Hawks Waive Sy, Rolle, and Wanamaker (Update: Benson also)

[Joker]

Benson was three years away. We don't have that time right now.

[WraithSentinel]

The Benson and Sy cuts are surprising. Maybe if this wasn't a shorten season. Hawks may have kept one or both.

[phoostal]

Stackhouse will never see the court that much. He is on this roster to be a leader in the locker room that is it. If he can get these guys to focus and play up to their potential night in and night out. His reasoning for being on the team will be a success.

[YP2K]

I would have kept Sy and Benson over Stackhouse and McGrady (especially McGrady, who was absolutely the drizzlin turds during the preseason games) . . .

[MoBetta]

So Ivan made the team?

Yes!!!!

[sturt]

The bigger news is that they were smart enough to keep 15 on the roster... MC had said he thought they were leaning toward 13 earlier... to keep any less than 15 in a year with such a concentration of games would be nuts.

[LastDon]

That basket case Gilbert Areanes prolly will decide to come to work after new years and we dump Sloan..

[sillent]

These moves would not have occurred in a regular season. We have little time to develop this season and everybody we put out there on the court has to be ready to contribute right away. This is not a season for Championship contenders to develop their youth. We may have to go 10-12 down on our roster most of the year and we need as many proven players/contributors as possible. This season leaves a small learning curve with practices being drastically decreased. I personally would have loved to keep Sy, Rolle and Benson and think that would be a gimme in a regular season but this year we just don't have that luxury. Ivan(Reggie Evans who) and Sloan are older and I believe can still be solid contributors.

[WakaFlocka]

None of this should surprise anyone, not a single one of these guys showed much of anything on the court.

Two things annoy me, though.

First, why on earth did the Hawks EVER think that Pape Sy could be a PG? From everything that we've ever read he'd never even played the position, and he damn sure proved that point to us on the court. I mean, that's like asking Teague to play SF. His body, let alone his style, just didn't fit the mold. I've never understood why we invested money into Sy thinking he could be a PG for us. A wing man? Sure, but PG? Never in this league.

Second, why did we reach for Benson where we did? If we really wanted a big body to develop at our draft position, Vernon Macklin was right there for the taking. Yes, he's a little older and not quite as tall, but he was already way more polished offensively and had a better body to build on. I'm probably biased as a Gators fan, but having seen him play for 2 years, I know he could've stepped in and helped us this year.

Oh well, life as a Hawks fan.

[sillent]

None of this should surprise anyone, not a single one of these guys showed much of anything on the court.

Two things annoy me, though.

First, why on earth did the Hawks EVER think that Pape Sy could be a PG? From everything that we've ever read he'd never even played the position, and he damn sure proved that point to us on the court. I mean, that's like asking Teague to play SF. His body, let alone his style, just didn't fit the mold. I've never understood why we invested money into Sy thinking he could be a PG for us. A wing man? Sure, but PG? Never in this league.

Second, why did we reach for Benson where we did? If we really wanted a big body to develop at our draft position, Vernon Macklin was right there for the taking. Yes, he's a little older and not quite as tall, but he was already way more polished offensively and had a better body to build on. I'm probably biased as a Gators fan, but having seen him play for 2 years, I know he could've stepped in and helped us this year.

Oh well, life as a Hawks fan.

Sy has the mold and ability to play both guard positions. He was just lacking the mentality that it takes to be a point guard in the NBA. We took Benson before we knew how the lockout was going to play out. Don't you think we have/had enough short bigs anyway?

[WakaFlocka]

Sy has the mold and ability to play both guard positions. He was just lacking the mentality that it takes to be a point guard in the NBA. We took Benson before we knew how the lockout was going to play out. Don't you think we have/had enough short bigs anyway?

I've never seen a single play from Sy that showed his PG abilities. He didn't handle the ball like a 1, he didn't deliver passes like a 1, he didn't get his teammates in a position to score like a 1, etc. He looked infinitely more comfortable off the ball on the perimeter.

If I missed something then by all means please let me know, but I just honestly don't recall ever seeing him make a play that made me think he could be an a PG in the NBA. I don't see how the Hawks thought he could be one either, and they've had plenty of time to find out/develop him to no avail (obviously).

And yes the Hawks have had plenty of "small" bigs, but Macklin is 6'10" with a good build already. I'm not trying to say he's some great, can't miss guy, but I think he would've had a much better chance to make an impact off our bench this season. If the Hawks want to start taking guys just because they're legit 7 footers that put up empty blocking stats at a D2 school, then we're in trouble.

Edited December 23, 2011 by WakaFlocka

[willthepureshooter]

If we kept Stackhouse just to be a locker room leader, then why not save the roster spot and make him a coach..?? That's what baffled me on this decision. We should've kept Bibby if we wanted a locker room leader.

[WakaFlocka]

If we kept Stackhouse just to be a locker room leader, then why not save the roster spot and make him a coach..?? That's what baffled me on this decision. We should've kept Bibby if we wanted a locker room leader.

No, we shouldn't have kept Bibby for that. Our core was comfortable with Bibby and he didn't seem like the type to get in a guy's ear when needed. The whole point of bringing in "new" vets is to get a new, outside perspective and Stackhouse is a guy that's been around and apparently doesn't hesitate to speak up. For an end of the bench guy that'll almost never see the court we could do worse. Joe Smith from a couple years back, anyone? Etan from last year?

[Buzzard]

If we kept Stackhouse just to be a locker room leader, then why not save the roster spot and make him a coach..?? That's what baffled me on this decision. We should've kept Bibby if we wanted a locker room leader.

Problem with Bibby is he wants minutes. In Miami he was a PT starter and in NY he will get at least 25 mpg. We really can not do that if our plan is to give Teague a real shot. Hinrich being able to play both PG and SG is a better fit with Teague getting more minutes this season.

Edited December 23, 2011 by Buzzard

[YP2K]

Don't you think we have/had enough short bigs anyway?

Benson was one of the taller players on the roster. He wouldn't be considered a "short big" in today's NBA. The only guy taller is Jason Collins.

[WakaFlocka]

Benson was one of the taller players on the roster. He wouldn't be considered a "short big" in today's NBA. The only guy taller is Jason Collins.

He was saying that in regards to me mentioning Vernon Macklin (6'10") :)

[gurpilo]

So finally we have

Teague/Pargo/Sloan/Kirk Hinrich

JJ/TMac/Green/Stackhouse

Marvin/Radmanovic

Josh Smith/ Ivan Johnson

Horford/Zaza/Collins

Am I the only one who sees too many guards locking a spot on the roster and not bringing anything to the team like Stackhouse or Sloan? There are 8 GUARDS!!!! Has anyone seen anything on Sloan???

We are really thin at the frontcourt, why not keep Benson??? why not send him to the D-League? Come on 6'11" and a blocking machine and you waive him?

I would cut 2 guards to sign 2 bigs, One center and one PF.

For the record Manny Harris has been cut and so Greg Smith. Harris would be better than Green and Greg Smith perhaps could do something for us, I just don't get it.

[sturt]

Think Sund would consider TMac to be a SF rather than SG, and Rad to be a PF rather than a SF... but I would agree that there's a need for another big... this team continues to have no consistent back-to-the-basket offensive threat, and that's a problem especially come playoff time.

[gurpilo]

Think Sund would consider TMac to be a SF rather than SG, and Rad to be a PF rather than a SF... but I would agree that there's a need for another big... this team continues to have no consistent back-to-the-basket offensive threat, and that's a problem especially come playoff time.

Perhaps but TMac was playing PG and SG successfully for Pistons last year and do not have the strength to play SF and Rad has not the strength and the size to play PF.

I would prefer Manny Harris over Green and Stackhouse,

cut Sloan and sign two bigs, DJ Mbenga, Fresenko, Dampier or whoever at Center and a PF.

[Randy]

None of the guys who got cut seemed to show much reason to keep them around. The group of rookies and d-leagers that were brought didn't include anybody drafted above something like 40th or 50th, far as I can tell. If we get one guy out of this who can play(my money is on Ivan) that will be big success.

But I wouldn't keep Stackhouse around either, and so far T-Mac has shown nothing.