DRAFT BJ Mullens @ 19?

ACE_reppin_ATL · Post #1 » by **ACE_reppin_ATL** » Mon May 25, 2009 9:10 pm

Mullens is 7'0 270 or so, with agility, athleticism, and nice post game with both hands. Sure quite a few 7'0 "white guys" (no offense) looked good in college like Hawes, Gray, and others, but the difference is this guy is athletic enough to do a between the legs and windmill dunks. Don't beleive me? TAKE A LOOK!

I haven't seen a ton of this guy but he looks like he could thrive here in Atlanta, coming off the bench, with our run game. He could be our answer as far as size (with post presence) off the bench. He may even become good enough to move Horford to PF and Smoove to SF and possibly Marvin to the 2nd unit with Flip (hopefully) as our bench scorers. He just has to be developed aggressively and not put a tight leash (with Woody).

I can't say he's our best choice, but it's not like we have a ton riding on our pick at 19 this year because we have more work in free agency to tend to. SO I say we give him a look in workouts and see what he looks like.

tbhawksfan · Post #2 » by **tbhawksfan** » Mon May 25, 2009 9:45 pm

He's my first choice.

killbuckner · Post #3 » by **killbuckner** » Mon May 25, 2009 10:10 pm

The problem is that MUllens didn't look good in college. If a 7footer doesn't dominate in College against inferior athletes then I don't want him.

shortstuff5023 · Post #4 » by **shortstuff5023** » Mon May 25, 2009 11:32 pm

this guy is the biggest enigma in our end of the draft, IMO. i haven't seen enough of him to say much, but from everything i've heard i love his talent level and question his desire to improve his game. with that said, he seems to have a skill shared by a handful you can count on your fingers, and a legit 7 footer is the hardest thing to find in the nba. the funny thing is, i remember saying the same things about his desire with rudy gay...

Harry10 · Post #5 » by **Harry10** » Tue May 26, 2009 12:37 am

their are too many good PGs in this draft to pass up. unless Horford is traded and the Hawks don't get a center in return, i don't see any reason to draft Mullen over a PG.

and really, how many unathletic late first round 7 footers end up making it in the NBA?

shortstuff5023 · Post #6 » by **shortstuff5023** » Tue May 26, 2009 12:59 am

the reason it doesn't seem that easy is that he isn't unathletic. otherwise i wouldn't touch him in the draft.

HoopsGuru25 · Post #7 » by **HoopsGuru25** » Tue May 26, 2009 1:27 am

Mullens isn't unathletic...he isn't Dwight Howard but most guys near his size (Hibbert ,Illgauskus,Aaron Gray,Zaza,etc) are strictly below the rim players while he is more in the Nene mold of a guy who is huge but is still very mobile.

I still don't see how you can take a player who is that far away if he is as lazy as advertised. He reminds me of Eddy Curry w/o as good of a post game.

mr_grabb · Post #8 » by **mr_grabb** » Tue May 26, 2009 2:35 am

I'm still not too sure of what I think of Mullen. And I think its the same with most NBA GMs. As soon as the pre-draft individual workouts begin we'll have a fairer idea of his abilities. I think his stock will either increase to the point where he'll be a borderline lottery pick, or he'll be tagged as a project who needs a few year to fully develop.

I also love Teague, and while I am no longer sure that he'll be available at 19, I also am no longer sure that I want him. He's for sure not a pg, but he's a great scorer. If we end up drafting him, I doubt we'll resign Flip because Teague would have the same mission: score off the bench.

parson · Post #9 » by **parson** » Tue May 26, 2009 3:00 pm

If we keep the pick, we won't be getting any immediate benefit, so the question becomes what the GM's vision is for the team's future.

I like Mullens for his potential. If I'm going to have to wait 2-3 years for whomever we draft to develop, I'd rather wait on a potential star.

HoopsGuru25 · Post #10 » by **HoopsGuru25** » Tue May 26, 2009 3:03 pm

It also looks like Mullens is a year older than the rest of his HS class as well. The number of red flags he has is amazing.

If we are interested in a center..I think I'd prefer we'd offer the pick to LA for Jordan before we look at Mullens. His BBIQ is extremely low and he was unproductive in college...has an ideal nba body(250 with a massive 9'5.5 standing reach),but he actually plays like he cares.

parson · Post #11 » by **parson** » Tue May 26, 2009 3:45 pm

LA would be crazy to trade a youngster who has shown he can excel (defensively) in the pivot.

But if they DID look to relieve their excess of big men, Jordan would be a good pickup for us. What would you say would be a fair trade?

ACE_reppin_ATL · Post #12 » by **ACE_reppin_ATL** » Tue May 26, 2009 3:47 pm

DeAndre Jordan (LAC) for the #19 pick (ATL) would be a nice offseason move for us to make. But is a 1st rounder too much to offer for D. Jordan? The Clippers do seem to have an abundance of big men with Camby, Kaman, and Randolph, all ahead of Jordan, Novak, and Skinner, but would they be interested in moving him for a pick. Would they take a 2nd rounder or maybe an expiring contract?

killbuckner · Post #13 » by **killbuckner** » Tue May 26, 2009 3:59 pm

If you ask Clippers fans they would easily turn down the 19th pick for Jordan.

Post #14 » by **Jamaaliver** » Wed May 27, 2009 2:23 am

Atlanta was badly exposed at center during the series with Cleveland. The Hawks would like to move Al Horford back to his natural power forward position and keep Zaza Pachulia as a reserve. Atlanta picks 19th in next month's draft and Ohio State big man B.J. Mullens could be available. But Mullens, although legitimate NBA size, is extremely raw and would likely serve more as a project in the first couple of seasons. Also, GM Rick Sund has a poor history of taking centers dating back to his days with the Sonics. He drafted Robert Swift, Johan Petro and Mouhamed Sene in consecutive years. Only Swift remains with the franchise, now in Oklahoma City, and he's a free agent.

http://nba.fanhouse.com/2009/05/23/dominique-hawks-need-big-man-leader/

Post #15 » by **HMFFL** » Wed May 27, 2009 3:14 am

^

I spoke with Dominique briefly this past Sunday at a event he attended. Like the article he spoke about a Reggie Evans type of player, we both agreed that DeJuan Blair won't be around at 19, and he told me that we'll work out a VERY limited amount of players(after I asked him if he plans on attending all the workouts). He also seems to expect Mike Bibby to be back and said we need a point to come off the bench that can not only absorb minutes, but also one that is a scorer. I didn't feel the need to mention this until you posted the article due to the lack of information. He did seem to smile when I mentioned Blair to him, but obviously I knew he'll already be gone by the time we pick.

He was asked about Coach Woodson and he responded that the players are accountable for themselves no matter who the coach is.

During the regular season Nique seemed to speak highly of David Lee, Reggie Evans and Udonis Haslem.

i<3basketball · Post #16 » by **i<3basketball** » Wed May 27, 2009 5:10 pm

Mullens could be a good value at 19. If he pans out, he's going to be a steal. If he doesn't, you don't lose too much really. Taking Mullens at 19 assumes a backup PG can be found elsewhere. there could be good PG values at 19, but the potential of Mullens may be too much to pass on.