Amnesty of Joe Johnson could happen.

[MaceCase]

I was using Miami for a for instance. However, if we Amnesty Joe, he doesn't have to get a 4 yr deal. He is a UFA at that point right?

Only once he clears waivers.

[Supporter]

Bradley Beal would be good for our ball club but no way we get him

[ryandauwalker]

I don't see the benefit of amnestying Joe after we trade everybody else.That is a 100% blow up move that hurts our bottom line (and as a result, our team). If we amnesty Joe now, we pay less later and can still use the pieces we have now to put together a competitive team now and trade who we need to later.We can always trade Josh, Horf, and Teague for good players mid-season if we need to. Marv for a 1st round pick is a pipe dream, but that's another topic.

[Diesel]

Would you take Lamb over Beal? I'm not so sure about that. I have Beal over Lamb right now as far as potential #1 scoring options are concerned. I like Lamb, but he's a little passive at times.

You're talking about two guys who were pretty much the leaders of their programs and they were good programs so "want to" doesn't really compute to me. I think they both want to.Here's the problem I see with each.Lamb. Strength. I would have Lamb in with a strength and conditioning coach. At times when i watched lamb, he played his position like a PF... i.e he can shoot of a post up position. Similar to Joe. But he doesn't have great strength. I think if you bulk this guy up, he will be a great scorer.. #1 option is hard to call but definitely a guy who will be a good scorer in this league.Beal.. Size. You can't change size. Whereas Lamb has a long frame, Beal is just compact. But Beal is strong. When you see a guy his size with strength, you want to say... Dawayne Wade. However, I don't think he has that much tenacity. What you would hate to say is Shannon Brown. Not that there's anything wrong with that but this high up, you want a #1 option. For some reason, i don't see that in Beal.

[Diesel]

I don't see the benefit of amnestying Joe after we trade everybody else.That is a 100% blow up move that hurts our bottom line (and as a result, our team). If we amnesty Joe now, we pay less later and can still use the pieces we have now to put together a competitive team now and trade who we need to later.We can always trade Josh, Horf, and Teague for good players mid-season if we need to. Marv for a 1st round pick is a pipe dream, but that's another topic.

While I'm on board with keeping joe.Amnestying him has four benefits.1. Somebody else might pick him up and the ASG doesn't have to pay that much.2. ASG avoids Luxury Tax and can bring the cap back down to below 50 Million.3. Atlanta will undergo more losing and will be in better draft positions.4. Atlanta's fanbase will be happier because no longer will they hold one of the worse contracts in basketball.

[coachx]

Bradley Beal would be good for our ball club but no way we get him

Its possible for Beal to slip to 5 or 6 in the draft.

[ryandauwalker]

While I'm on board with keeping joe.Amnestying him has four benefits.1. Somebody else might pick him up and the ASG doesn't have to pay that much.2. ASG avoids Luxury Tax and can bring the cap back down to below 50 Million.3. Atlanta will undergo more losing and will be in better draft positions.4. Atlanta's fanbase will be happier because no longer will they hold one of the worse contracts in basketball.

#3 and #4 are not real benefits.While it's easy to think in the short-term and not wanting to get any worse, if we do not amnesty Joe quickly, we will be absolutely hamstrung as a franchise for years to come. You think our owners are annoying in that they won't go into luxury tax land? Think about the excuses they'll throw out when they've got to pay $15 mill out of pocket for Joe Johnson who is playing for somebody else.Amnestying Joe is the ONLY way we avoid blowing the team up. The sooner we do it, the easier it'll be for this franchise down the road.While it's easy to look at #3 and think that is the main benefit, it's not even in my mode of thinking. Edited May 19, 2012 by ryandauwalker

[Diesel]

#3 and #4 are not real benefits.While it's easy to think in the short-term and not wanting to get any worse, if we do not amnesty Joe quickly, we will be absolutely hamstrung as a franchise for years to come. You think our owners are annoying in that they won't go into luxury tax land? Think about the excuses they'll throw out when they've got to pay $15 mill out of pocket for Joe Johnson who is playing for somebody else.Amnestying Joe is the ONLY way we avoid blowing the team up. The sooner we do it, the easier it'll be for this franchise down the road.While it's easy to look at #3 and think that is the main benefit, it's not even in my mode of thinking.

Personally, I don't think we have to blow up the whole team.I would start with Marvin for a late first. (Cleveland #24).I would continue with Josh for a high draft pick or Gortat.With #23, we take a big man (possibly Festus, Melo, or Zeller (in that order)).With #24, we go after a Sf/SG type..If we get the early pick.. i would take a shot at Lamb, MKG, or Beal.If we get the early pick, we sign Kaman to a reasonable contract.We'd have:Gortat, Horf, Joe, SG, Teague.orKaman, Horf, Joe, Lamb Teague.Depending on the development of Teague, that team is built right.

[ryandauwalker]

Personally, I don't think we have to blow up the whole team.I would start with Marvin for a late first. (Cleveland #24).I would continue with Josh for a high draft pick or Gortat.With #23, we take a big man (possibly Festus, Melo, or Zeller (in that order)).With #24, we go after a Sf/SG type..If we get the early pick.. i would take a shot at Lamb, MKG, or Beal.If we get the early pick, we sign Kaman to a reasonable contract.We'd have:Gortat, Horf, Joe, SG, Teague.orKaman, Horf, Joe, Lamb Teague.Depending on the development of Teague, that team is built right.

Whether you like it or not, that is just a more gradual rebuild with the first step being this year.Joe will have to go in the next year or two either way because of age v. contract, and we'll be irrelevant for a long time after that because of his cap and financial weight on us. What's the point in keeping him if he carries this albatross which will grow more and more the longer we keep him? I like Joe, but it makes zero sense in keeping him. But the owners don't care because they won't have the franchise then.So after years of hating Marvin (which is for the most part justified but taken over the edge in intensity), he and his contract are suddenly worth a 1st round draft pick!?! If we can get that trade, we might as well stay pat with our current team because our cap is down and we could use our two picks and get a baller. While it is loads of fun to put together scenarios to land these young studs coming out of college, they are not sure things. We have too many guaranteed pieces in place on this team to just start dumping the good ones for picks.

[hawkman]

You're talking about two guys who were pretty much the leaders of their programs and they were good programs so "want to" doesn't really compute to me. I think they both want to.Here's the problem I see with each.Lamb. Strength. I would have Lamb in with a strength and conditioning coach. At times when i watched lamb, he played his position like a PF... i.e he can shoot of a post up position. Similar to Joe. But he doesn't have great strength. I think if you bulk this guy up, he will be a great scorer.. #1 option is hard to call but definitely a guy who will be a good scorer in this league.Beal.. Size. You can't change size. Whereas Lamb has a long frame, Beal is just compact. But Beal is strong. When you see a guy his size with strength, you want to say... Dawayne Wade. However, I don't think he has that much tenacity. What you would hate to say is Shannon Brown. Not that there's anything wrong with that but this high up, you want a #1 option. For some reason, i don't see that in Beal.

I see more Ray Allen/Eric Gordon with Beal and believe he has the mentality and BBIQ to be a #1 option. His rebounding at 6'4" tells me he has the toughness to mix it up when needed. Beal also plays strong defense. If he stayed for one more season I honestly feel he'd be the top pick. Lamb reminds me of a Kerry Kittles type that will be a nice scorer but will always be a little frail. Actually, Lamb could develop into a Rip Hamilton due to his movement off the ball and excellent shooting stroke. But there is something about Beal that makes me think he will be a monster at the next level. This isn't the draft forum, but if we are talking about theoretically trading a major piece of this team to move up in the draft to 4-6, we have to get this one right.

[Diesel]

Whether you like it or not, that is just a more gradual rebuild with the first step being this year.Joe will have to go in the next year or two either way because of age v. contract, and we'll be irrelevant for a long time after that because of his cap and financial weight on us. What's the point in keeping him if he carries this albatross which will grow more and more the longer we keep him? I like Joe, but it makes zero sense in keeping him. But the owners don't care because they won't have the franchise then.So after years of hating Marvin (which is for the most part justified but taken over the edge in intensity), he and his contract are suddenly worth a 1st round draft pick!?! If we can get that trade, we might as well stay pat with our current team because our cap is down and we could use our two picks and get a baller.While it is loads of fun to put together scenarios to land these young studs coming out of college, they are not sure things. We have too many guaranteed pieces in place on this team to just start dumping the good ones for picks.

You must first understand the Cleveland trade.1. Cleveland's GM was the scout that predicted Marvin's success when we drafted him.2. Cleveland has an early first and 2 early 2nd rounders 33 and 34. Losing #24 for them is not much.3. Cleveland has a young team that would probably allow Marvin to thrive better than our team would.4. Marvin's contract becomes worth more after this year so if he doesn't pan out, they can still get the most out of him for a trade.5. Cleveland will have a ton of capspace this offseason.

[Diesel]

I see more Ray Allen/Eric Gordon with Beal and believe he has the mentality and BBIQ to be a #1 option. His rebounding at 6'4" tells me he has the toughness to mix it up when needed. Beal also plays strong defense. If he stayed for one more season I honestly feel he'd be the top pick. Lamb reminds me of a Kerry Kittles type that will be a nice scorer but will always be a little frail. Actually, Lamb could develop into a Rip Hamilton due to his movement off the ball and excellent shooting stroke. But there is something about Beal that makes me think he will be a monster at the next level. This isn't the draft forum, but if we are talking about theoretically trading a major piece of this team to move up in the draft to 4-6, we have to get this one right.

Ray Allen?? Maybe I didn't watch enough of the SEC but I surely didn't see Ray Allen in Beal. I think he's strong.. definitely. But Ray Allen??

[hawkman]

Ray Allen?? Maybe I didn't watch enough of the SEC but I surely didn't see Ray Allen in Beal. I think he's strong.. definitely. But Ray Allen??

Beal's shooting really came on toward the end of the season. His range is well outside the NBA 3pt line and his form is exactly the same with each shot. A lot of people don't remember that Ray Allen was a pretty dynamic player when he was in college and did a lot more than just shoot. I see that same type of game in Beal but with more strength/toughness than what Allen had at UConn.

[Joker]

You must first understand the Cleveland trade.1. Cleveland's GM was the scout that predicted Marvin's success when we drafted him.2. Cleveland has an early first and 2 early 2nd rounders 33 and 34. Losing #24 for them is not much.3. Cleveland has a young team that would probably allow Marvin to thrive better than our team would.4. Marvin's contract becomes worth more after this year so if he doesn't pan out, they can still get the most out of him for a trade.5. Cleveland will have a ton of capspace this offseason.

6. The SF market is weak.7. No one wants to sign to Cleveland in Free agency.

Ray Allen?? Maybe I didn't watch enough of the SEC but I surely didn't see Ray Allen in Beal. I think he's strong.. definitely. But Ray Allen??

Ray can create his own offense at will. Reggie Miller with defensive potential is a better comparison. Edited May 20, 2012 by nbasuperstar40

[ryandauwalker]

I know about Grant's ties in Atlanta, and I'd be very happy if it happened. I guess I can see somebody with a glass half-full perspective maybe could envision Marvin with that upside, but I certainly don't value him highly enough to give up a 1st regardless of the circumstances.If I were them, I'd much rather draft at #24 for much less money as they have lots of needs. But if that happens, I'll be ecstatic and more than happy to be wrong. Either way that move would be supplementary to our success, not as pivotal as amnestying Joe this off-season. We'd not be as good this year (obviously), but we'd not mortgage our future for present success (what we're doing by keeping him on).

[Diesel]

I know about Grant's ties in Atlanta, and I'd be very happy if it happened. I guess I can see somebody with a glass half-full perspective maybe could envision Marvin with that upside, but I certainly don't value him highly enough to give up a 1st regardless of the circumstances.If I were them, I'd much rather draft at #24 for much less money as they have lots of needs. But if that happens, I'll be ecstatic and more than happy to be wrong. Either way that move would be supplementary to our success, not as pivotal as amnestying Joe this off-season. We'd not be as good this year (obviously), but we'd not mortgage our future for present success (what we're doing by keeping him on).

At some point, a young team has to get vet help.

[ryandauwalker]

At some point, a young team has to get vet help.

Sure, but what in the world has Marvin done for a GM to assume that he'd be a good veteran presence in the locker room? It's not like he's a bad seed or anything, but he plays flat-footed, shows little emotion and has not improved throughout his career.But this thread isn't about Marvin, it's about JJ.

[Joker]

Keep JJ. Get a real f**king pg. A REAL F**KING PG. I AM TRIED OF THESE PG'S WHO CAN'T RUN THE PnR and WHEN THEY DO, THEY ARE 80 YEARS OLD AND CAN'T BEAT THEIR GRANDMOTHER OFF THE DRIBBLE. SHIT!

[ryandauwalker]

I'm just amazed that nobody here is seeing the bigger picture here.Here's a real-world scenario that is analogous to the Hawks dilemma:You bought furniture a few years ago at Rooms to Go ($1000) with no interest until 2012. Once you get $1000 in cash, you decide to blow it on a new TV which you don't need and miss the deadline and are now in greater debt than if you'd done the practical thing and settled your finances.As much as I'd like to keep JJ, we're peeing away money that we barely have by keeping him on (and more as time goes passes). We will eventually pay the price for this. Considering his value is still decent in the open market, now is best to unload him. Also, we've got good players, some cash (assuming JJ is gone), and a draft pick to fill out a good roster this year (as opposed to blowing it up).Trading all of our assets and keeping JJ makes ZERO sense. That's the equivalent of selling all of your possessions, but deciding to never pay your creditors.

[Joker]

Josh can go, he doesn't play championship ball anyway. Joe does. Those players aren't easy to come by.