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Tuesday, February 19, 2008
No, we’re not related
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
LOS ANGELES - Normally, I’d spend a few minutes bragging on LA, my favorite city on the planet outside of Grand Rapids, Mich. and Smyrna, but I’m going to spare you all this time.
Rest assured that LA, the city and it’s fine people, is fine as ever. Like I always say when I’m here, 18,000 people can’t possibly be wrong about a place.
But instead of one of my usual, meandering deals about life on the road in the NBA, I’m going to yap basketball for the umpteenth day in a row (sooner or later we’re going to stray off topic, for real).
So, I had a funny phone exchange after practice yesterday.
“You and Dale Davis must be cousins after what you wrote [Monday],” the cat on the other end of the phone said to me, he was joking, of course.
I had to laugh myself.
No, we’re not related. But Dale is one of my favorite dudes out there, active or not. And more importantly, he represents the type of player this Hawks team so desperately needs to complete what started over the weekend with the Mike Bibby trade.
After watching these guys practice for the first time it became painfully obvious to me that Josh Smith, Al Horford, Zaza Pachulia and Solomon Jones comprise the entire frontcourt rotation the Hawks will use for the final 33 games of this season - starting with tonight’s game against the Lakers - and possibly beyond.
That’s not going to get it, folks. There has to be at least one more addition to this roster (Jeremy Richardson, who looked really good during practice and should ease into the playing rotation immediately as a backup to both Marvin Williams and Joe Johnson) in the form of a big man.
It wouldn’t matter to me who it is, since I don’t have any decision-making power at my own house let alone with these Hawks.
But that won’t stop me from waxing poetic about the candidates that would fit best, IMHO.
The other names tossed about Monday (by me and the other non-factors in the decision making process I spoke to) include P.J. Brown, Justin Williams, Kevin Willis, Jamaal Magloire, Jeff Foster, Jahidi White, Jelani McCoy, Josh Boone, Francisco Elson and my personal favorite Aaron Williams (while not nearly as big a cult-favorite of mine as Luke Ridnour once was but surely one of my favorite no-nonsense players of all time).
Cases can be made for and against just about every guy on the list. I’ll concentrate strictly on my man Aaron Williams, though.
Aaron Williams is on someone else’s roster right now (the Clippers), so snagging him would obviously be the most complicated move for the Hawks - who for the time being are short on useful trade assets with no draft picks, no expiring contracts and no real player you can deem expendable now that the roster has been crunched to just 12 active (Speedy Claxton, as well know, is out) players.
The Hawks are in a tough situation now because adding another player to the roster forces them over the salary cap - uncharted territory for a team that for the longest time has one of the sweetest salary structures in the league.
Some creative action will be required to add the right player to the mix for the Hawks, whose best hope might be to wait out Thursday’s NBA trade deadline and see who is left without a team in the aftermath and then pounce.
I don’t know if the Hawks will be able to get it done, adding another quality player to this roster, or not. We probably won’t know for sure until Thursday, so they’ll have to face the Lakers and Kings (Wednesday) with what they’ve got right now.
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