Free Agent Target: Gerald Green
Gerald Green was the last of his kind. A high school player ranked #1 in the country, he was drafted into the NBA in 2005, the last year high school players were eligible. Gerald Green gladly followed in the footsteps of Kevin Garnett, Kobe Bryant, Tracy McGrady, LeBron James and Dwight Howard.
Gerald Green was the 18th pick in 2005, a rangy, hyper-athletic, immature guard/forward out of Houston with the sort of potential general managers lose their jobs over. Green was a spectacular above the rim player but didn’t yet know how to play basketball. He won the Dunk Contest but couldn’t last in a rotation because he was lacking in foundational principles. He needed the structure, regimentation, love and discipline that college coaches bestow on their freshman. Without that, he had to learn on the fly.
Mar 25, 2015; Phoenix, AZ, USA; Phoenix Suns guard Gerald Green (14) against the Sacramento Kings at US Airways Center. The Kings defeated the Suns 108-99. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
But here he was in the NBA with the Celtics, playing with Paul Pierce, although to say he played with Paul Pierce would be generous. He averaged 11 minutes and 5 points his rookie year. His second year, he doubled his rookie performance, averaging 10 points. That year he won the Slam Dunk Contest.
In Atlanta in 2007, Gerald Green played 45 minutes and dropped 33 on the Hawks. His reward came later that summer when he learned a cruel lesson about how tough the business of basketball really is. No pretense here. Role players are pawns and Gerald Green was traded. It would begin his seven rings of NBA hell.
First, he went to the Timberwolves. Then the Houston Rockets employed him for six weeks. The Dallas Mavericks gave Green a chance and he was underwhelming. Russia was next. The Lakers and the D-League led to the New Jersey Nets where he had a very good year, 13 points and 4 rebounds. He was a free agent and signed with the Pacers but struggled with his perimeter shot, posting his worst percentages since his rookie year. Exasperated with Green, the Pacers traded him to Phoenix.
Every player has in him a resurrection and Phoenix was Gerald Green’s chance to bury his past and embrace whatever ounce of NBA career he had left. He got a break when Goran Dragic and Eric Bledsoe suffered injuries. Green was the next man up. Against Oklahoma City, he had a career high 41 points, made possible by eight three pointers.
2013-14 was his greatest year, 16 points, 3 rebounds, 28 minutes. He shot 40% from three and he was in the conversation for Most Improved Player.
In the 2014-15 season Gerald Green was a high energy, high reward asset. He added an immediate spark when he entered the game and was efficient from the three point line. Plus, his athleticism gave him a decided advantage when he put the ball on the floor and drove to the rim for a mind blowing dunk. He averaged 12 points and 3 rebounds this past season.
How could someone with Green’s history help the Atlanta Hawks?
Gerald Green is an athletic dunking machine who self-developed. He couldn’t make a perimeter shot when he was 18 years old. At 29, he shoots 35% from three. His athleticism creates a dilemma for defenders. A good three point shooter, Green can take advantage of defenders who play him too close by dribbling around them and finishing at the rim.
Gerald Green would be the Hawks most explosive player, a driver and a finisher plus a solid distance shooter and a very good mid-range shot maker.
Atlanta Hawks Bench Mid-Range Shooting (10-16 feet)
- Dennis Schroder: 33%
- Kent Bazemore: 16%
- Mike Scott: 41%
- Pero Antic: 27%
- Thabo Sefolosha: 30%
Gerald Green is a 44% mid range shooter, impressive- yes, but there is something just as appealing about Gerald Green that has nothing to do with his basketball range and has everything to do with Gerald Green the person, the man. To put it bluntly- he’s been through some things.
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He wasn’t as lucky as fellow draft classmate and high-schooler Andrew Bynum. While Bynum ended up with the Lakers, tutored by Kareem Abdul-Jabaar, Green had to learn through hits and misses and a career he never anticipated nor expected. He was traded and it wasn’t a fluke. It happened again and again. Humbled he fled overseas to play in Russia then came back to the NBA for one more shot; he had to prove himself. There is something to be said about a player who wants a career so badly he is willing to subject himself to a bunch of baptisms by fire just to stay here. Gerald Green had to fight to keep his career oxygenated; he had to want it.
Gerald Green Shooting 2014-15:
- 2 Point Shots: 48%
- 0-3 feet: 66%
- 3-10 feet: 41%
- 10-16 feet: 44%
- Long two’s: 39%
- 3 Point Shots: 35%
Gerald Green is a reasonably priced bench player. He made $3.5 million this year which fits into the Hawks salary structure, allowing them to pay Paul Millsap and DeMarre Carroll while upgrading the roster at the same time. The addition of Green would add a much needed offensive and athletic spark to an Atlanta Hawks bench in desperate need of an overhaul.