Hot Damn Kwame!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Packfill]

How could I forget!

Also, Shawn Bradley was the 2nd pick in the draft ans supposed to revolutionize the NBA. Not to mention lottery talents like Eric Montross, Luc Longley, Michael Doleac, Tony Battie, Lorenzen Wright, Samaki Walker, Vitali Potapenko, Bryant Reeves, Felton Spencer, and Will Perdue!

[hotboyj]

We all are analyzing way too much. Who knew Ben Gordon would be this good, or that Seattle would be one of the best teams in the league. You can put it on paper all day long, and look at the stats, and come up with a calculus formula for all i care. You still don't know how things will turn out.

What I'm getting at is that we should take a serious look at Kwame this offseason. Forget all of the stats and mumbo jumbo and give the boy a chance. Many of you are just trashing the boy, like many of you did Demarr Johnson not too long ago. Every case is different, and please do remeber that. You could make the comparisions about Stromile and Kenyon when they came out, but you don't know who will be the star or the role-player. Just give the boy a change of scenery, and see how it works. You all act like spending money is the worst thing that can be done. In life you have to take risks. If you don't you've never really lived. I rather have BK sign every single bust including Wagner, Skita, Kwame, Diop, and any other bust you could think of than to let our money sit around and just hope oneday that we can get that one big free agent. For the Hawks that day will never come, so we need to learn to settle. For all of you married men, you know exactly what I'm talking about.

[Weez]

true, but that's not a 'risk' i'm willing to take. not to offer him a salary that washington won't match...are you serious? no way he deserves a contract starting at the mle, which is about where he'd be...

[Lascar78]

as a part frenchman I implore you never to speak that name again

pleeeeaaaaase

[chillzatl]

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If he was inspired to work on his game and put in the right situation, tell me what's stopping him from having the same type of turnaround...

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Well, I think the only thing stopping him is.HIM. See, thats' where situations just aren't the same. Kwame doesn't have anything holding him back in Washington other than himself. He just hasn't responded the way that Jermaine responded in Indiana. Both teams basically opened up to the players, JO responded and Kwame looked like he might last season. He looked like he might be in season one of a 2-3 season progression to maxxing his potential. Similar to JO when given that same opportunity. But this season he actually took a step back. That's doesn't reflect well on a persons work ethic, desire, heart, etc.

You just can't expect a guy to reach a level when he doesn't want to get there. It's not like he's stuck in loserville anymore. He's part of a winning team that would be even better if he were better. Which is why I don't buy this whole "change of scenery" thing. He's gotten every thing you could ask for in Washington and he still hasn't responded. I don't think he has it in him.

[Plainview1981]

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Say what you want about his time in Washington.. Oneal coming out of Portland was nothing to jump for joy about either. The point is that when it's all done, Kwame is still a 7 footer with good timing on his blocking, who runs the floor well and has good upperbody strength.. and can handle the ball with either hand. PLUS, he's young.

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Yeah, and so is John Bender.

The thing about Kwame is that he appears to be SOFT

and it seems like he could be that way for a while.

When you combine that with the fact that he has had

playing time it makes me have doubts. Do they feed

the ball to him all the time? No.... but Most likely

he hasn't earned the right in practice either.

[archie44]

Pre-Draft workout. He was unbelievable. Amazing. We all knew that day that he would be the top pick in the draft that year.

Well, now we have a chance to go get him. We can afford two free agents this summer, and Kwame MUST be one of the players signed. He's still got loads of potential.

PG: Paul or Williams

SG: Josh Childress

SF: Josh Smith

PF: Tyson Chandler

C: Kwame Brown

That's a pretty damn good nucleus. Plus, we'll get two decent picks in next year's draft and pick up a solid player and a pick in the Harrington deal.

We'll be on our way.

[chillzatl]

How many years can a player ride the hype of potential before people figure out that the player might just have more potential than he has the will to realise it?

It blows my mind that any Hawks fan would want to give up the 6-7mil per year that it will take to sign this guy. Knowing that in four years in Washington, four years with every opportunity given to him, he can't put up more than 7/5 and less than half a block per game.

[archie44]

The kid is older now. He has to stay healthy, and yeah he has to perform. But I think I like his upside more than Swift.

And I think the question you have to ask is, "What would he do in our environment?" If he came home, would he do better?

I think he would.

[Nicholasp27]

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In life you have to take risks. If you don't you've never really lived. I rather have BK sign every single bust including Wagner, Skita, Kwame, Diop, and any other bust you could think of than to let our money sit around and just hope oneday that we can get that one big free agent. For the Hawks that day will never come, so we need to learn to settle.

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lol...so u wanna settle for a mediocre 1st round and out team?

and what if those busts really are busts? then u've just used up our cap space for the next 4+ years and we can't even resign smoove or chill when the time comes, because we've tied our money up in wagner/skita/kwame/diop/others...

u need to be a knicks fan...u act like one...wanting flash over substance...thinking mediocrity and settling is ok...overpaying questionable players that have shown to not live up to their potential due to heart/desire is A-OK with u...

nobody would go to dallas 10 years ago...but now they will!...just because we are not good now doesn't mean FAs will never come here...we have to rebuild correctly for that to happen tho...more players live in ATL than ANY other city...so they'd love to play here if we had a competitive team

[Nicholasp27]

remember, the qualifying offer is SEVEN MILLION...so if the wiz do that to keep their matching rights, then we will have to pay kwame AT LEAST 8mil, but prolly 10+ to get them to not match...

that's a lot of money for someone without heart and desire

[chillzatl]

I would think that bringing him home would only add to the pressure. Which he has shown that he doesn't respond well to. It's commonly regarded that playing in front of friends and family, in your hometown, is harder to do. Especially when you're as inconsistant as Kwame. If he came here and didn't produce right out of the gate, the media scrutiny would be rough.

[Diesel]

I don't think Wash will match any offer for Kwame... They have to save money to sign Hughes.

As far as Kwame is concern, he was a pick of the last regime. You can see Washington letting him go. I would take a chance on him. He has the skillset to be a very good player. You can doubt his motivation, however, you cannot doubt that he has the package... The good thing about Motivation is that Motivation changes. Dunleavy thought that J.O. was an unmotivated player because he choose to go hat shopping over summer league. Had you been a PTL fan back then, you would have agreed with him.

[Nicholasp27]

i'll take kwame

but not if wash gives him the qualifying offer of 7mil...i'm not paying 7+ for him

[Weez]

'but that puppy was now a dog...but the industry, that was a revolution' - billy madison

Kwame has been on winning teams, but he hasn't shown anything. While aggressive the other night, with having some plays made for him down in the block...he seemed soft.

his continued lack of polish and ability to continually look lost on floor is a huge red flag, especially that he's been given significant playing time. As a role player yes, but all the more to the point that he still looks lost...he hasn't learned how to 'fit into the flow' at all, let alone dominate a game or two.

[Weez]

they won't match any offer...but they'll probably match up to around 6+/7 million a year. Why? to save face. there aren't that many other options and Hughes is going to be tough to retain.

do you really want to overpay KWAME? I'd rather chance that (and up the anty a little more) for Daly or Chandler.

[drzachary]

Hahaha, Weez... I just choked on my Triscuit ["Well, if you had told me there were delicious Triscuit crackers in the car , maybe I would have had one, Carl"] when I read your Billy Madison quote.

Sometimes I feel like the Principal after reading some of hawksquawk's long-winding, nonsensical threads

[Lascar78]

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they won't match any offer...but they'll probably match up to around 6+/7 million a year. Why? to save face.

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I don't think so. There really is no love lost between Kwame and Washington in general. However I do think that some teams will throw alot of money his way.

how does that weasel laugh go again?

[Weez]

hehhehhehhehheh

no, there won't be love lost, but I don't think they'll let him walk for less than 5mil a year starter (which is what they'd have to pay him, and what I think to be over his demonstrated worth).

They'll at least bluff that, baiting another team into overpaying for him and then saying, 'we like and respect what kwame was able to do while here, and we're still glad we took him as our first pick overall. But, X came in with a great offer, one that we weren't sure we were willing to match given our current roster and other FA's. We wish him nothing but the very best, and are sure that he will thrive in his new setting. It's a great opportunity for him, one that we apparently couldn't offer him here.'

you know they've already written this letter and stuck it in the 'to be used later; press releases'.

[Nicholasp27]

so they'll give him the 7mil qualifying offer, hoping someone will offer him 9-10+, so they can let him go without too much fuss, as that's a lot of money, he's been injured, he hasn't panned out, and they made the playoffs without him this year