Packfill

My only reservations on hims are (a) when will he be ready to play, (b) he appears to be a good 20-30 pounds away from handling NBA quality interior play and (3) he is not a true center, more power forward. If the team's brain trust deems him sufficiently talented, then definite maybe.

Not very realistic as the Hawks are not likely to get the Celtics pick and Deron Williams is not likely to drop that far even if we did.

Quote: Quote: Raymond Felton is the only American player I see that would help us out at #4. I'm sorry, Raymond Felton would help up win jack! If you guys saw any of the Bulls game you would understand that a perimeter player will not help the Hawks play any better defense in the paint. Curry just dominated any Hawk center on the floor and Chandler got every rebound in the second half. We need size and we need it bad. I continue to reinterate that our point guard and wing men are doing fine and will continue to get better but our front court is terrible and getting worse. I'll take a project anybody that has some size with the top 4 pick! I agree to a certain extent. Watching the game last night it is clear the Hawks will not make the necessary step towards respectibility until they get some toughness in the middle. Ekezie just does not have that. The problem is, I am not sure Bogut, Taft or Martynas Andre???? (sorry, can't remember the spelling of his name) have it either. I would likely still take Bogut if available, but if not, I would take a guy like Felton and pay through the nose to land either Dalembert or Chandler. Neither Dalembert or Chandler are perfect, but they are about as close as the Hawks are going to come to getting some interior defensive presence in the near future. Stromile Swift does not do it for me unless he is brought in as a back-up.

Quote: No, I think that the NBA team would still own the rights to that player, but that the roster would contain players from 2 teams and ran by one coach. One coach who determines playing time, growth, and could potentially put one player from a certain team in a situation where he could be injured... Stern has come up with some pure dumb ass ideas. This one just seems to flawed to work, and he wants to have teams in Europe when the teams in Canada don't even seem to work out. How would a team from California play a European team and then play an American team on back to back night games? The 20 age limit has it's positives, but did Stern forgot about that Lebron guy who is saving the league supposedly? I mean why does he want to shut out the Amares, Lebrons, Melo, Smith, and other recent draftees under the age of 20 when it seems it is only helping the league. Melo was the All-star rookie game MVP, Smith won the dunk contest, Bron and Amare were both all-stars..go figure. Stern does not seem to think some of these ideas through though. Let's not forget that it was Micheal Jordan who saved the NBA back in the 90s, not Stern. You could make an argument that having teenagers in the NBA has not helped the game. LeBron is off the charts so it is hard use him in any arguments - he is a once in a lifetime talent. There is an article on top rookie big men on ESPN right now. It is amazing looking back just how good rookies used to be - when they were a little more experienced. I like the idea of the NBDL. It will give alot of young guys a chance to play and learn. A guy like Josh Smith still probably won't go to the NBDL - although he would benefit from it. Guys like Donta Smith, Desagana Diop, Travis Outlaw, Maciej Lampe, Darko, etc. all would benefit from getting some real game experience, rather then riding the pine for a few years.

Quote: Imo there is no reason whatsoever that Al can't become an Al Jefferson type SF in this league. We don't have enough talent around Al yet to just let him go like this. he is a young guy and his prime is yet to come still! I think he is PERFECT at the 3. Nice shot out to 18 feet, nice post moves, plays good defense at the 3. He might need to work on the 3 point shot some, thats all. If we had a rebounding machine with physical presence in Bogut at PF/C and a shotblocker at PF/C look out for us man we're on our way. Al Jefferson type small forward? Is there another Al Jefferson in the NBA beside the rookie power forward for the Celtics that I don't know about? Do you mean Richard Jefferson? He is a totally different player.

Quote: he would be a good addition just ur comparisons are off, as johnson is the better pg and outside shooter...but hughes is the better defender and pure scorer...he also rebounds better i think Just to be clear, Hughes was a point guard when he came into the league and was a point guard his one year in college. Hughes was drafted by Philly to be the tall point guard to go with Iverson but it never worked out, in part because both needed the ball a little too much. Hughes is so effective in Washington because he is able to take some of the ballhandling and distributing load from Arenas. Johnson came into the league as a guy who had the skill to maybe play the point. I would not want either to run the point exclusively as it would not be playing to their strengths.

Couldn't agree more. Smoove has definitely hit the proverbial rookie wall, which is not such a bad thing considering his age. He has done everything the team and fans could have hoped for this year - played meaningful minutes, provided a glimpse of his potential, and starting making a name for himself with Hawks fans and basketball fans in general. Let him play 20-25 minutes for the rest of the season, don't ride him to hard and get him rested and recovered for the off-season. He has a ton of work to do in the off-season but his rookie season is an unquestioned success given his age and relatively undeveloped skill level. Childress on the other hand, has turned himself into a real bonafide player. Sure his game still has holes and he has plenty to work on himself (mostly shooting range, strength and ball handling) but he definitely has justified his draft position and shown himself to a future leader. Overall, the continued development of the Josh's and Harrington provides a solid foundation for building a winning team. The team desperately needs a big man who can board and defend, but the team is well positioned financially and in terms of draft status to fill that whole. If a point guard is not drafted, I would really like the Hawks to take a hard look at Earl Watson. The guy is not flashy and is not a great scorer, but he is a solid steading influence that would mesh well with the young Hawks. The addition of Watson and a big man via draft and/or free agency probably is not enough to get the Hawks into the playoffs, especially since the team will be so young, but it should get the team heading in the right directon. Some outside shooting will have to be developed or acquired in the next few years to make the jump to the playoffs, but there is plenty of time to worry about that a year from now.

Quote: Don't sell him short. He knows exactly what point you were trying to make. His point is, your examples of 'short' PG's on championship teams consisted of guys who weren't impact players on their teams. HERE'S THE POINT you should be getting. NOBODY is saying Chris Paul can't be as good as Derek Fischer. Would you draft Fischer #1??? I don't think so. The point is, we don't know of many players who are 5'10" and are superstars worthy of a #1 draft choice. You have yet to list one. Sure, KJ was good. So was Price. Those guys were still 6', though. Also, they weren't dominant like Nash or Stockton or Kidd. PG's tend to be shorter, but they're usually at least 6'1". There just aren't many 5'10" guys tearing up the league. Paul may be the first, but do we want to bet on it, given that it hasn't really been done before? I'm actually one of Paul's fans, but I don't think your point is very strong. You are missing my original point as well. I only referenced guys like Fischer and AJ because some other poster said that you cannot win a point guard that is below average height. Obviously, those guys were along for the ride. Also, regardless of whether KJ, Bibby, Price et al were listed as 6', does not mean they are indeed six feet. Programs do lie. My original point, however, was that people who use size as a reason that Chris Paul will not succeed at the NBA level is unfair. Yes size is important in the NBA, and if two players were equal talents you would always take the taller of the two, but the fact that a point guard is 5'10" to 6' is not that big of a liability and certaintly not a reason why he would not succeed. LAck of size is much more of a liability at other positions, particularly center and power forward, because size and strength are very important in post play. Do I think Paul will be a superstar? I have no idea, I am just an average fan.

I think you missed the point, but nice try.

Quote: Quote: Well the lakers won three championships with 5'11" Derek Fischer as the starting point guard. The Bulls won several with barely six foot point guards John Paxson and BJ Armstrong. The rockets won two with 6' Kenny Smith. The were point guard? Right! Live in denial all you want, the proof is in the pudding. Being undersized is not that big a deal when it comes to point guards. You can add to the list of successful undersized points Tim Hardaway and now Jameer Nelson. Other then Magic what "tall" point guard has had success because of his size (and you could argue that Magic had enough talent to succeed at any size). I hate it when people cite the party line on something without doing any research to back up their statements.

Well the lakers won three championships with 5'11" Derek Fischer as the starting point guard. The Bulls won several with barely six foot point guards John Paxson and BJ Armstrong. The rockets won two with 6' Kenny Smith. The Pistons won two with 6'1" Isaiah Thomas. The Spurs won a championship with 5'10" Avery Johnson, and then another with 6' Tony Parker. So not sure what your point is. Other then Magic Johnson, has the size of a point guard had an effect on whether the team wins a championship or not? Has 6'4" Jason Kidd won more championships then 6'1" John Stockton? Gary Payton is 6'4" but has not won a championship, nor have 6'5" Alvin Williams, 6'4" Jeff McGinnis, 6'2" Stephon Marbury, 6'3" Jamal Tinsley, 6'3" Steve Nash or 6'3" Steve Francis.

Terrell Brandon, Kevin Johnson, Mark Price, and many others have excelled as NBA point guards despite being short in stature. Height has nothing to do with success, it is all about heart and ability. It is not like we are talking about an undersized center. A guard with great quickness can cause plenty of matchup problems in his own right.

I am glad you are not the Hawks GM. Haslem is a nice player but he is not worth $27 million. Also, he will never be like Ben Wallace because he cannot block shots, or alter shots, or cause hesitation from someone driving into the lane.

Hawks got Payton, Googs and Stewart in return for Walker. Crawford was on IR already so only two active roster spots needed to be filled (i.e., for Walker and Anderson). Those two spots went to Googs and Stewart (he played in at least one game, not sure his status now).

Both those guys are skinny and have no power.

That draft is just as bad. No way Jack goes top 10 let alone top 6. Warrick and Wright lottery? No way.

Deng has the all-rookie team locked up, don't kid yourself. He has put up better numbers then either Igoudala or Childress. Also, Deng's numbers are much more meaningful then Childress because his team is much more successful. In the long run, I am still not sure who will be best. I like Childress' mental approach to the game best - he is very aggresive and has team leader written all over him. Igoudala has some serious athletic upside, so he could make a hughe Richard Jefferson like improvement. Deng has solid player written all over him. He gets the job done and he seemingly is a hard worker, so he could will himself to stardom.

The problem with that team is that there is not a go to scorer in the bunch.

Depends on whether we have the first pick or not. For our purposes I will assume we do. If I am the GM and I decide after the NCAA tournament that Bogut is number 1, then I still try and sign Dalembert but pass on Swift. If I can't get Dalembert, my next choice is Kwame, then Swift. Reason is I start Dalembert and Al at the 5 and 4 respectively with Bogut backing up both positions. If I draft Bogut number one, then Watson is definitely a priority signing because there is no guarantee that a late first rounder would be ready to start. If I decide Paul is my guy in the draft, then no Watson because Watson is no signing here - he wants to start. Then, I really want Dalembert at center. Swift, I am not sure about. Is he any better then Harrington? I am not so sure, particularly for this team because Harrington's scoring will be more important then Swift's defense if you already have a solid defender at center.

Even if we have the money there is no way the Hawks could sign Borwn, Dalembert and Swift. I understand the team needs depth but all those guys would sign with the hawks for only two reasons: (1) money and (2) playing time. If they are all here, there is not enough playing time to go around and would not sign. Personally, I would be shocked if the Hawks could sign two free agent big men.

Granger is almost definitely going in the first round.

That still is not a championship team. No defense.

I doubt Chicago would do that deal. Hinrich is their best player and Curry is a developing low post presence. Plus, they don't need Harrington.

Okafor and Gordon will be tough to catch. The battle is between those former teammates unless something crazy happens.

Quote: What scares us all or should is not having Walker to absorb the defense. Not that it matters much because we're not trying to win, but it's sorta like teaching your kid to ride his or her bike... You know that when you're not holding on to the back of the bike, they will go along for a while but eventually they will fall... The only way to learn is to fall and get back up and ride. No one said it would be easy.