BK is going to draft Marvin......

[emeans]

Versatility - in one word, that is the basketball philosophy of Hawks general manager Billy Knight.

He is not overly concerned with having the archetype for each position.

For example, is North Carolina's Marvin Williams, who worked out for the Hawks at Philips Arena on Wednesday, big enough to play power forward in the NBA at 6-foot-8 1/4, 228 pounds - what with the likes of San Antonio's 6-11, 260-pound Tim Duncan representing the league's preeminent power forward?

Knight answers by observing that a possible three-forward lineup of Williams, Al Harrington and Josh Smith could be a pretty potent one.

With many projecting Williams as one of the top two players available, the 19-year-old has a strong chance of landing here via the No. 2 overall pick they hold in Tuesday's draft.

" A lot of people have it etched in stone that everybody has to be a certain position - you have to fit into a mold, but that really isn't the way that I look at it ," Knight said. "If you had him, Josh Smith, Al Harrington, all those guys to me are forwards. They can play some at either position and I think that's a positive for your team and for those players, so it gives them another opportunity to get on the floor.

"If you say he's a power forward, he's got to play the power forward spot only. You say he's a forward, maybe you're going to go with three forwards, so he can get on the floor at any time. . . . There's such a thing as him being a basketball player."

One sign of the increased interest in Williams was the presence of more Atlanta Spirit personnel. Owners Ed Peskowitz and Bruce Levenson flew in from Washington. Other owners present were Rutherford Seydel, Michael Gearon Jr. and Dominique Williams.

CEO Bernie Mullin attended a workout for the first time this week and even Thrashers general manager Don Waddell dropped in.

Williams, who showed what coach Mike Woodson deemed NBA range on his jumpshot, fits the mold of the draft pick that will come in the future with the NBA's new collective bargaining agreement and its 19-year-old age limit.

In some ways, Williams is like a high school player, as he will be drafted on potential - Knight said he certainly is not a finished player and can improve in several areas. In his one year at North Carolina, Williams averaged 11.3 points and 6.6 rebounds without starting any of the Tar Heels' 36 games.

Williams explains that by saying it was a championship team on which everyone had to sacrifice. He admitted he was not going to start in front of senior captain Jawad Williams or junior Sean May.

He also has worked out for Milwaukee, which holds the first pick, and said he was unsure whether he would do so for any other teams. For his part, he seems eager to be a Hawk.

"I want to be here, hopefully they want me to be here, so that's what I came here to do," he said.

In the other workouts this week involving point guards Chris Paul and Deron Williams, Woodson took a laid back approach, sitting next to Knight. With the drills differing slightly on Wednesday because of Marvin Williams' position, Woodson got more involved.

While Knight might put together a team with three 6-9 forwards, Woodson is the one who will have to worry about matchups come game time .

"I think Marvin, he's a talented kid, he'd have to find a position at the three or four," Woodson said. "Marvin, he's got to find his niche. We've got to help him find that niche. I think skill-wise, he has potential."

I think everyone on this forum is trying to carve out certain positions for this team. According to this article BK is NOT concerned about that. He is going to get the best available talent at No. 2 and that probably will be Marvin Williams. It seems like he is also going to keep Al Harrington. I needed to see it from his words and there it is!!! I think my predictions about what will be done is looking more and more accurate.

[Lascar78]

yeah, but it also seems like Woody is significantly more concerned than Woody. But yeah, it's looking like we're getting whoever Milwaukee doesn't take of Bogut-Marvin. Seems to me like a sure thing at this point.

just curious, but where was this article from?

[Spiral]

That's kind of what I draw also. I think BK wants Marvin, but I'm not so sure about Woody. Of course this could all be posturing to increase Williams' value.

[GST]

Noticed this comment by Woody:

"Marvin, he's got to find his niche. We've got to help him find that niche."

Sounds like he's already thinking about how to work him in.

[ggp]

Quote:

---

Noticed this comment by Woody:

"Marvin, he's got to find his niche.

We've got to help him find that niche

."

Sounds like he's already thinking about how to work him in.

---

The quote sure looks like a dead give away.

[emeans]

The AJC online.

http://www.ajc.com/sports/content/sports/h...5/23marvin.html

[gohawks11]

thank goodness

[sturt]

Preface: I don't doubt that BK is likely to take Marvin, and wouldn't be disappointed... but having said that...

Would you guys think like general managers for a moment?

What's he going to do, talk up Bogut? There is practically no one at this stage who vaguely imagines Bogut would drop to #3.

If otoh he talks up Deron or Paul, that posturing says to Portland and Charlotte in particular, the Hawks may pass on Marvin.

Trade value wise, he has to give every impression that Marvin is his guy.

C'mon... if there's one thing we've learned about BK, it is that he's a candidate for a National Security Agency agency if this gig doesn't work out... the guy loves his secrecy, and there's no reason to change that.

[Plainview1981]

I think everyone on this forum is trying to carve out certain positions for this team. According to this article BK is NOT concerned about that. He is going to get the best available talent at No. 2 and that probably will be Marvin Williams. It seems like he is also going to keep Al Harrington. I needed to see it from his words and there it is!!! I think my predictions about what will be done is looking more and more accurate. "

Who is going to run the team or provide size? Having a

team with the players all being the same doesn't win

games.

[OGRat]

It aint over until it's over. There are other ways to get a PG and a C.

I am trusting that BK has it all worked out to fill the void at at least one of those positions. IF not, I am may have a little buyers remorse no matter how well Marvin plays, because I believe that the PG and C positions are more important than the F when it comes to winning in the NBA. Something will have to give.

[Sage11]

"Trade value wise, he has to give every impression that Marvin is his guy."

I hope all he is doing is talking up this guy, but just maybe he might be trying to condition the fan base for something that runs opposite to traditional basketball building. He may be actually serious about Marvin and that concerns me....

[emeans]

I agree......He is probably going to fill some of the Hawks holes through free agency. We are not going to win next year people. This is a 3 year process. You will start seeing better results in 2006. Right now BK is stock piling talent because quite frankly this team is lacking in that area.

If I were BK I would sign Kwame Brown and Earl Watson. I don't think Dalambert is a possibility. I would draft Randolph at 31.

The team would look something like this next year:

Lue/Watson

Chillz/FA???(Joe Johnson)

Williams/Smoove/Harrington

Smoove/Williams/Harrington

Brown/Drobs/Randolph

Next year we have to keep on building until we contend!!

[Traceman]

I won't care who we take at #2 between Bogut, M. Williams, Paul or D. Williams, we will be a MUCH better basketball team.

Bogut

Brown

Harrington/Smoove

Johnson/Chillz

Watson

or

Brown

Harrington

Williams/Smoove

Johnson/Chillz

Watson

or

Brown

Harrington

Smoove

Johnson/Chillz

Paul/Watson

or

Brown

Harrington

Smoove

Johnson/Chillz

Williams/Watson

All 4 lineups have their advantages and I think any of them would be pretty darn good. Unfortunately, the odds of us landing all 3 of those FAs is not very good, particularly when Phoenix just traded Q Rich to NY to make salary cap room to extend Joe Johnson (and Amare Stoudemire).

[sinctybldh]

why would u want a player who quit on his team? no thanks. pass.

[TheRedStripes]

Quote:

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why would u want a player who quit on his team? no thanks. pass.

---

Kwame definitely has problems, but he has good potential still, i wouldn't be opposed to giving him a short term contract and see if he can get himself headed in the right direction. I think when he " quit on his team" maybe he was trying to make sure he could get out of Washington. Vince Carter did something just as bad to get out of Toronto when he reportedly told the opposing team the play the Raptors were going to run, he was traded a few days later...What Vince did may be worse in my opinion but he ended up playing well for New Jersey

[sinctybldh]

I would just hope he does not have a poor attitude if the Hawks were to invest time and money into him.

[emeans]

A change of venue would do wonders for Kwame Brown. If he came to Atlanta he would start living up to his lofty No. 1 pick expectations.

I would sign him in a heartbeat.

[Plainview1981]

Bringing in g@y sissy boys like Kwame Brown just

isn't a good thing to do. He probably is the flaming Homo

that MJ said he was.

"He is probably going to fill some of the Hawks holes through free agency."

Not with anybody of importance....

I just think it's dumb to keep drafting and trading

for the same players over and over again.

[drzachary]

Wow.. inappropriately homophobic much?

[Plainview1981]

I just dislike the way he plays. He just comes off as

a wimp the way he acted as a rookie. Yes, I know he

was only 19 at the time... but sheesh act like pro-

fessional. He probably just jumped to the NBA for

the money and I doubt he will ever live up to

expectations. Just don't want to ever see him play

for the Hawks.

Sorry I wasn't politically correct enough for you

about the G2y stuff.