Interesting Comment about the Hawks

[jaywalker72]

From a poster named Sky over on RealGM:

Jaywalker - No way Reef goes for last years, maybe Payton (doubt it), but contract dump won't happen for SAR.

However, what about the rest? I doubt anyone is interested in Big Dog but there is some interest in Ratliff and Terry.

Philly offers DC straight up but Atlanta wants Snow and Philly say no, who blinks first on that one? Hawks are about 1.5 over the tax threshhold, they need to dump that 1.5 this year to get their 8-10M share of the luxury tax kitty. Babcock can keep insisting on talent back and no contract dumps, but don't the beancounters at AOL Time Warner have a role to play in this as well? Push comes to shove imo Babcock has to take a DC for Ratliff deal.

As a Laker fan my primary interest is in Terry. Rumor has LA offering 6.5M in last years (but not Horry) and either Rush or next year's #1 for Terry and Nazr. In your opinion would Babcock bite on that if no one else is willing to take Nazr's contract?

No way LA or imo anybody takes Hendu's contract off your hands.

If Babcock is up against the deadline with pressure to cut 1.5M off this year's payroll and get some last years to take next year's payroll down, what is he willing to do? He can hardline and teams will just turn him down. Wait until the summer and he can't get last years, I think he HAS to deal Ratliff now at the very least, and preferably Terry.

Seems a game of chicken is being played right up to the deadline. Due to the financial situation, the buyers are betting that Babcock is going to be the one that blinks and they will wait him out to the bitter end.

He keeps hardlining then the Hawks pay taxes AND lose that 8-10M back from the league AND don't cut next year's payroll significantly. I don't think AOL takes too kindly to that.

The financial aspects have to enter the equation at some point, seems the rest of the league's GMs are willing to wait until the 20th if necessary for Babcock's position to soften out of fiscal necessity. He won't soften on Reef nor should he, but definitely on Ratliff and maybe on Terry as well.

[jaywalker72]

Sky,

"but don't the beancounters at AOL Time Warner have a role to play in this as well?"

Not really...The Hawks paying another 4-8 million are pennies compared to the 4-8 billion that they keep losing...AOL/TW will not play a role at the trade deadline....at least not THIS year...

"As a Laker fan my primary interest is in Terry. Rumor has LA offering 6.5M in last years (but not Horry) and either Rush or next year's #1 for Terry and Nazr. In your opinion would Babcock bite on that if no one else is willing to take Nazr's contract? "

The Hawks aren't looking to deal Nazr's contract, but would put him in the right deal for a backcourt guy to go WITH Terry.

The Hawks are in no rush to deal with Terry. They can offer the qualifying offer this offseason, and let Terry play out his fifth season (he is currently in his fourth) and then be an unrestricted FA, which is how I believe it will play out if they can't get a deal done this summer.

"No way LA or imo anybody takes Hendu's contract off your hands. "

It's interesting, the one salary that teams have been calling Pete about IS Henderson.

Hendu only has two years left at a total of 17 million, BUT 30% of it is deferred over 10 years. So teams have been quite willing to take that contract on. Henderson's contract has become more hype than it really is.

"If Babcock is up against the deadline with pressure to cut 1.5M off this year's payroll and get some last years to take next year's payroll down, what is he willing to do? He can hardline and teams will just turn him down. Wait until the summer and he can't get last years, I think he HAS to deal Ratliff now at the very least, and preferably Terry."

I think that, if there is any deal Pete would prefer to deal, it would be Ratliff, simply because it is a high dollar deal (22 million over two seasons) and the fact that they have Nazr here in case Theo isn't.

But again, he is not uner pressure THIS season to get anything done financially.

Terry can be retained for another season at low cost, so there is no pressure or reason to deal him hastily at all.