Atlanta Hawks Rumors | Hoops Rumors

HoopsWorld On Howard, Smith, Gasol

April 6th, 2012 at 6:31pm CST by Sean Highkin

HoopsWorld's Derek Page has compiled a column about the futures of several prominent NBA players featuring input from other writers:

Alex Kennedy thinks the Magic will once again attempt to acquire a player via trade or free agency to appease Dwight Howard, although the possibility is still open for him to be dealt.
Lang Greene says the Hawks should give serious consideration to moving Josh Smith this summer, as his trade value will be high and he is unhappy in Atlanta.
Eric Pincus finds it unlikely that Pau Gasol has a long-term future with the Lakers, due to the luxury-tax implications of keeping him.
Bill Ingram thinks the emergence of Courtney Lee will make it easier for the Rockets to move Kevin Martin for the right price.
Page believes Shawn Marion's contract makes him relatively easy for the Mavericks to trade, but with Howard off the market, it's not as necessary for the purpose of clearing cap space.

Odds & Ends: Smith, Kidd, Van Gundy, Thibodeau

March 31st, 2012 at 12:40pm CST by Zachary Links

Linkage from around the Association..

Jason Fleming of HoopsWorld wonders if the teams that have yet to use the amensty provision will pull the trigger this summer and looks at some potential candidates.
Hawks forward Josh Smith had some rough patches with Mike Woodson in Atlanta but says that he's happy for his former coach's success with the Knicks, writes Al Iannazzone of Newsday.
Sources close to Jason Kidd told Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld that the guard wouldn't be opposed to staying with the Mavericks next season in a reduced role. Kidd also told Kennedy that he would someday like to become a general manager.
More from Kennedy as a growing number of people within the Magic organization believe that Stan Van Gundy will quit after this season, mainly because he doesn’t want deal with the Dwight Howard circus again next season.
ESPN's Chris Broussard (video link) could see former Knicks coach Mike D'Antoni possibly landing with the Clippers and has also heard his name linked to the Wizards.
Pacers guard George Hill says that he was emotional when he first learned of the trade that sent him from the Spurs to Indiana, writes Mike Monroe of the Express-News. Hill, 25, is averaging 9.4 points in 23.9 minutes per contest this season.
The Bulls players hope to see coach Tom Thibodeau get the contract extension that he seeks, writes Teddy Greenstein of the Chicago Tribune.
Ira Winderman of the Sun-Sentinel thinks that the Heat should use their $3MM mid-level exception this summer to add a big man.

Odds & Ends: Clippers, Bobcats, Horford

March 30th, 2012 at 7:33pm CST by Alex Lee

With 12 games on the docket, let's round up links from around the league on this Friday night:

In an insider piece, ESPN's John Hollinger takes a look at what he calls a flawed Clippers' roster. While Vinny Del Negro is taking most of the heat for the team's recent struggles, Hollinger says that poor defense and the lack of a true wing player to go with Chris Paul and Blake Griffin are the true culprits.
In the same story, Hollinger says the Bobcats coach Paul Silas has let his son, Stephen Silas, run the team on certain nights and that nepotism is rampant in the NBA. Situations like the one in Charlotte enable guys like Stephen to build their resumes in hopes of landing a bigger job.
Hawks' beat writer Michael Cunningham of the Atlanta-Journal Constitution tweets that injured center Al Horford has been cleared for weight work and while he may be able to return for the playoffs, would not be at full strength. Horford has surgery to repair a torn pectoral in January.

Hinrich Wouldn’t Mind Return To Bulls

March 28th, 2012 at 8:17pm CST by Chuck Myron

Hawks guard Kirk Hinrich will be an unrestricted free agent for the first time in his nine-year career this summer, and he's open to returning to the Bulls, where he spent his first seven seasons, writes K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune.

"I wouldn't be opposed to it," he said. "It's still a ways away, and a lot can happen. We'll see. I have no preconceived thoughts on what will happen."

Hinrich, 31 is on the last year of a five-year, $48.75MM deal he signed the Bulls before the traded him to the Wizards in 2010 to clear cap space for that year's heralded crop of free agents. The Wizards sent him to the Hawks at the trade deadline a year ago.

Johnson points out that Hinrich will have to take a pay cut to go back to Chicago, as the Bulls' commitments will put them over the cap and close to the luxury tax line next season. That would leave only cap exceptions or a minimum-salary deal at their disposal. Hinrich also said he's enjoyed his time with the Hawks, who possess his Bird rights and only have $60.9MM on next year's payroll.

The former Kansas standout is suffering through perhaps his worst season, putting up career lows in points (9.8) and assists (3.7) per 36 minutes. The Bulls have shown they have plenty of backcourt depth this season when Derrick Rose and Richard Hamilton have been sidelined by injury, but Rose, Hamilton and rookie swingman Jimmy Butler are the only guards whose contracts are fully guaranteed next year. Bringing back Hinrich is not a move the Bulls have a pressing need for, but if Hinrich is willing to make it happen at a bargain, they may take him up on that.

Eastern Notes: Garnett, Jamison, Hawks

March 26th, 2012 at 8:19pm CST by Daniel Seco

With eight of Monday's nine games currently underway, let's take a look around the Eastern Conference as the injury-riddled Knicks are trailing the Bucks in the third quarter thanks to a 24-point first-half outburst from Mike Dunleavy.

Rich Levine of CSNNE.com ponders Kevin Garnett's future as a Celtic as he wraps up his Hall of Fame career. Levine points out that while the Celtics are interested in keeping Garnett in green and white, there are many other teams, including title contenders, eager to add The Big Ticket as the final piece to a championship puzzle.
Brendan Bowers of The Plain Dealer looks at Antawn Jamison's career in Cleveland and breaks down his present value to the team both on and off the court. The question becomes whether the Cavs should re-sign the former UNC star or cut ties with him this summer. Jamison, 35, is averaging 18.0 PPG and 6.6 RPG on the season for a Cavs squad that has currently lost three games in a row.
While the Hawks have been battered by injuries over the course of the season, the team has managed to stay relevant in the playoff race amidst adversity, writes Michael Cunningham of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

Odds & Ends: Sloan, Azubuike, Sessions, Heat

March 24th, 2012 at 2:26pm CST by Chuck Myron

The deadline for players to be waived in order to be eligible for the playoffs with another team passed last night, and Chris Kaman, who would have been on the radar of just about every team needing a big man had he been bought out, is still with the Hornets. New Orleans "desperately" tried to trade him before last week's trade deadline, writes Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld, but didn't get a worthy offer. He'll be a free agent at season's end, and wants to sign with a contender then, Kennedy said. Here's the rest of what's shaking around the NBA:

Guard Donald Sloan, who signed last week with the Cavs, gave reporters a little insight on his contract, as the end of this video on Cavs.com shows. His deal extends into next year, but is guaranteed only until the end of this season.
Newest Mav Kelenna Azubuike, who drew raves from owner Mark Cuban last night, will start off with the Texas Legends, the Mavs D-League affiliate, notes Eddie Sefko of The Dallas Morning News.
The Hawks expressed interest in trading for Ramon Sessions before the Cavs wound up dealing him to the Lakers, Kennedy tweets.
Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel answered reader questions about the Heat. Despite this week's signing of Ronny Turiaf, much of the talk still revolves around the center position.
Jason Fleming of HoopsWorld rounds up the players who could sign contracts worth as much as $10MM a year as free agents this summer.
Syracuse sophomore guard Dion Waiters hasn't made up his mind about whether he'll enter the NBA Draft just yet, but he says the Spurs, Thunder and Jazz have called him in case he wants to give it a go, according to Adam Zagoria of SNY. He's projected to go in the middle of the first round, and could climb into the lottery, Zagoria writes.

Southwest Notes: Arenas, Camby, Smith, Mills

March 22nd, 2012 at 9:48am CST by Luke Adams

Here's the latest out of the Southwest, the only division in the NBA that would send four teams to the playoffs if the season ended today:

Gilbert Arenas, recently signed by the Grizzlies, spoke to Ronald Tillery of the Memphis Commercial Appeal about a number of topics in a lengthy interview. Arenas says that in addition to the Grizzlies and Lakers, the Hawks and Nets also had interest in him.
Another new addition, Marcus Camby, brings "a different vibe" to the Rockets, coach Kevin McHale told Joseph Duarte of the Houston Chronicle.
The Rockets assigned Greg Smith to their D-League affiliate yesterday, tweets Mark Berman of FOX 26 Houston.
Tim Griffin of the San Antonio Express-News noticed the Spurs listed a "Mills" as one of their inactive players on the official scoresheet for last night's game, and wonders if the team has finalized its rumored deal with Patrick Mills.

Odds & Ends: Blazers, Bulls, Hornets, Lakers

March 19th, 2012 at 10:36pm CST by Zachary Links

With the Bulls' 85-59 victory over the Magic this evening, Tom Thibodeau reached 100 victories and hit that mark in the least time of any coach in NBA history. Here's more on Chicago and the rest of the league..

Blazers interim GM Chad Buchanan originally wanted the Nets 2012 first-round pick sans protection in the Gerald Wallace deal but compromised in the end for top-three protection, tweets Ben Golliver of BlazersEdge.com.
Nick Friedell of ESPNChicago.com spoke to a number of Bulls players and people around the team about the prospect of picking up a free agent. The general feeling around the club is that while they would gladly welcome a new acquisition, they don't feel as though they need one to win.
David Aldridge of NBA.com takes a look back at the deadline deals that went down and also the ones that didn't. Aldridge opines that the Hornets, Wolves, and Hawks all should have made moves rather than stand pat.
Most of the big names in this summer's free agent class are veterans on the downslope of their career, writes Sam Amico of FOXSportsOhio.com.
The Celtics, Suns, and Pacers will all be flush with cash this summer, writes Larry Coon for ESPN.com (Insider sub. req'd). Teams with limited cap flexibility going forward include the Bulls, Heat, and Lakers.

Warriors Acquire Hawks’ Second-Round Pick

March 15th, 2012 at 2:12pm CST by Luke Adams

The Hawks have agreed to send their 2012 second-round pick to the Warriors in exchange for cash, according to press releases sent out by both teams. The money will help offset the Hawks' luxury tax contributions, since the team was unable to get under the tax threshold by shedding salary today.

In addition to holding its own pick, Atlanta also possesses the Suns' second-round pick, so the lesser of the two selections will be conveyed to Golden State.

Trade Rumors: Hinrich, Pierce, Pistons, Crawford

March 15th, 2012 at 2:00pm CST by Luke Adams

The NBA's 2:00pm trade deadline is upon us, but teams who are close to deals could still be given a little leeway to finalize things. Here are a few of the latest rumors:

Kirk Hinrich will remain a Hawk through the deadline, tweets Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports.
The Hawks and Bobcats will stand pat, says Steve Kyler of Hoops World (Twitter link).
Interest in Paul Pierce picked up today, but a deal isn't likely because the Celtics' asking price is too high, tweets Chris Mannix of SI.com.
The Pistons received and made phone calls, but likely won't make a deadline deal, tweets Jeff Zillgitt of USA Today.
Joe Freeman of The Oregonian tweets that the Blazers are still working on a Jamal Crawford trade, but a deal doesn't look likely, says Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld (via Twitter).