JayWalker article

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http://hawks.realgm.com/showarticle.php?artid=321

While explaining everything from the slow-as-molasses franchise sale talks to pending free agency and everything in between, Hawks President Stan Kasten and Acting General Manager Billy Knight sat down with the Atlanta media to go over some of the items pressing for the team.

---The Draft

Knight spoke at length about length, the length of a player. He likes the long, athletic swingmen that permeate this draft, particularly around where the Hawks pick at #21.

He likes to see versatility in roles, not just positions, in this group. Players like Josh Howard, David West, Aleksandar Pavlovic, and Boris Diaw are just the kind of flexible players that Knight is looking for.

However, he also says that good big men are hard to find, which means that international big men like Sofoklis Schortsanitis and Zarko Cabarkapa may be in the mix as well.

The Hawks worked out 55 players in all this draft period, most of any in recent memory, according to Kasten. There have been players of all positions, and Knight believes that, while the draft is a very young draft, there can be some contributors in there, even if it isn’t immediate.

Of the recent ESPN mock draft that saw Georgia, USA standout Jarvis Hayes fall to the Hawks, Knight said that, through all the mock drafts he’s been through with some of his colleagues, Hayes was long gone by the time the Hawks picked. But when asked what he thought of Hayes, Knight said that he is an impressive athlete with a lot of talent and that he would be considered, of course.

Hayes did not work out for the Hawks because his people advised him against working out so low in the draft. Knight said, that while the workout is a part of the entire scouting process, it is not the only one, and that they have seen a lot of Jarvis. One thing that occurs in workouts that Knight would have liked to have seen from Hayes is to put him through drills that the Hawks think he might be asked to do in games in the NBA but was not asked to do in college. One of those things might have been to display some ball handling skills, something that Hayes is not known for and something that the Hawks need badly in the backcourt.

Knight says he has been called about 2-3 times, on the average, about a possible deal, but nothing serious.

When the time comes for Knight to make the pick, he says he will take the best player available, regardless of position.

---Free Agency

Jason Terry will be tendered a 2.99 million dollar qualifying offer in the next day or two, according to Kasten. That will make JT a restricted free agent and give the Hawks the right to match any offer sheet that Terry signs. Given the luxury tax situation, and the fact that the Spurs, Nuggets, and Jazz are the three teams with mucho dinero to launch this offseason, Terry doesn’t figure to get a better long term offer than the one he might get offered by the Hawks.

Even if JT is tendered and does not sign an offer sheet elsewhere, the Hawks have until the first game of the season to sign a long term deal. If not, and Terry begins his fifth year on the qualifier, then he is not eligible to be traded and at the end of the season, on July 1st, 2004, Terry becomes unrestricted.

The news is not so clear for Dion Glover, of whom Kasten is unclear about. Glover may be tendered in time for the June 30 deadline, but with the plethora of swingman talent in the draft, and Glover’s 2.2 million being above market, it doesn’t look like a good bet for a fifth year for Dion.

As for obtaining other free agents, Kasten said that fans “should not expect to see us spend the exception again this year”, citing the luxury tax (of which the Hawks are already over) plus the expected long term deal of Terry.

When asked if a marquee player should become available, like say Jermaine O’Neal, who has friends up and down the Hawks roster, even as a long shot, Kasten balked, again citing cap issues.

---Coaching

Kasten says that things have worked out alright, despite the delay in selling the team. Some coaches that have been hired by other teams were contacted by Kasten, but obviously nothing transpired there.

Kasten is waiting for more clarity on the time frame of the sale to make a major move on a hire, but won’t wait much longer than 6-8 more weeks, after which they would likely look at moving forward with the coaching search.

As of now, two marquee names remain: Rick Carlisle and Mike Fratello. Mike Dunleavy also remains in the mix as does Terry Stotts, of whom other franchises called the Hawks to ask about availability. As of now, Stotts will participate in the draft function, although Knight wields the final say-so in draft matters, and Stotts worked out all of the players that came though the pre-draft workouts.

---The Sale

Kasten has not spoken to prospective owner David McDavid even once. Kasten did say he spoke to someone from the ownership group, believed to be McDavid brother-in-law Stephen Dieb, but that it was a short conversation about the upcoming hockey draft and decisions. Kasten believes that he will have another such conversation shortly about basketball.

Otherwise, Kasten and Co. are in the same vocational limbo as before, everybody continuing to do their job as before, until such time as a sale becomes complete.

---Injured Players

DerMarr Johnson continues to recover from last year’s car accident. He is working down in Florida and was recently scouted again by Chris Grant. RealGM will try to get more on Slim’s condition. Johnson will be an unrestricted free agent July 1 and the Hawks are interested as long as his health is assured as best can be.

Nazr Mohammed got a pin placed in his foot and should be ready to workout with the team when summer camp opens. Nazr will not play on the summer league team, but the workouts could do him good, according to Knight.

Chris Crawford may also workout with the kids over the summer, and he will also not go to Boston for Shaw league. Chris feels better and is ready to return, according to Kasten.

---Summer League

The Hawks will again participate in Shaw Summer League in Boston and have been active in assembling a team. According to Harold Ellis, Hawks jack-of-all-coaching-trades, he has begun to bring together some of the best of the NBDL for the summer camp in Atlanta, and after the draft, they will go to work on the undrafted free agents.

Last season at this time, Chris Grant and then assistant coach Eric Musselman had gotten a number of commitments even before the draft and the summer league team, led by Johnson and Glover, went 6-0 under Musselman. "

Basically,this means we'll suck again next year.All the

hope for improvement is some lame late first round

pick in a weak draft.Some lame Newble wannabe like

this Boris dude.

[Guest]

Sorry guys...Everytime I hear from Kasten I think

of Jon Koncak.I hope Stan doesn't remain with us

after the sale is final.