NBA Draft News and Rumors

[SB75]

And Yes, Smith would fit in very well with the Lakers.

[Bravo95]

A year ago, I was hoping we would trade Smith for the Wolves pick and take Kanter but I'm so glad that didn't work out.

Kanter will be good. He and Favors will form a great defensive interior someday, but EK went to a bad situation where there are too many talented bigs (Millsap, Jefferson, Favors) and not enough mins, like Derrick Williams in Minnesota.

[jdiddy24]

If Chase Budinger got the Rockets the #18 pick... you have to assume we could get a pick in the 20's for Marvin right?

[SB75]

If Chase Budinger got the Rockets the #18 pick... you have to assume we could get a pick in the 20's for Marvin right?

That was my point, my friend.

[Bravo95]

So I'm reading various blogs and columns about trade rumors and fans are whining about potential fan backlash if certain guys are traded. I'll say the same thing I've said in the Braves forum: If the fans aren't showing up, who cares what they think. This season, the Hawks ranked 20th in attendance, behind the Wizards and Raptors. The ones complaining the most are usually the ones who never buy tickets or merchandise. All decisions should be based on improving the team now and/or in the future. I don't care if that building is empty next season if the product on the court is on the right track to winning a championship years down the road.

[SB75]

•New Hawks GM Danny Ferry is expected to try to package a player with the No. 23 pick to move up in the draft.

Interesting.....

[SB75]

•Washington guard Tony Wroten is drawing interest from a pair of teams with picks in the 20s. Ronald Tillery of the Memphis Commercial Appeal says Wroten has piqued the Grizzlies' interest, while Chad Ford of ESPN.com says the Hawks have become "enamored" of Wroten.

Been saying he would be a good pick for us for a while now. Read a report that compared him to Rondo and in a you tube interview he compares his self to Westbrook..... If he can have Rondo's passing and defense with Westbrooks ability to get to the rim and atleticism, look out!

[SB75]

If we can make a trade be it Smith, Horford, or Johnson and come away with Perry Jones or Drummond with that pick and get Wroten with our pick I'll be happy! Very happy!

[Bravo95]

New SLAM Magazine article on Ivan Johnson and his journey to the NBA:

“When he changed his attitude, that’s when we got over the hump as a team,” Oliver says. “He was fun to be around, he really was. Kind of a prankster.”

But with a reputation that preceded any and all accomplishments, Ivan went undrafted in the 2007 NBA Draft. 2007 was also the year Ivan’s mother, Sandra Johnson, passed away. He made her last name his own (by then he was known as Ivan Johnson to most, and he’s still technically Wilkerson-Johnson, but he wanted to make sure his mother’s name was permanently attached to his), and despite an uncertain future, Ivan then declared that he wouldn’t—couldn’t—give up. “I promised my mom that I wouldn’t quit until I made it,” he says. “So I just kept it pushing.”

He resurfaced in Puerto Rico, his favorite place to have spent time playing pro ball to date. Why? “For the ladies,” he says. Ivan also lived a few steps from the beach, which certainly beat the brutal cold of a South Korea winter. Once the season living the good life—albeit one in which he made less money than he had in Asia—concluded, Ivan threw his name back in the D-League draft and was selected 15th by the Erie BayHawks.

Ivan played some of the best ball of his life in Erie, and yet, déjà vu: His numbers were great—22.6 ppg, 7.8 rpg—but he also led the league in technical fouls, and was tossed out of multiple games for picking up pairs of ‘em. “It still was a constant struggle for him to maintain his emotions,” says Jay Larranaga, Head Coach of the BayHawks. “But he was conscious of them, and it was something we talked about a lot.” Ivan was a fan favorite in Erie, with his face covering a pair of billboards and a trip to the D-League All-Star Game to show for it. But still, even while Ivan racked up 20 and 10s against the competition—including many NBA players down on assignment—not a single GM picked up the phone to give him a chance.

http://www.slamonline.com/online/the...-ivan-johnson/

Long but good read.

[SB75]

2012 NBA Draft: Tony Wroten, Tyshawn Taylor Scheduled For Final Hawks Workout

Jun 26 8:01a by Kris Willis


Read More: Kirk Hinrich (G - ATL), Jeff Teague (G - ATL), Atlanta Hawks

The Atlanta Hawks will wrap up announced workouts on Tuesday with a couple of point guard prospects in Tony Wroten and Tyshawn Taylor.

Its interesting that Wroten is in the final workout for the team as most early mock drafts projected him to Atlanta then moved off of him. Chad Ford's latest mock draft once again projects Wroten to the Hawks.


Analysis: The Hawks don't have any depth behind point guard Jeff Teague. Sources say that, in the past few weeks, they've become enamored with Wroten. His shot is broken and he can be wild, but he has enormous upside as a big point guard who can see the floor and get to the rim.

Taylor is another interesting prospect that could be in play in the second round should Atlanta focus on drafting a big or a wing in the first round. Wroten fits the combo guard profile and could potentially slide into the reserve role that Kirk Hinrich was in last season.

Read more on the NBA Draft and the Atlanta Hawks at Peachtree Hoops and our dedicated NBA hub page. As always, SB Nation Atlanta is your source for local sports news and analysis.

Any word on how the workout went yet?

[*Silver&Black*]

Interesting.....

Drummond, here we come.

[Bravo95]

There are two skills in particular, though, that tend to survive the move up in class better than others.

"Shooting and rebounding," Hawks assistant general manager Dave Pendergraft said. "Generally if you shoot well in college, that's an NBA skill that comes to the next level. And if you rebound the ball well in college, that's generally a skill that comes with you as well."

http://www.ajc.com/sports/atlanta-ha...s-1464965.html

[SB75]

1. Fab Melo Big Man Camp

Melo is a legit seven foot tall shot blocker, which fills a massive need in the youth-starved front court behind Al Horford and Zaza Pachulia.

As Melo is rising up draft boards, as legit seven footers have historically done, other players in the big man camp could include Arnett Moultrie, Andrew Nicholson and Perry Jones.

You can't argue with the Hawks coming away with a potential rotational piece with their draft pick, especially if it means the end of the "End-of-the-Line" Boys the Hawks have consistently signed to be the fourth big on the roster.

2. Tony Wroten Jr, Playmaker Camp

And the last time the Hawks had a skill set like this was.....?

Wroten truly behaves like a pass-first player with surprising size and heft to his build. His shot is not pure by anyone's accounts, but the playmaking ability is sorely needed -- as is the confidence Wroten played with at Washington.

You could also not fault the Hawks for coming away with a solid backup combo guard that creates plays with an excellent passer's eye.

Still looking for a report on how it went today.

[SluggeR]

I've been intrigued by what I think Wroten can become, more than what I've actually seen him do. He stuck out to me in one of those highschool all-star games, because he was actually into the playmaking part of being a pg..I love pg's that make the game easier for their teammates and can impact a game by passing. With that being said, I don't see him thriving under Drew. If Wroten lands here, I will be counting the days until Ferry goes and get Jerry Sloan or atleast get rid of Drew. Wroten is going to have to be in the right system, with the right coach, and with the right teammates.

[SB75]

http://blogs.ajc.com/mark-bradley-bl...k_bradley_blog

Interesting take. Do you agree or dissagree?