Final_quest

I don't think so. Harrington is not quite on the same level as Odom. Actually I don't think its close. Odom brings much more to the table with better rebounding, ball handling, and passing. Odom is more athletic, and truly can play multiple positions without making much of a compromise.

Dominique is certainly among the top 50 players of all time, and should have been on the original Dream Team. He nearly beat one of the best Celtic teams all by himself. I just hope the Hall voters can make some amends for his lack of respect by putting him in on the first ballot.

If Eddie Curry really is on the market, I wonder if the Hawks wouldn't have a hard time putting together an attractive package to get him. I guess taking on Davis' contract would be the one thing we could offer, but I expect the Bulls would want a pick as well. Why are the Bulls trying to move Curry?

I think Philly and Atlanta would be happy with that trade, but I don't think Boston would trade for Walker.

It is within the realm of possibility that a team with money under the cap will pursue Walker, but it is highly unlikely. A team like the Knicks could sign Walker if he is inclined to believe he will benefit in other ways. Maybe Walker would sign with a team like Miami if he wants to play for a championship. I believe the most likely outcome is for us to work with a team to get a deal done that mutually benefits all parties.

It definitely has been a marriage of convenience, but Walker's future is controlled by us. I appreciate all the hard work Walker has put in while he has been here. He has been a positive influence on our younger players, and my opinion of Walker has forever changed after this season. I wish him the best with his next team, and hope he gets us some great assets in a trade.

High schoolers are no more of a sure thing than anyone else. I know a lot of high schoolers have turned into superstars, but it's not a sure bet. We should draft the best talent on the board regardless of their background.

OK man, we'll certainly see if you're correct or not. Read the ESPN insider article Dolfan posted. There are 6 teams with significant cap room this offseason, and 4 of them have their own players to resign. The other 2 teams are the Hawks and the Bobcats. So if you think he has a lot of teams that can offer him deals, you're wrong. I think this offseason will be quite different from last year. Teams have been getting ready for the offseason after next season, when a lot of superstar's contracts are up. Not many teams have space this year.

I think that article was written before Childress' recent play, or at least based on his performance before his recent play. The nba.com rookie ratings would not agree with this guy's assessment of Childress.

I'd rather get Dalembert now through trade than sign him as a RFA. If we wait for the offseason Philadelphia has the opportunity to match any reasonable offer. Therefore the Hawks would have to make an offer high enough that Philadelphia would not match. Not many teams will be in a position to make a high offer this offseason so if the Hawks are the ones who have to match it will be at a lower price. If we trade for him we don't have to make a ridiculous salary offer to woo him away from Philadelphia or other teams. If Philadelphia wants Walker long term trading for him now gives them Bird rights. That's why they would be willing to give up Dalembert.

N27 you're correct. After the season we don't have his rights, that was phrased incorrectly, but the fact remains we are his only avenue to getting paid more than the MLE. Tip, if you want to speculate that Walker doesn't care if he gets paid more than that, that's an opinion. Truthfully how do you know Walker doesn't care if he gets paid $5 million if he could make $9 million? This is where the Hawks definitely have power over Walker. He needs us to sign for over the MLE, and to trade him to a team he wants to play for. Most certainly everything I've said makes sense, with regards to this issue. With the salary cap being a free agent doesn't mean you can sign with whatever team you want. There will be fewer teams this offseason able to offer large contracts than last season. Walker needs the Hawks much more than we need him, period.

Is that really true that the Hawks score -17 points/game with Walker on the court? Maybe he should be benched.

I think Walker has more trade value than either of those players, or both combined. Don't like this trade either.

I agree. If Bogut is best player on the board we should draft him even with Dalembert. The Spurs drafted Duncan even though they had Robinson, it's the same thing here. But, like Diesel posted earlier, Bogut needs to be evaluated first. If Marvin Williams is best available, we must draft him even with Harrington, Childress, and Smoove.

I doubt any team will sign Walker to an extension. That would be about $18 million a year.

He needs us on multiple counts. 1. We are the only team that could sign him to an extension of his contract unless we trade him before the trading deadline. 2. If he does not get an extension, we are probably the only team that could sign him for above the MLE. For example, if the Knicks wanted Walker they could not sign him for over the MLE, but we could and then make a trade with the Knicks. 3. Since we have his rights we would be the team to agree to any trade for Walker. If he wants to go to the Sixers, and the Sixers aren't offering a trade that we like, Walker cannot go to the team he wants. Bottom line the Hawks have, perhaps, the most financial flexibility of any team this offseason. If we don't want to sign Walker long term the only way for him to get paid $$$ is by using our services. This is why Walker's comments about wanting to be a Hawk are not necessarily genuine. Very similar to when Kmart and Dampier visited the Hawks last offseason. We gave them leverage in bargaining for a higher contract. We are Walker's only avenue for a nice contract and a team that he would want to play for. He needs us much more than we need him.

I think it was just the comments from 790 the zone, and the fact that the trading deadline is fast approaching.

Question, say we get Robinson and Dalembert, does that mean we would have Ekezie, Collier, Willis, and Dalembert on our roster the rest of the year?

From the other board it seems like Philly is not able to trade their pick this year after all.

The only way we get nothing out of Walker is if he signs for the MLE for a given team, or a team with spare capspace signs him outright at the end of the season. Either scenario is unlikely. At the very least we will sign him and trade him for a salary match. It appears that Walker will be traded before the deadline, but we'll see.

What is the shooting stars competition?

I wouldn't mind keeping Walker, but at what price? If we give Walker anything close to what he wants, no thank you. To me the writing is on the wall, Walker most certainly will be traded. The fact that he has performed well bodes well for us because he has improved his trade value. If we can't sign some premiere free agents this year, there will always be a player like Walker or Steven Jackson that we can rent for a season to take the pressure off our youngsters. I just don't think Toine will be part of the rebuilding.

I think they need to make the cash prize higher for the winner. That's the only way to get the superstars to participate.

I got a different take than Blunt. Each of these teams are trading expiring contracts. So why do the Hawks end up with the draft picks? This is a great deal for the Hawks, and possibly the Twolves, but why would Philadelphia spend a #1 pick to rent Sprewell for a couple months?

I agree with Tmac. I can't think of a bust who was performing on the level of Bogut. Don't think Chris Kaman, Kandi, Shawn Bradley, or Jason Collier ever put up numbers like Bogut. Can anyone name a big man bust that averaged the same numbers as Bogut on a top 25 team? There are very few centers who score as much as Bogut period, which is why he must be considered a top 3 pick.