troubleman

Quote: Not real sure why people here love him so much. But today showed why he is never in the playoffs. He cant lead and is lazy. I was happy when we got him...then more happy to see him go. Yeah it was all Shareef's fault. The rest of the Kings had nothing to do with this loss, it was simply Shareef's inability to "lead". One game in a best of seven playoff series really shows a player's laziness. I mean why don't Kenyon Martin and Carmelo Anthony just go home? The Wizards should simply just give up.

How are you going to wipe out records for something that was not against the rules at the time? I have no doubt in my mind that Bonds, McGwire, Sosa, and many others took steriods, but MLB cannot open up a can of worms now. Where does it end? Do they get the players of the 50's, 60's, and 70's who regularly took "speed"? Do they go back and eliminate the records of those players who played before Jackie Robinson broke the color barrier? How about all the players who were snorting coke in the 70's and 80's that were not caught? Baseball just needs to admit that they made a mistake, and steriods will not be a problem in the future. And hire a real commissioner.

I do not believe Rasheed is a superstar, but I would rate him as an All-Star. He is a very good, but not great player. I agree with the poster who stated that there are only a few Superstars in the league. I believe the terms superstars and great are thrown around too much in today's NBA.

Yeah, I know why he was drafted. That still doesn't take away from the fact that he was a liability here, because he refused to shoot when open.

Quote: Watching Diaw play against Cleveland you have to say that indeed he was a better pick than Josh Howard. I disagree, especially when it comes to what the Hawks needed at the time. Boris Diaw was never a good fit for the Atlanta Hawks. His main problem was his unwillingness to shoot the damn ball, regardless of how wide open he was. He was given plenty of opportunities at different positions, and it always came down to his unwillingness to shoot. I would find myself screaming at the damn tv because Boris Diaw would not shoot the ball. SHOOT THE DAMN BALL BORIS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! FOR GOD'S SAKE SHOOT THE DAMN BALLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Quote: What's wrong with the comparison? I am comparing the most talented player that was in college basketball who shared time with another player to a football player that shared time with Lendale White. Plus, if Chris Paul is a borderline All Star right now, it really shows you how sad the point guard position is in the NBA. Actually it was a bad comparison. How many all-american teams did Marvin make last season? How many player of the year trophies did he win? He was not the most talented player in the country last year. He might have the biggest upside, but that doesn't make him the most talented. All that does is make him the guy with the most potential. I'm rooting for the kid, so I hope you are right about Marvin. I still wish we would have taken Paul, but that's water under the bridge now.

Quote: When were the Falcons almost in the Super Bowl?? The year they got whipped by Philly in the 2nd round? I guess last year's NFC Championship appearance would count as "almost in the Super Bowl". Again, you are confusing great passing numbers, with being a great qb. Sorry, great passing numbers don't mean jack. I don't think anybody believes that M. Vick is a great passer or a finished product, but the bottom line is the Falcons have a high winning percentage when he is on the field, and a low winning percentage when he is off the field. It's funny how he came back from injury and finished the season 3-1, with that same soft team which had gone 2-10 in his absence.

Actually in two years as the starting qb, Vick has the win at Green Bay and an appearance in the NFC Championship Game. He has gone further in the playoffs than the likes of Hasselback, Bulger,Trent Green and Culpepper. Each of them are better "passers", but I would not call them better quarterbacks. Vick like McNabb (before TO), and to an extent Mcnair, has made a team that is 3-13 over the last three years without him, into a legitimate playoff contender. As far as the schedule is concerned, NFL Teams can only play the teams placed in front of them. Vick has work to do as a quarterback, but lets not minimize the value he has to his team.

Quote: When you have the opportunity to take the player that is not only the best player in the draft but whose potential is far more than any two players combined in the draft, you take that player. That player was Marvin Williams. There is quite a large gap between him and the next best player in the draft. You simply don't pass on a talent like Marvin. I'm still trying to figure out why Marvin's potential is "far more" than any other player in the draft. Heck you even said more than any "two players". I just don't get it.

Quote: 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. Thanks. I couldn't remember the exact reason why I didn't like this guy, but your post reminded me. lol

Quote: 2. you can be impatient and pessimistic and assume that because the deal did not happen according to YOUR predetermined schedule, that it is a precursor to doom and that our management are idiots and they've embarassed the franchise. I'll take number 2, Alex. The Hawks interest in Joe Johnson didn't just happen Monday. Hawks Mgmt/Ownership has had plenty of time to discuss the different scenerios they might face in the acquisition of Johnson. This is unacceptable, and I do believe our Ownership (well one of them) is a bunch of bumbling idiots.

Yeah, the league has probably stepped in because this is not the first incident involving this ownership group. It is obvious that there are internal problems, and the league probably feels that it needs to step in to help resolve the issue. The NBA is probably trying to avoid a "media war" within the ownership. I have mixed feelings on the JJ deal anyway, but to have one owner (who I wasn't happy with anyway) hold up the deal is inexcusable.

Quote: He's a loser, a career loser who had an opportunity to play with one of the best players in the league and said "me first". Not exactly. Marbury has been placed in some bad situations throughout his career. Yes, he made a selfish choice when he was 21 years old, but to call him a career loser is harsh.

Quote: Why was the first thing Phoenix said about their offseason being moving Amare and Shawn back to their natural positions and getting a more traditional (at least size wise) center? Because they know that they cant win with a PF playing C. Not unless you have a 7' PF like Rasheed playing beside you. Again it's not Amare that's the problem. The problem is Marion playing the 4. Marion is 6'7", and the Suns have him matching up with guys 6'10" to 7'0". The Suns simply want to get bigger, and that means Marion cannot play the 4.

Quote: It's a reach when you consider the fact that Deron lacks the explosiveness to be a great player in the NBA and Chris Paul lacks the size to be a great player in the NBA. Both will be solid at best, nothing more. Marvin is the lone player in this draft that has no weaknesses and does almost everything great. He's the one who will be the star in this draft. 6'9"...athletic....great shooter...great rebounder....great defender....great ball handler...great passer....he has it all. What do you mean he has no weaknesses? If he had no weaknesses, he would have been the consensus #1. The guy is all potential right now, so I'm not sure where all these "great" accolades are coming from. When I look at Marvin, i see Shareef and Jamison. God, I hope I'm wrong.

Well if I want to be technical about it, I can say the Spurs. Nazr is the center and he doesn't average 10 boards per game. The Bulls also won without a center averaging 10 boards.

Hard to predict who will be the better player, because we don't know how much work these guys are willing to put in. Smith is a lefty, which is one big advantage. He is also athletic, and has good form on his shot. Childress is strong in many areas, but I believe it is going to be very difficult for him to shoot with that awkward release, in the NBA. I think both are going to be good players for a long time, but my money is on Smith.

Quote: No it doesn't. The quality of this draft depends upon on player, and that is Marvin Williams. When he becomes the star he is capable of becoming, no one is going to question this pick. YOU NEVER DRAFT FOR NEED!!! That's what got Portland Sam Bowie instead of Michael Jordan. That's what got Toronto Rafael Araujo instead of Andre Iguodala last year. You always draft the best player available. I suppose Pete Babock's draft in 1999 gets an A since he drafted Cal Bowdler because he needed a power forward/center player, even though he passed up a much better player in James Posey to get him. Drafting for need and going with the "safe" picks is why Pete Babcock had a horrible drafting record in Atlanta, and it is why his brother Rob is going down the same avenue. I thank God that Billy Knight doesn't follow the stupid philosophy of passing on the best player simply because you have a need at another position. I hate when people use this argument to justify picking Marvin Williams. Your comments read like drafting Deron Williams and Chris Paul would have been a reach, when that is far from the truth. Cal Bowdler should never have been drafted in the 1st round, and it was stupid for the Raptors to draft Rafael Araujo in the lottery. It is not a reach to draft a position of need when the players in question are listed among the top 4 players available in the draft. I also find it funny that you say that Marvin Williams will be the "star" of the draft when I have heard the same thing about other players in this years draft. I've heard that Gerald Green might be the best player in the draft when it's all said and done. I've heard that Chris Paul maybe the best player in the draft. I've even heard that the Bynum kid might be the best player in the draft. I wanted a point guard or bogut, but Williams is a Hawk now, and I will embrace him just like I embraced the Josh Childress pick last year.

Woodson is getting a pass right now, because he is in the middle of a rebuilding process where there are few expectations. Kruger had JT, Shareef, Theo, and for a few months Big Dog. That team was expected to make a run for the playoffs, and they fell short. Not sure why Stotts received such a bad rap here, because I'm sure many of us saw the flaws in the Hawks as a team. Stotts had the Hawks playing well at the end of 2003-2004, but we all knew that none of that really mattered. The team was still flawed, and wouldn't have made a playoff run if they were kept together. Woody will be given 3 full years before he starts feeling the heat. Ownership, mgmt, and the fans want to see improvement each year, which is something this city hasn't seen out of the hawks since the mid 90's.

Wright is a decent center, but physically he is more a 4 than a 5. He has had injury problems throughout his career, as a matter fact he has only played more than 75 games 3 times. I believe he is making too much money for his production, so I would pass on him.

I was impressed by the ball handling. He is not as athletic as people seem to think, but he does seem to finish pretty well. He is not even close to josh smith or jr smith athletically. I would not be upset if we took him #2, but if we can't get Bogut, i would prefer a pg.

Quote: I think good PGs are harder to find that Centers. Or better yet, the drought for a big time C is so huge that finding one is irrelevant. Name the teams that have true Cs (Good; Starters) in the league? Let me try this: Miami = Shaq. Utah = Okur Cleveland = Big Z. Chicago = Eddy Curry Houston = Ming Golden State = Foyle Dallas = Damp Lakers = Vlade Kings = Miller Portland = Pryz From this... Only 5 of those teams made the playoffs and only 2 of those teams are still playing. A team like Chicago wouldn't have gone anywhere with their combo PG. Same with the Kings and Bibby. Hell if you are including the likes of Foyle and Pryzbilla, then where is Brendan Haywood, Chris Kaman, Dalembert, Lorenzen Wright?

Call me crazy, but I'm not a huge fan of Billups and Rip. I believe their defense is overrated. Heck, they have 3 shotblockers behind them which means they can pressure the heck out of the ball. I like the duo of Hughes/Arenas, with Vince/Kidd next.

I would prefer Bogut but if the Hawks draft Paul, Dalembert is the big man I want. My concern with that lineup is the lack of three point shooting. Phoenix has 4 guys in their starting lineup that can drain the three. In that Hawks lineup I don't see one.

The trade doesn't make much sense for the Hawks in my opinion.