Remember when WE thought Darko had more potential

[HAWKEYE]

than Zaza. I thought he was getting lost on Detroit's bench. Zaza was getting his shot blocked multiple times by Smoove when he was with Milwaukee. I would have bet my money and lost it on the potential of Darko. Yesterday Zaza wore Darko out in the middle. Just a little over a year since and Zaza is being compared to Chris Kaman. What will his continued improvement bring? I know you going to say you saw Z's potential in Milwaukee.

[Lascar78]

Zaza is clearly better, but I still would probably say Darko has more potential. I know one thing for sure, I still wish we could have worked out an Al Harrington for Darko trade like I was hoping for at the time.

[TheNorthCydeRises]

LOL . . . who is "we"?

I haven't had confidence in Darko since Day 1. That's not to say that he won't turn out to be a decent ballplayer, because he may turn the corner . . . someday.

But it's like I told the guy hyping up Saer Sene. Most big man projects turn out to be way less than expected. If they're not showing signs right out the gate that they have talent that can be molded into big time talent, then they'll probably never live up to the hype.

As far as ZaZa goes, the main issue with him is defense and strength. As an offensive player, ZaZa is pretty good for a PF/C that doesn't use his strength or great athletic ability to produce results.

No one can honestly say that they knew that ZaZa was going to be this good with us. But ZaZa, in his benchwarming days in Milwaukee, did at least give a sign that he had some game offensively.

But it's ZaZa's hustle that makes him the player that he is today.

[WraithSentinel]

Pistons wish we could workout a Darko for Al deal as well now. If they are going to be playing Sheed at C this year. Al would have fit perfectly in with that line-up.

C-Sheed

PF-Harrington

SF-Prince

SG-Rip

PG-Billups

Not a championship line-up. Surely would be more explosive.

[Blunt91]

We have Woodsen to thank for blocking a Al Harrington for Darko Deal. Sure would have been better than a late first rounder for Al. I guess Woodsen knew he had more of a chance to win some games last season with Al than with Darko.

[Lascar78]

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We have Woodsen to thank for blocking a Al Harrington for Darko Deal.

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We don't know that. I believe one report said Woodson was against it, and one report said we offered it and detroit wasn't interested.

[Swatguy]

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We have Woodsen to thank for blocking a Al Harrington for Darko Deal. Sure would have been better than a late first rounder for Al. I guess Woodsen knew he had more of a chance to win some games last season with Al than with Darko.

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I am not closed to convinced that Darko is as good as a late first rounder. Is he really guaranteed money?

[Guest Walter]

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I am not closed to convinced that Darko is as good as a late first rounder. Is he really guaranteed money?

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Since Darko is the age of college senior now I'd say he's just about to come into his own. He will always be a lottery pick talent.

W

[Gray Mule]

"A bird in hand is worth more than two in the brush."

Potential. That is the hopes that the currrent Hawks

team is built on - and we, the hard core fans here on

Hawksquawk believe it is working.

Having Darko now would, in my way of thinking, have been

much better than a future pick we still don't have.

In today's NBA, we see so many players come into the

league that are far younger than days of old. Sure,

a few make it big as soon as they hit the floor. Most

have to mature a few seasons.

Hawks have waited on our players to mature - which they

are doing. Zaza is showing that maturity now. Darko

is just now beginning to show his.

Hindsight is always 20-20. We all like the game of

coulda - shoulda - ought to have.

Darko for Al Harrington - Now impossible, but it would

have been nice.

[Vol4ever]

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We have Woodsen to thank for blocking a Al Harrington for Darko Deal. Sure would have been better than a late first rounder for Al. I guess Woodsen knew he had more of a chance to win some games last season with Al than with Darko.

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I am not closed to convinced that Darko is as good as a late first rounder. Is he really guaranteed money?

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Well I will say this, we got NOTHING for Harrington! End of story.

[Johnnybravo4]

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We have Woodsen to thank for blocking a Al Harrington for Darko Deal. Sure would have been better than a late first rounder for Al. I guess Woodsen knew he had more of a chance to win some games last season with Al than with Darko.

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I am not closed to convinced that Darko is as good as a late first rounder. Is he really guaranteed money?

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Well I will say this, we got NOTHING for Harrington! End of story.

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We got a pick and 10 million in cap space...I think that is far from nothing.

[Guest Walter]

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We have Woodsen to thank for blocking a Al Harrington for Darko Deal. Sure would have been better than a late first rounder for Al. I guess Woodsen knew he had more of a chance to win some games last season with Al than with Darko.

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I am not closed to convinced that Darko is as good as a late first rounder. Is he really guaranteed money?

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Well I will say this, we got NOTHING for Harrington! End of story.

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We got a pick and 10 million in cap space...I think that is far from nothing.

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...and the pick is a farce of a pick. Come on, man. Get real. We gave away Al for a 20-something pick but used a top 5 pick, the last we SHOULD have for 10 years or more, for at best Al's inverse equivalent?!? How is one worth so little and the other so much?

Cap space doesn't hang from the rafters, role playing 5th picks don't win championships for 26 win teams, particularly when equivalent inverse players were lost to a firesale.

W

[bootsybug]

can anyone provide some verification that we turned down the darko for al trade? what player would detroit have given us as well to make the salaries match?

getting rid of al made me happy from a basketball/chemistry point of view. glad to have a pick in next year's draft, too.

and yes, i do think a player like shelden is REQUIRED for any championship team - who cares where they were drafted.

walter, DRAFT SLOTS don't hang from rafters, either. you're a really smart guy, be creative, think of something new to harp on.

[Johnnybravo4]

I think a pic in the 20's is good considering that he was a UFA that didn't want to be here and we didn't want him. And on the contrary, good role players are what move teams from bad teams to good teams....i.e Ben Gordon in Chicago. Johan Petro and Damien Wilkins in Seattle, Ben Wallace in Detroit, Jojo in Phoenix...etc

Theoretically, role players picked at #5 should be better than role players picked later.

Our pick in the 20's next year could be used for another role player, one who could turn out to be a superior player who fell, i.e. Marcus Williams and Rajon Rondo.

If you concede the fact that we probably won't win the championship this year, then cap space and picks are more important to us now than role stiffs such as David Harrison, or Darko or any other stiff that was offered to us. This is why in 2 years, us and Charlotte will be two of the top 5 teams in the east because not only do we both have superior young talent that will win already, but we will both have gobs of salary cap space to acquire benches that could probably kill most teams. Think about it this way. We have lottery talent both playing backup 2 guard and backup PF. Tyronne Lue will probably be our 3rd PG at some point. And if a player like Dwight Howard shakes loose we could have Zaza Pachulia as our backup, who will probably avg 15/10 this year. The same goes for Charlotte. How many teams will have that?