes exciting plays. His entire game, though, is about inefficiency and wasted motion, imo. At this point, he is fool's gold because behind the fa

[celticfan42487]

Okay he's my Pogue post.

TRADE:

1) Biby, Marv, 2 future first for MAX signed Gilber Areneas

Re-Sign

Josh Smith and Josh Childress

Draft:

Another wing player if you need one lol.

Go to the playoffs for the next 3 years and see if Josh Smith can pit it all together to support your MJ [Areneas] and Pippen [Joe Johnson]

[GreenGrizz]

My suggestion that they should trade Smith before he damages his legs in a few years. He is awfully small for a power forward that is Horford's place.

[sully00]

If you are the Hawks and you haven't own more than you lost in a decade then change isn't the answer.

I actually like this team pieces and fire power. I think they are solid at the PG spot though they could upgrade but not urgency.

JJ is great and Josh Smith is certainly a keeper. They allow the Hawks a lot of options as does Bibby and Law to go small or big and be very explosive.

Marvin Williams is a shot at the brass ring. He still has the ability to improve he is only 21. He is already on the level of a Al Harrington and likely will be as good Antawn Jamison maybe better. That is the risk with Childress because the team is young it is assumed he is young and he isn't. He is 25 and this is the ball player he is going to be, a nice piece, a 6th man type and any other team should offer him MLE money but this is the Hawks.

They really need to get their defense straightened out and find a physical post presense. Because of their length and versatility they don't need to get a classic center but they need another guy to bang in the post and ZaZa isn't what I am talking about.

[HMFFL]

If you are the Hawks and you haven't own more than you lost in a decade then change isn't the answer.

I actually like this team pieces and fire power. I think they are solid at the PG spot though they could upgrade but not urgency.

I beg to differ. Mike Bibby has another year on his contract and Acie needs to be ready to take over once that happens. If he not up to the task, Atlanta is going to have another hole that's held this year back for years and it's the last thing Atlanta needs to fall back into.

[Rocky5000]

I say keep Bibby, Johnson, Smith, Horford..... all they need is a center. All of their other good players are SF, just like Smith, Childress and Williams. Maybe they can be packaged in a 3 team deal for a center or a PF if they are going to go smaller.

Bibby is expiring at the end of next season, so he can probably slide into a backup PG role for less money. I don't think trading for Gilbert will help the team much. They need a Steve Nash or more appropriately a Baron Davis type at PG. However, they don't really have any pieces that are attractive to GS, who is already largely wing players.

GS will probably go with Ellis, Jackson, Azubuike, Harrington, and Biedrins next year. The only player I see them interested in is Josh Smith, but if I'm Atlanta, I don't trade him for an aging Baron.

So my number 1 objective as an Atlanta GM would be to go after a legit starting C or PF at all costs in the offseason. The guys I'd target are Elton Brand first and then possibly, Jermaine O'Neal.

So next years' Hawk Team
PG Bibby
SG Johnson
SF Smith
PF Brand
C Horford

[devwat12]

The key is to evaluate the team honestly and not get too caught up in what just happened. They are still a 37 win team that barely made the playoffs in a weak conference. I could very easily seeing them ending up like GS and going from an incredible playoff run to not even making it back the following season.

The second step is not to start overpaying guys. I have a feeling they will max out Josh Smith and I think that is a poor decision. He is an electric player, but how much can you trust him? He just seems like the kind of guy that will get paid a ton of money because he can run and jump like a beast, but his basketball skills will never catch up to his athleticism.

[Tricky Ricky]

Fire Woodson hire D'antoni and build around Josh Smith, AL Horford, Acie Law, Marvin Williams, Josh Childress

[Banks2Pierce]

Try to find a time machine so they can go back to draft Chris Paul instead of Marvin Williams.

[celticfan42487]

One thing that I think has to be agreed upon is that Josh Smith has to be kept at PF.

If you're going to rely on a streaky midrange shot without a 3 point shot for his points he's useless.

Then you factor in at SF he's out in the perimeter where his help defense potential is decresead by [random percentile]!!!!!

Right now that only thing he does great is intimidate at the rim and that's going to be his bread and butter.

I think they need a dominating guard that can be their halfcourt offense and override their defenciences to the point where their fast break opportunties become back-breakers rather then their entire offense. Joe Johnson is a great second option, he can defend/ he can create for others/ and he can knock down the shot when he needs too. But he's not a 30 ppg scorer. And that's why I went for Arenas. Who knowes maybe they can trade Biby and a couple first to DEN for Iverson if things go bad although I think it's past AI's time for MVP auditions.

[threrf23]

I would trade Josh Smith. IMO he is not better than Childress even if he has more potential, yet he probably has high trade value. Childress/JJ make a very solid SF/SG combo, Marvin Williams isn't great but can be an energy guy off the bench, PG is set as long as they still have Bibby and Law, Pachulia is a very solid back-up C, Horford is nice but is not a go-to option. If they could turn Josh Smith into a solid Center to start with Horford in the front court, and draft a back-up 2 guard, they would be looking really solid IMO.

Far as an example of what might be possible...Nenad Krstic might be an interesting target, if combined with a number of picks or something else (Richard Jeff would probably go elsewhere as part of a 3 way). I would probably try to pursue something like Smith/Claxton/M Williams for Zach Randolph and Renaldo Balkman. Randolph's offensive presence could complement Horford's D, and Balkman is certainly an upgrade over Williams, and they get rid of Claxton.

[BillessuR6]

Trade 1: Bibby, Pachulia, resigned Childress for Camby, Hunter and Atkins.

DEN finally gets a defensive player who can cover 3 positions in Childress. They could start Nene at center and have a good back-up in Pachulia. They also add a PG in Bibby, who in contract year should be motivated.

ATL adds a center which allows Horford to play at PF. Hunter and Atkins provide the team with some depth.


Trade 2: Marvin Williams for TJ Ford or Calderon.

TOR gets a SF and ATL gets a starting PG. I would prefer Calderon but TOR would probably rather trade Ford.

PG: Ford
SG: JJ
SF: Smith
PF: Horford
C: Camby


I guess DEN wouldn`t make that trade but that is the best I could come up with...

[sully00]

-= original quote snipped =-



I beg to differ. Mike Bibby has another year on his contract and Acie needs to be ready to take over once that happens. If he not up to the task, Atlanta is going to have another hole that's held this year back for years and it's the last thing Atlanta needs to fall back into.

What is your point? So your saying instead of allowing that to play out you simply aquire yet another pg? Sure it is a question but you have to wait for the answer.

Mike Bibby's paycheck far outweighs his game at this point, while at the same time he is a valuable and versatile player. That puts the cards in ATL favor, though they have rarely made use of this in the past. If Law isn't the guy or ready it may make sense for ATL to extend Bibby for a couple of years at slighty above the MLE, perhaps even if he is.