http://www.ajc.com/sports/content/sports/hawks/stories/0823harrington.html Harrington to Indiana finally done 'I'm ecstatic ... I'm going to be winning again' By SEKOU SMITH The Atlanta Journal-Constitution Published on: 08/23/06 Why didn't the Hawks get more? That's the question Hawks fans have been asking for weeks now, since the details of the sign-and-trade deal for Al Harrington started trickling out. Harrington asked the same questions Tuesday after the long-discussed deal that sent him back to the Indiana Pacers became official — the Hawks signed Harrington to a four-year deal worth more than $35 million and sent him and third-year center John Edwards to the Pacers for a lottery-protected first-round draft pick. Why didn't the Hawks get more for one of their co-captains? Why didn't they get more for a player who averaged nearly 19 points and seven rebounds per game last season? "I definitely look at it like Indiana got over on Atlanta," Harrington said by phone from Las Vegas, where he has been working out this summer. "I don't care what anybody says, a draft pick can't replace 19 and seven (Harrington's scoring and rebounding averages from last season). When you talk about winning and going to the next level, you can't say one thing and do another. That's just how I feel." Harrington, an unrestricted free agent, was one of the most coveted players on the free-agent market this summer. But the Hawks' reluctance to take back any contracts in exchange for Harrington limited their options. The Pacers, armed with a $7.5 million trade exception, positioned themselves as the ideal trade partner for a Hawks franchise looking to maintain their salary-cap flexibility. That trade exception allowed the Pacers to execute the deal without sending the Hawks anything more than a draft pick in return. "It depends on how you look at it," Hawks general manager Billy Knight said of the perception that the Hawks got the short end of yet another deal. "There were a lot of good and interesting players involved in the conversations we had. But with our team the way it is currently constructed, none of them made sense for us right now. Obviously, we didn't think that any of those deals would be good for us, and that's why we didn't do a deal that brought us back contracts we didn't want." As upset as he was by the nearly two-month process, Harrington is focused on the future. "I'm ecstatic right now to finally have a home, to finally have a house and to know where I'm shipping all my stuff," he said laughing. "What I'm most excited about, though, is that I'm going to be winning again. Money is good, and all the stuff that comes along with it is fine, but I want to be back in the playoffs and back on national TV and back with a franchise that wins basketball games. I missed that the past two years, and now I'm going back to what I know." Both Harrington and Edwards are well versed in the Pacers' winning culture; they've made the playoffs 16 of the past 17 years. A 6-9, 245-pound eight-year veteran, Harrington spent the first six years of his career with the Pacers. Edwards made the Pacers' roster as an undrafted free agent before the 2004-05 season. "That's the good thing about the teams that were looking at me," Harrington said. "Everybody was either in the playoffs or a couple of games out. So I knew I was going to a winning situation. And Indiana is the perfect fit. Me and Jermaine [O'Neal] are best friends, brothers really. And my family is all there in Indy, so it's the best of all worlds for me. The whole foundation is there. It's an easy transition for me." The transition to playing without Harrington will be an interesting one for the Hawks. Knight acknowledged as much Tuesday, praising Harrington on his way out the door while acknowledging that the Hawks' talented, but still relatively inexperienced, forward trio of Josh Smith, Marvin Williams and Shelden Williams will be counted on to fill the void. "I can't tell you how much respect and admiration I have for Al as both a person and a player," Knight said. "He was a member of our team for two years, but the fact remains that we're happy with the growth and development of our young guys; Josh, Marvin and Shelden. And those things play a part in your decision-making. My hat goes off to Al from a personal and professional standpoint. He was a great professional and great leader for our young guys before they were ready to step up and contribute the way they are now, but we feel they are ready now, and that's what we're counting on." -- 網頁上有個投票喔 Will the Al Harrington trade help the Hawks? 目前 34％ Yes, because they're getting a first-round pick. 66％ No. They could really use some help now. 大家也可以去投^^ --

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