Vesper

I got the Joke, that's why I was laughing. I like the fact that you lightened up all they negative emotional post! :beer: :beer:

LMAO :a**: :a**:

Kobayashi Maru :sad:

Oscar Robinson was the greatest player of all time!

Does Joe Johnson care if Smoove comes back if we replace him with a needed veteran player? :unsure:

Do we need to worry about Al appearing on one of those fashion designer Reality TV shows?

— Olympiakos offered three years and $32.5 million, which after taxes paid by the club becomes a net of salary of about $6.7 million a year for Childress. — The Hawks offered five years and $33 million, which after taxes paid by Childress becomes a net salary of about $3.4 million per year for Childress. — In addition to the double-stuffed salary Olympiakos also pays for all of Childress' living expenses, including luxury accommodations, a car and driver and maid service. — Childress also has an annual opt-out clause in the contract that will allow him to weigh his NBA options, as a restricted free agent provided the Hawks tender a qualifying offer to him, every summer. — There is no buyout clause in the contract, meaning Childress won't have to negotiate a compensation package for Olympiakos if he were to return to the NBA before the end of the three year deal.

Rocky Mountain Revue Day One by: Matt Kamalsky July 19, 2008 The first day of the Rocky Mountain Revue started with one of the best games we’ve seen thus far. Gerald Green was one of the top performers finding himself in a shootout with Luke Jackson and Jeremy Richardson. The second game offered little excitement, and was riddled with players in foul trouble. Game One: Atlanta Hawks 89, Dallas Mavericks 74 Atlanta Jeremy Richardson: 21 Points, 8-14 FG, 1-3 3FG, 4-4 FT, 4 Rebounds, 4 Assists, 2 Turnovers Richardson came up huge today for Atlanta, looking like an NBA caliber scorer. He came out on fire, knocking down a couple of twenty-plus foot jumpers off of screens; showing the ability to move without the ball and get himself open. Throughout the game he showed the ability to hit catch and shoot jumpers and put points on the board from the perimeter. Richardson has tremendous form, and is capable of shooting off balance. The elevation he gets on his release makes him very difficult to defend when closing him out. The young swingman displayed great range, and even did a nice job getting to the line when he put the ball on the floor. He still needs to work on his ball handling and defense, but he’s made strides in both. Richardson did a nice job moving the ball today, and was active on the glass as well. This was one of the most impressive performances we’ve seen in this year’s Summer League. Worth noting is the fact that Richardson wasn’t even 100%, as he’s been hampered lately by a bum ankle. Luke Jackson: 20 Points, 7-9 FG, 5-7 3FG, 1-1 FT, 5 Rebounds, 4 Assists, 2 Steals, 1 Block Jackson had easily the most efficient performance we’ve seen from beyond three point range this summer. His jump shot was lights out today, and he did a great job of getting open on the perimeter. Jackson has a consistent and compact release, letting him knock down catch and shoot jumpers before the defense can close him out. Despite his tremendous shooting, it may have been Jackson’s passing and rebounding that were most impressive. He was very focused today, showing good poise and court vision with the ball in his hands. The young forward only forced one shot, with the shot clock expiring, and was patient with his dribble, letting his teammates get open rather than trying to reset the offense. Jackson’s defense was solid in stretches, but he had a very hard time closing out Gerald Green effectively. He did show nice anticipation by getting a deflection in help side, and his defense on Green was really the only flaw in his performance today. Jackson could do a lot of good for himself if he continues to shoot this well. -Othello Hunter provided the highlight of the day, getting a huge block from the weakside, bringing the ball up the floor, and throwing down a give and go alley oop from way above the rim. Hunter looked good today overall, playing within himself and not forcing anything. -Kevin Pinkney had a good outing, using his athleticism and length on both ends. He’s a capable shot blocker, and finished with three rejections today. A year overseas has done wonders for his awareness on both ends.

89-74 Hawks Win!

72-66 Hawks end of the 3rd.

51-38 Hawks at the Half!

Richardson is lighting them up!

NBA TV

Flying high If you seek NBA-caliber play, don't miss games involving the Atlanta Hawks. After pushing eventual champion Boston to the limit in a first-round playoff series, this long-suffering franchise finds itself on an upswing and - on paper - Atlanta is the Revue's best team. Its roster includes Acie Law, Speedy Claxton, Wayne Simien, Justin Williams, Luke Jackson and Brian Chase, who nearly stuck with the Jazz in 2006, when Dee Brown edged him for the job as Utah's No. 3 point guard. RMR

Sekou Smith AJC 07/17/08 Claxton taking risk by playing in summer league Injury prone point guard at crossroads of career By SEKOU SMITH The Atlanta Journal-Constitution Published on: 07/17/08 As far as calculated risks go, Speedy Claxton is taking a major one. The Hawks' oft-injured point guard is currently taking part in the Hawks' free-agent minicamp. He will also play summer league, which starts Friday in Salt Lake City. RELATED STORIES * Hawks' Horford staying busy during summer * Claxton taking risk by playing in summer league * Kwame Brown, Randolph Morris audition for Hawks More Hawks coverage It's not every day a veteran player with a guaranteed contract risks his reputation against players thirsty for the status and security he has. Claxton will make $5.76 million this season and $5.2 million in 2009-10, the final year of the four-year, $25 million deal he signed with the Hawks two summers ago. Claxton, however, is at a crossroads in his career — one shipwrecked the past two seasons by injuries and inactivity. He hasn't played a game in more than a year, having missed the entire 2007-08 season with a knee injury. His knee, along with a broken wrist, limited him to just 42 games during his first season with the Hawks. He requested the opportunity to join the youngsters and free-agent hopefuls who were on the Hawks' practice floor Wednesday. He needs to know if he can still do this, and do it the way he's been able. "I'm not worried about what anybody else thinks and who might be out there gunning for me," said Claxton, a seven-year veteran who already has an NBA title on his résumé. "I'm doing this for me, trying to check and see how my knee feels and how I can play and how I can do on consecutive days. I haven't been out here in a long time. "I talked to [Hawks coach Mike Woodson] at the end of the season and let him know that I wanted to try this and see how my knee felt, and then when [new general manager] Rick [sund] got the job, I talked to him about it and agreed that it would be a great thing for both sides to see where we are and evaluate things from here going forward." Where things go from here depend solely on the strength of Claxton's left knee, which has been operated on twice since he joined the Hawks. He had a cartilage tear repaired last summer and looked to be rounding into shape early in training camp, but he experienced problems with the everyday pounding and his season ended before it started. After declaring his season over just before Christmas, Claxton saw specialists in Vancouver and Colorado, the latter suggesting that he needed microfracture surgery if he wanted to continue his NBA career. But the microfracture procedure never happened. Claxton had arthroscopic surgery and went back to rehab for the remainder of the season with an eye trained on early July as a testing ground for his latest comeback attempt. Now that he's here, he insists he feels as good as could be expected. He's eager to test himself over the next 10 days. "I'm pretty confident I can get back to the way I was," Claxton said. "The knee is still not 100 percent, but it's definitely a whole lot better than it was in the past. I'm not taking anything for granted, and I'm going to listen to my body and see how I feel day after day. But I'm confident and very much ready to go. I'm not making any predictions, but I'm anxious to see how it goes." Woodson would love to share that optimism, but he's been burned before. The Hawks counted on Claxton coming back last year, only to watch that attempt fizzle, a development that ultimately resulted in the trade for Mike Bibby in February. "Listen, the plan is to physically and mentally get him back, because he hasn't played in over a year," Woodson said. "We'll use this camp and next week to see if we can push him to the max, and really that's all we can do. "We're still behind him 100 percent. We're going to do everything we can to help him. But only two things can happen from here, either he responds to this and can play or he can't play anymore. Those are the only two things that can happen for Speedy right now." Bibby is entrenched as the starter, and Acie Law IV is the backup. Claxton not only has to prove he's capable of playing again, he'll have to claw his way back into the mix for playing time. Law is convinced he can do it. "I'm watching him move around out here and seeing the way he's rehabbed and come back from all that's gone on, and I wouldn't dare bet against him," Law said. "He doesn't look like a dude ready to walk away from this to me."

In My Opinion Okafor playing waiting game Rick Bonnell fans0417 DIEDRA LAIRD – dlaird@charlotteobserver.com Charlotte's Emeka Okafor (right) shoots over Philadelphia's Andre Iguodala. Okafor turned down a $60million-plus offer last summer to become a restricted free agent. BOBCATS MEDIA DAY * Transactions | NBA player, coaching moves * Blog | Inside the NBA * Q&A | Scott Fowler on Sports * Forum | Talk about the Bobcats * More NBA and Bobcats news * Bobcats Observations | Rick Bonnell * Warriors sign Clippers star Maggette * Bobcats' Augustin working hard to get point LAS VEGAS -- Busy as the Charlotte Bobcats are here, with 16 players to coach, it doesn't take long for the conversation to wind back to the most prominent who's absent: Emeka Okafor. The staff hangs on the latest gossip just like fans do. A couple of staffers asked me in the hallway the other night whether I thought Okafor was in Los Angeles, being schmoozed by the Clippers. I said I thought the Clippers were busy recruiting Atlanta's Josh Smith, but in the end, what do any of us know? That's the imprecise world of NBA free agency. I'd say there's an 80 percent chance Okafor is a Bobcat next season and a 50 percent chance he's around for the long haul. It takes courage and conviction to turn down the $60million-plus Okafor did last summer, to become a restricted free agent. Now he gets to enjoy being wooed by the Bobcats and others. The negotiations have been courteous. Okafor went out of his way last season to say he appreciated what the Bobcats offered, and that his preference is to stay with the team that drafted him four years ago. Still, there's no sense reaching free agency unless you're open to changing teams. The flavor of the moment is the Clippers, whose loss of Elton Brand leaves them short a power forward but holding abundant salary-cap room. I'm told it would be no problem for the Clippers to start a contract in the $10million to $12million range, so with annual raises they could offer at least as much as the Bobcats did. The Clippers had Smith in for a visit, and he seems to be their priority. Smith is smaller than Okafor, but more of a runner and leaper. You sign Okafor to get more rugged, and the Clippers already have a big-bodied rebounder in center Chris Kaman. Maybe they're thinking Smith's dunking and shot-blocking have appeal for a franchise always challenged to sell tickets. Hawks management has indicated it would match whatever another team offered Smith. What else would it say? If there is a number that would make the Hawks blink, then admitting as much invites an offer sheet from another team. The Bobcats' best chance of maintaining some control is for the big money to run out soon. The Sixers used their cap space on Brand. The Golden State Warriors paid up for Corey Maggette, plus an offer sheet to Lakers restricted free agent Ronny Turiaf. Unless the Memphis Grizzlies become big spenders, that leaves the Clippers as the major player. New Bobcats coach Larry Brown has a big stake in this – who wants to start a makeover by losing your shot-blocker? – yet he is staying out of the fray. “I have no control over that,” Brown said at practice Thursday. “He's a terrific kid and plays a position where it's really hard to find capable guys.” “I'm sure we'll do what's right, and hopefully he'll be here.” Translation: What's the point in fretting about someone else's choices? Okafor Playing Waiting Game

Actually debating about politics is more useful than debating about sports. At least as voters we get some say so about our leaders. What they do affects our lives a lot more than Mike Woodson ever can.

Free Agents.Whose Worthy? PRO BASKETBALL: INSIDE THE NBA Not all NBA teams get bang for free agency bucks Pro player sweepstakes is high-stakes game in and of itself By SEKOU SMITH The Atlanta Journal-Constitution Published on: 07/13/08 NBA free agency, in all its unpredictable glory, is a high-stakes game of what you get for your money. Guess right on a player and a relatively modest investment, by the NBA's standards, can turn into a quality starter — like Morris Peterson was for the New Orleans Hornets this past season. RELATED CONTENT • Photos: NBA free agents worth the money? Vote! RELATED STORIES * Not all NBA teams get bang for free agency bucks * Claxton, Law lead Hawks' summer league roster * Sixers' pursuit of Smith ends with Brand signing More Hawks coverage Guess wrong on a player and a seemingly reasonable investment, by the NBA's standards, of course, goes up in smoke — like the Speedy Claxton deal has for the Hawks. So what exactly are teams getting for their money on the free-agent market this summer? SOLID INVESTMENTS Philadelphia — Elton Brand The price: The 76ers snatched the summer's top free agent with a five-year, $82 million deal, outbidding the L.A. Clippers and Golden State. What they get: Brand is coming off an Achilles injury that cost him all but eight games of the 2007-08 season, yet he's still considered one of the league's premier power forwards. Brand is a career 20-and-10 player (20.3 points, 10.2 rebounds) who also blocks shots (2.1 average over his career) in ways that an undersized, 6-foot-8, 254-pound power forward shouldn't be able to do. But he has outplayed expectations ever since he entered the league. The only knock on Brand is that he hasn't led his team to the playoffs consistently. His only postseason trip was a 12-game run after the 2005-06 season. L.A. Clippers — Baron Davis The price: The Clippers scooped up L.A. native and former UCLA star Davis with a five-year, $65 million deal. What they get: Davis is arguably the most underappreciated guard in the league. He's put up top numbers consistently but hasn't found his way onto the All-Star team, due mostly to a glut of other superstar guards in the Western Conference. The Clippers get a complete point guard (21.8 points, 7.6 assists, 4.7 rebounds and 2.3 steals). He is the perfect conductor for a team that will shed its throw-it-into-the-post offense for a more high-octane attack. Davis has had injury issues in the past but played all 82 games last season. BARGAINS Miami — James Jones The price: The Miami native signed a five-year deal that could be worth more than $23 million over the life of the deal. What they get: The Heat get the steal of the offseason so far and one of the very best long-range shooters in the league. Jones made 44 percent of his shots from beyond the 3-point line last season. The beauty of this signing is that the Heat barely had to do any work to get a player who could have had his choice of destinations. After five years of playing in Indiana, Phoenix and Portland, Jones longed to return to his Miami roots. He recruited the Heat as much as he was recruited. And much like great point guards and centers, every team in the league is always in the market for a great shooter. Dallas — DeSagana Diop The price: The Mavericks grabbed their former starting center with a five-year, $31 million deal. What they get: An upgrade from Erick Dampier for a fraction of the price. Diop, a former lottery pick that never found his niche in Cleveland, appeared to have resurrected his career in Dallas three years ago. But he was part of the package sent to New Jersey last season in the Jason Kidd deal. The Mavericks, wisely, came back to Diop this summer and locked him up with a mid-level offer, an unheard of price for a legitimate 7-footer with potential and the ability to start for a Western Conference playoff team. Diop hasn't piled up eye-popping statistics during his career, but at 7-1 and 280 pounds, Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle won't care about his numbers so long as Diop plays defense and plays physical. THE HEAD-SCRATCHER Milwaukee — Andrew Bogut The price: The Bucks and Bogut have agreed to a five-year contract extension worth $60 million in guaranteed money and potentially $72 million with incentives. What they get: We're cheating here since Bogut won't get a chance to be a free agent, what with the Bucks locking him up with a staggering extension before he could become one. But this deal demands our attention. The Bucks appear to have outbid themselves for a player with career averages of 11.9 points, 8.5 rebounds and just 1.0 blocks. While Bogut has been solid since being taken with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2005 draft, he has been far from dominant. The Bucks have spent plenty of money the past few years in an effort to build a team around Bogut. He is a gifted passer and adequate scorer but far from the anchor for a contender he professed himself to be going into the draft three years ago. This is a huge amount of money to spend on a merely decent player.

Doc Rivers Son Commits at 15 Austin River's should be our PG of the future!

Hey, why not? I would watch the games!

Can't speak for Drew, but Fast Eddie may be the person you're thinking of... or, Mookie, who was once caught with some pot. Regarding Manning, again I know I'm in the minority, but I really thought the team as a whole was better, and felt that as good a year as Nique was having, he wasn't likely going to be able to keep putting us on his shoulders all the way through the playoffs. Can't deny that the team ultimately underachieved with Manning, but my perception was that it was better to take that risk given my perception that we would otherwise run out of gas with Nique. Mookie doing pot? That's not a drug problem! Sniiffing stuff up your nose, injecting with a needle or using something with the name "Rock" in the title is a drug problem!

Quote: Quote: Trading Dominique It's funny. I believed that trading dominique was also very disappointing. However, if Danny Manning would have stayed and had carried us to the finals or had strung out 4 to 5 allstar seasons, would it have been disappointing? For instance, I was heartbroken when we traded John Drew for Nique. Drew was one of our main guys. However, Nique came in and became the franchise. Took the sting right out of losing Drew. So here's where I'm going. Didn't Manning bolting to the Suns really cause the sting to sting the most? Your old enough to remember trading John Drew for Nique? Didn't Drew have a drug problem or was that someone else?

The grass is always greener in someone else's yard!

Not having picked Chris Paul, Deron Williams or Rudy Gay may actually work out in our favor. We have a starting five, plus Law and Childress that are all young and above average in talent. On any given night at least two of these players can carry the team to victory as long as the rest of the team plays within themselves and we don't have to many turnovers. We just need competent veterans and young spark plugs coming off the bench to put this team over the top!

Micah Hart Hawks Basket Blog Pretty Quiet In Atlanta As Draft Approaches Posted by: Micah Hart on June 23, 2008 at 3:56PM EST It's been pretty silent around these parts the last few weeks, with the only real news being the hiring of GM Rick Sund and subsequent re-signing of head coach Mike Woodson. With the NBA Draft taking place this Thursday, I find myself in the heretofore unknown position of not having any real work to do for it. That is because (in case you just decided to start paying attention to the Hawks and didn't know this) we don't have any selections in 2008. The first-rounder went to Phoenix to complete the 2005 trade for Joe Johnson, and the second rounder is now with Sacramento as part of the price for Mike Bibby. Who knows? We may end up with business on Thursday, as I'm sure Rick Sund will be exploring all his options like any good GM would do, but as of now it's all quiet on the home front. There is some news to report today, and to be honest, I have no idea if it's good or bad. David Andersen, the former Hawks 2nd-round draft pick, and a guy who was rumored to be in the team's plans for 2008-09, has apparently decided to take advantage of the Euro's superiority to the dollar by signing a three-year contract to play for FC Barcelona in the Spanish League. I won't speak for our basketball ops people, but this was certainly a surprise to me. However, no matter how solid Andersen's rep is in Europe, I still have no idea how well his game would have translated to the NBA. It became pretty clear over the last couple years that it was going to take a sizeable deal to get him to come overseas, so it's entirely possible this turn of events has saved the club several million for a guy who may not have been that good. Or maybe he is awesome and we'll never find out, who knows? In other news, when new management arrives it usually means a shake-up of basketball staff, and that continued today for the Hawks as Harold Ellis left to join the Pistons organization as an assistant coach on Michael Curry's new staff. He is the second coach to take flight in the past week, as David Fizdale joined the Heat early last week as well. I am sad to see them go, but the gigs were a step up for both of them so I can't blame them for taking off. As I said, I don't expect much movement around these parts this week, but should anything arise you'll be the first to know about it.