Hawks Showing No Love for Childress

[MrNique]

I understand that Childress hates the hardball, but we aren't just going to give him away. David Anderson is one thing. A 29 year-old "Euro" is a gamble, but giving Childress away for Bowen or Thomas would have been a waste. Raja Bell would have been an interesting pick up PRE-Crawford, but no need for him at this point. We need bigs.

(Sorry if this was posted somewhere. I couldn't find it, but I'm still relatively new to the boards. Also, I see some people post link AND the article so I'll do that unless told to do just links.)

No Love for Childress

It sounds like the Atlanta Hawks really had no interest this summer in bringing back Josh Childress to the NBA.

Childress is planning this fall for a second season in Greece with Olympiakos, but it wasn't decided until earlier this week when the Hawks scuttled a possible sign-and-trade deal with Milwaukee that Childress had been pushing.

"Things were close, very close. Milwaukee would have been a great situation,'' Childress said Friday evening from Los Angeles during a conference call with reporters. "Coach (Scott) Skiles made it clear that he really wanted me to be part of his team. The whole coaching staff and managements really let me know I was wanted. They saw me as a big part of their future.''

Although Childress liked what he heard during his visit earlier this month in Milwaukee, his restricted free agency still gave all the leverage to the Hawks. Without enough room under the salary cap to match his contract in Greece, the Bucks needed to do it with a sign-and-trade deal that included either Bruce Bowen or Kurt Thomas.

Charlotte also pushed hard for a deal with Childress, but they were only offering Raja Bell in return to Atlanta.

Childress left the Hawks after the 2007-08 season -- the team's best season in a decade -- and signed a three-year, $20 million (net) contract with Olympiakos. The contract included an opt-out clause at the end of each season that would allow him to return to the NBA. The opt-out deadline passed on Wednesday.

Childress said that five NBA teams showed serious interest in him earlier this summer, but no deal with the Hawks could be reached. He blamed the Hawks for their unwillingness to negotiate.

"My feeling is that if they wanted to get something done, we were more than willing,'' he said. "This idea of (playing) hardball is getting kind of old. I don't like playing that game.''

Childress, the sixth pick in the 2004 draft, played four seasons in Atlanta, averaging 11.1 points and 5.6 rebounds. He missed a major portion of his season in Greece because of a sports hernia. He still helped his team to a spot in the Euroleague Final Four and a spot in the Greek League championship series.

Even without him, the Hawks are a team on the rise, winning a first round playoff series this spring for the first time in 12 years. They lost to the Cavaliers in the conference semi-final.

"I'm not saying something won't happen (with the Hawks) in the future,'' he said. "But I want to get something done, and be done with it.''

[xhawk]

I feel like we gave Childress a good offer during his first year of restricted free agency: 5 yrs. 33 million. Thats a shade under 7 million dollars a year which seems about right. Since he rejected a good offer, he put himself in this situation and we have to use it to our advantage. He would actually be lucky to get that contract in the NBA now.

[thefloydian]

Childress is a punk. Let him stay in Europe for the rest of his career.

[Popeye]

Childress is a punk. Let him stay in Europe for the rest of his career.

It's funny how he says that the Hawks are playing hardball after he rejected the initial offer which was about fair... He wanted more money than anybody in Nba was willing to offer him so he was playing the "hardball"... He needs to STFU and leave the Hawks alone..

[dms269]

He wants everyone to feel sorry for him, but I'm not buying it.

He turned down a very good offer from the Hawks. He then decided he would try and screw the Hawks by going overseas. Found out he missed the nba and are now blaming the Hawks because they won't let him go for trash. He needs to understand that he screwed the Hawks over in the first place and is now facign those ramifications. If there isn't an offer they like, they don't have to do it.

[thefloydian]

Yeah, the Hawks should not let go of his rights unless they get a good offer if for no other reason than to spite him. I didn't really feel strongly about it one way or another, but this article is just whiny and annoying. The Hawks offered him a fair contract according to the market and he wanted more. He's just not as good as he thinks he is.

[gsuteke]

I'd like to compliment Rick Sund on not taking back a redundant player just so Childress could have his way.

I would have liked to have had Raja Bell on the team, however our BIG situation is putrid right now. It just doesn't make any sense to put more players on the roster that play the 2 or 3.

Maybe next year Chillz.

[pimp]

The name of this article should be " Bucks and Bobcats showing no love for Childress"

Because if the really wanted Chill , they would have offered the hawks something decent in a sign and trade..

Edited July 18, 2009 by pimp

[Plainview1981]

Josh is starting to sound more selfish as time goes on. He expects to have everything just the way he wants it. He should remember that he was given a decent offer last year and still abandoned his team and teammates. Now he just expects them to except whatever crap the other team is willing to give. F____ Josh Childress.

[ShooterMcGavin]

He made his bed last offseason, now he needs to just enjoy sleeping in it.

My guess is that he'll be in even less demand next offseason.

[Diesel]

Josh is starting to sound more selfish as time goes on. He expects to have everything just the way he wants it. He should remember that he was given a decent offer last year and still abandoned his team and teammates. Now he just expects them to except whatever crap the other team is willing to give. F____ Josh Childress.

In the article,

Childress said he was open to a return to Atlanta.

"The Hawks were definitely in my scope," he said. "I spent four years there. I'm familiar with the team and the organization. I'm familiar with the city. I still have a home there. I think it just came down to whether or not I felt like negotiations would move forward with them. I really didn't, just being quite honest."

[NJHAWK]

I think the problem wasnt the 5 year 33 mill. He prolly would have accepted that if he was offered it at 1st. Chills was mad that Sund didnt show him any respect for what he had done as a Hawk. Chills should have just realized it was a buisness and Sund was just doing what some gm's do by telling he and Smoove to go out and find an offer. IMO Chills prolly expected Woody or ASG to stick up for him. By the time the Hawks were ready to give Chills the 33 mil when the Hawks feared he would go to Greece, Chills was pizzed and I belive choose Greece partly out of spite to show the Hawks he was in control.

[NJHAWK]

The name of this article should be " Bucks and Bobcats showing no love for Childress"

Because if the really wanted Chill , they would have offered the hawks something decent in a sign and trade..

If the Bucks were willing to send Kurt Thomas and a 1st round pick say top 10 protected I think the Hawks would have done it. If the Bobcats were willing to send Diop and Derrick Brown for Chills and Morris I think the Hawks would have done it. Problem is all anyone was willing to give up were expireing deals that would hinder us from adding big men to our roster because they would move us closer to luxury tax.

[WraithSentinel]

He is a prima donna. He has no desire to play against the best. He overvalue himself. Chill should not even waste our time next offseason. He should go ahead and pickup his option for the 3rd year over there.

[Plainview1981]

In the article,

Childress said he was open to a return to Atlanta.

"The Hawks were definitely in my scope," he said. "I spent four years there. I'm familiar with the team and the organization. I'm familiar with the city. I still have a home there. I think it just came down to whether or not I felt like negotiations would move forward with them. I really didn't, just being quite honest."

He is ready to come back and play limited minutes off the bench? I doubt it. I think the bridge for Josh playing here was burned.

[AHF]

If Chillz is tired of playing hardball he should return and play one year on his QO. Then he can tell the Hawks to go screw themselves and walk away as an UFA. Until then, don't expect the Hawks to take washed up trash on their cap just so he can go play somewhere else for basically the same amount of money the Hawks offered him last year.

[sturt]

I'm a Chilz fan, so I don't begrudge his disappointment as some do, and also I have to acknowledge that Josh knows some specifics of the dance that we don't know.... but at the same time, pimp and AHF have it right... Sund has to do what he believes is best for the franchise, regardless of how it affects Chilz' career. I wish him well in his second year in Greece, and hopefully next off-season will be different for him to get a SnT done. One thing that does appear clear is that the Hawks bridge has been burned as long as Sund is GM.

[Brotha2ThaNite]

I feel like we gave Childress a good offer during his first year of restricted free agency: 5 yrs. 33 million. Thats a shade under 7 million dollars a year which seems about right. Since he rejected a good offer, he put himself in this situation and we have to use it to our advantage. He would actually be lucky to get that contract in the NBA now.

It's funny how he says that the Hawks are playing hardball after he rejected the initial offer which was about fair... He wanted more money than anybody in Nba was willing to offer him so he was playing the "hardball"... He needs to STFU and leave the Hawks alone..

LMAO @ Some of you! :lol6:

I see some of you saying Chill REJECTED the deal last year. He AGREED to the deal but the Hawks pulled it back off the table and told him he had to wait on Smoove to sign first. At that point he did not feel safe dealing with Sund. I can understand too. All of you can act like the guy is spoiled and thinking about himself..... WELL YOU WOULD BE THINKING ABOUT YOURSELF TOO.

If you said that you would have continued to feel safe that a deal was going to get done at those dollar figures after a person did that to you, you are not being real.

Another thing that sound VERY HYPOCRITICAL of some of you. How is it RIGHT for the Hawks to not take less for Chill in a trade but Chill is WRONG for not taking what he thinks is less???

I know for a fact that Chills would have come back to play for the Hawks too. They just did not put an offer on the table.

Edited July 19, 2009 by Brotha2ThaNite

[Diesel]

If Chillz is tired of playing hardball he should return and play one year on his QO. Then he can tell the Hawks to go screw themselves and walk away as an UFA. Until then, don't expect the Hawks to take washed up trash on their cap just so he can go play somewhere else for basically the same amount of money the Hawks offered him last year.

I too think that was his best option. You don't want to be a RFA next offseason. He will not be able to force the Hawks hand... even if we get into a war for Joe.

Had he done the QO, he would be UFA and it didn't matter what the Hawks did.

[sturt]

Had he done the QO, he would be UFA and it didn't matter what the Hawks did.

Of course and otoh, it's doubtful that he would have gotten more than the Hawks offered (ie, last summer) as a UFA this summer.

In truth, this has likely worked out best for Chilz... he's getting the money he thinks he deserves. The only caution is that he didn't have the kind of year in Greece that made him more marketable in the NBA this off-season, and he needs to excel this season or, imo, he begins a serious descent down the NBA pay scale when/if he returns either next summer or in 2011.