Honest answers

[tmac13]

We entered the offseason with a number 5 pick, Harrington to SNT and roughly 16 million in capspace..

We drafted Sheldon..

Signed Speedy..

Signed Lo..

And look to get a single 1st rounder for AL..

While I don't really hate or love any of these moves, it just looks like we aren't getting much considering the resources we had..We look to have added 3 average players..That is not a knock, but it is not exactly the splash we had been hoping for.

So, are most of you honestly happy with Lo, Speedy, and Sheldon to show for this summer?

[Diesel]

That's what is really bugging everyone.

Al for a first.

Come on. Al was a 19 ppg scorer.

If JJ costs 2 firsts and Diaw.. Al should get us a little more in return.

I say we resign Al.

Being that management see both Marvin and Smoove as Sfs anyway.. Why not resign a 19 ppg player and see how he plays with a better PG...

[exodus]

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So, are most of you honestly happy with Lo, Speedy, and Sheldon to show for this summer?

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Let's go back to the end of the regular season. If you had posted the question.."Would you be happy with Speedy, Shelden and Lo this offseason?" I think we both know what the majority of answers would have been.

[CBAreject]

I'm not thrilled, but mostly because of the way we drafted. The record shows that I wanted to draft these 2 players with our picks: Roy and Millsap. Millsap will be a solid role player, and Roy will be a vg guard, though I'm not sure he'll be a PG. I also wanted to trade for a Marcus Williams pick, but who knows what that would've cost us?

I still wanted to sign Speedy or Banks, though I wish we could've gotten Speedy for a touch less.

In all, I'm not really disappointed, despite my preferences. Shelden is the biggest disappointment, but I think he'll be OK, nonetheless.

The only way I'd be terribly disappointed is if we added a bunch of average players and capped ourselves out (such as through trading Al for Murphy). I would be livid if we took on contracts for Al.

[mrhonline]

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So, are most of you honestly happy with Lo, Speedy, and Sheldon to show for this summer?

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Sheldon is the only one of the moves that is worthy of debate IMO. Speedy was at least as good an acquisition of any of the available PGs, and the same could be said about Wright as a 4/5. (I also like the acquisition of Solomon Jones).

As far as a "splash," the Hawks did that last year, and people are still complaining about it.

[BornandDieHawks]

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That's what is really bugging everyone.

Al for a first.

Come on. Al was a 19 ppg scorer.

If JJ costs 2 firsts and Diaw.. Al should get us a little more in return.

I say we resign Al.

Being that management see both Marvin and Smoove as Sfs anyway.. Why not resign a 19 ppg player and see how he plays with a better PG...

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This is what I am having a hard time understanding. It just seems like we go for the minimum with our biggest trade assest. I know our ownership is going through some sh*t and BK hands could be tied up but we should be asking for two #1s at least.

[Diesel]

I think we should look for more usable talent than another draft pick to nowhere!

I could care less about the 2007 draft IF we have good usable talent at every position and we're growing.

I know Lascar has his annual draft party on hold waiting to see if we can get the 27th pick of the draft...

However, for me... I would rather have a playoff team that's improving than to have a seat on the lottery panel for the 4th year in a row.

Our JJ window is closing. Our young players are playing their way to another team.

And it seems like we're trying to morgage the whole team on this dream that Marvin is going to be a superstar.

Well, I'm not drinking the Kool Aid.

I say that if we can't find a trade that brings us back a good usable talent, then we just re-up Al until we can.

[Nicholasp27]

while i would like to get more than just a draft pick, but u are exaggerating quite a bit here

a) 27th pick: indy won't have 3rd best record in the nba

b) jj is young; there is no closing window

ugh@re-signing al...u need to realize al just isn't that valuable...teams realize this and won't give up much for him

[mrhonline]

I have a feeling the Hawks offered Al something akin to a six-year, $45M deal A deal like that would start at $6M, slightly above the MLE. It's just enough to prevent him from signing elsewhere for the MLE, but not enough for him to accept.

A six-year, $57M deal isn't that bad, considering the typical cost of under-30, unrestricted free agents.

[jumpshot]

I think we did the best that we could, considering the talent available. I did not want Sheldon at #5, but we needed to fill a hole. Sheldon may turn out to be better than we think. I think Speedy was the best option besides Cassell and we tried to sign him. I think the Lo siging is what we needed. I always liked Lo. The coming season will be determined by how much improvement ZaZa, Smooth and Marvin have made. We should see some improvement this year, but how much is the question.

[Diesel]

No, I don't think we lowballed him... I think we may have offered him a 4 year 41 million dollar deal.

Which is prolly the most we can give given the circumstances.

I don't think we can lowball him because of rules. We can't resign him for less than what he was making unless we renounce him. Al would be a fool to do that.

Our court limitations would mean that the most we could offer AL is 4 years.

Al knows this has to be a 6 year venture...otherwise, it's of no use for him.

I say you split the uprights here and offer him a 6 and 62 with a TO at the end of the 4th year. I think the courts would accept that. I don't know if Al would... because if we traded him, another team is not likely to bypass the TO.

[Diesel]

1. You're right, it's not likely that a team with the best frontcourt in the East would have the 3rd best record... but I wouldn't suggest that they would not either. I think it's possible for them to fall anywhere between 15 and 28....

2. There is definitely a window. We only have JJ for 5 more years. IF this is a wasted year, there's 4 more.

[mrhonline]

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I say you split the uprights here and offer him a 6 and 62 with a TO at the end of the 4th year. I think the courts would accept that. I don't know if Al would... because if we traded him, another team is not likely to bypass the TO.

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I'll say this - a six-year, $60M deal with a team option for the fifth year wouldn't anger me at all. Unfortunately, the CBA requires that the option year be for the final year of the contract.

You would have to guarantee close to $50M to get him.

[Guest Walter]

There was not one team with as much flexibility and capitol as us. Toronto didn't have an Al to trade or quite the level of young talent despite similar cap space and a slightly higher draft pick. No other team was even close. Why are we uninspired given such an opportunity! Anyone?

Oh and as you can tell I haven't like either of the past two offseasons sans JJ.

W

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We entered the offseason with a number 5 pick, Harrington to SNT and roughly 16 million in capspace..

We drafted Sheldon..

Signed Speedy..

Signed Lo..

And look to get a single 1st rounder for AL..

While I don't really hate or love any of these moves, it just looks like we aren't getting much considering the resources we had.

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[KB21]

Which would also guarantee that the Hawks will lose one of the young stars they have on the team due to their inability to go into the luxury tax threshold to sign them.

[Diesel]

I thought a player option had to be the year before the last year. I thought the team could have an option up to 2 years before?

[Guest Walter]

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Which would also guarantee that the Hawks will lose one of the young stars they have on the team due to their inability to go into the luxury tax threshold to sign them.

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We lost them when, after we drafted them (JC and JS), we successively, over the next two years spent higher draft picks to bench them. HAS ANYONE EVER SEEN A GM DO SUCH A THING AND [censored] UP SO BADLY?!? Draft two talented players and in the next two years one by one burry them on the bench with higher draft picks when famine exists at several other positions?

If I'm JC or JS I can't wait for my walking papers if I'm going to continue to be benchwarmers. Injury was drafting MW and SW in the first place, insult is being benched, but of course KB is looking for "bargains" so in 2 years we can have enough money to throw at the backs of at least one of our two alienated prospects as they run for a team that doesn't [censored] them over.

KB, I know you are conveniently avoiding posts that challenge you and all, seeing that you have no response but "whatever BK does is good" and you are ever made to look foolish, but your contention that money is what will keep these prospects here is STOOOOOOOPID!

When BK is gone, what is going to be your legacy KB? You are a shell of a poster, only affirming what BK does or will do. FAITH has it's place, but it's not here.

W

[Final_quest]

I think that is being ridiculously bleak. We haven't lost anybody yet. To assume we will outright lose any of our young players is a bit much.

In today's NBA few players are lost without compensation unless they aren't worth much compensation to begin with.

As you like to use the word capital, btw not capitol, we still have quite a bit, and still have one of the lowest payrolls in the league. You can't convince me to jump off a bridge.

[KB21]

My honest opinion is that I don't see why anyone should be disappointed in the Hawks offseason. The Hawks went into the offseason with two big needs, and they had a plan to fill those needs. Obviously, the greatest need was to improve their interior defense and rebounding while the next need was to improve the point guard position. Check. Both tasks were accomplished. The Hawks drafted the best interior defender and rebounder in the draft, and they added Lorenzen Wright in free agency. As far as the point guard position goes, they decided that with a young team, they needed a veteran point guard. Check. They signed Speedy Claxton, who was the best point guard on the market, IMO.

[Final_quest]

Here's how I look at it. The Hawks filled the gaps with whatever they could find, and at the same time not making a big investment in the process. To use words already posted uninspiring at worst and satisfactory at best.

Worst case scenario Shelden is a bust and Speedy turns into a Grant Hill or Alan Henderson, offseason becomes atrocious.

Best case scenario Speedy proves to be Allen Iverson lite, and Shelden becomes more Carlos Boozer with a touch of Ben Wallace.