Merged: Claxton thinks he’s done with Hawks

[Wurider05]

What if Speedy would have panned out for us. We need a defensive pg who can distribute and get to the hole. There is still hope for Acie to be this but damn just think about for a second.

I guess he won't be playing this year as well. We have good scorers but we need a pure distributer who can play tough d on the opposing pg's. Bibby is really good but he tends to look for his shot first sometimes. I like Bibby so don't think that this a anti-Bibby thread.

Edited February 28, 2009 by Wurider05

[HawkNJersey]

I still wanna know what injury he has...It must be new, since medicine hasn't caught up with it yet.

Acie is done, his world is still standing still..

[Johann]

I still wanna know what injury he has...It must be new, since medicine hasn't caught up with it yet.

Acie is done, his world is still standing still..

We don't really know if Speedy is injured at this point or is simply in Woody's black hole, like that other vet guard we ended up cutting loose a couple years ago.

[tonegully]

Speedy says he is ready to play. We need to give him some garbage time just incase we dont bring bibby back

[mattlanta]

Speedy says he is ready to play. We need to give him some garbage time just incase we dont bring bibby back

I believe someone posted why we don't play Claxton already, but I forget who.

We would be paying most of his contract if we play him... while on the other hand, if we don't play him, the insurance pays for most of that hefty contract.

[Johann]

I believe someone posted why we don't play Claxton already, but I forget who.

We would be paying most of his contract if we play him... while on the other hand, if we don't play him, the insurance pays for most of that hefty contract.

I don't know the details of the insurance contract, but I doubt they will pay after they hear he is now able to play.

Pretty timely article for this discussion:

AJC article

[Chris18]

If Speedy is healthy we need him to play.

[mattlanta]

I wonder if we'll see him play tomorrow after his little outbreak.

[DrReality]

I wonder if he plays we lose the money from insurance? But it would be nice to have him available to trade this summer?

[mrhonline]

I wonder if he plays we lose the money from insurance? But it would be nice to have him available to trade this summer?

If Speedy is healthy, or even claims to be, I'm sure the Hawks don't get any insurance money.

I expect him to be traded this summer...

[Swatguy]

I would think the Hawks are on the hook for Speedy's contract now. It is no bad for the Hawks as insurance have paid for nearly two years. So for the Hawks to pay for March, April and the balance is not so bad if Speedy can be Speedy. He gotta be better than Acie, rusty.

They gotta play the guy.

[Swatguy]

Everybody wants to see Speedy play. Even the guys that say they don't, really want to see him play.

[buckeye242424]

I would think the Hawks are on the hook for Speedy's contract now. It is no bad for the Hawks as insurance have paid for nearly two years. So for the Hawks to pay for March, April and the balance is not so bad if Speedy can be Speedy. He gotta be better than Acie, rusty.

They gotta play the guy.

He says he's healthy. He says he can play. He says it's bad timing with Bibby, Flip, and Acie (the high draft pick). If he was going to play, or ever going to play, he would have by now. With around 1/4 of the season left, and we're currently sitting with homecourt in the first round, if we haven't seen him play yet - My guess is that we won't. I think we've seen the last of Speedy in a Hawks uniform.

[mrhonline]

Everybody wants to see Speedy play. Even the guys that say they don't, really want to see him play.

I don't want to see him play. I want to see him traded for something more useful.

Between Bibby, Law, and Murray, there's no room for Speedy.

[Swatguy]

I don't want to see him play. I want to see him traded for something more useful.

Between Bibby, Law, and Murray, there's no room for Speedy.

Acie ???

Acie???

I'd rather see Rio.

[GameTime]

I don't know the details of the insurance contract, but I doubt they will pay after they hear he is now able to play.

Pretty timely article for this discussion:

AJC article

Woody you got some explaining to do.

[NineOhTheRino]

Claxton thinks he’s done with Hawks

By SEKOU SMITH

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Saturday, February 28, 2009

Mention Speedy Claxton’s name and there are questions. Lots of questions. What ever happened to the prized point guard acquisition from three years ago? Is he still on the team? Is he ever going to play again? What was Billy Knight thinking signing him to a four-year, $25 million deal?

Injuries have limited Claxton, 30, to just 42 games in uniform for the Hawks. All 31 of his starting assignments came during his first season, 2006-07. He was injured in training camp before the next season and hasn’t played in a game since.

After months of silence, Claxton opened up about his status, his regrets and his future with the Hawks.

Q. What’s your current health situation?

A. I’m healthy. I’m fine. My knees are fine. It’s just a combination of bad timing for me right now. They have Mike [bibby] as the starter. And Acie [Law] as a high draft pick as his backup. They also have Flip [Murray], and he’s having a great year playing some point and shooting guard. Those guys are all ahead of me on the pecking order, so there really is no room for me. I’m healthy. But I guess I’ll have to wait my turn if a couple of them were to go down.

Q. So you think you could play if needed right now?

A. I’ve been practicing for a probably a month now and I feel pretty good. Like I said, there are just no minutes for me right now. And I can’t be all that mad about it.

Q. There was talk earlier in the season that you might be on the verge of taking a medical retirement because of the condition [chondromalacia] of your left knee. What actually happened with all that?

A. It might have been discussed, but I was never going to throw in the towel. I believe in myself. I think I’ve got two or three good years left in me. I definitely want to play a couple more years and then maybe shut it down after that.

Q. Is the worst part of this whole deal that you’re going to be looked at as a guy who never lived up to the deal that brought you here?

A. That’s definitely the most bitter part of this whole thing for me. My time here has been all bad because of the injuries. This is the only place since I’ve been in the league where I really didn’t get to show the people of the city what I’m capable of. If you go around to every other city I’ve been in, from Philadelphia to San Antonio to Golden State and then New Orleans, the people loved me when I was there. But here, it was just bad timing. It was unfortunate. But it just didn’t happen here.

Q. How hard has it been to stay in the mix with this team and to stay involved when you’ve missed so much practice time and game time, including numerous road trips, trying to get healthy?

A. It’s tough, because this is the first time in my career when I haven’t been a rotational player. It’s very different. Very different. I’m used to having those off days when you come in for treatment and hang out with your teammates, and now I’m coming in and playing three-on-three with the younger guys, and that’s something I haven’t done since my rookie year. So it’s definitely an adjustment for me. I just try to stay positive. But even my daughter is pressuring me, wanting to know when I’m going to get out there and play [laughing]. It’s all out of my control, really.

Q. Bibby is a free agent this summer and you’re going into the final year of your contract, so this summer, you’re going to be valuable in many ways. Have you given any thought to playing elsewhere if you don’t see the opportunity for playing time here?

A. Definitely. I definitely have. I’m definitely prepared to do whatever it takes to get myself back on the court. And I definitely think it will be somewhere else rather than here. I think my time here is pretty much up.

[DrReality]

Think I saw him on the bench last night?

[Admin]

Wow I think this deserves some discussion!

1. If he's ready to go then we need to activate him since he's the best defensive PG that we have (assuming he's anywhere near the player that he once was).

2. I guess this means with certainty that we won't be getting a medical retirement to get him off of our books next year, but at least he'll be a valuable contract to trade.

3. I'm guessing that more than the minutes issue we're not activating him because insurance is covering 80% of his salary this year, right?

[NineOhTheRino]

Wow I think this deserves some discussion!

1. If he's ready to go then we need to activate him since he's the best defensive PG that we have (assuming he's anywhere near the player that he once was).

2. I guess this means with certainty that we won't be getting a medical retirement to get him off of our books next year, but at least he'll be a valuable contract to trade.

3. I'm guessing that more than the minutes issue we're not activating him because insurance is covering 80% of his salary this year, right?

made no sense not to showcase the guy before the trade deadline.