Comments about Jason Terry.

[Diesel]

Lon Kruger

Q:

Have you talked with Jason Terry about being more of a distributor?

Kruger:

There is a fine line between Jason being aggressive to score and Jason being a point guard that runs the show. What Jason does best is score, and we don't want to inhibit him in that area, but we do need him as a point guard to distribute the ball. Jason's got such a great attitude and he's willing to do whatever is needed to win. And yet, he is not as comfortable being a true point guard as he is being a scorer. He started the last 40 game at the point last year. I thought that was really beneficial and he made good progress. I think he'll continue to make good progress over the next couple of years at the point position.

Mike Schneider

In reply to:

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Atlanta admits to exploring trade possibilities, though not necessarily for Jason Terry. Terry's rookie contract expires this year, and perhaps the Hawks don't think they can re-sign him. So, they want to get maximum value for him now and, hopefully, fulfill their promise to make the playoffs.

The biggest problem is that Terry is a shooting guard in a point guard's body. The team is loaded up front with Glenn Robinson, Shareef Abdur-Rahim and Theo Ratliff. But the Hawks have been playing a not-so-terribly-talented combo of Ira Newble and Dion Glover at shooting guard. What they really need is some guard help.

But what team would be willing to take the undersized Terry? Presumably a team with a big point guard and one that is making a playoff push.

Where would Terry fit?

When I think big point guard, the first person I think of is Gary Payton. Terry would play well alongside The Glove. But whom would Atlanta get in return? Desmond Mason would be a great addition, but would Seattle be willing to give him up when he is just heating up and still has a cheap year left on his rookie contract? I think the Sonics would be more willing to give up Brent Barry. But the Hawks still have a point guard problem.

Perhaps Seattle could throw in Kenny Anderson, who has been unhappy in his new environment. Anderson still can run a team as well as anyone, and he has been getting extra minutes lately to prove it -- perhaps indicating that the Sonics are looking to move him. Seattle could use another tough big man, so the Hawks could include Alan Henderson or Nazr Mohammed.

But now the salaries don't match. So Terry and Henderson for Mason and Anderson makes the most financial sense, and perhaps is reasonable in terms of the players' abilities. And if Payton is not part of the Sonics' youth movement, perhaps the Sonics would feel that Terry can play point guard for them.

Personally, I wouldn't be willing to give up Mason, whom I think is just as good as Terry. So, Terry and Henderson and some throw-ins for Barry and Anderson would be more equitable.

Jason Kidd is another big point guard. The Nets are pretty set with Kerry Kittles and Lucious Harris at shooting guard, but they must be getting nervous about all of the time that Kittles spends on the injured list. The Nets could use Terry, but I don't think they have anything (guards) that the Hawks need.

Toronto's Alvin Williams is 6-5, perhaps the tallest starting point guard in the NBA. His backcourt mate is Vince Carter, who obviously isn't going to lose his starting job to anyone. But Carter has spent a lot of time on the injured list lately. And I think Carter is better suited for small forward -- nearer the basket -- than Morris Peterson, who is more of an outside threat than Carter. Carter has been settling for too many jump shots, so playing small forward might revitalize his inside game.

Terry could fit with the Raptors, but what do they have to trade? They are probably the most banged-up team in the league right now. A Peterson-Terry trade is possible, but that doesn't address the Hawks' need at point guard. That is where Lindsey Hunter comes in: Peterson and Hunter for Terry and a throw-in is not a bad deal.

Hunter and Peterson could be enough to get the Hawks into the playoffs. But Hunter never has been much of a distributor. And why would Toronto make this deal, since it already has a bunch of huge contracts?

Another possibility is the Wizards. Larry Hughes is another 6-5 point guard whom Terry could play alongside. The Wizards are basically a bunch of old guys and young guys, so would they be willing to give up a young player to get Terry? And they would have to re-sign both Terry and Jerry Stackhouse this summer.

But let's just suppose the Wizards did it. If you consider the core future of the Wizards to be Kwame Brown, Brendan Haywood, Hughes, Jared Jeffries and Juan Dixon, then the most glaring weakness is at guard. How about Michael Jordan for Jason Terry? Now that is fantasy basketball. But it would be an awesome deal for both teams. It would revitalize the Hawks, and they almost definitely would make the playoffs. And the Wizards would be set for the future.

OK, that never will happen, so let's get back to the real world. The Wizards are playing well, so why fix what isn't broken? And they don't have much in the way of guards to give up in order to get Terry. Even if the Wizards were willing to give up Dixon, he is injured right now so he can't address the Hawks' current problems. Plus, he is an undersized shooting guard, which doesn't improve the Hawks' situation at all.

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Babcock Last Year

With 8.3 assists per game, Terry is tied for second in the NBA with Andre Miller and Jason Kidd. And, he actually has a better assist-to-turnover ratio than Kidd (2.42 to 2.21).

"That's a good indicator of how hard he's trying," Hawks general manager Pete Babcock said. "He's working hard to have more of a point mentality. We've got to try and maybe not overdefine somebody to a specific role, 'Well you have to do it this way, just like the textbook says.' We just need him to continue to utilize [his] strengths to help us be successful."

Michael Lee.

Terry has had 13 games with 10 or more assists, but he also has had eight games with five or more turnovers. The turnovers have been magnified because the Hawks are 27th in the NBA at 16.6 turnovers a game. Part of the problem is there are plenty of situations when he is the only ballhandler on the floor, a heavy burden for any point guard. It's heavier for a guy learning the position.

Since taking over Dec. 27, coach Terry Stotts has shuffled Terry between point guard and shooting guard, and it has led to some of his better offensive nights. He has flip-flopped for most of his career, but Terry feels he is settling into one position.