Packfill

If they dump Theo and Patterson, who do they have left making any real coin - other then Randolph and Miles? Randolph has a max contract and Miles has a large one, but otherwise isn't their roster entirely made up of young players:

Outlaw, Telfair, Blake, Jack, Monia, Kryapa, Webster, etc.

I am sure BK has a plan. Of course that plan probably involves acquiring another 6'9" player.

Well this is probably a good thing as the Hawks can give more playing time to Ivey and Salim to see if they have the ability to be more than back-ups.

This makes no sense for Dallas. They have plenty of scorers, they need defense and we know Al does not help them in that regard.

In addition, I am fairly certain that Dallas is very happy with their current starting small forward - Josh Howard. No way they give up that athleticism and backcourt depth for Al.

I just wanted to take the opportunity to call you a hypocrite. A few weeks ago you called me a "moron" for suggesting those very same expectations for next year.

So what? That doesn't make him one of the best UNC players of all time, just one of the best freshmen. No one is arguing that he was a good freshman, just that his limited stay at UNC did not result in a body of work that warrants his inclusion on the list of all-time UNC greats.

Per 40 minute numbers do not in any way equal to real world accomlishments of the many great players that played for UNC.

Do not belittle their accomplishments with some trivial argument about how Marvin is the greatest player of all time.

Actually it's completely factual that he's their best ever freshman on a per 40 minute basis. Best player? no. Best freshman? probably not. Best freshman per 40? Certainly

We can only speculate as to how well he would have done with more minutes though

Horrendous trade by NY.

I think you might get some different opinions on that from guys named Jordan, Worthy, Dougherty, Perkins, Carter, Jamison, Stackhouse, Wallace, etc.

San Antonio (35 and 36 game improvements), Cleveland (18), Denver (26), Phoenix (33), NO(on pace for big improvement), Miami (17 game improvement 2 years in a row), Chicago (24) are some recent examples, so I don't think going from historically awful (13 wins) to just plain bad (25-30 wins) is very meaningful until we see if the team makes additional strides towards being competitive next year.

I imagine there is but the chances are very slim given that the team should be significantly better next year because of (1) the experienced gained by the rookies and second year players and (2) further reinforcements brought in through the draft and free agency.

I think it is reasonable to expect major improvements from the team given those factors. If they don't then Oden becomes a possibility, but that would mean three years of rebuilding would result in no improvement.

We might as well stop talking about Oden because the only way he becomes a Hawk is if the team tanks next season, which is unlikely to happen assuming some modest roster improvements this off-season.

My only problem with Bargnani is that his game, despite his height, seems more perimeter oriented which means he is really a small forward. The Hawks have enough small forwards and it would be a mistake to take another.

I can somewhat appreciate what Hots is saying. I was as positive as anyone until this summer (go back and check my posts if you want) when BK lost his marbles. I just have been very disappointed with the way the team and organization have been put together.

I understand that Rome was not built in a day but the Hawks are still lacking in the two most critical areas on the floor (the positions that arguably take the longest to develop - center and point guard) and all 3 of the first round draft picks in the past two years have been used on players who play the same position. In addition, the coaching and defensive effort is terrible.

There hasn't been an NBA champion in over twenty years that lacked good interior defense and yet the Hawks have not addressed this area - unless Josh Smith can harness his raw athleticism into something more than a weak side shot blocker.

As fans we need to question the direction the team is taking. I will give BK one more off season to put this team in the right direction, but if he pulls more of the "JJ is our point guard" type of BS then he has to go.

Just watch him play, he doesn't have the vision or court awareness that a point guard needs. There is a reason he has played ownly sporadicly for a few years.

What makes you think he is a good player other then his draft position?

I'll keep this in mind, though I believe your statement may come back to bite you on your @$$.

That is an interesting take but no way are the Hawks that lucky, and I don't know if I can stomach another year and a half of futility.

We are going to have to suck pretty badly because we owe the pick to the Suns otherwise!

Hawks should pound them, they are also missing Rush and May. It would be like playing the Hawks without JJ, Al, Marvin and Salim.

I agree, but I would settle for either a point guard or a center.

I would much rather have the rights to Randolph Morris then Cenk.

But he is perfect for the world-famous superstar phenomenom that is the PG skills challenge?

Hunter sucks. There is a reason he is a career back-up/journeyman.

The reason why none of the top players participate in the dunk contest anymore is because it really isn't that important anymore. It was much newer and exciting during its first ten years - there was much more buzz. Now it is not as novel a concept and there is far less fan appeal. Most of the dunks are rehashes of what has already been done by the dunk pioneers like Dr. J, Dominique and Jordan. Prior to the 1980's there was very little attention given to dunking as an art form - heck in most high school gyms you weren't allowed to dunk. Interest in the dunk contest was somewhat revived when they brought it back after a few years without, but that interest has waned now.

As such, the league has essentially set the dunk contest up as a vehicle to generate interest in some of its young stars. This makes sense because it introduces fans to a new generation of players.

LeBron is too big of a star for the dunk contest, he knows it, the league knows it, and we as fans know it.