Hawks News (2-16-04)

[HawkTodd]

Hawks News (2-16-04)

Rasheed speaks about image, future (2-16-04).

http://www.ajc.com/hawks/content/sports/ha...04/17hawks.html

------------------------------------------------------------

Wallace, Person put fresh face on struggling franchise (2-16-04).

http://www.kgw.com/sharedcontent/APStories.../D80OO5GO0.html

------------------------------------------------------------

RealGM Hawks Update: Wallace Interview....Doleac Update... (2-16-04).

http://hawks.realgm.com/showarticle.php?artid=417

------------------------------------------------------------

KNICKS KEEP MOVIN' (2-16-04).

http://www.nypost.com/sports/knicks/16347.htm

Sources said the Hawks plan to waive Doleac and if he clears waivers, the Knicks will move to re-sign him. The Nuggets, Jazz and Clippers, however, are reportedly interested in claiming Doleac.

------------------------------------------------------------

Knight makes room for Kobe (2-16-04).

http://www.ajc.com/monday/content/epaper/e...8491ba1090.html

------------------------------------------------------------

RealGM Weekly Power Rankings (2-16-04).

http://hawks.realgm.com/showarticle.php?artid=416

26. Hawks (26): We don’t think the Hawks are necessarily worse off for trading Shareef, Theo, Nazr, and Dickau for Rasheed, Person, Doleac, and Pryzbilla. We still say 30 wins for this team, of course wrecking their chances for drafting local kid Dwight Howard.

------------------------------------------------------------

Thomas master of his trade (2-16-04).

http://chicagosports.chicagotribune.com/sp...0402160140feb16,1,6234002.story?coll=cs-sports-print

The Hawks got Joel Przybilla and Michael Doleac and now have only five players under contract beyond this season: Doleac, Jason Terry, Boris Diaw, Chris Crawford and Alan Henderson.

But the question is, did the Knicks move too soon? The Hawks, trying to cut payroll and rebuild with new ownership coming in, were widely rumored to be eagerly shopping former All-Star Rasheed Wallace, whom they acquired in a trade last week. They reportedly don't want the troublesome Wallace suiting up in Atlanta. While he can be an embarrassment, he is a two-time All-Star, and three years ago he was the best player on a team that came within a jumper of a championship.

Wallace is a versatile big man, a scorer who could be a major influence on a team in the Eastern Conference. The Knicks, sources say, were one of five teams pushing to deal for Wallace, along with the Rockets, Spurs, Mavericks and 76ers, who are trying to save their season and would like to get in the hunt for Wallace, a Philadelphia native. A league loophole allows him to be dealt again this season.

Wayman Tisdale II:

Is he a loser or just unlucky? Shareef Abdur-Rahim has played almost 600 NBA games in eight seasons and has never been in a playoff game, the longest such streak in the NBA. Abdur-Rahim was traded to Portland last week, and the Blazers look like they will miss the playoffs for the first time since the early 1980s.

Atlanta general manager Billy Knight said he tried to trade Abdur-Rahim to a stronger contender. "He has been maligned for not playing on a winning team and all those things, and I tried to send him to a championship team," Knight said. "That was my goal: Put him on a championship team just to shut everybody up. But I wasn't able to do it."

Abdur-Rahim didn't get much of a welcome. Patterson complained about too many forwards with himself, Abdur-Rahim, Darius Miles and Zach Randolph. "We need a backup power forward, so Shareef is going to have to be that guy," Patterson said.

------------------------------------------------------------

McHale works magic with T'wolves (2-16-04).

http://www.dailyherald.com/sports/sports_s...p?intID=3803379

Farewell, Rasheed:

When he learned that he'd been traded to the Atlanta Hawks, Rasheed Wallace was sitting ringside with several Portland teammates at a WWE wrestling event at the Rose Garden.

Strange as it may seem, not everyone was overjoyed to see Wallace leave the Trail Blazers.

"He's just a super guy to be around, a super guy to play with," gushed Portland center Dale Davis. "He's the type of guy that has your back at all times. Probably one of the most unselfish guys that I've ever played with."

"Rasheed wasn't a bad person," added Darius Miles. "Technical fouls? Yeah, he got those. But he was a real leader, and any team would have wanted him if they knew everything that went on behind closed doors."

The Hawks had eight days off for the all-star break, so Wallace won't play for his new team until Wednesday at New Jersey. There is virtually no chance that Wallace will stay in Atlanta once he becomes a free agent after the season.

The Portland trade - and the one that sent Nazr Mohammed to New York on Sunday - accomplished the Hawks' goal of clearing payroll. Shareef Abdur-Rahim and Theo Ratliff went to the Blazers in return.

"We're a bad team," Atlanta GM Billy Knight said. "We haven't won the games we should win, and we have a high payroll. We might as well start our rebuilding process.

"This makes us a major player this summer. In some way we have a giant sword - meaning a lot of (cap) room - to wield."

------------------------------------------------------------

NBA Power Rankings (2-16-04).

http://insidehoops.com/power-rankings.shtml

26) Atlanta (18-35) - Can Rasheed Wallace turn this club around? It'll be fun seeing how he and Jason Terry try to yank this club in the right direction.

------------------------------------------------------------

THE DAILY (2-16-04).

http://www.hoopsworld.com/article_7244.shtml

ATLANTA HAWKS: On Sunday the Hawks traded their best center - actually, the only they had left - in Nazr Mohammed for two of them. They got back Joel Przybilla from the Milwaukee Bucks and Michael Doleac from the New York Knicks. While it's nice the Hawks now have a back up in place, neither of these players has the talent of Mohammed. So why make the deal? It's all about the cap space.

------------------------------------------------------------

Ready to 'make this thing happen' (2-16-04).

http://www.oregonlive.com/sports/oregonian...93635165460.xml

------------------------------------------------------------

SI.com's Marty Burns: Trade Analysis (2-15-04).

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2004/bask...ysis/index.html

Why the Hawks made the deal: To save more money. By getting rid of the final two years and $10.75 million of Mohammed's contract, the Hawks could clear an additional $5 million off the salary cap this summer. Atlanta is in full payroll slashing mode -- as it showed in the recent trade of Shareef Abdur-Rahim and Theo Ratliff. Doleac and Przybilla give the Hawks a couple of serviceable big men to hold down the frontcourt, along with Rasheed Wallace, until they can start over again this summer.

------------------------------------------------------------

Musiq Soulchild Plays Postgame Feb. 24.

http://www.nba.com/hawks/fans/musiq_soulchild_040224.html

------------------------------------------------------------

New Atlanta Hawks player Rasheed Wallace speaks to reporters after practice Monday, Feb. 16, 2004, at Philips Arena in Atlanta.

New Atlanta Hawks players Wesley Person speaks to the media after practice on Monday, Feb. 16, 2004, at Philips Arena in Atlanta.

[Plainview1981]

I'm not Reef's biggest fan...but what makes Ruben think Reef should be backing him up. as if Patterson is any

good.

[cyman3]

Ruben should be the backup... lol

u dont trade away Rasheed for a backup player... lol

[Nicholasp27]

ruben is saying reef should be backup pf, as in zach's backup

however, now that wallace is gone, zach is gonna be exposed and they'll see even more that he's overrated

of course, he may step it up and continue to improve, so still a great prospect, but he's not as good as people think cause sheed allowed him to overachieve thus far this year

so shareef will end up getting most of the mins at pf if he doesn't play sf

zach's trade value is high right now; if i were the blazers i'd trade him for a good guard right now before his value decreases...

[pathway23]

I'd try to trade him for Ray Allen or Michael Redd if I were them. Reef would be awesome with a shoot the lights out SG to keep defense honest on the post.