hawkman

Quote: This is what happens when you have 10 players all the same height with similar skill sets. Somebody gets pushed out. Diaw was far better than his role here for personel and coaching reasons. I expect the same will be said for Childress, Josh, and/or Marvin one day soon. W And it will continue to happen if we don't realize that if you draft based on potential, that you actually have to develop the player's skills and put them in a position to succeed. The hawks seem to have a recent history of not developing players, labeling them busts, then trading them (or giving them) away and having it blow up in their faces later.

Quote: Well I guess with 2 draft picks in that year we had to get at least one of them right. BTW it is truley sad that the Hawks are 2-13 and the NewOrleans Hornets are 8-7. The thing is that team last year wasn't that much better than the Hawks. You're right. They weren't that much better than the Hawks last year, and without Chris Paul they would probably be competing with us for "worst team in the league" status. And just think, they actually traded away Jamal Magloire and IMPROVED as a team. If you take Paul out of the equation, we have a much better team than the Hornets. We desperately need to get a PG to maximize the potential of the players that we have right now. Maybe then we could gain some stability and start to have some idea as to where this team is headed.

Quote: Our scoring would be a lot better with a legit point guard. Exactly. If you are truly trying to rebuild through the draft,you have to make those draft picks count. The problem is we keep drafting the same type of player rather than filling positions of need. This past season we had a glaring deficiency at PG and had our pick out of perhaps the best group of PG prospects I have ever seen. How do we respond? We draft another SF/PF based on potential. This team does not have the luxury to use the #2 pick on a player who MIGHT turn out to be good in 3-5 yrs. You have to go with the sure thing. I believe this team has the talent, youth, and athleticism to be alot more competitive than what they are right now. The only thing that's lacking is a PG. The problem is that we knew that last season and did nothing about it. The problem with this is that the fans aren't stupid. They will not spend money on a bad product just because you say that "it will be good in 3-5 yrs" and I can't fault them fo that.

I can understand why we picked Marvin, but that does not change the fact we mage a BIG mistake in not drafting Paul or Deron. Paul has just as much superstar potential as Marvin and both Deron and Jack could start for us right now. I know that we probably would not have drafted Salim, but he and Delk do essentially the same things on the court(somebody had to say it). I still think we would've picked up both ZP and JJ which still would have been a great off season. I believe that when you're rebuilding, you have to build with known commodities. Paul, Deron, and maybe even Jack were all known commodities. They all played well in big games and had that floor general mentality that we've not had since Mookie left. True, Marvin may turn out to be a great player in 4yrs, but then what? He'll be in Miami or Los Angeles with a max contract and we'll be in Las Vegas. The fans, both fairweather and long suffering supporters, need some indication from this organization that they are not only building for the future, but that they are also committed to winning now. Drafting a true PG this summer could've accomplished both of those things. Our record may not have been that different from what it is now, but at least we could have had some reason for optimism THIS season and many to come. Sorry for the rant but this is starting to look like another long season.

Quote: while I agree that JT would be a pretty damn good complement to JJ, let's not get carried away. I don't think he is better than what Marvin will become, and he did not have the tools to be a top 5 PG. He certainly had all the physical tools, but he did not have the mental tools. He has no court vision and poor decision making. I mean he certainly didn't have access to the NBA's finest coaches, but when you haven't adressed that and you're pushing 30, you've got a personal problem. He just doesn't have the mind of a PG, and that's a big part of being one. That being said, I loved his attitude while he was here although I didn't like him badmouthing us after his departure. I wanted him gone as much as anyone because he prevented us from getting a true PG. If I had known that we would not be getting a true PG, he might as well have stayed... Hopefully we'll get one this coming offseason (or sooner) I don't think that is entirely true. I watched this guy torch Baron Davis in a Pac-10 game the season before he got drafted. It's kind of hard for me to believe that he couldn't have been a lot better than what he is now under different circumstances. JT seemed to be on the right path under Lenny Wilkens' guidance. After Lenny was fired, JT was asked to be the primary scorer on a very bad team and responded by doubling his ppg average. However, his assist total did not improve much at all.I feel that if he had better coaching/mentoring during his earlier years in the league, he could have been something special. Don't get me wrong, I never believed that JT would be a pure PG but that he would have been a high scoring PG with better playmaking skills than what he has now. As far as him bad mouthing the Hawks, I think I've read worse criticsm of this team and organization as a whole on this board.

Quote: i love jt; he was my favorite hawk before he was sent off. i would love to have him back. I feel the same way. Unfortunately, not many on this board share our opinion. JT was extremely talented and easily the Hawk's best draft pick over the last few years. He had the tools to become a top 5 PG in this league, but the lack of stability as far as coaches and teamates pretty much stunted his development. I still like his game and think that he would be a great fit in the backcourt alongside JJ.

Quote: Actually Donta is 2nd on the depth chart. It's at SF, right behind Harrington. Williams and Smoove are being groomed at the PF. The Hawks are actively trying to trade him right now. They are taking the Joe Johnson Trade approach. A guy with some upside, and future draft picks for Maglore or Nene. I'm guessing Maglore is a Hawk before the tip in Southern California Wednesday. I think Donta will be involved. Wouldn't be surprised if Anderson, and draft picks accompany the trade. Then the Hawks will move Marv to SF (backup), Batista backs up the PF, and Maglore and Zaza are the centers. Is this a joke or what??? I have heard nothing of a Donta/Anderson/Draft picks trade...although I would welcome it!!!

Quote: The best of what's left and most likely are Curry and JJ. If we don't get those players we will be forced to pick from what's left over. For my money I would be content with Dan Dickau and Za Za. Both young players who showed promise this past season. Both can be had for cheap and leave money left over to nicely fill out our roster. Dan has been here before and based on reports Za Za is willing to come here also. Neither player will take away focus from our youngsters who were drafted to become the superstars for the organization as Curry and JJ will. Neither will force us to trade away our best player in Al Harrington as Dickau is unrestricted and Milwaukee can't match our money if they wanted to. This would obviously force BK to admit he made a mistake in Dickau but not only would Dickau be servicable for now he would be a great back-up for later. Dan Dickau Josh Childress Josh Smith Al Harrington Za Za I like the way you're thinking. I still think we could get Curry for a lot less than the max and without trading Al. I would also like to suggest Earl Watson (if he's still available) who seems to be a forgotten man on this board. This would be a lot cheaper than giving JJ max dollars then hoping he can play the point effectively. This would give us a solid starting lineup of: Watson Childress J. Smith Harrington Curry

I know that Darko has "potential." Then again, so does most of our team. The point is why be in so much of a hurry to trade our best player for someone who has shown nothing in the league thus far? M. Williams has shown that he is not quite ready for starter's minutes so why not just hold onto Al as a mentor until he matures? We have nothing to lose by waiting until the trade deadline.

Darko for AL????? Maybe if they threw in Chauncey Billups! These "trade Al for anything over 6'9" with a pulse" suggestions/rumors are starting to get a little ridiculous.

Nice to hear from you again Jay. You are correct in the fact that Haslem chose his own path. If I remember correctly, he elected to go overseas rather than take the Hawks' offer. I don't mean to jump off topic here, but where have been? Are you still affiliated with the Hawks? Any news on possible free agents coming to Atlanta?

Quote: last night said he would be our starting PG next year. I take that to mean that 1. they recognize we need a PG. 2. they both feel this guy has the ability to fill that role for us. There's no reason he can't be a chauncy billups type player for us. Chauncy is more of an SG than a PG. I would say that Salim is further along at this point thant Chauncy was when he came into the league. But many now consider Chauncy to be a top 10 PG in the league. I heard the same thing. Salim Stoudamire could very well be our "Chauncey Billups". All I heard last night from all of the analysts was how he was a steal at #31. They said he could pass, defend ,and of course shoot lights out. He's been great under pressure, hitting several game winning baskets, and he has that "attitude" that you need at the NBA level. If he could put all of those things together, I don't see why he couldn't be our starting guard next season.

Quote: I am not saying to get Paul or Deron but we need to get Felton, Jack or Ukic. We are in desparate need at that position and the FA PG market is terrible this season. I am not worried about the center position since there are a lot of free agents we can go after. This draft is Point guard rich and the top 5 are all potential starting quality for our team. If we get Williams or Bogut with 2 we need to make a trade to get one of the other 3 point guards mentioned above. I will be happy with any of them. The Houston trade of 31/cash for 24 would be worthwhile if Jack is still on the board. However, maybe 19 will be worth a consideration if we don't want to take a chance. If we come out with Bogut/Marvin and Jack/Ukic I will be very happy. If we come out without a point guard I will consider this a dissappointment. I agree that we have to get a point guard out of this draft. While there are a few free agent centers available this off season, there are virtually no worthwhile free agent point guards. With all of the international players in the draft this year, I believe that Jack will drop into the late teens/early twenties(hopefully). If that happens, we have to make a move to take him. With the respective deficiencies of the "top" 3 pg's (paul&size, felton&size+inconsistency, deron&speed), I think that Jack is a good compromise of all of their strengths at pg. He has the size, speed, and defensive toughness that you look for in a floor general. His team basically over acheived because of his strong play at the point. Imagine what he could do with Smith, Childress, and Harrington/Marvin. I don't know much about Ukic, but a 6'5" pg sounds like BK's kind of player.

Quote: I'll probably be there with my Pac-Man Hawks shooting shirt. But I need to tape so I can hear Bilas eat crow over Smoove. Worst move ever... Taking draft off TNT. I agree with last statement above!

Quote: I like his game but he is going to need minutes this year. Do we have an option on him for the 4th season. I personally think that we can make him something special. Should we give him one more season here in atlanta?? I don't see why we shouldn't. Everyone loves to talk about potential and skill set around here lately regarding Marvin Williams, but seem to be ready to trade Diaw, with all of his potential and versatility, after only his second season. He can play any position from the 1 to the 3, and can defend any of those positions well. While he obviously needs to be more aggresive offensively,I do appreciate his pass first mentality and his steady commitment to defense. Even if he never develops offensively, he could be a great utility man off of the bench to fill in for the pg,sg,or sf. He does need more minutes, and I think that will happen this year. Besides, if I remember correctly, I recall Mike Woodson saying something about bringing in all of the "young guys" in for the summer league to get them all on the same page and he specifically mentioned Boris in that group.

I can understand the reasoning of why BK might be interested in picking up Marvin. But if you need a "superstar" to contend then how do you explain the Detroit Pistons' success? The Hawks have a chance to add a can't miss point guard who can contribute right away. Contrary to popular opinion, the hawks are not that far away from being a respectable franchise that can attract free agents. But you have to show some stability at some point. Redundancy at a certain position doesn't help and trading away your best player(s) every season sure doesn't help either. We have some good young players at positions 2-4 who showed some great promise in their first year as Hawks. Give them a chance to build on that by drafting a floor general who can maximize their respective potentials.

I agree. In order to rebuild successfully, you have to use the draft to fill positions of need. Our key positions of need are center and point guard. We have our pick of 4-5 point guards in this draft who have the potential to become stars in this league. The Hawks cannot blow this opportunity to pick up something that we actually need. With quality peices already in place at the 3 and 4 spots, why on earth would you consider picking another combo forward? It's redundant. I agree that M Williams appears to have potential, but his game seems to be a carbon copy of Al's. The bottom line is that he is a 6'8-1/4" combo forward with good athleticism and a decent jump shot. If that's what we're looking for, why not trade down and draft antoine wright? At least we would get another first rounder out of the deal.

What's the big deal with Marvin Williams? I've seen a few UNC games and while he is very talented, his game seems identical to Al Harrignton's. Why would BK draft a player that we really don't need? He may have the most "upside" but he doesn't address the biggest deficiency that this team has: A solid post presence. That's something that the Hawks haven't had since Lenny Wilkens was coaching them.

GET THIS GUY!!! He looks like he would eventually make a great center in this league. He seems to have all the tools, not to mention the desire to play the post. I know that he hasn't played against great competition in college, but anyone can see that the skill set is there: passing, footwork, rebounding, shotblocking, post moves. The guy even handled the ball reasonably well against the full court press. He reminds me of a duncan with less offensive polish. Imagine the impact he would have in the league if he was surrounded by some decent perimeter players.

This debate is insane. Have the Hawks been losing so much that even when they get some good publicity we have to pick it apart and find reasons to criticize it??? There was only one Hawk present at all star weekend and he did a great job on both nights. Heck, even Sportcenter opened up its recap of the dunk contest with "a star is born". We only have ten wins this season and have yet to win two games in a row. I say appreciate whatever "wins" we can get at this point.As for Smoove's camera presence, that will come in time.

What's the big deal with Reddick? He's a good shooter, but so was Shawn Respert. They both had the same game and were both listed at 6'2"-3".SG in the NBA is a difficult position to play at that height unless you have some serious athleticism and the ability to score off the dribble ala Ben Gordon or Iverson. With the variety of PG's available in this year's draft(paul,felton,jack,deron williams,krauser,thomas,gilchrist),ATL should have no problem finding a decent PG in the first round.

Quote: I don't know why but head to head Jack just always gest the best of paul. Paul had a bad game. Jack had a great game. I don't think you can judge them by just one game but i don't think Paul is heads and shoulders above Jack. In fact, i think tonight is an example of what happens when Chris Paul is defended by a bigger player. Im not so sure about him. Ill guess ill decide after watching the ACC tournamen and checking out Illinios. I agree. Paul is a great pg, but he consistently has problems playing against bigger guards. This is a big concern if ATL is considering taking this guy with their top pick because he will face bigger, stronger guards every night.

Quote: forget jack i want this guy He plays with alot of intensity and is very strong despite his somewhat diminutive size(5'10" is a stretch). Would definitely be worth a look in the second round.