****Dwight Howard Discussion Thread****

[AtLaS]

PLEEEEEASE let Houston land Dwight! Will bring all this mind-numbing DH12 talk to a screeching halt, will allow us to use the Houston draft pick next year, and will set us up to be top bidder for his free agency. Dream scenario. Come on Houston, get this done!

No team will sign Dwight outright next offseason. He's either going to resign with his current team or force a S&T to a team of his choice. We need to trade for him now. It's our only chance. We don't even have Smith resigned next offseason.

[Vol4ever]

GM, I was going to write that sometimes you have to take a huge risk to reap the rewards. When you think enough about it though the Hawks have been taking the great risk for 4 or 5 years now. The Hawks have been the ones trying to win a title the way the Pistons did it that one magical maybe somewhat fluky season where they ran into a Kobe/Shaq team that where at their boiling point of hatred for each other. It seems like 9 and 3 quarters of the titles won in the nba are won by a team with at least one mega superstar. Trying to do it any other way is more of a gamble than trading Horford for Dwight Howard imo. Im sure there where some C's fans that didnt want to trade AlJeff for Garnett. Im sure there where plenty of Laker fans who didnt want to trade Vlade for Kobe. etc etc Kobe and Shaq were both spoiled jerks, so was KG in Minny. Thats just how these divas are. Problem is very rarely do championships come without them.

X a million

[thecampster]

So I was using Dolfan's concept that we could execute 2 trades for Dwight to move some of the recently acquire salary to take back the bad contracts.JRich seems to be the one they want gone while we're panicked about losing Horford and Zaza meaning Dwight is the only starting caliber center on the team.So 2 trades - Dwight + Duhon forHorford + Teague + snt Willie Green (picks). JRich forJordan Farmar (to be waived by Orlando).This works FYI. Takes back 2 of their bad contracts...gives us the backup point guard. Gives us 13 players. Puts us just up to the LT. We can keep Zaza.

[MaceCase]

Hasn't Farmar already been bought out?

[NJHAWK]

Trying to win a title with the Detroit Piston once in a full moon theory that Sund preached about is the REAL roll of the dice. Getting a superstar here in his prime if given the chance should actually be common sense. If its Horford, a couple 1st round picks and fillers that can get it done then PULL THE TRIGGER. If its Horford, Teague, draft picks and bad contracts that have to be taken on then I would be a little apprehensive.

Edited July 13, 2012 by NJHAWK

[buckwheat]

ESPN reported that Lakers are looking into Elton Brand, Antawn Jamison, and Jermaine O'Neal. All big men. You know what that means, only 1 team left for the recent Dwight trade speculations. Makes me feel like we're really gonna land him.

[Watchman]

This all puzzles me a bit. The Hawks have a bunch of shooters now in addition to Josh, Horford, and ZaZa. Is this the makeup DF islooking for? Houston appears to be doing whatever it can to acquire D12 for ashot at resigning him. The only way the Hawks will ever get a sniff at D12 is through a trade. It appears to me the Hawks are not after D12

I disagree. Our best bet is to wait until next summer. That way we keep our assets, don't have to take on Orlando's garbage and have a team that would reasonably appeal to Dwight in terms of championship potential.

[Watchman]

Here is what the city of Atlanta, Hawks front office and fans need to know and understand. 1. The Hawks will not be able to attract a player that is a NBA superstar to this team by free agency. 2. Al Horford or Josh Smith are not or ever will be superstar players. 3. Dwight Howard is a superstar player. If you are Atlanta you have to do this deal and give up Horford if you want to enter the NBA elite stage. You make this deal if you are Atlanta no matter if Dwight agrees in the trade to an extension. The Hawks will only get a 1 in whatever chance in a NBA lottery in the next ten years to get a potential superstar. This is a once in a lifetime deal for the Hawks to get a superstar player. If Houston gets Howard then they are in the drivers seat to re-sign him in the offseason and they know it. If the Hawks acquire Howard to play with Smith this will be a nasty team and Howard will re-sign. But you dont get the chance to see if you dont roll the dice. So, will Atlanta let this once in a lifetime deal go?

i think you're being short sighted. If we re-sign Smith, re-sign Harris, re-sign Morrow and have our other bench players largely in tact next summer, that team has some real potential, something Houston will not have if they take on the Orlando garbage contracts. I'd rather have Howard and Horford than just Howard. I suspect Howard would prefer that also.

[Watchman]

I just find the whole Josh-Dwight relationship to be an interesting variable in all this talk. Everyone assumes any scenario where we get Dwight will include Josh Smith staying in ATL... Is that a 100% safe assumption? Who would Dwight have a better basketball chemistry fit with - Josh or Al? Who would YOU rather pair Dwight with - Josh or Al? What if it was Horford and not Josh that was Dwight's "friend"?

I would prefer Dwight plus Al plus Josh, which can be accomplished if we wait until next summer.

[Watchman]

No team will sign Dwight outright next offseason. He's either going to resign with his current team or force a S&T to a team of his choice. We need to trade for him now. It's our only chance. We don't even have Smith resigned next offseason.

To not wait means we blow our chance to have good enough supporting players to keep him here. Wait til next off season, re-sign Smith, Harris and Morrow. That way we end up with Smith, Horford, Howard, Zaza, Harris, Morrow, Teague, Lou W, Jenkins. That's a good enough team to win a championship.

[Vol4ever]

I would prefer Dwight plus Al plus Josh, which can be accomplished if we wait until next summer.

Bynum is a free agent..........If we dont get him in a trade he goes to LA.

[Watchman]

Bynum is a free agent..........If we dont get him in a trade he goes to LA.

I think Josh, Al and Howard is more appealing than Howard and an aging Kobe. Edited July 13, 2012 by Watchman

[ATL_BALLER]

I really do think now that Houston has this in the bag - the Scola amnesty clears up the space to take on multiple bad contracts, something the Hawks can't/aren't willing to do. Plus, they have a suite of young, cheap talent, including their recent picks to include. Just makes too sense for Orlando.

Edited July 13, 2012 by ATL_BALLER

[Jody23]

Bynum is a free agent..........If we dont get him in a trade he goes to LA.

Won't L.A. still be over the cap even if Bynum walked?

[Watchman]

I really do think now that Houston has this in the bag - the Scola amnesty clears up the space to take on multiple bad contracts, something the Hawks can't/aren't willing to do. Plus, they have a suite of young, cheap talent, including their recent picks to include. Just makes too sense for Orlando.

Good. Houston takes on Orlando garbage and we sign him next off season.

[Vol4ever]

Good. Houston takes on Orlando garbage and we sign him next off season.

I bet the farm if the Hawks dont get him in a trade now, they never see him again outside of a opposing team jersey.

[Watchman]

I bet the farm if the Hawks dont get him in a trade now, they never see him again outside of a opposing team jersey.

If you assume he'd prefer continuing to play with his former teammates from Orlando, which is what will happen in any trade.

[ATL_BALLER]

I bet the farm if the Hawks dont get him in a trade now, they never see him again outside of a opposing team jersey.

And I guarantee you that in light of this, Houston will be announcing the deal in the next couple of days. Alas, the Dwight dream is all but over.

Says it all: "The Hawks have consistently offered the best player package of any of Howard’s other suitors, but it appears as though Orlando isn’t looking to get quality players back. That seems to be part of their reluctance as it applies to Bynum, too. (Also that they don’t know if he would re-up with them next summer.) Orlando brass seems to be far more willing to do a deal for picks and cap relief than anything else."

Edited July 13, 2012 by ATL_BALLER

[Watchman]

And I guarantee you that in light of this, Houston will be announcing the deal in the next couple of days. Alas, the Dwight dream is all but over.

Well good. Howard, Hedo, JRich continue down that same old road. He'll never get a championship if he chooses that option.

[thescout5]

I would include Horford in a deal for Howard.Pretty much do what it takes since no superstars want to come to Atlanta in free agency and you can't win a title without a superstar nowadays.The Hawks aren't going anywhere without a superstar.Do you really want to gamle that Howard wants to play for the Hawks when all the teams would have a fair crack at him in free agency. Yes the Hawks could get stiffed and lose howard if they traded for him to free agency but I'd gamble.

Edited July 13, 2012 by thescout5