Welcome to Atlanta, Jason Collins
Barring something unforeseen, I think it’s safe to say that the signing of Jason Collins will be the last roster move the Hawks make before the start of training camp. Collins signed late yesterday, but we were able to catch up to him this morning as he completed his physical with the team:
Embedded video from NBA Video
Collins rep is as a terrific leader and locker room guy, and as he said in the piece, you can never have too much depth in the frontcourt. It’s hard to say how much PT he’ll get during the season, but there’s plenty of time to sort that out going forward.
With about 3 1/2 weeks left until the start of camp, taking a look at the roster at present, the Hawks are shaping up like this:
Guards: Mike Bibby, Jeff Teague, Joe Johnson, Jamal Crawford
Wings: Marvin Williams, Maurice Evans
Bigs: Josh Smith, Al Horford, Zaza Pachulia, Joe Smith, Jason Collins, Randolph Morris
I’ve said it many times over the course of the offseason, but I’ll say it once again – hats off to Rick Sund and his crew for the work they’ve done to put this squad together. No offense to the guys who’ve worn the Hawks unis the past few years, but I’d say that’s easily the deepest this team has been since I’ve been here.
Can training camp get here already so we can get this show on the road?
I like what sund has done so far with our team but I am starting to think we might need to pick Flip back up. we only have two wing player Marvin and Evans. then we have four guards Joe, mike, teague and Crawford. Crawford can play on the wings and flip can be the replacement guard. of course teague will get the short end but it is his first year, he still will get some minutes. I just believe bringing Flip back add more to our bench plus he is not a bad defender either( He’s a vet). so our second unit will be flip, Jamal, Mo, Smith and ZAZA with teague, Collins and Morris waiting. I see teague and Collins getting more time than Morris of course but with flip it just adds another dimension to our team.
Next year hawks should look into drafting John Wall
now that we have Jason Collins we dont need randolph morris anymore, sign flip, and trade morris and evans for a someone willing to ride the bench. and maybe just maybe sign othello
Lineup
1:Bibby/Teauge
2:Crawford/Murray
3:Johnson/Williams/Hunter
4:Josh Smith/Joe Smith
5:Al/Zaza/Collins
our front court is solid…….we go 10 deep easy….wish we had a better defending/penetrating PG…agree with signing flip back…hopefully teague will help out, if he gets on the floor………..
plus…….wall is good…but will be a bust compared to the hype…..trust me, im from lexington….word is bledsoe is the better pg
THE HAWKS NEED TO SIGN FLIP BACK COME ONE YALL NEED HIM AND THEN THE TEAM IS COMPLETE
To Steve: The only way we can sign Flip is that somebody got to go off the current roster now. You can only dress 12. Who will you cut?
thats wats up
lest goo finally a center, so Al can go back to his natural 4 position, and smith to the 3
1.bibby or 1.bibby
2.joe johnson 2.jamal
3.j-smooth 3.johnson
4.horford 4.j-smooth
5.collins 5.horford
and of the bench
teague, mo, marvin, joe smith, zaza
Looking pretty solid on and off the bench. But im starting to think flip will be missed but i also think teague and crawford will fill the void. (I hope)Let’s go hawks!
Crawford and Teague can fill the shoes of Flip. Hope Teague will develop into a great player under the wings of Bibby. Without any long term injuries, I have full confidence we might even get to the Eastern Conference finals.
I got a feeling we will go out everynight like this…
Bibby
Joe Johnson
Josh Smith
Al Horford
ZaZa
with Teague, Crawford, Marv Williams, JoeSmith, and Collins coming from the bench.
Lets Go HAWKS!
I think its great that they finally picked up a center…
but they really need Flip back… Not only is Flip a tremendous backup guard, but he is a good defender, he is a floor leader, and best of all… he does not fear being the man who has to take the final shot!
Roster Options:
PG) Mike Bibby; Ronald ‘Flip’ Murry; Jeff Teague
SG) Joe Johnson; Jamal Crawford;
SF) Josh Smith; Marvin Williams;
PF) Al Horford; Joe Smith
C) Zaza Pachulia; Jason Collins; Randolph Morris
DollAZ Jason Collins isnt going to start incase u didnt know hes not good, not to say he cant improve, and Hawksgirl you cant say teauge and crawford will fill flips spot, ur banking on teauge to much he could flop, not to be negative but he is a rookie, and any one who thinks ZAZA is starting IDT hes good enoough think about it Dwight Howard, or shaq etc. vs ZAZA = murder
Can we trade Randolph Morris we have too many big guys AL,ZAZA Collins, Smith, Smith,Morris……………PLZZ trade him nd MO for a combo SF/PF
I love Flip as a player. I’ve followed him since his days at Shaw U. in Raleigh, NC, but the truth is, we upgraded. Flip is an undersized 2 guard( 6’3″) who can bring the ball up, but isnt a point guard at all. His size limits him from being a good defender, and his Jumper isnt money like Bibby’s. He was a great scorer off the bench for us, but Crawford is a better scorer(19.7 last year, 15.5 for his career) , and he has 2 inches on Flip. There’s a reason he’s been a journeyman since he came in the league. He has no position. If he was a true PG, he’d be ideal, but Detroit and the Cavs tried that, and the results led him to one team after another. I appreciate his contributions to the Hawks last year. Without him, we wouldnt have made it as far as we did, but i’m all about getting better, and Crawford is better…….CHUUUUUUUUUCH
Good job for the hawks…
but how come we didn’t sign Tyson Chandler instead signing Jason Collins??
Tyson Chandler wasnt a free agent to get him we would have to lose player and/or draft picks and/or Money.
And swingman 912 what happens if Jcraw or Joe johnson is injured? Mo evans isnt a good enough scorer to do that people think Jcraw should replace Flip, I think he should replace Mo Evans………….. Nd Flip isnt small hes an inch shorter than Dwade sure hes not as athletic but hes still good, also when AI played shooting guard he lead the leuge in scoring. We need flip he doesnt have to play that much. But if Jcraw or JJ or both get injured well be looking really dumb.
soo i wonder was will be the starting line up for the hawks this year??
Start:
Bibby
Johnson
Williams
Josh Smith
Al Horford
Crunch Time:
Bibby
Crawford
Johnson
Smith
Horford
True hawksfanman. Teague is being thrown into a startin role which does scare me but i believe he can handle it because he will have to. But I really want flip back so teague doesnt have to rush into that role. Him and flip can swap out for bibby. That would be the safest role to take but if flip doesnt come back bibby is gonna have to work with teague and hope he can handle his role.
By the way hawksfanman, where does collins fit in? I dont see him in your line up above?
Hawkfanman, thats a big “what if”. Flip is nowhere near what A.I. was when he won those scoring titles, so the comparison doesn’t match. And truth be told, every team in the NBA is going to be looking dumb if they lose 2 people at the same position. But thats a risk every team takes every season. Hell, we could lose all of our starters to injury, but you dont go into the season banking on injuries. And D-Wade is a phenom, a superstar. Flip is not that player, and never has been, most likely never will be. Even D-Wade had to prove himself, because you dont see too many 2 guards under 6’6″ that make noise in the league. That’s why they try converting them to PG. Bottom line, Flip gave us good scoring off the bench, and JCraw was brought in to do the same thing. Maybe even better.
As far as JCraw replacing Mo, it wont work like that. Mo is a ok defender, not a scorer at all. JCraw is the complete opposite. In order for him to replace Mo, he’d have to play the 3, which a weak defender(which Crawford has been known to be) cant do.( FYI LeBron plays the 3, do you see JCraw D’ing him? i didnt think so). I do think we need to get an upgrade for Mo, but i dont think putting JCraw there is the answer………..CHUUUUUUCH
HMMMMM….. u do have a few point there. IDK Maybe i just like flip alot and don wanna see hhim leave atlanta… oh nd I was thinking Joe Johnson Move to the three not JCRAW.
As for Jason COllins I hope he really is self motivated since he is on a good team now to improve….. but the jason collins on Minnesota was not good. But if he plays like he did last year hell be on the bench.
If we dont sign flip (Tear!) then we really need to get a good gaurd in next years draft (JOHN WALL?) I just wanna us to be a better team next season, some predictions think we wont make the playoffs and NBA.com said we wont win more games than we did last year. (Prior to us signing Jason Collins)
P.S. Does anyone know how the draft works? like how a team wins the number one pick? if so, how are our chances?
Hopefully “With the nuber one pick in the 2010 NBA draft the atlanta hawks select JOHN WALL”
IF not John Wall than i would be happy wih Al-Farouq Aminu him nd Jeff teague played together so itll work……………..
HOW DOES THE DRAFT WORK?
all i wanted was for us to draft a center, but i didn’t think u guyz would go and draft the worst center in the nba!!!
Collins will body up all the bigs here in the East (Shaq, Howard, Garnet, Wallace), especially if we are gunning for a good playoff run! He will not give us 20 points every game but will provide defense down low and thats not bad considering we will only get deeper with Zaza, Joe Smith and Horford.
In order to get a chance at getting the number 1 draft pick next year we have to finish at least at the BOTTOM three in the league…we wouldnt like that, do we?!
All i want is a grade ‘A’ center so the hawks wont juss be a playoff contender they will be a championship calliber team..
We dont need jason collins to score just D-UP with Shaq Rashhed Howard etc.
Chances are were not signing flip becuz if we do teaugue wont play much nd sund wants him to shine. i just that the team that sgns him doesnt become better than us becuz of him.
We need to watch out I think The grizzlies (MY SECOND FAV TEAM) are trying to take our 4TH SPOT THEY HAVE 5 CENTERS AND 4 OVER 7’0
i THINK WE MAY NEED TO DRAFT A goOD c IN THE DRAFT
If the grizzlies sign AI its over.
AI Bibby
OJ Mayo Johnson
Rudy GAY V.S. Williams
Zach Randolph Smith
Marc Gasol Horford
Man the center we have better start playing DFENCE
Hawks Need to draft
John Wall
Solomon Alabi
Evan Turner
Tyshaun Taylor
or Jerome Jordan Depending on whether they want a guard or a C
Never sleep on the grizzlies. But my second fav team is the warriors(I like montae). Although being in the west you have to constantly watch the spot your in or you will be last or out alltogether.
As for the center situation, if we get another center right now we will have a lot of bodies rustin on the bench. I know if someone gets injured then we have backups but no one wishes for that. Come on people, ye have little faith in the 11 man deep team we have?
11 man deep rotation i mean
Yes i agree with a lot of people. Flip added a lot of depth to our bench. A very good veteran player and could really knock down 3′s when we need them. He was the first player off the bench. I dont see how we could let him slip through our hands. What are they thinking. Come on and lets get this done so our team is complete and we can make it farther this year in the playoffs
remember what flip did for us last year people?! why go away from something that you know works for the team. yes we have made some nice moves so why not keep flip. it only makes us even better. teague will get some play time. but what if he is not ready for those crunch time moments…. flip is. so what he bounced around from team to team that doesnt me we should let him go.hell,speedy claxton and other garbage players that are not even close to flips talent have been givin bigger contracts than flip. sometimes things are just confusing like that. but we should be the smart ones and keep flip in atlanta………. SIGN, RONALD “FLIP” MURRAY!!!!!!!!!
its ok that we let goo flip cuzz now we have J craw he usally averages around 20. and flip is averages around 14 plus jamal is taller, more athletic, younger, and more nba expirienced(flip 7 years and jamal 9). And the hawks usally let go of key players and turn out ok. Like al harrington, Stephen Jackson, josh childress and now flip . Farewell flip you were a great player, so now get back to your mission of playin for every team in the league… lol j/p
To: dollaz that last comment that you made was not called for and you can keep it to your self oh and it was not funny you nut.
I would love for flip to come back because he won lots of games for us and brought energy on the court wit him. He changed us for the better but atleast we have someone with experience to fill that role since flip obviously isnt comin back.
What the hell!!!!! They should just CUT randolph morris because he’s a SCRUB. My mom can dunk on that dude! what are we going to do when Joe is CHOKING as usual? Joe never show up to the big game or make the big SHOT, but you can always count on FLIP mode MURRAY! Bring back FLIP and cut that clown Morris.
Well im glad we got a center because we REALLY need one. I guess we had no choice but to get that scrub Jason Collins. Hell i would have preferred Kwame Brown over him.
waaahh waahh stop cryin atl resource im only speaking the truth… how can the hawks organization get better if you baby them and dont let ppl speak their thoughs… but ill let the baby have his bottle
just because we have jamal crawford that doesnt mean let flip go people. why not keep him it only adds on to the talent we already have. it only makes us better. hell, get rid of randolph morris he is no good
getting Flip back would mean less minutes for Teague, Id rather see Teague prove himself now than see him end up like Acie Law on the bench everytime. besides, if Teague wouldnt fit in we still have Crawford.
Bibby, JJ, Crawford and Teague is enough to share the minutes on the guards position…and we still have Mo Williams getting some also.
Our guards are fine. Randolph Morris hasnt proven himself, but we clearly need depth at the PF and the C. Plus we would have to still pay for Morris’ contract this year. Flip would ask for more than he’s worth, and with 4 guards that can all play the PG, Flip does not fit….thanks, but no thanks……..CHUUUUUUCH
chris kaman
Someone told me today that the New York Knicks would have a better season than Atlanta!
2223
teague would still get play time if we start jamal crawford. starting line up:
bibby
crawford
johnson
jos smith
horford
second unit:
teague
murray
williams
joe smith
pachulia….
……. mo williams,collins, and get rid of randolph
I happy about this one. Good choice ATL HAWKS. He looks like a light version of MW24(MARVIN WILLIAMS).
STARTERS:
MIKE BIBBY
JOE JOHNSON
JOSH SMITH
MARVIN WILLIAMS
AL HORFORD
PEOPLE WHO DON’T LIKE MY LINEUP MAY GO KICK ROCKS!!!
LETS GO ATLANT-TTTTA HAWKKKKKS!!!!
Its the same line up so why wouldnt we like it? I prefer that line up to any new one any day anyway because it worked last season, the only problem was the second unit. Now that wehave the second unit we will be fine.
GO HAWKS!
hy does marvin play PF over JSoove?
I think we should sign Gerald Green, this kid has MAD hops and he is just a hawks kind of player. He is young, there is room to develop, and he is just a wing player that I think we need, so why not hawks? You can get him for cheap
i think Gerald Green would be a good pickup, considering we only really have 2 wing players, and even though Mo has reshaped his body, Green is a insurance policy incase Marv or Mo goes down. I like his game, but i would LOVE his game if was in this offseason developing a consistent jumpshot and improving his dribble penatration…….Just a thought………CHUUUUUUUUUCH
Now. A good veteran playmaker to help Bibby.
Carlos Arroyo?
Gooood choice Carlos Arroyo.
Somebody wake me when the season starts! I’m ready to see the team in action.
Roster Options:
PG) Mike Bibby; Carlos Arroyo; Jeff Teague
SG) Joe Johnson; Jamal Crawford;
SF) Josh Smith; Marvin Williams;
PF) Al Horford; Joe Smith
C) Zaza Pachulia; Jason Collins; Randolph Morris
Carlos Arroya? Gerald green sounds good but i dont know about arroya. I dont even think I know who he is…………..give me a second to google him lol
Oh! Carlos Arroyo with the magic. I know him and yea he would be a good backup point…..even starter potential if the unthinkable happened…..god forbid and injuries. But im happy with our roster, if we snag siler i believe we would be stacked.
BUT, I still want flip……………(sniff)
Oh, Twin on the Hawks now. LOL I’m gonna call Jason Collins, Twin. Glad to have a 7 footer on the squad. 2009-2010 is another opportunity for the Hawks to take another step toward being elite. Anybody who signs on to help is alright with me. Hawks Squad in 2010. The additions of vets is great for this team. Mike Bibby is the best example of what adding a vet will do. Two straight playoff appearances since his arrival.