Yeti

Horford looks like a good PF, poor C. (He would be a no brainer if we had picked Roy over Shelden last year.) Just how many forwards can you have on a team? IF we pick him either Marvin or Smoove needs to be traded -- but what value would we really get for them? Is anyone going to give us a real talented starting PG? Nah, we'll get leftovers.

Quote: Face it their are no huge centers in this draft or at least that will be left at pick 3. No one is gonna trade a big time center to us anytime soon either. We need talent on the frontline. WE NEED A LOW POST SCORER. WE NEED A LOW POST SCORER. WE NEED A LOW POST SCORER. If that is the only criteria, then we want Hawes. Offensively he's a better choice. But he is SOOOO young and needs work on defense. No way I want Horford ... just more of the same. Better than Wright, but ... Ohhhh, this is going to be so painful again this year. Billy would get SOME support if he picks Horford, Conley, or Yi, or if he makes a trade. So there is no way he WINS, because most of us will be disappointed no matter what he picks. But we are talking Billy ... so maybe he'll pick some small forward that we've never heard of or a 6'7" SG with a lot of "upside".

Quote: So just that we're clear. You guys don't want a forward? NO MORE #$%$& FORWARDS !!! I don't care WHO it is. Come on Billy ... pick something else for a change. Is that clear enough? Let's get a PG and C. No trades (except for Gasol, Duncan, LeBron, Howard, Aldridge, or Yao). I am more afraid Billy is going to screw this all up again and give our picks away for more role players or some walking basket cases like Randolph. That way no-one can criticize him for picking the wrong guy AGAIN.

Sorry, but I don't get this trading down stuff. So you trade #3 for #7 and a bench player. Do we really need more bench players? We aren't going to get much more than that in a trade down. All we really need are quality starters/even stars. So I would rather take the guy we want at #3 even if he is rated as #9, then we know for sure we get that guy. The "change" in any trade is pretty much worthless.

Quote: Stuckey is more of a 2 guard than a point guard. Might be true. He was basically a one-man show for Eastern Washington. (His grades didn't let him into the bigger schools.) Averaged 24.6 ppg and 5.5 assists. Good scorer but not enough talent on the team to see if can really play point. His size and scoring say "2" but he WAS the pg for the team and hit 10 assists in three games.

I'd be VERY disappointed if we took Noah. Actually I'll be unhappy if take ANY forward again (well, I'd probably may an exception for Durant). When I read the post-workout interviews with Noah and Hawes in Chicago, I got the impression that Hawes outplayed him (because Hawes was happy with the workout and Noah wasn't) but it's really hard to tell, it just be their personalities. Anyone seen any real info from those workouts in Chicago or Minn?

No thanks. No Gasol, No Horford. Lets get either a point guard or a center.

I agree with you jw. Each team is trying to get ahead in every deal, they aren't looking for how to help the Hawks or how to dump a real star player. They want to win in any deal. So far the track record for BK is that he is not the brightest crayon in the box in trades. So I would much rather gamble on the ability of an unknown draft pick than accept a known role player or bench paper weight.

I don't think anyone trades centers who that much better than Zaza, regardless of what you give them. They are just not that common. If you really want a chance at a true center, draft Hawes or Splitter and pray -- otherwise settle for Horford or another PF who can play some C. The only way we'll ever improve the C position is by drafting one. That means continuing to stink so that we get good draft picks and pray for the next Oden or "reaching" for a player.

Are you serious? Do we play the Georgian or Argentine anthemns now?

Quote: It could very well come down to us taking Yi at #3 and then trading it to another team that can pick Conley for us. On Chad Ford's latest blog today he says rumors are swirling right now about teams wanting to trade up to take Yi. Based on the fact that every other team seems to draft better than us, maybe we should pay attention. If Yi is going to be that good (??), why should we accept more role players for this pick? (You know that is the BEST we'll get, no-one will part with a star player.) At least with a pick we have SOME chance of getting a future star.

Quote: Internet rumors say that are going to be in blue, red and silver. Our logo will probably be similar to the old pacman. Nah, I think it's going to be black with a yellow stripe down the back.

Quote: I say it because the NBA, as a whole, suffers when these star players are shipped out to the wastelands of the NBA . . like ATL, or Boston, or Charlotte. Those teams are in the positions that they're in, mainly because of bad managerial moves. The lottery just gives bad teams an easy out, so that they can possibly improve themselves without actually making shrewd moves. Improvement by luck, not by actually doing some thinking. I couldn't disagree more. If all that counts are the big markets (and I wouldn't put Philly in that), then we ought to just shutdown all the franchises except LA, CHI, NY, and Boston. It's the fact that some of the smaller markets can win that makes it fun to watch. If the stars were only in LA and NY, I'd just quit watching the NBA at all. I think having an Oden/Roy/Sergio team in Portland will be fun to watch and will be good for the NBA.

Good point and if we had a coach that might be true. However Woody seems more focused on pushing the players into his vision of a team, than creating a system for the players he actually has. I think Yi would be wasted on the Hawks for a couple of years until we get a new coach.

Quote: I cannot for the life of me recall one Hawks fan who wanted Deron. Most wanted Marv or Paul. After Paul won rookie year most swore they wanted Paul all along. Now all of a sudden alot swear they wanted Deron. I wish they would make up their minds. No I remember a lot of discussion over whether it should be Deron or Paul. But most of us (including me ...) wanted Marvin. But you are all right ... the guy we need least is Wright so we'll probably go that way. Then we can pass up Law, Critt, and Hawes at 11 to pick Aaron Grey. That would fit since BK thinks the PG position is covered.

Quote: What franchise player does Oden remind you of? He kind of reminds me of a young Patrick Ewing.

This was from the Bulls site after a Noah/Hawes workout: Quote: Bulls.com: How did you feel your workout went? Spencer Hawes: “It was good. It’s a lot of fun going against big name players and I think today went well.” Bulls.com: What other teams have you worked out for thus far? Hawes: “This is just the second one—Joakim and I were up in Minnesota and I’ve got two or three more to go so far. It’s looking like Sacramento and possibly Philadelphia and possibly Atlanta.” Bulls.com: Some players shy away from competition during their pre-draft workouts, but you’ve embraced it, battling the likes of Joakim Noah before NBA teams. Hawes: “There are guys who try and dodge going up against other top players and that’s their philosophy. But I’m gunning for people and trying to go up against everybody.” Bulls.com: The knock on you is that you’re not as athletic as teams would like you to be. What’s your response to that? Hawes: “I think as I get older my body will start to fill out and I’ll get better athletically. But if you look at the testing [from Orlando’s NBA Pre-Draft Camp], I’m right up there with everyone else. I may not be ahead of them, but I’m close. I look at some of the most effective post scorers that the game has seen and not all of them are the best athletes or the best leapers. But they had the best fundamentals and they knew how to get everything done.” Bulls.com: Is bulking up a priority of yours this summer? Hawes: “It is. I’m already up to 245 or 250 pounds, and I’ve been in the weightroom every day trying to get that up.” Bulls.com: What elements of your game do you feel you need to address the most in order to be a success in the NBA? Hawes: “I’m trying to become a more physical player so I can attack the hoop a little better. When you’re making the jump from college to pro ball, you need to work on everything—defense, shot blocking, all that stuff.” Bulls.com: Is there anyone in the NBA you’ve modeled your game after? Hawes: “Tim Duncan. He absolutely dominates the game on both ends of the floor. They run the offense through him and they shift their defense to funnel the other team’s offense through him. He’s a great scorer and passer and I love his game.” I like the quote about guys dodging other players. I wish we could get some honest reports on how these workouts are going.

Haven't heard anything at all. Didn't say that Batista had been kicking Splitter's ass in head-to-head play the last 2-3 years? If it was even close, we don't need Batista.

Quote: guys, durant isn't dropping to 3 unless he jumps off a bridge. I just got back from Seattle. If the Sonics pass on Durant, that will really piss off the fans. But the new owner Bennett (as well liked as our Belkin) is doing everything he can to alienate and anger the fans and local government with the goal of moving the team to KC or Oklahoma City. - On the very day of the lottery, did he use the #2 pick (Durant) to drum up support for the team and a new arena? No, he made a statement that the situation for keeping the Sonics in Seattle had never been bleaker - and he did it in Oklahoma City. If bringing in Durant might help keep the team in Seattle, he'll probably pick someone else. He also just dumped local favorite Lenny Wilkens and hired a new GM from San Antonio (neighboring state to OK) - and showed no respect for the aging Wilkens at all. Looks like the ownership in Seattle is even worse than in Atlanta. So I wouldn't blame Durant for not wanting to come to such a screwed up team.

Wow !!! No thank you. I would much rather have the #11 rather that the #22 Jack. sorry

Quote: Man...wouldn't it be fun to have that kind of management here. Granted they lucked into the Oden deal...but the aggressiveness in trying to build a team out there is laudible. As a Hawks fan we hear from BK twice a year or so and when we do he doesn't say anything. I couldn't agree more. Just go back to last year's draft. Portland really controlled it with all the moves they made.

Portland has FOUR second round picks. (But I don't think Big Baby is worth it.)

I the gap is so small between pg's, then I want the best "real center" at #3 regardless of where he's ranked. Then one of the PGs at #11. Otherwise pick the best PG at #3. Without some big trades, I don't want Horford/Noah/Wright or any other stinking forwards. We have enough. BILLY, WAKE UP ! Learn how to draft someone who is not a forward.

Quote: If the Hawks take either of these two im done. How can we draft another forward lottery pick that will come off the bench. I can see if we didnt have Marvin or Shelden It would make sense. But taking back 2 back questionable forwards to only pass on 2 Rookie of the years is crazy. Now BK wants to take yet another forward w/o trading any of the ones we have?? This just seems to me insane. I agree completely. I don't give #$%# who the best athlete available is. I want a PG or a C - nothing else. And Horford is another forward with wishes of being a C. Just like Shelden. If BK drafts a forward at #3, I'm gone. After 20+ years as a Hawks fan I couldn't it again. On the positive side, maybe Billy is just doing what everyone criticized him for last year and trying to look at all the possibilities this year. But I hope he's going to look at some PG's and Centers too - regardless of where they are projected to go. By "reaching" last year, Billy may have forced himself to "reach" again this year or go back to the five-forwards-and-a-cloud-of-dust philosophy.

Quote: -Speaking of Javaris Crittenton,, it's interesting to note that he's scheduled to work out with the Portland Trailblazers the day before the draft, June 27th. He obviously won't be working out for the #1 pick, and can't be planning on Portland's next pick at #37 either. You can never tell about Portland, remember all those trades last year on draft night. Personally, I'd rather have the pic (Conelly/Critt/Law) or Sergio than Jack. With Jack you know what you are getting an improvement over what we have but nothing spectacular. The others have a chance to be spectacular or go bust or something in between. But trading an #11 pick for a #22 player sounds like Billy.