What if Zion Williamson...

[Jamaaliver]

Great write-up from The Undefeated.

Zion in Atlanta would be a win for the culture

The Hawks landing the No. 1 pick is a long shot. But Williamson would be a good match with the young, disruptive culture of The A



Don’t try to tease Atlanta with a good time. Come Tuesday evening, the city will await the results of the most important non-Powerball sweepstakes in recent memory: the NBA draft lottery — or, as it’s otherwise known, the right to draft Zion Williamson.

Landing Williamson is a long shot. (The Atlanta Hawks have a 10.5 percent chance of acquiring the top pick, good for fifth behind New York, Phoenix, Cleveland and Chicago.) That hasn’t stopped ATLiens from wishing upon a lemon pepper wet wing, of course. But Williamson and Atlanta differ from, say, LeBron James and Cleveland because Atlanta doesn’t need Williamson to reroute the city’s future. Atlanta is the best cultural destination for Williamson because this majority-black metropolis is already the mecca for black excellence, a modern-day mashup of the Harlem Renaissance and Sweet Home Chicago.

Rooting for Atlanta sports teams hasn’t been the easiest job in the world. The city is still haunted by the Falcons’ Super Bowl loss in 2017. The city has been brutally criticized for its sports apathy.

“If Zion were to come to the Hawks, that would probably be the biggest thing since Dominique as far as a real star is here. Not just a good player, but a person that has real star power,” said longtime Hawks fan and Atlanta hip-hop historian Maurice Garland. “To a degree, Trae Young is that right now. This is the most I’ve ever seen Hawks basketball talked about in a long time, and we didn’t even win a damn thing.”

Still, it’s not as if Atlanta needs Zion Williamson to establish itself. And it’s not as if the Hawks need Zion Williamson either. ATLiens acknowledge what he can do for them. But they also know what the city, the culture and the creativity here can do for Williamson.

The Undefeated

[Radioblacktive1]

I wish these articles would stop, they’re only making our impending disappointment harder.

[Jamaaliver]

Which Team Would Be the Best Landing Spot for Zion Williamson?

With the draft lottery coming up on Tuesday night, Ringer staffers make the case for various franchises that could happen into the top pick

Atlanta Hawks

Watch on YouTube

Zion Williamson will succeed no matter which team he lands with. What heights any player reaches, however, is dependent on his situation. It’s true for the great ones, and especially the potentially great ones like Williamson, who would fall into an ideal situation with the Atlanta Hawks. Williamson will shine brightest next to a playmaker like Trae Young. With Zion’s gravity-defying leaping and Young’s majestic passing serving as the foundation for coach Lloyd Pierce’s up-tempo offense, the duo would form an electrifying pick-and-roll tandem that’d resemble guard-big tandems like Steve Nash and Amar’e Stoudemire or Chris Paul and Blake Griffin. Those Suns and Clippers cores never won a championship, but Nash and Paul weren’t acquired until far later in their careers. The Hawks could instead build organically with a young core. Williamson’s own playmaking skill and his defensive versatility would enhance his teammates, too: He could generate buckets for a shooter like Kevin Huerter, or run the floor with another explosive big like John Collins.

The Hawks front office is also armed with assets and cap flexibility over the next four summers. What they do with that money remains to be seen, but they’ll have the ability to sign players who can accelerate or complete the rebuild. In a weaker Eastern Conference, it might not be long until the Hawks are back in the playoffs. And if they make smart decisions along the way, this promising, young core could soon be older, entering their primes and ready for contention.

The Ringer

[HMFFL]

It's clear the Hawks would be the best match for Zion out of all of the teams with the highest odds. It's all up to the ping pong balls though.

With talent I think it's Atlanta or Phoenix. I say Phoenix due to the young talent they have but their ownership doesn't do enough for his team.

When you walk down the hallways in their locker room the wall are covered of graphics of former players. Those graphics are falling off the walls.

Everything about the arena is poor. While the Atlanta arena has evolved and so has our practice facility.



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[Sultanofatl]

Nick Wright: "Atlanta Hawks, great sports city, great basketball city. Zion and Trae Young? You suddenly have a new contending team in the southeast part of tis country."

Cris Carter: "Man Zion would be 600 pounds eating all that food in Atlanta, it's no great sports city. Zion would eat Trae Young."

[Jamaaliver]

I say Phoenix due to the young talent they have but their ownership doesn't do enough for his team.

When you walk down the hallways in their locker room the wall are covered of graphics of former players. Those graphics are falling off the walls.

Everything about the arena is poor. While the Atlanta arena has evolved and so has our practice facility.

I definitely underestimated the importance of ownership in running a top squad. Seeing the Buss children run that Lakers franchise so poorly.

Seeing the difference between Ressler & Co. vs the clown show that was the Atlanta Spirit.

Seeing the apathy Liberty Media treats the Braves with...ownership and leadership are paramount when it comes to building a winning culture.

[Jamaaliver]

Read on Twitter

[atlantabbq99]

^ Come on Zion, It's not too early to demand for a trade!

[atlantabbq99]

Watch on YouTube

[EazyRoc]

Just go back Zion! Don’t do that to yourself. Come on home..

[EazyRoc]

:cry:

Read on Twitter

Dude really wants to come here...

[Jamaaliver]

Just go back Zion! Don’t do that to yourself. Come on home..

I'd LMAO if Zion, so disappointed by the prospect of playing in New Orleans, instead returned to Duke for a second season.

[jayu70]

Just go back Zion! Don’t do that to yourself. Come on home..

I'd LMAO if Zion, so disappointed by the prospect of playing in New Orleans, instead returned to Duke for a second season.

It'll be even funnier if he does and NOP ends up getting the #1 pick again. .
Serious question - would he definitely go #1 next year if he did. What's the word on the 2020 draft class?

[Jamaaliver]

Who's more miserable this morning, Zion or this individual?

Read on Twitter

[Spud2nique]

Just go back Zion! Don’t do that to yourself. Come on home..

I'd LMAO if Zion, so disappointed by the prospect of playing in New Orleans, instead returned to Duke for a second season.

It'll be even funnier if he does and NOP ends up getting the #1 pick again. .
Serious question - would he definitely go #1 next year if he did. What's the word on the 2020 draft class?

Zion would be first over Anthony Edwards.

[EazyRoc]

Just go back Zion! Don’t do that to yourself. Come on home..

I'd LMAO if Zion, so disappointed by the prospect of playing in New Orleans, instead returned to Duke for a second season.

I’d go back before I go play in NO. He’s got injury insurance I’m sure. That double tap let’s me know he wants to come here. Maybe we can trade a pick for an unprotected lottery pick...

Maybe sturt wasn’t crazy after all

[Jamaaliver]

That double tap let’s me know he wants to come here. Maybe we can trade a pick for an unprotected lottery pick...

It's not unheard of for a soon to be drafted player to decline to go to a team.

Spoiler:

I do wonder, if Zion refused to go to New Orleans:

• Would we pkg Collins, Taurean, #8 and #10 to get him?
  
• Would that even be enough?
  
• Would all that even be worth it?

[Atlanta Hawk Fan]

New Orleans did everything they could to waste Anthony Davis's career away. Epic mismanagement. Zion has to hope the changes they've made will mean different support for him.

I think they absolutely destroyed Davis' trust and he is still gone.

If he is, then that opens up some interesting options if he would want to come play with Trae and be willing to commit to resigning. Having Zion in place means they can go for a package of picks and complementary players.

[peoriabird]

That double tap let’s me know he wants to come here. Maybe we can trade a pick for an unprotected lottery pick...

It's not unheard of for a soon to be drafted player to decline to go to a team.

Spoiler:

I do wonder, if Zion refused to go to New Orleans:

• Would we pkg Collins, Taurean, #8 and #10 to get him?
  
• Would that even be enough?
  
• Would all that even be worth it?

Y'all got to stop this nonsense! In fact he wanted to go to New York not Atlanta. So I don't know where y'all are getting these notions that Zion was eyeing Atlanta. But he isn't coming so get over it expect twice a year as a member of the Pelicans.

[EazyRoc]

That double tap let’s me know he wants to come here. Maybe we can trade a pick for an unprotected lottery pick...

It's not unheard of for a soon to be drafted player to decline to go to a team.

Spoiler:

I do wonder, if Zion refused to go to New Orleans:

• Would we pkg Collins, Taurean, #8 and #10 to get him?
  
• Would that even be enough?
  
• Would all that even be worth it?

Y'all got to stop this nonsense! In fact he wanted to go to New York not Atlanta. So I don't know where y'all are getting these notions that Zion was eyeing Atlanta. But he isn't coming so get over it expect twice a year as a member of the Pelicans.

You’re speculating he wanted to go NY just like we’re speculating he wanted to come ATL. We don’t know where he’s going yet.