Packfill

Tinsley stinks. I see no value in him being on the Hawks roster.

Quote: Kwame would be a good player to bring off the bench because he plays great post defense but you cannot expect him to score or put him on the floor with players who cannot create their own shot. Randolph Morris wouldn't be bad either because he is still young and can become decent. Does Kwame play "great" post defense?

Quote: I know that might sound crazy but Josh Smith seems to be the type of player that the Warriors covet and he is young and talented enough to give up Biedrins for ... who is also very young and talented. Over his final 5 games during the stretch run he averaged 15 ppg, 16 rpg, and 2 bpg. Biedrins seems like the type of tall, athletic 5 that Sund really likes and he would look terrific next to Horford. He is restricted just like Josh Smith so I'm not sure if we could make a deal work though. If we decide to move Smoove this is definitely one guy I would be okay with making a move for. Why would Golden State want Smith? They already have similar players in Brandan Wright and now Anthony Randolph - hyper-athletic tweener forwards. That being said, I wouldn't do the deal if I am Sund. Now if the Lakers wanted to trade a healthy Andrew Bynum then I am all ears - they can have their pick of anyone on the Hawks roster except JJ.

Lottery protected picks just are not that valuable. Obviously there are exceptions because guys like Smith are drafted outside the lottery, but it is a crap shoot.

Quote: A dark horse for Philly could be Biedrins. Him and Monta are restricted, hopefully someone offers Monta an inflated contract and GS matches. I don't see how Biedrins is a good fit for the Sixers - they need someone who can score in the post and Biedrins doesn't appear to be that guy.

Yuck. I rather the Hawks sign a veteran who can add some toughness to the frontline. I think a Brian Skinner type would be best case scenario given the Hawks limited cap space.

What will really be interesting is to see what impact Rose and Beasley have this year. Both have true franchise player potential but are very young. I expect both to be pretty good from the get-go though.

Quote: He may never be as good as Wallace but there is certainly a reasonable chance that he can be BETTER than Wallace on offense. He is already a FAR better shooter and he is better than Wallace was at the same age. I like Wallace but he may be just a player who puts up good numbers on a bad team. CHA won 29 games last year and they haven't sniffed the playoffs since he's been there. They have a quality big man in Okafor, a quality SG in Richardson and a solid PG in Felton. If Wallace is as good as everyone seems to think he is, why are they not a better team? I think if Smoove were in CHA in place of Wallace and alonside Okafor, Richardson and Felton, I think the team would win more than 29 games. I think Wallace is certainly better than Marvin now but I think it is VERY realistic that Marvin can be a better player than Wallace in a couple of years. What makes Marvin a "FAR" better shooter then Wallace? I am curious, because just based on statistics, Wallace has a higher adjusted field goal percentage, is a better three-point shooter and averages more points per shot.

Quote: I am not saying that D.J. Augustin isn't a good player, but the Bobcats also need help in the frontcourt. They could have had a possible franchise center in Brook Lopez but let him fall to the Nets. I fell that they could have gotten someone later in the draft or a vet in freeagency to be Felton's backup. Brook Lopez would have been an upgrade over Nazr Mohammed and would have solidified the starting lineup. There starting lineup could have been Felton,Richardson,Wallace,Okafor & Lopez. Augustin is not going to be Felton's back-up. They are going to dump Felton and Augustin is going to be their franchise point guard.

Quote: Just because he gets his shot blocked inside doesn't make him soft. Marvin gets his shot blocked inside a lot too, does that make him soft or weak? I'm sure some of you will say yes but I think it's more about timing than about being weak, certainly with Yi has pretty strong legs and I think he did well at the pre-draft workouts in regard to strength but I haven't looked up the numbers to say for certain. Yi's sole purpose in NJ will be to hit jumpshots and to pull a big man out of the paint so that LeBron can take it to the hoop. The next few years he just needs to work on the jump shot.

Quote: Quote: Quote: Wow, can you imagine a Bulls squad with Chandler, Brand, Ron Ron, Deng/Gordon and Rose. They would need an additional scorer to two off the bench (Gibson?), but damn. This is why you don't trade your young talent for aging veterans or for players with equal or lesser talent especially when it looks as though your current team is finally developing good chemistry! I think last I checked, San Antonio is the only championship team that was a championship team by virtue of picks that they made. Everybody else traded to get to the championship. Young talent alone usually don't take you anywhere. Where would we be had we not traded Diaw for JJ? This is why you consider every trade!! The real point is that every single championship team, with the exception of the Pistons, for the past two plus decades had one of the 5 best players currently in the NBA leading them. So, if the Hawks are going to win a championship they need one of the 5 best players in the NBA. Is anyone on the current roster capable of becoming a top 5 player in the league?

Quote: Quote: WOW the Nets got ROBBED!! I agree. On first glance, it looks like the Nets got fleeced out of a major bargaining chip in their rebuild. JayZ apparently thinks LBJ is a done deal in 2010. They are clearing cap room to make room for the King.

Interesting. Smith, JJ and Horford are clearly the top three based on voting, with JJ edging Horford for the #2 spot. West gets some love, but his minutes are so limited that it would be hard for me to pick him as a top defender.

Quote: JO is going to make Toronto one of the softest teams in the league and don't forget that he will miss at least 20 games leaving Bosh to play center. I think this is a decent gamble for Toronto. They weren't going to win a championship without making a move and they had two very good point guards. JO isn't what he once was but if he can be healthy for the playoffs he is a very good interior defender which is exactly what that team needs. If JO bombs this year then they have a huge expiring contract to trade away the next season.

Quote: Quote: Quote: Quote: Quote: Sign me up for Finley, Kurt Thomas and Robert Swift but there is no chance we get those guys especially Finley or Kurt. They will only go to obvious contenders. I totally agree. At low prices, Finley and Kurt can name their team and it won't be Atlanta. I don't pretend to know what those guys are going to command, but on the other hand, I would contend some players watched the Boston series and saw a team that reminded them of other young inconsistent teams within their lifetimes who appeared to be on the brink of emerging into something intriguing if not special... I mean, there's only so many teams that are "automatic" contenders in the league, and all of them have the same roster limits and salary rules as everyone else... Finley and Thomas just aren't "special" enough to my eyes to say they can name their team and it won't be Atlanta. Having said, that, odds are, you'll be right, AHF, and they won't end up in ATL. I can already hear a bell ringing... I think the point is that guys like Finley and Thomas are useful veterans who likely will be willing to sign for the minimum, usually a one year deal to boot, to play for a team with a legitimate shot at a championship. Ummmm... no offense... but did I somehow suggest otherwise? Yes.

Quote: Quote: Quote: Sign me up for Finley, Kurt Thomas and Robert Swift but there is no chance we get those guys especially Finley or Kurt. They will only go to obvious contenders. I totally agree. At low prices, Finley and Kurt can name their team and it won't be Atlanta. I don't pretend to know what those guys are going to command, but on the other hand, I would contend some players watched the Boston series and saw a team that reminded them of other young inconsistent teams within their lifetimes who appeared to be on the brink of emerging into something intriguing if not special... I mean, there's only so many teams that are "automatic" contenders in the league, and all of them have the same roster limits and salary rules as everyone else... Finley and Thomas just aren't "special" enough to my eyes to say they can name their team and it won't be Atlanta. Having said, that, odds are, you'll be right, AHF, and they won't end up in ATL. I can already hear a bell ringing... I think the point is that guys like Finley and Thomas are useful veterans who likely will be willing to sign for the minimum, usually a one year deal to boot, to play for a team with a legitimate shot at a championship.

Quote: Quote: Realistically, I would be thrilled with: Roger Mason Earl Barron Brian Skinner I think this is realistic but would rather have: J.Hayes F.Elson R.Swift This would be a dream? And maybe Woody would actually play them? Isn't Swift a restricted free agent? Given his age and lengthy medical dossier I am not sure he classifies as a veteran anyway.

Realistically, I would be thrilled with: Roger Mason Earl Barron Brian Skinner

Quote: Quote: Quote: Quote: SMoove doesn't have to sign anything.He's from Atlanta and he can tell Atlanta the numbers offered and we can give him the same except structered differently. The only thing is that current dollars are better then future dollars. In basketball, the money is guaranteed. Therefore, it doesn't matter. I think he is saying that current dollars are better because $1.00 today is worth more than $1.00 in the future even if both are guaranteed. That is why the lottery pays out less money if you take it today and more money if you take it over time - the true value of $1,000,000 today is signficantly more than $1,000,000 in 2012. Exactly. You get the benefits of the higher salary before inflationary forces impact the value of those dollars and you also can invest those additional dollars and earn interest of of those investments/savings earlier.

Quote: SMoove doesn't have to sign anything.He's from Atlanta and he can tell Atlanta the numbers offered and we can give him the same except structered differently. The only thing is that current dollars are better then future dollars.

The ball is in the ASG's court. Let's hope they are ready to play!

I don't think there is any question that Horford can be effective player center. The real question is whether the Hawks can be a championship contender with Horford at center. I don't think we know the answer to that question yet, even though Horford put in a solid rookie season.

This is a tough one. Smith is the better player now - this makes sense because he has been in the NBA longer but they are the same age. I think we will have a much better understanding of each players long term potential after this upcoming season.

Quote: The Vick/Smith comparison doesn't really work for me either and I don't think Smoove is that big of a draw (compared to Vick who was a HUGE draw). That said, if the Hawks let him go it will be an utterly demoralizing development and will really hurt attendance. I think it would hurt the Hawks in the win column as well. Hopefully, the ASG steps up to the table and matches.