Hawks

By Fan01

April 3, 2007 2:51 AM | Link to this

Hopefully we could get both Oden and Law. Then we would be set

Law/Johnson/Williams/Smith/Oden

Talk about potential………..

By OddJob

April 3, 2007 3:49 AM | Link to this

Most of this list makes sense,but Brewer over Brandon Wright? Every year pundits get too carried away by the toury. Look at all the Fla players on this list. Now back to Brewer vs Wright,Brewer has limited upside in a league where physical short comings render good college players useless against great athletes. One Fla player I do Agree about on this list is Horford,he has the tools and motor to become a very good pf in the big show and the Hawks should give him a long look-see. Law also looks to have good tools and makeup for the five in the nba.Brandon Wright has close to what Bosh had coming out of Tech and in three years may well be the second or more likely third best player to come out of this draft.Thadeet the uconn center is very raw but he’s a rare athlete and if a team can afford to baby sit for three or four years could be a near great center.I like Jeff Green a player for sure but his frame could limit him to a roll player in the nba.Since nobody will sell the rights to Oden or Durant the three the Hawks should look to acquire are Horford,B. Wright or a. Law.

By JSS

April 3, 2007 5:23 AM | Link to this

ODDjob,

Brewer is the only true intangible player in this group… However, what you see in Brandon Wright is what you get, gifted but still a lot “Marvin Williams” in his game… I’d take “Casper,” I mean Jeff Green (Marvin Williams II) over either of the Wrights… There too much of this in the league already…

Sekou calling on the reference the hardest working Bruin to ever to evolve in the league (Big Swen!!!)..

Mr. Smith, OK when are going to get some news on what the Internationals have to offer? It is a better than U.S. group than normal, however, the game belongs to the Euros… What’s the news?

By smartguy

April 3, 2007 5:43 AM | Link to this

Yo Sekou! You got the first two right, but after that, I’m afraid you’re just a little off. The same reasoning that puts Oden ahead of Durant also puts Noah ahead of Horford. Don’t get me wrong, I LOVE Al Horford, but Joakim can be very special, and he is a center, not a power forward. After that should be the Wright guys, then Hibbert, then Brewer, then whoever. I think Sekou has been biased from watching some of these players more recently than others.

In any case, I’m quite certain that the Hawks will end up with nothing. Phoenix will get our fourth or fifth pick, and I think they’ll take the Chinese Dirk. And Indiana seems like they want to hang on to their draft pick just as much as the Hawks want to keep theirs. So, I just have a feeling the way this thing will play out the Hawks will end up with zero, and not even a second round pick. Thanks to DA BK.

That being said, the best thing that could possibly happen for the Hawks this off season would be to GET A NEW COACH. Look, we need a coach who is not only good at developing players, but more importantly, we need a coach who can WIN GAMES. Developing players is great, but at some point, you have to be able to win games, and Woody simply hasn’t been able to do that.

Woody can talk about the team has never been able to play healthy as a whole unit, but all he does is make excuses and blame players. The Hawks lost more games (at least ten to twelve) this year that they could/should have won. You can blame part of that on the players, but for the most part, that is the coach’s fault. It is the coach’s responsibility to put the players on the court, to call the play (offensive and defensive), and to make sure everyone is on the same page and focused in. Those things are often neglected and poorly managed at critical times. I have never been so disgusted watching sports as I was when I watched Jeremy Richardson miss a game winning shot. Remember that, we had a guy with a 10-day contract take a game winner for us? And then Woody blamed Chills for passing it to him. Nice, Woody, maybe your DA shouldn’t have had him on the court in the first place. Billy Donovan or Iavoroni (Phx asst) would have had this team in the playoffs with a .500 record; they could have this team in the playoffs next year. Woody is incapable. Face the facts, some people are better off as assistants rather than Head Honcho. Please, please get rid of Woody.

By Chris D'

April 3, 2007 6:05 AM | Link to this

Mike Woodson is good at developing players? Your kidding right. I am sure Solomon Jones learned a lot most of the year watching Wright foul and Joe Johnson put up shots while being triple teamed.

By Chris D'

April 3, 2007 6:12 AM | Link to this

Jeremy Richardson…oh yah he was the guy we had in on a 10 day contract that ran his butt off all over the court. He brought a lot of work ethic and put a lot of effort into every play. He would have been an excellent energy guy that could have contributed and he wasn’t afraid to take a shot and after 10 days we got rid of him after he contributed some good minutes.

Man I can understand why you would be p** about Jeremy Richardson missing that shot. If he hits that game winner we have the same amount of wins as Charlotte right now. Wow that missed shot really ruined our season.

By smartguy

April 3, 2007 7:41 AM | Link to this

Chris D- if Jeremy Richardson is so great, why isn’t he still with the team? The way you talk, we should give him a long term max deal. Has anyone else picked him up? Yes, I am glad to have as few as wins as we do right now, but believe it or not, we were not that far away from being in contention.

My main point about Jeremy Richardson is that it was Woody who put him in that position, and when it didn’t work out, Woody blamed Chills for passing it to him. Pull up article on the game, its there.

And as far as Woody being a developer of talent, I was basing that off the comments from our bonehead owners the other day concerning the future of the team. They seemed to hint that because Woody has developed a few players that his lack of wins may not be as important, and that they may actually may be considering bringing him back.

As I read the blog from yesterday, it seems clear to me that a vast majority of people want WOODY OUT. I want to make sure to do my part to point out all the ways in which he is insufficient as a head coach. Didn’t someone have a website dedicated specifically to getting rid of Billy and Woody? What was it? And if there isn’t one, will somebody please create one?

By Hawker

April 3, 2007 8:55 AM | Link to this

Chris Richard will be the NBA star of this draft. He is big, strong, and solid at every aspect of his game. He is truly NBA ready.

Noah was a good fit on the Florida team but he will have a tough time in the NBA. It will be harder for him to push the big guys out of the way and his lack of shooting ability will lessen his value further.

By MsDee

April 3, 2007 9:26 AM | Link to this

I hear that Oden & Conley Jr will stay another year in college. I agree because even though Oden is Good as a 18 year old center in college, he would be a GREAT 19 year old center in college next year! Give him a nother year & a few more lbs..U talkin the NEXT SHAQ!!

By honest_abe

April 3, 2007 9:57 AM | Link to this

oden staying another year would be pretty stupid IMO.

the competition isn’t going to get any better. he’s already made it to the national championship game and shined in it.

he has the option of being the first pick and making a boatload of guaranteed money versus living in a crappy dorm room with a roommate eating at the cafeteria.

he can ride private jets to and from each major city compared to riding a crappy bus for hours on end through the backroads of indiana and ohio.

he can play for rookie of the year compared to playing for the naismith player of the year and the possibility of getting injured and never cashing in on all that $$$$$$$$$$$$$

By MsDee

April 3, 2007 10:11 AM | Link to this

Well I’m only saying what’s in the rumor mill..I understand your point, Honest_abe, but being that there are not as many centers like him that come around, he would STILL be a sought out player next year. Now if he was a PG or a Forward, than of course, he should go ASAP. But being that he is a center, I would like to be totally prepared to come in DOMINATING the post..not just getting the Rookie of the year award. That is why I said SHAQ cause that’s was exactly what he did coming in DOMINATING the post!!

By GT80

April 3, 2007 10:29 AM | Link to this

Typical Hawks luck will probably net us the #4 pick and Indiana will get #10. But if we somehow get lucky and get #3 and #11 Billy Knightmare will draft Brewer #3 and another wing player @ #11. How his bosses can ignore the mistakes he’s made in the last 4 drafts is the mystery of the entire NBA. Sekou, I know you said Woody is under contract for another year (or maybe 2) but what is Billy’s contract situation. I fear the owners are paralyzed with their lawsuit and not wanting to pay for contracts on fired employees/dropped players (ie: Speedy). So we will be stuck in this hell hole for the forseeable future. Man is sucks to be a Hawks fan right now. Sekou, I feel for you man, having to cover this nightmare every day.

By newkid

April 3, 2007 10:53 AM | Link to this

Apart from his laudible interest in continuing his student career, I can’t imagine Oden opting to stay at Ohio State. The zebras won’t allow him to play more than 20 minutes per contest; the coaching staff hasn’t developed an offense focused on utilizing his incredible attributes; and his guards either don’t know how or aren’t comfortable feeding the post. I’d guess that his 07/08 on-court experience will be much more valuable if he opts for the NBA, but the yearning for a continuation of the college experience is sure to be compelling.

In a recent interview Coach Williams (UNC) indicated that one of the more compelling reasons for Marvin Williams’ early entry was his family’s financial circumstances, which he obviously had a great opportunity to remedy by ‘taking the money’ sooner rather than later. Could young Mr. Oden find himself in a similar circumstance?

By Boomer

April 3, 2007 11:08 AM | Link to this

Not a single UGA player in the top 13? Huh, guess that’s one reason they are mediocre and will stay that way.

By Samuel I AM

April 3, 2007 11:23 AM | Link to this

http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/story?page=granderson/070402&sportCat=nba

Everyone should read this article.

By michael m.

April 3, 2007 11:48 AM | Link to this

if all those players came out and we ended up with the #3 pick, i would probably pick mike conley for the hawks. he’s what this team needs.

a week or two ago i hoped we could potentially snag oden and conley at #1 and #11, but i no longer think conley would last that long. the tournament has set junior up if he wants it.

bonus for me if they come out because it helps my ucla squad improve their championship chances next year with the incoming kevin love. wait til you see the outlet passes love makes after grabbing a defensive rebound; zaza and solo should study him next year.

By doc

April 3, 2007 11:48 AM | Link to this

thanks sam i am, it was posted yesterday. an ugly look and it reinforces the notion that there are others that think they might be going to las vegas for a fresh start other than me. i suggested that over 15 months ago and got slammed. feel it could be the resolve if belkin gets the team. flash has “assured” me otherwise. problem is he cant argue that it wouldnt be a great business move and belkin is foremost a businessman and likes to lead the way. what could allow him to do that in a better environment than vegas. the kings may already have their foot in the door there with real estate holdings and the “hosting” of the most recent all star game. that may be all that saves the hawks.

some may be too young to remember but it is shameful that the the hawks were big here and the only winning franchise of the 70’s, 80’s and 90’s. the fan base is here, just untapped by the recent fiascos of management. though the owners point fingers at fans as being uninterested it is really their own ineptness that hasnt mined the gold here. feel some rap stars and recording wealth ought to make a play to buy the hawks and put it on the map. samuel might get his wish then to get an a i in here to boost the image. it doesnt have to be that as there is an interested fan base without anything to be interested in.

good win by the gators but not unexpected, they just chisled up everybody. fortunately there is no one suggesting threepeat. is the pantry so empty that biily decides to flip his sweat equity and ggo elsewhere? stay tuned.

do like richard. feel he might be able to make a few guys grow up in practice if he were available to the hawks in some way. think we need a center or a point a little more from the sound of what has been discussed here though, if i remember right. heh heh i like bruisers.

By vdunkndunk

April 3, 2007 11:52 AM | Link to this

Oden is exactly what the Hawks need. With him, we make the playoffs easily next year.

Durant is a superstar in the making, so he would be a no-brainer at number 2 for us.

And Sekou, I have to agree with you: Al Horford makes a lot of sense at number 3. If we end up with the 3rd pick I’d like to try some “small-ball” experiments and run Hordord at the 5 with Josh Smith at the 4. That would be too much athleticism and quickness for a lot of teams to deal with, plus both guys are fairly strong for their age and size.

For me, though, I think Noah is overrated and should not be in the top 5 unless maybe Phoenix gets our pick. I honestly think he’s the second coming of Anderson Varajao (aka Sideshow Bob)…a valuable role player, but a role player nonetheless. I think Brandan Wright is more talented, and I think a lot of the wing players in this draft will end up being better players than Noah also.

By Mike

April 3, 2007 12:13 PM | Link to this

Smartguy you were right on about your comment about Jeremy Richard and Mr. Gearson comments about Woody. I found those comments by Mr. Gearson to be very disturbing and contradictory. He seems to feel that Woody’s is doing a good job of coaching the team. He also said that the Spirit management sits down after each season and reviews performance of the GM, Coaches, and players. If this is true than, clearly the Spirit is just as inept as BK and Woody? But having said that there are still a lot of NBA franchises that are worst off than the Hawks in the East and West. The point about Jeremy Richard is that Woody plays calling is so poorly conceived that rarely do the right guy gets the right shot, or an open look at the basket to knock down a game winner. Jeremy was open in that game because all of Woody’s plays are design for one person. If that person is not open the team goes into scramble mode somebody throws up a prayer, and we know the rest. We seen it played out all season. I still think his rigid coaching style impedes the natural ability of the players. Why on earth would Salim and Solomon not be one of your featured players? Why keep playing the same players to they’re physically exhausted or injured?

Woody reminds me a lot of Jim Mora Jr that coached the Falcon. They have too much loyalty for their Assistant Coaches. That usually gets you fired. If Mora changes Offensive and Defensive coordinators he probably still has a job, because he wasn’t a bad coach. Woody is the same way. I have often said he needs an Offensive assistant that can be creative with the play calling and offensive sets that take advantage of the talent on the team. All the guys on his staff are defensive minded like him. He needs some offensive minded coaches to balance out the team strategy. You could take a different coach and play these same guys and the Hawks will look like a different team.

I agree with Sekou draft selection, but I still think Noah weight will make him a liability at the 5 spot in the NBA. I think Corey Brewer will probably make the biggest impact his first season in the NBA. The kid got it all. He reminds me a lot of Scottie Pippen. I’m still not convinced that all guys will declare for the draft. I think all the Florida kids will, but the rest I’m not so sure. Oden is the closes thing to a Jabar or Russell. His game is far more complete than Patrick, Shag, or Zo in his freshman season. The thing you like about Oden is a center and plays like a center. He patrols that paint daring you to put a shot up. He has great offensive post moves to compliment his game, and he’s fearless. With the performance he had last night. He’s probably played his last game of college ball, but you never know.

By Volman

April 3, 2007 12:29 PM | Link to this

Sekou, pretty decent top 13 there… I’d have to say that Brewer is the best overall Florida player.. I’d love to have his presence and defensive ability on any team… (he wouldn’t fit with the Hawks though—-6 foot 9 swing player)..

By Wedgie Evans

April 3, 2007 12:55 PM | Link to this

Not a bad list at all, for the most part. I’m not as big a Joakim Noah fan, so I would probably bump Noah down a couple of spots and move Brandan Wright up a spot or two because of his greater potential. But Chris Richard in the lottery? Really? Not only have I not seen his name on ANY mock drafts, but the guy he reminds me of is Reggie Evans — a guy who got picked in the 2nd round, if I’m not mistaken. Even if he compares to Haslem, would you really have picked Haslem in the lottery? I’m not saying Richard won’t be a good NBA player, but when picking in the lottery I’d think you want to factor in potential at least a little bit. I’d have a hard time even picking Richard over Josh McRoberts (who I think is highly overrated), let alone prospects like Nick Young, Arron Afflalo, Aaron Gray or Alando Tucker. Taking Richard in the lottery reminds me of another productive college big man with limited potential who got taken in the lottery recently — Shelden Williams. 20-25 seems more like the right place for Richard to go.

And I agree with Volman — out of all those Gators, Brewer’s the guy I’d want the most… obviously not from a Hawks’ perspective since he’s a swingman, but generally speaking. Overall though, that list is on point.

By Clyde

April 3, 2007 1:02 PM | Link to this

FIRE BILLY AND WOODY T-SHIRTS WILL BE IN FULL EFFECT FRIDAY NIGHT!! HOLLA AT ME AT ATLCONNECT IF YOU WANT THE OFFICIAL FIRE BILLY AND WOODY T-SHIRT SO YOU CAN REPRESENT WIT ME!!

FIRE BILLY AND WOODY

By Volman

April 3, 2007 1:21 PM | Link to this

Wedgie, did you think that Noah was a non-factor last night against Oden? I really feel that if it were Oden vs. Noah all night, that the game would have been VERY different (no chest pounding/screaming for rebounds, because Noah wouldn’t have any)…

I don’t see much out of Noah except a guy who has “energy”..Heck, when I go out there and play ball I have lots of “energy” but that doesn’t mean that I will do great things!

I seriously compare Noah to Solomon Jones right now… Two very lanky guys who can defend fairly well, but obviously get pushed around by bigger, stronger bigs.

By Tyger

April 3, 2007 2:28 PM | Link to this

1. Oden - the best #1 pick since LBJ.
2. Durant- elite scorer w/size/stroke.
3. Hibbert - 7-2 w/game is 7-2 w/game.
4. Brewer - complete w/champions heart.
5. Conley - smooth, effective winner.
6. Horford - NBA ready banger
7. Noah - long energetic defender.
8. B.Wright - size hard to pass up.
9. AC Law - Mr. Big Shot
10. Yi Jianlian - Bargnani w/o 3.
11. H.Thabeet - 7-3 is hard to pass on.
12. C.Richard - showed well vs. best.
13. Thornton - long, raw, skilled.
14. J.Green - star or role player??
15. J.Wright - long, versatile wing.

Unfortunately, all these kids wont declare and the last 5-10 spots become very avg. and duplicitous.

By Tyger

April 3, 2007 2:44 PM | Link to this

Draft Doomsday

Try this scenario: Oden, Durant, Hibbert, Conley, Thabeet all elect to remain in school? And wham! The 2007 draft becomes pure horse manure.

1. Noah
2. Horford
3. Yi Jianlian
4. Brewer
5. B.Wright

By honest_abe

April 3, 2007 2:45 PM | Link to this

good thing noah doesn’t have any financial problems. by staying another year he has exposed all of his weaknesses which are many. he went from being either the #1 or #2 pick to possibly moving down toward the 7-9 range.

like wedgie alluded to, his greatest asset is his energy. he’s also a pretty decent passer for a big man. but he can’t shoot, he can’t create, he doesn’t have a post up game. he’s not a physical speciman like brandan wright. he hit the pinnacle of what he’s capable of last year in the tournament.

i’d take either horford or brandan wright with that 3rd pick if it falls in the hawks lap. and play small ball like the good doc suggested. of course nothing matters unless the hawks have a floor general that can start the engine.

By Fan01

April 3, 2007 3:10 PM | Link to this

Now Chill is done for the rest of the season, And Smoove has a sore back. We should shut them down, And Marvin also let the young guys get. All of the minutes…

By Fan01

April 3, 2007 3:10 PM | Link to this

Now Chill is done for the rest of the season, And Smoove has a sore back. We should shut them down, And Marvin also let the young guys get. All of the minutes…

By Khao$

April 3, 2007 3:11 PM | Link to this

Childress done for the season…project tank continues…

By Hatertots

April 3, 2007 3:18 PM | Link to this

If, as I suspect, God hates the Hawks and their six fans (Hi!), the real question is, “Who should Phoenix take with Atlanta’s lottery pick?” But assuming the pick stays home, what if Billy picks second and Oden is already off the board? Do you:

A. Pick Durant even though he isn’t the interior defensive muscle the Hawks need

B. Trust BK to pull together a trade down with some other lottery team drooling over Durant.

C. Take a center not named Oden and call it a day

Personally, I’d have to go option A. I’d like to see the team put together a great trade that involved a team giving us a bona fide NBA point guard that isn’t broken, old, or mediocre and moving down to get Dr. Hibbert, but if Billy could be counted on to pull off such grand schemes as, I don’t know, getting fair value in trades then we’d be getting pumped about the upcoming playoff series against Toronto or Washington instead of singing “Tomorrow! Tomorrow! I love ya Tomorrow!”

By MannyT

April 3, 2007 3:48 PM | Link to this

As long as we have BK, I root for him to be the BK that gave the Hawks Shareef and picked up Pau Gasol at #3 and Lorenzen Wright and Brevin Knight.

If we get a pick in the draft, let’s keep an open mind to using it for its best value which might mean a trade. If we are in a position to get Durant, you cannot keep all the young forwards we have.

Even though Horford might be a more valuable pick than Hibbert, don’t we really need a center (Oden, Hibbert) more than we need a PF that is good, but not defensively intimidating.

Our need at center is defensive. Zaza can score when focused. We need to take the welcome mat out of the lane.

By doc

April 3, 2007 4:01 PM | Link to this

well sekou you asked who to trade, now i say chills without a doubt. two freakish injuries that could spell chronic issues. i’d pass him to the first bidder with that health bio or else begin some kind of a program to “toughen” up his bones. probably needs to work on the muscular body to take some of the punishment that his goes through as he sails skyward. proably his interest for others will drop now, too bad as he had come into his own.

who will go to the two spot or will salim get extended play time? that will make for a very small frontcourt the last few games, better counter with zaza trying the four some with josh and solo in there to provide backup. speaking of solo he needs strengthening in a serious way during the off season or he will end up like other slim guys that break down too early in their careers.

By honest_abe

April 3, 2007 4:01 PM | Link to this

i’m salivating at the thought of maybe getting 1-3 and 11-13. wow. end the ownership saga and there just might be a sliver a light shining through.

if god decides that he’ll stop tormenting us hawks fans this is what will happen.

1. the hawks will get the 1st pick. (i know.. ya right) the hawks select greg oden.

2. the pacers pick settles right on #11. with that pick the hawks select tywon lawson.

3. steve belkin gets control of the team and shows the city that he’s committed to building a winner. he fires the entire front office including the entire coaching staff.

4. the hawks make the biggest off season signing by nabbing chauncey davis from detroit.

5. belkin orders his new gm to ship off jj. the hawks trade jj and speedy to the celtics for kendrick perkins and wally scherbiak.

6. the hawks finally sign a competent coach in rick adelman or doug collins.

7. trade ty lue and sheldon williams for future draft picks.

this of course isn’t done in chronological order. its wishful thinking. shoot as a hawks fan there really isn’t much else for me to do.

pg: billups, lawson, aj sg: marv, sczerbiak, salim sf: josh smith, josh childress, pf: zaza, solomon jones c: greg oden, kendrick perkins..

like hatertots i’m singing “tomorrow, tomorrow, i luv ya TOMORROW!”

By jj

April 3, 2007 4:04 PM | Link to this

zaza sucks balls. his footwork is some of the worst i have ever seen

By honest_abe

April 3, 2007 4:09 PM | Link to this

chauncey billups

By Traceman

April 3, 2007 4:18 PM | Link to this

My thoughts:

1. Greg Oden - he was dominant when the spotlight was on and he has only begun to scratch the surface of his potential.

2. Kevin Durant - #1 in any other draft and a potential NBA superstar.

3. Brandan Wright - not ready just yet but the potential to be another CB4 type player.

4. Horford - NBA ready body but is he tall enough to get his shot off regularly against NBA 4’s? If he is, look out!

5. Yi Jianlian - A Chinese Dirk?

6. Julian Wright - watch him pull a Vince Carter and be a much better pro than college player.

7. Hibbert - dude is HUGE and he has game too. Only question mark is his athleticism.

8. Noah - I think he is a little overrated but I think he can be a solid role player. I think he is a poor man’s Tyson Chandler.

9. Corey Brewer - He is going to really help some team with his all around skills.

10. Mike Conley - If he had a better J he would be top 5.

11. Jeff Green - Good all around player who needs a J.

12. Hasheem Thabeet - He’s 7’3” and athletic. Enough said.

13. Al Thornton - He has improved by leaps and bounds and I think he can still get better.

By jj

April 3, 2007 4:18 PM | Link to this

and don’t even mention noah he is so skinny its funny. solomon is like the same weight as him don’t mention his name. and it looks like the hawks are tanking. yesssssssssssssssssssssss! come on hawks keep on losing.

By Traceman

April 3, 2007 4:25 PM | Link to this

Honest Abe -

If we did get the #1 pick and then we traded JJ in that deal, I would hunt Belkin down and kick his arse! Why would we trade our All Star SG for two players you have deemed to be backups on the team you propose? Would not a lineup of:

Oden Smoove Marvin JJ Billups

be a LOT better than a lineup of:

Oden Zaza Smoove Marvin Billups

????

By honest_abe

April 3, 2007 4:40 PM | Link to this

traceman: i wouldn’t trade jj.. but in the scheme of my stupid dream if or when belkin takes over i don’t know if he’ll want jj around. imo. ya maybe trading an all star for two backups doesnt’ make too much sense. but they would both compete for starting spots and you would get rid of speedy’s contract in the process.

By doc

April 3, 2007 4:57 PM | Link to this

honest i dont think that belkin will keep much of the bk regime if he comes in. i agree we might see jj gone and only josh kept long term to show fans he respects us.

heh heh

By roan st

April 3, 2007 5:49 PM | Link to this

I don’t think belkin would trade JJ just for spite. Belkin was all for making a deal for jj but he thought we could have had him for much less. He was probably right but now that JJ is an allstar he’s not going to get rid of him. Just because billy got bluffed by phoneix doesn’t mean belkin will take it out on jj. Joe is only 25 years old so he has upside just as many of the youngsters do. No way would I deal joe unless we get a young allstar in return.

By curious

April 3, 2007 5:58 PM | Link to this

There’s a lot of responsibility that comes along with those minutes,” Woodson said. “One of the things I’ve seen is that those guys are wearing down a bit late in games. The energy level is just gone sometimes late in the game. But I do think we need to give these guys the minutes, because the more time they spend on the floor the better they’ll be and the better they’ll be able to help us in the long run.” This proves Woodson is an idiot.

By doc

April 3, 2007 6:51 PM | Link to this

curious, we have had a line on the blog saying just that all season long including the man jj getting his minutes that he is dragging and cant defend or elevate as he is asked to take the imporatant last shot.

it has taken him a long time to state the obvious. now the next obvious question is; just how it helps now or even into the future? does he thinks that by doing it now that somehow they will become supermen and do it in the future, that is play 40 plus minutes a game their career? many of us have said it just places them in harms way, as a tired body gets hurt ultimately or breaks down. now why is chills sitting out the rest of the season? oh yeah, an injury that might be one of overuse.

logic ….. where does it exist?

By OddJob

April 3, 2007 8:10 PM | Link to this

Why is it that every year people see a role player on a college team like Brewer and think he’ll be a star in the nba ? If more than one of these players, Brewer,Hibbert,Conley, and Noah are better than Brandon Wright I’ll kiss my a* if I have to break my back to do it.Brewer wasn’t a star on a college team and he doesn’t have a position in the league,Hibbert is just too slow to ever be able to keep up with the athletes he’ll face,Noah is interesting but he’s so different from any center or power forward I know of who can say what he’ll be ? Conley is a good looking Chris Paul type and he’s my pick from this bunch.Now for Brandon Wright,I live in NC and I saw him probably 20 games this year.To those who say he doesn’t play up to his talent you don’t know what you’re talking about.What wright did in one year at UNC was at least as good as Tech got from Bosh his freshman year.Remember the heels had Tyler Hansborgh in the low post and most set plays from the low post were run for him,but when Wright was in on a play he usually finished the job.Wright will get beat up for a couple of years but he’ll learn and get stronger and he’ll be a star pf down the road.

By ray

April 3, 2007 8:55 PM | Link to this

Great game by Florida. Great game by Oden and Conley. Conley’s the truth at pg. Notice how OSU did with him NOT in the game?

I knew this would reheat the draft talk. Unavoidable. Especially since it never really cooled down all that much.

If the Hawks go to Vegas, this will really suck for the fans here in Georgia, more specifically Atlanta. However, I believe that someone would start another team here not long after. It’s not the city or it’s fans that are the problem. ‘Nuff said there.

By smartguy

April 3, 2007 9:04 PM | Link to this

honestabe- I was totally with you on #1 - 3, but then you went crazy. This team does not need major changes (other than the coach), and if we could somehow land a center (I love Oden, Noah and Hibbert) and get and point shortly after, we would be all set. Not only would we make the playoffs, I think we’d definitely have home court for a round or two as well.
Regardless, we’re not going anywhere with Woody as coach. Love Lawson, and we would be perfect at 11 or 12, but who knows who is coming out at this point, and like we have said, the Hawks bad luck will cause us to come up empty this year at the best lottery in a long time.

The person they send to represent us at the lottery is important, and the powers that be should not use it as an opportunity to get a mintute of airtime. Karma is big in those finicky draws, and maybe they just shouldn’t send anybody at all, and then see what happens. Think about that…

By mavid

April 3, 2007 9:14 PM | Link to this

Oden is a pipe-dream (but with Chill and JJ out, we may very well have a shot at that #1 pick)

Conley, Law, Lawson could actually be similar in quality to Deron, CP3, and Felton. I would take any of those 3 (Crittenton too).

Is there anyways Conley falls to us if we get the Indy pick 11-14? This draft is good enough that I think it’s possible.

I’d be interested in making some trades on or around draft day.

By JB

April 3, 2007 9:36 PM | Link to this

You’re smarter than that, SmartGuy: I can go with you on an either/or, but you can’t have your Kate and Edith, too.

Either we need a new GM because he didn’t give Woody the tools to work with, or Woody was given the pieces, but failed to use them. Further, you acknowledge that Woody has developed guys, yet you now want to penalize him because he hasn’t won games. Don’t you realize that one had to come at the expense of the other? Heck, we didn’t HAVE veterans to play this year, even if he had wanted to.

I can agree with showing Billy the door, but Woody has held confidence AND attention of a lot of young, impressionable guys thru the last three nightmare years, including a injury-induced disaster this year. Tell me where there’s a better coach who’s WILLING to come to Atlanta???

By Jay

April 3, 2007 11:20 PM | Link to this

Its really hard for me to get excited for the draft with Knightmare at the helm. The Shelden pick is looking like a bust of huge proportions. Deng and new AI are FAR better then Chills, CP3 over Marvin, etc. Then there are the endless parade of backup pgs that wouldnt be starting on 25 other nba teams.

Is there really any doubt that Knightmare is going to take another swingman or undersized power forward?

By Mark

April 4, 2007 1:13 AM | Link to this

You really need to stop with Noah. The only thing he did well Monday night was jump up and down and waive his towel on the bench, and the Hawks already have Solomon Jones and Esteban Batista to do that. There is one other thing to consider about Noah. He’s 22. If he hasn’t learned any skill moves by now, will he ever? Durant is 18, and he’s more skilled that the entire Hawks roster(except for JJ).

By Neil

April 5, 2007 11:51 AM | Link to this

I really thought we could do something this year until JJ got hurt. Since then I have been hoping the hawks could lose all games and tonight is the biggest one yet. We could surpass Milwaukee as the third worst record and increase our chances of keeping our pick. And Boston although a long shot is knocking on the door to pass Atlanta also. Come on Billy do something right for once and keep tanking games!!! Tonight lets start Ivey at point, Batista at center, slava at pf, shelden at sf and salim (the shortest sg ever at sg). Yes luck has been against us but we can at least TRY to beat the odds and keep our pick even if it isn’t oden we could get hibbert. We desperately need a better center. If he can handle oden like he did then he can do much more than zaza or lorenzen which wouldn’t take much. PLEASE HAWKS LOSE THE REST OF THE GAMES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!