NBA Training Camp 2011: Atlanta Hawks Lacking Guard Depth
by Kris Willis on Dec 15, 2011 8:29 AM EST
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With the NBA season opener just 10 days away I feel like it is important to take a hard look at the Hawks roster before we going any further. As everyone here knows when talking about the roster you have to take into account Atlanta's salary situation and their to this point resistance to paying the luxury tax. Its difficult to nail down an exact salary figure for the Hawks because of the new CBA and things like Keith Benson's rookie deal being undisclosed, however Hoopinion's Bret LaGree does the heavy lifting on the salary situation and I will gladly defer to him on this matter.
I have the Hawks at $69,249,116 plus Keith Benson's rookie deal (terms still undisclosed). The Hawks have 13 guys under contract.
Remember that the league minimum roster requirement is 13 players although Bret highlights in his post some options the Hawks have. Also as long as the new CBA mirrors last season's, Atlanta need only be under the $70.3 million tax line before their last game of the season.
Now a look at the roster as I see it:
PG: Jeff Teague / Kirk Hinrich / Pape Sy
SG: Joe Johnson
SF: Marvin Williams / Tracy McGrady
PF: Josh Smith / Vladimir Radmanovic / Magnum Rolle / Keith Benson
C: Al Horford / Zaza Pachulia / Jason Collins
A quick glance of that roster reveals an immediate lack of depth in the backcourt. However, if you look at the salary numbers Bret produces, the Hawks may not be able to add a veteran player to the team without going into the tax but as long as it is calculated in the new CBA the same as the last one, they will have until the end of the season to get back under. Remember Magnum Rolle and Pape Sy are on unguaranteed contracts.
Which brings me back to guard depth and someone like Jerry Stackhouse. Its a given that Josh Smith will play some small forward and Tracy McGrady will play at both backcourt positions but if you look at it, Atlanta has only three true healthy options at guard on the roster. Compound that with a compacted schedule and you can see my concern. I don't think there is anyway that the Hawks break camp without adding another guard to the roster.
From the sounds of things, it appears Jerry Stackhouse has a leg up on getting the nod just due to the experience he would bring to the table. MC talks at length about Stackhouse in his camp report from Wednesday. At media day on Monday, Stackhouse was talked about quite a bit by his teammates and Larry Drew and none of them referred to him as a guy that was simply in camp due to an invite. MC also added that Brad Wanamaker had stood out among the young camp invitees and could be a player that might provide depth at both backcourt positions.
There is a good chance that the roster shuffle isn't quite finished and perhaps one of those glut of power forwards might not be with the Hawks once the regular season starts. They could potentially add Stackhouse or Wanamaker to partially guaranteed deals and waive them before they become full guaranteed which is the same route Damien Wilkins took last year. Due to their cap situation, Atlanta is going to have to be creative with their roster this season especially if they suffer any unforeseen injuries along the way.
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Will T-Mac be doing much of the ballhandling this season
I saw him backup Rodney Stuckey in Detroit last season and sometimes start at point. Stack can spell Joe and J Smoove will slide up to the 3 position, since the frontcourt seems deep looking at the breakdown (depth in number of players, not overall talent past Horf)
"We did a lot of good things last year, and now we've got Julio ... That does nothing but improve the offense, and we expect to do better. That's our goal, to lead the NFL in everything. Every offensive category." -Roddy White
It would be good to have another cheap guard until Hinrich returns. But Joe and Jeff should play 35-40 minutes a night each, and Marvin, Stack, and TMac could spell Joe for a few minutes a game. The Hawks should be okay with what they have now assuming Joe and Jeff stay healthy. If one or both of them go down, you wouldn’t expect the team to thrive anyway.
In this grueling schedule
They had better watch Joe’s minutes carefully. Stack isn’t on the roster yet and if they add him then yes I agree they will have enough to make it work. The point was at this moment Stack nor Wanamaker are guaranteed to break camp with the club.
@Kris_Willis
Prefer Wanamaker or Sloan
I thought last year the Heat messed up by adding too many old vets and not a few young minute eaters to fill in and learn during the dog days of a long season. This season is going to be even harder because it’s condensed. We have some old vets like McGrady, Radmanovic, and Collins signed. We need some young guys on the 14 man roster and we need the coach to be willing to play them (the big elephant in the room). In theory Rolle, Benson, and Sy will make the squad. The 14th spot should be on the young side as well.
by Evil Dallas on Dec 15, 2011 12:34 PM EST up reply actions
I'm not sure they carry 14
Although I agree with you about Wanamaker and Sloan I don’t have any confidence that is the direction the Hawks will go in.
@Kris_Willis
I don't want anyone to come here
expecting to start at the point guard position
@Kris_Willis
by Kris Willis on Dec 15, 2011 10:24 AM EST up reply actions
I know this is unrelated
but what about trading someone or two to get Okafor or Kaman from the Hornets. They need to get rid of one and we could finally get a true center. I don’t know their contracts but we have some pieces to get one of them and slide Al to the 4. Its just a thought and I know nothing about their contracts, but I would love to get a true center in Atlanta with a young PG and Joe.
Kaman
Since he is a “true center,” Kaman must be better at playing the center position than Al Horford, right? His stats don’t agree.
True Center
I was thinking the samething. I would love to get Kaman. Kirk and Zaza for Kaman. I’m all for that
by Jefrey on Dec 15, 2011 11:03 AM EST via mobile reply actions
trade zaza and there will be a riot in the city
"A ‘No’ uttered from the deepest conviction is better than a ‘Yes’ merely uttered to please, or worse, to avoid trouble."
Mohandas Gandhi
"We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give."
Winston Churchill
"Let he who is without sin cast the first stone"
Jesus
"We were real solid on both ends of the floor today and had positive energy coming from the bench tonight."
Jeff Teague
by Throw on Dec 16, 2011 1:22 AM EST up reply actions 1 recs
So you're saying there is open tryouts for a emergency backup point guard position?
Atlanta will win a championship....someday
What about Allen Iverson? At least a look?
by xavip on Dec 15, 2011 12:10 PM EST via mobile reply actions
HECKY NAW
Are we trying to kill what’s left of a shaky locker room? :)
Hawk Str8Talk
by Hawk Str8Talk on Dec 15, 2011 2:35 PM EST up reply actions
2 things
- Maybe we should ignore big name over the hill vets and #2) possibly it isn’t a bad thing that Larry Drew will be forced to trust in Teague at the start of the season. Teague needs to either prove himself as the PG of the team or fail so that we know whether to resign him or replace him. We’ve already given up a lot to get a year and a half of Hinrich because the team (Drew and the front office) didn’t seem to realize that Teague could play.
5 games into the season and Donald Sloan was #2 in the D-League in assists per game. On the downside he’s not a good 3 point shooter. Maybe he’s a decent fill-in.
Quick thoughts
-When everyone is healthy, I like our depth better than last year. Jeff Teague starting gives us a trickle down effect-Kirk Hinrich becomes the sixth man, which he should be able to do as effectively as Jamal Crawford. Not the same kind of shot creator, but he’s efficient from three and a better defender. Tracy McGrady should be more valuable than Mo Evans/Damien Wilkins if we can use him right. And Radmanovic is more useful than Josh Powell. He’s actually a jumpshooter, whereas Josh Powell simply THOUGHT he was a jumpshooter.
-I really like what Donald Sloan has done in the D-League. I think he’d be a good guy to make the roster out of camp, on perhaps an unguaranteed contract. Pape Sy might be due some minutes, but he’s not necessarily a point guard.
-Don’t like the depth behind Josh Smith. Radmanovic isn’t very useful on defense, and Benson is very raw, probably could use some time in the D-League. Magnum Rolle is too. Not sure we have a defensive banger to play PF-our best option is using Horford there with Zaza or Collins if we need more defense at the 4. We’re really unlikely to add anyone at this point.
-I read an interview MC had with Stackhouse on the AJC blog. Up until then, I had rolled my eyes at the signing, but I like that he’s hit the ground and taking it upon himself to be a leader. He’s basically practicing for a career in coaching. If the Hawks respect him enough to listen to good suggestions, he’s worth keeping around, as long as Larry Drew is realistic about his role.
My buddy and I just decided that the braves would be set if we could get Matt Kemp, Jose Reyes, and Albert Pujols.
by willlinn on May 17, 2011 2:13 PM EDT
I don't think Rolle sticks...
and either he or Benson get cut to add a G.
http://sportsandgrits.com/
Josh Smith – limited perimeter skills
Radmanovic – perimeter player
Horford – limited perimeter skills
"A guy that has the reputation of a 3-point shooter, [the defense] always have to be aware of him," Drew said. "I watched a lot of film on him and he has a very uncanny ability to get to an open spot very fast. … We are a team when we move the basketball and get the ball in right people’s hands [Joe Johnson] it’s going to force the defense to collapse [double team], and the more [3 pt] shooters you have out there with those type of guys the more it helps you."
* Andrew Bogut * Jon Leuer * Josh Smith * Joe Johnson * Jeff Teague *
* Zaza Pachulia * Keith Benson * Tracy McGrady * Marvin Williams * Kirk Hinrich *
inj. reserve: Pape Sy, Jason Collins
Hawks trade {Al Horford} for {PF Jon Leuer and C Andrew Bogut}
by PointGuardSlim on Dec 15, 2011 9:16 PM EST up reply actions
For what it's worth,
Just saw a report that Kirk’s ahead of schedule with his rehab, so hopefully wont’ miss as many games as some reports had with the Feb return.
You would expect that from a consumate professional
to work hard in rehab and come back from an injury sooner than expected.
Will making it back to the Eastern Conference Semis give Larry Drew another year at the helm?
Thank-you for the report
as one that had my should dislocated in a stupid swimming contest, and then being stupid to have it dislocated seven times after, till Mrs Atlpaul forced me to have a surgery, i know the recovery is hard. Here is hoping he has a full recovery and a termendous future
by ATLpaul on Dec 15, 2011 11:19 PM EST up reply actions 1 recs
In terms of bodies, I don't like our frontcourt depth
I feel like Vlady will be at Small Forward for the most part and Mcgrady is almost exclusively gonna be a combo guard. Benson is gonna be a non factor this year. Right now our only frontcourt depth is Twin and Zaza, which both come with their limitations.
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