Atlanta Hawks NEED Shaq, Shaq NEEDS the Atlanta Hawks

Hello, HOTlanta. It has been a very interesting NBA off-season thus far, all the free agent players trying to put themselves in a position to win a championship almost makes you forget who actually won the 2010 championship, so before i get to the Atlanta Hawks, i would like to take a moment to congratulate the undisputed most skilled, best leader, and most clutch performer in the NBA today, Kobe Bryant and the most controversial, infamous rapper/basketball player of all time, Ron Artest and the 2010 NBA Champions the Los Angeles Lakers. Nothing else that occurred in the 2010 NBA Playoffs is relevant, well, except the obliteration called the Magic vs Hawks series, the worst 4-game sweep in NBA History, featuring one of the worst performances by any so-called "team leader" in the same amount of time. BUT, thankfully all of that is behind us, and the great anticipated free agent bananza began!

One of the first things the Atlanta Hawks franchise did to try to spell some of that embarrassment is they fired Mike Woodson. We at PlayoffsHawks were very supportive of Mike Woodson and we would have been more upset if it wasn't for the replacement of Mike Woodson with Larry Drew, that shows the team is committed to keeping the "defense, rebounding" foundation while hopefully getting the offense more fluid and more efficient. Even still, WE LOVE YOU WOODSON! Here is a youtube video a PlayoffsHawks fan made to Mike Woodson.


We, at PlayoffsHawks wonder how Joe Johnson's 12.9 ppg 29% shooting performance in the second round of the NBA Playoffs, the same 2010 Playoffs which before it began where Joe Johnson declared, "I want to show the world that we have one of the best teams and that I am one of the best players." How did this guy earn the BIGGEST CONTRACT given to ANY PLAYER in free agency? It was safe to say that Joe FAILED in that demonstration of being the best, but Joe WON with selling himself as a franchise player, somehow. Now, I understand where the Atlanta Hawks franchise is coming from, this is the guy that took us from 13-69 to 53-29 in 5 seasons with 4 all-star selections and consistent 20/5/5 regular season statistics. However, his performance in these past 2 seasons playoffs have been atrocious, last season in the clean-sweep by the now-irrelevant Cavaliers was slightly excusable because of the slight injury he suffered in game 2 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals, but this past playoff performance against the Orlando Magic was inexcusable.

With all of that being said, the biggest "move" made in the off-season was the"LeBron" brand "taking his talents to South Beach" and that wouldn't be so bad if the great Dwayne Wade and top 5 big Chris Bosh weren't going there with him. And at this point in free agency they've also signed Udonis Haslem, Zydrunas Ilgauskaz, Mike Miller, Carlos Arroyo, James Jones, Jamaal Maglorie and surely others are coming. What does that mean for the Atlanta Hawks? That means the Joe Johnson signing means NOTHING in a division that features thel likes of Dwight Howard, Dwayne Wade, LeBron James, Chris Bosh, and G.O.A.T. player whom is now the only black majority team owner in all professional sports, Micheal Jordan. Amare Stoudamire is with the Knicks, Carlos Boozer is with the Bulls, Nate Robinson is back with the Celtics, Rudy Gay the Grizzlies, Paul Pierce the Celtics with Jermaine O'Neal, even the Bucks got Corey Maggette. Without question, the Hawks will inevitable drop in the standings and ratings if bring back the same team, the cannot possible expect to improve or stay at 53-wins in the 2010-2011 season with just Joe Johnson. If the Hawks slip into mediocrity, they will slip into irrelevancy, unless they can show some competitive fire against the NBA elite, there is one way the Hawks can undoubtedly stay relevant and have a legitimate rivalry with the division neighbors Orlando Magic and Miami Heat, because without question there is one SUPERSTAR FREE AGENT left on the market the Atlanta Hawks must sign, Shaquille O'Neal.

I cannot believe Shaquille O'Neal is getting the Allen Iverson treatment. Its a sad state of the NBA when a 4x NBA Champion, the 2000 NBA MVP, 3x NBA Finals MVP, one of the undisputed greatest multi-talented players of all time is one of the last free agents left, when he WANTS to play for a contender. Granted, he may be 38 years old, but Shaq was playing extremely well for the Cavs last season, in 23.4 MPG averaged 12 PPG 6.7 RPG 1.8 BPG which translated to 18.5 PPG 11.3 RPG 2.4 BPG per 40-minutes. Now, of course Shaq isn't gonna play 40 MPG but his value to the young Atlanta Hawks team cannot be understated, he is more than just a "savvy veteran" he is a champion AND exactly the giant personality or unstoppable skill and confidence the Hawks need to get to the next level. Plus, JOE JOHNSON NEEDS the endorsement of SHAQ to play up to the pressure of his potential, imagine if Shaq signs and says the same thing he has said about Kobe Bryant, Dwayne Wade, Steve Nash, Amare Stoudamire, and LeBron James, "I came here to play with one of the best players in the game, and to help this city win a championship." Imagine what that confidence would do for the city of Atlanta sports! Josh Smith agrees with this sentiment and expressed it in this recent quick SLAM magazine interview.

Now, there are 3 concerns fans and the team seems to have:

1. Shaq is too old
Shaquille O'Neal is 15x all-star with countless other allocades, he is 38 years old, but by no means out-of-shape. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, another one of the greatest centers of all time (maybe THE GOAT at the position) brought the Los Angeles Lakers a championship and won the 1986 NBA Finals MVP at 38 years old, and that doesn't mean Shaq is gonna dominate averaging 20/10 to do the same for Atlanta, but HE CAN, Shaq was still the 3rd most efficient center in the NBA last season, and this season with Yao Ming and Greg Oden coming back from injuries and Dwight Howard still dominating as the best center in the NBA, Shaquille O'Neal can play more than efficient defense against those guys, regardless of what he provides on offense. If anything 38-year-old Shaq can defend centers to free up offense for AL HORFORD (one of the most effecient scorers in the entire NBA ;)

2. Shaq wants to start
Of course Shaq wants to start! This is not some regular 38-year-old center, this is 7 foot 1 inches 300 pounds of muscle and power! He would be underutilized and greatly disrespected if he does not START at center.
2(b). No! Shaq can't start because we would have to put Al Horford at power forward, which is good but Josh Smith CANNOT play small forward, he isn't a good enough shooter!
First of all, if the Atlanta Hawks put Al Horford at power forward, Al Horford will DEFINETLY average approximately 20 ppg 10 rpg, his natural skill and size makes him one of the most effecient and skilled power forwards in the NBA, a Carlos Boozer-type, if you will, as a center, Al Horford is quick but undersized. With that being said, second of all, Josh Smith has been facing all types of doubt and critisizm in his game every season AND every off-season, he will continue to improve inevitably. Also, Josh Smith is ONE OF THE BEST PASSING FORWARDS IN THE ENTIRE LEAGUE, he averaged 15 PPG 8 RPG 4 APG. second only to LeBron James, and 2 BPG, the ONLY PLAYER IN THE LEAGUE with those averages. Josh Smith is actually one of the NBA's most unique blends of talent and skill, the only thing people can try to critisize is his attitude, if they put Josh Smith at the small forward position, the Atlanta Hawks will have O'Neal-Horford-Smith as one of the BEST FRONTLINES IN THE LEAGUE legitimately capable of defending the Magic, Heat, or the Lakers.

3. the Hawks need payroll relief
Trade Marvin Williams. Do it. I love Marvin, i will miss him as a player and a person, but the Hawks have already mortgaged the future with Joe Johnson, Josh Smith, and Al Horford, those are our "Big Three" and everyone else on the roster, except for Zaza Pachulia, is expendable on our quest to win a championship. I know, Marvin is only 22 years old and an excellent defender and sometimes shows flash of offensive brilliance, he is a great blue-collar worker, rebounder, he has the potential to be a great player, which is another reason why the Hawks should trade him. Marvin Williams is never going to become a great player with the Atlanta Hawks, for the reasons which were stated above, if the Hawks were to do a sign-and-trade with Cleveland for Marvin, that would give Marvin Williams a HUGE VOID to fill left by LeBron James, and i believe strongly that Marvin Williams would step up into that starting small forward position and give that team stability that it now lacks, and it would give Marvin Williams that attention and postive regard as a player, that loyalty he feels to Atlanta, Cleveland would embrace this young guy and shower him with praise on a consistent basis, Marvin Williams would develop into a leader on that Cleveland Cavaliers team, and that would embarrass LeBron James even more (not that we care about him anyway). Its obvious that the Atlanta Hawks franchise cannot afford to keep Marvin Williams as part of its core, the Atlanta Hawks need to get bigger, not faster, if we can get the biggest personality in the NBA on his last hurrah, whether the Atlanta Hawks get to the NBA Finals or win the championship or not, it would be a victory just having him represent our city, our franchise, and mentoring our players.

One last thing, Hawks GM Rick Sund has done a good job so far, but if the Atlanta Hawks franchise does not improve its roster and financial situation, and when another team throws a boatload of cash to AL HORFORD when he is a restricted free agent next summer, and if the Hawks are NOT able to match... I will burn all of my Atlanta Hawks memorbilia and never attend another Hawks game again, Josh Smith is PlayoffsHawks favorite player, but Al Horford is the best player on the team.

and i hate to make Hawks fan cry, but i can't help but imagine....

Hawks trade Marvin Williams, Jamal Crawford, and Mike Bibby for Chris Paul and Emeka Okafor

Sekou Smith in-depth interview with GM Rick Sund

Rick Sund has great vision. He truely has a plan and there is order to the development of this team. Peep the interview
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General manager working on foundation for team’s first winning season since 1998-99

By SEKOU SMITH

The Atlanta Journal-Consitution

Sunday, September 14, 2008

Hawks players aren’t the only ones getting in early work for the upcoming season.

Hawks general manager Rick Sund and his staff are implementing their program in time for training camp — the team’s first after a playoff season in almost a decade.

So while the players convene this week for voluntary track, weight room and on-court workouts, Sund is busy laying the foundation for what he hopes will be the first winning season for the franchise since the 1998-99 (31-19 in the lockout shortened season) and a return trip to the playoffs.

Sund spoke with AJC Hawks beat writer Sekou Smith about all that and more in a recent interview.

Q. Mike Bibby wasn’t healthy last year at any point after coming to the team in a trade deadline deal, how important is it for him to have a training camp with this team and to finally be healthy?

A. What’s good about this upcoming season is Mike was injured a lot last year and I read all the injury reports from our medical people and what they wanted for him was rest. And I think he got that this summer on the thumb. You’re in a situation where it’s a great opportunity for him to be on a team that’s pointed in the right direction and he’s a veteran and a point guard and he seemed to enjoy, from what I could gather watching him playing, himself with this team. But it was an important summer for all of these guys.

Q. Important for all these guys in what ways, specifically?

A. Al Horford had an opportunity to play with the Select Team that played against the Olympic team that won the gold medal and that helped him. Acie Law made the All-Tournament team at the Rocky Mountain Revue, and that shouldn’t be a surprise because he was a first rounder, but we wanted him to go out there and get some quality playing time. We found a couple of players in the summer league that look like they might have some potential for the future, maybe not necessarily this upcoming season but in the future in [Othello] Hunter and [Thomas] Gardner. Josh Smith got signed in early August so now we’re in a situation where he had a month and half where he’s been free to focus and get ready for this season. His situation didn’t linger into training camp. And that’s a big plus. I just think training camp is going to be extremely important for us as a group as well as individually.

Q. It sounds like there is going to be a renewed focus overall for training camp. Is that something you thought was necessary for this team or the way you always prefer to handle business?

A. By virtue of the way they finished last year, with a good taste in their mouths despite getting beat in Game 7, these guys are going to come in with high expectations for themselves, just like the coaching staff and management. We’re going to really focus in on training camp. I’ve had some discussions with Mike [Woodson]. It’s going to be a serious, serious endeavor this year. We’re putting them up at the hotel this year. They’re going to have practice sessions in the morning and skull sessions and meetings and everything at night. We’re going to be like Hard Knocks on HBO, we’re going that route. We’re not going to go crazy because we have rules. But training camp is going to be a 24-7 gig. We’re going to be focused. We want to set some goals and do some things that will … we want to catch some teams ahead of us [in the standings] and keep the seven teams that finished last season behind us, behind us.

Q. Coming off the season this team had and with the changes that occurred this summer, how cautious do you have to be in regard to not overdoing it with the “change” theme, that seems to be all the rage this summer, going into the season?

A. Well, and I think I’m getting your point, the one thing you have to be concerned with is that the season is a marathon and not a sprint. You don’t want to get off to a 6-2 start and think “we’re there” or get off to a 2-6 start and say “you’re not there.” I think you have to battle that to some extent with players as well. You can’t get to high on the highs and too low on the lows. You don’t want them thinking they’ve arrived if they get off to a 6-2 start because you know it’s a marathon. And you also don’t want them down and thinking they’re not that good if they start 2-6. Our schedule the first month is tough because we’ve got a lot of road games. So again, you don’t want to get too high or too low early. And that takes work.

Q. It’s one thing to try sell that perspective to your team but how do you cement that ideology into the way they go about their business?

A. The one thing I have to emphasize this year is that we’re a young veteran team. Josh Smith is a young veteran. He’s started for three or four years. You’re in a situation where Joe Johnson is a young veteran, relatively speaking. But we’ve also made a concerted effort to get some veterans in here with Mo [Evans] and Flip [Murray] and Bibby last year. We’ve got some veterans.

Q. In your experience, how tough a transition is trying to meld new faces and returning faces in such a short period of time?

A. The transition is easier with veterans than it is with rookies, provided they are in the rotation. It’s not something I’m overly concerned about with guys like Mo and Flip specifically, because they’ve been on different teams and have gone into situations like this in the past and done well.

Q. How conscious were you in your tweaking of things this summer to maintain some stability from last season while also trying to affect as much change as you thought was needed?

A. The thing that I think, and if we’ve done anything this offseason, is we took a team that didn’t have a great record last year but made the playoffs and played pretty well in the playoffs, and we had a nice assimilation of some continuity and some change. It starts with the coaching staff. We don’t have the same exact coaching staff we had last year. We’ve got some changes there. Same with management. We have some people that are still here with management and personnel and some that are new. And it goes on with the players. Take Mo, Flip, Randolph Morris, Hunter and Gardner we have five new players that are going to be on this roster. But you still have your core. With a playoff team we’ve managed to maintain some continuity while also adding some changes to the mix. And I think that’s a good way to move forward with a team that made the playoffs with an under .500 record and performed well against the eventual world champions in the playoffs.

GM Rick Sund signs Flip Murray, Atlanta Hawks starting to look like a team...

its a beautiful day in sports worldwide, the most beautiful sports event ever is in full effect, as is basketball for the USA and the NBA off-season

team usa is dominating in every game (except australia, we'll get them back later), it's too bad we didn't see Childress play with Greece to be dominated with the rest of them, that would make him home sweet home real soon, lol, but i hope Josh Childress is the star player and MVP of that team and league, so when he comes back to the hawks it would be monumental

the hawks are moving on without Childress for now though, GM Rick Sund continuing to explore the free agent market and make good decisions. GM Rick Sund recently signed Flip Murray, a 6'3 combo guard who played well in indiana and detroit, to be a veteran leader, scorer off the bench. Mike Woodson and Flip are on one accord (for now) and the hawks team is looking very strong for this upcoming season. There had been questions of team chemistry in the past, urgenct contract matters of important parts of the team and organization were rightfully a concern, after the resignation of the man that drafted and traded for all of the current hawks players of today, we chose someone we felt could make good decisions for the organization and team, and even though we have gone through the ludacris of Josh Childress, there seems to be some method to the madness after all.

This is a realistic opinion prediction of the Atlanta Hawks and the Southeast Division, i am a hawks blogger that believes Josh Smith is the best player on the team, Mike Woodson is the man for the job (for now) and the Hawks could win 45+ games this upcoming season, realisticly.

Southeast Division Alalysis:

Orlando Magic

Washington Wizards

Miami Heat

Charlotte Bobcats

this is actually going to be detailed analysis of the atlanta hawks of this season, , all factors considered:

coach Mike Woodson the hawks are better defensively than they have ever been, they play with a new confidence and swagger they gained in the playoffs, great home record, but also impressively winning on the road against teams that aren't supposed to lose to the hawks at home, earning the hawks some respect. believe it or not, Mike Woodson is not that bad. he actually has the favor and some respect of some of his players, and this team wants to be a defensive force, and believe it or not, mike was an intricate part of 04 Detroit Pistons championship defensive identity, hey if Doc Rivers can do it why not mike?

predicted team record : 47-35

Joe Johnson3x all-star

previous season stats: 21.7 ppg 4.5 rpg 5.8 apg 43.2% FGs 38.1% 3pt FGs 83.4% FTs

joe johnson is the leader of this team, mr. consistent has proven to be a top 10 SG in this league and one of the best all-around players in the nba. he improved hisp lay this season by increasing his FG and 3pt % by taking less shots and better shots, also formed a dynamic duo with Josh Smith, making plays for each other in the games, making opponents pay for double teaming him.
predicted next season stats: 20.2 pts 5.0 rbs 5.5 asts 48.2% FGs 40.1% 3pt FGs 85% FTs

Josh Smithall-star. dpoy.

previous season stats:17.2 ppg 8.2 rpg 3.4 apg 2.8 bpg 1.5 spg 45.9% FGs 25.3% 3pt FGs 71.1% FTs
Joshes improved shot selection and free throw shooting is what game him his first all-star selection and his continued improvement, focus on defense is what got him his first defensive player of the year award. after continuing to make his place in nba history as the first forward to average 3 bpg of all-time, and having an unstoppable in-the-paint game, josh also improved his game by being able to hit that 12-15 foot jumpshot, and he improved his 3pt shooting percentage, rightfully leading this young hawks team defensively and offensively.

predicted next season stats: 22.2 pts 8.3 rbs 3.0 asts 3.1 blks 2.1 stls 48.4% FGs 34.7% 3pt FGs 80.4% FTs

Al Horford

previous season stats: 10.1 ppg 9.7 rpg 1.5 apg 49.9% FGs 73.4% FTs

al horford and josh smith make the defensive identity of this hawks team, horford was one of the best rookies in the league last season and he proves his elite status in the east with improved play on both ends of the court, still playing the center position he has improved his jumpshot and led the hawks in scoring in 10 games this season, he is the leading rebounder on the team and 6th in rebounding in the league

predicted next season stats: 16.5 pts 11.3 rbs 2.0 asts 2.0 blks 50.4% FGs 82.1% FTs

Mike Bibbyprevious season stats: 13.9 ppg 3.5 rpg 6.0 apg 41.1% FGs 37.5% 3pt FGs 78.1% FTs

mike bibby is a solid point guard with good descision making skills, he has evolved as a passer because he elects to be more of a distributing PG first, scoring second. bibby is in the final year of his contract and he knows he wont be kept by the hawks so he is doing the best he can to help them win this season and in the post-season
predicted next season stats: 14.1 pts 4.1 rbs 6.2 asts 44.4% FGs 33.7% 3pt FGs 78.4% FTs

Marvin Williamsprevious season stats: 14.8 ppg 5.7 rpg 1.7 apg 46.2% FGs 10.1% 3pt FGs 82.2% FTs

marvin williams is a very bad player, he is very ackward inconsistent with no real specialty to his game, unless you consider a 12 foot jumpshot a specialty. he takes a step back this season with the improved play of josh smith and lack of josh childress, marvins minutes decline and so does his overall contribution to the team, he is not expected to be retained in the 09 off-season
predicted next season stats: 12.2 pts 4.3 rbs 2.1 asts 43.2% FGs 31.2% 3pt FGs

bench

Maurice Evans

previous season stats: 9.0 ppg 3.0 rpg 1.0 apg 48.1% FGs 38.8% 3pt FGs 71.2% FTs
mo evans turned out to be a great signing, bringing experienced veteran leadership, poise, and good shooting to the team, he is the teams 2nd most accurate 3 pt shooter, something childress could not provide, and he scores just as many points
predicted next season stats: 10.1 pts 3.1 rbs 2.3 asts 45.2% FGs 37.4 3pt FGs 78.3% FTs

Flip Murray

previous season stats: 9.4 ppg 2.0 rpg 3.5 apg 42.1% FGs 31.1% 3pt FGs 69.4% FTs
Flip Murray is pretty good for our team, he doesn't play as often because of his combo guard style of play, he is a pretty good scorer though, his veteran leadership is appreciated
predicted next season stats: 6.0 pts 2.1 rbs 1.3 asts

Acie Law IV

previous season stats: 4.2 ppg 2.1 apg

Acie Law wanted to really redeem himself this season, he did okay as the primary backup to mike bibby, but due to he splitting time with speedy claxton he did not get consistent minutes, acie law continues to be frustrated, he will be even more frustrated when bibby leaves and we sign someone else to be the starting pg
predicted next season stats: 6.1 pts 2.3 rbs 3.1 asts

Zaza Pachulia

previous season stats:
5.2 ppg 4.2 rpg

ZaZa is an intrigal part of this Hawks bench, he is our token foreign big man from the great republic of georgia, after being devestated by the war in his country, and due to the swagger shown in the playoffs, he is a fan favorite, and always brings aggresive play and good plays
predicted next season stats: 6.4 pts 6.5 rbs 2.3 asts 47.2% FGs 81% FTs

Randolph Morrisprevious season stats: irrelevent

this is a learning experience for morris, he is competing from the bench to be the starting center for the team when marvin leaves, he must lose alot of weight and become a more skilled passer, shot-blocker first, he will need to be a diop type enforcer center, not expected to be a scorer
predicted next season stats: 4.5 pts 3.4 rbs 1.1 blks

Jeremy Richardson
previous season stats:
Jeremy is a good role bench player, he is a SG/SF scorer, he is a good shooter, free throws, 3 pts, driving to the basket, and even a good defensive player
predicted next season stats:

Speedy Claxton
summer league stats:
predicted next season stats:


in conclusion, i am highlighting this hawks team because i see a eastern conference contender in the making, we got our big three, good PG (for now) and good center in the making, what will become one of the best benches in the league, i can see this occuring

We have a GM Winner! Rick Sund! Huh?

Rick Sund? Who is this guy, whydid we hire him, and do we feel he can take the Atlanta Hawks from mediocre to good to eastern conference great? I mean we know he's an old-school guy, he knows alot about the game of basketball, and he has done alot, but for all his 30 years of experience in the NBA, has he ever been a part of a championship team? In all his 15 years from 1979-1994 as a director of player personnel and vice predident of basketball operations at the Dallas Mavericks Organization, did they ever have playoffs success? They had one year, the 1987-1988 season where the Mavericks led my Mark Aquirre got to game 7 of the Western Conference Finals, but were defeated by the dynasty and eventual champion Los Angeles Lakers. Even when he served as a consultant to the General Manager of the Seattle Supersonics in 1995, it was after he left in 1996 when they went to the finals and got beat by Micheal Jordan's Bulls.

The real history of this guy we can and will evaluate this guy is by his General Manager position of the Seattle Supersonics from 2001-2007.




My question is why couldn't we stay within the organization to bring in a GM? No one outside our circle knows this team's roster better than the people who have been here beyond Billy Knight and Mike Woodson, therefore, why couldn't we make STEVE SMITH the General Manager of the Hawks? I'm not sure about this RICK SUND guy for the hawks, probably a little because he's a 67 years old white man, and the Hawks are the youngest team in the league consisting of mostly black players, really, actually ALL black players exept for ZaZa, who needs to stay, because he's a good role player.

To me, this man can change the Atlanta Hawks culture for the positive if he hires the head coach with the highest winning percentage in the NBA, and keeps the head coach with the lowest winning percentage in the NBA as an assistant, meaning this:

HIRE AVERY JOHNSON AS HEAD COACH

KEEP MIKE WOODSON AS ASSISTANT COACH

This way the Hawks get a new look, a new,powerful, respectable voice in the locker room and Mike Woodson gets to stay to some extent, even he has to recognize Avery as the better coach and follow his lead with the young Hawks. Also, for RICK SUND to make himself credible he must do the following:

RE-SIGN JOSH SMITH - that must be top priority, our big three consists of HORFORD, JOHNSON, and SMITH and if SMith lives up to his potential, he might be the biggest of the three, he is surely a future all-star, but he needs to continue to improve to get there

RE-SIGN JOSH CHILDRESS - he is our 6th man,our most productive bench player, and an afro that is just as important as the ben wallace fro was to detriot, exept we can't let him leave, sign him at mid-level and he'll stay

SIGN-AND-TRADE MARVIN WILLIAMS - everybody knows Marvin Williams is/was a mistake, he is not a starter in this leauge, he is not a impact role player on this team, and he is hindering the statistical growth of Josh Smith, and he is the person-symbolism of the foolishness of Billy Knight, we already traded Shelden Williams, let's package him with Bibby and get a Great Point Guard like Baron Davis or Allen Iverson or Monta Ellis or Gilbert Arenas or SOMETHING

As long as we keep our core together; Josh Smith, Josh Childress, Joe Johnson, and Al Horford we can be eastern conference contenders for the next few years, if we get a great PG on that level, and a shot-blocking center (DESANGA DIOP!) we will possibly be title contenders.

Hawks GM Billy Knight FIRES HIMSELF (or just resigns) effective July 1, this is good

Billy Knight is gone from the Atlanta Hawks franchise. He has done alot for this franchise as the GM, and as much as we thank him for bringing us Joe Johnson, Al Horford, and Mike Bibby, we HATE this man for passing on CHRIS PAUL (Marvin Williams?!? Marvin WILLIAMS!?) and BRANDON ROY (Shelden Williams....SHELDEN Williams!??). But, those are not the only things Knight has done for this franchise and moreso for the NBA. Let's Summarize Knights moves from the time he started (2002-2003) to where we are now(2007-2008).

season 02-03:

• signed mikki moore to 10 day contract
• signed mikki moore for the rest of the season

season 03-04

• tendered a qualify offer Jason Terry
• selected boris diaw(21st overall pick, 1st round), selected travis hansen(37th overall pick, 1st round)
• signed Boris Diaw and Travis Hansen
• traded forward Glenn Robinson to Philadelphia Sixers for guard Terrel Brandon and the rights to Randy Holcomb, a first round pick and cash.
• matched the offer from the Utah Jazz to keep Jason Terry
• resigned Dion Glover
• signed Stephen Jackson
• traded Dan Dickau, Shareef Abdur-Rahim, and Theo Ratliff to Portland Trailblazers for Rasheed Wallace and guard Wesley Person
• traded Nazr Mohammed for center Joel Przybilla from the Milwalkee Bucks and center Micheal Doleac and a 2005 first round pick from the New York Knicks
• Signed Jason Collier (R.I.P. 10/15/05)

season 04-05

• fired Head Coach terry Stotts
• Selected forward Josh Childress (6th overall pick, 1st round) and forward Josh Smith (17th overall pick, 1st round)
• names Mike Woodson head coach
• Signed forward Josh Childress and Josh Smith
• re-signed Stephen Jackson, traded him to Indiana Pacers for Al Harrington
• traded Jason Terry to Dallas Mavericks for forward Antoine Walker and guard Tony Delk
• Signed center Kevin Willis (Big SHOUT OUT to Kevin WILLIS!)
• signed guard Jon Barry and Kenny Anderson
• traded guard Jon Barry to Houston Rockets for Tyronne Lue
• traded Antoine Walker to Boston Celtics for guard Gary Payton, center Tom Guliotta, and center Micheal Stewart and a first round pick
• waived guard Gary Payton

season 05-06

• selected forward MARVIN WILLIAMS with the 2nd overall pick in the draft (passed on CHRIS PAUL, Deron Williams, Raymond felton, Andrew Bynum, Nate Robinson), selected Salim Stoudamire (31st overall pick, 2nd round)
• signed Marvin Williams and Salim Stoudemire
• signed center ZaZa Pachulia
• traded Boris Diaw, 2 conditional first round picks, and cash for Joe Johnson
• re-signed tyronne lue, salim stoudamire

season 06-07

• selected forward SHELDEN WILLIAMS with the 5th overall pick in the draft (passed on Brandon ROY)
• signed Shelden Williams
• signed guard Speedy Claxton(4 years, $25 million - never EVER played well for us)
• re-signed Al Harrington and traded him back to Indiana Pacers for 1st round pick and cash
• exercised contract options on Josh Smith and Josh Childress
• signed center Lorenzen Wright
• traded a second round pick to Dallas Mavericks for guard Anthony Johnson

season 07-08

• selected center AL HORFORD with the 3rd overall pick in the draft (best pick ever), selected Acie Law IV (11th overall pick)
• signed Al Horford and Acie Law IV
• signed Mario West
• traded centers Shelden Williams, Lorenzen Wright and guards Tyronne Lue, Anthony Johnson to Sacramento Kings for guard Mike Bibby
• signed Jeremy Richardson

Now, let's evaluate the good moves he made:

Now, let's evaluate the very bad moves he made: