why all the Sheldon hate?

[GTHawk]

I want Sheldon to succeed and I don't understand all the hate. Here is his games stats at the end of the season once he got over the injury. The #'s are solid when healthy..

Game By Game Stats

Date Opponent Result MIN FGM-A 3PM-A FTM-A OFF DEF REB AST STL BLK TO PF PTS

Apr 17 vs. IND W 118-102 41 9-13 0-0 3-5 2 8 10 2 2 2 0 4 21

Apr 16 @ MIL L 96-102 41 6-9 0-0 4-4 7 10 17 3 1 1 0 3 16

Apr 14 @ CLE L 76-110 37 6-13 0-0 1-2 3 8 11 1 3 1 2 4 13

Apr 13 vs. WAS L 85-98 36 6-7 0-0 2-5 3 7 10 0 2 3 4 3 14

Apr 10 vs. BOS W 104-96 26 5-7 0-0 4-5 2 6 8 0 1 1 5 3 14

Apr 8 @ PHI L 104-109 29 1-3 0-0 1-4 1 7 8 0 2 0 2 5 3

Apr 6 vs. MIL W 115-102 28 4-8 0-0 4-6 6 10 16 2 3 0 3 4 12

Apr 4 @ NJN L 86-101 31 3-8 0-0 3-4 5 9 14 2 2 0 2 3 9

[SmooveTheFuture]

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I want Sheldon to succeed and I don't understand all the hate. Here is his games stats at the end of the season once he got over the injury. The #'s are solid when healthy..

Game By Game Stats

Date Opponent Result MIN FGM-A 3PM-A FTM-A OFF DEF REB AST STL BLK TO PF PTS

Apr 17 vs. IND W 118-102 41 9-13 0-0 3-5 2 8 10 2 2 2 0 4 21

Apr 16 @ MIL L 96-102 41 6-9 0-0 4-4 7 10 17 3 1 1 0 3 16

Apr 14 @ CLE L 76-110 37 6-13 0-0 1-2 3 8 11 1 3 1 2 4 13

Apr 13 vs. WAS L 85-98 36 6-7 0-0 2-5 3 7 10 0 2 3 4 3 14

Apr 10 vs. BOS W 104-96 26 5-7 0-0 4-5 2 6 8 0 1 1 5 3 14

Apr 8 @ PHI L 104-109 29 1-3 0-0 1-4 1 7 8 0 2 0 2 5 3

Apr 6 vs. MIL W 115-102 28 4-8 0-0 4-6 6 10 16 2 3 0 3 4 12

Apr 4 @ NJN L 86-101 31 3-8 0-0 3-4 5 9 14 2 2 0 2 3 9

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hmmm these were meaningless games against some of the worst teams in the NBA not impressive at all. For being 24 yrs old and supposedly the most nba player he should be alot better

[jerrywest]

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I want Sheldon to succeed and I don't understand all the hate. Here is his games stats at the end of the season once he got over the injury. The #'s are solid when healthy..

Game By Game Stats

Date Opponent Result MIN FGM-A 3PM-A FTM-A OFF DEF REB AST STL BLK TO PF PTS

Apr 17 vs. IND W 118-102 41 9-13 0-0 3-5 2 8 10 2 2 2 0 4 21

Apr 16 @ MIL L 96-102 41 6-9 0-0 4-4 7 10 17 3 1 1 0 3 16

Apr 14 @ CLE L 76-110 37 6-13 0-0 1-2 3 8 11 1 3 1 2 4 13

Apr 13 vs. WAS L 85-98 36 6-7 0-0 2-5 3 7 10 0 2 3 4 3 14

Apr 10 vs. BOS W 104-96 26 5-7 0-0 4-5 2 6 8 0 1 1 5 3 14

Apr 8 @ PHI L 104-109 29 1-3 0-0 1-4 1 7 8 0 2 0 2 5 3

Apr 6 vs. MIL W 115-102 28 4-8 0-0 4-6 6 10 16 2 3 0 3 4 12

Apr 4 @ NJN L 86-101 31 3-8 0-0 3-4 5 9 14 2 2 0 2 3 9

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hmmm these were meaningless games against some of the worst teams in the NBA not impressive at all. For being 24 yrs old and supposedly the most nba player he should be alot better

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Going 13 and 11 against final bound Cleveland fighting for playoff positioning can't be meaningless. Going 9 and 14 against NJ who were fighting for their playoff lives can't be meaningless. Smoove love may make you blind, but you should be happy about the encouraging season ending spree of Shelden.

[SmooveTheFuture]

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I want Sheldon to succeed and I don't understand all the hate. Here is his games stats at the end of the season once he got over the injury. The #'s are solid when healthy..

Game By Game Stats

Date Opponent Result MIN FGM-A 3PM-A FTM-A OFF DEF REB AST STL BLK TO PF PTS

Apr 17 vs. IND W 118-102 41 9-13 0-0 3-5 2 8 10 2 2 2 0 4 21

Apr 16 @ MIL L 96-102 41 6-9 0-0 4-4 7 10 17 3 1 1 0 3 16

Apr 14 @ CLE L 76-110 37 6-13 0-0 1-2 3 8 11 1 3 1 2 4 13

Apr 13 vs. WAS L 85-98 36 6-7 0-0 2-5 3 7 10 0 2 3 4 3 14

Apr 10 vs. BOS W 104-96 26 5-7 0-0 4-5 2 6 8 0 1 1 5 3 14

Apr 8 @ PHI L 104-109 29 1-3 0-0 1-4 1 7 8 0 2 0 2 5 3

Apr 6 vs. MIL W 115-102 28 4-8 0-0 4-6 6 10 16 2 3 0 3 4 12

Apr 4 @ NJN L 86-101 31 3-8 0-0 3-4 5 9 14 2 2 0 2 3 9

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hmmm these were meaningless games against some of the worst teams in the NBA not impressive at all. For being 24 yrs old and supposedly the most nba player he should be alot better

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Going 13 and 11 against final bound Cleveland fighting for playoff positioning can't be meaningless. Going 9 and 14 against NJ who were fighting for their playoff lives can't be meaningless. Smoove love may make you blind, but you should be happy about the encouraging season ending spree of Shelden.

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Ok 3 out of the 9 games vs playoff teams big deal. I guess im blind cause 6 of those teams were lottery teams.

[Dexmethylphenidate]

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I want Sheldon to succeed and I don't understand all the hate. Here is his games stats at the end of the season once he got over the injury. The #'s are solid when healthy..

Game By Game Stats

Date Opponent Result MIN FGM-A 3PM-A FTM-A OFF DEF REB AST STL BLK TO PF PTS

Apr 17 vs. IND W 118-102 41 9-13 0-0 3-5 2 8 10 2 2 2 0 4 21

Apr 16 @ MIL L 96-102 41 6-9 0-0 4-4 7 10 17 3 1 1 0 3 16

Apr 14 @ CLE L 76-110 37 6-13 0-0 1-2 3 8 11 1 3 1 2 4 13

Apr 13 vs. WAS L 85-98 36 6-7 0-0 2-5 3 7 10 0 2 3 4 3 14

Apr 10 vs. BOS W 104-96 26 5-7 0-0 4-5 2 6 8 0 1 1 5 3 14

Apr 8 @ PHI L 104-109 29 1-3 0-0 1-4 1 7 8 0 2 0 2 5 3

Apr 6 vs. MIL W 115-102 28 4-8 0-0 4-6 6 10 16 2 3 0 3 4 12

Apr 4 @ NJN L 86-101 31 3-8 0-0 3-4 5 9 14 2 2 0 2 3 9

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hmmm these were meaningless games against some of the worst teams in the NBA not impressive at all. For being 24 yrs old and supposedly the most nba player he should be alot better

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Going 13 and 11 against final bound Cleveland fighting for playoff positioning can't be meaningless. Going 9 and 14 against NJ who were fighting for their playoff lives can't be meaningless. Smoove love may make you blind, but you should be happy about the encouraging season ending spree of Shelden.

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Ok 3 out of the 9 games vs playoff teams big deal. I guess im blind cause 6 of those teams were lottery teams.

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You are blind. Count again. He was given more minutes and he produce you a rookie of the month; if he was given more minutes consistently in the middle of the season he would've not been such a disappointment with most fans.

[mrhonline]

It's not "hate." It's the reality that Al Horford should be able to put up similar numbers, has more upside, and is better able to defend the center position.

[ncthompson11]

The criticism should be given to woodson not sheldon. Even if they were against scrub teams or against the other teams subs, we can at least say he gives it his all every night regardless of the opponent.

[Final_quest]

I think you can also say that at least Sheldon outplays NBA scrubs. Not a ringing endorsement for a #5 pick, but indicates a level of ability that he can be a contributing NBA player.

Basically he gave us a reason for hope.

[Hawk88]

I agree that Sheldon is underrated. I used Zach Randolf as an example and his first year he did nothing. I think it takes a Big time to develop. Will Sheldon be a star like Boozer, probably not, but he may still be a good defensive presence which is why we drafted him. I think when they look back at this draft it will clearly be weak and his selection will not have been disastrous. We shall see, but way to early to give up on him.

Hawk**

[SmooveTheFuture]

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I agree that Sheldon is underrated. I used Zach Randolf as an example and his first year he did nothing. I think it takes a Big time to develop. Will Sheldon be a star like Boozer, probably not, but he may still be a good defensive presence which is why we drafted him. I think when they look back at this draft it will clearly be weak and his selection will not have been disastrous. We shall see, but way to early to give up on him.

Hawk**

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Zach Randolph was 19 years old when he came into the nba with very little college exp. Shelden Williams on the other hand was a 4 year college player who entered the NBA at 23 years. You can tell he has very little upside compared to the skillset of guy like Randolph coming out of college. Im sorry but for being a 4 year senior and said to be the most ready nba player I wouldnt to see alot more then that.

[WorldBFree]

the fact is no other team was gonna take Shelden in top 7-8 (at least), which means ATL could have traded down if they were so focused on SW.

his #s aren't bad when he was healthy. but the expectations for a top-5 pick are more than just "not bad when healthy." 1st team all-rookie is not unreasonable to expect from top-5.

he does deserve more time to be evaluated. his problem now is the team mgt obviously didn't think he was the answer and drafted someone at #3 who will be competing for minutes.

this next year is time for Shelden to step up and produce consistently. if he can do 20-30 minutes, 10-12pts, 10-12rebs, and 1-2 bpg, that would be great.

[deester11]

In the position we were in, I can understand wanting to get a "Big," but I hated the way we played that draft to get Shell. I don't like him, but I am going to give him the benefit of the doubt for this season. The problem is that with Horford, I don't see have any reason to believe that Shelden is going to progress, get more minutes or have any production above what he did last year.

That blows.

[Gray Mule]

#1 - He's just not a great P.G. - And that's what we wanted.

#2 - We hate him because of the place he was picked in

the draft. Why wasn't he picked lower? (We didn't

have a lower pick, so what could we do? No guarantee

that he would be available if we had traded down.)

#3 - Much of the season, he played while injured. Because

of this he wasn't 100%, therefore we hate on him.

#4 - We hate on him because we just don't like his looks.

#5 - Jealousy. This ugly (?) looking guy then has the

nerve to show up with a beautiful, talented player

from Tennessee. Candice Parker led them to the

college championship, then they announced their

engagement.

So, what's NOT to hate about this guy? Before his injury,

he was leading all rookies in rebounds. The last month

of the season, he was rookie of the month. This was

after he recovered from his injury. Hawks needed some

defensive presence inside. We drafted him for this.

Then, to complicate matters, the Hawks drafted another

big, defensive player this year. We now have two (Gasp)

big bodies to cover the inside. One for center and

one for P.F. Throwing Josh Smith in there, along with

Zaza, Hawks are now four deep inside. Just horrible,

isn't it!! Now, everyone can't get 48 minutes every

game - Wow! Imagine, getting some rest - - - -

[Diesel]

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It's the reality that Al Horford should be able to put up similar numbers, has more upside, and is better able to defend the center position.

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Let's talk about BS here. First you say It's the reality... Reality means something that constitutes a real or actual thing, as distinguished from something that is merely apparent.

You say it's a reality that Al Horford should be able to put up similar numbers:

Let's say that that is true, Horford was not a better offensive player than Shelden and he was not as good a rebounder as Shelden (in college). He played a very similar role in college and he did the samething (dominate smaller players).

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has more upside,

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My BS meter just went off. Horford doesn't have any upside? Unless you mean his scoring can only get better. Upside relates to one's potential and it means going higher. Horford is about at the top of his potential right now. That's why he's called the most NBA ready in the draft.. mainly because he's about at the top of his potential curve. His scoring can increase, but it prolly won't. His defense can improve but it prolly won't. He's athletic but Speed doesn't help you play post defense so that won't help either. Let's throw some names out:

Lonnie Baxter.

Bison Dele

That's his low and his high... There is no great upside with a player who is not a volume scorer and who is not a good defender.

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is better able to defend the center position.

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You're joking right? You consider this a reality. Go back and look at Shelden's college career at Center. They called him the landlord because he was crafty enough to push opposing Centers out of the paint. Go back to Shelden's Junior Year, he played Okafor. It was a great game. Horford only has 2 games on his resume against quality bigs.. and in both games, those guys damn near got their career highs on him.

Horford might be a good rebounder, but he won't be a great defender and definitely not at the Center position. Be prepared to see him coming off the bench behind Smoove because he's a PF.

[WorldBFree]

there wasn't any draft expert or pre-draft speculation that had Shelden going as high as the top 7 (at least), and there was near unanimous agreement after the draft that ATL reached for Shelden b/c no other team had him rated that high.

[AHF]

Why do you think that Shelden was considered by the rest of the league to be less desirable in a much weaker draft than Horford was in a much stronger draft?

To put it another way, the lowest Horford would go in this draft was #4 overall.

Do you think there is a prayer that Shelden could have gone in the top 9 in this one? If not, why not? (If so, then you differ from my estimation.)

I am not nearly ready to throw Shelden under the bus but he isn't as good a prospect as Horford. Frankly, I was hoping Horford would go pro last year and that we would take him then over Shelden.

[oiatlhawksfan]

I agree the, the hate on this guys is not deserved. He's a double-double waiting to happen, he may never be the defender we hoped he would be, but he'll be a very solid player, maybe not for this team, in the long run though.

[Diesel]

The Hype Machine pays attention to what teams win the NCAA championship (Hello Marvin). The Hype Machine also don't factor in if you played beside dominate players like Noah and Brewer who make you look good (Hello Marvin again).

The simple truth is that Horford got a lot of press because he was a part of a winning program and he has an NBA Body (Hello Marvin again). However, on a game by game basis:

1. Horford is not a great defensive player.

2. Horford is not a great offensive player.

3. Horford may be a good rebounder.

However for us, his skillset is a weak duplicate of Shelden's.

[exodus]

Horford would have to be better than Shelden by a wide margin to justify the 3rd pick. He would also have to be able to play center well to justify the pick.

I hope i am wrong but i don't see it.

[HawkNJersey]

This draft is only considered deep because of the top 2 players...who else is star worthy? Who else will be a franchise changer? Anyone drafted from the 3rd pick on will be role players....