Mr.Bottomtooth
06-16-2006, 12:23 AM
According to Chad Ford of ESPN Insiders, Atlanta has vowed to take Shelden. Heres the article.
In our latest mock draft, we first reported that the rumor swirling around the Orlando predraft camp was that the Atlanta Hawks had made a promise to Duke's Shelden Williams to draft him.
We said, "The buzz around Orlando on Friday was that the Hawks had cut a deal with Shelden Williams. However, that makes almost no sense. Why cut a deal with a guy this early in the draft, especially one who has a 99.9 percent probability of being there at No. 5?"
Here in Treviso, we've now had two sources, one close to Williams and one close to the Hawks, confirm that Hawks GM Billy Knight indeed asked Williams to shut down his workouts in return for the Hawks' selection.
Williams, in recent days, has canceled workouts with the Timberwolves and Magic and has no more scheduled workouts before the draft. To date, Williams has worked out for six teams: the Warriors, Jazz, Hornets, Celtics, Sonics and Rockets.
While Williams clearly would give Atlanta something it doesn't have, a big, physical rebounder and shot-blocker to play in the paint, at No. 5 the Hawks would be taking Williams several spots higher than where he was projected to go.
But that shouldn't be an issue, according to one NBA executive here in Treviso.
"If you like a player, it doesn't matter where you draft him," the executive said. "Who cares about where he's projected? Williams could have gone to a team like the Rockets (No. 8) or the Sonics (No. 10) anyway. That's not that far off."
The info that the Hawks are apparently taking Williams at No. 5 creates two interesting subplots.
One, it means that it's likely the Hawks aren't trading their pick this year. There had been some rumblings that the Hawks were willing to trade the pick in return for a veteran. Still, it's conceivable the Hawks would trade down a few spots in the draft and try to nab Williams there.
Two, it means that if the Hawks stay at No. 5, two of the top six players in the draft -- Tyrus Thomas, Andrea Bargnani, LaMarcus Aldridge, Adam Morrison, Brandon Roy and Rudy Gay -- are slipping out of the top five.
Kevin McHale of Minnesota (No. 6) and Danny Ainge of Boston (No. 7) must be licking their chops.
I think they are making a big mistake. They NEED Marcus Williams. You know eventually the Hawks are gonna be good because of all these high picks, but this ain't the year if they get Williams.
In our latest mock draft, we first reported that the rumor swirling around the Orlando predraft camp was that the Atlanta Hawks had made a promise to Duke's Shelden Williams to draft him.
We said, "The buzz around Orlando on Friday was that the Hawks had cut a deal with Shelden Williams. However, that makes almost no sense. Why cut a deal with a guy this early in the draft, especially one who has a 99.9 percent probability of being there at No. 5?"
Here in Treviso, we've now had two sources, one close to Williams and one close to the Hawks, confirm that Hawks GM Billy Knight indeed asked Williams to shut down his workouts in return for the Hawks' selection.
Williams, in recent days, has canceled workouts with the Timberwolves and Magic and has no more scheduled workouts before the draft. To date, Williams has worked out for six teams: the Warriors, Jazz, Hornets, Celtics, Sonics and Rockets.
While Williams clearly would give Atlanta something it doesn't have, a big, physical rebounder and shot-blocker to play in the paint, at No. 5 the Hawks would be taking Williams several spots higher than where he was projected to go.
But that shouldn't be an issue, according to one NBA executive here in Treviso.
"If you like a player, it doesn't matter where you draft him," the executive said. "Who cares about where he's projected? Williams could have gone to a team like the Rockets (No. 8) or the Sonics (No. 10) anyway. That's not that far off."
The info that the Hawks are apparently taking Williams at No. 5 creates two interesting subplots.
One, it means that it's likely the Hawks aren't trading their pick this year. There had been some rumblings that the Hawks were willing to trade the pick in return for a veteran. Still, it's conceivable the Hawks would trade down a few spots in the draft and try to nab Williams there.
Two, it means that if the Hawks stay at No. 5, two of the top six players in the draft -- Tyrus Thomas, Andrea Bargnani, LaMarcus Aldridge, Adam Morrison, Brandon Roy and Rudy Gay -- are slipping out of the top five.
Kevin McHale of Minnesota (No. 6) and Danny Ainge of Boston (No. 7) must be licking their chops.
I think they are making a big mistake. They NEED Marcus Williams. You know eventually the Hawks are gonna be good because of all these high picks, but this ain't the year if they get Williams.