Atlanta Hawks: Prospect focus: Baylor’s Quincy Miller

Draft Andrew Nicholson Please!!

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He’s gaining weight but his leg is weak? That doesn’t sound good. Is he only working on his upper body, eating Moon Pies or is he also rehabbing that leg? And for every “Durant like” there is someone who will be more “Tim Thomas like”. Another 6′10″ jump-shooter with great physical attributes.

I hope that every athletic PG with a broken jumper doesn’t get labeled “the next Rondo”. What is it that Wroten has that seperates him from the myriad of other athletic PGs who come and go? Like Willie Warren (to pull a name out of my…).

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MC Durant and an older example Tayshaun Prince have proven you don’t need to be a body builder to play basketball. Can this kid play basketball and do it at the higher level? Their major concern should be his knee and can he play immediately only.

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MC, I’m just commenting……..It’s kind of funny to hear their concerns. Good stuff homey

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Enter your comments here

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I really like Miller. I was watching his workout footage and he looks a lot better than he did at Baylor. I think he wouuld be a steal at 23. He would be a top 10 pick next year if he stayed at Baylor. He has a good midrange game, and nice handles. He can take his man off the dribble which is something a lot of guys on our team cant seem to do.

@Astro. I think the only problem with a Teague and Wroten backcourt is the lack of shooting. Teague isnt known as a shooter but he is a lot better at it than Wroten. Like I keep saying, I wont be shocked if Wroten is the pick only because Sund is in love with him. Maybe Pendergraft doesnt hold him in such high regards as Sund but who knows.

@Buddy. I dont mind Taylorbut it all depends on who is left on the board. His handles are sub par and I really want another guy who can create his own shot on this team.

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Other than body types I dont see the coparison of Miller and Dermarr. I still think Dermarr was headed in the right direction before that car accident. He was really starting to get it during the second half of his second year. Dude was having some really good games. He was never the same after that accident though.

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I definitely did not read cp’s post before I posted that.

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Wroten measures out at 6′6″ in shoes with a 6′9″ wingspan. He just turned 19 in April. He truly is a combo-guard. Gaddy handled the starting PG duties for the Huskies. Wroten and Ross both played mostly off the ball. Wroten’s strength is getting to the rim, much like a Tyreke Evans (6′5″ with a 6′11″ wingspan). Wroten shot less 3’s than Evans in college (Evans shot more than twice as many), and Wroten got to the free throw line more.

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Hawks top 5 players

1. Terrence Jones SF and PF

2. Fab Melo C

3. Meyers Leonard C

4. Jefferey Taylor SF

5. Royce White SF

BIG DOG IN THE HOUSE

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@AstroJoe “But isn’t that Austin Daye kid in Detroit a super-long and thin SF who hasn’t quite made an impact for a really bad team?”

Yea, but we arent a ‘bad team’. We made it to the playoffs at really good seatings the last 2 years. So if Q Miller can make a difference, than why not. We just need a more consistent SF who can make plays offensively and defensively regularly. Marvin has had his chances and would be great if we can move him but if we cant, I say, keep him coming off the bench since he HAS done better off the bench than starting.

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Will Josh be traded before the Draft ? Josh and # 23 for Tyreke and # 5

Make this deal in heart beat.

BIG DOG IN THE HOUSE

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But Najeh did make a great point,

“In today’s NBA, which trends towards smaller and quicker players, I think they have to look at it in the opposite way. Is he quick enough to defend 3s and take 3s off the dribble at an NBA level? If not, he is a 4 whether he likes it or not, and he better find a way to put on that weight.”

We DONT need to draft Q Miller @ 23 if he cant defend SF at the NBA level, esp, if we could have drafted an Andrew Nick, Jeff Taylor, or Royce.

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Just Joe when you look at it that way then yea good point lol..Ms.Dee I dont think Royce or Nicholson can defend the 3 at the next level. Royce looks like a pf to me. Nicholson played the 4 but he isnt strong enough. Dude was getting man handled in the post at the combine. I dont know if he has the lateral quickness to play the 3. He looks like a stretch 4.

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Teague, Joe, Barnes or Michael Kidd, Horford, Zaza

Pargo, Tyreke, Marvin, Ivan, Collins

Tyreke would be the six man of the year.

The More i look at this Michael Kidd he will be the next true super star in this league.

Barnes could be a star or the next Marvin that’s the big ?

BIG DOG IN THE HOUSE

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Andrew will get stronger.. At least he has great balance[unlike Marvin]

2nd rd pick? C’mon now….

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I believe the Hawks will not trade Josh for picks..They will let him play out this season then try and re-sign him at the end when he becomes an unrestricted free agent…

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They probably want to see how this front line performs when healthy[ Josh,Al, and ZaZa] while playing with Jeff Teague and ISO….

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clyde – agree wholeheartedly on taylor. and good teams – the ones that stay good – draft guys (or acquire) who can play now while and well with specific roles.

if all the pieces are back, there are needs all around. but i’d take a lock-down defender who goes all-out at the 2/3 as much as i would a rebounding/defensive minded 4/5.

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@cp,

Ok then what about Jeff Taylor?

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@cp,

Anyone is an upgrade over Marvin ‘Sorry’ Williams

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@AstroJoe, “Just saying that it is typically easier for a guy to contribute on a bad team than it is to find playing time on a good one.”

Thats true but considering the fact that Hawks cant afford top players at the time, getting a good draft pick @23 plus the guys coming in from D-League would allow them a GREAT opportunity to be a rotational guy on the squad. Which would NOT be a bad idea for Atlanta cause all we REALLY need are some complementary pieces who can fill in nicely at SF, PG, and Center.

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Wasn’t Rondo a top ten pick?

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MsDee

June 19th, 2012
12:56 pm

@cp,

Ok then what about Jeff Taylor?

*****************

Listen to what they say about him during the draft combine

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6stARckyjSk

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THE HAWKS WILL NEVER BE IN THE FINALS AS LONG AS LARRY DREW AND RICK SUND IS THERE.THE OWNERS WANT IT THAT WAY. IT’S ABOUT SAVING MONEY AND PLAYING MEDIOCRE TALENT WITH THEM.PEOPLE SHOULDN’T PAY THEIR HARD EARNED MONEY TO SEE THIS WASTED BUNCH NEXT SEASON

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AJ,

DeJuan Blair is the guy you are thinking of. I was surprised he fell all the way to the second round.

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“Slimjr

June 19th, 2012
12:53 pm
They probably want to see how this front line performs when healthy[ Josh,Al, and ZaZa] while playing with Jeff Teague and ISO…”

Didn’t we see this in 2010?

Man, only in Atlanta do you get to prove over and over that you aren’t a contender with the current starters.

So this team has one good playoffs against Orlando and they get pass after pass…no need to mess with something so good.

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I read somewhere that Sullinger has one leg that is longer than the other. I think Greg Oden had the same problem. I doubt Sullinger drops that far though. I dont think GM’s will make the same mistake with him that they made with Blair. I think he goes late lottery or just outside of it.

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cp, I bet you a Moon Pie from the Jason Collins emergency box that Sullinger drops to the 20s.

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” Folk will fixate on the Hawks poor draft pick, but there were a BUNCH of teams that messed up their 2006 draft selection (the T’wolves traded Roy for Foye). But it is so much more fun to pretend that the Hawks are the lone idiots of the NBA.”

Probably wouldn’t be as egregious if the Hawks didn’t also screw up in 2004 and 2005, which led to them having to trade their pick in 2008. They look a lot more like idiots when you place the 2006 screw-up in the big picture.

Also doesn’t help that NOBODY had Shelden Williams as a lottery-caliber player leading up to the draft except the Hawks. It’s not like the Hawks picked some guy like Tyrus Thomas who was a consensus top 10 pick. They gave a promise at #5 to a guy who was universally projected to go in the late teens/early 20s. That deserves its own special level of ridicule.

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lol Astro. Thats a bet. I think he goes before 20. If not ill FedEx you that moon pie.

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“Bring back a in shape Dampier and draft a center who can carry his own weight.”

Do they sell in-shape Dampiers at Wal-Mart?

Speaking of the 2006 draft, that is a perfect illustration of the danger of reaching for a particular position, especially center. Three centers went in the top 20 that year: Patrick O’Bryant, Mouhamed Saer Sene (Rick Sund’s pick), and Oleksiy Pecherov. Ouch.

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Thx northcyde,

MANN, that Jeff Taylor could so take Marvin slot as early as yesterday..lol

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I believe I heard this Quincy Miller tune last year. Sounded like Keith Benson maybe the Hawks can hum a few chords to shake my memory.

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AJ, Thanks for the link. Now the difference between Rondo and Wroten is that Rondo had three hall of fame players and a future hall of fame coach to minimize his mistakes. In his first two seasons with the big 3, Rondo got to get a lot of playing time in lopsided games, because they were beating teams just that bad. So in the games early on that that he would have 8 turnovers, no one really cared, because they still won by more than 15 points. On top of it, not only did he have Rivers, but he had Thibodeau in his ear. So that’s two coach of the year candidates annually, while the Hawks aren’t even sure if they have a legit head coach on their entire bench. For this organization, its easier to draft a wing or post player than a pg.

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“The Dunlap hire reminds me of the Lon Kruger hire.” – O’Brien

Charlotte has the talent of a college team right now, they might as well have a college coach. There’s no point in paying somebody like Brian Shaw what he’s worth when there’s no talent for him to win with. In a couple of years, if they draft well, or if one of their picks emerges as a superstar, then you go get a coach like Brian Shaw to groom that person. Let the college coach eat the losses while the franchise is in D-League relegation status.

“If you had a choice of Jamal, Jason Terry, and Lou Williams, who would you take?”

Lou Williams, but not because he’s any better than the other two. Just because he’s not ready for retirement.

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QMiller stat lines in Ga Dome:

Xavier: 27min / 6pts 3 reb
Kentucky: 19min / 3pts 6 reb

He was a non-factor in both tournament games against good-2-great competition.

Could have been the knee, I guess.

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Jeff Taylor and yes, Pape Sy, have the potential to be lock-down defenders on the wings. Both guys are roughly the same size. Taylor just has the pedigree with his dad being an ex-pro, and he’s had 4 years of college to work on his shot (used to be terrible, good stories out there about how many shots this kid put up in order to get better). The knocks on Taylor are his relatively short arms (6′8″ wingspan, I think) and his inability to create his own shot.

Taylor has the drive to be a solid pro. I’m not sure that I see that same drive in Pape yet. Could either or both guys be our version of Thabo in OKC, Battier in Miami, or Pietrus in Boston?

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The only problem with Nicholson is he wont be there when the Hawks pick.

Yea Just Joe he has short arms and cant create for himself. I think dude will be solid though.

Kevin I dont know if thats fair. We could do that for every prospect coming out this year.

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Looks like LD likes Green.

http://network.yardbarker.com/all_sports/article_external/greens_versatility_improves_his_nba_stock/11046113

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“PEOPLE SHOULDN’T PAY THEIR HARD EARNED MONEY TO SEE THIS WASTED BUNCH NEXT SEASON”

If they are wasted, they shouldn’t be on the basketball court.

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@O’Brien

O’Brien
June 19th, 2012
8:16 am

High-sider, Rod,

If you had a choice of Jamal, Jason Terry, and Lou Williams, who would you take?
—————————————————————————–

You askin’ me a question like that? Really? In all seriousness, I would go with Jamal [Crawford]. I’ve seen what Crawford has done for the Hawks from ‘09-’11 which is/was fairly recent history. I don’t know why Jamal’s salary seems to be stuck at or around $5mil/yr – sounds a bit conspiratorial but I digress. A Jamal Crawford “reunion” with the Hawks would make for a good [basketball] story. Actually, Jason Terry or Lou Williams playing for the Hawks would make for good stories as well because Jason Terry would be another “reunion” story and Lou Williams would be a “coming home” story. Nonetheless, since Jamal is basically only one year removed from the Hawks and has played with the current Hawks core, I would pick Jamal because he’s potentially the best fit of the three [players] because of the [Atlanta Hawks] team’s [recent] familiarity with him [Crawford].

P.S. I would also like to the see the difference Jamal Crawford would make for the Hawks in the playoffs after not having him in the playoffs [in] the previous post season – that is, of course, if the Hawks make the playoffs.

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BTW, Tamron Hall is finer than Halle Berry.

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LD is a trip. He said something like “the league is moving to versatile players capable of playing different positions”. Isn’t that what BK was trying to do 8 years ago? Wasn’t he front & center during that process of acquiring players capable of adjusting based on match-ups? Why is he now talking like he is on the cutting edge of a new trend?

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She’s [Tamron Hall] even more sexy when she’s angry. [LOL]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qel2_d-kNX4

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“The More i look at this Michael Kidd he will be the next true super star in this league.” – BIG DOG IN THE HOUSE

Don’t know about superstar, but I think he’s the safest bet in this draft after Davis. He may get picked after some complete busts in this draft.

“That’s why guys like Dejuan Blair and Kenneth Faried who were overlooked by many teams, transitioned quite nicely into the NBA.” – northcyde

When I was researching Zaza’s playoff rebounding rates over the years, I noticed that Blair was way up on that list relative to his contract as well. Seems like Diaw took alot of his minutes in these playoffs however.

“So QMiller to come in as a learning SF. No way LD starts him before Marvin.” – KevinM

This is why I hope Sund or the next GM stocks this team with young players and not washed up vets like Pargo/Green/Stack/Collins/Damp. Precisely BECAUSE he won’t play them and he’ll be forced to play his main rotation guys heavy minutes. I want to see Marvin play 30+ MPG and build his trade value. I want to see Ivan average 25 MPG and be ready to take over Marvin’s spot in the rotation when we find a taker.

“Here we go again with thinking its Al and Josh on the inside, yet we know neither want to play the postions they need to for this team.”

Al was staying inside at the start of last season and attempting to accept his role when he got hurt. The big man help Al and Josh were screaming for was already on the roster in the form of Zaza. After Zaza’s season filling in for Al, everybody knows that who didn’t already. I think they will all do a better job of accepting their roles this season. Maybe we can even steal Lavoy Allen and then nobody will have anything to complain about.

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I would be careful putting stock into what other GM’s are saying about Miller. Sometimes I think teams say negative things about a player (i.e. he has not rehabbed) just to encourage other teams to pass on that player. Hawks, I would assume, will work Miller out and make their own call.

I think they can get a good player at #23. Just a matter of finding him. This draft is deep. They cannot screw this up, again!

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Just get Andrew Nicholson in the 1st and come back for Jae Crowder in the 2nd..

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@ Astro Joe,
I kinda said the same sentiment re: 2006 NBA draft in one of last weeks blogs (probably the DET model rant by MB) …. ‘06 was like Waterloo for a lotta NBA execs …. except Portland (imagine that) who snagged LaMarcus Aldridge … man, there were a lot of 1st round duds in that draft,a nd it almost mitigates the Shleden Williams er(ror)a. One thing, he can’t miss the bucket all the time, he got Candace (Parker) Willams pregnant.
I think Paul Milsap and other 2nd round finds are the highlight of that class. Hindsight = 20/20

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Guys, would you rather have Willie Green come back, or Brandon Roy on the bench? Roy is playing in JC’s tournament. That’s a great time to see how he’s moving and more importantly, how he is recovering between games. I would much rather have Roy at the end of my bench for a season or two, than Green, Pargo, or any one else for the vet minimum.

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Najeh

From earlier today:

‘`I think they have to look at it in the opposite way.
Is he quick enough to defend 3s”

Most people never consider the defensive side of the ball.

On offense:
It does not matter if he`s a [3] or a [4].
I`ve said many, many times – the real question;
is he a Baketball Player ?
____________________________________________

Q.Miller = too many questions ?

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If only we could put T-Mac’s killer instinct in JJ’s body.

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“Kevin I dont know if thats fair. We could do that for every prospect coming out this year.”

More than fair, and I was in person to see all the hype that came with Baylor. Miller played the role of Marvin in both games.

And I feel the same about Dion Waiters. A lot of build-up, but is he talented enough to be a factor with a starting lineup?

Pick 23 has a lot of twists and turns. You usually end up going for the highest talent left, but that has to include a need for your team.
Does Sullinger, Nicholson, Miller and Green represent a need? I don’t see any of them getting much playing time with our current frontline.
And this whole blog will want to see a lot of the pick, but LD won’t concern himself with a rookie.

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Please not this guy. I don’t even see him being better than Duck. Take Royce White and best available big in the 2nd.

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Hawks, JJ has gotten his team into second round of playoff. T-Mac’s ‘killer instinct’ has never done that. I think I’d take JJ over T-Mac.

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I’m going to go on the record of saying, I don’t think JJ has ever really been the problem. I think the problem is the same with Josh. There hasn’t been a coach here who forced the team to move on offense, and have a point guard who was a facilitator to set them up. Look at how Indiana uses Granger. Granger isn’t better than Joe in any regards. But he gets his points a lot easier than Joe does. Put Joe in a system that relies more on backdoor screens, and coming off of off the ball screens, and Joe is as good as most of the scorers in the league (of course not Durant, Kobe, Wade, or Lebron).

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“But us a franchise, from the ownership down, we judge ourselves in the playoffs.”

Well, that tells you everything you need to know about Gearon. His next interview will soften his opinion about their playoff results, expecially after Gearon himself riled the opponents.

Thanks OB for that trip down memory lane.

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“…I look at our team kind of like the Boston Celtics of the 80s, when they had Bird, Walton, Ainge, Parrish, McHale–you don’t know on what night which guy is going to get the points. That is when we are at our best. And we’ve got two guys capable of breaking down a defense, Joe and Jamal. Not many teams have that. That is one of our strengths.”….” – O’Brien quoting Michael Gearon, Jr., @5:03pm dated 6/19/2012

Dude [M. Gearon, Jr.] mentioned [Bill] Walton and left out DJ [Dennis Johnson]? Are you kidding me? He [Gearon, Jr.] could’ve at least mentioned Scott Wedman for an occasional game. That injury-plagued Bill Walton was a shell of himself by the time he [Walton] got to [the] Boston [Celtics]. [SMH]

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Michael Cunningham: Darius Miller (hamstring) pulled out of #Hawks workout today. Expected to reschedule.

Well, that might allow Miller to drop down far enough to grab him in the 2nd round. No need to get another SF in the 1st round if that’s the case.

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I watched a lot of Baylor and they had jump shot happy guards. Plus their would be times where Miller would come out strong but be subbed out for no reason at all. Im not going to hold some bad games in the tournament against him. There have been plenty of players who ball out in the tournament and do absolutely nothing at the next level. I want Harkless more than Miller. There are a few guys I would take over Taylor.

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I actually like Tony Mitchell but Cunningham is the guy I want in the second round. Combo guard who can get to the line and is very athletic.

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cp, yes, I wish Cunningham would last that long……he’s an interesting prospect.

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I understand where you’re coming from but I if you can get a guy that has top 10 talent at 23 I just dont see how you pass that up…It might take him time to develop but lets be honest here where are the Hawks going this year? Too often this front office doesnt consider the future and thats why they have so many issues now. Imagine the nuclues of good young players this team would have now if they thought about the future rather than trying to win a few more games here and there.. They would have Teague, Jordan Crawford, and Farried right now with a chance to add another young piece withthe 23rd pick this year. I added Farried because he was the guy Pendergraft was really high on last year although they had traded away that pick. Its time to put a little more focus on the future rather than the right now but they wont which is why I wont be shocked if they just let Josh walk, which is why they gave Joe that deal, which is why they gave up so much for Kirk. This team should be in a better position with young players and flexibility but they arent because they wanted to win a few games in the playoffs. If these moves were done with trying to win a ring I would have no problem with it but they did this with trying to get in the second round. Come on man really?

And yea I really like Cunningham but I think he will be gone early in the second. We need more guys who can create off the dribble and get to the line. We just dont have enough of that on this team.

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Do not trade Josh keep him and let him walk at the end of his contract if not want to stay.

I DO BELIEVE JOSH WANT TO STAY IN ATLANTA, WHY NOT RETIRE AS A HAWK.

GO HAWKS!!!!!!!!!

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– The Hawks are said to be one team placing calls to improve their draft position. They currently own the No. 23 pick. One GM said the Hawks floated the names of both Josh Smith and Marvin Williams as potential trade chips.

– One issue facing the Hawks, of course, is the status of GM Rick Sund. His contract expires at the end of the month, and his future with the team is unclear, according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

– As an aside, the Hawks only have six players under contract. So on top of the draft, they expect to be active in the free-agent market come July. Of the players under contract, Smith and Zaza Pachulia enter the season in the final year of their deals. Also, Williams has a player option next summer.

– Don’t be surprised if the Hawks make a run at former Sixth Man of the Year Jamal Crawford, who spent the past season with the Trail Blazers. Ray Allen (Celtics) and Alonzo Gee (Cavs) are also said to be on their radar.

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Alot of Rajon Rondo talk today…

This will really get you guys going….Rondo was drafted by Phoenix with one of the atlanta hawks picks in the trade for Joe Johnson…Phoenix traded Rondo to Celtics…

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Ray Allen???? Free Agency ??? Luxury Tax??? what??

Alonzo Gee? hawks going after a bench guard who can play both sides of the ball what???

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I think Jamal is behind Ray, Nick Young, Lou Williams etc, so we might could get him.

It also said look for the Thunder to go after Hinrich.

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joe johnson to toronto….. jose caldaron+ 2012 lottery pick to atlanta….can u please get this trade to the right person M.C…..toronto wants a veteran guard/foward, not lottery pick…atlanta needs cap relief, and a center…everyone goes home happy!!!!!!!

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Thats what we need.. a power forward. We have one of the best in the game in Josh Smith. We have one who wants to be a power forward but is a very weak defender and a weak scorer who was asked to play center but begs to play power forward ( no team play ) in Al Horford. Did some one tell the ASG we need a CENTER.

Al Horford makes over 15 million a year and give us 12 pts a game 8 rbs, argue in the locker room to play another position and is lazy about defense. Did I mention he is injury prone? What the hell are we thinking? I can get a better center for 15 million. Just add 1 or 2 plays

HAWKS NEED A CENTER!

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KevinM & High-sider

Bill Walton was more than a shell of himself with the Celts.
He also was a more integral part than Pistol;
Pete having a serious knee inj before arthro-scopic surgery
was the norm during his final playing days.

Walton was the 6th man on the 86 Celts
*[the Greatest Team of all time].
Walton had gained wgt and muscle
[including necessary strength]
over the yrs;
perhaps due to giving up the ” hippie counter-culture “.
Walton also had a special chemistry with bird …
`twas almost as if they were of the same mind.
They were perfectly in tune with each others thoughts.
Walton -possibly- the best passing Center of all-time,
paired with bird another passer:::
who saw the game in slow motion plus two plays ahead !
Those 80`s celtics were a sight to behold and Walton was
the completory component of those teams.

G-dad … the Historian

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“…– Don’t be surprised if the Hawks make a run at former Sixth Man of the Year Jamal Crawford, who spent the past season with the Trail Blazers. Ray Allen (Celtics) and Alonzo Gee (Cavs) are also said to be on their radar.” – UGA @7:08pm dated 6/19/2012

I see the “Bring Back Jamal” campaign/theme is developing into an ongoing narrative that’s getting some serious traction [on this blog]. They [the ASG and GM Rick Sund] ought to bring him [Crawford] back to the Hawks. Hawks fans saw what happened to this [Hawks] team in the [2012] playoffs without a serious scoring threat off the bench. Look at this year’s [2012] NBA Finals. Both the Heat and Thunder need another scorer on their respective teams. The Heat have LBJ, D-Wade and C. Bosh, who’s been inconsistent at scoring while the Thunder have Iceberg Slim [Durant], “Westbrick”
[Mr. Unconscious Gunner Extraordinaire] and J. Harden [The Bearded One], who’s also been inconsistent with respect to scoring. “Sixth men” are a valuable commodity in the NBA. If this Hawks [franchise] is smart, it should re-sign Jamal Crawford.

P.S. If Jamal Crawford re-signs with the Hawks, will this be [considered] a “coming home” or [a] “homecoming” for J-Creezy aka @jcrossover aka Crawdaddy aka “The Difference”? I’m just askin’.

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Not to mention that for Jamal to come here, he’d have to take yet another even lower contract, otherwise we couldn’t fit under the cap. He’d have to be out of other options, IMO.

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Grandad [and KevinM]

“Bill Walton was more than a shell of himself with the Celts.
He also was a more integral part than Pistol;
Pete having a serious knee inj before arthro-scopic surgery
was the norm during his final playing days.

Walton was the 6th man on the 86 Celts
*[the Greatest Team of all time].
Walton had gained wgt and muscle
[including necessary strength]
over the yrs;…” – Grandad @9:08pm dated 6/19/2012

Grandad, [that's] enough with the pro-white, revisionist history. Let’s not disrespect the deceased black [American] slaves especially on Juneteenth [the 19th day of June]. First, the Bulls finished the ‘95-’96 and ‘96-’97 regular seasons with win-loss records of 72-10 [won NBA Finals] and 69-13 [won NBA Finals], respectively, while the Celtics finished the ‘85-’86 regular season with a win-loss record of 67-15 [won NBA Finals]. During the ‘85-’86 regular season, Bill Walton averaged 7.6ppg, 6.8rpg and 2.1apg in 19.3mpg. I would consider [Bill] Walton a solid or decent contributor on that [Celtics] team but he [Walton] was in no way more valuable than Dennis Johnson. Correct me if I’m wrong but I recall [Larry] Bird saying/stating that DJ [Dennis Johnson] was the best player he [Bird] ever played with [on a (basketball) team]. That’s a major compliment coming from Larry “Legend” [Bird] aka “The Hick from French Lick.”

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Robbie Hummel 2nd Round please. A smart ball player who plays DEFENSE and can shoot and do a lot of dirty work. The Hawks need a guy like him. Especially in place of Marvin Williams.. He could be an instant impact. 2 ACL tears in college but had a solid senior year at Purdue and lit it up against Kansas in the 2nd round. Go Hawks

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“One GM said the Hawks floated the names of both Josh Smith and Marvin Williams as potential trade chips.”

Hmmm, Cleveland writer probably talking to the local GM, Chris Grant, how used to be in Atlanta………hmmmmm.

Marvin talk in Cleveland……if only unicorns were real!

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Bosh [aka "Mr. Fake Tough Guy"], you suck.

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boilerup, I wouldn’t be surprised to see Hummel undrafted….I would definitely invite him to camp and force his way into the picture. He is tough and he does have a good jump shot.

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James Harden has pretty much singlehandedly lost this game for the Thunder, but people will still probably find a way to blame Russell Westbrook.

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WESTBRICK BEAST MODE

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Westbrook with 37!

I have told you guys before. The pullup midrange jumper is indefensible, at any level! Teach it! Preach it!

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I am pretty convinced that if Westbrook and Derrick Rose switched places, people would say the exact same things about Rose that they say about Westbrook and vice versa.

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Horrific time for Lebron to get cramps!

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OKC on an 11-2 run

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Durant got mugged in the paint.

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OKC getting big-timed by these officials. Not calling any meaningful fouls on the Heat…

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Westbrook reminds me of Zeke vs the Lakers…

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Durant giving it up letting Sefolosha shoot 3s in crunch time. Sefolosha giving LeBron like 3 feet of space to drain a 3 with 5 seconds on the clock. OKC is good but they are not ready yet.

This is why I was hoping the Spurs would beat them. The Spurs are not as athletic but they wouldn’t be making these stupid mistakes. Miami would have a harder time beating the Spurs.

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@Najeh Davenpoop

Najeh Davenpoop
June 19th, 2012
11:20 pm

I am pretty convinced that if Westbrook and Derrick Rose switched places, people would say the exact same things about Rose that they say about Westbrook and vice versa.
—————————————————————-

Do you think that Rose would to take as many shots with Durant as his teammate?

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Scott Brooks just cost the Thunder an NBA championship by failing to let his team know that the Heat would only have 5 seconds on the clock if they controlled the tip. This is just like when Orlando lost in the finals on Fisher’s three because they didn’t use the foul to give. This is 100% on the coaching staff.

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“Do you think that Rose would to take as many shots with Durant as his teammate?”

Emphatically yes. Absolutely he would. Rose is not Rondo or Nash. He is a scorer first who has learned over time to become a better passer, as Westbrook is learning.

As much as I like Durant, his relative lack of shot attempts has a lot to do with his own inability to get open against physical defenders, not just Westbrook’s supposed ball-hogging.

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Agree BG, how much Vegas paying you Scott Brooks?

He got the call from the Chief Gangster earlier today!

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Also, as @peachtreehoops points out, while that last foul by Westbrook was no doubt stupid, why the hell does the shot clock go to 5 seconds for a jump ball? The Heat should have had 0.8 after winning that tip. That rule needs to be changed.

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I blame this OKC Thunder loss on “Westbrick” because he took too many shots away from Durant and he ["Westbrick"] didn’t get his teammates involved. The Thunder only had two players to score in double figures. “Westbrick” had a great individual performance [43pts, 7rebs, and 5asts] but his [Westbrick's] team [Thunder] still loss. So is a “great” individual performance still [considered] “great” if that performance comes with a [team] loss?

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Yea Harden looked terrible out there tonight. The Thunder just make too many mistakes in crunch time. As stated, they’re good but not ready yet. Sefalosha is a great defender but he has trouble finishing and cant knock down open shots.

Kevin. I would take Lamb over Taylor. I like Lamb’s game but he might be there in the second. I wonder who the Hawks are targeting if they are trying to move both Josh and Marvin. I just highly doubt they are ready to break up the core although everyone else knows its time too.

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Westbrook stepped up, Durant needed to do a little more but Harden…did absolutely nothing tonight and the rest of the team has got to step up as well!

In a game where the refs are not going to give you any calls, guys have to play smarter and OKC came down the court and threw the ball away too many times.

But thats what happens when teams make it to the final for the first time, they CHOKE.

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Tonight, Miami Heat’s Big 3 [James, Wade and Chalmers] scored 26 points, 25 points and 25 points, respectively. Chris Bosh [aka Mr. Fake Tough Guy], you are an overpaid complementary player [SMH].

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Durant has got to get much stronger. He needs a trainer..

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I hope you [bloggers] see the importance of having scorers on a playoff team. Look at the [additional] scoring pressure that has been placed upon Durant and Westbrook due to Harden’s offensive struggles. The Thunder need[s] another scorer pronto since Harden is currently undergoing [his] offensive woes, trials and tribulations . Personally, I think an NBA championship contender or good playoff team probably needs at least four to five scorers or players who can score on its team.

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But on a serious note, Joe Johnson would be a goo fit for them. They need a guy that can give them 15 ppg. Just send Ibaka or Perkins to ATL.

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^Correction: “…Maybe, Ibaka needed to have STFU and taken more ESL [English Second Language] classes before he [Ibaka]* said LBJ “wasn’t that good of a defender…”

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I think tonight showed that Joe is better than Harden, so he’s still the 3rd best SG in the league. But I would still trade Joe for Harden, just because of the contracts if nothing else, lol.

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Dwyane Wade with the “Dwayne Wayne” [Kadeem Hardison] eyeglasses on [made famous on the sitcom "A Different World"] while doing an interview on ESPN.

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Larry Drew is so stupid. I really can’t stand him.

He never knows and all he says is “energy this and that”. No strategy, no in game adjustments, no half time adjustments, no utilization of matchups. No player development, can’t see the potential in his own players etc. etc.

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“I think tonight showed that Joe is better than Harden, so he’s still the 3rd best SG in the league. But I would still trade Joe for Harden, just because of the contracts if nothing else, lol.”

I think Joe is marginally better than Harden at this point in their careers, but Harden has been having a little too much fun on South Beach the last few days so we are probably not seeing the best he has to offer.

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STRETCH
June 20th, 2012
1:03 am

Stephen A. Smith…i didnt really care for this guy, but he made so much sense tonight when he pointed out 3 things:

1. People should NOT fault Westbrook cause he just took over the game because no one eles wanted it. He did everything he could to keep them in the game.

2. James Harden has NOT shown up at all for the NBA Finals.

3. Durant didnt want it and he wasnt the only one on that team that didnt want it. They are not ready.
—————————————————————-

Steven A. Smith is an obnoxious lackey and flunky for ESPN First Take’s Skip Bayless. Smith is the quintessential “flip-flopper” of all “flip-floppers.” At the beginning of the season, Smith picked the Heat to beat the Thunder in the NBA Finals. Then, he switched to the Thunder as the Heat began to fade in the regular season. Then, he switched to the Spurs when San Antonio got “hot” late and won ten straight playoff games. Then, he switched back to the Thunder when the Spurs lost in the WCF. This guy, Smith, is an opportunist and is almost as repugnant as Skip Bayless. If, and when, the Heat win the 2012 NBA Finals with LBJ winning the NBA Finals MVP, he, Smith, will be right back on LBJ’s jock riding with saddle, boots and full horseback gear.

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Do you [bloggers] realize that Durant has scored a total of 9,978 points in his first five NBA seasons with the fifth season being a 66-game, lockout-shortened season? Durant is on pace to score over 10,000 points every five NBA seasons. After his [Durant's] 15th season, Durant, if he keeps this scoring pace up, will have scored over 30,000 points. And you still wonder why I think Durant should take more shots than [the] ball-hoggin’ “Westbrick”? BTW, Durant has a career regular season FG% and FT% of 46.8% (~47%) and 87.8% (~88%), respectively. Dude [Durant] is a pure shooter and a pure scorer.

http://www.basketball-reference.com/players/d/duranke01.html

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“…For you guys to sit here at your computers and blame Westbrook for this loss….is an enormous show of ignorance.” – EmirS.

Okay, I won’t blame Westbrook entirely for the OKC Game 4 loss but he, Westbrook, is the starting point guard and should work to get Durant more shots and/or scoring opportunities. The bulk of this OKC Game 4 loss goes the OKC Thunder players [and coaches] not surnamed Durant or Westbrook.

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@Grandad

Don’t get your “knickers in a knot”; we’re only blogging. What’s up with the pugnacious attitude? Dennis Johnson did average 15.6ppg during that ‘85-’86 regular season for the Celtics. Bill Walton was not on the same level as Dennis Johnson [was] during that season. I personally thought you were, and still are, inflating and embellishing Walton’s contributions in your earlier post. FYI, you commented on my comment in reference to Gearon, Jr., leaving out Dennis Johnson as one of the top/main [five] scoring options for the Celtics in the [mid-]’80’s. Bill Walton was not one of the main scoring options for the Celtics in the [mid-]’80’s. You and I both know this [to be true]. I was old enough to watch and understand those games in the ’80’s also. Please don’t threaten me; that’s beneath you. You should know better than that.

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Mr High-Sider sir:

I no longer wear drawers, therefore, no chaffing no bunching.

‘`Grandad, [that's] enough with the pro-white,
revisionist history.
Let’s not disrespect the deceased black [American] slaves`’
—-High-Sider—-

I was responding to the above verbage.

Plus, I did not threaten you;
I merely promised you the outcome
of what would take place in a face to face encounter;
were you to speak to me in such a rude manner.
I do not tolerate rude behavior.

Insinuating that my post today;
which was acurrate, was in any way shaded was rude.

I was never debating your post:
Only bringing to everyone`s attn that Walton was a key member
of the 80`s Celts, particularly the 86 team.
Yes, he was essentially the 6th man as I stated.

I never mentioned DJ.
However, many times in the past I have alluded to
both DJ and Ainge being a pair of combo guards,
neither a true pg nor a traditional [shooting] guard.
But Walton being the 6th man doesn`t in any way
diminish DJ or any of his many skills nor accomplishments;
including the HOF.

Their Coach KC Jones was one of the old Celts I watched
during the Russell era as I was a Celtic fan in the Pre-Hawk days.
By the way KC Jones was a fine gentleman and a great Coach.
I`m quite certain he was delighted to have Walton on his team
as a back-up to ‘`the Chief `’.

Oh yeah, everything I said about Walton was true.

Once again – no threat – shall we maintain civil discourse ?
That most certainly would be my wish.

I hope all is well with you and yours,
G-dad

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Hawks could do a lot worse than picking from seniors Draymond Green, Andrew Nicholson, and Jeff Taylor in the first.

I’m not hearing much on Kevin Murphy. If he slips to the Hawks at 43, that’s a big win for us.

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@Ray

“…I hope there is a astriek next to this season because Miami Heat really get on my nerves.” – Ray @7:27am dated 6/20/2012

I hope you put an asterisk next to your “astriek.”

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asterisk

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^Correction: “…The bulk of this OKC Game 4 loss goes to* the OKC Thunder players [and coaches] not surnamed Durant or Westbrook.”

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Enter your comments here

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Thunder are showing their youth. I do feel Westbrick took some bad shots late, but everyone else had long dissappeared. At least he tried. Durant didn’t step up. Heat made plays when it matters. Heat in 6.

Now back to drafting our tweener who won’t pan out.

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I’d rather see Harden with Joe as opposed to replacing Joe.

And throw in Jodie Meeks and bring him in as a cheap alternative to Lou Williams, who we would never be in the running to get.

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Agree STRETCH, and I think OKC needs an inside guy to balance out their offense. You know what Barkley says when you depend on the jumpshooter….you live and die by the jumpshooter.

Our team has tried to play this way as well, with limited success.

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@ High-Sider

I didn’t know you were hired by the grammar police?

It was just a typo dude that’s all geez.

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2 rebounds 6′11″ Durant? C’mon man?

Durant has to bulk up..He is very weak..Dude needs a trainer…

Harden should not have put on a uniform last night..He played with Mavins cloak…Just Brutal!

I wish we had Westbrook! His 43 kept OKC from losing by 20……

Very young team..They’ll be back…..

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Highsider-Durant is my favorite player in the league,he is a natural scorer its what he was put here to do….BUT he needs to find that inner dogg when it matters most. I dont really care about his point production we know he can score You have to carry the team when the going gets tuff….Last night and on sunday Durant and Harden clearly didnt show in the biggest games of their life so far….This is the FINALS….
Dont really like Miami but i have to give Bron Bron and company props they are showing up in a major way.

Grandad why u mad -make peace not war…..CHEERS

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Every time Jamal Crawford has been traded, his new team’s defensive numbers have gotten WORSE the first year he was on the team. This is a fact. Make of that what you will, but IMO he’s a big part of the reason.

Defensive Points Allowed

NYK 03-04: 93.6
NYK 04-05: 99.7

GSW: 07-08: 108.8
GSW: 08-09: 112.3

ATL: 08-09: 95.9
ATL: 09-10: 96.9

POR: 10-11: 94.7
POR: 11-12: 97.8

And when Jamal left the Hawks, their scoring defense improved from 95.2 to 92.6

Coincidence? I don’t think so.

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Dont put clusterfu__ in you post the Blog gods will delete your post.

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IF A BIG IS AVAILABLE MAKES SENSE TO ME GET HIM MELO FROM THE CUSE. NO BRAINER. WE DO NOT NEED ANY MORE MIDDLE SIZERS PLEASE GET THIS YOUNG MAN AND GROOM. MELO FROM SYRACUSE BIG AS YOU GET.

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Grandad the old celts alway rose to the occasion they knew their roles & played with great heart & determination thats what good coaching accomplishes.

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LeBron and DWade are stepping up and playing great basketball. OKC has no one to balme but themselves. They have the better team, but are not playing as a team. I am very unimpressed with Ibaka and Perkins. They should be dominating the interior. I’m really not sure if Ibaka is all he is cracked up tp be. Might not be better than Josh. 4 pts, 7 rebounds and 1 block in 27 minutes? I still feel if OKC can win the next game, they still have a shot to win the series at home. They have to cut down on the stupid mistakes though, and get some calls from the refs.

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“I’m really not sure if Ibaka is all he is cracked up tp be. Might not be better than Josh.” – Rod from CP

Wow, Rod, I had not heard that Ibaka was ever considered “better than Josh”. Seriously?

Maybe I haven’t been paying attention, but to me he’s been a good shot blocker who was all too often an offensive liability. I never would have put him in the Josh category. Not enough offensive game except in spurts, IMO.

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“And you still wonder why I think Durant should take more shots than [the] ball-hoggin’ “Westbrick”?”

You are right that Durant should take more shots than Westbrook. But in order for that to happen, Durant has to get open. There was a possession late in the 4th quarter yesterday when Westbrook dribbled at the top of the key for like 8 seconds trying to feed Durant the ball, and he couldn’t because LeBron did an incredible job of ball denial. Durant is too skinny to get open consistently against LeBron. That is a Durant problem, not a Westbrook problem.

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” I’m really not sure if Ibaka is all he is cracked up tp be. Might not be better than Josh.”

I don’t even think he’s a better defender than Josh, let alone his offensive contributions which are limited to knocking down occasional mid-range jumpers and throwing down alley-oops. He is an excellent shot blocker, but that’s pretty much it. I wouldn’t trust him to play on-ball defense for a whole game against the opposing team’s best interior scorer.

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Has there been an explanation why the format is 2-2-1-1-1 all the way though the playoffs, and then it goes 2-3-2?

Does that make sense to anyone?

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First of all, Joe is a much better defender than Harden. And for any one who said Joe can’t get to the basket, they’re pretty insane. Joe can get to the basket any time he’s not going against double and triple teams. Joe is a better shooter than Harden, and a better facilitator when needed. Will Harden get better? Sure maybe one day. But as far as currently, Joe is significantly better than Harden, and still remains the 3rd best SG in the league by far.

And who ever said trade Josh for Ibaka, really? Really? You put Josh on OKC’s team now, and they are up 3 to 1. Battier can’t guard Josh. And Josh plays better perimeter defense than Ibaka.

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(Draymond) Green won’t be playing much point guard in the NBA, but his diverse skills should help the transition from college. “I think he’s going to be a terrific NBA player,” Atlanta Hawks coach Larry Drew said Tuesday after the team put several prospects through pre-draft workouts. “I don’t think there’s enough players like him that bring a little bit of everything to the game. But he certainly is that type of player, that caliber of player.”

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“Wow, Rod, I had not heard that Ibaka was ever considered “better than Josh”. Seriously?

Maybe I haven’t been paying attention, but to me he’s been a good shot blocker who was all too often an offensive liability. I never would have put him in the Josh category. Not enough offensive game except in spurts, IMO.”

Has Josh ever been voted to the all defensive first team? They play the same position. Both block shots at a high rate. Josh early on in his career was not the greatest offensive player either. Have heard many analyst and former players speak very highly of Ibaka. You rarely hear people speak highly of Josh, even on this Hawks blog. Since you are so nitpicky, I actually was talking about him from a defensive perspective. He has more blocks than Josh, but does not rebound better than Josh or does not steal the ball at the rate Josh does, so how is he a better defender? I see Bosh, Haslem, and James pretty much owning the paint, and penetrating at will against the best shotblocker in the game in this series.

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“I don’t even think he’s a better defender than Josh, let alone his offensive contributions which are limited to knocking down occasional mid-range jumpers and throwing down alley-oops. He is an excellent shot blocker, but that’s pretty much it. I wouldn’t trust him to play on-ball defense for a whole game against the opposing team’s best interior scorer.”

“And who ever said trade Josh for Ibaka, really? Really? You put Josh on OKC’s team now, and they are up 3 to 1. Battier can’t guard Josh. And Josh plays better perimeter defense than Ibaka.”

There you go Sautee. Two seperate bloggers who understood what I was saying. There have been numerous post about trading Josh for Ibaka, and how great Ibaka is defensively. I’ll go on the record and say Josh is better defensively, and offensive there is no comparison.

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“I’ll go on the record and say Josh is better defensively, and offensive there is no comparison.”

Rod from CP

“…to me he’s been a good shot blocker who was all too often an offensive liability. I never would have put him in the Josh category. Not enough offensive game except in spurts, IMO.””

Sautee

So Rod, were we not saying the same thing, or are you looking for an argument? Didn’t I give a caveat of “Maybe I haven’t been paying attention”?

I was surprised at the idea that Ibaka was in Josh’s league as an overall player. I never pay any serious attention to stupid trade requests like Josh for Ibaka, as I thought it was one-sided, and really never gave that idea credence. Rod, as you well know, there are a LOT of posts on this blog that bear ignoring.

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Does this sound like we have found our selection should he get to 23?

“Drew seemed to be describing Green when discussing the Hawks’ draft strategy.

“[The] bottom line is we look for the NBA skill — if they can do the things necessary to compete and play at this level. Obviously, you hope to get a guy who can make shots, a guy who can defend. There are a lot of tangibles that a player has to have to play on this level. We bring these guys in here and take a very, very close look at them.”

If Green is still available after 22 other players are selected, the Hawks should be glad they did.”

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