Devon

Woah, Woah, Woah.... I hate to inform everyone here that we have NO #1 pick in 2008 as it will be going to Phoenix as the completion of the Joe Johnson deal. It is unprotected and is theirs' outright. If you can get the deal done for Childress, Lorenzen, #3 then i am all about it. I don't give up Smoove, I don't give up Marvin and I don't trade Shelden just yet.

Ohhhhhhhhhhkkaaaaaayyyyyyy.... So yesterday it was "I want to RETIRE a Laker" and today he's demanding a trade? I'm so confused. Well, not really all that confused. This is the same Kobe that threw his teammates under the bus after the playoff loss. It's no real surprise to me that he is struggling in a loaded western conference without Shaq Diesel... Now if he were to be the East, ala Michael Jordan, he's a monster... I'd love to have him here and would pretty much give the Lakers their pick of whatever we had - Joe. Kobe and Joe on the same squad would be something dangerous and fun to watch... We'd sell out every night in every city and suddenly Hawk basketball would MATTER! But it's probably a pipe dream as our ownership/Front Office/Head Coaching situation makes us the most unattractive place to play in the entire NBA... Sometimes I wonder, but then I stop trying.

Quote: This trade is never going to happen. Portland fans HATE this deal, none of them would do it. I guess if their GM is desparate enough to pair Conley and Oden it's possible, but I doubt it. I'll tell you exactly why it happens... YOU WANT GREG ODEN TO BE COMFORTABLE FROM DAY ONE!!! Can you possibly think of a better situation than to have your Point Guard, who goes to Memphis if the Hawks don't select him, be the LIFELONG teammate of your new Franchise Center/#1 Overall pick? These guys have been together on the basketball court and chemistry is worth its' weight in gold, ask the Detroit Pistons, San Antonio Spurs, Phoenix Suns, etc... If I am the Portland GM I cringe at the thought of Zach Randolph staying at the expense of LaMarcus Aldridge, but I do get the "Thunder & Lightning" combo that everyone in the league covets... If I'm Billy I am ecstatic at the prospect of my job being saved by this trade. Had Lamarcus gone back to Texas and played with Durant this season he would've no doubt been a top 3 selection. I also give the hometown a warm fuzzy by bringing back somewhat of a local legend/serviceable/"team first" point guard in Jarrett Jack. So Portland looks like this: c. Greg Oden -- The Next David Robinson pf. Zach Randolph or a S&T (Gasol?) sf. Travis Outlaw -- Eh sg. Brandon Roy -- Solid player, versatile, baby-face pg. Mike Conley Jr. -- Lightning quick, solid w/Oden and Atlanta looks like this: Lamarcus Aldridge -- A 4/5 that can be a legit East Center Josh Smith -- U know what u got Marvin Williams -- This is the make or break season Joe Johnson -- Proves he's a legit Eastern All-Star Jarrett Jack -- Bring Em' HOME! I like it and it makes our #11 pick free to go BPA... Make it happen BK

and only get ONE f*cking response to it before all of you CHILDREN get on here bickering like spoiled brats about who's pole is bigger... My post was about the Hawks, not you wanna-be GM's and whiny "I Told You-So" bandwagoners... I use Hawksquawk because I want to talk NBA Basketball with like minded people who are fans of my team; the Atlanta Hawks. I could care less about Walter/CBAReject/GSUTEKE/Diesel etc; or any individual Hawksquawk poster, I'm sure you are all good people, but you're merely IP addresses at this junction... I really wish you guys, for ONE DAY, would focus on BASKETBALL instead of threatening one another or degrading one another's' intelligence. If you disagree with something I say then great! Post why you disagree and lets get a dialogue going, but if you only plan to reply to this post with an insult then save your time/energy. So what did you think of my analysis? Come on man, I couldn't sleep, the least you could do is reward my insomnia by replying with thought and insight. cheers, devon

your post is flawed in that Portland IN NO WAY is looking to move LaMarcus Aldridge, They can now move him to his legitimate position of Power Forward. They are looking to move Zach Randolph, not Aldridge.

I wanted to break the team down, player by player, assessing the overall value of what we currently have, could have, and will have post-draft, so here goes: The Good: -- Joe Johnson, when healthy, played like a man on fire with something to prove. I like seeing that out JJ. I know he isn't vocal and is sometimes seen as overtly passive but pencil him in for 25pts a night and prolly 40+ minutes -- Josh Smith finally started to realize his potential. When JJ went down I was certain that if the team was to win another game that J-Smoove was going to have to step up/grow up in a big way. With the exception of the flare-up with Woodson at the end of the year I believe Josh really grew up last season. The "Eh" -- Marvin Williams showed some flashes of the "Potential" that got him drafted with the #2 pick; all the while the guys who went #3 & #4 have playoff leading/all-star type of seasons. Marvin either steps up big or gets shipped outta town with the bright red BUST logo on his forehead. -- Zaza played about as well as we can expect him to do; which has me applauding his effort and resiliency, but also questioning if we've seen all we can out of him. Yes he is a bargain at $4mil a season, but he isn't our Center of the future, or a Center to be built around. -- Josh Childress and this team are more that likely going to part ways, but with that being said J-Chill was playing very well for us before the foot injury. I never liked this pick years ago and I fell like J-Chill has been kind of floating in Purgatory; just waiting for the end of the rookie contract so he can head out west. If I am Billy Knight, which I am certainly happy NOT to be, I am on the phone with Golden State looking to move J-Chill and filler for Monta Ellis (your PG of the future, book it!) -- Shelden Williams play after he took off the stupid looking shoulder sleeve wasn't all that bad. He wasn't worthy of the #5 overall pick, ALA ROOKIE OF THE YEAR BRANDON ROY (BILLY KNIGHT YOU F*@#$ING MORON!!!!), but he's a Hawk now and Woodson HAS TO FIND A WAY to get him into the rotation. Is he a 5 in the NBA? Hell No, but how many teams have true and legit dominant centers? Shelden needs to prove that he can stay healthy and put up double/doubles on a consistent basis. If he could be a consistent 14/8 type of player I would be ecstatic, but I also feel that to be at least another season or two away. -- Solomon Jones, when he got to play, showed some decent potential but MAN is he skinny... I hope he has been in the workout facilities during the offseason because otherwise he's gonna be abused by most of the NBA big-bodies. Jones is a project with low risk-reward potential. I don't see him as our #5 of the future. -- Tyronn Lue continued to do what he does, which is be an adequate yet easily rattled/injury prone little player. I wouldn't besurprised to se him packaged in a deal. The BAD -- Speedy Claxton is an absolute DUD and the $6 million a year we brought him in for is just plain stupid. Then bernie mullin opens his uneducated mouth and says "Oh well we only expected him to play 55 or so games", and I'm forced to ask myself "How do Mentally Incompetent People get handed six-figure jobs doing something of which they have absolutely no clue how to do?" The ASG signed off on this garbage deal and Billy Knight proclaimed it as the solution to our PG problem; to which i exclaim "NO, CHRIS PAUL WAS THE ANSWER TO OUR POINT GUARD PROBLEM YOU F*$%ING MORON!!!" -- Royal Ivey started 40 games this team. Think about it. Royal Ivey is an NBDL-Talent at best and was our starting PG for the first 1/2 of the season. -- Salim Stoudamire continues to sit on the bench. I don't fault Salim as I believe him to be a spark-plug of a player, only with no real position. He isn't a PG and we have our SG in Joe Johnson. This is another situation where I believe Woodson has no clue how to develop young talent. True Stoudamire is a hothead and tweener, but there is no denying his value as a shooter and his abilities as a scorer. -- Lorenzen Wright... What about the first time he was here made us want to bring him back for round #2? He is a waste of money and a waste of roster space. He doesn't play like a center and never has; i would dub him "Sir Softy" -- Slava Medvedenko... Did we sign him for a reason? -- Mike Woodson's coaching inability has shown up in so many games as we've all ripped his substitution patterns, use of Time outs, player rotation, team scouting, etc... WE need a real coach, not a bad player from bad teams that supposedly learned under Larry Brown. My question is "what exactly did he learn?" By watching this team i see Woodson as the Anti-Larry Brown. We are a team built to run and Woodson refuses to let them do so... I really can't stand him and see him as a detriment to this franchise. -- The Ownership situation MUST be resolved. If David Stern has to step in and throw all of these freakin' bums to the curb then so be it. This nearly 5 year ownership ordeal has broken this once proud franchise and has made us the equivalent of a Free Agency Gobi Desert. I don't trust Belkin to be financially supportive and I dont trust the ASG to be competent in any way. This is a glaring BLACK EYE on the franchise day in and day out. -- Billy Knight, as previously mentioned, is an arrogant, rude, blind eye turning, self promoting, incompetent F*#%ING MORON!!! The Future -- At #3 you HAVE to get a star... No more projects, not a need position, we need a superstar with marketing ability. My vote goes for YI!!!

Yi Jianlian is the pick at #3... He's a monster and is 7'0, 250lbs, athletic as hell, can handle the ball, shoot from anywhere, etc... Everyone in the draft has something to prove; including Durant and Oden. The pressure will be immense immediately as both are expected to be, nay, PRE-APPOINTED as franchise/instant impact players. Oden has a great situation in that Brandon Roy and Lamarcus Aldridge are already there and he lets the Blazers play big. Brandan Wright is a nice player as are Mike Conley Jr., Al Horford, and Corey Brewer but I don't see them as Hawks. Not that they don't fit, all of em have value, but Yi opens a door to a LARGE new fanbase. Yi at 3, Javaris or Law at #11 and I'm happy.

THERE IS A GOD!!!!! I want #1 or #2, please not #3... Oden and Conley here we come! FINGERS ARE STILL CROSSED!!!!

Does anyone else out there see Greg Oden as more of a Tim Duncan/David Robinson player as opposed to a freak of Nature like Shaquille O'Neal? Not that I am knocking Duncan or The Admiral, as they are both NBA Greats, but we can all basically agree that Shaquille has been an absolute beast, the likes of which has never been duplicated. I think Oden is going to be a 19pts/9rebs/3blk type of player; maybe pushing into the low-mid 20's in a few years (much like Duncan); but I don't see him becoming the 30+/12+/4+ type player that Shaquille was. I only ask because I see Durant being a 22/10 guy from day one... So my question becomes... Who is the TRUE #1 or does it depend on who gets the pick? As to the theory that we get #3 I would only IMPLORE the Hawks' to TRADE DOWN!!! We need to build this team and rid our roster of the non-NBA talent currently taking up space (Ivey, Batista, Speedy). This team needs to build around JJ and a #3 pick + One of the Joshes may be enough to lure the Pacers into a S&T for J. O'Neal; prolly wishful thinking but it could work... thoughts?

Look at the effect guys like Dwayne Wade, Chris Bosh, Paul Pierce, Josh Smith, Jermaine ONeal, Tayshaun Prince, Josh Howard, Leandro Barbosa, etc. had on their teams. None of them were top 3 picks. No... But... Dwayne Wade went #5 Chris Bosh went #4 Paul Pierce went #7 Those are guys I would say, given hindsight, woulda went #1,#2, or #3 in their respective drafts. Josh Smith is a "Good not Great (yet)" type player who shows flashes of brilliance but usually folllows those up with extended lapses of mediocrity. I hope he stays a Hawk, I don't expect it to happen if Woodson is retained. Jermaine O'Neal came out of High School and was labeled a "project"... Keep in mind, he did NOTHING in Portland for the first 2-3 years he was in the league. We passed over Josh Howard to reach for Boris "$45 Million outta Phoenix's pockets" Diaw. I said it was a mistake then and I will continue to do so. Tayshaun went LATE in the first round because people thought he was "too skinny" or a "tweener"... He has turned out to be a decent player on an AMAZING team; his defensive style fits the Pistons and they have scorers outside of him. He wouldn't be the player he is, or have the respect he does, if he was in Milwaukee/Atlanta/Boston/Memphis etc... The fact of the matter is that if you can build your team through the draft you stand a better chance of winning. Our team is screwed because we have a Clown and his jesters running our draft; hence, we have 6 SF's and 3 (non-starter) PG's on this squad.

Hmmm... So may ways to go with this one... If we get #1 we take Oden no questions asked; love Durant (and I am Burnt Orange to the core, HOOK EM'!) but our glaring need is in the middle at the 5. If we get #11 from Indiana i really gotta lean towards Javaris Crittendon, over Law/Conley -- Javaris is 6'5" and NBA ready, plus I see Conley going earlier in the draft. If we get #2 (and Oden is gone) we take Durant and watch our phone LIGHT THE "f" UP; i'd be fine with trading Durant if it netted us someone in the Jermaine O'Neal/Kevin Garnett mold... It's a stretch, I know... or If we get #2 (and Oden is gone) we make a phone call to our friends in Portland and propose a trade... something along the lines of Zach Randolph or Jarrett Jack #6 pick in the first round (which could be R.Hibbert) #1 pick next year (top-3 protected only) or If we get the #2 (and oden is gone) we draft Durant and look to move either Smoove/Childress/Marvin to get back into the lottery or to stack up on picks next year. If we lose our pick to Phoenix then I burn Billy Knights' effigy and curse the ASG for yet ANOTHER season. At least they wont be getting my season ticket money this year; that fate was sealed the minute the announced that Mike "I have no clue what the hell I am doing" Woodson, aka the sub-.300 winning percentage village people reject, was gonna be back to screw up another season. Watch... David Stern hates the hawks and will have Indiana win the lottery with us ending up at #4... And thus, we get SCREWED!!!

Here is how we win... Don't go Don't watch Don't vent Don't Care This ownership "group" of incompetent millionaires with zero sports knowledge has given me the middle finger for the last time. Mike Woodson didn't win because of injuries? They paid nearly $25 million dollars to a scrub they only expected to play 55 games? Shelden Williams at #5? IDIOTS!!! How do you sleep at night knowing that you, ASG, are the reason loyal hawk fans now could seriously care less about this crap "team"... I'm not upset with our players (with the exception of Craig Claxton); they do the best they can without a leader or the confidence that say a Marc Cuban exudes... We need to follow the Mavericks example. They used to be terrible; the Jamal Mashburn, Jim Jackson, Jason Kidd led-teams we're AWFUL... Interject Marc Cuban (a GREAT Owner), insert Don Nelson/Avery Johnson (outstanding reputable coaches), make some decent draft picks (Dirk Nowitzki at #9) and you're winning 60+ games. As for Bernie Mullin, please... SHUT THE F*CK UP unless you're telling us that Billy Knight has been fired. You have no credibility and your words come out sounding like Cletus The Slack Jawed Yokel from the Simpsons.

I was on the Hawks website today and saw the picture of Josh Childress receiving the Jason Collier Memorial Award for Outstanding Community Service and it really hit home... There were MAYBE 50-100 people in the stands for a NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION game, during the game, in a major city. That is ridiculous and in the end should be the MAIN reason that the Billy Knight/Mike Woodson debacle is finally put to rest. All of the talk about contraction and moving the team to Vegas would be moot if we actually put a team on the floor that was worth PAYING to watch. Billy Knight has passed over All-Stars (CP3, Deron Williams, and other FA's) for projects and swingmen; his draft record is HORRENDOUS!!! Mike Woodson has done nothing to make this team any better and has literally NO CLUE how to substitute, call plays, motivate our players, or put together a winning system. And hence here we sit, in the never-ending re-building process, with the possibility of having ZERO 1st rounders (thanks to Dumbass Billy again); note I said possibility as I expect us to lose our pick and gain the Pacers', but still... 69-177 in 3 years... I will ask you all if you went into your job and flat out failed to get something done 70+% of the time, would you still be gainfully employed? I know I would've been fired LONG AGO. It is the ASG's commitment to sub-mediocrity that has killed this franchise in the eyes of the Atlanta fanbase. Stand up, have some balls, FIRE the incompetent GM, FIRE the incompetent and non-motivational Coach... You just may see some of us come back to Phillips next season; if not, you can expect to see more of the same ol' empty stands and losing record.

And sadly you'll never again see those days as long as these "idiots" run the practices and choose the personnel. Look at my letter for flaws, look at it for its overall lack of professionalism, all in all I don't care; as long as the message gets through. here is the message: I am a LIFE-LONG (27+ years of comprehension) Hawks' fan and ever since I had the monetary flexibility to do so I have been a season ticket holder. That ended yesterday, and will forever remain "on the shelf" as long as the "Atlanta Spirit Group" turns a blind eye to the woeful job performance of Billy Knight and Mike Woodson. They are INCOMPETENT and have succeeded in making Atlanta the talk of Contractions, moves, and draft lottery blunders. The simple fact is that if i walked into my job and screwed up 3 out of every 4 times I was asked to do something, how long do you think I'd keep my job? The Hawks record over the past 3 seasons = 68 wins, 176 losses... do the math I, as should all of you by now, have lost faith in this team, its coach, its GM, its owners, its direction, etc... Don't buy tickets, DEMAND A CHANGE!!!

Members of the ASG, My Name is Devon and I am a Hawks' season ticket holder and have been for the past 4 seasons. I am taking the time today to write you all on Hawksquawk, a forum I often frequent to read the frustrations of my fellow Hawks' fans but rarely post to, about how this will be the LAST season I purchase tickets, of any form, for this moribund franchise. You've all turned a blind eye to the bumbling nature of this franchise. You've sat back saying nothing as we passed over franchise Point Guards (Chris Paul, Deron Williams, Randy Foye, Brandon Roy, Raymond Felton, Marcus Williams Rajon Rando) for Marvin "Unfillied Potential" Williams and Shelden "Picked at #5?" Williams. You went to war over Joe Johnson with a fellow owner and in doing so allowed our IDIOT GM to give away the farm, albeit for an All-Star, but in doing so gave the team no outlets to build through the draft... Then again we can't build through the draft because we make HORRIBLE decisions on draft day, decisions YOU ultimately sign off on by allowing Billy Knight to still be allowed onto the Phillips Arena grounds. You've allowed Mike Woodson to keep a job despite going a combined 68-175 in 3 years. This is RIDICULOUS!!! Fire him and bring in someone with some freakin' credibility, PLEASE!!! Mike Woodson is NOT going to be the person to energize the team, city, fanbase, etc about basketball in Atlanta. At this point he's all but lost the team as the Josh Smith incident serves to prove. Fire Billy Knight and get someone competent, the same goes for Mike Woodson. As for me and my season ticket $, consider it but a figment of your imagination. Why would ANYONE actually PAY to see this "team" of unguided misfits and also-rans?

If I can be at the #5 pick and STILLLLLL get Adam Morrison, I don't care what position he plays... I want him in a hawk hat and jersey, if only just for the formality of the picture taking. We could turn around and trade his draft rights to Portland for jarrett jack and Portland's drafts rights to Josh Boone. I think that would be a best case scenario, we fill two holes quickly... But I seriously think that we could fill one of those holes with an S&T involving Al... After his game the other night in Milwaukee I'm re-assured in my feelings that I really wont miss him. What do you guys think?

That would be so freakin' amazing... He's not a true center, but yet can rebound and bang with the best of em'. I slap guarantee that adding him would REVOLUTIONIZE Josh Smith into a serious Post Player, Rebounder, and defender. Having to go up against Big Ben every day in practice would make all of our people better! Think About it Big Ben Wallace - Zaza Pachulia Josh Smith - Lamarcus Aldridge (PLEASE GOD!!!) Marvin Williams - Josh Childress Joe Johnson - Josh Childress * Draft Pick* - Tyronn Lue - Royal Ivey If we trade Al and get a decent pick for it that team could be sick!!! Especially if we can snag LaMarcus Aldridge, and maybe even Daniel Gibson or PJ Tucker!

Oden's at OSU, no doubt he loses his eligibilty to challenge anewly ratified, highly publicized issue. He may stay 2 years, much like Thaddeus Young at Ga. Tech

we wont have 27 wins at the current rate of approx. 3 losses for every win we'll win 19-20 with 22-23 as an optimistic outlook.

I know... I should just speak how I really feel and not mask my true feelings. I'm sorry but with every passing game I'm embarassed by this team, by this city's lack of support (which I understand though), the obvious lack of leadership, the obvious idiocy/ostrich "head in the sand" approach of the Upper Level Management, the wasted space that is our "coach", etc... This city will rally behind a winner, these Hawks haven't won in nearly a decade and even then we never really won anything. Why should we support a team that is going to put up BACK TO BACK 60-Loss seasons? Why do you stick with a coaching philosophy that is obviously clueless? Why do you give a GM so much control to produce ZERO results? We need a total upheaval and it isn't going to get better until things change...

Get rid of the bastard and his googly-eyes for other teams; he creates a negative attitude (non-leadership) by talking about Free Agency with half the season left to go. Trade him now, fire mike woodson and Billy Knight, hire Stan Van Gundy and let Dominique GM this team and we should see some improvement. FIRE MIKE WOODSON!!!

Not gonna happen. he's gonna walk because we have no power to keep him from ding so and Billy Knight is a grade-A MORON!

Nope i don't... Curry is putting up decent numbers on a horrible Knicks' team. nene is putting his feet up in Brazil.

Realistically, and I'm asking because i don't really know, how many years does KG have left? I know he's been around close to a decade

That is an AMAZING idea. You know it's gonna be Detroit or San Antonio, so why not trade that 2nd rounder & Cenk Ankyol or David Andersen for the last pick in the 1st and give it to the Suns! I love it, Billy Knight could learn something from you! i also love that idea of FIRING THE DUMB$HIT COACH AND GM RIGHT THE FARK NOW!!!!