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.