MoonKnight

He didn't look 260 lbs. Maybe he just needs to redistribute hit the weights and gain strength b/c Curry did move him around in the paint some. Again, I was impressed with his post skills around the basket. This guy will get major minutes this year and could make Lo more expendable per your trade idea.

the kid has real skills. Unlike most european players, this guy showed solid post skills, even a nice jump hook in the paint. Even the announcers seemed impressed with his game. The guy needs to bulk up and play better D though he did have a great blocked shot at one point. In the short time I got to watch this summer league game between the Griz and Bulls he really stood out in limited minutes. Jerry may have found another diamond in the rough.

the Nique trade. Ehlo (a great team player and solid bu) said after the trade that he didn't understand the trade. He said if it aint broke, then why fix it? If you recall, we were the top seed in the east (certainly in the Central) I believe at the time of the trade. If Nique was such a team chemistry killer, then why would Ehlo not want him traded. As soon as the team made the second round of the playoffs that year we could not score in the slow down half court series with the Pacers. If Nique were still on that team we would have no problems scoring in a half court type game. The trade was a very foolish trade that might have kept us from a shot at a championship that year.

I was hoping that Dion would have a very successful career here in the ATL as he is a home grown product. But, I just don't it happening. He is very injury prone, and takes plays off. After playing very good D in the 2000-01 season, he stopped playing D at all last year. He is a streaky offensive player who should accept his role as an O sparkplug off the pine (e.g. Vinnie Johnson, etc.). I don't think he will ever readily accept a b/u role and would be better off with a change of address. He could be packaged with a salary cap bomb like Hendu to ease our salary cap situation. I wish DG the best but it may be time to move on. I disagree with your most potential idea for Dion as DJ actually fills that position.

I thought JJ and Lon had some disagreements in the locker room and there was talk JJ was a poor influence in the locker room. If those facts are true, Babcock would never bring him back.

I am not sold on the Celts trade. If Baker plays like he did in the playoffs this past season then the trade might work. Otherwise this trade could destroy the team's chemistry. Baker will probably want to play the 4 while the team will move Walker to the 3. This hurts the Celts D b/c Eric Williams is a better defender on the perimeter than Walker. Kenny A has really adjusted his game and was helping the Celts at the point. He was actually becoming a good role player. Shammond Williams is a shoot first point guard who is better suited coming off the pine as instant O. With Williams, Walker, Pierce and Baker on the floor, is there enought balls to go around? The Celts made the playoffs last year b/c the team had been together several years and the new coach was better suited to the guys than Pitino. Our best chance to make the playoffs may be to have our guys healthy and playing together for one full season as opposed to looking for trades as the answer.

D. Mason could be the highflying 2 that Dion should be. James gives us the physical 5 that we need to offset Nazr's finesse game. Nazr gives the Sonics a better offensive 5 than James to play in the center heavy west. Could be a good deal for both teams.

for him to develop a 15 foot jumper. If he can hit the 15 foot jumper regularly, then he will give us all the scoring we need. Ira already is a good slasher and garbage scorer. Many times last year teams left him alone for the midrange jumper and his was reluctant to take it. If he is working on the midrange jumper and develops a consistant jumper, then teams can't afford to double SAR or Toni in the post. While at first the Ira=Corbin comparison seems valid, the truth is Corbin never developed the midrange jumper and was never a good slasher. Plus as you remarked, we didn't have the O on those Smitty teams that we have now in JT/SAR/Theo and maybe DJ. The 3 spot is not that big of a concern for me.

While Nazr is a Fine Offensive 5 with decent post skills and a decent 10 ft jumper he is a terrible defensive player. He gives up as many points as he scores. He is a poor shotblocker and plays weak interior D in the post. We cannot win with him as our starting 5 b/c of his glaring Defensive problems. Mahorn did not toughen his D up at all. He is a fine b/u 5 but I suspect he may be used as trade bait for the swing player Babcock believes we need.

If Babcock envisions both guys starting, then we are in big trouble. Generally a team in our position (who is just trying to make the playoffs) does not use a 1st round pick on a b/u 1. This fact is what scares me about this pick. If you are a championship contender, then you can use a late round 1st on a point guard. I hope management intends for DD to be a b/u only.

If the rumors are true that Davis desires to return to the West coast and will not resign with the Bugs, then he could be on the market and Wesley return to the 1 spot to allow Alexander to move to the 2. I seem to recall that Alexander was somewhat of a malcontent over his lack of playing time though I could be wrong. The Baron Davis trade talk could just be draft time gossip and your assessment correct. I wonder how Wesley would respond to playing off the pine.

Are the Hornets actually going to trade Baron Davis? Alexander probably expects to start and I imagine the bugs would not have made this deal to have Alexander off the pine. Wesley could return to the 1 to allow Alexander to play the 2. I was completely wrong about Davis. After the rookie draft camp at life college I though davis was going to be a bust. He has proved me wrong and is one of the better points in the league. Maybe they don't think Mashburn will return and Alexander will play the 3. If B. Davis is going out of the central our division just got a little easier. Thoughts?

Lamar Odom simply does not have the killer instinct JT has for being "Tha Man" at the end of games. Only JT (and to some extent TK) have the ability and willingness to take over games late and want the ball in their hands. SAR is a very good player but he is not a clutch player. JT is a very clutch player who would be difficult to replace. Odom is a very passive player, who tends to glide through games as opposed to take them over. Odom will never be a dependable all-star b/c his game is too passive and his off the court decisionmaking is horrible. JT could be a dependable all-star in time. We agree to disagree over Odom's value.

Why do people continue to think so highly of this player that is frequently off the Court due to character issues and sometimes disappears while on the Court due to passive play? Babcock would not make that deal and I would agree with Babs in this instance. If JT is traded in the near future then we better get a positive upbeat leader type in return b/c our soul and identity (what little there is) would be gone. Sorry Jay but I don't care for your trade.

you are doing a fine job and we all appreciate the effort you are putting into our draft. No harm, no foul.

When I made a selection at 9:17 a.m. this morning, Diesel had not made his selection within his time allotment. So I based his pick off our standard practice of next best player available on the NBAdraft mock, which was Curtis B. Now I see that Diesel selected another player, but his pick was not listed when I made a selection this morning. What is going on??

I just don't see the SAR like trade happening this year despite Pete's earlier statements. The voluntary workouts and the "consultations" with players makes me believe management is content with the core of the team. Realistically, how can Toni and Hendu bring us an up and coming star swing player? Nazr may have to be added to the mix to swing this proposed deal. I will not be disappointed if a big trade is not accomplished. If Theo stays healthy and Ira knocks down the 15ft on a regular basis, then we should be a playoff team (that is if JT or SAR don't break a leg). I know Pete works quietly on trades but should he have mentioned this trade idea? I am afraid many will be disappointed if a big trade does not go down. Thoughts?

While we have depth problems at the swing positions at 2 and 3, the key is still Theo's health. We cannot afford Nazr as our starting 5 due to his horrible D. We cannot win enough games to a playoff contender with Nazr as our starting 5. Has anyone heard anything about Theo's health? His health affects everything we do this offseason, including the draft. Let's not forget that interior D is the key to a winning season.

for us. We can always use another shooter and I don't think a big bruising 5 will be available when we pick.

Has anyone watched this guy play at Hawaii? He lit up the Chicago camps and may have played himself into the 1st round. He has been described as a pure shooter with an NBA ready body at 26 years of age. He is projected as a 2/3 combo. I could see Babcock liking this guy and he would probably fill DG's shoes when he probably departs. Thoughts?