Hawks News (8-6-04)

[HawkTodd]

THE DAILY (8-6-04).

http://www.hoopsworld.com/article_9276.shtml

Atlanta Hawks: Apparently Erick Dampier isn't interested in moving fast enough to grab the green while it's still available. In fact, if you were to put this guy in a money grab booth with :30 to grab as much cash as he can, he'd likely spend :28 of that time dreaming about how much he could get ... and practically miss the opportunity in the process. Now you have Sacramento Kings star Peja Stojakovic begging Sacramento management to trade him. Why not take what you have left of your millions under the cap and make a run at the league's second-best scorer (last season)? Because it would cause another season of Antoine Walker's pout fests, that's why ...

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THE LINKS (8-6-04).

http://slamonline.com/links/08022004/

Speaking of the Hawks, the world's other Hawks fan, Myung in Atlanta, writes...

Hey, Lang. It's been a minute since I've written you. First of all, just wanted to let you know I ran into Nick Anderson at a California Pizza Kitchen recently. He was travelling with a posse of about 3 or 4 guys. Yep, Nick Anderson still has a posse, even though he's been out of the League for a few years. He still looks like he's in great shape though. I was going to go up to him and ask him to pay for my dinner since his four missed free throws back in '95 cost me a bet back in the day, but I decided against it. I probably would've been thrown through a window, Charles Barkley style.

Anyway, I just wanted to make an observation: has there ever been a team in NBA history that has had as much turnover in a 12 month span than our beloved Hawks? I know Charlotte's the REAL expansion team in the NBA, but what separates us from them? I totally see us as an expansion team this upcoming year (except we have much more talent right now than Charlotte does). But really, we're just like Charlotte: heading into the 2004 season, we're pretty much an entirely new team with an entirely new coach. In front of me is the Official 2003-04 Yearbook of the Atlanta Hawks (they mailed them out to all season ticket holders last season). You want to know who's on the cover? Six players and the head coach. Who are those players? Nazr, Theo, Hendu, JT, Reef, and Dion Glover. The coach is of course Terry Stotts. How many of those 7 guys (6 of them players) are on the team now? We all know the answer to that question.

Throw in the fact that 5 other guys featured in the magazine (Dickau, Whoo Jackson, Jacque Vaughn, Lee Nailon, and Terrell Brandon) are no longer on the team, and I challenge anyone out there to find another NBA franchise who has gone through as much personnel change in a year as our team. Seriously, our team is unrecognizable. Not that I'm complaining. I'm excited about where we're heading. Do I think we'll be a Playoff team this season? No. But heading into the 2005-2006 season, I REALLY think we'll be ready to make our championship run. I mean it.

I know you're pretty excited too, Lang. I'm sure you're skeptical about getting too excited (after all these years of disapppointment), but you've got to like what we're doing. I know it sounds nuts to most people in the world, but I'm REALLY excited to be a Hawks fan right now. I REALLY hope we'll move Antoine Walker for one last piece (there IS still time to make some moves, right?). I don't want to see him in a Hawks uniform. I'm not hating on him as a player like a lot of people are doing (i.e. he shoots too many 3's); I just don't think he has a place on the team if we're going to build around Al Harrington and the two Josh's. Even though it's his contract year and I know he'll play well, I think he'll stunt the growth of three potentially explosive players. If he plays on the Hawks this season as a rent-a-player, we might have more short term success this season and he could be an All Star, but he'll set our re-building plan back a year.

One last thing: have you heard anything about new uniforms? I saw JT (pre-trade) on a local sports show here in Atlanta, and he mentioned how our new uniforms looked hot. I hadn't heard anything. I know Utah and Memphis have new uniforms, but I didn't know Atlanta was doing something different. Have you heard anything?

No, I'm still excited about the Hawks, even though I shouldn't be. Antoine is going to be better than you think, I believe. And if he isn't, he won't get a big contract next year from anyone. As for the uni's, I heard the Hawks will have a third uniform next season with yellow as the main color, and that they will actually look better than it sounds. We'll see...

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Stojakovic requests trade (8-6-04).

http://www.contracostatimes.com/mld/cctime.../9334615.htm?1c

Dampier update:

Erick Dampier, a free agent who has played the past seven seasons with Golden State, said he would consider signing with the Knicks even if it meant accepting less money than he was offered elsewhere.

"You get to a certain point in your life where the money's not a factor; you just want to win," Dampier. "I think I'm at that point. I'm not getting any younger, and I want to be in the playoffs and have a chance for a world championship."

The Atlanta Hawks have offered him a six-year contract worth about $50 million, and unless the Knicks are able to pull off a sign-and-trade deal with Golden State, which is unlikely, Dampier will have to settle for the midlevel exception of $4.9 million a year from the Knicks. If he chooses to join the Knicks, Dampier said he would sign a one-year deal, then test the free-agent market again next summer.

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Georgian Sports: Q & A with Nickoloz Tskitishvili (8-6-04).

http://www.mamuli.net:8989/geosports/sppro...pos=1&vjob=vsub,171

- Which team is most possible for you to play in?

- As I played well during the Summer League, several clubs got interested in me. I won’t perish if I leave Denver, you know. At the moment four clubs are being most active. These are: Washington Wizards, Charlotte Bobcats, Atlanta Hawks and Phoenix Suns. I want to go to the club where I’ll have best opportunity to play.

[Employee8]

Why not take what you have left of your millions under the cap and make a run at the league's second-best scorer (last season)? Because it would cause another season of Antoine Walker's pout fests, that's why ...

Who the hell writes these articles? Peter May??? Geez...

Where's the freakin' OBJECTIVITY here???

[Employee8]

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I know it sounds nuts to most people in the world, but I'm REALLY excited to be a Hawks fan right now. I REALLY hope we'll move Antoine Walker for one last piece (there IS still time to make some moves, right?).

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Oh there's going to be more moves made but it won't include Antoine....At least not right now(depending on how well he plays and what value he brings at the deadline)...

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I don't want to see him in a Hawks uniform.

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Then you'd better not watch any Hawk games prior to the Deadline, son....

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I'm not hating on him as a player like a lot of people are doing (i.e. he shoots too many 3's); I just don't think he has a place on the team if we're going to build around Al Harrington and the two Josh's.

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Al Harrington and the two Josh's will benefit from Walker's presence because :

1.) He's a LEADER

2.) He will take the pressure off of Harrington to be the "Franchise" like so many of us here were quick to do prior to bringing Walker in.

3.) What have we got to lose? The team isn't competing for the championship anytime soon and besides.....Walker(along with Harrington and possibly Dampier) may actually help the Hawks return to the Postseason; *that* should be the goal here.

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Even though it's his contract year and I know he'll play well, I think he'll stunt the growth of three potentially explosive players.

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They said the same thing in Boston after he left...Oh yeah...He stunted the growth of Marcus Banks so much THEY TRADED HIM(Banks) FOR A DECREPIT OLD PG and Rick Fox....Oops..So much for THAT theory. NEXT!

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If he plays on the Hawks this season as a rent-a-player, we might have more short term success this season and he could be an All Star, but he'll set our re-building plan back a year.

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And just how long have we been rebuilding, exactly? What's ONE MORE YEAR then?? Sheesh.... If we are still rebuilding, why not LOOK GOOD DOING IT??