Jeff Shultz at the AJC took time out to interview Dwight Howard while he was in Atlanta this weekend.  First of all, Dwight let it out that Josh Smith is getting married this weekend.  Congratulations Josh Smith!  Marriage is a wonderful thing and settling down has a way of taming the wild.  I wish Josh all the best in his new family life and a renewed focus on his basketball game.  Dwight will be Josh’s best man.  Seeing how close these two are just makes it sting a little more than Atlanta missed out on getting the hometown star back in 2004 because of one digit.

Next, Dwight had some interesting comments about the Hawks.

 On whether O’Neal would be a good fit for the Hawks: “I don’t know. I like their lineup now. I know a lot of people get mad and say they’re not big on the inside, but they’re a big team. They’ve got big guards. They’ve got big forwards. They’ve got a flying forward [Smith]. So it doesn’t really matter about having a seven-footer.

His comments were made when asked if Shaq would be a good fit for the Hawks.  I know some will say that he is just saying this because he feasts on the Hawks.  He did that in the playoffs, but in the regular season, the Hawks actually held Dwight six percentage points under his season average in field goal percentage.  I like that he calls Josh Smith a “flying forward”. 

I feel that Dwight is absolutely right though.  I have nothing against adding a center, but with Al and Zaza, the Hawks are not in bad shape at this position contrary to popular opinion.  Where I feel the Hawks have missed is with their perimeter defense.  This was the area that was poor last season, and the Hawks are basically relying on Jeff Teague taking a step foward to improve it.  Teague has the length to be a difference maker defensively and averaged a block per game in summer league play, but relying on him at this point is very risky. 

Does anyone think Dwight may try to force his way to the Hawks when he becomes a free agent in 2012?  Dwight is a big time Hawks fan, even though he plays for the Magic.  I really feel that if he has a choice, he would come to Atlanta.

Neil Paine over at Basketball Reference has some good information on Josh Smith’s improvement offensively in the 2009-2010 season.  Per this blog entry, Josh Smith improved from being a player with a 103.5 offensive rating to a player with a 109.4 offensive rating simply by cutting down his three point shooting.  Josh Smith shot 87 total three point shots in 2008-2009 and cut that to only 7 attempts in 2009-2010.  That’s a remarkable decline in his shooting attempts and it was needed.   As the article stated, Josh shoots roughly 9% lower on three point shots than the league average.  He simply does not need to be out there.

Josh’s next step will be to take the next step offensively and cut out all the long two point jumpers he shoots.  Josh shot 240 shots in the 16-23 feet range last season, almost 70 more than what he shot the previous season.  He essentially traded three point shots for long two point shots, and with a 29% make rate on those shots, it is pretty clear that he still has more adustments to make.  To his credit, Josh did set a career high on shots at the rim in 2009-2010 with 356, and he has hit between 65-70% of those shots during the past two years. 

Josh has the ability to be a very good offensive player if he will accept what he is and play within his limitations.  He’s tremendous around the basket though he isn’t a polished low post offensive player, and he is a very good passer from the post.  Hopefully Larry Drew will be able to maximize Josh’s talents in the Hawks new offensive system.  I really feel Josh could become an efficient scorer if he avoids the long jumpers and concentrates on getting his buckets around the basket.  He could be an 18 and 10 guy if he just dedicates himself to becoming that.

While Michael Cunningham is still out at the AJC and there is no report in the local paper at this point, several media outlets are reporting that the Hawks have indeed resigned center Jason Collins.  The word coming out of the Hawks offices is that Jason has worked very hard this offseason to get his body into playing shape and is a good presence in the locker room.  The Hawks roster stands at 12 right now, with the last two players on the roster being little more than locker room presences at this point.  To me, this is yet another example of why Rick Sund and the rest of the NBA put entirely too much emphasis on size and not enough emphasis on skill level.  The only reason Jason Collins and players like Johan Petro still ahve jobs in the NBA is because they are seven feet tall, period.  That’s it, because they bring nothing else to the table. 

Rick Sund was part of a stat savvy organization when he was with Seattle, but you couldn’t tell that based on his last two signings.  Maybe he is being handcuffed by ownership.  I don’t know.  I do know that neither Josh Powell nor Jason Collins are strong rebounding big men or even strong defenders.  They also just happen to bring very little offensively.  I have defended some of the Hawks moves this offseason and criticized few, but I just cannot fathom why this organization thinks it is better to bring on veteran players like Powell and Collins, who will add absolutely nothing to this team rather than bringing in a young big man via the draft that has the potential to at least be something for the team 2-3  years from now.  This is an ownership group that gets openly criticized for not being willing to spend money, yet they aren’t utilizing the most cost effective means of filling out this team.  Yes, I’m still sore over the Hawks not using that 31st pick, but good grief.  Does anyone seriously think that Josh Powell and Jason Collins would have more of an impact than Gani Lawal?

Here is some interesting stuff from basketball reference’s blog on offensive players vs the league’s top and bottom defenses.  This link is to part two of the series.  Part one can be found on their site.  The good news is that data shows Joe Johnson is a very good offensive player who does well against both top ranked and bottom ranked defenses.  He’s not a player that feasts on the league’s lower tier defenses.  It’s a good sign, because unlike some others, I don’t think his game will suffer the drastic decline that some others think.  He just doesn’t have the type of game that will decline rapidly because it isn’t based on athleticism.

The surprising thing is how well Al Horford does against top ranked defenses.  I’ve been saying for a while that Atlanta needs to expand their use of Al offensively.  Yes, he isn’t very polished with his low post moves, but he is super effective when he faces up against his competition.  Bigger centers really struggle to guard him when he’s used properly.

On a sadder note, Lorenzen Wright’s body was found where it looks like he was shot mulitple times.  Lorenzen may not have been a great player when he was with the Hawks, but he was a player that hated losing and gave it his all when he was on the court.  He was an all around good guy, and things like this just shouldn’t happen.

Finally, Sekou Smith reported earlier this week that Shaq to Atlanta isn’t dead.  Just say no, Hawks!  Larry Drew does not need the headache of Shaq trying to undermine him in his rookie season as a head coach.

All the talk about Chris Paul possibly demanding a trade and the possibility that the Hawks might consider the move has got me thinking about something else.  I have been thinking about what my central theme for this blog would be since I was allowed to take over for Kris, and I think those who have followed my posts on other websites such as Hawksquawk, you will know that I am a big proponent of building through the draft.  So that would probably be my central theme.  I feel that championship teams are built largely through the draft, and free agency is just a tool to use to augment what you have done via the draft.

The fact that Chris Paul might be available for the right price really seals this philosophy to me.  Looking back at the 2005 NBA draft, a lot of the issues the Hawks face today could have very well been avoided at that time had they simply made the right pick.  Now, I’m a Marvin Williams fan.  I was back then.  In fact, I was one of the ones who felt like his potential was too good to pass up even though I felt like Chris Paul had that “it” factor.  Well, it turns out that I and several NBA GM’s would have been wrong in that draft, so this is being said all in hindsight. 

Too often, I think NBA scouting departments and front offices get to the point on players where they start to nit pick about things, and when they do this, they ultimately convince themselves that the player isn’t quite as good as they initially thought.  In Chris Paul’s case, 6 months before the 2005 draft, he was the clear cut #1 prospect in college basketball.  When people watched him, he simply stood out.  He had that look about him.  He had that “it” factor.  As the draft drew closer, the nit picking began.  Is Chris Paul big enough?  Would he be able to defend at the NBA level?  Was he really the good character that he has been portrayed to being?  The latter of which came into question when Chris, in a momentary loss of his composure, hit an opposing player in the mid section.  His defense came into question when players like John Gilchrist of Maryland and Jarrett Jack of Georgia Tech were able to score on him.  By the time the draft got here, all the nit picking over Chris Paul ultimately led to his fall on draft day.  The player that was once considered the top prospect for that draft ended up going 4th in that draft, behind Andrew Bogut, Marvin Williams, and Deron Williams.  The rest is history.

I’ve learned through my life that your first instinct on something is more often than not going to be right, and my first instinct on Chris Paul was that he was going to be a star point guard.  That’s exactly what he has become, and the players that some considered as having a higher upside have ended up developing into role players, which is what Marvin Williams has become.

To me, this shows why it is important to have a strong scouting staff that can identify and project collegiate and international talent and build your team through the draft.  The Atlanta Hawks could have had Chris Paul with the 2nd pick of the 2005 NBA draft.  Not only would it have filled a need at the point guard spot, but they also would have gotten the guy who six months earlier was considered to be the best prospect in college basketball by far.  A potential star player at a critical position to build the team around.  Billy Knight had his own philosophy though, and while his philosophy brought some good players to the Hawks, it also caused him to miss in situations like this.  The Hawks ended up getting a solid player, but they didn’t maximize the pick they had.  The Hawks could have gone into that season with building blocks of a very young Josh Smith, Joe Johnson who signed as a free agent that summer, and Chris Paul.  In hindsight, it would have been a recipe for success.

The Hawks have a long history of missing on their picks or not maximizing their picks in the draft.  Pete Babcock missed so much that in the end, he didn’t trust his scouts or his instincts and ended up trading a pick that in hindsight, would have netted them a better player when they dealt Pau Gasol in the 2001 draft for Shareef Abdur-Rahim, and they then turned down an opportunity to take point guard Tony Parker with a late first round pick to draft Jamaal Tinsley for the Pacers instead.  The trade ended up being an abject disaster for the Hawks, as they didn’t improve by getting Shareef, and Pau Gasol has gone on to become a top 15 player in the NBA.

I’m not an expert by any means, but if I were consulting with NBA scouting departments, here are a few things I would highlight.

1. For the most part, draft the best player who is available and trust your instincts on that player.  If there are two players who are equally rated on your board and one fills a need on the team, draft the one that fills the need on the team.  Avoid duplicating positions unless there is a drastic difference between the highest rated player on your board and the next highest rated guy.
2. Don’t overvalue size.  More teams miss on first round draft picks because they went for a big player.  Drafting a big that high is similar to drafting quarterbacks in the NFL.  It’s so difficult these days to find a big man with true size that has the feet, athleticism, and coordinator to make much of an impact on the floor.  Instead of putting a high value on size, put more of an emphasis on length and athleticism when it comes to the bigger players.
3. Don’t undervalue traits that transition very well from the college level to the professional level.  The traits that transition the best are rebounding and shooting.  Typically players who rebound at a high rate in college become solid rebounders in the pros, and the same goes for players who are good shooters.  Now, good shooting alone won’t get you there, as Hawks fans can attest to with Salim Stoudamire.  Salim was a great shooter, but he didn’t do anything else on the floor.  You have to be able to do something else on the floor, but shooting overall transitions very well from college to pros.
4. Value your picks and don’t just give away late first round/early second round picks.  These are picks that good scouting departments can find good players who can contribute depth your team.  When you get good, this is how you build your depth.  In the Hawks case, giving away the 31st pick is an example of what not to do, as they could have taken a player like Gani Lawal with that pick and gotten themselves a player who could have contributed as a back up power forward this year.

Even though this is an Atlanta Hawks site, the team that I will likely site the most as the model of how an organization from a scouting standpoint should be run is the Oklahoma City Thunder.  I have been very impressed with the way Sam Presti and his scouting staff have done things.  They got their star player to build around in Kevin Durant, and they have locked him up to a long term deal.  They have also added a solid group of players around him through the draft.  Sam has accumulated draft picks during his time as GM, and he utilized those picks to maneuver his way through the draft to get a highly rated player at a position of need in Cole Aldrich.  He then took a high rated player and flipped him into a future first round pick.  They were also the recipient of the Hawks misfortune by getting that 31st pick and getting a project big man that they actually had rated as a first rounder in Tibor Pliess.  They have done well in the draft, and they have managed their finances well when it comes to the salary cap.  You don’t see them going hard and heavy after the big name free agents on the market.  This is a model organization for how things should be run, and I hope the Hawks look at them and take notes.

The AP is reporting that Chris Paul has notified Del Demps, the New Orleans Hornets new GM, that he wants to be traded.  Could this be the opportunity the Atlanta Hawks have been looking for in their attempts to field a championship caliber basketball team in 2010-2011?  According to the report, Chris Paul has apparently given the Hornets a list of teams that he wants to be traded to, and the Atlanta Hawks reportedly isn’t one of them. 

This brings me to Kelly Dwyer’s scathing blog entry on this subject. 

That’s a good system, mind you, but it should also preclude you from using the worst representation company in the history of bad PR to complain about having to play for a team that is well past its peak, when you signed a contract extension with that team after it hit its peak. Want to play with a superstar, CP3/LRMR? Sign with one after your rookie deal expires. Or sign for less money so that the Hornets could move some trees around and possibly trade or sign for one

So here is my question?  Is Chris Paul legitimately upset that his team hasn’t done anything to show they are willing to win now, or is he getting bad advice from a group of PR folks with a history of giving out very bad advice?  I think Kelly Dwyer makes some good points in his blog entry.  When Chris Paul signed his deal back in 2008, he knew the make up of his team.  Did he really believe that a team with him as the only legitimate star player with a couple of injury prone older players and David West was a championship caliber team?  He should have seen the writing on the wall.

Chris Paul is one of the legitimate good guys in the NBA, and it would be a shame if he is doing this because he is getting bad advice from this LRMR group that created a circus with LeBron James this off season.

With that said, he is the one player that could possibly be available that would make the Atlanta Hawks a legitimate contender in the Eastern Conference.  The combination of Chris Paul and Joe Johnson in the back court together could very well be the best point guard/shooting guard combo in the NBA, and if you combine that with either Al Horford or Josh Smith up front, you have the makings of a strong trio that can propel a team to a championship.  This wouldn’t be a LeBron James/Dwyane Wade/Chris Bosh strong combo, but you would be hard pressed to find another trio in the NBA that would be better.

Also, from New Orleans’s perspective, they will have trouble finding a better deal for Chris Paul than one that is centered around either Al Horford or Josh Smith.  I’m certain that if a move is made, the Hornets will try to get rid of Emeka Okafor’s contract in the deal as well.  The Hawks can match up well from a salary standpoint.  One of their two young bigs would have to be the centerpiece of the deal, and from the Hornets perspective, I feel they would probably want Al Horford in the deal more than Josh Smith.  Conversely, I would rather keep Al Horford than Josh Smith, though both are ascending players in the league.  Also, Jamal Crawford would likely have to be included in the deal, and it is likely that Mike Bibby would have to be a part of this as well.  I haven’t looked at the numbers so I don’t know exactly how they would match up, but we could be looking at something like Al Horford, Jamal Crawford, and Mike Bibby for Chris Paul and Emeka Okafor.  It may be tougher to do the deal with Al because of the fact that he is still on his rookie contract.

Whatever is involved, this is a deal that the Hawks should be exhausting all measures to try and pull off.

There is a fanhouse report that says Jason Collins is expected to resign with the Hawks for the 9 year veteran minimum.  I will give this scouting department credit for how they evaluate college talent and run their draft, with the exception of giving away a high second round pick for nothing.  However, when it comes to making free agent decisions, their reliance on veteran free agents can be maddening.  Let me put this disclaimer out first.  Michael Cunningham is currently on vacation, so he isn’t available to report whether there is any truth to this rumor or not.  However, if the Hawks do resign Jason Collins for the 9 year vet minimum, which is about $1.3 million, I just have to wonder what they are thinking.  They did a good job in not going overboard and giving Shaq a big contract when he’s barely a replacement level player at this point in his career, but I would have rather signed him for the league minimum rather than giving it to Jason Collins.  Jason Collins offers nothing but size.  He has a history as a starter in the NBA, but he’s never been a big scorer, big rebounder, or a big shot blocker.  He had a negative rating in win shares last season, which suggests that he actually hurts the team he is on when he is on the floor.  Here’s what I don’t understand when it comes to some of the decisions the Hawks make.  When Jason Collins is all you can come up with relative to signing veteran free agents to fill the end of your bench, not only is it more cost effective to use that roster spot on a young player that you have taken from the draft.  It is likely better for the short and long term of the team.  Seriously, who do you think would make a bigger impact on this team this year as well as down the road, Jason Collins or Gani Lawal?  I’m taking Gani Lawal at a salary of around $800,000 over Jason Collins at a salary of $1.3 million, even if the Hawks get around $300,000 of that refunded back to them.  That $3 million the Hawks got for the 31st pick does absolutely nothing for this team whereas getting a player like Gani Lawal with that pick would have given them a player that could have played the back up power forward position behind Josh Smith and also given the team minutes as a 3rd center.  Maybe the Hawks will bring Jason’s twin brother Jarron on board as well and fill two of the final three roster spots on the team with players who will not contribute to this team at all.

The Atlanta Hawks concluded their summer league play with an 89-83 win over the Minnesota Timberwolves summer league team.  The Hawks ended with a record of 3-2.  As I stated during the first summer league game, winning isn’t what is important in these games.  What is important is the players and the evaluation of those players in this small sample size.  Overall, it’s difficult to get a good gauge on what a player can do.  Summer league games are conducive to players that can get up and down the court, and sometimes, guys who are shooters have a little trouble finding a rhythm in this type of setting.  With that said, the Hawks appear to have two players on this summer league team that can make an impact on the team during the regular season.

Jeff Teague– The Hawks basically set this roster up as a way to showcase Jeff Teague and give him the green light and the confidence to take charge and run the team.  It remains to be seen whether Larry Drew will ask him to do in the regular season what he was asked to do in the summer league.  After the first couple of games, Jeff took the shackles off and played his style.  He attacked the basket off the dribble, got to the free throw, and showed that he can make a variety of floaters in the line.  For the most part, he shied away from shooting jump shots, particularly pull up jumpers off the dribble.  It isn’t surprising, because this was his game when he was at Wake Forest.  When he came out, he was one of the top guards relative to attacking the lane and getting to the free throw line.  Jeff also showed that he has an upside as a playmaker, whether he is making plays for himself or for his teammates.  The Hawks tried surrounding him with shooters, but many of his passes ended up being missed shots, diminishing his overall assists total in Las Vegas.  Overall, Jeff shot well from the floor hitting around 52% of his shots overall.  He also shot 33 free throw attempts and 46 shot attempts overall.  Jeff also showed that there was no one in this league that could match his quickness and keep him from getting into the lane.  Like I said, the question about him in the regular season is two fold.  Will he be asked to play this way?  Will he play timidly and defer to the more veteran players?  Overall, I’m very encouraged by Jeff’s performance.  The turnovers are something we may have to live with, because he was also like that in college.

Jordan Crawford — Jordan showed that he has tremendous basketball instincts, not only as a scorer, but also as a defender as well as an all around player.  Granted, Jordan did show some of the things this coaching staff will be working hard on him with as things progress forward.  His shot selection needs to be honed in, as he has never met a shot that he dislikes.  He did show his range for the most part, hitting around 30% of his three point shots.  A little over 1/3rd of his shots were three point shots as well.  The unexpected thing that Jordan showed is that he has very good passing instincts when he struggles to get his shot off.  He showed above average court vision, getting his big men easy buckets around the basket when he was able to draw attention to himself.  Another surprising aspect of Jordan’s game was that he got to the free throw line at a fairly high rate.  This was one of his major criticisms coming out of Xavier.  He would attack the basket, but he would either shoot a pull up jumper from the elbow or throw up a floater in the lane rather than taking it strong.  As a result, he didn’t get to the free throw line at a high rate and wasn’t a great finisher as a result.  He improved this aspect in summer league, so it will be interesting to see if this continues as the regular season progresses.  It is going to be tough for Jordan to find minutes on this team, but unlike the previous head coach, I feel Larry Drew will find a way to get him on the floor even if it is in limited time.

Both of these players showed very good ability in the open floor.  Jeff Teague finished strong on the fast break, and Jordan showed a tremendous instinct for getting the ball up the floor quickly, whether it was via a pass or taking it himself.  Once Teague settled down and stopped deferring, he ran the break very well.

I don’t feel anyone else on the team played to the point that made me feel they would be a contributor in the regular season on this team.  Trey Gilder is a player that has some talent.  He’s very long and athletic, although he is very skinny for his position.  If he could shoot the basketball at all, he would be on an NBA roster.  He could be a solid small forward if he improves his shooting, and I would consider bringing him to camp just to see if I could help him improve his shooting stroke if I were Larry Drew.  Larry is known for helping poor shooters improve their shooting ability.

Richard Hendrix had a strong showing as a low post offensive threat.  He shot a high percentage from the floor and was able to gain  position on the low block.  With that said, while he blocked a few shots, he didn’t show much presence defensively.  Richard is one of those players who has the wide body many want in a low post player, but he lacks the length and athleticism to make an impact defensively.

Conversely, Alade Aminuis a player that has the length and athleticism to make an impact on the defensive end.  Unlike Richard Hendrix though, Alade showed that he is still very raw when it comes to offense.  He showed well on the fast break and when finishing around the basket, but he’s very limited when it comes to gaining position on the low block and doing something with the ball once he gains position.  If the Hawks were willing to use the NBDL the way they should, then Alade would be a solid option as a 14th or 15th man on the roster.  Jermareo Davidson is another player that has the length and athleticism to make an impact defensively and on the boards.  He’s a very active player, though he didn’t block as many shots as I would have liked to have seen him block.

James Augustineended up being the best rebounder on a relatively poor rebounding team this summer.  James has the overall size that some of the other big men on this roster lacked.  Once he got his feet under him, he actually finished the summer league relatively strong.  He was solid on the low block offensively and was able to get his body in the muck and grab some boards.  He showed no awareness when it came to defense though and didn’t block a single shot.  He did get a lot of personal fouls called on him.  With his past NBA experience, he is a player that could come to camp and compete for a job as a 5th big man.  He would be a borderline roster guy though and likely a 12th or 13th man overall at best.

Sergiy Gladyr showed that he isn’t quite ready for the speed of the game, and Pape Syshowed that he may have some tools to work with.  Neither player is ready to compete for a roster spot and will be stashed overseas for further seasoning.  I do feel like Sy has the potential to be a Boris Diaw type of player in the NBA based on what I saw from him.  Gladyr just couldn’t find his shot, and as I stated above, this kind of setting isn’t conducive for a guy like Gladyr to have success. 

I don’t feel anyone else that was on this roster is really worth mentioned.  Luke Jackson was a potential NBA player a few years ago, but I feel his time has now passed.  He has a future in the European leagues but not in the NBA.  Randolph Morris showed why the Hawks need to move on without him.

I’ve been an Atlanta Hawks fans since the mid 1980s.  During that time, the Hawks have really only had four general managers.  Early on, Stan Kasten ran everything.  Pete Babcock ultimately succeeded Stan Kasten and was able to maintain a 45-50 win team for the most part through the Bob Wiess and Lenny Wilkens years.  Things fell apart at the end for him.  Billy Knight succeeded Pete Babcock and started the Hawks on a long road to recovery.  Now, Rick Sund has come in and has stabilized what Billy Knight put together while adding a few pieces to the mix.  Throughout all their tenures, the one key to their success or lack thereof has been the NBA Draft.

I am a firm believer in the philosphy that you build your team through the draft and only look to free agency as a means of augmenting your team.  I do not believe it is wise to spend big money in free agency.  I didn’t really get into the draft till sometime in the early 1990s.  Pete Babock’s tenure as the Hawks GM was marred by very poor draft selections.  Pete made strong free agent (Dikembe Mutombo) and veteran trade (Steve Smith) decisions, but overall, he was never able to build the team’s depth because of his inability to properly evaluate college players and project them to the pros.  By the end of his tenure, Pete Babcock had lost faith in the draft process and was more than willing to deal high valued draft picks for moderate value veteran players.  Trading Pau Gasol for Shareef Abdur-Rahim is an example of this. 

When Billy Knight came in, he brought a renewed focus to the draft.  He also brought a set philosophy relative to what he wanted to build.  Overall, Billy did a solid job in the draft and made some solid decisions relative to veteran free agents.  For the most part, he avoided paying big money for mediocre players.  Speedy Claxton was the one blip on his otherwise solid record when it comes to making free agent moves.  In the draft, Billy was able to bring in solid players and helped build the core that the team has today.  With that said, Billy Knight was also a little too set in his philosophy.  His decision to pass on Chris Paul is ultimately the on that probably cost him his job.  He made strong choices with Josh Childress, Josh Smith, and Al Horford, but he missed big time on Shelden Williams when Brandon Roy was there for the taking.  You have to wonder if the Hawks would have been better off in the long run had they focused on building the team through the draft, not signing Joe Johnson, and going forward with a Chris Paul/Brandon Roy combo in the backcourt.

When Rick Sund took over, it came across as a very bland move.  I want to give the Hawks current scouting staff a lot of credit though.  Outside of the Joe Johnson contract, I think Rick has managed things well.  Some may argue that Rick overpaid to keep Mike Bibby and Marvin Williams, but Mike Bibby was a stabilizing force for the Hawks at point guard, and Marvin was coming off a breakout season when he got his deal.  Rick hasn’t had any lottery level picks with the Hawks, but he has done a strong job of selecting talent that can contribute on the team.  Jeff Teague will likely be this team’s starting point guard this year, and Jordan Crawford looks to be a potential contributor for this team as a rookie.  I also look at the other players the Hawks showed some interest in.  Dominique Jones looks like he will be a contributor off the bench for the Mavericks, and Gani Lawal will end up being a second round steal for the Phoenix Suns.  Both players were high on Rick Sunds list in this draft.  With that said, trading the 31st pick for nothing will be a bad mark on a strong record.  I feel like the Hawks could have gotten themselves a solid bench contributor with that pick, and my personal favorite for that pick would have been Gani Lawal.  Also, there was talk that the Hawks were interested in Daniel Orton and would have taken him with the 31st pick had he been available.  Orton has been horrible for Orlando to this point though, and to me, this is a case of Rick and assistant GM Dave Pendergraft valuing size a little too much when they should be valuing length.  Maybe Orton will develop into a solid bench player down the road, but he looks like a big, unathletic player at this point.

Overall though, I just wanted to give this scouting staff a shout out.  They have done a good job even if they haven’t maximized their ability to evaluate talent.  The only thing I would stress to them at this point is that when it comes to big men, length and athleticism is more important than size.