Since 1990-91, only nine rookies have finished their first season averaging ten or more rebounds per game. Al Horford is currently in that group and assuming he will average more minutes during the second half of the season, he will most likely be the tenth player in the group.
The nine past players include: Shaquille O'Neal, Dikembe Mutombo, Tim Duncan, Larry Johnson, Emeka Okafor, Alonzo Mourning, Derrick Coleman, Dwight Howard, and Elton Brand.
So with Horford, the Atlanta Hawks clearly have a great, young player to start with. Besides Horford, the Hawks have a variety of other players:
Scoring Star
Joe Johnson - wrapped up through 2009-10 season
Promising Young Players
Marvin Williams - Signed through the 2009-10 season
Acie Law - Signed through the 2011-12 season
Shelden Williams - Signed through 2010-11 season
Long-Term Veteran Contracts
Speedy Claxton - Signed through 2009-10 season
Zaza Pachulia - Signed through next season
Solomon Jones - Signed through next season
Restricted Free Agents After This Season
Josh Childress - $4,844,355 Qualifying Offer
Josh Smith - $3,167,882 Qualifying Offer
Expiring Contracts
Tyronn Lue
Lorenzen Wright
Anthony Johnson
Salim Stoudamire
Mario West
Standing second-to-last in the NBA in three point shooting, the Hawks badly need another shooter. Both Mike Miller and Wally Szczerbiak can be had for the Hawks' expiring contracts - around $12,000,000.
Childress has shown that he can be a reliable, versatile reserve, but is probably nothing more than that. Shelden Williams looks like a complete mistake of a pick being chosen fifth overall by Atlanta.
So what do the Hawks need to do to reach their short-term (playoffs) and long-term (championship) goals? First, trade all five of the Hawks expiring contracts and a future draft pick to Seattle for Delonte West and Wally Szczerbiak. With a starting lineup of West, Johnson, Szczerbiak, Smith, Horford with Williams, Pachulia, Law, and Childress coming off the bench.
This upcoming offseason, the Hawks should look to bring back Childress and Smith, along with trying to deal Shelden Williams and Speedy Claxton. At the end of this season, the Hawks need to either resign the newly acquired Szczerbiak or bring in a similar type of perimeter score to space the ball in Atlanta.
Showing posts with label Lorenzen Wright. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Lorenzen Wright. Show all posts
Friday, February 15, 2008
Monday, December 31, 2007
Where Will Sam Cassell Be Playing in May?
In fourteen season in the NBA, Sam Cassell has played in the playoffs ten times. Although at this point in his career, he can only be expected to play twenty minutes a night, he has great value to a team looking to add another piece for a playoff run. Unfortunately, his current team, the Clippers, are ten games under .500 right now and it appears that they will not be participating in the playoffs in the 2007-08 season.
With a favorable contract of $6,150,000 this season, the Clippers will likely look to move him to a contender in order to pick up some more assets that can be beneficial as the reload. Cassell's contract expires after this season, which may likely be his final year in the NBA.
Five teams currently in competition to make the playoffs could certainly use Cassell. Here is a look at those five ranked by how the need of Cassell and the likelihood of a trade working out:
1.) Orlando Magic
With only Carlos Arroyo and Keyon Dooling available behind Jameer Nelson, the Magic could desperately use some backcourt punch. This trade is likely because the Magic currently have a handful of players with expiring contracts, plus young players that the Clippers may want to take a look at. An exchange of Cassell for Pat Garrity ($3,818,750), James Augustine ($687,456), and J.J. Redick ($2,000,160) would allow the trade to work. At the end of this season, Redick's contract has a team option, so the Clippers would get a good look at him before deciding whether to bring him back or not. Garrity likely would be released when this trade would be made.
2.) Golden State Warriors
With Troy Hudson likely out for the season, Don Nelson and the Warriors need a backup point guard to Baron Davis. With trade exceptions, multiple expiring contracts, and a collection of underused young players, the Warriors would have several ways to go about acquiring Cassell.
3.) Atlanta Hawks
Atlanta is a team that has missed a quality, veteran point guard going back to the days of Mookie Blaylock. Though they may not have the experience to advance in the playoffs this season, they still should make a push for Cassell. A swap of Tyronn Lue ($3,500,000), Lorenzen Wright ($3,250,000) and either Salim Stoudamire ($783,000) or a future draft pick would allow the Hawks to bring in the veteran point guard. Unlike with the teams previously mentioned, Cassell would likely get the chance to start at point guard over incumbents Anthony Johnson, Acie Law, and Speedy Claxton.
4.) Los Angeles Lakers
A trade for Cassell would make a great deal of sense for the Lakers. With young players such as Jordan Farmar, Sasha Vujacic, and Javaris Crittenton playing behind starting point guard Derek Fisher, Cassell would bring a veteran prescence of the bench that is currently not there. The difficulty with this trade is that it would take some creativeness for it to work. Chris Mihm ($2,500,000) and Sasha Vujacic ($1,756,951) are the two most likely players the Lakers would include in a trade whose contracts expire at year end. However, Kwame Brown ($9,075,000) would also be a contestant to move to the Clippers in a trade netting Cassell. Brown has battled injury all year and appears to have completely fallen out of favor with the team. Adding Cassell to a group of smalls that include Fisher, Kobe Bryant, Farmar, and Trevor Ariza would make sense for the Lakers in their playoff pursuit.
5.) New Orleans Hornets
The Hornets are looking to make the playoffs for the first time since the 2003-04 season. Led by the league's best young point guard in Chris Paul, the Hornets are an exciting team that could give anyone a tough run in the postseason. Beyond Chris Paul, Bobby Jackson, and Morris Peterson, the Hornets are very thin at the guard spots. The Hornets could put together a package of expiring contracts (Ryan Bowen, Melvin Ely, Bernard Robinson, Marcus Vinicius) or inexpensive young players (Adam Haluska, Hilton Armstrong) to acquire Cassell. He certainly would bring a big-shot type player to the squad.
With a favorable contract of $6,150,000 this season, the Clippers will likely look to move him to a contender in order to pick up some more assets that can be beneficial as the reload. Cassell's contract expires after this season, which may likely be his final year in the NBA.
Five teams currently in competition to make the playoffs could certainly use Cassell. Here is a look at those five ranked by how the need of Cassell and the likelihood of a trade working out:
1.) Orlando Magic
With only Carlos Arroyo and Keyon Dooling available behind Jameer Nelson, the Magic could desperately use some backcourt punch. This trade is likely because the Magic currently have a handful of players with expiring contracts, plus young players that the Clippers may want to take a look at. An exchange of Cassell for Pat Garrity ($3,818,750), James Augustine ($687,456), and J.J. Redick ($2,000,160) would allow the trade to work. At the end of this season, Redick's contract has a team option, so the Clippers would get a good look at him before deciding whether to bring him back or not. Garrity likely would be released when this trade would be made.
2.) Golden State Warriors
With Troy Hudson likely out for the season, Don Nelson and the Warriors need a backup point guard to Baron Davis. With trade exceptions, multiple expiring contracts, and a collection of underused young players, the Warriors would have several ways to go about acquiring Cassell.
3.) Atlanta Hawks
Atlanta is a team that has missed a quality, veteran point guard going back to the days of Mookie Blaylock. Though they may not have the experience to advance in the playoffs this season, they still should make a push for Cassell. A swap of Tyronn Lue ($3,500,000), Lorenzen Wright ($3,250,000) and either Salim Stoudamire ($783,000) or a future draft pick would allow the Hawks to bring in the veteran point guard. Unlike with the teams previously mentioned, Cassell would likely get the chance to start at point guard over incumbents Anthony Johnson, Acie Law, and Speedy Claxton.
4.) Los Angeles Lakers
A trade for Cassell would make a great deal of sense for the Lakers. With young players such as Jordan Farmar, Sasha Vujacic, and Javaris Crittenton playing behind starting point guard Derek Fisher, Cassell would bring a veteran prescence of the bench that is currently not there. The difficulty with this trade is that it would take some creativeness for it to work. Chris Mihm ($2,500,000) and Sasha Vujacic ($1,756,951) are the two most likely players the Lakers would include in a trade whose contracts expire at year end. However, Kwame Brown ($9,075,000) would also be a contestant to move to the Clippers in a trade netting Cassell. Brown has battled injury all year and appears to have completely fallen out of favor with the team. Adding Cassell to a group of smalls that include Fisher, Kobe Bryant, Farmar, and Trevor Ariza would make sense for the Lakers in their playoff pursuit.
5.) New Orleans Hornets
The Hornets are looking to make the playoffs for the first time since the 2003-04 season. Led by the league's best young point guard in Chris Paul, the Hornets are an exciting team that could give anyone a tough run in the postseason. Beyond Chris Paul, Bobby Jackson, and Morris Peterson, the Hornets are very thin at the guard spots. The Hornets could put together a package of expiring contracts (Ryan Bowen, Melvin Ely, Bernard Robinson, Marcus Vinicius) or inexpensive young players (Adam Haluska, Hilton Armstrong) to acquire Cassell. He certainly would bring a big-shot type player to the squad.
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