delk would be a great pick up. he killed us last year at the palace. remember that one? pistons got blownout big by the hawks.

Somebody fill me in here. I'm a bit of a homer, which is why my Fantasy Team sucks, but that's another story...

Anyway, what's the story on him?

Has he played this year at all?

Was he a supposed to be, a sure thing, that never really panned out?

Attitude problems?

Bad coaches?

Bad situation?

I mean, the guy got released right?

Why?

He played 1 game this year. The Hawks fans I have talked to have said that there are a couple reasons he hasn't played. First, the Hawks are in a total youth movement. They have no use to Tony in 3-4 years, when they actually have a shot at winning a decent amount of games. They'd rather develop guys like Royal Ivey and Salim Stoudemire than win more games. Second, Billy Knight (Hawks GM) was supposedly pissed that Tony picked up his player option this offseason, when he knew he wasn't a part of the long term plans. So, it was probably a little of both. The Hawks fans I talked to said he was a class act, and was always a good teammate despite the lack of playing time.

As for Delk as a player... He is a combo guard that plays tough defense, can create his own shot, and can really catch fire from the perimeter (he scored 53 points once a few years back). Not sure if you remember, but last year he lit us up at the Palace in that blowout loss we had to his Hawks. He was hitting treys from everywhere from what I remember. He's not a great playmaker, but he can handle the ball, and I'm sure he'll have no problem dumping it into Dice in the post. FWIW, a couple Mavs fans actually said Mike James is probably the best comparison for him when I asked (he was a Mav a few years ago).

Tony Delk = Lindsey Hunter

Looking at their career stats they are very similar:

Hunter Delk
FG% 39% 40%
3P% 36% 34%
FT% 74% 77%
Reb 2.4 2.5
APG 2.9 1.9
STL 1.3 .83
T.O. 1.3 1.0
PPG 9.4 9.2


Here’s a player profile on Delk from Hoopshype:
“Can play both guard positions…Pretty strong…Tenacious defender…decent 3 point shooter…Good team player.”

Profile from TSN:

Assets…Good shooter with range and enough quickness to create. Runs and handles the ball well.

Flaws…Small and frail for a two guard. Adequate at best when running the show from the point.

Delk did play about 10 more MPG than Hunter last year and had a better shooting %.

He’s missed 48 games this year with a foot injury.

There is a 4 year age difference (Delk is 32)

It seems like this acquisition would be somewhat redundant

__________________
With politicians the future lies ahead

Mercury, you simply cannot compare their career stats when you're talking about Lindsey, who is on a bum ankle, and is in the last gasp of his career. He is no longer a great shooter (he's not even a decent shooter anymore). He is no longer a great scorer. He can still defend with the best of them, but mentioning career stats when referring to Lindsey is absurd. On the other hand, Delk averaged 12ppg on 42% shooting last year, and he really doesn't have anymore miles on his body since then. He's only 6-7 months older than the McWallaces. Once he shakes off the rust I expect him to have a good impact on this team offensively. He will add a guard off the bench that can and will get his own shot. Something we haven't had in a while.

Worst case scenario is that he's a perfect replacement for Lindsey if that ankle acts up. We simply aren't going to find anyone that will have close to the impact Delk will.

EDIT: BTW, he hasn't missed 48 games with foot injury. He's been healthy for months. The Hawks just aren't in a position where they would sacrifice their young player's development to win a couple more games.

We've got an open roster spot, so we should pickup somebody at least for injury depth.

FP22, Everything I posted was from player profiles or actual stats... as for missing 48 games ... this is the direct quote from TSN on Delk "12-Feb-06:Missed 48 games (heel injury)."

I'll take your post as a solid endorsement for Delk.

What bum ankle? Hunter was ready a month ago. Now he should be ready to go full steam for the rest of the season and post-season. Last year he could not handle a full-season+post now he should be set. Its no coincidence.

We'll see, but I'm sure Dumars and Flip would like to have something already in place if his ankle were to start bothering him again to the point of not being able to play. They would be crazy to pass up a chance at a playoff proven backup PG/SG like Delk. Even if he is just a younger version of Lindsey.

I did not say we could not use the extra depth. Just that Hunter was kept out of the rotation longer than his injury for a reason.