NBA Draft 2011 - What Atlanta Hawks and Boston Celtics are looking for?
The NBA Draft for 2011 is fast approaching and the scouts have long been out on the field. They would no doubt have already submitted their reports to the NBA franchises on what is on offer this year, but the draft pick of a team also depends on what it needs.
We have therefore compiled a manual on the needs each team will be looking to address, come June 23.
Team: Atlanta Hawks
Draft Pick: None in the first round
Recommended Position: Centre
The Atlanta Hawks made one of the worst decisions in NBA Draft history when they picked Marvin Williams instead of Chris Paul in the 2005 NBA Draft. They have struggled with their point guard position ever since. That dilemma was somewhat cured this year, when they acquired the services of Kirk Hinrich. However, he remained injured for the majority of the business duration. In his absence though, sophomore Jeff Teague has impressed a lot in the playoffs.
Atlanta’s run in the playoffs was almost exclusively due to the brilliance of their back court, led by the excellent Joe Johnson. As such, they shouldn’t be looking to strengthen the guards further. Josh Smith also showed in the latter games that with a little more focus and grooming, he can be a top forward in the league, potentially an All-Star.
This brings us to the all important Centre position. Getting murdered against Dwight Howard is not too much of a crime, the man is pretty impressive. Al Horford, the Hawks centre, was recently named in the All NBA Third team. He is no doubt a good player, but at 6-foot-10 and 245 pounds, Horford is more in the power forward mould rather than a big centre. Plus, if you are starting Jason Collins at centre in the playoffs, surely the team needs to search for alternatives there.
Team: Boston Celtics
Draft Pick: 25th
Recommended Position: Centre
On the face of it, the whole of the Celtics team looks pretty old. Barring Rajon Rondo at point guard, all the positions feature veteran players who are getting too old for the job. The Big Three of Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce and Ray Allen seemed depleted at times in the playoffs, but there is no doubting the quality that they have. Given some rest and proper usage, they are still players who can win big games for Boston and lead another charge for the NBA world championship.
However, the Celtics need to look at the future. The presence of Rondo and Delonte West has given them cover in terms of age in the back court. The trade that saw Jeff Green come into Boston was criticized in some quarters, but Green is a good player. Plus he has age on his side, and has already shown that he can ease some of the burden on the shoulders of Paul Pierce. In time, he might even prove to be a replacement once Paul decides to hang up his boots.
The concern up front is more urgent for the Celtics. Kevin Garnett, try as he might, cannot put up the minutes he used to and Glen Davis is never going to be the player Garnett was. Also, the Celtics have plenty of dead wood at centre. Jermaine O’Neal and Nenad Krstic combined for a point's average of 7.5 and grabbed an average 5.9 rebounds. Those are not the numbers of the centre of a team vying for the NBA title. Oh, and Shaquille O’Neal stopped by to play some minutes too. He contributed a grand total of 2 points.
Disclaimer: The ideas expressed in the article are the writer’s own personal views and has nothing to do with bettor.com’s editorial policy.
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