Some get away on draft day By SEKOU SMITH The Atlanta Journal-Constitution Published on: 05/14/06 The age-old question has no clear-cut answer. What's more important in the NBA draft, potential or need? Then again, most teams opt for the best player available. It's the safest and most explainable move for decision makers charged with being exact in a field that is not an exact science. The truth is there is no definitive answer for a question that usually doesn't yield concrete answers until a player's third season. That's why Hawks general manager Billy Knight said he "laughs" at all the preliminary prognosticating and speculation about what teams will do come draft day, which is still more than a month away (June 28). "It's funny because everybody feels and assumes that we wouldn't draft another forward," Knight said at his end-of-the-season media session. "I laugh at that. I laugh at that. You always take the best player. Everybody should remember that. Because you can get booed on draft day and loved on the parade. "I don't like to draft for need, I like to draft the best player. The best player that you see. You always draft the best basketball player you can find regardless of a position. You throw him out there and then it becomes the coach's problem. But you always have good players because you never know what could happen after that, injuries or trades or whatever, and then all those things that were issues [too many players at the same position], all those worries turn out to be for naught." However, the Hawks don't have an impressive draft history. The last time they drafted a future All-Star was 22 years ago, when they made Kevin Willis the 11th pick of the 1984 draft. Five times in the past six drafts the Hawks have used first-round picks on small forwards, usually the most versatile players entering the league because of their length, athleticism and ability to play multiple positions. There's no better friend to draft junkies than hindsight, what could have been had your favorite team had the benefit of knowing then what we all know now. So in the spirit of the times, here's a look at how the Hawks might have been built had they drafted a bit differently in the past six drafts: —————————— 2005 Hawks pick: Small forward Marvin Williams, No. 2 overall Could have had: Point guards Deron Williams (3) or Chris Paul (4) The Hawks opted for the gifted teenager in Marvin Williams, a 6-foot-9, 235-pound wunderkind who still has a chance to rise to the top of his draft class. But they passed on the more immediate backcourt need and on two players who've already established themselves as franchise cornerstones — Paul got 124 first-place votes for Rookie of the Year and Deron Williams the other. 2004 Hawks pick: Small forwards Josh Childress, No. 6, and Josh Smith, No. 17 Could have had: Small forward Luol Deng (7), point guard Jameer Nelson (21) It's hard to argue with the development of Childress and Smith, but both Deng and Nelson are staples at their positions, Deng for a Chicago team that has made the playoffs the past two seasons. Another need pick would have been Boston big man Al Jefferson (15). 2003 Hawks pick: Small forward Boris Diaw, No. 21 Could have had: Small forward Josh Howard (29) Diaw's breakout performance this season — he was named Most Improved last week — makes it hard to argue this pick now. But during his first two, flat seasons with the Hawks, before he was traded to Phoenix last summer in the Joe Johnson deal, no one was sure what he would become. Howard, Robin to Dirk Nowitzki's Batman in Dallas this season, should have been a top-10 pick. 2002 Hawks pick: Point guard Dan Dickau, No. 28 (Sacramento picked him and traded him to the Hawks for a future first-round pick) Could have had: Center Dan Gadzuric (34), power forward Carlos Boozer (35) Dickau was supposed to be a "better shooting" version of Jason Terry, the Hawks' first-round pick in 1999. Instead, he turned out to be one of the more disappointing picks in a first round full of them. The 7-foot Gadzuric or the 6-9 Boozer would have been ideal fits for a Hawks team that played the entire 2005-06 season with just one legitimate NBA-caliber center. 2001 Hawks pick: Point guard Jamaal Tinsley, No. 27 (rights traded to finalize an earlier deal) Could have had: Tinsley or point guards Tony Parker (28), Gilbert Arenas (31) or Earl Watson (40) The Hawks had already dealt the No. 3 pick (which turned out to be Rookie of the Year and current All-Star Pau Gasol), Lorenzen Wright and Brevin Knight to the Grizzlies for Shareef Abdur-Rahim, so the real damage was done. Every team in the league passed on Arenas in the first round. Mehmet Okur (38) and Bobby Simmons (42) were also available. 2000 Hawks pick: Small forward DerMarr Johnson, No. 6 Could have had: Center Chris Mihm (7) or guard Jamal Crawford (8) Even before a horrific car accident, Johnson's footing in the league was tenuous at best. Mihm hasn't established himself as anything more than a role player, and Crawford has endured issues of his own. Still, there were future All-Stars like Jamaal Magloire (19) and Michael Redd (43) available. 资料来源 http://www.ajc.com/news/content/sports/hawks/stories/0514insidenba.html --

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