Packfill

I don't know, I just don't see anyone giving up a lottery pick for Al.

I would take Morris in the second round based on potential but I do not think I would trade up to get him in the middle to later part of the first round.

Sounds like Anderson would be a good guy to have off the bench next year backing uo center and power forward.

I agree with Pathway, Chill has the ability to mature into a solid sooting guard. Plus, as long as the Hawks get a big man that can rebound and provide some inside presence (whether it be Bogut, Dalembert, etc.), then I like the lineup of Chill, Smoove and Al at the 2,3 and 4. I don't think any of the three exactly fit the mold of any of the three positions but collectively I think they will provide what is needed, particularly if one of the three can become a solid perminter shooter. The only positions I see the Hawks throwing money at in free agency are center and point guard.

If Al is as good as Jamison then why not keep him? I personally like Al and want to see him play for the Hawks next season, but I still would not say he is good as Jamison.

Do you think the coaches read NBA.com?

Quote: Football has never had a problem with teams tanking.... Football teams do tank at the end of the season to improve their draft position.

1. First Round: Chris Paul or Deron Williams. 2. Free Agent: Samuel Dalembert. 3. Second Round: Bruiser big man along the lines of Eric Williams or Torin Francis. Simple formula: Paul or Williams make every player on the Hawks roster better, create easy scoring opportunities and can knock down a jumper when needed. Dalembert improves interior defense and rebounding.

I could not agree more with that article. A good point guard is essential to quality team play.

I am not sure Dwight is a center either, but I guess if I did add in some of the quasi-centers of today the current crop of centers would not look so bad.

I hope you guys are right about Bogut, but from my unexpert perspective he just does not possess that intimidation factor which almost every great center had. Going to a game watching Ewing, Robinson, Mourning, Shaq and the like you could tell that their very presence on the floor influenced the may the oppositions team played - whether it show up statisticly or not. You could feel it just being in the stands. This was true in college and in the pros. They just had an aura about them. Bogut to me does not have that aura. Maybe my standards are too high. I still think he will be the first pick and I think he will have a good career. But, I am not sure the "ruthian" numbers people are suggesting will be any more meaningful then the 20/10/2 that an Elton Brand puts up, or the 17/8/2 that a Ilglauskas puts up - meaning that they are not a harbinger of future playoff glory. They are good, but they do not make players around them better the way Shaq or Robinson did. If the game has changed then it has changed to become a "guards" league where a Nash or Kidd like point guard, despite their flaws (Kidd=bad shooting; Nash=lack of athleticism), are more important for success because they make everyone on the court better.

Quote: Those guys that were content to "mix it up" did it because that's all they had. They weren't good scorers, passers, etc. They were big and were paid to focus on rebounding, defense and "mixing it up". There is no shortage out there of guys like that out there. One sided players who happen to be tall. But teams don't want that anymore. All the way down to the college level. The game today demands more athleticism and more skills than a lot of those old guys could offer. The only player that comes to mind that offers a similar skillset to those old players would be Ben Wallace. But Ben is much more athletic than any of those guys. If he weren't he would probably not have made it to the level he has in todays game. Are you saying Ewing, Hakeem, Robinson, Parrish, Kareem, Malone, et al. are not talented/athletic enough to play? That is dead wrong.

22/12/5/2 are just numbers. Numbers which have no basis in fact. Could just as easily be 11/7/2/1. We just don't know.

Quote: As of right now, we draft Bogut is what we do. Until someone steps up in the workouts and forces the spotlight on themselves, we take the only really good center prospect out there. You can talk all day long about him not being a strong shot blocker or not having good lateral quickness. But the guy has the skills and drive to instantly become a top 5 center in this league, if not better. So at worst you have a player at the position that only 4 other teams can claim to have better. That's at the worst, if he didn't develop, which is unlikely. At best you end up with a guy that becomes the 2nd best center in the game next to Shaq, who's not going to be around too much longer. You aren't going to match that with anyone who is available via free agency. Until a draftee comes up who clearly offers those same advantages, we'd be dumb to not to take him. The question is, given the declining talent level at the center position over the past decade, is having a top five center better then having a top 10 point guard?

Will being a “top 5 center” in the NBA in three years really mean anything? When you think about it, not really. Shaq may very well have retired by then, which leaves the current crop of “top” centers including Yao Ming, Brad Miller, Zydrunas Ilglauskas, Ben Wallace, Marcus Camby and Jamal Magliore. Wallace really isn’t a center but I will include him. Amare plays center for the suns, but he is definitely not a true center and thus I will not include him. Duncan, on the other hand, is a center so add him to the list. So that leaves us with 7 guys so far: Duncan, Ming, Wallace, Miller, Ilglauskas, Magliore and Camby. What about young up-and-comers who have a chance to break into the elite group? I guess Eddie Curry is a possibility, but I am not sure who else – Dalembert? Kamen? Mihm? I don’t think you can label either Emeka Okafor or Tyson Chandler as centers. All I am saying is that it is a far cry from 8-10 years ago when you had legitimate battles in the paint between guys like Shaq, Mourning, Ewing, Hakeem, Dikembe, and Robinson (with second tier guys like Siekely, Smits, Tarpley, Divac, Duckworth, etc.) or 12-15 years ago when you had some of the previously mentioned guys plus Kareem, Parrish and Moses Malone (plus guys like Lambier, Sikma, Walton, Joe Berry Carroll, etc.)

I am torn between Bogut and Paul. I am not sure either will be a "superstar" but I have more hope that Paul turns into a Steve Nash type difference maker then Bogut turning into a "Shaq" or "Duncan" like difference maker.

I hope the Hawks are NOT in a position for this to become reality.

I am with Weez on this, that line-up does not look great defensively. I would not sign Damon Stoudamire for a bag of pretzels let alone multiple millions of dollars for a number of years. Stoudamire is light years removed from his best seasons and far from and ideal fit for the Hawks. His production will only decline as he continues to age. If I am not mistaken, next year Greg Oden, high schooler, has been talked about as a potential number 1 pick (although he may not be as good as advertised). The year after that is O.J. Mayo, who is supposed to be the next LeBron.

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!

I would rank Garcia higher and I thin McCants belongs on that list somewhere.

The words Villanueva and superstar do not belong in the same sentence unless you are talking about one of his teammates. Villanueva is lazy, lacks passion and toughness. He has talent in that he does have a broad skill set but he is nowhere near the athlete that Rasheed Wallace is. He is like Tim Thomas.

Olowakandi was the first pick in the draft. Yinka was a lottery pick. Benoit Benjamin was a lottery pick. Stacy King was a lottery pick. Don't forget other infamous big men lottery picks: Olden Polynice, Jon Koncak, Alexander Radojevic, etc.

Quote: You are right that he has skills that every other big man in the league does. Except the fact that he is one of the most athletic 7 footers in the league. Not only in hops but in quickness. He is a specimen, he has the talent I should say, he only needs to be able to show it. Just for the record, Michael Olowakandi is a specimen, as are James Jones, Brendan Haywood, Desagana Diop, Adonal Foyle, and Shawn Bradley. All have great size and athletic ability but still suck. Let us not forget past luminaries who were athletic marvels that were giant duds when it came to actually playing: Benoit Benjamin, Tito Horford, Yinka Dare, Stanley Roberts, Chris Washburn, William Bedford, Stacy King, Luther Wright and Sharone Wright.

Quote: bogut is a better passer if smoove/chill turn out good, bogut could get brad's assists from 3-4 up to 5... bogut could be the only one in the league besides kg putting up 20/10/5... i think that's worth the #1 Is Bogut a better passer then Dougherty? Dougherty was an excellent passing big man both at the collegiete level and in the pros. I think you are getting a little too hung up on statistics. I could care less if a center averages 2 assists or 7, as long as they dominate the paint defensively and are a threat to score everytime. Dougherty was a very good player, who unfortunately had his career cut short by injury. That said, it is unclear whether he was ever talented enough to lead his team to a championship or close to a championship. Hakeem, Ewing, Robinson, and their ilk were great centers because they not only were dominate offensive players, but they were dominate defensive forces. They were intimidators. That intimidation was evident at the college level and carried over to the pros. Bogut, for all his talents, is not a defensive intimidator - or at least he did not appear to be one this past season. Again, he is still the most viable number 1 pick, but he is like Dougherty in the sense that he is a very good prospect but not great prospect. And for the record, I do not consider it disparaging of his talents to suggest that he may not be great. He probably will be a top 5 center in the NBA by 2009, but that might not be saying much since there are not currently 5 dominant centers. Guys like Miller and Ilglauskus are very good, but not dominant.

I would be plenty happy with Deron Williams at 4.