Atlanta Hawks: Could these draft prospects help the Hawks later?
Yesterday I highlighted some draft prospects the Hawks believe have “NBA skills” that could be useful to them next season. Today, I’m looking at some long-term prospects the Hawks might draft at No. 24.
Understand that these lists aren’t meant to be complete, nor should they be considered endorsements. These are players I know the Hawks have considered from each pool. If you don’t see the player you want on these lists, it doesn’t mean the Hawks won’t draft them and it doesn’t mean I don’t like them. I’m just trying to share what I know with my blog people, narrow the Hawks’ draft possibilities down a bit, and then let you explain why they have it ALL WRONG!!!
In the next post I will collect all of the final mock drafts in one spot. That way you can find those smart people who predict the Hawks will draft the guy you like.
Solomon Alabi has the size teams want.
Solomon Alabi, C, 7-1, Florida State
I think Alabi will be gone by the time the Hawks pick, and here’s why: He looks the part, and scouts and GMs tend to fall in love with those kind of guys even when they are as raw as Alabi. He weighed in at 237 pounds at the draft combine and he looked even bigger than that at the Hawks workout. The fact that he’s not expected to be taken in the lottery tells you how far he has to go.
“He’s a young kid [turned 22 in March],” said Hawks assistant GM Dave Pendergraft. “You like the fact that he shoots [well] from the free-throw line. But you can tell he’s raw. He”ll be drafted in the first round, and in a perfect world he lasts a long time [in the league].”
One person who saw Alabi’s Haws workout described him as “mechanical” in his movements. So he’s not a fluid athlete but he’s certainly physically impressive.
“He’s huge and he’s a great guy,” Pendergraft said. “If you are looking for someone two or three years down the road to help you, he’s a candidate.”
NBADraft.net describes Alabi, a native of Nigeria, as a player who could potentially be the defensive-minded 7-footer the Hawks (and all teams) covet:
“[Alabi's] physical tools make him an excellent shot blocker on and off the ball, and a likely candidate for offensive tips and putbacks off misses. . . . There’s no arguing that he has the potential to become a defensive centerpiece for a team that lacks a presence in the paint.”
Kevin Seraphin, F/C, 6-9, France
A knee injury nearly caused Seraphin to pull out of the draft because he couldn’t participate on the workout circuit. He decided to stay in, probably a good decision since it looks like he’s pretty certain to be drafted in the first round. Seraphin met with the Hawks for several hours on Monday.
David Aldridge has an excellent draft preview series at NBA.com. Aldridge projects Seraphin as a power forward and, surprisingly, places him ahead of Kentucky’s Patrick Patterson in rankings that reflect “how ready players are to play the position which they are assigned.”
Aldridge quotes an unnamed Atlantic Division scout on Seraphin: “It’s a 100 percent fair comparison to Nene. He’s strong, he’s got big hands, got that athletic ability. Slightly mechacical. You know how Nene is. You can almost tell what he’s going to do. Seraphin might turn out to be a better rebounder. He tracks the ball. It’s going to take a while for this kid to get there [offensively]. Nene’s pretty good and this kid is going to turn out like that.”
Whiteside already is a good shot-blocker.
Hassan Whiteside, C, 7-0, Marshall
Whiteside, who turned 21 earlier this month, played just one season at Marshall. Like Alabi, he’s a true 7-footer with potential so some team is going to take him and develop him. Whiteside led the NCAA with 5.3 blocks per game.
Whiteside worked out this week for the Bucks, who own the No. 15 pick. After the session, Milwaukee’s director of scouting, Billy McKinney, said it’d be a “stretch” for his team to draft Whiteside:
“A good shot-blocker, he’s still very raw. He’s pretty new to the game, but a guy that blocks a lot of shots, rebounds, there’s a lot of room for improvement and growth in his game.”
In an interview with NBADraft.net back in May, Whiteside said he worked with Hakeem to improve his defense, footwork and strength on the block.
Daniel Orton, C, 6-10, Kentucky
Just five days ago the Indy Star reported the Pacers might take Orton with the No. 10 overall pick. Then yesterday Yahoo! Sports suggested Orton might slide out of the first round because of a bad knee, poor conditioning and his reputation as a malcontent during one season at Kentucky.
I’m assuming the Hawks are still considering Orton. He canceled several workouts over the last couple weeks, leading to speculation he had a proverbial “promise” from a team, but the Hawks didn’t believe that’s the case. Nor did they seem too displeased that Orton didn’t make a stop in Atlanta (he finally ended up working out this week for the Pacers).
Orton turns 20 in August and played just 13 minutes a game at Kentucky. There’s also the aforementioned weight and attitude issues, which raises the twin red flags of work ethic and “coachability.” But he’s a big, strong dude with potential. He defends at the rim and actually has a nice jump shot. Some team will roll the dice on him.
Orton wrote a draft diary for the The Oklahoman and addressed his knee and his expectations but shed no light on the missed workouts.
MC
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272 comments Add your comment
Ramon
June 24th, 2010
1:45 pm
Big Ray, I understand what you’re saying. But I don’t see even John Salmons having more skill set than Marvin, yet he’s able to do what he does later in his career. I just see too much there in his skills to give up that easily on him. Remember he’s only played under one NBA coach his entire career. You realize if you take 14 shots a game and shoot 50% that’s already 15-16 ppg without free throw attempts added in. When Marvin is allowed to be the alpha dog, I honestly believe he will deliver. I remember last season, when Marvin went off and scored like 12-15 in the 2nd half because people were talking noise to him. The kid does have fight. I do think though, it would benefit him to lose 10-15 lbs. If he could get a little more speed (while gaining strength), he’ll be just fine.
Grandad
June 24th, 2010
1:49 pm
The Truth:::::
It appears we read the same thing !
If so…..bye, bye.
I don’t have one problem building around J & A.
Now that we have a real coach.
Also I’m not one who wants to see Jamal leave soon.
Let him stick around & create chemistry with J & A + Teaguer.
DJ
June 24th, 2010
1:55 pm
Can someone post the story Ric Bucher did on the hawks, raptors, and suns?
Grandad
June 24th, 2010
1:57 pm
The Truth:::::
PS
I’ve never been one to beg.
If someone doesn’t want to be on your team
then
you’re better off w/o them.
Send Joe off with class & a smile.
He did alot for our franchise.
Now
lets move forward with hope, energy, & *competitive spirit*.
*per John Wooden RIP
Najeh Davenpoop
June 24th, 2010
1:59 pm
“In contract, Marvin career is still on the rise.”
Is it?
Ramon
June 24th, 2010
2:02 pm
Pat Riley is trying to buy out Jones, and trade Beasley. He’s really trying to bring TWO superstars to play with Wade. Wow!
Grandad
June 24th, 2010
2:04 pm
Mary Ellen:::
If we draft Larry Sanders:
it can be ” The Larry Sanders Show ” starring ” Larry Drew ”
* most of these young-uns don’t even remember ‘Garry Shandling’.
GeeMack
June 24th, 2010
2:04 pm
drmaryb
You have some entertaining blogs. Lol.
I think CP3 will be ok once he returns.
Hawk n the Ham
June 24th, 2010
2:05 pm
Ever noticed when someone is talking about Marvin, it always starts with “if”?
‘If’ Marvin does…….
‘If’ Marvin will…….
‘If’ Marvin finally….
The Truth
June 24th, 2010
2:05 pm
Grandad
It appears that lightning has struck twice. We both got the same reaction to the article. That must tell us something. Like a terminally ill patient, I’ve seen this event coming so I’m not shocked to read this; it’s time to move on. The Hawks maybe better off in the long run with a new coach, more ball movement and less ISO hog ball.
Ramon
June 24th, 2010
2:09 pm
Someone tell me if I’m wrong, but couldn’t the Hawks trade Marvin to Golden State for the trade exception that they have? And wouldn’t that create a significant amount of cap space for the Hawks?
drmaryb
June 24th, 2010
2:10 pm
Beasley is a lazy pot-head, bust!
I read that link re: Chicago, LBJ and Joe teaming up. Interesting read, however not definitive.
Joe may seek a deal to re-negotiate with Atlanta!
However, it would be hard for anyone ( not named Delonte West ), to pass on playing with LBJ and Dereck Rose and Noah! Wow! Now, that’s a team!
Najeh Davenpoop
June 24th, 2010
2:11 pm
“When Marvin is allowed to be the alpha dog, I honestly believe he will deliver.”
That’s true of a lot of players though. I’d guess that 75-80% of the league could give you 20 points per game if they were the alpha dog, and that includes Marvin. But most of those players can’t win titles, or even get to the playoffs for that matter, as the number one option on their team. To be the number one option, you have to score efficiently AND do other things well. Marvin hasn’t shown that he can do ANYTHING particularly well in his five years in the league, and with more minutes and a bigger role there’s nothing in his resume to suggest that he won’t just get stripped on his drives and fall down more often.
Yes, it is possible he gets better with more confidence and a bigger role, and I’m not discounting the fact that he is young and has room to improve. But after five years in the league, you can usually tell what a player is and isn’t. Josh Smith, for example, can improve his jump shooting and right-hand dribble, but we know at this point that neither will ever be a great strength. Marvin can improve as a scorer, but the jump he has to make to go from his current level of inconsistency to be an alpha dog on a good team is just too great to expect of someone after five years in the league. Marvin’s best bet, as I’ve been saying for a while, is to reinvent himself as a Shane Battier-style role player.
Rondo
June 24th, 2010
2:13 pm
Let no emotion joe go! Salmons would b a great trade for jj.If jj wants to leave let him go!He is the one that let the team down this season.Isn’t it amazing Sund is shipping all the hawks problems out the door and got good replacements for each one of those loosers.
Ramon
June 24th, 2010
2:15 pm
Najeh, Marvin has more offensive ability than Shane Battier. And I didn’t say that I see him doing that on THIS team. But I am one who believes that Marvin isn’t a bust, and thinks his best days are ahead of him.
Rondo
June 24th, 2010
2:19 pm
You know what would b funny. If Marvins game playing abilities wake up next season and he becomes our Joe Johnson. JJ kick rocks son if you can find a better home. Outy 5000 Gee!
Rondo
June 24th, 2010
2:20 pm
Baron Davis anyone?
Ramon
June 24th, 2010
2:20 pm
I don’t see Rose, Joe, and Noah leading Chicago to the Conference Finals. I don’t know why but I just don’t see that. I see them being a good team. But I don’t even see them being better than the team we just had.
The Truth
June 24th, 2010
2:23 pm
My two cent Marvin prescription: Marvin just needs more structure which is what Coach Drew is offering. Did you notice how offensively lost Marvin looked under Woody’s ISO System? He was trained under Dean Smith ball movement system which was the opposite of Woody. So for better or worst, with a new coach and new system, this will be the year when Marvin can be better evaluated
drmaryb
June 24th, 2010
2:24 pm
Gee Mack
I sure hope CP3 comes back too. He is very very nice. A Good Guy – who is one of the Faces of the NBA.
I like to entertain, as you eluded to, but I am very concerned about Paul’s injury for his sake and his future.
Players like Kobe who come in at 18 years old, have a propensity for knee issues around age 30.
Look at how fast Jermaine Oneal declined, as did Jamal Mashburn anf JKidd is still balling today from that
“The Three J’s”. Drafted Group of players. Hey, whatever happened to the third “J”?
Didn’t he play for the Hawks? And wasn’t he (?) And Jason Kidd fighting over that Super-Model and had to be separated and traded?
Anyway, I hope the best for CP3! But, can’t afford to buy damaged goods – we ain’t got no “House – Money”
Idiot Watch
June 24th, 2010
2:29 pm
“And as I said Jefferson and Horford would be atrocious on defense.”
29 out of 30 of the NBA head coaches agreed that Al Horford was so bad that they could not vote for him on the NBA All Defense Team on any squad. The 1 who did vote for Al horrible voted for him to be on the second team.
Defensively Al was not among the first 32 players in the block shot category and was number 18 among centers.
Most of the hawks opponent’s coaches ran plays to isolate Al under the basket with the likes of Tony Parker or Nate Robinson recognizing how weak Horford is on Defense.
His sole claim to defense is that he picks up garbage rebounds when Josh blocks as shot or some one else plays the defense that causes the rebound.
Al Horford is one of the weakest defending centers in the NBA. Jefferson is not known for defense either, so if you put both of them under the rack…. expect an avalanche at the racik!
Ramon
June 24th, 2010
2:29 pm
@ Drmaryb, the third J got his layup pinned to the background by MJ in a Wizards uniform, and ran into the tunnel, to never again come out lol.
Rondo
June 24th, 2010
2:29 pm
Joe is smoking dope if he thinks going to the Bulls will b his ticket to the Finals! JJ even looks out of place when he plays for the East All Stars. JJ stop fooling yourself u r not an elite nba player. If you were a three peice snack at Churchs chicken. Homeboy you won’t b the chicken you would be a soggy roll or some mash potatoes or a corn on the cob! Wake up jj you ain’t nothing but a side order cuz!
Rondo
June 24th, 2010
2:35 pm
Take away all 6 of Jordan championships in Chicago and you know what you got Joe Johnson……………The Atlanta Hawks!
drmaryb
June 24th, 2010
2:35 pm
Rondo
That same article said that Jalen Rosean said, ” word on the street is that LBJ is definitely NOT
going back to Cleveland and is looking to possibly goto Chicago as is Joe.
That changes everything!!
Idiot Watch
June 24th, 2010
2:43 pm
Joe is smoking dope if he thinks going to the Bulls will b his ticket to the Finals!
One things for sure…..the hawks aint!
When we cut woodson we cut Joe also. Joe was Woodsons Boy.
Rondo
June 24th, 2010
2:45 pm
drmaryb- JJ game deminishes big time when he is not the main guy. His game would drop off dramaticly if he plays with Le Boo Boo. Do you think jj would humble himself down if he has to reduce his role to a role player. Once you have had the taste of being the main meal on a team its hard to reduce your role as a role player (aka side piece) Le Boo Boo is the three peice snack and jj would b mash potatoes.
Idiot Watch
June 24th, 2010
2:46 pm
Actually Joe was ready to sign about the same time Woodson was suppose to get an extension but Sund told Woodson to wait til after the season, everyone read between the lines including joe who said never mind Ill wait till im a free agent and then well do this the right way.
Woodson II (the sequel)
June 24th, 2010
2:48 pm
Actually LBJ likes it when he doesnt have to do every thing. He will have not problem sharing the ball with JJ.
I dont hate JJ for making a decision to pursue “real” basketball while the hawks have decided they would like to rebuild again.
Rondo
June 24th, 2010
2:49 pm
So…… Larry Drew is everybodies Main Man even Joe’s.
Woodson II (the sequel)
June 24th, 2010
2:50 pm
In fact I think the hawks like rebuilding more that pursuing championships. Is there a trophy for rebuilding?
GeeMack
June 24th, 2010
2:51 pm
Enter your comments here
Rondo
June 24th, 2010
2:52 pm
Le Boo Boo has not had that feeling yet and won’t get it in jj.
drmaryb
June 24th, 2010
2:52 pm
Rondo
Jj is set for life financially. He wants to win some Rings now! He’s probably thinking,
The ASG still in court, refuses to spend money on real players to help the team win!
5 years and still no penetrating PG nor Big Center. If Not now? When?
Rondo
June 24th, 2010
2:58 pm
Cut ties with jj as soon as you know for sure what he is going to do sund and be ready to bring in Salmons and see if you can get Baron Davis. Now that would be a tough gritty squad that would bring it n the playoffs!
Rondo
June 24th, 2010
3:13 pm
Note to JJ: Do you want to continue to be an NBA All-Star or do you want to become a Delonte West? Think about it man do you want to be nba silver because your not platnum or gold yet,…. or would u like to Le Boo Boo’s drawls sniffer? Think buddy before you make your move.
dap01
June 24th, 2010
3:19 pm
Joe is a complicated person whose motivation is not to win, it is to be “the man”. That is why he left Phoenix. I hope he stays but he is definitely not worth the max.
Come on Hawks, it has been years, you still need help at the center and guard position. Actually, you even need help in the forward position even though you have drafted Childress, Josh, Sheldon, Marvin, Al and Soloman.
Sickening…..
Reginald
June 24th, 2010
3:26 pm
If you have ESPN insider…can you post this article…..It talks about the Hawks offseason http://insider.espn.go.com/nba/insider/news/story?id=5322416&action=login&appRedirect=http%3a%2f%2finsider.espn.go.com%2fnba%2finsider%2fnews%2fstory%3fid%3d5322416
Rondo
June 24th, 2010
3:27 pm
Sheldon disappointed me big-time in the finals. Sheldon you could at least have been a Goon when you got in the game. When Kobe tried to run in for a layup you should have pinched his adams apple or something. Please ATL don’t draft another Sheldon Williams!
i_am_soulstar
June 24th, 2010
3:28 pm
I understand that Salmons isn’t quite the player that JJ is, and I wish JJ would stay as much as the next Hawks fan.
But if the most important positions on the court are the 1 and the 5, then why are we trying to build around a 2???????
Unless your 2 is top-tier superstar (MJ, Wade, Kobe, etc.), building around the 2 is probably not the way to go. Teams try it often, and fail just as frequently.
Ramon
June 24th, 2010
3:29 pm
Rondo, Sheldon couldn’t have done that because Kobe’s boss is Sheldon’s wife’s boss.
Mike is back
June 24th, 2010
3:29 pm
If JJ ends up going to the Bulls…Great!!!…at least we will get a chance to play against him. It was already 50 50…whether JJ would return. After the dubious article about the LD hiring and ASG’s financial woes…if your JJ…does that impact your decision…Heck yeah it do…so don’t get carried away ripping the man apart.
That’s the problem with having a FRUGAL BUSINESS APPROACH…you not are going to attract or retain the marquee talent.
However, JJ is begging right now…he can’t eat to the BIG DOGS EAT. But if he ends up in Chi Town…fine…it will make a good rivalry.
I have hear it said that the Hawks become a lottery team…if JJ walks…not necessarily…make be in the WC…However in the EC…we all know you can have a sub 500 record, and still contend for a playoff spot.
I certainly expect the Hawks record to be better than that. I LET HIM GO…IF WANTS GO…I WISH THE BEST!!!
drmaryb
June 24th, 2010
3:31 pm
Cousins on HoopsHype
ROF. LOL. Cousins must be reading our blog. Yesterday, I posted about all the Cousins that come
out of the wood-works, when you are holding the winning lottery ticket.
Cousins said the hardest part about the whole Draft process is, “All the unheard
of Cousins that call for rooms, money and jobs! One guy called and said, he was
Brother from my Father’s side of the family?”
ROF! LOL! The last thing we need is a Lazy Cousin with a whole lot of other Lazy Cousins!
Naw! We’ll pass on that drama!
If Joe Leaves, we re-tool, call it addition by subtraction and build around the remaining core guys.
Share the ball and play as a unit. The way, Boston did. No one guy has to score 20 & 10 to Win
Rondo
June 24th, 2010
3:33 pm
She would have gotten over it by now Ramon shes probably a Kobe-Hater too
cp
June 24th, 2010
3:33 pm
I hope we stay away from Orton. If a guy cant get in shape for the biggest moment of his life then I don’t want him. If a guy isn’t motivated to get in shape to make millions I doubt he will be motivated to become a better player.. We made that mistake once in drafting a guy who was out of shape during his workout. He never seems motivated. I don’t want two unmotivated guys on the team one is enough.
I was a fan of Seraphin but I didn’t know about the buyout. If that’s the case I doubt the Hawks draft him. He looks like he could be a steal. Might end up being this years version of the pg Dallas got last year.
Well I will scratch Seraphin off the list and hope a guy like James Anderson falls. There will be some guys that drop. It happens every year. Guys like Blair, Sam Young, and Budinger were all available in the second. Jrue even slipped in the draft. He was projected to go in the top 10 at one point. I wouldn’t be shocked if a guy we didn’t think would be there at 24 ends up being available.
Big Ray
June 24th, 2010
3:47 pm
“29 out of 30 of the NBA head coaches agreed that Al Horford was so bad that they could not vote for him on the NBA All Defense Team on any squad. The 1 who did vote for Al horrible voted for him to be on the second team.”
Those same coaches thought enough of Horford to vote him to the all-star game as a reserve.
Only two centers in the entire league made the NBA all-defensive team. Dwight Howard and Tim Duncan.
So not getting voted to the NBA all defensive team means what? Brook Lopez didn’t make it. Neither did Tyson Chandler, Brendan Haywood, Shaquille O’Neal, Emeka Okafor, and anybody else not named Tim Duncan or Dwight Howard .
Being 18 amongst centers in blocked shots means what? It’s a single stat. If shot blocking was all there is to defending, then surely all of those guys should have been better centers, and therefore played more minutes. Surely Al would be 18th most productive among NBA centers. Instead, he gets voted to the all-star team despite being undersized. Facts are facts…
Most of the hawks opponent’s coaches ran plays to isolate Al under the basket with the likes of Tony Parker or Nate Robinson recognizing how weak Horford is on Defense.
Actually, they were just taking advantage of the flaws in Woody’s switch defense. No center is quick enough to contain a quick pg on the perimeter. So, opposing coaches either used their quick guards to blow by the slow footed Mike Bibby, or Jamal Crawford. Woodson’s reaction to that was to make up for their defensive deficiencies by employing the switch defense. Opposing coaches reacted by running a play that would cause Horford or Smith to get switched on to defending the quick guard, who would beat them to the basket. Easy money, and it had more to do with a lack of perimeter defense than anything else (and a flawed coaching concept).
Often times, teams would draw Horford and Smith away from the basket so they couldn’t defend the paint. Milwaukee did it to us for five games in the playoffs before Woody finally started letting his guys play man to man a little more. It worked. Too bad it took five games to do so.
His sole claim to defense is that he picks up garbage rebounds when Josh blocks as shot or some one else plays the defense that causes the rebound.
Last I looked, a blocked shot does not result in a rebound. It results in a loose ball, which either team can take possession of. A rebound is the result of a missed shot, whether the shot was defended or not. So what you’re saying here makes me think your “Knowledge Quest” isn’t meeting with much success….
Big Ray
June 24th, 2010
3:50 pm
“I dont hate JJ for making a decision to pursue “real” basketball while the hawks have decided they would like to rebuild again”
So was JJ pursuing real basketball when he left a Western Conference Finals team in Phoenix and came to a team (the Hawks) that was rebuilding?
Oh, and if he was tired of playing here and not playing “real basketball”, then you’re gonna have a hard time justifying your love affair with Woody…’cause Woody was the one coaching this “not real basketball” team the entire time Joe was here.
What a comedy of errors….
cdog
June 24th, 2010
3:52 pm
THE HAWKS SHOULD GO STRONGLY AFTER JOE JOHNSON. IF THEY LOSE HIM, GO AFTER CHILDRESS AND AMARIE STOUDERMIRE.FOR DEPTH, DRAFT A SHOOTING GUARD AND THE CENTER FROM FLORIDA STATE IF HE’S AVAILABLE. ITS GOING TO BE INTERESTING TO SEE WHAT RICK SUND IS MADE OF DURING THIS OFF SEASON
Rondo
June 24th, 2010
3:53 pm
Big Ray- Great Post you are well informed and have a great knowledge of the game. Just one thing buddy…Enough with smiling faces please, makes you look soft and doughy….We going to have to drop the Big from your name and just call you Ray.
Big Ray
June 24th, 2010
3:54 pm
cp
I tend to agree with that, but at the same time….
Well, does he have skills that help us more than say, a guy like Randolph Morris? And here’s another tough guy who came into the league out of shape and seemingly unmotivated: Paul Milsap. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not too hot on a prospect that is raw, and has question marks about his conditioning and work ethic. I just know that we don’t know the whole truth on him. Not even part of it, actually. Just what we read. Still….
As for Seraphin, I agree. Hawks ain’t gonna go for that buyout. That buyout is nearly as much as they paid RandMo per year, LOL.