Hasheem Thabeet = Dikembe Mutombo

[geeman]

The inside presents we need!!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-CuJK47H ... re=related

NBA Comparison: Dikembe Mutombo
Strengths: For his immense size, Thabeet is an above average runner of the court

[Bang' Em Smurf]

presents? really?

[jagstang76]

Spelling aside, I think he may be right. Although I don't think I'd move Marvin to get him. I have no idea where he's likely to be drafted, but I think we should be able to find a way to grab him without giving up a core player. It's just not worth it considering how many of these bigs end up being stiffs.

[parson]

At some point, we'll gamble on a big again. We gambled on drafting Oden and the NBA moved the goalposts by keeping young'uns in school longer. We gambled on Shelden Williams and lost. We gambled on Horford being a 5 (he almost is) and got a terrific PF instead.

Whoever it is, it appears to me that we will move one or more of our core players for a big - either by trading for one or for a draftpick we can turn into one.

Maybe the idea of letting Horford grow in size and strength and handling the post was a good idea, but now it seems he doesn't feel as if he wants to do it long-term.

[killbuckner]

jag- what else on the Hawks do you think is worth a mid first round pick? Honestly BIbby isn't even worth that.

[conleyorbust]

jag- what else on the Hawks do you think is worth a mid first round pick? Honestly BIbby isn't even worth that.

True, Thabeet will probably be top 12 or so pick if he comes out this season. The only team in that area that I could imagine wanting to trade for Marv would be the Bucks... maybe. If they get higher than the 8th pick or so they'd just keep it though. No, the players that would net us top 10 picks from a lot of teams would be Smith and Horford. Are they worth gambling on anyone in this draft not named Rose or Beasley?

[evildallas]

FYI, Smith and Childress can't be traded for a pick and teams rarely trade players after the draft in the free agency period. Our assets for possibly getting into the 1st round are: Joe Johnson, Mike Bibby, Marvin Williams, Al Horford, Acie Law, and Zaza Pachulia.

Let's look at them in reverse:
Pachulia - we'd be lucky to get someone to take the contract and give us a 2nd rounder considering how he's played this year.
Law - hasn't shown enough to get a first out of him at this point.
Horford - wouldn't make any sense to trade.
Marvin - I think he could net a pick between 8-20 based on his promise, but we might have to take a questionable contract back to get to the higher end of that range.
Bibby - Might be able to pick up a pick if we are using his contract to eat a salary dump. The problem is that it creates another hole to fill.
Joe - Can get us a high enough pick, but creates a big hole to fill. A lot of contract has to come back with him, limiting the possible partners.

As you can read, the options to get a high enough pick are limited. Marvin is the most likely to get us a pick without creating a hole that can't be filled. If I were the GM, I'd be working the phones draft night with possibility in mind. If Thabeet and Hibbert are off the board then I don't pull the trigger. Although this off season is the time to trade Marvin. If he gets to RFA status then the trading options become leaner.

[parson]

FYI, Smith and Childress can't be traded for a pick ...

Yes you can if you also take back enough salary in the deal.

Remember how we got Acie Law?

Al Harrington is headed back to the Indiana.

The Pacers acquired Harrington and center John Edwards in a sign-and-trade deal Tuesday for a 2007 first-round draft pick.

http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=2557921

[tontoz]

Yes you can if you also take back enough salary in the deal.

Remember how we got Acie Law?

We got the Acie pick by doing a SNT deal with Harrington the previous year.

Are you saying we should SNT Smith or Childress for a pick in '09? I am sure JJ would love that.

[evildallas]

^^^^ Exactly what I meant. As RFAs they can't be negotiated with until July, which is after the draft. This is why I listed the assets as I did.

However, don't expect anything to happen. Given everything I've heard about the decision making processes with the Hawks leaves me to believe they are incapable of making the quick moves to close a deal while a team is on the clock draft night.

[M301E814W404]

2 things....


1) Thabeet has only played bball for like 5 years. Did everyone else miss them memo on how much he has improved in the last year

2) Dont be surprised if he pulls a hibbert and stays another year in school with a great coach.

[geeman]

2 things....


1) Thabeet has only played bball for like 5 years. Did everyone else miss them memo on how much he has improved in the last year

2) Dont be surprised if he pulls a hibbert and stays another year in school with a great coach.

Although he could use another year to improve his game, he's stressed to turn pro ASAP... his family is dire need of support back in Tanzania and he almost came out last year for just that reason.

[lunarblues]

let me get this straight...

you want to intrust the futher development of somebody whose only played basketball for 5 years to this staff?

think this through... thabeet in atlanta is about as worse as mohammed saer sene to seattle. we need players that already know how to play.

[parson]

Are you saying we should SNT Smith or Childress for a pick in '09? I am sure JJ would love that.

I know I'm being obtuse but I don't get the problem. We could have someone pick for us and then make the trade when it's legal.

Don't tell me the agents don't already know where their deals are coming from before July. Look at this:

Lewis agreed to terms with the Magic earlier this month, yet no deal could be closed until Wednesday, the first day that the league's free agent moratorium was lifted. The pact with Orlando originally was for five years, but the sign-and-trade allowed an extra year to be worked into the contract.

Either way, Lewis said he knew the deal would get done.

"I already knew where my heart was," Lewis said. "My decision was probably made even before these guys put a contract out there."

http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=2932827

I could see a team like Portland being glad to take Chilz and get rid of Miles's contract. Giving up a lottery pick in a 2-horse draft wouldn't bother them very much. They could just put top 2 or 3 protection on it if it did bother them. Thabeet's not going top 3.

For them, the choice would be suffer Miles and add Thabeet or add Chilz and get rid of Miles.

For Smoove, teams would bend over backwards to accommodate us. I'm not saying we should trade Smoove for someone like Thabeet, I'm just talking about whether we have the option of trading with Smoove or Chilz.

[tontoz]

Lewis agreed to terms with the Magic earlier this month,

The story was printed on July 12 therefore "this month" meant july, not june.

[killbuckner]

parson- childress isn't even allowed to talk to the other teams until after the draft. What you are talking about just isn't possible.

[conleyorbust]

parson- childress isn't even allowed to talk to the other teams until after the draft. What you are talking about just isn't possible.

Not to mention that the proposal is trade Childress and take on Miles. Thabeet is not worth that by my estimation.

[geeman]

let me get this straight...

you want to intrust the futher development of somebody whose only played basketball for 5 years to this staff?

think this through... thabeet in atlanta is about as worse as mohammed saer sene to seattle. we need players that already know how to play.

No I don

[parson]

tontoz, I thought that was obvious to all. The point was that the deal was negotiated before the legal signing date. I was saying, "One day, one week, one month; who cares?"

kill, ya got me there. I forgot that. Of course, you and I both know that his agent would indeed be talking before the allowed time ... but the Hawks certainly couldn't make a trade based on under-the-table dealings. We don't have Kevin McHale.

conleyorbust, I wasn't making a proposal. I was trying to prove a possibility.

[_BBIB_]

Maybe the idea of letting Horford grow in size and strength and handling the post was a good idea, but now it seems he doesn't feel as if he wants to do it long-term.

Pre Draft Measurements

Dwight Howard
6'9 w/o shoes
6'10.25" w/ shoes
240 pounds

Al Horford
6'8.75 w/o shoes
6'9.75 w/ shoes
246 pounds


Dwight Howard has gained about 50 pounds since HS, 35 since being drafted.

You keep Horford there. Tell him to put on 15-20 pounds of muscle which with his frame he is fully capable of doing. Horford can most definitely be a 5 in this league.

What he lacks in height he can make up for with athleticism and a low center of gravity.

Despite being so undersized, despite being so underdeveloped offensively, despite making rookie mistakes with cheap fouls and getting rookie calls from the refs, despite not having a true PG for most the year, despite being a 4th option, despite all of these things Horford is a top 15 C in this league right now.


He could easily be a top 10 C in this league by the ripe age of 23 years old.

And next to him he could have a top 10 PF in Josh Smith.


Smoove and Horford playing the 4/5 permanently for this team is something that should most definitely happen. They are not the problem.


This team's problem is lack of effort on boxing out on defensive boards, and not pushing the ball to have an identity offensively.