Dejay

Exactly. Rondo would be a consideration if he could shoot and there is more than enough evidence to indicate that he just can't do it. The fact that he struggles so much from the free throw should send red flags everywhere.

I'll be in class too with my laptop so expect to see me in the chatroom unless the professor sweeps around to see what we're doing. If BK chooses Gay or O'Bryant with the 5th pick while mentioning the word 'upside' when the rest of the ESPN crew grills him like a steak on Memorial Day, I'll have to excuse myself from the class to keep from blurting out something that will get me dismissed...permanently.

Uhhh, no. I personally liked the Suns up until Walton started waxing poetic on Diaw and how he is revolutionizing the game. He also made it sound as if he played as many NBA minutes in Atlanta as I did the way he went on and on about his lack of playing time here. He's the main reason why I cannot wait for this team to start winning again so I can see the look on his face when he's broadcasting an ESPN game here in front of a packed Philips Arena. But I'm pretty sure he'll have something condenscending to say.

If you watched any Suns game on ESPN with Bill Walton involved in the broadcast, you would've thought Diaw was the second coming of Magic, Oscar, and Tiny Archibald combined. You would've also thought that Joe Johnson was putting up Adam Keefe numbers also the way he glowingly talked about Diaw as compared to the guy he replaced (JJ). I personally liked the move. Take an unproductive, nonresponsive player in your system and move him to get a very productive one. One can debate the draft picks being sent over but if the GM is as good as some claim he is, the picks will be out of lotto range anyway.

For one of the few times, I'm in complete agreement with you KB. That Lorenzen Wright deal was horrific; we could've been in position to draft Amare Stoudamire with one of those picks had that deal not gone through (nah, as if Babs would've drafted him anyway).

That was Ted Turner's idea in an attempt to draw interest of the Hawks throughout the South. Remember, there were no NBA in Charlotte, NO, Miami, Memphis, and Orlando like there are now. He had six games in New Orleans and the others in the Omni. Of course, his idea did not work out because they ended up drawing less there than he did here. This was the season before the string of 50-win seasons began when they finished the year 34-48.

I'm with you on this JB. The only guard I would select at 5 is Roy. Marcus Williams looks to me like a poor man's Deron Williams and if he wasn't good enough for BK to pick last year, why would he get someone who isn't as good? Foye looks to be a talented guy but his tendencies to be out of control and take unwarranted shots screams Rumeal Robinson to me. As for Rondo, it is as simply as the fact that Rondo can't shoot himself out of a wet paper bag dipped in battery acid. If simple things like free throws give him trouble, woe to the Hawks when other teams start playing the Ty Corbin/Jon Koncak defense and leave him open, only for him to not be able to come through consistently.

Now we're talking. If this goes down, it could really tilt things in our favor. I'd definitely lean on getting Petro over Ridnour and the #10 can be spent on Rondo, Foye, or Brewer. The Hawks would have an adequate backcourt mate with JJ and Zaza would get some help in the post. This goes on and there is STILL flexibility to manuever because of Harrington. A sign and trade involving him along with this move would really be the boost the team needs for next season. Very interesting.

I think the other posters answered your question for me already. Thanks for asking though.

If they did a sign and trade for Dalembert or Magloire (my preference), I wouldn't mind at all. Magloire will be a free agent next year so you know you would be getting maximum effort from him all season long so he can get a big contract the following summer. It becomes a win-win situation for all involved. If he pans out and he begins to like it here, you have his Bird rights to extend him while keeping your team intact. If he chooses to test the free agent waters and the price is too steep, the Hawks can use his cap space to lure another guy to the squad in what appears to be a loaded 2007 free agent crop. I'd make all efforts to do this. Johnson/Lue Roy/Childress Smith/Williams Pachulia/Batista Magloire/???

You'd think they learned from the slow start and finish to last season, not to mention all of the close losses. But without a big man and/or another guy who can consistently handle the ball and help JJ out in the backcourt (and nope, Royal Ivey doesn't count), I'd say 31-34 wins at best. They have to get 'right now' impact with their draft pick as well as get value back for Harrington. In other words, NO MORE PROJECTS. We're waiting on Marvin Williams to turn into a player, which is a pain to many on this board as it is; you want to wait on O'Bryant, too? That's why I would suggest the Hawks trading down to get a vet and/or pick if someone like Roy isn't available.

Good idea but I just can't bring myself to do it. I will always have a mindset that a guard should be fully able to pull and fire from the outside with accuracy, especially when the occasion calls for it. A guy who you can't leave open is as deadly as a pit viper in a playpen. The opposing defenses can't double down nearly as hard on the key players, which makes your team that much more dangerous on the offensive end. That what makes guys like Nash so effective because you really don't know how to guard him; you can't get too close or he will get by you and if you fall asleep, he will make you pay a severe price from downtown. If Rondo had that one skillset, I'd make him my first choice along with Roy. Since he obviously does not, I would only consider him in a trade down. Far down.

Exactly. It would be a repeat of when Sura and Co. arrived here; that backfired on BK who expected them to go on IR and tank the season to get Dwight Howard. This team doesn't have a first rounder next year so I wouldn't mind at all if moves were made to get them into the playoffs so the Suns would have a pick in the late-teens or early-20s instead of a top-10 one. It wouldn't hurt either if Magloire begins to like it here and want to stay. Can you say, sign and trade for another piece to fit in?

Damn, you beat me to it. I was just about to edit my post and throw that shot from the bow in there. LOL, great job.

He'd be my choice if he could shoot (those numbers from UK are bad enough to make Dion Glover and Rumeal Robinson blush). For the love of GOD, I hope he's worked on that aspect of his game because the last thing he would want to be is a liability on the offensive end. You know, the guy the other team leaves wide open because the entire building knows he can't beat you consistently enough from outside (the Ty Corbin defense the Bulls used in the '96 playoffs).

My list is Roy, Bargnani, S. Williams, Aldridge, Foye, and even Brewer or Simmons if a trade down happens. I wouldn't touch O'Bryant with a 10-foot pole. Sorry but as a former cupcake high school shooting guard, I always have a soft spot for guys who can hit shots from the perimeter and you can NEVER have enough of them, especially if there aren't any big men of note who stands out (and there really aren't any IMHO). Besides, who's to say we get ANYTHING back for Harrington; I'd like to have some firepower on the court to make up for the loss of production if the Hawks come up snake eyes and lose him outright. Say what you want about the Hawks not needing anymore offensive talent but I've seen too many 13-4 and 18-6 runs made on this team to say otherwise. We can't rely solely on JJ to continually bail the team out when Childress can't work himself to get a wide-open layup or when Smith's 3-ball isn't falling. I go offense with Roy and go after a defensive guy in a Harrington deal. I would go visa versa only in a trade down.

Good read. While I don't necessarily agree with his opinions on Iverson, its better than the typical stuff we get accustomed to. I found it interesting that he wasn't overly impressed with this year's crop of big men and I couldn't agree more. Even if Aldridge or Thomas was to fall down to #5, I'm not completely sold on getting either of them. My pick would be Roy and if he's not available, trade down to get your big man or maybe even Brewer. No post player is worth the 5th pick right now. It's like the Josh Childress situation all over again; he's good, just not #6 overall good. Just an opinion.

cough, cough

Roy would do for me.

Naw, I've seen and met Mark Cuban and Belkin couldn't be him in his best wet dream. Say what you want about Cube, he was there in the sales office when he first bought the Mavericks and did everything for his players, front office, and others to ensure that they had all of the resources necessary to get to where they need to be basketball and business-wise. He also doesn't micromanage and usurp the front office's ability to get/retain players as well as cater to the wants and needs of his fanbase. He's right there in the midst of the action; you think Belkin wants anything to do with us down here? I see Belkin as being a graduate of the David Glass/Donald Sterling school of running a franchise; on the cheap while collecting tons of $$$ from the league's TV and merchandising deals. I also see him as an absentee landlord who will only show his face if the profit margins aren't being met or if 'insert GM here' has an idea for bringing in a free agent who wants more than the league minimum. The Hawks may have overpaid for JJ but how bad would it have been last year if Belkin had his way to begin with? Ivey/Grundy Childress/Stoudamire Smith/Williams Harrington/Bautista Edwards/Drobs That, my friends, is a 6-10 win team staring you in the face with Harrington leaving on the first plane smoking once the season ends. You could say the same for the Joshes and Marvin once their rookie deals ends. You think Belkin would've released the $$$ to keep Lue or bring in Zaza? I have a hard time believing that he would've thought of bringing Baustista in from overseas but I couldn't think of an NBDL post player so I went with him. As for Diaw, well, he was implying a move back to France anyway if the Hawks didn't move him so that would've cemented that. What free agent would DARE sent their clients to a situation like that? No free agent worth their salt would even bother making the visit all while Belkin whines about the lack of fan support for a team that had consecutive 69+ loss seasons from his French villa. So nope, I don't see any of Cuban's positive ownerships traits in Belkin at all.

How about a WWE-style elimination chamber match with all of the parties involved? The winner gets everything and gets to buy out everyone else at cost, period. Where is Vince McMahon when you need him? I have $50.00 on Nique.

Any thoughts of this team making a splash in free agency in 2007 just went by the boards if he continues to hold this team hostage instead of selling it back to them, Blank, or another local owner (that's my hope). What agent would POSSIBLY approach this team with their client(s) now? And what to make of the Joshes and Marvin once their rookie deals run out? You think they'd want to stick around here, especially given the fact that Belkin would want to run the show with a skeleton budget to make more $$$?

More like The Matrix without Neo. We suffer while everyone (ESPN, FOX, etc.) turns a blind eye, laughs, and go about its business.

If the Hawks ever leave town (which is a serious possibility now that Belkin has control; leases always have loopholes in them), I'm out. I'm deadly serious. I'll never watch another NBA game again if Stern lets this happen to us. Never, ever, EVER. Not like this; not after absorbing 38 years of disappointment, frustration, and humiliation from this team and the national media for having the common sense not to spend hard-earned $$$ on a bad product. We've support this team when everyone else ran for the hills after Kasten allowed Babs to detonate the franchise. After Lon Kruger. After Nique for Manning. After David Thompson ran off to the ABA after being selected with our #1 pick. After Adam Keefe, Rumeal Robinson, and Dion Glover. After the Jon Koncak and Alan Henderson extensions. After the J.R. Rider debacle. After going 22 years between drafting an All-Star player. After all that, all of us have held firm to our belief that one day our loyalty, energy, and $$$ spent on this franchise would one day pay off with a parade down Peachtree Street. But alas, now there's a possibility that this parade could be in Louisville, Nashville, St. Louis, Las Vegas, Kansas City, Anaheim, or Oklahoma City after he takes over and quickly sells them off to a buyer in one of those places. He probably has a couple of Nelson Scalbanias on the rolodex right now, waiting for an asking price from him. In case you don't know, Scalbania was the guy who bought the Flames and moved them out of town, only for them to play for a Stanley Cup a few years later after never advancing beyond the first round in Atlanta. Sad, sad indeed.

How about the last center taken by the Hawks with the 5th pick? That was Jon Koncak and we all know how that turned out, don't we? If he wasn't the most motivated person on the planet with that size at Bradley, what makes anyone think the lightbulb is going to pop on now, especially when the first NBA check clears his account? I'm for taking risks but not with draft picks this high. The Hawks aren't drafting high school seniors anymore so its time to go after more of a sure thing.