Dejay

We need someone in here who can contribute immediately, not another guy with 'upside' who we have to wait another 2-3 years on. Don't we have enough of those guys on the roster already? Isn't it time for this team to start getting older rather than younger than it already is? Adding a post player of Gasol's ability to JJ gives this team the most potency its had since the days of Smith, Mookie, Deke, and Co. A post player putting out 20/10 with a high FG percentage; what more could you want, especially considering how weak a team this is on the offensive end. As weak as the East is, that's all we'd need to make a push for the playoffs NEXT YEAR rather than hoping that all of these young guys develop and then not bolt on the first thing smoking once their rookie deals run out.

There's a better chance of Georgia Perimeter winning the BCS than Seattle or Portland trading down from their perches at 1 and 2.

Why in the hell would the Sixers trade their starting point guard away to move up ONE SPOT IN THE DRAFT? The guys included in the trade won't have Sixer fans lined up for season tickets, either. There's no way Philadelphia does that deal.

Hell if I know, I'm not the GM. But what other alternative is there? We can't continue with this endless cycle of bringing in young guy after young guy and expect all of them to develop and start winning on the same team, especially one that hasn't won in close to a decade. It may not be the best plan but do you have another one?

While the theory appear sound, it never bears out. After a while, the losing gets to be too much to take; how many times you think the Joshes heard 'come play with a real team when your rookie deal runs out' while on the court. You have to give them and the fans for matter, something to look forward too. This would be a start.

Don't we have enough young guys on this team as is? If the top prospects we're looking at aren't absolutely the real deal, we have to consider moving the pick to get a veteran who can play, isn't past his prime or oft injured, and can't opt out of his deal next year. I know folks aren't too keen on that because of the SAR deal several years ago but this team has far more talent on the roster now than it did then; you want to compare any of the Joshes to Dion Glover or Zaza to Cal Bowdler? Enough with the projects already. Its time to parlay some of this good fortune into some guys who can help this team win now.

Because BK has yet to 'show me' anything in regards to being a competent GM. He got really lucky that the ping-pong balls fell his way in order to give him a chance to erase some of the mistakes he's made in previous drafts. Do we even have to bother rehashing his past selections, folks? Every one of his lotto picks have been questionable decisions at best; its equivalent to bringing in a .275 singles hitter with warning track power to bat clean up. The only free agent he's brought in to make a positive impact (JJ) single-handedly splintered the ownership group. Do fans still trust this guy to get it right when he's been soooo wrong before? The fact that he has options with these picks should make any Hawk fan cringe with terror.

I'm not very enamored with Williams either but patience isn't a virtue right now. We need a veteran in here who can play and not able to opt out of a contract anytime soon. This team needs that type of player in here pronto; not another guy we have to wait 2-4 years to see if he's going to be somebody. No more Marvin William types. We need impact right now; in a good sense.

I'm with you on this. I'm about up to the heavens sick of bringing in rookies to an already young team. Do we really HAVE to add two MORE ROOKIES to this team, which already doesn't know how to win yet? What kind of example would they be showing them? We have to get these picks right this time and I just don't BK to do that. The question is how do we convince a free agent like Mo Williams to come here, especially given the constraints put on the team by the courts?

I'm not a big fan of Bynam, either. He's shown flashes but that's all. I need a proven player in return for the 3rd pick, NO MORE PROJECTS PLEASE.

If anyone wants the 3rd pick of the draft, we have to demand premium price for it. Unless its for a guy like Gasol or something of that ilk, I wouldn't budge one bit.

I don't know, something about him screams project to me. I hope you're right.

Busboy, when was the last time we agreed on anything because you just took the words right out of my mouth. Just say no to Hawes, he's Keefe plus 3 inches.

I'm putting on my trolling shoes right now. After the abuse we took the last two years, they have been officially OWNED in the JJ deal. Couldn't happen to a better group of fans.

Quote: If Indy moves into the top 3, we're screwed. Talk about being the little kid who had no $$$ and couldn't get a popsicle from the ice cream man while the rest got theirs and teased you endlessly (see Eddie Murphy's Delirious back when he was funny). That's what our fate would be if we ended up with no picks at all.

Talked briefly about the Hawks needing a center and PG, how bad Memphis and Boston need the top pick so badly, a profile on Yi, Oden and Durant. More to come...

Did you hear the yahoos on PTI try to justify the 1,500 empties in the building for Game 1 with 'well the Suns weren't there', 'its anticlimatic with the Jazz being there', blah, blah. They roasted Atlanta for years for not showing up for Braves playoff games but they couldn't sell out for a WCF when they're literally the only game in town? If that was us, we'd still be hearing it from folks on ESPN and TNT. We wouldn't be able to put it on Sportscenter without one of them bringing it up.

Since I have such a jacked up work schedule (work on Sunday and Monday nights) I'll be here to see it. It should be the normal banter, though.

After seeing how the likes of Paul, Williams, Roy, Deng, et al performed compared to the guys that BK brought in, the answer is, ummm, YES.

After spending three top-8 picks in the lottery over the last few years, you'd think that this team would be further along in the 'process' than they are right now. JJ is the only guy on the roster who could be labeled a 'complete' player. The rest of the roster are stocked with guys with glaring holes in their repetoire.

Remember the last time the Hawks struck bronze and got the 3rd pick? Before the SAR trade went down on draft night, we were at each other's throats debating whether to use the pick on the 'sure' thing in Shane Battier, an athlete like Jason Richardson (my personal choice), et al. Hawksquawk had split into two factions; those who thought of Battier as a leader the team needed and those who thought he was a lighter-skinned, younger version of Ty Corbin. It was one of the first times that Diesel and Walter had ever agreed on anything (and I was with them regarding Battier).

Quote: I agree. Spencer will be nothing for his first few years, and his potential is that of an average Center. He can't play defense, won't block shots, doesn't rebound exceptionally well, and isn't athletic at all. Didn't we learn anything from the other two stiffs this team has taken at the PF/C position (I'm namely speaking of Koncak and Keefe. Shelden still has some time to turn into a better player while the entire planet knew the other two were utterly useless from the day they were drafted). The fact that Hawes was the 2nd rated center behind Oden says more about the dearth of post players in college basketball to me than anything else. The man is 7'0 tall and averaged what, six boards a game? Are you kidding me? If he isn't scaring anyone on the college level from a defensive or rebounding standpoint, do you think the big men in the league will lose any sleep over him? If BK is that stubborn to take him over a PG (Lord knows he won't take one if the Hawks hit the lotto with the 3rd pick), well, it has to make a sane man wonder....

Press: Can you give an explanation as to why this team finished out of the playoffs for the 9th straight season? BK: Well, when we came aboard, we had a bunch of older veterans make a lot of money and not winning. I think we changed a lot of that and we now have an exciting group of younger guys who are getting better. Mullin: In BK's defense, his drafting has been excellent. Gone are the days when this team was drafting Dion Glover and Ed Gray. Press: But those were lower first round picks. None of the guys Knight has selected with a lottery pick has had nearly the impact as those he passed over. BK: Next question. Press: What is the status of Josh Childress? He missed the final 33 games with another foot injury. BK: Josh is a young guy who's had a raw deal. He's was on the cusp of being one of our main guys but just had a hard time staying healthy since being here. Press: It was recently stated on TNT by Joe Johnson that he was not happy about the progress of the team and that he would demand a trade to a contender if things didn't improve soon. Your response? BK: Uhh, we don't address rumors and such with the media. Next question. Press: Any news on Josh Smith's contract status? BK: Uhh, we're working on securing his services. He'll be a Hawk for a long time. Press: We just saw him partying with Dwayne Wade in Miami. Any truth to that? BK: Uhh, again we do not address rumors and such with the media. Again, we are working hard to keep him here and don't feel threatened at all over losing him to another team. Our team is one of the most highly thought of franchises in the league and it wouldn't make sense for anyone to see otherwise. If there isn't anything else, that's it.

Indy gets lucky and the Hawks are left with no picks in the draft. The Hawks get the first or second pick and take Thaddeus Young instead of Durant because of his 'length' and 'upside'. He averages 7/4 on 41% FG in 22 minutes/game as the Hawks finish 35-47 and misses the postseason (again) while Durant averages 21/8 on 47% FG and helps his team reach the playoffs. BK justifies the pick by pointing out that Young averaged 12/6 in the last three games of the season and that he does things that the public can't see in the box score. The Hawks get the third pick and trades it to (insert playoff team here) for a pair of low second rounders. The guy selected at #3 wins rookie of the year while both guys picked in the second round by BK opts to stay overseas or return to school. Or..... Belkin wins the appeal, finds a partner to pony up $$$, and the ASG gives up The ASG and Belkin reach an agreement and sells all three entities (Hawks, Thrashers, operating rights to Philips) to a consortium led by Arthur Blank. If Vick is getting on Blank's nerves now, how many seconds would BK last under the Don's watch, especially given his notorious PR reputation of thumbing his nose at the media and fans alike? Of course, I'm hoping for none of these scenarios to happen because it would mean more heartache for all of us as Hawk fans. Well, maybe the last scenario can happen....

To give a similar response and Atlas beat me to it. If Durant fell into the Hawks' laps, there's no way and I repeat, NO WAY that Marvin Williams should remain a Hawk beyond Independence Day. Durant becomes the starting small forward the very second his name is announced by Stern, thereby relegating MW to the pines. That means that you have not just one but TWO top-10 picks riding the bench, which is just plain unacceptable on a squad that hasn't made the playoffs since dial-up internet was hot. Williams' trade value would drop like a rock in a shallow swimming pool; they'd be lucky to get a low first round pick for him because most teams would wait until his contract ran out because they'd know that he wouldn't accept an extention from the Hawks to stay on the bench. You'd have no choice but to attempt to recoup what was spent on MW and/or Childress to fill the other holes on the roster since most of the cap space was spent on career backups last year.