Vafan

It is not a given that Kobe will resign with the Lakers. The Lakers have to trade Shaq first before Kobe resigns. I doubt that Shaq is traded due to his contract. This creates a quandry for Kobe.

Diesel, I agree. Deng is overrated. Kris Humphries will be a star. I watched him play against Va and he was unstoppable. His game is very diverse. He is very strong inside and his jumper is consistent. He also has decent handles for a big man. I see a little of Tim Duncan in him.

Nice mock KB. You think Nelson will be drafted higher than Harris?

Philly Trades: A. Iverson & #9 pick Philly Gets: E. Brand, #6 (Gordon?), #17 (Al Jefferson?) Atlanta Trades: #6 pick & #17 pick Atlanta Gets: #2 pick (Dwight Howard) Clippers Trade: E. Brand & #2 pick Clippers Get: A. Iverson & #9 pick (Andris Biedrins or Livingston?) What do you think of this trade?

Deng is over rated. When you are picking 3rd you want a player with a high ceiling. Deng will be a solid player but not one you can build your team around. He is not athletic, has average handles and an inconsistent outside shot. Devin Harris is more of a sure thing than Deng.

If we get Dwight Howard, who should we target in Free agency? Getting Howard would rule out K-Mart. My wish list would be Q-Rich and Stromile Swift. JT, Q, Jax, Howard, and Swift would not be a bad combo. Sura, Diaw, Crawford, Pryz, and Ely would give us some depth. Next year we would need a Franchise player such as T-Mac or Ray Allen to take us to the next level.

Kobe would be the only splash this year. If we can't sign Kobe, I think we should save our cap space until next year. Lots of great players will be available.

I agree he would fit in with the Hawks. Only problem is I don't think he got an interview with us.

A Star? I doubt it because of his offensive shortcomings. He could be a really solid role player, though.

You probably have a lot of confidence in Knight because of the Pete Babcock era.

Did the Hawks work out Ben Gordon or Devin Harris? Interesting to note that the Hawks did not work out any PG. Does this mean that Jason Terry is staying?

There is one problem with that scenario. Doesn't Wilcox and Howard play the same spot? If we draft Howard, how does that affect free agency. Will we still go after K-Mart, Swift, etc?

Yesterday's interview with Al Jefferson was interesting. He sounded like he was beaten up.

Deng is really overrated. I watched a lot of ACC ball and he did not impress me. He does a lot of thing but does not excel at anything. His handles, outside shooting and overall athleticism is suspect. I do not understand why he was getting some much hype during the season. Maybe it is because of the Duke PR machine Dickie V. Can some one tell me why he is a lottery pick?

Snyder could fit with James because both could handle the ball. Oh how I wish Jaywalker could attend today's workout.

I second that. I was really looking forward to see how Josh Smith worked out.

I am tire of the Hawks being mediocre. To use a baseball analogy, we need to swing hard. Either hit it big or strike out. That is why I prefer Josh Smith at 6. He has a chance to be a big time player. At 17, we could pick up a college player like a Luke Jackson/Kirk Synder/Kris Humphries.

Darth Vader in there somewhere?

If the Hawks go the HS route, a combo of Josh Smith at 6 and JR Smith/LaMarcus Aldrige at 17 would be great. I prefer JR Smith though. Hopefully if we get the Smiths, we go after Stromile Swift for the 4 spot. This would upgrade the atleticism of the team big time.

This post is for those who have question JR Smith ability. Many critics said that he only looked good at the all star games and that he wasn't on anybody radar. That is false. He has been one of the top players in his class since his junior year. UVA have been recruiting him since his Soph year for both football and basketball. Yes, he has a lot of weaknesses because he is not fundamentally sound. He only started to play basketball exclusively in his senior season. Once he gets good coaching to go with his off the charts athleticism, WATCH OUT.

All draft picks come with risks. But a good source of Smith skills come from his hs coach. His hs coach said that he is best of the bunch including Jerry Stackhouse, Ron Mercer, Carmelo Anthony, etc.

Great article, tanking is the main reason I hate the clippers. I hope that Kobe does not sign with them. I want the clippers to be losers for life. But just imagine them with the number 2 pick and Kobe. Yikes, they could be the team to beat in the West.

This is my plan. Rebuild through the draft this year since it is deep. Free agent class is not all that great so focus all our energy on the draft. Next year, the draft will be the weakest in history which coincides with a great free agent market. Go for broke that year using up all our caproom that year.