Packfill

I should add that O'Bryant reminds me a little of Brendan Haywood - tons of talent but just not enough energy.

I would do that trade in a heartbeat but doubt Mo Williams would average ten assists a game. I also doubt that the Bucks would even consider it - they can do better.

My biggest concern with O'Bryant is whether reports that he does not have a good "motor" are true. Athleticism only gets you so far, after that you need to have desire and aggression. What the Hawks really need is a young Alonzo Mourning - a hard nosed intimidator. Of course, every team could use one of those guys.

Tons of talent in that class, great depth. It is yet to be see, however, whether any will emerge as true superstars. Obviously they are all very young so we won't know for a few more years.

Quote: ON THE OTHER HAND, it would only make sense that only on a day like 666 could things actually go right for the hawks! That is an excellent point!

Quote: Quote: Delayed until 6/6/6. How UNSURPRISING. My first thought also. Not a good sign. I am pretty confident the judge will rule in favor of the non-Belkin contingent but this is the type foreshadowing that makes things a little unsettling.

Quote: NJ? NJ is a good fit for AL but what will they give. Orlando? Orlando is probably the best fit for Al but what will they give? Houston? Houston is a fairly good fit for AL but what can they give? N.O. ? N.O. is a good fit too, but they have nothing to give. LAL... Orlando is a terrible fit. They need a shooting guard, not another forward. Houston already has two dissappointing power forwards. New Orleans has David West. LAL has Odom, at least for now. Again, if the plan all along was to resign Al long-term why draft Marvin?

It is bad because the Bulls are the most logical suitor for Al. What other team is going to give anything of value for him?

Quote: This is good for us. (Although Gordon would have been nice but unlikely) The less teams with cap and a spot for Al, the less negotiating power he has. No this is bad, because the Hawks won't have any suitors to do a sign and trade. I like Al, but the only way he fits is if the Hawks trade one of the other forwards for the needed backcourt and center help.

Quote: He had the ball enough to score 17 points and dish out 3.5 assists. Players on great teams usually are not able to fill up their stat sheets as much as they could. Did David Robinson "waste" his talent when Tim Duncan was drafted? He could have scored and rebounded more on other teams, but probably wouldn't have won two titles either. There were more players on the Suns that caused JJ to waste his talents apart from Nash. With players like Marion, Amare, and Q-rich jacking up 3's, it's easy for someone like JJ to "waste" his own talents. I, for one, don't want our franchise to exist for the purpose of seeing how much JJ can fill up a stat sheet. That being said, I agree with you to an extent. I think ex said it best, though, JJ gives us the luxury of not needing a pure PG. Well said.

Quote: I think that, if you pair him with a so called pure point guard that will be setting the offense, you will be taking the ball out of Joe's hands in the half court setting. Joe Johnson is not a typical shooting guard. He's a lead guard, in that he can score and be a playmaker at the same time. Joe played well with Steve Nash in Phoenix, but look at how his numbers took off when he became the guy the offense is run through. He almost doubled his assists output, and over the last month of the season, he was averaging around 24 points and 8 assists per game. I don't want to decrease that overall effectiveness. Individual stats don't mean jack if the team isn't winning games. I could care less if JJ's stats decrease if it means the team wins. Lets be careful about putting JJ on a pedastal just yet. Yes he is a very good young player who should continue to improve. The fact that his "numbers" increased dramatically from the previous season has alot more to do with the overall level of talent on the Hawks versus the Suns team he left. That was a winning team and he was the fourth best player. On the Hawks he is the number one guy, which is great, but unless the Hawks start winning in the next few season it really does not mean much.

I don't think he has proven yet that he is a great coach or anything, but he is a heck of a lot better then Woodson.

I think that is what I just said. But if you do, trade someone else to balance off the roster.

Quote: I think teams like MIAMI and SAN ANTONIO should draft according to NEED. They are already one of the best teams in the west, have star players, great system, and just need 1-2 role players. They dont have trouble finding FA in the offseason and can even get them for a sweet deal (since players take CHAMPIONSHIP RING POSSIBLITIY into account when they negociate). thats why it seems like MIAMI always takes the best available PF/C in the first round every year to play next to SHAQ (or be his backup). however, other talented playoff teams like Mavs or Suns will base it on TALENT. They already have talent and having more tradable assets wont hurt. Dirk and Steve Nash can run w/ anyone. They have the "give me some players to play with" and lets RUN attitude. and ALL NON-PLAYOFF teams should draft according to TALENT. they are not 1-2 role players away from serious competition. they need all the help they can get. ADD SOME TALENT and go from there. ------------------------------------------------------- that being said, 90+% of the teams in the NBA should base on talent/skill. Drafting best player available is fine, but if the pick plays the same position as two of your previous top draft picks then you are looking at a logjam at one or two positions, which will make it difficult if not impossible for any of those picks to get the minutes and confidence they need to reach their potential. If BK thinks Rudy Gay is the best player available in the draft when the 5th pick rolls around, they he should pick him. But if he does, he has to make a trade to balance off the roster and give the team and the coach a chance to play. And don't tell me positions don't matter. Maybe they do not but skill still do and right now the Hawks do not have anyone with the skills to guard a quick guard or anyone with the skills to play good interior defense. The Hawks need to get players with those skills whether it is in the draft or through a trade.

That trade cannot happen because the free agent period begins after the draft so the Hawks can only sign and then trade Al after the draft, so we would have to agree to pick whomever the sixers want and then workout a deal with Al and close the deal. Plus, no way Philly does that deal.

Quote: Quote: had this to say; Quote: you need more athletic 6-6, 6-8 guys. Now in the league, a lot more teams are going small, playing a 6-8 small forward at the power forward position." Looks like that BK has finally realized what this BK had realized long ago. Now both BKs think alike. Neither of the BK's could GM themselves out of a wet paper bag.

Quote: maybe Woody can coach some post defense out of him? Has Woody "coached" any of the current Hawks into become better defenders? I think not. The only reason he has a reputation as a defensive coach is because he was an assistant on the Pistons staff. In his two years in Atlanta he has not gotten the team to play good team defense.

Agreed.

Quote: i would def do snt al for magloire in a heartbeat I would do a sign and trade of Al for Magloire as well, because it does fill a need. However, I think the Bucks get the better player in the deal, by far. The reason it doesn't work is as someone mentioned - it is unlikely the Bucks are going to want to take on Al's salary.

Never seen him play but the description of Simmons definitely sounds interesting. If he is available in the low teens then a trade down with NO makes more and more sense for the Hawks - especially if Simmons really is 6'10" with a 7'4" wingspan.

Quote: Quote: I doubt either player would be on the board but if we could get Sheldon and Rondo for our #5 pick that would be incredible. Yeah that would be great. An immediate contributor in a need position in Sheldon, and a great potential guy in Rondo. I wouln't count on him jumping in at PG an taking over, but with work he could be big help. Given his competition it would be frightening if he were unable to start immediately.

Quote: 2nd..How do we find this 2nd bigtime player if we don't want to offend JJ?..Are we hoping that Marvin or Smoove turns into that player?..Maybe they will but thats years away.. I think that is the hope of most people. A lot of teams acquire their stars through the draft, so it is not unreasonable for the Hawks to think they could get such a player in the draft - particularly given the number of high picks the team has had in the past few years.

Quote: Well if you look at the bottom 6: Utah Jazz .....27% Toronto Raptors .....16% Atlanta Hawks .....10% Milwaukee Bucks.....6% New York Knicks .....5% New Orleans Hornets .....4% I think 4 of them are because of the city, and us and NY are because of the franchise's reputation at this point. With a little winning, we could shoot way up. Utah can win back to back titles and they'll still be bottom 3. Same thing with Toronto and the canadian taxes. I'm not too worried about this. The fact that one out of 10 guys mentionned us isn't that bad given our record over the past 3 years. I bet even amongst those guys, a lot of em would come here if we're offering the biggest buck I don't understand why people don't like Salt Lake. It is an absolutely goregous area with tons of outdoor recreation activities.

Ouch.

I definitely think the team needs a point guard, but I am not sold on Williams or Rondo. Of the two, I would take Rondo based on his defense. There is a chance the Hawks can get away without a point guard, so a combo guard like Roy or Foye could work. Both are argueably more talented then either Williams or Rondo so it would be hard to reach for a point guard if either of those guys are available. That all being said, this team is going nowhere fast without an interior defensive presence. Since those guys are so hard to come by, I would be willing to pull the trigger and draft a project big man like O'Bryant. He is a much, much bigger risk but since the Hawks do not have a first rounder this year they might as well reach for the stars. I am a little torn on how to proceed because getting a Roy/Foye/Rondo would definitely have an immediate postitive effect in the win column. Clearly Lue, Stoudamire and Ivey are nothing more then bench fodder. I just don't know if I can stand another year of teams doing layup drills against the Hawks. Part of the problem definitely was defense on the opposing teams lead guard (people drove right by Lue, Salim and company without any problem), but the lack of an interior presence is a bigger problem. both issues need to be addressed before the team goes anywhere, and I think we can all agree on that.