Hawks' pieces don't fit | AJC's Mark Bradley

[Guest MLibid]

Hawks’ pieces don’t fit

By Mark Bradley | Thursday, February 8, 2007, 10:02 AM

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

When you get as bad as the Hawks, it isn’t enough just to pick up some good players. You have to add the absolute right players at the absolute right moment. Billy Knight has gotten a couple of keepers — Joe Johnson via a sign-and-trade, Josh Smith with the 17th pick in 2004 — but too often there have been better options available. And that’s why the Hawks remain where they are.

Josh Howard would have helped more than Boris Diaw did. Josh Childress is coming along, but Luol Deng and Andre Iguodala have come further faster. About Marvin Williams as opposed to Chris Paul and Deron Williams, too much has been said already. And there was simply no reason to burn the No. 5 pick on Shelden Williams last summer, not when Brandon Roy and Randy Foye and Rudy Gay and Marcus Williams were out there.

Billy Knight has presided over four Hawks’ drafts. In each of the four, he took the wrong guy with his first pick. Go back to the M. Williams decision yet again. (Sorry, I know this gets tiresome.) Put Paul or D. Williams in the same backcourt as Joe Johnson and you have a real point guard working in tandem with one of the best off-guards in the business. As we know, Knight has this vision of interchangeable players manning multiple positions, but positions exist (and endure) in basketball for a reason.

Having a real point guard — meaning someone other than the glorified backup Speedy Claxton, for whom Knight spent $25 million — would have put last year’s team and this one in the playoff chase. (In the lamentable NBA East, it’s hard not to manage that much.) Having a real point guard would have given this franchise a viable future. Instead it’s back to the lottery, hoping the ping-pong balls align for once, hoping that if the Hawks do snare one of the top three picks in the upcoming draft Knight will break his pattern and take the right guy for once.

[Guest MLibid]

I don't seem that mad like some other analysts are about Shelden Williams. I think that in time, he will be a great rebounder. Some people don't realize that he has a shoulder injury, and he's still contributing to the team. Now I don't know how serious that injury is, whether it'll make him injury-prone or not, but I think that the pick was alright.

In my opinion, I would of rather had Marcus Williams. He's a much better point guard than Tyronn Lue, and as good as a shooter than Lue, if not better.

We could of also had Rudy Gay. I think Gay would of been a lot better than Marvin Williams.

[TheDude]

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I don't seem that mad like some other analysts are about Shelden Williams. I think that in time, he will be a great rebounder. Some people don't realize that he has a shoulder injury, and he's still contributing to the team. Now I don't know how serious that injury is, whether it'll make him injury-prone or not, but I think that the pick was alright.

In my opinion, I would of rather had Marcus Williams. He's a much better point guard than Tyronn Lue, and as good as a shooter than Lue, if not better.

We could of also had Rudy Gay. I think Gay would of been a lot better than Marvin Williams.

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i would have rather had marcus if we traded down too.

but he's talking picking more swingmen instead of shelden. if he had, the small hawks fanbase would have set phillips arena on fire.

[Packfill]

With the way Josh Smith is playing for the Hawks, Sheldon is a career backup for the Hawks. Not sure that a number 5 pick makes sense for a back-up to the teams best young player.

[TheDude]

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With the way Josh Smith is playing for the Hawks, Sheldon is a career backup for the Hawks. Not sure that a number 5 pick makes sense for a back-up to the teams best young player.

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agreed. i think the consensus for many is that we should have traded down to get him.

[Guest MLibid]

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With the way Josh Smith is playing for the Hawks, Sheldon is a career backup for the Hawks. Not sure that a number 5 pick makes sense for a back-up to the teams best young player.

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Any possibility at all that we might trade Marvin or Shelden Williams for a pick / player this year?

[Packfill]

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With the way Josh Smith is playing for the Hawks, Sheldon is a career backup for the Hawks. Not sure that a number 5 pick makes sense for a back-up to the teams best young player.

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Any possibility at all that we might trade Marvin or Shelden Williams for a pick / player this year?

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I am guessing they won't do that this year as they will use the second half to figure out what they have with these youngster. This offseason, however, if team should consider trading some of the overlapping pieces for a solid point guard or center.

Teams like Boston and Portland are in a similar position - i.e., they have collected talented young players but need to moves pieces around to really build a team.

[DJlaysitup]

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...Any possibility at all that we might trade Marvin or Shelden Williams for a pick / player this year?

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I would guess the short answer is - nope, nada, no way.

What level of pick would we get for either of them? Nobody's gonna give us a top 10 for Shelden and nobody's gonna give us a top 5 for Marvin. Not the way they've played so far into their young careers. That's not saying they won't be worth it in the long run.

[SmooveTheFuture]

This is what I have been saying for months. We are where we are right now due to the horrible drafting. Shelden Williams wasnt evena top 10 pick I was saying during the draft and we guarntee this guy the 5th pick? Horrible he will never be anything on this team with Josh Smith here. Joe Johnson and Smoove are the future of this team. Marvin lets not even get started about him Paul and Deron argg. Childress wouldnt look that bad if we made the right picks the next two years. The only great pick Knight has made was Josh Smith and to a certain extent Diaw because it helped us get Joe Johnson. If we had drafted better we are a top 5 team in the east without a doubt and there where the frustrations and impatience comes in. We dont wanna wait years for these jokes we drafted to pan out. I know im sick of Marvin and esp. Shelden already. They said Shelden was the most rdy player out of any player but hes not he sucks balls he cant block shots at all like many thought he would. His low post game is awful he is not atheltic at all. This guy will be nothing more then an avg role player and we guarnteed him he was going 5th without working him out????? This is a joke right?

[drzachary]

SmooveTheFuture,

Can you explain how the workouts are helpful? I tend to think they are not. For example, the workouts hurt Chris Paul, and blinded GMs who should have simply looked at his greater body of work.

[Guest Walter]

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but he's talking picking more swingmen instead of shelden. if he had, the small hawks fanbase would have set phillips arena on fire.

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Roy isn't a swing man. He's a combo guard in a 2-guard frame. The guy has better court vision and passing than many Pgs.

W

[Guest Walter]

...to say the least. I don't mind Sekou too much, but he'll never say this like it should be said. BK deserved to be fired a year ago.

W

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Hawks’ pieces don’t fit

By Mark Bradley | Thursday, February 8, 2007, 10:02 AM

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

When you get as bad as the Hawks, it isn’t enough just to pick up some good players. You have to add the absolute right players at the absolute right moment. Billy Knight has gotten a couple of keepers — Joe Johnson via a sign-and-trade, Josh Smith with the 17th pick in 2004 — but too often there have been better options available. And that’s why the Hawks remain where they are.

Josh Howard would have helped more than Boris Diaw did. Josh Childress is coming along, but Luol Deng and Andre Iguodala have come further faster. About Marvin Williams as opposed to Chris Paul and Deron Williams, too much has been said already. And there was simply no reason to burn the No. 5 pick on Shelden Williams last summer, not when Brandon Roy and Randy Foye and Rudy Gay and Marcus Williams were out there.

Billy Knight has presided over four Hawks’ drafts. In each of the four, he took the wrong guy with his first pick. Go back to the M. Williams decision yet again. (Sorry, I know this gets tiresome.) Put Paul or D. Williams in the same backcourt as Joe Johnson and you have a real point guard working in tandem with one of the best off-guards in the business. As we know, Knight has this vision of interchangeable players manning multiple positions, but positions exist (and endure) in basketball for a reason.

Having a real point guard — meaning someone other than the glorified backup Speedy Claxton, for whom Knight spent $25 million — would have put last year’s team and this one in the playoff chase. (In the lamentable NBA East, it’s hard not to manage that much.) Having a real point guard would have given this franchise a viable future. Instead it’s back to the lottery, hoping the ping-pong balls align for once, hoping that if the Hawks do snare one of the top three picks in the upcoming draft Knight will break his pattern and take the right guy for once.

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[Guest Walter]

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SmooveTheFuture,

Can you explain how the workouts are helpful? I tend to think they are not. For example, the workouts hurt Chris Paul, and blinded GMs who should have simply looked at his greater body of work.

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Hard to demonstrate Pg instincts in a one on one or two man game. Also difficult for a post player. Workouts better serve assessing guards and forwards. I would expect a competent GM to know this.

W

[SmooveTheFuture]

If you are gonna invest this much in top 5 picks why shouldnt you work them out 1st? See if they fit the team there personality skill set etc. How they would work out with the team you have built thus far. It obvious to me BK is an idiot. I can not remeber a team with a top 5 pick not working out the player they were about to take and invest there future in. You dont guarntee a player with Shelden Skill set because whe is clearly not that good. I dont see any potential or ceiling with Shelden. This is what he is gonna be and we used a top 5 pick on him get real. We worked out Foye , Marcus Williams and Rondo and passed on them. Guess wat they are all better then SpedHead Williams. That clearly tells me that the idiots running this franchise dont have a clue in hell what they are doing or what to do. We did not need another 6'8 retard forward when it was clear Smith and Marvin were the starters. I will take Paul Milsap right now over SpedHead Williams and he was like the 50th pick in the draft we have gotten horrible value for the players we have taken the past 2 years in the lottery. I will throw a party when Billy Knight is fired that will be the day the Hawks franchise truly sees progress.

[Dejay]

The real question that should be asked is when...when is this team going to finally get someone competent in the front office? When it isn't Babcock denonating the franchise with the J.R. Rider and Danny Manning deals, its BK spending top dollar on backup point guards (see Claxton, Craig) and wasting away draft picks. The Hawks still haven't drafted an All-Star since the Reagon-Mondale days thanks to these guys. Swim that in your heads for a minute. Twenty-three freakin' years have passed since they last drafted an All-Star player (Kevin Willis). Even Wikipedia mentions that it's the longest such drought in North American pro sports.

Every action has an equal and opposite reaction so says my Physics book. If Chris Paul or Deron Williams is here, the Hawks would've been contenders for the 8th seed last year AT WORST and wouldn't have been in position to blow the 5th pick because they would be drafting much lower. Even if SW was available with the lower pick, we wouldn't be riding on his ass nearly as much because a 17th pick would've been used on him instead of the 5th. Childress and Smith would be on the same level with the same, if not better numbers as Deng or Iguodala if they had a guy like, you guessed it, Paul or Williams getting them the ball where they could be more successful. Why would you pass on a guy your team so desperately needs, then turn around and pay big $$$ to bring his oft-injured backup in, I have no idea.

But these are the Hawks we all know and love. They've been rudderless for over a decade now (and nope, AOL, Kasten, and Babs don't count) with little relief in sight. Talk about your everyday corporate criminals. They've had tons of picks and cap space to use to bring in talent over the last few years, yet only have 3 legit players who would start on the majority of other teams in the league. The rest are career backups (see Claxton, Wright, Pachulia, Lue, Slava), role players (both Williamses until they show me MUCH more), and NBDL pickups (the rest of them). That's not my opinion, folks; that's FACT.

[Guest Walter]

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If you are gonna invest this much in top 5 picks why shouldnt you work them out 1st?

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Has a GM who didn't trade up, knew their draft position, and the draft position was top 5, ever not worked out a willing player? It has to be some sort of dubious 1st.

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Shelden Skill set because whe is clearly not that good. I dont see any potential or ceiling with Shelden.

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GI Joe action figures have more movement than he does. His standing reach is the limit and that ain't good.

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I will throw a party when Billy Knight is fired.

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As should everyone. There are a few apologists and loyalists remaining and all they have are pathetic rationalizations as a faith-based GM fan. My dream is to win the lottery and fire BK and Woody in one day. The franchise could look no better at this point.

W

[DrReality]

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...Any possibility at all that we might trade Marvin or Shelden Williams for a pick / player this year?

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I would guess the short answer is - nope, nada, no way.

What level of pick would we get for either of them? Nobody's gonna give us a top 10 for Shelden and nobody's gonna give us a top 5 for Marvin. Not the way they've played so far into their young careers. That's not saying they won't be worth it in the long run.

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What if . . . . Belkin takes over the Hawks by draft time. Unlikely to happen that fast, but if it does all bets are off. There is no telling what he will do and likely there will be trades. A hypothetical idea, but it could happen. If that were the case, some of the BK's draft could have a new address.

[DrReality]

The biggest pieces that don't fit are BK and Woody.

[TheDude]

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but he's talking picking more swingmen instead of shelden. if he had, the small hawks fanbase would have set phillips arena on fire.

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Roy isn't a swing man. He's a combo guard in a 2-guard frame. The guy has better court vision and passing than many Pgs.

W

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whatever Walterina if he has better court vision and passing than many pgs, he'd be listed as a pg. need to get off your boys jock.

[lunar]

mark bradley doesn't fit.

i mean really, does he even watch games? or is he too busy sitting in the georgia bulldogs lockerroom? even if he's right wouldn't take his word, he didn't like the team in the 80's, the 90's or now.