mdawg

I have 2 predictions:

1. Dwight Howard will be in a Hawks uniform next year. A trade with LA will get done.

2. Jason Terry will not be in a Hawks uniform next year. I am not as sure about this prediction, but I just don't think he fits in the Hawks plans. He's not that good.

If you get Howard, you can still sign Kenyon Martin. You can have two PF's and still win. There are only 2 true centers in the NBA, and they are both out west. Neither Detroit or Indiana have a true center, and it's worked out for them. There is another free agant no one has mentioned, and I don't know if he would come here, but if the Hawks hire Del Harris, he might: Steve Nash. Just a thought.

That does seem like a pretty stupid reason not to at least interview someone. I think the only person who has any idea what Billy Knight is going to do is Billy Knight. If Knight thinks Musselman is a good candidate, he'll get a look. I hope he does get a look, because I think he's a good fit. For whatever it's worth, in his ESPN chat David Aldrige said that he hopes Dwayne Casey from Seattle gets the job. I really don't know anything about him.

I have fond memories of Fratello just like all Hawks fans, but why is he such a popular choice? And why is he such a big name? Would he really help bring in any free agents? I don't think Fratello is any better than Del Harris. I think Harris is the best name mentioned so far.

I remember he scored close to 50 in a game against Arizona this year. He's a solid player. He probably would be a good pick at 17.

When was the last time Vescey was right about anything? If you're going to hire Whittman, you might as well keep Stotts. By the way, the reason Stotts was fired is he's not a very good coach. I think the hire will be someone with a lot of experience, someone who can teach young players.

What about Mehmet Okur? He's a young big man, and the hawks will have enough money to offer so much that the pistons won't be able to match it. If they can sign him and draft Howard, that could be an impressive combination in the East.

The NBA wants the new owners to pay off a large amount of debt accumulated by the teams, which is $50-$80 million this year alone. The new owners are trying to bring down the amount they have to pay. Also, the article says that the teams will not be sold for $250 million, but for only $92 million. AOL is really giving them away.

I thought it was an okay move, but this team won't get motivated by it. If Stotts really wants to prove a point, he should bench all the guys for the entire game tonight. Play Dickau, Diaw, Hansen, see what you have in those guys. He should play Reef and Theo though, because you need to keep their trade value up.

Yeah, because Pau Gasol is a horrible player.

I really think all you guys, while being good fans, are quite delusional. This team is no where near being a contender. The pieces just don't fit. JT isn't a point guard. This franchise needs two things: cap space and lottery picks. The Hawks need to do what the Nuggets did, which is basically sacrifice two years so you can be bad enough to get top 5 draft picks. Now look at where Denver is. If there are teams willing to give lottery picks/cap space for Theo and SAR, I say do it ASAP. Start Diaw, Hansen, and Dickau so you can see what you need with the lottery picks. The Hawks have to hit rock bottom before they can improve. I'm not happy about it, but it's the truth.

It's nice for Miss. State to hire a black head coach, but I personally don't think they are hiring the right guy. If I were in charge, my first call would have gone to Doug Williams, who's done a great job at Grambling. Bottom line: they need to hire the right guy regardless of race, and I don't think they are doing that. By the way, my opinion of the state has not changed. It still has a long way to go, but it is not the only state in that category.

The way I see it, there are 6 teams who will definitely get in the play-offs:

New Jersey, Detroit, Orlando, Indiana, Philadelphia, Boston

Then, there are 5 that will definitely not get in:

Milwaukee, Miami, Cleveland, Toronto, New York

So, you have 3 teams fighting for 2 spots:

Atlanta, Washington, New Orleans.

I honestly think the Hawks can compete for the 8th spot. The East has improved up top, but the bottom is still very mediocre. The Hawks have a decent team. They might go 40-42 or 41-41 and make it in.

Does Dirk Nowitzki have a place in basketball? I think pretty much every team in the league would like to have him. What about any of the European players? I may be wrong, but isn't every team looking for the next great European player? But, I guess you would say they aren't the kind of white people you were talking about.

Where do you get the idea that the Hawks are worth $200 million? The world champion Anaheim Angels sold earlier this year for $180 million. The Hawks are worth $110-$125 million at the most, and that is a generous estimate. I don't care what an investment banker says, if the Hawks can get $200 million for everything, they should take the money and run.

Be honest: What do the Hawks have that you would actually build around? Shareef puts up numbers, but he has no heart and he has the worst winning percentage of any active NBA player. He is not a franchise player. Ratliff has played one good half season, and all he's done since he got here was whine about being a Hawk. Terry has no position, and, while it's nice that he scores 20 ppg, he is not a franchise player. He's not even a star player. This franchise needs two things: cap room and lottery picks. It is that simple. And all of you people who think one or two trades or free agent signings will fix things are out of your minds. Denver has shown the blueprint, and the Hawks need to follow it. Either that, or offer Kevin Garnett $200 million next summer.

P.S.:The big dog trade was hopefully the first step of this plan, because they got the exact thing they needed in that deal: cap space. And please, you people have got to let it go with Dermar Johnson. He was a bust before the accident, and he will be a bust after it. He will never be the type of guy you have to have on your team. Let it go.

I know this isn't a Braves board, but the Braves have the best record in baseball, the guy who essentially replaced Millwood, Russ Ortiz, leads the league in wins, and Estrada was the AAA All Star game MVP. Also, Millwood is a free agent at the end of the season, and he is not going back to Philly. That deal really hasn't hurt the Braves. Please get the facts straight.

The last paragraph proved what an idiot Peter May is. The Thrashers aren't going to just pass for entertainment. The Thrashers have one of the most exciting young teams in the NHL, and many hockey experts have predicted that the Thrashers will make the playoffs next year. By the way, at least the Hawks are no longer stuck with a fat waste like Antoine Walker.

If the deal is for a huge number, I don't think the Hawks should match. Terry is good, but he's not a franchise player. The Hawks need to rebuild, and to do that, you need cap room and lottery picks. I know next year will be bad, but it will be bad with Terry at that salary as well. I think it's time to bite the bullet and rebuild.

First of all, take a deep breath and calm down. We really don't know anything about McDavid. I don't know what money he has. So let's wait and see. Second, this team need to be torn down. It is poorly constructed and will not win anything as it is. They need Lottery picks and cap room. Last year Denver was awful, and now they are one of the hottest teams in the league. The Hawks need to do the same thing.

I have already read other places that McDavid is considering selling the Thrashers immediately. He is not a hockey fan, and the team he really wants is the Hawks, but AOL insisted on selling the Hawks/Thrashers together. I don't know if this is true, but if you think about it, it does make sense. This guy has no history in the NHL, and he has no interest in the game. Why would he want the team? This sale might not be the end of it.

I really don't get why you guys are so upset about this. He never really showed that much, and he is coming off a major neck injury. I more upset that a lottery pick was used to draft him in the first place. I think Memphis will be disappointed.

I don't mean to doubt you, but where on the radio did you hear this? And from who? I haven't seen anything like this on any newspaper sites or any of the major sports sites. Just curious.

I'm not saying a team like this would be better, or that the guys have the same talent as JT, but what if the Hawks did a sign and trade for Eddie Jones, and then they signed Speedy Claxton as a free agent. What would you think of a line up with those two guys? Just wondering.

Jones/Hansen

Claxton/Dickau

GRob/Diaw/Crawford

Theo/Nazr

SAR/Henderson

Maybe trade Robinson, or sign a cheap guard or big man. Just a thought.

Why are you guys so upset about this? Johnson is coming off a very serious neck injury, and there is no guarantee that he will be the same player as before. And, by the way, the player he was before wasn't all that great. He never really showed me that he would live up to being a lottery pick. Even if the Hawks don't get Posey, I don't think this is that big of a loss. And don't blame McDavid. It's not his fault that the sale is taking so long. And don't make Dion, Dermarr, and Ira sound like Bird, Parrish, and Mchale. The Hawks didn't make the playoffs with them, so they can't do much worse without them.

Posey was traded to Houston last year. Unless I missed it and they got him back, he wouldn't be on that team. If you got that wrong, how can we believe anything you say?