Hawks' core excited to stay together

Bibby signed his three-year, $18-million deal before addressing the assembled media Monday. Pachulia followed right after him, signing his four-year, $19-million deal.

That guarantees that six of the Hawks' top eight players will return next season. And talks are ongoing with restricted free agent Marvin Williams, who is also represented by Pachulia's agent, Jim Tanner, who was in attendance Monday.

"This is no introductory press conference," Hawks general manager Rick Sund said smiling. "This is a 'welcome back' press opportunity for two guys that really wanted to be here."

Bibby said there was no doubt he wanted to remain in Atlanta. After guiding the Hawks to back-to-back playoff trips in his year and a half with the team, he said it would have been difficult to go elsewhere now.

"I knew all along I wanted to come back," he said. "It was really on what the team wanted to do. And things worked out. The fact is, teams are making moves in the Eastern Conference this summer. And we were right there last season, so we had to keep our guys and maintain our continuity.

"You play better the longer you've been together. That's one of the main things I've learned over the years playing in the NBA, that consistency matters. Just look at the winning teams."

Pachulia signed a similar deal with the Hawks four years ago, when they were still trying to climb out of the basement of the league standings. He is still stunned by the dramatic turnaround he's been a part of since he "joined the Hawks' family."

"Four years is a long time and we've been through a lot around here," Pachulia said. "To leave all this behind, the fans and the hard work that's gone on, would have been tough. It would have been hard to go somewhere else and start over. I would have done whatever I had to but it's good to be on a team that knows what's it's like to have success.

"And no matter how you cut it, to improve every year and keep getting better the way we have, that shows you something."

They have their starting point guard and backup center back in the fold, but the Hawks are far from finished with their summer work. They still have to work out a deal for Williams and Tanner said that while the sides continue talking, they aren't anywhere close to an agreement on a new deal.

The Hawks are also exploring their options with restricted free agent Josh Childress, who has until Wednesday to decide if he wants to opt out of his contract with Greek power Olympiakos and try to return to the NBA next season.

Sund said he and his staff have been multi-tasking all summer, working every angle to maintain the team's momentum.

"You're juggling all these things at once," Sund said. "You have to. You just can't focus on one thing. So you're doing all of it at the same time and it's just a matter of which ones come together first. These two guys really wanted to be here and once their agents got that message, they were very cooperative in getting something done that worked for us and worked for them."