Sage11

Nope! I think someone needs to do a better job at researching their facts before going to press.

Quote: If the Hawks are experimenting with Diaw at the point then clearly they believe JJ (a college point guard) can man the position. While I personally would prefer a pure point I believe BK will attempt to sign JJ to play the point. I agree, I don't see Chill riding the pine.

Quote: I doubt Dumars will pay Big Ben as much as we can (or will).. True...we can pay more. Quote: Dumars is a very smart GM (sometimes), but if he gets Saunders, I expect Darko to play alot and Ben to split time with Sheed... If that happens, maybe Ben would want to come to Atlanta. The big word there is "maybe." I do suspect if Ben gets less minutes that he would be willing to leave though. All I can say is I would be HAPPY to have Big Ben even at 31.

I agree. I cant see how 3.5 teams can all have their players "developed" without someone getting the short end of the stick. It would be a better concept if every team has its own minor league team.

This plan I like; I doubt that Big Ben leaves Motor town but if he and Dumars can't come to terms, why not pursue him.

Quote: Kobe was playing with Eddie Jones, Shaq, Van Exel, Elden Campbell, Rick Fox and other players or he probably would have had better rookie numbers. Josh SMith was playing behind.....um.... Who? I was thinking the same thing, Kobe played as a rook on one of the better teams ever assembled. I would not expect his numbers to be that impressive. I hope our young birds don't "top out" too early in terms of developing as players. Only time will tell.

Quote: in my honest opinion, Brown did not play Darko b/c 1) Detroit is in the "win-now" situation. theyre not an expansion team hoping for a bright future. they are championship contenders. I agree, the jury is still out on Darko, I need to see him play more. I would not trade any picks on him though.

I don't think Indy would go for it but it is a deal I would consider.....

Quote: I would love to see what he has to offer now, because I heard him say he can't jump as high as he use to, and still wouldn't be ready for another two years. He said this during the McDonalds slam dunk contest, but maybe his healthy has turned for the best in a short time. Gee, I thought this kid was done after his accident.....hmmmmmm! Could be worth a look.

Yea! that is how I feel, let the signings begin-now, not later.

I agree, I hope the kid can keep it going.

I still have my fingers crossed that we get JJ and land a quality big man.....

Pistons Heat Pacers Wizards 76'ers Nets Cavs Bulls

Quote: Like I said below..Look at his numbers compared to Al's..They are basically identical per minutes played..I agree he is horrible defensively, but if we had a defensive 4 we could probably get away with him there.Averaging 5.6 points in 13 minutes a game is pretty good. I would like to see more production out of that position. Defensively he is not up to par and I think that is a major weakness of his. If he can d-up maybe this entire discussion is moot, but I am not comfortable entering the new season with Collier as the workhorse at Center, I believe we should upgrade his position and bring him off the bench.

You are right, the numbers never tell you the full story, but they do give you a snapshot of what you are considering. I will admit Hunter MAY be an upgrade from Collier in the middle defensively and athletically.(That alone makes him worth pursuing). In fact I hope he is, especially if we fail to sign Chandler, Curry or Swift. But his numbers, well they are not that impressive, very Collier like. It could be that Hunter simply has not had the chance to prove what he can do; here in Atlanta he could do that. The last thing I want is to have Collier in the middle next season as our primary big man; I do not mind him as a back up. Hunter could very well be our guy for the middle. He certainly may be less troublesome to acquire than the above mentioned Chandler, Curry or Swift. I defer to the wisdom of BK on this one. Hunter could become a beast in the middle, which is what we need.

I could not agree more..... it's too early to make any determinations that are valid.

I see them doing, (i.e. signing) one of the big men; but not both of them. We will have to accept whatever "crumbs" fall to us from the bulls table.

Quote: They might match, but they might not, especially with the thought of us being able to offer a max deal to Chandler & them saddled with Curry's contract. They would be in a real bind when their youngster's come up for contract renewal if they matched both deals. As I have posted before, I think Paxson is blowing smoke about Curry. I don't think he matches Curry's offer sheet because he really wants to keep Chandler. If he does, they eventually lose their younger guns to FAcy because they are capped out. I don't think Paxson makes that type of mistake.

I may be wrong but his numbers are not much better. Neither have I seen this kid play much. He may be an option. Just have to wait and see, but it looks like we already have his type of production in Collier

Steven Hunter Phoenix Suns Position: C-F Height: 7-0 Weight: 240 College : DePaul '03 Player file | Team stats 2004-05 Statistics PPG 4.6 RPG 3.0 APG .2 SPG .05 BPG 1.34 FG% .614 FT% .479 3P% .000 MPG 13.8 Jason Collier Atlanta Hawks Position: C Height: 7-0 Weight: 260 College : Georgia Tech '00 Player file | Team stats 2004-05 Statistics PPG 5.7 RPG 2.6 APG .3 SPG .21 BPG .19 FG% .463 FT% .676 3P% .429 MPG 13.5 I think we already have a "steve hunter" on the roster.

Quote: There are no centers available next year as good as Daly or Chandler (sad, huh?). It's kind of a "now-or-never" scenario. But I certainly respect your opinion. I just don't see the Hawks being successful without a center and don't see Childress' numbers improving if JJ comes to Atlanta. yea it is sad, and that is part of the reason why I am not thrilled about trading chill. I think the price is very steep for a big man that may not pan out. I hope curry's heart is healthy, but we simply do not know. I want him in a hawks uni, but I do not think that trading chill is the best way to make it happen. I agree that we need a big man to improve.

Quote: You'd disagree with Chill for Lebron and all the Cavs picks for the next 10 years? In a pipe dream world if such a deal was offered I would take it. Yet in the context of these discussions, a max contract AND a trade sign Curry, Dale, Dalmbert, Swift;......no way.

Quote: I would be only if two things are accomplished: 1.) JJ isn't matched. 2.) A young center could be acquired by trading Childress. It is very possible that he will not be matched (JJ) from what I've been reading. What young center do you have in mind, Curry I suppose? If so, I think we should sign Curry without trading Chill or J. Smooth. I think to max out a deal for curry and trade chill to seal the deal is simply too much for curry.

It does not matter. I Disagree with any trade that involves Chill.....peroid. Its too early to trade the kid, let his value rise as a hawk for another year if that is his ultimate fate.