Still sitting on our hands

[tmac13]

Wilcox is about to resign with the Sonics, Magloire gone to Portland..Nene to stay with Denver, Wallace to Chicago..Both Elson and Butler go to the Spurs for practically nothing..We are still on hold..This is such a repeating pattern it is amazing..Last year we were talking about Curry, Chandler, Daly and Big Z..The summer before we looked at Martin and Dampier..

I am not saying I wanted or the Hawks needed any of these guys, and I fully realize that some are outrageously overpaid..However, at some point in our developement as a team, we have to somehow get a legitimate defensive minded rebounding big..Maybe Sheldon helps some, but at his size that is very questionable..

I understand avoiding the large bad contracts, but what is the excuse with a guy like Butler?..Why are the Hawks always playing waiting ganmes in the summer while other teams are signing guys that could help us?..Once again, what the hell do we need all this capspace for if we don't use it to improve the team?..What excuses will be made for BK when this mystery center turns out to be another slowfooted, no defense playing jumpshooter instead of a defensive interior pressence?..His inactivity in free agency along with his refusal to hold workouts in the draft are extremely hard to understand..

[Sha]

All I know is something better happen soon...I'm going cross eyed reading the same crap over and over again without anything progressing in either the "big man mystery" or the "Al situation"...everything is going in slow motion and I'm getting extremely bored AND irritated and just to think there is gonna most likely be another two months of waiting and wondering before anything is a solid fact...i just know it

I can't wait for the NFL's regular season to start maybe it'll take my mind off of all of this nothingness

[Sothron]

I said this in another thread so I'll say it again: until we actually trade Harrington he DOES count against our cap and keeps us from being able to sign or trade for another player.

Indiana knows this. I am almost willing to put money on the table that Indiana is playing hardball on the protection on the 2007 1st rounder and knows the longer they drag it out with BK the more it hurts the Hawks by having other teams and players sign elsewhere. If BK is holding out for unprotected or only top 3 or some such, this could be why the holdup is taking so long.

The only negative for Indiana is that by doing it they run the risk of pissing BK off to the point we simply trade him elsewhere instead of rewarding Indiana for effectively sabotating our offseason. Indiana has nothing to lose by keeping our hands tied and forcing us to take even less than we are now for Harrington.

[Guest Walter]

The inflexibility of our current situation is an argument for having the Al situation settled prior to the offseason (a deadline trade). So too would be knowing moreso what we needed at the time of the draft.

BK is certainly not my favorite but he's scoring even less points. Even if we make the deal with Indy and go out and get another big (sounds more and more like spin) it looks like it most certainly won't be a FA. In a trade we may net lose talent rather than net gaining talent in a FA signing.

W

[tmac13]

We had the space to sign Butler or Elson regardless of AL..It has also been widely reported an even confirmed by Donnie Walsh that BK is trying to decide on the deal..So you can't blame Indy, if BK doesn't like the deal then renounce AL or trade him elsewhere and move on..

[Packfill]

Quote:

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I said this in another thread so I'll say it again: until we actually trade Harrington he DOES count against our cap and keeps us from being able to sign or trade for another player.

Indiana knows this. I am almost willing to put money on the table that Indiana is playing hardball on the protection on the 2007 1st rounder and knows the longer they drag it out with BK the more it hurts the Hawks by having other teams and players sign elsewhere. If BK is holding out for unprotected or only top 3 or some such, this could be why the holdup is taking so long.

The only negative for Indiana is that by doing it they run the risk of pissing BK off to the point we simply trade him elsewhere instead of rewarding Indiana for effectively sabotating our offseason. Indiana has nothing to lose by keeping our hands tied and forcing us to take even less than we are now for Harrington.

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How does Harrington count against the Hawks cap - he is not under contract for next year?

[Sothron]

The CBA has a rule where players still are accredited against your cap with an elevated salary. I think Harrington counts 10 million on our cap right now even though he's not technically a member of our roster.

This is why you see teams occasionally renouce rights to players. They get their salary off the cap but they are unable to resign them for an extended amount of time.

[Packfill]

Interesting. Does not seem to make sense logically with respect to an unrestricted free agent.

[Vol4ever]

Quote:

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I said this in another thread so I'll say it again: until we actually trade Harrington he DOES count against our cap and keeps us from being able to sign or trade for another player.

Indiana knows this. I am almost willing to put money on the table that Indiana is playing hardball on the protection on the 2007 1st rounder and knows the longer they drag it out with BK the more it hurts the Hawks by having other teams and players sign elsewhere. If BK is holding out for unprotected or only top 3 or some such, this could be why the holdup is taking so long.

The only negative for Indiana is that by doing it they run the risk of pissing BK off to the point we simply trade him elsewhere instead of rewarding Indiana for effectively sabotating our offseason. Indiana has nothing to lose by keeping our hands tied and forcing us to take even less than we are now for Harrington.

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It appears to me that BK is the one holding back. Our team continues to look like a bunch of clowns in the way we do business. My dad has always told me "son, all you have in business is your reputation." That doesn't bode well for the Hawks franchise.

[Guest]

Quote:

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Interesting. Does not seem to make sense logically with respect to an unrestricted free agent.

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The reason it is done is because it closes a loophole in the CBA. For example, if Al didn't count against our cap, then we could sign all the free agents that we would want up to the cap (would have been about $20 mil I think), and then use our Bird Right's on Al to sign him to whatever deal we wanted. so by making Al count against our cap, it prevents us from making a ridiculous amount of signings.

[Packfill]

Thanks. I guess if there was a free agent they really wanted they could have just renounced their rights to Al.