TAKE A BOW BILLY KNIGHT

[Antmillennium]

I find it hard to blame/praise a man for draft picks. It's so difficult to determine what type of pro a player may be, unless it's an obvious choice at number one. Even so, how many are obvious? For example, Orlando went back and forth on Dwight Howard or Emaka Okafor. I think we all know they made the right decision, but at that point in time, we're they certain?

The draft is a crapshoot. We can't call him a complete idiot for passing on CP3? Who knew he would turn out AS GOOD as he did? On the flip side, at the time, we were ridiculed for taking Smoove at 16 - awful pick correct (see Jay Bilas) - but he turned out to be a cornerstone of this turnaround.

You don't pass on opportunities to get good PGs. We had Childress and Josh Smith. We had no PG at all. The no-brainer decision should have been to select a PG since we had a big gaping hole there. If the competition is close between PG and SF, then you should always go with the PG. You can find a good SF easier than you can find a good PG. Knight had the chance to draft 2 really good PGs in Williams and Paul, and he chose to draft neither. That kind of mistake is unforgivable. He let his love of height, length, and versatility blind him to the fact that good PG play in the NBA is crucial.

Edited July 8, 2009 by Antmillennium

[exodus]

Let's be honest, it is hard to do less then what Billy Knight did on a collective basis with 3 top 6 picks.

Actually it was 4.

[NineOhTheRino]

Al has the best chance to make the Allstar game out of all three. Not because of his talent but because of the lack of talent overall at the center position in the conference...league for that matter.

That was the point Rick Sund was trying to make a few weeks ago on 790. It's sounded crazy when I first heard it but after thinking about the lack of centers in the east it all made sense. After Howard it's really a toss up unless you're playing KG at center.

[exodus]

That was the point Rick Sund was trying to make a few weeks ago on 790. It's sounded crazy when I first heard it but after thinking about the lack of centers in the east it all made sense. After Howard it's really a toss up unless you're playing KG at center.

A guy who can't handle Bogut isn't going to be an All-Star.

[NJHAWK]

Answer me this Knight haters, if its so friggin easy to build a winning team if you have a bunch of lottry picks WHY ARE THE SAME TEAMS IN THE LOTTERY YEAR AFTER YEAR AFTER YEAR? Again: Knight not only built this team from the ground up he sold swamp land in Florida in exchange for the solid ground to build it on.

[buckeye242424]

You don't pass on opportunities to get good PGs. We had Childress and Josh Smith. We had no PG at all. The no-brainer decision should have been to select a PG since we had a big gaping hole there. If the competition is close between PG and SF, then you should always go with the PG. You can find a good SF easier than you can find a good PG. Knight had the chance to draft 2 really good PGs in Williams and Paul, and he chose to draft neither. That kind of mistake is unforgivable. He let his love of height, length, and versatility blind him to the fact that good PG play in the NBA is crucial.

Again. You're falling under hindsight is 20/20. At the time, who's to know those two players would turn out they way they did?

Derron Williams did not even play the point position most of his time in college! Dee Brown did. How did BK KNOW Derron Williams was going to turn out to be the type of PG he has been.

You can say, we passed on a need. Well, that may be true in our eyes. However, it was his choice to draft players of interchangeable parts. If you want to ridicule him for his overall team philosophy, I understand that. But to blast a guy for draft picks is unfair. Unless you're Nostradomus. There's a reason it's called LOTTERY picks. They're all a gamble.

[NowYouKnow]

Answer me this Knight haters, if its so friggin easy to build a winning team if you have a bunch of lottry picks WHY ARE THE SAME TEAMS IN THE LOTTERY YEAR AFTER YEAR AFTER YEAR? Again: Knight not only built this team from the ground up he sold swamp land in Florida in exchange for the solid ground to build it on.

Because they are run by awful general managers just like the Hawks were with Billy Knight.

Edited July 8, 2009 by NowYouKnow

[Plainview1981]

That was the point Rick Sund was trying to make a few weeks ago on 790. It's sounded crazy when I first heard it but after thinking about the lack of centers in the east it all made sense. After Howard it's really a toss up unless you're playing KG at center.

Truthfully, it's a handicapped complement.

[Cwell]

Billy definitely got caught up with drafting for need over talent in the cases of Roy and Gay.

no he got caught up drafting by what draft magazines and websites said. If he went by need we would have Paul or Deron. Then he tried to switch up and go for need and took shelden over Gay. Chris Paul was need and talent at the time and he just took raw hyped talent. Paul was a need that ripped up the college ranks. Marvin was just another SF that didn't start in college picked after we took 3 SF's in the previous draft as well as having Al Harrington. he also picked Royal Ivey over Chris Duhon.

[NJHAWK]

90% OF THE LEAGUE WOULD HAVE TAKEN MARVIN. He was the absolute consensus #2 overall pick, he was as sure to go #2 as Kevin Durant was.

[NJHAWK]

Because they are run by awful general managers just like the Hawks were with Billy Knight.

Except Knights team won 47 games last year which those teams usually dont do unless they land a Lebron or Howard.

Edited July 8, 2009 by NJHAWK

[pimp]

'You don't pass on opportunities to get good PGs. We had Childress and Josh Smith. '

We also had Al Harrington Donta Smith and Boris Diaw at that time .

[Cwell]

Again. You're falling under hindsight is 20/20. At the time, who's to know those two players would turn out they way they did?

Derron Williams did not even play the point position most of his time in college! Dee Brown did. How did BK KNOW Derron Williams was going to turn out to be the type of PG he has been.

You can say, we passed on a need. Well, that may be true in our eyes. However, it was his choice to draft players of interchangeable parts. If you want to ridicule him for his overall team philosophy, I understand that. But to blast a guy for draft picks is unfair. Unless you're Nostradomus. There's a reason it's called LOTTERY picks. They're all a gamble.

I can agree about Deron to an extent but Paul was a sure thing in my eyes. He was the only guy I wanted that year. but to tell the truth Paul would be a failure here compared to what he turned into in NO. one reason: Mike Woodson.

[Plainview1981]

Answer me this Knight haters, if its so friggin easy to build a winning team if you have a bunch of lottry picks WHY ARE THE SAME TEAMS IN THE LOTTERY YEAR AFTER YEAR AFTER YEAR? Again: Knight not only built this team from the ground up he sold swamp land in Florida in exchange for the solid ground to build it on.

He made mistake after mistake. And because of the mistakes he made, the Hawks will not be in a position to contend for a title anytime soon. Teams dump salary all the time. Even Steve Kerr can do that. No praise should be given for that. He failed to draft the correct player almost every single time.

[Antmillennium]

Again. You're falling under hindsight is 20/20. At the time, who's to know those two players would turn out they way they did?

Derron Williams did not even play the point position most of his time in college! Dee Brown did. How did BK KNOW Derron Williams was going to turn out to be the type of PG he has been.

You can say, we passed on a need. Well, that may be true in our eyes. However, it was his choice to draft players of interchangeable parts. If you want to ridicule him for his overall team philosophy, I understand that. But to blast a guy for draft picks is unfair. Unless you're Nostradomus. There's a reason it's called LOTTERY picks. They're all a gamble.

Well, Chris Paul was widely regarded as a good PG in college. Marvin Williams was not a starter on his college team. At the time, we already had decent players at Marvin's position. We had nobody at PG. Also, I don't know about you, but I certainly wanted a PG over a SF that year. I didn't care if it was Williams or CP3, but I wanted a PG. Also, using your logic, it sounds as if no GM should ever be held accountable for their draft picks because "they're all a gamble." At what point do you hold a GM accountable for their draft picks? You pay a GM to pick the right players and make the right decisions. If you want to look at everything as a gamble, then you pay a GM to gamble and win - not gamble and lose. Gambling is not for everybody, and Knight wasn't very good at it.

[Plainview1981]

Except Knights team won 47 games last year which those teams usually dont do unless they land a Lebron or Howard.

If the east didn't suck so bad the hawks wouldn't have won 47 games.

[exodus]

Answer me this Knight haters, if its so friggin easy to build a winning team if you have a bunch of lottry picks WHY ARE THE SAME TEAMS IN THE LOTTERY YEAR AFTER YEAR AFTER YEAR? Again: Knight not only built this team from the ground up he sold swamp land in Florida in exchange for the solid ground to build it on.

Knights team was in the lottery year after year after year after year. In fact they picked top 6 year after year after year after year because BK kept blowing his picks and wasting his free agent money on Speedy and Blow Wright.

[exodus]

Except Knights team won 47 games last year which those teams usually dont do unless they land a Lebron or Howard.

Knights team didn't win 47 games. Knights teams have never had a winning season.

[NineOhTheRino]

Again. You're falling under hindsight is 20/20. At the time, who's to know those two players would turn out they way they did?

Derron Williams did not even play the point position most of his time in college! Dee Brown did. How did BK KNOW Derron Williams was going to turn out to be the type of PG he has been.

You can say, we passed on a need. Well, that may be true in our eyes. However, it was his choice to draft players of interchangeable parts. If you want to ridicule him for his overall team philosophy, I understand that. But to blast a guy for draft picks is unfair. Unless you're Nostradomus. There's a reason it's called LOTTERY picks. They're all a gamble.

That's it. The man had a model. He wanted to construct this team in the same fashion as the Pistons. No superstars, ~ 6'8" with wingspan, and athletic. I'm not saying he was right. I'm saying he had plan and was determined to carry it out.

Please tell me how people here can see so much promise with this team yet they kill the man that acquired every starting player on it?

[NJHAWK]

Knights team didn't win 47 games. Knights teams have never had a winning season.

Your right Flip and Mo in the usa and Chills in Greece was the key all along. Thats why we couldnt win, lol. Even Sund flat out admits last year it was Knights team out there.