Last year for ZAZA as a Hawk

[DJlaysitup]

I love watching Zaza - one of the best backup centers in the NBA.

That won't last past this year boys and girls - the rest of the NBA sees the same thing as I do. No more $4M per year contracts per year for Zaza - you can bet on that.

ZAza is in an excellent position (bargaining-wise) since he can either be a starter on a team that has cr@p at center - or a great backup on a team with a really good one (if they have $$).

I would put Zaza at minimum 28 for 4....7 million a year. That's minimum. I wouldn't be surprized to see a team like Boston (re-tooling) give him 45 or 5.

[hawkrule152]

I think Zaza will take less to stay in Atlanta. He already has his restaurant here and its obvious he likes living in Atlanta. As long as Atlanta offers him around 5-6 million a year I see him staying. I would hate to see him in a different uniform.

[DJlaysitup]

5 to 6 million per year versus 8 to 9 million per year.....Hmmmm...but there is that restaurant....and golly...what would Zaza do with himself in New York?

[bleachkit]

Can we afford to pay Zaza 8 million a year? That's a lot for a back up.

[PSSSHHHRRR87]

I think Zaza will take less to stay in Atlanta. He already has his restaurant here and its obvious he likes living in Atlanta. As long as Atlanta offers him around 5-6 million a year I see him staying. I would hate to see him in a different uniform.

My thoughts exactly. I believe he really likes it here and wants to retire a Hawk. If DF makes moves next offseason, I think guys like Zaza will see what he is doing, would want to be apart of a championship team, and would accept a 5 yr/27.5 mil deal to stay.Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Admin]

Nobody is going to give Zaza 7-9 million when he's so very limited offensively, doesn't block shots, and isn't a young guy anymore. Zaza is a nice player and we'll worth the 4-5 million per he will resign for in Atlanta. Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I727 using Tapatalk 2

[Colin]

Nobody is going to give Zaza 7-9 million when he's so very limited offensively, doesn't block shots, and isn't a young guy anymore. Zaza is a nice player and we'll worth the 4-5 million per he will resign for in Atlanta.Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I727 using Tapatalk 2

I know that you know a ton about basketball Dolfan, so i'm going to assume that you just haven't thought about the situation much, or you drastically undervalue Zaza?Zaza has proven in the last two years that he is a capable starter, and that none of the skills he has (offensive rebounding, being a banger, a quality mid-range game, free throw shooting, smart passing) aren't going to drastically deteriorate within the next few years. He has kept himself in great shape, and at 28 now (29 in February), he is still in the prime of his career. The amount of serviceable bigs in the league is shrinking, (evident by the use of smaller lineups by many teams), but the value for serviceable big men is still high and on the rise. Look at contracts to Hibbert ($58 million/4 years, Chuck Hayes ($23 million/4 years), Omer Asik ($25 million/3 years), Ian Mahinmi ($17 million/4 years), Robin Lopez ($16 million/3 years), even Kwame Brown ($6 million/2 years) and you will see that any different skill set (or perceived skill set) coupled with size will earn a contract. None of those are even that bad, and I don't even have to mention old contracts like DeSagana Diop's $33 million/5 year deal.The amount of big men coming into the league and making a difference has been declining to the point that any big man who can run the court will get offers. Zaza is more than just a big man who can run the court, he is a well-known hard worker who has shown on the spotlight (playoff basketball) that he can give minutes and won't back down from anyone. Last year's stint as a starter (even with a ridiculously low usage%) proved to more people that he was capable of starting still, and he has probably had a good performance against every team once to the point where every GM would give him a thought.Obviously I think highly of Zaza, but if you don't see the value he holds (even if that value is exaggerated by the contracts of past big men), you are crazy. Zaza probably wants to stay in Atlanta, but I also think he wants to be a starter. He has had to sit on the bench for a long time, even though he proved at the age of 21 & 22 that he was capable of being a starter on a bad team. As time went on, he gladly (most of the time) took a lesser role for the greater good of the team, which is one of the things that makes Zaza as valuable as he is. Besides a few stints of unhappiness in the past six years, Zaza has kept his mouth shut and done his job. Teams need role players, and Zaza knows his role and tries to stick to it the best he can, besides a couple occasional spin moves.If a bad and/or rebuilding team promises Zaza a starting role and $36 million/4, I think he considers leaving Atlanta. I'm sure he loves it here, but if you believe you deserve a bigger role and you can go and find it, that becomes more important than the money I believe. There is still plenty of time to see how Zaza's contract situation works out, but I think he will have at least one high-dollar suitor who may offer him the job as starter and try to tempt him away from Atlanta.

[ftown]

i havent seen anything from Zaza that wouldn indicate that he is desperate to be a starter on some junk team

he is just too limited offensively to start on a better team

so i think he stays right here :)

Go Hawks!

[Peoriabird]

I know that you know a ton about basketball Dolfan, so i'm going to assume that you just haven't thought about the situation much, or you drastically undervalue Zaza?Zaza has proven in the last two years that he is a capable starter

Zaza has proven when given minutes, He is highly productive! I just can't understand why Hawk fans on this board don't appreciate what this player does! I've argued all season long to get Zaza more minutes over the likes of Deshawn Stevenson and Devin Harris but posters prefer the less productive players over Zaza. Its strange to me but I've just learn to live with it.

Edited December 30, 2012 by Peoriabird

[Eddielives]

I love Zaza and what his role is with the Hawks. He is definitely worth 5 million a year. I would love to see a 5 year 25-30 million contract offered to him. I think he would gladly accept and stay here. Zaza is worth more than what his stats indicate. He is that no fear/scrappy big who, as long as he doesn't get in that mindset of trying to be a finesse scorer like he did early on with the Hawks, he will always pester the other teams center and usually grab you close to ten boards with a few baskets. Also, he is a really good free throw shooter. Zaza is sort of a poor mans Vlade Divac.

[Admin]

I know that you know a ton about basketball Dolfan, so i'm going to assume that you just haven't thought about the situation much, or you drastically undervalue Zaza?Zaza has proven in the last two years that he is a capable starterZaza has proven when given minutes, He is highly productive! I just can't understand why Hawk fans on this board don't appreciate what this player does! I've argued all season long to get Zaza more minutes over the likes of Deshawn Stevenson and Devin Harris but posters prefer the less productive players over Zaza. Its strange to me but I've just learn to live with it.

For whatever Deshawn did to you or a family member of yours, I am apologizing for him. That must be what you're waiting for as your hate for him to bring him up out of nowhere in every thread is out of control. So please get over it as you're the only one spouting this nonsense. Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I727 using Tapatalk 2

[Jbrinson]

Zaza needs to stay a hawks. We need his toughness. It wouldn't look right to see him play anywhere else. I'm sure he won't want much. We still need to draft a 7 footer though but Zaza is a stable of hawks basketball.

[Admin]

Colin, I am a huge Zaza fan but you've got to realize that salaries are coming down and while this current Zaza was maybe worth 7-8 million a few years ago, that translates to 5-6 million now. That 5 year 25-30 million offer above sounds about right. Zaza is a great team player and energy guy but he's limited offensively and defensively and he needs good players around him to make up for those deficiencies. And yeah I'd say he's probably better than Hibberts but that contract if Hibberts is just ridiculous and was given to him for many reasons but mostly for his potential and while I love Zaza, he's not going to develop some new skills that make him worth 9 million a season at this point in his life. Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I727 using Tapatalk 2

[TheNorthCydeRises]

As I said in that other thread, this SHOULD be Zaza's last year as a Hawk, IF we're serious about contending for a championship. Zaza is a good backup center, a solid rebounder, and a solid defender. But there are at least 20 centers in this league who are better overall centers than he is.A guy that people left for dead like Andray Blatche, is a much better center offensively than Zaza, and people would be ranting and raving about him if he were in ATL. Even a guy like Javale McGee is a better option at center than Zaza, because of his ability to run the floor and block shots..No way should the Hawks lock themselves into a long term contract with Zaza ( no more than a 3 year contract, with a team option somewhere in there ). And no way should the Hawks pay more than the MLE to keep him around.A thing that I've always looked at, is if a players NBA Efficiency ranking is at or above the amount of minutes he's playing, when looking at that player's particular position.With an 11.5 efficiency rating, Zaza ranks 30th amongst NBA centers. And at 23.4 minutes a game, he ranks 26th in minutes played amongst NBA centers. So let's say that Zaza is a ( -4 ) when comparing his efficiency to minutes played. These are some of the centers who give you more "bang" in efficiency in relation to the amount of minutes they play per night. Matter of fact, let's go through the entire top 30. I'll list the top 30 in NBA Efficiency and the amount of minutes they average per game, then put a ( + ) or ( - ) number beside that.1) Varejao . . . . 25.2 . . . . . 3rd in min . . . . . ( +2 )2) Noah . . . . . . 22.5 . . . . . 1st in min . . . . . ( -1 )3) Howard . . . . 22.2 . . . . . 4th in min . . . . . ( +1 )4) Horford . . . . .21.4 . . . . . 2nd in min . . . . ( -2 )5) Jefferson . . . 21.1 . . . . . 7th in min . . . . . ( +2 )6) M. Gasol . . . . 21.0 . . . . 5th in min . . . . . ( -1 )7) Bosh . . . . . . . 20.9 . . . . 6th in min . . . . . . ( 0 )8) Chandler . . . 20.7 . . . . .8th in min . . . . . . ( 0 )9) B. Lopez . . . .19.7. . . . . 15th in min . . . . ( +6 )10) Hickson . . . 18.9 . . . . 17th in min . . . . ( +7 )11) Monroe . . . . 17.8 . . . . 9th in min . . . . . ( -2 )12) Cousins . . . 17.7 . . . . 13th in min . . . . ( +1 )13) Pekovic . . . . 17.6 . . . 10th in min . . . . ( -3 )14) Garnett . . . . 17.3 . . . . 16th in min . . . . ( +2 )15) Gortat . . . . . 17.2 . . . . 11th in min . . . . ( -4 )16) Asik . . . . . . . 16.7 . . . . 12th in min . . . . ( -4 )17) Vucevic . . . . 16.6 . . . . 14th in min . . . . ( -3 )18) R. Lopez . . .15.4 . . . . .19th in min . . . . ( +1 )19) Kaman . . . . 13.8 . . . . .21st in min . . . . ( +2 )20) Hibbert . . . . 13.7 . . . . .18th in min . . . . ( -2 )21) Koufos . . . . 13.1 . . . . . 29th in min . . . . ( +8 )22) Jordan . . . . 13.0 . . . . . 22nd in min . . . ( 0 )23) Blatche . . . . 12.8 . . . . .35th in min . . . . ( +12 )24) McGee . . . . 12.7 . . . . . 40th in min . . . . ( +16 )25) Splitter . . . . 12.6 . . . . . 36th in min . . . . ( +11 )26) Drummond .12.4 . . . . . 38th in min . . . . ( +12 )27) Davis . . . . . . 12.3 . . . . . 37th in min . . . . ( +11 )28) Favors . . . . . 12.1 . . . . . 32nd in min . . . ( +4 ) . . . shouldn't be on this list, he's almost exclusively played PF this year.29) Okafor . . . . . 11.6 . . . . . 27th in min . . . . ( -2 )30) Zaza . . . . . . 11.5 . . . . . 26th in min . . . . ( -4 )All of the guys in bold are centers who give you more "bang" for your buck. And just by looking at this perspective, Zaza is one of 3 centers ( Asik and Gortat ) who perform overall at a less efficient rate, compared to the minutes they play.This isn't an "end all, be all" type of list. But it does kind of show where Zaza really stacks up, when looking at the entire league. If I were to look at these same guys, and rank them according to their Opponent Counterpart at Center, Zaza may be higher on this list. Maybe not much higher, but higher nonetheless.

[TheNorthCydeRises]

And when Zaza DID get the minutes last year, here's how his efficiency ranked, in relation to the amount of minutes he played23rd in efficiency: 13.416th in minutes: 28.3 min/gSo last year, he would've been a ( -7 )When the team really gets serious about contending for that chip, Zaza probably shouldn't be part of the squad. And if he is, he can't have a long term contract or more than 5 mill/yr.

Edited December 30, 2012 by northcyde

[TheNorthCydeRises]

As I said in that other thread, this SHOULD be Zaza's last year as a Hawk, IF we're serious about contending for a championship. Zaza is a good backup center, a solid rebounder, and a solid defender. But there are at least 20 centers in this league who are better overall centers than he is.A guy that people left for dead like Andray Blatche, is a much better center offensively than Zaza, and people would be ranting and raving about him if he were in ATL. Even a guy like Javale McGee is a better option at center than Zaza, because of his ability to run the floor and block shots..No way should the Hawks lock themselves into a long term contract with Zaza ( no more than a 3 year contract, with a team option somewhere in there ). And no way should the Hawks pay more than the MLE to keep him around.A thing that I've always looked at, is if a players NBA Efficiency ranking is at or above the amount of minutes he's playing, when looking at that player's particular position.With an 11.5 efficiency rating, Zaza ranks 30th amongst NBA centers. And at 23.4 minutes a game, he ranks 26th in minutes played amongst NBA centers. So let's say that Zaza is a ( -4 ) when comparing his efficiency to minutes played. These are some of the centers who give you more "bang" in efficiency in relation to the amount of minutes they play per night. Matter of fact, let's go through the entire top 30. I'll list the top 30 in NBA Efficiency and the amount of minutes they average per game, then put a ( + ) or ( - ) number beside that.1) Varejao . . . . 25.2 . . . . . 3rd in min . . . . . ( +2 )2) Noah . . . . . . 22.5 . . . . . 1st in min . . . . . ( -1 )3) Howard . . . . 22.2 . . . . . 4th in min . . . . . ( +1 )4) Horford . . . . .21.4 . . . . . 2nd in min . . . . ( -2 )5) Jefferson . . . 21.1 . . . . . 7th in min . . . . . ( +2 )6) M. Gasol . . . . 21.0 . . . . 5th in min . . . . . ( -1 )7) Bosh . . . . . . . 20.9 . . . . 6th in min . . . . . . ( 0 )8) Chandler . . . 20.7 . . . . .8th in min . . . . . . ( 0 )9) B. Lopez . . . .19.7. . . . . 15th in min . . . . ( +6 )10) Hickson . . . 18.9 . . . . 17th in min . . . . ( +7 )11) Monroe . . . . 17.8 . . . . 9th in min . . . . . ( -2 )12) Cousins . . . 17.7 . . . . 13th in min . . . . ( +1 )13) Pekovic . . . . 17.6 . . . 10th in min . . . . ( -3 )14) Garnett . . . . 17.3 . . . . 16th in min . . . . ( +2 )15) Gortat . . . . . 17.2 . . . . 11th in min . . . . ( -4 )16) Asik . . . . . . . 16.7 . . . . 12th in min . . . . ( -4 )17) Vucevic . . . . 16.6 . . . . 14th in min . . . . ( -3 )18) R. Lopez . . .15.4 . . . . .19th in min . . . . ( +1 )19) Kaman . . . . 13.8 . . . . .21st in min . . . . ( +2 )20) Hibbert . . . . 13.7 . . . . .18th in min . . . . ( -2 )21) Koufos . . . . 13.1 . . . . . 29th in min . . . . ( +8 )22) Jordan . . . . 13.0 . . . . . 22nd in min . . . ( 0 )23) Blatche . . . . 12.8 . . . . .35th in min . . . . ( +12 )24) McGee . . . . 12.7 . . . . . 40th in min . . . . ( +16 )25) Splitter . . . . 12.6 . . . . . 36th in min . . . . ( +11 )26) Drummond .12.4 . . . . . 38th in min . . . . ( +12 )27) Davis . . . . . . 12.3 . . . . . 37th in min . . . . ( +11 )28) Favors . . . . . 12.1 . . . . . 32nd in min . . . ( +4 ) . . . shouldn't be on this list, he's almost exclusively played PF this year.29) Okafor . . . . . 11.6 . . . . . 27th in min . . . . ( -2 )30) Zaza . . . . . . 11.5 . . . . . 26th in min . . . . ( -4 )All of the guys in bold are centers who give you more "bang" for your buck. And just by looking at this perspective, Zaza is one of 3 centers ( Asik and Gortat ) who perform overall at a less efficient rate, compared to the minutes they play.This isn't an "end all, be all" type of list. But it does kind of show where Zaza really stacks up, when looking at the entire league. If I were to look at these same guys, and rank them according to their Opponent Counterpart at Center, Zaza may be higher on this list. Maybe not much higher, but higher nonetheless.

Just to make sure people understand this ( because I worded it wrong ). The list is of the top 30 in efficiency ( as calculated by the NBA ). the number you see is his efficiency rating. Then I listed what that player ranked in minutes amongst centers. Then I posted a ( +/- ) number of ( efficiency at that position - rank in avg minutes at that position ).So if a player ranked 7th in efficiency amongst centers, but 5th in average minutes amongst centers, his number would be ( -2 ).Take Joe Johnson for example.Last year, he was #4 in efficiency amongst SGs and #3 in average minutes amongst SGs . . . making his number be ( - 1 )This year, he's #18 in efficiency amongst SGs but #2 in average minutes amongst SGs . . . putting his number this year at a whopping ( -16 ). Edited December 31, 2012 by northcyde

[Peoriabird]

No one thinks that Zaza is a max player so stop comparing him to such players. I agree with another poster that he will be signed to a 5 year $25 mil contract and at that price, he is still a bargain.

[Peoriabird]

For whatever Deshawn did to you or a family member of yours, I am apologizing for him. That must be what you're waiting for as your hate for him to bring him up out of nowhere in every thread is out of control. So please get over it as you're the only one spouting this nonsense.Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I727 using Tapatalk 2

The pot calling the Kettle black

[TheNorthCydeRises]

No one thinks that Zaza is a max player so stop comparing him to such players. I agree with another poster that he will be signed to a 5 year $25 mil contract and at that price, he is still a bargain.

That's why I listed the top 30 guys in the league, and didn't compare him to max type players. Some of those guys are playing for far less than Zaza, and producing at a higher level.Why would you sign him to a 5 year contract? This is the exact thing that got us in trouble with guys like Marvin and Speedy. Even Bibby's modest 3 year contract ended up getting us in trouble in Year 2 of that deal.3 years at the max. I'd give him a player option in year 2, and have a team option in year 3.If we were to add a player like Al Jefferson to this team, along with keeping Josh Smith, the need for Zaza becomes non-existant.When Ferry talks about "flexibility", one of the things he should be looking at, are the non-star contracts on this team. If we possibly have to lock up both Smith and Teague to fairly long contracts to keep him here, no way can you give Zaza a 5 year deal.

[Peoriabird]

That's why I listed the top 30 guys in the league, and didn't compare him to max type players. Some of those guys are playing for far less than Zaza, and producing at a higher level.Why would you sign him to a 5 year contract? This is the exact thing that got us in trouble with guys like Marvin and Speedy. Even Bibby's modest 3 year contract ended up getting us in trouble in Year 2 of that deal.3 years at the max. I'd give him a player option in year 2, and have a team option in year 3.If we were to add a player like Al Jefferson to this team, along with keeping Josh Smith, the need for Zaza becomes non-existant.When Ferry talks about "flexibility", one of the things he should be looking at, are the non-star contracts on this team. If we possibly have to lock up both Smith and Teague to fairly long contracts to keep him here, no way can you give Zaza a 5 year deal.

You do need a bench in this league and a 5 year deal at $5 mil per year is more than reasonable for a big as productive as Zaza. He is a different kinda of center than Jefferson. Jefferson is more finesse and Zaza is more of a bruiser and some times you need that against certain teams. I wouldn't put Marvin, Speedy, and Bibby in the same category...Speedy was injury prone even in his prime and Bibby was on the wrong side of 30 when he signed his contract. Zaza is 28 with at least 5 more productive years left and I whole haeartedly endorse keeping him here because of the chemisty established with the team. Another guy may be percieved as more talented but may not mesh as well so why change? And if there is an injury up front, you know that Zaza could step in and do what he did all of last year and against the Pacers Saturday night. So what is the down side to signing him long team? If anything he has earned it!

Edited December 31, 2012 by Peoriabird