Endy9

The sites I saw predicted he would go in the early to mid second round. So he was no stretch. What I didn't like was reading that he was horrible on defence even in the lessor league he played in. All offense.

So after seeing who the Wiz's drafted with our #1, I don't feel as bad about giving it up. Chris Singleton, FSU, doesn't impress me.

The thing I look at is how easily it could have gone Durant 1st and Oden 2nd in that draft. Then who is talking about OKC now? And yet they would not have done a worse job at talent evaluation. Takes lots of luck/breaks in the NBA to win a championship.

I like a good healthy discussion of who we might trade and for whom. But what really burns my butt, is that idiot Bradley, saying we need to trade Josh just because he's the only one we can trade. No mention of who we might get, but we just need to do something. We did something in 99 and suffered for 8 years. No more idiot moves just to do something. You don't trade someone who is considered one of your top two players unless you have a target that would make you better in mind.

I'd rather play the Heat because they are still not fully tested as a playoff unit. And if the Celtics came back and won this series it would mean they really caught fire and would probably run thru us too.

But even in that 56 win season, wasn't that the year we started off the year 11-0 and still weren't in the top 10 in power rankings with comments like "don't believe the Hawks record they aren't for real". I don't mind them trashing us when we deserve it like in the Orlando series last year, but when we do good, give us props.

NBA Playoffs: Hawks big men show up and tie series Kurt Helin May 9, 2011, 12:43 AM EDT 2 Comments Getty Images When you watch the Atlanta Hawks move the ball like that, get the ball in the paint like that, see their big men take over like that and you wonder why you don’t see this version of the Hawks every night. It has to frustrate the Hawks fans. But Hawks fans will take their arrival. Josh Smith and Al Horford took over late in the game, Jeff Teague was getting into the lane and they sparked a late 10-0 run that gave the Hawks a 100-88 victory. That evens the series at 2-2 heading back to Chicago for a huge Game 5 Tuesday. The Hawks can be a team that settles for the jump shot… actually, that’s an understatement. They love their jump shots in an unhealthy way. But in the heat of this game — the Hawks 10-0 run in the final five minutes — Joe Johnson and Jamal Crawford did not touch the ball. There was not isolation, there was ball and player movement. There was Josh Smith whipping a pass into Al Horford moving along the baseline to an open spot under the basket. The whole vibe felt different because Larry Drew started Jason Collins at center, moving Horford to the four and Smith to the three, and with that just came more flow (Carlos Boozer felt that was the key). We don’t want to dismiss Johnson, who had 24 points on 14 shots, and Crawford, who had 12 points. They helped the Hawks earlier in the game, but when it came to crunch time, the Hawks showed diversity. The Bulls don’t have that diversity. They have Derrick Rose. And only Derrick Rose. From the start the Hawks doubled Rose hard, tried to take the ball out of his hands and force difficult shots. It worked (as much as anything works on Rose). He shot 12-of-32 on the night and that was not enough. Carlos Boozer did have 18 points on 10 shots, but Luol Deng was 5-of-14. But it was all about Rose. The Bulls bigger issue was defense — the Hawks scored at 112.4 points per 100 possessions pace. The Bulls were undone by some big-to-big passing and some of the best of what the Hawks can bring. Can we really expect that in Game 4 from Atlanta? They haven’t been consistent like that all season. Meanwhile the Bulls can play better on defense. And you can expect they will at home. But if the Hawks can contain Rose again, they stand a chance to pull another big upset in a playoffs filled with upsets.

Watching WGN here in Chicago this morning, they played the call and explained that after the game the ref reversed himself and said it should be a foul, but no one claimed the Bulls lost because of it. Even the Chicago players gave props to the Hawks game plan. Boozer said it was the strategy of starting the bigs against them that set the tone and that it was a great move. The more I think about it, the Hawks got more respect out of WGN and the Bulls than they ever have out of the atlanta sports media. Print or tv news.

I still say Rondo is the only thing that kept us from upsetting Boston in the 08 playoffs. We could handle the big three, but no one could stop Rondo.

Rose won't let up with Hinrich out Bulls star likely to benefit but says series with Hawks tough either way By K.C. Johnson, Tribune reporter 6:20 p.m. CDT, April 30, 2011 Kirk Hinrich is out with a significant strain of his right hamstring. Carlos Boozer skipped practice again Saturday with turf toe but still might play. But for all the speculation about who's in and who's out for Monday's Game 1 of the Eastern Conference semifinals between the Bulls and Hawks, Derrick Rose said the challenge remains regardless. That's how tough playoff basketball is. "It doesn't change anything at all," Rose claimed of Hinrich's absence. "We still have to go out and play. (Jeff) Teague or whoever starts in (Hinrich's) spot are good players. They're a real athletic team and play hard together. And they have everything going for them now. "I think it's going to get tougher. They've got guys who can really jump and contest my shots, really big guys. (Zaza) Pachulia and (Al) Horford are tough players. I'm expecting the worst because it's going to be a tough series." Possibly the toughest for Teague, who is expected to start for Hinrich. Rose said his sprained left ankle is all but 100 percent, and Rose got to the line 15 times in the second regular-season meeting between these teams and dropped a career-high six 3-pointers in the third. "I just happened to get matched up against the MVP," Teague told the Atlanta Journal Constitution with a chuckle. "It's a tough situation, but I'm excited. It's going to be a team effort. He can do it all. I will have to stay in the paint and keep him out of the lane." That's easier said than done, obviously, which is why Rose's presence trumps all other matchup possibilities, even if Teague said he watched how the Pacers tried to defend Rose with size and physical play. After Jason Collins started alongside Horford to match up with Orlando's Dwight Howard in the first round, the Bulls are preparing for the Hawks to start Teague, Joe Johnson, Marvin Williams, Josh Smith and Horford. If Boozer plays, he likely would guard Horford and Joakim Noah would defend Smith to start. Boozer missed one regular-season meeting between these teams, and the Bulls had success with Kurt Thomas on Horford and Noah on Smith. Along those lines, Thomas worked with the starting unit as Boozer skipped Friday's and Saturday's practices. "He's better but not quite ready to go," coach Tom Thibodeau said of Boozer. "He's doing his treatment, getting lifting in, did a little shooting too. We'll just go day-by-day." Thibodeau echoed Rose's questionable claim that Hinrich's absence won't affect the Hawks much because of their backcourt depth and the fact Johnson or Jamal Crawford has the ball at game's end. That's offensively. Defensively, Teague isn't in Hinrich's class. "I was just being aggressive," Rose said of his regular-season approach against the Hawks. "I tend to slow down sometimes. This whole series I have to keep taking it to the hole where I have to make them foul me." At 86.7 percent during the playoffs, Rose is pretty much automatic from the free-throw line. No matter if the Hawks go small or big, there's little defense for that. kcjohnson@tribune.com Twitter @kcjhoop

Great win! Hope Zaza isn't put out for the next game. What was up with Twin? I didn't catch the whole game and only heard a little about a sore back?

No reason we shouldn't be up 2-0. LD blew it.

I was in total dread mode until a day or two before game one, when I read that LD said something like, we don't just want a split in Orlando, let's go grab 2! I've never heard a Hawks coach even suggest such a thing. Gave me hope that we might not see a repeat of last year in the 2nd round. Whatever happens the rest of the series, I sure enjoyed game 1! WTG LD!

This is dated, but I remember going to see the Hawks play the Nuggets in Denver while I was stationed there in 79. I never felt so alone in my life. As you say, you would have figured maybe someone else from Atlanta was in town or had moved there. If so they were well hidden.

I thought we had a chance to steal one, but figured it would be a 2 or 3 pt game. Never would I have guessed we could go into Orlando and dominate in game 1. Fantastic Hawks!

The first time I saw this theory pulled off (always reminds me of Ali's rope a dope) was the Lakers vs Knicks in 73. The Knicks had finally lost Willis Reed by that time and had no one to guard Wilt. So they used three big bodies and let them hack the hell out of him. Wilt was never the greatest free throw shooter. Finally, he got frustrated and just didn't even want the ball and the underdog Knicks beat the Lakers (4-1) who were much better on paper.

Looks like they gave the defence the rest of the year off for the last few games.

The 07 home games were great. Old memories. Tree Rollins and Danny Ainge rolling on the floor fighting during a tough Celtic series in the early/mid 80s. Of course the Nique going for 47 game 7 loss to the Celtics.

I'll always be grateful to Hubie for what he did for the Hawks. We had a lot of talent before him, but they never played with intensity until Brown taught them to play defense. Fratello could have never succeeded without Brown being in there first. But I agree. If he's going to advise it should be something low key, like helping us set our draft board or free agents we should target. Day to day. Don't think he can hold up. HIs teams in the late 70s were the first time I believed we could play with and beat the "big boys". Just couldn't quite get by the great Bullet teams.

Here's an early look at the NBA draft Here's an early look at the NBA draft And as you can imagine it's dotted heavily with freshmen and sophomores In our annual salute to the NCAA tournament, here's our best guess at the first 20 players to be selected in the June NBA draft. The debate about No. 1 will depend on who gets the pick. 1 (T). Kyrie Irving, Fr., Duke: Some see Chris Paul II, more see a better Ty Lawson. I'm going with those who see greatness, even if Irving was only good in the tournament coming off his injury. If the Cavs, Raptors, Kings or Jazz (with Nets' pick) are No. 1, it's him. 1 (T). Derrick Williams, So., Arizona: Now top three, two or one. If the Wizards, who have John Wall, get the No. 1 pick, it's him. Or … 3. Enes Kanter, Fr., Kentucky: Listed at 6-10, 240, the weight looks right ... as a low estimate. If he's 6-9, the Timberwolves or Wizards could take him No. 1 as an Al Hoford-type center. At whatever height he is, Kanter got 34-13 in 2010 Hoop Summit against Jared Sullinger, Harison Barnes, et al. 4. Jonas Valanciunas, Lietuvos Rytas, Lithuania: Slender at 6-11, 240, but GMs say he could be a Pau Gasol. Says a scout of Kanter and Valanciunas, "If they played college ball in the U.S., they might be 1-2." 5. Harrison Barnes, Fr., North Carolina: Not ready. but who is? Not gifted at small forward where the athletes play but has great feel, attacks, plays on the move. I love him, but when I miss, all I have to do is write "Oops." 6. Jared Sullinger, Fr., Ohio State: Not coming but deserves this salute. I don't like comparisons to anomalies like Dennis Rodman or Kevin Love — but I think he's Love Child II. 7. Perry Jones, Fr., Baylor: On pure appeal since he's like a 6-11 guard. Baylor made Elite Eight with Ekpe Udoh, didn't make 68-team field with him. 8. Kemba Walker, Jr. Connecticut: Not big or knock-down shooter but totally clutch, taking young team through Big East tournament and loaded West bracket. 9. Terrence Jones, Fr., Kentucky: Great-looking 6-9 athlete, but production slipped as other Wildcats stepped up. 10. Alec Burks, So., Colorado: Major shooting guard prospect, should go higher. 11. Brandon Knight, Fr., Kentucky: Shot his way, literally, into lottery. Not great penetrator but knock-down shooter who defends. 12. Jan Vesely, KK Partizan Belgrade, Serbia: Admirers see Andre Kirilenko. 13. John Henson, So., North Carolina: Slender at 6-10, 220, but answered questions about toughness, so far. 14. Jeremy Lamb, So., Connecticut: Billed as Wes Johnson but better. Surfaced so recently, it's not known if he's coming. 15. Reggie Jackson, Jr., Boston College: Point guard moving up. Big, athletic at 6-3, 208, considered third best behind Irving, Knight. 16. Kawhi Leonard, So., San Diego State: Not a player you often see. Try Luc Richard Mbah a Moute with Kobe Bryant handle. 17. Tyler Zeller, Jr., North Carolina: Major mover at 7-foot, 250. Filled out, got tougher and can shoot. 18. Lucas Nogueira, Asefa Estudiantes, Spain: Closely-watched 7-0 Brazilian, in Saturday's Hoop Summit. 19. Donatas Motiejunas, Benetton Treviso, Italy: Young, skilled basket-facing Euro-type big man is 7-foot, 215 pounds. 20. Kenneth Faried, Sr., Morehead State: Animal rebounder if only like 6-6. Nice tab by ESPN's Chad Ford. Then there's BYU's Jimmer Fredette. He's still a first-rounder, but scouts see him as sharp-shooting reserve, not a starting point guard. mheisler@tribune.com

True they only pay 1/2 a coach now. Maybe less <grin>.

I love Horford and it was close for me, but had to vote for Josh. When he is playing dominating defense, blocking shots, rebounding, etc., he's the one I get the most excited watching. But then I've always loved a good defensive big man. Tree Rollins and Deke were two others, I loved watching play that way.

Your list is fine until #3. I'd put Pete Maravich there. at #4 Lou Hudson. Joe I'd consider for #5, along with Deke.

Damn, Marvin got game. Who knew <grin>?

All good points. Just saying trading Josh fixes nothing if we coaches who can't convince players to listen to them or follow their instructions. I have to wonder if LD even gives Josh instructions. He just doesn't seem very assertive.