Hawks Outlook by Real GM

[b3bawla]

Quote:

---

I just don't see the fit with the athletes we have on this team. Marcus Williams is a Mark Jackson type of point guard to me. This is a guy that will walk the ball up the court 70% of the time. IMO, he would be much better in a system like the one Utah runs where they don't look to push the ball a lot and utilize the two man game/pick and roll offensively.

I think Williams's ability on the break has more to do with his length of the court passes to open men than it does with him actually getting out and running the break. I like him, but I think he would slow us down, decrease Joe Johnson's overall effectiveness by taking the ball out of his hands in the half court setting, and not really give us a solution to our defensive problems.

I also think Tyrus Thomas will go to the Bulls with the 2nd pick.

---

You don't have to be fast to run a break well. Of course it helps but decision making, ball handling, and passing ability are much more important. Magic was very fast for his size but I'd guess that Scott and Cooper were guards on his own team that could beat him in a footrace. But Magic ran the break better. Steve Nash is fast but Leandrinho Barbosa is MUCH faster. Still Nash runs the break better. I'm not comparing Marcus to Magic or Nash...I'm just saying footspeed is not essential in being good at running the break.

[b3bawla]

Oh and you also have to take into account how fast someone runs while dribbling the ball. Jason Kidd does not lose any speed while dribbling. Steve Francis does. Tony Parker doesn't. Steve Nash doesn't. And I think that has as much to do with skill as it does with decisiveness and confidence (because Jason Terry has really grown at this).

[DrReality]

In trying to find out what we can offer Andersen I e mailed the guy at DraftExtess. Here's his reply:

I dont think they can match that...but maybe Andersen wants to give the NBA a chance? Not sure to be honest. They are under the cap so they can pay whatever.

This is not really definitive. Ultimately it depends if he wants to play over her.

[KB21]

It's not only because he plays point guard. It's because he fits a certain type of point guard in some fans minds. He's the proverbial "true" point guard that some fans believe this team needs, even with a non-traditional shooting guard like Joe Johnson around. Some think it is a good idea to take the ball out of Joe's hands and diminish his overall playmaking skills. I'm not one of those people.

[KB21]

Morrison will not be the best player on the board, and he will also not be a good fit for this team. Billy isn't going to draft a player that is a completely horrible fit for this team.

[Diesel]

If Morrison is available at 5...

Let's say for instance, the picks go....

1. Barganini

2. Thomas

3. Aldridge

4. Roy...

Morrison is definitely the best player available... He's an offensive crusher.. the likes of which haven't been seen in a long time.

You can't tell me that you think M. Williams or Foye is better than Morrison. That's a Joke. Mainly because both guys were not even the most watched players on their teams. Morrison played every game with a double or a triple team.

Why are your thoughts in conflict.

[KB21]

There's nothing conflicting about my statement.

If the draft goes that way, then the best players on the board will be Rudy Gay and Randy Foye. They are better athletes, better defenders, have higher upsides, and are better fits for what the Hawks want to do.

I've said from the beginning that you will see Adam Morrison fall in this draft, because NBA scouts and decision makers are not nearly as high on him as the media and a certain sect of fans are.

I was much more impressed with Randy Foye during the season than I was with Adam Morrison. Randy isn't going to have any problems creating his own shot in the NBA, and Randy is also a bulldog of a defender. Adam Morrison doesn't know what defense means.

[DrReality]

Diesel,

You remind me of Dennis Rodman who always wanted to get a reaction out of everyone. Being outlandish, instead of having your hair different colors . . . . it's provacative statesments of one sort or another.

[tmac13]

Do you want the best "athlete" or the best basketball player?..Rudy Gay may be the greatest athlete in the history of the world but he has a heart the size of a pea and the desire to match..Morrison plays with fire and pride is a better bastelball player..

I don't want either one personally, but at what point does heart, brains, and desire trump raw ability and no drive?..Just a question..

[exodus]

I agree and I hope that one or both are drafted before 5 so the Hawks can land Roy.

The Bobcats worked out Gay today and judging by Bickerstaff's quotes he may fall for the hype.

Quote:

---

Sports Illustrated - Rudy Gay has made an impression on the Bobcats' Bernie Bickerstaff, and there is a chance the high flying Huskie could be Charlotte bound at position 3 in the upcoming NBA draft.

"He measures 6-foot-81/2 and has a 7-foot-2 arm span," the Charlotte Bobcats coach said Friday after Gay worked out for the team. "He's a 19-year-old guy with a lot of upside. He's very explosive, with results."

Gay has been criticized for not dominating games and disappearing during key stretches.

"That's good, if that's their opinion," Bickerstaff said. "I think we all have to make our own decisions. As I've looked at his two years, he got better every year. But when you have a guy with so much talent, the expectations are high."

---

[KB21]

Athleticism is part of the make up that goes into being a great basketball player. Adam Morrison doesn't have it and will never gain it. There have been several players who were considered great college players that simply didn't have what it takes to make it in the NBA. Adam Morrison will be just another in the long line of great college players/average professional players. JJ Redick is another.

Rudy Gay may have had some questions about his intensity on the court, but every report on his workouts say that he has been going at them with tremendous intensity. I also want to add that there is a difference in being aggressive and intense, and just being a down right idiot (i.e....beating your head while on the court). Rudy Gay is far more skillful than Adam Morrison, though. Basically, he's a much better athlete, has the better body, and is a more skilled player. Rudy's jump shot from the perimeter is one of the sweetest strokes you will see from a player his size. He's got the giant wingspan that many teams are looking for. His athleticism is off the charts. He's a tremendous finisher around the rim and an above average defender on the perimeter.

Adam Morrison is a one trick pony who will find out that his one trick will be negated by the better athletes he will face in the NBA. And personaly, I'd never draft him anyway because he's a bleeding heart liberal, but that's just me.

[exodus]

Quote:

---

Rudy Gay is far more skillful than Adam Morrison, though. Basically, he's a much better athlete, has the better body, and is a more skilled player. Rudy's jump shot from the perimeter is one of the sweetest strokes you will see from a player his size.

---

That is just plain ridiculous. Gay more skilled than Morrison? A better jump shot?

Gay made 28 3s on the season, shooting 32%.

Morrison made 74 3s on the season, shooting 43%.

Morrison is better shooting off the dribble and in the post.

Gay is obviously a better athlete but there is no offensive skill that he has that is better than Morrison.

Gay is much better at riding his teamates backs though.

[KB21]

Name one standout skill Adam Morrison has other than shooting.

He's not a passer. He doesn't handle the basketball well. He doesn't bring the type of versatile ability to play shooting guard and small forward to the table. He doesn't rebound well. He can't defend.

I'll be highly surprised if he's anything more than a spot up jump shooter in the NBA.

[exodus]

Quote:

---

He doesn't handle the basketball well.

---

Quote:

---

I'll be highly surprised if he's anything more than a spot up jump shooter in the NBA.

---

Tell that to Rodney Carney. He is the type of athlete that Morrison will face in the pros and Morrison punk'd him for 34 pts on 20 shot attempts. Carney admitted in an interview that he couldn't stop Morrison.

[Diesel]

That's interesting.

[tmac13]

"Rudy Gay may have had some questions about his intensity on the court, but every report on his workouts say that he has been going at them with tremendous intensity."

So you want a guy who only trys hard in draft workouts so he can get paid?..How about a guy who actually brings it hard in every game instead of someone that trys to turn it on at draft time?

"And personaly, I'd never draft him anyway because he's a bleeding heart liberal, but that's just me. "

You make alot of stupid comments, but this one takes the cake..Do you honestly think any of the players in the draft are staunch conservatives?..You might as well say you don't like Morrison because he is white and a liberal which is what you meant..

[KB21]

Adam Morrison being white has nothing to do with my dislike of his NBA prospects. He simply doesn't have the athleticism to play at a high level in the NBA. He's not a Dan Marjele or Rex Chapman type who is a great athlete.

[Teeareess]

Quote:

---

And personaly, I'd never draft him anyway because he's a bleeding heart liberal, but that's just me.

---

Other than that statement, which I think is just silly, I agree on Morrison. I think he'll be a good chooter, and in the right offense, a dangerous weapon, but I don't think he'll have trouble staying on the floor because he won't be able to guard anyone.

[BusBoyIsBack]

Some people don't have a clue. Adam Morrison would be the absolute worst possible thing the Hawks could do with their draft pick. I will definiely break something if the Hawks draft him. He was a terrible defender in college so he'll be even worse in the pros. On the offensive end? Morrison trying to take NBA guards or small forwards off the dribble would be laughable.

[DrReality]

One thing that is being consistently said in the evaluation of the Hawks is that they have young, athletic talent, were in a lot of close games, are a player or two away from having a lot of the right pieces. ]

It's good to see we are being recognized and in the long run I hope it will be to our favor in FA. Like Cato said in his interview, Atl is one of the teams looking for a big. I think this will be particularly appealing to those FA who want more playing time.