Hawks close to signing Josh Powell

[Buzzard]

Stay classy.

Huge fonts, all bolded, caps. I just wanted to point that out in a somewhat funny way.

Edited July 22, 2010 by Buzzard

[DrReality]

LIke his work ethic. Sounds like a guy that could move into coaching.

[BudBall]

Sign Damien Wilkens next please.

[NJHAWK]

The fact that this thread is pinned, has a ton of views and so far 4 pages of discussion shows just how sorry a state Atlanta Hawks free agency 2010 has gone so far. I never even heard of this guy before this thread. Oh by the way the Bulls just signed Kurt Thomas, sure he is old but he can give valuable minutes as a defender and rebounder in the trenches.

Edited July 23, 2010 by NJHAWK

[Buzzard]

The fact that this thread is pinned, has a ton of views and so far 4 pages of discussion shows just how sorry a state Atlanta Hawks free agency 2010 has gone so far. I never even heard of this guy before this thread. Oh by the way the Bulls just signed Kurt Thomas, sure he is old but he can give valuable minutes as a defender and rebounder in the trenches.

You are not kidding man. One thread and four pages for a nobody. Shaq would have given us at least 10 different threads and 100 pages. And that is just in the 1st two days.

[BudBall]

Haha wow that is true.

[Admin]

The fact that this thread is pinned, has a ton of views and so far 4 pages of discussion shows just how sorry a state Atlanta Hawks free agency 2010 has gone so far. I never even heard of this guy before this thread. Oh by the way the Bulls just signed Kurt Thomas, sure he is old but he can give valuable minutes as a defender and rebounder in the trenches.

FYI it is pinned not because it is important but because if I don't pin it there will be multiple threads created about us signing him that I (or the mods) would have to go and merge.

Yes it's disappointing that we didn't sign Kurt Thomas but I'm still holding out hope that means that we're looking to sign Shaq.

[hawkman]

Hey, wasn't Jermaine O'neal rotting on the bench in Portland due to depth before he was traded to indy and became an All-Star? Maybe this guy may surprise us.

[lethalweapon3]

Hey, wasn't Jermaine O'neal rotting on the bench in Portland due to depth before he was traded to indy and became an All-Star? Maybe this guy may surprise us.

Jerm Daddy was going on 22 when Portland released him from their evil grip, while J-Pow will be pushing 28 when the season starts. But with extended minutes, I think a pleasant "surprise" is what they "expect" from him. (That came out real well)

~lw3

[BudBall]

Jerm Daddy was going on 22 when Portland released him from their evil grip, while J-Pow will be pushing 28 when the season starts. But with extended minutes, I think a pleasant "surprise" is what they "expect" from him. (That came out real well)

~lw3

he will average 4 Pts 3 rebs. :)

[IHeartAtlanta]

Powell > Randolph Morris ( I call him sloth, he has the same body shape as the sloth on ice age lol) Jason Collins

[DrReality]

In slow times theres not a lot to post about . . . . . and you have to admit his is a lot more exciting than RanMo

[TheNorthCydeRises]

Follow the math, you can't have 4 high usage players on the same roster getting regular minutes in addition to the other 3 that people are complaining about not getting enough touches. Somebody has to cut back their touches and Shaq has said already he doesn't plan to be that person.

These were our leaders in usage% last season.

Joe: 26%

Jamal: 26%

Josh: 22%

Al: 18%

Shaq: 25%

Again, people are just looking at his raw stats but they are not looking at the fact that he had the ball in his hands basically as much as Joe and Jamal did last season to get it. That's not a role player. The idea is to boost our frontcourt's production not replace them with a 38 year old that was featured way more in Cleveland yet wasn't as productive as Al or Josh. If you want Shaq to be in any form or way effective both in the amount the cash strapped ASG would invest in him and how he fits the team then he has to be heavily featured. Now which one of Al and Smoove do you want to mitigate to a role player to make that happen?

And why do yoy say that Shaq wasn't as productive as Horford and Smoove? Shaq's PER 36 Minute numbers of 18.5 pts - 10 rebs - and 58% shooting, trumps what Horford and Smoove did on a PER 36 minute basis. And Shaq did his damage in the one area we could use it the most . . . right around the rim.

That's the reason you're seeing Shaq reluctant to accept just anything. He knows that he is still better than 75% of the centers in this league. Tossing Shaq's age out there doesn't change the fact that this dude is still a presence in the paint. A presence that you simply can't overlook.

As far as the usage goes, let me ask you this? Why would you want to keep Jamal Crawford's usage at 26% if we had Shaq on the squad? Shaq is the more efficient offensive player. If anything, you'd want to see both Shaq's and Jamal"s usage down to 20%, with the 2 of them being the pilars of the 2nd unit.

The facts are that Shaq can still score, he can still rebound, he can still draw fouls on people, and he still represents a big body to throw up against bigger centers, to keep Al and Smoove from taking a beating.

The ONLY issues with Shaq, is if he would be cool with playing for less money, and if he would be cool with coming off the bench. His ability on the court is NOT in question. Dude is still a top 10 center in this league.

Edited July 24, 2010 by northcyde

[TheNorthCydeRises]

I mean . . we had one of the most inefficient 2nd units in the NBA last year, that was only saved by Crawford's shotmaking. Shaq would represent the only legit low post scorer on the team. so of course you would go inside to him when he's in the game, maybe every 1 out of 2.5 possessions.

EDIT: And even if you don't go to him that much, you're still talking about a guy who can grab rebounds, to create his own opportunities.

Edited July 24, 2010 by northcyde

[MaceCase]

And why do yoy say that Shaq wasn't as productive as Horford and Smoove? Shaq's PER 36 Minute numbers of 18.5 pts - 10 rebs - and 58% shooting, trumps what Horford and Smoove did on a PER 36 minute basis. And Shaq did his damage in the one area we could use it the most . . . right around the rim.

That's the reason you're seeing Shaq reluctant to accept just anything. He knows that he is still better than 75% of the centers in this league. Tossing Shaq's age out there doesn't change the fact that this dude is still a presence in the paint. A presence that you simply can't overlook.

As far as the usage goes, let me ask you this? Why would you want to keep Jamal Crawford's usage at 26% if we had Shaq on the squad? Shaq is the more efficient offensive player. If anything, you'd want to see both Shaq's and Jamal"s usage down to 20%, with the 2 of them being the pilars of the 2nd unit.

The facts are that Shaq can still score, he can still rebound, he can still draw fouls on people, and he still represents a big body to throw up against bigger centers, to keep Al and Smoove from taking a beating.

The ONLY issues with Shaq, is if he would be cool with playing for less money, and if he would be cool with coming off the bench. His ability on the court is NOT in question. Dude is still a top 10 center in this league.

North you are speaking about Shaq's numbers as if they dwarf Horf's and Smoove's numbers, they don't. He shot 56% to Horfs 55% and scored 4 more points PER 36 on 3 more shots with an assload more FTAs as well. You keep running those PER36s but you keep omitting the shot attempts all while he is hogging up a quarter of his team's offensive possessions to do it. Clearly he's not more efficient when he's using up more possessions to come up with a lower PER and assorted advanced stats than our duo. Do you get that? He used more touches to produce those numbers you are so proudly throwing around. Your solution is that he will somehow magically lower his touches to unheard of career lows and still be impactful when he barely scores at a better rate and rebounds at the same clip as our undersized center? That's full of holes so your next solution is to get at Jamal (again) and have him submit to Shaq's "dominance" because of your groundbreaking analysis that a big shoots a higher FG% than a guard. Might as well throw Joe under that bus too, have him make way for the HOFer. Oh wait, both guards have higher TS% than Shaq. Do you not see a problem here? You want a guy at all costs who was not a game changer in stats or wins to come here and continue to play the only way he knows how when it is not only disruptive to everyone else but also not as effective? Top ten center in a pathetic era of Cs is not something to be proud of and yes his on court production can be questioned to the point where it's obvious teams have evaluated that it's not worth the off the court drama. Next time you look at his numbers again do it with the * for as a starting number 2 option. You seem to think that its just his personality that's keeping him off teams.

[Buzzard]

North you are speaking about Shaq's numbers as if they dwarf Horf's and Smoove's numbers, they don't.

It is not about dwarfing Smoove or Horfs numbers. It is about dwarfing Collins, Randmo, and ZaZas numbers. 5 to 6 million is well worth Shaqs numbers. Hell he replaces three players the day we sign him..

[MaceCase]

It is not about dwarfing Smoove or Horfs numbers. It is about dwarfing Collins, Randmo, and ZaZas numbers. 5 to 6 million is well worth Shaqs numbers. Hell he replaces three players the day we sign him..

The man himself said he wants

Money

Starting spot

ample playing time

You are still thinking he will be a role player when the man himself is saying he wants to be featured. He is not better than our starters for me to bench either to avoid the locker room volcano that is an unhappy Shaq. You guys are just so desperate that you don't care about signing Allen Iverson just because he's 7 foot 360. That's what Shaq is Buzz, just another aging star not willing to accept their new role on the bench. Memphis were desperate to sell tickets too when they signed AI but they were smart enough to put him on a contract that was easily bearable to waive in the event AI acted like AI. Lo and behold he was complaining about playing time and coming off the bench not even 4 games into the season. That is a cautionary tale that all of you have already forgotten not even a year after it happened. All the signs are there, aging former MVP with character issues and thinks that they got what it takes to push a team over the top when in actuality they made their last few clubs worse is sitting on the market wondering why nobody will give them the chance. The answer is simple, their talent is certainly no longer stellar and it more than certainly doesn't outweigh the headache they will cause.

[Joker]

The man himself said he wants

Money

Starting spot

ample playing time

You are still thinking he will be a role player when the man himself is saying he wants to be featured. He is not better than our starters for me to bench either to avoid the locker room volcano that is an unhappy Shaq. You guys are just so desperate that you don't care about signing Allen Iverson just because he's 7 foot 360. That's what Shaq is Buzz, just another aging star not willing to accept their new role on the bench. Memphis were desperate to sell tickets too when they signed AI but they were smart enough to put him on a contract that was easily bearable to waive in the event AI acted like AI. Lo and behold he was complaining about playing time and coming off the bench not even 4 games into the season. That is a cautionary tale that all of you have already forgotten not even a year after it happened. All the signs are there, aging former MVP with character issues and thinks that they got what it takes to push a team over the top when in actuality they made their last few clubs worse is sitting on the market wondering why nobody will give them the chance. The answer is simple, their talent is certainly no longer stellar and it more than certainly doesn't outweigh the headache they will cause.

Yep. I wouldn't even call for Shaq unless we trade for CP3 and lose one of our centers, otherwise it makes no sense.

[lethalweapon3]

Local-kid-makes-good link... props to Kobe as well.

http://www.mycountypaper.com/claytonsports/headlines/89574917.html

Just a few short years ago, Josh Powell was an honor student and Beta Club member, roaming the halls of Riverdale High School.

He was also a standout basketball player for the Raiders, causing nightmares for opponents with his ability to score at one end and play a mean brand of defense on the other...

After working hard to realize his goal, which included leaving school a year early and becoming an undrafted free agent, Powell is now a member of the Los Angeles Lakers, arguably the most popular team in the NBA.

Tonight, Powell and his NBA teammates take on the playoff-bound Atlanta Hawks at Philips Arena.

But Powell hasn’t forgotten his roots or where he came from. Tuesday morning, just hours after his team landed in Atlanta after playing a game in New Orleans on Monday, the Riverdale graduate was back at his alma mater, where he donated a check for $20,000 to be used to build a new computer lab at the school.

“This is an honor for me, this is where it all began” Powell told a gathering of students, teachers, family and friends in the school’s media center.

“I was once here where you are, and I had goals and dreams like everybody else. Today, I want to help you have the tools you need to achieve your dreams. Computers and technology are so important to helping you succeed. I am honored to stand here today, and tell you, I am going to help build a new computer lab for this high school.”

His visit also included two friends and teammates as Kobe Bryant and Derek Fisher paid a visit to the school.

Bryant, dressed in blue warm-ups and sunglasses, addressed an assembly of cheering students and urged them to draw inspiration from Powell.

“Josh had a dream, he had a goal, he had a vision, and he accomplished that,” Bryant said, “He accomplished that by being inside these halls, this building. The same building you walk in every day. Because he did it, you can accomplish your goals too. He’s back here today, not forgetting where he came from and he is a living example of what you can accomplish.”

Powell had plenty of friends and well wishers on hand, welcoming him back to the Southern Crescent.

Some were also there to reminisce about Powell’s high school days.

Holly Carver, Powell’s advanced placement American Literature teacher and Beta Club advisor, remembers more than a talented basketball player, she also knew the future NBA forward when he was a gifted student.

“Josh has always been a talented basketball player, but what people don’t know, he was also a scholar. He took advanced level courses, and maintained a 3.5 GPA for all four years in high school, and graduated as one of our honor graduates,” Carver said. “Although I had to stay on him sometimes for getting a little lazy, he always came through. Managing a heavy course load and playing basketball was a great accomplishment.” ...

Tonight the Lakers bring their first-pace Pacific Division, 54-20 recod into the contest with the Hawks, who are in second place in the Southeast Confernce with a 47-26 record.

No matter where Powell’s NBA career takes him, he will never be fully removed from Riverdale High School.

His outstanding basketball career makes him still one of the best players to ever come out of Clayton County.

In college he earned ACC honors both on the court and in the class room where he studies business just so he had something to fall back on once basketball becomes a thing of the past.

“The fact that everybody came out to support me is great,” he said. “To be able to give back to the school is so important to me. It’s something I have been thinking about for a long time.”

~lw3

[NineOhTheRino]

sorry guys but this acquisition does not deserve attention. Powell??? c'mon...dude is known more for being a psychiatrist rather than a basketball player

Edited July 25, 2010 by NineOhTheRino