Scott

RealVoiceofHawk @JohnT21 yes mate. Do not sleep on Brad Miller though. Steve Holman says dont sleep on Brad Miller joining the HAWKS

If Joe wants to sign with New York we have a three options. The first option would be to hope he agrees to a sign and trade so he can earn more money with New York. We sign and trade him for there cap space and we will have a 16 million dollars Traded Player Exemption. That we have one year to use before it expires. This could be very useful in the current economic times we may be able to acquire a quality player from a team wanting to reduce there luxury tax for 2011. The second option would be if we agree to sign and trade for Eddy Curry and his 11.2 million dollar ending contract we would have a 5 million dollar Traded Player Exemption and his expiring contract to use in trades. The third and worst option for Atlanta would be if he signs with New York and we get nothing in return. We would sign Josh Childers and maybe another player with our Mid Level Exemption. I personaly hope for option number one.

Olympiakos could be considering to get rid of Josh Childress. The 26-year-old American forward is under contract until 2011, but has an option to opt out of his final year to move to the NBA. In case he decides to stay, his salary in Olympiakos would be $7 million, and the Greek club doesn’t want to pay that money in one player when the country is suffering a huge economic crisis.

I have a question about Joe Johnson. I no that Joe is a unrestricted freeagent and can sign with any team with the money. The Hawks have a advantage as far as contract lenght and yearly increases during the contract correct. If Joe will allow Atlanta to sign him and trade him to a team under the salary cap will Atlanta have the money available to use in a trade exemption for one year. I think Seattle did this when the did a sign and trade Rashard Lewis a few years back. I think a 15 million dollar trade exemption be very helpful im building our team for the future. Please let me no if this is true.

NBA Ex-Buckeye Hunter now a Hawk Saturday, August 9, 2008 3:07 AM By Bob Baptist THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH The agent for Othello Hunter says two NBA teams offered to draft the former Ohio State forward in the second round in June provided that Hunter played in Europe this season. "It's nice to hear your name called on draft night. It's immediate gratification," said the agent, David Lee. "But you wake up six weeks later and you're in Europe. Sometimes it's good to keep your options open." Because he did, Hunter woke up this morning a member of the Atlanta Hawks. He signed a contract yesterday assuring him of going to training camp with the NBA team Sept. 30. Hunter is guaranteed half of the NBA's minimum salary for rookies, or $221,057, even if he is waived, Lee said. Hunter is guaranteed the full minimum of $442,114 if he is on the Hawks' roster Dec. 15. "I know I can play in the NBA," Hunter said from his home in Winston-Salem, N.C. "(The two teams) probably didn't think I could. I can understand that. But I have so much faith in myself that once I put my mind to it, I can do it." When Hunter decided to go the free-agent route, Lee said he tried to place him with a team such as Atlanta that had no second-round draft picks. Hunter impressed Hawks officials while playing for their summer-league team in July. The faster tempo of the NBA game enabled him to take advantage of his ability to run and jump more than he could for the Buckeyes last season. "I'm not going to put down Ohio State because we tried to (play) up and down (the court), but at times we had to run set plays," Hunter said. "In the NBA, everything is much faster … (and) I feel better. I'm better at going up and down than in set plays." The signing is the latest development in Hunter's improbable saga. He did not play high school ball until he was a senior and played in junior college for two years before transferring to Ohio State. He averaged 9.9 points and 6.5 rebounds last season and did not receive so much as honorable mention on the all-Big Ten team. When Lee called him Thursday to tell him the Hawks would be sending him the contract by overnight mail, "I started screaming in the car," Hunter said. "My best friend from junior college looked at me like I was crazy. "I'm kind of blown away about it, like … 'My dream finally came true.' "

Josh Smith is wonderful talent but what is his natural position. He plays power forward and on most nights he plays it well like against Garnett in the playoffs. But I have seen him get killed by Drew Gooden. Al Horford is what most people on this site would call a proto type power forward and not a center which he played very well last year as a rookie. Marvin William has been called a proto type small forward but he doesnt shoot the three are play very good defense but he has a great mid range jumper and gets to the line. Josh has the size to play small forward but doesnt have a great jumper an he is considered more of a slasher but doesnt have a very good handle. Marvin and Josh both turn the ball over to much but they are young and will improve. If we resign Josh I think he will have to play small forward for the Hawks with Al Horford playing the power forward position. I think that Marvin would benefit from a trade because Atlanta fans will never get over Billy Knight drafting him over Chris Paul and Deran Williams. The funny thinks is we shouldnt blame Marvin he didnt draft his self and that was the past we need to look at the future. I would perfer to find a good sign and trade for Josh Smith and keep Marvin at the three and Horford at the four. I wouldnt give Josh away for nothing if I didnt like what I was beeing offered I would just resign him and we could always trade him are Marvin during the season or next summer.

Atlanta Trade Breakdown Incoming Players Anderson Varejao 6-10 PF / C from Brazil (Foreign) Damien Wilkins 6-6 SG / SF from Georgia Luke Ridnour 6-1 PG from Oregon Jamaal Tinsley 6-1 PG from Iowa State Outgoing Players Speedy Claxton 5-11 PG from Hofstra Mike Bibby 6-2 PG from Arizona Cleveland Trade Breakdown Incoming Players Speedy Claxton 5-11 PG from Hofstra Mike Bibby 6-2 PG from Arizona Out going Players Anderson Varejao 6-10 PF / C from Brazil (Foreign) Wally Szczerbiak 6-7 SF / SG from Miami-OH Seattle Trade Breakdown Incoming Players Wally Szczerbiak 6-7 SF / SG from Miami-OH Outgoing Players Damien Wilkins 6-6 SG / SF from Georgia Donyell Marshall 6-9 SF / PF from Connecticut Luke Ridnour 6-1 PG from Oregon Indiana Trade Breakdown Incoming Players Donyell Marshall 6-9 SF / PF from Connecticut Outgoing Players Jamaal Tinsley 6-1 PG from Iowa State

AJC

By Sekou K. Smith February 16, 2008 9:21 AM | Link to this In this deal you don’t have to give up Marvin or Childress and Golden State has nothing to do with it. Overall, it’s a pretty sweet deal for the Hawks, who I’ve been writing for months have all the tools necessary to get a deal done. They have the expiring contracts and several young guys on deals that can be combined to net a quality player. Still no final word yet, but as soon as I know it for sure, it’s going to be up here on ajc.com.

Darko time By Sekou K Smith | Thursday, July 5, 2007, 11:51 AM The Atlanta Journal-Constitution As much as I was against Detroit drafting Darko Milicic at No. 2 in the 2003 draft, I have to admit to being an unabashed advocate for the big fella now. If the Hawks want to shore up a major position of need, why not chase Darko and see if they can pull it off? He’s an unrestricted free agent now and a player that will be hard to come by because of the Hawks’ limited cap space (after years of people complaining about the Hawks having too much now they wish they had a little more) and residency in the same (Southeast) division as the Magic. That said, The Hawks have plenty of the tools needed to try and make this happen (veterans with expiring contracts, young talent, etc.). But it’ll be a tough sell with most teams reluctant to deal in the same division, so as not to assist a direct competitor. But the Hawks have nothing to lose and quite a bit to gain in the 7-foot, 275-pound Milicic, who despite whatever limitations remain in his game is a an absolute physical specimen. Listen, I know the stigma this guy has carried the past few years is hard to look past. But it wasn’t his fault that some of these so-called experts you all love to hype up around here had him rated as the No. 1 player in his draft class (and if you do the research, you’ll see where folks suggested that the Cavs should bypass LeBron for Darko, seriously someone wrote that). And don’t think I’ve forgotten about all the players (Anthony, Bosh, Wade, Kaman, Hinrich, Collison, West, Diaw, Barbosa, Howard and others) that were taken after Milicic (8 points and 5 rebounds in roughly 24 minutes per game last season) that have turned out to be much more productive thus far in their NBA careers. The fact is, size is always at a premium in the NBA. Everybody needs quality big men. Hawks fans know this better than anyone. So why not dangle a package of say Josh Childress, Anthony Johnson and Lorenzen Wright for Darko - and if you were really slick you could try and get Keith Bogans, that gritty 2-guard type the Hawks could use, thrown in as well, in a sign-and-trade deal that gives you two more solid and experienced pros on a Hawks roster always in need of that kind of help? I don’t like the idea of giving up Childress (the other guys have expiring contracts and are vets, so they know the predicament they are in) anymore than some of you, but I understand you have to give up a valued player in order to get someone of value in return. A good friend who covers the league in another city even floated the idea of sending Zaza Pachulia back to the Magic in a package for Darko, but I honestly think Zaza is more valuable than Darko for the purposes of this upcoming season. And I don’t think parting with a young big for a young big is what the Hawks should be doing at this stage of the game. The only problem with all this yapping is the Hawks haven’t shown any reported interest in Darko and there has been no reported interest in the Hawks from Darko’s camp. But things can change quickly in the wild and crazy world of NBA free agency. A week ago no one knew that Rashard Lewis would be joining the Magic and opening up the possibility for others (like the Hawks) to get in on the hunt for Darko. One last thing, the Hawks’ summer league roster is soon to hit the web. Most of the usual suspects are on there (Horford, Law IV and second year guys Shelden Williams and Solomon Jones). Knowing how well versed you all are with digging up information on your own, I won’t bother with thumbnail bios on the rest of the summer leaguers. But I will pass long their names for you to chew on over lunch (some you’ll recognize and others you won’t, but keep in mind that only some of these cats will be heading to Salt Lake City next week for game action): Todd Abernathy, James Beasley, Craig Bradshaw, Earl Calloway, Antawn Dobie, Edwin Draughan, Teddy Gipson, Devin Green, Jarrius Jackson, Robby Lawrence, Brent Petway, Derek Raivio, Brion Rush, Ronell Taylor, Terrance Thomas, Mario West and Dashaun Wood.

We sould sign him for around 13 million first year.I would not want to start him at more than Joe makes this year. We trade Marvin and Sheldon. Seattle is rebuilding and Orlando doesnt have the money to sign Darko and Lewis without a sign and trade. We have better player to sign and trade.With Joe and Rashard outside and Josh and AL inside we would be a force.Todays article in the AJC said we needed another scorer. Marvin 4,466,040 Sheldon 3,174,240 Cap space around 5 million

Unannounced Blazer Trade for a Small Forward June 29, 2007 12:50 PM Kevin Pritchard told the Portland media last night that the team has essentially completed another trade that can not be announced owing to league restrictions. "I'm probably getting fined already," he says, in press conference audio on Oregonlive. For Portland, Pritchard says the move will bring a small forward. Pritchard's "cap expert," assistant GM Tom Penn, adds that "we have to formally complete the New York trade before we can finish another trade that we hope will happen." Penn estimates that will take a week to ten days for all this to be announced. Later in the same press conference, someone asks about the teams's decision to draft Rudy Fernandez, and Pritchard says "that's part of the thing I'm not supposed to talk about, so I apologize for maybe letting it out a little bit." I'm no expert on the collective bargaining agreement, but I'm guessing that this means something has to happen with Channing Frye (moving on?) or Steve Francis (being bought out?) before Rudy Fernandez can be shipped (with Frye, Pryzbilla, Jack, Koponen ... who knows?) somewhere for a small forward.

Atlanta Al Horford Position: PF Height: 6-9 Weight: 235 Age: 20 School: Florida (Horford's previous position: No. 3 to Atlanta) The skinny: There was a minor dust-up in the Hawks' front office Wednesday, with Billy Knight pushing for Horford and some of the Hawks' ownership pushing for Yi Jianlian. I'm told it was resolved in Horford's favor late Wednesday ... that is, if Atlanta doesn't find a way to resurrect the three-way Kevin Garnett-Amare Stoudemire deal or make another trade.

Why work out for the hornets when they have Chris Paul?

One player that does seem to have one is Texas A&M's Acie Law. I'm told he's been told he won't slip past No. 14 to the Clippers. Expect us to change that on the next mock.

Chicago We’ve been told by numerous team sources that if still on the board, Joakim Noah doesn’t slip past this pick. It’s likely between Yi Jianlian, Hawes and Noah, but they will almost certainly take Joakim because of the fact that he’s ready to play and help them win right now.

If we draft Horford or trade for Gasol with the third pick and Yi Jianlian fell to number 11 should the Hawks take him?I no we need a point guard but that would be hard to turn down.

One comment about Crittenton he was interviewed on WSB and said he would love to play for the Hawks and that Josh Smith was like a brother to him.

By Christopher Reina 1. Greg Oden Center. Ohio State As evidenced by Kobe Bryant in Los Angeles, Kevin Garnett in Minnesota, LeBron James in Cleveland, etc., franchise players run the franchise these days and GM’s ultimately work for them, so it is time for Kevin Pritchard to finally get on board with his future boss. Unless he is doing something more than merely kicking Kevin Durant's tires. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2. Kevin Durant Small Forward. Texas Sam Presti’s former employers have had Tim Duncan to build around over the past ten years and while Kevin Durant isn’t Duncan, his versatility will offer the new GM plenty of ways to build. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 3. Mike Conley Jr Point Guard. Ohio State The very loud ‘Atlanta likes Horford’ buzz smells like a smokescreen. Conley and Horford will both be working out for the Hawks on the 25th and I believe Conley will still be their man and that this is an attempt to trade down. I would much rather leave the draft with Conley and Thaddeus Young/Al Thornton than with Horford and Javaris Crittenton/Acie Law. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 4. Al Horford Power Forward. Florida While the Grizzlies need a point guard, putting the physical Al Horford between Rudy Gay and Pau Gasol will improve the play of both players as much as a great point guard such as Conley would. Tony Barone is known to be very high on Horford and new GM Chris Wallace is coming from a franchise that wisely stuck by Al Jefferson. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 5. Brandan Wright Power Forward. North Carolina Wright has been very impressive in his workouts and remains the unquestioned third best player in this draft in my estimation. No matter if the Celtics are trying to win now or win in the future, Wright will have the biggest impact on making the franchise a winner again. Wright, Al Jefferson and Paul Pierce may not exactly be Bird, McHale and Parish, but it is a frontline that will be amongst the best two or three in the entire NBA. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 6. Corey Brewer Small Forward. Florida Despite being so lean, Brewer is extremely tough and his elevation and long arms will lead him to develop into one of the best rebounding small forwards in the NBA. This is an obvious benefit for the Bucks since big men Andrew Bogut and Charlie Villanueva aren’t married to the paint. The rise on his jumpshot lends nicely to the dying midrange game, which will offset Michael Redd on the other wing. Execs like his make-up and his versatility and is the biggest ‘can’t miss’ outside of the top-two. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 7. Spencer Hawes Center. Washington Hawes has modeled his game after Kevin McHale and Tim Duncan and with Kevin Garnett looking like he may have played his final game with the Wolves, there could be a lot more room for the club to look long-term. Before the Juwan Howard trade, Joakim Noah looked like the natural fit to contribute immediately, but it appears as though Minnesota is now going in a different direction. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 8. Jeff Green Small Forward. Georgetown Green has been going through the process while projecting that he would have no problem at all returning to school and it is likely that he got positive feedback from the Bobcats when they watched him workout at Georgetown. Green is a versatile big wing, which falls in line with the versatility they already have and some of it which they may be losing, Gerald Wallace. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 9. Joakim Noah Power Forward. Florida Noah bumps down two spots from the previous mock, but it is to a familiar place and the perfect place for him. This will be a no-brainer for Chicago if he remains on the board with the ninth selection, with the only thing that could change it is if they are for drafting another team (i.e.: Kobe Bryant deal). Noah works hard and loves to play defense, two prerequisites to playing in Chicago. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 10. Yi Jianlian Power Forward. China The Kings have seen Yi workout, but could be swayed to drop down to the Sixers’ slot for an additional first rounder. In order for a player like Yi Jianlian to become special, he needs to be a really special player and from the footage I’ve seen, I feel the likelihood is relatively small. Players of this ilk who do not become great scorers rarely find a niche in the NBA doing anything else and this is where the real risk lies. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 11. Thaddeus Young Small Forward. Georgia Tech We will only know the true intentions of what the Hawks will do here when the third pick is announced. The versatile Young has shown the fundamentals to put together an offensive game that matches his athletic abilities. With two lottery picks, I would go safe early and risky late. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 12. Al Thornton Combo Forward. Florida State Thornton pulled out of a Monday workout with the Sixers due to a sprained ankle, but has rescheduled for next Monday. For a team without a pure scorer on their roster, Thornton would be a godsend. Danny Ainge believes the Florida State forward is the second best scorer in the draft. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 13. Julian Wright Small Forward. Kansas Wright still hasn’t scheduled a workout with the Hornets, but he has been only working out for top-ten teams thus far. None of the concerns about Wright’s outside shooting have been alleviated during his workouts, but New Orleans remains an ideal spot for him. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 14. Javaris Crittenton Point Guard. Georgia Tech Crittenton is Dwight Howard’s Mike Conley, as the two played together in high school, but it looks to me like Elton Brand will be his NBA running mate. Acie Law has looked like the pick for the Clippers here, but half-measures do not produce results in the Western Conference and Crittenton’s ceiling is too alluring to pass on. Crittenton calls the Clippers 'a perfect situation' and I agree.

Word on the Street- A Look at the Lottery by: Jonathan Givony - President June 19, 2007 As the draft gets closer, a definite consensus is beginning to emerge regarding which players are being favored by each team. We present a quick look at the 14 teams in the lottery, and who they are reportedly looking at most seriously. We also examine a few prospects—Yi Jianlian and Al Thornton included—who’s hype seems to be waning a bit these days. Portland: The Trailblazers are still saying publicly that they are still considering Durant at #1, but no one really seems to believe that they will have the “guts” to pass on Greg Oden. Seattle: Sam Presti isn’t going to have to think too hard about who to draft. Durant reportedly came in for a secret workout last week, and will obviously be off the board here if he doesn’t go #1. Atlanta: Where the intrigue really starts. Atlanta is still very much open to listening to trades, and will almost certainly be selecting either Al Horford or Brandan Wright at this spot, even if they are still telling people that they are strongly considering Conley. None of the three players are conducting competitive workouts. Memphis: Just having finally hired a GM recently, it’s obviously premature to know for sure who they are leaning towards. Mike Conley Jr. is a name that is quietly gathering some steam at this pick, even if Horford is the consensus favorite should Atlanta decide to pass on him. The Grizzlies held a fascinating workout today in Memphis for hometown favorite Corey Brewer, bringing in an excellent sparring partner in Nick Young to give him a run for his money. Acie Law was also here, while Brandan Wright worked out by himself once again. Boston: Consistently the toughest spot for anyone to predict, as “Danny Ainge is basically impossible to read” according to one source we asked for their personal mock draft. Many insiders are predicting Jeff Green as the darkhorse choice here. Joakim Noah, Yi Jianlian and Brandan Wright are also receiving consideration. The Celtics are shopping this pick extremely hard, so fans of Conley Jr, Brewer or Yi might want to line up here to ensure that they get their guy. Milwaukee: They really want Al Horford, but will settle for Mike Conley Jr. if he’s still on the board (even if they privately say that they don’t think he will). If Brandan Wright is here, they probably take him. Minnesota As we exclusively reported on our podcast last week, the Timberwolves definitely seem to be leaning towards Spencer Hawes. They would also strongly consider Corey Brewer or Jeff Green, but Hawes seems to be their man. Charlotte If he’s still here, Corey Brewer almost certainly is Charlotte’s pick, even though he has not been working out particularly well so far. Chicago We’ve been told by numerous team sources that if still on the board, Joakim Noah doesn’t slip past this pick. It’s likely between Yi Jianlian, Hawes and Noah, but they will almost certainly take Joakim because of the fact that he’s ready to play and help them win right now. Sacramento The Kings would like to see Spencer Hawes here, but if he goes #7 as many people are speculating, then Yi Jianlian would definitely be a solid option. Jeff Green or Julian Wright would also get consideration. Al Thornton should get a look, but he worked out extremely poorly in Sacramento, as did Corey Brewer. Atlanta The Hawks will either trade this pick (possibly for Jarrett Jack?) or take a guard (granted they didn’t take Conley at #3). Acie Law seems to be the prohibitive favorite, but Javaris Crittenton and Rodney Stuckey are also in the mix. Boxing match of the century—Thursday 21st: Joakim Noah vs. Kyrylo Fesenko. Rocky vs. Drago II? Philadelphia Philadelphia could go in many different ways here depending on who is on the board. Jeff Green and Julian Wright are both strongly in the mix. Acie Law is in contention, and this is probably Spencer Hawes’ floor if he even makes it this far. New Orleans New Orleans is looking in a lot of directions, including Nick Young, Rodney Stuckey, Thaddeus Young and Al Thornton. It’s believed that this spot is really Nick Young’s to lose. He’ll be in on the 25th. LA Clippers The Clippers need a point guard in the worst way, and Javaris Crittenton is reportedly pretty high up on their board. This is likely Acie Law’s floor. Who Slipped? -Yi Jianlian seems to be losing some momentum from what we are hearing. His agent’s decision to overplay his hand and take complete control of his draft destiny may be backfiring at the moment, as he’s has been forced to not only expand the group of teams they’d be “willing” to consider, but have also abandoned the policy of not allowing him to workout competitively against other players. The Lakers (#20) and Clippers (#14) were in to watch Yi workout last week, while Golden State (#18) on Monday and recently-added Philadelphia (#12) on Tuesday jumped into the picture as well. You can follow his entire workout schedule here. In contrast to his first workouts, Yi is now competing against a live body—Harvard’s Brian Cusworth. Jianlian’s people may have underestimated their ability to dictate exact terms to NBA teams regarding who he will work out for and in what context. Being in Los Angeles for so long and refusing to do any type of competitive workout has obviously raised some red flags in the eyes of teams about exactly what Jianlian might be hiding from them. No NBA person we’ve spoken to has been able to recall a player refusing to attend either the physical-only portion of the pre-draft camp or make any type of visit to the facilities of the NBA team looking to draft him (for a competitive or solo workout, or even an interview). That means it’s almost certainly going to be an uphill battle to try and force a General Manager (who is probably already on the hotseat) to risk their job on a player who is widely considered to be a project with a difficult transition ahead of him. Unknown international draft prospects in the past may have been able to benefit from not being as scrutinized as heavily as their American counterparts, but in this day and age, that advantage is quickly evaporating. An online scouting service that over half of NBA teams subscribe to for example—Synergy Sports Technology—has posted comprehensive video footage of 32 games and 639 individual possessions Jianlian directly participated in over the past year, putting him on equal footing with every player in this year’s draft. Having had the opportunity to watch much of that footage these past few days, we personally came away somewhat underwhelmed. We’ll be posting our detailed thoughts as well as some video footage of our own shortly. -Al Thornton is not drawing the best reviews in his individual workouts so far, while some teams are now quietly wondering whether he might end up being available in the late teens portion of the draft. People we’ve spoken to have questioned his ability to play and defend the perimeter, pointing out his lack of fluidity, and even going as far as to call him “robotic” moving his feet outside of the paint. In addition to that, losing an inch on measurements from 6-8 to 6-7 did not help him, while his very soft-spoken off the court demeanor and more advanced age at 23 ½ has been working against him as well. His poor feel for finding the open man or picking up on advanced sets both defensively and offensively has also been mentioned as a negative in some people’s eyes. When’s Thornton perimeter shot is not falling he might not be the most aesthetic workout player to take in, but scouts might want to remind themselves of the way he dominated the ACC this year by rewatching some of the film they have at their disposal. He’s clearly not a finished product at this point despite his age, and relying heavily on workouts to compare him with other prospects in this draft does him a tremendous disservice. -Thaddeus Young might have been the biggest loser of the pullout deadline once Jeff Green decided to keep his name in the draft, as his chances of slipping into the late lottery took a bit of a hit. Young still hadn’t conducted any workouts for teams drafting outside of the lottery until Monday (when he worked out for Miami), so he might have to work his way down to find himself a floor now that he is in for good. In a bit of a strange move, Young is reportedly considering continuing to use his uncle as his advisor rather than hiring a traditional agent, even though he has no NCAA eligibility remaining.

posted: Monday, June 11, 2007 | Feedback | Print Entry filed under: Insider NBA TREVISO, Italy -- Here are the rumors and rumblings coming out of the Reebok Eurocamp: • As they were at the Orlando predraft camp, NBA scouts in attendance at the Eurocamp are as obsessed with the draft prospects that aren't at the camp as they are with the players that are. For instance: There was a lot of talk about China's Yi Jianlian, who is unavailable to play as he works out for NBA teams. (Yi is working out for only a select few teams -- Atlanta, Boston and Chicago, at the moment.)

Trade scenarios for the Hawks We know these guys don't play for Atlanta, but we can dream, so we changed their uniforms By SEKOU SMITH The Atlanta Journal-Constitution Published on: 06/09/07 If the Hawks are apprehensive about gambling on the uncertainty of yet another draft class, they have options. There are ways to change the roster without just making the No. 3 and No. 11 picks in the June 28 draft, where the only sure things (Greg Oden and Kevin Durant) will be gone before the Hawks go to work. Your Turn Which of Sekou's Smith scenarios would you most like to see happen? Scenario 1 (Adding Ridnour, Wilcox, Horford, Hawes) Scenario 2 (Camby, Horford, Crittenton) Scenario 3 (Gasol) Scenario 4 (Garnett) Scenario 5 (Amare Stoudemire) Voter Limit: Once per Hour View Poll Results RELATED STORIES Trade scenarios for the Hawks Draft near, Crittenton, Young go with flow Conley can answer No. 1 need for Hawks More Hawks coverage Armed with salary-cap space (upward of $6 million), those two draft picks and young and relatively low-paid (by NBA standards) talent a deal could be made. And when a team has all those tools at its disposal, everything from the realistic to the far-fetched — anyone interested in seeing Pau Gasol, Kevin Garnett or Amare Stoudemire in a Hawks uniform? — should be considered. Five scenarios, that all work within the league trade framework, that would immediately change the Hawks: • SCENARIO NO. 1: Trade Marvin Williams and Anthony Johnson to Seattle for Luke Ridnour and Chris Wilcox, and then take Florida forward Al Horford with the third pick and Washington center Spencer Hawes with the No. 11 pick. •MAKES SENSE FOR HAWKS: Wilcox and Ridnour shore up two problem areas for the Hawks with veterans rather than rookies. Since the Hawks keep their draft picks, they can now be used on the best talent available as opposed to filling specific position needs. •SCENARIO NO. 2: Trade Shelden Williams and Tyronn Lue to Denver for Marcus Camby, and take Horford with the third pick and Georgia Tech point guard Javaris Crittenton with the No. 11 pick. •MAKES SENSE FOR HAWKS: Camby, the league's reigning Defensive Player of the Year and shot-blocking champ, would team with Josh Smith to help close down those lanes to the basket that opposing teams have used to torture the Hawks. • SCENARIO NO. 3: Trade the No. 3 and No. 11 picks and Shelden Williams to Memphis for Pau Gasol. • MAKES SENSE FOR HAWKS: Had the Hawks added Gasol at the February trade deadline, they might have ended their playoff drought before it ballooned to a league-high eight years. He's the ideal inside force to be paired with the outside threat of All-Star Joe Johnson. • SCENARIO NO. 4: Trade No. 3 and No. 11 picks along with Josh Childress, Anthony Johnson, Shelden Williams and Lorenzen Wright to Minnesota for Kevin Garnett. • MAKES SENSE FOR HAWKS: This is admittedly a pipe dream, as Garnett refuses to demand that the Timberwolves trade him. But paired with Joe Johnson and Josh Smith, Garnett would make the Hawks an instant playoff factor in the East. • SCENARIO NO. 5: Trade the No. 3 and No. 11 picks and Josh Childress to Phoenix for Amare Stoudemire. • MAKES SENSE FOR HAWKS: If the Suns are trying to get rid of a big contract to avoid the luxury tax and they're crazy enough to move Stoudemire (the first-team All-NBA center), both major ifs, this deal is a no-brainer for the Hawks, who will have handed over four picks to the Suns in a three-draft span.

BK has to show he is interested in Yi. Hopefully a couple of teams will fall in love and offer us a good trade to move down a few spots. Maybe Boston or Chicago, I have read that Goldern State may trade JR to Charlotte for the 8th pick. I would trade the three to Golden State for 8 and Monte Ellis.

-Speaking of Javaris Crittenton,, it's interesting to note that he's scheduled to work out with the Portland Trailblazers the day before the draft, June 27th. He obviously won't be working out for the #1 pick, and can't be planning on Portland's next pick at #37 either. So what does that mean? Deductive reasoning tells us that his people have almost certainly been convinced that there is a very good chance that the Trailblazers will have a draft pick in his range, AND will have a need for another point guard besides the two very good ones they already have in Jarrett Jack and Sergio Rodríguez. It goes without saying that the day before the draft is a VERY valuable spot on the calendar of a player like Crittenton. A couple of quick calls made indicate that Crittenton isn't the only one who might feel that way. Two agents with draft prospects in the 5-15 draft range conveyed to DraftExpress that they feel that Portland is sending out messages implying that they may already have a late lottery pick locked up. The rumor emerging is that Portland can secure the #11 pick belonging to Atlanta, in return for Jarrett Jack if they so desire. Portland will also (tentatively) be hosting Nick Young and Al Thornton two days before the draft, on the 26th. The Young and Crittenton workout dates were released by a Portland beat writer,

I think he would be a perfect fit for us. But I had rather trade Sheldon and Wright.