Peachtree Hoops

Could Jamal Crawford Be Backing Off From His Trade Demand?

2010-09-05T16:19:38Z

More photos » Mike Zarrilli - Getty Images

4 months ago: ATLANTA - MAY 2: Guard Jamal Crawford #11 of the Atlanta Hawks follow through after a successful shot during Game Seven of the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals against the Milwaukee Bucks during the 2010 NBA Playoffs at Philips Arena on May 2, 2010 in Atlanta, Georgia. The Hawks beat the Bucks 95-74. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Mike Zarrilli/Getty Images)

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We all know that Jamal Crawford would like a contract extension from the Atlanta Hawks but he could be backing down from a trade demand. Gary Washburn of the Boston Globe is reporting that while Crawford certainly wants an extension, he will stop short of making any demands to be traded:

Crawford has not publicly demanded a trade, and he won’t, but he has made it clear in talking to the Globe that an extension would be appreciated.

While it was originally reported that Crawford planned to ask for a trade if he was not offered an extension, it now appears that he might be backing off of those demands. The Hawks seem poised to offer an extension to Al Horford rather than Jamal Crawford. Crawford and his agent have to have seen the writing on the wall in Atlanta with the Hawks all but drafting his potential replacement in Jordan Crawford this summer. It would seem all along that the plan has been for Jamal to play out his final season in Atlanta before moving on prior to the start of next season.

It was reported that Rick Sund was to meet with Jamal and his agent sometime in the near future and there have been no reports as to whether or not that meeting has happened yet. Jamal really won't have a lot of leverage when negotiating with the Hawks. A potential training camp holdout would hurt his negotiations with any other team and do as much damage to his reputation as it would the Hawks. However, it might be to the Hawks benefit to move Crawford if they feel that he could become a distraction or if his unhappiness might effect his play. The current thinking is that Jamal would show up to camp and carry on despite the lack of progress on a contract.

Even if Crawford were to be traded there are no guarantees that the team trading for him would offer an extension. That would mean his agent will have to work hard to find a potential suitor that would offer him an extension and mutually offer the Hawks something in return that they would be willing to accept. If such a trade can't be found, then it would seem that Jamal's best option would be to return to Atlanta in hopes of building on the success that he had last season in hopes of raising his value for next season.

Hip Hoop Junkies Bloggers Sean Francois and Romy Aquino talk to Al Horford at the NBA Jam Session...

2010-09-03T18:09:13Z

Hip Hoop Junkies Bloggers Sean Francois and Romy Aquino talk to Al Horford at the NBA Jam Session Canada in Halifax Nova Scotia

Sporting News: Talks Larry Drew and the New Offense

2010-09-03T13:37:01Z

Sporting News: Talks Larry Drew and the New Offense

Excellent article by Sean Deveney talking with Larry Drew about the old iso system and what changes he plans to make this season. There are some really good quotes from Drew in the article so check it out.

Read the article and then lets discuss how much a change in philosophy can actually help a team.

The Hawks Sign Veteran Center Etan Thomas

2010-09-03T01:48:15Z

More photos » Sue Ogrocki - AP

The Hawks newest big man acquisition is former Washington and Oklahoma City Center Etan Thomas. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki, File)

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The Hawks made it official today and signed Etan Thomas to a contract to help round out the roster. It wasn't long ago that Thomas was a pretty useful player playing seven seasons for the Washington Wizards and last year with the Oklahoma City Thunder. Thomas missed the entire 2007-2008 season after having open heart surgery. He has played rather sparingly since appearing in only 23 contests last season with the Thunder.

Thomas will compete with other Hawks big men ZaZa Pachulia, Jason Collins, and Josh Powell for playing time behind starters Al Horford and Josh Smith. Larry Drew had this to say about the Thomas signing per Hawks PR Release:

"We’re excited to add a player of Etan’s caliber to our roster," said Hawks head coach Larry Drew. "He provides additional veteran leadership, physicality and toughness to our club, especially on the glass and the defensive side of the ball. We also add another versatile and multi-positional player to our frontcourt."

Hawks beat writer Michael Cunningham asks Thomas why he chose the Hawks:

"This is a great situation," he said. "I was with Larry Drew in D.C. and I have a lot of respect for him. I like what he is doing here."

Bret over at Hoopinion has a nice breakdown of Thomas' advanced stats post surgery.

Hawks To Talk Extension With Al Horford

2010-09-01T02:38:41Z

More photos » Jonathan Daniel - Getty Images

The Hawks appear poised to offer Al Horford a near max contract extension which would be the second big contract handed out this summer. (Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images)

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While Joe Johnson's free agency was the biggest headline of the summer, Al Horford's contract status would have to rank number two and should probably have been talked about a lot more than it has to date. It appears now that the Hawks are poised to offer Horford a contract before the October 31st deadline that would lock him in for the near future with the Hawks. Priority one is to get Horford signed but should the Hawks offer him a contract now or wait and let the market dictate the price in restricted free agency? Is Al Horford worth a max contract? If he is not, then what is he worth to the Hawks?

It is a simple question, but the answer could be elusive. Horford averaged 14.2 points per game last year and 9.9 rebounds a game narrowly missing out on averaging a double double. He was highly efficient shooting 55% from the field and 78% from the line. He also made his first all star game appearance and in some rankings is already a top 5 Center in the league even though he himself thinks he is really a power forward. He is a high character guy that is a more than capable defender as well.

For those that is unfamiliar with the way restricted and unrestricted free agency works, the Hawks have until October 31st to work out a long term extension with Al Horford. If they fail to reach an agreement by the deadline then Horford would become a restricted free agent which would give him the ability to negotiate with any team but gives the Hawks the right to match any offer. For those that remember, the Hawks let Josh Smith seek the best offer in restricted free agency which came from Memphis and the Hawks quickly matched what has turned out to be a very affordable contract for a player like Smith and his many talents.

More after the jump******

Sekou Smith reported Monday on his Hang Time Blog that Al Horford will receive a near max offer before the October 31st deadline. The Hawks probably have a pretty good gauge on the kinds of offers that Horford would likely receive from other teams next summer and it is likely that they would like to sign him on their terms instead of someone else's. A player like Horford, that is only 24 years old and is playing the center position in all likely hood would garner a max offer from some team next season. If that is the case then the Hawks would be smart in being proactive.

The X-Factor in all of this is the looming CBA negotiations and potential lock out. Kelly Dwyer of Ball Don't Lie discussed the benefits of letting Horford test the market. While that has been my thinking the entire time there may be some benefits for not going that route. Number One is the possibility that some team might throw an offer at Horford that the Hawks might not want to match. Typically in restricted free agency teams will front load a lot of offers to try and discourage a team from matching. Keep in mind that the Hawks just gave a huge contract to Joe Johnson so that makes it even more important for the team to try and get Horford signed to a team friendly deal.

Second there is the CBA negotiations this summer. Horford's camp, much like Jamal Crawford's, would no doubt like to get something done before the current CBA expires. That might not even be a bad thing for ownership because a lot of big money contracts were handed out this summer with the thinking that there is going to be a lockout next season. Also there is the possibility that the new CBA could have some effect on contracts that have already been signed.

Hawks beat writer Michael Cunningham weighed in today as well and raises some good points about the positives to extending Horford without letting him hit free agency:

Signing Horford to an extension now would provide cost certainty. It also would provide security for Al, who would get a big-money deal without doing the RFA song-and-dance.

The potential risk for the Hawks in skipping the extension and letting the market dictate Al’s worth is he might become disgruntled. But I doubt that would happen, as Al seemed to understand it’s just business

The Hawks have been viewed as an organization that has been operated on the cheap. It is hard to argue that assumption when you see moves like Jason Collins signing this season and Mario West's signing last season. However, with Johnson's signing and a potential Horford signing could they be portraying to the league and other free agents that the Hawks are more than willing to take care of their own? Case in point is that Bibby, Johnson, Marvin, and potentially Horford will all have signed extensions. Josh Smith did as well but he had to go the restricted free agency route but he still got his deal in the end. Perhaps it is somewhat about changing perception as well.

Cunningham also points out in his piece that the Hawks could offer Horford a five year deal that is worth up to 82 million dollars. In being proactive and offering him an extension I would expect a five year offer at slightly less than the max but still more than is likely to come Horford's way after the CBA is renegotiated. This bodes the question is Horford worth that much money? I would say yes he is worth it and I don't mind extending a hardworking guy like Horford who is already a very good player and probably hasn't hit his ceiling yet. In my mind Al will quickly accept any extension that comes close to the max particularly one that comes on the eve of what could be one nasty battle in negotiations for a new CBA.

Horford's extension would spell doom for Jamal Crawford's extension demand but I have never thought that the Hawks would be offering Crawford another contract in the first place. That isn't a slight at him or any of his accomplishments while in Atlanta. It is just that the team is committed to another shooting guard and really can't afford to go any deeper at that position.

Exit Question: Hawks fans are you comfortable giving Al Horford a max extension before the deadline? Or should the Hawks go the route Kelly Dwyer suggests and the route that they went with Josh Smith which is to let the market dictate the asking price?

Biggest Winner this Hawks Off-Season? The guy who didn't buy the Hawks

2010-08-31T00:30:27Z

The ASG might be interested in contacting our winner to see if he might be interested again...for old times sake.

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Joe Johnson pulled in 124 million and is secure well beyond his productivity on the basketball court.

Larry Drew finally realized a dream born of many years as a valued assistant on many NBA coaching benches by being named Head Coach of the Hawks.

Jason Collins, after a forgettable season as the de-facto 5th big man on a 53-win playoff team, is chased down by that same team to come back again, guaranteed.

Yup, they all had great off-seasons, but in one final decision today, one man lapped them all.

Who is it? Why, it's someone who wanted to be a Hawk, but some mean folks wouldn't let him. Now, they must pay.

The situation, which was classic Hawks, made it to #6 on our Decade of Hawks Aughts (and Aught-Nots) earlier this year.

In 2003 AOL/Time Warner was interested in divesting itself of the Hawks, Thrashers, and Philips Arena and looked like they had the person to sell it to---Texas auto dealership tycoon David McDavid. But through a loophole in the letter of intent deal with McDavid, AOL/Time Warner instead sold to a group that was thown together to take advantage of a very small purchasing window, a group that consisted of ownership groups from at least (3) different geographical locations.

McDavid, spurned by the fickle Time Warner/AOL/Turner/WhomeverelsehadtheirhandsintheHawksjar conglomerate, in turn sued the company for breach of contract and he won a 316 million dollar judgement in 2008. Turner appealed the decision but just announced today that they were "putting this behind them" and agreeing to an undisclosed settlement with McDavid.

Money quote:

The jury awarded McDavid $281 million -- nearly three times the $96 million he agreed to pay for the teams and the arena rights -- in December 2008.

So McDavid gets three times what he offered Turner for the teams/arena rights, doesn't have to deal with two flagging (financially speaking, if you believe them) franchises, all without leaving his beloved state of Texas?

Admit it, Joe Johnson, even you are jealous of THAT take this off-season.

New 13th Man Rumor: HoopsHype Etan Thomas Close to Signing With the Hawks

2010-08-28T22:57:36Z

New 13th Man Rumor: HoopsHype Etan Thomas Close to Signing With the Hawks

Here is a name that hasn't been reported yet. HoopsHype.com is reporting that Etan Thomas is close to signing a one year deal with the Hawks. He averaged 3.3ppg and 2.8reb in very limited minutes with Oklahoma City last season.

Jamal Crawford To Ask Hawks For Trade

2010-08-28T03:23:02Z

More photos » John Amis - AP

Reigning Sixth Man of the Year Jamal Crawford may try and force a trade from the Atlanta Hawks if they don't agree to a contract extension. (AP Photo/John Amis) (AP Photo/John Amis)

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Jamal Crawford's search for a contract extension has taken a rather unexpected turn. Reports surfaced Friday night that Crawford, who is in the last year of his contract, will seek a trade from the Hawks if his extension demands are not met. While there were no quotes directly from Crawford in any of the sources it appears that Crawford would rather play out his contract somewhere else if the Hawks have no intention of extending him.

Crawford came to the Hawks last year in a trade for Speedy Claxton and Acie Law. He made the playoffs for the first time in his career and appeared to embrace the role of six man so much so that he won the NBA's Sixth Man of the Year Award. Now it appears that long term security could be more important than winning to him and his Hawks tenure could end after only one season.

This is all really discouraging for me although I feel a little foolish for not anticipating something like this happening. The writing is basically on the wall for Crawford. The Hawks drafted a hopeful replacement for Jamal in Jordan Crawford. The Joe Johnson extension and the need to extend Al Horford will leave the Hawks with very little wiggle room in dealing with Jamal. It's sad because the Hawks have been intent on keeping the core together in hopes that any improvement will come from within. Now they may be forced to reshuffle that core that they were so intent on protecting.

I don't want to speculate any further on this until we get some comments from Jamal himself but we will be watching and keep you updated throughout the weekend. In the meantime here are links to the various reports:

Sam Amick of NBA FanHouse

Michael Cunningham of the AJC

Chris Broussard of ESPN The Magazine

ESPN True Hoop Blogger Bret LaGree

Ball Don't Lie Center Rankings - Al Horford #4

2010-08-27T21:21:52Z

Ball Don't Lie Center Rankings - Al Horford #4

Kelly Dwyer wraps up his positional rankings with the Center position. Al Horford comes in at #4 behind Lopez, Bogut, and Dwight Howard.

Not bad for a guy who himself says that he is playing out of position.

Greatest of All-Time Atlanta Hawks Series #16: Jason Terry

2010-08-27T12:22:37Z

More photos » Glenn James - NBAE/Getty Images

Jet, flashing his trademark smile as he takes down the 16th GOAT slot. But where's the headband and the high socks?

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Welcome back to the Greatest of All-Time Atlanta Hawks Series, which we introduced yesterday with much fanfare and circumstance (yay!).

One might ask why we're doing (16) players and the answer is simple: I was inspired to do this series late last season when Sekou Smith asked me on Twitter who my GOAT Hawks were. I ended up rattling off a Top 15, after the acknowledgement that, really, 'Nique was on a different level than them all. So there's why we start with #16.

The Number 16 Greatest of All-Time Atlanta Hawk is:

Jason Terry

JT spent his first four seasons in the league with the Hawks, instantly hitting his performance stride once he was traded to the Mavericks in 2004.

We chronicled Jet's tenure with the Birds with his #3 entry this spring of the best of the last decade. Here was the summary of the piece:

We loved Terry's speed, his shot, and his personality. We wish he had some success in the ATL, but he certainly has made up for it in Dallas with the Mavs. His skills, production (4th in PER, 1st in Assist Rate, 1st in Steals Rate), and attitude despite his constantly changing role on the court, having weak coaching, and no veterans to help along the way, endeared himself to THHB and has earned his ranking as the #3 Hawk of the Decade.

In terms of his stature among his all-time Atlanta brethren, sadly, his assist numbers still hold up amongst all qualifiers since 1968, as he ranks fourth in both Assist Rate (28.4) and Assists per game (5.5).

You can argue that Terry was the best player on the team during his tenure there, despite getting pushed back and forth from point guard to shooting guard and having to play with some cats who never saw the league against after leaving the ATL. Again, from our Decade post:

A running theme during Terry's tenure as a Hawk was the TV drama-esque question of "Is He or Isn't He" in regards to being a point guard. Bigger point guards were brought in (Emanuel Davis, Boris Diaw among the group) to play with JT so he could he could just focus on scoring and then the team would shift back to Jet playing the point, with Glover at shooting guard. Despite the back and forth, Terry managed to post career highs in Assist Rate, Assists per game, and Total Assists in 2002-2003, finishing in the NBA Top 10 in each of those categories. For the decade, Terry led the Hawks in the same categories.

Despite all the losing, and being unsure of a position as he battled for making his own name in the NBA during formative years that involved (3) head coaches in (4) seasons, Terry was the smiling face of Hawks basketball, always talking to the media after the game, even if it was to tip his ceremonial cap to yet another team who came into Philips Arena and walked out with a road win. To do all of that, despite the circus that the Hawks could be at times in his young career, was very noteworthy.

He tirelessly worked in the gym to get better, never shied away from taking the winning shot, and possessed one of the sweetest jump shots the Atlanta Hawks have ever had. He's 16th all-time in Win Shares (29.4), 10th offensively (21.9), and is 12th in PER (17.2).

His stats, his standing in his era and position, and all the other intangibles lands JT was our 16th Greatest of All-Time Atlanta Hawks.

Greatest of All-Time Atlanta Hawks Series: The Introduction

2010-08-26T14:59:28Z

Did it get any better?

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From Bob Pettit to Lenny Wilkens, the St. Louis Hawks enjoyed both a championship and many great players.

But today we introduce our offseason series on who are the greatest of all-time Atlanta Hawks. Our investigation has taken us to some interesting facts about the team, though some of the great eras in Atlanta basketball, and ultimately who are the greatest ever Atlanta Hawks.

First of all, let's acknowledge the lack of suspense regarding who is at the top. The Namesake, The Human Highlight Film, Hall of Famer Dominique Wilkins is the benchmark against whom all other Atlanta Hawks are compared and whose bar for stardom still remains uncleared since his trade in 1994.

We won't hold his excellence against him--he will get his post when it comes time for #1, but what remains is an excellent collection of players who have graced the courts as an Atlanta Hawks.

How we ranked them was a mixture of statistics, character, and importance to the team and the fans. We used the awesome Basketball Reference site for statistical guidance and the terrific "From Sweet Lou to 'Nique" historical book written by the late, great Jeffrey Denberg with some assistance from a young, spunky PR guy who is now VP of that area, the terrific Arthur Triche.

We held firm to a 300 game minimum, meaning that they had to play at least (4) seasons as a full time Hawk. So if you are wondering where Shareef Adbur-Rahim, Antoine Walker, or Glenn Robinson are, they aren't here...and why were you looking for them anyway?

Stay tuned as we continue in the days ahead our countdown of the Greatest of All-Time Atlanta Hawks!

Ball Don't Lie - Power Forward Rankings Josh Smith #7

2010-08-26T01:17:42Z

Ball Don't Lie - Power Forward Rankings Josh Smith #7

Kelly Dwyer ranks the top 30 power forwards with Josh Smith checking in at #7. I can't really argue with any of the guys that are in front of him. Dwyer has Smith ranked behind Boozer, Bosh, Dirk, Amare, Duncan, and Gasol.

When compared to the guys in front of him, Josh is the youngest and the one with probably the most growth left in his game.

Hawks Interested in Boone, Elson and Skinner

2010-08-24T15:49:06Z

Hawks Interested in Boone, Elson and Skinner

This comes from Michael Cunningham of the AJC.

I would have liked to see the Hawks land Kwame Brown (seriously). Out of the three being discussed now, I prefer Josh Boone. What say you?

Ball Don't Lie Shooting Guard Rankings - Joe Johnson #4

2010-08-23T16:46:20Z

Ball Don't Lie Shooting Guard Rankings - Joe Johnson #4

Joe Johnson is ranked number 4 overall in the Shooting Guard Rankings. Interesting that in his Small Forward Rankings that Marvin Williams is ranked 21st with former Hawk Josh Childress weighing in at #22

Hawks D-League Affiliate to Host Tryout in Atlanta

2010-08-22T23:10:49Z

Are there any baller's in the Peachtree Hoops blogosphere? If so then here is your opportunity to chase a dream. The Utah Flash of the NBA's Development League will be hosting a try out on September 11th at Clayton State University.

Quoting the original press release:

"The open tryout is a great way for us to discover untapped talent," said coach Kevin Young. "We have had great success in the past with open tryouts, and each year we’ve added at least one player from the tryout to our team. I have no doubt this year will be the same."

During tryouts, players will take part in shooting drills, individual assessments and scrimmages. Prospects will be observed by the Utah Flash basketball operations staff.

Selected players participating in the workouts may be invited to the Flash training camp this fall and compete for a roster spot for the upcoming season.

Interested players should submit completed registration, disclosure, and release forms along with a $150 non-refundable participation fee to the Flash office. Late registration is $175 for all forms received after Monday, September 6th at 5p.m. Tryouts are limited to the first 100 applicants who submit completed registration forms and payment.

Catching Up: Roster Speculation and About That New Offense

2010-08-18T01:15:33Z

More photos » John Amis - AP

Should Larry Drew's offense be getting all of the attention? (AP Photo/John Amis)

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While things have been slow around the old blog for the last few weeks there are a few tid bits of information that need to be discussed. One of the first things is the Hawks roster make up heading into training camp. The Hawks currently have twelve players on the roster for next season which is just one short of the league minimum. The team carried the minimum of thirteen for the entire 2009-2010 season. It is unclear at this point but highly likely that they intend to do the same again during the 2010-2011 season although a couple of reports have surfaced that might alter that thinking.

The first was a Real GM report that the Hawks were reaching out to veteran point guard Earl Boykins. Atlanta Hawks beat writer Michael Cunningham quickly dispels the rumor saying that the Hawks are not looking to add an additional guard to the roster.

More after the jump

I am not going to give much thought to the Boykins rumor as it really makes very little sense for a Hawks team that says it wants to give Jeff Teague a shot at a bigger role this season. Cunningham goes on to say that the Hawks are still looking to add a big man to the roster. At this point there is very little speculation as to who that may be. I have been of the opinion that unless something significant presents itself that the last roster spot will be won during training camp. I expect someone like Alade Aminu who played on the Hawks Vegas Summer League team might be an option.

Another candidate for the last roster spot could be second round pick Pape Sy. When the Hawks selected Sy it was widely thought that he would be staying oversees to further add to his game. Sy was a part of the Summer League team and must have impressed Hawks management as there is now talk that he is pursuing a buy out from his French contract. The question I am asking myself now would he be the thirteenth player or would the Hawks go one above the minimum if they added Sy? Sy certainly would benefit more playing than sitting at the end of the Hawks bench. MC speculated that this could be the first Hawks player to see significant time in the D-League which I think would be a great idea.

The last thing I want to open up for discussion is the Hawks "new" motion offense that Larry Drew is implementing. Now I have been as optimistic as anyone with the new thoughts on offense but I want to caution everyone slightly. At this point I am not really sure that it is a good idea for this offense to be getting the kind of publicity that it is. Basketball coaches for years are always preaching ball movement and player movement. Mike Woodson who in my opinion was not a forward thinking offensive mind, preached ball movement particularly when the Hawks struggled to score.

All of that being said the Hawks certainly are a team that could use some fresh ideas and concepts on the offensive end. Too often over the last couple of years it has been stand around and watch Joe Johnson goto work with Jamal Crawford getting in on some of that action also last year. The point is however, don't necessarily expect a miracle from this new system. How many systems are even that recognizable in the NBA? Phil Jackson's Triangle Offense is one and Mike D'Antoni's Seven Seconds or Less gets a lot of pup. Still at the end of the day it is the coaches job to run a system that puts the players in position to succeed.

Cunningham: Inside Camp Drew

2010-08-11T23:43:02Z

Cunningham: Inside Camp Drew

Michael Cunningham does his usual great job of getting inside and observes Larry Drew teaching his assistant coaches the new motion offense. No moving pictures in the post but Cunningham does a great job of describing.

The Atlanta Hawks Announce 2010-11 Regular Season Schedule *Updated

2010-08-11T14:13:07Z

More photos » Kevin C. Cox - Getty Images

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After being nearly shut out on the holiday schedule, the Atlanta Hawks will play 14 times on either ESPN, TNT, or NBATV. The Hawks will open the 2010-11 season on Wednesday October 27th in Memphis. The Home opener is scheduled for Saturday October 30th against John Wall and the Washington Wizards.

While the Hawks play three of their first four games on the road, the menacing early season West Coast Trip is noticeably absent from this schedule.

View the entire schedule by clicking here

National TV Games

Friday November 12th Vs. Utah ESPN

Saturday November 20th Vs. Dallas NBATV

Thursday November 25th Vs. Washington TNT

Monday December 6th @ Orlando NBATV

Thursday December 16th @ Boston TNT

Monday January 17th Vs. Sacramento NBATV

Saturday January 29th @ Dallas NBATV

Saturday February 5th @ Washington NBATV

Saturday February 12th Vs. Charlotte NBATV

Sunday February 27th @ Portland ESPN

Friday March 11th @ Chicago NBATV

Tuesday March 22nd Vs. Chicago TNT

Friday April 1st Vs. Boston ESPN

Wednesday April 13th @ Charlotte ESPN

The Hawks will begin Training camp on Tuesday September 28th at Phillips Arena.

Exit Question: What game at this point are you most looking forward to?

** Update **

Preseason Schedule Just announced

Oct 7th Vs Memphis

Oct 11th @ Detroit

Oct 12th @ Washington

Oct 16th @ New Orleans / Game played at East Tennessee State University

Oct 18th Vs Orlando

Oct 21st Vs Miami / ESPN

Oct 22nd @ Charlotte

NBAPlaybook.com - Scouting the NBA

2010-08-10T13:37:06Z

NBAPlaybook.com - Scouting the NBA

This is one of my favorite web sites on the net and they have just started doing individual scouting reports. The first team he is doing is the Atlanta Hawks. As of this posting he has MIke Bibby and Jason Collins finished. Thought this might be a good resource to check out and see whether or not you agree with the reports.

Like it or not, ASG got it right this summer.

2010-08-08T05:45:54Z

(Editor's Note: We don't think it's crazy, and wanted to offer a more positive outlook on this offseason than we offered thus far. Nice job.)

Please fellow Hawks fans, before you think I am crazy and have lost my mind let me explain my reasoning on this scenario by scenario...

1) Joe Johnson contract - Like it or not he was going to get a max contract offer from multiple teams. You don't think once the Clippers, Knicks, Chicago and Jersey missed out on Lebron, Wade and Bosh; Joe wasn't next on their radar? For some reason people think that only superstars get max contracts. That's true if other teams are not waiting to give Joe the max. This year was a players market so 2 other players that aren't superstars got them as well. For those who don't know, he is only the 16th highest paid player in the league this year. Everyone wants to be down on Joe based off the playoffs last season. If Joe goes to NY then the Hawks ARE NOT a playoff team and folks are bashing the ASG for being cheap. No way another superstar comes here if Joe leaves.

2) Not Trading Marvin for Shaq - Correct again. 1) Shaq's focus is on TV shows and endorsements until the playoffs come. 2) You don't ship away one of your starters for a guy that wants to start over your decade younger, All Star center. 3) His production: Shaq only gives you 12 ppg last year playing with Lebron AND in the starting lineup. What does he give you a year older and only playing bench minutes? What do you do with ZaZa, let him ride the pine? He is only 26 (on paper) and still bigger than D. Howard.

3) Not signing Shaq straight up - If Shaq wanted ATL to pay an inflated price just to sign him when he would take the minimum to go to Boston or San Antonio, I rather him walk. Even if we did sign him, that makes us less flexible for any trades during the season.

4) Selling the draft pick - Just because the ASG didn't overspend on a bench player this summer, doesn' t mean they don't plan on using that 3 mill they got for that extra draft pick. They could make another major move during the trade deadline. With the extra cash and less signed draft pics, the Hawks will have more flexibility.

5) Not going in the luxury tax.... yet. - If you look at the teams with the highest payrolls, most of them are not close to a championship. Indiana, Philly, NO and the Charlotte all have a higher payroll than Atlanta now. Even with Joe's max deal. Let's let Orlando blow their payroll on guys like Brandon Bass and plant them on the bench.

6) Keeping Jamal Crawford - This man is an All-NBA player who is an assassin at the 3, and can blow by any man in front of him. Why in the H would people suggest trading him for anything less than an all-star? Who could you get that could score like him? ASG need to go ahead and give him the extension.

Not saying that the ASG is perfect, but they didn't do anything this year make the Hawks go in the wrong direction. If Teague turns out to be a average starter, the Hawks are the 3rd best team in the East this year.