Packfill

I agree. Crawford and Bibby in the same backcourt is potentially the worst defensive backcourt in the NBA. I am pretty surprised that some people on here think Crawford is better then Marvin - and I am certaintly no huge supporter of Marvin.

Isn't Crawford about the same age as Bibby? 29 versus 31?

I think the key factor in the Hawks improved play last season was having a stable veteran backcourt for the entire season. JJ, Bibby, Mo and Flip are all experienced vets, with fairly well defined roles, which is in contrast to previous years and the obvious instability at point guard in particular. I have always considered going from terrible to respectible the easy part for an NBA team, it is the next step, going from respectible to contender that is the hard part. In order to make that next step one of Smith/Horford/Williams will beed to take a major step forward. Each has enough NBA experience now so inexperience is no longer an excuse.

I think Joe Smith would be a nice veteran presence on the team. Chapeau to Sund if he can get him signed to a reasonable deal.

I agree with AHF. Orlando has a good system in place as it makes perfect sense to surround Dwight with shooters. Lewis, Carter, Nelson, Pietrus and Anderson can all stroke from outside. Additional inside muscle in the form of a maturing Gortat and Bass only helps.

I think there is a chance the Magic could be better this season given the additions of Carter, Bass, Anderson and now, potentially, Barnes, off-setting the loss of Turkoglu and Lee. It is amazing that Dwight Howard is the same age as Smoove, Marvin and Horford.

I couldn't agree more. Would do a world of good for him to soak in some of the knowledge that will surround him.

I don't see anything wrong with Childress' statements - he didn't really say anything bad about the Hawks to be honest.

I think the greatest impact working with Steve will have on Josh is with his mental approach to the game, which in my opinion is the most important area for Smith to work on.

My general perspective on low cost back-up big men is that you are almost never going to get someone with a complete package of skills, obviously. There is always a compromise. Some guy may have a decent low post game but chances are, if he is cheap, he is a horrible defender. I thought BK said he wanted a banger. I assumed that meant a guy who would "bang" on defense and hit the boards. I don't think Diogu is that guy, but he does have some skills that may be useful - he would make Morris absolutely redundant though. The one category of player that seems to be readily available at a low cost to many teams is an undersized power forward. They come in many forms, but alot of teams have a guy that can legitimately contribute (think everything from a Millsap to guys like Powe, Landry, Maxiell, Haslem (before his contract), Bass, etc.).

Definitely a big year for Al. Realistically, since it appears that the Hawks will be fieldly largely the same team as a year ago, the best hope the team has of really improving is through continued development and maturation of the front line (i.e., Willams, Smith and Horford). All are young, but experienced so the next two years should tell us whether they are going to take their games to the next level and become true difference makers or simply remain nice complementary pieces.

Crawford is a journeyman because he has an itinerant career being traded back and forth between bottom feeding teams prior to the Hawks obtaining him for spare parts. Shaq, on the other hand, until most recently, was a centerpiece - he has won 4 titles if you did not notice. Crawford is a hired gun on cellar dwellers. With the Hawks, he will be asked to play the "Flip" role by providing some offensive spark off the bench. He is not a starter on a good team. Crawford is acknowledged as a poor defender. Bibby is a poor defender. Which team in the NBA could put together a starting backcourt with two worse defnders?

I disagree strongly. Yes JJ is better then Marvin now and in the future, but Crawford and Flip are journeymen for a reason. A Crawford/Bibby starting backcourt would be the worst defensive backcourt in the NBA hands down.

What is the most another team can offer him? Same 5year/$90 million? Even with the reduced cap some teams will have money to spend and once they strike out on LeBron, Wade or Bosh then JJ is likely to get their money.

Correct. I figured the Clippers had to have some pretty awful draft records in there somewhere.

I don't think saying BK is better then Elgin Baylor is really a feather in his cap. Baylor may get the nod for worst GM of all time. BK was bad, just not that bad.

One of those first round picks became Rajon Rondo. Still a solid deal.

Thank you!

Dolfan - Where did you get those numbers from?

Dee Brown received that award the year after Deron left - meaning he returned to the point guard when vacated by the superior Williams.

Deron Williams was the point guard at Illinois, not Head or Brown, so you are wrong on that account. Deron was and away the best player on that Illini team when they made their tournament run, and he played in such a manner that it was not hard to see he was destined to be a top point guard in the NBA. The fact that he was the third pick evidences that. And it should be entirely clear to you at this point that people bash the Marvin pick precisely because of that fact he was another redundant small forward and because of BK's stated goals of building a team with interchangeable parts without clear focus on positions. If the Hawks had not used two first round picks on forwards the prior year, and if the team did not have a desparate need for a point guard, then BK would not receive nearly the criticism that he has. My personal opinion was, and remains, that the need for a quality point guard was such a priority need that the Hawks had to go point guard in the 2005 draft, even if they though Marvin was a slightly better prospect overall. So for that, I give the Marvin pick a fail. In addition, the Marvin pick would be more defensible if BK had not botched the prior Childress pick and the subsequent Shelden pick.

Let's be honest, it is hard to do less then what Billy Knight did on a collective basis with 3 top 6 picks. His only saving grace is Horford, who he had to pick after blowing the Shelden pick the year before. BK only gets a pass if the current group continues to make progress. If the team plateaus at 45-50 win range then really there is nothing to get too excited about. Hopefully, the Hawks prove BK right this year.

Assuming Bibby, JJ, Crawford, Evans and Marvin all remain with the team through the season, I don't see how Teague gets more then 10 minutes a game unless one of those guys goes down with an injury or he really impresses early on. You have to figure JJ is getting at least 35 minutes, Bibby around 30 (5 minutes less then last year), Crawford at least 25 and Mo around 10-15. Marvin will likely have small forward locked down for 35 minutes a night too.

After Hedo signing in Toronto I don't think Marion has a choice - he will be lucky to get the MLE.

Except the Lopez boys are pretty good, especially Brook Lopez who had a very good rookie year.