10 Things on my mind after the draft. The introduction of "Thoughts on the Side... What If?"

So as I sat down in my seat in section 425 of Turner field for my first game in almost a decade (Last time I went to a Braves game was in 2000), I excitedly awaited the first pitch and my first bite into a nice juicy hot dog. The sun was shining brightly and the wind was like a cool breeze that complemented the hot sun. I actually almost forgot about the draft.

Despite the loss, it was good to be back
at Turner Field. I've got a new
approach on baseball. Go Braves!

Not entirely...

I quickly grabbed my phone out at the end of the first inning as we were already down 2-0 to the rich and spoiled Yankees and saw that Blake had not officially become a Clipper yet. Seconds later, I press the refresh button and there it is, #1 overall Blake Griffin. "Surprise surprise" is the title on the cover of ESPN go.

As the baseball game continues, so does the draft. With the first 9 picks done with, I notice that there are many of the top point guards remaining and I am excited to possibly see Jennings, Holiday, Lawson, or Maynor become a Hawk.












The search for a new point guard
continued as the draft offered plenty
of fresh talent to choose from.
Going into the 10th pick, we seemed to be in
quite a good position.

Jennings becomes a Milwaukee Buck at #10... Fat chance of getting him. What was I dreaming about?

Psycho T gets snagged early at #13 and I'm cheering like a drunk fan (Which I was not), relieved that he would not be in the equation for our first round pick. I did tell myself that I am going to feel very stupid if Hansbrough somehow does explode onto the NBA scene as a star. Best of luck to you, Tyler, but I don't want to risk seeing you waste the Hawks' draft pick.

One of the best to
ever play in the
collegiate level,
Tyler Hansbrough
shows more than
enough hard work
and passion for the
game. He can be
very successful in
the NBA as long as
he wants it to
happen. I still don't
want to see him
him in a Hawks uni.

A little later, the 76ers are on the clock and plenty of my favorite point guards are still remaining as I excitedly tell my friend that I am going to order a Jrue Holiday Hawks jersey as soon as his name is announced. I think to myself that with "Kid 23" (Lou Williams) and Andre Miller likely to return to the 76ers for 2009-10, the Sixers will be looking at other positions to draft for.

Before I can press the refresh button, I get a text from a reliable source alerting me that Jrue was just taken off the draft board by the 76ers... What?! I guess Andre Miller isn't in the picture for Philly anymore. At least I think...

I'm pretty confident in our shot at getting either Lawson or Maynor seeing that there is just one pick left before our turn and these rebuilding Timberwolves have already taken two point guards in Rubio and Flynn at #5 and #6.

Another text comes from the same source that was the bearer of bad news and it reads, "Lawson is gone"... How can it be... The Wolves traded for these first round picks only to draft all point guards? What are they trying to do, sabatoge the draft?!

Jeff Teague is the newest member
of the Hawks and he looks to help
the franchise as he seeks out becoming
the next big thing at point guard.
Please let him be our Chris Paul, please...

My least favorite point guard comes up on the screen of my phone next to the Hawks logo as Jeff Teague is drafted at #19... I stare at the screen as I read his name in my head...

Of course, Teague isn't such a bad take at #19. He IS a point guard and that's the position I wanted us to draft. I just had other plans that's all. I'm thinking this is a mulligan on our failure to draft Chris Paul in 05 so we snag a different Wake Forest point guard in hopes of making up for the past mistake.

3 things about Teague concern me...
#1 He can have a very sore attitude at times and could cause drama in the team locker room or the front office. Let's hope that never happens.
#2 He has "upside". All our players have upside. Just no one ever develops it in Atlanta...
#3 He isn't too interested in the defensive side. Point guards with solid + defense lead to success.

On a positive note, Teague has a very quick first step and has quite an impressive vertical for a point guard. His shooting isn't too shabby either. Let's hope that I'm completely wrong about saying not to take this guy and he lights up the "Highlight Factory".

At this point, I give the Hawks a C+ on draft day for picking up a point guard in the first round that has a lote of "UPSIDE".

I thought maybe we could snag another point guard in the second round if we can find ourselves a sleeper pick at the position. Sort of a way to put insurance on the Teague pick. With potential first rounder Patty Mills still around while the 40's teams are picking, I'm anticipating a possible pick up of the St. Mary's guard at #49. By this time, I'm already in my car headed home after a dreaded 11-7 loss to the Yankees. (Darn you Derek Lowe) As I settle onto my couch just in time to watch the Hawks make their pick live, I am excited to see that Mills is still on board and he should be our dude.

"For the 49th pick in the 2009 NBA draft... The Atlanta Hawks select Sergiy Gladyr..."

I'm sorry, who?!!! Who the heck is this cat... I don't know too much about the European leagues but I just couldn't see how this was the best choice for us... Hawks draft day rating: C
You lost your plus atlanta. With Patty Mills, I would have happily said B-, but nooo, we had to get the European kid that weighs about the same as I do and he's got 5 inches on me!

Let's hope the Hawks pick do a little more than what I'm expecting out of them. Prove me wrong!!!

10 things on my mind after draft day

#1 Congratulations to Taylor Griffin who was taken at #48. The older brother of Blake Griffin isn't as good, but it sure is nice to see him get an opportunity to play in the NBA. He is a hard worker and should have a better career than most people are expecting out of him.

#2 The Timberwolves did all this work to get 4 picks in the first round and 6 picks overall. At #5 Rubio (Should pay off), at #6 Flynn (Wait, I thought you already got your man at point), at at #18 Ty Lawson (You JERKS! You just had to take our point guard. You already got two new point guards today. What the heck are you trying to do??? A trade...), at #28 Ellington (That's a little better). You traded for the 6th pick to get Flynn? Look at who your bigs are! Grab a young big man or trade that useless pick for a solid big man already in the league. Saw the "genius" T'Wolves gm's interview on ESPN about his draft choices and he seemed confident that the draft went very very well for them. Think again buddy. It's either Rubio or Flynn... Not both...

#3 Whenever there was a trade with the draft picks, the guy who announced it (not David Stern) couldn't have made it more awkward... There was always a moment of silence after he would announce the trades...

#4 Why were there so many foreign players that were drafted... Half of them are just going to go back to the league they played in last year after the amount of playing time they get in 2009-10. Sorry but not everyone can be Dirk Nowitzkis or Manu Ginobilis... We have to have some Darkos and Nikoloz Tskitishvli's as well. That's a very hard name to spell and pronounce by the way. He was drafted in '02. Yeah I don't know what he does now either. And don't ask me how to say his name...

#5 Alade Aminu out of Georgia Tech went undrafted tonight, unfortunately. Along with a few other college cats that could have made some noise in the NBA, these few undrafted should look to sign onto some NBA teams through free agency. I would very much like the Hawks to sign the hometown man, Alade Aminu at the minimum cost available. It would help us with our lack of size and it won't hurt our salary.

#6 Congratulations to the former Norcross star Jodie Meeks, who finally go picked up in the early portions of the second round at #41. I hope for the best as he represents sweet Georgia.

#7 The 76ers have a young gun in Louis Williams and now have the bright young star in Jrue Holiday who has one of the coolest, catchiest names in the NBA. Will they resign Andre Miller? If not, I highly advise the Hawks to sort out some kind of deal to snag Andre Miller.

#8 Vince has a new home in Orlando and has nearly taken up the remaining cap space for the Magic. Hedo will probably have to find a new team. Marcin Gortat, will they resign him? If not, Rick Sund, call this guy's agent ASAP! He is a big man ready to take the spotlight!

#9 What's the next big trade going to be? I hope it happens soon.

#10 Would it be cliche if I said some tacky rhyme scheme consisting of something like, "and let's go back to #1". I don't know... I was just wondering, "What if Taylor Griffin does better than his little brother in the NBA? What if TAYLOR gets the ROY award?" I mean, he IS older... It could happen.

Before I end this one, I'm going to start writing about "what if's" whenever I can get a chance. It'll be like my "side column". Something like that. Don't have a nifty title for it yet so give me a sec. I wish I could put on some theme music like when Kenny "The Jet" Smith gets that music playing on TNT when they do his little extra program...

Anyways...

"Thoughts on the Side. What if?"

Let's back track a couple of days to game 2 of the NBA finals. There are just a few seconds left in regulation in Staples Center as rookie Courtney Lee catches an alley opp off the inbounds. He misses the gamewinning layup. Rewing a couple seconds... "Courtney Lee catches the inbounds... LAYS IT IN! Series tied at 1-1! We're headed to Orlando as the Magic snatch homecourt advantage!" Magic win game 2 as they did in real life. (Just go along with it) Game 4.. The Lakers are on mark for a big comeback. Trevor Ariza is a whole different man as he lights up the floor in the second half. Trevor Ariza hits a big time clutch three near the end of regulation to tie the game. Rewind... Ariza hits off the back iron and Howard grabs the rebound. The outcome is completelely different as Orlando wins by a margin of 7 as Fisher doesn't even get that last second three to take the game into overtime. Orlando is up in the series 3-1. Eventually, after a hard fight by LA, Orlando takes the series and celebrates by going to Disney World.

The difference maker in the series was a layup and a few
three pointers. One little change, and the NBA world
could have turned out a lot different this week.

So what happens now? No pity parade for the Clippers. No Jimmy Kimmel special with most of the Lakers squad. The Magic are ecstatic as the new world champions of basketball and look to defend the crown in the 2009-10 campaign. So what do they do? They keep the team that made it happen, resign Turkoglu and draft a rookie in hopes of maybe getting a sleeper in the lower end of the first round. Lamar Odom goes elsewhere, without interest in resigning with the Lakers. Trevor Ariza goes crawling back to the Magic in search for a possible negotiation for a mid level contract. Kobe Bryant is stumped for the second straight season and panics with time running out the prime portion of his life. He doesn't see a future in LA and goes elsewhere to sign a fresh new contract.

STOP. But the Magic DIDN'T win. Courtney Lee choked on the layup in game 2 and Ariza hit the game tying three in game 4 to lead into Fishers clutch shot, finally leading to a Lakers 4-1 series domination. As a result, Kobe and his crew confidentally say on the Jimmy Kimmel special that the team will return in search of defending their title. The pity parade is prepared for the Clippers and the Lee gets the boot as he gets sent off to the Nets along with Tony Battie and Rafer Alston. The Magic search for a new solution as they go way over the luxury tax by bringing in Vince Carter.

Vince won't have
to deal with figuring
out how to get past
Superman anymore.
Except in practice...

"What a difference a day makes."

Feel free to offer up some suggestions for my next topic on "What if?". Maybe a new title for it wouldn't hurt either.

-Jason C

The Off Season is On

Before anything, can I say that the Celtics trade offer to the Pistons that was decline was one of the biggest "no deal" offers I've ever seen. For those of you that didn't know what the low down was, it was Rip, Tayshaun, and Stuckey for Rajon Rondo and Ray Allen. Talk about excitement!

Anyways...

The off-season transactions have begun and teams have quickly begun to manufacture new jerseys to put on the racks of malls and stores all around their city. A Jamal Crawford jersey in a nice navy and red in the city of Atlanta, a Shaq jersey in the same colorway as LeBron's jersey, and Richard Jeffersons new black and silver uni. Looking forward to a few more big time trades to pull through by the end of this summer. Expect some names to be packing their bags such as Rip Hamilton, Ben Gordon, Kirk Hinrich, Allen Iverson, and many others.

Jefferson heads West
The aging Spurs didn't really make themselves younger by adding high flying Richard Jefferson but they definitely added some explosiveness to their offense as well as verstility. The team may have lost some depth with the departure of Oberto, Bowen, and Thomas but Jefferson definitely packs in more options for Coach Pop to strategize with. Expect the former Arizona Wildcat to start doing damage come November.

Diesel refuels the city of Cleveland
Think the Cavaliers and their fans were disappointed about this year's result? You better believe it. Upon LeBron's frustration and request, the Cavs have acted quickly and acquired a big fella that many are familiar with.

Shaq has helped

assist plenty of
young stars earn
their first ring and
this time around,
Shaq returns to the
East to join forces
with an old dance
partner of his.

Pros: Still has the ability to dominate the offensive paint. A possible triangle offense? A strong presence inside. If Big Z is staying, that will be a lot of size for any team to deal with.
Cons: Shaq's age is definitely kicking in and he just doesn't have enough to play 82 games in full effect. With him clogging up the paint, LeBron won't always have the open court to do whatever he desires. Shaq just isn't the same as he was before when he was the most dominant center in the league.

Shake n' Bake Hotlanta
Crawford joins the highlight factory as he brings along his high octane offense and fancy crossovers as a new plan is in store for the Hawks. What could this mean for Joe Johnson and his final year of his contract? Does this solidify the final goodbye for Mike Bibby? Will we still have enough money to sign a solid big man? Who will play point guard? All will be answered soon. As for right now, let us celebrate the fact that we will have a guard not named Joe Johnson that can score at will. A lot of people question Crawfords true position but I believe he has a little somethin' somethin' at the point. Go ahead and show them Jamal. I've never bought a Hawks jersey but I think I just might get one this fall.

For the #1 overall pick in the 2009 NBA draft, the Clippers select... Blake Griffin
The Grizzlies select... Hasheem Thabeet
The Thunder select... James Harden
... at #19 the Atlanta Hawks select... "Enter best available point guards name here"

Knowing the Hawks drafting strategy from the past, we will probably make a bust by selecting a European 7 footer, or a wing man (European maybe?), or Tyler Hansbrough. No offense to these fellas, they deserve a place in the NBA but not in Atlanta. No way. If we don't go with a point guard in the first round, I may have to give up on the Hawks until God knows when.

With most of the top point guards more than likely out of the picture before the 19th pick (Rubio, Curry, Flynn, Jennings, Holiday, Lawson?) the outcome is uncertain. Whatever the decision is, as long as the Hawks' select either one of the point guards mentioned above, Eric Maynor, Patrick Mills, or Toney Douglas (I'm not feeling Jeff Teague too much but if we take him, I won't be upset) I will be more than content. For all I know, the selection might not turn out as anticipated but at #19, we're not taking much of a risk and all these young point guards have a great opportunity of having plenty of success in the NBA.

The Georgia native out of Norcross High school, Jodie Meeks
is a huge steal in the second round if he stays around
for that long. His ability to score is a huge threat that
could be developed into something very dangerous in
the NBA.

My personal favorites are Holiday, Lawson, and Maynor. Just don't want to see BJ Mullens, Psycho T, or some sleezy European guy with long blonde hair putting on an Atlanta Hawks cap. Jodie Meeks at #49! Let's do it right this time Hawks.


Eric Maynor did plenty
of destruction while
suiting up for the black
and yellow of Virginia
Commonwealth. Now it's
time for the "under the radar"
star to shine.




Boy, I love the NBA off season. Not as much as the season though... Given...

-Jason C

Give it to him! #4! SLAM's New Top 50?

Kobe Bryant and Derek Fisher added another
chapter to their journey as they collaborated for
a fourth championship.

Kobe got right down to business and finished the Finals Series in clean cut fashion as he dropped 30 points, grabbed 6 rebounds, and collected 5 assists as well as 4 blocks. The Lakers returned the NBA championship trophy to Los Angeles and The 31 year old, Kobe Bryant happily accepted the Finals MVP award. This was a huge statement year for Kobe Bryant and the Lakers as he earned his first Finals MVP award and won his first championship without the Big Diesel. Coach Jackson solidified his coaching career with his tenth championship and the franchise made it 15 all time as World Champions. Congratulations to the Lakers! Back to back?...

It was a tough
one to swallow
for Dwight and
the Magic as
they helplessly
watch the time
wind down.







Unfortunately, we can only have one winner and the rest have to go home and hope for a better season in November. Hats off to Coach Van Gundy and the Magic as they made a gutsy run in the Eastern Conference playoffs and showed that they could contend with any team any day. The series may have been lost 4 games to 1 but it is definitely safe to say that this was down to the wire. (Minus game 1 and the final quarter of game 5). Congratulations to the Magic as well. See you in the playoffs next year. (With an even better Dwight... How scary.)

As I head for the stairs to my room, I see a fresh new issue of SLAM sitting in front of the steps, with a nice grin hanging on my face, I pick it up without even looking at the cover and go into my room. The previous cover was Kobe and LeBron face to face so I assumed that this one would have something to deal with the NBA Finals. Instead I got a different yet familiar face. Tell me if you recognize him

It's been six years since Michael Jordan's
name has been announced in the starting lineups
of an NBA game, yet he still graces the cover of
what some say is the most prestigious
basketball magazine in the market.

As I stare at the face of Mr. MJ himself, I'm wondering, "It's NBA finals time, and SLAM has the nerve to make a new top 50 list instead of discussing the playoff series? Only SLAM could and would." Why? Because they're SLAM, and in my opinion, no other basketball magazine can compare. Of course that is just a biased perspective. So as I opened up to the pages where it listed the all time greats, I excitedly anticipated where they might have put Kobe and LeBron. As Kobe rose to #12 on the all time list, I smirked as LeBron's picture stood next to the number 42.

Some of you LeBron lovers may be thinking, "Kobe 12? LeBron 42? Are they out of their mind?" Actually no. It's amazing that LeBron is even in the top 50 right now at his age. Sure he has two All Star MVP awards, a league MVP, the ROY honor, and plenty of other impressive accolades. But what has he really done? He is a 6'8" 270+ lb monster that bulldozes opponents and does whatever the heck he wants but is he really worthy of being called a great? Has he really done more than Scottie Pippen (at 27), Jason Kidd (at 28), or Kevin Garnett (at 30)? In the future,

LeBron could easily find himself in the top 10 in a new list, but that's based upon what he could do in the seasons to come. The man has shown that he belongs but he just doesn't deserve to be put any higher. SLAM did a terrific job of showing "King" James exactly where he belongs in the group of greats. The real #23 sits alone at #1 but this #23 has a lot more to prove before he can move from #42. Consider this an early honor, LeBron.

As for Kobe. Now that he has proven the doubters and critics wrong by winning a championship as the go to guy, he has done almost everything that consists of the ultimate shooting guard. Disccusion to compare with Jordan is now in session. Now is Kobe as good? Heck no! I love #24 but #23 (or should I say #2345. Just kidding) is seriously a once in a lifetime superfreak NBA prototype. Quit comparing Kobe with LeBron. They are two different positions and body types. Kobe and Jordan is a better comparison. But like I said, Jordan>Kobe. Always. Sorry Kobe, but you are just going to have to settle for second best shooting guard of all time.

Hmm.. Maybe if he reads this, he will want to push himself even harder and astonish us even more somehow in his final years of his prime and push Jordan for his money. Nah... But then again....

Let us reflect...

"Welcome to the NBA kid"

"Like Mike"

The "baptism of two of the
best defensive centers ever
to step on the hardwood.

Gravity defying...

The Gold Medal stays in America.

"The Shot"

The Shots

Champion

Champion

"Not yet kid"

Jordan is in the driver's seat and Kobe is still in the passenger seat taking notes. I'm just saying.

-Jason C

Magic win Game 3!... but Kobe will win his Fourth Ring without a Doubt.

All Kobe haters, go hide. The Orlando Magic put on a performance tonight as they played one of the most complete games in franchise history. Wow, it must have been an absolute blow out. What? The final score was 106-102? Kobe goes 5 for 10 from the charity strike and knows he could have easily turned that game 3 loss into a third win for the possible series sweep.

The Lakers showed signs of sloppiness and played outside of their normal offense, making it much more difficult on themselves. Kobe displayed more than enough frustration as he let a rookie out of a mid major school get to his head. Not so classy, Kobe. All the more reason why this series is over.

Kobe's face says it all as he knows better than
anyone that this loss could have been
easily avoided.

Kobe will enter game 4 with a fresh mindset, leaving behind whatever happened in game 3. Forget about the free throws, forget about Courtney Lee and his attempt of pulling a Rip Hamilton clone, forget about the turnovers that could have easily been avoided. Game 4 is yours for the taking Mr. Bryant.

A huge factor that some of you may have noticed was the foul trouble that Lamar Odom got into during the third quarter. Without Odom's versatility to spread the half court offense, the Lakers just aren't the same. Regardless, unless the Magic can manage to pull off an even more impressive shooting performance, they can forget about it as a W will be placed under the win column for the West Coast representatives.

It was as if Derek
Fisher was playing
defense with his
eyes closed as
Rafer Alston blew
past him on
numerous accounts.










#1 Rafer Alston will not have another game like tonight where points were nearly handed to him as the lanes were wider than Jared's old jeans before subway.
#2 Mickael Pietrus will not connect on another Kobesque fadeaway and he won't get so lucky with the nasty layups that he just throws up.
#3 Courtney Lee will not hold Kobe for a single second.
#4 The Black Mamba will get himself to the line for 20 free throws and shred the net as he drops 30+ while maintaining a field goal percentage above .500. Is that too low to be considered a prediction? Above .545. I'm livin' life!

Obviously anything could happen. I said Lakers in 6 but you can forget about that. Lakers in 5! Hate all you want, but don't hate the writer, hate the game! I said it.

-Jason C

A Dream Change

The Atlanta Hawks have improved from their previous season yet again but for some reason it just seems like the Hawks never get the respect they deserve. After finishing the season over .500 with 47 wins, the Hawks still seemed to be looked upon as a lottery team. Is it because maybe this was the franchise's first season with a record over .500 wins in a decade? Is it because our coach is probably hated by more than half of the fan base? (It's a love hate relationship for me) Or maybe is it because we haven't had a stand out superstar since Dominique? In a world where sports fans make no sense in half the criticisms they make, whether it has to do with insulting the coaching staff or hating on a player because of how they look, the answer to this question might be more controversial than it seems. But let's not get too technical.

Sure we have a leader in Joe Johnson, a veteran with experience in Mike Bibby, and a freak athlete in Josh Smith but are those the keys to a successful team? You can think again. Let's look back at the last three NBA champions.

2007-08 Boston Celtics. This team was just full of talent starting off with the former league MVP Kevin Garnett. You can't get more consistent than this guy. Paul Pierce is another star who can bring in 30 points on any given night. On top of that, add in one of the league's greatest shooters of all time Ray Allen and you've got a big three. Hmm. Included in this arsenal is a draft pick that played above expectations. Rajon Rondo out of Kentucky. An often verlooked young stud at the point who can do it all... Except shoot. (Better than Josh Smith though... A lot better) Then you add in role players, young and old, at almost every position. Eddie House, Sam Cassell, James Posey, Leon Powe, PJ Brown, and Kendrick Perkins.

2006-07 San Antonio Spurs. Who else can I begin with other than Tim Duncan. The fundamental king who quietly brings in 20+ points and 10+ rebounds has been the anchor for the Spurs for the last decade since being drafted out of Wake Forest. Surround this future hall of famer big man with scorers, defenders, hustlers, and complimentary rebounders, and you've got your self a contender for consecutive seasons. Wait a minute... 02-03? 04-05? 06-07? The international stars shined as two often underrated players in Tony Parker and Manuel Ginobili assisted Tim Duncan by leading the guard play. You have the veteran leadership in Robert Horry who has won more NBA Titles than John Stockt..... Michael Jordan along with Michael Finley and Brent Barry who have their fair share of playoff experience. Lastly, you have hard nose defender Bruce Bowen and role rebounder Francisco Elson, and you've got a deep roster of nine players that can perform every night. The only thing that this team didn't have was a young recently drafted stud. The future is cold in San Antonio...

Seeing somewhat of a pattern? Coincidence? Ummm... moving on...

2005-06 Miami Heat. Before giving the Marquette star all the credit, I'm going to have to start out with who I think was the most important member of this championship team. One of the most dominant centers to ever play the game, Shaquille O'neal was the main ingredient. He attracted double teams, he grabbed 10+ boards a game, he absolutely caused havoc in the paint. Maybe not as much as he used to but with 330 pounds down low, and a beast that can still somewhat jump enough to block your mess to the other side of the gym, we've got issues. Dwyane Wade was Diesel's partner in crime as he basically scored left and right, averaging almost 40 points a night in the four Miami victories. The role players in this one? They had it all with veterans Derek Anderson, Gary Payton, James Posey, Alonzo Mourning, Antoine Walker, and Jason Williams. Wow... You couldn't have asked for a better group of veterans. Add in underrated Udonis Haslem and you've got yourself the 2006 NBA champions. The young stud in this one was basically Dwyane Wade who was in his fourth year, but with the way he was playing, you would have thought he was a 9th year veteran in his prime.

So where am I going with all this? Let's go back to the Hawks blue prints.
Joe Johnson; Sorry but you just arent a star player in my standards. Don't get me wrong. This guy can pour in the points and lead a team to a victory with clutch performances on a few nights. Other nights, Joe decides to leave his game at home and just wants to do a little bit. That's not what Kevin Garnett/Paul Pierce, Tim Duncan, and Shaq/Dwyane Wade did.

Mike Bibby; A solid veteran that can turn it up from 3 but has he really done much else? This is something that can be done by a role player off of the bench. Eddie House/James Posey, Brent Barry, Jason Kapono, and the list goes on.

Josh Smith; The man can dunk but that's all I'll credit him for. Rebounding? Sure he can do it, but does he push himself to bring in the boards? Not really... Has anyone else noticed his heavy feet? And who else can't breathe when he pulls up from mid range or beyond the arc? If you've answer yes to two or more of these, we're all on the same page. The Celtics, Spurs, and Heat had players that could tear down the rim, but when it came down to it, it really didn't matter and dunking wasn't the key to victory.

Has anyone noticed that the leaders on every championship team were big men? We can go back even more. 2004-05 Tim Duncan, 2003-04 Rasheed Wallace (Chauncey Billups might have been the MVP but without Rasheed, the team wouldn't have even made it to the Eastern Conference Finals), 2002-03 Tim Duncan, 2001-02 Shaq, Shaq, Shaq. Of course, every big man can't do it without a guard to compliment him (Paul Pierce, Ray Allen, Manu, Tony Parker, Dwyane Wade, Chauncey Billups, Kobe Bryant) but the core of a championship team begins in the big man. This year's finals? Pau Gasol and Dwight Howard. I'm just saying.

Al Horford is good but he is still young and he is not ready to take in a role of being the star big man. In 3 years? Hopefully he will have a consisten mid range and a better ball handling skill to go with his post moves by then but we aren't psychic and can't tell you how that will turn out.

So what do the Hawks do?

Let's begin with the Hawks upcoming free agents.

Hawks 2009 Restricted Free Agents
Thomas Gardner: Release
Othello Hunter: Release
Mario West: Resign for a limited amount. Why not?
Josh Childress: Resign if he returns from Greece but for a reasonable amount. He'll probably stay in Greece. Sign and trade?
Solomon Jones: Release
Marvin Williams: Release. Had high hopes for the young 4 year out of UNC, but the clock is ticking and Marvin ain't producing.

Hawks 2009 Unrestricted Free Agents
Zaza Pachulia: Release. A crowd favorite but what can he do other than pick fights with NBA stars?
Mike Bibby: Release. Thanks for the two years Mike.
Ronald Flip Murray: Resign but he may ask for too much.

Here are some free agents that could help us.

2009 Unrestricted Free Agents

Point Guards
Jason Kidd: Aging quickly but a veteran leader is always needed. Maybe sign for one or two years but no more. Contract would have to be light too. Chances unlikely.
Travis Diener: Not too much praise for this guy but heck, he could be another Luke Ridnour. Pick him up!
Luther Head: Head will be entering his fourth season in the NBA and a new team could help him possibly have a breakout season. A possible steal at very low price. Do I sound like a "Lowe's" commercial?
Andre Miller: A little pricy and age is kicking in but if we can manage to keep his salary at 7 figures, we might be able to discuss something.
Ronnie Price: Another young cat that's about to enter his fourth season but doesn't have the Luther Head or Travis Diener type of potential. He could still be a great contribution at his affordable price as a back up.

Shooting Guards
Gerald Green: I'm just in love with picking up a three year play. Once again, Green is soon to enter his fourth season and he has yet to find a home. This freak athlete is just waiting to find his place to put all the pieces together. Probably the end of his rookie contract but no more than 2 million max wouldn't hurt.
Dahntay Jones: An excellent role player that can easily contribute off the bench yet start. He showed it in this year's playoffs for the Nuggets. Proabably won't be asking for too much either.
Jamal Crawford: Kind of a risk at his price, but he is either in his prime or going to enter it in the next 2 seasons so he would be a great pick up for the starting 1 or 2 position.
Kobe Bryant: Use it all! Spend all our money on him! Do it now! With about 6 more years under his belt, we are bound to make at least 2 nba championship appearances with the Black Mamba. I don't care what it takes, trade and sign/sign and trade, whatever!
Damien Wilkins: He is of the same blood line as Dominique. A bright future is the only possible outcome if he comes here right?
Kareem Rush: Hasn't really done much in the NBA as of yet, but give him the right tools the work with and we might see some fire.
Morris Almond: The Georgia native is only in his second year and has abilities that the NBA hasn't really noticed yet. Take him for cheap before he blows up for some other team.

Small Forwards
Devean George: Once was a solid contributor of the early 2000's Lakers but has been quiet since. A new start for the 31 year old in Atlanta?
Ron Artest: Very expensive and has no Finals experience but he sure has what it takes to help a team get there. He got the Rockets out of the first round.
Lamar Odom: Bringing Odom in would be like getting a small forward, point guard, and a power forward. The 6'10" multitalented athlete can bring in a lot for a team. Money well spent.
Rodney Carney: No one knows much about this young man but he can play basketball. Well that's a given. Let's get him!
Hedo Turkoglu: Who knows what he may do after the 2009 Finals. If he departs, a few years in Atlanta won't hurt.
Shawn Marion: He probably won't be able to live up to his nickname in a couple years when the age starts kicking in but he can still do damage and rack up the stats. He isn't worth too much but would be a great pick up at a fair price. Fair price guys... Seriously, the last thing I want to see is our team spend our entire salary on a player in his 30's that's not named Kobe

Power Forwards
Mikki Moore: At 33, his time looks to be running out but he can probably play for 10 more years if he really wanted to. If we can bring him in for about 4 mil, he would be a great back up at the big.
Joe Smith: This man has been everywhere. He always brings hard work and can do some minor damage. Would be a great back up and mentor to Al Horford.
Brandon Bass: Lacks height but makes up for it with strength and athleticism. Still young and has time to improve. Again, doesn't cost too much.
Shelden Williams: NOT!
Stromile Swift: Doesn't really have that much upside but he is a lot cheaper than he's worth. Take a chance? More likely will hurt than help. Who knows?
Drew Gooden: Besides his nasty sense of fashion, he is actually a solid big man. He played for Kansas as well. Just saying.
Carlos Boozer: Loyalty is questionable but you can't go wrong with this stud. Don't want to see the Hawks overpay this guy though.

Centers
Steven Hunter: You can't be picky with the center position when it comes to free agency. Don't want out starting center to be Steven Hunter, but as of right now we don't have a true center and Steven Hunter has somewhat abilities.
Rasho Nesterovic: Another decent big man that teams seem to pay a lot for some reason. Pick him up for no more than 3 million max. That still seems like a lot but the man is a veteran.
Chris Mihm: Mihm seems to have a bitter NBA career as he has been overshadowed by other big men and was never given much of a chance. He has size and can do the basic things. Come to Atlanta pal. Don't come barging in the front office with a fat contract in your hands though.
Francisco Elson: You can place him in the same category as Steven Hunter and Nesterovic. I don't really know how I feel about these guys but I'm sure one of them could help.
Eddy Curry: Probably the best center out of the group. Can score and has a bulky body to take up space. The only problem is that he may be asking for a lot more money than he's worth.
Mehmet Okur: Did I say Eddy was the best? I take it back. He may cost a bit, but I say that a shot.

2009 Restricted Free Agents
Leon Powe: A young big man that only has a bright future. His injury shouldn't slow him down. I just don't see us fighting other teams off for him though.
Raymond Felton: A great point guard to orchestrate the offense. Doesn't stand out like fellow draftees Chris Paul or Deron Williams but he can do damage.
Jarrett Jack: An excellent back up point guard but once I again, I don't see us pushing away other teams for him.
Joel Anthony: Did you see what he did to us in the Miami series. Man has potential.
Ramon Sessions: According the fellow writer, my mentor John Myung Hawks Lee, this guy would be the perfect pick up for the Hawks. Not many know much about Sessions because he plays for the Bucks, but maybe if he comes over to the Hawks, people will start recognizing him.
Charlie Villanueva: He's like a lower class version of Carlos Boozer. But is he worth the effort?
David Lee: This undersized big man once recorded 20+ rebounds. That has to mean something. It can't be because he was playing for the Knicks. I don't think he's worth a starting position. 6th man?
Marcin Gortat: My favorite restricted free agent. Took him a while to get some playing time but he still has plenty of years left in him. I'd love to see him in a Hawks uni.
Louis Amundson: A hardnosed worker. Looks like a grease ball but he would be a great contributor to the squad.
Paul Millsap: Another one of those undersized big men. he can flat out play basketball though.)

If free agency were to happen as written above, the Hawks roster would look like this;
Speedy Claxton 5.7 Million
Maurice Evans 2.5 Million
Al Horford 4 Million
Joe Johnson 14.2 Million
Acie Law 2 Million
Randolph Morris .8 Million
Ronald Murray* 1.5 Million (Current contract)
Mario West .7 Million

With Bibby, J-Smoove, Marv, and Zaza out of the picture it gives us 30+ million to work with. Now that's a lot of money. With that, you could get a superstar and some but salary cap ain't that simple.

With Joe Johnson becoming a free agent in 2010, it wouldn't hurt to keep him for one more year but a new contract would not be in the picture. With the incoming 2010 free agency packed with stars that could quickly change your team, a fresh agreement with Joe Johnson would be suicide.

After the 2009 free agency is over with, our team could look somewhat like this... Somewhat realistically speaking...
Speedy Claxton 5.7 Million
Maurice Evans 2.5 Million
Al Horford 4 Million
Joe Johnson 14.2 Million
Acie Law 2 Million
Randolph Morris .8 Million
Ronald Murray* 1.5 Million (Current contract)
Mario West .7 Million
Ramon Sessions 2-4 Million
Jamal Crawford 8-10 Million
Rodney Carney 1-2 Million
Brandon Bass 1-2 Million
Marcin Gortat 2-3 Million
Mehmet Okur 8-10 Million
Chris Mihm 1-2 Million
NBA Draft Pick?

Don't resign Joe Johnson or Speedy and open up about 20+ Million for the 2010 free agency and find the last piece of the puzzle (preferrably a big man) to a championship team from there. Chris Bosh, Yao, Amare?

Of course, all this is very unlikely, coming from one source and I probably had a couple errors dealing with the salary cap rules (I know with the draft pick the roster is over the limit of 15) but hopefully you read the title of this one. Don't hate the player, hate the game.

Hawks 2010-2011 NBA Champs

-Jason C

Game 1 in LA

Plenty of discussion was made for the LeBron vs Kobe match up while Dwight continued to prepare himself in the gym with his coaching staff and teammates. Most analysts were so caught up in King James and how he rallied his team to a 66 win regular season, they somehow forgot about how the Orlando Magic and the defensive player of the year had just as impressive of a season at 59 wins and a 2-1 regular season series victory over the Cavaliers.

LeBron was riding on all the hype and he had a heck of a post season but it takes five. It seemed like the entire starting lineup was filled with all stars in the first two rounds as Detroit and Atlanta had no such answer for the Cavaliers, but when the heavily armed Orlando Magic came in town for game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals, LeBron and his boys took a huge hit. After a huge start and a gigantic first half double digit lead, the Magic showed the composure and teamwork that belongs in a championship caliber team and they displayed the tools to winning a championship.

Dwight Howard and his boys took down the league MVP
but can they handle the big stage?

While the sports writers were all preparing themselves for huge coverage on the colossal Kobe vs LeBron match up in this year's finals, the Orlando Magic did everything that a team needed to do in order to bring home the trophy.

A few critical reasons why Orlando is in... and Cleveland is out...

Every championship team needs more than one star. Michael Jordan had Pippen and Kukoc along with key roles such as Steve Kerr and Dennis Rodman. Kobe had Shaq, or moreso Shaq had Kobe along with key roles such as Robert Horry and Rick Fox. Tim Duncan had the Admiral, then came Tony Parker and Manu, with the help of Robert Horry and Bruce Bowen.
Orlando's centerpiece is without a doubt Dwight Howard, but he would be at home watching LeBron throw chalk into the air tonight if it weren't for the key back up of Rashard Lewis, Hedo, and role players such as Mikael Pietrus, Rafer Alston, and Courtney Lee.
The Cavaliers have their star in LeBron James but Mo Williams and Big Z just aren't key parts to a championship team. Mo can't back up his big talk and Ilgauskas has a 7'3" body that moves like a steamroller.

Championship teams always prevail. One of the biggest comebacks in NBA history, when the Lakers were down by double digits in the first half of a huge post season game vs the Portland Trailerblazers, all chances seemed to be lost until the Lakers cruised controlled themselves to a final comeback resulting in a victory in the final minutes of the game. Can anyone else recall this historical NBA moment? Let me help you. The Magic found themselves down big against the Cavs in more than enough games in this series alone but the Magic never let LeBron and his boys capitalize as the Orlando Magic executed a near sweep of the Cleveland Cavaliers.

When it came down to the final shot, everyone knew where the ball was going if it was Cleveland. When Orlando needed a big shot, it could have been anyone on the floor from throwing an alley oop to Dwight or finding one of the many on target shooters to take the final opportunity. Rashard Lewis took this role personally in this specfic Eastern Conference Finals series.

The rest is history as this is less important than the real topic that we're all interested in which is the Finals match up between the Orlando Magic and the Los Angeles Lakers. The state of California had a 1 in 3.25 chance of being a part of the NBA finals and the Lakers have found themselves in that final round for the second straight season. I can assure you that the Lakers would have loved a rematch with the Celtics but a match up with the Magic won't be any less enjoyable. In fact, the Magic have yet to lose to the Lakers this season as they swept them 2-0 in the regular season series. You can forget about those statistics because it is now the NBA finals and what the teams did in the regular season don't even matter anymore.

Jameer Nelson/Rafer Alston vs Derek Fisher... Advantage Orlando by an inch.
Courtney Lee vs Kobe Bryant... Advantage Los Angeles but "closer than the experts think". Not THAT close though.
Rashard Lewis vs Trevor Ariza/Lamar Odom... Advantage Los Angeles. More diversity in favor of the Lakers.
Hedo Torkoglu vs Pau Gasol... Advantage Orlando on the perimeter. Advantage Los Angeles in the post.
Dwight Howard vs Andrew Bynum... Advantage Orlando by a mile.

Kobe and company have a lot to prove as they host game 1 in Los Angeles and the former league MVP will have to make a huge statement game to answer arising questions of the Lakers future. The Magic's experience level as they enter their first NBA Finals in 14 years will be tested as the entire starting lineup enters a whole new environment but don't doubt their chances of stealing home court advantage. It will be a great start to an exciting and explosive series. The winner of Game 1 will take the series in 6 and I'm going with the best active guard and coach in the NBA. Lakers in 6.

Kobe is running short on lifelines but he will
have plenty of help in this one as Pau and the
rest of the crew suit up for what could be the final
run for the Lakers franchise in this decade.

-Jason C

"Adam and ... the Chronicles of Redick"

With the 3rd pick in the 2006 NBA draft, the Charlotte Bobcats select Adam Morrison from the University of Gonzaga...

With the 11th pick in the 2006 NBA draft, the Orlando Magic select JJ Redick from Duke University...

Morrison and Redick were easily the two most productive players in the collegiate level at the time but were not sought out to be the next big thing in the NBA. Regardless of what most critics assumed of these two college phenoms, the Bobcats took a shot at Morrison by using their third overall pick to bring in the 6'8" scoring machine. A few picks later, Redick found himself a home in Orlando as the Magic took the three point specialist in the elevent overall selection of the 2006 draft. Pretty ironic how the national player of the year was drafted after the runner up for the same award but as many of you know, the NBA is a whole different battlefield.

With the lining of the stars, the two friendly rivals have somehow met face to face yet again as the Lakers take on the Magic in the 2009 NBA Finals. Kobe vs Dwight? Adam vs JJ?... Of course, this match up isn't as dramatic as a LeBron vs Kobe finals would have been but there are plenty of stories that could be brought out of this such as Hedo and his neverending battle of getting past the Lakers in the NBA playoffs or the battle of Shaq's former teams (credits to John Myung Hawks Lee). And of course, there is the less than interesting comparison of Adam Morrison and JJ Redick. Either way, the chances of seeing these two on the court at the same time are more unlikely than LeBron James winning a title this year. Ouch, sorry LeBron.

Once this playoff series is over, a championship ring will be fitted for one of the two lucky hometown boys of either Glendive Montana or Cookeville Tennessee. Talk about not wanting to share your childhood stories with the rest of your teammates. Boring... One will accomplish something that many NBA greats were unable to achieve but could something else possibly be on their minds? Maybe they would like to actually contribute on the hardwood floor instead of just dressing up nicely to the game or sitting on the bench, only to stand up when a time out is called. Winning championships is definitely nice and if that's all they are looking for, I would more to recommend staying put. More playing time, more contribution? Let's look further.

Dear Adam,

If You would like to actually play and look to improve your game, maybe even somehow lead a team to a championship, do not resign with the Lakers. But then again, you couldn't even lead your Gonzaga squad to the Final Four and that's when you would put up 30 a night. Sorry, did I hit a sensitive subject? Didn't mean it that way. Going somewhere else could possible help your stats rise but I don't see a Championship MVP award coming your way anytime soon. Maybe if you stay in LA long enough and Kobe retires, you can be the star.

Dear JJ,

Winning championships don't come very easily. Just ask Karl Malone or Coach K. I'd suggest asking Mr. Malone over the coach. Coach might get upset if you remind him of the three years you spent with him while not bringing in a single national championship with one of the best teams ever assembled. Either way, you've got a pretty nice position in Orlando. You play occasionally, even though Stan doesn't seem to like you too much, and now you're in the NBA finals and you can say you actually contributed. Remember that three you hit against Boston in round 2? I don't... but I'm sure you hit one right? Anyways, if you want to be more of a key role, I suggest playing for the Knicks. Coach D'Antoni would love to have you.

With all joking aside, Morrison and Redick were fantastic players in college. In the NBA.. they have what it takes, they just haven't found where they belong. Morrison is a determined athlete who doesn't use his type 1 diabetes as an excuse and JJ Redick is an underrated defender who many think can only shoot from far far away. Despite all the negatives, the best of luck to both these guys.

-Jason C