espn insider article Atlanta's answer could be Iverson posted: Wednesday, May 17, 2006 | Feedback Here's yet another reason to panic, Hawks fans -- GM Billy Knight is thinking swingman again in this year's draft. Here's the good news, Hawks fans -- Knight may be thinking Allen Iverson could help fix their backcourt problems this summer. Here's what Knight told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution last week: "Guys are running around saying, 'Point guard, point guard.' But what if I don't agree with that? ... I find [such talk] a little humorous and entertaining ... I always take talent. ... I like good basketball players, and there are a lot of 6-foot-8 players in the draft. And 6-8 is the ideal size." While it sounds a little ridiculous for the Hawks to consider taking yet another small forward in the draft, he's made it clear that he doesn't care what you or I think. "I hear people on sports shows," he told the Journal-Constitution, "and I think that person has as much business talking about basketball as I do running the Nuclear Regulatory Commission." For a guy who's never presided over a playoff team in his five years as a GM, Knight sure acts like he knows what he's doing. Maybe, just maybe, he might. The Hawks rebuilding plan may not be quite as bad as it seems. Several sources claim Knight has been jonesing over Italian forward Andrea Bargnani, a 7-foot combo forward who some scouts say is the closest thing they've seen to Dirk Nowitzki. Remember, it was Knight who, while working for the Grizzlies, orchestrated the trade in 2001 that sent Shareef Abdur-Rahim to the Hawks for the No. 3 pick in the draft. Knight selected Pau Gasol with that pick. At the time he was the highest draft pick ever for a European player straight out of Europe. I think Bargnani is a great prospect -- maybe the best prospect in the draft. The problem is that Bargnani plays the same position that Marvin Williams -- the Hawks' 2005 first-round draft pick -- Al Harrington and Josh Smith do: small forward. What won't happen, I'm told, is the Hawks reaching for a point guard like UConn's Marcus Williams. Some have speculated that the Hawks will go for Williams because he's the best point guard on the board. Two things shoot a hole in that theory. First, I'm told that the Hawks don't feel he's a great fit for their system. Second, Williams is a far cry from Chris Paul and Deron Williams, two players the Hawks passed on because they felt they didn't have the talent Marvin Williams -- the No. 2 overall pick last summer -- did. The problem for the Hawks is that without a great free agent point guard crop, the team would suffer through another year without a solid floor leader. However, Knight might have a plan there, too. The Hawks roll into the summer with roughly $15 million of cap space and are considering passing the free agent market altogether and make a trade pitch to the 76ers for Allen Iverson. Knight knows he needs to start adding some star power to the team and Iverson would be a good complement to Joe Johnson in the backcourt. The Hawks might have the goods to pull it off. Knight could offer Harrington (in a sign-and-trade) and one of their young players (Josh Childress or the draft rights to this year's lottery pick) for Iverson. That would free up some of the logjam at the three and four and fill in a serious hole in the Hawks' backcourt. If the Sixers are intent on moving Iverson this summer, they'd have to seriously consider an offer like that. There aren't many teams willing to give up much to bring Iverson into the fold -- but Atlanta might actually be a decent fit. While Iverson wouldn't be the long-term solution for the Hawks, he could add an air of respectability to the team for the next three years while their young players like Josh Smith and Williams develop. Say what you will about Iverson and his practice habits, but he plays hard, fights through injuries and tries to win every game he plays in. For a young team like the Hawks, that would mean something. Another factor that might work in the Hawks' favor is the fact that their head coach, Mike Woodson, was an assistant coach for the Sixers from 2001 to 2003. The same source said Woodson has a good relationship with Iverson and would be willing to take him into the fold Given how few coaches in the league actually could handle AI, that's a plus. Perhaps most important to the Hawks' owners, he'll sell a few tickets. Last season the Hawks ranked 29th in the league in attendance. The Sixers, on the other hand, had the fifth largest-road draw in the league. While Iverson has lost a little of his luster over the past few years, he still puts people in the seats. Whether any of this plays out the way the Hawks intend is anyone's guess at this point. There's no guarantee that Bargnani is around when they pick at No. 4. No guarantee that the Sixers, as they have done the past few seasons, won't decide to hang onto Iverson and give him and Chris Webber one more shot at a title. But at a time in Hawks history when morale is very low, it's nice to see glimmers of intelligent life emanating from one of the NBA's black holes.
OMFG, What is wrong with Knight. If he takes another SF this year I think its about time he gets fired, nobody's buying into his scheme like nobody bought Babcocks scheme in toronto.
<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">OMFG, What is wrong with Knight. If he takes another SF this year I think its about time he gets fired, nobody's buying into his scheme like nobody bought Babcocks scheme in toronto.</div> I don't think he will. i really believe that this is a smokescreen. I mean, this guy proved to be a good GM in MEM, and has done a good job here. plus, IMO, Chad Ford is an idiot. sometimes it seems like his "sources" are the voices in his head. So I think we're safe.
