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Atlanta Hawks sign first-round draft pick Adreian Payne

The Atlanta Hawks have signed rookie forward/center Adreian Payne, it was announced today by President of Basketball Operations/General Manager Danny Ferry.

Payne was selected 15th overall by Atlanta in the 2014 NBA Draft. And as a first-round draft pick, he was guaranteed to receive a contract. This signing is standard, and was expected.

Payne started all six games for the Hawks’ Las Vegas Summer League entry earlier this month, and averaged 12.5 points, 7.0 rebounds, 1.2 assists and 1.0 steals in 29.0 minutes.

A four-year letterman at Michigan State, Payne finished his career as the Spartans’ all-time leader in blocked shots (141) while becoming one-of-nine players in school history with 1,200 career points (1,232) and 700 career rebounds (735). He was a two-time Second Team All-Big Ten honoree, as a junior and senior, while garnering Second Team NABC and USBWA All-District accolades last season. As a senior, Payne averaged 16.4 points, 7.3 rebounds, 1.3 assists and 0.9 blocks in 28.1 minutes in 31 games (.503 FG%, .423 3FG%, .790 FT%). In 138 career games, the 6-10 forward/center averaged 8.9 points, 5.3 rebounds and 1.0 blocks in 20.0 minutes (.526 FG%, .409 3FG%, .755 FT%). Additionally, he played for USA Basketball in the summer of 2013 at the World University Games in Kazan, Russia.

Thunder sign-and-trade Thabo Sefolosha to Hawks

The Atlanta Hawks completed a sign-and-trade deal with the Oklahoma City Thunder that will bring guard/forward Thabo Sefolosha to Atlanta, as well as the draft rights to Giorgos Printezis, in exchange for the draft rights to Sofoklis Schortsanitis, it was announced today by President of Basketball Operations/General Manager Danny Ferry.

“Thabo is an unselfish, competitive and playoff-tested player, and does many things well on both sides of the ball,” Ferry said. “He also fills a need, giving us more size and depth at the wing position. He’s been a part of winning programs and will fit our culture well.”

Sefolosha, 30, played and started in 61 games last season with the Oklahoma City Thunder, averaging 6.3 points, 3.6 rebounds, 1.5 assists and 1.3 steals in 26.0 minutes (.415 FG%, .768 FT%). In his eight-year career, Sefolosha has appeared in 551 games with the Thunder and Bulls (407 starting assignments) and has averaged 5.8 points, 3.7 rebounds, 1.5 assists and 1.1 steals in 23.4 minutes (.442 FG%, .348 3FG%, .746 FT%). He was selected to the NBA’s All-Defensive second team in 2009-10.

He has also played in 78 playoff games, starting 67, averaging 4.6 points, 2.8 rebounds, 1.1 assists and 1.0 steals in 19.9 minutes.

Sefolosha was originally selected by the Philadelphia 76ers with the 13th overall pick of the 2006 NBA Draft, and was traded to Chicago in exchange for the draft right to Rodney Carney, a second-round pick and cash considerations. He spent two-and-a-half seasons with the Bulls before going to the Thunder on February 19, 2009 in exchange for a first-round pick.

The native of Vevey, Switzerland has also played for Tege Riviera Basket (Switzerland), Elan Chalon (France) and Angelico Biella (Italy). He also played briefly for Fenerbahce Ulker in Turkey in 2011.

Printezis was originally selected by the San Antonio Spurs in the second round (58th overall) of the 2007 NBA Draft. He currently plays for Olympiacos Piraeus in Greece.

Atlanta acquired the draft rights to Schortsanitis from the Los Angeles Clippers on July 30, 2012 in a sign-and-trade transaction for Willie Green, after he was originally selected by the Clippers in the second round (34th overall) of the 2003 NBA Draft. He currently plays for Maccabi Tel Aviv in Israel.

Atlanta Hawks waive John Salmons

The Atlanta Hawks requested waivers on guard/forward John Salmons yesterday (7/10/14), it was announced by President of Basketball Operations/General Manager Danny Ferry.

Salmons was acquired, along with a 2015 second round draft pick, from Toronto on June 30 in exchange for Lou Williams and the draft rights to Lucas Nogueira.

Atlanta Hawks sign Thabo Sefolosha

The Atlanta Hawks have signed free agent guard/forward Thabo Sefolosha, it was announced today by President of Basketball Operations/General Manager Danny Ferry. According to multiple reports, it is a three-year deal for a total of $12 million.

He has also played in 78 playoff games, starting 67, averaging 4.6 points, 2.8 rebounds, 1.1 assists and 1.0 steals in 19.9 minutes.

Hawks trade Lou Williams to Raptors

The Atlanta Hawks have acquired a 2015 second round pick and guard/forward John Salmons from the Toronto Raptors in exchange for guard Lou Williams and the draft rights to Lucas Nogueira, it was announced today by President of Basketball Operations/General Manager Danny Ferry.

“The trade allows us greater flexibility as we continue to build our team and add players that best fit how we want to continue to grow as a program.” Ferry said. “Lou has been really good for us. We would like to thank him for his contributions over the past two seasons and the professionalism he displayed on and off the court. We wish him the best going forward.”

Salmons, 34, averaged 5.2 points, 2.1 rebounds and 1.9 assists in 22.1 minutes per game in 78 games (eight starts) last season with Sacramento and Toronto. Over his 12-year career, he has averages of 9.4 points, 3.0 rebounds and 2.5 assists in 874 games (429 starts).

Williams averaged 10.4 points, 2.1 rebounds and 3.5 assists in 60 games (seven starts) last season with Atlanta and has career averages of 11.4 points, 2.0 rebounds and 3.1 assists in 554 games (54 starts).

Atlanta acquired the draft rights to Nogueira (16th overall), forward/center Mike Muscala from Bucknell and guard Jared Cunningham from the Dallas Mavericks in exchange for the draft rights to Shane Larkin (18th overall) during the 2013 NBA Draft.

Paul Millsap exit interview

Here’s the Atlanta Journal Constitution interviewing Hawks forward Paul Millsap. THe Hawks put up a good fight in the first round of the 2014 NBA playoffs but lost in seven games to the Indiana Pacers.

Q. You said after Game 7 that while many believe this team overachieved, you believe it underachieved. After some reflection, do you still feel that way?

A. I knew you were going to bring that up. I do, man. Looking over the season, the things that we’ve been through, the struggles we had to live with, it was definitely a great season for us. We were able to accomplish a lot, as far as style of play and the way we want to play. But I’m always going to look ahead and say we could have done this, we could have done that.

Q. What are your summer plans?

A. Right now, take a little time off to relax my body, definitely relax my mind. And then get back going. My thing over the years is to continue to get better. I know I have some things I have to get better at, I want to get better at. It’s going to be a long summer but I’m up for the challenge.

For more, hit the link above to the original source.

Pacers beat Hawks in Game 7, advance to second round

Paul George scored a playoff career-high 30 points and Roy Hibbert finally came up big to lead the Indiana Pacers past the Atlanta Hawks, 92-80 on Saturday night in Game 7.

Indiana staved off elimination for the second time in three days. It’s the first time since mid-March the Pacers’ regular starters have won back-to-back games.

Instead of becoming the sixth top seed to lose in the first round of the current 16-team playoff format, the Pacers will be back on their home floor Monday night against Washington in the Eastern Conference semifinals.

Kyle Korver scored 19 points and Jeff Teague had 16 for Atlanta, which won just 38 games in the regular season but proved to be a tough opponent for the Pacers…

Hibbert, who scored 20 points total in the first four games, had a series-high 13 points and seven rebounds. Lance Stephenson finished with 19 points, 14 rebounds and five assists, and George added 11 rebounds for his sixth double-double in the playoffs…

The Pacers finished with a 55-38 rebounding edge and with Hibbert clogging the way, the Hawks were forced to rely primarily on 3-pointers. Atlanta wound up just 11 of 44 from beyond the arc, most coming as it tried to dig out of a double-digit deficit.

— Associated Press

It nearly cost the Pacers the series earlier, but in the end, coach Frank Vogel’s faith in Roy Hibbert paid off. The maligned center gets eight points and three rebounds in the first quarter. That was huge, considering the Pacers were extraordinarily sloppy at that point. Hibbert finishes with13 points, seven rebounds and five blocked shots. The haters become lovers. He gets a standing ovation when he heads to the bench for a third-quarter breather.

The Hawks get little offensively from All-Star forward Paul Millsap, who finished with 15 points and was just 6-for-21 from the field. He was 0-for-9 in the first half when the Hawks looked like they might keep the game close. Millsap’s lack of production allowed the Pacers to clamp down on Atlanta’s Jeff Teague and Kyle Korver after both got off to hot starts. Teague’s driving dunk attempt on the final play of the first half is blocked by Indiana’s Ian Mahinmi and he’s barely a factor after that, scoring six second-half points.

Atlanta nearly pulled off the first-round upset because of its strong 3-point shooting and its ability to get to the line early and often. Both went missing on Saturday. The Hawks were just 11-for-44 from 3-point range and 13-for-16 from the line.

While Millsap was struggling, Pacers star forward Paul George is terrific, scoring a playoff career-high 30 points and grabbing 11 rebounds. Lance Stephenson has 19 points, 14 rebounds and five assists.

— Indianapolis Star

New Atlanta Hawks secondary team logo

It’s back!

The Atlanta Hawks have today unveiled the club’s new secondary logo, an evolved interpretation of the iconic and classic team mark that was used from 1972-95 and is recognizable by NBA fans around the world.

The new logo will make its worldwide debut tonight during the Hawks vs. Pacers First Round Game 6 contest at Philips Arena, as all fans in attendance will receive a red t-shirt featuring the logo.

While the team’s primary logo will remain unchanged, the secondary mark will appear on Hawks clothing, caps and other fan gear.

Atlanta Hawks have no chance to win the NBA championship

In the last two decades, all but three titles have been claimed by teams that had at least the fourth-best overall record in the league. So maybe the two-time defending champion Miami Heat have some reason to worry: They were No. 5 this season.

“For the most part,” Atlanta’s Kyle Korver said Friday, “the best team wins.”

The Hawks, therefore, have no chance. Not with the worst record (38-44) among the playoff qualifiers. Not in this league, which tends to weed out the sort of surprises you see in the one-and-done NCAA tournament — where a No. 7 seed (Connecticut) beats a No. 8 seed (Kentucky) for the championship. Or in the NFL, where a team getting hot at the right time can spring a major surprise on the right day.

Then NBA is best-of-seven through four grueling rounds; but, then again, so is the NHL, which also requires 16 playoff wins to take the championship. Baseball, for that matter, has the same format for its league championship series and World Series. Why, then, do those leagues produce far more surprise champions than the NBA?

— Associated Press

Paul Millsap a triple threat for Hawks

The Atlanta Hawks finished 38-44 this regular season and qualified for the NBA playoffs. Here’s a note from the Atlanta Journal Constitution on one of their key players:

Paul Millsap completed his impressive first season with the Hawks – and he has the statistics to prove it. With the completion of the season, we take a look at the NBA’s final regular-season statistics to see how the Hawks fared in the league.

Millsap tied for 28th in scoring at 17.9 points per game. He also tied for 25th in rebounding at 8.5 boards per game. The power forward finished ninth in steals at 1.7 per game.