Hawks have moves left to make

[DrReality]

By SEKOU SMITH

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Published on: 06/30/07

They didn't partake in the league's frenzied trade circus on draft night, but the Hawks aren't done tinkering with their roster yet.

Thursday night's draft was just the beginning of their offseason shuffle, one that could include as many as two or three more subtle moves to balance the youngest roster in the league.

The free agent negotiating period begins Sunday, providing the Hawks one more avenue to fill in their gaps. While they're not expected to be as aggressive as they have been in past years — they have about $5 million in cap space to work with — they're hunting for complementary scorers to Joe Johnson and Josh Smith, the team leaders last season at 25 and 16.4 points, respectively.

And with Eastern Conference rivals like New York, Boston and Charlotte shaking up their ranks — the Knicks traded for Zach Randolph, the Celtics for Ray Allen and the Bobcats for Jason Richardson — the scoring race appears to be on.

"It certainly looks like the East is loading up on scoring," Hawks coach Mike Woodson said Friday. "And I think we need one more scorer, unless one of our guys already on the roster takes another step. It could be Josh [smith], Marvin Williams or Josh Childress. But I think there's no doubt we need another scorer."

The Hawks nabbed one Thursday night in rookie point guard Acie Law, an accomplished offensive player at Texas A&M who will be asked to, at least at times, play more of a traditional point guard role.

"I'm comfortable doing whatever Coach Woodson asks me to do," Law said at Hartsfield Jackson International Airport on Friday while waiting for a connecting flight to Dallas. "I know I won't be the best scorer on the team when I get there [to the Hawks], but I feel like I'll be able to handle that role if they need me to."

But Law will have enough on his plate just trying to learn the nuances of the point guard position in the pros, the same way Salim Stoudamire did his rookie season.

Both Stoudamire and Tyronn Lue have worked well in that complementary scoring role in the past. Woodson said the Hawks still need to locate another shooting threat, though, and one that in comes in a bit larger package.

The Hawks are loaded with frontcourt depth, including rookie forward Al Horford, the No. 3 pick in Thursday's draft. The scoring focus for most teams, though, has shifted away from the paint and to the perimeter, for players of all sizes.

"Our league just isn't a post-up league anymore," Woodson said. "That's just the way things are going. We're seeing that more and more every year. I think we saw it [Thursday night]. That's why I think there is still going to be some movement. Some of these rookies that got picked ... I could certainly see the Knicks and Milwaukee doing some things, and we should be in the mix, too.

"Because I think the Celtics got a little better by bringing Ray over. And Charlotte got better bringing Richardson over. People are following the lead of the Wizards and the Nets, to a degree, by trying to put together a team with multiple scorers. Those three main scorers."

ADDED BALANCE

The Hawks are still loaded at the forward positions but look bit more balanced today with the addition of rookies Al Horford and Acie Law from Thursday night's NBA draft. A position-by-position look at the Hawks' depth chart:

• Point guard: Speedy Claxton, Tyronn Lue, Anthony Johnson, Acie Law

• Shooting guard: Joe Johnson, Josh Childress, Salim Stoudamire

• Small forward: Marvin Williams

• Power forward: Josh Smith, Al Horford, Shelden Williams

• Center: Zaza Pachulia, Lorenzen Wright, Solomon Jones

[Guest Walter]

Quote:

---

A position-by-position look at the Hawks' depth chart:

• Point guard: Speedy Claxton, Tyronn Lue, Anthony Johnson, Acie Law

• Shooting guard: Joe Johnson, Josh Childress, Salim Stoudamire

• Small forward: Marvin Williams

•

Power forward

: Josh Smith,

Al Horford

, Shelden Williams

• Center: Zaza Pachulia, Lorenzen Wright, Solomon Jones

---

He's still not listed as a center even for us. What a GD waste. How many lottery pick and lottery pick worthy power forward PROSPECTS can one team have, particularly when the Sf position is full of lottery picks. It's amazing how far fans will go to justify this.

W

[dakast]

Quote:

---

Quote:

---

A position-by-position look at the Hawks' depth chart:

• Point guard: Speedy Claxton, Tyronn Lue, Anthony Johnson, Acie Law

• Shooting guard: Joe Johnson, Josh Childress, Salim Stoudamire

• Small forward: Marvin Williams

•

Power forward

: Josh Smith,

Al Horford

, Shelden Williams

• Center: Zaza Pachulia, Lorenzen Wright, Solomon Jones

---

He's still not listed as a center even for us. What a GD waste. How many lottery pick and lottery pick worthy power forward PROSPECTS can one team have, particularly when the Sf position is full of lottery picks. It's amazing how far fans will go to justify this.

W

---

So who would you have taken with the #3 pick......and remember, it appears as if the ownership was not willing to make a trade.

[kelston827]

he would've taken Yi.....another PF

don't bother trying to point out to him the stupidity in that.....cue some more Wally BS

[dakast]

Quote:

---

By SEKOU SMITH

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Published on: 06/30/07

They didn't partake in the league's frenzied trade circus on draft night, but the Hawks aren't done tinkering with their roster yet.

Thursday night's draft was just the beginning of their offseason shuffle, one that could include as many as two or three more subtle moves to balance the youngest roster in the league.

The free agent negotiating period begins Sunday, providing the Hawks one more avenue to fill in their gaps. While they're not expected to be as aggressive as they have been in past years — they have about $5 million in cap space to work with — they're hunting for complementary scorers to Joe Johnson and Josh Smith, the team leaders last season at 25 and 16.4 points, respectively.

And with Eastern Conference rivals like New York, Boston and Charlotte shaking up their ranks — the Knicks traded for Zach Randolph, the Celtics for Ray Allen and the Bobcats for Jason Richardson — the scoring race appears to be on.

"It certainly looks like the East is loading up on scoring," Hawks coach Mike Woodson said Friday. "And I think we need one more scorer, unless one of our guys already on the roster takes another step. It could be Josh [smith], Marvin Williams or Josh Childress. But I think there's no doubt we need another scorer."

The Hawks nabbed one Thursday night in rookie point guard Acie Law, an accomplished offensive player at Texas A&M who will be asked to, at least at times, play more of a traditional point guard role.

"I'm comfortable doing whatever Coach Woodson asks me to do," Law said at Hartsfield Jackson International Airport on Friday while waiting for a connecting flight to Dallas. "I know I won't be the best scorer on the team when I get there [to the Hawks], but I feel like I'll be able to handle that role if they need me to."

But Law will have enough on his plate just trying to learn the nuances of the point guard position in the pros, the same way Salim Stoudamire did his rookie season.

Both Stoudamire and Tyronn Lue have worked well in that complementary scoring role in the past. Woodson said the Hawks still need to locate another shooting threat, though, and one that in comes in a bit larger package.

The Hawks are loaded with frontcourt depth, including rookie forward Al Horford, the No. 3 pick in Thursday's draft. The scoring focus for most teams, though, has shifted away from the paint and to the perimeter, for players of all sizes.

"Our league just isn't a post-up league anymore," Woodson said. "That's just the way things are going. We're seeing that more and more every year. I think we saw it [Thursday night]. That's why I think there is still going to be some movement. Some of these rookies that got picked ... I could certainly see the Knicks and Milwaukee doing some things, and we should be in the mix, too.

"Because I think the Celtics got a little better by bringing Ray over. And Charlotte got better bringing Richardson over. People are following the lead of the Wizards and the Nets, to a degree, by trying to put together a team with multiple scorers. Those three main scorers."

ADDED BALANCE

The Hawks are still loaded at the forward positions but look bit more balanced today with the addition of rookies Al Horford and Acie Law from Thursday night's NBA draft. A position-by-position look at the Hawks' depth chart:

• Point guard: Speedy Claxton, Tyronn Lue, Anthony Johnson, Acie Law

• Shooting guard: Joe Johnson, Josh Childress, Salim Stoudamire

• Small forward: Marvin Williams

• Power forward: Josh Smith, Al Horford, Shelden Williams

• Center: Zaza Pachulia, Lorenzen Wright, Solomon Jones

---

I say we move Childress back to SF and make him Marvins backup. Then try and trade Lue and Stoudamire for a larger veteran SG to backup Joe Johnson.

[oiatlhawksfan]

Wow, so many people saying we're stacked at the 3, and actually we only really have 1 pure 3.

[dakast]

I thought Yi was actually an oversized SF.......either way he didn't fit any of our needs.

[Guest Walter]

Quote:

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he would've taken Yi.....another PF

don't bother trying to point out to him the stupidity in that.....cue some more Wally BS

---

...and still do. Unfortunately, with Horford we didn't meet our talent needs so a center NOW might not help us reach contention.

W

[dakast]

Not really, Childress is a 3 as well.......it was BKs silly idea to make him into a SG.

[dakast]

Quote:

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Quote:

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he would've taken Yi.....another PF

don't bother trying to point out to him the stupidity in that.....cue some more Wally BS

---

...and still do. Unfortunately, with Horford we didn't meet our talent needs so a center NOW might not help us reach contention.

W

---

I don't understand.......please explain.

[kelston827]

Hmmmmm, BS?? I think so. You said over and over again that Yi, another PF, should be the pick.

Anyone can look back at old posts and see that. Unless one of the great ones at bringing back old posts -- Diesel or Ex -- wants to help out and shine the light on Wally's BS.

[Dexmethylphenidate]

Quote:

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Wow, so many people saying we're stacked at the 3, and actually we only really have 1 pure 3.

---

That's the ignorant fans talking; people with some sense actually said we're stacked at the forwards spot.

[vdunkndunk]

Quote:

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Quote:

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A position-by-position look at the Hawks' depth chart:

• Point guard: Speedy Claxton, Tyronn Lue, Anthony Johnson, Acie Law

• Shooting guard: Joe Johnson, Josh Childress, Salim Stoudamire

• Small forward: Marvin Williams

•

Power forward

: Josh Smith,

Al Horford

, Shelden Williams

• Center: Zaza Pachulia, Lorenzen Wright, Solomon Jones

---

He's still not listed as a center even for us. What a GD waste. How many lottery pick and lottery pick worthy power forward PROSPECTS can one team have, particularly when the Sf position is full of lottery picks. It's amazing how far fans will go to justify this.

W

---

It's also amazing how often you say the same thing over and over again. Basically, no one has been proven right or wrong yet. I'm about ready to take a break on arguing the "is Horford a center" question at least until after the first summer league game.

[Gray Mule]

That, when someone says our #3 draft pick is a P.F.

they IMMEDIATELY explode?

Joe Johnson mentioned in his interview that Horford was

a P.F. - Here, it happens again.

Seemingly, when he is called a P.F. by anyone, this

immediately means, "He can't play center!"

I really wanted Yi, personally. He is listed as a S.F.

even though he is 7ft. There is still some small chance

he may come here - Not much chance, but it's still alive.

Had we drafted Yi, he wouldn't be called a center either.

Horford played some center in the recent run for the

championship, yet he is being crucified for being listed

as a P.F. instead of a center.

He may NEVER play center in the NBA. In fact, he may

be a complete failure here.

The question remains. Who COULD we have taken with the

draft picks that would have satisfied everyone. Who

would have been that all star center (Wasn't he already

gone with the #1 pick?) that the Hawks could have taken?

The answer eludes me at the moment.

If we had taken the #1 prospect as a P.G. then the

question becomes, who would be left with our other pick

who would become our elusive starting center??

There yet remains the free agent signing period -

Trades that may or may not come to fruition.

Nothing else may happen - - But, who knows??

Everything is not yet set in concrete.

Now, we simply wait to see the final results of

this off season.

[DrReality]

I thought this thread was about FA's . . . . no, same old same old.

[vdunkndunk]

By the way, on the Sonics' board late last night, someone over there who seemed to have legitimate insider status in the eyes of the rest of the posters said it was as good as certain that Ridnour would be gone by Monday. I asked him if that meant Ridnour was coming to Atlanta, and he said he wasn't sure. He said his understanding was that the Sonics wanted Stuckey for Ridnour, but that a trade for Law wasn't totally out of the question. Basically, he just reiterrated that Ridnour was as good as gone, but he didn't know where he was headed.

I have no idea if that is credible info, but it could be something to think about. I also think under the salary cap rules a trade will be easier to complete if it gets done before Monday. And the Hawks did schedule their press conference for Monday instead of Friday - maybe to wait until the Ridnour deal was done before introducing the players? Of course, it could be that none of that stuff is connected in any way at all, but I just wonder if Ridnour might be on his way.

I know a lot of people are against trading for Ridnour, but I think he would be a pleasant surprise for a lot of people who haven't seen him play all that much. His stats aren't incredible and he's not a good defender, but he truly is one of the best pure passing PG's in the entire NBA. And he's averaged 7 apg before as the starting PG on the second-best offense in the league, while playing 33 mpg, so it's not like he can't be successful on the offensive end as a full-time starting PG.

Basically, although Ridnour doesn't have the complete game of Jason Kidd or the shooting ability or overall savvy of Steve Nash, I still think he'd be the best 'attainable' option at PG in terms of running a nice-looking offense right away and getting the most out of our stable of young athletes (Smoove, Horford, Marvin and Chill). We've played ugly offensive basketball for so long, and with all the athletic finishers we have on this team, I really wouldn't mind rolling the dice with Ridnour - a 35% 3-point shooter, by the way - and seeing if he couldn't help this team score some points.

[ATL22]

Acie Law > Luke Ridnour

Don't ruin a solid draft BK by trading one of the picks for a guy who has proved to be decidedly unspectacular. At least Law has untapped talent and offers the potential to become a Mookie Blaylock-like PG in this league. Ridnour is no better than Brevin Knight, who could be had without giving up anything.

[TheDude]

Quote:

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Quote:

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A position-by-position look at the Hawks' depth chart:

• Point guard: Speedy Claxton, Tyronn Lue, Anthony Johnson, Acie Law

• Shooting guard: Joe Johnson, Josh Childress, Salim Stoudamire

• Small forward: Marvin Williams

•

Power forward

: Josh Smith,

Al Horford

, Shelden Williams

• Center: Zaza Pachulia, Lorenzen Wright, Solomon Jones

---

He's still not listed as a center even for us. What a GD waste. How many lottery pick and lottery pick worthy power forward PROSPECTS can one team have, particularly when the Sf position is full of lottery picks. It's amazing how far fans will go to justify this.

W

---

I hear a good Provolone cheese goes well with the above.

[TheDude]

Quote:

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Quote:

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By SEKOU SMITH

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Published on: 06/30/07

They didn't partake in the league's frenzied trade circus on draft night, but the Hawks aren't done tinkering with their roster yet.

Thursday night's draft was just the beginning of their offseason shuffle, one that could include as many as two or three more subtle moves to balance the youngest roster in the league.

The free agent negotiating period begins Sunday, providing the Hawks one more avenue to fill in their gaps. While they're not expected to be as aggressive as they have been in past years — they have about $5 million in cap space to work with — they're hunting for complementary scorers to Joe Johnson and Josh Smith, the team leaders last season at 25 and 16.4 points, respectively.

And with Eastern Conference rivals like New York, Boston and Charlotte shaking up their ranks — the Knicks traded for Zach Randolph, the Celtics for Ray Allen and the Bobcats for Jason Richardson — the scoring race appears to be on.

"It certainly looks like the East is loading up on scoring," Hawks coach Mike Woodson said Friday. "And I think we need one more scorer, unless one of our guys already on the roster takes another step. It could be Josh [smith], Marvin Williams or Josh Childress. But I think there's no doubt we need another scorer."

The Hawks nabbed one Thursday night in rookie point guard Acie Law, an accomplished offensive player at Texas A&M who will be asked to, at least at times, play more of a traditional point guard role.

"I'm comfortable doing whatever Coach Woodson asks me to do," Law said at Hartsfield Jackson International Airport on Friday while waiting for a connecting flight to Dallas. "I know I won't be the best scorer on the team when I get there [to the Hawks], but I feel like I'll be able to handle that role if they need me to."

But Law will have enough on his plate just trying to learn the nuances of the point guard position in the pros, the same way Salim Stoudamire did his rookie season.

Both Stoudamire and Tyronn Lue have worked well in that complementary scoring role in the past. Woodson said the Hawks still need to locate another shooting threat, though, and one that in comes in a bit larger package.

The Hawks are loaded with frontcourt depth, including rookie forward Al Horford, the No. 3 pick in Thursday's draft. The scoring focus for most teams, though, has shifted away from the paint and to the perimeter, for players of all sizes.

"Our league just isn't a post-up league anymore," Woodson said. "That's just the way things are going. We're seeing that more and more every year. I think we saw it [Thursday night]. That's why I think there is still going to be some movement. Some of these rookies that got picked ... I could certainly see the Knicks and Milwaukee doing some things, and we should be in the mix, too.

"Because I think the Celtics got a little better by bringing Ray over. And Charlotte got better bringing Richardson over. People are following the lead of the Wizards and the Nets, to a degree, by trying to put together a team with multiple scorers. Those three main scorers."

ADDED BALANCE

The Hawks are still loaded at the forward positions but look bit more balanced today with the addition of rookies Al Horford and Acie Law from Thursday night's NBA draft. A position-by-position look at the Hawks' depth chart:

• Point guard: Speedy Claxton, Tyronn Lue, Anthony Johnson, Acie Law

• Shooting guard: Joe Johnson, Josh Childress, Salim Stoudamire

• Small forward: Marvin Williams

• Power forward: Josh Smith, Al Horford, Shelden Williams

• Center: Zaza Pachulia, Lorenzen Wright, Solomon Jones

---

I say we move Childress back to SF and make him Marvins backup. Then try and trade Lue and Stoudamire for a larger veteran SG to backup Joe Johnson.

---

exactly....and i think something like that could happen actually...

[DrReality]

I read on their board where Ridnour was working on his shot every day. Staying until he made 500 shots. He's a guy that a change of scenery could have a big impact on, hopefully for the best. I would rather not give up Law to get him.