Hawks to pursue Marquis Daniels in free agency.

[KB21]

The Dallas Morning News is reporting that the Hawks may be prepared to offer Daniels $5 million plus to get him away from Dallas. I'd link the story, but it is a subscription story.

[jezmund]

I'm not sure if I like this. $5+million? That's really not the way I wanted us to spend our money. I can't say I've watched that much of him but I guess playing next to Nash, Finley and Nowitzki helped him out quite a bit.

[Weez]

but if you don't offer that much, they resign him. While I don't know if they still ahve their MCE for this year, I think that they do (they didn't use it last year right?), then that's what it'll take to get him.

I just hope theyre high enough on him to trust him running the "point." I'm still not really sure what position he plays....

[pathway23]

I love it. I think Marquis Daniels is worth 5 mil. He is the type of player that does all the little things, even though he has the all round game where he could become a star. He is a team player for sure.

[KB21]

I'd call Daniels a guard. What he brings to the table is height and superb ball handling ability. He actually started at forward for the Mavericks.

If the Hawks pursue him, then it is a sign that Billy Knight wants to add people that can handle the ball.

I personaly feel that this desire to get a "true" point guard is very overrated. Look at the point guard prospects in college. Most of your point guards coming up are scoring point guards.

Jason Terry is a player that has been hurt more by the lack of ball handling talent around him than he has by any supposed inability of his.

[pathway23]

Could we be thinking of replacing either Bob Sura or Steven Jackson with Daniels? Yes Daniels is a guard, he is 6'6" , he was near the top of the league in steals per TO, had an assist to TO ratio of near 3 (2 assists to .8 TO), and ranked 14th in theNBA in FG%! (.494)....he is definitely talented, hard to believe he wasn't even drafted.

Also - in the first round of the playoffs (5 games) he stepped in for an injured Mavs player and avged 15.8 ppg in 36.8 mpg at .427 FG%, 3 ast, 3 TO, 6 reb, 3 stl

[Sage11]

Hmmmm! Maybe Knight is not after K-Mart after all.

Gang we need to watch this.... Based on what he did last season, not bad...

[Diesel]

Getting Daniels could mean that we are looking for a ballhandling 2 who can play. What are our expectations of Diaw? So let's look at a probable lineup with no trade of JT:

JT/Daniels/Diaw/Howard/C.

I put in Howard because I believe that we have confidence about getting Howard...

This could be our team....But really, I wouldn't bank our future on JT. I would rather trade him and get #3 and get Livingston. Then I would rather trade for #7 and get Josh Smith.

That's a young team worth watching...

Livingston/Daniels/Smith/Howard/C.

[KB21]

.....that Jason Terry is very much in Billy Knight's plans. Billy Knight is the type that won't say much, but when he says something, you can take him at face value. He told Jason Terry that he wanted him around for the rebuilding. To me, that seems like Knight felt that the lack of ball handling on the team overall was a bigger problem than Jason Terry being a combo guard. I don't think Knight would come out and tell Jason Terry that he wanted him around, only to turn around and trade him.

I've maintained all along that Knight's intentions are to keep Jason Terry and Stephen Jackson together. Now, he's got some working to do with Jackson, but he's going to attempt to keep him. Billy wants an up tempo team, and regardless of your opinion concerning Jason Terry, he does play well in the up tempo style. When the Hawks put a team on the floor that had better ball handling and could run with him after the AS break, Terry was averaging 19 ppg and 6 apg. He also cut down on his turnovers once he had an alternate ball handler in the backcourt.

If the Hawks can sign Marquis Daniels, they have a guy who can play the two, handle the basketball extremely well, run the point at times, and can actually score some himself. I still think the Hawks may try to keep Bob Sura as well.

The biggest question in my mind is if Billy Knight is going to pursue Kenyon Martin as well.

[Diesel]

JT had Diaw for all of last season and Sura for the later part of last season. It's not making him a better ball handler, it's making him a 2... That's what he has always been. The reason you can't build on this plan is .. What if they get injured. We're back to JT. The problem is not all about JT's ball handling.. I think he handles the ball very well and it's not about our team's lack of Ball handlers... There are many other teams with less ball handling than us that play better than we do... The problem is with JT's basketball IQ. On any given play, JT doesn't know where his teammate are. How can you run the offense and you don't know where your players are. With JT, this has always been. It has amazed me, how guys with less experience in Atlanta has come in year by year and played with the same offense that JT plays with and has done a lot better. It's not the ballhandlers, it's JT.

I think BK kept JT on because he had no choice. JT's contract makes him hard to move. Still though, if moving JT makes our team better, I can see him being gone.

[Weez]

you're right. JT, and in truth most other pg's not named Kidd, need/are greatly enhanced with a two that can handle the ball/make some decisions. Diaw is that. JT will never be a great pg...but neither is Chauncey, the finals mvp.

and you're right, Knight wants more uptempo, esp. at the onset (see Sacramento) to get fans in the seats.

what bothers me about JT, aside from his well covered "short" comings, is that he really struggles to RUN a fastbreak. He can finish, layup, spot up...but he's shown a deficiency at making smart passes when he's the one running the break...a dangerous thing when you play passing lanes and are often the one coming up with the steal and/or have the speed to get upcourt quickly. that's why I don't like him. We may retain him for a bit...but he won't finish that contract in Atlanta. I asure you of this.

[Wretch]

That is my problem with Jason Terry. First off, let me say that JT has been my favorite Hawk for quite a while. When he nailed his first 3 pointer, I could just tell that he was a sharpshooter. Then he did it again, and again, and again. He had several games as a rookie where he'd dish out 10+ assists and I had much faith in him. He has been mishandled by management/coaching, which I believe is his biggest problem, but I don't dislike his game.

All intangible issues aside, what I don't like about JT is simple. He creates too many liabilities.

He's a liability on defense because of his hieght - we need a bigger PG so that they can match up with the opposing SG.

He's a liability on defense because he doesn't play good defense.

He's a liability on offense because we need a tall PG, or ball handling SG, that can allow him to play SG - but if that player goes down, we are stuck with JT running the point...alone.

He's a liability on offense because he has trouble running the offense.

You get a guy, 6'3" or 6'2" that doesn't need anyone next to him to help handle the ball or share playmaking duties...then you have eliminated 3 of these liabilities. Yes, there are many shoot first PG's in the league. In fact, true IMPACT point guards are very few and VERY far in between (I believe Livingston is the next one).

But out of all the scoring PGs in the league, I can think of only one that NEEDS to have someone help him run the offense. That should tell us all something.

I would deal Jason Terry now if it meant that we could select Livingston or another high lottery prospect. If we are keeping him, then SOMEBODY has to drag him through point guard boot camp. If Jason Terry could function ALONE at the point, then there is no way in hell I would deal him. His speed, handles, and shooting are just too good to let go. If he can't do this, then all we are doing is creating a liability for when the games begin to count.

I shudder to think about our star ball handler at the 2 going down...in a playoff game, having JT, as he is now, bringing the ball up the court for a critical play in the waning moments of the game.

He can get his shot off, no question; but what if the defense commits to him as the shooter...

[KB21]

You brought up Chauncey. IMO, Chauncey through his first 5 seasons was not as good as Jason during his first 5 seasons. Everyone considered him a two that couldn't run an offense and couldn't run a fastbreak. Things like that.

One of two things happened though. Chauncey either developed that ability through experience, or he landed with a coach that knew how to use him. Either way, Chauncey Billups has emerged and is now considered a top 10 NBA point guard, which is something many projected for him when he came out of college.

Chauncey has an obvious size advantage on Jason Terry, but I feel that Jason Terry is quicker and is a better shooter.

The only thing that really bugs me about Jason Terry is that he doesn't utilize his ability to penetrate the lane as much as he should. When he does it, he's very good at it. For whatever reason, he doesn't penetrate the lane. That's what keeps him from being up there with Baron Davis and Steve Francis in terms of scoring point guards. They are willing to penetrate and draw fouls.

[thescout5]

For a player to average just 8.5 points and 2.2 assist a game why are the hawks going that route to give that kind of money to Daniels.I realize he is only 23 and 6-6 but while he has upside he is another risk that has not proven himself.He may eventually pan out but at this point of the Hawks development do we really need another unproven talent.We already have Diaw and while he was a rookie and has upside how many risks do we have to take especially using up cap space . The hawks if they want to draw any fans back need some big name players we all realize so if Knight signs Daniels I just hope he is a player that can come through a be a intricate part of the team.

[KB21]

It's a small sample size, but Daniels did average 17.5 ppg with 4.5 apg on 51% shooting as a starter last season. In the playoffs, he averaged 15 ppg.

[pathway23]

Daniels is well worth that money and will not disappoint. He played on a LOADED Dallas Team and was probably their best defensive player at the guard position due to Mike Finley slowing down. He did all that in less than 19 mpg. That is quite a contribution. But I think he showed something in the playoffs. This guy is not unproven, he is at minimum a solid role player, he came out of Auburn with plenty of experience and being here in Athens, GA I heard about him on Sports Talk radio all the time. He was underrated in College as well.

[thescout5]

Playoffs 15.8 and 3 assist a game, I will take Knight's word for it but I hope you guys are right.This also tells me since they are pursuing him that either Jackson is gone at small forward or Daniels may play either shooting or point which I think shooting guard is where he would be.Where does Diaw play? The Hawks must be planning to draft up front (Howard,Okafor)although I think Livingston will be a heck of a player.Having a point guard who can distibute is essential and Terry doesn't have the IQ for it plus he hurts the team on defense.As we saw in the playoffs the ability to drive to the basket is important since getting fouled or easier baskets are the results.Terry just doesn't use his quickness enough to get to the basket.

Anyway I would be looking at a front court power forward if Daniels is signed.The Hawks need some intimidator's for once to worry the pther team.Other teams don't even know are front court is on the floor.

[Plainview1981]

Keeping JT is a unwise move and Billy will fail at

making JT valuable just as Pete did. JT really doesn't

nothing well anymore.

His steals have gone down.....His shooting has got worse

every year....His defense has got worse instead of improved

and he's just a dumb player. He's not worth keeping long

term. He might have to be kept a year just so the team

will have somebody that can score. Why overpay Marquis

Daniels? This guy will produce nothing when defenses get

the chance to defend him instead of having to worry about

Dirk/Nash/Finley/Walker/Jamison.

If your goal is to win a championship featuring players

like JT and Daniels you are going to fall way short of

the goal.

[JB20]

Yeah, but then there's the fact that Daniels played on a loaded team and never EVER saw a double team. If you watched Dallas at all this year, you'd see that most teams left Daniels and Josh Howard open all season. He got tons of open looks.

I'm not downplaying the fact that he's a REALLY nice prospect, but he didn't see a whole lot of defense his way playing with Nash, Fin, Dirk, Walker (I'd play off of him first), and Jamison.

He's got game, but he didn't see the tough D like a lot of other players. No respect.

[KB21]

The same thing was said about Stephen Jackson, and when he was the go-to guy after the SAR trade last year, he averaged 24 ppg. Jackson showed that he could score even with the defense directing their defense towards him and Terry.