Let the workouts begin
The Hawks will get a closer look at Wake Forest's Jeff Teague (left) and North Carolina's Wayne Ellington this week. The Hawks are scheduled to host workouts at Philips Arena today through the weekend with the June 25 NBA draft just days away.
HAWKSVILLE - After weeks of relative silence on the Hawks’ workout front, things are going to kick up dramatically today and through the weekend.
The Hawks have a full slate of workouts scheduled at Philips Arena, with players of all shapes and sizes ready to showcase themselves for the team with the 19th pick in the June 25 draft.
Pittsburgh’s DeJuan Blair and Gonzaga’s Josh Heytvelt are scheduled to kick off the festivities this morning at Philips Arena.
They’ll be followed Thursday by a scheduled monster workout crew that includes Ohio State’s BJ Mullens, Georgetown’s DaJuan Summers, Wake Forest’s Jeff Teague, Georgia Tech’s Lewis Clinch, Xavier’s Derrick Brown, Jonesboro’s own and Florida State star Toney Douglas, and Augusta State big man Garret Siler.
Friday’s scheduled slate includes North Carolina guard Wayne Ellington, VCU’s Eric Maynor, Missouri’s DeMarre Carroll, LSU’s Garrett Temple and Marquette’s Wes Matthews. Maynor was initially listed as a Thursday visitor, along with Teague, whose plans have apparently changed as well. From what I’ve learned today (this is an in-blog update from 1:18 on Thursday afternoon) Teague is scheduled to attend Friday’s session as well.
The workouts will continue into the weekend, with the Hawks scheduled to get a closer look North Carolina’s Tyler Hansbrough and former Stephenson and Georgia Tech standout Alade Aminu on Sunday.
Before you start wondering why guys like Ty Lawson and others aren’t on this workout list, keep in mind that the Hawks have spent every waking moment of basically the last month traveling the country (and in some instances the globe) watching draft workouts and combines and Eurocamp sessions.
I can’t imagine there’s a guy that will be drafted that they haven’t seen already. These workouts here simply offer them another chance to evaluate players they’ve already seen a zillion times already. It also gives them a chance to bring them in to their own facility, see how they respond to the Hawks’ specific drills and questioning and really try and dig into their mettle and competitive nature.
The Hawks aren’t only working out players that they are considering with the 19th pick, they’ve also got the 49th pick in next week’s draft, so they’ve been evaluating and will continue to evaluate players for that pick as well.
Whatever happens, it should prove to be an interesting few days, to say the least.
UPDATE: Sat quietly on the side of the court during the morning workout (the Hawks were gracious enough to allow me in, provided I don’t get into specifics about the workout). Honestly, there isn’t much to be gleaned from these workouts, particularly this late in the game. We’re within a week of the draft. These players have to be a bit exhausted from the process. Heytvelt told me that when it’s all over he’ll have worked out for 15 different teams.
A two-man session doesn’t allow the players the range to do a whole lot other than drills. There was a good pace to it and both guys seemed to perform well. I’m expecting a little more action tomorrow morning, though I was disappointed to learn this afternoon that Teague had been removed from the list of players expected in. I wanted to see he and Maynor in the same workout. It seems we will get to see Maynor (Friday), along with Ellington (who I’ve heard good things about from people who watched him work in Chicago at the pre-draft camp).
Stay tuned to see how things progress through the weekend.
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396 comments Add your comment
Ed
June 20th, 2009
7:16 pm
Either extend JJ or trade him before we lose him and get nothing in return. Go ahead and make a good offer to Marvin…he has much more upside than many here want to give him credit for. He just doesn’t have the attitude to assert himself and demand the ball. Keep Josh, let Bibby walk and pick up a Jarrett Jack type PG. Draft the best player available…as mentioned before someone is going to slip through. The Hawks have to be smart enough to spot that player.
Beautiful Monte
June 20th, 2009
7:22 pm
Why do buffoons like Samuel and Davenpoop-for-Brains equate dog-fighting (which is illegal) with hunting (which is legal)?
Speaking of dogs, does anybody know why Garrett Anderson is incapable of playing hard?
tony
June 20th, 2009
7:39 pm
RIGHT ON Kelvin! Eric Maynor will push the hawks deeper into the playoffs. If he drop to 19 we got to take him. That kid is special.
Hoops
June 20th, 2009
9:27 pm
Simpdawg,
Where did you hear that the nets would trade Devin Harris? Are you serious? We need to jump on that one! Devin Harris is a REAL PG!!! We can’t sign & trade Marvin before the draft. If they trade him for a draft pick, we are sunk! Tell me what you know.
doc
June 20th, 2009
10:46 pm
ok my mind wandered when i took ariose’s advice to check the hawks site.
here is the new team:
http://www.nba.com/hawks/danceteam/danceteam_Main_Page.html
ant banks
June 20th, 2009
10:49 pm
TONY AND KELVIN,
if eric manor is THAT SPECIAL he won’t be available at 19. this is not a great draft class, surely anything at 19 is garbage. can anyone name the last 5 #19 picks?
I will:
08- jj hickson
07- jarvoris crittendidn’t
06- quincy douby
05- hakim warrick
04- dorrell wright
need i say more about the #19 pick? hakim and hickson are the only ones gettin’ some burn. hawks should package this #19 pick with law, speedy, and whoever to get someone who can play day one.
jhan
June 20th, 2009
11:40 pm
Ant Banks – check out the players that were drafted AFTER #19 in the same years you mentioned above. Think any of these guys have special talent? Don’t be so quick to ignore the draft – these guys can play and for much cheaper than a 4-5 year vet.
22-Courtney Lee
23-Wilson Chandler
21-Rajon Rondo
30-David Lee
26-Kevin Martin
ant banks
June 21st, 2009
12:33 am
JHAN,
excellent points, but THIS ISNOT a deep draft class. so i think that the #19 pick and subsequent picks won’t pan out. what do you suggest the hawks do with the 19 pick?
niremetal
June 21st, 2009
12:56 am
I think this draft is a lot like the 2001 draft – not “deep” in the sense of having lots of All-Stars (the only stars from that draft are #3 pick Pau, #10 pick JJ, and #29 pick Tony Parker) but pretty deep in terms of guys who become steady rotation players. The problem is that, like in 2001, there are no “clear-cut” stars.
Blake Griffin is pretty much a can’t-miss prospect, but from 2 to 20 and beyond it’s wide open for a reason. I think most of the guys who get picked in that range will be decent players, and probably 1 or 2 will unexpectedly become a star. There are guys with obvious bust potential – Mullens, Blair (I know some people love him, but come on…a 6′6 power forward whose had two knee surgeries? you have to at least admit that that’s a very risky proposition), and every single point guard (it’s always a crapshoot with point guards). But we can get someone. I’d rather see us stay put and go “best player available” or else trade out altogether. Moving up in the lottery does not appeal to me very much. We shall see…
KevinA
June 21st, 2009
1:01 am
Givin Woody’s developement skills I say we sit the draft out. Other than to trade for a higher pick next year.
A Tribe Called Quest
June 21st, 2009
1:57 am
I have further proof our GM is a clueless idiot:
****Sund says he has a relatively simple strategy for the No. 19 pick in Thursday’s NBA draft. “When picking after the top six, you want to pretty much look at the best player available,” he said this week.***
Eureka!!!
This must be why he took Sene (who?) 10th overall in 2006, ahead of:
Sefolosha, Ronnie Brewer (a starter on a deep Jazz team), Sergio Rodriguez (rotation player), and Boobie Gibson, as well as 10 players better than this scrub. This stiff does not even play anymore.
He took Robert Swift (who has played as many games as Allan Houston’s ghost has in the last 3 years) 12th overall in 2004 OVER:
Al Jefferson (most underrated player in NBA), Josh Smith (future all star coveted by over 20 teams), JR Smith (elite bench scorer), Delonte Herpe West, Kevin Martin, etc…
This guy clearly does not know what he claims.
Sund generates fictitious formulas for winning, such as having 2 superstars or 3 top 10 players at their positions. He picks results of other teams to fit the facts and manipulates things to get where he is trying to be. His draft record is utterly atrocious and his best accomplishment in his illustrious 30 years is trading for Ray Allen and then being “let-go” by the Sonics.
Don’t be fooled by this ignoramus’s faulty knowledge or incompetent draft ability–Rick Sund brought in Mo Evans, heralded by many as a solid role player, but who puts up numbers so anemic that Matt Freije is laughing in his ranch in Indiana. Mo is not even a good defender if you watch closely.
So what do we have here? We have a GM so sure of his formulas for winning but who has not won anything in his career besides a deep playoff berth with his almighty Dallas Mavericks squads of the 90’s. I’ll be damned if anyone here can name 2 players from ANY of his Dallas teams.
Rick Sund
June 21st, 2009
2:22 am
Well, I wasn’t GM of Dallas at the time, BUT Jason Kidd, Jamal Mashburn, and Jim Jackson.
niremetal
June 21st, 2009
2:33 am
It was more the 80’s than the 90’s that he was with Dallas…he was in Detroit from 1995-2001. In any case, he was in Dallas during the Aguirre/Blackman era. That was actually a pretty damned good squad. Probably the second or third best team in West during the 80’s as a whole. Doesn’t speak too badly of him that they didn’t make it deeper in the playoffs back when the West was dominated by Showtime.
Melvin
June 21st, 2009
9:26 am
This debate of who the Hawks should pick at #19 may be useless…
http://today.sportingnews.com/sportingnewstoday/20090621/?sub_id=DHxMLImvdvZIx&folio=6
Melvin
June 21st, 2009
9:30 am
Click on the NBA tab at the top of the page. They have an article on the Hawks (page 22)….
http://today.sportingnews.com/sportingnewstoday/20090621/?sub_id=DHxMLImvdvZIx&folio=CGI
Clyde
June 21st, 2009
10:14 am
What time is the draft party?
The Truth
June 21st, 2009
10:28 am
A Tribe Called Quest
Your comment (June 21st, 2009 1:57 AM) is excellent. As I also read the tea leaves, I am beginning to feel the same way.
Let’s hope that we are both wrong. We shall see
Melvin
June 21st, 2009
10:43 am
Tribe,
Did you miss me and some others commenting about Sund resume a few weeks back. Many of us are not impress by his body of work. After 30 yrs in the league, just what has he accomplish besides being employed by the league for 30 yrs. Oh well, we’ll see what he does this summer.
Sorry Nire, I rather have BK at the helm…
A Tribe Called Quest
June 21st, 2009
11:02 am
My bad Melvin…I didn’t check this board for a few weeks.
Just reading that quote I posted at 1:57 AM made me very irate. Sund really does create these baseless formulas for winning. He has not drafted one superstar. If I was 15 years older, maybe I’d know more about Blackman or Aguirre, but those names don’t blow me away.
If Sund can just draft Ty Lawson, resign Bibby for cheap, and S&T Marvin (who is getting his African Studies degree and working out with Sean May as we speak), I will be very happy
Ariose
June 21st, 2009
11:09 am
Doc, That made my day lol! That’s the REAL team right there lol. They should’ve had open tyouts so us loyal fans could watch Heeheehee
Lawson probably won’t be there when we pick. If sund can draft Mills(I think he;s the best anyway), trade into the draft and nab ellington, and then get Danny Green(or Meeks….but getting him means flip won’t be back whereas Green can play SF) it’ll be a good draft. It would be even better if we could nab Kaman w/speedys contract on draft day. I hav no doubt we will see lots of Clipper players changing homes on draft night.
ant banks
June 21st, 2009
11:20 am
QUEST,
i disagree with your total assessment of mo williams. at one point during the season, the hawks were 12-1 with him in the line-up.i think around the time that marvin was hurt.
year before last, when he was with orlando, he lit the hawks up for 25pts!!
ant banks
June 21st, 2009
11:25 am
my concern about the hawks pickin’ #19 is that woody doesn’t do a good enuff job of developin’ the talent. yes, he played chills, marvin, smoove, and horford as rookies, but the point is diff. playin’ the point, you have to allow room for mistakes and growth ie tony parker and rondo made huge mistakes but their coaches allowed them to play thru mistakes.
i don’t see woody allowin the rookie pt to play thru mistakes. flip made tons of miscues, but woody allowed him to keep playin’ because flip is a vet.
A Tribe Called Quest
June 21st, 2009
11:45 am
“i disagree with your total assessment of mo williams. at one point during the season, the hawks were 12-1 with him in the line-up.i think around the time that marvin was hurt.”
Thanks, ant banks. I didn’t realize Mo Williams was on the Hawks this year. And what exactly did he accomplish in the playoffs?
ant banks
June 21st, 2009
11:49 am
QUEST,
i meant MO EVANS. sorry!! um, he didn’t accomplish much durin’ the playoffs, neither did jj. i am jus sayin’ that i think that MO EVANS is betta than you give him credit for
ant banks
June 21st, 2009
11:55 am
i will not be attendin’ the draft party this year. nothin’ about pickin’ #19 excites me, unlike 2yrs ago when we had 2 first rnd picks. lookin’ at the history of the hawks, they will try to get the most BANG for their bucks. i see them spendin’ the very least amount that they can and expectin’ the MOST returns.
i mean who knew that MO EVANS, and flip would be the difference in us goin’ 47 wins. moneywise, the hawks got over this year. they paid flip 1.5 mil and mo evans got 2.5.
i see the hawks tryin’ to replicate this success rather than tryin’ to pay for quality players.
terrell barron
June 21st, 2009
11:59 am
Ant Banks, the last 19 picks in previous drafts have nothing to do with the 19th pick this year. There are a few gems every year. Have faith man. lol! I know it’s hard to, when it’s Woody and Sund pulling the trigger, but you never know. I’m thinking Woody would go BPA, after the Sheldon Williams debacle, but will Sund agree? Intriguing, to say the least.
Big Ray
June 21st, 2009
12:06 pm
I don’t know. A guy who says he laughs at the idea of needing a point guard, and can’t fire Woody, despite several attempts….
I don’t see how it’s better to have HIM than Sund. Now if all you’re talking about is the draft, then there’s an argument. And in that case, it’s more like do you want to have your arm broken, or your leg?
Big Ray
June 21st, 2009
12:09 pm
I can understand the lack of excitement about our 1st round draft pick. However, even if we make a “good” pick, the following issue is how that player performs, and how his development goes. If you think the drafting part wasn’t exciting, just think about what follows after.
Conversely, I get excited about every single pick the Falcons make/made. But then, there is reason to be excited when talking about THAT franchise….
ant banks
June 21st, 2009
12:16 pm
BIG RAY, TERRELL, AND QUEST,
all i am sayin’ is i admire teams like portland, their teams are stacked with quality players!! they have a coach who will let his horses run. they have 4 count them FOUR 2nd rnd picks this year. they can parlay those picks for even more quality players.
i admire boston pullin’ the trigga to get the BIG 3.
i admire detroit for firin’ flip saunders after what seemed like a successful season but it wasn’t good enough for them. also, makin’ a decision about stuckey and billups, albeit a wrong decision.
i jus’ want the hawks to be demonstrative about somethin’!! they don’t make any decision themselves, they let the market or other teams make decision for them, ie jchills and smoove las’ year. when you have others makin’ decisions for you you will neva be right.
kinda like if BIG RAY decided for me, where i would spend father’s day. i may not like the decision that he makes for me, but if i decide my OWN fate, i may enjoy it more.
much love big ray
terrell barron
June 21st, 2009
12:27 pm
No more COMBO guards or forwards please. We need a TRUE pg and a center. Either through the draft or free-agency. It’s just that simple. If Woody cant adjust to a TRUE pg who drives and dishes, then he’s got to go. Period! I’m tired of this ALL BACKCOURT nonsense. All it’s doing is stunning Marvin’s, Horford’s, and Smith’s development. I bet you can count the number of touches they get in a game with one hand. That’s probably why Smoove stands beyond the arch. He knows if he stays inside, Bibby and JJ will play 2 on 5. If Woody would swallow his pride and bring in an offensive assistant, he might just save his job. Idiot!
Big Ray
June 21st, 2009
12:28 pm
Michael Gearon Jr., one of the team’s owners, said in a recent interview “Bibby to me is a young guy.”
Seeing as how I’m 32 myself, 31 neither sounds nor feels old. On the basketball court, it’s a completely different deal. Does Gearon understand this at all, or is this just a one liner taken out of a complete thought or paragraph, for the purpose of making him look like an idiot?
doc
June 21st, 2009
12:31 pm
ray, bibby is the fountain of youth to me, just he doesnt act it on the court most of the time. my eyes dont lie in the mirror or watching from my seats. two different perspectives.
terrell barron
June 21st, 2009
12:31 pm
And when I say offensive assistant, I mean a great offensive mind that has been a head coach in this league. Not another flunky like he has now. No offense to Larry Drew. but this is Woody’s offense, or lack thereof. He’s just a YES man. And like I said before, no offense to Drew. A job is a job.
niremetal
June 21st, 2009
12:41 pm
I withhold judgment until I know the context. All the Googles of that quote just show it in isolation.
Big Ray
June 21st, 2009
12:46 pm
Ant Banks,
Happy Father’s Day!
I’m feelin’ ya on that last post. However, there does not appear to be a single demonstrative person within the Hawks organization. If there is, I sure missed it. At the same time, people will advocate the conservative, cautious, wise/sage approach. Well, I’d feel better about that concept if we were the Spurs or Jazz. At least then you know there is somebody who who’s actually wise and conservative in a smart way. As for Sund, he has something to prove yet.
Terrell,
I agree. An offense that continues to roll with a score-first pg is not going to help our young froncourt get any better. It would be different if we had a Devin Harris or somebody like that. Then, we could go with a big, traditional center who has some post moves. We could still roll with a guy like Marvin at the 3 (though we might want a bit more of a dynamic scorer), and a rugged, dirty work guy at the 4.
Of course, that’s not the kind of lineup we have, but it does NOT mean we shouldn’t make use of the obvious talent we have down low. What can I say, it’s the latest in a long line of equine carcasses that we continue to flail at in vain…
terrell barron
June 21st, 2009
12:47 pm
BJ Mullins supposedly has a promise from Detroit at #15. Thanks Joe D.
Big Ray
June 21st, 2009
12:59 pm
Terrell,
Saw that. And apparently Hansbrough is on the rise as well. Interesting, eh Doc?
Ariose
June 21st, 2009
1:04 pm
I’m just sayin’, if sund can find a way to draft Mills, Ellingon, Hansbrough, and Green(while trading away speedy/Randolph). Then signing back everybody else. This offseaon will have been a success, and we’ll have one of the best benches in the leauge.That will force woodson’s hand (which is what sund needs to do). If Woodson can’t get us to the ECF with 6 NCAA champions on one roster then he has to go.
Big Ray
June 21st, 2009
1:09 pm
Ariose,
I seriously am not trying to be a pain, but HOW is that supposed to happen with the draft picks?
doc
June 21st, 2009
1:28 pm
well not sure where it went … nire and ando, happy father’s day for the newbies to the custom and to everyone else at the liar’s table. make the most of it.
doc
June 21st, 2009
1:33 pm
ray interesting huh? now can you find out what ariose is smoking today. geez, sheriff i think you got a collar on that one or need to get a holding order for the insane.
ariose, there is no way for sund to be a success by those measures dude.
tiger just knocked one dead, glad to see him smile. now only 14 back with 27 holes to go.
terrell barron
June 21st, 2009
1:54 pm
I think Ariose meant, take Ellington, Hansborough or Mills in rd. 1, and Green in rd 2.
terrell barron
June 21st, 2009
1:57 pm
I dont know about ECF Ariose. Cleveland, Boston and Orlando are still going to be pretty good.
terrell barron
June 21st, 2009
1:58 pm
And if Philly gets off to a good start, for a change, they might be pretty dam. good too.
terrell barron
June 21st, 2009
2:02 pm
And let’s not forget about D-Wade and the Heat, and Derrick Rose and the Bulls
Sautee
June 21st, 2009
2:22 pm
tb,
LOL, You sound as shook up as Larry Munson worrying about Vandy.
cp
June 21st, 2009
3:03 pm
Happy fathers day to all the fathers on here..
Lawson will be gone by 19. I don’t see him sliding that far. Patty Mills will be there in the second round. I don’t think he goes in the first. This draft is not as bad as some feel like it is. Its probably better to be drafting in the second half of the first round rather than in the first half. I see a lot of guys going early that wont be that kind of impact player. A lot of teams like Portland and the Hornets are selling picks but I doubt we buy any but it would be nice…
Mo Evans was disappointing to me. He got lit up on defense all year regardless of who he was guarding. That Bibby is young talk makes it seem like we will give him a contract longer and bigger than what we need to. I like the guy and all but giving him a long big contract is not a good idea.
Dashizz47
June 21st, 2009
3:04 pm
I can’t figure out why everyone wants to fire Woody, he’s improved each year, got the team to the second round of the playoffs & the Hawks have done nothing to get this man the quality of players the other top 3 have in this division! What did the previous coaches do! get off the man’s nuts and let’s him coach! As far as the players go Marvin didn’t start for Carolina so what did you think you were getting, bad pick! Acie has to take playing time, no-one in this league’s give’s you anything, it’s not coaches fault it’s Acie’s, get down or go sit down. Perfect example Lee in Orlando took his playing time, Shannon Brown in LA came out there and took his playing time, So if Acie let’s Bibby, Evans, & Flip get his time thats his fault! Not Coach. Cleveland wants their coaches head & look at the season they had, Orlando wants Van Gundy’s head and he got them to the championship, & now ya’ll want Woody’s head! Stop being on the band wagon! Bottom line Hawks need a leader and it isn’t Joe Johnson, I like Joe but he’s not vocal enough to lead this team! How come we don’t go after Shaq….Those jerks up in the front office don’t want to win! Wake up people we’re just another version of the Braves! Woody brought us the hottest ticket in town this year and we’re throwing this man under the bus, are you serious!
Dashizz47
June 21st, 2009
3:27 pm
Trade Josh Smith to Houston for the guard Lowery & T-Mac, trade Marvin to the Clippers for Camby! use the draft pick to pick-up a guard or go after Rafer Alston aka Skip to my Lou. Guards Alston & Johnson, T-Mac, Horford & Camby….ZaZa, Flip, Solo, Evans, Lowery all come off the bench! T-Mac’s number come off the books 2010, go after a nice free agent!
niremetal
June 21st, 2009
3:28 pm
*ding*