Al trade better be for a 2007 first round pick.

[KB21]

Because Marvin's upside is so much greater because he has the higher skill level. Josh doesn't have the potential to be the dominant offensive player that Marvin has the potential to be. Josh doesn't have the floor game to drive with the ball and score. Marvin has that ability, and he combines that ability with tremendous ability to shoot the perimeter jumper and the ability to get to the free throw line.

[KB21]

I disagree, because I don't see many teams that are better at the center position than the Hawks, relative to the starters as well as depth. The day of the dominant center is gone.

Yeah, the Hawks will struggle against Shaq, but how many more good years does Shaq really have? Shaq is one of the last of a dying breed. Maybe Greg Oden will come into the league after a year at Ohio State and be the next David Robinson like a lot of gurus think he can be. I think he certainly has that kind of potential. However, there is only one Greg Oden. There isn't anyone else at the high school level or on the college horizon that is even close. The top ranked center prospect in the 2008 senior high school class is Greg Monroe, a 6'9" center from Louisiana that is drawing comparisons to Chris Bosh and Dwight Howard.

Here are the sizes of the players that scout.com has rated as the top centers in the 2007 high school senior class:

1. Kevin Love, 6'9", 260 lbs

2. DeAndre Jordan, 6'10", 210 lbs

3. J.J. Hickson, 6'8", 220 lbs

4. Cole Aldrich, 6'10", 230 lbs

5. Mac Koshwal, 6'8", 240 lbs

The writing is on the wall. To have a good center in the NBA now and in the future, teams are either going to have to find them a Dwight Howard/Chris Bosh/Amare Stoudemire type of undersized center/power forward hybrid or they are going to have to go with an international big man.

[exodus]

I think you are missing the point.

Right now the rules heavily favor the offense, specifically guys who can beat their man off the dribble. The center is the last line of defense and if he can't discourage players from taking it to the basket it kills the defense.

Having a center like Dikembe made the rest of the defense better. By the same token a guy like Zaza makes the rest of the defense worse.

[Guest Walter]

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I was jiving right along with your sentiments...then I realized something:

how often do 7' centers, regardless of 'potential' really get traded?

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Your point is 100% correct and it is the same point as mine.

How often does an opportunity like this come along? How often does a team in our situation with a good young prospect we could never start, with a non-member of our team being by far the biggest FA, and with perhaps the biggest true center need (if we are to run a 2, Sf lineup) meet up with a "win now" team with a VERY young giant center prospect to exchange.

It was the perfect storm of team building opportunity. Hard to punt in a perfect storm, but BK seems willing to punt rebuilding this team as long as his wee-little leg will let him.

W

[Guest Walter]

Those are projected college centers during one year, these are their junior year measurements (as teams haven't releases their current year's, big men are the very last to develop so many more may show up on the radar (alah Bynum), and what do you think...we aren't nourishing our kids anymore?

I notice you don't mention next year's center draft class. Hmm?

I think what this says more than anything is that when your team can get a BIG, skilled, potentially dominant center prospect, (not just BIG stiff) don't make excuses for your GM when he doesn't.

Lastly, why do we care about the 2008 draft again? Why do we keep PUNTING our rebuilding effort into NEVER?

W

[Guest Walter]

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Because Marvin's upside is so much greater because he has the higher skill level.

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At some point this "higher skill level" must translate to more productive and it hasn't yet. At what point, KB, MUST MW pass JS objectively or else he won't be "better" than JS? 1 year? 2? 3? They are the same age with similar experience given MW was on a UNC title team. "higher skill level" must translate to more productive soon or else it's meaningless.

W

[gsuteke]

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You will excuse me if I find it a bit too optimistic to write the Hawks in arbitrarily into the playoffs when its been eight straight years and growing since we were last in the playoffs. Obviously I want them to do well but I don't think the group we have now is good enough to do it.

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You sir, know what the hell you are talking about.

There's too many young players on your team. And the veterans tend to leave as soon as their contracts are up. No long term stability will hamper any franchise. It doesn't surprise me that BK is just letting Al walk without trying his damnest to convince him to stay. Why give up Al for a never-has-been M. Williams and a never-will be S. Williams? Al is better than both of your Power Forwards combined. Claxton is one of the most overrated players in the league. There's a reason he's always been a backup, and its not because he was never given a chance. I just don't see how he's going to improve your team by the 15 wins needed in order to make a push for the playoffs.

And to the poster that said that there should be no more rebuilding done to the club- I agree 100%. Use your draft picks as trade bait to aquire some good players. Not this year of course

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typical outsider opinion w/no knowledge of our team. MW in his 2nd year will be a more complete player that Harrington will be at 26. you notice i said complete player. Harrington is a stat stuffer. too bad we didn't pawn him off on Phx last year along with that pansy @ss Diaw.

[KB21]

I don't buy it.

The reason our interior defense was so poor was not solely due to Zaza. Al Harrington's matador defense in the post contributed just as much, if not more to the Hawks propensity to allow inside baskets along with all the three point plays they allowed.

Zaza will now have Josh Smith and Shelden Williams playing alongside him now. That alone will help improve our interior defense.

[exodus]

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Zaza will now have Josh Smith and Shelden Williams playing alongside him now. That alone will help improve our interior defense.

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That is true. The interior D won't be the worst in the league any more.

But it is also naive to think that Al was the sole cause of the Hawks pathetic interior D.

And when you consider the road to the title goes through Wade and Lebron the Hawks need to do everything they can to strengthen their interior D. I don't think Wade/Lebron will be much deterred from driving by a Zaza/Lo center combo.

[Final_quest]

I've never seen a poster take a fantasy trade to this level before. It's astounding how someone can make up a trade then hold our GM responsible for not executing it. On top of that projecting a player who has played a very limited number of minutes into an unquestionable future star.

While believing these fantasies. The same person projects 2 of our players as busts even though one was just a summer league MVP and the other a 2 time DPOY in college.

How is it possible to have a discussion with someone who is so out of touch with reality.

[KB21]

That's precisely the reason I don't even read his posts.

[Guest Walter]

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I've never seen a poster take a fantasy trade to this level before. It's astounding how someone can make up a trade then hold our GM responsible for not executing it.

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I'm holding BK responsible for SOMETHING! I'm holding him responsible for BUILDING A TEAM! I saw three credible ways to do that this offseason, 1) trade up to draft a player with superstar potential, 2) & 3) either package Al with MW or JS and get a superstar or package him with JC to get a potentially dominant center to play with a 2, Sf roster. He did neither. BK accomplished neither. Short of Speedy his moves have been utterly uninspired and all of them have been directed towards team mediocrity. Next year we have less cap flexibility, no Al to trade, and no pick. I hold him accountable to get things done this season.

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On top of that projecting a player who has played a very limited number of minutes into an unquestionable future star.

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When? Where?

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While believing these fantasies. The same person projects 2 of our players as busts even though one was just a summer league MVP and the other a 2 time DPOY in college.

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MW "Bust"? Huh. Better than JS? Not IMO. SW was BY FAR not the most talented player at 5. You either know that or the discussion should end here.

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How is it possible to have a discussion with someone who is so out of touch with reality.

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Do you hold BK accountable for ANYTHING? Let's start there if we're going to have any discussion (KB included). If not, then please don't preach to me. Can I get an amen.

W

[Guest Walter]

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That's precisely the reason I don't even read his posts.

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You state you intentionally don't read my posts but you read the posts responding to my posts. You're very weird in your obsession.

W

[gsuteke]

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That's precisely the reason I don't even read his posts.

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You state you intentionally don't read my posts but you read the posts responding to my posts. You're very weird in your obsession.

W

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Kaybee doesn't answer anyone's posts that asks him to take a defined stance on any subject matter pertaining to the Hawks that isn't a given.

[Guest Walter]

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Kaybee doesn't answer anyone's posts that asks him to take a defined stance on any subject matter pertaining to the Hawks that isn't a given.

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He's been asked repeatedly for specifics about what makes for a good, bad, or ugly deal with Indy, when we should be a playoff team or BK's out, or more importantly what HE would like to see the Hawks do, the later the most challenging for him because it might not reflect BK's intent and suddenly he's against a wall.

Anyhow, he reports to loving facts but hates statistics or specifics. Guess you can't be "called on" vague, subjective "facts".

W