The Hawks have the 25th pick in the draft, or at least it looks
like the Hawks have the 25th pick.  The Clippers, as part of the
Manning/Wilkins trade, had until June 1st to decide if they wanted
the 1994 Hawks first round pick, or their 1995 first round pick.  
Since I saw nothing in MacPaper this morning, I will assume that
the Hawks will keep the pick.  They are represented by:

  Mark Mitchell

and select: Billy McCaffrey, SG, 6-4. Vanderbilt ====================================================================== Atlanta Hawks ------------- The Hawks are coming off their most successful season in years, and while the playoffs were the usual disappointment, the future looks bright with Lenny Wilkins at the helm. The Hawks helped themselves long-term at mid-season by trading long-time favorite Dominique Wilkins for the younger and more Lenny-compatible Danny Manning. Other starters are not getting any younger, however, and there are no promising youngsters on the bench waiting to fill their shoes due to a history of disasterous draft choices. Brief Positional Run-Down ------------------------- Center -- Not exactly a strength, but Jon Koncak plays defense the way Lenny wants and Andrew Lang fills in adequately. The Hawks could certainly use a center, but it's not likely they'll find one worth drafting at #25. Forwards -- Definitely the Hawks' strong suit. Danny Manning, Kevin Willis, Stacey Augmon, and Duane Ferrell all fit their roles superbly at this position. Adam Keefe has been a disappointment, but could still contribute siginificantly. Doug Edwards is still an unknown quantity. The Hawks made a decision to build their future around Manning in midseason and he seems very happy with the team, so I'm assuming he will be signed to a long-tern contract soon. Otherwise the team needs become pretty broad. Guards -- The Hawks are thinner here. Mookie Blaylock had an all-star year and will hold down the point for some time if he continues to play like '93-'94. Craig Ehlo is getting on in years, but is still a solid sixth man. The glaring hole is at the shooting guard position, where various CBA fodder and a couple of the true small forwards have been doing spot duty. The Hawks need a shooter. The pick -------- The Hawks select Billy McCaffrey from Vanderbilt. McCaffrey's ability to score from anywhere on the floor and his competent ball-handling and defense make him a natural for the Hawks. Others considered ----------------- Dwayne Morton of Louisville. I had a tough time deciding between Morton and McCaffrey. Morton could be the outside threat the Hawks need and probably has a bit more range than McCaffrey, but I was concerned about his defense and ball-handling. Monty Williams of Notre Dame. I see Monty as a 2-guard for the Hawks, but the main drawback here would be the same as using Ferrell and Augmon in that slot, and we've seen those results. Greg Minor of Louisville is another solid prospect here, but again probably not as well-rounded as Billy Mc or Dwayne Morton. Fred Vinson is a really fantastic set shooter and we really wanted to mention his name here since he went to Georgia Tech, but of course he is not 1st round material. We also looked at Center prospect Charles Claxton, but deemed him too raw to spend a 25th pick on. I would have liked to scout Eddie Jones and Askia Jones. These guys sound like they might also fit the Hawks needs, but I simply haven't seen them play enough to draft them. Who the Hawks will Pick ----------------------- Pete Babcock & Co. seem to always go for "athlete"-type picks. Look for them to pick somebody like Shon Tarver or Deon Thomas. ===================================================================== Draft Summary: 1. Milwaukee Bucks GM: Bobby Davis Pick: Glenn Robinson, PF, 6-8. Purdue University. 2. Dallas Mavericks GM: Theo Wendt Pick: Jason Kidd, PG, 6-4. Cal. 3. Detroit Pistons GM: Eric Iverson Pick: Grant Hill, SF, 6-8. Duke. 4. Minnesota Timberwolves GM's: Kevin Hansen Toni Morgan Pick: Donyell Marshall, SF, 6-9. Connecticut 5. Washington Bullets GM's: Jim Nagle The Crossjammer Pick: Juwan Howard, PF, 6-10. Michigan 6. Philadelphia 76ers GM's: Brent Halliburton Pick: Yinka Dare, C, 7-0. George Washington 7. Los Angeles Clippers GM: Paul Osmond Pick: Carlos Rogers, PF, 6-11. Tennessee State 8. Sacramento Kings GM's: Don Hearth Daniel W. Huang Pick: Clifford Rozier, PF, 6-9. Louisville 9. Boston Celtics GM: Ellie Cutler Pick: Lamond Murray, SF, 6-7. Cal 10. Los Angeles Lakers GM: Kosh Pick: Jalen Rose, SG, 6-8. Michigan 11. Seattle Sonics GM: Aaron Gill Pick: Wesley Person, SG, 6-6. Auburn 12. Miami Heat GM: Rob Clough Pick: Sharone Wright, C, 6-11. Clemson 13. Denver Nuggets GM's: Rick Grubin John Exby Pick: B.J. Tyler, PG, 6-1. Texas 14. New Jersey Nets GM: Matthew Mitchell Pick: Dontonio Wingfield, PF, 6-9. Cincinnati 15. Indiana Pacers GM: Richard Burton Pick: Charlie Ward, PG, 6-0. FSU 16. Golden State Warriors GM: Mike Moore Pick: Eric Montross, C, 7-0. UNC 17. Portland Trail Blazers GM: Mike Northam Pick: Jim McIlvane, C, 7-1. Marquette 18. Milwaukee Bucks GM: Bobby Davis Pick: Brian Grant, PF, 6-8. Xavier 19. Dallas Mavericks GM: Theo Wendt Pick: Kendrick Warren, SF, 6-8. Virginia Commonwealth 20. Philadelphia 76ers GM: Brent Halliburton Pick: Voshon Lenard, SG, 6-4. Minnesota 21. Chicago Bulls GM: Andy Knipp Pick: Eric Piatkowski, SG, 6-7. Nebraska 22. San Antonio Spurs GM: Varun Singh Pick: Khalid Reeves, PG, 6-1. Arizona 23. Phoenix Suns GM: Curtis Hill Pick: Aaron McKie, SG, 6-7. Temple 24. New York Knicks GM: Alan Sepinwall Pick: Arturas Karnishovas, SF, 6-10. Seton Hall. 25. Atlanta GM: Mark Mitchell Pick: Billy McCaffrey, SG, 6-4. Vanderbilt. Next up: 26. New York Knicks GM: Alan Sepinwall


Craig Simpson - Usenet Draft Commissioner