Wurider05

worked from there. I mean Artest probably would have gotten us more than Al. Indiana would have done the trade and maybe we could have worked out something with the Lakers. We were the only team in the league that had what Indiana wanted. We could have traded Artest this summer. Indiana essentially trade Artest for AL. Remember Artest has a bargain contract. I think that that trade could have been very big for us.

Looking at that scheldue do you guys want to arrange another get together this season. Of we plan early then we probably get better turnout. I wasn't able to attend last year's game. I definitely want to attend this year.

Quote: I don't think that the Atlanta Spirit are running the team on the cheap, but something don't seem right to me. Here are some things I find conspicuous... 1. Only Indy We seemed almost down right intent on dealing with Indy throughout this whole process. I think the fact that they could for trade Al and not make us have to take back any salary was the main reason. I'm not privy to all the trades BK sees, but I'd have a hard time believing a that what is likely to be a late first round pick is the best offer we received for Al. I understand that we do not want to take back bad salary, but I feel that we could've likely worked a 3 way to bring back an expiring contract plus more value than just one first. 2. John Freakin Edwards Why are we so damn persistant about moving John Edwards? Is he a locker room cancer? Not likely. I've never read anything like that. Is he eating up our salary cap? No, he barely makes over 1 million a year. His contract expires after this season, so it's not like he's going to hinder our cap flexibility. Are we trying to free up a roster spot? Maybe, but it's not like we have to. Hell, he spent most of last year inactive, so whats one more year? I don't understand why you take away bargaining power by forcing the Pacers to burn their other TPE by trading for a player they don't want and we don't have to trade unless we're just trying to dump salary. It was a mistake signing, much like Drobnjak was a mistake trade. Just let the contract expire and move on. 3. Three Million Dollars I know we backed off this demand, but to even ask for a cash infusion like this makes me think we have don't have alot of cash to play with. Does anyone else find it coincidental that Lo Wright was signed to make 3 million dollars this season? It makes me think that we were trying to pay his first years salary with this trade. The other conclusion I could draw from this is that BK may have already hit his budget and was trying to get 3 more million dollars to sign an additional player with. I'm not ready to state that The ATL Spirit on running the team on the cheap yet, but they have given me reason to suspect just that. That is the same point that I am trying to make. Something is strange with some of these dealings. Even with the signings our payroll will be damn near the same amount if not a couple of million more. Don't forget that JJ made 20 million last season and he will be making much less this seaon. I smell a rat!!!

I am starting to think that the Atlanta Spirit are the ones running the team on the cheap. I mean we signed damn near bargain basement players and we are possibly trading all for cash and draft pick which won't be a lottery pick (less money). How in the heck is a team so far under the cap in need of cash so badly. I think that The Atlanta Spirit are the ones running the team on the cheap. O am not saying that they need to waste money but what the heck are we trimming payroll on a non-playoff team. I am not saying that we need to turn into the Knicks but something isn't right here. We got Joe making the max and nearly the rest of the team is on rookie contracts or damn near rookie contracts. Something is foul and I mean foul. Yeah the refuse to take any players back for AL even if they had only a year remaining (Magloire). I smell a rat!!!!!

I was just looking over the the teams in the EC and realized that although we sucked last year. I really could not say that they are 8 teams going into next season that are that far better that us. These are that teams that are guaranteed a spot. 1. Miami 2. Detroit Middle Of The pack teams (an injury away from not being in the playoffs ) Washington Cleveland New Jersey Chicago (?) this leaves two slots left for the playoffs. Of all the teams left I don't think that any of them are head and shoulders better that we are. If we would not have gotten off to that bad start we probably would have been in the hunt last season. So I realistically think that we can make the playoffs next season. I know that there are a few moves left to be made but I think that we could do it.

We didn't play good team defense at all last season People had layup drills against us because they first blew past the Hawk player that was defending him. We were a bad defensive team last year and it was more than the fault of ZAZA. If ZaZA was a good shotblocker he would have got them all. If Shelden is the player that we saw at DUKE then he would compliment ZAZA greatly. AS for his shots ZAZA was starting to knock down his jumper a little more late in the season.

I am getting sick and tired of the arrogance of some of you guys on here. I mean some of you crap on our players and praise the garbage on other teams. For instance Zaza put up 12 and 8 last year. Considering his salary that is a steal. He isn't the best defender in the world but you guys are acting as if he can't improve but you are ready to give half the team away for Bynum and the only thing he has everydone was dominate high school kids and dunk on a overweight, broken down, Shaq. We need to start appreciating what we have here. Zaza played hard every night and with AL gone he may very well put up 15+ and 10+ next season. But for some reason that may not be enough for you guys. Teams would love to have ZAZA. But you guys seem to overlook the major flaws that other players have (Dalembert, Magloire, Iverson, Camby, NeNE. Swift, etc. No player is perfect. Same with Marvin and Smooth. You guys get on here and run them down for what they can't do instead of looking at the fact that they are improving. But then turn right around and discuss trades that would get overpaid bums on this team and some of which don't even start for the team that they are currently on or trade for players who are on teams more talented than Atlanta and in the process making that team better and making us a mirror image of the team we trade with (Iverson).

Quote: NOBODY can name a better, more available center prospect than Bynum, NOBODY, and while ZaZa is decent, he is exactly NOT the type of hybrid Pf/center without defense or the ability to own the lane on either end that you want to pair two Sfs with! The key word being PROSPECT. You do realize that we are trying to make the playoffs this year. With a dwindling fanbase we have no time to wait for our center of the future to develop. I say we get the most productive player based on what we need. If that is Mihm then it is mihm. I am not saying that Mihm is an all star but we know what he can give us now instead of him being a project that may or may not become good. Really how many of these guys actually pan out. The problem with some of you fellow Hawks fans is that you want an all star in every position instead of solid consistent players. We have enough young players now we need veterans.

Shareef was always a class act. Don't forget that he is from the area.

Stats Year Team GMs MPG FG% FT% 3PT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG 96-97 TOR 63 30.1 48.2 69.3 14.3 6.3 1.5 1.1 2.1 14.8 97-98 TOR 63 31.8 41.2 61.1 0.0 7.4 1.8 1.1 3.6 12.1 98-99 NYK 46 20.5 52.1 55.3 - 5.5 0.3 0.6 1.6 7.2 99-00 NYK 59 26.2 48.0 67.0 50.0 7.8 0.8 0.7 2.0 10.2 00-01 NYK 63 33.8 52.4 66.7 12.5 11.5 0.8 1.1 2.2 12.1 01-02 NYK 29 34.7 44.8 62.6 0.0 11.1 1.1 1.2 1.7 11.1 02-03 DEN 29 21.2 41.0 66.0 40.0 7.2 1.6 0.7 1.4 7.6 03-04 DEN 72 30.0 47.7 72.1 0.0 10.1 1.8 1.2 2.6 8.6 04-05 DEN 66 30.5 46.5 72.3 0.0 10.0 2.3 0.9 3.0 10.3 05-06 DEN 56 33.1 46.5 71.2 9.1 11.9 2.0 1.4 3.3 12.8 CAREER 490 29.2 46.9 66.3 15.8 8.6 1.4 1.0 2.4 10 I am not saying that he is a bum. But at this point of rebuilding we need someone we can count on. I know that anyone can get injured but he has a history of missing a good chunk of the season every season. IF we were already a playoff team and we could be successful without him then it would be different. If he get Camby we are going to really need him night in and night out. We are trying to climb out of the cellar and become a competitive team. Camby fits well on teams that can win without him and when he is there he makes them that much better, but we are not there yet. An example of what I am trying to say would be imagining Camby starting at center for the San Antonio Spurs. Get my point!!

Camby hasn't played a full season in how many years. How could we make the playoffs with Camby if he is on the freaking injured list. He is too injury prone,too old, and too highly paid to be an option for us. PS; Camby has never played a full season in his entire career and he is only getting older. But you want him on our team where we are going to need every win that we can get. I swear you guys are just idiots sometimes. I mean full fledged idiots. Am I the only one that actually follows the NBA and knows the history and skill level of some of these players. and if we did sign him Waffle King (Diesel) will be the first one to bring up the same things that I have in the post although he thinks that he would make us a playoff team. It wouldn't matter if Camby signed a 5 year deal worth 20 dollars, a player is no good to us or anyone else unless he is on the damn court. I just don't see how you guys come up with some of these moves. I don't give a damn how bad we are there is no way we take on some else's mistake while making them more competitive and keeping ourselves handicapped. If Denver gave an oft-injured player a long term deal then why should we help them out. DAmn some of you guys are just plain stupid.

The other players and keying in on their weaknesses and that he learns to exploit them when the season starts. It is becoming obvious that he can compete with the elite players and is a better defensive player than Wade, Lebron, or the overrated Carmelo Anthony.

we must be trading Lue as well. Because we would have Smush, Speedy, Ivey, and Lue and point guard. And secondly I am not sold on Bynum. Sure he dunked on shaq but he is a project. I find it funny how alot of you guys don't consider the potential of some of our own players but would trade half the farm for some else's project because they could be a dominant big man. If the rumors are true I think that we would be better off with Mihm than Bynum. I am basing the players in this post based off what the Laker forums are reporting as to what the proposed deal is based on what is reported on the radio out there.

Diesel shall now be known as the Waffle King because he waffles on issues more than a democrat in a televised debate.

You are right. There is no way he isn't a starter this season. If Shelden starts we have to start Marvin because a starting lineup of Speedy, JJ, JS, SW, and ZAZA would leave us with only JJ as a consistent outside shooter. Marvin would have to start to spread the floor. If we start games with that lineup teams will collapse on defense and control the paint because those guys can't beat you from the outside or have jumpers. Are we sure that speedy is starting? Are we sure that SW is starting? We need an effective starting lineup or we are doomed to get behind in games early.

http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/news?slug=ap-n...ov=ap&type=lgns Now we won't get robbed next year when we make the playoffs.

They need that money to fight Belkin's takeover attempt. Damn greedy lawyers!!!!

Why would you want Darius Miles? He is a cancer in the locker room and he is over paid. He can't shoot, doesn't play defense, and behold he plays the forward spot. As of today he isn't better than Smoove, Chillz, or Marvin. His attitude alone makes him undesirable.

Diesel sometimes you come across as semi-intelligent then other times you come up with crap like this. I am really starting to believe that you make posts just to get attention. Why in the [censored] would we want Dalembert and he lost his damn starting spot to Steven Hunter. The guy sucks plain and simple, but you figure that he would comne here and be some kind of defensivie monster. As for those stats, who didn't have career highs against us. Dalembert makes too much money for the production. Oh let me guess, you would be willing to trade Marvin for Dalembert straight up? Damn man get a grip. If he is such a defensive monster why didn't Philly do well with him. I just don't understand some of you guys on this board. I was playing NBA 2K6 on Xbox Live against a guy form Philly and he stated that Dalembert is alot worse than people realize. He stated that he is just lost out there and is turnover prone and that he was only fit for spot-up duty. He stated that the local media is all over the organization for giving him that money. He stated that the excuse that the organization makes for him is the fact that he didn't start playing basketball until he was 15 years old or something like that and that he needs some more time. Dalembert=Keon Clark

He has really just needs to work on these three things: 1. His handles-for some reason he is just turnover prone especially whenhe drives the lane. Sometimes I would just sit back and tell my self that he is about to loose the ball and then he does. 2. Post Offense. Even though he was a very good perimeter shooter last year I felt as though he fell in love with the shot alittle too much. He should have been in the post banging. 3. He needs to impove his rebounding by at least 2 to 3 more a game.

Is that you Diesel???

I swear we are always the last team to get anything done. I mean how come one we know what was on the table and for what so I can't understand why we can't just pull the damn trigger. If its cash and a pick so be it. When it finally goes down and we get whatever or whatever for Al, we are probably going to be pissed considering how little we get versus the amount of time it took for the deal to go down. I still say don't trade him to a division rival!!!!!

TAYLORSVILLE, Utah -- Been there. Done that. Can do it a whole lot better. That's what Marvin Williams was thinking when he arrived more than a week ago at Salt Lake Community College for his second NBA summer league. It also was the mindset he managed to maintain throughout a Rocky Mountain Revue that culminated Friday with him being named MVP of the six-team tourney that also included entries from Dallas, Philadelphia, San Antonio, Seattle and Utah. Marvin Williams Kent Horner/Getty Images After struggling last season, Marvin Williams is showing off his game's development. "We spoke to him about not only coming here and playing, but coming here and dominating,'' said Hawks assistant Larry Drew, Atlanta's RMR coach. "He came in here knowing it wouldn't be satisfactory just to play OK. He had to come in here and really make a mark, and that's what he's done.'' Did he ever. The No. 2 overall selection in the 2005 NBA draft averaged a Revue-high 23.2 points per game while shooting 54.9 percent from the field. He scored just 16 in Atlanta's Revue finale Friday, an 82-81 win over Philadelphia -- but ended his strong summer showing by dishing a pass to teammate Shelden Williams for a game-winning dunk that perhaps most importantly ensured potential overtime would be avoided and no one would be late for their flights out of town. Marvin Williams also added newfound dimension to his game, playing more with his back to the basket than during his rookie season out of the University of North Carolina. He's thinking a lot less, allowing his instincts to emerge and taking advantage of a decidedly explosive first step. As a result he played with extreme confidence, something that just wasn't present during his first pro summer league. "I think 'comfortable' is the word,'' the approachable, affable Williams said. "You know, I feel so much more comfortable. "It's a testament to coach [Mike] Woodson [Atlanta's head coach]. Coach Woodson pushed me every day in practice. I definitely have to thank him.'' Williams didn't make much of a mark during his first NBA season, averaging 8.5 points and 4.8 boards in 24.7 minutes per game for the low-flying Hawks. But his scoring and rebounding numbers did improve every month from November through April, prompting Woodson to challenge Williams to take his game to an even-higher plane at the Revue. "He told me coming into the summer league just to play,'' Williams said. "He was not going to put any restrictions on me.'' Critics say the result was someone with too much of a one-on-one mentality and too little discipline to his game. Proponents, however, say Williams displayed just the sort of aggressiveness they wanted to see. "He's really attacking the basket,'' said Drew, whose assertion is backed by the fact he averaged more than 13 free-throw attempts over five summer games. "He's not settling for jump shots. He's running the floor, catching the ball on the wing and he's looking to attack. "Last year he shied away a little bit from contact early. But now he welcomes the contact going to the basket.'' The Hawks are not trying to immediately make Williams 'the man' in Atlanta. At least not yet. "Not at this stage,'' Drew said. "Down the road he may grow into that type player, but Joe has been our guy.'' "Joe,'' of course, is Joe Johnson, Atlanta's notable acquisition in 2005. And Williams more than welcomes his presence. "Right now it's probably going to be Joe's team,'' he readily acknowledged. "You know, us young guys have so much to learn -- and Joe's been through the battles. ... He's been on a great team, playing with Phoenix. So I'm just trying to sit back and learn a little bit from him right now.'' Instead, then, Williams is central to a core of young players around whom the Hawks are trying to build. Another is reserve guard Salim Stoudamire, who got plenty of play at the point and still managed to average 20.3 points in three games before exiting with a mild elbow sprain. Sheldon Williams Kent Horner/NBAE via Getty Images Top Hawks pick Shelden Williams finished the summer league session on a high note. Then there is this year's first-round rookie, Shelden Williams, the former Duke power forward. The No. 5 overall pick of 2006 averaged 8.0 points, and looked somewhat overwhelmed at times. "He's actually where Marvin was last year,'' Drew said. Where Williams -- Marvin -- will be at this point next year remains to be seen. But suffice it to say the Hawks are happy with where he's headed. "Last year was a big year for him as far as growth was concerned,'' Drew said. "We knew once he settled down and got comfortable with our system and got acclimated to the NBA style that his game would emerge. And last season, especially toward the tail end, he really started to come on.'' Which can only have him thinking about doing even better in the season ahead. HONORS IN REVUE Besides MVP Williams, a five-member Revue team was chosen via voting by selected media, scouts and summer-league staff. The honorees: Philadelphia teammates Louis Williams and Steven Smith; Utah teammates Ronnie Brewer and Paul Millsap; and Seattle's Andre Emmett. Louis Williams averaged 22.0 points per game, capped by Friday's game-high 27. He also averaged a Revue-leading 5.2 assists per game. But the 2005 second-round selection had one stat that really stood out, and it seems somewhat troubling: He committed a whopping 36 turnovers in six games, including eight in 39 minutes Friday. Smith, undrafted out of LaSalle, averaged 15.7 points over six games and made scouts from at least one other NBA besides the 76ers take notice. Brewer, the Jazz's 2006 first-round pick from the University of Arkansas, averaged 16.0 points on 56.3 percent shooting. The ex-Razorbacks star, however, hit just 4-of-12 Friday -- dropping his success rate from the field below 60 percent, and giving Revue-high shooting percentage honors to San Antonio free-agent forward Andre Brown (64.1 percent in five games). Brown, from DePaul, played last season in Korea. Millsap, who led all NCAA Division 1 rebounders each of the past three seasons, lived up to his college billing by averaging 9.0 boards in six games. The rookie from Louisiana Tech also averaged 9.5 points per game, giving him a good shot at making the Jazz roster in the fall. But Millsap was overtaken for the Revue rebounding lead on Friday by Philadelphia free-agent forward Ivan McFarlin, an Oklahoma State product who played last season in France. McFarlin had 13 boards Friday, boosting his average to 9.7. No one besides those two averaged more than 6.3 rebounds per game. Emmett averaged 12.5 points in six games and shot 57.7 percent from the field, second-best behind Brown. The ex-Texas Tech guard played eight games for Memphis during the 2004-05 season. MISCELLANEOUS San Antonio's Melvin Sanders, who played 16 games for the Spurs last season, had 27 points in a Revue-ending 86-79 win over Utah on Friday night. ... Mouhamed Saer Sene, Seattle's first-round draft choice from Senegal, returned for the Sonics on Friday after missing two games with a sprained ankle. The 7-foot center scored just five points, but blocked three more shots -- bringing his RMR average to a league-leading 3.75 swats per game in four outings. ... Another young Sonics center, roster-regular Robert Swift, had four blocks Friday, bringing his summer average to 3.67 over three games. ... Dallas got a game-high 23 points from roster-regular Rawle Marshall in its 91-87 win over the Sonics on Friday; Seattle got 22 from free agent Desmon Farmer, bringing the former Southern Cal guard's Revue scoring average to 11.0 points in six games. ... The Mavericks reportedly were impressed with a couple of their own free agents in particular: ex-Suns and Hornets forward Jackson Vroman, who averaged 7.2 points in six games; and undrafted George Washington product Pops Mensah-Bonsu, who averaged 8.2 points in five games. ... Vroman, the son of ex-Jazz big man Brett Vroman, had a strong summer despite shattering his wrist while playing last season for New Orleans/Oklahoma City. ... University of Illinois product Roger Powell Jr. earned an invite to the Jazz's fall camp with his Revue performance. There, he'll join ex-Illini teammates Deron Williams and Dee Brown. Williams, drafted No. 3 overall in 2005, looked good in Utah's first two Revue games, then went home as previously planned. Brown, a 2006 second-round selection, will get a shot to make the team in veteran's camp. ... Final Revue records: Philaldelphia 4-2, Atlanta 3-3, Dallas 3-3, San Antonio 3-3, Utah 3-3, Seattle 2-4. Tim Buckley covers the Utah Jazz for the Deseret Morning News.

Why not have a better match up with other teams. They are not rivals and they will never meet in the Finals.

I suggested him as a 2 guard in that lineup because of his smooth jumper. He can spread the defensive and allow or other guys to penetrate. Next to Salim he may have the best range on the team including Joe Johnson.