NBA At 2: Nash And The Hawks?
One of the hot topics around the NBA this week has been whether or not the Phoenix Suns will trade All-Star point guard Steve Nash as the next phase in their ongoing effort to dump salary. Of course, everyone’s favorite game then becomes determining where Steve Nash might land. The New York Knicks have been a favorite guess, and it’s easy to see. After all, Nash would be reunited with his former head coach in Mike D’Antoni and his former pick-and-roll partner in Amar’e Stoudemire. The Knicks, however, don’t have the most attractive pieces to offer in trade and they don’t even have a particular need with Raymond Felton playing at an All-Star level.
There is a team, however, that desperately needs Nash’s services. It’s one of the teams that rose to an elite level in the Eastern Conference prior to letting their head coach go and making no major upgrades over the offseason. As the Miami HEAT, Boston Celtics, Chicago Bulls and Orlando Magic have worked tirelessly to improve their rosters, the Hawks have elected to basically stand pat, and as a result they’re quickly losing ground in their conference. HOOPSWORLD’s Lang Greene believes Nash is the answer for the Hawks, and even see a path of acquisition for Atlanta:
Atlanta has never been the first choice destination of marquee players looking to change addresses, but the Hawks franchise could offer a future Hall of Famer like Steve Nash a legitimate chance to add a NBA title to his already sparkling resume.
A couple of key facts are often overlooked when analyzing the current state of the Hawks. The first is that the franchise features three All-Star caliber players in Joe Johnson, Al Horford and Josh Smith. The frontcourt tandem of Horford and Smith are 24 and 25, respectively, and both have yet to reach their physical primes. Secondly, for all the criticism Johnson receives for his $124 million deal, the fact remains that he’s the third-best shooting guard in the NBA right now behind Kobe Bryant and Dwyane Wade. The deal that Johnson signed will ultimately become an anchor to the salary cap as he hits the age most players decline rapidly (2014-16), but right now his presence on the roster is a favorable one.
The widely accepted roster move theory that would push the Hawks into title contention is the acquisition of a true starting center so that Horford can play his natural power forward position. But Horford has excelled as an undersized center, earning his first All-Star appearance last season, and while he struggles defensively against bigger guys in the post his speed and versatility makes him a very tough assignment on the other end of the floor.
The true need for the Hawks is a floor general. The Hawks have been seeking a game changing point guard since passing over Chris Paul, Deron Williams and to a lesser extend Raymond Felton in the 2005 draft for Marvin Williams. We all witnessed the chemistry that Nash and Amar’e Stoudemire demonstrated in Phoenix for years, can you imagine Nash in the open court with Horford and Smith filling the lanes?
On the surface, the Hawks can’t offer much in talent in return for Nash. The Hawks have shopped Williams but have found no takers, plus the Suns already possess a plethora of wing players. But the Hawks do have the expiring contract of Jamal Crawford, which basically matches what Nash is on the books for this year.
At first glance most would laugh at the suggestion of a Nash for Crawford (and a first round pick) swap straight up. However, the Suns have some real big decisions to make. Is it time to blow it up and start over? If so, acquiring Crawford’s expiring deal along with the recently acquired Vince Carter’s near $19 million non-guaranteed contract next season and Phoenix would then possess $30 million in freed of cap room – which would be plenty of flexibility to start the rebuilding process.
The Hawks should aggressively pursue Nash if he became available, but not at the expense of Horford, Smith or Johnson. But if the team can acquire him for a package with Crawford (straight up), or Marvin Williams, Jordan Crawford (and Mike Bibby) for example then executive vice president and general manager Rick Sund should pick up the phone and work some Magic.
The Phoenix Suns do, indeed, seem intent on blowing it up and starting over. If that weren’t the plan, they never would have let Amar’e Stoudemire walk away, not on the heels of the team’s unlikely appearance in the Western Conference Finals. Now, with the conference finals ever-shrinking in the rear-view mirror, it’s time to set Nash free . . .and the Atlanta Hawks not only have a need, but also a shot at making the Finals with Nash at the helm.
Unlikely Heroes: DeShawn Stevenson
The Dallas Mavericks spent a great deal of time adding to their depth last summer. From trading for Tyson Chandler to adding free agents like Brian Cardinal and Ian Mahinmi, the Mavs wanted to be able to overcome the unforeseen injuries that always threaten to derail a team’s season. Now that injury has come for Dallas, with Caron Butler out for the season after sustaining a torn patella tendon. Ironically, one of the guys who has really stepped up for them since Butler went down is a player they already had on the roster. DeShawn Stevenson came to Dallas with Butler and Brendan Haywood last year in a trade with the Washington Wizards, and this season he’s really stepped up his game. He’s shooting a remarkable 46% from three – by far the best showing of his career – and has put 18 and 21 points on the board in the two games since Butler went down – both wins for the Mavericks. HOOPSWORLD talks with Stevenson about his remarkable improvement from behind the arc, helping the Mavs overcome the loss of Butler, and how playing in Dallas and among the Mavericks has changed his career in this exclusive interview:
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{AUTHOR_BOX}Blazers Moving On Part II: Nicolas Batum
As has been well-documented, the big story for the Portland Trail Blazers again this season has been the injury bug. Gone for the season (at least) is starting center Greg Oden, and sitting next to him in street clothes for the foreseeable future is All-Star guard Brandon Roy. Now that the decision has been made that Roy will sit for a prolonged period of time, the franchise is looking to move forward and put some long-term plans in place that don’t involve their captain. The first part of the plan involves second-year swingman Wesley Matthews, who is having a stellar season for Portland. For our exclusive interview with Matthews and breakdown of his game, link here. Earlier this week we talked with Blazers head coach Nate McMillan, who talked about the team’s need to move on without Roy and how they’re going to do that. Find that story here!
In today’s installment we talk about another significant factor in Portland’s life after Brandon Roy, which is up-and-coming forward Nicolas Batum.
"We know he has a lot of potential, and early on I thought he was a little fatigued from playing so much over the summer with the national team," McMillan tells HOOPSWORLD. "Now he seems to be getting his energy back. It could be that he’s back in the starting lineup (smiling), and we need him. He’s doing some good things on both ends of the floor. His shot has been really streaky and we’d like him to get more consistent with that, but we like his potential. He’s going to get a real opportunity with Brandon being out and he’s certainly a big part of this organization’s future."
It hasn’t been an easy road for Batum early, as he missed more than half of his sophomore season after tearing a ligament in his right shoulder. It was just one of a plethora of bizarre injuries that hit the Blazers last season. Now that he’s healthy, Batum looks forward to being part of the solution this year.
"Last year was tough for me, missing almost 50 games," Batum tells HOOPSWORLD. "I don’t like to be on the sideline. I want to be on the court and I want to give my best to this team. I don’t know what’s been happening to us the last two years, but last year was crazy and now its happening again. We try to play through it, and somebody has to step up. Wesley has been doing well and LA is our go-to guy and playing well. If a couple of guys step up we can be in pretty good shape."
One of the guys who has to step up, of course, is Batum himself, and he’s been pulling his share of the load since Roy took a seat. Over the last ten games he’s averaging 11.5 points and grabbing 4.5 rebounds per game. Over the last five he’s upped his scoring to 13.4 points and shooting 51% from the field. More importantly, he’s bringing a level of energy on both ends of the floor that McMillan has been hoping to see.
"I have to step up, also. I have to step up," confirms Batum. "I’m going to play almost 30-35 minutes a game now because we’re missing guys, so I have to step up, I have to bring even more energy, be more aggressive on offense and defense I have to. I have to do it. Coach just wants me to bring energy on the court. He wants me to bring more energy on offense and defense, and try to play my game, that’s it. Hit open shots, get some rebounds, that’s about it."
Ultimately no one person is going to fill the void left by Brandon Roy’s departure. It’s going to take the entire team pulling together, and that reality is something the Blazers understand, from coaching staff to twelfth man.
"We have to stay together," confirms Batum. "We’re missing guys, and we can’t feel sorry. We have to stay together and stay united and lift each other up. We have 12 players who can be on the court every night and we all have to be ready."
It’s a tall order for Portland, but even without Roy and Oden the team is still very much in the playoff discussion. The real key to their success, however, is their new MVP. We’ll talk to that person about his newfound role on the team . . .and whether or not he’s really ready to accept it . . .tomorrow in this space.
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