We offered Hendu for Shaq????

[andycard69]

WTF was Knight thinking. If the Lakers had taken that deal then Kobe could have built the team as he wanted over the next 2 years. Oh well now they will just be a team that might or might not make the playoffs.

[Admin]

Where did you hear this?

If we were only giving up Hendu and not any draft picks I would definitely do it. We need our cap space for front court players right? Well Shaq is the best there is in the game in that regard, put Harrington next to him and we would have a legit shot at beating anyone on any given night.

Not to mention it would FINALY create some positive press concerning the Hawks and after 2 years the Diesel could move on to someplace else and we have a boatload of cap room.

[andycard69]

It was in an article on ajc plus by Bradley. The deal was so that the LAL could have all the cap space they wanted.

[cyman3]

i woulda pulled the trigger...

Shaq, Harrington, Diaw, Childress, Terry is good enuf for us to win our division.

[TnDawg]

Even though Shaq is still an imposing player right now I'm glad he's not coming to Atlanta. The reason I say this is the Hawks are just starting to rebuild and make wise decisions after more than a decade of bad decisions. I hope that Billy continues on the path he's started. Picking up Shaq now would've only been a short term fix. We still wouldn't have the pieces to win a championship, and unless we could win this year Shaq would turn into a problem for us too. He's scheduled to make over $50 millon in the next 2 years and once he gets traded he will demand a contract extension. The main reason that he and Kobe couldn't get along is one is a workaholic when it comes to improving his game, and the other just wants to get by with his size. Shaquile is on the decline. He may have a couple of good years left if he gets motivated. Granted given his current situation, it should be an ideal motivational tool. Given his past though I don't think it would last past next season, and then he would continue to grow and slow down. Even though I hope it don't take that long, the Hawks could be just about jelling into something special if we stay the course Billy has started. If we had Shaq and it turns out that I'm right about his decline, and motivation, and he gets the contract extension he's asking for then we would be handicapped once again by an unproductive player, on his way out ala Hendu but at a greater cap hit. We would be screwed for years to come. Before any of you start to tell me I'm wrong, read this article:

www.floridatoday.com/!NEWSROOM/columnstoryS0712FRET.htm

Lets build for the long term as well trying to win a championship within Woodson's contract period.Once we get back, the playoffs still won't be good enough.

[DominiqueWilkins]

Quote:

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i woulda pulled the trigger...

Shaq, Harrington, Diaw, Childress, Terry is good enuf for us to win our division.

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Not to leave out resigning Joel, and Collier to come off the bench.

That would give us some depth to backup Shaq, and some size.

[TROUBLEMAN69]

That article reads like an Orlando Magic fan who is still upset because Shaq left them. The truth of the matter is, even Kobe Bryants shot attempts were down last season. He averaged 6 points per game less, just like Shaq, than the previous year. The reason? The addition of Karl Malone and Gary Payton.

Also Shaq has rarely played a full NBA season. Not counting the lockout season, Shaq has only played in more than 70 games 5 times in 11 seasons. Yes, the Pistons didn't double team Shaq in the Finals, but the Lakers also didn't use Shaq like they should have. Shaq shot 63% in the finals, while averaging 26 pts and 10.8 boards. He only averaged 16 shot attempts per game, which is below his career average of 18, this despite the fact the Pistons were not double teaming him. The Lakers didn't even attempt to force the double teams by feeding Shaq the ball, as evident by the long stretches were Shaq didn't touch the ball. Also don't forget the Karl Malone injury factor. I doubt any team would have won the championship with Slava, Brian Cook, and Luke Walton playing minutes.

Yes, Shaq is on the decline, hell what 32 year old man isn't, but name a center that is even close to his production. The Heat were going nowhere with Brian Grant in the middle, and contrary to popular opinion, they didn't mortgage the franchise. I strongly believe Shaq has at least 4 more good years left, and the Heat will be a force in the playoffs with him. I don't think they are championship material, but I do believe they will still perform better than the Lakers without Shaq.

TROUBLEMAN

[UncleOJ]

What exactly was Billy's offer? It couldn't have been just Hendu for Shaq.

[TheDude]

don't forgo the future just to make the playoffs..would have only done it if we didn't lose our young players...

[andycard69]

Yup just Hendu for Shaq. It was a deal to give all of our capspace to LAL.

[delanceyj]

Kudos to Billy for trying!!

[TnDawg]

I took in consideration that the article was tilted towards being a good spin for Orlando. My biggest concern with this deal would have been with Shaq already making $27.7 million next year and $30 million the following one. After we consider that he wants an extension without giving up anything, how much $$$$$ will we have to sign our young players that we are rebuilding with now in three years when their contracts are up. More than half of our cap room will be tied up in Shaq. Shaq's current production is not the question, its his not willing to stay in shape that has me concern over the long haul. If our young guns develop the way we hope, then we would have to trade them because we wouldn't be able to keep them at the point when I think we will actually have a chance to be true title contenders

[TnDawg]

Remember how quickly Shawn Kemp deteriorated after he picked up his weight.

[Admin]

You can go over the cap as far as you want to sign your own FA's. Plus, with the luxury tax possibly going away, there would be no reason to not sign our own players to good contracts if they deserve it. The downside to getting Shaq is that we wouldnt have room to go out and get any additional help for him other than via the draft and that isnt likely to help quick enough.

[TnDawg]

If the luxury cap goes away, that would solve most of my concerns. The rest would be with not being able to go out and get the help that we would need to win with Shaq any time soon. Anyway I'm please with how we're rebuilding, lets see how the trades actually work out.