Josh Smith is the most impressive.....

[emeans]

He is better than Howard. The Hawks need to get Josh Smith. I think we can get him at No. 3. He will not be there at the 4 or 5 pick.

This guy is the truth!!!!

[KB21]

Well, he's good, but I disagree that he's better than Howard. You just don't find 6-11 guys that can run the floor and shoot from the perimeter like this guy can.

Smith would definitely be my #2 choice though.

[emeans]

It is very close....Smith seems to have a better all-around game than Howard. Howard hasn't shown me he can shoot the mid-range/long range jumper and I have seen him 3 times now.

He definately can slam with ease, cut I am not impressed with his jump shot.

Smith can flat out shoot it and he has a Kobe/Jordan like presense on the court.

[Nicholasp27]

smith is definitely a great consolation prize if we can't get howard...he's the Nique for the new millenium!

too bad we didn't get a first rounder from portland, who may miss the playoffs...then we have 2 first rounders and terry to trade to someone like chi/pho/orl/wash/clip or whoever gets lucky and then take both howard and smith

[capstone21]

remember you are watching these guys play in a HIGH SCHOOL all star game.

It is not even college level let alone NBA caliber.

[Diesel]

Remember also, that some of these guys will go in and dominate the college ranks. Carmello Anthony was one who did just that... AND....Smith is said to be better than Anthony by his coach and after seeing the game last night, I can see why.

I think that Howard is still the guy to get. He showed that he can do it all and that's rare from a PF. He can dribble with both hands. He's fast. He can run the break. He plays defense. He can shoot the three... He shot the three. He's doing a decent KG imitation.

Also, the guy Swift was impressive. He needs the polish of 1 or 2 years with Bibby at USC and he will be a great pick. He knows where he is on the court.

I was disappointed with Jefferson a bit. Here's a guy averging 42 ppg and he's not that dominant. He let Swift abuse him a few times too.

However, Josh Smith and JR Smith showed a lot. And the difference is why Josh is going pro and should... Josh is the next Tmac... When he went up and blocked that guys layup in transition, I stood up!!!!! When he came down the lane on the next play and dunked... I stood up again!! I think he's very athletic. My only comment about him is that he didn't take control of the game but he showed that he could.

If we missed Howard, I would love to get Smith & Kris Humphries out of the first round. The other guy who plays for the Celtics at C... I Can't call his name right now Randolph Macon or something like that.... He's about the smallest 7 footer that I can remember. I don't think he was short or thin, but he's just so well proportioned that he seemed like he was 6'8.

I liked Livingston, I was unimpressed by Telfair. Livingston may be the next Jason Kidd. He has great court vision and really good handles. Telfair did steal the ball from livingston a couple of times, but on a whole, I think that Telfair is going pro because he has to not because he's ready.

To be honest here are the guys from the game that should go pro:

Dwight Howard.

Al Jefferson.

Shawn Livingston.

Josh Smith.

I think that Smith will make the biggest impact early but I think that either Howard or Livingston will be the real blue chip stock out of this group.

It's a great dream if we could make some trades and get both Smith and Howard!!!!!

[emeans]

I like both of these players, however I think Smith is what we need more than Howard. Smith doesn't have to be setup for his shots. He can create his own shots ala Jordan/Kobe. He can handle the rock and even play some shooting and point guard. In other words he is more versatile with the ball in his hands.

That is not Howards game. Howard runs the floor well, finishes well, but he is primarily a post player. When he plays tough physical defensive teams like Indy and Detroit, he will not be able to get a descent look at the basket in the half court offense. Josh Smith will do better in those situations because of his versatility.

Mark my words..... Josh Smith is the next Kobe/Traci McGrady.

Also, we are not looking at our roster. Presently we have 4 Seven Footers on our roster and we will probably keep 3 of them (Rebraca, Collier, Pryzbilla and maybe N'Diaye). We don't necessarily need another back to the basket type guy. We need a flat out playmaker and that is Josh Smith. Howard is not a playmaker like Smith.

Now don't get me wrong I will not be mad if we were lucky enough to get Howard (I would be ecstatic), but I would prefer Smith for our team situation.

[Packfill]

I have to disagree a bit on what the Hawks most pressing need is - as currently constructed. The biggest missing piece is a power forward, plain and simple. Crawford has performed admirably, but in the long run is better suited to a role of the bench (if healthy, he has shown he can be a good scorer/energy guy). Sure the Hawks have a bunch of seven footers on the roster right now but none of them are what Howard is and will be - a great run/jump athlete. Pryz, Collier, Rebreca and Mamadou are all centers - though Collier can probably play some power forward. None is a star, and for the hawks to be successful with them on the floor they need a Duncan/Garnett at the 4 spot.

Our wings are not great and can be upgraded, but at least we currently have Jackson (if resigned), Sura (if resigned) and Diaw.

End of the day, Howard is the better pick but I imagine we would all not be too disappointed if we end up with Smith.

[Diesel]

I agree with both, but I think emeans missed it....

Yes, Smith will be the next Tmac.... All except his desire, I didn't see that same need for the ball that Jordan has. However, Howard will be the next KG... He's still very young, but he's focused, he's definitely skilled. It's scary when you think about the skills that this kid has. He can shot, he can run, he can rebound... Tac him next to one of those 7 footers and watch him grow. I think Smith will probably put up better numbers quicker but Howard will be blue chip. I would love to get both.... JT/2 1st to Orlando for their pick!!

[emeans]

If we can somehow package something to get both that would be a coup. Maybe JT/our 2nd 1st round pick/next years 1st round pick to move up and get both I think I would have to do it.

That being said I don't think we will get both. Right now it looks like we are going to finish 4th worse. I really hope we can get into the 3 spot which would give us a better chance at the No. 1 pick. But Washington just sucks!! And the Hawks are playing some really good basketball. I am so much more impressed with this group of guys than with Theo/Shareef and Co. Now lets get rid of JT to get Josh Smith after we have drafted Howard!!!!

[Hung_Well]

I've seen a lot of guys in these games look like a Kobe/T-Mac, but none of them do at the next level. Jason Richardson, Darius Miles, DeShawn Stevenson, even DerMarr Johnson. I'm not saying Josh Smith won't be better than those guys. But they all look similar in a run-n-gun, no defense game like the McD's game.

That said, I thought Howard looked miles better than Kwame Brown ever did in this game.

[cyman3]

"All except his desire"

- how u gonna judge a players DESIRE based on 1 game?

its not as if he can go up to his teammates and be like "hey, im playin well right now... u mind if i just take over and dominate?"

his teammates prob be like "HELL NO! we're tryin to increase our stock just like u... ur just brought ur A game on the right day... we're no scrubs... we can produce just like u!"

but suppose his teammates did let him take over... if that DID HAPPEN, and he DID DOMINATE... does that make him a selfish player?

- hard to judge a dude on 1 game... aye?

[emeans]

Excellent points. I don't think you can measure desire from an all-star game, but you can somewhat measure talent. I am basing most of opinions off of references and seeing him twice.

According to Oak Hill's coach, Josh Smith is the best that he has seen come through his school.....and believe me he has seen his share of talent including Carmelo, T-mac, etc.

It would be a huge mistake not to get this kid. If the Hawks are looking for a future franchise player....Josh Smith is the one. Josh and Diaw could be your Jordan/Pippen combo.

[emeans]

Josh Smith's 2002 scouting report (He is even better now):

http://nbadraft.net/profiles/joshsmith.asp

"Smith is quite simply a freak of nature. There are few that have the NBA skills that he naturally possesses at this moment. Smith is a “run and jump” type of player. He really improved his game over the summer of 2002. At the adidas ABCD camp, he made the coveted top 20 participants list. He also made the all tournament team at the adidas Big Time Tournament.....Smith showed his ability to step outside and hit a consistent three point shot as well as developing a nice mid range shot. If Smith can develop a slashing move, a nice back door cut and a decent handle, we could be looking at a very, very good swingman.....He loves to play above the rim. Sometimes he gets caught up in trying to please the crowd or dunking on every possession. He plays in the paint on his high school team, which should help him continue to work on rebounding.....Mentally he still needs to progress. He is still learning the game. But only a junior, he has plenty of time.

Strengths: A sweet shooting lefty combo forward. Josh is an excellent shooter with very good ball handling skills. He can shoot the lights out from down town or take the ball to the hole for a huge dunk. His ability to play more than one position provides nightmares for opposing players and coaches...Loves to back in smaller players and either slash to the basket or kick it out to a perimeter player. He is a very good shot blocker for his height and a good on the ball defender. His unbelievable shooting touch is what separates him from the rest of the pack. A special talent.

Weaknesses: Sometimes struggles playing against bigger opponents…Although a proficient rebounder he needs to work on his positioning...Has a tendency to rely on his jumper too much and not take the ball to basket as often as he should...Been known to get down on himself when having an off night

Notes: A potential star in the making. Smith has what it takes to make it in the league. "

Again this was his scouting report after his Junior season!!!!

[jaywalker72]

Folks might want to temper the enthusiasm about those scouting reports about those high school players.

There is no doubt that they have talent, but let's remember that these same reports sang some serious praises about Tyson Chandler, Eddy Curry, and Desagana Diop a few years ago, and things haven't been all roses for those players thus far.

Not saying that can't run with the big boys, just saying that usually those scouting reports are on the overly optimistic side.

[Plainview1981]

Pettit can be argued as being one of the best PFs in the history of the game. He played in a time when competition was better and he won a championship.

"

Wasn't Pettit a slow white dude? His team won a title with

the team shooting 41%? Basketball must have really sucked

back in this days. And we think it's bad now. I just can't

picture a team shooting 41% and winning a title. Bob Cousy

shot in the high 30's. That's just terrible.

[Weez]

do you know the role that the pf used to play on a team? Admittedly, I don't know an incredible amount about Pettit's game, but generally speaking your vision of a pf and how they play is incredibly differnt than the role they assumed back then. Also, note that you're "bashing" the days of Wilt and co....are you saying their numbers and stats are likewise "horrible basketball"

[Plainview1981]

SHooting 41% is pretty bad.... Teams averaged over 100PPG

and wasn't that before the shot clock was invented? There

must have been bricks flying like crazy.

I hightly doubt those days where close to being as good as

the 80's are possibly worse than even now. Seems as though

the only difference between then and now is that teams then

shot alot at a low percentage teams now shot less at a low

percentage.

[pathway23]

I don't think the slam dunk was legal when Petit played was it? that can effect FG%...

[dj_me]

...out of all the high school to pros, how many of the flops are big men?

It just seems to me that they have a harder time making the transition because they HAVE to bulk up and learn how to post as well as other things that come along with that type of player. As big men coming from high school, they still seem to play more with there face to the basket as a G/F would do.

I think it's much easier for SG/SF to make the transition for the simple fact that they can just go in and play. Sure, they may struggle a bit with the pacing, defense, speed, etc. at first, but they can still get in there and score, get some decent assists and rebounds as well as other stats.

Kemp started out as a SF, didn't he?

Garnett plays much like an SF

Kobe - SG

TMac - SG

Lebron - SG/SF

'Melo - SG

I'm sure there many more that have and haven't made it. Just thought I'd bring up a point.