As always, we invite you to check out our other End of the Hawks Decade articles:
A Decade of Hawks Aughts (and Aught-Nots),
Top Hawks by Statistical Category
THHB's Top 10 (and more) Hawks of the Decade, #10
Now we look at a player (yes, only one this time) that became one of the most interesting situation/stories of the Hawks decade---a player that was also productive enough to warrant inclusion here as well. But he is/was a player that drew mixed reviews among Hawks fans, in fact, we think some will have issue with his inclusion on our list.
The Number Nine Hawk of the Decade is:
Josh Childress
From the get-go, the drafting of Childress was an interesting inclusion in a decade worth of interesting roster moves.
Leading up to the 2004 draft, the Hawks worked out many players due to their various draft positions (4 of the top 37 picks). Looking at their place with the 6th pick, the Hawks potentially had the choice of a diverse group of talents (Ben Gordon, Jameer Nelson, Al Jefferson, Andre Iguodala) but still managed to genuinely surprise by taking Childress on draft night.
Coming from Stanford, he had the look and sound of a good guy, hard working, athletic talent--and fit into Billy Knight's long, athletic wingman approach to roster building. Since the Hawks passed on Luol Deng and Iguodala to take him (which more fans were comfortable with), his unorthodox shooting style and play was ripe for criticism.
But whatever could be said about Childress' odd form in shooting, from the first season he proved to be a solid, productive player. Childress was the 4th most productive player as it corresponds to PER for the rookie season. He trailed #1 pick Dwight Howard, #2 pick Emeka Okafor, and #17 pick Josh Smith. Good job, Billy Knight, eh?
Childress did improve every season over his (4) with the Hawks and led the team for the decade in Effective FG% and Offensive Rating and was 7th in PER for the decade for the ATL. In the meantime, however, he got classified by Mike Woodson as a 6th man and hustle guy off the bench, a designation that saw him relegated to a reserve (highly used, sure), going as far as not starting a single game in '07-'08 even when injuries saw Marvin Williams and even Flubber West gain starting assignments instead of Childress and he saw his minutes shrink as well.
The issue of being pigeonholed by the staff into this role left the talented swingman longing for a different situation or more money to accept it. When the restricted free agency period arose and the Hawks (with new GM Rick Sund) playing hardball, Childress challenged the Hawks to pay up or watch Josh go overseas to Greece. Nobody blinked and Childress, while remaining Hawks property to this day, has been enjoying the European high-life for the last two seasons.
Childress gave it up entirely on the court, was good on the defensive end, and aggressive all over the place. He above the rim play was exciting and useful and the Hawks have yet to adequately replace his value to the team. He would be a wonderful starting small forward today with Marvin Williams coming off the bench. Instead they lost Childress and gave Marvin the money that could have kept Chill in the ATL. We love Mustache Marvin too, but Childress was/is more productive than Marvin at similar points in their careers.
Below is a highlight package of what we're missing out on losing our #9 player of the Decade.
We miss J-Chill and wish he were a part of all of the success the last two seasons and beyond.
(Audio on this clip is Ludacris so, you know, it's not suitable for Work or Children. In other words, if you don't like profanity, mute before listening. That is all.)
Showing posts with label Josh Childress. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Josh Childress. Show all posts
Monday, January 25, 2010
Tuesday, July 21, 2009
The HHB Catches Up
Looks like we picked the right week to take a holiday on the farm.
In the Hawks World, we saw:
Josh Childress Returns to Greece
Sure, we can lament the fact that the Hawks almost had the bones of Bruce Bowen or Kurt Thomas---or both---but we just can't get worked up about the fact that Childress decided to go back to the greenery of Greece.
In the halls of the HHB HQ, we felt this was a sailed ship a year ago, when the team failed to recognize how productive Childress was and let him entertain offers from pastures that are free from NBA extradition. That the Hawks (and some fans, mind you) mused that Maurice Evans might be a less expensive match for Childress indicates the serious devaluing of the former #6 pick's skills and contributions.
We thought it strange at the time (and if you go back through our entries from that period, we were in full D-Nial mode) that Childress would take an overseas offer, given that the Hawks would hold his NBA rights as long as they posed a qualifying offer every offseason. The same frustration he felt in the summer of 2008 he will continue to feel every season unless some team knocks the socks off the Hawks with a sign and trade offer, Childress signs a tender and plays out the season, or the Hawks feel generous enough to not offer and let Josh go.
Being good businessmen, the Hawks have not just let him go--the NBA is hardly a place where you can be so noble to a mid-20's aged lottery pick who, by the way, can be very productive. And no team has reportedly offered a "gotta take it" deal either summer, unless you really have a thing for former defensive specialists.
So that leaves Childress deciding to either continue his European Vacation or hold his nose--play out the qualifier--and become a free agent the next season. If he had done this last season he would have made a couple million less in '08-'09, sure, but he would have been free to sign with anybody this offseason. If his dream is to have a long, successful career in the NBA, he is letting it drip away by staying away with every season. As it stands, he goes back through the same dance again in June 2010.
David Andersen Realizes His NBA Dream---In Houston
If Josh wants to know how long the Hawks may hold rights without doing anything, the most recent example can now be closed. David Andersen, who had been Hawks property since 2002 without ever coming over to Philips Arena will finally, at age 29, make it to the NBA thanks to the Hawks dealing the Aussie big man to Houston for some second round suds.
It's interesting that the Hawks finally made a move on Andersen, since it doesn't seem like a second rounder wouldn't have been offered in the past by another team, though we wouldn't know that for sure. Certainly we can understand Houston's interest, after Yao's injury and failing to get either Marcin Gortat or Zaza Pachulia.
What would entice the Hawks to make a move now as Andersen cost them no cap space to hold his rights? It might indicate, as Hoopinion mentioned soon after the deal, that the Hawks don't seem interested in a quality 10th man on the roster, else they might have brought him on themselves in addition to re-signing Pachulia. Rumor was it wouldn't take much more than 2-3 million to bring the big guy over.
Since the Hawks need more size, and have really since even before 2002, it's not entirely encouraging that this transaction occurred. It means that Hawks fans might have to get used to the idea of spending the MLE on 2 or 3 replacement level free agents vs. one above average player in the frontcourt, but hey, we'll stay somewhat optimistic until that times comes.
Hawks Summer League Highlights
Ok, Ok---There is a mini-camp going on--but when the highlights are of Coach Woodson "coaching up" Jeff Teague and Othello Hunter putting on a dunk show, it's probably pressing to look for real important stuff there. You can check out pictures and summaries from Micah over here. As nice as the Philips Practice Court is, we miss the opportunity to watch summer league games and overrate our young talent just like everybody else.
Imagine hearing that Teague scored (27) against the "Jazz" at the RMR---or that Hunter pulled down double digit boards in (16) minutes---it's our right to be overly excited about their play and the prospects for greatness heading into the season. Heck, we used to gush about the play of Dion Glover and DerMarr Johnson in the Shaw league for crying out loud--you know we would have hyped Garrett Siler blocking a shot against some D-leaguer in Vegas.
Alas, we'll just wait until the preseason camp---hopefully we'll have another big rebounder to watch at that point---and know if Marvin Williams signed the tender, got an extension, or took Terrence Morris' spot in Russia, leaving the Hawks with (2) refugees abroad.
Until then here is the updated list of free agents for 2009 with their corresponding PER (Hawks players in bold; Attempted to highlight in the team's colors that the free agents choose---who's your money on for the next to go?)
In the Hawks World, we saw:
Josh Childress Returns to Greece
Sure, we can lament the fact that the Hawks almost had the bones of Bruce Bowen or Kurt Thomas---or both---but we just can't get worked up about the fact that Childress decided to go back to the greenery of Greece.
In the halls of the HHB HQ, we felt this was a sailed ship a year ago, when the team failed to recognize how productive Childress was and let him entertain offers from pastures that are free from NBA extradition. That the Hawks (and some fans, mind you) mused that Maurice Evans might be a less expensive match for Childress indicates the serious devaluing of the former #6 pick's skills and contributions.
We thought it strange at the time (and if you go back through our entries from that period, we were in full D-Nial mode) that Childress would take an overseas offer, given that the Hawks would hold his NBA rights as long as they posed a qualifying offer every offseason. The same frustration he felt in the summer of 2008 he will continue to feel every season unless some team knocks the socks off the Hawks with a sign and trade offer, Childress signs a tender and plays out the season, or the Hawks feel generous enough to not offer and let Josh go.
Being good businessmen, the Hawks have not just let him go--the NBA is hardly a place where you can be so noble to a mid-20's aged lottery pick who, by the way, can be very productive. And no team has reportedly offered a "gotta take it" deal either summer, unless you really have a thing for former defensive specialists.
So that leaves Childress deciding to either continue his European Vacation or hold his nose--play out the qualifier--and become a free agent the next season. If he had done this last season he would have made a couple million less in '08-'09, sure, but he would have been free to sign with anybody this offseason. If his dream is to have a long, successful career in the NBA, he is letting it drip away by staying away with every season. As it stands, he goes back through the same dance again in June 2010.
David Andersen Realizes His NBA Dream---In Houston
If Josh wants to know how long the Hawks may hold rights without doing anything, the most recent example can now be closed. David Andersen, who had been Hawks property since 2002 without ever coming over to Philips Arena will finally, at age 29, make it to the NBA thanks to the Hawks dealing the Aussie big man to Houston for some second round suds.
It's interesting that the Hawks finally made a move on Andersen, since it doesn't seem like a second rounder wouldn't have been offered in the past by another team, though we wouldn't know that for sure. Certainly we can understand Houston's interest, after Yao's injury and failing to get either Marcin Gortat or Zaza Pachulia.
What would entice the Hawks to make a move now as Andersen cost them no cap space to hold his rights? It might indicate, as Hoopinion mentioned soon after the deal, that the Hawks don't seem interested in a quality 10th man on the roster, else they might have brought him on themselves in addition to re-signing Pachulia. Rumor was it wouldn't take much more than 2-3 million to bring the big guy over.
Since the Hawks need more size, and have really since even before 2002, it's not entirely encouraging that this transaction occurred. It means that Hawks fans might have to get used to the idea of spending the MLE on 2 or 3 replacement level free agents vs. one above average player in the frontcourt, but hey, we'll stay somewhat optimistic until that times comes.
Hawks Summer League Highlights
Ok, Ok---There is a mini-camp going on--but when the highlights are of Coach Woodson "coaching up" Jeff Teague and Othello Hunter putting on a dunk show, it's probably pressing to look for real important stuff there. You can check out pictures and summaries from Micah over here. As nice as the Philips Practice Court is, we miss the opportunity to watch summer league games and overrate our young talent just like everybody else.
Imagine hearing that Teague scored (27) against the "Jazz" at the RMR---or that Hunter pulled down double digit boards in (16) minutes---it's our right to be overly excited about their play and the prospects for greatness heading into the season. Heck, we used to gush about the play of Dion Glover and DerMarr Johnson in the Shaw league for crying out loud--you know we would have hyped Garrett Siler blocking a shot against some D-leaguer in Vegas.
Alas, we'll just wait until the preseason camp---hopefully we'll have another big rebounder to watch at that point---and know if Marvin Williams signed the tender, got an extension, or took Terrence Morris' spot in Russia, leaving the Hawks with (2) refugees abroad.
Until then here is the updated list of free agents for 2009 with their corresponding PER (Hawks players in bold; Attempted to highlight in the team's colors that the free agents choose---who's your money on for the next to go?)
| David Lee (RFA) | 19.07 |
| Nate Robinson (RFA) | 18.95 |
| Paul Millsap (RFA) | 18.77 |
| Andre Miller | 18.71 |
| Charlie Villanueva | 18.64 |
| Chris Anderson | 18.16 |
| Ramon Sessions (RFA) | 17.65 |
| Marcin Gortat (RFA) Leon Powe Ben Gordon | 17.20 17.20 17.02 |
| Jason Kidd | 16.95 |
| Hakim Warrick (RFA) | 16.91 |
| Antonio McDyess | 16.63 |
| Lamar Odom | 16.60 |
| Brandon Bass | 16.49 |
| Mike Bibby | 16.38 |
| Drew Gooden | 16.34 |
| Marvin Williams (RFA) | 16.04 |
| Shawn Marion | 16.02 |
| Allen Iverson | 15.89 |
| Ron Artest | 15.64 |
| Trevor Ariza | 15.51 |
| Grant Hill | 15.26 |
| Rasheed Wallace | 14.91 |
| Hedo Turkoglu | 14.82 |
| Von Wafer | 14.79 |
| RFM | 14.79 |
| Anderson Varejao | 14.62 |
| Rasho Nesterovic | 14.15 |
| Zaza Pachulia | 14.14 |
| Joe Smith | 13.85 |
| Raymond Felton (RFA) | 13.80 |
| Shelden Williams | 13.78 |
| Chris Wilcox | 13.37 |
| Jarrett Jack (RFA) Matt Barnes Ben Wallace | 13.10 12.60 12.18 |
| Wally Szczerbiak | 12.18 |
| Anthony Parker | 12.16 |
| Solomon Jones (RFA) | 12.08 |
| Robert Swift | 11.50 |
| Theo Ratliff | 11.22 |
| Glen Davis (RFA) | 10.77 |
| Raef Lafrentz | 10.40 |
| Channing Frye | 10.09 |
| Mario West (RFA) Ime Udoka | 10.00 9.57 |
| Stromile Swift | 6.80 |
| Malik Rose | 5.28 |
Wednesday, July 8, 2009
Hawks Free Agency, Take One
UPDATE: According to Sekou Smith (you da man!), Zaza Pachulia will be back and richer than ever:
UPDATE 2: The article now says it's 4 years, 18 million---not really all that significant an increase, though the HHB would take 2 million and ask no questions.
(We now resume our previous post---already in progress)
Aaand--action!
Today's the day.
It's the day when rumor become reality, when verbals go written, and a player's word become their bond, legally. For the Hawks it means the official beginning to one of their busier free agency seasons in recent years.
The Hawks have already reached an "oral agreement" for a 3 year, 18 million dollar deal for Mike Bibby. (Thank you, Sekou!)
The HHB signs off on this move as we discussed in an eye-popping table yesterday. For this offense, flawed as we may believe it is, Bibby is a really good fit. His ability to run the team, determine tempo, and understand where the ball should go meshes well with his ability to hit the long ball. His defense is not good, that's for sure, but given the alternative of not having anybody else who can do the things that Mike does, we're sure glad to have him back.
Bibby's signing might mean the end of the RFM era in Atlanta, but we don't know for sure. Murray was on his way to Russia when obtained for one million dollars last summer, and while we were sure his consistent, productive season (a near 15 PER) was going to land him a multi year deal somewhere, if not ATL, we haven't heard his name mentioned in many discussions around the league and in the media corners. Would or should the Hawks crowd the backcourt even more should Murray be availble for the same bargain basement price? His own history suggests last season was a needle in his career haystack--if there are fewer minutes would he go back to being wildly inconsistent? We would bet that Coach Woodson would welcome the veteran back, even with Jamal Crawford on board with a returning Bibby and Joe Johnson, but it would mean a season of non-playing for first round pick Jeff Teague, unless injury reared its head in front of him. After the non-playing of Acie Law, we're not pro on keeping more first rounders on the bench for long.
The only solution we could get behind that would potentially keep Teague on the bench would be the return of Josh Childress to the Hawks. Would Childress risk staying in ATL if the Hawks match an offer sheet? We would really hope so, considering his productivity level was better every season as a Hawk and he was a good rebounder, especially offensively for a guard. But considering all the ill will of the past year, we're not going to hold our breath on this one---well, not for long anyway.
We have written about Zaza and the Hawks need to address the serious rebounding void there is on the team even with Pachulia and Al Horford on the roster. Not being able to resign Zaza means the Hawks have to bring (2) more big men in, not only replace the big fella. Zaza does two things really well statistically, as best we can tell---he gets to the free throw line and he can offensively rebound. He is a terrific backup center, capable of filling in on those nights when Horford is down or in foul trouble.
For the Hawks to be serious about moving forward next year while doing the same things they did last year, another big man must be procured using the MLE. We have already espoused the virtues of our two top targets, Antonio McDyess and Drew Gooden, as they would certainly address the rebounding woes from the power forward position, a place where the starter, Josh Smith, is below average for his position in rebounding rates. Those veterans could do a lot of good to mentor Smith on hustle and determination, especially McDyess, who by all accounts in Detroit is a consummate professional and whose attitude would continue to do good in the changing locker room. That could be a reason the Pistons are determined to get McDyess back and let Rasheed Wallace go to Boston. It would likely take a bold offer by the Hawks to bring him into the ATL.
Gooden seems like he's been around forever but is actually just entering his Age 28 season and has habitually been among the consistent rebounders in the league. It may not take as big a package to land him as it would McDyess because Gooden may be undervalued due to playing on many teams, having weird facial (and neckal) hair, and because rebounding simply isn't as valued an attribute as it should be.
Marvin Williams likely won't get much attention in the restricted market because teams figure the Hawks will match any reasonable offer for the forward. Folks have benchmarked Charlie Villanueva's rumored 5 year, 35-40 million deal as a ruler for a Marvin contract. Marvin has improved every season and has shown scoring ability, especially when Joe Johnson was sidelined, and he was second on the team in foul drawing rate (Pachulia). His good nature, hard work ethic, and abilities make the case that the Hawks would likely match an offer stand up. The qualifying offer is over 7 million dollars anyway--Marvin could sign it and take his chances next season as an unrestricted free agent.
All of which is to say that tomorrow officially gets the boat launched and away from the dock. We will see who is truly targeting whom and what the Hawks will do. Resigning Bibby is a good start, but not addressing the obvious rebounding deficits would be a costly mistake, especially should Pachulia be allowed to leave.
The HHB has the party favors and the Official Travelling Low Def Viewing Center ready for action--hopefully the good guys will oblige. Free agent thoughts, chips, and dip can be brought into the Comments Area.
Pachulia, 25, spent the last four years with the Hawks on a $16 million deal. His new deal is believed to be for the same amount of years but with a significant raise, according to one of the sources familiar with the situation.Considering Marcin Gortat is slated to pull a full MLE deal (approx 5yr/33mil), one might think a deal that is four years for Zaza, might be in the 20-22 million dollar range.
UPDATE 2: The article now says it's 4 years, 18 million---not really all that significant an increase, though the HHB would take 2 million and ask no questions.
(We now resume our previous post---already in progress)
Aaand--action!
Today's the day.
It's the day when rumor become reality, when verbals go written, and a player's word become their bond, legally. For the Hawks it means the official beginning to one of their busier free agency seasons in recent years.
The Hawks have already reached an "oral agreement" for a 3 year, 18 million dollar deal for Mike Bibby. (Thank you, Sekou!)
The HHB signs off on this move as we discussed in an eye-popping table yesterday. For this offense, flawed as we may believe it is, Bibby is a really good fit. His ability to run the team, determine tempo, and understand where the ball should go meshes well with his ability to hit the long ball. His defense is not good, that's for sure, but given the alternative of not having anybody else who can do the things that Mike does, we're sure glad to have him back.
Bibby's signing might mean the end of the RFM era in Atlanta, but we don't know for sure. Murray was on his way to Russia when obtained for one million dollars last summer, and while we were sure his consistent, productive season (a near 15 PER) was going to land him a multi year deal somewhere, if not ATL, we haven't heard his name mentioned in many discussions around the league and in the media corners. Would or should the Hawks crowd the backcourt even more should Murray be availble for the same bargain basement price? His own history suggests last season was a needle in his career haystack--if there are fewer minutes would he go back to being wildly inconsistent? We would bet that Coach Woodson would welcome the veteran back, even with Jamal Crawford on board with a returning Bibby and Joe Johnson, but it would mean a season of non-playing for first round pick Jeff Teague, unless injury reared its head in front of him. After the non-playing of Acie Law, we're not pro on keeping more first rounders on the bench for long.
The only solution we could get behind that would potentially keep Teague on the bench would be the return of Josh Childress to the Hawks. Would Childress risk staying in ATL if the Hawks match an offer sheet? We would really hope so, considering his productivity level was better every season as a Hawk and he was a good rebounder, especially offensively for a guard. But considering all the ill will of the past year, we're not going to hold our breath on this one---well, not for long anyway.
We have written about Zaza and the Hawks need to address the serious rebounding void there is on the team even with Pachulia and Al Horford on the roster. Not being able to resign Zaza means the Hawks have to bring (2) more big men in, not only replace the big fella. Zaza does two things really well statistically, as best we can tell---he gets to the free throw line and he can offensively rebound. He is a terrific backup center, capable of filling in on those nights when Horford is down or in foul trouble.
For the Hawks to be serious about moving forward next year while doing the same things they did last year, another big man must be procured using the MLE. We have already espoused the virtues of our two top targets, Antonio McDyess and Drew Gooden, as they would certainly address the rebounding woes from the power forward position, a place where the starter, Josh Smith, is below average for his position in rebounding rates. Those veterans could do a lot of good to mentor Smith on hustle and determination, especially McDyess, who by all accounts in Detroit is a consummate professional and whose attitude would continue to do good in the changing locker room. That could be a reason the Pistons are determined to get McDyess back and let Rasheed Wallace go to Boston. It would likely take a bold offer by the Hawks to bring him into the ATL.
Gooden seems like he's been around forever but is actually just entering his Age 28 season and has habitually been among the consistent rebounders in the league. It may not take as big a package to land him as it would McDyess because Gooden may be undervalued due to playing on many teams, having weird facial (and neckal) hair, and because rebounding simply isn't as valued an attribute as it should be.
Marvin Williams likely won't get much attention in the restricted market because teams figure the Hawks will match any reasonable offer for the forward. Folks have benchmarked Charlie Villanueva's rumored 5 year, 35-40 million deal as a ruler for a Marvin contract. Marvin has improved every season and has shown scoring ability, especially when Joe Johnson was sidelined, and he was second on the team in foul drawing rate (Pachulia). His good nature, hard work ethic, and abilities make the case that the Hawks would likely match an offer stand up. The qualifying offer is over 7 million dollars anyway--Marvin could sign it and take his chances next season as an unrestricted free agent.
All of which is to say that tomorrow officially gets the boat launched and away from the dock. We will see who is truly targeting whom and what the Hawks will do. Resigning Bibby is a good start, but not addressing the obvious rebounding deficits would be a costly mistake, especially should Pachulia be allowed to leave.
The HHB has the party favors and the Official Travelling Low Def Viewing Center ready for action--hopefully the good guys will oblige. Free agent thoughts, chips, and dip can be brought into the Comments Area.
Tuesday, June 30, 2009
Hawks Restricted/Unrestricted Player Update
Unofficially, the Hawks have tendered a qualifying offer to the following players:
Marvin Williams
Josh Childress
Mario West
Solomon Jones
This makes them restricted free agents and will carry a cap number until they are signed and gives the team the right of first refusal.
This means that Othello Hunter and Thomas Gardner have not received those offers and will now be unrestricted free agents, free to run, and run, and run to the team of their choice---with no way for the Hawks to stop them.
The Hawks will, in both cases, have the ability to initiate a sign and trade---which means the Hawks will also hold a cap number on these players until they are signed. If the team wants to free themselves of that cap number, they must renounce the rights to those players and the Bird rights that go with them.
This is also the case with their current unrestricted free agents (Zaza Pachulia, Mike Bibby, and Ronald "Flip" Murray).
We will update when we go final on the list and we thank @atlanta_hawks for the update!
Marvin Williams
Josh Childress
Mario West
Solomon Jones
This makes them restricted free agents and will carry a cap number until they are signed and gives the team the right of first refusal.
This means that Othello Hunter and Thomas Gardner have not received those offers and will now be unrestricted free agents, free to run, and run, and run to the team of their choice---with no way for the Hawks to stop them.
The Hawks will, in both cases, have the ability to initiate a sign and trade---which means the Hawks will also hold a cap number on these players until they are signed. If the team wants to free themselves of that cap number, they must renounce the rights to those players and the Bird rights that go with them.
This is also the case with their current unrestricted free agents (Zaza Pachulia, Mike Bibby, and Ronald "Flip" Murray).
We will update when we go final on the list and we thank @atlanta_hawks for the update!
Friday, May 22, 2009
Official HHB Hawks Season Recap
47 wins, most since 1997-98.
Second round of the playoffs for the first time since 1999.
A 6-0 start to the season, with wins on the road against New Orleans and Orlando that would serve notice that the Hawks competitiveness in the previous season's playoffs was more proof than fluke.
At first pass, one would say that the 2008-2009 season was a successful one for the Hawks and their young core.
Still, the HHB has spent a week on the sports psychiatrist's coach asking this question:
Why, given the simple data that shows improvement, does it feel like such a letdown?
What follows are the (formerly) confidential notes from those sessions:
When (10) Wins Doesn't Feel Like Improvement
As the Hawks were being ushered out of the previous year's post season festivities by the eventual champs, while celebrating the areas that the Hawks had been good at by making the playoff experience the longest it could have been for a first round exit, it was clear there were some areas that the Hawks needed to focus on to improve and build on the playoff berth.
Then the new season started and the Hawks came out with all guns blazing, bursting a 6-0 start that only the heralded Los Angeles Lakers could match. Included in these games were a rousing opening night win in Orlando and a surprising road win against New Orleans. In these games, the Hawks played strong as a unit and seemed intent on making the case that they were serious about taking a step forward from the season before.
Then, Josh Smith got hurt, the streak ended, and the Hawks played six games above .500 the rest of the way. The rest of the way we saw a team that was strong at home, inconsistent at best on the road, and mired in their ways.
Read any blog about the Hawks for this past season and you will see what the HHB is referring to here. Their ways. This would include:
Josh Smith and His Many Ways to Confound, Frustrate, and Entertain (and produce).
Constant slow starts at the beginning of games as the Hawks would try to take the other team's basketball temperature to see how hard they would have to play for that night. This would be commonly referred to by the team themselves as "coming out flat".
Offensive game plans that amounted to little more than dribble down, make a pass, and then stand around and watch that chosen player break his man down one-on-one and see what happens. At the end of games, this would be referred to as "Watching Joe Johnson".
Poor defensive efforts that would start with Mike Bibby struggling to maintain his man or, worse still, constant switching that would create whatever matchup the other team wanted to see. It's no Rubik's Cube when everybody knows how to solve that little mystery.
The Atlanta Hawks feature a talented young roster that on some nights can out-athleticize and out-shoot most teams in the NBA. This works against less talented teams in the league, but it doesn't scale to good teams, or on the road, and certainly not when both those factors are in play.
Second Round and Bust
To advance past the Miami Heat (w/Dwyane Wade!) and move into the second round seems like good progress, but nothing about the first round victory seemed impressive, especially given that all the points above reared their ugly heads continuously through that seven game series.
The Hawks had way more talent ready to win than Miami did, yet allowed all their bad habits to stretch the series to the limit.
Then came the series against Cleveland, or as Cavs fans call it "Did We Play A Second Round?". Whereas the Hawks surprised the Celtics the season before and were able to jump the better team at home, this sound team was ready and took all the Hawks best shots before tossing them aside. The Hawks had used home court and the energy Philips Arena provided as a crutch and a way to hide the glaring issues that lingered throughout the season. The Cavs came along and pulled back the curtain on the Hawks and showed just how far mentally and strategically the team had to go to really be anything more than a participant in the NBA's glory season.
When Do You Know That It's Love?
That's how you can go from a quick look at the simple data and see success to feeling underwhelmed by the whole finish.
When a team seems like they peaked in the sixth game of the year, the rest of the season will have that anti-climactic feeling to it. Add in the annoying, obvious, and continuous problems that were never addressed for the remainder of the season, and one might see how Frequent Bird Watchers can carry this opinion about a 47 win, second round playoff team--even given the recent history.
Looking at the statistics, most everything improved about the team, especially compared with the rest of the league---their offensive rating (per 100 possessions) improved from 16th to 10th, and their defensive rating made a similar improvement (18th to 11th).
Marvin Williams and Al Horford both made strides towards being more efficient in the PER model (The HHB will address players individually in greater detail throughout the offseason), Mike Bibby greatly improved the play from the point guard position from the season before, and even Joe Johnson proved to be slightly more productive than in the previous season.
And by the way, you know, when you're telling these little stories? Here's a good idea - have a POINT. It makes it SO much more interesting for the listener!
Our bottom line is this---there is no disputing the productive improvement over the course of the season, 10 games more won, moving forward in the playoffs, home court advantage---all of these definitely point to an improvement and a step forward for a franchise that had no forward movement at all for this decade.
However, when feeling positive about this team, it's hard not to be concerned about the areas which plagued the team all season long, without correction. It's those problems that caused a disaster of a second round series and prolonged a first round series against an inferior team, in which home court was, at one point, lost.
This offseason will be dotted with drafts, free agency, and a probable "Where in the World is Josh Childress" story arc at some point.
But, in our opinion, the most important and influential area that the Hawks can address are the ways in which they lost the season before. We can always use more talent---and that was made clear as well throughout the year, especially in the case of many injuries---but all the talent in the world can't mask some of the systemic problems we've noted here often and above, and if the goal is to move beyond the benchmark of this season, then these have got to be corrected.
Or so says our therapist.
The HHB will be offering player reviews throughout the offseason, but also has a 5th child on the way, creating a devastating Starting Five in about (20) years. Thoughts and Diapers can be left in the Comments Area.
Second round of the playoffs for the first time since 1999.
A 6-0 start to the season, with wins on the road against New Orleans and Orlando that would serve notice that the Hawks competitiveness in the previous season's playoffs was more proof than fluke.
At first pass, one would say that the 2008-2009 season was a successful one for the Hawks and their young core.
Still, the HHB has spent a week on the sports psychiatrist's coach asking this question:
Why, given the simple data that shows improvement, does it feel like such a letdown?
What follows are the (formerly) confidential notes from those sessions:
When (10) Wins Doesn't Feel Like Improvement
As the Hawks were being ushered out of the previous year's post season festivities by the eventual champs, while celebrating the areas that the Hawks had been good at by making the playoff experience the longest it could have been for a first round exit, it was clear there were some areas that the Hawks needed to focus on to improve and build on the playoff berth.
Then the new season started and the Hawks came out with all guns blazing, bursting a 6-0 start that only the heralded Los Angeles Lakers could match. Included in these games were a rousing opening night win in Orlando and a surprising road win against New Orleans. In these games, the Hawks played strong as a unit and seemed intent on making the case that they were serious about taking a step forward from the season before.
Then, Josh Smith got hurt, the streak ended, and the Hawks played six games above .500 the rest of the way. The rest of the way we saw a team that was strong at home, inconsistent at best on the road, and mired in their ways.
Read any blog about the Hawks for this past season and you will see what the HHB is referring to here. Their ways. This would include:
Josh Smith and His Many Ways to Confound, Frustrate, and Entertain (and produce).
Constant slow starts at the beginning of games as the Hawks would try to take the other team's basketball temperature to see how hard they would have to play for that night. This would be commonly referred to by the team themselves as "coming out flat".
Offensive game plans that amounted to little more than dribble down, make a pass, and then stand around and watch that chosen player break his man down one-on-one and see what happens. At the end of games, this would be referred to as "Watching Joe Johnson".
Poor defensive efforts that would start with Mike Bibby struggling to maintain his man or, worse still, constant switching that would create whatever matchup the other team wanted to see. It's no Rubik's Cube when everybody knows how to solve that little mystery.
The Atlanta Hawks feature a talented young roster that on some nights can out-athleticize and out-shoot most teams in the NBA. This works against less talented teams in the league, but it doesn't scale to good teams, or on the road, and certainly not when both those factors are in play.
Second Round and Bust
To advance past the Miami Heat (w/Dwyane Wade!) and move into the second round seems like good progress, but nothing about the first round victory seemed impressive, especially given that all the points above reared their ugly heads continuously through that seven game series.
The Hawks had way more talent ready to win than Miami did, yet allowed all their bad habits to stretch the series to the limit.
Then came the series against Cleveland, or as Cavs fans call it "Did We Play A Second Round?". Whereas the Hawks surprised the Celtics the season before and were able to jump the better team at home, this sound team was ready and took all the Hawks best shots before tossing them aside. The Hawks had used home court and the energy Philips Arena provided as a crutch and a way to hide the glaring issues that lingered throughout the season. The Cavs came along and pulled back the curtain on the Hawks and showed just how far mentally and strategically the team had to go to really be anything more than a participant in the NBA's glory season.
When Do You Know That It's Love?
That's how you can go from a quick look at the simple data and see success to feeling underwhelmed by the whole finish.
When a team seems like they peaked in the sixth game of the year, the rest of the season will have that anti-climactic feeling to it. Add in the annoying, obvious, and continuous problems that were never addressed for the remainder of the season, and one might see how Frequent Bird Watchers can carry this opinion about a 47 win, second round playoff team--even given the recent history.
Looking at the statistics, most everything improved about the team, especially compared with the rest of the league---their offensive rating (per 100 possessions) improved from 16th to 10th, and their defensive rating made a similar improvement (18th to 11th).
Marvin Williams and Al Horford both made strides towards being more efficient in the PER model (The HHB will address players individually in greater detail throughout the offseason), Mike Bibby greatly improved the play from the point guard position from the season before, and even Joe Johnson proved to be slightly more productive than in the previous season.
And by the way, you know, when you're telling these little stories? Here's a good idea - have a POINT. It makes it SO much more interesting for the listener!
Our bottom line is this---there is no disputing the productive improvement over the course of the season, 10 games more won, moving forward in the playoffs, home court advantage---all of these definitely point to an improvement and a step forward for a franchise that had no forward movement at all for this decade.
However, when feeling positive about this team, it's hard not to be concerned about the areas which plagued the team all season long, without correction. It's those problems that caused a disaster of a second round series and prolonged a first round series against an inferior team, in which home court was, at one point, lost.
This offseason will be dotted with drafts, free agency, and a probable "Where in the World is Josh Childress" story arc at some point.
But, in our opinion, the most important and influential area that the Hawks can address are the ways in which they lost the season before. We can always use more talent---and that was made clear as well throughout the year, especially in the case of many injuries---but all the talent in the world can't mask some of the systemic problems we've noted here often and above, and if the goal is to move beyond the benchmark of this season, then these have got to be corrected.
Or so says our therapist.
The HHB will be offering player reviews throughout the offseason, but also has a 5th child on the way, creating a devastating Starting Five in about (20) years. Thoughts and Diapers can be left in the Comments Area.
Friday, November 7, 2008
ESPN Still Loves Them Some Childress
It seems like 1999, but it was only a few months ago that Josh Childress took his game overseas to Greece. ESPN promptly put Chilldress on PTI, a show that he would likely have never been asked to give Five Good Minutes for had it not been for the Greek's fat cash.
Even a 3-0 start from the good guys hasn't gotten the story off the ESPN radar as Outside the Lines has decided to catch up with our favorite renegade.
The whole show is featured on Sunday morning, but there is a story already featured here and there is a video preview of our missing Hawk.
Even a 3-0 start from the good guys hasn't gotten the story off the ESPN radar as Outside the Lines has decided to catch up with our favorite renegade.
The whole show is featured on Sunday morning, but there is a story already featured here and there is a video preview of our missing Hawk.
Saturday, September 6, 2008
What do you mean that wasn't just a week?
We're back from vacation, and tropical storms, and everything else. So, let's get caught up on what's been missed:
Oh sure, we could talk about the Olympics and how Team USA stepped on the necks of international competition (awesome).
We could talk about Flip Murray signing with the team as the Hawks continue to try and replace one Josh Childress with multiple, not as productive players (not as awesome).
Or we could begin again, looking forward to the next bit of news that drops from the Hawks table.
Until then----is it October yet?
Oh sure, we could talk about the Olympics and how Team USA stepped on the necks of international competition (awesome).
We could talk about Flip Murray signing with the team as the Hawks continue to try and replace one Josh Childress with multiple, not as productive players (not as awesome).
Or we could begin again, looking forward to the next bit of news that drops from the Hawks table.
Until then----is it October yet?
Thursday, July 31, 2008
Childress Disrespected by Teammates?
As Josh Childress adjusts to being a trailblazer (but not an NBA TrailBlazer) and deals with the fallout from Atlanta fans and potentially NBA fans, his people have decided that they should get Josh out there to talk about why he left and the whole process.
Yesterday, he spoke with PTI, who likely would have NEVER had him as a Five Good Minutes guest had not been "the first" to dump the NBA for Greece in his prime and as a starter caliber player in the league.
He then went on Atlanta's 790 the Zone to talk more specifically about the Hawks and the negotiations.
***UPDATE*** The interview is up on the Zone webpage.
Talking with the "Mayhem in the AM" crew, Childress talked about the slow negotiations, below MLE offers from the team, and sign and trades that the Hawks weren't interested in that would have paid Childress what he needed.
In the end, he had the well reported 5 yr, 33 million dollar offer and accepted it, only to be told to hold on. For a player that had already held on for too long (in his mind---and perception is reality), it was too much and he took his game overseas.
During the conversation with the Zone, Childress also discussed a point that THHB brought up last year during our interview with Childress---the lack of being a starter and the playing time that went with it.
This was CLEARLY something that Josh was interested in and was not afforded. Despite injuries on the team last season to other players, Childress started zero games for the Hawks. He was never allowed to earn the role, no matter how hard he played, and this bothered him as he talked to us last season.
But the headline of the call, the one thing we hadn't heard is that this lack of starting also led to a disrepctful attitude toward him by his own teammates.
He felt cut by the labels that was placed on him. "The Energy Guy", the "Rebound Guy", and so on. It was clear he felt he had already been pigeonhold and that bothered him as well, and likely made it eaiser for him to take the money and run.
Which players dissed him? Which players wouldn't throw him the ball if he was open? Is he talking about Johnson, Bibby, or even Josh Smith?
Along with what trade offers might have been turned down by the Hawks, this is the missing information most enquiring minds are eager to know.
On the PTI interview, maybe it was the newness of the whole thing, buit Childress did not seem invested in the decision. He admitted to being an NBA dreamer, but that he is on that team now and thier goal is the Euro Championship, so he is too.
He is definately still down with the NBA.
But what neither the PTI guys nor the Zone guys asked Chill was if he saw this as a 3 year commitment, or will his representation continue to keep their legs in the NBA waters, feeling out a scenario that will bring Chilldress back to the NBA next season.
Yesterday, he spoke with PTI, who likely would have NEVER had him as a Five Good Minutes guest had not been "the first" to dump the NBA for Greece in his prime and as a starter caliber player in the league.
He then went on Atlanta's 790 the Zone to talk more specifically about the Hawks and the negotiations.
***UPDATE*** The interview is up on the Zone webpage.
Talking with the "Mayhem in the AM" crew, Childress talked about the slow negotiations, below MLE offers from the team, and sign and trades that the Hawks weren't interested in that would have paid Childress what he needed.
In the end, he had the well reported 5 yr, 33 million dollar offer and accepted it, only to be told to hold on. For a player that had already held on for too long (in his mind---and perception is reality), it was too much and he took his game overseas.
During the conversation with the Zone, Childress also discussed a point that THHB brought up last year during our interview with Childress---the lack of being a starter and the playing time that went with it.
This was CLEARLY something that Josh was interested in and was not afforded. Despite injuries on the team last season to other players, Childress started zero games for the Hawks. He was never allowed to earn the role, no matter how hard he played, and this bothered him as he talked to us last season.
But the headline of the call, the one thing we hadn't heard is that this lack of starting also led to a disrepctful attitude toward him by his own teammates.
He felt cut by the labels that was placed on him. "The Energy Guy", the "Rebound Guy", and so on. It was clear he felt he had already been pigeonhold and that bothered him as well, and likely made it eaiser for him to take the money and run.
Which players dissed him? Which players wouldn't throw him the ball if he was open? Is he talking about Johnson, Bibby, or even Josh Smith?
Along with what trade offers might have been turned down by the Hawks, this is the missing information most enquiring minds are eager to know.
On the PTI interview, maybe it was the newness of the whole thing, buit Childress did not seem invested in the decision. He admitted to being an NBA dreamer, but that he is on that team now and thier goal is the Euro Championship, so he is too.
He is definately still down with the NBA.
But what neither the PTI guys nor the Zone guys asked Chill was if he saw this as a 3 year commitment, or will his representation continue to keep their legs in the NBA waters, feeling out a scenario that will bring Chilldress back to the NBA next season.
Tuesday, July 29, 2008
Bird Seed: Kwame Signs--But Not as a Hawk and RFA Signings (and Tradings?)
So how's everybody's offseason? Good?
No?
Mine either--but let's get to it.
Kwame Brown signs with the Pistons
Ever notice how some organizations always seem to do the right thing?
OK, so signing Kwame Brown isn't the equivalent of drafting Joe Dumars over Jon Koncak, but signing the big guy to a 2 year, 8 million dollar deal would sure have looked sweet if it had the Hawks logo associated with it.
Instead, the home team will have to settle for the likes of Randolph Morris, who has not shown any athleticism or defense in his time at Kentucky or with the Knicks. His college/pro career to date makes Kwame Brown's seem accomplished.
Personally, I would have rather seen the Hawks save the money they spent on Mo Evans, and up the ante to sign Kwame, who still has the potential to be effective inside, if only on defense, blocking shots, and putbacks.
To be honest, this offseason so far has had the HHB wondering about the approach the team is taking to their payroll and acquiring talent.
The Cincinnati Reds, before the 2005 season, had some money to spend for free agency. They looked about at the high priced players available and decided that they couldn't spend "that kind of money" on a front line player. After the free agent season had subsided, they bragged about how they spent about 20 million dollars in free agency that offseason, but instead of purchasing one player, they were able to acquire 5 or 6 players. Much better, they said.
Eric Milton, Joe Randa, Ramon Ortiz, Ben Weber, Rich Aurilia, Kent Mercker, and David Weathers.
The Reds--not much better.
So, instead of getting an impact player, they wasted their money on 6 players who had little overall effect on the team, except for negative: glorified replacement level players whose main talent was that they were average for other teams at some point in their career.
So it is with held breath that we watch the Hawks attack this offseason with the same approach---taking the discount route, but still spending more than they should on replacement level players.
We will see if the Hawks do indeed sign Morris, if it's more than the 800K or so he earned with the Knicks last season. If it is, they likely will have overpaid, just like they did for Evans.
Personally, we would rather overpay big for a player that will make a positive difference on the team (Childress, Smith), than for a collection of replacement level players at a cheaper, yet more than replacement level pay.
Some teams don't go that route---we call them winners. Some teams, like the aforementioned Reds, keep on trucking down the same path---we don't call them winners.
Warriors are scared Childress; Sign RFAs Ellis, Biedrins
Count the Warriors as a team that blinked and quickly put away their two RFA's, guard Monta Ellis and center Andres Biedrins, in light of the departure of Josh Childress to the land of Far, Far Away.
Oakland obviously considered the pair to be productive and thus important to lock them down, and they were right.
Ellis put points on the board last year (over 20 ppg), but he was also efficient while doing so, scoring a 19 PER, according to basketball-reference.com, and taking down 21.3 offensive win shares to boot.
Biedrins was equally productive, putting a 19+ PER on the board as well.
Oakland paid about 21 million for the pair annually, a high price, but at least they paid folks who were making a seriously positive impact on the team.
So now the attention turns to someone who put up about the same level of productivity as Ellis and Biedrins---Josh Smith.
Will the Hawks sign their RFA to a similar 6 year 60-66 million dollar deal or attempt to go the Reds route, crying poor and dealing for a gaggle of less productive, yet still somewhat highly paid talent?
Sekou Smith of the AJC teased us over the weekend by running a blind item about a powerhouse Western team and a big team in the East having significant enough interest to have a couple of powerhouse deals out there to the Hawks in a potential Sign And Trade for Smith.
One name that has been floated out often enough is that of Mavericks forward Josh Howard. Two years ago, Howard's star was on the rise after his year 25 season, but now two years later, and one year into a 4-yr, 40 million dollar extension, he is on the block.
It would be an interesting economic move; acquire someone with 3 years left on their deal instead of having to be on the hook for 6 more years at the same prices.
Howard put up a similarly productive season as Smith, with an 18.2 PER and similar amount of win shares for the season. But looking closer one sees that Howard is 5 years older than Smith and two inches shorter to boot. Losing the flexibility that Smith provides on the court matchup wise by losing that height and the potential for growth that Smith still holds looks to be too much to lose for the Hawks.
It may surprise you that the Lakers' Lamar Odom is only a year older than Howard. But he has maintained a level of productivity that, while being helpful to the Lakers, is less than what Smith already provides for the Hawks.
Truth is, if the Hawks are indeed entertaining trading a 22 year old, already highly productive player, it had better be for something that the team really needs: A center or a point guard.
The Hawks can ill afford to make a deal involving a valuable asset such as Smith for 75 cents on the dollar, for older players that Smith has already matched in terms of production, and at positions that the Hawks really don't need (read: swingmen).
No?
Mine either--but let's get to it.
Kwame Brown signs with the Pistons
Ever notice how some organizations always seem to do the right thing?
OK, so signing Kwame Brown isn't the equivalent of drafting Joe Dumars over Jon Koncak, but signing the big guy to a 2 year, 8 million dollar deal would sure have looked sweet if it had the Hawks logo associated with it.
Instead, the home team will have to settle for the likes of Randolph Morris, who has not shown any athleticism or defense in his time at Kentucky or with the Knicks. His college/pro career to date makes Kwame Brown's seem accomplished.
Personally, I would have rather seen the Hawks save the money they spent on Mo Evans, and up the ante to sign Kwame, who still has the potential to be effective inside, if only on defense, blocking shots, and putbacks.
To be honest, this offseason so far has had the HHB wondering about the approach the team is taking to their payroll and acquiring talent.
The Cincinnati Reds, before the 2005 season, had some money to spend for free agency. They looked about at the high priced players available and decided that they couldn't spend "that kind of money" on a front line player. After the free agent season had subsided, they bragged about how they spent about 20 million dollars in free agency that offseason, but instead of purchasing one player, they were able to acquire 5 or 6 players. Much better, they said.
Eric Milton, Joe Randa, Ramon Ortiz, Ben Weber, Rich Aurilia, Kent Mercker, and David Weathers.
The Reds--not much better.
So, instead of getting an impact player, they wasted their money on 6 players who had little overall effect on the team, except for negative: glorified replacement level players whose main talent was that they were average for other teams at some point in their career.
So it is with held breath that we watch the Hawks attack this offseason with the same approach---taking the discount route, but still spending more than they should on replacement level players.
We will see if the Hawks do indeed sign Morris, if it's more than the 800K or so he earned with the Knicks last season. If it is, they likely will have overpaid, just like they did for Evans.
Personally, we would rather overpay big for a player that will make a positive difference on the team (Childress, Smith), than for a collection of replacement level players at a cheaper, yet more than replacement level pay.
Some teams don't go that route---we call them winners. Some teams, like the aforementioned Reds, keep on trucking down the same path---we don't call them winners.
Warriors are scared Childress; Sign RFAs Ellis, Biedrins
Count the Warriors as a team that blinked and quickly put away their two RFA's, guard Monta Ellis and center Andres Biedrins, in light of the departure of Josh Childress to the land of Far, Far Away.
Oakland obviously considered the pair to be productive and thus important to lock them down, and they were right.
Ellis put points on the board last year (over 20 ppg), but he was also efficient while doing so, scoring a 19 PER, according to basketball-reference.com, and taking down 21.3 offensive win shares to boot.
Biedrins was equally productive, putting a 19+ PER on the board as well.
Oakland paid about 21 million for the pair annually, a high price, but at least they paid folks who were making a seriously positive impact on the team.
So now the attention turns to someone who put up about the same level of productivity as Ellis and Biedrins---Josh Smith.
Will the Hawks sign their RFA to a similar 6 year 60-66 million dollar deal or attempt to go the Reds route, crying poor and dealing for a gaggle of less productive, yet still somewhat highly paid talent?
Sekou Smith of the AJC teased us over the weekend by running a blind item about a powerhouse Western team and a big team in the East having significant enough interest to have a couple of powerhouse deals out there to the Hawks in a potential Sign And Trade for Smith.
One name that has been floated out often enough is that of Mavericks forward Josh Howard. Two years ago, Howard's star was on the rise after his year 25 season, but now two years later, and one year into a 4-yr, 40 million dollar extension, he is on the block.
It would be an interesting economic move; acquire someone with 3 years left on their deal instead of having to be on the hook for 6 more years at the same prices.
Howard put up a similarly productive season as Smith, with an 18.2 PER and similar amount of win shares for the season. But looking closer one sees that Howard is 5 years older than Smith and two inches shorter to boot. Losing the flexibility that Smith provides on the court matchup wise by losing that height and the potential for growth that Smith still holds looks to be too much to lose for the Hawks.
It may surprise you that the Lakers' Lamar Odom is only a year older than Howard. But he has maintained a level of productivity that, while being helpful to the Lakers, is less than what Smith already provides for the Hawks.
Truth is, if the Hawks are indeed entertaining trading a 22 year old, already highly productive player, it had better be for something that the team really needs: A center or a point guard.
The Hawks can ill afford to make a deal involving a valuable asset such as Smith for 75 cents on the dollar, for older players that Smith has already matched in terms of production, and at positions that the Hawks really don't need (read: swingmen).
Friday, July 25, 2008
Losing Josh Childress, Gaining Maurice Evans
Aside from that, how was the play?
So now we move on.
Separating the basketball part of Losing Josh Childress from the infrastructural part is both easy and hard.
You can justify the millions of reasons why it made sense to let Chill ride off into the Grecian sunset, but you can't divorce the way the Hawks seemed to have handled the whole thing.
But---since we spent yesterday mourning and promised to move on to the hardcourt part of the equation, we will.
But we can't forget---and something tells us we won't be allowed to, either.
So, what does Losing Josh Childress mean for the Hawks in terms of wins and losses? How does a player who this writer always considered to be a role player (albeit a good and productive role player) have a significant impact on the team's fortunes for next season?
For those who want to wax rhapsodic about the emotional part of looking over and not seeing #1's trademark afro I say that will not carry over at all next season. As soon as the ball is tossed up in the first game, that part of Losing Josh Childress will cease to exist.
The on the court game, however, will be noticed.
At 6'8, Childress provided a very long defense along the perimeter and excellent rebounding from the 2/3 position that he was asked to man coming off the bench. He scored without needing a play run for him through his hustle and excellent length and athleticism. He even ran the point a bit for the team after the Bibby deal and Mike's subsequent injury.
Statistically, according to ESPN's John Hollinger's PER system, Childress ranked 9th among all small forwards last season (17.84), between Josh Howard and a resurgent Hedo Turkoglu and ahead of such names as Gerald Wallace, Andrei Kirilenko, Luol Deng, Kevin Durant, and Tayshaun Prince.
Although he averaged 29.9 mpg (a major thorn in his paw, by the way), and having to adjust to the uncertainty of coming off the bench, he managed to be very productive and efficient in his time on the floor.
He was one of a few players in the backcourt area that could average 50% FG and 80% FT shooting, and given the grief he took about his shooting style, them's some good numbers. Good things happened when Chill was on the floor, as his 82games.com Roland Rating was one of only three Hawks with a positive rating (Johnson, Smith).
He was/is a glue guy, a player who supplements the contributions of the core players. The best do this efficiently and consistently, just like Childress.
Now, how much to pay a glue guy has been defined by deals to Shane Battier (6/36, 11.69 PER), and most recently James Posey (4/25, 12.08 PER), so one could say that Childress' supersized Euro offer was more than the Hawks should have paid, but one look at the numbers he put up and the numbers of his supposed contemporaries and maybe we labeled the guy too fast.
At any rate, Losing Josh Childress will be felt---but it will mostly on the court as the Hawks will scramble to replace that key production off the bench.
Hawks Sign Mo Evans
Billed as the replacement for Josh Childress at a bargain price (3 years and 7.5 million), Evans is a considerably less productive player than the man he replaces.
Shorter (6'5 to Childress' 6'8), and older (30 to 25) Evans must now try to fill the shoes of the ultra-efficient sixth man. To compare, Evans had a 13.96 PER according to Hollinger and that was close to his previous season high two years prior.
His shooting is considerably worse than Childress. His career high of .481 was 90 points less than Childress. 90 points. Wow.
Across the board, Evans' rate numbers are worse than Childress. He is said to be a tenacious defender, thereby making up for some offensive shortcomings but his Roland Rating was -3.8.
Color us unimpressed with the signing, as it looks like the Hawks replaced a thriving, growing, productive player who could start on many teams with a firmly entrenched bench player, who shouldn't start anywhere.
Realistically, I don't think we can expect Evans to get better with age, and certainly not taller/longer--and his spike last year might have been his last.
To put the next three years of Evans at age 30, 31, and 32 against what might have been the prime of Childress (25, 26, and 27) is to say that the Hawks have some more to do to replace Childress, but if signing less productive guys at a discount prices to fill the minutes is how they plan to do it, it sure won't make people forget about Losing Josh Childress.
Wednesday, July 23, 2008
Childress----Gone
Well. Okay then.
It what has to be the most celebrated negotiating tactic ever, Josh Childress has told the Hawks to stick it and has taken the Greek offer to leave the NBA behind.
It's jaw-dropping to imagine that this has occured--but to the scarred faithful that are the Hawks fans, it's another punch in the stomach to a fan base that had just started to feel better about itself.
Now, regardless of what you think about the basketball impact of this move, there is a somber mood among the masses---with anger surely to follow.
My heart goes out to the dutiful Hawks staffers that have to try and peddle tickets and make their number---events that unfold like this surely does not drive people to open the wallet.
As we discussed in the last entry, this has an impact beyond the court and beyond the fans ire. What message does this send to the rest of the roster, and to free agents in general, that one of their favorite players, a player whose image was everything you could want and whose skills were widely recognized, has chosen to leave the league rather than accept your contract offers?
More details will surely come out about what Childress can do next year, and the year after, etc. And the Hawks will surely have rights to him, blah, blah, blah.
But, in a Athens minute, the legs have been cut out from the momentum that had been building over the last few seasons. The team has let this happen and must now face the consequences to come, and there will surely be many.
The team has to focus on getting Josh Smith signed to begin to stem the emotional damages on the franchise and to build back a reputation for taking care of their players. It must be a message to the other players that this was isolated and the team does care about keeping this growing core together.
We wrote a year ago that the team was likely unwilling to go far beyond the MLE to keep Childress and that he would be the next good Ex-Hawk. That was with a different GM and before the playoff run, but I suppose the sentiment hadn't changed where it mattered--in the pocketbook.
We just couldn't have dreamed it would be to Greece. αντίο!
It what has to be the most celebrated negotiating tactic ever, Josh Childress has told the Hawks to stick it and has taken the Greek offer to leave the NBA behind.
It's jaw-dropping to imagine that this has occured--but to the scarred faithful that are the Hawks fans, it's another punch in the stomach to a fan base that had just started to feel better about itself.
Now, regardless of what you think about the basketball impact of this move, there is a somber mood among the masses---with anger surely to follow.
My heart goes out to the dutiful Hawks staffers that have to try and peddle tickets and make their number---events that unfold like this surely does not drive people to open the wallet.
As we discussed in the last entry, this has an impact beyond the court and beyond the fans ire. What message does this send to the rest of the roster, and to free agents in general, that one of their favorite players, a player whose image was everything you could want and whose skills were widely recognized, has chosen to leave the league rather than accept your contract offers?
More details will surely come out about what Childress can do next year, and the year after, etc. And the Hawks will surely have rights to him, blah, blah, blah.
But, in a Athens minute, the legs have been cut out from the momentum that had been building over the last few seasons. The team has let this happen and must now face the consequences to come, and there will surely be many.
The team has to focus on getting Josh Smith signed to begin to stem the emotional damages on the franchise and to build back a reputation for taking care of their players. It must be a message to the other players that this was isolated and the team does care about keeping this growing core together.
We wrote a year ago that the team was likely unwilling to go far beyond the MLE to keep Childress and that he would be the next good Ex-Hawk. That was with a different GM and before the playoff run, but I suppose the sentiment hadn't changed where it mattered--in the pocketbook.
We just couldn't have dreamed it would be to Greece. αντίο!
Uncle Mercy!
Well, either the Childress Money Making Foundation are the best actors in the world (not a high bar set there in Hollywood, by the way) or the family of Josh Childress may be making more international calls over the next three years.
I have to say---it's stunning---and they have things serious enough to where even I, one of the most cynical, suspicious minds there might be, am starting to believe that Josh Childress may indeed take off for Greece instead of chasing down the NBA dream.
Hey, Rick Sund, how do you like the new job?
If you believe every item in Sekou Smith's latest ajc.com blog (part of our Bird Feeds on the sidelines there), then you have to think that the Hawks tried to play it dirty and now risk losing their top 2004 pick for just about nothing.
We have seen, in the last 24 hours, everything the HHB told you was coming. Spin from both sides, escalating threats, and now an apparent checkmate.
Smith says that the Hawks risk losing credibility if they cave to Childress, but I am not sure about that. This situation is unique, though not that unique that other won't definately try it.
Sidebar: It will be interesting to see the NBA reaction to such a move, though the Commish is likely to chalk it up to the Hawks simply "being the Hawks".
If the Hawks decide to stare down the young 6th man, it could mean a decision as early as today. Hawks fans would have to hope for no news, which could mean that the team is hustling to make things right.
One of the interesting things about this development is that it was the free agency of Josh Smith who grabbed all the headlines, but that has been completely eclipsed by this circus. Of course, we here at the HHB saw the Childress FA as the most interesting, but certainly not this interesting, if you can call your stomach wrenching interesting.
On the issue on whether Childress is worth the money that it might likely take to bring him back, consider that this signing is likely not in a vacuum, meaning that if the team fails to bring in Childress, it could have a domino effect on the psyche of the rest of the team, and their current and impending free agency.
It is especially critical if the team played it as dirty as Sekou reports, pulling a more lucrative deal off the table because he didn't jump when they laid it down. Um, I don't know too many employees that like that tactic (myself very much included).
If that part of the negotiation is true, that's bogus. You can't put the toothpaste back in the tube, everybody. Once you put a deal on the table and then pull it back, no matter what phony deadlines you put on the offer, you are telling your guy that now you have to take a lesser or deal or take it elsewhere.
Elsewhere = Greece.
I have to say---it's stunning---and they have things serious enough to where even I, one of the most cynical, suspicious minds there might be, am starting to believe that Josh Childress may indeed take off for Greece instead of chasing down the NBA dream.
Hey, Rick Sund, how do you like the new job?
If you believe every item in Sekou Smith's latest ajc.com blog (part of our Bird Feeds on the sidelines there), then you have to think that the Hawks tried to play it dirty and now risk losing their top 2004 pick for just about nothing.
We have seen, in the last 24 hours, everything the HHB told you was coming. Spin from both sides, escalating threats, and now an apparent checkmate.
Smith says that the Hawks risk losing credibility if they cave to Childress, but I am not sure about that. This situation is unique, though not that unique that other won't definately try it.
Sidebar: It will be interesting to see the NBA reaction to such a move, though the Commish is likely to chalk it up to the Hawks simply "being the Hawks".
If the Hawks decide to stare down the young 6th man, it could mean a decision as early as today. Hawks fans would have to hope for no news, which could mean that the team is hustling to make things right.
One of the interesting things about this development is that it was the free agency of Josh Smith who grabbed all the headlines, but that has been completely eclipsed by this circus. Of course, we here at the HHB saw the Childress FA as the most interesting, but certainly not this interesting, if you can call your stomach wrenching interesting.
On the issue on whether Childress is worth the money that it might likely take to bring him back, consider that this signing is likely not in a vacuum, meaning that if the team fails to bring in Childress, it could have a domino effect on the psyche of the rest of the team, and their current and impending free agency.
It is especially critical if the team played it as dirty as Sekou reports, pulling a more lucrative deal off the table because he didn't jump when they laid it down. Um, I don't know too many employees that like that tactic (myself very much included).
If that part of the negotiation is true, that's bogus. You can't put the toothpaste back in the tube, everybody. Once you put a deal on the table and then pull it back, no matter what phony deadlines you put on the offer, you are telling your guy that now you have to take a lesser or deal or take it elsewhere.
Elsewhere = Greece.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
