Re-signing Josh Childress

[pound4pound]

Josh Childress is to me a microcosm of what is wrong with the Hawks. Obviously we would be better off with Deng or Iguodala, however that topic has been run so far into the ground it is speaking Chinese right now.

Josh Childress is not a 2, he is a slashing 3 who can’t shoot. He is great – around the basket – with put backs and fast breaks – but what journeyman 3 isn’t? He has a really good handle and a nose for the basketball but is that enough? We bring in Josh Childress with 6:00 left in the 1st quarter, every 1st quarter who is merely fresh legs. Usually to take out the only other perimeter threat outside of Joe we can muster – Marvin.

We need more than fresh legs. This team needs shooting, desperately, and most teams can usually get that from their so called back up shooting guard. Even Joe has lost his touch of late so without him we get fourth quarters like we did last night.

The D-League is filled Josh Childresses and when I see Damien Wilkens, Jarvis Hayes, Matt Carroll, and Jason Kapono, come off the bench for their teams a fit of jealousy wells up. Where is our second outside option?

The problem is even worse when you consider that he is going to tie up 7 million a year in salary cap for the next 4 years for this team. Think about that – he will make just 2 million less than a legitimate floor stretching Olympic shooter like Mike Miller.

We have a lot of problems on this team starting with the ownership, general manager, and head coach. We are too light on the front line and our point guard situation needs immediate attention. However – our ownership group is far too impotent to make any changes in terms of management or roster. They can however – grow next year by simply do what they do best – nothing. Even if we just re-sign Mario West – the drop off in production will be slight, but the defense will improve.

[Diesel]

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Josh Childress is not a 2, he is a slashing 3 who can’t shoot. He is great – around the basket – with put backs and fast breaks – but what journeyman 3 isn’t?

What Journeyman 3 is as good as Chillz?

Chillz is not consider a Journeyman type player... Moreover, when is it that he can't shoot? Last year he was 32/65 on 3 pters.. This year, his three point shots are down... Still... he can shoot.. it's just not mechanically beautiful.

Moreover, you're right about his style. His style of play is uptempo. When Chillz is in a running offense, he's one of the best players on the floor. We've done Chillz a disservice by pairing him with a coach who wants to do everything else but run.

[Admin]

The league (and DAMN SURE NOT the D-League) is not filled with Josh Childresses, otherwise Childress wouldn't be the best (or damn close to it) 6th man in the league. He is awesome at putbacks, gets lots of points in transition, and changes the tempo of the game for us. There are less than a handful of guys with Childress' skillset in the league. The problem is that a lot of people seem to think of him as a SG and he isn't that. He is a SF and he plays the game like a SF does. If the Hawks had an adequate backup SG that could actually shoot the ball people would be singing Childress' praises.

There is a reason why every team we play their announcers talk about how Childress makes such a huge difference and that's because there aren't many like him. Without him we would be significantly worse because he is the only one in the 2nd unit worth a damn.

[TheDude]

What i find odd is that Josh has a good 3point percentage but he is taking them less and less at a time when we need them.

[pound4pound]

He shoots a high percentage but I am not concerned as much about the 32 out of 65 - I am concerned about the 65. That is about how many games he played in last year. One 3 point shot per game is hardly keeping the defense honest for a guy who saw more than 36 minutes per game at the 2/3 position.

And lets be honest as well about the 32 that did go in - how many of those were becuase the play was designed for him to shoot that shot? Not too many. If he were a deft 39% 3 point shooter that puts fear in the hearts of coaches, we would see Josh run off picks and double screens to get him the ball behind the arch. He isn't that player where someone like Jason Kapono, Jarvis Hayes, or Carlos Delfino is.

It is the respect for the shooter that strectches defenses and creates mismatches. Not 32 shots out of 65 going in with the clock running down.

[pound4pound]

I think if you are defending Childress by saying he is awesome at put backs my case has been made.

[coachx]

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Josh Childress is to me a microcosm of what is wrong with the Hawks.

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What in the world are you talking about ?

Chills, Horford and Smith are the only guys who played worth a darn last night.

Guess this shows you didn't watch the game or you can't comprehend what you THINK you saw.

[DJ_Money]

http://www.nba.com/hotspots/

Look there and see how woefully ineffective Childress is outside of the paint.

I like Chill, he's a phenomenal 6th man. But on this team, with its complete lack of shooters, we need something more from our first Guard off the bench. I'd love to keep him, but if a move can be made for a shooter (such as a Mike Miller) either now or over the summer, it has to be done.

[Admin]

Your case is baseless by comparing him to a SG and 2 average SFs who happen to be better shooters and somehow expecting him to be a great shooter. He is a SF and he is a slashing SF, which is what coaches want in a SF and Childress is damn good at it. He is among the best in the league. If you want to complain about something and have some legitimacy to it complain about how Marvin hasn't even taken 10 3 point attempts this year AS THE STARTER before you start bashing his backup who takes significantly more attempts from 3.

Complain about Marvin and even more so complain about the lack of a true defense stretching backup SG before you complain about Childress and then you will have a point. Right now by attacking the only quality player we have off of the bench you aren't even close to making a point.

[pound4pound]

He is a microcosm becuase he is a square peg needed for a round hole - that is my point. We need a shooter for our 2/3 hybrid player. A BK experiment gone wrong.

[mrhonline]

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He is a microcosm becuase he is a square peg needed for a round hole - that is my point. We need a shooter for our 2/3 hybrid player. A BK experiment gone wrong.

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You're right, and I'm not even interested in evaluating how good Childress is.

It's irrelevant.

Childress is not what Atlanta needs if the wing rotation is set as JJ-Marvin-Smith. I've said for months that Atlanta needs to get the most value they can for him at the trade deadline. If you wait until the summer, he'll be BYC.

[TheNorthCydeRises]

What's wrong with the Hawks at the end of games, is that we don't have a penetrating PG that can break down the defense, nor do we have a low post option to get the ball down to. That has nothing to do with Childress.

Chill is what he is. He's a high energy player that is excellent in the running game. He's also our 2nd best offensive rebounder ( as far as percentage chances go ).

Do we need a shooter? Yes. But even shooters like Kopono, Korver, A. Parker, and the rest, need to be properly set up. Those guys aren't running off of screens. Those guys get their shots because the defense is reacting to someone else either drivng to the hole, or can't rotate back to them once the ball is being moved around.

If we don't make a trade, the ONLY chance we have to improve late in games, is if JJ gets his act back together . . or if Woody makes a change to see if Acie Law can be that penetrating PG at the end of games, and let him find the open man.

A guy like Mike Miller can create his own shot. A guy like Cassell can create his own shot. Just adding a standstill jumpshooter to this team won't help us, because he's not going to be properly set up, unless a guy like JJ sets him up ( like JJ did on Smoove's 3 in the 4th qtr, that got us to within 1 )

We may get completely blown out last night, if Chill didn't come in the 1st quarter, and get those quick 6 points ( all of which were lay-ups ).

Botttom line is when JJ and Marvin go 7 - 25 FG, we're probably not going to win. With those shooting numbers, it's amazing that we were even in the game.

I feel bad for Smoove though. He was unstoppable in that game for about 2.5 quarters. But like everyone else in that quarter, he couldn't convert when we needed it the most. He missed 6 of his last 7 shots. JJ missed his last 5 shots ( 4 in the 4th quarter )

Yet people blame Chill?

[gsuteke]

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He is a microcosm becuase he is a square peg needed for a round hole - that is my point. We need a shooter for our 2/3 hybrid player. A BK experiment gone wrong.

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I appreciate your original intent however I strongly disagree with the Hawks letting CHillz go.

The Hawks need ballplayers and Chillz is just that. He gets the job done.

I wonder what his market will be in fact.

6 years 42 million a lowball offer?

[Diesel]

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http://www.nba.com/hotspots/

Look there and see how woefully ineffective Childress is outside of the paint.

I like Chill, he's a phenomenal 6th man. But on this team, with its complete lack of shooters, we need something more from our first Guard off the bench. I'd love to keep him, but if a move can be made for a shooter (such as a Mike Miller) either now or over the summer, it has to be done.

This is almost off topic.. but did anybody look at Marvin's hotspots?

What the hell is going on from close? (Not in the paint)

He's 22/92 from Close?

Then it picks up as he goes out with NO threes...

What's the deal.

Can any of you statistic guys give a reasonable answer to this trend??

[Diesel]

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He shoots a high percentage but I am not concerned as much about the 32 out of 65 - I am concerned about the 65. That is about how many games he played in last year. One 3 point shot per game is hardly keeping the defense honest for a guy who saw more than 36 minutes per game at the 2/3 position.

And lets be honest as well about the 32 that did go in - how many of those were becuase the play was designed for him to shoot that shot? Not too many. If he were a deft 39% 3 point shooter that puts fear in the hearts of coaches, we would see Josh run off picks and double screens to get him the ball behind the arch. He isn't that player where someone like Jason Kapono, Jarvis Hayes, or Carlos Delfino is.

It is the respect for the shooter that strectches defenses and creates mismatches. Not 32 shots out of 65 going in with the clock running down.

It's easy to try to blame JC but he's really not a place where blame is needed. Chillz brings a dimension of the game that we need. (Period). He is a smart ball player who gets rebounds and scores in transition. He's usually around the goal and he make scores from there. Basketball is still about scoring and playing defense. To me, a layup is still the same as a midrange jumper on the scoreboard.

About three point shooting... Yeah, we need it. However, BU Swingman is not the only place you can look. Maybe you need to ask Marvin why he has only attempted 6 three pointers this season? If you want a real trade, trade Marvin for Mike Miller. That would solve the problem.

[pound4pound]

I think he gets 7 million - and maybe I am getting too extreme on his abilities. He is more than a journeyman and could flourish in a system that could compensate for his lack of shooting. Detroit, Dallas, Toronto, Portland, Utah, Pheonix, Golden State, Boston, or Indiana.

But that being the case - we are none of those teams in terms of personnel and need shooters.

Marvin brings so much more to the table in terms of ability to create his own shot - but just isn't there in terms of consistancy the way Chillz is. We have to make a choice - and 6 years for 7 mill a year doesn't compliment a long term roster of Marv, Horf, Smoove, and Joe. Mario West is a down grade, but I don't think that much of one for the leauge minimum compared to 7 million a year.

[gsuteke]

I've been a huge Marvin supporter but I think Chillz is just as valuable to the Hawks as Marvin is.

If you can get Chillz signed for 7 million per considering what the MLE is you have to jump all over that.

[Diesel]

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Marvin brings so much more to the table in terms of ability to create his own shot - but just isn't there in terms of consistancy the way Chillz is.

No. Marvin does not. Chillz moves without the ball and makes himself a target to score.. Chillz can also put the ball on the floor better than Marvin. Moreover, Chillz is just not clumsy. Marvin drives on every 2nd and 4th Tuesday. However, when we need points, Marvin is nowhere to be found. What good is it to have the ability to "create your own shot" but no will to do so? Last night, watching in the fourth.. when Horf went to the bench, Marvin came back in and he brought some bitchassness with him. He's just a body on the floor.

[TheNorthCydeRises]

I believe that close range area, is the area 5 - 15 feet away from the basket. Guys who shoot well in that range, are usually your back to the basket post up guys, or your slashing type players that can hit runners in the lane. Smoove also struggles in that area for the same reason Marvin does.

JJ, because whenever he gets into the lane he'll shoot a floater, usually shoots well in that range. But when you look at his hotspot in those areas this year, compared to year's past, you see why his shooting percentage is so down this year. That's why i think he's still favoring that calf a little. His floater in the lane used to be money. Now, it's inconsistent at best.

[pound4pound]

I would trade Marvin for Mike Miller - probably regret it two years from now but would do it just to have some accountability held over BK and round out the roster.

The truth is that we aren't going to make any moves. We are governed by the rules of indecision - which mean we must do what is required by the leauge at a minimum. I see this in business every day: without leadership, camps divide and the acts of nothing prevail. It is almost common.

Therefore - we are run by the leauge's requirements of a roster of 15 players, payroll at x million for 2007/8, and the collective bargaining agreement. We have only one decision - do we resign Chillz to even out the expiring contracts of Lue / AJ / Lo or not? If we do - then we have a poor shooting 2/3 for the next 6 years. He might be awesome at put backs but not a choice I would make to round out our core players with the ownership too impotent to add both a shooter and CHillz.