Duff_Man

Hawks playing right now...down 38-20 after 1st quarter.

Wow, you people act like we put $50 million up to bring back Priest Lauderdale. This guy is a 7-footer with 6 fouls to use and some inside bang ability. Relax. Shaq wasn't available.

Great read, Jaywalker. I usually am more of a lurker around here, but today is giving me grey hairs. Keep up the good posts and info, guys!

All this, and 45 minutes up the road in Flowery Branch, Arthur Blank is doing an outstanding job of ownership. It is just so frustrating.

Quote: Question #1. Would Belkin rather own 1/3 of Hawks/Thrashers/Phillips or 100% of the Hawks? The Answer is clearly 100% of an NBA team. He's clearly trashing the value of this team in Atlanta. My guess, he wants to split with the other owners and walk away with the entire team and leave them the areana and Phillips. He's killing hoops in Atlanta, but he doesn't care, because with his plan, the team ends up in Vegas. The problem is the other owner's shares of Phillips are worth much without an NBA tenant for the arena. Las Vegas Hawks, eh? Now maybe we should hear the guy out. I would buy season tickets for the Las Vegas Hawks! Think of the free agents we'd get then! Oh all right...I couldn't stand them not being in the ATL.

Quote: You're the one that doesn't want to accept the other possibilities. Who's being arrogant? I'm one of the few, in all of this, that has tried to avoid assuming anything that we didn't know for a fact. A plot by 8 against 1 is only ONE possiblity. It's not one that I've said is more or less likley than any of the others. It's just another of the many possibilities. I agree, but this is still a bigger black eye than the Nique and JR Rider trades combined. I am very discouraged right now as a fan. I hope it all works out and we land our man and continue to improve, but as the hours and days go by, faith is being lost.

Quote: Yep Duff.. this is the future. Face it.. We are not better than last season. I don't see Marvelous Marvin doing more for us than Antoine Walker did... I don't see Marvelous Marvin putting up 20/9. I don't expect Salim to do more for us than Delk did last year. I expect Chillz and smoove to be better, but both will have to give up some of their playing time for Marvelous Marvin. FAcy doesn't look like it will yield us anything. So what are we left with?? Hope for next years draft. And in next years draft, I expect Rudy gay to be one of the top players in college if not the best overall. So how can we pass him up. He will be in the right position, we will be in the right position... What's left to talk about? Sadly, with the trade of Voskhul from Phoenix, the team we see now is more than likely the team that is going to be on the floor come November. PHO traded Jake to free up some room to match Johnson's offer. If we end up Curry or Chandler-less, we might as well play Loyola Marymount/Paul Westhead style.

Let me get this straight...you're arguing over the 2006 draft already??

Caron Butler is well on his way to being the next Chris Gatling. Traded around the league every two years or so.

Quote: Quote: Do you guys see all the games? Chill improved as the year went on. Made a LOT of rebounds and his shot got way better (although it IS very ugly). His D is very good, and he makes some very nice passes. His head is always in the game and he doesn't really hurt the team at all. FWIW, the Pac-10 isn't a weak conference. Also, yes, I watched almost all of the games and I don't agree with some of your comments. Childress does have a knack for scoring near the basket, rebounds well for his position, plays smart, and hustles on D. But, his D is overrated, his shot hardly improved (he avoided the open three like the plague at times), and he's not the quickest of players. Besides, JW didn't question those things; he simply questioned whether Childress is the team's long-term solution at the 2 guard. I think we can all agree that he has some work left to do to secure that spot for years to come. I thought his D was very commendable considering nobody else on the team except for Smoove plays any at all. Plus, I thought his shot looked way better toward the end of the year and that he gained some confidence in it. Plus he's the only reliable free throw shooter on the team outside of Delk (who I think is gone this year).

Quote: Reject... I know why. People here believe that trading Al will lead to a starting spot for Marvin alongside Smoove/Chillz. However, the truth of the matter is that it makes no sense to trade our best player. Not at this point. Marvin hasn't played one pro minute. I say we don't throw away our best player just to open a spot for MWill. If MWill is as good as the nuthuggers say, then he will beat out Al for the spot and Al would be just as good as a 6th man. However, until that time, I don't see a need to throw Al away like has been proposed... Especially seeing that we have so much money. The fact that Al Harrington is out best player is a major problem. Some games I would rather they dust off Snoop Graham and throw him out there.

Joe Johnson would be a coup. He would be the first defensive lock-down SG we have had since Augmon. And even a Curry at 50% is better than Collier or Drobs at C.

I would give up Al for 2 Donuts and a coffee right now. The guy is forcing too much. At least the other young guys we have are not selfish.

Thanks god for DirecTV... Do you guys see all the games? Chill improved as the year went on. Made a LOT of rebounds and his shot got way better (although it IS very ugly). His D is very good, and he makes some very nice passes. His head is always in the game and he doesn't really hurt the team at all. I LOVE Chill. I think there is only upside here. For a guy who played for a 'weak conference' in college and was looked so softly on, his production was great. He will only get better as I feel he is a true student of the game. You could see it in him...he is so fluid and easy on the court. He attacked the basket and has great footwork and better than average ball-handling. In 3 years, he will be the 18.6 ppg SF on the team. I do believe that...especially if we put better players around him.

You really think ATL would give up Chill already? No way. The Suns won't be able to match the Hawks' offer with the front-loaded money. That's my take anyway. Looks like they are hot on big Z as well. Let's hope we get at least ONE of them...my gut says we get neither and we do not get Curry either. Hope I am wrong.

Salim Stoudamire Guard | #20 | Senior | Roster. Height: 6-1 Weight: 179 lbs Chris Paul Birthdate: 5/6/85 NBA Position: Point Guard College: Wake Forest Class: Sophomore Ht: 5-11 Wt: 175 Who's too small for the NBA???

Didn't see this posted... Andersen Article Link Andersen's hoop dreams May 12, 2005 Page Tools Email to a friend Printer format Andersen shows his style for CSKA Moscow against Panathinaikos this week. Photo: Misha Japaridze A Frankston boy is making waves in Europe, and the NBA is taking notice. Stephen Howell reports. Would you believe there is an Australian basketballer doing so well - and earning so much money - in Europe that he will go to the National Basketball Association only on his terms? And for Frankston-raised David Andersen those terms will involve considerably more than the NBA minimum of $US380,000 (about $A500,000) and, just as important, the prospect that he will play, not just sit on the bench as a reserve for most of the 48 minutes of each of the 80-odd games in a season. When you are a seasoned 24-year-old and 212 centimetres tall, and when you have just been named runner-up in the Euroleague's most-valuable-player award and chosen as a member of its All-Star Five, you have that bargaining power. Especially when your best years are still to come, and when your own club, regarded as one of Europe's best and richest, is offering to raise your already substantial playing role and salary from its estimated $US1.2 million (more than $A1.5 million) this year. Andersen received his individual awards at the weekend when his team, CSKA Moscow, had a huge letdown: in its home city and going into the biggest weekend in European basketball, the Euroleague final four, with a 50-1 record since September, it lost the two games that counted most - a semi-final to Tau Vitoria of Spain and the play-off for third to Panathinaikos of Greece - and Maccabi Tel Aviv was crowned Europe's champion for the second year on end. For the third year on end, Moscow missed gold. "As we say in Australia, 'Mate, s---- happens'," Andersen said by phone from Moscow yesterday. All was not lost, however, because CSKA is an unbackable favourite to retain its Russian Superleague title, already leading its best-of-five quarter-final 2-0. After next month's championship decider forward-centre Andersen has to decide whether to stay or chase the NBA dream that was given some credibility when Atlanta Hawks drafted him in the second round a couple of years back when he was starring in Italy. The Hawks still have his rights and would hope to get him at a rock-bottom price. No way, according to Andersen and Moscow, which paid a reported $US700,000 last year to compensate his Italian club, Siena, after Andersen impressed at last season's final four and the Russians were looking to build a team to win at home this year. Andersen, whose parents came to Victoria from Denmark, plays as a European, although he regards Frankston as home and he represented Australia at the Olympics last year. He said his game had risen to a new level in Moscow. That is saying something, because he had a Euroleague championship and Italian titles spread between Bologna and Siena in five seasons. "The NBA was at the final four and I'm speaking with a heap of scouts and my agents here," he said. "CSKA are very happy with me and want to sign me back for more money as a cornerstone player." Andersen is in the first year of a two-year deal, but Moscow appears only too happy to sweeten it. Andersen said that, through his agents, he was talking with the Hawks about a worthwhile deal.

1st quarter - we got killed. 2nd quarter - we got killed more. 3rd quarter - we got killed. 4th quarter - we packed our bags at about the 8:00 mark. This game was never close.

I have to disagree with you. While I can see where you are coming from, I don't think a player's "popularity" makes them a superstar. I think the ability to take a team to new heights is what makes you a superstar. Kareem, Magic, Bird, Erving, Isaiah, Jordan, Shaq, Duncan, Hakeem, Drexler. Those are superstars. Making the playoffs doesn't make one a superstar, or Danny Manning would be the greatest player of all time for taking the Clips to the playoffs. McGrady and Carter are good players with gaudy numbers, however, I think both are Pippens who need a Jordan.

Tyronn is a quandary. Nights like Saturday, he looks like Steve Nash on the court, slashing, dishing, hitting big shots. Other nights, he might as well be Steve Henson out there. Overall, I would say he and Ivey have shown improvement all year. If Lue wasn't so short, he could get it done on both ends. I think both of them should watch tapes of Mookie Blaylock to see how defense is played from the point position. But I would say that Lue has blossomed in his role this year, and I am happy with his performance given what we have to work with.

Quote: Why do people keep saying that the Josh's can become shooters during the offseason? This is my new pet peeve. Nothing against the guy who posted this, but to just say that, "he can take care of that in the offseason..." oversimplifies things. I hope the young players on our team improve their jump shot in the offseason, but if it was so easy to just simply work on it and become great how come so few can do it? Everyone can improve, but what kind of improvement in a jump shot can you expect in one offseason? Can anyone provide an example of players who didn't have a great jump shot one season and the next season they had one? A lot of players of worked on their shot and developed it over the course of their career, but one offseason no way. My new pet peeve are people who think Carter and McGrady are 'superstars'. They cannot lead, and they both have QUIT on teams to facilitate trades. Those two will never be on the Shaq, Wade, Duncan, LeBron level.

Quote: This would be scenerio is what I can see BK doing.. Trade... Harrington/1st (Boston) for Christie/1st. 1st round - M. Williams. 1st round - Frye. Hate it or love it.. Williams is a BK guy. Long, defensive, Athletic, Versatile. 2nd round - David Lee 2nd Round - D. Taylor Free agency - Swift. Jaric. Gadzurich. Next year we start the season with: Jaric/Chillz/Williams/Swift/Gadzurich. Harington for Doug Christie?? Bart no like...bad medicine.

Yeah, total hose job. Maybe Pete Babcock will find a way to get Danny Manning in.

Quote: How many trade proposals or trade suggestions can you possibly make regarding Al? You ALWAYS have to have someone on the team that MUST be traded and you constantly propose trades including that individual that make absolutely NO sense. First it was "Lazy Lo." Then Theo. Then JT. Now its Al. Maybe BK should try to keep a solid player like Al and find a franchise player that Al can support rather than trading Al for another role player. It would be different if trading Al would bring us a superstar but that is not likely to be the case. Wow. Those guys all were traded. Can you wish a trade on Collier?? Please??

The fact of the matter is that I don't care what position he plays. Why typecast a guy? Put him in the best position to make plays. I think Smoove is doing a pretty good job of getting his own looks. I love his aggressive rebounding and defense (blocks), and the way he seems to find the open spots on offense. He does need to work on shooting and dribbling, but he has shown signs of work in those areas, and that is definitely a good thing. Bad part: he and Chill will continue to develop and both will need to be signed around the same time. Overall, I know this has been a bad year record-wise, but watching these young guys go all out every night has been way better than winning 30 games with Shareef jacking 20-footers all night and pouting over no-calls. If we play our cards right in the offseason (draft and FAs), we'll be way better off next year...keep the team intact and we should be in the playoffs in two years.