Psycho-T brings the pain
Tyler Hansbrough didn't leave anything on the floor after his workout with the Hawks Sunday morning at Philips Arena. The rugged North Carolina forward is a a player to keep an eye on this week with the Hawks drafting 19th in Thursday's NBA draft.
HAWKSVILLE - The reviews were unanimous.
On 10-point scale, Tyler Hansbrough’s Sunday morning workout for the Hawks at Philips Arena ranks at the very top of anything conducted in the past five days.
It wasn’t any one thing in particular that had the Hawks’ coaches buzzing. It was everything. Hansbrough’s energy, effort and obviously better-than-advertised shooting and athleticism caught more than a few folks in attendance by surprise.
“He kicked the meter up. It was off the Richter Scale,” said Hawks assistant coach Larry Drew, who ran the team’s workouts all week. “That was one of those 8.0s, one of those quick, hard earthquakes. Because his energy is at another level. You just don’t see many players capable of playing with that type of energy and effort and can sustain it through a game, or even a workout. He plays at a totally different level than some of these young guys out here.”
I felt like I needed an ice bath after watching his 90-minute workout. But Hansbrough proved a theory that a wise Eastern Conference executive reiterated to me Sunday night, “effort is a skill in the NBA.” And Hansbrough has it in reserve.
Alade Aminu (Stephenson High and Georgia Tech) and Shawn Taggart (Memphis) were the other bigs on hand Sunday. And they were also impressive in the individual drills and two-on-two work that was done. But Hansbrough’s refusal to go at anything but full bore during the entire workout had everyone buzzing afterwards.
Love him or hate him, and Hansbrough laughed about the fact that he’s inspired the masses to do either one or the other and sometimes both, he’s going to do it his way. And the truth is the Hawks could do a lot worse with the 19th pick. But they probably won’t have to worry about Hansbrough there, as I haven’t spoken to anyone anywhere that believes he’ll still be on the board when the Hawks are on the clock Thursday night.
“If this kid is still there at 19, the Hawks better not hesitate,” another Eastern Conference executive told me Sunday afternoon. “The kid’s a dream for coaches in our league, because he’s going to come in and crank things up automatically. He’s just wired differently than most of these other guys.”
That’s the real problem with a pick that late. You can project who you think might be there and evaluate accordingly, but there’s no way of knowing who will be around by then on draft night. One glitch on the draft board in the early lottery can swing the draft in a totally different direction than projected.
The Hawks sent things sideways in 2004 when they took Josh Childress ahead of Luol Deng and Andre Iguodala – defying most mock drafts that had those other two guys going ahead of Childress.
And anytime one player rises and is picked ahead of projection, someone else falls and lands in the lap of an unsuspecting team like the Hawks (who have no doubt done their due diligence throughout this process by examining all the possibilities).
DaJuan Summers is my sleeper pick for the draft. Too bad he didn't get a chance to workout for the Hawks while he was in town last week (a sprained ankle sidelined him).
Check any mock draft you want and go over the list of names where the Hawks are picking and there are either guys you draft on potential (Wake Forest’s Jeff Teague, who acquitted himself well in his workout Saturday, or Ohio State’s BJ Mullens, who did the same a day earlier) or seasoned college guys that will be needle pushers as rookies (guys like Hansbrough, Pitt’s Sam Young, Louisville’s Terrence Williams and Georgetown’s DaJuan Summers, all of whom the Hawks have had face time with throughout the process).
The usual anxiety surrounding the Hawks at draft time doesn’t really seem necessary this year, at least the way I see it. The Hawks’ heavy lifting is going to come in free agency – and that’s where Hansbrough and all the bigger guys on the short list I’ve detailed above come in handy. Follow me now. When the Hawks lost Josh Childress to Greece last summer, they didn’t have a ready replacement for a 6-8 guy with his skills and seasoning, mostly because they didn’t have a draft pick to use on a player of that ilk. Say, for the sake of my theory, that the Hawks are unable to keep all their free agents. Don’t you think another cat with size and versatility might come in handy next season, even if he’s just a situational rotation player as a rookie?
While I didn’t agree with the notion that drafting 6-8 to 6-9 players ever year now matter what would lead a team from 13-win seasons to the playoffs, I can see the wisdom in taking players that fit that mold if you’re in the best-player-available mode on draft night and picking outside of the lottery. It’s just wise to have your roster well-stocked with a couple Trevor Ariza/Mickael Pietrus/Linas Kleiza types. I think the entire league realizes that now after the playoffs.
FROM THE DO YOUR HOMEWORK FILES …
A quick aside from the Hawks-themed portion of the program requires us to look across the pond fro a moment.
Flooding Europe with scouts from every NBA team has finally caught up to the league and to the crop of talent. The Euro harvest is expected to be extremely thin Thursday night.
Jonathan Abrams of the New York Times had a staggering statistic in his story about the sudden change in philosophy regarding drafting European (and really international) prospects:
“Teams appear to be straying from the recent trend of drafting overseas players because many of them have not lived up to expectations. Of the 39 international players selected in the first round since 2002 with no prior experience playing in the United States, only Yao Ming has surfaced as an All-Star. In that same time, 14 of 171 American players drafted in the first round made at least one All-Star team.”
Math was never my best subject in school, but I know crazy numbers when I see them. And that’s craziness.
OTHER LASTING IMPRESSIONS WERE MADE DURING WORKOUT WEEK, including a stellar showing by a guy not getting any first round buzz. Keep LSU combo guard Garrett Temple in mind in the second round. He’s going to make someone a nice player wherever he is drafted (provided he is drafted, and if not, he’ll be a good free agent pick up for some team). I remember watching him shut J.J. Redick down at the Georgia Dome during LSU’s run to the Final Four a few years back. He’s got NBA height for his position but his frame is need of some bulk to stand up the type of pounding he could endure at the pro level. But he’s got every tool you want in a player and he’ll compete with anyone.
Another guy the Hawks had in that made an impression me was Lester Hudson, a 6-3, 200-pound bull from Tennessee-Martin that refused to let anyone slow him down in his workout. He’s the kind of feisty guard that NBA teams love to have coming off their bench to wreak havoc on opposing defenses and to harass opposing point guards. And you talk about a guy breaking down walls to reach his goals, tell me Hudson hasn’t done exactly that after reading this from my man Chris Low from ESPN.com.
Fearless seems like an appropriate description of Lester Hudson's game.
Jonesboro’s Toney Douglas (Florida State) was by far the most tenacious defender in attendance all week. He didn’t miss an opportunity to mix it up in the drills I watched. I can see why folks have been gushing about him as a potential, Ben Gordon-like combo guard. But he’s a defender like Gordon wishes he was (granted, few guards this size on the planet can score from the distance and in the variety of ways Gordon does). Still, whatever team nabs Douglas on draft night will have happy coaches and fans that will appreciate his in-your-face style.
Summers is my sleeper pick for the draft. I got into a heated debate with my man JB “Beans” Beckett Sunday about Summer and Young. After watching some film clips of both, including some of their head-to-head matchup from the season, we agreed that we were both right and that Summer and Young have a chance to contribute as rookies wherever they go. Now if we could just convince someone to let us draft for them Thursday night.
All joking aside, I have no earthly idea what happens Thursday night. Who does?
Too much can swing things on draft night. And we didn’t even get into the all the crazy scenarios that could happen if the Hawks were to find the right package to move the pick (and whatever else necessary) to shore up their depth issues at certain positions.
Nothing is outside of the realm of possibility right now, my friends. Nothing at all.
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803 comments Add your comment
Ariose
June 24th, 2009
3:50 pm
Ant, dunno whats going on with Rondo, but if he comes here Smoove and Bibby would sure put him in his place if it came down to it……without hesitation. You know how those two are. Bibby/Eddie House and Team Dime have had more than a few nightclub lawsuits against them and is Josh is well, josh. Never one to hold his tounge lol. Besides, he’splayed with Rondo befor. Don’t think they’re dood buddies or anythin though lol.
Ariose
June 24th, 2009
3:52 pm
I think those nightclub incidents were more of Eddie House’s fault than Bibbys though lol….
ACCTDAWG
June 24th, 2009
3:53 pm
Acie and Speedy to GS for Crawford
hawks_wizzzzz
June 24th, 2009
3:54 pm
wow jamal crawford to the hawks or at least close
Astro Joe
June 24th, 2009
3:58 pm
doc, I too look forward to hearing the Bernie interview. Thanks for the summary and the notification. I didn’t know that Belkin brought him into the fold. I did hear recently that his new business is working with GA Tech. Sounds like he has found a way to get his venture off the ground even in this stormy economy. Too bad a man with that type of business savvy couldn’t stay employed with the ASG. I don’t know who initiated the split but it appears that he at least “had a clue” about how to run a sports franchise.
DSS82
June 24th, 2009
3:58 pm
Sekou,
What’s up with the proposed trade.
R
June 24th, 2009
3:58 pm
Per espn.com…..Hawks are about to trade Speedy and Acie law to the Warriors for Jamal Crawford!!!
http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=4284512
G-Man
June 24th, 2009
3:58 pm
HEY GUYS THIS JUST IN THE HAWKS ARE GETTING JAMAL CRAWFORD FOR ACIE LAW AND SPEEDY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! CHECK OUT ESPN.
Big Ray
June 24th, 2009
4:00 pm
I’m diggin’ it. Jamaal can score. Now I’d expect a pg drafted…
Ariose
June 24th, 2009
4:01 pm
*Good Buddies lol
*Played
*Before
MannyT, lol I love those acronyms! I’ll wait to see what happens with Woody but i’m not holding my breath lol. Same ol’, same ol’ if you ask me.
Ant, I doubt Rondo will be traded though. Danny Ainge said so in a public press confence yeaterday. This is just overblown media hype because they have nothing better to talk about until tomorrow night.
Ariose
June 24th, 2009
4:02 pm
WOW!!!!
Astro Joe
June 24th, 2009
4:03 pm
If this Crawford trade is true, then I want BK back.
Crawford makes $20M over the next two seasons. We just likely lost Marvin and Bibby in liue of a SG who chucks shots. He plays ZERO defense and chucks shots. He has a ton of money on his contract and he chucks shots. Please, don’t let this happen. This is almost as bad as the day we acquired Antoine Walker (my least favorite player in NBA history). WTF problem does Crawford address? They better be moving Joe, because I don’t want to see Joe and Jamal on the floor together.
NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!
LEA
June 24th, 2009
4:03 pm
wow jamal crawford, I love his game…so to me that means no Ellington in the draft… then again knowing woody he will try to play Crawford at pg anywayz lol..I still say if Jennings or Lawson falls to us. We have to pick either one of them….
Astro Joe
June 24th, 2009
4:05 pm
UGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!
O'Brien
June 24th, 2009
4:05 pm
I dont think Woody would want Rondo. Sure, he plays good defense and rebounds, but his jumper needs work. And we all know how Woody feels about PG’s who cant hit the open jumper consistently.
Plus how much of Rondo’s success is based on playing with the big 3?
No NBA trades today? I thought we would hear something…
niremetal
June 24th, 2009
4:05 pm
One last thing, and something that Ariose touched on. You can’t have a team on the floor where everyone is “assertive” in the way that Mark Bradley and others say Marvin is not. You can’t have a team on the floor with 5 chiefs and no Indians. Hell, you usually can’t win if you have 3 chiefs and 2 Indians. We have a team with three “assertive” offensive players in Josh, Joe, and Bibby (that’s in descending order of their “assertiveness” when they get the ball).
Let’s say we trade Marvin for a more assertive player in his mold…say, Al Harrington. For that matter, let’s say we trade Horford for Chris Bosh or Amare. Would that really be a positive impact on team chemistry? Can you name me one team that won a title with 4 starters who were “assertive” on offense? Most title-winning teams have at least 2 starters (if not 3) who are distinctly NOT assertive on offense. Even the 2004 Pistons had Prince and Big Ben, both of whom “fit in” to the offense.
And that brings me to another point. To whatever degree Marvin isn’t “assertive,” that’s really only true of him on the offensive end. On the other end of the floor, he was pretty damned assertive all year. No one played closer man-to-man D. Marvin looked like he’d studied tapes of Tayshaun Prince, who plays suffocatingly close defense on his man and uses his length to bother his opponent without committing fouls. Marvin is not at Tayshaun’s level on D – not remotely (at least not yet). But the only player we had who played more aggressive man-to-man D this year than he did was Mario.
In any case, we will never know for sure whether Marvin can pull a JJ if he were the 1st or 2nd option instead of the 4th until 1) Woody is fired; or 2) Marvin leaves. But until then, I hope people stop with the idea that it’s a BAD thing to try and fit into the offense when you’re playing alongside three guys who will want to get their shots no matter what.
Sekou Smith
June 24th, 2009
4:06 pm
Nothing done officially yet but the sides are talking and an agreement could be in the works at any time. This thing has just picked up steam today.
But it’s legit, barring some last minute breakdown, that this deal could indeed get done.
Ariose
June 24th, 2009
4:06 pm
No way does Jamal Craford stay here. He’s probalby going to be traded for a Big…
Ariose
June 24th, 2009
4:07 pm
Damn, and I was just about to take a nap…
MannyT
June 24th, 2009
4:09 pm
The Crawford thing could be a great move. It should also free up the Bibby cap slot (renounce?) It should also make it easier to not expect a PG at 19. Sekou may approve as JC is a Wolverine
BPA (best player available) all the way!
The Sund dialling may actually work. Cool.
BWAF
niremetal
June 24th, 2009
4:11 pm
Wow. Ironic that I just made that long post about assertiveness before the Crawford trade announcement. I’m with Astro on this one. That trade pretty much forces us to slide Joe to SF and get rid of Marvin for nothing (since no team will be dumb enough to think that we’d match an offer for Marvin after this). I’m not high on Crawford at ALL. He’s been a chucker for bad teams all his career. He’s not good enough to supplant JJ as the top scoring option, but he’s not deferential enough to mold himself into the offense alongside JJ.
Ugh indeed…
niremetal
June 24th, 2009
4:12 pm
PS – Crawford has a .404 career FG%, one of the worst in the NBA. Shot selectivity and him don’t so much mesh…
Astro Joe
June 24th, 2009
4:15 pm
Un F’ing believable. Our front-court will be lucky to get 25 shots in a game (combined across the 3 starters). Come on, at half of Jamal’s salary, Flip could give us comparable production with the same minutes/shot attempts. And the same porous defense.
Big Ray
June 24th, 2009
4:15 pm
Astro Joe,
But…but…Jamaal will take and hit shots from anywhere on the floor, playing next to Joe. And that’s what Woody wants. You said we needed a catch and shoot guard. Dadgummit, that’s what Woody wants, and as his blog publicist, I expect better support from you! Remember, Ricky boy says he involves his head coach in all decisions, so we can safely assume that Woody was on board with this. Hell, it may have been HIS IDEA. You should be proud of him.
MannyT
June 24th, 2009
4:16 pm
My only hmmm about this deal. Sund had to get Crawford to pass on his player option before the deal. That way you get him for 2 years. Per Hoopshype, he could opt out for 2009.
Otherwise, I like it. Nothing against Law, but Woody just seemed to have that I’m Just Not Into You thing. I suspect he will move on and do better elsewhere.
Astro, is Crawford’s defensive indifference worse than Bibby’s defensive liabilities? Given the offense he was in the past few years, I think they expected him to chuck shots.
The defensive concerns also give Mario another summer of scavenger hunt to find a jump shot.
BWAF
Ariose
June 24th, 2009
4:16 pm
ELLINGTON IS BETTER…
Big Ray
June 24th, 2009
4:17 pm
“Un F’ing believable. Our front-court will be lucky to get 25 shots in a game (combined across the 3 starters).”
Woody’s offensive formula. What’s the problem?
Astro Joe
June 24th, 2009
4:18 pm
How’s this line-up supposed to defend or rebound? Rookie PG, Crawford, Joe, Smith & Horford? We finished 23rd in rebounding last season and we just got significantly smaller.
And we’re supposed to believe that a head coach who values efficiency and defense signed off on this deal? Hey, getting rid of Speedy and Acie is fine, but for a guy who shoots less than 41% from the field? And makes $20M over the next two years?
The time has come for the return of…….
Ariose
June 24th, 2009
4:19 pm
I NEED TO GO CONSOLE MY MAIN MAN WAYNE ELLINGTON ON TWITTER……SIGH, WE HAD A GOOD THING GOING WHILE IT LASTED……
Rod from College Park
June 24th, 2009
4:20 pm
Stating the Obvious,
“It’s your opinion that Marvin is a mere role player – and dunno if you noticed, but you’re pretty much alone in your assessment of him. So if they do read this blog, they’ll probably take the majority opinion that Marvin is a very good player who is misused in Woody’s offense rather than your view that he is a “role player.””
Actually, that was O’Brien’s opinion that he posted and I agreed. If you read some of the responses, you will see that I am not alone in my assessment. A guy that was picked #2 and averages 14 points a game would be considered a role player, and not a star or a superstar. He’s our 4th leading scorer, what else other than a role player, is he?
” That’s why most people never bother replying to you.”
I never have a problem with people replying to me. Look at you. This whole page is practically responding to me, so what are you talking about? Don’t Hate, Congratulate. It’s my opinion, not yours. Move on. I promise you, I don’t lose any sleep or miss any bill payments because people on the Hawks blog don’t respond to me. (LOL)
terrell barron,
I was not blaming Marvin, I realize he was hurt. What I am saying is that if Marvin had the skills and game of a player like Danny Granger, do you think we would have gotten swept. Do you think that the Cavaliers would have been able to send Lebron or West to double team Joe with no regard for who they were guarding? I don’t. Do you think that a injured Danny Granger would not be able to give you 15 points a game in any of those Cleveland games? I do.
Volman
June 24th, 2009
4:20 pm
What are you all complaining about? We just got Crawford for the garbage at the end of our bench. SPEEDY CLAXTON IS FOREVER GONE.
Thank the Lord.
This offseason isn’t over, guys. It has just begun.
Anakin Joe
June 24th, 2009
4:21 pm
Look guys, I agree that Bibby’s defense sucked, but he brought veteran leadership. Would anyone want to sign up for 2 more years of Bibby’s poor defense at $20M for the next two seasons? Of course not.
Jamal is a catch and shoot but he doesn’t make the shots. Maybe I needed to qualify the statement.
Ariose
June 24th, 2009
4:22 pm
CAN JAMAL PLAY POINT? IF SO WAYNE MAY STILL BE A GO? THEY MUST BE PLANNIG TO DRAFT LAWSON. WE JUST WORKED HIM OUT TODAY SO…..MUST HAVE BEEN SOME WORKOUT….
niremetal
June 24th, 2009
4:23 pm
In 2006-2007, the Knicks went 33-49.
That was the best team Jamal Crawford has ever played on.
In nine years in the league.
Just sayin.
Melvin
June 24th, 2009
4:25 pm
I hate to see Acie go but I’m sure glad to get Crawford in return… No more Law segments during the games…lol
glw
June 24th, 2009
4:25 pm
Even if Crawford is added, Sund isnt going to let Williams walk for free. AT the very least, he will get the qualifying offer. Adding Crawford does leave more questions than answers.
1. Do they still resign Bibby?
2. Do they resign Flip?
3. I think we definitely draft a PG now, with Law out of the picture.
UGA
June 24th, 2009
4:26 pm
What Crawford means?
Flip is gone, that would be my guess.
Crawford averaged more points than Flip (19 to his 12), he averaged more assist ( 5 to his 2), and he can play point, plus he torched the Hawks for 29 in Golden State this year.
His contract is huge, but, will we keep Bibby, Marvin and Zaza???
Anakin Joe
June 24th, 2009
4:27 pm
Again, if Joe told him that he isn’t signing an extension and this is a precursor to trading Joe, then I can understand this move. But no way would I trade Marvin for Crawford and I truly believe that is what just happened. Even if you don’t believe that Marvin will be more than what he gave us earlier this year, Marvin won’t impede the development of Horford and Smith as offensive players. He won’t force bad shot after bad shot. He won’t play piss-poor defense game after game. And he wasn’t going to make $20M over the next two seasons.
For all of you who wanted our GM to do something for the sake of feeling like “at least we’re trying”, well, there you have it. We did something. I hope you remember that we did something when we’re discussing our odds of getting John Wall or Derrick Favors this time next summer.
Melvin
June 24th, 2009
4:28 pm
I guess the Hawks may look to sign Sessions or Jack if they don’t draft a PG….
LEA
June 24th, 2009
4:28 pm
his contract is huge which means either marvin or bibby will not be back. I think Bibby is gone.. And we draft Lawson tomorrow… I’m not the biggest Marvin fan but… He is too young for us to give up on him now.. He still has a lot of potential and room to grow..
UGA
June 24th, 2009
4:29 pm
He scored 50 v. Charlotte, 40 vs. Miami and 39 vs. New Orleans.
Could also mean Joe gets to rest more…..
doc
June 24th, 2009
4:29 pm
hmmm interesting info here. it does point to the fact woody likes guards that score and bigs that are deferential to it. it was the formula in philly and in detroit was it not. wasnt woody a guard as well? aj already stated my first thought regarding josh, marvin and al not getting into the thick of things as scorers. kind of wonder what they are thinking. now do we really need flip or bibby for that matter and is woody gong to give the reins over to jamal? still will be spending a lot for him but certainly less than the 6 mil on speedy, the 3 mil on acie, the 15 mil on bibby and 1.5 mil on flip. we might be getting all of that 25 mil for the low price of 9 mil in crawford, as he brings in one package what we got for all of them, and whoever fills that void even if it is flip. need some defense so i begin to think in terms of douglas if available and hansbrough or some other motor devoted to defense. maybe even lawson as he would become the replacement on the bench for acie. heh heh
ray i think aj is begginig to either break down or finally get the point about his coach.
jerrywest
June 24th, 2009
4:32 pm
Crawford’s versatility gives Sund insurance against all negotiations (Bibby/JJ/Marvin/Flip).
fudd21
June 24th, 2009
4:34 pm
I think it means Bibby is gone as Crawford can play the point. He’s not your typical point but as we saw last year neither is Bibby. Plus Joe can play the point and really directed the offense at least as much if not more than Bibby. Yes he may be 20mil over 2 seasons but that is still cheaper than Bibby. I think it freed up some space to resign Marvin. Plus he has the ability to create on his own and should give Joe more rest. I personally love the trade.
Anakin Joe
June 24th, 2009
4:34 pm
nire, so Chicago dumped him before they had that little run with Hinrich, Gordon and Deng? Ah man, that means he’s like Marbury… teams win right after he leaves.
Maybe we’re about to trade him to the Clippers straight up for Camby. Maybe we’ll package Crawford and Marvin (S&T) later this summer for a one-year rental of Bosh. Heck, send him to the Wizards, they’re collecting combo guards who play on one side of the floor exclusively. Just please, don’t let this be the biggest move of the off-season.
Melvin
June 24th, 2009
4:35 pm
Astro,
No need to turn into Anakin just yet. The deal isn’t official and the Hawks haven’t finish assembling their team for the upcoming season. Calm down, don’t make that deal with the dark side yet…
Volman
June 24th, 2009
4:35 pm
Can somebody give me the link where it says Crawford is going to be the starting point guard, Bibby won’t be resigned, Flip is gone, Marvin as well, and that the Hawks will be in the lottery?
Anyone?
niremetal
June 24th, 2009
4:36 pm
Oh, and $5 says that Acie Law averages 13 and 6 next year for Golden State if this happens…
I’m cool with the trade if we keep Marvin and Bibby (or Marvin and a PG to replace Bibby or Bibby and a solid perimeter defender to replace Marvin). Otherwise…oy.
Melvin
June 24th, 2009
4:36 pm
Astro,
Look on the bright side, we may end up with John Wall. Then the FORCE will be with us….
BosnianBaller
June 24th, 2009
4:38 pm
Great trade.I would love to move Marvin.We need shooters and this gets it done.I don’t think they will trade Joe,Josh,and Al.I think Marvin will be signed and dealt.PLEASE DON’T TRADE JOE OR JOSH.Sign Bibby and Crawford will be the 6th man