Posted by: David on June 29, 2007 1:01AM EST Make the playoffs or make the fans happy with the picks we want.

Posted by: C on June 29, 2007 6:49AM EST So, Jupiter has finally aligned with Mars . . . This will be the start of something big in Atlanta. After years of criticism, Billy Knight deserves some props for giving Hawks fans the best possible outcome on draft night. And if YOU can't wait till Summer League starts, think about how Mike Woodson must feel. I've never felt so happy about my Hawks season tickets, and I'll bet you guys sold a few last night. Billy, you are the man!

Posted by: Corey on June 29, 2007 6:51AM EST So, Jupiter has finally aligned with Mars . . . This will be the start of something big in Atlanta. After years of criticism, Billy Knight deserves some props for giving Hawks fans the best possible outcome on draft night. And if YOU can't wait till Summer League starts, think about how Mike Woodson must feel. I've never felt so happy about my Hawks season tickets, and I'll bet you guys sold a few last night. Billy, you are the man!

Posted by: mutapa on June 29, 2007 8:04AM EST Okay now that this years draft is over, let's start making some moves so we can draft another forward next year from one of the big basketball schools. We al know we never miss with those and it's not like you can have too many forwards!

Posted by: mutapa on June 29, 2007 8:13AM EST It's not that horford is bad but..........Florida won because they were balanced. I am so down right now. We let so much talent pass us by. Corey Brewer and Joakim Noah will have better careers than Al. Yi is gonna make us look like idiots, AGAIN! Every year man, every year. When this guy pans out to be just above average will someone please fire Billy Knight! The press made that pick for him.

Posted by: JWall on June 29, 2007 10:03AM EST Wow, Mutapa! Talk about being the most negative person here. How do you know Noah and Brewer will be better than Horford? How do you know Yi is going to be a stud? Please tell me. I'm so sick and tired of people like you assuming things before you've ever seen these guys play. How many A&M games have you seen? How about Florida games? I went to school at A&M and can tell you Law is nothing but class; and Horford will be a beast. Keep your mouth shut and give these guys a chance to play! Until then, give this group of Rookies a chance!

Posted by: steve on June 29, 2007 10:46AM EST The Hawks are a much better team now. People always want flash but getting solid players that are willing to work and improve will be the formula to success. BK addressed the needs of the franchise, a player that defends, rebounds, and has post moves. So what that he was a forward in college 6'10 can play center or forward. Acie Law, the only point guard in the draft that was ready to start on opening night. He was the only player that Texas A&M had (they were 0-17 his freshman yr); he faced dbl teams almost every game but yet he reached the Sweet 16. Do you think if he had half the talent that Conley had he would not have won a national title (if you do then you really are foolish bloggers). The Hawks have young talent that they can package to bring in some veterans but the Hawks have moved to the 5/6 spot of the playoffs with the draft last night and talent on team. BK you did what needed to be done and I thank you as a true Hawk fan.

Posted by: Joe on June 29, 2007 11:22AM EST The right picks were made, but damn Steve Belkin for not making the Stoudemire trade happen.

Posted by: Baho on June 29, 2007 11:45AM EST Agreed Joe. The Stoudemire trade would have been great for the franchise and the ownership really needs to get their act together. But this was a good day for the Hawks, no question. Could it have been better? Sure, but let's focus on the positives: considering the abysmal drafts Atlanta has been "blessed" with the past few years, this was well done. They took the guys that made the most sense in Horford and Law. If they take a risky player and he doesn't pan out, it's just another kick to the proverbial groin of the dwindling fan base. This is low risk with prospective for a considerable reward. I like the comparisons to Elton Brand for Horford, I think he has a shot at developing into that type of 20-10 guy, and in the mean time he's a solid contributer immediately. Law may not be an all-star, but he's a leader and a cold-blooded killer down the stretch. He has that look in his eye when the game is coming to a close that he wants to slit your throat, which is what you want in a PG. I don't think Atlanta has drafted themselves into the playoffs yet, but we finally seem to be headed in a positive direction.

Posted by: Miss C on June 29, 2007 11:47AM EST I think we're headed in the right direction. I'm happy with the picks we have this year. Sheldon still has to grow on me.

Posted by: bryan on June 29, 2007 12:54PM EST Solid although not flashy picks but i dont see horford being a 20 10 guy anytime soon with jj and josh smith being the scoring options on the team

Posted by: J-mill on June 29, 2007 2:47PM EST HAPPY BIRTHDAY JOE!

Posted by: Jeff Gibson on June 29, 2007 2:58PM EST THE CHARLOTTE BOBCATS HAVES released (WAIVED) BREVIN KNIGHT POINT GUARD 8.7 assists at times

Posted by: Randy on June 29, 2007 3:51PM EST This was very good draft and fills most the needs that can take us to next level: C: Zaza/Horford PF: Marvin/Sheldon SF: J-smoove/J-Chill PG: Law/TLue/Claxton SG: JJ/Salim Now we got inside presence and scoring threats to take some pressure off JJ and Josh Smith.

Posted by: newkid on June 29, 2007 4:45PM EST Nice job with the draft. Now put a package together that'll get Yi here. Kid wants to play here; he can help our side; many Hawks fans have indicated support for him; his 'handlers' prefer Atlanta over Milwaukee; and several of the ASG owners reportedly want him here. Do the right thing and go get him.

Posted by: Jay on June 29, 2007 11:48PM EST Time will tell whether this is a good draft. I am disappointed and think the fans will be very disappointed in the long run. Well, maybe we do not have to wait for long.

Posted by: Big Doubter on June 30, 2007 12:18AM EST OK, so granted this is the Hawks apologist forum. I dont expect any legitimately objective criticism, from the blogger or the readers/commenters. But c'mon. Are you guys serious? How can the Hawks even begin to take themselves seriously as a franchise when every single 1st round draft pick in this millennium has resulted in a player who is 6'8 or 6'9. Look it up if you dont believe me. Not that they were all bad (though most were overreaches) but this is the very definition, as Ben Franklin said, of insanity. Doing the same thing again and again and expecting a different result. Nothing against Horford. He's a winner. But he's muscled bound one-dimensional guy with no handle and a very limited overall game. Also, no offense to Micah Hart, but what are you smoking, breh? If cockiness is the quality you want in a player I suggest you take a weekend trip to any urban court in America this weekend. The problem with basketball, in particular the wounded, failing NBA, is the emphasis on ego. Though no respectable study could ever prove it, I'm pretty sure every professional basketball team in America has at least 5 guys who want to be the hero that takes the last shot. And the arrogant proclamation "That's what I do" proves nothing more than the notion that Law is a product of the me-first mindset currently hampering the majority of sports franchises in the U.S. today. So, great, prop each other up with the awesome moves by the "genius" Billy Knight. I'll be sitting here laughing as the Hawks go into their 10th consecutive rebuilding year thinking that another tweener and another shoot-first ball distributor will somehow make a difference.

Posted by: Maurice on June 30, 2007 10:31AM EST Uh, what you just said...is like blowing smoke on a lit cigarette. Shut up!

Posted by: cdub on June 30, 2007 11:05AM EST Maurice is right. You are stupid. Courage to take the last shoot is not what many athletes have. MJ was great because of this. We need a big and tough guard. YI if we can get him cheap why not. International players crumbled in the playoffs. Dirk will always be a regular season guy. Hinrich, Nocioni, Dirk, the guy from Cleveland. Don't let em fool you. Greatest rebounders where under 6'9(Rodman,Barkley,Cage) it's technique. Learn how the salary cap works, if it was that easy, everyone would be making trades. IT IS STILL A BUSINESS!

Posted by: BWA on June 30, 2007 11:24AM EST Big Doubter, you bi*@# and complain but have not suggested any alternative solutions. It is easy to criticize, but what in your opinion should the Hawks have done with the #3 pick? My guess is your'e not a Hawks fan, so you don't even care! Look, all of you "Conley at 3" people. If we picked Conely at 3, what big would have been available at the 11? Noah was picked by Chicago at #9. Hawes was gone at #10. The next big picked was Sean Williams at #17, who would have been a reach and is the same size as Horford. The next center to go was Jason Smith at #20. We got the best big and guard available at our picks. Conley would have been great, but there is no way we would have gotten a big in this draft comparable to Horford had we not picked him at the #3.

Posted by: T-man on June 30, 2007 11:55AM EST Now that we got an upgrade over S. Williams with Horford and picked up a point guard also,in which both these picks were great.Trade S. Williams for a vet. at a key position, or to the Bucks for Yi who 7foot tall and can score points, rebound, and sell tickets . The Bucks need a guy like S.Williams on defense, and the Hawks in this position could take a chance on Yi. But the hawks do love there 6'9 fowards who are limited to playing in the paint.

Posted by: Ken on June 30, 2007 3:20PM EST Hats off to Billy Knight. He made the most of the two picks. I think Acie Law may be like Walt Frazier of the old Knicks: He can score, defend and set/execute plays. Now we need a serviceable center. Perhaps packaging Sheldon and Chills (if the frranchise wants to invest in Marvin) for a veteran center, perhaps looking at two Spurs centers or a facsimile, or even Yi if he looks like he can play center in the NBA. If we get a decent center who can score 8-12 and defend, we now have fire power to not have to worry about him bringing a lot of offense. Sort of how the old Utah team did with their centers.

Posted by: BeeWard on June 30, 2007 8:44PM EST I am happy with the draft too. I completely agree with what BWA said. If we had taken Conley, we wouldn't have had any good big player opportunity. So we took a PG with the 11th instead. These guys know more about basketball than you do, so just trust they made the right decision. Don't complain two days after the draft and think you know what is going to happen for the next 10 years for the Hawks. I think we should go after Yi. Atlanta has a good Asian population, so we would be one of the cities that Yi was talking about when he said he only wanted to play for a team with a good sized Asian population. We need to give them S. Williams and some cash or something and get Yi over here. Start getting Horford to be ready to play the 5 position (I know he is a 4 player now... but we should convert him) and then get Yi into the 4 position.

Posted by: BLK on June 30, 2007 8:45PM EST I just hope the Hawks do good this year with this two picks, the Hawks got to win now Bobcats are making the Hawks look real bad. Each year there win total go up every year awhile stay about the same or atleast in the ball park of it not mentioning they beat us every year since they came in the league and we luck to win atleast one or two against them I wanted them to pick Acie then Conely, he haven't really impress me. I did liked Yi for center but i guess another forward for the 6 times straight is good, not being smart but he is a good player i just know tho for a fact if the Hawks have another losing season its time to Fire Billy Knight and his coach Mick Woodson. Since they came in together they can leave out together, this is a do or die for them to much talent we have or let pass by to still be losing.

Posted by: T-man on July 1, 2007 6:12PM EST It's easy again lets traded S.Williams because Horford is the same player but much better to the Bucks for Yi .The Bucks are looking for a Def. power forward and the hawks need a player like Yi to sell tickets. Yi has alot of skills, that once are groomed will be a good player I think S.Williams is better at Def. now but Yi by the end of the season will be a better all around player period.Lets face it, points win games and with the hawks were stuck between aDef. team and arunning team. With the players we have young and fast lets run and get rid of the slow half court players .You can execute your off. much easier with young players in a run and gun off. because less thinking and more open shoots. so I vote as a hawk fan for a running team.

Posted by: O.G. T-MAC on July 2, 2007 1:33PM EST okay i will say this all the people that said draft horford you were wrong if billy picked them you were wrong (just playing kinda). but with that said what pick should we have made?trade up get oden and conle.now thats crazey impossible right maybe but heres an idea. trade to get the 5 pick boston parted with for one of the williams and lue then a future 1st round pick(i know our next first round pick is gone but risk 2 years or draft pick we are young) .now 5 and 11 future 2nd round pick and maybe childress or zaza or both for the 1. pick oden 1 conley 3 line up oden c williams f smith f johnson g conley g build bench with free agents.it could work but well never know i just wanted to see what you guys thought.

Posted by: O.G. T-MAC on July 2, 2007 2:08PM EST not related to the post before hand.who should we sign to make our team function better with out spending to much.sign chucky atkins to a 1-2 year deal that would let law develope.if we can't get atkins.sign smush parker to ride the bench he has improved over the years so could come in and help.then sign darko milicic he hasn't realy proved himself but also is just now getting a chance.he plays foward or center(well play him at center) he's 7ft can defend he has been on a championship team only 4 years in the league.if that doesn't work get michael olowokandi sign to a 1-2 year deal till we find a center hope he can stay healthy and can show some of his old form. people we could also sign maurice williams,devin brown,and calvin booth jsut to add depth to bench

Posted by: WILL on July 2, 2007 3:21PM EST hey! while im a lil dissappointed that they went with the "popular" picks whom every1 told them to pick i still think we could do well in free agency. i say bring in smush parker and start him...let acie sit back and learn his craft and also bring in a real shot blocker. remember fellas offense is exciting but defense wins championships!

Posted by: Yi for SHELDEN? on July 3, 2007 11:39AM EST Okay buddy, while I agree it would be cool to get Yi on this team, there is no way that we could get him for Shelden. That would be a MAJOR downgrade for the Bucks. Personally I think the Bucks were idiots drafting him. Yi doesn't want to play there and his trade value will go down because any old team could flash a little money and the Bucks can consider themselves lucky. If theycould go back I think they would have done something different. But back on topic, this trade would never work unless we put more into it. Give up both the Williams (Shelden and Marvin) and some money and we might get him. The Bucks didn't pick up Yi for his defense, they did it for his offense. So why would they go and trade him away for a defensive player? That pretty much contradicts their plans.

Posted by: T-man on July 3, 2007 11:22PM EST Look S. Williams would destory Yi right now in the paint on both ends of the floor. Plus everybody but the bucks know they need a powerful forward on the inside with some guts. S. Williams avg. 20 points, 12 rebounds and 4 blocks a game in college and was the 5th pick in the draft last year. Most teams would take S. Williams over Yi, because of his proven record and style of play but the hawks should take Yi because of his running style and start running a wide open off. so these young guys can ware out these older teams and build some confidence.Run and gun or die baby, because you can never out fox these more experince teams. In an half court offense.

Posted by: nothing on July 16, 2007 10:30PM EST I am returning to Atlanta tomorrow and I would like to congratulate our GM for picking HORFORD at #3 who failed to impress in the summer leagues. One things for sure, he will never be a real good player. S Williams is way better than him. Wow, good job GM! Anyway Acie is kinda nice but not really that good but for #11 he is a good pick. I can't believe why the HAWKS didn't pursue Zach Randolph. I was yelling here that Zach will soon be traded by Portland and he was indeed traded for Stevie whose contract has been bought out by Portland meaning he will not play for Portland at all. What a waste! Atlanta has more to offer than New York. And I can't believe that they didn't picked Yi who had a more impressive showing in the Summer League than Horford. You know what?! We have wasted 3 good consecutive drafts. I don't think the Hawks will win in the east with a guy named Horford and I think he will just be another #3 pick who will become a bench player in the future.

Posted by: medayoallday on July 18, 2007 1:04PM EST please marvin willliams and some other player for YI

Posted by: Chelbi on December 10, 2007 9:23PM EST I am so disappointed by this website because I saw something on the news, which I seldom ever watch, also not a basketball fan whatsoever, but your coach and team and fans did something tonight that I am so proud of and so thankful for, you guys honored those wounded veterans who are fighting for our country and I am brought to my knees for that! To all Hawks fans, THANK YOU! Please put it on this website so I can share it! They deserve nothing less! God Bless America! Chelbi