AJC > Sports > Hawks > Blog > Archives > 2008 > February > 18
Monday, February 18, 2008
Back to the grind
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
UNDISCLOSED AIRPORT LOCATION - I’ll keep this brief since this is a travel day.
Now that the shine of the Hawks’ big weekend trade (in case you were in the Fulton County lock up over the weekend they swapped T. Lue, Anthony Johnson, Shelden Williams, Lorenzen Wright and a second round draft pick for former Sacramento PG Mike Bibby) is fading a bit, it’s time to get back to the nuts and bolts of their playoff campaign (I’m a political nut right now with all this Obama-Clinton drama, sorry).
There are roster spots to be filled and I’ve got names, one that my spies tell me is set to join the team and one that I think they need to get to join the team.
You might remember Jeremy Richardson, the guy the Hawks had up on a couple of 10-day contracts last season that really showed some potential. Well, my people tell me that he’ll join them once again, fresh off his MVP showing in New Orleans in the D-League All-Star showcase.
He’s a good shooter, from mid-range and certainly beyond the 3-point line. And he has good size. He’s also familiar with the Hawks and the way they do business, on and off the court, so he could make a rather seamless transition on the Hawks’ Western Conference road swing.
That takes care of another shooter/scorer with some size.
Now the Hawks have to find another big body to fill out the frontcourt rotation.
They already have the young, athletic cats everyone wishes they had in Josh Smith, Al Horford, Solomon Jones and even Zaza Pachulia (don’t hate on Z, the Hawks are going to need him if they want to make the playoffs).
Now they need a bruiser, a 6-11, 275-pound security blanket with experience and the understanding that his role might be limited depending on the situation. He also has to be a guy that can come in and contribute on the fly.
Now the Hawks could wait and see how things shake out by Thursday’s trade deadline and hope that a big man shakes off the tree somewhere else. Or they can scan the back alleys for a quality big man that has slipped through the cracks (good luck with that one).
Me, I’d check a little closer to home. In fact, I saw a guy who would be a perfect fit just two weeks ago when the Pistons were in town. And he’s a guy who fits the Hawks’ needs perfectly.
Anybody got a number for Dale Davis?
I’ll check back from practice in LA later today, Bibby could be on the floor with his new teammates by then. Feel free to offer your own suggestions in the meantime, because you might have a better candidate for that 14th roster spot than I do.


