Hawks fans that are expecting a big roster move in the wake of Al Horford's injury should probably pump the brakes just a bit. Given Atlanta's lack of flexibility in regards to the luxury tax threshold means that the same problems that the Hawks experienced when they rounded out the roster in training camp still exist. Without Horford, Atlanta's depth at the center position took a major hit and general manager Rick Sund said they will be sitting down to talk about the roster in the coming days.
"The center position has some decent depth to it with Al and Zaza and Twin and we really wanted to add some toughness, and that's why Ivan Johnson has been a nice plus for us. We'll sit down and discuss everyything. No real decision tonight."
Ivan Johnson has been a pleasant surprise this season but he is not a center. He is a power forward and is an undersized one at that. As far as the roster goes, Johnson, Jannero Pargo, Jerry Stackhouse, and Donald Sloan are all playing with non-guaranteed deals and with the Hawks salary figure just above the luxury tax line, one of the four was likely to be waived upon the return of Kirk Hinrich from injury. Now it appears that maybe two of these players will be gone if the Hawks look to add another big to the equation.