Harrington Staying In Atlanta

[swolehawk2]

So having AL guarantees we will win more than 26 games?

All that guarantees is that we will be paying 60 million to a frickin six man.

[thatsmydawg]

Posting on this site on a regular basis is like digging a hole and then filling it in. I watched and recorded every game last year and you are a f*cking IDIOT if you think our point gaurd problem was even remotely as bad as our center and help defense problems.

Brevin Knight? Who gives a sh!t. How about Shaq averaging barely 20 minutes per game against the Hawks because the damage was already done. How about Gerald Wallace going for 40+, was that because of point gaurd problems? Didn't think so.

Listen genius, just because some one else wrote the post title or whatever doesn't mean you should condone it or portray it as your own. Posting alot does not make you some kind of NBA god of knowledge.

[gsuteke]

If you went that route, then Marvin and Smoove would both be benched, why?

between Al, Marvin, and Smoove there will be 88 minutes available after Sheldon plays his 12 at PF. the rest of Sheldon's time will be spent at C the way the team is set up now.

is 84 minutes not enough to rotate in 3 players?

What about Childress? What about him? stop trying to fit a square peg into a round hole. for Childress to be successful on the level of a #6 pick in this league he needs to be able to play SG. he will play his minutes at SG when JJ bumps back over to PG, which is why we signed him to begin with right?

What about Salim? Salim is a role player in that he's a scorer off the bench and nothing more IMO. What about Lue? What about Lue?

The bottom line is I wanted to get this argument going to prove my point before I chose to reveal it. Billy Knight has to move some of these redundant pieces to acquire players of need.

Right now Al Harrington isn't getting us any interest in the way of a big man. If moving AL isn't the answer to getting a big man what is? You cannot convince me that this nucleus will be kept intact long enough for the storied "Big Man" who we pick with the 22nd pick in the 2007 NBA draft we got from Indy to develop. the pieces are all coming together right now for another blowup job in 2 years.

Perhaps it's time to think about other scenarios which involve Al remaining on the team.

I'm just playing devil's advocate here gentlemen.

[Diesel]

It sounds like you are prepared to get nothing of need for Al.

Look, we are at a point where another draft choice does us no good and our team just becomes a countdown for JJ leaving.

I will accept a shortterm Al with the understanding that he is an asset that can be traded at any time.

Everybody talks about the development of Marvin/Smoove. Last time I looked there were 24 minutes to share the Sf spot. If one develops, he gets more minutes.

However,

the answer is not sacrificing the Pf spot for a guy who doesn't play PF.

The Answer is not getting rid of everybody else until a 5 year plan for 6'9 team comes together.

The answer is not making JJ the sole offensive player who can be counted on while we hope and pray that Smoove and Marvin can get it.

Even if we traded Al, I would hope that we could bring back somebody that can help offensively. I just don't believe that Smoove and Marvin are ready to contribute consistently. Then my other question is: What's the matter with Depth?

Let's say we trade Al for nothing.

Smoove gets hurt.

Then what?

If we had Al and Smoove or Al got hurt, we have enough depth to compensate.

Lastly... Al is an asset. You don't trade an asset for nothing.

[swolehawk2]

"It sounds like you are prepared to get nothing of need for Al."

No....ideally I would want to get a big that could put ZZ on the bench....Magloire. I love ZZ but having a defensive minded center with ZZ coming off the bench puts this team closer to where it needs to be.

If Smoove gets hurt, then Shelden plays the 4 and Marvin the 3...

We Know what Al is he is a scorer that needs a lot of shots to be effective and does not play great defense....not gonna give 60 million to Al for that.

"the answer is not sacrificing the Pf spot for a guy who doesn't play PF. "

Do you speak of Smoove?, he played quite a pit of the 4 spot last year...and if Al is a 4 in this league...then Smoove is a 4.

You don't pray & hope...u use your eyes to see if your young players are improving, if so, u don't pay Al Harrington loads of many to do what he has done in Atlanta.

Signing a player to a multi year tons of money contract because he may be a asset in a trade is not smart.

[Diesel]

Games without Al...

Let's look at the guard play shall we??

Hawks Bucks

A game where Bogut got his season high. Micheal Redd scored 36 and Milwaukee scored 56 in the paint. We did nothing to stop their PGs... TJ Ford and Redd combined for 17 assists. Hey look... NO AL?

Atl CHA

A game where Felton put up 27 (was that his season high) and Arn Anderson or whoever that is put up 15. They shot just about 54% and they put up 50 points in the paint... Hey Look, NO AL?

Atl Chicago

A game where Hinrich had 17 and Gordon had 19. Fortunately we held them to 38 points in the paint... Not that they had any frontcourt threats. But I got to say it... Hey look... NO Al?

Hawks Clipps

Now, this was an early season game so I will give a break here... but damn 44 points in the paint? Look... No Al.

The point is our defense didn't get better without Al...

Now, we played

Milwauke when we had Al...

Atlanta Milwaukee 1

Look for yourself... our points in the paint were better...BY 16 POINTS!!!! Is that Al the defensive stopper.

Atl Chi 1

We played Chicago with Al. Our points in the paint were slightly worse but it was Deng and not their guards doing the damage. Deng didn't play when Al didn't play.

And yes, Charlotte used and abused us with Al...

[Diesel]

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No....ideally I would want to get a big that could put ZZ on the bench....Magloire. I love ZZ but having a defensive minded center with ZZ coming off the bench puts this team closer to where it needs to be.

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Magloire has been traded and can't be traded again until so many days have lapsed.

What you're doing Swole is complaining about reality. Well, this is where we are. Reality states that either we get something we don't want for Al (like Troy Murphy), we get something we don't need for Al (like a first rounder), we get nothing for Al, or we take Al back and try to trade him at another time.

However, you crying about losing out on Magloire won't bring him back.

Milwaukee is not going to say... "My Bad".. "Let us get Magloire back so that we can deal him to the Hawks because we heard that they are over there on Hawksquawk crying about it."

Fortunately, we may be able to make your wants come true. We might be able to trade Al for Magloire Later.. but I'm sure PTL will want more than Al.. like they would probably want us to take on Darius Miles... or maybe they'll trade us Aldridge and Randolph for Al...

However, understand where we are. We are at the point where we need to think of Al as an asset and not with our emotions.

[Guest Walter]

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Billy Knight has to move some of these redundant pieces to acquire players of need.

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Uh yeah. Waiting only means that when we actually do reshape this team we may get less for the player(s) we do trade (than their very high pick status would indicate), the newly reshaped team will be a year behind in developing together, and we will have less cap flexibility with which to reshape the team.

I hope JS, MW, Chill, and now SW can up their trade value this year with good play if nothing else. If we're not going to trade one or more of these guys this year when we have Al to package, had a 1st rd pick (won't next year), and far more cap flexibility, then we better hope they somehow shoot their top pick values through the roof and compensate for decreased flexibility. We'll have to change sometime. The question is when? This offseason looked the best to me.

W

[Diesel]

The future of the Hawks may be...

Bk is eventually fired. KB Cries aloud. And then a new GM comes along who has the sense to use assets as assets and to get diversity in positions.

Until then... this team is merely..

COUNTDOWN TIL JJ LEAVING

[Guest]

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Bk is eventually fired. KB Cries aloud. And then a new GM comes along who has the sense to use assets as assets and to get diversity in positions.

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And if that happens, then KB will say BK deserves credit for what the new GM does, just like the Memphis situation. With BK, he can get talent but he can't put it together.

BK is like a bad archaeologist. He can excavate the artifacts but when he starts trying to assemble them, he comes up with a lizard that has two right hands, two left feet, and three heads. The good archaeologist will come in and figure out the hands/feet situation and then realize that two heads are used for other lizards.

[Lascar78]

In all fairness though, if BK is fired, the new GM will indeed inherit a situation that is lightyears ahead of what we used to be in terms of the flexibility and ability to make a real winner.

Whether BK himself can use all that flexibility to actually put a real winner together is a separate question

[Plainview1981]

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anyone else have a strong reaction when they first read that headline on the Squawk's front page?!?!

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that's the dumbest thing I've heard. Are people stupid? Where th f*ck are you going to play everybody? If this did happen, it would be the final nail in the coffin that convinces me that Billy can't get the job done.

[Plainview1981]

If the only choice comes between keeping Al and trading him for nothing, I'll take nothing.

How hard is it for people to understand? When you a young guys and you keep them on the bench, they'll end up wanting to leave in the manner that Al left Indy.

I mean, if we keep Al and Marvin gets left on the bench.. If I were him, I'd want the h*ll out of here.

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Smoove gets hurt.

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That's the way it works... Sad to say. Your way of thinking is probably the reason Indy lost Al in the first place.

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Lastly... Al is an asset. You don't trade an asset for nothing.

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You don't keep assets on the bench either. They'll want to leave. Smoove/M.Williams/S.Williams are all going to expect big minutes this year. If they don't get them, they'll leave.

[DJlaysitup]

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...BK is like a bad archaeologist. He can excavate the artifacts but when he starts trying to assemble them, he comes up with a lizard that has two right hands, two left feet, and three heads. The good archaeologist will come in and figure out the hands/feet situation and then realize that two heads are used for other lizards.

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LOL - excellent analogy. I can just envision a T-Rex that BK has put together standing in the big hall at the Smithsonian...with the head of a Triceratops and Pteradactyl wings :-)

[DJlaysitup]

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If the only choice comes between keeping Al and trading him for nothing, I'll take nothing.

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On the other hand - if we get a 2007 pick for Al, that's better than nothing. And there is nothing that says we have to even use the pick next year - could use it in a trade - so at least it's an assett in return.

[BusBoyIsBack]

Don't scare me like that!

I don't have a problem with Al Harrington but as mentioned by a few already, he seriously stunts the growth of all our young forwards on this team by eating up all those minutes.

I would rather get a bag of peanuts in a trade than to let that happen. Marvin, Smoove, etc need to get their minutes if they are the future.

[Plainview1981]

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If the only choice comes between keeping Al and trading him for nothing, I'll take nothing.

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On the other hand - if we get a 2007 pick for Al, that's better than nothing. And there is nothing that says we have to even use the pick next year - could use it in a trade - so at least it's an assett in return.

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I agree. I think people go alittle overboard saying the Hawks would get nothing...

But it's been proven that young players aren't going to want to stay in places where they can't get playing time.

[Johnnybravo4]

I mean the only thing we are really holding up are the Sports writers, who are dying to finally print up these headlines

"PACERS BACK" -Indy Star

"Indiana Poised to Compete in the East" Indy Star Online

"We're gonna win it all" -Pacers writer on Real GM

"Pacers are still a ways away" -Chad Ford

"Pacers are still a man away from competing in my opinion, because the fact of the matter is that they still don't have a true cener to play along side Jermaine O'neal. He told me that just the other day." Stephen A. Smith

[BusBoyIsBack]

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But it's been proven that young players aren't going to want to stay in places where they can't get playing time.

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Bingo.

What's worse:

Not getting much in return for Al Harrington

Or

Keeping him, stunting the growth of our players and those players possibly not re-signing?

[exodus]

Utah

Denver

The funny part is that Diesel is suddenly talking about the Hawks lack of interior D but fails to mention Zaza, who is apparently blameless. The fact is that the Hawks interior D will continue to suck as long as Zaza is getting most of the minutes at center.

And Al had only 14 blocks on the season. That coupled with the fact that he didn't stay in front of people at all in the post, he just let them go by, means that yes he is a horrible defender.