Why the Atlanta Hawks are still wishing upon a star

Well said, go get a star Sund!!!

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Man, you’re a blogging machine. I love it. Yeah, Billy Knight’s work put together a roster good enough to back into the playoffs and somehow take the Celtics to seven games. With a little tweaking, Sund took a step forward. Now, the Hawks seem like they are probably stuck … maybe never to have that ascendant star. Unless, unless Josh Smith can grow into that player. A guy named Williams cannot. But could a guy named Horford?

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You cannot trade the #1 pick in the NBA so those proposed trades were not possible. The Hawks need a scorer in the draft, one who can get his own shot off. Not a point guard. As long as Joe is the only pseudo-scorer we will see what happened in the playoffs to his numbers. We need more consistent scoring options. We can trade for a usable center for say two years. Trade Marvin. Move Al to strong forward (his natural position). Then we aren’t beaten up by teams with real center size.

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I only read the caption under the picture on the sports page, but why do we have to keep bringing up the past for the Hawks? We know all this, we know they could have had Chris Paul as a superstar. But why keep dwelling? The future is looking pretty good! We have a star in Joe Johnson. And he is far better than any other star on other teams because he is low key, down to earth, doesn’t neet attention, does his job, and doesn’t complain. He should be the one fathers want kids to have as a role model. I don’t want a muppet superstar that has to be coddled!

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[...] Why the Atlanta Hawks are still wishing upon a star Atlanta Journal Constitution – GA, USA Give the Hawks the guy on the left and they might be playing the guy on the right for the title. The annual chorus is in fine voice. … See all stories on this topic [...]

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How about give the Hornets the guy on the right, and maybe they’ll be in the finals as well. Didn’t the Hornets draft and trade Kobe for Vlade Divac back in ‘96? For as much grief as the Hawks get for not taking Chris Paul, the Hornets should get double that for not keeping Kobe. When Chris Paul came out, he had so many questions (height, frame, character issue during the ACC tournement) about his playing ability. Marvin was the consensus best player that year. The year Dwight came out, Billy Knight was trying to move up to grab him (or Okafor) by trading both first round picks, but neither Charlotte or Orlando would move. And as much as I thought Brandon Roy was a good pick for the Hawks, he was nothing more than another Joe Johnson.

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I believe that the point Mr. Bradley was trying to make is that POOR MANAGEMENT decisions have doomed the Hawks in the past and he is WARNING current management AND fans not to repeat the past!

But with the current incumbant GM’s track record ?????

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Mark,

If the Hawks want to land a star. They better draft John Wall in the 2010 draft. He’s next best thing. Not sure how they will have the opportunity to do that, when they should be good enough to make the playoffs next season… I know wishful thinking. That kid will be wearing a Knicks Jersey in 2010 (can you say Pat Ewing conspiracy all over again).

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Mr. Candace Parker(SW) now plays for the Minnesota Timberwolves. Williams was BK worst draft pick. The hawks could have had a superstar in that draft, but all they got was a LANDLORD who played like a slumlord.

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Yep, right on cue. I knew folks would be here harping about ‘moving on’ and not ‘dwelling on the past’. That’s the problem, Mark. This is the same franchise who has the longest run of not drafting an All-Star/Pro-Bowl player in North American pro sports (25 years and counting) yet we’re supposed to gloss over the fact that we had not one but TWO shots to get a game-changer and blew it? Those blown picks have a direct corolation as to why they couldn’t even compete with Cleveland and the Labrons in the second round, much less why we had to sit through nearly a decade of wretched basketball before they finally back-doored into an 8th seed a year ago.

That’s what makes being a lifelong Hawk fan so frustrating. We’ve seen Miami win a world title. We’ve seen other teams from the expansion era make deep playoff runs. We now see Orlando going to their SECOND NBA Finals. We see all this while our team, whose been here for 41 SEASONS, haven’t sniffed a conference finals since Nixon was in office. In the long-term scheme of things, are we really at the point where we’re supposed to be doing backflips over 37 and 47-win seasons right now?

My question to you and the rest of Hawk nation is how much longer do we have to wait? How many more years do we have to suffer from blown Babcock and Knight draft picks of the past? When are we going to get our payoff for all the years of watching scrubs like Koncak, Glover, Keefe, Gray, Claxton, Edwards, and Shelden Williams collect millions while countless other teams pass us by, all in the name of the ‘process’? How many more Chris Paul commercials we have to sit through before we realize just how bass-ackwards Billy Knight was for 1) passing on him in the first place, and 2) breaking off $25 million to his injury-prone backup a year later, knowing full well that ownership was already having $$$ issues.

I get that they’ve climbed a long way from the Babcock/Kasten/Kruger/Stotts error (spelled correctly). I get that they advanced to the second round. But if you’re satisfied with just that, you may want to talk to a Hawk fan from 1999 or 1988 who watched their teams get stale while the front office blew picks and sat on their hands when the iron was still hot; if you can find any.

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If Ty Lawson or Eric Maynor falls to the hawks they better draft them. Hope they dont screw up again.

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Mark,

Yes, Billy’s draft gaffes haunt us still. Hard to escape that ghost, but then, some people will always be happy with just making the playoffs every year, and never doing any better than that.

Yeah, two all-star level guards would definitely have gotten us nowhere. Yes, most teams who have won the championship have had a superstar big or something of that ilk. However, I’d rather have two all-star guards and be able to pay money for good solid bigs than have one all-star guard and one guy who is getting paid like one, while not even using the good bigs that we have to the best of their ability.

Welcome to the world of the Hawks….and some of their fans.

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Mark,

I don’t understand EITHER pick. I mean, how can you defend the Marvin Williams pick? Even if you CAN, then you HAVE to condemn the coach immediately.

Our highest pick in who knows how long is STILL THE 4TH OPTION ON OFFENSE!!!

Pick your poison, I guess….

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Superstars are not just drafted, they are made. We have and offensive system that wants 5 players to average 15 points a game. What star averages 15 points

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Mark, this is something that’s the ultimate catch-22 for the Hawks and Hawks fans.

Because I KNOW for a fact, that Al Horford can become a 20-10, or even a 25-15 SUPERSTAR in the next few years, and if the Hawks got Paul, D. Williams, or Brandon Roy, they wouldn’t ever have had the chance to draft Horfy.

There is one caveat to Al Horford becoming the guy that I (and you) knows he can be: Mike Woodson.

Horford is a four. He’s a power forward. He NEEDS to be playing power forward. NOT center. He will never reach his offensive potential playing center.

But Woodson seems to be immovable on this. I understand, the Hawks don’t have a “true” center, so they must rely on Horfy at the five.

But how much better would this team be with Zaza at center, Horfy at pf, Josh Smith at sf, Johnson and Bibby in the backcourt, and then Marvin Williams coming off the bench with Flip to create an amazingly deep second core of players?

This is what the Hawks must do next year. Find a center / power forward who’s good for 15 minutes a game as a reserve, so Zaza and Horfy can be on the floor at the same time. Then make Williams, a scorer and defensive liability the new Josh Childress, with Flip providing the spark.

A team like that can beat the LeBrons.

Horfy at the four. Imagine the possibilities. I have visions of a more svelt Barkley, or a less ball-hoggy Karl Malone.

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Marvin williams IS best the best player BK drafted. If we had a coach who could develop players, we would know that by now. The best Smooth will ever be is KENYON MARTIN. Marvin has the potenial to be a 240lb Rashard Lewis, who can rebound and defend….If watched the Game against the T’wolves, when he scored 30 points.

Please Rick don’t trade Marvin, YOU WILL REGRET IT!!!!

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Mark, I’m not saying he’s not good at center.

But are you telling me he wouldn’t be better at power forward? ‘Cause if you are, you better watch out that your nose doesn’t grow too big.

Al is a tremendous athlete and has a competitive drive on par with the greats, like MJ or Tiger Woods. This is what makes him a good player playing out of position.

He’s a GOOD center.

He’d be a GREAT power forward.

Don’t you see how that hampers him?

Kevin Garnett would have been a good center.

You see where I’m going with this line of thought?

Why hold back someone who’d be truly great at another position just because you can’t work around finding someone serviceable (whom they already have in Zaza) at center?

Zaza is at least as good as Kendrick Perkins.

So let Horford become Garnett. Let him reach his potential.

Otherwise, he’ll just be another good center in this league who’s easily forgotten or lumped in with vast number of “eh” centers from the last ten years.

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MARK

I agree with you about AL…So who is causing the rebounding problem?

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The Chris Paul situation has been run into the ground. We all know about it. No sense beating a dead horse. Just have to look forward to the future.

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You know, watching the Cavs, you know what they lack? A Joe Johnson. Just sayin is all…

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It has nothing to do with not having a center…Horford is more than adequate there. We are missing that one more star player and that will be very hard to find, while keeping Joe at the same time.

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I’ve said this before. Hindsight is 20/20. but if the Hawks had drafted Chris Paul, they would not have HORFORD, BIBBY, or MARVIN. Is Paul better than these 3 players combined–HELL NO!! Perfect example, look what happened to the Hornets against the Nuggets. They were destroyed–including a 58 point loss at home!!!!! Billups was the best point guard on the court during that series. Paul is great, but if he were a Hawk, we would be talking about some kid named Horford, who plays for another team. Horford will be holding down the interior for the Hawks for the next 10 years.

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Horford would be playing for Phoenix since we still would have traded for Joe Johnson for some strange reason. I think Paul could have helped make some of these players on our roster better like he did for Chandler and West. Being a scorer and a true assist/facilitator is better than Bibby and Marvin. I would have missed Horford though!!!

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I don’t think I could name 10, but I’ll try….using your three first…

Dwight Howard (best big in overall size and body structure)
Yao (Best in terms of pure height)
Shaq (his record speaks for itself)
Big Z (better shooting center than Horford)
Brook Lopez (every game we faced the Nets, he made Horford look ineffective at center)
Ben Wallace (is everything Horford hopes to be one day for that size of a center, though he lacks the offensive numbers Horford has put up)
Mike Batiste (Euroleague equivalent to Ben Wallace with offensive numbers to back it up, watch some Panathiniakos games and tell me otherwise).
Carlos Boozer (he came as the last great Duke center, and still has the ability to be great, but the same argument (move from 5 to 4) does step into consideration).

That the best I could do, and I had to pull one from Euro to do it, but there are others that I won’t list because of their crappy situations (Chris Kaman, Marcus Camby, Tyson Chandler*). If you look at Horford with Florida, who was behind him at center with the extra wingspan to help control the inside? Jo’ Noah, that’s who. He accepted the role of center because we have been understaffed at that position (Zaza is a great 2nd-team center, and would be a great linchpin in any 1-3-1 defensive scheme either as the 4 or 5, though Randolph Morris and Solo Jones will never amount to anything at a backup center role). I don’t think we could put him back at 4 without some serious lineup changes (depending on how the summer goes, maybe we could). He’s doing alright at that role, but I believe he would contend far better with the PF’s rather than a litany of centers in the league right now (and with Hasheem Thabeet coming in, he’s more undersized than ever). For a running team, he’s a great center, but against any legit half-court team with a taller center, he’s far better playing PF.

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The dark legacy of Billy Knightmare continues to haunt the Hawks. He only got two picks right with Smith and Horford. In every single other case, he took a bust (Shelden, Acie) or reached (Marvin, Chills). I dont see us getting over the hump anytime soon unless one of Marvin-Horford-Smith takes a huge leap. Either that or we get EXTREMELY lucky in the draft.

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Najeh Davenpoop, I agree with you. Cleveland would have been great with another Batman like JJ. Speaking of JJ, his contract is up next year, and so is Lebron. if you are Danny Ferry, wouldnt you go out of your way to keep Lebron (and sign another batman like JJ or DWade).

Also, next year is when the big name free agents are available. If a team misses out on Lebron, Bosh, Wade, they might go after JJ as a consolation prize. I think the Hawks need to offer him an extension from now.

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The Hawks will remain in the mezzanine level relative to the Nba elite until they overhaul the team. They aren’t bad enough for a lottery pick so they’ll have to get lucky with a trade or dismantle what they have working and start over. The great teams in the past had someone you absolutely had to double team (think Jordan, Olajuwon etc) and had a supporting cast that could knock down threes or drive and score. I think it all starts at the top with Bibby. When was the last time a John Stockton or Chris Paul or a Steve Nash played an entire game with fewer than 3 assists? Bibby has done this numerous times in the regular season and playoffs. Sure, Bibby can fill it up the treys when he is open but a point guard needs to get his teammates easier shots. And this is not a strong enough offense to overcome a point guard who cannot drive and dish. If I were the opposing team diagramming how to stop the Hawks it would be pretty simple:

1) Double team Joe Johnson and make him pass the ball
2) Don’t give Bibby an open three, but make him drive and dish which will not lead to an easy deuce
3) Give Josh Smith any open jumper and make him drive. When he drives get some help if needed… do or don’t foul him and block his shot. He cannot make a free throw or an open jumper so Hack a Shaq if he beats you
4) Let Zsa Zsa do his dance, but block his trash ..you don’t even have to jump
5) Don’t worry too much about Horford. He is a great all around player, but doesn’t have great post up moves because he is a forward posing as a center
6) Force Starvin Marvin to drive or get a hand in his face when he shoots a jumper
7) Help out if Flip Murray beats his defender and make him pass
Don’t worry about the rest of the gang

As an armchair GM and Hawks fan for the last 30+ years, I still have no idea where you go from here. Hawks have never advanced past the second round in the playoffs and it doesn’t appear they will anytime soon.

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the lottery is fixed. the first time they trotted out that “accounting firm” to make you think it was above board, i knew it wasnt. sterns runs the nba like a circus. its a TRAVELING circus. every team (market) must have a superstar. know way billy knight was that dumb to wiff on paul, williams and roy. sterns made those decisions, the same one he made when he used the hawks to get wallace over to detroit.

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What about Andrew Bynum? I would add Bynum to that list. Matter of fact, I would do a Horford for Bynum swap….

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Why have the Hawks crapped on Acie Law?

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Jay,

Acie Law is not a bust, when he leaves and go to a team with a decent head coach he plays his bench, he will suceed.. the pick that will hunt us for ever is the Shelden Williams0 over Brandon Roy…Roy will be a top 10 player in 2 years…Marvin over Paul was not a terible pick hell how far has paul got? Acie could be just as productive if given the fair chance..People talk s… about Marvin but he has been solid without plays called for him..Childress is better all around than deng and AI so who should we had taken it was a weak draft.We need to trade up in the draft and get Thabett.

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EMEKA OKAFOR, MARCUS CAMBY, CHRIS KAMAN, MARC GASOL, TIM DUNCAN, NENE, AL JEFFERSON, MEHMET OKUR, RASHEED WALLACE, & ANDREW BYNUM…..THAT’S MY TEN

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The Hawks have done quite well in terms of year-over-year improvement over the last 5 years.

What they need, now, in lieu of a superstar, is a grizzled veteran who can come in and teach this team how to win the big games.

Even championship-caliber teams need these guys, which is often how they become championship-caliber teams in the first place.

When Phil Jackson got to LA in 1999, he brought along both Ron Harper and John Salley, two guys who had won titles with him in Chicago. Their presence on that young, talented Lakers team was invaluable as the Lakers went from an annual play-off disappointment, to the best team in the league in Jackson’s first year.

Remember the impact Sam Cassell had on both the Timberwolves (2004) and the Clippers (2006)? The Hawks are already a good team. Add a tough-minded veteran who can come in and be a coach on the court (like Chauncey in Denver was this year), and we could actually see the Hawks in the ECF a year from now.

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Mark,

Bynum “hasn’t dome much of anything this post-season”, because once again, he’s coming off an injury.

He was never able to get into a flow in the first two rounds due to early foul trouble, which were largely the result of him not being in (play-off) game shape.

He was fine in the Denver series (check out his numbers from the series-shifting LA win in Game 3 at Denver). He’s not always going to put up big numbers every night, as the Lakers objective with Bynum, Gasol, and Odom, is to throw something different at you almost every game, especially coming off of a loss.

In LA, in particular, his (scoring) numbers don’t tell the whole story of the impact he has on that team. His presence alone, always requiring a big defender, does wonders to free up his teammates. It is his sometimes loafing on defense that has gotten him pulled from so many play-off games (when fouls weren’t the issue).

Which brings me to Horford. He is never an issue defensively, and his offense is coming along just fine. Horford probably actually brings more over-all skill to the court than does Bynum. Bynum was actually a late-bloomer, and really hasn’t played basketball that long. He was drafted at 17 and was put to work with Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. Each time he has appeared to get into a flow offensively, his season’s have been cut short by knee injuries.

Horford, OTOH, is a 2-time college champion and a world-class athlete. He was ready to step in and play in the NBA right away.

Each player has the potential to become a big star. But if the two were to be traded for each other right now, I think that Horford’s career would continue to flourish, while Bynum’s development would likely take a step back.

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why is everybody hatin on the HAWKS!!! MY GOD, we won 47 games and reached the second round. its very possible that we could have made it to the conference finals this year if half our lineup wasnt hurt. we proved we could play with the cavs when we beat them in december and shattered their 11 game winning streak. we have a solid team. one of the youngest teams. with a STAR in JJ. KG said it himself that he is the most underrated player in basketball. Josh Smith will be star and marvin williams has a lot of potential. yall r crazy..

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Matchups make a huge deal. You cant compare one team playing against another and say that the Hawks would do better. Certain teams match up better against the other. The Hawks barely made it past the second round but if they played maybe the Bulls that probably would have been an upset of maybe the Pistons it wouldnt have been close. It just depends on how your team matches up with other teams. The Hornets just didnt match up well against their opponent, just like the Cavs didnt match up well against the Magic. The Bulls vs. Celtics was just about even it just came down to execution and knocking down key shots.

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aint nobody hatin on the Hawks, they just got some serious roster issues to address this season or else that 47 win season will be just a distant memory. As far as Marvin is concerned, having lots of potential and actually maximizing it are two different things. How long are we going to be saying Josh and Marvin are going to be a star vs saying they actually ARE STARS!!

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Marvin Williams is going to be a star. I just got a feeling rick Sund will do something stupid and trade him.

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Again, naw we don’t need one of those great pgs. We’ve got Bibby. Hurray.

I love this “if we got this person, we wouldn’t have THAT person.”

Tell me, what are Marvin and Al doing now (no offense to them) in Woody’s wonderful offense. Nothing CP3 or Deron couldn’t do, that’s what.

And guess what? Woody values the pg spot a hell of a lot more than he does the 3 or 5. Get the drift?

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Superstars?

Dwayne Wade, Vince Carter, Iverson, Danny Granger, Derrick Rose—–

The Hawks had a better record than all of these teams!!

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Enough of the Chris Paul stuff already!! God!! Mark, you were doing so well on your Hawks coverage only to write this garbage. There is no insight to be gained by this. You’re telling us that the Hawks would be better if they had Lebron/Kobe/Howard….OK….Stay tuned next week, everyone! Mark will tell us that the sky is blue.

You could go back over the draft history of any team and find mistakes. Joe Dumars gets credit for being a terrific GM, but he drafted the only bad player in the ‘03 draft. It happens.

At least Marvin can contribute. You want to rip Billy Knight for a bad pick? You should be focusing on the Sheldon Williams pick. That was far worse. He took a player at #5 that could not even play in the league.

Mark, c’mon….push yourself a little harder than this…

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Mark here are 11 centers that are better than Horford right now:

Dwight Howard, Yao Ming, Shaquille O’Neal, Al Jefferson, Marcus Camby, Pau Gasol, Nene, Chris Bosh, Brook Lopez, Tim Duncan, Amare Stoudemire.

We can debate where Al Horford fit in this group but if Sund is satisfied with our center being in 10th place in the league, than it validates a perception we may have about him. Maybe bold and aggressive should not be the appropriate words to describe his tenure but rather complacent, satisfied and conformity should be a better depiction of him. I hope I’m wrong about him but we shall see. The litmus test for Sund is a simple question; is he planning to win a championship or just being competitive?

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I think I would definitely trade Josh Smith for Chris Bosh.

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UGA: Two of those players have at least been to the finals or won a championship and had to start all over. There was a time when they were better than us but who’s counting that. You got D. Rose who led his team to the playoffs in their first year and gave the NBA and the watching world to witness the best opening round in a long time if not ever! and by the way just because you hire the assistant coach of a team that won a championship doesnt mean you can duplicate the same thing. The Pistons didnt have like 30 owners trying to sue each other and fighting in court and despite blotching that 2nd pick (and passing over D-Wade and Carmelo the GM has a good idea of running a team. Only now is that mistake starting to catch up with them. Atlanta on the other hand has a GM who in my opinion is questionable at best and ownership truly is a joke and even more of a joke when they try to justify themselves in the newspaper and on the radio. Just saying….

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And with the ownership and GM , that’s what makes the job Woodson did and this team somewhat remarkable……and some of those guys are not “superstars”, but ESPN sure makes them out to be one

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Mark — I’ve been cleaning out the sock drawer. (It’s a big drawer). But I always catch up on your columns.

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mark,

they need someone else who can help take the scoring load off of joe in the halfcourt offense score not necessarily a superstar, preferably at the small forward or point guard position. Not to mention having josh childress next year would help

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Not sure I agree though I can see where you are coming from. I want to hold judgment until they stop getting better ever year. You are saying it won’t happen and I am saying you may be right but as long as they are improving which I guess their season record and second round in the playoffs would indicate they are I am giving them some room. I have to admit there is nothing in their management resumes that would separate them from the pack. You might say it is luck of the draw but LA and Orlando have both been to the finals in recent years with different players but the same management a lot like the Braves use to do.. But you have to be honest this last year surprise all of us so maybe we owe them a little respect anyway and it is fun watching long shots beat the odds.

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Mark

The best JSmooth will ever be is KENYON MARTIN. He has no offensive skill set and he is 60% from the line, 29% from 3. He needs a uptempo PG(i.e,Jason Kidd)just like KENYON. Marvin has the potenial to be a 240lb Rashard Lewis, who can rebound and defend. Marvins Skill set works in any offense. The moment we get a coach with an offense system Josh’s stats will look just Kenyon,s(11pts and 6rbs) and just like denver WE OVER PAID!!!

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Truth — Elden Campbell at center might have struck fear against high school players, but never in the NBA. Yet, his team won it all. It’s a team sport, my brother.

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Ted Striker
If you are referring to the Detroit Piston 2004 Championship in which the Piston starters consisted of:
Chaunncey Billups – PG
Richard Hamilton – SG
Tayshaun Prince – SF
Rasheed Wallace – PF
Ben Wallace – C

Elden Campbell was the backup center on that team. The starter, Ben Wallace was one of the elite centers in the league at the time. However, I will agree it takes a team to win a championship. But that eventual championship team is the creme of the crop.

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Please you guys, give up on J-Chill ever coming back…he’s got no reason to until his Olympiakos contract ends. He’s only 10 Million Euro rich at this point, with another 20 million euro coming to him if he sticks around, and that team went to the FIBA championships and the Greek national championships this year. That team makes a small tweak to fight against Batiste’s inside presence, they’re FIBA champs guaranteed. Olympiakos has a better chance of getting Chris Andersen to play with J-Chill that we have in bringing him back before 2010. Give it up.

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While they may have been slow to develop, that 2003-4 Pistons team had a #3 pick (Billups), a #4 pick (R. Wallace), and a #7 pick (Hamilton). They had the draft pedigree, BUT none of them found success with the team that drafted them.

Does that mean that the Mark Bradley view of the world for Rick Sund to rebuild is with top ten drafted players that don’t have success with their original teams?

If you want to throw some luck into all of this, recall that in 2005 when the Hawks drafted Marvin, they had the worst record. If the ping pong balls fall to form, we might have picked up Andrew Bogut. Not that he is a star, but he would have put to rest questions of needing a starting center. Once that was addressed, it is easier to say that we could have picked up the best player available in future drafts…i.e. no Shelden, maybe Brandon.

While it is easy to say, we should have done better with top 5 picks, I think most of you would accept this team of players drafted later than Kobe, no more than 1 per year for last 10 years.

1999 – Ron Artest – 16th
2000 – Michael Redd – 43rd
2001 – Mehmet Okur – 38th (Would have taken Parker, but moved on as he was mentioned in Bradley’s opening. Needed a center, so Arneas gets snub–but he qualifies for the team)
2002 – Carlos Boozer – 34th
2003 – Mo Williams – 47th
2004 – Kevin Martin – 26th
2005 – Danny Granger – 17th
2006 – Rajon Rondo – 21st
2007 – Glen Davis – 35th
2008 – Courtney Lee – 22nd

Because there are only 10 there, I can still pick up some free agents. Given the low draft value used to make this team, I will fill it out with some undrafted players.

1999 – Chris Andersen
2001 – Andres Nocioni
2002 – Udonis Haslem
2005 – Jose Calderon & Kelenna Azubuike

I am confident that my rejects would make the playoffs. They could have a shot at a title with the right coach. How about one that was a reject as a coach…some CBA & foreign coaching jobs before he could even get a shot as an NBA head coach…maybe that Phil Jackson can do something for my squad.

BWAF

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can’t we get someone like kaman or camby?they’re gonna be loaded frontcourt bc theyll gonna pick griffin. what do u think?

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Just like I’ve said……………In a free fall, with no life rope or chance.

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Liked the article … it would be nice to have a super star, but after seeing Lebron get demolished by the Magic, I’ll take my chances with the current team we have (a current HEALTHY team)

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Joe Johnson isn’t getting it done . I would ditch him & Mike Bibby . We can get someone cheaper & more effective in both those positions . Maybe we can get either Rayfur Austin or Jamier Nelson from the Magic . I think I would rather have Von Wafer than Joe Johnson . Yes after his playoff performance that is how down I am on Joe Johnson .

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What happened in drafts past are done-can’t be changed. What can be changed is roster and coach. If we keep Woody and Bibby we will be doing this next year. We have a front line that is 22-22-23 years old and got to top 8 teams this year with a coach that doesn’t use these guys at all. Maybe we have a star here but don’t know it because the entire offense is Joe & Bibby shooting jump shots. Bring in new coach, somebody like Joel Prizbilla to help in the paint, and find a point guard that can push the ball up the court.

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When does footbal season start????

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Great article Mark Bradley, we do need a star and that Pistons team had 3 stars, Billups, Rasheed and Ben, The Hawks passed on two stars twice in CP3 and Deron, and then again in Roy. Both times everyone and their grandmother knew that those players were to best choice for the Hawks but BK screwed it up. I think some are down on al because of his play-offs performance but the man was playing on one leg. Al was the second best player in that draft and we got him at #3. I thought last year we had a chance a Carmelo, we could have sent them J-Smoove or Chill or Marvin and sent them someone else, but many fans disagreed. I still believe we can go out and get Allen Iverson, he give us exactly what we need and that is a player that can score at will. Yes, there is risk to getting AI but look at the potential in the reward.

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If you’re drafting 19th it means you had a good year but it also means you’ll probably be getting a role player not a star. The Hawks wont spend the money to get the super star and in my opinion they don’t have to. Two big issues to address:

First, we need someone to call our offensive plays. Woodson is terrible! He has no idea how to make adjustments that WORK.

Second, Josh Smith has got to mature. Right now he is a kid with no real idea how the GAME is played. He can jump, dunk, and block but his critical thinking skills are less than average.

I would really like to see Horford become a bigger part of the Hawks offense but all in all if they tweak this team “some” we have a shot??

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Trade Joe Johnson and next year’s #1 pick to Memphis for OJ Mayo and this year’s #2 pick overall. Draft Thabeet #2 and Ty Lawson, Maynor or Teague at #19. Resign Flip, Zaza and Bibby without overpaying (Bibby 8 million for 3 years max). Bring Childress home from his European field trip and match any contract for Marvin up to 9 million. Then wake me up because I know I’m dreaming.

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Truth-serum
May 27th, 2009
9:16 pm

TO MO DUMB BRADLEY DAVID ROBINSON WAS A CENTER WHEN DUNCAN ARRIVED AND HE WAS MOVED TO THE POWERFORWARD SPOT TO MAKE ROOM FOR DUNCAN AS A CENTER. YOUR COMMENT” Ilgauskas isn’t as good as Horford” MAY BE TRUE IN SOME SENSE BUT ILGAUSKAS IS A BETTER CENTER AND ALTERS SHOTS AND DEFENSE THE LOW POST MUCH BETTER AND IS A TERRIFIC FINISHER. I WILL ACKNOWLEDGE THAT HORFORD IS A BETTER POWER FOWARD THAN ILGAUSKAS BECAUSE OF HIS ATHLETICISM AND HIS MID RANGE SHOT.

2007-08 Boston Celtics- Kendrick Perkins/Kevin Garnett
2006-07 San Antonio Spurs Tim Duncan
2005-06 Miami Heat Shaquille O’Neal
2004-05 San Antonio Spurs Tim Duncan
2003-04 Detroit Pistons Rasheed Wallace
2002-03 San Antonio Spurs Tim Duncan
2001-02 Los Angeles Lakers Shaquille O’Neal
2000-01 Los Angeles Lakers Shaquille O’Neal
1999-00 Los Angeles Lakers Shaquille O’Neal
1998-99 San Antonio Spurs Tim Duncan
1997-98 Chicago Bulls Luc Longley
1996-97 Chicago Bulls Luc Longley
1995-96 Chicago Bulls Luc Longley
1994-95 Houston Rockets Hakeem Olajuwon
1993-94 Houston Rockets Hakeem Olajuwon
1992-93 Chicago Bulls Bill Cartwright
1991-92 Chicago Bulls Bill Cartwright
1990-91 Chicago Bulls Bill Cartwright
1989-90 Detroit Pistons Bill Laimbeer
1988-89 Detroit Pistons Bill Laimbeer
1987-88 Los Angeles Lakers Kareem Jabbar
1986-87 Los Angeles Lakers Kareem Jabbar
1985-86 Boston Celtics Robert Parish
1984-85 Los Angeles Lakers Kareem Jabbar
1983-84 Boston Celtics Robert Parish
1982-83 Philadelphia 76ers Moses Malone
1981-82 Los Angeles Lakers Kareem Jabbar

Just to enlighten you, have you looked at the hawks salary cap this up coming season? Did you look at who was undercontract and for how much? Why do I think you are just making blanket statement with no knowledge of facts? The Hawks are very capable of adding the two missing pieces and would have money left over. Im not going to waste my time dealing with your non issues while you try to fix what aint broke. You totally disregard the fact that you dont build a team around a back up center….Duh, what are you thinking? He wasnt brought here to be a back up and we dont need a slow ackward turnover machine picking his nose when we are trying to win a championship.

I Hope you enjoy this side bar:

NBA’s Top 10 Centers
By Terrell James
NBA Jun 18, 2007

Remember when big men ran the NBA? In the ’90s, superstars like Hakeem, Ewing, Robinson, Young Shaq and Young ‘Zo had a huge impact on the League’s balance of power, and even second-tier guys like Rik Smits, Brad Daugherty, Vlade and Elden Campbell put in work.
Those days are ancient history. Now it’s the era of Jerome James and Adonal Foyle, where all 7-footers have to do is look like they can play and they’re almost guaranteed a fat contract. That’s why Greg Oden has been so hyped since early in his high school career; if he doesn’t usher in a new era of dominant centers, he’ll at least destroy most of the fives in the League on his way to multiple championships. Who will be Oden’s top comp? We ranked the League’s 10 best centers…

10. Zydrunas Ilgauskas — He’s slow and methodical, but Big Z gets the job done, as he showed throughout the Cavs’ run to the Finals. When he gets involved in the offense, he’s a decent scorer (11.9 ppg) who can draw the opposing big man away from the basket. Z is a great offensive rebounder (7.7 rpg) — you saw all the tip-ins — and a decent shot-blocker (1.3 bpg). Of course there’s that nonexistent quickness and lateral movement, which exposes him against bigs with any kind of speed, but Z has a niche and fills it well.

9. Mehmet Okur — Definitely not the prototypical center; he spends all game on the perimeter, but then again, he’s one of the best shooters in the League, so why not? Memo hit on 38 percent of his threes this year and put up 17.6 points a night while making his first All-Star team. His problems are: one, he’s a shameless gunner, and two, he gets destroyed on defense sometimes. While he was good against Yao at times in the Houston series, Tim Duncan took Memo to daycare.

8. Ben Wallace — He got off to a rough start in Chicago (stats-wise and the whole headband thing), but eventually got back to that blue-collar style fans and teammates know and love. As always, he was amongst the League leaders in boards (10.7 rpg) and blocks (2.0 bpg), and as always, the offensive game was somewhere between minimal and comical (6.4 ppg, 40 percent at the stripe).

7. Eddy Curry — The Knicks haven’t had a decent center since Marcus Camby, so Curry’s breakthrough ‘06-07 season was like winning the Lottery for Knicks fans. E-City came into training camp in the best shape of his career (all jokes aside) and it showed; he went for 19.5 points a night and was a borderline All-Star. Curry commands a double-team, but still turns the ball over too much trying to pass out of it, and his rebounding (7.0 rpg) could stand to improve.

6. Tyson Chandler — A prime example of how a change of scenery and system can change someone’s career. After five lackluster years in Chicago, Chandler made an impact right away with the Hornets, and was one of the NBA’s best rebounders (12.4 rpg). He also put up 9.5 points and 1.8 blocks and shot 62 percent from the field — which makes sense seeing as a lot of his buckets come on alley oop finishes and putbacks. He was in the discussion for Most Improved and Defensive Player of the Year.

5. Marcus Camby — See what he can do when he’s healthy? Playing an iron-man-ish (by his standards) 70 games this year, Camby copped Defensive Player of the Year after averaging 11.7 boards and a League-high 3.3 blocks a night to go along with 11.2 points. He’s the only reason Denver’s D doesn’t give up 120 a game. He scored an invite to Team USA’s training camp, but the Nuggets understandably wanted Camby to stay home — and healthy — this summer.

4. Dwight Howard — Getting better every year. 2007 saw Dwight’s first All-Star appearance and his first playoff experience. After getting a lesson from the Pistons in a first-round sweep, Howard should be that much smarter and better next year. Physically, Howard is an animal who blocks shots (1.9 bpg), dunks on everyone in sight (17.6 ppg), and dominates the glass (12.3 rpg). If you were starting a team from scratch and were looking long-term, Dwight would be one of the Top 5 players you’d have to consider.

3. Shaquille O’Neal — Don’t get it twisted; Shaq is still one of the best in the game. When D-Wade went down with his shoulder injury this year, Shaq showed he’s still capable of being the most dominant player on the floor, helping carry the Heat from what looked like a Lottery season into fourth-place in the East. He put up 17.3 points, 7.4 boards and 1.4 blocks in an injury-shortened regular season, and upped his numbers to 18-8-1.5 in Miami’s first-round loss to Chicago. Yeah, he’s getting up there in age and misses more and more time on the bench in a suit, but there’s still few players who are harder to stop 1-on-1.

2. Amare Stoudemire — Not only did STAT come all the way back from the knee injury (playing all 82 games), he was better than the last time we saw him at his peak. Amare dropped 20.4 points and 9.6 boards on his way to getting All-NBA first team, went for 25 and 12 in the postseason, and added a 15-footer to his repertoire that makes him a certified problem for any defense.

1. Yao Ming — Instead of dominating for a few minutes here and there, Yao took over entire games this year, averaging 25 points, 9.4 boards and 2 blocks a night and entering the MVP discussion before a leg injury limited him to just 48 games. Yao’s conditioning has improved since he first came into the League, allowing him to stay on the court and avoid senseless fouls. Houston is still T-Mac’s team, but no way they even challenge Utah in seven games without the best center in the League.

Honorable mention: Emeka Okafor, Chris Kaman, Andrew Bogut, Nenad Krstic, Brad Miller

I DID NOT SEE ZA “THE CONTINUING TURNOVER” ZA NAME MENTIONED, EVEN AMONGST THE HONORABLE MENTIONED AND THIS ARTICLE WAS FROM THE LAST YEAR WHEN HE WAS STILL A STARTER. WE HAVE BACK UPS WHO NEED DEVELOPEMENT SINCE YOUR VISION IS TO DEVELOP BENCH PLAYERS. WE HAVE TWO YOUNG AND INEXPERIENCED CENTERS TO HANDLE THE SCRUBB MINUTES,…FOR LESS!!

You Woody haters dont have a clue,nor facts or knowledge. All you do is hate. Instead of learning and researching you try to blame Woody because a player doesnt step up or doesnt take advantage of his opportunities. Nobody can play for you!

Its not Woodys fault Paschulia is a slow non athletic turnover factory. What? You expect Woody to make him into Tim Duncan? Get real. The NBA is litter with players on every team that have the physical ability and will not step up to the task. Paschulia is equal to Koncak!

Real players step up and make good.

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Mark,

Whether there are 10 better Centers in the league than Horford is certainly up for debate but I think the general consensus is that he is a talented but undersized Center; which is why some think he would be a great PF. As such, he should be partnered with an oversized PF (like KG with Perkins in Boston)for optimum success but Josh Smith is not an oversized PF.

Fans who complained all season about Josh Smith’s play as a PF should have recognized a very important fact–he doesn’t want to be a PF! He doesn’t want to bang on the boards or always stay in the low-post on offense. He prefers to be a perimeter player where he, and the team, can maximize his athleticism. A quick aside–any possibility that the dust-ups between Smith and Coach Woodson stem from Smith’s desire to play SG or SF conflicting with Woodson’s need for Smith to play PF? IMO, moving Smith to a perimeter position, either SF or SG, must happen before this team can take the next step toward achieving a championship.

And since we’re talking about guys playing out-of-position, did anyone else notice that Joe Johnson, like Chris Paul, Deron Williams and LeBron, led his team in scoring and assists? Mike Bibby, and his back-up Flip Murray, are listed as the team’s PGs and they received much of the credit for the Hawks resurgence. However, their veteran presence and shooting skills helped the Hawks more than their playmaking skills. In fact, Johnson was really the team’s only facilitator because how many times did we see the Hawks offense call for Johnson to handle the ball (ISO Joe) and set up Bibby or Murray to take a shot?

I’d love to see the Hawks move Josh Smith to the backcourt with Joe Johnson, keep Horford at Center with Marvin Williams at SF and get a 7-Foot PF like Charlie Villenueva, Channing Frye, Troy Murphy or Jared Jefferies to complete the starting line-up. Then trade Speedy Claxton for Earl Watson (PG), sign Malik Rose (PF), re-sign Pachulia (C) and Murray (SG) to go with Maurice Evans(SF) to give Coach Woodson a veteran bench to police the locker room and give adequate rest to his starters.

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The Truth

June 1st, 2009
11:44 pm

Truer words were never spoken! Great post.

I cant understand why so many are oblivious to the reality of the fact. I guess they have a hidden agenda. I agree 1000% you dont compete for the finals without a center and you wont win with a powerforward as your center.

Its really a no brainer.

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Truth Serum–
I’m not covering for Zaza Pachulia in anyway. I think he is what he is-a tough-minded guy who has limited speed, quickness or offensive skill but bangs the boards and gives you what he has.

My point regarding Horford is that Ben Wallace, Dave Cowens and Wes Unseld were undersized starting centers who were partnered with an oversized forward for teams who have won championships. The reality is that there’s no Center available by trade or in the draft who can turn this team into a championship contender and it is easier to find a good oversized PF than to find a legitimate Center.

However, my main point is that solving the Josh Smith conundrum is more important to the long-term succes of the team because Smith does not want to play PF, he shouldn’t play PF if Horford is at Center and, more importantly, this team will not win a championship with him at that position.

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Jay

June 2nd, 2009
11:52 am

That’s a fair point from your perspective. I agree that Za Za is rough and tumble. The point is…and I hope you have you ears open Mo Dumb Bradley. Za the perpetual turnover up until last year was our STARTING CENTER. He was supposed to be the big center we needed to build on, kind of like Koncak. So for 4 years he was the center and now he’s is a bench player. He lost his starting role. He can’t run, he’s slow, he can’t jump, he’s slow, he can’t finish, he’s slow, he can’t score so he’s no threat and his man therefore is free to roam and play havoc on JJ and josh. I’m not sold on Bradley willful ignorance that Z was our center and lost his job and now we have a power forward spelling center. How about let’s trade Pachulia and get a center that’s proven and won’t turn to KONCAK!!
Mark Bradley

June 2nd, 2009
11:24 am
I might be dumb, but isn’t it kind of silly to keep running a list of the NBA’s top 10 centers that was compiled before Al Horford was even drafted?

I agree with you that you are dumb.(but you are probably a nice man who is willfully ignorant) The list is written during ZaZa reign as the Hawks starting center. Al Horford was a power forward at UF, HE WAS DRAFTED AS A POWER FORWARD and he still is a power forward and he always will be a power forward.

I see you are willfully ignorant to the point that since Pachulia lost his position and can’t cut it as the starter. He should be traded and lets go get the center he was suppose to be. Let’s not take survivors mentality of Center by committee. It is too great an impacted position to fill by committee by saying “hey let’s move the power forward there and go get a point guard. Let take the position that we are on the verge of being a serious contender and a true center away from being there. Let s build aggressively with expectations of winning rather that complacently, experimentally to see if we can wear out a power forward trying to be a center. Trade ZaZa for a center that can run, jump, finish and block and alter shots.
What Za has done

Playoffs Tea G GS MPG FG% 3p% FT% OFF DEF RPG APG SPG BPG TO PF PPG
First Round ATL 7 0 23.7 0.429 0.000 0.767 2.7 4.4 7.1 0.4 0.6 0.1 1.14 3.60 7.6
Semi-Finals ATL 4 1 23.5 0.389 0.000 0.750 2.3 4.3 6.5 0.0 0.2 0.5 1.50 3.80 5.8
Playoff Ave ATL 11 1 23.6 0.415 0.000 0.762 2.5 4.4 6.9 0.3 0.4 0.3 1.27 3.60 6.9

Season Team G GS MPG FG% 3p% FT% OFF DEF RPG APG SPG BPG TO PF PPG
08-09 ATL 77 26 19.1 0.497 0.000 0.709 2.2 3.4 5.7 0.7 0.4 0.3 1.18 2.70 6.2
Career 422 162 21.2 0.457 0.000 0.737 2.2 3.4 5.6 1.0 0.7 0.3 1.44 2.70 7.7

Not exactly making progress!

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I AGREE WITH LAWTON. I’M FINALLY GLAD SOMEONE HAD THE NERVE TO SAY THIS. LOOK AT OVER THE YEARS, KAREEM,MAJIC AND SHAQ ENDING UP IN LOS ANGELES,LARRY BIRD IN BOSTON,NOW LOOK WHAT HAPPENED, GARNETT GOES TO BOSTON. I REMEMEMBER JULIUS ERVING WAS SUPPOSE TO COME TO THE HAWKS BUT THE NBA KNEW THIS WOULD TAKE AWAY FROM THE BIG MARKET TEAMS SO THEY BLOCK THE MOVE AND SENT HIM TO PHILADELPHIA. THEY HAVE AND ARE STILL TRYING TO TAMPER AND BRING NEW YORK BACK FROM THE DEAD. THAT’S WHERE LEBRON WILL PROBABLY BE SENT NEXT. THE LOTTERY IS DEFINITELY RIGGED.THEY RIGGED IT SO THAT BACK THEN, THE KNICKS COULD GET PATRICK EWING. THEY USE TO CONDUCT IT OUT IN THE OPENING TO THE PUBLIC COULD SEE IT BUT TO ASSURE THE RIGHT TEAMS GET THE BEST PLAYERS, THEY GO BEHIND CLOSE DOORS AND PICKS THE TEAMS IN THE ORDER IN WHICH THEY WANT THEM. I AGREE LAWTON, THE NBA HAS BECOME A CIRCUS.WHY DON’T THEY DO LIKE THE REST OF THE PRO LEAGUES AND LET THE WORST TEAM PICK IN THE ORDER IN WHICH THEY FINISH?WHY DON’T THEY HAVE MORE ROUNDS THAN JUST TWO? THIS IS CRAZY.7-10 ROUNDS WOULD BE THE RIGHT AMOUNT. IN THE OLD DAYS THEY HAD 17.

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Mark, One comment a blogger has made (and I agree with) is that Horford is fine at center, but because of Josh Smith’s size, our front court is undersized (and sometimes overmatched). And Zaza is not a defensive center either. All we have is Josh’ help defense, and thats not enough, especially when Bibby’s man has a good chance of getting in the paint.

Thats one reason why I like the backup center from orlando (Gortat). Tall defensive presence.

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BIBBY IS NOT THE FUTURE

We do not have the size in the front court to offset Bibby’s defensive issues. I think he is a solid back-up on a championship team(i.e,SAM Cassell), but that is not the Hawks. If we sign Bibby, what are we really trying to accomplish? Are we really that much better with Bibby? If I were bibby I would want to stay in ATL and get 40min a night. Bibby has stablized our PG position, but he has not solidified it.

I would rather have a young, inconsistant, quick PG putting pressure on the defense who is able to defend(i.e, Aaron Brooks)..instead of Bibby=Sam Cassell. As long as Woodson is a LAME DUCK COACH he will sacrifice the future to win 40 games now.

PS Just like ANT BANKS stated re-signing Bibby does not make a better in 2010.

PS Bibby CAN’T GUARD ANY OF THOSE PG ON ANT BANKS LIST.

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“Chandler isn’t as good as Horford. Ilgauskas isn’t as good as Horford. (Can’t defend.) Ben Wallace isn’t as good as Horford. (Can’t score.)”

Bradley: Were you not paying attention when LeBron and Company (and D-Wade as well for that matter) drove down the lane at will against the Hawks? Were you not paying attention when Horford and ZaZa were useless defensively despite their best efforts?

What you fail to understand is that history proves that the Hawks would be better off with a Ben Wallace or Ilgauskas at center as it would mean having either a rugged,defensive minded center or a tall body in the middle. And moving Horford to PF would make Marvin even more expendable while upgrading our starting lineup. And it doesn’t matter if Horford plays a center-like game at PF (i.e. back to the basket) –that’s irrelevant and it is fine if he does for we’ll take it especially if Wallace does his job (rebound and defend) or Ilgauskas shoots jumpers (which is all he really does offensively).

Again it is not a question of finding a more skilled center than Horford—its a matter of finding a more appropriate big man for the Hawks capable of complementing his teammates and matching up well against the likes of Dwight Howard, Kendrick Perkins, Andrew Bynum, Ilgauskas, Nene, Yao Ming, and Erick Dampier. Horford is too short and/or not rugged enough to play the one against any of these centers who were part of the other final seven playoff teams.

I don’t know what he has left in the tank five years later but Ben Wallace proved in 2004 that he could handle a center as big as Shaquille O’Neal in taking Detroit to the championship and Ilgauskas is over 7′ tall which matters despite his defensive shortcomings when you are talking about match-ups and the possibility of clogging the middle.
As for Tyson Chandler, he, again, would provide us with the defensive presence in the middle (and enough offense) and be a better complement to the rest of the team as we would not need him to score since Horford, Josh, JJ, and Andre Miller (who again I say we should sign as our new point guard) could do plenty of that with Bibby and Flip coming off the bench along with ZaZa.

(Also, we could trade for Rafer Alston and install him at the point but I digress from educating Bradley on the center position.)

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While we continue to debate about what the Hawks should do, I think that the move GM Sund has already made gives us a clue about what will happen this off-season. Does GM Sund’s decision to not extend Coach Woodson’s contract mean that he will wait until summer 2010, when the contracts of Joe Johnson, Marvin Williams, Speedy Claxton and Coach Woodson come off the books, to make any serious moves ?

Since you’re keeping Coach Woodson for one more season, you’ve got to give him a team he likes. So, expect Bibby, Murray and Pachulia to be re-signed but expect them to draft a shooting guard with this year’s first round draft choice. But with Washington, Miami, Chicago, Charlotte and Indiana improving, it is unlikely that the Hawks will still be the number four seed in the East, giving Sund the cover he needs to terminate Woodson.

He’ll have Horford, Smith, Evans, Law and this year’s first round draft choice under contract while Childress will still be Hawk property. Then he can hire his type of coach, bring in a free agent PF like Chris Bosh or Amare Stoudamire, add another first round draft choice and a couple of vets for the bench strength. Thoughts?

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He’s become a center…he wasn’t originally, but whether anybody likes it or not, he is now…most basketball video games worth their merit still have him listed as a PF, if not FC if they have the listing….and there is a difference between a Forward-Center and a pure Center….I wouldn’t take Ben Wallace over Horford at this stage of the game, but Horford at center would have to revert to that kind of game, all defense and no offense, to maintain an edge at that position for lack of his size, and we don’t need that from him….We have find a legit third back-up for when him and Zaza are in foul trouble, and Solo, bless his heart, is not that guy. Even an old guy like Mikki Moore could pick up that role, it’s just an issue of seeing where we need to shore up…with Flip and Acie we have plenty of PG depth, but until we get a legit center, every loss against a bigger team is going to prove me right….

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I disagree. I believe that Josh Smith will end up a far better player than Kenyon Martin ever will be. In fact, I believe that if Josh Smith can get his head together and play every possession as if it were the last, as if his life depended on it, and shoot at least 70%+ from the line, and develop a jump shot, he can be a superstar in this league. Josh has what it takes to average 25 a game, he just has to want it. It’s his for the taking.

Birdman in the ATL? That would be NICE! Gortat too.

Al Horford is not a center. Hawks lose anytime they play teams with centers bigger than AL. He is being asked to guard and score against men that tower over him. He might be able to mask as a center, along with others in a big man deprived league, but Al is playing out of position.

Can it, people. Josh Childress is not coming back to the NBA until he cleans up all those millions. Hell, he might not even return after his contract ends! He might sign with the Greek team again, cos right now, the NBA cannot afford to match the money he is making.

Go, Hawks, Go! Get it right this off season!

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Asking “name 10 centers better than Horford” is semi-misleading because Horford is playing out of position. I’m sure there are plenty of power forwards who would be more effective at center than Horford is. Once we’re allowed to add people like KG, Al Jefferson (another PF out of position), and every other PF who could play center, I don’t think Al cracks it. Maybe down the road he does, but not right now

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Mark Bradley

June 2nd, 2009
1:12 pm

At least we agree that Pachulia was the starting center who lost his Job and for the last couple years we have a powerforward from UF drafted as a powerforward filling in. Yes. Ive already mentioned that Z is a meltdown. We again agree. Did you say hes a four year pro and lost his job 2 years ago? Well close…

Zaza Pachulia #27 Center – Forward

2009 Playoffs Statistics
PPG 6.9 RPG 6.90 APG 0.3 Born: Feb 10, 1984
Height: 6-11 /
Weight: 275 lbs. / 124,7 kg.
From: Georgia (Europe)
Years Pro: 5

This is what the hawks are saying about the guy that was our starting center before he lost his job.

I do believe that he is a five year pro, not four.

You are also intentionally evading the point. If I buy a car that turns out to be a lemon and won’t run, I should replace it because transportation is essential. I should not take my sons car although he lives with me he need to contribute to the household.He needs his car for the households contributions, that’s his role. I’m not going to take his car and make it mine. Pachulia was not intended to be a failure. He was brought he to be our center he lost his job and yes, two years ago we had to put a power forward in the position to have a decent response there.

It’s taking it toll on Horford, wearing him down. He has to exert so much energy and athleticism to try and be a full time center. He nearly broke his ankle trying to go up against the big boys in the playoffs. He will be expired buy the time he’s 28 or 29. Meanwhile the bum who is supposed to be the center is wasting away on the pine. Let’s give his time to Randolph Morris and see if he can develop. Z has already peaked.

Have you ever heard of sign and trade? If he has any networth lets sign and trade him. Im just trying to get something for the nothing we got from Koncak…I mean Pachulia. I m also trying to get a center not a power forward masquerading as a center! How wont become injury prone as he wears down from over exertion!

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Mark,

I didn’t think you were being flip. I only included Woodson’s contract with those of Johnson, Claxton and Williams-if he signs the one year qualifying offer–because the expiration of those contracts allow Sund to move in a different direction–sorry for the confusion.

I try to make salient points and if I go away, I won’t go away mad. Any idea who or what position (PG-PF) Sund would want in a sign and trade for Williams?

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In the 2008 Olympics, as the youngest player in the history of Australian basketball, Mills averaged a team-best 14.2 points a game and had two assists and 1.7 steals in 23 minutes. As a 19-year-old, leading a team with players mostly in their mid-30s, Mills went for 20 points, three assists, two steals and no turnovers in the quarterfinals against the U.S. team.

Link:

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/06/01/SPUM17V3VO.DTL

…yup

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Come on get over the Chris Paul thing. It was not meant to be……..Woody probably would have benched and destroyed his confidence like he did Acie Law’s confidence. But I am just peeing in the wind like Mark and these coulda woulda shoulda stories about Chris Paul and Deron Williams.

Mark, how about you do a really detailed story about the upcoming draft? Tell us more about the potential picks of the Hawks in this draft so you can start writing your next article about the players the Hawks missed again

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All I’m Saying Is…

June 3rd, 2009
2:10 pm

At least there are two people on here with some sense!! I don’t know where Sund proclaims himself “basketballer for life.”

1st I’ll bet I can take him and Bradley to the rack!

2nd if he were such a basketballer how is it he can be so lost to what this good Hawks team needs to become great?

3rd this team is pretty much built just needing a couple pieces so why does he want to reinvent the wheel when his philosophy of building around a guard is untested and untimely( considering the hawks are where they are in progression)?

Let the nucleus of this team remain together for 4 or 5 years and lest support them and see where they go. Give coach woody what he needs and we may have a Championship here. Sund can rebuild later. It is unwise to try building around a point guard when this young team is practically built.

Ditto on the major need for a center who is a force in the paint.

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