The John Edwards Signing Just Eats At Me

[Guest Walter]

Why? For all the stated reasons & because there were all-around and defensively better, available big uglies that we should have simply tried out in camp instead of signing just yet.

Example?

http://sports.espn.go.com/ncb/player/profile?playerId=5192

Jared Homan. The guy is 6'10" 250, a force, and while sized as a Pf/C could make a great Alvin Williams type role playing BU center. He's still available and certainly has more upside than John Edwards. While playing in a more prestigious conference, Jared almost doubled Edwards' PPG (13.6 vs 7.2), more than doubled his RPG (8.7 vs 3.4), and doubled his BPG (2.1 vs 1.3). The comparison isn't even close!

Moreover, Homan's mug cannot look any worse than Munster. 2" and 20 lbs don't make up for everything else sucking. Lastly, if any of you saw the Iowa State/NC game with Homan fighting against the entire NC frontline by himself, the man has a tremendous amount of fight in him.

Another example?

http://nbadraft.net/profiles/dwaynejones.asp

Dwayne Jones. Avg. 13 RPG in the 6 game NIT tournament playing for St. Josephs. 6'10.5"-6'11", 225-230 Lbs. Avg. 10.1 PPG, 11.6 RPG, & 3 BPG as a Junior (although he graduated). Atlantic 10 defensive POY. He even worked out for us Hawks.

Could Deji be any worse than John Edwards?

http://nbadraft.net/profiles/dejiakindele.asp?playerId=22857

Others?

Look at the NBDL.

James Thomas NBDL ROY played for us last year and was a good rebounder for us.

Miami just signed the 7' Earl Baron who appears more respectable than John Edwards.

Hell, maybe even Kirk Haskins.

I wish we could have kept Randolph Morris if only to not have to sign John Edwards.

http://www.ajc.com/news/content/sports/haw...5/12morris.html

Sometimes no move is better than a lame move. In this case we have essentially prevented our having a player play his way onto our roster. We've handed it to John Edwards. Who know? I hear all the talk about "he might suprise you", but the fact is signing him now means that others and perhaps even himself wouldn't have the chance to "wow" us in camp and earn a position. This signing was a mistake in that it not only gives a guaranteed oppotunity to a complete stiff, but it undoubtedly denies another, likely better player's opportunity to prove he belongs and fits with this team.

W

[f_town]

i agree this isnt a top day in franchise history

either they know something we dont know, or the Hawks have had a momentary brainfart

my thoughts are maybe they hired him for his brief reputation as a Bogut-stopper lol

in any case, if this signing makes or breaks our franchise, we are fuxed any how

[thesource966]

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in any case, if this signing makes or breaks our franchise, we are fuxed any how

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The way you guys are reacting it makes me think we signed this guy to the max, make or break? wtf

[Admin]

I cant believe that people are actually freaking out about us signing a 12th man big body for almost nothing. All offseason we have complained that we dont have any bangers and now we have one. No he isnt anywhere near starter material and I have complete faith that he was brought in for nothing more than providing a solid bench presence, but who knows, we could get lucky with him. As long as he stays in the paint I will be happy with him.

[Final_quest]

As a fan I have similar feelings to Walter, but I'm not a GM or scout either. The essential question is who is best of the available undrafted or unsigned big men that would sign for the minimum? On the surface it seems like someone like Homan would be better, but I'll yield to the Hawks scouts and GM to make the call.

[Guest Walter]

so would have Nazr, Pryz, or Peja. We traded or cut or failed to resign at a minimum price the player we need now.

Fact is WE DO NOT HAVE A BU CALIBER CENTER (save maybe ZaZa, who must be our starter)! Collier is a 12th man (not coincidentally signed to a 2-yr guaranteed contract)!

Herman Munster is not even a 12th roster spot caliber player. The fact is we signed AT BEST a marginal 12th man who is going to have to play the role of a 9th or 10th man when there were better players available in the NBDL, as undrafted rookies, and through trades and FAcy. We have a starting caliber center in Europe that we could have made a substantial offer to to convince him to come over now, but not even that. Every avenue to get a legitimate player as our BU if not starting center was open to us and we so wanted John Edwards we chose to eliminate competition in training camp and perhaps sign a nobody to a 2 year guaranteed contract.

We acted too soon.

We didn't try all opportunities available to us.

We signed a loser.

We may have done so for 2 guaranteed years.

There were better players available across the board.

We eliminated training camp competition.

We still lack a proven starter and legitimate BU at center.

W

[pathway23]

W is overreacting.

W is overreacting.

W is overreacting.

The season hasn't started yet.

We haven't seen John Edwards play.

[Guest Walter]

The guy averaged 7 PPG, 3 RPG, and 1 BPG as a senior in college at no name university.

No NBA center in history ever averaged a college line that pathetic, much less at no name U.

Challenge. Anyone who can find an NBA center with a worse line wins a John Edwards for Prez sticker.

W

[thecampster]

Wouldn't Bringing Alvin Jones in make just as much sense. If it's rebounding and blocked shots we're looking for, he was more than capable of both. He just wasn't the brightest lightbulb on the tree.

[Lascar78]

Do you honestly think the board reaction would have been any different if it was Alvin Jones. Alvin got a chance in the league and failed, bad. Edwards only had 1 year and hardly got any PT. HeE might be a nobody we had for a year in the NBDL and then cut, or he might become a decent NBA backup. Who knows? Either way it's nothing worth freaking out about. I don't recall anyone freaking out when we brought Ekezie in. He had 3.5 pts and 2.6 boards in his best season before last year, at age 29. The year before we got him he got 1 and 1 in 5 mpg. That's what edwards got last year at age 23-24. And Ekezie was our best center last year.

And everyone complains about losing Przybilla (did you know the z came before the y? weird). He got 1 and 2 his first year in 50% more minutes. Hell his third year in the league he got 1 and 4 in 17 mpg. Why can't this guy become as good as Przybilla? BK is doing the right thing. When you're rebuilding, you can take chances on a number of young players, and keep only those that worked out when you're ready to do some serious winning.

At worst we have 6 more fouls for Shaq

So let's all relax. We got a legit 7 footer who's young and has some potential. He probably won't amount to anything, in which case we lost nothing. But there's a chance that we got a good defensive, rebounding 7 footer for close to nothing. I don't see how we could have lost anything here. If they find a better C who actually wants to come here, we can send, Ivey, Donta, or Edwards down to NBDL to make room for him (or cut one of those guys).

I don't see how any bad can come out of this signing

[Plainview1981]

You got to admit those are mediocre college stats...

How did he get drafted with college numbers like that?

[TheDude]

well i don't think it's the money, i think it's the availability of others who may be better for the same money.

[Lascar78]

I don't know. I do know that he's 7 feet and was defensive player of the year in his conference.

I mean I also don't understand how a guy like Josh Smith plays ball his whole life and has no handle at all either.

[thecampster]

You make it sound like I was flipping out.

Just saying, is the signing even worth talking about. Couldn't anyone do this job. There's 3 types of players you sign.

1. Star Player - Guy who comes in and is one of your top 5 scorers or 2 best rebounders on your team. He gets 30+ minutes a game and gets to do postgame interviews. IE - When we signed/traded for JJ.

2. Roster Talent - Guy who comes in and plays servicable minutes in relief of one of the guys above. The roll Deke played for Houston last year or the role Alan Henderson Played.

3. Cannon Fodder - This is a guy who get's the league minimum to get dunked on in Practice, substitutes in to give a breather to a vet during intersquad practice sessions, stands under the basket and retrieves balls during free throw practice, sits on the bench in his warmups and waves a towel in the last 2 minutes of a tight game, has his head blocked out by the guy in front of him during the team photo, get's waived and resiged to 10 day contracts 3 times in a season and typically ends up baggin groceries at your local Kroger or being used as a stunt double in the next Shaqfu movie. He is typically referred to by management in the press release as a project guy who hasn't gotten his opportunity yet in the league.

Unfortunately, until proven otherwise I will have to believe that in 5 years Mr. Edwards will be asking "Paper or Plastic?"

[Lascar78]

my rant about people flipping out wasn't directed at you at all even if it might have seemed that way. I was talking about people like Walter and others who have been acting as if this was a disastrous signing. I agree that he's unlikely to succeed, and also unlikely to hurt us in any way. No big deal. 7 footers are always good to just have around

[pathway23]

Well put, I agree. This is a low risk cheap move, there is noone Billy likes available, obviously, so he is saving up some cap to use next offseason on a player he likes.

[RAHMOR]

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Cannon Fodder

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I've always loved that term.

But anyway as someone explained earlier the problem is that when everyone heard about the young center signing people expected too much. Some of us even expected Nene amongst other. There's a huge drop off in what we expected and what we have gotten and that's the problem. Also every other player added this offseason has been someone we legitimately believed would help this team succeed and this is the first of this type of signing we've had.

Coming off a high naturally is alot easier than a buzzkill.

[Guest Walter]

The point was if Alvin Jones years removed would be just as good an option that shows you just how bad your current choice was.

You don't take "chances" on players who have NEVER had a line better than 7, 3, 1 in their entire life! Might as well sign ANYBODY and I'm including people on this board. Hello, anyone here AT BEST average 7, 3, 1 at a no name college? Fact is, if you averaged less than that as an underclassman we'll sign you to a 3 year deal.

Anyone seen a worse college senior line for a player in the pros than 7, 3, 1? Anyone? I've got a John Edwards for President sticker awaiting you?

W

[Guest Walter]

Get a guy like Jared Homan (likely for less money, less time) and you have a guy who may have some upside. This guy as a 7' senior at no name U. couldn't score, board, or bock shots enough to total more than 7, 3, and 1. That's just shameful, especially when Jaren Homan doubles every stat of his as a junior in a major conference.

Fact is there is no upside here. Fact is that Collier is so bad and already represents a 12th roster spot player. We needed something more than cannon fodder. Our young players need someone with scrap who actually deserves to be in the NBA.

No the signing isn't the end of the world, but it's a lousy move in a series of lousy center moves by BK. I'm beginning to think that he can't scout the center position (Za Za prove me wrong).

W

[Plainview1981]

I agree.... Billy Knight seems to some problems with

the center position. He lets go of better players and

ends up with scrubs over and over again.