The Top 5 Remaining Free Agent Targets for Atlanta Hawks

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NEW YORK, NY – APRIL 17: Chris Copeland #14 and Steve Novak #16 of the New York Knicks high-five during their game against the Atlanta Hawks on April 17, 2013 at Madison Square Garden in New York City, New York. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2013 NBAE (Photo by Jesse D. Garrabrant/NBAE via Getty Images) /

4. Chris Copeland

The Atlanta Hawks have lost a perennial all- star center in Al Horford this summer, but have managed to still keep a top-flight starting frontcourt. Dwight Howard and Paul Millsap are poised to do great things for this team. Resigning Kris Humphries was also one of the smartest decisions they made this off-season. They do have a couple of bigs on the roster whose future’s seem to grow more bleak with each passing day though and that makes you wonder what the front office’s long-term plans are for them. You may have already guessed it, I’m talking about Mike Scott and Mike Muscalla.

In the case of Mike Scott, he hasn’t done himself any favors for his career by getting into so much trouble. The power forward has been charged with two counts of felony drug possession for having over an ounce of marijuana and 10.9 grams of MDMA (aka molly). The maximum penalty in Georgia for possession of over an ounce of marijuana is 10 years in prison and the maximum penalty for possession of MDMA is 25 years. He has yet to be arraigned on the charges and can waive his right to do so. The preceding information on Mike Scott was reported by Matt Bonesteel of The Washington Post on 06/03/2016. The Hawks did pick up his option for this year, which guarantees his salary for $3.3 million. If he is convicted of the charges, he could be punished by the NBA.

Then there’s Mike Muscalla, a power forward who can also be used as a center. He is 6’11”, 240 pounds entering his fourth season. Last season he appeared in 60 regular season games averaging 9.4 minutes per game. He contributed 3.3 PPG, 2.0 RPG, and .5 BPG as he did all of his work off the bench. He saw significant time during the playoffs, but didn’t perform particularly well. Of course it’s expected for a stretch 4 to roam the perimeter, but that’s no excuse to be pushed around on defense or frequently get beaten on lose ball chances.

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Pretty soon you are going to start to notice a reoccurring theme here, shooting. The offense the Hawks run is dependent on ball movement, player movement, crisp passing and 3 point shooting; the latter is something I feel like they don’t have enough of. Over the grind of the 82 game season jump shooters tend to start to lose their lift, the wrist doesn’t snap like it should, by the time the playoffs come those shots are flatter and more of them clang off the rim.

Chris Copeland has only been in the league for four years, yet he is already 32 years old. He is 6’9″, 239 pounds and plays the power forward position. You may remember him as a rookie with the Knicks when he couldn’t miss a shot during their matchup’s with the Hawks. He had his best year by far during the 13- 14 campaign when his field goal percentage was .470 and he shot .418 from three-point range. He is an underrated defender that can guard both frontcourt positions. He is suited really just for a bench role as he has never played more than 17 minutes per game. In the playoffs, having a fresh, extra shooter would certainly not hurt.

Next: No. 3