Category: Atlanta Hawks Blog

Atlanta Hawks blog

Three-team trade sends Danilo Gallinari to Clippers, Jamal Crawford to Hawks

Three-team trade sends Danilo Gallinari to Clippers, Jamal Crawford to Hawks

The L.A. Clippers announced today the team has acquired forward Danilo Gallinari from the Denver Nuggets as part of a three-team trade that sends Jamal Crawford, Diamond Stone and L.A.’s 2018 protected first round draft pick (via Houston) to Atlanta and a 2019 second round draft pick from Atlanta (via Washington) to Denver.

Gallinari, 28, averaged 18.2 points, 5.2 rebounds and 2.1 assists in 63 games (all starts) last season with the Nuggets. An eight year NBA veteran, Gallinari has appeared in 460 career games (390 starts) with Denver and the New York Knicks, and owns career averages of 15.3 points, 4.7 rebounds 2.0 assists. The Sant’Angelo Lodigiano native was originally selected by the Knicks with the 6th pick in the 2008 NBA Draft after spending four-plus years playing internationally in Italy.

“Since we acquired Danilo in 2011, he has exemplified every positive aspect of the organization we are continuing to build,” said Nuggets President and Governor Josh Kroenke. “His hard work, professionalism, and efforts in the Denver community during his time with us will forever make him a fan favorite. On behalf of Nuggets fans everywhere and our entire organization, I would like to thank him for everything he did during his time with us and wish him nothing but the best in the future both in life and in basketball.”

“Danilo has been a special player for the Nuggets organization as well as a prominent figure in the Denver community for the last six years,” stated Connelly. “He was a consummate professional throughout his time with us and we want to wish him all the best as he begins this new chapter.”

Stone, 20, was a second-round pick of the New Orleans Pelicans (40th overall) in the 2016 NBA Draft, and was traded to the Clippers on draft night. Last season, he played in seven contests with the Clippers, spending much of the year in the NBA G League with Santa Cruz Warriors and Salt Lake City Stars. In 13 games (two starts) in the G League, the 6’11 center averaged 16.2 points and 7.0 rebounds in 21.7 minutes (.491 FG%, .826 FT%).

The Milwaukee, WI native played his freshman season at the University of Maryland, averaging 12.5 points and 5.4 rebounds in 22.6 minutes (.568 FG%, .761 FT%) before declaring for the 2016 Draft.

Crawford, who has won the NBA’s Sixth Man of the Year Award a record three times (including with Atlanta), played from 2009-11 with the Hawks, and has also seen action with the Chicago Bulls (2000-04), the New York Knicks (2004-08), Golden State Warriors (2008-09), Portland Trail Blazers (2011-12) and the Clippers (2012-17).

In 17 NBA seasons, the 6’5 guard holds career averages of 15.3 points, 3.5 assists and 2.3 rebounds in 30.6 minutes (1182 games, 433 starts). He was originally the eighth overall pick of the 2000 NBA Draft by the Cleveland Cavaliers after playing one season collegiately at Michigan.

Paul Millsap to sign with Nuggets

An early theme of 2017 free agent negotiations continues: Yet another really good NBA player is leaving the Eastern conference and heading West. The latest being versatile power forward Paul Millsap, who will reportedly say goodbye to the Atlanta Hawks and sign with the Denver Nuggets. Here’s the Denver Post reporting:

Paul Millsap to sign with Nuggets

The Nuggets landed one of the most significant free agents in franchise history Sunday night, agreeing to a three-year, $90 million deal with power forward Paul Millsap, a league source confirmed.

Millsap, 32, was an all-star with the Atlanta Hawks each of the last four seasons and gives the Nuggets an impact frontcourt presence alongside center Nikola Jokic.

Hawks sign rookie John Collins

Hawks sign rookie John Collins

The Atlanta Hawks Basketball Club has signed rookie forward John Collins to his rookie contract, it was announced today by General Manager and Head of Basketball Operations Travis Schlenk.

Collins, the 19th overall pick by the Hawks in the 2017 NBA Draft, averaged 19.2 points, 9.8 rebounds and 1.6 blocks in 26.6 minutes (.622 FG%, .745 FT%) in 33 games (all starts) as a sophomore at Wake Forest last season on his way to garnering All-ACC First Team and ACC Most Improved Player honors, as well as Second Team All-America recognition by the Basketball Times. He led the conference in FG% and 20-point/10-rebound games (10), while ranking second in rebounding and third in scoring in helping the Demon Deacons to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2010.

For his career, Collins tallied 13.4 points, 7.0 rebounds and 1.2 blocks in 20.7 minutes (.601 FG%, .729 FT%) in 64 games (34 starts). As a freshman, he averaged 7.3 points and 3.9 rebounds in 14.4 minutes (.547 FG% – tops on the team) in 31 contests (one starting assignment).

Hawks trade Ryan Kelly to Rockets

Hawks trade Ryan Kelly to Rockets

The Atlanta Hawks have traded forward Ryan Kelly to the Houston Rockets in exchange for cash considerations, it was announced today by General Manager and Head of Basketball Operations Travis Schlenk.

Kelly appeared in 16 games for the Hawks last season. He was originally signed on September 20, 2016 and waived on October 19, 2016. He re-signed on October 31, 2016 and was waived on January 6, 2017. He signed again with the Hawks on February 24, 2017 to a multi-year contract.

NBA trade: Hawks send Dwight Howard to Hornets

Hawks trade Dwight Howard to Hornets

Charlotte Hornets General Manager Rich Cho announced today that the team has acquired center Dwight Howard and the 31st overall selection in the 2017 NBA Draft from the Atlanta Hawks in exchange for Marco Belinelli, Miles Plumlee and the 41st overall pick in the 2017 NBA Draft.

“We are excited to add a player of Dwight’s stature to our roster,” said Cho. “He has been a very talented player, an elite rebounder and rim protector as well as a physical presence since the moment he entered the league. Howard’s best seasons came alongside Coach Steve Clifford and we believe their familiarity will make an immediate impact for the Hornets this upcoming season.”

“I’m excited about working with Dwight again,” added Hornets Head Coach Steve Clifford. “He brings a defensive mindset, shot blocking ability and a level of physicality that will be a huge asset for us. We look forward to him continuing his career here in Charlotte.”

Howard, the first overall pick in the 2004 NBA Draft, holds career averages of 17.5 points, 12.7 rebounds and 2.0 blocks in 954 games played. In his 13 seasons, Howard has earned three NBA Defensive Player of the Year selections, eight All-Star appearances, eight appearances on All-NBA rosters (including five First Team All-NBA selections) and five selections to NBA All-Defensive teams.

The newly-acquired Hornets center will enter 2017-18 ranked fourth in NBA history in field goal percentage shooting 58.5% from the field, 22nd in total rebounds with 12,089 and 20th in blocks with 1,916 for his career. In each of his 13 seasons, Howard has averaged a double-double in points and rebounds, becoming only the sixth player in NBA history to do so in his first 13 seasons, along with Wilt Chamberlain, Tim Duncan, Moses Malone, Shaquille O’Neal and Bill Russell.

Among current active players, Howard ranks first in total rebounds (12,089), offensive rebounds (3,392) and blocked shots (1,916), eighth in free throws made (4,671) and 15th in total points scored (16,652).

Including a trip to the 2009 NBA Finals with Orlando, Howard has appeared in 95 postseason games in his career holding averages of 18.4 points (on 58.6% field goal shooting), 13.8 rebounds and 2.5 blocks per game.

“It is extremely important for our organization that we maintain our flexibility and this trade helps us achieve that critical goal,” said Hawks General Manager and Head of Basketball Operations Travis Schlenk. “We appreciate the contributions that Dwight made on the court and in the greater Atlanta community this past season.”

In his 10th season in the NBA, Belinelli averaged 10.5 points on .429 shooting from the field while hitting .360 from three-point range and .893 from the free throw line, the ninth-best percentage in the league this season. He also averaged 2.4 rebounds and 2.0 assists in 24.0 minutes per game in 74 games played this season. His 10.5 point per game average marked the fifth time in his career that he topped double figures in scoring average.

The 6-foot-5 Italian shooting guard has career averages of 9.6 points on .425 shooting, 2.1 rebounds and 1.7 assists in 644 games (216 starts). He has shot .377 from three-point range over that period. In 2014, he contributed to the San Antonio Spurs winning the NBA Championship, becoming the first Italian player to achieve that feat. He has also spent time with Golden State, Toronto, New Orleans, Chicago and Sacramento.

Plumlee, 28, has played in 273 games (133 starts) in his five-year career with Indiana, Phoenix, Milwaukee and Charlotte and posted averages of 5.1 points on .530 shooting and 4.7 rebounds in 16.7 minutes per game. He appeared in 45 contests during the 2016-17 season, playing 32 games with the Bucks before joining the Hornets via trade and appearing in 13 games with Charlotte.

Dwight Howard was pulled over, had car towed after Hawks elimination

Hawks center Dwight Howard obviously had an annoying evening the night his team was eliminated from the 2017 NBA Playoffs, but what happened afterwards was even more of a struggle. Here’s the Atlanta Journal Constitution reporting:

Dwight Howard pulled over, had car towed after Hawks elimination

After the Washington Wizards ended the Atlanta Hawks’ season on April 28 – beating them 115-99 in Game 6 of the playoffs – highly paid Hawks’ center Dwight Howard went for a drive.

Just a few hours after that loss, Howard was pulled over by police in Dunwoody. A few minutes later, an officer had the eight-time NBA All-Star’s car towed.

A police report states that Howard, 31, was pulled over for speeding in the wee hours of the morning on April 29. Police found that he was driving on a suspended registration and without insurance.

Malik Rose name GM of Erie BayHawks

Malik Rose name GM of Erie BayHawks

The Atlanta Hawks have announced the promotion of Malik Rose to General Manager of the Erie BayHawks, Atlanta’s NBA Development League affiliate beginning next season. In addition to his general manager responsibilities, he will maintain his current role within the Hawks basketball operations team.

“We are pleased to announce Malik as the first general manager of our development league franchise. We have been consistent in expressing our belief in the importance of the NBA Development League as we have benefitted greatly from its player and staff development,” President of Basketball Operations/Head Coach Mike Budenholzer said. “Malik will do an excellent job setting the foundation of our basketball operations culture and system in Erie.”

The Hawks and the D-League had previously announced that Atlanta’s new team will play in Erie the next two seasons before permanently relocating to a newly-constructed arena in College Park, GA prior to the 2019-20 season.

“Malik continues to play an invaluable role in our front office and the added responsibility of managing the day-to-day operations of our D-League expansion is a natural progression for both Malik and the Hawks,” Hawks General Manager Wes Wilcox said. “We look forward to a successful 2017-18 season in the NBA Gatorade League and to our upcoming relocation to College Park in 2019.”

Eight current Hawks have NBA D-League experience, including starters Kent Bazemore and Dennis Schröder, while assistant coaches Darvin Ham and Taylor Jenkins both began their coaching careers on NBA D-League benches. Additionally, Hawks GM Wes Wilcox served as the inaugural general manager of the NBA D-League’s Canton Charge while Hawks’ Director of Player Personnel John Treloar served as the first head coach in franchise history for the Erie BayHawks.

“I’m thankful to Tony Ressler, our ownership team, Coach Bud and Wes for trusting me with this great opportunity. We have utilized the Development League extensively over the past two seasons, and in that time, we have seen the incredible value in the D-League,” Rose said. “I look forward to helping to establish our D-League operation and cannot wait to get started.”

A 13-year NBA veteran as a player, Rose appeared in 813 regular season games with the Charlotte Hornets, San Antonio Spurs, New York Knicks and Oklahoma City Thunder, where he averaged 6.2 points and 4.1 rebounds in 16.5 minutes. Rose was drafted by Charlotte in the second round (44th overall) of the 1996 NBA Draft. He also appeared in 82 playoff games. Rose won NBA championships with the Spurs in 1999 and 2003.

After retiring from playing in the NBA, Rose worked as a color commentator, including for his hometown Philadelphia 76ers. He also worked in broadcasting for the Thunder, Spurs, Knicks, Austin of the NBA D-League, NBA TV and NBA Radio from 2005-10.

A Philadelphia, PA native, Rose played collegiately at Drexel University from 1992-96, where he earned degrees in Computer Information Systems and Education with a Mathematics Certification. He also has a Master’s in Sports Management.

Paul Millsap injury update

After visiting Dr. James Andrews of the Andrews Sports Medicine and Orthopaedic Center in Pensacola, Florida and conferring with Dr. Kyle Hammond and Dr. Kenneth Mautner of the Emory Orthopaedics & Spine Center, Atlanta Hawks forward Paul Millsap has been diagnosed with left knee synovitis and has undergone a non-surgical procedure at Emory. He will be listed as out for the next three games and his status will be updated as appropriate.

Hawks coach Mike Budenholzer suspended

Atlanta Hawks head coach Mike Budenholzer has been suspended one game without pay for making contact with a game official, it was announced today by Kiki VanDeWeghe, Executive Vice President, Basketball Operations. Coach Budenholzer also made contact with a game official last season on November 21, 2015 during a game against the Cleveland Cavaliers.

The most recent incident occurred with 2:42 remaining in the third quarter of the Hawks’ 135-130 loss to the Cavaliers on March 3 at Philips Arena.

Budenholzer will serve his suspension on Sunday, March 5 when the Hawks host the Indiana Pacers.