Knight should have drafted Chris Paul!!!!!!!!!

[lush23]

Marvin Williams will be a great player in 2 years but so will Chris Paul and Paul would have been a great fit with our current roster. Paul and Johnson in the backcourt for years to come would have been special. Paul is a leader which this team is currently sorely lacking. With the addition of Williams, we are hurting the development of the Joshes and Williams. Huge mistake by Billy. This current roster is too young with no on-court leader. Please don't draft another 18-20 year old to add to this roster next year. We need veteran help now!!!! We will be lucky to win 13 games again this year with this make-up.

[Lascar78]

you can't draft veterans

[phoostal]

However you can make trades for veterans. What gets me thinking is how come last year we were not even mentioned as a team rumored to trade for Baron Davis. Knight should have been all over that. Oh well, no use to cry over spilt milk now. I just think he could be doing a better job at improving this team.

P

[Lascar78]

well I think we were mentionned as a rumor. Who knows if it was legit.

Anyhow, I do agree that it seems like at least one of the main pieces that are in place will need to be traded for a better fit before we can truly win.

[mrhonline]

Someone care to explain what Chris Paul or Deron Williams would have done about this:

1. Murphy/Taft/Foyle 27/19/6

2. Brand/Kaman/Wilcox 34/20/8

3. Pryz/Randolph/Theo 32/22/3

4. Odom/Mihm/Brown 20/17/1 (Kobe factor)

5. Battier/Gasol/Wright 46/21/6

6. Brand/Kaman/Rebraca 38/19/7

7. Duncan/Rasho/Oberto 35/17/2

With the exception of the Lakers' game, the Hawks are getting slaughtered by the other teams' post players.

I'll scream it until I can't scream it anymore - the Hawks won't win until they get a defensive presence (or two, or three) in the low post.

[Hawkzzz21]

OK, I see a lot of you guys wanting the quick fix. Or the fix that fills the position. If your gonna do this rebuilding thing right. You continue to take Best Player Available. It doesn't matter what you need now. It's all about stock piling talent.

Donta Smith and Royal Ivey are some pretty solid players. They can't even scratch minutes for us. It's a good sign!

It's a long ways to draft time, and no clear number 1 right now. If Gay is the guy. TAKE HIM! If you can acquire a future 1st and drop a couple of spots to take a Brewer, then do it.

It's so much easier to have an abundance of talent, and over paying for a position that will put you over the top. Were not there yet. Continue to plant the talent seeds on this team. We can harvest later.

TYRONE LUE = TOP PICK IN THE DRAFT!

[mudderfudder77]

Quote:

---

OK, I see a lot of you guys wanting the quick fix. Or the fix that fills the position. If your gonna do this rebuilding thing right. You continue to take Best Player Available. It doesn't matter what you need now. It's all about stock piling talent.

Donta Smith and Royal Ivey are some pretty solid players. They can't even scratch minutes for us. It's a good sign

!

It's a long ways to draft time, and no clear number 1 right now. If Gay is the guy. TAKE HIM! If you can acquire a future 1st and drop a couple of spots to take a Brewer, then do it.

It's so much easier to have an abundance of talent, and over paying for a position that will put you over the top. Were not there yet. Continue to plant the talent seeds on this team. We can harvest later.

TYRONE LUE = TOP PICK IN THE DRAFT!

---

You're joking right?

[jpierrek]

he should of...but what is done is done. i do like marvin though; i can see him becoming an all star sooner than later.

[Diesel]

Elgin Baylor GM of the Clipps for the last 20 years?

Glad to have you here on Hawksquawk.

your theory of draft BPA no matter what has some flaws.

Especially when you don't draft the BPA, but you draft the most hyped player available.

Thanks for stopping in Mr. Baylor. I hope our GM can learn from Your mistakes!

[Diesel]

WHO DO YOU Suggest we get Mr. H??

Are you suggesting we pass up Rondo or Brewer and take Boone??

Maybe you think we ought to trade Al for Foyle? I know how you want to get rid of Al...

Right now Foyle is getting 1.9 bpg in 24 mpg...

Is that what you want to do?

Or maybe you want to see if we can trade JSmoove for Deke?

[chillzatl]

Marvin may end up being a great player. But we needed a PG and that is the most painfully obvious thing we've seen this season. Yes, we do need a post defender. But team defense can make up for a lot and team defense takes time. Especially when you're stocked with young, inexperienced players.

A PG on the other hand, keeps your offense moving. They keep you from averaging 18 To's per game. They keep you from falling into 5 minute scoreless stretches. Right now, those things would be a lot more valuable to us than having one guy who can defend the paint.

[Hawkzzz21]

Quote:

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Quote:

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OK, I see a lot of you guys wanting the quick fix. Or the fix that fills the position. If your gonna do this rebuilding thing right. You continue to take Best Player Available. It doesn't matter what you need now. It's all about stock piling talent.

Donta Smith and Royal Ivey are some pretty solid players. They can't even scratch minutes for us. It's a good sign

!

It's a long ways to draft time, and no clear number 1 right now. If Gay is the guy. TAKE HIM! If you can acquire a future 1st and drop a couple of spots to take a Brewer, then do it.

It's so much easier to have an abundance of talent, and over paying for a position that will put you over the top. Were not there yet. Continue to plant the talent seeds on this team. We can harvest later.

TYRONE LUE = TOP PICK IN THE DRAFT!

---

You're joking right?

---

No, don't you watch the Hawks? Donta Smith while injured mostly last year, and very few minutes have shown great signs of all around ability. He looks like Walt Williams the way he gallops up and down the court, but good things happen when he's out there. Him dunking that missed FT (from another Hawks Player) was one of the plays that sticks out in my mind from last year.

Royal had a solid rookie campaign. He played defensively as well as anyone we had. Why he didn't get a chance to shut down Parker or Manu, I have no idea.

I look at other teams in the NBA and see guys sitting as their last two players on the bench. Donta and Royal are up there with anyone. These are sophmore players, and neither one of them has had significant minutes this year.

Roayal had solid minutes last year, and Donta was super in a preseason game or two. Showing when he gets a few minutes he can perform.

In fact, if they had an expansion draft. Every NBA team had to put two guys in it, and the Hawks put Donta and Royal in it. I bet one guy would get taken in the top 5, and both guys would be taken in the top 10. So 60 players, and we have 2 in the top 10!

Yes, I say they are a good sign. Sitting at the end of our bench rusting for games, but are probably improving daily in practice.

[Packfill]

Royal and Donta are good prospects but don't kid yourself by thinking every team in the league doesn't have similar prospects sitting on their bench. By way of example, Detroit has Darko and Carlos Delfino sitting on the bench; Boston has Kendrick Perkins; New Jersey has rookie Antoine Wright; Washington has Peter John Ramos and Andre Blatche; Utah has Kirk Humphries; Portland has Travis Outlaw, Jarrett Jack and Martel Webster; LAL has Andrew Bynum and Brian Cook; etc.

[mudderfudder77]

Quote:

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In fact, if they had an expansion draft. Every NBA team had to put two guys in it, and the Hawks put Donta and Royal in it. I bet one guy would get taken in the top 5, and both guys would be taken in the top 10. So 60 players, and we have 2 in the top 10!

Yes, I say they are a good sign. Sitting at the end of our bench rusting for games, but are probably improving daily in practice.

---

They're sitting at the end of the bench on a 13 win team. Do you really think that is a good thing? Maybe they're improving, but I find it hard to believe that if they can't get minutes on the Hawks that they would be able to get minutes anywhere else in the league.

[mrhonline]

Chillz, I'm not denying the need for a PG. It's obvious. But what I'm saying is that there are PG's like that available around the league in a trade. Go get Earl Watson - he can run a team, and would be available for a decent price. Maybe Rondo turns out to be the BPA, and in that case, you take him. But I also know that a rookie PG like Rondo, despite all of the talent, will not lead this team to the playoffs in his first season.

The best, and most immediate, solution to the PG problem is to make a trade for someone with experience running an NBA team. The draft isn't going to solve the Hawks lack of leadership problems quickly enough to be a feasible solution. (The "rebuilding clock" has exactly one year left on it because of the JJ trade).

Secondly, team defense can't make up for a complete lack of interior players. (And when I say complete, I mean complete). You can't ask guys to do things they were never able to before, like ask Childress to guard tough SF's like Battier, or Harrington to guard tough PF's like Brand. Josh Smith is the only shotblocker and he doesn't know how to use it effectively in the post yet (and may never).

If you need a PG, then trade for one; there are pass-first PG's that can be had for the right price. But the Hawks' offseason priority has to be to bring big men into Atlanta, or that pick sent to Phoenix will be a huge loss.

And, again, it's way too early to be speculating about the potential big men in the draft. As Bogut showed last year, big men in the NCAA's can make dramatic improvements from year to year with the right training.

Let's wait until March or so to start speculating about who the Hawks will draft. In the meantime, let's concentrate on trades that will bring in a pass-first PG and a defensive big man.

[Diesel]

Quote:

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If you need a PG, then trade for one; there are pass-first PG's that can be had for the right price. But the Hawks' offseason priority has to be to bring big men into Atlanta, or that pick sent to Phoenix will be a huge loss.

---

There are no big men with talent in the draft and even if there were, they would be projects. Next years class is a PG class. We should take a PG. Moreover, it's not just a pass first PG, but a PG who can run the offense. How many of those are available? Name them? Name some of these PGs you speak of who will be FAs?

[mrhonline]

Quote:

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There are no big men with talent in the draft and even if there were, they would be projects. Next years class is a PG class. We should take a PG. Moreover, it's not just a pass first PG, but a PG who can run the offense. How many of those are available? Name them? Name some of these PGs you speak of who will be FAs?

---

When did you start going on scouting trips, D? Splitter, Boone, Williams, McRoberts, Aldridge, and Gray all have talent and are expected to go in the first round if they come out. There is also a GREAT chance that a young big man or two or three will greatly improve over the course of the season and declare as well - it happens every year.

But I'm not going to sit here and pretend to be a scout.

(And I said the Hawks should *trade* for a PG, not sign one. And if you want a list, why don't you ask the scouting department for a vacation and do it yourself?).

[Hawkzzz21]

Quote:

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Royal and Donta are good prospects but don't kid yourself by thinking every team in the league doesn't have similar prospects sitting on their bench. By way of example, Detroit has Darko and Carlos Delfino sitting on the bench; Boston has Kendrick Perkins; New Jersey has rookie Antoine Wright; Washington has Peter John Ramos and Andre Blatche; Utah has Kirk Humphries; Portland has Travis Outlaw, Jarrett Jack and Martel Webster; LAL has Andrew Bynum and Brian Cook; etc.

---

Now some of these names I wouldn't consider the end of the bench guys. I didn't say just sitting on the bench, I said end of the bench. Look at teams, and throw two guys in a expansion draft from their team.

However, most of the guys you did name have got some PT, and Royal's Rookie year on a bad team, can reflect his overall numbers.

I'm not saying Donta and Royal are All Star Material, but look at the worse players in the league. Some guys shouldn't have a job in the NBA. Shawn Kemp, AND1 Players, Predrag Drobnajk I would take in a heartbeat over some guys filling out team's rosters. Donta and Royal belong in the NBA.

[Diesel]

I've been watching College ball for 1/2 my life. This is what I know.

Boone is a project.

Gay is not a Big man, he makes Chillz look big.

McRoberts might be too young to get into the league.

Aldridge did nothing for UT last yr.

I like Gray but Gray is 6'7" with shoes on.

Why not try watching these guys before you just throw their names up...

[mrhonline]

Quote:

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I've been watching College ball for 1/2 my life. This is what I know.

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Yes, and I also know that your "scouting reports" tend to be wrong twice as often as they are right.

That's what happens we you vomit out of the mouth all of the time simply to "have an original take."