What if Zion Williamson...

[Atlanta Hawk Fan]

The Hawks are due to win the lottery. Our last #1 overall pick was 1975 and the guy we picked ended up not even playing for us (going to snort coke in the ABA and coming to the NBA through the Nuggets).

The last #1 pick who played for us was 1955's Dick Ricketts and he only played 29 games with the team.

[Jamaaliver]

^That Dick Ricketts era was crazy.

[Atlanta Hawk Fan]

^That Dick Ricketts era was crazy.

1955 for us

NY: 1985's Patrick Ewing
Cavs: 2003, 2012, 2013, 2014 - LeBron, Kyrie, et al- GTFO
Bulls: 1999's Elton Brand, 2008's Derrick Rose - Nope
Suns: 2018 Ayton - Back2Back

We are due.

[Jamaaliver]

Zion’s Dunk Dynasty

Duke freshman Zion Williamson is among the most explosive dunkers the game of basketball has ever seen. We cataloged the best and most impactful of his 52 dunks during a scintillating season in Durham.

http://a.espncdn.com/prod/styles/pagetype/otl/20190314_zion/videos/h/16x9_h5.mp4

ESPN

[Jamaaliver]

I've expressed doubts on this kid all season, but at some point even the greatest skeptics have to admit: The dude is just a special kind of player. A very impressive performance.

Read on Twitter

[Jamaaliver]

Why the Hawks need Zion Williamson more than any other NBA team



The Atlanta Hawks deserve Zion Williamson – namely because they have gone about their rebuild with credibility.

They have a commitment to their young players on and off the court, giving them great player development instruction and veterans (we see you Vince Carter) to guide them through the early stretch of their NBA careers.

Williamson would be a perfect fit for the Hawks amid a rebuild that is headed in the right direction with a star-in-the-making in rookie point guard Trae Young and second-year forward John Collins, who averages 20 points and 10 rebounds. The Hawks are getting better by the game.

Add Williamson’s unique and elite skillset to the mix and the Hawks would accelerate their rise in the Eastern Conference with the potential to become conference contenders.

Without question, Williamson would be in the right place to develop and excel with the Hawks. And they would be one of the most fun and exciting teams to watch.

USA Today

[Jamaaliver]

Read on Twitter

[Radioblacktive1]

It’s true. We deserve him. More than any other lottery team, especially Cleveland and Phoenix.

[IheartTHEhurt]

I'm all for tanking the rest of the games now.. We see the potential in our Young's and I think they would catch on to what's going on

[Night Traen]

If you're willing to believe it's not fixed for the Knicks to get Zion, then we only have 3.5% less of a chance (10.5%) of landing #1 than the top 4 teams (14% each), assuming Hawks finish 5th. I mean, it's a virtual toss up now and it's going to be crazy entertaining this year to see where everyone lands.

[Atlantaholic]

Zion Williams is goint to be a mega star when he makes it into the NBA. No doubt about that.. Only question is about the sustainability of his game. If he has a serious knee injury like Derrick Rose did, will he ever be the same player? Regardless if you get the #1 pick you take all those chances and nab him because his ceiling is unfathomable.

[Jamaaliver]

Holy smokes -- this is the second national publication to declare this in less than a week. The NBA world actually...respects our franchise now?!?

Adam Silver Should Be Rooting for the Hawks to Win the NBA Draft Lottery



If the NBA's lottery reforms are going to work, it will be a few years before anything actually changes. Even with flattened lottery odds that everyone can understand in the abstract, it will take a while before the NBA sees lottery variance that meaningfully alters the way teams behave during the regular season. Tanking still looks like a smart long-term play for various teams around the league, and just as important, stripping down rosters and plunging toward 60 losses is still a strategy that teams can sell to fans who believe that losing and looking for a lottery pick is the best way forward.

In the meantime, we can at least be clear about this much: Adam Silver and the NBA league office should be rooting for the Atlanta Hawks to land Zion Williamson.

Granted, the Hawks are the Zion destination that should have the highest approval rating across the board. Zion in Atlanta would mean a decade of alley-oops from Trae Young.

Meanwhile, Zion's passing would be a deadly secondary weapon in pick-and-rolls with Young, John Collins would be a floor-spacing 20-and-10 third option who would also be dunking dudes into oblivion, and Kevin "Red Velvet" Huerter would be floating around the perimeter and hitting open threes. I don't know if that team could ever guard anyone, but if they are scoring 135 points-per-game on dunks and 30-foot threes and Trae Young floaters, I don't know if it would matter.

SI.com

[~Wretch~]

He's a perfect fit, but Hawks luck tho...

- Hawks finish with the 6th
- Knicks get the #1
- Mavs get #2
- Washington and LA move up
- Hawks slide to 8th

I fully expect it.

[Jamaaliver]

^Just as long as Dallas doesn't get #1.


That would be difficult to get over.

[The Real Dejay]

Hey, I'm not giving up on the wet dream yet. If the Hawks somehow landed the top pick and, say the 7th from Dallas, it would set up for one of the biggest anticipated offseasons in Hawks' history, if not Atlanta sports history. That not only gets Williamson in Hawk gear but puts them in some very tall cotton in terms of being able to parlay the latter pick and a few choice names on the roster into another viable starter.

The second after his name is announced as the first pick overall (which should take about 0.000003464 seconds after the Hawks are officially on the clock come Draft night), ticket sales and prices are going to go through the roof. And we will no longer have to whine about how they're not getting any love in terms of national TV appearances because a good number of their games will be on ABC, ESPN, and TNT; no longer as filler time on NBATV. And as for the holiday season, well, tell Coach Pierce and the gang to hug the wife and kiss the babies because they won't be available come Christmas Day unless it's a home game.

Just think for a second; had Collins been available at the start of the season, this team might be on the fringe of a playoff spot right now. With Zion AND whatever they could get with the 7th pick (if not trading it for a veteran who can play), this becomes a playoff team next season...

[Spud2nique]

^Just as long as Dallas doesn't get #1.


That would be difficult to get over.

Wait...Bob?

I kid Jamaal....I’ll tell you though if that happens I might not get out of bed for a while.

[Spud2nique]

He's a perfect fit, but Hawks luck tho...

- Hawks finish with the 6th
- Knicks get the #1
- Mavs get #2
- Washington and LA move up
- Hawks slide to 8th

I fully expect it.

I think we have the 3rd best odds (if it’s fixed)

1. Knicks- money for Silver and the league everyone’s eatin lobster.

2. Chicago- Big city, good revenue, Zion follows MJ like Kyrie did Lebron to the same franchise.

3. Hawks- You really want Zion to be closest to his home and mature correctly with the best passer in the league, that’s us!

[~Wretch~]

^Just as long as Dallas doesn't get #1.


That would be difficult to get over.

Oh man, I'd die a little inside for sure...

[Atlantaholic]

Holy smokes -- this is the second national publication to declare this in less than a week. The NBA world actually...respects our franchise now?!?

Adam Silver Should Be Rooting for the Hawks to Win the NBA Draft Lottery



If the NBA's lottery reforms are going to work, it will be a few years before anything actually changes. Even with flattened lottery odds that everyone can understand in the abstract, it will take a while before the NBA sees lottery variance that meaningfully alters the way teams behave during the regular season. Tanking still looks like a smart long-term play for various teams around the league, and just as important, stripping down rosters and plunging toward 60 losses is still a strategy that teams can sell to fans who believe that losing and looking for a lottery pick is the best way forward.

In the meantime, we can at least be clear about this much: Adam Silver and the NBA league office should be rooting for the Atlanta Hawks to land Zion Williamson.

Granted, the Hawks are the Zion destination that should have the highest approval rating across the board. Zion in Atlanta would mean a decade of alley-oops from Trae Young.

Meanwhile, Zion's passing would be a deadly secondary weapon in pick-and-rolls with Young, John Collins would be a floor-spacing 20-and-10 third option who would also be dunking dudes into oblivion, and Kevin "Red Velvet" Huerter would be floating around the perimeter and hitting open threes. I don't know if that team could ever guard anyone, but if they are scoring 135 points-per-game on dunks and 30-foot threes and Trae Young floaters, I don't know if it would matter.

SI.com

I agree with this take. Who could guard us?

[HMFFL]

Adam Silver probably just hopes for Zion to be in the largest market possible. Atlanta has evolved over the short-term and would make a great fit for him.
I hope for this off season to be a special one for us.

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