text:
Yesterday I highlighted some draft prospects the Hawks believe have "NBA skills" that could be useful to them next season. Today, I'm looking at some long-term prospects the Hawks might draft at No. 24.
Understand that these lists aren't meant to be complete, nor should they be considered endorsements. These are players I know the Hawks have considered from each pool. If you don't see the player you want on these lists, it doesn't mean the Hawks won't draft them and it doesn't mean I don't like them. I'm just trying to share what I know with my blog people, narrow the Hawks' draft possibilities down a bit, and then let you explain why they have it ALL WRONG!!!
In the next post I will collect all of the final mock drafts in one spot. That way you can find those smart people who predict the Hawks will draft the guy you like.
Solomon Alabi, C, 7-1, Florida State
I think Alabi will be gone by the time the Hawks pick, and here's why: He looks the part, and scouts and GMs tend to fall in love with those kind of guys even when they are as raw as Alabi. He weighed in at 237 pounds at the draft combine and he looked even bigger than that at the Hawks workout. The fact that he's not expected to be taken in the lottery tells you how far he has to go.
"He's a young kid [turned 22 in March]," said Hawks assistant GM Dave Pendergraft. "You like the fact that he shoots [well] from the free-throw line. But you can tell he's raw. He"ll be drafted in the first round, and in a perfect world he lasts a long time [in the league]."
One person who saw Alabi's Haws workout described him as "mechanical" in his movements. So he's not a fluid athlete but he's certainly physically impressive.
"He's huge and he's a great guy," Pendergraft said. "If you are looking for someone two or three years down the road to help you, he's a candidate."
NBADraft.net describes Alabi, a native of Nigeria, as a player who could potentially be the defensive-minded 7-footer the Hawks (and all teams) covet:
"[Alabi's] physical tools make him an excellent shot blocker on and off the ball, and a likely candidate for offensive tips and putbacks off misses. . . . There's no arguing that he has the potential to become a defensive centerpiece for a team that lacks a presence in the paint."
Kevin Seraphin, F/C, 6-9, France
A knee injury nearly caused Seraphin to pull out of the draft because he couldn't participate on the workout circuit. He decided to stay in, probably a good decision since it looks like he's pretty certain to be drafted in the first round. Seraphin met with the Hawks for several hours on Monday.
David Aldridge has an excellent draft preview series at NBA.com. Aldridge projects Seraphin as a power forward and, surprisingly, places him ahead of Kentucky's Patrick Patterson in rankings that reflect "how ready players are to play the position which they are assigned."
Aldridge quotes an unnamed Atlantic Division scout on Seraphin: "It's a 100 percent fair comparison to Nene. He's strong, he's got big hands, got that athletic ability. Slightly mechacical. You know how Nene is. You can almost tell what he's going to do. Seraphin might turn out to be a better rebounder. He tracks the ball. It's going to take a while for this kid to get there [offensively]. Nene's pretty good and this kid is going to turn out like that."
Hassan Whiteside, C, 7-0, Marshall
Whiteside, who turned 21 earlier this month, played just one season at Marshall. Like Alabi, he's a true 7-footer with potential so some team is going to take him and develop him. Whiteside led the NCAA with 5.3 blocks per game.
Whiteside worked out this week for the Bucks, who own the No. 15 pick. After the session, Milwaukee's director of scouting, Billy McKinney, said it'd be a "stretch" for his team to draft Whiteside:
"A good shot-blocker, he's still very raw. He's pretty new to the game, but a guy that blocks a lot of shots, rebounds, there's a lot of room for improvement and growth in his game."
In an interview with NBADraft.net back in May, Whiteside said he worked with Hakeem to improve his defense, footwork and strength on the block.
Daniel Orton, C, 6-10, Kentucky
Just five days ago the Indy Star reported the Pacers might take Orton with the No. 10 overall pick. Then yesterday Yahoo! Sports suggested Orton might slide out of the first round because of a bad knee, poor conditioning and his reputation as a malcontent during one season at Kentucky.
I'm assuming the Hawks are still considering Orton. He canceled several workouts over the last couple weeks, leading to speculation he had a proverbial "promise" from a team, but the Hawks didn't believe that's the case. Nor did they seem too displeased that Orton didn't make a stop in Atlanta (he finally ended up working out this week for the Pacers).
Orton turns 20 in August and played just 13 minutes a game at Kentucky. There's also the aforementioned weight and attitude issues, which raises the twin red flags of work ethic and "coachability." But he's a big, strong dude with potential. He defends at the rim and actually has a nice jump shot. Some team will roll the dice on him.
Orton wrote a draft diary for the The Oklahoman and addressed his knee and his expectations but shed no light on the missed workouts.
June 23rd, 2010
8:16 pm
I was just watching classic draft on NBA TV and saw Todd Fuller and Vitaly Potapenko get picked before Kobe. Wow! The draft is crazy.
June 23rd, 2010
8:20 pm
Of course we took Priest freakin Lauderdale at the end of the 1st that year. lol!
June 23rd, 2010
8:23 pm
If were going for long term, I'd move up a few spots and take Whiteside. Dont know how much he'd help next year though. But one things for sure, he cant be any worse than Zaza.
June 23rd, 2010
8:30 pm
Just heard the ASG are try'n to sell our pick. Figures-theze guys are a bunch of clowns. There needs to be some type of rule put in place concerning "Net Worth+ when try'n to purchase a professional team. Then they wonder why the city doesnt support like they should….
June 23rd, 2010
8:33 pm
I hope they draft a SG cause Joe Johnson is gone
June 23rd, 2010
8:34 pm
let me also add I'd rather not have Joe Johnson and start the rebuilding process around Horford and Josh and not give a max contract to a guy who can't even score double digits in playoff games
June 23rd, 2010
9:10 pm
MC says 3 GREAT players who were taken at #24. I am expecting names like Manu or Aaron Brooks, who were both taken late in the 1st rd or 2nd round.
Instead, I see Sabonis and Derek Fisher.
Define "Great"
June 23rd, 2010
9:22 pm
Given the fact that Larry Drew is a first time HC, the Hawks may be without JJ, and the Hawks should be competing for a playoff spot (regardless of what JJ does), the Hawks should draft a guy who can help them now.
If we take Solomon Abai (who only averaged 6 rebounds per game by the way), it will be 2 or 3 years before he can contribute effectively.
Larry Drew may not even be the coach in year 3 if his option is not picked up. Lets draft an asset that the Hawks can use now. We need all hands on deck.
June 23rd, 2010
9:27 pm
What about Craig Brackins? Did you get any feedback on him from the Hawks staff?
June 23rd, 2010
9:34 pm
Preach on, OB. Let's give our minimum wage coach the best chance to succeed with a player who will be ready to contribute by the All-Star game in February. And since we only have 3 bigs signed next season, I vote for a tweener (like Booker) or a 4/5 (like Brackins or even Pittman).
June 23rd, 2010
9:39 pm
Teams should pay attention to happened with Hasheem Thabeet last year. Dude was drafted #3, and got sent to the D-League because he needed major work. Imagine what you get at #24.
Now…that might work for a team that is young and building, and who already has a traditional starting center on their squad, that nobody is crying and whining about not being a true center. But a team like the Hawks? First, we have some "fans" who whine and cry about Horford like little girls with scabbed knees. Second, there are a few big centers in the league who outmatch him. Third, do we have time to develop a project over 2 or 3 years, that still may not turn out right?
It's a risk. But hey, just about anything in the draft is. Ask the Greg Oden and the Blazers.
June 23rd, 2010
9:42 pm
Astro and Melvin ,
I don't like what I read about Brackins on draftexpress.com. Well, I like some of the offensive capability he seems to have, and the fact that he'll grab some boards. But will he hustle and defend? I'm not knocking him as a pick, per se. But aren't you at least a little apprehensive about a player who draftexpress says projects to be another Channing Frye (on the top end)?
I thought we didn't need anymore softie bigs…
June 23rd, 2010
9:50 pm
Channing Frye might be available as a free agent this summer. Might be soft, but he has developed range on his shot in Phoenix.
June 23rd, 2010
9:54 pm
I like his skill set. The guy has a variety of offensive moves that could make him a good scorer. Like you said, he's already a good rebounder and as far as hustling, thats something Drew can make him do… So give me the guy with the skills over the guy with limited skills that you hope would develop over time…
June 23rd, 2010
9:57 pm
Your lack of bball knowledge was exposed by your latest post.
Sabonis was a terrific player and could have been one of the 10 best Centers in the history of the NBA if he had come to play to the league when the Hawks selected him in the 1985 draft.
That draft pick was disallowed and annulled because he was not 21 years old back then and he was later selected by the Blazers in 1986 with the 24th pick, being authorized by the Soviets to play in the NBA only in 1989.
However, he opted to play in Europe until 1995.
The fact that you only saw him come to the US after he was 31 years old and after blowing both his knees and his achilles, still managing to help take the Blazers to the WCF when he was 35 years old should be enough for you to know better.
FYI in the 1988 Olympics in Seoul, in the semi-finals, he ATE David Robinson alive as if he was a little gold fish on his way to the gold medal.
Actually, I think you mentioned somewhere that you are only 21 years old, so you are far too young to know better, however, you should read and educate yourself before writing idiotic remarks.
As for Derek Fisher, you are talking about one of the all time clutch players in the history of the game, with many many game changing/saving/altering big shots in the playoffs (these finals included).
Aaron Brooks – for the moment – has not earned the right to even sniff Derek Fisher's sweaty jocks, much less hold them.
Until you stop looking at boxscores and start looking at what is actually going on during the games, your commentaries will always be marked by lack of knowledge of the game to make them worth significant credit.
June 23rd, 2010
9:57 pm
Manny T,
Get him in here….
June 23rd, 2010
10:01 pm
"I don't like what I read about Brackins on draftexpress.com"
Ditto! I think it is pretty clear that when given the opportunity to take his game to a different level, from the scouting report it is easy to conclude that he did not deliver under pressure.
June 23rd, 2010
10:06 pm
Melvin, Manny T,
You are only suggesting that because nire is still recovering from his "injury" aren't you?
You know that if he was 100% he would have already fired an extensive post exposing how weak defensively and rebounding wise Frye is AND how he will probably prefer to re-sign with PHO since he his literally at home there since he attended Arizona U.
June 23rd, 2010
10:11 pm
Melvin ,
Not denying the kids offensive skills. Was curious as to your thinking on picking him, though. I'd really rather have a rebounder/defender, but I ain't gonna cry one bit over a guy who has legit offensive skills and can rebound as well. He won't protect the paint or the rim, so I guess we'd have to get ourselves someone in free agency for that.
But if he can stretch the floor some, clean the glass, and get us some buckets…like I said, I don't have complaints. We just better upgrade the defensive side of things at that position through free agency.
June 23rd, 2010
10:12 pm
From what little I've seen and read about them, it seems to me that Alabi and Orton are most likely to be able to guard Dwight Howard one on one among the players mentioned here. It's debatable, though, whether either one will ever realize their potential.
Still think the guy the Hawks draft has to be the best player available. One of these guys may be intriguing because of the need for a big man, but if the Hawks are not confident that they can come in and contribute now, I'd rather see them pick a player at a different position who will give them good minutes from day one.
June 23rd, 2010
10:13 pm
MannyT ,
No doubt. But Frye is somebody you get to be the yang to your "off the bench" yin defender. I'm about done leaving that up to Zaza….he doesn't really fit the role of enforcer. Hard, sloppy foul on occasion? Yep. Defender of paint and rim? Nope.
June 23rd, 2010
10:15 pm
I'd go for the guy who gives us the most right away, then take a project big in the second round (Dexter Pittman), where it will cost less money.
Long as it's not another Euro player that we may never see again (Cenk Aykol) or that we never get any real use out of (David Andersen). Come on, we sold him off to Houston for cash. What did we do with the cash? Nuttin'!
June 23rd, 2010
10:16 pm
Thanks for a intelligent post. Getting a big for a little over $1,000,000 is the way to go. There are other options but if Whiteside is there, there is no other option the guy will make the Hawks make a decision on rather its Josh or Al within 3 years and they need to make that decision. Finally, I think the Hawks are a garbage franchise and will sell this pick. They are a bunch of incompetent clowns that beg the fans to come to the games but they never respect any of the fans wishes. They chose the cheap route with Drew and now they will disrespect us again by selling this pick. We get our revenge when the season starts empty seats central. Stupid MF's
June 23rd, 2010
10:17 pm
France's Kevin Seraphin is the only international player who seems a lock to be taken in the first round. Big and rugged, the same name comes up over and over as a comparison for the 20-year-old: Nene, the Nuggets' center, who needed time to overcome injuries and inexperience but is now one of the better pivots in the league. Seraphin is raw, but he's got an NBA body already.
Said an Atlantic Division exec: "It's a 100 percent fair comparison to Nene. He's strong, he's got big hands, got that athletic ability. Slightly mechancial. You know how Nene is. You can almost tell what he's going to do. Seraphin might turn out to be a better rebounder. He tracks the ball. It's going to take a while for this kid to get there [offensively]. Nene's pretty good and this kid is going to turn out like that."
Seraphin was uncertain about whether he'd stay in the Draft after suffering a slight meniscus tear in his during his French team's playoffs, but the injury is not serious; he couldn't work out for NBA teams that traveled overseas to see him earlier this month at the Adidas Camp in Italy, but he more than passed the eyeball test.
"I wasn't disappointed in what I saw," said a Southeast Division personnel man. "He can play some five [in the NBA] like Al Horford. I was not disappointed in the size. He was pretty thick."
June 23rd, 2010
10:19 pm
Varnado will have to find a neighborhood Five Guys or In-N-Out Burger and camp there for a while.
Rail-thin at 210 pounds, Varnado's incredible shot-blocking talent — he is the NCAA's all-time leader, though it must always be pointed out that blocked shots stats did not begun to be compiled regularly until the 1970s — will not matter if he can't put on enough weight to hold his position against grown men in the pros. But that great timing will give Varnado a chance, and he measured a legitimate 6-foot-10 in Chicago.
"Here's what's interesting about him," says a Southeast Division scout. "He's gotten better every year. He's got a little jump hook. Left shoulder turn. What he's realized is, he doesn't try to do things that he can't. He doesn't expose himself."
June 23rd, 2010
10:31 pm
nire injured? how?
June 23rd, 2010
10:32 pm
Okay, here's the deal: if we draft Varnado, then we have set him up at the same place Jason Collins eats…
June 23rd, 2010
10:36 pm
June 23rd, 2010
10:52 pm
"As for Derek Fisher, you are talking about one of the all time clutch players in the history of the game, with many many game changing/saving/altering big shots in the playoffs (these finals included)."
Thanks for defining "Great" just like I asked of MC. If Fisher's clutchness makes him great, I guess Robert Horry is great too. How many All Star teams has Fisher made? That's right – STFU and GTFOH. My sources tell me David Anderson was a stud overseas too. WTF has he accomplished in this league? Childress is a stud in Europe but is as average as can be in the NBA.
June 23rd, 2010
10:54 pm
We need to get in on the Wolves right now. They are desperate to trade some of their picks or Al Jeff. I would also dangle Joe + Bibby or Smoove + Bibby for Chris Paul. Trade anyone on this team besides ZaZa, Horford, or Jamal since these guys play their roles well. People forget ZaZa averaged about 13 & 7 that one year when he actually got minutes
June 23rd, 2010
11:07 pm
Enter your comments hereJeJe,
Which source do you have that is telling you that Childress is a stud in Europe? Averaging 15 and 5 this year makes him a stud? Did you know he only averaged 9 and 5 last year in Greece?
Not to mention the reports that his Greek team wants him to leave and come back to the NBA so they dont have to play him. Why would they do that to a stud?
And we cannot trade Joe to the Timberwolves because he is an unrestricted free agent. That means he chooses where he wants to sign. And I'm pretty sure he is not going to sign with the T-Wolves.
Ray, Melvin,
Give me Booker. If we want Varnado, I think we should trade up in the second round to get him (only if we dont take a PF at 24). Maybe we take Damion Jones, who is willing to defend and rebound at the SF position.
June 23rd, 2010
11:10 pm
JeJe – c'mon;
Sabonis to Andersen…really now?
Derek Fisher has 5 rings (or is it 6 – ?)
June 23rd, 2010
11:13 pm
Did those links [not] show?
That's what I mean't "under moderation".
They showed up on my screen?
Holler back & I'll try again.
June 23rd, 2010
11:17 pm
"Derek Fisher has 5 rings (or is it 6 – ?)"
Adam Morrison has 2. So what?
There are plenty of studs in Europe who wouldn't be anything in the NBA.
And I think the Greeks are pretty pleased with Childress. If your genius self had been following the ECONOMY lately, you'd know Greece is in massive debt, as is most of Europe. Consequently, they CANNOT AFFORD TO MAINTAIN THEIR PAYROLL.
Go read a book.
June 23rd, 2010
11:18 pm
Don't waste too much time on JeJe, it seems that he missed the bit where Sabonis ate David Robinson alive…
Also, at the age of 31, with all his injuries (which were crippling to the point of him being a shadow of his own original self), as a rookie, averaged 20 and 10 during his first playoff series in the NBA.
Sabonis if healthy and if he had moved to the USA in 1986 would have averaged 26/27ppg 12rpg for his career easily.
As for Fisher's commentaries, to define "great" as being selected to all star games is even more telling… lol!
nire had surgery to his shoulder or something like that so his typing is compromised.
June 23rd, 2010
11:19 pm
Should be "His Greek team does not want to play him".
June 23rd, 2010
11:21 pm
No Grandad I did not see the links. I do wish you'd post them again.
June 23rd, 2010
11:24 pm
I am at a loss. I do not know who I want the Hawks to draft. Guess I would go with Serephin. He seems like he might have staying power. Though, I must admit, I know jacksh#t about the guy and have never seen him play.
I have seen Jordan Crawford play the most. I don't see him being a long time NBA player. He was OK at IU. I think playing lesser competition at Butler helped make him look better than he really is.
The big kid from FSU looks like too much of a project. So does the kid from Marshall.
Wondering if the Hawks might surprise all of us and make a move tomorrow night? Anyone think Sund has something up his sleeve?
June 23rd, 2010
11:30 pm
hence the respite from feeling his abuse.
sorry to hear of your misfortune nire, speedy recovery my man. i guess now is my time to heap it on as i will be killed in the future, good shoulder or bad shoulder i suck when it comes to typing. now where is my frigging pencil?
oh yeah the asg is cheap even MC is bewildered that the hawks didnt use their MLE last year. oh yeah, where is it in the cba or anywhere else that says only the best teams use the MLE? i been looking everywhere to find your source for that assertion or is it your opinion? heh heh
vava, you seemed to readily agree, maybe you can give me the reference if nire cant type.
June 23rd, 2010
11:39 pm
Here they are again, 1 @ a time.
Before I tried to send four.
June 23rd, 2010
11:40 pm
#2 = fingers crossed.
June 23rd, 2010
11:42 pm
Goin' for the trifecta.
June 23rd, 2010
11:44 pm
& now I'm swingin' for the fences.
June 23rd, 2010
11:45 pm
KQ – Are they on your screen?
June 23rd, 2010
11:51 pm
Adam Morrison to Derek Fisher;
that's funny.
a funny guy !!!
What –
vava said…there must be some truth to it.
" Hatter "
knows better'n that.
I'll, leave you alone.
Have a good eve…..JeJe…..seriously,
June 24th, 2010
12:02 am
Section 303 youtube has some great videos on Seraphin. Honestly if he was there at 24 I wouldn't be mad if the Hawks chose him. He could end up being a nice steal. However If James Anderson is there at 24 the Hawks should take him and not look back. In the second round I would love if they traded up for a guy like Stanley Robinson or Booker but only if they land Anderson in the first. If its Seraphin go Willie Warren in the second.
June 24th, 2010
12:19 am
If you are going to max out at Channing Frye in several years, why not get the original now for a little bit of cash.
We may not win, but we will be interesting if our 2nd team is all offensive. When we play the Knicks it will be like an old ABA game.
While @niremetal may not approve, more offense means more highlights which also means more SportsCenter visibility. I think the ASG could sell it in the regular season.
Sure I'll watch the draft tomorow (or at least parts of it), but even the best rookie won't get me excited until he plays against the real pros in October.
@doc–my friends are NOT cheap or broke. Unfortunately theier wealth has time space continuum issues. As soon as we can use the appropriate scifi tools, they will be making it rain…Jerry Maguire style
Show me the money!
June 24th, 2010
12:24 am
Thanks Grandad!
June 24th, 2010
12:30 am
No matter what, the Hawks must find a big man to START at center next year. Too many teams were allowed to penetrate the paint against the Hawks. This has to be priority number one! Then the Hawks must look for a true perimeter shooter to take the attention away from their low post players…anything other than this strategy and Drew may only coach one season with the Hawks…come on Sund, work your magic today!
June 24th, 2010
12:36 am
Co-signing Tony. That's pretty much it. Get those 2 pieces in that order and we can fill in the blanks. This is the time when GM's get to show their stuff. Why they are paid the big buck…….
and with out further ado… take it away Sund
June 24th, 2010
12:58 am
[img]http://www.kolobok.us/smiles/artists/snoozer/basketball.gif[/img] [img]http://www.kolobok.us/smiles/artists/snoozer/basketball.gif[/img]
June 24th, 2010
12:59 am
Let Siler be that center to backup Zaza..draft a PG/SG 6′6″ (Lance S) just in case JJ leaves..or get Craig Brackins to back-up Marvin..we should draft as if JJ is leaving.
June 24th, 2010
1:13 am
Thanks KQuest. And to Ms Dee, ZaZa would have to be a starter first…we need a starting center. We dont need 2 centers coming off the bench. Horford is a true power foward and a future superstar at the position if the Hawks get their act together and get a productive (offense or defense) starting center down there…
June 24th, 2010
1:17 am
manny t got i, rofl.
June 24th, 2010
2:11 am
Ok well lets start Siler..He is a 6′11″ center weighs 305lbs..now b4 yall say how overweigh he is, Shaq dominant players in the history of the NBA standing at 7′1″ and weighing 325 pounds. He is one of the heaviest players ever to play in the NBA. Throughout his 17 year career, O'Neal has used his size and strength to overpower opponents for points and rebounds.
Summary of Siler in China
Shanghai Dongfang Sharks: 38 Games Played, 23.2 mins, 14.1pts, 58.2%FT 4.2Off reb, 5.1Def reb, 9.3Tot reb, 0.6Assists, 4.2fouls, 1.6block shots, 0.6steals
I dont know how to link web sites on here so I paste/copy article from http://www.cnngo.com/shanghai/play/interview-shanghai-sharks-garret-siler-207704
Garret Siler:
Big shoes to fill
After their game against Shandong, we caught up with the Sharks 7′1″ (2.16 m) center and Yao Ming's successor, Garret Siler.
CNNGo: Garret, after just missing a chance to play for the NBA's Indiana Pacers, you opted to to come to Shanghai rather than stay in the U.S. minor leagues. Why?
Garret Siler: I did play two games for the Utah Flash after they drafted me, but frankly the opportunities here in Shanghai outweighed those at home, so I flew over.
CNNGo: You sound like most expats in Shanghai. How are you finding the transition?
Garret Siler: Basketball-wise, it has been great. The only difference is learning a new language. But the people of Shanghai have been so nice, so that's helped a lot.
CNNGo: Speaking of Shanghainese people, Yao Ming is back in town. How much has he been involved in the team and your development?
Garret Siler: Yao Ming's involvement has helped me with every aspect of my game, period. He's been getting me in good shape and showing me some new moves.
CNNGo: You've got Team China point guard Liu Wei, who combines with John Lucas III — son of the NBA legend — to form the best backcourt in the league, along with 'Jordanian Jordan' Zaid Abbas, and the world's only boy band member playing pro hoops, Johnny Yen from Taiwan's 183 Club . What has it been like playing with all of those guys?
Garret Siler: [Laughs] Playing with those high profile guys gives me plenty of opportunities to mess with them. They always get stuck taking pictures with the fans.
CNNGo: And what do you guys think of Shanghai's world famous nightlife?
Garret Siler:I love the variety of dining options since I can't eat Chinese food seven days a week. I've heard good things about the nightclubs, but haven't had time to experience it first hand.
CNNGo: Good answer, Coach Bob Donewald might be reading this. See you at Bar Rouge later. Thanks for your time, Garret.
Garret Siler:[Laughs] Thank you.
June 24th, 2010
2:21 am
I LOVE men!
June 24th, 2010
2:28 am
Based on this article (esp with Yao Ming's envolvement) and his stat's, I would take my chances with Siler than an unproven player from the draft at #24. I would get a SG/PG (Lance S or James Anderson if still there) at #24 and still draft Dexter Pittman at #53..dont know why but Dexter reminds me of Glen 'big baby' Davis..ummm??? Maybe cause of the unsize hustle that Big Baby brings every game. I would let both Siler and Dexter battle it out in summer camp & practices to see who deserves the most playing time.
June 24th, 2010
2:37 am
Bees Knees!
The New Orleans Hornets' PG has – Bees Knees! (not very funny at all!)
I just read that link re: CP3 and his knee surgery. I had no idea his injury was so
devastating. I don't care who you are, even superman can't fly well without one of his two meniscuses.
This is a career ending type injury. I actually specialize in extremity joint care and rehabilitation!
And, this is really bad for CP3's career!
Can you say, Anfernee Hardaway and jamal Mashburn? Career Over!
I wouldn't give a bag of basketballs for Chris Paul right now! Stick a fork in him, he's done.
He now has the knee of an 80 year old man. Osteo-Arthitis is in his very near future.
He will be icing and draining that knee after each game! He is definitely on the trading blocks now!
Bynum in Los Angeles had a tear of his meniscus and you saw him hobble. Well, Chris Paul
had a complete removal of one of his meniscus, so there is no shock absorption between the Femur
And the tibial plateau.
Can you say, Bone on Bone contact? Not to mention the distal femur slipping from side to side and off the joint base? Yikes, balky knee!
Like I said earlier, trading players is like trading garbage cans!
One man's junk is another man's treasure – except in this case? It's all Junk!
No Thanks – I'll put my money on Teague!
June 24th, 2010
2:38 am
China Doll
Chris Paul is like a China Doll:
A pleasure to look at – A treasure to behold! But, if you break it? Consider it Sold!
This kid is like a Pinata – Pretty … but fragile!
He is like a Cadbury's Chocolate Easter Bunny – Pretty but Hollow!
I feel really bad for him, he is very nice.
June 24th, 2010
2:45 am
Movers and Shakers!
Minnesota has 5 first round draft picks! Tell them this draft isn't deep – they're not buying it!
Didn't they also draft like 5 PG's last year? And we know they're stupid, what are they gonna' do with all them picks? Package them, make trades, move up or down?
Word is, they're looking to move Al Jefferson to break up him and Kevin Love.
Mmmmh… Is Sund listening, watching or what?
Bump That – "Later Ish'! I want my cake and ice cream – Now!
Hey Hawks, I ain't getting any younger. Besides, we are not promised tomorrow. So, get to steppin' Mr. Sund, and step up your game now, bring it! bring your "A" Game – yes Sirrrr!.
There are only three types of GM's in the league:
1. The one who watches things happen.
2. The one who makes things happen.
3. The one who sits on the curb, and when all is said and done says, "What Happened?"
Mr. Sund, what TYPE of GM are you?
June 24th, 2010
3:11 am
MsDee, that sounds ok…now you are talking. If the Hawks are serious this year, they must pick a center first. Whether it is your guy (Silas), Alabi, Pittman, Aldrich (if available), or Seraphin, who I think is a big time sleeper. The Hawks must plug the middle…it is as pourous as the oil spill in the gulf! The analysts were talking out of their necks tonight about lack of talent in the draft…watch how soon that tune changes around mid season this year. There is plenty talent…GM's just need to get on the stick.
June 24th, 2010
3:14 am
Also, let us not forget about the free agent market…hmmm…if they can stay under cap, Bosh would be the very piece the Hawks need.
June 24th, 2010
3:28 am
Bosh gave his list of teams that he will consider to Toronto's GM.
* Breaking News *
The Hawks are NOT on that list of teams Bosh will consider.
Aahh! See Chicago, Miami and Los Angeles! That man wants to play with a contender and with a
Oh well, that leaves the Hawks in the "Pumpkin Carriage" and in the house by mid-night!
June 24th, 2010
3:41 am
Breaking News drmaryb,
Money talks and bs walks…for the right situation a player will go anywhere…never mind that…there is a sleeper not mentioned…Omar Samhan. Wonder if anyone remember this guy!
June 24th, 2010
3:47 am
Chris Bosh is a PF, not a center..we would be in the same situation we already in with Al playin center.
June 24th, 2010
5:57 am
I will add my voice consider Omar Samhan.
June 24th, 2010
7:08 am
Draft Whiteside!!! Sign Garret Siler for peanuts and try and go after Tyson Chandler!!!
June 24th, 2010
7:24 am
MsDEE THAT RIGHT ON BRING OUR BOY SILER BACK HOME AND GET A SG THAT CAN HIT THE 3
June 24th, 2010
7:25 am
Greivuz Vazques is worth a look too. He's gonna be like Tyreke Evans watch!
June 24th, 2010
7:38 am
DOES ANYONE REALLY CARE. Again I say- "Somethings go together, like ham and eggs, peanut butter and jelly, CARTOONS AND THE ATLANTA HAWKS". You will loose you tail if you bet on this franchise. Good players can only do so much. POOR LEADERSHIP, ESPECIALLY AT THE TOP HAS NEVER WON A WAR.
June 24th, 2010
7:49 am
We may know Joe plans early in July….
June 24th, 2010
7:50 am
I know it will never happen, but I wonder if Sund has even talked to the Nets about what it would take to get the #3 pick.
With Lopez at 5, their biggest need seems to be PF. I would give them just about anything to get Cousins.
June 24th, 2010
8:19 am
Hawks need to trade Teague, Marvin, this years first round pick and a future first round pick to the Hornets for Chris Paul. That is four first round picks for immediate help. Teague has the potiental to help the Hornets. Marvin will play better this year. Our ISOJOE offense limited him.
It's a win win situation. Hawks right what was wronged in 2005 and Hornets dump some salary while replishing for the future.
June 24th, 2010
8:22 am
Al Jefferson can be had!!! Go get him Rick Sund!
June 24th, 2010
8:24 am
June 24th, 2010
7:08 am
This has got to be the best address of our problem in the middle that ive read so for. Make those moves and sit on them for 2-3 and I think we'd be on the right track.
June 24th, 2010
8:28 am
hmmm, i suggested an al jeffereson for josh trade some weeks ago. it could make both teams stronger and get truth off of al's butt.
all you center haters is al jefferson enough of a center for you?
June 24th, 2010
8:57 am
Trade Al for Jefferson Josh is a keeper!
June 24th, 2010
9:00 am
Doc, Horfod and Josh is a better combination than Jefferson and Horford. Jefferson doesn't play on the defensive end. Also why trade Josh for Jefferson, when you could probably get away with giving up Crawford for him?
Also guys OJ Mayo is on the trading block, as I predicted. lol
June 24th, 2010
9:06 am
June 24th, 2010
9:12 am
@Michael Cunningham
Could you please check your comment filter, my post includes links…
June 24th, 2010
9:17 am
Till he releases my last comment…
@ MsDee…
You are wasting your time beating the Siler's drum, I and others did it for quite awhile… The Hawks are going in another direction… There's newer Siler's news then the older CNNgo article.
His stats from last season in China including two playoff series can found on www dot Asia-basket dot com choose China, then CBA, then Shanghai…
He's on Facebook: Garret Siler (must be added as a friend)
I guess it will be Miami, Houston, or the Pacers… Outside shot of it being Utah for Siler.
June 24th, 2010
9:17 am
Is all craps.
Can't read that Ish! It makes my eyes hurt…(dum…ta.da!). *Scrollin' like a river."
June 24th, 2010
9:24 am
I agree with Manny's earlier statement… offense saells tickets and tickets mean money for ownership. The Hawks need to improve their rebounding if Drew wants to unleash the sprint team. Clearly Teague would be better if he's running (literally) the show of an uptempo team. But these players sometimes forget to defend, so again, someone who can board AND defend would be ideal. In other words, please don't draft a guard… we need guys who can clean the glass and move their feet.
June 24th, 2010
9:37 am
Astro Joe
Co – Sign That! Great Job!
June 24th, 2010
9:42 am
ramon, usually you have to give something to get something. if i could i would offer bibby and marvin for him …. just dont think they want our issues. funny how many times those guys have been offered in our blog domain this summer.
ramon, just keeping it real and suggesting you have to give value for value unless a team is already to tank the next year. we often forget that in our make believe world of blogging. you know the ones that suggest all we have to do is sign d wade and lebron and let jj walk. then trade marvin and bibby for deron wiiliams to make room for the queen and get the point we need. i think their salaries match, isnt that all i have to do to be a gm?
starting line up deron, d wade, lebron, josh and horford. sixth man crawford, sigh up chills for more ammo off bench to go with mo, zaza, jeff and joe. there made our team. screw the cap talk and cba agreement.
June 24th, 2010
9:44 am
Shoes on the Ground!
(Where is Larry Platt, when you need him?).
Astro Joe, said it best, "We need a player that can Rebound and Move his feet."
It's just that simple!
Do you Draft for a player with specific tools? (a specialist for what YOUR team's needs are.)
Or, Do you just take the Best Player Available?
I don't envy the GM's of this league.
June 24th, 2010
10:00 am
Doc, I understand that. I'm saying you don't offer up fair value to a team who is desperate to get rid of a player. For instance, last season it would've been crazy to trade Marvin (although he was a free agent) for Crawford when Golden State was desperate to get rid of him. So you don't trade a budding all star and your best player (right now Josh is the best Hawks player under contract) for a C playing on one leg who's team doesn't even want him. And as I said Jefferson and Horford would be atrocious on defense.
June 24th, 2010
10:09 am
You always draft the best available player. You don't draft for need. Everyone keeps talking about Roy, Rondo, Paul, Williams, and other PGs who were selected when the Hawks drafted in past years. But that's only 3 or 4 PGs. There have been over 20-25 PGs taken in the first round since Marvin came in the league. And only a hand full are still with their current team. If the Hawks would've drafted Felton, they'd still be looking for a top notch PG. If they would've drafted Foye, they'd still be looking for a starting caliber PG. You draft the player whom you know can go out there and perform. You draft talent, you sign NEEDS. If you need a defensive PG, go sign a free agent, or trade for one. If you past on the best player for something that you need, and then 4 years from now your 'needed' player is just a role player, and the best player is leading his team to the Finals, how will that make you feel.
No one has said this, but if the best available player now is a SG, take him. I say take him because if he comes in and does his job good, who says Joe wouldn't be willing to play SF, to create room for him a lot of time. In the offense Drew is bringing, there really want be an off guard nor small forward. They're going to be a point, 2 wings, and post. So the two best wings will be on the court the most.
June 24th, 2010
10:25 am
I'm sure there will be some nay-sayers on this, but I wouldn't mind seeing the Hawks trade Josh Smith and the #24 pick to move up in the top 4, to try and draft Demarcus Cousins.
Will Cousins be a big enough body to be a starting 5 in the NBA?
June 24th, 2010
10:32 am
Ramon…the two wing concept is why I liked the idea of bringing in Maggette cheap, and why I'm still wondering if an Iguodala trade would work. If I could move Marvin and ??? for Iguodala, I think I'd do it. I think Joe & Iguodala would work as our wings (not necessarily defining one as a SF and one as a SG). They are both good defenders and should be able to match up with most of the better combos in the league (Kobe/Artest, Allen/Pierce, Carter/Lewis, Wade/???).
June 24th, 2010
10:35 am
The Hawks need to draft Dion Glover. The kid is going to be a star for years to come.
June 24th, 2010
10:39 am
Draft TALENT and Sign NEEDS!
Ramon, said it Best! Co-Sign that post @ 1009 AM! Real good stuff.
June 24th, 2010
10:44 am
Draft BIGS and sign AUTOGRAPHS!
June 24th, 2010
10:51 am
Hawk in the Ham,
You're right about the nay-sayers dude. Unless we're trying to clear cap space, why trade an a very good, almost all-star player for a lottery pick?
Call my glass half-empty, but none of these lottery guys are guaranteed to be good or great, they're just PROJECTED. I'd be in the garage looking a rope and a chair to kill myself if we trade Josh Smith for a pick that ends up like Shelden Williams or Kwame Brown. The grass isn't THAT green on the other side.
It's the same hype and every year about the lottery players
June 24th, 2010
10:53 am
Good stuff man, i agree whole-heartedly.
June 24th, 2010
10:57 am
I wonder if Sergiy Gladyr will be in a Hawks uniform this year. You gotta believe some of this depends on his summer league performances.
June 24th, 2010
10:57 am
ASTRO JOE-I don't think our DEF problems over the last 2yrs were a product of players forgetting to defend. I seriously doubt you can attribute our DEF lapses on absent mindedness when the HC insisted on playing a switching DEF that forced our PF's and C's to defend PG's and SG's on the perimeter and our PG's and SG's to defend C's and PF's under the basket.
Over the last 2yrs, the Hawks have been forced to draft in the mid to low 1st rd instead of near the top, like in the past. That's a good thing because that means our team and talent has reached the level where we don't have to rely on high 1st rd picks to improve. For the 1st time since Woodson was let go and BK was hired as our GM, we've actually heard the concept of PLAYER DEVELOPMENT mentioned. To have only 3 players remaining on the roster, after 6yrs of lottery and high 1st and 2nd rd picks, is an indictment of Woodsons sorry record of accomplishment as far as any attempt at player development is concerned. Money and usable talent simply wasted.
While I've also participated in fantasy speculation about acquiring certain players, I would be extremely satisfied if we just resigned JJ and got a reasonable Big like DJ MBenga, or even TChandler, if he's affordable.
Resigning JJ, bringing in a more athletic backup center with DEF skills, benching Bibby and starting Teague, and getting a backup vet PF, if possible, would be a major improvement for this team. We've already heard LDrew state he's going to address the problems we had with our sorry ISO, jump shooting dependent half court OFF, as well the DEF problems we had.
With Teague running the OFF, and LDrews emphasis on running and attacking the basket, we should be able to improve on last yrs 101.7PPG scoring average. And with his commitment to playing a traditional DEF, our DEF should be much improved, especially with Teague at the point.
I believe with LDrew at the helm, we can achieve major improvement with minimum additions. I'd certainly love to have my fantasy of JChildress back on the team. He'd improve the overall competition, versatility and stability of the team with his high basketball IQ, along with his does everything well master of none approach.
June 24th, 2010
11:04 am
Jojo, I would love to have Iguodala. But I will say teams would give us problems with Teague, Joe, and Iguodala. You always need at least 2 shooters it seems like. But Iguodala would be an improvement over Marvin that's for sure. I doubt Philly would take Marvin and Zaza along with 2011 2nd round pick for AI2. But it wouldn't hurt to try.
June 24th, 2010
11:08 am
JO JO-CMaggette has been traded to the Bucks, who acquired him to bring in a scorer in anticipation of losing JSalmons.
HAWK IN THE HAM-I know Cousins is your HOME BOY and all, but he's very immature and far too much of a risk for us to give up a 1st rd draft pick AND player like JSmith, who has even more potential and a higher upside than Cousins.
June 24th, 2010
11:12 am
Great post at 10:09
June 24th, 2010
11:13 am
Fine, fine, fine. Draft Whiteside and introduce him to Barry Bond's trainer.
June 24th, 2010
11:13 am
Omar Samham is on no one's mock drafts.
not very good.
If Siler was / is a player, he'd be in the league……now.
as you can see. he is not…..in the league …..now.
Cousins is plenty big enough !
It's his other problems that are his problems:
*Weight management *attitude *overall conditioning
*Artest like anger *coachability *dedication & desire
Mary Ellen:
great quote – " Draft TALENT and Sign NEEDS! "
My philosophy / attitude is collect:
" basketball players "
I know that sounds simplistic, but sometimes
after all the testing & measuring is complete,
now, I want to know only two things.
Is he a " B-ball player " & will he *compete.
*[warrior mentality / e g, Rodman]
June 24th, 2010
11:16 am
Ken…I know Maggette was traded. I wrote the comment in past tense. I had proposed Bibby & Evans for Maggette before the Bucks deal….I also think your offseason plan is very likely, but I'm afraid it will generate very little excitement around a team that has a pretty bad taste in its mouth after a second round beat down. Going in to this offseason, my thinking was either a "big splash" coaching change (didn't happen) or a significant trade was needed to inject some excitement in to the fan base.
June 24th, 2010
11:18 am
Hawk n the Ham:
Or – D.Howard & or LbJ's trainer = same thing.
June 24th, 2010
11:19 am
According to (the good doctor) drmaryb, CP3 career is unofficially done!
"He now has the knee of an 80 year old man."
The question now becomes: Do we need to revises the old argument as to who was the best pick between CP3 and Marvin Williams? If we had picked CP3 in that draft, we now would be face with the Hornets problem. In contract, Marvin career is still on the rise.
I just received a txt message from BK. He is demanding for all of his critics to apologize to him especially Rod.
June 24th, 2010
11:20 am
How about Reggie Watson or Eric Hightower?
June 24th, 2010
11:22 am
ramon that means managing your assets. now speaking of drafts and why we went poor man's route down to 13 wins to get high draft picks, where is chills and the rest of them?
June 24th, 2010
11:32 am
I know onw thing no matter what we could always use seven footers to foul and defend D. Howard. He will be around a long time. Howard is the sole reason we didn;t play for a ship this year!! I don't care if the seven footer has never even shot a basketball!!!!
June 24th, 2010
11:36 am
@ Falcon, D. Howard didn't beat us this season. Those four wide open shooters around the perimeter are what beat us, not Howard. You have no need to double Howard at all. If Howard scores 55 points, and every one else only shoots 37%, guess what, chances are you'll win that game, not Orlando.
June 24th, 2010
11:43 am
With work ethic and attitude problems, Daniel Orton is sure to be at the top of the Hawks "must have" list. If that's the scouting report on him, he's ready to step into the Hawks system and contribute right away.
June 24th, 2010
11:48 am
The Truth, said "Marvin's career is on the rise". I'll remember that. lol!
June 24th, 2010
11:59 am
The Truth ,
I still say CP3, unreservedly.
Besides, can we really assume CP3 would have incurred the same injury here as he did there . My crystal ball doesn't work….
He wasn't the only guy we could have taken instead of Marvin. But let's not get into that yet again
June 24th, 2010
12:04 pm
June 24th, 2010
9:00 am
Doc, Horfod and Josh is a better combination than Jefferson and Horford. Jefferson doesn't play on the defensive end. ….
June 24th, 2010
12:05 pm
Prognostication for tonight.
What the Hawks will do @ 24 [in order] of probability:::
(1) will sell our pick.
(2) will give away our pick – just kidding (sorta)
(3) will trade our pick:::
*for future considerations [or] *extra picks 2nd round
*(not a bad idea)*
(4) will pass when our turn comes – just kidding again
(5) DRUM ROLL PLEASE…*Derrick Caracter*
Not my 1st choice but not a bad choice.
I was trying to think like Pendercrap.
I think, if it were me picking I would choose;
Greivis Vasquez
or trade back with Washington if possible for 30 & 35.
Then I would cross my fingers & hope for Vasquez & Pleiss
to both still be there @ 30 & 35.
Now watch us draft Alexey Shved & stash him in Europe for 17 yrs.
June 24th, 2010
12:05 pm
I like Seraphin from France. If he is like Nene..he would be a help andn gives us a replacement for JSmith if he doesnt take to the new coaching and it puts us in position, if he is really good to trade either JSmith or Horford if needed for some additional pieces…But if not I say take the guy from Marshall or the C from FSU…
June 24th, 2010
12:15 pm
Thanks for the shout -out! But, that was taken from Ramon's Fantastic Post
T@ 1009 AM. Ramon, woke up like – "Man on Fire!" (starring Denzel Washington)
And, he said, "Draft Talent and Sign Needs!"
Amen, Brother! Nuff Said.
Hey G-Daddy, how art thou – sweetie?
June 24th, 2010
12:20 pm
I don't understand the people who keep thinking we are going to get a starting center in this draft. The only way we get somebody at the starting spot is if we trade up about 20 freakin' picks, which ain't gonna happen.
For those who repeatedly ignore two facts:
1) Defense starts at the perimeter. If our guards don't defend the opposing guards, then it won't matter who is playing center. He'll be overwhelmed an in foul trouble every game. Why? Because good penetrating guards know how to draw the post defender and either score, draw the foul, score AND draw the foul, or dump the ball off to the guy the post defender just left to come and stop the penetrating guard (or pass to an open shooter). It's what Orlando did to us and many others.
2) The switch defense that we employed frequently put Josh Smith and Al Horford on the wing, at the top of the key, and on smaller/quicker players frequently. Hard to defend the rim if you're constantly leaving the paint area.
The best, most reasonable way to get a traditional center is through free agency or trade. Horford is still on his rookie contract, meaning there is practically no one anywhere near his worth that we could get, that would make us that much better if we traded him. The best thing to do in my opinion is to get a guy who can play against the bigger centers as needed, and come off the bench. If you trade Horford, you have to be getting a guy who is a bonafide starting center for the next 5-10 years, and he can't be a guy that produces less than what Horford has. I'm talking somebody who can get you a double double every night and hang against any center in the league. Only one I can think of around the same age bracket, same price, etc is Memphis Grizzlies center Marc Gasol.
Otherwise, you're trading Josh. Because we can't keep both (you don't put either Al or Josh on the bench, they are starters) and neither is a 3.
The centers in the draft who we can get to at #24? If you're lucky, they're really hard workers and good learners, and they get good instruction…they might be rotational players or even starting material in a few years. At which point, you are competing with probably an entirely different team than we are now. What they won't be is starters next season.
All the same, if going that route (center), I'd take fliers on the guys who drop if they showed good attitude and work ethic in workouts. Otherwise, give me a pivot man in free agency/trade, and don't trade away a rising all-star for a second tier guy who has never won anything as a starting center….
June 24th, 2010
12:29 pm
Big Ray
June 24th, 2010
12:20 pm
I don't understand the people who keep thinking we are going to get a starting center in this draft. The only way we get somebody at the starting spot is if we trade up about 20 freakin' picks, which ain't gonna happen.
For those who repeatedly ignore two facts:
1) Defense starts at the perimeter. If our guards don't defend the opposing guards, then it won't matter who is playing center. He'll be overwhelmed an in foul trouble every game. Why? Because good penetrating guards know how to draw the post defender and either score, draw the foul, score AND draw the foul, or dump the ball off to the guy the post defender just left to come and stop the penetrating guard (or pass to an open shooter). It's what Orlando did to us and many others.
June 24th, 2010
12:31 pm
Big Ray
My crystal ball malfunctioned on this topic as well. My sarcasm does raise an interesting point about a player's durability factor during his career. Perhaps in hind sight comparing players too early in their career could be prematurely unfair. At the end of today, it is really about return on investment that makes the difference. With respect Marvin, the verdict is still out on him; he could be the bust that some perceive or maybe not, we shall see.
June 24th, 2010
12:33 pm
The WORM Turns!
Dennis Rodman is a perfect example of a wiry and sneaky strong rebounder.
He was never drafted by an NBA team, but, Dennis crashed the party anyway!
He is one guy who played with a huge chip on his shoulder and always left it all out there
and on the court!
As, Dennis often slung his jersey into the crowds in his post game tunnel walk.
Here's my point: while size is important, you can also play small (see Warrick Dunn),
and make that work against the big, slow, mechanical center. Attack the glass and
move your feet, just like Astro Joe said, earlier!
In that case, I like Varanado a lot! He could be the next Dennis Rodman?
Quick and Elusive?
June 24th, 2010
12:37 pm
(Sharper Image)
Yeah, I would still be intrigued, to take a stab at CP3 too! He's just so special, that
You don't want to believe he can't be a super-hero and eat speeding bullets. Or,
create some miracle – like get a bionic-knee (see Lee Majors)
June 24th, 2010
12:38 pm
Ramon, Jo-Jo
Is AI2 a SF or a SG though? He has played both positions, but I really don't know what is his best position.
If the Hawks take the best player available, and he is a SG, then that would also allow them to trade Crawford (if JJ resigns), or trade Evans expiring contract if we lose JJ.
However, the problem with filling your needs through FA, as AJ pointed out, is the Hawks have not done a good job of that. They haven't spent the money (MLE and bi-annual) necessary. Think of how much better the Hawks would have been if they spent the mid-level last year? Think about the FAs they have signed over the last few years. Speedy, Mo Evans, Flip, Joe Smith, Jason Collins and the list goes on.
And for those who like Kevin Seraphin, the rumor is he has a $750K buyout with his club. I think that eliminates the Hawks, because I dont see them paying up most of it.
June 24th, 2010
12:47 pm
Hey, they did save some money one "The Drew – Project".
Maybe, we fans can all chip in a few bucks and cover the 750K buy out – "little thingy"?
June 24th, 2010
12:51 pm
Dont REACH for a big. Draft the BPA at 24. Period! Just watched teams reach for Lafrenz, and Olawakandi on NBA TV Classic Draft, instead of taking Carter, Jamison, Pierce, Dirk, etc… And just last night I watched Vitaly Potapenko, Dampier, Todd Fuller, Samaki Walker, and Lorenzen freakin Wright get picked before Kobe. Yikes! Go get an established big in FA, or trade.
June 24th, 2010
12:53 pm
Is 'SO JOE stayin' on July 8? If not, who's on the roster to fill the slot? A lot of great #3's in this draft. How about JOE SMITH and RAND MO? Or is R-MO gone already? I really like BIG RAY's and HoopsHype's pick of LARRY SANDERS, but I'm not sure the #4 position is where the HAWKS most need a player. And why didn't the WOODEN-one shake out TEAGUE this past season to see what he had? BIBBY's a role player now – at best, IMHO of course. Shouldn't they have been developing JEFF to take over this season?
Thanx for the props for my grandson. He's SO's too much and only hitting .333 in Legion ball. Sending him to a St. Louis Cardinals batting instructor to tidy up his swing a bit. He's a great student too, 3.50 this year and does community activities as well. Just a great kid if I do say so myself.
June 24th, 2010
12:53 pm
Just watched teams TAKE Lafrenz and Olawakandi, not REACH. Those players werent exactly reaches but still.
June 24th, 2010
12:56 pm
BP Needs our Help!
Hey, maybe we can BP and help them out a little.
Hell, the Hawks, we've been leaking oil for decades … and, no one has ever sued us?
Perhaps, we can serve in an Advisory Role. And, teach BP – How they can do IT too:
"How to make money, lose money, sue your partner, win, lose, piss every body off and still feel good about yourself – in the morning!"
-By The ASG- "Team Spirit"
June 24th, 2010
1:01 pm
The Truth
Yeah, I hear you. I think the most realistic expectation or hope we can have for Marvin is that he becomes a solid role player for us. He isn't, wasn't, and never will be a superstar, of that I'm certain. Not even a star, in fact. It is what it is. I've always said that where a guy is drafted reflects first and foremost on the person who picked him. I'm fine with solid and steady role player. But right now, he's not even that. Ugh…
In the meantime, this is going to be one interesting draft. I wonder which guys will drop to our pick, that we don't anticipate being available by then? You KNOW it's bound to happen…
June 24th, 2010
1:02 pm
So i guess the question is, who is the best player available at 24?
June 24th, 2010
1:03 pm
Too funny…
I don't see us doing a buyout either. Not this ownership group…
June 24th, 2010
1:04 pm
I just hope no one wants to buy the pick, cause we all know the ASG will sell the sleeves off of their shirts if they could.
June 24th, 2010
1:05 pm
O'Brien, you're right. But also think about how much the Hawks would be if they draft the best available player no matter the position he plays next season. Rather its pg, sg, sf, pf, or c, the player would have an opportunity to compete next season. The great part about a new coach is new coaches means new competition for starting roster spots, and back up roles. And although the Hawks haven't been able to sign anyone out of failure to use MLE. There's a better guarantee of getting someone who can contribute THIS season with the veteran's minimum than it is with using the #24 pick to draft a front court player. If there's a starting C in the draft, he will be gone in the top ten picks. Remember Bynum was selected with the #10 pick, and even he didn't start the next season. There are only 4 centers in the league who are productive. So that mean 27 other teams are looking for Centers. I'm not saying don't draft a c. I'm saying if the C isn't a better basketball player than a combo guard, then don't take him. Soloman, Morris, Marvin, and others were projects. We need players now not projects.
June 24th, 2010
1:09 pm
One more thing— With RICK SUND'S resume, do you really want HIM to be the one to draft a big? lol. This man couldn't draft a good big, if he went Back II The Future with Doc and Michael J. Fox.
June 24th, 2010
1:13 pm
Not sure if anyone past this link. Salmons anyone???
June 24th, 2010
1:15 pm
Big Ray, I'm going to say this and Rod is going to jump out of the bushes and rebuke me. But Marvin can still be a 19-23 ppg player. Marvin has all the skills in the world. I strongly believe in more of a motion offense, Marvin will find better rhythm to his game. We all know realistically, when Marvin shot gets going he doesn't miss. But as the case with Josh and Al, Marvin suffers from having a back court that doesn't know how to feed a hot hand. With Josh and Al, how many times did we see them score 3-4 baskets in a row, then Joe and Crawford would come down three straight trips and shoot terrible jumpers?
June 24th, 2010
1:17 pm
Big Ray
June 24th, 2010
12:20 pm
June 24th, 2010
1:18 pm
Ok, if you are bored and want another site besides hoopshype to read all the NBA gossip checkout the link below.
June 24th, 2010
1:19 pm
I beg to disagree on one of Sund's selections.
Robert Swift was becoming a very serviceable big until he blew is wheels off.
I am not talking all star stuff and he was improving and producing some good physical play in the post.
June 24th, 2010
1:20 pm
Sam Smith of the Chicago Tribune, in one of his chats:
If Bosh and Lebron are off the table it is clear the next feasible option is Joe Johnson. He would be a good fit for the Bulls in addition to filling our biggest hole on the team right now at SG. That being said, there are some things that concern me about paying Johnson max money. First of all, he has logged more regular season minutes than anyone in the NBA the past five seasons and is fast approaching his 29th birthday. It is clear that he has peaked individually as a player and his production will most likely start falling off in a year or two. If JJ is our best option I would reluctantly sign him to a max deal. But my concern is that the last two years of his deal you will be paying a 33-34 year old guy who has never been a superstar close to 20 mil. That might really put a strain on the books down the road, especially with Deng's contract unlikely to be offloaded. With Johnson we are a top 5 team and a championship contender but do you think it would be enough to get over the hump?
Michael Green
Sam: I think this is the biggest bind the Bulls face. As I've written many times, it could be 2000 all over again when the Bulls lost out on Tracy McGrady and Eddie Jones whole chasing fantasies like Tim Duncan and Grant Hill. I think LeBron is going to play it out for a week or more and Toronto isn't going to sign-and-trade Bosh to the East, at least not without getting a big man back. Everything I've heard all season is Johnson loves the Bulls and is close with Rose as they share agents. He'd play well with Rose as a player who could spread the court and fill an obvious need, shooting guard, and at 6-7 a good defender. Of course you, in a sense, overpay because there are more teams chasing free agents than free agents. Simple supply and demand. Remember when there was a housing shortage and what you paid? Yeah, the Bulls might have issues in three or four years. It happens. But you get to add an All Star and probably don't give up anyone as I can see him coming without a sign and trade. Then you still can make a move with someone like Hinrich and your pick or your future picks and add another player and you've got a high level starting group and a deep bench. I don't see anyone in the East any better given where Rose is headed. I agree you have to take a shot at LeBron now, but I want to find out right away if he's serious. He can come and have anything he wants, but I have to know within 24 to 48 hours or I'm moving on. If he doesn't know by then, you're just being used.
Scariest scenario. Losing Joe without getting anything back. And that's after blowing 2 first round picks and a talented player on him, and then drafting badly in '05 and '06.
It could happen.
June 24th, 2010
1:24 pm
Solman from fsu 1st pick and 2nd Deshun from west va.
Look 24th pick for the hawks in a crap shoot and the second round is a project d league player anyway so why not get a big. Heck we can't replace j.j. in with a 24th pick lets stop being the six foot nine guy who always get dominated in the paint and get some size please. If we get a player like deshun in the second round if he is 90% of the player he was in college we can finally move Williams to the bench (or out the league either or ).
June 24th, 2010
1:29 pm
Over – Trained
Too much of a Good thing – isn't always so Good!
Players like Chris Paul, have a lot of miles on that odometer after high school, college, March Madness Tournaments, personal training and practices.
By the time, the make it to the combines …there are a lot of "surface – street miles on those pivotal all essential knees. Young men have an incredibly long growth spurt. Improper weight lifting techniques and
aggressive muscle building can really stress the child's – still open growth plates, located in the spinalt tvertebrae and long bones. Which, has a direct impact on child height and joint integrity.
This is very important, for children to train only under professional supervision from a trained and certified
Athletic Trainer. These young players are destroying their bodies and their joints, especially if they are abusing, steroids, creatine, muscle milk (very very bad stuff), or HGH!
The NBA is a grown man's business! It is not nearly as easy to play this game as it may seem.
These players are really gifted. Dennis Rodman had the perfect NBA body. Core Strength for Real!
June 24th, 2010
1:32 pm
Larry Sanders is more a [5] than a [4].
Longer than any player on Hawks.
Pushin' 6-11 with shoes.
Huge hands / *shotblocker*
***Hatter will love him***
June 24th, 2010
1:33 pm
Vava ,
Thankyou sir! And I agree….Robert Swift was showing out rather well (better than Chris Kaman) before he became injured again. Kid had size, skill, athleticisim. It's a shame….
Yeah, let's see how long it takes Rod to get after you. I hear you on the backcourt hogging the ball.
But my issue with Marvin is more about how he uses his body, and his ball-handling. More on that in a minute.
Yes, he has skills, the guy can shoot and run, run, run like nobody's business. I see him more as a 13-16 ppg guy, though. a 19-23 ppg guy? Look at the skills Joe has, and see that he fits right in the middle of that curve at 21 ppg. He was featured heavily in our offense, and that's what we'd have to do with Marvin for him to score like that. He has to be option 1 or 2 to score like that. If Joe is around, that puts him as #2 option, ahead of Smith and Horford. Why hasn't this happened before? Was it Woody's fault? Does Joe have to leave for this to be possible?
Back to Marvin's ball-handling and use of his body. The kid can run and jump, and has terrific length (7′3″ wingspan). But he is hesitant to try and take anybody off the dribble, preferring to pass. Rarely will he even try to take the ball up the court, and if he's any further out than about 18-20 feet, he's passing the ball more than he's likely to shoot. He doesn't get a great deal of separation on his jumpers unless he is in a catch-and-shoot situation. If he gets the ball and has to create his own shot, it can be a problem most days. He takes awful angles to the basket, especially along the baseline, making it hard for him to finish or draw the foul. When he gets to the basket, he gets blocked too often, or stripped. Or, he gets fouled with no chance of an and-one. Ever see him dunk on anybody?
I believe he can get in rhythm in a transition game. But he doesn't get to the line enough to be more than a 13-14 ppg scorer. He doesn't get to the line enough because he doesn't get fouled enough. He doesn't get fouled enough because he doesn't get the ball enough. He doesn't get the ball enough because he doesn't finish well enough, and isn't aggressive enough.
Aggression would change plenty, and force him to use his body better. But if he remains more finesse than anything else, SOMEBODY has GOT to teach him to get to the basket better than he does, and/or create better jumpshooting opportunities. Joe and Jamal know how to create space for themselves so they can get a jumper off. Marvin can't, so he'll never score that much until he either does that or learns how to be an effective threat driving to the rim.
Teague has the same issue on his jumper. Not creating enough space to get it off.
That's just how I see it, though.
June 24th, 2010
1:33 pm
Swift, Petro, Sene, Collison, Radmonovich. Enough said. lol!
June 24th, 2010
1:35 pm
Portland does not have a strong starting small forward, but they do have 3 centers. The Hawks should offer M. Williams, M. Evans, and their 2nd round pick for Pryzilla ( same money) and Portland's 2nd round pick. Pryzilla is expected to make a full recovery and with Evans expiring contract. This should be an attractive trade option for both teams. This trade gives the Hawks a legit center. Another option is if Lebron goes to the Clippers. S & T JJ for Kaman and a draft pick. The Hawks will have to take a garbage player to make the money work, but they can jettions the player for cash or a draft pick. Just a thought! Or, let JJ go and sign both J Chill(14-15 mil) and Flip(2-3 mil) to 3 year deals. Give L. Drew a chance to win.
Go Hawks!
June 24th, 2010
1:36 pm
Consider this a strong tip: JOE IS GONE!! Build this team around our Big 3, Crawford, Al and Josh. We now need a new 6th man. Give Salmon a call. Where is Stackhouse? Does Flip have any gas left? Help Wanted: Hawks need movers and shaker
Persistent whispers continue that Hawks All-Star guard Joe Johnson wants to commit to the Bulls early
June 24th, 2010
1:41 pm
I read earlier " Joe is gone " to Chicago.
We can hope for S&T:
We can pray for Noah.
We will end up with Hinrich.
All in all / not worst case.
KH backs up Teaguer & Jamal.
We do not have to draft to replace Joe !
We MUST draft:::
1st a basketball player, who will compete,
if he's a BIG then = icing !
Mary Ellen…..Top o' the mornin', Darlin'
June 24th, 2010
1:41 pm
MC, I read all the great quotes from some very respected guys on the blog…however I if had to make that pick I would take Solomon Alabi if he is there at 24…I think he would be a safe pick. I seen him in some big games, and I seen him play against Favors and Lawal, and he more than held his own in those games.
I agree the Kid is a project…but he has tremendous upside…I just believe at 24th…you can make that pick. The thing that impressed me was the kid played with heart…that something you can't teach.
Will he be one of those dominate Bigs that makes a huge impact immediately probably not…however I think he can come in and provide some shot blocking, and rebounding…which is a great fit for the Hawks at 24th.
June 24th, 2010
1:44 pm
*It was still AM in TN when I started typin'.
June 24th, 2010
1:44 pm
A Monicker!
Hey, how about a title for the new HC: we should take a Poll Vote on three nominated names:
A. "The Larry Drew Show" or. "The Larry Drew Project"
Hey, I know that's fowl, but, even the Rookie John Wall has his own dance – already!
June 24th, 2010
1:45 pm
Big Ray, I understand what you're saying. But I don't see even John Salmons having more skill set than Marvin, yet he's able to do what he does later in his career. I just see too much there in his skills to give up that easily on him. Remember he's only played under one NBA coach his entire career. You realize if you take 14 shots a game and shoot 50% that's already 15-16 ppg without free throw attempts added in. When Marvin is allowed to be the alpha dog, I honestly believe he will deliver. I remember last season, when Marvin went off and scored like 12-15 in the 2nd half because people were talking noise to him. The kid does have fight. I do think though, it would benefit him to lose 10-15 lbs. If he could get a little more speed (while gaining strength), he'll be just fine.
June 24th, 2010
1:49 pm
The Truth:::::
It appears we read the same thing !
If so…..bye, bye.
I don't have one problem building around J & A.
Now that we have a real coach.
Also I'm not one who wants to see Jamal leave soon.
Let him stick around & create chemistry with J & A + Teaguer.
June 24th, 2010
1:55 pm
Can someone post the story Ric Bucher did on the hawks, raptors, and suns?
June 24th, 2010
1:57 pm
The Truth:::::
I've never been one to beg.
If someone doesn't want to be on your team
you're better off w/o them.
Send Joe off with class & a smile.
He did alot for our franchise.
lets move forward with hope, energy, & *competitive spirit*.
*per John Wooden RIP
June 24th, 2010
1:59 pm
"In contract, Marvin career is still on the rise."
Is it?
June 24th, 2010
2:02 pm
Pat Riley is trying to buy out Jones, and trade Beasley. He's really trying to bring TWO superstars to play with Wade. Wow!
June 24th, 2010
2:04 pm
Mary Ellen:::
If we draft Larry Sanders:
it can be " The Larry Sanders Show " starring " Larry Drew "
* most of these young-uns don't even remember 'Garry Shandling'.
June 24th, 2010
2:04 pm
You have some entertaining blogs. Lol.
I think CP3 will be ok once he returns.
June 24th, 2010
2:05 pm
Ever noticed when someone is talking about Marvin, it always starts with "if"?
'If' Marvin does…….
'If' Marvin will…….
'If' Marvin finally….
June 24th, 2010
2:05 pm
It appears that lightning has struck twice. We both got the same reaction to the article. That must tell us something. Like a terminally ill patient, I've seen this event coming so I'm not shocked to read this; it's time to move on. The Hawks maybe better off in the long run with a new coach, more ball movement and less ISO hog ball.
June 24th, 2010
2:09 pm
Someone tell me if I'm wrong, but couldn't the Hawks trade Marvin to Golden State for the trade exception that they have? And wouldn't that create a significant amount of cap space for the Hawks?
June 24th, 2010
2:10 pm
Beasley is a lazy pot-head, bust!
I read that link re: Chicago, LBJ and Joe teaming up. Interesting read, however not definitive.
Joe may seek a deal to re-negotiate with Atlanta!
However, it would be hard for anyone ( not named Delonte West ), to pass on playing with LBJ and Dereck Rose and Noah! Wow! Now, that's a team!
June 24th, 2010
2:11 pm
"When Marvin is allowed to be the alpha dog, I honestly believe he will deliver."
That's true of a lot of players though. I'd guess that 75-80% of the league could give you 20 points per game if they were the alpha dog, and that includes Marvin. But most of those players can't win titles, or even get to the playoffs for that matter, as the number one option on their team. To be the number one option, you have to score efficiently AND do other things well. Marvin hasn't shown that he can do ANYTHING particularly well in his five years in the league, and with more minutes and a bigger role there's nothing in his resume to suggest that he won't just get stripped on his drives and fall down more often.
Yes, it is possible he gets better with more confidence and a bigger role, and I'm not discounting the fact that he is young and has room to improve. But after five years in the league, you can usually tell what a player is and isn't. Josh Smith, for example, can improve his jump shooting and right-hand dribble, but we know at this point that neither will ever be a great strength. Marvin can improve as a scorer, but the jump he has to make to go from his current level of inconsistency to be an alpha dog on a good team is just too great to expect of someone after five years in the league. Marvin's best bet, as I've been saying for a while, is to reinvent himself as a Shane Battier-style role player.
June 24th, 2010
2:13 pm
Let no emotion joe go! Salmons would b a great trade for jj.If jj wants to leave let him go!He is the one that let the team down this season.Isn't it amazing Sund is shipping all the hawks problems out the door and got good replacements for each one of those loosers.
June 24th, 2010
2:15 pm
Najeh, Marvin has more offensive ability than Shane Battier. And I didn't say that I see him doing that on THIS team. But I am one who believes that Marvin isn't a bust, and thinks his best days are ahead of him.
June 24th, 2010
2:19 pm
You know what would b funny. If Marvins game playing abilities wake up next season and he becomes our Joe Johnson. JJ kick rocks son if you can find a better home. Outy 5000 Gee!
June 24th, 2010
2:20 pm
Baron Davis anyone?
June 24th, 2010
2:20 pm
I don't see Rose, Joe, and Noah leading Chicago to the Conference Finals. I don't know why but I just don't see that. I see them being a good team. But I don't even see them being better than the team we just had.
June 24th, 2010
2:23 pm
My two cent Marvin prescription: Marvin just needs more structure which is what Coach Drew is offering. Did you notice how offensively lost Marvin looked under Woody's ISO System? He was trained under Dean Smith ball movement system which was the opposite of Woody. So for better or worst, with a new coach and new system, this will be the year when Marvin can be better evaluated
June 24th, 2010
2:24 pm
Gee Mack
I sure hope CP3 comes back too. He is very very nice. A Good Guy – who is one of the Faces of the NBA.
I like to entertain, as you eluded to, but I am very concerned about Paul's injury for his sake and his future.
Players like Kobe who come in at 18 years old, have a propensity for knee issues around age 30.
Look at how fast Jermaine Oneal declined, as did Jamal Mashburn anf JKidd is still balling today from that
"The Three J's". Drafted Group of players. Hey, whatever happened to the third "J"?
Didn't he play for the Hawks? And wasn't he (?) And Jason Kidd fighting over that Super-Model and had to be separated and traded?
Anyway, I hope the best for CP3! But, can't afford to buy damaged goods – we ain't got no "House – Money"
June 24th, 2010
2:29 pm
"And as I said Jefferson and Horford would be atrocious on defense."
29 out of 30 of the NBA head coaches agreed that Al Horford was so bad that they could not vote for him on the NBA All Defense Team on any squad. The 1 who did vote for Al horrible voted for him to be on the second team.
Defensively Al was not among the first 32 players in the block shot category and was number 18 among centers.
Most of the hawks opponent's coaches ran plays to isolate Al under the basket with the likes of Tony Parker or Nate Robinson recognizing how weak Horford is on Defense.
His sole claim to defense is that he picks up garbage rebounds when Josh blocks as shot or some one else plays the defense that causes the rebound.
Al Horford is one of the weakest defending centers in the NBA. Jefferson is not known for defense either, so if you put both of them under the rack…. expect an avalanche at the racik!
June 24th, 2010
2:29 pm
@ Drmaryb, the third J got his layup pinned to the background by MJ in a Wizards uniform, and ran into the tunnel, to never again come out lol.
June 24th, 2010
2:29 pm
Joe is smoking dope if he thinks going to the Bulls will b his ticket to the Finals! JJ even looks out of place when he plays for the East All Stars. JJ stop fooling yourself u r not an elite nba player. If you were a three peice snack at Churchs chicken. Homeboy you won't b the chicken you would be a soggy roll or some mash potatoes or a corn on the cob! Wake up jj you ain't nothing but a side order cuz!
June 24th, 2010
2:35 pm
Take away all 6 of Jordan championships in Chicago and you know what you got Joe Johnson……………The Atlanta Hawks!
June 24th, 2010
2:35 pm
That same article said that Jalen Rosean said, " word on the street is that LBJ is definitely NOT
going back to Cleveland and is looking to possibly goto Chicago as is Joe.
That changes everything!!
June 24th, 2010
2:43 pm
Joe is smoking dope if he thinks going to the Bulls will b his ticket to the Finals!
One things for sure…..the hawks aint!
When we cut woodson we cut Joe also. Joe was Woodsons Boy.
June 24th, 2010
2:45 pm
drmaryb- JJ game deminishes big time when he is not the main guy. His game would drop off dramaticly if he plays with Le Boo Boo. Do you think jj would humble himself down if he has to reduce his role to a role player. Once you have had the taste of being the main meal on a team its hard to reduce your role as a role player (aka side piece) Le Boo Boo is the three peice snack and jj would b mash potatoes.
June 24th, 2010
2:46 pm
Actually Joe was ready to sign about the same time Woodson was suppose to get an extension but Sund told Woodson to wait til after the season, everyone read between the lines including joe who said never mind Ill wait till im a free agent and then well do this the right way.
June 24th, 2010
2:48 pm
Actually LBJ likes it when he doesnt have to do every thing. He will have not problem sharing the ball with JJ.
I dont hate JJ for making a decision to pursue "real" basketball while the hawks have decided they would like to rebuild again.
June 24th, 2010
2:49 pm
So…… Larry Drew is everybodies Main Man even Joe's.
June 24th, 2010
2:50 pm
In fact I think the hawks like rebuilding more that pursuing championships. Is there a trophy for rebuilding?
June 24th, 2010
2:51 pm
Enter your comments here
June 24th, 2010
2:52 pm
Le Boo Boo has not had that feeling yet and won't get it in jj.
June 24th, 2010
2:52 pm
Jj is set for life financially. He wants to win some Rings now! He's probably thinking,
The ASG still in court, refuses to spend money on real players to help the team win!
5 years and still no penetrating PG nor Big Center. If Not now? When?
June 24th, 2010
2:58 pm
Cut ties with jj as soon as you know for sure what he is going to do sund and be ready to bring in Salmons and see if you can get Baron Davis. Now that would be a tough gritty squad that would bring it n the playoffs!
June 24th, 2010
3:13 pm
Note to JJ: Do you want to continue to be an NBA All-Star or do you want to become a Delonte West? Think about it man do you want to be nba silver because your not platnum or gold yet,…. or would u like to Le Boo Boo's drawls sniffer? Think buddy before you make your move.
June 24th, 2010
3:19 pm
Joe is a complicated person whose motivation is not to win, it is to be "the man". That is why he left Phoenix. I hope he stays but he is definitely not worth the max.
Come on Hawks, it has been years, you still need help at the center and guard position. Actually, you even need help in the forward position even though you have drafted Childress, Josh, Sheldon, Marvin, Al and Soloman.
June 24th, 2010
3:26 pm
If you have ESPN insider…can you post this article…..It talks about the Hawks offseason http://insider.espn.go.com/nba/insider/news/story?id=5322416&action=login&appRedirect=http%3a%2f%2finsider.espn.go.com%2fnba%2finsider%2fnews%2fstory%3fid%3d5322416
June 24th, 2010
3:27 pm
Sheldon disappointed me big-time in the finals. Sheldon you could at least have been a Goon when you got in the game. When Kobe tried to run in for a layup you should have pinched his adams apple or something. Please ATL don't draft another Sheldon Williams!
June 24th, 2010
3:28 pm
I understand that Salmons isn't quite the player that JJ is, and I wish JJ would stay as much as the next Hawks fan.
But if the most important positions on the court are the 1 and the 5, then why are we trying to build around a 2???????
Unless your 2 is top-tier superstar (MJ, Wade, Kobe, etc.), building around the 2 is probably not the way to go. Teams try it often, and fail just as frequently.
June 24th, 2010
3:29 pm
Rondo, Sheldon couldn't have done that because Kobe's boss is Sheldon's wife's boss.
June 24th, 2010
3:29 pm
If JJ ends up going to the Bulls…Great!!!…at least we will get a chance to play against him. It was already 50 50…whether JJ would return. After the dubious article about the LD hiring and ASG's financial woes…if your JJ…does that impact your decision…Heck yeah it do…so don't get carried away ripping the man apart.
That's the problem with having a FRUGAL BUSINESS APPROACH…you not are going to attract or retain the marquee talent.
However, JJ is begging right now…he can't eat to the BIG DOGS EAT. But if he ends up in Chi Town…fine…it will make a good rivalry.
I have hear it said that the Hawks become a lottery team…if JJ walks…not necessarily…make be in the WC…However in the EC…we all know you can have a sub 500 record, and still contend for a playoff spot.
I certainly expect the Hawks record to be better than that. I LET HIM GO…IF WANTS GO…I WISH THE BEST!!!
June 24th, 2010
3:31 pm
Cousins on HoopsHype
ROF. LOL. Cousins must be reading our blog. Yesterday, I posted about all the Cousins that come
out of the wood-works, when you are holding the winning lottery ticket.
Cousins said the hardest part about the whole Draft process is, "All the unheard
of Cousins that call for rooms, money and jobs! One guy called and said, he was
Brother from my Father's side of the family?"
ROF! LOL! The last thing we need is a Lazy Cousin with a whole lot of other Lazy Cousins!
Naw! We'll pass on that drama!
If Joe Leaves, we re-tool, call it addition by subtraction and build around the remaining core guys.
Share the ball and play as a unit. The way, Boston did. No one guy has to score 20 & 10 to Win
June 24th, 2010
3:33 pm
She would have gotten over it by now Ramon shes probably a Kobe-Hater too
June 24th, 2010
3:33 pm
I hope we stay away from Orton. If a guy cant get in shape for the biggest moment of his life then I don't want him. If a guy isn't motivated to get in shape to make millions I doubt he will be motivated to become a better player.. We made that mistake once in drafting a guy who was out of shape during his workout. He never seems motivated. I don't want two unmotivated guys on the team one is enough.
I was a fan of Seraphin but I didn't know about the buyout. If that's the case I doubt the Hawks draft him. He looks like he could be a steal. Might end up being this years version of the pg Dallas got last year.
Well I will scratch Seraphin off the list and hope a guy like James Anderson falls. There will be some guys that drop. It happens every year. Guys like Blair, Sam Young, and Budinger were all available in the second. Jrue even slipped in the draft. He was projected to go in the top 10 at one point. I wouldn't be shocked if a guy we didn't think would be there at 24 ends up being available.
June 24th, 2010
3:47 pm
"29 out of 30 of the NBA head coaches agreed that Al Horford was so bad that they could not vote for him on the NBA All Defense Team on any squad. The 1 who did vote for Al horrible voted for him to be on the second team."
Those same coaches thought enough of Horford to vote him to the all-star game as a reserve.
Only two centers in the entire league made the NBA all-defensive team. Dwight Howard and Tim Duncan.
So not getting voted to the NBA all defensive team means what? Brook Lopez didn't make it. Neither did Tyson Chandler, Brendan Haywood, Shaquille O'Neal, Emeka Okafor, and anybody else not named Tim Duncan or Dwight Howard .
Being 18 amongst centers in blocked shots means what? It's a single stat. If shot blocking was all there is to defending, then surely all of those guys should have been better centers, and therefore played more minutes. Surely Al would be 18th most productive among NBA centers. Instead, he gets voted to the all-star team despite being undersized. Facts are facts…
Most of the hawks opponent's coaches ran plays to isolate Al under the basket with the likes of Tony Parker or Nate Robinson recognizing how weak Horford is on Defense.
Actually, they were just taking advantage of the flaws in Woody's switch defense. No center is quick enough to contain a quick pg on the perimeter. So, opposing coaches either used their quick guards to blow by the slow footed Mike Bibby, or Jamal Crawford. Woodson's reaction to that was to make up for their defensive deficiencies by employing the switch defense. Opposing coaches reacted by running a play that would cause Horford or Smith to get switched on to defending the quick guard, who would beat them to the basket. Easy money, and it had more to do with a lack of perimeter defense than anything else (and a flawed coaching concept).
Often times, teams would draw Horford and Smith away from the basket so they couldn't defend the paint. Milwaukee did it to us for five games in the playoffs before Woody finally started letting his guys play man to man a little more. It worked. Too bad it took five games to do so.
His sole claim to defense is that he picks up garbage rebounds when Josh blocks as shot or some one else plays the defense that causes the rebound.
Last I looked, a blocked shot does not result in a rebound. It results in a loose ball, which either team can take possession of. A rebound is the result of a missed shot, whether the shot was defended or not. So what you're saying here makes me think your "Knowledge Quest" isn't meeting with much success….
June 24th, 2010
3:50 pm
"I dont hate JJ for making a decision to pursue "real" basketball while the hawks have decided they would like to rebuild again"
So was JJ pursuing real basketball when he left a Western Conference Finals team in Phoenix and came to a team (the Hawks) that was rebuilding?
Oh, and if he was tired of playing here and not playing "real basketball", then you're gonna have a hard time justifying your love affair with Woody…'cause Woody was the one coaching this "not real basketball" team the entire time Joe was here.
What a comedy of errors….
June 24th, 2010
3:52 pm
June 24th, 2010
3:53 pm
Big Ray- Great Post you are well informed and have a great knowledge of the game. Just one thing buddy…Enough with smiling faces please, makes you look soft and doughy….We going to have to drop the Big from your name and just call you Ray.
June 24th, 2010
3:54 pm
I tend to agree with that, but at the same time….
Well, does he have skills that help us more than say, a guy like Randolph Morris? And here's another tough guy who came into the league out of shape and seemingly unmotivated: Paul Milsap. Don't get me wrong, I'm not too hot on a prospect that is raw, and has question marks about his conditioning and work ethic. I just know that we don't know the whole truth on him. Not even part of it, actually. Just what we read. Still….
As for Seraphin, I agree. Hawks ain't gonna go for that buyout. That buyout is nearly as much as they paid RandMo per year, LOL.
June 24th, 2010
3:57 pm
Rondo ,
LOL. Those are laughing faces, not smiley faces. I look soft and doughy? On a blog? I have to admit, I laughed at that. And then thought about hitting the weights in my garage for the second time today…. I'm cool with Ray and several variations thereof. Truth Serum likes to call me Big Gay. That makes me wonder about him…keep that ish in the closet, dude. I aint' down wit dat.
June 24th, 2010
3:57 pm
Quit all that hollering c-dog you making my ears hurt.
June 24th, 2010
3:58 pm
I wonder where Hassan "flip flops" Whiteside will end up. If the guy looks like another Hasheem Thabeet, then hello D-League…
June 24th, 2010
3:59 pm
"Quit all that hollering c-dog you making my ears hurt."
Oops, I meant LOL…
June 24th, 2010
3:59 pm
Catch y'all a bit later. Time to fire up the grill and get the brews outta da 'fridge.
June 24th, 2010
4:01 pm
Wait, one more. Did anyobody else see this?
June 24th, 2010
4:01 pm
Ray comes out, guns a-blazing lol.. Verbal pun-ishment *smh*
I think Horford plays the center very well. It's his expressed desire to move to PF that concerns me. Is that desire enough for another team with an established center and an open power forward position to entice Horford to make a move if he makes it to free agency? Idk, but if he has come out and said 2 or 3 times that he'd like to play his natural position, then it very well could be a deciding factor in his future location.
Or am I making too much of it?
June 24th, 2010
4:03 pm
Washington is preparing to offer a contract to Josh Childress.
June 24th, 2010
4:08 pm
Washington reportedly offering Chills 3 years, 18 mil.. If Joe's gone (and hopefully the front office will be able to assess this before July 8), the Hawks will likely match.
June 24th, 2010
4:13 pm
Its a shame how agents use other agents for their client to get the deal he wants, but i guess thats how the game goes. Let chills go ATL and call his bluff don't match his deal.Outty 5000 Geeee!
June 24th, 2010
4:14 pm
I don't know that Chills accepts that deal, especially early in the offseason. That's MLE money. Any team can at least offer that much. Maybe he will and Hawks can match though. That's a contract right in line with his value.
June 24th, 2010
4:16 pm
I really hope someone else signs Chills to an offer sheet the Hawks can't match. Hopefully the Hawks will move forward and build a championship contending team.
June 24th, 2010
4:16 pm
Anybody ELSE see the conflict between these two statements by the same poster?
First: "Most of the hawks opponent's coaches ran plays to isolate Al under the basket with the likes of Tony Parker or Nate Robinson recognizing how weak Horford is on Defense."
and THEN this:
So the DPOY couldn't stop a point guard, but somehow Al is "weak on defense" because HE didn't stop Parker or Robinson?
It's only logical if you have a hate agenda towards Al. Otherwise, he should be given the same respect as Howard, since BOTH were unable to stop point guards.
Then there is this:
Ok, so why is it Howard's TEAMMATES who are at fault for not handling Rondo, but Al's teammates are not at fault for allowing Parker and Robinson to penetrate??????
And how is it that we swept Boston, despite Rondo's penetration?
Pure hater-ade.
June 24th, 2010
4:22 pm
If the Hawks match that offer, can they do a sign and trade with Washington?
June 24th, 2010
4:25 pm
Chills is not worth any more than $6 million per.
June 24th, 2010
4:28 pm
Regarding Chills: Everything depends on the terms. I'm not a Chills fan but the Hawks would be wise to match depending on the terms.
No terms of the deal were released, but the guess would be we're talking at least three years and in the $6 million a year range or higher.
June 24th, 2010
4:31 pm
dap…not if Childress signs their deal first. hawks can threaten to match before Childress signs and try to negotiate a sign and trade, but once he signs, its match or let him go.
June 24th, 2010
4:33 pm
The Devil wears Prada!
The Truth Serum is like a beautiful woman in a red Hot dress, even though she has an
Adam's Apple and sings like Jodeci' – you just can't help yourself!
You just got to touch it and feel her – to see if she is really real and that beautiful?
You can't help it – Sautee. You are so in love with a beautiful woman!
June 24th, 2010
4:37 pm
How bout a sign and trade with Washington? Hawks get Thornton, Washington gets Childress and a pick. They'll probably try to stick us with Josh Howard. Yikes! Howard would be un upgrade over Marvin if he could stay healthy though. However, thats a big IF.
June 24th, 2010
4:40 pm
If JJ decides he doesn't want to resign, suppose we do a sign and trade with either the Kings or Timberwolves for their 1st rd pick and sign DCousins. We could move Horford to the 4, Smoove to the 3 and Marvin to the bench. And before any of you start complaining about Smoove not being able to play the 3, he played it his 1st 2yrs.
While he could have some trouble defending some SF's on the perimeter, that would definitely be offset by them having some serious trouble trying to defend him in the post. Move JCrawford into JJ's spot, along with Teague at PG, and we'd have a solid team, especially our front line.
June 24th, 2010
4:40 pm
Its funny that just this time a year ago, so many of you were screaming for Sund to trade Josh Smith to Golden State for Biedrins. Biedrins ended up have terrible season, and now finds himself on the trading block. Its funny that each year people bet against Josh, but he gets better every year. Interesting…
June 24th, 2010
4:42 pm
Ken, if Josh lost about 15-20 lbs, he could play SF. But I think that decision would have to be made at the beginning of the off season to give him the summer to work on ball handling and shooting touch. Because the last two seasons, he's mainly worked on post moves, building up strength, and mental approach.
June 24th, 2010
4:43 pm
Hey MC if you want to get the early true scoop on what JJ is going to do this summer all you have to do is find both of his fat uncles and take them to the closest Rib Shack and tell them they can order all the ribs and chicken they can eat on the menu, and i bet you they will give you the scoop by the time they get finish eating.One thing we all know is that fat folks love to talk and eat. I know this will work because my wife do me like that everyday, so i am a victim and i know what works. Don't be scared MC try it. You may get the wise guys position if you can get the story.Come on its worth the try!
June 24th, 2010
4:44 pm
Juts pulling your leg and having fun watching the 11 hour Tennis Mtach, between
You and the Die-Hard!
Very Funny.
June 24th, 2010
4:45 pm
@ Grandad…
I rarely disagree with sage observation; however, Siler is not in the League simply because of the same reason Childress is not, he signed an overseas contract right after he reported to the Utah Flash of the NBDL after being the #1 pick of the entire NBDL draft. He was under contract for the entire Chinese Basketball Association season until the end of playoffs April 25th. The playoffs were already under way and the restriction on adding players was in effect. He is like any other UFA, beginning July 1st, he can sign or be invited to someone's camp…
June 24th, 2010
4:47 pm
Ken, Josh is a lot bigger now, not to mention he's developed into a pretty good pf. Why move him? I dont want Josh guarding the perimeter. We need his help defense inside. And doesn't JJ have to agree on a sign-and-trade? He definitely wont agree to play for 1 of those teams.
June 24th, 2010
4:52 pm
Ken S
Looks like is choosing the Bulls (he will not go back to the West), he is looking for a
Contender not a re-builder, but it has to be on the East Coast, near the Uncles & 'Nem.
June 24th, 2010
4:54 pm
Wow, what a run-up to the '10 draft. Don't recall there ever being so many pre-draft, draft, and post-draft considerations to take account of in trying to build a champion when you're on the outside looking in as we are. Sides actually sending players along with 1st round picks ((e.g., Miami and potentially Chicago) to other sides for 2nd round picks or merely 'considerations' just to clear cap space to pursue mega-players. We're seeing a new model (I call it the Boston model) for buidling a winner. Pull out ALL the stops to build your side around 2-3 legit max players with a ton of rookie contract, vet min, and mid-level type support players if you want to realistically compete with 3-5 other sides for the O'Brien trophy. If this model works in Miami and Chicago, and New York like it did in Boston, then say goodbye for now to any reasonable expectation that to a collection of $10M – $13M per annum type players comprising sides that have a legitimate chance to compete in the post season. And if this is the new model, I'm not sure our side's GM has adjusted his thinking and team-building style as necessary to be a player on the new scene (is he too old to change?). Adapt or perish (read that: 'subject the home side's fans to continued torment').
June 24th, 2010
5:00 pm
First: I honestly think that if the Hawks had been able to bring over Sabonis in his prime they could have won a championship. He really was that good, and a great passer (Willis, Wilkins, Sabonis, Rivers, Whitman…Tree, Cliff, Battle, 'Toine off the bench…sigh…).
Second: Let's accept that the Hawks aren't going to get a starter at 24. If you want value, you have to take a project. Preferably a 7 foot project. Remember: the reason players like Fuller and Potapenko were drafted ahead of Kobe Bryant was that Bryant was a PROJECT at the time.
June 24th, 2010
5:01 pm
Ken, if we move Josh to sf, we'll still have either Al or Josh playing out of position(according to most). I'd rather trade Smoove for a legit sf or center, than move him to sf. Hope all is well Ken.
June 24th, 2010
5:02 pm
Dont forget the ownership struggle that JJ caused (which is still going on).
I can see Marivn averaging 16 ppg. But for him to get to 19-23 ppg, he will need to be the featured scorer.
I ike Chills, But I would have a hard time matching $6 mil per year. You can have Matt Barnes or Ronnie Brewer for less, and I dont want to pay Marvin $7.5 mil, and Chills $6 mil.
June 24th, 2010
5:06 pm
lol @ Rondo.
2 hours til..
Think I'll be heading to Taco Mac-eezy @ Philips?
June 24th, 2010
5:06 pm
O'Brien, please dont remind me that we're paying Marvin 7.5 million. Makes me wanna scream. lol!
June 24th, 2010
5:07 pm
Regarding Garret Siler: You can argue that he is now more NBA ready then any center in the draft and a whole lot less expensive. Where is the logic? The Hawks will penny-pinch on the coach salary but when given the opportunity to pick-up a cheap serviceable center, they pass. Now if the Hawks becomes interested in him, the price will likely not be the same.
June 24th, 2010
5:14 pm
I hear Larry Drew's gonna be there from 7:00 – 7:20..
June 24th, 2010
5:15 pm
Iso – Joe
Is joe married and does he have children? It seems like he is very close with his birth family.
Is Joe isolated in real life too? A very strange and interesting young man of very few words!
June 24th, 2010
5:21 pm
These are exciting times for the Atlanta Hawks. The Hawks just signed the cheapest coach they could find. There are no trade talks or free agent signing rumors involving the Hawks. However…..Hawk fans let's get excited about losing Joe Johnson and possible signing Josh Childress. I'm sure the Hawks have interviewed several potiential draft prospects for tonight. Rumor has it that they will draft the guy who has agreed to sign for the least amount of money.
June 24th, 2010
5:22 pm
Joe didn't cause the ownership rift? Steve Belkin did that All by himself.
June 24th, 2010
5:23 pm
Big Ray . . . question for you ( and anybody else who wants to answer this ).
Sund calls up Jersey to see what they want for their lottery pick. Jersey asks . . "what you got?"
Sund says . . "we have 2 star quality PFs . . you can have one, if you give us your lotto pick".
This would enable Sund to take Demarcus Cousins.
Do you trade Smith or Horford, in order to secure a true center in Cousins?
This question is open to everybody.
June 24th, 2010
5:28 pm
Hearing there might be a "sign and trade" for JChill with the Wizards. Hawks would get Randy Foye or JaVale McGee in return.
June 24th, 2010
5:30 pm
O'Brien, as I said, I didn't say he would do it on THIS team. But I could still see him ending up being a featured scorer and excelling at it.
If we pay 6.5 mil for Chills, I would be disappointed. We could split up 6.5 and give Brewer 2.5 and Mike Miller 4 mil. I'd take those two over Chills any day.
Also the way Chicago just traded Hinrich for nothing to the Wizards, why we can't do the same with Bibby or Marvin to Sacramento or somewhere else? And why only time we hear rumors about the Hawks its in regards to losing a player, not in regards to being on the phone lines making trades.
June 24th, 2010
5:31 pm
@ JB, it has to be more, the salary structure has to add up… Go look at their contracts…
June 24th, 2010
5:32 pm
You're absolutly right.
I did not think that one through.
Also your points are well taken.
I'm going to re-evaluate young Mr. Siler.
Us ol' fellers gotta realize,
that sometimes we have forgotten,
than we ever thought we knew in the 1st place !
June 24th, 2010
5:34 pm
Greg Monroe will be ROY in my book, yes we have no chance for him, but in a draft that will cause GMs to get fired than Trump's TV show he is the only solid in this draft. That being said we do need a BIG, so if we are lucky enough to get a young athelete with size and speed we may be able to develope him. Even Dwight Howard after decent stint in the league still needs some polishing. Maybe Al Jefferson would be a nice pickup, I know he would just love to be on a playoff team ala Crawford. I don't know what kind deal we can offer since nobody wants to play for them, why not trade Childress rights & our 1st rounder. Any BIG we get our pick will be project, so if we've done any scouting go for a rebounder out the DeJaun Blair mode & teach scoring later.
June 24th, 2010
5:35 pm
"Only two centers in the entire league made the NBA all-defensive team. Dwight Howard and Tim Duncan." Thats a nice COP OUT (PUN INTEND)
There was a 1st team and a 2nd team of which Al horford wasn't on either thats true, ray, however there were other centers who received votes. Unfortunately our center Al only got one vote and that for a second team position. You try to make it sound as if it was Duncan and Howard and nobody else got any votes. I wouldnt try to minimize it just because Al only got one vote and was pretty much Blocked(pun intended) at the rim.
I like your second cop out better than your first one. Its Woody fault Horford is amongst the weakest defending center in the NBA.
Thanks for the cop outs! Good luck to you.
June 24th, 2010
5:36 pm
I would love to get McGee & either or both 30 + 35 [2nd round] pks.
June 24th, 2010
5:37 pm
*S&T for Childress that is.*
June 24th, 2010
5:38 pm
IDK man. Cousins for Josh or Al? Naw! What if Cousins is the net Marvin? It would have to be a
Trade for a proven NBA Big. A really Good – NBA Big!
June 24th, 2010
5:39 pm
You have people on this blog who desperately want the Hawks to obtain a center. And they are hard to come by. So instead of wishing that a project develops with the #24 pick, would any of you trade one of our PFs to get a young center like Cousins? Cause to be honest, that may be the only way we ever get a legit center here . . . by trading Al or Josh.
June 24th, 2010
5:41 pm
"Hearing there might be a "sign and trade" for JChill with the Wizards. Hawks would get Randy Foye or JaVale McGee in return."
For Chills expected 6.5M salary, we could ask for both for the salaries to match or one plus a draft pick.
June 24th, 2010
5:41 pm
Northside I ship Horford because we know that Josh is one of the better powerforwards in the league. Has a long term contract and has better numbers than horford, is one of the best defenders in the pro game. and is growing and growing.
Al has peaked. We dont know what he can do at powerforward but if his defense there is anything like his defense in the post….well…Yuk! Al's in the last year of a contract and will want a lot more for 12pt career and 9 rbs. His numbers are less than Smooves and hes a florida native as opposed to Josh who is a home town product. .
June 24th, 2010
5:42 pm
Hey northcyde there is a big out there on the blocks Al Jefferson. I say dump Childress in no man's land and trade our 1st rounder.
June 24th, 2010
5:47 pm
??? Do the yrs Childress played overseas count toward a veteran's minimum ????
June 24th, 2010
5:48 pm
Chills in a S&T to Wash, for Foye, Oberto and the #30?
June 24th, 2010
5:48 pm
By the way the Al or Josh debate as 1 must go to get a center is a given. But its a sacrifice that worth it. I hate that either has to go, they both bring different things to the table. but hay, it may be that NJ or whom ever may get to pick which one they want and we are left with the other one. I think from that stand point again Al would be the choice because he was a All star add on and he can get a better contract for himself.
June 24th, 2010
5:49 pm
Does Jefferson play defense?
June 24th, 2010
5:49 pm
The Atlanta Hawks are on the Clock!
And, with the 24th Pick of the 2010 NBA Draft,
The Atlanta Hawks select …..(Drum Roll) …… OMG! I can't believe we passed on – ……OMG!
June 24th, 2010
5:51 pm
Does anyone on our roster besides J-smoove play defense ???
June 24th, 2010
5:57 pm
"Al has peaked."
Yeah, at 24 he's already as good as he'll ever get? Laughable, truly.
Well, if you have to peak early, at LEAST peak at an All-Star level, LOL! If peaking now means that he's an All-Star every year, I'll take it.
Only someone who HATED Al Horford could think such nonsense. Or is this some more "objective criticism"?
How "objective" is it to think a 24 year old with a great work ethic will STOP improving?
Really, is that "objective"?
Or is it more hater-ade?
June 24th, 2010
5:59 pm
And if Sund traded an All-Star still on his rookie contract, he'd be TOAST.
There is no worse asset management than that. None.
June 24th, 2010
6:05 pm
Wow..6mil for Chillz. A brother with no Jump shot or upside…WOW
June 24th, 2010
6:07 pm
Peak – Performance!
Sautee: Co – sign that. The Boss has no where near peaked! He just added a nice jumper to his game this
That man has only just begun! – Like Helen Ready
June 24th, 2010
6:13 pm
New Blog up!
June 24th, 2010
6:16 pm
drmaryb . . . that's the dilemma.
You say "what if he's the next Marvin?"
OK . . well, what if he's Baby Shaq ( and no, I'm not talking about Gary Trent from back in the day, when they used to call him "The Shaq of the MAC ( conference )"
It's a HUGE RISK, I won't deny that at all. But everybody keeps talking about "getting a center"
From where? What NBA team is willing to trade one of their good centers? The other guy dogs Horford to death, but he never mentions a legit replacement for him.
I'm not necessarily an advocate of trading one or the other. I just wanted to toss out what the reality of the situation is.
- NBA teams aren't willing to give up decent centers
- The centers we may currently be looking at now, are ALL considered to be "projects"
- Horford has expressed his desire to play PF
- Smoove, at times, isn't physical enough at PF ( even though that's his best position )
- Horford has trouble scoring against bigger centers in the halfcourt set.
- Moving Smoove to SF exposes every single one of his weaknesses as a player, and would do more harm than good to the team.
- Keeping Horford at C limits what he could potentially be as a PF
Like I said . . I'm not necessarily advocating trading any guy. But if people believe we're a legit center away from being a title contender, does that mean that we can't go any further with A as our center, and Smoove as our PF?
As we've both have said in the past, Al and Josh MUST PLAY TOUGHER. If they are the frontline, they have to be ready and willing to battle every night. And when the playoff comes, they hsve to work even harder. They need to FIGHT, not get worn down.
If those 2 don't show more fight in them, I don't know how long we can go with them as a frontline duo, if we have championship aspirations.
June 24th, 2010
6:25 pm
Northcyde ,
Great question. I like the challenge.
Tough call, but I say trade Josh Smith. I know I probably will sound crazy to some on this. But there is a reason behind it. A few, actually. Okay, maybe several, LOL. Here goes….
Cousins is full of potential and measures out great, physically. He has offensive capability and defensive capability. So did Michael Olowakandi. I'm not saying Cousins could be a bust, but if he's going to be a bust, he'll be a huge one. So if he is, and you traded Al Horford, all you have is Josh Smith, and you're out there looking for a center…. again . Josh is a good, though not yet completely accomplished PF. But he CANNOT, I repeat, CANNOT play the 5 for you unless you're playing against Golden State when they've playing 4 guards and a forward.
Most teams are looking for a good center, or at worse, a decent/serviceable one. Those that have one are in good shape. Those that aren't are merely trying to survive at the position. That includes the Hawks. But Horford is one of the best "survivors" out there. He survived to the tune of being named an all-star and averaging nearly a double double. It doesn't get much better than that when you lack a "true center."
On top of that, I have no doubts that Al can be a very good power forward. Will he be a better one than Josh? In the traditional sense, yes he can. He's got the size, strength, length. Josh is more athletic and a more natural shot blocker, but he lacks the defensive fundamentals (blocking out, using his body to defend by moving opponents off of their preferred spot) and strength that Al has. Josh is an elite weak side defender who is capable of manning the PF spot.
Al has a better jumper. Both guys can pass. The question isn't so much which guy is a better PF, as much as it is "Are you losing anything of significance at the PF spot by trading either one?"
In my opinion, the answer is no. Al provides the versatility of giving you minutes at the 4 or 5 at any time, even against bigger opponents if necessary (even if it's not the optimal situation) ….and you can survive like this. Josh gives you all the minutes at the 4 you can stand, but can't play the 5, and will be limited at the 3, particularly on offense.
That's my answer….
If Cousins were to work out just fine, it would be a big frontcourt with Al as the PF. It would work well with Smith as well, you just lose the versatility and security blanket if things don't work out…
June 24th, 2010
6:28 pm
I know man! I just don't trust this ASG to make the right Draft Pick! We need to make some kind of pre-Draft trade man. Do something! Make some Noise!
Even, sorry arse Eric Dampieer has a job. They'll let anybody play Center, in the NBA,
June 24th, 2010
6:40 pm
I did not mean for you to show your emotional side, Sautee. I sorry you interpret my evaluation of Al as "hate"
My assessment of Al "peaking" is that His career ave is 12pts. he came into the season with an 11pt average (some where in that neighborhood) and was severely criticized for his lack of offensive tools. So severely that Woodson took the blame, being the player coach that he is and said I will work with Al and tweak him to help him get better offensively. Every time I mentioned that Al was mediocre offensively you cried and quote Woodson's statement repeatly. OK as a result he went from 11.6 to 14.2 pts that equates to a basket increase per game. His career average is 12pts and his best college year was 13 point so I cant see where he can get up to the 17 18 19 or 20 pts level that would indicate some serious growth.
True he might have a 15 pt year but then again he might have a 11 pt year. The bottom line is he is what he is . Hes playing the best he can, which aint bad. But hes just about scoring as high as he can score. Hes not a Dirk with shooting or a strong slasher like Josh. What he does is work hard every night as a blue collar working who doesnt have the skills as much as he has the work ethics. Having said that, he is about as good as he gets. The upside is he will barring injury be able to be a hard worker for a long time.
Its ok to accept criticism of your hero, your god. Please try and control your emotions
Career Totals: 229 225 33.3 .527 .143 .753 2.7 6.9 9.6 2.1 0.8 1.1 362 682 12.0
June 24th, 2010
6:41 pm
LMAO al is a better jumper than josh
June 24th, 2010
6:45 pm
That man has only just begun! – Like Helen Ready
Yeah that true, Al does kinda of remind you of Helen Reddy. Didnt she do that I am woman thingy?
June 24th, 2010
6:50 pm
Ode to Al Horford
June 24th, 2010
7:20 pm
The Hawks will automatically match any offer made to Childress, otherwise why hold onto his rights. If the offer is too rich for our blood, we'd do a sign and trade with him. To be honest, a starting lineup with JChildress-SF, AHorford-C, JSmith-PF, JCrawford-SG and JTeague-PG in LDrew's OFF system would definitely get the job done.