Who would you take?

[codyatl]

Forget draft position for a minute. Who do you guys think is the best fit for this team?

[Iman]

We seem to be wanting to develop a long defensive oriented team. None of those players really fits (Williams does but where do we play him). I'd want to work them all out but I'm now leaning towards Paul. One weakness I see us being stuck with as we go forward is we dont have an outside shooter. If we do finally get some athletic bigmen, a critical addition will be a shooter. Paul for sure can shoot. I dont think he'll ever be any better than a decent defender due to his size. But with our long arm athletes (assuming we find the right center eventually) will that matter that much? I'm afraid Deron Williams is too slow and not much of a shooter, would be a bad backcourt with JChill. Bogut would be my second choice, he'd be a big and we need one and his passing would be nice but I dont think he really fits.

[macdaddy]

If we get the chance I think we have to take Bogut. We didn't tank the whole season to skip taking a talented, strong 7 footer. We can meet our guard needs another way, but the draft is our best chance to get a dominant big.

I'll be surprised if we get the top pick though.

[codyatl]

I am torn between Paul and Williams. I just have a bad feeling about Bogut. When I think of cneters I think of big guys that board and block shots which is not Boguts forte. I like Paul because he can score and as Iman mentioned he can shoot. I really like Williams defense though. I just think he may be the best fit as woodsonb is a defensive minded coach. Imagine the perimeter defense we would have w/ smoove, chill and williams. I understand that the offense is going to suffer a bit w/ a lack of perimeter shooting but I believe williams is a decne tenough shooter and he was clutch in the tourny. That being said I don't envy BK this yr. He has a tough decision ahead if we get #1.

[Packfill]

I am torn between Bogut and Paul. I am not sure either will be a "superstar" but I have more hope that Paul turns into a Steve Nash type difference maker then Bogut turning into a "Shaq" or "Duncan" like difference maker.

[MoonKnight]

I think D. Williams is a better outside shooter then he is given credit for. He still shot 43% on a team with no inside scorer who could take the pressure off the perimeter players. At least Paul had Eric Williams in the paint to score on the O end. I have also never seen D. Williams get shut down by an opposing player. I have seen Jack and others regularly shut down Paul. Paul is not explosive enought athletically to overcome his size limitations in the NBA. I would certainly want D. Williams over Paul. I am torn about D. Williams versus M. Williams versus Bogut.

[chillzatl]

Not to appear overly pro-bogut. But I think you need to read up on the scouting report a bit more on him. He's regarded as an excellent rebounder and a decent shot blocker.

[Weez]

with or without trading someone, namely Al? we need some beef in the middle. that's for certain. not even shotblocking, though needed, I'm simply talking about someone with some width.

[PhillyDC]

im a firm believer in taking the best player. if i were a hawks fan i would want them to take Marvin Williams and worry about the rest later. Then trade Al Harrington.

[Nicholasp27]

Quote:

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When I think of cneters I think of big guys that board and block shots which is not Boguts forte.

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???

he's an AWESOME rebounder

and he did get 2bpg this year...and people that watched the team said that he held back the first 3 quarters to not foul and then in the last few mins of the game would go wild and get most of his blocks...but that was because his team was all scrubs, so they couldn't afford for him to foul...in the nba, he should be a decent shot blocker...12reb/1-2.5bpg is good for a center, especially to go along with 15-25ppg and 2-5 apg

[Weez]

here we go again *what* here we go again *what* here we go again *what* *what* *what* here we go again!

[TnDawg]

I just don't see how we can pass up on a talented big man.

Its is harder to find production inside than it is to get an outside player. Factor into it what we would expect from any one of these guys to make them worthy of our pick. Looking at what they need to produce to help our team. I think we would settle for less scoring with Bogut than the others. Bogut will still be dishing out assists and blocks. The other guys would have to score more, assist more, and find a way to improve the teams defense more. Bogut will have the best chance to do all of these things.

[macdaddy]

Look at it this way. BK signed Collier to a 2 year deal for the center position. Collier is no banger so BK like something about him. If you look at Collier and Drobs then Bogut seems right up BKs alley.

I think we have to do it but probably won't get the chance. I see us drafting second and getting Paul. Maybe we can sign a center or trade for one.

[thescout10]

Unless Bogut does real bad when he comes in for the hawk's tryout I go with Bogut.Seems like we keep debating this issue until we are blue in the face.

[DominiqueWilkins]

First option:

BOGUT

second option:

Deron Williams.

[shug94]

Out of those four I would take Andrew Bogut.

I am an Australian, though, and so I might be a little biased. However, from watching the olympics, he was great then, definitely a world class center.

Then he played for another college season at Utah. So he is better now than he was at the olympics.

When he played for australia, he did very well at setting high picks, rebounding, and finding the open man. These are skills that will translate well inside the Hawk's offense.

Another player I saw at the Olympics, though, was Rudy Fernandez. He played for spain, on the same team as Pau Gasol. And when you were watching the games, you could tell that they were the only two NBA type players on that team.

No-one thought Gasol would be an NBA star, but he is now. I think that we should give Fernandez a chance. Either take him with our second round pick, or trade to get a pick in the last half of the first round.

This kid is really special.

[KBatPCSOM]

.....I'm not completely convinced, so I reserve the right to change my vote between now and the draft.

I've had pretty good gut feelings over the past couple of years about certain players. Call it luck, but the two guys I was very high on in the past two drafts were Dwayne Wade and Ben Gordon. I think some of you may remember me talking up Ben Gordon before last year's draft.

Anyway, the player that I get the gut feeling that he's going to be a very good pro this year is Chris Paul. I know that this has been debated and stats have been produced in attempt to show Paul isn't worthy, but just from the limited times I've seen him, he looks like a fabulous point guard to me.

One of the key things I like to look for in a player is their performance in big games. If you look at Chris Paul's numbers against Duke, North Carolina, and some of the other big schools, you will see that he put up big numbers.

[Wretch]

You sound like me KB. Except I voted for Paul.

I had the same feeling about Ben Gordon last year. Everyone was trying to compare him to JT and I said the thing that sets him apart is that he is a scorer while JT is a good shooter. Big difference.

I liked Wade too, but I didn't know who he was until the season started.

I don't have that "feeling" about Paul, I just think he'll be a terrific playmaker for some team. I like the way that he made Wake Forest better...the fact that his presence on the court CLEARLY made a difference, and a HUGE one at that. It's one thing to be a big man and have that kind of impact, it's another to have that effect as a 6' PG. I've got tremendous confidence in Paul.

I think Williams will be solid, but I don't think he has the potential to be as explosive as Paul. He should be damn good playmaker, but it is his height that gives him an advantage. That's why I'm torn on the two.

A player that I have a "feeling" about is Ray Felton. He's got the size and speed, while lacking the stability of both Paul and Williams. It's really hard for me to gauge him though with all that talent that surrounded him.

Bogut makes me nervous. One one hand, you can't deny the man's skill in the post and with the pass...and you certainly cannot overlook that kind of skill in a 7 footer. On the other hand, I am always WEARY of bigman fever. I'm not one of those people who approve of handing out excessive contracts to guys like Damp, Foyle, and KMart.

Size will get you wins. Nothing impacts a team more than a big guy that can tear it up. So, when people see a big guy with potential...they go crazy. It's so true...just look at the people who get paid millions to sign these guys. How else to you explain max contracts for KMart and stupid deals for Damp and Foyle?

...and here comes Bogut. Bigman fever isn't here? Sh#t, I've heard Tim Duncan comparisons, Deke comparisons, Garnett comparisons...I will lose my mind if I hear a Shaq comparison. He is a top prospect to me. Top 3 in fact, but I just don't see the "Duncan on offense and Deke on defense/gotta take this guy because he's a sure thing."

I'm not going to get into the stats and +/- vs. 6'-8" to 6'8" and atheticism, lift, quickness and all that. It's been beat to death around here. I'll wait to hear how he does in the workouts before I put his stock at the top of this draft. IMO, nobody has earned that distinction.

So, my favorite right now is probably Paul...and I will change that depending upon what I hear and see from the other guys.

[macdaddy]

I hear what you're saying about Bogut, and I don't think he is close to a sure thing, but we need a big man and we need a point. Our ability to get a big man is really limited but there are a bunch of good pgs in the draft.

There are really no sure things. Many thought LeBron was overhyped and overrated and a lot expressed doubts about Howard's chances of having immediate success. Now that they proved to be solid they seem like sure things.

Basically, I'm more comfortable taking a chance on Bogut than trying Dally or Kwame or suffering through another year with Collier.

Of course, I'm convinced we won't get the top pick. If that's the case and Bogut goes first then I'd definitely take Paul.

[Wretch]

...than anybody that'll be on the market this summmer. With the exception being maybe Tyson Chandler. I think he's got what it takes to make a difference on the defense and that his offense could improve too.

If nothing else, I'd rather pay Bogut 3+ million for 5 years than pay 7 - 10 million for the potential that ANYONE out there has.