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!

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.

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

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!

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.

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.

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….

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.

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 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.

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.

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 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. 

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 raw but skilled big man, Gonzaga sophomore Austin Daye.

Our guest experts today are Zach Bell and Max Mandel from the Gonzaga blog Slipper Still Fits.

Austin Daye:
Draft Express profile
photo by: AP Photo/Ingrid Barrentine

How he got here: Out of Woodbridge High in California, Daye came to Gonzaga as Mark Few's first legit "blue-chip" prospect. He came to Spokane with more hype than any other recruit and, although showing some brilliant flashes, has never fully lived up to it. Averaging 13 points and 7 rebounds a game as a sophomore is a respectable stat line but when you have the skills that Daye does and you combine that with West Coast Conference competition, it's clear to see why Gonzaga fans expected more. He decided to test the waters this summer and maintains that he needs a top-20 guarantee to stay in the draft. (Ed. note: Daye did indeed stay in the draft, though we know of no guarantee)

Strengths: Austin is a 6'11'' walking mismatch. When you watch him play the first thing you'll notice is his jump shot. Much like Dallas Maverick Dirk Nowitzki, Daye posesses one of the most smooth jump shots that a man of his size can have. With such a high point of release, their isn't a player in the NBA that Austin can't elevate over. A guard until the middle of high school, Austin's versatility truly shines. He is most comfortable in transition and when he can make plays on the perimeter. Once the ball is in his hands on offense, their isn't really a limit to the way he can score it. His basketball IQ is also remarkably high and you won't find another player in the draft that has as much innate basketball smarts as Austin does. Watching him for two seasons, he has developed an outstanding sense of when to take the defender to the rack or opt for the jump shot. While he is most effective on the drive, he can still shoot the three-point shot with remarkable efficiency, leading Gonzaga at 43% last season.

Weaknesses: Scanning the players eligible for the NBA Draft this year, it is pretty clear to see that Austin has the highest risk/reward ratio outside of international prospects. He has got so many strengths that will make teams salivate when they watch him workout which is why some feel he could be as high as a lottery pick. A lottery pick to some, there is also a healthy number of people that think he has bust written all over him. His weight is the most pressing weakness to Austin's game and is something he has addressed since his arrival at Gonzaga. He has the tendency to struggle in the post because he lacks the weight to be able to bang around and establish himself. That being said, his main weakness is that he lacked a killer instinct at Gonzaga. He's got the skills to be great but all the stars in the NBA have the attitude and the maturity to keep focus and provide the kill shot. Daye doesn't have that yet and that is one of the major reasons why some are urging him to head back to school for another year. He frustrates very, very easily and against physical and aggressive teams, you can usually bet that he is going to disappear.

Why Hawks fans should want him: Atlanta is the type of team that I think Austin needs if he is going to the NBA Draft this year. Maybe not personnel-wise but with a team like Atlanta that has playoff experience, they can let Daye develop for a year or two. He's going to be an effective professional player at some point. While I don't think he is ready right now, Atlanta is a player or two away from making a deep playoff run and Austin, if he develops into a Tayshaun Prince/Rashard Lewis type player, he can be that one player Atlanta needs.

What might give Hawks fans pause: The bust factor. If Daye stays in the draft, whoever selects him will have a lot on their plate. First, they will have to develop his attitude. He has been labeled a "prima donna" by plenty of Gonzaga fans and scouts and really has a lot of growing up to do. Secondly, they will have to at least try and put some weight on him and toughen him up. He's trying to prove that he is tougher than people think during his workouts but he still has a ways to go. Wherever Austin goes better have one hell of a weight trainer. Take care of those two things and the kid will be a star.

What (if any) current player he reminds you of: This is tough because every comparison to him is so lofty with his body type. He came into Gonzaga being compared to Kevin Durant which is probably why a lot of Gonzaga fans feel let down. He could be a Rashard Lewis type player but the most accurate is probably Tayshaun Prince mainly because of the high point of release and the ability to drive and finish in the middle of the lane. Take all these with a grain of salt because these comparisons are best case scenarios for a few years down the line.

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 a player who is raw, but has that one quality teams love - height - Ohio State freshman big man BJ Mullens.

Our guest expert today is Corey from the Ohio State blog Eleven Warriors.

BJ Mullens:
Draft Express profile

How he got here: BJ hails from the Columbus suburb of Canal Winchester, where he became a Buckeye hoops folk legend when he verbally committed to Ohio State after the 8th grade. Buckeye Nation watched his rise to the Rival’s #1 rated high school senior upon entering college, but quickly realized he had little interest in playing college ball en route to the NBA. Though he failed to make any All-Conference team, he felt he was ready for the league.

Strengths: BJ does have good footwork, soft hands and runs the floor well. At times, Ohio State may not run the most post friendly offense, but when given the chance, BJ flashed some controlled footwork in the low block and soft hands on entry passes. Mullens’ ability to run the floor is his best skill right now and this attribute may allow him to see the court as a rookie, but he also has good range on his jumper and this could be his meal ticket to a long career.

Weaknesses: Mullens has a lot to learn, but lack of strength and tenacity were his most glaring weaknesses this past season. BJ consistently had difficulty gaining post position on the block, getting pushed out of the lane by smaller defenders and rarely showing any aggressiveness to change the situation. Critics have blamed his 20 minutes and 5.7 shots attempts per game on Thad Matta, but BJ never earned more playing time and checked out early, scoring in double figures just 6 times in the last 12 games and logging only 39 minutes in 3 Big Ten Tournament games. He totaled 9 assists all season.

Why Hawks fans should want him: The kid is a 7-footer, can run the floor and has endless potential. It has to be understood that he is still a couple years away, but he lead the Big Ten in shooting at 64 percent and can pop out to 17 feet. If he can improve his post game and add strength, he could develop into an 18 and 9 player.

What might give Hawks fans pause: He didn’t show much improvement, if any in Columbus this season and his hype thus far is strictly based off potential. He averaged less than 5 boards a game and snagged more than 10 just once. The Hawks must surround him with the right people and make sure he possesses the desire to put in the amount of required work.

What (if any) current player he reminds you of: I don’t think it’s fair to compare BJ to anyone quite yet, he simply hasn’t earned it. He claimed a few weeks ago his game possesses some skills similar to Garnett, Stoudamire and Nowitski, but until he proves it on the court, I’m not buying it.

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 a player who dominated in college and could add toughness inside for the Hawks, UNC senior Tyler Hansbrough.

Our guest expert today once again is Brian from Tar Heel Fan.

Tyler Hansbrough:
Draft Express profile

How he got here: Hansbrough came to UNC as Scout.com's #6 overall player in the class of 2005 and by the time his four years were finished he became possibly the greatest Tar Heel player ever. Easily one of the most decorated players in ACC history, Hansbrough was a four time All-ACC and All American pick. He was selected as a consensus National Player of the Year during his junior season and ended his career as the ACC's all time leading scorer. Add to the individual accolades a national title puts Hansbrough in some elite historical company.

Strengths: Hustle and work ethic. Hansbrough gives you everything he has in the tank. What he might lack in certain physical attributes he will certainly try his best to compensate for in out working his opponent. During the latter part of his college career Hansbrough developed more range away from the basket and was able to hit shots from 15 feet or more with ease. When playing the interior, Hansbrough likes to be a physical player and actually relishes contact. He runs the floor extremely well and regardless of anything else, there will never be any doubt this player is earning his paycheck every time he steps on the court.

Weaknesses: Hansbrough is not an explosive jumper which may hurt him in the interior. His standing vertical was measured as being a full five inches below Blake Griffin. At times, against players who were simply quicker off their feet around the basket, Hansbrough had issues both guarding them and scoring against them. His post defense is a question mark. Hansbrough is not a shot blocker but at the same time tends to keep himself out of foul trouble. Ironically, his defense on the ball against the dribble was always very good and there were times when Hansbrough guarded smaller players effectively.

Why Hawks fans should want him: He is a winner who despite all the success he enjoyed as an individual never put himself ahead of the team. Hansbrough's work ethic never changed from day one, he was just as driven to make himself better during his senior season as he was during his freshman campaign. Entailed in that is probability that he will continue to work as hard as he can to be a better player. Just because Hansbrough may not be able to do X or Y his first season does not mean by his third season has not improved himself.

What might give Hawks fans pause: The question concerning his ability to play in the post versus larger, more athletic players. The upside is that Hansbrough surprised many GMs by measuring out bigger than they thought he would. Still, there is no way to teach or really develop explosiveness.

What (if any) current player he reminds you of: Not a current players but many UNC fans have said they think he could be another Dave Cowens. I actually do not watch enough NBA games to draw a comparison here.

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 a guard predicted to go late in the first round, Florida State senior Toney Douglas.

Our guest expert today is Mark from the Florida State Blog Tomahawk Nation:

Toney Douglas:
Draft Express profile
photo by http://www.daylife.com/

How He Got Here: Outside of ACC country, Toney Douglas is not a household name and until recently he wasn't getting significant recognition in pre-draft discussions and mock draft boards. However, the morning after the NBA Draft Lottery, Chad Ford from ESPN.com predicted Toney to be drafted by the Chicago Bulls with the 26th pick in the first round. I'm sure this raised a few eyebrows that were associated with a "Who?" comment.

Toney, originally a member of the 2004 recruiting class, was a Rivals.com and Scout.com 4-Star recruit out of Jonesboro High School in Jonesboro, Georgia. He was the 66th ranked player overall and the 14th shooting guard overall by Rivals.com and the 20th Point guard overall by Scout.com. He played for the Atlanta Prep Stars AAU team. During his junior year of high school, he scored 29.3 points per game with 7.3 rebounds and 4.3 assists. He signed with Auburn in October of his senior year. During his senior year, he averaged 34 points per game, 7.5 rebounds and 4.5 assists. He had 6 triple-doubles and shot 52% from the 3-point line during that year. Toney's high school resume was impressive. He was named to 1st team All State honors from the Atlanta Journal Constitution from 2002-2004. He was the AJC Player of the Year in 2003 and 2004. He led his team back to back state post-season play, including the State Championship game in 2002. According to Rivals.com, Toney only received offers from Clemson and Auburn. Keep in mind, however,  that the 2004 recruiting class included Dwight Howard, Al Jefferson, Rudy Gay, Glenn Davis, Josh Smith and LaMarcus Aldridge, to name a few.

Despite a short stint at Auburn, Toney made an impact. During his only season with the Tigers, he started all 31 games and averaged 16.9 points, 5.3 rebounds, 1.8 assists and 1.4 steals. Toney's success earned him a spot on the Freshman All-American Third Team and All-SEC Third Team. He scored the team's season high with 38 points against Nicholls State. Toney was fourth in scoring in the conference that year and the nation's second highest scoring freshman. Looking to make a quick move to the next level, Toney tried his luck in the NBA draft after his freshman year. However, he withdrew before the draft occurred. Upset with Toney's actions and decision, Auburn released Toney. Leonard Hamilton, Florida State's Basketball Coach, recognized Toney's potential and started recruiting him heavily. Hamilton is known for identifying raw talent and recruiting better talent than expected at what is not currently considered an elite basketball school in the ACC.

After sitting out the 2005-2006 season, Toney's career developed nicely in his three years with the Seminoles. As a senior, Toney was named a Third Team All-American by the AP and Sporting News, and was First Team All-ACC. He was also the ACC Defensive player of the year and runner up for the ACC Player of the Year. He finished his career as a 37.6% 3-point shooter and an 80.6% FT shooter.

Strengths: With the exception of his first year at FSU, Toney essentially played every minute of every game in his college career, taking limited breaks. He is an absolute warrior and has the toughness to endure though fatigue and wear and tear of playing a lot of minutes on a regular basis. This bodes well with Toney as he looks toward the NBA. So often you hear the NBA analysts talking about how rookies tend to slump or wear down late in the season as they are not used to playing so many games and so many minutes. Toney has proved that he can endure lots of minutes.

He also had a huge jump in his offensive rating this year, which is likely due to our entire offense being based on Toney. He is also one of the best FT shooters in FSU history.

The other feature that sets Toney apart is his defensive ability and this will be his key to success in the NBA. For his entire career, he faced some of the best guards in the country night in and night out. For the past two years, he has been named ACC Defensive Team and was the ACC Defensive Player of the year in 2009. He was also named to the Fox Sports All-American Defensive team. This cannot be stressed enough, Toney loves to play defense. He puts as much, if not more, energy into his defense as his offense. He is accustomed to playing man to man defense and enjoys it: "The main reason I think I play good defense is because in this league, there's a lot of good guards. If you don't play good defense, you get exposed real quick. It's a pride thing."

After a battling with Duke this season, Coach Mike Krzyzewski had this to say about Toney: "He's as good as there is in college."  He even labeled Toney as his favorite non-Duke player and would love to have him on his team, quite a complement from a Hall of Fame coach who is accustomed to having some of the best talent in the country on his team. 

NBA teams that are drafting late in the first round are not looking for players to take over a team and lead them to a championship. They are looking for the key role-players, the kids to develop behind their superstars. They are not looking for, nor expecting to find, a Derrick Rose, Blake Griffin or Michael Beasley.

Toney will contribute at the NBA level. It is exciting to see that he is finally getting national press as the draft approaches. Toney has made a huge impact on the Seminoles, leading them to their first ACC Championship game ever and their first appearance in the NCAA tournament in 11 years. He is a leader. He has outstanding basketball knowledge and he is an absolute competitor.

Weaknesses: The major knock that he has against him is his ability to distribute the ball.

Florida State's offense is not designed to highlight the passing abilities of a guard. It's not based on a dribble-drive motion offense or a classic pick and roll style. Hamilton primarily used a motion offense as his base set this year. However, due to the youth our our team, it took a long team for the offense to gel and for players to move well with out the ball, limiting Toney's opportunities to distribute the ball. I do not think that this should be a knock against Toney. Put him in the right system and he will do fine. Toney is not going to be the next Steve Nash of the NBA. I don't think I surprised anyone with that statement.

In his Draft Express profile, they listed his weaknesses as decision making, shot selection, stuck between 1-2, older than class peers, poor passes, is undersized and an inability to finish around the basket.

Toney can finish around the rim; it's not the focus of his game. You could argue that he forced up some poor shots this year, but he didn't have many options to distribute the ball instead of shooting, particularly at the beginning of the season. The Seminoles were one of the youngest college teams in the country and it was up to Toney to lead the way.

Many argue that Toney doesn't have a defined position, like a Ben Gordon of the Chicago Bulls. Here is Toney's response to such comments: "I call myself a guard. I'm not a natural point. I'm not a natural two. I'm just a guard. I can do both. Me being versatile, I think I'm more of a threat out there on the court." You can find that quote and many others from this nice Sporting News article.

Here is a nice interview with Toney during the past season. Here is a nice video of Toney Douglas highlights from the 2008-2009 season. Here is the Seminoles.com interview with Toney.

Toney will be able to play night in and night out in the NBA. He will not likely be on the cover of NBA Live but I really think he can be a contributor and help an elite club. Toney has the character, courage, ability and desire to play at the next level.

Why Hawks Fans Should Want Him: Toney is a fierce competitor who will provide significant minutes of solid defense. He is a natural leader and is accustomed to playing in pressure situations and embraces that challenge.

What might give Hawks fans pause: How many guards can a team have? Toney is not the tallest player in the world, but has a few inches on Speedy Claxton.

What (if any) current player he reminds you of: He has Ben Gordon's build and shooting ability, but has better leadership, ball handling, defensive skills and decision making. The other player to whom he has some similarities is Chauncey Billups, but with better defense and less assists. This was difficult trying to find a comparison.

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 one of the many point guards predicted to go in the first round, North Carolina junior Ty Lawson.

Our guest expert today is Brian from Tar Heel Fan:

Ty Lawson:
Draft Express profile

How he got here: McDonalds All-American from Clinton, MD via Oak Hill Academy. Rated the #1 PG in the HS class of 2006. Became the starting PG at UNC early in his freshman year. During his junior season, was named ACC Player of the Year and won the Bob Cousy Award given to the nation's best college basketball PG.

Strengths: Quick and strong. Lawson possesses incredible speed and used it to run the most potent fast break in college basketball. Lawson also has great upper body strength and the uncanny ability to hang in the air and get a shot up against taller defenders, especially around the basket. Nearly as important as those two attributes is his ridiculous A/TO ratio. During his junior season, Lawson posted an A/TO of 3.48. That in itself is incredible, more so considering the tempo the Tar Heel played. Lawson also became a reliable shooter from the perimeter hitting 48% of his threes this past season to go along with an over FG% of 53%.

Weaknesses: Lawson's height might be an issue. He stands 5-11 and did have issues playing against bigger guards, especially on the defensive side of the ball. UNC dealt with multiple combo guards who put up 30+ point games throughout the season. Lawson has also been tagged as injury prone and had his toughness questioned. Some felt Lawson took too much time to recover from an ankle injury suffered last February and those same detractors piped up once more after a toe injury just before the 2nd Duke game this season. Where the toe was concerned, it appeared that Lawson dispatched the toughness questions but the general propensity for injury remains a concern seeing it happened two straight seasons.

Why Hawks fans should want him: Lawson runs the break extremely well and would do a great job feeding a team's primary scorers but also hitting his own shots if necessary. Lawson also was a major cog on a national title team proving he is a winner. In the three years Lawson was at UNC, the Tar Heels went 101-15 capped off by dominating the 2009 NCAA Tournament.

What might give Hawks fans pause: The injuries/toughness questions probably stick out the most. Lawson's height and questions of whether his game will be effective in the NBA also come to mind.

What (if any) current player he reminds you of: UNC fans most often compare Lawson to former Tar Heel and current Charlotte Bobcat Raymond Felton. Incindentally Lawson and Felton had similar career archs at UNC in terms of their production. The general consensus among Tar Heel fans is that Lawson ended up being better that Felton. If that happens in the NBA, whoever snags Lawson will be getting a solid PG.

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 one of the many point guards predicted to go in the first round, Wake Forest sophomore Jeff Teague.

Our guest expert today is Chris Chase, who contributes to the Yahoo blogs The Dagger and Shutdown Corner and writes his personal blog at The Player Hater's Ball:

Jeff Teague:
Draft Express profile

How he got here: Teague burst onto the national scene with a 34-point masterpiece in Wake Forest's January 11 upset over North Carolina. During a four-game stretch that catapulted the Deacs to a No. 1 ranking, the sophomore averaged 30 points and went from a guy nobody was talking about to a presumptive lottery pick. He, and his team, cooled off in March and now Teague is debating whether to stay in the draft or return to Winston-Salem for his junior season.

Strengths: Teague's speed is his biggest asset. He's quick off the dribble, which leads to explosive dunks and clear shooting lanes. When he shoots it from the perimeter, Teague is great, but he's better slashing to the hoop. He creates scoring opportunities when there doesn't seem to be much to work with. And, as a result of his driving, he gets to the free-throw line often and is solid when he gets there.

Weaknesses: Let's get it out of the way now: In strictly basketball terms, Teague needs another season in college. As evidenced by his late-season tailspin, he doesn't seem ready for the rigors of playing an 82-game season against the pros. He could use some more bulk, he needs to work on his ball handling, his mid-range jumpshot could use some work and he needs to improve at creating things without the ball. Most importantly though, Teague needs to improve his basketball IQ. Sometimes he plays too fast for his own good. Teague is a natural talent, but he makes the wrong decision about as often as he makes the right one.

Why Hawks fans should want him: This should sum it up nicely: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uTfwcYgNAN8 

What might give Hawks fans pause: The final six games of last season. Teague shot 35 percent from the floor, 24 percent from beyond the arc and averaged just 15 points. During Wake's first-round NCAA tournament loss to Cleveland State, there were long stretches of the game when you forgot Teague was on the floor. And if Atlanta wants him to replace Mike Bibby, they better look elsewhere. Teague isn't a prototypical point guard in the Chris Paul/Jason Kidd mold. He may have point guard size, but he has the shooting guard game. If he is going to make the transition to the point, there will be a big learning curve.

What (if any) current player he reminds you of: Ben Gordon and Jason Terry were the first two names that came to mind. Both can play the point if necessary, but seem more comfortable being scorers at the two.

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.

Today we begin the series with one of the many point guards predicted to go in the first round, Syracuse sophomore Jonny Flynn.

Our guest expert today is Sean Keeley, who writes about the Orange at the blog Troy Nunes Is An Absolute Magician. Here are his words on the Syracuse floor-leader:

Jonny Flynn:
Draft Express profile
(photo credit: Dennis Nett/The Post-Standard)

How he got here: Unfortunately for Syracuse fans, what got us excited about Jonny Flynn in the first place is exactly what got him here. A star at nearby Niagara High School, Jonny was a natural choice to come to SU, which hadn't had a great point guard in some time. Jonny was a rock for us his freshman year (played every minute of every game) but he really flourished in his sophomore season. It all came together in the 6-overtime epic against UConn in the Big East Tournament. Jonny put the team on his back and will themed back into the game time and time again. SU doesn't win that game without him, nor do they return to the Sweet 16 for the first time in six seasons.

Strengths: A born leader, I would put him up against any incoming point guard in the nation gladly. He's explosive and quick and extremely tough, rarely taking time off the court for injuries or rest. And though he might not be tall, you might have seen one or two of his ridiculous dunks from this past season...dude's got hops. Not to mention that he's extremely charismatic and a fantastic ambassador for whatever team he plays for. You'll want a guy like Jonny representing your franchise.

Weaknesses: He's short, standing around 5'10" by most counts. That's much shorter than most of the other bigtime point guards. But if that's the only reason you're not interested in him, you probably haven't seen the guy play much. His outside shot could use some work and he's going to have trouble creating for himself underneath.

Why Hawks fans should want him: He'll be your floor general within 2-3 seasons. He doesn't seem caught up in statistics and his desire to win basketball games is evident to anyone who watches him play. He knows when to put the team on his back and when to let someone else do it. And he's a fantastic representative for your franchise...he's got a million dollar smile and from all accounts is a great guy.

He's so good that when he announced he was going pro, Syracuse went from being a preseason Top Five team to not even among the Top 25. Oh and did I mention he held his own in a scrimmage against Chris Paul last summer and LeBron James personally reached out to Jonny to tell him to go pro?

What might give Hawks fans pause: Again, his size. But really, that's the only thing that should trouble you. And Jonny makes up for that in so many ways. Not a great 3-point shooter, but I don't think he'll be asked to do that too often.

What (if any) current player he reminds you of: This might be the homer in me but I can absolutely see Jonny being a Steve Nash-type pointman. He's got the stamina and the vision to run the floor quickly. He's not going to put up 20 points a night but he might put up twelve points and ten assists. And he can certainly play better D than Nash.