If we did blow up the team, this is what I want..

[Diesel]

First Cap clearing...

JT/Hendu/CC to the Lakers for Horry/Medv/1st/Rush/and Murry.

Second.... Building with youth....

SAR/Glover to Milwaukee.

Allen/Haslip to Atlanta.

Lastly... Chemistry and Cap Clearing.

Theo/CC to Toronto.

Davis to Atlanta

IN the end, we have a new team.

NVE/ALLEN/GROB/Haslip/AD.

with a whole lot of cap coming next yr.

We have Rebounding.

We have defense.

We have the Ray Allen Scowl.

We have internal strife between Allen and Grob.

We have a PG who can get the ball to everybody.

We have a vet C who can be a LEADER.

Life would be fun to watch.

And off the bench, we have all those Lakers Role players.

[Guest]

D - some trades you talk about wanting to sign JT, other you want to trade him, which is it.

How would that lineup provide defense???! Allen doesn't play it, Robinson doesn't play it, and NVE doesn't play it. Who knows about Haslip...his pt is limited and reports have it that he's really a 3 (see his working on and hitting many threes in the summer league). Davis is really a pf...we all know that...

[KB21]

If the Hawks management blows this team up, the first thing they need to get in return is draft picks. Lots of draft picks. Well, make that the 2nd thing. The 1st thing that needs to be done is to bring in a name coach - one that will attract players to ATL to play and not just visit or live in ATL.

I think you also have to be prepared to go into a season with what is pretty much developmental league talent. Much like the 1999 Orlando Magic.

If you blow the team up, you have to come out and explain to the fans why you are doing this and let them know that it is a time staking process. The important thing to do is not overinvest for talent.

But, if the Hawks blow this team up, then they have to start at the top. Bring in new management first and let them do what they want to do.

The future of this franchise is very much in question right now. The team is going to be sold eventually, and a big problem with starting over is that we don't know when this sale will happen. If we start over with new management this offseason, then what will happen when new ownership takes over?

[Guest]

I agree...to a degree. Having a good coach is obviously a priority. But in getting this team some respectibility, acclaim, and fan base, we've got to get some top name talent...not all stars, but a superstar. Someone to put butts in the seats, and build around that.

Look at the Falcons. That team still has flaws, and Blanks did a large part to get fans in early...but I think that, for the most part, they would have paid the higher prices after seeing Vick and that buzz/ winning attitude that he brought to the team and the league.

Granted that this is no easy task, and that players like Vick...or Kobe, Vince, TMac are few per generation...but if one could be had or drafted, I think that mgt., old or new, ought to do everything in their power to garner one of those players...even if it means taking two to three years to surround him with the proper talent for a winning team.

Right now, Atlanta can't attract the big free agents...esp. with the uncertainty in coaching, mgt., and general future outlook of the team's winning and progressing.

It all starts with a superstar.

[KB21]

Unfortunately, there aren't many true superstars in the NBA, and the Hawks don't have enough high picks to land one.

Maybe they will luck out and land the #1 draft pick for Lebron James. The chances of that happening are slim though.

The question is, do you move Theo and Shareef or Theo and Big Dog in attempt to creat salary space to resign Jason Terry and sign someone like Corey Maggette, who has the talent to be a superstar and looks to be breaking out of his shell.

Maggette could be a guy who explodes into a 25 ppg superstar once out of Clipper land, or he could be a guy that gets a fat pay check and sits on his rump.

[Guest]

the team is flawed. JT's worth keeping, imo, at seven years and about 6 million dollars.

As I've posted before, SAR is the only player we have worth value (and perhaps Ratliff). I think I've come to the point where I'd trade him for high picks and young players...but be very careful about doing so.

Maggette is someone that would be nice in the backcourt with JT, though I don't know enough about his game (watching it I haven't) to truly make that statement.

My biggest dream would be to package GRob to any taker and then looking into moving Reef for some good, young talent...but I don't know if I trust Pete to do this. He's made good trades in the past, going for more "sure things" like Reef and GRob - you know what they're going to bring. He likes trading for semi-vets, plain and simple. But I don't trust him as a true "judge of talent," i.e. to build a team.

[Diesel]

I agree good coaching is one way.

The intention of this post was originally a joke... I know that a Reef for Allen trade would go in a heartbeat but it would be funny to see it happen.

However, if the team was to be blown up.... Draft picks are not the way to go.

Yes, we would need a good coach.

But the way to do it would be:

1. Get a good coach.

2. Determine 2 maybe three players we want to build around.

3. Figure out if we can get rid of some bad contracts (Hendu, CC)

4. Make trades for players who...

a. Having ending contracts.

b. Bring something to our team's chemistry.

5. Try to build with young talent.

Our draft history should tell us that drafting is not the way. Look at what good it has done Chicago and LAC?

So Hypothetically....

New Coach...

For arguments sake, I'd say.... Mike Fratello.

Players who we won't trade...

SAR, Grob, JT....

Deals for Chemistry....

Theo/Hendu to Philly.

Van Horn to Memphis

Lo/Knight/Snow to Atlanta.

Secondly.

What have we done? We have made JT into a SG...

Snow/Knight/DD

JT/Glover/Benjamin

Grob/Ira/CC

SAR/Ham

Lo/Nazr

ARE WE BETTER?

Hard to say. However, we have better chemistry. Snow with JT in the backcourt should work better than if JT was PG. Actually, I don't think Snow is a great PG... or close... However, I believe he'd be a decent Backcourt mate with JT. He can bring the ball up and play defense. Next yr, Knight and Lo's trade value will shoot up.

[dj_me]

I see a little bit of a flaw in getting a lot of draft picks. Didn't we do that the last time we blew up the team. One or two HIGH picks, one between 1-7 and one between 16-22, is all we need for youngsters. We get too many and we'll be in about the same perdicament we're in now.

I do believe that if they decide to blow things up, we should wait until after we are sold (hopefully we won't get moved, although that might be a good thing). The restructuring should begin at management level, but I do have a little faith in what Stotts is doing. I think he might be able to draw good players to the team. I mean, look what he's done on picking up the NBDL players.

I'll tell you right now, I think that JT is and/or will be a superstar. I think it would be a huge mistake on letting him go. But, if we were to blew up the team, ALL our stars have to go, including JT. We have had too much trouble finding another guard to play along with him. With Grob, he needs someone to play off of. On a rebuilding project, we won't have that. Theo just isn't doing it. He's begining to though, so we might keep him. Reef, well, he might be the only star I keep. The reason I say this is that when he first came to ATL there was so much good talk OF him and FROM him. He could help develop young players.

My lineup of players that I would keep:

Wilks (sign him) / Dickau

Benjamin

Newble

Reef

Nazr

Terry Stotts & his crew

This is, of course, if we don't finish the season on a high note that changes everyones view.

Oh, and somehow, someway, we have to get Lebron James. With him comes excitement/attendance.