The Draft

[jezmund]

So we'll have something like #5,#16,and #36. A player I think could be real good is Ivan Chiriaev. A 7' with guard skills sounds exactly like what Billy Knight covets. I hope he falls to around #16. Just according to the hype on here, I do hope we get Josh Smith. I'm not a fan of drafting HS kids but it seems like a trend for the best players. I'd like to see us maybe take Josh Smith, Kirk Snyder, and Chris Duhon with our picks, move JT for a bigman (or cap space to sign one) and just not resign Stephen Jackson if he wants too much. I'm still not all that impressed by Jax. Just like JT, he can put up numbers when you let them go out and there and throw up shots. He's also playing for a contract which scares me. (Hendu/CC) With Smith we get this young prodigy everyone is talking about and with Snyder/Duhon we get more experienced, mature players who have NBA bodies. I would like to resign Sura and maybe 2 of the 3 of Collier/Pryz/Rebraca if they come cheap.

[Diesel]

I've read a lot about Chiriaev and have watched 1 game. I wasn't that impressed. If you have to have a Europlayer, I am convinced that either Khryapa or Splitter is the guy...

I like Splitter. PF with PF skills out of Brazil which means he didn't play the "sissyball"... However, I don't know if he's available for a long time.

Khryapa was a guy I would have taken last year. I think he's more than ready now.

[jezmund]

I was basing it 100% on what I read so whatever you saw, the Hawks scouts probably saw too so I'll trust their opinion. I can't say anything about the Foreign or HS players b/c I haven't seen enough of them. I've seen a lot of college though and this team needs some heady players with experience. (Snyder/Duhon) I'd probably like Warrick if he had a little bit better skills. I can't stand the players that rely on athleticism. He just seems to fly around. If he had a nice mid-range jumper than he might be a decent pick around 16-17.

[JTFan31]

If they are serious about resigning Sura, you bet your behind they will keep JT and do their to keep Jax. Those 3 players had great chemistry for the last 20 something games, and I doubt they will sign Sura and trade JT and let Jax walk. Remember part of Sura's success was becase of JT and Jax and also CC. They will only trade JT if the right deal comes around, like a T-mac deal. But other than that JT stays and if they are serious of resigning Sura than you bet they will do their best to keep Jax.

The pick we get from the Bucks is the 17th pick and if we do end up with the 5th pick of the draft I think Josh Smith will be gone.

I think it will go like this:

1st pick - Okafor/Howard

2nd pick - Okafor/Howard

3rd pick - Smith

4th pick - Biedrins

5th pick - Livingston

[KB21]

We will also have two other selections in the early part of the second round. We get Philadelphia's second round pick, and we get Phoenix's second round pick through Orlando.

Oh, and Tiago Splitter won't be in this draft, diesel. He is not declaring.

[emeans]

We need to trade our 1st pick (#5) and our 1st 2nd round pick to move up in the Top 3. If they don't like that then we should throw in JT.

There are only 3 players in the draft that bring the kind of hype and talent this city needs. Okafur, Smith and Howard are the only players we should settle for with our 1st pick.

We need to resign Jax, Sura, Pryz, Rebraca and sign Quentin Richardson and call it a day.

[Kraken]

Two weeks ago Biedrins played with Latvia's u-18 team against Finland u-18 and won 76-64. According to reports I've read Biedrins was great at defence and less great at the other end of the court.

He did score 17 points, but he was also benched part of the game because of his struggle at offence. Finns doubleteamed him a lot and that kept the game close most of the game as he had trouble passing the ball away. Scored most of his points at the end of the game as the guarding Finnish forwards were at foul trouble. No outside shot and no moves to the right when posting(he is lefty), Finns made just sure that there was help on his left side and dared him to go right... He did get the Finnish forwards to the foul trouble and scored most of his points at the end of the game to secure the win of his team. On defence he was reported to be exellent. Really good shotblocker.

BTW. the Finnish team plays in Albert Schweitzer junior tournament Saturday against USA for 5th place (there are 16 teams: 11 from Europe + USA, Argentina, China, Tunisia and Australia) so the Finnish team is a pretty decent team. So struggling to score against them isn't a dead sure sign of a bad player...

[JTFan31]

No way, I wouldnt trade JT, #5 pick and 2nd round pick for the 3rd pick of the draft. Maybe Diaw yes, but heck not even a #5 pick is a great pick.

[Nicholasp27]

there is NO possible way for us to have pick #5 unless we trade for it

we can't fall to that position, only get lucky to get 1-3, or we will be between 6-9, depending on how lucky people with better records than us are