Atlanta Hawks

It’s no mystery that the Hawks GM Danny Ferry is looking to change the culture of this Atlanta Hawks team, I think it was pretty obvious with the huge trade last season with the departure of long time Hawks Joe Johnson and Marvin Williams.  In this case, Ferry is looking to move on from Larry Drew and bring in someone that is new and yet distinguished into this organization as a head coach.  In an earlier article Wes mentions some of the coaching options for this off-season and one of the big ones is San Antonio Spurs head assistant coach Mike Budenholzer. For those that don’t know Mike Budenholzer is the head assistant coach for he San Antonio Spurs and obviously has connections with Danny Ferry seeing as they have both worked for the Spurs organization for the couple of years.  Mike has been as assistant coach for the Spurs since the 96-97 season and the top assistant since the 07-08 season. According to multiple reports, Budenholzer is the lead candidate and favored to end up in Atlanta. Outside of Van Gundy, Mike Budenholzer is the coach that I am really hoping the Hawks get.  If he is anything like multiple coach of the year award winner Mike Popovich, then we are getting a steal and a great person to lead our Hawks.  This would be great for Atlanta since he is bringing in a winning culture into the locker room that has never really had and star-power as of late.  The only problem I would assume that many see is that he is another assistant coach being brought in to be a head coach since we have done the same with both Larry Drew and Mike Woodson.  The difference to me is that he is coming from a completely different organization and the players will not be as familiar with him.  In addition, in worst case scenario and the Hawks are forced to rebuild this upcoming off season, this hire would be great having a knowledgeable young coach to grow with the young team he will be taking on. Mike Budenholzer is a very strong candidate for the Atlanta Hawks and is this writers favorite amongst the pool of available coaches this off season.  From the outside looking in, he has a lot of strengths and if Ferry is trying to make the Hawks into what he wants and follow the Spurs blueprint, then this is a great start.  My only fear is that Budenholzer will not come because he will probably be the likely candidate once the Popovich era is over.  Still though, there is still hope that Hawks and Danny Ferry will gain his interest.

ESPN NBA analyst Chris Broussard is reporting that NBA insiders expect San Antonio Spurs assistant coach Mike Budenholzer to be Danny Ferry's choice as the next head coach of the Atlanta Hawks. Budenholzer has been a part of the Spurs organization since the 1994 season. Elsewhere, the Charlotte Bobcats really like Quin Snyder, who spent last season assisting CSKA Moscow. Snyder was viewed as a favorite last season, and sources say Bobcats GM Rich Cho wanted to hire him over the recently fired Mike Dunlap. Many league insiders believe Spurs longtime assistant Mike Budenholzer will be Danny Ferry's choice in Atlanta. Updates on the Hawks coaching search have been scarce and the local media seems to be more tuned into Larry Drew's eventual destination than who will be replacing him in Atlanta. It was previously reported that the Hawks had interviewed Stan Van Gundy for the position but he later denied interviewing with anybody. Nate McMillan, Kelvin Sampson and Euroleague legend Ettore Messina have been other names that have been mentioned but Ferry's list of candidates is largely unknown. There is a chance that Ferry is waiting to speak with Brian Shaw of the Pacers since Indiana has not allowed him to speak with any teams until after the playoffs are over. Budenholzer is a strong candidate but the problem may be trying to pry him from the Spurs where he is the likely successor to Gregg Popovich. Ferry is trying to remake the Hawks into his own image and the Spurs blueprint will be a heavy influence. Perhaps that will be enough to peak Budenholzer's interest.

NBADraft.net has released their latest mock up of the 2013 NBA Draft and it looks a little different than some of the other sites. For example Kansas guard Ben McLemore is projected as the No. 1 overall pick to the Cleveland Cavaliers with Kentucky center Nerlens Noel sliding to No. 2. Going big is a popular theory for the Atlanta Hawks but NBADraft.net goes a step further with Danny Ferry taking a couple of center prospects in Duke's Mason Plumlee and Brazilian big man Lucas Nogueira. Plumlee has been a popular name for the Hawks among draft pundits. His good showing at the Draft Combine has seemed to solidify Plumlee as a first-round prospect at least heading into individual workouts. With back to back picks the surprise playoff team, Atlanta Hawks address their frontcourt with Mason Plumlee. Plumlee was one of the surprises in college this year, but may slip to the teens due to his case of "senior-itis" Similar to last year with Tyler Zeller, younger prospects with more perceived upside may ultimately push the senior into the second half of the first round. He added some offensive skills around the basket, and played the year with surprising consistency. He is a better version of his brother Miles who somehow landed in the late first round in 2012. While he's not overly skilled in the post, he shows nice explosiveness, runs the floor well and shows a willingness to fight for rebounds and play tough in the paint. In such a weak draft, Plumlee figures to land in the teens. Here is another scouting video from DraftExpress on Plumlee: Lucas Nogueira is a name that I originally wasn't familiar with but I think he would be a stretch to be picked this high in the first round. Nogueira is 20 years old and stands 6-11 but is relatively light at a listed weight of 220 pounds. Here is what NBADraft.net had to say about him: Bebe gives the Hawks the opportunity to bring him in right away or allow him to dvelop for another season in Spain. Nogueira is extremely raw, but players with his size and agility are rare. He had a breakout performance at the Copa America U18 tournament in 2010 and some NBA scouts came away saying he had top 5 pick potential. He lost most of that hype with a dreadful showing at the 2011 adidas Eurocamp in Treviso, but has a huge bounce back season playing in Spain for Estudiantes. "Bebe" developed a reputation for being soft and lazy, but this season he showed dedication and maturity that had been lacking from his game. For him, it's just a matter of becoming more aggressive and maintaining his focus. Bebe has proven himself in the ACB, Europe's best national league and has become our top International prospect for this year's draft. Here is a DraftExpress interview from the 2011 Nike Hoop Summit with Nogueira:

We have looked closely at some of the prospects that are being projected to the Atlanta Hawks in the 2013 NBA Draft. DraftExpress has released its full mock up of both rounds of the 2013 NBA Draft and project two familiar names to the Atlanta Hawks. With the No. 17 pick, DraftExpress predicts the Hawks will select Duke center Mason Plumlee. We previously discussed Plumlee on a couple of occasions but everyone pretty much thinks that Atlanta general manager Danny Ferry will be drawn to the athletic big man. DraftExpress also projects San Diego State guard Jamaal Franklin to the Hawks with the No. 18 pick. The Atlanta Hawks will also own two second round selections and DraftExpress is one of the few sites that releases a full mock up of both rounds. They project the Hawks to select Lithuanian guard Nimanja Nedovic. Nedovic is 6-4 and has a reported 41 inch vertical jump who excels in transition. Here is DraftExpress scouting report on Nedovic: With pick No. 50, Atlanta is slotted to take Minnesota power forward Trevor Mbakwe. As a senior with the Gopers, Mbakwe averaged 10 points and 8.7 rebounds. He checks in at 6-8 and 236 pounds. He is a rare six year college player after being awarded another year of eligibility after suffering a torn ACL as a redshirt senior. Here is Mbakwe's draft combine interview courtesy of DraftExpress:

From the Hawks official website, Micah Hart brings us excellence, beginning with this: Twenty-five years ago on May 22, 1988, two Hall of Famers staged what is widely considered to be the greatest one-on-one battle in NBA Playoff history. In a game that lingers in the minds of NBA fans everywhere (and seemingly can be seen on NBA TV at any given time), Dominique Wilkins and Larry Bird put on a show nonpareil, a can-you-top-this clinic of offensive basketball that captivated all involved spectators -- players and coaches included. This is the story of that afternoon. "It's a duel. Who's going to blink first?" -- CBS analyst Tommy Heinsohn Micah gets all the principles to talk about it: Dominique Wilkins and Larry Bird, Doc Rivers, Mike Fratello, Steve Holman, everyone who was a part of it -- yes, including Cliff Levingston -- chimes in to tell the story of the biggest "One That Got Away" in on-court Hawks history. Be sure to take it all in, if you can stomach re-living the pain for those who were there, and then come on back to discuss. Awesome work, Micah (and the rest of the contributors listed) -- thank you!

Scott Howard-Cooper of NBA.com's latest mock drafthas the Atlanta Hawks and Danny Ferry looking for size in the upcoming 2013 Draft. With the No. 17 pick, Howard Cooper projects Atlanta to take 6-10 small forward Dario Saric from Croatia. We previously briefly discussed Saric and it looked for a moment that he might pull out of the draft all together. Saric is a guy that with some strong individual workouts that could see his name moving up the draft boards. An apparent change of heart after initially saying he would stay in Europe puts the Toni Kukoc-like small forward with a great feel for the game back into lottery contention. Saric's high basketball IQ is regarded as one of his biggest strengths and Toni Kukoc is a player that he is often compared with. DraftExpress recently did a three part video interview with Saric. With the No. 18 pick in the draft, Howard-Cooper has the Hawks going with Louisville center Gorgui Dieng. The run of backup centers begins. Dieng's size and mobility translate into a future as a shot blocker, with signs of a respectable offense. Being 23 years old is a drawback, giving him fewer years to develop and play. Dieng measured out at the combine at just under 6-11 in shoes and 230 pounds. He has good athleticism to go along with his size and played a key part in Louisville's run to the National Championship. He averaged 9.4 rebounds and 2.5 blocks as a junior. At 23 years of age he is a little older than some of the other prospects but still projects to be a serviceable NBA big. Here is DraftExpress' combine interview with Dieng:

Free Agency is still a month or so away but the wheels are starting to be put in motion. Dwight Howard along with Chris Paul will be the two biggest targets on the market this summer and both figure to hear from Atlanta Hawks general manager Danny Ferry shortly after the free agent period opens. According to a report by the LA Daily News who cite sources close to Howard, the Atlanta Hawks are one of the teams that Howard will consider this summer. A source familiar with Howard's thinking says he plans to test free agency and has considered the Lakers, Dallas, Houston, Atlanta and Golden State. Dallas and Houston have been rumored as popular destinations for Howard if he decided to leave Los Angeles. The Hawks have also been rumored but this is the first time that it has been reported that Atlanta would be considered by Howard. The Atlanta Hawks are one of the few teams that can offer Howard a max deal as soon as free agency opens. The Mavericks and Rockets would have to make some minor deals to be able to make a max offer.

As we get approach the 2013 NBA Draft, we are reaching out to local experts to help us scout some of the players the Hawks may take in the first round.  We had Christophe Ney from EuropeanProspects.com help us scout Germany guard Dennis Schroeder. What are his strengths? Weaknesses? Dennis Schröder can be first of all characterized by a fantastic speed that you rarely see for a German or even European guard. Additionally, he has good ball-handling, is a good athlete and has tremendous length with his great wingspan. This helps him to be a superb on-the-ball defender where he can put pressure on his opponents full court. Schröder has also developed quite a solid jump shot over the last two years, which was one of his main weaknesses before. He struggles still to finish close to the rim against physically stronger or taller players that come in help situations. His first step though gives him the possibility to blow by his defender, and he has also improved his court-vision to find the open man on help situations or in the pick-and-roll. What did he add to his team in Europe? What do you think he’ll bring to an NBA team? In a team mainly built around veterans, Dennis Schröder gave them some funkiness with his great speed and creativity in the open court. As he had developed a good three-point shot, he became one of the major scoring threats of his team that, however, played a poor season by its standards of the last years. Schröder will give the team that drafts him a boost in speed in fast-break situations but also a some scoring potential from behind the arc. On the other hand, I think that his impact on the NBA level will be limited in the beginning as he is still very young and has never played on the European top level so far. What kind of style is he best suited for? Clearly a fast-break team where he can push the ball up court and has wings that run well the lanes. He finds his teammates really well and likes to go for the spectacular plays. Schröder will most likely struggle in the beginning against well-organized set defenses so he needs a team with good defensive rebounders that give him the possibility to start early offenses. What sets him apart from other draft prospects at his position? Quick and athletic point guards are quite rare in Europe, so that he sets himself apart first of all by his different background than most of the PGs in the NBA Draft 2013. Schröder has a high will to be successful on the next level. Additionally, his very long arms make him an interesting long term potential especially on the defensive end. What NBA player would you compare him to? Some people compare him Rajon Rondo because of his size and wingspan but I think that this is not a good comparison. Schröder has a better three-point shot than Rondo but is a less skilled passer and rebounder. I see Tony Parker as a better comparison in terms of playing style and potential for the future. What’s your favorite memory of him in Europe? The first quarter of the German U19 League Top 4 semi-final in 2011 where Dennis Schröder dominated the game at will together with his back-then teammates Daniel Theis and Bazou Kante running spectacular plays and throwing around alley-oop passes at will. Here’s what some of the national mock drafts are saying about Schroeder: SI.com Analysis:  Schroeder, says an Eastern Conference scout, “is a miniature [Rajon] Rondo.” At 19, he has natural point-guard instincts, excellent speed and an improving jump shot. Several teams in the 20s would love for Schroeder to fall. Hawks point guard Jeff Teague is a restricted free agent, and though he is likely to return, Schroeder has the potential to be a big-time starter in the future. ESPN.com Analysis:  The rumors flying around Chicago were that Schroeder had a promise from a team. NBA.com Analysis:  A breakout performance for the international team playing against the top U.S. college-bound stars at the Nike Hoop Summit in Portland in April moved the jet-

With so many roster spots available this summer the Atlanta Hawks can go a number of different directions in the 2013 NBA Draft. The Hawks have four total selections including two back-to-back first round picks at No. 17 and 18. CBSSports.com NBA writer Matt Moore has updated his mock draft post lottery and projects University of Kentucky freshman guard Archie Goodwin to the Atlanta Hawks with the No. 17 pick. Archie Goodwin, SG, Kentucky: A change of pace wing, which they already have some of, but Goodwin's the best left on the board. Goodwin was Kentucky's leading scorer during this past season but elected to enter the draft even after the Wildcats' missed out on the NCAA Tournament. He stands 6-5 in shoes and has a 6-10 wingspan on a solid 198 pound frame. He is a plus athlete that has a good burst and could eventually develop into a factor at both ends of the floor. He still is just 18 years old. Here is his draft combine interview with DraftExpress: Most experts have had the Hawks going big with at least one of their choices and Moore is no different projecting Pittsburgh center Stephen Adams to the Hawks with the No. 18 pick. Steven Adams, C, Pittsburgh: A great fit here, depending on who they hire for coach. Adams measured out to an even seven foot in shoes with a 7'4" wingspan and over a 9 foot standing reach. He weighed in at 255 pounds and averaged just over seven points and six rebounds at Pitt as a freshman. Adams biggest asset is his mobility and quickness for his size but he hasn't developed into much of a great offensive player yet. Still like Goodwin, he is very young and there is room for quite a bit of growth. Here is his draft combine interview from DraftExpress:

Here’s what some of the national mock drafts are saying about Nogueira: FOXSports.com Analysis:  ”Bebe” gives the Hawks the opportunity to bring him in right away or allow him to develop for another season in Spain. Nogueira is extremely raw, but players with his size and agility are rare. He had a breakout performance at the Copa America U18 tournament in 2010 and some NBA scouts came away saying he had top-five pick potential. He lost most of that hype with a dreadful showing at the 2011 adidas Eurocamp in Treviso, but has had a huge bounce-back season playing in Spain for Estudiantes. ESPN.com Analysis:  The Brazilian had a coming-out party a few years ago at the under-18 Americas Tournament, then fell off the map for a few years. Lately, he’s putting up solid numbers in Spain and a number of international scouts have him ranked higher than Gobert. He’s rail thin, but he has a great motor and can block shots. NBA.com Analysis:  The NBA has been waiting for years for the athletic 7-footer to add toughness. That it hasn’t happened is a bad sign. That teams able to spend an investment pick are still very interested is a good sign. Photo courtesy of fiba.com