TNBT wrote:I understand completely that we were stuck in a tough place with our proximity to the cap and Saad's value. However, you asked me how the Hawks had already screwed up? Well I'd stated that my number one priority was getting rid of Bickell and/or Sharp to create enough room to keep Saad, and seeing as how none of those things happened, that's how I say they'd screwed up. They may very well have had a different plan in mind which they have executed perfectly, but in relation to what I was hoping for, that's all screwed now.
As for Saad's salary, everyone knew he was going to get offers. I think the reason for feeling like we had to move him though was because we were so far apart on a potential deal. In the position we were in, we couldn't offer Saad anything near what he was worth, so I'm doubting that Saad's camp ever even considered backing down from their position, as no compromise could be reached. If we'd managed to dump those guys for cap space, then MAYBE it shows his camp that we're really serious, and MAYBE that is enough to bring them to the table and take a compromise deal somewhere between what we were originally offering and what they were originally asking for.
Obviously whether that would have happened that way or not, we will never know. I just would have liked us to have gotten rid of at least one of Bickell and Sharp to open up space, as MAYBE that's enough of a sign of good faith that we're willing to bargain with them.
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Again, if the trade market is not there for Sharp & Bickell, how is that on the Blackhawks? If anything, it's on Sharp and Bickell for basically sucking this season and especially the post season on Bickell's part.
The Hawks were never going to give Saad $40 mil. I don't care if they traded Sharp, Bickell, Crawford and half the minor league. It was never going to happen for a guy like him here. A bridge deal was what the Hawks were looking to do and then readdress things in 2-3 seasons when the cap hopefully increased and other guys' deals had ended. But he's not a $40 million player on an elite team. He'll see why good players who get a ton of money on bad teams don't win. Every night now he's drawing the top player from the other team, getting hit, etc. They made their bed. And that's not on Stan Bowman. He was never going to give Saad such an absurd deal.
