What Sund is walking into

[pound4pound]

I never considered myself a BK fan until I thought this post thru....

Sund is walking into a goldmine: Josh Smith and Josh Childress have the blessing of ownership to be retained. Anderson is on his way here from Babcock's regime for the love of God. Bibby is in the last year of his bloated contract and he has a protege' that should pass him by early in the season. He inherits no bad contracts, a boat load of young talent, and a coach he can do with what he wants.

With a front court rotation of Smith, Horford, Marvin and ANderson - we are really in a place to expect improvement. Even if you think that Marvin is piker - which he may very well be - he is in a rookie contract and well worth what he is getting paid for 08 / 09. You can only expect improvement from Al and Josh, seeing as though they should both be graduating from college this month with the rest of their classmates. When the cornerstones of your franchise are 22, loaded with potential, and play inside - you are well ahead of the rest of leauge. Name another team that can state the same???? Its like having Brand and Morning right before the erupt - except on the same team boys!

I wish I could find a job that set me up so well. I never thought I would say it - but thanks BK. Granted the last 4 years have beeen painful and we were 5 games below .500 last year. However, we could have the best young core in the leauge - in a division that is rapidly getting old with the beasts Detroit and Boston watching their teeth get long!

[TheTruth]

Whoa, whoa whoa! Hold the phone! By no means is Sund walking into a goldmine. Yes, it appears as though the decision to keep both Joshes [especially Smoove] is a no-brainer, so he can't possibly screw that up, can he? And yes, Andersen is coming over, but how will Sund get rid of our $4 million Zaza who appears to be inferior to Andersen? What will Sund do to acquire a legit backup defensive Center? Furthermore, the ASG is easily one of the top 3 dysfunctional ownership groups in the NBA. Hell, depending on what the courts decide, Belkin could take the team over by next year. And whoever said Sund would get to decide on Woodson's fate? From everything we have read, the ASG [especially Gearon] have all but said that Woodson is coming back...period. Too many are assuming that Sund will have the power to let Woodson walk if that is what Sund's true feelings are.

No way in hell would I want to come into a job like that. The owners are dysfunctional, there is tons of in-fighting, their once-embraced business partner is suing the hell out of them in an attempt to buy them out, and Sund just inherited Woodson and a fickle fan base to contend with.

Sund is walking into a disaster area...and like the Super Dome, FEMA is nowhere to be found.

Let's see if Sund can take less than 5 days to bring us that much needed water before we drown in ineptitude, bad decisions, blown draft picks--only to become mired in bad coaching and chronic underachieving.

[Zone034life]

You must be reffering to Mike D'antoni because the knicks are a disaster area. Sund has to make decisions this offseason but whatever they may be should benefit this roster. Whether he signs the Joshes or not he still would get good compensation or either of them through a sign and trade. JJ and Al will be back and Acie should play more next season. The biggest decision in my opinion is not the joshes but Bibby and Craig. With so much invested in these players there production will not meet there pay. It is up to Sund to either trade them or hope both come back in good shape and can contribute more than last season. Bibby wasn't great last year only better than Anthony Johnson and Tyronne Lue which isn't saying much. Can the Hawks get more for Bibby this offseason or at the deadline is a question that must be answered with so many veteran players who could possibly help this team available. ZaZa also needs to be replaced off the bench if possible.

[Jammin29]

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Whoa, whoa whoa! Hold the phone! By no means is Sund walking into a goldmine.

Yes, it appears as though the decision to keep both Joshes [especially Smoove] is a no-brainer, so he can't possibly screw that up, can he? And yes, Andersen is coming over, but how will Sund get rid of our $4 million Zaza who appears to be inferior to Andersen? What will Sund do to acquire a legit backup defensive Center? Furthermore, the ASG is easily one of the top 3 dysfunctional ownership groups in the NBA. Hell, depending on what the courts decide, Belkin could take the team over by next year. And whoever said Sund would get to decide on Woodson's fate? From everything we have read, the ASG [especially Gearon] have all but said that Woodson is coming back...period. Too many are assuming that Sund will have the power to let Woodson walk if that is what Sund's true feelings are.

No way in hell would I want to come into a job like that. The owners are dysfunctional, there is tons of in-fighting, their once-embraced business partner is suing the hell out of them in an attempt to buy them out, and Sund just inherited Woodson and a fickle fan base to contend with.

Sund is walking into a disaster area...and like the Super Dome, FEMA is nowhere to be found.

Let's see if Sund can take less than 5 days to bring us that much needed water before we drown in ineptitude, bad decisions, blown draft picks--only to become mired in bad coaching and chronic underachieving.

Yes he is, damn this site is blinded by failure of the past and bad ownership, does anybody here think we are a good team ? were a damn good team, whats our biggest problem? its consistency people not Woody or wateva else u believe. geez lay off, well at least were not all homers like most other team forums.

[KB21]

I'm not concerned about D'Antonio in New York. His style is a proven failure when it comes playoff time. You can't win in the playoffs when you could care less about defense. I said after the 2004 draft that when everything is finished, Atlanta and Orlando would rise to the top of the East. I stand by that statement.

[TheTruth]

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Whoa, whoa whoa! Hold the phone! By no means is Sund walking into a goldmine.

Yes, it appears as though the decision to keep both Joshes [especially Smoove] is a no-brainer, so he can't possibly screw that up, can he? And yes, Andersen is coming over, but how will Sund get rid of our $4 million Zaza who appears to be inferior to Andersen? What will Sund do to acquire a legit backup defensive Center? Furthermore, the ASG is easily one of the top 3 dysfunctional ownership groups in the NBA. Hell, depending on what the courts decide, Belkin could take the team over by next year. And whoever said Sund would get to decide on Woodson's fate? From everything we have read, the ASG [especially Gearon] have all but said that Woodson is coming back...period. Too many are assuming that Sund will have the power to let Woodson walk if that is what Sund's true feelings are.

No way in hell would I want to come into a job like that. The owners are dysfunctional, there is tons of in-fighting, their once-embraced business partner is suing the hell out of them in an attempt to buy them out, and Sund just inherited Woodson and a fickle fan base to contend with.

Sund is walking into a disaster area...and like the Super Dome, FEMA is nowhere to be found.

Let's see if Sund can take less than 5 days to bring us that much needed water before we drown in ineptitude, bad decisions, blown draft picks--only to become mired in bad coaching and chronic underachieving.

Yes he is, damn this site is blinded by failure of the past and bad ownership, does anybody here think we are a good team ? were a damn good team, whats our biggest problem? its consistency people not Woody or wateva else u believe. geez lay off, well at least were not all homers like most other team forums.

Wow, it's amazing people don't know how to read around here...Where in the hell did I say ANYTHING about us not being a good team? Jesus, some of you need to read before you go off on the deep end just because they say something you don't agree with.

The Hawks are a decent team that needs more pieces to be a contender. Sund can be the guy that brings it all together to make us into that team that all of us see in the copious talent we have. But that doesnt negate the fact that our franchise is hampered and hamstrung by some very big problems that can alleviate this team (and especially the front office) from realizing their respective full potentials. I am hopeful that Sund will be the answer to some of our problems.

[AtLaS]

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were a damn good team,

Being 37-45 in a terrible conference doesn't enlighten me into calling this a said "damn good team".

[exodus]

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Sund is walking into a goldmine: Josh Smith and Josh Childress have the blessing of ownership to be retained. Anderson is on his way here from Babcock's regime for the love of God.

That isn't going to happen. There is no way both Joshs and Andersen will be on the roster next season. That would put the Hawks luxury tax land with only 9 players.

We have no picks or cap space. That isn't exactly a gold mine.

[Diesel]

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Sund is walking into a goldmine: Josh Smith and Josh Childress have the blessing of ownership to be retained. Anderson is on his way here from Babcock's regime for the love of God.

That isn't going to happen. There is no way both Joshs and Andersen will be on the roster next season. That would put the Hawks luxury tax land with only 9 players.

We have no picks or cap space. That isn't exactly a gold mine.

I think it can happen. Reason being is that Sund likes what we have as a team and Bibby's contract comes off the books in 2009. Losing the 15 million that Bibs make and the 4 million that Zaza makes... and some more money will make our contract situation look a lot better going forward. I think there would have been a problem if we were asking the owners to pay over the luxury tax for a sustained time.

Moreover, they resign the Joshes & Andersen... As long as they trade Bibs before the deadline, his salary doesn't count against us. Teams with exemptions will be our target.

[Packfill]

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When the cornerstones of your franchise are 22, loaded with potential, and play inside - you are well ahead of the rest of leauge. Name another team that can state the same???? Its like having Brand and Morning right before the erupt - except on the same team boys!

Well, Portland has Aldridge and Oden.

[DrReality]

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were a damn good team,

Being 37-45 in a terrible conference doesn't enlighten me into calling this a said "damn good team".

How about damn good potential?

[EazyRoc]

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When the cornerstones of your franchise are 22, loaded with potential, and play inside - you are well ahead of the rest of leauge. Name another team that can state the same???? Its like having Brand and Morning right before the erupt - except on the same team boys!

Well, Portland has Aldridge and Oden.

Man, if Oden plays up to his hype, Portland will be a scary team for many many years.

[pound4pound]

Yea - that is a pretty good frontline. Through Outlaw and Roy into that mix and dayam that's a good young core.

[exodus]

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Losing the 15 million that Bibs make and the 4 million that Zaza makes... and some more money will make our contract situation look a lot better going forward.

They already said they aren't paying the luxury tax next season. Even if we do trade Bibby we will have to take a roughly equal contract back unless the team we are trading with is under the cap.

Resigning the Joshs and signing Andersen would put the Hawks at roughly $71 million for 9 players.

[lifelong]

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I never considered myself a BK fan until I thought this post thru....

Sund is walking into a goldmine: Josh Smith and Josh Childress have the blessing of ownership to be retained. Anderson is on his way here from Babcock's regime for the love of God. Bibby is in the last year of his bloated contract and he has a protege' that should pass him by early in the season. He inherits no bad contracts, a boat load of young talent, and a coach he can do with what he wants.

With a front court rotation of Smith, Horford, Marvin and ANderson - we are really in a place to expect improvement. Even if you think that Marvin is piker - which he may very well be - he is in a rookie contract and well worth what he is getting paid for 08 / 09. You can only expect improvement from Al and Josh, seeing as though they should both be graduating from college this month with the rest of their classmates. When the cornerstones of your franchise are 22, loaded with potential, and play inside - you are well ahead of the rest of leauge. Name another team that can state the same???? Its like having Brand and Morning right before the erupt - except on the same team boys!

I wish I could find a job that set me up so well. I never thought I would say it - but thanks BK. Granted the last 4 years have beeen painful and we were 5 games below .500 last year. However, we could have the best young core in the leauge - in a division that is rapidly getting old with the beasts Detroit and Boston watching their teeth get long!

I'm a huge fan of smoove and horford, but comparing them to brand+mourning is a huge reach. Brand and Mourning were both 20/10 guys as ROOKIES in the NBA. Mourning basically stepped off the draft podium and was 20/10 for nearly a decade until the health issues and same with Brand. Smoove and Horford are NOT THAT good.

[TheDude]

the positive for sund is that he is walking into a YOUNG team that made the playoffs...which essentially means the team can improve even more than that but by doing absolutely nothing due to player development....then add talent in dandersen at a skillset we lack, then he's in much better shape than a GM can hope for.

[coachx]

I'm a huge fan of smoove and horford, but comparing them to brand+mourning is a huge reach. Brand and Mourning were both 20/10 guys as ROOKIES in the NBA. Mourning basically stepped off the draft podium and was 20/10 for nearly a decade until the health issues and same with Brand. Smoove and Horford are NOT THAT good.

Very true. Until Horford puts up 18 ppg -20 ppg I still think Anotnio Davis, in his prime, is the best comparison for Horford as a slightly undersized center. Hopefully Horford blows up this year and surpasses Davis' level of play in his prime. I have to see him play like Mourning to believe it. However, I already see Horford playing like Antonio Davis in his prime Pacers' days. (Many forget how dominant Mourning was in his prime or are just too young to know. Horford is not there yet as a scorer and Horford will never be the shot blocker that Mourning was.)

Now Smith is one of a kind. I know of no one who is an equal comparison to him but Brand is a traditional PF and Smith is the opposite of that. Brand is 260-270 lbs and Smith is only 235lbs.

I do think these 2 can win at a championship level as a starting PF / C combo as long as the Hawks get David Anderson and defensive big (like Diop) to bring off the bench in certain matchups for stretches of games. Remember, Horford turns 22 on June 3 and Smoove is not 23 unitl December. These guys have a long ways to go.

[Traceman]

we would have 11 players under contract.

Bibby

JJ

Smoove

Chillz

Marv

Al

Acie

Andersen

Zaza

Speedy

Solo

I don't know what it will cost to bring Andersen over but we have nearly $52M comitted to 8 players not including Smoove, Chillz or Andersen. If we can resign Smoove and Chillz AND sign Andersen for roughly $19M (thus arriving at the roughly $71M you predicted), I would be VERY happy.

That would mean that all Sund has to do is find a team under the cap to take Zaza off our hands at the trade deadline and we could get back down to $67M in salary, leaving approx $3M to fill out 3 spots on the roster while staying just under the luxury tax threshold. I'm sure that could be accomplished by accepting a protected 2nd rounder in return for Zaza that we were not likely to see. I see that as the WORST CASE scenario. Best case, we might actually get something of value in return for Zaza. A half a year of a serviceable big man on an ending contract should be relatively easy to move.

As for Bibby, I would take a wait and see attitude with him. He is going to be playing for a contract next year so we might see the best Bibby we've seen in years. If he produces AND we are winning, let him play out the season and deal with his FA status next off season. Otherwise, look to deal his ending contract for something of value at the trade deadline. Unless he is willing to take SIGNIFICANTLY less than he makes now (about half), I can't envision a scenario where we extend Bibby during the season. I can see resigning him as a FA in the off season for the right price though.

[exodus]

Yeah i goofed. But still if the luxury tax is at $71 million than basically everyone we add to the roster (after the Joshs and Andersen) we will have to pay double for.

Speedy can't be counted on. Bibby and Acie are both injury prone. We have to sign another pg. We also need more shooting.

It will be interesting to see how Sund handles this.

[Traceman]

I think trading Zaza for a pick is a viable option if he wants to keep our young core together but dealing a part of our young core is obviously a possibility as well.