The Standard BK Must Meet

[Guest Walter]

...BK M-U-S-T fill one starting position, be it Pg or C, with a high quality player for the long haul, period.

Given the talk about BK bashing or loving I think it should be simply put, to come out of this offseason without one starter position at Pg or C filled FOR THE LONG HAUL would be a monstrous failure on his part. We loose out on the 1st pick, not allowing us to fill our center need with the only worthy prospect. At the 2nd pick in the draft BK could have had a top notch Pg. He chooses otherwise, FINE! He MUST have a plan then to fill AT LEAST ONE starter quality need for the long haul at Pg or C.

We can't come out of an offseason with a #2 pick, $25 million in cash, and FA centers galore and NOT fill at least one of these NEEDS.

That being said, I don't know (assuming he signs and his contract isn't met) if JJ fills the Pg need. I don't know what if any center would also. I do know that BK has never signed a big name FA and has made some minor mistakes (not enough in trade of SAR/Theo, not resign Pryz). Unless a major FA signing happens at a position we need filled we can't count on him to finish out the rebuilding effort. Not after an offseason with a world of capitol available to us and no needs filled.

All that being said, who knows who he can sign and what position they can legitimately man. Too be seen.

W

[Diesel]

We had too much in front of us to come away the same as before. I'm almost to the point of saying it would have been better to take #5, #13 for #2...

Because the truth is that FAcy is yielding us nothing AND the draft has only duplicated what we already had. And to the Marvin = Jordan fanbase... I'm waiting. I'm patiently waiting. Chris Paul and Deron are looking better and better day by day...

[KB21]

Absolutely not!

The only standard BK has to meet is the standard of acquiring the type of talent he wants on this team. I could care less at this point in rebuilding about filling positional needs. Acquiring talent is much more important.

It makes little sense to settle for a player simply because he plays a position that is perceived as a need when that player doesn't come close to fitting the style that the team is being built to play.

We shouldn't sign a player like Eddy Curry simply because he is a center.

Why do you think Joe Johnson is the only free agent that has an offer from the Hawks right now? Because he's the only one that fits the style BK wants.

[Vol4ever]

Was not Boris a positional need to complement JT? He left Josh Howard on the board and we know how that turned out.

[kelston827]

Felton/May over Marvin?? No thanks.

An unwillingness to gamble on greatness in the draft is a sure way to cement your team in perpetual mediocrity. As someone said (KB maybe) in another thread, the young nucleus BK has built in Atlanta can compare favorably to any in the league.

"Because the truth is that FAcy is yielding us nothing"

Funny, I wasn't aware FA has started yet. Oh, you must be refering to the mindless blather and rumors coming from media outlets desperate for somethingt NBA-related to write about. Oh yeah, even then the Hawks have been mentioned by nearly every corner of the country as a team offering a max deal to a talented, young guard in JJ.

"Chris Paul and Deron are looking better and better day by day..."

Where does a statement like that even come from?? Have you watched them play at all?? What happened to summer league doesn't mean anything?? To say that the sky is falling because "Chris Paul and Deron are looking better and better day by day..." at this point is the height of ridiculousness.

[KB21]

No.

Boris is a long and athletic player with great versatility. He wasn't drafted to fill a positional need beside JT. He was drafted due to his length, athleticism, and versatility. JT was never in the future plans of BK's.

[Admin]

as in what Paul and Deron have done in the summer leagues is making them look better and better each day, but moreso that we are showing that we really need a leader at PG to grow with the team and putting all of our eggs into one restricted basket like JJ sure is risking a lot. Basically I just took his statement to mean that our need for that type of player is more and more apparent with every play. I really like Marvin and think he will be a good player, but if we dont get a true starting PG or C this offseason then we have failed as a team. I am praying for JJ to get here, but I wont get my hopes up too much about him.

[KB21]

Exactly!

What sense does it make to go against what you are trying to build by getting a mighty mouse point guard that can't defend or an unathletic point guard that lacks the length you want when you can get the one guy who fits your style the best....the long, super athletic, and super versatile Marvin Williams.....the only player with legitimate superstar potential that was drafted?

[KB21]

Once again, why do the Hawks have to fill those positions this year? Filling those positions isn't going to make us any better now or in the future if we go against what we are trying to build here. Signing Joe Johnson will be a coup for the Hawks if it happens. If it doesn't happen, then the Hawks can simply regroup and start looking towards the 6'7" Ronnie Brewer for the 2006 draft.

THOSE POSITIONS DON'T HAVE TO BE FILLED THIS YEAR!!!

[mrhonline]

Quote:

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THOSE POSITIONS DON'T HAVE TO BE FILLED THIS YEAR!!!

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You mean the Hawks aren't going to win the championship this year?

That's new to me.

/listens quietly to hear sound of bodies smacking the ground as they fall off the wagon

[Admin]

You cannot have the #2 pick and 25 million in cap space and not sign a starter at 2 major need positions. If we get JJ then I will be thrilled. If we dont but get Curry or Chandler I will be thrilled. If we get shut out in FA I will be highly disappointed. BK has a terrible track record when it comes to big FAs and that really worries me.

You cannot have all these young guys and not have a C to help protect them or a PG to lead them. Are you watching these games? They look like lost souls running around out there right now and without a PG or C on the horizon thats how our entire season will look, which will negatively impact this franchises appeal to other FAs even more and will also negatively impact our young guys by us continuing to lose.

[Admin]

Its about getting qualified players that can help our young guys. We dont want to hurt their confidence

[KB21]

There are a lot that want this team to get back to the Lenny Wilkens days when they won 50 games a year but had no chance in the playoffs due to all the flaws the team had. Those teams lacked athleticism, size, versatility, and depth

Billy Knight said from the first day he officially had the GM title for the Hawks that this wasn't going to be a quick turnaround situation. I think many want to ignore that. You don't build a championship team by plugging holes with mediocre players. You build championship teams by trying to acquire as much talent as humanly possible.

[KB21]

Bunk. Pure bunk.

As I said, the Hawks will do a lot more harm to their future if they settle for a player simply because he plays a position of a perceived need. The reason they are going after Joe Johnson is because he fits their style. The reason they aren't going after a guy like Damon Stoudamire is because he doesn't fit their style.

I could care less if we sign anyone other than Joe Johnson. No one else is worth they money they will get.

[mrhonline]

Quote:

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Its about getting qualified players that can help our young guys. We dont want to hurt their confidence

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You mean veterans like Gugliotta and Lue who haven't even signed elsewhere yet?

Or do you mean restricted free agents that were "stabs in the dark" to acquire in the first place? Who do you want Knight to acquire that is realistically possible? (i.e., not a restricted free agent and not someone who wants to play for a playoff team).

Who?

[KB21]

Exactly!

Who are the long, athletic, and versatile players that the Hawks can aquire that aren't restricted, that play the positions that are so called need positions?

[emeans]

I am totally with you on this one KB!! I say stay the course. While people feel that BK is failing, I am one that strongly disagrees with that sentiment. A lot of people and fans are starting to get excited about what this team is doing and where it seems to be going.

If we can get JJ this year we are building exactly what BK has envisioned at all positions and that is long, athletic and difficult players to match up against. The only position he would have to address would be Center and if he gets Chandler that goal will be accomplished and then it will only be about chemistry and adding depth, which he would do in the draft and FA next year.

And after two years he has done all of that and still has us financial sound.....how can anyone possibly say BK has done a terrible job.

[Traceman]

he is a Center. We would be signing him because he is only 22 and already one of the best offensive Centers in the league. He has the potential to be a dominant player in this league for the next 10 years or so.

I don't know why everyone seems to assume that acquiring a defense-minded, shotblocking, volume-rebounding Center is NECESSARILY BK's preference. I know a lot of people on this board prefer that kind of Center but does BK? All I know is that last year, he signed Collier and Drobnjak and passed on Pryzbilla and this year, at least up until this point, he has shown more interest in Curry and Big Z than he has in Dalembert or Chandler.

Personally, I hope that BK is placing a premium on finding a scoring big man because I believe it is easier to find a rebounder/defender at Center than it is to find a guy who can score like Curry. Heck, what are Alvin Jones and Ken Johnson doing these days?

[Packfill]

I am ok coming out of the off-season without a point guard or center but I think next off-season is the cutoff.

If BK cannot fill those holes next off-season then he deserves any and all criticism he gets. The rationale is that, assuming no significant signings this year, the Hawks will have at least one more high draft pick (probably 2) and a lot of money to fill those positions a year from now so there will be no excuse. The team has to start progressing at some point rather then just developing talent and 2006 is the year.

Until then, lets just hope and pray that Smoove, Childress and Marvin continue to improve and develop.

[chillzatl]

of the market he is playing in. He's working in a money driven market that favors the home team completely. First off, you have to differentiate between restricted and unrestricted free agents.

first, restricted free agents:

Unless you're dealing iwth a player that has burned bridges or has serious problems about them OR a team that is completely strapped out, we have NO CONTROL over signing restricted free agents. It's that simple. Nothing else matters at all. If the home team wants them, they get them, simple as that. If you come out of a summer where EVERYONE you dealt with was a restricted free agent, you can't feel bad that you didn't get anyone. You can't call that a failure.

second, unrestricted free agents:

This is where the money driven market comes into play. You can make an offer. But when most players value money above all else, and they do, the home team can turn around and offer 30mil more, you're going to have a hard time luring people in.

the reality is that in this off season, BK is dealing entirely with restricted free agents. Dalembert, Curry, Chandler and Johnson. The only unrestricted FA we were interested in was Ray Allen and everyone knew he was going to take the 30mil and stay where he has an immediate playoff chance.

what happens with free agents this season should have no reflection on the job he's doing. A year or two from now, then it's time to talk. But you can't say he's not getting it done when he's forced to play in a market that gives him zero control.