TheNorthCydeRises

Vdunk, it's hard for me to believe that you saw Acie Law in EITHER game vs Texas, and didn't come away highly impressed with him. That guy is a big time floor leader. The type of guy that teams covet. In the first game @ Texas A&M, he scores 21 points and dished out 15 assists . . with only 1 turnover. That's easily the best PG performance of the year in D-1 last season. He COMPLETELY controlled that game. He had 15 points in the 1st half, when A&M needed him to score and really put pressure on Texas to score, to keep up with the pace that A&M was setting. ( remember, this is a 1/2 court style team . . and they were KILLING Texas from the jump, because of the play of Law. ) In the 2nd half, he scored only when he needed to, and found people for easy looks the entire half. He had like 8 - 9 assists in the 2nd half alone. Ish . . he even had a mini-Willis Reed moment, when he got hurt in that game, but returned a little bit later. The crowd was chanting his name like he was some basketball god. It was EASILY the best college PG performance I'd seen all year. ********* The 2nd game @ Texas, should be an instant ESPN Classic. Not only do you see the best of Durant and Augustin, you see EXACTLY why people compare Acie to Sam Cassell or a Chauncey Billups . . ( and not some guy like Luther Head ). From the 3 minute mark, until the end of the 2OT, Law scored 19 of his 33 points. That included: - A&M's last 9 points to end the half - a 3 pointer over 6-9 Durant with a second to go, to send the game into OT. An absolute incredible shot that even Law called "lucky". - Another 3 pointer in the 1st OT, that eventually sent the game to double OT. A shot in which the entire team knew that he was going to get the ball, and he still made the shot from 21 - 22 feet out. - And he would've sent the game into triple OT, if his lay-up didn't get blocked with about 10 seconds to go. That entire game was incredible, because it truly illustrated what the hype was all about surrounding Durant. But Law did everything in his power to get his team the win, and really put him in the national spotlight as well. ******** Here's what should scare the H-E-L-L out of people about Javaris. We all know that he has turnover problems. And it's been documented by me that he's had 11 games in which he's commited 5 or more turnovers. Well how about another stat concerning Javaris and his turnovers: He had 13 games in which his number of turnovers either equaled or surpassed the number of assists. Usually, you'll see those types of numbers in guys who play the 2, not guys who play the point. If he stays in school, Javaris probably has a good chance to be a top 10 pick next year, and a top 5 pick in 2 years. The kid obviously has skills. He just needs to develop the mental part of his game. And the only way he can do that, is to keep playing on the college level.

I always like your posts. It's like taking a dose of Pepto Bismol, after your stomach is acting up. It sooths, settles, and eventually puts you at ease. Funny . . no responses to this thread, despite almost 80 views. People would rather "keep hope alive", than face the truth. This board is hilarious. I think people better come to the very REAL possibility of the Hawks ONLY having the #11 pick going into next season, and having that as the ONLY offseason move that this team will or can make during the summer. There are a whole lot of "best case scenarios" being tossed around, but very little talk of the "real scenarios" that may very well happen. - Don't look for Smoove to get that extension this summer. If he does, it won't be close to a MAX number. - Don't look for Marvin, Chill, Shelden, or Salim to be traded this summer. - Don't even look for the Hawks to get a PG in the draft, if Law and Conley are gone. - DO look for the Hawks to try to sign a veteran player ( even multiple players ) via FA . . but look for those players to NOT sign here, regardless of what we throw at them. And if we do sign somebody, it'll be for a cast-off center who no one really wants in the first place. I personally don't think that BK wants to go down that route again. The Lo Wright signing pretty much was a waste. But who knows? If the team decides that they can't depend on ZaZa or Shelden to man the middle, they might get a scrub center who can play defense. - Don't expect that ownership battle to be settled this summer. Going with what we have may very well be the path that this ownership takes. Whether people think that is the "worst case scenario" remains to be seen. May 22nd is the day after my birthday. I hope for the best, but am definitely prepared for the worst on that day. Maybe the real talk around here should be this: Can this lineup be a successful one for the Hawks, if everyone stays healthy? G - Speedy G - JJ F - Marvin F - Smoove F - Shelden . . and if not, why? This starting lineup may give us the best possible chance at victories next year, with Chill, Lue, Salim, ZaZa, AJ and whomever we take at #11 contributing off the bench. If healthy, the question then becomes . . can that team get 40+ wins, and get us to the playoffs? Now, this doesn't mean that the Hawks won't look to wheel and deal with teams before next year's trade deadline, because they probably will, regardless of what their record is. But I wouldn't expect a very busy offseason for the Hawks.

Correct. JC is a JC clone. Except Crawford has the worst shot selection in the league. Crit may make the worst decisions running the point that I've seen from a big time prospect, in a long time. All the kid needs is another year or two to hone his skills and his mental game. When he does that, he'll be a dang good player in the league. But have him come out early, and it could have a team waiting 2 - 3 years to grow out of what really ails him as a b-ball player. By that time, we might be in another total rebuilding mode. Pick Law. He has the talent right now, and we won't have to go through growing pains if we let him run the show.

How about the BENGALS . . . which I'm also a Bengals fan, ontop of being a Hawks fan. I don't feel sorry for those of us who have gotten to see the Hawks win 40+ games for years, and make playoff appearances. I feel sorry for those young Hawks fans, that started following the team after the 1999 season, who have NEVER even seen this team win 36 games in a season, let alone make the playoffs. It's the potential young fan base that is hurt in all of this. But even they'll come around when and if the Hawks start winning. But the Bengals have had it far worse than Hawks fans. Yes, they made the Super Bowl back in 1988, but look at what has happened since then. - no playoff wins since 1990. - injured Bo Jackson in a playoff game in the 90 - 91 season that effectively ended his career . . and brought about the Bo Jackson Curse to the franchise . . as a result, see the next point: - 14 consecutive losing seasons 91 - 2004 ( Bo Jackson Curse ) - one playoff appearance ( 2 years ago ) . . and Carson Palmer gets hurt on the 3rd play from scrimmage, virtually ending all hope of a playoff victory ( lingering effect of Bo Jackson Curse ) - multiple BAD 1st round picks ( Dan Wilkinson, David Klingler, to name a few ) - multiple HARD LUCK 1st round picks that either didn't pan out, or got hurt ( Ki-Jana Carter, Peter Warrick, to name a few ) - great players who had to endure losing their entire career in Cincy ( Willie Anderson, Corey Dillon, Takeo Spikes ) - the constant butt of national media jokes . . most notably, constantly being called the "Bungals" for years, by a popular ESPN personality. His name rhymes with Vermin. - Cincy now knows as the Portland Trail Blazers of the NBA, with all the arrests - a totally inept, and CHEAP front office . . until we hired Marvin Lewis - a "behind the times in everything" organzation . . until we hired Marvin Lewis It took the Bengals 15 years just to get back to respectability. LOL . . what I go through as a Hawks fan is nothing, compared to what I've gone through as a Bengals fan. But like I said, I feel more sorry for our younger fans.

Dang . . . I know who Javaris reminds me of. NBADraft.net and draftexpress.com compares him to Steve Francis. But I think that's the wrong comparison. Right team, but wrong player to compare him to. I'll post Javaris' nbadraft.net ratings in regular black text, and the guy who I think he compares to in bold black text. I just happened to luck up and find his nbadraft.net ratings as well. When I saw this, it just confirmed who I think JC really compares to. And it also confirmed to me why this kid should stay in school for at least another year or two. Because if he did, he could really be an impact player in the league if he waited until his junior year to declare. If not, his career could very well resemble the guy that I think he compares to . . which isn't a bad player at all. Just one that should've stayed in school for about 3 years. Athleticism: 9 . . . 10 Size: 9 . . . 8 Defense: 7 . . . 7 Strength: 8 . . . 6 Quickness: 8 . . . 9 Leadership: 7 . . . 7 Jump Shot: 8 . . . 7 NBA Ready: 6 . . . 6 Passing: 7 . . . 9 Potential: 9 . . . 10 Ball Handling: 7 . . . 9 Intangibles: 7 . . . 7 Total rating: 92 . . . 95 The exact same size of player, at the exact same age, with the exact same skill set, and also played on a high profile college team. Name that player. Then look him up to see what he did in his first 2 years in the NBA.

Quote: tell me, what's wrong with it! I mean, Bumpy, if all you ever want to do is sit around and add absolutely NOTHING to the discussion... Why are you even posting?? LOL @ Diesel. I see you're really bored today. (( for humor purposes only )) G - Paul G - Chill F - Marvin ( oops, you'll start Shelden ) (( revising starting lineup )) G - Paul G - Chill F - Smoove F - Shelden C - Chandler Bench G - 1st rounder ( indy pick? ) . . Law? G - Salim F - Marvin F - Solo C - ZaZa Yep . . looks like a title contender to me. So I guess Paul is going to do his best Steve Nash imitation, and get everybody a ton of open looks? Like he did in NOK? or Smoove is going to be the guy who can not only knock down shots, but create his own offense off the dribble against SFs. or Marvin will play a Adreian Dantley role, and be our leading scorer coming off the bench. LOL. Actually, that's a decent defensive group. But the offense would be horrible. Still no post scorer, seeing that Chandler gets a lot of his points off offensive rebounds, and CP assists.

Funny about the current poll results. The "none of the above" column has the most votes. LOL . . I wonder why?

Quote: Because relative to draft position (21) he has been better than JC, SW, and MW...that is unless you're a BK apologist. . . But he played like a 2nd round talent while he was in ATL. So I guess we blame Woody for not playing a 6-8 player at center like Phoenix did, to maximize his talent. LOL . . OK. When evaluating whether a pick is good or not, you better take more into consideration than where they were selected in the draft. If you say that Diaw was better here than Shelden, I can argue against it, but I can at least see your point on that. If you say that Diaw, relative to where he was drafted, was better than Marvin or Chill, relative to where they were drafted, then you're completely insane. At the very least, Marv and Chill has played like mid-first rounders while in ATL. But Diaw played like a 2nd round talent, who didn't want to improve his overall game. Quote: Diaw fit the needs of our team perfectly. HE WAS DRAFTED BEFORE ANY OF THE PLAYERS OTHERWISE MENTIONED! How could he not fit our needs when drafted given we had needs everywhere?!? I agree with this. And Diaw also got a BIG TIME opportunity to become a key cog in the future of this team. Talent wise, Diaw had the ability to be a notch under Lamar Odom, and NBA scouts knew this. BK knew this as well. So how did he respond? He REGRESSED in his 2nd year, from the flashes of talent he showed in his rookie year. He was given every opportunity to succeed here in ATL, and he flat out didn't respond to the challenge of improving himself in the offseason. Then he started crying when Woody opted to give guys like Smith and Chill his minutes. Woody didn't misuse Diaw . . Diaw played himself OUT of ATL. Quote: Where's the moron icon? Combine Childress' and MW's draft positions (8) and it's still less than half where Diaw was drafted (21). Diaw isn't far behind these two and offers alot that neither of them do. Oh I see now. This is one of your famous "let's look at this from one side ( my side ONLY ), and blast any opinion that looks at it from another side" ( i.e. - a logical standpoint. ) LOL . . gotcha. The guys who tend to be scrubs in the late 1st round, usually don't get a chance to contribute right away in the first place. That's not the case with Diaw. He got a chance right away. His 2nd year was supposed to be his breakout year as a decent player, and he regressed . . period. These guys didn't regress in their 2nd year: - Nate Robinson - Jarrett Jack - David Lee - Leo Barbosa - Josh Howard - Tayshawn Prince - Nenad Kristic - Sam Dalembert - Tony Parker - Mo Peterson - Jake Tsakalidis ( good lord, even he improved ) - Andrei Kirilenko - a 19 year old Al Harrington ( edit: And these are all guys who were drafted between 21st to the end of the 1st round. I forgot to include that in the original posting. ) - And I didn't even mention any of the 2nd round picks that steadily improved their game. So you blame Diaw's lack of success on the coach? Please. Just like with Shelden and Marvin, they each have to bring their talent to the forefront, and improve each year that they're in the league. Diaw was so passive as a Hawk, he only wanted to fit in, not improve himself as a player. As Derrick Coleman would say about Diaw's improvement in Phoenix . . . "whoop-dee-damn-doo"!! He didn't do it here, and didn't DESIRE to improve himself while here. And if it wasn't for Amare's injury last year, Diaw would STILL be a scrub that nobody talks about being a quality player in the NBA. LOL . . and he wouldn't be 45 million dollars richer either. Quote: MORON ICON!!! Take you pick. Where were each player drafted? Still, no way "the most NBA-ready player" in SW had a better rookie year given his age, experience, and familiarity with the American game. The simple fact that you have to question whether a 5th pick isn't FAR better than a 21st pick screams [censored] up! It wasn't a much better rookie year, but Shelden, in my opinion, did have a better rookie year. And don't cry about Diaw and his lack of experience. He was 21 at the time he was drafted. He was an experienced basketball player, with his years of play on the French national teams. And his game was NBA-ready. He was on the NBA draft radar for 2 years, before he declared for the draft. His DESIRE wasn't NBA ready though. That is the same trait that people say Marvin possesses. Difference is, Marvin didn't regress in his 2nd year when given a bigger role on the team. And what happened this year in Phoenix, after he played great last year and got his money? He regressed AGAIN!! He showed up for the beginning of the season fat and out of shape. He didn't work on his outside game, to compliment the rest of the game. And that effectively saw him see a decline in minutes as the season wore on. He's not concerned though. He got his big contract, and can use Amare for taking his "center" spot, as the reason for his decline in minutes. With his talent, he should be making a less skilled player like Raja Bell obsolete. But he isn't. Quote: You're laughable. But oh well. Diaw as a 21st pick produces as well as our HIGH lottery picks. W Not while he was in ATL he didn't. He produced more like Royal Ivey, than Shelden, Chill, or Marvin. LOL . . I guess if we trade Chill, and he blossoms into a very good player somewhere else, that you'll say that the Hawks should've kept him too. You're the Alicia Silverstone of Hawksquawk . . . totally clueless. I know you like to get the last word in, so I'll do like O'Reilly does, and let you have it if you like. Just know that placing Diaw as BK's 2nd best 1st round pick behind Smoove, makes the Sene argument you made last year, look like a great argument. That pick is a failure, not only because the Hawks didn't solve any of their problems as a team by drafting him, but also because they got a player that didn't desire to improve himself in any way, shape, or form while in ATL. Even Phoenix fans have mixed feelings on Diaw these days. LOL . . sounds a lot like Hawks fans 3 years ago. There are three current threads about Diaw on the ESPN boards right now: here's 1 here's 2 here's 3 Like I said . . take the last word if you want. But take it at your own risk Dubya.

I'll always prefer the vet PG.

The lack of a decent PG hurts the overall offensive efficiency of the team. Whether it be a scoring one or a passing one, or one that can do both, it is important to have a good floor leader on the floor. The problem is, the Hawks PGs were hurt all last year, so we don't really know how good/efficient the total group can be. If we draft a PG this year, and he gets hurt, we're in the same boat that we were in this season. But with this team, the Hawks lose games simply because they can't prevent people from scoring at will in the paint. At the very least, we need a defensive deterrent in the middle that can play decent defense in the post. Right now, we're probably stronger at the PG position, with Speedy, Lue and AJ ( if all are healthy ), than we are at Center, seeing that ZaZa and Lo Wright are the only legit ones with size that we have there. The other guys who we play at center ( Smoove, Solomon, and Shelden ), are basically forwards, and have trouble staying out of foul trouble when guarding 5 spot. If we can't defend in the post and keep people from scoring in the paint, it doesn't matter how many points we score. My vote: Center

Question: Why wasn't Diaw listed as BK's worst pick in any of those scenarios? You're talking about how the player has played for us and/or fit the needs of the team, right? In the 2 years that Diaw was here, Chill and Marvin easily had a bigger impact as a player than Diaw. You can even very easily argue that Shelden had a bigger impact in his rookie year, than Diaw had in 2 years here. Diaw waw absolutely HORRIBLE as a player here . . just HORRIBLE. If you'd listed this scenario: Diaw, Chill, SW, MW, & JS . . then I would've voted for that one. Otherwise, I have to vote "none of the above" in that section. Listing Diaw as 4th behind Josh Smith, is laughable. Diaw is arguably the most passive Hawk player in its history who never showed a desire to improve while he was here. 2nd round is easy. Donta, Ivey, SJ, and Salim As of right now Salim has won/impacted more games in his Hawk career ( even this year ), than any of those 2nd round picks. And in the right lineup, Salim could be a bigger asset for the Hawks, than those other guys. So I have to put Salim as being the better pick right now.

Well, that's obvious coming from you . . or anybody with "Smoove" in their username. You guys have ALWAYS tried to dog Marvin on every turn, hoping that he doesn't become a better player than Josh. Marvin is already better than Tim Thomas in his 2nd year, so that comparison pretty much goes out the window. Now, Marvin's mannerisms may resemble Tim Thomas, but he has much more athletic ability and talent than Tim ever had. It's more wishful thinking to think that Marvin won't progress more than what he is right now. I don't see "superstar" in Marvin's future. But I do think that he could easily be on the level of a Glen Rice, or slightly below that.

I agree. No way was Wallace staying here. And I've always liked JT as a player, despite his lack of PG leadership skills in the 4th quarter. But I'll trade JT, to get JJ any day of the week. Without that JT/Hendu for Toine trade, we don't have a chance to get all of that money off the books in the summer of 2005, to make a run at JJ. So in the end, I'd rather have JJ than JT.

Quote: Quote: The blue is in protest of some of the crybaby fans on this board. I might change back to black sometime next week. Northcyde, Lascar, KB...having been 100% wrong up until this point nobody should take any of your predictions seriously, but at least we don't have to wade through yours anymore. The blue highlights can't touch up a .000 batting percentage on the state of the Hawks and the competence of it's "leaders". We'll be better next year, but we'll still be flawed without considerable luck. We'll be flawed and still a solid lottery team. In 3 years just before JJ's deal is up and I-F we manage to retain JS and MW or JC we'll be a 38-42 win team. It becomes increasingly harder to improve in terms of wins and loses and considering how difficult it already is for us, we shouldn't fool ourselves into expecting more no matter what color we write in. W Ignorance . . is proposing that the Hawks trade down in last year's draft, just to pick up Sene, so he could be our center "project". That's true ignorance.

Shelden was in the same position as Marvin was last year. He was a high pick that didn't have a guaranteed starting spot. Usually, high picks like that start right away. Marvin didn't, nor did Shelden. Because of that, their numbers will always be lower and their impact on the team will be less than what they would've been, had they played "starter's minutes" the entire year.

(( going with Mr. H's "funeral gray" on this post )) Coach, I agree with what you say about Brewer. The Hawks probably won't touch him though, seeing that it'll bring even more criticizm to the organization for not taking a big man or a point. But Brewer is definitely a good player offensively, and his defense is outstanding. That's usually a recipe for success in the NBA. But if Brewer is available at #11, and Law is gone, Brewer will be the best player available at that position. As far as impact goes, the draft could be looked at like this in 3 years. - Durant - Oden - Law - Brewer - Noah ( depending on which team he goes to ) Noah is a hustle player that plays all out. And that hustle makes up a little for his shortcomings. Those types of players are usually successful on the NBA level, even if they don't turn into star players.

. . but that also means that he's 40% wrong. He's dead on when talking about Marvin's demeanor and desire. I don't think he desires to be "the man" or a "great player" at this time either. Whenever I tape a game, I always go back and watch it at least twice, with the 2nd viewing focusing on certain players. I've seen Marvin pass off good shots too many times in the 4th quarter, deferring to either Lue or JJ. Having said that, those are the only two that he usually defers to. Diesel is wrong in the fact that he keeps comparing Marvin to potential Hall of Fame players. Just because you're the #2 pick in a draft, doesn't mean that you're going to be the best player in that generation or in that decade. And it doesn't mean that you're the 2nd best player in the draft AT THAT TIME. Guys like Vince, LeBron, and Melo had "star" written all over them from the jump. Because Marvin doesn't have that written all over him right now, doesn't mean that the kid won't continue to develop into a very good player in this league. And you have to understand this . . most #2 picks don't come into a situation in which you already have a bonafide star player, and an experienced player playing in front of you ( talking about JJ and Harrington ). Most #2 picks get a chance to start right away and have an immeadiate impact on a team, because there is a desperate need for his position. That's not the situation Marvin stepped in with Atlanta. It's like blaming Darko for being a bust, when Dumars probably had no business taking him at #2 in the first place. They already had too many people playing in front of him, for him to make a huge impact from the jump. Darko is now proving that he at least has some game, and will probably continue to get better as the years go along. If Dumars would've taken Carmelo at #2, he may be progressing at the same rate as Marvin right now, because there's no guarantee that Melo would be starting over Tayshawn Prince in Detroit. And because of that, he could very well be a 6th man type talent in the NBA, instead of a superstar talent. Instead of 29 ppg, Melo could very well be a 16 ppg scorer in Detroit's system . . . coming off the bench and winning back-to-back 6th man awards . . with Detroit possibly having an extra NBA championship to go along with it. It's also the same situation that Jermaine O'Neal found himself in while in Portland. He was talented, but who was he going to sit on the bench? That Portland team was full of experienced and talented players. He couldn't even get off the bench in Portland, but has made the All-Star team 6 of the 7 years he's been in Indiana. The fact is that when you're a high pick, you pretty much need to be thrown into the fire right away, in order to see if you can make an immeadiate impact. The Hawks chose to take it slow with Marvin in Year 1, because they had plenty of talent at his position. So Year 2 ( this year ) is essentially his first impact year in which he got enough minutes to become a core member of this team. All that has to be taken into consideration, when talking about Marvin. The following players were pretty much in the same boat as Marvin, with better players in front of them their rookie year. Here's what they've done in that 1st year they played over 2000 minutes total in a season: Dirk in year 2: 17.5 ppg . . 6.5 rebs . . 46% FG T-Mac in year 3 ( when he finally got to play significant minutes: 15.4 ppg . . 6.6 rebs . . 45% FG Kobe in year 2: 15.1 ppg . . 3.1 rebs . . 2.5 asst . . 42% FG Marvin in year 2: 13.1 ppg . . 5.3 rebs . . 43% FG So instead of being on a superstar level, he's on track to be a very good player. Hey, that's just fine with me, if JJ and Smoove will be the superstars. Every team needs that 3rd guy to step up and be big time when needed. If Marvin is that guy, the Hawks will be just fine. Would anybody be upset if Marvin's ceiling, was a Glen Rice type of player? He was basically only a jumpshooter who didn't rebound the ball well either. If Marvin turns into the 21st century version of Glen Rice, would his detractors really be that mad? By the way, here were Rice's numbers in his rookie year in Miami, when he played over 2300 minutes that year: 13.6 ppg 4.6 rebs 1.8 asst 44% FG 25% 3FG ( surprised at that number? ) Those totals are eerily similar to Marvin's numbers this year, in almost EVERY category.

I almost completely agree with you Diesel. This is definitely a top 2 heavy draft, not a deep draft in which most of the 1st round players will be sure fire starters in a year or two. And I wouldn't be against trading the pick for an established player at all. The history of the league pretty much shows that when a team acquires a good player that is experienced AND talented, the team is much better off than acquiring a player who is talented, but inexperienced on the NBA level. The pre-draft camps will tell a lot about this group. Some will rise, some will fall. Most will fall from grace and let some names that are off the main radar right now, jump above them. But if you're looking for a guy outside of Durant and Oden, the guy to look out for, is Acie Law. I think some of the Squawkers need to go watch some YouTube highlights of this guy. Or better yet, watch the Texas @ Texas A&M game, in which Law dropped 21 points and added a school record 15 assists . . with only 1 turnover. If you're talking about a PG, that's the type of player we need on this team. A guy who can do BOTH things . . pass and score . . not just one thing very well. The more I think about it, the more I believe that Law isn't going to be available after the top 5, let alone at #11 where we are.

Quote: You mean by putting yourself in the "Everything is A-OK! Woodson is the NBA's best coach! Knight is the NBA's best GM!" like some of the people are like on here? Please. I'd rather take fans of a team with a realistic view on this franchise than some of you BK-Woodson-ASG apologists that think we should be lucky to have a **** team season after season. LOL . . but you guys AREN'T realistic at all. Most of the people on this board know that. If you were realistic, you'd know that when a team suffers the injuries that they did this season, that you're not going to achieve the goals you set at the beginning of the year. We all want to root for a winner. But when things like that happen, it's not much you can do. Ask Milwaukee. Firing Porter one year, and Stotts this year, when each of those teams were devastated by injuries, isn't a solution to the problem. You just have to hope that people can stay healthy enough to build something. It's obvious that you guys don't have any patience anymore, and I understand that. Crying about it won't help the situation though. And it won't help your sanity as a fan.

Walt, I just understand how injuries can wreck a season. And when that happens, I have to give some of the people in charge the benefit of the doubt. The organization can definitely be critized for not getting Chris Paul. But unlike yourself, I completely understand why they chose Marvin. Like with my Bengals. I didn't blame the organization for the Ki-Jana Carter signing. It was a good pick-up, but we just got unlucky with his injury. I don't even blame them for the Akili Smith signing. We needed a QB, and he was the best availabe QB left on the board. The Dan Wilkinson draft pick? You bet. Marshall Faulk was there for the taking, and we passed him over just to get a D-Lineman ( who we did need, but wasn't the guy with the most upside, nor the guy who could make an immeadiate impact ) As far as this year's version of the Hawks, I still say we finish somewhere close to .500, if we were somewhat healthy. It's too easy to say that the Hawks are horrible, when just about the entire core of the team missed 15 or more games this year. No team in the leauge is going to survive that. In either case, you'll find something to whine about until the Hawks make it to the NBA Finals . . if they ever do that in our lifetime. So it's cool. Continue to whine and cry.

The blue is in protest of some of the crybaby fans on this board. I might change back to black sometime next week.

Quote: Quote: That is how I feel. I'll take any of the usual suspects at PG. It HAS TO BE better than the parade of backups we've had since Mookie left town. While I understand the frustration, I don't think that Javaris would be significantly better than either Lue or AJ next year. For that matter, neither would Conley. (Law should be able to contribute from game 1, but even he would only be mildly better in his rookie season). And that's the inherent problem with drafting a PG at this stage. Like I've said before, it's a lot cheaper to draft a decent center than it is to grab one via FA or trade. Do not be surprised to see the Hawks take a center with their pick. They're expecting Claxton to make a major improvement in his health, and they've already got a good backup in either AJ or Lue. My gut tells me the Hawks will draft a center and trade for a pass-first PG like Ridnour to pair with Speedy. Good post MrH. Although I would love to have Law here, I could definitely see the Hawks going the center route. Contrary to popular belief on this board, we don't lose games because of the lack of a PG. We lose games because too many people score in the paint against us. We have played "perfect" offensive games, and still lost this year. But when we play well on defense, we tend to win. And as much as I despise Luke, I can deal with paring him up with a PG like Speedy ( although that's a lot of money to be spending on 2 PGs like that ). It would give us a different dimension at the PG position to bring in off the bench. But Speedy would be the starter, and the guy that I'd want in the game at the end for defense. Luke would never see more than 25 minutes a game, unless he's playing real well. A Luke - Lue combo would be disasterous, because teams with decent PGs would attack us at will. Luke being the starter would be disasterous, because he's proven not to be a leader-type PG. Speedy - Luke might work, because of the contrasts in styles and would give us a variety of looks to go with. Speedy - Law . . now there's a combo I can deal with. Law gives you all of the shooting ability of a Ty Lue, plus he can create his own shot and get to the hole. And he's a decent enough playmaker to get others involved. And we wouldn't lose much on defense at the position, once Speedy came out of the game. The Speedy - Law combo could pay immeadiate dividends for the Hawks. Plus, Law's shooting ability will allow him to play the 2 at times. You could even go with Law - Salim in the backcourt, and still have a lot of offensive firepower on the floor. LOL . . but since Woody is the coach, he'll stick with the Speedy - Lue combo, until it fizzles out. Damn . . maybe the Hawks are going to have to trade up for Law, if they really want him. If they don't, they'll probably go for the best big man available at #11.

I started to write in red, but that was definitely annoying to look at. Blue is a nice color. Maybe bolding the blue would be the best option. I could go UT orange if you like.

Quote: Quote: ...are now advocating the selection of a raw, unproven freshman who some "experts" now consider to have the *most* upside at his position. If you think Javaris is raw and unproven, then you think Conley is also. Javaris DEFINITELY proved he had the ability to take over games last year, and did so numerous times, ESPECIALLY at the end of games. He's already bigger, a much better shooter, much better FT shooter, better rebounder, and averages as many assists (0.3 less) as Conley. Sure he has turned it over more, but in the NBA he won't be expected to do as much and handle the full load as he is on GT. Conley isn't going to be ready right away either, so I don't know why you keep mentioning that. Conley is skinny and can't shoot, he only averaged 11 and 6, is that really that much to get all hyped about? What makes him SO much better a prospect than Crittenton? If anything SCREAMS "average NBA PG" it's Conley. The Hawks should stay away from JC like he has the Bird Flu. He needs to stay in school at least one more year . . maybe even two more years, to see if he really can handle being a PG, or if he's just a SG with playmaking abilities. He makes wayyyyy to many questionable decisions at PG, to be considered a good prospect at this time. Compare him to the other 2 PGs in question. JC had 11 games in which he committed 5 or more turnovers . . . 11. Law did it in 5 games. Conley did it in 1 game. JC scored 20 points or more in 7 games. Law did it in 18 games. Conley did it in 3 games. JC had 7 or more assists in 9 games. Law did it in 9 games. Conley did it in 14 games. It's obvious to see which guys are strong or weak in a certain area. If the Hawks want a playmaker that doesn't turn the ball over, you take Conley. If the Hawks want a complete PG that can do some of everything pretty well, they better hope that Law falls to them at #11. And if it comes down to Law or JC, you choose Law without even thinking twice about it. People are trying to downplay JC's turnovers, like it's not a big deal. The PG is usually referred to as the "QB of the basketball team". Well . . you wouldn't draft a QB with "potential" very high in the draft, if he had a lot of raw potential, but tend to make horrific decisions with the football. As much as we all love Josh Smith, he tends to make horiffic decisions with the basketball that leads to turnovers. That's one of his biggest drawbacks as a player right now. Adding JC to the Hawks roster right now, would give us another player that does the exact same thing. Message to BK: "BK . . I got a letter from the CDC, and it says that JC has Bird Flu, and might infect the rest of the team. So stay away from him . . even if the other 2 PGs are already off the board."

They're just crybaby fans. Hell . . I'm also a Cincinnati Bengals fan. I know TRULY what an inept front office truly consist of. I endured losing for 14 straight years being a Bengals fan. And I never whined as much as these dudes here do. If they think that next season is already over, let them think that. No sense in explaining anything to them from this point forward. Maybe this board should just break up into 2 factons, because it's obvious that we have a group of fans that will always whine and cry about everything this organization does. I think from now on, I'll write all of my posts in red. It'll be my way of separating myself from the crybaby masses.