MikeJ

Another Aussie (Melbourne) here. Been following since the Nique days. I stop by The Squawk several times a day but never post. What a season we're having! I love that we're not getting the media credit we deserve and I guarantee that the players and Bud do too. Expanding egos are the only thing that can derail this uncharacteristic team of humble and mature NBA players.

No team in the league, let me repeat NO TEAM IN THE LEAGUE has been better than us over the last 10 games. We are 8-2 in our last 10. Only Pho and NO have the same record over the last 10 games. Pretty good company to be in. We're gettin it done when we need to and it's great to have a positive thread going!!!

Wow, those stats look pretty good. Especially when you consider the fact that he has recently come back from a career threatening broken leg. That might be why his minutes are kinda low. He had been MVP of his league prior to his injury. You can see from his stats that he's not the bruising type of big man. Not many blocks, not bad rebounding for 24 mins. As someone said earlier, he might be the type of center you want playing along side Horf. One thing that the stats don't show that I've picked up from seeing him play is that he is quite a smart/crafty player. Plays good team ball/within the system. Hope this translates to the NBA.

I've posted this before. Don't get too excited about Andersen!!! I say this as an Aussie and an Andersen fan: he's a nice player, a finess big man but he's not the kind of big man that we've all been asking for. He's not going to bang with the big boys but I'm assuming he can at least foul 6 times intelligently. I think it was BK who said that he's like Jason Collier. This is pretty true in terms of his mid-range shooting, but from what I've seen of him, I'd say that he's much more agile and faster. So while with the absence of a draft pick I'm happier to have him on the roster than not, I'm just warning the Squawk to not expect a Scola type of rookie season just because he's experienced. Besides, Woody probably wouldn't play him much!!! But another coach however...

Wow, that would be great!!! You'd have to feel a bit for the guy having coached through 4 painful years only to get dumped after the season that he finally makes it to the playoffs (if we get there). Still, I always thought that they hired Woody as a developmental coach and would bring in a more experienced campaigner once the team started to compete on a more regular basis. Having such a young team with potential plus a couple of savvy vets at/near the peaks of their careers in Bibby and JJ and a potential big market, we'd be a pretty attractive option for unemployed coaches looking for a team to take charge of. If only the ownership dispute wasn't hanging over us!? Still, if Peter V said it's gonna happen... it's not gonna happen.

Yeah I obviously think he's better value than a 2nd round pick going by what I had to say about him. I guess I just thought about him possibly slipping when I saw him as a late 1st rounder on the ever accurate NBADraft.net mock (note my sarcasm). I could see him staying to show what he can do without his brother. But how many examples are there of players staying only to see their stock plummet. Hibbert would have been top 3 last year. You got me thinking though. I wonder what the worst aquisitons based on "genetic faith" have been? Could be a fun list to compile. Didn't Gerald Wilkins have a brother?

I know like all good fans I should just be focusing on our playoff push but I can't help but think ahead to improving our team in the offseason. More like thinking about how hard that is going to be. I think we now all agree that a legit 5 is our biggest need. Are we going to be able to get a 7ft agile defensive big man who can bang with a low post game? NO!!! There are only about five of them on the planet. We're not going to be able to trade for an established big as we have few pieces to trade. It's going to be very hard to sign a quality free agent. We don't have any draft picks. I think our best chance is to try to obtain a decent 2nd rounder and see if any of the big men slip. One of them is bound to. I want no part of Hibbert, Thabeet and Brook Lopez will be gone. But as for his twin Robin, he could be there in the early 2nd round and I think he fits nicely. He's 7ft and likes to bang and is energetic on the glass and going for blocks. Sounds like Noah with a more NBA ready body. He could be a 2 inch taller Zaza who doesn't have delusions of being a finess offensive player and just sticks to the dirty work. A 7ft guy along side Horf would be great. Any center we have won't have to score much as there won't be enough shots for them anyway with all our wings + Bibby and Horf looking like our inside scorer of the future. Horf's played along side a second option tall guy in Noah and Lopez has been a lesser offensive option to his brother so they might have chemistry. I know we don't need to get any younger but a 2nd round contract would be cheap and flexible and we don't have many/any options. I know it's all a long shot and who's to say BK would even draft him or any center. But hey, I'm bored and I'm filling in my day with Hawk thoughts...

I agree with almost everything you say here Diesel. I didn't mention our coaching/GM as I wanted to focus more on the players. Of course I realise the two are related and would be all for a coaching change. A few things you said that I disagree with. Points 9 and 10, while true, are not my major concern as I feel that in a couple of years Horf will be servicable at the very least in these areas. The second thing, a player of Gasol's quality would no doubt help but would create other problems on the defensive end and would require a high price to get him. The point of my post was that at the start of the season, most of us would have been happy with a playoff berth. While it might not be pretty, I think if we sit put we'll limp into the playoffs the way we are. Then who knows, with a bit of team success from a young squad comes some recognition and maybe some free agents will start to consider us. While it would be great to add franchise players, I think this squad could really excel with the right PG and C, even if they're role player types.

First of all, I'm not against trades. In fact I love the excitement and optimism following a trade. But do we NEED to pull the trigger just because we're in a slump and the deadline is approaching? This squad has shown what it CAN do. Sure the team can improve in a number of areas but it's hard to get it right via trade, especially midseason when it can upset chemistry. At this stage in this young teams development, most of us are happy with a playoff appearance. Well don't look now but we're sitting 7th in the conference. I don't think we're moving up but looking at the teams that could catch us, I just can't see two of Indy, NJ, Chi, Mil or Charlotte overtaking us. Unless they really improve through trades. So I believe we're playoff bound if we just sit pretty. Young teams in any sport, if kept together, at some just stage, simply start winning more than they lose. It could be midseason or between campaigns. We just need to be that little bit more patient. I know we all hate hearing that!? I'm a long time fan and am sick of waiting but I really think we're close and that a big trade could rock the boat. I think we have good pieces and just need to tinker with the other bits at the right time to get it right. Hey, I know this isn't the popular opinion but do you think it's the right one considering our current seed?

For those who remember / care about David Andersen, here's the latest: I just got home from an Australia vs New Zealand game where David Andersen was the starting big for the Aussies. With no Bogut or Luke Schensher, Andersen was the only legit big and therefore got plenty of playing time. The disappointing thing was that during the first half he didn't impose himself on the game even though he clearly looked like (and was) the best player on the court. In the second half, the Australians went to him on every play as they should have and he drew fouls (hit most of his free throws) and worried New Zealand inside. Offensively, like myself and other Aussies have reported, he has wonderful footwork in the high and low post. He really isn't an NBA banger. He looks a bit uncoordinated but runs and moves well for a big man. He has good range on his shot and even hit two 3's. He finished the game with 20 points. Granted the opposition was weak especially as New Zealand were missing thier best player in NBAer Sean Marks (6'10). They did have Bradshaw who was in our summer league team I believe but Andersen dominated him on both ends. Defensively I must say Andersen didn't stand out and this has always been a weakness of his. He got 1 nice block on Bradshaw going for the dunk, and cleaned up a few rebounds but didn't stand out like you'd want the biggest man on the court to. It was interesting to watch Andersen play on a guy called Perro who is like a smaller Sabonis. Fat, good dribbler, really good passer and likes the 3. He had the big enough body to post up too, so it was interesting to see Andersen defend a versatile player like that in which he did an ok job. Dissappointing I wrote all of this considering Andersen is probably not going to get a sniff at the Hawks roster now. A year ago and you guys would be thanking me for this!? Anyway, take it for what it's worth.

Hey, thanks Swat! Makes perfect sense. So you basically can't trade "future" 1st round picks in consecutive drafts. I guess on the bright side is if BK drafts poorly at #3 we can only hope that he's picked for someone else. I still say the opportunity to obtain top 3 talent doesn't come around often and we should draft for us and keep it for us!!!

This has probably been answered in some other post and I think I'm wrong anyway but just want to check. I'm assuming that the pick we owe Phoenix next year basically has no protection so we're definately trading it to them next draft? Doesn't the NBA state that you can't trade 1st rounders two years in a row? So my question is, are we allowed to trade this years pick? I'm assuming we are otherwise BK wouldn't be mentioning trade in conversations with media but just wanted the low down. I hope we can't trade it, I'm just not comfortable trading top 3 picks. Last time we lost Gasol and got SAR which didn't really work out. I can't think of many teams that have done well out of trading a top 3 pick. In fact it rarely happens which says a bit. It's a great asset, I say keep it. Yi looks good to me.

So it seems that we've all but accepted that we should take either Conley or Law. I haven't seen musch of these two but from what I've read and what you guys have told me they sound like two different but prototypical PG's. I guess it comes down to what type of PG you like. You could have a flashy, lightnigh quick penetrate and dish PG in Conley. Or the more steady, fundamental, get the job done team oriented PG in Law. We've had this debate on this board in the past with choosing between the flashy Paul and the fundamental Deron (obviously BK wasn't reading) of which you'd have to be happy with either (I always wanted Deron). A few drafts prior we were debating over the fundamental Andre Miller, flashy Baron and JT (I wanted Miller). So what type of PG do we want? For the record I'd prefer Law even though I know we have a run and gun team of athletes. Do you really think a Miller or Deron wouldn't succeed with our squad (any squad)? I prefer a thinking PG over an athlete. When the games on the line and tough decisions need to be made, I want a smart PG rather than an athlete who might fall in love with their own athletic ability and try to do too much. So I want Law but I want to hear more from you guys about Conley because Draftnet has nothing on him. I've gathered that the knocks on him are that shooting is not a strength and he obviously had a talented College squad (not his fault). I want to know about his mental toughness, under pressure, his team game. Look forward to hearing from you guys.

It's simple with Andersen, he aint coming to the Hawks unless they equal the $ he's getting in Russia (why would you). Even if he did come over, he's a nice player but probably wouldn't do much in the NBA. He's no banger and doesn't have the standout athleticism of other non-banger power forwards in the NBA. He's the kinda guy that may have a solid game against the Dream Team at a tournament to create a bit of interest but not be able to duplicate it in the NBA on a consistent basis. The other probablem is I really can't see Woody giving much if any playing time. So while I think this offseason is our best chance of getting him, I don't think he would make much of a difference unfortunately. That's one Aussies perspective...

Hey mate, I'm from Melbourne and you're spot on, this is by far the most detailed information an Aussie can get about the Hawks?! So well done Squawkers on keeping us internationals up to date.

Right you are, thanks for the info. We can still get in first and sign him, he's just playing for their squad. I realise he's probably not on our radar with everything else going on but Billy Knight if you're reading this? Cmon, bring in the specialist swatter.

Does anyone know if this guys playing on a summer league squad? I'd love to give him a go. We can only sign him to a 1 year deal anyway so it couldn't hurt. As an undrafted he's probably jump at any offer. We know we could do with more shot blocking and that's all he does. I just want to hear Woodson yell from the bench: "Get me the SWAT team!!!" And then see Justin Williams, Shelden, Jones, Smoove and JJ sub in. Try getting a shot off against that!? Like I said, does anyone know where he is?

I too would like to live in Troy Murphy's world!!! Couldn't stop giggling through that. You gotta respect his outside shot and then he has a really good fake and big step to the basket when you fall for it. He really reminds me of Leatner more than Collier. I don't think Collier set foot in the paint, Murph has some banger about him. He was a real work horse in college if I remember correctly. If we could just do something about his contract?!

That's a good point, I haven't seen him play much in recent times. I watched most of his games during the 2004 Olympics. Yeah he may have changed his style since then but probably not as his game had pretty much developed by 2004. Players can change their game between about 18 - 22 years of age and then usually stick with a style (unless forced to change due to injury). I would suggest that he has stuck with what has been working for him in the Euro leagues. I didn't want my original post to be a downer, just a reality check. I say bring him over because there's not much else we can do this offseason?! See if he can adjust to the NBA game and then decide. If it works out, we get a good player, he gets paid more than in Euro. If it doesn't, he goes back and lives the life he's been enjoying. I might be seeing a guy that knows a lot more about his game tonight. I'll put my reporter hat on and see what I can find out.

Ok, I'm reading a lot of things about this guy on this message board. Some of them are interesting. As an Australian I've seen him play quite a bit over here and have followed his Euro career as it gets reported on in Australian papers. So here's the deal on him, he's not the answer for us. I'd love to see him brought over and he would be a fine addition to the bench. Remember when we were all excited about Este and people were talking him up big? Now he's just a good role player for us. That's what you should expect from Andersen. He's tall (7ft) but light. Not a banger, not really a C, definately not in the NBA. He can really run the floor and has nice finess on finishing which could suit our game. Has a nice mid range jumper. Once again, not a power player finisher. I think the best comparison I can think of is the other Australian (not Bogut unfortunately) Anstey who played in the NBA a few years ago. He also tore up the Russian League a couple of years back. Not the camparison that most of us would be hoping for but a realistic one. Hey, I hope he gets brought over and tears it up but I think we shouldn't get carried away about Andersen people.

Exactly, Rodman is the perfect example and was the very player that me and my friend were discussing a couple of hours ago in regard to this topic. Rik Smits is another one for all the wrong reasons. Here's a 7'4 guy who had a career average of 6.1 rebounds per game. I can't help but think that if I was 7'4 I would find it to get less than 6 rebounds in any game?!?! In fact a common negative for a lot of tall players (not all but a fair %) is that they are used to reaching for everything and going for every block with their long arms. If a shorter but stronger guy is posting them up and pushing them back e.g. Shelden, then they tend to push against them and smother them with their arms often committing fouls. For over athletic guys, they tend to rely on their jump and fall for the fake too easily. A smart post player will get by with smarts on both ends of the floor. Duncan aint athletic, sure his height is an advantage but it's his footwork that gets him his points. I think Shelden is a guy that gets the most out of his (some say limited) athletic attributes. Postioning and heart will get him by, and hopefully then some.

Now that things are settling down about Shelden, I want to throw my two cents in about him. All you people that are complaining about his athleticism and measurements need to take it easy because a) they're not that bad and b) they're not that important. Anyone who has played / coached basketball knows that defensive fundamentals is what makes a defender, not how high they can jump or how tall they are. There's a reason that Shawn Bradley, Manute and Darius Miles arnt great defenders. They might get a lot of blocks but that's not defending. 70% if not more of defending comes down to getting good position and holding that position. I'm sure that Shelden with his head alone can do both. Charles Barkley said "it's not how high you can jump, it's when you jump". While we're on defense. How about Justin Williams? He went undrafted, sounds like a helluva shot blocker. Does anyone have any good knowledge on him? We could realistically play Justin Williams, Shelden, Solomon and Smoove for short periods to pretty much ensure a defensive stop. There's some shot blocking, muscle and intimidation in that lineup. Could be fun to see.

Let me start by saying that I haven't seen the dude play, so I'm not gonna make any major statements like "bust". But from what I've read, it doesn't sound like the Ben Wallace comparisons match up. Ok, so they're both strong and short for 5's. But it sounds like we're the only people calling Sheldon a 5 because it suits what we need. From what I've read, Sheldon sounds like Boozer to me (and not just because they went to the same College, I hate those comparisons). An average height, super strong pf who can rebound and is not easily moved without the use of a truck. Sheldon's probably a better shot blocker. If my comparison is reasonably accurate (and I'm sure you guys will tell me), then I don't think he's worth the 5th pick. Sure, solid numbers, means you don't have to worry about your pf position for a while. But I don't want solid from the 5th pick. I want potential superstar, I don't think Sheldon has that in him. I remember arguing these same points a few years back about Battier. He turned out...good (pretty good compared to the rest of that draft, yuk!!!) But yeah, I just feel that those top few picks in the draft should bring you something potentially special. As for what I want form this draft? I don't think any of the bigs provide the kind of "big" that we need. May be fine players, but I don't think it's what we need. I say solidify the backcourt. Foye or Roy or trade down for Brewer and something...

Yeah I know what you're saying. But it's pretty obvious that he wants to run a franchise on the cheap side i.e. not open the cheque book to keep/obtain players. This indicates to me that he wants to own a franchise to make money rather than operate it to it's best on court performance. That's why I was hoping that he might (once he gains legal ownership) feel that it's just easier to sell immediately for profit rather than go through all the hassle of fighting the Spirit and Stern. But I realise that this is wishful thinking, I get the feeling Belkin likes a fight and enjoys getting on the wrong side of people.

Hey guys, not happy about this stuff at all?! What I want to know, is can Stern block Belkin from gaining ownership. That was my understanding from the last confrontation between the Belkin and the Spirit. Stern, as commisioner could basically say if he didn't want an individual controlling a franchise in HIS league. If Stern felt that the owner wasn't operating the franchise in it's best interests (as the Spirit convinced Stern that this was the case) then he could block them. Surely he still has that power and surely he still feels that way. Maybe Belkin can gain legal ownership of the franchise but Stern can block his operational rights, meaning that he is basically forced to sell it stright away and get the money which is all he wants anyway. Maybe I'm wrong about all this, I know I'm certainly living in hope of this being the case. Either way, any info you guys have on this would be appreciated.