Small Forward Dumpster Diving.

Going for twitter sized bits and bites. There's a lot that interests me here and I cannot fight to post more than that. So, let's roll.

10. Tyren Johnson (6'8" 205 UL-Lafayette) A small school Josh Smith with surprising range. Won't be drafted. But watch him.
9. Tyler Smith (6'7" 210 Tennessee) A defender who would be ranked much higher if he could've kept his head right.
8. Vladimir Dasic (6'9" 225 Serbia) If he gets religion about playing inside? The sky's the limit. Big and physically gifted. Great defense.
7. Nemanja Bjelica (6'10" 210 Serbia) A 6'10" lead guard who needs to control the ball to be good.
6. Marquis Blakely (6'5" 220 Vermont) Yeah, he's undersized. But he's disruptive and smart. He's this years Diamon Simpson.
5. Darrington Hobson (6'7" 220 New Mexico) A lefty point forward who needs work on his J and lacks some athleticism. Will likely kill in Italy.
4. Lazar Heyward (6'6" 225 Marquette) Will be a great 7th man. Strong enough to defend a good four with good intangibles and an underrated shot and athleticism.)
3. Devin Ebanks (6'8" 205 West Virginia) Is it a question of pace or assertiveness? His offensive game is tremendous inside the arc and he vacuums up a goodly sum of boards. But 9 shots a game? Too few.
2. Quincy Pondexter (6'6" 220 Washington) Great athlete. Good slasher. An improving defender with an underrated shot from 3. I think I've talked myself into him.
1. Stanley Robinson (6'8 213 UConn) A physical freak who knows his offensive limitations. Good defender. Is he polished? Nope.

30 in 30? Hawks

There's a certain swagger in the ATL. Mike Woodson may be a giant douchebag. But he won't break this teams stride. Really I promise.

The team itself?
Mike Bibby: Hey, who stuck a fork in his back?
Speedy Claxton: Really, really slow.
Maurice Evans: A retarded Josh Childress.
Thomas Gardner: Paul Shirley without the height and humor.
Al Horford: 82 games of double-double magic.
Othello Hunter: In an alternate universe, Go Ranger is a scrappy small forward from Florida. What?
Joe Johnson: Bonafide. He's the best start two guard who nobody cares about.
Solomon Jones: Has an opportuinty to live the American dream.
Acie Law: Acie Law may be driving car by Feburary. How can this be?
Randolph Morris: He's gonna keep Horford at the four. He'll make Dwight Howard call Horford a pussy.
Ronald Murray: The veteran two-guard offense who could do about 80% of Joe Johnson if disaster struck.
Zaza Pachulia: If you call the starting low post of Horford-Pachulia High Energy? Zaza would be Owen Hart.
Josh Smith: Believe in him and he will not lead you astray.
Mario West: Scrappy energy on the wing. Oh, he's not white?
Marvin Williams: Not Chris Paul, but not a bust. He's gonna make some awesome soon.

They move up a level, and Woodson gets shitcanned.

An NBA Preview in 5 words or less...

Well, five words or less per team. Because that would be impossible the other way. So, let's talk hoop shall we?



Atlantic Division
Celtics: Who replaces James Posey?
Nets: At least fun to watch.
Knicks: A personnel mess.
76ers: A big three, Celtics Style?
Raptors: A healthy Jermaine O'Neal? Nonexistent.



Central Division
Bulls: John Paxson, trade a guard!
Cavaliers: Enter a second scoring option.
Pistons: A slump equals fire sale.
Pacers: Character equals mediocre.
Bucks: First-round playoff loser.



Southeast Division
Hawks: Can build off playoff battle.
Bobcats: Youth brings Larry Brown redemption.
Heat: 3 stars and nothing else.
Magic: A wide window of opportunity.
Wizards: Agent Zero, becoming a problem.



Southwest Division
Mavericks: The John McCain of basketball.
Rockets: McGrady's health is the engine.
Grizzlies: A team in shambles.
Hornets: James Posey's Veteran Intangibles!
Spurs: Meet the EA Curse.



Northwest Division
Nuggets: Too much machismo to win.
Timberwolves: Year 2 rebuilding brings hope.
Trailblazers: Everbody's on their jock.
Thunder: The Kevin Durant show.
Jazz: Quickly closing window of opportunity.



Pacific Division
Warriors: No point to them.
Clippers: Feast or famine? Feast.
Lakers: Kobe's gonna break this year.
Suns: Robert Sarver murdered them.
Kings: Kevin Martin stick-figure smile time!

Some cryptic, some funny, some real analysis. Let's be honest. It's honest.

Working on my issues.

Some brief Hoops thoughts...

A couple of moves have caught my eye as intriguing. Sure, they're small moves. Not much more than agate type in this day and age. But they are both key to improving their team.

The Hawks sign G Ronald "Flip" Murray

It is often said that luck is where timing meets opportunity. Well, in another world, Ronald Murray was the NBA Draft Guide comparison to Eric Gordon. They're both excellent scorers with a good ability to create their shot. They both have good handles, even if no one would make the claim that they need to play the point. But they are a tad undersized at the two.

Now, don't let me say that this is a claim that the Hawks need to go with a Johnson-Smith-Horford frontcourt. However? They are now seven deep before they have to start with the hope and faith and spare parts. This is stealthy good.

The Suns sign G Goran Dragic

Ever since FreeDarko mentioned Dragon Magic in concert with Goran? I was on board. Until the Spurs drafted him. But then? The Suns made a trade!

And the bandwagon was back on. But the fact is? If anybody fit the Spur ethos, it's Dragic. He's a fierce defender. He'll get a little dirty. But he's not a shooter. However, the point guards aren't required to be slick shooters. And he also does not have to be ready this year.

The Suns have pointmen that will have him ready to run when his time comes. Paying a little from the MLE was actually half-savvy from Steve Kerr...

Run! Steve Kerr didn't do something stupid!

If the Hawks let Josh Smith go?

The Memphis Grizzlies signed my American Basketball Hero to an offer sheet at 5/58. If the pre-Hot Stove Rumors are true? The Young Mr. Smith has signed an offer sheet for just beyond what the Hawks were willing to pay. And you know what?

If the Hawks let him go with no return, they should be contracted.

Now, I'm coming to this as a Bucks fan. (And we got Fransisco Elson y'all!) I admit that mental retardation has been something the Senior Senator from Wisconsin has been accused of on multiple occasions in his running of the Bucks. But the fact of the matter?

Josh Smith's three position mastery is something that makes the Hawks great. Team him with Joe Johnson and you have enough workmanship on the 2/3/4 that magic gets made. Add Al Horford and what's left of Mike Bibby and there's legitimate excitement in Atlanta regarding pro basketball for the first time since, well, ever.

They got to Game 7 with Boston. And they have a pretty good nucleus to build on this fact. However? It's Atlanta. The ownership is mediocre (and in the NBA that means shitty). They could be hell bent in turning this team into a modern day Spirits of St. Louis.

I'll be honest, this team has a potential to shock the world. Look at it this way, Bibby/Johnson/Smith/Horford/Pachulia can start some shit. Acie Law, Randolph Morris, and Marvin Williams are the potential that still could become solid starters. Add Maurice Evans and Solomon Jones to the proceedings? And it's all good.

They just need to spend 3 million dollars to do it.

UPDATE: Those of you that have been here know that I get hyperbolic when it comes to a team lead by Josh Smith. After all they did lose Josh Childress. To Greece. Paul Shirley knows their payments are dodgy.

And he'd rather go there than Atlanta.

Nevertheless, Frenemy of Blog Lang Whitaker reports that the deal is done. I just peed a little.