Tag Archives: Mike Bibby

by | December 24, 2011 · 1:27 PM

New additions, same Knicks

Even with Chandler, D'Antoni has his work cut out for him

The New York Knicks enter the protracted season with high hopes and deep playoff aspirations. Why should they not? This is a team that has, since the trade deadline in February, been one of the largest movers on the market. They have brought in star talent to contend now. However, with all the moves that they have made, are the Knicks ready to compete with the likes of the Chicago Bulls, Miami Heat, or the Boston Celtics? It appears that everything is riding on this season no matter the fact that it is shortened and they have a heap of new players to work into the rotation. The clock is already ticking and the start of the season is less than 24 hours away.

Though they did not make the biggest splash in the hectic free agency period, that honor goes to the Los Angeles Clippers for wresting Chris Paul away from the New Orleans Hornets, the Knicks did land the most coveted center on the market. Tyson Chandler, coming off his career defining championship season with the Dallas Mavericks, chose New York over a host of suitors. New York was a likely fit for Chandler because they could offer him the money he thought that he deserved; roughly $56 million over four years.

During his time in Dallas, Chandler proved to be the backbone of a stout and flexible defense that was quite adept at employing complex zone schemes which allowed Chandler to operate autonomously in and around the paint. As defensively porous as the Knicks were a season ago, a defensive rating of 110.1 which was good for eighth worst in the league, it is no wonder why they spent the money to acquire Chandler. They need defense, and badly.

Yet, one player cannot change the defensive structure of an entire team, it takes each individual on the court to put forth a concerted effort. Carmelo Anthony knows this and believes that the Knicks “can be a great defensive team.” As with anything, words are easier to come by than action.

Last season the Knicks’ best defenders, in terms of defensive rating, were Amar’e Stoudemire and Ronny Turiaf. Each checked in with a rating of 108. Cult hero Anthony Randolph had a lower rating than either Stoudemire and Turiaf but his time on the court was so negligible it renders the rating moot. Determining defensive ratings for players relies heavily on the defensive rating of the team so it is understandable why all the players would own bad ratings.

Mike D’Antoni, the head coach since 2008, is known for an offense first game plan. Defense is an after though, if it is even thought of at all. Chandler is not an offensive powerhouse and can take seven seconds or more to run the length of the court if he is caught under the defensive rim when the Knicks transition to offense. How will he integrate into D’Antoni’s uptempo system? It will be D’Antoni who will have to adjust to Chandler’s presence.

With the lackluster defensive talent on the Knicks’ roster it would behoove D’Antoni to implement similar zone schemes to the ones Chandler anchored in Dallas. From there an individual mandate and trust can be passed to each player when the team plays man-to-man. Trust will be one of the most important issues for the Knicks to cultivate this season if they are truly committed to improving defensively.

On the opposite end of the floor, D’Antoni’s team packs an offensive punch, with two players at least. Combined, Anthony and Stoudemire were used in 60 percent of the offensive sets. The next five players in terms of offensive usage are no longer on the team. In terms of scoring, the four players immediately behind Anthony and Stoudemire are also gone. Toney Douglas is the next player on the list, in both categories, that is still on the team.

Of course there is Chandler, but as stated above he is not going to be a go-to guy on offense. Instead, the Knicks will have to rely heavily on some new and returning players. This includes the aforementioned Douglas, who will quarterback the team, Landry Fields, Iman Shumpert (oh, how he is hyped already), Bill Walker, Mike Bibby, Jared Jeffries, Steve Novak, and Baron Davis. Davis, however, will not take the court for some time as he is dealing with a bulging disk in his back. Not only that but he has lost a step going into his thirteenth season.

This is a team with serious depth issues. This is none more apparent than at point guard. D’Antoni’s system relies on strong play from his point guard (see: Steve Nash) and his options going into the season are far from promising. Douglas is far from Nash and had a two-to-one assist to turnover ratio last season. Now that Raymond Felton is in Portland, Douglas’ ratio could become worse.  Since coming to New York, D’Antoni’s teams have committed the most turnovers. Until Davis is healthy, Bibby will be the backup point guard. Anyone who watched his play with the Miami Heat last season knows that his time on the court is met with groans rather than cheers. The turnovers will continue to be plentiful.

New faces are nothing new for the Knicks, they have also had the most player turnover of any team over the last four years. Therefore, the current Knicks situation is no different that it has been during D’Antoni’s tenure. Nothing in New York should ever be all that easy. Unfortunately for D’Antoni, this is the last year of his contract. If he cannot but all the new pieces together he could be in a long unemployment line.

To expect much of this team in a shortened season would be foolish. Despite their formidable frontcourt, there are too many places where they need to improve, especially defensively, and be able to integrate new players. Not only that but their lack of depth will really hurt them with the increased number of back-to-back games and the inclusion of back-to-back-to-backs. Finishing sixth in the East, as they did last season, would seem to be about right for the new-look Knicks of this season. The Anthony trade gutted this team of a young core and the effects of that will be seen this season. Knicks fans can take solace, though, now that Eddy Curry is no longer on the team. That is a win in and of itself.

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by | May 15, 2011 · 2:38 PM

Eastern Conference Finals Prediction: Bulls vs. Heat

Battle of wills.

The league’s MVP squares off against Miami’s three-headed beast for the chance to go to the NBA Finals.

1. Chicago Bulls vs. 2. Miami Heat

What the regular season taught us was that the Chicago Bulls and Miami Heat are very evenly matched. Their three meetings were decided by a combined total of eight points, all Bulls victories. That was the regular season, and that was before each of these teams slogged their way to within a series of the NBA Finals. Miami, despite having to go through the Boston Celtics, has seemingly had the easier road thus far. They were never in any real trouble against the Philadelphia 76ers and handled the Celtics better than most anyone could have imagined. They celebrated like East and West Germans did when the Berlin Wall fell after they beat the Celtics. All they needed was David Hasselhoff in a light-up jacket and their celebration would have been complete. Perhaps the celebration was a bit premature; Ganesa has not removed all of their obstacles. Miami is, after all, only half way to their goal and have to face the team with the best record in the league.

Chicago faced their largest test in the first round as the Indiana Pacers threw everything they had at the Bulls, exposing a multitude of weaknesses that had been overlooked by outside observers. The Pacers eventually succumbed to the Bulls’ rebounding might. Though the Atlanta Hawks won two games in the Eastern Conference Semifinals, they were their own Achilles heel falling back into predictable Isolation sets late in games which allowed Tom Thibodeau to keep his defensive unit on the floor stifling Atlanta’s best efforts to play one-on-one basketball.

Defense will dominate this series. It has been the hallmark of both of these clubs throughout the regular season and in the playoffs. This post season, Chicago has limited its opponents to the fewest points per possession while Miami ranks fourth. Defensive rebounding has a lot to do with limiting an opponent’s points and both teams are adept at cleaning the defensive glass.  Where the Bulls do out-pace the Heat is in turnovers. Chicago creates more turnovers, and thereby more scoring opportunities, than the Heat. However, history would not appear to be on Chicago’s side despite the similarities of the two clubs. Six times in NBA history a team with the league MVP and no All Star teammates has faced a club with three or more All Stars in the playoffs. The team with more All Stars has won five of those meetings. The last time this happened was last season when the Cleveland Cavaliers were eliminated by the Celtics in the second round.

Marquee Matchups:

Derrick Rose vs. the Miami Heat

Head Coach Erik Spoelstra and LeBron James have made it very clear that Miami will employ multiple defenders in their attempts to slow down the league’s MVP. Everyone from Mike Bibby, Mario Chalmers, Dwyane Wade, and James will spend time guarding Rose. Bibby will start the game “guarding” Rose, Spoelstra has said, but Chalmers will be the one tasked with defending him for much of the game. “I think he’s one of the best in the NBA in getting in the paint. I have to do a good job of keeping him out,” Chalmers said and the numbers support his belief. Rose leads the playoffs in points inside of five feet with 106. When Rose gets into the paint he is shooting 45 percent, but when he gets within the restricted area his average climbs to 54 percent. In terms of shot distribution, 38.7 percent of Rose’s field goal attempts are taken at the rim. If the Heat does manage to limit Rose’s drives to the rim they still have not completely stopped him. He is shooting 46 percent on his midrange field goal attempts and most of these shots come as a result of the pick-and-roll. Rose leads the playoffs in scoring off the pick-and-roll with 118 points and runs 11.9 of them per game. To contain Rose’s scoring Miami must trap him along the perimeter and force him into a three-point shot. Beyond the arc, where Rose takes his second highest percentage of shots, he only shoots 27 percent.

Chicago’s defense vs. Miami’s offense

King Ghidorah

Slowing down the trio of James, Wade, and Chris Bosh (or Ghidorah as Hoopdata refers to them) is near to impossible. Even if one has a bad night or is swept into the emotion of a game, the other two will step up. What makes them especially potent is their ability to get to the free throw line. During the regular season, the Heat’s trio went to the charity stripe 36.3 percent of the time they attempted a field goal against the Bulls. As a team, Miami has the third highest offensive rating at 111.7 and that is despite playing a slow paced game. However, Chicago has the top rated defense in the league.

The Bulls have the pieces in place to pester Miami’s attack. Keith Bogans and Ronnie Brewer will be the primary defenders on Wade. Both are defensive minded two guards who can make Wade’s offense not flow as smoothly as it did against the Celtics. In the post, Joakim Noah will guard Chris Bosh. Noah has flustered each and every opponent that he has defended this post season and even had Josh McRoberts take a half-hearted punch at him that missed out of frustration. If Bosh let the ambiance of the TD Garden get to him, Noah will have him completely off kilter. As for James, his main defender will be Luol Deng. Size wise, Deng matches up well with James, however, in their regular season meetings James connected on 54.6 percent of his shots with Deng defending him.

X-Factors:

Because Miami will not be able to keep Rose out of the paint all the time, Joel Anthony will be the team’s last line of defense. Luckily for the Heat, he is their best defender and a more than capable shot blocker, blocking 4.1 percent of the shots taken while he is on the court. In fact, he is much more than that. He is Miami’s version of what Kendrick Perkins was for the Celtics in previous seasons. Anthony’s efficiency rating during the playoffs is a +101. In another nod to how valuable he is to the team, Miami’s opponents shoot 50 percent while Anthony in on the bench. While he is on the floor their opponents shoot 39 percent.

What are we to make of Carlos Boozer? This has been his worst post season statistically. He has shown flashes of why the Bulls signed him last summer, but they have yet to be consistent. He must show up in this series. Miami will focus primarily on Rose which will create opportunities for Boozer and he must capitalize on them. Many of his scoring opportunities will come off missed shots and he needs to be in position to get the offensive rebound and the put-back. Activity on the offensive glass will help the Bulls limit Miami’s possessions and their transition offense. If Boozer continues to slump, Taj Gibson will be called upon. Gibson is far more active on the offensive glass than Boozer and has been more productive over all. His athleticism could be the key to creating more scoring opportunities for the Bulls, especially when bench players are in the game. Chicago’s bench out-classes Miami’s.

Prediction:

This will not be high scoring series, that much is certain. Both of these teams’ defenses are too good. Since these teams are evenly matched across the board, this series will not feature many, if any, blowouts. These games will be close. Can the Bulls find their offense when Rose is not creating off the dribble? They have yet to show that they can. What does Miami have left in its tank after their emotional series victory over the Celtics? Did they exhaust themselves? In terms of an overall team, Chicago has the advantage. Yet, when it comes to edge, Miami is the team that has it after defeating its archetype. The Heat defeats the Bulls 4-3.

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by | May 12, 2011 · 3:07 PM

Household names… of the future: Jeff Teague

It's Teague time in Atlanta.

Injuries, they are just another part of the game.  However, it’s not just about the fallen player but rather those who fill his shoes.

Jeff Teague just so happens to be an example of that this postseason.

In Atlanta’s clinching game six against Orlando, Kirk Hinrich injured his right hamstring.  At one point, Atlanta was moving on to the second round.  On another, they were doing it without their starting point guard.

Hinrich, who was acquired from the Wizards for a bundle of players including Mike Bibby along with a first-round pick, is starting to look like someone they really didn’t need.  His skill really resembles more of a shooting guard but was still a step up from an aging Bibby.  Regardless, it’s Teague who seems to know how to play the position best.

Teague only averaged 14 minutes a game during the regular season for the Hawks.  He has averaged 41 minutes a game in this series that has already gone five games.  Against Orlando in the first round, he averaged 2.5 points a game.  He’s averaging over 17 a game against the Bulls and has scored 21 points in three games.

The Bulls caused their opponents to turn the ball over 13.3 times a game during the regular season.  With Teague on the court, Atlanta’s backcourt is only giving it up 4 times a game.  Jeff hasn’t turned the ball over once this series.

Atlanta didn’t make waves this season.  They entered the playoffs with a 44-38 record and many thought the Magic would roll them in the first round.  They lucked out when Orlando’s Jason Richardson, Hedo Turkoglu and Gilbert Arenas decided that it was summer vacation early and essentially disappeared before the series even tipped off.

Regardless, the Hawks are turning some heads now after driving the Bulls to a game six in Atlanta.  Many see this series going seven games and Teague is the reason why.  His 56 percent shooting from the field is something Chicago is not used to seeing and his defense isn’t too bad either.  He’s being faced with the daunting task of defending league MVP Derrick Rose who has averaged 32 points a game in the series so far.  However, he’s shooting just 40 percent from the field and is having to put up 27 shots a game.  The Bulls’ main scoring comes from Rose creating plays and shots off of screens.  Teague has the athleticism and length to move around these screens and stay on Rose.

Larry Drew is now being faced with the difficult decision of whether or not he should go back with Hinrich who says his hamstring feels better.  It shouldn’t be that hard for him to keep Teague out on the court since he’s moving the ball better than the shoot-first Kirk.  There is always the option of going with him later in the lineup or even bring him in off the bench but Drew is already having a hard time finding a lineup to stick with.  He started the series by starting Marvin Williams at the power forward position but has since gone bigger by starting Al Horford with Jason Collins.  The Hawks are having hard enough time hanging with the Bulls frontcourt.

Jeff Teague is an answer among the many questions Atlanta is now asking.  When it comes down to it, Chicago is the better team and it’s simply not the Hawks’ series to win.  They are looking at some hefty contracts with what they signed Josh Smith and Joe Johnson to and they are out of a first-round pick with their trade for Hinrich.  However, having a good point guard is key to building or even changing the offense.  It’s becoming more and more apparent that simply running isolation plays for the shooters in Atlanta isn’t going to work.

This young guard in his second year out of Wake Forest has hops.  He adds to the pedigree that this university has to offer to the league and might be the answer for a franchise that keeps falling short.  Yes, Jeff Teague is a household name of the future.

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by | May 1, 2011 · 11:05 AM

Eastern Conference Playoff Predictions: Heat vs. Celtics

Point authority

Time for lunch.

2. Miami Heat vs. 3. Boston Celtics

What we know is that the Miami Heat wanted to see the Boston Celtics in the playoffs. They have wanted to meet them on this stage since the two teams squared off in the first game of the season. Well, now the Heat have their wish. This team, manufactured with All-Stars, will finally have a chance to prove to themselves and everyone else that they are indeed a worthy playoff contender capable of going head-to-head with the Celtics for the right to advance to the Eastern Conference Finals and potentially the NBA Finals.

Both of these teams posted outstanding defensive numbers during the regular season. Boston had the second best team defensive rating of 100.3 while the Heat were fifth with a rating of 103.5. This will lead to a grind it out series that both of these teams like to play. In the first round, Miami did not have an easy time with the Philadelphia 76ers, save for one game. They won that series by relying heavily on their defense and their ability to draw fouls and get to the free throw line. As for the Celtics, they swept the New York Knicks but had to contest and double-team a red-hot Carmelo Anthony who willed the Knicks through the series to make close despite the complete lack of defensive effort by his squad against Boston.

Marquee Matchups:

Rajon Rondo vs. Miami’s backcourt

Rondo has been called the head of the snake, and for good reason. In the three wins that the Celtics had against the Heat during the regular season, Rondo had no less than 10 assists. Miami will be tasked with trying cut off that head if they are to have a chance at moving to the Eastern Conference Finals. Tasked with the main duties of guarding Rondo will be Mike Bibby and Mario Chalmers. Neither of these players are ideal for duties before them. Chalmers, during the regular season, had a plus/minus of -10.7 when Rondo was on the floor. As for Bibby, well, he is not noted for his defense.

Due to this the Heat will likely employ a platoon defense against Rondo with Dwyane Wade, who averaged only 13 points per game against Boston, and even LeBron James at times. It will take a team effort to slow down or stop Rondo from dissecting Miami’s defense. What has to be disconcerting for Miami, though is that Rondo is averaging 12 assists in the playoffs so far and is averaging 19 points. Bringing a double-team to trap Rondo may be a good option to get the ball out of his hands but the Celtics could capitalize on such a scenario by getting an open look for Ray Allen.

Paul Pierce vs. LeBron James

James has the advantage in this matchup because of his size and strength. These advantages were apparent during their regular season meetings as Pierce’s number, per 36 minutes, were down across the board when James was on the floor. James limited the number of shots that Pierce took to 10.8 per game. His season average in field goal attempts was 13.3. Pierce’s field goal percentage also dips while James is on the floor from a season average of 50 percent to 42 percent when James is defending him.

James, however, does not see a considerable decline in any of his numbers when Pierce is on the floor with him. What is concerning is that James’ plus/minus, which was a 7.3 during the season, drops to a -1.1 with Pierce guarding him. When Pierce is not on the court, James’ plus/minus skyrockets to 34.8. Clearly, Pierce does something right but that discrepancy is also a testamate to the team defense of the Celtics’ starting five.

X-Factors:

Shaquille O’Neal will not play in game one. He is practicing with the team and could play during this series…maybe. Doc Rivers and the Celtics are not releasing much information on O’Neal’s condition. Because of the uncertainties surrounding the future Hall of Famer, Boston will need a larger contribution from Glen Davis than they did in the first round. Baby Davis, as Hubie Brown likes to call him, averaged just six points against the Knicks. Miami’s frontcourt is not offensively daunting outside of Chris Bosh, who will be checkmated by Kevin Garnett, but they are good rebounders. Boston will also need zombie Jermaine O’Neal to play well for them like he did in the first game against New York.

For the Heat, the broken record continues to skip. They need someone other than their big three to step up at times and knockdown shots when the team needs them. This will have to be either Chalmers or Bibby since Udonis Haslem will not play in the series.

Prediction:

This has the potential to be an extremely physical series but the Celtics have the Heat’s number. They proved it all season. When the Heat beat Boston in their last meeting during the regular season, the Celtics were coasting and the game could have meant less to them. However, it meant the world to the Heat. Miami knew they would have to go through Boston. They want to be great and the Celtics will be their trial by fire. One can never count out a hungry team with something to prove and Miami has everything to prove in this series. Celtics defeat the Heat 4-2.

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by | March 1, 2011 · 12:06 PM

Beef Stew: After the Trade Deadline

So beefy

After a flurry of moves that came down just prior to the trade deadline all the way up to the 3 P.M. Eastern Time cutoff, the NBA has seen quite a dramatic shift. Now that it is over teams are still jockeying to shore up their assets and acquire role players for a deep playoff push. Of course every team wants to enter the playoffs healthy, but that may be easier said than done. On to the Stew!

Money, money, money

The Oklahoma City Thunder have signed newly acquired big man, Kendrick Perkins, to an extension. It is a four-year deal that will net him $34.8 million. As an added incentive, the deal also includes bonus clauses that can increase Perkins’ pay. Furthermore, the Thunder have increased his 2010-11 salary from $2.3 million to $6.7 million and based the extension off the new salary. Perkins had been hesitant to sign an extension with the Celtics this season which factored into the team trading him. It looks as though the Thunder’s General Manager, Sam Presti, is playing for keeps.

In the epic saga that is Troy Murphy’s life, he now faces his greatest decision ever: what team does he want to chase a ring on? After being bought out of his present contract by the Golden State Warriors (he was traded to them at the deadline for Brandan Wright and Dan Gadzuric) it looked as though Murphy was well on his way to Beantown. That is until the most shrewd operator in the business came calling. Gordon Gekko, er…Pat Riley and the Miami Heat have shown interest in Murphy. Decisions, decisions. Miami would have to free up roster space to add the power forward, however, it would seem that there are plenty of players on their roster who are expendable outside of their marquee three. The only thing for Murphy to do now is to sit back, wait, and quote Cuba Gooding Jr. BREAKING: As this piece was being written, Marc Stein of ESPN reported that Murphy has chosen to play in Boston. The terms of any deal between the two parties are not yet known. I hope ABC was filming this, there was certainly potential for a bad reality show in there. Throw in some roses and you have a hit.

Everyone knew that the Washington Wizards really did not want to take Mike Bibby. He is old and that team is young. He likes to mall walk and they like to sleep in. It just was not going to work. Therefore, the Wizards did everyone a favor and bought out the remainder of Bibby’s $6.2 million salary for the season. Bibby had chosen to waive the final year of his present contract so that he would be able to be bought out. He is set to clear waivers on Wednesday. Once that occurs, it is widely believed that he will become a ring chaser on the Heat. Now, that Murphy has decided on Boston, Miami’s push for the veteran point guard will likely be stronger than ever as they do not have the best point guards in the league. Bibby is by no means the player he once was with the Sacramento Kings, however, he would be a positive offensive upgrade over both Mario Chalmers and Carlos Arroyo. UPDATE: reports are saying that Arroyo has been cut to make room for Bibby.

After the New York Knicks swung their deal for Carmelo Anthony, they also acquired from the Minnesota Timberwolves Corey Brewer. However, Brewer has not seen a single minute of playing time with his new team as Mike D’Antoni prefers to play Renaldo Balkman instead and the team deactivated Brewer. Now, the Knicks are in the process of buying him out. In the hunt for him now, according to various reports, are the Celtics, San Antonio Spurs, Thunder, and Dallas Mavericks. He is expected to meet with several coaches from interested teams on Tuesday including mavericks’ coach Rick Carlisle.

Pain, pain, pain

Somehow, the Spurs have managed to stay healthy all season. Did they make a deal similar to Robert Johnson’s? Was it pure luck? Is it still the revenge of the small market? Whatever it was, it came to an end. Tony Parker is likely to miss two to four weeks with a sore calf muscle. In the long run this injury will not hamper the Spurs’ playoff quest. They already have 49 wins this season. However, they may seed some ground to the Mavericks, who are looking at catching the Spurs for the number one overall seed in the Western Conference.

The Cleveland Cavaliers are not going to make the playoffs. They would not even get an invitation to the NIT this year. They are awful. Yet, somehow they know how to beat the Los Angeles Lakers and the Knicks. They have beaten the Knicks twice. Ouch. However, the team may have just suffered its biggest loss of the season. Antawn Jamison will likely miss the rest of the season with a broken finger. The Cavaliers just cannot catch a break. Cleveland was actively engaged in trying to move Jamison to Golden State at the trade deadline but the two sides could not reach an agreement. After that news sunk in, Jamison’s left pinky decides to ruin the rest of the season. Poor guy.

Fresh off his recent arrival to the Denver Nuggets, Danilo Gallinari has fractured his left big toe in a game against the Atlanta Hawks. According to the team, the injury will keep him sidelined for a week to ten days.

In the same game that Gallinari was injured, Josh Smith left midway through the game with a stiff knee. Smith will be re-evaluated once the team returns to Atlanta.

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by | February 23, 2011 · 11:39 PM

Kirk Hinrich traded to Atlanta Hawks

East coast swap

It was widely assumed that the Washington Wizards were only interested in a youth movement on their roster. However, most widely assumed assumptions were sent packing on an eventful Wednesday before the trade deadline.

There had been plenty of rumblings about the Atlanta Hawks shopping Mike Bibby around the league as they looked to get younger at point guard while also ridding themselves of Bibby’s remaining contract. They somehow convinced the Wizards to take the aging guard.

Along with Bibby, the Hawks will send Jordan Crawford and Maurice Evans to Washington D.C.. The Wizards will send Kirk Hinrich and Hilton Armstrong to Atlanta.

The move to aquire Hinrich is a sign that the Hawks are quite aware of their precarious situation in the Eastern Conference standings. This is a team that is going no where fast. Their record is quite deciving as their wins have mostly come against the dregs of the league as they continue to lose to the teams who are considered mediocre or better.

Hopefully, for Atlanta’s sake, the trade to get Hinrich will breathe some life into these faltering birds. However, even if they do start to play better they have little chance of making a deep run in the Eastern Conference when the playoffs roll around.

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by | October 4, 2010 · 12:10 PM

A Tale of Two Hawks

It was the best of extensions, it was the worst of extensions

The Atlanta Hawks made it clear this summer who they want to stick around to be the centerpiece of their franchise. They signed Joe Johnson to a max contract worth around $120 million over the span of six years. Some thought that a price that high was too much for Johnson after faltering in the playoffs. Rick Sund, the Hawks’ General Manager, thought otherwise and the deal was done. Now that Atlanta has secured a long term deal with their top scorer they must look elsewhere to see who they want to keep on their roster in the coming years.

All summer long, Jamal Crawford has been pushing for an extension with the Hawks. The NBA’s reigning Sixth Man is set to make $10.1 million this season, which will be his eleventh, and would like to ink a long term deal with the team before he becomes eligible for free agency in the summer. However, Sund has been quiet about the whole situation and has yet to offer Crawford a contract extension, let alone even discuss the idea, and will not listen to any trade inquiries concerning Crawford either. The extension that Crawford is hoping for does not appear to be in the cards especially since Sund is not known for granting extensions on veteran contracts.

Because of the stance that the front office has taken, Crawford has said that he will “go elsewhere” if nothing is done to keep him in Atlanta. Going elsewhere, however, is easier said than done since the team is not shopping him. With no extension forthcoming it can be assumed that the Hawks do not have Crawford in their long-term plans. Why should they though? Crawford is entering this season at the age of 30 and will turn 31 in March. An extension, especially one that Crawford would hope for, would be along the lines of a five-year deal. That would mean that he would play into his mid thirties with the Hawks. Generally speaking, this is the time when a player’s performance begins to decline. It is unlikely that Atlanta has any notion of playing Crawford handsomely in the declining years of his career especially when they just gave Johnson a max deal.

Crawford is replaceable and the Hawks know that. The last thing they need to do is offer him the long term extension he wants. If they offer him anything it should be along the lines of a three-year deal around the mid-level exception, nothing more than that. Atlanta needs to prepare for the future and they need money to do so. Mike Bibby is another aging player on their roster that they will need to replace in the coming years, paying Crawford long-term will sap the funds available to continue to build the team and replace veterans with young talent. Planning for the future is exactly what they are doing.

Much to what will certainly be the chagrin of Crawford, Atlanta has entered extension negotiations with Al Horford. Horford is entering his fourth year in the league and the final year of his rookie contract in which he will make $5.4 million. The Hawks have until November 1 to come to terms with Horford on an extension. Under the current CBA rules, his extension could be worth up to $82 million over the course of five years. This would be a deal similar to what Rudy Gay received from Memphis this summer. However, it is uncertain whether the team will offer him the max after the resigning of Johnson and the money involved in that deal. If the two sides cannot reach an agreement by November 1 then the Hawks could only offer a one year extension worth $7.1, by June 30, and would retain the rights to him and therefore be able to match any offer sheet which Horford may sign when he becomes a free agent next summer.

So why are the Hawks so keen on re-upping on Horford and not Crawford? It is the money, stupid. Well, kind of. Age plays a factor too. For now, though, it is the money. While it would be likely that Crawford would not insist on the maximum value on an extension, what he would want certainly would not be cheap. The Eastern Conference seems to be getting better every day and to remain competitive the Hawks need to be financially flexible for the future. An aging jump shooter just is not something at money should be spent on right now especially when there are younger and arguably better players who will become available and fill Crawford’s role in Atlanta. Inking Horford, however, is a no-brainer. He is coming off an All Star season and looks to be headed only up. Although he was no match for Dwight Howard in the playoffs (who really is, though?), Horford is a more than capable big man who has consistently averaged close to a double-double in his three years in the league so far.

For Rick Sund and the Atlanta Hawks, the choice is a no brainer and looks to have been made. There is only room for one “ford” in Atlanta. Keeping Al Horford is a must because of his upside and potential to get even better. Jamal Crawford is expendable. However, the team will gladly keep him around this season despite his less than enthusiastic demeanor in training camp. Why would they move him now anyway? He fills a necessary role on the team. Short-term, Crawford is viable. Long-term, though…well, there is not a long-term anything for Crawford in Atlanta and he should prepare to “go elsewhere” come next summer.

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