Sports Columnists

By Ken

February 26, 2006 09:08 PM | Link to this

But you don’t understand. Billy is the best GM in the NBA - give him time. He unloaded Rasheed and didn’t have to take any real players. He unloaded Terry and didn’t have to take any real players. He unloaded “Big Dog” and didn’t have to take any real players. Real players cost money -especially good ones - ATL can’t afford that. He unloaded Diaw and picks to Phoenix plus agreed to pay JJ $70 million. I never thought any GM could top Babcock but Billy sure is (Phoenix is laughing about “Good ole Billy” Wait till you see what he pulls off with Harrington leaving (Bet he doesn’t have to take any real players.) Oh you forgot he has this great coach - give him time. Fans in Detroit, Houston and Phoenix think Billy is great - why shouldn’t we!!!!

By HawksFanFromDecatur

February 26, 2006 09:20 PM | Link to this

Mark,

I don’t post too often but I do read everything I can online about the Hawks. I must admit that you have expressed how most of us die-hard Hawks fans have felt ever since Billy Knight chose Marvin the 2005 draft. Rumor has it that Knight would have preferred Deron Williams over Chris Paul anyway, but regardless of which PG he liked he should have taken ONE of them. Not only that, Raymond Felton is looking like the second best PG from last year’s draft (he scored 31 points last night) and he was drafted 5th!

Billy Knight has severely hampered the growth of our franchise by not picking a PG in last year’s draft. I totally agree with you, Marvin Williams was not the pick for this Hawks team. I have a feeling in the pit of my stomach that his decision will haunt the Hawk’s franchise for the next 10 years.

By Jamie

February 26, 2006 09:28 PM | Link to this

Mark Bradley my friend you are wrong The Hawks made the correct choice, Marvin Williams is a special player and I don’t know if you’ve noticed him the last 15 - 20 games or so he is rounding into a solid basketball player. Woodson has brought him along slowly which is the best way to bring along a player with such a high ceiling. I really don’t see where Deron Williams or for that matter Chris Paul would have made a tangible difference on this team. I can only see maybe a 6-8 win improvement on the Hawks. Don’t get me wrong Chris Paul and Deron Williams are outstanding point guards and they fit the molds of the teams who chose them more than the Hawks. Back off of Billy Knight about his drafts. I will take Josh Childress, Josh Smith, Royal Ivey, Donta Smith (Good Developmental Talent), Marvin Williams, Salim Stoudamire, Cenk Akyol ( Overseas Developmental Talent) over Priest Lauderdale, Doug Edwards, Ed Gray, Cal Bowdler, Donnie Boyce, Roshown McCleod, Dion Glover and some of the other misjudgements previous management made. Billy Knight has been very savvy in free agency and trades with ZaZa, Joe Johnson, Tyronn Lue, Batista, Edwards. No rebuilding effort is instantaneous, you start to look for tangible progress in Year 3 and as of right now we are on schedule. We are already showing solid progress already so I think Atlanta fans should be patient and optimistic about the future, I know I am.

By Danny P

February 26, 2006 09:42 PM | Link to this

The Hawks should have went back to their glory days by getting Doc Rivers (when he was available) as head coach, Tree Rollings (work with the big men), Randy Whittman (teach shooting), and Johnnie Davis (Asst Head Coach). Nique would have been a great general manager and put an old guy like Mike Fratello as his assistant and you have the glory years back. At least you would ahve a team that of leadership that cares and you would see the difference on the floor and in the wins and losses.

By James

February 26, 2006 10:15 PM | Link to this

Mark—-you ever watched the Clint Eastwood movie “Heartbreak Ridge” when Clint referred to a platoon as “FUBAR”? That’s what the Hawks are under Billy “Stupid as the Dark” Knight’s leadership and Mike “Get taken to the..” WoodSHED as head coach. A joke. Worse than an expansion team.

By RW

February 26, 2006 10:54 PM | Link to this

Good article. I agree that they blew it by not drafting a point guard. I hope Marvin Williams turns out to be worth it the long run. Seems to me they could have traded away some of the other eleven small forwards they have for a middle to late first round pick and picked up someone like Jarrett Jack. He would have at least been able to make a solid contribution on a team with no other real option at point. Also, that might have generated a little goodwill with the fans keeping him here.

By Stacy

February 26, 2006 10:54 PM | Link to this

Good grief,typical Atlanta fans. As always,no optimistic view. It is going to take a few seasons to fix the Babcock years. Would you rather develop just a starting 5 or a starting 5 with REAL depth?

How about grooming a player with talent to build around?

How about NOT jerking the seat out from under a coach in just 2 years time?

This is what I don’t get with some folks,cancers aren’t cured over night.It takes time.

It’s obvious the team HAS gotten better from last season.Now in this off season,you try to add more pieces to your puzzle and ee if they work.I’d keep Lue for coming off the bench at PG and look to upgrade at that position.Maybe that’s why Knight hung on to Harrington.

Sure it sucks seeing and feeling your heart broken alot with the losses….but keep the “good old days” in mind and think “how fun” the new good old days are gonna be.Keep the faith.

By RW

February 26, 2006 11:02 PM | Link to this

Good article. I agree that they blew it with that pick. I do hope Marvin Williams turns out to be worth it in the long run. Seems to me, though, that they could have traded a few of their other eleven small forwards for a middle to late first round pick to draft Jarrett Jack. I know he’s probably not the answer, but he at least would be better than what we have now. Also, that might have created a little goodwill with the fans keeping him here. It’s not like trading away a few of those small forwards would hurt us, anyway. Besides, if Tyronne Lue can get as much playing time on this team as he is, Jack might have been a real assett.

By Spell checker

February 26, 2006 11:22 PM | Link to this

Danny: Did you intentionally spell every name in your blog incorrectly or are you really not a long suffering Hawks fan?

By hawksnumba1fan

February 26, 2006 11:55 PM | Link to this

we blew the pick no doubt but .I know one thing we better not draft a SF in this year’s draft because I wont be a HAWKS fan anymore. Im tired of it we need a PG now, IVEY and LUE are not the answers regardless of how good COACH and his best bud KNIGHT think they are. None of the PG’S on our team would start for another team plain and simple ,and we better not resign AL he’s a liability apparently he is’nt making the team better. So lets do a sign and trade in the off season either landing us a big man or a PG.

CHILL, WILLIAMS, and SMITH - Have all shown that if they get the playing time they can be special and with AL here they wont

but lets hope KNIGHT drafts a big like BARGNANI or ALDRIGE to play C or a PG like FOYE or GIBSON

By Bob in SF

February 27, 2006 12:04 AM | Link to this

Mark, I agree with you to a point but hindsight is ALWAYS 20/20. Back before the the draft (or even the lottery) you were writing of CP3 as not being worthy of the second or third pick in the draft. It’s easy to watch a guy produce early in his career and then say “the Hawks should have picked him” but you definitely didn’t sing that tune back around draft time. It’s true difference making PG’s don’t show up all the time but the Hawks plan for a slow building process into sustained respectability using the draft and young FA’s seems to be slowly bearing fruit. They truly only lack 3 things to be a playoff team at this point;1) Experience, all those young swingmen are getting better every night, in 2-3 years Marvin will be a stud and we will wonder why we ever questioned him 2) The passing/defensive oriented PG. One will eventually be here, the very fact that the Hawks won’t need too much offense out of their point expands what they can find either FA or in the draft. 3) A dedicated defensive/rebounding PF or back-up C that dreams of nothing but shutting guys down and cleaning the glass. None of this will be easy but Rome wasn’t built in a day and you can’t grow flowers overnight out the pile of manure Babcock left. I used to be on the “fire Billy K” wagon but now I’m coming to the point of giving him some more time and the benefit of the doubt. The Hawks are at least competitive at this point and I thank God every night Isiah Thomas isn’t the Hawks GM! :)

By The Flash

February 27, 2006 12:21 AM | Link to this

As I’ve said time and again on skou’s blog, the reason BK didn’t pick or trade for a PG is simple. He thought he had one in JJ, and gave away way too much to get JJ, after he had bought the pot with the 70m but did not stand pat to make Phoenix match which no way they would have. So there were two huge misstakes in one move: thinking JJ, terrific as he might be (I wouldn’t go that far yet), is a pg which he ain’t and then giving away picks when he didn’t have to. That’s why there was no true point. That’s the list.

By HawksTrade4Kobe

February 27, 2006 01:13 AM | Link to this

This is only Marvin’s second year out of high school. Give him time. I doubt that Knight or Woodson expected him to lead the Hawks to the championship this year.

Also, how can Bradley assume that if the Hawks had C.Paul or D.Williams rather than Marvin Williams, they would be within reach of the playoffs? That’s assuming that these teams are equal in every other aspect and that the success of the rookie PGs has nothing to do with contributions from their respective teammates.

By Scott

February 27, 2006 01:37 AM | Link to this

It’s not the fact that he drafted Williams, it’s the fact that we already had three guys on the team that play his position. Josh Childress, Josh Smith, and Al Harrington are all swingmen. You can’t just draft every 6’8 player you see in the draft and expect to win. Billy Knight is INSANE and has no clue what is going on.

And Stacy, how are you supposed to be optimistic about things when your team gets high draft picks and picks players that play the same position every year? And it’s kind of hard to be optimistic for a team that hasn’t won a NBA championship since 1957. That’s right, almost 50 years since the Hawks were last NBA champions. They haven’t even been out of the second round of the playoffs in over 25 years. It’s a joke and people have a right to be fed up with it.

By A Thinking Fan

February 27, 2006 07:12 AM | Link to this

I watched Detroit play Sunday, none of them individually would carry a team, BUT they are a properly balanced and structured NBA Team. As always, we NEED a PG, C, PF!!!

By A Thinking Fan

February 27, 2006 07:32 AM | Link to this

Remember JJ doesn’t have to be individually the Savior of the team. Just give us a Suns, Spurs, Pistons formula - A full team roster with all the right pieces.

I don’t think Garnett, Kobe, etc. led teams will do much in the payoffs.

By robert gillispee

February 27, 2006 07:47 AM | Link to this

Knight could not find talent if he tripped over it. The no class guy.

By eddiem

February 27, 2006 07:59 AM | Link to this

Do any of you people, Bradley included, remember the draft choices this team has made over the years? I am not going to repeat the ridiculous choices, but did anyone think that this year the Hawks organization had finally figured it out and would make a solid draft pick? Think again, all of you-this franchise is a joke….just add this year’s pick to all of the rest of the debacles…..

By butlera

February 27, 2006 08:09 AM | Link to this

I guess we can judge this draft until a couple of years from now. Yes, we see that Chris Paul is having an outstanding year. However, we cannot really say he would have had the same affect in Atlanta. Different team and definitely a different coach. The only thing I do hate is the fact that when Denver came calling about the availability of Harrington, we should have worked this deal. Rumor has it that Denver offered Nene and two first round draft choices. I would have explored the possibility of increasing the deal for Nene, Earl Watson, and two first round picks for Harrington and Tony Delk. Watson, is not receiving much playing time but for years he was the lead guard on the floor for the Grizzlies instead of Jason Williams. Nene, even though he is hurt, would have given us size at the PF/C position to go along with ZaZa Pachulia. No, this team wouldn’t have won the Eastern Conference, but this trade would have made us a more competitive and complete team in 06/07. Imagine that team with Alridge from Texas if we are lucky.

By Ron Roberts

February 27, 2006 08:28 AM | Link to this

Thank you, “Captain Obvious.”

Seriously, anybody ahead of the (We don’t wanna go back to) New Orleans Hornets in the draft screwed up by not taking Chris Paul, frankly. The guy’s been flat-out phenominal; but being that Marvin’s so far down the lineup right now, it’s too soon to tell if he’ll be a quality pick or a bust. Thing is, knowing how badly this franchise needed an impact player, I can’t help but wonder why Billy Knight picked a guy he had to know wasn’t going to get much immediate playing time.

Billy and Coach Woodson have to be on a short leash, and if they’d known such, they should’ve picked somebody who would’ve provided a more immediate impact. I’m not sure many people knew Chris Paul would be that guy, but hindsight says he was the right guy for Atlanta to have taken. C’est la, for the Hawk fan.

By mark

February 27, 2006 08:55 AM | Link to this

can you say pete babcock, bk is cleaning up this mess pb made after, 10 or more years on the job. dominique for danny get the hell out of town manning. isaih don’t call me j r rider. not bad draft choices but horrible draft choices. true sports fan know. it takes time. to rebuid key word rebuid . the hawks are rebuilding. it takes time haters.maybe not in the wins colum. the hawks are in better shape than 8 teams in the east. philly, bucks, orlando, etc. money wise talent and youth. again rome wasn’t built in a day . a lot of ou will be eating your words. mark my word. the hawks are taking the right approach. like 1 blogger said i am glad we are not in the knicks shoes. be patient true hawks fan.

By LearnedHand05

February 27, 2006 09:36 AM | Link to this

If I remember correctly, Williams was rated as a “sure thing” by every draft pundit. In fact, some were debating as to whether he, not Bogut, should be the 1st pick.

Many of these same pundits also thought that Paul was too short to play the PG position at the level he played during college. There were questions as to Deron Williams weight, speed,attitude, and hands.

So if you’re going to call out BK for picking Williams, you also have to do the same for every other basketball pundit as well. Any other pick would have been seen as “riskier” even though it addressed a more immediate need.

By dewan lee

February 27, 2006 09:55 AM | Link to this

While I agree that the Danny Manning fiasco was a real bad move(Divison leading team best player for a player with bad knees), the Phoenix trade was worse. How do you give up a 1st rounder a # 15 pick (Diaw) yeah he sucked here but he is nice there, plus 70 million. There is no way the Suns would have tried to pay him since they have Stoudamire, Nash, and Marion to pay already. I dotn want to here about the Larry Bird rule cause Phoenix would not match it. Look at the roster now which has Raja Bell, Barbosa, and James Jones all providing the same things that JJ did, not to metion Boris Diaw. Belkin was the only person with common sense but oh well we force him out cause he had the fortitude to see that this made no %&$#%( sense. Now o to the draft. As I said back then the Hawks have to many players that play the same position and no tough guys for the pivot. You draft Marvin to sit behind other players or do you say that it was a wrong move to have Smith and Childress. Do you pay Al Harrington or do you let him walk and say that you wasted a year of development of Marvin and Josh2. While I may not be a GM I do have common sense and Billy is not that far removed from Isiah. Hey at elast Isaih gets players that can fill the Garden (you must admit). Chris Paul should have been the pick and remember he is only 3 years removed out of high school and Dwight Howard is only 2 as Marvin and his stat lines are tight. In Marvin I see an average player not a superstar. He will not even reach CWebb level so why we trippin with him. Listen up BK. Next year JJ not Joe Johnson but Redick from Duke. I know the world is against any Duke player but this is different he is 6 3 and he can do what no one else besides maybe Salim, on the roster can do, and that is shoot. BK did you hear me or do I need to repeat it JJ he and JJ would be a nice backcourt if not how about Adam Morrison from Gonzaga. He does that thing againt that you refuse to address and that is shooting.

By Rog

February 27, 2006 10:24 AM | Link to this

Nice insightful and timely article. How bold to make this discovery 8 months after the draft when Paul is playing all world. Did you notice that EVERYONE else in the country has already figured out we should have drafted Paul. Where were you before the draft? I don’t remember ajc running a front page huge article on Chris Paul. I do remember one on Marvin Williams.
But, of course adding in the Deron would have been a better pick is laughable. He’s been a huge disappointment and I would hate to have wasted the #2 pick on him.

By Curt

February 27, 2006 10:32 AM | Link to this

Let’s not forget that the Hawks also had the opportunity to pick Tony Parker, Jamaal Tinsley, etc. in past drafts and passed to take the likes of Cal Bowdler and Dion Glover. They felt that their team was too young to hand the reigns to a rookie point guard. So here we are 5 years later still lacking a 1. Even Dan Dickau has played better away from the Hawks. I think Billy Knight needs to recognize that he isn’t building a teams to play in the Big 10. Having seven 6-8 guys on your team is not a benefit it is a detriment and until he figures this out the Hawks will continue to lose 60 games a season.

By GOLDEN HAWK

February 27, 2006 10:43 AM | Link to this

This guy - Marvin Williams - is going to be a superstar for a decade, unless he listens to all of you nay-sayers.

So what- he’s not Majic Johnson (who won a Championship as a Rookie) or Micheal Jordan (who reached the playoffs as a Rookie). We Atlantans Aren’t Die Hard Supporters -like those in LA and Chicago- either - Are We?)

The Hawks need what all of us need. “Love- Support - Patience and Prayer.” They are talented; and they play hard. Yea, they need to work alittle more on defense. But they have ALREADY improved DRASTICALLY over last year. Be appreciative for what we have.

How discouraging must it be for a kid with one year of college (and an NCAA Championship) under his belt to hear an entire city debating about how HE is the reason the team isn’t in the playoffs. He isn’t. The Hawks can bet New Orleans anyday. They split with New Orleans this year. Chris is great (17 pt a game), but the Hornet’s roster is so sorry that he’s forced to play 35.6 minutes a game. Plus Bryon Scott is a proven coach. He’s won with great players (Kidd-KMart-Jefferson) in New Jersey and he wins with sorry players (now) in New Orleans. But his current team still sucks and will be atmost an also ran. They may not even make the playoffs.

Mark these words: Two years from now, the Hawks will be one of the Elite teams and you will all be hailing the praises of “Marvelous Marvin”.

Keep Your Head Up - Brother.

By darron

February 27, 2006 11:02 AM | Link to this

Flash:

You’re wrong. The draft came first, JUNE 2005, JJ’s agent couldn’t start negotiating his free agency with teams until after the draft. BK is not a profit, he didn’t know before the draft that he would get JJ. BK had every opportunity to pick practically anybody he wanted with the #2 pick. Later, why he didn’t trade for a PG before the trade deadline, only BK knows.

By dewan lee

February 27, 2006 11:05 AM | Link to this

Correction. The Hawks did draft Tinsley they jsut decided to give him up without ever having him coem to camp. They also drafted Michael Redd and cut him. Great job Hawks.

By Jameyan

February 27, 2006 11:13 AM | Link to this

Thank you Mark Bradley for bringing up something we have been talking about on these blogs for the last six months. We are beating a dead horse right now.Right now we are 17-37 and if we had not had that horrendus 2-16 start we would be in the playoff race. Bottom line we must look forward to the summer and the future. There can be some deals out there for us such as the Knicks are very interested in Al Harrington. You package a deal with Al Harrington and a future pick for Channing Frye and one of those pg’s/sg they have on the team. Crawford,Robinson,Marbury,Francis or someone that could be a tandom with Joe Johnson. Then we have to draft Aldridge from Texas in the first round and a steal in the second round such as a Dee Brown,Marcus Williams,JP Batista,or Eric Williams. In the meantime quit crying and try and get every win we can also go out and sign Will Bynum.

By Greg

February 27, 2006 11:27 AM | Link to this

While this was a very insightful article, I would have to disagree slightly with Mark. I think it was the wiser decision to go with Marvin Wiliams. While Paul, filled a bigger need, and as we were all reminded when we drafted Marvin, he has a big upside. He does have potential to at least be an All-Star. He will not carry a team, but should develop into a 16-18ppg scorer and solid rebounder. But as a couple of other people stated, what the Hawks probably should have done is secured a mid 1st round pick and drafted Jarret Jack. Maybe we should offer a draft pick or something to Portland and see if we might be ableto get him.

By MrHughes

February 27, 2006 11:31 AM | Link to this

Marvin was the right pick. Paul has already missed games due to injury and should have sat out all star weekend to rest his ribs. He’s going to hurt the Hornets down the stretch. Paul’s body will not hold up long term in the NBA. He’s too small for all the bumps he takes. Marvin has all the potential in the world. You always go against need you have the chance at a star? Did the Blazers need Jermaine O’Neal, the Bulls need Michael, the Lakers need Magic or Kobe? Didn’t Marvin go to line ft line 9 times against the Heat? We have a playmaker here people. I’ll take depth because it’s not like everyone can play 48 mins. We have a deeper team this year and that’s the point. It’s not hard to imagine Smith and Williams growing into their bodies and being potential 4’s. JJ is only averaging one assist less than CP3 this season and Ivey provides us with a defensive presence. In fact, both Ivey and Lue have been better this season. In regards to the JJ deal. Y’all can saw the Suns would not match until the cows come home. There’s no proof that things would have worked out that way. Yes, JJ’s contract would have put them over the cap. But, this isn’t the NFL. You don’t have to cut people if you are over the cap. You just pay the luxury tax. You think an owner would trade a year of tax for a championship? With JJ they would be a better team than they are with Diaw. They’d have to be the favorites out West despite the Mavs great play.

By Gary

February 27, 2006 11:39 AM | Link to this

Right now we have four players who are our future undoubtedly, Marvin, JJ, J-Smoove, and Childress. The problem is, we have to fit them into 3 positions, and really only two, because putting any of them at PF is a stretch (let’s hope Marvin grows a bit). That makes me sad; the future of the Hawks cannot even fit in a starting lineup.

By MrHughes

February 27, 2006 11:40 AM | Link to this

Newsflash… Billy Knight did try to get Jack. The teams picking around there were not interested in our offers. I just don’t see how anyone could question the Marvin pick. Do y’all even watch the Hawks?

By Greg from Marietta

February 27, 2006 11:49 AM | Link to this

Billy Knight has to be one of worst GM’s in the NBA. What brain trust came up with the idea that you can play NBA basketball without a playmaker “GUARD”. In a game played by bigmen it’s the little man that makes things happen. (Where or where is Spud Webb when you need him??)

By MrHughes

February 27, 2006 12:10 PM | Link to this

Introducing the playmaker for your Atlanta Hawks (since its clear you don’t actually watch them)… Joe Johnson.

7 out of the last 11 games he’s had 9 or more assists. Meaning he’s getting better! Billups (Pistons) 8.7 a’s per game Knight (Bobcats) 8.5 a’s per game Miller (Nuggets) 8.4 a’s per game Kidd (Nets) 8.0 a’s per game Paul (Hornets) 7.7 a’s per game Wade (Heat) 6.8 a’s per game Cassell (LAC) 6.5 a’s per game Ford (Bucks) 6.4 a’s per game Hinrich (Bulls) 6.4 a’s per game Felton (Bobcats) 4.7 a’s per game Diaw (Suns) 5.8 a’s per game Parker (Spurs) 5.8 James (Raptors) 5.5 Duhon (Bulls) 5.4 Bibby (Kings) 5.3 Terry (Mavs) 3.9 Crawford (NYK) 3.9 Boykins (Nuggets) 3.8 Parker (LAL) 3.3

By Traceman

February 27, 2006 12:12 PM | Link to this

It is amazing how all of the wanna be GMs around here are blasting BK for taking Marvin and not Paul or Deron Williams. There is NO doubt in my mind that no more than 20% of the people posting here would have taken Paul over Marvin or Deron Williams just like no more than 20% of the so-called “national experts” would have taken Paul over Marvin. Many people thought Paul was too small to be an impact PG at the NBA level over the long term and almost every “expert” agreed that Marvin was the player with the most upside in thwe draft. The same people who are complaining now are the same ones who would have been complaining if Marvin had ended up in NO/OK and put up big numbers (as he probably would have because he would be getting more PT).

Bottom line, let’s let this thing play out over the next few years AT LEAST before we determine that BK made the wrong choice. I love what Paul is doing, and I liked him coming out of college, but I love Marvin too and I think he will be an All Star for us for many years to come. Go Hawks!

By emmett

February 27, 2006 12:28 PM | Link to this

first, we don’t even know where marvin will eventually wind up. will he be a 3 or a 4. after all he’s what, 19?

you can’t compare cp to marvin. remember the hornets were a playoff team b/f they moved west and the owner got rid of paul silas. they went into the deep freeze when they hired his friend tim floyd to run the club and are back now that they have a legit nba coach.

it is appauling to see was boris is doing in phx but then again I could suit half of you guys up and watch you go for double digits if you played with nash.

yeah, they need a pg and now that it appears they have pieces that other franchises see as desirable maybe they can swing a trade if there is no viable option in free agency or the draft.

By Randall

February 27, 2006 12:30 PM | Link to this

The Hawks’ strategy is obviously to field a team of all small forwards. Like Stotts said - they have a bunch of 6’8” guys.

By MrHughes

February 27, 2006 12:38 PM | Link to this

Stotts is angry because we didn’t want him. He’s a sorry coach. Seriously, if we weren’t shorthanded after coming off a back to back, then we would have beat them. Did I mention the fact that the first game was overtime and our 2nd leading scorer had fouled out? The 6’8” guys we have are going to be beater than the team he has over there. His number one pick was a non factor and we beat them up and down the court until we lost or legs midway through the 3rd quarter. He’s just a bitter bitter man.

By The Self-Proclaimed Genius

February 27, 2006 12:40 PM | Link to this

Peter Vecsey (sp?) has an interesting blurb on the Hawks in his NBA column, which appears in the NY Post.

According to Vecsey’s inside source, the team is over-run with bad attitudes … with the worst ones belonging to J. Smith, S. Stoudamire and M. Williams.

By Captain Obvious

February 27, 2006 12:43 PM | Link to this

MrsHughes, if your Aunt Esther had testicles, she’d be your Uncle Fred.

Have mercy!

By Brendan

February 27, 2006 01:10 PM | Link to this

Mark, the Hawks have already won more games than I thought they would all year. So? So, I’m afraid that they are “blowing their draft picks” again with each additional win.

I thought Steve Belkin was right all along. Billy Knight won’t last the season as GM, lest he pull out some trade deadline trickery or fleece someone in a trade.

Al Harrington, we’ll miss ya. Best jump shot on the team.

By Astro Joe

February 27, 2006 01:25 PM | Link to this

Mr. Bradley, care to predict who will win gold in the Torino Olympics as your next move of brilliant journalism? Why don’t you tell us why the NY Post broke the Belkin story last year and broke the Salim, Marvin, Josh Smith fighting with Woody story over the weekend? I think Atlanta sports fans need to understand why we get better insider coverage on the Hawks from the NY Post than we do from the AJC. Maybe Schultz will reiterate everything in his column tomorrow.

By TheTruth

February 27, 2006 01:31 PM | Link to this

Just an FYI to all of the Jack bloggers. He is only averaging 6.1 PPG, 42% FG, 42% 3PT, and 2.1RPG.

This doesn’t look like the stats of an impact player that most people are speaking about. That was at Georgia Tech. Different Ball game in the big leagues!

By NJ HAWK

February 27, 2006 01:38 PM | Link to this

Can Chris Paul defensive rebound or play solid interior defense? Was their any big time shot blocking/rebounding big man worthy of being drafted with the 2nd pick in last years draft? Do you think maybe the reason the trap by the Bucks hurt us was because Tyrone Lue and Salim were both not available? NOW ASK YOURSELF THESE ?’S BEFORE YOU WRITE ABOUT A TEAM YOU WATCH ONCE OR TWICE A YEAR!!!

By ATLREB

February 27, 2006 01:41 PM | Link to this

I wouldn’t listen to anything Peter V. say’s, he sucks and just throws things out to see if they stick. And again Flash, not drafting a guard didn’t have anything to do with JJ. It was well known in the NBA circles that the Suns would match any offer that wasn’t a max deal. And for the people saying we trading Diaw, he sucked here. You would have that stat line playing with Steve Nash, and he wasn’t the 15th pick in the draft, around 21 I think. And if we can go back, why not draft Josh Howard instead, but we can’t so quit crying. You can complain, because we need a point so bad, but we also need another big, so why isn’t people clamoring for Frye. I’ll start it then, instead of Marvin(who I think will be a Superstar), Frye. Our fans are a Joke, went to the game Sat against Bucks, we are screaming during our Free throws.

By ackson

February 27, 2006 01:50 PM | Link to this

y’all only know what’s going on here in atlanta i live in new orleans and i i’ll tell you what i think.The truth is anybody news orleans would’ve picked would of been the rookie of the year because b.scott play his rookie for so many minutes. last season when the season was lost he played j.r smith for what i believe 40 minutes a night and he was very soft when he made mistake he didn’t take him out he kept him out there which is just what he does with c.paul and would have done with any other rookie they draft. so if we have selected c.paul and they would have gotten m.williams i promise you he be putting up 15 pts 6-8rebound a game because he be out ther so long and getting comfortable same with d.williams. on the other hand c.paul probaly be getting bench by woody right now because he commits alot of t.o’s and take alot of bad shots so either way it was a losing situation for us

By crs

February 27, 2006 02:26 PM | Link to this

You said it Mark, this is not a playoff team even with CP. I have said it before, Marvin will be a great player given a couple seasons, I suspect he will score more points than CP and be a better all around player. I agree this years college crop of points is somewhat lacking but I am certain we can find someone servicable and I would still like to see Atlanta make a deal for Jarrett Jack. I think with the big kid from texas and a Jack or a Dee Brown this is a much improved team next year that if able to retain AH or get some value for him in a sign and trade will be a playoff team next year.

By crs

February 27, 2006 02:28 PM | Link to this

ackson, all excellent points. I think your right, if we had Cp and they had MW the talk would be the same - how we missed out on the next stud from UNC.

By the flash

February 27, 2006 02:36 PM | Link to this

Darren, My bad, but maybe not. You’d have to think that BK had his eyes on JJ before the draft. It’s the only thing that makes any sense. If not, who did he think was going to play the point?

And, like I said, I don’t necessarily subscribe to the view that you take Paul over Williams. Williams was a sound choice and I am not second guessing that. Williams could well make all those confident second guessers now put their heads back in their shells.

But, to not have had a plan to bring in a point, and to have given away picks needlessly that could have been used to get one here before the season, that seems to me a big time whiff.

But, you might be right. The idea to get JJ but have suddenly arisen after the draft. Come on D, think about it. With the ability and willingness to put dollars on the table that nobody would match, it was a pretty good bet that they knew they would get him (JJ that is).

On the other hand, while JJ can play anywhere some of the time (there are very few players you can say that about), pencilling him in as the next Magic and as your point of the future was not sound thinking, not for a GM of an NBA franchise.

By Steve

February 27, 2006 03:05 PM | Link to this

OK, I am going to cause a little bit of a stir but __ that

Marvin is a prototypical athletic three, not a four, a three. He needs to be playing the three, not the four. He is languishing behind Al, see you later, Harrington and Josh, I need to add some weight and play the four, Smith. Marvin has a better all around game than Josh, he has a better basketball skillset than anyone on the team, including JJ. (he is better now than JJ as a rook, in my opinion)

Penciling Marvin in at the Four will kill his game, that is until they give up on him and allow him to walk or trade him in two-three years, see boris diaw for example.

and lest we forget, that when Josh Smith was drafted number 16 in 2004 we needed a point then as well. Jameer, Delonte, Sebastian and Sasha all were drafted in the first round and have shown an ability to play the point in the corrent system. And lest we forget we had Jacque Vaughn for a while, He did nothing more that start a number of games for the Nets while Kidd was out with the knee. then there are the really good ones like trading the pick that was Jamal Tinsley.

Marvin, I believe in, Boris I believed in and am being proved correct by d’antoni, JJ I believe in, I loved bringing Rasheed to town, I thought Jason Terry could be a good player with a complimentary two guard to handle the ball similar to a JJ, I liked joel przybilla in a hawks uni and his current salary is only about 1.5 mil, Then there are soom other good role players that could still be around, Ira Newble, darvin Ham, Nazr Mohammed, Theo Ratliff, Dan Dickau prior to blowing out an ankle, Bob Sura, lest I go on.

What all this should tell me is that in a good situation we would have a coach that builds the system around the players, and they flourish.

For Example, The clippers have a coach that is modifying his system to fit the players and they are flying, and oh by the way we could have had him but our GM and Owners dragged their feet, his name is Mike Dunleay, he only took Milwaukee and LA to the playoffs in addition to resurrecting the clips. Maybe saving a million or so was worth it.

Based on everything, including all the trades, players released, we can conclude one thing, Marvin should be an All Star small forward, but leave it to a hot mess in atlanta to try to make him play the four behind Al and turn the crowds against him.

Solution, Move Josh to 4 and split time equally with Al, Move Marvin to the 3 and force him to play 32+ minutes a game, rotating his defensive assignments from the 2 and 3, with some time defending the one and four. Force Marvin to bring the ball up court a minimum of 10 times a game.

and oh by the way, fire the coaches and GM, and Hire Don Nelson, making him pick his own replacement for three years out and put him in as the bench coach, like he did in Dallas.

You get the picture, Atlanta does a good job of picking the players and then either nailing a square peg into a round hole or ditching them all together.

Marvin was young, but he is good,and will only get better.

The hawks management are acting old, senile, and stupid, At least Pete Babcock made guarantees.

By A Thinking Fan

February 27, 2006 03:07 PM | Link to this

Is any body working to day?

By A Thinking Fan

February 27, 2006 03:18 PM | Link to this

It is the COACHING of Marvin that is hurting him…

By Rutuger

February 27, 2006 03:27 PM | Link to this

Who didn’t realize they screwed the pooch yet again on this one? Who didn’t expect it to happen?

Good idea—pass up a top-calibur PG (admittedly, Paul has performed better than most predicted he would) for a position you have a roster full of, on a kid who never even started a game at UNC. This is VINTAGE Hawks management and tallies up yet another pro basketball embarrassment to this city.

And if I have to hear another UNC fan hail him as the next Tracy McGrady, I’m going to vomit. Pathetic.

By doc

February 27, 2006 04:49 PM | Link to this

glad you brought up t mc., not to say marvin is similar but to give an example of player development at a young age. his numbers were 7. 9 and 15 ppg in his first three years on 18, 22 and 30 mpg with the raptors. i saw him play in charlotte his third year and he really didnt look like he cared nor had a clue in that one game scoring 2 points that night and playing the matador on defense. he then went to orlando and the rest is hitory. no one can predict what marvin will do but he has seemingly improved his play through the season even though he wasnt even a starter with big minutes at unc. he will take time just like garnett, kobe and all those other high school guys did. josh howard looks to be a freak with his numbers at an early stage of development in comparison.

mark, if you could allow us to go back in the archives past august it would be interesting to see how you really assessed thing for the draft of 2005. i dont think there will be a headline around the draft that says you felt that chris paul is going to be the only impact player of that class for this year. even bogut has not played the position he was picked for but as a pf and has begun to struggle as the wear and tear takes its toll.

some continue to insist that the suns were not prepared to match, let me remind you that they had already offered him 60 million to sign before the collective bargaining agreement was signed. this year was a very different year to play the free agent game as no one could make any plays on free agents until it went down in august. please tell me the suns would not have offered only 2 million a year more to keep him before he said he wanted out. please say they wouldnt have been at least be very tempted to pay him and then see how to play it out from there. then who are you kidding? it seems it is always better to have a signed player of value to deal than one who is not a la al.

some people dont seem to do their research nor have the knowledge to back up their statements but only play the conjecture what if angle. so what is the agenda then if there is no validity to what is said? can you say you are even a fan or just here to hate?

By Ebert

February 27, 2006 04:52 PM | Link to this

Nobody expected Marvin Williams to come in and be an immediate impact player. He is only 19 years old. He will be more valuable than Chris Paul in the long run. It’s not really fair to compare the two….Chris Paul plays a different position, is 4 years older, and gets 13 more minutes per game.

By The Flash

February 27, 2006 05:16 PM | Link to this

Doc, you silly man. Phoenix, if they want to win it all, and that IS what they want right, had to get BIG. They still need to do that. The Zards let Hughes go for less than 2 mill per and they were completely on record committed to him as a MUST SIGN!

No one in the league was offering anywhere near what the Hawks were for JJ. So if Phoenix signs him, how are they going to pay the big they need, pay the two star forwards that they have, and, oh yes, pay Nash? You got to come with something stronger than that Mr. Doc. At least to not look silly.

By Taurus

February 27, 2006 08:03 PM | Link to this

Here’s the issue in hand. When building a basketball team you always start with a good point guard or center. That’s basketball 101. Swingman come a dime a dozen in college. At best, M. Williams will be no better than what you already have in Harrington..17-20 PPG…7-10 REBS, and can play both forward positions. With all those swingman, you could trade for a really good point guard. Here’s a thought…in 20 years only 1 swingman has lead his team to a championship, and that’s Larry Bird..he was a legend. Every team you can think that won the championship all had the same thing in common. Good point guards.

By vdunkndunk

February 27, 2006 10:46 PM | Link to this

Other than Isaiah, what PG has lead a team to championship in the last 20 years as the foundation piece? The Bulls didn’t even have a decent one and they won 6 rings; the Lakers won 3 rings with mighty Derek Fisher at the helm. And Steven Nash, Mr. MVP, has never made it to the finals. Not even once. Jason Kidd and Alan Iverson made it, but they were nothing more than sacrificial lambs who would watch Shaquille O’neal rip their teams apart in sweeps or near sweeps.

In other words, the Hawks need a good big man (or two) roughly twice as much as they need a PG, and that’s a fact. Look at it this way: with Paul, the Hawks may have one enough games to make a little splash but miss the playoffs. Without him, we have a legitimate shot at LaMarcus Aldridge this summer, who could end up being a Chris Bosh/Jermaine O’neal/Rasheed Wallace type of player.

In the long run I believe Aldridge would be more valuable to the Hawks than Paul. Then we could look to trade Harrington for a PG, we could trade for another pick to draft a PG, or we could just resign FA Jason Terry this summer (who would be about twice as good alongside Joe Johnson as he was in his first stop in Atlanta). You can laugh, but the Mavs have been better with Jason Terry at the point than they were with Steve Nash — just look at the records.

Personally, I like this lineup to make the playoffs two years from now (but I’d like an upgrade at C to bring Zaza off the bench):

Jason Terry Joe Johnson Marvin Williams LaMarcus Aldridge Zaza Pachulia Bench: Lue, Stodamire, Childress, Smith

That would lineup would make us forget about Chris Paul pretty quickly.

By doc

February 27, 2006 11:05 PM | Link to this

mark my apologies you were on record as saying the hawks needed a 1 or a 5 more than marvin but i dont think you made a strong case for paul. of the ones available i dont know that we would have chosen paul. in the long run we fortunately went with the surer pick, marvin.