Williams a sliding factor
By Mark Murphy
Wednesday, June 28, 2006 - Updated: 08:14 AM EST
NEW YORK - If the Celtics end up landing a slider with the seventh pick in tonight’s draft, they may have to thank Duke’s Shelden Williams for displacing that player.
Notebook
The 6-foot-9 power forward, who has always had a fan in Danny Ainge, continues to be paired with Atlanta and the No. 5 pick.
Ainge, for one, is giving the report credence.
“I’ve believed that one for a while,” Ainge said yesterday. “He makes sense there.”
Williams isn’t about to discount the Atlanta talk, either. But considering that Williams has been through the same battery of workouts as every other player, there is one odd note about his connection with the Hawks. As he said, “I never worked out for them.”
Though a published report has paired Rudy Gay with Toronto and the No. 1 pick, the UConn forward is either in the dark or should play poker for a living.
“I have no idea where I’m going,” he said. “This draft is so unpredictable. Every one of us has heard we could go in the top two or the top five, but none of us really know.”
great, they promised him the 5th pick but didn't get a workout from him. GREAT JOB ATLANTA!
Exactly. It was just hype. We worked out pretty much all guards. My guess is that we end up with Brandon Roy or Randy Foye. Billy says he wants bigs, but unless Aldridge or Bargnani falls to us it will be a combo guard.
Exactly. It was just hype. We worked out pretty much all guards. My guess is that we end up with Brandon Roy or Randy Foye. Billy says he wants bigs, but unless Aldridge or Bargnani falls to us it will be a combo guard.
If the Raptors take Barghnani and the Bulls take Thomas, then it is very possible for Aldridge to fall to the Hawks.
Every year one guy falls. I hope it is Aldridge this year and with the Hawks.
That doesn't really mean anything. Lord knows they got 53 other SFs to take his place. If they wanted Al to come back he would. But they don't. And I think Williams will surprise people next year. He won't be an all star but he will show that he belongs (which he did NOT do last year) and will be at least very much starter quality.
Shelden will definately be there at 5 if they want him, I think they were trying to stir things up. However, I don't see a better choice there for them. They need a big man, not some long SF with no handles or post game like Aldridge even if they could get him.
But hey I wouldn't think they were doing the wrong thing if they took the Celtics idea, and traded their pick for Telfair and something else. They need a pg, just as much as they need a C/Pf
Shelden will definately be there at 5 if they want him, I think they were trying to stir things up. However, I don't see a better choice there for them. They need a big man, not some long SF with no handles or post game like Aldridge even if they could get him.
But hey I wouldn't think they were doing the wrong thing if they took the Celtics idea, and traded their pick for Telfair and something else. They need a pg, just as much as they need a C/Pf
they can always draft foye. and i can't wait till gay slips to 5 and they draft him
shelden williams says he never worked out for hawks
