http://www.hoopsworld.com/Story.asp?story_id=17321 Up until late August, the Atlanta Hawks had seemingly survived the dog days of summer unscathed. The team had found a promising, experienced "rookie" head coach in Larry Drew, acquired a strong rookie talent in Jordan Crawford, and re-signed leading scorer Joe Johnson to keep their squad's core intact. Then news broke of Jamal Crawford's desire to receive a contract extension, followed by a trade demand if the extension wasn't offered. Crawford's stance is understandable. He'll be 31 next March and his best days are most likely in the rearview mirror. The new collective bargaining agreement, which is expected to be more owner friendly, is on the horizon and also a contributing factor. However, the Hawks' stance on remaining patient is also worthy of note. Last season, Atlanta re-signed Mike Bibby, Marvin Williams and Zaza Pachulia. Throw in Johnson's max deal earlier this summer and it's no surprise why ownership isn't willing to hand out another extension without more postseason success. Before Crawford joined the Hawks in 2009, none of his teams had won more than 35 contests in a season. His transition from a high volume shot attempter to efficient marksmen off the bench earned him the Sixth Man of the Year award. Even with the positive moves Atlanta has been able to make as of late, most experts still don't consider the franchise ready to join the ranks of the elite. So while the Hawks, who have the leverage in this situation, have decided to sit back and let things play out, we've put our minds together and identified a few deals that could ultimately help the franchise in the event Crawford was shipped. ..
I'm in the way minority on this one, but I'd like to see a backcourt of Jamal Crawford and Brandon Roy.
