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
terrell barron
June 23rd, 2009
11:29 am
Sekou, James Johnson, with Young, Teague, Clark, Ellington, and Douglass still on the board? Idk about that. I like him though. He can play the 2, the 3, and the 4,. He’d be a nice piece off the bench.
Big Ray
June 23rd, 2009
11:30 am
Astro Joe,
There is no origin, as it was a bit of straw. My point was that we don’t know why Sund did what he did in Seattle. I’ll assume Seattle needed a solid center/big man, and that’s why he did it. It’s as safe an assumption as thinking that the owner wanted him to do it, is it not? That was my point. Who cares? I admit to skepticism and still think that he has an affinity for big men, to a point.
But once more, we cannot ignore the fact that he was in a different situation there, than he is here. If you’re a Seattle fan, I can understand bashing him for his picks. I’m not, so having looked at it from that perspective, I really no longer give a damn what he did in the draft there. And it’s not just him. He may make the final call, but his assistant and the rest of the crew are all responsible.
You know, kinda like how we can’t just look at Woody when it comes to coaching issues, we also have to look at his staff?
You can bash him now if it feels good. I’ll wait until after he screws up to do that. In the meantime, I’ll leave my GM bashing for a guy who used a bunch of our lottery picks, largely on something he already had stockpiled. Oh, and he did it while working for the Hawks…not some other team…
Mike is back
June 23rd, 2009
11:40 am
Doc, you make a valid point…to say that recent UNC draftees have underachieved would be an under statement…with such lofty goals and storied tradition…it to be expected when you have as many players as UNC has opting for the NBA after one or two years in college.
U know I’m a Demon Deacon now…so I will delight in your disdain for UNC players…can u come with som for GT too. Heh heh
jhan
June 23rd, 2009
11:44 am
doc – I would probably take the other “JJ” over Hansbrough also.
Sautee was right about our “JJ” – we need to know his long term plans. I think it would be difficult to get another “star” quality player to come here if JJ was gone. We would probably have to buy into Sund’s idea of having top 10 players at every position.
terrell barron
June 23rd, 2009
11:44 am
Doc, that same GM also brought in Chills, Smith, Horford, JJ, and Bibby. He also tried to fire our beloved Head Coach. Get off of B.K’s ….!
Daniel
June 23rd, 2009
11:45 am
Ariose- I like adding Brandon Bass to the team, Paul Millsaps is also available.
terrell barron
June 23rd, 2009
11:50 am
Milsaps isn’t going anywhere, especially with Boozer being unrestricted.
terrell barron
June 23rd, 2009
11:56 am
Mike, ever heard of Randolph Childress? lol!!
A Tribe Called Quest
June 23rd, 2009
12:06 pm
Cleveland probably should go after Randolph. He definitely is not overpaid. Have you guys seen him play? The guy was scoring 30 points at will this year as he has done before. He can score 35 point easy, and I believe he destroyed us in ATL. His defense sucks, but he’d do well on Cleveland. He even said “no one can guard me” a few months ago. A man with that confidence is worth looking at (not for us because we have our own emotionally immature player in Smoove.
A Tribe Called Quest
June 23rd, 2009
12:10 pm
Can someone then please tell me how the Clips plan to get get Blake Griffin minutes if they can’t trade ZBo? I doubt Griffin can play center, ZBo certainly can’t, and ZBo makes way too much money and scores way too much to not play 30+ min a game
Hoops
June 23rd, 2009
12:37 pm
MANY RUMORS for THE HAWKS!!!
Draft Night Rumors:
1. Hawks trade Josh Smith and R. Morris to the Suns for Amare Stoudemire and pick #14. The Hawks will draft the best available PG (Flynn, Lawson, or Holiday). (Hawks will make that deal if available)
2. Hawks trade Speedy Claxton, Acie Law, and the #19 pick to the Clippers for Chris Kaman. (Hawks will make that deal if available)
3. Hawks trade the #49 pick to the Magic for JJ Redick. (Hawks will make that deal if available)
After July 1 Hopes:
1. Hawks offer Jack or Sessions and sign either.
2. Re-sign Flip, Marvin, and Zaza.
This could be the Hawks line up in 2009-10:
PG-Sessions/Jack, #14 pick
SG-JJ, Flip, Redick
SF-Marvin, Mo Evans
PF-Stoudemire, Kaman
C-Horford, Zaza
WOW!!! Let’s go to work with that front line!!!
doc
June 23rd, 2009
12:42 pm
terrell i imust have missed something i wrote. i have never been a fan of the way bk conducted business but i also said he brought in some players at both memphis and here that showed they could compete. the only thing west did in memphis was to bring in a coach and successfully fire the bk hire then conduct a fire sale.
mike how is this buzzzzzz! got two daughters now at uga so i have to mind my tongue a bit around them.
melvin, ounce for ounce my yorkshire terrier sounds tougher than you. i saw him jump german sheppards when they wandered too close to his yard. guess you know how to dance and shimmy too, like prime time.
terrell barron
June 23rd, 2009
12:52 pm
Rick Sund drafted 16 players as the Sonics GM, and NEVER drafted an All-Star. Just a thought.
terrell barron
June 23rd, 2009
12:55 pm
How cool would it be to have Toney Douglass on the Hawks and his brother Harry on the Falcons?
niremetal
June 23rd, 2009
1:14 pm
ZBo makes way too much money and scores way too much to not play 30+ min a game
There are so, so, so many ways in which that’s not right. Wally Sczerbiak being exhibit A. Marbury being exhibit B. Kirilenko, Odom…Lots of guys get paid tons and come off the bench or get less than 30 per. I agree Randolph will get 25 or so per game, but Dunleavy will have NO problem finding minutes for Griffin.
Also, you can have two guys who play the same position and give them both minutes. Griffin is quick enough to spend some spot time at the 3 and is strong enough to do spot duty at the 5.
Lastly, Dunleavy plays with deep rotations. He’ll find minutes for everyone.
Big Ray
June 23rd, 2009
1:22 pm
Terrell,
For the sake of stirring up an argument, how many of those picks were lottery picks?
Now, how many lottery picks did Billy have HERE, and how many of the picks he had HERE ended up being all-stars?
heh heh heh…yes, I’m as bored as you are…
Big Ray
June 23rd, 2009
1:23 pm
Meant to say how many draft picks OVERALL did Billy have here, and how many were all-stars. Answer is easy…
ant banks
June 23rd, 2009
1:23 pm
RICHARD JEFFERSON TO THE SPURS- E.S.P.N.
here we go again. teams makin’ bold moves gettin’ better and nothin’ outta hawksville. why do the hawks always wait until august 1 to start beatin’ the bushes for prospective free agents. i wish for once i could get some good news early and often about the hawks
jerrywest
June 23rd, 2009
1:26 pm
Its easy to get role players with the vet minimum. Why waste it on a 1st rounder. We should pick the best player in the long run. Period.
terrell barron
June 23rd, 2009
1:35 pm
Jefferson to SA for Bowen??
terrell barron
June 23rd, 2009
1:37 pm
Big Ray, Horford and Smith will make an All-Star appearance. And maybe even Marvin.
terrell barron
June 23rd, 2009
1:38 pm
BK’s only bust was Shellhead.
terrell barron
June 23rd, 2009
1:39 pm
And your’re right Big Ray, I’m bored.
Astro Joe
June 23rd, 2009
1:41 pm
Melvin, if a center is available to be chosen at #19, there’s a fairly HUGE chance that he is a bonafide project. Like Sekou said, supply and demand. And in this draft, with only 1 lottery-level center, any other center chosen is most definitely a roll of the dice. And that’s why BK was trying to build a different type of team. Instead of waiting for that mythical bonafide center to fall into your team’s lap, try to build a winning team using a different formula. He made mistakes along the way but I’m not sure the strategy is flawed. Kind of like deciding to go to the airport through downtown vs. using the perimeter. You could have the right idea and still execute incorrectly, (say if you get caught behind grandma in her Dodge Dart). What BK failed to recognize, was the migration of the league being ruled by PGs (likely due to the hand-check rule).
Now, I think, we’re about to quickly move to the era of the shooter. With more “combo guards” looking to take their man off the dribble, more and more open jumpers will be available. I’m less worried about Derrick Rose and more worried about the Wizards. I just think that a healthy Arenas to go with Nick Young, a developing McGhee, Jamison, Caron and Blatche (if he ever becomes consistent) and a coach like Flip pulling the levers… that’s far more scary to me that Rose running around the floor. And because I believe that Orlando has helped usher in the era of the shooter, we really need to keep Marvin (and to a lesser degree, bring back Bibby). It’s also why I’m so intrugud by Tony Douglas.
Astro Joe
June 23rd, 2009
1:43 pm
That Bucks-Spurs trade could improve Milwaukee’s ability to keep Sessions and/or Villanueva.
A Tribe Called Quest
June 23rd, 2009
1:50 pm
niremetal, Zach Randolph is far better than any of those players you mentioned. It’ll be interesting to see how Dunleavy works the rotation.
Speaking of Dunleavy, he is one of the biggest losers in the last 8 years in the NBA, yet he is the only coach not to get fired out of the doo-doo coaches (like Woodson). Is this all because of Sterling?
HawkKingBibby
June 23rd, 2009
1:50 pm
JAMES JOHNSON !!!!!! If he is there at 19 thats just crazy. Sekou is there anything you are hearing that makes you think he will fall or is it just wishful thinking. Im hoping Curry falls too, lol. DO YOU REALIZE WE WILL HAVE JJ AND JJ JUNIOR if that happens lol (Johnson falling).
A Tribe Called Quest
June 23rd, 2009
1:58 pm
Our assistant GM (David Pendergraft–can people please learn to spell his name right?) provided some gems in his interview yesterday with Hawks.com:
“What we are hoping to get in this draft is a player who can help us. If a guy in our rotation goes down with an injury, you’d like to get someone who can maybe pick up some of those minutes. We were a playoff team last year, and we think we’ll be a playoff team next year. So another option is to get a guy who has the potential to be a starter”
Wow, we want a player who can help us! I would have never known that was the purpose of the draft! I thought the purpose of the draft was to pick players who made your team worse! Didn’t Billy Knight say “we are hoping to draft a player who will make our team better” after the 2007 lottery?
Melvin
June 23rd, 2009
2:11 pm
Doc,
I would sell out on a run play if I had to. Other than that, just stay at home and hold containment until the finishers (i.e. linebackers) got there to crack some heads… Keep the Jersey clean, babe…
NBA Draft 2009: The Year in Quotes | NBA Draft Roundup
June 23rd, 2009
2:20 pm
[...] “I felt like I needed an ice bath after watching his 90-minute workout.” – Hawks assistant Larry Drew after watching Psycho Hansbrough’s bring the effort and move the Richter scale. [...]
Melvin
June 23rd, 2009
2:24 pm
Astro and Big Ray,
Didn’t Sund sign Calvin Booth to big contract? What about Jerome James? Did he get that big contract from Seattle or the Knicks????
G-Man
June 23rd, 2009
2:28 pm
Hoops,
Can you cite the sources of those rumors?
Melvin
June 23rd, 2009
2:28 pm
Kobe may have to deal with another guy (Duncan) that has 4 rings in order to get his 5th. Yep, the Spurs will be back next season. Parker, Manu, Richardson and Ducan. I bet they are gonna sign Rasheed as well. For all the praise he got, let’s see if Mr. Pau Gasol can handle Duncan (the greatest PF ever) in the paint…
Melvin
June 23rd, 2009
2:32 pm
G-Man,
I think there’s a major problem with Hoops rumor #1. Wasn’t it establish that we couldn’t trade Smoove until August, after his contract becomes 1 yr old…
G-Man
June 23rd, 2009
2:34 pm
Melvin,
Eventhough that trade was a steal for the spurs, now they are lacking in depth. They probably need to use the MLE for distribution purposes for other free agents rather than going for a homerun with the full MLE.
doc
June 23rd, 2009
2:40 pm
tb, you must be bored to try and rile me with pot shots. geez.
tb, on that subject, i guess woody missed the memo on how many great draft picks he got through the years. heh heh
yeah a bit bored myself.
where is andro to talk about the williams draft and jj trade fiasco when you need him? fatherhood tamed him but good.
Rod from College Park
June 23rd, 2009
2:44 pm
Spurs will be back next year. How will you stop Duncan, Jefferson, Parker and Ginobilli? They just became the big 4. The Hawks should be following this blueprint. Get 2 or three unstoppable players, and play a little defense. We already have Joe and Josh. We need another scorer, like Jefferson, to take the pressure off of Joe.
doc
June 23rd, 2009
2:45 pm
g-man they somehow had enough depth to do well during the season only to falter with the playoffs without ginobli. there top four look pretty awesome and i figure pops can coach up whoever he needs to work around that foursome.
ok now, “clean shirt melvin”, csm for short, has a ring to it.
doc
June 23rd, 2009
2:47 pm
rod we got four already: jj, josh, al and MARVIN at the right price if we resign him!
UGA
June 23rd, 2009
2:48 pm
I bet the Spurs will make a run at ZaZa, they need a center and would probably start him next to Duncan.
bigdave
June 23rd, 2009
2:53 pm
According to the Cameron Crazies
Hansbrough= Travel… Travel… Every Time!!
yea Sautee i was a bit perplexed by the Sekou quote…
Astro Joe
June 23rd, 2009
2:53 pm
When a guy like Jefferson goes to a team like the Spurs, he knows that he will be the 4th option and if he does his job, will be able to truly compete for a ring. He goes there knowing that his principle mission will be to defend Kobe, Carmelo and other elite wing players in that conference.
I know he isn’t an exciting player or brand name, but I wouldn’t mind getting Kurt Thomas. Milwaukee will try to move Gadzuric (makes more than Thomas for an extra year than Thomas), but I always did like Kurt’s old school toughness and ability to make the open jumper. He has to be the leading candidate to seek a buy-out from his current team (like Joe Smith & McDyess last year). Talking about attitude and aptitude… let’s grab Thomas once he is able to be traded again.
Mike is back
June 23rd, 2009
2:59 pm
Doc, UGA great football school…SEC not a problem…GT big problem…It will be hard not to root for Favors…I told pumpkin she might have to cut me slack on that one.
TB, Yeah I heard of him…the cat could flat shot the rock…but it’s been a while since that name came across radar.
ant banks, my sentiments exactly…all you ever hear is chatter from teams in the ATL…while the serious players are in the back ground making move…we always find an obstacle or crutch to hold on to.
UGA
June 23rd, 2009
2:59 pm
The Hawks need a veteran leader, and Thomas would fit that bill. What a great influence he could be on Smoove.
jhan
June 23rd, 2009
3:04 pm
Sounds like Pendergraft wants to draft somebody that can help “this” season as opposed to someone with “potential”
niremetal is right – some people choose to disregard the context.
Why doesn’t every team have 3 unstoppable players? – because there aren’t that many to go around.
Melvin
June 23rd, 2009
3:05 pm
The spurs still have Roger Mason (SG/SF), Michael Finley (SG/SF) and George Hill(PG/SG) on the bench. All they have to do now is sign a big man (Rasheed) and bring back big shot Robert Horry for the dagger in Kobe eyes…
Melvin
June 23rd, 2009
3:09 pm
Astro,
I agree on Kurt Thomas. He would definitely bring some toughness and smack Josh (still my dude) upside the head if needed.
Kurt Thomas (aka Kevin Costner) = Woody BodyGuard against Josh….
Astro Joe
June 23rd, 2009
3:33 pm
Melvin, somehow, I can’t envision Kurt Thomas pulling any popcorn stunts. In addition to giving Josh the “gas face”, I think he would also have a friendly word or three when Joe and Bibby get shot-happy. If there is ongoing beef between Smith and Joe, Thomas may be the perfect addition, because he would be equally hated by both sides.
O'Brien
June 23rd, 2009
3:34 pm
AJ,
I agree. That trade increases the likelihood that the Bucks can keep both Charlie V and Sessions. I still think Jarrett Jack is the guy the Hawks should sign (not Bibby).
Rumor has it that Portland is looking to make some trades, because they are the second youngest team in the NBA, and they dont want to get younger.
The Hawks have their work cut out for them. I think Philly will be better, Detroit will be better, Washington will be better, Charlotte will be better, the Bulls will be better. It will be hard for the Hawks to secure a top 4 seed again, unless they make some major moves.
Melvin
June 23rd, 2009
3:51 pm
Astro,
If we can’t get Captain Kurt then I wouldn’t my see us sign McDyess. I doubt if he resign with the Pistons to join their rebuilding stage.
O’brien,
All those teams you name have to catch us. If we resign our top 4 FA, at the least, we will beat all those teams. However, I would like to see some upgrades to catch the Big 3 (Boston,Clevland,Orlando) in front of us. I’m not so concern with the teams that finish below us…