The Red Stripes Plan For Hawks Future

[TheRedStripes]

Okay...heres a little plan i came up with for the Hawks because i was really bored...I know none of this is going to happen, so dont bother telling me that theres no way its going to happen, because...i already know that...but anyway its just a dream...a hope...a wish...and just what I personally would like to see happen in the next few years

Trades

trade Walker to get a 1st round pick

I like Walker, but I would rather get a 1st rounder than lose him in free agency for nothing

trade Harrington to get a 1st round pick

I do not like Harrington...he doesnt block ANY shots and he just isn't the type of guy id want playing power forward, obviously J.Smith is the SF of the future

trade Childress/2nd for another 1st round pick

Childress is pretty good I like him, but he doesn't shoot the long range shot well enough to play 2 guard, and again...J.Smith has SF locked up

2005 Draft

1st Round

Andrew Bogut

I have seen Bogut play a few times, and I believe he is going to be a very solid NBA Center, he has the toughness to go along with his offensive skill

Gerald Green

Obviuosly haven't seen this guy play but from everything I have read he seems to have the potential to be a future star 2 guard

Rudy Fernandez

Extremely athletic, with very good shooting ability from outside and at the free throw line, said to be like a Ginobili clone

Adam Morrison

he steps it up in big games, and is a pure scorer...a poor man's Larry Bird...

2nd Round

2nd Round select B.J. Elder

he hasn't played well this year with his injury and his toughness/desire is questionable, but the guy can light it up on occasion

2006 Draft

Sergio Rodriguez

I have seen 2 of Sergio's games, and he is an absolute wizard with the ball...very unselfish, can beat his man off the dribble with ease, and has Jason Kidd type court vision

2005 Free Agency

Stromile Swift

I have always liked Swift, when he gets the minutes... he puts up the numbers, not a bad free throw shooter, and just imagine the high flying alley oop, and block fest with him playing beside Josh Smith at the forward positions...

Outlook For The Future

Possible Future lineup

PG: Rodriguez/Diaw/Ivey

SG: Green/Fernandez

SF: J.Smith/Morrison

PF: Swift/ FA pickup or draft

C: Bogut/ FA pickup or draft

The Hawks would be loaded with young talent, if all of the draft picks end up panning out, this team could be incredible, not to mention the payroll would be pretty minimal so they would have the flexibility to make moves depending on how the young guys develop. It would take a few years obviously for this team to be winners. In the meantime this team would be very fun to watch with J.Smith, Swift, and Green throwing down alley oops, and finishing with insane passes from Rodriguez, and also just to watch these young guys develop would be better than watching a team with veteran players lose game after game. A few of these guys have potential to be serious stars. I think this team could end up very balanced and a nice mix of American and European styles of basketball.

[Spiral]

Since you stated don't bother telling you, I won't.

[TheRedStripes]

haha...thanks, I appreciate it...

[CBAreject]

I'm not going to tell you that this won't happen, because I believe members should be able to post fantasies if they want to. It's not like we're the GM or something.

What I will tell you is that trading all of our players for mid first rounders will set us back a couple of years in rebuilding.

First of all, almost every draft pick carries an appreciable measure of risk. Some players seem like a sure thing, and those are usually drafted in the top 5, but even they don't produce as expected sometimes. Picks in the middle first round may show great promise but struggle mightily in the NBA. Some may eventually be stars, but they often take years to develop.

Stephen Hunter was hailed as a 'poor man's Garnett', a 'big man who can run the floor and pass', but he's still not paying dividends after the Magic drafted him at #15. William Avery looked like a potential superstar at PG, and some Hawks fans (I remember) complained that we didn't draft him instead of Terry. Avery never even became a marginal player.

There are many, many flop stories like these, but there are even more stories of players who either took years to develop, or just became bench players.

Ah, I've said enough. I think you get my point. We should not trade Childress unless we get a great pick and we feel like we can use it on a player who projects to be a superstar. Chill will be a solid player for us, and we shouldn't just give that away. I've no qualms in trading Walker if we feel we can't SNT or resign him. Harrington should only be moved for a lottery pick. Otherwise, we can stick with him.

[TheRedStripes]

You make good points, i mean it does sound a bit absurd to trade away your more established players for draft picks...

however, it isn't quite so absurd when the players you are trading away are Walker, Harrington, and Childress, in my opinion none of those guys really fit, Walkers age and inability to hit a free throw, Harringtons lackluster D and inability to finish undernearth, and Childress just doesn't have the jumpshot to play " shooting guard"

the Hawks are rebuilding and right now the player with the brightest future is J.Smith, so i would like to see them build with players closer to his age, and put together a team that can be really good for a long time

[CBAreject]

I agree that Walker and Harrington are not as good as their numbers. Childress, though, I think has a future. However, it's not at the 2. He's a small forward. He has started at SF the last 2 games and put up 19 and 10 each time. Those are Marion-like numbers.

Marion couldn't shoot when he came into the league, but he has now developed a decent jumper and can hit the occasional 3.

I don't think the player we draft at #15 or so will be as good as Childress will be. He also works hard and he has a good attitude.

Our future forwards are Smoove and Chill.

[TheRedStripes]

Actually, trading Childress was probably the thing I was most unsure about, and i like Childress but if he plays SF then Josh Smith will have to play PF and im not sure id like to see that, i think Smoove is better at SF, but honestly i wouldn't mind keeping Chilldress

The main reason i like the idea of trading Walker and Harrington for picks right now is that this team is really just terrible obviously i mean they have nothing to lose really, they can afford to gamble because... lets say they keep Chilldress...With Harrington, Walker, and Crawford all off the books they will have enormous room to sign guys and make moves, i feel like last year was a huge step after they got rid of big contracts but they cuold only go so far, now they have the chance to really really start over from scratch

[Wretch]

Chill is only a rookie. You can't evaluate a player solely on 50 or so games, playing sparing minutes, in his rookie season. Nobody has any idea how well or how badly Chill's shot will be. 3 or 4 years into the league, and I'd say yeah.

Right now, he's just got a horrible form. I've seen him knock down the open J without problems so I'm not too worried about his shot. I also know that he can get to the hole when he needs to. So as far as scoring is concerned, I'm not worried.

What I'm really not sure about is his ability to create and knock down a jumper off the dribble or off a curl. From what I've seen, and from what I've read in scouting reports, he was quite capable of doing it in college; but only time will tell if he'll be able to consistently get it off in the pros.

[Iman]

Red Stripe, I dont think that is unrealistic, I just dont like what you got for our talent. I wouldnt mind dealing Walker and Harrington for a pick and a restricted free agent bigman respectively. I like Chill, even if he is a little slow and poor shooting for a 2. I think he'd work fine if we had a good pg and center and a true PF. However, if a trade came up that would get us that PG or Green then I dont mind slowing or progress for a year or two and making that move.

[KBatPCSOM]

How in the hell do any of you expect to build anything in Atlanta?

It seems that all I hear is trade talk about Walker and Harrington. For some reason, people want to trade a 25 year old player in Al Harrington whose upside is ahead of him.

I think those of you wanting to do this are wanting instant gratification. This team will never be able to build anything if they take the approach many of you want them to take, because at every moment they lose or play bad, someone has to be traded.

Let's trade Al and watch him blossom with another team. That way, we can wonder why in the hell it is taking such a long time for the Hawks to get good again. With this approach, it is because no one is willing to give it time.

I don't know why I get frustrated when seeing talk of trading Harrington. I shouldn't, because I know Billy Knight isn't going to consider it. When he traded for Al Harrington, he traded for a guy he considered to be a building block. Billy has a plan, and he's going to follow through on that plan. Al Harrington is a part of that plan, whether many of you want to believe that or not.

[TheRedStripes]

Well KB, i think you missed the point entirely...I do not want instant gratification, thats actually the complete opposite of what i want, trading away your established players for prospects is not exactly instant gratification...

This Hawks team is absolutely horrific, in my opinion the players with the brightest futures are J.Smith, Childress, D.Smith, and Diaw...Harrington has been in the league for like 7 years now, he has had PLENTY of time to develop and i dont think he is going to get much better...that is why i feel that it would be beneficial to trade him for someone that would be a better fit for the future considering he plays SF and Smoove plays SF...why not trade Harrington for a pick that could land you a PG or SG that could be a better fit for the team

[Wretch]

First, and most importantly, is the intention of Billy Knight. The reason why it looks like we have so many guys that essentially play the same position is because he did it on purpose. He specifically set out to build a team full of long and athletic players that can play multiple positions. Why? Because he wants a team with interchangeable players that will be hard to defend.

Also, SF and SG are the most poorly defined positions. SF especially, because it is honestly a position defined by default. Usually, these guys are too small to play PF and too big to play SG. Shooting guards need only a decent outside shot. To be proficient, the ability to score is most important. There are basically two types of off guards:

Type A) These are guys that can shoot it from anywhere, but don't really do much else. They rarely create off the dribble and are most consistent with the spot up or jumper off of a screen. The premiere example would be like Reggie Miller or Allan Houston.

Type B) These guys are penetrates and decent midrange shooters. Most of these guys can create off the dribble and pull up, but they are very good at breaking down the defense and finishing around the basket. SG's who fall into this category can generally swing between the 2/3 with ease. Think Wade, Finley, or even Dion Glover.

Chill can be a B type shooting guard. His ability to get to the basket, his court vision, his athletic ability, and his unselfishness makes him a special player. I don't see him as a future role player, I see him as a future star and there is no way I deal him this early unless I got something TRULY mindblowing.

His shot isn't really that bad, it just looks horrible. I've seen him knock down the open shot. In fact, Chill was favorably compared to a Reggie Miller type 2 guard in college. Ultimately though, Chill is a swingman and he will be able to play the 2 or the 3.

Smoove is a 3 right now, but that's because his skills are so raw. I haven't seen the requisite handling/shooting out of him that makes a prolific SF, but what people don't look at is how big he is. His frame is HUGE and he's only going to get bigger. He's athletic and he plays a power game...and that combined with his size could ultimately have him at the 4. If he is a 3, then right now I see a young Shawn Kemp.

Harrington is a good prospect. If he'd gone to college and stayed 4 years, this would only be his 3rd season in the NBA and up until this season, he's been stuck on the bench. His future is indeed ahead of him. The only real reason why I would trade him is because he's coming into a contract year and we could just as soon deal him for a lottery pick. Still, he's plenty talented, with plenty of room to grow, and he shows great potential.

He's also like Chill and Smoove in that he can play a couple of positions. He's bigger than Walker and he's more athletic. So if it came down to it, Al could play 4, Smoove 3, and Chill could play 2 guard.

I'm not against trades, but I think BK's team is shaping up exactly the way he planned. We really need to be looking at freeing up a spot for Chill to start and the draft.