I Want To Know

[jaywalker72]

I would like to know what everybody on the board who didn't like this deconstruction thought the alternative was?

Myself, as a season ticket holder, was never more disappointed in a team than last year's disaster...such high hopes for good basketball, to no avail.

But what I was most disappointed in was the realization that Pete's rebuilding project was failing, and that this core wasn't going to work out.

The wrong mix, whatever, I think I knew that we Hawks fans were going to have to go through another rebuilding project.

So it's with this that I wonder what everybody else was seeing? Could Billy have hit a bigger home run with these trades? Sure. Did he accomplish the goal of the demolition of the team...in two weeks, no less? Yes.

There is no quick turnaround in this league. You must draft well, be astute with free agent signings, and take advantage of trade opportunities when they come up. A little luck mixed with good coaching and maybe you have a contender.

Those people who are fired up I have to wonder what they wanted instead, and if that was realistic? I am not happy about losing and sitting in an empty arena for the near future. I am not happy being the butt of every NBA joke.

But, hey, that's what was happening before, even with solid guys like Reef and Theo, and we were financially unable to do anything about it.

So we start over...and we'll see what we're able to build and if it's better than what Pete had built before.

[chillzatl]

So I can't offer any alternatives. You laid out my reasons perfectly.

I think that most of the people who are unhappy about what happened, were fans of players and not fans of the team. They were upset to see Reef go. Then they were upset to see Rasheed go, Even though we has ZERO chance of keeping him.

Ultimately it will be decided by the moves BK makes going forward. If he bombs, these trades will be yet another rotton apple in the basket of Hawks basketball. If he scores big, makes good picks and signs some quality free agents, he will be hailed as a genius.

[Boondocks]

Actually, I would have taken on Atkins if they had given their own pick (so we'd have two). That's the only thing I can think of.

Yes we'd have a little less caproom, but 1 young talent more and one more tradeable contract Atkins (since he'll be in his last yr next season) or let him go off the cap like Hendu, Crawford, Pryzbilla and Jax.

[jaywalker72]

I don't know if it would change your mind, but Atkins is on the hook for two more years after this one:

Next year: 4.2 million

Year after: 4.5 million

[Boondocks]

Not really, but thanks for clearing that up. Must have misread his contract somewhere.

No what I think, since we're practcally starting from scratch, is we need all the draft picks we can get.

[macdaddy]

We are now officially an expansion team except worse because we don't get an expansion draft. I'm all for rebuilding but I think its a mistake to give up everything for nothing. Sure we got a draft pick but what are the real odds of that being a big deal.

Truth is I like Knight. I think he will build a good team with this strategy but it will take 4 years. The scarier proposition is that the new owners fire Knight and make Doc Coach/GM. Since Knight started this plan he's going to have to finish it because someone else who may not be as good at evaluating talent will screw it up.

The other side of the coin is I hate Isaih but I prefer his method. Why clear your payroll in the hopes of finding and signing good high priced players when you could just trade for good high priced players. You are going to have to pay sooner or later to have a good team. As a fan wouldn't you prefer sooner? I like the Kings method of finding a solid player to build around (Webber) make a few smaller trades, a good draft pick, and role players in FA. And don't try to tell me that this is any more rare than building up a good team through draft and FA alone.

[TheDude]

Billy Knight did the best a GM could do with only one exception and that's getting a pick or young talent from portland along with rasheed and person. that's it...

as i said before, i don't think other than that one glitch, Jerry West could have done better.

[Vol4ever]

I believe that Billy Knight should have had Zach Randolph come back in the trade.

We actually traded Shareef Abdul Rahim, Theo Ratlif, and Rasheed Wallace for cap room and cash. There are about 8 decent centers in this league. Being a Hawk fan of over 25 years how long did it take this franchise to acquire a decent center? We had Tree Rollins, Steve Hawes, Moses for a short period, Koncak, Mutumbo and Ratliff. Teams need a ligit center to compete for the championship. Did you watch Portland with Ratliff the other night? He turned the game around when Portland was down with his shotblocking and defense. The problem in Atlanta was no PG (which if we had signed Darrell Armstrong would be different) and Reef absolutely is the worst defendent in the league, that along with no outside shooter killed the Hawks. Had we moved Reef for Randolph things could have been different.

We are looking at a 5 year process if the Hawks get "lucky" as you say. I wasn't interested in a 5 year rebuild. This organization has shown the ability to screw things up.

Now that the moves have been consumated we have no other alternative but to accept the rebuilding process. There will be no major Free Agents come to the Hawks.

Of course all of this is opinion and each of us have a right to express that opinion.

On a scale of 1-10 I rate the last two weeks a 4.

[Diesel]

I would have liked to get Randolph... However, the deal was that we were getting 25 million in cap space. Put yourself in Portland's shoes. NOW they have to pay the Luxury tax for the next 2 years. That's the deal that they made. They gave us cap space. I don't think that they would have given this cap space and a rising star for what we gave them.

My, how the value of Theo has gone up.

Theo was a 6 reb per game C for us. He was making 10 million dollars because he could block shots and pull down 6 boards per. That's embarrassing.

I think that the bottom line is that we got a lot of opportunity from this deal. Financial freedom which is not to be looked down upon.

[hds428]

I'm not as angry about the trades as some others around here, the fact of the matter is that we turned a broken core into capspace (which could be boon or bane) and an extra pick. What I don't so readily understand is that the spin we were getting from Knight just a week ago was that we did'nt need the financial obligations of of a first rounder when it was PTL's higher projected pick and now suddenly we're supposed to be excited about a more mediocre pick with all kinds of terms and protections on it. ??? Other than that,I think the trades have been pretty good, not spectacular, but things could have shaken out alot worse.

[d2v16DKG]

Believe me I respect your opinion as a season ticket-holder and I am seeing the team from afar with the ability of NBA Season Pass from Connecticut but I have been with this team since the days of Bob Pettit and "Pistol Pete". I really thought the team was starting to gell recently and I was starting to get excited when BK blew the team up. It just seems like they are purposely going for last place and although many in this website desire that, it goes against my grain. Maybe with Rasheed we could had made the playoffs and maybe we could have convinced him to stay. I'm just so disheartened now and depsyched. Tell me something encouraging.

[drzachary]

Ahh, give poor Billy a break. He's paid to spin

[CHORO44]

Jay...

I think Knight did a great job. I don't understand why people can't exhibit more patience and ride this thing out. I mean we've had a crappy squad for the past few years and I blame it on the players. Now that those players are gone we have a real chance to construct a winner from the bottom up.

I actually don't want any big name free agents like Kobe. I would like to build this team like the New England patriots, blue collar players dedicated to winning as a team. I hope Knight builds a team absent of "Me" players like Kobe.

And as for all the high school kids take forever please take a look at Lebron because he will be the new standard that young players must be measured by both in athleticism and attitude. We have a chance at some of these future Lebrons for the next two years.

[TheDude]

if you guys noticed when Jermaine Oneal was with portland, he was still a "future" allstar so that's how he got away. Randolph was a "future" allstar last year but this year he's money so it would have been difficult to get him. What we need to try to get is good young talent that has the potential of breaking out ala Oneal, Randolph, Nash, or Arenas.

that's difficult to do but worth the effort. I can see Kwame Brown being that person. maybe a Darius Miles(if he actually puts forth effort). maybe a harrington, gerald wallace, or travis outlaw.

[Watchman]

Try telling Isiah Thomas that. Why couldn't Knight have given away our garbage the way New York did, get something of much greater worth back, and produce immediate results?

Why is it that it's always everyone else who pulls this stuff off.

We get excited because some other team took our best assets away, and gave us nothing in return. Years of mediocrity have jaded us into accepting whatever garbage comes our way.

[Vol4ever]

I agree 100% with you.

[Diesel]

There was nothing to be gained this year. It was like every other year. We play lousy, then in the last 20 games we get hot and ruin any chance for a good draft pick.

The problem is that that hot streak is just that, a streak. We never play consistently enough to be good for the year. We were a less than mediocre team. Especially after we got Sheed.

The decision had come down... Do we make a deal or do we sit another year in mediocrity. We made the deal. I'm glad we made the deal. It makes sense from the prospective that now we have actually traded for something.

Had we just traded Reef and got back somebody not equal to Reef's ability and some guy with a bad contract, I would have been angry with Knight. However, we have made a trade that has put us in a position to Write our own story....

It's good.

[OGRat]

I think the best thing about the moves is that we now have options. This rebuilding does not have to take 4-5 years. As we have all seen, cap space is tradeable. If we are not able to secure what we need in this offseason, we will still be able to evaluate what we do get, and possibly trade capspace for what we need.

I too prefer to rebuild the way the Kings did it, but this is where we are and its not such a bad place to be.

I only wish we had gotten more out of the Portland deal.

Maybe the organization will lower ticket prices to meet the level of team expectations and talent.

[TROUBLEMAN69]

Quote:

---

Try telling Isiah Thomas that. Why couldn't Knight have given away our garbage the way New York did, get something of much greater worth back, and produce immediate results?

Why is it that it's always everyone else who pulls this stuff off.

We get excited because some other team took our best assets away, and gave us nothing in return. Years of mediocrity have jaded us into accepting whatever garbage comes our way.

---

The only thing great thing Isiah did was trading for Stephon Marbury. Tim Thomas and Keith Van Horn are basically the same overpaid players. Isiah took on the bloated contract of Penny Hardaway. If he is unable to get Rasheed to sign for the midlevel exemption next season, then his team will be the same mediocre bunch that it has been for the past few seasons. He traded for Nazr who is overpayed for his production. So now the Knicks are overpaying for Nazr, Tim Thomas, Penny, and Houston. Isiah had better hope his team makes it past the first round of the playoffs and then are able to sign Rasheed for the low, because anything else will be a failure.

Back to Marbury, the Hawks couldn't have traded for him anyway. We didn't have the expiring contracts or first round picks required by Phoenix to make that move. This team was stuck and the only marketable players were Theo and Shareef, and trading them away for additional contracts would have been insane.

TROUBLEMAN

[Diesel]

He has the bloated contract of Penny Hardaway (Mr. Glass). He has the bloated Contract of Tim Thomas (Never turn out). He has the bloated contract of Alan Houston. He has a PG that most people don't want because of his prima donna attitude.

I give Isiah credit... He has done a lot with little. However, Capspace wasn't going to help the Knicks. If you notice, Isiah took advantage of every bad situation. And he still has very little control of getting what he really wants. He can't really go after any good free agents this year. First off, the team he has is his for life. Until they are in the last year of their contract, that's what he has. Nobody will trade for Penny or Thomas. He gave up a lot of young talent to get what he has. Lampje. That foriegn PG. All this might turn around to bite him on the butt. NY has to make their stand right now. IF they fail, it's going to be sad watching their decline because they have too many bloated contracts that nobody else will take.