Gets some players on this team!!

[Blunt91]

Sorry to be negative but I am running out of patience. Day by day goes by and the Hawks do nothing. They chase after scrubs like Stephen Hunter who ends up turning them down when they could have been trying to get someone like Keon Clark or even Kevin Willis. Kevin Willis would be glad to finish his career as a Hawk. He already has a championship ring so he wouldn't use the excuse that "I would like to play for a winning team at this point in my career." Like Dampier and Hunter. The point is Billy Knight needs stop chasing after guys that don't want to be here. Guys like Brevin Knight, SteveSmith and Kevin Willis wouldn't turn their nose up at this team.I hope to God we don't think about offering money to Stromile Swift it would be another long saga that would end in dissapointment. I don't care about the hiring of some assistant coaches, I want players and want be satisfied until we do.

[Plainview1981]

I agree totally. It seems to me that Dampier had his

mind made up that he was going to wait and get that

money. Looks like he had no real intention of being

with the Hawks. You think Billy Knight would have been

able to see this. Sure he atleast had to go after Dampier..

but surely there are other things that could have been

done.

[macdaddy]

I only agree with the point that we do need to sign Willis. There is no reason not to. He would provide leadership and he can still do some banging.

The lack of FA signings so far though is a good thing. The worst thing we could do at this point of rebuilding (meaning the start) is sign players that we don't really want for a million or 2 a year. Most of the voids these guys would be filling can easily be filled by NBDL and CBA guys for little money and won't make much difference in our final standings. A guy like Pryz is not going to make or break this team. We'll get players and we'll play hard this year and take aim at real FAs next year rather than sinking money in the bottom of the barrell.

But bring Willis on now!

[tmac13]

It was to clear up cap space so we could sign free agents..Lets see..We did sign Chris Collier.

It was to get long atheletic types that were good defenders..Lets see..We did trade for that defensive machine. Drob

It was to gut the team so we could lose and get a top 3 pick.....Lets see...We were too stupid to lose so we have got Childress instead of Livingston, Howard, or Okafur

So far, BK's only ability seems to be trading for guys with expiring contracts..Which does absolutely no good when free agents won't even consider signing with us..BK has also managed to cower the media..I love Jaywalker but it is easy to see he is intimidated by BK..He won't write anything that could remotely be considered negative..Bk also seems to lack to ability to recruit players..So far he is batting zero..I remember how you guys were all excited about BK and Niques ability to land free agents..I remember some of you guys saying Nique was Kobe's all time favorite..We weren't even in the game for Kobe..We were never even considered..BK couldn't even keep last years 2nd round pick because he didn't communicate with him..It is sounding more and more that todays NBA types aren't quite as in awe of BK as some here are..

[TROUBLEMAN69]

I thought the point in all of this was to get better for the future. Right now, the Hawks have cap flexibility, something that is important with a much better crop of free agents in 2005. They also have a player (A. Walker) in the final year of his contract that could net additional draft picks, which is how teams become winners, unless you are the Lakers or Pistons.

Most of us understood that rebuilding would take time. The Denver Nuggets, Dallas Mavericks, and Sacramento Kings did not become good teams overnight, hell they were terrible for longer periods than the Hawks. I remember when all three teams were considered to be free agent hell, just like the Hawks. Now everybody wants to sign with them, because they turned it around the right way. Face it, the Hawks are in for another long season, but the future looks very bright.

[OGRat]

I still have enough trust in BK to think that he is continuing his work to make the team better. No, my desire for news is not being satiated right now, but I know that something is going on.

I think the team could benefit from having a few roster spots open going into camp. We still need to evaluate what we have. Why not go into camp, invite some potential players to the party, and then decide who sign based upon what the team needs. BK may have another Ekezie in mind, or maybe even Ekezie.

BK is not perfect, but I will not start complaining until the 2004-2005 Hawks are introduced and I see what we are going into the season with. There is so much that can still happen.

[Packfill]

Steve Smith and Kevin Willis are way, way past their prime. They may be able to provide som leadership but I just don't think either is a viable option in terms of on the court performance.

[Sage11]

Hey, nobody likes losing but we are way too early in the rebuilding process to be frustrated. Rebuilding takes time and the right personnel. It is not reasonable to think we will find the right people in one off season to "build" a champion. Most of the people we are currently grumbling about are past their prime and cannot lead us to the playoffs let alone a championship. I suggest that we hunker down and wait for the right people to come along and bring them in. Damp is not our solution, nor is Pryz; these guys were only short term placebos for a lack of beef in the middle. When a real center comes along and we fail to land him, then we need to burn BK's ears with our dissatisfaction. I am not at all disappointed that we do not have either of these guys. Cap killing, sub-par, big men trying to be real centers are not worth the effort to recruit or sign to long term deals. I suggest we grab a PG

and offer Keon a short term deal and see what mid-season trades brings.

[Plainview1981]

Well, Billy did do a good job getting Harrington even

if he isn't a top 20 player. Good move

Drafting Josh Smith-Good move

Drafting Childress-I liked what I seen in his short clip...

But didn't do well in the summer league and some seem to

feel he was taken way too high. Not so great

Walker trade-Not really that impressive... but does get rid

of JT's long term contract

Signs Collier- Doesn't hurt.... But the team will not be

better because of it

Trade for Drob- Again, another move that doesn't hurt the

team, but need rebounders and now mediocre shooting big

men.

Signs Kenny Anderson-Cheap. No other PG on the roster

so it doesn't hurt.... But your team will not be better

because of the signing.

Totally struckout in FA- Alot of that is due to the Hawks

current state.... But when you can't lure in Steven Hunter

you got alot of problems and alot of work ahead of you.

[Sage11]

Rebuilding takes time, being able to recruit takes a desirable environment- right now the hawks is not a very desirable environment to play in. That will change. When it does change, players will come. We cannot expect BK manner of doing business to change therefore we must trust his judgment until it becomes clear that we should not (as in the case of Kaston and Babcock). Hang in there; the plot is just now beginning to become thick. Its not soup yet, but the ingredients are much better than what we were cooking with before.

[Packfill]

Say what you will about Dampier but he is a real center. I think BK's attempts to sign Damp to a deal on the Hawks terms was admirable. Sure Damp did not want to come to a rebuilding team but I strongly suspect that if the Hawk's offer was the same as the contract he got from Dallas he would have signed with the Hawks.

[Sage11]

Maybe he is in terms of size, but one year wonders in terms of performance do not impress me nor warrant cap killing contracts. He is 30 years old, in the twilight of his career, I never though he was worth it.

Moreover, Damp was clear about NOT wanting to play here. BK did what he had to do to save face but what I like about how he handled the situation is that he offered a reasonable contract to Damp. Damp wanted a payday, Dallas gave him one so now Damp is happy, and so am I that we did not get pimped.

[jaywalker72]

Quote:

---

I love Jaywalker but it is easy to see he is intimidated by BK..He won't write anything that could remotely be considered negative..

---

I was so intimidated by Billy that I was banned from the team's draft workouts for the stark nature of the reports.

But I understand what you are saying...I haven't thrown him under the bus for this offseason like everybody else who thinks that he should have turned everything around during the offseason.

Perhaps I should be like Chad Ford, who bashes all the owners this offseason for spending in a foolish market, and then bashes Billy for being responsible with our cap space.

Look, I have established that I will say when the team is awful, and I took issue with Billy's signing of Jacque Vaughn last season (in a not too subtley titled article "Today Jacque Vaughn, Tomorrow the World!"), so I feel comfortable with my responsible level of criticism.

I think Billy has done a good job this offseason, while not hitting home runs, he has made good moves.

Getting Al Harrington, Antoine Walker, and Tony Delk for JT, Alan, and Jack. Pretty good there and gaining talent while keep financial flexibility.

What big free agents did we miss out on? Hasn't Billy shown creativity in adding talent while not mortgaging the Hawks future on middling talent.

So please forgive me for not being like the many off-the-cuff, write before you think columnists, or the new opinion by the minute radio types who must be outrageous to stay on the air.

I'll write my own opinion, and try to keep my perspective while I do it. I do this because I am not intimidated by anything, and write what I feel, not others.

[Nicholasp27]

well put jay...and anyone who thinks before they speak can see that u are unbiased and unintimidated...

so tmac, lets go over what BK did vs what he could have done...

BK did:

traded theo/sar/dickau for harrington and smooth and drob and cap space flexibility

traded jt/hendu for walker/delk

snt jax for harrington

didn't mortgage the farm on mediocre players

BK didn't do:

keep overpaid, nonwinning core

keep jt, a tweener who was taking us nowhere fast

pay dampier 10/year for 6-7 years

pay cardinal/foyle/fisher/etc to outrageous deals