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Mike Budenholzer on Horford, Scott, Personnel

September 26th, 2015 at 9:15pm CST by ChrisCrouse

President of basketball operations/coach Mike Budenholzer recently sat down with Chris Vivlamore of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution to discuss the state of the Hawks.

The entire piece is worth a read, but we’ll pass along a few highlights here:

On Al Horford not wanting to negotiate during season, so his impending free agency doesn’t become a distraction to the team:

“Al is the kind of player that we value, very much respect and want to continue to keep him and build with him. We respect how he’€™s handled these questions so far. As the season goes on, he’s such a professional and wants to put the team first and keep the focus there. That’s part of the reason he’s somebody you want to keep going forward.”

On Mike Scott, who faces up to 25 years in prison on a pair of felony drug charges:

“Mike has been in the gym every day working unbelievably hard. His focus and diligence has been great. He and I have had a lot of good conversations. It’s a legal process, so I can’€™t comment on any of that, but his mental focus and preparedness for the season is in a really good place.”

On the changes to the basketball operations department:

“We feel great about the group that we’€™ve added. It’s like we always said, everything is done in a collaborative way, a collaborative fashion. To bring in guys with different skills and different backgrounds and different perspectives, and all of them incredibly intelligent and all good people. They understand the kind of players we want to have and the kind of people we want to have in the organization and the culture we are building. I think it was a really, really good summer. Going forward, we are better staffed, better prepared, to operate in a more efficient, more eyes on people, more good people with good ideas. The more of that you have, the better chance you have of making good decisions on players, on all the different things that happen during the season or even during a day.”

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Hawks Officially Sign Three For Camp

September 25th, 2015 at 4:32pm CST by Eddie Scarito

The Hawks have officially signed Earl Barron, DeQuan Jones and Edgar Sosa, the team announced via a press release. All three moves were expected, and though only Sosa’s pact was reported to be non-guaranteed, neither Jones’ or Barron‘s deals are likely to include any guaranteed salary, though that is merely my speculation. Atlanta now has the preseason maximum of 19 players on its roster. This number doesn’t include swingman Jason Richardson, who announced his retirement on Thursday.

The 34-year-old Barron hadn’t drawn much interest in free agency this summer, as our rumors page for him indicates, but he’s shown a knack for making his way onto NBA rosters despite limited playing time. Last season’s 16 games with the Suns were the most Barron had played in an NBA season since 2010/11, when he totaled 21 appearances split among three teams. The center’s best season was 2007/08, when he appeared in 46 contests, and 15 of them as a member of the starting lineup, for the Heat.

Jones, 25, went undrafted out of Miami back in 2012. He then secured a training camp invite from the Magic which he parlayed into a regular season roster spot for the 2012/13 campaign. Jones made 63 appearances for Orlando that season, including 17 starts, and averaged 3.7 points, 1.7 rebounds, and 0.3 assists to go along with a slash line of .436/.257/.667. The forward spent the 2014/15 season with Pallacanestro Cantù of the Lega Basket Serie A.

Sosa, 27, went undrafted out of Louisville back in 2010 after posting career NCAA numbers of 9.7 points, 1.8 rebounds, and 2.8 assists. He joined the Pistons summer league entry that season, but he ended up signing overseas with the Italian club Angelico Biella. The point guard spent the 2014/15 campaign playing for Dinamo Sassari in Italy. Sosa’s numbers last season were 10.7 PPG, 1.5 RPG, and 3.5 APG to accompany a slash line of .387/.320/.789.

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Hawks To Sign Earl Barron For Camp

September 25th, 2015 at 10:37am CST by Chuck Myron

The Hawks will sign Earl Barron to a training camp deal to replace the retiring Jason Richardson, a source tells Marc J. Spears of Yahoo Sports (Twitter link). The nine-year veteran finished last season with the Suns. He’s the 20th player with whom the Hawks have either a signed contract or a verbal agreement, putting them at the preseason roster limit, though they’ll ostensibly release Richardson soon.

The 34-year-old Barron hadn’t drawn much interest in free agency this summer, as our rumors page for him indicates, but he’s shown a knack for making his way onto NBA rosters despite limited playing time. Last season’s 16 games with the Suns were the most Barron had played in an NBA season since 2010/11, when he totaled 21 appearances split among three teams. The center’s best season was 2007/08, when he appeared in 46 contests, and 15 of them as a member of the starting lineup, for the Heat.

Atlanta offers him a decent chance at a regular season roster spot, since the team only has 13 fully guaranteed contracts. Mike Muscala has half of his two-year veteran’s minimum salary guaranteed, ostensibly giving him the inside track on spot No. 14. The four players aside from Barron who are in the mix for the 15th spot, assuming the Hawks carry that many guys on opening night, have a combined one year of NBA experience, so Barron is by far the best option if coach/executive Mike Budenholzer prefers a veteran.

Do you think Barron could help the Hawks this season? Leave a comment to weigh in.

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Southeast Notes: Richardson, Heat, Napier

September 24th, 2015 at 10:19pm CST by Eddie Scarito

It was concerns regarding his long-term health that led Jason Richardson to call it a career and retire, Marc J. Spears of Yahoo Sports writes. “I didn’t want to limp the rest of my life,” Richardson told Spears. “I still have my whole life in front of me, God willing. I sat alone at a park in Atlanta thinking and no one said anything to me because they didn’t recognize me since I just got there. I talked to my wife for an hour on the phone and then I sat for five hours thinking while listening to music before deciding that retiring was the right thing to do.” The 34-year-old had signed a one-year, non-guaranteed deal with the Hawks for the league minimum back in August. “I worked hard and had love and passion for the game,” Richardson added. “But I didn’t want to be that guy who was just there collecting a paycheck.”

Here’s more out of the Southeast Division:

  • Heat coach Erik Spoelstra is excited about the team’s offseason additions of Amar’e Stoudemire and Gerald Green, Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald relays. “If you had told me a year ago we would have an opportunity to sign both those players, I would have said that’s not realistic,” Spoelstra said. “We recruited Amar’e in 2010 and were fans of his game back then. His game has evolved and he has found a niche and a role the last couple of years we definitely can take advantage of. Gerald Green is an explosive player. Those type of game changing players are tough to find in this league. He has been very committed to get to know us and also be in a great shape. To be part of a championship culture and a team with high expectations. I told him you put on this jersey, there are different expectations. He loves the challenge of that.”
  • Point guard Shabazz Napier, whom the Magic acquired from Miami back in July, is expected to be the team’s third point guard behind Elfrid Payton and C.J. Watson, but the hope is that he can be developed into a future asset, Brian Schmitz of The Orlando Sentinel writes.
  • The Magic are pleased with the progress they have seen from Payton, who is entering his second season in the league, Josh Robbins of The Orlando Sentinel relays. When asked about the young guard’s outside shooting, coach Scott Skiles said, “It’s better. He’s put in a lot of time. He’s dedicated himself to it. Obviously, it doesn’t stop just because the season starts. Elfrid’s a talented guy. He’s still a young player. It’s a tough position to learn. Generally, guys aren’t totally polished at that in their second year in the NBA. But as I said before, ‘progress, not perfection.’ We just want him to continue to make progress, and we’re really high on him.“
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Jason Richardson To Retire

September 23rd, 2015 at 10:26pm CST by Eddie Scarito

10:26pm: Richardson had experienced pain in his right knee four to five days ago and then had an MRI that revealed bone spurs, Marc J. Spears of Yahoo Sports reports (Twitter links). The guard made his decision on Tuesday after deliberating for six hours, and he informed Hawks coach/executive Mike Budenholzer earlier today of his choice, Spears adds. Richardson, who already has issues with his left knee, feared that his ability to walk would be impaired for the rest of his life, which played a major factor in his decision, Spears tweets.

8:41pm: Veteran NBA shooting guard Jason Richardson has decided to call it a career, and has announced his retirement via his personal Instagram account. In his announcement, Richardson writes, “Today is a bitter sweet moment for me. I’m officially announcing my retirement from pro basketball. I like to thank the organizations and fans in Charlotte, Phoenix, Orlando, Philly and especially The Bay Area for their loyal support the past 14 years. Walking away was the hardest decision I had to make but choosing my health and spending time with my family is more important to me! God bless!” There has been no statement released by the Hawks as of yet regarding Richardson’s retirement.

The 34-year-old had signed a one-year, non-guaranteed deal with the Hawks for the league minimum back in August. While Richardson was once one of the more dynamic scorers in the league, various injuries derailed his career the past few seasons, limiting him to appearing in an average of just 26.5 games per year since the 2011/12 season. His retirement reduces Atlanta’s preseason roster count to 18 players.

Richardson had appeared in 19 contests for the Sixers last season, averaging 9.1 points, 3.5 rebounds, and 2.0 assists in 21.9 minutes per games. He also played for Warriors, Hornets, Suns, and Magic during the course of his career. Richardson’s career numbers through 13 NBA campaigns are 17.1 PPG, 5.0 RPG, and 2.7 RPG to go along with a slash line of .438/.370/.707.

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And-Ones: Durant, DeRozan, Warriors, Bennett

September 23rd, 2015 at 1:15pm CST by Chuck Myron

Kevin Durant is fully cleared for training camp, Thunder GM Sam Presti said, according to Royce Young of ESPN.com (Twitter link). Thus, the former MVP is ready for the start of a pivotal season for the Thunder, who’ll surely do what they can to prove their worth as a contender before Durant can bolt in free agency next summer, and for Durant himself, who’s out to prove he can stay healthy after a broken foot cost him all but 27 games this past season. While we wait for action to begin in a 2015/16 campaign sure to include plenty of chatter about Durant’s future, see more from around the NBA:

  • It’s certainly no shock, but GM Masai Ujiri conceded that DeMar DeRozan won’t be talking about an extension with the team this season in advance of his ability to opt out next summer, as Ujiri said this week on SportsNet’s Free Association podcast. The Aaron Goodwin client becomes eligible for an extension on October 31st, three years from the day that he inked a rookie scale extension with Toronto, but unlike those sorts of extensions, veteran extensions come with sharp financial limits that discourage players from signing them.
  • The Warriors don’t have much cap flexibility, but their existing roster and superior management team, which includes Executive of the Year Bob Myers, has them atop the ESPN Insiders Future Power Rankings, which rate teams based on their potential for success over the next three seasons.
  • Former 15th overall pick Austin Daye has hired agent Obrad Fimic of the AltiSport agency to negotiate deals in Europe, Fimic announced (on Twitter). The Hawks waived Daye in July, but no indication of NBA interest has emerged since.
  • The Timberwolves didn’t provide Anthony Bennett with the tools to succeed on the court, as Flip Saunders‘ lack of enthusiasm for three-pointers encouraged the former No. 1 overall pick to launch too many long twos, one of myriad problems with Bennett’s game, opines Ben Golliver of Sports Illustrated. Still, Bennett deserves blame for many of his shortcomings, too, and he’ll need to show improvement just to carve out a niche as a reserve stretch four, Golliver believes.
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Southeast Notes: Wizards, Holiday, Magic

September 18th, 2015 at 9:31pm CST by Eddie Scarito

The Wizards are hoping that their $55MM Entertainment and Sports Arena which, when construction is completed, will serve as their practice facility, among other uses, will be a powerful lure for free agents, especially Kevin Durant, who is set to hit the open market next summer, Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPN.com writes. Team owner Ted Leonsis also plans to add a D-League affiliate in the near future that will play in the new facility, Youngmisuk adds. Washington is currently operating without its own D-League affiliate.

“The Wizards would have a world-class practice facility and our fans would be able to watch practice,” Leonsis said. “And then we would attach to that facility a mini arena that would be really state of the art, maybe seat 3,000 to 5,000 people and we can do charity events there and have some preseason games there and maybe the Washington Mystics would play some games there. And we’d then also want to bring a D-League team there to the community and we would program it to put it in a part of the city that can really use hundreds of jobs,” he added. “Verizon Center is credited with helping turn around downtown D.C. and we think we can do it again in another community that needs a bear hug and some transformation.”

Here’s more from the Southeast Division:

  • The Hawks have officially named Michael Blackstone as assistant GM, John Treloar as Director of Player Personnel, Malik Rose as Manager of Basketball Operations, Dotun Akinwale as Manager of Scouting, Matt Elijah as Manager of Basketball Administration, Daniel Starkman as Coordinator of Basketball Operations and David Painter as Director of Basketball Facilities, the team announced (h/t to Chris Vivlamore of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, who first reported the moves).
  • The Magic have an intriguing collection of talent on paper, though it remains to be seen how well the players will mesh together on the court, Tim Bontemps of The New York Post (Facebook link) writes in his season preview. Orlando has enough firepower to make the postseason, but it may take another season before the team gets there, Bontemps concludes.
  • Justin Holiday is itching to assume a larger role with the Hawks than he had on a stacked Warriors squad in 2014/15, KL Chouinard of NBA.com writes in a profile of the guard. The 26-year-old appeared in 59 contests for Golden State last season, but only averaged 11.1 minutes of action per night. Holiday inked a two year pact with Atlanta this offseason.
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Hawks To Sign Edgar Sosa

September 18th, 2015 at 5:38pm CST by Eddie Scarito

5:38pm: Sosa’s deal is non-guaranteed, international journalist David Pick tweets.

4:35pm: The Hawks have agreed to a deal with unrestricted free agent point guard Edgar Sosa, Chris Vivlamore of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports (via Twitter). The length and terms of the pact are unknown, but Vivlamore refers to it as a training camp pact, which means it is likely a minimum salary contract with little or no guaranteed money included, though that is merely my speculation.

Sosa, 27, went undrafted out of Louisville back in 2010 after posting career NCAA numbers of 9.7 points, 1.8 rebounds, and 2.8 assists. He joined the Pistons summer league entry that season, but he ended up signing overseas with the Italian club Angelico Biella. The point guard spent the 2014/15 campaign playing for Dinamo Sassari in Italy. Sosa’s numbers last season were 10.7 PPG, 1.5 RPG, and 3.5 APG to accompany a slash line of .387/.320/.789.

The 6’3″ guard joins a Hawks squad that already has 18 players on the roster, including 13 with fully guaranteed deals. The team’s coaching staff has some experience with Sosa, with him having played on the Dominican Republic’s squad during this summer’s FIBA Olympic qualifying tournament that Hawks assistant coach Kenny Atkinson was a part of, Vivlamore notes (Twitter link).

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Southeast Notes: Washburn, Hawks, Watson

September 17th, 2015 at 10:15pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Hornets training camp signee Jason Washburn could not continue to play overseas because the political unrest in Ukraine made it unsafe to do so, Jessica Camerato of Basketball Insiders writes in her profile of the 25-year-old center. “They [his team] said we can’t pay you anymore – this has really destroyed our economy – and we can’t guarantee your safety,” Washburn said. “We think you should leave.”

Washburn understands that it will be difficult to make Charlotte’s regular season roster, with the team already possessing 14 players with fully guaranteed deals, Camerato adds. “I don’t know the odds [of making the team] and to be honest, I don’t care,” Washburn continued. “I’m going to come in here, soak up what I can, play as hard as I can, if I get my opportunity, try to take as best advantage of it as I can and let the chips fall where they may.”

Here’s more from the Southeast Division:

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Hawks To Sign DeQuan Jones

September 16th, 2015 at 5:37pm CST by Eddie Scarito

The Hawks have agreed to a deal with unrestricted free agent small forward DeQuan Jones, Shams Charania of Yahoo Sports reports (on Twitter). The length and terms of the agreement are not known, but Charania referred to it as a training camp deal, meaning that it is likely a minimum salary arrangement that includes little or no guaranteed money, though that is merely my speculation.

The 25-year-old went undrafted out of Miami back in 2012. He then secured a training camp invite from the Magic which he parlayed into a regular season roster spot for the 2012/13 campaign. Jones made 63 appearances for Orlando that season, including 17 starts, and averaged 3.7 points, 1.7 rebounds, and 0.3 assists to go along with a slash line of .436/.257/.667. The forward spent the 2014/15 season with Pallacanestro Cantù of the Lega Basket Serie A.

The addition of Jones will give Atlanta a roster count of 18 players, including 13 possessing fully guaranteed pacts. Jones will compete for a regular season roster spot with Terran Petteway, Jason Richardson, and Lamar Patterson, though he certainly will be considered a longshot to make the final cut at the end of the preseason.

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