Kudos to Billy Knight and Rick Sund

[AHF]

On the topic of what a reasonable expectation is for landing quality players with critical lottery picks, you don't need to go GM by GM. You can look team by team to see what is a reasonable expectation across the league, regardless of GM. (It is time consuming enough to go team by team.) Looking at what teams get from their lottery picks is a reasonable point of comparison for what a superior drafter like BK should be able to get.

The fact that many did not play together just speaks to how slowly BK rebuilt compared to other teams which were usually out of the lottery dregs well before they could string together 5 lottery picks. Let me also say that virtually every other team also busted on picks. That is expected. What is required, however, is hitting some home runs.

Here is a comparison of teams that BK outdid and by which he was outdone during his time with the Hawks bearing in mind that not all things are equal here and that teams with strong #1s had an advantage over BK and that BK had an advantage in draft positions over most teams with the high picks he had:

#2 Marvin Williams - S

#3 Al Horford - S, 1st Team Rookie

#5 Shelden Williams - X

#6 Josh Childress

#11 Acie Law - X

GREATER THAN BK

Boston Celtics = Joe Johnson, Kedrick Brown, Jerome Moiso, Paul Pierce, Chauncey Billups

Chicago Bulls = Derrick Rose, Joakim Noah, Tyrus Thomas, Ben Gordon, Kirk Hinrich

Cleveland Cavs = Luke Jackson, Lebron James, Dejuan Wagner, Desagna Diop, Chris Mihm

Dallas Mavericks = Devin Harris, Etan Thomas, Courtney Alexander, Dirk Nowitzki, Samaki Walker

Denver Nuggets = Carmelo Anthony, Nene Hilario, Nikoloz Tskitishvili, Raef Lafrenz, Keon Clark

Houston Rockets = Yao Ming, Eddie Griffin, Steve Francis (acquired under duress from Van), Michael Dickerson, Robert Horry

LAL = Andrew Bynum, Kobe Bryant, Eddie Jones, George Lynch, James Worthy

Memphis = OJ Mayo, Mike Conley, Rudy Gay, Drew Gooden, Pau Gasol (BK > PB)

Miami = Michael Beasley, Dwayne Wade, Caron Butler, Kurt Thomas, Khalid Reeves

NJN = Brook Lopez, Richard Jefferson, Kenyon Martin, Keith Van Horn, Kerry Kittles

NO = Julian Wright, Hilton Armstrong, Chris Paul, Baron Davis, Alonzo Mourning

OK = Russell Westbrook, Kevin Durant, Saer Sene, Robet Swift, Nick Collison

Orlando = J.J. Redick, Fran Vazquez, Dwight Howard, Mike Miller, Michael Doleac (two ROY and Dwight Howard trump)

Philly = Thaddeus Young, Andre Iguodala, Tim Thomas, Allen Iverson, Jerry Stackhouse

Phoenx = Amare Stoudamire, Shawn Marion, Tim Perry, Armon Gilliam, William Bedford

Portland = Jerryd Bayless, Greg Oden, LeMarcus Aldridge, Brandon Roy, Martell Webster

ROUGHLY EQUAL TO BK

Golden State = #14 Anthony Randolph S, #11 Patrick O'Bryant X, #9 Ike Diogu X, #11Andris Biedrins S, #11 Mickael Pietrus (writing the numbers takes too long so I am not doing it elsewhere)

LAC = Eric Gordon, Al Thornton, Yaroslav Korolev, Shaun Livingston, Chris Kaman

LESS THAN BK

Charlotte Bobcats - D.J. Augustin, Adam Morrison, Raymond Felton, Emeka Okafor

Detroit Pistons = Darko Milicic, Rodney White, Mauteen Cleaves, Bonzi Wells, Grant Hill

Indiana = Brandon Rush, Fred Jones, Jonathan Bender, Austin Croshere, Erick Dampier

Milwaukee = Joe Alexander, Yi Jianlian, Andrew Bogut, T.J. Ford, Marcus Haislip

Minnesota = Kevin Love, Corey Brewer, Randy Foye, Rashad McCants, Wally Szczerbiak

NYN = Danilo Gallinari, Channing Frye, Mike Sweetney, Greg Anthony, Kenny Walker

Anyone who wants can finish the league. This is A - P and say enough, IMO. BK was a mediocre drafter and subpar drafter with lottery picks.

Edited November 13, 2009 by AHF

[jerrywest]

nice post AHF. thanks.

[Sasquatch]

As a moderator I'm asking you to please tone down these types of responses. There was no need for you to write multiple sentences dissing someone and nothing of substance.

It's not correct that BK inherited a team that was swept out of the second round of the playoffs as BK took over in April of 2003 and we hadn't been in the playoffs since the 98-99 season but it was mostly the same core group of players I believe so maybe that's what he meant.

BK did blow up the roster.

And we were the joke of the league for ten years and we're still not completely removed from that stigma.

As a moderator if you have a different point of view just express your point of view.

Don't tell me "I'm the moderator" and then tell me what someone meant to say when... he said what he said...

To make matters worse... you go on to pick up the rest of the argument for him

If you are going to be some type of adjudicator it is patently insane for you to say or claim to know what someone meant to say... and then speak on their behalf

As for your assertion that there was nothing of substance in my post... the fact that you knew exactly what the errors were that I was referring to and went on to correct them yourself proves that there was substance there... Not only substance, but basketball substance...

My response was completely about basketball and the fact that what he said was not true...

I find it particularly ridiculous that there are a number of posters here who almost never post anything related to basketball and their lethargic comments are their signature... Yet you let that slide...

If you are going to moderate then moderate... If you want to take a point of view then take a point of view...

But to promote a clique-like atmosphere which is already rampant on this board is contemptible...

To flash your "moderator badge" in an effort to embellish your view of Billy Knight is equally farcical

Edited November 13, 2009 by Sasquatch

[Admin]

To flash your "moderator badge" in an effort to embellish your view of Billy Knight is equally farcical

Wow good guess ... see ya in 7 days.

[thefloydian]

Wow good guess ... see ya in 7 days.

Only 7 days?