Atlanta Hawks: Prospect focus: Michigan State’s Draymond Green
The book on Draymond Green says he’s a high-energy, high-character banger with a long wingspan and soft hands. He’s a good passer, solid shooter and strong rebounder.
“I like him a lot,” Larry Drew said. “All of his intangibles he brings to the table, he is going to make someone a fine player. I don’t think there are enough players like him, that bring a little bit of everything to the table. He is certainly that type player, that caliber [of] player.”
Still, Green is 6-7, not very athletic and 22-years old. That means he’s probably too small to be a banger in the NBA, may not suited to play on the wing and probably isn’t going to get a whole lot better.
Green makes the case that being a four-year college player gives him an edge in maturity, both mentally and physically. He said that’s how he managed to be one of the best post players in D1 basketball in spite of his limitations.
“Every year I’ve learned to use my body more against guys with more length,” he said. “Just figuring out the little niches and the things you have to do. That just comes with more experience. I feel I will be a lot more mature [than younger rookies].”
Green said some teams have told him they like him as a wing, others say he can play power forward.
“Whenever I fit it in,” he said. “I just want to play, no matter what position. When I get out there on the court, I will find a way.”
Drew believes Green will find a way to make it in the league.
“If you look around the league you start to see more and more undersized guys playing at different positions,” Drew said. “A guy that has a great work ethic will always have a spot on a team. He certainly fits that profile.
“He’s a guy that can make shots. You can post him down low. He’s a good defensive player. He’s great at making plays. He averaged over three assists a game.
“He brings a lot to the table. He’s a tremendous kid. Great attitude. He’s the type of player that I think a coach would enjoy coaching. I think he’s going to have a terrific career.”
Michael Cunningham, Hawks beat
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169 comments Add your comment
O'Brien
June 21st, 2012
11:31 pm
Congrats to Lebron and the Heat. Last year in the finals, he took alot of jumpers. This year, he made a conscious effort to drive to the basket.
And then role players have stepped up big time. Nobody has stepped up for OKC.
SO much for Dan Gilbert winning a title before LeBron
Buddy Grizzard
June 21st, 2012
11:37 pm
Don’t forget, for all of Jeff Teague’s physical talents, his defensive technique and effort are extremely poor:
http://nbaplaybook.com/2012/05/11/how-atlantas-d-fared-against-rondo/
Defensive effort and technique without the physical talents are what Hinrich brought to the Hawks. This MUST be replaced or you will note its absence next season.
O'Brien
June 21st, 2012
11:39 pm
BTW, The GM Orlando hired is 30 years old. We are stuck with Rick Sund who has one foot out the door.
Melvin,
Perkins is the one bad move OKC made IMO. I like the trade for him, but I didnt think they should have given him 4 years, $34 mil coming off the surgery, and not waiting until the end of the year.
I think they will amnesty him so they can afford to keep Ibalka and Harden.
High-sider
June 21st, 2012
11:46 pm
LeBron James checking off his “list”:
ESPN personality and professional troll Skip Bayless (check)
Cavs Owner Dan Gilbert, Dan Gilbert’s “memo” and the Cavs franchise (check)
That fake ass “curse” (check)
Gov. John Kasich of Ohio (check)
Ohio State (Congressional) Assembly (check)
Delonte West (check)
Maurice “Mo” Williams (check)
Ungrateful Cavs fans (check)
The entire U.S. state of Ohio (check)
The Boston Celtics fan who dumped beer on me (check)
All my other (LBJ) haters, critics, naysayers and detractors (check)
LBJ to all his haters: Hey, d-d-did wha’s ‘em name get at you tonight?
LBJ’s haters: Who?
LBJ to all his haters: Deeez Nuuuts!!!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kzMx8fGc0w0
Buddy Grizzard
June 21st, 2012
11:49 pm
“BTW, The GM Orlando hired is 30 years old. We are stuck with Rick Sund who has one foot out the door.”
The Hawks could still hire Troy Weaver, another extremely young member of OKC’s front office. As I’ve said before, I don’t mind Sund having a continuing role. If he wants to cement a legacy that will make Hawks fans remember him fondly, he needs to bring in someone like Weaver or Dennis Lindsey to take his place. It won’t be easy to make that happen because with the Hawks cap and ownership situation, it’s simply not an attractive job.
O'Brien
June 21st, 2012
11:52 pm
It is being reported that Royce White has cancelled all remaining workouts because he has received a promise, allegedly from the Celtics.
Najeh Davenpoop
June 22nd, 2012
12:00 am
Well that sucked. Go Braves.
O'Brien
June 22nd, 2012
12:03 am
Just Joe and other blogging GM’s,
What deal can we make for Dalembert (1 year team option at $6.7 mil) and Lowry (2 years, $12 mil) – both of whom it is alleged are not happy with the Rockets HC).
Buddy Grizzard
June 22nd, 2012
12:07 am
Josh and Marv for Dalembert and Lowry. That would give us depth at center, power forward and point guard, but we’d be thin at small forward and shooting guard. HOU takes a stab at building their team around Josh and the Hawks get a massive upgrade at point guard.
KevinM
June 22nd, 2012
12:07 am
Josh Smith or Al Horford for Lowry and Dalembert…the numbers work and it might give us a chance to compete for a change if we also bring in a draft pick to help us on our bench.
Either PF is okay with me.
Section 303
June 22nd, 2012
12:09 am
God….I f’ing hate the Miami Heat. What a crap way for the season to end.
Rufus1
June 22nd, 2012
12:10 am
Houston trade…
I wonder if that is the Hawks trading Josh? Houston is willing to rent D12, I wonder if they are willing to take a chance with Josh.
Who would the Hawks take with 16th pick?…and would they buyout Dalembert and try to sign a center like Jordan Hill/Lavoy Allen/Spencer Hawes/Ian Mahinmi for that money or keep him at 7mil.
I would take Terrance Ross at 16 and Royce White at 23…and sign Hill or Allen.
Buddy Grizzard
June 22nd, 2012
12:11 am
Although with Teague backing up both guard positions, that’s a solid 3-guard rotation. Hit a home run drafting a small forward and that’s a pretty good team.
High-sider
June 22nd, 2012
12:20 am
2012 NBA Finals Game 5:
Kevin Durant – 13-24 from the field, 3-6 from the 3pt. arc, 3-3 from the FT line, 32pts, 11rebs, 3asts
Russell Westbrook – 4-20 from the field, 0-5 from the 3pt. arc, 11-13 from the FT line, 19pts, 4rebs, 6asts
James Harden – 5-11 from the field, 3-8 from the 3pt. arc, 6-6 from the FT line, 19pts, 4rebs, 5asts
Westbrick is a streak shooter and has a tendency to play out of control.
MOOKIE
June 22nd, 2012
12:28 am
It sucks being an Atlanta sports fan. Miami has two championships in 24 years. The Hawks can’t make it past the 2nd round. This franchise sucks. I don’t even care about the draft. I’m done with this team.
Rufus1
June 22nd, 2012
12:31 am
White will be gone to the Celtics… Wow
They know a Stud when they see one.
Slimjr
June 22nd, 2012
12:32 am
Mookie you are so right. It sucks to be a fan of the Hawks or any Atlanta professional sports franchise!
Up next watch the Braves implode again….Yawn…
EmirS.
June 22nd, 2012
2:28 am
Congratulations to the Miami Heat! I’m very happy that Lebron got his ring! Now that this season is done…lets get this off season started.
Btw, I know I defended Westbrook in game 4 in which the defense was well deserved.. But I’m throwing rocks at him for game 5. I mean 4-20!? Oh well..better luck next year.
northcyde
June 22nd, 2012
3:55 am
I find it hilarious how High-Sider has heavily criticized Westbrook throughout this series, even though Jamal Crawford plays the exact same way as Westbrook.
Just Joe
June 22nd, 2012
6:09 am
If White goes to Boston, then Andrew Nicholson may actually make it to 23.
Just Joe
June 22nd, 2012
6:29 am
Lowry, Dalembert, and the 16th pick will cost $14.2M next year. However, Dalembert can be bought out before July 8th for $1.5M (saving $5.2M of that total).
From Houston’s perspective, that package easily gets you Gasol. That’s actually a dream trade for the Lakers who would save money, get a first rd pick, and upgrade their PG position. I think Houston could actually pawn off Scola in a Lakers deal and use Dalembert for a separate deal.
Hawks would not accept that package for Josh (IMO), without having intentions of waiving Dalembert. I would be disappointed with a net Josh Smith trade of Lowry, the 16th pick, and $4.2M in additional cap space.
High-sider
June 22nd, 2012
6:52 am
@northcyde
northcyde
June 22nd, 2012
3:55 am
I find it hilarious how High-Sider has heavily criticized Westbrook throughout this series, even though Jamal Crawford plays the exact same way as Westbrook.
————————————————————————–
2012 NBA Finals [Partial] Cumulative Stats:
Kevin Durant: 57-104 (54.8%) from the field, 153pts (30.6ppg)
Russell Westbrook: 52-120 (43.3%), 135pts (27.0ppg)
Kendrick Perkins: 9-21 (42.9%), 24pts (4.8ppg)
Correct me if I’m wrong but I don’t think Jamal Crawford as a Hawks player has ever taken more total [cumulative] field goals than Joe Johnson has taken in a playoff series. Westbrick took more [cumulative] shots in the 2012 NBA Finals than 3-time leading NBA scorer, Kevin Durant. northcyde, your boy, Marvin Williams, has come up short and small in a playoff series much like the scoring average of Kendrick Perkins in the 2012 NBA Finals. In all fairness, Perkins is not expected to score but your boy, Marvin Williams is expected to give the Hawks 10-12ppg in a playoff series. What’s up with that?
Just Joe
June 22nd, 2012
7:00 am
It’s becoming a real possibility that one of Andrew Nicholson, Terence Jones, Perry Jones, or Jared Sullinger could drop to the Hawks. If Royce White, Marquis Teague, and Fab Melo (all rumored to be moving up boards) go in the top 22, things might get interesting. Nbadraft.net has the 4 picks before the Hawks being Nicholson, Sullinger, Jones, and Jones, but they don’t have White or Melo in the top 22.
kwooden
June 22nd, 2012
7:20 am
First, I will say congrats to Miami and Lebron. Those guys shot the ball great and Lebron played like the best player in the world.
With that said I had to stop watching the game after the Fisher flagrant call. I really don’t understand what the refs are doing or what the league wants out of these games. The “charge-block” calls have become impossible to understand on a game to game basis. The off the ball grabbing and holding was completely out of control during these playoffs and the refs wonder why guys are ready to fight. I’ve never officated a game, so I just try and understand but I’m just confused. When I watch college, the game seems much more clearly officated in comparison. NBA players have been forced to flop and act to get any consistency out of the refs. I watched the videos that the NBA put out about calls and I agreed with some and not others but at least they made sense. What I see being called doesn’t
Spartacus
June 22nd, 2012
7:40 am
Green will be a player. The Big Ten is by far the best college basketball conference in the country and his four year commitment will pay off for him. Too bad the SEC only plays football and that their basketball conference is hideous, save Kentucky.
DogTheMan
June 22nd, 2012
8:44 am
I Guess that teh Hawks did not watch the NBA Finals. The teams competing had PLAYERS!!!! The organizations that were participating were well run and tight. So we have a semi lame duck GM and an organization with no firm foundation. yeah let’s draft a guy who will be a role player at best. We REALLY need more of those.. How about a backup 6-8 center.. No finals for us anytime soon!!!!!
doc
June 22nd, 2012
10:07 am
congrats to lbj for taking the ball and rolling with it. it has been a long time in the making, so, i am sure it is sweet for him. hope he can continue to set the bar higher for himself as everyone will prosper and be better sas the pgawas with tiger until he fell on his sword. i hope lbj doesnt fade into the prima donna routine. he deserved it as he became a man before our eyes on this one. long live the king! uh, maybe more a …. NOT! but it is what it is.
as far as the charge call. i would bow up a bit if 260 pounds was bearing down on me and ready to lower his shoulder as he does every time, like to josh many times over feet firmly planted for months it seemed and evidenced by his shoulder being the first thing to hit d fisher. i am becoming less and less a fan of this nba that continues to protect the superstars and clearly influence how the game is played and won.
as far as miami getting a ring again? it shows patience is necessary along with a good fan base. however, a fan base will be there and patient if the upper management is committed and competent which miami is. as i have said from the first blog ever here, you can complain all you want about how bad the players are, the coaching is, drafts are, the trades not done, it all starts at the top. the closest we have come to having an owner ready and willing to win it all was ted. blank comes in a close second though in some cases for him, it is as much about how it looks, as to how it works. if only coca-cola could have an interest in these silly games as a public interest and service, instead of making money and enlarging college endowments. who knows, they might sell a little more coke on the side.
overall, better season than stern deserved. still fans got the short end of the stick. harder and harder to come back to this product.
a toast here is to the draft.
to you guys and gals,
be well!
KevinM
June 22nd, 2012
10:18 am
Let me tell you what this link does for the ASG? It tells them they have a legit chance to get to the 2nd round again……it tells me where we rank in the league, but this is nice for our history.
Odds to win the 2013 NBA championship…..60-1. We should be just above Charlotte. Have they met our GM?
http://ballhyped.net/2012/06/2013-nba-championship-odds-heat-win-whos-next/
How are we not as bad as Charlotte
KevinM
June 22nd, 2012
10:23 am
Looking at our slot and the chance to jump up, my interest is finding an excellent shooter. We need more jumpers to fall, plain and simple.
Give me Terrance Ross if he’s available to us; if not, Doron Lamb is my 2nd choice. To go along with that, Royce White is a need in Boston, not so much here.
Use the draft to help the bench, trades to help the starting lineup. One move isn’t going to be enough.
JSS
June 22nd, 2012
10:34 am
I won’t sit here and bang on Green… He has the same problem that Cleeves had coming out of that program, he was a leader but does he have another level to his game? He has one attribute, he’s not Marvin Williams!
Hawks Blog Legend Worldwide Clyde
June 22nd, 2012
10:43 am
F The Heat
Hawks For Life
Fire Gearon
Scott
June 22nd, 2012
10:44 am
If the Hawks dont draft a center we will never win a playoff series ever again.
cp
June 22nd, 2012
10:46 am
Its looking like Harkless could fall to the Hawks. They need to find a way to get another late first rounder or a early second rounder. Get a guy like Lamb or Cunningham. OKC and GS might be willing to move their late first rounders. If you could get a Harkless and a Lamb in the first then maybe a Hollis Thompson or Drew Gordon in the second then thats a good draft.
Just Joe
June 22nd, 2012
10:58 am
If Boston drafts Royce White, maybe they can also draft Draymond Green. Green & White, see what I did there? Boston?
STRETCH
June 22nd, 2012
11:02 am
LOL!!! Good one Joe!
O'Brien
June 22nd, 2012
11:24 am
Frank Isola: Four of the top five players taken in the 2003 NBA Draft have a ring: LeBron, Darko, Bosh and Wade. The only guy without one…Carmelo..Twitter
O'Brien
June 22nd, 2012
11:26 am
Just Joe,
The Lakers need a PF, not another center. So the only way they trade for Dalembert is if they know they can flip him for a PF. Maybe the Lakers take Scola and Lowry for Gasol (I don’t know if Houston would have to throw in a pick).
tyger
June 22nd, 2012
11:27 am
1st Domino has fallen…
The Wiz just made the playoffs…
They locked down the low post w Nene, Okafor…
And still hold the #3 pick…Barnes, Lamb, Rivers???
They could still trade down…or out for a vet swingman…
With Walls, Veseley, Seraphin, Crawford, Singleton…
They have assets…
Really like Hawks workout invitees…
Draymond Green wont last until #23…
Neither will Quincy Miller…
John Jenkins in the 2nd round but
A couple of nice BIGs in second round…
What does talk of Jamal Crawford mean for Teague?
Jamal Crawford/Ray Allen – sounds good but doubtful…
JJ slides to SF enough to make it work but…doubt it…
Hawks have $10M in cap room for 7 players…$1.43M avg…
But one thing for sure, the talk of Crawford, Allen, Green…
Tells us Hawks looking for ballhandling scorers…
Raw size, speed and athleticism isnt good enough…
They need 5 toolers: Shoot, pass, dribble, rebound, defend…
Hard to run if star players cant go left or right…
Or take more than 3 dribbles without falling down…
Actually makes the case for re-signing Tracy McGrady…
Add, cap limitations and expect another dosage of 10yr+ vets…
They only count 85% against cap…so Collins, Damp, McGrady, etc…
Mike
June 22nd, 2012
11:28 am
I got a feeling that the Hawks is going to pull off a trade to get back into the first round or just get a lottery pick, if Drummond gets pass 4 or 5, then Atlanta would trade to that spot and hopefully keep the 23 as well.
darrell starks
June 22nd, 2012
11:37 am
Memo to Rick Sund bring Eric Griffin in for workout for pick #43
GO HAWKS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
KevinM
June 22nd, 2012
11:39 am
“cp
June 22nd, 2012
10:46 am
Its looking like Harkless could fall to the Hawks. They need to find a way to get another late first rounder or a early second rounder. Get a guy like Lamb or Cunningham. OKC and GS might be willing to move their late first rounders. If you could get a Harkless and a Lamb in the first then maybe a Hollis Thompson or Drew Gordon in the second then thats a good draft.”
cp, I rewatched the Chicago draft combine again and that Hollis Thompson might just be a terrific 2nd rounder. He has a great stroke and played in an LD offense at G’Town.
G’Town plays a 5 guy, fair-share offense with emphasis on seniors getting the ball in crunch time.
The issue is we can probably grab another 1st rounder, but you have LD on a 1 year and all those #1s are 4-5 years guaranteed. It doesn’t seem a fit here.
Thompson to me is a sleeper who moved from PF his 1st 2 years in college to SF this year.
darrell starks
June 22nd, 2012
11:41 am
Man the more i see this guy play, would be a steal at pick #43.
GO HAWKS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
p
June 22nd, 2012
11:43 am
Yeah, the last two big 10 drafts worked out. Mateen Cleeves and that stiff from indiana
Sautee
June 22nd, 2012
11:45 am
“Too bad the SEC only plays football and that their basketball conference is hideous, save Kentucky.”
I guess those National Championships won by Florida, and Arkansas are meaningless, lol.
If the Big Ten is “by far” the best conference, why haven’t they won a NC since 2000?
Since then: ACC – 5 NC SEC – 2 BigTen – 0
I’d say the ACC folks have a good argument.
cp
June 22nd, 2012
11:47 am
Kevin I forgot who but it was at least two posters who brought up Hollis Thompson a few weeks ago. I just recently looked at some videos of him and I like his game. Dude could be a second round gem. A lot of the recent Geoegetown players seem to be better pro’s because of the system they played in college. I dont think LD will play whoever we draft much anyway but I still like the young guys for the future. I dont see LD being here any longer than this upcoming season so I say grab as much young talent as you can seeing how we dont have much on the roster.
KevinM
June 22nd, 2012
11:51 am
Just listened to Pendergraft’s interview about workouts, and he said these are more for LD’s chance to see these guys do standard things.
Seeing them shoot and use their dribbling skills.
If I was a betting man, Draymon Green is high on their list, and maybe the leader.
So far, interviews with Lamb, Joseph, Green, Barton and Taylor. Not sure if these are specific to the Hawks likeability, but it sure seems that way.
O'Brien
June 22nd, 2012
11:54 am
From the wall street journal;
Meanwhile, Nash’s NBA future is unsettled. He is a free agent, and at 38, the presumption is he’d like a chance at a championship ring. But Nash said he will consider every option, including returning to Phoenix, where he has played 10 seasons.
“I’m open to every team that has interest in me,” he said. “I have to weigh it up with family, salary, environment, opportunity to win—all these different factors that are in a big pot, and figure out what’s best.”
“Maybe it will be Phoenix or another team that’s kind of a project. Or maybe it’s a team that’s on the cusp.”.
I think it’s all talk though, because I dont see him signing with the Hawks.
TMACfan
June 22nd, 2012
11:56 am
please take Wroten. He has Star Potential.
KevinM
June 22nd, 2012
12:01 pm
cp, its just wrong for LD to be on a 1 year deal if we are sitting here drafting guys for our future. IMO, LD is going to lean toward guys who have lots of game experience and he isn’t going to take time to develop anyone.
We saw what he did with Teague, he was less stingent with JC2, and the money spent to bring in Pape Sy was simply a bad move. You can bring him back in the summer, but Sy can’t seriously be considered as a contributor.
Our SL teams that LD used to run won’t bring a lot of contributions to our roster come this fall.
If MC could get an interview with him and a few others, that would be great to hear….Hollis is 6′8″/205, so good nimbers and came in with Barton and William Buford.
Buddy Grizzard
June 22nd, 2012
12:03 pm
“I find it hilarious how High-Sider has heavily criticized Westbrook throughout this series, even though Jamal Crawford plays the exact same way as Westbrook.”
No comparison between Westbrook and JC1. Westbrook leads his team on deep playoff runs. JC1 nuts up in the 2nd round.
“please take Wroten. He has Star Potential.”
Just like Marvin!