Packfill

Apparently Doug Gottlieb is very high on Marcus Williams. I would love Marcus Williams at 10, but not 5 - he is just not as talented as any of the guys from last year.

I hope so.

If O'Bryant continues to impress I think he makes a lot of sense for the Hawks. I realize he has alot of bust potential (as do most raw big men), but the Hawks are stocked at forward so reaching for a legit center does not concern me so much - particularly since there are not likely to be any real franchise type talents at the 5 spot.

Thank goodness we have a defensive genius like Woody around.

Quote: and nothing more. Agreed. Way too old for the Hawks.

No team can duplicate what Phoenix is doing because they have a unique talent in Steve Nash. Take Nash off that team and they are lucky to win 35 games.

Quote: Quote: Bosh is their franchise and I don't blame him for wanting a well rounded team built around him. I'm not sure a PG averaging more than 3 times as many points as assist qualifies as a pass first PG. (That is Parker in SA). Listen, we all know the number of "true" point guards in the NBA these days is less then half a dozen (Nash, Kidd, . . .?) So what Bosh wants and what he gets - if for no other reason then what is available - are going to be two different things. That said, can't blame him for wanting to play with a Nash/Kidd type of player. I am sure any player in the NBA would like to play with one of those two.

Quote: First, we Joe Johnson, we don't need a so called true point guard, and both Dallas and Phoenix are proving that we also don't need a seven footer in the paint. Phoenix just keeps on winning with the three small forward line up that you swear cannot be successful. I don't see how anyone can compare the Hawks to the Suns or the Mavs - both those teams have one of the top 5 players (Suns = Nash; Mavs = Dirk) currently in the NBA. Even if JJ, Marvin or Smoove improve to allstar level being one of the top 5 in the game is an entirely different level.

Somewhat understandable that Bosh would say that because that is exactly what they need - much like the Hawks. Bosh knows he will have to play center if they draft Bargnani, and it may impact his career. There is a reason why San Antonio put Duncan at power forward rather then center. sam with Indy and O'Neal. Bosh is their franchise and I don't blame him for wanting a well rounded team built around him.

Zaza and Dirk are completely different players. Zaza is an interior player - he does not have a reliable jumper, he does not handle the ball particularly well, and he is not likely to "blow-by" the vast majority of starting power forwards in the NBA. He is a nice young player with limitations, nothing more.

Put the bottle down.

Quote: Quote: Seems as if Ex - Atlanta Hawks are going to the finals, one way or another. Most NBA players are VERY good, regardless of who they play for. If they weren't good, they couldn't stay in the NBA. Someone with more talent would push them out. Not all shoes fit everyone's feet. Not all players fit with all the NBA teams. When you find a real fit, whether it's shoes or players, it's great !!! These two ex-Hawks found a fit for themselves. Exactly, and in Diaw's case, he needed a very specific system in order to really even give an effort. I'm sure I'd be far less bitter about it if a) the players themselves were not incredibly rude to the franchises they leave, and b) the media didn't use it as an excuse to bash the poor Atlanta franchises (and fans.) I think the system helps Diaw in Phoenix but more then anything with him was getting comfortable and having a level of confidence in his game. He didn't have that in Atlanta, but he has it in Phoenix. Even still, you could always see the talent was there in his sporadic time with the Hawks.

Quote: For instance, let's take the stance some have on getting a so called pure point guard. Joe Johnson is a terrific playmaker and is a lot better when the ball is in his hands than he is off the ball. Why would we diminish his overall impact and effectiveness on the game by taking the ball out of his hands and putting it into the hands of a point guard simply because he is considered to be a "pure" point guard? It makes very little sense. Joe Johnson is one of only 5 players in the entire NBA that averaged over 20 points per game and 6 assists per game this past season. In all five instances, the players basically played the role of the point guard in the half court settings of their offense. Would you take the ball out of the hands of LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, Allen Iverson, and Gilbert Arenas simply because they aren't traditional point guards? Somehow, I don't think so. So, why should the ball be taken out of Joe Johnson's hands? It shouldn't. The only thing we need at the so called point guard position is a guy that can help Joe get the ball up the court, play off the ball, and hit the open jumper. That's why Brandon Roy is a good fit for a back court mate to Joe Johnson. He brings good ball handling skills, good decision making, good vision, and good size to the position. The other two guys that fit this position are Ronnie Brewer and Randy Foye, IMO. With Marcus Williams, you have a guy who is much better at making decisions with the basketball than he is at playing off the ball, and putting him in the same back court will diminish the return you get on either him or Joe. The Suns took the ball out of JJ's hand when they signed Nash and don't seem to be regretting that decision. JJ is extremely talented, but until he leads the team to some wins he is just another talented player on a bad team. LeBron, Wade, AI and even Arenas have lead teams to the playoffs. As soon as JJ does that then you can compare him to those guys, but that day has not come yet.

Someone else already posted this.

To me, Rudy Gay makes the least sense of any of the top picks for the Hawks.

So there is hope after all!

The Hawks traded away their 2007 pick so no sense factoring that draft into the equation.

Quote: How could anyone support taking Shelden Williams or Patrick O'Bryant over Tyrus Thomas? It's completely unfathomable in my mind. If, by some miracle, Tyrus Thomas is on the board when the Hawks pick, there's no question that he is the player they should pick. The gap between him and the two players mentioned above is so incredibly large, there is simply no justification for passing on him to take one of those two. That's a Pete Babcock move. Agreed, you take Thomas and try and trade the redundant assets to fill the holes in the roster.

Quote: What I found interesting is that both Bickerstaff and Colangelo talked about adding talent regardless of position. This is exactly what BK has been saying, yet we roast him for it. Seems like BK has the right idea considering the majority on this board likes what Colangelo and Bickerstaff have done. What is interesting is that Roy seems to be moving up into the top 3 positions, but that might be hyperbole on their parts. Aldridge seems to be dropping some as well. It could be that he falls to the Hawks at the 5 spot. It is equally interesting that Colangelo and Paxson mentioned they they do not necessarily need to get younger and that in drafting duplicate players they may be willing to trade off some of their redundant assets (i.e., the Raps would trade Charlie V. if they drafted another forward; the could move Chandler if they trafted Thomas).

I would be inclined to trade down and draft O'Bryant somewhere around the 10th pick in the draft. If the Hawks keep the 5th pick Roy is the obvious pick.

Quote: I hope to god that this thread doesn't have to be used after the draft lottery. But just in case here it is. What is with all the whining? The Hawks got the second pick in the draft last year and were able to take the player many "experts" consider to have the most "potential" in the entire draft. Didn't the Hawks get exactly what they wanted last year? Are we really crying in our cereal because the Hawks did not draft Bogut?

If you have listened to what Steve Nash has said during their playoff run this year he said they are less talented then a year ago (i.e., with JJ and Amare) but play better as a team. To me, that is everything. Great teamwork can overcome a collection of talent any day. That is why teams like the Knicks suck and teams like Phoenix are so good.

Quote: I don't think it discourages anything. When the stakes are higher next year, let's see this discouragement in action. Let's see how many starters for teams not making the playoffs are all the sudden on the bench with back spasms or a knee ache or an ingrown toenail or something or my favorite dnp-coaches decision. They should have a dnp-GM decision... If you don't think there's tanking, check the record of the Spurs before they got Duncan. They visible tanked and was rewarded for it. I am sure San Antonio had David Robinson fake that injury . . .

Certaintly possible, but no guarantee.

Assuming the Hawks do not get a top 3 pick, if you had to choose between the two which would you rather have: Josh Childress or the pick (whether it be 4, 5 or 6)? I think Childress is a good player who would do well as a starter, probably not a star, but a good player who does things that help his team win games. I am not so confident in the abilities of this years draft class, so personally I value Childress higher then a non-top 3 pick. My only reservation is the obvious - i.e., the glut of small forwards currently on the roster. What do you guys think?