Dejay

Just to see how his legal situation turns out. With him being gone, there is no telling what the courts may think up there. The Shareef trade gave us some real talent and a name to get behind and this one put us back into serious contention in the East. The main thing that puts it over the top is that these type of moves are almost, well, un-Hawk-like. Think about it. During the Mookie/Smith/Deke days, while the rest of league knew about our obvious weakness at small forward and the bench, the front office was most inclined to sit on their hands and trot out Ty Corbin and Henry James. We'd hear 'salary cap', 'no high draft picks', blah, blah, blah. But now that has all changed. The Hawks have finally began taking a proactive approach to the roster instead of the reactive one they've clung to with grips of iron for the past 30+ years. I honestly believe that with only a little tweaking that this team is ready to challenge for the title. Not in a few years but NOW. On paper there is no Hawk team that can even touch this one. Not 'Nique's and definitely not Steve Smith's squad. We'll soon see if this is true for the rest of the East and the league for that matter.

His legal status notwithstanding. And as far as age, he's 29 and in the prime of his career not 36 and past his prime, ala Glen Rice. Before this trade, this entire board was pondering on who can be brought in to start at the small forward spot. We heard names like Donyell Marshall, James Posey, Matt Harpring, even Grant Hill. I think we got the best of the ones that are actually available. This team's major weakness has been the small forward position ever since #21 got traded. Think about it. We've had utter GARBAGE at the spot for most of the past eight years. From Danny Manning to Ken Norman to Stacey Augmon to Ty Corbin to Willie Burton to Henry James back to Corbin to Chris Crawford to Kukoc to Ira Newble to end last year. Could any of them even make guys even remotely think of defending them in order for their team to have a chance to win? I'll answer that for you; HELL NO. It's no small wonder that guys like Scottie Pippen and Grant Hill would lick their chops when they saw us coming up on their schedule, even when Deke was still here. Before this trade, we wondered about sneaking into the playoffs with 40 wins and an 8 seed. Now I'll be shocked if we don't get at least 46 wins and a 6 seed instead.

I think Terry's average stays the same and his assist numbers go up. Before this trade, everyone in the building knew that SAR and JT were the whole 'effin show for the Hawks and opponents would focus their entire defense on them. But with Big Dog on the roster, it opens up the floor for both of them. It gives Shareef room to work on the inside. If they attempt to double, JT and Big Dog will burn them....a lot. In fact, with opposing defenses focusing on the three of them, I wouldn't be surprised to see Dermarr get better looks. I think he'll have a better year than what most people think.

I know it's just August and while there are probably more moves to be made, I want to get the pulse of the forum right now. How far does this team go, injuries notwithstanding?

Mark this date down, folks: August 2, 2002. The day the Hawks became serious contenders in the East again since the 'Nique era of the 80's.

I'm about as much of a Babcock cynic as there is but even I can't deny the moves he's made to bring in SAR and Big Dog. Injuries aside, there's no reason why this team can win at least 45 games in this conference. To hell with 37, 39, or 42 wins and an 8-seed. We'll see what Kruger's made of this year.

Damn, I almost wrecked my car on I-285 when I heard the news on 790 (in fact, I called on my cellphone to the station to make sure I was hearing right). You mean to tell me we got Robinson for ONLY Kukoc, Leon Smith, and a pick?!! Big Dog's legal problems and questionable defense aside, this isn't just a slam dunk move but a 1987 'Nique-in-his-prime style slam dunk move. Kukoc has seen his better days and while Leon has the potential to be something, what value will that draft pick really have? To get another Cal Bowdler?! For the first time since you-know-who got traded, the Hawks have a small forward who can actually score. More importantly than that, it makes opponents think twice before double-teaming Shareef. With JT and Robinson running around the perimeter, SAR's production will go WAYYYYYY up. Think about it; SAR averaged 20 a game with the likes of Kukoc, Chris Crawford, and Ira Newble riding shotgun with him in the frontcourt. Imagine him without being doubled everytime he gets the ball; Shareef may average 24-26 a night. I think the team is pretty set now. Resign Newble, watch Dermarr continue to grow into his position and....DAMN! I guess they won't have to worry about that guarantee, injuries notwithstanding, of course.

How in the HELL can you lump Babs into the category of running one of the great front offices in the league? This guy is one of the main reasons (Stan Kasten being the other) why the Hawks have won the same exact amount of division titles as the Falcons in the last decade; ONE. The only real difference between the two franchises nowadays is that at least the Falcons know what a big game looks like. That's right, the Falcons are seen in a much bigger light than the Hawks in this town and that says a helluva lot. And it won't change until this bunch gets into the playoffs and DOES SOMETHING once it gets there. If it weren't for the likes of Stan Kasten, this guy wouldn't have a job now. Give me a reason why this guy is still employed. I'd LOVE to hear it. Even Jerry Krause can say that he once held up a trophy. Where's Babs's rings? Where are the banners? That's why I always say..... PULL THE TRIGGER AND FIRE BABCOCK!!! Game, set, match.

I do think we need to spend some time developing our younger players. We still have yet to see the best from Dermarr, Terry, Nazr, even SAR because he's only 26 if I'm not mistaken. I'd love to see if Leon or any of the others you're suggesting can progress and contribute to the team. Now I'd LOVE to send Henderson, Crawford, and Kukoc away for a box of Kettle Corn and a six-pack as much as the next guy. However, I just don't see ANYONE willing to take Crawford or Henderson off our hands, not without sending an albatross with just as much money and years on their contract remaining (i.e. Abdur-Wahad, Cliff Rozier, Tom Gugliotta, Greg Ostertag) back to us. The same goes for Kukoc although he may still have enough gas in the tank to contribute to a playoff contender to the point that one may bite on an offer. But if Theo comes back to form and healthy, why trade him? What will we get for him? Let me tell you what we have to get FIRST. ANOTHER CENTER. And last I checked, there are not too many quality ones in the league that GMs are going to trade away.

would I think to see a full-blown debate over the merits of Donyell Marshall on this board. Whew! I'll try to put the capper on this one so please hear me out folks. IMHO, the pros outweigh the cons and getting him with the MID LEVEL EXCEPTION would be an upgrade over what we have right now. He may have had the all-time leader in assists and arguably the best power forward in history as teammates to take away most of the pressure but he still had to make the shots when given the opportunity. And if it was sooo easy for Marshall to get his stats with the Jazz, why the hell was Byron Russell NOT scoring 17-20 a night BEFORE HE ARRIVED?! To me, that throws the 'Courtney Cox could put up 14/7 at small forward on the Jazz' theory out the window, smashing it to pieces all over Peachtree Street. This doesn't mean that Donyell Marshall is the 'missing piece' to the NBA Finals; I don't think anyone has said that. But considering our cap position and lack of TRADEABLE talent (no, I don't think of Shareef, JT, or Theo as tradeable and I don't think of Henderson or Crawford as talented) on the roster, we really don't have too many options to go with. That's not my opinion Blackhawk, that's a known FACT. We're not going to get Lamar Odom, Kevin Garnett, Jamal Mashburn, even Grant Hill and his bad ankles for CC/Henderson/Glover/picks; no GM would make that trade and keep his job the following week. If Ira Newble was putting up 15/10, hell 13/7 a night, we wouldn't be having this discussion but he isn't the type of player. Newble is the change of pace, defensive guy that should and MUST come off the bench in order for this team to move forward. Blackhawk, I agree that this team shouldn't be built solely to just make the playoffs; fans in Atlanta (and yes, there ARE fans in Atlanta) as well as on this board want and EXPECT more from this franchise because we've all 'been there and done that' with first and second round exits. HOWEVER, to even think of trading, hell, giving away Theo, Kukoc, Crawford, and Henderson for the possibility of having cap room to sign free agents while extending our stay in lotto land by another 3-4 years in the process is TOTALLY FOOLISH. Remember the Bulls from a couple of years ago? Krause and Co. attempted the same thing you're suggesting in order to sign/trade for the big time players that became available. Did Tim Duncan sign with them? Nope. Grant Hill? Nope. Kevin Garnett? Hell no. Surely Tracy McGrady came aboard. Nope, he didn't either. How many players did the Bulls manage to sign during that period and please don't bother to count Eddie Robinson or Greg Anthony. The reason no one signed with them is because THEY WERE LOSERS. Money may talk but nobody wants to play for a periennial 21-61 loser. Because the Bulls couldn't entice the bigger names to sign with them, they had to scrap that plan and go with the youth movement, hence trading away Elton Brand for Tyson Chandler and drafting Eddy Curry. Thanks to that blunder, their fans have to wait another 2 years for them to become even decent, let alone become a playoff contender again. Contrary to your opinion, Hawk fans don't have six NBA banners hanging up in the rafters of Philips Arena nor have 17,000+ season ticket holders and suite owners locked into long-term contracts like the Bulls (because of MJ, of course). They don't have 3-4 more years to explain why they can't make the playoffs in a weak Eastern Conference, especially considering that both Boston and New Jersey were in the conference finals ONE YEAR after not even being in the playoffs. It's all about process, my friend; first get decent, then make the playoffs, then become contenders, then champions. Very few teams make that historic jump so you have to start somewhere and getting someone like a Donyell Marshall is that start. If you can think of a better option, I'm all ears. Later. And by the way, I've always said that we should...... PULL THE TRIGGER AND FIRE BABCOCK!!! Game, set, match.

I don't know jack about the guy but from my impressions he's just another Cal Bowdler or a taller Adam Keefe to me (if only Babs could have drafted Keefe at 37 instead of 10 but that's for another discussion/rant/vent/insert expletive here). Can shoot some, tall, not the strongest shot blocker on the planet, but a banger. I guess the rationale is that they'll keep him overseas and hope he improves on his game in the meantime. But barring unforseen injuries, I don't see this guy even stepping foot into the league; remember Alain Digbeu? It just seems like a wasted pick to me, with them drafting him because they didn't have much of a Plan B. But then again, what could we expect to get with a second round pick, Nick Van Exel, Shammond Williams, Sam Cassell, or Rashard Lewis? Ooops, they WERE second round picks.

I think we could use some help at the small forward position. IMHO, we need more than just 9-11 points a game from the starting position in order to become playoff contenders. It's one thing if Shaq was on the roster; completely different with this lineup, no disrespect to SAR and JT. I feel its been a position where the Hawks have been lacking for years, since you-know-who got traded. Look at the folks we've had there ever since; Stacey Augmon, Ken Norman, Ty Corbin, Laphonso Ellis, Jim Jackson....'nuff said already. I also wouldn't mind seeing a shooter finally arrive on the squad as well. I know Terry can fill it up with anyone but how about that one guy off the bench that everyone in the building knows not to leave open, like Steve Kerr or Dell Curry were in their prime (wait a minute, they're still playing? Hmm..) When was the last time the Hawks have had that kind of 3-point weapon coming from the bench?