Billy Knight says 17th pick a valuable pick

[KB21]

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Valuable pick

Knight said the first round pick the Hawks acquired in the Wallace trade — the 17th overall selection — has turned into "a valuable pick."

"Based on the way the draft is shaping out, there could be a good player there at 17 — a player that's going to be young but could develop into a good player for us," Knight said. "We're very pleased to have that 17th pick to go along with that sixth pick. That's become very important for us, as we go through this rebuilding process."

The pick could also become really valuable should the Hawks decide to trade up in an effort to acquire local high school phenom Dwight Howard. The No. 6 and No. 17 picks could be an attractive package for the Los Angeles Clippers, who could get a quality guard at six (Wisconsin's Devin Harris, Connecticut's Ben Gordon or Peoria high school star Shaun Livingston) and the player they reportedly covet at 17 (Brooklyn high school star Sebastian Telfair). Telfair, by the way, nixed his workout with the Hawks last week.

Knight said he has spoken with every team in the league about a possible deal since the draft lottery. He isn't just looking to move up; teams have contacted the Hawks hoping they can dump salary.

"Remember, we have cap space, too," Knight said, smiling.

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Hmmmm. Sounds like Atlanta is looking at a couple of high school prospects with that pick if it isn't used in a deal to get Howard. It's becoming more and more apparent that Billy's top goal is to attempt to parlay the 6th and 17th picks into Dwight Howard somehow. If that doesn't happen, I believe that Knight won't be scared away from drafting two high school players by what happened with the Bulls. Billy could be set to take Josh Smith at 6 and one out of the group of Al Jefferson, Dorrell Wright, J.R. Smith, and Sebastian Telfair at 17. Or, it could be a young international player like France's Johan Petro.

[Diesel]

I think what may happen is that we trade #6, #17 to LAC and take back somebody like Drobs or Jaric (if he's not a free agent).

Either that or he trades JT with #6 for #2, Capspace player and he looks at that 17th pick to get a young player...

Possibly JR Smith, Telfair, or even Snyder.

I think the point is that Billy Knight is not afriad to wait on the development of a young player.

[KB21]

Terry and the 6th pick is too much to give up. The Clippers would have to send a significant player back in that deal, and that would not be Drobs or Jaric. It would have to be a player like Chris Wilcox.

[Wretch]

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He isn't just looking to move up; teams have contacted the Hawks hoping they can dump salary.

"Remember, we have cap space, too," Knight said, smiling.

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I couldn't quite figure out why he was so hasty in dumping SAR and Theo for basically a late 1st rounder...or why he was so insistent upon having all this cap space with no real significant FA to pursue - especially considering that Theo and SAR were entering the last year of their deals.

Knight must be looking to score in the draft. Knowing teams will want to move salary, and knowing that people are percieving this is a "weak" draft...he's hoping to slide into the 1st round with multiple picks.

The 17th selection is a "valuable" pick...? I know exactly what that means. First, he was looking to take on salary and draft picks...so he dumped those guys; then he felt the pressure because he got little in return for SAR and Theo - so he dealt Sheed for a token 1st rounder. The secret is, this draft is deep. It's deep because all of these young guys are forcing the best talent in the draft to be spread around.

We'll come out of this thing with either the player that we wanted all along, multiple 1st rounders, or possibly even both. People have said that Knight is a fan of the draft...I think this is a clear indication of that.

[KB21]

Michael Lee made a reference to this in a recent article. He stated that Billy wants to build this team through the draft, and that Billy wanted to hire a no name coach as well.

Billy loves the drafting process, and he loves the scouting aspect that goes along with it. He's the polar opposite of Pete Babcock. I think Pete cringed when it came draft time. At the end, Pete hated the draft process. He had lost all confidence in his ability to evalute draftable talent, and thusly, he lost confidence in the process of building a team through the draft.

I think Billy Knight not only has an idea of what he wants to do in this draft. I think he has an eye towards the next couple of drafts as well. He realizes that this isn't going to be a quick rebuilding effort, so he probably has a draft board already set up for next year.

[Diesel]

I think what Knight did with SAR, Theo, Nazr was get rid of Big Contracts with an eye on having the flexibility. He should have pressed Portland for another pick, but I don't know if building through the draft was his total intention. I think he has one maybe two FAs that he wants to bring in to go with Howard that will be the start of something. I also believe that whatever he has planned is already planned. I don't believe that Knight is working this by ear. Remember that he also said that he has talked to every team in the league about trades. My bet is this:

1. Draft night there will be some trades and we will be involved. I don't know necessarily if we will move up for Howard but I bet we will make a trade of some sort.

2. If they are not traded, those three second rounders will be as important as the #17 pick. The workouts in my opinion were:

a. For Show.

b. Not all revealed.

Remember last year? The consensus amoung some was that we go for Diaw. Others had other names that they mentioned. Well, Diaw and Hansen never came in for workouts. That suggests to me that either he saw them in private or he had seen enough footage of them in scouting that he was willing to make the decision based on that. I wouldn't be surprised if we get somebody that we haven't brought in.

3. JT is a goner.

I know that Knight told JT that he wants him around for the rebuild, but let's be real... The only reason we matched was so that we wouldn't let him walk for nothing. The only reason he wasn't traded with Reef is because his BYC stauts. Right now Utah, LAC, and Phoenix have space under the cap so accepting JT would be no problem under BYC. If JT is not traded draft night, look for him to go before we start playing.

4. Jax might not be back.

If we take Smith, I think we won't resign Jax. Knight is thrifty. He's not going to spend a lot on a player who can't guarantee him a playoff...

[MoonKnight]

actually, I think Diaw was still playing Euro play before the draft lastyear and did not workout for anybody but I believe Hansen worked out twice for us (jaywalker could correct me on this). If we keep the 17th pick I fully expect our pick to be someone who worked out for us.

[Admin]

You are exactly right. Hansen did workout twice with us. His last one was I believe our last workout session before the draft. I dont know about Diaw, but I think our only scouting of him was his games in France. I think that I remember they even talking to Tony Parker about him at some point although I cant remember when or why exactly. I just seem to remember Parker giving Diaw a ringing endorsement.

[KB21]

If I'm not mistaken, the Hawks flew Hansen in for his second workout on the day of the draft. I believe I remember reading that the Hawks worked him out again the morning of the draft.

Billy Knight did a lot of international scouting himself, and the Hawks have a scout that does that full time. His name is Mark Crow. Knight stated after the draft that he had seen Boris Diaw several times in person.

Knight has already been on a couple of International scouting trips, but no one knows who the players are that he was looking at.

[DJ_Money]

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Knight said he has spoken with every team in the league about a possible deal since the draft lottery. He isn't just looking to move up; teams have contacted the Hawks hoping they can dump salary.

"Remember, we have cap space, too," Knight said, smiling.

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Hmmm...is it possible that Orlando has contacted us, wondering if we might take Grant Hill off their hands?

He didn't play last year, so if we only hold on to him for this year, insurance will pick him up, and we've got our cap room back for next summer.

Maybe Orlando thinks they need to sign a Kenyon Martin-type to keep McGrady around...

Then the question becomes...Okafor or Howard?

[KB21]

I doubt that will be the case. To get the insurance, Grant Hill has to be injured and not play at all. This won't be a Terrell Brandon situation where it is known that the player won't be playing any. Grant Hill wants to return, and he will not allow a team to keep him on the IL when he thinks he is ready to play. There will be a grievance filed, and the Hawks would lose out. They would then be stuck with his contract over the next 3 years. A contract that would cripple any flexibility they have down the road.

[Diesel]

Just as easy...

If we take Grant Hill and not play him, it might force him to use his player option. I don't think Grant is the type of Guy that will sit in street clothes Just to collect big money. I think he'd opt out and try to play for somebody at the vet min if neccessary. And if he proves that he can play for a whole season, sure that's egg on our face, however, I would rather do that than try to keep him on the court.

However, it's very possible...

JT/#35/#43 to Orlando Hill/Howard/#1.

Is it fair? Yeah, we just cleared about 11 million dollars in cap space and gave up our best player under contract and two strong second rounders which don't get guaranteed contracts.

Is it something that Orlando will do?

They'd probably won't #6 unless they already have a FA target. In this situation, I can see them going after Damp and QRich.

What about Atlanta....

Well, it hurts us because we pick up Howard's contract = 5 million and Hill's contract 14 million. That's 20 million. With the three first rounders and 1 second, we have our team. But is it that bad???

Let's say first we get Howard.

If that happens:

1. Howard

2. Okafor - I think LAC makes a deal with Washington or Charlotte

3. Deng

4. Gordon - Let's say for grins Charlotte does the deal with LAC

5. Biedrins - Washington really needs a PF or C

6. Livingston - At this point, it's time to look at what we need. We need above all a PG.

17. I would love Snyder or Jackson right here but may settle for J.R. Smith.

38. I would love Kmart right here but our need is at BU PG so we'd take Duhon.

What's that leave:

Pryz/Rebracca

Howard/Howard/Hendu

Hill/CC

Diaw/Snyder/Hansen

Livingston/Arroyo

For argument sake, let's say we went cheap on Free agency and didn't pick up Jax....

If Hill doesn't play, we play Diaw at Sf and run with Snyder/Hansen at the 2.

[Admin]

Basically we are screwed just as bad as we would have been with Theo/Nazr/SAR, but we would be doing it with a non-playing Hill and a overpaid Juwan Howard. No way will Hill opt out of his contract and play for peanuts. If that was the case he would have done it a long while ago and not screwed Orlando, but he doesnt give a damn about the team, he only cares about himself and his financial future. Thats obviously clear based on how he keeps trying to come back and wont opt out of his deal to help the Magic. I dont even think I would trade JT for Hill/#1 to be honest because his contract would kill us for 3 years.

[DominiqueWilkins]

The 17th pick is very valueable.

I think we can do alot with it, and fills some holes we have. I think all of our draft choices are major keys, and we should be able to draft solid players that can grow with the rebuilding Hawks.

We have no secure positions filled at the moments, and I wouldn't even say JT is stable here because of the trade rumors.

We can use the pick to trade up in the draft, but I hope we are able to hang onto the pick, unless we are able to aquire another lottery pick. I think we go big with the 17th pick, but ofcourse it depends on who is out there at the time. If we miss out on Dwight Howard we can always select Al Jefferson 17th if he is out there.

Alot of options.

[Diesel]

Moreover,

I said IF Hill cannot play.

Now, imagine if Hill can play.

The other thing is that this is not going to be a team that wins now. This is a team that is stacking up Pieces.

Look at what we got:

Livingston, Dwight Howard, Diaw, Snyder, Hansen, and Arroyo

This is the core that you are concerned about. Let's face it, no real FAs want to come here anyway unless we overpay them. Why not take a chance on these guys that could be something.

In terms of role models, Howard is an excellent Role model for DW and Hill is an excellent role model for Diaw.

Next year, we clear more space with the loss of Hendu and CC and Hansen and we will probably be in a position to get another High draft pick. It continues the next year (2007) when we get Philly's #1 along with ours.

At that point.... The core that we starting building this year will be producing. Howard and Hill will be gone just in time for us to start signing our Young stars to their big contracts.

I think it's a good plan for us because we can't be in a hurry to get anywhere. Getting Howard is the best move we can make.

[thescout5]

I don't think Knight will trade for a player like Hill or Juwan Howard to take on a big contract and hurt the salary cap that Knight has worked hard to create. If Howard worksout great I also can't see Orlando taking him because Mcgrady wants to win now and waiting 2 yrs or so won't be worth it.Okafur is more ready to play than Howard if the Magic keep no 1 they would be crazy to draft howard for fear of believing Mcgrady will demand a trade.

I have read on another board that maybe Hoston,Hawks and magic could work out a deal where hawks get Steve Francis and Taylor,Okafur and someone else to Rockets and orlando gets no6 and Terry.There were rumors of Francis last year and he would be an up tempo guard but I think Knight is playing for a big player in Howard.If not him he will stay and take his chances on the draft at 6 and 17 and maybe peddle Terry to move up 17 to 10.Should be an interesting 2 1/2 weeks!

[Diesel]

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Knight said he has spoken with every team in the league about a possible deal since the draft lottery. He isn't just looking to move up; teams have contacted the Hawks hoping they can dump salary.

"Remember, we have cap space, too," Knight said, smiling.

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Knight doesn't give a lot, but look at what he gives....

Let's put it together. It's fairly obvious that Knight really wants Howard and Howard really wants the hawks. How do you make sure you get Howard? By dealing with LAC? NO. We can get #2 and still watch Orlando take Howard. The answer is by dealing with #1. Orlando is in a bad position. Tmac doesn't want to wait on a draft pick. He wants immediate help. Well, Hill and Howard soaks up their cap so they can't get into the FAcy game. The only other option that Orlando have is to trade Tmac! That makes sense if you think he will leave, but otherwise, unless you get Kobe, you can't get equal value. I mean, you can get Brand (with a lot of maneouvering). You can get Marion/Johnson. You can get Francis but all of those deals have some flaws in it.

The other thing is that you can help Orlando free up Capspace in order to go after established talent. Damp, Okur, Rasheed, and Kmart are all free agents and Kobe is too. If they get rid of Hill they get in position to feed from this well. Now imagine if it is Kobe and for grins say Foyle....

Foyle/Gooden/Tmac/Kobe/JT.....

Would you want to face that team ?

Again, I think for us, it's a case of building. You build with the best. In this case, the best means best draft pick. Now the real question is how long have Knight known about Howard?

For instance, if Knight watched Howard most of the year and decided that this kid is the future. Then the moves make plenty of sense. Knight says, I will get rid of all these players that will make us a mediocre team and try for our James. On top of that, I will start all over with him!

So while most of us were looking at FAcy... Knight has always been looking at Draft position and flexibility.

It is possible and this statement quoted above kinda leads one to believe that Knight is willing to take a bad contract if it means getting something good out of the deal.

[JTFan31]

He wont package JT in this deal, only way JT goes if Knight gets an equal player as JT or aplayer just a tad lower than JT, but JT will not be package as a JT and 6 for #2.

[Blunt91]

JTFan we gave up Mookie Blaylock when he was in his prime for the 10thpick in the draft for basically an unproven JT & Duane Ferrell. Jason Terry will never equal a Mookie Blaylock in his prime years so how is giving away JT for the #2pick too much??? I am listening!!!!

[TheDude]

i like hot chicks.