Is the real plan....

[Jamaaliver]

Everybody talks about the Shelden pick. I thnk that the Shelden pick was locked in the day that JJ said he would wait for the Hawks to get their situation cleaned up. Remember, our ownership split and there were other teams like Milwaukee & NY who were willing to pay JJ but JJ said no... he would wait on us. That was because JJ's agent was calling the shots.... and when JJ's agent needed somebody to take his other player (Shelden)... we were the lock. In fact, I recall him also saying that LaMarcus and Roy were also headed where he wanted them to go.

But JJ was acquired in the summer of 2005. The summer we drafted Marvin Williams. Lamarcus, Brandon Roy and Shelden weren't drafted until 2006.

The reason we passed om CPIII and Deron is because BK didn't believe PGs were a necessity. He even envisioned JJ playing Point Guard. Next to Chill at SG, Marvin at SF and Smoove at PF.

They’ve tried everything at the point from Royal Ivey to Anthony Johnson to Tyronn Lue to even playing Joe Johnson at point guard during his first season with the team.

Hawks Lose an Owner, but They Gain a Point Guard

[parson]

Yeah, homer that I am, I remember agreeing that Joe Johnson could pay PG. He was a great ballhandler - but I didn't realize until he got here that he dribbles with his head down when you double him. He couldn't even pass out of trouble fast enough.

[MaceCase]

I felt his biggest issue at PG was that he had no chance in hell defending guys 5 inches and 50lbs smaller than him especially given that handchecking was done away with about a season prior. Over here he was no different than any scoring point now but in Phoenix even though he was effectively the back-up PG when Nash went to the bench he still had Barbosa who could cross match against opposing points. BK was just a half decade late and another dollar short on that debacle.

[diesel50]

Everybody talks about the Shelden pick. I thnk that the Shelden pick was locked in the day that JJ said he would wait for the Hawks to get their situation cleaned up. Remember, our ownership split and there were other teams like Milwaukee & NY who were willing to pay JJ but JJ said no... he would wait on us. That was because JJ's agent was calling the shots.... and when JJ's agent needed somebody to take his other player (Shelden)... we were the lock. In fact, I recall him also saying that LaMarcus and Roy were also headed where he wanted them to go.

But JJ was acquired in the summer of 2005. The summer we drafted Marvin Williams. Lamarcus, Brandon Roy and Shelden weren't drafted until 2006.

The reason we passed om CPIII and Deron is because BK didn't believe PGs were a necessity. He even envisioned JJ playing Point Guard. Next to Chill at SG, Marvin at SF and Smoove at PF.

They’ve tried everything at the point from Royal Ivey to Anthony Johnson to Tyronn Lue to even playing Joe Johnson at point guard during his first season with the team.

Hawks Lose an Owner, but They Gain a Point Guard

On the JJ draft.... Yes. Exactly. The very next year, we owed JJ's agent. He owned the whole 2006 draft. As far as the PG thing. Come on. BK had to have a good reason for going after Joe. Chillz had just had a very strong end of the season (in a losing cause). BK had to justify going after Joe and in essence wasting the #6 pick on Chillz. I don't think BK believed that Joe would be PG. That plan worked for all of 2 games.

[Jamaaliver]

^I feel like you're either getting your summers confused or simply making up this argument as you go.

2006 was around the time of the ill-fated Speedy Claxton debacle.

Shelden was a lock as a lottery pick after a productive career at Duke. We picked him as yet another 6'8" forward who could substitute and switch with the other 5 guys like him on our roster. Prior to that Zaza 'Brickhands' Pachulia had served (admirably) as our starting Center.

Chill...had already been demoted to the bench behind Smoove as our froncourt was overcrowded with AL Harrington, Marvin.

And why would we 'owe' JJ's agent after we paid him $100 million? I've never heard this conspiracy theory. Links?

[MaceCase]

It's his own theory that he's been running with for years. It has some merit given that Roy nor his agent would like to come to Atlanta given that the SG and SF positions were already occupied by both JJ and Marvin who were the big acquisitions just the previous summer but that had no bearing on picking Shelden especially WHERE Shelden was picked.

This was BK's "Promise Gate". Most scouts had Shelly Shell going closer to the 20s than anywhere within the top ten yet BK let it be known far and wide that he was going Shelden all the way. The prudent move would have been to trade back to where Shelden would have been still available while collecting more assets but BK in all his stubbornness decided to reach instead.

Either way, the Hawks offered Joe the most money the previous year considering that he complained that Phoenix low balled him, Redd remained with Milwaukee and Cleveland went in the direction of Hughes. I see no possible scenario where BK would have felt beholden to Joe's agent by throwing even more money into his pocket selecting Shelden that high.

[diesel50]

And why would we 'owe' JJ's agent after we paid him $100 million? I've never heard this conspiracy theory. Links?

Well, for starter, let's start here: http://m.sportsbusinessdaily.com/Daily/Issues/2006/06/Issue-191/Sports-Industrialists/Arn-Tellem-Leads-Way-With-Six-First-Round-NBA-Draft-Picks.aspx

IMO, I believe Arn Tellem fixed the 2006 draft. For several reasons:
1. Brandon Roy only worked out for Portland.

Many Hawks fans are upset because it was leaked that we would get Shelden. Well, it was also leaked that Portland would get Aldridge and Roy. Tellem IMO was the leak because he knew he had the power to do it. People still don't know why Chicago took Thomas?

Roy said years later that he had wanted to play for Nate (who was coaching the Blazers but had coached Seattle and got to know Roy over the years). Tellem told him that he would.

This is the problem I have with super agents. Some of them can become so powerful that they can put players where they want them to go. I think that's what happened with PTL. I think our loyalty to Tellem was based on the fact that he kept JJ loyal to us and that we knew that we would need to work with him again.

[parson]

The OP asked if Ferry was seeking to build a team on the cheap. I suppose the real question was if we were seeking to build a Moneyball team without a superstar.

Considering that Ferry put us into position to get both Chris Paul and Dwight Howard last Summer, I'm guessing the answer is no. I think Ferry is trying to build a good team and maintain cap flexibility because those are the 2 best ways to acquire a superstar, namely either attract him to your good team or have the ability to take advantage of another team's financial woes - as demonstrated by HOU when they were able to trade for James Harden when OKC found themselves in the position of having to choose between Ibaka and Harden due to financial constraints.

Look at us now: with Horford, Millsap and Carroll, we're a top 3 team in the East. If Teague had taken the next step, we would have been the most attractive place for FAs. We're still very attractive. Imagine if you're a max FA-type, looking to win a championship AND make all the money you can. You look at the Hawks and see a team good enough to pass the 2nd round without you. Then you see a good bench, 2 Centers parked overseas and good picks coming. You can take that team to the finals.

Considering we have Teague or Schröder, Nogueira and a few good first rounders to offer, we could trade pretty well, also.