Dwight Howard missed three games this week due to back tightness and the #AskViv mailbag got a number of questions about the status and future of Tiago Splitter. The reserve center has not played this season with right hip, hamstring and calf issues.
I’ll start there but there are some wide-ranging questions in this edition of the mailbag.
Q: When will Splitter begin participating in basketball related activities? Is it realistic to believe that he will have a role with this team this year, being that it's the last year of his contract and he hasn't established himself as a mainstay?
#AskViv: The latest calf injury, announced Nov. 25, had a recovery timetable of at least six weeks. That means you won't expect to see Splitter until the first week of January. That's best case scenario. I would expect a little longer. Splitter has been around the team and doing the off-court work but to my knowledge he has not yet begun on-court contact activities.
I actually do expect there to be some kind of role for Splitter once he returns. The Hawks held on to Splitter this summer. There was an option to waive the big man and spread his $8.5 million salary against the salary cap over three seasons. They choose not to do that. (Although, had they known …) Ideally, the Hawks would like to have Splitter as the primary backup to Howard. This would also allow Mike Muscala to play more at power forward and less at center.
Q: Any chance we trade Splitter for a younger big?
#AskViv: I supposed there is a chance, but I don't see a trade of Splitter. I'm not sure there is a team that is going to give up a young player for one that has not played this season due to a number of injuries.
Q: What's the latest in the Mike Scott court case?
#AskViv: This is the number one question I have gotten over the last two years. I type Mike Scott's name and I'm guaranteed to get inquiries.
The answer is nothing. Scott was formally charged in this drug case in Banks County at an initial hearing earlier this year. These cases tend to take time. Remember it took three years to resolve the Mike Budenholzer case. As of this week, the case is still not on the court calendar. I would look for something later in the year, most likely once the NBA season is over.
Q: Who should the hawks trade to get a consistent shooter?
#AskViv: Oh, the trade talk. The number two question I get. I don't see an imminent trade but I can say the Hawks are keeping an eye and ear open. This is a team trying to figure out new chemistry but in a conference that is still wide open spots Nos. 3-10.
The current makeup of the roster lends itself to potential trades, especially around the deadline. Paul Millsap, Kyle Korver, Thabo Sefolosha, Mike Muscala, Kris Humphries, Scott and Splitter are all up, in one way or another, after the season.
I can see a team being interested in acquiring a player like Korver or Sefolosha.
Even with the uncertainty surrounding Millsap, I don’t see a major move coming unless the Hawks completely fall out of the playoff race. I understand they risk losing Millsap for nothing, as they did with Al Horford. However, this team has shown glimpses of competing with the best in the league. The won at the Cavaliers and Raptors. They nearly won at the Warriors. Glimpses. There is a need for consistency. However, if the Hawks figure things out between now and the February trade deadline, I don’t see a major move. If they don’t figure things out, all bets are off. I’m sure they will do something but at this point I would consider it minor. A lot can happen between now and the trade deadline and that will be the determining factor, in my opinion.
Q: Any chance the Hawks retire Joe Johnson's No. 2 jersey when he is done playing?
#AskViv: Interesting question. I don't see it. Johnson is sixth in scoring in franchise history behind Dominique Wilkins, Bob Pettit, Lou Hudson, Cliff Hagan and John Drew with 10,606 points. The Hawks did make the playoffs a number of years with Johnson but didn't advance as far as the conference finals. Johnson will also be an interesting player in Hawks history but not one to have his jersey retired.
Get your questions in for next week’s edition of the mailbag. You can e-mail at cvivlamore@ajc.com or use the hashtag #AskViv on Twitter. Until then.
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