Hawks To Talk Extension With Al Horford
by Kris Willis on Aug 31, 2010 10:38 PM EDT
22 comments
While Joe Johnson's free agency was the biggest headline of the summer, Al Horford's contract status would have to rank number two and should probably have been talked about a lot more than it has to date. It appears now that the Hawks are poised to offer Horford a contract before the October 31st deadline that would lock him in for the near future with the Hawks. Priority one is to get Horford signed but should the Hawks offer him a contract now or wait and let the market dictate the price in restricted free agency? Is Al Horford worth a max contract? If he is not, then what is he worth to the Hawks?
It is a simple question, but the answer could be elusive. Horford averaged 14.2 points per game last year and 9.9 rebounds a game narrowly missing out on averaging a double double. He was highly efficient shooting 55% from the field and 78% from the line. He also made his first all star game appearance and in some rankings is already a top 5 Center in the league even though he himself thinks he is really a power forward. He is a high character guy that is a more than capable defender as well.
For those that is unfamiliar with the way restricted and unrestricted free agency works, the Hawks have until October 31st to work out a long term extension with Al Horford. If they fail to reach an agreement by the deadline then Horford would become a restricted free agent which would give him the ability to negotiate with any team but gives the Hawks the right to match any offer. For those that remember, the Hawks let Josh Smith seek the best offer in restricted free agency which came from Memphis and the Hawks quickly matched what has turned out to be a very affordable contract for a player like Smith and his many talents.
More after the jump******
Biggest Winner this Hawks Off-Season? The guy who didn't buy the Hawks
by The Human Highlight Blog on Aug 30, 2010 8:30 PM EDT
3 comments
Joe Johnson pulled in 124 million and is secure well beyond his productivity on the basketball court.
Larry Drew finally realized a dream born of many years as a valued assistant on many NBA coaching benches by being named Head Coach of the Hawks.
Jason Collins, after a forgettable season as the de-facto 5th big man on a 53-win playoff team, is chased down by that same team to come back again, guaranteed.
Yup, they all had great off-seasons, but in one final decision today, one man lapped them all.
Who is it? Why, it's someone who wanted to be a Hawk, but some mean folks wouldn't let him. Now, they must pay.
New 13th Man Rumor: HoopsHype Etan Thomas Close to Signing With the Hawks
Here is a name that hasn't been reported yet. HoopsHype.com is reporting that Etan Thomas is close to signing a one year deal with the Hawks. He averaged 3.3ppg and 2.8reb in very limited minutes with Oklahoma City last season.
Jamal Crawford To Ask Hawks For Trade
by Kris Willis on Aug 27, 2010 11:23 PM EDT
36 comments
Jamal Crawford's search for a contract extension has taken a rather unexpected turn. Reports surfaced Friday night that Crawford, who is in the last year of his contract, will seek a trade from the Hawks if his extension demands are not met. While there were no quotes directly from Crawford in any of the sources it appears that Crawford would rather play out his contract somewhere else if the Hawks have no intention of extending him.
Crawford came to the Hawks last year in a trade for Speedy Claxton and Acie Law. He made the playoffs for the first time in his career and appeared to embrace the role of six man so much so that he won the NBA's Sixth Man of the Year Award. Now it appears that long term security could be more important than winning to him and his Hawks tenure could end after only one season.
This is all really discouraging for me although I feel a little foolish for not anticipating something like this happening. The writing is basically on the wall for Crawford. The Hawks drafted a hopeful replacement for Jamal in Jordan Crawford. The Joe Johnson extension and the need to extend Al Horford will leave the Hawks with very little wiggle room in dealing with Jamal. It's sad because the Hawks have been intent on keeping the core together in hopes that any improvement will come from within. Now they may be forced to reshuffle that core that they were so intent on protecting.
I don't want to speculate any further on this until we get some comments from Jamal himself but we will be watching and keep you updated throughout the weekend. In the meantime here are links to the various reports:
Ball Don't Lie Center Rankings - Al Horford #4
Kelly Dwyer wraps up his positional rankings with the Center position. Al Horford comes in at #4 behind Lopez, Bogut, and Dwight Howard.
Not bad for a guy who himself says that he is playing out of position.
Greatest of All-Time Atlanta Hawks Series #16: Jason Terry
by The Human Highlight Blog on Aug 27, 2010 8:22 AM EDT
3 comments
Welcome back to the Greatest of All-Time Atlanta Hawks Series, which we introduced yesterday with much fanfare and circumstance (yay!).
One might ask why we're doing (16) players and the answer is simple: I was inspired to do this series late last season when Sekou Smith asked me on Twitter who my GOAT Hawks were. I ended up rattling off a Top 15, after the acknowledgement that, really, 'Nique was on a different level than them all. So there's why we start with #16.
The Number 16 Greatest of All-Time Atlanta Hawk is:
Greatest of All-Time Atlanta Hawks Series: The Introduction
by The Human Highlight Blog on Aug 26, 2010 10:59 AM EDT
11 comments
From Bob Pettit to Lenny Wilkens, the St. Louis Hawks enjoyed both a championship and many great players.
But today we introduce our offseason series on who are the greatest of all-time Atlanta Hawks. Our investigation has taken us to some interesting facts about the team, though some of the great eras in Atlanta basketball, and ultimately who are the greatest ever Atlanta Hawks.
First of all, let's acknowledge the lack of suspense regarding who is at the top. The Namesake, The Human Highlight Film, Hall of Famer Dominique Wilkins is the benchmark against whom all other Atlanta Hawks are compared and whose bar for stardom still remains uncleared since his trade in 1994.
We won't hold his excellence against him--he will get his post when it comes time for #1, but what remains is an excellent collection of players who have graced the courts as an Atlanta Hawks.
How we ranked them was a mixture of statistics, character, and importance to the team and the fans. We used the awesome Basketball Reference site for statistical guidance and the terrific "From Sweet Lou to 'Nique" historical book written by the late, great Jeffrey Denberg with some assistance from a young, spunky PR guy who is now VP of that area, the terrific Arthur Triche.
We held firm to a 300 game minimum, meaning that they had to play at least (4) seasons as a full time Hawk. So if you are wondering where Shareef Adbur-Rahim, Antoine Walker, or Glenn Robinson are, they aren't here...and why were you looking for them anyway?
Stay tuned as we continue in the days ahead our countdown of the Greatest of All-Time Atlanta Hawks!
Ball Don't Lie - Power Forward Rankings Josh Smith #7
Kelly Dwyer ranks the top 30 power forwards with Josh Smith checking in at #7. I can't really argue with any of the guys that are in front of him. Dwyer has Smith ranked behind Boozer, Bosh, Dirk, Amare, Duncan, and Gasol.
When compared to the guys in front of him, Josh is the youngest and the one with probably the most growth left in his game.
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Southeast Standings
| W | L | PCT | GB | STRK | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Orlando
|
59 | 23 | .719 | 0 | Lost 1 |
|
Atlanta
|
53 | 29 | .646 | 6 | Lost 4 |
|
Miami
|
47 | 35 | .573 | 12 | Lost 1 |
|
Charlotte
|
44 | 38 | .536 | 15 | Lost 5 |
|
Washington
|
26 | 56 | .317 | 33 | Won 1 |
(updated 9.2.2010 at 3:12 PM EDT)
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