ESPN.com – NBA/DRAFT2006 – Katz: Lots of candidates for this year’s No. 1 pick
Okay, the Hawks, being the Hawks, have the fourth-best chance of winning the draft lottery tonight. Of course, they won’t, because they’re the Hawks. Anyway, even if they did get the #1 pick they’d just screw it up. You want to know who’s going to flop? Look at who the Hawks pick, and now you know. Who will be rookie of the year? Whoever gets picked next, probably.
Sorry for imposing basketball, but I think I’m entitled every so often.
I’m a lifelong Hawks fan, too, and, even as a kid, I kinda knew they were somehow doomed.
After they traded Pete Maravich to New Orleans (for reasons I didn’t understand at the time), I was upset. Then, they drafted David Thompson & Marvin Webster, only to see them scurry to the ABA. Before that, they had Dr. J in uniform for one pre-season game, but lost him, too.
In my years of fandom, they’ve had three eras of second-round playoff basketball, and that’s it. Some thrills, some exciting players, but ultimate disappointment.
Truthfully, it’s hard to have faith in the Hawks ever doing the right thing for themselves, but it’s worse than ever now that they’re so ridiculously awful–it’s really hard to care. And seeing Jason Terry hit so many big shots for Dallas in the past week didn’t help.
“And with the #1 pick of the NBA draft, the Atlanta Hawks take…..Chris Reitsma?!?
I disagree, Mac. I think that, this being the year where there is really nobody exceptionally worthwhile in the NBA Draft, the Hawks probably will get the No. 1 pick this year, and it will be next to useless based on the talent in the draft. I really don’t see how any of the top players in the draft will really help the Hawks all that much.
-Tyrus Thomas is essentially Josh Smith. I see no need for another Josh Smith.
-LaMarcus Aldridge isn’t actually a center. He’s really more of a power forward. Anybody who saw Glen Davis absolutely whoop his ass in the regional final knows this. He’s a power forward, and not as good at Tyrus Thomas at the position, either.
-Adam Morrison. Oh joy…another swingman. Billy Knight is to swingmen as Dan Reeves is to tight ends. He thinks you need 10 of them on every team, apparently. We currently have FIVE swingmen and no point guards or centers!!! Obviously we need one more swingman just for the hell of it. Add to all that the fact that Morrison is going to be a fairly large flop, and I’m starting to think this is the pick the Hawks will make.
-Andrea Bargnani. Oh dear God…please make it stop!!!
Having said all this, I’m sure one of these players will probably do alright and the Hawks will have a chance to draft him and won’t. I agree with you on that.
The smart thing to do would be to trade down and pick up a center or a point guard who can actually help us, but since Billy Knight isn’t smart by any stretch of the imagination, there’s no chance in hell of that happening.
I believe there is a way out of this – the Hawks owe the Suns a first rounder, so they can give them the pick this year if they want, and tank the season in hopes of winning the Greg Oden Sweepstakes.
How f***ng depressing is that? It sickens me that our biggest needs (C, PG) haven’t changed since JT left, we traded for a guy who plays the same position as our best young players, we gave up a guy who might have been almost as good as the guy we got, we passed up Paul, we missed out on Howard… everything that could go wrong over the past five years has gone wrong.
Remember when we got Shareef and the front office (led by Lon Kruger, I believe) guaranteed a playoff berth, or the season ticket holders got their money back? The franchise lost more money than usual that season.
Have you guys read the Iverson rumors? Something like Harrington (in a sign-and-trade) + Childress / this year’s first rounder to the Sixers for AI. (Personally, I think the Sixers would be stupid for taking anything less than all 3.) I think that would be a pretty good move for the Hawks…what do y’all think?
Iverson could perhaps personally take them to 40 wins & an 8th seed for a couple years, but at this point in his career I can’t see him as worth the trouble.
i don’t mind losing this year’s first rounder, but not having two out of the next three seems like a bad idea. also, iverson is clearly on the downside of his career, which is not a good attribute for a player coming to a young, rebuilding team.
that said, childress plays joe johnson’s position. i like josh smith more than him, so i don’t mind losing him.
i dunno. iverson might put asses in seats. why not. the team is f***d either way.
Go Braves.
Yeah, I like the move for the increased interest in the team it would create. No, it won’t make the Hawks a championship contender, but nothing they can do in the next 3 years really could, either, so why not at least give them some credibility and clear some of the swingmen from the roster in the process.
Plus, I really, really like Iverson. Lots of people complain, but he plays hard and he’s a great teammate, by virtually all accounts.
AND, adding someone like Iverson makes the team more attractive to other free agents, who have, aside from Johnson last year, shown virtual no interest in coming to the ATL.
In sum: I’m all for going after Iverson.
On the other hand…
Hmm… I made it! lol… wondered what happened last night!
Jaret Wright just nearly got killed by ANOTHER line drive. WTF is up with this dude?
why in the world would any basketball player want to play for the hawks? That team sucks so bad it’s not even funny. Iverson would never play for the hawks. I can promis that right now.
How do people want the Mets/Phillies series to go? I think I’m for a 2-1 series win for the Phils. (They’re up 2-0, going to the bottom of the 1st at Shea.)
That’ll work for me Stu! …the mets def don’t need to come out on top… there ego is bad enough! lol
As long as the Phils win 2 games, I’m cool. Even if they sweep ’em, that’s fine with me. The Mets are the kind of team & franchise that feasts on self-doubt.
I would also like to see the Phillies take the series–even though I think they are ultimately the more dangerous team. For now, the Mets are the chief challenge and I agree with Ububba; it would not surprise me to see them implode in mid-summer.
I would rather finish third to the Phillies than second to the Mets.
The Hawks, being the Hawks, got the fifth pick, which is interesting because the stories I saw said that there were four players worth considering #1 overall. Typical. According to the early mock draft on ESPN, they’ll pick… a shooting guard. Because they don’t already have eight guys who can play that position.
At least we’re not the Knicks – their pick, which goes to Chicago, became #2 overall. If they stink again this year, Chicago has the right to swap picks with them next year as well.
“MARLINS WIN IT! RAMIREZ SCORES! CABRERA SCORES! HOW ABOUT THAT FOR A WALK-OFF WIN!”
I live Florida, and I may be a huge Braves fan, but there’s still a spot in my heart for the Marlins. One thing about Dontrelle: He was the first to go tackle Mike Jacobs.
I live in Florida, I meant to say. I live even closer to the D-Rays, but I just can’t bring myself to enjoy that team. The Trop is a decent dome to watch the AL East powerhouses, though. It’s sad that even though St. Pete has done a pretty rotten job of supporting their team, the team has done a even more rotten job of giving St. Pete a team to support.
I was at arguably the greatest Marlin moment in their history: the Game 6 WS win in Yankee Stadium. A very weird game, I gotta say.
It’s beyond me why Florida teams can’t draw crowds and keep consistently good teams. Little League is huge here, some of the best high school and college baseball is here, but no one wants to get out to Dolphin Stadium or the Trop. Same with Atlanta, but to a lesser degree. I’m a life-long Floridian (hold your boos), but it’s just beyond me why this goes on.
Phils’ Ryan Franklin gags up the lead at Shea. With 2 outs, he drops a toss at first for the third out. Double. Homer on an 0-2 count to Reyes. Blech.
Rob,
Re: Marlins.
I have a friend in Broward County who’s a huge Marlins fan (the only one I’ve ever known) & tells me the biggest issue is the rain and the fact that the Marlins don’t have a retractable-roof stadium.
He says that rain or the threat of rain keeps people away from going to the games. If you’ve spent any time in South Florida, you know how weird the rain is down there. It’ll be pouring 100 yards from where you’re standing & you’ll never get wet. The rainstorms blow through there so fast and often, it’s really hard to predict.
So going to a ballgame is really problematic. Who wants to get rained on?
Pujols hit a screamer in San Fran for #23. I say we put together a Reitsma/HoRam/LaRoche package for that guy 🙂
Seriously, though. Why is there so much media attention on Bonds passing some stupid record that was broken 30 years ago, and so little on Albert Pujols? He isn’t even cheating!
We don’t know that he’s not cheating.
Brian Jordan, Lousy First-Baseman, Exhibit D…
In America, you’re innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. In my eyes, baseball players are clean until they are proven (or admit) otherwise. Maybe Pujols is cheating, but it’s awfully unfair to suspect him when the only reason you have for doing so is “Gee, he hits really well.” Does that mean we suspect that Willie Mays, or Mike Schmidt, or even Dale Murphy cheated, too?
It’s not like the guy came out of nowhere. As my friend Mike said when I bid on him in our fantasy auction, “I’m betting he’s a five-year wonder.” Heh. The guy has done nothing but hit since he came up, and he’s been getting tested for steroids throughout his minor league and major league careers. I’m sorry, but suspecting him is just wrong.
I see what you’re saying. I live down near Tampa during the school year, and in northeast Florida during the summer, and you’re right about the unpredictability of rain. Unfortunately where I live in northeast Florida, we haven’t had a downpour in 3 months, which is pretty bad and very uncommon.
Re: Jordan
I’m still pleasently surprised as to how well Jordan has done so far. By all accounts, outfielders like Hank Aaron and Willie Mays really struggled at first, so I’m patient with Jordan. Besides, that wasn’t a good thing by Renteria.
If the Mets and Phillies are going to play extra innings, let’s hope they play lots of them. Like ten, fifteen.
Kyle,
Willie Mays and Dale Murphy never looked like they could pose on the cover of Marvel Super-Hero Team-Up.
But, if you notice, I didn’t say anything about Pujols being on steroids. What I said is that we don’t know that he’s not. These suspcions are related to something that MLB wrought.
In America, generally, innocent-until-proven guilty is true, but that’s not really the case in baseball. Why? Because MLB don’t even check for it.
The testing remains a joke. Namely, MLB doesn’t blood test anyone for HGH (the only way they can detect it in your system) and Bonds (for example) was loaded with masking agents. So this system makes you feel better?
I don’t know what Pujols is or isn’t doing, but I’ll never say I know that he’s not juicing. Has little to do with him, it has all to do with MLB.
I blame that unearned run on the umpire.
We need some offense. Sooner would be better.
Home run Jorge Sosa!
Wow. What a blast…
SOSA!!!!!!!!!!!!
Sutton: BYE
LMFAO
I don’t know that I’ve seen a pitcher pose like that after hitting a homer before.
Anyway, it’s bedtime. See you folks tomorrow.
Going to bed at 10:30? What an old lady 😉
wow, the emoticons actually draw themselves. how alarming.
Phils & Mets go to the 12th…
Sosa has more HRs than Marcus this season.
ESPN had a couple of good articles on Pujols this past weekend:
In my view, I think that there are a few reasons people don’t question Pujols’ denial of steroid use:
1) He’s a genuinely nice person by all accounts – liked by his team.
2) Sincerely religious (and quiet about it) – wears a cross stiched into his shoes.
3) Never had a Bonds-like sudden increase in bulk during an offseason.
4) No “oh, I thought it was flaxseed oil” testimony in front of a grand jury.
5) No ex-girlfriends or teammates claiming that they injected him / saw him using steroids.
I’m probably forgetting some, but those above should be sufficient.
More than Marcus, more than Pratt and tied with Renteria.
And he only bats one out of every five games.
The Atlanta Braves career home run record numbers that they put up earlier in the game were eye-opening. With Chipper’s iffy health, it looks like Andruw is one more contract or extension away from possibly not just breaking that record but putting it out of reach for many, many years. There’s not an active Atlanta Brave in sight once you get past the Jones boys.
“spiderman undershirts” lmao @ pete & don
Good point Mac. I’ve never seen a pitcher pose like that. It was a sweet pose too! It was like a Griffey pose.
Man, Sosa’s got some good stuff tonight. It’s been awhile since he pitched this well against a major-league team.
Mets & Phils go to the 13th…
How many pitches is he at?
87, I think.
Not too bad. This has to be his last inning though, and now it’s 1st and 2nd with 1 out.
Boy, that ump squeezed Sosa on both those walks.
The announcers just had an anecdote about Bobby Cox saying, in Spring Training, that Paronto reminds him of Kevin Gryboski (and then saying some misguided statement about getting double play balls with the bases loaded).
Mac, in his first entry about Paronto: “He’s essentially Gryboski with better control.”
Mac == Bobby.
Ouch…
Ugh…
Would Beta-meat have made that play?
Actually, I think so.
Big out from Remlinger.
Phils & Mets go to the 14th.
Of all people, Ryan Madson has 5 scoreless innings for Philly.
Remlinger!
At least the Mets and Phillies have gone to the 14th….
Lets hope that Remlinger can get out of the mess…
Wow, dude, Remlinger’s having a 1999 flashback…
Ouch. Two strikeouts from the salt-and-pepper man.
McCann on deck… nice…
McCann back! My fantasy team thanks the Braves trainers.
Alright Mac, you got your wish: Mets & Phils go to the 15th.
BTW, Ryan Madson is looking like Don Drysdale out there.
seeing McCann ph made my night… although it was painful to watch him have to collapse on that back leg… I was wondering when he came up if he’d be able to really drive on it… but it was nice to see him back
Ray gets it done–now can we get a run? An earlier incarnation of Marcus would be a nice way to start…
c’mon guys… find the offense now! please!!
Top of the order, let’s get ‘im.
1 out
yes… finally someone on… c’mon Chipper!
Way to go, Edgar!
Mets/Phils go to the 16th. Madson has now thrown over 100 pitches in scoreless relief.
Edgar!
that pitch was outside!
oh well two down now… c’mon Andruw!
Someone has been playing like they were hungover all night.
crap
It is pretty sad to lose a game in which the Braves have as many errors as the Padres have hits.
Lets hope the Mets and Phillies play a few more…
Hard to believe our game ended before the one at Shea, which began 3 hours earlier.
Well, more bad news: Mets win in the 16th on a Beltran HR.
Well, Sosa pitched great and it looks as if he is trying to stay in the rotation. It’s sad that he gave up 0ER’s and only 2 H’s and he picks up the loss. Does anyone else notice that Chipper looks tired or bored or whatever, but the lack of power and the “crap” defense should land him on the bench for a few days. I say we should let Betemit start tonight and give Chipper the next two days off.