Free Agency Options Now that Chill is Gone

Rod700 · Post #1 » by **Rod700** » Wed Jul 23, 2008 6:46 pm

Although I would rather us make a bigger move to improve the team than just signing player(s) to fill out our bench, if you were looking to use our Mid-level exception to sign one or more bench players, who would you be considering at this point? Here is a short list of some guys I'd look at:

Sasha Vujacic
Michael Ruffin (not for the full MLE)
Bonzi Wells
Kwame Brown (not for the full MLE)
Francisco Elson (not for the full MLE)
Carlos Arroyo
Lorenzen Wright (just kidding)

Vujacic is a great shooter and hustles on defense and the lakers are way over the cap and may not want to use his restricted FA status to match a MLE offer.
Ruffin is a tough guy who adds weight (although not height) and good rebounding with solid defense for a cheap price.
Bonzi is a tough player who makes his presence felt on the court. He is unrestricted and the Hornets are already at the cap.
Players like Brown and Elson might like the playing time they would have with a team that has a short starting lineup and only Zaza coming off the bench.
I like Arroyo's energy and assist to turnover ratio. The Magic have shown interest in acquiring Critteon.
Lo Wright is god awful. It's always a pick-me-up to realize he isn't on our team anymore.

ATL DirtyBird · Post #2 » by **ATL DirtyBird** » Wed Jul 23, 2008 6:54 pm

anybody think we could land jr smith?? or is that outta sight?? but what players do u think we have a realistc shot with??

Rod700 · Post #3 » by **Rod700** » Wed Jul 23, 2008 7:00 pm

I don't think we could get him. I think Denver is looking to rebuild younger players like him and Melo since they shipped Camby out. I think they will be willing to go into the luxary tax this year, and make trades to create cap space for the following season.

td00 · Post #4 » by **td00** » Wed Jul 23, 2008 7:03 pm

A pro who has put up some good games and it sounds like all he wants is a guaranteed contract:

Dahntay Jones

He would be a very good replacement at this stage.

I heard a rumor today on the radio that a replacement is being negotiated with as we speak.

HoopsGuru25 · Post #5 » by **HoopsGuru25** » Wed Jul 23, 2008 7:07 pm

Smith would be the best case scenario at this point. He and Childress primary value are both that they are extremely efficient offensive players...however JR would provide much more spacing on offense. He is the only MLE wing left that I would actually prefer over Childress.

killbuckner · Post #6 » by **killbuckner** » Wed Jul 23, 2008 7:10 pm

Before the Camby trade JR smith would have been an option but now Denver would match the MLE for sure.

evildallas · Post #7 » by **evildallas** » Wed Jul 23, 2008 8:03 pm

killbuckner wrote:Before the Camby trade JR smith would have been an option but now Denver would match the MLE for sure.

I agree with this sentiment. They dumped that salary so they could keep him.

Some other names to consider:
Kareem Rush
Louis Williams (RFA)
Kirk Snider
Ryan Gomes (RFA)
Walter Hermann

and big but old:
Theo Ratliff
Alonzo Mourning
Dikembe Mutombo

There are several RFAs that are interesting, but hard to acquire and the full MLE price restricts our options. That's why my favs are Kwame Brown as backup C and Kareem Rush as a shooter off the bench. I like keeping Mario West, Jeremy Richardson, and Othello Hunter from summer league.

Roster
Bibby/Acie/Speedy
JJ/Mario/Kareem Rush
Marvin/Jeremy/Othello
Josh/Solomon Jones
Al/Kwame/Zaza

lunarblues · Post #8 » by **lunarblues** » Wed Jul 23, 2008 8:46 pm

i think we are going to have to stay in house with this one.

west and richardson will prob pick up chill's minutes. luke jackson might get a spot as well.

we prob won't get a true replacement until the deadline. there is a good chance that bibby ends up being traded for one if we are too far out of the playoff picture.

conleyorbust · Post #9 » by **conleyorbust** » Wed Jul 23, 2008 9:10 pm

I worry about over-reacting here and throwing the full MLE at a player who doesn't deserve it.

On the one hand, I have a theory that we completely overused Chil. When a big came out, we'd put in Childress and move Marv to PF, we'd pull our point and have Chil/Joe bring the ball up court... every time we did, we'd warp the offense so Chil could play on the baseline and he'd always be guarding a guy that was either too big or too quick. Maybe if we spread the money out on less talented but more diverse players, we'd actually be better off.

On the other hand, it was nice to have a very talented player come off the bench - maybe we should just throw all the dough we can muster at Lou Williams, Sasha Vujacic, and J.R. Smith. Of the three, Vujacic is probably the best fit and Williams the worst but since Smith is such a nut job, I'd deprioritize him.

ATL DirtyBird · Post #10 » by **ATL DirtyBird** » Wed Jul 23, 2008 10:08 pm

so is dumping Marvin or Bibby this year out of the question??

raleigh · Post #11 » by **raleigh** » Wed Jul 23, 2008 11:10 pm

Why would you want to dump Marvin or Bibby?

Great · Post #12 » by **Great** » Wed Jul 23, 2008 11:31 pm

Hawks have Johnson and Horford to build around. It's a really tough minded little nucleus. I like it.

Are they counting on Solomon Jones? Why no summer league?

Hawks have to get more size center and a shooting guard/sf. Of course you know this already.

Rick Sund, you're on the clock.

Can't afford much. Shouldn't over spend.

Perhaps: Julius Hodge, Desmon Farmer, Jamal Magloire, CJ Giles, Elton Brown, Elson, Jackie Butler.

niffoc4 · Post #13 » by **niffoc4** » Wed Jul 23, 2008 11:31 pm

I like the diversifying idea... but think that if we don't replace Chill with one player then at least one of the replacements will be in-house. I'd like Law to take the PG minutes anyway, so I'd be ok with him doing that, and maybe Ryan Gomes doing backup forward minutes.

joeshmoe · Post #14 » by **joeshmoe** » Wed Jul 23, 2008 11:36 pm

I think we should offer JR Smith a five year deal starting at the full MLE and see if Denver is desperate enough to cut salaries that they let him go. I think it is a long shot, but the other good option, Vujacic, is a probably a longer shot.

As far as Luke Jackson goes, trust me, we do not want him. I watched him play with Toronto a couple years ago, and a few times this last year with Miami. He sucks. I cannot emphasize that enough. We do not want him.

ATL DirtyBird · Post #15 » by **ATL DirtyBird** » Wed Jul 23, 2008 11:37 pm

Bibby is not that great and hes aging quick as ****...idk about Marviin but id love to get rid of Bibby

Post #16 » by **HMFFL** » Thu Jul 24, 2008 12:01 am

SneakerKing33 wrote:Bibby is not that great and hes aging quick as ****...idk about Marviin but id love to get rid of Bibby

By the time his age hurts us to that extent he's most likely going to not be a Hawk. He may bolt at seasons end if we don't move him before the trade deadline. At this point, I would hate to see him go, and the last thing we need to do is move more of our shooters. For the time being it's best to keep his expiring contract.

Post #17 » by **HMFFL** » Thu Jul 24, 2008 12:16 am

Does Sund not like athletic bigs for the minimum?

Chris "The Birdman" Andersen will return to the Denver Nuggets next season. He agreed to sign a one-year contract with the team, multiple sources said Wednesday. Andersen, who resides in Denver, will make a league minimum $998,000 next season. Andersen, a forward-center, played sparingly last season for New Orleans after returning from a two-year league suspension for substance abuse. He was reinstated in March.

Link

For: $998,000

raleigh · Post #18 » by **raleigh** » Thu Jul 24, 2008 2:43 am

I know he doesn't like players with character issues...

richboy · Post #19 » by **richboy** » Thu Jul 24, 2008 4:35 am

I doubt JR Smith signs a contract at the MLE. He more likely to go for the QO and see what happens next year when he likely going to be a core piece on the Nuggets with AI likely gone.

movingaz · Post #20 » by **movingaz** » Thu Jul 24, 2008 5:08 am

Dear Atlanta Hawks,

This is the NBA draft lottery we missed seeing you this year, Now that Childress is gone and Josh Smith does not want to play for you anymore, and Joe Johnson only has 2 years left until he ask's for 125 million or leaves you, we hope to see you soon and most likely again for the next few years every June.

Take Care,

Suns Fans