falc82

This Belkin character is a joke, I wonder if the NBA has any way or right to take away ownership from this jackass. I would imagine not since he did pay good money to own this team. It bothers me that this guy tries to buy several teams and fails just to buy the Hawks. It shows that he cares nothing about the Hawks, and that he only wants to own a NBA team in order to make some cash from it. You can not run a NBA team like a business.

Wow..after reading that article it really destorys a little hope for the Hawks. This owner is a serious jackass, and could undermine any growth by the Hawks as a team. It seems as if the Hawks are ran by a bunch of attention seeking bickering children. Great image of our franchise to the rest of the league..

So the deal hasnt gone down just yet. If this deal ends up not going down and it's Belkin's fault then we can whine, complain, and panic. But untill we find out whats really going on lets just calm down. We signed Zaza today and in 7 days we could finally have a center on our roster. We acquired Joe Johnson who is probably the 2nd best player available in free agency. The Hawks are finally making moves and trying to turn this thing around, and instead of celebrating as fans we cry because it hit a small snag. IF this proves to derail the deal and it's Belkin's fault then we can complain, but lets hold our complaints for now. For all we know it could be because he thinks we could get a better deal.

He probably would have been our draft pick at the time, but let's hope for the Hawks sake that they would have gone with Amare Stoudamire.

Remember that this same group owns the Thrashers and they made a big move yesterday. So we can take that for what its worth. The Falcons, Braves, and Thrashers have one of the best GMs if not the best in each of their respective sports. I hope BK can reach that level one day, we'll see.

Jay do you know if we could throw any two lottery protected 1st at them or does it have to be ours and/or the LA/Boston pick? For instance, if we were to acquire a pick from say Philly could we parlay this pick to the Suns along with the LA/Boston pick instead of giving our own 1st rounder? It would really make this JJ trade look much better if there was a way to keep that 07' pick or if the protection was a bit more strict on it.

The starting lineup should be JJ/Childress/Smoove/Al/Zaza (or other center) to start the season and probably throughout the whole season unless Al is traded. That leads to the future lineup of the Atl Hawks. Josh Smith is the key to any future lineup because it is pretty clear that BK intends to have a JJ/Childress back court. Smoove can play the 2-3-4 spots and where he fits in will dictate the remainder of the starting lineup. It looks at first like Smoove is being groomed to be our starting SF since he has played that spot a good bit since the Walker trade. On the other hand when Al went down late last year Smith was thrown in as the starting PF mostly because we had no other option, yet he surprised by performing really well as a 4 even against top notch PFs like KG. Al will probably not factor into the starting lineup since Smoove and Marvin are the future forward tandem for the Hawks team in most people's opinions so that leaves Marvin as a 3-4. We know that Smoove plays the 3-4 spot both well but it has yet to be seen how Marvin would do as a 3 vs a 4 in this league. I think it comes down to Smoove's defense at the 4 and Marvin's post moves down low. Perhaps a starting lineup of JJ/Childress/Marvin/Smoove/Zaza (other options) for the future would make sense as long as Smoove was the 4 on defense and then switched with Marvin on offense. I think most of the points in the paint will have to come from our center and also from Childress slashing into the lane, and JJ posting up the smaller PGs. I'm starting to believe that this lineup could really win some games in 07' and be vastly improved by 06' and be able to win around 25-30 games next year. The moves BK has made are starting to pay off, I have my reservations about BK based on some past moves and maybe the 2 first given up for JJ (only depends on the protection of our own pick) but I think that as far as putting together a solid team that he has done a good job. I really think this team could compete for a playoff spot in 07' and really show promise in the 2nd half of next season. I seriously expect a top 8 2nd half record after our team starts to gel and for us to carry that into 07'. Cenk, Anderson and Salim should really be able to produce and contribute to our run in 07' and hopefully that is the year we turn it around, and no longer will the Hawks always be followed by the word ''lowly''.

Good read KB. I think that Smoove showed very good natural defensive skills last season that will really improve as he matures and gains expierence. A lot of young players who end up as good defenders in their careers start off like he did last season. Last season he was very good on help defense and that showed early with blocked shots and later in the season with the steals. He suffered a bit early on man on man defense and was pulled early after these mistakes, but as the season went on he really began to come to an understanding on defense when it came to man to man defense. I really expect Smoove to develop as a great defender in his career rather he plays the 2-3-4 because of his athletic ability, but it really rely on how much his understanding of defense evolves over the next few season, and that will come with expierence. I fully expect Smoove to become a star defender.

You do have to admire have hard Deron played when his team was down last year. It's hard to forget what a force he was in the NCAA tournament when he went on a tear from all over putting his team on his back. I like how Paul carried his team for two years and always gave it his all. Both are very competitive players and I agree that is the key to raising your game from being a star to a superstar. A great example would be Jordan vs Carter. Equal talents but Carter lacks the competitiveness that Jordan was always known for. Name me one SUPERstar in the NBA that wasnt competitive. Not saying Marvin isnt competitive just that he hasnt shown that he is to this point. Not in middle school, high school, college, and you cant just assume it will change in the NBA. I like Marvin as a player and hope that he proves to be a super star in this league. He has all the tools like anyone will tell you, he just has to go out and prove he wants it just like every talented player has to do. But the fact remains that a competitive drive is essential in raising a star to a super star level. The Braves big 3 of Smoltz, Glavine, and Maddux, and Vick, and of course the legends like Nique, Jordan, Malone, Byrd, and Magic. Name one super star or legend in the NBA that did not have that competitive drive.

How under the new CBA? Does that not cover extensions?

I'm getting excited about JJ being a Hawk, and like I've said several times I've always been a JJ fan since his Arkansaw days. I still hope giving up so much wont come back and hurt us, but I understand it was something that had to be done. I have my reservations about him being able to play PG for a championship team, but I'm willing to give it a try and see what he has. As long as he is able to guard those quicker PG then he should be fine, we'll see in time.

Yes but the players in 2007 are suppose to be special, and its a draft that runs very deep. I wonder if we were to acquire another 1st rounder from another team if we could substitute that into the deal rather than ours. Is it any two lotto protected 1st? Say we deal for the Spurs pick, could we then send the Suns that pick and the LA/Boston pick? The Robinson deal hurt a lot. At the time Babcock figured he was that missing piece so why put protection on a pick that we were giving up since he built an ''awesome team that will no doubt win and be in the playoffs'' at least in his mind anyways. I'm sure he never though that we would end up with a lotto pick and the #8 pick overall, but Babcock was a man who traded the #3 pick in the Shareef deal along with those 2 high 1st (and yes one was Amare) for LoWrong..and the Grob disaster. BK is a better GM than Babcock if all he does is wake up in the morning. It does hurt if it is only top 3 protected in 07 just like the Grob one was top 3 protected in 03. That could really undermind this whole rebuilding project because the players in that draft will be special.

JJ is not as good as Penny in his prime right now, you'd have to not be a fan of basketball or a little kid to say such a thing. Just think about who Penny was ahead of on those all NBA teams, and then consider that its not all about stats but more about impact for a team. However, this JJ trade is close to final and will be tomorrow, so rather we think we gave up too much or if he will fail or not at PG doesnt really matter now since it wont change what BK is going to do. I say we support it now and hope we get our Center in FA and then role with this team and see what happens. If this plan fails however then I'm guessing that JJ will simply be moved to SG and Childress moved to 6th man or traded, and a real PG will have to brought in. So I guess it doesnt hurt too much for the future of this team (other than the 2 1st) except that we'll just have to draft a future PG and move Childress if this fails. Let's just wait and see what happens and hope for the best. After all we're all still Hawk's fans at the end of the day.

I'm actually going to change my stance a bit on this one after doing some thinking. Joe Johnson could be a hell of a player and hopefully the PG thing works out. I think he has the tools to be a good PG, but I'm worried about some things a point brings to the table namely driving to the basket and kicking it out and also playing D on the fast PGs. How good or bad this deal turns out to be for us really depends on that 2nd pick. If the first is the LA/Boston pick thats fine, but the 2nd pick better be lotto protected for at least 3 years. Lotto picks can really pan out to be some great players, but we have some great talent now as it is. If we can some how add a quality center (better than Zaza) then we wont really need another lotto pick, because we'll have great young talent at every posistion already. It stands to be seen how this grades out, but right now I guess we really had to take a chance on JJ. Now offer a deal to Curry and see what happens.

I thought BK was a stickler for not trading draft picks..and now he trades two? I'm sorry but 2 is too much being given up. Now if it had been 2 first, Diaw and $5 mill and we got JJ at less than a max deal then it might have been ok..but its just too much to give to a guy to be our PG when he has never proven to be able to play point. Please save me your crap KB..he has never proved to play point for 40 mpg for a winning team in the NBA, and thats a fact. Those 2 first could end up being Glovers yes, but remember Stockton (16) was picked late as was Malone (13) and Dumars (18), and also Josh Smith wasnt a lotto pick. Those lotto picks could come back to haunt us, and what if the protection runs out ala the Wright deals then we could lose on some real talent like we did with TJ Ford and Amare. I always hate giving up picks, but we really lost out on this deal. I think PHX would have gone for less if we played our cards a bit better. The LA pick/Diaw/and 5 Mill is a good deal for both teams. That other pick is a bit steep for an unproven point guard. I think JJ is a great player and I'm glad he's on the team. I've liked this guy for a long long time since back in the SEC days; however, I still dont know if he can play PG in the NBA as a 40 mpg starter. That's a lot to gamble on considering its a max deal, 2 picks, and Diaw.

Hunter would be a good cheap option at Center. He would not be the long term option; starting this year and back up after we get our starting center probably through the draft. He is not better than Curry, if Hunter was that good the Suns would resign him and start him. Then they could put Amare back at PF like they want to. Per 48 mins stats really dont mean anything. The idea that a scrub that can only get on the court for 1 min a game and scores 1 point could ever score 48 points if played the whole game is a bit farfetched. You earn playing time, and Hunter never seemed to earn them. No offense, good shot blocker, questionable defense/basketball skills. Good pickup as a starter this year, and backup in the future IMO.

It possibly could be a blessing. I really like JJ as a player and I know he would thrive here in Atl, but he's a SG plain and simple no way around it. Yes he could play a combo guard type but he's not a 40mpg PG for a championship type team. I don't think he's able to drive and dish and read defenses to set up his team mate or to set the tempo, or to guard the quicker points. He would be an incredible player here in Atlanta maybe even for 70 mill, but he would be a starting 2,3, or 4 down the line if we were serious about being a contender. That would take a spot from Childress, Marvin or Smoove around that time and we can't have that happen. Marvin as #2 pick can not come off the bench for this team in a few years or we failed with that pick. You would think all those years of playing JT at the point even though he was a SG would have talk some hawk fans a few things. JT was always one of the fastest players on the court so thats something he had on JJ anyways. I know some especially KB will say its completely different and that JJ is a point and has the natural PG skills, but I just dont see it. Face it, if he is to be our PG then signing him to a max contract is a huge risk. I just dont see him starting and playing 40 mpg at PG for a championship team, I bet he'd be good for stretches in the game for a big lineup, but that would keep one of our young guys (Marvin, Smoove, or Childress) from starting.

Yeah it's different in basketball. I think to build a championship team you have to have a solid above average PG and a good-above average big man rather that be a PF or C. Right now we have neither, but hopefully Josh Smith might be to evolve into that above average big man as a PF. But we have got to get a PG and C in here worth something. We won't make the playoffs untill we do.

We need to get a Center this offseason if possible, even if its just Zaza or via a trade. Next offseason there are no centers available really, and as of right now there are no centers in college that will be able to come out for the draft. So it's either this offseason, or Gred Oden in 07 if we get lucky with the lottery.

Akyol does look like a real steal. The type of steal only SA gets that late in the draft. Hopefully we see him and David Anderson both come over around the same time we start turning this thing around. 3 PGs I'm going to keep my eyes on next year are Daniel Gibson, Rando, and Washington out of Memphis. I really think Gibson could be special but we'll see who seperates themselves next year. Also the 2 guys out of UCLA could probably be pretty good-decent. A lot of prospects to keep an eye on this upcoming year.

I'm a big fan of BPA, but if you have a huge hole at one spot then usually you address that given that the talent is even. Since we are rebuilding then it's alright to take BPA so many times, but you can't do it endlessly. At some point you either have to trade some of that talent away, or begin filling holes via the draft. I think Marvin was a good pick because he has the most potential, and fits what we are looking for. He needs to be better long term than Paul/Deron though, because either of them would have sped up the rebuilding project by giving us a legit PG, but would not have reduced the talent level on our team. There have been many instances where teams go BPA and pick right, the problem with the NBA usually is that teams go BPA and it means Best Potential Available, and we all know potential usually doesnt pan out especially when it concerns a big man. I think Marvin is different though, I think that he will become a very good player, and for our benefit lets hope so. I still have my reservations on this pick, because I know how important and just how hard it is to get a legit talented PG and I'm not sure how much difference talent wise there is between Marvin and Paul. Now obviously if Marvin delivers on his potential then he will be the most talented of the two, but potential is a question mark. I'm glad we were daring enough to take the chance because it will really pay off if it pans out. We need to target that PG in next years draft though, we simply can not pick Rudy Gay even if he is BPA. I think we've reached the quota on BPA at sg/sf especially if we sign JJ.

I'm not really anti-BK. I'm just questionable right now if his plan will really help us build a team thats all. It seems odd that for 2 1/2 years he's been our GM and never touched our needs at PG, and did more to hurt our Center spot than to ever help it. Marvin Williams was the right choice at #2 because he had to be that choice. But, I dont think it was a Sam Bowie situation like some try to make it sound like. I dont think Chris Paul was a Sam Bowie, instead I think he was a talent PG that would fit this team very well and help push the rebuilding project along. Instead we got Marvin Williams who is full of potential. Now, I like Marvin Williams a lot and I've been a fan of his since he came out of high school and was hoping we'd get him one day, I'm just uneasy taking him over some very good PGs because I know how hard it is to get a good PG and how vital it is to rebuilding. We haven't really had a great PG since Mookie left in the trade for JT. If we're able to get our future PG in next years draft then I'm all for that, and then I'll think the Marvin pick was a great one, because I really do like his potential and what he has to offer. I still have my questions as to if JJ can be a starting PG on a championship team one day, but those will answer themselves. I still hope we get a PG next year because there will be some good ones, but I hope BK looks at PG skills when considering which to take over so long athletic types like Ronnie Brewer. Brewer's a good player no doubt, but a player like Rando or Gibson would be able to run the point for this team so much better because they have PG skills and PG speed. A legit PG will be a vital part to this team, a part that will be able to pull everything BK has now into an actual team. When that happens and the Hawks begin to fly again then it will be a very exciting day. But you have to have a team, not just a collection of talent. A talented PG with PG skills could really do wonders for the Hawks. But I want a legit PG, not a tweener like JT used to be. I probably will never like the Nazr/Pryz moves, but I can at least understand all of the rest. BK has a plan, I just hope that he can really put a team together, and I've been willing to give him some time to prove himself. But after next offseason we're really going to have to give him a hard look, and that's only natural, its not impatient. After 3 1/2 years we should be able to see which direction this team is going and we should have 4 long term starters with a solid bench growing behind them. We'll have this if he only addresses either PG or C by next offseason, so it's really not too much to ask. I'm really not anti-BK, I'm just have my reservations untill he is able to get us that sorely needed PG.

Um..Portland is getting a 1st from the Nets for Shareef in a sign and trade...so there goes that argument. We trade Lorenzo Wright, Brevin Knight and the 3rd overall pick for Shareef (Babcocks doing) and then BK traded him and Theo for the 17th and then Portland traded only Shareef for a 1st. And its not that I'm impatient and neither are other Hawks fan that are questioning BK. It is that we don't think his plan is the right one for our team, that he is unable to sign or convince Free Agents to come here, and that he doesnt get enough value in past trades. Albeit the Sjax for Al trade was a great one. He has time to prove me wrong and I hope he does. But if we still don't have anyone over 6'9'' to fill the 5 spot or an actual PG (not sure if JJ can be that) on the roster for the long term by the end of next offseason then I hope we see someone else. I'm not asking to win the championship tomorrow, I just want to see some growth and more importantly direction.

The Bulls got Deng, Duhon, and Gordon all last year and all 3 contributed to a winning NBA team. It could be argued that the Bobcats are putting together a better TEAM than the Hawks are. 2 1/2 years have gone by and we still havent got the PG or Center of the future and those are the two most important parts to a championship team. I'm not impressed that he moved big contracts because we've done nothing with the cap space that we gained. They would have come off the books THIS year meaning we'd still have the cap space to go out and sign JJ and whomever else. I wouldn't consider the Nazr or the Pryz moves as excellent..He has drafted well, but he could have done better for the team. Duhon, Iguodala, and Paul/Deron may be better in the long run for this team, we just dont know yet. Draft wise BK has done a pretty good job, but that alone doesnt make a good GM. As Babcock taught us during his stint here..a one sided GM is not a good one.

Well your wrong about one thing KB. Shareef and Theo were coming off the books this offseason anyways so we could have still gotten JJ. I stand by saying that I think we could have gotten more than a mid first round pick for Theo and Shareef both. I'm glad the pick turned into Smoove, and I even said that I liked that pick, but it doesnt change the fact that BK could have gotten more out of Shareef and Theo than a #17 pick. BK has shown to be a GM that is rather poor at trades outside of the Sjax for Al trade.