JT for #4 pick? Would you do it....

[dimes4life]

If JT is still on a rokie contract than the Hawks can get rid of JT to the Raptors who are desperate for a second scoring option and the Hawks than can draft anybody they would like after Lebron, Darco and Mello are gone....how bout that?

[capstone21]

nope, I do not want to start over again with an unproven college talent.

We know what JT can do. If he is to be traded it is for a player that can instantly help this team get better.

[Diesel]

We bring TJ Ford in and let him scrimmage against JT.

Sure the league will fine us but if TJ is all that they say... It will be interesting. Play some 5 on 5 with a mixed squad.

I would hate to see Ford as the next Jason Kidd.

[cyman3]

i donno... TJ FORD- man. Pass up on a JasonKidd type player?

If he was strong at workouts and really did look like a future Jason Kidd- i probably would.

But then again, we still need that typical sharpshooting SG to go w/ Ford. If a rookie Ford is our only ball handler (like JT was), he'd do worse than JT... our turnovers would be sky high (if it isint already)!

[Guest]

But what if he's just Brevin Knight?

[JaHawk10]

TJ Ford a Jason Kidd type? I dunno. He's not that impressive to me. I see him being more in the mold of Kenny Anderson...

[cyman3]

again... like i said- if the guy had strong workouts and really did look like a PG with that extra 6th sense (know where ur teammates are without looking)... the special thing KIDD and MAGIC has that made them special.

These days, all the PGs tend to be like Jason Terry (not a bad thing) but not to the degree of his level.

I would take JT before KIDD when it comes to 3-point contest, ft contest, or just straight up SHOOTING CONTEST. But when it comes to making a foundation for ur team- u need that special player that only comes once or twice a decade.

Now, dont get me wrong. If TJ FORD looked like another brevin knight/kenny anderson (again, its not a bad thing- just not as good as people expected) in his workouts, i'd keep JASON TERRY.

Its a good thing i dont have to make these decisions... i wouldnt want that type of pressure

[Admin]

The only people who would compare TJ Ford to Kenny Anderson or Brevin Knight are people who are showing themselves to be VERY uneducated about TJ Ford. Trust me I have been watching this kid play for years (he played HS ball down the street from where I live) and I watched him play quite a few games on local TV and then the tourney of course. Its true that he isnt much of a shooter, but he can get to the basket as well as any PG in the NBA, even JT, but what makes him so special is his ability to set up the open man by doing so and by being able to get him the ball. He is going to be one of those players that several teams will be wondering why they overlooked him. One of the biggest things that you cannot overlook with Ford is the fact that EVERYWHERE he has been in his life has led to a winning team. The guy is a winner and makes his teammates better.

[Admin]

Is that a trade that you guys would do? I [censored] sure know that I would and it works salary wise. Would the Raptors do it though? Jeffries is a guy that I liked a ton coming out of the draft and I believe he has real potential to be a Doug Christie type of player in this league and Mo Pete would be a good swingman to have in the backcourt with our draft pick Ford.

Ford/Dickau

Mo Pete/DJ

Dog/Dion or Newble

SAR/Hendu

Theo/Nazr

I dont know if that lineup would be that much better, but I have to believe that having a true PG like Ford would instantly make this team more of a team with his court vision and instincts.

[Playoffs03]

Dolfan23

i like your deal a lot.

mo pete is a pretty good scorer but he is inconsistent. he will be more consistent when playing along side a true point guard like tj ford and jefferies can take over newble's role. this deal saves us money because we don't need to sign newble anymore.

unlike mo pete, jt is much better at creating his own shots and would give the raptors a consistent 2nd option, in addition, alvin is not a great ball handler or distributor, by having jt playing the 2, they can compromise each others strengths and weaknesses. jt would be a real great fit for them.

[Diesel]

MY only question is can Mo Pete run the two? And, I would love to see a mixed squad scrimmage between these two before draft night:

JT/Glover/Ira/SAR/Theo

vs.

Ford/DJ/Grob/Hendu/Nazr

I mean, that's a simple request. IF we were to do that trade, let's see what we got? I think Ford would do a fine job. The only concerns I have about Ford is his size.... BUT being that he is a PG, I don't think that's a problem.

[Diesel]

Well, I will say that he has Lots more speed than JK could ever have. But mainly what I was talking about was Court vision and passing ability.

I watched Texas play a couple of times this year. He puts the ball on a laser beam. The last person I saw do that out of the draft was Kidd.

[Diesel]

I like Ford. I mean, he's a winner. NCAA player of the year. 75-1 in his HS last 2 seasons. He's a major player. BUT there's also Dwayne Wade and Chris Bosh.

With Wade, he's going to be a 2. He plays well, but like JT, he's short.

With Bosh, he's going to be a fine player once he gets some work in the weight room.

[Guest]

Didn't we say this very stuff about Dickau last year?

Although Dickau was only a rookie...People made him

out as the next star PG in the league while I think

he might become an average starter one day...

I've only read things about Ford here in there.I'm not

a huge college as I've mentioned several times.I can

only go by what I've read....But Dolfan,I told you Dunleavy

JR would be a bust and he looks like he might be one.

[Diesel]

Ford is not some Duke Product.

Ford has the goods. He is a guy that is able to take over a game by controlling the game. When Dickau came out last year, there were a lot that said his game is similar to JT's. Fast, score first PG. Ford is actually a fast floor general.

The thing about Draft picks is that there's no guarantees in the draft. I happen to believe that for 2-3 years, James will look like a Bust. The rookie of the year next year just might be a guy like Sweetney... If he goes to a team that has need. BUT nowadays, teams get players that they expect to be special in 2-3 years.

[Gray Mule]

IF And that's a big IF, Hawks draft another guard, don't

make any major trades, or even if they do, would they

consider a trade of Dickau for Dunleavy?

Seems that neither team is really excited with what they

have. Rookies that didn't become stars their first year

on the floor in the N.B.A.

Someone on the Hawk's roster from last season must go.

We have a draft pick in the first round. DerMarr is

expected to return. This makes two slots out of twelve.

This year's draft looks deep and Hawks probably will have

a pretty good player available in round #2.

If every N.B.A. team gains two new players in this year's

draft, one from each round, that means there will only be

ten slots on each team to fill.

Some of last year's players will retire. That opens up a

position each time one retires, but it looks like there will

be a real fight for the remaining positions. We know all

the star players have no real worries. They will have many

teams after their talents.

That leaves all the rest, fighting for a spot. The more

players from the draft that make an N.B.A. team, the fewer

openings there will be left for all the other players {Non

starters} which should make things real interesting when

they start setting the rosters for the opening of the

season. After all, only a limited number will make it.

[KB21]

I'm still uncertain about Ford's ability to defend in the NBA. If we are going to trade JT and keep Big Dog, SAR, I at least want to surround those two with good defenders. I don't think Ford fits into that category.

If I got the 4th pick, I'd probably use it on Chris Bosh regardless.

If I were looking for a point guard in this draft, the one I'd look to get is Marcus Banks. I feel he'll step right in and be able to defend in the NBA.

[Guest]

and that's really going to be what makes him special, if he becomes something special, his 6th sense. I say this mostly because I don't know, I haven't seen him play enough...and most of the highlights and footage I've seen have been of his drives to the basket...but I'll say this - if he has to rely too much on his ability to get to the basket, drive and dish, etc...then he's a gonner. He simply can't do what he did in college in the NBA, not against guys on the inside like Wallace, PJ Brown, the list goes on and on...but the bigger guys will crush him ~ the man couldn't even get up 185 once

[Admin]

This kid is going to be a very good player. He showed some signs last year of some real talent and with the right amount of playing time and seasoning I think he will easily be able to fill a Mike Miller type of role.

Same with Dickau. He was injured much of last year and also he is a PG that is going to take some time to learn how to run an NBA team and play at NBA speed. [censored] just look at how much Nash bounced around before he finally learned how to be an NBA PG. Dickau has that type of ability and I dont believe the team is ready to give up on that. As far as him being compared to Ford, well thats not even a comparison I believe. While Ford isnt a very big or strong guy, he is probably the fastest on the court player to come out in a long long time. I dont see him having a problem breaking anyone of the PGs down off of the dribble and getting to the basket. Like someone else mentioned though, he will have to learn to protect himself from getting beaten up in the paint though. Still, Ford is a MUCH MUCH more natural PG than Dickau or JT or most of the PGs in the NBA and has a real flair for setting his teammates up for open looks. Just watch how bad Texas will be this year without Ford. They wont even be half as good without him. He has the ability to make everyone on the floor better and thats just what the Hawks need.

For me it would be very hard to pass up on Bosh with that 4th pick, but if we traded JT to get that pick then we absolutely have to get a PG out of the draft that can start immediately and Ford is the only one who I feel can do that. Dickau definitely isnt ready to start and we dont have enough FA money to sign someone, unless we could get Kenny Anderson for the mid level. Also, with Bosh this is a guy who needs to start playing ASAP so he can learn the NBA game and where are we going to be able to find time for him? I think he should start right away, so if we drafted him we would either need to move Dog or Reef. Since I think that Reef is more suited to play PF and thats where Bosh needs to play, I would say that we should move Reef. Maybe we can trade Reef to the Heat for Jones and the #5 pick also. That would leave us looking like this:

Ford/Dickau

Jones/Mo Pete/DJ

Dog/Jeffries/Crawford

Bosh/Hendu

Theo/Nazr

That would be our 12 man roster. We would be very young throughout most of our roster, but having 3 veteran presences starting should help that. Dog would become the first option and that may actually help him to become an All-Star player again.

[jezmund]

I'd do it but I don't think I could pass up on Chris Bosh. Maybe it's because I'm a GT fan, but I just love the ability and potential of this guy. Than maybe a Grob for Stoudamire or something. Grab Pavlovic/Diaw/Howard at #21

Stoudamire/Dickau

Peterson/???

Pavlovic/Jefferies

SAR/Bosh/Hendu

Theo/Nazr

....or maybe even trade SAR for an all-star caliber SF and start Hendu at PF until Bosh is ready.