Packfill

Well, no question Howard sounds interesting. 6'11", 255 is center size - particularly in the east. If the Hawks get the first pick and draft Howard then I would trade Shareef and let Henderson start for a year until the rookie gets alittle experience. Smith - and I admit all I know about these guys is what is written here and elsewhere - sounds like a real crapshoot. Tempting yes, but he could be a heartbreaker. Deng, if he leaves Duke, may be a better player. Swift and Livingston both sound more intriguing than Smith. Livingston for the obvious combination of playmaking skills and size. Swift for size and athleticism - I mean, 7'1" 240 at 18, he could easily pack on 20 pounds of mucsle and be a real nice post presence next to Reef. Wasn't Swift on the Atlanta Celtics summer team with Howard and Smith? If the Hawks don't get a top three pick, Smith is my early darkhorse lottery pick. You heard it here first folks. Jefferson and Aldridge do not sound like lottery guys. Since the season has gone in the dumper, maybe we can at least get excited about a high draft pick.

I would do that one in a heartbeat, but I don't think either Indy or Utah would.

So I watched the Syracuse/Michigan State game this weekend while riding my bike on the indoor trainer. Perhaps it was workout induced, but Syracuse point guard Billy Edelin really looks like a player. He is 6'4" 195, averaging around 15 points and 6 assists on the season. He is only a sophomore and likely will not come out, but he is the type of big point guard who could work with or without JT. I understand he had some off the court problems (accused or rape but charges dropped and suspended for playing in unsanctioned league), but those issues seem to be in the past and he really looks like he knows how to play the game. Needs a better jump shot but that can be worked on. Keep an eye on him.

I like the idea of trading for Foyle. He replaces Theo in that he still provides the Hawks with a defensive presence in the paint. If he were only healthy . . . Best course for the Hawks may be to position themselves for a high draft pick and, if Foyle is in the fold, go for a ing player like Smith or Deng (I am not yet convinced Warrick will develop the ball handling/shooting skills necessary to be a perimeter player in the NBA - but if he does then he is an option also). As for point for next year, might as well give Dickau some minutes and see what he can do. Dan might work with Boris in the backcourt because Boris can help with ball handling and pick Dan up defensively. In turn, id Dickau's shooting comes around (wasn't he a good shooter in college?) then he could pick up some of the scoring void created when JT is traded. I don't think Stoudamire is the answer on the court and he brings too much off the court baggage to warrant anything more than a one year low dollar deal. If the Hawks don't do a Foyle/similar deal this year, then package Theo and JT (Theo should be movable b/c of expiring contract and JT's frontloaded deal will be reasonable for the next two years) for a legit big man.

Well, Fratello coached in Cleveland where he had next to no talent so under your analysis he would be entering a familiar situation!

That's assuming Howard and Smith are hungry. I expect they are, but I expect most players to be so you never know. That said, I would love it if the Hawks picked up Howard - at least from the reports I have read about him. Smith sounds like a player to, but the Darius Miles athletic wonder/basketball dud thing scares me. Smith though, by all accounts, is much more advanced then Miles.

Didn't Kiki say he would have taken Darko if he was available? I am almost positive he was as hot for Darko as everyone else. Kiki, Jerry West, Billy Knight, Scott Layden, you name it, would have taken Darko number 2. If the Nuggets were lucky it is only in that they were lucky to have a high pick in a deep draft (although that is not really luck because Denver and Cleveland pretty much tanked their seasons in the hope of a high pick in '03). Sometimes, it is more about being in the right place at the right time then anything else.

Wow there cowboy. Have you looked at Orlando's draft history over the past several years? Gabriel has had the absolute worst time drafting players. Granted, they have not had many top picks, if any, and there have been some pretty lean drafts but the Magic have gotten zero from the draft other then Miller. Stephen Hunter, Jerryl Sasser, Reece Gaines, Ryan Hunphrey, just to dame a few. The only really good move was signing McGrady. The Gooden/Girick trade was pretty good, but getting rid of Armstrong (whether it was Doc's decision or not) and signing Howard were mistakes. I would pass on him.

If Dan and Travis could find their shots I would love to see what they could do, throw in Diaw at SF, with Reef and Theo and at least you would have the most energetic unit the Hawks can field on the floor. Obviously this only works if Travis, Dan and Boris can shoot a little. Given the fact that the Hawks can't win with the vets - i.e., Terry, Glover, Jackson, Vaughn - in the game, why not try the young guys. At least they will hustle, try and play defense, etc.

I concur fully with Boondocks. SAR and Diaw are keepers, everyone else is trade bait - preferrably for young players with potential, draft picks or expiring contracts - in that order of preference.

I don't know if I would take him fourth but he was a great pick at 21. It's really too early to tell because guys develop at different speeds and some of the guys are quite young. It will be interesting to look back two years from now, and I bet he will be one of the top ten when it is all said and done.

Right now there are few players in the league playing any better than SAR. Lots of excellent/great players would not sniff the playoffs without being surrounded by the right cast. Kidd could barely get there before NJ, CWEbb couldn't generate W's before Sactown, Mashburn I don't think was on a winning team until New Orleans, Garnett, despite being acknowledged as one of the best in the game can't get out of the first round, neither can T-mac, Francis can't get the Rockets to the post-season, Pierce can't win on his own, MJ couldn't win without Pippen, etc. Point is, one player does not a team make. I am not saying SAR is great but right now he is playing better then just about anybody. I just don't understand all the bitchin and monin. He is a heck of a player. His defense is at least average, probably better. He is NOT an empty stat guy like Jalen Rose, Ricky Davis, etc. Realistically, it is hard to call any low post scorer who hits a high percentage of his shots an empty stat guy. We all want this team to win but it means getting the right mix of players. Inserting Diaw into the starting line-up is a step in the right direction. If he develpps that is a big piece of the puzzle because he meets so many needs. The Hawks get two more role playing guys who fit a need and they are set. Basically they need another perimete guy who plays solid defense and has a dependable jump shot and a bruiser for the middle (I acknowledge these are hard to get).

Didn't see the game but from the sound of things Boris played some great defense. Finally something to get excited about - if only for a day. His energy, defense, ballhandling and playmaking skills are exactly what the doctor ordered for the Hawks. Also, if Hanson can get his shot to fall I like the energy he brings as well.

This trade stinks for both teams. Of course Davis is no longer wanted by Silas - he has no concept of team play. We talk all the time about the Hawks lack of basketball IQ so bringing in a guy with zero team play skills will further contribute to the problem, not help. If you think Jax and Glover jack up shots, wait to you get a load of Davis - if the trade went down we would be talking about the good old days of SJaxs. Please, please, no Davis!!!!! He is the epitome of empty stats. Big Z can definitely score in the post but he is even softer than Theo. Mihm is the only one I would trade for. He is soft too but has some skills. I would trade Nazr straight up for Mihm.

I also agree. If they are not going to impose an age limit then they have to turn the NBDL into a real minor league system. Add an extra round to the draft to fill the league. Dan Dickau would be much better off playing 30 minutes a night in such a league then riding the pine.

I think this is the best of the four proposed Theo trades. Battier improves the team on the perimeter - he automatically becomes the Hawks second best shooter. Wright has limitations but the way Theo is playing I can live with those limitations. All things considered I would prefer the lineup of JT/BD/SB/SAR/LW to JT/BD/SJ/SAR/TR.

Well, I am certainly not an elite athlete but I do train and compete in various running races and triathlons and I know improving my diet gives me more energy, better performance and faster recovery. Sure, they may not get fat on junk food because they exercise so much/have high metabolisms but they are not going to build muscle mass on that stuff either. I am pretty sure SAR is big into eating right and I know many NFL players are clueing in on this as well. Probably making a bigger deal of it then it really is, I imagine the donuts thing is more rookie hazing then anything else.

I was just going to post that article. I think Diesel is right about the BYC issue. Plus, would we really want anything off of the knicks roster?

Um, Battier did a heck of a job being the emotional leader at Duke - so I think he has the potential to do the same in the NBA. His attitude, defense, hustle and shooting would be great assets to the Hawks. He is not a great player, but he is a great role player and teammate and the hawks can use all the help they can get.

What the heck are a bunch of professional athletes doing eating donuts? Get these guys some egg white omlets or something healthy if they need breakfast. Maybe their diet is the reason they are so lethargic on the court!

I would take nothing over any of those guys, they all have red flags next to their names.

How many years does Penny have left on that ridiculous contract?

I would do that. They don't really need him if they are committed to Miller (I think he is overrated) and Bonzi/Posey. Heck I would probably be willing to role the dice and trade Theo for Swift and Battier. Play swift at center - he is not much smaller than theo and he then becomes a trading chip or useful athletic big man. Start a line-up of JT/BD/SB/SAR/SS and with JV/SJ/NM of the bench land see what happens!

I may be off on the attitude thing but he strikes me as one of those guys . . . (don't know him in person so just unsubstantiated, uninformed opinion). But, I still like the Brandon trade. I may be wrong, but I don't think we win even with Big Dog on the roster, so I rather give minutes to some young guys. I guess I just feel like Big Dog's stats are hollow. As a fan, I am much more excited to see Boris and Travis play than Dog - they ain't much but both are athletic and seem to try hard, and with this team, that's more than we are getting from the vets.

I like that idea alot. Really, how many more games can they lose? Let's evaluate: PG - JT is shooting well and scoring, heck even getting some boards, but providing NO defense and is not directing traffic well. Vaughn is limited but playing well considering. Why not give minutes to DD? SG - Dion couldn't hit the broadside of a barn right now. Bench him and play Boris and Travis. At least the effort should be there. SF - Jackson is not perfect but I would leave him for now with Boris also getting additional minutes here (Really, might as well give him 30+ a night and see what happens) PF - Right now Reef is playing well enough to start for just about any team in the league. No complaints. A back-up would be luxury . . . C - Not perfect again, but the combined production of Nazr and Theo is o.k. If we could somehow morph Theo's athleticism and defense/shotblocking with Nazr's size and offense/rebounding we would have a top 5 center.