TnDawg

update: its now reported on ajc that Benson has an opt out clause...... and his weight is up to 233lbs......playing in one of the better european leagues for experience, just in case. Thinking this should only help him.

http://espn.go.com/nba/story/_/id/6793510/nba-overseas-player-movement

Just saw this and didn't see it posted. Rolle's contract appears to have a possible out clause, but I didn't see one with Benson's. I don't post much but I check this site regularly.... Love the committment and dedication that keep it up and running. Awesome work.

I heard "rumors" that the best offer Mizz can put on the table is $1.3 mill per year. Anderson is currently making between $800 K to $850 K. A $2 mill offer may be just enough to get it done !

Hope it happens !

Dogs need some wings to put the ball in the hoop ! They have two solid freshman returning in Thompkins (top 20 national recruit) as a PF and Ware as a PG. Just no talented scoring wings. They also have some frontcourt depth in Barnes and Jackson returning. Neither are studs but they are good role players.

Price has tranfered which really does not matter. He was just a less talented version of Thompkins. Swansey is tranfering too but he is just a bench PG at best.........he just think he is better then he really is.

They have a good 6'11'' kid coming out of Loganville Christian named Daniel Miller. the kid is much more offensively skilled then they current starter, Albert Jackson. They should compliment each other well. He is rated as the 8th best post player in this years recruiting class.

http://danielmillerbball.com/home.htm

Thanks for the update on the team..... I think they can beat out Missouri....more concern with Memphis...if Calipari leaves....maybe Kentucky if he doesn't .... although I think Kentucky would go after Capel next if that happens.

That is huge. It would double his salary. I'm sure that MO will also make him an offer. Personally I'd want to get out of Missouri just because of the climate and local.

I am hoping they get him.....But now the AJC is reporting he has not been offered yet according to his agent.

http://www.ajc.com/sports/content/sports/u...a_anderson.html

According to ESPN....Ga offered Anderson a multiyear contract for around $2 million per year....not reported by the AJC yet though. Link: http://sports.espn.go.com/ncb/news/story?id=4029709

I'm going to talk about the Hawks.

First:

Smitty for JR and JJ. Had to be the worst trade in Hawks history behind Nique. It was definitely a knee jerk reaction to the bad ending of a season. So we bring in a young pg with no guidance on the court.

2 1st rounders for Lo Wright. Or as I like to call him, Lazy lo. One of those first rounders was the 8th pick in the draft that year.

Cash and a 1st for Kenny the Snake Norman. Knee Jerk Babcock reaction to losing Danny Manning for nothing.

Toni and a first for Big Dog. Big Dog never panned out.

Nazr for ???.

Smitty's value for JJ/JR is a good one...... I can't remember how Steve's knees were holding up at the time.... I remember him wearing a brace....but he wore one for a while I think. For the purpose of this thread though I am not looking at the draft picks being the main comparison because there is no way to know who they would have drafted. Let's face it.....making the right choices haven't been a strong point of our local teams GM's.

:write a letter: Please limit responses to players that our local teams had in their control and traded away for new players or draft picks. If you choose draft picks compare the player/players ACTUALLY drafted for the player our local team lost. Two examples:

1) Atlanta Falcon's..... traded Brett Favre/QB for a 1st round draft pick. The Falcon's used the pick to draft Tony Smith/RB. Favre went on to become a 3 time MVP 10 times pro bowl quarterback......Tony Smith only played for only 3 seasons and never really made a difference.

2) Atlanta Hawks...... has to be the Dominque for Danny Manning trade......Nique was headed towards the down side of his career.....while Manning seemed to be on the rise. However Manning and his knees never delivered anything. His lack of passion couldn't even compare to Nique's drive and cost the Hawks scoring, leadership that ended a period of playoff contentions. I believe there were others parts to this trade but they seemed to be of little relevance......

I tried to think of a trade that backfired for the Braves..... the worst I could think of was trading Jermaine Dye-RF (or maybe Adam Wainwright). He was traded along with Jamie Walker(P) for Keith Lockhart and Micheal Tucker. Jermaine didn't show much power while he was with the Braves but he went on to hit between 20-35 homers in seasons that he played in more than 130 games while playing above average RF. Michael and Keith contibuted some solid play with the Braves though. :help wanted:

If I were really to create a survey for this it has to have over|under utilized by Woody and maximized|minimized by Woody and maximized|minimized by the player since the player obviously cannot over or under utilize themself.

I agree with your assessments on those players though. I just think this would have to be a little more in depth than the original question asks in order to get an accurate assessment.

Totally agree with the need for another column. I have a hard time giving Woody credit for maximizing Smith and Bibby..... basically Woody stated " that with Bibby, all he has to do is give him the ball and let him do his thing" (me paraphrasing). That is because of the experience Bibby already had, not anything Woody created with his game planning. As for Smitty....we have read several stories of past offseasons where HE went and sought help to improve his game outside of what the Hawks...ie Woody... provided.

I'll second that. Smith is making a lot less money, he's younger, and he hasn't had micro-fracture surgery on his knee. That's not even considering that Smith is a local and a fan favorite.

also...We have Smitty signed at a very reasonable price for the next few years. Is it worth risking trading him for a possible one year rental?

If Mike Bibby leaves, the Hawks will sign a PG to start in his place. Acie Law will not be the starter next year.

He's a 24 y.o. PG that has shown virtually nothing on a consistent basis. He's a scoring PG that hasn't been that successful at scoring. Solomon Jones has shown more on the NBA-level than Acie Law.

If Bibby leaves (I am leaning more to once he leaves) Acie may or may not be the starting PG next year. Regardless the front office has to consider how much they would be willing to spend on someone else. Without spending money that is needed to maintain the team's core. With the upcoming draft actually being Sunds 1st where he has a chance to make any choices, he may choose to draft a PG. How does that scenario play out considering Woodson's previous choices in developing young point guards (whether a pure one or combo). I don't follow other teams that closely to know who may or may not be available next year, through trades or FA. I am just stating for the chance to maintain chemistry and continual improvement it needs to be addressed. Think back to the days of Mookie and Doc, how often since then that this board has screamed for a consistent quality PG. We really need a guy that will be around for the next few years so the TEAM can go on a run of quality contending seasons. I don't see the Hawk's being in the lottery any time soon so one has to be obtained or developed. Just to be sure... I don't dislike Bibby, but if he is making 17mil this year (correct me if the salary is wrong) what are the chances he will sign for less and accept a 2-3 year deal? I don't think the team can afford to put that much money into him without endangering what we pay the other guys. Maybe I am just guilty of looking to far ahead and not enjoying the ride.

I don't agree with most of these posts/opinions.

I don't see how anyone not at team practices can really say what Acie is as an NBA player because we haven't seen near enough of him to say for sure. In what limited action I've seen, I think Acie has a great chance to be a very solid starting NBA point. I also think Solo has improved enough to be a likely good NBA backup but I'm also not sure in his case since I haven't seen enough of him either.

As mentioned in other posts, maybe Woody isn't playing these guys due to lack of skills or effort in practice. I personally don't think that, I think Woody just hates playing inexperienced players. Of course he played our young core but it's not like he had much choice with those guys. Woody wants to win each game, even if it costs him longterm by wearing out the vets or not playing the young guys.

Who knows, maybe Woody's more devious minded than I give him credit for. Maybe he knows that not playing Acie more insures that our GM will bring back Bibby who he likes. Maybe the same sorta applies to not using Solo.

Either way, I have very little doubt that management considers Acie part of our future, it's just a Woody issue.

I think this is the case....I totally agree with this post.

Acie Law is nothing more than a backup PG on 30 teams in the NBA. He's not worth all of this ado.

While this is true considering AC's current use and production.... that doesn't diminish the relevance of this topic. Considering how the Hawks are performing so far this season, I can understand not rocking the boat. However, as a fan are we just suppose to be satisfied with being reasonably good for one season or is it OK to have an eye towards the future. Personally I have my doubts about whether the Hawks will commit the dollars necessary to resign Bibby. We have to (should) keep JJ, Marvin and Horford long term. There is only going to be so much cash to spend. Woody needs to be grooming a replacement for Bibby... just in case. Regardless of what we think of AC's potential... he is the only guy we have on THIS team that can fill that role. It doesn't make sense to preach continuity and growth without grooming someone young to run the team with the rest of the guys.

It's just going to be tough with our backup bigs being so terrible, unless Morris steps up which I doubt. When Smith or Horford get into foul trouble, we're screwed. And, they will a lot, because most bigs tend to foul a lot, and Horford and Smith have shown that they are no exception. I see us around 40 wins this season.

I am hoping that Smooth will make a difference and Morris actually surprises us. Playing in his hometown along side a friend and a home grown rival has to account for something. If MOrris can't be motivated by his current situation, he never will be. Smooth is claiming he wants to be a team leader....he should start with Morris, as it will pay the biggest dividends for the team, seeming we need a solid backup big.

Tony Taylor was just cut.......that is a surprise especially since they played him so much with the 1st team.......He was replaced by another GA alum.......Tony Gilbert who played under Smith in Jacksonville.

http://www.ajc.com/sports/content/sports/f...cut_taylor.html

here is the link.......they tweaked the roster again...

Tony Taylor was just cut.......that is a surprise especially since they played him so much with the 1st team.......He was replaced by another GA alum.......Tony Gilbert who played under Smith in Jacksonville.

Just tell her straight up that it's her daughter and she shouldn't be doing it like that. It's as simple as that. I don't think any thing positive can be done other than making the mother realize that she's a bad mother lol.

Nothing positive except making her realize she is a bad mother :angel19: . Since she appears to be young and your niece Hotlanta....let her know you are willing to help her out, but it is her responsibility to raise her child. Find a way to help without enablling her to continue bad habits. Telling her she is a bad mother is not the way to do it. She obviously is young since your topic heading described her as a kid. She doesn't know how to be a parent and will have to grow into it, just like any 1st time parent. With you being her Uncle though, I would suggest you follow the lead of her parents. Continue being supportive because it is obvious you care what happens to them both. Feel free to PM anytime if you want to discuss it offline...although I have never tried it here on this site.

:beer: I am happy DJ is getting a chance to stay with the team......He is exactly the type of player the Falcons claimed to want to rebuild around.....team first. He hasn't gotten a lot of breaks both in college and the Pros, as far as other QBs being ahead of him. He also missed chances because of injuries....however I believe he has the talent to succeed in this league and will end up as the #2 guy.

FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. -- The Atlanta Falcons today made 22 roster moves to reach the NFL’s mandatory 53-player limit.

“We are pleased about our roster heading into the 2008 season,” said General Manager Thomas Dimitroff. “I’m satisfied with the process we went through to get to this point including OTAs, mini-camp, training camp and the preseason. Our coaching staff did a good job guiding our players over the past five months and I’m very proud of the team our staff put together. I’m looking forward to starting the regular season.”

The Falcons waived: OL D’Anthony Batiste, S Eric Brock, OL Michael Butterworth, S Deke Cooper, C Doug Datish, DE Willie Evans, QB Joey Harrington, CB Wilrey Fontenot, OL Kynan Forney, DE Brandon Miller, DT Rashad Moore, OL Terrance Pennington, LB Mickey Pimentel, TE Marcus Pollard, CB Glenn Sharpe, DT Montavious Stanley, S Daren Stone, LB Cameron Vaughn, WR Eric Weems, WR Chandler Williams, TE Keith Zinger and placed RB Thomas Brown on injured reserve.

“It’s always difficult to release players knowing how hard everyone in the locker room has worked,” said Head Coach Mike Smith. “I feel good about the make-up of the 2008 Atlanta Falcons and I’m looking forward to coaching these players. I’m excited to get back to the practice field on Monday to continue preparing for the season opener against Detroit.”

Atlanta may also establish up to a nine-player practice squad, including International practice squad player, Noriaki Kinoshita, starting on Sunday, August 31.

The Falcons and first-year Head Coach Mike Smith finished the 2008 preseason with a 2-2 record following a victory against the Baltimore Ravens last Thursday night. Atlanta will host the Detroit Lions in the regular season opener at the newly renovated Georgia Dome on Sunday, September 7. Game time is set for 1:00 p.m.

Got this off the teams website....in its entirety....so no link :-)

:hush: Best wishes...... stay steady and true.....you help to keep things focused here on the Squawk and I have always enjoyed them.

I think he makes a good point, if you miss one or two decent players its fine, it happens. The problem is that we seem to be unable to get ANY productive players from the second round. In the BK era we took Travis Hansen with 37 before productive players like Blake, Zaza, Mo Williams, James Jones, Kieth Bogans, or Kyle Korver. We had 3 picks in 04 and ended up with Donta, Royal, and Sanikidze at 35, 38, and 43 instead of Duhon and Ariza (I'll admit, not much to find in that draft). We took Salim at 31 ahead of Bass, Turiaf, Ellis, Louis Williams, Gomes, etc. We took Solo at 33 ahead of Craig Smith, Paul Millsap, and Leon Powe, who all do what Shelden Williams was supposed to do as the 5th overall pick in that draft.

BK just didn't seem to understand how to evaluate project players, he didn't really have a philosophy in terms of selecting for talent or need. We didn't always target the most athletic players, ready to contribute players, or skilled players... he just picked.

It hurt our team because it was a big reason for our chronic lack of depth. If you are going to stock your bench with second rounders, they have to be productive. Instead, we would have 4 guys on the pine who could do absolutely nothing on the court. The biggest successes were Royal Ivey and the much maligned Salim.

The good news is that BK is gone and Sund, for all his flaws, seems to have a better idea of how to fill a bench.

I can't believe that I was considering cherry picking this topic...... You are right on point here though.....BK's biggest flaws are evident.......Sund is at least trying to improve the quality of guys on the bench. I am unfamiliar with his record as far as previous 2nd round picks. Will just have to wait and see in the future.

I don't own any basketball jerseys......but would love to get a sweatsuit like the one I saw Traceman wearing once. It was white/ red and I believe it had the Pacman logo.

A couple of clarification points on what Sund said as well.

Either he is lying/misleading us or Chillz lied. Sund said they offered Chillz the biggest offer of any NBA team. That may be true, only if nobody else offered him anything. Chillz basically said they offered him like 4.6 if I remember correctly.

I think the key here is what each party considers a legitimate offer. Chillz and his agent may have received a verbal offer providing the Hawks were willing to accept some sort of SNT and they thought that was all they needed to do. However the ASG and Sund didn't consider it to be legit because no NBA team actually put anything in writing to Chillz that they could match. You can't really blame Sund if that was the case. You don't take back another teams undesirables just so they can pay your player more money and take him away from you.

I'm still feeling giddy. I think there is a good chance Randolph will be embarrassed to be a lazy a** in front of his old rival Josh Smith. I think he may finally start trying.

I was thinking the same thing...... I read somewhere that he, Smoove and Howard played together on an AAU team. If any rivalry can pump him up it should be this one. If that happens it would be great for the Hawks.

So what big guy, do you think we should go after now? Is there anyone decent left?

According to a link provided by Exodus , the Grizzlies are interested in this guy...

"In another development, the Griz have identified Iranian center Hamed Ehadadi as a person of interest and hope to sign the 7-2, 23-year-old next week. Ehadadi last played for Saba Battery of the Iran Super League. He'll also play for the Iran national team in the Olympics.

Ehadadi recently collected 19 points and 16 rebounds in summer league action at Utah. He amassed 20 points and nine rebounds against Argentina and 20 points, 20 rebounds and six blocks against Serbia in Olympic tune-ups."

I don't know anything about him but it appears he may fit us as a BU Center.....plus we could rub some salt on the Grizzlies for signing Smith (even though they are doing us a favor providing we match).

http://www.commercialappeal.com/news/2008/...th-offer-sheet/

To be honest, you completely lost my respect for being a Hawks fan. Regardless of whether or not we are down this year, we are definitely not out. However, you talk like the Hawks organization will just disappear. I hate bandwagon fans like you. I absolutely HATE your kind. Abandon a team because they look to be going downhill, and then at the same time support a team that looks like they're on their way up.

As a fan one of the reasons we get upset when our team, whether its the players or management does something that causes a setback is we are emotionally attached. Its that emotion that drives us, for better or worse. In a perfect world our team go on a run like the Patriots, San Antonio or even the Lakers. Those glory years is something we fall back on when we defend our team from naysayers. Or if the team overall isn't doing too well then we shift focus from the team to an individual player. We want to be able to brag about our teams over the next guys....that adds to the excitement. Having Bragging rights makes the entire season more enjoyable and as a fan we want that. The problem though for most of the ATL teams over the years is they don't have that winning history (remember before you mention the Braves, how many years they sucked before going on the run) to fall back on. One of the things that bothers me about some posters is they jump to quickly on each other, but I understand it....we all have our own way of reacting. Please remember that in order to dish it out....you should be able to take it. Its about bragging rights and loyalty....it's why these types of boards exist... to have an avenue to share the team spirit with like-minded people.

As far as bandwagon fans goes I don't like them...except I may make an exception for people who don't have teams in their states. Unless they keep switching teams like the tides. Atlas stated: " About the bandwagon thing, I'm no bandwagon fan but if they don't resign Smith, I won't keep up with the team that much next year (well, I probably will, I'm addicted to Hawks basketball) but I DEFINITELY won't go to any games or support the ASG in any possible way. The only thing I might do is show up with a ton of people with bags over our heads like the protesting fans of Boston and/or Milwaukee". To me thats OK.....because inspite of being upset or whatever he's not dismissing the team. Hopefully he will go to the game and act like those fans in Boston or the Aint's. Booing and wearings bags shows displeasure, but it also let the players and management know that the fans care...and they are supporting the team despite whats going on. Its still too early to give up on the team for next season... even if Smoove leaves.

As a proud Hawks fan since 2003, I've suffered through many repetitive slip ups by the ASG and always seemed to suck it up (like many of us fans) and keep supporting the team that I have been happy to call my own. But like many of us this horrible offseason has taken a toll and as much as I love the Hawks seeing a young hometown star with immense potential go without even wanting to, is the last straw. It if is for you as well, then the question is where to next? Personally, Im probably going to be a Portland fan with a soft spot for ATL and wherever Smoove lands.

for over 20 years while serving in the military I talked trash and defended the ATL/and GA teams from soldiers from across the country...even when they were down right terrible and seemed inept......I will continue to support the Hawks, Falcons and Braves..... I don't think true team fans switch loyalty so easily. Unless they win it all....every year has some type of disappointment......If the ASG/Sund messes this up it will be filed with Mckyers' night before the Superbowl tryst...but the Hawks will still be my team.