Packfill

Quote: Quote: I still would do the JJ trade but anyone who thinks Diaw is not a real good player is kidding themselves. Both teams got what they wanted in that deal. That's all I meant to suggest when I compared Diaw to JJ. I totally agree that JJ is a far more valuable piece to ATL than Diaw is to PHX. Again, if Diaw is 4th in terms of money, that's about where he falls in term of value behind Nash, Amare, and Matrix. And we can all agree that JJ is rightfully the highest paid and most important Hawk. The thing to remember is that the Suns valued JJ as their 4th option as well - that is why they did not want to give him a max deal and choose instead to build around amare, Nash and Matrix. Obviously, Diaw has been better then even they expected. Again though, JJ is a better fit for the Hawks even if you considered JJ and Diaw of equal value (I don't, but it is not as far as most people claim) because the Hawks needed a number 1 scoring option and JJ will always be the better scorer of the two. It was definitely a deal in which both sides were winners.

Quote: Lake Placid, NY... Love LP and the Adirondacks. Is the Cliffhanger cafe still open (it is on the road from LP to 87)?

Bellingham and the Pacific northwest in general are great. I was just in Seattle/Vancouver last week on vacation. When I was a bit younger I was an avid mountain climber, so I spent alot of time in and around Seattle/Bellingham climbing.

New York City. I initially became a Hawks fan because Dominique Wilkins was my favorite player. I have only been to Atlanta once, but have seen numerous Hawks games in NYC, Boston and D.C. At times I am not sure why I remain a fan but it is certaintly better then being a Knicks fan these days.

I don't understand why people think the only reason for Diaw's success was playing in Phoenix. Sure he benefits from playing with Nash, but so did JJ when he put up numbers that, when viewed as a whole, were comparable to what Diaw did last year. JJ has come to the Hawks and put up very good numbers - but it was for a bad team and he has more NBA experience then Diaw. Diaw always had the talent he just needed the drive and confidence. I still would do the JJ trade but anyone who thinks Diaw is not a real good player is kidding themselves. Both teams got what they wanted in that deal.

Quote: I think that's because most NBA fans believe that Shelden will at worst be a very solid contributor in the NBA. The general feeling about Shelden is that there is very little downside with him, and there are some other players that you can't say that about. Based on the history of the NBA draft, the one type of player that probably has the highest bust rate is the undersized shooting guard type of player. I believe that Randy Foye is going to be a quality player, but he's probably the one guy that has the biggest chance to be a bust because he is an undersized shooting guard. I don't think he will be a bust though. I agree with Sheldon having little downside - he will no doubt be a contributor at worst. Whether he is top 5 pick good is another story, but I will let him play a few years before making a determination since he does have a stellar college resume. As for undersized shooting guards having the biggest bust factor, I have to disagree there because of the recent success of players like Wade, Iverson, Jason Terry, Arenas, Ben Gordon, etc. There are plenty of busts, like Dejuan Wagner, Trajan Langdon and Rashad McCants, but there are legions of lottery centers that have busted over the years. As such, I think lottery centers are the most likely to be busts since so many of them are drafted based largely on potential.

1. Big Dog 2. Rider 3. Kontract

If he played a modicum of defense I would be very happy with him as a back-up point guard.

The reality is not all young players will be given the opportunity to improve on the court. Esteban will have to earn his minutes the old fashioned way - in practice.

Why would we want to? He stinks. It may have made sense before signing Lo Wright but not anymore.

With the signing of Lo Wright and the selection of Sheldon in the draft Esteban is going to be glued to the bench most of the season. This is especially true of Smoove or Marvin play any meaningful minutes at power forward - there just are not enough minutes to go around.

Ivey is lucky to have an NBA job at this point. Any contribution he makes this year is a bonus.

Quote: The Hawks future depends on Smoove and Marvin. Those are the two guys that have the potential to be big time players. JJ already is a star in my book but he needs help. If those two don't become major contributors then the Hawks are screwed no matter what they do. There is no point in bringing in a rental that will take away from their development. Agreed. Signing Bonzi would be a big mistake for this franchise.

Quote: What is or will be our defensive identity? Will we force tempo with tight trapping in the half or mostly dictated by the opponents? I'm curious about the rotations. Will we use Este and Shell to disrupt as a rule forcing opponents to play ugly. I recall the showtime Lakers, they always played tight "D" with a lot of forced turnovers with fastbreaks. I hope to see 48 minutes of pressure "D". I believe the personnel enables frequent substitutions, keeping opponents off balenced. Whatayathink? Based on last year, the Hawks defensive identity is that they do not play any defense. Hopefully, this year will be different as a few players do have potential to be good defenders.

Quote: Johnny all those guys you named are really PowerForwards. Ideally Lo should be the starting PF while Shelden backs him up. ZaZa should be the backup Center, but maybe he will develop to the level of a Chris Kaman or a poor man's Brad Miller. We wasted a roster spot on Este. Using the word "ideally" and "starting" in the same sentence when refering to Lorenzen Wright is not a good situation for any NBA team.

Happy b-day.

Probably - though I think if both Marvin and smoove demonstrate real all-star potential at small forward one of them will be dealt and Chill can then fill the role of super-sub.

Quote: Quote: SF - Marvin (25) + Smoove (10) + Chill (13) = 48 PF - Smoove (25) + Sheldon (15) + Marvin (8) = 48 We both know that won't happen. After the way Smoove played after the All-Star break it is a safe bet that he will get more than 10 minutes per game at the 3. And Shelden will get every opportunity to get the majority of the minutes at the 4. That is what they drafted him for. Chill played a lot better last year but he is slower, smaller, weaker and a worse defender than MW and JS. Unless something radical happens during the season he is the odd man out. Personally, I agree that Smoove demonstrated an ability to play the 3 and deserves to get the majority of the minutes there. That said, if the organization really is high on Marvin they have to fit him in somewhere and he seems like a natural small forward.

Quote: Josh Childress is a 2/3. Josh Smith is a 3/4. Marvin Williams is a 3/4. Shelden Williams is a 4/5. Joe Johnson is a 1/2. Where's the log jam? The five players mentioned above will probably get 10-15 minutes a game on the court together. Let's look at this in more depth: PG - Speedy (28) + Lue (12) + JJ (8) = 48 SG - JJ (30) + Salim (10) + Chill (8) = 48 SF - Marvin (25) + Smoove (10) + Chill (13) = 48 PF - Smoove (25) + Sheldon (15) + Marvin (8) = 48 C - Zaza (30) + Lo (12) + Sheldon (8) = 48 The above scenario works in theory. I say in "theory" because it is still not clear whether Josh Smith or Marvin Williams are best utilized at power forward or should be left to battle it out at their natural small forward position. Same can be true of whether Sheldon can play minutes at center. It would be great if it works, but I will reserve judgment until the team demonstrates that it can win games with such a line-up. In the end, only actual games played will reveal whether this "theory" works or we have another "JJ is a point guard" type of problem.

Quote: Why Chill? I think we have to evaluate all three redundant pieces! It may turn out that Marvin is the weakest and can get us the most back (potential)! However, nobody here wants to see another Diaw situation. We trade a player and watch him become the next greatest thing and that's regardless of what we get back. I agree. Chill may not be the one to go. It really depends on who steps up. That said, I do see Chill as the most likely of the three to be able to play the "super-sub/6th man" role as opposed to being a starter.

I agree with Walter on this. Everyone likes Chills are acknowledges that he is a goof piece to have on this team and on a winning team. The only reason people mention trading him is because of the logjam of talent at the small forward position. Why is that so hard to understand? Basically, at some point the team may have to trade one of Chill, Smoove or Marvin to acquire talent at a position of need.

Better to dream about new owners that deal with the reality of the existing ownership nightmare!

Quote: Quote: Quote: Quote: How come the article from Realgm says the Hawks could get the 11th pick then - that is in the lottery. I stand corrected, it is only top 10 protected. Sorry about that. So Al basically IMO walked for nothing and that is my opinion. So a potential number 11 pick in exchange for an offense minded defensive hindrance is nothing. and Al was 26th pick himself. and Gilbert Arenas was a second round pick.

Hey, I don't read that site so have no idea how informed they are. Just wanted to confirm what the protection on the pick was.

How come the article from Realgm says the Hawks could get the 11th pick then - that is in the lottery.