Packfill

Sad indeed.

Quote: I swear you guys are just idiots sometimes. I mean full fledged idiots. Am I the only one that actually follows the NBA and knows the history and skill level of some of these players. Have you been hanging out with KB?

I agree except I rather give minutes to Batista or even Solomon then to Lo Wright (assuming the acquisition of Mihm or Bynum). If the Hawks were competing for a championship that would be one thing but the team is still in the talent development stage - so might as well take the lumps now and see what the youngster can do.

Those are good lists with talented players but I don't think many of them will ever become available as free agents. Chances are better then even that guys like Hinrich, Williams, Ford, Ridnour, Kaman and Milicic get locked up by their current teams unless they have terrible seasons, in which case they are not as valuable as they are today. Once you take those guys out, only Billups and Bibby are true upgrades for the Hawks (barring a breakout year by someone else, in which case they get locked up long term by their current team anyway). Billups and Bibby will both cost more then the $8-9 million the Hawks have available to spend. Most of the other top free agents (and potential free agents) are shooting guard/small forward types (i.e., Carter, Lewis, Wallace, etc.) who make zero sense for the Hawks. Obviously, that analysis does not take into account trades. For a trade to work though, the Hawks will need to unload some assets of their young assets (since they no longer have a Walker/Harrington type to unload for picks/players). So at the end of the day, most of the teams improvement will come from the players currently on the roster or through a trade involving some of those same players rather then a free agent signing.

In that deal I think Mo Williams would have been a bigger prize then Magloire. Would have been an absolutely fantastic deal for the Hawks.

Quote: Quote: Teams with dominant bigmen have won 7 of the last 8 NBA championships.. I have to disagree with that as Shaq's LA Lakers were the only team in the last 7 years to win a championship with a truly dominant big man. Tim Duncan is a great player who can dominant a game but he's more of a hypbrid PF. Ben Wallace dominant? A great defensive player but not a dominating bif. The Heat? D-Wade was the dominant player in that series and IMHO, they were a better team with Mourning on the floor..and I wouldn't consider him to be a domninant big man either. The one thing these teams have in common is a strong defensive presence in the middle - something which doesn't require a dominant big man. The game is definitely evolving to having athletic PFs play center as the days of the traditional "big" man are over. Can you name a dominating big man that's playing today? Dude, if Tim Duncan is not a dominating big man then I don't know who is. Fact of the matter is no team has one a championship in recent years without an allstar caliber big man.

Quote: I would say Mihm is marginally better than what we have but the gap isn't big enough to trade for him. Agreed, especially in light of the Lorenzen Wright signing.

Well, it says the Hawks will have $8-9 million. Shouldn't they have more then that? posted: Monday, August 7, 2006 | Feedback | Print Entry Wait until next year! That's the mantra of a number of poor NBA teams that struck out in the free-agent market this summer. As loyal fans howl about the lack of improvement from their teams this offseason, promises of cap room and a much improved free-agent class are intermingled with a call for patience. After yawning our way through this year's lackluster free-agency period, the big question is: Will things be much better next year? The answer isn't going to be a popular one. The bottom line is that very few teams will have the cash to make major upgrades to their rosters via free agency next summer. As John Hollinger has laid out, the free-agent class of 2007 is better than this year's weak crop. There will be some solid unrestricted free agents (assuming they opt out of their current deals) such as Rashard Lewis, Mike Bibby and Vince Carter who may decide to try to finish their careers elsewhere. The group of restricted free agents will be headlined by Boris Diaw, Josh Howard, Kirk Hinrich and, believe it or not, Darko Milicic. But as we've seen in almost every free-agent period, there aren't many decent restricted free agents you can wrest from the grasp of the teams that hold their rights. That leads to a decent group of players such as Gerald Wallace, Desmond Mason, Jamaal Magloire, Mo Williams, Morris Peterson and Primoz Brezec who will be unrestricted and will look to go to the highest bidder. But the question you really have to ask about members of any free-agent class is: Who's going to pay them? If current cap positions hold true next summer, only one team, the Charlotte Bobcats, will have max cap room. As it stands right now, assuming a modest $2 million increase in the salary cap next season, the Bobcats could be staring at a whopping $27 million in cap room. The nice thing for Charlotte (assuming owner Bob Johnson, who's getting a rep for being cheap, spends it) is that it will have virtually no competition for the top talent in the class. Several other teams will have some room, but not enough to lure the top free agents. Of the other teams with cap room, the Grizzlies appear to be in the best shape. Eddie Jones' big contract comes off the books next summer, giving them some real cap flexibility for the first time in Jerry West's tenure. They could have roughly $10 million to $11 million in cap room. That's not enough for the Grizzlies to sign a player to a max contract, but it can get them close. Then again, Grizzlies owner Michael Heisley has been pushing West to cut payroll, so there's no guarantee he's going to hand out another huge contract next summer. The Bulls, believe it or not, could be a whopping $20 million under the cap again next year despite the fact they inked Ben Wallace to a huge $60 million deal this summer. However, don't throw a big party just yet Bulls fans. Add in a high draft pick (the Bulls have the ability to swap their first-round pick with the Knicks next year) and new contracts for Kirk Hinrich and Andres Nocioni and the Bulls probably will have a little under $5 million in actual room. The Sonics could also have around $20 million in cap room if they let all of their free agents walk away. But that seems pretty unlikely. Rashard Lewis is likely to opt out of his contract and Nick Collison and Luke Ridnour are both restricted free agents next summer. And none of that takes into account the status of Chris Wilcox. If he signs a long-term deal this summer, Seattle will have to subtract his salary from the cap room. If Wilcox takes the Sonics' one-year tender, he's an unrestricted free agent next summer. If the Sonics sign all of their free agents, their cap room is totally gone. The key will be Lewis. There are already rumblings out of Seattle that he's looking for a new home. As we've documented, there aren't many teams that have the room to get him without working out some sort of sign-and-trade with the Sonics. Still, I'd watch this one closely. He could be trade bait in February if the Sonics think they'll lose him for nothing. The Magic could have up to $15 million in room next summer once Grant Hill's huge contract finally comes off the books. That could make them a major player in the free-agent market with one pretty large caveat -- Darko Milicic becomes a restricted free agent next summer. It's just too early to predict what Milicic's asking price will be next year. If he has only moderate improvement he's still likely to garner an offer of at least the mid-level exception in the open market. Seven-footers have a way of doing that. If he shows rapid improvement, he could cost the Magic a lot of money. Nene Hilario got a $60 million deal for waving a towel last year. You can imagine what a 21-year-old, 7-foot-2 big guy could get if he has a big season. All of that means it's still too early to tell whether the Magic will be big players in the open market. Two top free agents, Vince Carter and Rashard Lewis, have both expressed interest in playing there. But will the Magic have the cash to pay them? Right now it looks doubtful unless the Magic will be willing to let Darko walk away. The Hornets have roughly $12 million to $13 million in cap room next year, but they too have several significant free agents to re-sign. Starting power forward David West will be a restricted free agent but could command a deal starting at $6 million to $7 million on the open market. Desmond Mason will be an unrestricted free agent, though he probably has mid-level value in next year's market. The Bucks will also have between $12 million to $13 million in cap room, but they also have a significant free agent to re-sign -- Mo Williams. However, Williams is unlikely to command a starting salary of much more than $5 million to $6 million, giving the Bucks enough cap room to offer a free agent more than the mid-level exception. The Hawks are looking at around $8 million to $10 million in cap room next summer. That's not enough money to lure a top free agent, let alone the elite point guard and center the team still lacks. The Raptors are also eyeing around $8 million to $10 million next year, but they'll likely use much of it to re-sign unrestricted free agent Morris Peterson and restricted free agent T.J. Ford. The bottom line is that for top free agents like Chauncey Billups, Bibby, Lewis and Carter to cash in, they have to get a team to offer them a huge chunk of cash the way the Bulls did to Ben Wallace and the Hornets did to Peja Stojakovic this summer. When you examine the situation of each NBA team, however, the Bobcats and possibly the Grizzlies are the only two teams that will have the flexibility to do this without some sort of sign-and-trade. Given the budget-conscious philosophy of the Bobcats and where they are in the developmental cycle, it's hard to see them throwing $12 million to $14 million a year at Billups or Carter. The Grizzlies may be more willing to pull the trigger on a veteran big name, but they'll have money for only one guy. The news isn't much better for the mid-level players. One thing that hasn't received much mention is the precarious cap situation of most teams in the league next year. A stunning 21 teams will have payrolls exceeding $60 million next season. That means a full mid-level offer to a player would likely put those teams above the luxury tax threshold. A few teams, such as the Knicks, 76ers, Mavericks and Blazers, have shown a willingness to pay the tax. But most avoid it like the plague. That could lead to very stagnant market of mid-level players in next year's free-agent market. I don't want to be the one to rain on next year's free-agent parade, but unless some teams make major moves this summer to clear some cap space, it could be another blue, blue summer for teams looking to make a major jump in the standings next season.

I don't know, Roy seems like a carbon copy of JJ.

The list is not all that impressive: If you're looking for a silver lining to the most moribund NBA offseason in memory, try this: Next year ought to be better in the sense that, while the free agent class of '06 was a relative dud, several top talents figure to be on the market. As many as six players worthy of max or near-max contracts could be available, while several others could add to that list with strong 2006-07 campaigns. The most notable ones all have one-year player options for 2007-08 that they would be unlikely to exercise, including Detroit's Chauncey Billups, Seattle's Rashard Lewis, Sacramento's Mike Bibby, Washington's Antawn Jamison and Charlotte's Gerald Wallace. Alas, that list doesn't include a few players who technically will be free agents in 2007 but are likely to sign extensions later this fall. Dallas' Dirk Nowitzki is the prominent case, but he's virtually certain to ink the same three-year extension that Paul Pierce signed with Boston. Additionally, several players on rookie contracts are likely to be locked up by this fall, including Dallas' Josh Howard, Chicago's Kirk Hinrich, New Orleans/Oklahoma City's David West, Phoenix's Boris Diaw, Boston's Kendrick Perkins, Toronto's T.J. Ford, and Seattle's Luke Ridnour and Nick Collison. And of course, the big names from the great 2003 draft already have extended their deals. On the other hand, players such as Chris Wilcox and Drew Gooden could end up being part of the free-agent class if they settle for one-year tenders from their current clubs. That possibility looks increasingly likely as the summer drags on. Because of the player options and extensions, we have to do a bit of reading tea leaves at this point to determine next summer's free-agent crop. Nonetheless, using a little bit of common sense we already can see the outlines of a very strong class. Here's how the market's top 25 players stand at the moment: (p) -- Has player option for 2007-08 ® -- Has rookie contract that could be extended before season (t) -- Would have to sign one-year tender to be free agent next summer 1. Chauncey Billups (p) The Pistons inked Billups with their midlevel exception three years ago in one of the all-time great free agent heists, but next summer it will be time to pay the piper. And yes, he's ahead of Carter in the pecking order right now. He's more durable, plays harder and was better in 2005-06. 2. Vince Carter (p) The Nets could give him a three-year extension for the maximum this summer, but neither side seems to be in any hurry to get it done. The delay is stoking fears that Carter will hit the market a year from now and return to North Carolina to play for the Bobcats, who will be flush with cap space. 3. Rashard Lewis (p) Joke of the week is that Lewis will ditch the Sonics next summer and sign with the Hornets -- that way maybe he won't have to leave Seattle. In all seriousness, the Sonics' financial position means that it's likely Lewis' last go-round in the Northwest, and he could be an intriguing piece of trade bait come February. 4. Gerald Wallace (p) The league's most underrated player, Wallace virtually was ignored as a free agent a year ago. Don't count on NBA GMs to repeat that mistake. With a strong 2006-07, the scandalously underpaid forward should finally get his due. 5. Darko Milicic ® Because he's played so little, the Magic and Milicic already have more or less agreed to let him play out this season to determine his market value. Milicic is seven-feet tall and still only 21 years old, so if he plays as well as he did at the end of last season, he'll make himself a very wealthy man. 6. Drew Gooden (t) With negotiations with the Cavs at a standstill and the sign-and-trade market already saturated (just ask Al Harrington and Bonzi Wells), it seems like Gooden will have to settle for the one-year tender and try again next summer. 7. Mike Bibby (p) Bibby is a 50-50 proposition to opt out if he plays as well as he did last year. On the one hand, he probably won't make quite as much annually as he does on his current seven-year, $81 million deal. On the other hand, if he plays out the final two years and then tries to hit the free agent market, he risks missing out on a big payday if his game declines. My guess is he takes the bird in hand and opts out. 8. Antawn Jamison (p) Jamison is in a position similar to Bibby's, except with only one year between his opt-out and the end of the contract. He's due to make the maximum in 2007-08, and without a strong campaign this year will fall far short of that in free agency. On the other hand, he could see next summer as his last shot for a big long-term deal and opt out anyway. 9. Chris Kaman ® He's on a rookie contract and could get extended this fall, but word on the street is that the two sides are miles apart on what Kaman's market value is. My guess is that the $60 million deal Nene signed with Denver probably isn't helping to close the gap any, so Kaman might need to ink an offer sheet to get paid. 10. Anderson Varejao As a second-round pick, Varejao's contract doesn't come with the extension options that first-rounders have. Thus, the big-haired Brazilian will be a restricted free agent next summer and should attract plenty of attention. 11. Chris Wilcox (t) Much like Gooden, Wilcox probably will have to settle for the one-year tender. In his case, however, it might prove more costly. Wilcox was trying to cash in on the first sustained stretch of excellence in his four-year career and might not be able to give an encore performance. 12. Maurice Williams Now that the starting point guard job in Milwaukee is all his, Williams' price tag is likely to shoot northward. This is especially true since the Bucks should be better this year and Williams has improved every year in the league. 13. Grant Hill Anything involving Hill is always a major "if" because he's so injury-prone, but if he can stay healthy and play to his usual standard, he should be a very attractive commodity. 14. Andres Nocioni Thanks to his tenacity and ability to play multiple positions, the Wild Bull of the Pampas' next deal should double the $3.03 million per annum he's making now. 15. Antonio McDyess (p) Health problems used to be the biggest concerns with the Dice man, but he's gone two years without so much as a hangnail. If he has one more of those, he'll opt out of his deal and get what's likely to be his last long-term contract. 16. Primoz Brezec (p) Another foreign import on a bargain contract, the 7-2 Brezec had to look approvingly at the deals Joel Przybilla and Nazr Mohammed got this summer. And unlike those two, Brezec can score. 17. Chris Mihm Both Mihm and Brezec have to be hoping like crazy that Chris Kaman signs an extension, because it would leave those two as the only true centers available on the market, increasing the likelihood that at least one gets a completely insane contract. 18. Morris Peterson One of the few Raptors who can be bothered to play defense, Peterson's toughness and shooting would make him a great glue guy on a contending team. However, it's also possible Toronto will extend his deal before the season starts. 19. Jerry Stackhouse Stackhouse's name recognition and scoring ability might get him a big contract, especially for a team that's in need of bench scoring. On the other hand, he'll be 32, he shoots a low percentage, and he misses 25 games every year with bad hammies. 20. Earl Boykins (p) Another player who might as well opt out because his current contract pays so little, Boykins got shot-happy last year and will have to rein in his shoot-first tendencies a bit if he really wants to make an impression on his future employers. 21. Joe Smith A forgotten man after missing much of last season with an elbow injury, Smith could be changing addresses long before his contract expires. But he remains a solid player and should get some attention next summer. 22. Michael Sweetney Realistically, a year from now Sweetney will either be 20 pounds lighter and one of the top 12 players on this list, or 20 pounds heavier and off the list entirely. For now, we'll split the difference. 23. Theodoros Papaloukas The 6-7 Greek native won Euroleague MVP honors after leading CSKA Moscow to the title. I haven't heard his name come up much in NBA circles, possibly due to a poor 2004 Olympics, but he's a heck of a player. He's a big point guard with a great feel for the game -- reminiscent of how Marko Jaric would be if he (a) had a pulse and (b) looked a little bit like Cookie Monster. 24. Jamaal Magloire His performance has fallen a long, long way the past two years, which kind of goes without saying when a former All-Star is traded for Steve Blake and Brian Skinner. Fortunately for him, centers never go out of style. 25. Eddie Jones I'm not sure how much Jones has left in the tank, but if he has a strong year in Memphis he could get some attention next summer. Because he defends and can make outside shots, a lot of teams will see him as a missing piece to their puzzle. Best of the rest: Steve Blake, Ruben Patterson, Desmond Mason, Travis Outlaw ®, Matt Bonner, James Posey, Mickael Pietrus ®, Matt Carroll, Austin Croshere John Hollinger writes for ESPN Insider. To e-mail him, click here.

The Hawks are probably still a year or moreaway from making an "all in" type of trade like that. Realistically, I think 2007-2008 is the year the Hawks need to be serious playoff contenders. Next season can be used to further develop the young guys.

Who will blink first? At this point, I am going to consider Al gone and anything the team gets for him is a bonus.

Were those things called "brain teasers"?

Quote: haha, that was supposed to read I love Orlando. Quick recap: Charlotte Bobcats - not sold, definitely wouldn't trade New Orleans Hornets - I like em, about even with where we are, don't like the addition of Peja at all Orlando Magic - Would trade any day because of Dwight Portland Trailblazers - Like em, I think we're about on par Toronto Raptors - Like em, about on par with us New York Knicks - LOL Imagine combining Atlanta's young wing players with Orlando's bigs and point guard!

Quote: The sad thing is that if we didn't trade Diaw we would be a 15 win team. So either way Billy would loose. That's so stupid. Billy Knight may be the biggest loser in all of this. If Belkin wins ownership then it is a given BK gets the boot. Problem is, if BK doesn't put a winner on the floor this season then his chance of landing a new GM job is pretty bad because his 6+ years of GMing two different franchises will result in zero winning seasons. I hope he has some money in the bank. As for the original article, anything that includes Belin and winner in the same sentence is bad news for the Hawks.

Quote: yeah, dhoward and chris paul are gonna leave their teams for us after the rookie contract paul/speedy jj/slim marvin/chill smoove/shelden dhoward/zaza that'll be our lineup in a few years! Should we be real quite so we don't wake you up from that dream? Would be great if it happened but it can't and won't

Cook is a power forward so he would back up Sheldon. If Mihm/Cook is the deal then Smoove and Marvin will definitely have to fight over the minutes at small forward. Would that mean Batista gets cut or sent to the D-league along with Soloman?

I think the offseason moves were o.k., but nothing to get excited about. I also think that any improvement the Hawks make on the court this year will be based more on improved play from JJ/Smoove/Marvin/Childress/Zaza then from any of the offseason additions. Reason being is that is the core group for the Hawks. Sheldon can certaintly play himself into that core group, but he is just a rookie so expectations should not be too high so soon. Speedy is a great back-up point guard and a huge upgrade over Ivey/Lue, but I am not certain he will last the season playing starter minutes. I would love for him to prove me wrong. Wright is an average back-up big man who doesn't hurt a team when on the court but also doesn't do much to help a team win either. An upgrade from Edwards sure, but since the Hawks team is so young anyway I would almost rather give those minutes at the 5 to Sheldon and Batista, even if they are playing out of position.

No question he is a backup, just saying that signing him does not appear to help the Hawks in anyway. I rather play Sheldon out of position at center or even give minutes to a young guy like Soloman or Esteban to see how they do. Kandi is a waste of roster space.

Quote: I've been trying to tell you guys Olowokandi was coming... If KG couldn't get Kandi to man up I doubt anyone in the Hawks organization can.

Quote: They also said JJ would play the 1. Excellent point. You really have to take everything Hawks management says with a gain of salt.

Thanks for the recap.

Bernie really said they hope Sheldon can start at the 4 and expect Marvin and Smoove to battle it out at the 3?

What do you Indy fans envision Granger's role to be this year? Is he ready to be a starter and reliably scoring option? Doesn't he have some similar skills to Al?

Quote: They don't want to set a precedent by giving Kaman a max deal then having to deal with overpaying their own guys to keep them. Let's don't discount the Donald Sterling factor either: he's the literal case example used in all sports for a cheap owner. Why would he ok giving Kaman a max deal or matching one for him? As for Hinrich, we can dish out Lue or Claxton if need be for a servicable backup point guard. Claxton is not a franchise point guard and frankly isn't even really a starting one. He's best served as a sixth man off the bench in the PG role like he was used in NO/OKC. The biggest problem with trying to acquire Kamen or Hinrich is that the ownership mess will likely still not be resolved and there is no way the team will shell out a max contract under those circumstances. Beyond that, I don't think the Hawks will be in position to give out a max contract unless it is to someone already on the roster - i.e., Josh Smith or Marvin Williams will be do big extensions in the next few years.