Jordan Crawford " Im happy to be a Hawk"

[gsuteke]

I wanted Whiteside to after we had traded down. Perfect chance to get a guard and project big. But once again the hawks screwed it up

I completely disagree after watching the draft sober on dvr. They got the guy the wanted all along plus 3 million dollars. That's spelled with an "m.". Million dollars.

If they had chosen alibi or whiteside instead there is no guarantee either would have made the roster.

If you're a good team drafting at the end of the 1st you are probably best served to trade that pick to sorry teams for a future 1st and build through free agency.

[AHF]

If you're a good team drafting at the end of the 1st you are probably best served to trade that pick to sorry teams for a future 1st and build through free agency.

Strangely, none of the best teams sell their picks and the best GMs like Sam Presti are the ones out there buying the picks.

The reason for that is because draft picks are incredibly economical and save you money while amassing better talent.

Phoenix is the cautionary tale because you still have to go sign a vet to fill that roster spot.

[KB21]

Strangely, none of the best teams sell their picks and the best GMs like Sam Presti are the ones out there buying the picks.

The reason for that is because draft picks are incredibly economical and save you money while amassing better talent.

Phoenix is the cautionary tale because you still have to go sign a vet to fill that roster spot.

I will agree with this. Sam Presti and the Oklahoma City Thunder are a model for building a franchise through the draft. It helps when you luck up and land a Kevin Durant in the draft, and in hindsight, the Hawks could have possibly had that luck had they simply taken Chris Paul back in 2005. Would the Hawks be a better basketball team today had they built through the draft and had a team consisting of Chris Paul, Brandon Roy, Josh Childress, Josh Smith, and Al Horford instead of spending a boat load of money on Joe Johnson?

[NJHAWK]

Xavier has done a solid job of developing some NBA prospects. David West and James Posey were the last two first round picks from that school, and I've been told that Terrell Holloway is the next.

Holloway is who I will be asking for this time next year, lol.

[NJHAWK]

Xavier lost to Kansas state lmao

Yes but it was a great game. Xavier lost a few close games like that including to one vs Butler that would have been changed to a win if Stern was commish and Xavier played the Hawks that controversial day, lol..

[NJHAWK]

This kid put up 20 on Xavier and in the A-10. Playing in the A-10 and especially on a defense 1st team like Xavier usually make it hard to avr 15 ppg much less 20. He can score, simple.

[AHF]

I will agree with this. Sam Presti and the Oklahoma City Thunder are a model for building a franchise through the draft. It helps when you luck up and land a Kevin Durant in the draft, and in hindsight, the Hawks could have possibly had that luck had they simply taken Chris Paul back in 2005. Would the Hawks be a better basketball team today had they built through the draft and had a team consisting of Chris Paul, Brandon Roy, Josh Childress, Josh Smith, and Al Horford instead of spending a boat load of money on Joe Johnson?

Of course. But if we are dreaming, why not a team consisting of Chris Paul, Brandon Roy, Josh Childress, Josh Smith, Al Horford and Joe Johnson since those are all picks we had prior to and with Joe Johnson?

[MaceCase]

Not defending the Hawks here but I'll have to wait and see how OKC handles all those players' non-rookie contracts before I go ahead and crown them. I will admit that their wheelin' and dealin' when it comes to picks and their using their capspace as a tax shelter of sorts for over the cap teams is far better utilized than say the Memphis Grizzlies use of the same resources.

[KB21]

Of course. But if we are dreaming, why not a team consisting of Chris Paul, Brandon Roy, Josh Childress, Josh Smith, Al Horford and Joe Johnson since those are all picks we had prior to and with Joe Johnson?

I can't help but think that with Joe Johnson on the team and with Chris Paul having the kind of rookie season he had, the Hawks would have been a little better than the 27 or so wins they had in 2005-2006, which may have had them picking too low to get Roy.

Either way, I'm a big proponent of building a team through the draft. Most teams draft their superstar player, as a true superstar rarely changes teams in free agency. It may happen this year, but this is an aberration to the trend the NBA has shown. To me, free agency is fools gold, and you almost always overpay to get a player in free agency. I think NBA teams could do a lot better at managing these salaries and having cost vs benefit ratios to determine what they are paying players.

[Anansi]

Something about Jordan Crawford reminds me of OJ Mayo.

[Final_quest]

Either way, I'm a big proponent of building a team through the draft. Most teams draft their superstar player, as a true superstar rarely changes teams in free agency. It may happen this year, but this is an aberration to the trend the NBA has shown. To me, free agency is fools gold, and you almost always overpay to get a player in free agency. I think NBA teams could do a lot better at managing these salaries and having cost vs benefit ratios to determine what they are paying players.

I think you need a combination of trades, the draft, and free agency. The Lakers got their superstar in the draft with Kobe. In the original Shaq-Kobe version they signed Shaq via free agency. Then traded for Gasol in the latest version. Celtics drafted Pierce and Rondo then traded for KG and Allen. The Spurs are probably the closest team to building a champion solely through the draft.

[frosgrim]

I think you need a combination of trades, the draft, and free agency. The Lakers got their superstar in the draft with Kobe. In the original Shaq-Kobe version they signed Shaq via free agency. Then traded for Gasol in the latest version. Celtics drafted Pierce and Rondo then traded for KG and Allen. The Spurs are probably the closest team to building a champion solely through the draft.

As far as I can tell Shaquille is the only free agent signing that that lead to a championship where the fa was the superstar who was the center piece in said championship. So, I agree with AHF, fa is fools gold. Miami may change that this year, but even then Wade is a draftee and bron would be on as Robin

[KB21]

Not defending the Hawks here but I'll have to wait and see how OKC handles all those players' non-rookie contracts before I go ahead and crown them. I will admit that their wheelin' and dealin' when it comes to picks and their using their capspace as a tax shelter of sorts for over the cap teams is far better utilized than say the Memphis Grizzlies use of the same resources.

While I have used OKC as a building by the draft model team, others have used them as a model of a team that is willing to spend. If they are willing to spend though, why doesn't Sam Presti have a contract extension yet? Presti's contract is up on July 1st, and there has been no talk of an extension at this point. In fact, the rumor that has been out there for a few weeks is that Presti will be Portland's next GM, though Presti denies this at the moment.

[Buzzard]

While I have used OKC as a building by the draft model team, others have used them as a model of a team that is willing to spend. If they are willing to spend though, why doesn't Sam Presti have a contract extension yet? Presti's contract is up on July 1st, and there has been no talk of an extension at this point. In fact, the rumor that has been out there for a few weeks is that Presti will be Portland's next GM, though Presti denies this at the moment.

Presti may want to go and make another name for himself while taking on a new challenge. Then again it could be multiple reasons including he wants a raise and longterm deal. Maybe he gets that after some negotiations or maybe he moves on. Whether he stays or not, no one up to this point can fault his drafts.

[KB21]

Presti may want to go and make another name for himself while taking on a new challenge. Then again it could be multiple reasons including he wants a raise and longterm deal. Maybe he gets that after some negotiations or maybe he moves on. Whether he stays or not, no one up to this point can fault his drafts.

They sure can't. That team has been built entirely through the draft. It's a thing of beauty to me. Really, the only big mistake Sam Presti made was bringin PJ in as head coach and not hiring Scott Brooks from the very beginning.

[DrReality]

Thought the Ben Gordon comparison seems appropriate and I'd take that in a heart beat. Like how he gets his shot off and shows no fear.

[AHF]

They sure can't. That team has been built entirely through the draft. It's a thing of beauty to me. Really, the only big mistake Sam Presti made was bringin PJ in as head coach and not hiring Scott Brooks from the very beginning.

And that was a mistake he quickly corrected. As much as I despise Seattle getting left in a lurch, it is hard not to love what they are doing with that team.

[lethalweapon3]

I know Coach Drew is high on Jordan as a shooter/finisher, but is this the right fit for an offense transitioning from isolations to more ball-movement, considering his penchant for not seeking teammates off the dribble?

~lw3

[Wretch]

Good LORD... This dude's shot is absolutely RIDICULOUS...and he fell to the bottom of the 1st round because he's 6'4" and puts up a lot of shots? Ok...DWade is like 6'4"/6'5"...so that's not that big of a deal to me. Of course, I never saw JC play and I know very little about him, so I don't know anything about his shot selection... But man, his range and quickness is downright retarded.

I've been HUGE draft watcher over the past couple of decades, but I somehow missed this year (between all the playoff/JJ fuss)... Somebody fill me in here...this dude looks AMAZING. Is his shot selection that bad? Is he just a chucker? What is the deal here...because his shot...man...I can't even describe how good his shot looks. This looks like highway robbery to me.

...lol, and he dunked on LeBron?

[KB21]

Good LORD... This dude's shot is absolutely RIDICULOUS...and he fell to the bottom of the 1st round because he's 6'4" and puts up a lot of shots? Ok...DWade is like 6'4"/6'5"...so that's not that big of a deal to me. Of course, I never saw JC play and I know very little about him, so I don't know anything about his shot selection... But man, his range and quickness is downright retarded.

I've been HUGE draft watcher over the past couple of decades, but I somehow missed this year (between all the playoff/JJ fuss)... Somebody fill me in here...this dude looks AMAZING. Is his shot selection that bad? Is he just a chucker? What is the deal here...because his shot...man...I can't even describe how good his shot looks. This looks like highway robbery to me.

...lol, and he dunked on LeBron?

He's not a chucker, because he's one of the more efficient scorers in the draft. He shoots because he knows he can hit his shots. He's definitely a jump shooter, but only 30% of his field goal attempts were three point shots. Jordan averaged right at 18.5 attempts per 40 minutes adjusted for pace and hit an average of 8.5 of those shots per 40 minutes adjusted for pace.