should the hawks trade for howard with out a commitment

[tiderulz]

You know what it is gonna take...for Orlando to grow a pair and say to Dwight, WE WILL NOT TRADE YOU TO THE NETS, YOU ARE UNDER CONTRACT, EITHER PLAY THIS YEAR OUT OR AGREE TO EXTEND WITH ANOTHER TEAM. Instead they're catering to his ego and indecision.

who says they are catering? All this noise about trade momentum and being imminent, its all from the Nets FO and his agent. His agent tried this last year with the DWight trade for Lopez and Wallace. it all came out that his agent was behind it.

the new GM has been looking at every possibility. If the trade was ever as close as it was tweeted about, it would have been done.

[Fat Kat]

HELL NO. Are you guys kidding me?

Say we trade Horford, Teague, and 2 1sts. Dwight decides to bail. Then what? Josh likely follows him, leaving our roster barren of ANY NBA talent other than John Jenkins, who hasn't played a single NBA minute yet. Furthermore, without any picks, we won't be able to rebuild either, and will likely overpay a bunch of moderately scrubby players.

That is a TERRIBLE risk/reward ratio.

Where would he bail to though. Nets couldn't give him his money. Your competition would be teams with enough cap space to max him out.

[CorleyHawk]

I don't mind them laughing at us for failure - I DO mind them laughing at us for what I believe to be stupidity. The very picks we send to ORL would be the lottery picks we would need to benefit from tanking.

I said send Orl the two picks next year and Horford. No Teague. A team of Howard Smooth Harris and Teague would be the fourth seed next year and the Rockets pick will probably be in the late teens early 20s and a conditional pick they only get if Howard resigns, again a very late pick. Those are not the picks to rebuild with.

WITH Horford, we already have the money for 2 max FAs. Even if we keep the picks, to assume we'll tank and get Bill Russell and Michael Jordan is to go right back to where we were 10 years ago ... and 10 years from now, we'll probably be right back here if we depend on the draft as you advocate - the very same way we depended on it 10 years ago.

One of the max (or close to it) will be smooth and say the other is Ellis. You are no closer to winning it all than you were with Smooth and Joe. And no way you get Paul with out Howard so dont even go there.

Go get Super Stars or suck until you draft one. All the teams that won Championships I listed earlier DRAFTED one of their superstars. Bulls with Jordan, Rokets with olajuwon, Spurs with Duncan/Robinson, Lakers with Kobe, Heat with Wade and Mavs with Dirk. It is not perfect but I would rather lose every game for 10 years than have a first round exit for the next 20.

[Jamaaliver]

The only chance we have of winning it all in the next 5-8 years is to get Howard (and keep him) and get CP3 next summer.

That's not true.

There are other ways to win a championship. They just require patience and planning.

Ask San Antonio, Dallas, Detroit.

Neither Dwight or CP3 has won a title, so combining them on a team stripped of payroll, supporting players or draft picks seems myopic.

Let's use our cap space more judiciously and draft picks more strategically.

Taking the quick and easy route never works. Unless you're the Miami Heat. Or the Boston Celtics.

[Rip2137]

Dwight is just talking tough. If he doesn't get traded to the Nets, he isn't going to the Nets. He won't take the MLE that they would have left next year, I am sure Joe Johnson won't cut it in a sign and trade for Orlando, so he is just talking crap.

[CorleyHawk]

The only chance we have of winning it all in the next 5-8 years is to get Howard (and keep him) and get CP3 next summer.

That's not true.

There are other ways to win a championship. They just require patience and planning.

Ask San Antonio, Dallas, Detroit.

Neither Dwight or CP3 has won a title, so combining them on a team stripped of payroll, supporting players or draft picks seems myopic.

Let's use our cap space more judiciously and draft picks more strategically.

Taking the quick and easy route never works. Unless you're the Miami Heat. Or the Boston Celtics.

I said the other way was to suck and get lucky. The spurs waited how many years with a Superstar in Robinson untill they got luck and DRAFTED Duncan? The Mavs waited 13 years after DRAFTING Dirk? It took the Bulls 4 or five years after Drafting Jordan to win it all so saying Howad Paul and Smooth are our only chance of winning it all in the next 5-8 is fact...

[parson]

bridges are burned in Orlando, wish it werent but it is. You would be a fresh team with his best bud and possibly Monta for the dynamic wing.

tiderulz, you've always been fair to the Hawks, so I know you're not just speaking through your hat, but I still cannot believe that. If he had no choice but to re-sign with the team that controlled his contract, I believe y'all would hold onto him.

So what if "bridges are burned" between the Magic and DH? Would y'all really let the single most dominating big man in the NBA just walk? Even when y'all held the ace card?

[dtown8]

Q: should the hawks trade for howard with out a commitment

A: yes..... Zaza and two draft picks for Dwight and Jason Richardson

No other team can make a better offer for Dwight without a commitment.

[Jamaaliver]

Zaza and 2 draft picks seems less appealing than Brook Lopez and 3 draft picks.

[dtown8]

Zaza and 2 draft picks seems less appealing than Brook Lopez and 3 draft picks.

not if Brook Lopez is signed to $15 million per year..... it will be a worst contract for an organization than what Hedo Turkoglu got

[Jamaaliver]

saying Howad Paul and Smooth are our only chance of winning it all in the next 5-8 is fact...

The ONLY way?

The only absolutely, positively surefire way?

I am skeptical that no other collection of players in the entire world could lead us to a championship in the next 8 years.

[truehawksfan121]

Once Dwight realize that his dream of going to nets were dead when he decided to opt in to his last year of his contract. He would probably start seeing the hawks are his next best option. But the problem is if you make a trade for Dwight he would probably blame your team as the reason that he is not in Brooklyn and leave in free agency just out of spite. So I say before u attempt to make a trade for howard, Orlando need to officially end any talks with the nets. Once u let him know there is no way he is going to Brooklyn then you probably get a commit from him.

[CorleyHawk]

saying Howad Paul and Smooth are our only chance of winning it all in the next 5-8 is fact...

The ONLY way?
The only absolutely, positively surefire way?
I am skeptical that no other collection of players in the entire world could lead us to a championship in the next 8 years.

You tell me how and with what players we will realistically have a chance to win it all other than that???

This I a board based around you being the GM so tell me how it happens. What is your collection of players to beat the Heat and then the Thunder?

Teague Hortford smooth and Ellis?

[Jamaaliver]

You tell me how and with what players we will realistically have a chance to win it all other than that???

This I a board based around you being the GM so tell me how it happens. What is your collection of players to beat the Heat and then the Thunder?

Teague Hortford smooth and Ellis?

Ewww. No to Monta Ellis.

Below is a list of 2013 Free Agents HMFFL put together last week:

Points Guards:
Chris Paul
Stephen Curry (Restricted)
Jrue Holiday (Restricted): He needs to progress for sure.
Ty Lawson (Restricted)

Shooting Guards:
Monta Ellis (player option)
Tyreke Evans (Restricted)
Kevin Martin
James Harden (Restricted)
Tony Allen

Forwards:
Josh Smith
Serge Ibaka (Restricted)
Al Jefferson

Centers:
Dwight Howard
Andrew Bynum

[Geaux_Hawks]

Rather build an Elite team of lesser players, than risk all money on 2 superstars. The Miami Heat have 2.5 and lost to a deep Maverick team led by one star player, and just barely beat a young, inexperienced, well put together Thunder team. If Bosh isn't healthy enough to play, the Heat lose that series or better yet, if Westbrook played like a true pg instead of a scoring guard or Harden didn't disappear, then they lose to Thunder.

We can make build a better team if we hold out and sign/trade for the right players.

[Jamaaliver]

Rather build an Elite team of lesser players, than risk all money on 2 superstars. The Miami Heat have 2.5 and lost to a deep Maverick team led by one star player, and just barely beat a young, inexperienced, well put together Thunder team. If Bosh isn't healthy enough to play, the Heat lose that series or better yet, if Westbrook played like a true pg instead of a scoring guard or Harden didn't disappear, then they lose to Thunder.

We can make build a better team if we hold out and sign/trade for the right players.

Agree!!!

Keep our top 3 players AND add two top free agents instead of trading away Teague and AL.

[ATL Boy]

Rather build an Elite team of lesser players, than risk all money on 2 superstars. The Miami Heat have 2.5 and lost to a deep Maverick team led by one star player, and just barely beat a young, inexperienced, well put together Thunder team. If Bosh isn't healthy enough to play, the Heat lose that series or better yet, if Westbrook played like a true pg instead of a scoring guard or Harden didn't disappear, then they lose to Thunder.

Oh dont forget the fact that Battier and Mike Miller literally shot the Heat to the title, they couldnt miss

[Jamaaliver]

You tell me how and with what players we will realistically have a chance to win it all other than that???

This I a board based around you being the GM so tell me how it happens. What is your collection of players to beat the Heat and then the Thunder?

Teague Hortford smooth and Ellis?

Why not Bynum, AL, Smoove, CP3 and Teague & Jenkins(off the bench)?

Bynum is flaky, but he already has three rings. CP3 is enough of a leader and superstar to keep him in line similar to what Kobe does.

We keep our top 3 players and pick up two proven players.

Add an experienced coach like Jerry Sloan or Stan Van Gundy and that's a team that has depth and could contencd for the next 5 years.

[Geaux_Hawks]

Rather build an Elite team of lesser players, than risk all money on 2 superstars. The Miami Heat have 2.5 and lost to a deep Maverick team led by one star player, and just barely beat a young, inexperienced, well put together Thunder team. If Bosh isn't healthy enough to play, the Heat lose that series or better yet, if Westbrook played like a true pg instead of a scoring guard or Harden didn't disappear, then they lose to Thunder.

Oh dont forget the fact that Battier and Mike Miller literally shot the Heat to the title, they couldnt miss

Yet another variable. If those 2 have just a normal shooting night(both still pretty good spot up shooters) those games are a lot tighter.

[Jamaaliver]

My point is that there are always variations and possibilities to create a winner. We have so many possibilities right now on what we can do with our roster, let's not make a MAJOR mistake in trying to build this thing.

Especially when dealing with an indecisive primadonna with 0 rings. We have the misfortune of being in the same division with LBJ and the super friends; I'd rather take the long road of drafting well and signing smartly so we can take over just as the SuperFriends are past their primes.

The same way Jordan's Bulls took over as Magic's Lakers and Bird's Celts were past their primes.
The same way LBJ and the Heat took over after Kobe's Lakers and Garnett's Celts were past their primes.