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Josh Smith On Hawks, Max, Free Agency, Dwight

April 3rd, 2013 at 7:00pm CST by Chuck Myron

As the end of the 2012/13 season draws near, Josh Smith could be in his last few weeks as a member of the Hawks. Of course, it seemed we were just seconds away from hearing he'd been traded on deadline day, when Smith remained in Atlanta. Hawks GM Danny Ferry spoke to Ramona Shelburne of ESPNLosAngeles.com about the circumstances leading up to the deadline.

"I think our situation was unique in terms of still being competitive but also having cap space and flexibility going forward," the GM said. "We looked at all of our options at the end of June up until the trade deadline. Josh and I have had a positive and honest relationship from Day 1. He's been professional this season despite a lot of change and obviously a lot of distractions. I've enjoyed working with him."

Smith also opened up to Shelburne, and said he's open to re-signing with the Hawks. Still, he's looking forward to exploring unrestricted free agency for the first time. We'll round up the highlights of Smith's conversation with Shelburne here:

On why he answered affirmatively when asked if he deserves a max contract:

"The question was asked to me, 'Do I feel like I'm a max player?' And I gave him an honest answer. I said, 'Yes I do.' And the reason why I say this, is because if you don't know your worth, who will? I can't set my standards low. If you set them low, that's how people are going to view you. Like when you sell a house, you don't sell the house for $2 million. You put the $5 million sticker on there … and then you work it out. You negotiate."

On what he's looking for in his next team:

"Winning. That's all I care about. I want to have an opportunity to have a legitimate shot at getting a ring. I've been successful in high school, AAU, I want to have a legitimate shot at winning a title."

On his experience in restricted free agency in 2008, when he signed an offer sheet with the Grizzlies that the Hawks matched:

"I went to Philadelphia and sat down with the Clippers for dinner because I was already out here in Los Angeles (where he now lives during the offseason) for an adidas photo shoot. So this is going to be exciting for me to travel to different cities, and sit down and talk to executives and GMs."

On friend and fellow free agent Dwight Howard:

"Is Dwight serious about (Atlanta)? That's the question. Everybody would probably want to have him on the team. But Dwight is global now. That's in his mindset. He's addicted to it now. He's addicted to being global and international. That was the whole reason he wanted to leave Orlando is he wanted to have that big market."

On whether Howard would sign with the Hawks, who may make a push for him:

"I'm not going to say it's farfetched, but it is going to be kind of difficult to be able to persuade him."

Woelfel On Heisley, Josh Smith, Bucks, Hornets

April 2nd, 2013 at 4:57pm CST by Chuck Myron

Gery Woelfel of the Racine Journal Times touches on several juicy topics from around the league in his latest piece. We'll hit the highlights here:

Former Grizzlies owner Michael Heisley has been in a coma for more than a month, and prospects for his recovery from a February stroke are "extremely bleak," Woelfel reports. Heisley was nearing a deal to join the Bucks ownership group with the intention of becoming the primary owner in a few years, but current primary owner Herb Kohl backed out of the deal, according to Woelfel, who adds that Kohl is still open to finding a partner.
We heard before the deadline that the Hawks wanted a "quality young center" in return for Josh Smith, but the Bucks deemed Larry Sanders and power forwards Ersan Ilyasova and John Henson off-limits as the teams engaged in talks.
Woelfel heard from Smith, who adds the Hornets to the lengthy list of teams that were after him at the deadline.
The Bucks would have made additional trades if they had acquired Smith, and they had interest in Eric Maynor, who wound up going from the Thunder to the Blazers.
Woelfel spoke to Kyle Korver, who indicates the Hawks are in the driver's seat when he hits free agency this summer. "I’m definitely hoping to stay here (with Atlanta)," Korver said. "It’s been a great experience. And we have an awesome coach (Larry Drew) to play for."
Some NBA scouts believe Georgia shooting guard Kentavious Caldwell-Pope could wind up being drafted at the back end of the lottery this year. He's listed as No. 38 on the DraftExpress top-100 prospects list, and No. 20 in ESPN's rankings.

Washburn On Martin, Dooling, Draft

March 31st, 2013 at 12:35pm CST by Chuck Myron

Gary Washburn of the Boston Globe delivers noteworthy news from around the Association in the latest installment of his weekly column, which blends a review of the top storylines from the past week with fresh news from league sources. We'll pass along the latter here:

Washburn wonders if Kenyon Martin's resurgence with the Knicks late this season will help his free agent stock in the summer, though the veteran big man isn't looking for a change of scenery. "I would love to stay a Knick," Martin said. "I don’t want to go nowhere. I am proving to this organization what I can be and who I am as a person on and off the court, and I think they see that. I’m here now and I’m going to make the best of this opportunity."
Keyon Dooling, whom the Grizzlies are reportedly considering, wanted to come out of retirement with the Celtics earlier this season, but he's barred from signing from Boston for a year after the team waived him in September, according to Washburn. I'm unaware of any such restriction under the collective bargaining agreement, but since the CBA isn't a public document, this could be a rule we're simply learning about for the first time.
Washburn expects several underclassmen who are on the fence about entering the draft to go ahead and do so, given the perceived weakness of this year's field. Of course, not everyone benefits from early entry. Washburn caught up with Hawks point guard Jeff Teague, who believes his brother, Bulls rookie Marquis Teague, should have stayed in college one more year.

Odds & Ends: Webster, Wright, Pachulia

March 30th, 2013 at 6:20pm CST by Ryan Raroque

In his Weekend Dime piece, ESPN's Marc Stein writes that one of the main reasons for the Wizards dealing Jordan Crawford for Leandro Barbosa's expiring contract – despite Barbosa being out from a season ending injury – was to create more flexibility to increase their chances of retaining Martell Webster this summer. The former Seattle Prep star is arguably having his best pro season in Washington this year, putting up career bests in scoring (11.7), free throw percentage (86.4%), field goal percentage (45.4%), and three-point percentage (43.3%) in 29.3 MPG. Here are a few more tidbits from around the league tonight:

Aggrey Sam of CSN Chicago (via Twitter) expects Mavericks big man Brandan Wright to be an under-the-radar commodity this summer as an unrestricted free agent.
Hawks center Zaza Pachulia – projected to be out six months after season ending surgery next week – says that he hasn't thought about his future and adds, "I'm still part of this team until July 31," tweets Chris Vivlamore of the Atlanta-Journal Constitution.
Derek Page of HoopsWorld held his weekly chat with readers this afternoon, discussing how Nerlens Noel and Cody Zeller are his top overall draft prospects and that the Mavericks won't rebuild until Dirk Nowitzki is finished playing, among other topics.
Looking back at the summer of 2010, former Suns GM Steve Kerr says that he, along with Phoenix brass and their medical staff, agreed that a large financial commitment to Amare Stoudemire would not have been prudent considering the possible health issues down the line (Frank Isola of the New York Daily News).

Zaza Pachulia To Have Season-Ending Surgery

March 30th, 2013 at 4:35pm CST by Chuck Myron

4:35pm: Pachulia's surgery is scheduled for Wednesday, and his recovery time will be six months, the Hawks announced via press release. That would put him on track to return just in time for training camp next season.

1:59pm: Soon-to-be unrestricted free agent Zaza Pachulia will undergo surgery on his right Achilles tendon and miss the rest of the season, reports Chris Vivlamore of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. The nature of the surgery is unclear, as is Pachulia's timetable for recovery, according to Vivlamore, but the news appears to be a blow to the center's free agent stock. The 6'11" 10-year veteran has missed the last 15 games for Atlanta with soreness in the tendon.

The 29-year-old previously said he's been exercising caution so that he doesn't tear the Achilles, a serious injury that could jeopardize his readiness for training camp in the fall. Whether or not the tendon is torn, teams could be wary of committing to a spot starter whose health is in question. He's making $5.249MM this year in the last season of four-year, $19MM contract he inked with the Hawks in 2009.

The Hawks will miss Pachulia's size and rebounding as they fight for positioning and try to make a run in the playoffs this spring, but he'd have been hard-pressed not to take a paycut even if were entering the offseason healthy. Pachulia saw approximately 25% fewer minutes per game this year compared to 2011/12, and he's never shot 50% from the floor in any season. Only once, in 2009/10, has he averaged as much as a single block per 36 minutes.

Southeast Notes: Heat, Riley, LeBron, Korver, Kaman

March 30th, 2013 at 11:56am CST by Zachary Links

Last night, Heat president Pat Riley released an official statement to the press that wasn't fit to print regarding Celtics president Danny Ainge. Ainge said that it was "almost embarrassing" that LeBron James complained about the hard fouls he received during the club's loss to the Bulls, and Riley fired back in defense of his star. "[Ainge] needs to shut the [expletive] up and manage his own team. He was the biggest whiner when he was playing, and I know that because I coached against him," said Riley, according to Jeff Zillgitt of USA Today. Was there more to that comment than meets the eye? Here's more on that and other notes out of the Southeast..

The aim of Riley's comment was to show his loyalty to James, who can become a free agent in the summer of 2014, writes Brian Windhorst of ESPN.com. While the image-conscious James was reluctant to attach himself to Riley's profane language, he was clearly appreciative of the gesture. "It was big-time to see that," James said after the Heat's win over New Orleans.
The Hawks' Kyle Korver will be a free agent in demand, writes Stephen Brotherston of HoopsWorld. The veteran believes that he has a good four or five years left and wants to spend them with a winning team.
Chris Kaman could have been a free agent target for the Heat this summer, but it won't happen after recent comments made in a radio interview, writes Ira Winderman of the Sun Sentinel. "I’m not much of a Dwyane Wade fan, but I’m a [James] fan..I just never really got along with (Dwyane Wade). I guess I just don’t like his style or whatever. I didn’t like the year the Mavs lost when he got all the foul calls. I didn’t like that," Kaman told 104.1 FM The Ticket.

Hawks Re-Sign Shelvin Mack For Season

March 26th, 2013 at 1:45pm CST by Luke Adams

Following the expiration of his second 10-day contract, the Hawks have re-signed Shelvin Mack for the remainder of the season, according to Chris Vivlamore of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution (via Twitter). Vivlamore had reported yesterday that the two sides were in talks about a rest-of-season deal for Mack.

Mack, 23, had his best game with the Hawks in last night's loss to the Pacers, recording 10 points, four assists, and a pair of rebounds to go along with two three-pointers. Since joining the Hawks following stints with the Wizards and Sixers, Mack has appeared in nine of the club's 12 games.

With Mack now under contract for the rest of 2012/13, the Hawks are at the maximum 15 guaranteed contracts, meaning we likely won't see any more roster moves from the club before season's end.

As our 10-day contract tracker shows, Mack is the ninth player this season to be signed for the season following two 10-day deals with a club.

Hawks In Talks To Re-Sign Shelvin Mack

March 25th, 2013 at 8:17am CST by Luke Adams

The Hawks are scheduled to play the Pacers in Indiana tonight, and for Shelvin Mack, it will be the last game he's eligible for under his second 10-day contract with Atlanta. However, according to Chris Vivlamore of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, the team is in talks with Mack to re-sign him for the season when his 10-day deal expires.

Since joining the Hawks, Mack has appeared in eight of the club's 11 games, though he has played five minutes or less in most of those contests, averaging just 1.6 PPG and 0.9 APG. Still, the 23-year-old's eight appearances for Atlanta exceed the amount of games he played for the Wizards (seven) and Sixers (four) earlier this season.

Signing Mack for the season would ensure that the Hawks have 15 players on guaranteed contracts, leaving no room to make any other late-season additions without waiving someone.

Atlantic Notes: Raptors, Sixers, Bynum, Acy

March 19th, 2013 at 10:23am CST by Luke Adams

Over at Grantland.com, Zach Lowe checks in with the early favorite for the week's most interesting NBA piece, delving into the SportVU camera-tracking system and explaining how it's employed by the Raptors. I highly recommend checking out Lowe's story, which includes some fascinating details that, frankly, I'm surprised the Raps were willing to share publicly. Here are a few more notes from out of the Atlantic Division:

Multiple NBA executives tell Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld that they wouldn't be surprised if a "desperate" club offers Andrew Bynum a max contract this summer. Kennedy expects the Hawks, Mavericks, Rockets, and Trail Blazers to be among the interested teams (Twitter links). I'd imagine that the Sixers will at least have to kick the tires on re-signing Bynum as well.
Steve Kyler of HoopsWorld also looks ahead to Bynum's free agency in the wake of news that the big man will undergo season-ending surgery. According to one executive who spoke to Kyler, if Bynum is willing to agree to injury exclusions in his contract, teams likely won't hesitate to make him big offers. It remains to be seen whether Bynum would be more interested in a deal like that or a smaller offer made up entirely of guaranteed money.
Although a report last week suggested that the Raptors would likely recall Quincy Acy from the D-League, Doug Smith of the Toronto Star says the team likes having Acy getting consistent playing time with the Bakersfield Jam. For now, there's no rush to bring him back to Toronto, where he'd receive limited minutes.

Hawks Want To Re-Sign Josh Smith, Kyle Korver

March 16th, 2013 at 2:56pm CST by Chuck Myron

Among the items in Sam Amico's leaguewide roundup for Fox Sports Ohio today, he passes along that "word is" the Hawks will make re-signing Josh Smith and Kyle Korver their top priorities in the summer. If they prove to be out of Atlanta's price range, the team is likely to try to sign-and-trade one or both of those players.

Smith made headlines earlier this season when he said he felt he was deserving of a maximum-salary contract, but more recently clarified that his statements were in response to a question and not meant as a pronouncement ahead of this summer's negotiations. Nonetheless, it seems likely he'll go after a max deal, which would be worth nearly $100MM from the Hawks and a little more than $74MM if he signed with another team. Since Amico's report indicates there's a limit on how much they'll spend to retain Smith, it doesn't look like they're willing to give him the full max. They might be open to structing the deal so that Smith gets more than the $74MM he could get from another club, however, retaining their financial advantage over the rest of the league, but that's just my speculation.

Korver isn't nearly the player Smith is, but he leads the league with a 45.9% three-point percentage, and figures to have no shortage of suitors this summer. The Nuggets are already reportedly targeting Korver, who's expressed a willingness to consider a return to the Jazz and Bulls, two of his former teams. When Luke Adams of Hoops Rumors examined Korver's free agent stock earlier this month, he wrote that an offer somewhere in the neighborhood of the full mid-level exception, which includes a first-year salary of $5.15MM, might get a deal done.

The Hawks will have plenty of room under the cap to sign Smith, Korver and others this summer, when they'll have little more than $18.5MM in commitments. It appears GM Danny Ferry and company plan to be judicious with that room and aren't dead-set on re-signing any of their players if they're putting a limit on how high they'll go for the two men they count as their top priorities. That they would consider a sign-and-trade for both Smith and Korver could suggest that they don't want to rely completely on building next season's roster with free agents from other teams.