If......

[Diesel]

If Orlando fires Gabrielle soon (as have been rumored), we need to pick him up as GM. He's young, smart, all the things you need in a good GM. His only questionable moves is Hill and I think anybody would have done the same at that time.

[Packfill]

Wow there cowboy. Have you looked at Orlando's draft history over the past several years? Gabriel has had the absolute worst time drafting players. Granted, they have not had many top picks, if any, and there have been some pretty lean drafts but the Magic have gotten zero from the draft other then Miller. Stephen Hunter, Jerryl Sasser, Reece Gaines, Ryan Hunphrey, just to dame a few. The only really good move was signing McGrady. The Gooden/Girick trade was pretty good, but getting rid of Armstrong (whether it was Doc's decision or not) and signing Howard were mistakes.

I would pass on him.

[swolehawk2]

You are like all of those sports experts.....you throw out any old idea that comes to mind and if it happens to turn out somewhat right...you act as if you are the best thing since sliced bread....but when you are wrong....you act as if you never said it or never mention it again.

Am I close?

Helll, you could probably do a better job than Gabriel.

[TheDude]

they lost ben wallace and brendon haywood when they were desperate for a big man...haywood would have at least sufficed and we all know about big ben.

[Gray Mule]

Whoever it was, we got two pretty decent players.

Hawks didn't have a high pick. I think it had already

been traded for something else.

How many more draft picks do we owe someone else?

Does any one owe the Hawks any? If we were to

get a high pick, would someone else get it or could we

actually keep it and try for a really good player?

Can Hawks trade any of our present roster for someone

else's draft picks? Imagine, Hawks have two or three

or four --- Heck have five of the top fifteen picks!!!

Too much? Sure. But, could we have at least one,

maybe two???

[pathway23]

Billy Knight, I think.

I agree, I think he did a great job with what he had. And I think we should have drafted Diaw even if we had the #11 pick. He is a steal.

[Diesel]

No. I have an opinion that's based on more than I'm not going to agree because I don't like this guy? You are so Third grade Swole.

Really, what do you bring to the table here at Hawksquawk???

Can I remember anything remotely original that Swole has said??

Are you another "me too" kind of guy??

Can you come up with a clear conscious thought that is worthy of discussion???

I've never seen you initiate anything that was remotely interesting or memorable.

So before you start to throw stones, you need to get a house.

[Diesel]

Well, they lost Wallace in the Grant Hill trade. At the time it seemed like Orlando got a steal. Had Hill been able to play it would have been a steal.

[swolehawk2]

I guess I should have made it clear that post was meant to be more of a joke....didn't mean for you to take it that seriously.... but anyway....you probably can't remember any of my posts because your posts are the only ones that contain facts=(your opinion) and are really worth reading....Sorry I have a life and can't pound away on a message board all day.

Anyway I think that hiring Gabriel would not be the best move for the Hawks....but since nobody will read this because it is not Diesel's Grand Post of the Minute...I will go on my merry way.

Merry Christmas

[BlackHawkDown]

That banner is classic "The Diesel (Hold up)" LMBAO

[Kaviar]

He gave away their drafts picks wholesale, just to get a few hundred thousand dollars under the Cap in some instances. I mentioned on this board back when they were doing it that it would come back to haunt them. I don't know how much Rivers was involved in these decisions... but it was not any way to rebuild your franchise.

When you are rebuilding you have to get certain pieces from

the draft, mainly the Center and PG positions, you don't have to get them with the first few picks you can get lucky and draft them in the 2nd round. But those pieces usually have to be drafted, because once a GM has them he's not going to let them go via trade or FA. Babcock failed to see this as well.

Gabrielle needs to go to a team that already has an established infrastructure, if any, but if I were an owner I would'nt the free wheeling B****** working for me. He's the last person the Hawks need to talk to.

Keep thinking Diesel, but the first priority right now is coaching, work on replacing Knight later at least he is a decent fill-in.

[Diesel]

As I remember Correctly, Gabrielle gave away a lot of players for Picks...

The Nick Anderson, Penny Hardaway, D Scott Era ended when Gabby got to town.

Didn't he draft Kenyon Dooling, Mike Miller, and Courtney Alexander in one years draft....

And there's a first round pick still on the way for Dooling/Maggette...

Hey also made trades that brought in Heywood and some other players.

Mainly, a lot of the moves that Gabby did to trade away picks was to save money for Cap room. It's hard signing Hill and Tmac. If not for Hill's injury, this guy would be GM of the year every year.

[Kaviar]

Let's face it Diesel, some of those players you mentioned did not even get a chance to sower in the clubhouse. He was absolutely against building his team thru the draft. His thought process was that every NBA FA would want to come live and play in sunny Orlando.

Now the Hawks are not a FA draw and the draft may be depleted for the next several years (getting youger and younger). They have a tough road ahead, they had their chances over the last three years to put together a very exciting team thru the draft and selective trades, but that's past. They need to build through the draft (Diaw is a good start) and avoid resigning anyone else on their roster. The FA process for them will take several years after next summer's contract exodus. They will have to wait for FAs to fall their way. In the meantime they should get some high draft picks.

Oh my....the future is looking brighter already!

[phoostal]

Living in Orlando for the last 10 years I feel compelled to comment on this topic.

There was a time I felt John G. would be a good fit for this organization. But, I don't feel that way anymore. Kaviar hit it on the head all Gabrielle is good at is signing free agents. He doesn't go with the youth. I don't ever recall him drafting Dooling though. Maybe he gave that pick to the Clippers, but I never thought the Magic drafted him. But, I maybe wrong.

The point is he doesn't give young talent a chance. Who is their shining rookie now. Stephen Hunter he sits on the bench. R. Gaines he already has been labeled a bust. The only that is playing significant minutes is Bogans. A guy they got in the second round.

They traded away Magette, Harpring, Heywood, Miller and the list goes on. These guys contribute now, since they have had a chance to play.

John G. is a guy that wants to win now. No building for the future. I will give him his due, he is able to land free agents. I guess it doesn't hurt that Florida doesn't have a state tax and the weather is great.

He is on his last legs here in Orlando.

Also, the rumor is that Gooden is on the block. The rumors may have died down since the Magic have won 6 of their last 9.

This is another thing that John G. has got nailed on. The Gooden trade. It looked good last year, but this year Gooden has been a real bad seed on this team. Lately he has picked it up and the team has played better as a whole. But, most people speculate that West traded this guy for a reason and for the first part of this year people that deal with Gooden everyday saw the reason. He just isn't a good fit for one reason or another. Selfish attitude. Who knows? I'm not there everyday to see it.

[Playmaker0017]

Kavier,

I think you might be mistaken about whether or not Atlanta is a FA draw. Atlanta is a HUGE draw, the problem is that we haven't had much to draw them with in terms of dollars.

If you read what guys in the league say, they all want to come to Atlanta and then we don't even pitch to them.

Play.

[Diesel]

I'm sorry, but this guy was one David Robinson Phone call away from having a squad that consisted of Grant Hill, Tmac, and Duncan all in their early primes (well, Hill's injury was unforeseen). However, you're right, draft picks didn't stick around... Not because he didn't believe in them (didn't he keep Mike Miller, Hunter, and Sasser), but he didn't keep them because he was able to deal them for future draft picks and was able to save the $$ in order to go after Duncan.

[Diesel]

That hindsight is really good.

If you like I can go back into time and show you some people who praised Reece Gaines and wanted him in a Hawks uni. There was also nothing wrong with Sasser or Hunter coming out of College. They just haven't panned out...

But I have heard many here expressing a want for both Sasser and Gaines So I wouldn't characterized those as bad picks.

[phoostal]

First off the Magic could never have TMac, Hill and Duncan. They only had enough room for two of the three. That's a fact.

So when Duncan fell through they went after TMac. TMac was about to sign with Miami before the Magic came calling. TMac chose Orlando before Miami for one simple reason. He grew up in Orlando. This is his hometown.

Next regarding the draft picks. Just because some people on this board wanted Sasser and Gaines. Doesn't make these good picks. They are still bad picks. Trading picks and trading young players to get money under the cap to sign FA's. Is not always good.

Sometimes the young guys pan out and sometimes the FA's don't and then you are stuck with them for 5 to 8 years. Where as a rookie you are only stuck for 3 years.

You pick your poison. Lately John G. isn't making the right choices. Even the Grant Hill doesn't look good. This guy just keeps cash check after check without playing.

Yes, everyone would have cleared room to get him. But, guess what it still is a bad deal. You are stuck with a guy and his salary that might not never play again. Bad move.

[Diesel]

How soon we forget...

The trade the got rid of Dooling and Maggette Clear 5 Million dollars in capspace. So coming out of the draft with Miller Signed, they had 18.5 Million to spend.

Also remember that the most that Duncan/Hill/Mac could bring in was 8.5 Million.

AND

The deal that brought in hill was a SNT deal that also cleared more capspace.

If Duncan wanted to be a Magic, he could have been one in 2000 and last year. Gabby made sure that there was enough room to have Duncan every time he was available.

[KB21]

The Gooden/Giricek trade was not good. Memphis clearly got the best end of that deal with Mike Miller. All Orlando got was a reserve shooting guard in Giricek and a tweener in Gooden.

This guy is a horrible GM and was one reason Doc Rivers was becoming so unhappy in Orlando.