[外電] Better days ahead?
Better days ahead?
Hawks-Bobcats clash gives fans chance to dream
By Marty Burns；
Posted: Wednesday February 1, 2006 12:12PM;
Updated: Wednesday February 1, 2006 5:33PM
Call it the anti-Super Bowl.
The Hawks and Bobcats meet up Wednesday night in Charlotte with
absolutely nothing at stake.
Well, maybe there is one thing ...
The two NBA doormats are locked in a heated battle for the most
ping-pong balls in next May's draft lottery.
For fans of the Hawks (12-31) and the Bobcats (11-35), it's a
chance to dream:
Wouldn't Atlanta hoop heads love to see LaMarcus Aldridge of
Texas in one of those yellow Hawks uniforms next year, running
the fast break with Joe Johnson on one side and Josh Smith on
the other?
And wouldn't Charlotte denizens enjoy watching Adam Morrison
of Gonzaga curl around a pick from Emeka Okafor, take a feed
from Raymond Felton and splash one of his high-arching jumpers?
Or maybe it would be UConn's Rudy Gay, Duke's J.J. Redick, LSU's
Tyrus Thomas or one of the two international stud power forwards
in this year's field, Andrea Bargnani of Italy or Tiago Splitter
of Brazil.
But can Bobcats and Hawks fans realistically expect a dramatic
turnaround from their clubs next season, even if one were to get
the No. 1 pick?
Probably not.
Scouts say neither Aldridge nor Morrison -- or any of this
year's top draft prospects - is what might be called a "high
impact player." In other words, there is no Tim Duncan or
LeBron James in this field. There are some talents who could
develop into that kind of player, but nobody capable of taking
a floundering franchise and hoisting it on his shoulders.
For Atlanta, it has to be especially frustrating. The Hawks
desperately need a center or a point guard, but this year's
draft (as of right now) doesn't seem to feature a top candidate
at either of those spots. Instead it's stocked heaviest at small
forward, where Atlanta already has a logjam with Smith, Josh
Childress and Marvin Williams (last year's No. 2 overall pick).
That's why the Hawks might lean toward the 6-foot-11 Aldridge
if they do get the No. 1 pick, though it could change depending
on what they decide to do with free agent-to-be Al Harrington.
The Bobcats appear to be in much better shape to parlay the
No. 1 pick into some immediate help on the court. They already
have Primoz Brezec at center and the Brevin Knight/Felton
combination at point guard. They are also pretty solid at power
forward with Okafor and Sean May, and at small forward with
Gerald Wallace. They basically need a shooting guard and more
depth on the perimeter. Morrison's ability to hit the outside
shot and readiness to play would seem to make him a good fit,
though Gay's superior athleticism could prove tempting.
Of course, the Hawks and Bobcats also could look to trade the
pick.
Either way, the lack of immediate help for down-and-out teams
like Atlanta and Charlotte is something of a problem for the
NBA. With so few players staying in college three or four
years, there simply are not many finished products coming out
in the draft. Too many Aldridges and Gays. Not enough Duncans.
Thus, teams at the bottom that most need the help right away
are pretty much forced to take players who require years to
develop (think Eddy Curry in Chicago or Shaun Livingston in
L.A.). In turn, this enables the better teams way down the
draft board to snap up readier players or international
talents (say, Josh Howard in Dallas or Tony Parker in San
Antonio).
"It's like a vicious cycle," says one Eastern Conference
assistant GM.
Or a lot like life in the USA these days: the rich get richer,
and the poor get ... well, the chance to hope and pray.
Meantime, the NBA doesn't get as many dramatic turnarounds
from season to season.
The kind of turnarounds that give hope to bad teams and make
an otherwise meaningless regular-season game like Wednesday
night's Hawks-Bobcats contest a little more fun to watch.
資料來源
http://0rz.net/9d11X
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◆ From: 59.121.83.104
※ 編輯: ZazaPachulia 來自: 59.121.83.104 (02/02 19:23)
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