Shhhh. I can hear BK justifiying the choice of Gay

[Diesel]

First of all,” Knight said, “I don’t consider Childress a forward. I consider him a 2 (guard). I like guys who can overmatch other players. That’s what he can do at the 2. He’s long enough to bother the shooter. He can score. He’s going to create problems.”

Of course, that still leaves Williams, Smith and Gay, all seemingly suited for the same position? No problem, according to Knight.

“We have three quality forwards,” the GM said. “The NBA is too stuck on saying you’ve got to have a small forward and a power forward. What’s wrong with being a basketball player? What’s wrong with being just a forward?”

[LastDon]

because we are going to lose Harrington and he probably feels like Lue and Salim are Adequate fill ins at the point

[codyatl]

If he drafts Gay or Morrison and doesn't trade someone then I believe he should be fired on the spot. I can't blame him for not drafting Paul last year. Hindsight is 20/20. BUT, drafting another sf this year would be just plain dumb and arrogant.

[Lascar78]

Quote:

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BUT, drafting another sf this year would be just plain dumb and arrogant.

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Which is why he wouldn't

[gsuteke]

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If he drafts Gay or Morrison and doesn't trade someone then I believe he should be fired on the spot. I can't blame him for not drafting Paul last year. Hindsight is 20/20. BUT, drafting another sf this year would be just plain dumb and arrogant.

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he should be fired on the spot. Lue and Salim at the point will not get this team to the playoffs.

a stopgap like Cassell is needed for the next 3 years.

[Diesel]

BK has painted himself into a corner...

The PGs available are not that good this year. They are a lot lower quality of last years..

The Centers and Pfs available won't be around when we pick.

Basically, he has to choose Bargain man. and Bargain man is another Sf in a 7 foot disguise. It's not the height, it's how you play the position and none of these guys (except Aldridge and Noah) play the position like a true Pf.

I believe the report that BK has a hard-on for Gay...

If we get Gay, I wouldn't be shocked or surprise. With Al gone, the expectation is now we have an open spot in our forward rotation..

It's going to be sad.. because just imagine if we had:

Picked a PG last year? We wouldn't be in this dilema.

[gsuteke]

Quote:

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BK has painted himself into a corner...

The PGs available are not that good this year. They are a lot lower quality of last years..

The Centers and Pfs available won't be around when we pick.

Basically, he has to choose Bargain man. and Bargain man is another Sf in a 7 foot disguise. It's not the height, it's how you play the position and none of these guys (except Aldridge and Noah) play the position like a true Pf.

I believe the report that BK has a hard-on for Gay...

If we get Gay, I wouldn't be shocked or surprise. With Al gone, the expectation is now we have an open spot in our forward rotation..

It's going to be sad.. because just imagine if we had:

Picked a PG last year? We wouldn't be in this dilema.

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yeeeep. i mean come on, this is a professional basketball organization. they have got to have some kind of idea what the draft is going to look like atleast one, probably two years down the line. you can give me all the stuff you want about not knowing where you will pick and who will declare. bottom line is Billy needs a plan.

you need 8 to 9 solid players to make a playoff roster. going into the draft you have

Forwards

Al Harringotn

Josh Smith

Josh Childress

Guards

Joe Johnson

Centers

none

so who are you going to draft? another forward? it's rare when i agree with him but Diesel chose his words well when he said Billy "painted himself into a corner."

i'm ok with losing for another year. hell i'm used to it at this point, i just want to see some light at the end of the tunnel. unfortunately we'll be just good enough to not get a top pick next year when there are need players and Pheonix will get our pick.

we'll get Rudy Gay this year, i have no doubt about it. the only viable option here is to trade out of that spot. get value for the pick. swap with someone at or around the 10 to 15 spot and pick a PG that you'd be reaching for at #3 or #4 along with a next year first rounder that is not protected.

unfortunately Billy has indeed "painted himself into a corner."

[LastDon]

To be honest if we can get some bigs I would be satisfied with a Salim/Ivey combination. Joe is our playmaker and those guys can do a pretty good job of helping joe with the ball handling responsibilites.

[gsuteke]

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To be honest if we can get some bigs I would be satisfied with a Salim/Ivey combination. Joe is our playmaker and those guys can do a pretty good job of helping joe with the ball handling responsibilites.

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i disagree. our problem is not playmaking ability. the Hawks have been scoring points just fine. our problem as fans is we have to watch opposing PGs torch our team each and every night because we have no defensive playmakers in the backcourt. that's why we need a traditional PG.

[Diesel]

You know I sat back and thought about it with one half percent of the dieselputer.

BK has never ever put together a team.

All of his moves have always been acquiring talent.

He trades for cap flexibility..

He trades for draft picks...

He trades Cap for talent..

He drafts talent.

However, that's different from building a team. This is why I'm sure either Rudy Gay, Morrison, or Bargain man will be the next Hawk. BK doesn't consider what we have and need. He just goes out and gets the best talent he can find.

However, the second part of being a good GM is actually putting together the team that can win by evaluating the strengths and weaknesses of the team.

Let see...

Josh Childress is a SG.

Joe Johnson is a PG.

Al Harrington is a PF.

Boris Diaw is a PG.

These are the thoughts that have come out of BK's brain. The same man that traded Bibby for White Chocolate is building the Hawks. I don't doubt that he can find the talent. My question is can he put it together??

With the 2nd pick of the 2006 draft, the Atlanta Hawks selects...

Rudy Gay...

Bilas: He has interesting potential but the Hawks should have picked LaMarcus Aldrige. You got to question that move by Billy Knight.

Kenny Smith: This is 4 years in a row that Billy Knight has choosen a swingman. We're going to have to call Atlanta Swing City.

Dicky V: I hate all these guys leaving college baby... Rudy Gay deserves Swing City.

[gsuteke]

Billy Knight reminds me of Adam Sandler's character in "big daddy" Babcock reminded me of the old man that wound up being a cook at Hooter's who had the "5 year plan."

we are a cursed bunch.

[Final_quest]

Quote:

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i disagree. our problem is not playmaking ability. the Hawks have been scoring points just fine. our problem as fans is we have to watch opposing PGs torch our team each and every night because we have no

defensive

playmakers in the backcourt. that's why we need a traditional PG.

---

I don't get what you mean. We need a traditional PG for defensive purposes? How does a traditional PG play different defense from a nontraditional PG?

[RAHMOR]

When Marvin was drafted last year I was pretty pissed. I felt like my girl just dumped me. I got over it somehow, but if we draft Rudy Gay this year with Aldridge or Thomas on the board I don't think I can handle it. I think I will lose all respect for Billy Knight to the point that if we ever cross paths I may say something I shouldn't.

[Eddielives]

Ditto. If Aldridge is available and he passes him up for a sf..I don't even know how he would keep his job. He has to know that we need defense in the post more than anything. Leave Aldridge on the board, no way.

[gsuteke]

Quote:

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Quote:

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i disagree. our problem is not playmaking ability. the Hawks have been scoring points just fine. our problem as fans is we have to watch opposing PGs torch our team each and every night because we have no

defensive

playmakers in the backcourt. that's why we need a traditional PG.

---

I don't get what you mean. We need a traditional PG for defensive purposes? How does a traditional PG play different defense from a nontraditional PG?

---

other than Bruce Bowen or Koby Bryant (possibly) name me a player that can D up another teams PG on a nightly basis and shut him down that isn't a taditional PG type player himself. you need quick little dudes to chase quick little dudes around.

[DJlaysitup]

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...you need quick little dudes to chase quick little dudes around.

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You got that right gs...it's the ball movement and penetration/dish skills of the "smaller guards" (can't call them little dudes since most are still bigger than me).

I forget who posted it awhile back (maybe ex.) that BK seems to be a decade or so behind the times on his basketball theory. The smaller faster guys seemed to be out of fashion 10-20 years ago - mostly due to the rules on defense. Now that the rules are more in their favor (hand-check-wise) they are becoming more numerous.

Everybody being 6'6" or more is fine until the 6'1" burner is laying the ball in at will.

[Diesel]

Some of that is coaching.

There have always been little quick talented jokers.

But with the right game plan, those guys can be neutralized. Namely having a team that scores effeciently... which we can have.

The main problem we have on this team is making the PG pick up his dribble in the halfcourt set. We let a PG "dominate the ball" and often times we pay for it with the PG running down the lane and scoring on a layup.

[gsuteke]

Quote:

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Quote:

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...you need quick little dudes to chase quick little dudes around.

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You got that right gs...it's the ball movement and penetration/dish skills of the "smaller guards" (can't call them little dudes since most are still bigger than me).

I forget who posted it awhile back (maybe ex.) that BK seems to be a decade or so behind the times on his basketball theory. The smaller faster guys seemed to be out of fashion 10-20 years ago - mostly due to the rules on defense. Now that the rules are more in their favor (hand-check-wise) they are becoming more numerous.

Everybody being 6'6" or more is fine until the 6'1" burner is laying the ball in at will.

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we play basketball at work during our breaks. when we put the tall guys on the same team we (i'm one of them) always get waxed. we just don't have someone to move the ball around effectively and chase around those jump shooters.

[Final_quest]

Quote:

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other than Bruce Bowen or Koby Bryant (possibly) name me a player that can D up another teams PG on a nightly basis and shut him down that

isn't

a taditional PG type player himself. you need quick little dudes to chase quick little dudes around.

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What about Billups?

I also take exception to the notion that if you're a "quick little dude" that it makes you a traditional PG.

If anything the trend is the opposite where traditional PGs are bad defenders: see Nash, Kidd, Ford. We need good defensive players, they don't have to be quick little dudes or traditional PGs.

[AHF]

The Bulls era team with SG Ron Harper, SG Michael Jordan backcourt was also very effective against pretty much everyone. However, with the changes to the handchecking rules I think it will be increasingly difficult to guard a small, fast guard without someone equally quick.