Chris Paul Part Deux

[Charman212002]

It's never my intention to start a flame war, but for the life of me I can't understand why there isn't more support for the easy/logical pick of Mike Conley Jr. at 3. Every other post on the squawk proposes drafting Yi/Wright/Horford or trading away the pick. Um, why?

The single BIGGEST source of strife on the squawk for the last 2 years has been BK's passing on Chris Paul and Deron Williams. We already had a plethora of forwards (the argument goes) and needed a dynamic point to run the show. We're blasted around the league and in the media (see today's ESPN Daily Dime) for neglecting to fill the need and instead choosing a swingman.

We all cream our jeans picturing a dream backcourt of Chris Paul and Joe Johnson and lament how good "it could have been" if only we had got it right.

Well flash-forward to the present and the basketball gods have smiled upon our lowly Hawks(or felt sorry for us and we find ourselves in a position to draft a young, quick, pass-first, natural leader, point guard. Déjà vu.

The argument against Conley is that pick 3 is a reach. Huh? Pundits said the same thing about Paul and Williams (Deron) 2 years ago. If a player fills a (dire) need and is the best available talent at the postion, IN NO WAY IS IT A STRECH.

None of this is to say that Yi or any of the other proposed players won't become good or great. I don't know that conclusivly. What I do know is, WE DON'T NEED ANOTHER FORWARD. WE NEED A F’N POINT GUARD.:) (sorry….I’ve watched a lot of hawks games over the years. It’s pretty painful sometimes. : )

Drafting Conley is the simplest and most logical pick. We're getting our (pseudo) Chris Paul BUT because BK drafted out of order (this is luck, not a strategy) we get (superstar potential) Marvin Williams and (solid like a rock) Shelden Williams in the package as well. THIS IS THE BEST SENERIO OF THEM ALL!!! (...O.K. maybe getting Oden would have been better but I'm making a point here

We don't need to trade for "fill in overpaid vet name" or draft "fill in 6'9 forward we would play at center and then complain about the rest of the season". I understand this is a fan site and half the fun is proposing fun and outlandish scenarios, but it’s really quite simple, DRAFT THE PLAYER WE REALLY NEED, DRAFT MIKE CONLEY JR.

Thanks for letting me vent. 

[oiatlhawksfan]

He doesn't have Paul outside game, that allows Paul to create. With he's shooting ability, players have to respect him, and give him his space, which allows him to create for other. Conley doesn't have that outside game, so players won't respect him. I really don't understand this comparison at all. He's more of a Tony Parker, and just like Parker, it's gonna take him a while to fully develop.

[D.R.P.]

I agree with your post 100 percent. Its amazing how people on this board would rather draft an unpolished project forward with potential a la Marvin Williams instead of the best point guard in the draft. With all the complaints about Marvin being at bust at the age of 19 (which is ridiculous), then people want to draft a player who is not going to help the team win for years. This reminds me of 05' when I really wanted the Hawks to draft Chris Paul, but we drafted a forward instead, at least Marvin Williams was the consensus 1rst or 2nd pick in the draft, while Yi isn't. The player in the draft (outside of Oden or Durant) that will help this team the most right now and into the near future is unquestionably Mike Conley, Jr.

[AtLaS]

I agree. Billy Knight doesn't.

[oiatlhawksfan]

Wright can come in and put up 10/8, Conley would prolly be bench after 20 games. IDK why people say he's a project, if Lamarcus can come in an contribute, that Wright who is more athletic, could contribute.

[Joker]

Quote:

---

It's never my intention to start a flame war, but for the life of me I can't understand why there isn't more support for the easy/logical pick of Mike Conley Jr. at 3. Every other post on the squawk proposes drafting Yi/Wright/Horford or trading away the pick. Um, why?

The single BIGGEST source of strife on the squawk for the last 2 years has been BK's passing on Chris Paul and Deron Williams. We already had a plethora of forwards (the argument goes) and needed a dynamic point to run the show. We're blasted around the league and in the media (see today's ESPN Daily Dime) for neglecting to fill the need and instead choosing a swingman.

We all cream our jeans picturing a dream backcourt of Chris Paul and Joe Johnson and lament how good "it could have been" if only we had got it right.

Well flash-forward to the present and the basketball gods have smiled upon our lowly Hawks(or felt sorry for us

and we find ourselves in a position to draft a young, quick, pass-first, natural leader, point guard. Déjà vu.

The argument against Conley is that pick 3 is a reach. Huh? Pundits said the same thing about Paul and Williams (Deron) 2 years ago. If a player fills a (dire) need and is the best available talent at the postion, IN NO WAY IS IT A STRECH.

None of this is to say that Yi or any of the other proposed players won't become good or great. I don't know that conclusivly. What I do know is, WE DON'T NEED ANOTHER FORWARD. WE NEED A F’N POINT GUARD.:) (sorry….I’ve watched a lot of hawks games over the years. It’s pretty painful sometimes. : )

Drafting Conley is the simplest and most logical pick. We're getting our (pseudo) Chris Paul BUT because BK drafted out of order (this is luck, not a strategy) we get (superstar potential) Marvin Williams and (solid like a rock) Shelden Williams in the package as well. THIS IS THE BEST SENERIO OF THEM ALL!!! (...O.K. maybe getting Oden would have been better but I'm making a point here

We don't need to trade for "fill in overpaid vet name" or draft "fill in 6'9 forward we would play at center and then complain about the rest of the season". I understand this is a fan site and half the fun is proposing fun and outlandish scenarios, but it’s really quite simple, DRAFT THE PLAYER WE REALLY NEED, DRAFT MIKE CONLEY JR.

Thanks for letting me vent. 

---

Conley is no Paul, Paul lead his team, Paul was a leader, the heart of that squad, he created as good as anyone not named Deron that year. Conley is a overrated joke, seriously, he only showed that he can play with a great player and not be one. I'm just as high on Conley as I was on Sheldon.

[D.R.P.]

Quote:

---

He doesn't have Paul outside game, that allows Paul to create.

---

Paul didn't exactly come into the league lighting it up from the outside. In the 05-06 season he shot just .282 from 3-point range, but he improved to .350 in the 06-07 season. Still Paul only has a .433 career shooting percentage from the field. The knocks on Paul when he came into the NBA was his shooting ability and size.

[oiatlhawksfan]

I've watch Paul prolly more than anyone here. I live in New Orleans and watch the Hornets all the time. He shot alot from the outside because, in his first year, he's lack of supppourt from his teammates, he had to take over game very often. He's really a good mid-range shoother, and an above-average outside shooter. Conley is neither, he's a small slasher.

[D.R.P.]

Quote:

---

Conley is no Paul, Paul lead his team, Paul was a leader, the heart of that squad, he created as good as anyone not named Deron that year. Conley is a overrated joke, seriously, he only showed that he can play with a great player and not be one. I'm just as high on Conley as I was on Sheldon.

---

Apparently you didn't see any of Ohio State's basketball games this year, because if you did you would have seen that Conley was the unquestionable leader of the team. It was Conley who led their team; if you had watched more than one buckeye game {outside of the championship game) this year you would have seen that many times Oden was on the bench with foul trouble and Conley led their team to victory. There have been more dominant big guys in college than Oden (not as a freshman) Shaq, Duncan, to name a few but their teams never made it to the national championship because neither of them had a player near Conley's skill level on the team with them.

[vdunkndunk]

I haven't watched Connelly a lot this year.

I just hope people remember that Connelly isn't necessarily Chris Paul or Deron Williams just because the Hawks have a chance to draft him.

How good those two guys were has nothing to do with how good Connelly will be. You have to evaluate him on his own, without reference to who we've passed on in the past.

If Connelly really is that good, then we should draft him. If not, we don't have to draft him just because we've passed on other good PGs. We need a long, athletic, shotblocking, rebounding big just as much as we need a PG.

It just depends on who the best available guy is.

[Charman212002]

O.K. he's no Reggie Miller when it comes to a jumpshot, but is having a Tony Parker clone really a bad thing? The guy does have two championship rings and very well might get his third this season.

If it takes Conley a season or so to learn the pro game so be it. NO ONE in this draft (Oden and Durant included) is carying their team to the finals next year, so the learning curve argument (to me) is moot.

[D.R.P.]

Quote:

---

He's really a good mid-range shooter, and an above-average outside shooter.

---

Yet he's only a career .433 shooter from the field. They do differ in fact that Conley is a better defender than Paul. In no way am I saying that Conley will a better player than Paul though.

Also with all the point guards waltzing to the hole pass Lue or whomever is at the point, it surprises me that more people aren't behind the Hawks drafting Conley because not only would he dramatically improve our team's offense but he would also improve the defense.

[D.R.P.]

Also Conley shot .518 percent from the field at Ohio State, which isn't to shabby any way you look at it.

[TexasPete]

Conley has avery solid stroke and will be a good shooter sooner rather than later. He is also a better athlete than Paul...check out his almost 40' vertical, great court vision, and just smart play. I have seen him play a lot and he is a great PG. If we don't draft him we will be sorry again.

The Wright talk comes from someone who doesn't get it. Period.

We need a great young PG. Nothing is complicated. Draft Conley.

[Peoriabird]

Quote:

---

We need a great young PG. Nothing is complicated.

---

Point is that we will get a great young point guard regardless of who we draft at #3 because we have another draft pick at #11

[D.R.P.]

Quote:

---

Quote:

---

We need a great young PG. Nothing is complicated.

---

Point is that we will get a great young point guard regardless of who we draft at #3 because we have another draft pick at #11

---

But not as good a player as Conley. If we are going to be a running team we need to get the best point guard period.

[BusBoyIsBack]

YOu're wrong is so many ways, let me break down the main two

#1)Conley is nowhere near as good as Paul- Paul was a much better prospect than Conley. For one, HE COULD SHOOT and very well at that. He was a better passer, he was clutch, he was better EVERYTHING.

#2)It's not so much Conley not being worth the #3 pick as it is it's very poor VALUE considering what will be left at the 11th pick. If we wait till #11 we can still get a very good PG. If we wait till #11 to get a post player it will be nothing but garbage left.

[D.R.P.]

I guessing your response is to my post.

Quote:

---

#1)Conley is nowhere near as good as Paul- Paul was a much better prospect than Conley. For one, HE COULD SHOOT and very well at that. He was a better passer, he was clutch, he was better EVERYTHING.

---

First of all Conley just played 1 year in college compared to Paul's 2 years at Wake Forrest. Apparently you didn't see many Ohio State games also because Conley is truly a clutch player. To say Paul was better at everything is a stretch clearly Conley is a better defender. As I said earlier in no way am I implying that Conley will be a better player than Paul, seeing as though I am a Chris Paul fan and I wanted to the hawks to draft him before the draft.

Quote:

---

#2)It's not so much Conley not being worth the #3 pick as it is it's very poor VALUE considering what will be left at the 11th pick. If we wait till #11 we can still get a very good PG. If we wait till #11 to get a post player it will be nothing but garbage left.

---

How is picking Conley at #3 a poor value when the Grizzles most likely will take him at #4 if he's available. I mean I’ve seen actual full games that Conley has played in, unlike the Youtube clips only that people have seen of Yi. Are you saying the Hawks should take Spencer Hawes at #3 since he is the only true center that will be available at #3 in the draft with post skills since Hibbert pulled out. We don't need a center to be a scorer as much as we need one to be a good defender and rebounder; therefore the Hawks should look at moving the #11 pick and possibly one of our 1 million forwards for a true defensive center.

I say trade Lue, Sheldon and the #11 pick to the 76ers for Samuel Dalembert and the #12 pick.

[exodus]

Quote:

---

but for the life of me I can't understand why there isn't more support for the easy/logical pick of Mike Conley Jr. at 3.

---

Quote:

---

The argument against Conley is that pick 3 is a reach. Huh? Pundits said the same thing about Paul and Williams (Deron) 2 years ago. If a player fills a (dire) need and is the best available talent at the postion, IN NO WAY IS IT A STRECH.

---

Quote:

---

What I do know is, WE DON'T NEED ANOTHER FORWARD. WE NEED A F’N POINT GUARD.:) (sorry….I’ve watched a lot of hawks games over the years. It’s pretty painful sometimes. : )

---

Quote:

---

Drafting Conley is the simplest and most logical pick.

---

Quote:

---

We don't need to trade for "fill in overpaid vet name" or draft "fill in 6'9 forward we would play at center and then complain about the rest of the season". I understand this is a fan site and half the fun is proposing fun and outlandish scenarios, but it’s really quite simple, DRAFT THE PLAYER WE REALLY NEED, DRAFT MIKE CONLEY JR.

---

Nice post. I can't really add anything. I have been making this same argument for days.

[Diesel]

It's very simple:

1. Paul was a scoring PG. Conley is not.

2. Conley is trying to portray himself as a pure PG but really, there aren't any skinny Pure PGs save Brevin Knight. Most are 6'3 and are around 190 to 210.

But here's the kicker..

We have a second pick.

With that second pick, there's the expectation that we can get Law or Crittendon.

IMO, Law is the better prospect for us because our scoring sucks. We need a shooter and Law could be the guy. However, BK may have an eye for Critt becuase of his size.

So, with the gap between Conley and Law and Crittendon not being so great, the first pick can be used to get a superstar type weather it be Yi or Pau Gasol.