codyatl

Does anyone know if we lead the league in turnovers? I would guess we do. I don't get to watch many game sbut the ones i do see it seems that SAR is a turnover machine. I don't know if this is a by-product of bad coaching or just sar trying to do too much but soemthing must be done. I just can't see how we are playing so badly w/ so much talent on the team.

our leading reb is big dawg at 8/game??? thats horrible. wheres SAR in the post??? Is it me or has he moved his game more towards the perimeter? I haven't seen the SAR that could dominate when he got the ball in the post. Now all i see is either jump shots or turnovers from reef. Someone posted the other day a trade idea w/ the bulls. Sar and change to chitown for rose and crawfrod. I would do that dela in a flash.

We win that game last night if he plays. Thats all i have to say about that. I can't believe we already ahve people in here caling for lons head and saying we suck. [censored] if 1 game made a season there would be 14 teams going home right now.

season hasn't even started and we have already lost a pl;ayer to a broken neck for christs sakes. i hope this isn't a sign of things to come. best of luck to dj in his recovery. sounds like he had sonmeone looking over him. get well soon dj.

he said he took an over the counter supplement. i wonder what it was he used. i own a health fiood store and i have heard of company spiking their supplements. he could be telling the truth. the nfl should distinguish between the real thing and suplements

Wednesday, August 7 Hawks should deal Terry for real two guard, too -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- By Chad Ford ESPN.com Editor's note: ESPN Insider's Chad Ford breaks down what last season's NBA lottery teams need to do to get to the playoffs. ESPN.com's "Fixer-Upper" series continues with the Atlanta Hawks. Phoenix has the Suns, but it will be the Atlanta Hawks that will attempt to rise out of the ashes this year. After pulling out a blockbuster trade that infused the team with youth on the front line, the Hawks had high hopes last season. But an injury to Theo Ratliff in training camp was more than a foreboding sign. Only three players -- Nazr Mohammed, Jacque Vaughn and Hanno Mottola -- suited up for all 82 games. Ratliff went on to miss 78 games. Chris Crawford missed 74. Alan Henderson missed 55. Dion Glover missed 25. Toni Kukoc missed 23 games. Finally, Hawks coach Lon Kruger has the players. But will they stay healthy? In the end, the Hawks led the league with 319 player games missed. It can't get much worse than that, can it? For now, the Hawks are cautiously optimistic. They point to teams like the Celtics and Nets who came back from injury-marred seasons to compete for the Eastern Conference championship. For once the team seems to have all the goods. They have three prolific scorers in Shareef Abdur-Rahim, Glenn Robinson and Jason Terry. They have a huge frontcourt when you pair Rahim together with Ratliff and Mohammed. And after a year of Vaughn jokes, the team finally has a franchise-type point guard running the show in Dan Dickau. How giddy are the Hawks about the upcoming season? The team announced an unprecedented playoff guarantee for full season-ticket holders for the upcoming season. And that was before they traded for Robinson. Should the team fail on its pledge to participate in the playoffs, full season-ticket holders will receive a check for $125 per seat. Of course, given the Hawks' attendance last year, it's not as big of a risk as it seems. The Hawks ranked 27th in the league in attendance last season pulling in a paltry 12,344 fans per game. Fan interest is waning and the Hawks have to do something now -- while the East is still in a funk -- to capitalize on all of the talent they've assembled. Will this be the year that the Hawks return to the playoffs? ESPN.com poured over depth charts, trade rumors, salary-cap information and even sought the advice of a few NBA general managers to give you the five things the Hawks must do to get back to the playoffs this season. Terry Step 1: Move Terry while his value is still high. Terry can light it up. No question. But name one 6-foot-2 shooting guard not named Iverson who has been successful in the league. Terry is no Iverson. Can he ever be a point guard? The Hawks still wonder. Though he showed progress late last season, most of the time the team was content to let Vaughn run things. I love Jacque, but that tells you something. The difference between the Hawks' play when Terry switches from the two to the one is palpable. With Dickau, the team now has a true point guard with a solid outside jumper. The problem is that the team can only play them on the court in limited stretches. If Terry plays the point, team chemistry and Dickau's development suffer. If Dickau plays and Terry sits, the team loses its second (now likely third behind the Big Dog) scorer. If they play together, defenses will gorge on a team that already ranked 25th in the league in points allowed. The Hawks already have plenty of scorers with the addition of Robinson and Dickau. What the team needs is an athletic, defensive-minded two guard who doesn't need the ball to make an impact. There are plenty of decent candidates. The Wizards' Richard Hamilton gets it done at both ends. Denver's James Posey is available and the Nuggets are in desperate need for some backcourt scoring. But the best fit may be the Pacers' Ron Artest. It won't be easy to pry Artest away from the Pacers. He's a tenacious defender, always plays hard and showed an emerging offensive game last season. But the team is backlogged with swingmen. Al Harrington will likely get the starting nod at the three. The team is trying to find big minutes for Jonathan Bender, and Ron Mercer will be backing up Reggie Miller. If the Hawks were willing to take Austin Croshere off their hands, they might be able to make a deal. The Pacers were disappointed in rookie Jamaal Tinsley's ability to score from the point, and Terry, for all of his faults, can do that. To make the deal work cap wise, the Hawks would have to send Alan Henderson back to Indiana. While his contract is outrageous, it expires two years before Croshere's does. There is NO WAY, I repeat, NO WAY I would trade terry to the pacers and have him kill us every yr. Plus we have to eat crosheres contract. They say we need a dynamic defensive 2 gaurd but don't we already have that(maybe) in DJ?? He showed last yr that he could be a good defender. I am content to go into the season just like we are now.

There's still plenty to sort through in the aftermath of the Bucks-Hawks trade that sent Glenn Robinson to Atlanta for Toni Kukoc. The Hawks got another prolific scorer in Robinson, but didn't address their backcourt problems. The team cannot afford to play Jason Terry and rookie Dan Dickau together. The Hawks maintain they're not shopping Terry, which means that either they'll start Terry at point guard (where he's struggled) and use DerMarr Johnson and Dion Glover at the two guard slot, or, Dickau and Terry will be playing together. Don't count out some sort of package deal that sends Terry and center Nazr Mohammed somewhere in return for a top-flight point guard. But there are bigger issues swirling around the Bucks. The Bucks were shopping just about everyone this summer and may not be done. Sam Cassell is also in George Karl's doghouse. League sources told Insider this weekend that the Bucks will continue to shop Cassell and would move him for the right offer. Karl still pines for Gary Payton and given the latest developments with Payton and the Sonics, a trade isn't out of the question. Several other teams, including the Pacers, Heat, Celtics, Cavs, T-Wolves, Nuggets, Knicks and Warriors, are looking for a veteran point guard and Cassell (who makes just $4.5 million this year) comes at the right price. He recently inked an extension, so whoever gets him, can have him locked up for a while. Furthermore, the Chicago Tribune reported this weekend that the Bulls had been making an all-out push for Kukoc, offering Eddie Robinson in return. The team wanted to add the former Bulls star as a mentor. According to the Tribune, the Bucks-Hawks deal is a blow to the Bulls, who realized after summer-league play that Eddy Curry and Tyson Chandler are not ready to be regular contributors. They were hoping to take the pressure off them with veterans such as Kukoc and possibly Matt Harpring. Kukoc won't be more than a backup in Milwaukee and the ongoing problems with Cassell don't bode well for his future, so don't be surprised to see Milwaukee and Chicago find a third team interested in Cassell and Robinson, who can make things happen. We have seen his name all over this board, Gary Payton. Would we send nazr and jt to seattle for him and would the sonics take that offer. They seem to be in rebuilding mode and this deal would give them 2 solid young guys. I sure hate to lose JT but if we could get payton I think we would ahve to do it. Payton/DD/E-Mail Dion/DJ BD/CC SAR/Hendu/Haslem? Theo/Willis? That is a pretty inpressive lineup.

We may very well have the executive of the yr next yr. Of course a lot has to happen but FINAL(s)-ly we have a team that we can be excited about heading into the season. I know I will be making the 2hr drive to see this bunch. We still aren't getting any respect it seems. I don't see how we can not be seen as a serious eastern contender.

junkmail---return to sender, thats hilarious. I agree w/ you somewhat but he would be nice insurance to dd if his rookie season is a struggle. Still, that line is funny as hell.

InsideHoops.com Reaction: Toni Kukoc is old and washed up. Leon Smith is nuts. Milwaukee better make good use of that first round pick, or they essentially just gave Glenn Robinson away for nothing. Some day that Tim Thomas may be as good as Robinson, but when given playing time Thomas has always shown flashes but been very inconsistent. And for Atlanta, getting GRob, along with the return of a health Theo Ratliff, should mean competing nicely against Eastern conference teams and moving from the bottom to the middle of the pack - a solid improvement I am sorry but I think this does more than put us ion the middkle of the pack. I believe this puts us at the very top of the pack.

Holy [censored]!!!! excuse my french but wow. This is a shocker to me. I am absolutley stoked. I guess we got our 3rd scorer now.

Ummm, I didn't know it jackass. How was he doing Blackhawk?

We could really use his rebounding. I read that GS wants to deal him now that Jamison will be playing pf. I wonder if we could get them to bite on a sign-trade for JV?? They desperatley need a pg. What do you think??

The trade rumors are in full swing with less than a week before the draft. Last year, eight first-round picks were traded before the draft or on draft night. Add in the Jason Kidd-for-Stephon Marbury deal and the Mike Bibby-for-Jason Williams swap and there was some major trade movement around draft day last year. Expect this year to be no different. The Blazers, Mavs, Magic, Hawks and Suns are trying to move up. The Grizzlies, Cavs and Clippers are exploring moving down. And the Heat, Warriors, Grizzlies, Wizards and Nuggets are exploring adding another first-round pick. And then there's Houston, which brought in Maryland forward Chris Wilcox for a private workout Thursday. With Yao Mong all but wrapped up, why would Wilcox bother? There are rumblings that Houston may be trying to get another lottery pick. All of this talk means that these 10 players might want to pack their bags before draft night . . . 1. Lamar Odom, F, Clippers We go back and forth about whether Odom is really available. There's obviously a lot of interest and the Clippers have been flooded with calls. The question is, are they listening? Several GM's have told Insider in the last few days that they are. They won't give him away, but the fact that they are considering an Eric Snow-for-Odom deal tells you that his value has really dropped. 2. Mike Miller, F, Magic Doc Rivers wants to address the Magic's post woes and from all indications, the Magic are using Miller as trade bait to move up into the high lottery. Maryland's Wilcox and Brazilian big man Nene Hilario are the players the Magic are eyeing. The Grizzlies at No. 4, the Nuggets at No. 5 and the Cavs at No. 6 are their primary targets. If they can't pry away a top lottery pick, they may be able to swing Jamal Crawford and Marcus Fizer away from the Bulls. That would kill two birds with one stone. 3. Jamal Crawford, G, Bulls Speaking of Crawford, with Jay Williams already setting up camp in Chicago, the Bulls may finally be able to move Crawford. He's bulked up again this summer and plenty of teams are intrigued. Don't count out the Sonics. They love him and if things start going south in the Rashard Lewis negotiations, there's always a chance they could work out a sign-and-trade for Crawford, Fizer and Eddie Robinson. 4. Baron Davis, G, Hornets He's upset with the team and several league sources insist that he's told the team he won't sign an extension. The T-Wolves, Warriors, Hawks, Pistons, Pacers, Knicks and Raptors are all looking for point guards. 5. Latrell Sprewell, G, Knicks Scott Layden is still trying to shake things up and Spree is his most valuable commodity. If Wilcox is off the board when the Knicks draft, they may have no choice but to draft either Dajuan Wagner, or a small forward and move Spree. The New York Daily News is reporting today that the Knicks turned down a Glenn Robinson-for-Spree offer. 6. Dikembe Mutombo and Eric Snow, 76ers Larry Brown is trying to juice up the scoring on the team and both Mutombo and Snow are expendable. The Sixers already tried to pry away Rasheed Wallace from the Blazers, Kevin Garnett from the T-Wolves and Lamar Odom from the Clippers, but so far no one's biting. The Blazers, Mavs and Knicks are the only three teams that can afford Mutombo. The Pistons and Hawks also have interest in Snow. 7. Danny Fortson, F, Warriors Antawn Jamison pouted until he got his way, and from all indications, he'll be starting at power forward next year. If the Warriors draft Mike Dunleavy, Fortson won't see the light of day. His contract make him tough, but not impossible to move. 8. Wally Szczerbiak, F, T-Wolves Minnesota has to do something. This team is stuck as perpetual first-round loser. The Wolves' point guard situation is shady, the chemistry issue is even sketchier and if they don't do something now to shake things up, it could be a long season. Expect the usual suspects -- the Cavs, Grizzlies, Sixers and Heat -- to keep their ears open. 9. Courtney Alexander, G, Wizards The Wizards are trying to add another pick and could be using Alexander as bait. He struggled mightily last season, but still has enough upside to get Washington a mid to late first-rounder. Would the Hornets or Nets be interested? 10. Anyone on the Grizzlies not named Pau Gasol Stromile Swift and Michael Dickerson are the the two guys who get mentioned the most. Dickerson will be tough to move because of base compensation issues. Swift will be tough to move because of laziness issues. Draft May Blow Spree Away Frank Isola / New York Daily News Let's make a deal if price is right Tim Cowlishaw / Dallas Morning News Yao won't be at the draft The official Xinhua news agency said today that Yao Ming will not travel to New York for the draft, but that it would not prevent him becoming the top pick for the Rockets. According to a Reuters story, a source close to Yao and the NBA called the announcement a "bad sign" of the obstacles still blocking the 22 year old's move to the United States. "The situation's real messy right now," said the source, who asked not to be named. All kinds of things can be read into this, but it isn't as dire as it appears at first glance. Yao will stay in China preparing for the World Championships. The Xinhau report did mention that Yao will stay in China through October to participate in the Asian Games. The major obstacle for Yao is a buyout with the Shanghai Sharks. According to the report, they are seeking a payout in the range of $15-20 million. Yao is looking for something in the $3 million range. That's a pretty wide gulf and there isn't much the Rockets can do about it at this point. They can only contribute $350,000 to any buyout. "We ask [the NBA's] understanding and forgiveness," Xinhua quoted the Chinese Basketball Association as saying. "Whether Yao Ming goes to the United States to participate in the draft does not all influence his playing in the NBA." This could be posturing by the CBA and the Sharks in an attempt to get Yao to pay the Sharks more in a buyout. If Yao's representatives can't work out a buyout for Yao before Wednesday, there's still a chance the Rockets could balk on drafting Yao No. 1. To make matters worse for Yao, the Fort Worth Star Telegram is reporting today that Wang Zhi Zhi is defecting from China. "He's already missed two deadlines to return to China," a source told the Star Telegram. "Whether they want to say it's a defection or not, and his guy, Simon Chan, will say it's not, they've been given ultimatums, and they refused to go back. . . He's defected, but he wants to make it seems like it's not a defection. They're playing a very dangerous bargaining game right now." China's Yao Ming to Watch NBA Draft From Home Jonathan Ansfield / Reuters Possible Top-Pick Yao Not Be Present at NBA Draft Xinhua News Agency Wang close to defecting? Dwain Price / Fort Worth Star-Telegram Draft Rumors: Are the Warriors still on the fence about Dunleavy? The Warriors know a thing or two about smoke screens. Their franchise has been enshrouded in fog for the past decade. But, GM Garry St. Jean's comments to the press Thursday certainly raised some eyebrows. Without really saying anything, St. Jean said the Warriors were seriously considering taking Nikoloz Tskitshivili with the No. 3 pick in the draft. St. Jean said Thursday that "our minds are not completely made up" about what to do with the third pick but that Tskitishvili is "definitely in our considerations." Asked if the Warriors would be willing to wait for a payoff from such a high draft choice, St. Jean said, "That's in the equation. I think if you see greatness you have to strongly consider it. There's a terrific young player there." Don't count Mike Dunleavy out just yet. St. Jean praised Dunleavy for his "big upside." It was widely speculated that the Warriors sold Dunleavy on the organization last week, prompting Dunleavy to stay in the draft. Dunleavy hasn't publicly given a preference but sources close to him say he still wants to play in Memphis. Just to throw things into more disarray, the Warriors plan to work out Drew Gooden again today. The Nuggets are also expected to make their way down for the workout. St. Jean raves about European prospect Brad Weinstein / San Francisco Chronicle Warriors' no-news conference Ray Ratto / San Francisco Chronicle Draft Rumors: Have the Grizz promised Gooden? Yesterday, it seemed like the first three picks in the draft were seemingly locked down (Yao Ming, Jay Williams and Mike Dunleavy in that order). While the picture is a little murkier after the Yao news and the Warriors press conference, several GM's said that the uncertainty surrounding the Grizzlies and Nuggets are making the rest of the lottery tough to nail down. If, for some reason, Dunleavy falls to No. 4, the Grizzlies will bite. That seems unlikely, but the Warriors are tough to predict. Several signs point to Memphis selecting Drew Gooden at No. 4. Jerry West has told several people over the last few days that Gooden is his man. Gooden's agent, Bill Duffy, has also pulled Gooden from the workout circuit and has refused workout requests from the Nuggets, Cavs and Knicks. However, several league sources continue to insist to Insider that it isn't a done deal. West and several others in the Grizzlies' front office have been a little too forthcoming (off the record of course) about who they are selecting at No. 4. Memphis is also anxiously engaged in trade talks with several teams, including the Magic and T-Wolves. According to sources, the Grizz have been offered Mike Miller and Wally Szczerbiak for the No. 4. Two other shreds of evidence point away from Gooden. First, the Grizzlies' staff is still trying to work out a way for West to get an up close look at Nikoloz Tskitishvili. Several prominent individuals in the Grizzlies' front office still feel that Skita is the best player in the draft, period. They're fighting a losing battle, however, unless they find a way to get the two together. Second, the Grizzlies are bringing Jared Jeffries back for another look. He remains, next to Dunleavy, the player whot has impressed West the most. Could the Suns work out a trade with Memphis that would have them swapping the No. 4 for the No. 9, No. 22 and future No. 1? The Suns still love Chris Wilcox and Nene Hilario and it's looking like neither will be available when they draft at No. 9. More Draft Rumors: Are the Nuggets planning ahead for Kidd? The Nuggets' dilemma is a little more complicated than the Grizzlies'. They have holes everywhere. They have no backcourt, no center and their forwards, Juwan Howard and Antonio McDyess, are both unrestricted free agents next year. Their draft pool includes Nikoloz Tskitshvili, Drew Gooden, Dajuan Wagner, Chris Wilcox, Caron Butler and even Nene Hilario. Their concern is that none of these players has the fire power necessary to convince McDyess to re-sign as a free agent. That gives them two choices. The Nuggets can decide to blow this team up completely and trade McDyess now, while he still has some value. Or the team can decide to move its pick for a young player with more experience, make a key free-agent signing and then try to lure Jason Kidd to Denver next summer. That's the dilemma in Denver. If GM Kiki Vandweghe feels that there's no chance to re-sign McDyess, he has options. The Magic are in the market for a big man and would be willing to part with Darrell Armstrong, Mike Miller and Jud Buechler for McDyess. The team could probably move James Posey for a mid first-rounder and put together a young team with Miller, the No. 5 (Tskitishvili, Wilcox, Gooden or Hilario), another mid first-rounder (perhaps a two guard like Kareem Rush or a point guard like Dan Dickau) and the No. 25 pick in the draft. It would give the Nuggets a young nucleus to build on. Or Vandeweghe could decide to bring in one more good player and then make a run at Kidd next summer. The Nuggets will have the cap room once Howard comes off the books. The Nuggets could move their No. 5 pick for another scorer like Miller and the No. 18. Miller would give them another solid scoring option and they could pick up a two guard like Rush or Jiri Welsch with the 18th pick. The other key move Vandeweghe could make would be to hire Nets assistant Eddie Jordan. Kidd is close to Jordan and McDyess. The combination of the two, along with solid young players like Miller and Rush, may convince Kidd that Denver would be a nice place to call home. Kidd Chooses to Wait on His Future Liz Robbins / New York Times ESPN | Fantasy Games | Member Services Copyright ©2002 ESPN Internet Ventures. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed in any form. Please click here for legal restrictions and terms of use applicable to this site. Use of this site signifies your agreement to the Terms of Use. 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Is the pick protected next yr?