Packfill

I think their are only two ways JJ gets himself into the all-star game: 1. Huge stats ala Gilbert Arenas; or 2. Similar stats to last year but Hawks have a winning record. To me, big stats on a lossing team are hollow because in the end it is all about winning games.

Quote: this has been rumored before it seems BK wants bynum just like Walter does but when LAL ultimately won't part with their future for al, Walter will call for BK's head! If a Bynum deal goes down does Walter become the new KB?

I am not sure the Pacers loose out on much because they do have some nice young depth at forward.

I don't think either Indiana or Atlanta has an upper hand in this deal. The real loser is Al Harrington.

I think that regardless of on court performance this season, if the ownership issues are not resolved by the end of the season then BK should be retained regardless since it will be impossible to recruit a credible replacement under those circumstances.

If the team makes the playoffs this year then BK does deserve a new contract.

I agree to an extent but I also think the whole concept of being a sports fan involves a critical analysis of the team. We all want the Hawks to excel but there is nothing wrong with people having different opinions on how that will happen. For the Hawks in particular, the fact that the team has been in the gutter for so long should cause the fans to questions everything - at least until management, the owners and the players prove otherwise.

Quote: I'm pretty sure if we had a young Troy Murphy on our team, averaging a double-double, everyone would be in favor of signing them to a big contract. I want one of our guys to really show something before we sign them for big money. There in lies the problem. Sometimes the young players do produce early on which makes you think they will develop into superstars (i.e., Shareef, Zach Randolph, Troy Murphy, etc.) but it turns out they do not take their game to the next level. That is where teams get into trouble.

Honestly speaking, in light of the ownership mess, do the Hawks deserve ridicule in the national media? I think yes, it is a huge blemish on the organization and alot of the negative criticism is derived from that, rightly or wrongly.

If it is the ownership rather then BK that is handcuffing this franchise then that is a much, much bigger problem that is not as easily remedied. Ownership problems are a death sentence to a promising team.

At the end of the day we can all take comfort in the knowledge that Billy Knight will not make rash, split-second decisions which could handicap this franchise for years to come.

Quote: there's only one way to know if they are going to be running the team on the cheap...when it comes to re-signing josh smith and the rest of the young guns..then you'll know.. but i don't think we're running on the cheap..i think billy is trying to run the organization efficiently. I agree, except I think they are partly handcuffed by the whole Belkin situation. More then anything, I fault them for not reading the contract they signed and allowing Belkin to have any shot at getting the team.

Listen, we are all just drawing lines in the sand. Since we almost won thirty last year, and since the team has had a year to mature, I think a failure to win 30 games does clearly indicate the need for different leadership. Beyond that, it is splitting hairs.

40 wins may be a little ambitious given the teams reliance on youth (although the veteran backcourt should help alleviate that problem). I say if the team doesn't win 30 games Billy and Woody need to hit the road, no questions asked.

When you are in the desert and thirsty the mind can play tricks on you.

We have waited this long, another few hours/days/weeks shouldn't be a problem.

I hope the Hawks are not considering Gooden. Seems we have plenty of talented young forwards already.

Quote: speedy will have a nash-like effect on our team, but to a lesser extent A "Nash-like" effect? Good thing you qualified that by saying "to a lesser extent." I think Speedy is a good addition and I advocating signing him throughout the course of last season but to compare him to Nash in any respect is stretching. Of course if you are only comparing him to Lue and Ivey then the extent of his impact cannot be understated.

Whichever player is better.

Well I guess I meant 50 win team by '08/'09 - since it would be the season after the 2008 draft (so not the upcoming season, not the season after that, but the one after that). At that point, JJ is a grizzled veteran, Chill, Smoove and Zaza all have 4 or more years of service making them veterans, and Marvin, Slim and Sheldon have some solid seasoning.

Quote: that's great. But it still doesn't change the fact that he can't shoot, he doesn't have inside moves, he's not even a very good defender, he doesn't block shots and he doesn't shoot FT's well (I could break it down further). He's an average player who has WELL ABOVE AVERAGE rebounding instincts. Factoring all of that in, I can't say that he's anything but slightly above average RIGHT NOW. He's far too young to put any caps on though. He could very well become an MVP in two years if his shooting and defense improve. He obviously has the tools to do that. But RIGHT NOW, he's only slighty above average in my book. I only wish the Hawks youngster were so "average."

I think the point is that everyone hopes that by 2008 the Hawks are only looking for complimentary/bench players since the starters/stars/nucleous of the team is already in place. If we can get an unprotected 2008 first from Indy I am o.k. with that, but I don't think that will be the case and even if it is I am highly doubtful that pick will be top 10 (Indy, while less talented then in previous years, will still have a frontline of O'Neal, Harrington and Granger).

I agree with JB in that we hopefully won't be looking at the lottery for improvement in 2008, even if it is a pick from Indy. Mayo may be great but the Hawks window for top 5 picks hopefully is closed. By 2008 the team better be winning 50+ and any rookie would be tied to the bench.

I think Darko has a lot of potential as a defender due to his shotblocking and length. I realize he is not currently as good as Zaza but I would trade Zaza for Darko in a nano-second.

Only problem is that the remaining members of the Atlanta Spirit have screwed up at least twice now in terms of how they have negotiated deals with Belkin (i.e., letting him be governor with veto power and then not carefully reviewing the agreement that allowed Belkin to name both appraisers). So while I agree that they are enthusiastic they do not appear to be the sharpest group of executives out there.