Dejay

Nah, because we're too busy criticizing the lottery picks he DIDN'T get right. Just because his picks weren't Koncak-esque doesn't mean he was dead eye accurate....

I couldn't help but think of past Hawks draft picks after reading that article; too damn funny and sad as hell. Here's a little exercise for the forum; how about coming up with a draft pick to fit any one category?

Here it is.... Eight Common Profiles of a Bust – Back by Unpopular Demand by: David Mosley - Staff Writer June 15, 2007 The opinions expressed in this satirical article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of DraftExpress 1. The “Overrated College Star” - He repeatedly carried his team to the NCAA tournament, was a unanimous selection to the All-American team, and he can't dribble with his left hand. WHAT? In every draft there are a few college players with all the accolades and awards that just can't make the transition from great college player to great NBA player. What’s the problem here? Maybe it was merely the program and the amazing surrounding talent that enabled this average player to look like a future star. Maybe it was the fact that he played against a bunch hacks that will be signed up on RealGM in two years talking about their glory days when they held the Big Vanilla Earthquake to 38 points. How many of Duke’s players have we seen in recent years that were unbelievable in college but just average in the pros? Some players are just great college players and that's it. However, every June, some general manager will cave into the fan pressure to draft one of these guys based purely on their college resumes and not based on how they project as an NBA player. Recent Examples: Adam Morrison, Mateen Cleaves, Trajan Langdon, Ed O'Bannon, Calbert Cheaney Possible fits in 2007: Acie Law, Alando Tucker, Arron Afflalo 2. The “Tweener” – Dear Lord, please let me grow two inches by June. Is there a day that is feared more by the Tweener than measurement day at the pre-draft camp? I guess it’s what jury duty feels like to the rest of us. I’m still waiting for somebody to show up to the combine in heels. (Maybe Starbury should check into that – a $14 dollar basketball sneaker with a 3 inch stiletto. It’s affordable and practical.) Whether it’s the 6’2” college shooting guard trying to convert to point guard or the 6’5” college power forward trying to convert to a wing, ‘Tweeners will cause many headaches for scouts trying to project them as NBA players. The ‘Tweener usually starts out as a lottery pick, because he has been using his “Charles Barkley height” (add two inches) all through college, but once NBA teams find out his true height, the ‘Tweener’s stock drops like a string of f-bombs by Chef Ramsey after some fat Applebee’s prep cook tries to serve a plate of salmonella to a table of unsuspecting LA socialites. (Dear Lord, thank you for giving me Hell’s Kitchen as an alternative to actually watching the NBA finals). Historically, the only really successful Tweeners have been the ones who were allowed to play their natural positions, such as Allen Iverson at shooting guard, and Charles Barkley, Larry Johnson and Antawn Jamison at power forward. Tweeners are like cheaters, you can’t change them; you just have to live with them. On a positive note: There is good news for the Tweener. The combo guard is making a serious comeback thanks to guys like Leandrinho Barbosa and Ben Gordon (who appeared in the first version of this article back in 2004). Touche Ben. Recent Examples: Keyon Dooling, Shawn Respert, Khalid Reeves Possible fits in 2007: Jeff Green, Al Thornton, Rodney Stuckey, Alando Tucker 3. The “Stiff” (edited to please the PC Police) – Paging Paul Mokeski! Paging Paul Mokeski! The Stiff is the butt of everyone's jokes. Every team has one on the end of the bench. They usually end up as overpaid practice dummies with a goofy smile and a bad haircut. “Hey Paul, can you go stand under the basket with your hands up and pretend you are Greg Oden? Great. Thanks. Ok, now where were we? Oh yeah, how to beat a zone...” Fans always ask - remember that idiot who lost his job by wasting a lottery pick on that stiff on the bench? We all know that teams are always looking for a center, but at what cost? You can't teach height, right? Well, maybe so, but you can teach teams how to stop wasting lottery picks on 6 fouls for Shaq. He’s not even that good anymore. Stop the madness. Enough already! Recent Examples: Chris Mihm, Frederic Weis, Aleksandar Radojevic, Vitaly Potapenko, Todd Fuller (Chris Kaman, don’t make me add your name to this list) Possible fits in 2007: Spencer Hawes, Aaron Gray, Marc Gasol 4. The “I Told You You're Not Ready Kids” – Unfortunately, more and more young players are being pushed into the NBA by greedy agents, greedy family members and a greedy posse. Sometimes these young players are ready, but too often, they are not. Some of these kids might take 4 or 5 years before they start to produce in the NBA, and not all teams are willing to wait that long. As a result, these kids end up being traded from team to team, destroying their fragile egos and in some cases they are eventually waived. Then they must seek redemption in the D-League to get back to the league. 1158 miles. That’s the distance between the Dakota Wizards and the Albuquerque Thunderbirds… and you have to travel it by bus. Get used to it. Would you rather go play in Malaysia? That can be arranged. Can you say “drug mule”? These young players are the toughest players for teams to evaluate because it's nearly impossible to project how a 19 year old will react to the rigors of playing 82 games, buying a home, living alone and dealing with the massive amounts of money and fame. Many times, these players can't even qualify as busts because by draft day, their stock has dropped so low that they end up getting pushed down to the 2nd round, like Omar Cook, James Lang, Ousmane Cisse or even worse, undrafted like DeAngelo Collins. Recent Examples: Martell Webster, C.J. Miles, Rodney White, Jonathan Bender, Leon Smith Possible fits in 2007: Thaddeus Young, Javaris Crittenton, Daequan Cook, Wilson Chandler, Gabe Pruitt 5. The “Workout Warriors” - These are the guys that nobody pegged as a lottery pick or even a 1st round pick back in April, but by June, they have miraculously climbed their way up every team's draft board. It all starts with a good showing at one of the pre-draft workouts, followed by fantastic individual workouts, fast 40 times, a 45 inch max-vertical, and an amazing game of H-O-R-S-E versus the team's assistant coaching staff that “mistakenly” ends up on YouTube. Unfortunately, everyone overlooked actual game tape of the player. The only thing that matters is the fact that he dunked a medicine ball 42 times in row. 42 TIMES! Of course, once the season starts, reality sets in and everyone realizes they've been duped. SOYLENT GREEN IS PEOPLE! Recent Examples: Kedrick Brown, Steven Hunter, Antonio Daniels Possible fits in 2007: Yi Jianlian, Josh McRoberts, Jason Smith, DeVon Hardin 6. The “Athlete” - He's got a ripped body like the mascot of the 2007 Today’s Inter-National Youth for Steriods are Awesome Convention (that’s TINY SaAC for short). He can dunk over a refrigerator and he raced a zebra on Man vs. Beast 6. Now, if we can only teach him how to shoot and dribble. The Athlete is always drafted on his potential and not on actual basketball talent. Usually, his scouting report reads: great defender, quick feet, unbelievable first step, amazing leaping ability, suspect ball handling, no range on jump shoot and low basketball IQ. I don't know about you, but I'll take smart guys who can shoot and dribble over the Athlete any day. Memphis traded Shane Battier to Houston for Rudy Gay and the Grizzlies went from the playoffs to losing 60 games… I’m just saying… [waits for 50 e-mails from Memphis fans telling me it was only because Pau Gasol was injured for half the season] Recent Examples: Stromile Swift, Jerome Moiso, Marcus Haislip, Tariq Abdul Wahad Possible fits in 2007: Thaddeus Young, Al Thornton, Reyshawn Terry 7. The Clones - Every time a revolutionary player comes along, general managers spend years trying to find the next one. Teams wasted pick after pick in the 90's looking for the next Michael Jordan. Every point guard over 6'6” is supposed to be the next Magic Johnson, every center over 300 pounds is nicknamed “Baby Shaq”, any 7-foot European player who can shoot is the next Dirk Nowitzki and every Mandalorian with a jet pack and a cape is the next Jango Fett. It’s just not that easy. Over the next few years, you will see teams scouring Asia looking for the next Yao Ming and you will hear the phrase the next LeBron more times than you care to count. Of course, along the way, teams will find great players, but too often, they will discover that you can't duplicate revolutionary players. Recent Examples: Nikoloz Tskitishvili (the next Dirk), Harold Minor (the next Jordan), Shaun Livingston (the next Magic) Possible fits in 2007: Rodney Stuckey (the next Dwyane Wade), Mike Conley Jr. (the next Chris Paul), Yi Jianlian (the next Yao) 8. The “Knucklehead” - The Knucklehead has to be the most frustrating of all the busts, but they certainly are fun to read about. They have the talent that makes scouts drool - the jumper, the handles, and the wrap-around-behind-the-back-bounce-pass, in traffic… left handed to boot. They also have a bio that reads like the cover of Us Weekly. Sometimes it’s a drug problem, sometimes it's the crowd they run with, sometimes it's a pantyless crotch shot taken by the paparazzi, and sometimes it's something simple like crashing your SUV into a parked car while driving drunk, watching porn and giving yourself “the stranger”, followed by getting caught on a security camera trying to bribe people into not calling the police. Of course something that crazy could never actually happen, right? Babysitting a Knucklehead can be a full time job for the team that drafts one. It’s time to hire a good publicist. Promises, here we come. Recent Examples: J.R. Smith, Eddie Griffin, Joe Forte, William Avery, Tim Thomas, Isaiah Rider Possible fits in 2007: Sean Williams, Sean Williams, Sean Williams

Quote: i mean cmon. i was never a chills fan until he came to atlanta and i realized he was better than i thought. he bring a lot of intanbibles to the hawks that dont' necessarily show up in the box score. i think his greatest asset is that he can contribut without having any plays called for him. i can understand bk taking chills over iggy. with iggy you had a big risk, big reward scenario. with chills you had an all american and pac 10 player of the year. also based on chills versatility and the fact that you were projecting to pick a player very much like iggy in jsmith @ 15 justifies the pick. i only had a problem with taking him over deng, but once again if he had reports of an injury on the same spot 3times i can see why he passed on him. 'Josh Childress is who I thought he'd be!' Guys who's entire game consists of doing a lot of things that doesn't show up in the box score and not being able to get a shot off from the perimeter without being wide ass open ISN'T what I want from the 6th pick of the draft. That's what 2nd/3rd tier free agents and guys drafted 10+ spots lower are for. As for his being Pac-10 POTY, well, so? Didn't Adam Keefe win that award, too? How far did that get him here? Fact is that Iguodala would've been the perfect Robin to JJ's Batman in the backcourt (something that Childress couldn't do when given the chance two years ago, which explains why he comes off the bench now). Oh well....

Quote: Quote: All I'm saying ONCE AGAIN, is that it's easy to paint BK as a complete buffoon It sure is. Very, very easy. i wish he would make it more of a challenge. Easier than Courtney Love on prom night......

So let me get this straight; we allegedly passed on a guy because he had a 'hotspot' on his foot but selected one who actually missed dozens of games because of his own two feet? Who is on the Hawks' medical staff anyway, the doctor from The Cannonball Run? If that's indeed the case, they may need to look at hiring a new medical staff along with a new GM and head coach. Even if it is, what was so wrong with getting Iguodala then?

You are correct, Walt. No need to add anything further.

There were way too many 13-4 and 17-5 runs made on this team because it didn't have the firepower to compete when JJ's shots weren't falling. A decent point guard would help of course but a post player who can actually produce some offense down low wouldn't hurt, either.

I'm with Dawson, here. Another 3 years of waiting around on a project to develop would be disastrous. JJ would probably blow a gasket if he doesn't get some veteran help and was left to babysit two more kids.

I'd do the trade in a heartbeat; I'd doubt that Charlotte would want to lose Okafor though, no matter how injury-proned he is.

Well, if the Gasol thing doesn't work out, I can live with an international HS board. When does the IPO on Hawksquawk come out, Sturt, I could use the $$$ to help fund the kids' college fund....

I agree with Ex here, Biedrins is going nowhere....

I agree totally, Drag. The time to strike gold in the East is right now; its right there for the taking, folks. With Cleveland and the Labrons making the Finals (a team the Hawks beat without Marvin), Detroit and Miami set to retool their rosters, and a ton of young teams still rebuilding, why not advance the 'process' here by a couple of years and take advantage?

That's the same reputation teams like the Royals and Pirates have right now; a key veteran who everyone else wants (JJ), a bunch of young guys (MW, Smith, Zaza, Childress, SW) that veteran teams are waiting to pry away after the grunt work (development during their rookie deals) is done on the Hawks' dime, the free agent 'splash' who really isn't any good (Claxton), and a group of other guys most teams wouldn't touch if not for their expiring contracts (Lue, Wright, AJ). Both are run by a questionable front office and cheap owners; sounds familiar, doesn't it??

We all know that everything is pure speculation right now until pen hits paper. I've said from jump street that if Gasol comes at the expense of JJ/Smith and/or both picks, forget it. I'm sure the Grizzlies don't want to give him away either but then again, did anyone think the Nets would get Vince Carter for what they gave up? We don't know what the Grizzlies are REALLY wanting for Gasol; do anyone really know what the actual asking price is and what they're willing to settle for? If it was up to me, I'd love to get Garnett, Amare, McGrady, see if Duncan's available or call up Nash's agent. But last I checked, none of those guys are available, let alone attainable. Who knows, Gasol may not be, either; but until that's verified.....

I went Horford, although I wouldn't be too pissed if we got Yi. You all know what my real preference is though (Gasol).

Why did they splinter the ownership group on JJ's deal in the first place if they're going to continually bring in young guys, oft-injured backups (see Claxton, Craig) and unwanted veterans (see Wright, Lorenzen)? You think the Joshes won't play hardball with their extentions if they miss the postseason (again)? They're competitors like everyone else; they want to experience playoff basketball without having to buy a ticket. You think JJ will continue to stay silent while another meaningless spring passes him by, especially if the rooks aren't ready for primetime yet? The folks on this board may be patient but I'm not. Neither are the core guys on this roster.

With Gasol, the Hawks are an instant contender in the East hands down. He would put up probably more points and rebounds considering he won't have to see Duncan, Brand, Biedrins, Boozer, Ukur, Randolph, Oden, Yao, et al nearly as much. Nearly everyone on this board talks about this team being a playoff team last year if not for the injuries; lets play the 'what if' game then. As currently constructed, the team can win 35-40 games, injuries notwithstanding. Gasol's direct impact would be an additional 8-10 wins and the indirect impact (JJ no longer having to kill himself from carrying the whole team) would be another 3-5. That alone would've been enough to win the SE crown this past season and that's before factoring in more experience and what (insert point guard here) brings to the table. What could be better?

I've preached this sermon since the ping-pong balls stopped swirling in Secaucas. We can keep betting on tomorrow all we want to but we're not the ones bleeding $$$ because of the empty seats and no playoff revenue coming in. We can't continue this perpetual rebuilding plan we've been on. We have to get back to the business of winning basketball games and postseason play, especially in the weak East. If 44 wins got Miami the SE division crown and 50 earned homecourt advantage for the first two rounds of the playoffs, why NOT go for the gusto while the gettings good? Again, if (and that's a big if) Gasol can be had at a decent price, you pull the trigger and make the deal.

I know, but still....

There's no secret concerning my disdain over picking Shelden over Roy with the 5th pick last year. We all know that role players have no business getting selected that high. It still doesn't negate the sting that BK PICKED HIM ANYWAY and last I checked, we don't get mulligans for that. We should be getting more value than that from the 5th pick (which Shelden is whether we like it or not) which points the fingers back to you-know-who.

There's a better chance of Georgia State joining the SEC than Seattle passing up Durant. Even Babs couldn't screw that one up...

I'm wishy-washy on this one, Ex. By making the move, we would've essentially spent a 5th pick on a career 8/6 player (not that I expected soooo much more from SW in the first place). I guess that points more to BK's drafting than Haywood himself.

Let's look at both sides.... Pros to Haywood: good defender in the post, can rebound and block shots. Has a decent contract. Cons to Haywood: poor free throw shooter, had to split time with Etan Thomas at center, should be better offensively than he's showed so far As much of a non-fan as I am of Shelden, I'd rather stick with him, considering that Haywood has had six years to get things together and is still platooning in the post. Is Haywood ready to man the middle in full-time duty? He hasn't proved himself enough to do that so far. And although I have very little regard to player stats during the last few games of the season (see Childress's numbers at the end of his rookie year compared to now), I'll even admit that Shelden did look much better than he did earlier.

Quote: Quote: Next time Gasol goes to talk with his new boss at his office. He should act a fool, and throws some chairs, tip-over some trash canS , and knock all the papers off of his Desk. That way the Grizz will lower the price for Gasol, so the can get rid of him ASAP. Wasn't it Willie Randolph the old Mets manager who had that kind of a tirade at reporters? It was hilarious. Nah, that was Hal McRae of the Royals who ripped out the phone and went nuts. Anyway, if the price isn't too steep (i.e. giving up both picks and/or JJ/Smith), go for the guy who we KNOW can get 20/10 and not the guy who we HOPE to get 20/10.