It's time to trade ALL of the core players and start over.

[Joker]

Keeping this "team" together new coach or not will just waste more years and postpone what will eventually have to happen when we discover under a new coach that this team isn't talented or mentally tough enough to get to the finals. This team has far too many role players. It's going to be tough enough to build a finals contender when you're limited by the salary cap. It's going to even tougher when you have JJ, JC, Josh Smith all making nearly 10 million a year when none of the three are stars or even close to be stars. Then you factor in that Al might demand 10+ million dollars when in fact he is only a role player. Then we got Marvin who is about a 4 million a year player making what.... 8 million is it?

No finals team is ever going to build with these guys in the starting line up. This team Billy Knight basically put together will be tore apart just like the team he put together in Van/Memphis. People might as well accept it. This team failed. It's time to try again. You can keep giving extremely flawed players like Josh Smith a chance, but it will end with the same results. People kept giving Darius Miles chances. But at the end of the day they have too many flaws that you can't build a top team around them.

I disagree with Al is a role player, in this setting he is but overall he isn't and Josh has the ability to be a star in the league in the right setting. Joe is a great talent who's a #2 but is a #1 for playoff team. Marvin is getting paid what he's worth plus he still has good potential to show his earnings. Like I said, this team is poorly constructed but at least we have a lot of talent which wasn't the case for Memphis who had solid talent. I agree, we need to lose JJ and trade Smith or Horford. Personally Smith since we know that Horford is a PnR PF and build around him. I don't understand why you got negged the way you did but I disagree with some of your points.

What's Avery Johnson going to do? Who is going to be the PG next year? Jeff Teague? C'mon... If AJ was good a developing PG's Devin Harris wouldn't be playing for the Nets right now. Harris wasn't reaching his potential under Avery Johnson. So why would Jeff Teague?

What true center are you going to get? When was the last time a team did anything meaningful with Mike Fratello as a coach? He couldn't even get hired over Tim Floyd.

Someone who knows I personally post here sent me a text message saying hotlanta doesn't know s*** about bball. I disagreed, and this post reflects that. People forget that Avery isn't the greatest of coaches and couldn't coach up his young talent even though he was a heck of a motivator for his starters. Mike is a good coach but that's as far as it goes. Hubie does wonders in year one but coaching is tough, people think it's just practice and games but it's a lot more to it. Everyone picks on Woody's flaws but every coach has them, most coaches ppl think are great also have great talent with a balance roster. Woody is not the problem here but he might not be the answer.

Edited May 7, 2010 by nbasuperstar40

[Atlantaholic]

Well I think we obviously need to start with the coach and see if someone else can get these guys to play hard, because if you look at first half of the Orlando game, the talent is there. If a new coach can't get Josh to play like a profesional then you need to start shopping him to see if we can get at least a similar talent or draft pick. Horford is a must keep. The guy is starting to show he can compete against tough front lines and had an all around fantastic season with room for improvement.

[Plainview1981]

I disagree with Al is a role player, in this setting he is but overall he isn't and Josh has the ability to be a star in the league in the right setting. Joe is a great talent who's a #2 but is a #1 for playoff team. Marvin is getting paid what he's worth plus he still has good potential to show his earnings. Like I said, this team is poorly constructed but at least we have a lot of talent which wasn't the case for Memphis who had solid talent. I agree, we need to lose JJ and trade Smith or Horford. Personally Smith since we know that Horford is a PnR PF and build around him. I don't understand why you got negged the way you did but I disagree with some of your points.

Al's post game isn't good enough for him to be able to go to every night. It's kind of predictable, and if he was put into a position to where he was the focus of a team, other teams would be able to make him just a mid range jump shooter on a lot of nights. His post game needs a lot of work before he can become a go-to player. Yeah, he is undersized at center, but he is also playing against players at a lesser skilled position. There are a lot more skilled power forwards than they are centers.

Marvin is not getting paid what he is worth. He doesn't make this team better at all. He is a below average scorer and his defense is very overrated on this board. Where is this potential? He had a worse year this year than he did last year. He barely averaged 10 points per game and he doesn't have scorers mindset. I mean, he shoots what... 44%? I mean, he doesn't even make open shots.

Someone who knows I personally post here sent me a text message saying hotlanta doesn't know s*** about bball. I disagreed, and this post reflects that. People forget that Avery isn't the greatest of coaches and couldn't coach up his young talent even though he was a heck of a motivator for his starters. Mike is a good coach but that's as far as it goes. Hubie does wonders in year one but coaching is tough, people think it's just practice and games but it's a lot more to it. Everyone picks on Woody's flaws but every coach has them, most coaches ppl think are great also have great talent with a balance roster. Woody is not the problem here but he might not be the answer.

What I would say to that is.... Tell them to don't be a coward and private message me if they have a problem. If they're worried about getting turned into the mods it's not nothing to worry about. Private messages are just that... Private. If I cared enough what other people said, I would have stopped posting on the net a long time ago.

The firing part is a lot easier than the hiring part. We all want Woody fired, but then when you start thinking about replacements you notice good coaches don't grow on tree's this day in age. Part of it is that the players basically run the league. If things go wrong in the NBA the coach gets the axe and the players suffer very little for it. Today's players are whiny and selfish and don't take responsibility for their actions. Hubie would have been good to coach this team 5-10 years ago. It's probably too late now though. I would offer the job to Larry Bird. I mean, I know he said he didn't want to coach anymore, but that would be interesting. The problem with hiring Jeff Van Gundy is that his offenses looks like of stagnant and that's a problem the Hawks already have.

Avery Johnson isn't the worst choice ever. And to be fair, he can probably work with most of the players here. While Josh and Al can make some improvements, their game is largely what it is at this point. He might be the closest they can get to what they need.

[TheNorthCydeRises]

I would love to see this team (Joe esp.) play with a legitimate PG before any changes are made. Make moves in the off season to get the Darren Collison kid from the Hornets and try this thing once more.

Exactly.

Just look at all of the things that JJ is asked to do on this team:

- be the leading scorer

- be the main playmaker by setting everybody else up

- defend 3 positions ( PG, SG, SF ) . . and be a defensive stopper when playing D

- get at least 20 pts - 5 rebs - 5 asst a night

- shoot at least 45% FG and 80% FT

In other words, he's given "superstar responsibilities". It's maybe 5 - 10 guys in the entire league, that is asked to do all of that. The defensive duties on the PG is probably the killer in all of this. He doesn't get to "take plays off", because he's almost always involved on the ball on offense and defense.

[Packfill]

Exactly.

Just look at all of the things that JJ is asked to do on this team:

- be the leading scorer

- be the main playmaker by setting everybody else up

- defend 3 positions ( PG, SG, SF ) . . and be a defensive stopper when playing D

- get at least 20 pts - 5 rebs - 5 asst a night

- shoot at least 45% FG and 80% FT

In other words, he's given "superstar responsibilities". It's maybe 5 - 10 guys in the entire league, that is asked to do all of that. The defensive duties on the PG is probably the killer in all of this. He doesn't get to "take plays off", because he's almost always involved on the ball on offense and defense.

If the plan is to keep this "core" together, then yes, they do OBVIOUSLY need a viable point guard along with a big man that can consistently score in the post. That has been obvious for 5+ years now. That said, you could argue that what this team really needs is a superstar in order to become a finals contender. As hard as it is to get a quality point guard, that may nevertheless be the easier route to take at this juncture.

At the end of the day, this is the box Billy Knight painted this team into with his draft day decisions. We all saw it coming, so it shouldn't be a surprise. Maybe Teague will "get it" next year under the tuteledge of a new coach.

[LouFan]

Quit crying.

Ya'll kill me with the damn crybaby act every single time we lose a game.

We lost on the road to an NBA Finals contender . . in their building. We battled this team toe to toe, until about the 7 min mark, when they pulled away. If you ask me, we definitely made progress. And if JJ or Jamal would've made a few shots in the 4th, maybe we win or lose by 6 or less points.

Everybody on this board knows that they're better than us. So why all of the crying?

LOL @ blow up the team. And then what? Do an NBA 2K10 like trade that you can't do in the real world? Wish on a star for a superstar?

We're down 2 - 0 . . . now they have to come to Philips. Let's see if we can win 2 games, and make it a series again.

Two well-coached teams ( Utah and San Antonio ) are also down 2 - 0. And the only reason Boston isn't down 2 - 0, is because of Lebron's elbow.

So let's see if we can play 2 inspired games at home, and tie this series up 2 - 2.

Orlando did what they're supposed to do. Now it's time for us to do what we're supposed to do.

Agreed. At least we made a fight game 2. Time to destroy them at home. We will get a lot of calls there, that we will not get in Orlando. Expect Howard to do more bench time.

[Joker]

Al's post game isn't good enough for him to be able to go to every night. It's kind of predictable, and if he was put into a position to where he was the focus of a team, other teams would be able to make him just a mid range jump shooter on a lot of nights. His post game needs a lot of work before he can become a go-to player. Yeah, he is undersized at center, but he is also playing against players at a lesser skilled position. There are a lot more skilled power forwards than they are centers.

Marvin is not getting paid what he is worth. He doesn't make this team better at all. He is a below average scorer and his defense is very overrated on this board. Where is this potential? He had a worse year this year than he did last year. He barely averaged 10 points per game and he doesn't have scorers mindset. I mean, he shoots what... 44%? I mean, he doesn't even make open shots.

What I would say to that is.... Tell them to don't be a coward and private message me if they have a problem. If they're worried about getting turned into the mods it's not nothing to worry about. Private messages are just that... Private. If I cared enough what other people said, I would have stopped posting on the net a long time ago.

The firing part is a lot easier than the hiring part. We all want Woody fired, but then when you start thinking about replacements you notice good coaches don't grow on tree's this day in age. Part of it is that the players basically run the league. If things go wrong in the NBA the coach gets the axe and the players suffer very little for it. Today's players are whiny and selfish and don't take responsibility for their actions. Hubie would have been good to coach this team 5-10 years ago. It's probably too late now though. I would offer the job to Larry Bird. I mean, I know he said he didn't want to coach anymore, but that would be interesting. The problem with hiring Jeff Van Gundy is that his offenses looks like of stagnant and that's a problem the Hawks already have.

Avery Johnson isn't the worst choice ever. And to be fair, he can probably work with most of the players here. While Josh and Al can make some improvements, their game is largely what it is at this point. He might be the closest they can get to what they need.

Centers aren't lesser skilled on defense and at PF he's fits that role. I don't see how skill is a issue with Horford. It's size that affect him. Name three PF's that could give Al trouble? As for the #1 option, I agree for now.

I disagree about Marvin, we went over this a thousand times over, just do a Marvin search, user name: nbasuperstar40 and I posted on it multiple times. It's getting old man, he's not confident, when Bibby out the court, it like we do not acknowledge him. That's all I will say about Marvin till my off-season thread.

He does not post, at least that I know of, just lurk. He probably would say it to your face, he's not the most respectful guy and he's kind of a homer. I respect that opinion.

I heard this on the radio, I never take things said on the radio serious but this was a good point. He said you can only improve 15% at something. Meaning, if your a good dunker, the best you can probably get to is being a very good dunker. I think Smith and Al are what they are. Al is a PnR PF and Smith is a jack of all trades type with a Jekyll and Hyde mentality. Both players can improve their impact in the league but will likely just make major tweaks and not mass improvements. Marvin problem is confidence and mentally so his improvement might be larger even thought his talent will likely not reach Smith nor Horford level. JJ is polished. He's can just improve with tweaks, no major ones left in his case. Bibby is on the decline with Joe Smith.

There's a reason a coach has been fired, Paul Silas was one of the best coaches in the NBA. Lebron gets mad and he's not even around the NBA period anymore.

Edited May 8, 2010 by nbasuperstar40

[Plainview1981]

Centers aren't lesser skilled on defense and at PF he's fits that role. I don't see how skill is a issue with Horford. It's size that affect him. Name three PF's that could give Al trouble? As for the #1 option, I agree for now.

I disagree about Marvin, we went over this a thousand times over, just do a Marvin search, user name: nbasuperstar40 and I posted on it multiple times. It's getting old man, he's not confident, when Bibby out the court, it like we do not acknowledge him. That's all I will say about Marvin till my off-season thread.

He does not post, at least that I know of, just lurk. He probably would say it to your face, he's not the most respectful guy and he's kind of a homer. I respect that opinion.

I heard this on the radio, I never take things said on the radio serious but this was a good point. He said you can only improve 15% at something. Meaning, if your a good dunker, the best you can probably get to is being a very good dunker. I think Smith and Al are what they are. Al is a PnR PF and Smith is a jack of all trades type with a Jekyll and Hyde mentality. Both players can improve their impact in the league but will likely just make major tweaks and not mass improvements. Marvin problem is confidence and mentally so his improvement might be larger even thought his talent will likely not reach Smith nor Horford level. JJ is polished. He's can just improve with tweaks, no major ones left in his case. Bibby is on the decline with Joe Smith.

There's a reason a coach has been fired, Paul Silas was one of the best coaches in the NBA. Lebron gets mad and he's not even around the NBA period anymore.

Currently teams don't have the mindset of stopping Al Horford. While Al is a pretty good passer, he doesn't see the defensive attention that JJ, JC and even Josh see. Al can look strong on the offense at times, but others he embarrasses himself due to his post game being as predictable as it is.

A player that really wants to impact the game will find some way of making an impact on the game. Marvin doesn't stick out in any part of the game most nights. Nobody says he has to score 20PPG, but be a force. People have made excuses for him for far too long. He can't even make open shots. If he doesn't have the confidence to shoot open shots, then his surely isn't a reliable option. I mean, you can make that excuse for anybody in the league. I can claim the biggest chump in the league just doesn't have confidence and that's why they don't produce. I haven't seen anything from Marvin to make me feel he can be a real standout player. The fact that he wasn't even a starter on his own college team doesn't work in his favor either. I'll believe he can be a major factor when he shows more signs of being about to do it. Right now they could lose Marvin and suffer very little for it. Two years ago when he missed those 10-12 games the team just kept on winning and didn't miss a beat.

As for your friend... If he has a beef with me tell him to sign up and send me a personal message. But if he is a homer then I'm not going to care much for what he says already. If he is a homer that means his opinion is biased and not based on reality. I don't claim to be some know it all... It was obvious this team was going to stall where it currently has. You could see it coming 2 or 3 years ago. Most people just didn't want to face that this isn't a title contender. And if your friend thinks this team is... Well, he's wrong and he will find out that he is wrong. If he knows so much, maybe he should stop hiding and voice his opinion. Any two bit chump can just say "He doesn't know what he is talking about". Any halfwit can say that.

Edited May 8, 2010 by Hotlanta1981

[Dejay]

I don't think this team can be tweaked into a title contender. You got bad contracts and an ownership that doesn't want to spend money. It's tough to win a title while being cash strapped. But I don't think they will get there with this current core. This team had too missed many big picks in the drafts this decade. Too many.

I can't really disagree with this sentiment because it's the same thing I've been echoing for the last five years. To see the Hawks fall short (so far) like this is similar to never graduating from college and receiving your first student loan bill in your mailbox. The 'bill' for having Billy Knight swing and miss so badly with those three lotto picks (four if you include Law) are finally coming due and there's a boatload of interest attached to it. I know what's done is done but it can't be understated how much better this team would've been if more competence was shown in the front office several years ago. That was my opinion when they first made the playoffs as an 8th seed three years ago and it certainly is now. Getting outclassed by a better squad is no crime but this is where we should've been two seasons ago; it shouldn't be the endgame of this 'run' we've had. At this point, we should be talking about returning to the Eastern Finals, not just hoping our boys win a game and avoid getting embarrassed at home on national TV (again). And no, with this core of players, it would be very difficult to make a tweak or two and make another run next season because it would put the team in luxury tax territory; you know the 'Lil Rascals (aka, the Notorious A.S.G.) aren't going to have any of that.

We don't have a big man to make Dwight Howard break a sweat because either BK didn't draft him (see Jefferson, Al) and/or soooooo many resources were used to bring in a point guard (Lue, Anthony Johnson, Claxton's contract, Bibby's contract, Bibby's renewal, drafting Law and now Teague) that there wasn't anything left over in their price range other than fringe guys (see Collins, Jason/Morris, Randolph); the big man $$$ was swallowed whole because BK believed that Claxton was the guy and Paul/Deron wasn't (as if would've mattered since Woodson never plays young guards anyway). As for the rest of the squad, I'll wait until the end of Game 3 before I open my mouth and insert a size-13 foot. They proved me wrong in Game 6 of the Milwaukee series; hopefully, they can make it 2-for-2....

Edited May 8, 2010 by Dejay

[Swiftkick]

What's up fellow Hawk fans first time poster. ...Hotlanta Im with you this team needs to be rebuilt ..

Im have talk to my boy KD about this for a minute. We part ways with Joe Johnson im hoping we dont offer him a max contract he has been putrid in the playoffs and is not a max contract type player .

Im for asking New Orleans for Darren Collision..to make it work I think we would have to take the contract of Oakafor ..(which im not thrilled abaout ) but least he can play C for us

we send them Josh Smith and Marvin Williams.. its basically bad contracts for one bad contract and promising young pg

PG Darren Collision

SG Jammal Crawford

SF Jordan Crawford( draft this kid either move up and package picks)

PF Al Horford

C Emeka Okafor.

Now that line up isnt much to thrive at we would probably be on the bubble of making playoffs next year but it's not really that big of a deal ..Were not going to win a championship with our current squad regardless so why not clean house and rebuild

By 10/11' off season we try and make a run at Carmelo Anthony ...with cap coming off the books like Crawford

Why would Carmelo come to Atlanta .??????

well with Collision/Horford/Jordan Crawford..thats a nice young nucleus add Carmelo puts as contender

Carmelo has his record label here

we will have cap

his wife is friends with alot of Atlanta People and loves the city

2011 Atlanta Hawks roster

PG Darren Collision

SG Jordan Crawford

SF Carmelo Anthony

PF Al Horford

C Oakfor

thoughts

[gurpilo]

What's up fellow Hawk fans first time poster. ...Hotlanta Im with you this team needs to be rebuilt ..

Im have talk to my boy KD about this for a minute. We part ways with Joe Johnson im hoping we dont offer him a max contract he has been putrid in the playoffs and is not a max contract type player .

Im for asking New Orleans for Darren Collision..to make it work I think we would have to take the contract of Oakafor ..(which im not thrilled abaout ) but least he can play C for us

we send them Josh Smith and Marvin Williams.. its basically bad contracts for one bad contract and promising young pg

PG Darren Collision

SG Jammal Crawford

SF Jordan Crawford( draft this kid either move up and package picks)

PF Al Horford

C Emeka Okafor.

Now that line up isnt much to thrive at we would probably be on the bubble of making playoffs next year but it's not really that big of a deal ..Were not going to win a championship with our current squad regardless so why not clean house and rebuild

By 10/11' off season we try and make a run at Carmelo Anthony ...with cap coming off the books like Crawford

Why would Carmelo come to Atlanta .??????

well with Collision/Horford/Jordan Crawford..thats a nice young nucleus add Carmelo puts as contender

Carmelo has his record label here

we will have cap

his wife is friends with alot of Atlanta People and loves the city

2011 Atlanta Hawks roster

PG Darren Collision

SG Jordan Crawford

SF Carmelo Anthony

PF Al Horford

C Oakfor

thoughts

I like the Collison idea, this one would be a good trade but I don´t know if NO would do it as they already have David West and Josh Smith plays the same position. Anyway I think they could still do Marvin for Collison straight, they have a big hole there.

I also think we are not going to win a title with these players and is probably better to trade now that they have value than wait till the rest of the league realizes about that.

We have some bad contracts (Bibby, Zaza) with others that are not so bad (Smith and Marvin). I would try to get rid of all of them and sign a true star for the Max, Joe is not that kind of star. Here is a possible scenario

Sign Amare or Bosh

Trade Josh Smith and Marvin for Devin Harris and Terrence Williams. NJ would do it, they need a PF and Marvin can cover the SF position.

S&T Joe Johson and Bibby for James Harden and Ibaka

Draft Elliot Williams

Sign Reggie Williams

Sign Josh Boone

Sign Leon Powe

Harris/Teague

Harden/Crawford/E. Williams

T. Williams/R. Williams

Horford/Powe/Boone

Amare/Ibaka/Zaza

You all say that we cannot burn the team and have no depth, this team has depth and there are cheap FA we could sign to play here for less than 2M$ as R. Williams, Boone, Powe and some others, we can have depth and cheaper than our current team

[Swiftkick]

I like the Collison idea, this one would be a good trade but I don´t know if NO would do it as they already have David West and Josh Smith plays the same position. Anyway I think they could still do Marvin for Collison straight, they have a big hole there.

I also think we are not going to win a title with these players and is probably better to trade now that they have value than wait till the rest of the league realizes about that.

We have some bad contracts (Bibby, Zaza) with others that are not so bad (Smith and Marvin). I would try to get rid of all of them and sign a true star for the Max, Joe is not that kind of star. Here is a possible scenario

Sign Amare or Bosh

Trade Josh Smith and Marvin for Devin Harris and Terrence Williams. NJ would do it, they need a PF and Marvin can cover the SF position.

S&T Joe Johson and Bibby for James Harden and Ibaka

Draft Elliot Williams

Sign Reggie Williams

Sign Josh Boone

Sign Leon Powe

Harris/Teague

Harden/Crawford/E. Williams

T. Williams/R. Williams

Horford/Powe/Boone

Amare/Ibaka/Zaza

You all say that we cannot burn the team and have no depth, this team has depth and there are cheap FA we could sign to play here for less than 2M$ as R. Williams, Boone, Powe and some others, we can have depth and cheaper than our current team

I cant argue going that way for Devin Harris Im not a fan of his game its very streaky and very inconsistent . I have a tough time think why Dallas would get rid of that kid if they didnt think he would special down the road..Mavs do a real good job with personnel and trades ..I dont like either Bosh/Amare..not thrilled with those guys cause those are TYPE 2 players they would be great if we could pair one of them with the likes of Joe Johnson but that wont happen cause we dont have the cap /// they alone wont be able to carry this team to a legit contender. I also dont like the thought of Amare or Bosh underneath cause that will take away from Al Horford progression down low.

I think New Orleans would make the trade to give Paul a option to run out on breaks with and a guy like Marvin who would be moved to bench for them..I think it would be fun to watch Josh Smith with a guy like Paul and see Smith talent used more then the plays Woodson draws up here

NO Depth chart

PG Paul

SG Marcus Thorton

SF West

PF Josh Smith

C draft one or Aaron Gray

I would like to build the team around a legit star ..Melo surround him with talent

Collision to run point direct offense .

Jammal Crawford to be that other scoring option

Carmelo..our go to guy

Horford ..low post and could be option 2

Okafor.. clean up boards .offensive glass be a defensive presence

[Joker]

I wouldn't want Okafor period. I seen him this season and last. He's awful and his contract is even worst. Okafor basically has very little trade value.

[Plainview1981]

I wouldn't want Okafor period. I seen him this season and last. He's awful and his contract is even worst. Okafor basically has very little trade value.

Ask your friend what he has to say about the current team now?

[Buzzard]

Ask your friend what he has to say about the current team now?

I am with you on this one man. Have been since realizing Marvin would not be a 20ppg guy. We need to keep JJ and trade away half the team for a high contract all star if we ever want to compete with the best in the NBA. If we lose JJ, its lottery bound for us and instead of needing just one more all-star to build around, we will be at square one again and needing two all-stars to build around.

This team cannot compete with the elite. Something has to be done if the Spirit ever want to pack Phillips on a regular basis.

Edited May 9, 2010 by Buzzard

[Kimsey]

It's no point of rebuilding when Ownership is not going to pay the extra dollar. If you give Johnson a near max contract, you won't be able to add any significant depth much less a complementary point guard.

You have to hope a sign and trade can bring back a starter at pg and Johnson has to agree. It's a catch 22 either way.

[Buzzard]

It's no point of rebuilding when Ownership is not going to pay the extra dollar. If you give Johnson a near max contract, you won't be able to add any significant depth much less a complementary point guard.

You have to hope a sign and trade can bring back a starter at pg and Johnson has to agree. It's a catch 22 either way.

I think Smoove has good value and if packaged with Bibby could be moved. One other thing is Craw will be in the last year of his deal. Craws expiring will be looking pretty good next season to any team not competing for a playoff spot. Sign JJ and make a deal for a top player on a losing team.

Smoove and Bibby

Marvin and Craw

Smoove and Craw

Bibby and Craw

Everyone of those combos have value in them; its just a matter of if we get lucky enough to keep JJ and can move a couple of players.

[Kimsey]

its just a matter of if we get lucky enough to keep JJ and can move a couple of players.

Josh has arguably the highest trade value with Horford right there beside them. It's no way we should trade either at only 24, pretty ridiculous to conisder in my view unless we get a dominant player at a weak position like C or PG. I simply can't get on aboard building around an overpaid 29/30 year old Johnson. At 24/25 it would be a no brainer... except we already been down this road :thumbsdownsmileyanim:

I still think we can load Bibby off on the Lakers for an expiring like Sasha. Bibby would be a good back up and could start a few games for them...

[Buzzard]

Josh has arguably the highest trade value with Horford right there beside them. It's no way we should trade either at only 24, pretty ridiculous to conisder in my view unless we get a dominant player at a weak position like C or PG. I simply can't get on aboard building around an overpaid 29/30 year old Johnson. At 24/25 it would be a no brainer... except we already been down this road :thumbsdownsmileyanim:

I still think we can load Bibby off on the Lakers for an expiring like Sasha. Bibby would be a good back up and could start a few games for them...

I agree and that would be the only way I would move Smoove or Horf. Craws expiring has good value also. There are moves that can be made here; but job one is resigning JJ. If we fail to do that, 8th seed is going to be a push without any drastic lineup changes.

Edited May 9, 2010 by Buzzard

[Buzzard]

Looks like this NBA writer sees it your way and both Woody and JJ are already gone.

Meaning, coach Mike Woodson, on the final year of his contract, will not be invited back. Same for Johnson, a free agent this summer, especially after insulting the fans as well as his team with poor play in this post-season. Losing by 43 in Game 1 was more graceful than refusing to compete at home in Game 3, bowing out by 30. Swiftly and suddenly, the Hawks went from soaring to sulking, from being admired to being disgraced.

Then there's Johnson. Could it be the Hawks might be thrilled he refused their pre-season offer of 4 years and $60 million? Johnson hasn't distinguished himself as a premier player in the post-season. He could be costing himself money; surely the Knicks and Nets and Bulls and everyone else shopping for talent this summer can see what we're seeing. He's shooting 12-for-42 this series. During a stretch of 4 straight quarters over two games, he scored 2 baskets against Orlando. He missed 12 of 15 shots in Game 3 and finished with 8 points, struggling mightily, then unwisely dismissed the dissatisfaction of the paying customers who only wanted to see some effort.

Link:

http://www.nba.com/2010/news/features/shaun_powell/05/08/hawks.magic.3/index.html