Playing the RFA Game Can Help Both Sides

Last night, we said the Hawks and Marvin Williams had a deal. This morning, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution said close, but no cigar. The numbers are supposedly about the same as those in the DONE!!! report, but the sides are still staring at each other from across the proverbial table. What got lost in my initial post, besides the fact that the deal hadn't been closed yet, was how strange it was that the Hawks continually allow their stud youngsters to test the waters of restricted free agency. Traditionally, if a player looks like a key part of the future, you lock him up the summer before, in advance of any team even getting a crack at his services. The Hawks may be criticized for many things, including my perhaps too-easy "SF City" refrain. But in pushing things to restricted free agency, especially as teams are reluctant to throw around money, especially on works-in-progress, isn't this smart, not petty? The truth is, whether through accident, demonic g...