Sports Columnists

By austin

July 5, 2006 01:21 PM | Link to this

Speedy Claxton will be a welcome addition to the hawks. I think signing a veteran point is much better right now for them than drafting a project. Though, Speedy is not an All-Star, he is better than what I expected to get.

By Gutz

July 5, 2006 01:21 PM | Link to this

The Hawks will be in the playoff race next year with our moves in the draft and finally getting a solid PG in free agency. JJ is only going to get better now that he can move back to his natural position at SG. Our young guys like Marvin and Josh Smith will hopefully take their games to the next level especially Marvin since Al is gone now. Shelden was a good pick since we need interior defense and he will provide that for sure. I love what Speedy brings to the Hawks as well, up-tempo guy who can get the ball to our young guys in the post and JJ for 3-pointers. Its going to be a fun year!! Go Hawks!!!!!!

By Jason

July 5, 2006 01:22 PM | Link to this

T. Moore,

Decent column for once … at least you understand what the Hawks are doing. Sports writers in ATL NEED to support the teams, instead of bash them b/c too many of the fans take what is said in your columns for reality, which is normally far from the truth! I, for one, am getting upset that the fans don’t do more research other than reading the paper. If they actually came to the games, and saw the improvement, then this town would be in a better situation. Support your hometown teams, fans!

By RSC

July 5, 2006 01:23 PM | Link to this

I keep on hearing that Indiana is interested in a sign-and-trade for Harrington. What are they willing to give up??!?

By j

July 5, 2006 01:28 PM | Link to this

I’m getting season tickets this year we stay healthy and we’re back in the playoffs.

By Gutz

July 5, 2006 01:30 PM | Link to this

We need to get David Harrison from the Pacers in a S/T for Al. This guy is a beast at 7”0 and like 270lbs. He would be that one extra solid big guy we need to round up our roster. He is just young and arrogant right now but has tons of upside.

By Gutz

July 5, 2006 01:31 PM | Link to this

We need to get David Harrison from the Pacers in a S/T for Al. This guy is a beast at 7”0 and like 270lbs. He would be that one extra solid big guy we need to round up our roster. He is just young and arrogant right now but has tons of upside.

By Kdub

July 5, 2006 01:35 PM | Link to this

Good question. Now that we have Claxton, they can’t entice us with Anthony Johnson or Jamaal Tinsley to come and run point. Plus, I don’t see any big men on their roster that they could package with one of their guards(not any that they’re willing to give up, at least.) Golden State is also interested, but once again, I don’t see a guard and a big man that they could package either.

By Vol

July 5, 2006 01:52 PM | Link to this

What about Troy Murphy from Golden State for Harrington?

I am surprised at so little I see about keeping Harrington. I know we are overstocked at the position, but should we unload someone else? Seems like Al is the kind of guy we would go after in free agency like JJ last year (and save two picks and a player). We have the cap room.

PG Claxton SG JJ SF Harrington PF S. Williams C ZaZa reserve - M. Williams reserve - J. Smith reserve - Lue reserve - Salim reserve - Childress

Unload a reserve for a decent big man and is it a playoff team?

All that said, I’d probably take Murphy for Harrington.

By Vol

July 5, 2006 01:59 PM | Link to this

As for David Harrison, I don’t know if I want a 50% free throw shooter after watching Shaq and Big Ben in the playoffs. Not unless he can do what those guys do.

Agree that the Pacers don’t seem to have much else to help us.

By andy

July 5, 2006 02:13 PM | Link to this

I have seen a couple of possibles for AH. One is AH and J chill to golden State for obryant and a draft pick. Another is Ah and Lue to Lakers for bynum and smoosh. The most often heard though is Ah for chandler from the bulls. Granted that the Hawks should get something, even if they dont they will be a better team without AH. addition by subtraction. Smith with another year will be better than AH. Marvin will develop and in five years nobody will be screaming for chris paul. AH would not rebound and would not play interior defense.If we get a good big man for AH i see the playoffs possibly next year and for sure the year after.

By GOHawks

July 5, 2006 02:31 PM | Link to this

If the Hawks are able to ge a decent big for Harrington (i.e. Tyson Chandler, Jamal McGloire and Mo Williams) and woodson let these boys play and run i can assure you they wont just make the playoffs they will contend for a championship. Just call them the BABY HAWKS cause this is the year they learn to fly. i know that was kinda corny :)

By GOHawks

July 5, 2006 02:31 PM | Link to this

If the Hawks are able to ge a decent big for Harrington (i.e. Tyson Chandler, Jamal McGloire and Mo Williams) and woodson let these boys play and run i can assure you they wont just make the playoffs they will contend for a championship. Just call them the BABY HAWKS cause this is the year they learn to fly. i know that was kinda corny :)

By ayersling

July 5, 2006 02:53 PM | Link to this

I would welcome a trade for either Bynum or O’Bryant. No way would I trade for Murphy or any other power forward because we just drafted two and could use another center and we could afford to lose a swingman and as much as I like Chill, I would rather see him than Marvin or J. Smith get traded. I love the signing, though. Get ready Hawks fans, THE WAIT IS OVER. PLAYOFFS, HERE WE COME. Where are all the little bandwagon Billy Bashers now? I told ya’ll to shut your gaping traps and give the man some time, now you idiots(Mark Bradley a.k.a. Chiefwallawalla Thumbuphisass) can eat it. You have to understand Bradley is human and probably writes a lot of what he writes because Knight snubbed him on the interview. I also understand, we haven’t done anything, yet, but again where are the Billy Bashers comments? Are you picketing at Phillips for the man to lose his job and just haven’t heard? Billy has done a wonderful job since coming here and I sure would like to see a humble Bradley article like Mr. Moore’s. SEKOU SMITH RULES!!!! GO HAWKS!!!!!!!

By ayersling

July 5, 2006 03:13 PM | Link to this

Let me further elaborate, Knight is bold enough to take the heat from the fairweather fan and stick to the gameplan, a championship caliber roster. He hasn’t made one bad pick since he’s been here. Diaw was his first pick and whereas we didn’t develop him or play him at the right spot or something, what he has done this year speaks volumes about his abilities. He traded for Harrington, Walker, and Delk, brought in JJ, Anderson, ZaZa, and Berry and traded away players that did work to build a future we FANS can get excited about. Maybe we did give up to much for JJ but if everyone will recall, no one would come to Atlanta at that time and a bold move was called for. Mr. Knight got ‘er done and possibly opened the door for Claxton to come here. Futhermore, we had to first round picks this year, thanks to L.A. and GP, so we could burn the one that wasn’t lottery protected and the pick next year is protected if it is in the top 3. So if we somehow miss the playoffs this year, we still have a shot at Oden or a top 3 talent. I don’t know how the ownership is going to turn out but Mr. Knight is straight up and made no effort to shake Belkin’s hand BECAUSE he was brought here to build a championship team and BELKIN WAS IN THE WAY OF THAT HAPPENING. The man does his job wonderfully and Josh Smith is the greatest SHINING EXAMPLE of his abilities(see Jay Bilas’ comments on draft night). There is a reason journalists write and that is to sell papers(their job). Mr. Knight’s job is General Manager of our much improved Atlanta Hawks. May God bless the Atlanta Spirit, LLC!!!! I will pray for you to stay our owners because I see the effort and am extremely grateful for it.

By sbelkin

July 5, 2006 03:17 PM | Link to this

WHY everybody be dissin on me??!?

By Kaye

July 5, 2006 03:23 PM | Link to this

ALL YOU FANS ARE CRAZY AND DONT KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT WHAT YOUR TALKING ABOUT!!!!!! Speedy cannot run an offense in a starting role for this 82-game marathon. He’s better suited as a back up (why do you think the Spurs let him go) behind a future project instead. he is not a difference maker, you might as will keep Ivey at the starting point, they both suck!!!! Yeah i say trade Al and Childress for a big and a more establish and accomplished guard or either a project. AND WHO THE HECK SAID MARVIN WELL BE GOOD IN 5 YEARS, YEAH RITE, this team is built around JJ and JSmith. Marvin well be traded or let go soon as BK is fired by Belkin. The move, trade AL and get some value for him

By A Real Fan

July 5, 2006 03:28 PM | Link to this

Go Hawks! Let’s hurry up and do that Sign and Trade!

By bknight

July 5, 2006 03:31 PM | Link to this

Yo mamma, Belkin!!!

By ConyersDawg

July 5, 2006 03:37 PM | Link to this

As long as we get a draft pick back with the sign and trade I’m fine.

By RAMON

July 5, 2006 03:41 PM | Link to this

SPEEDY WASNT LET GO BY THE SPURS BECAUSE HE COULDNT RUN AN OFFENSE FOR 82 GAMES HE WAS LET GO BECAUSE THEY HAD TONY PARKER WHO WAS MORE OF A ‘POP’ GUY… REMEMBER EVERYONE SAID MOOKIE COULDNT RUN THE OFFENSE AND HE WAS JUST ANOTHER BENCH RESERVE WHEN HE CAME FROM THE NETS AND YOU ALL KNOW HOW WELL THAT TURNT OUT BE… IF THE HAWKS COULD GET BYNUM FOR AH THAT WOULD BE GREAT, BUT THEY CANT.. THE LAKERS ARE NOT GOING TO LET GO OF HIM, NOT LIKE THAT.. AND REMEMBER TY LUE AND STOUDAMIRE WOULD HELP CLAXTON GET THE JOB DONE OVER THE SEASON.. BECAUSE IN THE FORTH QUARTERS OF MOST GAMES JJ WILL BE BRINGING THE BALL UP THE COURT ANYWAY (THINK WADE, MCGRADY, JAMES) AND TO BE HONEST JJ IS BETTER THAN MCGRADY EVER WAS SIMPLY BECAUSE HE PLAYS HARDER ON DEFENSE.. TO BE HONEST IF THE HAWKS COULD PACKAGE A DEAL TOGETHER FOR JERMAINE ONEAL THAT WOULD BE GREAT: AH, J CHILL, AND MARVIN(OR S WILLIAMS) THAT SOUNDS GREAT TO ME … OR MAKING A PITCH FOR OKUR WOULDNT BE BAD…

By ayersling

July 5, 2006 03:52 PM | Link to this

Excellent POINT, Ramon!!! Jermaine O’Neal would be a bad trade, though. The young man has character issues. If you would like to know what they are, you can hang out with him and party in the A the night the Pacers play the Hawks or you can read the race card comment he pulled or you can watch him punch a fat old Pistons fan at the Palace or ……well, you get the point. Great talent but he probably needs to mature a little more. Thugs don’t have good karma but they do say a lot of humorous things.

By Taurus

July 5, 2006 03:59 PM | Link to this

Speedy Claxton is a good signing. He has proven he can run a team, puts up good numbers when starting, and a very goog on the ball defender. The sleeper the Hawks need to be looking at it Chris Wilcox in Seattle. Seattle would jump at trading Wilcox for Harrington in a sign and trade. You would have a formidable front court for years with Wilcox, Williams, and J. Smith.

By StillGarbage

July 5, 2006 04:01 PM | Link to this

The Hawks are moving in the right direction by signing Claxton, but I’m just not sold on a nucleus of JChill, Josh Smith, Marvin Williams, Salim. They just seem to be mediocre players. We’ll continue to talk about their “potential” for the next 3 years +. We all know they aren’t meant to be superstars, but still they are just awful. The only guys worth keeping are Joe Johnson, Shelden (we’ll see) & Speedy - dump everyone else, and move on. Bring in another superstar to play with Johnson and we’ve got something.

By RSC

July 5, 2006 04:11 PM | Link to this

Whoa, Still. Josh Smith, Marvin, et al are still college-age players, signed out of high school or as freshmen. You might want to give them a chance. All we need is some direction from a vet like Speedy and a big, hopefully from a sign-and-trade for Al Harrington, and we’ve got a team that will carry on for several years. Then, we start drafting ‘potential’ to fill the bench.

By JMar

July 5, 2006 04:11 PM | Link to this

I wish I could get my hands on whatever Ayersling is smoking. If you think Shelden Williams, Speedy Claxton, and the project big man that people seem to think we’ll get for Harrington are going double our win total and make this a championship calibre roster, you’re crazy.

“He traded for Harrington, Walker, and Delk, brought in JJ, Anderson, ZaZa, and Berry and traded away players that did work to build a future we FANS can get excited about.”

Anderson was worthless. We got nothing for Delk. He signed John Edwards and Esteban Batista to two year deals. He released Udonis Haslem. He drafted Donta Smith. He traded Nazr Mohammed, a guy people wanted us to sign this offseason, for Joel Przybilla, another guy he let go that people wanted us to sign this offseason. Could we use another center? Could we use some interior defense? Because Przybilla certainly could have filled those roles if Billy hadn’t let him walk. Is Josh Childress a decent player? Yes. But I seem to recall fans wanting the Hawks to pick Luol Deng, Andre Iguodala, or trade down for Dwight Howard or Emeka Okafor, any of which would have been significantly better moves than drafting Josh Childress. Does anyone remember Travis Hansen? He was Knight’s second rounder in the Diaw draft, a guy expected to go undrafted (like Donta Smith, like Royal Ivey).

I’m not expecting perfection, but to say “he hasn’t made one bad pick since he’s been here” is closer to wrong than “he hasn’t made one great pick since he’s been here.”

By The Man

July 5, 2006 04:12 PM | Link to this

Terence - you’re stupid…

By ayersling

July 5, 2006 04:13 PM | Link to this

Josh Smith and Marvin Williams may not become the superstars they could with the Hawks but it will be because they would rather win and share the ball than play selfish and fill stat sheets. How ‘bout this for you, though, and please forgive me for not remembering exactly what the numbers are, Smith averaged around 21 points, 7 or 8 boards, 2.5 blocks, 3 or 4 assists, and 1 or 2 steals per game over the last 26 games last year. The number that jumps out at me though, is 20. His age or Marvin’s later this year. Chill nor Salim will ever be “superstars” just very solid players but how many bonafide superstars are there? The league might need to expand, again. You know get the awful guys some PT, baby. :)

By The Man

July 5, 2006 04:15 PM | Link to this

…and a racist piece of…

By mountain_jim

July 5, 2006 04:17 PM | Link to this

There is still so much negativity said and written about The Hawks that it is nice to get a few breadcrumbs of positivity written our way. (see StillGarbage above for a prime example… calling players mediocre who still aren’t even drinking age playing in a man’s league, and showing great talent, progress, and upside)

40+ wins next season and possibly playoffs.

Since I live in Charlottes tv market I may have to break down and by the DirecTV NFL Season pass so I can see it all happen.

By mountain_jim

July 5, 2006 04:22 PM | Link to this

buy NBA Season Pass I meant.

By bc4206

July 5, 2006 04:29 PM | Link to this

These are the most positive blogs I have ever read on the Atlanta Hawks. I (a big-time Hawks fan) would like to chime in as well. I agree Golden State will be a good fit for Al, but I would rather keep Al than trade him for Troy Murphy. Check out the stats. Al Harrington is a better all-around player than Troy Murphy. Yes, Troy rebounds more, but Al scores almost 20 a night, gets you about 3 assists a night, and shoots a high 3pt % for a big man. Troy Murphy is a one-trick pony. He’s a decent rebounder. Not to mention, if the Hawks trade Al for Troy we will be taking on a contract that is too high for a player that doesn’t score much nor play defense. I would rather keep Al on the roster, and shift Sheldon Williams to the 5. This will make a really good line-up, however a small one. I would rather the Hawks keep Al, unless we get lucky and trade Al for a 5 that averages 20 pts and 7-8 rebounds. How likely is that to happen?

By ayersling

July 5, 2006 04:33 PM | Link to this

Who else was available in that SECOND round of the draft? Two year deals for not much money, leaving us under the cap to sign, I don’t know, let’s say JJ and Claxton. Do you think Pryzbilla wanted to play here? How much PT does Pryzbilla get with all the fouls anyways? What is his free throw percentage? When we had Haslem, did we have a good fit for him, say alongside a Shaq and ‘Zo? I mean, Billy ain’t perfect but he’s looking pretty good. Would you as GM trade down and allow a Dwight Howard or Emeka Okafor escape(franchise players in one’s case and close to it in Okafor)And I meant to say traded away players that DIDN’T work LIKE Anderson, Barry, and others. Delk wasn’t an easy trade because of his age and contract but I am sure Mr. Knight tried. As I lay my pipe down, I think about how this team will make a run at the playoffs next year and when the youngest team EVER to play in the league, matures they will be a championship caliber team. Man, you need to go down to Smoky Hollow on Osbourne Street and get some of this. YYEEEEEHHHHHHHHHAAAAAAWWWWWWW!

By RSC

July 5, 2006 04:34 PM | Link to this

bc4206, I don’t think that is likely. Problem 1 is that Al is a free agent. If he was under contract for 3-4 years, then teams would be clamoring for him. I think the best we could hope for is a big, with potential. Darn it.

By RPH

July 5, 2006 04:40 PM | Link to this

It’s nice that we finally have a decent point guard, but this notion that we are definitely playoff bound is somewhat exagerated. Add Claxton and subtract AH and from that a lot of you get 40+ wins??? So basically Claxton is going to add like 14 or 15 wins. HaHa keep dreaming.

By mountain_jim

July 5, 2006 04:49 PM | Link to this

No - Claxton frees up JJ at 2 to score more and improves the on-the-ball defense, Shelden majorly improves the interior defense and rebounding to start the break, and the young forwards score more on the break, and generally show the improvement another year brings for their top-tier talents - 40+ wins.

HaHa keep being Debbie Downers

mj

By Rod from Stone Mnt

July 5, 2006 04:51 PM | Link to this

At Trade deadline, I suggested a trade: T.Delk for Dale Davis w/Pistons. D.D. would have given us leadership for the youngsters, 8 rebounds and 6 fouls. Instead we cut T.D. and Joe Dumas inked him. Now Dumars is shopping D.D….. for a backup point guard.

By mr. dooley

July 5, 2006 05:01 PM | Link to this

Has anyone thought about a sign and trade with the knicks for Al and Ty Lue for Stephon or Stevie Franchise or Jamal Crawford?

By By Cory H

July 5, 2006 05:02 PM | Link to this

Finally i appreciate all the luv being sent our way by the fans lets sit back and enjoy a fun team finally, but heres a thought lets see if we can trade AH to the Knicks for a 1st round pick next year and a possible not to expensive player, because we dont need much tweaking to the starting line up and the knicks can almost gaurantee us a lottery pick think about it Oden in a hawks uniform sounds good to me. I say start williams at c marvin a pf Jsmooth sf, jj at sg and speedy its not like we have a league of great centers or power fowards like the west. Go Hawks

By ayersling

July 5, 2006 05:07 PM | Link to this

Amen, mountain jim and Soloman Jones can sky coming off the bench. He’ll block a lot of shots. ZaZa and Este just don’t have a lot of lift. They have to box out well to get boards. I do dislike losing Al. He is a leader, good passer, good low-post scorer, and is improving his range. The plus side of it all to me is we get back a center(hopefully) and it will speed up the young guys’ development because they will have to carry more of the load and they will make some mistakes but we’ve all seen them learn and grow from where they started. Speedy is fast, too. I can’t wait to see the alley oops to Smith, Williams, and Chill on the break. Look for more backdoor cuts with Smith as well. His improving shot will force teams to step out on him and if he learns to move well without the ball, I am going to be beating my chest and yelling a lot this season after those thunderous dunks.

By ayersling

July 5, 2006 05:13 PM | Link to this

I wonder if ‘Zo would come here………

By GTGD

July 5, 2006 05:13 PM | Link to this

this is real simple. PG- Speedy, SG- JJ & J-Chill, SF- Josh Smith, PF- Marvin, C- Zaza & Shelden. Yes, play Shelden as an undersized center. the guy is 6’9”, 260 lbs, so it’s not like he’s a shrimp. trade Harrington for a true center, future draft picks, etc.

By ayersling

July 5, 2006 05:16 PM | Link to this

I wonder what Manute Bol is up to………

By ayersling

July 5, 2006 05:19 PM | Link to this

LOL….Had to throw that out there for kicks.

By ayersling

July 5, 2006 05:23 PM | Link to this

Seriously, I hope Woody cuts back JJ’s minutes a little now. He looked a little tired at the end of the season.

By L.

July 5, 2006 05:25 PM | Link to this

The Hawks still suck. Why they didn’t go after Allen Iverson?

Speedy Claxton???? Who the ** is he? Another dismal season for the Hawks, and maybe it’ll give them another chance-especially when they make the lottery- to pick a decent point guard in the next NBA draft.

By Reg

July 5, 2006 05:27 PM | Link to this

Speedy Claxton is an excellent pickup. I would have never thought Billy Knight was capable of making a solid baskeball deal. The Hawks may have solved their identity crisis, because they lacked one for years. BK need to save the money cause we don’t need another trade. Woodson needs to coach the team to a 35-40 win season. That will prove to next year free agents that we are contenders.

By bc4206

July 5, 2006 05:31 PM | Link to this

Marvin Williams himself said he feels more comfortable playing the 3 (check out the interview on www.790thezone.com). My only concern, is who is playing the 4 and the 5. Sheldon will definitely be our starting 4, but who’s going to back him up? Marvin Williams? He is not true 4. ZaZa will probably start at the 5, but who will back him up? Esteban Batista? That is why I say we need another big,… OR just re-sign AL to an extended contract. That way we can move Sheldon Williams to the 5 and start AL at the 4. I do not see any better alternatives.

By ayersling

July 5, 2006 05:37 PM | Link to this

Hey L., Before post practice on it. You know, practice checking facts like the Sixers record or A.I.’s for that matter. Now those SUCK. Practice by reviewing old tapes like the Spurs’ 2003 championship run when Speedy came in and pushed the tempo. Practice putting your shades on so the bling off the sun from his ring doesn’t hurt your eyes. Heh,heh!!

By ayersling

July 5, 2006 05:38 PM | Link to this

Hey L., Before post practice on it. You know, practice checking facts like the Sixers record or A.I.’s for that matter. Now those SUCK. Practice by reviewing old tapes like the Spurs’ 2003 championship run when Speedy came in and pushed the tempo. Practice putting your shades on so the bling of the sun from his ring doesn’t hurt your eyes. Heh,heh!!

By Jonathan

July 5, 2006 05:40 PM | Link to this

Yes, they are looking good. Let’s get AL Harrington traded. Either to: 1- Indiana- D. Harrison C, Jeff Foster PF or James White Sg, Jamal Tinsley PG —-for Al Harrington and T. Lue. 2- Milwaukee— Jamal Magloire C, B. Simmons SF/SG—— AL Harrington and E. Batista 3- Golden state—- Adonal Foyle C and T. Murphy PF/C for AL Harrington and E. Batista

Get any of these 3 done, Then I’ll sign up for season tickets

By ayersling

July 5, 2006 05:45 PM | Link to this

I’m sorry. I was being a jerk. A.I. is a great player worthy of a 20 MILLION DOLLAR A YEAR CONTRACT that keeps the Sixers from signing a free agent that could truly help him win it all. CAP!!! CAP!!!!

By BDL

July 5, 2006 05:47 PM | Link to this

IF we can get a good big man for Al along with a draft pick, it may make up for some of the sins of the past. However, with Knight’s history, Al will probably walk a la Ben Wallace and we’ll get nothing.

Witness: 1) The unspeakable drafting of JChill ahead of Deng and Iguodala. This choice still defies all logic. 2) Passing on Chris Paul. Marvin Williams will never add to this team what Chris Paul would have. Speedy will be good but will never be Chris Paul. 3) Drafting Diaw and then not utilizing him and then giving him away with a passel of draft picks for the Suns to enjoy 4) I think Shelden will be a good player for years but we easily could’ve picked up a player or a draft pick to trade down and still gotten Shelden. WHY NOT?

Anyway, despite all of this, the team has a chance to be good if they can do something with Harrington, who is undoubtedly the tastiest trade morsel the Hawks have had in years. C’mon Billy!

By Eric Graves

July 5, 2006 05:47 PM | Link to this

I agree. Where is Zo. Why isn’t anyone talking about getting Alonzo Mourning for 1 or 2 years, if he still wants to play, and mentor someone under him.

By Dwayne

July 5, 2006 05:51 PM | Link to this

Wow, the Hawks sign one player and people are talking playoffs….that is too funny. Hawks still have a few (2-3) places to fill before they will get into the playoffs. There is nothing wrong with wishing, but there is something wrong with being blind.

By bc4206

July 5, 2006 05:55 PM | Link to this

Reg, I agree with you completely! Speedy is a great fit. He is a great ball handler, passer and a great on-the-ball defender (lots of steals). The Hawks now have an identity. A DEFENSE PRESENCE with the “Landlord” in the paint and a RUN-IN-GUN OFFENSIVE. Speedy is the best point guard available. Everyone said we needed a point to run the team and we finally get one that defends well and has the nicknamed “Speedy” for his quickness, and people are still complaining. This is a prime example of casual basketball fans who are never satisfied unless they see a markee player in the line up, even if it ends up hurting the team in the long run. The Hawks are a better team today than they were before the trade. No one can deny that! And as for AL, I agree with Reg. I don’t see a trade that will help the team get better unless some team is willing to give up a center that can start and average what AL did for the Hawks. What team is going to do that?

By Reg

July 5, 2006 05:55 PM | Link to this

Zo wouldn’t come here. He stated in a interview on “Quite Frankly” that the only way he would come back for another seaon would be to defend the title.

By ayersling

July 5, 2006 05:56 PM | Link to this

The good thing about Al is that only Chicago had the cap space to sign him outright. We are getting something for him, thankfully. There was an article in the AJC a couple of days ago saying he knew he wasn’t staying and the Hawks were involved in talks. I like the Foyle or Magloire idea.

By ayersling

July 5, 2006 06:00 PM | Link to this

I can’t say I blame ‘Zo.

By TD

July 5, 2006 06:01 PM | Link to this

I’m ticked off the Hawks didn’t draft Chris Paul and signed Paul’s back up for more money than Paul would have cost them over 3 years.

By Gutz

July 5, 2006 06:01 PM | Link to this

First off Foyle is terrible and has a huge contract. We need to trade Al to Golden St. for Murphy and the rights to O’bryant. Then we would be straight ballin!!!!

By mred

July 5, 2006 06:05 PM | Link to this

Another great job Billy the only problem i’ve had with you was the hiring of a Larry Brown Wnnna be to coach a bunch of offensive minded teenagers I suspect Boris would still be here if Mr. wooden would have been more patient with the kid.

                     Mred

By Gseagle95

July 5, 2006 06:13 PM | Link to this

Building solid BB teams take time! Speedy Claxton is a very nice addition to the guard rotation. I believe that we have enough guards for now. J-Smoove and Childress can both play SG or SF. We need to get a big and a draft pick in exchange for Al Harrington. Jamal Magloire, P.O’Bryant, T. Chandler, or the like. Also, we need another veteran bruiser in the mold of Charles Oakley or Dale Davis. I like BK’s versatility approach when building a roster. That way you can keep your best players on the floor longer because they can just slide to a different position.

And don’t forget that there still is a vague possibility to do a sign and trade with Philly but not for AI but for Dalambert.

Starting Lineup of PG-Claxton, SG-JJ, SF-J.Smith, PF-ZaZa, C-Dalambert with Lue,Stoudamire, J-chill, M.Williams, S.Williams off the bench sounds pretty nice!

By ayersling

July 5, 2006 06:16 PM | Link to this

Mred, That is one of my question marks as well but if Woodson keeps an open mind and adapts, he could be good. He is only in his second year but I think that is a huge IF. The thing is, who do you replace him with? Right now, I would say, you don’t. Give him another year or two. He has a great work ethic but I don’t think he has the players sold on his system. Honestly, I’m not sure what his system even is. Would Golden State give up O’Bryant? If they would I’m all for that or any trade involving a center, starting or backing up. OR even a future draft pick. GREG ODEN IS THE MAN!!!

By ayersling

July 5, 2006 06:20 PM | Link to this

Um….I’ve got another question. Why does everyone think Chris Paul will have a better career than Williams? Deron or Marvin?

By Reg

July 5, 2006 06:39 PM | Link to this

it’s only one year, but have NOT you looked at cp stats from last year. the kid is the real deal. he is argubly the best point guard in the game now. surround this kid with some talent and he’ll give you stats similar to j. kidd. both williams’s have upsides but not like cp.

By ayersling

July 5, 2006 06:55 PM | Link to this

Good point, Reg! I have seen his stats and they are impressive. I also got to see him at Wake a couple of times. He is a great player but it just seems funny that neither the Hawks or the Jazz grabbed him. I heard his defense is bad but I’ve only seen the man play maybe five times total so haven’t gotten a good chance to really analyze his game. Same with Deron Williams. Marvin was the same for me in college but I watch almost all of the Hawks’ games so I got a chance to watch him this year. His shooting ability really surprised me(form and range) as did his hops. I think with work on his handles, footwork, and lowpost moves he will completely dominate. Not TOO much to ask, ey? ….lol…..Do you think it was that horrible of a decision to pick Williams, though?

By HS

July 5, 2006 06:58 PM | Link to this

I agree that many people are too negative when it comes to Hawks basketball. You can’t turn a team as terrible as we were around in a new york minute. I wish more people making comments actually knew something about basketball and actually wanted the hawks to win. Most of the negative people will jump back on the bandwagon when the smoke clears and the hawks get things together (which i think will be this year or the next). I think this will be a great offseason for us. Speedy Claxton will be a great pickup because he is a true point guard. Point and Center are the two most important positions in basketball. We’ve lacked both of those positions for a few years now. Claxton isnt any more unproven at point guard than Joe Johnson was at shooting guard a year ago. Many people criticized the pickup of JJ at that time. I dont see anyone complanin about him now. We may have given up too much for him but the hawks were gonna have to do something like that to draw a person of his caliber to our franchise. If we can finish the deal with Harrington and trade him for a Jamaal Magloire or Tyson Chandler type of center (one that rebounds and plays defense rather than scores first) i think we will be a lot better team next year. Zaza is more of a scoring center but he is a solid center none the less in the east. If Zaza and a solid center like Chandler or Magloire are splitting time and Claxton and Lue are splitting time at the point everything else should fall into place. We have Childress, Williams, J Smith, JJ, and Salim (all solid young players that could still improve) to play the other positions. That will make a pretty solid team in my opinion.

By ayersling

July 5, 2006 06:59 PM | Link to this

I mean, someone is going to have to get moved for Marvin to shine but what if he just meets expectations? His expectations are so high, you would have say it was a good pick.

By bc4206

July 5, 2006 07:05 PM | Link to this

Ayersling, I don’t think it was a “horrible” decision, just a bad one. But we all know hindsight is 20/20. The thing that bothers me is I don’t doubt Marvin Williams can be a star, but how can he be one playing behind Josh Smith. I do not see Atlanta getting rid of Josh, being that he has been deemed the heir-apparent to Dominique. And Josh and Marvin play the exact same position. I don’t see how Marvin is going to start on this team. Just like Diaw, Marvin is likely to go somewhere else and become an all-star because he’ll be getting more playing time. If Marvin starts for the Hawks, he’ll be playing out of position.

By ayersling

July 5, 2006 07:11 PM | Link to this

I agree BC. He would be out of position especially at the 4 spot and neither Johnson or Smith are going anywhere. I guess the question is, what could we get for Marvin Williams? Would that acquistion offset not drafting Deron or CP? I can’t wait for the season to start!!

By Najeh Davenpoop

July 5, 2006 07:14 PM | Link to this

I wouldn’t mind seeing us keep Al Harrington at this point for a reasonable price, because it seems like now that we have signed Speedy the major hole on the team is a scorer in the low-post. Al is a better low-post scorer than anyone else we have now — although Josh Smith and Marvin Williams are talented offensively, their low-post games are not nearly good enough to rely on them, and although Joe Johnson is a pretty good post player for a guard that’s not the best way to utilize his skills. We have athletic wings (the Joshes and Marvin), 3 point shooting (Joe Johnson and Salim), a point guard (Speedy), rebounding (Shelden and Zaza) and interior defense (Shelden, although we could use another body inside). We still don’t have anyone who can score in the post as well as Al though.

Unfortunately the kind of money Al is asking for would make it really hard for us to keep all our young players in the future under the salary cap, and although Al’s a versatile player who can score inside and outside, low-post scoring is not his greatest strength. It’s easier said than done, but if I was BK I would be trying to trade Al for a guy who can reliably score with his back to the basket. Someone like the Nets’ Nenad Krstic (even though chances are they wouldn’t trade him) is what I have in mind here. Troy Murphy’s stats are a little deceiving, although he gets a lot of boards he doesn’t play in the post nearly enough to fill our needs, not to mention his contract is ridiculous. Most of the big men who have been made available (Chandler, Magloire, etc.) are all defensive-minded centers who can’t score, but if we can’t get a low-post scorer one of them would be a good acquisition.

Of course, we could really use depth at any position other than small forward, so just getting a quality player back would most likely be a good move.

By alex

July 5, 2006 07:18 PM | Link to this

i want to say that i am happy w/the addition of Speedy Claxton.I think now we have a solid point guard and have a legitemit shot at the playoffs next year.Now just think about the Hawks team,you got JJ,Josh Smith,Childress,now Claxton and you have Pachulia down low to team with Sheldon Williams,plus you’ll have Salim Stoudamire back next year so hopefully the wait for the Hawks to start winning again is coming to a fast end.

By bc4206

July 5, 2006 07:22 PM | Link to this

Najeh Davenpoop, those are my sentiments exactly! Ayersling, I am with you 100% I would hate to see Marvin go to another team and become a Hall-of-Famer of something like that, but IT WILL NOT HAPPEN IN A HAWKS JERSEY, unless we get rid of Josh Smith! Not that I want that to happen. It’s just a bad situation, hence Marvin Williams was a bad pick.

By ayersling

July 5, 2006 07:32 PM | Link to this

Your right, but God knows, I love Marvin’s game!! I agree with BC. That is an excellent point, Najeh!! Like I said, I can’t wait for the season to start. I seriously questioned the pick of Sheldon when it was in the papers but I do believe in Billy Knight so I am guessing he’ll probably surprise us with his scoring. I can’t wait to see more of Jones, either. He ate UConn alive.

By ayersling

July 5, 2006 07:35 PM | Link to this

I can’t wait to see the ball movement, either. They play great when they share. Speedy should be a great pickup!

By Steve

July 5, 2006 08:34 PM | Link to this

I am not a fairweather fan but that does not change the fact that Chris Paul > Speedy Claxton. Sheldon Williams < 10th pick in the draft and we did not get paid to drop down. Lets not forget trading 3 first round picks for a FREE AGENT. Please when we are giving up the 4th pick next year because it is not lottery protected you tell me how we will improve next year cause this sure aint a playoff team and unless we end up in the bottom 3 or get lucky with some lottery balls we will be without a 1st next year. I don’t want to bash Speedy but he was not gonna start for NO/OK and they had already signed his replacement before he signed our deal so it is not like he had a job there so we basiclly took their throw away. I put my money on Harrington signing somewhere without a sign and trade and the Hawks gettin nuthin. Billy Knightmare gets good pub for signing the last pg available from a FA pool of JT, Sam Cassell, Bobby Jackson, and Speedy Claxton.

By Brett

July 5, 2006 09:19 PM | Link to this

Steve, We did not give up ‘three…and next year four’ picks for Joe Johnson. We gave up Diaw(an underperforming talent who wasnt working in our system), the 21st pick this year we received from LA, and our first rounder next year. Draft picks are never guaranteed to produce good players. I’d much rather have a proven talent like Joe that WANTED to come to Atlanta, than unsuredness of who we might get in the draft. Imagine if we had offered Joe a deal and Phoenix had matched it. We would have struggled to win 15 games last season. Joe is the cornerstone to our rebuilding and we did everything right in obtaining him.

Claxton/Lue/Ivey will be solid. Claxton and Ivey are very solid defenders and when Lue is on, he can shoot the lights out. The guy has the ability to be super-clutch.

I’d be happy with a couple draft picks for Al Harrington. Anything but huge contracts.

By G-Money

July 5, 2006 11:44 PM | Link to this

Steve, are you the only person who thinks that the Hawks had a chance at signing either JT or Sam Cassell? Get real! The reality is that the Hawks have continued to go after “big name” talent and been snubbed by each and every one except JJ. People need to do all the homework.

People need to also realize that it takes more than one good person at a position to build a franchise. You can’t win with a great starting 5 and CBA back-ups. It doesn’t work. So why is everybody fussing about having two good players at a position?? Can someone help me with this one?

By ayersling

July 6, 2006 01:03 AM | Link to this

Does anyone really think Sheldon would have slipped to ten in the draft? I’d say eight at the worst. All this talk of trading down and getting two picks, got lost on me. Who would trade up in a draft with no guaranteed franchise player? Well, maybe Portland, but who knew what they were doing including them? The Hawks offered Cassell two years for 15 million and he resigned with the Clips. You have to have cap space to sign Harrington outright and the Bulls were the only ones with free money besides us. We will get something for Harrington but it won’t be Chandler. Looks like he is headed to New Orleans.

By cp

July 6, 2006 01:45 AM | Link to this

Yea it’s a lot of casual fans on here. If im not mistaken BK was not the gm who cut Udonis Haslem it was your boy Pete Babcock. Add to the fact that Haslem was overweight then you understand why he was cut. Diaw did nothing in ATL. He was given every chance possible but just didn’t produce. It happens i know for a fact Diaw is not the first player to be traded because it wasn’t working out and flourished on a new team so get over it. As far as the Chris Paul talk. Look the kid is good but to say he is the best pg in the game is straight ridiculous. He isn’t better than Billups, Kidd, Parker, or Nash. Bk also didn’t trade Nazr for Przbilla. Wasn’t Nazr traded to the Knicks? Przbilla was on the Bucks so how did he get traded for him? Some people dont like BK so much they blame him for trades that never happened. Im not saying he is the best gm in the NBA but he is far from the worst. Look at your boy Isiah. Look at what the gm in Denver gave up to get Kenyon Martin. I like the direction of this team. The east will be tougher this year but with the right sign and trade they could easily be competing for at least the 7th spot. They lost so many games last year because they couldnt keep anybody out of the paint. Im not saying Sheldon is the answer but we should be better. Its good to see positive things written about the Hawks but when i read the negative things i clearly see why people think Atlanta is the worst sports town. If you dont support the taem that is fine but tearing them down isn’t going to help.

By Jason

July 6, 2006 08:20 AM | Link to this

Very odd to see the whole town bashing BK, and now everyone supporting him. This fairweather/ bandwagon fan crap is getting a little old. Obviously, most of you (the non-Hawks fans) never understood the business side of a sports team. the new ownership group was brought in for one reason, and one reason only … to make champions out of the Thrashers and Hawks (minus Belkin). Also, if you actually took the time to do some research on the organizational chart, you’ll see that we have some very astounding management figures w/ the Atlanta Spirit … Bernie Mullin, do some research on him. If you’ve EVER taken a Sport Management class, his name will be one of the first mentioned. BK has had some heat from the press b/c he doesn’t give them the time of day … so then they write columns on him to bash him and the whole city thinks that the Hawks are going down the tubes. A ton of these sports talk radio stations and reporters have some personal beef w/ Billy, so they bash him. Listen to the NBA analysts, b/c they are the ones who are telling the truth about where this team is headed, which is up! Seriously, if you say you’re a Hawks fan, then support the team the way you should. Leave the trades to BK, b/c in the long run, he KNOWS what he is doing. Sure, everyone is entitled to their opinions, but i hate to make this a reality for most of you, but you’re NOT an NBA GM, nor a coach, nor an analyst. I can only imagine how many so-called bandwagoners are going to jump on board this season … you guys should have been on board day one when the new ownership group came in! It’s your fault attendance hasn’t been up to par … come to the games, and you’ll see that the experience is the best in the NBA, especially since Philips Arena has won almost every award out there! Do some research fans, and stop taking what these reporters/ talk show hosts are saying for reality!

By Chris

July 6, 2006 09:50 AM | Link to this

To anyone thinking we will make the playoffs next year. Look at the standings from last year and tell me what 6 teams above us we got better than by signing Speedy.

http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/standings

I think he is a good pickup that will help our young wing players develop next year but we will not be a playoff team. We should be in some more games and Josh,Marvin and Chills will be much improved with a point guard that can create them better scoring opportunities.

By Chris

July 6, 2006 09:56 AM | Link to this

To all the folks that are not familiar with Speedy here is a nice piece explaining his good values and the love and respect he gets from the Hispanic community.

Taken from: http://toolooney.goldenagecartoons.com/speedy.htm

“It had also been mentioned by the Network’s publicity department that Speedy smokes and drinks…and serves as a poor role model. I have only ever seen two…in which alcohol is consumed, never by Speedy himself. I’ve seen all of them, nearly 40 films, and I can assure readers to this page that Speedy has never smoked either. Hispanics, judging by the major support of my petition by http://www.hispaniconline.com/ and the huge number of Hispanic signees, love Speedy and are not offended in the least…but appear rather angry that Speedy is no longer shown. According to Cartoon Network as of April 2002, the Cartoon Network is now considering returning Speedy to the rotation. As Dave Barry would say: “No, I’m NOT making this up!) They are now working on finding a spot for Speedy on the channel, and if not there, perhaps its spinoff channel Boomerang. It may take a while to fully re-introduce them, and many favorites may still get the axe.”

By Mike of Alpharetta

July 6, 2006 10:10 AM | Link to this

The signing of Speedy Claxton is a good move, but does not diminish the fact that we had the opportunity to sign Chris Paul, the point guard for the next generation. It remains to be seen if Marvin Williams will grow to be the dominant forward he is projected to be. However, how much better would a backcourt of Paul and JJ be? I think we all know the answer to that question! A front line with Harrington is better than any front line with Marvin Williams, and we could still have looked for a center/PF via the draft or free agency.

Mike

By Ike

July 6, 2006 10:45 AM | Link to this

come on, ya’ll. this aint jason kidd or d-wade. it’s speedy frickin claxton. nice pick up, but its not gonna put us over the hump quite yet…

By Ike

July 6, 2006 10:47 AM | Link to this

come on, ya’ll. this aint jason kidd or d-wade. it’s speedy frickin claxton. nice pick up, but its not gonna put us over the hump quite yet…

By Tobias B

July 6, 2006 10:52 AM | Link to this

With the signing of Speedy Claxton he would be able to come off the bench instead of starting. The Hawks would have been better off getting someone like Gary Peyton or a decent point guard. They could’ve done better with their selection. The worst thing they have done was giving up Jason Terry. I guess when every leaves Atlanta they become a star!

By Lamont

July 6, 2006 11:33 AM | Link to this

I guess even if we sign Garnett, D. Howard, and K. Bryant some fans will not be satisfied. It’s amazing how negative some HAWKS fans are. We got a nice PG who’s going to fill one of our major needs and maje us much better. For some of you this isn’t just enough. We should have gotten S. Nash or J. Kidd. No. You’d complain anyway !

By Ike

July 6, 2006 11:46 AM | Link to this

Lamont— First of all, chill out buddy. I’m not saying i’m not pleased with the direction we’re taking. But how do you define satisfaction? Am I supposed to be completely satisfied, doing somersaults in the grass because we signed a backup point guard? Is he going to lead us to the playoffs? I agree that he made us better and he filled a need. It was a good move! but i’m just trying to calm down the people that think that signing one guy who backed up a rookie last year is gonna suddenly lead us out of the cellar and into the playoffs. i think it’ll take a little bit more than that.

By ballen12

July 6, 2006 12:21 PM | Link to this

Has anybody ever heard of a guy named Raymond Felton? Why does everybody insist on talking up Chris Paul and Deron Williams. Over the last 2 and a half months of the season, Felton put up the exact same numbers as Chris Paul. Marvin Williams is going to be a star. Though it probably won’t be in a Hawks uniform.

By Preston

July 6, 2006 12:34 PM | Link to this

Terrance only said that with the addition of Speedy, the hawks will be better. He did’t say anything like the 1996 world series should have been called off after the braves went up 2-0 on the yanks because those braves were so unbeatable that even the great yankees team of 1927 would have lost to them…..wait a minute he did say that..forget about it….what sort of consolation prize is this for the hawks fan. We didn’t get Chris Paul when we should have, but we sign the guy who is comming off of the bench behind him, and that solves our PG problem? Maybe, maybe not, but we still are losing a lot of points by losing Harrington. We should be looking at a lineup with Chris Paul and Harrington, Josh Smith, Joe Johnson, Zaza.

By RA

July 6, 2006 01:57 PM | Link to this

Preston,

I am sooo tired of people dregging up the name Chris Paul. I’ve got news for you, we didn’t draft him. Get over it! I like Marvin Williams and think he’s going to be a really good player. Aside from that, the draft is an inexact science at best, at worst it’s a joke. I can give you a long line of people that should have been first over all number one draft picks the year they came out of college but weren’t. I can give you another list of guys that were drafted high up in the draft and were out of the league three years later. The bottom line is this,you can talk about what mistakes Atlanta made in last year’s draft all the live-long day, but every analyst said on draft night that down the road, Marvin Williams would probably be the class of last years draft, and toward the end of last season, he started to show why…

By Preston

July 6, 2006 02:39 PM | Link to this

RA…Every draft analyst in last years draft, as well as this years also said that we needed to get a point guard and were dumbfounded and speechless over our picks….. did you noticed thier reactions when we selected Sheldon this year? So what are you saying? However, Marvin was not a bad pick, neither is Sheldon, just not the appropiate ones given our immediate needs. You are right about the draft not being an exact science, but based on Paul’s performance and the fact that he was the “rookie of the year”, I can safely say that he would have been an even better pick and fit for the hawks.

By cp

July 6, 2006 03:30 PM | Link to this

During the draft last year people were debating on who should be the number one pick between Marvin and Bogut. Im sorry but every so called expert thought that in the long run that Marvin would be a better player than everyone in the draft.Bogut went number one but Paul and a lot of players behind him put up better numbers but i dont see anyone bashing Utah or the Bucks for not taking Paul. Its funny how people all of a sudden wants Paul now but only a few people said they would have taken him over Marvin. It was one year people i mean seriously give the kid time. If he turns out to be a better player,which i think he can i wonder if the same people on the Paul bandwagon will jump on the Marvin bandwagon.

By Nick R.

July 6, 2006 03:43 PM | Link to this

Harrington needs to be swapped for a pick next year. We’re kind of lacking one in the first round next year. Maybe in the right deal with Harrington included, the Hawks could amend the first round problem next year.

By roan st

July 6, 2006 04:32 PM | Link to this

Thank you CP for being one of the few fans to have an accurate recollection of the 2005 draft. Most people conviently want to forget that most draft experts universally agreed that marvin had the most upside of anyone and that there was debate over whether marvin or bogut should have been picked first. The fact is paul wasn’t even the first point guard taken, deron williams was taken ahead of him. Also after the draft the ajc did a poll on what the fans thought of the pick and it was overwhelmingly in favor of the marvin williams pick. But now you have all of these great hindsight GM’s now that chris paul is rookie of the year that claim they would have drafted paul instead. Marvin still has the same great upside he did on draft day but it will take him a few more years to realize his full potential.

By G-Money

July 6, 2006 05:01 PM | Link to this

I have to say ditto to cp. Everyone’s talking about the analysts. I don’t recall many of them ever being a GM, a coach, or assistant coach. Most haven’t even played the game. I don’t know of one analyst who’s built a championship team. Can you name one?? That’s what’s wrong with America now. We look to “analysts” to think for us. Do the homework.

Bogut was “all right” this year. I haven’t heard anyone say Minnesota should have gotten Chris Paul. If you think that Garnett, Kobe, or any established player is going to risk the value of his stock by coming to a cellar dweller, then let me know who that is as well. We need to get real and realize that a championship team takes more than a minute to brew.

By AK-47

July 6, 2006 05:20 PM | Link to this

I was screaming to everyone who would listen the day of the draft that Chris Paul was the golden ticket for the Hawks. I am not revising history when I say that I knew BK was making a boneheaded decision to take a kid who didn’t even start in college over the best PG available. Anyone who saw Chris Paul play (and Marvin watch the Heels from the bench) should have known better.

By AK-47

July 6, 2006 05:31 PM | Link to this

The frustrating thing about BK is that he makes me constantly have to lower my expectations for the team. For everyone on this board to have to accept that Speedy Claxton is the answer just means we don’t really expect any starting PG to consider coming here. Speedy is serviceable, and even has a ring from his days playing 15 mins per game with the Spurs. But he has only been a starter one season out of 6 in the league, and that was for a Golden State team that was A-W-F-U-L. What does it tell you that the team that didn’t re-sign him signed FA Bobby Jackson? What does it say that Speedy only started 3 games behind a rookie? He’s a warm body who will fill a position. Losing Al, and gaining Speedy Claxton and Shelden will not take us to the playoffs. We won’t win more than 30 games because without Al, we only have one player capable of scoring more than 12 ppg.

By bc4206

July 6, 2006 05:52 PM | Link to this

Need I remind you…Marvin was a freshman when he made the jump to the pros. Chris Paul spent 4 years at Wake Forest. It is obvious Paul is the more mature player now, and it will take longer for Marvin to mature. So why is everyone so surprised Paul is a better player right now. We live in a “microwave society”. Everyone wants instant everything. The Hawks drafted a player with huge upside and very little experience, so why do people expect him to be a star overnight?

By David

July 6, 2006 06:49 PM | Link to this

Wow — what a great pickup for the Hawks! Speedy Claxton! Now if they could just add Speedy Gonzales as the other guard, they would really have something special! Just Kidding, but on a serious note; to make this off-season really spectacular, the Hawks should try to acquire Stephon Marbury and Peja Stejakovith; and coupled with Speedy Claxton, the Hawks would instantly go from doormats and celler dwellers to the odds-on favorite to dethrone world champion Miami Heat and be crowned as the NBA’s next world champion. Great job Bill Knight — you are worth your weight in gold!!

By Dan the Atlanta Sports Fan

July 6, 2006 09:06 PM | Link to this

Speedy going to fill a big hole. I see the Hawks winning 45 games.

By Steve

July 6, 2006 09:36 PM | Link to this

Are we still gonna be able to sign Speedy with the new courts ruling? Better get used to the celler cause we got it booked for all next year.

By Ricky

July 6, 2006 10:13 PM | Link to this

We will still be able to sign Speedy since the deal was done before the ruling. A Sign and Trade for Al Harrington may not be possible. We have to have pretty much the same salary as we have now and if we sign another free agent vet, it can’t be for more than a year.

By Eugene

July 6, 2006 11:48 PM | Link to this

If memory serves me, Speedy was a drafted out of a small college in the 1st Round by Philly in 2000. He was Iverson’s understudy when Woodson was Brown’s understudy. Apparently Woodson is a Speedy Claxton fan.

This season Speedy and Woodson must prove they are no longer apprentices or journeymen but are masters of the game. I am “all in” if Speedy Claxton remains healthy for the entire season and Woodson demonstrates he can fit all the pieces together.

By mt

July 6, 2006 11:56 PM | Link to this

the new court rulings just confirms that steve belkin wants to make the teams so bad so he can move them to the city where he is and when he does i hope he takes all u hawk haters with him