Atlanta Krunk
Ballin' it up in the ATL
Archive for August, 2010
August 24, 2010 at 3:01 pm · Filed under Atlanta Hawks, NBA
With all the maximum salaries, mid-level exceptions and Bird rights clauses being thrown around in NBA off-season discussions, it’s safe to say even the casual basketball fan is walking away from this summer with a little more knowledge about NBA bookkeeping and the Collective Bargaining Agreement. Over the past few months, a lot of statistics and numbers have been thrown out as to forecast how teams will perform, what kind of future roster flexibility will be available and even what players might be on the move come this time next year and the year after. But weeding through the entire matrix of formulas and figures, one very underpublicized and underreported stat shines through in the evaluation of the 2010 free agency period: Dwyane Wade is only 6 months younger than Joe Johnson.Granted, right now Dwyane Wade is a much more high impact player than JJ, and if you could guarantee the same continued output going forward, it would seem Wade’s value greatly exceeds that of Johnson. Johnson’s deal is actually larger than Wade’s, as Wade, LeBron and Bosh all accepted reduced contracts in order to play together, however in talks leading up to their signing, no one in the NBA, from analysts to GMs to even fans, seemed to bat an eye at signing Wade to a max deal. Johnson’s contract on the other hand was declared “the worst in the NBA” before the pen had even touched paper. Considering their two vastly different styles of play, in three years can you absolutely say you would rather have Wade than Johnson? Read the rest of this entry »
August 24, 2010 at 2:52 pm · Filed under Atlanta Hawks, NBA
The 2010 off-season was a revolving door for most teams in the NBA’s Southeastern Conference. As the heat of August winds down, the winds of change in Atlanta, however, fell short of the gale force blasts sending franchise altering reverberations through cities such as Miami and Washington D.C. Not to say Atlanta’s summer was without addition or subtraction, after all, the past three months have seen a coaching change and entry draft, not to mention some free agency afterthoughts (i.e. Josh Powell). Still, the thinking among many Hawks fans is that this off-season served more as a reaffirmation of the team’s current strategy rather than the strategic overhaul some say is needed. By most accounts, the Hawks have hit a plateau as far their potential performance with their current core roster. Despite the fact that the Hawks have continued to improve their regular season win total in each of the last 5 seasons, the team is yet to move past the second round of the playoffs, stuck somewhere in between the upper echelon of Eastern Conference contenders and safely above the lottery bubble. Virtually every preseason forecaster will find the Hawks somewhere in the same playoff field, but with the same certainty they will guarantee Atlanta players are at home (as in watching on TV, not home-court advantage) when the conference semifinals roll around. Read the rest of this entry »
August 24, 2010 at 2:48 pm · Filed under All-Time Teams, High School Basketball, Local Legends
Point Guard: Louis Williams, South Gwinnett High School After leading South Gwinnett to a 5A state title in 2005, Williams was not only named Mr. Basketball Georgia, but also Naismith Prep Player of the Year. Williams graduated as the second all-time leading scorer in Georgia high school basketball history and would’ve taken his game to the states flagship university, the University of Georgia; however, Williams was declared ineligible prior to his freshman year. Williams declared for the NBA Draft where he was selected by the 76ers. After struggling in his rookie year, Williams has proven himself as a valuable contributor, improving in every year in the league. Still relatively young, his NBA future looks bright.Honorable Mention:Derrick Favors, South Atlanta High School The power forward had a remarkable high school career, not to mention a solid freshman year at Georgia Tech. Unfortunately, the youngster had the misfortune of being boxed out on this list by Abdur-Rahim, arguably the cities premiere high school talent of all-time.Javaris Crittenton, Southwest Atlanta Christian Academy Dwight Howard’s teammate during Crittenton’s sophomore season at SWACA formed the second half of one of the greatest tandems in the history of high school basketball. Crittenton more than held his own after Howard graduated as well, receiving his own recognition as Mr. Basketball Georgia, however Louis Williams was simply more prolific and faced tougher competition on a regular basis. Crittenton spent a year at Georgia Tech, where he had a very solid freshman year, before turning pro. Read the rest of this entry »
August 24, 2010 at 2:34 pm · Filed under All-Time Teams, High School Basketball, Local Legends
Power Forward: Shareef Abdur-Rahim , Wheeler High School The Atlanta Hawks faithful went into a frenzy when it was announced the Memphis Grizzlies would be trading their hometown hero for the rights to draft Pau Gasol. Looking back, the trade would mark the first time Billy Knight screwed the franchise (though this time from the outside, as the Grizzlies GM), however, Abdur-Rahim remains one of the most accomplished players in Atlanta high school basketball history, winning the state’s Mr. Basketball award in back-to-back years in ’94 and ’95.Small Forward: Josh Smith, McEachern High School Smith would later transfer to basketball magnet school Oak Hill Academy in Virginia for his senior season, though he remains the heart of soul of basketball and the city of Atlanta. Even hailing from Delta’s hometown the current Hawks power forward (small forward in high school) is still state’s highest flier, rejecting would be baskets while slamming the rock with authority on the other end. Read the rest of this entry »
August 24, 2010 at 2:22 pm · Filed under All-Time Teams, High School Basketball, Local Legends
While the Hawks have had their ups and downs as an NBA franchise, the city of Atlanta is undisputed as a hotbed for basketball talent, not to mention a popular off-season destination for basketball stars both to live and to visit. Every year, hundreds of Atlanta high school stars make their way from the Capital of the South to college basketball programs across the country, with a lucky few using their time on campus as a springboard to successful NBA careers. Atlanta’s abundance of young basketball talent has helped to keep the Georgia Tech program continuously competitive in the tough Atlantic Coastal Conference, not to mention carry the load as a recruiting base from schools across the southeast. With so many success stories, even famous names can at times be lost in the crowd, so what better than to honor the most successful Atlanta natives, as in people who began their basketball days in the metro area, to ever dribble the ball within a stone’s throw of the I-285 perimeter. Without further ado, here is the All-Time Atlanta Natives basketball roster, with a few deserving reserves (honorable mentions) thrown in just for good measure. Read the rest of this entry »