BK's biggest Mistake.

[AtLaS]

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If Shelden played 34 minutes and sucked I would agree with you.

However, Shelden's hasn't played over 5 minutes in the last 7 games. In the beginning of the season, there was a stretch that he was doing what we had brought him here to do (on a rookie's level).

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This is EXACTLY the reason he was a bad pick. He can't get PT on this roster, and he's not playing over Smith. BK didn't select Shelden to be the starting PF unless he was either planning to bench Smith or Marvin, AND Childress, or Shelden was himself going to be a bench player. This is why it was a bad pick from the get go. I'm surprised you haven't seen this.

BK OBVIOUSLY didn't draft Shelden to bench Marvin (as he has a man crush on him), so did he draft Shelden to bench Smith and Childress?

[Guest Walter]

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Knowing that Al was not staying, we needed a PG, A Pf, and a C.

"Knowing that" SW was a role player and a waste of a 5th pick we could have gotten a BETTER Pf or C with either a trade of Al (Foster), signing a FA like Nene, Wilcox, or Gooden, other trades, O-R as it turns out using our 2nd rd pick on Milsap.

It's not enough to know that Al wasn't coming back to justify the horrible decision to draft SW

sight unseen

! There were so many better options that cost us FAR less than a top 5 pick talent like Roy no argument can be made here.

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I have plenty of arguments by YOU that I can bring up Where YOU State that Smoove is not a PF.. So stop being a hypocrite!

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I've stated that as a result of that we either trade MW or we get a legit, dominant center somehow to justify a 2-SF starting lineup, NOT draft a (role playing) PF at 5, one who will never start for us and should never play more than 20 MPG for anybody given all his liabilities.

W

[Diesel]

There again.. the problem is that Sfs grow on trees. PG is the most skilled position in the NBA. I can understand looking for star potential...however, Marvin rode the bench and disappeared in big games. Lastly, his workout with us and Milwaukee was horrible especially compared to Paul's workout with us.

As a GM, BK is supposed to be oblivious to what "others" say... and be able to form his own opinion on players. The fact that he missed so much in those PGs and missed so much in Marvin speaks volumes to his ability to pick talent. But more than anything else, this breaks down to NEED. Marvin was the most un-needed position that we could have picked.

[Diesel]

At the time when we picked Shelden, playing Smoove at PF was not really an option that we had considered... Reason being is that Smoove doesn't have a low post game offensively and defensively. His style should lead to him fouling out in the low post than anything else. Also, Marvin was a few years out too. I don't know the whole plan of Marvin but last year, Marvin didn't do too much to make anybody think : He's the future.

So to get a guy to play some post defense and offense was one of our top considerations...

Maybe the plan was a SF/PF rotation... however, Woody has not inacted that.

[Guest Walter]

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As a GM, BK is supposed to be oblivious to what "others" say... and be able to form his own opinion on players.

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...no matter what. It's pretty clear that BK was oblivious to what people said about SW. In fact he so tuned out other people he didn't even try them out or allow himself more information with which to form his own opinion on players. He got it 110% wrong as a result. Getting it right is the GM's job. That's the only absolute here. Not "BPA", not for supposed "need", not by position. GET IT RIGHT!

W

[Diesel]

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or we get a legit, dominant center somehow to justify

a 2-SF starting lineup

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Again, don't make me go in the stacks and show you the many times you argued against Smoove being a PF. That being the case, maybe the gameplan was to bring on Shelden as a PF and playing until somebody becomes eligible to trade...It doesn't change the fact that we had a need for a REAL PF... Now does it Walter?

[AtLaS]

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At the time when we picked Shelden, playing Smoove at PF was not really an option that we had considered... Also, Marvin was a few years out too.

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So you're saying that BK drafted Shelden to keep Smith at the 3 and play Shelden at the 4 while BENCHING his #2 overall pick??

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I don't know the whole plan of Marvin but last year, Marvin didn't do too much to make anybody think : He's the future.

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The second that Stern called Marvin's name #2, that was claiming that Marvin was the future. BK thinks Marvin is the future, bottom line, and he drafted a player to bench him, just like he drafted Marvin to bench Smoove/Childress.

[Guest Walter]

Three points.

1) You can't defend the decision to draft SW in a post without bringing up MW. Why is that? Can't both picks be god awful for different reasons?

2) More and better FA Pf and C options were available.

3) Even I could envision a 2-SF, starting lineup with a legit, potentially dominant center prospect.

4) If you don't get exactly what you need in the draft in either case, GO WITH TALENT! Right now Roy and his recent 7 APG looks like an awesome, incredible mismatch advantage compliment to JJ, but even if he turned out to be not enough of a Pg for us (something I cannot imagine), his trade value is 10 times that of SW.

In short, SW was a bad pick FOR EVERY REASON.

W

[Diesel]

It seems you have selective memory.. a quick google search can provide you with back then statements that can help jog your selective memory.

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Atlanta Hawks- The selection of Shelden Williams, the forward from Duke, with their first round pick was a good move. Williams, like many Duke players, is wise beyond his years and polished enough to lead a young team. However, Duke alumni have not had great luck in the league and Williams has the misfortune of landing on one of the youngest and most selfish teams in the league. Look for Williams to move out of Atlanta first chance he gets. Forward Solomon Jones from South Florida is a big body off the bench for the Hawks this season and could develop into a solid sixth man.

2006 NBA Draft Grade: B-

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Overall:

Grade: B+

Shelden Williams looks like a player in the Ben Wallace mold: strong defensively, can fill up the stat sheet with blocks and rebounds, but he is not going to be a leading scorer for any team. That being said, if he realizes his potential, he shoots free throws and is better offensively than Wallace, and could become a better player than the All-Star in the future.

–Chase Kuech

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4. Shelden Williams (6-9, Duke.)

Shelden Williams

A hard-edged competitor and a fine fundamentalist/all-around player, he’s just a tad short of the type of extreme athleticism that would elevate him to surefire NBA superstar-dom.

PROBABLE DRAFT SPOT: 5-10

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The Hawks pulled their usual draft shenanigans passing on a good thing in Randy Foye for what they considered a safe pick in Shelden Williams. The Williams promise at 5 was the draft's worst kept secret, and made no sense because no team other than ATL was going to take him in the top 5. A deal with Houston swapping picks 5-8 was predictably too sophisticated for these guys to pull off. But they got the player they wanted, and Shelden should be solid in the middle. He's sort of the equivalent of your team taking an offensive lineman in the NFL draft. It's hard to get too excited over him, but he brings them a hoss inside. They also added long and lean forward Solomon Jones who may be a SF, PF, or C depending on his metabolism. He's very long, and very fluid and has upside, but after passing on a point guard with their first pick, Daniel Gibson, Dee Brown or Will Blalock would have made more sense here.

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: The Hawks live up to the worst kept secret in the draft -- that they promised Williams they would select him with the fifth pick. Maybe they think Williams is the next Carlos Boozer or Elton Brand, both previous Duke centers. Brand was a high pick. Boozer foolishly dropped into the second round, then chose to not be a running mate with LeBron James because Utah was offering a little more money in the short run. Real smart. … Anyway, Williams is either going to be just another guy or a solid 20-10 guy. The Hawks are convinced of the latter. I’m not so sure. Going all the way back to high school, he just seemed like a player who was always very good but never absolutely great. At No. 5, I’d like someone who was sometimes absolutely great. But then again, in this draft, that isn’t readily available. - 8:11 pm EDT

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[AtLaS]

... position, horrible. He was drafted to either

a) be a bench player

b) Bench Smith

c) keep Smith at the 3 and bench Marvin (which was obviously not the case as BK has a man crush on Marvin)

.. and if he worked out was definitely going to bench Childress. So far it's option (a) that's panned out.

[AtLaS]

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It seems you have selective memory.. a quick google search can provide you with back then statements that can help jog your selective memory.

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Atlanta Hawks- The selection of Shelden Williams, the forward from Duke, with their first round pick was a good move. Williams, like many Duke players, is wise beyond his years and polished enough to lead a young team. However, Duke alumni have not had great luck in the league and Williams has the misfortune of landing on one of the youngest and most selfish teams in the league. Look for Williams to move out of Atlanta first chance he gets. Forward Solomon Jones from South Florida is a big body off the bench for the Hawks this season and could develop into a solid sixth man.

2006 NBA Draft Grade: B-

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Overall:

Grade: B+

Shelden Williams looks like a player in the Ben Wallace mold: strong defensively, can fill up the stat sheet with blocks and rebounds, but he is not going to be a leading scorer for any team. That being said, if he realizes his potential, he shoots free throws and is better offensively than Wallace, and could become a better player than the All-Star in the future.

–Chase Kuech

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4. Shelden Williams (6-9, Duke.)

Shelden Williams

A hard-edged competitor and a fine fundamentalist/all-around player, he’s just a tad short of the type of extreme athleticism that would elevate him to surefire NBA superstar-dom.

PROBABLE DRAFT SPOT: 5-10

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The Hawks pulled their usual draft shenanigans passing on a good thing in Randy Foye for what they considered a safe pick in Shelden Williams. The Williams promise at 5 was the draft's worst kept secret, and made no sense because no team other than ATL was going to take him in the top 5. A deal with Houston swapping picks 5-8 was predictably too sophisticated for these guys to pull off. But they got the player they wanted, and Shelden should be solid in the middle. He's sort of the equivalent of your team taking an offensive lineman in the NFL draft. It's hard to get too excited over him, but he brings them a hoss inside. They also added long and lean forward Solomon Jones who may be a SF, PF, or C depending on his metabolism. He's very long, and very fluid and has upside, but after passing on a point guard with their first pick, Daniel Gibson, Dee Brown or Will Blalock would have made more sense here.

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: The Hawks live up to the worst kept secret in the draft -- that they promised Williams they would select him with the fifth pick. Maybe they think Williams is the next Carlos Boozer or Elton Brand, both previous Duke centers. Brand was a high pick. Boozer foolishly dropped into the second round, then chose to not be a running mate with LeBron James because Utah was offering a little more money in the short run. Real smart. … Anyway, Williams is either going to be just another guy or a solid 20-10 guy. The Hawks are convinced of the latter. I’m not so sure. Going all the way back to high school, he just seemed like a player who was always very good but never absolutely great. At No. 5, I’d like someone who was sometimes absolutely great. But then again, in this draft, that isn’t readily available. - 8:11 pm EDT

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For all of those, I bet I can find 20 that call it a bad pick.

[Diesel]

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1) You can't defend the decision to draft SW in a post without bringing up MW. Why is that? Can't both picks be god awful for different reasons?

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Huh? and Irrelevant.

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2) More and better FA Pf and C options were available.

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History has shown that it's easier to draft and develop your own big than it is to get one in FAcy. There were three major bigs in FAcy

1. Ben Wallace.

2. Chandler

3. Nene.

I'm glad we didn't and really couldn't get caught up in any of those deals. Denver had the deal for Nene done before the FAcy period started. Chicago traded Chandler and grabbed Wallace awefully quickly also. The point is that usually if you have a good big you keep him. Now we could have made a play for some scrub like Stromile Swift, but do you really want to make a play for a scrub that we would have had to pay big money too and find out that he just sucks.

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Even I could envision a 2-SF, starting lineup with a legit, potentially dominant center prospect

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Huh? & Irrelevant again.

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If you don't get exactly what you need in the draft in either case, GO WITH TALENT!

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Same dumb thinking that led to us getting Marvin. It's called BPA.

There was a lot to think about on draft night. Roy had as much potential to do bad as good... Let's look at some scouting reports.

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Pros: 2006 was a breakout season for Brandon Roy. He was known as a good athlete early in college but he has improved his jump shot while also improving his ball handling skills. Was the team leader in his senior season and go to player. He could play some point guard in the NBA as he has very good court vision.

Cons: Roy doesn't have tremendous size or length. He is a good athlete but not a great jumper and he is also a strong defender but he doesn't have the speed to guard smaller players.

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Strengths: Roy is a great athlete who is widely considered to be one of the top perimeter defenders in this year's draft. He has an NBA-ready body that he isn't afraid to use on both ends of the floor. Roy is fantastic finisher and has a knack for getting to the rim and drawing contact. Defensively, Roy is rugged and should immediately add toughness to his new NBA team. He is also an excellent rebounder for a perimeter player.

Question Marks: Roy has always been described as an inconsistent shooter. He has improved steadily each year at Washington but he remains more of a slasher than shooter. Roy must become a more consistent three-point shooter to keep NBA defenses honest.

Skinny: Roy may be the most NBA-ready player available in the draft. He would make an immediate impact for the C's on both ends of the floor. With Pierce and Roy, the C's would have two wings able to get to the rim against anybody. On defense, Roy would immediately add toughness and has the kind of lock-down ability that the Celtics need to compete with the elite teams in the Eastern Conference.

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Brandon Roy Scouting Report:

InsideHoops.com: Brandon Roy is a slasher who does it all on offense, penetrates off the dribble, defends extremely well, and can probably help any team in the league. Broke out as a senior. Athletic enough to finish in traffic. Smart enough to pass correctly when defenses swarm on him. Not particularly awesome at any one thing. He's an all-around talent. Brandon Roy's NBA position is shooting guard, though he can also play the point.

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I know he was your boy, but there were some question marks about him also. Again, are you willing to ignore fact so you have a chest beat moment. If so go ahead. But the facts are there.

[Yeti]

Hey guys, isn't this kind of silly arguing over which was Billy stupidest move (and the list doesn't even include some bad trades)? The point is that Billy is an INCOMPETENT FAILURE !!! We can all pick different reasons to agree - but the solution is the same ... fire him NOW. Before he can taint the next draft.

(I can just see him offering a five year contract to Scotty Pippen to give us some vetern experience.)

The basketball gods hate Atlanta.

[Diesel]

Don't say it... Do it!

[Diesel]

The truth is that I got tired of TP running with the quote that picking Shelden was the worst move that BK has made.

As the poll shows.. Regardless of how many user names TP goes through, Hawks fans KNOW that not getting Paul or Deron was the worst move that BK has made.

[Johnnybravo4]

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I say trading JT for Walker was the worst move he has made. The move didn't save us money at all and it depleted our talent. Walker did absolutely nothing for us, the only thing he netted us was that LAL/BOS pick that was used in the JJ deal, but I believe that deal could have been made substituting a similar pick/player. Just imagine, JT and JJ in the backcourt...

But I really can't disagree with what other people are saying about BK's bad moves, there are too many its hard to just pick one.

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Now the JT criticism isn't fair. I wasn't on HS back then but I am guessing that the majority of y'all were just like the rest of the media, saying that "we needed a point guard" and that JT was a shooting guard in a pg body.

[TexasPete]

Shelden is a stiff who can't crack the rotation for the 3rd worst team in the NBA. Enough said.

I have just one user name and I use it to pound you into intellectual submission. Of course, debating with a 14 year old old isn't all that challenging.

[Guest Walter]

(suggesting I thought Smoove is a Sf) go against me thinking he's not a Pf? Hmm, "2-Sf lineup" with JS means I "think Smoove is a Pf"? WHAT IN HELL ARE YOU SMOKING?

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Again, don't make me go in the stacks and show you the many times you argued against Smoove being a PF.

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I encourage you to do it since for that amount of time you will not be able to post.

I don't think we need a "real Pf" whatever that is I-F we get a real center. That was my point all along. We either need a traditional lineup (trade MW in an attempt to make for one) or we need a legit center to make any non-traditional 2-Sf starting lineup not conceed the post. I've always and I mean ALWAYS remained 100% clear and consistent on this.

I whole-heartedly encourage you to post my posts on this matter in their entirety. In fact, I expect it since you put up the challenge as some sort of threat. I called your bluff. Now man up. Please, take days, weeks, months compiling the data. Otherwise this is just more of your "will you take the bet?...Uh well, now that you agree to it, I won't until I know I'm right" bluster.

W

[AtLaS]

Walker averaged like 20 and 9 that year but I get your point. That trade was rediculous, I was so pissed when we made that trade. And then we turn around and trade him for the most heavily protected pick in NBA history.

I still remember BK's comments, "well anytime you can trade small for big, that's a good thing, we're trying to get bigger" or somethin, I remember getting pissed just listening to him in that conversation.

[Guest Walter]

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Walker averaged like 20 and 9 that year but I get your point. That trade was rediculous, I was so pissed when we made that trade. And then we turn around and trade him for the most heavily protected pick in NBA history.

I still remember BK's comments, "well anytime you can trade small for big, that's a good thing, we're trying to get bigger" or somethin, I remember getting pissed just listening to him in that conversation.

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And while I didn't like it, I understood it more than most every move he's made since then. His comments were laughable even then.

W