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Friday, June 29, 2007
Like it or love it? (Horford’s Law)
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
NEW YORK - I’m not passing out a draft grade today. It’s too soon.
But I have to admit that I like what was done last night. I don’t love it (a major trade for All-Star talent would have been worth loving). But I do like what was done. It wasn’t the risky, go-for-broke move that some other teams made (and could pay for shortly in so many ways). The Hawks stayed the course. They persevered in a major way (I know you Bushies love that kind of talk).
In both Al Horford and Acie Law the Hawks snagged the two guys at positions of glaring need that can see immediate minutes for them and help them contend for a playoff spot.
Was it a championship move? No. But when you’ve been out of the playoff picture for eight straight years, winning championships is two or three steps down the road from just getting back to respectability. The Hawks took a major step toward that goal with Horford and Law.
That said, there will have to be some serious discussions internally about what to do with all these forwards. And one of the veteran point guards has to go (Tyronn Lue and Anthony Johnson are in the final years of their contracts and could net something good in a trade).
But one of my major gripes about this team has finally been addressed. The Hawks have long had an imbalanced roster that prevented them from being able to develop the kind of roster chemistry that is vital to being a successful team. Horford presents a unique challenge if he’s not suited to play center (that remains a question) because the Hawks already have Josh Smith and Marvin Williams at the forward spots.
Depth, however, is a major concern for any team in eh NBA. And the Hawks did improve their depth dramatically with the addition of Horford, who is different than any of the Hawks’ other forward types in that he’s a true bruiser (Shelden Williams had that reputation but turned out to be much more of a finesse player than his college resume would have indicated).
The real wild card, though, is Law. His shooting ability and penchant for making big shots at the biggest moments could make him a true double-threat as a scoring point guard. He probably won’t facilitate the way Mike Conley Jr. will in Memphis. But he’s going to be trouble when he’s on the floor with Joe Johnson. And even if they play them in spurts, can you imagine the offensive firepower the Hawks will have when JJ, Salim Stoudamire and Law are on the floor together? It’ll be a fireworks show.
I don’t know that these two guys alone push the Hawks into the 45-win range (which I think will be the cutoff point for playoff consideration in the Eastern Conference). But these guys, coupled with a healthier roster and the natural improvement of the guys already on the roster finally gives the Hawks a legitimate chance to compete for that spot. And that’s something they simply weren’t equipped to do the past three years.
