The 2010 NBA draft: Will the Hawks get bigger in a hurry?
It’s usually the biggest night of the NBA offseason, but for the Hawks this isn’t the usual offseason. They have to hire a coach, and they have to try and keep their leading scorer from leaving. And they have only the draft’s 24th pick, which is five spots lower than they took Jeff Teague, who hardly played as a rookie.
That said, the draft can never be ignored. And it is possible to find a pretty fair player that late. Here we offer examples, all taken this decade with the 24th pick or afterward of their respective draft: Gerald Wallace, Samuel Dalembert, Jamaal Tinsley (taken by the Hawks’ Pete Babcock and traded to Indiana in 2001), Tony Parker, John Salmons, Kendrick Perkins, Josh Howard (on whom Billy Knight passed in 2004 to take Boris Diaw), Delonte West, Kevin Martin, Beno Udrih, David Lee (30th pick in 2005 — major Knick coup), Jordan Farmar, Shannon Brown, Aaron Brooks, George Hill and Taj Gibson.
You’ll notice that most are guards or small forwards. Most, but not all. Perkins and Dalembert are centers; Lee and Gibson are power forwards. We keep hearing the Hawks lack heft. Might heft be forthcoming June 24th?
Not according to NBAdraft.net. Its latest mock has the Hawks taking Terrico White, a combo guard from Ole Miss. But if we turn to Chad Ford of ESPN.com’s Insiders, heft becomes a possibility.
In Ford’s latest mock (link requires registration), he has the Hawks taking Hassan Whiteside, a 7-footer who played one season at Marshall. By way of contrast, NBAdraft.net has Whiteside going 15 spots earlier. And there, as Ford notes, is the tangle: NBA watchers aren’t sure what to make of the Marshall man. He writes:
How can a guy who just measured with a freakish 7-foot-7 wingspan slip this far? The word out of Chicago was that the interviews didn’t go so well … I had the chance to sit down with Whiteside and I can understand why.
Whiteside isn’t a bad kid, but he’s very naive at this point, in a way that reminded me a bit of Tyrus Thomas [taken No. 4 overall by Chicago in 2006 and traded to Charlotte this year]. Eventually some team will decide the talent is too much to pass on. But I think he did some damage to his stock last week. He can certainly make up for that in workouts … but he’s just created a bigger mountain to climb.
So what, you’re asking, did Whiteside say to hoist a red flag? Ford describes it thusly:
He projected a confidence that bordered on naïve arrogance. He compared himself to everyone from Dwight Howard to Hakeem Olajuwon (with whom he spent a week training), complained about where I had him on my mock draft (No. 14 to the Rockets) and was insulted that our scouting report didn’t have more on his 3-point shooting ability.
Now, do I really see Whiteside slipping to 24th because he’s cocky? No, and Ford indicated above that he really doesn’t, either. Ford himself rates Whiteside as the 14th-best player available, and it’s hard to imagine any 7-footer of such promise talking his way into the lower third of Round 1. But all is not yet lost, at least theoretically.
According to Ford’s mock, these first-round talents will also be available when the Hawks pick: Larry Sanders, a 6-11 forward from VCU; Craig Brackins, a 6-10 forward from Iowa State; Keith (Tiny) Gallon, a 6-10 forward from Oklahoma, and Jarvis Varnardo, the 6-10 shot-blocker from Mississippi State. (Plus Gani Lawal of Georgia Tech, whom Ford doesn’t rate as a Round 1 pick.)
(For comparative purposes, we should note that NBAdraft.net doesn’t list Brackins, Gallon or Varnardo as a first-rounder. It has Lawal being taken with the final selection of Round 1. It has Sanders going seven picks before the Hawks draft.)
So, if you’re among those who insist the Hawks need a dominant center above all else, you probably won’t be pleased with this draft. (No dominant centers are taken 24th overall.) But if you’re in the market for another 6-10 or 6-11 type, there’s hope. But there’s also this to consider:
The Hawks could well lose Joe Johnson in July. (That’s the backward nature of the NBA: The draft comes before free agency, so a team really isn’t sure what its immediate needs will be.) If that seems a real possibility come June 24th, wouldn’t the Hawks want to take a swingman just to serve as cover? Someone like, say, Damion James of Texas?
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69 comments Add your comment
Ted M
May 27th, 2010
11:02 am
get the Soloman from FSU
Ted M
May 27th, 2010
11:09 am
Solomon Alabi is well worth the 24th pick
Just wondering . . .
May 27th, 2010
11:11 am
Don’t we already have a 7-footer who doesn’t get to play?
renegade#1
May 27th, 2010
11:14 am
How tall is Sonny Clusters and can he play basketball?
Rufus1
May 27th, 2010
11:16 am
Kevin Serphin
Ted M
May 27th, 2010
11:18 am
Whiteside will not be available.
Mark Bradley
May 27th, 2010
11:21 am
There’s a chance Alabi could be there at 24. There’s also a chance he won’t. NBA people aren’t sure what to think of him, either.
Ted M
May 27th, 2010
11:21 am
Mark I’m curious. Do you think Teague was good enough to have played 12 to 14 minutes a game?
Mark Bradley
May 27th, 2010
11:22 am
Yes, Ted M. And I’m fairly certain Rick Sund thinks the same.
Rufus1
May 27th, 2010
11:25 am
Rebounding and shot blocking
The Hawks needs a center who can shot block and rebound(AKA Kendrick Perkins), we have enough of scoring..Dexter Pittman, Kevin Serphin or Jerome Jordan will all be available at 24. We can draft a swing man in the 2nd round, because the are a dime a dozen.
If Joe leaves..we need to sign Wesley Mathews(Jazz)..He might Joe 5 years ago.
Chief Nock A Homa
May 27th, 2010
11:31 am
So what you’re saying, mark, is that we’ll get Joe Johnson’s replacement with the 24th pick?? Just in case he leaves???
That’s genius! Why didn’t everyone think of that??
Let Joe walk! We have his replacement with the 24th pick….
JK Mark – I know what you really mean….
Stan
May 27th, 2010
11:34 am
Mark….did you really include Slammin Sammy Dalembert in this list? I am an Atlanta native who has lived in Philly for 6 years….Dalembert absolutely stinks….the fans here absolutely think he is over-rated…other than that…interesting posting…nice work
UGA
May 27th, 2010
11:35 am
Larry Sanders or Damion James would be a very good pick. With the 2nd round pick I’d get De’Sean Butler from WVU and wait until he recovers from his knee injury.
Dikembe Mutombo
May 27th, 2010
11:36 am
Hawks must take a big man that can stand in lane block shots, wave finger to crowd and flail elbows!
F-105 Thunderchief
May 27th, 2010
11:37 am
Doesn’t Al Horford block shots and rebound pretty well? Didn’t Wes Unseld, who won two NBA titles as a 6-fpoot-7 center? Height isn’t’ everything. Strength and smarts counts for more.
The Human Highlight Film
May 27th, 2010
11:39 am
I am thinking about making my comeback at 50 to help the Hawks get that championship they want!!!!!
pete
May 27th, 2010
11:40 am
F-105, how did Al do against Howard?
Charles Barkley
May 27th, 2010
11:41 am
The way the Hawks season ended was just “TURRIBLE”! The ROUND MOUND OF REBOUND can still play!
BobLee
May 27th, 2010
11:47 am
Mark is there any team that will definetly go are Joe?
DC Jacket
May 27th, 2010
11:49 am
I think we would have already had a replacement for Joe Johnson if we would have taken Branden Roy or Rudy Gay instead of Shelden Williams in 2006 Draft. We are still paying for Billy Knight Babcock’s studidity.
Bill Laimbeer
May 27th, 2010
11:51 am
Hire me as a coach, forget the squeaky little midget AJ and that no name assistant you’ve been looking at Sund. What this teams needs is toughness and I will bring that in spades. I’ll turn Zaza, Al and Josh into the most feared intimidators in the league.
THE TONE
May 27th, 2010
11:51 am
take the best defender left when you pick Doc will want defense when he joins the sidelines in a couple of years.
Gani Lawal
May 27th, 2010
11:51 am
Draft me and all your wildest dreams will come true…assuming your wildest dreams consist of watching me sit on the bench or try to shoot over double teams instead of kicking it out to a wide open man.
Dickiedo
May 27th, 2010
11:53 am
Small quick guards run circles around the Hawks. We don’t seem to have one. I would take either of the Brewer’s guards over Joe Johnson. He’s a one on one type player and gets stuffed a lot trying to drive to the basket.
Luke M
May 27th, 2010
11:56 am
Obviously a lot depends on what happens with Joe, and whether he re-signs, walks, or the team makes a sign-and-trade. Also important will be how well the organization thinks Teague is coming along, but I really hope the emphasis is on front court this off-season. We need an athletic, shot-blocking and/or scoring big who can reduce our reliance on Pachulia. Zaza, while being a fan favorite (as well as one of my favorites), is nothing more than a banger, more equipped to be the second or third front-court player off the bench rather than the first. We need a more serious defensive presence on our 2nd unit so that Zaza can play the reduced/niche role he’s more suited for.
gcs
May 27th, 2010
12:00 pm
You can’t get anything at #24. The last couple of 24s:
2009 Byron Mullens
2008 Serge Ibaka
2007 Rudy Fernández
2006 Kyle Lowry
2005 Luther Head
Ugh.
Bob in SF
May 27th, 2010
12:11 pm
Jamaal Tinsley? An OK player when he’s not hurt, actually wants to play and isn’t being a locker room cancer. Didn’t Indiana pay him to stay home and the heck away from the team?
JC
May 27th, 2010
12:16 pm
There’s a greater opportunity for Solomon or Whiteside to be available at #24 because of the recent busts of Thabeet and Oden.
Hassan Whiteside
May 27th, 2010
12:22 pm
Im a basketball player, not a scientist. Half of the current league can’t even string a damn sentence together.
Vdunkndunk
May 27th, 2010
12:26 pm
I’d like to do a draft night trade of something like Josh Smith, Mike Bibby, and the #24 pick to Golden State for Monta Ellis and the #4 pick, then select DeMarcus Cousins, the Center from Kentucky, then resign Joe and let him handle the ball as a combo guard along with Ellis.
G: Ellis
G: Joe
F: Marvin
F: Horford
C: Cousins
K-Dogg
May 27th, 2010
12:27 pm
Yeah we have to get a big but the thing is in the NBA if a big is good or has upside like they are saying about Whiteside he will go. I dont care what they saying about this draft if a cat 6′10 on up and has upside he will not fall to 24!!! Jordan from Tulsa maybe their but i would only take him if he the best avilable but looking at how deep this draft is thats unlikely!
Whopper Dawg
May 27th, 2010
12:30 pm
You can bet the ranch that it will be a 6-6 to 6-9 swing man, whose shot is not good enough to play the 2, is not a particularly good rebounder and can’t create his own shot. He can jump however. He will bear a striking resemblance to Marvin Williams. There will be at least two point guards taken after him that will become legitimate starters in the NBA. It is our fate, our karma, you cannot escape it, just embrace it.
coachx
May 27th, 2010
12:33 pm
I like Solomon Alabi IF we keep JJ.
If JJ leaves then I have fingers crossed for James Anderson at #24.
John
May 27th, 2010
12:42 pm
Why don’t the hawks just try to trade up and see if they can get the player they really want.
Najeh Davenpoop
May 27th, 2010
12:44 pm
Alabi and Whiteside may be available when the Hawks pick, but both are projects who will take time to develop. If you want a guy who seems like he could come in and immediately throw his body around and defend the Dwight Howards of the world physically, don’t sleep on Daniel Orton. His ceiling is not as high as some of the other players available at that point, but his floor is not as low either.
That said, since first round picks get guaranteed money, I’d rather see the Hawks take the best player available regardless of position and try to fill needs in the 2nd round and in free agency. If the best available at that point in the draft is a combo guard, so be it.
Marcus (aka decatur g)
May 27th, 2010
12:44 pm
MB,
I think rufus1 hit on it …. some other mock draft (DraftExpress?) has us looking at a Frenchhie PF/C type. I had never heard of him, but I guess they look at it as a hit/miss with the other athletic types to come from over there.
Also, somebody (Peachtree Hoops?) had a link to a recent interview by Horford on the Univision TV website. It was all in Spanish, but the short translation (by P’tree Hoops, accuracy dubious) was that Horford would like to see a true ‘5′ come to ATL so he can move to the ‘4′.
Najeh Davenpoop
May 27th, 2010
12:47 pm
“You can’t get anything at #24. The last couple of 24s:
2009 Byron Mullens
2008 Serge Ibaka
2007 Rudy Fernández
2006 Kyle Lowry”
Ibaka, Fernandez, and Lowry are all solid role players on good teams. You’re not going to get a superstar at #24 most likely, but you can still find plenty of solid contributors, like the ones Bradley has mentioned in his article.
Najeh Davenpoop
May 27th, 2010
12:49 pm
“I think rufus1 hit on it …. some other mock draft (DraftExpress?) has us looking at a Frenchhie PF/C type. I had never heard of him, but I guess they look at it as a hit/miss with the other athletic types to come from over there.”
From what little of him there is on Youtube, Kevin Seraphin looks more like a PF than a C.
Najeh Davenpoop
May 27th, 2010
12:57 pm
“So, if you’re among those who insist the Hawks need a dominant center above all else, you probably won’t be pleased with this draft. (No dominant centers are taken 24th overall.) But if you’re in the market for another 6-10 or 6-11 type, there’s hope. ”
Yahoo Sports lists Howard at 6′11″, 265.
Lower body strength and wingspan are at least as important as height when it comes to playing center defensively. What Horford lacks in comparison to many centers is lower body strength, not wingspan or height.
Bill Campbell
May 27th, 2010
1:11 pm
LOSERS!
HawkKingBibby
May 27th, 2010
1:29 pm
JORAN CRAWFORD JORDAN CRAWFORD JORDAN CRAWFORD JORDAN CRAWFORD JORDAN CRAWFORD JORDAN CRAWFORD JORDAN CRAWFORD JORDAN CRAWFORD JORDAN CRAWFORD. Either JJ, Jamaal Crawford or both will be gone after next year. Get a man who can score form the 2 guard spot who can take over a game.
HawkKingBibby
May 27th, 2010
1:40 pm
Trade Smoove for Cousins or Favors. Draft Jordan Crawford at 24 because JJ amy leave and if he stays JCraw will leave after next season.
Dr. Warren
May 27th, 2010
1:57 pm
Don’t ever discount the potential value of Pick #24. Some Hawks history:
One of the best Hawk guards of all-time, “Fast Eddie” Johnson (EJ) was drafted in the 3rd round. Two-time all-star–even started in the 1980 game and scored 22 points. Bipolar and drugs ended it for him, and now he’s spending his life in prison. Charlie Criss, another electric player, came in from the CBA. Spud Webb, drafted in the 4th round by Chicago. Doc Rivers? 2nd round pick, 31st overall. Dan Roundfield? 28th overall by the Pacers. Need I go on?
L. Young
May 27th, 2010
2:01 pm
Trade Horford for Gortat – Orlando needs a 4, we need a 5, make it happen. Re-sign JJ and develop Teague – use a mid level exception for more beef off the bench. Folks – you gotta trade something to get something, Gortat has skills and would give us the Center we need – we have lot’s of Forwards – we need size.
Ted M
May 27th, 2010
2:02 pm
Lets hope so JC.
clay
May 27th, 2010
2:04 pm
SOLOMAN, SOLOMAN, SOLOMAN. Please take him sund if he is still there we have been needing someone 7 foot or bigger that can actually play and wanna play not named morris or collins. He has tremendous upside.
Jerry West
May 27th, 2010
2:08 pm
Wait, Damion James as cover for losing Joe? Really? Not that I wouldn’t want him as somebody to take over the 3 eventually (and maybe spur Marvin to play hard), but he’s probably best served as a 3/4 tweener to trot out with the second unit.
nique
May 27th, 2010
2:27 pm
No more swingmen needed! Even without JJ.
marcus
May 27th, 2010
2:39 pm
for the record; just having spent the season in the richmond area, i can tell you that sanders will not be around when the hawks pick. he would have been a great frontline addition, but scouts were there all year round. varnado is limited offensively, but he puts you in the mind on dalembert of philly, which ain’t all bad.
jg
May 27th, 2010
2:39 pm
horford for gortat???? hahahahhahahahahahahahhahahahahahahhahahahahhahahaha!
mike
May 27th, 2010
2:55 pm
Trade Josh Smith + 24th to Philly for the 2nd overall and draft Evan Turner.
Trade Marvin + sign and trade with JJ to NJ for # 3 and cap filler. Draft Cousins.
Then sign Lebron and D-wade…
C – Cousins
PF – Horford
SF – LeBron
SG – Turner
PG – Wade
Walker, Texas Ranger
May 27th, 2010
2:55 pm
BIGGER HELL! We need a point guard. Period
Dan
May 27th, 2010
3:21 pm
Mark, can we expect a GT/UGA prediction column soon? Thought you pumped one out around Memorial Day each year – and you were pretty accurate last year too.
GStateBen
May 27th, 2010
3:29 pm
Mark,
VCU’s Larry Sanders is not 6′11. Dude measured in at the NBA Combine at 6′9 and 222lbs. That means he’s a weak PF. No thank you!
Solomon Alabi will likely be available and he has a much more polished defensive game than Whiteside. He has also played in 42 more college games than Whiteside. Their stats are very similiar and Alabi played in a much better conference. I’ll take him for his impact now as an off the bench shot blocker who would could eventually bulk up to 250-255lbs.
will
May 27th, 2010
3:45 pm
Mark, do you think there is a possibility that the hawks will try to trade up to num 1 so they can draft Albert Jackson
layinlow
May 27th, 2010
3:46 pm
Nice pipe dream mike. Philly spent big money on brand and they are not going to take on smith’s contract. And JJ would have to agree to a sign and tade to NJ which would be highly unlikely. And I’m sure atlanta is not on the list of either wade or james.
W8102CHawks
May 27th, 2010
4:06 pm
Alexey Shved 6′6″ PG Russia, anyone who knows about him please comment on him, I’ve read he does it all with a nasty crossover.
wesleywhatwhat
May 27th, 2010
4:07 pm
if the hawks can’t trade up for demarcus cousins, then i hope that they pick up gani lawal in the second round.
PLEASE DON’T SLEEP ON LAWAL!
carrington
May 27th, 2010
4:12 pm
Ok….I’ve watched the Hawks get better, but with the team being as it is now….they have gone about as far as they can go. Woody did a good job, but he had hit his ceiling. So that was a positive move forward. Now you have to look at the team that is there…not built strong enough to make a real run. My Suggestions:
Trade M. Williams, packaged with the either the 24th pick, or M Bibby (or both) –get a seasoned center that knows how to really play the position. No need for a dominate guy –A Kendrick Perkins clone would be great for the Hawks. Gortat would be a good move, but I’m not sure the hawks have anything the Magic want…but it would not hurt to ask. Hawks do not have time to wait on a drafted center to grow…they need help now!
Move Al to his natural position of PF, tell Smoove to lose about 13 -20 lbs and while doing that keep working on that mid range shot…and move him to the 3 spot. Joe is as good as it gets for Atlanta right now….so stop wishing all these other folks are coming. Sign Joe up…give the keys to the young dude.
Shore up the bench by telling Maurice Evans that he is a defensive player (stop taking ill advised shots) ZAZA, Joe Smith & J Crawford know their roles. Get rid of Morris…he is a lazy kid that will not grow up. J Collins is good for practice. Mario West is a bargain at his price. Find another back up PG (like A Johnson down in Orlando –professional with a good attitidue) then a swig man or two….
Get a coach that knows a little something about offense, make sure he hires a defensive guru to be on his staff.
There it is……I’ll send my consulting bill to the Spirit group lol.
GTgreg
May 27th, 2010
4:14 pm
Mark, I’ve been thinking about the Hawks personnel concerns for months now, and even more since the playoff exit, and I just can’t wrap my head around what “should” happen here. And it all seems to revolve around Josh Smith. He really needs to stay at PF. Unless he makes a miraculous improvement in his outside shooting. Therefore if he is at PF, that seemingly locks Horford into the Center position. You can’t realistically keep either of those two off the floor. So then what we’d need is a SF. And if Joe Johnson leaves, you’d need a backup SG, because I firmly believe Jamal Crawford could man that starting role, and Mo Evans could be a defensive help there. Having said all that, it still doesn’t sit well with me. Cause what I’d really like to see is a “real” center. Look at the final 8 playoff teams and EVERY one of them had a dominant center. Spurs-Duncan, Suns-Amare, Lakers-Gasol/Bynum, Jazz-Okur/Fesenko/Boozer, Celtics-KG, Magic-Dwight, Cavs-Shaq/Sideshow Bob. I absolutely love Horford’s game, and he can play center, but I just feel like if we had Bosh or Bynum at C and Horford at PF, it’d be a more natural fit for him. But then what do we do with J-Smoove, cause I love his athletic ability.
Come on Mark, the Hawks are depending on me and you to figure this out.
Sonny Clusters
May 27th, 2010
4:35 pm
We was reading the question, “How tall is Sonny Clusters and can he play basketball?” The answer is Clusters are taller than 6 feet and shorter than 7. We was not much in basketball when we was in school because Clusters can’t jump. We was good at shooting, though, and could pretty much hit from anywhere on the court as long as somebody who could jump didn’t jump up and knock down our shot. Once, Stinky Wintes had set up a screen for us and we was just firing off the shot that was going to win a tournament and this Cobb County kid named Olajuwananabe jumped in front of us and knocked that ball right back in our Clusters. We was shocked! That night at the Dairy Queen they kept calling us “Olajuwananabe” and making fun of us for having that big “Rawlings” stamped on our forehead but we had already told ‘em Clusters can’t jump. That may be why we have always preferred baseball and football to basketball. We was state championship in both and was almost a Clemson Tiger.
Mark Bradley
May 27th, 2010
4:45 pm
Andrew Bynum is a dominant center, GTgreg?Kendrick Perkins is a dominant center?
And if you don’t like Horford playing center, you would absolutely despise seeing Chris Bosh try it. He’s a finesse player.
Mark Bradley
May 27th, 2010
4:46 pm
Yes, Dan. And thanks for asking. Maybe next week.
Rufus1
May 27th, 2010
4:54 pm
Dexter Pittman 6′11.5″ in shoes with a 7′6″ wingspan and 303lbs…He could be our Kendrick Perkins..2nd round
Dwight Howard is a power player, that is why Perkins has great success against him.
Rufus1
May 27th, 2010
5:12 pm
Kevin Seraphin 6′9 without shoes(between 6′10 or 6′11 with shoes), 268lbs, very athletic with an enormous wingspan
http://www.nba-draft.com/KevinSeraphin.html
GTgreg
May 27th, 2010
6:01 pm
I didn’t say Kendrick Perkins was a dominant center, I said KG was. And maybe dominant isn’t the right word, but “true” or “solid” is a better way of saying it. Look at the other 7 teams’ centers, and compare them to Horford.
So are you saying you DO like Horford at the 5? Like i said, i like his game, i just think he’d be better at the 4 with a big body beside him.
MaxxHawk
May 28th, 2010
5:47 am
Jerome Jordan
akintu
May 28th, 2010
9:21 am
The guy we need is James Anderson a tall SG out of Olahoma St. yeah he flucked up again GA Tech in the NCAA’s but he’s been otherwise consistent and has a hell of a shot. in the second round take Dexter Pitman and by some grace of God get Rudy Gay in here to run the 3. Might have to waait till next year to get a real center and move AL to the four but this would be a good starting line up when Joe bolts for money and game
PG-Teague
SG-Anderson
SF- Gay
PF-Smith
C-Horford
trthspitter
May 30th, 2010
2:44 am
Alabi is garbage he had the worse lateral movement of anyone tested at the combine and I don’t think u can coach that, the guy is a big stiff I will pass. Give me Varnado, Brackins, Lawal, or even Jerome Jordan over Alabi, I prefer SWAT