Attention K-Mart Shoppers

[jezmund]

I'm getting the feeling that Kenyon Martin will be wearing a Hawks uniform next season. Will that be a good thing? If it's for the max...No. Although it does give us a semi-marketable player that a lot of people like. He would bring toughness and athleticism. Diaw/Martin would be a solid defensive combo at the forward positions.

[Plainview1981]

No for the max. Isn't the max like 13 million? He's worth

8 or 9 by NBA standards.

[Diesel]

I think Kmart is planning on Using us to get the max. It's been done before. I think Kmart will court us and hope that it scares NJ into giving him the max. It might work because without Martin, NJ has nobody that can play PF. The rumor that is going around is that Mourning is coming back .... Now that can be good or bad.

Good in that Mourning and Kmart had a very public fight.

Bad because the possibility of having him at full health might force Thorn to up the money so that NJ can make a run for the NBA title...

I will say this...

The whole world is watching.

It's also possible that we can work a deal to bring in Kmart/Kobe at the same time. We have the money. However, we'd probably have to either trade JT....

Sorta why, I can see us going with Smith/Nelson if we traded JT for CapSpace (Pheonix)...

Nelson/Kobe/Smith/Kmart/Pryz....

Hmm???

[pathway23]

New Jersey still has to pay Alonzo Mourning, remember. They can't give him the max. They are capped out. No way Billy Knight would give KMart the Max, if it comes to that, no Blue Light special for us.

[MoonKnight]

I was high on Kmart coming out of Cincy but I just don't feel we should make a play for him. Kmart has several strengths: physical play, great finisher on breaks, decent rebounder, decent shotblocker. He has also has several weaknesses: terrible back to the basket skills, below average jumper, small for a 4, no real potential to improve. I just don't see giving big money to a player with that many holes in his game and who has hit his ceiling in potential. His shot was blocked more than any player not named SAR. Martin would never agree to the amount of money that he is actually worth. Thoughts?

[DominiqueWilkins]

Ya the max is around 14 million per year, crazy.

K-Mart is worthy of about 10.5 million per year.

I can tell you one thing about the K-Mart/Alonzo fight. I doubt it will hurt the Nets trying to resign him. Alonzo only makes the team better when healthy, and K-Mart loves to play with Kidd. We all know Kidd makes the entire team better.

Do the Nets really need K-Mart, is the question? Richard Jefferson is becoming a superstar, and they can use the money that would be spent on K-Mart on other needs.

The Hawks don't need K-Mart that badly to pay him a MAX contract, geez I will hate to see it. I don't want Swift as a second option. I much pefer the Hawks to draft a power forward, and hope that works out.

[jezmund]

I agree about Swift. I don't care all that much about him. Would rather pick up a PF at #6 or #17.

[cyman3]

i'll take KMART avg $10 million a year (MAX- nothin higher)...

compared to the average hawksquawker here, i am a fan of KMART... but im not gonna go out and hope we sign him just like that for the MAX.

however, i wouldnt hesitate to sign KOBE for the max... i dont think any GM would hesitate to sign KOBE/MCGRADY/SHAQ/KG/DUNCAN/KIDD for the max...

[Diesel]

To resign their own restricted FA, NJ can go over the cap... We did it with JT when we had Big Dog, SAR, and Theo signed and we were already at 52 million....

[Blunt91]

It doesn't make since to sign someone like Martin who is an allstar if we choose to draft Howard because it would only hurt Howard's playing time. I would rather go after Okur. Okur at 6'11 and 260lbs can play some at center unlike Martin. Dwight would still be able to play some his first year while still learning behind Okur and Alan Henderson who will probably see alot of time at the center postion next season.

[Diesel]

I think it's a waste of time going after KMART. IF we get him then we have definitely overpaid and he's here for the money and if we don't get him, we've wasted time we could have used to go after something more fruitful...

Plus...

I am of the belief that this year we build a team of young players, hold on to our FA dollars, and next year we make a bigger splash in the FA Market. ALA Utah.

We have to build a reputation of being exciting and capable of winning in order to attract good FAs and not getting shafted.

[Vol4ever]

I think K-Mart is a role player. He is not a dominant player at the 4 spot. He has to get out and run. Pretty good player just not a star player. But I'm sure he is looking for Star money

[Admin]

Well there is the chance that Howard can play center for one. He is likely to grow another 1-4 inches and will obviously put on some lbs. with the proper weight training and conditioning that he will get in the NBA.

Another reason is that K-Mart is the Billy Knight protoype PF that he covets. Someone who crashes the boards and brings an unquestionable fire to the team. He is a good shotblocker and defender and loves to get the crowd going with big time dunks. For a run and gun team like we want to become there isnt a better PF in the game for us.....other than maybe Garnett and we know we arent getting him.

[Packfill]

I think if the Hawks draft Howard then signing Kmart does not make sense. Basically, by signing Martin you are saying Howard will not play as a rookie - because while he may grow into the center role, he will not be effective in that role as an 18 year old rookie. As others have suggested, I would rather get a real center - Okur, Blount or Foyle would all be good "protection" in the paint for Howard.

[Admin]

You are probably right......it just depends on what they think Howard will be in this league, a PF or a C. If he is a C then we should go out and get the best PF we can get and thats K-Mart hands down for the team that we want to be. If we get lucky and win the lottery maybe we shock everyone and draft Okafor and then sign K-Mart. Man talk about an athletic frontcourt that would scare people defensively and on the break.

I have been a big fan of signing or at least looking into signing Blount this offseason as I think he is about to really break out and can be had for decent money....but like others have said, we will have a much better idea of our strategy after the draft lottery wednesday night.

[CHORO44]

I'd rather have RJ then Kenyan. Kenyan has game but I don't think he is even worth 10 million. Jason Kidd makes Kenyan look better than he is. RJ is the only guy on the Nets who can create his own shot and he is gettting better.

[DominiqueWilkins]

Quote:

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I'd rather have RJ then Kenyan. Kenyan has game but I don't think he is even worth 10 million. Jason Kidd makes Kenyan look better than he is. RJ is the only guy on the Nets who can create his own shot and he is gettting better.

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RJ is the man on the Nets I would want also, but there is no use in talking about him, since he isn't up for grabs.

K-Mart isn't worth the max as we all know, but if we think we will get him for 10 million a year we are crazy. I said he is worthy of 10 million, but nothing more at the present time in his career.

K-Mart still needs to prove alot of things, but he is a STAR power forward in this league. He is able to do many things, but can't create a shot.

He wont have Kidd to throw him a Alley.

I laugh at Dwight Howard being a center in this league..lol

[OGRat]

I think he would be beeter as a PF also, but what about Okafor. Isn't he listed at 6'9''? I know he is also 250 lbs, but would he be an effective center in the NBA?

[Admin]

many of the best centers of this generation and of the last few generations. He should be a legit 7' - 7'1" and 250-280 lbs. by the time he is done growing in the next couple of years. That is easily big enough to be a dominant center. Hell other than Shaq he will be able to play very effectively at center against anyone in the league.

[TheDude]

kmart still had the fire and played well when the rest of the nets, including Kidd, didn't play well at all in the last game against the pistons.

kmart is an allstar pf.

i don't want okafor.his back scares me.