Shelden Williams

[codyatl]

Sir Charles was only 6'6 and he was a terrific rebounder. I am not advocating the Hawks pick him at 5 or even lower if we trade down but I think the knock on him being short is over-rated.

[AHF]

Charles was also close to unique so I am not sure I would use him to make your argument, although I understand your point.

[DJlaysitup]

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Charles was also close to unique so I am not sure I would use him to make your argument...

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There are other good examples though...take one of my favorite topics to harp on - Ryan Gomes. Here was a slightly undersized PF from a great college conference with a very solid body of work. Gets drafted 50th and ends up the season on his teams starting 5.

[Johnnybravo4]

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Charles was also close to unique so I am not sure I would use him to make your argument...

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There are other good examples though...take one of my favorite topics to harp on - Ryan Gomes. Here was a slightly undersized PF from a great college conference with a very solid body of work. Gets drafted 50th and ends up the season on his teams starting 5.

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That is what I think will happen to J.P. Batista this year.

[Diesel]

I'm going to wait to the Official measurements come out. Orlando training camp I think it's June 18th... I think with Shoes on, Williams will be close to 6'9.5".

[Packfill]

Everyone is pretty quick to judge sheldon around here. The really interesting thing is that based on his college production he is EXACTLY the type of player the Hawks need.

Whether he can translate that to the pros game is up to the professionals to decide. My biggest concern is his size vis-a-vis the larger NBA players he will be playing against. That said, people dismiss him because of his limited "upside" when all of the guys that have so much "potential" are really just guys that we all hope can produce the way Sheldon already has.

[deester11]

I'm sorry to disagree EDS, but I don't think he's what the Hawks need at all. We already have 6'8" and 6'9" players with good upside at SF and an occasional spell at PF...but the biggest bang for our buck is not Shelden, it's a PG or a big. PERIOD. I understand he does grunt work, etc..etc, but I'm just not wanting the guy in a Hawks Uniform.

[Diesel]

Sorry Dee.

That's a crock.

Our problem has been a defensive big. Williams have proved himself over and over again that he's a defensive big.

I slightly prefer Aldridge but that's simply because of his height.. But I see Williams as a Warrior who will make any team he plays on better.

[gsuteke]

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Sorry Dee.

That's a crock.

Our problem has been a defensive big. Williams have proved himself over and over again that he's a defensive big.

I slightly prefer Aldridge but that's simply because of his height.. But I see Williams as a Warrior who will make any team he plays on better.

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so do you think we could get Cassell also?

hopefully Josh Boone will fall to us in the 2nd. he's kind of crazy looking also.

[Diesel]

JJ can be the Pimp of the all ugly team.

Put Lue, Worf, And Handsome Zaza on the corner.

[Packfill]

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I'm sorry to disagree EDS, but I don't think he's what the Hawks need at all. We already have 6'8" and 6'9" players with good upside at SF and an occasional spell at PF...but the biggest bang for our buck is not Shelden, it's a PG or a big. PERIOD. I understand he does grunt work, etc..etc, but I'm just not wanting the guy in a Hawks Uniform.

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Look at what he does though. The Hawks need a good rebounder, a good low post defender and a good shot blocker. Check, check and check for Sheldon Williams. Dude is thick too, which is the opposite of the typical welterweight forwards the Hawks have.

Remember height is not everything. Ben Wallace is 6'9" but is exactly the type of player the Hawks need. Alonzo Mourning was maybe 6'10", same with Hakeem. Similarlly Moses Malone, Bill Russell were maybe 6'10", Wes Unseld was even shorter.

[Spiral]

We'd have to sign Wilcox then, that dude is super fugly, especially when he styles his hair like freakin poodle.

[Seano]

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That said, people dismiss him because of his limited "upside" when all of the guys that have so much "potential" are really just guys that we all hope can produce the way Sheldon already has.

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That's pretty much the way I look at it. I don't look at Shelden and think in terms of potential. I look at him as being basically 'what you see is what you get', and as being ready to play in the NBA right now... not at some unknown future point that is entirely dependent on whether he ever reaches his potential or not. He's already there, now whether he can get even better is the million dollar question.

I think the 4 years at Duke really helped him refine his game. I agree with the thought that he plays a center's game (rebounding, blocking shots, rugged interior D) in a power forward's body. There no doubt that he's tough, and unafraid to mix it up.

[drzachary]

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Sorry Dee.

That's a crock.

Our problem has been a defensive big. Williams have proved himself over and over again that he's a defensive big.

I slightly prefer Aldridge but that's simply because of his height.. But I see Williams as a Warrior who will make any team he plays on better.

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so do you think we could get Cassell also?

hopefully Josh Boone will fall to us in the 2nd. he's kind of crazy looking also.

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Umm..

There is NO WAI Shelden starts on the All-Ugly team at PF over my hero....

HEYYYY YOUUUU GUYYYYYYYS

Popeye Jones!!!!

[Diesel]

Exactly.

One question I have about Aldridge, Thomas, and Cedric is weather they are powerful PFs. It's a question. With Shelden, there's no question about it. He's used to opposing Centers. To play him at PF will be the best thing in the world for him.

It's his natural position.

It fits our need.

He's good at what he does.

I also believe that he will improve alot more. while he be the marquee player? Probably not... At least not from an offensive point of view. But I do believe that he will be most important defense piece we have. We have Marvin, JJ, JC, and JS to try to reach their potential to be our Marquee player...

This is our Emeka Okafor! with better scoring.

[Seano]

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It's his natural position.

It fits our need.

He's good at what he does.

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He just might be the best fit for us right now, but #5 is probably still too high to take him.

In order to get full value for our pick and not make a reach, we might need to trade down- but possibly not below #9 or #10.

Thus the dilemma, who do you trade down with, and for what?

Of course all of this is entirely speculative, since no one right now is even positive about exactly how tall he is. All of that will be known in a few weeks though....

[Eddielives]

Taking Shelden at #5 will definitely be looked upon as a reach by the Hawks. That's why they need to play their hand to it's fullest value and get Shelden and perhaps another pick. They just better be damn sure that he's available where they pick if we trade down. And he is as close to what this team needs as we are going to get in this draft....seeing as how Aldridge will be long gone by the time we pick.

[exodus]

it is so weird for me to see Diesel on the Shelden bandwagon. Early in the year I was thinking that Shelden would be the best the Hawks could get considering I thought they would be picking in the 5-8 range. I even started a thread on the draft board keeping track of some of his big games.

Shelden

At that time Diesel was consistently dogging Shelden, saying he sucked and wasn't even a lottery pick.

Since that time some other guys have emerged that I would prefer over Shelden, although I still like him a lot and think he is being underrated. But I can't see how he improved so much in Diesels eyes months after the season ended. WTF

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since no one right now is even positive about exactly how tall he is. All of that will be known in a few weeks though....

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I'll tell you right now. He will be between 6'7" and 6'8" w/o shoes with a standing reach of about 9'1".

We should find out very soon if I am right since the combine is going on right now. The official measurements should come out this week.

[cyman3]

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I think the knock on him being short is over-rated.

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i agree. Like ur Barkley example, Ben Wallace is the same. No one will complain about Big Ben playing center for any team. As long as u have game + skill, ur game.

people are acting as if hes a 6'4" PF. If he was 2 inches taller, there would be absolutely NO DISCUSSION once so ever and he'd be a top 5 pick easily.

whats JUST as important as height is your stretch. if he has long arms, he can make up for his lack of height.

im also not advocating that we pick him. however, i think he will make a great pro.

heres the formula i came up with for Williams.

Sheldon Williams = Carlos Boozer + more defense - "i screwed the cavs over" reputation = top 10 pick.

[KB21]

The issue is, Shelden very likely won't be anything more than a guy who gets you 12 points, 8 rebounds, and 2 blocks a night. That's not what I want out of the 5th pick in the draft. It's solid, but I'd expect to get that more with the 12th pick than I would with the 5th pick. He simply doesn't have the potential to be a 20 and 10 guy at the NBA level.

I think the fact that his upside is limited is a reason to not take him with the 6th pick. You have to take the player that makes the most LONG TERM sense for your team. That player is typically the guy who is rated as the best player on your board.