herschel4heisman

Being that Bibby is a 31 year old free agent who's gonna command a lot of money, if you were the GM of the Hawks, how would you strategically approach the draft? Would you prefer to sign a young point guard with experience (Felton, Jarret Jack, Ramon Sessions) then use the draft to go after a big man? Or would you target a point guard at 19? If the Hawks were to draft a point guard, do you think any of the point guards who would be available at 19 is good enough to start from day one and lead this team back to the playoffs?

The Hawks should go after Ramon Sessions. He’s the biggest sleeper in the NBA. He’s better than Bibby, Jack, Felton or any other reasonable option available this summer plus he’s an unrestricted free agent so we won't have to worry about teams matching and should cost less than those guys. When given an opportunity to play last year he was very good and when he finally took over as the starting point guard in January, he played like one of the top 5 point guards in the east. Against the Pistons in early February, he had a 44 pt 12 assist game on 13-18 shooting then had a 15 pt 17 assist game 2 games later. He’d look great in a Hawks uniform Check out his game to game stats: http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/players/4333/g...4OSzfylFzK3PaB4

Quote: Quote: Marvin had a good game and without his performance tonight, we indeed don't win the game. Having said that, he's still isn't playing like a #2 pick. He's mostly a spot up mid range jump shooter who occasionally goes to the hole. When his jump shot isn't falling, he can't contribute to the team offensively since he can't create his own shot, has no post moves and isn't a good rebounder. His shot was falling tonight and I'm happy for that. As I've told people over since Marvin's rookie year, at his peak, he's a slightly better version of Al Harrington. That being the case, he's not playing like a #2 pick. Let's just hope his made range jumper continues to fall in Boston This is such stupid logic. So because Marvin Williams isn't playing like a #2 pick (what does that even mean considering all the players who weren't all world taken there) it means we have to bash the guy? Does Josh Childress play like a top 5 or whatever pick? NO but he plays a pivotal role. This individual BS is ridiculous. Chris Paul vs Marvin WIlliams. No it's the Atlanta Hawks vs whoever. If Acie Law, Joe Johnson, Marvin Williams, Josh Smith, Al Horford is the best young core in the entire Eastern Conference and 2nd to Portland in the entire NBA, I don't give a flying ***** what type of apples to oranges/hindsight comparisons you want to make. If that core has enough potential to hoist up the trophy one of these seasons, then that's all that matters. My point is when you draft someone with the #2 pick in the draft, relative to the other players in that draft, you're deemed to be the 2nd best talent in that draft and an impact franchise player. Marvin Williams is a 3rd year player who is, for the most part, a spot up mid range jump shooter and when his jump shot isn't falling, since he's not a very good rebounder or person who can create his own shot off of the dribble, there's little he contributes offensively. As you say, similar to Childress, he plays a pivotal role for the Hawks but you don't draft a player with the #2 pick in the draft if you're seeking a role player. Josh Childress has indeed become a very strong role player and he's not having the impact one would expect a top 6 pick to have but he doesn't get the vitriol that Marvin gets because he wasn't drafted in front of a couple of guys who are perennial all stars at a position of severe need. If Marvin had been the #2 pick in the Bargnani draft, I highly doubt he'd receive the venom he currently does.

I remember when the Hawks made this trade, they were lambasted by the media for offering Joe max $$$ and giving up those draft picks. Then after Diaw had a predictably good contract year, that was further fuel to the fire. Fast forward a couple of years and the Joe Johnson trade doesn't look bad after all. Diaw is the same lazy, inconsistent player he was in Atlanta. As a Hawk fan who watched him play in Atlanta, during his "breakout" season with the Suns, I told everyone who would listen that Diaw will return to same Diaw us Hawks fans had come to expect the second he signs his new contract. As Dennis Green would say, "He is who we thought he was!" As for the draft picks, the Suns ended up with 2 mid first round draft picks, one of which they traded to the Celtics and the other is the 15th or 16th pick most expect no impact player to be available. So , to tally it up, the Hawks have an 26 year old all star, clutch player in Joe johnson and the Suns ended up with an albatross contract (Boris Diaw), cash from the Rondo trade and the 16th pick in this year's draft. I think the Hawks ended up with the better deal. That's why, in light of the Suns' 1st rd exit and the JJ's performance in the 1st rd, I've been reading some revisionist history about this trade from the very same media ppl who killed the Hawks for making this trade. I've read a couple of place that the Suns gave up JJ for "peanuts" and what were the Suns thinking in making the trade. I'm just happy that the Hawks have JJ.

Marvin had a good game and without his performance tonight, we indeed don't win the game. Having said that, he's still isn't playing like a #2 pick. He's mostly a spot up mid range jump shooter who occasionally goes to the hole. When his jump shot isn't falling, he can't contribute to the team offensively since he can't create his own shot, has no post moves and isn't a good rebounder. His shot was falling tonight and I'm happy for that. As I've told people over since Marvin's rookie year, at his peak, he's a slightly better version of Al Harrington. That being the case, he's not playing like a #2 pick. Let's just hope his made range jumper continues to fall in Boston

Apparently this alleged trade only existed on the internet. PHX GM Steve Kerr claims to have never spoken to Billy Knight. Plus, Sekou Smith just posted this on the Hawks blog: "Folks, no deal was vetoed by Belkin or anyone else. And just because the talking heads say it or it’s on insider doesn’t make it so. This stuff you’ve been hearing about is all just conversation, sometimes between members of the same organization. Most of it is just chatter." And here's the article from the Arizona newspaper: Now that every possible trade scenario has been exhausted in quick-trigger rumor reporting, the truth comes out today. Suns center Amaré Stoudemire still is not going anywhere. It still is a long shot for Timberwolves forward Kevin Garnett to wind up in Phoenix. And if the Suns' hopes to trade into the top 10 of today's NBA draft don't improve, the most action fans might see today is the Suns picking at Nos. 24 and/or 29 and trying to move Kurt Thomas' expiring contract. Even getting some luxury-tax relief by moving Thomas' deal, worth $8.1 million next season, is no sure thing. But the hubbub sure got the NBA nation worked into a lather, particularly with ESPN's reports that three-team Garnett deals were in the works with Minnesota, Atlanta and Boston. There seemed to be a lot of wishful thinking regarding Stoudemire's availability, which remained as unlikely Wednesday as when initial Garnett rumors surfaced last week. Hawks star Joe Johnson even called Stoudemire, his former Suns teammate, to tell him he'd like to reunite after Hawks officials approached Johnson with a proposal that had Garnett coming to Phoenix, Stoudemire going to Atlanta and a pick, likely Atlanta's No. 3 overall selection, going to Minnesota. The problem is it was a conversation that only Minnesota and Atlanta shared, although a Hawks owner claimed to veto the idea. "We've never spoken with Atlanta about Amaré," Suns General Manager Steve Kerr said Wednesday night, when he also called Stoudemire to assure him all rumors were bogus. "We have no idea why anybody would speculate on that." It was just as implausible that Stoudemire would go to Minnesota in a two-team Garnett deal, because two league sources said the Timberwolves did not want Stoudemire. They were interested in picks or salary-cap space. It is clear that the Suns remained in Garnett talks, but the possibility of a deal always remained unlikely. Garnett is owed as much as $28.5 million next season if traded. Phoenix was more intent and hopeful that it could find its way into the draft's top 10. It spent the week preparing for such a chance. Phoenix went to Chinese power forward Yi Jianlian's workout in Los Angeles on Monday and worked out Florida small forward Corey Brewer, Florida power forward Joakim Noah, Georgetown small forward Jeff Green, Florida State small forward Al Thornton and North Carolina power forward Brandan Wright over the past two days at US Airways Center. As of late Wednesday, the prospects of Phoenix finding a trade partner in the top 10 appeared thwarted for a second consecutive year. Last year, the Suns had serious talks with Boston and Seattle, only to be turned down despite offering three first-round picks. And that draft was not nearly as stocked with impact players as this year's. "To be honest, nothing much is going on," Kerr said. "We've got a few things out there. I really doubt anything major is going to happen. There's a chance something might happen." He called any trades involving core players as "far-fetched." However, a deal that would send Thomas to a team below the salary cap was possible. Phoenix does not have to take back within 125 percent of his $8.1 million salary if it trades him to a team below the cap, such as Charlotte. The Bobcats also could provide Phoenix its best chance to get a top-10 pick. The Bobcats are selecting eighth, but insiders doubt they would pass on the players available for a package of Suns picks, whether it be one or both of their first-round picks today (at Nos. 24 and 29) and the 2008 Atlanta pick that the Hawks owe the Suns. At No. 24, the Suns could be interested in Italian shooting guard Marco Belinelli and Spanish point guard Rudy Fernandez or an unexpected drop from a player such as Southern California guard Gabe Pruitt. Wisconsin small forward Alando Tucker and Oregon point guard Aaron Brooks also are possibilities.

I can completely see him blowing this pick by taking Roy Hibbert at #3. That would not surprise me at all. I would like us to pick Horford with the first pick then the best available pg with our second pick.

I know this is just summer league and everything should be aware of that when coming to judgments. As a matter of fact I've been the one defending Shelden by saying Duncan didn't perform well at his 1st summer league and he was dominated by the likes of Greg Ostertag. However, at least he had glimpses. For me summer league is more not looking bad as opposed to looking good. B/c if you perform well in the summer league that doesn't mean you're gonna be good in the NBA b/c most of the guys you are playing against won't be on a team in the fall. Since the comp is weak in summer league, one shouldn't look consistently bad/horrible especially if you are a top 5 pick. I still think Shelden is gonna end up being a good pick for us but I am just saying that I his horrific recults have me concerned. Now here's the recap and analysis from draftexpress: Shelden Williams: played a little better tonight which is to say he should be able to make a developmental league squad. For the 5th pick in the draft Shelden has looked terrible. He still pulls some rebounds but seem to block shots more by luck than anything else. He isn't bigger and stronger than his competition anymore and it turns out he is slower than almost everyone else on top of that. http://draftexpress.com/viewarticle.php?a=1416

Quote: Marvin had just turned 19...he was drafted on upside. We knew last year was going to be a learning year. Shelden, if you BK lovers recall, was drafted as a ready to go player. We couldn't even bring some guys in for workouts because we needed a player who was ready now. We were supposed to be drafting our starting PF. Remember? It wasn't that long ago...Shelden is playing against fringe NBA players at best right now, the kind of players he should be having a lot of success against. Shelden doesn't look athletic because he isn't...and he damn sure doesn't look ready. I hated the pick but was hoping for the best. It looks even worse than I thought and I wasn't expecting more than 8 and 6 this year. Shavlik Randolph looks a lot better right now. We had better make the SNT the deal of the century to make up for our lack of a 1st round pick this year. I thought we traded NEXT years pick to PHX... Dude it's one game. You're probably the type who would have been calling a wrap to Duncan's career after he was thoroughly dominated in the summer league prior to his rookie year and he was 4 year player. I'm not trying to say Shelden is gonna be even in the same stratosphere as Duncan but you can't judge a rookie after his 1st 2 games in the summer league. I wasn't in favor of drafting Shelden but I'm gonna give him much more than a couple of games at a summer league a couple of weeks after the draft to judge him.

Quote: People who blindly follow others despite their obvious incompetance have IQ's below goldfish. Also, comparing Marvin's poor summer with Sheldens game last night is ridiculous. Marvin had just turned 19 and was drafted on UPSIDE. Shelden is 22 or 23 and was chosen because he was supposed to be ready. Look at all the guys that we passed...and then look at Shelden Williams. If last night was any indication this was a bad draft pick...a total waste. It's one game. Tim Duncan was toasted in his 1st summer league by the likes of Greg Ostertag.

I don't trust sumnmer leaue boxscores as a source for telling me who well someone played and I really don't trust them if the game was a blowout. Most of us didn't watch the game so we don't know how many of those points cam after the game got outta hand. Summer leagues are good for keeing the nba discussion fresh doint the summer but I don't use it to judge a player ever since Tim Duncan got abused by Ostertag. From cnnsi: Two Western Conference team executives separately raised the memory of Tim Duncan being abused by Greg Ostertag at a summer league during Duncan's rookie year. "I remember people saying, Maybe this Duncan kid can't play," T'wolves GM Jim Stack recalled. "But there is an adjustment process that all players have to go through, and it takes a little longer for some than others."

Quote: Quote: I like Speedy as a player but the problem i have is BK's overall philosophy doesn't seem to be consistent. Last year the reason he cited for not picking Chris Paul was he doesn't like small point guards and he prefers pgs who are at least 6 foot 2. Then he turns around and signs a pg who is actually smaller than Chris Paul. As a matter of fact he was on the radio last week and he said he wanted a pg who can shoot very well, push the ball and is at least 6 foot 2. There doesn't seem to be any consistency. Once again this is nothing aganst Speedy. Maybe that point guard that he described was not available! So what do you do? Not sign a point guard at all or go with the next best option? That's a fair point.

I like Speedy as a player but the problem i have is BK's overall philosophy doesn't seem to be consistent. Last year the reason he cited for not picking Chris Paul was he doesn't like small point guards and he prefers pgs who are at least 6 foot 2. Then he turns around and signs a pg who is actually smaller than Chris Paul. As a matter of fact he was on the radio last week and he said he wanted a pg who can shoot very well, push the ball and is at least 6 foot 2. There doesn't seem to be any consistency. Once again this is nothing aganst Speedy.

JOE MCDONNELL on 570 says that Mihm, Cook, and Mckie are gone to Atlanta in a sign and trade for Al Harrington. Take it for what it's worth. Don't shoot the messenger . . . I'm just relaying what was on the radio

Quote: I remember several drafts, that Babcock went into the draft with NO PLAN... I remember several drafts, that Babcock may have had targetted somebody and came out without the person. It's refereshing to see: 1. A plan. 2. A plan come together. If BK would have gone into the draft and said: Well, whatever player the draft yields, we will take.. I would have wanted him fired. First of all, what type of standard for BK do you have if you're comparing him to Babcock? I would hope he would be better than Babcock and I'm not comparing him to Babcock. I completely understand targeting a player and having that player as the preferred pick at a position, but I don't understand promising a player who is gonna be there anyway. What's worse is telegraphing the pick a full 3 weeks before the draft? Both of those completely eliminates any chance of flexibility in the instance that a talented player you had rated higher than the player you promised happens to drop to your pick.

I was wondering why we drafted Jones at 33 when Alexander Johnson who is just as good as an athlete and a more polished player was available. Now it makes sense b/c BK promised Jones. The horrible thing about this is the Hawks apparently telegraphed this pick WAY before the draft began jsut like they did the Shelden Williams pick. This is from draftexpress.com: "Had the Hawks gone into draft night and made their pick independently without telegraphing it to the entire world more than a month in advance their pick might have made more sense, but there is absolutely no logic in guaranteeing a player at #5 who is going to be on the board every single time even if the draft is redone a thousand times over. The Hawks had a chance to redeem themselves by executing a trade with the Rockets and landing Luther Head and Shelden Williams at #8 rather than reaching badly the way they did, but they were not willing to take the risk due to the fact that they were woefully unprepared (and undoubtedly scared of the wrath of Williams' super-agent Arn Tellem) for what might have happened in the unlikely scenario that Minnesota's bluff to take Williams would have been called. Not working out Williams and only beginning to conduct private workouts two weeks before the draft is a move bordering on negligence that cannot be made by a GM like Billy Knight that should be on the hot seat. The Hawks did not do their homework with regards to the #33 pick in this aspect either. Make no mistake, us moving Solomon Jones up fifteen spots to the #33 pick wasn't a coincidence either, that was yet another mobe telegraphed to us and in turn every other team in the NBA." And this is from the Tampa Tribune: "(USF Coach Robert) McCullum said Atlanta told him if Jones was available at No. 33, the Hawks would draft him. In all, about 10 NBA teams contacted McCullum and he was told Jones could be selected anywhere between No. 18 (Washington) to No. 50 (Charlotte). The New York Knicks, who had the No. 20 and 29 picks, called twice Wednesday, including 45 minutes before the draft began."

Nate Robinson is a 5 foot 9 shooting guard who can't shoot. All these guys calling for players who just do not fit the Hawks. BK was on the radio and he said he wants a pg at least 6-2 who can push the ball and shoot the ball well. Robinson only satisifes ibe if the qualifications b/c he's certainly not that tall and he definitely isn't a good shooter. Anyone calling for Robinson or Crawford could not have watched a Knicks game this year or even watch Robinson in college.

Jamal Crawford is bad for this team. He's a taller version of Salim except that he can't shoot as well. He's scorer that doesn't play defense and does nothing but jack up shots. I wonder if the people who want Crawford here have actually watched a Knicks game or have they just watched Crawford's highlights. The man's defense is BAD. Since the mantra of this offseason seems to be improving the defense and finding a pg, we'd be taking two steps back b/c Crawford is straight sg, there' no pg in him at all, and he doesn;t play defense. He's a one on one player. I implore the Crawford fans on this site to watch some Knicks games or ask knowledgeable Knicks fan to describe his game.

pg - ? sg - joe johnson sf - Josh Smith Pf - Shelden Williams C - Zaza Bench Marvin Williams Josh Childress Salim Stoudamire Lue Solomon Jones I hope we trade Childress or Harrington for a pg.

Assuming we do acquire Shelden with our 1st round pick, what would you guys like to see us do with the 2nd round pick? I've seen a couple of mocks that say we should pick up Mardy Collins out of Temple. I would live that pick b/c he's a pure pg with super size.

I don't know how specifically accurate this is but a guy on the Hawks realgm website who has had reliable info in the past just posted this. *No free agents this offseason. No matter who wins what court hearing, the Hawks people in place now are expecting a very, very long trial and appeals process. What this means to us is that there will be no free agents or outstanding salary added because of the legal ramifications of adding more salary and who would be responsible for paying it. Plus the value it would add or detract to the franchise. *We are looking at the draft accordingly: trade down to get a point guard and still get a big man (Shelden Williams). The feeling on Shelden is that he may never start for us but we need a big man who can board and play some defense on the interior. Shelden is the most ready to do this and BK feels we have enough "potential" on the team already and we need to start adding more "proven" young guys or rookies to the mix. *The Houston trade seems very plausible as it addresses the point above. Since we can't add free agents or trade for salary, trading down to get two rookie contracts (Luther Head and Shelden) will give us two young guys with very good college pedigrees. *Inside the team jaywalker heard firsthand that the situation is bleak. If Belkin gets control of the team almost all of the employees will be fired. Not just big names, going down through the organization to remove anyone "loyal" to the old owners. And it was repeated many times over that Belkin wants to run the team as cheaply as possible and will treat the team as the "Atlanta Clippers" by going with a minimum payroll that the Donald Sterling Clippers did for about twenty years. *If Belkin takes control, BK and Woodson are 100% fired. Joe Johnson would probably be moved because Belkin never privately approved of his max deal. *BK has turned down trades that would bring in salary because of the ownership fiasco. It is entirely possible Al Harrington walks for nothing because if we do a sign and trade we still have to bring back salary for him. As noted above, there are legal reasons why the team may not be able to add salary. *BK has turned down a lot of trade offers that all want the same three players: Josh Smith, Marvin and Childress. *They won't say it publically but the Atlanta Spirit are very happy BK has avoided overpaying for any talent so far. They really do believe in Joe Johnson and BK will not overpay for anyone just to "convince" them to come to Atlanta. *Depending on who is calling the shots, expect more pressure to be put on Woodson to run a much more wide open offense this season. The feeling is that with a point guard being brought in (See Hou/Atl trade) and having an inside defensive guy who can run (Shelden) we absolutely have to run an up tempo game to take advantage of our young talent. Woodson's job, even if BK is here, is going to depend on an improvement in the win column and specifically putting out a fan pleasing product to bring in more tickets. *We are still paying Jon Koncack on his monster contract. Just kidding. But really, what were we thinking giving that guy such a huge deal back in the day?

Boston needs a pg and they will draft Marcus Williams. If you read a lot of draft sites, then you'd see that Ainge desperately wants a true pg since he doesn't have one of a starting caliber on his team. Delonte West started at point last year and he's really a scoring pg. All reports make it seem as if the Celtics have really targeted Marcus Williams.

I don't understand Billy-goat Knight. Last year, he liked Deron Williams over Chris Paul so much that they wanted to trade down 1 or 2 spots to draft him but there were no enticing trade offers because they thought it would be too high to draft him at #2. Now this year we still have a need for a pg and there is a pg who will be available who matches the qualities that Billy-goat Knight liked in Deron Williams but now he doesn't want to draft him. Also this year they are allegedly gonna do something that they didn't want to do last year, which is drafting a player too high relative to his draft projection. Last year they didn't want to draft Deron at #2 because they thought it was too high so they drafted the best player available when they couldn't trade down. Now this year, allegedly, if the Hawks can't trade down they're gonna do the exact same thing they didn't want to do last year. What's with the inconsistency? I'm always for drafting need over BPA, even if you have to draft a player3-4 spots earlier than they should but I'm more in favor of a GM who seems to have a consistent plan and thought process. If he would hvae used this same line of thinking last year, we would'va had Deron Williams.

This is from draftexpress.com Donta Smith (Arkansas Rimrockers, Atlanta Hawks) Per Game Stats: 3.7 points, 2.7 rebounds, 1 assist, 2.7 turnovers, 25% FG Smith, used in only 6 games by the Atlanta Hawks this season, was sent to receive the playing time that was not available to him at the NBA level. Smith has only played 17 minutes per game in his three appearances with the Rimrockers, and has not found the flow of the offense. In his best game, Smith had 3 assists to go with his 7 points in 22 minutes. It should be interesting to see if Donta progresses his game enough in the D League to find some minutes on a team stacked with young wing players.

This is just part of the interview . . . You can read the reast by clicking on the link. http://insidehoops.com/batista-interview-091905.shtml Last week the Atlanta Hawks signed free agent forward/center Esteban Batista. He's the first player from Uruguay to make the NBA. The 6-10 Batista spent most of last season playing in his native country. Here's what was said in a recent conference call with the player: Question: What did you feel when you were told you were going to represent your entire country in the NBA? Esteban Batista: This is really important to me and my country. I’m already enjoying what this responsibility entails and implies. To serve as an example and role model for our youth in Uruguay is an incredible achievement for me. Question: If someone would’ve asked you a month ago whether you preferred to play a lot of minutes with a bad team or a few minutes with a good team competing for a championship, what would you have answered? Esteban Batista: If you would’ve asked me that a month ago, I wasn’t even thinking about playing in any team, good or bad, because I hadn’t realized something this great could happen to me. The truth is that so far I’ve enjoyed life in Atlanta with the team, the organization and everyone that works with the team. I really don’t think there’s a better option. Question: Have you talked to some of the coaches about the amount of minutes you’ll be playing during your first year? Esteban Batista: Not yet, we haven’t talked about that. I understand that is something I don’t need to talk about, but rather work on. I have to be ready all the time, give my all during practices and well, they’ll decide if I play or not. In the meantime, I’ll do my job and put my best forward.