Harrington hopes to Stay Put!

[Diesel]

Quote:

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Harrington hopes to stay put

By Marc J. Spears

Denver Post Staff Writer

Atlanta - Forward Al Harrington said Sunday he would prefer to stay an Atlanta Hawk the rest of the season. But if the Nuggets somehow acquired him, he would have no problems with that either.

"That's another great opportunity," Harrington said. "They are a winning team, a team competing for a playoff spot and trying to win a championship. ... That's something I'd just embrace."

Harrington has been linked to two Nuggets trade rumors.

One is a three-way trade that would include Harrington going back to the Pacers; Pacers forward Ron Artest and guard Anthony Johnson going to Denver; and injured Nuggets forward-center Nene and guard Earl Watson going to Atlanta. Another is Harrington coming to Denver for Nene and Watson.

"I heard I would be going through, not going to the Nuggets," Harrington said. "I've never even thought about playing in Denver. But I've heard nine times out of 10 whatever you hear never goes down. You just got to see."

The Indianapolis Star reported Sunday that Artest now wants to stay with the Pacers, but it's expected he will be moved. Nuggets general manager Kiki Vande- weghe said "there is nothing really happening" in regard to any potential trades.

Harrington is averaging 18.4 points and 7.9 rebounds this season. The 6-foot-9, 245-pounder is in the final year of a contract paying $6.9 million this season and will be an unrestricted free agent this offseason.

The team he finishes the season with will have his Bird rights, which allows the club to sign him to a six-year deal

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[Plainview1981]

It says for this season...

He'll bolt. Trade him that way you don't give him a big

contract that he isn't worth. I mean, he plays 40MPG and

only collects 7.9RPG as a starting PF. He isn';t worth he

10 million he probably will ask for.

[Diesel]

Harrington is too professional and has too much respect for BK to Just Bolt. I think he'd probably want to do a SNT..

Moreover, Harrington is a better business man than to Bolt. Think about it. The most he can get as a FA without Bird rights is 5 yrs with 7.5% APR. Vs. 6yrs with 10% APR. It doesn't take a math genuis to figure out he loses big time if he BOLTS... That's why the owners crafted the CBA the way they did.

I think the fact that he says "Til the end of the season means that not only does he like playing here, but he's interesting in staying here!! Because otherwise it kills his chances to go elsewhere for good money.

[exodus]

Harrington's door open

Hawks forward says he'd welcome being traded to Nuggets

December 19, 2005

ATLANTA - You could see me now or you could see me later.

That's the attitude Atlanta Hawks forward Al Harrington, who has been linked to the Denver Nuggets in trade talks, is taking.

Harrington said he would welcome a trade to Denver. If that doesn't happen, he said he will consider the Nuggets when he becomes a free agent after the season.

"Denver is a place I would love to play. I think they've got a lot of pieces. They might be missing one piece, somebody like myself or Ron Artest."

I thought Diesel has been saying all along that Al wanted to resign here. Now he is trying to say he just wants to play the rest of the season here, and then leave. And he acts like that is a GOOD thing. lol

[Plainview1981]

Keep on thinking that if you want to... Come this summer

he will likely bolt if he's still a Hawk. Your article

doesn't nothing to backup what you say.. Nowhere does

it say he wants to be here long term. He knows and does

realize the Hawks are going to be bad for a while so

he will leave or maybe a S&T will be worked out.

professional and respect? Not in today's NBA my friend.

[Diesel]

You missed the part where Al said:

Definitely, if they got some money out there for me," Harrington said before Atlanta's 110-107 overtime win Sunday against the Nuggets.

Notice. Al wants money. Denver has NO MONEY. They would have to get rid of KMart.

Like I have said about you before Exodus, you don't do your homework. You just come around with half-assed researched quotes trying to build a case... There aren't any teams that can get Al as a FA without Bird rights. Maybe you know this? Either way, us taking Al to the off-season doesn't hurt us one bit. In fact, it makes our position a lot better... Because right now, we'll be taking a screw job.

Since you've had time to look at some of the denver news.... Read what they're saying about Watson. They're showcasing him trying to drop him and his contract on some silly franchise that will take it.

[Diesel]

I will continue to look at the facts and make the more likely conclusion rather than run around with a pessimestic veiw of every situation.

There's no gain for Harrington if he bolts. He would be bolting to make less than he makes now. This is his last or next to last contract coming up. I doubt that he wants to screw the pooch here.

[Plainview1981]

There's no gain for Harrington if he bolts. He would be bolting to make less than he makes now. This is his last or next to last contract coming up. I doubt that he wants to screw the pooch here."

Nothing to gain?? How about winning?

I believe AL will be gone.. It's just a question of trading him before the allstar break, or will he ask for a S&T

in the offseason? I hope he doesn't get th 9 million

contract cause we might have another Alan Henderson on

or hands.

Find out that he's an undersized PF that doesn't rebound

after it's too late.

[exodus]

Al says: "It would take a lot for Atlanta to resign me"

Diesel says: "Al loves his role and wants to stay"

Al says he would welcome a trade to Denver or possibly sign there as a fa.

Diesel say he wants to stay put.

When confronted with the contradiction, Diesel says that Al will stay because the Hawks are one of the few teams that can afford him.

Get your story straight first of all, then I will simply prove you wrong. However you keep changing your story. Either:

1 Al will resign because he wants to

2 Al will resign because he will be forced to financially.

So which is it?

[Admin]

and that is that time and time again when Al has said that it would take a lot for us to re-sign him, its been while we were the laughing stock of the league and losing game after game after game. Now that we are winning and playing well together and he and JJ and Smoove and Lue are developing this great chemistry together and since we have enough cap room to sign another big FA next year AND re-sign Al to what he wants I cant see any reason why he wouldnt want to stay with us after the year, even with money being equal with someplace like Indiana or Denver.

The bottom line is that we just have to keep winning and the franchise has to show Al that we are committed to becoming a winner. If we win 30+ games this year after this horrible start and bring in a high quality FA next year plus hopefully a draft pick that can contribute next season I can clearly see that as the franchise showing Al that we are trying to build a winner. He has said he likes playing here, we all know that he likes BK (and likewise) and if I remember correctly he really likes Woody too. He can be a mentor to Marvin and Smoove here which I know he loves being able to do as well.

I really think Al will be a Hawk again next year unless we get a player in trade for him that is just too good to pass up.

[mrhonline]

Diesel, a poster over on RealGM got a chance to talk with Billy Knight the other day after a game. He said it was a great conversation, and he left feeling much better about the Hawks' future.

He did make one interesting point about Al, though. Knight said that Al *will* get big offers from other teams. There was no uncertainty that teams would offer him $.

The question is whether the Hawks want to try to keep him at a high price, to trade him now for value, or trade him in the offseason for value.

[swolehawk2]

Al wants to be a starter on a good team thats why he left Indiana....well in two more years he could be a leader on a very good Hawks team....but he would have to be a good part of the reason the Hawks are good....so I ask myself is Al like JT, does he know he is not good enough or strong enough to lead this team, and he would rather be a third option on another team.

I mean what better why to prove you are a star for JJ and AL is to lead the "Lowly Atlanta Hawks" back to the playoffs?

[exodus]

Quote:

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I cant see any reason why he wouldnt want to stay with us after the year, even with money being equal with someplace like Indiana or Denver.

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You do realize that the quotes in this thread are things Al said yesterday, right?

[chillzatl]

Al hasn't been saying that he wants to go to a winner. He said "he wants to get back to winning". If that's here, find. But the Hawks are going to have to pay him. If not, they can trade him somewhere and get somethign to help them.

As this team improves and we win more, we gain a leg up on EVERYONE when it comes to resigning Al. I think they need to offer him an extension and just get it over with. His trade value will be just as high after the extension as it would be before.

[Nicholasp27]

we can't offer an extension

all we can do is resign him this offseason, hoping he takes our money over someone else's

[Admin]

which is that unless I am missing it, the last time I read anything from Al about only coming back to Atlanta for big money was while we were losing. He said all along that all he wants is a team committed to winning and that if we show we are committed to winning that he would come back here. Right now he sounds like any FA who is due a big raise talking about his current team. You think he would go to Denver or Indiana or anywhere else for what he is making now or less than what he can make with us next year? Hell no he wouldnt. Al knows that he deserves to get paid well and he will. He is just stating what we already know. You guys are trying to make it sound like the only thing that will get Al back here is a ton of money more than what anyone else would have to pay him and thats not true.

[exodus]

I guess you didnt read this article then. it was printed today:

Harrington's door open

Hawks forward says he'd welcome being traded to Nuggets

STORY TOOLS

December 19, 2005

ATLANTA - You could see me now or you could see me later.

That's the attitude Atlanta Hawks forward Al Harrington, who has been linked to the Denver Nuggets in trade talks, is taking.

Harrington said he would welcome a trade to Denver. If that doesn't happen, he said he will consider the Nuggets when he becomes a free agent after the season.

"Definitely, if they got some money out there for me," Harrington said before Atlanta's 110-107 overtime win Sunday against the Nuggets.

"Denver is a place I would love to play. I think they've got a lot of pieces. They might be missing one piece, somebody like myself or Ron Artest."

Does this look like someone who wants to stay in Atlanta?

The biggest risk to the Hawks rebuilding would be to let Harrington walk without getting anything in return. It seems like a lot of you want to take that risk because you think good guy Al would decide to resign or agree to sign and trade. That is just a gamble. it might happen but it might not. If they trade him now they will definitely get something in return.

[TheRedStripes]

Quote:

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"Definitely, if they got some money out there for me," Harrington said before Atlanta's 110-107 overtime win Sunday against the Nuggets.

"Denver is a place I would love to play. I think they've got a lot of pieces. They might be missing one piece, somebody like myself or Ron Artest."

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If you ask me, those comments are treasonous...I would trade Harrington straight away if I were Billy Knight. I'm actually kind of shocked Al would say that, most players would just say something like " I'm a Hawk, I love Atlanta, I'm focusing on leading this young team blah blah blah" theres nothing wrong with telling the truth, but if thats truly the way he feels then he isn't the kind of player I want on the Hawks. I want players who want to be a Hawk, and wouldn't make a comment like that during a season in which he is putting on the Hawks uniform.

[Diesel]

What Unnamed poster says and what is true are two different things.

I think it's just more important to watch the movements of teams up until the deadline. NO team has collected players in the last year of their contracts so that they can muscle up enough money to get Al.

If BK said Al would get "Big offers" why not tell us what teams are in position to make Big offers this offseason.

Let me help...

There's Chicago. Chicago has an interest in Al, but they have don't have position. I mean, they have: Luol Deng, Nocioni, Songalia, Sweetney, and Tyson Chandler playing between the 3 and the 4. Moreover, they are already the designated Spot for Peja. Peja says he wants to be in Chicago. I think it's cultural. So what will they do? Probably go hard after Peja because at least they can play him at 2.

Indy = Capped out.

NY = Capped Out.

NJ = Capped out.

Philly = Capped out.

Miami = Over the Cap

Boston = Over the Cap

Toronto = Over the Cap.

Cleveland = Over the Cap.

Charlotte will have some Money to spend and they could put Al in a position.. But How much better are Charlotte than Atlanta? I think they're the same age... Maybe a bit older but they lack another star like JJ.

Orlando = Capped Out.

Washington = Capped out.

Dallas = Capped out.

Houston = Over the cap.

Memphis = Over the cap.

New Orleans Would have some money and will likely come after Al but... They still have to resign Claxton. I think this is the most likely suitor for Al but still without Bird Rights we have a great advantage.

San Antonio, Denver, Portland, Minny are all capped out.

Seattle will have some money (not much but more than MLE). However, playing with Ray Allen and being the PF next to Rashard Lewis vs. Playing with JJ... I think again it's another case like N.O. They will come, but our bird rights give us an advantage on the re-sign.

The Clipps will have some money. BUT i don't think they will spend it on Al. I think they like the Brand/Maggette Chemistry.

So there it is..

That's the list of possible suitors for Al. Only N.O. and Seattle from the list makes me think.. Possible suitor.

[Admin]

and tell me where Al says that he wants to play in Denver, or in Indiana. Please show me because I cant find it. Hell I would love to work in Hawaii, but that doesnt mean I dont want to work where I'm at now. I would love to be married to Tera Patrick, but that doesnt mean I dont love the girl I'm with now. Get it?