Hawks News: June 27, 2005

[HawkTodd]

Hawks News: June 27, 2005

Hawks will make the right pick

Today's question: Now that draft day is here, are you as sure as ever that Marvin Williams is the player the Hawks are going to and should draft? And if so, why?

I really do believe that Marvin Williams is the guy the Hawks are going to take and should take. Forget all the nonsense you hear about his position being the same as players already on the roster. He makes sense for a team with an absolutely dreadful draft history. Talent-wise, he's got everything you want in a top draft pick. From all indications his character is pristine, and his unassuming demeanor and tireless work ethic will make him a fan favorite. I know Hawks fans have been stained by years of "can't miss" guys going wrong, but things have to change sometime. And this could be that time. More than anything, though, I'm convinced more than ever that the theory of drafting the best player available is the right approach. I've seen far too many instances where a team tries to overanalyze the process, when the obvious choice is usually the best choice. Do the Hawks need a point guard? Heck, yes. But if Deron Williams or Chris Paul or even Raymond Felton were better prospects than Marvin Williams, one of their names would have been the subject of your question instead of Marvin Williams. If he's the booby prize in a draft, that's not a half-bad night.

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Trades? Deal Jazz in (6-27-05)

There have been mixed reports this week of uncertainty regarding prized North Carolina freshman Marvin Williams and whether he'd be selected No. 2 by the Atlanta Hawks.

It's where the draft poker game begins. Forward Marvin Williams is regarded as the athletic star of the draft but is still young and unsophisticated about the NBA. Two team executives said they'd heard Atlanta is having second thoughts after impressive workouts by Deron Williams and Paul. And the Hawks are deep at just one position, Marvin Williams'.

So would Atlanta dare skip him and risk passing a potential star? Perhaps putting out some negatives about him would make it easier. Then Charlotte might take the flier, since it has been pursued by Portland to trade Nos. 5 and 13 for No. 3, to move up.

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Hawks shouldn`t mess up this draft (6-27-05)

ATLANTA -- The Atlanta Hawks usually make a mess of the NBA draft, winding up with stiffs such as Jon Koncak, Doug Edwards and Ed Gray through the years.

This time, they should be able to get it right.

Coming off the worst season in franchise history, the Hawks will pick No. 2 on Tuesday night - a spot that sets them up for either Utah center Andrew Bogut or North Carolina forward Marvin Williams, the two most touted players in a draft that`s lacking a can`t-miss superstar.

If the Hawks decide to go smaller, there`s point guards Chris Paul of Wake Forest and Deron Williams of Illinois to choose from.

Any way the draft plays out, Atlanta is almost certain to get a player who will help improve on last season`s 13-69 debacle.

``I probably have an idea who we want, but I will keep that to myself,`` general manager Billy Knight said. ``We don`t have to make it until Tuesday night, and we will take all that time to keep meeting to figure out who we want. The bottom line is, we are pleased with the players we are going to have at No. 2. We think we are going to be overjoyed.``

The Hawks` dismal record - they were five games behind expansion Charlotte, the next-worst team in the league - gave them the best chance at landing the No. 1 pick.

But, in what some viewed as the ominous sign of another draft misfire, Atlanta lost out to Milwaukee in the lottery.

Knight isn`t concerned about losing the top pick.

``Milwaukee picks first, we pick second, and there is nothing we can do about that,`` he said. ``The good thing is there are four top players, and the Bucks can only take one of them. So we will see who Milwaukee takes, and then we will have a choice between three guys. We are going to be very happy with the player we get.``

Most draft prognosticators have Bogut, a 7-foot native of Australia, going to the Bucks with the top pick. If than pans out, the Hawks would likely jump at the chance to take 6-foot-9 Marvin Williams, considered the best pure athlete in the draft.

Williams, who just turned 19, didn`t start a game in his only season at North Carolina, but he averaged 11.3 points and 6.6 rebounds for an upperclassmen-dominated team that won the NCAA championship.

``Sean May played in front of me, and he was the MVP of the Final Four. Jawad Williams played in front of me, and he was the team captain and a senior,`` Marvin Williams said. ``With those guys ahead of me, I had to just sit back and learn, and I was fortunate enough to get to do that. It was a big help to me.``

The Hawks are actually coming off one of their better drafts, landing Josh Childress and Josh Smith with first-round picks in 2004. Both showed the potential to play important roles in a massive rebuilding job that is still years away from paying off.

Childress came on strong in the second half and wound up at 10.1 points per game, demonstrating a maturity that should make him one of the team`s leaders.

Smith, a local product just out of high school, gave a high-flying face to a team once led by Dominique Wilkins. The teenager won the dunk contest at the NBA All-Star game, led the team with 144 blocks and just missed being a double-figure scorer (9.7).

``I would like to play here,`` Marvin Williams said. ``There are some young guys here like myself, like Josh Smith who is the same age as me, so it would be nice to get to play with a classmate.``

Williams is the sort of versatile swingman that Knight wants to build his team around. He can score from anywhere on the court, is a good ball-handler for his size and passes as well as most NBA guards. On the other hand, he needs to get stronger, must improve his defense and would give the Hawks a glut of players with similar size and skills.

Al Harrington (the team`s leading scorer last season) and Smith are both 6-9 forwards, while Childress is a 6-8 player who can rotate between shooting guard and small forward.

Bogut, Paul or Deron Williams would fill more pressing needs for the Hawks, who are severely lacking at both center and point guard. Atlanta might look to fill those voids with its next pick, No. 31 overall and leading off the second round.

``I know Chris Paul and Deron Williams can play the point guard on this level,`` Hawks coach Mike Woodson said. ``Marvin`s got to find his niche.``

Bogut worked out for the Hawks last week, hoping to dispel any doubts about his athleticism. He tried to show he can run the court, handle the ball and hit the mid-range jumper.

``A lot of people say in the East Coast media that I`m not athletic,`` he said. ``But my vertical (leap) was one inch behind Marvin Williams. You all say that he`s super-athletic, so I don`t see the problem.``

Bogut said the Hawks assured him that he`ll be their pick if the Bucks go with Williams. Whoever Atlanta gets, Knight knows that player will have some growing up to do.

``The NBA is becoming more a developmental league,`` he said. ``There aren`t any finished products coming into the NBA right now.``

[Plainview1981]

I read the first article and while I understand

dfrafting the most talented player... If the PG's

have chances at being stars I believe you got to

go with one of them.

Until the Hawks get a star PG or center they are

going NOWHERE in the NBA. They will not have the

potential and Josh Smith will not develop that

much without a PG.

Everybody in the finals have a really good PG or

center.... Yes, I consider Duncan to be a center.