Hawks BasketBlog

Hawks Take Gladyr At #49

Fri, 26 Jun 2009 03:40:37 GMT

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The second round provides a lot of opportunities to take a player with some long-range potential, and the Hawks think they have their guy in Sergiy Gladyr from MBC Mykolaiv (Ukraine). Gladyr averaged 15.4 ppg, 4.3 rpg, 2.4 apg, & 1.5 spg in 29 minutes a game last year - pretty nice for a kid his age.

I just spoke with Hawks international scout Mark Crow, who scouted Gladyr in Europe, and he had this to say:

"Gladyr is a 6'5", 19-year old kid with tremendous shooting ability. I saw him hit 11 3's in a game against Lithuania for the Ukranian National Team last year. He's got great form, and he's a very good athlete as well."

The Painted Area has a good scouting report on Gladyr that you should check out for more information.

And with that, barring something unforeseen, I think our work here is done tonight. I know people think it's cliche to say this after each pick, but in both rounds tonight the Hawks got a player that was right at the top of their draft board for the pick they had.

Congrats to the Hawks front office on a job well done. They've been working long, long hours ever since the end of the season to get prepared for tonight, and for what it's worth, they had every scenario covered. It's actually really impressive to take in, watching them discuss multiple trades, players, and draft picks in real time all while the clock is ticking.

After the final pick, Rick Sund congratulated his staff on their efforts tonight, then exhorted them to re-channel their focus and energy towards free agency.

We'll have more tomorrow as Jeff Teague makes his way to Atlanta for the first time.

Goodnight from the draft room!

Best Player? Need? Hawks Get Both In Teague

Fri, 26 Jun 2009 01:23:25 GMT

At #19, the Hawks select Jeff Teague out of Wake Forest. This is a tremendous coup for Atlanta, as not only do they get a player right at the top of their draft board, but they also get one who plays the point and can potentially be groomed as the future of the position now that Acie Law is off to Golden State.

There were some tense moments in the draft room as we watched teams pick in front of them without calling his name, but when the time came to make the pick it was a very easy call.

Teague impressed the front office and coaching staff with his lightning quickness and scoring ability in college. As Hawks GM Rick Sund said, "He is a great player. He is quick, can get to the rim and finish, and is maybe the best athlete at the PG position in this draft."

Hawks asst. GM Dave Pendergraft said you hope to take a player who is the best you have on your board and can fill a need, and I'd say from the start that's exactly what this pick looks like.

It's Official - Hawks Get Crawford For Claxton, Law

Thu, 25 Jun 2009 20:25:13 GMT

The first domino for what promises to be a busy offseason for the Hawks has fallen, as the team has officially traded Acie Law and Speedy Claxton to Golden State for Jamal Crawford.

My first reaction - I'm a fan. It reminds me a bit of the trade for Bibby in February, 2008, in that you are giving up very little to get a rotation-caliber NBA player. Whatever you may think about Acie, Speedy, and Crawford for that matter, it's hard for me to oppose any deal where you trade two guys who rarely play for a guy who will definitely play.

Here are a couple more reasons I like it:

- Crawford can score. Much like Flip was a great addition last year because of the scoring punch he brought off the bench, I think Crawford brings the same kind of game. He can fill it up, as evidenced by his two career 50+ point games. He has the reputation as a volume scorer in the same way Flip does, but if the Hawks coaching staff can play to his strengths in the same way they did Murray then he can be a very valuable resource.

A couple interesting nuggets on Crawford by the way, courtesy of 82games.com: He was the 13th leading scorer in crunch-time minutes (defined as 4th quarter or overtime, less than 5 minutes left, neither team ahead by more than 5 points) last season, averaging 36.7 points per 48 minutes. In addition, he was the 7th-best fourth quarter scorer in the league last season, averaging 6.4 points in the final stanza. With as many close games as the Hawks tend to find themselves in, that is certainly good to know.

- It gives the Hawks some flexibility in free agency. Most people's first question when hearing of this trade is "What does this mean for Mike Bibby?" This is solely my opinion, but I don't think the addition of Crawford means we won't be bringing Bibby and/or Flip (for that matter) back. It simply brings additional leverage. With Crawford in the fold, it seems to me the Hawks also have some insurance in case they aren’t able to reach agreement with one or both of those players.

With Crawford around and capable of playing both guard positions, you hopefully can then have a pretty solid guard rotation of guys who are capable of carrying the scoring load on a given night. And, if it ends up that Bibby doesn't return, you still have a proven NBA guard to plug in instead of having to rely on potential question marks.

Crawford will make around the same money in 2009-10 as Law and Claxton combined. The following year, Crawford becomes at the very least a very attractive expiring contract (in the same way that Speedy is now).

Draft-wise, I don't think this changes the game too much. I said Tuesday I felt like the team is leaning towards taking best available (whoever that might be), and I still think they'll do that.

All things considered, I think you have to tip your hat to Rick Sund and company for this one.

More to come as the day unfolds...

UPDATE: Here is the official release on the trade.

UPDATE: Just got off the phone with Crawford - here's the audio interview

Lawson Completes Final Pre-Draft Workout For Hawks

Wed, 24 Jun 2009 18:55:53 GMT

Workouts appeared to be done after Sunday, but at the last minute the Hawks brought in UNC point guard Ty Lawson for a workout at Philips Arena this morning. Unlike the other workouts we've seen so far, this one was a solo run for Lawson, so it's hard to really come away with any real impressions that differ from what we already thought about the guy - namely, that he was a great PG in college and the reason he is potentially going to be available at #19 is because of his height.

Lawson showed a nice shooting touch during drills, hitting shots in the lane, off the bounce and off the catch, and from deep. But as Hawks asst. GM Dave Pendergraft told us yesterday, these workouts are more for the coaches and the chance to get to know a player, so hopefully it was worth it for that reason if nothing else.

A couple more notes about tomorrow's draft:

- We've seen some moves around the league the last few days, and with all the moving pieces on the Hawks front, it's certainly possible we could see a trade develop in the next day or so. But if it's going to happen before the draft it will have to happen before tomorrow at noon, which is the deadline to make pre-draft maneuvers. After 12:00 pm tomorrow, any trade that gets made won't go through until after the 1st round of the draft is over, which means if draft picks are exchanged the teams will have to choose the playerse first and then swap them afterwards. I have literally zero information that tells me anything is in the pipe; just letting you know the rules.

- Should anything happen, I'll be hanging around the Hawks front office for most of the rest of today and all of tomorrow, so I'll get the word out as quickly as I can so Hawks fans are up to speed on what's going down. I'll be doing a hybrid live-blog/tweet thing tomorrow night from the Hawks draft room, so if you aren't following me yet on Twitter I suggest you do so post-haste!

A Few Thoughts Heading Into Draft Night

Tue, 23 Jun 2009 20:28:58 GMT

Just posted a Q&A with Hawks assistant GM Dave Pendergraft in advance of the 2009 NBA draft. It was an interesting conversation to say the least, and I came away from it feeling pretty good about things going into Thursday night.

I took away a few things from the conversation that I'd like to share:

1. The Hawks draft won't be a one-man show. Hawks GM Rick Sund trusts Pendergraft and his scouting department implicitly, and they will have a large say in recommending who the Hawks should take in both rounds. Sund of course has the ultimate vote, but you can bet there will be a consensus built in the draft room before the pick is made.

2. Hit or miss, it won't be for a lack of information. Pendergraft and his staff have seen just about every prospect in this draft in person (including most of the top international players), and they have detailed objective analysis of those players as well. While Sund may be old school in many ways, he's not making these picks based simply on what his gut tells him.

3. If you read between the lines, I think you can figure out which direction the Hawks are leaning. Thought I was about to give away a big secret there, didn't you? Sorry, not going to happen. There are waaaaay too many variables going into Thursday night to be able to accurately guess who the team will select, but I will say this: no matter where you draft, there will always be some camps that advocate for drafting the best player available while others will want to draft to fill a need. Sometimes you’re fortunate enough to achieve both, bu based on what I've seen and heard so far, I think we're leaning towards the former. Who that will end up being though is still anybody's guess.

2009 NBA Draft Preview: Sam Young

Mon, 22 Jun 2009 18:27:34 GMT

As we start getting closer and closer to the June 25th NBA Draft, I thought it would be a good idea to start taking a closer look at some of the players who might be plying their trade in Atlanta next season.

Though I am a huge college basketball fan, I didn't really see most of the guys projected to be available to us enough times to comment on them at length.

Fortunately, one of the beautiful things about this here Internet is there are many blogs out there that follow these guys all year long and can give insight into what kinds of players they are and what they are capable of becoming.

When you draft at #19, it can be tough to gauge which players will still be available. Therefore, we'll be previewing some players that could be intriguing to the team, even if in the end they end up going much higher or much lower than where the Hawks make their selection.

We continue the series with another talented player from Pittsburgh, senior F Sam Young.

Our guest expert today is Chas Rich, who blogs about the Panthers at the site PittBlather and can be read over at AOL Fanhouse as well.

Sam Young:
Draft Express profile

How he got here: Young is a senior who has developed over the duration of his time at Pitt. He showed flashes of his athleticism and promise as a freshman. He struggled in his sophomore year due to some tendonitis in his knees, along with fighting the coaches who were trying to get him to buy into playing small forward rather than power forward. His junior year saw him start to embrace the position as he realized it would create more offensive opportunities for him. He earned Big East Most Improved Player and was All-Big East. He led Pitt to the Big East Tournament Championship not just with his scoring, but with inspired defense. By his senior year, he has developed a more consistent shot from the 3-point line which has only increased the deadliness of his shot fake.

Strengths: Extremely well conditioned and athletic. He is continually working in the gym. First there, last to leave. No one at Pitt worked harder than Young. He has a mid-range jumper.

He has one of the most exaggerated but devastating shot fakes in college. He literally will be on tip-toes, that forces defenders to bite and go right past him giving him a clear lane to the hoop. A minor concern given the state of NBA officiating is that the officials will bite as well and blow the whistle.

Weaknesses: Young has struggled to maintain focus on defense. He admits to seeing himself as an offensive player. So, he can be prone to lapses on defense that can be maddening because his athleticism gives him the ability to shut down the opposing player when he wants to.

Poor body language when he is frustrated. Sam Young rarely looks that happy on the court when things are going well. When his shot isn't falling or the team is struggling, he does not do a good job of hiding his feelings. He looks sullen and sulks a bit.

Why Hawks fans should want him: He's physically and mentally tough enough and ready to play now. He is not a project or a player that can help maybe by the time he's in the final year of his rookie contract. He can play out on the wing and loves to attack the basket.

What might give Hawks fans pause: You do have Maurice Evans through 2011 plus Marvin Williams is still a Hawk last I checked. A small forward does not seem as big a need for the Hawks as other positions. Plus, from what I saw this season, it just seemed to me that Atlanta needs to toughen up on the defensive end more than anything else.

What (if any) current player he reminds you of: James Posey seems to be the best comparison. Young started his college days playing power forward, and still brings that mentality -- especially going for rebounds. So like Posey, he's not afraid to bang inside a bit, despite being undersized. He also has the perimeter game.

Weekend Draft Workout Roundup

Mon, 22 Jun 2009 18:17:42 GMT

The Hawks front office and coaching staff came down to the Arena for morning workouts on both Saturday and Sunday this weekend, with a few big names coming in to strut their stuff. Saturday saw Wake Forest's Jeff Teague as the headliner, with Jermaine Taylor (Central Florida), Lester Hudson (UT-Martin), Aaron Jackson (Duquesne), Dar Tucker (DePaul), and Manny Quezada (San Francisco) on hand as well.

Sunday brought Tyler Hansbrough from national champion North Carolina as well as Memphis' Shawn Taggart, Georgia Tech product Alade Aminu, and Syracuse G Eric Devendorf.

Here are a few nuggets on the action:

- Teague looked smooth. He seemed very calm and self-assured going through the paces, and showed off a lightning-quick crossover.

- Lester Hudson turned some heads on Saturday. The 24-year old reminded some of Flip Murray with his story (in the diamond in the rough sort of way), and with his performance. No doubt about it, the guy can score. He stroked it pretty well from the perimeter in the workouts, which backs up his reputation (he averaged 26.6 ppg in his two seasons at UT-Martin).

- Hansbrough showed why his nickname is "Psycho T". His intensity is really something to see close up, as he really got after it with Taggart and Aminu. That's not to knock any of the other players who've worked out for the Hawks so far (and Taggart and Aminu both returned the favor), but Hansbrough does seem to take it up a notch, much as he did throughout his career.

- Taggart was somewhat of an afterthought at Memphis playing with teammates such as Derrick Rose, Chris Douglas-Roberts, and Tyreke Evans, but he showed some nice skills inside and out on Sunday. At 6-10, he could create some match-up problems in the NBA if he can hit shots as consistently as he did in the workout.

That concludes the scheduled individual workouts for the Hawks in advance of Thursday's draft. One more possibility that has surfaced – after initially declining prior invites by the Hawks, Ty Lawson’s camp has reached out to the club regarding a potential Wednesday workout. This one may or may not happen, and for good reason. Being the day prior to the draft, Wednesday is the single busiest phone day for the Hawks’ decision makers.

Stay tuned….

Friday's Pre-Draft Workout Report

Fri, 19 Jun 2009 22:20:22 GMT

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Workouts continued this morning at Philips Arena, with 5 players coming in to strut their stuff for the Hawks front office and coaching staff. North Carolina guard Wayne Ellington, Missouri’s DeMarre Carroll, LSU’s Garrett Temple and Marquette’s Wesley Matthews were on the floor today, along with Georgia Tech's Lewis Clinch for the second straight day.

A couple notes to pass along:

- Ellington showed the touch that made him such a crucial part of North Carolina's NCAA-title run this past March. One drill at the end had the players shooting from distance, stepping back a foot after each made basket (and getting only 3 shots from each spot) until they missed. Starting from the free throw line, Ellington was able to make it all the way back to half-court, shooting basically his normal shot the entire way. I called it the Joe Johnson drill.

- Temple made a solid impression with his defense in 2-on-2 drills, which shouldn't surprise anyone familiar with his defensive rep at LSU. But he showed some touch offensively as well.

- Wesley Matthews gave a solid performance in front of the Hawks staff, and also in front of his father Wes, who came by to show support. Wes is a former NBA player himself, and Hawks fans may remember him from his days with the club in the early '80s.

- Carroll fought his way through the workouts despite being severely under the weather. I can't imagine how hard it must be on guys if they aren't feeling well to go through these workouts. On the one hand, you don't want to seem like you don't have heart and can't fight through illness or injury, but on the other hand you don't want to give a bad performance. Carroll toughed his way through it today, and for that I commend him.

2009 NBA Draft Preview: DeJuan Blair

Fri, 19 Jun 2009 16:40:06 GMT

HTML clipboard As we start getting closer and closer to the June 25th NBA Draft, I thought it would be a good idea to start taking a closer look at some of the players who might be plying their trade in Atlanta next season.

Though I am a huge college basketball fan, I didn't really see most of the guys projected to be available to us enough times to comment on them at length.

We continue the series with another big man (one of the biggest) Pittsburgh sophomore DeJuan Blair.

Our guest expert today is Chas Rich, who blogs about the Panthers at the site PittBlather and can be read over at AOL Fanhouse as well.

DeJuan Blair:
Draft Express profile

How he got here: DeJuan Blair made his presence known nationally with the now legendary flip of UConn's Hasheem Thabeet after outworking Thabeet once again for a rebound. Blair is in the draft as a sophomore on his ability to rebound the ball like no one has in years. He averaged a double-double this past year.

Strengths: Rebounding. Rebounding. Rebounding. John Gasasway at Basketball Prospectus broke down the absurdity of Blair's rebounding numbers in 2008-09.

No one wants the ball off the glass more than Blair. He will just go after the ball, but not recklessly. He plays the ball right. He puts himself in the best position for the rebound.

Weaknesses: Only being a sophomore, and being so dominant inside means Blair has really limited offensive options. He scored consistently, but not pretty. There was not much of a jumper or hook or anything other than bulling to the basket and cleaning up on the offensive boards.

He does have a propensity for dumb fouls. Not from what goes on inside, but out on the perimeter if he gets dragged out of the paint. He does not have great footwork to keep a player in front of him, so he will commit the lazy foul.

His weight and conditioning has been a major topic, but that has been overblown. He obviously slimmed down with the draft approaching. He had improved his conditioning from his freshman to sophomore season.
It just was not as drastic as the appearance since declaring for the draft.

Why Hawks fans should want him: Again. Blair vs. Thabeet. He loves the challenge of going against the bigger players. It never gets old for me.

Blair actually has a personality and is a naturally gregarious person. As much a force on the court as he can be, he has a magnetic personality and smile that the fans will love.

What might give Hawks fans pause: I may be in the minority of Pitt fans that does think the issue with his knees is something of a concern. It's part of why I had no problem with him turning pro. Get paid while you can. He had major surgery on both knees in high school.

While you never know with any player and their ligaments, but when there has been surgery that early for a player it is something of a concern if you are drafting a player in the top-20.

What (if any) current player he reminds you of: I grew up on the 76ers, so I do think a little of Charles Barkley in his first couple of seasons. When Barkley was mainly sticking to playing inside and using his body to force people out of the optimism to force that comparison.

Realistically, he is somewhere in that group that could be as good as Paul Millsap to Jason Maxiell or Leon Powe. Undersized big men that provide energy and go after the ball inside. They don't pretend they have range on offense, so they almost never shoot a three.

Thoughts From Thursday's Draft Workouts

Thu, 18 Jun 2009 22:59:09 GMT

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Pre-draft workouts have taken a different turn this year, as NBA teams are combining resources (smart, in this economy) in an effort for everyone to see more players in less visits than in previous years (it works out better for the players as well, as it potentially cuts down on the travel for them too). The Hawks front office took in the Chicago combine in May, and also saw group workouts in Oakland, Minneapolis, and New Jersey.

Even with that though, Hawks GM Rick Sund and company decided to still bring in a few players that they hadn’t seen in the group scenarios, and are conducting workouts on the Hawks practice court over the next several days. Yesterday Pittsburgh's DaJuan Blair and Gonzaga's Josh Heytvelt came in, while today saw a much larger group of players hit the Hawks floor: BJ Mullens (Ohio State), Derrick Brown (Xavier), Garrett Siler (Augusta State), Jonesboro-native Toney Douglas (FSU), and Lewis Clinch (Georgia Tech).

I don't want to get too much into individual critiques, because personally I think these workouts don't do much to tell you about how good/bad a particular player is (and certainly way less than their college resumes), but I do have a few morsels to share:

- The highlight of the workout by far was when Siler, listed at 6'11" and 305 (but looking perhaps bigger), threw down a monster two-handed jam during a drill that broke the basket. He didn't go Darvin Ham or anything, but he knocked the basket's support loose and caused the whole thing to swing towards the ceiling. Siler's reaction: "My bad."

- Toney Douglas showed off the skills that made him the ACC Defensive Player of the Year in 3-on-3 play. He made it extremely hard for his man to get by him, and came up with several steals and deflections.

- BJ Mullens clearly has skills as a basketball player. He looked comfortable from the NBA 3-point range and had an impressive array of moves. The key for him will be his physical progress to be able to bang with the bigger bodies in the League. He and Siler were an interesting contrast of styles today: Mullens as the skilled finesse player, Siler as the bull-in-a-china-shop.

More to come tomorrow, as several players including North Carolina's Wayne Ellington make their way to the ATL.

2009 NBA Draft Preview: Patrick Mills

Wed, 17 Jun 2009 14:12:18 GMT

Though I am a huge college basketball fan, I didn't really see most of the guys projected to be available to us enough times to comment on them at length.

We continue the series with another point guard who could be in the mix in the first round, St. Mary's sophomore and Australia native Patrick Mills.

Our guest expert today is Steve Kroner, sportswriter for the San Francisco Chronicle, who covered St. Mary's basketball this past season.

Patrick Mills:
Draft Express profile
photo by: Getty Images

How he got here: Mills is the most prominent of several St. Mary's players to come to the Moraga campus from Australia (Canberra, Australia, to be specific in Mills' case). He averaged a team-best 14.2 points per game for the Australian Olympic team in Beijing. He spent two seasons with the Gaels.

Strengths: First and foremost, speed. He's the quintessential one-man fast break. His quickness and fearlessness make him an excellent player in the open court. He also has an extremely quick release on his jump shot. Mills is a streaky shooter, and when he's on, he's electric.

Weaknesses: St. Mary's listed him at 6-foot, and he might not be that tall. His lack of size hurts him defensively. An NBA scout said Mills is a bear in the open court, but needs work in the half-court, particularly running the pick-and-roll. Mills is a streaky shooter, and when he's off, he usually keeps shooting, anyway.

Why Hawks fans should want him: He's clearly a fun player to watch. When he's leading a fast break, you're on the edge of your seat. He's a highly competitive player.

What might give Hawks fans pause: His lack of size, and the fact his point-guard skills need polishing.

What (if any) current player he reminds you of: Many people have compared Mills to the Spurs' Tony Parker, particularly because of their size and speed. Parker unquestionably is a better shooter and passer at this point. Mills, though, probably is faster with or without the ball.