Posted by: Widly on June 25, 2007 5:09PM EST I have nothing against Mike Conley Jr. but I am not as excited as everybody else is about him. He only spent one year in the NCAA and played beside GREG ODEN, the center which makes winning games easier. How do we truly know that he can win without Greg Oden or how do we know that the previous season was a fluke. I say we go with Hortford at the #3 pick and at the #11 pick we go with Acie Law. Acie Law won games by himself and has carried his team and brought them into the attention of the nation. Also, Acie has played 4 years of consistent basketball. Forget about Conley and go with Acie and Hortford. -A smart individual

Posted by: Jared on June 25, 2007 5:36PM EST It would be a mistake to pass up Al Horford. He is easily a top 3 power forward in the East and is a class act. He would be perfect alongside Josh Smith in the Paint. He is a legit PF too. Al Horford # 3 Acie Law # 11

Posted by: horford on June 25, 2007 5:50PM EST AL HORFORD at #3 and ACI LAW at #11

Posted by: Josh on June 25, 2007 5:58PM EST Conley proved he could win without Oden when he played without him at the beginning of the season due to Oden's wrist injury. And when Oden was in foul trouble, it was CONLEY who led the Buckeyes! And Jared, you are far mistaken when you say that Horford is a top three power forward in the East RIGHT NOW. But, I do get your arguments for these players. Adding Acie and Horford (who are more NBA ready) would help us out the most NEXT YEAR. But, I just feel that it would be best if we traded down out of the #3, say with the Bucks and select Conley there. I feel that he is far too good of a prospect to pass up. Plus, we could still add a capable big man at #11 , whether it's Hawes or even Al Thorton.

Posted by: terry on June 25, 2007 6:05PM EST makes me think conley had oden who missed the start of the season and was in foul trouble alot of games and wasn't 100%.horford only has how many fellow 1st rounders played on a team that played how many years together yes he had a player missing the start of the season but for you to say well conley had oden horford only had noah and brewer.conley will be a great fit with the hawks.with any player down side and doubt are there but i think conley has more upside.this sounds stupid but i have to say it.this is doubtful and stupid but i have to say it may also bring in the way way way future oden to atlanta i know it sounds stupid but they do want to play together.

Posted by: JD- Basketball Coach on June 25, 2007 6:49PM EST Billy you now see that Horford is just another Shelden Williams no more no less. Take YI, Take YI, Take YI at 3. YI will put fans in the stands including myself. He has star potential 20ppg and over 10 boards. He is getting bigger and stronger fast. UP to 250 lbs now. He can rotate between PF and C. He will Double/Double many games per season. NBA peers that have played international against YI rave about him. As a matter of fact they are in AWE of him! He is the real deal and you will be the GM for years if you Draft YI !!! You could get the AXE if you don't ! YI is like Dirk and Kevin Mchale all in one player. He makes others around him better with his smart play. Have you ever seen any other big man with a better jump shot and he dunks with authority !!!! Take Law or Crit at 11 because conley is to small and does not shoot the jump well enough to be big time. Conely is just going to be an average pg not a star. Take Yi at 3 and Law at 11 and you are set for many years !!!!

Posted by: tony on June 25, 2007 7:14PM EST NO MORE FORWARDS! It didn't work in 04, 05, 06 and it will not work in 07. Shelden Williams put up bigger numbers then Al Horford when he came out of college but he didn't make a difference, so how will Al Horford make a difference? They will continue to be a sub .500 team until they address their biggest need - A TRUE POINT GUARD. A CENTER is the other position that has to be address. Drafting Mike Conley will improve our team immediately!

Posted by: Cali on June 25, 2007 9:31PM EST I agree that you have to get Conley and a center, preferably Noah at #11 if he is there. The hawks need a point guard to distribute to all the finishers they have, Joe, Josh S, Marvin, JChill etc. With him and the addition of Noah in the paint you have addressed another achilles heal of the hawks and thats the ability to defend in the paint. Even though Noah's thin now he will gain a little weight and he is long and athletic which takes up for any weight deficiency. With Josh and Noah blocking shots and then Conley distributing the Hawks will be playoff bound.

Posted by: Jibran on June 25, 2007 9:35PM EST i hope conley can somehow drop to 11, he isnt good enough to be the 3rd overall pick in the NBA draft. we should get horford and a strong PG at 11 like my man ACIE LAW IV

Posted by: smdh on June 25, 2007 10:46PM EST can somebody explain to me why Conley isnt good enough to go 3 but Horford is? GET THE HELL OUTTA HERE. If we pass on Conley i wouldnt be shocked to see him go no lower than 6. Do hawks fans enjoy punishment?

Posted by: T-man on June 25, 2007 11:38PM EST Please, not other 6'9 forward , God help us! WE NEED SIZE AND SPEED PERIOD!!! Take Yi at #3 7footer, can run the fast break and score, score, and score. even Joe Johnson said in the world championships Yi can flat out play. And he's 7foot tall and can jump out of the gym!!!AT #11 take Conley or Law and push the ball like(Nash,Parker) to Joe J., M. Williams,J. Smith,and Yi man what a team can you see it I can.Please no more forwards, and balance this team out.

Posted by: Theodore CoCo Bullare on June 25, 2007 11:39PM EST Please use the draft picks to get us a veteran center like marcus camby and try hard to get chauncy billups. Thats a championship team. Billups would love to move to atlanta because he have two daughters who would fall in love with the city and the shopping here is better for his wife. listen to me we can make this happen

Posted by: J-Smitty on June 26, 2007 12:31AM EST Ill say this right here and now, Al Horford won't be anything more than a poor man's Horace Grant or even another Shelden Williams. Remember the scouting report on Shelden last year? "The most ready player in the draft. Great defender, rebounder, and shotblocker with good post presence." Hmmm, that sounds just like Horford's scouting report too...De ja vu? This is what you do. You trade that #3 pick for multiple picks or possibly a first rounder for next year since the hawks owe the suns a pick next year. Then take the 11th pick on Crittenton. By the way, whichever team drafts Brandan Wright will be severaly disappointed since he's a huge bust and Marvin Williams played just as well as Wright [not statistically but overall since Marvin played with May McCants and Felton who put up more numbers than Lawson Ellington and Tyler] in college and they basically play the same positions [the 3.5]. Keep in mind Marvin still put up nice numbers alongside Sean May, who is much better than Hansbrough.

Posted by: Maniac09 on June 26, 2007 12:33AM EST Listen Guy's why dont we try to land Al Horford at #3, and then we can try to land a veteran PG like MIKE BIBBY,LUKE RIDNOUR,CHAUNCEY. Any of those pg are better then speedy,and lue put togther.

Posted by: mak on June 26, 2007 1:06AM EST What vetran wants to come to atlanta with out being traded.Lets not bank on the free agents this is a good draft save money pick the player that fits the best and address what we need now then if we do well we will land the free agents.We can make the last 3 years worth of draft picks look like great pick today with the right picks now i feel it.

Posted by: Da Truth on June 26, 2007 1:43AM EST Even though we are over-stacked on forwards, Al Horford would be a great addition to the team. He is big and built like an actual Pf, he has a nice consistent mid-range jumper that could easily produce the points we have been needing, he is also a great defensive player, and he is already better than sheldon coming out of college. Nonetheless, we should try to trade some of the guys how aren't producing to get some veterans that can produce and eventually turn the hawks into a championship calibiur team.

Posted by: JOHN SMITH on June 26, 2007 1:46AM EST DEAR BILLY WE KNOW YOU CAN DO IT! LETS TALK TRADE PEOPLE HEAR ME OUT. HERE WE GONE. THE GRIZZLES LOVE HORFORD.LETS PICK HIM AT #3. TRADE HIM TO THE GRIZZLES IF THEY SELECT YI AT # 4 AND GET THEIR SECOND ROUND PICK. THEN SELECT A CENTER WITH SIZE. LIKE GRAY OR MARC GASOL.YOU STILL TAKE YOUR PG WITH THE # 11 LAW. THE WORD FOR TODAY PEOPLE IS OFFENSE. WITH GOOD OFFENSIVE PLAYERS LIKE JOE ,YI,MARVIN,LAW,JOSH SMITH& SALIM. WE CAN SHOOT TEAMS OUT THE GYM. IF KING JAMES HAD ONE OTHER PERSON WHO COULD SCORE WITH HIM .THE FINALS WOULD HAVE BEEN DIFFERENT. BILLY THE EAST IS WAITING FOR THE HAWKS TO BE NEXT EASTERN CHAMPS. THE BALL IS IN YOUR COURT. THE PLANETS ARE A LINED BILLY. ONLY YOU STAND IN THE WAY OF A CHAMPIONSHIP DOWN THE ROAD. THIS IS JAY FROM THE ROCK AKA STONE MOUNTAIN.

Posted by: wwt on June 26, 2007 3:02AM EST Horford PF..puts Smoove back to his SF postion, Joe SG...ZaZa, SW rotate at C....at last we can trade our other SF (MW) keep chill.... and #11.....try to move up to get conley......whatever...Acie'z cool....I'll just love to have JJ @2, Smoove @3 & Big Al @ 4.....

Posted by: Pedro on June 26, 2007 8:43AM EST Al Horford #3 Acie Law 11.

Posted by: kharper on June 26, 2007 10:07AM EST The precedent of drafting simply the best player, not the most needed, will stay true once again, especially in this deep draft. At 3, IMO, that would mean drafting Yi, although I do have my reservations about the Hawks drafting him. Yi will do best in a winning environment where he doesn't have to set the precedent of winning, which the Hawks have clearly lacked since the late 90s. Though Yi has the biggest upside by far, it is not a sure bet in his first year here. It will be a big adjustment for him, and the biggest reason for any such disappointment from him next year would be overbearing expectations, which the Hawks and our fans would definitely have for Yi. He does not like playing the 5 (as he says so himself) nearly as much as the 3/4 in the CBA, so he certainly won't like it here. Meanwhile, we will be expecting him to post up and drain 3's all at once. If we are able to get a post presence, a point guard, AND Yi, then we would be golden. But it willl obviously be a tough task. So back to my point. Hawks should draft the best players available, and hope to fill some need with it. In my mind, take Yi at 3 (Horford as well would be a great solid pick, and probably more likely to be honest, he fills talent and need, as vaguely as the Hawks describe the two). At 11, it may mean taking someone other than Acie Law (who I actually also like as the best fit for the Hawks need, and is hard to pass up) though. Simply, whoever seems the best player at this point, we take. If it happens to be either a PG or a big post player, great. Then to extend this longshot, we could go out and get the one we didn't get at the #11 in FA. Mo Williams is a great option at the point, really bloomed early last year, did have a midseason injury, but showed that he can score and run the point well. But heck, this whole post is a longshot. Expect Horford/Law, and I would be plenty happy as well with 2 smart picks. But keep in mind the fun case; something like Yi/Noah and picking up Mo Williams FA. And getting rid of Speedy. Haha but yes, longshot realized.

Posted by: James on June 26, 2007 11:12AM EST I totally agree with what others are saying about Horford compared to Shelden Williams. His college stats and reputation are even less than when Shelden was at Duke. Only difference is that Horford won championships and is a little more mobile. The Hawks MUST learn from past mistakes and address their first real priority with their first pick. A point guard. Mike Conley Jr. I don't quite understand why he's not worth a #3 pick, but everybody thinks he's worth a #4 pick to Memphis. That doesn't make sense. The Hawks are not drafting for the entire NBA, they are drafting for their specific team. Trusting in Speedy (whom we all knew was injury-prone before coming to Atlanta) and Ty Lue (who is decent, but has no breakthrough abilities) to recover and suddenly not be injury-prone is unrealistic. Yi is intriguing, but even to say he's like Dirk is not enough. Let's remember that Dirk did not flourish in the NBA for several years. If Yi (being an international player) follows even that same development into a Dirk, he will not be in Atlanta by then because fan expectations and the crumbling front office will have run him out of town. Therefore, when it comes down to it, the most logical for the Hawks would be to take Conley at #3 then take the best big man available at #11 (maybe Hawes) or see what trades are available to drop the #11. We have to remember as well that more players will come out in future years. This one year does not make or break the franchise, but it may make or break Billy Knight.

Posted by: d-bo on June 26, 2007 11:12AM EST WE NEED TO SET PLAYS, MIKE CONLEY IS THE BEST PLAYMAKER IN THE DRAFT. TAKE CONLEY AND THE BEST AVAILABLE BIG MAN. WE NEED CONLEY AT #3, FORGET HORFORD, THERE ARE ALOT OF BIG MANS IN THE DRAFT. WE NEED A POINT GAURD CONLEY AT #3

Posted by: keanu scott on June 26, 2007 11:38AM EST I think al horford is a great maybe one of the greatest pf in the draft he is big and he is good in the paint he could score alot of point there in atl and i think its a good pick for the three pick. For the eleventh pick if conley is still in there you should get him .

Posted by: draft expert on June 26, 2007 12:32PM EST Although he is not a stud, Lue is not a bad point guard. He actually was solid when healthy last year for the Hawks. The Hawks lack an identity and a go to player. Even with this draft don't expect that leader to emerge tomorrow. The Hawks need to look to "Half Man Half Amazing" to bring instant leader to the team. They can then bring in young players and allow them to mature and learn before throwing them to the wolves. The expectations for winning are just to great for any of these guys to be successful. Vince, Joe, and Josh can get it done today with Lue and Z rounding out the starting five.

Posted by: horford on June 26, 2007 1:48PM EST watch on sportcenter 1:30 to 3:00 NBA draft special they say the hawks are willing to give up the picks for a veteran player WATCH!!!!!!!!!!

Posted by: Brett Camp on June 26, 2007 2:53PM EST I think We take Mike Conley Jr. at the number 3 pick. we alrady have a ton of 2's, 3's and 4's we need a True Center or a True Point Gaurd. we already have J-Chill, Josh Smith, Salim, Marvin, and an All-star in Joe Johnson I say we Don't trade ethier of our picks and we select the best PG in the draft in Mike Conley Jr. he's fast, has great court vision, and got better as the year went along you people think they have to have experience and LeBron James and Dwight Howard came right out of high school and did fine, actualy they did great their both all-stars. Conley is only going to get better. I say with the #11 pick in the draft we take Spencer Hawes from Washington he's a 7 footer and he will be better then Z. If Chicago take Joakim Noah then Spencer should be avalable plus Chicago need to draft a 4 anyway they got Ben Wallace at the 5. If Chicago does take Spencer at the 9th pick then we could trade our pick for a player and a later pick in the draft. Option number 2 is we could take the best skilled player in the draft(at that point) since their isn't a nother great Center this early in the draft. Or when we trade our pick we could get a skilled player, and with a later pick take Glenn "big baby" Davis for a Center but don't get a 4 on that trade and then take him. because he is a 4, but I say we play him at the 5.

Posted by: Anonymous on June 26, 2007 2:55PM EST the thing with shelden is that at duke, he was a bullier with his body. yes, he was very NBA ready, but there were questions concerning his upside or lack of it...plus, shelden is 6'8"+. al horford is legitly 6'10", 250 lbs. his inside game is still developing, plus his numbers woulda been even better on a less-balanced team. he has a 12-15 footer that shelden does not have. at 6'10", he is a good of a center as anyone else. there are few legit 7 footers to worry about: shaq, duncan, garnett, yao, ilgauskas, *cough cough* greg oden (al handled himself well against him in the ncaa finals) the point guard is less pressing this time around because there is a good crop of them available through free agency. by drafting acie law at 11, u have 4 point guards on the hawks roster. so u gotta get rid of em. what i would do is try to work a sign-and-trade with detroit, get billups for claxton and a wingman (probably M.Williams - the one that so far has produced the least for the Hawks) and if you need another salary to equalize, go after one of the expiring pg contracts (lue, stoudamire, a. johnson). but there needs to be a legit big man with zaza. pick al at #3

Posted by: The Prophet on June 26, 2007 3:01PM EST The Hawks need Tony Parker(period!), a player who is (quoting the words of Don Haskins) "Hard to Guard" can get in the paint and make it happen! Since Parker is untouchable the only player in this draft who is close to TP is Mike Conley - fast, quick, smart, determined, deadly (and great athletic pedigree) Those who say he had Oden, don't know what they are talking about. Oden missed 1/2 the season with an injury and was in foul trouble the rest of the time. Acie Law and Javaris and all those other guys are good, but no better than anybody the Hawks have on their roster now! Pass on Conley and you will looking at another mistake like Deron Williams (All-NBA in the making). Trade down, do whatever, but make the pick!!! Take the 11th pick and get the "best talent available" - stack the roster with young studs (surplus of forwards) then make a deal with another team desperate to offload an All-star (Timberwolves, Grizzlies, Pacers, Supersonics) - thats how you get the Hawks back in the playoffs.

Posted by: tony on June 26, 2007 3:24PM EST It's amazing how quickly Al Horford has taken the lead in the polls in just 2 days left before draft day. I really believe BK has something to do with it. If so, his deceit will catch up with him 1 of these day. Hopefully this will be his last season as the hawks GM. MIKE CONLEY JR all the way BABY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Posted by: Anonymous on June 26, 2007 3:28PM EST ya'll wanna wait 4 years for conley??...i don't....itz already been 8....

Posted by: KING OF THE DORKS on June 26, 2007 3:57PM EST What makes you think it will be 4 years for conley where do you come up with that number (not attacking just asking).we need to know as a team what style we are.conley would give us that now rather than wait and see what style we are.we have a car and no driver i would give the keys to conley rather than watch it stall and sputter or sit there as we put some one that can't drive behind the wheel.if we can get a good player at pg in a trade or what ever than i'm all for it but lets not lose our future doing so.we have the youngest team in the nba we can only grow better.

Posted by: virgil leonard on June 26, 2007 4:03PM EST I hear you arguements on i'm also looking forward to this being a great draft for us but i have a idea where we can win this upcoming season. Chauney Billups at the point and we get horford and hawes with our 2 picks.

Posted by: Kacy on June 26, 2007 4:04PM EST PLEASE TAKE MIKE CONLEY JR. AT # 3!! He is a great player and a true pg who can distribute the ball and hit big shots. AT #11 take the best available BIG. Hortford, Yi, Hawes all good choices. Please don't draft another 6'9" forward!!

Posted by: KING OF THE DORKS on June 26, 2007 4:44PM EST oh and i also think we should use both picks on gaurds if we dont get a vetren. picks conley and crittenton or law.crittenton would allow us to move down and possibley pick up a second rounder plus at 6"5 he fits in better.you may ask why but the truth is we are in the east not the west we don't face big men every day and we are stacked as a team.the line up can change things up.small line up G'S conley lue F'S johnson smith C pachulia big line up G'S crittenton johnson F'S smith williams C pachulia starters G'S conley crittenton F'S johnson smith C pachulia

Posted by: Booker T. on June 26, 2007 6:30PM EST We have to get Hortford at 3 . He is the truth! Pick up Chancey Billups and get Law at 11th.Pick up a free agent center.We have to spend money in order to compete.Management must show the fans that it is more than just new uniforms but a new way of being,so other players won't mind coming to the Hawks!

Posted by: Banditt on June 26, 2007 7:19PM EST why not try to get in on the four team trade with the Pacers,Lakers, and Twolves. We can get ONeal and gave up the 3 pick, M. Willaims and and ZaZa. Take Law at 11 put Oneal at C. Then sign any free agent PG(Mo Willaims,Chancy.ect).That would give us a PG, JJ at SG, Smooth at PF, Chill at SF, Oneal at C.

Posted by: evg on June 26, 2007 7:20PM EST Yi Jianlian does not remind me of Dirk of the Dallas Mavericks because Dirk can't jump 2 feet off the ground, and he is slow footed, but Yi does remind me of Kevin Garnett because he can shoot turn around jumpers and fade aways like Kevin McHale, and, like Keving Garnett, Yi can shoot left/right hooks, outside shots from all over the court, make quick moves to the basket, block shots and alter shots, dribble, and run the fast break. If the Hawks fail to use the 3rd pick on this multi-talented 7 footer, they will be making a grave mistake. The Hawks could even come out with three players from the draft by trading one of our players to get a draft pick between the 6th and 10th, and then use our 2 extra picks to acquire Hawes (from Washington) between the 6th and 10th pick and Acie Law at the 11th pick. Check out this line up: Acie Law, guard; JJ, SG, Josh Smith, SF; Yi Jianlian, PF, and Hawes at Center. This first unit is not only an offensive force, but they will also be dangerous defensively because of their quickness and shot-blocking ability (Hawes, Yi and Josh Smith are shotblockers).

Posted by: tony on June 26, 2007 7:31PM EST Anonymous, where have you been the last 8 years. Did you know that the hawks haven't had a winning season since the Mookie Blaylock era? That's right - it has been 8 season since Mookie Blaylock played in a hawk's uniform. During those 8 years, they drafted 2 guards, Jason Terry and Dion Glover and neither 1 is a TRUE POINT GUARD. One CENTER(Pau Gasol) but the hawks let BK then with Memphis, sucker us into sending Shareef Abdue-Rahim(PF) for our future center. And 5 forwards. All of them were taken in the 1st round. With Mookie Blaylock, the hawks had 7 consecutive winning seasons and none without him. With all the forwards they've drafted since Mookie's departure, the hawks had 0 winning seasons. That tells me that we have a True Point Guard problem not a forward problem!

Posted by: PickConley on June 26, 2007 9:36PM EST Hey guys read this draft rating system.... http://insider.e... basically say that Conley is the third best prospect coming out...he has the second highest score for point guards in the last six drafts only behind Chris Paul... Meanwhile he said Acie Law should be a mid second rounder...

Posted by: obsa on June 26, 2007 10:41PM EST Man make the trade for gasol, or get hortford, if we are lucky oden will fall, i heard that portland didnt have a good workout with oden, and a great 1 with durant, also seattle has 3 centers already, and need a PF, we trade shelden,marvin, and 3rd, for oden. i do like what wwt said, put smith back at sf, and put hortford at pf, and switch zaza, SW. but unless we get a REAL center, or Horford pans out, it is not looking good.

Posted by: hope for '08 on June 26, 2007 11:04PM EST look, many of you have said that conley is not good enough for the number three spot, but this draft for the hawks is not about getting "the best player," but it is about addressing the team's needs. every since we drafted jason terry or h/e quite a good time ago, we have drafted those like 6'9'' forwards and continuously passed up very good point guards, so this year is the year to finally take the top rated point guard coming into the draft and that is conley. there is always the number 11 pick to get big man, which this draft has many of.

Posted by: JOEY on June 27, 2007 12:11AM EST I THINK THE HAWKS SHOULD GO FOR YI JIANLIAN. HE PLAYS THE SAME POSITION AS HORFORD BUT IS ACTUALLY BIGGER THAN HORFORD AND WILL BE A BIGGER SCORING THREAT THAN HIM AS WELL. AND............ ITS NOT ANOTHER 6'9 FORWARD!!! PLEASE BILLY KNIGHT MAKE THE RIGHT DECISION ON THIS ONE. WE CAN GET A POINT LATER ON LIKE LAW OR CRITTENTON. AND BILLY ALSO HAS TO FIGURE A WAY TO GET SOME 2nd ROUND PICKS. ITS NICE HAVING 2 OF THE FIRST 11 PICKS, BUT WOULD ALSO BE NICE TO POSSIBLY TRADE ONE OF THE PICKS DOWN BUT NOT TOO FAR DOWN TO ACQUIRE SOME 2nd ROUND PICKS. SOMETHING TO THINK ABOUT. BUT EITHER WAY BILLY YOU BETTER PICK JIANLIAN OR CONLEY WITH THE NUMBER 3 PICK!!!!!!!!!!!

Posted by: JOEY on June 27, 2007 12:17AM EST AND ANOTHER SCENARIO IS JARED JORDAN HE COULD BE THE NEXT STEVE NASH!! SERIOUSLY THIS GUY IS ARGUABLY THE PUREST PASSING POINT GUARD IN THE DRAFT.................... ANYBODY HEARD OF HIM? OR BETTER YET ANYBODY AGREE WITH ME?

Posted by: TERRANCE on June 27, 2007 1:31AM EST OKAY I JUST HEARD THAT ATLANTA IS THINKING ABOUT GETTING IN THE TRADE DEAL INVOLVING THE LAKES AND WOLVES. IS IT ME OR DO THE ATLANTA HAWKS LOVE BEING ON THE END OF A LOSING DEAL! HEY WHAT ARE YOU GUYS THINKING, SHAWN MERRION IS NOT THE GUY WE WANT!!!!! DON'T DO IT!!!! YOU'LL ONLY MAKE US WORST THAN WE WERE LAST SEASON. KEEP THE DRAFT PICKS, ONCE AGAIN KEEP THE PICKS!!!!! WE ARE ON THE RIGHT TRACK WITH THE YOUNG GUYS! JUST DRAFT WRIGHT AND LAW, TRADE AWAL SPEEDY AND MAYBE SHOP ONE OF THE FORWARDS AROUND (NOT J. SMOOVE HOWEVER). I CAN'T WATCH ANOTHER DISMAL SEASON THIS YEAR. IF WE SCREW THIS DRAFT UP WITH A DUMB TRADE FOR AONTHER OVER PAID NON-SUPERSTAR I AM 100% PERCENT AN EX-HAWK FAN! I DON'T KNOW WHO IS ADVISING WHO HERE, BUT WHOEVER IT IS NEEDS TO BE FIRED!!!!!

Posted by: Jrock07 on June 27, 2007 1:39AM EST The hawks should not draft YI, why? because he to play in a place with a high chinese population. there any damn chinese people in atlanta.Al horford sucks so he's out of the question, so the only thing we can do with #3 pick is to draft conley because HE WILL NOT BE ON THE BOARD AT #11 or trade it to pheonix who have the 24 and 29 pick in the draft and want to trade up, we then should take crittenton at 11 because acie law sucks (crittenton had four games in which he had double figures in assist in this season, but acie only had three games with double figures in assists HIS WHOLE CAREER, acie law is not a point gaurd) plus crittenton has far more upside than acie and would be better for the hawks because he more of a pure point and thats what the hawks need a pure point not another 6'3 gaurd that can score (salim staudimire)the we should pick up sean williams at 24 and alondo tucker or marc gasol at 29. which would be perfect for the hawks beacuse we get 2 big defensive CENTERS that have the potential to contribute on offense, and let me remind you that if sean williams had not been kicked of the boston college basketball for smoking weed he would have been lottery pick and he would be a steal if the hawks could get him at 24

Posted by: Anonymous on June 27, 2007 1:43AM EST let me just say sean williams was averaging 5 BLOCKS PER GAME before he got kicked off the team

Posted by: tony on June 27, 2007 5:08AM EST Replay of the Ohio St and Florida game will start at 4pm Thursday 28/07. Thought maybe you guys would like to know. Game will air on ESPCL. Take Mike Conley Jr or SALE THE TEAM!!

Posted by: Randy on June 27, 2007 6:28AM EST I was all for Conley a month ago, but then I learned he doesn't really have an outside shot. We already have one Speedy Claxton, no need to draft another. I say get Horford at 3 and Law at 11. Both guys can contribute from day 1, so the Hawks don't have to wait 3 years for "potential" to show.

Posted by: Sam on June 27, 2007 6:29AM EST GET RID OF #11 PICK AND M.WILLIAMS AND JOSH CHILDRESS OR JJ AND ZAZA FOR FIRST PICK THEN GET ODEN #1 AND CONLEY AT#3 LINE UP PG:CONLEY SG:JJ OR CHILDRESS DEPEND WHO WE TRADE SF:SMITH PF:S.WILLIAMS C:ODEN TOP CONTENDER

Posted by: tony on June 27, 2007 7:57AM EST Randy, your comment sound fraudulent and this is why. Mike Conley started from day 1 unlike Marvin Williams who kept the bench warm his entire college career. A lot of those games were blow outs so he didn't have to shoot. So tell us sir, when did you find out that he can't shoot. It couldn't be in the NCAA Tournaments because he average 18 ppg in the last 5 games in the tournament. Also he shot 52% for the season. Please reply.

Posted by: lizard on June 27, 2007 8:45AM EST randy, how in the world do you compare speedy claxton to a winner such as mike conley?

Posted by: Pedro on June 27, 2007 10:01AM EST Please Mr. Hawks Take Al horford if you dont take him that will be a huge mistake. there are a lot of good point guards in the draft. Al the best power foward in the draft 2007. A complete package.

Posted by: idecris on June 27, 2007 10:50AM EST truth be told, we have three spots to fill. Point Guard, Power Forward & Center (PG, PF, C) the team is SOLID at SHOOTING GUARD and SMALL FORWARD. the triumvirate of Joe Johnson and Josh Smith with Josh Childress backing up both wing positions is one of the best in the league. Solid numbers, contribution and production from those 3 players at the 2 wing spots. at this time Marvin Williams is having an identity crisis at Atlanta. the organization including Marvin himself is trying to figure out what the hell to do with him(self). obviously he wasn't the answer at PF, and he'd definitely not going to start ahead of Smoove at SF. He could be on the way out since teams could still be buying on his "upside", look for a possible trade involving Marvin. Shelden Williams together with Paul Millsap were the best rookie rebounders last year, but it turns out that being a solid rebounder was not enough for the Hawks (ironic since he delivers what they got him for in the first place, yet they decide they want somebody else) Obviously, the Hawks are still looking for their answer at PF and now Horford seems to fit the bill. Shelden could still end up being a solid bench contributor so i think it's possible that the Hawks do not necessarily move him. DRAFT SCENARIOS: 1. first of all Atlanta would have a hard time screwing this draft. the best way for them to screw their picks is if they deal them away for so-so veterans. 2. second Atlanta would also be screwed if they miss on either Conley and Law, meaning they pass on a PG at 3 and both end up being gone by 11. 3. third Atlanta would be more screwed if they force to amend their PG situation and pick Javaris Crittenton at 11, the guy doesn't know how to play the point, really. 4. as long as they get a top quality PG, and a top quality big man, either PF or C thru these two picks (via the draft itself or via trade) then they'll be fine. ...it's going to be just wait and see, as to if Marvin or Shelden would be moved, since there is likely to be a greater logjam at the forward spots. too many high draft pick forwards, too little playing time for forwards. i mean, Billy Knight, what did you really have in mind getting all those forwards? are trying to start an all-forward team fad?

Posted by: James on June 27, 2007 11:26AM EST This is an intriguing article. Take a look at the WHOLE ARTICLE before passing judgment. It is worth your while if you care about the draft or the Hawks future. http://insider.espn...

Posted by: dwishort on June 27, 2007 11:59AM EST I have been saying draft Yi at # 3 and Law @ #11 for some time, but if we can trade both picks to Wolves in 3 team trade being reported between Suns ( they get KG ), Wolves, & Hawks where we end up with Amare Staudamire, oh baby, that would be sweat wouldn't it even with the possible health issues down the road Amare may face with his knee.

Posted by: Maurice on June 27, 2007 12:12PM EST Listen up everyone, we have a very solid team already and what we need is a point gaurd with skills of that of tony parker or steve nash. Our biggest need is the point and conley is surely the best point guard coming out this year. let's pick him at 3 and that problem would be solved. At the 11 pick, as long as we pick a big man that's better than those we already have like Zaza I'm down with it.

Posted by: idecris on June 27, 2007 12:15PM EST thanks for the URL James. turns out that Marvin and Shelden "are not as bad as they seem". according to evaluation, both ranked #2 among all collegiate prospects. maybe both Williams deserve more time to develop. Conley again seems to be the right pick at #3.

Posted by: arthur on June 27, 2007 1:33PM EST conley is a easy pick at #3, he is a winner, he lead his team to victory when Oden fouled out in that game in the NCAA tournament, conley scored and made them win so he proved he doesnt need the best team to win, but on the other hand horford has a crazy team, think about it. You have cory brewer joakim noah and taurean green, these players bring an impact towards horford, all those players besides brewer cant play without one another at the 11th pick spencer hawes will b a steal, he put up good numbers as a freshman and imagine what would have happened if he played more years in college, his numbers were almost as good as greg odens but he isnt in the best shape orhas the dominating presence yet but he is a great choice

Posted by: Anonymous on June 27, 2007 3:04PM EST YI YI YI YI YI YI YI YI YI

Posted by: Tony Mac on June 27, 2007 3:13PM EST If we dont take Yi, and then the PG at #11, I could be done with ya. I sure hope we go with something that will fill the seats and make our team better. Conley is NOT good enough to b #3, and we already have Horford's and Wright's on our team. Please get it right this time. Prayin' for ya Billy!

Posted by: A Wi on June 27, 2007 3:19PM EST 1.oden makes conley what he is--Oden missed 1/2 the season with an injury and was in foul trouble the rest of the time 2.conley can’t shoot--he average 18 ppg in the last 5 games in the tournament. Also he shot 52% for the season. 3.conley is too small--since when you guys worried about a point guard’s height?? Chris paul:6’0” ,mike bibby:6’1”, height is just not a good reason for us to pass conley. 4.we’ll have law or critt at 11—law is a scorer, he needs ball on his hands, and critt turns the ball over, the hawks have lots of wingplayers we don’t need another player to split the points.conley can handles the ball and he averages 2.2 steals per game.

Posted by: dwishort on June 27, 2007 3:22PM EST ESPN is reporting deal is pretty close to being completed and Hawks Management Team is meeting to decide if will complete trade that brings Amare to Atlanta and our 2 picks go to T'wolves.

Posted by: marvin on June 27, 2007 3:39PM EST Anyway, this is an easy choice: There's a top two in this draft; then there's a No. 3; then there's the next eight guys. My knock on Al Horford was his size -- I always assumed he was in the 6-foot-8 range, and Florida was lying about his height, only because he looked short for a power forward (not sure why, maybe it was because he was playing with Noah and Richard?). Then he measured out to be a solid 6-foot-9 1/2 at the pseudo-combines and that became a non-issue. I'd liken him to a right-handed, infinitely less crazy Zach Randolph, someone who will command a double-team by the middle of his second season. He gives Atlanta an appealing foundation of Joe Johnson, Josh Smith and Horford -- you don't even need a real center there because both Horford and Smith can protect the rim -- and they have enough pieces around them (including the No. 11) to become a contender by 2009. This pick is a no-brainer.

Posted by: hawk4lyfe on June 27, 2007 4:09PM EST Horford #3 He's the 3rd best player in the draft, so it's a no-brainer. Acie Law would be a good catch at #11

Posted by: Anonymous on June 27, 2007 4:44PM EST We don't need Horford hes just gonna be another Shelden Williams! Take Yi!

Posted by: Dustin on June 27, 2007 5:49PM EST trade our picks for Garnett. I know there are rumors of us getting Amare, but there are some other rumors we may get Garnett. Amare is too much of a risk with his knees, he was out the majority of last season. Just think if he gets hurt again, the hawks struggle again. Trade our picks for Garnett and possible sign mo williams or mike bibby to fill that guard spot. If we get Garnett we are in the playoffs no doubt

Posted by: terrell on June 27, 2007 7:49PM EST If they draft YI, i will NEVER AND I DO MEAN NEVER, WATCH, ATTEND, OR LISTEN TO A HAWKS GAME AGAIN, AND I WILL FORBID MY SON, WHO IS A DIEHEART HAWKS FAN, TO BRING ANYTHING IN MY HOUSE, THAT HAS THE WORD HAWK ON IT, OR EVEN SAY THE WORDS HAWK OR HAWKS IN MY HOME, IF THE HAWKS DRAFT YI, (THIS IS COMING FROM A GUY WHO USED TO GO TO THE OMNI TO WATCH THE HAWKS), I WILL NEVER ROOT FOR THE HAWKS AGAIN.

Posted by: Joe on June 27, 2007 8:16PM EST GET STOUDAMIRE HERE!!! Billy its your chance to redeem yourself!

Posted by: Banditt on June 27, 2007 8:33PM EST I love Stoudamire, but to give up to lottery draft picks for him is bad. This means we would not have a draft pick at all in this darft and no first rounders in next years draft. The only way I would give up both draft choices is if we get Barbosa in the deal.