<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">So what must the Hawks do to make the NBA playoffs for the first time during this millennium? Glad you asked. The answer lies somewhere between this historically baffling franchise needing seven of the Eastern Conference's other 14 teams to fold (eight make the playoffs) to hoping Harry The Hawk joins the cow in jumping over the moon (you know, a miracle). Let's start with the Hawks' current predicament, and then we'll move to how they can become relevant again before the next millennium. Courtesy of finally getting a decent point guard and more experience for what was the league's youngest team, these Hawks actually are better than last season's bunch, who doubled the franchise's win total from the year before to 26. It's just that nearly everybody else in the conference also is better. The playoff locks from the East are Detroit, Cleveland, New Jersey and Miami, with Chicago, Milwaukee, Indiana and Orlando the leaders for the remaining berths. Then you have Boston, Toronto and New York, all superior to the Hawks, all capable of winning the 42 games or so that could keep your average NBA team away from an early vacation in late spring. This is a 30-something Hawks team when it comes to victories. To evolve into more than that, the Hawks are two significant players away. Such a transition from nothing to something is easier than you think. Once, the New Jersey Nets were the Hawks, but they surged from 26 victories to the Eastern Conference finals after they added Kenyon Martin and Jason Kidd. With Antawn Jamison and Gilbert Arenas, the Washington Wizards went from 25 victories one season to capturing their first playoff series in 23 years. All that the Phoenix Suns did was manage the third-largest turnaround in NBA history with a healthy Amare Stoudemire and a spectacular newcomer, Steve Nash, taking them from 29 victories to a league-high 62. Consider, too, that more than a few significant players will be available after this season through free agency and the college draft. For instance: The Hawks' first-round pick that they dealt to Phoenix in their Joe Johnson deal is lottery protected, which means they'll have a nice chance to get Greg Oden, Ohio State's splendid center in waiting, or Kevin Durant, a likely one-year wonder for the University of Texas. As for free agents, the Hawks can choose from among Kirk Hinrich, Darko Milicic and Chauncey Billups, which brings us to this: Speedy Claxton, the point guard the Hawks acquired this summer, is fine, but Mike Bibby, another pending free agent this summer, is fantastic.</div> Source
Hinrich has been locked up <div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">Kirk Hinrich had a big decision to make and chose security. League sources said that Hinrich and the Bulls have agreed to a deal that is worth $47.5 million and starts in the 2007-08 season at roughly $7.8 million. The deal will pay Hinrich approximately $11.42 million during its final season in 2011-2012. Hinrich initially sought a deal similar to Tony Parker's, who averages $11 million annually, but in a recent interview, he said he might eventually take what he described in another more casual conversation as "more money than I'll ever need in my lifetime." "I'm comfortable financially right now," he said. "I don't spend a lot. ... And when you're talking numbers like we're talking, it's almost surreal."</div>
