| Hawks Draft Speculation Authored by Patrick J. Austin - June 28, 2005 - 4:58 pm
| Current Featured Columns | | The First Three Weeks of 2008-09 Now that we’ve had a little time to watch free agency unfold, along with the usual accompaniment of trades, let’s look at some of the key moves and how they impact the teams involved.
Grading The Deal: W's Sign Maggette And TuriafThe Boom Dizzle era is over, and the Warriors quickly recovered by signing two nice pieces to complement their young core.
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I expect the Milwaukee Bucks to select Andrew Bogut with the top pick. He’s the most talented center to come out since Yao Ming and they have a gaping hole in the middle. Of course, Larry Harris could shock everyone and take Marvin Williams.
I’ve used this example before and I don’t mind using it again—last year everyone thought the Magic would take Emeka Okafur with the No.1 pick. Draft night arrived and they decided to take a chance on high school phenom, Dwight Howard. The same thing could happen this year. Bogut fits the Bucks needs, but Marvin Williams is widely considered the most talented player in this draft. And remember the ol’ adage—take the best player available rather than the player that just fills a need.
Though, let’s just say for this scenario, the Bucks select Bogut. That means the Hawks will almost assuredly take Marvin Williams. But, that doesn’t mean we’ll keep him.
The Charlotte Bobcats have been making strong overtures about acquiring Marvin and are open to dealing their two lottery selections. I’ve made no secret for my affection of this trade, but it depends on who’s available at five and thirteen.
I would only trade Marvin if Chris Paul or Deron Williams were available at the five spot. And from the looks of it, that probably won’t happen, especially since Utah moved up to the third pick. That means Chris or Deron will go third and I expect New Orleans to take whomever is left of the two at the fourth spot.
So does that mean we’ll keep Marvin? Possibly. There are so many scenarios floating around it’s virtually impossible to come up with a definitive answer.
If we do decide to keep him, that’ll probably signal the end of Al Harrington’s stay in Hotlanta. We might go with a three-forward rotation next season, but it’s a lock Harrington won’t be re-signed in ’06, if we do in fact keep Marv.
So what about our second round picks? In my opinion, we should deal them, and not in a package. We could land two mid-to-late first round picks with our second rounders. How? Well, I believe these deals make perfect sense…
Trade No.1—between Atlanta and Memphis
Hawks receive:
#19 pick
Grizzlies receive:
3 million dollars
#59 pick
future second round pick
Hawks Perspective
Acquiring the nineteenth pick would give us a great chance at landing either Roko Leni-Ukic or Jarett Jack. Both of them would fit nicely in the backcourt, Jack especially(due to his Georgia Tech ties).
Grizzlies Perspective
If you believe the reports, Memphis is open to dealing their pick simply for cash. In this trade, they not only get cash, they also get two second round picks. And in this draft, they could find a promising foreign player like Angelo Gigli or Milan Majstorovic at the 59th spot.
Trade No.2—between Atlanta and Seattle
Hawks receive:
#25 pick
Sonics receive:
#31 pick
Hawks Perspective
At the 25th spot we’d be able to pick up a promising big man. I expect someone like Chris Taft, Andray Blatche, and/or Martynas Andryskevicius to be available.
Sonics Perspective
The franchise is losing money and probably wouldn’t mind getting out of having to sign a rookie to a three-year guaranteed contract. Though, they would still be able to land a solid player with the 31st selection. I expect a talented guard like Francisco Garcia, Julius Hodge, or Kennedy Winston to fall there.
So if these deals were to occur, the Hawks draft could look something like this:
#2 pick-Marvin Williams
#19 pick-Jarett Jack
#25 pick-Chris Taft
That’s a very impressive crop of talent. Add in Smooth and Chill and the Hawks would really have something cooking.
This is certainly one of the deepest drafts in recent memory and I expect a lot of action tonight. Let’s hope the Hawks get involved and start adding some talent to the roster. |
