Dejay

This team is more accursed than Egypt was after Moses returned from the desert. I have ZERO confidence in Stern or anyone else helping them out of their self-imposed mess. While I would love to see the Hawks get into the top three, something tells me that Indy gets the lucky bounce and Nique has the look of being hit in the solar plexus with a folding chair wrapped in razor wire. No picks for the Hawks unless they trade off one of their forwards at less than where they were drafted (Smith being the exception). 1) Boston 2) Memphis 3) Indiana Its so sad that our hopes for a decent season hinges on the bounce of ping-pong balls. This franchise should be much further along than it is right now.

You took the words right from my mouth. Well done...

If the Hawks got lucky enough to get the highest pick they've had since Ford was running the show in D.C., whoever is left between Oden and Durant is the option. Its the ONLY OPTION unless they're completely blown away with a trade offer that includes a perennial All-Star in his prime. If a team like Milwaukee wins the lotto and takes Durant, we take Oden. If not, we take Durant and send MW on the first plane out of town for the highest bid we can get.

For the 2nd pick, BK would ask for a lottery-protected #1 and a 6'9" center averaging 6/3 in the NBDL. He would be the 'key' to making the trade work for BK. Wouldn't that piss on everyone's parade if the Hawks somehow got the top pick and BK ended up taking a forward whose name isn't Kevin Durant because he fell in love with said guy's 'length' and 'upside'?

You'd have a hard time convincing Golden State into doing that deal. I'd be quite happy with it, though....

You know what they say, the more $$$ you have access to, the better looking you become to other folks...

While its pretty safe to say that he outkicked his coverage in terms of the ladies, big congrats to Shelden and Candace for the engagement.

It started when 4-1 became 30-52 while teams that didn't have as good a start finished with much better records. In fact, it started before the season started when I and others knew that the team wouldn't compete for a playoff spot (and being only four games back in February doesn't count) ONCE AGAIN. Sure other teams had the horses to be better than ours but that isn't what we should expect from our guys, shouldn't we? After all, we've been the youngest team in the league since...since... Pro basketball and the Hawks aren't my entire life as evidenced by my posting less than 300 replies despite being here since the forum started. I've had my case of myopia as everyone else (the announcement of the SAR trade comes to mind) but when there are bad moves being made by my favorite basketball team, I'm not the one to say 'everything's okay, relax, we'll be good one day, let's wait on the young guys to jell'. I simply have higher expectations than being estatic about 30 win seasons, especially when this 'process' of BK's has taken forever and a day. The fact is that this franchise should be much further along in this 'process' than many will admit to. We should at least be talking about the playoff run we're having or had instead of relying on ping-pong balls to bail out the GM for his jacked up draft picks. If that's being 'negative' or being a cynic, then let it be known then. Spinning excuse after excuse about why our team stinks out loud isn't what this forum is about. It's about sharing our opinions on our favorite pro basketball team, even it isn't what you'd like to read or hear. GAME, SET, MATCH.

No need to respond because Lord knows we ALL know the answer. He's not, isn't he? While some want to wax poetic about injuries, being the, well, you've heard this before, YOUNGEST TEAM IN THE NBA, blah, blah, others see the situation like it is. This is one of the worst run organizations in all of pro sports, PERIOD, END OF STORY. The Hawks now have the reputation of being the Detroit Lions of the NBA, ownership group notwithstanding. Think about it; both have an incompetant GM who thinks they're personnel geniuses (Millen/BK), while everyone else laughs their collective ASSES off at their every move while fans of the teams wants them gone to avoid further embarrassment. Both have hired head coaches who are way in over their heads (Morningweg/Woodson/Stotts). Both have had franchise players to carry the team while never bothering to put talent around them (Sanders/Nique). Neither have been to the playoffs in a long time and haven't reached championship paydirt in decades. And neither have the respect of ANYONE in their profession. Until you stop making excuses and start winning, nothing will change. You will keep hearing from former Hawks like Jax, Terry, Walker, et al take potshots at the franchise once they leave town. I shudder to think of what Smith, Marvin, and JJ would say if things don't change soon and they one day leave as well.

Because other than the four straight 50+ loss seasons (longest in the NBA), missing the playoffs for eight years in a row (longest in the NBA), not drafting an All-Star since Hall and Oates was a headline act (longest in pro sports), and not making it to an NBA Finals since JFK was in office (longest in the NBA), this franchise is on the up and up. After all, the leadership being shown in the front office and ownership box has been a shining example of how winning organizations are supposed to be run. Yeah, right. Short of this team packing up and leaving town, this is as low as I've ever seen them since they jobbed out in 1975 to draft David Thompson with the #1 pick, only for him to bolt to the ABA. Sorry if I sound pessimistic but a fella has to have MORE proof that things are going to be better other than saying that the young guys will one day come around. I want that day to occur while I'm still alive. Just charging the season off to injuries just doesn't fly with me.

I'm not convinced we have the talent yet. If you think of this team compared to championship teams - I am hoping that is our goal, then PG - no starter, a couple backups and some that should go SG - OK here we have JJ, with Salim and JC as weak backups SF - no-one ready yet. Maybe Marvin or JS in the future. PF - no-one ready yet. Maybe JS in the future. Shelden and Solomon may develop into a decent backup. C - Zaza? If we were strong everywhere else zaza might do - but he seems more of a good backup - needs to work more on his defense. So I don't think we are close yet in talent. We have ONE position filled. MAYBE we can solidify the forward positions with what we have but I'm not that confident. I think we need to be solid in the PG and at least three of the other positions to do serious damage in the playoffs. Billy has drafted a good bench so far. But could he really have done much worse with the picks he's had? We've argued about every one of his picks (except JS). And he even picks some international players - but has no intention of really using them (Anderson, Batista, the turkish guard, and Diaw?). I think anyone on this board could have done as well - especially when you get all the scouting reports. His trades have taken too long to get done and usually end up with another bench player - he either gets crap or pays too much. He has given away our cap space for cripples and has-beens. (BK also deserves PART of the blame for the ownership problem - by insisting on JJ at any cost. And of course there is the famous picture of him insulting Belkin by not shaking hands - humiliating Belkin publicly probably didn't help either.) Our best hope right now is to get LUCKY in the draft, rather than rely on that brilliant basketball mind. I would love to see his position description, because I would guess that part of his job is media relations and building a fan base. In that area he has failed miserably. I do agree that it is Woody's job to develop that talent. But does Woody really have experience in doing that? Wasn't Detroit a fairly vetern group of players? Does Woody really know how to use a bunch of young kids? Does he know how to use international players? Does he know how to coach a running team? Oh well. So how do both these guys get to keep their jobs? I don't understand. But I guess it is like those draft picks, we just have to accept reality and move on - hoping to get lucky or giving up on the Hawks completely. You sir, deserve a standing ovation.

Because that's the exact same scenario I've been thinking of for the last few weeks. What if Indy hits the lottery and the Hawks' pick is 5th or 6th, causing them to have NO DRAFT PICKS AT ALL? Wouldn't that be the most likely way things go on May 22 with the Hawks' luck? Why would Stern 'reward' BK and the ASG when both have caused him nothing but headaches? What does Gearon and the ASG tell the fans then, especially with little/no chance of getting a significant free agent center or point guard with the payroll restrictions they have now? What would be BK's 'vision' then? It does beg the question because as remote as it seems, its a possibility.

If Deng and Williams/Paul was on this squad, we're in the playoffs TODAY, not in 2009. You don't think Williams' 17/9 and Deng's 18/7 wouldn't have made the difference in at least a dozen games during the season, if not more? I dare say that Deng's, JJ's, and Smith's numbers would've been better with Deron, Felton, or Paul running the show instead of career backups like Clankston, Lue, Ivey, and Johnson. I'll even go on the limb and say that JJ would've been healthier because he wouldn't have had to carry the entire offense on his back with Deron/Paul and Deng on the squad. Hell, we'd still have at least $10 million more in cap space to use because Clankston's and Johnson's services wouldn't be necessary here. Picture that for a second; a 45-47 win team coming off a its first SE Division title with tons of $$$ to burn on a big man and more depth to bring it all together for a title run in a weak Eastern conference. That's where we SHOULD be right now, folks. The incompetence of the front office and the negligence by its owners have caused us to miss out on more than most of us have come to grips of realizing . GAME, SET, MATCH.

To some of us blasting away at his interview. I'm retorting now...

I'm leaning your way on this one . Childress is a decent player but has not produced as a guy with the years of college seasoning he has should. At least Marvin has the excuse of still being a little green; what's Childress's excuse for putting up nearly the same numbers despite playing more minutes per game? He should be starting at this point in his career, not being a 6th man on one of the worst shooting, lowest scoring teams in the league. Don't get me wrong, 13/6 is good but when you compare him to Iguodala and especially Deng right now, its laughable.

This is exactly what I've been saying ever since he was drafted. He cannot, cannot, CAN NOT create any shots for himself outside the lane; there's a reason why plays aren't run for him. For a guy of his 'versatility', you'd think that would be a part of his arsenal. His entire offense is put backs, lay ups, and the WIDE ASS OPEN SHOT. That's it in a nutshell. He has NO MIDRANGE GAME WHATSOEVER. With that elongated shot of his, he can never get it off against any defensive pressure on him; he has to be left open to do so. Luol Deng may not be as 'versatile' as Childress in regards to playing more positions but the one he does play he does it WAAAAYYY better than Childress PERIOD. I'll take his ability to put up 17-20 a night all day over what Childress does, especially considering how bad an offensive team the Hawks are right now. In fact, on this team, he'd likely score more because he doesn't have a Ben Gordon hoisting up shots at will. Throw in a guy like JJ, a point guard like Williams or Paul giving you better opportunities to be ever better from the floor, alongside an improving Josh Smith riding shotgun in the frontcourt, and we would be in business for the next decade. TP does make a point about Childress not elevating his numbers despite being three years old than Williams. The only reasons I get on MW is because of 1) his draft position, which mandates a game-changing acquisition and 2) the guys who were left at the alter who were picked immediately after BK was done (Paul, Williams, Felton to an extent). Those three GMs damn near trampled each other trying to get their envelopes to David Stern after the MW pick. More attention does need to be paid to Childress' production, though. He should be doing much more than 13/6 right now. He needs to be in that 16/7 range considering the amount of minutes he gets to play and the lack of firepower this team has.

If BK had drafted Deng and Paul/Williams, we'd be talking about which sections we had our playoff tickets in, how we could play and/or beat anyone in the East (except Detroit), and where all of us should meet at CNN Center before Game 2 tonight because we would've won the SE division and had homecourt in the first round (you're telling me a PG who gets 17/9 and a small forward getting 18/8 wouldn't make a staggering difference, along with a healthy JJ who wouldn't have to carry the squad?). We'd clog up the ESPN blogs killing Bill Simmons, Chad Ford, and the rest for attempting to bandwagon our team. We'd be laughing our collective ASSES off at Phoenix for getting fleeced in the JJ deal and talking about how our starting lineup (Paul, JJ, Deng, Smith, Zaza/whatever) will soon be the dominant force in the NBA that others will try to emulate and copy. We would be joining KB as being total BK and Woodson homers for their 'vision' and stand in unison cheering as we watch them collect their 2nd executive and coach of the year trophies (with these guys, the team likely would've competed for a playoff spot LAST YEAR). And Steve Belkin would see the success, the sellouts, and settle quietly because he know that he would never, EVER be welcome in this town again. Oh well, what the hell would we know???

Quote: Deng is significantly better on defense as well versus Chill. I'm not sure how well you understand the game at this point. There is almost no area where Chill gets the nod over Deng. I do know you are a BK homer because you seem to post about how much you like his players. Because of BK we are still a lousy basketball team despite what the ASG has to say. The fact that 30 wins is Bk's high as a GM says all you need to know. The fact that he drafts guys like Chill, Marvin, and Shelden is further proof he is an incompetant man in this job. Fortunately for him, he works for a bunch of stooges. The fact that 30 wins is a watershed mark for BK's ENTIRE CAREER as a GM speaks volumes about his inability to put together a talented team. Even Babs looks good (sometimes) when compared to him, which says more than enough. There isn't one phase of the game of basketball that Josh Childress does that is better than Luol Deng, PERIOD, END OF DISCUSSION. He doesn't hold much of a candle to Andre Iguodala, either. I've stated for an eternity how Iguodala's numbers were just as good as Childress's. Even when he had two of the biggest chuckers in the league taking 60-80% of the shots, Iguodala's numbers were just as good while Childress had a chance to do more on one of the worst shooting, lowest scoring teams in the league. He's gotten even better when given the opportunity after Iverson left. To even compare Childress to the other two is almost laughable at this point. Who has a higher trade value right now? No need to respond because we all know the answer.

I've been preaching this sermon for three years now regarding Childress. Childress fans are quick to say that he's a boxscore stuffer, he's a 'glue' guy. To me, a 'glue' guy is like a hamburger; you can find a good one almost anywhere, whether its later in the first round, the second, free agency, whatever. Glue guys should be found that way, NOT WITH THE 6TH PICK OF THE DRAFT. Childress is a guy who does a lot of things (allegedly) but nothing WELL. He has a high FG percentage but if you took a look at his shot chart, you'd see that a high amount of his attempts and makes are from within 10 feet (putbacks and layups). When was the last time he's made a shot from outside the lane with a hand in his face? When was the last time that he's driven to the basket, pulled up and fired true from 15-19 feet? That's what Deng does right now. Imagine having Deng riding shotgun with Smith in the frontcourt instead of having to hope/pray/wish for Marvin Williams to pan out . And you wonder why the Hawks have gone nearly a quarter-century between drafting All-Stars?

I don't recall ANY mock drafts with Childress ahead of Deng or Iguodala (except BK's). I've been at Childress since he's been here because he doesn't have the ability to pull and fire from the outside without needing an eternity to get off his shot let alone consistently knock down shots with a hand in his face. To me, that's the prerequisite of being an NBA shooting guard (a good one, anyway). However, I won't deny that he's a decent pro; he's just not the guy I would've selected with the 6th pick. My selection would've been Deng then Iguodala because of my belief that Jameer Nelson would've been available at #17 to fill out the vacant PG position. That was my stance 3 years ago; it remains my stance today.

I don't know what station he was on but I vividly remember watching that draft and d*ck Vitale spending almost an hour bashing the Hawks for passing on Chris Paul after picking Marvin Williams. Bill Simmons and the rest of the folks at ESPN still bashes BK and Co. for making that pick to this very day. Just because the 'experts' have someone as a can't miss prospect doesn't mean that you get him, especially when 1) there are about 31 small forwards already on the squad and 2), he isn't heads and shoulders above ANY of the folks currently on the roster at his position (then or now). The GM, who is supposed to be in 'the know', have scouts at his whim, and watched many more hours of tape on these guys than all of us combined should be able to separate the wheat from the chaff and make the right call more times than not. Sure there are misses but when you whiff on the 2nd pick like BK did, the team and its fans can be left feeling the breeze for years. If BK wasn't as enamored with Paul or Deron Williams, he could've easily traded down to get Felton or Jack, while adding another first-round pick and/or veteran to help the cause. Both Charlotte and NO wanted MW badly; it was no secret that the Bobcats were willing to part with both of their lotto picks (5/13)to bring MW back 'home' to the Tarheel state in order to help fill the seats. BK could've used their exuberance to drive up the asking price between the two and STILL got a better PG than they have on the roster now.

And if the average draft position of a small forward was 2nd, you'd have one also.

From the 2nd pick of the draft, especially if the team selecting him passes on borderline All-Star point guards while it has Tyronn Lue as its most reliable option there. There, I said it; my expectations of Marvin Williams are SKY HIGH considering who was left at the alter. I expect him to be an aggressive slasher, have a deadly mid-range shot, and be the guy riding shotgun with Joe Johnson in terms of scoring because his draft position dictates it; why in the hell would you get him so high in the first place if he couldn't do that? Why can't the 2nd pick overall be a go-to guy or a second option on the 2nd lowest scoring team in the league?

That's my opinion on him. I would expect him to be at least on par with average NBA small forwards in terms of production. He simply isn't. To me, he's a 6'9" shooting guard who hangs around the perimeter waiting on an open jumper more times than not. That will get you a 16/6 type of career if he continues to improve his shot (which may be pretty but not that effective if he's only hitting 42% from the field) but not much more. And with the 2nd pick of the draft being spent on him, that's simply NOT ENOUGH to justify him being here instead of (insert point guard here). So the answer to that question is yes, I'd still be a little disappointed in terms of his production due to where he was picked and who was passed over, not in terms of his age.

For that kind of pick, I expect a franchise changer from the SF position, not a 3rd option guy who hangs around for jumpshots as he is today. I'll be more receptive to him being here instead of Paul or Deron Williams when he's a 2nd option at worst, meaning he's a 22/7 type of player who can be counted on a nightly basis like some of the others mentioned. I know, age and caliber of team are factors, but if it was going to take this long to see what he is, why the hell would you get him instead of a PG, especially when they had no semblence of one to start. Forget it, a beaten horse, already discussed.....