| Hawks Free Agent Focus: The Center Authored by Patrick J. Austin - July 2, 2005 - 6:20 pm
This offseason is going to feature a plethora of extremely talented free agent centers. The Hawks are in desperate need of a legit big man and have the cash to go get one (or two, if possible).
The list of available post players includes Samuel Dalembert, Zrydunas Ilgauskas, and Eddy Curry. Furthermore, there are a number of center-power forward hybrids on the market, most notably Tyson Chandler, Kwame Brown, and Stromile Swift.
Each of them has positives and negatives. Who should the Hawks sign? Well, let’s take a look at each…
Samuel Dalembert
Out of the group listed, the Hawks would definitely prefer Mr. Dalembert. He’s a 6-11 shot blocker who’s drawn comparisons to a young Dikembe Mutombo. Unfortunately, he’ll be the toughest free agent to sign.
Dally is a restricted free agent, which means the Philadelphia 76ers can match any offer sheet we give him. And Billy King, the Sixers GM, has said he’ll do exactly that.
Will this stop the Hawks from courting Sammy D.? Of course not. When the free agent courting period began on July 1st, we were one of the first teams to contact him.
Realistically, the only way we can dissuade the Sixers from matching an offer for Dalembert is to give him a max deal; something similar to what Kenyon Martin received last summer might do the trick. But even then, the ball will be in the Sixers court.
Eddy Curry
Curry is a true center with good offensive abilities, and that’s hard to find in today’s NBA. Though, he leaves much to be desired on the defensive end and is a surprisingly poor rebounder.
That’s why there’s a good chance Curry will bolt Chicago. He and Scott Skiles have clashed on many occasions and the organization seems more committed to the coach than the player (what a rarity). If we sign Big Ed to a five-year/fifty million dollar offer sheet, I don’t see Chicago matching.
Tyson Chandler
Chandler is the antithesis of Curry. He’s a good rebounder and defensive talent, but doesn’t do much on the offensive end. I could see us making an offer, but the Bulls seem set on re-signing him. If they had to choose between Tyson and Eddy, they’d take Tyson in the blink of an eye.
Zrydunas Ilgauskas
Ilgauskas, like Curry, is a very good offensive center. In addition, he’s a pretty good rebounder and a decent shot blocker. Earlier in the summer, I believed we had a shot to land him; but with Danny Ferry as the new Cavs G.M., I expect Z to remain in Cleveland.
Stromile Swift
The Stro Show has a very good chance of coming to Atlanta. He’s an unrestricted free agent, which means the Hawks can sign him outright without having to worry about Memphis matching an offer sheet.
Furthermore, Billy Knight is a big Swift fan. He drafted him with the second overall pick back in 2000 when he was with Vancouver. If Swift keeps his contract demands under control (i.e. somewhere in the neighborhood of forty to fifty million dollars) then I expect to see him in a Hawks uni.
Kwame Brown
Brown is certainly the most disappointing player of the bunch, which is why we have such a good chance of signing him. Kwame’s unceremonious exit from Washington during the playoffs is a clear sign he’ll be suiting up elsewhere next season.
It makes perfect sense for him to sign with us. He’s originally from Georgia, the team has a couple of high schoolers (i.e. Josh Smith and Al Harrington) he can spend time with, and he wouldn’t have the burden of being a “franchise savior”.
If we offer him a four or five year contract starting at around five to six million dollars, the Wizards would happily waive bye, bye to Kwame. And who knows, maybe a fresh start is all he needs to turn things around.
Conclusion
Like I said, each of these free agents has positives and negatives. We’ll be taking a risk with any of them. But our franchise needs to take some risks. You don’t win championships by playing it safe. Hopefully, B.K. will realize this and fortify our five spot with some real talent. |
