Al Harrington

[Reality]

Is Al Harrington the answer for a team needing a 3/4.
18/7, can stroke some treys.

Can he deliver in the playoffs?
I'm not sold on him, but what other 3/4s are available at this point.

[westkoast]

He has been hurt a number of times in the course of his career.  If he were to come out west I wouldn't boourn that is for sure.

Haven't seen him play in a while.  Can't remember the last time I had even seen him play outside of Indiana.

[Reality]

Indy had the inside track due to taking advantage of the trade kicker ( or whatever its called), but I can't tell if ATL still wants to trade him.  Now that the 7 asstard owners and Sterns shennaigans have been overturned by the good judge, with the one good owner back in control, perhaps ATL is not about to be hornsnaggled ala Joe Johnson Exchange and have upped their return demands substancially.

Can I still hope the Spurs can get Al Harrington?  Spurs could certainly use him at the 3 position.  I don't see what they could offer in return tho.  A lot of haters are wanting to see Brent Barry shipped.  I will say his lackadasical inbounds pass that Dallas stole to win Game 4(?) is not defendable.
Plus who they gonna offer besides Barry.

Golden State had an offer for Harrington also.

Bottom line i think ATL with good owner back in control have upped the ante.

[Joe Vancil]

Atlanta doesn't have a "good owner," whether in or out of control.  You're just a couple of cages short of a zoo in that place.

It isn't that Atlanta upped their demands - it's that Harrington's new agent likely wants to have no questions out there as to who negotiated the deal that Harrington signs, and therefore, no legal ground for Harrington's old agent to stand on in suing for money he thinks he's owed.

Just another animal act in Atlanta.  Nothing new to see there.

 

[Reality]

Harrington to the Pacers it is for only a 1st round pick. :unsure: and Edwards salary.  (Which is how much?)
I think they could have done so much better, or just held onto Harrington.

Joe the owner Steve Belkin is good, he being the only one that voted to keep Diaw etc in the Joe Johnson Exchange fiasco.  I thought Belkin was now the one in control.  Not so.  Looks like the asstards have stuck again.  Dealing Harrington not to get better, but in strictly an Old Clippers Donald Sterling type move.  You are correct, same old zoo:

"That exception -- created in July when Indiana persuaded the New Orleans Hornets to participate in a sign-and-trade for Peja Stojakovic instead of simply signing Stojakovic away outright -- established the Pacers as the only Harrington suitor that could complete a sign-and-trade without forcing Atlanta to take back significant salary. Other interested teams included Golden State, Denver, New York and the Los Angeles Lakers.    Reality here, yeah they don't want to take back salary now that they foolishly dumped so much into Joe Johnson.

NBA front-office sources say Atlanta's teetering ownership group, in the midst of a legal battle with former partner Steve Belkin to keep control of the franchise, had insisted from the start on taking back draft picks and/or cash as opposed to a player or two from Indiana's roster (such as center Jeff Foster or a more expensive veteran).  The Warriors, for example, offered power forward Troy Murphy to the Hawks last month as part of a sign-and-trade that would have netted Harrington something closer to the six-year, $66 million contract he originally was seeking. But Murphy, who averaged a double-double in his past three full seasons, has nearly $51 million left on his contract over the next five years.

The Hawks eventually backed off their cash demands and told the Pacers they'd make the trade as long as Indiana sent them a first-round pick and agreed to absorb Edwards' salary. Atlanta's reluctance to deal with the other teams chasing Harrington maintained Indiana's position as the favorite to land the versatile forward,
 

[Skandery]

Filling a void
 
Marty Burns, SI.com

The Pacers acquired forward Al Harrington and center John Edwards from the Hawks in exchange for a 2007 first-round (top 10 protected) pick. My analysis of the deal:

Why the Pacers made the trade

The Pacers had to do something to compensate for the loss of small forward Peja Stojakovic, who left as a free agent (via a sign-and-trade with the Hornets).

Harrington is nowhere near as good an outside shooter as Stojakovic, but he's a better scorer, rebounder and defender. His versatility also is a plus, enabling him to play power forward, with Jermaine O'Neal sliding over to center and promising youngster Danny Granger moving in at the 3 spot.
 
Pacers boss Larry Bird and CEO Donnie Walsh know Harrington from his previous stint in Indiana, and they believe he will fit well with their vision of a more rugged, athletic team in 2006-07.

The main thing is that Harrington gives the Pacers a proven 15- to 20-point scorer to take some pressure off O'Neal and shooting guard Stephen Jackson. The fact that Indiana got him relatively cheap, giving up only a future first-round pick that is top 10 protected next season, makes it even better.

Why the Hawks made the trade

The Hawks had to get something in return for Harrington, an unrestricted free agent who didn't fit into their long-term plans.

With youngsters Marvin Williams, Josh Childress, Josh Smith and top draft pick Shelden Williams battling for playing time at the 3-4 spots, the Hawks decided Harrington was just too expensive to keep around. Apparently, this was the best deal they could get.

Hawks GM Billy Knight clearly did not want to take on any big long-term contracts (hence, the decision not to do a deal with the Warriors for Troy Murphy) and he was said to be adamant about acquiring a first-round draft pick.

The Hawks now at least have one more asset (though the Pacers will probably be good enough next year to make that a mid-level pick at best) as well as a $7.5 million trade exception that the Hawks might be able to use in the future.

Atlanta also saves a little money, since it gets rid of Edwards and the final year ($1.08 million) of his contract.

Bottom line

Call it a clear-cut victory for the Pacers.

Indiana desperately needed another proven scorer to stay in contention with the likes of the Heat, Cavs, Pistons and Bulls in the Central Division, and Harrington was one of the top free agents on the market. The fact that Indiana was able to acquire him without giving up a player has to be seen as a plus.

On the other side, the Hawks will have a hard time selling this one to their fan base. It is hard to believe they couldn't get more in return for an established player such as Harrington.

Knight might have been handcuffed by the organization's unsettled ownership situation, but his decision not to deal him before last season's trade deadline now looks more questionable.
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I think Marty Burns could've saved a lot of time and bandwidth had he just said:

Billy Knight is an idiot, Billy Knight is completely devoid of any basketball sense, Billy Knight will slowly crush every last ounce of heart the city of Atlanta has for basketball, Billy Knight is not only an idiot--he is the heir to the throne of the Kingdom of Idiots.  Let's hope for those poor fans sake that the first thing Belkin does when he gets control of the team is to FIRE BILLY KNIGHT--and I'm confident he'll do just that!

Then all Marty Burns would have to do is copy and paste that onto a different file, replace the words Knight with King and Atlanta with Philadelphia and Belkin with Philly ownership and POOF instant coverage on the state of the 76ers as well.  Why aren't I a columnist? :rolleyes:

[westkoast]

• Pacers reacquire Harrington — The Indiana Pacers thought Al Harrington filled a need. Al Harrington just wanted to win.
The combination brought him back to Indianapolis for a second chance with the Pacers.


Harrington averaged 18.6 points and 6.9 rebounds last season for the Atlanta Hawks, and the Pacers gave up the future first-round pick to acquire Harrington and center John Edwards in the deal.

Harrington, 26, spent the first six years of his career with the Pacers before playing the last two in Atlanta.

[Skandery]

How to help the Hawks
 
Marty Burns, SI.com

Feuding owners. Questionable draft choices. One-sided trades. Isaiah Rider.

Hawks fans have seen it all from their team in recent years. Latest move: On Tuesday, Atlanta traded its second-leading scorer, Al Harrington, to the Pacers for a couple of used basketballs and a jug of Gatorade. (OK, so maybe they actually got a future first-round pick, but you get the drift).

Three years ago, the Hawks send forward Rasheed Wallace to Detroit at midseason in exchange for "cap space." The Pistons went on to win the NBA title. The Hawks couldn't find any big-name free agent to take their money.

And let's not even go into last year's Boris Diaw fiasco.
 
So how can the Hawks turn it around? How can they change their image as the new version of the old Clippers? How can they get the hoops blood flowing again in the ATL?

Here's my five-step process:

1. Get the ownership situation settled

Call Judge Judy. Have a free-throw contest. Heck, get the parties together for an old-style Southern duel, with firearms at 10 paces. Whatever it takes, the Hawks need to get their unsettled ownership situation straightened out.

The team's current bloc of owners, Atlanta Spirit LLC, is trying to hold onto control of the team after a judge ruled it had to sell to former partner Steve Belkin. The Spirit group, which remains in power pending an appeal that could carry well into next season, insists it is not holding back on player spending.

But many around the league believe the protracted nature of the Harrington trade, and GM Billy Knight's refusal to take on long contracts, was at least due in part to the unsettled situation in the front office.

As long as the Hawks have the Belkin mess hanging over their heads, they won't be able to thrive. Maybe NBA commissioner David Stern can get the parties together again and broker some kind of agreement.

2. Add a star

Young teams do not win in the NBA. As promising as Josh Smith and Marvin Williams might be, each remain more of an athlete and less of a basketball player. Even the emerging Joe Johnson, currently helping Team USA at the World Championships, is unproven as a team leader.

If the Hawks are going to take the next step, they must spend some of that cap money they keep hoarding on a superstar to lead them and guide them.

Johnson ($70 million over five years) and Speedy Claxton ($25 million over four) are a decent start. But Atlanta eventually will need a stud, preferably a big-time big man, sort of like what the Bulls did with Ben Wallace this summer.

Allen Iverson, who was rumored to be headed to the Hawks in an offseason trade, might not be a perfect fit in terms of style of play. But Atlanta needs someone like an Iverson to serve as a go-to guy for all the young kids and show them how to win. Which brings us to the next one ...

3. Sell the ATL

Yes, the Hawks have tried in the past to land marquee stars, only to be snubbed. But Atlanta is a popular city with NBA players, and there is no reason players won't go there if the money is right.

The Hawks need to use Atlanta as a favorable asset in the recruiting game, the way the laid-back but first-class Suns organization sells Phoenix and its climate to prospective free agents, while keeping in mind that money talks. Sometimes you might have to overpay a little (as with Johnson).

Meanwhile, the Hawks organization needs to reach out to hoops fans in the area to improve the atmosphere at Philips Arena. One local Atlanta sports talk radio host claims his city consistently draws some of the highest TV ratings for pro basketball in the country. He says those fans just don't go to games.

I have no idea if that is true or not, but there is no doubt a big city such as Atlanta would embrace the NBA if the team was good.

4. Stick with Woodson

While Hawks coach Mike Woodson endured his share of growing pains during his first two years, he did preside over a 13-win improvement. He deserves a chance to continue for a couple of seasons, at least so he can implement his vision of the Hawks as an athletic defensive-minded team in the mold of the Pistons, whom he once coached as an assistant under Larry Brown.

One of the worst ways to turn around a franchise is to change coaches willy-nilly. The Hawks already have gone through three coaches since their last playoff appearance in '99 (Lenny Wilkens, Lon Kruger, Terry Stotts). The best thing they could do now for the development of youngsters Smith and the Williams boys is to turn them over to Woodson and give him a fair chance to do his job.

5. Lose those unis

OK, so this one is more a matter of personal taste. But is there any uniform uglier than those mustard yellow numbers the Hawks were sporting at times last season? Yikes.

Hold a bonfire on Opening Night, and toss those babies right into the pile. If nothing else, it would be a symbolic gesture for a team that could use a fresh start.

6. Fire Billy Knight

...and make sure he never ever returns again.  

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Marty forgot one, I had to help him out.

[Skandery]

Bumped this one up to remind people how long I've been calling for King's ouster and another Billy (Knight) for that matter.  One down, one to go!!

In my searching, Ziggy has also repeatedly called for ole' Billy's head on a platter for quite a while, too.