Point guard swap in the offing?

["Thomas Murphy" <tfmiii@worldnet.att.net>]

I was surprised to read about the level of discontent in Atlanta, but
considering that they've become the league benchmark for mediocrity (always
making the playoffs and then flaming out in 1st or 2nd round) I guess it
was inevitable. The last straw was not just losing to the revamped Knicks
because, after all, the Hawks were plagued by injuries. The last straw was
HOW they lost - setting a new NBA record for low scoring in the shot-clock
era (since surpassed by Portland in their sweep at the hands of the Spurs)!
The two articles included below indicate that Lenny Wilkens may well seek
to shake up the roster - if only to forestall a Cleveland-style coup
d'etat. Atlanta has seemingly targeted PG as their greatest need at the
moment.

Atlanta needs more firepower and is reportedly on the look-out for a
point-guard with traditional PG skills. Boston would like a veteran PG who
can defend and be content bringing the ball quickly up-court and handing
off to the high-post. Could a swap be in the offing? The following scenario
strikes me as the most likely (caveat: this is informed speculation, not
inside info).

Boston sends PG Kenny Anderson (5.845 mil, '99) and SG Ron Mercer (2.034
mil '99) to Atlanta in exchange for 6-9 235lb PF Alan Henderson (4.725 mil
'99) and 6-1 185lb PG Mookie Blaylock (3.6 mil '99). Atlanta would toss in
one or two of its four first-round picks to even up the age/potential
differential. 

We know all about the strengths/weaknesses of the Boston players; what
about Henderson and Blaylock? Henderson (26 yrs old) came out of Indiana in
'95, so he can presumably tolerate a high-volume coach. He has battled back
from some tough luck (he suffered viral pancreatitis in his second season
and missed 51 games) and would provide the bulk we need at PF. He's never
been exactly "glass-plus" on the boards (this year's 6.6 rpg being his
career high) but is a good offensive rebounder (career 2.4 off rpg) and -
like Potapenko - can presumably be encouraged to step it up on the
defensive boards. His stats:
http://www.nba.com/playerfile/alan_henderson.html

Blaylock (32 yrs old) is, as you can see form the articles below, much more
of a question mark. His age, his desire, his lack of three-point shot
despite his leading the league in 3-pt attempts all point to potential
problems. That's why he's available. Yet one must take into account that he
has been mired on a team that has always struggled for points. This should
not be a problem with the Cs and Blaylock could focus on defense,
transition offense, and quickly advancing the ball. Hopefully Blaylock can
also be convinced to display the same kind of unselfish veteran leadership
by example that David Robinson instilled in the Spurs by sacrificing his
shot attempts for the better benefit of the team - no doubt such an example
would be beneficial to the team as a whole. His stats:
http://www.nba.com/playerfile/mookie_blaylock.html

Why would Atlanta do this? They need some offense - bad! - to go with the
defense anchored by Mutombo. Ron Mercer and Kenny Anderson (Georgia tech
alum) would represent an instant injection of offensive ability. Atlanta's
"desire" (as reported below) for a "pure point" who can "beat defenders off
the dribble" reads like a personal ad written especially for KA. And
remember, any defensive shortcomings in KA's or RM's games will be
minimized by Mutombo. Furthermore, Mercer's presence would enable Steve
Smith (at 6-8, 220 lbs) to slide over to SF - solving a 2-year-old gaping
hole in their line-up. Atlanta would continue to fill the PF with a combo
of dead-eye shooter Chris Crawford (6-9, 235), grey-beard Grant Long (6-9,
248) and - hopefully - a rehabilitated LaPhonso Ellis (6-8, 240) with the
option to seek more help via free agency and/or draft.

Why would Boston do this? This would age Boston in a hurry, and in so doing
presumably make Pitino's playoff pledge that much more attainable. The two
soft spots on the team would be addressed in one move that would also add
by subtraction in terms of current team chemistry (an offense flowing
through Walker/Pierce, hopefully taking a cue from the success of
Robinson/Duncan, i.e., many more opportunities for Pierce). Pitino would
get one of the league's premier ball-hawks for his defense-first PG (at a
reasonable price) who would be more than content to take direction from the
bench. Henderson would solve the need for bulk up-front, again at a
reasonable price, allowing Pitino to retain Battie and to continue using
him as a spark-plug off the bench. The first round pick(s) would give the
Cs a chance at a sliding first-rounder (Jason Terry? Radokevic?) without
the need to necessarily fulfill an immediate need. Major questions: can
Blaylock cut down on his bad shots? will he work out in the off-season?

My assessment: a good trade for the short run, but Blaylock may not have
many more seasons left in him. On the other hand, he won't be run into the
ground given Boston's current glut of PGs and this may extend his career,
particularly if Boston starts to make noise in the playoffs. Henderson has
shown promise but still has some strides to make, particularly on the
defensive glass. And, of course, can PP successfully slide to the 2-spot?
Chemistry would be enhanced with two more role-players and two less gunners
- this may be the best aspect of the trade. Another key may be drafting a
young PG to be trained by Blaylock for the near future (Jason Terry?,
Avery?); or perhaps Damon Jones will continue to impress. Overall grade: B+

Enjoy! -Tom Murphy

>>Atlanta Hawks
Team Report posted JUNE 5, 1999 

By TSN correspondent
Curtis Bunn
Atlanta Journal-Constitution

In Atlanta, there's a massive call for change within the Hawks, starting
with coach Lenny Wilkens. The Hawks' view is that Wilkens has not done much
to help his team with strategy, motivation or preparation. 

Indeed, Wilkens is a reserved coach whose emotions are seldom displayed.
This is perceived as a lack of fire, which is exactly how his team
performed. Most disturbing about the Hawks is that they played without a
passion or sense of urgency, even on the brink of being swept out of the
second round by the New York Knicks. 

Wilkens' calm nature typified the stoic presence of the team. It's one
thing to be an ordinary club, but it's quite another to be ordinary and
seemingly lacking drive. But that was the Hawks, and the public outcry is
for change. 

However, Wilkens is not going to change his demeanor -- and he's not going
anywhere. General manager Pete Babcock and president Stan Kasten both
indicated Wilkens' job security is solid, although he has not led Atlanta
past the second round in his five years running the club. 

Wilkens goes into the third year of a five-year extension worth $5 million
a season. The money alone is reason to keep Wilkens. 

However, Wilkens clearly has to bring a new approach to a team that ran
stale. He has to be more fiery and integrate an up-tempo style that
promotes scoring easy baskets. All season, it was a struggle to score
points, and that was exemplified by their anemic offensive effort in the
Knicks series. 

Wilkens, who has more wins than any coach in NBA history, has to shun the
post-up system the team has run and emphasize fast-breaking ball while
maintaining a solid half-court game. It may to too much to ask of a coach
who has run basically the same system for over 20 years. But if the Hawks
are to draw any interest next season -- or fans to the new Philips Arena --
Wilkens has to be at the center of the team's growth. 

He has to be creative with his style, develop his young talent --
especially promising forward Roshown McLeod -- and trust his bench while
becoming less tolerant with lazy players and more fierce in enforcing
penalties (be it playing time, fines, whatever) for those who do not bring
a commitment and passion to the game. And he has to start with himself. 

PLAYER ANALYSIS 

In point guard Mookie Blaylock, the Hawks have a floor leader that has done
more running into the ground than directing with aplomb. He opened the
season saying he was not going to shoot much, that his job was to be a
leader through tough on-ball defense and ball distribution on offense. 

Then the season started and Blaylock did what he does worst: Shoot. And
shoot. 

He took more three-pointers than anyone in the NBA this season, and made
just 27 percent of them. Somewhere, it seems it would have sunken in that
the three is not his shot and he would move his game inside the arc.
Instead, he just continued to hoist bombs, many times killing the flow --
for lack of a better word -- of the team's offense and crushing the morale
of his teammates. 

It's become painfully and frighteningly clear: Blaylock is not a point
guard in the classic tradition of NBA point guards. He cannot beat
defenders off he dribble, which means he does not create enough with the
drive-and-dish for his teammates. 

That is what Blaylock has to work on in the summer. But since he said he
spends most of his offseason playing golf until the last weeks of summer,
it's likely he will return to Atlanta the same player he's been. 

WHAT'S NEXT 

The Hawks continued to work out players they could draft with one of their
four first-round selections -- Nos. 17, 20, 21 and 27. The hope is they can
entice another team to make a trade for one or all of the picks plus a
player to get a quality veteran who can immediately help in return. 

On July 1, when teams can begin negotiating with free agents, the Hawks
will try to use their $4.4-million salary cap exception to ink someone.<<
http://www.sportingnews.com/nba/teams/hawks/index.html

>>Atlanta Hawks

Mookie’s miserable season means he may move on 

Despite the fact that team president Stan Kasten has declared that there
will be no wholesale changes to the club next season, word is that there’s
not an untouchable on the Atlanta roster. While the Hawks desire a skilled
player who also has some fire—and our sources tell us that Raptors free
agent Charles Oakley might fit the bill—the biggest need on the team could
well be at point guard, where Mookie Blaylock is coming off his worst
season, and backup Anthony Johnson failed to press Blaylock for the job at
all over the course of the year and looked confused in the postseason. As
much as Lenny Wilkens loves Blaylock, he’d love more of a pure point
guard—not a shooting guard whose size pushes him toward the 1-spot—even
more. We’re told that while Blaylock is well-liked and can lead the team
efficiently when he’s making his shots, some days he brings more intensity
to the floor than others. Worse, at the end of games, Blaylock has appeared
way too confused at times—he’s willing to step up and take the last shot of
a game, but he’s afraid to call a play down the stretch that will get the
ball into a teammate’s hands, deferring to Wilkens for play-calling.<<
http://www.basketballnews.com/content/nba/nba_set.asp?main=wwhi_main.asp