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DEL.ICIO.USItalian is poster boy of wafer-thin draft
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Mark Bradley
New York — The most intriguing player in a draft laden with intrigue has an upper torso that would be politely be described as scrawny. Hailed as the next Dirk Nowitzki, Andrea Bargnani makes the German look, by way of contrast, like Shaquille O’Neal.
Asked what he needs to develop most, Bargnani said Tuesday: “The body … the defense.” Asked what question he hears most from Italian fans, he said: “Usually people ask me why a big guy plays outside.”
He’s a skinny 7-footer who averaged 12 points a game for Benetton Treviso, the just-crowned Italian champion, and he stands the best chance of being the first player taken tonight. “From the things I’ve been hearing,” said Shelden Williams, believed to be ticketed for the Hawks, “it’ll be this kid Bargnani.” And the description, not to put too fine a point on it, was most apt.
LeBron James looked like a 30-year-old man as a high school senior. Bargnani, who’s 20, looks like he’s 17. He’s skilled but not strong, and he has no idea how powerful the guys who populate the NBA truly are. And if he’s most apt to go No. 1 overall, it tells us the 2006 draft is as thin as one of Bargnani’s arms.
Examples: When last LaMarcus Aldridge played a game, he was outscored 26-4 by LSU’s Glen Davis. When last Tyrus Thomas, who was Davis’ teammate, played a game, he was benched by his coach for a goodly chunk of the Final Four semifinal loss to UCLA. When last Rudy Gay and Hilton Armstrong and Marcus Williams played a game, those massively talented UConn Huskies couldn’t manage to beat George Mason. When last Adam Morrison played a game, he started crying.
Put simply, this isn’t the 1984 draft (Hakeem Olajuwon, Michael Jordan, Sam Perkins, Charles Barkley). This isn’t the 2003 draft (James, Carmelo Anthony, Chris Bosh, Dwyane Wade). This is one of the worst crops ever, which is why there’s no consensus among the teams who’ll do the drafting. They’re not so much concerned about who looks great as who looks less bad. And maybe that’s Bargnani, who’s the son of an insurance executive and an English teacher and who met the media Tuesday and spoke — Mama would’ve been proud — passable English.
What would he bring to the team that drafts him? “Maybe I can shoot the ball.” What will he try to develop? “The athletic coach will tell me what I need.” What’s the difference between the league he’s leaving and the one he’ll be joining? “The NBA has a lot of big athletes compared to European athletes.” And was that a legitimate penalty at the end of Italy’s World Cup match against Australia? “Yeah.”
He claimed to weigh 245 pounds, though that seems a trifle ambitious. He liked being in the Big Apple if no other reason that he could find clothes to fit. (Not many shops in Roma cater to 7-footers.) He could walk the streets here and be noticed but not really recognized, which wasn’t a whole lot different from home. “In Italy, soccer players get all the attention.”
Bargnani played an exhibition game two years ago in Toronto, and the Raptors hold the No. 1 pick. General manager Bryan Colangelo has already hired Maurizio Gherardini, who was the GM for Benetton Treviso, as his assistant, prompting speculation that Bargnani-to-Canada is a done deal. But nothing in this fluid draft seems a really done deal, apparently not even the much-rumored Williams-to-Atlanta tacit agreement. (Williams, for the record, said he has been promised nothing by the Hawks.)
And that, on Draft Eve, was where things stood: lots of teams looking for players, not many real players available. Andrea Bargnani might grow into a big-timer in three years, but he wouldn’t have dominated the SEC or the ACC. If he’s the No. 1 pick, it says more about the rest of the players in this draft than it does about him.
Permalink | Comments (21) | Post your comment | Categories: Hawks / NBA, Mark Bradley
Comments
By Bertie
June 27, 2006 09:13 PM | Link to this
Toronto will draft Bargnani with the #1 pick or trade down to #3 or #4 with either Charlotte or Portland the two teams fighting to draft Morrison. On top of the Hawks’ draft board should be Aldrige, a guy that fills the Hawks’ needs inside and with the rising stock of Gay and Roy could realistically be available at #5. He is a great defender with very good offensive skills who will show more at the pro level than what he did in college plus he will get stronger. It depends on what the Bulls do at #2, if they pick Thomas or Roy then Aldridge could be available.
PG NEEDS: How about a trade with either Chicago or Indiana for their 16th or 17th pick in the first round in exchange for the Hawks 2nd round (33th) and AL in a sign and trade. Then at 16th or 17th Rondo or Sergio Rodríguez (Spain) should be available, although Rondo’s stock is rising. Is that feasible?
By Peter
June 27, 2006 09:50 PM | Link to this
My god wasn’t it just two columns ago that you implied that Williams to Atlanta WAS a done deal?
If there are no certain things (are there ever?) in this thin draft then how is it so certain that the Hawks are going to make a mistake.
Pick a hole, Bradley. Stop straddling the line that you draw.
By Chris
June 27, 2006 10:05 PM | Link to this
FYI…you can’t do a sign and trade on draft night.
By Chris
June 27, 2006 10:08 PM | Link to this
Hawks will do their best to make the number 5 pick a two for one
By Dean
June 27, 2006 11:11 PM | Link to this
Toronto is going with Aldridge. Next year is the draft that will be so talented (like the 2003) with 3 or 4 franchise players. Greg Oden is a mini Tim Duncan. Too bad we won’t have a pick!
By wayde
June 28, 2006 12:46 AM | Link to this
hello to all the poor hawks fans. Iam writing from los angeles and let me say it is a disgrace to admit to being a hawk fan.To draft williams over Foye is criminal.There was a time when the hawks were the apple of my eye but now to say Iam a hawk fan could get me locked up in a mental hospital.I backed billy knight to the end but the moves he is making are beyond stupid. 2 number 1 picks, plus Diaw shuld have been the end. A note to billy if Isaih Thomas dont go for it you know it’s a bad deal. Like the undertaker say in wrestling rest in peace hawk fans.
By Wolverine
June 28, 2006 01:47 AM | Link to this
WE gotta go BIg people..someone has to rebound and block shots and we all know that Zaza doesnt contest shots. I would like to get Salim one more crack at running the point if not we can always sign Chris Duhon or Bobby Jackson. GO HAWKS !!!
Btw: ALdridge is so passive and frail its not even funny. We need a solid rock in the middle to block shots and rebound.
By Ward
June 28, 2006 08:56 AM | Link to this
I’m starting to realize that the ownership and GM are just part of the problem for the Hawks. After reading the Q&A with BK, I realized that the media in this town (mainly the AJC) don’t want to ask the tough questions, or write the real story, or try in any way to hold anyone accountable. I love Atlanta and I love my sports teams, but I’m sick of being mediocre at every single sport. We are the laughing stock of the NBA, the Braves are always the what if team, The Thrashers are always the team that everyones says wait until next year…I’m tired of waiting until next year!!! We have one Championship in the town. What gives? As the voice of the people you guys at the AJC need to start asking the tough questions and writing editorals that demand excellence from our teams, not just pacifying them all.
By Darkman
June 28, 2006 09:01 AM | Link to this
If i was BK i would skip the fact on drafting a pg because there are a couple in free agency. If it was me i would apologize to Jason Terry and ask him to come back. He was a killer in the playoffs and we could use his scoring. In the draft williams is not the answer and would not in my opinion be better than Al on by that much on the defensive end because of his size. The hawks should draft for size, defense ability, rebound, and scoring.
By Ward
June 28, 2006 09:18 AM | Link to this
Everyone has to realize that we can’t fix the Hawks with the 5th pick in this year’s draft. We have quite a few moves that we can make, but first we have to asses who we really want to build the team around. I submit that Josh Smith will be a PF before all is said and done, and a good one. Joe Johnson at the 2 is solid. Zaza and Childress off the bench would be part of a great 8-man rotation, with Childress a 6th man of the year candidate. I think Marvin Williams at the 3 spot would be good in another year or so. That leaves us having to fill the C and PG positions and bring one more guy off the bench. Our tradable assets would be Harrington, Stoudamire, Lue and the 5th pick to fill 3 spots. I like our odds. We have room under the salary cap to take on someone’s bad contract in exchange for a good asset or two, and we can even make a pitch at a FA. I just don’t think we need to shell out the money just because we can. I think that we could trade the 5th pick to New Orleans for the 12th and 15th. With those picks we can get Sene and Rando. We do a sign-n-trade with Al Harrington and Lue going to the Lakers for Lamar Odom. We send Stoudamire to New Jersey(they need outside shooter) for a future #1. That would give us a starting 5 next year of C- Zaza, PF- Smith, SF- Odom, SG- JOhnson, PG- Rondo, off the bench we would have SG/SF- Childress, SF/PF- Williams, PF/C- Sene. Talk about an athletic team that could get up and down the court while defending and blocking shots. That would be it! That team could be 5th or 6th in the Eastern Conference and make some noise in the playoffs depending on the match-ups.
By Steve McG.
June 28, 2006 10:29 AM | Link to this
It was mentioned on sports radio that Isiah Thomas might be the most unemployable person now in the NBA. Even with that assessment Isiah was given a second job to hold down. I missed that story, since when did Isiah start calling the shots for the Hawks too? Billy Knight & Isiah Thomas separated at birth.
Shelden Williams - you’re kidding me he didn’t dominate the ACC - he’s going to step in and help immediately. Randy Foye!!
By uga4ever
June 28, 2006 10:50 AM | Link to this
I agree Darkman. This draft would be very simple if we still had Jason Terry. We would definitely pick up a big man. I hope we get Roy. Everyone says he is the most NBA ready. This will be BK’s last draft with the Hawks, so maybe he won’t squander it.
By big tone
June 28, 2006 11:16 AM | Link to this
read ward’s comments, that is right on the money both of them.
By Dee
June 28, 2006 11:18 AM | Link to this
Honestly you guys, why are we complaining right now?? The Hawks are IMPROVING..from 2004-05 to 2005-06 the Hawks has improved their record..to me at this point, that’s what matters..Billy Knight came in to do just that..to come in and take the Hawks from a bad team to good team to better team to (hopefully) the BEST TEAM in this league and it COULD very well happen. So I’m not expecting the Hawks to make the playoffs next season (if we do..GREAT) but has long as that win colunm is better than 26 games..I’m satisfied…Now, that one year that we go backwards instead of forward, BK needs to streach his head and asks himself, “what went wrong & how can I fix it” to get back on that winning streak. If that happens in 2 consec seasons of moving backwards instead of forward, THEN that’s when he should be fired..but as long as we are moving forward, I wouldn’t care if BK draft nothing but forwards that rest of his career w/ us..if we are winning & improving, than SO BE IT..I’m not a BK fan but really, why are we complaining?? The team improved!!
Dee
By Kyle
June 28, 2006 11:59 AM | Link to this
roy or foye at five - if both are available, take roy. simple as that
By screwball
June 28, 2006 12:10 PM | Link to this
How can BK imply that there are no good point guards in this draft? There may not be a Steve Nash, but there is some talent.
He is delusional.
By John
June 28, 2006 02:15 PM | Link to this
Neither Foye or Roy is a true point guard, so if the Hawks pick them, it will just add to a group of already talented wing players. What are people talking about when they bash Shelden Williams? I don’t care for Duke, but no one can deny he can play. He is a terrific defender, and is tough (something the Hawks have lacked). He also averaged a double-double for most of his career. He might not make the All-Star team every year, but I see him being an Emeka Okafor type player. Even if he is not quite as good, it will be a good pick for the Hawks. I guess Hawks fans just like to complain. None of the point guards are worth picking at 5, and I dont think Rondo is a top 15 selection. Have you seen him shoot? He got benched often this year at Kentucky. He is the most overrated player in the draft by far. The Hawks can get a veteran point guard via free agency or a sign and trade with Al. Regardless of who they get, they are moving in the right direction, and any truly knowledgable basketball fan will agree. If Williams is such a bad pick, why are there 4 or 5 teams that really want him in the lottery? Hawks’ fans need to stop complaining.
By screwball
June 28, 2006 02:44 PM | Link to this
i agree williams will be a good player. But isnt he a little short to be a defensive center in the NBA?
By screwball
June 28, 2006 02:46 PM | Link to this
i agree williams will be a good player. But isnt he a little short to be a defensive center in the NBA?
Win the hawks start winning, the fans will stop complaining.
By screwball
June 28, 2006 02:48 PM | Link to this
i agree williams will be a good player. But isnt he a little short to be a defensive center in the NBA?
When the hawks start winning, the fans will stop complaining.
By Ryder
June 28, 2006 07:41 PM | Link to this
He’s the same height as Ben Wallace
Trust me the Hawks could go 82-0 and the fans would STILL complain, just because they have nothing better to do.