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.

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

And let me also remind you that Horford was playing on a bad ankle from Game 5 of the Miami series on. Had it been the regular season, he’d have missed three weeks. As it was, he missed only two full games. He’s a tough guy. He’s also a center. Go ask Rick Sund, who’s a basketball lifer, if you don’t believe me.”

First, I don’t care if Rick Sund is a basketball lifer: the man can still be flat-out wrong (and if you don’t believe me, then do some actual work and research the success of his draft picks —and with that info in hand then you might, I repeat, MIGHT not continue to point out the one pick Billy Knight didn’t make)).

Second, so what if Dwight Howard scored 40 on Wallace and Ilgauskas—imagine how many he would have had against Al and ZaZa. That’s what we are talking about Bradley: how to improve on what we have and I have yet to read any real suggestions from you, just your typical criticizing everybody else’s ideas while offering nothing original in return.

Third, Al Horford is an excellent NBA player (and a great pick by Billy Knight) but he is not what the Hawks need at the center position. It’s not just a question of size (although we definitely need a 7 footer who is wide, rugged and defensive oriented), it’s also a question of match-ups, playing style, and role being played on the floor. I used Ben Wallace merely as an example of how someone’s style could be complementary to the other players. If we added a Wallace or Ilgauskas or Tyson Chandler or Gortat or Andris Biedrins (Golden State’s versatile big man)and then move Al (who is not 6′ 10′ by the way, I don’t care what the media guide says—this is the same instrument that use to list Charles Barkley as 6′ 8″ when he was never taller than 6′5″) to PF, then we can create match-up issues for this year’s final eight NBA playoff teams and their respective centers (Howard, Perkins, Ilgauskas in the East and Bynum, Nene, Dampier, and Yao in the West). With Al’s back to the basket game and size, we can’t. With Wallace (if he has anything left) Chandler or Gortat we can go toe to toe while significantly improving our interior defense and rebounding (plus Gortat and Chandler can finish and score). With Bierdrins or Ilgauskas, we can pull their center outside since both can shoot and pass. With either, we can move Al to PF where he can really perform and not miss Marvin at all.

The bottom line is the Hawks are not going to go from 47 wins to 60+ or, more importantly (since the Cavs showed how important regular season wins were Bradley), are not going to go to the Finals without a legitimate big man preferably defined as 7′, widebody, defensive minded rebounder who can finish—-does not have to be superstar as an Erick Dampier type would do nicely….so once again I say either trade up and get BJ Mullens or Thabeet and or go out and get Chandler, Gortat, Biedrins.

Sund and I agree on one thing: we do not need to blow up this team. Get a center (see the above) using Marvin, Acie, and Solo or Morris. Re-sign ZaZa and Flip. Keep Bibby if he takes a pay cut and a non-starting role. Sign Andre Miller as our new starting point guard.

Link:

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

…yup

It wasn’t a shock that the Gonzaga sophomore forward was the only player who couldn’t even lift the 185-pound bench press once. After all, he’s 6-foot-10 and only 192 pounds. But, when has Daye ever been described as extremely slow and unathletic? He did it all for Gonzaga over the past two seasons. He scored inside and outside, handled the ball, scored and dished in transition, threw down exciting dunks, blocked shots, and really gave Gonzaga a long, versatile player in its lineup.

Daye has loads of potential to be a terrific player in the NBA. He has Rashard Lewis, Tayshaun Prince, Lamar Odom, Thaddeus Young and Josh Howard (insert any other long, versatile small forward here) written all over him.

NBA executives have been raving lately about how impressive Daye has been in workouts. He’s been praised for his ability to do so many things exceptionally well. He’s been steadily rising up draft boards over the past few weeks. And he’s certainly impressive in interviews.

If everyone has been so excited about Daye, how is it possible that he tested as the slowest, most unathletic player out of EVERY SINGLE PLAYER at the Draft Combine?

To be fair, Hasheem Thabeet didn’t participate in the testing, and Ricky Rubio and Brandon Jennings weren’t in Chicago. But that doesn’t change much. Hopefully, for Daye’s sake, Thabeet is slower than Daye, but he would still then be the second slowest, the weakest, and the most unathletic player at the Combine.

Daye’s no-step vertical was 25 inches. The only player with a lower no-step vertical was Maryland guard Greivis Vasquez, who had a 24.5. Taj Gibson and Omri Casspi were next with 25.5.

Daye’s max vertical tested at 28 inches, which was tied with Vasquez as the absolute lowest at the Combine. No other player tested at less than 30 inches (Taj Gibson measured at 30).

As stated above, the bench press issue was no surprise. Daye is easily the skinniest player in this Draft class and he showed by not being able to lift the 185-pound bar once. Vasquez lifted the bar just one time, while Casspi did two reps.

When it came to the lane agility test, which tested players’ speed moving quickly in various directions around the lane, Jordan Hill (12.23 seconds) was the only player who finished slower than Daye (12.11 seconds).

The 3/4 court sprint is just a straight sprint down the court. Daye’s 3.5 seconds was good enough for dead last. Vasquez finished .02 seconds faster. Even BJ Mullens and DeJuan Blair (3.45 seconds) were faster than Daye.

Greivis Vasquez is a whole different issue. Most wouldn’t guess he’s the strongest, most athletic guy on the court at any time, but it’s going to be tough to play point guard in the NBA without being able to beat centers up and down the court.

But this is about Daye, the guy who has been so impressive lately in his workouts.

Is Daye really slower and less athletic than the likes of Blair, Mullens, Luke Harangody and Jeff Adrien? Is he really the slowest, weakest, least athletic player in the entire 2009 NBA Draft class?

Or was Austin Daye dogging it?

Was he told by an NBA team to perform as poorly as he could in order to make other teams not want to draft him because that certain team doesn’t want him to be drafted before that team’s pick?

Would Daye really do that?

Think about it. How many solid first round, maybe even lottery, prospects have ever been the worst or second worst in every single test? It’s one thing if he was only the weakest or only the slowest or only the least athletic, but all three?

We’re not talking about an out of shape big man here. We’re talking about Austin Daye.

Can a wing player who is the slowest, weakest, most unathletic player in the entire Draft class be a lottery pick? Apparently, it might be possible.

The question really isn’t whether or not a player like that could be a lottery pick. It’s whether or not the player in question is really what he made himself out to be last week in Chicago.

OTHER COMBINE TESTING SURPRISES AND NOTES

Stephen Curry did very well at the Combine, much better than most would have expected. He measured at a legit 6-foot-3 in shoes and 181 pounds, which is heavier than Patty Mills, Darren Collison, Jeff Teague and Eric Maynor, and only two pounds lighter than Toney Douglas.

Curry’s biggest knock has been that he is weak. Well, the former Davidson guard bench pressed 185 pounds 10 times, the same as Jonny Flynn, BJ Mullens and Tyler Smith, and more than Terrence Williams, Gerald Henderson, Tyreke Evans, Jrue Holiday and Earl Clark.

People also have said that Curry is unathletic. Well, he registered a 35.5 inch max vertical, more than Henderson, Evans, Holiday, Clark and Sam Young.

Curry did everything perfect at the Combine. He tested well, shot well and interviewed well. He could easily find himself in the top five when the Draft rolls around.

Who had the highest max vertical? It wasn’t DeMar DeRozan, Gerald Henderson, Jermaine Taylor, Blake Griffin, Derrick Brown or Tyler Smith. To the surprise of many, the only player at the Combine with a true 40 inch vertical was Jonny Flynn.

There was a lot of debate in Chicago about which point guard was the fastest of the bunch. The names thrown around were Darren Collison, Ty Lawson, Patty Mills, or maybe even Jonny Flynn. But, none of them were even the second fastest. Toney Douglas blazed through the 3/4 court sprint with an impressive 3.03 seconds, while even more surprising was the fact that Damion James was second with a 3.09. Matching Lawson and Mills’s time of 3.1 was the out-of-nowhere Jodie Meeks.

Everyone knows Blake Griffin and DeJuan Blair are beasts, but how about Luke Harangody and Derrick Brown? Harangody topped Griffin by one (23-22) for the most bench presses. That shows how hard Harangody has been working lately to get in incredible shape. Brown was third with 20 reps. The Xavier forward is not only strong and athletic, but fast, finishing with a 3.13 in the 3/4 court sprint.

Watch out for Rodrigue Beaubois, the young French point guard who is looking to make a name for himself in the NBA. He measured just an inch short of Flynn with a 39 inch vertical. The 6-foot-2 guard has a 6′ 9.75″ wingspan and had the third quickest lane agility time with a 10.49.

Former high school teammates and college rivals Wayne Ellington and Gerald Henderson both participated at the Draft Combine. Ellington has always been known as the shooter, while Henderson is the athletic one. But how about the fact that Ellington measured a 38 inch vertical, while Henderson had just a 35.5? What’s that all about? Who knew that Ellington was one of the most athletic players in this Draft class? Shooters can be deceiving. Ellington’s vertical is much like Jodie Meeks’ speed, as Meeks came in as the third fastest player at the Combine.

Link:

http://www.thehoopsreport.com/article.aspx?id=273

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?

June 2nd, 2009
8:45 pm

Well said Patrick.

How many powerforward are better than Horford. He reminds me a little bit of Mchale with Boston. A powerforward who can give you minutes at the post. Of course the cheif Robert Parrish was the center an and excellent one at that!

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!

I don’t think Rick Sund has any inclination to blow up this roster. I believe him when he says he likes this team. His history hasn’t been one of bold moves but of caution.

And Jay, I wasn’t trying to be flip. (As opposed to Flip.) I just didn’t understand the lumping of Woodson’s contract with Johnson’s and Claxton’s and Marvin’s.

You make salient points. I don’t want you going away mad. OK?