Packfill

Isn't Bibby only a year or so older then Crawford?

I guess they could trade him after the season since he will have an expiring contract - if they need the extra coin to resign JJ and Al.

Let's hope so. They also desparately need a back-up big man so we will see. If Crawford is playing 38 minutes a game next season though then this trade is a stinker.

The trade hinges on those assumptions (i.e., will the Hawks retain Bibby and Marvin) so it is impossible say without knowing what happens in free agency. If Crawford is an addition to last years starting line-up (meaning Bibby and Marvin are retained) then it is a good trade as he will only be a reserve scorer. If bringing Crawford in means the Hawks can't sing Bibby or Marvin then it is a bad trade as both are superior players. Just my opinion though.

Agreed. The Hawks didn't give up anything to get Crawford which is good. That said, if for some reason this means no Bibby or Marvin then I think it is an overall downgrade for the team. We will see though, if it is only a more expensive replacement for Flip then fine.

Personally, I would like to see this team succeed as best it can. Where there are impediments to reaching its potential, I think those impediements should be removed. Put that is my opinion and I am no NBA expert nor to I believe in sweeping overgeneralizations.

If the goals of the team are to be young and to finish in the middle of the pack, then yes, the teams problems are negligible. If the teams goal is to win a championship then Woody has to go (along with a bunch of other changes). Simple as that.

They come up because they are part of the problem, not the solution.

To make Woody's "system" work they need a dynamic floor general who understands spacing and can direct his teammates on the court (since Woody doesn't know how to install an offense that does this). Pefect point guard for the Hawks would be Crhis Paul. Oh well.

I like the move for the Wizards as well. This is a week draft and the 5th pick is a total crapshoot. Foye can play at least a little. He isn't a point guard so I can see why the Wolves want to go in a different direction but Foye may work in a backcourt with Arenas.

Mahorn was a good player, but a complementary one. I hope Al becomes more then that, though I am not sure he has the make-up to be a go-to scorer. When I think of guys who contribute across the board but do not take many shots I think of guys like Dikembe Mutumbo, Ben Wallace, Dennis Rodman, etc. (each in their prime).

The JJ deal was in the works prior to the 2005 draft. Paul was the best college point guard in a long time, Deron too, Marvin was a back-up forward . . . There is some irony in the fact that one of the picks the Hawks traded as part of the JJ deal turned out to be Rajon Rondo. In some sense though, the 2005 draft would not now be looked back upon as such a miss for the Hawks if they had managed to do something useful with their high lottery picks in the 2004 and 2006 drafts. Three misses in a row - one an outright bust - is the real problem.

Two things: 1. The Hawks biggest need entering the 2005 draft was at point guard. The alleged "gap" between Marvin and the two franchise point guards available, was small and given that BK had wasted his lottery pick the year before on a small forward . . . 2. What "North Carolina star" has anyone missed out on since Jordan? I am drawing a blank, or are you comparing Marvin to Jordan?

I agree with most of what you stated. This is why I consider BK's reign to be a failure - he had an extremely myopic view on how to build a team. As a result, I believe teh eams ceiling as currently constructed is not much higher then were they are right now - good enough to get to the playoffs but not good enough to be a real championship contender.

I think it is pretty easy to argue with that. At the end of the day, neither Smith nor Williams have proven to be true impact players. Neither is particularly consistent either. I would love to see them perform with a proper coach and point guard. Hordford too. I would easily trade any of Smith, Williams or Horford for a true elite player. In the end though, we are probably talking about to complementary players rather then leading men.

Agreed.

Agressiveness is a HUGE piece of the puzzle and the reason why Marvin is a complementary player, whereas Butler can be a leading man. As bad as Woody's offense is I do not think the mediocre offensive outputs of Marvin and Horford are entirely attributable to the fact that they are not "integrated into the offense." Sure that is part of it, but the other part is the missing level of aggressiveness that top players have.

No way I would give Flip $6 million per. I wouldn't give Flip anything more then a 2 year $8 million contract.

Agreed. Smith and Horford with a gifted point guard like Paul or Deron would be magical. It is mind boggling in many ways that the teams management continues to stick with Woody. Yes they have improved, but someone in the front office or ownership has to realize that there are major flaws in Woody's coaching abilities.

That better not be true. The team would be much better off dumping one of those other guys - none are as good as Smith.

For all of Smith's faults, he remains the Hawks second best player. Getting rid of him does not make any sense from a basketball perspective unless they are getting some real talent in return. Yes Horford and Marvin have more "coachability" but neither has turned the corner from promising prospect/contributer to playmaker. Smith is the only one of the young guys brought in during the past six years to demonstrate an ability to truly impact a game. Given Smith's "reputation" I just don't see how they can get equal value in return. Who knows, it is not like they are world beaters anyway.

The dude who wrote that missive didn't mention other young centers like Al Jefferson, Brook Lopez and Biedrins.

Chills was not under contract when he signed to play in Greece. It is no different then a Euro player signing with an NBA team after their contract has terminated. The reason for the buyouts is because the contract is ongoing. The Euro club essentially agrees to void the remaining years on the players contract in exchange for cash. I don't see the problem.

Too bad for the Suns that they traded away that pick then (I think they traded it for cash). To come away with Rondo and Lopez with those non-lottery picks is not bad drafting. Puts the JJ trade to bed finally. With Rondo's development, not as lopsided as it once was.

Wasn't Rondo picked with the pick that the Hawks sent to the Suns as part of the JJ trade?