DONYELL MARSHALL SHOULD BE OUR ANSWER!!!

[Guest Walter]

...and we can't (without trading) and I wouldn't pay more for him. That doesn't mean you don't try.

(In truth, Marshall will not likely get more money than that as Utah isn't likely to resign him given they are about to undergo rebuilding and no team has or is gonna use more than their EX when they don't have to. Thus, assuming we want him, it is a matter of whether or not Marshall wants to come here or not.)

As far as 2 years from now, FAs George and Redd may be capable of standing out now and could be a better choice. But then again I am not "confident" that we could get them either. That doesn't mean I don't go after them, too.

Now I'm Kasten not Lon? You're a lame, little man (yawn).

W

[Guest Walter]

Your post above accusing me of being DM's agent was in response to the post in which I said...

In reply to:

---

"Is Marshall ideal for us? Probably not. Is any other Sf available out there ideal for us? Prabably not. DM still is worth a Mid Level Ex for us as are a few other FA Sfs...

...The fact is that there is no perfect fit (for $4.5 million) or for what we have available to trade with. Marshall is still a good fit if not a perfect one and he may be the best one in this market. He's worth a mid level Ex to us."

---

If that makes me DM's agent then I'm as sorry as Caron Butler's agent sending off to bench 185 a mere two times at the Chicago camp.

Of course, I can't recall Hendu's remarkable athleticism so what do I know. Speaking of which, why nothing to say about Hendu's athleticism when that is the vast majority of the post you are resonding to? Were you mistaken about Hendu being athletic (and everybody being able to remember it)?

Also, do you ever have anything to say in response that is on the subject?

How am I both Lon and Kasten again? Keep your name calling straight if you can't keep your stories straight.

W

[Guest]

It's like this dude wants to sit in the lottery for 3 or 4 more

seasons.Marshall is strickly to aid in getting us into the

playoffs WHILE WE DEVELOP.

1)First he says it will hinder DJ's development(even though they

play different positions)so he is wrong ALREADY.

2)He is happy with if we continue to lose while the players on the

team are not.Leading to the coments from Shareef wanting to

make the playoffs next year.

3)He acts as if a 14/7 player can't help a team that was 28th

in the league in rebounding.HAHAHA Joke(btw he averaged 10

boards for GS)

4)This guy says basically forgein players are losers when they are

taking over the league.

5)This guy says Dirk isn't a top player which takes away from his

creditbility anyway.

6)This guy uses False info to try and support his case.And very

happy that swoopa(who was more convincing anyway)spoke

up.

7)This guy called a undersized PF that can't rebound Alan Henderson

Athletic.lol

8)Ever guy he disslikes is a loser in his opinion.

Number 5 and 7 really hurt his creditbility.

[Guest Walter]

...judge Marshall on his recent FG% although I consider him a better shooter/player than when he was with GS if only because of his experience with Utah.

Marshall is what he is. He can score well, shoot decent from within 18', and rebound very well for a Sf. He has a good handle but has lapses. He is a tweener one day and a versatile player another. He is in his prime. He can block shots well. This is all worth a mid level exemption for the Hawks.

W

[Guest]

But I think Atlanta needs Newble's defense and Kukoc's ability to create offensively more than it needs Marshall's rebounding (and I admit, he is a good rebounder).

Seeing the Hawks only occasionally, I can't understate how visible the difference was with Newble starting at SF -- not only due to his own defensive play, but in getting his teammates to play harder on that end (kind of like Christie in Sacramento). He made them a different team, and I think you'd lose that chemistry if you replaced him in the starting lineup.

Really, I think Marshall's best role on the Hawks would be backing up at PF (as a poor man's Shareef) and at C in small-ball lineups (which, due to his shot-blocking and length, he can be effective at). On the perimeter at SF, he won't draw defenders away from Shareef the way I think you're hoping.

[Guest]

I expect Marshall to come here and be a better Ira Newble

on the offensive end.Run the floor/hit the boards/and give

us some athletic ability.Toni is slow and can't run when we

want to go uptempo.

Newble is not a fulltime starter in the NBA.I hope we resign

him,but we need more talent than what he gives.

That is what I expect from him.Jason Terry and Dan Dickau

aswell as Dermarr Johnson are the ones that draw the double

teams away.

You say:

"On the perimeter at SF, he won't draw defenders away from

Shareef the way I think you're hoping."

Newble doesn't do that....And Toni can't do it anymore either because

he is a hasbeen.Newbles high shooting is due to alot of cheap buckets.

Maybe you don't realize how bad Toni Kukoc sucks now.He barely

shot 30% in three's and sure didn't draw any defenders away.

[CHORO44]

I don't know why BlackHawk is Down on Marshall but I feel he would be an excellent fit for some or all of the midlevel exception we have available.

Donyell is long, can rebound, can shoot out to the three point line and plays above average defense. He may not had the career that a number three pick should have but he is in my opinion a savvy, talented veteran player. The great thing about Donyell is that he will play the role you assign him. On the Hawks he wouldn't need to take 15 shots a game but will still get enough open shots and tip ins to get his 15/8 a game.

Donyell is exactly what we need.

[Guest Walter]

If we have to start Newble to have defensive intensity we may be in some serious trouble. However, I agree that he demonstrated our need for him on the court late last year.

Still, we need upgrades and Marshall is that at Sf and BU Pf and likely so for a reasonable mid level EX. Is he the only person capable of being an upgrade at Sf (or Sg)? No! So many FA options must be explored.

As far as perimeter shooting to free SAR we addressed much of that with Dan. His rebounding help, ability to finish, scoring, SBing, etc. would be important but not all-critical to not weigh every FA option at Sf (or Sg).

W

[Guest]

First off, Dion is not an aging player. Dion would have just come out of college last yr? or is it this yr? Had he stayed as long as Marshall. Secondly, We knew of Dion's ACL/MCL when we got him so it was a gamble. But with all that, Dion still has a lot of potential and if he doesn't pan out this yr, we don't have to keep him.

But you guys are talking about giving an aging guy who has never been healthy our mid class exception?? I don't think the two situations are comparable.

[BlackHawkDown]

Diesel why dont you apply the great thought that you put into post like this to your trades. You are obviously intelligent why dont you show it all the time. Thanks for the good post keep it up.

[Guest]

IT doesn't matter.You're right this makes things worse...Only 23

and he STILL can't remain healthy?That isn't a good thing.

"But you guys are talking about giving an aging guy who has never

been healthy our mid class exception??"

You're point only holds water if we sign him to a long term deal.However,

nobody would expect that to be the case...so you're arguement doesn't

hold water.

And if Marshall doesn't pan out either we can get rid of him too.Remember,

we are only signing him to a short term contract.Talk about aging,why

do you look on the bench and see that 34 year old hasbeen that we will

need production from this year...Then you will see aging.

[Dejay]

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.

[BlackHawkDown]

Good points I dont think Hendu or CC are trade bait, but if theo returns to form he is major trade bait next year. I think we can unload one of our sorry players. But I think we need to spend two years develop some project players i.e. L.Smith Dangelo Collins, Lenny Cooke and Tony Key, if I could even figure out what happen to him. I dont think ATLANTA, a top 10 market, will lose its franchise. Besides it would take 2 or 3 great players to push us over the top, let focs on finding superstars. I dont want to stay in the lottery for 3-4yrs. Just 1 more, if we go high in the draft we will be able to get a trade worked out for a star. Remember SAR a #3 pick and a couple of average players.

[Dejay]

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.

[BlackHawkDown]

I agree except I think if Rattler has a good enough season we can add Kukoc(if he has even an onze of trade value) and package Hendu in the trade for a qaulity player and filler that could be dumped maybe someone on IR. Meanwhile we could spend 2 mill or less a year for 3 or 4 projects. In 2003-4 we will suddenly have a young dangerous team i.e Indiana, Boston or LAC next season.

PS. Are there any clauses for a buyout of CC contract.