Lightning rod: JJ comments on Chris Paul.

[Final_quest]

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I applaud BK for picking the best player for the Hawks in Shelden Williams. Shelden has a track record that is well established. If you've watched him play, you know that he will get the job done. Too often, people who come here to argue about a player is argueing about a guy who they've never seen play. Not many of you guys followed Villanova. But you're building a case on what you've been told or what you've read. BK made his decision on what he knew.

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In one sense you are right because I do accept what the experts say most of the time. It's funny to me that this year you take BK to be the mature GM who picks the best player regardless of what anyone else says, and last year he followed the crowd. Seems inconsistent to me.

It's also funny to me that somehow you know when the crowd is right and when it's wrong. It will be very funny if Marvin actually becomes a star and Shelden a bust. Could very well end up happening.

[Traceman]

Talk about making a mountain out of a molehill. What did you expect JJ to say? He was asked to respond to Paul's assertion that Paul wanted to be a Hawk and that he and JJ would have been an awesome duo. I thought his response was great. All he did was compliment a guy who was complimenting him. What would you want or expect JJ to say? I thought he handled the question BEAUTIFULLY. Players talk about what it would be like to play together ALL THE TIME in situations where super-talented guys are assembled in one place.

If anyone should be upset, it is PAUL'S teammates. Why is he telling the world that he wanted to play in the ATL and that he and JJ would be a great duo?

[Diesel]

It's very simple.

The crowd is not right most of the time. You argue that BK didn't take the best player available and my question to you is why do you assume that Shelden was not the best player available. I would say that Shelden is probably the most experience player with the most accolades to follow him at the time.

More importantly, he fit a need.

Let's understand one thing here. It's hard to get a good big. A team that has a good big is not going to trade him easily. So for us, our draft was basically, we were looking for the best Big available. Isn't that Shelden?

When we get past all of these weak arguments about Height and standing reach and when we look at what he did versus competition.. when we consider that he was a Wooden award Finalist. The Team USA player of the year last year and averaged 3 blocks a game throughout his career in a defensive scheme that has not yielded that many blocks for anybody else who has played for Coach K... Can't we say that he's the best available?

What are you looking at? Chad Ford or Giovanni who are paid by agents to make their players look good??

[Guest Walter]

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Talk about making a mountain out of a molehill. What did you expect JJ to say?

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He didn't just talk back and say Paul is a very good player and anyone would liek to have him on their team. He actually brought up MW as a comparison. Essentially, "I like MW and all but Paul is just on another level". JJ brought up MW as a comparison and despite all the diplomacy the comparison wasn't pretty.

Again, non-ruffling feather's answer. "Anyone would like to play alopngside Chris Paul." JJ's answer was most certainly NOT that!

W

[AHF]

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Talk about making a mountain out of a molehill. What did you expect JJ to say?

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He didn't just talk back and say Paul is a very good player and anyone would liek to have him on their team. He actually brought up MW as a comparison. Essentially, "I like MW and all but Paul is just on another level". JJ brought up MW as a comparison and despite all the diplomacy the comparison wasn't pretty.

Again, non-ruffling feather's answer. "Anyone would like to play alopngside Chris Paul." JJ's answer was most certainly NOT that!

W

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Let me quote something I think is highly relevant from JJ's comments:

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Some of the decisions that are made, you just have to live with it and move on.

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[Guest Walter]

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Let me quote something I think is highly relevant from JJ's comments:

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That is a terrible slight to MW. JJ is acknowledging the decision to draft MW over Paul was a mistake and is "moving on" from it.

I know that's not what you meant AHF, but it is funny.

I'm coming to the conclusion that "moving on" should equate to new GM. Until then we continue with drafts like SW at 5.

W

[AHF]

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Let me quote something I think is highly relevant from JJ's comments:

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That is a terrible slight to MW. JJ is acknowledging the decision to draft MW over Paul was a mistake and is "moving on" from it.

I know that's not what you meant AHF, but it is funny.

W

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He is clearly saying that Paul is the best player from the class. I agree with that. Most (not all) Hawks fans agree that it appears that way after a year. Let's move on now!

[Traceman]

Is that supposed to be some kind of secret? In 3 or 4 years, that certainly may not be the case and JJ may see it totally differently. Damon Stoudamire was certainly FAR better than KG as a rookie and he seemed destined to become the next great NBA PG. Who is to say Marvin won't eventually pass Paul? I think it is possible that Marvin will be better than Paul AND JJ.