Was Belkin right??

[goldseraph]

It seems to me that Belkin has been made out as a villain of sorts, a penny-pincher who didn't want to spend the cash to bring the first high quality free agent thats wanted to come to ATL in years. His own organization chose to usurp him and buy out his share of the team due to his opposition of the JJ deal. I happen to believe Belkin was wise - JJ is never going to be a highly effective PG, so basically he is a point-swingman. The problem is the Hawks already had many promising swingmen (M. Williams, J. Smith, J, Childress, Diaw, A. Harrington.) That and paying near-max money for a guy with one breakout year, being the 4th option on the highest scoring team in the last 10 years. I guess the future will tell, but I suspect Atlanta fans will come to wish Belkin had his way.

 

[elindholm]

The Hawks knew they were overpaying for Johnson, but their franchise was in such a shambles that they didn't have much choice (or at least didn't think that they did). If Johnson plays decently well and some of the young players make some progress, they'll at least have some credibility, which can help them with new free agents or their own players down the road. I doubt anyone with the Hawks has any illusions about Johnson being a max-level star, but they're trying to invest in the team's future potential for respectability.

 

[myrondizzo]

its funny that not only was the contract miserable for the hawks but it made it difficult for them to continue to stock pile young talent by takeing two 1st round picks. if either one of those pan out its going to make jj's stay in atlanta just that much longer.

 

[JCSunsfan]

Belkin was right in his evaluation of the worth of Joe Johnson.

He was wrong in his understanding of the desperate circumstances his own team was in, and in its overriding need to overpay for JJ.

He was also wrong in the game of chicken that Sarver, Tellum, and the Hawks were playing. Sarver would have matched. He's too much of a competitor just to give up.

 

[cly2tw]

Belkin was right in his evaluation of the worth of Joe Johnson.

He was wrong in his understanding of the desperate circumstances his own team was in, and in its overriding need to overpay for JJ.

He was also wrong in the game of chicken that Sarver, Tellum, and the Hawks were playing. Sarver would have matched. He's too much of a competitor just to give up.

Agree. Reputation issue would have been too important to not match that offer after they publicly said they'd do it.

Also, Belkin is just a Sterling clone.

 

[Yuma]

I think Belkin was right. Big contract to JJ, give up two number ones, and Diaw for one guy, a two guard being switched to PG, when 2 guards are easily found in the NBA was too much. You throw that kind of jack and draft picks for a franchise big man, not a two guard, unless that guy's name is Michael Jordan and he's in his late twenties, early thirties!

JJ isn't a leader. He's also not a TMac/Kobe type who makes his own offense and can win a close one down the stretch.

Belkin was right. However, he was NEVER going to win being the odd man out in that franchise. I just wonder if 3-4 years down the road if the other owners will have enough guts to admit they overpaid for JJ?

 

[kaesile]

Joe Johnson is not a point guard

Just to reiterate what everybody else has been saying, I have no idea why the Hawks or Johnson were saying he would be their starting PG when he cannot initiate an offense. I'm following the Hawks/Lakers game right now, and it even looks like Tyronn Lue was the starting PG. Unfortunately for that team, Johnson is actually leading the Hawks in assists for the game... with 3 so far with about 6 minutes left in the game. The entire team has 9 assists, while the Lakers have 17.

From what I can tell, the Hawks' offense looks much smoother when Salim Stoudamire (the Hawks' second round draft pick this year) is in the game. Other than a crappy third quarter, the Hawks were actually staying pretty competitive with the Lakers (despite Kobe Bryant's 35+ points). Johnson had a decent shooting game but so far has brought little else to the table (3 asts, 3 rebs, 5 TOs).

 

[JCSunsfan]

Just to reiterate what everybody else has been saying, I have no idea why the Hawks or Johnson were saying he would be their starting PG when he cannot initiate an offense. I'm following the Hawks/Lakers game right now, and it even looks like Tyronn Lue was the starting PG. Unfortunately for that team, Johnson is actually leading the Hawks in assists for the game... with 3 so far with about 6 minutes left in the game. The entire team has 9 assists, while the Lakers have 17.

John Stockton would have difficulty getting assists on that team. That's why Diaw didn't thrive there.

JJ will starting getting more assists on that team when the NBA starts counting a pass to yourself as a dish.

 

[green machine]

John Stockton would have difficulty getting assists on that team. That's why Diaw didn't thrive there.

JJ will starting getting more assists on that team when the NBA starts counting a pass to yourself as a dish.

If that's the case will they add another one to Rickey Davis' total?

 

[Treesquid PhD]

I think you have to give the trade sometime either way to make a final call. How many times have the Suns gone through this?

Boston got Delk and Rogers for JJ and a (pick?) the national media made fun of the Suns and praised the deal as one sided to Boston. But years later I think Phoenix go the better end of that deal.

NY laughed at the Suns for the Marbury trade saying the Suns gave the Knicks the Eastern Conference Crown...Now they suck hard, are still trying to dump Penny's 13 million and the Suns were only able to free up a ton of money and go to the WCF.

Considering that Phoenix got something since they were not going to match the deal could be considered an outright win for the Suns, but I think you just have to give it more than a few weeks probably have to evaluate the deal a few years from now.

 

[JCSunsfan]

I think you have to give the trade sometime either way to make a final call. How many times have the Suns gone through this?

Boston got Delk and Rogers for JJ and a (pick?) the national media made fun of the Suns and praised the deal as one sided to Boston. But years later I think Phoenix go the better end of that deal.

NY laughed at the Suns for the Marbury trade saying the Suns gave the Knicks the Eastern Conference Crown...Now they suck hard, are still trying to dump Penny's 13 million and the Suns were only able to free up a ton of money and go to the WCF.

Considering that Phoenix got something since they were not going to match the deal could be considered an outright win for the Suns, but I think you just have to give it more than a few weeks probably have to evaluate the deal a few years from now.

The things that make for the long term advantage in a trade--cap flexibility, draft picks, trade exception,etc--favored the Suns from the start.

What's exciting right now is that the short term negative impact isn't looking nearly as bad as it might have.

So, yes, we won't be able to really judge this trade for 3 years or more, but everyday it looks alot more promising.

 

[scotsman13]

personally if i were a another teams GM and i got a call from the suns i would run for the hills. there are so few deals that the suns have come out of the bad side of. and they are generally minor deals draft picks etc type deals but the suns make a deal for a player they rarely walk away with egg on their face.

 

[myrondizzo]

personally if i were a another teams GM and i got a call from the suns i would run for the hills. there are so few deals that the suns have come out of the bad side of. and they are generally minor deals draft picks etc type deals but the suns make a deal for a player they rarely walk away with egg on their face.

unless it has something to do with the draft. our draft trades havent exactly panned out the way we have wanted the past few years.

 

[dreamcastrocks]

personally if i were a another teams GM and i got a call from the suns i would run for the hills. there are so few deals that the suns have come out of the bad side of. and they are generally minor deals draft picks etc type deals but the suns make a deal for a player they rarely walk away with egg on their face.

You must have forgot the Utah trade

The Phoenix Suns announced today that forward/centers Keon (KEY-on) Clark and Ben Handlogten (Han-LOG-ten) have been acquired from the Utah Jazz in exchange for forward Tom Gugliotta, two conditional first-round draft picks, a 2005 second-round draft pick and an undisclosed sum of cash.

This is one of the worst trades that I have EVER seen.

Googs, 2 #1 picks AND CASH for Keon Clark?

I know that they were trying to salary dump that year, but WOW!

 

[scotsman13]

yea and that saved them how many millions in just taxes, and lead to sarver buying the team. sarver has said that he wouldnt have bought the team if they hadnt done some of those salery clearing moves. also if we hadnt cleared those saleries we wouldnt have gotten nash and q and wouldnt have won 62 games last year and made it to the WCF. you cant look at the short term on the trades you have to look at what it brought to the overall team down the road.