With aspirations to contend in the NBA's Eastern Conference and roster spots at a premium, the Hawks largely picked experience over potential when making their final roster cuts on Friday.
Among the four players Atlanta waived were guard Pape Sy and center Keith Benson, their last two second-round draft picks. The team also waived forward Magnum Rolle and guard Brad Wanamaker to trim the roster to the league maximum of 15 players by Saturday's deadline.
The Hawks kept four players with non-guaranteed contracts: forward Ivan Johnson and guards Jerry Stackhouse, Donald Sloan and Jannero Pargo. Their contracts would become fully guaranteed if they are still on the roster after Feb. 10.
The decision by Atlanta to waive Rolle and Wanamaker were not surprising since both rookies had struggled during training camp. But the Hawks said Sy and Benson were long-term prospects when they drafted them in 2010 and 2011, respectively, and both players had showed promise during the preseason.
The Hawks already had invested nearly $600,000 in Sy but coach Larry Drew, a strong proponent of drafting and signing Sy, said the team moved on once it determined he couldn't play point guard in the NBA.
“We, the coaches and the management, came to an agreement that he’s been a little bit more effective off the ball than at the point,” Drew said after practice Friday. “With that and the acquisition of Willie Green and [having] a number of other guys that are veterans that can play [shooting guard], he became expendable. We were hoping he would mature and develop but he just seemed more comfortable at that two-guard spot.”
Benson participated in practice on Friday as the Hawks mulled over the final roster decisions. The team announced he had been waived later in the day.
The Hawks did keep rookies Sloan and Johnson, both of whom last played in the NBA Development League before earning camp invitations from the Hawks. Sloan, a point guard, earned a roster spot by effectively running the team during two exhibition games while Johnson's energy and toughness gained notice.
Sloan, Johnson and Stackhouse don't figure to be part of Drew's regular rotation. But the laborious schedule caused by the truncated, 66-game season means they are likely to see playing time at some point.
Sloan and Stackhouse especially could get the call as veteran guard Kirk Hinrich recovers from shoulder surgery. Hinrich is expected to be out until at least late January.
With veterans Joe Johnson, Tracy McGrady, and Willie Green also available to play shooting guard, Sy was left out.
Sy, a native of France, made his way to the NBA as a rare unknown prospect–prominent Web sites that scout prospects around the world had no file on Sy before the draft. Sy had paid his own way to work out for the Hawks, the only team to grant him an audience.
The Hawks paid about $125,000 to buy out Sy’s French club contract last year and paid him $474,00 in salary in 2010-11. He played a total of 21 minutes for the Hawks last season and spent 23 games with Atlanta’s D-League affiliate.
Sy's chances of making the roster diminished once the Hawks added Pargo and Green during training camp.
“It was a really tough decision,” Drew said. “There were a lot of things we liked about Pape.”
When the Hawks drafted Benson, they said he would be a project because he needed to add bulk and strength to his 6-foot-11 frame. Benson was a standout at Oakland (Mich.) University but was released by an Italian club team after a short stint there during the NBA lockout.
Rolle signed with the Hawks near the end of last season and re-joined the team following a stint in South Korea. He came into camp out of shape after he said a right foot injury hampered him from maintaining his conditioning.
Wanamaker, a rookie free agent out of the University of Pittsburgh, struggled during Atlanta's two exhibition games.
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