Packfill

Quote: The only reason why Kwame hasn't reached his full potential is because of the ungrateful fans they have in Washingtion. Instead of being happy about the fact they have 2 all-stars and are going to the playoffs, they spend their time booing Kwame. If I was Kwame there would be no way in hell I stay for a city that doesn't appreciate me. Kind of like Jamal Crawford. We are the best option since we're his hometown, Lue played with him, great opportunity with a team full of 7-0 small forwards, and a 6-10 powerforward. Not to mention all of the money we have. Confidence is the biggest key, and until you get it you can't play. If you are being booed by your fans, and bashed by the media. Tell me how you can think straight to play an ok game. He played so well with MJ, because all the attention was on MJ, and he didn't have to worry about how the media would act on him. Why not give the hometown kid a chance. The worst thing we can lose is money, and we certainly have alot of that to lose. We need more talent, and what better than a #1 pick. Kwame stunk when MJ was there too.

Again, you cannot have a team with all first and second year players starting - particularly when at least one of those players is not old enough to buy a beer. Harrington remains the teams best offensive performer. Smoove, for all his athleticism, does not have a well developed offensive game. He can get some points yes, but he is not the type of guy that can create a shot for himself at this point. I still think Harrington has not maxed out his potential and the Hawks are in a good position to see if he improves over the course of next season - if so, then he deserves a big contract. He probably won't get anything close to max money even with a big year - and by big year I mean something slightly north of this year . The Hawks will still have plenty of money to spend as both Childress and Smoove will be two years away from free agency.

I second the knee tendonitis being very painful. I had it my freshman year in college. I was a college runner, so all I had to do was run straight ahead but the tendonitis kept me from running and my coach held me out of a meet because of it. I don't understand why everyone is down on Al. The guy is a good player - not great mind you - but a good player nonetheless. He has a great attitude. Plus, he is still young and has a chance to improve. I do not believe it makes sense to put together a team of all rookies and second year players - you need someone who has been there and done that. Al, while not an old grizzled veteran, has been in the league for a number of years and has demonstrated some ability to lead the kids.

I agree that Okur has a comparable skill set, but he is probably the "floor" as far as how ogut's career plays out. At the top range, I would compare him to Brad Dougherty - good offensive player, solid rebounder, but nothing exceptional defensively.

Villanueva reeks of "wasted talent due to poor attitude."

Doesn't really matter what you call the prep-to-pro contingent. Also, 2004 is deeper then 2003, without question, but there is no one in the 2004 class that is like Lebron.

I have also been very impressed by Deron Williams in the tournament. If I were North Carolina I would play a big line-up of Felton, McCants, M. Williams, J. Williams and May and see if Luther Head or Deron Williams can handle one of the Williams boys - it would be a huge size advantage for NC.

I don't think most people would agree with your narrow interpretation of what constitutes a high school class. My more inclusive definition, which I believe is the how the term is traditionally used, is much more practical becomes it defines all players of a certain age. This way you can compare them versus their true peers. For example, if Marvin Williams someday surpasses the basketball exploits of Dwight Howard, he will be remembered as the greatest player from the 2004 high school class.

I meant 1988, sorry. I don't think you can look at a high school class and rate it based solely on who went pro right away, and not include players that went to college. If you look back, Alonzo Morning (stronger more physical Dwight Howard), Billy Owens (highly touted do everything forward - think Marvin Williams), Shawn Kemp (super-athletic big - bigger Josh Smith), Stanley Roberts (massive low post scoring machine - bigger Al Jefferson)and maybe others would have been top 10 picks. Mourning and Owens appeared on the cover of Sports Illustrated, so they were hyped. Look at the 1988 draft, the Clippers would have had to make the same decision as the Magic this year - proven Collegian fresh off a national championship (Manning/Okafor)versus potential laden highschool prospect (Mourning/Howard): 1988 NBA Draft -------------- 1st Round --------- 1. Danny Manning Kansas LA Clippers 2. Rik Smits Marist Indiana 3. Charles Smith Pittsburgh Philadelphia 4. Chris Morris Auburn New Jersey 5. Mitch Richmond Kansas State Golden State 6. Hersey Hawkins Bradley LA Clippers 7. Tim Perry Temple Phoenix 8. Rex Chapman Kentucky Charlotte 9. Rony Seikaly Syracuse Miami 10. Willie Anderson Georgia San Antonio 11. Will Perdue Vanderbilt Chicago 12. Harvey Grant Oklahoma Washington 13. Jeff Grayer Iowa State Milwaukee 14. Dan Majerle Central Michigan Phoenix 15. Gary Grant Michigan LA Clippers 16. Derrick Chievous Missouri Houston 17. Eric Leckner Wyoming Utah 18. Rickey Berry San Jose State Sacramento 19. Rod Strickland DePaul New York 20. Kevin Edwards DePaul Miami 21. Mark Bryant Seton Hall Portland 22. Randolph Keys Southern Mississipi Cleveland 23. Jerome Lane Pittsburgh Denver 24. Brian Shaw UC Santa Barbara Boston 25. David Rivers Notre Dame LA Lakers

The best high school class ever was 1998, the class that produced Alonzo Mourning, Christian Laettner, Billy Owens, Shawn Kemp, Stanley Roberts, Chris Jackson, Malik Sealy, LaPhonso Ellis, Don McLean, Chris Mills, Anthony Peeler and Derrick Martin. Obviously, not all of these guys became superstars but Mourning, Laettner and Kemp all achieved all-star status, but the depth of the class is truely impressive.

Quote: i would be happy with one of two logical situations: We draft Deron Williams via the trading thing. We signed a big man OR TWO in free agency. We draft Bogut and sign Jaric. I think either of those scenarios works. My personal preference is to draft Deron (thought I don't think I would do so with the number 1 pick) and sign Dalembert, because I thinke represents the potential for better interior defense versus Bogut. I realize this is the far riskier approach, because Dalembert and the other restricted free agent centers will be difficult to obtain, but I think it really fits the teams present make-up best.

I don't know if I like the trade. If the Hawks are lucky enough to get the first pick then might as well take it, which probably means Bogut. Follow that up with signing someone like Jaric or Watson at the point. If the Hawks do not get the first pick, then I think Dalambert does become BK's free agent target and the Hawks pick goes for a guard - either Chris Paul or Deron Williams.

Absolutely no chance the Hawks sign 4 free agents - if they could sign one of Dalambert, Hughes, Swift and Jaric they will be lucky. Also, Swift is soft so I would rather have Al. Al is the better player and his offense is important.

I don't like any of those trades. Right now Al Harrington is far an away the best offensive option for the Hawks. He is the only one who consistently can create a shot for himself. Chills and others will likely develop in time, but for next year the team still needs a reliable scorer.

Saying that JR will never match Josh in rebounds or blocks is meaningless. They are totally different players and play different positions. JR is a shooting guard. Josh is either a small forward or power forward - it is unclear yet which he will be more proficient at because his size suggests small forward but his game suggests power forward. Of course the bigger player should get more rebounds and blocks then a smaller player. Saying that Josh's ceiling is much higher then JR's is because of rebounds and blocks is like saying Dwight Howard's ceiling is much higher then Lebron's because he can block shots and rebound better then Lebron. Again, I have no idea which will be a better player but I strongly disagree with a general statement that Josh Smith has a higher ceiling then JR Smith solely because of blocks and rebounds - especially when we are comparing forward to a guard.

Why do you believe that JR Smith cannot become a good defender? The guy has the athletic ability. Obviously he will never be the shot blocker that Josh is, but Josh is not an exceptional defender yet either - other then the weakside blocks which at times comes at the expense of opening up his man. Again, I am very pleased with Josh Smith's progress and believe, in time, he will become a good player. The reality of it is that he needs a lot of work. The same is true of JR, he needs a lot of work. Josh Smith could become the next Kirilenko or Shawn Marion, or he could become the next Darius Miles or Kenny "Sky" Walker. JR could become the next Ray Allen or Mitch Richmond, or he could become the next Ed Gray or Ron Mercer. Time will tell.

Let me add that I really like Deron Williams and Luther Head from Illinois. Both are such great competitors. Deron would be an awesome pick-up for the Hawks if they do not end up with the top pick. I know the team needs a center in the worst way but if the Hawks are unable to draft Bogut there is no other big man that will be of any immediate help. so if the Hawks end up with say the third or fourth pick, I would be inclined to go with Williams and then try and pick up one of Dalembert or Chandler.

JR is only 19 so he has shown some very good potential. You could make an argument that JR Smith would have been a better pick for the Hawks then Josh Smith. I like both of the Hawks picks though, and it is too early in each players career to clearly say which will be better in the long run.

Wilcox just is not very good. He can score some but is not a really good rebounder or defender.

I liked what I saw from Channing Frye. Very athletic, coordinated and good size. Probably a power forward who could play a little center. I doubt he ever turns into a superstar but he definitly could be a dependable starter or great reserve. I would definitly consider him anywhere outside the lottery.

I don't think any of those guys deserves near max money. But, given the current make-up of the Hawks line-up, I believe they need defense and rebounding from the center position more then they need scoring. So if it is even money, I would take Dalembert or Chandler over Curry - even knowing that Curry could turn into an offensive dynamo. If the Hawks had Ben Wallace at power forward, then I would agree Curry would be a much better fit.

Quote: I would just be happy to have a solid power forward who can defend. A PF who can average around 10 boards a night, and average around 1.5 blocks a night. It's so hard to come by, but yet we will have a chance at signing a couple of them this offseason. I like Al Harrington, but when you barely grab 7/8 boards a night, it pisses me off. There are alot of very good power forwards that average in the 7/8 rebound per game range: A. Stoudamire - 8.5 in 36 minutes P. Gasol - 8.0 in 33 minutes R. Wallace - 8.3 in 35 minutes A. Jamison - 7.8 in 39 minutes If the Hawks can acquire a center that can rebound and block a few shots - and I know that is asking alot - then Harrington's offense and athleticism would fit in nicely.

My only concern with that is that you can't coach attitude. Good coaching can guide a player but unless that player has some desire and the right attitude then it does not matter. There are legions of talented big me who for whatever reason never reach their potential - guys like Olowakandi, Benoit Benjamin, Jerome James, Stanley Roberts, Leon Smith, Chris Wasburn, William Bedford, Sharone Wright, Shawn Kemp, etc. Some guys it is drugs, others laziness, others injuries. Kwame and Curry, because of the attitudes they have shown thus far in their careers are big risks and in danger of not living up to what their physicals talents suggest. I would prefer Dalembert or Chandler. Both are superior defensive players to Kwame and Curry.

There is no question that Curry has the most offensive potential of the group you mentioned. Really it is not even close. The problem with Curry is his attitude and lack of defense and rebounding. Those are some serious question marks. So is a very high risk signing with his attitude and questionable conditioning, I think that is why people are reluctant to suggest he be offered a big contract. The others have their share of "ifs" too, it is just a question of which question marks you are mor comfortable with.

Morrison may be a good player, that I will not dispute, but there is no way he can be an NBA 2 guard. Remember, he is a decent jump shooter but does not have great range at this time and while a decent athlete, is not going to be able to guard the likes of Steve Francis, Kobe Bryant, Dwayne Wade, etc. I rather play Childress at the 2.