Packfill

Good stuff Jay. Meaningful victory for the Hawks from a overall team standpoint - helps confidence across the board, a buy in to Coach Woodson's defense first game plan and solid contributions from the Rookies. Tonight will be tough against Indy, but we all need to remember it is a long season.

I hate it when players complain about wanting to be traded because their team is not a winner. Usually the team is not a winner because that very player is not as good as the contract he has or wants. Baron Davis complains that he wants to be traded to a contender - but Baron, you are a max player so you should be able to make your team a contender. Curry is tired of losing but Chicago loses because he has not developed and is too lazy to rebound and play defense.

The veterans can't hit many shots either so I don't think they are purposely not passing him the ball.

Deng has definitely shown more to this point then Childress but given the current structure of the Hawks I would probably take Childress over Deng. Hawks need a quality shooting guard more then then a small forward. Still too early to point fingers though.

Heinrich is the Bulls best player. Deng is putting up numbers though. Diesel has a point though in that the Bull's shooting is almost as bad as the Hawks so that leaves a lot of rebounding opportunities for Deng. Still, I think Deng is going to be a solid player, worst case a Shane Battier type that every team needs.

He is definitely worth a look. I have a sinking sensation that Kenny Anderson will not last the year playing big minutes. Ivey has some potential but Bell is definitely worth the look.

I think that trade is good for depth but the Hawks are left without a legit number 2 scorer. Depth would be good but I wouldn't do it if it eats up all of the teams cap room. I rather make a trade that lands a legit center or point guard because I think we have some home grown talent that will provide good depth at the wing spots in years to come. Dalembert is going to be a pricey addition to whichever team signs him so I would not want to put all my eggs in that basket.

I would do that trade in a heartbeat but I don't think it will work because Davis' biggest gripe with NO is that the team is not a contender. Atlanta, even with Davis, is not a contender unless a big man is added. I will say this though, I am slightly intrigued by the quality of Royal Ivey's play in the last game. So probably to early to pull the panic button, meaning we are better off waiting for the trade deadline to at least see what we have.

Big part of the Lakers win was the play of Mihm. He is definitely talented but I think it is way too early to say whether he can play even half as well for the rest of the season. If he does, then yes the Lakers have a shot. If he doesn't well, chemistry is their only chance.

That was a pipe dream anyway. Hawks are better off looking to the college ranks for a long term solution at point guard.

I don't think the Hawks will win necessarily, but I think the Hawks match up pretty well against the Suns because the Suns do not have a center that can take advantage of our weak interior defense. Also, Nash is not a great defender at the point so Kenny Anderson should not have a problem getting the Hawks into their sets. Also, the Hawks have the athletes now to run up and down the court.

Did Troy get any playing time with the Grizz last year? I definitely agree that he should at least be looked at.

Now I am glad I spent the last pick in my fantasy draft on Devin Harris.

I don't understand. By all accounts, Josh Smith is an 18 year old right out of high school who has not demonstrated an ability to start in the NBA. Very, very few people his age get to play yet alone start in the NBA. Having two scorers takes alot of pressure of the rookies and allows them to get comfortable on the floor without being the focus of the defense. Chill and Smooth will benefit from this - Chill as a starting at shooting guard and Smith as a reserve forward (even if Walker and Harrington average 38 minutes a night each that leaves 20 minutes for Smooth, which is more then enough for him to get his feet wet). If either rookie is ready for more then they can go out an earn it like anybody else.

Thanks for the advice guys. I went with Gooden based on some strong preseason performances. The tough thing was that I really wanted Al Harrington but he was drafted one spot before my pick. Oh well. So far the team is Brand, Shaq, Nash, C. Mobley, Ilglauskas, Joe Johnson, Vince Carter and Gooden.

Fantasy basketball question here guys, need your help. I desperately need a forward for a rotisserie style league. Stats are points, rebounds, assists, blocks, steals, three-pointers made, field goal percentage and free throw percentage. We are in round 7 so the top guys are all off the board, here is a non-exclusive list of who is available: Drew Gooden Juwan Howard Mike Miller Jim Jackson Vladimir Radmonovic Gerald Wallace Matt Harpring Tim Thomas Kurt Thomas Kenny Thomas Tayshaun Prince Caron Butler Glenn Robinson Dwight Howard What do you think? Value is at guard right now in the draft but I am fairly well set there.

I like Jack as well, but I think Chris Paul is even better.

I can understand the decision to go with Childress over Deng, particularly now that we have Walker and Harrington and Smith. Deng is a small forward, plain and simple. With a Harrington and Walker in front of him Deng would get no burn this year and in the long run Smith may be better then Deng and could be a nice pair with Harrington. If you are going to be critical of the 6 pick, the only other option would have Igoudala. We will see though, I am not going to give up on Childress yet. As for J.R. Smith, he would only have made sense as the 17 pick, at which point you have to decide if you like J.R. better then Josh. That is a tough call, J.R. is probably more ready to contribute but Smith has some Rasheed Wallace like upside as a versatile front court player.

In the age of pampered prima donna athletes, you have to love Jerry Sloan. I think Woodson has a little of that old school attitude as well, which I think will benefit the Hawks.

The Wiz are definitely a talented team but it is yet to be determined whether those talents can play together. There are a lot of guys who like to shoot and that can be a problem. Plus, there is no defense to speak of, so if they win it is going to be a 115-110 kind of game.

Quote: I heard they might start Nelson... Nelson/Francis/Mobley/Hedo/Cato That would be a really small line-up. As partially evidenced last night, the Hawks forwards would use and abuse that Orlando line-up.

After Indy, Detroit and Miami the East is wide open this year. So many teams are relying on inexperienced players (i.e., Boston, Philly, Charlotte), players returning from injuries (Toronto, Wilwaukee) or chemistry experiments (NY, Cleveland, Orlando, Washington, Atlanta) that it is too close to call. So many ifs - if Vince Carter stays healthy, if Dalembert continues to develop, if Jameson and Arenas can coexist and get wins, if Gooden can replace Boozer, etc. Realistically, Atlanta has as much of a chance as the rest - i.e., if the young guns develop, if KA stays healthy and productive, if Walker is motivated, if AH steps up.

I would definitely include Stephen A. Smith in the group of reporters and jounalists that tends to exaggerate things. Every time he is on the air he says such and such is terrible, so and so is too old, etc. If nothing else you have to agree he is prone to hyperbole.

Weez, I know you don't like requests, but can you post the article about the break-out players.

Guys, I think we need to step back and realize what the national media does in general when analyzing sporting teams. Fact of the matter is that they overdramatize things. More and more they do this by making over the top statements. This is the Stephen A. Smith/Fox style of reporting. It is sensationalistic. This stype of reporting has gained popularity in the past ten years. Bottom line is - Don't take what they say literally. For example, they are not making a prediction that Charlotte will win 5 games. Rather, they are saying that Charlotte has very little proven talent and will struggle to win games, likely finishing with the worst record in the league. If the Hawks win they will all jump on the bandwagon, don't worry. If you really want to no what suffering is go talk to a Boston Red Sox fan. Every May they talk as if this is the year, then they lose to the Yankees and you can't even make fun of them because they immediately go into this whole self-pity ritual.