sturt

http://blogs.ajcsportsplus.com/traction/pe.../Columnists3103 Thanks in advance to the someone that can post "How Will Hawks Sign Free Agents?"

I'm leaning that way, too, W... fwiw. But I'm also of the opinion that recent NBA history strongly hints that a sign-and-trade involving Harrington will somehow become imperative to acheiving whatever it is that BK works out. Problem w/ free agency is that it seems to be becoming rare that the elite players can be had through that route. Perhaps that's why, in spite of JChil's hold on the #2 spot, we are nevertheless widely rumored to be attempting a Ray Allen coup.

Quote: I would much rather take a chance on Morris than the guy who wants to play in Toronto of all places. josh smith fan, surely I'm not the first one to write this in this thread, but it bears repeating... You would rather take a chance on an undrafted free agent who looked like just about any other freshman center in the nation than a guy who is already an NBA starter. HUH? Surely, having had a chance to chew on those words, there was a certain pungent taste to them, such that you regret having spewed them forth. Now in questioning your logic, I'm NOT suggesting it isn't worth signing Morris and using the NBDL to try to resucitate his seemingly-still-born career. But assuming Randolph Morris gets it together, by the time that happens Magloire will have amassed at least a couple or three more seasons of respectable, if not, all-star type stats at the highest level of basketball in the world.

Quote: Childress played shooting guard the ENTIRE SEASON last year. I don't know why there was ever any talk of him playing small forward. 35% of the team's total minutes at the shooting guard position was played by Josh Childress. Only 22% of the team's total minutes at small forward were played by Josh Childress. KB, I was taking others' word for it... I'd understood that his best stats came when he was playing the 3... is that wrong?

As much ambiguity as there may be about who is playing the 3 and 4 at any given point of a game, one thing BK made clear: in spite of his more apparent success at the 3, JChil's should get used to the 2. Guess that elminates what little talk there might have been about throwing muchodinero at a Ray Allen or Michael Redd, eh?

Dies, I have respect for what you're saying. I really do. It's a kind of basketball evolution that we've come to the point that, instead of there being 3 basic positions (G, F, and C), specialization has brought us to 5... and even 6 (ie "6th man" now even has its own award). There's a reason we've reached this point, probably that we tend to like highly-defined roles in the workplace... and that's any workplace. But having said that, I think BK is correct in a sense that specialization is overrated. West and Goodrich shared ball-handling chores, as did Frazier and Monroe, as did Thomas and Dumars, and as did Jordan and Kerr and Pippen... McMillan and Hairston were co-equals as forwards, as were Bradley and DeBusshure; one could argue that the Wallace brothers are co-equals with one being more offense and the other being more defense of course. The point is merely that there are examples of success on BK's side of the ledger as well. I think he's on the right track personally... accumulate the best talent regardless of position for now, and save enough salary cap room that when we see we're a player (or two) away, he can go get that.

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/pr/subs/s...0627/index.html What's it say about Marvin?

So it seems. Need some help from an AJC Plus subscriber again... http://blogs.ajcsportsplus.com/traction/pe.../Columnists3097

Another link to another profile: http://www.sportsnetwork.com/default.asp?c...draft-akyol.htm

...drafted. Not Randolph Morris. Rather... Chuck Hayes. Mark my words, Hayes not only will make an NBA roster this fall, but will be in the rotation for some team within 2-3 years. Yes, I live in Lexington, but I'm not a Wildcat fan... I'm telling you, though, the guy just finds a way to get it done when everything says there's no way that he can. He's a leader and a winner.

I thot the same thing about Morris at first, but then it occurred to me that Atlanta probably has an upper-hand in signing him as an undrafted FA regardless, since he'd be coming home. Wow, the Lexington H-L is going to be having a party over this one tomorrow.

http://nbadraft.net/zaragoza2004final.asp Quote: From the picture he looks prepubescent. But the kid is a player. We chose him to represent Turkey because of his age: 1987, 1 year younger than most of the players. Streak shooter (26.5% from the arc, but 35% in the playoff), with great mobility. He took a few to enter the tournament, struggling in the first game against Israel but exploded in the important win against Bulgaria and in the playoffs against Serbia & Montenegro. The unexpected comeback in the semifinal was thanks to him.

Morris? Being a Lexingtonian, I doubt anyone here has seen the guy play more than I have. If you're willing to send him to NBDL for a couple of years, fine. But I wouldn't say "whatever it takes" for the guy... everyone who points to his last game in the tournament forgets how his game regressed through most of the year. If I may use Parcells-speak on a Hawks board -- he's "just a guy." A big guy, but just a guy.

Remember the days of Mookie, Smitty, and Deke? It's not been so long ago that we were one of those teams that everyone thought was on the verge if only we could lock up that one FA that would put us over the top. Problem was, all of the impact FAs went where the money was. I dare say that money will again become an issue, and that BK is wise to continue his pattern of patience.

Can't argue that, Hot... but there's no shortage of speculation that he's #1 on BK's list, as you know.

Oops... I'm not insane after all, Inside... http://www.sportsline.com/nba/freeagents Kiss Delk goodbye.

My bad, Inside... I thot for sure I'd read that... that's what happens when one doesn't do their research first.

Quote: i think we have found our PG With all due respect... no. Rather, we have found our Vinnie Johnson. But that's a good thing to have, too. PG will be Lue, and C will be Dalembert... and next year we'll be in a position to add to all of that.

Chad might have missed that (a) Delk was injured for so many games and (b) that he's a FA anyway. At #31, BK just needed to pick the player he thought would be most likely to make the roster, and definitely not shoot for the best player at a particular position. I think he did that.

Quote: Its the only thing he can post about that has the impact that he desires and needs. One of those types who has a need to be spectacular and all knowing. And how exactly did I get on your bad side, crockett? Am I supposed to apologize that I (a) have real convictions about the professional game, and (b) have others in the media world who agree, at least, that there are some real concerns? To some I may come across pompously... I'd rather that wasn't the case... but that's just going to happen when you've thought about an issue as long and hard as I have about all of this. For others like Lascar, it's just a game of skeet shooting -- sit back, and just mindlessly take aim at whatever kind of duck goes up, without really evaluating whether the duck can fly or if it's clay... then fire off a "CONSPIRACY THEORY, CONSPIRACY THEORY" alert, again, without much honest contemplation either about the problem nor the solution. Quote: It does belong in the around the league. But do you think he would captivate a audience over there? Here is a challenge. Old Sturt can post his thoughts every Monday on around the league. You know build up the board with all his (and a lot of others) great thoughts. He could create a cult following of people who enjoy all this doom and gloom. While all of us ignorant ones can keep posting here about useless stuff like the play, drafts, trades, and free agents for our favorite team First... "old?" I may be Kevin Willis' age, but that hardly puts me in the senile category... lol. As far as placement of these discussions, I guess I can't argue with the Around the League category, but I also appreciate mods who don't get pissy about it all. The original Marshall board, The Herd Grapevine, the proud home of more than 1000 registered posters and arguably still the central conversation spot for Herd Nation even just a year ago, has seen a stiff decline in posters and is, forgive the pun, dying on "the vine"... and thanks to mods who are so dedicated to "forum purity." My own philosophy has always been, as long as a topic doesn't take over a forum that's dedicated to a certain heading, posters don't have to click on threads that they don't care about. Oh, and speaking of which, maybe I just missed this -- but were you or Lascar also going to complain that the mods here haven't moved all of this draft talk to the appropriate forum? (Yeah, I thought so. ) Models of consistency, you are.

Quote: I'm not responding to all the rest... Darn... I love softball practice. Quote: because this won't go anywhere good. And, where you're concerned Lascar, Choro just made sure of it.

Quote: [The Trail Blazers] don’t want to go back any farther than five. So much for the wisdom coming out of Charlotte... of course, later he contradicts himself and said he does think that Portland and Utah might make a deal. Who to believe... Bernie... or... Bernie???

Tucked neatly within the Jazz/Blazers story was this pearl that I'd been searching for over the last two weeks: Quote: All trades had to be in by 2 p.m. ET. Couldn't find anything anywhere about this, but I vaguely remembered that the NBA made a rule a few years back to save The Tyrant from having to make extra trips to the podium (KIDDING) (ie to announce trades during the course of the draft). Anyone have a reference as to the specifics of what is allowed and when?... and in fact, when trading is permitted again?

Looks like that effectively locks us in to #2, doesn't it? No way to trade w/ Charlotte anyway since #5 won't yield Paul or Deron.

Quote: why are you currently posting on an nba fan message board if you are not an nba fan? Answer that you obviously didn't get: "...But others of us care too much to just go away. We'll be watching the draft tonight too, full of optimism that "just maybe" fortunes will change both for our team and the league." Quote: Peter King is doing his job. He is not posting at hawksquawk. There is no comparison. Stop putting yourself on the same level as him. Question: Are you not the person who suggested that it is "only" me who is raising the issue? How, then, can you sit there and demagogue like I have no right to bring up Peter King et al??? You just take the proverbial cake, my friend. Quote: The only possible impact you could have is getting a few nba fans to no longer like the nba. You mean I have that kind of power? No, actually, I don't. Rather, "the only possible impact" I could have is to persuade some NBA fans who feel the same as I do to look more deeply into what's going on, and to begin raising the volume. And if I say so myself, judging from responses I've gotten publicly and via e-mail, I *am* having *that* kind of impact. Quote: You keep harping on why you're pissed off. I'm not telling you not to be pissed off. I don't see any "harping" of my own in this thread, anyway. Quote: I don't care. Liar liar pants on fire. Quote: I'm saying stop posting on an nba fan message board if all you're going to do is try to convince people that the nba sucks Oblivous as you are... I don't have to convince people that the NBA game sucks. It is all-too-apparent that they already know that. But constraining those same people to think about it and, as I say, "raise the volume" of protest to The Tyrant's ears is certainly a worthy goal. Thanks, again, Lascar, for bumping this thread to the top on a day when so many will be visiting...