Packfill

Tinsley stinks.

Bibby is not injury prone in the sense that he misses games, but he has a long track record of getting banged up which affects his play. He plays through it to his credit but it does limit his effectiveness.

Hard to say, but there is always a team or two that exceeds expectations. I think Chicago is a candidate to improve, as is Charlotte with Larry Brown at the helm - just because their old coach was even worse then Woody. Miami with a healthy Dwayne Wade, Shawn Marion and Michael Beasley could be decent as well. Obviously all three could flop again, but I do think the east is a bit deeper this year and that it will take more then 37 wins to make the playoffs. The Hawks should have the inside track but they will need to improve over last season to get back.

I don't think Marvin will be one of the ten best small forwards next year. It would be great if he was, but I don't think it will happen. I do think he will become a Richard Jefferson/Rashard Lewis type of player in time though, which is nice, except for what the team passed on to draft him.

I agree that Acie's development will be the key to how the team spends its money next off-season.

It could be that Sund outsmarted everyone. It could also be that Memphis was not going to make a play at Smith because they thought he would cost too much. Once they realized the ASG was pinching their pennies they may have thought, what the hect, through out a reasonable number and see if they match. If they do, oh well we weren't expecting to get him anyway. If they don't, heck we got a bargain! Of course netiher franchise is very welll run, so who knows.

You could argue that the Memphis front office has done more work to improve the Hawks for next season then the Atlanta Hawks own front office.

Normally tying up the other teams capspace for a week is advantageous. In this instance, however, there really isn't anyone else available so it is unlikely Memphis is going to spend the money on anyone of significance if the Hawks match the offer to Smith. The Hawks need to match the offer as soon as possible and then set their sights on adding another veteran to the bench.

If this is what the ASG thinks then they are dumb, cheap or both.

This is good news. Now the Hawks just need to match. At least we will know what the team will look like next year in 7 days.

Orlando has had a black hole at shooting guard for a few years now. They desperately need someone who can hit a J and play solid defense. Instead of resigning him after he had a career year, they went out and replaced him with a late first round draft pick and another free agent. Again, I like Evans, but there is a reason he was choosing between the worst two franchises in the NBA - Clippers and Hawks.

Why? He is just asking for the same money his peers are getting. The reality is that a deal should get done at $11 million (or with incentives like Deng).

Do you honestly believe that Smith is only worth $9 million if comparable or lesser players are signing contracts for more money? Seriously, the market has spoken and talented young players with holes in their game are worth $10 million dollars to most NBA franchises.

If Evans is so good why didn't Orlando want to bring him back? Can't be because of the money because they paid Pietrus more. We are talking about a guy who was choosing to sign with either the Clippers or Atlanta - not exactly premier franchises.

I don't blame Smith for not taking $9 million. Yes he has holes in his game but so do Ellis (shooting guard in point guard body), Okafor (injuries) and Deng (injuries). No reason they should get more then him.

Very true. There is also a very obvious trend on this board for people falling in love with the newest Hawk draft pick. It makes sense in a way as a rookie can have warts and we can still hope they become a superstar.

Guys, Evans is a nice signing and fills a need but there is a reason he is a career journeyman. Obviously Childress never lived up to his draft status (thanks again BK), but he was a solid contributor. I think the Hawks will miss his garbage buckets because the offensive system is so bad they need someone who can make something out of nothing.

The thing is, outside of Detroit, no team has won a championship without one of the top 5 active players in the game leading them to victory in almost 30 years. Detroit twice being the exception, had the advantage of hall of fame coaching for their championships (not to mention balanced veteran rosters and excellent point guard play). The reality is that the deck is stacked against the Hawks winning a championship unless Smith, Williams or Horford become MVP candidates.

Those didn't help either of course. The problem is that Chris Paul is the one who has demonstrated MVP potential to this point, and given the rarity of that type of talent, passing on him is likely BKs biggest blunder. Hopefully the current Hawks prove this to be false.

Not with a young team - unless you consider .500 winning. With a veteran team with strong leadership, maybe.

This is why it is really important to not screw up when you have really high draft picks and franchise caliber talents available in the draft. Taking Marvin over Paul is one reason the Hawks are not likely to win a championship with the current core.

I was hoping for a veteran big man to provide minutes and toughness off the bench - I was thinking a Brian Skinner type of guy (I realize he has now resigned with the Clippers).

With all the posturing going on, what do you want to happen with Smith (i.e., not what you think will happen)?

I really like the Evans signing. I wanted Roger Mason but Evans might make more sense now that Childress is gone. I don't necessarily think the Evans signing moves the ball forward for the Hawks given the loss of Childress, but it was a very good band aid that at least stopped the bleeding.

This is exactly why having strong leadership - both on court leadership in the form of veteran players and management/coaching that can instill the right atmosphere for development - is essential to the development of a young team, particularly one with lots of early entry candidates on its roster. Either there is something rotten within the franchise or they are drafting/signing the wrong type of people.