State of the Cap: Atlanta Hawks

[headliner]

2006/07 Atlanta Hawks Payroll: $31 million
2006/07 Estimated NBA Salary Cap: $52 million
Roughly: $21 million under cap

The Good: After a slow start, Joe Johnson came on strong towards the end of the season and posted numbers worthy of the pay raise the Hawks gave him. Johnson averaged more than 20 points a game, 6.7 assists, and shot well from the field. He will be a solid leader for this young team to build around. Johnson isn't really a superstar, and his salary is steep, but he's the sort of multidimensional player that the Hawks need.

Besides Johnson, no one on the Hawks will make more than $4 million next season. Al Harrington comes off the books this summer, saving the team about $7 million in cap space and losing Tony Delk saves them another $3.375 million.

Josh Smith and Josh Childress continued their steady play. Both averaged 10 points a game, both rebounded well, Childress shot over 55% from the field and Smith averaged a team-high 2.5 blocks per game. J-Smooth (Smith) really heated up offensively in the final month of the year. The Hawks will get to keep these two prospects for cheap rookie wages for another two seasons.

Zaza Pachulia is a bargain at center for only $4 million per year the next three seasons. He isn't a shot blocker, but he plays hard and gives the team a steady 11 points and 8 rebounds a game.

The Bad: If Atlanta had simply signed Joe Johnson for his current contract, it would have been a great deal. The fact that they had to give up a thriving Boris Diaw and two future first round draft picks really hurts. Some thought Diaw was a good player before the trade, but few could have possibly predicted just how great he would be with the Suns. A bottom-feeding NBA team trading away two future first round picks tells me that Atlanta has a plan for reaching the playoffs very soon. The picks have some lottery protections the next two seasons, so they do have some time to make things right.

Picking Chris Paul probably would have had this team thinking playoffs a lot sooner. The Hawks needed a point guard in a point guard heavy draft and what do they do? They draft yet another forward, then watch Paul run away with the Rookie of the Year award and nearly lead his team to the playoffs. Marvin Williams could be a great player someday, but not drafting Paul will haunt this franchise.

The Future: The Hawks are slowly getting better. They will roughly double their win total from last season, which is a good sign. They have a star that will be around for a while and some good, young players to work with. Marvin Williams hasn't exactly shined this year, but he hasn't been horrible either. We've seen flashes of his talent and as long as the Hawks don't resign Al Harrington, Marvin will have plenty of playing time next season.

The biggest thing going for the Hawks right now is their abundance of cap space. They have about $20 million dollars to work with. That figure could net you another superstar and a few good role players if they spend wisely. Unfortunately, there aren't any superstars available next summer. The best of the bunch is Ben Wallace, and its 99% certain he will be staying a Piston. There are some good bargain options out there and if the Hawks can resist the temptation to overpay for second-tier talent, they will still have plenty of space for the summer of 2007 when the free-agent class will be loaded with big names. Their best course of action would be to sit on their hands and be patient.

Bonus Points? if they don't resign Al Harrington. I can't stress this enough. Al is a good player, but he just doesn't fit the future of this team. All the forward minutes should go to the young guys Smith, Childress, and Williams. Any money spent on Al would be better spent on a point guard.

Grade: B[/b]

http://www.nbadraft.net/2006stateofthecapatlanta001.asp