Jul 04 2009
Two Newest Hawks Ready to Help
The NBA Draft is over and now teams race to find the best players available in the free agency market. It isn’t clear how active the Atlanta Hawks will be this summer at trying to lure free agents to the ATL. They have brung in two new players that might add instant help to the team for the 2009/2010 season. It all started with Jamal Crawford as the team was able to trade for him with the Golden State Warriors. Then the Hawks kept their 19th spot in the draft and took point guard Jeff Teague from the Demon Deacons of Wake Forrest. Teague was a questionable pick with Eric Maynor still on the board at 19 and the Utah Jazz quickly took him at 20; right after the Hawks selection of Teague. I think with the type of players Billy Knight has been drafting for the team over the past few years, that Maynor would have been a better fit. It would be interesting to know which PG he liked best between the two. The Atlanta Hawks Organization did have both guys in for workouts, so they do see Jeff Teague as the better player.
How much will first round draft pick Jeff Teague play for the Atlanta Hawks?
If the Atlanta Hawks manage to keep Mike Bibby in town; then Jeff Teague could be a first string back up, but that might reduce the playing time of Flip Murray. This also brings up the question will the Hawks be able to keep Murray? I think Flip did really well for the team last year and they will need to secure his future with the team, by resigning him this summer. If Bibby and Murray both leave; then Jeff Teague could very well be the starting PG in Atlanta next year. If Bibby does leave, I would fully expect Flip Murray to be the starting point guard and Teague would come off the bench to back up Flip. The only thing that is clear right now is that Jeff Teague will be wearing the number 0 for the Hawks next year.
Now more attention will focus on the Hawk’s backcourt as the team managed to get sharp shooter Jamal Crawford from the Golden State Warriors. The Hawks sent Acie Law and Speedy Claxton to the West Coast for a player that will certainly help next season. The fans in Atlanta will love having a guy like Crawford around and he isn’t afraid to put it up. The Hawks backcourt could get real scary for opposing NBA teams if they do manage to lock up Flip Murray and Mike Bibby this off-season. I think Atlanta has lacked a good jump shooter for the last few seasons and Jamal Crawford will fill a void for the team. He has the ability to take over a quarter and light it up for 20 points or more. He has the ability to carry a team on his back; when his stroke is on the money. He is going to stretch the defense and give the inside guys like Josh Smith and Al Horford a chance to produce from inside. Teams that choose to lock up these inside threats for the Hawks will have to hold their breath when Jamal Crawford, Marvin Williams, Flip Murray, Mike Bibby, Maurice Evans, or Joe Johnson take those long jump shots.
How much of an impact will Crawford and Teague make next season?
Since both guys are guards and the Hawks have a couple of guards that could be on other NBA teams next year, it’s hard to gauge just how much of an impact either player may have. We know what we are getting with Crawford and he should be a big help and command major minutes for the Hawks next season. It looks like he may be coming off the bench right now, but even if he doesn’t start, he should be on the floor a lot in the 4th quarter and at the end of games. Teague isn’t as likely to see time on the floor during the 4th quarter and the majority of his minutes may be in the first half. Coach Mike Woodson does tighten up the belt in the 2nd half and gives his starters more minutes. If his pattern of coaching continues; then Teague is likely to get 5 to 8 minutes of time in the first half of games and depending on how he does there, will determine if he gets another 5 minutes in the 2nd half or remains on the bench the entire time. Mike Woodson does have the “win now” mentality and hasn’t done a good job at developing young players with playing time. I think we saw this with Josh Smith in the early years and again with Josh Childress, Acie Law, and Solomon Jones for the Hawks.
Who did the Atlanta Hawks take in the 2nd round of the NBA Draft?
After selecting Jeff Teague in the first round of the NBA Draft, the Hawks did have a 2nd round pick too. They had to wait until the 49th overall selection before they could take Sergiy Gladyr out of the Ukraine. He is 19 years old and will more than likely stay in Europe and continue to play basketball over there. He is a long range threat and has great mechanics according to some basketball scouts on his approach to shooting. We may just see this young man wearing an Atlanta Hawks uniform in about 3 to 4 years. He is a project for now and was a great pick; since the team didn’t have a roster spot for a player now. Sergiy Gladyr can continue to work on his sweet stroke from long range; while staying over seas.
Overall the Hawks Organization addressed the backcourt heavily this off-season with the trade for Crawford and taking two guards in the NBA Draft in New York. Most will agree that the Hawks need another big man, but we will have to wait and see how free agency goes, to see if Atlanta can add another player to the squad this season. Let’s just hope that Jeff Teague develops into a better player than Eric Maynor for the Utah Jazz and we can feel good about taking the better point guard. I believe the front office has took a positive step forward and made the team better to this point. After seeing the bold moves Cleveland and Orlando did on draft day; the Hawks may have to make one more move to keep pace in the East.
